I'm sooooooooooooooo sorry for deserting you guys for so long, I didn't mean to, I swear, but some of yo know how bad writer's block can be. I've made this chapter longer, so please enjoy.

I do not own any of the characters, I just own the plot. I apologise for the lack of divider lines, the program would not cooperate.

Christmas One Year Later

Chapter 4: Check Mate

"Check mate!" Scorpius cried. "Bad luck Rose."

Rose Weasley rolled her eyes and began to pick up the chess pieces. "When I'm playing you Scip, I've no idea of good luck."

Scorpius sat back in the squashy arm chair and looked Rose over; she had the same fiery red hair, the same endearing freckles, and the same warm brown eyes as ever. "Fancy a rematch?"

Rose chucked. "No thank you! I'd prefer to keep what's left of my dignity intact."

Scorpius turned to the other boy sitting with them at the fire side. "How about you Will?"

Will Longbottom was a good looking boy; he had his father's brown hair, but his mother's strange silver eyes, girls found them pleasing but Scorpius had often found them rather unsettling. "All right."

The board was reset for another match and Rose pulled out The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 2) and began reading. "So, what do you think of that Durmstrang champion?" Scorpius asked as he moved a knight across the board. The Triwizard Tournament was taking place at Hogwarts that year, and the Hogwarts champion, Nicholas Whitman, was making a joke of the school. He had lost horrifically in the first task, and it looked like it would be a repeat performance at the second task. The only redeeming quality of the tournament was the Yule Ball. This year, the ball's rules had been altered, and students of any age could attend.

"She's a piece of work," Will replied.

"That she is, but did you see her at the first task? She was brilliant! I never would have thought of lighting a fire, but she did, and it scared off the spiders." Scorpius remembered the first task with a grimace. "You taking anyone to the Yule Ball?"

"Nah, not yet." Will muttered under his breath as he lost his king in a spectacular move by Scorpius.

Scorpius turned to Rose, "You going with anyone?" He hoped she said no, that way he could suggest they go together, all three of them.

"Yes," Rose blushed. "Dillon asked me today."

This revelation left Scorpius and Will stuttering; Dillon Lockhart was a very good looking fifth year boy with an eye for pretty things exactly like Rose (rumors circulated about what he did to his pretty playthings before he left them like broken toys). Scorpius resolved to attend the ball just to look after Rose.

"Dillon Lockhart?" Will looked up from the chess board. "Rose, you know what he's like, why'd you say yes?"

Rose fiddled with the pages of her book before saying, "Well, you know, it's only a few days until the ball, and I was afraid of going alone and looking like an idiot." The last half of this sentence was spoken quickly, as if Rose knew just how ridiculous she sounded.

"Rose, Will and I don't have dates either; we would have gone with you. And it would be better that you go on your own than go with Dillon!" Scorpius growled.

"It's too late to say no now! I'll have to go with him, and I've already got my dress."

On the night of the Yule Ball, Scorpius was ready to murder Dillon Lockhart if he so much as looked at Rose. She was heart breaking in a knee length silver dress (link on my profile), and her hair was up in a messy bun. Scorpius and Will followed her to the entrance hall, where she was met Dillon. There were plenty of girls glaring at Rose, and looking longingly at Dillon, but Scorpius and Will followed them with icy glares of purest loathing upon their faces.

The champions opened the ball dancing with their partners, and then everyone else began to drift onto the dance floor, including Dillon and Rose. Scorpius walked up to a first year in a corner and asked her to dance so that he could get onto the dance floor. The girl agreed enthusiastically and he led her out into the crowd; Scorpius began to dance, noticing that the girl was an exceptionally good dancer, while he was rather atrocious. On their third turn, he saw with a pang of bloodlust that Dillon's hand kept drifting lower than Rose's lower back. He caught Rose's eye on the next turn and mouthed 'Are you okay?'

Rose POV

Dillon grabbed Rose's butt again as Scip asked her if she was all right; she suppresses a shudder and mouthed 'I'm fine.' It wasn't a lie, she told herself. She would be just fine, despite the fact that Dillon had no respect for personal boundaries.

"You want to know why I asked you to this dance?" Dillon whispered in her ear, causing her to shudder. He twirled a strand of her hair around his finger, his breath hot on Rose's neck. "You're just such a pretty little thing, so . . . innocent. It practically drips off of you."

The dance ended, and Dillon grasped Rose's hand firmly in his own and dragged her to the drinks table where he seized a glass of punch and led Rose to a corner, where he tipped the contents of a metal flask into his drink. He drank deeply, finished the punch, and resorted to drinking straight from the flask. "Have a drink Rose, it's good!" He exclaimed as he pulled Rose onto his lap.

