The story of Professor Evariste's roaming classroom circulated through the school like wildfire, with some new dramatic additions popping into each retelling. Dymphna Fortescue swore that she felt a cold wind pass through her when she opened the door, but later in the week Rose heard her telling a group of first years that it had been a red-hot shock that went through her entire body.

Katie Hopkins seemed to pop up every time James was telling his version of events (which now included Professor McGonagall's patronus engaging an angry spirit in a fierce battle). She stared at her yearmate eagerly, each time reacting like the story was entirely new to her.

"And then?" she squeaked, leaning over her breakfast towards James, who was clearly trying to impress two of the sixth year boys who had come to listen. "Did you get out?"

Aaron Contreras gave her a peculiar look and said, "Aren't you in his class?"

"I— well yes," stammered Katie.

"So weren't you there?"

Katie's face was suddenly quite red. She opened her mouth, but instead of a coherent response, she emitted a mangled sort of squeak, then hopped off the bench and scurried from the Great Hall.

"Looks like someone likes James Potter," chuckled the second older boy, whose name Rose couldn't remember. James straightened proudly, a wide grin spread across his face.

"She probably thought McGonagall's patronus was one of the ghosts," laughed Contreras, shaking his head. "Can you imagine her face, seeing a little kitty's ghost pop up?"

The boys continued to laugh. James' smile faded a bit, now looking a bit strained. He glanced at the main doors of the Hall, then back at the older boys.

"They're fourth years," said the second one, shoving his friend's arm. "They haven't started on patronuses yet."

"Potter knew what it was," said Contreras. For James to sit any taller, Rose thought, he would have to begin levitating off the bench. "I bet he can already do his."

James' smile now seemed frozen on his face.

"Oh yeah," said the other boy, "you all probably learn that stuff at home, don't you? Go figure."

Rose gulped down her orange juice, trying to unstick the oatmeal from the inside of her mouth. She did not like the turn this conversation had taken, and from the look on James' face, he didn't either. Before she could think of something to say, however, Louis Weasley appeared behind his classmates and clapped them each on the shoulder.

"Like you blokes will get to see James' patronus before Evariste's practical," he scoffed, jostling the two other boys. "You know if Evariste finds out he can do one before the lesson, Gryffindor doesn't get that house point bonus, right?"

"Right," scoffed Contreras, "you're saying he can actually already do one?"

Louis shrugged, feigning disinterest. "Hey, believe me now or believe me when you see it at Evariste's practical. But they don't call him fifty-point Potter just for his Quidditch record."

The sixth year boys gave James an appraising look with just a hint of genuine respect in it. Louis steered them down the table, talking now about the upcoming Quidditch match and leaving Rose and James in a moment of blissful silence.

"Can—"

"Nope," said James instantly, shaking his head. "Never tried it. Dunno what Louis' on about."

"Well Evariste will teach you," said Rose, trying to sound reassuring. "That's not til the end of the year anyway, right? Year four grand finale and all that."

James shrugged mutely.

"You'll figure it out," said Rose, pouring herself a new glass of juice. She wished that Lysander wasn't helping Albus go over his Astronomy charts so that the boys could've been here to figure out what to say. James was looking a new shade of white which she didn't even recognize from his mornings of Quidditch nerves.

Louis wandered back down the table and plopped down next to James, giving him what was probably supposed to be a reassuring jostle, but looked more like shaking a corpse.

"Ignore them," he said, leaning over to grab a slice of buttered toast. "Contreras and Graham are a matched pair of idiots."

"But I don't know how to do a patronus," said James quietly.

"Cast a patronus," corrected Rose automatically.

"Yeah, well they didn't need to know that," said Louis jovially. "They thought I had some extra help with mine when we were fourth years. They're just jealous."

"Did you?" asked Rose, her curiosity piqued.

Louis chuckled and gave a noncommittal shrug.

"Well I'll definitely need some help," groaned James. "Maybe I can—"

"I'll certainly do my best," said Louis, clapping James on the shoulder. "With time, and dedication, you too can—"

"I was gonna ask Ariana actually," said James with a grin. "She's the brainy one, right?"

Louis looked deflated at this, but didn't seem to have any way to argue against his cousin's conclusion. Instead, he bit down on the toast and slid off the bench, walking back towards his friends with the bread hanging from his mouth.

"I just want to— I'll be back later," said James vaguely, not meeting Rose's eye before leaving his half-eaten breakfast and exiting the Great Hall. But he did not return by the end of breakfast. As Rose gathered her things, she found herself hoping that James had gone to find Katie Hopkins and wasn't just sulking about the older boys.

