[Rosie] Don't Kill Me!

[Lily Luna Potter]

Lily had just come from the Rumor Wall. It was her sanctuary. If it was possible, Lily would live under[p/i] that wall. After four years of monitoring it, Lily knew what everyone's handwriting looked like. Nothing could get past her on that wall. Most of the time, Lily acted like she owned it. She was quite proud of herself for keeping her name off of it - meaning, not rumors about her there.

Now, normally, Lily Luna Potter would be seen in the Hogwarts library. She tried to avoid it at all costs - just like she avoided doing her homework. This, was an exception. She sort of, kind of, wrote a certain something about her cousin, Rose, on the Rumor Wall. Lily was, more or less, concerned about her own well being. She hoped that Rose was here, in the library. Lily knew the moment word caught her cousin's ears - she'd be coming after Lily.

Lily looked between a few bookshelves, at students in an attempt to find Rose. With the few tables she looked at. There was no sign of her. Lily caught sight of a pair of older students snogging in the back but, she left them to their privacy. Lily let out a huge sigh of relief. She thought she was safe for now and turned, prepared to leave the library.

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[Rosie Weasley]

It had been a great day. On a whim, Rosie had taken out her broom and gone on a rather long flight. When she finally could not take the forceful wind and sore legs anymore, a stop had been made in the Forbidden Forest.

Rosie had never told anyone, but aside from the library, the eerie restricted land was her relaxation spot. She realized the "forbidden" in the name meant it was not supposed to be accessible to students, but since hiding in it once in her second year, she could not help but frequently visit the dark haven. In any case, it always helped her to sort out her frazzled mind when books and the library could not.

She had sat by a gnarled tree for hours, just thinking about her campaigning and the speechlessness she seemed to feel whenever Frank Longbottom II came around. As much as she had constantly tried to figure it out, she could not. But Rose Rowena Weasley could not possibly be falling for someone, so something must be done.

By the time she had heard a stampede of centaurs and decided to leave before being noticed, she had come up with a plan to focus on the campaiging first and foremost. She would not become like her mum and set aside her life's ambition for a mere boy. Even one she could not stop thinking about.

After returning to the castle, Rosie had decided to visit the Rumor Wall before dinner. She felt very upbeat and in control about her new plan, and was ready to face anything that might occur. Rosie was looking forward to seeing if anything new had been written about her dear cousin James Sirius.

When she reached the wall, she quickly became infuriated. There was a new post, alright. But not about James. No, this one was about her. And although it had been an anonymous post, the redhead recognized the handwriting almost immediately. One did not hang out with someone for the majority of their life without learning that someone's penmanship. And this had Lily Luna written all over it.

"So Frank and I are a couple, are we? Well, Lily, you will absolutely pay for this," Rosie muttered, sucking in her breath. No one would take her seriously now! Her campaigning and attempts to help the house-elves would all be in vain if the school decided she had finally forgotten her organization for a boy.

Rose swiveled around and sprinted to the library. The sooner she looked up some new pranks, the better. However, half a second after arriving in the room, Rosie noticed Lily glancing around. Most likely looking for me, Rose thought as she threw an inconspicuous glare at Lily's back. She did find it quite intriguing that her cousin, who had sworn up and down that she would never enter into any place with books if she could help it, was in the library. However, that would not stop her from chewing the girl out.

Rosie lightly tapped Lily on the shoulder. "What is this I hear about you writing rumors about a nonexistent relationship I have with Mr. Frank Alexander Longbottom II? Do you have anything to say for yourself, Miss Lily Luna Potter? And do not try to deny it, because I know your penmanship as well as I know the author of every single Astronomy book in this library."

[Lily Luna Potter]

Lily was getting an eerie feeling. Maybe it was just being in the library, or maybe it was the feeling that she should leave before she was trapped. As much as Lily wanted to escape this horrible place, she couldn't. The moment she was about to turn around, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Oh Merlin, no! she thought. With a grimace on her face, she slowly, very slowly, and very dramatically, turned around.

