Scorpius poured the potion into a small vial and then again into a medium vial. One to hand in to his teacher, one to keep for his own personal stores. He wrote his name on a label and magically fixed it onto the vial. He handed the teacher the vial and was let out early in response.

He headed down to the library instinctively and found a book for light reading on the mating and reproductive cycle of the Chimera, which he leafed through aimlessly finding his mind begin to wander.

He couldn't help but wonder where this all would lead, would he ever sleep well again? Would they both be haunted by these nightmares forever? Maybe if he could get a single nights rest he could figure it all out? Hell, he'd just settle for a good night's rest full stop.

Rose.

He groaned, he didn't have enough energy for Rose. The longer these dreams went on the more taxing he found them to be.

Rose.

Ugh, maybe he should figure out the recipe for Veritaserum, spike her morning pumpkin juice and go to town. Find out what she was really thinking. Okay so maybe that might be illegal, but Merlin would that be useful. So useful. He could feel himself getting drifty, like sitting there in the library for much longer would cause him to fall asleep.

No. He couldn't have the nightmare here.

He jolted upright and tossed the book to the side, grabbing his things he ran out of the library but not before ramming into someone.

"Uff!"

"Shit. Sorry Mrs. Weasley." He recovered, neither quite falling down, "Sorry for saying shit."

She laughed it off and invited him to join her in the restricted section.

He wasn't allowed to touch any of the books but he sat and kept her company as she perused a few of them. He appreciated being allowed near them actually, so many of them looked so interesting. He tried reading a few of the spines before he realized a few of them didn't have words on the spine, one book's spine actually looked like a real skeletal spine.

"I'm just tired. I would have been paying more attention, I swear." He promised.

"Understandably." She remarked, lifting another book down off the shelf. "I watched your memories from last night. Going over the data it took you three hours to get into the dream walk scape. It was quite horrible, ended abruptly too. Does it usually work that way?"

"With the dream walking it does, we wake up when either of us gets struck by the sword." He leaned back into his chair, leaning on the back two legs at an angle.

"So it's not always you then?" Mrs. Weasley said making it sound almost thoughtlessly.

"First time it happened, we weren't expecting it. She was struck." Scorpius yawned, rubbed his eyes and nearly fell off his chair in the process.

Hermoine eyed him for a moment, "So you've taken the hit every other time?"

"In the dreams we can't really help it. In the other kinds we can, so yeah."

"That's a very nice thing you've done for my daughter then, Scorpius. Consciously or not," Hermoine smiled secretly to herself before getting lost in her work once more.

They sat comfortably together for some time, Hermoine mumbling occasionally.

"Lunch time Miss. You could join us." Scorpius offered but she shook her head, not wanting to start a commotion. "Well, thanks for letting me sit with you. It was nice to just not think."

Hermoine let him leave, only nodding in reciprocation.

"Love get on the bed, you can do your homework tomorrow. Right now you need to focus on initiating the dream like Scorpius did last night. Did you pay attention to what he was doing? Anything might help here." Mrs. Weasley corralled her daughter onto the bed, and pulled away the parchment letting it sit on the chair behind her.

"He kind of just sat there, like a monk." Rose teased, her mother ignored her and adorably tucked her in. "Mum, stop it!"

"Rose," Mrs. Weasley warned.

Hermoine Weasley stayed the three hours it had taken Scorpius to get it to work the night before. Both she and Scorpius encouraged Rose, trying to clear her mind of everything and anything holding her back. She was impatient and the further into the night they got the more irritable she got.

"Rose, this won't work if you snap my head off at every suggestion I give you!"

"I'm supposed to be clearing my mind, how can I do that when you're having a go at me every five minutes?!" Rose snapped.

"I'm not-" Hermoine began.

"Rose, you're supposed to be putting all your will into it, we all know how strong willed you are, you can do this." Scorpius had interrupted, but Hermoine didn't mind as much as it erased the lines forming across Rose's face.

Rose readjusted her sitting position and exhaled one long breath. Nothing happened, for ages nothing happened. "Maybe only Scorpius can do it?!"

"Rose!" Mrs. Weasley threw her hands up into the air and packed up her things. "Look we'll try again tomorrow night. Sleep as best as you can tonight. I'll see what I can get from the data we've gotten tonight."

As soon as her mother left her room Rose relaxed her body almost completely.

"I can't do this. Maybe it's a pureblood thing." Rose teased.

"I'm about as pureblood as you are you know." He laughed, laying back onto his bed, resting his head on top of his hands.

"Really?"

"Yep!" He chirped.

"Wow," She sighed. "Who'd have guessed?"

"Stop mocking me. Either go to bed or get back to meditating." He said into the darkness, "Anyone would know if they bothered to get to know me."

"I'm guessing not many people do."

"Nope." He chirped again as if it didn't bother him but she had a feeling it did.

"How did you really get that blood nose the other day?" She pressed cautiously.

"Some guy punched me in the nose, Colin Creevey, prefect. I don't know him or what his problem is."

"Oh!" Rose understood at once, "His second cousin went here, he um, died in the battle of Hogwarts."

"Enough said!" Scorpius faked a laugh.

"But Scorpius," she began but he cut her off.

"I said enough, Rose. Rose. Just drop it."

"Do you let people punch on you often?" She got no answer. "People can't just do whatever they want to you, you should have reported it." Still, silence. "It's not your fault, Scorpius. You are not your father."

He choked back a breath. "Shut up Rose," trying to sound malicious but it came out soft and weaker than he ever liked to feel.

She didn't shut up but she didn't exactly say anything either. She walked over to him and laid alongside him in his bed, over the top of the covers. It was a single bed so she had to snuggle in real close to him. She was close enough she could smell him, feel his warmth.

"I don't want to kill you Scorpius," she whispered into his chest area.

"Staying away from me doesn't make the dreams go away, and that's all they are, dreams. If you let them effect you otherwise you're inviting them in. They're just dreams, you won't kill me. You'll never have to watch me die." He clutched her close, turning in to face her body with his. Had this strong urge to kiss her like that, but before he could think more on it he fell asleep, Rose still hugging into him.