A/n: I hope you'll enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it... please review!

Disclaimer: I own nthing but the plot and a few OC's; everything you recognize is J.K.Rowling's.

Chapter One: It's Going to be a Long, Long Year...

                                                                                      Rose Weasley's POV

I'm unusually sleepy as I leave the dorm with the girls and walk down the stairs into the Gryffindor common room.

“Morning Rosie!” I hear my cousin James say cheerfully.

Yeah...not normal for someone who just woke up at 7:00am like we did. Especially not on a boy.

I guess he's a morning person...Well actually it's more like he's an all-day-long person—he's always happy and cheerful. On your lower days he'll even make a fool of himself if he has to, just so that he can see you smile! James Potter is just that kind of person that fills everybody with his energy. He's got straight black hair, sky-blue eyes and is taller then average guys his age. He has this amazing aura of happiness around him and you can count on him for almost everything. He's also very outgoing. We get along perfectly and I can always get pretty good advice from him (surprisingly so), even if he doesn't follow them himself. On the other hand, he has a very long list of detentions for pranking on other students and he's known for his stupid jokes.

“Hi Jay!” I look over at him and smile, retrieving his ear-to-ear grin.“Morning little sis,” he says to my cousin Lily, who's just behind me.

“I'm fourteen years old James, fourteen... Calling me “little sis” makes me feel like a child, so please don't call me that!” she replies in a tired, moody tone. She, as you can see, obviously isn't a morning person. Still you shouldn't get a bad idea about Lils before you get to know her—this is just her morning face. “Would you like me to call you 'older big brother' from now on so that you can feel like a thirty-year-old?”

“Er... nop?” James asks uncertain.

Lily's irritation fills the room.

“Do you even comprehend what I'm saying?” she asks exasperated, ready to explode.

“Of course I do, Lils! Don't get stressed so early in the morning, okay? I'm sorry. There's no need for that!” James answers defensively, raising his hands in front of his chest as to defend himself from her attack. He always backs away when Lily's temper becomes evidently worse.

“Alright. Good morning to you too then. I'm glad you understood.” She walks towards Sabrina Thomas, who is just aside the portrait hole. She flops her beautiful, shoulder-length vivid red-hair behind her back casually.

She inherited that from my Aunt Ginny, as well as the blue eyes and the short temper.I can't really place her talent for Quidditch in only one of her parents’ inheritance since both of them were excellent Quidditch players—well, they were, in their Hogwarts time. Aunt Ginny even played as a beater for the Holyhead Harpies Team afterwards! (GO HARPIES!...er, sorry? hem-hem... moving on...) Lils is one of the two Gryffindor beaters herself (along with Uncle George's son, Fred, another of our numerous cousins), and has been since third year, so I guess she took her mother's talent. Uncle Harry always played as a seeker.

That's James's position on the Gryffindor Team (he's also been Captain of our team since last year) and Albus's position on his own House team. Albus is Lily's other older brother.

He is fifteen and a fifth year, just like me. He's a perfect copy of my Uncle Harry physically, but psychologically he is a bit different. He's tall and slim with messy black hair and emerald-green eyes. He's not as shy as his dad ... Except around L... uh... a girl he really likes, or any people he has just met. Albus is not too confident nor too cocky, but I guess he just had that in him in enough quantity for the Sorting Hat to place him in Slytherin. He is ambitious though... and a bit of a chicken when it comes to face the women in the Weasley-Potter Clan—so I can see why the Sorting Hat put him where he did... Even so, he's one of my best male friends because; well, because he's a civilized responsible and intelligent young man in whom I can trust my own life...

I wouldn't trust him with my chocolate frogs though... the bloke seriously has some obsession about those! If you ever need him to do anything for you, all you have to do is present him with a huge amount of chocolate frogs and he'll do it! It works every time!

Erin was coming down the stairs now. She's my ocean blue eyed, blonde haired best friend, who is very intolerant with James because of his typical prankster-ladies-man behavior. She seems to be one of the few girls in school (who aren't family) that haven't surrendered to James' charms yet. It's not like he hasn't tried. 'Cause believe me: he has. A lot. And the more she cuts off his attempts of asking her out, the more he insists that they were made for each other. She doesn't actually hate the guy, but she thinks he doesn't deserve a chance to win her heart because he's such a womanizer. Still, they love to tease each other and for as much as they try they can't help it... it's part of who they are, really.