Alas! Lily's fears had come true! It was Rose that tapped her shoulder. What was Rose doing? Yelling at her for the Rumor Wall. Lily expected it, and only half listened to what Rose said. Lily was on a mission to get Rose and Frank together. Then maybe Rose would stop with the ridiculous house elf deal. The creatures were perfectly happy with working all their lives. Why ruin a perfectly happy creature? Lily would bet all her galleons that if all house elves were free, they wouldn't stop working or wouldn't know what to do with themselves.

"I won't deny it," Lily said with a bit of a smirk. 'Just like you can't deny that you, Miss Rose Rowena Weasley, have feelings for Mr. Frank Longbottom. Face it - you like him," she said. Lily found it pointless to deny that she'd written it. In fact, she'd take full credit. "Come on Rose, you can't fool me. I know that look in your eyes whenever you see him. Been there, done that quite a few times," she added, with a small giggle.

[/blockquote]

[Rosie Weasley]

How dare she! Rosie thought with an infuriated glare directed toward her cousin. If Rose did indeed hold feelings for Frank--as, though she abhorred admitting it, she had discovered that she did--, that was certainly none of Lily Luna's business. It was a rare moment when Rosie wished to not be a Weasley and to not have such a prying family, but this was one of those times. None of her cousins would leave her alone about her so-called relationship with the Gryffindor. James, Evie, Vic, Lily...they had all taken any chance they could lately to tease her about the matter.

"I absolutely do not," Rosie replied. "And if I did, I really do not see how any of this is your concern. It seems just like one of those plans you are always coming up with to try to make me forget about S.P.E.W. Your taunting will not work, Lily Luna. None of this..." Rosie waved her hand around, trying to come up with precisely the right word, "falsehood has a smidgen of truth to it. I simply enjoy talking to Frank. But I also enjoy talking to Rowan, Alby, Vic, and you. It means nothing."

Rosie was a bit satisfied with her response. While it was true that Lily Luna would completely ignore the remarks, Rose had still been able to say what she wanted to. In a family as big as hers, one could hardly do so. And even more so when the Potters were around...or her mum, for that matter.

"And I would thank you to stop attempting to show me that S.P.E.W. is worthless. I will help the house-elves in their manumission, and they will be able to find jobs afterward."

Turning her vision toward the endless amount of bookshelves, Rosie quickly scanned over titles. "Oh! The new Reyer book is in. Please excuse me, Lily. Or if you insist on continuing this blasphemy, then please at least let me go and get it first."

Rosie had recently run out of reading material, and so inconspicuously crossed her fingers that Lily would let her go and stock up on it again. She did not have another trip to Hogsmeade for at least three more weeks, and desperately needed to immerse herself in a character's life. After all, her own life was a bit too chaotic and puzzling for her liking right now.

"Oh, and Lily? We should go flying together sometime soon."

[Lily Luna Potter]

Lily stared blankly at Rose's denial. It was written very plainly in Lily's view. She was now determined to make Rose see it for herself. Lily rolled her eyes at Rose's distraction by some book, it was typical of her to do. Lily wasn't going to just let it go. In fact, she make a point of it by following Rose closely.

Lily couldn't help but snort at Rose's mention of S.P.E.W. It was in itself ridiculous and Rose was refusing to listen to reason. "House elves don't want to be free, don't you get it? They are happy the way they are." Lily knew her efforts against S.P.E.W. were quickly disregarded by Rose but, she always said it any way. One day, Rose would just give up on the idea and leave it be.

"Yes, retreat to you little book Rose. Denial is the first stage of acceptance," she said, a bit more bitterly than she intended. "You might not see it now, but, I bet - no - I know one day, you'll realize that you like Frank. He's you're opposite - and also you're match. Trust me, I know about these things better then you think." Lily smirked and crossed her arms. Rose was brilliant, just not when it came to boys, feelings, and relationships in Lily's mind.

"Yes, we do need to. It'll give me a reason to borrow Jamie's new broom," she added in reply.

