A/N: This is unfortunately the last chapter of Secret Admirer. It has been fun (and not to mention, hectic as well) writing this story. I never would have thought that I would write until this far. What was once thought to be a one-shot, it is now a chaptered story ;]

A humongous thank you to those who have read, reviewed, favourited, put this story on Story Alert and put me on Author Alert. Another humongous thank you to those who have given me suggestions on the presents. I'm sorry if I didn't put your ideas in here, but I really appreciated every one of them. And the last, but not least, humongous thank you is to those who have been willing to wait for days/weeks/months for an update. I know I'm not very good at updating, so it really means a lot to me that there are still people who are reading my story.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling.

CHAPTER 25

After he found Rose's missing locket, Scorpius couldn't stop thinking about it even though he was supposed to do his homework and study for the upcoming exams. He didn't know when to give it back to her, and neither did he know what to give her for a new gift (even though Albus did say to give her a pendant, but he reckoned that's not good enough). He tried asking the Potter brothers, but they declined to help him further because he had to think about it himself as this might be the last gift for the year.

He realised that he had indeed been receiving a lot of help from them when it came to presents. The least he could do to return the favour was to help them in studies. But he thought that it's not much because they were both smart; they just needed a little push.

He sighed. I need a little walk. He closed his book and put it inside his bag, drawing attention from his friends. Before they could ask, he beat them to it, "I'm going to take a breather." Without waiting for a respond, he got up and walked out with his bag on his shoulder.

The fresh air calmed him down a bit. It was suffocating back in the Common Room which was surprisingly full of people even if the weather outside was nice. He should have gone out sooner to study as the chance of thinking about this Secret Admirer business would be lower, as well as the likelihood to meet her.

Or so he thought.

There she was, the object of his affection, sitting under a tree with an opened book on her lap. She looked very beautiful with her hair tied up into a messy ponytail. Once in awhile, the wind blew in her direction, causing a few strands of her hair to run wildly. Scorpius had to clench both of his fists so he wouldn't just dash to her side to push the strands away.

Without his consent, she looked up to stare at him right in the eyes. She put on a sweet smile knowing who it was and gestured him to come closer. And who was he to deny the offer with a pretty view like that?

"Decided to come out finally?"

Scorpius tilted his head in confusion as he took a seat across from her. "What do you mean?" Was she expecting me to join her?

"Why would you want to be stuck inside the stuffy room when the weather is this nice?"

He shrugged. "I didn't know." He put on a smirk. "You could have come to get me, you know."

Rose gasped dramatically. "And leave this place when I'm already comfortable? Never."

They were soon laughing so hard, they had tears in their eyes. Scorpius had to clutch his stomach as it started to hurt. Rose was leaning against the tree on her back with her book covering her mouth, as if suddenly shy for cracking up in front of him.

After a few deep breaths taken, they stopped and were finally sober. They shared an awkward smile at each other before looking away. Scorpius caught a slight blush on her cheeks, causing his heart to flutter. It was like their 'date' all over again, reminding him of how lovely it was and how he wanted to do it again.

Well, they're alone now. And they're outside. It could be considered as a date. Right?

That thought made him blush. What am I doing? I should be studying. He chanced a look at the view in front of him, and he immediately regretted his decision because what he saw was breathtaking. And he didn't care if it's too mushy because it's true. She's just smiling at him with not a care in the world; as if they were really on a date.

He silently shook his head to clear out his weird thoughts and made the move to get up.

"Where are you going?" she asked, sounding genuinely confused. And dare I say it: sad?

"Err, to find a place to study."

"What's wrong with this place?"

Scorpius shook his head. "Nothing. It's just that –"

"Then stay."

He looked away for a second before turning back to her again. "But wouldn't I be in your way?"

Rose waved a dismissive hand at him. "I could use some company right now. It's been so quiet before you came." Her eyes went to the view on her left, taking a few deep breaths. "Too quiet to be honest." She directed her attention back to him. "And it's kind of scary to be here all alone even though it's still bright."

"Where are your friends?" he asked, settling in to sit beside her now instead. Might as well get comfortable. "Or Dom. You're usually with her."

