A/N: aw, I got some great reviews, thanks guys :) I finished the chapter pretty quickly, so here it is. I'm making the most of having lots of free time to write, so hopefully no more huge two month long waits between updates for a little while! Enjoy x

Chapter Fourteen

"They're back." Harry leapt up off the sofa where he'd been waiting with Hermione and Ginny, discussing the situation in low voices. They hurried through to the hallway where Ron and Rose had appeared. Scorpius, Albus hopped up from where they'd been waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Lily had given up waiting and gone back to her bedroom, but appeared at the top of the stairs with James at the crack when the pair appeared.

"What happened? What did they say?" Hermione was first to ask.

"Who did you speak to?" Harry asked next.

"We spoke with Billius." Ron said, addressing Harry first. Harry knew Billius from the Ministry just as Ron did. "He was very glad I took Rose straight to him, and very concerned about the situation. However he's reluctant to send a team in until he knows all of the facts, especially the extent to which the investigation has progressed already, and the exact people who know about it. So Rose will be doing a bit of undercover investigation of her own, and will supply Billius and his team with all the information she can get hold of, via me." Ron explained. Everyone was quiet for a few moments.

"That sounds like the best idea... Billius knows what he's doing." Harry nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Are you okay Rose?" Hermione asked.

"Yes. I'm fine Mum." She smiled reassuringly.

"Well done Rose." Ginny placed a hand on her shoulder, "Lets get you a hot chocolate after all that, shall we?"

"Great idea." Ron grinned, putting an arm round his daughter and leading her through to the kitchen, everyone following them. Albus leant against the worktop next to Rose, and as the parents began to talk again, and Lily and James began to bicker, the spotlight dimmed on Rose. She sipped the hot chocolate Ginny had placed in her hand with a kind smile.

"How was it?" Albus asked. Scorpius stayed quiet, studying Rose's face for any sign of worry.

"It was a little nerve-wracking, but okay. It's all happened a bit fast really."

"I'm sure..." Albus said.

"You kids can take your drinks to the lounge if you like, put the radio on or something." Harry suggested. "We'll come and get you when dinner's ready."

The adults obviously wanted to talk in private, so the kids cleared out of the kitchen. James went back upstairs, Lily went to her bedroom, and Albus, Scorpius and Rose went and sat on the sofa in the lounge. Rose looked out of the large window that overlooked the front garden and long driveway down to the gates, and the green fields and tall trees beyond. It was already dark out there, despite it only being about six o clock.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Scorpius asked. He sat at the opposite end of the sofa, knees tucked up in front of him, mug clasped in both hands, watching Rose as she stared outside. Albus sat in the armchair next to her. The fire crackled softly in the grate.

"I am. It's just... Jake's my friend... it's going to be weird spying on him and his Dad. Course I want to spend time with him, I don't want it just to be because I need to get information out of him... but it'll feel weird, a little wrong maybe. I don't know... I just hope he never has to know about any of this business." She sipped her hot chocolate, pulling her gaze back inside the house.

"I'm sure he'll never know. Before you know it, the Ministry will have sorted it out, and you can go back to just being his friend like normal." Scorpius said quietly.

"I know... Sooner the better I think. But I'm glad to be of help to the Ministry." ...it's almost like actually being a part of the Wizarding World, rather than stuck on the outside looking in. I feel like I'm helping... needed. Rose's thoughts continued silently in her head. She risked a glance over at Scorpius, who was watching her with unconcealed intensity. She looked quickly back out of the window, hoping in the dim light of the fire her blush wasn't obvious.

"Who's that?" she said suddenly, her gaze falling upon a dark figure at the gates. Albus stood up immediately, going to the window to peer out with curiosity.

"Scorpius..." he said, then turned and looked over his shoulder. "Scorp, I think it's your Dad."

Rose looked back at Scorpius quickly. His face had fallen.

"You are joking." he said hoarsely.