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[Rosie Weasley]

Rose had heard the argument so often that, to her, it was becoming the world's frequent mantra. "House-elves think they are fine the way they are simply because they do not know anything else. Lily, you know you never win this conversation. I am not giving up on house-elves, so when will you give up on trying to make me 'see reason?'" Rosie added air quotes in for emphasis, and hoped that Lily--and almost all of her cousins and brother, for that matter--would one day stop trying to make Rosie quit her campaiging. It would just not be done. Sooner or later, they would have to realize that.

"And as for Frank, he may indeed be my opposite, but that certainly does not mean he is automatically my match. I realize that the universal law states that 'opposites attract,' but if that were true, then why did that not happen with my mum and dad? Although there are a few differences between them, their so-called 'differences' are absolutely nothing crucial. Although mum is brilliant, and dad is a bit dim, for the most part, they are on too much of the same playing field. Personally, I feel that is an overrated and antique cliché."

Inwardly, Rosie was engaging in a row with herself. When will I ever admit out loud that I like Frank? I know I do. I think about him way too much for this to only be a friendship. And it does not help that I cannot stop thinking about his snogging. The opposite part of her brain countered with the fact that Rose Rowena Weasley had never fallen for anybody and never would. The whole fray was in vain, really. Rosie had already realized that she had fallen. And she had fallen hard.

Listening as Lily Luna grilled her, Rose could not help but secretly agree with her. Outwardly, though, she simply reached for the novel and opened to the first page. As she had suspected, this new Reyer was certainly intriguing. After glancing at only the opening chapter, Rosie knew she could not be held in suspense for too much longer.

As Lily trailed behind her, Rose walked up to the librarian and had the book checked out. Deciding she also needed to begin studying for her O.W.L.S., she removed several different textbooks from the shelves and had those added to the pile of library books she would borrow.

"I am not going to lie. That stung a bit," Rosie told Lily as she tried to blink back tears. The bitter comment was unusual for Lily Luna Potter, who was constantly perky and optimistic.

Moments later, Rose smiled. "I am looking forward to that broom ride, then. Perhaps tomorrow after classes?"

[Lily Luna Potter]

As Rose blabbed on about saving the house elves, Lily momentarily tuned her out. She more like thought the entire time Rosie's mouth was moving. She still using that same old argument. Excuse me, for trying to save her from social humiliation. She'll see one day -- she needs to use more lip gloss -- she thought. Lily's thoughts trailed to nothing when she noticed Rose was done jabbering about it. Lily sighed and waved away the issue. It really wasn't on her mind at the moment.

The words Lily was eagerly awaiting - did not escape the lips of her dearest cousin. Lily sighed and shook her head. Obviously, Rose needed a little history lesson. Huh, that's kind of funny, me giving Rose a history lesson she thought quickly before speaking again. "Rose, I love you, but - what planet are you living?" she asked, as if it was a serious question. "I always used to make Daddy tell me stories, and one story I particularly remember was about you're parents. Now," she started, attempting to imitate Rose when she went on rambling about something related to a school subject. "At first, you're parents loathed each other, and were pretty much opposites but, in the end, they came together. The end."

Lily nodded, the story had sounded better in her head. She shook that thought off and continued on badgering Rose. "You have no idea, Rose. Opposites do attract Rose, it's some..scientifical law..Napkin...er...Plato...Norton -- " Lily scratched her head, trying in vain to pull out some smart sounding historical name. She shrugged, "Some really old guy came up with it. The same thing applies to emotions. My point is, Frank likes you and you like him. Stop denying it and just kiss him, snog him, date him, marry him, whatever you do - I want to know the details." Lily ended with a broad grin - thinking she had pulled out a rather nice speech.

Lily spotted tears in Rose's eyes and immediately embraced her in a tight hug. "Sweetie, I'm so sorry - I honestly didn't mean that to be mean. I'm really, really sorry." Lily hated to hurt anyone - well, minus a few Slytherins. Most importantly, she hated seeing people feel hurt. It made her feel incredibly guilty, which she did now. It was a rather low jab of her to make but, it just slipped out.

"Yes, tomorrow. That gives me plenty of time to convince Jamie to let me borrow his broom. I'll just say I broke my in half or something," Lily said, adding a giggle.

