Chapter 5! What's good!
Thanks to everyone who added this to your favorites/alerts and OMG a HUGE BEAR HUG to everyone who review! I love you guys!

This chapter is longer (as promised)... it has more drama (as promised)... and it has Scorpius! (not as promised but you knew it was coming!)

Hopefully you like it! ENJOY!

In the background of my dormitory I could hear the hustle and bustle of the girls racing to grab their uniforms and a chance to steal the mirror in order to cast some unnecessary beauty charms. I moaned into my pillow, my eyelids still shutting out the morning light daring to creep in. In hopes of gaining even an extra moment of sleep I pulled the covers up over my head and snuggled into the darkness of my sheets.

"Erin! Have you seen my jumper?"

I glared murderously at my roommates under my blanket before grabbing my pillow and shoving in onto my head and over my ears. Today is already going to be bloody awful; you think my friends would understand my need for rest. And quiet.

"Did you check under your bed? That's where it was last time!"

Apparently quiet is out of the question.

"Rose!" A pair of hands reached out and tugged the warmth away and revealed the disorganized chaos that is our dorm. "Rose! Get up! We already let you sleep through breakfast! We are not letting you miss Care of Magical Creatures and I do not want to trudge all the way down to the forest by myself!"

And I guess rest wasn't an option either. I mumbled nonsense as I slowly climbed out of bed and into the maze of scattered knickers and lone pairs of trousers. "You know," I said to Lia as I stripped off my bottoms and wiggled my way into my uniform barely awake, "sleep makes everything better and you took that away from me."

Lia rolled her eyes, "You'll live."

She snatched up my top and tossed at me. I glared through my tired eyes and continued my quest on getting ready. "I may live but I'll suffer through it. You know today is going to be full of non-stop glares and questions. Not to mention about a billion lectures from my cousins." I turned towards Lia, who was currently adjusting her tie for what seemed like the umpteenth time, and dragged my hairbrush through my messy head of curls. "I'm surprised I haven't received a howler from my father yet! You know the second he finds out about this whole situation he'll be on my arse faster than I can even say Quidditch! He'll probably have me kicked straight out of the flipping family!"

Lia stopped fiddling with her tie and gave me an exasperated look. "You're being such a drama queen!"

"No!" I protested whilst I finished buttoning my white button up. "My family is going to give me hell for this! And I don't even have a bloody team to compete with! There goes my dream!" I stomped over to my dresser and threw my cloak over my shoulders. Grabbing my books, I headed out of the room with my best mate in tow.

Lia and I walked in silence through the corridors. We could see the rest of our classmates climbing the steps down to the hut. I knew that due to my heavy sleeping and refusal to greet the sun that both of us were going to be late to our class. Not the Hagrid would really mind or notice. Usually the first five minutes of our lessons this year he'd spent trying to wrangle all of the Bowtruckles together.

"Weasley!"

If this morning wasn't already bad enough now I had to deal with the biggest flipping prat in all of Hogwarts. I glanced over at Lia and gestured for her to continue without me. "What?" I spat spinning on my heel to face that ever-present smirk.

"Are you always this bitter? Or does it just arise whenever I'm in your presence?" He sauntered down the few steps separating us. His left hand was shoved into his pants pocket and his right was clutching his copy of The Monster Book of Monsters. I was beginning to think that his arrogance was permanent.

"Would you just get to the point? I would prefer to get to my lesson before it's over."

"Only because you asked so nicely," he replied sarcastically. "I heard about what you did on the pitch the other night. And I must say that I'm impressed."

"Impressed?" My eyes widened in surprise. It's not everyday I get a compliment, or something close to one, from Malfoy. "Of what? Completely ruining my chances at ever winning this sodding competition?"

"No," Scorpius smirked as he looked down at me as we slowly followed the path, "of your Slytherin-ness. I never took you as the type of person to abandon your team, especially when it involves your family."

"Well, obviously you overlooked fact that I didn't only do it for myself. I did it for Lily too."

"Even better."

I stopped. "Excuse me?" I asked utterly dumbfounded.

His smirk grew wider, as did his confidence. Malfoy swaggered over to me, giving me only about an inch of breathing room. "Let's just say I have a plan."

"And?" I crossed my arms and stared angrily into his cloudy grey eyes, questioning his scheme.

"Meet me in the Transfiguration classroom tonight at around eleven. Bring Lily with you."

