It was pitch black until Scorpius murmured "Lumos" and the tip of his wand illuminated the passageway.
"That was a very convincing stunt you pulled earlier today," he smirked. "I'm not going to lie, I was impressed."
Once Rose's eyes adjusted to the light, she realized just how narrow the passage was. Width wise, there was barely enough room for the two of them, so they were forced to stand chest to chest. Rose, who was normally very proud of her larger bust size and liked to wear shirts that revealed a still fairly conservative amount of cleavage, now regretted not wearing a higher neck line. Although she was tall for a woman, Scorpius towered over her a good 2 or 3 inches, providing him with a perfect view.
As if Scorpius could read her mind, his eyes shifted downward and a big grin came across his face. Rose blushed. Although she couldn't help but feel flattered, she was not a fan of his blatant staring. She reached up and slapped him.
"Ow!" Scorpius' cry echoed through the passageway. He brought his hand up to his inflamed cheek.
Even in the dim blue light, Rose could see she left a handprint on the right side of his face. She couldn't help but smile at her strength. The fear that had gripped her earlier began to fade away.
Scorpius let out a deep breath. "Alright, I can't say I didn't deserve that one."
Although Rose should have been terrified that Scorpius had dragged her away from the rest of the world, she felt braver than the night before. Not only was the passageway too small for Scorpius to try to take advantage of her, but his wand was also preoccupied with lighting the way.
"So, was the opportunity to stare at my boobs the only reason for why you've stolen me away into a cramped corridor? " she asked as she shifted her long wavy red hair so that it covered her chest. She couldn't help but smile at the look of disappointment that flashed across Scorpius' face.
"Despite appearances, no," Scorpius stated firmly. "Believe it or not, I actually wanted to talk to you."
"Alright, then talk," Rose commanded. Although the lack of space between them excited her just as much it had the night before, she knew that Scorpius no longer had the upper hand. The power to pleasure or destroy was distributed evenly between them.
"So McGonagal took away my Hogsmead privileges for the rest of the year, my father is absolutely furious, and I received a threatening letter from a Mr. Ronald Weasley. I hope you're happy," Scorpius chimed.
Rose could tell he wasn't angry with her. If anything, the damage she caused seemed to excite him.
"Well, it's just my way of keeping unruly men in their place," Rose sneered, stealing the line Scorpius had used against her less than twenty-four hours ago.
"Touche," Scorpius smirked.
"So if that's all, then I would like to return to civilization now," she stated. She attempted to awkwardly shimmy away, but stopped when Scorpius moved his body in the same direction.
"Wait, Rose. I'm not done with you yet," he commanded.
Rose raised an eyebrow. She was beginning to get annoyed now. "We're not back to this now are we? Is there nothing I can do to get it through your thick skull that you have no domain over me?"
"I know, and I don't want domain over you, Rose" Scorpius answered. He reached his hand up to caress Rose's cheek. "I just want you."
'Fuck!' Rose could barely keep her inner monologue from becoming audible. Her cheek tingled at his touch and she couldn't ignore just how good it felt.
"Scorpius, how do I know this isn't just another attempt at you trying to put me in my place?" she whispered.
"Well that's half the fun for you isn't it?" he smirked.
Rose let out a frustrated sigh as she turned her cheek away. She waited a moment before looking back at him. His eyes were bright and playful in the wand light.
"I hate to say it, but you're not that far off Malfoy," Rose finally relented. "But don't think this gives you any liberty to do any funny business."
"Fine," Scorpius chuckled. "I was thinking more along the lines of naughty business anyways."
Rose cursed herself for blushing.
Scorpius reached for her hand and brought it up to his lips. Rose watched as he lingered there for a moment before placing a soft kiss. Their eyes locked and electricity between them increased ten-fold.
It was then that Rose felt something more 'physical' emerge between them, thanks to Scorpius. She bit her bottom lip in satisfaction, because she knew, at least for now, she had the upper hand.
"Excited aren't we?" she teased, leaving his gaze only for a moment to cast her eyes downwards, before returning to his eyes.
Scorpius released her hand. It was now his turn to blush. All the same, he bent his head down closer to her lips, but before he could kiss her, she placed her free hand between them.
"I apologize Scorpius, but I'm just not in the mood tonight. Maybe some other time." With that she folded her arms across her chest.
