A Chaser or a Keeper

by Pluto24

When Rose Ward (O/C) starts her first year at Hogwarts, she instantly attracts the attention of school heartthrob Edward Oliver. Join Rose over her school years at Hogwarts packed with adventure, friendships, romance, drama and heartache. A book merging characters and situations from Harry Potter and Twilight.

13. Game, Set, Match

Game, set, match.

The success of Rose's performance didn't die down in the weeks that followed, with her rendition of 'Make you feel my love' repeatedly being played on the school radio. Every time the piano melody was heard, an instant hush of silence overcame the room as everyone listened intently. Though now customary to see the common room or corridors in dead silence, it was curious the first time it happened. It was as if everyone had been hypnotised by the sound of the noise.

The school had received a record breaking amount of written complaints from wizarding families, furious that the broadcast had cut short the announcement of who had won the competition. With the angry mail getting so bad that instead of the post being sent by owls, it was now waiting for Professor Snape and Flitwick at each mornings breakfast in giant sacks, they both quickly agreed that something needed to be changed and promptly. The following morning on the live breakfast radio, Professor Flitwick excitedly announced that Friday night live would be adhering to the everyones requests.- Not only would everyone be able to sing live, but the judging would also be broadcasted.

Enviably, after Flickwick's announcement, Friday quickly becoming the most listened to radio show outside of Hogwarts. It was therefore unavoidable that Kevin Charles (the DJ who was on the night Rose sang) was promptly dismissed for his altercations with Marietta. As Snape carefully looked through the statistics to see who would be best to be his replacement, it was noticed that Lee Jordan was not only the most professional but the most popular with listeners.

With Lee eagerly excepting the new role, his Monday night slot was taken up by the usual Saturday morning host Rachel McSwiggan, who was avid to took his place due to the higher listening rating.

With no-one wanting to have the Saturday shift due to the early mornings and low lister ratings, Snape begrudgingly offered the slot to Rose.

"You seem to be my last resort Ward." He remarked dryly.

Though it was extremely hard to not show her amused smirk as she accepted Snape's offer, Rose casually handed over her old proposal that she had luckily kept of her original concept.

She now just needed a hand cohosting. She thought the best course of action would be to ask Ron, Harry and Hermione whilst they were concentrating on their homework, that way they would be slightly distracted.

"So I was hoping you could all help me out with something?" Rose asked casually.

"You've already finished Grandma's essay." Ron sighed heavily.

"I know." Rose agreed. "I've just spoken to Snape and he has asked me to be the new Saturday morning DJ. But I was wondering if you all would come and join me on it?"

Rose was met with three mortified faces staring back at her, with Ron shuddering his reply;

"Why on earth would I be interested in talking to the masses?"

"I'll take that as a no then?" Rose asked guiltily.

They all nodded, their faces still looking horrified.

"Honestly don't worry about it." Rose assured them. "I'll go as Fred and George, I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping."

Smiling encouragingly at their worried faces, she made her way over to Fred and George, who were casually talking on the other side of the room.

"Are you sure you trust us to behave?" Fred winked, once she had explained her idea.

"What is the worst that you can do?" Rose chuckled. "It's hardly like you can swear, Snape is on the other side of the room."

"Oh I'll find a way." Fred replied mischievously.

"You always do." Rose agreed.

"What are you all conspiring?" Lee asked eagerly.

"Fred and George have just agreed to helping me on the new Saturday morning radio show." Rose explained.

"What do you need help with?" Lee frowned. "You have always come across as being very knowledgable about music."

"I'm wanting a different format to what Rachel had." Rose replied honestly. "I want people to feel like they sitting down with me and are casually listening to our conversation."

"That's a good concept." Lee agreed. "Could you do with one more?"

"Of course." Rose grinned. "Do you think Edward would do it too?"

Lee started to chuckle darkly, the motion making Rose look from confused to embarrassed.

"What Lee is trying to say is.. Oliver tends to only do Quidditch in his spare time." George politely elaborated.

"Oh." Rose nodded in understanding. "I get it."

"I mean by all means ask him." Lee relied defensively. "I just didn't want you to get hurt."

Rose looked from Lee to the twins, their faces curious as to what she was going to do.

"Fine." Rose agreed stubbornly. "I guess we won't know unless I ask."

"Wait." Lee replied quickly. "I wasn't challenging you. Why can't this just be an us thing?"

"Because he is your friend and he has just as much right to be asked as you did?" Rose replied with a questioning glance. "I know its just a stupid radio show but I want to make him feel included."

Quickly standing, Rose searched the room for Edward, relieved to see him alone and working in his sketchbook. Without hesitation she confidently walked to his side, blurting the words out without evening saying hello;

"Willyoucohosttheradiowithme?"

"Pardon?" Edward asked in amusement

"Will you cohost the radio with me?" Rose said slowly.

"And you think people will want to hear what I have to say?" Edward asked curiously.

"I know about half the school would tune in just to hear your voice." Rose replied matter of factly "But that's not why I'm asking you."

"Then why are you asking me?" Edward asked carefully.

"Because your my missing piece to the puzzle." Rose replied truthfully. "And you will prove Lee wrong."

"I'm your puzzle piece?" Edward grinned.

"You are." Rose admitted. "But don't get too cocky about it."

"Well in that case, count me in" Edward agreed smugly. "Especially if it annoys Lee in the process."

"Are you sure?" Rose asked cautiously. "Our Quidditch matches are close."

"I'll make time." Edward replied confidently. "Besides you have asked me to do this, of course I'm going to support you."

"Thank you." Rose grinned triumphantly.

Turning toward the twins and Lee she gave them all a huge thumbs up.

"Oh for fucks sake." Lee muttered.

All Edward could do is smile back.

The following Saturday Rose and the four boys arrived at the radio room where they were met by Snape, whose mood was as welcoming as ever. With unspoken words, he held out his hand to retrieve Rose's rough script and playlists.

Snape's eyes narrowed in places, the look unclear as to whether he was displeased or surprised by the groups ideas.

"Weasley's Whinge?" He asked dryly.

"Yes Sir."

"What on earth is that?"

"We have an 'agony aunt' styled section where people can anonymously write in with their worries." Rose replied seriously.

"And these two are going to solve world hunger with their infinite wisdom?" Snape asked sarcastically.

"No Sir, we are all going to help." Lee answered eagerly.

"Oh that makes it so much better." Snape replied sarkily.

As he reread their proposed notes for a second time, at last Snape handed back the notes without asking for alterations. Gliding to the dark corner of the room, Snape promptly sat down waiting for them all to do the same.

As they quietly moved to the other end of the room, they all carefully sat around a circular table so that they could easily interact with one another.

They knew they needed to be quiet, the room now amplified to pick up any sounds that they made. They watched Snape, the seconds going by at an agonising pace, waiting for him to give them the signal.

Finally Snape raised his hand, his eyes sending Rose a clear message - Speak!

"And a warm friendly welcome this November morning." Rose spoke out confidently. "I'm Rose Ward, your new Saturday morning DJ and I am very pleased to welcome my new cohosts Fred and George Weasley, Lee Jordan and the lovely Edward- Oliver Wood."

The first hour flew by, with sometimes the moments so hysterical, that they couldn't breath from laughter. Soon they all forgot that they were on air, the conversation constantly flowing and funny to hear. Weasley's whinge ended up being a huge success with a large pile of letters already stacked for them to randomly select from. Edward and Lee were very good at offering diplomatic advice, whilst Fred and George continuously outdid each other with ridiculous ideas to which the other three heavily suggested the students didn't follow. Even Snape looked mildly amused by the advice given, the normal frozen statue, shifting slightly if he agreed with the advice given.

The days that followed truly established Rose's popularity around the school, with even Rose herself noticing. The clothes that's she wore were soon replicated and worn by others and even her hairstyles were soon copied. With her new found fame, she found hiding in the library the easiest way to be left alone, the only downside being it meant not being around Edward.

One cold night Rose left the library quietly, waiting until the last second before Madam Pince would lock the doors. The corridors were quiet now and she could make her way down to Quidditch practice without having to rudely shake someone off.

"Rose?"

*Crap.* Rose thought. *I've been found.*

Turning to the direction of the voice, Rose was relived to see that it was in fact the voice of Edward.

"Edward." Rose sighed with relief. "Thank goodness it's you."

"Still hiding from other students?" He chuckled.

"Yes." Rose blushed. "But you can't judge me, you do it all the time."

"Guilty as charged." Edward agreed. "I just feel like I only see you at practice and Saturday's now."

"I miss you too." Rose joked, the words sounding too casual when they were so true.

"Maybe we should find somewhere to hide together." Edward laughed.

Rose only grinned, she couldn't trust word vomit to come out now. Quickly moving on she replied;

"Maybe I should just get back into my normal routine." Rose sighed. "There are worse problems to have than to be flavour of the month."

"What flavour do you think you would be?" Edward chuckled.

"How about Turkish delight?" Rose joked. "It is after all made from Rose essence"

Edward's face froze for a second, Turkish delight after all was how he described her scent. Recovering quickly he smiled casually;

"Sounds delicious." He answered honestly.

They walked in content silence down the deep sloped bank of the castle grounds, the ground already covered in frost. Arriving at the Gryffindor headquarters

slightly earlier than expected, Edward slowed his pace down to a complete stop.

"Edward?" Rose asked curiously.

"Ray?" Edward replied with a tug of a grin.

"Ray?" Rose replied in amused confusion, half looking around in the dark to see if there was someone else there.

"Yes defiantly Ray." Edward answered confidently. "I've thought long and hard and I think the name suits you perfectly."

"You've had all this time to come up with a nickname and you chose Ray?" Rose joked. "Do I get a say in the matter?"

"Not at all." He replied matter of factly.

"But Ray is a mans name." Rose grumbled.

"One day I'll explain the meaning." Edward chuckled. "Lets head in and get changed. I hope you have brought warm clothes, it's only going to get colder out here."

Rose raised her eyebrows at Edward's confidence, but even she couldn't help but grin at Edward giving her a pet name. She quietly nodded her goodbye before entering the warm entrance to the headquarters still curious to the meaning behind the name.

The girls changing rooms was like a sauna, the heat from the fireplace in the centre of the wall relaxing her stiff joints instantly. Angelina and Alicia were already at the fireside hunched over the mantle, trying to get as close to the warmth as they could. Dumping her own gym bag next to theirs, Rose grabbed her gym clothes and made her way over to the other two, who were also still in school uniform.

"Are you two getting changed in front of the fire?" Rose half joked, holding out her own gym gear to warm it up.

"That's not a bad idea at all." Angelina agreed, shuffling off to get her own clothes.

They all changed in silence, slightly moaning when they had adjusted to the warmth. Rose quickly changed into her Nike black leggings and peach sports top, throwing on a midnight blue hoody with a shudder.

"Is this going to be warm enough?" Rose wondered nervously.

"I'm wearing something very similar and wondering the exact same thing." Alicia replied.

"Yeah.. I think I'm going to grab my hat." Rose thought out loud, quickly returning.

"Ah a hat! I knew I forgot something." Katie announced as she walked into the room.

"And where have you been?" Angelina asked curiously. "We have two minutes left until we have to go out again."

"Sorry Ange, I needed to just finish Sprouts essay. I'll get changed quick, I promise."

Chuckling at Katie as she passed, Rose moved passed the other two girls ready to leave the warm confines of the room.

There was a sharp indentation across Rose's belly. Looking down she was puzzled to see Alicia's arm and hand blocking her exit.

"Rose what are you doing?" She hissed.

"Going outside for Quidditch practice?" Rose replied confused.

"Are you mad? You'll freeze by the time the practice begins. Stay put here until the final moment."

"Ok-ay" Rose agreed, removing her hat promptly.

"We are all going to be freezing in ten minutes regardless." Angelina muttered bitterly. "Everyone but Oliver."

"Whats so special about him?" Rose asked amused.

"You mean you haven't noticed?" Angelina replied, the confusion clear on her face.

"Noticed what?" Rose asked with a worried frown.

The three girls looked at each other in slight bafflement, it was clear Rose was missing something obvious. In the end it was Alicia who spoke up;

"Rose, Oliver is ice cold to touch. I know most of us don't get to touch him that often but it radiates off his body, You yourself have spent a lot of time alone with him or by his side, how have you seriously not noticed it?"

Rose looked at her again, surprised to see that Alicia looked slightly concerned.

"I can honestly say he has felt only but warm to me." Rose replied awkwardly, not wanting to mention the trickling buzz she also got from their touches.

The three girls continued to stare at her, looking more curious by the minute.

"You guys are really starting to freak me out." Rose announced after silence.

"Sorry Rose." Katie announced guiltily. "We weren't meaning to stare, its just…"

"Its just your the first person ever to say that you haven't noticed it." Angelina admitted.