My feet stayed glued to the dirt path as I watched Scorpius turn to continue on his way to the forest. I wasn't quite sure how to respond. The bane of my existence has an idea and not only does it involve me. It might also involve my future. My life is heading in a downward spiral, I can feel it.

After Transfiguration that day I had a free period, one that I spent hiding away in my favorite place. It was a seat up on the sixth floor that was perched in front of a massive window overlooking the grounds, affording me a fantastic view and the occasional ability to scout out my fellow students.

I reclined on the golden colored sofa and snatched my homework assignment Hagrid had assigned. It wasn't much, just a few chapters about the care for Bowtruckles. In all honesty, I couldn't give a shit about what these blimey creatures have to eat or how often they need to spend sleeping. Nor could I manage to give my reading a second of my time, what with my life becoming similar to one of those muggle soap operas.

I'd already landed the role as the backstabbing bitch and it would be sooner or later that I'd end up having an affair or committing a deplorable felony. I could only hope that this was my evil twin controlling my life and not the real me. I'd rather not believe that I'm the person ruining my relationship with my family.

Outside I could see James and a gaggle of his friends flinging a Fanged Frisbee on the grassy lawn. Hugo and Albus were stretched out underneath the shade of a birch tree with Lucy at there feet, most likely hexing people from afar. I knew I'd be right there next to Al. We'd be laughing about Hugo's many failed attempts at asking Lia to Hogsmeade.

But I wasn't.

"James is really pissed off with you, you know." I turned my head. Roxanne placed herself against the wall, head slumped against the stone. Her face was blank and her eyes didn't dare look into mine. You'd think she was afraid that one look would give her a social disease. "I'm pretty pissed too."

I bit my lip, nodding my head and whispering, "I know."

"It's not so much that you left. It's that you were so ready to boot my off the team." Roxanne remained stone-faced, determined not to let her emotions seep through. "I know she's family… but I'm family too. You know, you were always one of my favorite cousins. You were smart, funny, and never let anyone get to you. And getting the chance to play on the house team with you was… it meant a lot. You were my role model. Whether you liked it or not, I looked up to you." She sighed, finally letting her chocolate eyes lift off the cold floor. Her face may have been blank but her eyes showed how disappointed she was in me. "That day on the pitch… killed me. James went through with the practice, running drills, making our bodies ache. I don't think it hurt as much as my heart. You picked her. You always pick her."

Tears began slipping down both of our cheeks. A lump clogged my throat and guilt started weighing me down. "Rox, I didn't… I-I didn't—"

Roxanne stopped. Her hair flipped over her shoulder as she twisted her head towards me, pieces of it still covering her tear-stained cheek. "Save it… I just hope you get what you wanted Rose. I hope this was all worth it."

My heart dropped. Tears started spilling out of my eyes and my shoulders shook violently as I sobbed. Slowly, I made my way towards the window before cradling my knees, wishing that I could steal a time turner and amend everything I had managed to screw up so badly.

Everything was wrong. And everything hurt.

"Get off your moping arse so we can get going!"

"Are you serious? You actually want to go see what he wants from us? Have you lost your bloody mind?"

"Well," Lily sighed, "I don't see any other option!"

I slumped into my favorite armchair next to the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. Frustrated and upset, I ran my fingers through my mane of hair and groaned, "So, you want us to go and put all our trust in this wanker's scheme?"

"Rose, I know you're troubled with what happened with Roxanne but you don't need to drag your bitterness into whatever this thing with Scorpius is about. We don't even now what he wants and we could at least give him a chance!" Lily sat on the foot stool in front of me and stared me down with her intense green eyes. Only she and her brother could stop me mid-rant with just a look. It was a magic trait that I think even Voldemort would have lacked. "What happened to being a Gryffindor?"

"I'm still a Gryffindor…" I mumbled.

"Really? She scoffed, thumping me hard on the chest. "Because a Gryffindor wouldn't be moping in her common room because of a stupid prat. And she wouldn't be scared to give something a try."

"I hate it when you're right."

"Eh," Lily smiled scrunching her nose and standing up, "you'll get over it. Now let's get our bums in gear and go meet the King of the Prats." My cousin extended her hand and hoisted me onto my white trainer clad feet. "You're really going dressed like that?"

I frowned and crossed my arms as Lily looked me up and down, disapproval written all over her face. "It's not like we're going to a ball! We're just going to an empty classroom! I think jeans and a t-shirt will suffice."

"Ugh!" Lily threw her head back and let out a noise only a hippogriff could muster. "But you need to look sexy!"

"Sexy?" I raised my eyebrows. "What in Merlin's name are you going on about?"