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[Rosie Weasley]

This conversation is far from over, a determined Rosie concluded. I refuse to give up until Lily Luna stops badgering me about Frank. Rose knew, however, that Lily would, unfortunately, have absolutely no intention of doing so.

Even though her infamous grudge was beginning to flare up, Rosie could not help but give a slight laugh. "Newton, Lil. Isaac Newton. And, in actuality, it was a law derived from the discoveries of several other Muggle scientists and philosophers, among them Plato. So you are not totally off base...except for the main idea. While Newton's law is absolutely true in a scientific sense, like many other theories or laws, that does not mean 'opposites attract' is one hundred percent mandatory."

Yes, Rose had indeed heard the story of her mum and dad more times than she would have preferred, but it still did not mean anything. "They never loathed each other, Lil. They engaged in constant rows, but were still close friends. Mum barely had any enemies...well, except for Draco Malfoy, of course. And if my life is going to end up like my parents', well then, no thank you. I might as well just swear off of boys entirely."

Rosie glanced at the tower of books she was trying to balance in her grasp. "I mean, I love my mum and dad, but there is no mystery there. No intrigue. And, Lil, well, I kind of want that sort of thing."

Rose surprised herself by her confession, and immediately turned a shade of crimson. The special Weasley crimson that she had had the bad luck of inheriting from her father. She had never admitted to anyone--not even Rowan or Alby--that she was secretly a hopeless romantic. Of course, with a name like hers, how could she not be? She had realized during her first and only crush--at the age of six, on "Uncle" Jordan's son--that she longed for one of those old-fashioned gentlemen. Specifically a person akin to the Muggle Mr. Darcy. And she could not help but wish for whoever that boy might be to throw rocks at her window as well. Just not to where he would break the glass.

The bookworm knew that Lily would now jump on the spilled secret, and so quickly turned the topic back to what she had been saying earlier. "In fact, that is actually quite a good idea. After this one date with Frank," Rosie continued, placing emphasis on the singular in that statement so that Lily would not automatically assume there would be another, "I might just swear off of relationships for a while. It will certainly give me more time to study for my O.W.L.s. And to campaign," she added hastily.

"Thanks, Lil. I know you did not mean for it to be that bitter," she said, accepting the hug. "And you can make it up to me by bringing all the Quidditch spirit you have tomorrow." Rose grinned, and began moving toward one of the library's many secluded tables. "This Chaser is going to take you down, Potter."

Rose carefully dropped her stack of library books on the desk and dipped her quill in the inkwell. "Time to study."

[Lily Luna Potter]

"Norton, Newton - close enough," Lily said, not even processing any of the information Rose just shared. Science wasn't exactly on Lily's mind. The science of attraction was. She was an expert - or so she thought - in that science. It was a science, you had to study people, observe, have hypothesis, theories, experiments, et cetera. So, it was a science according to Lily's standards.

Lily shrugged, "So, I bent the story a little, so what? Opposites still attract - though there are some certain exceptions." Lily's face contorted into a disgusted look, thinking about Malfoy. It seemed like whenever Lily wasn't around either of her brothers - he still followed her, and found new ways to annoy her. What she wouldn't do to give him a good punch in the groin. Lily shook those thoughts from her head, focusing on Rose once more.

Huh?" Lily tilted her head to the side. She helped Rose out, by taking three books from the top of her pile. The minute she had processed what Rosie had just said, Lily gaped at her, and dropped the book she had in her hand. Hastily, she picked them up - no damage done. "You mean....you want a ... secret admirer type thing? A Romeo and Juliet deal? Huh, huh, huh?" Lily inquired, speaking rather fast and squeaky - something she did when she got extremely interested or excited about something. This little spill from Rose could really be useful later on.

The books once again fell to the floor with loud thuds. This time, Lily didn't bother to pick them up again. "You're going on a date with him?! Why didn't you tell me?!" Lily said, not bothering to keep her voice down - forgetting where she was. "Hold on a minute, Missy. You can't just swear off boys - it doesn't work like that. You can't just go on one date with a guy, and then swear off boys before you even go out on the date. What if he turns out to be really sweet? How do you know you won't like him even more? How'd this date come about anyway?" Lily badgered Rose with questions, there were more she wanted to ask but, she wanted answers first before anymore questions spilled out.

