Chapter 13
April arrived with all of its usual optimism and disappointment, the initial sunlight giving way to a heavy frost and a late snowstorm that seemed to dampen the spirits of every student in the castle. Even freezing temperatures and late-season storms wouldn't stop Henry Winkle from having the Ravenclaw quidditch team on the pitch five nights a week, though, as the match against Hufflepuff drew nearer.
Rose and Maren complained every single night they were required to go out to the pitch, returning to the common room with sore legs and half-frozen fingers, their ever-growing piles of homework awaiting them. Yet as she stood in the changing rooms before the match, tugging on her quidditch robes, Rose was immensely grateful for the extra training. The competition for the house cup that year had grown rather close, with all four teams sitting within a sixty point margin, and her stomach had begun to twist itself into knots whenever she thought of the fact that the upcoming match was Ravenclaw's last chance to make it to the championship.
This was also her last chance to better her keeping average and win her bets against Nathan Nott and Alec Davies, but that was a different matter altogether.
"How're you feeling now?" Maren Thomas asked from across the changing bench, her quidditch robes billowing around her and her hair tied up in a tight bun. They had been checking in on each other every twenty minutes since breakfast, attempting to keep one another calm as the time for kick off drew nearer.
"Nervous," Rose replied, biting her lip. She glanced to her right where Katrina DeMarco and Hera Plumaj were getting ready, and back towards Maren. "But I'm glad now that Winkle made us practice in all that horrid weather. It's going to be freezing out there."
"Ugh." Maren grimaced. "Hopefully we get a quick match."
Hera looked up from where she stood, her quidditch robes half tied on her tall frame. "I was talking to Davies, the Gryffindor keeper, yesterday," she said. "He thinks the temperature will rise through the afternoon but the wind will get worse so we'll want to make sure we all have our protective gear on."
Rose felt her eyebrows shoot up. "Davies said that?" she asked, unable to keep a note of surprise out of her voice. She felt her chest clench as something, a feeling she refused to name or even think about this close to a match, rose in her throat.
Hera nodded absently and tied her robes tight. "Yeah, I know it's strange that anyone on the Gryffindor team would want to help us," she said, completely misunderstanding the reason for Rose's response. "We were just chatting about Charms at dinner yesterday since we're in the same class and I mentioned how much I loathe flying in high wind."
"Oh." Rose picked up her wand and busied herself casting an impervious charm on her face and an anti-moisture charm on her hair, just in case it did start to snow again. "Well that was nice of him."
"Yeah, he's a nice bloke," Hera said, sitting on the bench and tugging on her trainers.
"Hey," Maren leaned over and whispered, poking Rose in the side. "Cheer up. I wasn't going to tell you until after the match, but I overheard Davies at breakfast this morning telling James he had something important planned for after the match."
"Really?" Rose spun to face her friend, all thoughts of Hera leaving her brain. "What d'you think he meant by that?"
"Dunno." Maren shrugged.
"Well, how'd he say important?"
"Just like that." Maren raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Important."
"Hm."
"Don't go batty, now," Maren warned, pointing a finger at Rose and glancing over her shoulder at Katrina and Hera. "I only told you so you wouldn't look like someone just killed your owl."
"I didn't," Rose scowled.
"You did." Maren tapped her wand to her head and performed an impervious charm. "Merlin, I hope he asks you out soon and gets it done with. You're starting to drive me mad."
"Shut up."
"Is everybody ready?" the voice of Henry Winkle, who had not yet found a way to ask if the girls were decent without being horribly awkward, boomed through the doorway.
"Ready!" Maren shouted, as the girls all scrambled to collect their brooms. Rose snatched her dragonhide keeper's gloves from the bench and stood up straight as the boys marched into the changing room. Henry stopped in front of the girls, his silver captain's badge gleaming on his chest and his face set in a determined glare. Scorpius shuffled around the captain to stand beside Maren and Linus Fleming scurried to stand beside Katrina.
Maren leaned over and nudged Rose. "I almost forgot," she whispered, "did you see Hugo in the Great Hall this morning? He looked a bit nervous."
"No." Rose swallowed and shook her head, trying not to think too hard about her younger brother and the fact that they would be playing against each other in less than half an hour. She had told James and Fred she wasn't worried about playing against Hugo. And she really hadn't been. But now that the day was here the prospect was decidedly less pleasant. She just had to not think about the fact that her brother would be on the pitch with her, aiming bludgers at her and her friends.
