I am so sorry. This took me incredibly too long to write. Hopefully you can all forgive me. And if I ever do this again please free to PM me and tell me to get my act together and post a new chapter. Not. Kidding. I actually might need someone to do that.

And with no further wait... chapter 14.

The shock my cousin had just received was evident as her Quibbler slid out of her hands and fluttered to the floor as her mouth stood agape and her body stayed frozen. Her lips started to move, trying to form words, and her head started to shake slightly, trying to make sense of what I had just admitted aloud.

"Lily, I—"

But I was cut off by her hand as it flung itself upward, halting anymore words to slip from my lips. "No, Rose. I heard you. I'm just trying to figure this out."

"So am I," I admitted.

"I'm sorry," Lily said as she shook her head, "but I just can't comprehend this. What exactly do you mean you like Scorpius?"

I rubbed my hands across my face and moaned, "I have no idea!" I trudged across the dorm to sit beside Lily on her bed. "He kissed me."

Lily shook her head. "He's kissed a lot of people, Rose."

"I know but… I don't know. The only thing I'm sure of is that unlike any other kiss? My stomach felt like it was turning inside out and all the hairs on my arms stood on end. That moment I swore my heart was beating faster than a hummingbird's and I just knew of something." I paused and waited for Lily's eyes to meet mine. "I don't know what that something was. But it was there."

Her eyes widened. "Rosie, I'm trying hard to understand all of this," she sighed as she gestured wildly in my direction, "but what I'm having trouble understanding is why now? What happened with the past few years? I've been telling you since my first day that you've been in love with him! Hell, I've done all but stuck you two under a magic mistletoe!"

"I don't know the answer to anything!" I confessed. "It's not like I planned this, Lily! I never wanted this! Any of this! But it's happening and I'm trying my hardest to figure it all out!"

Lily shrugged. "Alright," she said.

"Alright?"

She nodded. "Alright. Go for it."

"Alright?" I popped off the edge of her bed and sprang to my feet. "You aren't supposed to say that!"

"Yeah? Well, what am I supposed to say, Rose?" Lily shouted, crossing her arms as her face grew closer and closer to that infamous shade of Weasley red.

And that's when I began to pace. "I don't know!" I screamed as I raked my fingers through my mud-caked curls. "You're supposed to say no! That I can't do this! That I can't fancy someone as self-righteous, as pretentious, as egotistical as him!" My heart speed up and the heat in my body seemed to triple as my emotions swirled into destructive hurricane. "I'm a Weasley and he's a Malfoy! It's not something that's supposed to happen!" I stopped and pointed at Lily as she watched terrified. "You're supposed to tell me that I can't do this! You're supposed to tell me that all of this is forbidden and I should forget all of these foolish feelings! You're supposed to stop me from losing control! I'm not allowed to fall for him! I'm not allowed to lose every inch of my sanity just for one boy!" I paused and took a few deep breaths and tears I hadn't recognized before tumbled down my freckled cheeks. "You're supposed to tell me that I can't do this."

Lily rushed forward and cradled me in her arms. I stood in her embrace, lost in a point where I was crying but unable to form tears. "Shh, shh," Lily whispered softly. She patted down my hair and held me closer. "Rose, it's ok. Breathe."

She pulled back a bit. "Look at me." And so I did with my bloodshot eyes and my tear-stained face. Lily reached down and took hold of my trembling fingers. "Listen. No one is telling you that you can't do this."

"Yes they are!"

"Who?"

"The world, Lily!" I cried.

Lily furrowed her eyebrows and stared deeper. "Who?" she asked.

"Mum, Dad, James, Hugo, Fred, L—"

"Do any of them matter?"

I nodded and choked back the lump in my throat. "I matter and I'm telling myself I can't do this."

"Rose…" Lily sighed, taking a step closer to me as she shook her head.

"No!" I held up my hands and moved away. "I can't do this now."

"Rose, please," Lily pleaded, "listen to what you're saying."

I shook my head. "It's not possible. Not now, not ever. As much as it feels right," I sighed and blinked back a few oncoming tears, "I can't like him."

Lily tightened her lips and looked down at her feet. "There's no changing your mind, is there?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

I shook my head back and forth. "No. This is for the best."

