A/N: Ok, here's the next chapter! Sorry it took so long!

Chapter 5

We left the Leaky Cauldron half an hour later to meet up with our families and friends in Diagon Alley. Once we'd gone through the barrier, we awkwardly said our goodbyes since Scorpius was meeting his parents for a trip to their Gringotts vault before meeting Al, and I planned to meet Emily and Dom while Al was at Madam Malkin's. He needed new robes just like he did every year, and since last year proved it was dead boring waiting around for him to be done we'd agreed to just meet afterward.

I was feeling almost optimistic about the school year ahead. Considering I had been dreading having to spend even fifteen minutes with Scorpius before today, it was a huge improvement. Not only had I now survived two hours alone with him, but we actually managed to be productive and cooperative during the majority of those two hours. If I could survive that, this year shouldn't be a problem.

As soon as she arrived, I made sure to fill Emily in on our 'plans' from this afternoon, just in case my parents asked.

"Wait, so why didn't you actually help me with all the homework I left until the last minute this afternoon?" She asked once I was through.

"And why didn't you invite me?" Dom whined. I laughed at their sheer predictability. Of course they wouldn't have even started their summer work yet. We still had a fair amount of time to do it so it was hardly as 'last minute' as I made it sound, but still. I'd had mine done in the first two weeks of the break. Although maybe that had more to do with the fact that I needed a distraction so I didn't think about Adrian than it did with me actually wanting to get it done.

"Because I had to meet with Malfoy to go over some Head stuff and if I told my dad that he would have made a huge deal out of it."

"Wait, so you lied to your parents about meeting a guy?" Dominique asked, grinning suggestively. "Scorpius Malfoy, no less."

I rolled my eyes. "Dom, it was just business. I'm surprised we even managed to cooperate."

"So am I, actually. Though I guess we haven't seen Scorpius alive and well yet so you could be lying."

I threw my cousin a look but said nothing as we continued on our way to Madam Malkin's. We timed it perfectly, as Al was just emerging from the shop when we arrived. He turned to wave at the seamstress as the door swung shut, turning back just in time for us to catch his expression transforming into one of complete exasperation.

"I swear that woman is going to drive me batty one of these days. She gave the shop over to her daughter, so why in the bloody hell does she insist on sitting in on all of the appointments and criticizing the poor woman?" He muttered as we continued on our way to our first stop: Flourish and Blotts.

"That, dear cousin, we will never know the answer to," I replied lightly. Al turned his head to grin at me.

"So is my best mate still all in one piece, Rosie?" He asked.

"Wow. Does everyone think I'm incapable of interacting civilly with Malfoy?"

"Yes," came their chorus of replies. Some friends.

"Well, you're wrong. Has this past year really proven nothing?"

Al rolled his eyes. "It's proven you can mostly ignore him, and occasionally hold a civil conversation in the presence of others. It has not, however, proven that you can handle being alone with him for elongated periods of time."

"Well, it just so happens that I can. So whoever lost the bet can pay up," I snapped.

"Who said anyone was betting?" Al asked innocently. I tossed him a glare and he dropped the act. "If it counts for anything, Gage was the one who thought you'd kill each other."

We found Scorpius already outside Flourish and Blotts, accompanied by none other than Gage. Gage turned his Galleon over to Al upon seeing that I was also unscathed, and the group of us proceeded inside.

Being the only two in the group continuing the subjects into our final year, Scorpius and I headed off in search of our Arithmancy and Ancient Runes books as Dominique and Albus started toward the Divination section, with Gage and Emily heading to find their own books. Like my mother, I found the subject of Divination to be utterly useless, and I guess Scorpius did, too. Dom and Al, on the other hand, took it just for the 'easy E' they were rewarded with for making up nonsense. What a waste; it wasn't even an 'O.'

My thoughts were interrupted as I realized I'd come across a problem. While I was average height for a girl my age, maybe a little on the tall side, the Ancient Runes textbooks were just a bit above my reach, probably a result of the almost non-existent demand for them. Frowning, I stood on the tips of my toes, hoping against hope I wouldn't have to go find the shop owner. The man gave me the creeps. Sighing in resignation when I realized I would have to do just that, I rocked back on my heels just as an arm reached up and around me, grabbing two textbooks from the shelf above my head and holding one in front of me. I opened my mouth in surprise and turned to see who exactly my saviour was. Of course, it had to be Scorpius. Standing just over half a head taller than me gave him the extra height he needed to reach it.

"Thanks," I muttered, taking the book.