"Alright team, listen here," Henry said, his chest puffed out slightly and voice taking on the authoritative clip he used when he really wanted to impress something upon them. "We're still in this. The cup, it can be ours. We can win it. But to do that, we need to make it to that championship match, and that all depends on how we play today."
Rose bit the inside of her cheek and nodded. They could do it. If they played well today they could win the cup again.
"Chasers," Henry said, looking in turn at Katrina, Scorpius, and Maren. "The teams that make it to the championship match are going to be the ones that put up the most points. So if there was ever a day to fly out of your minds, this is it. Don't hold back. I want you in front of that goal post every chance you get. We need to have points on the board. Even if we catch the snitch, none of it will matter if we can't cover our point spread. Got it?"
"All clear, Captain," Maren said with a mock salute while Katrina and Scorpius nodded.
"Great," Henry replied, ignoring Maren's sarcasm. "And Weasley," he turned to Rose. "You guard that goal post with your life. Nothing gets past you today. Understood?"
Rose nodded. "Understood."
"Plumaj," Henry glanced at his seeker. "Try not to catch the snitch until we've racked up some points, yeah?"
"I'll do my best," Hera shrugged. "But if it's right by me-"
"Do what you can," Henry said. "Fleming and I will try to make sure Hufflepuff doesn't get the chance to end the match early."
Outside the changing room a whistle trilled, and Rose gulped. Her teammates shuffled around her upon hearing the whistle, adjusting their robes and shouldering their brooms. Rose grabbed her Nimbus and squared her shoulders.
"Ready?" she asked Maren as they lined up behind their teammates.
"Ready as we'll ever be," Maren replied. Following Henry and Hera, they walked out of the changing rooms and onto the quidditch pitch.
The sound outside was deafening, and Rose resisted the urge to cover her ears. Fans from both houses had turned out in droves; the fact that the teams were all so close this year had caused no small amount of excitement over the past few weeks. The stands to Rose's left were adorned with bronze and blue, its spectators on their feet cheering as the team marched to the center of the pitch. Rose grinned as she looked up, trying and failing to make out Lucy and Allie from the mass. She scanned the crowd, wondering briefly where her parents had chosen to sit, what with both their children playing that day. Rose smiled to herself and adjusted her broom against her shoulder.
Cheers erupted from the other side of the pitch as the Hufflepuff team walked out on the pitch, their yellow robes seeming to glow against the drab grey of the early spring slush. Rose spotted her younger brother easily, his thick brown hair sticking up around his ears and his face looking rather green as he surveyed the crowd. Rose wondered if he had already seen their parents, if he knew where in the stands they sat.
Wood called both captains to the center of the pitch. Henry stalked forward, his face set as he shook hands with the Hufflepuff captain. As he walked back to his team he caught Rose's eye and gave a terse nod. "Let's win this."
Wood gave a short blast of the whistle and Rose mounted her broom, knees bent, the balls of her feet pushing against the frozen ground. She felt as though sparks were running through her muscles; her whole body felt electric.
A second blast of the whistle rang out and all fourteen players pushed off, flying through the air to take their positions. Rose came to hover in front of the goal posts, clutching the handle of her broom through her dragonhide gloves and watching as Katrina took possession of the quaffle.
"Welcome, everyone, to today's match up of Ravenclaw versus Hufflepuff," the voice of River Jordan boomed over the bewitched speaker to a chorus of applause. "We have Ravenclaw's Katrina DeMarco with an early possession of the quaffle here. She goes left, passes to Malfoy, Malfoy drops low, dodges a bludger, passes to DeMarco. DeMarco approaches the goal-oh, forced to retreat as Hufflepuff's Hugo Weasley sends a bludger her way-"
Rose shifted left and then right on her broom, drowning out River's voice as she forced herself to focus on the quaffle. Katrina had managed to keep hold of it while avoiding the bludger, but then Bhinderwala, one of Hufflepuff's chasers, came up from below her and knocked it from her grip. Rose watched as they quickly turned, flying back down the pitch towards her, the quaffle tucked neatly under their arm.
