UGH THIS IS JUST GORGEOUS!!!!!

And...

Scorpius should. Seriously. They both dislike him and he is a creep. Ghost but groping and everything.

3.2 Everybody Crushes on a Weasley Girl at Least Once
"Do you have a death wish or something, Scorpius?" Ruby Winickus, fellow sixth year Slytherin, spoke in such a pleasant tone that she could have simply been commenting on the weather. Scorpius slowed to a walk.

Slytherin had a scheduled study session every Monday after dinner starting right then, but he had no plans to go. It wasn't compulsory, just encouraged. There'd be too many over-excited youngsters there this early in the term. Scorpius often did go along, he just preferred to go when people actually used the time to study.

"No, no death wish that I can think of."

"Nera said she's not sure that you're up to it." Ruby always did have a habit of hanging on to Nera's every word. Maybe Nera had nudged Ruby to come speak to him.

"Up to what?" Scorpius paused while a group of young Hufflepuff students weaved past them and detoured towards the kitchens.

"Well it is quite the risk." Ruby sounded cautious about it. "I mean, there are so many of them, and James Potter and Fred Weasley aren't exactly card carrying members of the Malfoy fan club."

"Risk comes from not knowing what you're doing." Scorpius said confidently, intending to imply that he did know. He was mostly sure, even if it was a spur of the moment thing, his motivations were purely to irritate exactly the people she had named, with emphasis on James Potter. He believed that Muggles called it 'for the lulls', though he wasn't sure if it would truly cause a lull unless the phrase referred to a lull which laughter would fill quite nicely. He would brandish his patented smirk, the one that Slytherin boys basically had in their arsenal from birth, and hopefully the elder Potter boy would develop a twitch or something.

As they descended the main staircase to the dungeons, Ruby continued as if he hadn't spoken at all.
"I doubt any of the others are either, even if she's come over all fond and wised up to what the rest of us already knew."

"And what might that be?" He prompted.

Ruby rolled her eyes pointedly, clearly not willing to compliment him outright, but Scorpius just grinned at her. They'd dated for a short time back in fourth year. Nothing serious, and it had fizzled out after a few months. They weren't especially close now, she was more Nera's friend than his.

"Well you've delivered your little warning, Rubes. Cheers for that." A third year in front of them spoke the password at the wall and went inside, Scorpius and Ruby followed him into the Common Room, neither turning back to watch the wall close up again behind them. "Don't tell me it’s out of jealousy?" He was teasing.

"Please, Malfoy." She scoffed at him good naturedly. “Been there, done that. I just don't want to see Slytherin's Quidditch Captain in a coma for pushing his luck too far and coming up on the wrong side in a fight. You're too refined for fisticuffs, Scorpius."

He snorted inelegantly but took her point. He'd push his luck as much as he found entertaining, but not to the point of Gryffindoring.

"Noted. Goodnight, Ruby."

"Goodnight, Scorpius."

After smiling slightly in response he headed to his dorm and pushed open the door to find he hadn't been the only one of his fellows to choose not to attend the study meeting. Takeshi Haneda, Curtis Flint, Vincent Nott and Apollo Burke were all spread out around the room, the other two beds, belonging to Pucey and Goyle, were empty. Scorpius shut the door behind himself and went over to his own bed and began carefully unpacking his book bag. It was a process and he had a particular way of putting everything away just so. His part of the dormitory was the tidiest, which was why he and Takeshi had chosen beds near one another, Takeshi being possibly even more fussy and particular than Scorpius. Apollo was the next closest, but the gap by his bed was already full of all sorts of things- as if he'd spread his belongings out for easy access. He'd claimed the floor in the gap between Takeshi and Scorp's bed, and Scorpius had needed to step over him.

"I bet you've just been waiting for me to ask." Apollo said from the floor. He had watched Scorpius entered the dorm and immediately gone all smirky. "But you know, I've already assured everyone you know what you're doing."

"Besides." Nott chimed in, "She sat next to you."

"But he asked her to sit with him at the Gryffindor tryouts tomorrow." Curtis Flint pointed out.

Ignoring them, Scorpius hung his empty bag up and loosened his tie before laying back on his bed with a notebook and quill, planning to get some notes down in preparation for his own team tryouts later in the week, including what he knew about who would likely be on the team and who tried out last year but didn't make it.

"Look mate, everyone crushes on a Weasley girl at least once." Apollo pointed out in a tone that suggested he was simply commenting on the weather. "Why are you so against it?"

Scorpius made a derisive sound, not quite a snort. He thought it was entirely clear that he did not agree in the slightest. He didn't respond to Apollo's mildly delivered question. The other boy had to know the answer, he was just asking to be infuriating, to get a reaction. It was hard not to give him one considering Scorp DID find the subject irritating and ridiculous all in one go. It wasn't a date or a crush. It definitely hadn't been planned. He was going to ride it out, irritate Potter, and then after that it would be the end of it.

"Statistically it is so." Takeshi agreed, looking up from his book. "Might I enquire which one was your downfall?" The Japanese boy asked conversationally and looked down at Apollo who was stretched out in his preferred spot on the floor. The prefect's legs long enough now that his feet seemed to disappear under Scorpius's bed. Apollo looked around the room, his eyes half closed like he was stuck somewhere between awake and asleep. Often, it caused people to underestimate him, like they thought he wasn't paying attention.

"Victoire." Apollo answered in that reverent sort of tone reserved for someone reflecting on a cherished memory. "Almost made me ask the hat to put me in Gryffindor so that some of that supposed braveness and stupidity would rub off and I'd have enough guts to talk to her." Scorpius hardly believed that claim. Apollo Burke in Gryffindor? There was no chance that Apollo could ever put up with that much concentrated stupidity and hardheadedness without snapping like an owl postal worker, resulting in a murderous rampage, whereby he would either Avada the lot of them or threaten death by owl pecking squad.

"Dominique." Flint took his turn and Scorpius dryly wondered why his dorm mates had collectedly decided to have a bonding session while he, Scorpius Malfoy, was trying to bloody focus. Perhaps they'd been talking about this whole Rose Weasley business before he'd come in? Now he was torn between being mollified that it mattered and irritated by it.

"That doesn't prove anything except that you two aren't immune to Veela blood." Scorp pointed out, trying to be reasonable and lead the conversation to a close without it seeming too forced. It also proved that Curtis Flint liked a bit of crazy harpy in his life. Each to their own.

