So, to get into the spirit for my long Scorpis/Rose story, Might as Well Fly, I decided that the world needed one more Scorose oneshot that couldn't decide if it wanted to be fluffy or angsty. And so this story was born.
"Where were you tonight?"
Rose crossed her arms tightly, trying to keep her face and tone as neutral as possible. It wouldn't do to let Scorpius know how much his absence tonight had bothered her. Of course, now that she thought about it, Rose was more bothered by the fact it had bothered her, then the fact that she was bothered. Except that didn't make any sense, and since when did she care if Scorpius Malfoy didn't show up to a study session?
"I was busy," was his terse reply. Scorpius was sitting with his back to her, his Transfiguration book and notes spread out across the table. It was late, almost curfew, and the library was empty.
Rose narrowed her eyes, biting her lip to keep herself from snapping at him. There was something wrong. Scorpius hated the library; he said it was too distracting, what with Madam Pince swooping in between the shelves and throwing people out for the smallest infractions. She couldn't remember the last time they'd done any studying in the library.
"Do you need something else, Weasley, or can I get back to my homework in peace?" he spat. Rose flinched more at the fact that he'd called her Weasley than the tone. They'd been on a first name basis for years.
"Well, then, I'm sorry to have bothered you," she replied icily. "Have a nice night, Malfoy." Turning on her heel, Rose stormed out of the library, every inch of her smarting with anger. She wouldn't have been surprised to look in a mirror and see smoke spewing out of her ears and sparks from her eyes.
Of course, not being a generally angry person, Rose's anger burned itself out halfway between the fifth and sixth floors. She slumped down onto a bench against the wall, completely engrossed in an uncharacteristic bout of self-pity.
As much as she didn't want to admit it to herself, Rose actually enjoyed spending time with Scorpius. Except maybe Albus, she could certainly talk to him easier than she could any of her cousins. They'd bonded over a shared dislike of flying, something the rest of her Quidditch-crazy family just couldn't understand. And from things Scorpius had let slip over the years, his father wasn't exactly pleased with his lack of aerial abilities either.
They had spent hours making fun of the various aspects of Quidditch that they found ridiculous. Like Bludgers. Who in their right mind thought Bludgers were a good idea? Rose smiled to herself, remembering Scorpius's face the day he'd said that. He'd looked so completely exasperated that she'd burst out laughing.
Rose stood up suddenly, feeling extremely uneasy. This was ridiculous. Who cared if Malfoy had better things to do then review for a Transfiguration exam? She certainly didn't care.
Still.
There was something nagging Rose, a feeling she couldn't quite name. It was undeniable that Scorpius had been acting odd. Even if she ignored the fact that he'd been in the library, the table he'd been sitting at was in the corner. The lighting would have been terrible. And the way he'd been sitting, all hunched over . . .
Rose swore, turned around and stomping back down the stairs. As much as she hated admitting that she cared about Scorpius Malfoy, she hated being in the dark even more.
The library was dark by the time she got back down to the third floor, which meant that she was officially wandering the corridors after hours. Oh, well. She banking on her ability to Confund any prefects she came across before they could give her detention.
Rose exhaled in annoyance, resigning herself to the fact that she'd have to wait until the morning to speak to Scorpius. But just as she was wondering if she could chance the secret passage behind the portrait of that three-armed warlock from Bath, something squeaked behind her.
"What . . ?" The wall opposite the library was bare, save for a rather bland tapestry depicting what looked like a moor in winter. Rose peered at it close, drawing her wand and giving the thing a rather smart jab.
The tapestry swore at her, and Rose jumped back in shock. Even in the Wizarding world, tapestries generally didn't use language like that. And, she thought, narrowing her eyes, they generally didn't have the ends of Slytherin robes trailing out from under the bottom fringe.
Squeezing in between the wall and heavy material, Rose forced herself into a miniscule alcove, barely big enough for one person, let alone both her and Scorpius. Although she could barely see him in the dim half-light, Rose had no problem hearing the string of particularly colorful oaths he let out as she pushed him up against the wall.
