As Rosie walked inside King's Cross Station after the new year to go back to Hogwarts, she was determined to make the rest of the term a good one, despite the way things had been going thanks to Professor Umbridge. She held her head up high as she got on the platform and boarded the train when she walked by other students, wanting to keep a positive attitude for everyone, even if they didn't know her, and for herself as well. For a moment, Rosie truly believed things would look up when she got back into the school routine.

However, that hopeful feeling didn't last long when the latest story of a mass breakout in Azkaban occurred a couple of weeks after she got back.

It was all students could talk about throughout the corridors and during meals. There had been theories as to who had done it, most of whom agreed that Sirius Black had something to do with it due to the fact that one of the escapees was his cousin: Bellatrix Lestrange, a well-known Death Eater (a name that Neville winced at whenever he heard it). To make matters worse, she knew her dad would be a part of the case to find her and the other Death Eaters that got out, and the last thing she wanted was for something to happen to him.

But the more Rosie thought about the Death Eaters, the more she thought about Adam and the Thomson twins. She wondered if Adam was still serious about leaving that lifestyle. As for Greer and Gavin, there was a part of her that wanted them to do the same, but she knew the chances of the twins making the same choice was unlikely. But if they did, would that mean Adam could change his mind about breaking up with Greer?

Which, of course, the breakup was something he hadn't done yet.

Rosie hated to admit that she was growing impatient over it, waiting for either Adam to announce it like a breath of relief or for a heartbroken Greer to confide in Rosie over the ordeal (though she didn't think she could prepare so much for how Greer would react to being dumped). But still, she anticipated it to happen very soon, taking each day at a time, hoping that if Adam knew what was best for him and Greer, then he'd just go ahead and get it over with.

Except it was hard doing anything simple when it came to Greer Thomson, which was probably what was stopping him from breaking up with her, and that was concerning for Rosie.

If only the situation wasn't so damn complicated.

Maybe it was a bad idea, but on a chilly day in January, Rosie decided to talk to Adam about the subject of their walk on Christmas Eve. Not only was she curious about what was going on between him and Greer, along with his plans to leave his family, but also paranoid over the fact that she told him the one thing she promised to keep to herself. She couldn't risk Harry, Ron, Hermione, or any member of Dumbledore's Army finding out that she spilled their secret to one of her friends, one that was a Slytherin, which only made her feel even more guilty that she told someone about it in the first place. But then again, she just had to get it off her mind, and she trusted Adam enough to confess it. She just hoped she didn't make a mistake doing so, for she didn't want to regret telling him should it bite her in the arse later on.

After finishing up her lunch, Rosie spotted Adam at the Slytherin table with a few boys before quickly leaving the Great Hall, leaning against the wall across from the tall double doors. She felt anxious as she waited for him to walk out, trying to come up with the words to bring up such a touchy subject, though nothing seemed to sound right in her head.

You're overthinking this, she thought. Just ask him outright and get it over with.

Rosie waited another few minutes, finally seeing Adam's familiar face as he was coming out of the Great Hall, bidding goodbye to the same group of boys from before, turning on his heel for the stairs.

"Adam!" she called out, heading his way.

The boy whipped his head around, though he didn't flash a smile like he usually did when he saw her. "Hey, Rosie." No nickname when he greeted her. That was new.

"I need to talk to you," she said.

"Can it wait? I can't be late for McGonagall's class again."

"It won't take long, and it's kind of important."

He was reluctant, but nodded, anyway, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. "Okay, what's up?"

Rosie raised her eyebrows. "I think you know what's up."

Exhaling, Adam looked as if he was ready to roll his eyes in response. "Rosie--"

"It's been weeks, Adam. Have you changed your mind about breaking up with her?"

"No, I haven't," he replied. "It's just a complicated situation, that's all, and it's only going to get even more messy when our families find out."

"Why is that?"

"Because they want us engaged by the end of the year."

