Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter characters or universe.

A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I got sick for a little while and couldn't form coherent words. So, I'm pretty excited because a lot of you have favorited and followed my story. Thanks! Do me a favor and make a small review please? Just something tiny like "awesome!" "keep writing!" "loved it!" just something so I can hear from you readers. It would mean a lot to me :D If I could get at least half of you to do that I could have like fifteen reviews in one shot and that would be pretty flattering and I like that :D

Now, on with the story!

Beneath the Venom

~*Chapter 13*~

Peeling itself from the shadows was a massive figure. It appeared to fill the whole room as it was impossible to distinguish the shadows from the entity. Amongst the mass of darkness was a skeletal face seemingly floating on its own. As it moved closer to the two, the same dragging and thudding noise could be heard. Once it was close enough to the light of Scorpius' wand, its already frightening appearance became more defined.

Shrouded in several heavy layers of a hooded cloak, the entity was giving off the appearance of the Grim Reaper. Its boney hand was clasped around a staff that looked to be a rowing oar. That was the thudding noise. It was the sound of the staff thudding against the ground as it moved. The dragging noise had been the garments it was wearing dragging along the floor.

The vacant orbital sockets in the skull were filled with a deep red fire that blazed brilliantly as the reaper stood directly in front of Scorpius. His wand's light illuminated every crevice and crack that the skull possessed. It looked as though it might have been submerged under water for several years. There was a dark patina to it and a severe fracture ran from the right orbital socket to the mandible.

Opening and closing, it appeared that the jaw of the reaper had a mind of it its own. There was no skin so it was impossible to tell if it was attempting to form words. It seemed as though it was cackling but there was no sound coming out. It moved impossibly closer, snuffing the light out of Scorpus' wand.

Being cast into darkness once more, Scorpius finally came to his senses. He groaned as he felt and smelled the putrid breath drifting from the creature before him. It was foul and smelled of moldy river water. Taking a step back, he felt Rose's hands on his shoulders, gripping him securely.

"That's the thing…. that was at the castle that first night," she whispered frightfully as they both moved a few paces back, trying to get away. Even though she could see what they were up against, she had no idea how to defeat it. It seemed like a Reaper but what would one of those be doing at the castle and let alone here? Was this the same one or were there multiples?

"Guess you're not crazy then," he murmured sardonically. The fire burning in the skull illuminated its face but that was the only thing either one of them were able to see. Once more it felt like the Reaper filled the entire room. Its mouth opened wide and they were both prepared for the screams but instead a deep, slow voice echoed out. It sounded as though it was speaking through bubbling mud.

"Pay….ment…" it demanded as it continued toward the two. The hand that was not holding the staff outstretched to them as though it was expecting something. Rose looked at the hand and then at Scorpius.

"It… wants payment… payment with what?" she asked. He stared back at her before frowning.

"How in the hell should I know? You're the brainiac," he grumbled. The Reaper became impatient and a low rumbling growl emitted from it before turning into a scream. Scorpius turned around and embraced Rose to him, shielding her with his body in preparation for the Reaper to attack.

Suddenly the screaming stopped as though the Reaper had been muted suddenly. Its jaw was wide open but once more there wasn't any sound. With a clatter, it clamored shut before turning away, appearing as though something had drawn its attention away. The fire went out in its eyes before it disappeared entirely. Suddenly, the room was flooded with light from the outside. Everything had gone back to normal.

"What…. happened?" Rose asked shakily as she looked around. It appeared that the Reaper had truly left. She was still in Scorpius' embrace and wasn't prepared to leave.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he replied as he looked around, confirming that the Reaper did in fact leave. His attention returned to Rose as he looked her over once more. "Are you sure you're alright?"

Rose nodded as she looked around. She wondered what sort of payment the Reaper had been looking for. It was nothing that she had heard of. Frowning, she also noticed that Julien was really nowhere to be seen. Her frown deepened as she also wondered how Scorpius knew where to find her. Didn't he say he was going to stay at the castle today?