"No problem, Weasley," He replied, and I heard his footsteps retreat back down the aisle.

The rest of the trip went smoothly, and soon Dom and I were standing near the entrance to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, where the family met up after retrieving all their books. Albus and Scorpius were across the floor with James and Fred inspecting some new merchandise Uncle George had ordered and Hugo was with Lily checking out the third floor. Uncle George hadn't wanted to keep the shop after his twin's death in the War, but the family managed to convince him. Dad took on the responsibilities of day-to-day operations and Uncle Percy even stepped in to handle the books temporarily. After Uncle George finally came back, Dad stayed on, though Uncle Percy went back to work at the Ministry. From what I'd heard, Uncle Percy was an assistant to the Minister during the War and had a falling out with the family because of it. You'd never be able to tell now. He looked completely at ease laughing with Uncle George.

Speaking of laughing, as I did a sweep of the room with my eyes, I got a brief glimpse of Al and Scorpius laughing together, James and Fred nowhere in sight. I backtracked to take a longer look at the pair. They both looked completely at ease, something rare for Scorpius. Not that I spent all of my time, or even a fair portion of it, watching the bloke, but usually his air of over-confidence was accompanied by a sort of tension, as though he were putting up walls to protect himself. When he was with Albus, though, there were rare moments like this in which his guard seemed to slip away. I figured this was why Al always said he was such a good guy, because he got to see him as him and not as the ladies' man everyone else did.

"Who are you watching ever so intently?" Dom's voice startled me from my thoughts.

"N-No one," I stuttered shakily, looking hurriedly away. What was going on with me lately? It was one thing to be civil and cooperative with him, but to stand and ponder the inner workings of his mind? I think that was a bit above and beyond. I needed to get a grip, and quickly.

"Yeah, sure."

"Oh, look, there's Mum and Dad now. I'd better go get Hugo. I'll see you on the first of September?"

"How convenient," Dom grinned, "Yes, I'll meet you on the platform."

I headed out the door, meeting someone halfway through and stepping aside to let him pass without much thought.

"Rose. Hi."

I nearly stopped breathing. I knew that voice. My eyes snapped up to meet his. "Adrian. Uh- How have you been?"

"Good, good. You?" He asked, looking down at me. His eyes were the same deep brown I remembered, though it had only been two months. What would really have changed in that short of time?

"Good," I replied, trying to slow my heartbeat. I stole a glance to the left and saw Dom watching us closely. As my eyes traveled back to Adrian, I took in Al and Scorpius looking on as well. Great. "Well, uh, I have to go. I guess I'll see you around…"

"Yeah, see you." He looked almost regretful. I was half way down the steps as he called out, "Hey, Rose. You- uh- you look good."

I smiled slightly, "Thanks. So do you."

My heart was still pounding as I walked away from my ex-boyfriend.

Try as I might to ignore it, Adrian Davies was stuck on my mind all evening. It was understandable, of course, given that he was my first serious boyfriend and this was one of only a few awkward encounters after our break-up. This time, it wasn't as awkward as our previous run-ins. It felt almost normal. It felt as though we weren't actually broken up, just having a row. It felt like it did before summer.

I found myself taking a trip down a masochistic memory lane as I lay in bed that night. Our entire relationship seemed to play through my mind: Dom's make-over catching Adrian's attention, his persistence in asking me out (at least once every other day), me finally giving in and finding there was more to him than the ladies' man exterior, me slowly falling for him, him slowly falling for me, and then the harsh realization that summer was coming, and that painful conversation before our relationship ended.

"Rose, look, the year's almost over. Things between us got pretty intense pretty quickly. I think that, maybe, it might be best to take some time, maybe the summer, and just re-evaluate. My feelings haven't changed. I want you to know that."

I swallowed the lump that had been growing in my throat since I'd first seen him tonight. I'd had a feeling this was coming, but it didn't mean it hurt any less. "You're right. This is probably best."

He looked mildly surprised that I hadn't dissolved into tears at his suggestion. "I'm going to be traveling a lot with my family so we wouldn't get to see each other much anyway. If we still feel the same after summer, we can pick back up where we left off."

I nodded. It was a logical train of thought. Our relationship spanned from mid-November to May, the longest for either of us. I had been feeling a bit wary of all of it myself, but Dom had firmly derailed all of my insecurities. "You're right. We should take a break and figure things out. This year has been intense. I definitely didn't expect any of this."

He gave me a lopsided smile laced with sadness that made my heart beat just a bit faster, "Me neither. You took me by surprise, Red."

