Chapter Fifteen

...

20th December

Hogsmeade Station

1045 hours

...

'You said that you didn't even like him-'

'So did you!'

'That's not the point, you're my best friend! You're expected to know when I'm lying!'

'That's absolute bull! You're my ex-best friend now-'

'Good!'

'Good!'

'Fine!'

'Fine!'

Lucy stifled a groan as Violet and Mary stomped away from each other, faces matching expressions of disgust and self-indignation, leaving their other friend alone with all three trunks and a very indignant owl. The train ride home was not going to be pleasant, and Lucy didn't need any tealeaves to predict that she would spend most of it going from one girl to the other, carrying more messages than an owl, and generally trying to get them to talk to each other again. It was her role in every one of their many fights.

But Lucy was naturally sunny by nature and didn't really mind, though her patience did wear thin after the third or fourth fight a weak. Still, it was with a certain degree of resignation that she began to heave all three trunks aboard, wondering if her friends were going to fight all the way home.

Molly was much more serious than her older sister, which was probably why they got on so well as neither personality overlapped. Ruthie was much more exuberant, as most small eleven year olds are, even the ones is the house of the wise and users of excessively long words. Even so, when Lucy caught sight of her sister and Ruthie heading her way, dragging their trunks behind them, she breathed a sigh of relief.

'Are Violet and Mary fighting again?' Ruthie asked, setting down her trunk, then hopping up onto it, swinging her legs merrily. She was wearing very long socks, with bright blue and green stripes, and they matched the hat sat jauntily atop her pigtails, on which a dusting of snow lay.

'Yeah', Lucy sighed, gesturing to the trunks that surrounded her. 'Peter Summerby said Happy Christmas to Mary and not Violet.'

'Oh dear.'

'Precisely. It's fine, they'll be over it after some time apart.'

'I thought Peter Summerby was dating Letty from your dorm?' Molly said as she pulled off her gloves carefully, one finger at a time.

Lucy stared at her. 'What? She kept that pretty quiet!'

'Probably because she knew that Mary and Violet would react exactly like this.' Molly said, and gestured to where Violet and Mary had each found another of their friends and were, no doubt, blackening the each other's name.

'Alas, that's probably true.' Ruthie agreed.

'And we end up the poor schmucks that have to get their trunks onto the train', Lucy groused.

Ruthie giggled. 'Less of the "we" please! Molly and I are but innocent bystanders.'

'Pish', said Lucy.

They had just heaved Ruthie and Molly's trunks into a compartment where the two belonging to Violet and Mary stood, and were about to start on Lucy's when there was an embarrassed cough from behind them.

Tommy Tillian was stood behind them, his feet compressing the snow to ice as he jiggled uneasily about. He swung his arms in front of him, then behind him, then buried them in the pockets of his cloak.

Neither Lucy or Molly spoke, looking warily at the bigger boy, but Ruthie stepped forwards, crossing her arms.

'What do you want, Tillian?'

'I, er, I- Look, I just wanted to apologise to you guys. After the incident with Rose, I started thinking, and I know I've been terrible to you. And I'm not going to give excuses, because there aren't any, but I'm trying to make amends. There's no reason you should forgive me, but please maybe think about it while you're home for the holidays.' He said quickly, the words jumbling slightly as they left his mouth.

Lucy felt her mouth fall open in shock, but before she could formulate any sort of reply, the whistle blew behind them and the chimney of the Hogwarts' Express let out a scream of steam which crystallized in the frosty air.

'You'll miss the train if you don't get on now', was all she could think to say, but Tillian shook his head.

'I'm not going home', he said. 'I just wanted to say something before you all left. I'm going to walk back to school afterwards.'

The whistle rang out again, and Molly and Ruthie each grabbed one of Lucy's hands, heaving her backwards onto the train. There was a scream of wheels, and the express began to move. Tillian jogged alongside.

'Please, just think about it', he puffed.

The Hogwarts' Express gathered speed and the platform ran out, leaving him standing in the snow which was more like sleet now. He gazed after the train long after Ruthie and Molly had left to find their compartment. Lucy, however, looked back one more time to see him dejectedly turning towards the castle, pulling his damp robes tightly around him.

...

The Seventh Floor

12oo hours

...

