Disclaimer: I own nothing than the situations.

When Scorpius woke up the next morning, Rose was long gone. The empty chair leaving no sign of a particular redhead brought him a wistful mood, despite the vivid and lively scenery of bright sky and shiningsnowy rooftops outside the window. Stores were opened earlier, now that Christmas was very close. Scorpius could see people walking on the pavements with heavy bags on their arms. Cars were driving back and forth, leaving dark traces on the snowy streets as they melted the happy, Christmast-y snowflakes.

There was not much Scorpius could do, seeing he was glued to the patient bed for the next two weeks or so. It was Merlin's will then that he could spend the day thinking, or rather admiring Rose Weasley with her wild curls and her freckles along the nose bridge.

Scorpius longed at the other glass window that looked out to the hospital corridor. His eyes flickered back and forth, trying to spot Rose amongst the medi witches and wizards. The healers came like waves; they were walking in groups one moment, what with the masks and the concerned faces as they discussed with each other, and then suddenly disappearing another moment, returning the corridor its perpetual undisturbed atmosphere. He tossed and turned on the bed, trying to change to a new comfortable position every now and then, yet never dared to turn away the glass window, as he was afraid he would miss the tiny figure of Rose Weasley any time.

Scorpius sighed; he swore it could have been hours before his eyes sparked up at the slightest hint of a red head tugged inside the blue scrub cap that was strolling past his room. It would be too slow to adjust the inclination of the bed, so he pushed himself to sit up and waved his free arm frantically. His other arm was still hooked into all kinds of medical devices.

"Oi! Weasley!"

Too bad. She missed it. He dropped himself back on the sheets, breathless and painful. The deliberate use of abdominal muscles had run a sharp pain throughout Scorpius's body. The machine above Scorpius started alarming, and as he was grimacing in agony, the door was wide open, and a panic-stricken healer Rose Weasley rushed in.

"Easy, Malfoy. Easy."

Rose reached the machine and turned off the rather annoying alarm and tended upon Scorpius, who was now glistened with sweats on his face. She gently removed his hands, which were covering the suture site, and furrowed her eyebrows at the new bleeding. She quickly paged the nursing witch on the floor, and as the nurse was administering some medicine, re-dressed the wound on Scorpius stomach. Not until the nurse had long gone and the medicine kicked in that Scorpius started to breathe easier and feel less painful. Half opening his eyes, Scorpius glanced at Rose, who was now sitting on the arm chair, hands folded in front her chest and eyes narrowing.

"That was idiotic, Malfoy." She mumbled, her voice hoarsely.

"So you saw me waving. I thought you missed it." He smiled weakly.

"I saw it at the corner of my eyes, and before I could register the thought the alarm from your room already went off." Rose still sent him dead glares.

"I've got you noticed me anyway. Sorry for this mess, I didn't intend to look so ridiculous." Scorpius chuckled as he brushed the back of his hand across the forehead, trying to swipe the sweats away.

"Yes, and you just give yourself a reason to stay here for an extra three days." Rose replied as she leaned forward and used the damp tissue she was holding to clean his glistened face. She focused on scolding at him, trying to ignore the fact that his skin was so smooth and his little facial hair was sticking out at different angles, making him look rather attractive.

"Looks like I'm gonna spend my Christmas and New Year in bed then." Scorpius stared at Rose's blue eyes.

"Looks like it. Too bad your father may leave the hospital earlier than you" said Rose, with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"Why were you waving at me earlier? What do you need, Malfoy?" Rose huffed, trying to ignore the burning gaze of Scorpius at her.

"It's Scorpius, Rose." He managed a weak smile.

"Whatever, just so you know, I didn't operate on you, so technically I wasn't the healer on the case. I don't have the duty to tend to you every three hours." She grumbled.

"Why are you so grumpy this morning, Rose? I just wanted to ask if you did well on your quiz, but from your mood, I think I figure the answer." Scorpius chuckled.

"My quiz went very smoothly, thank you very much. It was rather your idiotic act that got on my nerves."

"So you were worried when I was hurt, weren't you?" He raised his eyebrow at her.

"If you haven't noticed, that's the characteristic of a healer," said Rose.

"But I wasn't your patient. I was, literally, no one to you." Scorpius insisted.

"That makes me even a better healer for caring about any patient that stays in the hospital, idiotic or not." Rose pressed her lips, trying not to let a laughter escape. She was playing serious and mean, now that Scorpius had recovered from his pain.

"Or that makes you a woman who may be having feelings for me. And this hypothesis is reinforced by the fact that you decided to stay after my emergency and wait until I recover from the pain to have a talk with me."

"You're not on drug, Scorpius. Don't kid yourself." Scorpius smirked at the faint blush on her cheeks. Merlin, Rose can't never play cool for too long, he thought.

"Will you have another quiz tomorrow, Rose?"

"Yes, why?" Rose propped her chin against her arm, which was propped against the hand of the armchair. She batted her eyelashes casually as she looked absentmindedly at the window outside, and he realized she had such beautiful, mesmerizing eyes.

