Hey everyone, glad to see you reading. D

I hope I didn't let you down with this part.

Uhm. What else? I still don't own anything. Lyrics go to the Veronicas and characters go to JKR. I only own the plot.

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The next day was much the same as before. The only difference was that Rose was...less jumpy. Actually, the only reason she would jump at all would be in she saw a head of blonde hair. Of course she would notice all the platinum blondes of Hogwarts now. None of them were the one she wanted to see.

It was Saturday, and a nice one at that. The sky was bright blue, sun shining happily down on the emerald grass. Even the usual cold air was pleasant. Most of the Hogwarts population was out and about, enjoying the weather as best they could. It was perfect Quidditch weather. And that's exactly what Rose had been planning on doing, until their captain got thrown into prison. Or detention, whatever. The fact was that Rose needed a distraction. Quidditch was going to be it. Now she needed an alternative. Damn James Potter. He just had to see if he could get away with what Albus couldn't.

She was really starting to hate those stupid Exploding Snakes.

So, what to do? The one time Rose needed to have homework, she'd caught up on it. Lily and Hugo had gotten roped into James' prank -- something she'd have to have a little chat about with James later. With most of her closest family members in detention, there left little options. She knew what she wanted to do. She wanted to find Albus. Innocent enough! Albus was her very best friend. No one should expect a hidden motive there. What? No. She didn't actually have a hidden motive. It's not like she was thinking that Scorpius was sure to be with him and that's what she really wants. To be with Scorpius. Who would think that?

No one. And that's exactly the way she wanted to keep it.

She hated him. In theory, of course. The control he had over her was unbearable. Rose didn't want to have another thing to do with him. Sure, the previous two nights had been, in an odd way, the best nights of her life -- but that didn't mean anything. It was just that Rose had never really made out with a guy before. Maybe it was just something she enjoyed? Don't all guys have amazingly soft lips and strong hands? Now she could understand how women turn into whores. It's addictive.

What? Not right?

Oh boy, was she in trouble.

Arthur Weasley would absolutely die if he ever found out that Rose was even thinking about having a rendezvous with a Malfoy. Let alone having a third one. And her father hated the Malfoys, too. Okay, maybe hate was too strong of a word? He had just called him a pompous git a few times...maybe he just used the word "pompous" to impress her mother? Using big words and all that. Then again, her parents do like to reminisce at the dinner table about the good ol' days. The name "Malfoy" just so happens to pop up every once in a while. There was this one about a ferret that Rose found particularly funny...but that didn't mean that they hated the whole family, I mean, they didn't even know Scorpius. Sure, he can be an incredible ass -- that sounds weird. She's not thinking about his ass. He can just be really arrogant and cocky and...unpleasant. But he has to be tolerable to some extent, right? Outside of make out sessions, of course. Albus is one of his best friends, and surely they're not making out.

...Well that gave her more to worry about.

Who was she trying to kid? Her family would disown her if she ever brought Scorpius home. And, after meeting her truckload of aunts and uncles, he would realize that he had stepped into some sort of a looney bin and make a run for it. That's no exaggeration, it's happened before. Victoire did have a boyfriend before Teddy...and it wasn't just Teddy that ran him off. Rose was trying to convince herself that these little encounters with Scorpius would pass. He didn't actually have feelings for her, she didn't actually have feelings for him. There would be no big white wedding and doves.

...And that thought just depressed her.

I was numb
For you I come
Night and day
And I can't stay away
No I can't stay away

The redhead was making her way through the corridors, just letting her feet decide where they were going. Since the air was warmer, she only wore her thinnest hoodie and a tank top. Of course she was wearing red sweat pants. The girl hated jeans, or really anything constricting. What if she ran into a guy that needed a good front kick in the gut? And what if he was six foot three? She would need a little room to move, now wouldn't she? Her unruly hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. It had to be loose, her hair would eat it alive if it weren't. Weasley hair plus Granger hair apparently equaled a mess.

The bright sun was blinding as she found her way outside. If Gryffindor didn't have the Pitch anymore, who did? Hufflepuff liked to try and steal it from them. Then again, the Ravenclaw team needed some work. When she caught a glimpse of emerald robes, she got her answer.

She had been walking innocently by before she saw the players, but when she spotted a bright blonde Chaser, she flung herself backward, out of sight. Which was clearly a mistake, because stone castle walls never feel good. Her reaction was totally unreasonable. The boy was a Quidditch field away, he couldn't have possibly seen her, even if she was standing in the opening, waving her arms. The were bludgers flying all around him, he had other things on his mind. Slowly, she peeked around the stones, and tried to find him. It didn't take too long, seeing as he was the only one on the ground. Squinting, she tried to figure out what was going on. The rest of the team was flying down to him as well, and the captain didn't look too happy.

Carefully, Rose snuck out around the wall she was hiding behind, and ran underneath the stands. She made her way through the wooden pegs, narrowly dodging a few spider webs. Thankfully she only saw the webs, if there had been any spiders occupying them, there would have been issues. Finally, she was close enough to hear some of the words that were being said.

"It's your turn to clean up, Malfoy." Julian Flint, the captain said before walking in the direction of the locker rooms.

Well that was helpful.

Rose rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but watch Scorpius assemble all the game pieces. His movements captivated her. And once she realized that, it kind of freaked her out. With a hard blink, she started to make her way back around the field.

