Rose

Third Year, Third Term

Scorpius was still asleep. Or unconscious, I wasn't quite sure. It was as though someone had put a permanent sticking charm on my seat. That was the way it should be, in my opinion. I was angry about his so called friends... they had stayed for an hour long vigil over his sickbed, and then danced off to get back to whatever they were doing beforehand.

I was the only one who stayed.

"Rose, dear, are you sure you don't want to go to bed?" Madam Pomfrey asked, indicating the incredibly dark sky outside the window. I shook my head.

"I want to stay. I wouldn't be able to sleep, anyway."

"You must really like this boy," Madam Pomfrey said, smiling. I opened my mouth to tell her that it wasn't what she thought, but I closed it again. It was exactly like she thought.

As Madam Pomfrey drifted off towards her office again, I gazed down at Scorpius. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. His eyelashes cast shadows on his pale cheeks, his chest rising and falling slowly with each breath. He was undeniably handsome, and I wasn't even trying to deny my attraction to him anymore. I loved him, and I knew it was stupid, and I knew he didn't feel the same way about me, and I knew I was going to end up getting myself hurt in the end, probably, but I didn't care.

It was worth it.

I reached down and tentatively took his hand, feeling how cold his skin was in comparison to my own. I gave his fingers a gentle squeeze, trying to transfer a bit of my heat to him.

A shadow fell across the bed, and I turned round to see a red eyed Sophie Avery standing behind me.

"Hello, Rose," she murmured, and I nodded in response, shocked at her presence. She moved silently to the other side of the bed, stretching out her hand as though she were about to lay it on Scorpius's arm, and then letting it fall, evidently deciding against it. I was glad – I felt incredibly territorial of him, which I knew was unfair.

"How is he?" Sophie asked, and I watched as she sank gracefully into the chair at the other side of his bed. I was electrically aware that Sophie was very pretty, and also very close to Scorpius. Those two things were a dangerous combination.

"About the same as before," I said slowly. Maybe I could win her round. Keep your friends close and all that... "Madam Pomfrey repaired his broken ribs."

Sophie nodded solemnly. "And he hasn't woken up?"

I felt my face fall as I answered. "No."

"Rose... can I say something to you, no holds barred?"

I glanced up at her in surprise. She was watching me with her cat-green eyes, not moving.

"Yes." I answered hesitantly.

"I think... you should keep away from Scor."

I hated hearing her call him by his nickname. But I hated what she was saying all the more. "Why?"

"Because I care about him too... and every time you give him false hope to stay friends like this, it breaks his heart when you snatch it away. And just as he's recovering... you do it all over again."

I blinked, stunned. Clearly Scorpius hadn't clued Sophie in to our 'be friends on the sly' plan. Or maybe he had, and this was just how he was feeling about it? I didn't have a clue.

"I can't just... stop caring. Sorry, Sophie, but I can't," I whispered. She didn't speak for a long moment, just allowed her eyes – nearly as green as Albus's – to swivel between me and our mutual friend's sleeping form.

"I know that," Sophie sighed deeply, her hair fluttering as she did so. "But I wish you could, because..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but I knew what she was going to say. My stomach lurched uncomfortably. "You like him."

She neither confirmed nor denied it, which was all the conformation I needed. Sophie had a crush on Scorpius... I instantly felt wary.

"You're hurting him, Rose. And you're annoying the hell out of me. You might think you know Scorpius, but just remember that I know him, too, and what you're doing is crushing him. If you cared at all, you'd stop. That's all I'm saying."

"So you can have a clear shot at him, you mean?" I challenged. I had no idea what made me say that. I had never been hostile to anyone like that before.

Her eyes narrowed. "Look, just because I like him doesn't mean I'm not telling you the truth. Besides... I like a challenge, Rose. Having you in the picture would only make it more interesting... that is, if you were actually in the picture, not flitting in and out of it so fast that you're making my eyes water."

"He likes me more," I said confidently, feeling the smug grin on my face but not being able to control it.

Sophie gave me a wry smile. "For now. But who is gonna be the one picking up the pieces when you decide that blood is thicker than crushes? Me."

My eyes narrowed at this unpleasant information.

"See, Rose? You're just being selfish. You don't even want to consider that it would be much better for Scor if you just left him the hell alone, and you know that that's the case, or else you wouldn't get so defensive." Sophie crossed her arms, pleased with her argument. For once, I was speechless. Was I really being selfish in continuing my friendship with Scorpius. I love him.

Sophie's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "More than Albus?" It was only then that I realised that I'd said those last words out loud. My skin burned with embarrassment.

Did I love Scorpius more than Albus...? I met Sophie's gaze evenly. "I don't know."

"Yes, you do. If you loved Scor the most, you wouldn't have gone along with avoiding him, like Albus wanted. You would have stood up to him. Your family comes first, Rose."

I felt a horrible sinking feeling in my gut. She was right. Did that mean she was right about everything else, too?

"Maybe you're right, Sophie," I whispered, hating the words even as they came out of my mouth. "But did you know that I never once said to Scor that he wasn't my friend? We agreed to pretend we weren't speaking, so as to cause an argument."

Sophie scowled. "I don't think so."

"When he wakes up, ask him," I replied, not breaking eye contact for a second.

"I'm not taking it back," Sophie responded curtly.

"I don't want you to. You might be onto something," I admitted reluctantly. If Scor was depressed by our arrangements, maybe...

"Did you know he's dating Tia Goldstein on the DL?" she asked suddenly, like she was sharing a great confidence with me. And then I saw what she was trying to do; bonding two adversaries over a common enemy.

"No," I replied through gritted teeth, and she shared with me a look of controlled fury.

"She's not even pretty," Sophie scoffed, and I nodded. She was, of course, but anything to make ourselves feel better.

"And she's about as smart as a mountain troll," I answered cuttingly. Sophie grinned.

"Hey, is it true that your dad knocked out a mountain troll in his first year here?" she asked, looking hopeful.

"Yes," I laughed. "With his own club."

Sophie giggled, impressed. "I wish I could knock out Tia Goldstein with a troll's club."

I smiled. "I know the feeling."

"How come most boys have to struggle to win the affections of one girl, and Scorp gets three without even trying?"

Sophie's question was one I had just been asking myself. I told her my reasoning.

"Because he's Scorpius."

Sophie nodded as though my logic made perfect sense. To us, it did.