Rose shrugged awkwardly, desperate to get outside where the atmosphere would ironically now be warmer.

"Very strange." Rose agreed quietly. "I will have to keep an eye out for whether I notice in the future."

"You shall!" Angelina agreed with a slight shiver. "Now hats on ladies, it's session time!"

Nodding in agreement, Rose followed the three girls out into the cold, but her mind was anywhere but the task at hand.

Throughout the warm up, Rose observed his every move, watching how Edward glided elegantly between everyone, making the warm up look effortless. Though he was wearing a similar amount of clothes as the rest of the team as the workout began to have an effect, only Edward seemed to not break a sweat.

Was he seriously as cold as the others said?

"All right everyone, I think we have done enough for one day. We will need to meet every night this week to guarantee success on Saturday." Edward announced at nine o'clock to a shattered Quidditch team. "Well done everyone - and remember, sometimes it lasts this love for Quidditch, but sometimes it just hurts instead."

Everyone chuckled slightly, with Rose turning to Fred slightly confused.

"Its one of his speeches." Fred replied knowingly. "He normally quotes it when one of us mentions we hate Quidditch or if one of us hurts ourselves."

"Or both." George nodded in conformation.

"So normally at every practice." Fred continued with a smirk.

"Gotcha." Rose agreed. "I'll make sure I never moan then."

"Correct Ray." George replied with a cheeky wink.

The rest of the week was a messy, complicated mix of lessons, homework and Quidditch practices. With most practices landing straight after dinner until late evening, Rose and Harry worked together normally until the early hours of the next morning to get all their homework completed.

It was early on Friday morning when the news of Harry becoming the new Seeker had somehow been revealed- to Edward's annoyance. Over breakfast alone, Harry was bombarded by fellow students wanting to give him advice, no matter how unhelpful or irrelevant it was. The pestering continued in between lessons, the students from other houses now joining in, in the hope of making Harry nervous. By the end of lunchtime Edward had snapped. Coincidentally also on the second floor corridor, Edward stormed up to a bossy seventh year Gryffindor who was still lecturing Harry after ten minutes.

"Floss, fuck off." Edward hissed bluntly.

The boy soon backed away, gulping nervously.

"Keep your head in the game and ignore any advice given to you that isn't from me. Do you understand?" Edward snapped.

"Yes Wood." Harry agreed politely, relieved that Edward had got rid of the other boy.

Edward sighed in relief, combing his hand through his hair to relieve the tension. He quickly glanced at Rose, conscious of the fact that she was biting her cheeks from amusement. Edward's irritation soon disappeared as he sighed playfully, taking a step towards her.

"You know you could try to take me seriously for at least one minute?" He muttered seductively.

"Who says I don't." Rose replied smoothly, the amusement still tugging at the corner of her mouth. "It's just, I don't think I have ever heard you swear before Mr Wood."

"Oh that." Edward replied looking nothing but mortified. "That slipped out and is defiantly not in my normal repertoire. I normally wouldn't say such a thing in front of a lady."

"Well thank you for your considerate behaviour, you are as always a gentleman. It might surprise you however to know that I have heard that word before."

"Well, my Mother would have been ashamed. I don't want to speak in such a manor in front of you."

Rose dipped her head, not wanting to argue against the etiquette of a dead woman. Instead she smiled weakly at Edward, his eyes gently looking into hers. After a few moments silence, it was Harry who spoke up.

"Oliver?"

"Yes Harry?" Edward asked, turning his gaze away from Rose.

"I'm sorry that the surprise got leaked."

"Thank you Harry. I know who did it and there will be consequences for their actions."

"A hunch?" Rose asked cheekily.

"Do you need to ask?" Edward smiled sneakily.

Rose grinned whilst Harry's confusion grew by the second.

"I've got to go." Edward muttered bitterly. "Gosh I wish I could spend the afternoon with you, but even Professor Binns has started to notice my absence."

Rose blushed, the pink tint making Edward smirk even wider in triumph. His golden amber eyes looked at Rose longingly for a second before he nodded to Harry.

"Enjoy your Friday afternoon of freedom. I'm going to be brutal tomorrow morning."

Edward quickly turned on his heels and down the corridor out of sight.

"Nice guy Oli." Harry stated warmly, whilst observing Rose carefully.

"Yeah he is." Rose agreed distantly, looking at the floor as she spoke.

They started to walk in the opposite direction, down the marble staircase and out the front of the castle and down the stone steps. The outside temperature was freezing, with the grass crisp and crunchy, a thick layer of frost still on it.

"Harry, before we get to the others, can I ask you a random question?"

"Sure." Harry agreed confused.

"Harry… have you noticed how cold Edward is?"

"Oliver? Yeah he like an ice cube! I've often thought that when you are sitting next to him. How do you cope? Especially since you can't tolerate the cold."

Rose's face froze into position, unable to change it from the curious smile she had made when she asked the question. Gulping she simply nodded, encouraging Harry to continue walking. After a few seconds she had composed herself enough to continue, her face finally relaxing.

"How cold would you say he was?" Rose asked carefully.

"Well I've never touched the guy." Harry replied with a laugh. "But objects he has held that I have then taken off him for example are as cold as if they have been out all night in the snow. He is like a snowman."

"A snowman?" Rose muttered to herself.

"Yeah, why how cold would you say he was?" Harry asked intrigued.

"He feels like a normal temperature to me." Rose whispered, the concern clear in her voice.

"Oh." Harry instantly replied. "What do you think that means?"

"I'm not too sure." Rose answered honestly. "But I know others see him as cold so is there something wrong with me?"

"We could ask the others?"

"We could." Rose agreed. "But something is telling me to let this go for the moment."

"Sure." Harry agreed. "It could be nothing."

They continued towards the other two, relieved that the cold was a sure guarantee of them both being left alone from other students.

Propped against a large tree, which was protecting them from the wind, Hermione and Ron were huddled closely together in deep conversation. To the side of Ron, Smutz lay wrapped in a thick blanket to keep him warm.

"Aw thanks Ron." Rose acknowledged gratefully. "He looks wonderfully content."

"No problem." Ron grinned. "Did you manage to shift the fan club?"

"Ish." Rose chuckled. "The last guy was scared off by Edward."

"That doesn't surprise me." Hermione said seriously. "He can look intimidating when he wants to be."

"Hermione what is that?" Harry asked curiously.

He was pointing to the ground in front of Ron and Hermione.

"Ah that." Ron said knowingly. "Hermione read about a spell about fires that can be detained. That right there is a fire that stays in a jar. It's like sitting next to a log burner down here."

"Wow." Rose admired. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Thank you." Hermione blushed. "Its handy because the jam jar stays cool on the outside, so we can carry it around easily."

"I'm defiantly going to steal it for my late night dog walks." Rose admired.

Shaking her thick coat off as it was no longer needed, Rose sat beside Hermione with Harry to Ron's left.

"Harry, I thought you might want to read 'Quidditch Through The Ages'." Hermione smiled. "There was a spare copy in the library and thought it would help give you peace of mind."

"Ah thanks!" Harry grinned. "You had said that it had been reserved for weeks, this will be great for some last minute pointers."

"Oh, I don't know Harry.." Rose retorted sarcastically. "That advice isn't coming from Edward, do you think you should read it?"

Chuckling Harry responded;

"I think even Oliver would be okay with me reading this."

Rose sniggered, whilst explaining to the others. She was about to quote what Edward had specifically said, when she paused mid sentence. There was the distinct sound of crunching footsteps, the sound getting louder by there second. Worried whether the fire would be allowed, Rose quickly grabbed the jar, hiding it promptly behind her school bag. The crunching now directly behind the tree, they waited nervously for the owner of the noise to make themselves known.
Their hearts sank as Snape came into view from around the tree. Wrapped in a thick black trench coat, he leant against the tree, his eyes calculating.

"And what would four first years be doing outside on a cold autumn day like today?" He asked dubiously.

"Reading Sir." Rose replied innocently. "And enjoying the peace and quiet."

"Is that so." He muttered cooly. "Yet only one of you has got a book in their hands. May I Potter?"

Nodding silently Harry passed the book to Snape.

"Quidditch Through The Ages? My oh my Potter, are you really that nervous about playing against Slytherin tomorrow?" Snape sniggered.

"Its just a bit of light reading Sir." Hermione replied defensively.

"This is light?" Snape sneered. "Your intentions may of been to help Miss Granger but you have only proceeded in breaking school rules. This book is school property and therefore five point are to be taken from Gryffindor for your rule breaking."

Hermione glowed scarlet, her lips wobbly from the torment that Snape was placing upon her.

Her heart angry from the way Hermione was being ridiculed, Rose opened her mouth without thinking. Their Grandmother had grilled into them the school rules numerous times and she couldn't think of one Harry or Hermione had broken.

"And what school rule would that be Sir?" Rose inquired sharply.

"The well known rule of taking school property outside without prior consent." Snape hissed quickly.

"I'm well aware of that rule." Rose agreed seriously" The rule applies when an item has been taken out of the school grounds. However since we are still in the confines of the castle grounds, Harry or indeed Hermione haven't broken that rule and therefore the removal of house points is unjust."

Nostrils flared, Snape turned his beetle eyes on Rose, his eyes sending a warning sign. Pausing with his answer, he shuffled towards her, his walk noticeably odd. Making sure she was looking directly at him, he leant down so that she couldn't miss his reply.

"I would keep your mouth shut Miss Ward. I shouldn't have to remind you yet again at how pathetic you are. I am right, you are wrong and unless you want detention, I suggest that this is the last school rule broken today."

He lingered, observing Rose's face for a few seconds, her face as still as a statue, only her eyes giving away her anger. Snape smirked, clearly glad that he had had the final word. Slowly rising, he looked at them all again with a sneer.

"Enjoy the rest of your afternoon." He smirked. "I'll be keeping this Potter. Good luck tomorrow."

As he turned to walk back to the castle Snape's leg buckled, the reaction making him instinctively reach out and hold the tree. Quickly regaining his balance and recomposing himself, Snape didn't turn to see their reaction. Walking away quickly, he limped back to the castle at a quick pace.

"I am so angry right now, I cant even think." Harry seethed through gritted teeth. "He has just made that school rule up hasn't he?"

"He did." Rose agreed bitterly.

"How dare he speak to you in such a way." Hermione replied sombrely. "And all because he didn't like the fact you proved him wrong."

"Like he said, it's not the first time he has spoken to me in such a matter." Rose sighed. "But I can't of been the only one who noticed his leg?"

"Oh I noticed" Ron admitted. "He was limping really badly."

"But he wasn't limping in class this morning was he?" Rose asked out loud.

"He remained behind his desk." Harry answered thoughtfully. "Which is unusual."

"The whole situation is odd." Hermione agreed. "Lets not forget that he came from the forest."

"Very true." Harry replied thoughtfully. "Now what was he doing in there?"

"Do you think that's why he was so foul?" Rose interjected. "I mean, we have just caught him red handed. What if he wanted to distract our thoughts away from what he was doing over there?"

"That would make sense." Ron nodded.

They all hypothesised theories of what Snape was doing in the forest. Though they started off sensibly, their ideas soon became unrealistic.

"You think Snape went into he forest to meet his lover?" Ron scoffed.

"No way." Rose laughed. "Come on Harry that's almost impossible."

"You never know." Harry responded, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Unless his lover likes smacking him, it doesn't answer the question as to why he was limping." Hermione smirked.

The group fell into silence, preoccupied with their own thoughts and imaginations of Snape embraced with a lover. They all shuddered - the image not welcome in their imaginations.

As the light started to dim, they slowly made their own way back up to the castle. The warm light from the castle windows flooded the lawn, guiding them up the stairs towards the Entrance Hall. As soon as they opened the door they saw how busy the hall was, with students beelining straight toward the Great Hall ready for sing-along-Friday. Instantly caught in the swirling commotion from the crowd of students, they were swept up into the river of bodies, the sheer amount of people making it impossible to leave the course.

Arriving at the Gryffindor table earlier than they had all anticipated, the time before dinner slowly ticked away, their half an hour wait leisurely becoming twenty minutes. Every few minutes Harry would jolt around looking desperately at the teachers table, desperate to see sight of Snape. With fifteen minutes to spare Harry had become so restless that his knuckles were now clenched into solid white.

"I'm going to get that book back." Harry muttered through gritted teeth. "I feel like I'm wasting time here."

"The competition starts in fifteen minutes." Ron urged. "You don't have enough time. He is a judge after all."

"Sure I do." Harry answered confidently. "If I run to Snape's office, I have plenty of time. I might even bump into him along the way."

"Do you think thats wise Harry?" Rose whispered cautiously. "He doesn't like you at the best of times."

