Her giggling fit subsided, and Rosie leaned up on her elbows. It was hard to determine if Scorpius' blazing cheeks were the result of embarrassment or rage but her trust in him overrode any sense of fear. She smiled, blushing in guilt about having laughed when she had promised not to. But Scorpius? In Hufflepuff? The thought had just been too irresistible.

"Ah," she sighed. She placed a hand on Scorpius' cheek, gently smoothing her thumb over his lips. "I'm sorry."

"Well," Scorpius said, giving her a weak smile. "I guess it was amusing. Maybe."

Rosie hummed, tilting her head upwards to offer her apology. He only paused a moment before accepting it, letting his breath wash over her before bridging the gap with a kiss.

Perhaps love is blind, or perhaps it is only dumb and careless. Neither teenager had thought to put up wards around the room, trusting in its seclusion and secrecy. Neither teenager seemed aware of the flickering of the fire as a door opened, causing unexpected wind to sweep into the room. Neither of them even registered the swish of robes rustling angrily through the silence.

Their reverie was only broken when Scorpius felt something grip his collar and jerk him away violently. The room spun viciously and Scorpius barely had time to register that he was being upended before he was slammed to the ground.

He only saw a flash of red hair before his eyes went into focus.

Rosie's father bent over him, hovering as if to strike, panting so hard that it felt like he was face to face with a raging bull rather than a human being.

"A Malfoy!" Ron growled. "I might have known!"

"DAD!" Rosie cried, jumping up from her position on the couch. "You don't understand!"

Scorpius squirmed under Ron's glare. "Please, Mr. Weasley! Don't-"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE WITH MY DAUGHTER! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU AND YOUR FATHER TO STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!"

"DAD!" Rosie grabbed at her father's back. "Don't! PLEASE!"

Ron turned to his daughter. "ON THE COUCH, ROSE! NOW! I WILL TAKE CARE OF THIS!"

"BUT DAD!"

"NOW!"

Rosie took a look at Scorpius, whose pleading eyes forced her back to the couch. Her father, normally a gentle man, was shaking in rage.

Scorpius tried to get to his feet, only to have a foot land on his chest. Ron's heel dug into his ribcage, keeping him firmly in place. "I will only ask this once, Malfoy. What kind of dirty trick are you trying to pull on Rose?"

"T-there's no trick, sir!" Scorpius gasped as the foot pushed down harder. "HONEST! I SWEAR!"

"BOLLOCKS!" Ron yelled. "Poison? Imperious? Some other death eater torture?"

"I'M NOT A DEATH EATER!"

"And I'm supposed to believe that you're just here? Having a nice cup of tea and discussing Quidditch? NOT. BLOODY. LIKELY!"

Ron drew his wand, quivering with rage.

"Please!" Scorpius cried. "Let me explain!"

"I will give you until the count of three…"

"Dad!"

"One."

"Mr. Weasley! I-" Scorpius was thin and wiry like his father, not able to buck off a man that was twice his size, age and experience.

"Two."

"Rosie and I-" If only Scorpius could reach his wand-

"Three!"

There was little time to attempt his defense, because at that moment, Rosie's father was lifted off him. His wand clattered to the ground.

"RON!" Harry bellowed, holding Ron back. "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!"

Rosie landed next to Scorpius, hair tousled about her as she held onto him. "Scorpius! Are you alright?"

"I-I think so," he replied. He touched a hand to her face, wincing as he tried to sit up. There would be a boot-shaped bruise in the morning.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM, ROSE!" Ron yelled, still struggling in Harry's grip. "LET ME GO, HARRY!"

"NOT UNTIL YOU CALM DOWN!"

Harry was strong, but rage made Ron stronger. Watching as one arm twisted free, Scorpius drew his wand.

"Just as I thought!" Ron spat. "You going to hex me, Malfoy? Kill me? This a trap? Go on! Curse me! Show me what you're bloody made of!"

"BUT YOU ATTACKED ME!"

"WELL YOU WERE SNOGGING MY DAUGHTER!"

"DAD!" Rosie cried out, getting between her father and lover as Ron struggled in her uncle's arms. "I LOVE HIM! WE'VE BEEN SEEING EACH OTHER FOR MONTHS!"

