Two Lies

Weasley and Malfoy always fought loud and dangerous verbal wars, everyone knew it was only a matter of time before the next eruption of anger after a silence. Everyone knows that they enjoy their fights. They see the way his eyes sparkle as they exchange words and how she always smiles after their bouts and they know that the two enjoy their wars. But they know that their wars have limits and those limits are two phrases eight letters each that always render them quiet…

I Hate you

She says these words often, as if she were born with the phrase on her tongue. These words wound him but he says them back. She says them in anger but he knows they are truth, though in truth they are not. So he says them back. She always wants to tell him the truth, that she wishes he would tell her what she most wishes to hear.

But they both lie.

I love you

He says these words but she never believes him even though he means them. He says them rarely when he thinks she can't hear or when he is too angry to hide it anymore but she always thinks the words aren't for her and are merely lies. Her words in response are biting and cruel, hiding the truth. She tells him he is evil and cruel for such lies.

But at least he tells the truth.

But one day they are fighting and at last he sits down, no more words upon his tongue as she shouts the hateful words one last time. His eyes are blank and have lost their light, giving up on the fight all at once without a word. She goes on for a moment before realizing something is wrong, but when she does it is too late. He stands in silence and his, always gentle even when they argued are cold and hard and indifferent and… broken. He looks at her and no longer are those eyes that always sparkled are now dim.

He clears his throat, "That's that then."

He turns from Rose and walks from the common room, leaving everyone in silence. Rose called out to him, unsure of what was wrong and what she was to do. He slammed the portrait closed.

Rose turned to the room to find them all looking at her piteously before she felt the tears upon her face. Then she turned to chase him.

She found him in the library but he valiantly avoided her as she tried to start a fight. Then she found him again in the Great Hall where she attempted to anger him into at least looking at her but he adamantly ignored her. At last she once again found him in the Common Room and tried desperately to get him to forgive her, to look at her, to talk to her.

He finally turned his gaze to her and this time there was such pain in them that she froze, "Leave me alone Weasley, you hate me right? Just leave me alone already."

She was like stone, locked in place as he turned his tortured eyes from hers and began to walk up to his dorm.

"But I don't hate you." The words left her lips without her consent or knowing and with them Scorpius was frozen in place.

"You don't hate me?" His voice was quiet and oh so delicately empty of emotion that it was clear that he was keeping it so on purpose.

She shook her head before remembering he couldn't see her with his back turned, "No, I don't hate you."

Still without turning, though his voice was now decidedly more nervous and uncomfortable Scorpius said, "Well that's good because I love you."

He tried to say it calmly, nonchalantly but she could hear the nervous tinge in his words. She froze in place and stared up at him in shock as the words finally, FINALLY sank in.

"I-I-" Scorpius interrupted her stuttering, "It's alright, I know you don't believe me, you never do. That's alright honestly, I don't care anymore." He turned at last to give her a bitter little smile.

Rose frowned and everyone who was standing by watching it all unfold all sensed a fight coming on.

"But you do care don't you? Else you wouldn't have told me!" Scorpius frowned and opened his mouth to protest but she went on, "You always say that and I never believe you but how many times have you said that and meant it? You wouldn't say it so many times if you didn't care. That's not you. And Scorpius?"

Scorpius was now frowning for a whole other reason, few actually, 1. That's she knew he did in fact, care. 2. That she knew he loved her now. And 3. Because she was crying and he was trying to figure out what he had done to hurt her.

When he didn't answer Rose continued, "I love you too."

Everyone in the Common Room either gasped clapped cheered or groaned as they heard her and immediately began passing around galleons and sickles and all other sorts of currency.

Scorpius on the other hand… His eyes widened and his breath hitched and his heart froze then began to beat far too fast for his health, his brain was whirring, trying to decide if it had truly heard what it had and was currently making him rather dizzy.

He sat quickly, just staring at Rose and slowly a giant grin, not a smirk mind you, a grin and the first of which any had seen upon his face began to crawl into sight.

"You love me?" His voice was hopeful and childlike and all realized suddenly just how adorable the Gryffindor heartthrob really was, including Rose.

She smiled and started to walk up the steps to sit beside Scorpius on the steps and took his hand in hers, "Maybe, what if I do?"

Scorpius grinned at her and then looked down at their intertwined hands and gave hers a squeeze, "Then I'd ask you to be my girlfriend after berating you for having never told me this little bit of news every time I've told you."

They both grinned at each other before Scorpius leaned in and kissed her.

"So Rose, the truth now, I love you."

"Scorpius, the lie that I told you earlier today, that I hate you was just that, a lie. I love you and that is the truth."

And so ends the extremely lame story I wrote on a whim while I was bored. Enjoy