"I'll ask politely." Harry replied determinedly.

Before anyone else had a chance to argue, Harry rose from the table, manoeuvring around oncoming students skilfully.

"He's nuts." Ron moaned.

Thick lasagnes filled the middle of the table, the cheese still bubbling across the surfaces. Brightly coloured salads sprouted alongside the pasta and garlic breads appeared on everyones side plates, the smell of cosy warm food filling the air. It was only after second helpings that Harry reappeared, tight lipped and stone faced.

"What on earth happened?" Rose announced shocked, standing instantly up to assess Harry. "You look like you have seen a ghost!"

Harry promptly sat. Looking at the others with wide eyes.

"I know how Snape hurt his leg." Harry whispered bitterly. "His leg got mangled by that three headed dog!"

There was a loud intake of breath. Even with their more extreme theories, no-one had thought to consider the dog.

"Snape was showing Filtch his leg" Harry continued. "Which was still bloody and raw. I was just standing there mortified, fixated on his leg when he mentioned the three heads.

I know this sounds presumptuous, but I think he let the troll in on Halloween as a distraction… its just got to be him. He has been back to that dog twice now. He wants whatever that dog is guarding."

"But he is a teacher Harry." Hermione interjected. "He wouldn't want to put students in danger."

"Then how did the troll get in here?" Ron whispered excitedly. "Not all teachers are good people Hermione and Harry even heard Snape mention the dog. Thats not innocent behaviour!"

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but it was too late, the lights were quickly starting to fade. It was time for singalong Friday.
Harry quickly helped himself to some lasagne before it got too dark to retrieve, wolfing down his food as quickly as he could.

The difference in the quality of music was astounding. Not only was Hogwarts more gifted with singers then anyone could have imagined, but the new rules allowed people to show how instrumentally talented they were too. It was clear that the cold, snobbish hold that the Frog choir and orchestra once held over performances was quickly being replaced by Friday night live.

Though Gryffindor only came second this week, the eagerness to become the best house at singing was crystal clear. As the results were being read out, the competitiveness was explosive. The competition, no longer an embarrassment to be part of was now fully booked until the end of February.

"I have to say I actually enjoyed that!" Ron muttered to Rose, pleasantly surprised.

"Glad to hear it." Rose laughed. "I thought they were all superb."

"Hufflepuff's voice!" Ron agreed eagerly. "She was astounding."

"But was she the worthy winner?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I'm ashamed to say I think Slytherin did." Ron muttered quietly. "So yes I am glad she did end up winning!"

Hermione and Rose chuckled in amusement, looking over to see if Harry was also laughing, Rose saw him staring at the table blankly.

"Are you okay Harry?" Rose asked carefully.

"Yeah I'm fine." Harry nodded weakly. "I just want to discuss the Snape theories some more. Can we go upstairs?"

"Sure." Rose agreed. "Let me just grab my things."

"Oh for goodness sake.." Hermione muttered with an eye roll. "Why encourage him?"

"Because" Rose whispered, quickly stopping her by grabbing her arm. "He isn't worrying about Quidditch anymore. Let him stay distracted."

"Ooh." Hermione acknowledged. "I guess that is good."

Allowing Harry to be in front with Ron, the two girl lingered behind carefully eavesdropping on their theories, giggling uncontrollably whenever their ideas got too out of hand.

As they all entered the common room however, their theories soon escaped their minds. The usually calm common room had become hectic with excitement for the upcoming Quidditch match.

Wanting to keep Harry distracted it was Hermione who suggested setting up camp in the far section of the room, where it was always quieter. With the hope to finish their Potions homework by the end of the evening, it was unfortunate that moments into sitting down, there was a girly cough from directly behind Harry. Turning to see who it was Harry was met by a third year girl. She giggled nervously before blushing horrendously.

"I just wanted to wish you 'Good luck' Harry." she gushed.

It would have been amusing if it had been a once off incident, but Harry and Rose continued to get bothered by well wishers and admirers, with one boy even handing Rose suspicious looking chocolates.

"Oh for goodness sake!" Ron snapped at the timid boy. "Can't you see we are busy here?"

Once the boy dashed off looking upset, Rose promptly started to neatly roll her scroll back up.

"Maybe we should accept that we aren't going to finish the homework tonight." Rose sighed bitterly.

"Fine." Ron grumbled. "But guess what we are all doing Sunday."

"Fine by me." Rose muttered. "It will take less time to do."

They sat in silence, all staring at Harry subtly every once in the while to make sure that he was still okay. It was unfortunate that they weren't bothered again, the crowd slowly dwindling in the room. With most students wanting an early start to get a good seat for the match, the room had become eerily quiet by nine.

"I think that I'm going to head up myself." Harry muttered. "Hopefully I will get a good nights sleep."

"I suppose I should think about heading up soon too." Rose sighed to Ron and Hermione. "I just need to take Smutz out first."

"Shall I come down with you?" Ron asked with a yawn whilst looking out the window into the darkness. "There could be scary monsters outside."

"Such as?" Rose asked in amusement.

"Snape." Ron grinned.

"I will take my chances." Rose laughed. "You two go to bed if you want to, I won't be long."

Pocketing the jam jar fire for warmth, Rose quickly made her way downstairs. The night was cool and clear, revealing a blanket of stars in the sky. With the moon brightly glowing there was no need for Rose to use her wand for light, but there was no comfort from the brightness. The silence was unwelcoming, the grounds unnaturally quiet. The lack of breeze only heightened the quietness around her, and Rose was reminded of the feeling she had felt moments before her altercation with the three headed dog.

It was strangely claustrophobic outside, the light intimidating and harsh. Relived when Smutz promptly came to her side, Rose quickly ran up the stone steps, leaning against the door to the castle once she was safely back inside.

She chuckled darkly to herself - this was ridiculous and she knew it.

Shaking herself awake, she scooped Smutz up, ignoring the fact that her spine was still tingling. Rushing back to the common room, Rose didn't hasten her pace until she was safe in the warm room. Her face must have shown her concern as Edward jumped from his chair at her entry, one of the few remaining students in the room.

"Whats happened?" He spoke in a tone full of worry, rushing over to her side.

"Nothing." Rose admitted weakly, removing her coat and taking Smutz's lead off.

"It doesn't seem like nothing." Edward frowned, moving closer to her.

Taking her coat and lead from her hands and placing them on the nearest sofa, Edward guided her to beside the fire, lifting her head with his finger, he gazed deeply into her eyes.

"What happened?" Edward asked once more, his finger still supporting her chin.

"I'm honestly just being silly." Rose admitted, patting his arm in passing as she collapsed onto the nearest sofa. "I just can't shake the feeling of being watched, I can still feel it on my spine."

She relaxed her head, looking up to the ceiling as she spoke. Turning to look at Edward, she was surprised to see him now with a broad grin. Curiously smiling back at him, he moved to beside her, giving her a playful nudge.

"You really had me worried for a second there." He admitted, the amusement laced in his voice.

"I'm sorry." Rose replied guiltily. "I do know I'm being silly."

"You know it's because Ron put the idea of scary monsters into your head earlier." Edward replied knowingly.

Rose scoffed, rolling her eyes in amusement;

"And since when do I listen to Ro.. Hang on, what did you just say?" Rose stuttered in shock.

"Oh I can't remember." Edward responded casually, his eyes hard and focused on the fire.

"Really?" Rose replied seriously, straightening up and giving Edward a long, hard stare. "You can't remember what you said literally twenty seconds ago?"

"No. It must have escaped my mind." Edward admitted innocently.

"Then let me reiterate." Rose pressed. "You have just admitted to hearing a conversation that was held earlier, and there is no way you could have heard it."

She looked at him confidently, a large curious smile gazing at him challengingly.

"I was right next to you, when he mentioned the monsters." Edward smiled angelically, showing his perfect white teeth. "You looked right at me."

"No you weren't and no I didn't." Rose replied stubbornly, her own smile growing wider as her brain acknowledged what was going on.

Edward breathed in ready to argue, but Rose promptly put her finger to his lips.

"Don't even try and say you were because I know you weren't." She responded quickly. "I know your lying and I know what I saw and heard."

She carefully removed her tingling finger from his smooth lips, noting how warm they were to touch. She frowned slightly, trying to think quickly what this all meant.

"I don't know how, but this is just adds to what makes you mysterious." Rose muttered.

Though the comment was made more to herself than for Edward to overhear, Edward sighed bitterly.

"Oh yes, the theories." Edward muttered, all the amusement gone from his face. "When are you going to share your thoughts of me?"

"Why are you so concerned that they will be bad?" Rose asked with a challenging eyebrow. "I will let you know my theory when I have come to a conclusion."

"There is nothing to conclude." Edward grumbled.

"Then why are you eyes black again?" Rose asked cheekily, a crooked smile now present.

"Its the.."

"Light? Yes, you have said that before."

Edward looked surprised, the quickness of his action making Rose chuckle.

"I have said this to you before. You don't have tell me white lies, even if you can't tell me the truth."

Edward leant closer to her, so that the space between them was to a minimum.

"And what if I am terrified that you might find out the truth?" Edward whispered, his eyes pleading with hers.

"I'm seriously trying to think of something that could be so bad as to have the reaction you are trying to hint at." Rose answered him honestly. "And though I respect your privacy, if I guess correctly in my theory I hope that you will still answer honestly."

"I have already promised that I would." Edward quietly nodded.

He shut his eyes, the pained look fixed upon his angelic face. Here he was consoling her from her worries and yet Rose had managed to transform the fear onto him.

She sat staring at him, noting how tensely he was holding himself together, His torso rigid and composed. She gulped nervously, not sure whether to interrupt his thoughts.

Her fingers shaking slightly, with her left hand she brushed his soft hair back soothingly whilst her right hand nervously slid into his outstretched fingers. She couldn't help but break out into a little smile when his own fingers closed around hers, accepting the invitation.

The notion worked. Edward's body instantly relaxed as he sighed in relief. What was meant to be a loose hold, tightened as he clung to her hand desperately.
The buzzing warmth began to trickle up Rose's arm as she gazed at his large smooth marble hand in hers. Nervous but content, Rose had no way of knowing whether this meant the same to him as it did to her. Silently sat there, not wanting the moment to end, she moved her head to look back at Edward. Though his eyes were still shut, there was a relaxed small smile on his face. She didn't know how long they stayed there, their warm hands buzzing from each others touch. But Rose took the whole opportunity to carefully take in Edward's face, not needing to be coy or shy about staring at him.

Eventually, his eyes fluttered open, his dark eyes now relaxed. Blushing slightly at the look he was now giving her, they stayed staring at each other, neither speaking their thoughts.

"It's past your bedtime Ray" Edward eventually muttered softly, his hand only tightening around hers.

"I didn't realise I had a curfew." Rose whispered sadly back.

"You did say you would listen to your Captain." He uttered, as he leant closer to her, squeezing her hand slightly once again.

"In that case, how can I refuse?"

She said the words so close to his own lips that neither of them would later understand how they didn't actually touch. Her eyes never leaving his, she smiled bitterly as she slowly unraveled her fingers from his.

She gracefully got up from the sofa, collecting her coat and lead. Determined not to look at Edward, knowing full well her heart would betray her, she walked towards the dormitory door.

"Sweet dreams Edward." She announced curtly, her back still towards him.

"Will you leave Smutz down here with me?" Edward asked carefully.

"Sure." Rose nodded dryly before shutting the door promptly behind her.

She paused for a moment, not knowing whether to go back to him or do as she was told. Confusion had quickly sank in, as well as the rejection she now felt.

The smell of Edward on her stayed on her as she got changed, cleaned her teeth and even after she washed her hands - It was a blessing and a curse, the smell repeatedly making her stomach do summersaults.

Had she over stepped the mark by holding his hand? He hadn't instantly rejected the hold, he even seemed not to mind. Rose reminded herself of his content relaxed face as she had stared at him. He had certainly not looked uncomfortable then.

And yet, he told her to go - She couldn't ignore that that was his final wish.

Sinking deeply into the fluffy pillow, she smelt her hand for the final time, her head filled instantly with the scent of lavender, honeysuckle and cut grass. Her head whirled with frustration as she tossed and turned in her agitated sleep. Her dreams silent and blank it was only in the early hours that's Rose eventually feel into the deep sleep that she had needed.

Her eyes opened to the bright light that was burning her eyelids. It was suddenly daylight, the bright sun high in the sky showering her in warmth. The scene before her confirmed that she was no longer in Hogwarts, the view before her recognisable for a different reason - she was home.

The small beach was one she used daily as her dog walking spot, the long narrow inlet easy to get to and popular with locals. To the one side was a high mass of slate rocks, that housed rock pools that the Weasley's and Rose used to play in when they were little. Further past the rocks and through the marshland led you to a colony of seals which was a personal favourite for Rose. If you headed right you ended up at an old ship wreck, the mast still slightly visible above the sand.

