A/N: Not much to say here. The usual. R&R! Please have mercy in your reviews if this's not good enough. And by the way, blame the bug that won't get off my computer screen! It just won't go away! Oh, thanks to the usual people who read, and review the fic, and to the newest addition to my collection of prisoners, er, I meant reviewers, Mandrin Orange, if I got that right, thanks for reviewing and please read on! Chill! R&R!

Chapter 7: Aki

"He's going to be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes, you may go back to your dormitory. You can leave him here. I'll call you if anything goes wrong."

"No! I mean, I don't wanna leave. Am stayin' here."

"Have you eaten your lunch?"

"No."

"…"

"Well, he hasn't either! An' nothin' happened to me! It's not the lunch, 'right!"

"Very well, very well… I'll be in the next room if you need me. Don't try to wake him up. Do you understand, Rose?"

"Yeah, yeah…"

"I want a straight answer from you, young lady!"

"'Right, all right! I won't! I'm just going to… sit here. Fine now?"

"Good. I will be back in thirty minutes to check. And do tell me if you're leaving."

A door snapped close. A chair scraped the floor. Deep breathing.

"Rose?" Harry stirred. His glasses were off.

"Hey," said the figure in front of him. She handed him his glasses.

"Thanks."

"Wha' happened to ya back there?"

"Er… I… dunno… I felt weird… Was I heavy?" Harry grinned, putting his glasses on.

"Ya manage to joke 'bout a thing like that?" Rose scowled.

"What?"

"Ya do realize that ya've been here for an hour already?" Rose looked satisfied when Harry's jaw dropped. "Ya've been out cold for an hour, Mistah Harry Potter," she grinned.

"But – how – what did – "

"But thanks to ya, I won't have to attend Defense at all," she said brightly. Harry remembered what she had said about D.A.D.A. being her worst subject just that morning.

"Didn't you feel anything when you touched me back in the dining hall?" Harry asked, remembering the feeling before he passed out. Rose gave him a grossed look.

"Like I would," she replied.

"No! I didn't mean – that – whatever that is – "

"Whatever what is?" she grinned again.

"That – what you were thinking. Hey, you're unfair! You're the one thinking those things!"

"And why d'you know? 'Cause you're thinking of'em just as well!" Rose laughed. Harry thought she looked pretty when she laughed freely. "What?" Harry realized he was staring.

"Nothing," he said, withdrawing his eyes quickly. He heard her sigh. "Can you tell me why you're worried about Snape now?"

Harry expected Rose to walk out on him. He had, like, spoiled their laughter session with popping out such a question. Rose, however, laughed.

"Not today. I don't wanna spoil the fun."

Harry stared.

"You're so green-minded, Harry Potter!"

"No! I didn't – "

Rose aimed a fake punch at him.

"Yes, you were!"

"I wasn't thinking that way!"

"What way!" Rose laughed. Harry took her fake punch. His hand landed on her wrist, accidentally pulling her. "See! If that's not green-minded, I dunno what is!"

"Yeah, you were thinking the same thing!"

"Ouch!" Rose's elbow hit Harry's head.

"Your fault! You pulled me!" Rose's elbow found a safe place to rest on; the pillow, on which Harry's head was now lying, Harry having accidentally been pushed flat on the bed.

"Rose! Are you all right? What happened – What the!" Malfoy had burst into the room. He stared at the pair of them.

"Oh," said Rose uncomprehendingly, her eyes still brimming with tears, obviously not over the laugh. She did not move.

"What the heck are you trying to do, Potter!" Malfoy said, slamming the clinic door behind him. He did not move toward them, though.

Then Harry got it.

Rose was on top of him in a most unusual position. Her elbow was on the pillow, arm resting on Harry's shoulder. Harry was still clutching her other wrist in his hand. Harry's other hand was on his shoulder, which he remembered he placed there to break Rose's fall.

Rose slowly got off the bed, though she did not look any nearer to getting what Malfoy was fuming about. Harry straightened up as well.

"What're ya doin' here?" she asked Malfoy.

"What are you two doing here?" said Malfoy, approaching Rose.

"I fainted earlier," said Harry. He wanted to shout back, "None of your business, Malfoy!" or, "The hell do you care what we're doing!" but he knew saying things like that would make Malfoy suspect him even more, so he settled with stating what had really happened. Malfoy did not like the sound of it, though.

"Fainted?" hissed Malfoy. "Fainted?"

