When Rose woke up on Tuesday morning, it took her a moment to realise why her heart was hammering. Then the memory of the previous night rolled over her. She sat up abruptly, mind whirring, and tore back her hangings, half expecting to see Scorpius smirking at her from the other side. Instead she came face to face with a bleary-eyed Dominique, mid-way through getting up as well.

"What's wrong?" her cousin asked sleepily.

Rose stopped short and looked around her, her heart rate slowing as she took in her surroundings. Their shared bedroom was dark and still had the muffled heaviness of sleep to it. Daisy was curled in bed, grumbling incoherently; Peoria had gone off to the bathroom; Dom was yawning hugely. Rose took a deep, calming breath and ran her hands over her face. Scorpius wasn't there. No one knew what had happened last night. She needed to get a grip.

"Rose?" Dom was peering at her now. She shook her head hurriedly.

"Nothing," she said as casually as possible. "Something just startled me, that's all." That wasn't technically a lie.

"Right," Dom continued to look sceptical, but she didn't say anything else as they dressed and prepared for the day. By the time they sat down to breakfast in the Great Hall, her cousin had completely forgotten the matter in lieu of complaining about her unfinished Herbology assignment and a letter from her mother announcing Fleur's intention to visit during their next Hogsmeade weekend.

"I bet she brings Victoire," groaned Dom, shooing away the owl that had brought the letter and receiving a nip on the finger in return. "They probably just want to look at wedding decorations or something. And tell Louis off for getting in detention."

"Louis got detention?" asked Rose, only half listening. She was watching the doors that led into the Entrance Hall with a growing feeling of unease.

"Didn't you hear?" Dom rolled her eyes. "Hugo as well. Both the little idiots got caught by Filch dropping fireworks on the fourth floor corridor."

"Hugo?" Rose tore her eyes away from the entrance and back to Dom. Then she swivelled and glared at her little brother, who was eating his breakfast a little way down the Gryffindor table, his dark copper hair sticking up in all directions. "Hugo!" she snapped, and he raised his head to look at her.

"What?"

"Did you get detention?" she asked him in a scandalised voice.

He shrugged. "None of your business," he said sullenly.

She gaped at him for a moment, taking in his messy hair, obstinate demeanour and the school robes that looked just a little too disarrayed and faded to be quite acceptable. His words echoed in her ear, recalling someone else to her mind. "Hugo!" she said again to distract her from her thoughts. "Of course it's my business you prat, I'm your sister. Did you really drop fireworks in the corridor?"

He nodded, but didn't look the slightest bit abashed.

"With Louis?" she persisted, casting a disapproving glance at the Ravenclaw table where Louis' silver blonde head was also visible. He was sitting between two fourth-year girls, chatting animatedly, and didn't seem to have a care in the world.

"What's it to you anyway?" challenged Hugo, his voice rising a little bit so that several other Gryffindors turned to look at them. "Since when do you care?"

"I – that's – just…" she spluttered. Hugo was looking at her very resentfully now, and Rose couldn't help but blush a little bit. Alright, so perhaps she hadn't quite been paying attention to her brother like she should have, but that was no reason for the attitude.

Hugo rolled his eyes and returned to his breakfast. Rose huffed for a moment or two before she noticed something. "Where's Lily?" she asked, blinking at the empty spot next to Hugo where their cousin usually sat. Her brother shrugged again and his scowl deepened.

"Dunno, do I?" he said, before getting abruptly to his feet, and swinging his schoolbag onto his back. "See you later Rose."

She watched him go, then turned to Dominique, who looked like she couldn't decide whether to act sympathetic or amused. "What's his problem?" asked Rose hollowly.

"Teenage boys," said Dom airily. "Don't ask me to understand how their brains function. Louis' exactly the same, you can't get a sensible word out of him. Anyway so have you decided what you're going to wear on Saturday?"

Rose's stomach gave a sickening lurch, and all thoughts of Hugo immediately fled her mind. It didn't help that Scorpius chose that moment to appear for breakfast. Albus was at his side, and he grinned when he saw Rose looking, clearly mistaking her stare as her wanting to say good morning. Scorpius didn't look at her.

"Er…Rose?" Dom waved a hand in front of her face, and she snapped back to attention.

"What, sorry?" she asked, then shook her head. "No, I haven't. It's only Tuesday. Besides, I don't really want to think about it."

