'Oh Merlin's beard!' Rose exclaimed as she heard Filch's steps coming down the corridor. The old caretaker was near deaf and even shorter tempered. The former allowed her to stumble into the nearest broom cupboard without him hearing her knocking over several items on the shelves, and a yelp that didn't come from her. This would have concerned her more if her heart hadn't felt like it was hammering in the throat, it was only when Filch had shuffled past that she turned to see who she was sharing the cupboard with. Through the slats in the wood she saw a flash of silver blonde hair, Scorpious Malfoy. Luckily the oaf had had enough brains to keep quiet while Filch was there but now he said, no doubt accompanied by a sneer,

'Well muddy, that desperate are we?'

Rose felt her ears burn with anger, she despised that name, partly because it was horrible in general but also completely misplaced. Both her parents were magical and it was only granny and grampy Granger that were muggles.

'You wish Malfoy…' she paused as she heard approaching footsteps, peeking through the cracks she saw Filch returning, looking carefully from side to side as if his eyes were also failing him. 'Shit' she muttered. He was about 10 feet away when she felt Malfoy's breath on her throat. 'Don't make a sound' and his hand was around her mouth before she could protest and he was pulling her down and back into… well here Rose was lost as she was sure the back of this cupboard was solid, as it turned out, as with many things in Hogwarts, that all was not as it seemed.

Next thing she knew she was sat on a window seat with the back of the cupboard a foot or two in front of her, behind her the window looked out across the lake. Beside her Malfoy was sat on a pile of cushions, behind him on a shelf was a book which looked like it had been read to within an inch of it's life; there was also a photo album, a bag of Honeydukes sweets and a half empty bottle of pumpkin juice. About her eye level was a slat through which she could see the corridor and Filch still prowling a few feet from the broom cupboard.

As she turned back to Malfoy she found him staring at her, he ran his fingers through his shoulder length blonde hair which tousled it out of it's normal perfection. 'he gone yet?' he asked.

'Not yet' she said moving as far away from him as she could in the small hole.

'No need for that' he said, his voice very different to the one he normally addressed her by. Seeing her confusion he laughed, 'ah yes I see, I'm afraid this is my hole in which I am myself.' Rose had to bite back a laugh, this had to be a joke, a new ploy after the 6 years they had known each other to get at her.

'I'm serious' he said drawing his knees up to his chin 'it's a trick my dad taught me' at the mention of his dad he looked out the window. ' one of the few that didn't involve being top dog all the time anyway'

'So how you are everyday?'

'Complete act, have to keep up the Malfoy rep right?'

'ah ha' she said still not quite believing, and finding the chink 'so how come you called me muddy in there? Your lies get worse all the time Malfoy' she spat at him.

'Was outside the hole, minute I go out of here I become the Malfoy you all know and love, or loath, whichever. Anyways looks like I'm going to have to find a new place now' he sighed

'probably not right now' Rose said as she peeped through the slot

'why you say that?'

'because Filch's set up camp outside the cupboard'

'what!? Why would he do that?'

'He probably couldn't find me' Rose admitted 'I may have set a small trap in his office, just as he was about to enter. He must have caught a flash of me running this way.'

'Ah shit, what time is it?'

'ten past three, why?'

'ah miss perfect skipping class? But it means the classes won't be out for almost an hour before he will have to move out of the way of those actually in class'

'So that means?'

'better get comfy' he said tossing her a couple of cushions from the pile.

She thanked him, somewhat reluctantly and settled down. Malfoy pulled out his book and seemingly opened it at random. She sat for a minute before digging in her bag for her text books. Despite what the present situation suggested she never missed class and was one of the top students in their year. Scorpious wasn't thick either but he was less concerned with getting the best grades, or maybe he was she suddenly thought. Maybe the bravado that he had towards learning was also part of his cover. She shook her head to get rid of the thought and opened her transfiguration book, unfurled a piece of parchment and began to make notes on what she was missing.

They continued on like this until just before 4, when they looked out however Filch was still there, it was only then they remembered that the corridor they were on stopped a few rooms down, and each of them was locked and used as storage for various odds and ends that the school had gathered over the years. As they peeped they saw filch click his fingers and one of the house elves appeared with a plate of food and a goblet of something steaming. It appeared they would be here for a lot longer….