Be warned: This story has a lot of twists and turns and surprises. So yeah. I hope you like it :)

CHAPTER ONE
Realizations and Revelations

Rose was brushing her fingertips tenderly across the books lining the bookcase, trying to find one she hadn't read yet. Being in her sixth year at Hogwarts, this was difficult. There may be a lot of books in the library, but Rose Weasley, being her mother's daughter, was a bookworm and had nearly devoured them all.

She was standing on her tiptoes to reach a particularly high book when she caught someone staring at her out of the corner of her eye.

She spun around to glare at Scorpius Malfoy, who casually looked away, his feet propped up on the table where he was sitting. He was throwing a small ball up into the air, catching it again with a slightly annoying smack as it made contact with the palm of his hand.

"What are you looking at?" she demanded, glaring at him through narrowed eyes.

Scorpius met her gaze coolly. "Definitely not you, Weasley."

Rose bit back a rather nasty insult and turned back towards the bookshelf, reaching up to get the novel.

"Can I help you with that?" a low voice suddenly asked her, causing her to jump in alarm.

"Oh, hello, Garrett," said Rose, blushing with pleasure at the handsome young Gryffindor who was leaning against the bookcase and watching her with intelligent blue eyes. Her back turned to him, Rose didn't see Scorpius scowl. Garrett easily took the book she wanted down from the shelf and handed it to her, their fingers brushing against each other and causing Rose to blush scarlet. "Thank you, Garrett."

Scorpius snorted and they both turned to him, Garrett with raised eyebrows and Rose with a look of barely controlled fury. "You have something to say, Malfoy?"

"Nothing to you, Weasley," said Scorpius smoothly as he went back to throwing his stupid ball back into the air.

As she turned to speak with Garrett again, Scorpius glanced at her small frame. Stupid git, he thought as he watched Garrett laugh and smile with her. He caught himself, surprised. Since when did he care if Rose was paid attention to by a boy? Since she got so pretty, the soft side of him said. His bad side told it to shut up.

As Garrett left Rose, she turned around, beaming to herself. Scorpius realized her whole face lip up when she smiled.

Ignoring him completely, she sat at the opposite end of the table and opened her book. Still throwing the ball up into the air, he stared at her, noticing for the first time how adorable she was when she was reading. Her mouth twitched into a slight smile as she read something humorous among the pages.

Rose was slowly becoming annoyed with Malfoy, who was openly staring at her as he threw that stupid ball into the air, catching it again with that unnecessary and distracting thwack.

She tried to concentrate on her book, trying to tune out Malfoy.

Benjamin of Lysander rode through the forest, seething with anger and fear. His brother's pained cries became fainter and fainter as he traveled deeper into the Forbidden Wood. They would pay for –

Thwack. Rose gritted her teeth.

They would pay for what they did to him. As Timmy lay dying in his bed, his attacker still lived among the trees. Hatred for his unknown enemy pushed Ben faster, drawing his sword as he urged his horse into a breakneck pace. He broke through the trees to find the Forest Man waiting, sword drawn –

Thwack. Rose rolled her eyes.

The Forest Man laughed coldly as Ben jumped nimbly from his horse, sword raised and hatred blazing in his eyes. His enemy beckoned him forward with his hand, mock written on his face. Crying out his challenge Ben rushed forward to attack –

Thwack. Rose's head snapped up she glared at Malfoy, who returned her gaze steadily.

"Stop that!" she snapped.

Scorpius smirked and threw the ball back into the air, catching it again and sneering at her angry expression. "If it bothers you, go sit elsewhere."

"No! I was here first!"

Scorpius shook his head, throwing the ball back up. Rose watched its descent, and then as Scorpius sent it back into the air once more.

"Are you purposely trying to annoy me?" she demanded. Scorpius only smirked again and went back to ignoring her. This only infuriated Rose more.

Rose rolled her eyes again and turned back to her book, trying to concentrate but finding herself glancing back up at Scorpius every few minutes. He had changed, not in his personality (or manners, she thought grimly), but in his appearance. Where he was once tall and lanky, he was now strongly built and, she realized with surprise, handsome. Shaking her head at herself, she returned to her book, wanting to get lost between the pages. She read the words, but didn't register them. She glanced back at Malfoy, and this time he was staring at her too.

"What, Weasley?" he snapped.

All her hatred for him for the past five years suddenly flooded through her. She stood up and slammed her book shut, glaring at him all the while. She gathered up her bag and walked past him.

Scorpius turned around in his chair to watch her retreating back. She checked out her book, smiling at Madam Pince, and then left the library, not once looking back. If she had, she'd have seen regret on his face.

Rose sat in the stands, watching the Gryffindor Quidditch team practice, hair blowing in the slight wind, ruffling the pages of her book.

"Rose!" a familiar and welcome voice called. Rose looked up and smiled as her 4th Year cousin Lily made her way over to her. When she arrived and plopped down next to Rose, Lily handed her a cookie, munching on one herself as she watched her old brother, James, zoom around the Quidditch Pitch.

"Where's Albus?" asked Rose.

"I think he was studying with Jessica," Lily said, her eyes on Cody Boggus, a fellow 4th Year and Chaser on the team. Rose noticed this and nudged her cousin, smiling.

"Do you like him?"

Lily blushed furiously and smiled guiltily.

