"Sit," Professor McGonagall ordered.

Rose and Scorpius slowly lowered their rucksacks to the floor before leaning back into the stiff cushions of two tall and rather ancient-looking wingback chairs. The chairs were no more comfortable than they looked but their height concealed the pair from the door, a moot point considering the loud slam they'd just heard signaling they would have no interruptions going forward.

Scorpius looked to Rose and was surprised to see her attention had been pulled from the floor. Instead she looked up, her eyes locking on the portraits behind the Headmistress' desk. He watched her take a considerable amount of time studying the picture of Professor Dumbledore with a gaze that narrowed, likely in shame, the longer he stared back at her. Rose crossed her leg over her knee then leaned back in an attempt to disappear further into the chair. Her hands were folded into fists where fingers picked and peeled at skin made loose by her nervous mouth. Biting her nails was a terrible habit but when she was nervous it became somewhat masochistic as she took that emotion out on the skin of her fingertips as well. Anxiety appeared at very inconvenient times and had left her nail beds bloody on one too many occasions.

Without warning Scorpius reached over and slapped Rose's hands out of her mouth. The movement made a slight smacking noise against the tense and silent air but McGonagall did not look over. Rose's pink lips, previously pursed, fell open in shock and mimicked the wide gaze she gave Scorpius as her head turned slowly upon her neck. She was stunned he'd be so bold and her nostrils were flared and her eyes turned dark as they bore into her best friend, questioning if his action was meant to incense her in the way that it had.

Scorpius smirked. He raised a brow in a show of victory before turning back to face the Headmistress. She had just finished signing off on a letter that was soon disregarded along with the rest of her work. In an instant her desk was cleared and she put down her cup of tea as she joined her students in sitting.

McGonagall sipped at the hot liquid through thin lips. Her posture was far better than Rose or Scorpius' but she seemed more relaxed and she displayed this clearly as she placed her cup down on its saucer and pushed it away.

"Biscuit?" she offered, her bony hand gesturing to a glass jar.

"Oh no, thank you, ma'am," Rose gave. She cleared her throat and shifted to sit up straighter, her body subconsciously readying itself for mental battle.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and shook his head. He also leaned forward but did so to give the headmistress a soft grin. "No, thank you, Professor. I'm watching my figure."

Rose's lips parted once more, that same shock from earlier spreading a flush across her face as once again she slowly turned to look at him. He seemed pleased and as he sat back Rose shook her head and looked away. She glanced down to her hands, wanting so badly to pick at them again, if only to waste time. Instead she hid them beneath the sleeves of her robe then shoved her palms flat beneath her legs.

"Do you know why I've called you in?" McGonagall finally asked.

Rose looked to Scorpius then back to the Headmistress. "Well, no ma'am."

"Something was brought to my attention…" she began slowly. The pause after her words was meant to give her students a chance to explain themselves but Rose and Scorpius were unnerved by it and forced further into silence.

Minerva sighed and reclined back slightly. "If my sources are correct then last semester, Miss Weasley, not only were you down in the Slytherin dungeons but you made it into the boys' dormitory there."

Rose planted her feet more firmly on the ground and shifted forward on her seat. "Headmistress—"

"I'm not finished," she returned curtly, causing Rose to slump again. "I've been told you spent a night there."

"I…" Rose didn't know what to say. There had been the night of her birthday but then several afternoons and mornings and evenings thereafter when Scorpius' bed had felt like a refuge away from all of her stresses. "It's not what you think," she settled quickly. "I was...sick."

"And no one in Gryffindor House could take care of you?"

"Well…"

"Mr. Malfoy," the Headmistress shifted unapologetically, "do you have anything to add?"

"It's not what it sounds like," he mumbled, also sitting forward. "And it's certainly not Rose's fault."

"Being sick?" Minerva nearly snickered. "Well I wouldn't think so."

Scorpius sighed. "I told Albus—"

"Potter?"

