Chapter Seven: Time Bomb

February 16

Rose had to admit, staying up late was a stupid idea. For all six years that she had been a Slytherin, she had never particularly grown accustomed to the common room dungeon set up they had going on around here. She had dedicated her life to staying away from the common room as much as possible. She usually studied in library, outside by the lake, in her room... anywhere but the common room.

But tonight she had to cram for her Potions exam the next day. She had been procrastinating and now it was here to bite her in the ass. James had told her that he'd review with her, but it turned out he had Quidditch practice all day and knocked out as soon as he got to his room. It was too cold to study outside, so Rose hadn't even tried. The library was out because all the sixth years were studying there and they were exceptionally loud. And by this time it was closed. Her room? She had been studying there for awhile, but by now all the girls were asleep and snoring loudly.

Sitting by herself in the common room seemed like the best choice. She had lit a fire and turned on all the lights. Once she forgot where she was, it became easier to focus on her notes and soon enough she was so in the zone that she didn't even realize it was approaching two in the morning.

The thing about the dungeons was that it was always cold. No matter how many lights or fires were burning brightly. Rose tugged on her blanket and took a sip of her now cold tea. She refilled the cup with a simple spell and went right back to studying. She never noticed the squid swimming right outside her window- a perk of their common room, depending on how you looked at it.

She hated herself when she procrastinated. She didn't do it often, but when she did it was always on something huge, not like a tiny test that wouldn't do anything to her average. She was a perfect blend of both her parents that way.

The last thing Rose expected was for anyone to be coming in.

The slam of the door above caused her to jump. Rose's breath hitched and she quickly grabbed her wand that was sitting on the couch next to her. She jumped up and tugged on the blanket, trying to cover herself. She was only wearing pajama pants and a tank top. It was, after all, an ungodly hour in the morning and she was supposed to be asleep.

Who could it be? She thought, hoping to Merlin it wasn't a Death Eater. Don't be ridiculous! How would a Death Eater get in Hogwarts?

It was coming down the stairs. Whoever it was, they were taking a very long time. Rose stood up slowly, the blanket around her shoulders and held her hand with the wand out. She took a few steps to the stairs and waited.

There was a low moan from above her, followed by heavy breathing. The steps became slower, but heavier. Whatever boots this person was wearing, they were big and heavy.

Rose's heart was slamming against her chest. She had no idea what to do. Should she reveal herself? Or wait? Her mind was trying to come up with what the best plan would be. Which would suit her better? It took her too long to decide, because the person reached the bottom of the stairs and she stared dumbly.

The bloody face of Scorpius Malfoy was what greeted her.

Rose nearly screamed and took a step back in her shock. Her hand that was holding the blanket to her body flew to her mouth, making the blanket fall silently to the floor. She could physically feel and hear her pulse. It was fast. Her breathing was rapid and her eyes as wide as they could go.

The only thing that brought her back to the present was another pitiful moan from Scorpius. Since she had all the lights on, she could see him easily. She saw that his eyes were closed and he olny had time to mutter, "Weasley..." before falling forward.

Rose did her best to catch him. She attempted to maneuver him to the couch, which was no easy task, especially with all his complaining. "Really, Weasley..." He groaned again, "Is that the... b-best you... can d-do?"

"Stop your whining or I'll just leave you here," She growled, dragging him to the nearest piece of furniture she could find.

"Ow! Would you... stop it?" He huffed, his eyes squeezed shut, in what Rose assumed to be pain.

She felt a stab of pity for him, but then he opened his mouth to complain some more. Her pity instantly ebbed away. "You are such a GIT!" She shrieked, finally reaching the couch.

"There is no reason to wail like a banshee, Rosie. I believe that I'm the one that's been having the worse night."Scorpius said, with all his usual wit and charm. He flashed a smile at her, like he wasn't lying bloody and broken on the couch with blood oozing from his stomach and possibly his forehead.

Rose rolled her eyes and tugged on his shirt. "Really, Rosie, I've always known you've wanted me, but I never imagined that our first time would be like this," He was smiling devilishly at her, which caught her completely off-guard. Wasn't he supposed to be screaming in pain? Or at least acting like he was dying?

