Hi all! Welcome back for another installment. Hopefully you all enjoy this chapter but just an FYI, it will be living up to the M rating.

Enjoy!

Chapter Seven:

The wet grass clung to the back of Rose's thighs as she sat down on the hill. Bringing her knees up to her chest, Rose picked some of the damp clumps off her skin.

Rose absently ran her other hand through her hair and glanced around.

It was colder than it had been earlier in the night. As she rubbed her arms, Rose wished again for a jacket. A light breeze seemed to flow through the crowd, which was beginning to disperse now that the spontaneous event had finished.

Rose watched as her schoolmates and cousins headed back inside. She was at the far edge of the group, near the other wall of the Potter's U-shaped manor. No one seemed to notice Rose as they gathered together, all too engrossed in their own conversations.

Roxy still had her arm slung over her girlfriend. Rose could make them out, even outlined as they were by the house lights. They made quite the noticeable silhouette.

Lily was laughing with a group of friends near the doorway as well, chattering away happing.

Rose could just make out James making out with Frankie near the pond.

Slowly, most people made their way towards the warm interior of the house, taking the noise with them.

As the silence of the night settled in all around her, the downside of Rose's drinking made itself known. Without the earlier distractions, Rose could feel the ill effects of her earlier choices. Despite sobering her considerably, the solution James had handed her before the race did little to curb the side effects of over-drinking. Rose vaguely remembered seeing a hangover potion in her cousin's room. She looked around for Albus briefly, but he was already gone from the field.

Instead Rose saw Bari, staring absently up at the sky. Rose briefly thought of joining her friend, maybe ending the night before things got too out of hand, but found she had little in strength of will or of movement. Instead, she let her cheek rest onto her knees. Rose closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, willing the nausea she felt to go away.

It was working somewhat. The cold night hair filled her lungs and she breathed slowly out her nose. The world behind her eyelids seemed to have stopped pulsing.

For a moment, Rose was at peace, a rarity for her. There were no prefect duties or cousins or Malfoy to annoy her. The night air played with the ends of her hair as an owl hooted in the distance. It was nice, even with the nausea.

But, with her eyes still closed, Rose felt someone sit down on the damp grass beside her.

Without even having to lift her head, she knew immediately who it was. Because there truly was only one person who it could be. Because there was no it couldn't not be him.

Rose had never been one to have much luck.

"I see someone managed to dump a sobering potion down your throat," Malfoy said smoothly. "You don't appear to be falling over anymore."

His voice was coming from the direction her closed eyelids faced, away from the rest of the party. Away from the noise and the lights and the people who she didn't want to talk to. Especially people named Malfoy.

Rose eyes snapped open in annoyance, glare at the ready. But what she saw stopped her. Though he was sideways in her view, Rose could tell Malfoy wasn't being malicious in his comment.

She would have suspected that Malfoy would have taken her apparent pain and discomfort as an opportunity to take the mickey out of her. Something he was want to do. Instead, he sat with a look of relief on his face.

Probably doesn't have to worry about me giving the Heads a bad rep anymore, Rose thought with less bite than she would have earlier in the night.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she took a deep breath through her nose.

Instead of responding right away, Rose lifted her head from her knees and turned forward. She felt that choosing to ignore Malfoy's obvious ploy to engage her in conversation was the most sensible thing for her to do. She didn't have the energy at the moment. And couldn't be bothered to give him the satisfaction he'd no doubt get in her response.

Besides, his lack of animosity was too much for her still hungover brain to process.

Rose watched Bari through the darkness. She had wandered out farther than the intimately engaged couples, alone except for the stars. Rose was jealous, she'd rather be by herself with no annoying blonde staring at her profile.

"So you plan on ignoring me forever?" Malfoy attempted to get her to speak again.

Rose sighed and turned her head up towards the sky, still pretending to think about anything other than the boy she was sitting so close to.

The stars above were faded and dim, drowned out by the flood of light from the house.