"Diluted Veela blood." There went Apollo again, looking irritatingly pleased with himself, a smirk tailoring itself to his lips. Adept at leading talk in whichever direction he pleased, Apollo didn't do it all the time or without reason. Scorpius supposed Apollo was about due for a bout of string-pulling and he resigned himself to the fact that whatever the other boy's reasons were, the purpose behind it all would be obscure and Scorp would probably never find out exactly what Apollo was up to. As close as they were, Apollo still proved himself half of a mystery two thirds of the time. For all Scorpius knew, Apollo Burke had a secret crush on bloody Rose Weasley himself or something and was simply testing the waters to see what sort of reaction it might get. Equally likely: Apollo had been talking to Nera and the two of them had decided to violate the ban on experimental breeding, the first step in their unholy quest to create pink haired Malfoys, a concept that both prefects seemed to find highly amusing.

"I was always partial to Molly myself." Nott had always shown a marked preference for intellectual girls though, so even Scorpius wasn't surprised that Vincent Nott had at some point had an eye on the former Head Girl.

"The Ravenclaw ones aren't as bad." Scorpius maintained a disapproving air. He wasn't planning on entertaining any bit of the whole ridiculous notion for himself. Crushes on Weasleys? Please. Scorp wasn't the type to mope over any girl that wouldn't reciprocate interest, and in the going-on-six years he'd been at Hogwarts he'd discovered that Weasleys and Potters were better at showing disdain or outright antipathy in his general direction, like each and every one of them expected him to be the embodiment of those of his family members that probably were the stuff of their collective nightmares and the main feature in the stories told to scare one another as small children. Prejudice and all that. He was privately certain that the other children of former death eater parents didn't get half of the bad rap that he got. With the possible and sometime exception of Albus Potter, who could admittedly be alright, Scorpius had no interest in being on friendly terms with any of that brood, and especially not romantic terms with one of the Weaselettes.

"Alright Snowflake, feel special then, but you're no different." Apollo waved a finger at him in an older-and-wiser sort of gesture. "I'm just saying, you may as well hang for a Dragon as an Egg, right?"

“Thank you for your unsolicited advice, it moves me so.” Scorpius answered dryly, turning to a blank page in his notebook. If he couldn’t explain his reasons to himself, he wasn’t going to try and explain it to anyone else. “It’s just Quidditch.”

That was all it was.

My Slytherin heart is content!

You guys are awesome as always. Good job, and keep em coming!

SCORPIUS. Ugh. I love how his brain works. And how deep his denial is.

Also, I just love you guys. Another brilliant chapter, thank you so much for sharing this with us.

Pink haired Malfoys. I would love to see this.
EXPERIMENTAL BREEDING FOR THE WIN.

Now that's over with. I've got a feeling. Shacklebolt (blech) is probably going to show up at the tryouts like "hey look. i'm going to butt in where i'm not wanted"...because its clear he has a total "look...you're hot-i'm-hot" thing for Rose...like she's a trophy to be won.

3.3 There Is Squishing

The Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts went much as expected, especially with most of the team returning. The most remarkable thing about them, unfortunately, was the rather shocking appearance of Scorpius Malfoy seated in the stands beside Rose. Much as she tried to ignore the stares and whispers in order to focus on shouting at Al and Jayne during their turns, Rose felt the prickly awareness that she was the center of attention. And not in the good way. Lily and Hugo sat nearby, and while Hugo glanced occasionally at Malfoy while stroking his wand, Lily sent wounded looks at Rose. What, exactly, she was currently sulking about was yet to be discovered, but Rose expected far more trouble from Lily than she did from her own brother. Hugo could tend toward the more doltish qualities of being an overprotective Weasley male, but he acted with moderation. Lily, on the other hand, saw only how other people immediately affected her.

Once the try-outs finished and the players disappeared to change their clothes, Rose didn’t linger with Malfoy. She made a very proper and public good-bye to him, wished him well in his own try-outs later in the week, and then escaped as quickly as possible without making her flight obvious. Now Malfoy was free to go back to his common room and enjoy a rousing Gryffindor-bashing session with his friends, but at least he’d been polite during their time together. Or polite-ish, as they’d both been rather consumed by Quidditch and there hadn’t been any real conversation. It was nice he hadn’t felt the need to entertain her.

When she took any time to look at the events of the past few days, Rose wondered how she'd become the type of person that was never acting but was always reacting. There had been no need to pretend that she and Malfoy were more than slightly acquainted in order to justify sitting beside him in Potions class. Bothering Yates had been a nice side effect, but even after class was finished, she’d kept up the façade. Being berated by her housemates and stared at by younger students in the corridor had become all too common place over the past 24 hours, and Rose was tired of the dramatics. And there had been no need to show up with him today, to continue this game of pretend, except that it was no longer about Yates and was now about Malfoy. She didn’t want to be the first to back down. Rose tried not to think about it too hard.

“What do you think you’re playing at, Rose?” James stalked into the common room, throwing his broom to the floor at her feet. He loomed over her with a sour expression marring his handsome features. The broom was well cherished, a gift from Uncle Harry when James made the reserve team as a second year, and Rose knew he must be livid if he was handling it so carelessly. Livid at her, which was unusual, as James usually reacted to Rose with equal measures of amusement and condescension.

“Wizarding chess, although I think I’m losing,” she responded in what passed as a bored tone. She turned her back on the seething seventh year to direct her pawn, which merrily tripped across the board to kick Rileigh Finnigan's knight out of its square. She'd been expecting James' outburst, actually, and she wondered at the wisdom of not forewarning him that she’d be attending the Gryffindor try-outs with Malfoy. Al and Jayne both knew to expect him there, although she'd had arguments with both of them about the wisdom of playing Malfoy's game. That was Jayne's argument. Al's had been more warning that she not start something she didn't intend to finish, even after Rose assured him that she wasn't starting or finishing or anything with Malfoy. His expression made it clear he hadn't believed her.

James wasn't as easily put off, and he breathed heavily in her direction before she swatted him away. "You stink, Jamie. Go shower, and I'll talk to you about it when you smell like a human again." He lurked over her a moment longer, but the combined influence of being ignored by Rose and Fred shoving him bodily toward the stairs with his foot propelled James out of the room. Fred, however, stayed.

"Oh, Rosie, my little flower." Fred tangled his hand in the end of her plait and tugged her sideways into his arms, somehow managing to heave her out of her chair and onto the sofa, where he immediately seated himself on her back. "I'm all for a lark, and there is nothing so grand as annoying James, but you have to have boundaries. Quidditch, Rosie... you don't touch Quidditch. It's sacred." Boundaries from the massive seventh year currently trying to murder her? That was a laugh.