"Bhinderwala with the quaffle," River cried. "They fly left-Ravenclaw's Winkle tries to send a bludger their way but it didn't seem to make it-"
Bhinderwala approached the goal, and Rose took a deep breath, watching as the seventh year's eyes flickered between the goal posts. They looked left, then to the center hoop just over Rose's shoulder. Rose watched, leaning back slightly, as the Hufflepuff began to fly right and then jerked to the side, lobbing the quaffle towards the center hoop. Rose leaned back, one hand remaining on the handle of her broom and the other reaching up until it connected with the soft leather.
"Saved by Weasley!" River shouted, and the blue and bronze crowd cheered madly. Rose grinned, breathing heavily as she brought the quaffle down to her chest and scanned the pitch for one of her teammates. Scorpius had flown near the goal posts so he hovered at her left, and Rose threw the quaffle neatly to him.
Scorpius took off down the pitch, diving down towards the ground to avoid a bludger and looking over his shoulder for a teammate.
"Malfoy with the quaffle! He's flying low, coming up to goal and the Hufflepuff beaters hot on his heels-"
Another bludger shot past Scorpius and he leaned to the right, narrowly avoiding contact. Rose watched as the Hufflepuff chasers flew towards him, one of them descending from directly overhead.
"Shiloh Panza of Hufflepuff is approaching Malfoy," River cried, "Would you look at that speed! Panza's not stopping! They're going to crash-"
The Hufflepuff chaser pulled out of the dive at the last second, shooting to the left and around Scorpius, only to approach from the back a second later.
"Malfoy still with the quaffle, and Panza still circling," River announced. "It looks close-oh! Malfoy completes a pass to Maren Thomas, and she's off! Thomas with the quaffle-she passes to DeMarco-DeMarco goes right-she goes up-she passes to Malfoy-Malfoy goes down again-he avoids a bludger sent by Weasley-he's coming up! He's approaching goal! Where are the Hufflepuff chasers? Malfoy at the goal posts and-GOAL! Ravenclaw's Scorpius Malfoy makes the first goal of the game, making the score 10-0 Ravenclaw!"
The match continued at the same furious pace for nearly five hours. The Hufflepuff chasers appeared to be under the same orders as their Ravenclaw counterparts to score as many points as possible, for they played more aggressively than Rose could remember them doing in any match before. The Ravenclaw chasers held their own, holding onto the quaffle through a fair number of bludgers and feints as both teams tried to score enough goals to potentially make the championship match even if they didn't get the snitch.
The snitch, with the aid of the furious wind and light drizzle that had begun sometime in the second hour of play, had remained elusive. Both seekers circled the pitch, their eyes scanning the air for the little golden ball, and there had been one or two moments when one of them started careening down the pitch only for the ruddy thing to disappear again.
Rose, for her part, had begun to grow nervous that the snitch had actually left the pitch and wouldn't ever be caught. It had happened before, she knew, in 1747, and the players had continued playing for over two days before someone found the snitch flying over the lake. The thought of spending another day and a half on her broom, with her legs aching and her fingers growing stiff from the cold, made her want to scream.
Rose adjusted herself on her broom and flexed her fingers, shaking her head at herself. She had to focus. She could not let herself lose momentum now. Aching legs and freezing fingers aside, Rose Weasley was having one of her best quidditch performances ever. She stayed in front of the goal posts, her eyes narrowing when any of the chasers approached, her gaze locked into the scene in front of her. Since the beginning of the match she had saved one hundred and six goals and let in fourteen.
"Alright, witches and wizards," River Jordan called through the speaker, their voice somewhat flatter than it had been at the start of the match. "We are entering our sixth hour of play and neither team seems to be slowing down. The score stands at 210 to 140, with Ravenclaw leading. Though at this point it's still anyone's game."
Rose ground her teeth and tried to focus, her gaze flitting around the pitch. Maren and Katrina were by the Hufflepuff goal posts, tailing the Hufflepuff chaser who currently held the quaffle. Scorpius hovered in the middle, ready to take the quaffle or guard one of the girls against a bludger if necessary. Rose caught sight of Hugo flying near the Ravenclaw stands, his posture slightly stiff and his beaters bat looking rather heavy in his hand. Suddenly, a blur of movement in the far corner of the pitch seemed to catch everyone's attention.
"Plumaj is racing towards the Hufflepuff end," River murmured. "Has she seen something that the Hufflepuff seeker missed or is this another feint?"
Rose craned her neck and squinted to see Hera laid out nearly flat on her broom, one arm outstretched.