Rose had found that the week leading up to a Quidditch match was no less tolerable when Gryffindor was not playing. It seemed that James was spending his free time thinking of innovative ways Slytherin could lose to Ravenclaw and sharing those ideas with the rest of the Gryffindors, and anyone else who was willing to listen.

Albus didn't actively participate in James' fantasizing, perhaps because it usually involved Scorpius falling from his broom or inadvertently scoring for the wrong team. However, Rose suspected that he was also hoping Slytherin would lose. As he had explained it to her, Ravenclaw leading in points would put Gryffindor in a better position for the end of the season. At that point in the conversation, Rose typically smiled politely, then returned to whatever book had captured her attention and was more worthy of her time than thinking about sports.

When she saw Scorpius, however, he seemed remarkably unconcerned with the upcoming match. Rose found this odd enough to actually bring up Quidditch during their next Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

"You want to know how I feel… about Quidditch?" asked Scorpius slowly. "Did I hear you right?"

"Just the game this weekend," Rose clarified. "Al and James keep talking about it— they seem more worked up than you are, and they're not even playing."

"We're not worked up," objected Albus, dropping his bag and sitting at their shared table. "Rose doesn't seem to understand why this game is important to Gryffindor."

"Because if we win, you don't stand a chance at the end of the season," said Scorpius with a lazy grin.

Albus began to object loudly, earning a rare glare from Professor Evariste at the front of the classroom.

"You're right, Albus," called Professor Evariste, "we absolutely should review how effective Silencing Charms can be in a duel. Exhibit A!"

Suddenly Albus' words cut off, though his mouth was still moving rapidly. He stopped, looking around with confusion as the class laughed.

"Now class," said Professor Evariste as the last few students took their seats, "what are the benefits of using a Silencing Charm?"

"You don't have to listen to them talk," said Callum Leach flatly.

Professor Evariste sighed, resting his forehead on his templed fingers.

"You're not technically incorrect, Mister Leach," he said begrudgingly, "but please try to broaden your thinking just a bit. Just a bit. Anyone else?"

Rose raised her hand, but Professor Evariste called on Tia Marsh instead.

"If they don't know nonverbal spells, you've got the advantage," said Tia easily.

"Five points to Gryffindor," said Professor Evariste with a grin, "a phrase that never grows old. Now we won't get into nonverbal spells for a few years still, but just because you can't perform them doesn't mean you should forget that others can when planning a defensive strategy."

Professor Evariste waved his wand towards Albus, who let out a croak.

"There you are," said Professor Evariste. "Now that we've finished our little demonstration, how about we get started with the class as planned?"

Despite Scorpius' blasé attitude, Rose found herself getting nervous as Saturday approached. The castle was still coated in a fine blanket of snow, but Saturday morning dawned clear and cloudless. The wind still whistled at the common room windows, but it was (according to Albus) perfect weather for the match.

"But won't the sun reflect off the snow and make it harder to see?" asked Rose as she packed two books in her bag.

"Yes," said Albus with a sneaky grin.

James did a double-take when Rose grabbed her scarf and draped it around her neck.

"Wait," he stammered, "are— you're actually coming to the game?"

"And we don't have to force you?" asked Albus.

"Or beg you?"

"Or bribe you?"

Rose rolled her eyes. Leave it to her cousins to make a big deal out of something like this.

"Well, Scorpius is playing," she said, enjoying the change in James' expression, "and someone needs to be there to cheer him on, right?"

"He'll need it," muttered James sourly.

The warming charm that Rose had been practicing came in handy as she enchanted her scarf, and then each of the boys'. She wrapped the edge around her nose as the wind began to slap at her face. By the time they reached the Quidditch pitch, she was wondering what had possessed her to come watch the game in the first place.

The cold wasn't so bad when she was wedged between Albus and Lysander, who had begrudgingly joined them for the match.

"If you want to bail, take me with you," he muttered to Rose right before the whistle. She nodded vaguely, trying to follow Scorpius as he darted upward, then towards the far side of the pitch near the Ravenclaw hoops.

