A/n: This chapter is dedicated to the absolutely fantabulous NightmarePrince for being the awesome person that he is. Happy birthday oh Master of everything Dark and Ansgty! Go read his stories everyone, you have my word on how fantastic they are!

Chapter 26

Unraveling

When she came to, the first thing she noticed was the hardness of the hospital bed she was lying on and the whiteness of the privacy curtains around it. The second thing she noticed was the shouting and swearing voices that were arguing at the top of their lungs right outside the screens.

It took her a moment to orient herself to what had happened and with her heart sinking, she slowly sat up without making a sound, trying to make out what the shouting was all about. She started when she heard her father's voice and she felt her skin break into gooseflesh, shocked by the disgust and hatred and anger in it. The second voice that wasn't as loud but just as venomous, was Draco Malfoy's and she was just as shocked to hear him talk in anything more than cool indifference. Her mother and Astoria's voice were in the background, trying to placate the men and she also recognised her uncle Harry and Albus's voices.

She brought her knees to her chest and hugged them close, shivering not from cold, but fear. As soon as she shut her eyes, all she could see was wild, frenzied silver and all she could hear was hysterical screaming.

She had not expected Scorpius to lunge at her; nor had she expected him to throw her to the ground and look at her with bared teeth like he was going to rip her throat out. Before she could even scream, something had changed in his eyes and he had jumped to his feet, had looked around hurriedly, like he was expecting someone to leap out from behind a bookshelf and clobber him to death, and then, after casting her one last look, had all but sprinted out of the library.

Since it had been nearing curfew, the library had been almost completely empty and before anyone could reach them, Scorpius had disappeared. Both her and Albus had been completely stunned beyond reason with what Scorpius had done. One moment he had looked like a lifeless corpse and the next minute he was tearing towards her like a rabid Werewolf. The only things that she did notice, was the confusion in his eyes at what he was doing and the smoking hole in his uniform through which the cursed pendant was visible.

After that, she had probably fainted and Albus must have carried her to the Hospital Wing. Now that she was awake, she didn't know what had happened after the time she had fallen unconscious and with every passing minute, her feeling of utter despair only escalated. Unable to bear anymore of the shouting, she threw herself off the bed and ripped open the curtains, staring at everyone with red eyes.

Hermione immediately cried out and pulled her into a hug. Even Ron – whose face was twisted in a snarl and was as red as his hair – managed to look slightly less menacing as he regarded her with concern.

"Oh, Rosie!" Hermione sobbed, clutching her daughter for dear life. Her mother seemed to cry an awful lot lately and it made her feel quite guilty.

"Mum please, I'm fine," she insisted, prying her mother off of her. She gave her a reassuring smile and then turned to look at the others. Her eyes paused on Astoria – who looked pale as death, her usually up done hair sticking to her sallow face and hanging limply down her shoulders. She kept wringing her hands and her posture was hunched and pulled together, like she wanted to seem as small as possible. She finally turned to look toward her father, purposely avoiding Albus, Harry and Draco's eyes.

"What's going on, daddy?"

She had hoped referring to him as she had when she was little, would calm him down in the slightest, but it seemed to make his anger worse. His whole body seemed to expand like an inflated balloon and he glowered at her.

"Why don't you tell me, Rosie."

Rose flinched at the sharpness of his voice and finally glanced at her cousin. From the way his jaw was set and his cheeks were pale, to his terrified eyes, she knew her father had found out about her and Scorpius. How that had happened was a different story entirely and she had an inkling it had something to do with Hugo and her brother's dislike for Scorpius.

"I don't know. I just woke up to everyone shouting," she said, making her voice sound as calm as possible. Her father looked like he was going to take her across his knee and start punishing her for being a bad girl, although he had never done so once in her life.

"That boy," he spat, jerking his chin towards Draco. "Almost killed you, that's what!"

"Nonsense!"