"It looks like she's seen it!" River bellowed, the energy returning to their voice as the remaining crowd began to perk up. "Plumaj is behind the goal posts, she's reaching out, AND SHE'S CAUGHT IT! AFTER FIVE HOURS AND FOUR MINUTES, HERA PLUMAJ HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH! Ravenclaw wins 360 to 140!"
The stands erupted in cheers, and Rose pumped a fist in the air, nearly falling off her broom as she slumped in relief. They won! And by over two hundred points! She could finally get down and land on the sweet, sweet ground. Ravenclaw would be going to the championship match!
Rose descended to the ground and hobbled off her broom, her legs feeling like jelly beneath her as she fell into the rest of her teammates huddled in the center of the pitch.
"We won! We won!" Henry Winkle chanted, putting an arm around Rose's shoulders and pulling her and Katrina DeMarco to him. "We're going to the championship!"
"You all played brilliantly," Rose grinned as she slipped out of Winkle's grasp. She spotted Maren running towards her and threw her arms out, colliding forcefully with her roommate and nearly falling down.
"We won! We won! We won!" Maren shouted in her ear, jumping up and down in her excitement. "Oh, Merlin, Rose, I didn't think we'd be able to do it for a bit there."
"But we did!" Rose replied as the two girls broke apart. Scorpius and Linus had joined the team, both beaming as they looked around.
"Brilliant job on the goal post, Rose!" Linus called.
"Thanks, Fleming," Rose shouted. "Good work to you too. You stopped so many of their goals."
"You played well, Weasley," Scorpius said, nodding in Rose's direction.
Rose turned and grinned at him, the high of victory still coursing through her. "Thanks, Malfoy. You, too."
The spectators had begun to spill onto the pitch, and Rose spotted Fred and James approaching with Zeno and Alec. She stood on her toes and waved furiously, biting down the urge to shout across the pitch to remind them that RAVENCLAW WON!
"Rosie!" A familiar voice came from behind her and Rose whirled around to find her father, clad in a Hufflepuff jumper and a Ravenclaw hat and scarf, striding towards her with a wide smile and outstretched arms.
"Dad!" Rose ran to him and let him wrap her in a crushing hug, her feet nearly leaving the ground.
"You played phenomenally!" Ron burst out, letting her go and ruffling her hair. "Over a hundred saves! Unbelievable!"
"You did very well, sweetheart," Rose's mother said, appearing behind her husband. "I was so impressed with both of you! I can't imagine having to spend that much time on a broom."
"Eh, it wasn't that bad," Rose shrugged, ignoring the ache in her leg muscles.
"I'll tell you, Rosie," Ron shook his head, looking up at the goal posts as if the match might be reenacted, "when that one Hufflepuff chaser got so close to you and you did that half quarter turn to get the quaffle-"
"That was one of the ones I was most worried about," Rose grimaced. "Winkle just had me learn it this month and it's so hard to do it right."
"Well, it about gave your mother a heart attack, but you made it look so effortless."
"Really?" Rose beamed proudly. "I was scared to try it in a match," she admitted quietly, leaning forward so only her parents would hear. "You can't really see where you're going when you turn that way."
"I can't believe they allow you to try such things in a school match," Hermione sniffed. "Honestly, it's a wonder more students aren't injured during these events."
"Wood knows what he's about," Ron shrugged. "He'd call anything he thought was dangerous. Say, Rose, where's your brother?"
"Er-" Rose looked over her shoulder and scanned the pitch for the Hufflepuff team, a pang of guilt hitting her for not checking for Hugo earlier. She saw Mr. Thomas talking animatedly with Maren and Katrina, and Alec Davies grinning as he chatted with Hera, likely about her catch. A few hundred paces away she spotted the yellow robes of the Hufflepuff team at the same time her father did.
"Oy, Hugh!" Ron Weasley bellowed, disregarding the looks he got from the students and spectators nearby. "Hugo Weasley, over here!"
Rose ducked her head and tried to cover her face with her hands.
"And here I keep hoping he'll get better one day," Hermione whispered, bending down and running a hand over Rose's hair.
Rose snorted, peering up at her mother and letting out a chuckle. "He's right embarrassing sometimes."
"Yes, well, we still have to keep him around."
