AN/ Hello! I apologize for not updating, things have been pretty hectic. I'm actually so proud of this chapter and I really, really hope you enjoy it.
It was all a complete accident and now, as he sits in the Hospital Wing waiting for Madam Pomfrey to come and give him an update on who he is pretty sure is the love of his life, Scorpius Malfoy wants to throw up.
It had started off simply. Of course they'd learned during their first year. But there was a difference in learning how to hover three feet off of the ground and learning how to fly. Both he and Rose were shite when it came to flying. But per usual, Rose hated being bad at anything. So, just so he could see her smile, he made it his sole purpose to teach the both of them.
"Scorpius," she whined as he pulled her along the corridor. "It's cold out there. Can't we just wait for the spring?" She asked trying to ignore the butterflies that erupted in her stomach as she realized that at some point he had grabbed ahold of her hand.
"No, we can't. No good quidditch player ever succeeded by staying inside throughout the entirety of winter," he said ignoring the blush that covered his cheeks as she leaned against him dramatically.
"But I don't want to be a good quidditch player. I just want to learn how to stay on a broom longer than 15 seconds," she said.
"Which is exactly what we're going to do. Are you trying to say that you're afraid of the cold?" he asked stopping to look at her challenging.
She narrowed her eyes angrily. "No, I'm not saying that all. I'm saying that it's bloody freezing and I value my health enough to want to stay inside."
"Okay," he said shrugging. "I guess you can join me once it warms up. But by then I'll be much better than you," he said letting go of her hand and continuing to the quidditch pitch.
She groaned loudly and made it a point to childishly stomp the entire way out to the pitch. She might be miserable, but she wasn't going to let him beat her. And that was the start. Through the entirety of the winter of their fifth year they taught themselves how to adequately fly.
Spring rolled around and with studying for their OWLs, their goals were put on hold. They practiced a bit over the summer but in all honestly they were too busy trying to deny their feelings for each other to really care. They finally got together towards the beginning of their sixth year and were much too busy being much too in love to even remember what they had started. Winter came, an entire year later, and they were holed up in the library agonizing over their latest essay in Potions when Rose remembered.
"Scorpius," she said breaking the comfortable silence that they'd fallen into.
"Yes, love," he said not looking up from the stack of parchment in front of him.
"We never learned how to fly," she said looking at him eagerly.
"Of course we did. We only spent an entire winter practicing," he said finally looking up to smile at her tiredly.
"All I'm saying is that yes, we did teach ourselves how to ride a broomstick. But there's a difference between that and really flying." When Scorpius stared at her dumbly she continued. "My entire family talks about it. The wind in your hair, the jittery feeling in your stomach, the rush," she said excitedly.
"Why are you bringing this up now?" he asked yawning.
"I was just thinking about it. Don't you think it might feel nice?" she asked.
"Of course it would feel nice. But I hate to be the one to remind you that neither of us are too athletically inclined. And I would love to help you fulfill this dream of yours, but not after midnight on a Tuesday," he said reaching across the table to tuck a stray curl behind her ear.
"I'm not saying that I want to do it now. I'm just saying that at some point, we should try again," she said.
"Okay," he said grinning and shaking his head. "If you want to really fly, then we can try," he said squeezing her hand.
After that night, Rose talked constantly of learning to fly. Scorpius found it strange. It was so unlike her to want to do something so reckless. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Ever since Christmas, Rose had been different. She knew that her grandpa was getting sick. They all knew. But something about celebrating the holidays with him for what could've very well been the last time had both of the Granger-Weasleys in a rut. And if doing something completely crazy was what was going to make her feel even a little bit better, than Scorpius was going to do it.
That is why when he was awoken from his glorious slumber by a suddenly reckless redhead, he couldn't even try to force himself to be angry. Not when her eyes were shimmering with tears and her bottom lip just wouldn't stop quivering. Not even really questioning how she'd gotten into his dormitory, he pulled on a jumper that he'd discarded and thrown to the foot of his bed and wrapped an arm around her as she cried against him while they walked down the stairs.
