Rose Weasley was running.
Not in the sense of breeze blowing through her hair, blissful smile on her face, and the occasional liberated twirl whenever she felt so inclined, no. This was more akin to the laboured breathing, skidding around corners, pupils dilated with fear, kind of running.
"CODE F. I REPEAT, CODE F!" Albus had bellowed as he cut off the music much to the outrage of the crowd and DJ L-Dizzle Potter who'd finally let the bass drop. "EVERYONE RUN!"
Rose had never witnessed the dance floor empty so rapidly. The fact that Laurence Joyce had literally shoved Sylvia Wallace out of the way after grinding with her all night was a testament to the urgency of the situation.
"ALBUS! ALBUS!" Rose had shouted, as she was swept up in the crowd of frantic Gryffindors surging towards the exit. "LILY? ELLIE? MAR-PFFGHTH" She spat out a mouthful Lacey Miller's luscious raven locks.
A maniacal cackle cut through the sound of stampeding Gryffindors, "I'VE GOT YOU NOW!" A wheeze. "Nott, you take care of 3E, Gibby at 8R."
Rose's eyes widened in horror, Filch had acquired the assistance of student deputies?! And they had code words?!
But Filch wasn't finished yet, "Higgs, right flank, Darling, behind me!"
Fear temporarily dissipated at the bizarreness of Filch's words. Necks craned to see who Filch's 'darling' was, then collective amusement mingled with understanding as they saw Wilfred Darling, Keeper of the Slytherin Quidditch Team glaring at them from beneath his fringe. His name had been the source of endless entertainment throughout the years, not the least because Wilfred was the last person you'd refer to as 'darling'. The fact that he'd tried and failed in first year to convince his professors and peers that the 'l' was actually silent and his name was pronounced 'daring' just added to the hilarity.
Amusement was short-lived, however, because the gleeful "gotcha!" from Filch and corresponding squeal of a fallen comrade struck fear in the hearts of the fleeing Gryffindors.
Rose ran blindly. Portraits whipped past her as she darted through darkened passageways and flew down flights of stairs. Abject terror had given her wings and it wasn't until the initial shot of adrenalin had worn off that the painful sensation of burning muscles and bursting lungs caught up with her.
Bent over her knees, Rose took great gulps of air, trying to regain control of her ragged breathing. Where the hell was she? Where were her friends? And why hadn't she taken up Lily's offer to go running?
Something furry brushed past her ankles.
A sliver of fear slithered down her spine.
Mrs Norris.
Rose may or may not have kicked the cat in her haste to get away.
Detention was just not on the cards. Not when she'd been against the party the whole time! Of course the Gryffindor victory party was going to be discovered if they held it on the night of the victorious Quidditch match! How many times had she warned Albus?!
Rose skidded around a corner just in time to see a girl disappear through a doorway.
A glimmer of hope ignited within her heart. The Hufflepuff Common Room!
She had leapt down multiple flights of stairs purely because it was easier than hiking up them and now her laziness was paying off! Surely the friendly Hufflepuffs would give asylum to a Gryffindor in need!
Using her last spurt of energy, Rose made a mad dash for the door, just catching it with the tips of her fingers before it clicked shut. Her body sagged in relief.
The empty common room was a welcome sight. Less welcoming was the cold, green elegance characteristic of the Slytherin House.
Rose forced herself to take a calming breath. The Slytherin Common Room was better than no common room, right? And at least it was empty! She just needed to hide out there until Filch called it a night.
She turned to survey the room only for her eyes to widen horror as she watched the door slide open as if in slow motion.
Merlin help her, she'd jumped out of the frying pan and straight into the fire.
There was no time for careful planning, Rose catapulted behind the nearest stairwell and prayed desperately to Merlin.
Merlin absentmindedly turned a blind eye.
"I told you, I'm fine." An irate Wilfred Darling shrugged off his friend's hand. "That Lily Potter is going to pay."
Rose stiffened. What had Lily done?
"Bloody Bat-Bogey Hex, I'll show her Bat-Bogey Hex." Wilfred continued muttering angrily under his breath.
Rose clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh.
"We'll get her back next time for sure." His friend placated.
"You bet we will." Wilfred ground out. "You know the thing that bugs me most is the fact that she's still out there somewhere whilst I'm reduced to coming back here."
"Maybe Filch will nab her." His friend tried again.