Hugo joined them, somewhat bowlegged after the long match. His hair stuck out at every angle, and the corners of his mouth turned down slightly.
"Oh, darling, you played marvelously," Hermione murmured, her hand leaving Rose's head to reach for her son, pulling him towards her into a tight embrace. "Your dad and I were so proud watching you out there!"
"Nice work there, Hugh," Ron said, ruffling Hugo's hair. "You looked great, and you kept your form nice and even all the way through. That's tough in such a long match."
"Thanks," Hugo mumbled, breaking away from his mother and sighing. "Wish we would've won, though."
"Can't win them all," Ron replied, throwing an arm around his son.
"I'm glad you guys were able to come and see us," Rose said, looking between her parents.
"We wouldn't miss it," Hermione said with a smile.
"Oy, Weasley!"
All four of them looked around at the shout, and Rose grinned when she saw Maren waving her back over to where the Ravenclaw team was huddled.
"I have to-" Rose turned to her parents apologetically.
"Go be with your team," her mother said. "And well done today!"
"Thank you!" Rose called over her shoulder, already halfway back to her teammates.
"We're having a party," Maren announced as Rose came to a stop beside her.
"Really?" Rose asked, looking from Maren to Henry Winkle, who had his arm draped around Linus Fleming's shoulders and looked as though he might shout or cry at any given moment.
"We bloody well deserve one," Winkle boomed, looking around and puffing his chest out. "It's not every year Ravenclaw makes it to the final match! We're just one win away from the cup."
"I personally would love a party," Katrina DeMarco grinned.
"The whole house should celebrate," Winkle said, "as long as the prefects don't mind." He paused and looked from Rose to Scorpius, who stood beside Katrina.
"Oh." Rose suddenly realized why she had been called over for the conversation. She caught Maren's eye, tossed her tangled hair over her shoulder, and let out a giggle. "Yeah, let's do it. It's been ages since we've had a proper party in our house."
A few paces away Scorpius cracked his knuckles and shrugged. "As long as the younger students are in bed and it doesn't get too rowdy, I don't see why it should be a problem."
"Excellent," Winkle beamed, stepping away from Fleming and turning back towards the changing rooms. "Well, if you'll all excuse me then, I have some arrangements to make. Mind you don't invite too many people from other houses. I'd rather we not get shut down before nine o'clock."
"Oy," Maren elbowed Rose in the rib. "We ought to find your cousins and invite them. Merlin knows, they've brought us to enough Gryffindor parties."
"You're right." Rose nodded and craned her neck, searching the crowd for Fred and James. She found them quickly along the perimeter, standing with Zeno and Alec, and tugged Maren with her to join them.
"Nice match," Fred greeted her, reaching out an arm and giving Rose a swift hug as she approached.
"Thanks," Rose mumbled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear and trying to keep from smiling too hard at them. Alec Davies stood beside Fred, grinning ear to ear, and Rose felt something in her chest lift.
"That was a fantastic match to watch," James said. "Thomas, I don't think I saw you stop once."
"I don't feel like I did," Maren groaned, stretching her arms behind her head. "I already know I'm going to hurt like hell tomorrow."
"Bet it's worth it, though," Zeno Aylmer laughed. "Now you get to play against these three for the cup."
"Joy," Maren rolled her eyes and let out a short laugh.
"Gryffindor's still going to win," James drawled, "but Ravenclaw did look good today. Rose, that had to have been your best match."
"It was." Rose couldn't help the grin that split her face as her eyes found Alec Davies'. "I saved one hundred and six attempts," she told him.
"I was counting," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I'll have my work cut out for me keeping my average higher."
"What are you doing to celebrate tonight?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow.
"That's why we came over here," Rose said, turning to face him. "Winkle wants to have a proper party and you're all welcome."
"Wow," James whistled. "A rare Ravenclaw party. I'm honored."
"They're not that rare," Rose scowled.
"Eh." James shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. "Rare enough. Do try not to get so smashed at this one that I end up getting yelled at, though, Rose."
Rose's face flamed and she glared at her cousin. "It was not my fault Dom told you off-"
"We'll be there," Zeno broke in. "I don't actually know that I've been in your common room before."
"Well, we'll see you there tonight," Maren replied. "Davies? Will you be there?"
"Of course," Alec nodded, his face splitting again into the wide smile he had worn when they approached. "And I'm hoping it won't be the last time I'm invited to the Ravenclaw common room."
