Disclaimer: The HP series and characters belong to JKR. I have no right on any of this.

Thanks to all my impending schoolwork, I now know what can be worse than the Dementor's Kiss. Ah, to be in Jammu and as free as a lark

Wipes a big fat tear*

Blows nose*

For all those who think that because this update has come after so much of time, it will be the best chapter ever:I'm sad to say that you're wrong. Personally, I don't understand why I'm even caring to post this chapter, when it's the worst till date, but I'll just grit my teeth and do it.

This is a Scorpius' POV.

Out-Of-Bounds (A Scorpius /Rose FanFiction)

Chapter 11: A New Friend

'I had to be mental to have thought I could do this. ' declared Albus in a hollow sort of voice, his usually cheerful face unnaturally pale, staring straight into his porridge, which he had not touched since he had settled down at the Slytherin Table twenty minutes ago. 'Well I don't disagree that you're mental, but I do know that it's not because of thinking you could try out for Keeper. ' said Scorpius, matter-of-factly. When Albus didn't answer, he said in tone which was encouraging and impatient at the same time, 'Come on, Al! Your whole family is involved in Quidditch! Your father was a celebrated Seeker, your Mum was a professional, your brother is a Keeper, and even your sister got selected last week! Why would you be any different? '

'My whole family is in Gryffindor, and I'm in Slytherin. Doesn't that explain why I am very different from them? ' demanded Albus. 'We're talking about skills, Al, not character.' Scorpius said firmly. 'It was your character that made the Sorting Hat put you in Slytherin. Not your skills.' He paused, frantically searching for some sign of relaxation on Albus' face, but there was none. He sighed and said encouragingly, 'Eat something, at least. You'll be needing a lot of strength. '

Albus half-heartedly spooned some porridge and stuffed it in his mouth. 'Cheer up, Al. Alice will be there! ' said Scorpius, in vain hope of lifting his best friend's spirits. But this was probably not the right thing to say, because Albus turned a nauseating shade of green and groaned, 'Even Alice will get to see what a loser I am. Why, oh why did I tell her to support me at Try-Outs?! '

Abandoning his vain efforts for some time, Scorpius shook his head hopelessly and let his stormy eyes wander lazily across the Great Hall. And then, with an amazing somersault of his stomach, and a sudden quickening of his heartbeat, they fell on warm, blue ones at the Gryffindor Table. To his amazement, they were staring straight at him.

Rose mouthed something which clearly was, 'What's wrong with Albus? ' Fighting hard to keep a straight face, his mind going unsteady, Scorpius mouthed back, 'Keeper Try-Outs. ' Rose's eyes widened with understanding, and she motioned for him to call Albus.

Scorpius nudged Albus and said, 'Rose. ', cocking his head in her direction. When Albus looked at her, she put on a dazzling smile, and gave him a massive thumbs-up. Albus smiled weakly and returned back to fidgeting with his spoon, mumbling, 'This is by far the worst idea I've ever had.'

Before Scorpius could contradict him, they were interrupted by Neil Warrington, the burly Slytherin Quidditch Captain. He looked directly at Scorpius, and said gruffly, 'Come on Scorpius, I want the team on the Pitch in five minutes before we start Try-Outs. ' With one last encouraging smile at Albus, Scorpius got up from his seat and walked off towards the entrance.

His smile faded, however, when he tried stealing one last glance at the Gryffindor Table, and disappointment welled up inside him because the seat he had hopefully looked at was vacant.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'You were brilliant, Albus!' came a jubilant voice from behind. Scorpius and Albus wheeled round to see Rose standing behind them. Her freckled face was shining with exultation, and her oceany blue eyes twinkled as she ruffled up her cousin's jet black hair. Albus grinned.

'Thanks, Rosie!' he said, cheerfully. 'I couldn't believe that I missed just one goal! ' 'Well I knew you had nothing to worry about, Al. ' said Scorpius, trying hard to not let the fact that Rose's braided hair suited her a lot distract him.