Rose gulped. Was it just her or were the voices getting closer?
"And the bloody Gryffindor Quidditch Team. How on earth did they manage to win today? We were ten times better!" Wilfred continued ranting.
Amusement drained out of Rose. The voices were definitely getting closer. She hastily crept up the stairs.
"They must be cheating." Another voice agreed.
Ordinarily, Rose would've bristled at the accusation, but the realisation that she was hiding in the Boys Dormitory stairwell was a bucket of ice water over her head.
The boys rounded the corner and Rose just managed to dash up the next flight of stairs. The only thing that prevented her from crying or screaming at what she saw next was her indecision at which to do first. Her eyes shot between the plaque that read Sixth Year Boys' Dormitory, Seventh Year Boys' Dormitory, the dead end, and the corner upon which the boys would certainly appear any minute now. A hot, prickling sensation crept up Rose's neck, Wilfred Darling was a Sixth Year. Why oh why had she fled into the Slytherin Common Room? She should've just braved Filch. What was a detention and a couple of house points after all? Her honour was on the line. Merlin, Morgana and Circe, if she got caught she would never live this down. Gryffindor would never live this down.
"Hah, yeah." Wilfred's scornful voice sounded right by her ear, "Wouldn't put it past the Potters to spy on us… or those Weasleys for that matter."
With breaths coming out in short pants and eyes darting frantically between the two doors, Rose barged into the Seventh Year Dorms. Such was the roaring in her ears that she barely registered the handle squeaking and the door closing with a little more force than she otherwise would've liked.
Engulfed in darkness and the gentle breathing of sleeping students, Rose leaned against the door and allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. Momentary crisis averted.
A bed creaked.
Rose's breath caught in her throat.
"Who's there?" A voice mumbled.
Rose froze.
"Who's there?" The voice repeated, a little more clearly now.
"Uh…" Rose fumbled, deepening her voice, "Just me. Bro." She winced.
Rose waited with baited her breath, hoping desperately that the boy would just go back to sleep and someone up there would just give her a break and WHAT ON EARTH HAD SHE DONE TO DESERVE THIS NIGHT FROM HELL?!
The bed creaked again and Rose could dimly make out a figure making their way slowly towards her.
Her heart sunk.
Life was futile. She should've accepted her fate early on; she should've just presented herself as a sacrificial lamb in the first place. At least then she never would've had to endure the trauma of being hunted down, and maybe she would've saved the other Gryffindors some stress too. She might have even been hailed as a martyr!
It all came down to poor life choices, Rose concluded mournfully. This was what she got for running away like a coward when she should've protected her fellow Gryffindors. Friendships were what really mattered in the end.
So lost was she in remorse, that Rose barely registered the tall figure standing before her. They both stared at each other for a moment.
Then a hand was tugging her gently towards a patch of moonlight pooling through the gap in the curtain. Rose wondered faintly if the trauma of the night might have turned her hair grey and therefore unrecognisable.
"Rose Weasley?!"
She reluctantly raised her eyes to meet his gaze and balked, "Malfoy?"
"What…" His voice trailed off, there were too many questions to be asked, "the hell?"
"I'm sorry!" Rose whispered urgently, taking advantage of his confusion, "Filch busted a Gryffindor party and I was running for my life, and then I accidentally got into the Slytherin Common Room and then Wilfred Darling and his friends came in and started accusing my family of cheating at Quidditch so I had to hide in here and please don't kick me out because I don't know who else is still out there and I'm not a cheater and I'm so sorry!"
Scorpius gawked at her. He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again.
Rose already knew what he was going to say: get out. She had no place here. It was her own fault for getting herself into this mess in the first place.
But he surprised her. "Am I dreaming right now or is this real life?"
If she hadn't been so caught up in her own predicament she would've laughed at his bewilderment. It was almost sweet.
"You're dreaming?" Rose tried meekly.
Scorpius dismissed the attempt with a wave of his hand, "Let me get this straight, you, Rose Weasley, are asking to hide in my dorm, the Slytherin Boys' Dormitory?"
Rose nodded slowly.
"Because you're running from Filch…"
"And Wilfred Darling who falsely accused the Weasley's of cheating!" Rose reminded him.
"Right." Scorpius ran a hand through his hair as if wondering how he'd managed to get himself caught up in this mess.