"Dammit, Rose," he growled, grabbing her by the arm and shoving her back out into the corridor. He followed, stumbling slightly as his foot got caught on a corner of the tapestry.
"What in the name of Merlin were you doing back there?" she demanded, trying to smooth her hair back into place. It was extremely sensitive to static electricity, and the tapestry was nothing but a giant frizz conductor.
Scorpius was facing away from her as he pulled his bag out of the alcove. "None of your business."
Rose narrowed her eyes. "Stop that."
"Stop what?" he asked gruffly, still not looking at her.
"Don't play dumb," she said. "You know what you're doing. I want to know what the hell is going on, Scor."
"Like I said, it's none of your business." Scorpius shouldered his bag, but the movement was off. He was favoring his right side, holding his arm gingerly away from his ribcage.
Rose cocked her head slightly, considering him. "Look at me."
"No." But he'd hesitated slightly, and that second's pause had been all that Rose needed. Slowly, she circled so that she was facing him. He tried to turn away again, but she reached out and grabbed him by the upper arm.
"Scor . . ." His face was a mess. His right cheek was nothing but a huge yellowing bruise, and the skin over his left eye was already swollen and inflamed. He didn't stop her as she lifted the sleeve of his robes, revealing the crude splint that covered his right arm. "What happened?"
"I ran into a wall," he said curtly, pulling away again. "And like I said, it's none of your—"
"Yes, none of my business," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Good. I'm glad that we're on the same page."
"I just have one question."
Scorpius groaned. "What?"
"How badly was the wall damaged? Because with a head as hard as yours, we might have a structural issue on our hands now."
Rose laughed and ducked as he lunged for her. It wasn't hard for her to keep out of range, considering that Scorpius was also limping considerably. He seemed to come to this conclusion as well, because he stopped trying to grab her and instead pulled out his wand.
"What?" said Rose scornfully. "Going to hex me, Malfoy?" She crossed her arms and stared at him defiantly, daring him to try. After a moment, Scorpius lowered his wand and pocketed it, breathing heavily.
"Why does everything with you have to be so damn difficult?"
Rose goggled at him. "Me? Difficult? You're the one who's been throwing a fit all evening!"
"So what?" he snapped. "Am I not allowed to be in a foul mood every once and a while?"
"No, you're not," she retorted. "At least not if it entails taking your issues out on me, when all I've been trying to do is help you!"
Scorpius seemed to have no response to this. He just stared at her, some emotion she couldn't identity playing across his face. Finally, he said, in a much quieter voice, "I was not 'taking my issues' out on you."
"The hell you weren't," said Rose irritably. But then, taking a deep breath, said said, "Luckily for you, I don't hold a grudge."
He snorted. "You're joking, right? Because if I remember correctly, you spent an entire term plotting revenge on your brother for turning your hair pink on a dare."
Rose glowered. "I think we're missing the point here."
"What, that you can't just accept an apology without a snide comment?"
"If you consider that an apology—"
"Oh, come on, I'm a guy, cut me some slack!"
"Right, because that gives you the right to be a complete prat—"
"What in the bloody hell is going on here?"
Rose and Scorpius both turned to see Terence Arnold standing at the end of the corridor. As far as prefects went, Arnold was the worst. The rumor was that he'd even put his own girlfriend in detention when he caught her sneaking out one night with a couple of friends.
"I—"
"We—"
Arnold strode toward them, swelling like a bullfrog. "Not only are you out past curfew, but the racket you two were making is quite unacceptable."
"It's Malfoy," blurted Rose. "He needs to go to the Hospital Wing, you see."
Scorpius turned to glare at her, but she shot him a look that clearly said, shut up unless you want detention.
Arnold looked suspicious, but there was no denying that Scorpius's face looked terrible. "What happened, Malfoy?"
"I . . . tripped," he said, darting a glance at Rose.
"Down three flights of stairs," she added, stifling the urge to smile. "He's quite uncoordinated, you see."