Rose ate pillow as she tried to answer him. "It's not about James. Not... okay. Breathing is an issue."

With a chuckle, Fred slid backwards off Rose until only his thick legs kept her pinned to the sofa. He wasn't quite as tall as James and Al, but Fred was broad across his shoulders and all hard muscle from Quidditch. She wasn't going anywhere. If he wanted her to stay put, then the much smaller Rose was going to stay. "It's about Malfoy, then? Weasley girls are supposed to have taste. Look at Vic and Teddy."

Fred had inherited his mother's dark skin and curls, although the smattering of darker freckles were pure Weasley, as was the mischievous expression ever-present in his dark eyes. Everything was a joke to Fred, including this conversation. Where James would seethe and bark, Fred would tease a response, and his good nature and easy smile made it hard to stay mad at him for any length of time. Even as she was slowly being smothered, Rose found the situation completely ridiculous. Laughable.

"Look at Molly and her old man fiancee," Al offered helpfully from his vantage point on the arm of the couch. He wasn't actually helping, simply overseeing things with that silly crooked grin of his. There was small comfort in the fact that Al probably wouldn't actually let Fred smother her if it came down to it. "I'm just saying... they don't all have taste. Dom dated Ryuu Haneda for a while."

"And Dom was half Fizzing Whizzbee. She was, and is, completely insane." Fred jerked the rubber band from Rose's hair and ruffled out her plait over her face. "But we aren't talking about other Weasley girls, are we? We're talking about this very naughty Weasley girl. And a Haneda pales in comparison to a Malfoy. Plus, he never came to Quidditch tryouts with her."

"That's because Dom would have bounced a Quaffle off his face for showing up." Al wasn't far wrong. The second eldest Weasley cousin may have had the same veela-influenced good looks as her siblings, but Dominique was tough as dragon hide and mean as a chimaera. The rumors about Dom and Haneda were unsubstantiated, although a good number of boys had made the mistake of approaching the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain only to find themselves hexed, bloody, and unconscious.

Rose shoved up on one elbow to give Al a grateful look. His intervention, while completely ineffectual, was very sweet. Her gratitude was short-lived, marred by James' reemergence into the common room. He was still seething, obviously, although the shower had cooled him enough that there was no lurking or looming. He ruffled his dark hair into wet waves and sat down on Rose's legs. "What did you get from her?"

"Eh. She's really sorry, mate." Fred gave her bum a vicious slap, and Rose shrieked in outrage, although mostly she just ate pillow again. "She promises that she won't ever see him again. He isn't actually her type. Someone paid her to do it. Erm... he gave her a love potion?"

"Shut up." Rose pressed her cheek against the couch cushion. Her view of the room was limited to the few students scattered between the sofa and stairs, but it was obvious they had an enraptured audience. Weasley antics in the common room were to be expected, but this was extra special drama that drew negative attention to Rose at a time when she couldn't afford it. Across the way, Rose saw Lily looking displeased, her cloak still clutched to her chest as she had just entered the common room. "Just... I just asked him to sit with me because he said he was coming to try-outs. You're making a big thing out of nothing."

It pained her to admit it, like she was letting go of the only interesting story of which she'd ever taken part, but it was worth it to salvage her reputation and to keep the peace. James gave her a vicious pinch as he slid off her legs. "That's right. I don't want to even see you talking to him, Rosie."

"Boring. I expect better from you. Only not at Quidditch." Fred gave her a last squish before climbing over her, landing on the floor beside the sofa. Both boys meandered across the room, ready to soak in accolades from their fans now that their recalcitrant cousin had been handled. James had a swagger to his walk, and Fred raised his arms in victory, eliciting a cheer from the other students.

Al pulled Rose up before spreading out on the sofa beside her. "You're so easy. A little squishing, and you roll right over. Pathetic. You call yourself a Gryffindor."

"I couldn't breathe," Rose complained. It was nice to curl up beside her Al, and she tucked her feet under his thigh for warmth. Even better, he let her. "Besides, there wasn't any reason not to tell them the truth. It was nothing."

"You keep saying," Al responded mildly. His eyes searched the students still returning from the pitch and those leaving early for dinner. Despite the fact that he seemed distracted, Rose felt like there was something significant he was leaving unsaid, the sort of hole that takes a shape and meaning all its own. Her cousin didn't always put forth the same tireless effort in class as Rose, but he was clever in other ways. Al could be disarmingly charming, but it wasn't a practiced effort used to get people to act in a certain way. He just liked people, and if he didn't, there was probably a good reason for it. Part of that sense for people included an uncanny intuition into the people around him. Rose sometimes suspected he was part Seer, although she'd never suggest such a ridiculous thing around her mother. So whatever it was that Al thought he saw, Rose couldn't discount.

"Is it really nothing?" Lily moved as if she was dancing, crossing the room silently on the balls of her feet. "You and Scorpius Malfoy?"

Al and Rose glanced at each other briefly before Rose responded. "Not a thing. Why?"

Lily's chocolate brown eyes were large and limpid, and her heavy lashes swept against her cheeks. Somehow, she was all heavy sighs and unspoken desire, just in that one practiced gesture. "I think I love him."

Al groaned. "Merlin."

Two Gryffindors and a Slytherin? We like this very much.

*waves a green flag*

In case this was not evident, I LOVE THIS CHAPTER.

IT IS THE BEGINNING OF A LONG AND BEAUTEOUS COURTSHIP.

I can't wait for the next update. WHEEEEEEEE.

I think Al's last line sums that up perfectly...gosh, Lily.

Aw, I just love the way you guys are writing this

So talented!! Love this!

3.4 Slytherin Tryouts
Saturday morning and it was time for tryouts set to start at 9am sharp. Scorpius had gotten up early to prepare. It wasn't just about making sure the pitch was ready, it was double checking the equipment and the sign up sheets and taking a moment to himself before all the insanity began. He'd attended the tryouts for all three of the other teams, watched with great interest to see what talent was out there and mentally picked who he would have wanted if it was his team. Of course the Gryffindor tryouts had been a shining example of nepotism. No need to bother trying out unless you were a Weasley or a Potter or good enough friends with those families. The only bit that had made that particular tryout interesting was that he had found himself in attendance with Rose Weasley. Strange but true. The delightful part was how James Potter was clearly so bothered by it and it distracted him from the task at hand. Scorpius did his best to put across body language that would just infuriate the eldest Potter even more, without him actually doing anything of course. Potter could think whatever he wanted and Scorp would, and frequently did, just play innocent. All that was over now and so were the whispers. At least the audible ones.