It was Hermione who had spoken, which was probably the only reason Ron fisted his robes tightly and grit his teeth, although he looked like he wanted to lash out at her.

"Hermione," Harry said warningly, taking a step towards Ron and raising his hand as though he wanted to restrain his best mate before he assaulted someone.

Hermione seemed to shrink beside Rose, but she raised her chin stubbornly and sniffed at her husband. "It's not Scorpius's fault—"

"I don't bloody care if it was that bloody brat's fault or yours or anybody else's!"

A tense silence fell over the room as everyone started at Ron's outburst and stared at him as though they expected him to explode into flames. Nobody moved so much as a hair. Nobody breathed and nobody spoke; at least, until Draco's icy voice cut through the silence like a deadly dagger.

"Then I don't see why you seem to think my son is at fault here, Weasley."

If it weren't for Harry's hand on Ron's shoulder, he probably would have lunged at the other man and thrown him to the ground.

"If you don't mind Malfoy, I'd like to speak with my daughter."

Draco stared at Ron for so long, it was almost like he was challenging the latter to see how far he could push his luck. But in the end, he cast Rose a passing glance and spinning on his heel, strode out of the room with the same regality as always. Astoria shared a worried look with Hermione and then took off after her husband, almost jogging to keep up with Draco's long strides and momentarily forgetting to act with the usual grace she always did.

After another tense moment, Harry let go of Ron and nodding to Hermione, the two made their way to one of the beds further down. They didn't leave the room and neither did Albus; who simply stepped back and sat down on the bed across from Rose's, staring intently at his uncle. Harry had probably left his son there just as reassurance that he would stop Ron from doing something regrettable.

Ron twisted to the side and collapsed onto the bed besides Rose's. She could feel his intense stare boring into her, but she simply continued to stare at the ground and stood where she was, half-turned away from her father, one hand gripping the railing at the base of the bed for support.

"How long did you think you could play this little game?"

She wanted to scream and throw herself at Ron and smack her hands at his chest and cry and yell and tell him what an idiot he was, but all she did was set her jaw, look up at him and say in as flat a voice as she could muster,

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Ron growled, his eyes flashing, and Rose saw Albus shift from the corner of her eye.

"Do not lie to me, Rose," Ron hissed and she had to will herself not to flinch. Ron almost never called her Rose. She was always Rosie. His darling little Rosie. To hear him call her by her given name was more of a shock to her than the expression of disgust with which he was currently looking at her.

"I am not lying," she said, glad her voice had dropped so low that he couldn't hear it tremble.

"So you're not smitten with that brainless Malfoy boy, then?"

Her immediate reaction was to get angry that he had insulted Scorpius, than to react to what he had said. After pulling herself together, though, she did realise and had to bite back a sigh.

So that was why he was so angry.

It wasn't just that he had found out that she was with Scorpius Malfoy, Draco Malfoy's son. It wasn't even that he thought Scorpius was taking her for a ride or tricked her into the relationship or the like. It was that he had accepted the fact that she liked him.

"Oh," she said softly, shaking her head. She bit her lip to stop herself from chuckling. It made so much sense now. Her father would have been angry when he had found out about the relationship, but he wouldn't have cared as much because he would have been under the delusion that Scorpius was just fooling around and they would eventually part ways. He probably had never thought, in his wildest of dreams, that his daughter would come to love the son of the person he despised the most.

"It's not a game," she said, her voice sounding light and faint to her own ears. "I love Scorpius, dad, whether you're going to accept it or not."

Yes, she had expected him to draw his wand out. Yes, she had expected him to jump to his feet and hex something near by. Yes, she had expected him to shout and swear and move towards her like he was going to slap her.

But she hadn't expected that he would actually slap her.

So when the hit came, she was thrown to the side, the force of it, plus its unexpectedness, completely throwing her off her feet. She lost her balance and fell sideways, hitting her head sharply against the metal bar she had been holding. She collapsed to the floor, her breathing ragged, tears stinging her eyes. She heard Albus shout and run towards her, followed by Hermione and Harry, but it was already too late. What Ron had done couldn't be undone.