"Well, then study for it here, tonight. You'll find nowhere quieter than in this room." Scorpius said nonchalantly, internally trying to beat down the heat that was radiating from his face. A man couldn't blush while flirting.

Rose bursted into a fit of giggles before answering him. "Just so you know, being in the on call room with a real bunk bed is actually more comfortable than in this very armchair. I'd actually sacrifice myself if I agreed to this. What do you have to offer?"

Scorpius cleared his throat. "I have a lot of money in my vault, now that offering you some money to stay here is a disgrace to you. Other than that, I am currently lying in this bed, useless and wandless. I don't have anything much to offer right now, other than my incredibly charming look and a sincere hope, deep from my heart and soul, that you'd agree to be here with me, tonight."

Rose was about to send a witty comeback at his 'incredibly charming look' line, but soon flushed at him pouring his heart out to her, wishing her to come back and visit him. Sometimes she hated her father's gene so much for the inability to hide any feelings when shying or facing an embarrassment. She glanced at Scorpius, who wore a dead serious countenance on his face. The slight guilt of seeing him excited to wave at her and then hurt himself almost caused her to agree. Yet she shrugged nonchalantly, trying to act cool and give herself some time to think about these unclear feelings, so that she wouldn't regret that she hadn't thought twice before hurling herself into this new, profound, unbearable thing called love.

"I'll see if I can."

Scorpius beamed at Rose. He didn't need a promise. He needed Rose to think about his offers, his words, his feelings carefully before they both step into a newfound area, with full of unidentified bliss, unlimited hope and endless possibilities. He, too, needed precaution, because he was out of the game for too long, and because he was lost for the last ten years, trying to find the real meaning of happiness.

Rose couldn't be serious for too long, seeing him keep sending her smiles that made her stomach flutter. She stood up, patted Scorpius's shoulder and gingerly walked away, without forgetting to give a medical advice. "Oh, and don't forget to occasionally turn slightly on your left side, Mr. Malfoy. Your suture site is on the right and it wouldn't help if you keep turning right, longing for me and never giving your wound a chance to heal."

Rose closed the door, leaving behind her a crimson red Scorpius.


When Rose visited Scorpius later that night, she was surprised to see his room glowing in a dimly lit yellow. Tiptoeing at the door, she gently clicked open it in case he was already sound asleep. Facing her a brightened face with a beam gracing on the lips. Scorpius was sitting up against the bed, his blond hair dishiveled, and his hands were holding a book.

"Hey. You came." Said Scorpius.

Rose looked around the room. There was a vase of white roses and a pile of books and folders on the stand nearby him. She plopped herself down the familiar armchair and put her bag aside. She tipped her head back, relaxing, while still shooting a glare at Scorpius.

"So some chic figured out you're in the hospital?"

Scorpius chuckled. "No, it was my mother who visited me earlier. She brought me a few books to entertain and some documents from work so I can at least do something. And talking about chic, I think Nurse Melinda here has a soft spot for me. She's been checking on me not every three hours, but rather every hour."

"I'll put a note on your file that the patient needs some serious rest and hence nurses will only be checking on the patient twice a day then." Rose huffed.

"I thought you can't have a say in my case since you're not my healer?" Scorpius bit his lips to hide his smile, fascinated to watch Rose fall into his trap and show her frustration at the mention of another woman.

"I can even have her off this case if I want to. Merlin knows what I can do with this hospital. DON'T GIVE ME THAT LOOK, MALFOY!" Rose screeched as Scorpius gazed at her, his eyes squinting with mischief. She really inherited the Weasley temper.

"Okay, Okay. But no need to sign Merlinda off the case. She was just being a passionate nurse." He protested.

"A passionate nurse?" Rose furrowed her eyebrows, her blue eyes dwelling at those grey ones of Scorpius. She brought her legs up to her chest and wrapped them in her arms. Scorpius noticed how casual, yet adorable she looked in a loose Cannons sweatshirt and grey lounge pants. Her hair was tied haphazardly in a bun, her face was flushed. Under the yellow light, everything in Rose reflected a warm orangy shade. What troubled Scorpius's sight the most were Rose's very noticable tiny toes, with painted red toenails. They were curling in anger, as her body was so ready to argue with him till the end of the matter. An image of Rose Weasley with those toes curled up and mouth purring as she was under him creeped into Scorpius's mind. He couldn't help but shrug. Merlin, why does testosterone have to visit him at this late of the day?

"Malfoy, stop giving me that creepy look." A murmur snapped him out of his imagination.

Scorpius pulled the blanket a little higher and gently placed the book above the spot that would likely bulge up. Rose was slowly becoming his friend, and she would never forgive him if she knew what he was thinking. He wouldn't dare risk their complicated relationship with any dumb act, for Rose wasn't just another nurse Melinda, or any chic he dated before. Rose was different.

She made his heart beat faster every time she walked into the room.

"Look, just forget Melinda, will you? I think the witch is a passionate nurse, just like I think you are a passionate healer, Rose. I mean it the most innocent and positive way." Scorpius sighed.

"Exactly! I'm a passionate healer. I have to be here for my patients, and I don't have time to wander around London, showing a visitor what the Big Ben looks like. My mum doesn't seem to grasp that idea." Rose pouted.