"Yes," Scorpius said through gritted teeth. "Quite."
Arnold still didn't look entirely convinced. "Those bruises aren't new. Why didn't you go before now?"
"Because I didn't need to," he growled, more at Rose than Arnold. "I'm fine."
"Obviously not," said Arnold. "I think it would be best if you went to the Hospital Wing, Malfoy."
Before Scorpius could protest, Rose grabbed his wrist in a grip like steel. "Wonderful," she said, smiling brightly. "We'll be off then. Sorry for the ruckus."
Still looking somewhat skeptical, Arnold watched them make their way toward the stairs. Rose didn't realize she was holding her breath until she started to see black dots halfway down the second floor staircase. She exhaled forcefully, pressing her hand against her forehead. "I can't believe we got out of that."
Scorpius glared at her, wrenching his arm away. "It wouldn't have been a problem if you weren't so nosy."
"Are we still doing this?" she asked, half-exasperated and half-amused. "Because I thought we were past this whole, 'too tough to talk about my problems' deal."
As they reached the first floor, Scorpius turned, not toward the Hospital Wing, but toward the dungeon.
"Oh, no," said Rose, grabbing his wrist again. "If you think Arnold won't check with Madam Pomfrey first thing tomorrow morning, you're even thicker than I thought."
Scorpius let out a little scream of frustration and whirled around. "Fine! I will go to the Hospital Wing? Satisfied?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful. Now, please," he said savagely, storming past her, "go away."
Rose blinked, stunned. Before she could stop herself, she felt her eyes start to sting with tears.
No, she thought viciously. You will not cry. Absolutely not.
With Herculean effort, Rose swallowed hard and whisked away any stray moisture from her eyes. Taking a shaky breath, she said softly, "I hope you feel better, Scor." And then, turning away, she started the long climb to the seventh floor, leaving nothing but stunned silence behind her.
I need a place where they can't find me. I need a place where they can't find me. I need a place where they can't find me.
Rose watched as a squat wooden door materialized in front of her. Adjusting the weight of her schoolbag, she pushed her way into a cozy little room that looked like a cross between a study and a parlor. There was a handsome wooden desk in one corner, and the world's most comfortable looking armchair in another. A small fire crackled merrily in the marble hearth, and a painting of a peaceful mountain scene was hung above the mantle.
As she threw her bag onto the thick carpet and collapsed onto the chair, Rose wondered if anyone would notice if she never left this room again.
Her family had been driving her crazy for days, badgering her to talk about whatever had happened between her and Scorpius. Denying that anything had happened was pointless; it was fairly obvious that they were avoiding each other like the plague.
No one accepted the fact that she just didn't want to talk about it. Lily was the worst, bouncing around the dormitory like it was some sort of game, her guesses becoming more and more farfetched.
The final straw was when Lily had suggested, with a smug little grin, that it had been a lovers' quarrel. She never saw that Stinging Jinx coming, and by the time the other girls managed to revive her cousin, Rose had snatched up her bag and fled the dormitory.
"You're losing it, Rose," she whispered to herself, grabbing a throw pillow and clutching it to her chest. "You're really, really losing it."
She spent the rest of the night forcing herself to finish her homework. As much as she detested History of Magic, the three foot long essay that Binns had assigned did wonders for taking her mind off her issues with Scorpius. By the time that she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, it was almost midnight, and she was reasonably certain that everyone was asleep.
Stepping out into the corridor, Rose took a second to look longingly back into the little room. For some reason, it put her in mind of the Burrow. Feeling slightly more at ease, she turned to head back to the common room.
And came face to face with Scorpius, who was sitting on the floor and leaning against the tapestry about that bloke who tried to teach trolls ballet. He was asleep, his arms crossed loosely across his chest, blonde hair falling in his eyes.
Rose felt her heart give a queer little jerk. Trying to ignore it as best she could, she started to tiptoe down the corridor, hoping to make it through the portrait hole where Scorpius couldn't follow her.
