A/N: So, this is for the one-word challenge at HPFC (go check the forum out!). It turned out MUCH longer than I had previously anticipated. Anyway, the point of the challenge is to only use one word of dialogue throughout the whole thing, so some stuff might be awkward or a bit unbelievable. Sorry, but please, bear with it. :P

Anyway, please, R&R! :D Hope you enjoy.

Sorry for any typos...

Rose: Underlined

Scorpius: Italicized

It was raining.

Oh, how dramatic it all was. She'd always scoffed at books when she'd read scenarios like this–how the rain would randomly start pouring when something bad happened. Now, it was happening to her.

Maybe it was karma.

Rose raised her head from in between her propped-up knees and stared at her hands. Biting her lip, she promised herself that no matter what happened, she wouldn't cry.

She wouldn't cry.

She was the daughter of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, heroes of the Second Wizarding War. How could she cry over such a trivial matter, when they had faced such dangers and hadn't shed a tear? How could she snivel over her own naivety?

No, I won't cry, she thought to herself. I won't shame them by doing something as pathetic and weak as crying over a stupid, pigheaded, idiotic boy!

But no matter what she did, the tears kept on flowing down her face. She tried biting her lip, biting her tongue, swallowing the sobs, clenching her fists, shutting her eyes...nothing seemed to work. She just kept on getting reminded of that, of how she'd been used.

She had been used like a tool, and now, she was no longer needed. Or, at least, those were his exact words. He had just said it to her, the ever-present sparkling smile on his face, and then had proceeded to snog the half-naked girl next to him.

It was a shame, really, that Rose had developed such strong feelings for such a bastard.

Of course, when she had been facing him, she hadn't really thought, and had just proceeded to jinx the life out of him and his slimy girlfriend, making sure that Madame Pomfrey wouldn't get lonely for the next couple of weeks. Seeing red, she had stormed out of the Head Dorms, leaving him moaning in her wake. Only after her initial anger had petered out had she actually realized what had just transpired.

She had been used, and then tossed aside, like an unwanted, broken toy.

It had hit her hard, and she had sunk to the floor in the Astronomy Tower, where she knew that very little came, the feeling of betrayal and helplessness overwhelming her. She was seventeen, yet she had still sought the familiar feeling of her father's arms and the comforting words crooned by her mother, as she had when she had been a young girl.

Sobs were ripped out of her throat, and she prayed that no one found her in this pathetic position. For Merlin's sake, let no one come.

Of course, it was at that moment that she heard the footsteps. Her eyes widened in alarm and she clamped her hand over her mouth to stop herself. Doing her best to level her breath, she flattened herself against the wall, praying that pleasepleaseplease don't let the person get nearer.

She saw the blond-almost-white hair bobbing up the stairs, and then her own chestnut, red-rimmed eyes met the widened-in-alarm gray eyes.

Oh, wonderful. It was Scorpius Malfoy, the boy that she had an infamous rivalry with. Though he spoke sparsely, his idiotic expressions conveyed enough cockiness and arrogance to spite her. She and him had been engaging in a rivalry since First Year, where the two had been made Potions partners and had blown up the cauldron, arguing over the correct ingredients. Since then, they had done their best to make sure that the other didn't get higher marks, even if it meant that they wouldn't be first place. Their only objective was to beat the other.

Rose narrowed her eyes, daring him to say something, though the effect was ruined when she hiccuped in between. Scorpius was still staring at her in shock. He blinked, shook his head, and then blinked again, his mouth slightly agape.

If Rose hadn't been feeling so horrible, she would've been doing a jig at how stupid he looked. It wasn't often one got to disarm Scorpius Malfoy like this.

Before Rose could tell him to bugger off, he took a deep breath, turned on his heel, and walked calmly down the stairs, shaking his head. Rose stared after him, confused. He was just…leaving? He hadn't even teased her! Or offer comfort! Was chivalry really dead?

However, Rose decided to let him go. She had enough on her plate, and didn't need to add him. She moaned after a moment, because she knew that she looked a mess. When she cried, she didn't have tears elegantly flowing down her face, and she didn't look like a heartbroken princess. Oh, no, when she cried, she looked like a banshee. Her face would get all red, her hair would miraculously become a bird's nest, and tears would fall all over the place.

And now, Scorpius Malfoy had seen her like that. This was just getting better and better.

She didn't know how long she stayed there, but she couldn't muster the energy to force herself up. If she did, she knew she'd have to meet one of her cousins, and when they found out what had happened, they'd go on a rampage. Right now, she didn't have the will nor the energy to deal with that, so she wondered how much longer she could stay here until someone realized she was missing.

Shrouded in the darkness, her back against the wall, she decided to wait. At that moment, she heard more unwelcome footsteps.

Merlin, why was the Astronomy Tower so damn popular today!

By now, she had calmed down and wasn't crying like a child anymore, though it was probably obvious that she had been engaging in that activity. Instead of calling out, since she knew her voice would probably end up cracking, she waited for the intruder to show.

The shocking blond-almost-white hair made a dreaded return. His expression was stoic, almost scowling, and in his hand he was holding two mugs of a steaming liquid, a piece of parchment, and a quill.

Oh, Merlin, was he going to drown her in boiling liquid! She knew he was rude, but she hadn't known that he was pure evil!

She tried to scoot away, but he widened his eyes and shouted something...though no words came out, only a weird scratchy sound. It had seemed as if he was saying 'Wait!', but Rose couldn't be sure. She kept silent, though, since she knew that her own voice would be squeaky after so much crying. It was a rather annoying trait that she had, and had been often teased because of it, hence the fact that she rarely cried. If she started talking like a mouse in front of Malfoy, she could never look him straight in the eye again. Just having him find her in such an embarrassing position was enough.