She couldn't for the life of her figure out what she had been thinking last night. Rose snuck another surreptitious glance over at the Slytherin table, where Scorpius had sat down and started helping himself to food, his expression as bored and indifferent as ever. In the cold light of day, her actions the previous night seemed even more incomprehensible to her. How could she have allowed that kiss? And the way she had responded…Rose blushed and looked down at her plate. How could she have lost control like that? And with Malfoy, of all people?

Dom was pouting at her. She tried several more times to draw Rose into conversation about her upcoming 'date', as she insisted on calling it, but Rose merely mumbled in response or else plain ignored her questions. She was too caught up in her own thoughts to take much notice of Dominique and she didn't want to think about the coming Saturday at all.

"Fine," huffed Dom after a little while, in a tone of great annoyance, and she tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder. "Be like that then." When the bell rang signalling the start of class, her cousin stalked away without waiting for her, clearly offended by the lack of interest. Rose sighed and followed her, wondering how many more people she could upset before the day was out.

She was halfway up the marble steps leading from the Entrance Hall on her way to Transfiguration when she heard someone call her name. Turning, she saw Charlie Corner hurrying towards her, a cheerful grin spread across his face. Rose quickly took in his appearance, searching for any scars or markings, but he appeared to be perfectly normal; clearly, whatever Scorpius had done to him had only been temporary.

"Hi," she said when he reached her, feeling guilty that she had to force herself to smile at him. "Are you alright?"

"Er, yes," Charlie said, as though confused by her question. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I…um, heard you got hexed yesterday," she said. Her curiosity was getting the better of her, as ever. "By Malfoy?"

Charlie looked surprised for a moment, then he laughed. "What, in Charms? No no, that was just an accident."

"An…accident?" repeated Rose dumbly. "But I thought – "

"Yeah, Scorpius and Albus were just mucking around, and one of their spells ricocheted and hit me by mistake," said Charlie with supreme confidence. "Pomfrey fixed it straight up, so no harm done. Obviously Malfoy got detention for being an idiot in class, but then, that's to be expected isn't it? He's a Prefect, so he should know better, but as they say…stupid is as stupid – "

"So it was an accident?" Rose stared hard at Charlie, but he blinked back at her with nothing but mild bewilderment.

"Yes, of course. I mean, Malfoy would never deliberately hex me," he gave a short laugh, as though the thought such a thing happening was absurd. "So what else could it have been?"

"I dunno," said Rose faintly. She bit her lip, her mind was working furiously. It all seemed very strange. Had she been wrong to get the impression from Scorpius last night that he had done it on purpose? But no, he had definitely said that he had aimed at Charlie. But now Charlie was acting as if it was all a big mistake. Clearly they couldn't both be right.

"Anyway, just wanted to make sure you're still up for the game on Saturday," said Charlie, lowering his voice as a few third-year Slytherins passed them. "We're training every night this week. Gotta make sure we don't lose. You're coming, right?"

Rose opened her mouth to reply but at that moment Professor Millew came out of the Great Hall and saw them dawdling on the steps. "Weasley! Corner!" she barked, bustling towards them. "Class, now!"

Charlie shot her a grin and hurried off back down the steps, while Rose turned and followed her Professor in the direction of the Transfiguration classroom, her eyebrows drawn into a frown.

The day of the Ravenclaw-Slytherin Quidditch match dawned with the same overcast gloom that had been shadowing Hogwarts for much of winter. A light sheet of drizzle was sweeping like misty curtains across the grounds, and the bruised underbellies of clouds fought each other in the sky as Rose and the rest of the Gryffindors headed outside to the pitch. Dom, whom she was dragging along, was sulking by her side, while James, Fred and Hugo chatted animatedly about the upcoming game in front of them. The three boys had brightened significantly upon realising that there was still a chance – a very small, but nevertheless very real chance – that Gryffindor could win the Cup. James had been repeating the necessary score lines like a mantra all morning, as though he could fix the result simply through stubborn repetition.