Lily picked up the books and followed Rosie, waiting on edge for her answers. "Pft, you wish, Weasley," Lily replied. She indeed had an immense talent for quidditch, like her parents and brothers but, alas, there wasn't any room on the Gryffindor team for this Potter. Lily was perfectly fine with it, she had other things to fill her time with. Lily did enjoy the occasional one-on-one match with Rose, or her brothers.

Lily sat down opposite of Rose and stared at her. She acted patient but, in her mind, Lily was one of the most anxious people in the world right now. She wanted needed to hear the details. She figured Rose would wave off her inquiries so, Lily sat staring at Rose, patiently waiting - which was rare. She figured if she stared long enough, Rose would get uncomfortable and just tell Lily what she wanted to know to get rid of her.

[/blockquote]

[Rosie Weasley]

It did not take long for Rosie to get in the studying mood. Glancing at the Divination book in front of her, she absentmindedly bit her lip. Rose had asked her mother repeatedly if she could just omit the subject from her schedule, as Hermione had done. However, Hermione kept giving Rosie the same response: she would supposedly need to know Divination later on, Hermione regretted not sticking with it a bit longer, and Professor Dorcas Black was not as insane as Sibyll Trelawney. Rose was quite aware of this fact, and enjoyed talking to the matron of the Black family when she was not acting as Rosie's teacher, but nonetheless. Unfortunately, since she did not have much of a choice, the redhead found herself attempting to study tea leaves and crystal balls.

Sighing, she flipped open her own copy of Unfogging the Future and juxtaposed it with the library's book on comprehending the unpredictable. Rosie leafed through the pages, and sought to try to not roll her eyes when words such as the "Grim" and the "Inner Eye" appeared. This book was making her want to throw it across the room, and if she did so, she would be breaking one of her own cardinal rules: Never injure a book, no matter how false/lame/infuriating it may be.

When she could not stand the topic anymore, Rose bookmarked her page, threw an irritated look at it, and got out the library's newest Astronomy reference. She was quite ecstatic to skim through the book, but after reaching the eighth page, Rosie glanced up. Lily Luna was still staring at her, giving off an air of pretend patience.

The Potters just never quit, do they? Rose thought. As she had suspected, Lily had indeed grown excited about her confession. "'Certain exceptions', Lil? Then you admit that opposites do not always attract!" She directed a satisfied smirk at her cousin and proceeded to read about the Cassiopea constellation.

By the time Rosie had turned to Orion, she noticed that Lily still had not left. "You must really be adamant about this if you are willingly watching me study," she chuckled. Within a second, though, the corners of her mouth moved downward into a frown. "No, Lil. Not like Romeo and Juliet. I would like to have a long and fulfilling life, thank you very much. And besides, if we were discussing a love akin to that of the Montague-Capulet tragedy, then that would mean that I fell for Scorpius. Do you really want that to happen, Lil?"

Lily's sudden exclamation had Rose scampering to pick up the texts that were now scattered on the floor. At the seething glare from the librarian, Rosie nodded and returned to her seat. "Lily, shush! Try to keep your voice at a much lower decibel. We are in a library."

After having given the warning, Rosie turned a startled gaze on Lily. "You mean you do not know? Vic, Evie, and Jamesy all do. I figured the news had spread to all the Weasley clan before it came full circle. Sorry for the assumption, Lil."

Rose suddenly had a spark of genius. The plan was foolproof. It would help her concentrate less on people--one boy in particular--and more on her goals. "He asked me to go get a butterbeer with him, Lil. I already turned him down his invitation to the ball because of that blind date of Vic's," she stopped mid-sentence and furrowed her brow at the remembrance of having gone with Remus-James Black, the King of the players, "so I said yes. I did not want him to feel that two rejections meant I hated him," Rosie finished with a shrug.

"Maybe he will be sweet, Lil, but I am sure he will be fine with me not doing anything else. After all, he did write on the Rumor Wall that I was a prude who does not have a social life. That sort of comment certainly does not indicate that he wants to date me. That comment implies that Frank wants absolutely nothing to do with me. Who wants to date a 'prude'?"