Scorpius paused, his eyes darting back and forth as he calculated how much sass was appropriate for such a ridiculous question. "Uh, yeah…" he settled awkwardly, ultimately deciding against it but only for Rose's benefit. He exhaled before continuing. "Right so I told him I'd bring her back to her dorm but halfway there I realized I didn't have the password."

"Rose, you were so sick you couldn't give Scorpius the password?" she interrogated. Before Rose could formulate a response, McGonagall had moved on. "Why didn't you go to Madam Pomfrey?"

"Well, you see, she—"

"I was drunk," Rose admitted flatly.

It was Scorpius' turn to slowly twist his head upon his neck as if he didn't want to add to the quiet chaos that surrounded them. He blinked, then swallowed, syncopating the passing seconds as he waited for McGonagall to respond. When she did he just continued to take in his best friend, his eyes stunned by more than the quivering lip she always wore upon admitting defeat. Her honesty came with an ulterior motive. Rose prided herself on being truthful but there was something else, too. It was as if she wanted to throw herself into the fire before he had a chance to — it was as if Rose knew this scolding, while given to them both, was directed in Scorpius' direction and she wanted to avoid his downfall before he even had the chance to recognize it.

For Rose, bravery often felt like a punch to the gut. Its necessity meant a deviation from the plans she'd likely spent substantial amounts of time concocting and when studied lately it seemed her bravery was only needed when Scorpius was around; when his spontaneity had her positively terrified because it awoke things within her she seemingly had wanted all along. She had never planned to have him in her life and now he was her best friend and she felt a million different things for him as they sat separated in the very same room.

"So not only did you enter Slytherin House and make it to the boys' dormitory but you were drunk...on school grounds?" she clarified slowly.

Rose gave an exaggerated nod. "That's about the shape of it."

It was clear McGonagall was just as stunned. Her silence displayed a moment of weakness. She was not angry — she was disappointed; the saying usually meant for parents was not an unknown one and it didn't go unnoticed by Scorpius who had heard it from his father in many different forms. Scorpius didn't blame the Headmistress for playing favorites. Rose deserved the accolades her parents' hard work granted her especially because year after year she only continued to prove the strength in her name.

"Rose, that's…"

"It's my fault!" Scorpius blurted out, not even bothering to take his eyes off of Rose. When her expression changed he followed suit, realizing only then that it was his voice that created the outburst.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I made her drink!" Scorpius continued. This time he was far less surprised by his words when he delivered them to McGonagall.

"Mr. Malfoy while I appreciate you defending your friend—"

"I did!" he continued. "I snuck everything in. It was my idea. And you're right, I should have just gone up to Gryffindor tower and waited for someone to help her in. I wasn't thinking."

Professor McGonagall allowed her own gaze to bounce back and forth between the pair. "It doesn't sound like either of you were," she scolded.

"I'm...no, you're right."

Minerva gripped the arms of her chair and sighed. "You're hardly the first to consume alcohol on school grounds. You are the first, however, to manage to spend the night in a different house's dorms."

"I wasn't too coherent," Rose mumbled in embarrassment. "The charms must not have thought I was much of a threat."

"They probably pitied her, ma'am," Scorpius offered. His attempt at humor had Rose's nose scrunching upward, her stare turning icy as it pierced him.

"Or the renovations we're doing have rendered them useless," the professor suggested.

Scorpius nodded, still avoiding Rose's intense glare. "Or that, I suppose."

"I don't think this will surprise you but I pegged you for a Head position, Rose" she droned, sharing the sentiment with no one in particular. The pause between title and name had both teens feeling hopeful. Ironically it was Rose who deflated after the reveal. "Now I'm not so sure…"

"No!" Scorpius yelled, nearly tapping at the desk to emphasize his frustration.

"Mr. Malfoy—"

"Scorpius!" Rose hushed.

"Punish me!" he suggested with arms raised wide in surrender. "Don't punish Rose. She didn't—"

"Yes, I did!" Rose screeched. "You won't go down for this, Scor! That's not fair!"

"Professor, it was my stupid idea! Please!" he begged, clearly ignoring his best friend.

"You are Sixth years," Minerva continued, not phased by either argument. "You both know better and you've both always done so well so it pains me that we are here right now. You're prefects, for Merlin's sake!"