"Hey wait a minute…" she started but was cut off as Scorpius grabbed her hand and began tugging her towards the window he had entered in. Once they were out of the shack and standing outside of the fence that surrounded it, did he allow for her to begin firing questions.

"Where's Julien?" she asked as she looked around. Had he been hurt? Did the Reaper take him or did he leave her alone to deal with it? Scorpius scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest irritably.

"Wonderful date you chose. Pansy arsed bastard high-tailed it out of here and left you inside alone. You sure do know how to pick them," he grumbled, but secretly he was feeling rather smug. Julien might have been able to sweet talk her but he didn't have the balls to back anything up. In fact, maybe he owed Julien some gratitude because it made him look that much better. When he felt that he needed to prove himself he had no idea.

Rose wanted to be angry at Scorpius for his comments but honestly, she couldn't. She was just as pissed that Julien had ditched her and when she saw him next she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Of course he had been too good to be true. For someone who wanted to see a supposed haunted house he didn't stay very long.

"Yeah, yeah, story of my freaking life," she mumbled unhappily before sighing. Her dates never seemed to end well for one reason or another and quite frankly, she was exhausted from it. Her brows furrowed as her next question came to light.

"So, what were you doing here and how did you know where to find me?" she asked suspiciously. It seemed rather convenient actually. He had told both her and Lily that he was going to be staying at the castle all day. Even if he decided to go into Hogsmeade, how would he have known where to find her? It was not like the Shrieking Shack was the most popular place to bring a date.

Scorpius didn't answer for a good moment. What sort of excuse could he come up with that was plausible? Besides, Potter had already seen him and he was sure that by the time Rose headed back to the castle, she would have heard her cousin's version of things. The longer they stood in silence, the more impatient Rose became. It was clear that she was not going to let him get out of this one, not that she really let him get away with anything actually.

"Were you stalking me?!" she shrieked suddenly when he would not answer. He was startled by the loud noise and found himself flushing a bit at her accusation. It was not like he was stalking her per say…. but rather watching over her protectively.

"N-No, it's not like that," he began, hating that he was losing his composure. Looking off, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I… uh… was worried about you," he mumbled very quietly, almost incoherently.

His face felt incredibly warm and he hated that he was out in the open having this conversation with her. Anyone could walk by and bear witness to it. It made him rather uneasy but he didn't want her pissed at him right now. She was always pissed at him and he was finding himself really hating it lately. They had been through a lot with the first task and he felt maybe they should attempt to be cordial. Granted that was more directed at himself than her. Rose put in a hell of a lot more effort than he did and she deserved more than that from him.

Rose was so shocked at his answer she had completely forgotten what she was going to yell at him. He was… worried about her? Why would he have been worried? Why did he care so much? It was so uncharacteristic that she was speechless. There was nothing but the sound of the wind rustling the nearby trees as the both of them remained silent. Scorpius was unable to look at her and Rose wasn't sure how to respond.

Finally gathering herself, she stepped towards Scorpius and gently placed her hand on his cheek and turned it so that he was facing her. His gaze locked with hers and she found herself searching their depths for the truth behind his words.

"Why… were you worried about me?" she whispered, her eyes never leaving his. The skin beneath her hand was warm and she could see his blush spreading across his cheeks and nose, creeping so far as to down his neck.

Scorpius indulged in the feel of her soft touch pressed against his blazing face. She was so gentle and he caught the scent of her musk scented perfume that she must have dabbed on the inside of her wrist. His stomach churned in jealousy as he realized that she was wearing that for Julien. Normally, she had her own fiery cinnamon scent with a hint of something floral that was uniquely her own. He wasn't overly fond of the fake crap she had on especially because it wasn't for him.