"Stay right there, Rose."

And she froze in mid-step. Did she just hear...?

Slowly, Rose looked back through the openings in the wood. At first, she thought that she was going insane. She could've sworn Scorpius had just talked to her. How silly. The blonde was busy latching everything up.

And that's when he stood up and grinned right at her before strolling in the direction of the broom closet.

About a million surprised curse words flew through her head as she clutched her chest in a very vain, girly attempt to make it stop beating so fast. It was quite a shock, of course. How did he know she was there? Sure, she wasn't exactly the most graceful gazelle in the flock, but she could be pretty sneaky when she tried. And she hadn't even tripped! He couldn't possibly have seen her. It was a ridiculous thought. She was just going to climb through the complex underside of the stands, back the way she came and go see if her family was done serving detention yet. The redhead picked up her foot to climb through a set of wooden bars, when she felt muscular arms sneak around her waist.

"And where do you think you're going?" Scorpius asked, laughter in his voice. "I thought I told you to stay put?"

Dumbfounded, Rose could do nothing more that stare up at him.

"Did you think you were going crazy?" He laughed, burying his face in her neck.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked, avoiding the obvious answer to his question. The blonde lifted his head up and looked at her, raising his brow and grinning.

"Like you can hide anywhere with that flaming head of hair."

Her jaw dropped. He could've only seen her for point two five seconds...did he actually see her?

"It's not like I'm the only one at this whole school with this hair color." She stated simply, turning away from his grasp to face him.

"No...but you are the only one that manages to pull it off in such an...aberrant fashion." He smirked, ruffling her firey locks. Rose shrugged him away and glared. The glare wasn't nearly as violent as she had intended. It might've been, if she hadn't noticed the scrapes on one side of Scorpius's face.

"What happened?" Her expression suddenly turned to concern as she reached up to brush the areas around the cuts.

Scorpius caught her hand before it left his face, his only response being a grin. It took Rose only a few moments to piece everything together.

"You didn't get those because you..."

"Yep." The blonde pulled her hand to his lips before continuing. "I saw you walking by the Pitch...unfortunately, a bludger was zooming right past me at the same time. Barely missed me. I'm lucky to have just this." He gestured with his head. Her eyes grew wide, and suddenly a wave of guilt rushed over her. What if he hadn't been so lucky? He could've been knocked clean off his broom! And bludgers just don't feel very good. Rose would be the expert. Her daredevil tactics promised her quite a few bones shattered, thanks to those nasty little buggers. And it was coming at his head. That could've been worse than she even wanted to imagine. He noticed her silence, and suddenly his expression grew soft.

"I'm okay, Rose." He started, running a thumb across her jawline, "Just a few scrapes. No major blood." Before she could protest, he pulled her close enough for there to be no room between the two. "But just the fact of you coming to see me is worth twenty bludgers." Rose made a face up at him.

"I was just...wondering who had the Pitch. You happened to be here." She said, nonchalantly. His first response was to grin and bring his face closer to her's.

"Hmm. Sounds like fate." His soft lips touched her own, and Rose felt like she was on fire. Before she knew it, her back was pressed against the wooden wall and her fingers were snared in his platinum locks.

--

The sun was starting to hang low in the sky, and there were sounds of another Quidditch team practicing. The young couple wouldn't be able to tell you which it was. They were a little too busy. Just talking, their fingers intertwined, Rose's head on his shoulder and his arm around her. The two enjoyed a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Rose lifted her head from it's resting spot.

"Scorpius?" He just looked at her, curiously waiting for her to continue.

"I've been thinking." She said after a deep breath.

"Those are never good words." He mumbled, and her eyes burned into his.

"Well, I'm about to tell you I think I'm falling in love with you, so I hope they're good words." The sentence fell out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying. Her body stiffened, hand going up to her mouth while her eyes widened and darted away from his. Well, what a grand time for her blunt tongue to kick in. What an idiot -- she was such an idiot.

But his response shocked her.

"Those are good words." He said between his laughter.

"Really?" She asked, looking back up at him. Scorpius just laughed again.

"Rose. I wouldn't be leading you around like this if I didn't feel the same way." All she could do was stare at him, trying to figure out what exactly was going on in his head. Boys are so complicated. Rose leaned her head back against the wooden wall behind her, Scorpius following her lead.

"What about your family?" She asked after a long pause.

"I'm a little more worried about your family." He muttered, more to himself than her. The thought made her grin.

"They're like puppy dogs, really. Their bark is much worse than their bite." His brow quirked.

"Oh really? And what about that poor fellow that was just holding a nice little conversation with Amala Peakes? Didn't James give him a black eye, or did I miss something?" Rose looked up at him the best she could.

"Okay, different situation. She's like his future wife or something."

"You're like his sister."

"Not the point." She sighed, closing her eyes. "We'll figure it out later. Whatever happens...happens."

"Right." He whispered, seeming content with that.

The two snuggled closer together, neither one thinking about going inside. Neither caring that the Weasley clan was tearing the castle apart, trying to find Rose. And also, neither caring that there was one person who had already put the puzzle pieces together.

Nothing ever could get past that particular Potter.

I wish I could
Leave and never return
Baby, I know I should
But for you I'd burn

I can't stay away, can't stay away.

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Hope you liked it.

Reviews are lovely. ;3