Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters…

He had spoiled every thing. Every thing.

Every redeeming act of his, gone to dust, because he couldn't hold his temper.

Every friend he had earned, every happy memory, blemished.

And, worst of all, he had lost her. There was no hope at all for undoing what he had done.

Try as he might to blame her, a stubborn part of his brain quite readily cooked up excuses in her favor.

Calling some one a mudblood, no matter how justified the cause was wrong, and he knew not how to repent for it.

Through all this, one person stayed by his side.

Albus had been the only one who hadn't deserted him.

Though no one else knew about it, he was sure he'd have hell to face when they did.

He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more than it already was.

For the past hour he had sat there, wondering, no, reprimanding himself for that abominable word that he had uttered.

It hadn't helped and he felt worse than he had back then.

"Scorpius!"

"Al! How is she?"

"No better than you, but she wouldn't tell me what happened. You know her, she'd never accept that she was having a problem"

"Isn't there any way to make her better?"

"You need to tell me what happened. No, no protests. Tell me every thing. Only then can I salvage some thing at least"

"There isn't much to tell. You already know three fourths of it"

"Even so, tell me once again"

"You know its full moon tomorrow and I always get tensed"

"Quite unnecessarily. The Shrieking shack is quite safe, even now"

"Rose wanted me to help her with some assignment or other. I told her that I had detention"

"You are rather inept when it comes to lying to her"

"She saw right through me. She asked me if I was having a secret date, or some thing"

"Ouch!"

"Yeah! And it reminded me of how unsuspecting she was of my condition and what I feel for her. It frustrated me that I could never be completely truthful to her. It can never be…"

"So, you took it out on her?"

He only shook his head in acceptance, despair clear in his stance.

"At least she will be safely away from me, right?"

His hopeful voice stopped Albus' thoughts and he said fiercely, "You are not infected with a contagious disease, Scorpius!"

"Might as well be. At least then, there will be certainty. Either health or death. I hate this limbo. Waiting for some thing bad to happen, knowing it will, but not knowing when"

"Shut up, Scor! Your little problem won't keep her away, and if it does, she isn't worth it!"

"You do realize you are talking about your cousin?"

"I'd say the same thing if it was my own sister"

"Thanks Al"

"You need to tell her. She'll understand"

"I can't. How do you tell some one that you have lycanthrophy?"

"Just how you said it now, Scorpius"

Scorpius snapped his head up, to find Rose atop the stairs, her face dreary.

"Rose, I'm really sorry for what I said earlier. I…"

She swung her hand, as if dismissing it as inconsequential, and said, "You're on a roll today, aren't you? How do you find ways to hurt me, Scor?"

"I'm sorry, Rose. I know I shouldn't have hid the truth from you. I'm not safe for any body's company. I should probably just quit Hogwarts before I physically injure some one"

The common room pulsed with the echo of her slap.

"Do you really believe some thing so immaterial is going to keep me away? You need to find better ways than that you transform every month. Have you forgotten Teddy? Or Uncle Bill?"

Indeed he had. Why else would he have thought a normal life was out of his reach?

"He's different. Both of them are. They aren't full werewolves like me. They just have a few traits. But me, I am dangerous"

"Don't. Say. That. Again."

"I will because it's the truth! No matter how much you try to make it sound ordinary, it isn't! And I don't want to have the added fear of wounding you!"

Her eyes changed. Indeed her whole manner changed as she neared him.

Her eyes soft, her touch caressing, she ran her hand over a scar on his temple.

"Was that why you seemed so 'prone to accidents'?"

"Rose, I'm a monster! You're supposed to be disgusted by me!"

"I'm not. You can try all you want to paint the most revolting of all pictures; I'm not one to be hindered once I've made up my mind"

"But, Rose!" His voice was more like a petulant child now.

"Hmm?"

"This isn't going to end well, I'm dangerous, you should…"

He was so distracted by her eyes that he didn't even notice that he was repeating himself.

Whatever he said bounced right off of her, her smile widening with every word.

His thoughts came to a complete stand still as she closed the distance between them.

He could feel her breath on his face, as she said, her eyes twinkling, "I knew I'd have to be the one to make the move some time or other"

Right before she pecked him on the lips and walked away.

Scorpius was left standing dazed in the middle of the commomroom, staring at the door to the Girls dorms through which she had left.

A/n:Review!