Rose didn't want to open her eyes. But she had to see if the bastard had fallen asleep. She pretended to fall asleep and hopefully he would let his guard down. That's when she wanted to make her move. Hopefully, he thought she was too weak to move or maybe that she had passed out again.

The thought was tempting, but she had to stay alert. The sharp pain in her skull faded into a dull ache, but maybe that was just because she was too tired to process the extent of her pain. Or maybe it was the adrenaline kicking into her veins. Her heart pounded furiously and Rose hoped that the bastard couldn't hear her breathing.

Slowly, Rose pried her eyes open and glanced around. The first thing her eyes locked onto was a piece of wood, one of several that had broken from the shack and sat amongst the dubris. It looked heavy enough that if she could get her strength behind it, she would knock his lights out.

The man is slumped in a corner of the shack. His duster coat was draper across him as he snored lightly. Rose noticed a bottle of an amber liquid sitting next to him, half empty. She breathed a sigh of relief as silently as she could. She pushed herself up, moving as slowly as possible.

A little piece of paper caught her eye. The parchment looked like a torn letter than had fallen from his coat as he passed out.

Rose zeroed in on the make-shift weapon she was about to pick up.

She's a little surprised that he would drink so heavily, considering how in control he seemed. Why would he put himself at such a disadvantage. Rose realized that he probably didn't consider her any type of threat without a wand. The thing about wizards and witches who are so into blood purity and magic, they don't realize that it's entirely possible to get stuff done without magic.

With a big plank of wood and the ball of fury in her chest, Rose would be able to do serious damage without casting a single smell.

The downfall of hubris.

This man was so arrogant he got pissed and passed out without a second thought. Rose wondered what the game plan was. Did he plan on holding here indefinitely or was he waiting on more Death Eaters—Masters—whatever they wanted to call themselves?

Rose wasn't sticking around to find out.

She stood up slowly, not daring to breathe. She could barely keep her hands from shaking, but knew that she if didn't keep her whits he would hear her.

Rose kept her eyes on the drunk man the whole time.

Just as she stepped to grab the wooden board, he snorted and released a loud breath. Rose froze, blood thundering in her ear. She stared at him, waiting for his eyes to open and fall on her.

But they never opened. He settled deeper into sleep and continued to snore.

Rose picked up the plank and shuffled closer to him.

Instincts told her to run in the other direction, but she knew that if she didn't knock him out and grab the wands, he would run after her and she would be at a disadvantage if he still had a wand. But then again, what if she hit him but not hard enough to knock him out.

Then she would wake him and he would still have his wand—and hers if he took it.

Rose approached him with the plank raised over her shoulder, ready to take aim.

Her arms shook and as soon as she was in striking distance, she brought the wood down on his head with a heavy thud. His eyes snapped open, fazed and blitzed, and his head rolled. But then his eyes focused on her.

"Bitch!"

He whipped his wand out just as Rose bashed his head in again. Terror shot up her spine and as soon as the plank collided with his head, the wand fell out of his palm. It clattered to the floor and Rose didn't hesitate. While he was dazed and down, she grabbed his wand and snatched it away from his grasp.

"STUPIFY!"

The spell hit him square in the chest and blasted him backwards.

In an out-of-body moment, Rose snatched up the letter. She's not sure what made her grab the innocuous piece of parchment that was lying next to him, but she crushed it in her hand and turned.

And then she ran like hell. She blasted open the rickety door and sprinted through the forest. She didn't pause to take in her surroundings, even though she had no idea where she was. But the only thought going through Rose's mind was that she needed to put as much distance between her and that man as possible.

So she didn't stop to see where she was or where she was running to.

For the first time, Rose noticed that she was only wearing one shoe. Her left foot got abused by the rough forest floor and she jumped over tree roots and fallen branches.

Her saving grace was the light just starting to peek out from over the treetops. Rose ran until she couldn't any longer and then she pushed herself just a little farther. Just a little farther. That's what she kept telling herself. If she just made it a little farther then…

Rose's eyes clapped onto a little house.

Tears blurred her vision, but she didn't stop. She couldn't stop.

She ran straight to the door and began pounding furiously until her hands were sore. The door flew open and she launched herself inside, into the arms of a stout woman with blonde hair.

"Oh my Merlin," the woman gasped as Rose clung to her.