"It won't be for long, just until Filch gives up." Rose beseeched, "I would stay in the Common Room, but I don't know who else might come in."
He rubbed the back of his head, brow furrowing. "Right…But how do I know this isn't some massive prank or that you're going to, I dunno, steal our stuff or something?"
"Um…" Rose racked her brains for a convincing answer, but all she could come up with "because… I'm me?"
She could almost see his thought process. Kick her out, his instincts were telling him. Send her downstairs. She shouldn't even be in the Slytherin Common Room, let alone his dorm. He owed her nothing.
Rose shifted from foot to foot under the weight of his gaze. With the moonlight glinting off his silvery hair and shadows emphasising the sharp angles of his face, he cut an intimidating figure to say the least.
He sighed. "Right, okay then. I guess you can just stay in the corner over there?"
Rose's mouth dropped open in shock, he was letting her stay?
Her face lit up, "Oh, thank you!"
The relief was so great that she felt a hot prickle at the back of her eyes. There had been so many near misses; she hadn't allowed herself to hope.
There was still goodness in the world.
Get a hold of yourself, Rose.
Scorpius waved of her thanks; "I'm going to go back to bed if that's okay?"
"Oh yes!" Rose nodded hastily; mortified that he'd even thought of asking. "Don't worry about me! I'll just sit tight over here and be silent as the grave."
He gave her a nod and turned towards his bed when then doorhandle creaked.
Scorpius whirled around, meeting Rose's eyes in mutual horror.
Light began filtering in as the door opened a crack and before Rose knew what was happening, Scorpius had grabbed her arm and was pulling her into his bed. There was no time to close the drapes around his four poster bed and Rose only just managed to duck her head underneath the covers when the door opened fully.
All she could register in that moment was her face pressed up against his chest and her chest pressed up against his stomach and well, everything else pressed up against everything else. But the shock (and whatever else that weird feeling in her stomach was) soon melted away and the fear set back in. At least she wasn't alone in it this time, she could feel Scorpius' heartbeat racing. It was strangely comforting.
But another feeling was blooming in her chest, something warm and not like fear at all. He'd hidden her. Not just in his dorm, but in his bed when they'd been in danger of being caught together. He could have easily just saved his own skin and left her out in in the room, but no, he'd gone out of his way to help her. If Rose hadn't already been hugging him, she would've done so now. As it was, she settled for snuggling her head deeper into his chest.
Rose had little time to indulge in the warmth of unexpected acts of kindness, however, because Scorpius' dorm mate had just dropped something and she was pretty sure it had rolled under the bed they were lying on.
There was a muttered curse, then Lumos and the light was blindingly bright even from underneath the covers.
At first the light bounced around and scuffling ensued, but then the boy must've retrieved whatever he'd dropped, because the light stilled, but strangely enough, remained on.
"Dude, put that out." Scorpius finally grumbled.
"Dude." The voice answered, "Is that a girl?"
"No." Rose felt Scorpius' arm tighten around her. His hand was just low enough on her waist to make her breath hitch. Fear dissipated temporarily and all she could think was, so warm, so solid. But a moment later he released her, reaching up and jerking the drapes shut.
A guffaw.
Then a gleeful, "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry, I'll find out who it is tomorrow."
Scorpius let out a low growl. "Just go and paint or whatever you do at this ungodly hour."
A momentary reprieve when his friend went into the bathroom.
Rose poked her head out from underneath the covers, "I am so so sorry."
Scorpius sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Herman thinks he's an artist and likes to paint in the middle of the night sometimes."
Rose fought to keep the despair from her face. She was trapped in a nightmare that she just couldn't wake up from. "So…I'll be here for a while then?"
"I guess so." He sounded so utterly resigned that she had the sudden urge to stroke his hair and tell him that it would all be okay.
But of course, it was all really her fault and there was nothing she could do about it, so she settled for yet another, "I am so sorry" and hoped that he would understand.
So far his generosity had gone above and beyond. It seemed, however, that Rose was really going to test his limits…
But she really hadn't meant to fall asleep! Rose could've sworn she'd just rested her head on the pillow for minute! Truthfully, she hadn't thought it was possible for her to fall sleep, not with Scorpius Malfoy lying there next to her… But she had ripped it up on the dance floor earlier that night (if she did say so herself) and the physically and emotionally draining saga of being hunted down must have taken its toll, because the next thing Rose knew was that she was waking up nestled snugly into Scorpius' side with one leg draped across his body.
