Note: This is a revised version of the original I posted before. Mostly to fix spelling and grammar mistakes but a few other things have changed as well.

Thank you so much to SunriseImagination for Betaing this story for me. Definitely, go check out her story.

And thank you to all of you that have taken the time to Favourite/Follow and review this story. You guys are what pushes me to write. Thank you! xoxo

Now on to the chapter!

Chapter 6

November 25th

Monday

~oOo~

Rose watched as droplets of water ran down the glass. The small crystal-clear forms sliding along, leaving tiny trails behind them as they went. Some of them met others and merged to form larger drops that slid all the way down the glass until they disappeared out of sight, joining all the other thousands of frozen specks blowing around in the wind.

She was curled up in a large squashy armchair, a cup of cocoa held in her warm hands. Her fluffy sock covered feet were curled up under her and Jinx was cuddled up in her lap fast asleep. It was the first blizzard of the season. The wind was howling and the snow was swirling around in a flurry of white, a sharp contrast to the black night sky behind the clouds. The snowflakes that got stuck on the glass of the large window melted almost immediately, the warmth from inside heating the panels and giving the poor snowflakes no chance to get away before they turned to water and formed small rivers on the glass.

After tossing and turning for a few hours, Rose had finally given a huff of irritation. And at around one in the morning had decided to sod it. She had tossed the warm covers to the side and gently swung her legs over the edge of the large bed, careful not to wake up Malfoy. He was yet again sleeping peacefully on the other side of the bed, despite the storm raging outside. Grabbing her soft white robe from the end the bed and slipping on her matching fluffy socks Rose got up and padded across the room.

Moving a chair so that it sat in front of the window, Rose had summoned a house elf and asked if she could have a mug of cocoa. The house elf had been ecstatic to serve, even at the late hour, and had come back a moment later with a large cup of cocoa topped with a massive amount of whipped cream and shredded chocolate. After thanking the house elf for the cocoa, Rose had settled down in the chair her head resting against the back and her eyes trained on the white storm outside.

Rose absent-mindedly stroked Jinx as she stared into space, wondering about many things. Her grades, classes, her work with Hagrid, her family, and things that she needed to do once the day had started. And the Bond.

She still couldn't quite accept that fact that she was Bonded. And out of all the people she could have possibly been paired with that she'd ended up with Malfoy. Rose's eyes narrowed slightly as she thought.

Why Malfoy?

It was a question that had plagued her since this had all happened. Rose and Malfoy had never gotten along. Sure, there were those few times they had both called a truce, like for dinners they were both attending or when Malfoy was staying with Al. But neither had ever stopped fighting because they wanted to.

Often at dinners with the Potter's, when Malfoy was staying with them, Rose would have to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from snapping at something Malfoy had said that she disagreed with. And the dinners were frequent seeing as the Potter's and the Malfoy's had formed a sort of friendship.

With Mr. Malfoy being the head Healer at St. Mungo's he was in charge of arranging the Healers that went on raids with the Aurors. Even after the war, there was still an alarming amount of dark magic and dark artefacts in the Wizarding world. The Ministry did a surprising amount of raids, in which they brought trained Healers with just in case.

Harry and Draco weren't friends and never would be, too much had happened between them during school, but they established an understanding. Draco had worked hard after the war to make a different reputation for the Malfoy family. He had dropped all the prejudice pureblooded beliefs that his family had once depended on and all but worshiped so fiercely. The Malfoy's would never be the great family they were before or during the war. After Lucius was sentenced to thirteen years in Azkaban, Draco and his mother had started over, which had been for the best in the end.

Even after all that Draco had done after the war to prove that he wasn't his father and didn't hold the same beliefs, his family still wasn't accepted. This sadly wasn't unexpected. Most people in the Wizarding World had warmed up to the idea that the Malfoy's weren't the same prejudiced family they once were, mostly because of Harry, but there were still those that thought they were worthless death eaters that should have been thrown into Azkaban.

But while Draco and Harry managed to get along, Rose and Malfoy just couldn't. Rose thought that one of the main reasons for this was the difference between Malfoy and herself. They had some similarities but they differed on some major points. They were always butting heads and arguing and Rose just couldn't see how that was healthy for a relationship.