Rose was a lot of things, but she wasn't cruel. So when the gentle snowflakes turned to sleet she released her team and told them to hit the showers. There were appreciative mumbles as they stumped through the slush and snow to their changing rooms, dripping water all over the changing room floor. It had been more of a fun practise than anything, especially as two of their members were currently on the Hogwarts Express heading for King's Cross. She'd run drills for half an hour, then started a game of dodge ball, which was always fun, especially as they played with four bludgers.

All the team bar Rose splintered off in the Entrance Hall, heading for the Great Hall and lunch, but Rose began to climb the many flights of stairs to the seventh floor, heading for the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy.

She was deep in thought, attempting to predict whether the Hufflepuff team would have perfected the Hawks Head attacking formation in time for their next match, when the last person she ever would have expected to see hurried round a corner and stopped in front of her.

Tommy Tillian was not wearing his usual self-appreciatory grin. In fact, he looked embarrassed and more than a little uncomfortable, and highly aware that he was alone with the most terrifying girl in the school. But as he was blocking Rose's path, she had no option but to stop which she did, folding her arms and raising her eyebrows.

There was a silence, and it seemed as though Tillian expected Rose to make the first move. But as Rose felt that she had been more than generous by stopping at all, this appeared to be non-forthcoming.

'Hi, um, Weasley.'

'Tillian.'

'I wanted to ask you something.'

'What makes you think you can talk to me?'

Tillian flushed, and looked highly uncomfortable which Rose rather enjoyed. She felt somewhat that it served him right.

'Look, I know you hate me.' He said abruptly.

'I don't hate you.' Rose said coolly.

'You don't?'

'I might despise your behaviour, loathe your inability to be polite, well-mannered, or even civil to anybody that you aren't afraid of. I might think you scum for the way you treat people who are smaller or more timid than yourself, but no, I don't hate you.'

Tillian let out a breath.

'I guess I deserve that.'

Rose shrugged. 'It's only the truth. Last time we met, I was seeing red because you were being foul to my baby cousin. Now, I pity you, because no-one can become like you without a great deal of outside help.'

Tillian looked at his feet, then back at Rose, meeting her eyes. Rose surveyed him, slightly impressed. She liked people who weren't afraid of her, and though Tillian obviously was, he was hiding it well.

'My parents don't like me.' He said sanguinely, as though stating the more blaringly obviously. 'They write to Professor Turpin every year asking if I can stay at Hogwarts for the summer holidays as well.' Another shrug. 'Mostly they just ignore me.'

Rose's brow creased. Silence fell for a moment. Then, in a softer voice, Rose asked: 'Was there something you wanted from me?'

'I was hoping you might be willing to help me.' He said, then before she could reply, he hastily carried on. 'I'm fat. I know everyone whispers about me behind my back, I know everyone laughs at me. And then I watched you defend Lucy, even to the point that you got dragged into Professor Marchling's office. No-one would ever defend me like that. No-one cares about me at all.'

Rose gazed intently at the boy before her, her brow ferruled. Part of her was still seething at his treatment of her cousin, of the first years who he had victimised for years. She was unwilling to forgive him so readily. But her heart was not built of stone.

'What do you want of me?' She asked.

'Can you help me to become healthier?' He asked. 'Lose some weight? There's no-one in Hogwarts who knows as much about fitness and training as you do.'

'I'm not a personal trainer, I'm an athlete', Rose hedged.

'Please.'

'Look.' She said, narrowing her eyes. 'I don't like you. You're a bully, you victimise the weak to feel strong. And if I were to do this, there would be conditions. I have rules, and the second you complain, the second you moan that I push you too hard, the second I ever hear the whisper that you're thinking about returning to your old way, you're out. I will demand the same dedication from you as I do my team.'

'I understand-' Tillian started, but Rose cut across him.

'Do you? I run lapse every single day at five am, no matter if it's raining, sleeting or gale force winds. I will expect you to join me, gaining distance as you gain fitness. I will expect you to meet me every single morning to train, follow my orders no matter what you feel. You will apologise to every single person you have ever bullied. You will beg for their forgiveness. And the moment I hear that you have said something unkind to anyone I will be gone. Do you understand?'