The only flaw with this plan was that she was something of a klutz; that was part of the reason she had never been any good at Quidditch. One of her Arithmancy books slid out of her bag and hit the floor, the sharp sound startling Scorpius awake.
Looking slightly confused, he scrambled to his feet. His eyes cleared when he registered Rose standing barely three feet away, looking quite furious with herself.
"Rose, wait."
Without a word, she had snatched up her book and started to march in the direction of the portrait hall. Scorpius grabbed her forearm, looking uncomfortable.
"What are you doing up here?" she asked coldly, trying to shake him off. "A little out of your way, isn't it, considering your common room is in the dungeons?"
"Just—can we talk?" Scorpius was still holding onto her arm, looking at her pleadingly.
"No." Of course, she had a million other responses to his question, the main one being that he had been quite clear when she had wanted to talk before. And of course there were a couple other responses that were a bit more . . . explicit, so to speak, but Rose felt that keeping it short and simple was the best strategy.
Scorpius exhaled, still not loosening his grip. "Look, I wanted to explain—"
"Honestly, Malfoy," she said, meeting his eyes for the first time, "I couldn't care less."
He flinched, color rising in his face. But instead of letting her go, which any sane person would have done, his gaze landed on the door to the Room of Requirement, which for some reason hadn't disappeared yet. Before Rose could get her wand out and curse him, Scorpius had dragged her back inside the room she had just vacated.
"What are you doing?" she spat, finally succeeding in jerking her arm free. She tried to leave, but Scorpius put himself in front of the door.
"Just hear me out."
"No! I will not 'hear you out'," cried Rose, drawing her wand and leveling at him. "I was quite willing to listen the other night, but—and it doesn't even matter. I don't care. Now let me through, or I swear, I'll blast you out of my way."
Scorpius hesitated, apparently trying to decide if she was serious or not. Finally, he sighed and crossed his arms, looking resolute. "Fine."
"What?"
"Go ahead. Blast me out of the way," he said looking at her evenly. "But after, you have to listen to what I have to say."
Rose spluttered, speechless. How do you argue with a crazy person? she wondered.
"Rose, please," Scorpius said, stepping forward and taking her wrists in his hands.. "I know I was a git. And I'm sorry, I really am. Just let me explain. And then—" he swallowed hard, looking pained. "Then, if you still want to ignore me, then fine. I won't bother you again."
For a long moment, the only sound was the fire, still crackling merrily away. Rose shot it a dark look, wondering if the Room was mocking her. She wouldn't have a hard time believing it if it was. Everything and everyone else seemed to be. Finally, she pulled her hands free and folded her arms stiffly. "Five minutes. You get five minutes."
Although he looked incredibly relieved, Scorpius proceeded to waste one of his minutes looking as though he didn't know where to begin. With a sigh, Rose said, "You could start with why your face was such a mess."
"Oh," he said, looking unhappy. "That. That was . . ." He trailed off, and Rose through her hands up in the air.
"For someone who wants to explain, you're doing a pretty poor job of it," she snapped.
"Well, it's not exactly easy to say," he fired back, his neck flushing. "You're not making it easy."
They glared at each other for a moment, Rose feeling as peppery as her hair again. But then, the anger draining away, Scorpius collapsed onto the desk chair, looking miserable.
"I picked a fight with McLaggen that night, alright?"
Rose frowned. "McLaggen? That seventh year bloke? Why?"
"He was saying . . . things . . . about you," mumbled Scorpius. "Inappropriate things. And it wasn't . . . he was . . . well, I wouldn't have hexed him if I'd known those three idiots who always follow him everywhere were right around the corner."
"So you got the stuffing knocked out you," stated Rose, remembering how terrible his face had looked.
Scorpius nodded. "Four on one aren't the greatest of odds, even for me."
"But why would you think I'd care? If anything, I would have wanted to take a shot at McLaggen myself," said Rose, making a mental note to do just that at the earliest opportunity.
