Shelter From The Storm

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. All recognisable characters, content or locations belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter Eighteen:

Cedric broke up with Cho after his OWL's. He told Rose after the fact, but even if he hadn't, Rose would have known by the way the Ravenclaw fourth year girls had flocked to Cho's side, and simultaneously, had begun to hate on the collective hufflepuff quarter of Hogwarts. Rose herself thought it was all rather melodramatic, but between her own exams, preparation for the upcoming quidditch final, and life in general, she didn't pay much attention to it.

On the day of the quidditch final, she woke up with butterflies in her stomach, anxious despite herself. She'd never actually played a quidditch final before, and on top of that, Oliver, the chasers, and Fred and George were expecting a miracle from her. Furthermore, they'd be playing Hufflepuff, and the thought was nausea-inducing.

"He's my friend," she murmured.

Angelina shrugged, unsympathetic. "Well he's not today."

"Thanks," Rose deadpanned.

Angelina softened, gave Rose a comforting smile, and assured, "He's not going to hate you if you catch the snitch, Rose. Wood, on the other hand…"

Rose grimaced her agreement, tugged her braid from beneath her shirt, and knotted the laces of her quidditch gloves at her wrist. They were soft, pliant leather, and fingerless - made specifically for seekers - and Rose loved them.

As for Oliver…

The general consensus was that the older boy had lost his marbles, likely after too many bludgers to the head, but given they were all likeminded quidditch nuts - to a degree, anyway - no one was about to say anything.

Besides, it was Wood's last game on the Hogwarts pitch. They were all a little more lenient than they had been in years passed.

That, and ridiculously sentimental.

"You ready?" Katie queried.

Rose checked her uniform once more, tightened the laces on her moccasins, and gave the 4th year a nod. "Good. Let's join the boys, then."

Oliver's speech, which could essentially be summarised into the threat: win, or die trying, passed by in a blur, and before long, Rose had mounted her firebolt, had soared into the skies, and had come face to face with Cedric.

"Here we are again," Cedric observed, "Full circle."

"At least it's not raining this time," Rose acknowledged.

Indeed, the early summer day was bright and clear, with only the lightest of breezes, and scant clouds.

In essence, it was another perfect day for quidditch.

"That was rain?"

Rose chucklde. "Touche."

They idled for a time, floating lazily above the other players, before Cedric gave her a grin. "Let the best seeker win?"

"Of course," Rose agreed.

She rocketed away from him then, intercepted Hufflepuff plays when she could, and scanned for the snitch when she couldn't. The scores climbed, Oliver was on his A-game, and at the end of things, as the snitch's wings fluttered in her hand, as the Gryffindor team surrounded her, Rose grinned, satisfied.

Professor McGonagall offered Oliver the quidditch cup, someone conjured red and gold confetti over their heads, and before long, the celebrations had been taken to the Gryffindor common room. Rose herself lingered, gaze on the quidditch pitch, and she smiled.

"Good game?"

She grinned. "Yeah, Cedric. No hard feelings?"

"Not at all," Cedric answered. He slung an arm over Rose's shoulders, and led the way towards the castle. "Between you and me, I'm just glad Slytherin didn't get their hands on it. I was getting really tired of Flint's attitude."

"Ugh, tell me about it," Rose agreed, laughing. "Will you come to the party?"

"Would I be welcome?"

"I invited you, didn't I?"

With that logic, Cedric joined the Gryffindor house party, where Rose was hailed a legend, where Oliver was farewelled with fire whisky and toasts, and where Percy caught Fred and George snogging Angelina and Alicia, respectively. The party itself didn't end until the early hours of the following morning, and Rose had lost sight of Cedric somewhere over the course of the night, but when she woke again, it was nearly midday, most of the house was still asleep, and Cedric wasn't the only non-Gryffindor passed out in the common room. They didn't really have time to laze around though, because the end of term feast was that evening, and the students would be departing the following morning.

With that in mind, Rose spent a great deal of her day packing and cleaning, and making promises to write to friends Rose hadn't realised she'd had. She returned library books she'd borrowed, and some clothes from friends, too, and by the time the feast rolled around, Rose was tired, and ready for bed.

"Are you ready?" Nora enquired.

Rose straightened out the hat on her head, nodded with a grimace, and followed her friend towards the Great Hall. It was a formal occasion, of course, which called for the formal uniform - hat and all - and as she reached the entrance hall, she consoled herself with the knowledge that she wasn't the only one who would look like a dunce tonight. The wizard's equivalent lacked the brim - a cap, more than anything - and when she caught sight of Cedric, she laughed.

"It suits you," she quipped.

Cedric rolled his eyes, tugged downwards on the brim of her own hat, and laughed when it covered her eyes. "Yours does too, Rose."

She pouted. "Git."

He shrugged. "That's me."

The feast came and went, Ravenclaw won the house cup, and after a night of dreamless sleep, Rose boarded the Hogwarts Express, settled in a compartment with Nora, and cast her gaze out the window.

"Another year gone," she sighed, "It's sad to go, yeah?"

"Yeah," Nora agreed, "It'll be nice to go home, though."

Rose nodded too, eager to go home to the Tates to Alastair and Jean, and to Sirius as well, and to the holidays awaiting her there. She might have been leaving HOgwarts, but Rose would be back again, and as the Hogwarts Express past by the Scottish countryside, she smiled.

All was well.

Author's Note: The end of an arc, methinks. A temporary hiatus, and then fourth year. Perhaps in September? Mildly appropriate.

Thanks for reading. Hope it was worth it.

Until September, -t.