"Would you just shut up? You're hurt. Let me help you," She tried again. She wasn't the greatest at healing spells, but she knew how to make a bandage. If she could just stop the bleeding, then she could take him to the nurse.

"I can't imagine why we've only had five years of foreplay." This time he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

She huffed and sat back on the couch. He was making this increasingly difficult. She decided it was time to go for a different approach. "How did you even get this bruised? Even you can't piss someone off this much,"

At that, his expression changed. He wasn't acting deliriously drunk anymore. Now his face turned gravely seriously and since his near fall minutes ago, he finally looked like he was in pain. Rose bit her lip, but never averted her eyes. She watched as his eyes dropped down to his lap and stayed there for a while.

When he finally looked up he said, "Oh yes, I can."

"What?" Rose asked, perplexed.

"Piss someone off. Come on, Rosie, get your head in the game." He smiled again, like nothing was wrong. Like he didn't just get a very faraway look in his eye. Like she wasn't Rose Weasley and he wasn't Scorpius Malfoy. Like they weren't fighting on different sides. Like they were friends. Like this wasn't one of the only civil conversations they'd had. This was probably a snapshot of what her life could have been, Rose thought, if she wasn't a Weasley. Sitting on a couch with someone as handsome as Scorpius Malfoy, bantering.

But Rose would never have a simple life. Instead of bantering with Scorpius Malfoy, Rose was faced with a bloody and possibly dying version of Scorpius Malfoy. She didn't have time to worry about her skimpy tank top or that her hair was probably hanging unflatteringly around her face. She couldn't think about the bags under her eyes and worry if Scorpius noticed. She didn't have the luxury to be a normal girl.

Rose thought about asking him if he wanted to be a normal guy sometimes. She wanted to ask him if he ever wondered what it would be like to be a normal guy with her. But when she opened her mouth to speak she said, "We need to get you to the infirmary."

His eyes widened and he moved to grab her arm. Rose stopped, mid motion of standing up. She looked down at his hand on her wrist. She didn't want to say that her whole body flamed at his touch, but it did.

"No," He said. She raised her eyes to meet his. They were so grey. So stormy. She wondered what he was thinking about. If he thought her skin was soft. Or about how much he desperately needed her to keep this a secret.

"You need help!" She whisper shouted, suddenly very aware that their fellow housemates were probably fast asleep.

"So help me," He said simply.

"I can't."

"Sure you can," He shrugged. He let go of her arm and leaned back against the couch. With his eyes closed he grimaced, before saying, "You're Rose Weasley."

Because that would solve everything. She rolled her eyes and pathetically stomped her foot. "I'll have to do it the Muggle way."

At that, his eyes snapped open. He looked genuinely frightened for the first time all night. More so than when he thought she was going to drag him to the nurse. Rose quirked an eyebrow at him, "The Muggle way,"

"Why can't you use a spell?" He squeaked.

"Because I don't know them," She said to him, using her voice she reserved for when James, Albus, Teddy, or Hugo asked her a stupid question.

"That's a first," Scorpius muttered, and then winced when he felt a pinch on his arm. "Hey! I'm injured!" He looked at Rose, whose wand was candidly pointed at him.

"Could have fooled me, Mr. Foreplay,"

Scorpius smiled dreamily at her. "Really, Rosie. Why have we had five years of it?" He seemed like he really wanted an answer from her.

She turned away, "I need to get my first aid kit. It's in my room. Stay put,"

"Yeah, because I was thinking of going salsa dancing!" He called after her, which made her roll her eyes.

In her room, she pulled the kit out from under her bed as quietly as she could. She surveyed the room and was happy to see everyone asleep. Their steady breathing and quiet snores suddenly reminded her how tired she was. She wished she could stop and check her appearance in the mirror, but she didn't want to risk waking anyone up. She grabbed a hair tie on her way out and put her hair up in a messy bun. She didn't need it in the way when she performed her big open heart surgery.