"So the reason of your grumpiness is your mother asked you to give someone a tour around London?" Scorpius chuckled.

"There's this young diplomat from Sweden and he's gonna be in England for a few days. The Ministry wants my mum to take care of his stay and she thinks since I'm at his age, it's the best idea to have me showing him around London."

"Funny." Scorpius nodded.

"I'm not as mad about that as the fact my dad agreed with her. Dad was usually on my side but this time, he argued I spent too much time with my gang, namely the redhead cousins, and hence I should try to get to know new people." Rose purred her lips.

"Tell them you're 25 and you have a life and patients to tend to and tests to pass."

"You don't get it." Rose sighed. "I already said that, then dad walked over me, patted my shoulder and went sappy 'Oi Rosie! I know you're busy and all. But help your mum anyway, will you? This would be an opportunity for you to relax as well; we worry that you're overworking and you'll be exhausted.' And when he's like that I can't really say no, so I'm mad at him."

"He sounds like a good father to me. He cares about your health." Scorpius said, a matter-of-factly.

"Or more like he cares about my mentality. My parents believe that I'm becoming an insufferable nerd as I have no love life whatsoever and spend most of my time within the walls of St. Mungo's. They have asked James and Albus to introduce their friends to me. Even with this Sweden guy, they just want me to get to know him and if possible, date him."

"Know what, Rosie. You need a boyfriend to ease your parents' minds." Scorpius laughed.

"Don't' Rosie me." Rose growled.

"Okay, Rose. You need a boyfriend."

Rose huffed and thought hard for a moment before her eyes sparked up and she beamed at him. "You can be my fake boyfriend."

Scorpius felt a pang in his chest. No, he would never, ever, want to be Rose's fake boyfriend. "I can't. Your parents would grow too fond of me, they would actually scold you and get mad at you when we end the fake relationship." He shook his head resolutely.

Rose sent Scorpius a glare, which he replied with a big grin on his mouth. Moments passed by and Rose smiled again as she came up with another idea. "I know who I can ask to be my boyfriend!"

"Who is it?" Scorpius asked, crunching his eyebrows.

"None of your business, now that you didn't want to help me out."

"I told you, with my smoldering hot look and my charming personalities, your parents will be scarred for life if they know you date me just for the sake of having a boyfriend." Scorpius faked a miserable sigh.

"More like my dad will be scared if he knows I date the son of his sworn enemy, and my mom be scarred if she knows I date the barmiest git of my age."

Rose bursted into a fit of giggles, not realizing her words hit Scorpius's heart rather bitterly. He forced himself a weak smile to join her, yet he looked down at the book on his lap, painfully aware of the situation he put themselves in. It's true they were children of the sworn enemies, and even decades had passed by since the war, he never heard his father mention Ron Weasley. A barmy git he is? Scorpius wouldn't be surprised if Hermione Granger, or even Rose Weasley thought of him that way. They, of course, had to assume that he was like his father, making the wrong choices and leading a wrong life. Even if he worked hard all his life, and be nothing than a good moral citizen and a true gentleman, he could never avoid the bad rumors, those like Scorpius Malfoy was expelled from Hogwarts and the similar.

Every incident that happened within the last two weeks flashed back in front of his eyes. His father was in a life and death accident. A healer refused to treat him. He wanted Rose Weasley to be off his father's case. He wanted this whole hospitalization thing a secret, as reporters were waiting anxiously like caged animals to feed any bad news about his family to the public. They had a company and many business issues to deal with when they got back to work.

So, maybe, keeping this affection for Rose Weasley and the fun of being around her, all for himself, would be a better idea. This feeling would come and soon gone as if it never existed. That would be easier for both of them.

Rose mumbled as she realized the mistake she just made."I didn't mean what I said, Scorpius. I don't think of you as the barmiest git of our age. I'm sorry." She looked up at him, her eyes hesitantly. Her hand impulsively reached for his, her small fingers laced with his long ones and her thumb caressed the back of his hand apologetically.

That was the second time they held hands. Yet it felt completely different. "It's nothing, Rose. I should let you study. It's rather late." Scorpius mumbled.

"Don't worry. I have studied for this quiz a few days ago. I'm good. You should sleep. You look tired. Probably from talking too much with me." Rose chuckled gently.

Scorpius nodded as he leaned back on the bed and pressed the button to flatten it down. Rose waved her wand and transfigured the armchair into a small bed. She lied down and quickly drifted off to sleep.

Scorpius still tossed and turned around moments later. He was still wide awake. He glanced at Rose curling up like a baby. She looked so small with her ginger hair spread widely across the pillow. His fingers twitched from not caressing her soft face. He reached for the wand his mother just brought in this morning, accioed the gray blanket with goose feather from afar, and flicked his wand so it dropped lightly and covered Rose's body. He smiled lightly as Rose unconsciously snuggled into it.

**So, a much longer chapter, and a very fast update for you guys. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks to those who have reviewed, it made my day. Please continue to do so! And new readers, please don't click follow without leaving a few words. They motivate me to write the next banter between Rose and Scorpius!