He called me Red. At first it irked me, just a little, but I grew to like it. He was the only one who got the call me that. I missed it. I missed him. I didn't realize how much until today. Seeing him brought back so many feelings, and I couldn't help but wonder if he felt the same. A small part of me cried that he broke up with me so that he wouldn't have a girlfriend to tie him down during his summer travels. After all, if he loved me, he wouldn't just toss me, would he? But the majority of me believed him when he said he loved me.

Dominique hadn't agreed with me at all. In fact, she thought I was positively mad to take such a rational stance on this. Overnight, her opinion of Adrian took a complete 180. She didn't understand how I wasn't a complete mess. She didn't know that I was just holding it all in until I was alone that night. Rose Weasley didn't cry. She didn't show weakness in front of anyone. She was the one who always had it all together. Rose Weasley didn't let anyone see her falter.

Now, three months after the break-up, it was hard to sort through my feelings. Yes, I missed Adrian, but did I still love him? I may not have been a complete and utter mess when he suggested our 'break', but I was still hurt. Maybe I didn't really know what love was if I wasn't rendered useless when Adrian left me, or maybe I was only as OK as I was because I spent the summer telling myself it was only a break and we would get back together once school started. But did I want to get back together with him? Did he want to pick back up with me? Was that even an actual option, or was it just a lie like Dom told me it was? I hated the uncertainty of it all. Maybe it was best to just wait and see what Adrian would do once we got back to school.

I must have tired myself out at some point during the night, because I woke the next morning to sunlight streaming through my window. For a brief moment, I forgot all about my run-in with Adrian. Of course, once I remembered, I jumped out of bed and began to hurriedly get ready for the day to keep my mind occupied.

There was not much time left until term started. I spent it cleaning, packing, reading, cleaning, hanging out with Emily and Dom (who were worried about the whole Adrian thing, though I brushed them off), and did I mention cleaning? Finally, we were off to King's Cross. For some unknown reason, I impulsively pulled out a white skirt Dom had forced on me and paired it with a navy blue cap-sleeved shirt for the journey to the school. Maybe I was hoping to see Adrian again, but I wasn't sure which reaction I wanted from him: desire to get back together, or regret that he'd let me get away.

I arrived at the platform at 10:15AM, as Headmistress Vanhousen specified in her letter. Scorpius and I were required to supervise the boarding of the train and ensure the first years understood the process. I crossed the barrier to find it empty, but Scorpius wasn't far behind.

He stopped short when he saw me leaning against the support beam across from the entrance. "Wow. I didn't know you owned a skirt, Weasley."

Instead of bristling as was my instinct, I reminded myself that we had to work and live together this year. I also reminded myself that, if it were anyone else, I would take it as a joke, which meant I shouldn't treat Scorpius any differently. So, instead of biting his head off like I would have last week, I grinned cheekily. "Like I've said, there's a lot you don't know about me."

Dom squealed in delight when she saw what I was wearing. She figured the skirts would end up at the bottom of my closet with all the other rejects, and yet here I was finally wearing one.

Before stepping onto the platform at the beginning of my sixth year, I was just a quiet girl who studied relentlessly and never partied. It was remarkable to see the change that came with the new clothes. It wasn't just everyone looking at me in a different way; it was the confidence that came with it. I stopped studying all the time (though I still outstripped Albus and Dominique) and started to relax, finally following my mother's advice. Strange, that the desire for me to stop dedicating myself so thoroughly to my schoolwork came from Mum, and not Dad, given their own scholarly habits. Mum said she'd been through it all and already knew that wasting away in front of a textbook wasn't worth it if I was missing out on the friendships and experiences one was supposed to get at Hogwarts. Of course she meant slightly more normal (and less dangerous) experiences than taking down a mountain troll or going up against the darkest wizard in recent history, but it carried the same point. As soon as I started to allow myself to let go of my obsessive desire to study every waking moment I saw her point. I needed more in my life than Dom, Emily, and textbooks. Sure, I was on good terms with most of my year (with one glaring exception), but I hadn't seen them much outside of the classroom until I started to loosen the reins a little.

"No running on the platform!" I shouted over the noise of parents and children saying their good-byes.

"There she is!" My father's booming voice reached my ears over the din and I turned, smiling.

I hugged my parents quickly, trying not to think that this was the last time we would ever do this. This was the last time I would come here in September as a student. Everything was going to change. I stepped back, blinking rapidly to prevent my eyes from glazing over. I covered by looking over my shoulder and pretending to survey the platform. Rose Weasley didn't cry. Especially not over sentimental nonsense. Not even if her mother was tearing up. Nope. No tears, no misty eyes.