"No," Rose got up. "I don't think I will. I'm going to go find my friends now. Don't follow me."

Dillon grabbed her arm so hard her eyes watered. "You'll leave when I say you'll leave. Now have a drink." Dillon sat Rose down on his lap and forced the flask to her lips. Unwillingly the liquid entered her mouth, burning and searing; Dillon pinched her nose and forced her to swallow. The world began to spin, and colors flashed across Rose's vision. She wasn't entirely aware of herself or what was going on as Dillon dragged her outside to a carriage and forced her inside.

When Rose emerged from the carriage fifteen minutes later, she was pale and shaking, her dress and hair were in disarray. She stumbled to the laundry room, hiding whenever someone approached, and snuck her spare robes out of the wash. Her next destination was the girl's bathroom where she could bathe and rid herself of all physical traces of Dillon Braxton. The hot water was soothing, but not quite soothing enough to rid her mind of the collage of images bombarding it. Dillon was everywhere, kissing her, holding her down, taking form her something she should have willingly given to someone she loved. Rose rinsed her hair and let herself float. She was safe here, he wouldn't follow her. Besides, she thought to herself, he made it clear that he was finished with me. Tears leaked down her cheeks, and sobs wracked her. But what if he changes his mind?

It was well past midnight when Rose convinced herself to leave the sanctuary of the bathroom. She sprinted down corridors, taking every shortcut she could think of.

Scorpius POV

Scorpius and Will paced the common room together, terrified of what would happen when Rose appeared. Scorpius feared the worst, and his fears were confirmed when Rose burst into the room, looking terrified, and checking to see if anyone was following her. Both of the boys ruched to her and hugged her. "Are you okay? What'd he do? Where have you been? We've been so worried!" Will spoke first.

Rose opened her mouth, as if on the verge of speech, but then she closed it and looked down at the floor. "Rose," Scorpius tried and failed to keep his voice calm, "You can tell us you know."

"I know." Rose said in a small voice, but she said no more.

Scorpius went to hug her as he had before when she was upset, but she filched away from his touch. He took in her appearance, noticed that her silver dress was gone, so too was her hair do, and her earrings. These things combined with her reactions sowed a fear in Scorpius that he found hard to ignore. "Did he hurt you?"

Rose hesitated, looking into the fire and around the deserted room; she nodded. Scorpius felt his face go hot and his ears started ringing, only one question needed to be asked before he went on his quest for blood. "What did he do to you?"

Rose fumbled with her nails, her robes; she swallowed twice, and then looked at Scorpius with eyes that told him what she was going to say before she said it. "He . . . a drink . . . and kissed me . . . and . . . and . . . a carriage, and . . ." She went silent; her face flushed and tears leaking down her face.

"Rose," Will said. The single word carried the emotions that a thousand could not, hatred of Dillon Lockhart, pity, love, sadness, anger, and a desire for revenge.

"Rose." Scorpius repeated.

"I think . . . I'll go to bed now." Rose went up to the girl's dormitory.

Scorpius clutched his wand and climbed out the portrait hole. His footsteps were the only noise he heard as he walked determinedly toward the Slytherin common room. He'd overheard the pass word earlier that day, and the door swung open.

Dillon Lockhart would spend the next month in the hospital wing.

Rose became timid and quiet after the Yule Ball, she flinched whenever anyone approached her too quickly, and she wouldn't let any male touch her at all. It was a bad time for Scorpius and Will, they wanted so badly to tell someone what had happened, but Rose insisted that they keep quiet. If it weren't for the fact that Rose looked sicker each day and ate next to nothing, they would have had him thrown in Azkaban, but they held their tongues for Rose's sake.

It was May before Rose started acting like her old self, she started to laugh a bit more, and more of the laughter reached her eyes. She was always skittish when Dillon was around, she hid herself behind Will or Scorpius whenever he passed, and she clutched her sides. Scorpius never told her that he'd been the one to put Dillon in the hospital wing, but he didn't have to.

Before anyone knew what to do, it was time for the journey home on the Hogwarts express. "You must both come to stay this summer," Rose said as the loaded their luggage into the compartment.

Will laughed and looked at Scorpius, who was grinning. "That's rich, a Malfoy in the Weasley house!"

"Dad said that he wouldn't hex you, and Mum gave me permission to ask you." Rose smiled expectantly.

"I'll ask Mum," Will said, "I'll write you sometime this week."

"I'll argue with Dad tonight, but I probably won't be able to write until at least next week." Scorpius said with a grimace; his parents still did not approve of him being friends with a Weasley, but his mother wanted him to be happy. He was counting on this to get his father's approval. The train pulled into King's Cross Station and they all exited the train with "goodbyes" and "see you laters".

Scorpius approached his father and mother. "Hello." He greeted them.

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