"Maybe . . ."

Rose laughed and Lily joined. James noticed this and flew over to where they were sitting in the stands.

"What's so funny? Is it one of my team? Are they doing something wrong?"

"No," Rose said between fits of laughter. Lily was blushing again as the rest of the team gathered around, looking curious. Cody was smiling slightly at her, Lily pretending to not notice him.

"Are you almost finished?" asked Lily, eyes on her shoes. James nodded, watching his sister through narrowed eyes.

He looked at Rose, who smiled, nodding in Cody's direction. James's eyes widened as he understood. Smirking at his sister, he turned back to his team. "We'll call it a day, then. Good job, everyone."

The team landed and Rose and Lily left the stands to join them on the field.

"Cody, walk Lily back up to the school for me, will you? I have. . . Captain-y stuff to do."

Cody and Lily both blushed. "Sure, boss," said Cody.

"Why can't Rose walk with me?" Lily asked, blushing furiously again.

"I'm not going back to the castle just now," said Rose, smiling at her slyly.

Lily glared at her brother, knowing he didn't have 'captain-y' things to do.

You distinctly heard Lily say, "It's so typical of James to have you call him 'boss,' Cody." Cody laughed as they walked back in the direction of the castle. James, a smirk still on his face, disappeared into the locker room. Rose, not wishing to stick around with a bunch of hormonal-driven boys, one of which was Garrett Bellorum, left the Quidditch field and began to just walk around the Great Lake, enjoying the last of the day.

She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling peaceful. She was beginning to enjoy herself until she saw him coming from the opposite direction.

She glared at him as they walked towards each other. His expression wasn't friendly either.

"What do you want?" she asked, not looking at him as she looked over the lake.

"Nothing from you, Weaslebee. Professor Longbottom's looking for you. Told me I was to find you."

Rose ignored the insult to her name. She held her book to her chest tightly, pushing past him.

"Weasley!" he suddenly said, startling her. She turned around, eyes narrowed.

"What?" snapped Rose.

He stared at her for a few tense seconds before saying, "Never mind."

"All . . . all right," she muttered, looking at him with confusion. Shaking her head at him, she continued towards the castle.

"You wanted to see me, Professor?" said Rose, tapping on the door to announce her presence. Professor Longbottom, a close family friend and practically an uncle, looked up from the paper he was reading to smile at her. He stood up and walked over to her, embracing her warmly, like a father would.

"How's the new term been for you?" he asked kindly.

"It's been great . . ." said Rose, watching him curiously. He was grinning, his eyes distant. "Are you all right, Neville?"

His smile widened. "I wanted you to be the first one to know, Rose." He took a deep breath, beaming. "Hannah's pregnant!"

Rose squealed and hugged him around the neck. "Congratulations, Uncle Neville!"

He laughed in his excitement. "We just found out!" He took another deep breath, a smile still on his face. "Enough about us," he continued, still grinning. "How's the family doing?"

"They're great," said Rose, still smiling at her ecstatic professor, who was practically bouncing up and down with happiness. "So, hoping for a son or daughter?"

Neville shrugged, still beaming. "We'll love them all the same! If it's a son, we'll name him Frank. A daughter, Alice."

"That's wonderful, Professor!"

Rose and Professor Longbottom talked well into the night, discussing things such as how the family was and other things along that subject. When Rose suddenly yawned, Neville gasped as he looked at his watch.

"Merlin's whiskers! 11:30! You must get going. If anyone stops you, tell them I kept you up."

"Thanks, Uncle Neville."

He smiled. "Anytime, Rose." He sighed, smiling fondly at her. "You are so much like your mother."

Blushing with pleasure at the compliment, Rose closed his office door behind her and hurried down the corridors in the direction of Gryffindor Tower.

As she was turning around a corner, she saw two men arguing in fierce whispers. Squinting through the darkness, she made out one as . . . Scorpius Malfoy?

She pressed herself against the wall, barely breathing as she realized he was talking to his father, Draco.

Their voices drifted down the corridor towards her, tones furious.

"You deliberately disobeyed me, Scorpius. I told you to leave it be, but you went right ahead and asked about it anyway!"

"Maybe I wouldn't have gone behind your back if you had told me what was going on to begin with!" Scorpius shot back. "I've heard mum lately. She's been crying her eyes out and the two of you haven't spoken for months!"

"What goes on between your mother and I is none of your concern – "

"None of my concern!" Scorpius exploded, outraged. "Of course it is! You're my parents! I have a right to know what's going on! Who's threatening you?"

Draco Malfoy fell into furious silence, glaring at his son. Scorpius's face was just as angry, his jaw set stubbornly and looking very much like his father.

"You told me once you wouldn't be the man your father was," Scorpius reminded Draco in a softer voice. "Don't let that turn out to be a lie."

"Scorpius – "

Shaking his head, Scorpius turned away from his father and walked swiftly down the corridor, passing right by Rose, who was still pressed up against the wall. Draco left soon after, his face a mask of fury . . . and sadness?

When she was sure neither one was coming back, she hurried along the corridor once more, feeling confused yet curious. What had Scorpius done that had made Draco so furious? And was someone threatening the Malfoys?

She was still thinking about it when she slid under the covers of her four poster, back in her dormitory, brow furrowed.