"Right!" Ron spat. "And I suppose that he's promised you plenty in the past few months as well! Fame? Money? Power? Don't you believe a word he says! Although I'm sure he sounds pretty convincing, like the pureblood bastard that he is!" Ron snarled. "Did he tell you that he's engaged? That's right! He's been stringing you along! Will probably go off and sacrifice you to the next dark wizard that comes along!" He shot a death glare at Scorpius. "And I'll be damned if you lay your greedy, filthy hands on my daughter!"

"HE LOVES ME, DAD!"

"HE'S INCAPABLE OF LOVE! HE'S A MALFOY!"

"Ron, you need to calm down!" Harry said, his grip beginning to give. He might not like the situation any better than Ron did, but he couldn't have him get sent to Azkaban in a fit of poor judgment. "James! Get

Rose and Scorpius out of here! I'll handle your uncle!"

Ron screamed. "NO! Rose! You stay here!"

"No, mate! You need to calm down!"

With that, Ron jerked himself completely free of Harry's grasp, picking up his wand and advancing on Rosie and Scorpius. Rosie tried to block the path, but Scorpius stepped in front of her. For a moment, the two men fought each other with their eyes, like panthers contemplating their next move. Scorpius could handle whatever Rosie's father threw at him, but he refused to have her father take it out on her.

Ron raised his wand, curse about to spew from his lips as James tugged both Rosie and Scorpius away. Now that Rosie was out of Ron's path, James took a hold of Scorpius' and pulled him towards the exit.

"ROSIE!" Scorpius called out. "James, let me go!"

"Cruci-"

"EXPELLIARMUS!" The teens froze in shock as Harry disarmed Ron, sending him flying backwards into the dining table. "GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!" he bellowed.

James, Rosie and Scorpius wasted no time in obeying.

-------------------

The headmistress sat back in her chair, lips pinched as she listened to the story unfold. Professor Longbottom had run into James Potter, Rosie Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy in the corridors and had called for them not to run in the hall. That was when they all started talking at once. He only caught bits and pieces of the babble, but he remembered the scene at dinner and rushed them off to the headmistress' office to report the incident. Sitting down in front of the desk, Scorpius looked about as wound up as a high-strung race horse. Neville stood behind him and placed a hand on his shoulder, feeling the muscles underneath jump before relaxing.

By the time the three children had stumbled out the story, even the portraits seemed shocked and confused.

Dobrinski sat there for a moment, staring hard at them. She leaned forward, eyeing Scorpius. "Mr. Malfoy, will you please lift the hem of your shirt?"

He glanced up at Neville, receiving a curt nod. Scorpius stood up, slowly undoing his robes with shaking hands. After a moment, he managed to pull up his jumper and his undershirt, revealing the beginnings of a heavy bruise.

"That will do, Mr. Malfoy," the headmistress said. Scorpius let his clothes drop back down. She stood up from her desk. "Miss Weasley. Mr. Potter. If you would be so kind as to escort Mr. Malfoy to the infirmary, I must attend to this issue. Professor, I believe that you have also once used to this Room of Requirement during your school years. Do you happen to remember its location?"

Neville gave a brief nod. "Of course."

"Then we shall waste no time," she said, grabbing her evening robes as she headed towards the door.

"What will you do?" Rosie blurted. "I mean, my dad was just upset!"

The headmistress turned to her. "I understand your need to protect your father, Miss Weasley, but I have a duty to this school. I will not tolerate anyone of authority attacking a student. I will do what I feel needs to be done. Also, I will also write a letter to your mother, to Mrs. Potter and one as well to Scorpius' father."

"NO! Don't tell my father!"

"I'm afraid I must, Mr. Malfoy. Though I'm sure that he will understand that such an attack was not provoked and that you are not at fault."

Scorpius' eyes widened as both Professor Longbottom and the headmistress left down the passageway. The attack wasn't the part of the story that he had been worried about.

------------------

The next morning, of course, was awkward. Rumor spread like wildfire about the attack as well as Rosie and Scorpius' relationship, which, over the course of several hours, evolved into something about vampires and Rosie carrying a child that was a cross between a centaur and a gorilla. Harry Potter sat at the head table with a notable empty seat just to the right of him. Privately, he informed the kids that Ron had been sacked and sent home. Harry would only be staying long enough to administer the defense exams and give a few lectures that he had already promised to fulfill.