Just then, there was a loud and cheerful 'ALBUS! ', and the crowd created by the mass of rejected Keepers dispersed slightly to make way for a round-faced, short-haired girl, a brilliant smile lighting up her features. Alice Longbottom Jr. came to a halt in front of the trio, planting a brief kiss on Albus' cheek. Albus went a little pink and immediately plunged into long-winded descriptions of his spectacular saves, while Alice listened with avid interest.

There was a brief nudge in Scorpius' waist, and a second later, Rose had brought her lips close to his ear, murmuring, 'Come on... let's leave them alone... '

Did she say 'come on'? As in, walking away alone with Scorpius? Well, of course, it didn't take a genius to guess that Rose and he had been extremely courteous to each other since the wolf-confrontation, but the 'friendship' had only been extended to times when Albus was present. Don't freak out, Scorpius told himself, It's just short, completely platonic walk.

Both of them walked side-by-side towards the Great Lake in absolute silence, and then sat down lazily under a massive oak tree's shade, gazing into the depths of the Lake. Partly from the desire to find an innocent excuse to look at Rose, and partly to break up the nerve-racking silence, Scorpius said, 'Nice weather, isn't it? '

'Mm. ' she mumbled, smiling dreamily.

Silence again. And then--

'You still seeing the Lestrange girl? ' asked Rose, unconsciously tearing apart some dry leaves. Scorpius was so taken aback by this topic that he couldn't answer at once. 'You could say something, you know. ' urged Rose, when he kept quiet.

What could he say, actually? He didn't actually know whether Samantha was still his girlfriend. Not after Rose had walked up on them that evening. Sure, Samantha still clung to his arm like an irksome, sticky fly, and she didn't show any sign of understanding that he didn't want that, but in his mind(though not officially ), it was over long ago.

'I don't think so. ' he said finally. Was he imagining it, or had Rose really relaxed noticeably the moment he had said so? 'Why'd you want to know that, anyway? ' he asked curiously. Rose didn't so much as glance at him, but tucked some loose hair behind her ear and said, 'Only the fact that she's been glowering at you from across the lake for the last fifteen minutes. '

Scorpius groaned loudly and forced his eyes away from Rose. Sure enough, there was no mistaking Samantha Lestrange's long and sleek golden hair, her chiseled face scowling darkly. Sighing heavily, Scorpius stretched his arms and legs and leaned backwards onto the grass, closing his eyes.

'You should at least break up ceremoniously, Scorpius.' advised Rose after some time. Scorpius opened his grey eyes and cast her an annoyed look. 'Why should I? ' he demanded, massaging his forehead.

'I was never that interested in her and I hinted it quite often. '

'Funny way you have of showing that.' scoffed Rose. 'What are you talking about? ' asked Scorpius, sitting up. 'You snogged her. 'she said simply, her fists clenched. 'I had just begun snogging her when you walked up on us. ' he corrected her defensively. 'You didn't give me any time to realise that I didn't really like the kiss.'

And then, silence fell upon them once more, and Scorpius knew exactly why. The events succeeding that incident were a little too embarrassing for both of them to go into details of. Scorpius stole a glance at her, but Rose was scarlet in the face and looking pointedly anywhere but in his direction.

'OI!! ' came a breathless voice from behind. A moment later, Albus had taken a long stride and flopped down on the grass that separated Rose and Scorpius. Of course, there had been no other vacancy than the space between Scorpius and Rose. 'I've been looking all over the place for you! Alice said she had to owl her Mum, so here I am. '

'Took you long enough, Al. ' said Scorpius, smirking slyly. 'What had you two been doing? ' Albus half-grinned and aimed a lousy punch at him, which Scorpius ducked. Rose smiled.

'That reminds me-- why weren't my precious siblings there to support me at Try-Outs? ' Albus demanded of Rose, abandoning his unsuccessful attempts to punch Scorpius. 'Because both of them had a row and are presently in a dangerous mood. ' said Rose, wearily.

