"Rose! Rose! ROSE!" Abby screeched running at top speed towards me.

"Slow down, Abby, where were you? You've missed History of Magic."

Abby skidded to a stop in front of me, her knees shaking and her face red.

"Rose, the worst thing to have ever happen just happened!" she said through ragged breath.

"Sit down and tell me. It couldn't be as bad as Voldemort, could it?"

"Yes!" Abby replied ignoring the bench I pointed to. "Remember that guy from a week and a half ago, Caleb."

"Vaguely."

"He's back on the prowl again!"

"Prowl? He didn't hurt you or-"

"He kissed me, Rose!" Abby said wiping her lips, roughly, with her sleeve. "On the mouth! Uggghhh, it was horrible his lips were like scales- reptile scales!"

"Ew."

"I don't know how you do with Scorpius every ten seconds."

"We do not," I protested my skin suddenly flaring with colour. "Didn't he ask you?" I said getting back to the point. "Because we can tell a teacher if he didn't," I twisted the hem of my skirt in worry.

"This is what happened, I was walking from the bathroom to History of Magic, he appeared around the corner and started doing that introduction thing again. Then he started asking about you like crazy. Questions like what's going on with your parents and how close you were. I told him to eff off but he didn't. So I told him that you're unavailable that you had a super tough, jealous boyfriend-"

"Abby!"

"Anyway, I didn't tell him the truth or any details. He went at me like a dog in heat. I told him where to go again. Then he asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him."

"Did you say yes?"

"Of course not! Then he started whispering stuff in my ear that didn't make ANY sense! I said I was going with Kenny, I am after all. He leant down and said in the deepest Yoda voice ever, 'I've been dreaming about you since the start of the year. You're the hottest girl in this castle. No one wears the uniform better than you.' I said a few choice words and then I stated the obvious, 'Why are you a Ravenclaw? I can see quite clearly that you're trying to use me to get to Rose. It won't work though. Rose's boyfriend will beat you up and then I will.' He grabbed me. Then all passionately like in The Notebook, only I don't think Ryan Gosling smelled like oranges, said, 'I'm in love with you.' And he planted one on me. Tongue first! I'm gagging on the smell of oranges and his leather-like tongue. He was… getting excited I think is PG term for it."

I covered my eyes with hands pressing my palms into the sockets trying to make the image that flashed in my mind go away.

"You can really put images in my head," I whined.

"The kiss, on my kissing scale, is below the delightfully weird bird watching boy when I was eight and the over-friendly stray dog I tried to adopt," Abby said.

"Please tell me you slapped him."

"I did even better. I kicked him at the source of the excitement. He dropped like a sack of potatoes." Abby smiled at the memory. "Now that part was thrilling."

"You go, Abby!" I cheered.

"Thank you." she bowed. "Now I need to go to the Library and find suitable jinxes in case it happens again. Arm yourself, Rose. I also need mouthwash and lip balm. Oh, I should find Kenny and see if he gets super jealous and protective!"

"I'm going to find, Scorpius, I meet up with you later," I called after Abby as she sprinted back down down the hall.

Poor Abby, I thought. When classes ended, I promised Scorpius that morning I would go to the quidditch pitch with him while Slytherin did one of their extra practices.

"I'll be so bored without you." He had pleaded. "We can go flying!"

"Never in a million years will I get on a broomstick with you." I shook my head. "But I'll go to practice with you."

Scorpius was hopeful that if he pestered me enough I would change my mind and go flying with him. I wonder if that's what he dreams about? He said to meet him at the entrance to the castle. He'd then proceed to hide me for two hours.

I dropped my bag back at Ravenclaw tower and headed down to the front entrance to see Scorpius waiting for me, leaning against the wall, grinning at me as I approached. His beloved broomstick was resting his shoulder. My stomach twisted with dread.

"What's that for?" I asked pointing to his broom not daring to utter its name.

"Flying," he stated. "Don't look so down, Rosie, I bring it anyway just in case they need a keeper. I'm always ready to go."

I brightened up at this, "Do you have a cute quidditch uniform?"

"Not yet, I hope to soon, though. Shame it won't match the mascot."

"What mascot?"

"You!"

"I thought I was hot girl cheering you on in the crowd!?"

"You can be both, Rosie."

"I feel so special. What do you do at practice when you actually attend and aren't hanging with me in the Library?"

"Setting up equipment, walking a few hundred miles to get the quaffle and hanging around," he said holding my hand as we walked the grounds. It was still cold outside but Scorpius' hand was the exact opposite, it was in the Incendio zone.

"I'm not walking."

"Fine, then we fly."

"I've changed my mind. Walking seems lovely," I said quickly. "We won't come into contact with Albus and the others?"

"I'll look after you." he said releasing my hand and wrapping his arm around me instead squeezing my waist.

"I can protect myself against Albus," I said. "Any more trouble with Goyle?"

"No, I avoid her at all costs, though she has tried to come into the dorm a few times."

"That's not right."

"I'm 100 percent yours, Rosie, don't you worry."

