• • •
Pacify her,
she's getting on my nerves!
• • •
Quickly, and to every fifth year's dismay, the OWL's were approaching sooner than they planned on as winter slowly faded into spring. Even Rose's friends, who weren't particularly the studying sort, were loosing their minds over the upcoming exams. Rose herself was so focused on her own studies, that she completely missed the fact that her brother had gotten a fire bolt for christmas and McGonagall had kept it. She only noticed it when Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch captain, mentioned his worries about loosing to Ravenclaw in the upcoming game, which was still a few months away!
"Rose?" Kenneth Towlers, Rose's friend and fellow prefect, called as he sat besides the Gryffindor as she revised her Herbology homework.
"Hullo, Kenneth," Rose smiled, putting her spectacles up. "Something wrong?"
"Not really," he answered, clearing his throat. "Actually, Rose, can you do me a favour?" Rose cocked up an eyebrow, examining him carefully. "I need you to cover me for rounds tonight."
"Kenneth, I've got loads of studying to do," she sighed in frustration.
"I know, so do I!" Kenneth said, his eyes urgent. "I'm behind in my potions essay, and I won't be able to join Newt's level if I don't revise!"
"I've got my career advice meeting tomorrow morning," she explained, giving him a hard glare. "Can't you ask anyone else?"
"Sadly, no," he responded. "Please, Rose, I know you did rounds yesterday, but I need this!"
"Fine," she gave in. "Who's your partner?"
"I've got Annie," he said, a bright smile on his face.
"Well, at least you haven't got a shitty partner."
• • •
Finally, the Gryffindors had a break from their studies when April first came around. Luckily for them, the twin's birthday landed on a Hogsmeade weekend, allowing everyone for a small birthday get together. However, Rose Potter wasn't looking forward to that weekend since she had found devastating news the week prior to that.
Fred Weasley, had become quite the legend around Hogwarts ever since fifth year had started. Even Rose had to admit that the late nights of Quidditch practise Fred had put in had been working perfectly, causing countless of girls to swoon over the Gryffindor ginger. Rose didn't know were his reputation of one of Hogwarts's players started, but she wished it would end.
But when Fred walked inside the three broomsticks with a girl's hand tightly wrapped around his, her eyes turned the most disgusting shade of green as she glared at them.
"You alright?" Lee asked as he saw the murderous glare Rose was giving Fred and the girl.
"Brilliant," Rose muttered, taking a sip from her butterbeer. Lee cocked up an eyebrow, but shrugged away and decided not to dwell on why his friend was acting so odd.
"There are the birthday boys!" Angelina called cheerfully as she waved over the twins and their dates. "Merlin, we were starting to think you weren't going to show up!"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Angie," Fred chuckled, placing his hand in the small of the girl's back as they stood at the end of the table. "Everyone, this is Lyah Fair."
"Pleasure to meet all of you," Lyah said, giving a small wave to everyone. Rose took the time to examine her. From what she could tell, she was a Ravenclaw due to the blue scarf wrapped around her neck. She had short dark hair and even darker eyes, her skin was pale but her cheeks held a light blush.
"Pleasure is all ours, Lyah," George said, taking a seat besides Kenneth. "It was about time Fred brought someone along."
Lyah chuckled heartily, annoying Rose to the core. Annie, who had clocked the look Rose threw to Lyah and Fred the second they walked in, was silently trying to communicate to Rose to calm down and say nothing. Of course, the red head, tried to stay quiet as long as she could, but she was fighting the urge to say something to Lyah.
What bothered her the most wasn't that Fred had brought someone, it was the fact that Fred hadn't told her he would bring someone. Even if Rose hadn't explicitly said it, she knew Fred knew how she felt about him, which is why she couldn't place in her head why Fred invited some girl.
As small and polite conversation began, Rose couldn't ignore her needs no longer as she spoke.
"You're a prefect, correct?" she sneered at Lyah, cutting off Kenneth at mid sentence and making everyone flinch at her tone. Rose could vaguely recognise her from the prefect's compartment.