"I… didn't want you to be taken advantage of. Guys can't be trusted and… neither one of us knows anything really about that prat," he mumbled, unable to tear his gaze away from hers. It was nice to not have her glaring at him or screaming. While he enjoyed her hot-headed nature most days, it was pleasant to witness her softer side, especially when it was directed at him. It had his mind racing with several different fantasies within seconds.

Taking in his words, it was hard for Rose to believe that this was Scorpius Malfoy that she was speaking two. Never in all of the time that they had known one another had she ever recalled him worrying about her. In fact, he was usually the one causing her distress and misery. Whatever the change was, she was thankful for it until she realized he was practically making her out to be a damsel in distress. Her hand fell from his face and an unhappy look marred her features.

"What are you trying to say, that I can't handle myself?" she snapped. Scorpius' eyes widened as once more he was taken aback by her response. What was with her? He couldn't win for losing. It seemed like no matter what he said she was going to be mad at him. This was what he got for trying. He felt the loss of her touch like cold water drenching his body. Already he missed it.

"Damn woman, quit twisting everything!" he growled. "I know you are capable of handling yourself but look at your track record already. You're practically Danger Prone Daphne this year! So fuck me for trying to do something decent!" He was hurt and it was coming out as anger. She wanted a nicer side of him, but when he tried she didn't believe him.

Rose hated that he was right. If this year was proof to anything it was that she was like a magnet to danger. As it was he had helped save her from the Reaper. While it wasn't Julien as he had been concerned with, he was right where she needed him to be. Immediately, she felt ashamed for her reaction and her own face stained red.

Noticing that Scorpius was turning to leave, she panicked and rushed to him, pressing her body against him as she wrapped her arms around him in an embrace. They had been sharing a nice moment and for once it wasn't him who was ruining it. While it was definitely hard to trust him because of his ever changing moods, he really was worried about her and had come to her rescue.

For a whole minute, Scorpius could not breathe as a most wonderful sensation washed over his body. Rose was pressed securely against his frame and he could feel every supple curve of her soft body. He was not disappointed that was for sure. His arms hovered awkwardly around her for a moment before slowly settling against her frame securely. She was acting rather bipolar right now. Any minute now and he was expecting that she was going to slap him.

Her arms tightened around him to keep him from moving any further as she pressed her face against his chest. There was a faint scent of some sort of masculine cologne that she was sure made all the girls weak in the knees. However, it was the rich fragrance of burning wood that permeated her senses. It was like he enjoyed being near fireplaces, not that she could blame him. There was something soothing and mesmerizing about sitting in front of a slow burning fire as it crackled and danced.

"I'm sorry… thank you for saving me… again," she said quietly as she indulged in the feel of his body around hers. Oh yeah, there was something very intoxicating about this man. It should be illegal.

"Yeah… don't mention it," he said as he gazed down at her. It seemed so right to have her there in his arms. She fit perfectly. "No, really don't mention it. I'm sure Potter would kill me." A frown creased his brow at the thought of her nosey arse cousin. That git couldn't keep his nose out of his business for the life of him.

"Don't worry about him," she said airily as she released him with a sigh. "Well, today was a bust. I'm going to head back to the castle. If you see Julien before I do, kick him for me, will ya?" Scorpius' signature smirk slid onto his face before he could stop it. He was oh too thrilled with her being pissed off at the other man.

"With relish," he said joyfully, earning a light smack to his chest from Rose. She shook her head disapprovingly but he could see there was a smile on her lips. He was about to offer to walk her back to the castle when he saw Potter jogging their way. Great, he was the last idiot that he felt like dealing with currently.

Albus exchanged a glare with Malfoy but for the first time, he said nothing snarky. While he wasn't sure why Rose and Scorpius were together, he was slowly having to come to terms that they would always be together for one reason or another. He just hoped that it would end when the tournament did. It was killing him not to fight with the prat but he knew that he needed to stop. Rose was family and her happiness mattered. Currently, it looked as though she was not upset so he would leave it at that.