 Erin and I are both stubborn and we have an amazing affinity with each other. Sometimes we laugh so hard at our private jokes we even cry, but if we tell them to someone else they won't understand why it's funny; so most of the times we keep them to ourselves. Erin's also the problem solver. She has had a couple of boyfriends -- that almost gave James a heart attack; you should have seen the state he left said boys in... not pretty at all... -- so I always turn to her when I have boy-problems.

I believe she likes James; no matter how many times she may deny it... I guess Erin will give in, eventually, once she realizes every single girl James ever dated was to try to get her attention; they never meant much to him. Sure, some of them are still friends with him, but friendship was the only thing he was ever capable of feeling towards any other girl who isn't called Erin Sophie Greengrass Malfoy.

Yes, you read that correctly. She is a Malfoy; and you deduced rightfully, she is in Gryffindor... otherwise she wouldn't be in our common room right now scratching her eyes with sleepiness and groaning loudly as she cursed our oh-so-beloved Merlin -- ha ha yeah right! -- yet again for making us wake up at such an early hour in the morning. Not that I usually mind, but today I woke up awfully tired and wanted to get some more sleep.

“Good morning sunshine!” James' eyes got the usual brightness they always get whenever he speaks to Erin and he has a smile-kinda-like smirk plastered across his face. “Slept well?.. you look kind of pissed... you shouldn't you know? It might get you wrinkles when you're older,” He says this teasingly, still smirking and leaning casually against the couch right in front of the stairs leading to the girls dormitories.

Erin, being the respectful young lady she is, just rolled her eyes at him and smirked back.“Oh I slept wonderfully Potter... thanks for your concern on my future wrinkles, but I think I can handle them quite well... unlike you I do have mirrors...” She starts to walk towards Lily and Sabrina, an evil glint playing in her eyes.

“What does she mean?” James looks confused.“Morning James,” says a soft voice of Ludivine behind me.

Ludivine is the daughter of Luna Lovegood and Rolf Sacamander. She has been my friend for ages. Her mother was Aunt Ginny's best friend through their Hogwarts time -- can't say that changed much... those two look like teenagers whenever they get together; always giggling and gossiping... kind of what we do... -- and Lu often went to the Potters on holidays; I'd go along with her to be with my cousins, so we always used to spent some time of our holidays together before we ever went to Hogwarts, and this made us become closer.

Lune and Lily are both a year younger than me, Erin and Albus. Although Lune does like Quidditch she doesn't play because she is afraid of heights. She is a very distracted girl who lives in a world of her own. Even so, she is a very friendly person and people often seek her advice. Ludivine is tall and has dark blonde hair and big turquoise blue eyes.“Hi Lune!” James turned his attention from Erin (who was still talking to Lily, Sabrina and a bloke friend of hers) to smile at Ludivine widely.

She's a very sweet girl and he likes her a lot. But don't get the wrong idea; they both see each other as nothing more than friends. Their relationship is merely brother-ish since they've known the other for so long.

“Did you see any Nargles on your way down?” he mocked her still smiling. Lu just ignored him, rolling her big eyes.

She absolutely hates it when someone mocks her for believing in creatures (such as Nargles) nobody else ever heard of (nobody except Auntie Luna that is...). Instead she looks at me and says,

“Rose, do you fancy some breakfast? 'Cause I'm definitely hungry!”

“Sure... Let's go!”

We made our way down the corridors that lead to the Great Hall.Just outside the wooden doors stood Scorpius Malfoy -- yeah, Erin has a brother: a really idiotic one too, and they're twins actually... -- and two of his fellow Slytherins -- that includes dear Albus and Leonardo Zabini; Lily's crush. He's a nice guy but has an ego the size of North, Central and South America all together.

Malfoy is leaning against the wall next to the entrance hall.

How typical... what's with boys and leaning against stuff? I'll never get that... 

 His dark-blond hair is falling over his face in a way that highlights the grey of his eyes. Malfoy's emerald-green tie hangs a bit loose, as always, and the first two buttons of his shirt are unbuttoned and show a bit of pale skin -- he's not as pale as his sister or his father, but he is still pale; his skin is more like his mother's, Astoria, who has a kind of soft peach skin tone.

If I didn't know him already I would say that he was Adonis...

I frown. Damn him and his veela blood.

Why has that arrogant little git to look so good?

