It turned out that in times of immense stress (which Rose certainly counted now as), Rose went back to eating up her free time with studying. The novels that she had been worming her way through had clearly filled her head with all kinds of silly notions about having silly feelings for one of her best friends, and she refused to become one of those silly girls who did nothing but talk about their silly fantasies of romance. So there.
To her credit, Tia did not push Rose about the matter any further. Rose made a mental note to get her mum to make Tia some kind of chocolate basket over the summer, because she certainly deserved it. She even got the other girls to stop talking about their love lives quite as much (though Rose almost admitted she was curious when Kara brought up the rumor she had heard that James was going to end things with Patricia after the Quidditch match).
Rose was unable to escape sitting with Lysander in the Great Hall, but she made a constant effort to engage Albus and James in conversation instead. If Lysander noticed, he said nothing.
"I saw Taylor this morning," said Rose after swallowing a particularly large bite of yams. "She said that she's getting her family assignment tomorrow at breakfast. Apparently they owl them in to the Muggleborns."
"Not all the Muggleborns," Lysander pointed out, "just those who want to participate. It's not like they're forcing them away from their families."
Rose had first heard about the Integration Initiative a few years before starting school when Dominique had brought a Muggleborn friend over during the summer holidays. In an effort to bridge the cultural gap between Muggleborn students and magicborn ones, there was a summer program where the former students could be placed with host families and continue learning about everyday life in the magical world. Most Muggleborns spent two or three weeks with a family, but students like Taylor were placed with a family for the duration of the holiday.
"She doesn't have a family to go back to," said James with a shrug. "It makes sense to me. I mean, I'm sure we'd offer, but-"
"I know," sighed Rose dejectedly. She had been trying to convince her mum ever since finding out about the program to sign their family up, but apparently there were requirements about how much the parents had to be home to spend time with the students, and Rose's parents couldn't be away from work that long. She had never really thought about how much time they spent away- she was always occupied with her cousins, or her aunts and uncles. There was always someone around, even if it wasn't her mum and dad.
"I should talk to Mum about it," said Lysander thoughtfully. "I mean, she's home almost all the time. It could be fun to host someone for a few weeks."
"Too late now," chuckled James. "Anyway, aren't you spending the summer with your dad?"
Rose's fork clattered to her plate. She looked at Lysander in confusion, unable to hide her expression.
"Yeah," said Lysander, his voice even as he met Rose's eyes. "Lorcan and I will be gone most of the time, but maybe next year we can try it out."
"You okay, Rose?" asked Albus.
"Slipped," stammered Rose, "I'm- I'm fine."
She was certainly not fine. How could Lorcan and Lysander have decided to leave for the summer without telling her? They had apparently filled James in. They were close enough with him to let him know. Were they really closer to James than they were to her? She felt that horrid stinging feeling starting up in her eyes and she knew she had to get out of there.
"I should get back to studying," she said brushing invisible crumbs off her lap as she stood. "I'll see you all upstairs."
Rose was able to calm herself down once she was out of the Great Hall. She took her time ascending the steps to the Gryffindor Tower, thinking things through. Maybe it was a good thing that the twins were going abroad for a bit. They would have a chance to bond with Rolf, which was... probably important, she concluded with a shrug. Yes, it would be a good thing. And by the time they returned, whatever these feelings were would certainly have passed.
"You look well," she said lightly to the Fat Lady, already feeling much more relaxed. "Cerberus Canal."
The large woman in the painting sniffed, giving Rose an apprehensive once-over, then awarded her a rare smile.
"Much better, dear," she said. "Violet and I both had these dreadful colds, but they seem to have passed. Run along, then."
XXXXXXXX
The next morning, Rose found her attention drawn to the Hufflepuff table as the morning post was delivered. A silver-grey owl swept down in front of Taylor, who took its letter with hands that shook. Before she could open it, however, a tawny owl landed by its side, followed by two large barn owls, then a dark black bird. Taylor, clearly overwhelmed, took the letters from each of them and just stared at them until they flew off.
Next to her, Hugo nudged her arm and gestured towards the letters. Each of her friends took one to open, but instead of reading them, they exchanged conspiratorial grins and lay them out in front of Taylor. After a moment of looking the letters over, Taylor began to screech, then cry.
"What the-" said James, turning around blearily.
"What's wrong with Taylor?" asked Lysander, much more awake.
Her friends had all gotten up and began to hug her, smashing her in the middle of all of their bodies. Rose caught Hugo's eye from over another Hufflepuff's shoulder and he shot her a thumbs up.
"No idea," said Rose, "but she looks happy."
After breakfast, Rose caught up with Hugo and his group of friends, who were chatting animatedly on their way to the greenhouses.
"Hey Rose!" he said, falling a few steps behind.
"Is everything alright with Taylor?" she asked.
"Oh yeah!" he said, grinning. "We got McGonagall to agree to let us all share her for the summer, instead of her just staying with one family. She gets to do a few weeks with each of us!"