"Where's Julien?" he asked as he caught his breath. He wondered if Malfoy had done something to sabotage her date. That thought alone was almost enough to shatter his resolve but he restrained himself. Rose's wrath was not something he wanted to incur again so soon.

"Hopefully lying in a ditch somewhere," she mumbled darkly. Both Scorpius and Albus' jaws dropped at her uncharacteristically dismal answer. The Slytherin was the first to regain his composure, a sly smirk gracing his features.

"Looks like I'm rubbing off on you. I can arrange that. Just pick the ditch," he said with a sly smirk, earning a malicious glare from Albus.

"I certainly hope not. Rose has much more class and sense than you do," Albus growled before gazing at his cousin with concern. "Things go that bad?" When she didn't answer, he knew that it had to be.

"I don't want to talk about it. I'll see you two later," she said as she turned and headed back towards the castle, her arms wrapped around her.

A moment of silence passed between the two men as they watched the red head take her leave. Albus shoved his hands in his pockets and Scorpius crossed his arms over his chest. Neither one said a word but they both appeared to be in thought.

"Hey," Albus mumbled, causing Scorpius to glance at him from the corner of his eyes.

"What?"

"You find the bastard and I'll help you bury him." A sinister smirk slid across Scorpius' face at this response. Now that was something the both of them could agree on.

A fortnight had passed and Rose found herself finally looking at the coin that she and Scorpius had received from the first task. Despite her desire to get a head start on everything, she didn't want to think about the second task right away. The first task had taken so much out of her and been difficult for her to get over the fact that they had placed last in the event.

She had found out that the first task had been judged out of fifty points. Durmstrang had scored the highest, earning forty-seven points and Beauxbatons came in second with forty-three points. Hogwarts had come in dead last with thirty-eight points. It hurt that they had lost so badly but that meant that they would have to do exceptionally well in the next two tasks.

It was this determination that led her to where she was right now. Wallowing over how terribly they had done was not going to get them to do any better for the next task if she let her depression get the best of her. She had no idea where Scorpius was right now but that was no surprise.

After a few days had passed since the first task, he had gone back to being moody and isolated. He was much nicer to her but a few times they had gotten into a tiff about something stupid. It was the same old nonsense but it was nowhere near as bad as it used to be. Even Albus and Hugo seemed to have been begrudgingly more tolerable.

She didn't have time to wait for Scorpius to become interested in the second task. Yes, they had approximately three months before the second task was due but she wanted to make sure there was more than enough time to prepare. They had been informed that the coin they retrieved from the first task would give them clues for the next one. Scorpius had pretty much asked her to solve the first task and she didn't expect anything else with the rest of the tournament. If his life wasn't on the line as well, she wouldn't be helping him.

Laying comfortably on her bed, she began inspecting the coin thoroughly. Right after the first task, she had taken the liberty to carefully clean all of the serpent slime that had been stuck to it. It shone dully in the light and appeared to be made from bronze. While it was indeed a coin it was crudely created. The edges were rough and it was far from round as it appeared to have been beaten into its lumpy shape by a small hammer. It felt like it was something ancient and from another time.

Sliding her fingers across the surface, she found a raised design on the front. It looked like an upturned crescent moon, positioned like a wide grin. If the edges touched one another it would be a perfect circle. Connected to the center of the crescent and dragging downwards was a rough sort of looking cross. To finish off the design was a single dot in the middle of the space created by the crescent shape.

A frown crossed Rose's features as she did not recognize the rune in the least bit. It was something that she was going to have to research. Hopefully, it was a clue and would bring her that much closer to finding out what the second task was going to entail.

On the back of the coin was an indented design that she was surprised didn't show through to the other side. Peering at it closely, she could see that it was actually words.

vae animae iter incipit

She recognized it as Latin but she wasn't quite sure what it said. Due to her proficiency in Herbology, which utilized Latin for the proper names of different plants, she was at least pretty decent in the language. It wouldn't be hard to look up what it actually meant.