She couldn't stop the sobs that came out of her and she couldn't answer any of the woman's questions. A moment later a balding man, her husband Rose assumed, barreled into the room with his wand raised. Rose stared at his wand as she cried into the woman's embrace, immediately grateful that she stumbled into a wizard's house.

"The hell…?" He looked at Rose and then looked back at the open front door.

He quickly shut it and then spun back to his wife and Rose.

"Shh, shh, love." The woman cradled Rose close and she couldn't do anything but cling to the woman.

"He's out of there," Rose croaked as she hyperventilated. "He's in the shack…." she rambled nonsensically, her voice sounding impossibly rough and scratchy. "He's there…" they needed to understand, they needed to know.

The man looked back at the door and then to Rose. "You're Rose Weasley," he realized as his eyes widened. "Aurors have been searching for you." Rose couldn't keep herself upright any longer, dizziness sent her to the floor. Some relief flooded her as she realized that someone had noticed she was missing and they had been looking for her.

"Larry, help me." The woman said as she tried to keep Rose upright.

Blackness crept into the edge of her vision. All of the hits she had taken decided to creep back up on her in full force.

"Look at her feet…" someone mumbled, but Rose was almost gone.

She thought grimly about how torn up her feet must look.

"Rose, stay awake. Rose, try to keep your eyes open."

But it was no use. All of the adrenaline had left her body and there was nothing to keep her going anymore.

She blacked out.

Little boots pounded on Rose's head. For what felt like the millionth time in the past few days, Rose struggled to open her eyes. It was just too tiring. Lights were on, that much she could tell even without her eyes open.

"Rose, can you hear me?"

Her eyelashes fluttered.

"Can you open your eyes?"

She didn't recognize the soft feminine voice and even though her tone was friendly, Rose couldn't help but shrink away. She didn't want to open her eyes.

"Ms. Weasley, if you can help me squeeze my hand." Something slid against Rose's fingers and then she squeezed and drifted back to sleep.

Rose woke up fully sometime later. Bright lights stared back at her and she winced. She tried to raise a hand to face to make sure it was still there. Her brain felt hazed over, like someone had hit her with a stupid stick. After glancing around she realized that she was in St. Mungo's.

And they must've given her some potion to take away the pain because nothing hurt, but her tongue felt heavy. "Mom?" She rasped.

Not a moment later, her mother's face hovered over her, blocking the bright lights.

"Rosie, you're awake," her mum whispered through tears. "How do you feel?"

"Out of it," Rose coughed and tried to sit up. Her head swam and Rose couldn't tell if she managed to sit up and was staring at a blank wall or if she was staring at the ceiling.

"Lie down… slowly, now." She eased back down. Her mum leaned away for a moment and then put a cup to her mouth, "Drink. You must be thirsty."

"Where is he?" Rose's heart thumped quickly.

"Your father went to get—"

"No." Rose said firmly, even though her voice was broken. "Him."

Hermione sucked in a tight breath. "He's in prison. That couple you stumbled upon sent word to the castle immediately and the Aurors found the cabin. I don't want you to worry about that thought—"

"What about the others?"

Hermione squeezed Rose's hand, "We found the note you took from him on you. His name was Roman Darcolm. Aurors staked out the shack and soon enough the rest of their gang showed up. We think they were going to use you for leverage…" her mum trailed off and looked sadly at her hands.

Rose's lips pressed together, "He kept saying he wanted to send a message."

Hermione's eyes flitted back and forth and she stood up, "Rosie, I'm going to get Harry and your father… but I'm going to send Albus and Hugo to sit with you." Hermione brushed hair out of Rose's face and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be back with your father in just a few minutes. There's Aurors outside the door, you don't have anything to worry about."

Rose nodded and let her eyes drift closed. She didn't have long to rest before Albus and Hugo shuffled into the room and came to her bedside. Albus's black hair stuck up in all different directions like had been pulling at it.

Hugo's red-ringed eyes crinkled as he smiled, "How are you feeling?" Rose couldn't remember the last time she had seen her brother cry. Probably when he was a little kid.

"I'm okay." Rose smiled as best she could. "Can you help me sit up? I'm kinda tired of lying down." After some maneuvering, Rose was propped up on pillows and sipping from her cup of water.

It didn't take long for one of them to ask, "What happened, Rosie?"

Rose blinked, "I was walking with Scorpius…" it wasn't until that moment that Rose realized that Scorpius might have told their friends about the almost-kiss. "Didn't he tell you?"

"He told us you got into a fight and sent him back to the castle."