For a moment Rose could not believe the words coming out of her mouth. It seemed as if her body and brain were disconnected once more, but this time, it wasn't all bad.
Scorpius' jaw dropped, "Well, I...um" he stammered.
"If you would be so kind as to let me out, I am dreadfully tired," Rose smiled. 'Score one for Rose Weasley!' she thought.
"Seriously?" Scorpius looked at Rose in amazement.
"What can I say? After being tripped and then falling down the stairs, I am utterly exhausted."
Scorpius sighed.
Without looking, he tapped his wand on the wall five times, and there was an opening to the hallway once more.
"Thank you very much," Rose chimed, as they both stepped out of the passageway. "We should do this again, soon," she smiled. The passageway disappeared once more. Rose made sure to take note of its location for future reference.
"Yeah," Scorpius let out a deep breath. He didn't even try to hide his disappointment. "Nox," he sighed, and the light at the tip of his wand went out.
There was one last thing Rose needed to do, before she had fully gotten back at Scorpius: leave him begging for more.
She put her arms around his shoulders, and pulled herself up his ear. "Don't worry big shot, you're time will come," she whispered seductively in his ear. She lingered there a moment before she pulled back to face him and gave him a peck on the lips.
She stood there just long enough to see his eyes perk up, and then with a chuckle, she ran back to the Hufflepuff dorms, leaving the Slytherian dumbfounded.
When she walked into the Hufflepuff common room, it was completely empty save for one 6th year boy lounging in an armchair, a comic book in his hands.
"Where the hell have you been?" Nemo asked as soon as he heard Rose enter. "Curfew was a half hour ago."
'Was I really gone that long?' Rose thought to herself. Then she posed a question for Nemo. "How did you know I wasn't in my room?"
"Chelsea came down about an hour ago asking if I knew where you were. She wants to borrow you're hair tamer...or whatever it is," Nemo answered.
Chelsea was one of her roommates, and Nemo's girlfriend. Rose didn't know her very well, but she had an odd habit of wanting to borrow things from Rose.
"Again? She really needs to go out and buy her ow-."
"Don't try to change the subject," Nemo interrupted. "Were you with Malfoy again?" He was standing now.
"Maybe..." Rose said after a moment, knowing that her friend would chide her for her behavior.
"Rose!" he exclaimed in frustration.
Rose took a seat on the nearby couch, and motioned for Nemo to do the same. He did.
"You know when I said that when Malfoy wrapped his hands around my waist last night I pulled away?"
Nemo nodded.
"Well I did, just not immediately...not for awhile actually."
"What on Earth are you talking about?"
"I'm saying that I kinda maybe sorta...like him a lot." She sped through the end of the sentence. She had enough trouble admitting it to herself let alone anyone else.
Nemo looked at her in disbelief. "You mean to say that you are in love with the same boy whom you claimed threw you down the stairs?"
"Well, I wouldn't call it love," Rose admitted.
"What exactly is it then?" Nemo asked. One of his eyebrows raised in confusion.
"It's hard to explain," Rose answered after a period of consideration. She wasn't quite sure what to make of it either.
"Try me," Nemo insisted.
"It's more like a thrilling struggle for power." Rose couldn't believe how dumb that sounded.
"And this struggle is sexual?" Nemo asked, bewildered by the whole conversation.
"Well, nothing has happened yet, but the tension is not just emotional," she admitted.
"Oh, boy" Nemo sighed. "I think you've got me lost on this one Rose. What are you going to tell your parents when they find out?"
"My parents aren't going to find out," Rose stated. "No one in my family is going to find out," she said, giving Nemo a hard look.
"Ok, I won't say anything, but don't you think Albus and the others are going to find it suspicious when their cousin starts sneaking off with the guy who pushed her down the stairs. The same guy whose father your family isn't very fond of to begin with," Nemo warned.
"They aren't going to see me sneaking around. Especially since they live 8 floors above me to begin with."
"Well you know that this means the Room of Requirement is basically off limits, right?" Nemo said.
Rose remembered that when she asked Nemo how he and Chelsea were able to get any alone time together, he had told her that they would often sneak off to the Room of Requirement in the middle of the night. Her mind was immediately flooded with images of what she and Scorpius could get away with up there.
"Well that's just a risk I'll just have to be willing to take," she smiled.
"Oh, boy," Nemo sighed once more.