For another moment, she continued to gaze at the coin, flipping it through her fingers as she turned it over and over again. Running her fingers along the grooves and ridges, she continued her inspection. The coin was roughly the size of an American half-dollar but about twice as thick. It wasn't any sort of currency she had ever seen, at lease in this day and era.

After taking a few notes on the various items she wanted to research, she gently placed the coin in a velvet lined box that had been provided to them after the tournament. This way, it wouldn't get lost. She placed the box on her night stand before she stretched out on her bed and gazed up at the ceiling.

There was a lot on her mind, concerning both the tournament and her everyday life. After her failed date with Julien, she had lost any and all desire to pursue him and apparently he had felt the same. In fact, in the past two weeks she hadn't seen him at. Apparently Julien didn't want to see her any more than she wanted to see him. The prat. Just thinking about him made her feel annoyed and irritable.

Expelling a deep breath, she slid off of the bed and decided to do something else with her free time. The winter holiday has just started and she was already caught up on all of her schoolwork. What she needed to do was find Scorpius and force him into researching this task with her but she knew that was easier said than done. The man had been elusive for the last few weeks and she wondered if he was up to something.

Deciding that she had enough of being cooped up in the room, she promptly left and headed into the corridor. She had no real destination in mind. Maybe she could enlist Lily or one of the boys in playing Exploding Snap or maybe chess. Anything would be a better alternative to being alone right now. Just as she was about to turn the corner, she heard angry voices echoing against the stone walls. Frowning, she slowed her steps and poked her head around the bend to see what she might possibly be interrupting.

"Shut it you!" an angry voice hissed followed by the sounds of someone struggling. Albus currently had someone pinned against the wall and he was absolutely pissed.

"Is zis zee way you treat your guests at 'ogwarts?!" an accented voice yelled in response. The voice belonged to Julien and while he was angry, it was clear that fear was starting to creep in.

"Only the cowardly arseholes. Did you really think you could hide until the tournament was over?" came another, snarky voice. With his arms crossed over his chest and his signature smirk in place, Scorpius could be seen hovering to the side. He was itching to take out some of his anger on the git in front of him.

For the last two weeks both Albus and Scorpius had been trying to hunt down Julien to get answers out of him for ditching Rose. It appeared that the foreign student was rather slippery and elusive. He always seemed to dodge out of reach whenever they were around. Some sort of self-preservation must have kicked in because he knew that he was in a world of hurt if he was ever caught. Even Lily and Hugo had tried their luck at cornering him. They speculated that he had asked his group of classmates to shield him and be on the lookout.

Rose's family had hoped that the date with Julien would have gone well as they wished that Rose would be able to find some sort of happiness. Scorpius just wanted to kill the bastard for endangering Rose and making the moves on his partner. No, he would not admit that he wanted her for himself. He just didn't like the pansy bastard and Rose deserved better than that. Someone like him. Wait, no, that wasn't right. Was it?

It had been Albus who approached Scorpius about their temporary truce so that they could work together to teach Julien a lesson. He had been getting nowhere in dealing with the git, so his last resort had been Scorpius. If their history of violence towards one another taught Albus anything, it was that Scorpius could find anyone and make them miserable. His point had been proven when Julien had finally been cornered which brought them to their current scene.

"I am not a coward," Julien mumbled defensively. Albus and Scorpius shared an incredulous look. Was the prat really that dense?

"Oh so it wasn't you screaming and stumbling out of the Shrieking Shack? My mistake," Scorpius said, his voice thick with sarcasm and venom.

"Zere was a monster! It was going to attack me!" he cried, wincing when Albus fisted the front of his robes, pulled him forward and then slammed him back against the stone wall angrily.

"You left my cousin in there you bastard! It was your job to protect her! What if Malfoy hadn't been there to save her, huh?!" he growled as he glared daggers at the man in front of him.

