Delicate - eng version

End OF An Era

"What, were you studying naked or something?" I ask.

"I – I was just helping Albus with his Defence studying," she says quickly. I think she used his full name in the hope that I wouldn't know who she's talking about.

"Oh Albus," I nod, "As in Albus Potter? As in my cousin, Al? As in the boy you don't want to get back together with..."

"I was just helping him out!" she protests, "It didn't mean anything!"

"Jen, you know as well as I do that Al is one of the best in the year when it comes to Defence Against the Dark Arts. Tell me, what you were really doing –"

"Spoken to Scorpius lately?" she cuts me off and completely changes the subject. I hate when she does that.

"Yes, I had dinner with him today, actually," I say proudly. Everyone seems to think that Scorpius and I are unable to do this 'just friends' thing. They're wrong. In fact, Scorpius and I are spending even more time together now than we did when we were going out. And we're even better friends.

"Rose," Jenny sighs, now walking back down the direction she came with me, "I don't see why you two broke up. Give it a week and you'll be back together again."

"No we won't," I tell her firmly, "Maybe in five years we'll be ready for a relationship and a baby, but right now we have a lot of growing up to do. We have to concentrate on little Delilah." I give her the same speech every time she asks why Scorpius and I broke up. It's getting old now.

"Delilah?" she curls up her nose, "You're still sure it's a girl?"

"Positive," I tell her, "Well, Scorpius reckons it's a boy, but I just have a girly feeling about it."

"James reckons it's a boy too," Jenny informs me, "He's been going around making bets on it. Al put six galleons on it being a girl, I think I'll put a couple of galleons on it too, if you think it's a girl..."

It's nice to know that people are making money off my situation.

"But promise you won't call her Delilah?" Jenny pleads, "Delilah Weasley just doesn't sound right."

I take out my notepad and scribble 'Delilah' off my list of baby names. One down, three hundred and forty six to go.

*

I must be the only person not feeling the stress of exams. Molly has gone completely insane over her OWLs. She has quills sticking out of her hair, she has notes all over the place and she's going around reciting different definitions and incantations. The really sad thing is that this time last year I was exactly the same. I even drew up timetables for Al and Dom so they'd study too. If I hadn't, Al wouldn't have done half as well as he did and Dom...well, she wouldn't have passed at all. And I didn't get as much as a 'thank you' from Aunt Ginny or Uncle Bill. I practically raised their kids and I get no recognition. When Harry and Dad heard about my timetable-ing, they both paled and looked slightly disturbed by it. Mum told me not to mind them, that what I did was both thoughtful and practical. And I agreed with her, and I still do.

But I really hope I wasn't as bad as Molly. She looks physically ill. And even though she's never scored anything less than an 'Exceeds Expectations' in any subject, she's rushing around telling everyone she's going to fail. I think everyone's stopped listening to her, especially the seventh years who are just about ready to gag her. Seán Finnegan has his hands over his ears and is whispering the dates of the first 'End the Discrimination of Werewolves' protests and Harry Latimer is pacing up and down the steps to the dormitories spelling 'Grindelwald', just in case he forgets.