Prior to try outs, Scorpius had decided to go for a run before he was due to start things, intending to burn off a bit of the excess energy and some of the odd frustrations that had been plaguing him recently. A potions essay had been assigned already and it was due Monday. Scorpius wasn't looking forward to trying to fit that in when his weekend was already full. As for that Weasley business, that seemed to have died down now too, but he was interested to see who might show up to watch the Slytherin trials. He didn't expect Rose to come and reminded himself not to think of her as Rose. Rose Weasley. That was best. Good thing about being the only Malfoy was that nobody ever got mixed up with who they were referring to when they used his last name. They hadn't talked aside from a hello and a goodbye during the Gryffindor tryouts, not really. All acting aside, Scorpius had been mostly engrossed in watching and making a note here and there in the notebook he'd brought along with him. Useful thing that notebook. He used it especially and only for Quidditch and it was small enough to slip into his pocket. He patted said pocket now to reassure himself that it was there.

He was in his Quidditch gear for the tryouts, complete with his shiny captain's badge and a broom he'd received from his father the year before. Second best broom available by popular opinion though Scorp's broom had a few adjustments and customizations to account for his personal playing style that he felt made it the superior choice. He hated to let anyone else touch it, it was his baby. Having just finished the run around the grounds, Scorpius headed toward the pitch with said broom over one shoulder, his opposite hand negligently flicking his wand and levitating a large box of bludgers behind him. There were quaffles and a snitch in there too of course. His grey eyes flickered upward as he noticed someone else already in the air and he lowered the box of bludgers, taking a seat on it near the pitch entrance. He leaned forward and looked up, following the lone flyer with a crtitical eye. Lost in thought and wondering who was up there, Scorpius jumped slightly as the bludgers stirred in the box and began to bang against the inside of the box with enough force that he could feel the vibrations travel in waves up his spine.

Scorpius watched the kid land and dismount. It was a girl. His eyes trailed after her speculatively as she approached and began to walk over. Titch of a thing flew well, he noted as he tucked his hair behind his ears and leaned back with his hands gripping tightly to the box edges as the bludgers beneath got more and more worked up. Making a small noise under his breath, Scorpius stood up and kicked the box in annoyance. It was hard to concentrate with all that vibrating. He glanced up at the flyer, recognizing the young girl as a Slytherin, and familiar features at that.

"I know you. You're Cordelia Shettigar's little sister." Cordelia had been a prefect for Slytherin and the dueling club leader in Scorp's first year.

She nodded shyly.

"Here for tryouts?"

"I didn't put my name down." She said apologetically. "Is that... is it too late?"

Scorpius let out a thoughtful humphing sound and extracted a tiny clipboard from his pocket, which he enlarged and examined, tugging the accompanying quill free with a jerk and then eyeing her over the edge of the clipboard itself.

"I don't actually know your name, apart from the Shettigar part."

"Coraline." She seemed to gain a bit of confidence saying her name out loud and lifted her chin. "Coraline Shettigar, third year."

"Third year? Are you sure? You're a bit weedy." Scorpius was already starting to write her name down though and turned the clipboard around with a flourish. "Looks like you did sign up after all."

"I'm small and quick." She corrected him, flushing slightly though her chin lifted stubbornly.

"What are you trying out for? You flew pretty well just now, from what I saw."

Coraline didn't react to the compliment aside from by straightening up a bit. "Seeker. I heard that you were short one of those."

"Right." Scorpius answered a bit dryly. "Seeker. Pretty important to have at least one floating about." He glanced up, the first of the Slytherins who were trying out were beginning to make their way to the pitch. He liked to hold tryouts early to set an expectation for practices, and it usually meant that the lazier ones wouldn't even bother showing up. That was good news, Slytherin didn't need any lazy players.

"You've got a while before we're due to start." He told her and then glanced at the box of Quidditch balls again as it shuddered. He'd already checked the balls for curses or hexes of any kind, not putting it past Potter to go ahead and do something like that, but they were clean. The Bludgers were just as eager to start the season as the players were, after being locked away in a box since May.

Scorp sat on it again and as more students arrived, he ticked them off on his clipboard. His players from the previous year, Haneda, Hightower, Montague and Goyle arrived together. Eurydice got a few impressed looks from those of her yearmates who were there to try out, not just because she was a good player who was pretty much guaranteed a spot on the team, but because she showed up with what pretty much looked like a bodyguard contingent. Very wrockstar of you, Hightower.

"Five minutes before we begin." Scorp called out, noting the stands were starting to fill up too. Gryffindors? That was new, but expected all things considered. He gave the gaggle that included two Potters, two Weasleys and Shacklebolt an enthusiastic and admittedly taunting wave, playing it up as if he were overjoyed to see them.

"Where's your girlfriend, Malfoy?"

His head turned at the mocking voice and he glared at its owner. Anthony Sloper, Hufflepuff's Quidditch Captain, who had joined the others in the stands. If there was anyone in the entire school whom Scorpius Malfoy could honestly say he disliked more than any Gryffindor or any Weasley that had ever graced the halls it was Sloper. Where messing with Potter was often entertainment, the rivalry with Sloper was different and to top it off Scorpius genuinely disliked him. Sloper took the concept of 'rabid Badger' to a whole new level. He was saved from answering however by the Red Horde, who out-glared Scorpius by at least half again.

"She's not his girlfriend!" Shacklebolt contested hotly and Scorpius winced at the volume of his voice. Who needed a sonorous charm?

"Are you going to do something?" That was Urquhart in a whisper. Most everyone trying out had arrived now and were watching the escalating argument with varying degrees of interest, Scorpius finding it remarkable that Sloper and Shacklebolt had pretty much forgotten he was there while they bickered.

"No. No, I don't think so." Scorpius answered with a wink. "A Slytherin can get in real trouble trying to do the right thing."

"To truly succeed, others must fail." Takeshi said quietly and Urquhart looked uneasy but capitulated. "Perhaps they will eliminate one another and save us the need to concern ourselves at all." Scorpius liked the sound of that and he grinned at his friend. It was almost time to start and he was surprised to see, up in the stands, somehow Fred Weasley had managed to get everyone to shut up. Who knew?