"That's nice to know. Do you want to hear what happened to Abby?"

Scorpius grinned, "Go on."

By the time, we had reached the quidditch pitch practice was already underway. We hid safely under the tree and watched the Slytherin players zoom about in the air.

"Suppose I'll give you the grand tour," Scorpius said after about two minutes of looking longingly at the sky.

"I'll put my hood up then," I said struggling to get all of my hair to stay in the hood of my robes.

After some more walking and a story from Scorpius about some epic save done during some match we had entered the Slytherin changing room. Scorpius stuck his head in first checking that it was empty before leading me inside.

"It really does stink in here," I voiced my first impression.

"That, Rosie, is the smell of victory and hard work." Scorpius extended his arms proudly.

"Really? I thought hard work smelt like fresh baking." I said having a nose around some of the half open lockers. 'The Slytherins are either really trusting of one another or have nothing to lose,' I thought as I peered inside a couple of lockers.

"Be careful, the other houses like to put things in there," Scorpius said setting his broom against the wall.

"Like what?" I asked taking out my wand and using it to poke the items in there like the sensible girl I was.

"Fireworks- you know Potter tried to get me to put firecrackers that leave third-degree burns in the Gryffindor lockers."

"I can't picture you doing that seriously," I said almost gagging at the sight/smell of some player's rotting underpants. Note to self: disinfect wand several times, if that fails, purchase new and burn current one. "You didn't though…"

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at me 'are you kidding me, Rosie?' was written all over his face, "I said 'tried' didn't say succeeded. I'd rather be thrown under the Night Bus than do Potter's bidding like some-"

"House elf enslaved." I inputted.

"I was going to say idiotic Death Eater but yours makes sense even though I don't think I was ever short enough to be a house elf."

"Yeah, you want to get the growing thing checked out. You're an inch taller every time I see you. Everyday. No wonder I'm the butt of the short jokes standing next to you. I still maintain I am not short or tiny."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he teased.

I stuck my tongue out at him moving to the next locker.

"Merlin, remind me to never let you near my trunk!" Scorpius observed. "You're like a nosy little mouse or something."

I shuddered, "Ugh, don't bring up rats or compare me to one you know how I feel about them."

Scorpius shrugged, "Said mouse."

"Close enough," I said and admitted. "I'm worried that I'll be stuck facing a giant rat when we do boggarts in Defense."

The last thing I needed was to be possibly killed or trampled by a giant rat. Giant because dad, in his last letter, was kind enough to share his experience with a giant spider/boggart in his third year. I was asking mom for advice since she was always practical, logical and could make me see sense and relax. Dad, however, has countless amounts of times done the exact opposite. It was his story about Scabber's the rat true identity that sparked off my disgust at rats and tiny creatures. I've learnt not to ask him and go straight to mom but clearly, he skipped over the 'mom, I need to ask you a question part.' If only he hadn't been the one writing back this time. I hadn't gotten a letter from mom since school started. She had been too busy so it was dad's responsibility.

Abby laughed and Kenny didn't offer anything sympathetic so the obvious person to discuss my fears seriously with was Scorpius. As long as he didn't laugh as well or throw an actual rat on me (shudder) to get rid of my phobia.

He didn't laugh or grin like he was about to make fun of it. He instead sat down on the bench in the middle of the changing room, his chin resting on his hand, gathering his thoughts.

"I suppose 'don't think about it' isn't useful advice?" Scorpius said.

"What else am I going to think about? I'm afraid the damage is already done. And it's not just a rat I'm thinking about now it's a giant one thanks to dad."

"What did he say?"

I sighed and took a break from locker snooping, "When I was in third year we did boggarts. Lupin was a brilliant professor all the rest of them were bull. Shame you don't have him, Rosie, Crespley gives me Snape vibes! Not the saving the world, being a cool double agent vibes but being a prick vibes-"

"Are you reciting this from memory?" Scorpius interrupted.

I nodded, okay so maybe I was guilty of reading this paragraph more than once hoping some wisdom or loophole might stick out.

"I hate spiders. One of the worst experiences I had in class was when that boggart transformed into a spider, not just a spider, a giant one. People were screaming, even your mother was screaming, fearing for my life- he's making that part up mom's more put together than that – I thought I was going die or the spider was going to rip into my flesh like being splinched apparating. Anyway, I said 'Riddikulus' in the nick of time and took the eight legs right off that spider with a snap of my wand. Good luck, Rosie, I hope your boggart isn't anything I shouldn't know about. Remember don't think of spiders."

There was a pause and Scorpius started snorting with laughter. "That was the complete opposite of helpful."

"That was the complete opposite of helpful."

"Which is why I'm asking you," I said annoyed.

"Right, picture me killing the rat. If the unlikely event occurs where you encounter a giant rat I promise I will be there ready to kill it before it can come ten feet near you."

I laughed half-heartedly and sat down beside him taking his hand in mine.

"What about us getting caught!?" Scorpius suggested. "You always get panicky when you hear someone coming around the corner. Picture us in the middle of a steamy kiss and Mr Weasley shows up."

