Lengthy author's note at the end, beware. :D This chapter may not be my best, but it's published. What's done is done.
It was a snowy Saturday morning, just hours after he'd read Rose's final words. Scorpius adjusted his blue and bronze scarf so that it would block out the blustery wind as he headed towards Hogsmeade. He was lucky, really, that the timing was so perfect – he had a chance to get to her without breaking any major school rules
All around him, students were chattering as they discussed what purchases they would need to make. This weekend was the last chance for Christmas shopping, and although Scorpius usually stayed in the castle on Hogmeade weekends, it had been the perfect excuse for him to go to town. His housemates, long accustomed to his reclusiveness, hadn't even offered to accompany him.
Making his way through the entrance of the village, Scorpius quickly glanced around, attempting to find a place to begin his plan. Streams of students continued to flow in, and he realized that he needed to get somewhere the students wouldn't go. His first option was the Shrieking Shack, but there would probably be hordes of kids trying to enter what had been Voldemort's hideout during the Battle of Hogwarts. It had been named an official historical place afterwards, but people still tried to break in.
His gaze slid past the busy, temptingly warm shops and stopped when he spotted the mountains. The barren path that led to them was completely devoid of people – exactly what he needed. He started forward, looking behind to see if anyone was following him, before his feet carried him down the path.
Now the easiest part of his plan was complete. Scorpius climbed into one of the caves of the mountains, ignoring the puffs of air from his breath. He took out his messenger bag, sifting through its contents – food, water, a substantial number of galleons, a spare change of clothes, the little white book – before finding what he needed.
The map. Scorpius had never visited the Forest of Dean, which meant it was highly unlikely he would make it their in one piece, if at all. He would be lucky if he managed to get to England, really. The apparition teacher had said Destination was the first of 3 D's needed to be successful in traveling, but now he would be completely blind while traveling. Yes, he knew, the general location of the forest, and of the lake, but he was just hoping for the best.
Stuffing the map back into his bag, Scorpius took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This was it. There was no going back. If he really did manage to find Rose, he probably wouldn't be coming back. And if he didn't, well, he'd probably be too lost to make it back to Hogwarts. Was he ready for this?
Rose's bright, smiling face flashed in his mind.
Scorpius spun in place, not even thinking about destination, determination, or deliberation; just her.
Scorpius' eyes flew open before he clutched at a stabbing pain in his shoulder. Slowly removing his hand, he saw the blood staining his coat and starting to drip down onto the pure, white snow. Not only had he not been able to bring any Essence of Dittany in case he Splinched – it took too long to brew on short notice – but he had injured his wand arm, meaning he couldn't perform any spells to staunch the flow of blood.
But he was here, he knew. The snow here fell more softly, and the harsh wind of Hogsmeade had died down. The trees surrounding him were completely bare.
Scorpius took his wand of his pocket, trying to ignore the pain.
"Point Me."
Scorpius knew that the lake Rose had described was in the southern part of the forest. With his wand pointing North, he headed in the opposite direction.
Scorpius did not know how long he had walked in the forest, softly calling out Rose's name and using the Four-Point Spell every few minutes to ensure he was going in the right direction. The biting cold numbed his face as he pressed forward, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
He had really been stupid, hadn't he? Going someplace he had no idea about, to find a girl who was practically impossible to track down. Maybe she hadn't wanted him to come after her. Maybe he had deduced wrongly….
Scorpius hissed in pain, stopping to lean against a tree trunk and squeezing his eyes shut. He was feeling light-headed, from either the blood loss or the freezing temperature he did not know.
"Scorpius."
He shut his eyes, wondering if he was starting to go insane, hearing her voice. This was bad. Really bad, If that was true, he would soon lose all his energy and die here, cold, alone=
"Scorpius."
The sound of footsteps tentatively falling on snow.
Could it really be?
"Oh my Merlin, Scorpius." The footsteps were faster now as whoever it was – who he hoped it was – clumsily ran towards him. "You're bleeding everywhere, Merlin, let me get the Dittany – Scorpius!"
