Sorry for the wait, but my life has literally turned into a soap opera, and I spent most of the last few weeks too emotionally drained/too wrapped up in my own drama to write, but I'm pleased with this chapter and glad that I didn't just post some crap just to post something. Enjoy!

Albus and Clarice sat anxiously in the Room of Requirement, glancing at their watches every few moments. However, they didn't have to wait long. At 8:02 the door opened and closed, though no one had visibly entered. And then none other than James Potter pulled off the invisibility cloak and stowed it in his bag, before joining Clarice on a couch, kissing her lightly while Al pointedly looked away. It had been exactly a week since Scorpius' confession and since then there had been no new developments. They each went to class and pointedly ignored the other while devoting themselves completely to their N.E.W.T.s. James had wanted to plan in person, and thus this meeting had been arranged for them to discuss what to do.

"So," James began, "Any new developments?"

"Nope," Al said, popping the 'p.' "They've just been ignoring each other, and they're both pretty miserable."

"I'm not sure if there's anything we can do at this point," Clarice said. "Rose is starting to realize the hypocrisy of it all, considering that she was playing him too, but she doesn't want to face him because she knows that he knows that he has the power to hurt her and it frightens her."

"And Scorpius, meanwhile," Al continued, "Is trying desperately to avoid looking her in the eye, but stares at her constantly, and is feeling so guilty that he's barely eating or sleeping. I honestly don't know what we can do to fix this..."

"Well," James said slowly, "We have a few options. We could just let them be, let them each lose the bet, and then hope that when they kiss it'll all sort itself out. But, that seems just a bit too ideal to actually work. What I think we need to do is get either Scorpius or Rose to tell the other about the bet."

"The problem is," Clarice interrupted, "Once Scorpius finds out that Rose had a bet going with you, he's going to be just as hurt, and this will all start over again only their places will be reversed. And if he manages to tell her about his bet with you before breaking down when she tells him about hers, she'll be really angry, not only with him but also with all of us, and she'll spiral into another bout of depression mixed with guilt."

James ran his hand through his hair in frustration, "I honestly don't know what to do." He looked more hopeless than he'd ever been. "I hate to admit it, but I'm out of my league here. Maybe I should just come clean, and tell them both the truth..."

"But we're so close," Al said. "They're in love with each other, I know they are! If you come in and sort this out for them than they'll never end up together, but if one of them steps up and shows the other how much they really care, this could all still work out!"

"This isn't a game Al! You of all people should see that, considering it's your best mate and your cousin!" James snapped, running his hand through his hair again.

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you! You set this whole thing up for your own enjoyment! Only now you're little parlor trick hasn't worked out quite as well as you'd have liked, has it? And you have the gall to lecture me?"

"STOP IT!" Clarice nearly bellowed before James could retort. The two brothers glared at each other. "Bickering about this doesn't solve anything. All of us are responsible, so there's no point in blame-laying. We've just got to try and play the hand we've been dealt."

"The hand James dealt us, you mean," muttered Al.

"Albus Severus Potter, if you don't shut your mouth I'll shut it for you," Clarice seethed, eyes narrowed. "We're here to help Rose and Scorpius, and neither one of you is getting us any closer to that goal." She took a deep breath before continuing in a much calmer voice. "I think the only thing to do, short of us coming clean, which I'm not crazy about, is to try and convince Rose to tell Scorpius the truth, instead of us having to do it. I don't think it'll be too hard for me to convince her, considering she's already eating away at herself with guilt. Once she comes clean, we'll see how Scorpius reacts, and take it from there. Alright?"

"Fine," Albus shrugged, still glaring daggers at his brother.

"Fine."

"No! No, no, no, and no. I refuse. No way. Not now, not ever. I won't do it. I won't. You can't make me, so I'd stop trying if I were you, as it is a wasted effort. You hear that? Wasted."

"Why not?" Clarice moaned. She couldn't help rolling her eyes at Rose's antics. She was currently sitting on her bed as Rose stood in front of her being as unreasonable as was humanly possible, accenting each dissent with an appropriate hand gesture.