He seems to feel the weight of my gaze on him because he suddenly lifts his head up and looks me straight in the eyes. As he realizes who we are, he pushes himself off of the wall and starts walking towards us. He has his stupid trademark smirk on his face and he's still looking at me directly in the eyes. I break the eye-contact feeling uncomfortable with the intensity of his gaze. James smiles at his brother and their best mate.

“Hey there fellas!” James's traditional greeting.

“Hi Jay,” Malfoy and Al greet back in unison.James approaches the other boys and starts messing his brother's hair even more than the usual -- if that's even possible --, while giving Leo and Malfoy a friendly pat on the back and a handshake. Albus tries to protest at the treatment his hair is receiving from the other male Potter.

“Hey! Stop that! It took me hours to make it casually straight... And now you've just ruined it!” he says, seeming a bit stressed.

“I'm sorry to say that your hair will never be as straight as mine, mate,” answers James mockingly, pretending sorrow and rounding his sibling's shoulders. Albus shoved him off.

“At least his hair does have some natural charm... like dad's hair for instance; yours is just too straight to be considered interesting...” says Lily, smirking.

Ouch! That must have hurt! So much for James's enormous ego... At this all of us laughed. Albus smiled victoriously at his brother and James mumbled something under his breath. Then he decided to change subject so he could stop all the giggling.

"Anyways... What are you guys up to? Does it involve pranking?” James asks excitedly.

“Well I'm sorry James but this time we're not up to anything of that sort. In fact, I was just waiting for the ladies here,” says Malfoy when he stops laughing, looking at both me and Erin. “More precisely my little sister and Miss Weasley.” He comes closer to us and my heart starts to beat furiously against my chest just as he stops at an arms length distance from me and Erin.

“Okay... that's my line to leave... I'll be off to breakfast. My stomach is killing me!” says James starting to walk towards the doors. “Coming boys? Lune? You're not leaving me alone at Gryffindor table are you?” he asks the others still smiling. He didn't talk to his sister though... I guess he's still mad at her for making fun of his 'oh-so-precious' hair.

Lily and Lune smile between themselves and then follow James and the boys into the Great Hall.

“Oh...so do you have another sister I don't know about?” Erin asks in a calm sarcastic tone. She puts her hands on her hips, the others already gone. Although she's acting calm, I've known her for long enough to see her anger boiling through her skin; Malfoy does too, and we both know what's coming next... the eternal discussion of doom: Who is the eldest of the Malfoy twins? Malfoy or Erin? “I was born twenty seven minutes precisely after you so you're not older! Actually, according to recent studies I am the eldest, I just had to wait 'till you were born because you were closer to the exterior!”

Oh no... here we go again...

I don't know which theory I should approve, because both have their point... therefore I usually shut up; but then, at other times I support Erin; not only because that's a friend's job, but also because I get to see Malfoy pissed; which doesn't happen that often... but today I'm not in the mood for such idiotic discussions.

“C'mon Erin... we both know that's bullshit...”Erin opens her mouth to say something but Malfoy cuts her off. “No... I'm not going to argue about this for the millionth time... it's starting to get boring... so I'll just say what I want to and then we can all go for some breakfast...”

Wise decision, Malfoy, 'cause if I had to listen to that stupid argument once again I would be in Azkaban in a nano-second and you and your dear sister would be dead...

He pauses waiting for some kind of reply from Erin. Seeing as she wasn't going to give him any, he takes a small piece of parchment from the inner pocket of his robes.“Mother sent me this yesterday evening.” He handed the letter to Erin. “It's about our birthday. She wants to know who you're taking to the Manor, as usual.”

Their birthday is in December 15th so we're already on Christmas Holidays. I, Lily, Dom and Lune always spent the first week of holidays in Malfoy Manor with Erin because of that, and their party sort of lasts the whole week we spend there. Unfortunately, it's Malfoy's home too, so I have to put up with him also.

“I have already told her who I want to take and that I would tell you about it so you could reply to her too.” Malfoy keeps explaining.

“As if you don't know who I'm taking home...” says Erin rolling her pretty eyes at her brother, smiling. “Anyway... thanks Scorp! I'll sent mom an owl after breakfast.” She kisses his cheek and goes past him. “Ta-Ta mon cher frère!” she says happily, waving her hand to Malfoy in a very 'Victoire-ish' way. I try to follow her, but then:

“Wait! Rose, I want to talk to you!”