"No... No I'm not." Albus shook his head, beckoning for him to come to the window. Scorpius put down his cup and joined Albus looking out. He inched the window open, and it became clear that it was most definitely Scorpius's father. In the still evening air his shouts carried across the lawn to them, yelling Scorpius's name, alternately with shouting 'Potter!'. Rose got up so she could hear better.

"I know you've got him Potter! Scorpius! Scorpius!" They heard. The gates rattled as Draco Malfoy shook them. It was easy to hear the slur of his words. Scorpius abruptly turned and walked straight out of the lounge. The heard the front door open and shut just moments later.

"I'm getting Dad..." Albus said and legged it out of the room. Rose looked, and Scorpius was a shadowy figure striding down the driveway towards the gates as he left the bubble of light that surrounded the house. She was rooted to the spot, watching the scene play out in front of her.

Scorpius reached the gates and the shouts went quiet. Harry and Albus appeared, heading down to the gates after him. Ron and Hermione stood on the doorstep watching.

"What are you doing here, father?" Scorpius said sharply, reaching the gate. On the other side, Draco Malfoy stood, his fists clenched white around the iron bars, supporting himself.

"Scorpius... I'm here to get you of course. Come home son, come home." He mumbled, smiling at the sight of his son.

"No."

"You don't have to stay here, I'll take you home straight away. Come on-"

"Malfoy Manor is not my home." Scorpius said.

"What?" Draco's bloodshot eyes widened, then narrowed. "What are you talking about, Scorpius?"

"I'm never going back to Malfoy Manor, not with you. You need to go." Scorpius said, his hands shaking, but his voice firm.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, you ARE coming home with me right now." Draco was commanding, but then his eyes settled on something behind him. Scorpius turned slightly. Harry and Albus approached, watching Draco warily. And behind them, he could see Ron and Hermione standing in the doorway silhouetted by light, and Rose watching from the window, her face hidden in shadow, a pale hand resting gently on the glass. It was so perfect here, everything felt good; right. There was no way he'd go back to how he'd lived before with his father, not now he knew how different home life could be. Even if this wasn't his home, it felt more like a home than Malfoy Manor ever did.

"Malfoy." Harry took a few steps forward.

"Oh here he is, Potter." Draco spat. "How dare you take my son without my permission... I should report you. You stay away from my son!"

"Now, now, Malfoy. Your son is staying here for the holiday because he is my son's best friend. Didn't you ever stay the holiday at a friend's house when you were at school? Oh no, guess not. You didn't have friends. You had cronies." Harry smirked. All the polite, false pretence that Harry and Draco put on in public was gone.

"Shut up Potter, you don't know anything!" Draco slammed against the gate angrily, all dignity long gone, gone with all of the Firewhisky he'd consumed.

"And you think you had friends? That filthy mudblood you hung around with? Weasley?" Draco sneered. His hand thrust through the gap between the railings and grabbed Scorpius's shirt, yanking him close.

"Get off!" Scorpius hissed, prying his father's hands off him. He could smell the alcohol on his breath. "I hate you! Can't you see that! Just go home. Don't come here again. Leave me alone."

Draco's eyes burned with anger, but he pulled his arm back through the gate and drew himself up straight.

"Think very carefully about what you're saying, Scorpius." he whispered in a dangerously low voice, his words muddling together.

"I meant it. All of it." Scorpius stepped back from the gate, away from his father, and towards Harry and Albus.

"You've made a big mistake Scorpius. So have the lot of you." Draco hissed, stepping back himself, glaring at Harry one last time, and Disapparating.

"Scorp-"

"I'm so sorry Mr Potter." Scorpius said, his eyes guarded as he returned to formality. He felt like his whole body was shaking as he walked past them both back up to the house. He could feel Rose's eyes on him from the window. Ron and Hermione stood back to let him through the door, slightly incredulous at what they'd just witnessed.

"Al, I think you'd better fill me in on what's going on with Scorpius at home..." Harry said, watching the back of the troubled young man disappear, as he and his son began to walk back up the driveway.