"Of...of course," Rose accepted with eyes that immediately fell to the floor. Scorpius didn't need to look to her to see how close to tears she was. His initial interjection was an attempt to avoid the very sadness that now threatened to paint Rose's pale cheeks.

"You're both suspended from the first three quidditch games of the season—"

"What? No!" Scorpius looked up but was shocked to realize the volume had not come from him. Rose was now standing, her hand strong on her hip as she gestured toward him. "You can't do that to him! He needs those games—"

"Ro, it's fine," he said, his voice soft and confused. "It's only fair…"

"No, Scorpius!" she dismissed with a light stomp. His face was unchanging so her anxiety had her turning back to McGonagall, needing some sort of immediate reassurance. "Please professor, anything else!"

The Headmistress was unwavering too, though not because she was confused. While Scorpius was shocked by his best friend's outburst, McGonagall saw it coming and it was the very reason she felt secure in her decision to suspend them. "What do you suggest, Miss Weasley? Expulsion?"

Rose fell back in her seat, her body surrendering to unsteady limbs. She was so close to tears now that she could only shake her head. Much more movement would have had her crying.

"Any questions?"

Scorpius shook his head, bringing himself back to the present. "No, ma'am. That's it," he accepted with a sigh. "We...thank you. That's fair."

Professor McGonagall pursed her lips and jutted her chin out, awaiting a similar declaration from Rose. "Miss Weasley?"

Her answer came in the form of silence as she grabbed for her bag and simply ran out.

~!~

Scorpius didn't look in the kitchens or the greenhouses because that's where he believed Rose would be. Scorpius looked in those places because he knew she wouldn't be there; he knew Rose only accepted comfort after she'd processed her emotions on her own and it was his duty as her best friend to grant her that space. He also felt he owed her this time considering it was his foolish idea that had her so upset in the first place.

Scorpius knew Rose was in the library. She was always in the library but her location therein was always telling. There was the table near the entrance, one among many, that she occupied with her cousins and brother always during the first few weeks of term. A large arm chair fit her curled up form perfectly during midterms when she was doing her best to hide all of her stress from the world. Her table hidden in one of the back rows was reserved strictly for serious studying but only Scorpius knew this as he was always the only one brave enough to seek her out. He was also the only one successful enough to pull her away from all of it, that is if he weren't sitting by her side. His mind flashed to that night often especially now that they'd followed through and been brave — or senseless — to give into whatever urge they'd had to connect in that way. They had kissed and it was brilliant and everything had been an absolute mess ever since.

As he dismissed the memory, Scorpius was reminded of where it was he needed to be. Just outside the Restricted section there was an area so dimly lit that most weren't aware of the table that sat there or how it was a secret place he and Rose had made their home beneath regardless of the time of the year. Usually it was eerily quiet with only the shuffle of numb limbs or the occasional page turn to interrupt the silence. Today, with the window nearby making no apology for the sun it let in, Scorpius could see Rose's sock covered legs sticking out and could hear the small sniffle she gave. He was happy to hear its tone because it indicated she was almost done crying.

This was confirmed as Scorpius kneeled down and began to crawl toward his best friend. Rose had her head tossed back and her eyes closed while her fingers, some raw, fiddled with a crumpled tissue. It was clear she was annoyed by her emotions but as Scorpius settled into the space beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders she unleashed again. Her head was placed to the crook of his neck and her hand made small brushes, up and down the skin just beneath his parted collar.

When those ministrations stopped and her chest no longer heaved against his, Scorpius finally spoke. "You're very predictable, Ro. First place I look and here you are," he half-lied.

Rose grumbled a laugh but did not lift her head.

"Don't be upset," he continued. "It's only three games. Two of them are against Ravenclaw and with their team this year they'll be easy wins."

This had her looking up. "I don't care about me, Scorpius! I care about you! Those scouts are—"

"It's...it's fine."

"Fine?" she shouted back. "That's your future, Scorpius!"

"But it's not, Rose!"