In the common room, Scorpius was squirming uncomfortably on the couch. In alarm she saw that he was breaking out in a cold sweat. She crouched down next to him and unbuttoned his shirt. He groaned, "This wasn't how I imagined you doing this."

"Do you not think of anything else?" Rose asked, trying to calm the beating of her heart. It didn't just have to do with being this close to Scorpius and undressing him. It also had to do with the fact that her medical training went as far as CPR and bandaging up Hugo when he'd hurt his knee.

"Not at all," He muttered, and slid out of his shirt.

Rose took in the cut. It went deep. She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. Pour hydrogen peroxide in it? Bandage it? She settled for grabbing a towel and dabbing the wound as gently as she could.

Scorpius kept his eyes shut and his teeth gritted. When Rose decided that it was time to move on, she cleaned the towel with a simple wave of her wand and then poured hydrogen peroxide onto it. "This will sting," She warned, the towel braced in her hand.

Scorpius opened one eye and looked at her. "Like... how bad?"

"Pretty bad," She deadpanned, looking at him.

"I'd ask you to hold my hand, but I think you need it,"

"Just think of whatever pervy fantasy you prefer." Rose rolled her eyes.

"So I have full permission to imagine you-"

"Stop!" Rose said loudly. She took pleasure in seeing him chuckle before wincing. He shut his eyes and nodded, which Rose took as her signal to begin.

When she was finished disinfecting it as best as she could, she took out a big role of gauze and began to wrap the wound. When she finished, she found that Scorpius was looking up at her. For once, he wasn't smirking or glaring. He was just looking at her, his expression blank. And then he did something she never would have expected.

He leaned up and kissed her.

On the cheek.

It took Rose a full second to realize what was happening, and then it was over. She looked down at him and saw that he was wincing again. "Note to self, do not bend while stomach is ripped open,"

She rolled her eyes and pushed the kiss from her mind. She needed to think about cleaning up his face. She took a fresh cloth and wet it with warm water. She worked her hand around his face, wiping away the sweat and grim. Dried blood was washed away. When she reached the wound, she saw that it was only a cut that had already stopped bleeding.

"What happened?" She asked, sitting across from him once all the healing had been done.

"I fell," He said simply, not looking at her.

"Oh, really? You fell?" She scoffed. Even she was a better liar than that. What Slytherin couldn't lie?

"Yup," Scorpius deadpanned, "Nothing to it,"

"Gravity kicked you in the balls?" Rose asked, still studying him.

"Pretty much."

"I better watch out for that gravity," She whispered.

He looked at her. His eyes bore into hers, startling her. "Yes," He said forcefully, his voice never wavering, "You should,"

"And the dragons?" She asked, leaning closer.

"Them too," He whispered.

Rose didn't remember falling asleep. When she opened her eyes several hours later, it was because her clock was ringing, alerting her to the fact that it was six in the morning and she had a big Potions test today. Her Potions book, however, was sitting on the table by the couch in the common room.

She showered, pulled on her uniform, and then headed to the Great Hall. Breakfast was hard to swallow as all she could think about was blood. She decided that she could rule out a healer on her list of possible careers.

James and the others greeted her across the hall and the thought of blood left her mind as she remembered seeing him after that meeting.


James caught her by the shoulders. "Hey, hey," He whispered, his hands going up to cradle her face. "What's wrong?" His face was full of concern, all signs of anger washed away. It was something she loved about him. His love for people, no matter what. James would never push her away, no matter if she was the person he hated most in the world at that particular moment, which she suspected she was right now.

She sniffled and shook her head, "It's all so wrong,"

"Okay, okay," He cooed, and began to pull her along. "We're gonna go outside by the lake, okay?"

"But it's cold outside," She whimpered, pathetically, following along.

"I know," He answered, patiently, as if he was talking to a baby. "But I think you could use some fresh air."

She didn't object after that and followed him outside like a good little soldier. They walked towards her favorite oak tree by the lake. Not once did he complain about the cold and their ill-fitting attire. The wind ripped through her, turning the tears on her face to icicles. She stopped crying and stayed curled in James' arm.

They sat down once they reached the tree. "Now," James said, looking at her, "Tell me what's wrong..."