Her idea coming together, Rosie decided to share it. "In fact, forget about swearing off of relationships until after O.W.L.s. I, Rose Rowena Weasley, am going to plan on doing so until I have accomplished my goals--no matter how pathetic you find them to be, Lily--and made a career for myself."

With that said, Rose returned to the constellations.

(ROSIE'S PUPPETEER: Oddly enough, when I was attempting to formulate a response, Listen to Your Heart came onto the radio. Ironic, much?)

[Lily Luna Potter]

While Lily was waiting, she observed how easily it was for Rose to complete stop talking about Frank and relationships and just study. Lily for one, hated studied, found it a waste of time. Luckily, she made it through classes with average grades, spending as less time in the books, as she could. She's going to bore me to death...on purpose.. Lily thought while she waited but, forced herself to be patient - she'd annoy Rose soon enough.

"I was excluding myself from that law.." Lily muttered. From all the romance books she had read, Rose didn't know that, in almost every story - opposites attracted.

Lily rolled her eyes at yet again another mini lecture from Rosie. Yes, she knew Romeo and Juliet was a tragedy, that wasn't the concept she meant. "Rose, why do you turn everything into a lecture. I was merely making a reference - to like, the beginning...geez," Lily half grumbled. "No I don't want you to kill yourself, but I want you to at least be somewhat more interested in love then you appear."

Lily gasped. Jamie knew information - and didn't tell her? And Evie to boot! Lily and Evie normally swapped gossip - this was very important gossip - and Lily hadn't heard a word of it. "I'm going to kill 'em," Lily muttered.

Lily allowed Rose to retreat back to - whatever it was her nose was back in. She took a few moments to really think about what she was going to say. She wanted to make it sound good - and get past Rose's logical thinking.

After a few minutes, Lily cleared her throat. "Rose, trust me on this one - I'm an expert." She paused, to make sure she had Rosie's attention once more. "I know what Frank wrote about you but, boys are immature. They may act like the don't like you - because in fact, they do like you. Since Frank wrote that little sentence about you on the wall, I just know that he likes you. He won't write something about you and then ask you out. I don't think Frank would be that mean to lead you on like that either."

Lily sighed, and nodded. "Yes, you can accomplish you're goals and be in love at the same time. Love is what makes things bearable. You can't turn into a old maid, or the crazy cat lady. I won't let you." Lily smirked, think Rose would probably find this next bit ridiculous. "Besides, I saw it in my tea leaves this morning. I think after this date of your's, you'll discover that you are denying that you have feelings for Frank." Lily grinned at her Divination reference. Divination was a subject Lily actually liked. Most students didn't but, she found it rather intriguing - regardless how stupid some of it sounded. She had gotten into the habit of reading tea leaves quite often.

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[Rosie Weasley]

When her mind became too full of constellations to be able to concentrate on anything else, Rosie set aside her studying and pulled out a new historical novel she had been looking forward to. It was the new Reyer she had practically raced toward earlier. The thing Rose found most interesting about Reyer's style of writing was that the woman created a story within a story. This caused people just glancing at the page to only notice Muggle Greek mythology. Lily Luna, for instance, would quickly learn about Perseus and Athena if her eyes just merely scanned the page. Although most students did not realize it, the mythology was simply a disguise for the real story.

This idea did not mean that Rosie was not looking at the Greek warriors and goddesses. Au contraire; she was. However, Reyer had placed a special charm on her books, which the redhead had been enthralled by the first time she came across it. Only the person who checked out the novel would see another tale; a tale of forbidden love, romance, mystery, or denial between two people who had so obviously fallen for each other. This particular text held the subject that captivated Rose the most, even more than house-elf liberties or Quidditch. The Tudor reign, to be specific.