"Now before you go on and ask me about what happened after you left," Harry said to Rosie as they sipped tea the next evening in his quarters, "I must say that it was very irresponsible of you to go off and not tell anyone where you were. You might trust Scorpius, but that doesn't necessarily mean that something wouldn't've happened."

"I'm sorry," she said, staring down into her untouched tea. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Harry gave her a hardened look. "We all make mistakes, Rose. But your father could have shown more restraint. What he did was his own fault, not yours." He paused. "Rose?"

She looked up. His hardened look softened into a smile. "So, you've been seeing Scorpius for months, have you?"

Choking into her tea, she nodded. "Yes."

"Does anyone else know?" He said, lifting an eyebrow.

Slowly, she nodded.

"Albus, right?"

Nod.

"Why that little Slytherin!" Harry said with a laugh, slapping his hand down on the table. "I swear! I love the kid, but he's a sneaky little trick, that one!"

Rosie snorted into her tea. It felt good to laugh. She wondered if Scorpius was talking with Albus, lonely and miserable after the scandal. They were out to the school now but were afraid to go near each other until the dust settled. And there had been no reply yet from the letters the headmistress sent out.

Rosie felt as if she were on a cliff, teetering on the edge. She felt sadness welling up inside of her, despite the jovial atmosphere of her uncle's quarters. Part of her had hoped that her father would have accepted Scorpius if only he knew how much she loved him. For him to change his mind seemed unlikely, since it took several members of staff to convince her father that she should be allowed to finish her exams rather than coming home with him directly. Who knew what was waiting for her there when it really was time to come home?

She didn't realize she was crying until she felt arms wrapped around her. "Hey, now!" Harry said, embracing his niece. "It will be alright."

"No it won't!" Rosie sobbed. Scorpius' words rung back into her head. That doesn't mean your father is any better, Rosie! He would kill me if he ever found out and would send you out of Hogwarts! Unconsciously, she clutched at the locket that still hung from her neck. Through it all, it had never even entered her mind to take it off. "Will it always be like this? Is it just too wrong to love Scorpius? Why can't anyone understand?"

Harry pressed her fully against his chest, letting her cry it out. She felt her uncle petting her hair, gently rocking her. It should have felt soothing, but instead it felt as if a knife cut through her heart. Scorpius should be holding her. In a perfect world, their names wouldn't matter. They would just be two teens, going through school and planning their futures. They wouldn't have to worry about her father or his father or anyone's opinions. They would be free.

If you don't think that's a prison, then you're wrong!

What if Scorpius' father sent him away? What if he was disowned, all because of her? She had been stupid, asking him to give up everything for her. He deserved better! Not to be attacked, not to forfeit his money or name just to please her! If his father had been a prison, then she was the lock and key. What right did she have to demand anything from him?

Pressing her nose against her uncle, she sniffled. "Why does love have to be so hard?"

"That's just the way it is, I suppose," Harry said. His gentle sway never stopped, and Rosie began to feel calmed by the repetitiveness. "There's a muggle saying, you know: 'The path to true love never did run smooth.'"

"But you and Aunt Ginny never have any problems."

Harry snorted. "Oh, we've had our share. Quite a few rows as well."

Rosie sighed. She suddenly felt very sleepy. "Then how do you know it's true love if it doesn't always work like it's supposed to?" She tried to mask her yawn, but was not very successful.

He thought for a moment, then replied, "Because we always come back to each other. No matter how tough it gets, you know that if they love you, and you love them, that you will find your way back."

He slowed his rocking, letting himself stop gradually. They stood there for a moment, listening to the rain outside. Harry was about to ask Rosie if she felt better when he heard a sleepy, contented sigh.

Grinning, he lifted her in his arms and carried her over to the bed. She stirred, but didn't wake.

Tucking her in, he stood and watched her for a moment, noting how much she had grown. He still remembered her as a baby, toddling around with her chubby face and big bold eyes. He thought about his own children, wondering where years had gone. Age, it seemed, had made him into an old softie. He just hoped that he could keep that little secret to himself for at least a little while longer.

"Night, Rose," he whispered, kissing her forehead before going to the couch to retire.