"I honestly don't care."

"Mm-hmm."

"I mean, it doesn't affect me at all."

"So you keep saying."

"And it's not like we're in contact anymore."

"Nope."

"So there's really no reason for me to care."

"I guess not."

Rose glared at her cousin. She could hear the not-so-subtle tone of disbelief in Dom's voice, and it grated on her nerves like nails on a chalkboard. "I mean it," she insisted plaintively.

Dom gave a long-suffering sigh. With one hand, she flicked a page of the monstrous Charms textbook she was attempting to read. "Whatever you say, Rose."

It was Sunday, and they were currently sprawled across the living room floor of the Head Boy and Girl quarters, surrounded by books and piles of note-covered parchment. With their seventh and final year edging ever closer to exam time, the teachers had gone into overdrive, piling mounds of revision and snap tests on top of all their usual work. It should have been overwhelming. Rose knew that now was supposed to be the time when everything else in her life took a back seat to studying, as it had in Dom's. In another life, perhaps she would have been consumed by it . But as things stood now she was finding it a struggle to even concentrate on school.

"Just as long as he doesn't come here and expect me to act like nothing ever happened," she added after a moment's contemplation.

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw her cousin roll her eyes. But all Dom said in answer was "okay."

"I'm serious," pressed Rose. "I told him I never wanted to see him again and I meant it."

"Well, judging from the way he hasn't been replying to your letters, I doubt that will bother him."

She winced at the brutal honesty of Dom's words. "Well good, because I – "

"Don't want to see him, yes I'm aware of that." Dom sighed again, put down her book, and stared at Rose with the kind of exasperated expression you might give a troublesome child. "Tell me something, Rose. Who are you trying to kid, me or yourself?"

She flushed. Since when had Dom been such a wise-arse, anyway? "I'm not kidding," she said firmly. "And that's really all there is to it."

"If that's all there is to it, then why did you bring it up again?"

"I didn't bring it up!"

"Uh, yes you did."

"Well only because you keep looking at me like that."

Dom raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Like that," Rose said, pointing at her cousin. "Like you're expecting me to burst into tears at any minute. Like I'm too delicate to see him again without breaking down. I'm not."

"Good for you," said Dom sarcastically, although she looked less than convinced. Rose opened her mouth to reiterate her lack of desire to see Scorpius, but closed it again on second thought. She didn't need to convince anyone. She would simply show them, when he arrived.

"Besides," she couldn't help but add. "I'm still not convinced he's actually going to come. I mean, how in Godric's name can Malfoy be Durmstrang's best Seeker? This is the school that made Viktor Krum. Krum! Malfoy's like – like a clumsy hippogriff in comparison. The whole thing's preposterous!"

"Preposterous," drawled Dom. turning another page. Rose glared at her.

"You could be a little more supportive, you know."

Dom shot her a poisonous look, but her reply was cut short by the door opening.

Lorcan bustled in, wrapped in a thick Ravenclaw scarf and beanie. "Oh hello Dominique," he said brightly, kicking the door shut behind him. "How are you?"

"I could be better," said Dom, with a pointed glance in Rose's direction. "Yourself?"

"I'm great," Lorcan grinned and made his way over to the couch. His cheeks were red, and his long hair looked windswept from the outdoors. "I've been helping Professor Sami set up territorial perimeters in the forest. Did you know she's trying to establish a wild Niffler colony there."

The mention of Professor Sami stirred something in Rose's gut. She swallowed hard and looked down at her book, the words blurring momentarily as memories of Hagrid flashed through her mind. It wasn't that she didn't like Professor Sami; on the contrary, the new Care of Magical Creatures Professor was just about the nicest teacher you could ask for, from everything Rose had heard. It was just so hard to imagine anyone but Hagrid tending to the creatures in the forest.

When she raised her head, she realised both Lorcan and Dom were staring at her. The smile had slipped from Lorcan's face and his brow was furrowed in concern.

Embarrassed, she swept her hair back and forced a smile. "That's great. Do you think they'll survive?"

Lorcan cocked his head as though considering the question. "I hope so," he said. "We spent all morning laying out markers and establishing boundaries so they don't impede on anyone else's territory. They normally prefer milder climates, though, so it will be interesting to see how they adjust."

"Sounds fun," remarked Dom. Rose frowned at her cousin, catching the hidden sarcasm beneath her words. But Lorcan, as always, appeared not to notice.

"It was. We had to be careful to avoid the greenhouses, though, since Professor Longbottom's got a new plantation of gold-fronged ferns there. If the Nifflers caught scent of them the whole garden'd be wrecked." He sat down on the couch and surveyed the debris of books on the floor around them. "What are you two doing?"