Confused, Rose crouched down, scooping up the warm golden sand in her hand, surprised that she could feel the soft texture and heat in her hand.

*So this isn't a dream?* She thought to herself. *But if this isn't a dream, how on earth did I get here?*

"Hello?" Rose shouted out loud, her voice echoing around her. "Is anyone here?"

Her voice echoed around the empty beach, her own voice ringing in her ears. Once the echos had ended, the lack of noise elsewhere became overwhelming, the silence insufferable.

She turned around on the spot, desperate to see someone or something, not wanting to be alone. No matter where she turned, all around her was emptiness, the sandy beach deserted apart from the rocks, sand, groins and sea. She walked away from the beach, the usual haven now feeling unwelcome. Her mouth opening in horror as she did- instead of the country road that led to the beach being in view, she was faced with a large sinkhole, her escape route now gone.

"Shit." She whispered.

Now understanding she had no choice but to face her fears on the beach, Rose walked boldly onto the sandy surface once again, hoping that if she at least did it quickly, her unease would also go. Pretending she was on her usual dog walk, Rose marched past the slate rocks, glancing briefly over to her right, relieved that the tide at least was far off into the distance - She still had time to escape.

Past the rock pools Rose walked, the rocks becoming fewer as the marshland came into view.

*Just a few more minutes.* Rose thought. *Three minutes tops and you will be at the seals.*

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in. There was no point panicking, this was a dream, a strange, realistic dream but it was not real none the less. She just had to stay calm.

Rose opened her eyes, her words of calm escaping her mind instantly. She was back at the beginning of the walk, the rocks next to her left once more.

Rose tried to walk toward the seals a further two times, not wanting to stop moving, the silence only frightening her if she wasn't motivated with a task. On the final attempt, Rose didn't even bother checking her surroundings, knowing full well the rock pools were once again adjacent to her. She decided this time she was going to sprint to the seals, the quicker pace might trick this reality into bending the loop she had seemed to get herself into. As she lunged into her run she overbalanced, her foot wedged firmly into the sand. The more Rose tugged at her foot, the more the ground seemed to grip around it, her foot now being physically squeezed.

As Rose managed to stand - she slowly lowered her eyes, her heart plummeting once again as she saw that her feet were no longer visible. Now swallowed by the wet sand, it seemed that instead of moving forward, she had been marching on the spot slowly sinking into her own manmade quicksand.
Scared and unable to move, Rose looked around her silent empty world, cautious of not making any sudden movements. She must have been outside now for hours as the once low tide was quickly starting to come back in, the sun a low ball of warmth in the sky. Nighttime quickly followed. The darkness of night engulfing a shadow over her, the feeling oppressive on her chest. All Rose could do was watch the tide come slowly in, with the bitter understanding at some point it would reach her.

There was a tinkling noise, the subtle jingling heightened by it being the only available sound. Looking close to the floor Rose saw Smutz, his black silhouette subtly different from the dark sandy ground.

"Oh Smutz." Rose cried. "Its not safe boy, you need to go."

He continued to move towards her, sniffing at the floor until his wet nose found Rose's hand. She could feel his warm velvet fur, so realistic and familiar to her. Now that Smutz had arrived in the dream, it made the danger more real.

"Smutz, run." Rose begged, her eyes returning to the tide.

Smutz looked up, her command understood as he bolted towards the seals without looking back at Rose. Signing in slight relief, Rose looked around slowly, trying to see if there was now something new available to help she turned to look in the direction of Smutz, Rose paused her movements. Something indeed had now appeared, but it did nothing to comfort her.

Out in the distance was a shadow, the small silhouetted figure standing parallel with herself. Her heart hammered anxiously as the stranger bent down to stroke Smutz, it was clear that they knew one another, but how? The stranger eventually slowly stood, his head turning away from Smutz and instead towards Rose's direction. The stranger slowly waved at Rose, the notion making Rose's hair stand on end. She couldn't face waving back, her arms stiff from freight. There was something not right about this stranger, and Rose wished she was once more alone on the beach.

Unable to run or hide, Rose was forced to stay glued to the spot her eyes fixated on the figure and Smutz slowly making their way towards her. The stranger was tall and male -It was clear from the way he walked and held himself. Wearing a smart charcoal grey pea coat and dark denim jeans, the stranger looked slightly overdressed for the late evening beach walk. His skin was as pale as snow, the pale white making his bronze messy hair stand out in contrast.
Smutz returned first, rushing straight towards Rose for fuss and praise. Nervous of the stranger coming closer still, Rose scooped Smutz up, holding him tightly in a strong embrace.

Rose looked to the floor, aware of the smart brogues now standing opposite her. She instinctively took in a shaky frightened breath, the scent she could only associate with Edward hitting her as she did so. Sighing in relief Rose quickly lowered Smutz to the floor, relieved that Edward was here to rescue her.

"Oh Edward." Rose expressed, the relief clear in her voice. "Thank goodness your here, I have been here for hours and I don't know what to do."

Silence.

"Edward?" Rose asked more cautiously. "Edward, the tide is coming in extremely fast. We don't have very long."

Again silence.

Edward's back was facing her, his body tilted towards the rocks beside her.

"Edward?" Rose pleaded desperately. "Please, I think I am in danger."

Edward turned towards her and Rose silently whimpering as she gazed at the dream Edward for the first time in the face.

This wasn't the Edward she knew -The Edward with handsome features and friendly honey amber eyes. This Edward was a mere interpretation - A statue of an Edward made of stone. The only feature present were his eyes or more precisely where his eyes should have been. The two dark holes were dug into the surface of the stone, the dark pits making his face difficult to look at.

"Oh Edward." Rose whispered in remorse.

Frightened and shaking, Rose outstretched her hand and gently touched his cool face with her fingers, hoping that the touch would reassure them both. Edward leant into the touch, his heavy stone head now completely supported by Rose's hand. Rose silently stroked his face, trying to give herself the confidence to look at his face without getting frightened once again. The more she held his head, the more her fingers began to burn, but not from heat, but from the icy touch of Edward's face. She subtly tried to let go of her hold, wanting to gain the feeling back in her hand, but the more she tried to let go, the firmer the grip Edward seemed to have on her.

"Edward, I would like to let go now." Rose said firmly.

"Its too late." Edward muttered, mouth movements appearing on the stone.

"Too late?" Rose panicked.

"You are addicted to my touch." Edward whispered. "You couldn't let go even if you wanted to."

Rose ground her teeth as she pulled with all her might to get away from this Edward. He might not look like the real Edward, but he was certainly sounding like him. Her fingers remained stuck into place, like a giant magnet was holding them to his cheek. Unable to move, Rose had no choice but to carry on staring at Edwards featureless face, her fingers, hand and arm now in agony from the icy touch. She was starting to resent this Edward, the pain of her predicament making her more bitter by the second. She wasn't sure how long she had been staring into his dark eyes, but a single loud bark from Smutz instantly gained her tired attention. Looking down at the Schnauzer she understood immediately what he was communicating. The sea was starting to swarm around their feet, the tide coming in for the evening high tide. The water level was already half way up Smutz's legs and soon he would need to start to swim.

"Move to the marshes Smutz" Rose pleaded. "You know the way."

But Smutz however adamantly moved to stay by Edward's side.

"Tell him to move Edward." Rose moaned. "Please! He will drown!"

The silence that came from Edward only made Rose hate him worse. Her arm now heavy and dead from his icy hold, Rose tried desperately once more to pull her hands away from his face. Desperate to grab her dog and pick him up. Every time she pulled, Edward groaned in pain. A sad, cry of desperation that filled the silent air.

"I'm sorry Edward." Rose pleaded with the manikin. "But I need to save Smutz and your icy touch is hurting me."

She pulled her hand again, hoping to gauge another reaction. Edward groaned again, his jaw stretching wide like a white sheet covering his mouth.

"I warned you, I WARNED YOU!" Edward roared in agony.

Trying to avoid looking into the deep black pits of his eyes, Rose whispered bitterly;

"You told me what Edward?"

Edward didn't answer, the silence looming once more. Seconds led to minutes, making Rose wonder if she had actually heard him speak at all.

"Edward please." Rose begged. "We need to move out of the sea or we will both drown."

She looked down to see Smutz, his face only just out of the water. They themselves were now knee deep in the sea.

"SMUTZ - GO!" Rose shouted in panic.

The sea seemed to come in quicker still, with Smutz soon having to swim to stay above the surface.

"Edward please, I don't know what's going on but please help." Rose begged, her purple fingers now indented into his chiselled face.

The water started to pull on Rose's coat weighing her down and pulling her towards the sea. Her hair dangling in the icy water depths, all she could do was cling onto Edward's face for balanced support. With one last whine, Smutz slipped under the seas surface, his body not returning, unable to be seen. Rose frantically tried to turn her body to where Smutz was last seen but it was no use, he had gone.

"Smutz!" Rose screamed, her heart hammering wildly. "Smutz! Smutz!"

The tide was now up to her belly, the current strongly pulling her towards the rocks. Instinctively, Edward grabbed her in an embrace, holding her closer to him.

"Don't touch me!" Rose shouted hysterically. "I don't want your help anymore."

Warm tears started to thickly fall down her face as she turned away from the statue, looking out at the deep dark mass.

"You could have saved him." She whispered is disgusted anger. "And now my dog is dead."

Edward began to chuckle, the sound not familiar with the Edward, Rose knew. The laugh was manic and cruel but most importantly uncaring.

"I warned you." He hissed knowingly.

"Warned me about what?" Rose seethed.

Rose awoke, her breathing sporadic and shaky, her sweaty cold body entwined in the knotty bedsheets. The dream had left her frightened, and she fidgeted quickly gaining her wand.

"Lumos." She whispered.

Covering her mouth with her spare hand, she breathed shaky breaths as she gathered her spiralling thoughts, her hand still slightly trembling from the adrenaline. Reaching over to her bedside table she took a large gulp of water and checked the time on her watch - It was four thirty exactly, she didn't even need to get out of bed for another two hours. Deeply breathing out, Rose slowly lay back down, tucking herself back under the duvet - all too aware that Smutz wasn't there. With one last sigh, she shut her eyes, preying for dreamless sleep to come.

With every attempt to sleep, Edward's shallow eyes would stare gauntly back at her, the feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Quietly groaning in frustration, she slipped silently out of her warm bed, grabbing a comfy jumper for warmth from her drawer. She creeped out of the dormitory silently, entering the common room moments later.

The room was still dark, the silhouettes of furniture subtly visible. The only light came from the fire, which had recently been light from the small amount of heat it was producing. The darkness seemed more friendly in this room, and Rose had no qualms making herself a hot chocolate in it.

She took a warm sip, the hot liquid instantly soothing her troubled mind as she looked around the room for a comforting place to sit. The moonlight that shimmered through the window onto the carpeted rug enticed Rose to follow the silver light over to the windowsill.

The windowsill was always a popular place to sit, with the plump cushions and little alcove, it allowed a great view of the school grounds whilst keeping conversations private. Rose shuffled into a comfy position, pushing her feet against the opposite stone wall. She sipped the hot chocolate again, looking out the window at the steel blue world outside.

*I warned you.* Her mind muttered through the silence.

"But what had he tried to warn me?" Rose whispered out loud to herself.

It was indeed a mystery…

"That's it!" Rose grinned.

Edward had always dismissed her accusations, but there were too many mysteries about him. She tapped the windowsill in frustration, contemplating what she had noticed or been informed. She knew she couldn't pretend anymore, it was time to make a list.

Finding a scrap piece of parchment and quill she neatly, wrote the first line.

1- His eyes change colour by the day.

She paused, tickling her chin with the feather end of the quill in concentration. What else had she noticed?

2- He is cold and hard to the touch to everyone apart from me - Why do I get a tingling?
3- Significant mood swings.
4- Knowledge of things he shouldn't be able to know. (History of magic on first day, Troll attack/talking to Dumbledore and hearing what Ron said.)
5- He is good at "Reading people".

Pausing as she finished her hot chocolate, she reread the list and snorted to herself. It was hardly a large list of oddities. Shaking her head and leaning her head back against the wall she wondered why bed had seemed such a scary prospect.

Looking out the window, the moon was still as bright as it had been seven hours before, the lawn illuminated by its light. The world outside her window looked calm and peaceful, and Rose was reminded yet again of how silly her senses had been last night to be frightened of such a scene. No wonder her dreams had become so scary when all she could think of whilst she was awake was mysteries and-

Her stomach churned as her neck and arm gained goosebumps in alarm to what she saw. Out of the window, close to the forest edge was a black figure slowly appear from the forest depth. Déjà vu crept into Rose's mind, the scene bellow far too similar to her nightmare. The figure lurked in the darkness around the the first couple of trees as if intentionally avoiding the moonlight before bending down to tap its knee.

