ROSE FELT ALICE'S eyes were on her as she got ready for her date. It was no secret that Rose had kissed Scorpius causing an outcry in the family. Albus refused to talk to her, alienating himself from Scorpius, Rose, and Eloise. Lily pretended as if nothing happened to not create a confrontation. James only talked to Rose about Quidditch and the plans he was putting forth if McGonagall didn't cancel the rest of the season. Some of her other cousins, like Roxanne and Dominique, thought it was hilarious how a simple kiss could cause such a reaction.

"Well you are the precious baby Rose of the family," Roxanne said during dinner the day they had returned to school from winter break. "I'm sure if it was any other boy Grandpa Weasley would've still exploded."

"But you had to do it with a bloody Malfoy!" Dominique laughed, spilling her pumpkin juice all over the table.

"Just give it some time Rose," Roxanne reassured her cousin. "For Merlin's sake, you bloody see the dead! If you want to get a little action you deserve it. Doesn't matter from who."

"Please don't refer to it as 'getting a little action'," Hugo groaned, pushing his plate away from him.

"Who cares if Albus isn't talking to you," Dominique magicked her pumpkin juice off the table and back into her goblet. "We just made Hugo lose his appetite! Something I never thought I'd see!"

Scorpius was right though about the family not wanting to ruin the Christmas Eve dinner, and after the holidays her cousins never stopped talking to her or asking her questions about her sight. Despite McGonagall's restrictions and blatant lies about why the restrictions were there, the Weasley clan couldn't keep their mouth shut. Rose thought it was a miracle the school wasn't abuzz with rumors. Yet the only time the school talked about Rose was her fall from the broom, and now her relationship with Scorpius. A relationship Rose and Scorpius haven't themselves put a title on.

"James says your bullocks for even fancying him let alone going out with him," Alice's soft voice felt like a sharp cut through Rose's heart. Here she was getting ready for a date with a boy she liked. Her best friend was supposed to be helping her. She was supposed to be supportive... "Albus says you're ruining everything just attempting a relationship."

Rose sighed and continued to brush out her dark frizzy red hair in the mirror, "And what does Minister Shacklebolt say about me and Scorpius since everyone wants to bloody push their nose into it -"

"I think it's quite selfish of you for being with him," Alice walked over to her and stood behind her. Rose looked at Alice's stonified stance through the vanity mirror. "He's a Malfoy and you should know more than anyone from your family how horrible a Malfoy can be."

"Yet no one had an issue when Albus decided to befriend him and bring him around for family events."

"Friendships are different. Nothing like relationships. If Scorpius betrays your family it would be easy to leave him behind -"

Rose stood up from her chair and looked at her friend in the eyes. "Easy? Alice if I were to betray you would it be easy to leave me behind?" Her hands were balled in fists and her eyes burned. "I appreciate your concern for my feelings but I would advise you to not be prejudiced against people who continue to prove themselves good."

"Rose, I -"

"I'm going to be late," Rose pushed past Alice and grabbed her large blue bag from her bed. "You know I would've really liked to talk to you about boys. You know... what mates are supposed to do. Talk to each other about things like this without being yelled at and brought down."

Alice quickly stepped in front of Rose before she could get to the door. Her demeanor matched Rose's anger. "Well you have Eloise, don't you? You two spend lots of time together talking about everything. Don't know a bloody thing about you because you only talk to her -"

"You know what!" Rose huffed, tired of this act Alice was playing. "Eloise laughed and smiled when she heard I kissed Scorpius. She was happy for me."

Rose grabbed the door when Alice said, "Of course, she was happy for you and Scorpius. She's a Slytherin."

Rose couldn't help but laugh. "Yes, and you're a Gryffindor... but look at who's being the bitch."

She slammed the door behind her and made her way past the common room, not stopping to say hello to any of her cousins or classmates, and continued through the passageway.