Dom scowled at her Charms textbook as though it had done her personal offence. "Revising for Spitflick's test on vanishing charms tomorrow."

Lorcan shifted so he was leaning over Rose's shoulder, their feet brushing together at the foot of the sofa. The contact felt strangely deliberate, but Rose told herself not to be stupid. It was his right to sit there as much as it was hers. "I'd forgotten about the test," he said calmly.

Dom groaned. "Well I haven't. And I'll die before I manage to remember all of this. Never mind the practical side of it."

"I can let you practice on me, if you like."

"Vanishing charms?" Dom shot him a sardonic look. "On you?"

"Sure, why not?"

"What if I got it wrong?"

"Oh, I imagine vanishing for a while would be quite stimulating," said Lorcan mildly, unwrapping the scarf from around his neck and folding it neatly beside him. "Have you heard of Aldred Lightsphere?"

"Er, no."

"He disappeared from his home in Surrey in 1934 after a faulty vanishing charm," explained Lorcan. "And reappeared three years later in the Siberian wilderness, claiming to have travelled five hundred years into the future and back again. Of course, some dismissed his story as the ravings of a madman, but I've always thought there was some truth to them."

There was a long pause during which Rose could see Dom visibly deciding whether to laugh or not. In the end her cousin settled for a solemn nod.

"Sounds fascinating."

"I think so," agreed Lorcan. He tapped Rose's leg with his foot. "Have you eaten?"

She shook her head and shot a reproachful glance at Dom. "We missed lunch," she grumbled. "Since somebody wanted to keep studying."

"I'll get some food," Lorcan said before Dom could retaliate. He stood up and stretched with a yawn.

Rose twisted so that she could look up at him. "You don't have to – " she began, but he waved away her objections.

"It's no problem. Asparagus pie?"

She bit her lip, weighing up her empty stomach against Lorcan's inconvenience, before nodding. Next to her, she heard Dom's huff of amusement.

"And a custard tart," added Lorcan, his grin widening to show his dimples. "Right?"

"She'll get fat," warned Dom.

Lorcan paused in the doorway, his gaze flicking to Rose. For a brief moment their eyes locked, and she could almost feel the warmth of his expression on her skin.

"Nah," he said, breaking the contact and running a hand through his shaggy hair. "She'll be right, I reckon." He waved, then turned and left.

The silence that followed felt somewhat pointed, before Dom broke it. "He's such a weirdo," she commented with a shake of her head.

Rose tore her eyes from the door. "No he's not."

"He's so different from Lysander."

"Yeah, but that doesn't make him a weirdo."

"Alright," said Dom, shooting her a bemused glance. "Have it your way. He can keep his nifflers though. And you can keep your damn asparagus pie." She made a face, and Rose giggled, the sound oddly loud in the silence Lorcan had left.

They went back to their study, but Rose couldn't help notice the way Dom kept sending pensive looks in her direction. She waited for her to say something, but the silence stretched and stretched, until finally she couldn't take it any longer.

Propping herself up on her elbows, she stared across the mounds of parchment at her cousin. "What?" she asked.

Dom didn't appear abashed at having been caught staring. "Nothing…." she said. "I was just thinking…" she trailed off, twirling a strand of hair around her finger

"Thinking what?"

"About you and Lorcan."

Something tight and uncomfortable coiled in Rose's stomach. "What about us?" she asked in a dangerous voice.

"It's just… he's awful nice to you, isn't he?" Dom went on, now staring over Rose's shoulder as though deep in thought. "Getting you food, taking care of you – "

"He's my roommate," Rose snapped. There was heat crawling up the sides of her face, and she hated the sudden turn their conversation had taken. "He's supposed to do that."

Her cousin quirked an eyebrow. "Is he?"

"Of course he is," she said quickly. "I do the same things for him."

"He's awfully protective of you," said Dom, scratching her chin with the end of her quill.

"He is not."

"He and Charlie don't get along at all – "

"That's because Charlie's a prat."

"Haven't you ever thought that maybe – "

"He's gay, Dom," she forced out, annoyed at herself for rising to the bait.

Dom blinked, looking neither surprised nor confused by the statement. "I suppose," was all she said.

"What do you mean, you suppose?" Rose's voice was getting louder, but she couldn't help it. She pushed herself onto her knees, feeling hot and flustered and entirely put out. "It's hardly an 'I suppose' kind of matter, is it?"

"I'm just saying – "

"Well don't."

But Dom wasn't about to be cowed. "I think you'd make a cute couple," she continued with a smile.