"Well as you might have known, Dom likes to sit on her favourite place – that hidden, mysterious corner – in the Common Room. She would never budge unless there's an apocalypse happening." She laughed, staring at something ahead as if the subject of the conversation was there. "The others were already comfortable in the room, so I couldn't bother." She then raised her arms. "And now, here I am."

"Like I said before, you could have come to get me." He took a glance at her. "I would have said yes in a beat."

She smiled. "Next time, then." She turned to her friend on her right. "But I'm really glad that you're here, Scorpius."

"You should thank the students in the Common Room," he said. "If there weren't that many people, you would have been lonely here."

"Should I send an owl to them?" She giggled.

Scorpius laughed softly. "If you want more company, yes."

"I think yours is enough already."

They both suddenly blushed again. If someone was to see them, they probably would have been mistaken to be having a fever and taken to the Hospital Wing. It didn't help that Rose kept fanning her face with her hand. Her face was hot despite the wind that sometimes passed by.

The boy had to think of a topic so they would get out of this awkward situation where their faces kept turning red. His eyes went from the view on his right, all the way to the left. But he found nothing; only trees, walkway, the Black Lake, the entrance to the Forbidden Forest, and a tiny Hagrid's cabin from afar. Those topics were too boring; so boring in fact it's usually exchanged between strangers. At least in my opinion.

"So, have you finished studying?"

Surprisingly, Rose found a question. Scorpius had to stifle a sigh of relief.

"No," he answered. Well it was more like a whine, but who cares? "I couldn't concentrate with all the noise and smell up there just now." He uncrossed his legs and straightened them out in front of him. "What about you?" He took a peek at the title of the book. "Doesn't look like you've been studying here."

Rose snorted. "I got tired looking at the same words over and over again. So I decided to read something light." She picked the book up and skimmed through the pages. "But I've read this a million times and it's not that fun anymore."

Scorpius smiled. "Of course you have," he joked, earning him a shove on his arm. His eyes suddenly caught a silver chain around her neck, reflection from the sun blinding him slightly. "You know," he looked down, playing with his fingers, "I've never known you wear a necklace."

"Ah, this?" She adjusted her top so it would be hidden like the usual. "I purposely don't show it off."

"Why is that?"

"I'm not one to do that," she answered. "And also because the locket is still missing. What's the point of wearing an empty chain, right?" She sighed, staring at the scenery in front of them. "I should have taken it off but I'm so used to wearing it. It feels empty without." She suddenly laughed as she turned to look at him. "I seem to always babble about nothing whenever I'm with you."

I'm glad you're comfortable enough that you're sharing everything with me.

It was almost five o'clock in the morning. The Common Room was finally empty of students after hours and hours being bombarded with noises. Exam period was coming soon and they had to stay up late even if they didn't want to. They had to do well in exams if they wanted to go to the next level in their education.

Rose was alone downstairs, sitting on the sofa usually occupied by her or the Potter brothers. At last she could breathe freely and had time to herself because her friends had been bothering her to tutor her with subjects they were weak at. It's not like she didn't want to help them, but sometimes she really needed to be by herself because she also had to study.

She sighed as she rubbed her face with her hand. She was sleepy because she had been up and about, either helping her friends with the studies or studying herself. If it wasn't for Scorpius, and sometimes James, who pulled her out of the comfort of the sofa and forced her to get some meals, she might have died from starvation.

Thinking about Scorpius, her mind wandered off to her Secret Admirer. Or as what she would like to call him at times: mysterious boy. The last gift given to her was … Wait, what is the last gift I got? I don't even remember.

She stretched out like a cat and crossed her legs. She shook her head to stop herself from thinking further about Scorpius and Secret Admirer. She had to concentrate if she wanted to finish studying soon. But as she read the first paragraph, her eyes started to get heavy. To make matters worse, she even yawned. And before she knew it, she's resting her head on the armrest on her left.

A few minutes later, she faintly heard footsteps going down the stairs. Not wanting to get detention just in case it was one of the Prefects, she tried to get her head off the comfortable armrest. But she's too tired to do anything so she kept her eyes closed. She even managed to close the book on her lap and threw it gently to the table in front of her.

She could hear that someone walking towards the sofa she was at, albeit hesitantly. It was probably to make sure that she wouldn't wake up. The footsteps stopped somewhere nearby, she reckoned. Not even a minute later, she felt something warm covering up her body; most probably a blanket, judging by the softness of the fabric.