The unexpected words hit Rosie hard. It had to be because of who they were and what was to happen once it was confirmed that Harry was right about You-Know-Who being back this entire time.

But Merlin's beard, engaged? They were so young.

"What?" she managed to get out after a moment of silence. "You're...you're joking."

"I wish I was." He let out a scoff.

"And you're actually going to go through with it?"

"Of course not. I'm just having a hard time trying to get out of it at the moment."

"I can help you."

"Rosie--"

"Look, I don't want you to be trapped in a marriage you don't want to happen."

"Rosie, stop." His expression turned more serious. "I appreciate the offer, but I need to handle this on my own. Just let it go, okay?"

She was ready to fight Adam on this. How the hell could she just let it go? He was her friend, someone she cared about, and she didn't want him to go through with this. But before Rosie could open her mouth to protest, Adam turned around and strolled down the corridor without another word, which left a frustrated Rosie standing alone as she pondered over the things that were left unsaid.

*******

For the next few weeks, Rosie did everything she could to distract herself from anything related to Adam or the Thomson twins.

Whether that was spending her free time studying in the library or sneaking off during the late hours for a Dumbledore's Army meeting, she wanted to focus on anything else that didn't involve her Slytherin friends. And because of that, she couldn't help but worry about whatever Professor Umbridge was up to next. Rosie, along with members of Dumbledore's Army, did their best to keep the woman off their backs by trying to act as normal as possible around her in order to avoid suspicion. So far, it seemed as if she didn't suspect anything, though it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to being cautious about having Dumbledore's Army remain a secret, something that Rosie couldn't even do. Of course, she still had to talk to Adam about that, despite telling herself to leave him alone for now. If she were to deal with him, then she'd have to do the same with Greer and Gavin, and she was prepared to face them just yet.

Rosie was doing fine at avoiding them and anything else that would cause her to worry. However, it felt short-lived as Professor Umbridge asked to see her after class one morning. She was a bit anxious for the rest of the lesson, and it only got worse once everyone was gone and she was alone with the woman, about to find out what she wanted from her.

"I'd like to arrange a meeting with you later this evening," the woman stated.

"Is everything all right?" Rosie asked in a nervous tone.

"Oh, yes, dear." Professor Umbridge flashed her a smile. "So, my office after dinner?"

"Sure," the girl replied, quickly nodding her head.

"Wonderful. I'll see you then, Miss Clarke. Don't be late."

"Yes, Professor." With that, Rosie turned on her heel and headed out of the classroom, exhaling as she made her way down the corridor to her next class. It was obvious as to what the woman wanted to talk to her about, and the anxiety began to settle in her system.

It's not a meeting. It's an interrogation.

And it was all Rosie could think about for the rest of the day, having to figure out what to do when she sat down in her office, nowhere to hide as she lied through her teeth while keeping a straight face. How she would pull it off, she had no idea, but maybe she only had to do enough to convince Professor Umbridge otherwise.

Rosie didn't dare tell anyone about going to see Professor Umbridge at dinner, trying her best to act calm and hoping Neville sitting next to her wouldn't notice anything unusual. Fortunately, he was too busy cleaning off his plate to even strike up a conversation, and she got up from her seat before he could even utter a word her way. She hurried out of the Great Hall and down the corridor, not making eye contact with any student or professor she passed by. With every step she grew more and more anxious, her palms already getting clammy as she fidgeted with them, and they didn't get any better by the time she arrived at Professor Umbridge's office. Taking a deep breath, Rosie lifted her hand and knocked on the door three times.

"Come in," she called from the other side.

Rosie opened the door, being met with the color pink from every direction, almost swallowing her whole. She slowly stepped inside, closing the door and locking eyes with the teacher, who held a tight smile across her lips.

"Good evening, Miss Clarke," she said, motioning her and towards the chair in front of Rosie. "Have a seat." She watched Rosie settle into the chair, clearing her throat while she grabbed a tea set near the edge of the desk. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

"I'm fine for now," Rosie answered.