Rose groaned, flopping back against the edge of the couch. "Please stop."

"Why?" Dom persisted. "He's smart – "

"So?"

"And he knows how to make you laugh."

She certainly didn't feel like laughing right then. If anything, the tell-tale burning of her eyes told Rose she was perilously close to losing the tight grip she held on her emotions. "Lorcan and I have been friends forever," she said as evenly as she could manage. "There's nothing more to it than that."

For a long while Dom said nothing. Then, in a very careful voice, she asked, "Because you don't want there to be? Or because it hasn't happened yet?"

Despite the fire crackling in the hearth, the room suddenly felt ice cold. What kind of a question was that? Rose searched within herself for the obvious answer, but nothing came to mind. A relationship with Lorcan? Damn Dom for putting the idea into her head.

"Because there just isn't," she said with as much conviction as she could muster.

Thankfully her cousin let the subject drop. But she couldn't get the thought of it out of her head. It bounced around her skull, joining her worry over Scorpius' return and her memories of Hagrid in tormenting her. By the time Lorcan got back from the kitchens, she could barely even look at him. Her smile felt fake and forced as she accepted the food he gave her, and she didn't dare retake her position on the floor so that their feet could touch again.

If Lorcan noticed her strange behaviour, he didn't say anything, just resumed chatting easily with Dom about vanishing charms. Rose ignored them both. She concentrated on eating, her eyes intent on the page of the book in front of her. But somehow, she couldn't take in a single world.

"He's gay, you imbecile."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows at her, as if in disbelief. "You're joking!" he scoffed. "He told you that?" He shook his head and blew the hair out of his eyes, as if it were the most ridiculous thing he had ever head. Rose felt her shackles rise.

"Of course I'm not joking, you jerk. But don't go spreading that around, okay? It's none of your business and he'll tell people when he's ready."

He didn't look at her, but Rose could see his eye twitch in irritation at her words. "Oh, of course not," he replied in a voice about as far from sincere as he could manage. "I wouldn't want to ruin his little game."

It had been over a year since that conversation with Scorpius beside the lake, and yet the memory of it came flooding back as fresh as if it were yesterday. She had thought nothing of it at the time, chalking it down to Malfoy's strange mannerisms and a lack of communication between Ravenclaw and Slytherin that meant simple things like a person's sexuality never got questioned. But now…

From beneath her fringe, she shot a glance at Lorcan where he sat on the couch, explaining the adventures of Aldred Lightsphere to Dom in excruciating detail. She had been so caught up with her own life that she had barely noticed the changes in her friend, as he grew from a lanky, awkward teenager to a slightly less awkward, even lankier young man.

"You know, that Ravenclaw you're attached at the hip to. Tall, gangly one, completely uncoordinated. Pretty boy."

It was probably an accurate description, if a little lacking in finer detail. Lorcan was taller now, and less 'pretty' than he had been in fifth year, puberty lengthening his nose and sharpening his once delicate features into adulthood. Rose tried to remember the last time she had had a conversation with him that confirmed what she had always just assumed about his sexuality, but her mind drew an utter blank. She certainly remembered the first one, vividly.

"My brother's queer," Lysander had told her, announcing it almost proudly as they played together in the orchard near their family home. It was the summer before their fourth year, and the three fourteen year olds were spending the day together while their parents chatted in the house. Lysander swung upside down from an old elm tree, his long hair falling into his face as he spoke. "Did you know that, Rose?"

"We should go to the pond," Lorcan said, as Rose struggled to conjure a suitable response. "There are gulping plimpies in there, you know."

But Lysander wasn't about to be so easily brushed off. "Did you hear what I said?" he asked, swinging and catching the branch before flipping himself upright and dropping back to earth. "My brother's got a screw loose."

Lorcan was blushing fiercely, his head bowed so low his chin was almost touching his chest. He seemed to have shrunk a foot in the minute that Lysander had been talking, so that despite their heights being close to identical, he looked significantly smaller than his twin at that moment.

"Stop it," Rose said, feeling her cheeks heat on his behalf. "Leave him alone."

"What?" asked Lysander, raising his hands in mock offence. "There's nothing wrong with being gay. Is there, Lorcy?"

Lorcan shook his head.

"See, Rose?" Lysander was smirking now. "I told you. Don't be so intolerant."

"I wasn't – I didn't – " she spluttered incoherently. Lysander was openly laughing at her.

"It's okay," said Lorcan, before she could think of a suitable retort that would wipe the smug look off of Lysander's face. "It's fine. Let's just go and have a look at the plimpies."

"Rose?"