Rose was wearing her school robes over a long-sleeved white skivvy and navy blue jeans, her red hair down and a Gryffindor scarf wrapped around her neck. Dom had attacked her with make-up as soon as she opened her eyes in the morning, but had so far failed in getting her to apply anything heavier than a coat of lip gloss. Her cousin had also been trying to get her to wear one of Calvin Davies leftover Ravenclaw scarfs, which she also obstinately refused. She didn't think she wanted the attention that wearing Ravenclaw colours would bring, and it was just a little too close to a pronouncement of affection than she felt comfortable with. Plus, there was also the tiny detail of Scorpius. Rose tried not to let her mind wander in that direction.

"I hope it doesn't rain all day," moaned Dom as they made their way up to the top of the Gryffindor stands, from where they would have an uninterrupted view of the pitch. "My hair's going to get ruined."

Hugo turned around and rolled his eyes dramatically at them. Rose grinned. As far as she could tell, her brother had clearly gotten over whatever had been bothering him, and had returned to his normal state of being an annoying little brat as often as possible. He and Lily were still acting a little cold towards each other, at least in comparison to their usual inseparable nature, but Rose was sure they would sort it out eventually. Merlin knew she had enough on her own plate to deal with without their dramas as well.

Truth be told, she was actually quite looking forward to this Quidditch game. It was nice for all the family to do something together, especially since Fred, James and Hugo were normally playing whenever she went to watch a game, instead of sitting with them. Louis had come to join them as well, proudly decked in his Ravenclaw attire, which meant that of all the Potter-Weasley clan left at Hogwarts, everyone except Albus, who was playing, was there watching. It made for a nice sort of family reunion, Rose thought sentimentally, as she settled more comfortably in her seat.

"Welcome everyone, to the third Hogwarts Quidditch match of the season, the undefeated Ravenclaw taking on the undefeated Slytherin," the voice of Malachy McLaggen, Rose's fellow Gryffindor sixth year, boomed magically across the grounds. He was sitting in the commentary box alongside the hawkish, scowling Professor Cauldrish. As the teams made their way onto the pitch, he called out their names one by one.

"And here come the Ravenclaws, led by their captain Tom Filmouth, followed by Turrett, Lee, Boot, Jarvis, Goldman aaand Corner," he announced, as one half of the stadium erupted in cheers. "And for the Slytherins, it's Warrington, Harper, Potter, Goyle, Bulstrode, Blishwick aaand Malfoy." Now it was the other sides turn to roar.

"Of course, you'll all be well aware of the importance of this match in the rankings," continued McLaggen, as the two captains advanced to the middle of the pitch and shook hands under the stern gaze of the Referee Madam Howler. "The winner will most likely win the Quidditch Cup. That is unless Gryffindor can make a miraculous recovery and snatch a victory, wouldn't that be nice?" There was a chorus of boos from the Ravenclaws and Slytherins. "Alright alright, I get it," grumbled McLaggen. "And now…they're off!"

On Madam Howler's whistle, the balls were released and the fourteen players shot into the air. Rose saw Scorpius and Charlie rise higher than the rest, their eyes already sweeping the stadium for a hint of gold.

"And it's Potter – Albus Potter, for Slytherin, with the Quaffle. Youngest son of Harry Potter, you all know who he is, a hero of Gryffindor House, wonder what he thinks seeing his son playing for Slyth – "

"Enough!" growled Professor Cauldrish.

"Sorry, sorry Professor," said McLaggen, although he didn't sound the slightest bit remorseful. "And Potter's ducked Filmouth – oh, nice Bludger there from the Ravenclaw Beater Jarvis…Potter drops the Quaffle and it's caught by Lee, back to Turrett, back to Lee, he's heading back up the pitch, he's close to Ravenclaw's goals now, he's – been hit from behind by a Bludger from Goyle….Lee drops the Quaffle!. It's caught by Chad Warrington, Chad Warrington of Slytherin reverse-passes to Albus Potter and Potter's away – "

Rose had squeezed her eyes shut when Albus had been hit by the Bludger, but now opened them again to watch Albus zoom back up the pitch, the Quaffle tucked under one arm and a very determined look on his face. His black hair streamed behind him as he dodged a bludger, swerved past a Ravenclaw Chaser, and raced toward the Slytherin goals.

"And Potter's just got the Keeper to beat now! – He swerves right! He shoots – HE SCORES!"

Goldman, the Ravenclaw Keeper, had missed. There was a collective groan from the Ravenclaw side of the stands as the Quaffle sailed between his outstretched hands, while the Slytherin side erupted in cheers and began to sing loudly. Rose clapped enthusiastically as well, ignoring the dirty looks she received from a few nearby Ravenclaws, including Louis.