"Yeah, he fainted. 'S'why I brought'im'ere. What's so weird 'bout that?" Rose asked, because Malfoy had narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"Something is weird about that, Rose," Malfoy found his smirk once more. Harry sensed what was coming. "You see, Potter here – "

"How is he – Mr. Malfoy?"

A young female nurse entered the room from another door, different from the one Malfoy entered. She looked Japanese. She had bubblegum-pink hair. (A/N: If you guys watch Japanese cartoons and know about one entitled Pokemon, try to picture the pokemon nurse there and convert her into a human being. Yeah, that one. All right?)

"Well, how are you feeling, Mr. Potter?" asked the nurse.

"I'm fine now, thanks – "

"He's feeling very fine, judging from what he was trying to do earlier," interrupted Malfoy angrily.

"Drop it, will ya!" Rose yelled at him. "This is Aki-sensei, the school nurse, Harry, Draco. Trivia, she's half Japanese, half British."

"Why do you always have to say that when you introduce me? As I was saying, are you all right now, Mr. Potter?"

"I'm okay."

"I will not release you until your classes are over, however," said Aki. "I am to observe your health until I am satisfied, and satisfaction means two hours from now."

She got out of the room through the same door.

"What – I'm not supposed to leave until dinner?" Harry said.

"Yeah, and good for me too. I'll have an excuse to skip the damn classes," said Rose.

She pulled another chair and motioned for Malfoy to sit, and sat back on the chair she was occupying earlier. Malfoy took the seat.

"So what we're ya sayin' earlier?" Rose asked. Malfoy sneered at Harry before speaking.

"You were asking what was so weird about Potter fainting and being brought to the clinic," said Malfoy, not taking his eyes off Harry.

"So?"

"So, the thing is," Malfoy paused for dramatic effect. "Potter does not usually faint without an audience."

Malfoy crossed his legs lazily. Rose gave him a questioning look.

"You see, Potter has developed a kind of habit of fainting in front of people to get their attention."

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Harry.

"Continue," said Rose, to Harry's horror.

"If he does his acts in front of a girl, it only means one thing – "

"Get out of here!"

"Shut up, Harry!"

"Who knows what he did back at Hogwarts to Chang and the little Weasley to make them fall for him – "

Rose suddenly burst out laughing.

"What?" Malfoy blinked.

"Rose?" Harry found a wild worry whether Rose had some kind of illness that made her laugh unintentionally and uncontrollably.

"So much… for innocent…" Rose said in between gasps of laughter. "Hahah… Can't – imagine you – doin' stuff like – "

"Rose, it's not very funny," said Malfoy, trying to control anger welling up inside him once more.

"Yeah, yeah… I know… It's just – hahah…"

"He's trying to do it to you as well, Rose," said Malfoy suddenly.

"What?" Rose now said.

"Oh, gorgeous Potter trying to seduce every girl," Malfoy smirked.

"Given that I am, Malfoy," Harry said. "But did you know, Rose, that Malfoy's trying to do the same thing?" Harry returned Malfoy's smirk. "And the only reason he's trying to expose me is because you're not, well, responding to his charm."

"Funny, Potter," said Malfoy.

"Rose?"

"What?"

"Why aren't you reacting?"

"What am I supposed t'say?"

"You're supposed to agree with me that Potter's a – "

"You should edge your seat away from Malfoy who's a – "

"Whatever."

"What?"

"What?"

"Don't go spillin' out your lovelives' frustrations on me, 'right?" Rose laughed. Harry and Malfoy stared.

How naïve could she get? Harry thought.

I can't work if she's just thick or she's trying to avoid the topic of her lovelife… Or she just doesn't have one. Malfoy said to himself.

An alarm beeped. Rose took out a cellphone.

"Why do you use things like that?" Malfoy said.

"'Cause it's useful, though Muggle-made," said Rose, preoccupied. She got up from her chair. "Tell Aki-sensei I left, 'right?"

"I thought you were going to stay until dinner?" Harry asked lamely.

"'Mergency Quidditch meeting," she said before closing the door.

Harry and Malfoy stared silently at the door.

Little did they know that Rose did not leave.

They did not know that she leaned her back against the other side of the door they were staring at.

They did not know that she slid silently to the floor, staring into nothingness.

A/N: I dunno if that was good but this is particularly long, right? Hahah… Let me figure out something for next chapter. Chill! Review please!