Tillian nodded frantically. 'I completely understand. You have no idea how grateful I am that you-'

'I have no idea if your motives are of remorse or not', Rose cut over him. 'Nor do I really care. That is between you and your conscience. But if you are serious about this, then I will help you.'

'You will?' Tillian sounded more surprised than happy, though that was not all together surprising. He stepped aside so she could continue past, and she frowned at him.

'Where do you think you're going?'

'I, er- what?'

'If you're serious about this', she replied, beginning to stride along again, 'then we start now. Come with me.'

...

Tommy watched Rose launch a flurry of powerful blows into the heavy leather sack hanging from the roof of the rectangular room with something approaching awe. Firstly as a boy, for Rose had stripped down to nothing but a form fitting pair of shorts and a sports bra and sweat coated her skin, glistening in the bright light. Then as a jealous onlooker, watching the way her muscles bunched and flexed, the speed at which her feet danced and her arms jabbed forwards in short, decided blows. Then with concern, for she wore no heavy gloves, but had simply wound thick lengths of cloth around her palms and knuckles, and even from a distance he could see the blood beginning to soak through.

He had never seen this room before and he, friendless and with entirely too much spare time, had explored every inch of the castle. It was large and airy, with high windows lining two walls, through which bright light streaked. No matter that the room could not possibly be situated near the outside of the castle, nor the fact that, to the best of his knowledge, the weather outside was far less pleasant. The room was probably cool, but Tommy felt as though his chest was about to explode, and his skin felt like fire. This was only exacerbated by the embarrassment he had felt when Rose had made him remove his baggy robes for an outfit more suitable which had appeared in his size from the pegs on the far side of the room.

'There is no judgement', Rose had said briskly, as she herself had stripped down to her training gear. 'I dislike you for your behaviour, not your weight. Forget about that, forget everything apart from your determination. Do not seek a finish line miles in the future, focus on the now. Becoming healthy is far more than losing weight, it is a way of life, it is being happy in your own body. Do you see the difference?'

Strangely enough, Tommy had thought she had meant it, though it was hard not to feel shamed when he looked down at his own body in comparison to the hard, lean muscle of the older girl. Strangely enough though, Rose had been right. When he put his own insecurities aside, there was only himself and what he was trying to do. It helped that Rose was more machine than attractive woman in this situation, it helped him to forget that he was not alone.

She had worked with him for an hour, completing an extensive warm up before even attempting anything more vigorous. She had explained how he would only quit if they went hell-for-leather in the beginning, and so he had walked one set of lines, then slowly jogged the next, before reverting back to walking pace. She had anchored his feet with one hand, and placed the other in the small of his back, supporting him as he struggled to complete a sit-up. And though she stood not the smallest complaint, she was not cruel.

Rose was surprised how much she enjoyed the training session. It had not been Tillian the Bully in the Room of Requirement with her, but just a young man who wanted to turn his life around. That made it easier. Still, after an hour, it was definitely time for him to call it a day. They cooled down, and he drank about a gallon of water, much to Rose's amusement.

When he was cognoscente again, they sat down. 'Diet', she said, and proceeded to expand upon one of her favourite subjects. 'Your body will constantly tell you it's hungry at first, but that's normal. It's actually the craving for sugar that sends those signals. If you eat a balance diet of protein, carbohydrate and fat, you will get everything your body needs. Try to keep busy, that's the best way of avoiding snacking. I want you to eat eight pieces of fruit or vegetables a day. Keep your sugar intake to a minimum. Drink at least two litres of water every day.'

Tillian wished he had thought to bring parchment and quill.

'Okay, we're done for today', Rose said finally. 'Go get some lunch.'

He nodded. 'Are you coming?'

'No, I want to have a half-an-hour intensive, then I'll hit up the kitchens afterwards.'

He watched her wind the strips of fabric around her hands, then with shock at the way she danced around the heavy leather bag, darting in and out.

'What are you still doing here?' She yelled through gritted teeth as her breathing grew heavy.

'Watching a master at work.' He said, before standing back up and beginning to jog lines again.

...

The Gryffindor Common Room

14oo hours

...

Rose found Scorpius in the Gryffindor Common room after her visit to the kitchens, already scribbling away at one of the many essays they had been set for over the two week break. However, he was not completely devoid of holiday feeling, for the second her noticed her he, stuffed it, along with quill, ink and textbooks, back into his bag.