Somehow, I had fully managed to go the rest of the weekend without having to face Scorpius. I had taken every precaution possible. Every meal I spent either in my dorm or in the kitchens, having the house elves serve me mountains and mountains of treacle tart. I even resorted back to waking up early to train. Lily thought I was being ridiculous, which quite honestly I was, but it seemed to be working for me.

"Alright," Erin clapped her hands together, "I don't know what's been going on with you this weekend but you need to get your arse out of bed. We have Transfiguration in ten minutes and I am not letting you get detention so you can avoid Merlin-knows-what." She opened my trunk and dug through it a bit. "Here," she said, tossing my uniform onto the bed, "put these on and meet me downstairs. Don't make me get Lily."

I grumbled nonsense to myself, clearly unhappy to leave the comfort of my bed. Luckily Transfiguration wasn't with Slytherin, so my morning would remain Malfoy-free. It won't be until Potions that I'll have to suck it up and finally confront my situation. They say sooner is better but right now I'm willing to stay locked up as long as possible.

Once I was dressed I grabbed my knapsack off the post of my bed and headed into the common room. Erin seemed pleased that I'd finally made my way downstairs, though I could tell she was a tad peeved that I'd interrupted her talk with Corlan Wood.

"Hey," she smiled. "Ready to go?"

I nodded. She waved goodbye to Corlan and joined me as I walked out the portrait hole. "Sorry I jumped in during your conversation with Corlan," I apologized.

Erin shrugged, "You don't have to be sorry. Sure, he is attractive and if it weren't for his injury he'd be the star of the house team, but… never mind. You owe me big time. Next time you're with Lorcan I will totally get my revenge."

"What?" I cringed.

Erin shot me a look. "Please, Rose, you can't get anything past me. You might as well admit it."

"Admit what exactly? Because as far as Lorcan and I go there isn't anything to tell. We're friends and Quidditch partners. That's about it."

"Really?" Erin asked, still extremely skeptical. "It certainly doesn't seem like it, especially in these past couple weeks. And he keeps asking about you during Herbology."

Rose crinkled her forehead and frowned, taking the first few steps down the stairs. "No. You must be overthinking this. He's my friend, not exactly the guy whose name I want to doodle in my notes."

Erin nodded. "I do write Corlan's name a lot. Well, his and Mrs. Erin Wood."

"You're insane," I laughed.

"Like you've never done it," she scoffed. "Isn't there one guy in this school whose name begs to written across your Transfiguration notes? Let me guess. He's not in Gryffindor is he?"

"Who says there's a boy?"

"I guess that's a no. Please tell me he isn't a Hufflepuff," Erin begged. "Those boys are nice as can be but you can't marry that. Too safe. They're pansies." She looked me up and down. "No, you need a man. Hmmm," she thought, lifting a finger to her lips, "maybe a Slytherin."

I coughed, flabbergasted. "Are you serious?"

"What?" Erin asked, not understanding the insanity she had just spoken. "Everyone wants something they can't have. And Gryffindors and Slytherins are as taboo as anything. Plus, they have some fit boys. Don't think I haven't taken notice," she smirked. "You may be on a team with them but I've been studying their abs and their majestic ways since I stepped foot in these halls."

"Then you can have them. I've had enough problems with my family to last a lifetime and I don't think bringing a Slytherin home to meet my parents will solve anything."

"Well, what about Drumstrung? Plenty of manly boys in Bulgaria."

"As long as their last name isn't Krum."

Erin looked confused. "What the hell does a name have to do with anything? If he's attractive I don't care if he's named Eugene."

"You know," I smirked, entering the classroom, "I know a Eugene."

"Just because I will doesn't mean I'm going to seek them out. For now I'm going to stick with Wood."

"Attention!" Professor Davies boomed, her voice ringing clear through the classroom. "Would everyone please find their seats?" Students scrambled to find their chairs, a few tripping in the process. Once everyone was seated Professor Davies smiled. "Lovely, now today we will be working in pairs to practice what we learned in last week's lesson. You may collect your ravens in the back of the classroom. Please, Mr. Boot, do not let this one escape."

I looked over at Erin, "I'll get the raven. You can get out the notes from last class." Erin nodded and proceeded to shuffle through her bag as I pushed back her chair and headed towards the back of the room where the rest of her class was crowded.