"Alright, gather around, its time to start." It was nine a.m on the dot when Scorpius turned to those on the field, raising his voice to be heard clearly by all. It really was a wonder that anyone had shown up to watch.The bludgers were getting even more excited in their case and a few students eyed it warily. He hoped they all knew what was inside. "First I want to see how you all fly, so when you get up there, pull out all the stops. I'm not looking for showy unless there's skill behind it, we're not Gryffindors, I want to see some substance behind the flash." That got a jeer from the stands but he ignored it. "After that we'll run a few mini games, and you'll each rotate through whichever positions you are trying out for. If I tell you to get off the field you'll go, no questions." Or he'd hex them. He had his wand on him after all and would keep it when he was in the air and watching everyone's progress. "To end we'll have a little chat and I want to hear about how you thought you did, and how you thought others did. I'll be looking for strengths and weaknesses in all of you and I want you lot to do the same." And that last part would be a nice quiet discussion which would take place in the middle of the pitch where nosy observers couldn't overhear. "School brooms are there for anyone who doesn't have their own. Remember that there are no guarantees of position and if you held a spot last year I bloody well expect even more from you now, so don't get complacent or I'll find a replacement. Let's get started. Fifteen minutes, show me what you've got up there." The responses were enthusiastic, and some were nervous. One little kid looked about ready to wet himself and Scorpius quickly added, "If you need to go to the bathroom, be back in five minutes and make sure you let me know you're leaving the pitch." You know, just so they knew that they could.

He caught Takeshi smiling at him in excitement and Scorpius returned the grin before mounting his broom. Scorpius cast a Sonorous charm on himself so he could be heard across the pitch if need be, and then launched into the air to take up a prime observation position, ready to find Slytherin another winning team.

*is now a Scorp fan*

Moooorrre! Moooore!!! *enthusiastic clapping and such*

I think I got too much of a kick out of Shacklebolt yelling "She's not his girlfriend"...because honey, she's not yours either.

Have I mentioned that this stuff is practically written in gold? I had SUCH a laugh reading this. Thanks, guys.

PAMS?

4.1 In The Slytherin Common Room
Saturday afternoon and Scorpius had homework to do already. For a moment or two he seriously entertained the idea of not doing it. After all, even if the season hadn't quite started yet, weekends were for Quidditch and then, when Slytherin won all their games, for celebrating in style. As Apollo had pointed out that morning, It had been a while since the last really big party; the trashy sort where girls woke up with regrets, while Scorpius somehow woke up with more clout for his ever-growing and grossly over exaggerated reputation. Apollo had been kidding around when he mentioned it, but it was true enough. Sometimes Scorpius felt a bit like the other Slytherins were molding him, making him some sort of figurehead. Silly thought maybe, and Scorpius was well able to stand on his own two feet, but the niggling feeling remained. Maybe it was ego to think anyone was that interested in him (and of course he had a fair bit of that like any Malfoy) but it was also tempered by a depth of feeling that most wouldn't believe he was capable of showing. Then again, maybe that depth of feeling was a Malfoy thing too. An ego thing.

Most of the stories that surfaced about him were pure rumour but Scorp never denied a thing. it was okay by him that the bloody school built up a picture of how they thought the Malfoy heir conducted himself. As long as in the grand scheme of things he was following his own moral code and the rumours didn't get in the way of his every day life, what did it matter? He mulled over this thought as he walked the dungeon corridor. It was kind of funny in some ways to see people believe whatever story they were fed. In Scorp's case, the reputation that resulted from the stories about him caused different reactions from house to house. He was popular in Slytherin, he could count more than a few Ravenclaws among his friends, and had even dated a Hufflepuff the previous year. Scorpius actually had a lot of good friends. People he laughed with, cared about, joked with, spent holidays with. He wasn't lonely, and while he had introspective moments, Scorpius was generally outgoing and confident. His Malfoy swagger sometimes turned towards arrogance, but was coupled with a genuine, easy smile more often than a sneer. It went without saying that he did not have any real friends in Gryffindor. It wouldn't be so bad, he reflected, to have a friend or two in that house, but it had just never happened. He was too Malfoy for any of them to accept him easily.

It was good that he was used to it now, Scorpius reflected as he spoke the password in front of a blank stretch of stone wall and subsequently made his way into the common room. When he was younger he'd had a secret burning desire to be liked. Not that it had been much of a problem exactly, he had friends and a loving family, it was just that he'd found it hard to pretend like he didn't care about the whispers and the assumptions about his character. Everyone knew who the Malfoys were. Not everyone approved, even if his father and grandfather had gone out of their way to restore the family's good name, some people insisted the Malfoys had never had a good name to begin with. Throwing money at St. Mungo's and showing support for new, prejudice-free legislation within the Wizarding World wasn't enough. There were too many who remembered. Too many who held their own prejudice close to their hearts. Weasleys, mostly. There bloody were enough of them to form a majority. Bred like rabbits.

At this time of evening, before dinner, the common room was bustling. He always felt an odd burst of satisfaction when he entered, a feeling of belonging. There was nothing like the Slytherin dungeon and the greenish glow of the lanterns always welcomed him. There were always a few first years who felt ill when first confronted with the common room, either as a reflection of the green tinge which bathed everything in the shared space, or because the concept of being under the lake spooked them, but Scorpius had instantly taken to the place. It was always warm, even if sometimes it could be a little bit damp, and it was at least as grand as home, and yet there was always someone around, resulting in a sense of community that the Malfoy Manor lacked. It made sense when there were more than seventy kids sharing the Slytherin quarters, and it wasn't as if Scorp's family was large enough to warrant a comparison of numbers. There were a lot of empty rooms at home, and besides, nothing could beat going to sleep with the sound of water at your windows. Scorpius even had a little charmed globe at home which made water noises to help him sleep during the holidays.

He threw himself on his favourite couch, a dark green leather thing, claiming the entire stretch of it with his length despite the fact it was made to comfortably sit three. His entry did not go unnoticed but Scorp ignored the younger students and their whispers about Saturday's Quidditch try outs in favour of the greeting thrown at him by his older cousin, Acantha Zabini.

"Malfoy." The Head Girl intoned, somehow managing to put affection and a greeting into her voice as she named him. Scorpius tilted his head back and smiled at her, but didn't move. She looked like she was handling working with the Head Boy quite well in the sense that she no longer appeared as if she was going to implode at any given moment as he had suspected she might just a few days ago. The dark-haired girl examined him for a moment and then stood up, her movements sinuous and controlled. Nothing Acantha did was unintentional and her every movement was designed to draw the eye. She'd inherited her father's high cheekbones, darker skin and almond shaped eyes, but her eyes were the same startling green of her mother, the whole effect was rather exotic and the contrast with Scorpius was in turns complementary and jarring, depending on how much the casual observer liked or disliked one or the other of them.