She blinked, jerked rather painfully out of the memory by the sound of her cousin's voice. When she looked up, it was to see both Dom and Lorcan watching her as though she were in danger of spontaneously combusting.

"Huh?"

"I said, do you think we'll be expected to know about the alternative French style of wand-casting, or will standard method be enough?"

It was a struggle to think, what with her mind still full of Lysander's harsh laughter. Had he just been making it up? Why had Lorcan agreed so meekly? If it wasn't true then why had he never done anything to disprove it?

"Merlin, she's completely lost it," Dom muttered.

"Standard will be enough," she said, forcing the words out with an effort. "I think."

"Thank Godric for that."

Her eyes shot to Lorcan, and her heart thumped when he gave her a small smile in return. Surely she was just overreacting to Dom's comments? It was preposterous to think she had been so misled for so long.

And yet, she couldn't get Scorpius' expression of disbelief out of her head.

"I want you to make sure that all the necessary arrangements are in place for their arrival."

Rose nodded obediently, trailing a few steps behind Professor McGonagall as the Headmistress led she and Lorcan at a brisk pace across the Quidditch pitch, where they were supposed to be surveying the tournament preparations. As far as Rose could tell there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary, save that the colours of the stands had been changed to a neutral cream, and the two team entrances had been renamed 'Hogwarts' and 'Visitors' for the occasion.

"The Beauxbatons students are to be split between the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Houses," Professor McGonagall continued, now undertaking a swift lap of the pitch. Rose had to admire her spriteliness; she doubted she would be walking that fast when she was the Headmistress' age. "And the Durmstrang students between Gryffindor and Slytherin."

So Scorpius would be either staying with Albus or Hugo. Rose wasn't sure which proposition bothered her the most. Then she reminded herself that she wasn't supposed to care.

"Nobody will be staying with us, then?" asked Lorcan.

Professor McGonagall shot him a stern glance. "And just where would you propose we lodge them, Master Scamander? In your private chambers?"

Many a student would have wilted under such a question, but Lorcan merely scratched his head. "Well, we could always transfigure the living room into a third bedroom, and perhaps the kitchen could be – "

"That won't be necessary," Professor McGonagall cut him off. She took a sharp turn and began to steer them back towards the castle. "Now, the visiting students will be needing some sort of guidance around the castle. I'm sure you all remember how daunting Hogwarts was in your first year here?" She waited for them to agree before continuing. "Your job will be to minimise confusion and provide the visitors with directions and advice. The Prefects will assist you, of course, but I expect the majority of the heavy-lifting to be done by the two of you. Does this seem appropriate?"

Rose nodded.

"Very good. Master Scamander, would you like to take responsibility for the Durmstrang or Beauxbatons students?"

There was a pause while Lorcan considered the question. Rose almost tripped over her own feet, so hard was she staring at him. When he turned to meet her gaze, she tried desperately to communicate her thoughts to him. Please take Durmstrang. Please take Durmstrang.

"I'll take the Beauxbatons students," said Lorcan calmly.

"Very well. Rose, I presume you are happy to guide the Durmstrang students around?"

She could have kicked him. Rose chewed her tongue, contemplating Professor McGonagall's reaction if she refused. "That shouldn't be a problem," she said at last, feeling as though she were speaking through a mouthful of sticking solution.

"Excellent." They had reached the castle steps. Professor McGonagall regarded them austerely over the rim of her spectacles. "The students will arrive on Friday. The tournament will take place over the course of the weekend, with medal presentations at Sunday twilight. They will then leave on Monday morning. I do appreciate that you are both undertaking your NEWTs. Rest assured your participation in this activity will be brought to the attention of any future employer." Her eyes lingered on Rose, who tried to force a smile in response. "Are there any questions? Very well," she said when they shook their heads. "I shall expect you both in the Entrance Hall at 6pm on Friday evening to greet our visitors."

Rose waited until the Headmistress was gone before turning angrily on Lorcan. "Why did you take the Beauxbatons students?" she demanded, keeping her voice low since they were still in the Entrance Hall and she knew from experience how far the echoes could carry.

Lorcan did his best impression of complete bemusement. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said. "Why not Durmstrang?"

There was a flicker of what might have been understanding in Lorcan's eyes. But when he spoke, his voice remained calm and placid. "It was a fifty-fifty, and I prefer the French. Did you know they have one of the most active Snorkack Associations in all of Europe?"

"Who gives a knut about Snorkacks!" she snapped, and this time there was no mistaking the hurt in Lorcan's gaze.

"Me, actually," he said rather stiffly.