"Welcome to the third game of the season," echoed the voice of the announcer. Rose had entirely forgotten that Ariana wouldn't be announcing now that Louis was back on the team, and realized she was disappointed upon hearing the male voice. "We have what's bound to be an interesting match of Slytherin versus Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw chaser Goshawk has possession of the Quaffle, and it looks like Slytherin's Delaney is hot on his trail! Goshawk passes to LaFolle, right back to Goshawk over Delaney's head— nice move there, very smooth. Goshawk dodges a Bludger sent by… ah, either Bole or Talbot, missed that one."

Rose continued to watch Scorpius, who was staying towards the edge of the action. He seemed to be having a conversation with the Slytherin Seeker, though his head turned as the other Chasers circled back around.

"Delaney gains possession of the Quaffle, passes to— intercepted again by LaFolle! Back to Goshawk, over to Nicolas, down towards the hoops— back to LaFolle. And Slytherin has the Quaffle! Rille intercepts and heads down the pitch. Where is— Rille passes to Delaney, nearly took Hammond's head of there! Watch it, pretty lady. And— yes, sorry Professor— Delaney has the Quaffle."

Delaney moved to shoot, but the Quaffle was again taken by one of the Ravenclaw players. Scorpius finally zoomed into action, dropping below the Ravenclaw girl right as one of his Beaters smacked a Bludger her way. Shocked, she dropped the Quaffle right into Scorpius's waiting hands. Before anyone had realized what had happened (including announcer Barton Everett), Scorpius had closed the distance between himself and the hoops. While the Ravenclaw Keeper was still trying to find who had the Quaffle, Scorpius scored.

A cheer rose from the Slytherin onlookers, and Rose resisted the urge to cheer with them. It had been a brilliant play, and the Ravenclaw team still seemed confused about how it had been executed. Scorpius did a victorious loop mid-air before cutting back towards his teammates, who were again wrestling for control of the Quaffle.

As the game picked up speed, it became more difficult to keep track of which zooming figure belonged to Scorpius. One of the Ravenclaw Beaters nailed a Slytherin Chaser with a Bludger, and as the green-clad player dropped, Rose found herself squinting for any sign of white-blonde hair.

Barton Everett's commentary was sometimes more of a hinderance than a help. What made it worse was that every time he made a joke, Lysander rolled his eyes and began muttering under his breath.

"What's your problem with him?" asked Rose finally.

Lysander shrugged, suddenly intently watching the players above.

"He's a bit of a prat," said James, leaning in front of Albus to interject his opinion. "Some Ravenclaw know-it-all. Kind of impossible to like him."

As the game wore on, Rose found herself losing interest. She was tempted to take out one of the books she had brought along, but didn't want to deal with the boys' reactions if she began to read. Since Scorpius' first big move, none of the players had done anything she found remarkable, which was making for a dull game.

Luckily, it was not destined to be a lengthy one. After only a minute or two longer, a rise of voices in the stands caught Rose's attention. A group of students was pointing upwards.

"It appears that Marinz has spotted the Snitch!" cried Barton Everett excitedly. "Yes, she is hot on its trail, with Sesmitt in close pursuit."

He had, once again, forgotten to mention which team each player belonged to. From Rose's spot in the stands, the emerald and sapphire players appeared to be flying side by side. Her attention was grabbed by another player in green who whipped by them— this was undoubtably Scorpius. He collided mid-air with one of the Ravenclaw Chasers, and they scuffled for the Quaffle. A Ravenclaw Beater smacked a Bludger into the mix—

"And it looks like it's going to be Marinz!"

—and Scorpius plummeted towards the ground. Rose gasped, her heart pounding furiously even after Scorpius jerked his broom back up and towards the goal posts. The large red ball was tucked under one arm, while the other hung loose at his side.

"But wait! At the Ravenclaw side of the pitch—"

Barton Everett had noticed too late. The Ravenclaw Keeper had been distracted by the progress of the Seekers and once again did not notice Scorpius' approach. He chucked the Quaffle through the center hoop, barely making the shot with his left arm.

"Ten points to Slytherin! And— let me see— yes! That is actually Sesmitt with the Snitch! What a game, what a turn there at the end. Slytherin wins—"

The cheering Slytherin students drowned out the announcement of the final score. Rose openly cheered along with them, ignoring the groans from her cousins. As the Gryffindors around her rose to file out, she slipped through the crowd and hurried down onto the field where the players were landing.

Scorpius landed last, his right arm still dangling by his side. He wore a wide grin, but put his left hand up as Rose rushed towards him.

"I think I broke my hand," he explained, nodding down towards his useless arm. "I mean, I think Hammond did, anyway."

Rose had to grab onto the back of Lily's robes as she barreled towards Scorpius.