She let out a long sigh of relief but didn't want to let on, "Yes and then I was knocked out. It was only a few minutes after Scorpius left. I think he was watching us… I remember hearing something while we… we were fighting. A branch snapping. It startled me and that's when I told Scorpius to leave."

Albus inhaled sharply and ran a hand over his hair, "Scorpius feels horrible."

Rose frowned, "It's not his fault. I sent him running, I was a total wretch to him."

Hugo smiled dimly, "He'll be relieved to hear you say that. You might also want to say that to dad… there was some initial blame thrown around, but I think mum and Uncle Harry talking him out of it."

"How long was I gone for?" She was afraid to ask, but needed to know.

"A little over two days." Hugo replied.

Rose rolled her neck absently, "It felt like longer." It felt good to stretch out and get the cricks out of her bones. "What have I missed?

Any assignments…" Rose's face heated under their stares. "What?"

"Rose, you have the perfect excuse to beg off for the rest of the year!" Hugo exclaimed.

"I can't do that! We have exams and this is my second to last round of exams."

Albus shook his head and rubbed his eyes, "You're ridiculous. But do whatever makes you happy. Ask Scor for help, he's ahead in everything and I've been, um, slacking." He mumbled at the end.

Rose was sure her face was flaming, but she hoped they wouldn't notice. She couldn't think of what she would say to Scorpius. She knew without a doubt that he would forgive her for saying such horrible things and for slapping by the lake. He wouldn't hold it against her, but she still felt so guilty and a part of her longed to go back to when they did fight.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Hugo asked hesitantly.

She played with the fringe of the bed sheet that was tucked around her. "They gave me a pain potion or something, so it doesn't hurt."

She knew he was asking about physical pain. But the emotional repercussions were too deep to delve into in that moment. Already, bile threatened to creep up in her throat.

But Hugo didn't push it further and their parents walked in just then.

Ron surged forward and then hugged Rose gingerly, "I'm so glad you're awake."

After a few more minutes, Ron finally released Rose. Uncle Harry stepped forward with a sympathetic smile. "Rose, if it's not too much, I'd like to go through what happened."

Hermione frowned deeply, "But if you need more time—"

Rose shook her head and then immediately regretted it as the spot behind her eyes throbbed. "No, I want to do it now. I'd rather get it over with." She shot her parents what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

Harry looked at Ron and Hermione hesitantly, "This might be easier without an audience." Albus and Hugo backed out of the room quietly.

"Rose, we can stay if you want?" Hermione wrung her hands.

Rose bit her lip and then looked at Uncle Harry. His eyes surged with something Rose couldn't place, but it seemed like he wanted to speak with her alone without alarming her parents. "That's okay, you guys should go sit with Hugh." In a few moments, Rose was alone with Uncle Harry and her thoughts.

"How do you feel?" Harry pulled a chair next to the bed.

Rose swallowed, "Sore. But not so bad anymore."

Harry smiled softly and she appreciated that he didn't ask her anymore. "I'd like you to walk me through the events leading up to abduction if you don't mind." Rose nodded, but Harry cleared his throat before she could respond, "And you should know that

Scorpius told me what happened. What actually happened." Harry's eyes bore into Rose's and she felt the tips of her eyes heat up.

That blush would spread to her cheek and down her neck in no time. "You didn't tell…" Rose glanced out the door her parents had just walked through.

Harry shook his head, "No, it wasn't relevant. And Scorpius only told me because he didn't want to hide anything and end up getting you hurt." Rose smiled despite herself, not caring if she allowed some feeling to sneak past her defenses in front of her uncle.

Rose started at the beginning. She told Uncle Harry about her argument over a miscommunication about a fight between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. The fight hadn't lasted long and then they were walking by the lake.

"And then we almost… you know." She still couldn't admit it to Harry. Even if he was a cool uncle, he was still family. "But I got startled—"

"What startled you?" Harry asked.

Rose squinted as she thought back. Mostly she just remembered how beautiful Scor looked in the moonlight and how close they had been. But there was something else… "A branch snapped or something. There was a noise and I jerked away and shoved him." Rose recalled. "Instinctually." She tacked on. She really hadn't meant to push him and planned on apologizing immediately.

"And then I told him off and he didn't want to go, but I was a right bint. So he went back to the castle and I was cursing myself and then something hit me."

Harry frowned as he processed her story. "So there was no way of knowing you would be alone."

