"Please," Aelin extended the syllable as though she was begging (which she practically was). "Dorian, I swear I'll do every other assignment for you for the next week, I'll even teach you how to do the incendio charm if you just do this teensy tiny essay for professor Darrow for me."

Aelin hated the history of magic lessons and everything that came with it, which was why she sat at the Ravenclaw table in the great hall at breakfast, beseeching Dorian to do her homework for her.

"No, I've got my own homework to do and I need to practice with the team for our upcoming game." What didn't add was that the Gryffindor quidditch team no longer needed to practice so much anymore since they got knocked out this season so she will have more time on her hands but Dorian wouldn't say it, he was too diplomatic for that. She wished that he had said it so she could refute his claim and say that they were actually going to practice soon to get better in the rain. Despite that, the loss still stung.

Her head rested on a hand, her elbow on the table and a pout on her face. A hum resounded out of her throat, "so, who is this girl you've been pining over."

"Oh, so I refuse to do your homework so instead you pester me, hoping that I'll change my mind to get you to stop?" He raised an eyebrow and she couldn't tell whether the smirk playing around his mouth was from embarrassment or amusement.

"I was just making conversation," she said defensively, "but if you wanted to change your mind I wouldn't turn you away."

Dorian's sapphire eyes rolled fondly; as they did so often when Aelin was around.

"I'll just keep hounding you."

Nehemia came and sat with them, her blue robes matching Dorian's. She politely asked what they were talking about and when Aelin told her of the subject matter, her eyes averted to the toast in front of her.

Suddenly suspicious, Aelin's brows knitted together with her eyes bouncing back and forth between her two friends, both of which were acting shifty.

"I won't interfere if you do this assignment for me."

Dorian faced her fully and assessed her raised eyebrows and smug features before asking, "how can you interfere if you don't even know what you're interfering in?"

In answer, she pointed her gaze towards Nehemia and then back to Dorian.

A laugh escaped her friend sitting diagonally across from her, Nehemia's braids fell behind her shoulders as her head tilted backwards.

"I have to go, I'm tutoring a third year struggling with ancient runes." Nehemia sent an amused look their way and Aelin forgot to say bye because her mind was preoccupied with trying to organise and make sense of everything.

Dorian seemed inclined to either ignore her or leave himself even though he knew she'd follow after him. She grabbed his sleeve just in case and leaned in so no-one else could listen in.

Of course that was when Rowan walked through the doors and his gaze immediately landed on them, assessing their proximity. In response she gave him a sultry glance and rolled her eyes cheekily at the proprietorial look that he was failing at hiding.

"So it's not Nehemia, then who is it?"

"I might as well do your essay while I'm doing mine, I'm assuming it's the same one." A blush crept its way onto his cheeks.

"I won't say anything, I swear."

He mumbled something. "What? I didn't catch that."

"Sorscha."

A pause followed by Aelin's barrage of questions assaulted Dorian. The final question she asked was, "why didn't you tell me?"

"I know that you mean well, but if you'd have known so would the rest of the school."

"Are you trying to say that I can't keep anything quiet."

Her thoughts drifted to the broody Slytherin sitting at his house table, inconspicuously watching them from the corner of his eye. She had kept their relationship a secret; sure, she had told Ansel but that didn't really count.

After a few minutes of her draining every piece of information from Dorian, Aedion called her from where he sat at the Gryffindor table because they were late for practice.

As she walked towards the doors of the great hall, she could see Rowan's face as he casually conversed with Lorcan beside him. Oh, he was definitely jealous.

Aelin had grumbled the whole way to the quidditch pitch and Aedion was inclined to agree but insisted that the team captain, Ilias, was right in having the team practice in the rain and wind. When Aelin tried to convince him that the conditions were too dangerous, he just said that Quidditch matches wouldn't be postponed so they needed to learn how to manage. He was a man of few words but the words that he did say were always true.

They were in the air a matter of minutes after getting changed into their Quidditch gear. They flew around, threw some balls, dodged some bludgers and aimed for the golden rings at the end of the pitch: all the usual things really.

Despite the atrocious weather which had only gotten worse while they practiced, AelIn got more and more enthused in the game just as she did with every quidditch match, apart from the ones that had Rowan there distracting her. She was reminded of all the times she and Aedion had played together in a small field with a group of friends as she watched him send a bludger in the direction opposite to her.

She wasn't used to playing this weather. Sure, Terrasen's weather wasn't the best and that's where her and Aedion used to play but her parents and aunt would always ban them from leaving their sight because they knew that they would get on their brooms as soon as they turned their backs.