"Because there's no point. He doesn't need to know and-"

"Doesn't need to know? You played him too, you know!" Clarice interrupted indignantly.

"Don't remind me. I failed to play him, which is why he doesn't need to know. This is yet another competition that I've lost, and I'd rather he didn't know it."

"That's not all of it," Clarice mused, "You're not telling me the whole truth."

Rose closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. She sat down beside Clarice and whispered, "I can't face him. I can't look him in the face and tell him anything when I know that he's seen me at my lowest and he knows he has the power to bring me there."

"It scares you because no one has ever had the power to bring you there, and now that he does you're afraid. But you owe him the truth because he was honest with you," well, almost, Clarice amended silently. "And, there's a good chance he was telling the truth when he said that he cared about you because if he didn't he would've gloated, wouldn't he?"

"He didn't need to," Rose shrugged, looking down at her hands.

"Just tell him the truth. Tell him about the bet, and then if you want you can walk away forever and never see him again, but before N.E.W.T.s you have to talk to him, you have to get some type of closure or you'll surly fail your exams!"

"Fine," Rose sighed, "If I tell him will you let it go?"

"Yes."

"You'll never mention his name again?"

"Never."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Rose waited longer than Clarice would've liked to tell Scorpius the truth. She waited until the evening before N.E.W.T.s started. She knew it was a stupid time to do it, but she couldn't put it off any longer. The truth was, she was terrified. She was afraid to look him in the eye, to tell him the truth, because nothing good could come of it. If he didn't care about her, a fact she was almost one hundred percent sure of, than she would just be admitting that she'd been stupid enough to fall for her own scam, and all of the pain and humiliation would double. On the other hand, if he really did care about her, he would be angry and hurt because she had played him, she had abused his trust, if she'd even had it, which she still doubted.

And so it was with great trepidation that Rose entered the Heads' Common Room on the evening before their first N.E.W.T., Transfiguration. They'd come to the silent agreement that neither of them would use the room during the day, but would go to their respective house common rooms, and the first to get back before curfew used the common room space while the other went into their bedroom. Rose had made sure to get back late that night.

Sure enough, Scorpius was sitting in one of the big, stuffed arm chairs, his favorite, she noted, his wand in his hand, his head in his book, his lips moving soundlessly as he mouthed incantations.

He looked up as she snapped the portrait hole shut, and quickly looked down again, expecting her to do what she always did, and walk straight past him and into her room. However, she set her bag down on the table beside his and stood, looking at him, biting her lip.

He gazed at her in utter confusion, waiting for her to speak first. Since he'd told her the truth he hadn't said a word to her, figuring that it was better to just let her get on with her life in peace. He didn't try to speak to her, he avoided catching her eye at all costs, and he never sat next to her, in class or anywhere else. He'd just assumed that she didn't want to see him because why would she? She never looked at him or even acknowledged his existence, and he was baffled that she would decide to change that arrangement now.

She took a deep breath, and, with some effort, stopped biting her bottom lip.

"Listen," she began, "I have something to say, and I'd really appreciate it if you didn't interrupt me." She did not pause for his response. "I haven't been very honest with you, and I think that the only way for the two of us to ever be totally done with each other is for me to come clean, so here it goes. I've been being so nice all year, and spending time with you and everything because I've had a bet going with my cousin James. He bet me that I couldn't make you fall in love with me, and I took the bet, so I've spent all year trying to earn your trust. As you can see, I failed, but I just thought I should let you know. I tried to make it look like I liked you so that you would like me, and I thought I was succeeding, but I realize now that I wasn't. I just needed to explain, and now that I have we can go on with our lives and never speak to each other again."

Scorpius' book fell from his limp fingers as he stared blankly at her, gaping. His brain was legitimately empty as he digested.

She gave him less than a second to respond, and when he did not she snatched her bag off of the table and made for her room, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes, desperately trying to hide her distress from him.

He did not come after her.

I know, shorter than usual, but I'm still pleased with it, so do review. I'll try to get another update out faster, but, as I mentioned above, my life has literally been an emotional roller-coaster. It's all over now (or at least I hope it is), but I'm basically emotionally and mentally exhausted. But, I digress. Review please!

XOXO

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