"Because," he said slowly, looking away again, "after I'd gotten the crap kicked out of me, I had to ask myself why listening to McLaggen talk about you like that had sent me into such a rage. "
When he didn't say anything else, Rose sighed and asked, "Are you really going to make me ask 'why?'"
"Apparently, yes," he said, sounding faintly amused. But then, in a much harder voice, he added, "Do you know what it's like, to suddenly realize you have feelings for someone you're absolutely certainly doesn't return them? It's maddening."
Distantly, Rose was aware of what Scorpius was telling her. But an odd sensation was rushing through her body, a sharp, tingling feeling that reached from the tips of her toes to the very top of her head. But before she could say respond, Scorpius laughed bitterly.
"Not to mention the fact that the last thing I wanted was for you to see me like that. And I know," he added hastily, "I know that doesn't excuse what I said. But I didn't think you'd come looking for me that night, or try so hard to help me when you saw my face. And the whole time you were there, the only thing I wanted to do was—" He broke off suddenly, his face turning as red as Rose had ever seen it.
"Scor—," she said softly, but he held up a hand.
"I know . . . I know that it's stupid. But I just . . . I thought I owed you an explanation."
"Scor—"
"And if you don't want to talk to me anymore, I understand."
"Sc—"
"And—"
"Scorpius, for the love of Merlin, shut up." Stepping forward, Rose grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into a kiss, molding her body against his. He froze for a second, and then his arms were around her waist, deepening the kiss into something that left Rose dizzy on her feet.
It was like when the sky opens up at the beginning of a rain storm. She felt as though everything just rushed into place all at once. There was nothing else beside the warmth of Scorpius's body against hers, the feel of his lips.
They broke apart, breathing heavily as they stared at one another. Rose pressed her palm against his cheek, letting her fingers graze the cool skin. "You are," she said, smiling and shaking her head, "the world's biggest prat."
Scorpius growled and kissed her again, while Rose's fingers found their way into his messy locks. When they finally came back up for air, she let her arms fall to encircle his waist and laid her head against his chest. She felt herself relax completely as he draped his arms over her shoulders. But when he pressed his lips to her collarbone, Rose giggled and tried to pull away. "Don't—that tickles—"
"Well, in that case . . ." Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her and proceeded to plant a row of kisses along her neck. Rose squirmed and tried to escape, but all she did was send them both tumbling back onto the armchair. Scorpius stopped kissing her and they both just lay still, enjoying the feeling of being in each other's arms.
"Scor?"
"Hmm?"
"Why did you think that I wouldn't . . . reciprocate?"
Scorpius twisted slightly so he could look her in the eyes. "Considering my family, my House, I'm still surprised that you even give me the time of day."
"That is so . . . stupid." Laughing at Scorpius's outraged expression, Rose shifted so she could kiss him. "Since when have I given a damn about your family? Or care that you're a Slytherin?"
"It's one thing to be my friend, Rose. It's another to be my—" He broke off, and Rose felt, rather than saw, the blood rush to his neck.
"Be your what?" she asked innocently. "Herbology partner?"
"Rose," he growled.
"Study buddy?"
"Rose."
"What?" she asked, widening her eyes impishly.
"I love you." Rose pulled back, staring at him in shock. Scorpius grinned. "Ha! That shut you up."
Narrowing her eyes, she cocked her head slightly. "I'd watch it if I were you."
"Or what?" he asked cockily.
"You forget just how many cousins I have," she said, grinning. "Not to mention my brother, and my many, many aunts and uncles."
"Are you threatening me with your family?"
Rose shrugged and pulled herself to her feet. "There're just so many of them, Scor. It's hard to keep track these days."
"You know, you're one of the most infuriating people I've ever met," he said, shaking his head as he stood up.
"And how's that?"
"I just completely bared my soul to you. The least you could do is—mmph"
Rose felt him smile against her lips. Pulling away, she whispered, "And Scor?"
"Yeah?" he breathed.
"I love you, too. Slytherin and all."
Okay, so the ending disgustingly fluffy. Sue me :)