I squirmed, Scorpius' words did have their desired effect. "For the whole class to see?"

"Think of death or just make up one."

"I'll think about it and get back to you," I said feeling drained thinking about all these scenarios. "So any clue what your boggart's going to be, Scorpius?"

Scorpius shrugged, "I'm not really scared of anything."

"Everyone's scared of something." I pressed.

"Well there's the finding out thing and you suddenly hating me-"

"I don't think I could ever hate you. I think I got all the hate I could ever give you out of my system in first and second year."

"We'll find out, won't we?" he smirked like I had just challenged him. "When the boggart appears there will be probably nothing."

"Nothing?"

"The boggart will disappear. There will be only air."

"You're so brave," I said bringing my hand to my forehead and faking a swoon. "My wizard in shining armour."

"I will protect you from the rats, my beautiful witch," he grinned at me.

"MALFOY! GET THE BLOODY QUAFFLE!"

I jumped and gasped at the sudden shout that filled the changing room. Scorpius didn't seem alarmed by it. He frowned at the yell ruining the moment.

"This is why I don't like quidditch," I hissed across to him. "No one can phrase things nicely, can they?"

"No, 'cos that would be too much effort," he replied and yelled over his shoulder. "I'M DOING IT!" he turned back to me and stood up, "Time to go quaffle hunting."

"Can't you just Accio it," I complained, my voice became whiny. I knew why you couldn't just Accio it but that didn't stop me bothering him about it.

"No, someone could summon it during a game and completely screw the chaser's up," he told me patiently, clearly dumbing the whole logic behind no-Accio-quaffles down for me. I was pretty sure he told me this already.

He grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the changing room.

"Don't worry if you get tired I'll carry you."

"Don't rub it in."

Scorpius hid me out of sight while he went to find out what direction the quaffle went. When he returned he said, "East! Let's hope they don't lose the other quaffle while we're searching."

"I thought the quaffle just get passed between the player, it couldn't possibly go that far."

"Slytherin chasers like to experiment with the beater's bats." he explained patiently again.

"Lucky us."

"Hurry up the sun's going down," he said as we enter the woods. "Climb on my back."

"What? And break it?" I said not sharing the excitement that gleamed in Scorpius' eyes. "Is this another one of your 'you're so cute like a doll, Rose, let me carry you around like one!' obsessions?"

"No, I wouldn't carry a doll like that. I want to see how long I can carry you."

I bit my lip. This could be fun or a complete disaster.

"You're not going to drop me?" I asked cautiously stepping towards him giving in.

"Not unless you want me to."

"I don't want you to."

"Then jump on," Scorpius said patting his back.

"I need a running start to do this," I said stepping back a few paces. "Prepare yourself. Don't fall over, for Merlin's sake."

"You can do it," Scorpius encouraged me.

I ran full force forward and tried jumping on his back. I latched on to his neck (terrible mistake) and slipped right down his back onto the floor. Leaving Scorpius with four long red marks on his neck. Great, I strangled him.

Scorpius coughed and rubbed his neck. Then he pulled me to my feet.

"We should probably give up on that idea now," I suggested taking a long look at his neck making sure I didn't do any serious damage or scratch his throat open.

"Never!" Scorpius exclaimed. "Though that method wasn't one of my brightest ideas."

"I'm sorry, Scorpius, but your neck, which I'm also sorry about, I might've bruised or scratched it."

Scorpius grinned at me beaming at the news that I've injured him, "Great, I might get a hickey."

"A massive one," I muttered.

"Even better," he said crouching down on the ground. I stood for a moment waiting for him to explain the weirdness. "Get on my back, Rose!"

"It's your own fault if it doesn't work this time," I said clambering onto his back being careful to not hold onto his neck this time. I gripped his shoulders for dear life. "Hold to my legs," I said as he steadied me by holding my thighs.

"Not wearing tights this time, are you, Rosie?" he said trying to control his laughter. I could tell it was making him red from my angle. I could see the blush rushing up his neck.

"You have to go out your way to say that, Scorpie?" I said glad that he couldn't see my own face which was heating up. I tried to remain still but couldn't stop my legs from shaking. There was no way he wasn't feeling that.

"I'm going to stand up." He warned his voice stiff sounding.

He stood up, wobbling at first to get his balance. I shut my eyes afraid that we were about to fall, but it didn't happen. Scorpius regained his balance and asked me,

"How does it feel to be tall?"

I opened my eyes and saw the world from a new height. I was suddenly fearful of the overhanging branches of the trees but at the same time, I felt an overwhelming sense of power.

"Pretty good, like I could destroy something! Do you feel like that every day?"

"Only when I'm with you."


Author's note: I'm back... :) If anyone's still there? Sorry X100! Long story short I had to take some personal time and work on other projects. You only live once and the time had come to write something else. Chapters are waiting to be edited! Once again I apologise for my sudden disappearance! There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think of this fanfiction and the people behind the usernames and numbers. I appreciate you all and I hope you remember 'I Shouldn't Love You, But I Do.'