The Ravenclaws were quick to reply, and soon the people around her were cheering as Tom Filmouth scored a goal down the other end. Rose applauded that as well; she was supposed to be a neutral, after all.

After fifteen more fast and furious minutes, Slytherin had scored six more times to Ravenclaw's five, giving them a narrow ten point lead. Rose's head was hurting from keeping up with the play, which raced from one of the pitch to the other at a dizzying pace. The two teams were very evenly matched, and it was proving to be an entertaining, highly-skilled game so far.

"Ooh!" said Dom suddenly, and she grabbed Rose's arm, pointing upwards. "Look Rose! Up there!"

Rose looked where Dom was pointing and saw Scorpius and Charlie hovering next to each other high above the play. At first glance, she didn't notice anything unusual, but then she saw the look of suppressed fury on Scorpius' face, and her stomach gave a familiar lurch. Charlie's mouth was moving rapidly.

"What do you think he's saying?" said Dom.

"I…don't know," said Rose, her eyes never leaving the pair of Seekers. Scorpius made to fly off, but Charlie blocked him, still talking fast. Malfoy's eyes flashed and he said something in response, which made Charlie falter momentarily.

"LEE SCORES!" roared McLaggen, jerking Rose back to the play. The Ravenclaws around her cheered loudly. "SCORES ARE LEVEL!"

She looked back up just in time to see Scorpius flying straight at Charlie. They collided heavily in mid-air, and Charlie slid dangerously off of his broom, only managing to cling on at the last moment. Several other students were pointing upwards now, and Madam Howler's long, shrill whistle blast rent the air, alerting everyone that there had been a foul.

"And it's a penalty to Ravenclaw for Malfoy's deliberate skinning of Corner," announced McLaggen in a satisfied voice. "Very foul play by the Slytherin Seeker there. But then, that's to be expected when you're dealing with – ahem," Professor Cauldrish was growling once more. "That is to say, Dylan Turrett with the Quaffle, to take the penalty. And he's put it through! Ravenclaw by ten points!"

Albus had flown up to Scorpius, and was gesticulating fervently to him. Rose didn't need to lip read to know what he was saying; it was quite clear Albus was telling his friend to ignore Charlie and look for the Snitch instead. Scorpius scowled and nodded, before flying away to the other end of the pitch. Charlie, looking shaken but otherwise okay, flew after him.

The match resumed with a fiercer intensity than ever before. The Slytherin Captain Warrington scored once more, levelling the scores. Rose found herself biting her lip in nervous anticipation as she watched Scorpius circling above the play, eyes keened for any hint of gold.

"And it's Potter with the Quaffle," McLaggen's commentary continued. "He passes to Harper, who passes to Warrington, who – dodges a Bludger but drops the Quaffle and Lee – er – drops it too, so now it's Potter with the Quaffle again, he's off up the pitch – "

"Come on Al," Rose muttered under her breath, her fingers crossed as her cousin flew towards the Ravenclaw keeper.

" – and Potter's dodged Turrett, he's heading straight for goal, he – ooh, that's gotta hurt."

Boot, one of the Ravenclaw Beaters, had sent a Bludger flying straight at Albus, who had been too intent on scoring to duck in time. It had hit him hard in the face.

There was a loud groan from the crowd. Albus' nose looked broken; it was streaming blood. Madam Howler blew her whistle, but at that moment a collective gasp rushed through the stadium, and everyone pointed upwards. For the two Seekers had suddenly gone into a dive, moving so fast through the air their figures were merely a blur of green and blue.

"They've seen the Snitch!" shrieked Dom. "Look, Rose, they've seen it!"

Play had come to a stop, as everyone focused on Scorpius and Charlie. Albus was hanging in mid-air, his face covered in blood, watching as the two players lunged downwards. Rose had no idea who had dived first; they were level with each other now, hurtling towards the ground. And suddenly, Rose knew what was going to happen before it did.

"They're going to crash!" cried Lily.

"They're not!" roared James.

The two Seekers swerved unexpectedly to the right, and shot towards the stands. Rose felt like she was watching a replay of something that had happened already. She closed her eyes.

