Chapter 21

Fluttering Heartstrings

The general belief that time flew by only when one was having fun wasn't entirely true, Rose had come to find. If one was stressed enough and lacked enough sleep and felt like their brain was going to explode, then time would be one constraint that wouldn't hold one back at all. In fact, if one was so busy that to be able to sit down for more than five minutes was a luxury, then time would be something that was quite literally unattainable.

Rose found this out for herself in the next few months of the school term. If her Prefect duties weren't draining every ounce of energy in her, the extra assignments and homework that the teachers were doling out without holding back, plus studying for the upcoming OWLs, and trying to grab at least a couple hours of shut-eye in a week, were quite honestly driving her to the brink of insanity.

She was constantly in the foulest of moods, snapped at everyone who even breathed too loudly, cut points left right and centre, and was always seen with a folder of parchment or a text book in her hands and a quill behind her ear or in her hair. She had also taken to spending every free hour either reading or sleeping in the library. She found it the most serene and peaceful place and it let her relax, and her mind was so full to the brim with everything that the incident which had taken place there was barely ever in the forefront.

Speaking of the incident, Rose hadn't so much as seen Scorpius after their argument, let alone spoken to him or sorted things out. Once she had calmed down enough to sit and think about it, she realized that she was the one at fault for unnecessarily being jealous. It wasn't even like the two of then were in a committed relationship. All they ever did was dance around each other and their feelings, but never actually admit what they felt for one another.

Their schedules were so varied that they barely even ate meals at the same time. Rose continued to patrol with Louis – who had rearranged the schedules so Slytherin patrolled on alternate days from theirs – and found those few hours the only time she could relax and talk or think about nothing of importance.

She was quite unprepared – which was more than a slight exaggeration – for the exams, but got through them with flying colours all the same. She found that she had a very good instinct when it came to viable questions that were going to be asked and gladly marked them for an extremely frazzled Albus, so that he actually was able to do quite well on most of his OWLs without much help. The week after the exams, Rose used the free time to rejuvenate herself by sleeping day in and day out – classes for the Fifth years were only compulsory for those who needed them and she most definitely didn't – and eating as much as she possibly could without throwing up.

By the time she was boarding the Hogwarts Express, she felt well rested and well fed and glad to be going home. Now that she was finally free, though, she found that her mind constantly kept flitting to Scorpius and their argument and how she still hadn't spoken to him about it, or apologized, or even seen him, for that matter.

That was when the last Prefects' meeting for the term was held.

"We want to thank you all wholeheartedly, for making this year easy for us and reducing our work-load so we didn't explode from it," Louis said jovially, shaking the girls' hands and patting the boys on the back. When he came to Scorpius, he pulled him into an awkward one-armed hug and grinned at the look of astonishment on the younger boy's face.

"I leave my dear cousin in your hands," he chortled, exiting the carriage to start the first patrol.

Soon everybody had cleared out except for Rose and Scorpius and when he made to leave, she abruptly slid the door shut and stood against it, like she was guarding the only exit. She eyed Scorpius wearily, biting her lip. He looked down at her with a slight frown, as though not knowing how to react to her blocking his way. She swallowed and before Scorpius could speak, said in a small voice, "I am so extremely sorry."

His eyes widened infinitesimally and then narrowed slightly. He stepped back and crossed his arms, choosing to remain silent. Rose swallowed the lump in her throat and scuffed the heel of her shoe against the floor. She wanted to look away from his cool gaze, but she knew if she did, she wouldn't be able to stop him from leaving. So instead, she did the next best thing.

She stepped forward, got on her tiptoes, and kissed him.

His reaction was something she didn't expect. He stiffened at the suddenness of the kiss but then drew back and pushed her away, wiping his mouth. She felt stung at the rejection and tears filled her eyes. She shook her head, knowing he had every right to be angry.

"I'm sorry," she whispered again, sniffling and leaning against the door.

Scorpius rested against the small table on the opposite end. Rose swallowed and stared at the floor, the distance between them becoming painful to bear. She finally opened her mouth and spoke to his shiny leather shoes, "You have every right to not want to speak to me. In fact, I'm just thankful that you're still here."