"Ok, well I think you know the drill by now, Rosie," Dad said gruffly. "Keep up your grades and do us proud. If Malfoy steps one toe out of line-"

"I can handle myself, Dad," I replied, the slightest irritation gnawing at my words. I wasn't a defenseless little girl, and he really didn't need to worry. It wasn't like I was going to fall for Scorpius's many masculine charms. I almost laughed to myself thinking of any charm he could possibly possess that would result in me falling for him.

"I know, but I don't want you to jeopardize your perfect record for that prat. Just write home and I'll come hex the little-"

"Ronald!" Mum hissed, looking alarmed.

"Only joking, dear." He sent me look as Mum turned to hug Hugo that told me he actually wasn't. I rolled my eyes good-naturedly at him before turning to survey the platform.

There were ten minutes until the train departed. Giving my parents a final wave, I started to make a last round of the platform. I spotted James and Emily locked together quite fiercely and quickly looked away. They were nervous about trying the whole long distance thing, I knew. Emily's parents divorced a few years back, and ever since she's been guarded when it comes to relationships. She's taken so many steps forward with James that I hoped this year wouldn't destroy them like it did so many other couples. I wasn't sure if Emily would be able to handle it. I popped back outside the barrier to check for any lost first years one last time, and could hear Scorpius calling out a ten minute warning from the other side of the platform as I re-emerged. It took right until the last minute to get everyone safely on the train, and I breathed a sigh of relief as we finally hopped on just as it started to move.

Ok, here we go. Nothing to be apprehensive about, Rose. This is what you've been waiting for your entire school career. This was your plan all along, and it's finally time to put it into action. You can do this.

"Weasley? You coming, or do you plan on standing there the entire day?" Scorpius's amused question broke me from my silent pep talk. I scowled at him with less animosity than I wanted to and brushed past him to lead the way to the Prefects' carriage.

"Ok, so, uh, I guess welcome back to those of you who are returning, and welcome to those of you who are new," I smiled, standing at the front of the enlarged Prefects' compartment with Scorpius. Lily sat with the rest of the new fifth year Prefects, looking slightly apprehensive despite her attempt to conceal it. "I'm Rose Weasley, and this is Scorpius Malfoy. So first we'll just go over some general rules. It'll be a bit boring for those of you in sixth and seventh year but just bear with us."

We read over the rules in record time, proceeding smoothly into the scheduling for patrols. Once everything was explained, we assigned each sixth year Prefect to a fifth year Prefect to patrol the train at certain intervals during the journey both so the fifth years had someone to show them the ropes, and so the seventh years could enjoy their last train ride to Hogwarts at the beginning of a school year. Yes, that was Scorpius's idea, and yes, I protested it heavily before giving in.

Once the meeting was adjourned, Scorpius, Ben, and I started down the train in search of our friends. Of course, they all had to be sitting in the same compartment, which meant that I didn't get to escape Scorpius like I'd hoped. I spent the journey down the train confiscating banned items and scolding younger students trying to experiment with magic while Scorpius sighed in exasperation every time. Finally I spun on him.

"What?" I snapped.

"School hasn't even started yet, Weasley. You'll have plenty of time to do this in the castle."

"The second they stepped on this train they became our responsibility, Malfoy. Or have you forgotten that?" I hissed angrily. Here he was, proving me right. He couldn't actually take this seriously.

"No, of course I haven't. The second years and above should know better, yes, but I don't see how a first year trying to cast 'abracadabra' is really going to result in any danger."

"Well, they could… poke someone's eye out with their wand, or mispronounce the words and end up casting a spell they hadn't originally intended," I tried, realizing just how ridiculous I sounded. Scorpius's amused smile and Ben's attempt to hide his confirmed it. "Ok, so they won't really do any harm, but it's the principle of the matter. We can't very well make a fuss over second years playing around with magic but let first years get away with it."

Scorpius raised his hands in surrender. "Ok, you have a fair point."

"Thank you," I snapped, whirling back around and continuing forward.

"Dang. I had February in the pool," Ben muttered to Scorpius behind me, "I was trying for optimism, but I don't know if you'll make it until then."

I pretended not to hear.

A/N: And so ends another chapter. I originally had different plans for Adrian, but he works better in this role. I hope you agree as the story progresses! This chapter was kind of slow but it will start picking up as we get them off to Hogwarts.