Lily nodded her head, "Yes, sexy! How else is he going to realize you're a saucy little minx and ravish you in the broom closet after our little chat?"

"Lily!" I gasped. My jaw hung open in surprise and disgust as I turned my back away from my insane cousin.

"I'm only trying to diffuse the sexual tension! Now come on, we're going to be late," Lily explained, seeing no fault in her opinion.

After being dragged down the corridor reluctantly by my determined cousin, we had finally managed to get to the abandoned classroom with about three minutes to spare. To say I was surprised that Malfoy hadn't shown yet would be a lie. After five years of classes with him it was a known fact that Scorpius truly believed that it was proper to arrive fashionably late and he wasn't about to break that streak now. Sodding git.

Lily seemed to be perfectly content lying on the desk, staring at the designs on the ceiling whilst fingering her necklace. She bopped her head humming a Weird Sister's song, which thanks to her would be stuck playing repeatedly in my mind.

I fluttered my lips and leaned back onto my hands. "So…"

"Calm, Rose. Don't get your knickers in a twist just because he's like two seconds late."

"Excuse me! But I don't think—"

I paused at the sound of the door creaking open and a pair of feet carefully stepping into the room. Instead of the expected face of Scorpius, the features of Michael Rennison appeared sticking his nose through the doorway and peering in at us. "Michael?"

His brow furrowed and his body stiffened in shock. "Rose? Lily? What's going on? I-I was supposed to meet Scorpius here."

"So were we," Lily piped clearly unaffected by the arrival of a random Ravenclaw.

"Is he roping you into his evil plan too?"

"I wouldn't call it evil, Weasley. Genius, maybe, but never evil," Malfoy trotted past the dazed boy with two of his cronies lagging behind him and his abnormally large ego.

"I'd never use the term genius when talking about you. But regardless of your lack of intelligence could we please get to the point as to why you've dragged us out past curfew."

Scorpius let out a small laugh and strutted towards the head of the room. "Well, if you take a seat, I'll get started."

I took a few steps back, climbed atop the desk, and raised my eyebrows. "Happy now?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes and decided not to comment on my antics. "As all of you know deadlines for team signups are tomorrow and if I'm correct, you're all without a team."

"Do you enjoy pouring salt in our wounds?"

"Well," Scorpius continued, ignoring me, "that's where we come in." He gestured towards his two mates from Slytherin. "After last year's Quidditch Cup win, Slytherin is down a chaser and a beater. And thanks—"

"Thanks to thatnancywanker, Higgs, we're down a bloody seeker!" Zelus Warrington moaned. "Stupid git worrying about his N.E.W.T.s. Such rubbish."

Malfoy glowered atWarrington, "Back to the point." He turned his attention towards the rest of us, "It seems that you need us."

"And you need us," Lily smiled devilishly back at him cocking her head to the side.

"Whichever way you want to think of it, if we manage to toss aside these damn prejudices and learn not to murder each other I believe that we could form a would stay on as keeper and Lily would take Higgs' place as seeker. Rennison and Nott would fill the spaces as beaters and Weasley and I would be chasers. Course that still means we're down a chaser."

"I thought Lucy was your guys' chaser?"

Nott nodded, "So did we mate, so did we."

"What are you saying?" I questioned. "That Lucy dropped Quidditch? That doesn't sound anything like her. She loves it too much."

"That's where you step in, Red. I need you to talk to her and get her to commit."

I hopped off the desk and stepped in front of Scorpius. "Is Scorpius Malfoy asking me for a favor?" I grinned mockingly up at him. "Has the world ended? Are we in a post-apocalyptic world?"

"Don't be fresh, Weasley," Scorpius bit back at me. He lowered his face down towards mine until his eyes were almost level with my own. "We don't need to make things difficult. Personally I'd rather not have to battle with you on the pitch. I'd much rather work with you to kick your cousin's arse."

"And why's that, Malfoy?" I spat, my words carrying venom.

"Let's just say," he whispered, letting his lips move slowly and softly as they ghosted his words, "it's personal."

Lily skipped next to me and lowered her mouth to my ear. "Sexual tension!" She said in a sing-song voice.

I whipped my head towards her a scowled. "Really?"

"Really?" I shivered as Scorpius's breath tickled the back of my neck.

Review... please?

Next chapter will be up sometime within the next week... though no promises.

And it will involve some family bickering, a little persuasion, and maybe (MAYBE!) some more Scorpius action! It has yet to be decided because it has yet to be written!