Rose waited with bated breath to see what would happen next, surely there wasn't another figure person?

The figure waited patiently, still knelt over, tapping his leg once more. But it wasn't another person who appeared, it was a dog. The dog ran eagerly to the black figure wanting some fuss before the figure threw a ball into the far distance for the dog to collect. As the dog ran out of the shadows into the brightness of the moonlight, Rose's heart skipped another beat. She recognised the miniature Schnauzer, it was Smutz.

"What?" Rose muttered, astounded.

The figure slowly walked into the light revealing the identity of the one person she prayed that it wouldn't be. Edward. With his bronze hair highlighted in the moonlight, he walked causally in just a shirt and trousers, clearly not feeling the cold nor worried about the lack of layers being detrimental his health. Edward strolled around the grounds with such confidence, it was strangely mesmerising, his ease bothering her more by the minute. Confusion and questions filling her head, Rose looked at the piece of parchment that was still held tightly in her hand. Frowning, she dipped the quill back into the ink, her hand slightly shaking as she did so.

6- He doesn't seem to sleep.. at all.
7- He goes into the forbidden forest alone, in the middle of the night.

She pushed the parchment away from her bitterly. The last line bothering her more than the other points. The forest was forbidden for a reason, she had heard firsthand from her Grandmother of the creatures and dangers that lurked in there. Not only had Edward put himself in danger over the course of the evening but he had put Smutz in potentials harms way too. Reluctantly knowing she would have to confront Edward about the matter, she looked back outside to watch them once more.

The pair were both missing from view.

"Shit." Rose sighed.

Placing the quill promptly back on the table, she pocketed the piece of parchment, swiftly returning to the girls dormitory, worried Edward might be close to appearing. She knew she wasn't ready to confront Edward just yet, she still hadn't recovered from her nightmare, never mind what had just occurred. At least this way he would never know she had been in the common room at all.

But he would.

The smell of rose oil and Turkish delights scented the room as Edward entered the common room mere minutes later. The forgotten hot chocolate mug lay like a beacon for Edward to follow as he walked slowly over to where she had sat to write. He sat in the warmth of her former shadow, feeling the heat that her body had left on the seat.

"She was here not too long ago." Edward muttered to Smutz. "But what was she doing awake at this hour?"

He looked at the quill, knowing it was in a different position to how he had left it- Something wasn't right.

Edward started to pace the room impatiently, debating whether he should sneak into the girls bedroom once again. It wouldn't be the first time Edward had gained entry to the girls bedroom, the old school enchantments may stop boys entering, but they couldn't stop him.

He often found it relaxing watching Rose sleep, her soft breathing sending him into a mediative trance. He was often reminded of the muggle fairytale 'Sleeping Beauty' as he watched her for hours on end. As she lay motionless and still, he was always left wanting to give her his true loves kiss.

He took a deep sigh in, remembering the peaceful pose she was in the night before. The way their fingers embraced each other and the way she had nearly kissed him with her tempestuous words. Her smell still lingering in the air, his nerves relaxed slightly- how he wished he could relive that moment again.

"You really ballsed that up didn't you Edward-Oliver." Edward muttered in agitation.

He looked at the floor, smiling slightly at the small dog now sound asleep. Scooping him up gently onto the comfiest sofa by the fireplace, Edward crept off upstairs to go over his quidditch ideas one last time.

As Rose's watch turned six thirty, she observed how the night sky had now slowly changed to dawn. She had been watching from the dormitory window, waiting to see if Edward would return to the grounds, unable to sleep, the adrenaline of what she had seen too much for her to handle. Knowing it was now time to get ready, she walked over to her nightstand, turning off the alarm before it had a chance to awake the others. She showered and got dressed into her workout clothes without any enthusiasm or excitement for what they day held. She was too exhausted, her body screaming for the sleep it had missed out on. Relieved to see that at least her face didn't reflect how she felt, Rose tied her hair into a tight high ponytail, to keep it out of her face whilst playing later.

As she shut the dormitory door quietly behind her, Rose could hear the other girls walking down the girls staircase.

"Mor-hawning" Angelina managed to half say through a large yawn as they approached Rose.

"I feel the same way." Rose nodded in sympathy. "I think I need a strong coffee this morning."

"Did you not sleep very well?" Katie asked sympathetically.

"I didn't, no." Rose agreed. "But it's my own fault really, I should have just ignored my nightmare."

"Oh dear." Alicia grinned. "Your nightmare might have only just begun, or have you forgotten Wood's warm up from hell."

"Oh don't." Angelina shuddered. "I honestly don't see the point in me being Vice Captain sometimes. I have tried so many times to change the way he does the workouts but he doesn't pay one bit of notice."

"What would you change?" Rose asked curiously.

"If I had it my way? I would sit and watch him do the workout from a comfortable seat." Angelina grinned mischievously

"Oh I so agree." Alicia giggled. "I would happily pull up a pew and watch that all day. I mean have you seen his muscles?"

"They are the only reason I DON'T complain too much about the workout." Angelina agreed seriously "I think we have all imagined being embraced in those arms, it's enough to make me go all gooey."

Rose chuckled as she walked with the girls down to breakfast knowing all too well of the physical attributes that they were taking about. She herself couldn't resist the subtle glances during the workout sessions, Edward's tight t shirts leaving nothing to their imaginations. Her chuckles soon ended however as her thoughts drifted to her nightmare - Edward's dark hallow eyes peering at her through her subconscious.

The rest of the team were already at breakfast, the quiet sound of cutlery hitting plates the only audible noise. As soon as Rose entered the room, Edward looked up instinctively, his eyes reading every inch of her face in detail. Rose held his gaze for a second, her face pale and cautious. His warm amber eyes instantly filled with concern, as she pulled her gaze away, sitting down without a word sent his way. She knew she wasn't being silly, it wasn't just about her dream anymore. Seeing him in person brought back her annoyance at witnessing him come out the forest.

"You would think that Slytherin would be having breakfast around about now." Harry muttered to Fred and George, peering around at the empty room.

"Naa they will be down when the rest of the school wakes up. They like to eat with their "fans"" Fred replied bemused. "Oliver is the only Captain who makes his team work until the last moment. It's all about the tactics." He nodded knowledgeably, with a slight hint of sarcasm.

Harry nodded in understanding whilst continuing to play with his bowl of porridge, the contents left untouched. Rose could tell that Harry was nervous by his body language alone, his pale face looking like he could easily vomit. But instead of finding the words to comfort him, she quickly got lost again in her own concerned thoughts. She gulped nervously, finally giving Harry a weak smile before looking down the table towards Edward. There he was peering back at her a worried look on his face.

"What's the matter?" He mouthed, his face becoming more concerned.

"Nothing." Rose whispered back, her voice cracking as she did so.

It was a good job that Edward couldn't hear her reply, it wasn't convincing in the slightest.

Edwards eyes got momentarily buried under his frown as he took in her reply. It would seem he didn't believe her anyhow. Forcing a smile that felt more like a grimace, Rose turned to face her empty bowl, scared to look around and make eye contact with anyone else.

At ten past seven, Edward rose from the table, gently ushering them all up. He lingered at the back clearly waiting for Rose to walk past, his eyes fixated only on her.

"Oliver can I have a moment?"

His head snapped towards the voice, his eyes hard as Angelina's face came into view.

"Yes?" He replied more harshly than needed.

"I wanted to go through the last minute plans" Angelina replied curtly. "If I didn't have the impression you have been avoiding me, I wouldn't have left it so late."

"Fine." Edward nodded. "We can walk and talk."

He turned to the group, his face harsh and serious.

"Please walk ahead."

Looking at the floor as she passed, Rose could feel Edward's eyes on her spine the whole way down to the Quidditch pitch, the feeling intense and over empowering.

As they arrived at the pitch, Rose was relieved to see Lee Jordan setting up the radio in his commentary box. They had both agreed that as he already did the Quidditch commentary for the school that it would make sense for him to cover Rose's radio slot that morning broadcasting the Quidditch game live. Waving her hello as she passed him, Rose waited alongside the others for Edward and Angelina to catch them up.

The warm up was intense and at times challenging, the poses tricky to achieve and needing concentration. Concentrating purely at the task at hand allowed Rose to have the distraction so had so desperately needed, her head finally back in the game.

"Okay everyone. Now that your warmed up, get changes and meet me in the communal area for last minute plans." Edward announced seriously. "Please don't take too long, there is a lot to go through."

Turning to subtly look at Edward as she left the pitch, Rose was relieved to see he was too distracted to return her glance. Following Harry through the headquarter doors, she squeezed his arm encouragingly as they went their separate ways.

The girls changing rooms had the kits alined across the nearest bench, their last names embroidered in gold stitch across the maroon v neck jumpers. Beige skinny chinos lay underneath the jumpers, as well as red high tops, tan leather gloves and maroon cloaks. With a subtle lion embroidered on each item of clothing, the Hogwarts Quidditch kits were extravagant and luxurious in quality.

Quickly getting changed into her own kit, Rose retied her high ponytail whilst walked out of the changing room and into the communal area, surprised to see that she was the only one in the room. The four rows of chairs were oddly intimidating, and offered Rose too much choice as to where to sit. Stroking the first chair that she came to in contemplation, Rose knew she didn't want to draw too much attention to herself. She may be in a better frame of mind than she was an hour ago but she still didn't want to tempt fate. Decision set, she walked quietly to the back row of chairs, the hair rising on her neck as Edward's voice spoke through the silence.

"Sitting on the naughty row?" Edward announced in amusement as he leant casually against his office door, his arms folded loosely.

"Is this the naughty row?" Rose answered nervously, her eyes not quite making eye contact with his. "I guess I will be joined by Fred and George then?"

"You will." He grinned, approaching her quickly and sitting directly in front of her on the row in front. "Now what's the problem Ray?" His honey eyes were filled with worried concern, the amber pools piercing her heart with guilty jabs.

"There isn't a - problem." Rose answered quickly, trying to be as truthful as she could.

She foolishly glanced at his eyes as she finished her sentence, her heart melting slightly when she did. There less than a foot away from her was his angelic face, perfect and kind. Nothing like what her dream had concocted.

Edward sighed, pulling his hand through his messy hair.

"Rose." He said seriously. "You said those same words last night and I don't believe you. Your not the only one who can tell when someone isn't being truthful."

Rose swallowed guilty, looking at the floor as she nodded weakly.

"Edward?.." Rose paused nervously, her voice cracking.

"What is it Ray?" Edward whispered smoothly, the concern evident in his voice. He adjusted his chair so that he closed the gap between the two of them, the movement enveloping her in his calming honeysuckle smell.

Rose sighed hesitantly, her brain fuzzy from all the questions she was needing to ask. Knowing she needed to start with the forbidden forest, she sighed again, looking carefully into his honey eyes.

"Edward. Why were you-?"

She was cut short as Lee came sprinting into the room panting, clutching his chest as he spoke.

"Oliver!"

Edward shut his eyes briefly in frustration, his body physically sagging. Sighing in vexation, he looked at Rose, his eyes apologetic. Turning his head and attention toward Lee, Lee continued without hesitation.

"Flint's pulled the Slytherin team from the match today! He has demanded a rematch on a later date, stating that he is unfit to play today and he has been granted it. McGonagall is awaiting your reply, she needs to know whether you accept playing a different team today or whether we forfeit?"

"Why would we have to forfeit?" Edward sighed in confusion. "Surely it would Slytherin that would pay the price?"

"You would think wouldn't you." Lee agreed bitterly. "But McGonagall admits that they have a relevant and approved reason. You know what she is like, she wasn't going to go into detail. If you don't agree to a rematch, it will be on our own heads."

"Who would we be playing against?" Edward asked curiously. "We literally have less than half an hour to prepare."

"Ravenclaw." Lee answered with a smirk. "Roger Davies, their new Captain openly volunteered for the challenge. He seems to think that they are all ready to take on anyone."

"Really?" Edward replied with a sneer. "Half of his team is new."

"Exactly." Lee agreed eagerly. "So? What's your answer?"

"It seems too easy." Edward muttered curiously. "But we will do it."

Lee grinned at Edward's response, his fist doing a little cheer. Winking his goodbye to Rose, he quickly ran back out the room eager to tell McGonnagall the news.

"I guess I better round the rest of the team up." Edward muttered, carefully looking at Rose. "I don't know what's taking them so lon-"

A pitch black owl flew noisily through the open door that Lee had failed to close behind him. Landing promptly on the seat next to Edward, the peacock blue envelope was dropped from the owls beak revealing two elegantly written words;

'Edward-Oliver.'