Scorpius watched her approach. His cousin was someone he admired and even counted on. Acantha was formidable, most were wary of her, but she never seemed to break any rules. It was the opposite really, Acantha was a firm believer in rules, and entirely too adept at bending them and finding loopholes. She was a smart girl, but relied more on her looks than she needed to in Scorp's opinion. She really wasn't much like her younger sister at all. As the thought occurred to him, Scorpius sat up a little and glanced around for her.

"Where's Nera?"

"Scorpius, playing favourites?" Acantha gave his feet a shove with one knee and pouted at him. "Can't you just pretend I'm your favourite cousin for one day? Move your feet, oaf."

"When you talk so sweetly, how can I resist?" Scorpius answered dryly and then laughed, sliding his feet off the couch and sitting up further, though he remained comfortably and gracefully slouched, the embodiment of lounging. Nearby a group of first and second years were carefully pretending not to be listening. The Head Girl and the Quidditch Captain both ignored them entirely.

"Where have you been? I was looking for you earlier." Acantha crossed her legs carefully, and fixed her cousin with a look. Her eyes were calculating, though Scorpius knew there was warmth there too.

"Just around." He shrugged. Scorpius liked a little bit of time for himself, time where he could be alone with his thoughts. As an only child, and despite his social nature, the sixteen year old enjoyed some privacy. It was something you had to give up to at least some extent at Hogwarts. Even if his housemates tended to appear to be leaving each other be, in reality ears were up and everyone was listening and watching for anything that could be of benefit to themselves. It was the nature of things and Scorp didn't begrudge it, but he did often wander about on his own. He'd explored the entire castle in its entirety by the end of his fourth year, and he was sure that was something most students couldn't brag about. Not that Scorpius tended to brag, but his memory was uniquely suited to such undertakings. Any Slytherin learned early on if they wanted directions to anywhere in the castle, to ask Malfoy, who could not only explain in the most simple of terms, but provide shortcuts and obscure ways which would allow a careful student to venture almost anywhere undetected.

Unnoticed by Scorpius, Apollo and Nera stepped into the common room, chatting idly.

"Around." Acantha repeated in a fondly teasing tone. She nudged his knee. "Anyone would think you're going off with a Weasley, as secretive as you are."

Scorpius gave her a wide-eyed look and instead of sneering at the idea as one might expect from a Malfoy, he laughed. Did that even need words to explain how absurd the idea was? Clearly Acantha had heard about that whole potions thing and his appearance at the Gryffindor Quidditch tryouts, but that had only been about irritating Yates Shacklebolt and the Weasley element was practically irrelevant. and even if Scorpius had played along, he'd maintain that stance until his dying days.

"Eww." Nera's voice. "Can you imagine? The babies would have pink hair." It was a tired joke. She ruffled Scorp's own blond head and moved around the couch to take a seat in an armchair, tucking her feet up and resting her chin on her knee. She regarded her cousin and sister from behind her glasses, her expression serious. Scorpius knew the glasses were an affectation. It wasn't as if the Zabinis didn't have the money for Nera to get her eyes fixed, but the girl enjoyed wearing them, both for fashion and as a supposed statement against the pureblood status quo, which, while Nera was fond of appearing to be against all the blood purity stuff, actually mattered a great deal to her. She thought good breeding was especially important, and was very, very proud of her wizarding heritage, even if her own father's exact lineage was unknown. The green, rectangular frames suited Nera and gave her an intelligent look which luckily was backed by a prodigious intellect. Not that Nera was one to put her brain to use in the traditional sense, usually she only scraped by with average marks, something that baffled the professors. Nera preferred to spend her time researching her own interests or entertaining herself with the subtle manipulation of their peers. She was less physical than her sister, preferring to use her mind to gain power, rather than her body. Where the eye was generally drawn to Acantha, Nera was the opposite. As striking as she was, somehow the eye often forgot to notice, and slid over her. At least until she spoke. Her voice was a weapon and she could be very convincing where she had reason to be. Apollo perched on the arm of her chair, as co-prefects they were often together now, though it was Scorpius who they had in common and Scorpius had always thought they mostly just coexisted and tolerated each other for his sake.

"Zabini, come over here would you? Settle an argument." Montague called from where he was sitting at a cluster of tables. Acantha had been sitting with him moments before joining her cousin. Both Zabini girls looked up, Nera looking away again in apparent boredom when she saw who it was and realised she wasn't the one being addressed.

Acantha sighed and stretched like a cat. "My people await." She blew Scorpius a kiss and stood up, sauntering back to the tables and leaving the three sixth years be. With her leaving, the younger students went back to their own conversations, less interested now that the head girl was gone and nothing exciting was being discussed.

Nera was watching Scorpius again and he turned his head to look at her but didn't give her the satisfaction of asking what she wanted.

"That potions essay, seriously its like Sato wants to bore us to death." Apollo was saying and Scorpius took it as a natural progression of the conversation considering the Weasley Incident. Nera smiled and raised one eyebrow at Scorpius. "I wonder if he even reads the bloody things. I mean, surely he gets bored too? Who cares about... what was it?"

"How the phases of the moon affect the harvest of water plants and the subsequent effects on a potion." Nera supplied automatically.

"Could it be more convoluted?" Scorpius commented, deciding that Nera's staring was even more pointed with those glasses she wore. Like when you angled a magnifying glass so that the sun was concentrated through it. If she wanted something, he hadn't managed to decipher what it was.

"Can you think of a more straight forward way to say it?"

"No and I'm not about to try." Scorpius wagged one finger at Nera. He'd known her since they were babies but whatever motivated Nera often remained a mystery to him. He eyed her, noticing that she had her hair tied back today, barely enough of it to stay in a ponytail. Her hair could be a little on the kinky side, but she kept it smooth, tamed and glossy with charms and potions and maintained a fringe which only served to emphasize her glasses and the same green eyes her sister boasted. Nera's skin was lighter than Acantha's, but not by much. Her face was more heart shaped, her bone structure resembling that of her mother's more so than that of her father's. She was slimmer than Acantha too, and yet softer, less muscled. Nera cared little for exercise and was unfit enough that she'd dropped all the classes held in classrooms located above the sixth floor as soon as she'd been able to, something Scorpius would tease her about if only Nera would react. Really though, who chose their academic pursuits based on the location of each class in the castle? She didn't care what he though, and met any such teasing with a cool look and a calculating smile that made you wonder if it was all part of some grand scheme and she was the one who ought to be laughing.

"How about 'The relationship between moon phases and water plant harvesting in regards to potion brewing.' Or something like that." Apollo suggested, fussing with his tie and not looking up at either of them.