Rose felt as though a balloon were expanding in her chest, and found it momentarily difficult to breathe correctly or form a coherent sentence.
"Don't make us regret inviting you tonight, then," Maren responded when it became clear Rose wasn't going to. "We should get changed, then, Weasley, if the whole school's coming to our common room tonight."
"I-" Rose stammered, still trying to collect herself, "yes-we should-let's go."
"See you tonight!" Maren called over her shoulder as she hauled Rose back across the pitch and towards the changing rooms.
The rest of the team was already in the changing rooms, chattering and laughing as they pulled on their school robes. Katrina had already changed and stood in front of a mirror performing a drying charm on her hair. Hera stood by the bench, bare chested and without a hint of embarrassment, zipping up her trousers.
"We thought we lost you two," Katrina said as Rose and Maren skipped into the room.
"Just had to invite the Gryffindor wankers to the party tonight," Maren shrugged. "They've let us tag along with them more than enough. It's nice to be able to return the favor for once."
"Oh?" Katrina's reflection peered at them from the mirror. "Who all did you invite then?"
"Weasley's cousins," Maren answered as she kicked off her trainers and tugged at her socks. "And then Aylmer and Davies."
"It will be a fun party then," Katrina laughed. "I've never heard of a boring night that involved those four."
"That's what we're hoping," Rose said, peeling her damp quidditch robes off her torso.
"Say, Plumaj," Katrina said, taking a tube out of her bag and applying a serum to her face. "What were you talking to Davies and Aylmer about for so long on the pitch?"
Rose glanced at Hera and saw the older girl give a nonchalant shrug as she jerked a Falmouth Falcons shirt over her shoulder. "Oh, nothing too terribly exciting. Davies wanted to know if I'd seen the interview with the new Harpies seeker that was in Quidditch Quarterly, and if I'd go to the ball with him."
Rose's head whipped up. Hera was fully dressed now and bent over tying her trainers. The balloon that had been swelling in Rose's chest since the match had ended seemed to have popped, and she felt as though her chest were caving in on itself, clenching so tightly it almost physically hurt.
Alec Davies had asked Hera to the ball?
She felt something tug at her elbow, and looked down to see Maren's hand gently pulling her to their bench.
"We ought to hurry up," Maren said in a level voice, nodding towards Rose's school clothes. "We don't want Fred and James to get to the common room before us, do we?"
Rose swallowed, feeling as though a bludger had lodged in her throat, and nodded. She changed quickly without a word, not bothering to dry or smooth her hair and simply bundling the tangled and knotted curls into a ponytail.
Hera Plumaj slung her bag over her shoulder and said goodbye with a final congratulatory wave. From the other side of the changing rooms Rose could hear Henry Winkle still shouting excitedly about the victory.
"Ready?" Maren asked when she had finished changing, grabbing her bag from the bench and throwing it over her shoulder. Rose nodded wordlessly and followed her friend to the door.
Scorpius exited the changing rooms just before them, and he greeted the two girls with a cheerful wave and a bigger smile than Rose could remember seeing on him. His blond hair was still damp and neatly combed across his forehead, his cheeks tinged with a faint flush.
"Back to the castle?" he asked, gesturing to the pathway in front of them.
"Yup," Maren nodded in response as Scorpius fell into step beside them.
"I still can't quite believe we won," he said.
"I can't believe we played for five bloody hours," Maren said with a chuckle. "Merlin, I thought I was going to fall off my broom at one point."
"Even so," Scorpius replied, "I thought everyone played rather well."
Maren murmured her agreement.
"There were no obvious weak spots in our strategy," Scorpius continued, choosing this of all times to showcase his conversational skills. "And we had a better defense than them. Their keeper faded towards the end. Weasley, you did well."
Rose gave a short nod, not looking over. "Thanks."
Scorpius glanced at her, eyebrows knitting together, and out of the corner of her eye Rose could see Maren shake her head at him.
Scorpius, whether he was aware of what had transpired in the changing room or not, took the hint and did not try to draw Rose into the conversation again. He and Maren talked about the match the rest of the way to the castle and to Ravenclaw Tower, discussing personal highlights, times when they thought Hufflepuff might have won but didn't, and how happy they were to finally be off their brooms.