Rosie still remembered the day she had been introduced to the Muggle "Bloody Mary" and Queen Elizabeth I. Hermione had decided her daughter needed to know about the Muggle royalty of her country. She had started Rose with the person who was most revered: Queen Elizabeth I, affectionately called "Good Queen Bess." When Rosie had finished reading all the books on the woman that her local library had to offer, Hermione had plopped down a volume on King Henry VIII, his six wives, his three children--among them "Bloody Mary" and "Good Queen Bess"--his obsession with getting a male heir, and Lady Jane Grey--the Nine Day's Queen. Rose had eyed the book greedily, and had immediately snatched it up. She could barely put it down, and had devoured anything on the Tudor line ever since.

Although she was less than halfway through the two tales, Rosie could tell Lily wanted to return to their conversation. Groaning at the thought of having to pause in her reading when it was just beginning to get scandalous, Rose cast a loving glance at it and marked her page.

"Fine. Forget I said anything about the tragedy part then, Lil. That sort of Juliet Capulet--Romeo Montague relationship would still mean that I had fallen for Scorpius Malfoy," Rosie said, shuddering from the very idea. "Do you really want that to happen?"

She longed to get back to the steamy relationship between Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley that people still could not find factual proof of. Whenever it seemed as if they had recieved a miracle and letters came pouring out in Elizabeth's and Robert's own handwriting, the critics still thought of some way to discredit the idea. Reyer, on the other hand, had had quite a bit of success in digging up the truth, and Rose wanted to see what she had uncovered this time.

Not that she had much of a choice. Lily was still chatting away. "I know he did not lead me on, Lil, but I do not think he had any intention of doing anything except one date. And why would he be so immature as to modify a common definition using me as an example if he supposedly wants to date me? It really is not logical, Lil."

Focusing on the entire statement Lily had given, Rose shook her head. "No, Lil. Not 'one little sentence.' A whole paragraph." As Lily continued on, Rosie laughed. "I am not going to be a 'crazy cat lady,' Lil. Trust me on that. With the way my goals are going to be achieved, there will not be any time for me to become one. And why have you started talking about love so soon? I absolutely do not love Frank if I do not even like him in a romantic sense. He is simply a friend. Nothing more, nothing less."

If she really wanted me to admit believe her on what I feel for Frank, then why is she spouting out that nonsense? The Ravenclaw Chaser rolled her eyes. "Of course your tea leaves told you that, Lily. Because of course having the 'Inner Eye' will show you an accurate future."

Rose sighed, pulling on her favorite jean jacket. It had been draped casually across her chair, but the temperature of the room was now decreasing slightly. "Lily, I really do think this is the best idea. I refuse to be a part of any romantic relationship. I am not going to become one of those women who throw away their life goals and passions just because they fall in love. It is not going to happen, Lil. I will not let it."

[Lily Luna Potter]

"Do you really want that to happen?"

"No!" Lily said, almost too defensively. She shifted her eyes to the table for the briefest second. Obviously, Romeo and Juliet weren't the best example to prove a point but, it was what she had in mind. Another Shakespearian couple came to Lily's mind but, the more she actually thought on it - Ophelia and Hamlet weren't exactly prime examples either. Ophelia ended up loosing her marbles and committing suicide too. What was with Shakespeare and tragedy? Lily simply sighed and shook her head.


It really is not logical, Lil."

[/color]

Logic? Logic??! Only Rose Weasley would say that. Lily rolled her eyes and huffed. "Rose, relationships aren't logical. Boys aren't logical. Whether you think it's logical or not - there are feelings you feel, deep down, about a person....and you don't know what to make of it. It sort of...creeps up on you when you don't expect it," Lily paused, wondering if she made any sense at all. Part of her even began to wonder who she was really talking about. That, was another story, for a different time. "You say he's just a friend. I bet you anything - you'll change you're mind after that date." Lily grinned smugly, knowing she was right.

Lily scowled at Rose's reference to the inner eye but, said nothing more about the subject. Instead, she just hounded Rose some more. "Rose, you can have both love and the career you want. Why are even thinking about you're career? You're fifteen. Enjoy life for once, have fun. Stop....stuffing you're brain with useless junk." Lily paused but, left no room for Rose to say anything before she started again. "Fine. Try all you like to exclude relationships out of your life. When you don't expect it, it'll happen. It always goes down that way."
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[Rosie Weasley]

It surprised Rosie how obstinate Lily Luna could be. The girl had about as much stubborness as Rose and her own mother, but Rosie figured that most likely came from having Weasley genes. It did make her wonder about Hermione being the same way, but since Rose was more obstinate than all of her cousins, it seemed as if she had acquired not only the Weasley mindframe, but the Granger one, as well.