Rose wasn't sure where to begin, so she picked a random spot. "Everything. The world is falling apart. The Death Eaters have a list of all the aurors and their families. People are dying. And- and- and... they found this spell they can do with the moon to bring back the dead. And they brought Bellatrix Lestrange back."

At that, James swore under his breath. He didn't add any objection to her story beyond that, so Rose decided to keep going. "And your dad says that they have confirmation that the Malfoys are working with them. It's just so weird, because we've known Scorpius and yeah, he's a git, but I never thought he was evil."

James scoffed there. "I mean, he's done stupid things, but I've been in the same house with him since we were eleven. Now we're sixteen, it's just like, man, I know you. I know your habits and I see you every single day whether I want to or not. We've had some civil moments together. After he pushed me down the stairs second year and you tried to murder him, he's never been particularly evil to me."

"What are you trying to say?" James cut in, looking at her like she had grown three heads. "Do you... like Malfoy?"

Rose thought about this. The cold made her teeth chatter and she was hyperaware of everything around her. She could hear James' breathing and the ruffling in the branches above them from a squirrel. She finally decided that, "Well... I don't hate him," was the safest answer she could give. It was also the most honest.

James' mouth dropped. She spoke before he could say anything, "Come on James, we are both Slytherins. We've been roomies for five years. We cheer for the same team and get house points for the same house. The Slytherins are a part of my family, just like the Gryffindors are part of your family."

James didn't seem to like this comparison. "You might be a Slytherin, but you are nothing like him or the others."

Rose smiled at him, "Yes, I am. But it's okay."

After that James was silent for awhile. She decided that she should follow his cue, so they sat for awhile, staring at the frozen lake. Rose thought about the giant mutant squid that supposedly lived under there. What was it doing now that the surface was frozen? Was it hibernating? Was is swimming around in a pacing manner, trying to figure out how to break it?

"So what else is wrong with the world?" James asked, looking at her.

"I think that's all for now." Rose murmured.

"Good, cause I'm frozen. There's only so much a guy can take." He hauled himself for his feet before reaching down to take her hand and pull her up. Rose happily obliged and they walked- ran, back into the safety and warmth of the castle.

Once they made it inside, Rose wondered why she didn't have her trusty scarf with her. She also thought that they should have ran while they were outside. It would have kept them warm.

Now, in the present, she waved at James from across the room and then focused on getting some nutrients in her. Oberon sat down next to her and they exchanged greetings. He had his Potions notes out and she eagerly joined his study club.

"Oh my gosh, Rose!" Daphne sat down next to her, smiling giddily. Rose sighed, she knew this wouldn't be good.

She eyed Daphne lazily, "Yes?"

"Have you heard the rumor?" Daphne squealed.

"Probably not. Probably don't care," She took a sip of her juice and held one of Oberon's sheets in front of her.

"Scorpius Malfoy has a," She lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned close to Rose's ear, "secret girlfriend!"

Rose choked on her juice, but thankfully nothing came flying out on Oberon's notes. Oberon quickly grabbed his paper from Rose's hand and cradled it, "It's okay, the evil lady never meant to hurt you."

He shot her a glare which she happily returned, before turning back to Daphne. "What?"

Daphne nodded eagerly. "He sneaks out to meet her. That's where he was last night,"

Rose mentally scoffed. If a girl could do that to Malfoy then, that was one tough bitch.

"And!" Daphne said again, "The Ministry is coming to Hogwarts!"

This time the juice came flying out of her mouth.

"NO! MY NOTES!"

It was like a time bomb set into motion
We knew that we were destined to explode
And if I have to pull you out of the wreckage
You know I'm never gonna let you go
We're like a time bomb
Time Bomb, All Time Low


A/N: Hi everyone. I'd appreciate it if you could leave a little review :) This story keeps getting 'alerts' and 'favs' but not a lot of reviews and it makes me sad :( This song was what really prompted this story, the idea of two people that really have no chance of working, so I was really happy when I got to write this. Anyway, I'm busying working on chapter 15 now, lots of fun stuff coming up :) So please, please, please review.