Somewhere that morning the sleet had become snow again, and a thick layer now covered the grounds visible through the windows of the common room. Even the clouds had cleared, and bright sunlight was echoing through the trees of the Forbidden Forrest and cast furrows and dells of bright sparkling light and deep shadow across the grounds. It was almost perfect training conditions.

Scorpius made room for her in the chair beside himself and she dropped into it, each adjusting themselves to fit, jigsaw like, around the other; the placing of an arm here, the tilting of a hip there. Albus, with Keegan and Lily were sat opposite, Lily balancing neatly on the arm of her brother's squashy armchair. Alex was crouching before the fire, a long toasting fork in hand.

Seeing the back of Alex's dark hair, crouching before the fire, toasting teacakes, Rose suddenly lent forwards, then changed her mind and sat back, leaning into Scorpius's shoulder. Tillian might have been reasonably pleasant that morning, but she wasn't going to do him any favours until he'd proved he'd changed. Still, she couldn't help feeling back for him as she pictured him wandering the empty corridors. Perhaps she was going soft in her old age, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she- well- that she ought to do something, even if it was only for the good of the many little first years that were traumatised by him.

'Al', she said suddenly, interrupting a lively conversation between Keegan and Lily, 'What do you know about Tommy Tillian?'

'Why the sudden interest?' He asked, setting down his wand on the arm of the chair. A few red sparks shot out and nearly set Lily's hair on fire. She yelped, and toppled off the arm of the chair.

'I'm going to sit by Keegan', she announced. 'At least he doesn't try to grill me!'

Rose didn't notice the small smile that passed between Keegan and Lily as she climbed up on the arm of his chair, nor did she see the way he gently trailed his hand down her leg and her blush, though Scorpius did. However, like many great thinkers, he said nothing.

'No sudden interest', Rose said hastily, idly rubbing some dirt off her hands. She'd washed the crusted blood from her knuckles before lunch, but now she examined the neat row of calluses that her many training sessions with the leather boxing bag had acquired. 'More curiosity than anything. After I got that detention for threatening him, I guess I'm just interested in his background. People don't become bullies without some sort of help.'

Al opened his mouth to protest that he knew nothing, but Rose laughed and cut him off.

'And don't you give me that "I'm-so-innocent-I-know-nothing-cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die" look, because I know you have files on all the "troubled" students in your desk in that fancy-schmancy Head's office that you and Lizzie share because I've broken in more than once.'

'You managed to get into my office?' Albus said, aghast. 'No-one but teachers are supposed to be able to enter the Head's common room!'

'I'm a clever cookie', she laughed, and felt Scorpius snort with derision next to her.

'To answer your question', Al said, returning to twiddling his wand between his fingers, 'I'm not allowed to tell you private stuff about students. And I'm going to be upping the wards around the entrance.'

'You can try', she teased. 'If I can break into Coach Hendrix's private office, then your spells are nothing.'

'Thanks for the quote of confidence', he said dryly, and accepted the teacake that Alex offered him.

...

'So what are we going to do for the rest of the day?' Lily asked the group at large a few minutes later.

Rose checked the window. 'I reckon we've probably got about another two hours of daylight so we could-'

'No!' Scorpius groused, sliding further down his chair and dramatically throwing an arm over his face. 'No more quidditch today, it's the first day of the holidays!'

Amidst the general laughter, Rose smiled ruefully. 'I guess I am a stuck record most of the time. But I was actually going to suggest going skating on the lake while it's frozen solid. I bet Hagrid will be around, so we could go and see him afterwards for tea, then I need to go and see Hugo. How does that sound?'

The plan seemed to suit everyone, so there was a general exodus towards their respective dormitories to extract cloaks, scarves, hats and gloves from trunks. It was a relatively simply growing charm, manipulated by a sharpening enchantment to form thick metal skates on the bottom of their shoes.

They were not the only ones taking advantage of the last of the afternoon sunlight. They passed pockets of students, from tiny second years, to the Ravenclaw quidditch team, having snowball fights, making snow angels. It was as though the start of the holidays was the switch that turned the most serious of student into hysterically laughing children again.