Call her a romantic dreamer, but she had always imagined that she would have a fairy-tale ending of sorts. She didn't think that she and her prince would walk hand in hand into the sunset completely and utterly in love, but she thought that she'd at least be happy with the person she ended up with.

Rose's gaze flickered to Malfoy and for a moment she could picture him in that scene, holding her hand, walking by her side, gazing at her with love shining in his eyes and her looking up into his grey eyes like he was the only one for her. Both of them alone and trusting each other.

And she was startled to find that it was easy. Her mind found it so simple to picture them together. Happy and in love. Smiling and laughing and just being themselves.

Rose gave a frustrated groan and dropped her head back against the chair, closing her eyes.

Why? Rose thought exasperatedly. Why was this her life?

Just a little more than a week had passed since the Bond and Rose's mind was so messed up and confused. She was starting to imagine Malfoy as the love of her life for Merlin's sake, she'd never thought of anyone as the love of her life! Let alone Malfoy!

Rose lifted the hand that wasn't holding her mug and touched her forehead, wanting to make sure that she didn't have a fever. Unfortunately, she wasn't sick. She couldn't pin the fantasy of Malfoy and her walking out into the sunset on a sudden burst of the flu.

With another sigh, Rose put her empty mug down on a side table and stood up, deciding that these were all things she could think about when the sun was high in the sky. The movement dislodged Jinx from her place by Rose's legs. The small kitten gave Rose a disgruntled look before jumping off the chair and padding over to the bed, setting down at the very foot of the blankets.

Rose followed her cat and with another quiet sigh as she sank into the bed, pulling the blankets up and burrowing herself in the warmth of the silky softness of the bed.

She knew that she wouldn't get any sleep but now that she had had some cocoa and mulled over a few things Rose just wanted to relax and be warm.

But with Malfoy not two feet away she was anything but relaxed.

~oOo~

The blizzard that had started Sunday extended far into the next day. The strong wind and snow battered against the windows in the halls and corridors, threatening to break through the glass and surround them all. The Hogwarts students all wore heavy cloaks and thick clothing, trying and failing to keep warm as they headed for breakfast.

Breakfast was a hurried affair that morning. Everyone wanted to escape the freezing cold Great Hall and get to their warm classrooms as soon as possible. Rose was one of the few that didn't eat. Malfoy all but inhaled his food while Rose only managed to drink a bit of strong black bitter coffee in a vain attempt to kept herself awake.

Along with her ability to sleep, her appetite was quickly fading. The Bond was punishing her. Rose knew it.

The Bond wanted her to make up with Malfoy. To start over and treat him like she would any other person, but Rose found that she just couldn't. She knew that she was being stupid and that it was her pride that was stopping her from putting things right between them.

But Rose felt that if she did what the Bond wanted her to do, if she made up with Malfoy, that it was as good as giving up. There had always been a sort of battle between them and Rose thought, quite stupidly, that if she apologized to Malfoy for all the years of insults and fighting, that she was backing down. Admitting that Malfoy had won.

It wasn't just that, though. Rose was determined that the Bond would not control her. It had already decided too much for her and she would not just roll over and do everything it wanted. If she was going to make amends with Malfoy then she would do it on her own time and terms.

Not when the Bond demanded it of her.

So what if she missed a few nights sleep. She could not, would not, be controlled by something that she could not even see; something that had just appeared out of nowhere to suddenly try and take over her life. Rose didn't really care that she had to give up things like her room or had to change a few classes to accommodate the Bond. That she could handle. But when it started to try and tell her what to feel, that was where Rose put her foot down. She was still her own person and she'd be damned if she was going to let some invisible force control everything she did.

"Mails here." Rose's musings were broken at James's words, and she looked up at the sound of wings flapping to see dozens of owls flying into the Great Hall.

Rose felt bad for the poor things as most of the owls looked half frozen, and as they soared overhead snow sprinkled down from their wings and bodies to dust the all already cold Hogwarts students with a fine layering of the frozen water.