"Hugo and I are leaving in the moring for the funeral," she said in between sniffles.
"I'm so sorry, Rose," he asked leading them towards the biggest couch in the Common Room. She collapsed against him once they sat down and told him that she'd just recived a tear stained piece of parchment from her mum explaining that he had passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones, all except her and Hugo which she quickly reminded him between sobs.
Scorpius said nothing, just held her against him as she cried. They stayed like that for a long, long time. When her sniffling had decreased significantly, he decided that he was probably supposed to say something. "Do you want to go to the kitchens? We can get anything you want," he said toying with the ends of her curls; something he'd always dreamed of doing and now, seeing as they were dating, could do as he pleased
She shook her head and he frowned. "Do you want to go to McGonagall? I'm sure she'd let you leave now if you asked," he said hopefully. She shook her head again and he sighed.
"What do you need, Rose. Seriously, I'll do anything," he said pulling her from his chest so he look look into her red rimmed, sparkling blue eyes.
"Anything?" she asked. He nodded fervently already regretting his words. "Let's fly," she said giving him what appeared to be her best attempt at a smile. Scorpius sighed. He knew that there was simply no way to get out of this. So, he smiled back, nodded, and told her to go upstairs and put on her cloak. They met at the base of the staircase and walked silently to the quidditch pitch. He summoned two brooms and closed his eyes tightly. For some reason, he didn't think that flying in the middle of the night was a good idea. But how could he resist her, especially now?
He was torn from his thoughts as she shot off of the ground and blasted past him. She continued to circle around his head until he too took off, but with much less intensty. They whirled around the pitch for a while before she started to increase her speed. It was faster than she'd ever flown and she soared past him. His heart fluttered as he heard her laugh echo across the empty field.
She continued to go faster, now weaving up and around the poles and his stomach twisted as he saw her just barley miss the announcers box.
"Rose, maybe you should slow down," he called out. No sooner had the words left his mouth before she suddenly stopped and started falling, falling, falling. He didn't remember much after that. He knew that he'd screamed endlessly as she collided with the dewy earth. Somebody must have heard him because he found himself being escorted to the hospital wing.
He remembered Professor McGonagall asking him why they had been out in the first place except she didn't look angry, just sad. He only could remember the part of his answer in which he told her, between tears that he would later be embarrassed that she saw him shed, that he didn't know how to tell Rose no. Not then. Not now. Not ever.
So, there he sat. Slumped against the wall watching the sun rise through a high window when Madam Pomfrey scurried over from across the hall. She told him that Rose was okay, she'd landed on her arm strangely in the fall and it was still mending. But she was okay. He breathed out deeply and tears of relief stung his eyes. He was now aloud to sit with her where she laid on a cot sound asleep. He held her hand and even though she couldn't hear, told her that he had been so, so scared. More so than he ever had been. He cried a little bit more, remembering what it had been like to see her shockingly red hair rip through the blackness and collide with the earth.
She eventually woke up and she kissed him hard, not that he deserved it. He had let her grief turn into recklessness and she should hate him. But she didn't because she could never.
"Your parents are going to see you today and know that this was because of me. I don't want them to hate me," he said grasping her uninjured hand tightly.
"They aren't going to hate you," she said losening herself from his grip and stroking his face lightly. He closed his eyes tightly.
"I was just so scared, Rose. You were going so fast and I don't know what happened. I mean one second you were fine and then the next," he trailed off and she sighed.
"Scorpius, I was being stupid. None of this is your fault," she said. He squeezed his eyes tighter not wanting her to see him cry because he didn't deserve her sympathy. She was the one with a broken arm, not him.
"I want you to come with me to the funeral today," she said softly.
His eyes popped open and a few tears slipped out, but he didn't mind. "You don't mean that," he said bracingly.
"I do. I can't do it without you," she said using her thumb to wipe away a stray tear and then pulled him to her to kiss him.
So he said yes. Of course he did. Because how could he resist her?
AN/ Ahhhhh, I hope you enjoyed! Please, please, please leave a review and/or follow and fav! XOXO