There was a figure already on the ice, cutting neat spirals. Al caught sight of curling blonde hair beneath her woollen hat, and thought of Lizzie, then oddly enough Cecelia, though he knew both had gone home for the holidays. Since the Hogsmeade weekend, when he'd woken up in a pile of sweaty limbs and damp hair with her in the Room of Requirement, he had made an effort to try to talk to her, but she usually walked past him without so much as a hello.

Mostly he felt guilty. Guilty for sleeping with a girl he wasn't in love with. Guilty for not asking her out after it had happened. Guilty for using her to mend his own broken heart, despite the assurances that she was using him too. But while he knew from his correspondence with his brother that Lizzie and he had not got back together, something that had filled him with a mixture of hope and despair, Lizzie seemed to have forgiven him. She had even given him a hug before getting in the horseless carriages which were bound for Hogsmeade station.

Their breath came in great silver clouds as they raced across the ice, and though there was some natural separation within the group (Lily and Keegan, Rose and Scorpius) they stayed together. Rose seized Scorpius's hands and dragged him round in a circle, shrieking with laughter as he skidded and slipped, keeping upright only by seizing her about the shoulders.

There was a group of girls clad in black and yellow a little further down the ice. One was using her wand to make great arcs of ice shoot up from the frozen lake, so it looked as though great silver trees protruded from the lake itself. One figure suddenly detached itself from the group, and skated towards the group of Gryffindors mucking about.

Scorpius was surprised, but not unpleasantly so when Rose's fingers wound into his own. But at her warning squeeze, he turned his head just as Isabelle reached them.

'Hello', she called tentatively, and Scorpius felt Rose look at him, seeking her cues from his expression.

Had this meeting happened even a month ago, he would have felt so embarrassed that he might have melted on the spot. Now, however, he was able to exchange a pleasant smile and a word of greeting with his ex-girlfriend without so much as a pang of pain. Now it seemed so easy to ask her and her friends to join them, to watch as she nodded, to barely even gaze after her as she skated away. When she and her friends joined them a few moments later, it suddenly occurred to Scorpius that he and Rose were still holding hands.

They were still holding hands later on, when he gave up the fight against gravity and fell over, dragging her down with him. She squirmed and wriggled on the cold ice, laughter bubbling up in her throat, and he could see every freckle on her nose. He could have counted them, each small dot, as though they had been put there by a careless artist. He could have counted her eyelashes, he could have traced the lines of her not-beautiful face. He could have let his hand trace up her arms to cup her face as his kissed, and it would have been the most natural thing in the world.

And then, all at once, Scorpius came to his senses.

Al and Keegan came skating over, hooting with laughter and hauled them to their feet, and Rose lead Albus a merry dance around the ice. But Keegan stood with Scorpius for a moment as he gazed after Rose's retreating figure, as she caught both her cousins' hands, collecting Alex on the way, pulling them in a long chain.

Keegan and Scorpius did not look at each other, both gazing too intently as the girls broke away from the chain and began to race across the lake.

'I get it too', Keegan said suddenly, but when Scorpius turned to look at his friend, Keegan was already skating after the others.

...

The Gryffindor Common Room

19oo hours

...

After tea with Hagrid, squashing comfortably around his great wooden table to drink bucket-sized cups of tea while their damp robes steamed in the heat from the roaring fire, they had headed down into the basement to visit Hugo who was entirely business, and not in the mood for idle chit-chat.

'This is what you asked for', he said without preamble, pushing a piece of parchment across his desk. 'What do you want for Christmas?'

'My sneakerscope back', Rose said, unfolding the parchment and scanning the contents. 'You sold Flint a vial of Malum Felicis?'

'Paid for it upfront as well', her brother answered, rifling through the papers on his desk with a distracted air. 'And you know I deal in credit a lot as my brews are on the more expensive side.'

'Is it meant for me?' Rose asked, mentally wondering if she ought to start drinking from a hipflask.

'Almost certainly.' Hugo said. 'Everyone knows you are the competition.'

'And you sold it to him anyway?' Rose cried. 'Hugo, I'm your sister, surely that comes before business!'

'Don't be idiotic', Hugo snapped, now leafing through the files in one of his tall shelves. 'I sold him a dud. Just moan about being unlucky for a few days before your match with Hufflepuff.'