'About what? ' asked Albus, absent-mindedly. Rose took a deep breath and said, 'The thing is, James found out about Lily and Lorcan-- yeah, don't be surprised Albus, haven't you seen how close they've been whenever Luna's brought Lysander and him to your house? So anyway, James saw them holding hands, and you know he's such an annoyingly protective brother. He told Lily that she's too young to hold hands with boys and that Lorcan will be in mortal danger if he dares so much as look at her. '

'And then there was Lily. You know she's got Aunt Ginny's temper, so why'd she stay quiet? So she threatened him that if he dares butt into ber business, then she'll write to both your parents. And then she told him that he's mad at her just because he's jealous that he's the only one of you three who is not going out with anyone presently. '

'Wait a second-- I thought Alice's sister was going out with James! ' said Albus.

'Correct.She was going out with James. They broke up about a week ago over some petty issue.' said Rose. 'Blimey! No wonder James didn't look so good yesterday! '

'Anyway, the point is that I absolutely agree with Lily that James has no right to pose such threats. Don't you, Al? ' she added. 'Yeah. ' said Albus. 'I mean--I'd want to watch out for Lils too, but as long as it's Lorcan, I don't think anything could go wrong.

'You know, I still can't believe it. ' he said, suddenly, looking from Rose to Scorpius in disbelief. 'What? ' asked Scorpius. 'You both. Friends. I mean, if I'd've known it'd take a wolf attack to make my two best friends friends, I'd've dumped you in the Forest ages ag-- HEY! Isn't that Hedwig?! '

Scorpius looked up towards the infinite sky, the sunlight making him sneeze, and sure enough, the tiny speck that was Albus' snowy owl Hedwig was slowly growing larger. The graceful bird, her white wings outstretched, landed softly on Albus' left arm, dropping a letter in his lap. She blinked her amber eyes at the trio and Scorpius stroked her head gently. 'Now off you go to the Owlery! ' whispered Albus and she flew off to her destination.

'Who's it from, Al? ' asked Scorpius, stretching his arms again. Before Albus could reply, Rose exclaimed excitedly, 'It's from Teddy! Says so on the envelope! Open it Al, I haven't heard from him since ages!

'That's true, ' pouted Scorpius. 'He hasn't even been writing to me! '

Teddy was the son of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, who had lost their lives in The Battle Of Hogwarts almost 25 years ago. Scorpius and he had got along very well ever since the pair had been introduced to each other by their grandmothers, who were sisters. In fact, Scorpius had been so attached to him when he was a child, that quite often, Teddy had to postpone his Portkey and see Scorpius to bed because of the racket the latter created if the former left Malfoy Manor when he was awake. However, it had been quite some time since they had last corresponded, and

Scorpius couldn't help but feel a tinge of sadness at the very thought. Maybe he's busy with Auror Training and Victoire, he reassured himself. It's not like he's forgotten me.

'What?' inquired Rose, cutting across his thoughts. 'Mm? ' mumbled Scorpius. 'How come Teddy writes to you? ' she asked, looking at him in plain surprise. Then, perhaps she realized that she was being horribly rude, she added, in a hushed voice. 'I -- I mean --I didn't know you were friends. ' 'He's a second cousin... Our grandmothers are sisters... remember? ' he said casually. Rose frowned for a couple of minutes, then her expression cleared, and she said, 'Yeah, I get it. '

Just then, Albus managed to unfasten the seal of the envelope. He straightened the parchment bearing Teddy's handwriting and reat out aloud:

"Dear Albus,

It's been so long since I've heard from you. Or James or Rose or Hugo or Fred or Roxy or Lucy or Louis. Lily and Dominique remain my only correspondents at Hogwarts. Seriously, am I that forgettable?It's a good thing Hedwig turned up, much to my surprise. At least she misses me.

Victoire's getting edgy. She's searching for a colour that goes with red, black, golden and two different shades of brown and red hair for the bridesmaids' dresses, and the search is getting nowhere. So naturally, she keeps taking out the frustration on her groom, that is, me. I've tried making her laugh by using Metamorphmagus skills to turn my nose into a pig-snout, but it annoyed her even more and she ended by threating to not marry me if I do that at the wedding.