"What..." Her features shifted. "What do you mean?"

"I don't...I don't want to play quidditch professionally," he revealed. Scorpius' head shook slightly and his chest beat beneath Rose's palm. It was almost as if the admission was new to him as well.

"What? Since when?" Rose gawked.

"I was going to tell you at Christmas but then we kissed. Then I was going to tell you after dinner at my parents but then you were upset. Now you're still upset and—"

"I don't understand. Is it me?" Rose asked, removing her touch from his skin to instead point it inwardly. She was sitting back on her knees now, her face twisted in confusion.

"What? No...no." Rose remained quiet so Scorpius sighed. "I just don't think I'll stay in London after graduation."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been thinking of going to America for a bit," he explained. He also shrugged, as if the idea was far more casual than it seemed. "Maybe for longer than a bit...work as a healer."

"Scorpius you can still be a healer here. That was the plan, right? Play quidditch for a few years then when you're ready to settle down—"

"I'm ready to settle down now." Rose's eyes widened and Scorpius grinned, shaking his head. "Not with a family or anything just in general. I meant what I said, Rose. I need to forge my own path and I can't do that here."

"What about me?"

"What about you? You'll be Head Girl and you'll ace your NEWTs and you'll get a job doing anything you want. You don't need me."

"I do though. You're my best friend, Scorpius. I do need you," she implored. When Scorpius remained silent, Rose sighed. She looked away then back to him again. "I guess now is as good a time as any for me to tell you that I am terrified of everything coming my way. I can't...when my parents were my age they were fighting snatchers and death eaters. They were saving the world," she added with a nervous laugh.

"You're not your parents, Ro."

"Neither are you," she countered immediately. The way Scorpius closed his eyes slowly had Rose reaching out for him in a show of warmth. "See? It's true but it's not comforting. I know that's not how I'm supposed to feel but I do. I don't know if I can live up to everyone's expectations. And if today is any indication, I can't."

"It's...small setback," Scorpius answered. "You know McGonagall gave us the punishment she did because it'll prove to the whole school that we're being reprimanded."

"Yeah, but it still confirms the rumors."

"Is the idea of shagging me that repulsive?" he asked. He leant back, feigning offense with a hand placed to his chest.

A smile tugged at Rose's reluctant cheeks. "What? Like you want to shag me?"

The lighthearted air was gone. Both just continued looking at one another, breathing — waiting. The last time they'd done this they'd both been senseless enough to let their lips touch. Before that they'd been just as scared as they were now, afraid to move for fear that it would confirm all the other was hoping.

"We'll be okay, Scor," Rose assured as she settled back down beside him. She dropped her head to his shoulder and laced her hands around his arm to keep him close.

Scorpius sighed and looked straight ahead. All of his hope was dashed except for the small amount that heard her referring to them as a singular unit. "Yeah, we will be."

~!~

Ironically enough, Rose fell asleep against Scorpius and the two somehow tangled themselves into a comfortable mess of limbs upon the very uncomfortable floor of the library. Scorpius awoke to Rose's shuffling and she placed a kiss to his cheek before whispering that they'd only been asleep for two periods. Only, she had said, all before disappearing. Her altogether calm nature told Scorpius that despite the courses she had missed (courses McGonagall would surely excuse her from) she deemed their quick nap a necessary one.

Scorpius agreed but his muscles ached as he made it through the rest of his classes, through dinner, then down to his dorm to shower and get into bed. It wasn't ideal but he knew Rose had taken a similar path as he didn't even see her at dinner. When he offered to bring her something to eat, Hugo mumbled that he had taken care of it but only after he'd sized him up. Scorpius felt uneasy under the much shorter boy's gaze but he nodded in his absence, figuring he deserved whatever scrutiny was cast upon him. It was okay if everyone believed the rumor and the subsequent punishment were all his fault; Scorpius agreed.

Two quick spells had Scorpius' hair coiffed back and then protected from what was sure to be a restless night of sleep. He knew things with him and Rose were back to where they needed to be but not seeing her before bed felt odd despite it being the very thing they'd gotten used to over break. With their secret becoming common knowledge it was unlikely they'd be granted shared sleep beyond the few passing moments in the library like they'd had earlier.