Edward looked down at the envelope, quickly grabbing it. As soon as he had the owl quickly departed, eager to leave his side. Edward stood gracefully, clutching the letter tightly in his hand.

"Forgive me." Edward explained quickly. " It's my sisters handwriting which tends to mean it's extremely important."

He walked quickly to his office, not waiting for a response.

"I promise that we will chat later. I really don't like seeing you like this and I want you to be honest with me."

Shutting the office door quickly behind him, Rose had hardly anytime to recover from the odd situation before Edward ran out of the office into the boys changing room, returning with Fred and George moments later. The three boys ignored Rose as they sprinted back to the office slamming the door behind them.

"Well?" Fred asked impatiently with a slight pant. "All I heard was something about playing Ravenclaw now."

"But you knew this was a possibility yesterday from Flints's mind and you said your weren't too concerned, what's changed?" George continued.

"Alice has just written to me." Edward replied with a sigh. "Marietta Edgecombe is one of the new players, she is their new chaser."

"I thought you knew this also?" George replied puzzled.

"I did know this yes." Edward agreed. "But Alice is pre warning me that she will stop at nothing to get to Rose. She has already flirted with both Flint and Davies to get this match to happen today. She is up to something."

"What does Alice know?" Fred replied in slight concern. "We need to know her plans, I mean it's Quidditch, anything can happen."

"Her plots keep on changing." Edward sighed, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "I have pieces of paper here outlining plans that she then altered or dismissed entirely. Alice has said that her plans haven't currently changes since last night however, so we will just have to concentrate on this idea or something close to it. According to her letter, Marietta has payed the Ravenclaw beaters to take a hit at Rose."

"Great." Fred muttered, gritting his teeth. "What can we do? It's their job to target people! It would be near impossible to prove that this was because a psychopath had payed them to do it."

"I need you two to try and wipe out the two beaters as quickly as possible." Edward answered seriously. "I will keep my main focus on Marietta at all times and try and signal to you both if I see danger."

"Knocking out two beaters isn't unrealistic for us to do." George nodded to Fred. "We have done it before."

"We should pre warn Rose about Marietta too." George said to Edward with a bitter tone. "Just don't mention the whole target thing."

Before Edward could respond to George, he sighed in frustration, indicating towards the door moments before it knocked loudly. The door swung open as McGonagall wearing her stern façade and Gryffindor scarf, walked into the room without waiting for her invitation. Sitting directly opposite Edward, she looked carefully around the room.

"Wood, have you informed your team of the changes yet?"

"I was about to do that momentarily. I was simply going over game tactics beforehand with Fred and George. Some of our moves are now no longer necessary." Edward lied smoothly.

"Very well." The Professor nodded. "Have you spoken to Potter and Ward about their medical history?"

"I haven't no." Edward sighed impatiently.

"Well then." She answered curtly. "I will bring them through. Fred, George you can now leave, your input is no longer needed."

Edward quietly growled his frustration, he really hated when McGonagall interfered in this way. As he waited for her to return with the others, he retrieved his notebook from under his desk. Scrolling to the Ravenclaw section, he folded the page down ready to tell the rest of the team their line of defence. Luckily he had read Roger's thoughts so often over the last few weeks, he knew what their game plan was and it was easy to defeat.

The was a polite knock on the open door as Rose came carefully into view.

"You summoned us?" She asked with a careful smile.

Edward couldn't help but notice how her eyes still didn't quite meet his. As if she was trying her best to act normal, but something still wasn't right. Swallowing nervously as he ushered them both in, he had to quickly remind himself to focus on the task at hand.

"Yes, please both take a seat." Edward replied, his tone serious.

Rose nodded curtly, sitting down quickly with Harry following limply beside her. His face full of concern, it was obvious that Harry now looked very nervous.
McGonagall quickly reentered the room, shutting the door silently behind her. Making her way to stand to Rose's right, Rose couldn't help but glance from her Grandmother over to look at Edward with a curious, questioning stare.

"I just need to be made aware of any medical issues before we go out on the pitch today" Edward explained quickly."

Harry swallowed nervously, the sound more obvious than it should have been.

"It's a just in case question." Edward added on quickly. "It has vary rarely needed to be used, but Madam Pomfrey stays on the hospital wing for the severe cases and the first aiders on the ground deal with the minor injuries. They have a list of remedies they can use, but they will need instructing if you have anything that might interrupt them."

"I'm not allergic to anything." Harry muttered, a slight green tinge now displayed on his face. "And I have no medical history."

"The same for me." Rose replied quietly.

Nodding, Edward quickly wrote down their two answers neatly on a form before standing and walking to the door, offering them both to leave with his hand. Silently passing her Grandmother as she passed, Rose quickly walked towards the door, with Harry right behind her.

"Thats not necessarily true now, is it Rose?" McGonagall announced in a harsh tone, filling the silence.

Rose paused, now halfway between the doorway of the office and the communal area. She knew that this was going to happen as soon as Edward had asked the question, but why couldn't she just have let it be? Sighing under her breath Rose slowly turned back into the office, not quite meeting Edward's sympathetic gaze as she shut the door behind her - The three of them now alone.

"Yes, it is Grandma." Rose replied stubbornly. "Edward already knows that I am a Metamorphous."

"Mr Wood, is this true?" McGonagall replied a little abashed.

Edward's face was calm but blank as he sat back down at the desk. Looking boldly at McGonagall, he curtly nodded in agreement.

"But you have not been made aware of some of the side affects associated with the gift?"

She directed her question at Edward, who quickly went from confused to frowning as he read her mind.

"Grandma." Rose hissed, her face truly looking mortified.

McGonagall merely ignored her, her concentration now purely on Edward. Edward still muling over his own thoughts hadn't acknowledged Mcgonagall's first question, leading her to believe that he was indeed naively unaware.

"I take your answer to be a no then?" McGonagall nodded to Edward knowingly.

Edward looked briefly up towards McGonagall, his head subtly nodding in agreement.

"The common association for the term Metamorphous is of a person that can change their appearance at will. Though this is true there is also a darker side to the gift.

If Rose were to trip and fall, the bruises that would naturally occur on a normal human body wouldn't form as her body quickly heels itself. The same applies for cuts, swellings and sickness.

The gift of heeling quickly may sound idilic, but it also comes with a price. Rose's body will try to rapidly heel itself as quickly as it can, the more severe the situation, the quicker the heel. My concern is a violent sport such as Quidditch will potentially showcase Rose's gift where she might not want it addressed. If Rose gets hit by a Bludger for example, she would be completely healed by the time medical attention could assist-"

"And she would feel her body healing itself without pain relief." Edward muttered in understanding, a bitter edge to his voice.

"Exactly." McGonagall nodded. "The cruel reality that not many can appreciate."

"Nor can you truly understand." Rose hissed bitterly. "That was completely unnecessary and a complete breech of my personal information. I knew this before signing up for Quidditch as did you."

Indicating her frustration towards her Grandma, Rose stood angrily from her seat - the conversation in her eyes over.

Before Rose had time to turn towards the door, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Turning gingerly to see the owner, she saw Edward's caring amber eyes looking at her carefully. Once he knew she had his full attention he indicated with his hand for her to gently sit back down.

"You may of knew the consequences, but I certainly didn't." Edward replied matter of factly, his honey eyes connecting with Rose.

"I don't know any differently." Rose pleaded. "To me this is normal. Yes it hurts if I hurt myself, but I weighed up all of this before even contemplating being on the team."

Sighing Edward placed his head in his hands for a couple of moments. He looked up and sighed again looking directly and only at Rose.

"I don't know Rose." He said slowly "I really feel under the new circumstances..…"

"Please." Rose reached out, grabbing Edward's hand. "Please don't patronise me. I am in charge of my own body and I know the risks attached."

Edward gripped Rose's hand subtly before quickly retracting his under his desk.

Silence descended on the room as neither knew how to comfort the other.

"I am not asking you to pull Rose from the team Mr Wood." McGonagall replied kindly. "I only mention it because you have the right to know as her Captain, just in case something did occur."

"And are you happy for her to go ahead and play?!" Edward demanded, a slight clip to his voice.

"I am." McGonagall nodded seriously.

"Then I have no right to disagree." Edward replied bitterly. "Now if that is all, we really all should prepare for the new game plan. I only have ten minutes at best to go over everything."

With a stressed sigh Edward stood, indicating to the others that it was time to leave.

The rest of the team were waiting patiently out in the communal space, silently curious as to why McGonagall was there. Wishing the team good luck as she departed for the stands, Edward didn't waste anymore time before diving into their new strategies for the game.

"So is everyone clear of the changes that need to be made?" Edward asked carefully, eyeing up the team individually.

"So instead of trying to divert away from the goals, you want us to constantly dive straight for them?" Alicia asked confused.

"Yes." Edward agreed confidently. "Roger Davies thinks we are going to gently try and push goals, and bank on me blocking their attempts. If you dive straight in, it will take him by surprise. Any other questions?"

The room was a wave of slow head nods.

"Okay, men." He said

"And women." Angelina muttered to the room.

"Yes, ladies too." Edward continued.

"This is it." Fred proudly spoke from beside Rose, "The moment where we make history! And remember, it lasts this love for Quidditch, but sometimes it also just hurts instead."

"So please watch out for those Bludgers!" George continued.

"Told you he uses the same speech every time." Fred winked at Rose.

"Oh shut up, both of you." Edward snapped with an eye roll. "Well since the oracle twins have done it for me, I'll simply say - Let's go out there and prove to them what we can do with last minute preparations! Whatever happens today, I'll be proud of you."

The team stood eagerly, cheering with competitiveness.

"Okay everyone, grab your broomsticks and head out." Angelina ordered.

Following the others over to the broom wall, Rose released the school broom she had adopted as her own, gingerly soothing the twigs back into place.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Edward whispered from behind her, his breath hitting her exposed neck, the sensation sending tingles to her spine.

"Edward." Rose replied with a sigh, the first time that day her dream forgotten.

Turning to look at him she continued;

"I'm going to be fine. I am no different to anyone else here - please don't start treating me like I am a freak."

"That was not my intention at all." Edward replied guiltily. "Its just… are you aware Marietta is on the opposition team today?"

Rose paused, looking at Edward with a questioning glance.

"I didn't." Rose replied diplomatically. "What position does she play?"

"Chaser." Edward sighed, closing his eyes in frustration.

"There goes me avoiding her then." Rose replied with what she hoped was a joking manner. "I take your warning onboard, we all know that she isn't my biggest fan. But the worst thing she can do today is knock the Quaffle out my hand, let's be honest."

"As long as your comfortable with this new information." Edward implored.

"Thank you for telling me." Rose smiled genuinely, patting his arm affectionately.

Edward nodded, smiling in what looked like relief.

"You really should get a new broom you know." Edward muttered silkily.

"There is nothing wrong with this school broom." Rose replied defensively. "But if it soothes your conscious, I might be able to afford a second hand broom depending on what I get for my birthday and Christmas."

"I don't mind chipping in." Edward offered sincerely.

Rose sighed, closing the gap between them.

"Edward." Rose groaned. "That would be showing favouritism and you know it."

Edwards eyes narrowed as he moved his head closer to hers.

"So what? Your Grandmother brought Harry a brand new Nimbus 2000!" He answered defensively.

"And I understand why she couldn't do the same for me." Rose replied cooly. "How would that have gone down with the rest of the team seriously?"

Edward went to answer back, his mouth hanging open momentarily, the action making Rose smile uncontrollably. Noticing her reaction, Edward too grinned, the frustration he had moments before vanished.

"You don't have to be gracious all the time you know." Edward answered soothingly, tucking a single piece of hair behind her ear. "You look tired."

"I feel tired." Rose replied, her voice cracking as the thoughts went back to her dream.

"Can you tell me of your troubles?" Edward replied stepping even closer so that they were practically touching.

"I want to." Rose admitted, the words barely audible.

Edward nodded, as if he was able to hear her. His eyes pleading for her to continue, only to be interrupted by Angelina's sudden presence.

"Er Oliver, are you ready?" Angelina announced, sticking her head around the entrance door. "We are all waiting out here like cold lemons."

"I'm Ready." Edward replied, his tone serious. Though he was answering Angelina's question, his eyes never left Rose's face.

Knowing it was time to go whether she wanted to or not Rose was the one to break the eye contact with Edward. Walking past him quickly, she nodded at Angelina before leaving the building. As the cold air hit her face she realised how flushed her face was from blushing. Angelina's departing look was clear. - The confused and curious gaze Angelina had given the pair of them was unsettling.

As Edward emerged out the door in line with Angelina, they walked past the group neither making eye contact with each other or the other members of the team.

