third year
"And the Snitch has been sighted! It's Albus Potter coming in for the kill, Slytherin set to win, and oh no, what's that?" The overly excited broadcaster, Hugh Davies, a third-year Hufflepuff, was narrating the Quidditch match that pitted Gryffindor against Slytherin. "Gryffindor's seeker has spotted it too!"
Rose was out of her seat, cheering wildly - she had inherited her mother's inaptitude for Quidditch, but still enjoyed the game as much as any member of her family - as her red and mustard scarf flapped in the wind. Beside her, Scorpius was more reserved, his pureblood manners having won out over school spirit, but he was still on the edge of his seat, biting his nails and muttering to himself. "Come on, Al, come on..."
At the last possible moment, both Seekers dove for the Snitch, and Rose's heart leapt into her throat, beating so wildly she was surprised it didn't force its way out of her mouth. Their heads collided with a sickening thump and crash, Albus's dark messy hair colliding with Lorcan Scamander's shock of blonde curls. Both boys fell off their rooms, the golden Snitch still fluttering wildly by.
An audible gasp could be heard around the stadium, shock and worry rippling through the students. Scorpius was out of his seat before Rose had time to register the accident. He was pushing past the throngs of people with a determined sort of panic, like he might fall apart if he wasn't moving. She chased his silvery-blond head through the swarm, elbowing her way through, her vision tunnelling to only Scorpius and Albus's crumpled body next to him.
"Albus! Albus!" She cried, kneeling next to Scorpius. Madam Pomfrey had already rushed over, and was waving her wand over her cousin's bloodied form. Next to them, Lorcan was looking dazed, a welt forming on his pale forehead.
"No harm done, no harm done. Just a concussion, Mr. Scamander." Madame Pomfrey levitated Albus's unconscious body onto a stretcher. No harm done echoed in Rose's head. That was harm done. A lot of harm done. The matron turned towards Rose and Scorpius. "Mr. Malfoy, Ms. Weasley. I would advise you to let your friend rest in the hospital for at least three hours before you go to visit him. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey," they said in unison. Rose's heart was pounding; the cold had seeped its way through her heavy woollen coat. Her fingertips felt numb, her face as though someone had slapped her. "Oh Merlin, Albus," she murmured. "Merlin, he has to be all right, he has to, he has to..."
Scorpius was still his put-together kind of unhinged, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and thrusting a cup into her numb fingers. She'd left her gloves somewhere. They were red and yellow striped, Gryffindor colours, worn just for the game. The game. Who had won? Who cared?
The cup warmed her chilly hands. She raised it to her lips. "What is this?"
"Hot chocolate." Scorpius rubbed his black-gloved hands over her arms. "Drink it. It'll do you good."
"Okay." She let Scor nudge her all the way to the castle, the image of Albus and Lorcan colliding showing up every time she blinked. When they got inside Hogwarts, her eyes had smarted and felt as though they had frozen open.
"Get it together, Weasley," she heard Scorpius say as though from underwater. "My Rose would have talked back at me at least five times now for bossing her around."
"Your Rose?" She managed to eke out with a nervous laugh. "D'you know where I put my gloves?"
"Here," he said, taking them out of his pockets and giving them to her. His fingers brushed hers, a sliver of heat that warmed her to the core. Scorpius jolted his hand back and ran it through his hair.
"Thanks." She set down the empty mug of cocoa and fumbled the gloves on. "Do you think Al will be okay?"
"Can we not talk about him?" For the first time since the accident, he sounded broken, edgy, raw. "He's my best friend. He has to be okay."
"I know." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it firmly, racking her brain for something to talk about. "Did you finish your Herbology essay yet?"
"Five Uses of Snarglepuff Pods?" He asked. "Yes."
"Do you want me to proofread it?" Rose suggested as they walked towards Gryffindor Tower.
He scoffed, removing his gloves and tucking them into his pockets. "I think that would be more harm than help, Weasley."
Rose rolled her eyes. "Just because one measly Mandrake was feeling a little poorly under my care last year - "
"It was five Mandrakes, Rose, and they died!" Scorpius corrected her.
"Just because I haven't got a green thumb doesn't mean I can't edit things, Scorpius," she argued.
Scorpius sighed. "Say what you will, Rose, but the day I'll let you near my Herbology essay is the day your cousins stop pulling pranks."
They made their way to the Gryfindor common room with easy, jovial banter. The three hours were marked with teasing words written on scraps of parchment, despite all of Rose's attempts to work on her homework.
"Hey, it's been three hours now," Scor remarked with a look at his watch. "Shall we go visit Al?"
Rose nodded, suddenly not trusting herself to speak. Al had to be all right. He had to be.
:::
And as it turned out, he was. When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, Albus was sitting up with bandages wrapped around his messy black hair, and sipping from a goblet of pumpkin juice. "Hey, Scorpius, Rosie."
Rose was so relieved, all she could do was throw her arms around her cousin. "Don't call me Rosie!"
Scorpius was relieved too, not just to see that his best friend was going to be all right but also that Rose had returned to her typical self.
"I think what you meant to say is, Thank you, Albus, for not being dead, and also for catching the snitch so that Gryffindor would lose," Al said, his voice muffled by the force of Rose's embrace. "Also, get off me!"
"Sorry." She pulled away. "Go on, Scor, have a go at him."
"Thanks for catching the Snitch, Al," was all he said. It was enough.
Albus grinned. "You're welcome."
All the world was at rights; his best friend was going to be fine, and Rose was at his side.
A/N: Thank you AMBERJANUS, gleekingpotterhead, and Augusta for following this story! please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter!