She felt a surge of guilt. "Lorcan, I'm sorry," she said, catching his hand in her own and giving it a squeeze. "It's just – you read the team sheets, didn't you?"

His expression didn't change. "Of course I did."

"Well then you know that Sc – " her tongue stuck in her mouth, but she forced herself to go on. "You know he's coming back, don't you?"

For a long time Lorcan simply stared at her. "Yeah, I know," he said at last. "I thought you'd be pleased."

"Pleased?" she dropped his hand. "Why would I be pleased?"

"Because you love him."

The raw honesty of his words was like a knife thrust between her ribs. Rose swallowed and clenched her teeth. "I don't," she choked out.

"Yes you do." Lorcan gave her a gentle smile. "It's okay, you know. We can't help the people we love."

Something about the way he said this made her breath hitch. She stared at him, taking in the bright, almost electric blue of his eyes, and the unidentifiable emotion that swam in them, and her heart began to pound. "Lorcan…"

His expression tightened and he blinked once, before glancing away.

There was a long silence. She didn't bother to try and push the issue. What was there to say, really?

"Who told you?" he asked at last, his voice so soft she had to lean forward to catch it.

Had her feet been stuck in the castle's trick step, she would not have felt any more welded to the spot. "Dom," she admitted.

His eyes closed momentarily and when he dragged them back to her face, they were tortured. "I should have told you," he said hoarsely. "I know I should have told you."

She nodded, feeling very close to tears.

"Rose, I'm sorry – "

"Sc-Scorpius knew," she whispered. "In fifth year. He knew and I never – I never even – "

There was an incredibly pained expression on Lorcan's face. He blinked once, twice, and Rose saw his jaw move as though he had swallowed the words he wanted to say. "I didn't know how to tell you," he managed in a voice that didn't sound like him at all. "You always seemed so… so… I didn't want to ruin our friendship and I just…"

She opened her own mouth when he trailed off, but found herself equally at a loss for words. Instead, she took half a step closer to him, swallowing the sob that threatened to rise up her throat. "We're both pretty stupid, huh?" she said thickly.

He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind one ear. "I guess you could say that."

"Lorcan," she tried again. "I want you to know that I'm really – I'm really trying – "

He smiled fondly and leant towards her. She held her breath as he pressed his lips to her temple, closing her eyes and trying not to let any tears slip through her defences.

"It's okay," he whispered.

"But I – "

"Shh, Rose. It's okay. I don't expect you to forget him."

"I hate him." The venom behind her own words surprised even her, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip.

Lorcan sighed. "Come on, let's just go back to our room and – "

"No," she twisted so she was facing him, her heart hammering a staccato rhythm against her ribcage. "No I don't – I mean I think – I want – " she stared at her friend, really stared at him for what felt like the first time since she had known him – at his kind eyes, at the dimple in his left cheek, at the shadow of stubble on his jaw. Then, before she could stop herself, she stepped forward, raised herself on her tiptoes, and pressed her mouth to his.

She could feel how stiff he was, the tension radiating from him in waves. But his lips were warm and soft and he didn't push her away. She allowed herself to linger, and after a moment he relaxed fractionally, moving ever so slightly against her mouth and causing a little thrill to run through her. It had been such a long time since she had kissed anyone that the sensation felt strange and unfamiliar. But not unpleasant, she decided, settling into the kiss and shifting closer to Lorcan so that she could feel the warmth of his chest against her own. Maybe there weren't fireworks or stars, but it was nice, and comforting, and safe. It was good.

When they pulled apart, they were both blushing, Lorcan more so than Rose.

"I wasn't expecting you to do that," he mumbled.

"Neither was I."

He shot a covert glance at her. "He's coming back on Friday."

"So?"

"So, Rose – "

She smiled and kissed him again, gently, stealing the words from his mouth, and this time he reached out for her, his hand hovering over her waist before gently easing her closer. He smelt like spices, she decided. Cinnamon and cloves, maybe. So different from –

Lorcan broke the kiss and looked at her. "We should probably go upstairs," he suggested.

Only then did it occur to her that they were standing in the centre of the Entrance Hall, in full view of anyone that might happen to walk by. Not that it really mattered, she considered. It wasn't like there would be any objections to the idea of her and Lorcan. It wasn't at all like… couldn't even be compared to…

"Come on." Lorcan took her hand, and this time she didn't resist him. Her eyes were drawn to the Slytherin stairwell as they passed it, and she blinked rapidly to prevent his image from invading her mind, like an unwanted ghost. Then, with a heart that felt somehow both lighter and heavier than it had all year, she followed Lorcan back upstairs.