Rose stepped in line with Harry, giving his hand a soft squeeze for reassurance as they moved towards the stands as a unified team.

"We are going to be fine Harry." Rose whispered, giving his hand another squeeze before letting go. "Just remember to have fun out there."

The Quidditch pitch now visible, the ferocious noise of the crowd echoed around them. The stands were absolutely jam packed with spectators of both students and teachers, not one seat was left empty.

Though it was common to see flags and banners of support at Quiddtich matches, the overwhelming majority had 'I love Wood' written on them. Though it was a confidence boost to see the sea of red dominate the Ravenclaw blue, Rose couldn't help but snigger slightly at the wording.- After all it was an innuendo.

The voice of Lee Jordan could be heard over the crowd, commentating and getting the crowd in the mood ready for the game. The song "Jump Around" by House of Pain, loudly playing in the background.

Standing in the middle of the pitch was Madam Hooch, her arms on her hips waiting. From behind her, Rose could see the Ravenclaw team approaching from the opposite side of the arena, perfectly in sink with the Gryffindors. The two groups halted as they got within two metres of Madam Hooch, with Edward and Roger continuing to approach until they were either side of her.

"Shake hands gentleman." Hooch announced firmly. "And this game is going to stay dignified and clean, do you understand me?"

It was clear that Roger Davies was clenching Edward's hand with as much force as he could muster, his knuckles glowing white with the strength. Wincing at the thought of how much pain he was inflicting on Edward, Rose couldn't help but glance to make sure he was okay. The relief from seeing his face showing no signs of distress were quickly replaced with surprise. Not only was Edward not showing signs of pain, he was looking so smug it was clear it wasn't hurting at all.

Releasing his hold on Edward, looking exhausted and disappointed, Roger looked back at Hooch nodding in agreement.

"Good." Hooch announced satisfied."Okay everyone! Move into position and mount your brooms!"

"And here we have it, Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw!" Lee Jordan's voice bellowed out crystal clear. "Today should be an interesting match with quite a few new players on both sides playing today, lets see how well they all do.

We have Madam Hooch approaching with the Quaffle, she blows her whistle- THE GAME HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUIN!" Lee roared.

Madam Hooch threw the Quaffle high into the air, the stands falling instantly into silence. After the first moment of concentration passed, there was a dignified scramble as all players shot off in their different directions, all the Chasers flying vertically towards the Quaffle.

It was Angelina who managed to grab the Quaffle first, quickly setting off towards the hoops that Roger Davies was guarding. Rose and Alicia following closely behind Angelina with Katie beneath, they managed to block most other players from passing by. One of the male Ravenclaw chasers appeared from above, trying to punch the Quaffle loose from Angelina's arm. Noticing his attack quickly, Angelina halted mid air, the move causing him to overshoot past her. Quickly throwing the ball to Alicia, Angelina replaced the position of covering Alicia's side.

The game was a slow starter, with the Quaffle bouncing between both teams continuously without either side managing to score a goal. After twenty minutes of the toing and froing, Rose was starting to get annoyed. Not one of her team mates had thrown her the ball, even when she was free.

"Angelina, why didn't you throw me the ball?" Rose yelled in frustration.

"Rose that is down to you. Shake off your friend so that we can pass to you!" Angelina roared competitively.

"Huh?" Rose replied. "What friend?"

Turning around, her heart jolted at Angelina's words. Marietta was less than half a metre behind her, easily at arms length. It was quickly becoming clear that Marietta had constantly been following Rose around, hot on her tail.

"Hi" Marietta said sickly sweet. "Surprised?"

"Hi Marietta." Rose gulped. "Can we get on with playing Quidditch now?"

"Haven't you been playing Quidditch so far?"

"In Quidditch you don't shadow one solo player." Rose reminded her. "And to do so means neither of us can do our position properly."

Marietta smirked, her eyes cruelly looking at Rose.

"You'll find you want me around Ward. Things get slightly chaotic when I'm not around."

Unfortunately Marietta was right. The only time Rose was alone was when the Bludgers were around. Though Fred and George were attempting to aim them directly at Marietta or the other Beaters, Marietta always seemed able to miss them, cackling in hysteria every time they failed. The Ravenclaw beaters were no better; on the rare occasion they got the Bludgers instead of the twins they were only interested in taking aim at Rose. With both sets of Beaters both after the same two players, Rose had calculated that after forty five minutes of flying, she was avoiding a Bludger one way or another roughly every minute.
Swinging in out of players, trying to gain some more distance from Marietta, Rose took a sharp dive towards the pitch floor narrowly avoiding a Bludger that catapulted through the air and past her right ear.

"And that was a close call for Chaser Ward there! Good grief that Bludger nearly hit that lovely face of hers…"

"JORDAN!"

*Cough*

"Sorry Professor, I was just being honest… Now where was I? Oh yes! Chaser Ward Narrowly misses a Bludger again and has also managed to shake off Chaser Edgecombe's tail again. Reaching forward, Ward has actually managed to successfully punch the Quaffle out of Chaser Scotts arm and is beelining for the goal posts— Oh watch out Rose another Bludger! Ooo lucky miss there Ward.— Ward passes the Quaffle to Chaser Spinnett, — Spinnett to Chaser Johnson, —Johnson back to Chaser Ward, — Ward approaches Keeper Davies, Ward shoots, Davies dives, he dives, he misses!.. SHE SCORES! Ward has Scored! Ten Points to Gryffindor!"

Half the stadium erupted into loud applause - the first goal of the day had finally been achieved.

"Yes Rose!" Harry shouted from above.

Looking up, Rose gave Harry the thumbs up, before quickly flying away back into the game.

The game continued in cat and mouse style, the Ravenclaw's conscious of getting a goal quickly. The Quaffle was urgently passed to Marietta as she was seen as the only Chaser free, to her own surprise. Rose turned her broom around sharply, ready to attack Marietta swiftly. Chasing her across the Quidditch pitch, the others too far behind to help, Rose managed to punch the Quaffle out of Marietta's arm.

Marietta screamed in frustration as the ball spun towards the ground, with Rose quickly descending after it. Scooping the ball up mid air, less than a metre from the floor, Rose sped towards Roger, her eyes focused purely on him. The other players still high above her, she rose at the final hurdle coming face to face with the Ravenclaw Captain.

"Not just a pretty face are you Ward." Roger shouted, his tone impressed.

Ignoring his comment, she threw the Quaffle towards him, her eyes not leaving his. With no indication of which hoop she was aiming for, he helplessly guessed, his gut proven wrong.

"And that's another goal from Chaser Ward! TWENTY POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR!"

Waiting for Roger to recover from the second defeat, Rose smugly replied.

"Leave my looks out of this Davies, and tell Marietta to back off. Her stalking is just weird okay?"

"What stalking?" Davies shouted.

"The one where she follows me round everywhere." Rose shouted back. "Its against Quidditch rules which you are fully aware of."

Rolling her eyes at his fake confusion, Rose flew back towards her fellow Chasers in hunting down the Quaffle once more.

It was inevitable that after the successful goal score, that Marietta would be back with a vengeance. Humiliated and angry, Marietta had decided that constantly whacking into the side of Rose's broom was the way to deal with her anger.

"Seriously do you mind, this isn't even my broom!" Rose yelled at Marietta, after the fourth bash. "Don't you actually want to play Quidditch? These things happen!"

"I haven't even started yet." Marietta cackled. "You wait."

Rose's broom was hit from the side once more, sending her off course away from the other players. The direction Marietta had now sent her in was one of Bludgers from both directions violently catapulting towards her. With no time to panic or think, Rose grabbed her broom handle lengthways, swinging 360 degrees back into position. The split second decision saved her from the Bludger attack, but also gained her some more cheers from the crowd.

"Sorry Rose, we are trying to hit Marietta, we promise!" Fred shouted as he rushed to her side.

"Please try harder!" Rose yelled back at him.

"We might not have to worry, look!" Fred shouted eagerly.

Looking above her head to where Fred was pointing, Rose saw Harry diving towards the main group of players, a glimmer of gold mere feet ahead of him. Harry sped through the two groups of players following the golden trail, weaving in and out of the game.

The Snitch suddenly ascended quickly, making Harry change the angle of his broom sharply. Higher and higher Harry climbed, the snitch not giving up without a fight.

"Is Harry slowing down?" Rose thought out loud, noticing the distance between Harry and the snitch becoming longer.

"Somethings wrong." Fred announced seriously. "Look at his handle."

Harry's broom was jolting violently to the left and right, the broom thrashing around so harshly that Rose wondered how Harry was still able to hold on. His broom continued to hover higher and higher above them all, thrashing Harry around like he was a branch in the storm.

"How has no-one else noticed Fred?" Rose gulped, the panic clear in her voice. "We need to get him off the broom before he falls."

"Agreed." Fred nodded in worry. "He is too high up away from the game, everyone is too fixated to notice.

They flew to where Harry was positioned, gaining attention from the crowd as they herd the horrified gasps of the audience at Harry's predicament.

It was if the broom knew of Rose and Fred's arrival, getting more angry the closer Rose and Fred got, the broom physically rolling Harry full circle.
With another violent jerk, the broom successfully knocked Harry off, Harry now holding onto the handles for dear life.

"Oh dear God." Rose uttered to Fred.

"Rose go and get Oliver." Fred insisted seriously.

"What is Edward going to be able to do?" Rose asked in confusion.

"I don't know, but he is Harry's only hope at the moment."

"Okay." Rose agreed, the confusion still clear on her face.

Rose quickly descended, Leaving Fred to circle carefully underneath him - The move reminding her of vultures finding their food. Flying past her own team mates, her heart pounding as she hoped she wasn't too late to help Harry. It was an open clear sky between her and Edward now with only ten metres between them. Relieved to see his face, he looked away from the game, surprised to see her coming his way.

*thwack*

A sharp intense pain entered her shoulder as her shoulder blade cracked from the direct hit from a Bludger. Her right arm became instantly limp with weakness, loosing the grip of the broomstick. The pain was eye watering, the pain felt from her neck all the way down to her fingers.

Frozen to the spot as she took in the pain and shock, she managed to look up at Edward, his eyes showing the look of panic clear on his face.

"Go help Harry." Rose mouthed, knowing he would be able to lip read her.

"Harry's fine. Get to hospital wing now!" Edward pleaded back.

Rose automatically turned to look over her unbroken shoulder. Edward was right, Harry was back safely on his broomstick.

Out of nowhere, another Bludger came hurtling towards her, this time hitting her straight between her nose and mouth, the taste of warm blood instantly filling her mouth. Still clinging onto the broom with her one strong arm, Rose was unable to wipe away the blood that was pouring out of her broken nose. The pain was overwhelming, with the strong sense of needing to be sick overcoming her. Struggling to breath, with both option involving swallowing blood, Rose grabbed the broom handle with more determination, knowing she needed to get onto solid ground quickly.

Concentrating on Lee's commentary in the background, it was clear that everyone's focus was still on Harry and the game itself, the past ten agonising seconds of Rose's life unnoticed. Lowering the broom handle carefully toward the ground, Rose slowly led the broom towards the ground, praying at any moment she would feel the grass beneath her.

Rose could see out the corner of her tear filled eye another player flying towards her, slight relief came over her as she presumed it was Edward - it wouldn't be long until she had help. Focusing purely on steadying the broom, her hand started to shake with the pressure of holding her whole upper body weight up.

"Please hurry." Rose whimpered, forcing herself to swallow the blood.

Her vision only able to make out blurred colours, Rose could see blue robes hoovering in front of her. Blue robes and blond hair.

"Don't even think about stealing him."

*thwack*

The blow across her face was so strong that Rose fell instantly from the side of her broom, unable to hold on anymore. Still a good forty feet from the ground, the icy wind kept her semi conscious as she felt her body fall, her limbs limp and weak. The fall didn't last long as she had anticipated and she was confused that her landing hadn't hurt as much as she had predicted - She was after all still quite high up when she fell.

"I've got you." Edward whispered shakily.

"Oliver, her face… look at her face."

"I need to get her to hospital wing." Edward insisted in matter of fact tone. "Her body might be already be starting to heal."

"You know you can't be the one to take her." George said sombrely. "You know you are a risk with all this blood."

"My only concern is making sure she is okay. My bloodlust is honestly the last thing on my mind. Tell Hooch I'm carrying her to hospital, I'm going to be quicker then the stretcher."

Rose could feel herself being gently repositioned against a stone hard embrace.

"Hurry Oliver."

The only sensation to indicate that they were moving at all was the cold air smoothly brushing past Rose's exposed face. Aware that her mouth and nose were still bleeding, the blood had now started to form sticky thick layers on her face which felt heavy and uncomfortable.