It was odd for Scorpius to hear Potter say anything even remotely kind in regards to himself. This whole moment was even stranger. Never would he ever thought that he would be working with Potter under a common cause under any circumstance. If this year proved anything it was that the impossible seemed to be happening. Potter was asking for his help and Rose was his partner who always seemed to need him lately. The latter made his chest feel warm as a protective feeling wash over him. It was because she needed him that he was so pissed at Julien. Had he not come along, what would have happened? He shuddered at the thought and felt his own anger surge.

"It was not my job. We were on a date, zat is it. I am not 'er boyfriend or partner," he said weakly, preparing for Albus' anger once more.

"Thank merlin for that," mumbled Scorpius, earning an odd look from Potter over his shoulder.

"Besides, she is strong. She can take care of 'erself," Julien continued. This time, Scorpius' anger was too much. Shoving Potter out of the way, he slugged Julien hard in the jaw, watching as he crumpled to the floor and whining in pain. Not allowing him a moment to recover, he hoisted the man up before delivering a blow to his stomach, causing him to cough heavily.

"H-Hey! Chill out, Malfoy!" Albus yelled as he yanked the Slytherin's arm back and away from Julien. While he had been on the receiving end of Scorpius' malice before, it was nothing compared to the fire that was snapping in his eyes currently. There was something possessive and protective about his behavior. It was as though Rose belonged to him and honestly, Albus wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"You wanted my help and this is me helping!" Scorpius snarled as he flung Potter off of him. Running a hand over his hair, he smoothed down a few strands that had come loose.

"Stop it! All of you!" Rose screeched as she came out of her hiding spot and ran over to the three of them. Yes, she might have enjoyed the fact that they were torturing Julien in her honor but enough was enough. She could tell by his mood that Scorpius would have continued if not stopped. The last thing she wanted was for his anger to be turned on Albus.

Albus was surprised at Rose's appearance. He had hoped that she would not find out about this until much, much later, seeing as how it was inevitable that she would discover what was going on. Oddly enough, however, she didn't look mad, just concerned. Damn she was too nice of a person sometimes. Julien had screwed her over and she was still worried about him.

"Julien, get out of here," she said tensely. He murmured something in French before heading her words and taking off. A long, exasperated sigh fell from Rose's lips as she looked at the unlikely pair. For a moment, she was convinced that she was in some sort of alternate reality. Why the two of them were associating with one another without fighting was beyond her.

"You let him go," Albus mumbled unhappily as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"You can't beat people up just because they make you unhappy," Rose lectured.

"I beg to differ. I do it all the time," Scorpius said lightly, his anger dissipating slightly. What he really wanted to do was follow Julien and beat him to a bloody pulp but he had a feeling that would not work out too well in his favor, especially with Rose around.

"That's a terrible thing to do!" she grumbled as a frown appeared on her face. For a moment she just looked back and forth between the two, hoping for some explanation of their behavior. It was finally Albus who spoke up.

"He needed to be taught a lesson for what he did to you. You don't endanger someone just because you're a coward. Family looks out for family, Rose and you know that. It would be no different if the tables were flipped."

Scorpius felt a heavy weight plummet deep into the pit of his stomach at Potter's speech. Rose and Albus were family but what was he and Rose? He didn't mean anything to her and it was becoming increasingly obvious that she was starting to mean something to him. Where did he fit into all of this? Did he even fit into all of this? He hated the feeling that was slowly starting to take over him and replace his anger. He was becoming too aware of the fact that he did not belong in their circle whatsoever.

Potter and he were working together briefly but they had been united in anger. Everything would change once more and they would be at each other's throats. While this did not bother him per say, it upset Rose and lately, his moods had been directly linked to hers.

Unable to deal with his current emotions, he said nothing as he turned on his heel and began walking away from the two and down the hall. What was he doing in the first place? Did he really want to become a part of her family? Did he really want to mean something to her? The answer was yes and he was hating it.