He padded over to where she was sitting, her expression screaming at him to go away. When he got closer, she realized that his own eyes were narrowed in defiance, a small scowl adorning his face.

She was just about to reach for her own wand and hex him before he got close enough to pour the liquid on her when he stopped. Instead of pouring the liquid all over her and laughing maniacally...he offered her a mug.

Instantly, she was alert, refusing to take the mug lest it be rigged to explode. You never knew, when it came to Malfoy. He made a frustrated sound in the back of his throat, though he started coughing shortly after that.

He sat down heavily, the liquid in the cups (it was a chocolatey shade) sloshing dangerously from side to side. His scowl much, much deeper than before, he took out his quill and began to scratch something on the piece of parchment.

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to wait and see what he was writing. It was probably a slur against her– maybe to tell her how "weasel like" she looked? Or to ridicule her messed up, frizzy hair? Or maybe even–

Her internal tirade was ruined when he thrust the piece of paper in her face, making a motion to read it.

She snatched the paper from his hand and pored over it.

Just take the damn hot chocolate, will you, Weasley? It's getting cold.

Hot...chocolate? She was about to ask him what the hell he was talking about, when he snatched the paper back with a sneer on his face and etched something else onto the paper.

Hot. Chocolate. Ever heard of it, Weasley? What did you think the mugs were full of? Boiling oil?

His handwriting was a messy scrawl, and she could clearly see the way he had underlined oil for emphasis. Scowling herself, she was about to snap at him that, yes, he was that heinous, when she realized that she still sounded like a mouse. Snatching both the quill and the parchment from him in a fluid motion, she began to scratch on it as well.

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

Yes, actually. One can never be too careful when dealing with someone as heinous as you. And why aren't you speaking?

He stole it back.

Oh, please, Weasley. Like I've got time to waste plotting heinous deeds for you.

I think that's a compliment. I also believe that I'm not worth your time– I'm too good for it. And you still haven't answered my question.

"I'm too good for it?" Merlin, Weasley, you're losing your edge. And I thought you couldn't get any more idiotic. Why aren't you speaking?

Puh-lease, Malfoy. I'm just not in the mood for bantering with you– we both know I'd win anyway. And stop avoiding the question!

You're avoiding mine! Oh, and I'd win. Obviously.

Just TELL me, will you? It's starting to get on my nerves! And don't flatter yourself, Malfoy.

He looked torn while reading the parchment, probably deciding whether to tell me or not.

I...I've lost my voice. It's a stupid Muggle cold, and Pomfrey has conveniently gone on vacation for a few days. Something about recuperating from idiotic students. Apparently, the replacement, who's just that idiotic Charms teacher, could "handle anything but a Muggle cold" because it "wasn't magical" and, of course, he was "just a Charms teacher". So now I have to wait until she gets back in two bloody days. And don't you DARE laugh, Weasley, or I swear, I'm going to tell everyone that you were here bawling your eyes out.

When she read what he had written, she had been about to burst out laughing at the fact that he had a Muggle cold, but when she read the last part, all of the amusement she had been feeling vanished in a flash. Suddenly, she had the horrible urge to cry, being reminded of the fact that she had been played like a grand piano.

When she didn't reply, Scorpius started poking her with the quill.

Poke. Poke. Poke.

Finally, fed up with the incessant poking, she snatched the quill from him.

WILL YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?

...No. Not until you drink the hot chocolate.

OH, YOU'RE JUST SO...SO...UGH!

So...ugh? As articulate as ever, I see. Just drink, Weasley. I've got better things to do than waste my time with you.

And if I refuse?

Merlin, Weasley! Aren't girls supposed to be all gaga over chocolate! Will you please just drink the damn thing!

...Fine. I will. But only because I like chocolate.

Hesitantly, she took the still-warm cup from where he had set it down on the floor. She stared at the murky content, and suddenly bit her lip.

Drinking hot chocolate had been what they'd done on their first date.

Again, the horrible urge to cry took over her. Dear Merlin, what was it with stupid emotions! Couldn't they just leave her alone!

Scorpius eyes widened measurably, his expression screaming 'Oh shit'. Then, he did something that just showed that you could never put anything past Malfoy. He grabbed the left side of her head roughly (he was sitting on her right) and pulled her down onto his shoulder. It was slightly awkward– you didn't have to be a Ravenclaw to realize that he was new to this whole "comfort" thing –but it was...nice. In his own way, he had been trying to make her feel better, for Merlin knows what reason.

It was...sweet.

She looked up at him, her eyes shining with sincerity.

"Th-thanks," she whispered, putting as much emotion into that word as possible. To her dismay, her voice still sounded higher than usual, but he didn't laugh. Instead, his eyes widened comically at first, but then he blushed– Scorpius Malfoy blushed! –and looked away.

She sniffled loudly, and he pretended not to notice.

Erm...yeah. Poor Pomfrey. She took a break to make sure her sanity didn't take one. XD

Hey, it could happen!

Anyway, please review! And I'm sorry if it sounds a bit too unbelievable. Wizards just can't handle Muggle things, y'know? They need some good ol' Nyquill. XP

Also, doesn't seem to like interrobangs, so some of the exclamation marks are actually interrobangs.

Hope you liked it! :D

Oh, if only I was allowed more words. XD

~SCYS