"Oh, said Rose, taken aback. "I thought we couldn't do that."
Hugo shrugged and looked away.
"I mean- technically she'll be staying with Fred," he amended, "not us, but it'll be like she's staying with us. Mum and Dad won't mind, I'm sure, and Fred's parents already agreed!"
Rose was far less certain of their parents' approval, but she didn't want to ruin her brother's good mood. Instead, she gave him a smile to match his own and told him she'd see him later. He scampered off to catch up with his friends, and Rose watched, happy that he had fallen in with such a close-knit tribe.
The final Quidditch match finally arrived, coming right before the start of final exams. Rose kept her worries to herself when she saw how Albus and James were using what was supposed to be study time to get in some last-minute practice, knowing that this was important to them whether she approved or not.
"You're going to be wonderful," said Rose for the millionth time as Albus gnawed at some dry toast on Saturday morning. James was shoveling his eggs into his mouth, barely taking time to chew them before swallowing them in dangerous chunks. "You've been practicing practically nonstop. Just go out and do what you've been working on."
"It's all about the overall points," muttered Albus, and Rose had to take a few deep breaths to keep herself from snapping at him. If the boys tried to explain how the Quidditch Cup was awarded to her one more time, she was going to explode. She thought that an elimination-style tournament would be more beneficial to everyone involved, as it would come down to only who won each game and not this blasted overall points system, but she was not and never would be in charge of Quidditch at Hogwarts.
Instead, she smiled and poured more pumpkin juice into her goblet.
"We'll be fine," said Patricia Longgrass, rolling her eyes. As usual, she was sitting next to James, but for once she was not grabbing onto him. She seemed focused on eating enough before the game. At least on that mark, she and James were on the same page. "Don't stress about it. You've been doing great out there, don't get in your head now. Just watch out for Hammond and Richardson and you'll be good."
Rose gave her usual promises to come down and watch the game as her cousins left, then filled her plate with another helping of eggs. She knew that this was going to be a long match, if Gryffindor had any say in the matter. Though they were facing Ravenclaw, the real battle was with Slytherin. They needed enough points to overtake them, and that wouldn't happen in a brief game. She had time.
On a whim, Rose decided to go visit Sophie before the game. She was still in a private area of the Hospital Wing, which Professor McGonagall seemed to think was for the best. Rose was certain that by now, all of Taylor's friends knew most of what had happened in the Room of Requirement, but as long as Taylor had left out the part about the ritual, she did not care.
Sophie was reading when Rose came in, but set the book down immediately and grinned. Her nails were painted lavender, and Rose wondered if it was to hide the marks of the magic on her. Her eyes were nearly back to white, and Rose found it less disconcerting to look at her. She was still painfully thin, but from the pictures of her and Taylor, she had looked much the same before coming to Hogwarts.
"Rose!" cried Sophie, sliding over on the bed and patting the space next to her. "I thought you'd forgotten me!"
"Sorry," said Rose, "been studying for finals. How are you feeling?"
Sophie shrugged, toying with the end of one of her braids.
"Fine, really," she said. "Bit of a headache still, nothing too bad though. Madam Chang doesn't want me working on anything big right now, but Clare's been bringing me books, so I don't feel completely useless."
"Big?" asked Rose, feeling like she had missed a step in their conversation.
"Magic," said Sophie, "like, spells and stuff. Madam Chang keeps saying I can't actually try anything yet, but- here, hold this."
Rose took the book from Sophie and watched as she squinted at the dresser. For a few moments, nothing happened. Then a gust of wind swept past Rose and blew the papers off the top of the dresser, scattering them across the floor.
"Neat, right?" said Sophie, taking her book back. "Can't do much still, but I think once I get a wand, I'll be able to-"
"A wand?" asked Rose softly, still staring at the dresser in shock.
"For the spells," said Sophie slowly, as if speaking to someone particularly dense. "I'm to stay with Clare for the summer, so I think she'll take me once she sees what I can do. I'll be a year behind Taylor, but it's only a year. Once we finish up school, it's not like it'll matter."
Rose nodded, struck dumb by the entire conversation. She had known from her tea with Professor Evariste that Sophie was showing signs of accidental magic, but this was something deliberate, and not like the accidental magic that she knew she had performed when she was a child. That was usually caused by emotional outbursts, not channeled through thought and intention and- and she wanted to get a wand, and come to school next year.
"I just wanted to see how you were feeling," said Rose, shaking herself out of her brief stupor. "I need to go see the Quidditch match- oh, it's-"
"I know what Quidditch it," said Sophie, rolling her eyes. "Tell the boys I say hi!"
Rose nodded and quickly left the room, eyeballing the papers on the floor nervously.