Scorpius couldn't remember having such a satisfying sleep in a long time. Something stirred next to him and he cracked open an eyelid. What he saw was very pleasing.
Rose Weasley.
Rose Weasley in his bed.
But why was she moving away from him? Giving her a sleepy smile, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back towards his chest.
Then he froze.
The clogs in his mind slowly started to whir into action.
Rose Weasley?
In his bed?!
He lurched away from her. What had happened last night? He looked down at himself, still fully clothed. He sighed, telling himself that it was one of relief.
And then it all came rushing back. Rose Weasley in his dorm room in the middle of the night begging for help. Something about Filch and Wilfred Darling. And sure he'd been half asleep, but how was he supposed to have said no to that? Plus, it wasn't as if Filch and Wilfred were two of his favourite people either.
He looked up back at up at her, her face a vision of surprise and guilt.
Scorpius flopped onto his back, "Fuck."
"I am so sorry!" She whispered anxiously, "I didn't mean to fall asleep, I'm sorry! I'll leave now!"
She was sorry? As if he hadn't the one who'd more or less just molested her.
"Oh, no, that's okay. Sorry about…" Scorpius waved his hand around trying to find the appropriate word, "…that."
A flush crept up her neck, "No worries." She gave him a small smile. "Thanks for everything."
Ugh, she was so nice.
It was sickening…
how much she got to him.
He'd always kept his distance from the Weasleys; they were in a completely different league to him. Especially Rose. He'd been happy to watch her from afar, but damn, she was so much better up close.
"I'll go now then." She sat up leaving his right side feeling cold and empty.
"Right, yeah." His sleep-ridden brain was still trying to keep up.
"Scorpius has a girl in his bed." Herman's snicker sounded from across the room.
A crash.
"What?" Gasped Adam. "As in now? As in here? As in just over there?!"
Scorpius suppressed a groan by burying his face into his pillow and contemplated suffocation. How could he have forgotten about Herman?
"Shame Rhys has already gone to breakfast, he's going to miss all the fun." sniggered his housemate.
Adam guffawed. "You don't mean…?"
"And miss this glorious opportunity?" Herman exclaimed.
Then they both fell about themselves in gleeful anticipation.
Rose was tapping him on the shoulder rather urgently now. Scorpius dislodged himself from his pillow. "What do we do?!" She mouthed urgently.
He stared back at her equally panicked, "Covers?" He mouthed back pointing at the sheets.
And that was all there was time for before his drapes were wrenched open and Rose dived beneath his sheets.
Unfortunately, she had been a bit too exuberant in her actions and dragged most of the blankets away so that there was now a rather noticeable lump just below his waist.
His gaze snapped up to the shit eating grins of Herman and Adam.
"Can I help you?" He asked with as much bite as he could muster under the circumstances.
"Well," Herman began with a smirk that said he was going to enjoy this to the full extent, "you might recall that last night I assured you that I would find out the identity of your mystery girl."
Scorpius racked his brains for a witty retort, but it had short circuited the moment he felt Rose's breath hot on the inside of his thigh and any conscious thought was a lost cause.
"And I'm sure you would agree," Adam continued, clapping his friend on the shoulder, "that young Herman here, is a man of his word."
She was gripping his hips now and he simultaneously cursed and rejoiced his choice of pyjama bottoms that hung low because oh Merlin, the feeling of her fingers on his skin…
"So I hope you don't mind if we just…" Herman extended his hand to reach for the covers, Scorpius' eyes widened and he did the only thing he could of.
He moaned.
Herman's hand froze mid-air.
The moan had been loud, breathy, and just a little bit too convincing. The heat rose rapidly on Scorpius' face and he wondered if it was possible to expire from mortification.
If his friends' faces were anything to go by, they were equally as horrified.
He didn't even want to contemplate what Rose must have been thinking at that point. She probably hated him. Probably thought he was a presumptuous pig. Oh merciful Merlin, just let him expire.
"Do you mind?" Scorpius managed to snap, albeit with a rather strained expression.
Herman retracted his hand as if he'd touched something disgusting.
"Oh Merlin, yeah, sorry man." Adam backtracked, putting his hands up. "We didn't know…we just thought…"
"Yeah, sorry bro, didn't mean to interrupt anything…we were just…" Herman fumbled, stumbling backwards. "We'll leave you to it."