When they reached the common room Rose gave an abrupt wave and left her teammates for the dormitory, taking the stairs two at a time. She would only be a few minutes, she told herself. Nobody would miss her. She would be back well in time for the party, and she would be her usual excited, smiling self when the Gryffindors arrived. She would laugh and chat and have a spot of butterbeer, listen as Maren re-told the story of her most exciting goal, maybe even congratulate Hera again on catching the snitch.
But for now Rose wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed with one of her books. She pushed her tangled hair from her face and sighed as she realized she would have to fix it before going back down to the common room. She probably looked like a merperson.
The door to the fifth year dormitories creaked open against Rose's hand, and Rose entered the circular dorm quietly, dropping her bag on the floor beside her bed.
"Oh," a small squeak of surprise sounded from the corner, and Rose saw Lucy kneeling beside her bed folding a jumper.
"Oh, hi," Lucy said somewhat awkwardly, smoothing the jumper in her lap before placing it in her trunk. "Er-good match today. You must be pleased."
Rose shrugged and dropped down beside her own trunk, flinging open the lid. "Yeah," she said with forced enthusiasm, hoping Lucy couldn't see her face and would drop the conversation. "It puts us in a good position for the final."
Lucy nodded and began folding a bronze and blue scarf that she had plucked from the floor.
Rose rummaged through her trunk absently, finally pulling out a wide tooth comb and getting to her feet. She removed her hair from its haphazard ponytail and felt it fly around her face, the unruly curls going every which way. She sank onto the corner of her four-poster bed and began to roughly pull the comb through her hair, wincing at the pain in her scalp.
Not that it mattered what her hair looked like tonight, she thought petulantly. Alec Davies already had a date to the ball. He wouldn't care one bit what her hair looked like.
Lucy glanced up from the other side of the dorm, her face scrunched in a frown as she looked as Rose. Rose looked away and continued to silently drag the comb through her tangled hair, in no spirit to be reprimanded by her cousin.
Lucy placed the scarf in her trunk and got smoothly to her feet, crossing her arms as she looked again to Rose. "You're going to rip your hair out if you keep combing it like that, Rose."
Rose shrugged, drawing the comb down again and trying not to cringe as she looked down at her knees.
She saw Lucy's feet approach slowly. "Would you-do you want help with that?" Lucy asked haltingly. "I don't want you to break the comb."
Rose paused and bit her lip, the comb suspended by her right shoulder. She nodded. "Can you braid it?"
"Sure." Lucy climbed tentatively onto Rose's bed, the mattress dipping where her knees landed. Rose slid silently down to sit on the floor, her shoulders level with Lucy's knees. She heard Lucy exhale and shift her weight, settling into a sitting position as she removed the comb from Rose's hand.
"Davies asked Hera, our seeker, to the ball," Rose said dully as Lucy began to gently pull the comb through the ends of her curls. Rose leaned back as she felt the gentle pull against her scalp, followed by the cooling sensation of what she supposed to be a smoothing charm.
"He did?" Lucy asked, her voice steady.
Rose sighed and settled back against the mattress.
"Hold still, Rose," Lucy chided, not unkindly as she began running the comb horizontally along Rose's scalp and sectioning out hair. "It makes it hard to do this if you keep moving."
"Sorry." Rose bit her lip and tried to keep her head still. Another smoothing charm hit her scalp, and she felt Lucy pull a section of hair taut and wrap it around another.
"I'm sorry about Davies," Lucy said, pulling another section of hair to the center. "You really liked him, didn't you?"
"Yeah," Rose mumbled, unable to keep her voice from breaking slightly. She tried for a laugh to ease the tension and it came out rather like a sob. "I guess I'm just unlucky when it comes to finding a date for the ball, hm?"
"Maybe it's better this way," Lucy murmured, setting the comb down on the bed beside her knee and twisting sections of hair with both hands. "It would've been worse if you had gone to the ball with him and then something like this happened, wouldn't it?"
"I suppose," Rose sighed. She paused and chewed the inside of her cheek. "I just wish...I wish I had something like you and Nathan," she said finally, glancing out of the corner of her eye in an attempt to see Lucy's face. "Someone I fancy that I know...that I know likes me and won't go and ask another girl. I always seem to fancy the boys who don't fancy me."
