Disclaimer: I don't own Rose Weasley or Scorpius Malfoy. I do own the other two characters in this chapter :) also, this chapter will probably suck suck. It wasn't edited, and half of it was written right on the spot. im just warning you now XD. lala oh and review...or i shall keel you!

Chapter 2: How Many Ways Can It Hurt?

Rose

"I DON'T LIKE ROSE WEASLEY!"

The words froze me in my place—mid-laugh, stealing glances across the room. I can't believe it! Scorpius doesn't like me?

What?

Do you hear that? It's the sound of my heart shattering.

Why?

Because the boy I've liked for practically forever basically just screamed his feelings for me to the whole common room—might as well have been the whole school with how fast word spread around here.

"Rose?" My best friend, Samantha Sauldaine's whisper was lost to my inner monologue.

How could I have been so stupid? Why did I have to like him so much? Why did I have to hope that one day he might actually stop being so darn shy and ask me out on a real date? More importantly, why did I have to believe we were meant for each other, after seeing myself in his future?

I wanted to hate him—to hate Scorpius Malfoy with all of my heart and never let him hurt me again. But I just couldn't bring myself to it. It was almost impossible to hate anyone—especially that blonde, pale-skinned god! Maybe I should have been placed in Hufflepuff?

"Come on, Rose." Sammie held out her hand. "Let's get out of here."

I looked up, greatful to have her on my side, even though I knew she liked Scorpius too. In fact, I now saw her looking at him, like he was free property, ready for her taking. I tried not to dwell on that thought.

Rising to my feet—slowly, because my legs felt like jelly—, I took a shaky breath. I was barely under control of my feelings, and I knew that wouldn't last long. So I knew I had to get out of there, and fast.

"Okay." My trembling voice—barely there, but everyone heard it, no less—was enough to bring all eyes to me, including Scor's, who's seemed to shine with regret…what was that about? I knew they were expecting me to say something to him—or burst into tears. Well, I wasn't about to humiliate myself in that way for a boy who didn't even like me.

Breathing deeply, I mustered up as much inner strength as I could.

"Scorpius Malfoy," I called, my voice shaky at first, but stabilizing as I went. "I could never love a boy like you. You're so pathetic, it's not even funny. I want you to know that I was only your friend out of MERCY! I FELT SORRY FOR YOU! Well, no more. Have fun with your sad little life."

With a flip of my curls, I turned on my heel and stormed out. I didn't move fast enough to catch the look of pure hurt on Scor's face, but I didn't have time to worry about that. I heard the whispers and snickering even before I reached the bottom of the ladder leading down from the Ravenclaw dorm. Just my luck! I managed to embarrass myself anyways.

"Stupid, bloody boy thinks he can call me out in front of all my friends?" I murmured to no one but myself. The corridor was completely empty, and for that, I was glad. The tears had finally begun to roll down my freckled cheeks.

It was past curfew, but I didn't know where else to go, so I wandered around aimlessly. It was a wonder that I didn't run into any teachers! The last thing I needed would have been to lose house points for Ravenclaw, and make myself even more depressed.

I decended and ascended stairs, walked through seemingly endless corridors. I think I may have even ended up in the Dungeons, without knowing it. Anyways, I finally came to a stop—my legs aching—, in front of the bowl of fruit portrait that stood for the entrance to the kitchen. Of course, being a Ravenclaw, I knew how to open it—you just simply tickle the pear and it swings right open for you—but something was telling me not to go in. I don't know if it was a gut reaction, or if somehow, I knew there was a teacher on the other side?

Either way, I could smell something delicious opposite the wall, so I threw caution to the wind and opened the doorway. The room looked empty—atleast from what I could see. The smell—sickly sweet, something having to do with chocolate, I could tell—hit me full blast now. It drew me forward, calling out to me.

I turned the corner, the smell getting stronger as I walked, until I came to a pan of freshly baked brownies. My mouth watered at the sight. I looked around for the baker, but seeing none—I just assumed it was one of the house elves—, I took the one nearest me and bit into it. It was the best thing I had tasted in my life!

"Don't eat them too quickly," a voice behind me said, "They'll give you one hell of a trip."

I turned quickly, spinning around so fast that I nearly lost my balance. Curious, I was normally very balanced.

"W-who are you?" I mumbled, giggling at the sound of my voice. Wait, when did I start stuttering? And giggling? This wasn't me! What in the world was in these brownies?

"Surely, you know who I am. I know who you are." He smirked, showing two very adorable dimples.

I studied his features—short black hair, pale-skin, thick accent—but I still couldn't place him. That must mean he wasn't in my year. He did look a bit older.

"Sorry, I don't know you."

I wanted to take another bite of the brownie, but still wasn't sure what was in it, so I figured waiting was the best idea.

"I'm Killian. Killian Finnigan. And you are Rose Weasley." Killian smirked, deepening his dimples even more. I tried not to stare at them.

"Oh," I said, forgetting how to form words that consisted of more than 2 letters. "Did you make these?" I held up my half eaten brownie to emphasize.

Killian nodded. "Sure did. From Grandmum's recipe. But I added my own special ingredient. Can you guess what it is?" He moved closer to me, making me take a step back. I wasn't into close personal contact with someone I had just met five seconds ago.

"Not exactly. Ginger?" I couldn't put my finger on the ingredient. Haha, finger. Isn't that such a strange word, finger? Fin-GER. What in the world was going on in my brain?

"Tell me, have you ever heard of Alihotsy, Rose? Wonderous little plant who's leaves—when eaten—cause hysteria. Do you like the feeling you're having right now, Rose? It's like you're floating away, right?" Killian bit into his own brownie, his bite almost the whole piece.

I thought about how I was feeling, and it was true, I did feel like I was going to float up through the roof of the school and never be seen again. It also helped me to not think about Scor. Scor was the furthest thing from my mind. In fact, all I could think about was Killian and this incredible high I was feeling. And the fact that Killian kept moving closer, and I was already up against the wall, and I didn't want him to stop.

"Rose? Rose, are you in here?" Sammie rounded the corner, saw how close Killian's face was to mine, and froze. "What's going on here?"

I started laughing, and felt as if I'd never stop. "N-nothing," I managed.

"Rose, Scor found me. He said he wanted to apologize." Sammie's eyes looked as if they would bug out of her head as she studied us.

"I don't want his apology." I was getting angry. What right did Sammie have to play owl? If Scorpius wanted to apologize, he would have to do it himself, to my face.

"But he's sad, Rose," Sammie complained.

"Screw him," I murmered. "No, wait, that's your job."

Sammie looked confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know damn well what it means. You like him. Now's your chance. Go ask him out. I'm sure he'd LOVE someone like you." My tone was like acid. As I studied my once-best friend's face, I could almost see it burn holes in her perfect, cream-colored complexion—that was so much unlike my freckle-filled alabaster one. I hated Sammie, but I wasn't sure why.

Sammie ran out, tears running down her face. Good ridiance!

"Now that she's gone," Killian said, his accent purring against my ear—when did he get that close?—, "let me help you forget about Scorpius." He pressed his lips to mine and all thoughts flew from my head, including the one about breathing.

Ah, hell, I think I'm in trouble here.