"Scorpius, wait! We need to talk!" Rose called out as she ran after him, leaving Albus alone. There was something up with the blond haired male and she wanted to find out what it was. For the last two weeks she had hardly seen him and even now he was acting much stranger than normal.

"What could we possibly have to talk about?" he sneered as he rounded another corner, not slowing down in the least bit for her.

"Malfoy, dammit, hold on!" she huffed as she had to run to catch up to him. Next thing Scorpius knew; he was being pushed against the nearby corridor wall with Rose pressed heavily against him. She had shoved him rather roughly as he felt the back of his head smack the wall, causing him to grip her shoulders in pain and anger.

"What the fuck, Weasley!?" he growled as he glared at her. He was feeling overly emotional which was such a rarity he could barely comprehend that was what he was feeling. All he wanted to do was be alone and lick his wounds while he tried to compose himself.

Rose returned his glare, finding that she really hated him calling her by her surname. It surprised her that she had come to enjoy him saying her first name. Actually, she was wondering why she was just now noticing how dependent she had become upon him. With him using her name, it actually felt like they were equals and partners instead of enemies. Her hands gripped the front of his robes tightly as her gaze never broke from his.

"Don't call me that," she demanded, her brows furrowed. It took Scorpius a moment to realize what she was getting at. He couldn't even remember the last time he hadn't used her first name. It felt foreign on his tongue and it was only because of his mixed emotions that he had cursed as he did. He knew that he was taking out on her the feelings that he could not express nor come to terms with. His automatic defense was to attack.

"You started it," he grumbled, admitting in his own way that he hated her calling him by his surname as well.

"Real mature. What the hell is going on with you? Why are you acting like this?" she asked, her glare lessening a bit but not by much. While she was used to Scorpius being bipolar and practically insane, this was odd behavior even for him. "Not that I don't mind you working together with Albus, I just wish it was under better circumstances."

"What the hell does it matter anyways? Things are going to go back to how they are anyways," he said bitterly as he broke from her gaze, finding it very hard to look at her right now. If he wasn't feeling so cornered currently, he might have taken great pleasure in her being pressed against him while forcing him against the wall. However, she was trying to extract his thoughts and feelings which wasn't a pleasant moment for him. He wasn't the "sharing" type. That was for women and pansies.

Rose released her grip on him just as bit so that now her hands were lying flat against his chest. Scorpius was acting very touchy and she had a sneaking suspicion it was because he was feeling hurt. What did he have to feel hurt about? If she didn't know any better, she would have thought that he was jealous over her and Albus' closeness. After having witness his family interaction, she knew that he was never given true family interaction. At least one that did not come with high expectations.

"Are you wanting…. to belong?" she asked gently. "I have seen your family and I know that there isn't a real closeness between all of you. Is it real companionship that you seek?" Scorpius scoffed at her response, frowning deeply.

"I have plenty of companions or have you failed to notice the girls that practically drop their panties at my feet?" he sneered with a nasty smirk. While Rose knew that she should have been offended, she wasn't. The undertone to his voice indicated that he was rather bitter at that fact. What good was company when it meant absolutely nothing.

"That's not what I mean and you know it. Your so called 'friends' are bastards who don't give a damn about you. They hover around you because of your name. I'm sure most of your… female 'companions' are just the same. No one looks at you for you nor gives a damn about you—"

"Oh gee, such sweet and comforting words. You should be a therapist," he interjected, attempting to push her off of him but she would not budge. For someone so tiny, she had a hell of a lot of strength.

"Let me finish you arse," she growled before continuing. "I care about you, Scorpius. I know it's unlikely and you may not believe me but I like to think that we have been through enough together to drop some of these pretenses." There was a light blush staining her cheeks as she admitted, at least on a small scale, her feelings to him.

Not knowing while, Scorpius noticed that his heart was racing all of a sudden. She hadn't admitted anything great but to even admit that she cared was a lot for the both of them. They had spent so many years fighting against one another. It was hard to believe that so much had changed in this year alone. However, he could not admit to the feelings plaguing him. He could not admit to the fantasies he had so frequently concerning the red head pressed against his body. He could not admit to the way his heart yearned for her. Things would never work between them.