"How about who cares?" Scorpius made a face and adjusted one of the cushions at his back to a more comfortable position. Nothing worse than getting a kink in your neck or your back from slouching, not that he'd sit up except when his grandfather or father insisted on it. It was hard work to drape yourself in a manner that appeared careless while also protecting your spine.

Scorpius actually liked potions, and was always getting excellent marks but the term had barely begun. If this essay was an indication of how NEWT prep was going to be, Scorpius wasn't looking forward to the rest of it. Without looking at Apollo, Nera gave her co-prefect a nudge, pushing him off balance so that he stood up. Looking as if he was tempted to hiss but couldn't quite work up the energy, Apollo glanced at her, and then at Scorpius who shrugged and indicated that the other boy could join him on the couch. Apollo took the other end, then used his wand to move a foot stool close enough for his use, lazily kicking his feet up and crossing them at the ankle, expensive boots on display. His head was turned and he was watching a game of Wizard's Chess through heavy lidded eyes.

"I might go and scope the library before dinner, get a start on this thing." Scorpius was already standing up even as he spoke and Apollo looked back at him, clearly not inclined to come over all studious himself.

"I'll save you a seat, mate." He answered in dismissal.

Scorpius nodded and, absently pulling his robes around him a little tighter, strode from the common room. He could feel Nera's eyes on his back and the feeling remained the entire way to the library.

You two are so brilliant. UGH my jealousy of your writing skills. It's amazing and I'm so glad to finally get caught up! I love it!

the writing of these chapters are so polished and smooth, I am quite jealous. I really enjoy Scorpius' character development as well. He seems like such a legit dude. Great job, Tegz! And Ern, too! Y'all are awesome. *two thumbs up*

Already told Tegz this. I love this guys...Scorp seems so human and I love it.

Scorpius is such a HUMAN PERSON, I adore him. Thank you for giving us someone so real, and Acantha and Nera too. It makes me so happy to see characters like myself and people I know, and you've written such a racially diverse cast it makes me tear with pride that I know you two.

Thanks, guys. This was a marvellous chapter.

4.2 Gryffindors in the Library

The library wasn’t Rose’s favorite place to study. It was far too drafty, and the quality of quiet distracted her from whatever task required completion. Not the good kind of silence that spurred productivity, this silence was heavy with the knowledge that Madame Pince was lurking somewhere in the stacks, waiting for a student to bumble into one of the many nitpicky traps that allowed the old woman to eject them. Rose was in favor of treating books with respect, and she was certainly in favor of quiet, well lit rooms designed entirely to promote studying, but even she felt that Pince’s library was oppressive.

She typically worked best in the common room, especially during free periods or just before or after dinner when students weren’t confined to the room by curfew. For general reading, Rose had created a nook under the gabled window in their dormitory by pushing together trunks and tucking in spare blankets and sweaters from home. The other girls used it, but Rose curled up there with a textbook most often.

There were other quiet spots in the school that she frequented when the common room was unbearable or when she was working toward a deadline that demanded all her attention, but the library fell in the middle of that list. Still, she found herself there an hour before dinner, working on a Potions essay that was due early next week. In point of fact, she'd finished the essay ages ago, gathered a few resources for a long term History of Magic project that was due in a month, and even run her numbers for Arithmancy a few times. Rose had finished her homework, a small feat that never really seemed possible on most days. Just as one assignment was completed, another professor would assign something else equally taxing. In truth, she enjoyed the work as much as she enjoyed the pride of knowing she pulled in the best grades in their class, especially those moments when the runes suddenly made sense or the numbers fit together as they should. Her favorite, though, was digging past the lists of dates and names in History of Magic to find the meat of the real story about people in a time long past. Even goblin wars weren't too bad, although they were only interesting once she started looking at the root cause of each skirmish.

Of course, Rose did well in other subjects too. Care of Magical Creatures and Herbology were mostly about memorization and recall, in spite of the plethora of interesting bits of information available, and Rose could regurgitate information at will. But they weren't fascinating, and she sincerely doubted she'd remember which type of dragon gave the best dung for fertilizer in 20 years time. Potions she liked, but that was because of the professor rather than the subject matter. Professor Sato was intelligent and intense, and he expected a great deal from his students. Compared to Binns, who seemed only to expect them to snore quietly based on the number of times he brought up the same events, Rose preferred Sato's style of teaching. He kept them on their toes, and he was the only professor who had ever chastised her on her performance in class. Rather than being shamed, Rose burned with the desire to be better, to prove she was worthy of the knowledge he was imparting.

Today, she stayed in the library past the completion of her homework, not because she'd latched on to some side project that interested her but because she had a little mission of her own that couldn’t be completed anywhere else. Her library studying companion of choice was Alberta Grimshaw, a quiet sixth year who had never drawn the ire of Pince and had never been thrown from any room in the school. She was inoffensive and lacked natural curiosity, which Rose found useful - she was hoping to avoid both attracting the attention of the librarian and piquing the interest of her studying companion. Alberta had the appearance of a ghost - she was almost entirely the same shade of pale. Long, thin hair the color of a peeled banana, watery blue eyes that seemed to disappear into a wan, lipless face, and, today, even a cream colored jumper with little pastel bluebells embroidered on the sleeves.

And she seemed not to have noticed that Rose was quietly shifting her books around the table without really doing any work.

"Which books do you suppose get looked at the least in here?" Rose was pleased that her tone came out steady and disaffected, as if she was merely wondering and didn't care at all about the answer. "I mean, areas with the history books and the potions books get steady traffic. Do you suppose there are areas that don't?"

Alberta put down her quill and gazed at Rose, her expression vague. Unbothered by the interruption and not a bit curious about the question. She really was the perfect companion today. "I suppose... sections where people don't read the books."

"What books don't people read, though?" A bit of impatience crept into her voice, but Alberta remained as placid as ever.

"Maybe the ones they can't read." It was a nonsense answer, actually, and Rose banished Alberta to the top of Ravenclaw tower in her mind. That was the place for riddles in this castle, not here in the library where Rose required actual assistance. The perfect companion fell down on the job when required to actually contribute to the...

A thought occurred to her, and Rose grunted in response, clear permission for Alberta to return to her work. She'd said that people wouldn't look for books they couldn't read, hadn't she? The answer to this riddle might be this: students couldn't read a book if it was in a language they didn't speak. Did the library even carry books in other languages? Surely it did, and surely students seldom visited those shelves because Hogwarts currently offered no curriculum in foreign languages. Rose weighed the logic of her thinking carefully, giving the nervy little wiggle in her seat that meant she was working out a problem.