Instead of going right to the Quidditch pitch, Rose found herself wandering the castle for a while. It's not that she didn't care about how the boys were doing, because she did. It was just relaxing to have some undisturbed time to herself. Everyone was down at the game, and the corridors were blissfully empty. The only sounds were her shoes shuffling down the stony walkways, bouncing against the walls. That, and the occasional murmuring of the paintings she passed.
Eventually, however, guilt got the better of Rose and she made her way outside. Casting a longing look at the patch of brilliant sun shining by the Black Lake, Rose turned the other way and headed for the Quidditch game. She could hear the announcer's voice as she drew nearer, but it was difficult to make out distinct words until she was practically in the stadium.
"Going into our third hour!" the announcer called, his voice echoing throughout the pitch. "Potter has the Quaffle- passed to Longgrass, heading towards the Ravenclaw hoops- passing to- intercepted by Goshawk! Back towards Gryffindor."
Rose made her way up to where the Gryffindor supporters were sitting. She found Scorpius sitting with Lorcan and Lysander, which caught her off guard for a moment, but she decided not to question it. Things between herself and Scorpius had been tense for the past week and she was still waiting for them to return to normal.
"Hey Rose," said Lysander, not looking away from the game.
"About time," grumbled Scorpius, sliding over to make room for Rose. "I was starting to think you weren't coming."
"I went to visit Sophie," said Rose. "Who's winning?"
"You are," said Scorpius, "but not by enough still. Ravenclaw's team is giving you a run for your money."
"It's been hours," whined Rose, fully aware that she had no right to complain having just arrived, but deciding to go for it anyway.
As expected, complaining got her nowhere. The game wore on, and Rose was amazed how much time could be spent with neither team scoring a goal. The Chasers were all very good- that seemed to be the problem. Every time she thought they were getting close enough to score on Ravenclaw, the other team's Chasers would manage to intercept, or their Keeper would block the shot. Luckily enough, Dominique was keeping pace with them anytime the Ravenclaws made their way to the Gryffindor side. It was a slow game, and Rose knew it couldn't end for a while longer.
She had begun to daydream about her first dinner back at the Grange when there was an uproar from somewhere on the pitch. Rose blinked, forcing her mind to focus on the action unfolding in front of her.
"No," groaned Lysander as Scorpius began to clap excitedly.
Both of the Seekers were whipping across the pitch, barely above the grass, hands outstretched. Rose wanted to think something poetic about how their red and blue robes looked fanned out side by side, but she was busy trying to figure out what the score was.
"Yes!" cried Scorpius as the whistle blew. A mixture of cheers and groans filled the stadium as students began to stand, but Rose still was uncertain what had just occurred.
"Did we-?" she began, looking to Lysander.
"I don't think so," he said, rubbing his face.
"James Potter has caught the Snitch!" said Barton Everett, sounding unenthusiastic about the proclamation. "Unfortunately, I don't believe Gryffindor scored enough points to beat out Slytherin for the Quidditch Cup. Tough luck there."
Which explained Scorpius' suddenly excellent mood. He quickly excused himself from the Gryffindor section of the stands, which had a much different atmosphere, presumably to find some friends who would feel the same way as he did about the results of the match.
As Rose had suspected, the atmosphere of the common room was not conducive to studying after their defeat. Everyone slumped their way back to the castle, grumbling about the results and how they were supposed to focus on their exams at a time like this. Rose knew that she should find Albus and James to offer some sort of encouragement, but couldn't bring herself to wait in the murmuring depression of the common room. Instead, she retired to her dormitory to study in peace.
To her surprise, both Potter boys seemed to take defeat rather well. James had still caught the Snitch, after all, and he seemed to be coping by explaining (to anyone who sat still long enough to listen) that if he hadn't, Ravenclaw would have had enough points to come in second place instead of Gryffindor, and better second than third, right? Albus returned to studying quietly, seemingly finding some comfort in having another goal in front of him and a noisy older brother to keep most of the attention away.
When the time for finals came, Rose felt that she was as prepared as she could be. She left each exam with a small smile on her face- including History of Magic, which she had somehow forgotten to prepare for entirely. She had only remembered the exam at all because Albus had mentioned it over breakfast, laughing at the outraged shock on her face.
"Somehow I absorbed most of it," she told Albus as they left the classroom, kneading the tension out of her shoulder. "Really, though, they should get someone to replace Professor Binns. I don't think he's changed the curriculum since he died, and no one seems to know precisely when that was. I mean, is it just to save the money? Do they pay his family on his behalf? Does he have any family?"
"Rose," said Albus firmly, "you're rambling. I'm sure they'll replace him eventually. They've sort of been busy with Professor McGonagall, and Slughorn, and they had to get Halberton in when Flitwick left, remember?"
"That's right," said Rose, dropping her voice, "we get to meet the new woman soon. What do you think she'll be like? Do you think-"
"No more thinking," groaned Albus, closing his eyes and promptly walking into a group of second years crossing in front of him. "Brain hurts. Just wait a few days."