Before Scorpius could close his curtains Albus entered. In typical fashion he was already dressed for bed but his hair was unnecessarily wet and he carried with him a cup of tea. For as wonderful as Scorpius knew his male best friend to be he was also thoroughly amused by him. Albus made no apologies for his eccentrics even as they only highlighted the natural way in which he never seemed to fit in.

When Albus said nothing, Scorpius followed. He looked down to his book, hearing the rustling of Albus readying himself for bed. Too curious, he looked up, only to find Albus looking back at him. Just as quickly Scorpius looked away, returning to his book as if the moment had never happened.

Albus chuckled all the same. "Are we not going to talk about it?"

Scorpius didn't remove his attention from his book. "Not much to talk about."

"Well at least people are talking about you missing games, not about you shagging."

"They're still talking about us shagging," Scorpius returned lowly as he finally marked his page and set his book aside.

Albus paused, then sighed before taking a step inward. "Can I ask a question? And you don't have to answer, I mean, it's none of my business but—"

"Did we actually shag?" Scorpius guessed from behind a grin. "No."

"Oh. Okay. Right," he nodded casually.

"Trust me, I want to. I've wanted to for a long time now. But I wouldn't take advantage of Rose like that and—"

"Wait, what?" Albus asked, getting even closer.

"I mean, she was tossed so—"

"I know. I was there. I just...what?"

Scorpius chuckled. "Are you shocked? I mean, really?"

"I...I don't know," Albus shrugged.

"Don't act like you're surprised, Al."

"I just..."

"You can't say anything," he reminded in a more serious tone. "She doesn't know and it needs to stay that way. It's not like she'd ever go for it anyway. And...and she does better when I'm not around."

Albus was standing beside Scorpius' bed, his arms crossed over his chest while he leaned against one of the four posts. "You don't honestly believe that, do you?"

"Doesn't matter," he disregarded simply. "It's what she should believe. She deserves everything that's coming her way. The high grades and the Head Girl position and then the job offers...all of it. I'd die before I ruined any of that."

Albus forced a smile but before he could respond the door was opening, inviting other boys in.

"Ayyy! Scorpius!" one of them let out before the door could even shut.

Scorpius rolled his eyes and reached out for his book. Albus stepped away, mostly backward, already guessing how this was going to go.

"Be honest, Scorpius...is she a good lay?" Max Kensington asked.

"Are you being serious?" Albus roared as he jumped back in. "That's my cousin!"

"Listen, Potter, we get that but you have to know she's fit. We've all wanted to shag Rose," another added, delivering the sentiment to Scorpius as if he knew it would bother him.

"All blokes do," Max agreed. "I'm a little surprised Scorpius got to it first but—"

"Shut your mouth, Kensington," Scorpius warned, reminding Albus he was still there. He jumped out of his bed and met the rest of his dormmates in the center of the room. His height gave pause to the argument but did not stop it completely. In fact, Max took a step toward Scorpius, nearly standing before him.

"How long has it been going on? Just this year? Last year?" Max persisted.

"Piss off," Scorpius spat.

"Why so testy?"

"Because she's my best friend—"

"And you've shagged her," he reminded. "Who cares, right? It's just a shag."

"It's not...Rose isn't just a shag," he dismissed. It sounded as if he were amazed someone could even think that. Then again, it was clear his thoughts on Rose Weasley differed from everyone else's and he didn't want to contemplate what part her lineage and house alliance had to do with that.

"What? You have feelings for her, Malfoy?"

"What? No!" he dismissed strongly. "It's a rumor, alright?"

"Whatever you say, Scorpius," Max said calmly, rolling his eyes. "All I know is that if I shagged Rose Weasley I'd be telling everyone. I'm impressed you were able to keep it a secret this long—" Scorpius grabbed for his wand, ready to hex Max, but Albus had already stepped in. Scorpius was honestly so enraged he momentarily forget there was anyone else still in the room.