There was a deafening crash. The ground shook, as the sound of splintering wood reverberated around the stadium, mingling with the unified intake of breath from the watching crowd. Rose opened her eyes, and saw that a large hole had been made in one of the stands, a mess of broken beams and shredded cloth. Charlie was hovering on his broom just above the wreckage, his face drained of colour, and within the carnage, stirring feebly…

"Is he alright?" asked Dom breathlessly. "I can't believe it – he just flew straight into the stands."

"Crazy son of a Bludger," chuckled James appreciatively. Rose glared at him; she could see nothing funny about the situation.

Madame Howler had flown over, and was waving her wand, sending bits of wood and material flying out of the way, clearing a path for Scorpius. Albus was hot on her heels, his face still covered in blood and his green eyes frantic.

"And, uh, a nasty crash there by Scorpius into the Northern Stand," said McLaggen, and Rose blinked. She had almost forgotten there was a Quidditch match going on. Now she saw that the Ravenclaw players were all still floating in the air, looking unsure as to whether the game was over or not.

After a moment of tense silence, Scorpius managed to clamber to his feet, balancing on one of the broken beams. He looked badly bruised, his robes were torn, and there was a deep gash across one cheek, but his grin was broad as he remounted his broom, flew straight past Madam Howler and Albus, and lifted one of his arms triumphantly into the air, showing the crowd the small, struggling golden ball clenched in his fist.

There was an instant uproar. The Slytherins roared in victory and leapt to their feet. The Ravenclaws, and most of the neutrals, slumped in their seats, and more than a few people could be heard complaining about the way the match had ended. The players themselves flew down to the ground, and dismounted sullenly, although the Ravenclaw Captain had the grace to come forward and shake Warrington's hand as McLaggen's voice rang out over the stands.

"And it appears Malfoy has caught the Snitch. Scorpius Malfoy, Slytherin Seeker, has caught the Snitch. Slytherin win, 230 to 80. He looks like he'll be alright, too, the crazy…" he trailed off, and moments later Rose saw him point his wand back at his throat, removing the magical enchantment on his voice.

"Well that's not fair!" yelled Louis, standing up in outrage and shaking his fist. "He didn't even catch the Snitch, he just flew into the stands and got lucky!"

"He caught it," said James calmly. "Fair and square. Your Seeker was just too much of a wimp to do what was required. What I'm more concerned about," he said, turning to Fred and Hugo with a thoughtful look. "Is how does this affect our chances of winning?" The three of them put their heads together and began to whisper rapidly.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" asked Lily, as the group slowly made their way down to the ground again. She sounded worried. "Malfoy, I mean. That was an awful crash."

"Don't worry Lils, he'll be fine," said James assuredly, ruffling his younger sister's hair. "That happens in Quidditch sometimes, y'know."

Lily scowled at her older brother's patronising tone. But Rose wasn't paying much attention. She was walking slowly, her mind still on the events of the match. It took her a moment to realise someone was speaking to her.

"Rose?" Dom was grinning slyly at her.

"What?" she asked, not liking the look on her cousin's face at all.

"Don't you think you'd better go and talk to Charlie," she said, and pointed back onto the pitch. Charlie was standing there, and when he caught her eye he gestured for her to come over and speak to him. Rose's stomach did a strange little backflip.

"Er, I suppose," she said. Aware of her family watching her, she hurried over to where Charlie was waiting.

"Hi," she said shyly.

"Hi Rose," Charlie smiled at her, but it was more like a grimace. Clearly, he was disappointed with the outcome of the match. "Guess that didn't turn out quite like we wanted, huh?"

"Umm, yeah," she said. "Sorry about that."

Charlie ran a hand through his wind-swept hair. "Ah well," he said begrudgingly. "I'm not mad enough to fly straight into a building. Malfoy's just…" he shook his head as though lost for words. "Anyway, thanks for coming."

He leant towards her and she knew at once that he was going to kiss her.

"It was…no problem," she squeaked, and then, deciding at once to take matters into her own hands, she stepped forwards and kissed Charlie very quickly on the corner of his mouth, just the slightest pressure of lips on lips, before she backed away.

Charlie looked stunned. Rose blushed profusely and took a few more steps backwards. "I'll – see you round then," she mumbled. Spinning on her heel, she hurried away before Charlie could say anything else, making it back to the Castle in record time.