Rose let out a sigh of relief as her brother picked up his wand and muttered an incantation. Immediately, the drawers along the very top shelves that lined the walls of the office shot out and the papers in them stood up like sentries.

'And seen as you seem determined to invoke the family loyalty card', Hugo groused as the parchment spiralled down into a neat pile on his desk, 'I'll tell you something else. Tabitha Higgs collected a considerable amount of gold after Ravenclaw flattened Slytherin. If I were you, I would be questioning why a Slytherin chaser was betting on the opposition.'

Rose froze, parchment still in hand. 'You think she threw the match deliberately?'

'I would certainly be asking questions.' He replied. 'Slytherin are not the best team, but they're certainly not that bad, and I don't think Warrington was meant to catch the snitch at all. Think about it logically. With your first lose, Ravenclaw only need an extensive point lead and it doesn't matter how many time you win, you'll still be behind on points. If Ravenclaw had beaten Slytherin by one hundred and seventy points, like they would have done had Warrington not caught the snitch, then you'd be chasing a lead of over two hundred points.'

'Flint's a moron, he couldn't think of this by himself.' Rose answered slowly.

'Don't underestimate then Rose', Hugo said. 'You think no-one cares as much about quidditch as you do, that's one of your biggest flaws. But I know Robert Davies is willing to do almost anything to win this competition.'

...

'Anti-luck? Wow, Flint's really excelled himself this time', Lily scowled, when they were back in the common room discussing what Hugo had said.

'But that doesn't make any sense', Keegan argued. 'Why would Slytherin bug our changing rooms, and drug Rose. It's all very excessive for a team that are attempting to throw the tournament. What's in it for them?'

'So maybe they didn't bug the changing room', Rose said slowly. 'I only suggested them because I know Mercury Bullstrode is brilliant at getting through wards, and not many students could get through the protection I've place around the changing rooms.'

'It's got to be Ravenclaw', Albus said from his position on the floor where he was idly toasting marshmallows. 'They were the ones that stood to gain the most from Slytherin's loss.'

'But it's hard to see Robert Davies being that underhand', Lily argued. 'He might be a quidditch fanatic akin to Rose-'

'Ahem!'

'Sorry, almost akin to Rose, but he is a decent bloke. When he was going out with Dominique, he always seemed really nice.' Lily concluded.

'I think we can all rule out Marco Ives. The Puffs are all far too principled to win this thing on anything but pure talent.' Scorpius said.

'Definitely true', Keegan said, accepting the marshmallow Albus offered him. A moment's pause then he continued. 'We cannot point the finger without proof, so I suggest we simply watch our backs for the time being.'

'Keegan is right, we can't condemn without proof.' Alex said in his deep, slow voice. 'Let us simply focus on our own training and trust our Captain's wards to do their job.'

Rose let the conversation drop and they passed a happy evening eating toast and playing exploding snap which culminated in Lily having to re-grow Albus's eyebrows. In ones and twos, they began to trickle off to bed, until only Rose and Scorpius were left, staring into the fire from the armchair that now was undeniably theirs.

'You need to start watching what you're drinking', he said suddenly. 'You're the biggest threat in this competition, and I wouldn't put it past Flint to put something worse than Malum Felicis in your morning pumpkin juice.'

'After the disaster of a match against Slytherin, I'm barely even in the running', Rose murmured, her eyes closed. She felt Scorpius shift beside her and opened her eyes to see him staring down at her.

'You should have more faith in yourself.' He said. Then: 'I do.'

And strangely enough, the next time Rose walked out onto the quidditch pitch, she was not thinking of the failure that had cost her the previous game. Instead, she was thinking of Scorpius's words, how he had total faith in her, and mounted her broom, lighter than air.

A.N.

I find I have so many mini plots going on that I forget them! I know I have far more characters buzzing around than many fanfics do, so if there is interest I will put up a character listing chapter, just so you guys can see who everyone is, what their house is etc. Would that generate any interest?

Scorpius is finally over Isabelle!

Undercurrents of Keegan and Lily are reaching Scorpius!

Slytherin didn't bug the changing rooms! (then who did?)

Review!

Love and hugs

A.A.A.