"That's brilliant. Can you let go of me now?" he mumbled half-heartedly. He knew that he needed to get away from her but damn his body was refusing to listen. It wanted her and only her despite how his brain was yelling to run as fast as he could.

Growling irritably, she wanted to smack Scorpius really hard. He was being unreasonably stubborn for merlin only knew what reasons. It was plain as day to her that he was feeling cast out and lonely. She hated that she wanted to help him and to soothe his pain but if it was one thing that she had learned, fighting against her feelings rarely got her anywhere. While she liked to think of herself as rational and smart, her emotions did get the upper hand from time to time.

"Fine, whatever. I tried to help you. For someone who was so damned worried about Julien doing something to me, you don't seem to give a damn now. Guess it only matters when you are putting on a show, eh? Maybe I should go find him and try to reconcile," she growled before turning away from Scorpius with the intent on leaving.

Once more, Scorpius felt a fire ignite his blood with such deep rage that he could have sworn that he tasted it. Even after all of this, she wanted to see that bastard. The jealousy and anger that pulsed through him was too much to hold back. Reaching out, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back with much more force than he had intended. She came crashing into him as he wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"Don't," he begged, his voice barely above a whisper. Swallowing hard, he refused to let her go. There was no way that he could let her go.

Absolutely caught off guard, Rose found herself pressed into the Slytherin's chest, her senses immediately being filled with his rich scent. She hadn't expected him to react so fiercely and so suddenly. Her heart immediately began racing at his obvious possessiveness. The blush returned to her cheeks as she found herself slowly wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Don't what?" she asked gently, trying to urge some sort of coherent response out of him. She wanted to know exactly what he was thinking and feeling. Honestly, she wasn't sure how much more of his back and forth behavior she was going to be able to endure. She wanted him and she had a feeling he wanted her too but was too scared of altering his reputation.

"Just…. Don't," he said quietly still as he laid his chin on top of her head. She felt so perfect and he wasn't about to share her with anyone else. All he wanted was this moment with her. For just a moment he could forget that he was a Malfoy and he could indulge in his desires. Would it be so terrible to give in, for just a moment? Gazing down at her perfect face, he knew that he needed to have her, one way or another.

"Scopius—" Rose started but found her response cut off by the feel of something warm and soft, gently pressing against her lips. Her mind could barely comprehend what was happening. Was he really kissing her?! It felt like her heart might explode out of her chest but she knew that this was what she wanted. For quite some time now, he was all she wanted. Her eyes fluttered shut as she returned the kiss she had been desiring for so long now.

A soft growl emanated from Scorpius, rumbling low in his chest as he indulged in her sweet taste. She was so much sweeter than he could have ever imagined and he found himself wanting more. His embrace tightened just a bit as he deepened the kiss, determined to explore every crevice of her mouth. He wasn't allowing his brain to take hold of the situation even slightly. This was what his heart and body wanted and merlin be damned he wasn't going to deny himself any longer.

Softly moaning in response to him, Rose gently gripped the front of his robes once more as she returned his desire for exploration. Her body felt so hot, like she might burst into flames at any moment if she did not satisfy her craving for him. His taste, his passion, and his desire was absolutely intoxicating and she did not wish to stop until she was unequivocally drunk on him.

Once it felt as though his lungs were going to burst, Scorpius disappointingly broke from the kiss but kept his lips close, lightly ghosting hers. His own eyes remained shut as he allowed for his body to take in everything about her. A desire like he had never known was coursing through his body and he wanted nothing more than to give in.

Rose felt shivers erupt throughout her body, causing goosebumps to prickle along her skin at the feel of his breath mingling with hers as they both attempted to breathe again. His lips were still so close and so very tempting.

"Rose….I…."