"Fuck off. All of you." Scorpius fumed. He hopped back into his bed and shut the curtains immediately. To remain would have given him permission to act on the rage coursing through his veins.

A silencing charm was put up around him, blocking out any noise from outside. Scorpius didn't even bother to light his wand but in the darkness of his bed he wanted a cigarette, mostly because it would have given him an excuse to escape. It was also a distraction from what he really wanted which was to know Rose was okay, wherever she was.

Scorpius' mind wandered as his breath steadied. With his two primary wishes off the table, all of him was convinced that sleep was his goal. I didn't shag her, he thought. And he meant what he said to Albus about how he felt, and how he shouldn't feel that way. That didn't keep Scorpius from secretly wanting her, even as a friend, especially at times like this.

~!~

"I know what I heard, Rose! You, naked in Malfoy's bed—"

She saw red. And swatches and flecks of blue and green and yellow as well. "I don't know where you think you heard that. Certainly not from either of us!" Rose felt such a foreign fury consume her that it took several moments to realize the voice she heard was her own and she was the one arguing with Wyatt Brennan just outside the Great Hall.

A considerable crowd had gathered around them, some of them her own cousins who were currently holding wordless conversations as they all wondered who would intervene and when. Sadly, they were just as stunned as all of the other bystanders.

"Sure I did! That morning at the pitch."

"Well you heard incorrectly," she rejected, almost flippantly. "And how dare you! You cheated on me! And then you got jealous when I moved on. Fuck you," she clipped cooly.

Wyatt gave a sly grin. "Pretty mouth, Weasley. Malfoy show you how to use it?"

Rose lunged at Wyatt, her arms and legs moving erratically. She was so consumed by her rage she swore her body had left the ground and just when she thought she'd finally made contact with Wyatt's face she felt a strong jolt, pulling her backward. It was that same force that had her weightless in the first place, a touch she wasn't able to identify until it had her shoved into a small alcove beneath the stairs. Around her she heard professors gather, asking that the crowd disperse. Professor McGonagall had ordered Wyatt into her office and when the room was seemingly quiet again, Rose looked up and met Scorpius' eyes. His gaze had her breathing returning to normal but did nothing to quell her frustration.

"Rose! He's not worth it!" Scorpius reminded.

"I knew it was him! I knew—"

"Sod it, yeah? He doesn't know what he's talking about. He's jealous."

Rose's mouth twisted in disgust. "You can't drop your toy in the sandbox and then get upset when someone else picks it up."

Scorpius smiled and tenderly cupped her cheek to rub away a tear Rose was likely ignorant to. With closed eyes she smiled into his touch. "You're hardly a toy, Rose Weasley."

"They'll see you." It was the first time her voice was soft as it teetered between want and warning.

"So? They already think we're shagging."

Rose smirked. "Can't have them thinking you actually have feelings for me. Don't want to ruin your reputation." She forced a smile and slipped out of his grasp. Before she could let go completely she reached up to kiss his cheek. Her mouth lingered and for a moment Scorpius wondered if he had not wiped away all of her tears as he felt her lips hot with moisture against his skin.

"Thanks, Scorpius," she whispered.

Just as easily as he'd pulled her out of the public eye, Rose chose to go back into it, likely heading to class with her head held high as if the morning had not already been enough to exhaust her. She'd act like none of this happened: the fight and the moment she had with Scorpius thereafter. She'd keep it with their Christmas kiss, just behind all of the afternoon naps and flies around the quidditch pitch she was currently craving.

In her absence, Scorpius looked to the empty space she'd previously occupied. He could still feel her breath on his neck. "Anytime," he whispered with an eye roll upward.

A/N: Sorry if this all seems a bit "teen drama" right now...I have to get all of this surface stuff out of the way before things get heavy. I assure you the rest of the story fits much more along the lines of the conversation that happened between Rose and Scorpius in the library but these more dramatic moments are necessary to juxtapose the people they truly are with who the world expects them to be: teenagers with famous last names, mostly. Am I making any sense?

Anyway! Thanks for reading!

x. Elle