Malfoy cleared his throat. She took another beat before answering him.

"Not forever," Rose said, her eyes still skyward, refusing to face him. "Just until my headache goes away. Speaking with you usually just exacerbates that issue."

Rose heard Malfoy scoff beside her. She could feel his gaze on the side of her face, roving over her features. It was weird, feeling him survey her so intently. Rose rolled her neck and faced him. He looked away when she met his eyes.

"Is there something you need?" Rose asked, curiosity and impatience finally getting the better of her.

"Just wanted to make sure you were okay," Malfoy responded after a beat of his own. He was now looking up at the sky. Rose detected only a small amount of bite in his voice.

"Ever the worrywart, aren't you?" Rose responded, not trying to keep the sarcasm out of her own tone.

"Why do you care so much that I care," Malfoy said, turning towards her again.

They stared at each other for a second before Malfoy leaned into her. This might have felt like a leer earlier in the night, but it didn't anymore. Malfoy's face was close to hers, his brows knit together in a look of frustration.

"Why does it matter so much to you, Rose?" he said, an unreadable look in his eyes.

Rose swallowed, unable to find the words.

"I – I don't know," Rose said, slightly taken aback by the openness of his expression.

Even in the dark, his blonde hair was bright. It was annoying. Rose couldn't look away from him.

"Yes, you do," He countered quietly.

Rose gnawed at her bottom lip, having no reply. Instead she glanced around anxiously at the area around her. Everyone had dispersed. She couldn't make out James and Frankie or any other couples. Bari was no longer off in the distance.

They were alone.

"Why do you care in the first place," Rose whispered, half hoping he wouldn't hear her. That her words would get lost on the wind on their way to him. But he was sitting so close now that she thought he might be able to hear the rapid pace of her heartbeat.

"You know why," Malfoy replied. A chill went down Rose's spine as she turned toward him again. Her face heated up, the words yes, I do flashed briefly through her mind.

There was a crooked smile on Malfoy's face like he'd just read her mind. He looked as if he had just won some unremarked upon contest between the two of them. Rose didn't know why, but it felt like he had to her as well.

Then Malfoy turned away from her, his eyes focusing on the horizon before he rose to his feet. Without another word, without so much as a glance back down at her, Malfoy turned back towards the house.

Rose sat there for a moment, staring at Malfoy's retreating form, confusion, anger and something else boiling up inside her.

But then Malfoy turned around so he walked backwards to the house. He nodded at her in invitation. He was so presumptuous. So sure that he knew her mind and that she'd follow him.

Rose hated that he was right.

Rose hated that it worked.

Every goddamn time.

Worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, Rose thought for a moment before making the decision she'd been making for months.

Malfoy had turned back around so he did not see her rise to follow him. He didn't need to, he knew she'd follow him. Rose could practically feel the smirk radiating off his face.

Rose followed as Malfoy entered the billiards room, keeping her distance as he picked his way through the thinning crowd. Rose thought he might stop for a moment at the group of Slytherins gathered around the fireplace but he moved past them with a simple wave. An easy excuse and laugh ready for any questions they might have.

Rose was envious. Her stomach felt tight and she thought if anyone stopped her or even looked at her imploringly, she might give the whole game away. But Malfoy was smoother than his hair looked. Smoother than she knew his hair felt.

They were quickly out of the room and into the mercifully empty passageway. But Malfoy didn't stop. He kept walking, past bedrooms and closets and bathrooms. Heading down like he knew where he was going. Like he'd done this before, in this home. Like they'd done this before, together.

Which they had, but that wasn't the point.

As Rose turned the corner at the end of the hallway, she looked briefly back towards where everyone else was. She knew if she kept going, following Malfoy down the corridor, there would be no one around to stop her. Maybe one of her cousins or Bari would call her name and beckon her back to the party. Maybe she wouldn't do what she was about to do. Something she knew was bad for her but had no willpower of her own to stop.