"I think that pretty much summed it up…" Albus sighed. "Scorpius ran away at the end of summer. Draco's always treated him and his mother badly, but it went too far, he hit Mrs Malfoy and she walked out, and Scorpius couldn't deal with it either. Draco's a violent, controlling alcoholic, as you could probably see."

"Hmm. Yes I can see that. Poor Scorpius..." Harry said. "I'll go talk to him a bit later. He'll probably need some time alone after that."

"Thanks Dad." Albus said.

Rose left the window, slipping unseen past Ron and Hermione who were still standing in the doorway, talking quietly to Harry and Albus. She walked up the second flight of stairs and along the corridor, finding his door. She knocked quietly.

"Um, come in." Scorpius's voice was muffled. Rose opened the door slowly. Scorpius was sitting on the floor by the window, his arms wrapped round his knees drawn up tight to his chest.

The lights were all off. Rose walked in hesitantly, and sat down crossed legged on the carpet a few feet from him, leaning against the end of the bed.

"You okay?" Rose asked, "Actually, that's a stupid question."

Scorpius looked at her and smirked ever so slightly for just a moment.

"Actually, I feel quite sick." Scorpius replied, mirroring Rose's reply earlier that day, his voice thick with held back tears.

Rose smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. You, Albus, here, Hogwarts... It's the only thing I don't have to be sorry about... Him, my family, I wish they didn't exist."

Rose felt a lump rise in her own throat as his brutal honesty.

"That's terrible."

"Isn't it just." Scorpius snorted. They stayed quiet for a minute. Scorpius looked at the floor, his eyes glazing over. Rose studied his face in the dim evening light from the window. He was so different. Different to his father, different to her own family, different to what she'd expected him to be…

"What did your father say, Scorpius?" Rose asked gently.

Scorpius sighed, looking up and catching Rose watching at him. "He tried to persuade me to come home with him. When I said no, he flipped and starting shouting again… as I'm sure you heard. He was wasted. I told him to go, that I hated him and I wasn't ever going back… and he told me I'd made a big mistake." he said, holding her gaze.

Rose's stomach squeezed, the way she had become accustomed to her body reacting when he looked at her. His hands were shaking as he let them fall from around his knees and stretched his legs out in front of him.

"I'm sure Harry would let you stay every holiday if you wanted." Rose said, barely able to comprehend her own strong hope that he would be back again next holiday.

"He's a good man, he probably would say yes, but I really don't want to be a burden. It's generous enough for him to have let me stay this week. I feel awful after what happened tonight… that was my fault."

"It was not your fault."

"It wouldn't have happened if I wasn't here." Scorpius maintained. "But then again, let's not pretend he didn't enjoy the chance to look down on my father."

Rose opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off.

"I don't mean it rudely at all - I have a lot of respect for Harry - but my father has been playing the part of respectful, reformed man for too long in public, your family and mine and mine know quite well that's not how it really is. Harry's had no choice but to go along with it all these years, otherwise he'd look bad… and he has done so with grace." Scorpius's voice wasn't so thick and shaky anymore.

"No, you're right." Rose agreed. "But even so, you're not a burden. Everyone loves having you here - one more person to join in the Quidditch matches, hey?" She encouraged him.

"James doesn't like having me here." He said.

"I like having you here." Rose insisted, then blushed at her own boldness. "James is a prat anyway, who cares?" She said quickly.

Scorpius gave a slow smile.

"You like me being here?" He asked brazenly, his eyes shining, but not from tears.

"Well, yes-" Rose stammered, suddenly feeling like a deer in headlights under his penetrating gaze. She cursed herself for speaking so boldly. To her extreme relief they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

Rose turned round quickly. Without waiting for a reply, Albus opened the door. He stood, silhouetted by the light from the hallway, a coat slung over his shoulder and three mugs in his hands.

"No lights? Okey dokey…" he said, wandering in. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment further. Sitting down halfway between Rose and Scorpius, he put the mugs down on the carpet.