"Hang in there Ray." Edward whispered. "I'm going to be as quick as I can, I promise."

Rose's head and shoulder started to lock with the pain of her injuries, the feeling similar to being held together with a superglue made of fire. The sensation so overwhelming that fresh tears escaped her eyes.

"'Ace 'urts" Rose managed to groan.

"I know sweetheart." Edward replied soothingly.

Edward gripped her slightly tighter before running as fast as he could back to the castle. Rose felt very safe in his arms, the motion a bit like being rocked like a baby. It was only the familiar smell of the castle corridors that showed indication that they had arrived back inside. Within thirty seconds of being on the pitch, Edward was knocking impatiently on the Hospital Wing door.

"One minute!" Madam Pomfrey could be heard from the other side of the door. "My goodness Mr Wood, how on earth did you get here before the stretcher?"

"Please Madam Pomfrey, just get her the pain relief." Edward replied with an edge of panic.

"Who is it?" Madam Pomfrey ordered seriously.

"Rose Ward."

"Miss Ward?" Madam Pomfrey announced in shock. "My goodness, what on earth happened?"

"Two bludgers and a bat happened at close range." Edward answered in disgust. "I also think she has a broken shoulder."

"I wouldn't be surprised, I can see from here that her nose and jaw are defiantly broken."

Madam Pomfrey tutted before disappearing for some ointments and medicine. With Rose still comfortably being held in Edward's arms, Madam Pomfrey carefully cut away at the Gryffindor Quidditch uniform before gently prodding Rose's shoulder.

"Guah!" Rose managed to muster, the feeling of being prodded, enhancing her pain.

Madam Pomfrey looked at Edward, shaking her head as she sighed in frustration.

"We are too late, her body is already healing, the best thing we can do now is make her comfortable. Lie her down over there and support her throat and mouth. I hope you are okay with the amount of blood Mr Wood, not many people are."

"But she is still awake." Edward pleaded.

"I know it seems that way, but she won't remember the ordeal, I promise you." Madam Pomfrey weakly smiled.

Rose felt the softness of the bed beneath her and the instant support of the marshmallow pillow that fell behind her head. With the sudden release of Edwards hold, the true extent of the pain suddenly made itself known, the burning superglue feeling hard and crippling. She felt Edwards smooth hand around the back of her head tilting it at a slight angle. With his spare hand he gently opened her mouth before pouring a bitter tasting liquid into her mouth. The taste merged with the blood as it slowly trickled down her throat, leaving behind a minty cool sensation in her throat and mouth, the feeling tingled like pins and needles, working instantly.

"There, some pain relief." Madam Pomfrey spoke quietly. "Now just a sedative."

"Is that necessary?" Edward asked in concern. "Her body will have healed in no time."

"It will." She agreed. "But she will be exhausted from the whole ordeal. Rose has just had to go through most of the healing process without pain relief. She needs rest Mr Wood."

Rose felt a hand touch her forehead, the touch making her head buzz. Knowing it was Edward she was grateful for his silent company.

"Please be okay Ray." Edward pleaded quietly. "You're my Ray of sunshine."

Once again Rose felt her head being lifted and her mouth gently opened. The second mixture poured down Rose's throat, this time tasting of lavender and liquorice with the consistency of honey. The solution took hold of her, her chest filling with warmth, like she was being embraced in a duvet hug. Her brain swimming into sluggishness, she could just about feel Edward remove his hand from behind her head.

"I'll be here when you wake Ray."

Then blackness overtook her.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, Rose silently started to wake up from a deep dreamless sleep. She knew she was in the hospital, the strange medical smell in the air instantly reminded her of her whereabouts. She was also aware that she had company, hearing three male voices at close range. She tried to open her mouth and eyes to greet them but the the honey medication seemed to refrain her from being able to speak or open her eyes, like the sticky solution had glued her mouth shut.

As she lay there sleepily trying to concentrate on the boys words, she noticed that her left arm felt different to her right. At first she presumed it was her injury, before remembering that this should have long healed. After a few more minutes of concentration she realised it was in fact due to Edward. He was holding her hand, in a comforting but strong grip. Rose inwardly smiled, enjoying the physical contact from him.

Concentrating hard, she was now managing to make out some of the conversation that they were all having. Working out that the other two voices must be Fred and George she put all her strength into listening to their words.

"I can't believe they aren't going to punish Marietta." George spat.

"They have stated that because I am the only eyewitness to what occurred, without further proof, the Beaters take the blame." Edward hissed. "Apparently I could be lying as I am her Captain and because I am her Captain I am biased."

"Which was completely ironic since it was Davies who used that as a counter argument."

"Twat." Fred muttered. "He should be struck off for allowing Marietta to preform like that."

Edward sniffed in agreement, squeezing Rose's hand a little tighter. The room fell into silence for a few minutes, everyone collecting their thoughts.

"The worst part is all the teachers believe me." Edward announced eventually, aggressively ruffling his hair in frustration. "How can they let a student stay here when they know she has caused so much physical damage."

"Not that you can tell now." Fred uttered softly, now staring at Rose. "Completely heeled and not a scratch on her. It must have taken a lot of strength to be around the smell of blood for so long."

"I don't know how I managed it." Edward confessed. "My throat burned in longing but my head managed to stay level throughout it. I knew I didn't want to hurt her, my only concern that she not be in pain. Once Madam Pomfrey had done all she could do, I asked if I could clean her face, it was a painful reminder of how much damage had been done."

"Why did she do it Oliver?" George muttered in disgust. "Why did she have to harm Rose in such a way."

"Her mind is a place I have to physically try and stay out of as much as I possibly can." Edward replied distantly. "She has this deep set belief that if she somehow puts me off Rose, I will somehow be interested in her. The talent-show for example, was her way of embarrassing Rose. When is backfired, and she ended up being the one that everyone hated, in her head it was Rose's fault. She has been plotting so many pathetic ideas for the last few weeks which she has then bailed on, I thought I didn't need to pay particular attention. She must have concocted this plan recently for Alice to give us the warning at such short notice. Her idea this time was if I saw Rose looking a mess all mangled and broken I would be disgusted and put off that way." Edward snorted in disgust. "A blow like that to her head could have killed her. She is seriously lucky under the circumstances."

"She's an idiot." The words mumbled out of Rose's mouth startling them all. It was clear that neither the boys or Rose herself expected her to be able to speak.

"Rose!" George announced. "Your awake!"

"Ish." Rose croaked. "I can't seem to open my eyes."

"Its the sedative." Edward said warmly. "I'll go get Madam Pomfrey."

He gently let go of Rose's hand, the sudden release instantly cooling Rose. She grabbed for his hand with all her might, clumsily catching his wrist.

"'On't" Rose said dreamily.

Edward turned to the twins, his eyebrows raised.

"For Christ sake hold her hand." George mouthed.

Nodding, Edward carefully knotted his fingers once again through Rose's.

"I'm just going to getMadamPomfrey." Fred said loudly.

"Kay." Rose replied sleepily.

Fred's words had started to slow down and churn together into one sluggish word. A wave of warmth overcame Rose as a second familiar duvet hug embraced her.

"Rose?" Edward asked carefully.

But she was already back under control of the sedative, in the deep sleep of an unconscious slumber.

This second wave of sleep was different from the first- Rose was back at the beach, the waves silently crashing angrily to her right. Smutz was yet again beside her, galloping in the sand looking happy and content, his attention focused only on what was in front of them. After a few moments he began to run faster as if eager to approach his intended target quicker. Rose's heart quickened as she realised why Smutz was picking up his pace. - He was trying to get to Edward. Nervously, Rose slowly moved her head towards the horizon, the dark shadow of Edward's figure now in the distance once more.

"Not again." Rose whispered, trying to stop her feet from propelling forward.

She tried with all her might to turn around and walk away, but her legs wouldn't listen.

For hours, she was forced to walk, Edward's form slowly getting closer into view. Tired and defeated, Rose closed her eyes in frustration, her heart sinking when she she reopened them - She was now standing right in front of him. Just like the night before, all his facial features were missing. His eye sockets hollow and empty.

"I warned you." The manikin Edward muttered.

"What did you warn me?" Rose bitterly asked.

"I warned you!" Edward groaned again "I told you I would to be terrified if you found out the truth."

Rose paused in front of the manakin, trying to digest his words.

"What truth?" Rose replied carefully.

She stepped forward to read his face more carefully, her spine screaming at her to step backwards. "Has this got something to do with my theories?"

"Your theories." Edward said bitterly. "You know what I am."

"But I don't Edward. You are still a mystery to me."

"Your so close!" Edward howled. "You just need to connect the dots."

"I don't understand." Rose frowned looking around hoping for clues. The beach was still empty, they were alone with Smutz.

"Have you got your list?" Edward hissed.

"Not on me no." She frowned again. "The parchment is in my pyjama pock-"

Now standing on the beach in her pyjamas she reached into the side pocket of her pyjamas, retrieving the piece of parchment that she had written on earlier that morning.

"Read it." Edward sighed.

"Okay." Rose nodded, her voice cracking as she fumbled to open it.

"1- Your eyes change colour.
2- You are apparently cold and hard to touch apart from me.
3- You have hardcore mood swings.
4- You know things you shouldn't be able to know.
5- Your good at "Reading people".
6 - You don't sleep. 7- You went into the forbidden forest alone, in the middle of the night."

"You have more theories to add to the list since yesterday morning." Edward acknowledged.

Rose frowned trying to think what had happened since the forest. What was dream Edward trying to imply? Her brain flickered through the morning, through the Quidditch game, landing onto the conversation she had overheard with Fred and George.

"Her mind is a place I have to physically try and stay out of as much as I possibly can." Rose whispered more to herself than to Edward "But that would be impossible…"

"Could it?" Edward groaned.

"Are you trying to say the real Edward can read minds?" Rose asked confused.

"I am your minds interpretation of what Edward is." He hissed. "Do you think he can read minds?"

"He does seem to be very good at reading people." Rose whispered.

"And he knew about your history of magic class." Edward agreed. "And Ron's conversation."

"And something about the troll situation." Rose agreed. "But it makes no sense. If he could read my mind, he would know too much information, he asks to many questions to know what I'm thinking."

"Maybe he doesn't know what your thinking?"

"But you said.."

"Think about it Rose!" Edward shrieked in frustration making Rose jump. "There is more you need to think about."

"There is?" Rose replied, unsure she wanted to carry on the discussion.

"What did you notice earlier, after the Bludger attack?"

"I was looking at Edward, I needed to get to him to help Harry." Rose thought. "He was in the distance when I got hit in the shoulder. I then got hit a further two times, before falling to the ground."

"But he did get to you in time." Edward hissed. "He caught you as soon as you fell."

"Oh." Rose uttered, frowning as she processed the information.

"So he can read minds and has the strength to catch someone mid-flight" Rose repeated.

"Which is also why you got to the hospital so fast remember? He carried you himself." Edward whispered eagerly.

"I believe so?" Rose sighed. "The journey to the hospital wing was short."

"Ridiculously so, almost like he was unrealistically fast." Edward agreed.

"So Edward is a fast, strong, sleepless, cold, hard, moody, eye changing boy who can read minds." Rose repeated, ticking the list off her fingers as she spoke.

"And what matches most of that description?" Edward mused.

"I'm not sure what you mean?" Rose replied nervously.

"What creature have you heard of that doesn't sleep? That is strong, hard and cold?" Edward hissed.

"A Zombie?" Rose answered truthfully.

"Why was George so worried about Edward being around the smell of your blood Rose? Think! Connect the dots."

Rose burrowed her eyebrows, the realisation too stupid to muster to say. Standing there opposite dream Edward, her hands became hot and clammy.

"This is ridiculous Edward." She frowned, shaking her head in denial. "You can't be a.. a vampire."

"Can't I?" Edward sneered.

Grabbing Smutz who was lying by his feet, Edward sunk his featureless face deep into Smutz's neck. As Smutz whimpered, Edward only continued to hold him more tightly against his face. Rose unable to move, had no choice but to watch and witness this bizarre embrace. Eventually pulling Smutz away, Edward wiped his mouth with his spare hand before carelessly throwing Smutz on the sand. It was clear that Smutz was dead.

"Smutz?" Rose screamed, trying to move closer to her dog. "What did you do?!"

"I told you." Edward answered, his voice clearer then before, more soft and silky, like the real Edward.

Rose tore her eyes away from Smutz to glance at the featureless statue, but he was no longer that. Edward stood before her, his eyes red, the colour of poppies. His elegant features in place and his lips crimson with Smutz's blood. He was smiling at her with very pointy neat teeth, his smile broadening at the amusement of her reaction.

"I told you Rose. I've been telling you all along." Edward smiled. "Now. What am I?"

"Your a vampire." Rose gulped.