Albus helped her to her feet and she stood up shakily, her whole body trembling uncontrollably. Her teeth chattered and she didn't care that she was sobbing. The place where she had hit her head burned and when she reached up to touch it, her fingers drew back with blood on them. Just the sight of her own blood piqued her anger and she felt it boil through her veins and fill her up with rage. She finally looked at her father and swallowed, her rage clouding any feelings of remorse or pity for the completely appalled and horrified expression on his face. He was shaking his head, having gone completely pale, his mouth hanging open and he looked like he couldn't find the words to apologise to her. And she knew he couldn't, because there was nothing he could say to make her forgive him, just then.

It wasn't that he had raised his hand against her. It wasn't that he had yelled at her. It wasn't that he hated the boy she loved, with a passion. It was that he had rejected her and her ability to make her own decisions. He had slapped her simply because she had told him truthfully that she loved Scorpius. She hadn't expected him to understand or accept it, but she sure as hell hadn't expected him to completely reject the very idea of her loving him so violently that he would even raise his hand against her.

"Are you regretting what you did, daddy?" she spat, and was surprised in the least by how cold and disgusted she sounded. Ron's eyes widened and she could've sworn he looked close to tears, the hurt clear on his face, but all Rose could see was red.

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you, but it's too late for regret. Did it ever cross your mind even once that I'm your daughter and I wouldn't make such an important decision stupidly? Did you ever, for a moment, think of listening to what I had to say? No, forget all that, were you ever going to see Scorpius as anything other than the son of a Death Eater that you absolutely despise?"

When Ron's eyes widened some more and he opened his mouth as though to apologise, his head shaking slightly, Rose felt her insides harden.

"Of course not. Why would you? Why would you see him as the perfectly charming young man he is, since you're so completely blinded by your idiotic hate for his father and his family name and everything that he's not. Remember the first thing you told me about Scorpius on the first day of school all those years ago? I am so glad I did not listen to you. It took me a while, but I finally saw him for who he is. And I don't care who his parents or grandparents or ancestors are; I don't care that the world hates him with the same petty hatred that you do; and I don't care that our families have been at war since the beginning of time. To me, he is just Scorpius and I love him and nothing you or anybody says or does is going to change that. And if you can't accept it, well too bad, because you just lost your one chance to hear me out and listen to what I have to say. I hope you can live happily for the rest of your life with your disgustingly petty way of thinking."

And she turned on her heel and ran out of the room, tears streaming down her face. She heard her mother and uncle call out to her, she heard Albus try to reason with her as she ran past him, but she didn't care.

She'd had enough. It hurt her that her own father couldn't see Scorpius for what he really was. It hurt her that he wasn't even willing to give him the chance that he deserved. It hurt her that he had rejected him so completely before he could even get to know Scorpius. It hurt her that he wasn't even willing to hear her out. It hurt her that he thought his own daughter would make a decision that he considered the worst. It hurt her that he couldn't see past the Blood-traitors and the Pure-bloods and the family feuds, enough to simply give Scorpius a single chance.

She wanted to scream and as she slammed the door to the Hospital Wing shut behind her, she did. She doubled over and screamed and sobbed and wailed and just remained there until someone wrapped their arms around her and cradled her to their chest, shushing her softly and rocking back and forth.

"Why," she wailed to no one in particular as Astoria stroked her hair and let her cry her heart out.

"Why can't he see—why doesn't he understand—is it so wrong—is it so wrong to love someone just because their family and mine hate each other—"

"Hush, love, hush," Astoria crooned as Rose wept openly after a long time. When she finally raised her head up, she saw Draco watching her, and he had the most unfathomably tender expression on his face. She pulled back, embarrassed that Scorpius's parents had seen such an ungraceful side of her. She apologised as Astoria helped her to her feet, but the woman only smiled gently at her, her eyes warm and affectionate.