Lyah, who had caught everyone's involuntary wince, nodded as she smiled at Rose. "Yeah, I am."
"That's brilliant," Rose challenged, her eyes hadn't changed of shade for the past hour that Lyah had entered the pub. "I've never seen you around."
"That's to be expected," Lyah answered smartly. "I don't exactly roll with your lot."
Rose's eyes went murderous, and that is when most of the group finally realised what was happening.
"Rose-" Angelina tried to interfere, but Rose wouldn't even look at her.
"I'm sorry," Rose laughed joylessly. "Our lot?"
"Oh, don't take it as an insult," Lyah said quickly. "I'm just not exactly the type of person to go out and party the night away every chance I get. I prefer to be a model student."
"A model student?" Rose repeated, her eyes going into slits and all the amusement she had in her voice was gone. "What? Aren't we model student, Lyah?"
By the way Rose had spoken Lyah's name, the group took it as a sign that something bad was about to happen. They had to be honest, Lyah didn't much seem like Fred's type, but the fierce look on the Ravenclaw's face changed everyone's opinion on her. Sadly, and finally, Annie realised what Fred had seen in Lyah... she had Rose's temper.
"Nothing wrong with not being model students," Lyah said, amused. "Reckon you, above everyone else, have better things to worry about, don't you Potter?"
Rose's eyebrow flinched out of reflect, her hand going to her wand slowly. Kenneth, who was sitting besides her, caught her sly movement and place his hand over hers under the table, stopping her. However, her eyes still wouldn't leave Lyah's face.
"Yes I do," Rose muttered in a dark voice. "Only one thing."
Rose moved her finger slightly under the table and-
CRASH!
Lyah had picked up her drink, but it seemed to have slipped, shattering her mug into the table and spilling her butterbeer all over her clothes, making everyone flinch.
"Watch it," Rose said coyly. "Seems like you've got butter fingers."
"Bloody hell," Lyah cursed in a high pitched voice, standing from the table immediately. "I-I don't know what happened. I'm not usually clumsy."
"Rose, a word?" Fred, who had been quiet throughout Rose's and Lyah's exchange, asked, a hard glare on his eyes.
"Gladly," Rose agreed, her eyes still not leaving Lyah for one second as she attempted to dry the drink of her clothes.
Fred grabbed onto Rose's hand, quickly dragging her out of the pub.
"Why did you do that?" Fred demanded angrily once they were outside.
"Do what?" Rose asked, playing dumb. "Her drink slipped."
"Rose Potter, you and I both know her drink didn't slip," Fred bellowed. "Merlin, Rose, what's gotten into you?"
"What's gotten into me?" Rose snapped, laughing dryly. "What's gotten into you,?!"
"What are you talking about?" Fred wondered, baffled.
"You know exactly what I am talking about, Fred," Rose fumed. "Bringing all this girls around and all the other shit you've been pulling!"
"You're jealous," Fred realised, his face growing into understanding.
"What?!"
"My Merlin," Fred laughed humourlessly. "Is that you're problem? Blimey, Rose, out of all the things you do I never expected you to do something out of jealousy."
"I am not jealous," Rose declared, but her eyes gave it all away.
"Yes, you fucking are!" Fred boomed, his expression now crossed as he leaned closer to Rose. "Let me remind you of one little thing, Rose, you were the one who needed time. You can't expect me to sit around forever."
"I never expected you to do that," Rose confessed, her anger at Fred quickly gone and replaced by guilt.
"Of course you didn't," he answered sarcastically. "No, you just expected me to be by your side as I watch you fool around with every other bloke there is until you realise that you don't want to be with them. You might be my best friend, Rose, but right now you're acting like a coward. I am not gonna wait around for you forever, so tell me what you fucking want!"
Fred turned on his heel, planning to get back inside, but Rose gathered all of her courage and said the one word Fred had been wishing she would say, "You, Fred Weasley. I want you."