Scorpius made an impatient sound and she continued hurriedly, "I had no right to accuse you of what I did. You were obviously just doing whatever you thought was best in that situation. I just—I couldn't bear the thought of—of you kissing that girl! I could only see that scene from when she kissed you in the Christmas Party and I just—I lost it. I never thought I would be so jealous, but I was!"

She continued to stare at his shoes, swiping her hand across her cheek to wipe away the tears. The silence was so loud and overbearing, Rose had half a mind to scream and shout just to get rid of it.

"Why?"

His voice was quiet and distant when he spoke, but because he had, her eyes immediately flickered up to his and she saw the tornado of emotions in those stormy grey orbs…

His question could mean so many things, Rose realized. Why had she been jealous? Why had she reacted so strongly to one kiss that held no meaning? Why had she gotten so defensive about what had transpired between her and him in the library? Why had she felt cheated and betrayed? Why did she think she had the right to feel cheated and betrayed?

But mostly, why was she standing there saying all these things to him?

The answer was so obvious and common to every one of those questions, that Rose found it funny in the most twisted, ironic way. Her feelings for Scorpius had always been something extremely fragile, which would break at the smallest of touches, but could be saved with the simplest of caresses. She had always felt strongly about Scorpius; whether she had despised him or liked him as a friend or even what she was feeling now…

She smiled tremulously, the tears finally spilling down her face, as she said breathlessly, "Because I love you, Scorpius."

His eyes widened and his entire demeanor changed. It was like a dam had finally been opened, as emotion after emotion swam across his face. In one long stride he was in front of her, pressing her against the door.

"Rose," he breathed, his lips inches away from hers.

And she had had enough. The yawning distance had reduced to nothing, yet he was too far away. Their bodies were pressed together, yet there was too much in between them. When his mouth came crashing down on hers, she leaned into the kiss as much as humanly possible, wanting to melt into him.

She remembered something Scorpius had said to her a some time ago. Something about feeling like a tethered Hippogriff breaking free and soaring through the sky. That was how she felt then, as he crushed her between his own body and the door; as her arms twisted around his neck and her fingers tangled in his hair; as her legs curled around his waist as he picked her up and used the door to support her weight; as he wound one arm around her leg and the other through her thick curls; as he snogged her mindlessly, unwilling to even break away for breath; she was soaring higher than any Hippogriff, unfurling her wings and shrieking with joy as the wind whipped through her hair.

She had been so lost in her petty jealousy and her inadequacy and her muddled feelings, that she had completely ignored how intensely she felt about him; how furiously she loved him; how fiercely she wanted to belong to only him; it was driving her insane in a way that neither her studies nor her Prefect duties ever had.

When they finally pulled away, breathing hard, gasping and panting for breath, she looked into his stormy eyes and realized that he had drawn to the exact same conclusion she had. The murky grey of his eyes glittered in a way they never had before, and his mouth turned up in such a self-important smirk, she had to smash her lips to his just to wipe it off his face.

He gripped her legs and she tightened her ankles around his waist, kissing him as fiercely as he was kissing her. When they finally broke apart again, he shook his head in amazement, staring at her with eyes full of affection.

"Wow," he breathed and she felt her flush grow hotter. She swallowed, as she ran her hands through his silky locks.

"Yeah," she said just as breathlessly, watching as he licked his lips.

He then leaned forward and nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck, murmuring against her skin, "I love you."

Her skin tingled from his hot breath and she sighed as she tugged on his hair so his lips met hers.

"Rose," he groaned against her mouth, her lips vibrating from the words, sending a shiver through her entire body.

"Mm," she hummed back, as he bit her lower lip like he had done in the library. He pulled back to stare into her eyes and she raked her hands through his hair again, because she found that she simply loved the softness of it in between her fingers. He laughed lightly and brushed his lips against hers, pulling back after a moment. The chaste kiss left her lips tingling and yearning for more.

But, as she had come to learn, time never waited for anyone's convenience and teamed up with fate and luck to pull the nastiest tricks at the best/worst of times.