Also, I have no idea who's going to be my best man. Gran has told me to select from among the 'junior' members of the clan, and that is no difficult a task. Victoire has forbidden me from selecting either James or Fred because she thinks they'll wreck the wedding with products from Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezs. I can't have Louis because he's Victoire's brother, Hugo because he's too young. That leaves you-- and Scorpius, and I want to have you both, but there can't be two 'best men'. This whole wedding thing is freaking me out.

Auror training is far harder than imagined it to be. Add the wedding pressure, and I'll be lying in St. Mungo's soon.

Anyway, what I was actually writing to you about was that Harry, Ron and Hermione will be taking a surprise Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson on Thursday for the Fifth-Years. Harry forbade me from telling you, but I couldn't resist it. So don't go spreading it around.

How's Rose? And Scorpius? I hope they make it up at least this year. I hate it when their faces go dark whenever they hear each other's name.

Lily wrote to me last night telling me about the row with James.Personally, I'm not surprised. Remember his reaction when he caught me kissing Victoire kissing at King's Cross? If he can be that protective about a cousin, then his row with Lily is perfectly believable.

I hope you write to me, because Lily can get a little boring, and all Dominique wants to talk about is the wedding--and I have to listen to enough of it from her dear sister Victoire.

So, yeah, that's it, and don't forget to write back, and tell me the date of the next Hogsmeade weekend. I'll trymy best to come. I would really appreciate it if you tell the rest of the clan, and Scorpius to write to me too. Just so I know that they remember who I am.

Lots of Love,

Teddy."

Albus folded the letter neatly, and placed it inside the his robe--pocket. 'Imagine his shock when I tell him that both of you have become friends! ' he said, smirking. 'Maybe the shock will lose him his Metamorphmagus properties. ' joked Rose, almost winking at Scorpius. Scorpius felt his face go very warm and took off his cloak.

'Wonder what kind of DADA lesson our parents have planned for us. ' said Rose thoughtfully. 'Whatever it is, I'm glad Uncle Ron is coming. Aunt Hermione gets too serious and only he can relax her. ' said Albus. Rose and Scorpius grinned.

'I'm hungry. Let's go down to the kitchens. ' said Albus abruptly, rubbing his tummy. 'I will not allow you to break any more rules. ' drawled Rose, sternly. Albus scowled at her, turning to face Scorpius. 'Whose side are you on? ' he demanded.

Scorpius hesitated, cleared his throat and mumbled, 'I agree with Rose. ' Rose fell back laughing triumphantly and Albus scowled darkly at both of them, muttering something which sounded like, 'Prefects. ' Then he got up , saying, 'Got a Potions essay to finish. You coming, Scorp? '

Of course he did not want to go. He seldom got to stay alone with Rose, and he couldn't get enough. But it was true that a pile of essays he had constantly been postponing awaited him in his dormitory, and the surge of guilt inside him overcame the desire to enjoy Rose's company.

And so he turned to Rose and said a half-hearted sort of 'Bye! ', which she returned with a sad sort of a smile. Then he scooped his cloak from the ground and marched off with Albus.

Once out of Rose's earshot, as they walked back to the castle, Albus pouted, 'Never thought you would not side with me for Rose. You were always my partner-in-crime! ' 'I sided with Rose because she was right. ' drawled Scorpius, a little uncomfortably. Albus shrugged and mumbled, 'You've changed so much since both of you became friends. '

Maybe Albus was right.

A/N: *Ducks for cover* I know this chapter was lousy, and so was my writing style, but I'm going with 'something's better than nothing'.

Updates will be very, very sparse because school is reopening in two days' time and I have so much to cope up with. Please don't de-alert this story meanwhile!One way you can make me write the next cchapter faster is by reviewing! One of the reasons why I was late in posting this one was the fact that not getting reciews killed my will to write.Next update at the twentieth review? Kidding! Fifteenth review? Not kidding! :)))