Pressing her lips, she poured some tea in the cup and slid it over towards Rosie, anyway. "Well, here's some for you in case you change your mind."

Rosie shot her a weak smile, though it was a brief one. "Thank you Professor."

"Of course." Professor Umbridge cleared her throat, sitting up straight before speaking up again. "Now, I wanted to discuss with you regarding a rumor I've been hearing around the school."

Here we go. "A rumor?" Rosie repeated, attempting to act curious and confused, though she felt her voice crack at the question.

"Yes, there's been some talk about a secret organization that's being run by a student, one that's been going on for a while now."

Bloody hell, she's onto us. "Oh," was all she could respond with, her throat feeling a bit dry and scratchy, to which she decided to take a sip of her tea and soothe it, letting the sweet drink take over her taste buds. There was instant relief, though it didn't help too much with her nerves.

"Do you have any knowledge about this, Miss Clarke?"

Rosie was about to give a quick lie when she felt funny all of a sudden. The words she wanted to say seemed to be stuck in her throat, unable to get them past her lips. Her body became tense as she tightly gripped the arms of the chair, inhaling sharply when trying to relax again. She could already feel her nails digging into the wood while attempting to muster out the words she wanted to say.

"No, I don't," she quickly replied, then shutting her mouth to prevent herself from blurting out anything she wasn't supposed to.

"Really? Nothing at all?"

She took a moment to respond again, and the more she resisted, the more painful it was. "Nothing."

Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows. "Miss Clarke, if you're lying to me, then the consequences will be severe. You do understand that, don't you?"

"Of course." Rosie swallowed hard, feeling a calmness come over her, sighing once she was relaxed like before. But when the realization as to why she reacted that way started to form in her head, she almost wanted to get mad right on the spot.

Veritaserum. She spiked the tea with that damn truth-telling potion.

With a disappointed look, Professor Umbridge exhaled, picking up a quill and jotting down something on a piece of parchment. "Very well. You may go, Miss Clarke. If you do hear anything suspicious I expect you to let me know as soon as possible."

"Yes, of course." Rosie didn't bid the teacher goodbye as she shot up from her chair and rushed out of the office, making a dash down the stairs and out of the classroom. She was happy that she could breathe again, panting while walking down the corridor at a fast pace, trying to process what the hell just happened and feeling the nausea start to bubble inside her.

Merlin's beard, she's really serious about catching and disbanding Dumbledore's Army.

While Rosie was lucky to be able to resist the potion, it didn't mean that everyone else could do the same.

This was bad. Very bad.

Rosie knew she would have to tell Harry so that a plan on how to be more careful could be made by the members. If that old hag was willing to use a potion as powerful as Veritaserum on students, then it meant that she was capable of so much more.

If you're lying to me, then the consequences will be severe.

And just like that, the paranoia entered her mind again, and it would only linger for as long as Professor Umbridge was watching her and the rest of Dumbledore's Army, which meant to Rosie that she wouldn't feel a sense of peace inside the castle walls for quite some time.

Rosie headed back to the Gryffindor Tower, taking her time in order to calm down before reaching the portrait. She didn't stop to say hi to anyone when she made it inside the common room, going straight up to her dorm and changing into her night clothes, then crawling under the sheets and staring up at the ceiling. The girl wasn't sure how long it was before her eyes started to get heavy, though her mind was still wide awake. When Rosie finally closed her eyes, she tried her hardest to dream of something that was happy for once.

Because anything was better than the nightmare she was living in at the moment, and it was only going to haunt her more and more no matter what.

A/N: Me? Writing another chapter in a week? Can I get a gold star?

Anyway, things are about to pick up now that we're getting near the end of Order of the Phoenix. Who's excited? What do you think of the chapter?

Comment, vote, more to come very soon!

-A