They both jumped three feet in the air when someone banged against the door. Scorpius hurriedly put her down, trying to brush his hair back into its original state, while Rose adjusted her uniform and tried to slow down her racing heart. When they stepped back from the door and it slid open to reveal an agitated Albus, they knew instantly that they had been found out.

Albus pursed his lips and gave them both a once over, taking in the tousled hair, the flushed faces, the shimmering eyes, the swollen lips and their general disheveled appearance.

"Right," he snapped, jerking his head to the right, "Louis told me to call you both to join the final farewell party we're throwing in our usual compartment. If now's a good time for you, of course."

They spluttered, turning red and followed after Albus, who just rolled his eyes at them and muttered something under his breath that sounded very much like how he was better off when his two best friends didn't get along. Scorpius cleared his throat lightly and entangled his fingers with Rose's. She smiled, squeezing his hand. She looked up at him to see that he was looking down at her with that rare, genuine smile of his and she felt her heartstrings flutter. She smiled shyly back at him, and he leaned closer to bump his shoulder against hers. She giggled and mirrored the action. He grinned down at her.

"Right," Albus's annoyed voice cut in on their moment yet again and they looked up to see the blatant irritation on his face. "If you two could keep your disgusting display of affection to a minimum," he said, gesturing to the door of the compartment.

Rose smiled sheepishly and let go of Scorpius's hand, stepping away from him and immediately feeling the lack of his warmth. Albus looked pointedly at them and then entered the compartment, which - to Rose's extreme surprise - had been expanded using Extension charms and housed about twenty people in it. Rose sat down beside Lily – who shot her a knowing look – and Scorpius was forced to sit on the other end by Albus. She kept stealing glances at him and saw that every time she was looking his way, their eyes would meet, because he was looking at her.

All in all, the train journey was filled with laughter and merriment.

When they got off on Platform 9¾, Rose and Albus were immediately surrounded by a gang of redheads (as they stood out the most) and everyone began talking simultaneously, hugging and exchanging greetings all at the same time. Rose laughed as Ron hugged her over Molly and then turned back, suddenly realising Scorpius wasn't by her side anymore. She scanned the crowd and saw that he was slightly away from the throng of people, hugging a teary-eyed Astoria and an ever-stoic Draco.

She was distracted as her mother pulled her into a hug and soon she was being passed around, earning hugs from every member of the family. There was a raucous noise where James, Fred and George were hooting and clapping Louis on the back – who had a medal around his neck that read 'First Head Boy of the Next Gen'. He laughed as Victoire hugged him with tears in her eyes, telling her little brother how proud she was and as Dominique made gagging motions behind her sister's back.

Soon they were making their way toward the barrier that led to King's Cross, and someone grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her away from her family. She looked up into dancing silver eyes and found herself flushing. Scorpius was fidgeting, as he looked at the retreating backs of the Potter-Weasley clan and then the patient faces of his parents.

"Listen," he said hurriedly, reaching out to place something very small in her hand, "write to me."

She smiled up at him, unwilling to say goodbye just yet. "I will," she said and suddenly disregarding the fact that all of her family and his were staring at them, got on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

His eyes widened but he chuckled, pinching her nose and saying fondly, "Bye Rose."

She grinned up at him as he pulled her into a brief hug and replied with a happy, "Bye Scorpius."

When she rejoined her family, she hooked her arm with Albus's and hummed happily to herself - choosing to ignore everybody's reactions. She would get hell from her father and maybe the others too, but just then she was too content to care.

She looked down at what he had placed in her hand and her smile widened at the sight of the miniscule note that said simply, 'Happy Christmas'. She giggled, realising he must have been too shy or nervous or both, to give her the traditional Christmas-charm present that year.

Attached to the note was a single, tiny, silver heart.

A/n: Hello, all. I know what you're feeling because I am feeling it too ABOUT BLOODY DAMN TIME, DON'T YOU THINK?!

Scorpius is just such a marshmallow and I've thoroughly turned him into a mad-romantic, haha.

Tell me what you thought of this chapter, guys! You know how much I need to know!

Lots of love because I am just too damn happy right now YESSSS -jumps and fist-pumps air-