"You'll find someone," Lucy replied evenly, picking up the comb and pulling a section of hair from the crown of Rose's head. "It...sometimes it just takes a little while. Maybe it'll even be someone you already know. Vic and Teddy knew each other their whole lives and didn't start going out until after he left Hogwarts. Maybe something like that will happen for you."
Rose tried to smile, dipping her head slightly before remembering Lucy's directive to keep still. "I don't know about that."
Because, really, who was there for her at Hogwarts who wasn't related to her or already dating her cousin? No, Rose was sure that there would be no school time romance for her. She had tried it and had failed spectacularly every time. She would just have to be like Dom and take a job somewhere far away from Hogwarts and all the people in it, so she could meet foreign princes and take rides on flying carpets.
"Lucy?"
"Yeah?"
Rose swallowed and looked down at her hands. "I don't know if I really have said it to you this year but-you know I'm sorry, yeah? About last year and everything I said-"
"Please don't, Rose." Lucy sounded tired. Though she couldn't see her, Rose knew her cousin was biting her lip and frowning.
"I just—"
"Let's just move on," Lucy said quietly.
"Okay."
They sat in silence, Lucy tugging sections of Rose's hair tightly together.
"I'm sorry, too."
Rose swallowed and let out a breath. It wasn't the exciting, emotional reunion she had pictured and hoped for, but it seemed like something.
She felt a few more tugs against her scalp, and then a light pull as Lucy tied off the end of the plait.
"There you go," Lucy said with a gentle pat on the top of Rose's head. "All done."
Rose ran a hand over her hair, feeling the neat twists pulled close against her head. "Thanks," she said, turning around.
Lucy gave her a small smile and leaned down to set the comb back on Rose's trunk. "You really did play brilliantly today, Rose. Nathan was saying the whole way back here that there's no way he'll win your bet this year now."
"Oh." Rose shrugged as she got to her feet, groaning at the stiffness in her knees. "It was a good match for everyone. I'll have to practice with him over the summer. Now that Davies is leaving I think Nathan and I should be able to shut out Gryffinor and Hufflepuff."
Lucy raised her eyebrows and climbed off Rose's bed, a hand moving to smooth her jumper. "Just mind you don't practice all summer, please." She looked up with a sudden wicked grin. "I do want to spend some time with my boyfriend over the holidays."
"Ugh," Rose wrinkled her nose, though her smile betrayed her joy at being able to talk to Lucy like this again. "Gross. Just because you said that he's not invited at all."
"Liar." Lucy tightened her ponytail. "Even if you don't invite him to see us, Albus will."
"Bugger." Rose pretended to look put out.
Lucy glanced around the dormitory and then at Rose. "So, is everyone else down in the common room?"
"Yeah," Rose nodded, her shoulders falling slightly at the mention. "Probably getting ready for the party. James and Fred and their friends will be coming."
"Oh," Lucy nodded in understanding. "Well," she kicked the lid of her trunk closed and straightened. "We should probably meet them all down there then, yeah?"
"I guess." Rose shrugged.
"Come on," Lucy said, taking Rose by the elbow and steering her towards the door. "Don't be grumpy. You'll be livid tomorrow if you stay up here and miss out on an evening of everyone telling you how well you played."
Rose snorted and allowed herself to be shoved gently through the doorway. She and Lucy walked quietly down to the common room, where the rest of the Ravenclaw quidditch team, along with several other housemates milled about noisily. Allie, Nathan, and Albus sat in a cluster near the center of the room with Scorpius and Maren, laughing over something or other. Fred, James, Zeno, and Alec stood by the entrance deep in conversation with Henry and Hera.
Lucy moved to sit by Nathan, who grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Allie, Albus, and Scorpius all waved hello and Allie shouted congratulations across the table.
Rose snatched a butterbeer off a nearby table and flopped down onto the sofa next to Maren. Her eyes wandered across the common room to where Alec Davies still stood in conversation with Hera, his brown hair ruffled as he leaned easily against the stone wall. Rose tore her eyes away and turned to look at her friend.
"I dunno that I'll ever be able to feel my legs again," she muttered.
Maren snorted and shifted so her own legs were tucked under her, her bottle of firewhiskey balancing precariously on her knee. "I'll levitate you to class tomorrow if you levitate me."
Rose giggled and brought the butterbeer to her mouth, smiling slowly as she took in the party beginning around her, all the people she liked best congregated in her common room to celebrate a Ravenclaw victory.
"Deal."