"Here, your drinks from earlier. They're still warm." Albus said.

"Thanks Al." Scorpius said, a little smile still on his face. Albus looked between the two of them.

"So. You're alright then?" Albus asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Sorry about that though… I'll go apologise to your Dad later."

"You don't have to apologise, it wasn't your fault." Albus said, gulping his hot chocolate, that obviously wasn't at all hot anymore.

"That's what I said." Rose agreed, smiling a little, hoping Albus hadn't noticed her pink cheeks.

"Good. Might help this numpty see sense." Albus smirked. "Anyway. Mum said dinner'll be ready very soon, but I guessed you probably wouldn't want to sit at the table with the whole family, so I asked if we could eat out on the roof terrace as it's a clear evening. Mum said it was too cold, but Dad intervened and said we could."

"Thanks Albus." Scorp nodded appreciatively. His best friend knew him all too well.

"Oh and Rose, you're having dinner here tonight, Mum's cooked extra for you and your parents to stay." Albus added.

"Oh great." She smiled. There was another knock at the door. Little Lily kicked the door open with her toe, holding a large tray laden with food.

"Little help here…" She muttered. Scorpius and Albus both got up simultaneously. "Why are you sitting in the dark?"

"Why not?" Albus shrugged, taking the tray from her. "Thanks for bringing it up, Lil."

"Weird. You're welcome." Lily stole a glance past Albus to see what was going on with Scorpius.

"Thanks Lily." Albus said again. She got the hint and turned round quickly and walked away, her flame-red hair flicking over her shoulder.

"Come on, let's go to the roof." Albus said.

"Hang on, I need a jacket." Scorp said, opening his wardrobe door and pulling out a hoody. "Rose, take this." he said, holding out a sweater.

"Uh…"

"It's clean, I promise. Saves you going downstairs for your coat."

Rose shrugged and took the sweater. "Thank you."

Scorpius held the door open to let Rose in front of him.

"Thanks." She mumbled, thanking him again, pulling on the sweater as she walked to meet Albus waiting by the door expectantly. As she pulled it over her head she was overwhelmed by the scent of him. She resisted the urge to inhale deeply, and instead darted forward to take the tray off Albus so he could unlock the door up to the roof. What is going on with me… Rose thought to herself.

"I'll take it." Scorpius offered.

"It's fine, I've got it." Rose insisted, trying not to look like she was struggling with the large and heavy tray.

"Sure?"

"Mmhmm." Rose nodded, following Albus up the narrow staircase. Her fingers got scraped against the wall a few times as the tray was so wide, but they quickly emerged out into the cold air.

She placed the tray down on the little table, and the two boys sat down. While Rose busied herself lifting the plates off the tray and lifting lids to see what had been cooked for them, Albus shot Scorpius a look, half of amusement, and half something Scorpius couldn't quite place. He returned his look with one of innocence, before turning his attention to the plate Rose set down in front of them.

"Pumpkin juice too… great." Rose smiled, picking up the jug and filling the three glasses. Rose sat down finally and tucked into her own plate, returning the little smile Scorpius gave her across the table.

"Hmm… some light would help." Albus muttered, disappearing back through the door and returning a few seconds later with a box of matches and a lantern that he retrieved from one of the little cupboards in the stairwell. He lit it and set it in the middle of the table, casting some much needed light over their plates. Albus resisted the urge to snort or something similar, as he watched the pair stealing secret looks at each other over the top of the lantern while the other wasn't looking, for the entire duration of the meal.

It was quite plain that Scorpius had fallen for Rose Weasley, and Albus was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. He smirked into his pumpkin juice.

A/N: heehehee. thoughts, feedback? ;D

PS, if any of you haven't reviewed yet or didn't realise, I reply to all [signed] reviews. so if you fancy a chat or a fangirl over scorp or something, drop me a review and i'll definitely reply :)

PPS - thanks everyone - I just realised this story has hit 100 follows! ...oh, and 69 reviews... o.O ;)