"Miss Weasley," Professor Davies called, "would you come here for a moment. I'm sure Miss Finnigan can handle the prep work by herself."

I nodded, reluctantly moving towards my teacher's desk, "Yes, Professor."

"Come, let's move to my office."

I choked back the lump in my throat and wiped my sweaty palms on my skirt. Nothing good ever comes out of situations like this. I was in trouble, for what I didn't know, but I was about to find out what. "Is there something wrong, Professor?" I asked, taking my seat across from her at her cluttered desk.

"Well, I'm sorry to say Miss Weasley but there is." Professor Davies slid her glasses up on her nose and grabbed a piece of parchment off the top of a tall stack. "Unfortunately your grades have slipped in my class. Usually I wouldn't be concerned if a student was performing at an A level but for you Miss Weasley I am disappointed." She sighed and reached for another sheet of paper, "You started off this year with an O and maintained that grade level for quite some time. The issue I'm seeing is that your last few essays have lacked your typical details and showed a drop in effort on your part. I assume D's are a regular occurrence for you, are they?"

I looked down at my lap. "Professor, I am sorry. I know that I've been caught up in this Quidditch tournament. I promise you that I had no intentions on letting it affect my schoolwork."

"That's nice to hear, Rose," she nodded. "However I can't let this deed go by without some sort of punishment. It is my understanding that one of your career options for the future is to become an Unspeakable. In order to do so you need to receive an O on your exam and if you continue on this path I'm afraid you'll have to find another option."

"Yes," I agreed. "I understand."

Professor Davies scribbled on the parchment in front of her. "Rose, I suggest that you come for a required study session every night after dinner." She handed me the parchment, which contained all the details I needed.

I winced. As much as I might have needed this study session I was not looking forward to wasting more hours in the classroom. Hours that I clearly needed on the pitch. "H-how long do you anticipate this going on for? A week or two?"

The professor sighed, "Rose, you'll have to keep this up until I see fit. Hopefully that will be sooner rather than later but I can't dismiss you from these sessions until your grades return to your normal standards. If you're willing to put in the effort then this will move on quickly."

I stood up from my chair and bowed my head, "Thank you, Professor. I promise to raise my grades and I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Thank you, Rose," she smiled. "You are dismissed."

The team stood up and marched over to the archway that would lead them onto the pitch for their second game. I tried my best not to act timid during my speech to the other and I tried my hardest to bury the doubting feelings and to find my confidence. But now I could feel my palms begin to sweat and my stomach flopped a bit, overwhelmed with the nerves. This was it. Win this and they would be in the finals.

"How're you holding up?" Scorpius asked beside her. He too looked a bit shaken up, but only in the slightest. I envied how strong he could be in a situation like this.

I shook her head, "Don't be ridiculous, Malfoy. I'm fine." I took a deep breath and attempted to wiggle the nerves out of my body. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Scorpius laughed. "You seem to have forgotten that I've known you since first year, Red. I think I know enough to tell when you're edgy." He stepped closer to me, leaning against the wall so he blocked the view of the pitch. "Don't worry. You're a brilliant player. Think of nothing but the quaffle and the hoop."

"Thanks, Scorpius, but I said I'm fine. Everything under control, really."

He frowned and furrowed his eyebrows. "Look," he sighed, leaning in closer, "I know something's wrong. Does this have anything to do with the other day? With our practice? I just—"

"Scorpius," I hissed," whatever you're about to say can wait until after the match. I don't need anything else floating in my mind right now." I glared him down, hoping to shoo him off before the emotions got the best of me. "Just let me be."

Scorpius frowned and looked down towards the ground. "Alright," he nodded sadly, "I leave you to yourself. But remember, Rose, that this isn't all resting on you. We're all here to make this happen. We all want the same thing." Having said what needed to be said Scorpius left, choosing to give Lorcan a few last minute pre-game tips.

And so I stood at the entrance, not ready to move onto the grass but not wanting to stay here with my thoughts. Internally I wished for Madame Spinnet to blow the whistle to signal us onto the pitch. I only wished my mind would stop analyzing and start emptying itself of everything except Quidditch and winning.