But the hallway was empty. No one called her name.

When she turned her attention back in front of her, Malfoy had disappeared. For the briefest moment, Rose thought he might have left. A brief feeling of panic came over her. But then, the tell-tale click of an old door opening brought her back to reality. And Rose knew just as she was powerless to stop doing whatever it was that they were doing, so was Malfoy.

Rose saw Malfoy glance around the side of the library doorway. He briefly looked at her, that same unreadable expression in his eyes, before disappearing into the room.

Rose followed immediately, taking long strides down the corridor.

The door to the library was not shut and Rose pushed it open with her hand. It swung forward revealing an empty room. Books lined the walls, stretching high up to the ceilings. An old wooden table had a pile of spellbooks stacked high. Rose could make out the squashy armchairs by the unlit fireplace. But there was no sign of Malfoy. She stepped inside, turned around and shut the door in front of her. The lock turned in place with her silent magic.

Before Rose could turn away from the door to survey the room, she was pushed up against it.

Her cheek was pressed against the aged wood as hands roamed up and down her body. She could feel Malfoy behind her, his lips finding her neck immediately.

"Don't make a mark," she mumbled as she felt him nip at her skin. Her demand had lost some of its impact as she pushed her hips back against him.

Malfoy groaned and spun her around. Rose's back was pressed tightly against the door. She couldn't see anything of the library around them. Her whole view was blocked by him. He towered over her and surrounded her. His normally light eyes were darkened and he had a mirthless smirk on his face. Rose returned it with one of her own. He bent down towards her, placing a ghost of a kiss on her lips before moving his lips over her jaw line, up her chin, down her cheek. She shut her eyes, unable to focus on anything but the feel of him pressed against her.

"I've been wanting to do this all night," Malfoy muttered as he reached her lips again. His pressed his like a whisper against her own. "Push you up against a wall in front of everyone we know. Show them how much you really hate me."

"I do hate you," Rose replied, leaning forward to close the gap between them. He pulled away slightly before she could reach him, but she could feel his breath against her skin.

Opening her eyes slightly, Rose glared at Malfoy. She hated him so much all she wanted to was kiss that stupid look off his face. But in her momentary pause to glare at him, Malfoy had grabbed onto one of her wrist and brought her hand above her head. He locked it in place against the door, his large hand wrapping around her forearm. His thumb rubbed against her skin. Rose pushed her hips up towards him and he let out a deep breath.

Not wanting him to have all the power, Rose pushed her free hand back against his chest. Malfoy stepped back, giving her room to breathe. She smiled coyly at him, and he raised an eyebrow.

"I really, really hate you," Rose said, looking at him as she pulled her shirt off and over her head. It fluttered lazily to the floor.

"Yeah, clearly," Malfoy replied, freely looking her up and down. "You must despise me."

He made a step closer to her.

"Oh bugger off," Rose rolled her eyes, sticking a hand out in front of her, holding Malfoy at arm's length. She walked forward, pushing him further into the room.

"I'd rather just bugger you, if that's alright," Malfoy said, grabbing her hand to his chest. He made to pull her into him but she spun out of his grip and walked towards the table filled with books.

"Hmm," Rose hummed in the back of her throat as she ran a finger over the aged wood tabletop. She didn't respond until she was on the other side of the table from Malfoy. Tapping her index finger against her chin, Rose looked at him as she said, "I'll have to think about it."

"Ok, just let me know when you've made up your mind," Malfoy said, moving quickly around the table in a few strides before grabbing Rose around the middle and pulling her towards him.

He dragged her lips towards him and Rose thought vaguely that she'd made up her mind a while ago.

They kissed languidly, her hands in his perfectly quaffed hair. She knew he would be annoyed that she had ruined it, but that made her just want to run her fingers in it even more. It was soft to the touch as her hands curved around the back of his neck, pulling him towards her.