"Well, he was obviously watching…"

"It seems more like a crime of opportunity rather than a planned attack. There was no way to know you would be alone by the lake, someone must've been watching you."

"How did he get onto the grounds?" Rose asked.

"We're not sure he did." Harry admitted and ran his hands through his hair just like Al and James did when they were nervous. "It's still possible there was someone on the inside. But it seems unlikely that a student or teacher would have a connection to this group."

Rose's chest tightened. If it was an inside man then that meant this wasn't over.

"Did he say anything to you? About what they wanted?"

Rose nodded, "It was just typical blood purity stuff. You think they'd be a little more original with their prejudices. Seemed like they were just knock-off Death Eaters honestly. And I don't think they had a plan beyond spreading fear." Exhaustion seeped back into Rose. Whatever energy she had upon waking up was slowly fading and her eyelids felt heavy.

"Do you want to rest?"

Rose let her eyes fall closed, "I don't know why I'm so tired."

"You've been through a crucible. You'll be home soon though, don't worry."

Rose's eyes snapped open, "What about classes and exams?" She demanded. "I can't miss exams—"

"Rose, you've been exempted from exams for this year. It's like your taking O.W.L.'s or N.E.W.T.'s. Your professors will give you a grade based on your work throughout the year and determine if you're able to continue with your classes at N.E.W.T. level." Harry explained. "But try not to think about that. McGonagall would not have allowed it, if she didn't think you would pass with flying colors."

She sunk back into her pillow. "Is anyone else here? Other than Al and Hugo?"

Harry nodded, "Victoire and Teddy were here for a little while. All of your school friends wanted to come but we couldn't have a gaggle of students wandering the hospital. I expect they'll all be allowed to visit over the next week. James and Lily stayed at Hogwarts with Penny and Scorpius, but Penny packed a bag for you so you have some changes of clothes."

Rose nodded absently. She was grateful to Penny and to Al and Hugo for being here, but she really wanted to go back to sleep. "Do you mind if I rest for a little while?"

"Of course. I have… some things I need to take care of." Harry replied vaguely and Rose suspected her was going to interrogate the gang of purebloods. Harry pressed a kiss to her forehead and then left the room.

Rose let out a long breath and closed her eyes.

Rose and her parents left St. Mungo's five days after she was brought in. Cameras and press were constantly trying to catch a glimpse, so they portkeyed directly from Rose's hospital room to their house. Hugo was still at Hogwarts and planned on visiting Rose over the weekend. There were only two more weeks left of school before exams and then everyone would be going home for the summer.

All of the Weasley-Potter family had taken turns visiting and her roommates had been allowed to visit a few days ago. McGonagall had arranged from them to floo to St. Mungo's. Sybil had been expectedly emotional and Hailey did her best to make Rose laugh. Persephone and Penny simply watched Sybil and Hailey bounce back and forth between hysterics and dry humor.

The only person who had yet to visit was Scorpius and Rose worried that he was mad at her. She thought he would forgive her for being so cruel by the lake, but maybe his feelings were still hurt. She couldn't blame him. But then she thought he just didn't want to draw attention from her parents by visiting her. She didn't blame him for that either.

"Scorpius said to say hello," Albus told her while visiting with James and Lily.

And now she was home and wouldn't be returning to school until September. She didn't want to stew in her own insecurities until then and hoped she would get the chance to see Scorpius before then.

"Rose, are you hungry?" Her mum asked as Rose began to trudge upstairs.

She shook her head, "No, I'm just looking forward to being in my own room."

"The Aurors put up extra protection charms and they'll be on guard, so you don't have to worry about anything." Her dad said warmly.

"I'll be home with you until Hugo is back for the summer. And I think Roxy and Vic were planning on coming by to keep you company."

And that's how Rose ended up sitting in front of the fire while Victoire made hot chocolate. Despite it being early June and warm, Victoire decided hot chocolate and fire were about comfort not heat.

"How has sixth year been?" Vicky asked as she handed Rose a mug.

"Fine. Not too interested… except, you know." She smiled dryly. Except being kidnapped by a maniac.

Vicky nodded sympathetically, "I hope your classes are going well. You always were the brightest of all of us. Still competing with Malfoy for the top spot?" Vicky tossed her silvery veela hair over her shoulder and short Rose a teasingly smile. Rose blushed deeply.

That had been happening any time someone mentioned Scorpius and it hadn't gotten better with time.

"Scorpius is… fine. We're equally matched."