As much as she hated to agree with Lily, the girl was speaking reason. Life just was not logical, as much as Rosie had always wished that it was, and there was absolutely no way to explain why Frank kept consuming her mind except Lily's adamant explanations. No...there was absolutely no way that was true. At nine years, after she had finally stopped crushing on "Uncle" Jordan's son, Rosie had made herself an eternal promise. She would never allow love to sweep her up and throw her to the wolves. This thing with Frank was simply an infatuation. That was it. Simply an infatuation. Romance was better left to the books she secretly enjoyed and that only the librarian knew she savored.

However, Rose did give Lily a suspicious glance. It seemed as if Lily might be speaking of herself, and though she had phrased it in a way to make Rosie think it was only about her and Frank, the closet hopeless romantic knew otherwise. Raising an eyebrow, she threw an inquiry at Lily. "And might I ask who this boy is that you have fallen for? Could it perhaps be Mr. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy?" Rose had read plenty of novels to know that archenemies or people from rival families tended to fall for each other. "Hmm, cousin of mine? And do not try to beat around the bush on this one."

She laughed at Lily's error. "Sixteen, Lil. And I have been thinking about this my entire life. What is to stop me from doing so? I actually sat down and mapped out my entire life plan on my eleventh birthday." Rosie rolled her eyes at her own need for organization, but continued. "This is who I am, Lil. I 'stuff my brain with useless junk.' I read purely for enjoyment. I listen to Hugo constantly accuse me of not having a social life and being a stingy, overthinker of a bookworm. If I did like Frank that way, and I am certainly not saying I do--" Rosie hurriedly added so Lily would not think of her input as a confession, "why would he want a hermit prude? Just give it up, Lily. It is not going to happen."

With that, Rosie stood up and gathered her things together. She needed to leave before Lily could take a good look at the tears forming in her eyes. Lil would probably dub the whole thing a pity party, but to Rosie, it was simply what Hugo had been telling her since he first realized that Rose being the oldest meant that he could irritate her repeatedly without getting in any trouble.

"See you at the campaign, Lily. It would mean the world to me if you helped out," she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and balancing the mountain of books. Rosie nodded a goodbye, and went over to the desk to see what text she could help shelve today. The librarian never asked questions; a discussion of what she was currently reading would help her take her mind off of the embarrassment she had just thrown herself into.

[Lily Luna Potter]

Lily defended herself very quickly against Rose's accusations. "I thnk you've been spending too much time in this library. There must be something in the air that makes you go all...loony because I absotively, positlutely do not have any feeliing for - " Lily Luna paused and looked around them. She really hoped there weren't any extra people listening in on their conversation. She knew how people liked to twist words around - that's how stuff sometimes ended up on the rumor wall. - I do not like him," she finished.

Lily sighed, disreguarding anything that related to her supposedly, hidden feelings, for Malfoy. Yes, they were actually there but, she wasn't about to announce it to the world. She shrugged at her mistake. With so many cousins, it was hard to keep track of how old everyone was. "Rosie," Lily said, feeling like she was the older one for a moment, "You can't map out life. Things happen...things that are unexpected and uncontrollable." Lily could Rose sitting infront of a sheet of parchment with a time line. Each year of her life mapped out to the exact take she took her last breath of air. Lil just couldn't plan that a far ahead. A week was as far as she would plan to decrease any chances of disappointment.

For a few seconds, Lily sat there. She's totally bailing, she thought to herself. No, she couldn't just let Rose leave. Campai -- oh, she did not just play that card, Lily sighed and shook her head. She got up and hurried after Rose. Lily stood next to her but refused to utter a word. At least, not in front of the Librarian. These few moments gave Lily a chance to map out what she was going to say next to her cousin. She could just let the whole Frank thing go - not even if she tried. Lily wanted to be there to tell Rose 'I told you so' as she had done to Lily many times before.

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