"Close the-" But Scorpius didn't have to finish his sentence, because the drapes had already swung shut around him and there was a mild scuffle to get to the door.
The door slammed and a dishevelled Rose emerged from underneath the covers a second later.
Scorpius sat up immediately, "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to imply that…I mean-"
Rose let out a light laugh, "It's fine."
Scorpius stared. "It's fine? I just…I just- I can't believe I just did that." He groaned.
"Well it got them out of the room, right?"
She had a point. He allowed himself a shaky grin, "You should've seen their faces." And then his smile became strained, "You know, they're probably still listening at the door."
"Perverts." Rose rolled her eyes. "Well, should we give them something to talk about then?"
Scorpius' jaw dropped. "I'm pretty sure we already have…"
Rose scoffed, "That little moan? Please, that was nothing."
"Nothing?" Scorpius spluttered. He hadn't given himself third degree burns from embarrassment over nothing. "That was definitely something!"
Rose just shrugged.
"I'd like to see you try." Scorpius huffed.
Rose's smile turned a little wicked and he regretted his words immediately. Before Scorpius could prepare his heart for what was to come, she'd thrown back her head and arched her back, letting out a devastatingly breathy whimper.
And oh Merlin, if he hadn't already been half in love with her, he definitely was now.
Rose simply quirked an eyebrow at him, "Your turn."
His eyes were still probably bugging out of his head at that point, but this was the longest conversation he'd ever had with her, she was on his bed staring expectantly at him, and there was no way in hell he was going to let her down. Scorpius forced himself to gather the last scraps of his composure. What was dignity anyway?
He closed his eyes and let out a low growl.
Scorpius wasn't sure if it was just his own delusional wishful thinking, but he was pretty sure that Rose was several shades pinker when he opened his eyes.
Finally the shuffling of feet leading away from the door could be heard.
Her lips quirked upwards jauntily, "Not bad, Malfoy."
His embarrassment slipping away, Scorpius found himself grinning back at her. "You're not too bad yourself, Weasley."
"And don't you forget it." She winked at him jokingly.
Scorpius' mind flashed back to the feeling of her body pressed flush against him, the sound of her moan. "Unlikely…" He muttered under his breath.
He looked up to see at Rose staring at him red-faced.
Perhaps not so under his breath then, and he flushed alongside her.
"I should probably go," Rose spoke, breaking the silence; "I still have to make it back to the Gryffindor Common Room."
"Oh right, yeah." Scorpius berated himself, you fool, did you think she'd sit here and chat forever? "I'll check if the coast is clear downstairs." He said out loud.
"Thanks," She smiled gratefully at him.
Grabbing a hoody and pulling it over his head, Scorpius reluctantly swung his legs off the bed. He did a quick lap around the Common Room before jogging back up to the dorm. "All clear, everyone must be at breakfast. Come quickly!"
Rose leapt off his bed and followed closely on his heels.
"Here we are." Scorpius held the door of the Common Room open for her, already mourning the sudden absence of Rose. Had it only been seconds earlier that she had been sitting on his bed?
By some grace of God Rose must've felt the same, because she paused in the doorway, turning towards him, "I just wanted to say thanks again, you have no idea how grateful I am."
"Glad to help." Scorpius responded with a casual shrug of his shoulders, because what else could he say? I think you're wonderful? Stay longer won't you? Have breakfast with me today! And tomorrow, and the day after that! Did I mention that I think you're wonderful?
"Well, you're brilliant and I'll definitely make it up to you one day!" Flashing him one last smile, she disappeared through the door, leaving a dazed Scorpius in her wake.
She thought he was brilliant.
Rose burst through the exit of the Slytherin Common Room.
There was no time to dwell on Scorpius' kindness or how delectably dishevelled he looked sprawled languidly on his bed, because Rose Weasley was running.
Not in the sense of laboured breathing, skidding around corners, pupils dilated with fear kind of running, no. This was more akin to breeze blowing through her hair, blissful smile on her face, and the occasional liberated twirl whenever she felt so inclined, kind of running.
Hey everyone!
Long time no see! Hope you're all well :)
Leave a review if you made it all the way to the end, I'd love to know what you think!
Lots of love,
Bumbledbee