A/N: Hi again! I'm sorry I haven't updated this in two years, but I'm back now, with a new skill set, since being in college. I hope those of you remaining fans of this story still enjoy this fic, and for those new, as well. I do not own Harry Potter.

"Okay, okay, slow down." Olivia sits on her bed, as Rose stands in front of her, pacing. "You're saying that he wants you to kiss him."

"Yes."

"Because he says he's going to prove you wrong and behave around Ben, and that's what he wants for a reward."

Rose nods.

"Haven't you already kissed before?"

Rose can feel her face getting warm. "He kissed me. I don't think he counts that since it was a heat of the moment thing."

Olivia laughs, and Rose jumps at the unexpected sound. "Oh, Rosie, this is perfect!"

"Are you mad? This isn't perfect, Liv! This is a nightmare! You should have seen the smirk on his face!"

Olivia shakes her head. "Rose, he fancies you. He wants you to kiss him, because he's hoping that you're just as much in love with him, as he is beginning to be with you. Come on, please tell me you see it."

Rose looks at the ground. Damn. She can see it, and it worries her. Her heart starts pounding. "I'm scared," she says, and looks at Olivia, with tears in her eyes. Olivia gets off her bed, and wraps her arms around Rose.

"Why?"

Rose mumbles into Olivia's shoulder, "Because I think I'm starting to like him back."

The only person Rose can think about for the next week is Scorpius. He preoccupies her mind day and night, and Rose almost entirely forgets about her spat with Ben until their Prefects meeting the following Thursday. He is a no show.

"Please do remember, that the final Quidditch game of the year is next week. If you see any students misbehaving during the match, please deal with them accordingly. I will be at the match in the stands, so if you need further assistance, let me know."

The door in the back of the room opens. A few heads turn toward the sound, and Rose can't help but glance up. It is Ben, still clad in his Quidditch practice uniform.

Rose straightens up. "And, that concludes our meeting for this week. I hope you all have good patrols and I'll see you at the game. You're free to leave."

Ben lingers in the back, as the Prefects file out. Rose collects her bag from the ground, as awkward silence hangs in the air. "Nice of you to show up," she finally says, fixing the strap of her bag on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know practice was going to go so late."

"Well, you should have saved yourself the trouble of walking over here, because we're done, and I'm going to bed." Her shoes click on the floor as she walks toward the door.

He turns toward her, as her hand rests on the doorknob. "I came over here because you were right, Rose."

"Great, what else is new?"

He grabs her forearm, and Rose has half a sense to pull her arm away, but doesn't. "Rose," Ben says, after a moment in silence, "I'm still in love with you."

Rose's heart pounds, and her hand twists the door knob quickly. Ben only grips her forearm tighter. "I thought there was a chance you may have been too, when we came back to school. But when you told me about the marriage law, my chances of us ever being a thing again crumbled in front of me. And I thought I could deny it because of who you were set up with. I just couldn't see you have a future with him; I still can't even now. I love you Rose Weasley, and I had every intention of marrying you."

Her arm breaks free from his grasp, and Rose pushes so hard on the door, she stumbles out into the dim hallway. The door closes shut behind her, and Rose lets out a sob as she lets her feet carry her down the hallway, and toward the common room. The portrait lets her in without a password, and Rose collapses onto the couch, as the sole person in the room.

It's a bit after midnight when Scorpius comes down the stairs. He's restless and stressed about a paper due by the week of Christmas break. As he rounds the back of the couch, he notices the familiar red curls of Rose. He smiles for a second, until he realizes she's not just breathing—she's crying.

"Rose?"

She bolts up from her fetal position, eyes red and watery. "What's wrong?"

She only stares at him, as he walks closer.

"Don't," she warns, and he halts in his place. Scorpius backs up, and seats himself in the arm chair across from the couch, as Rose breaks down into tears again. He can only watch her as she cries, and it's not until he believes she's fallen asleep after an hour of crying, that she speaks again.

"You were right," she says so quietly, "Ben's still in love with me."

Scorpius sits up slowly, his heart racing. "Are you still in love with him?"

"No," Rose says, looking at him from her curled up spot on the couch, "I'm beginning to fall in love with you instead."

A/N: Please review!