A hand on my wrist, and then hearing my first name coming from him make me stop dead on my tracks.

“I had told you so...” He comes in view but my muscles seem to have frozen. My legs feel like jelly and my heart is racing so fast I fear he might hear it. From the corner of my eye I see Erin smirking at me.

“Well if you've got to speak to Scorpius I'm afraid I'm going to breakfast by myself...” I hear Erin say with a somewhat plotting tone in her voice. “I'm awfully hungry so I've got to get there fast...'' Erin? Hungry? She's the one who always complaints about how eating in the morning is so useless! How do you explain that?

He seems to have left day-dream-land -- or his brain finally decided to process the information I gave him -- and takes his hand off of mine and to his hair instead; he does that a lot when he's thinking. Strangely enough, I find myself missing the warmth of his hand in mine.

“I... wanted to talk to you about prefect rounds. They've changed and you're no longer doing them with Rosalie Jones.” Rosalie is a Hufflepuff prefect and she has been my rounds partner since the beginning of the year. She's friendly and understanding and we've become quite close over the last few weeks. “Now you're doing them with me...”

Oh no... Why?

Oh Merlin, if on another life I arranged a shaving appointment for you I'm terribly sorry! But please, please make my life a bit less stressing! Is it too much to ask to send this being to Siberia?! I don't think so; actually, I think man-kind and wizarding community would be grateful for being rid of such an ego inflated idiot! Will you please consider the offer? It's a really good one ...

Unaware of my little mental discussion with Merlin, Malfoy just keeps talking, “...and they're going to be every Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30pm to 10:45pm, on the Astronomy Tower and every Saturdays from 8:30pm to 11:15pm on the same place plus the third floor. Violet told me a couple of minutes before you arrived and asked me to warn you about it. She said that since we did such a great job last year we should do rounds together this year too. And once the prefect round teams have turned less efficient, she's putting them exactly like last year's and with the same schedule so that the rounds work better.”

Violet Baudelaire is the Head Girl. She's a very witty, black-haired Ravenclaw with whom I like to talk and discuss stuff because of her intelligence and sense of humor. She's a very good acquaintance of mine... well at least she was... She knows how much I dislike Malfoy!

Why did she do this to me? Specially now that I was already convinced that I wouldn't have to take Malfoy's unwanted presence for the rest of the year...

 I sigh, defeated; Violet never goes back on her decisions.

“And when is this 'oh-so-wonderful' experience going to start?” I ask in a bored tone. He smiles wickedly at me.

“Just after the holidays, my dear... and then your nights will be mine.”

Something about the way he said that made me shiver. It didn't go unnoticed by him and now he's smirking.

“No, they will not,” I say calmly. “And I don't even have to speak to you during rounds, so don't get your expectations too high, Malfoy, 'cause you might hit the ground hard when you fall.”

Now I'm the one smirking. But he doesn't seem affected by my words; in fact he looks amused. I feel angry about how I can never get him upset, no matter what I do.

“Well, love”—  stupid little ferret! He knows what I feel like when he calls me that! —“you can't fall twice... and I already did once so I guess my 'expectations' will be fine...”

“Idiot!” I say, for lack of better words. “And I'm nobody's love!”

“Is that all you can call me?” he asks, still calm. My blood boils on my veins at this.

“Oh just shut up, Malfoy!”

“If you don't have anything better to say, then you are the one who should shut up,” he says.

I'm so fed up with him that I don't even notice how dangerously close we are now.

“Make me,” I say in a low, defying tone. He gives me lopsided smirk.

“Gladly.”

And then I knew I had fell into one his schemes once more. And in seconds my anger passed to shock, then to realization and my eyes went wide in horror. He grabs me by my waist and before I know it he's kissing me with a passion and fury I didn't see coming.

To my utter bewilderment I'm corresponding to it properly. -- And Merlin does it feel good! -- I don't know what has gotten into me but I can't let go of him. I am completely out of the sense and rationality I'm known for and I don't even care. I'm just kissing him back like there's no tomorrow.

I feel him smile during the kiss and grip me more tightly.

Oh god...If every argument we have from now on is meant to end like this, boy am I having a difficult year...

And with that in mind I part from the kiss, gasping for air.

A/n: Did you like it? If you want to let me know all you have to do is review! (constructive criticism is appreciated so review about your dislikes in case you didn't like it).

Thank you so much for reading!

kisses,

Bella ^^