That someone sighed. "What are you still doing here?"

Rose almost opened her eyes in surprise, but she held it in. She couldn't believe that it was Scorpius who came down. What's he doing here?

"You're supposed to sleep," he whispered as he tucked a few strands of her hair behind her ear. "You're not a super human; you need some rest too."

I know.

Boldly, he cupped her face with his left hand and started stroking her cheek. "I like you, Rose Weasley," he declared. He ran his thumb across her cheekbone. "I really do."

Much to her disappointment, the warmness of his hand left her cheek. She almost whimpered until she felt something else landed on the same spot. He just gave her a small peck that drove her heart crazy. If it wasn't for the fact that she was supposed to be on the dreamland, she might have squealed. She also tried really hard to not blush at his action.

She then heard the footsteps once more. It sounded like he was retreating to his room upstairs. Once she was sure that the door was closed, Rose opened her right eye slowly and looked from left to right to check if the coast was clear. She dared herself by opening the left eye as well before spotting a small box and an envelope on top of the table in front of her. Hmm, what's that?

Being a curious girl that she was, she picked up the nicely wrapped box first. She carefully opened the wrapping paper to reveal a dark blue box. She tilted her head in confusion because it mysteriously looked like … She shook her head. Nah, it can't be.

She released a breath she didn't know she was holding as she opened the box. It was her missing locket that she'd been looking for more than a week. She gasped as she couldn't believe that Scorpius actually found it. She really thought that she had to explain to her mother how she could lose the locket once she returned home this holiday break. She's so ecstatic that she could cry.

She then remembered that there was an envelope, so she put the locket back to the original place and picked up the envelope with a nice writing on the front that said 'Rose Weasley'. She turned it around and opened it to take out the parchment. What she saw surprised her because it didn't look like it was written by Scorpius.

"My beautiful Rose,

As you most probably have known, this is the Secret Admirer (I imagine you opening the box first before reading this letter). This is our first 'conversation' and you had no idea how nervous I was writing this. I tried my best not to reveal anything that might give away my identity, because if you knew who I was, there's no point becoming a secret admirer anymore, is there? The word 'secret' is there for a reason.

Anyway the purpose of this letter is just another present from me. I know it's not much but I haven't got the time to buy anything from Hogsmeade as we're having our exams soon. I should have been more prepared because this is my last present of the year. I mean, what's so nice about a mere letter and a cleaned locket? (Yes, I did clean your locket)

Speaking of which, I found it under the table in the Common Room quite a long time ago. I'm sorry for not returning it to you soon but there's a reason for that. I wanted to give you something special because I haven't done my Secret Admirer job for a few months already so I felt like it was the right thing to do. Unfortunately though, the present this time is disappointing.

Exams are coming soon and I don't have to wish you luck because I'm sure you'll do well. You're one of the most brilliant people I know. And I'm really glad that we met here in Hogwarts. School would be different without you because you're one unique person. And not to mention, beautiful too.

Well, I'll end this letter here because I don't know what to say anymore.

Loving you always from afar, Secret Admirer.

P.S: Yes, I did say 'love' because I believe that I'm in love with you. It's okay if you don't return my feelings. I just had to get it out there.

P.S.S: I realised that this letter is not as romantic as I first expected. Sorry about that. I should make it up to you soon. Well as soon as the exams are over.

P.S.S.S: I'm not that mean. Of course I'll wish you good luck."

"Oh, Scorpius."

Rose bit her bottom lip as she finished reading the letter. It wasn't romantic she agreed, but it was just perfect because it came from him (besides, the presents from both him and the Secret Admirer were beyond perfect). She knew how hard it must be for him to not say anything to hide his true identity, so she gave him some points for that.

"You have no idea how much I really want to say to you about my feelings."

A/N: 25 chapters, 48,615 words, 123 reviews, 20,460 hits, 52 favourites, 102 alerts up until this point. Wow! Without you guys, I might have stopped writing in the middle and wouldn't be able to see the huge numbers.

Don't forget to review. And thanks a lot for reading this. I hope to see some of you on my next story/stories ;]

Til next time..

P.S: One last thank you before I go off is to the local band in my hometown whose song inspired me to write this story.