Thoughts of the past few months ran through my mind: the Gryffindor team picking a fight with us at lunch, Kira Wilkins' snarky comments as I walked down the hall, James' constant glares and pokes at my pride, my brother's wish to wipe me out of the family, and even my father's words of encouragement for the other team, his lack of support or words for mine. My hands clenched into fists and I could feel the rage, the fight, boil up inside of me. Suddenly my anxiety was suppressed and my adrenaline started pumping.

The sound of a single whistle cut through the air. I turned back to my team, lowered my Quidditch goggles down over my eyes and grinned. "Who's ready to win!" Everyone raised their broom into the air and cheered. "Now let's get out there and show them that we're not a team to be messed with! Into positions!" I straddled the broom, kicked off the ground, and rocketed into the air, leading the others onto the pitch.

The stadium was packed, every seat filled with cheering students of all years. A deafening roar of "Let's go Appleby Arrows," had taken over the sea of people. I looked back at my teammates and caught Lucy's eye. She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "Typical," she mouthed.

And I couldn't help but agree. I had expected such things, what with the Arrows being from Ravenclaw. Naturally Hufflepuff would support them and there was no chance in hell that Gryffindor would have a single student rooting for our team. My eyes scanned the Slytherin section only to find the majority of the students slouched in their seats or talking lazily to their teammates. The only person cheering was Zelus Warrington, and he was rooting against us.

I shook my head and brought my focus back on the game. Madame Spinnet had taken her place on the ground at the center of the pitch. Both teams were set up, ready to go. I narrowed my eyes in concentration. Alton Corner was posed front and center, opposite myself. I smirked, tightened my grip on the broom, and demanded that I snatch the quaffle right out from under Corner's nose at the face off.

"I want a good clean match!" Madame Spinnet announced. "Players at the ready!" And then the whistle was blown and the quaffle launched straight into the air above our heads.

I launched myself upward with my hand reached outward, begging to grab the quaffle. I felt my fingertips linger on the ball and I forced myself forward. My hand took hold of it and I hurried to tug it safely under my arm. Instantaneously, I shot upward in hopes of escaping the others. Skirting around the edge of the pitch, I searched desperately for one of my other chasers to come into position.

"Rose!" Scorpius called. "Play 42!"

I looked down, seeing him follow me below. In my peripheral vision I could sense the two beaters closing in, so I counted to three before lunging downward. In one clean swoop I ducked under Malfoy and chucked the ball for him to grab. With success he moved onward and maneuvered past bludgers soaring at his head. Lucy and I raced to the end of the pitch just in time to watch Scorpius score through the left hoop.

Eileen White snatched the quaffle and zipped onward. Chryson and Michael took control of the bludgers and shot the back and worth, attempting to get Eileen distracted and off her path. She attempted to escape their blows and lost her focus, allowing Lucy to knock the ball out of her clutches. The quaffle fell downward into my hands.

"LOOK'S LIKE WEASLEY'S GOT THE QUAFFLE! SHE'S TURNING BACK TO FACE OFF AGAINST WEASLEY AT THE GOAL POSTS! YU WHACKS A BLUDGER TOWARDS HER! AND OH, IT JUST MISSES!" Hugo voice bellowed as he spoke from the commentator's booth. "YOU'LL GET HERE NEXT TIME!"

My nostrils flared with anger and I leaned further down on my Lightning Bolt, sending me rocketing forward. I chucked the ball at the goal post and watched as it grazed Louis's fingertips. I clenched my fist, frustrated, as it bounced off his hand and missed the hoop by mere inches.

"OH! AND IT LOOKS LIKE WEASLEY COULDN'T SECURE THAT GOAL! SHE'S GOING TO HAVE TO STEP IT UP IF SHE WANTS HER TEAM TO MAKE IT TO THE FINALS!"

"Ignore him!" Louis yelled, passing to him teammate. I frowned in confusion. "C'mon, Rose! Get back in the game! At least try to make it interesting for me!"

I looped around the goal posts and stopped mere inches from my cousin. Raising my lips up to form a smirk, I laughed, "Don't worry, Louis. We'll try and go easy on you." And without hearing his response I flew down the pitch and back into the game, hoping to give my brother something to comment about.

Review!