"I'm going to put some of these books away. Are you through with them?" Rose gathered the discarded texts on herbology and history, not waiting for a response from Alberta before she darted away into the stacks. As familiar as she was with the library, it took a moment to set those tomes in their correct spots, and then Rose was free to meander along a circuitous path toward the furthest unvisited corners of the room. She passed the Restricted Section and wished desperately, as she always did, that she had a reason to enter, although today it was more about leaving something behind than it was about taking something with her. Those old, forbidden books intrigued her on an intellectual level, and she felt a bit insulted by the idea that she couldn't be trusted with any sort of knowledge. Just because one knew something didn't mean they were always fool enough to use that knowledge. It might just be nice to know what was in the world before she had to hit it at full stride.

At the corner, Rose hit a section of books that were clearly in Gobbledegook. The shelves were thick with dust, so thick in fact that Rose was able to trace out a trailing line with one fingertip along the length of one. Gobblegook was good, but there were still some students with an interest in banking or curse breaking that would require study in this section. Good wasn't quite enough. She capped the end of her line with a triangle, making it into one long, swirling arrow. This way to secrets.

The dust grew thicker as she walked, and Rose was forced to cover her mouth and nose with her sleeve. Disgusting, really, and completely shocking that Pince didn't bother to keep this section of the library as clean as the well used ones. It worked in Rose's favor, but she still felt a little sorry for all the books resigned to this sad book purgatory. Something about having one's value completely overlooked spoke to her, and it left Rose feeling even more resentful of Pince than normal. The woman was supposed to be dedicated to books, but only the books people read, apparently. Only the ones commonly held as valuable. It was a stupid thing to try to turn into some sort of statement about society on the larger scale, but Rose was inclined to be resentful today.

Because people were so petty and thoughtless, she was having to creep through the library like a criminal. She was having to avoid her best friends so they wouldn't offer to come with her and spoil her plans by asking too many questions. And she was having to leave one of her most precious possessions essentially out in the open just to keep it from prying eyes. Sometimes, people ruined everything.

The problem with her plan arose once she found a likely stretch of shelves in the Mermish section. The books were probably well over fifty years old, with faded pages and leather binding so stiff with disuse that it would crack down the spine upon the next opening. These books hadn't been handled in ages, maybe not even in the years since they'd been published, and they tilted together on the shelf, suggesting there was room to budge everything down and easily add a book. Rose tried her small, leather-bound book in the space, but the new binding and lack of dust seemed to add a little glow of obviousness to the new addition. If anyone happened down this aisle for any reason, it would stick out like a boil on a veela. Completely out of place.

Perhaps she could hide it within the pages of a larger book, but she was sure that would damage the spine of any book she chose. Maybe Pince didn't care about these books anymore, but Rose did. Giving up on the idea of hiding the book out in the open, Rose ran her fingers along the top and bottom of the shelves. Perhaps a sticking charm on the bottom of a low shelf. Even if someone entered this aisle, they'd have to be on their hands and knees in the exact right spot to find the book. Something about the plan felt as if it lacked finesse, but Rose simply didn't have the time today to keep looking for a likely spot. She might make it back to the library later in the week to look for a better spot, but at least it was out of the common room and away from nosy Lily and her sticky little fingers.

Rose crouched at the end of the row where the books were of middling height. Too tall and she'd never get her book out again; too short and her addition to the shelves might be visible for someone leaning down to reach for a book. Carefully, she clasped the base of the upright supporting the shelves, and she nearly fell over when it pulled loose in her hand. What was this? Even the shelving in this section of the library was falling apart! Rose certainly wasn't leaving her prized possession stuck to a piece of furniture that was likely to cave in on itself in the next few days. She studied the slab of wood in her hand, turning it cautiously to avoid splinters. No sign of damage; rather, the whole thing looked to have been extracted from the existing piece of furniture using a neatly done slicing spell. Even wand work, straight and steady cuts that were clearly intentional and magically made due to the lack of Muggle tool marks.

With rising excitement, Rose leaned around the end of the shelf and peered into the empty space created behind the missing slab. The little hollow was stuffed with bits of crumbling parchment covered in the loops and swirls of someone else's handwriting. Sweeping back her red curls to keep them from the dust pile forming on the floor, Rose tugged the first strip of parchment free. Then another and another. Love notes, all of them, sent from various girls to some heartless cad of a boy who had obviously stopped leaving them notes in response at some point. The names on the notes were unfamiliar, and they were dated from nearly thirty years ago. She was probably safe in assuming no one was coming back for these love letters and that no one currently at Hogwarts was aware of the existence of this disused mailbox. Safe in assuming she could hide her own secret musings here, and they would be protected - perhaps for another 30 years, although Rose had no intention of leaving anything here that long.

Each piece of parchment was plucked deliberately from the cubby and rolled together into a tidy packet, and Rose settled her own book into the space once the hollow had been cleared. Perfect fit, almost as if the space had been waiting for this use all along. She deliberated over the appropriate charms to keep anyone else from finding this hiding spot, even though the ancient treasure trove of notes gave her full confidence that no one was going to happen upon it accidentally.

"Rosie?" She heard Alberta's voice from the direction of the Restricted Section and realized just how long she'd been gone. It must be nearly time for dinner, and there was no plausible explanation she could offer Alberta that would explain where she'd been all this time. Luckily, Alberta wouldn't ask. She probably wouldn't even wonder, which was just as good. Rose fitted the wooden slab back into place, lining up the trim to leave the base looking just as unmarred as those on either side of it. Truly, this was the perfect hiding spot. No one would ever find it here.

She brushed her knees clean of dusty smudges and pulled cobwebs from her hair as she hurried to where Alberta waited with their belongings gathered into two separate parcels. If she noticed the packet of notes Rose held, Alberta didn't say a word, and Rose slipped them between her books as they sidestepped Malfoy on their way out of the library. Subterfuge was such draining work; Rose sincerely hoped they had pudding with dinner.

Intriguing chapter, and a well written one! You guys are so good with words.

*is jealous of your skillz*

ah...something tells me that this is going to get even more interesting....it also might just be my sinking suspicion and thought that "Weasleys should stay away from other people's personal notes/letters/books/diaries" you know...because of the whole Voldemort trying to steal Ginny's life essence bit.

This is why I think they named the story Rose Weasley and the Memory THIEF. I'm sure she didn't mean to clear the space in the first place...but she might get in trouble for it. *can't wait for the next chapter!*

Sorry guys I'm having my Sherlock moment here. Carry on.

UGH

UGH

UGH


YOU TWO!! I just can't with you two! You two writing together is so smooth and so amazing. I just wish I had half the talent that you two have.

*agrees with Stefan*