It was her. It was her. Scorpius felt his body sag in relief in response, before he let go.
He rubbed at his eyes as he slowly came to. He didn't know where he was, but he was warm, which meant he was either in heaven, or in hell.
"You're awake."
It was said quietly, without surprise. Scorpius blearily opened his eyes to find her, sitting down next to him and staring.
Scorpius' eyes traced every line of her face, every change that had happened. She was definitely skinnier that before – there was no way she was eating properly, in a forest in the middle of the winter – but for some reason, Scorpius thought she looked more alive than she had before. Her hair, which had always been a fiery mess, was haphazardly tied back, and when he looked down, he saw her pale hands holding his.
"You're awake," she said, relieved. "When I saw the trail of blood, and found you – my heart stopped, Scorpius."
"I'm fine," he replied, his eyes never drifting away from hers.
"If you had died," she countered, "it would have been on my hands."
They stared silently at each other before looking away, embarrassed.
Scorpius took this opportunity to examine where he was. It was a tent, spacious but cozy, which distinctly smelled of Rose. There was no fireplace, so there obviously had to be a heating charm. Books were strewn across the table, as if someone had picked them up and half-heartedly thumbed through them before throwing them down again. From the blanket on the coach, he could only assume that she had slept there while he had taken the bed.
"I waited for you," Rose said, her eyes trained on her feet but her voice still strong. "I had no idea if you had gotten the book, or if you had read through all of it, or if you had found the message… I lost track of the days, waiting. After what felt like weeks, I started venturing out and searching for you, and then two days ago, I finally did."
"I'm glad you did," Scorpius responded. "You saved my life."
"I only returned the favor."
Silence dominated once again, the candle flickering and making strange shapes against the tent walls.
"Did I... did I do the right thing?" Rose asked, this time her voice alarming broken. "I thought I did, but now I can't be sure…" A choked sob escaped from her lips. "I said I was strong enough, but I'm not. I'm not, Scorpius –"
"You are," he cut in firmly. "You're not alone in this, Rose. Not anymore." He got out of bed and pulled up another chair next to Rose, just breathing her in. This was it. She was real. She was here. She wanted – no, needed – him here. He tentatively settled an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him.
She froze, her body stiffening from his touch, before she slowly relaxed. She turned her face so it would be covered by his shirt. He could feel the wetness of her tears seeping into the fabric, but he made no motion to pull away. This was enough, for him.
The seven reasons why Rose Weasley disappeared – they were the only reason why Scorpius Malfoy had fallen so deeply, sincerely in love with her.
ANNNNDDDD that's a wrap, everyone!
Holy crap. My first ever completed, multi-chaptered story. I think I'm going to cry, guys. THIS IS MOMENTIOUS. I never thought I would be able to complete this story = heck, I didn't think I'd get over 30 reviews. But somehow, you guys actually liked my writing, or liked my plotline, or whatever (although I really have no idea why). I've finally finished a Scorpius/Rose fic and I've even gotten reviews that say it's good. I'm so lucky to have you guys.
There's a lot of angst and pain in the story. I'm not even sure why, considering all these things that happened to Rose haven't happened to me, at least not on such a big level. I wrote this because I wanted to tell Scorpius and Rose's story - or at least on of many possible stories. My future fics - such as Wizard's Chess - will be totally different universes. (No sequel, sorry! But I'm finished with this universe).
I'd like to thank hordes of people – MoonNightmare, for helping me develop this idea in the first place and for being so supportive. To people who reviewed every chapter and kept me going – you have no idea how much your compliments meant to me. To non-reviewers who still managed to stick with me for so long. To favoriters, alerters, and to even people who just discovered this story – thank you.
But most of all, thank you to Rose and Scorpius, for gifting me with their characters. I might claim this story, but really, they are the stars of this humble little tale of mine.
So…. Epilogue? You decide.