Something hit her side just as she lunged for the quaffle Ansel had thrown her. Mikhail had hit a bludger and the force had sent him swerving into Aelin's side. She tried to regain her control of her broom but it was slippery in the rain.

The next thing she knew, she had toppled off her broom completely and looked up to see Mikhail trying to catch her, his hand grazing her arm.

"Miss Galathinius, can you hear me?" Madam Hafiza was leaning over her, attempting to rouse her from the half-conscious state she was in.

The only response she could give was the full opening of her eyes and a groan that came out louder than she intended.

The matron, Hafiza, had trained in the legendary medical school, the Torre Sesme and gave up a job teaching there to come and practice at Hogwarts instead.

After doing a few tests, madam Hafizaexplains that she only sustained a few broken bones and a mild concussion because of the height she fell from. It wasn't very high because Ilias had taken some of the team's concerns into consideration and told everyone to purposefully fly low and only to exceed the limit he set to score goals. She thanked the gods that it wasn't a higher drop because her injuries would have been a lot worse.

"Would you like your friends to come in, they're waiting outside."

"Uhh, yeah, let them in." She was still groggy because of the concussion.

The next thing she knew, Aedion came barreling through s though he had been waiting expectantly right in front of he door the whole time.

"Are you okay?" Madam Hafiza recounted all of her injuries which Aelin was glad for because her head pounded even more when she spoke.

He let out a sigh of relief and the others came trailing in after him, slightly less alarmed. Mikhail tried to apologise for knocking her off her broom, Ilias tried to apologise for insisting that they practice in weather so dangerous and everyone practically tried to apologise for not catching her but Aelin shut them all down. It wasn't anyone's fault. She should have been more aware of her surroundings; it was always the one thing she could be faulted for.

A while later, some of the others had left but Ansel, Aedion, and Nesryn remained chatting with her. She'd have to stay overnight so madam Hafiza could monitor her bones' progress with righting themselves with the help of the tonic she had to take. She also supposed that another reason she had to stay was because the tonic tasted so nasty that she wouldn't have taken it if she didn't have the matron watching over her every time.

"I think we should probably go now, you've got a lesson haven't you Aedion," he tried to protest but Ansel carried on, "and Aelin needs to rest."

Again, Aedion tried to protest but Ansel dragged his hulking frame towards the exit, only letting him return to give Aelin a hug before he left. The others said goodbye and Aelin was left wondering why she had wanted everyone to go so abruptly.

She found out why though when she looked towards the second door, the one furthest away from her bed. Rowan was standing there, a bunch of flowers in hand.

She should have already known that half the school already knew about her accident but despite the thought making her want to groan, couldn't hold in her huge grin at the sight of Rowan standing there, waiting so he could see her, check if she's alright. Aches and pains forgotten, Aelin laughs inwardly if only to not alert the others who were almost at the door. She wondered how long he had been standing there because if he had come in, it would have aroused suspicion and a constant glare from Aedion, maybe even more than a glare.

"How are you?" Concern graced his features and his tone.

She rattled off her list of injuries and added a, "but i'm fine" on the end at his still worried face.

He let out a breath of both relief and frustration. "I hate having to hide that we love each other."

"You love me." It must have slipped out due to his mixed emotions and she delivered her response as both a question and a statement, with a hint of teasing yet seriousness at the same time.

Undiluted panic crossed Rowan's face, something that he would never let anyone else see. "Yeah, I do." Then almost as an afterthought he said, "and I know that you love me too so don't bother trying to tease me."

Unbridled joy overtook her features; her eyes crinkled and mouth lifted so much that her cheeks ached. "Then let's make it official then."

His expression now mirrored hers. "It was your idea to keep it a secret in the first place, you should make the decision. Though I would like to be able to scare off any other guys who get too friendly."

Aelin rolled her eyes but it was half-hearted because she was just too happy to feel anything else. She knew he was jealous of her and Dorian in the great hall.

Aedion was going to have a tantrum for a couple of days, maybe even a couple of weeks. Not to mention, the rest of the quidditch team; they see him as a rival, someone to keep far away from the inner workings of their team. But they'd get over it eventually and at the end of the day, Rowan and herself could be open about their relationship so it was worth it. And she believes that she was entitled to more than a few PDAs(public displays of affection) after all this time, especially in front of Rowan's friend Lorcan who already hates her.

"Then yes, I think it's time, but you have to leave Dorian alone."

At this, Rowan rolled his eyes but agreed while leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her lips.