Rose was excited for this date, for it was not only her first date with Scorpius but her first date altogether. She wore black leggings, black combat boots with white shin-high socks poking through, her large blue bag hanging off her shoulders, a dark maroon knitted sweater, and a black leather jacket. Accessorized, of course, with her grey gem necklace proudly displaced around her neck and resting just at the top of her stomach.

It was only a short walk before she got to the Entrance Hall of the castle, the meeting place she and Scorpius agreed upon. The sight of him standing there, wearing a black button-up shirt, black tight jeans, and a brown aviator jacket made her anger at Alice slightly melt away.

"You look... so beautiful," Scorpius smiled, and Rose blushed to feel his eyes look her up and down. She wondered if she truly did look beautiful. If her outfit was good enough. If her hair was brushed okay. Or if her sweater was too informal. "Are you ready to begin our date?"

Rose tried to say something, anything, but her nerves got the best of her and all she did was smile and take his hand as he guided her out of the castle.

+++

"Rose that did not happen."

"I swear it did! My mum was so embarrassed she nearly divorced my dad right then and there."

"All because he and your Uncle George set off firecrackers during your baptism? Couldn't imagine why she'd be angry."

"My poor muggle grandparents! All my mum wanted to do was do a muggle tradition with them and that happened! It had nothing to do with religion but you know, got to keep the parents happy."

"Was it on accident or on purpose?"

"On accident of course. It was supposed to be for celebrating the occasion after the ceremony. Uncle George got my dad along with it saying what better way to integrate muggle tradition than to add a bit of magic to it. Of course, they didn't account for what might happen if Uncle George accidentally trips over a pew."

The two couldn't help but explode into laughter imagining the scenario where a muggle church was filled with the Weasley Wizard Wheezes firecrackers. Their antics got them a few quizzical stares from the other customers at Madam Puddifoot's tea shop, but the date was going so well that the couple didn't even notice. The two were enjoying their tea (Rose had gotten honey ginger and Scorpius spiced pear) and their high tea entree that came with soup, tea sandwiches, sweets, and scones with sweet cream and lemon curd.

"You know I used to dislike you very much," Rose smirked as she sipped her tea. "Didn't like you stepping on my toes."

Scorpius dropped the scone he was holding. "What do you mean? Stepping on your toes?"

"You know! Being a Chaser, a Prefect, and doing the same three upper-level classes as me." Rose exclaimed and continued to shyly sip on her tea.

He picked up his scone from the table and laughed, his face going bright red. "I didn't even notice I was doing that." He quickly took a bite out of his scone, then looked at Rose accusingly. "If you were so worried about me stepping on your toes why did you help me with Quidditch?"

It was Rose's turn to blush and she shrugged her shoulders and said, "I just wanted you to know how good you could be if you actually believed in yourself."

Neither's face returned to their normal completion.

After finishing their scones, teas, and sandwiches, Scorpius suggested a walk through the town. "It just started flurrying again when we got our tea." So the couple left the tea shop and hand in hand walked the streets of snowy Hogsmeade.

It was strange, Rose concluded, to hold his hand. She didn't think it was uncomfortable nor did she not like it. It was just after all these years of seeing Scorpius as a friend of Albus's and soon a friend of Rose's the concept of holding his hand seemed strange to her. She was even embarrassed at the thought of just leaning over and kissing him like she did that Christmas Eve. This was unexplored terrain for Rose, but for Scorpius, he seemed so confident and comfortable with how the date was going along. There was no quiver in his voice, no questioning in his actions, no second-guessing on what they were doing.

He took action and kissed Rose's cheek as they walked along with the snow-covered town, her face still warm from the tea shop. Yet, the snow flurries coming down cooled down her blushing face, but nothing could cool down the place he kissed her cheek. It was more intimate, if possible than the kiss on the cheek he gave her before Quidditch tryouts. She thought about that kiss and how James had gotten so angry at her. How people instantly started to make assumptions. However, since then, their friendship seemed to be under constant and close observation. And now that they were going on a date...