When Rose stepped towards the long bench Draco was sitting on, he stood up and looked at her with the same inscrutable expression. She noticed, for the first time, that Draco's eyes weren't as steel-grey as she had thought they were. When he let himself act like the father he was, Draco's eyes were the same shimmering liquid silver that she knew so well.

"Do you really love him?"

When Rose gawked at him dumbly, Draco chuckled and repeated his question. "Scorpius. Do you love him?"

"I do," was her immediate answer. There was no hesitation or pause. It wasn't something she needed time to think about. The more time she spent with and away from Scorpius, the more obvious her feelings for him became. She loved him and there was nothing she could do about it.

"I'm sorry if you don't accept it," she said curtly, afraid that Draco would react somewhat in the same way her father had, but his eyes simply widened, in what she could only think was amusement, and a faint smile appeared on his face as he said,

"And why would you think I would not?"

Rose made a face and touched her cheek lightly. She knew it was probably red and swollen, but she was sure her whole face was puffy after her crying episode. "Because my dad didn't take it too well. He slapped me pretty hard."

Draco's eyes flashed, but he immediately regained his composure and said, "That would seem exactly like what Weasley would do. But," he said and Rose's breath caught in her throat as Draco smiled – a real, genuine smile. Not his usual ones that looked like he was going to be sick or like it was such a bother that he'd rather not do it. "I have absolutely no qualms about it, if your feelings for my son are true."

"Why would I lie?" Rose asked incredulously, still dumbfounded by the fact that Scorpius had got his father's smile. She'd always thought his personality was all Astoria, but maybe not, after all.

Draco simply chuckled at the question and then did something that shocked Rose enough that she stood rooted to the spot, like someone had Stupefied her and Petrified her at the same time.

He reached forward and tilting her chin up with two fingers, placed a feather light kiss on her forehead.

When he pulled back, his entire demeanour rearranged itself to the usual Draco Malfoy, head of Malfoy Manor, that she knew; the same lazy smirk on his face, his chin held high, looking down his nose at her, his shoulders straights, his posture tall. But the only thing that betrayed that what he had done was real, and not something Rose's untamed imagination had conjured up, was the way his silver eyes glittered with mirth.

"Now, if you will excuse us," he said in his usual formal tone, dripping with politeness, "Astoria and I must go see Headmistress McGonagall on the issue of our son."

He did a half bow of sorts that made it seem like he acknowledged Rose, but didn't think it was beneath him to do so. He then glided down the hallway, casting a beckoning look at his wife. Astoria moved closer to Rose and pulled her into a tight hug, whispering into her ear in a voice choked with emotion, "Thank you."

When she pulled back, her dark eyes were shimmering with unshed tears and Rose felt her heart warm for the woman in front of her.

"No, thank you," she said, smiling at Scorpius's mother. Astoria sighed delightedly and with a small peck on Rose's cheek, strode after her husband and away.

Rose watched them until they disappeared around a corner and then sunk down onto the bench, suddenly feeling exhausted by the whole ordeal. She stared at the large double doors in front of her, her chest tightening painfully and tears pooling in her eyes. She was starting to wish her father hadn't done what he had done, because all she wanted to do was throw the doors open and run into Ron's arms, apologise to him and take back everything she had said. Despite everything, he only did what he did out of love and she couldn't forget the hurt in his eyes when she had left after saying what she had.

A/n: -fist pumps- YESSS IT HAS HAPPENED! DRACO IS OFFICIALLY THE HEAD SHIPPER OF SCOROSE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Agh I am so happy about this chapter; especially since Rose put her bloody idiot of a father in his place and ALL THE MALFOY FEELS UGH.

A penny for your thoughts and a ginormous cookie for your reviews! Speaking of, I just reached two hundred reviews and am almost at a hundred follows! Thank you so much, you guys, y'all are the bestest! :')

Lots and lots and lots of love~