"Scorp, you were amazing up there!" cried Lily as if she didn't notice Rose's firm grip on her. "That Birmingham Bust really worked well for you."

Scorpius grinned and shrugged his good shoulder.

"We need to get Scorpius to see Madame Chang," said Rose, gently pulling Lily back another step. "Why don't you wait for him in your common room."

This was the first time Lily appeared to notice Scorpius' injury. Her tiny mouth popped open and her eyes widened, giving her a comically surprised look.

"Oh, your arm!" she squealed, struggling against Rose's grip as if barreling into Scorpius would do his injury any good. "Scorp!"

"I'm fine," mumbled Scorpius, "seriously, it's all good. I'll be down to celebrate soon."

It took another two minutes to convince Lily to return to the dungeons with the rest of the Slytherins, by which point Albus had reached their gathering. A reluctant James followed, hanging a little bit back and still wearing a scowl.

"Nice moves," acknowledged Albus with a respectful nod. "Busted your hand?"

"Hammond," said Scorpius with a grin, no longer reluctant to acknowledge the injury. "No big deal."

"Lily," said James sharply, "can I talk to you for a minute?"

Lily rolled her eyes and gave Scorpius another sad glance before going to her brother. As soon as she was gone, Scorpius set off for the castle, followed closely by Rose and Albus.

"She seems awfully attached," noted Rose as the chill air whipped her hair around her cheeks.

"What?" said Scorpius. "Oh, Lily? It's fine. Just keeping an eye on her like you said."

"I think it's you we need to keep an eye on, mate," laughed Albus. "She'll be able to brew up a love potion in a few years, and then you're done for."

Scorpius' face contorted in disgust, and the three of them laughed.

Madam Chang was able to mend Scorpius' broken hand in time for the three of them to go down to dinner in the Great Hall. Scorpius was still grinning and discussing moves from the match with Albus, who had put aside his disappointment about Slytherin's victory to share in Scorpius' happiness. When they returned to the Gryffindor common room, however, James was in an entirely different mood.

"I know he's your friend," he moaned, "but can't the bloke just fall off his broom every once in a while?"

"James!" cried Rose.

"Sorry," said James, sounding entirely insincere. "It just makes it harder for us for the rest of the season, Rose. You don't understand."

She wanted to tell him that she did, in fact, understand exactly what he was talking about. The numerical aspect of Quidditch was quite easy for her to grasp. Slytherin's victory put them even further in the lead, which meant that not only did Gryffindor have to win in their upcoming matches, they had to do so by wide margins to catch up with Slytherin. It always came down to the point differential. But admitting this to James would have meant inciting another conversation about the sport, which Rose was not in the mood for. So even though it made something in her soul itch uncomfortably, she let him think that she simply did not understand.

The rest of the Gryffindor team seemed just as shaken by Slytherin's victory, and even though Professor McGonagall had instructed them to limit their practice time, they had less than a month until their match against Hufflepuff. Rose knew that these last weeks before the match would give her more time to focus on her work as the boys focused on their practices, but she found herself filling her spare time with reading more of the novels she had checked out of the library instead of school books. Everyone needs a break, she rationalized as she sat by the window, half-finished book in hand. School can't be the focus all the time.

"Is that one of Mum's?" asked Lysander, plopping down across from her with a book of his own.

"No, Clare helped me find this one," said Rose, looking up from the crisp pages. It was newly-printed, such a deviation from the well-worn pages of many of the Hogwarts resource books. "She has good taste."

Lysander chuckled and shook his head.

"Of course," he said. "And how's the homework coming?"

"I'm getting it all done," said Rose stubbornly.

"Done well?"

Rose slammed her book down onto her lap, startling the small tawny owl who had been dosing on the windowsill beside her. It took off with a small hoot, crossing the common room to settle into the corner of a bookcase.

"Honestly," snapped Rose, "why is everyone so concerned about my school work? I'm managing just fine, thank you. I don't need you nattering on about it every time I take a break. Sometimes I want to read for fun. Is that a crime?"

"I just think-"

"You just nothing, Lysander," said Rose sharply, standing with a huff. "I'm sick of everyone acting so shocked when I want to take a breather. I'm human too."

She stalked across the room and up the stairs to the girls' dormitories, feeling Lysander's eyes on her until she was out of sight. She couldn't explain the stinging in her eyes or the heat tinging her cheeks red. All she knew was that she would rather read in the comfort of her own room, where there was no one who could judge her.