"Is everything okay?" The two stopped their walk and Scorpius looked at her, raising his eyebrows in concern.

Rose tried her best to put up a good smile, but even she wasn't convinced about her makeshift smile. "Alice and I got in a fight today... about you."

Scorpius's face fell slightly and he tightened his hold on Rose's hand. "She doesn't like the thought of us, does she? Like Albus?"

"Have you talked to him?" Rose asked, trying to hide her desperation for any good news about her cousin and failing to do so.

He gave off a sad laugh, "I... no we haven't talked. But, he did take a gig at The Three Broomsticks without me."

He nodded his head over to the pub that was filled with light and sounds and music. From where they stood Rose could see the new outdoor patio, where just months ago the two boys were just performing for the grand opening. Now, she saw only Albus singing and playing the drums, while an enchanted guitar played music beside him.

Rose's heart hurt looking up and seeing Scorpius's tight jaw as he watched Albus play without him. "My father warned me from the moment I told him about my crush on you, that some people wouldn't agree with it because of our family's history," Scorpius began. "I didn't care. I mean I didn't even think it would be an issue because I never thought I would have the chance to be with you, but I didn't care regardless if people didn't like us together. If we were happy then that would be enough."

Rose curled her arm around his and leaned in closer to him as he said, "I still feel that way. Knowing I have just the slightest chance with you... it's enough." And with his other arm, the one Rose wasn't holding on to, he cupped her face and leaned in to kiss her.

This kiss was sweet and warm. Gentle and loving. Her anxiety melted into the kiss and evaporated as she pulled him closer. There was no one here to interrupt this moment. No one to shame them for the kiss. No one to scream and yell at them and drive them apart and Rose took solace in this. She pressed herself into him before pulling her lips away.

And all of a sudden holding his hand no longer felt strange.

They continued their walk, but as they got closer to Hog's Head pup the colder they got and the more Rose wished she had gotten a hot tea to-go.

"Rose"

She turned her head back towards the noise, but there was no one there behind her. No one near, except for Scorpius, to call her name.

"Rose"

She let go of Scorpius and took out the wand she had placed in her boot. "Lumos" She whispered and lit up the alleyway with her wand light, but there was no one there.

Scorpius beside her, without question, took out his wand and illuminated it with light. "Rose, what is it?"

She turned slowly around to see where the voice had come from, but there was no one to be seen. There was no sign of life anywhere around them, but she knew what she heard. She knew she heard her name.

"ROSE"

She whipped her head around and in the field behind her, on the other side of where the Hog's Head lay, were three figures standing there covered in a large black robe and their faces shielded with a hood. Their hands rose to beckon her closer just as they did at the Quidditch field.

Rose wanted to run. She wanted to take Scorpius's hand and run as far away from them as she could, but she couldn't move a muscle.

It wasn't some type of pull from the Veil's magic that enchanted her to not run. No. This time it was her choice to stay and face the figures in front of her no matter how scared she was. All Rose knew is that everyone was only guessing about her fate. No one had a clear idea of what was going on. No one had any idea of what the souls truly wanted from Ravana and her. Fred, James, Lily, and the rest wanted to go back through The Veil to be at peace, but what did these three want? What did they truly want? Why did they truly want Rose?

Just as she took a step forward the figures grabbed their thick black hoods and pulled them down to reveal their faces.

There in front of stood a pair of twins, with hair pure black as night and eyes glowing red. In the middle of them stood the face she'd seen in her dreams. The face of a burning melting man... but as she looked at it, had time to really study it, she realized it was no face of a man at all but that of a woman.

There was a burst of ear-piercing laughter that traveled through the night sky, and when Rose looked back at the figures in front of her the woman's face was no longer melting. She was whole again. This was the face of, Rose realized, that she had only seen on chocolate frog cards and old history textbooks. A face that had once tried to defeat the great wizard Merlin.

This was the face of Morgan le Fay.

The face of Morgana.