Malfoy's hand had drifted up and down her sides, leaving a hot trail behind. They rested on the sides of her bra. He made to reach around back, but Rose stopped him.

"Not until we're even," she murmured, pulling away from his lips, reaching for the hem of the shirt he wore and pulling it over his head in one practiced, swift movement.

She always loved taking off his clothes, especially his shirts. Because Rose loved Malfoy's chest. Rose knew, even before they'd started this, that his torso was one of his attributes she liked the most. She supposed she should hate it for being so appealing, but she couldn't bring herself too. It was firm and smelled of pine and mint which shouldn't work together but did on him. Not that she would ever admit that to him.

There was a lot Rose would never admit to Malfoy, the smell of him being top of list.

Malfoy brought Rose closer to him again, skin on skin. His hand lightly pulled on her hair, and Malfoy leaned down to nip at Rose's exposed neck. She groaned as she ran her fingers up and down his back, digging in when he sucked on the pulse point beneath her jaw. She grabbed his hair and dragged his mouth back to her own.

He tasted like firewhisky and chocolate.

Rose would also never admit that she loved the feel of him against her, loved the taste of his mouth on hers and the way he would breath out her name when she bit his shoulder.

Most importantly, Rose would never admit that she didn't totally mind his company, even when they were fully dressed.

It felt a little childish to hide the fact that she didn't completely dislike Malfoy, seeing as they'd much more intimate things than sit and study together. Rose just knew that if she ever told Malfoy that she didn't completely hate him, she'd never live it down. Ever.

Malfoy's hands continued to roam her body, finding their way back to Rose's back, unhooking her bra with trained ease.

"Malfoy," she moaned desperately as he slid the straps off her shoulder.

He clucked his tongue and pulled his hands and lips away. However he did not step back as he looked into her eyes.

"Fine," she murmured, reaching up to kiss is neck.

"Scorpius."

Rose let the bra fall to the floor between them.

He moved quickly then, the lazy movements of before forgotten. Picking her up so her legs wrapped around his waist, Malfoy unceremoniously dropped her onto the table. Her legs wrapped around his waist instantly, Malfoy kissed her so hard she felt her back touch the table top.

Rose's skirt was hiked up around her waist and Malfoy's hands were reaching up beneath it. Rose was pushing futilely at his trousers with her feet.

"Ow," Malfoy said suddenly pulling away. "You've still got your trainers on."

"Oi sorry," Rose said, too distracted to be embarrassed. Malfoy's hair was messier than she'd ever seen it. His face was blotchy and red, his lips had some of her lip gloss smeared against them. The site of him so disheveled was doing things to her. As was the fact that he hadn't removed his hand from under her skirt.

"No worries," he said, looking down at her, kissing her collarbone. He squeezed the inside of her thigh before removing his hands.

Back rested against the table top, Rose let out a sigh as Malfoy kissed down her body, moving some of his heat away from her. But Rose didn't mind. His breath, lips, teeth were moving over her. Over her stomach. Dipping beneath her skirts waist. Past the apex of her thighs. Malfoy kissed her knee before untying her shoes and removing them from her feet.

He stepped back, away from her. Rose propped herself up on her elbows as she watched him take off his own trousers.

"I wanted to do that," Rose fake pouted as Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"Next time sweetheart, next time," Malfoy said moving back towards her. He pulled her knees around his waist as he stepped into her.

Rose tried not to think about what his fake nickname was doing to her insides. He didn't really mean she was his sweetheart. It was all just part of whatever game they were playing. A game Rose didn't understand, but one she loved.

"Next time? Who said they'll be a next time?" Rose said, breathing hard as Malfoy's hands found themselves beneath her skirt again. They pulled down her panties as Rose ground her hips against him.

She was still balanced on her elbows as he leaned in towards her. She felt her underwear dangle off her ankle before falling to the ground.

"Oh they'll be a next time, sweetheart," Malfoy said against her lips.

Rose hated that she knew he was right.