Vicky shook her head, "I can't imagine anyone being equally matched with you, Rosie Bear."

Rose let out a long content breath, "But he is." She admitted. Scorpius matched her better than anyone else she could think of. "He's just… and we're…" Rose drifted off and then caught Victoire's curious eyes.

Rose leaned forward abruptly, "Can I tell you something? And you can't tell anyone else!" She blurted. She needed to talk with someone about what happened and Victoire was so far removed from Hogwarts, she would hardly care about the drama.

Vicky nodded eagerly, "Of course."

Rose looked around hesitantly. Her dad had stepped out to get groceries, but she couldn't risk him walking in at that moment. When she was satisfied that there was no chance of anyone over hearing her, Rose bit her lip.

"I almost kissed Scorpius."

Victoire's eyes bugged out and became the size of saucers. Her mouth popped open and then closed and then open again. "You and Malfoy. Malfoy and you… kissing. Almost."

"Vicky!"

"Sorry, sorry." Victoire shook her head and blinked rapidly. "Okay, you almost kissed and then…"

"Then I told him off and got kidnapped!" Rose slumped back dramatically. "And I haven't seen or spoken with him since. I don't know what to do, because I think he's forgiven me, but then why hasn't he visited? And why do I even care?" Rose threw her hands up and let them fall on her head. She wanted to pull her hair out. "We had one almost-kiss, maybe it meant nothing."

Victoire blinked. "I'm processing all of this information." She stared at Rose, who felt like her skin was about the fall off. "Okay, I have processed the information. Don't freak out. He's probably thinking about this just as much as you are. And he's probably worried that you're mad at him. I think you should just write him a letter and break the tension."

"So I just write him out of the blue and say…"

"Just ask how he's doing. You don't have to bring up the kiss or anything, just check in with him. I bet he's dying to talk to you." Victoire said confidently. Rose wished she could be so sure. "Can I ask… Do you like him? In a real way, I mean? Or was it just a heat of the moment thing?"

Rose ran her fingers through her messy hair. "I don't know. We've been getting on much better and I like studying with him. He—he's charming and interesting and the most handsome boy in school. And sometimes it feels like he's the only one who really understands me. But I dunno."

"Sounds like you do know," Victoire said gently. "Why don't you write to him?"

"Right now?"

Victoire shrugged, "Why not?"

Dear Scorpius,

I hope school is going well and you're preparing for exams. I can't tell if I'm grateful or peeved that I don't have to take exams this year. How are we going to know who's at the top of our grade?

And honestly, I'm going a bit barmy being home all the time. I'm catching up on loads of pleasure reading, but sometimes I wish I had the distraction of classes. Maybe you could send me notes on what we're doing?

Tell me about your life. Anything interesting happened while I've been gone?

Hopefully I'll see you soon,

Rose

She read the letter twice and then handed it to Vicky for inspection. Victoire read it so slowly. Rose couldn't stand it anymore, "Well? Is it too much?"

"No, it's perfect. You let him know you're not mad at him without being too mushy."

After a slight hesitation, Rose gave the letter to her owl.

Victoire left shortly after her father arrived home and Rose nearly bounced off the walls with anticipation of Scorpius's response. As the day went on, Rose fretted more and more that he wouldn't respond at all.

It was nearly 9 o'clock at night when Rose heard a rapping on her window. She leapt up from her lounger and threw open the window, snatching a letter from her owl's mouth.

Rose,

I'm so happy that you're feeling better. Studying for exams has been brutal, you should definitely feel relieved you have a pass. Although I'm selfishly disappointed because I'm far more motivated when you're here to push me.

I've included some notes on classes, although you don't need them. You're top of the class.

Interesting news at Hogwarts… honestly, there's not much to tell. Penny and James are disgusting, all over each other and snogging everywhere. My life has been boring, you took all of the interesting with you.

I can't wait to see you again.

Sincerely,

Scorpius Malfoy

Warmth blossomed in Rose's stomach and she felt her eyes water slightly. Relief flooded her and for the first time in the last week, she felt the weight truly lift off of her shoulders.

A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay! It has obviously been a crazy few months and motivation is hard to come by.

If you enjoyed this or have any feedback, please leave a review! Reviews help sustain me when motivation is dried up.

I would also like to make a note about my personal beliefs and they are these: LGBTQA+ rights are non-negotiable. People's lives are not up for debate and human rights are not an opinion.

THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE REVIEW!