Rose stared up at all the owls circling overhead, trying to spot her snowy owl, Comet, amidst all the others. She didn't have to wait long for a moment later the beautiful large white owl emerged from the rest and circled down to Rose.

"Hello girl," Rose cooed as the owl landed lightly next to her plate.

Comet hooted happily and nipped Rose's outstretched hand affectionately. Rose smiled at her owl and then started to detach the newspaper attached to her leg. After giving Comet a bit of bacon as a treat, Rose opened the paper, expecting to see something about so and so's shop opening or a new upcoming star. Instead, she stopped dead when she saw her name glaring up at her.

ROSE WEASLEY AND SCORPIUS MALFOY SOUL BONDED!

On Monday, November 18th this century's Soul Boned couple connected. Rose Weasley, daughter of war heroes Ronald and Hermione Weasley has been confirmed to be this centuries Soul Bonded along with Scorpius Malfoy, son of Draco and Astoria Malfoy. The couple is currently in their sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An undisclosed source at Hogwarts has given us some insight into the relationship of the newly Bonded Couple, saying "It was a real shock for everyone, it's no secret at Hogwarts that they hate each other. They can't go a few hours without being at each other's throats so when a rumour started going around that they were the Soul Bonded Couple, you could understand why some found it hard to believe. I mean them, Soul Mates, it's absurd but it's the truth none the less."

With this in mind, our reports had to wonder. How will it all end?

The article continued onto the next page but Rose was more focused on the picture of her and Malfoy to the left of the article. It was apparent that it was taken the night after the Bonding when they had fallen asleep in each other's arms. Rose was on her side, head resting comfortably on Malfoy's shoulder, arms wrapped loosely around his waist. Malfoy was laying on his back but turned slightly toward Rose, arms wrapped around her in a protective way. His head was bowed so that his face was all but hidden in her red hair. The blankets were tangled around them and Rose watched as the picture Rose snuggled up closer to Malfoy in her sleep, her mouth open slightly in her sleep.

"Aww, Rose you look so cute!"

Rose looked up from the paper and glared across the table at Lily who was looking down at her own paper, grinning slyly. Mary and Lizzy, who were sitting next to Lily, leaned over and looked over her shoulder at the Daily Prophet, their own awws mixing with Lily's, Ashley's, and Grace's as they read the article and watched the picture Rose sleeping next to Malfoy.

James, Hugo, Fred, and Al all had their own paper and the four were looking over the front paper with matching scowls; the latter of which looked up and glared at Malfoy.

With a glance around, Rose could see that all the Hogwarts students were pouring over their own papers; even the teacher had a few copies and Rose could see Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Astoria flipping through the paper with interest; though Ron looked like he wanted to take someone's head off.

The Hogwarts girl's coo's and aww's filled the hall, mixing with the guy's chuckles. It made Rose uncomfortably aware of all the stares she and Malfoy were receiving.

"Well, that's one for the scrapbook," Malfoy commented with a smirk from where he was looking over Rose's shoulder.

Rose scowled at him and made a move to slap his shoulder but he dodged her hand easily.

"Don't be mad, sweetheart. The papers were bound to get wind of it sometime. I'm actually surprised it took them this long to print it."

"I have a feeling Aunt Ginny had something to do with that," Rose commented though she was still scowling at Malfoy. Rose's Aunt worked as one of the main editors for the Daily Prophet and had quite a bit of say in what they printed. "And I'm not your sweetheart."

"Whatever you say Love," Malfoy commented mildly at Rose's glare.

"Scorpius!" Al said warningly from across the table and Hugo glared like Malfoy had said something outrageously inappropriate. Rose just rolled her eyes irritably at her family.

Malfoy had called her Love and Sweetheart for six years now and not once before had Al or Hugo ever corrected him or told him off for doing so. Though the minute there was a chance that anything could happen between them Al turned on Malfoy with bared, warning, teeth.

"This whole protective guard dog thing is getting really old," Rose said glancing down at her watch to check the time before getting up from the table and swinging her bookbag over her shoulder, flicking her long hair back as she did. "You boys," Rose gestured at Al, James, Hugo, and Fred, "Need to get it into your head that I'm not a helpless eleven-year-old girl anymore that needs protecting. I don't need you reprimanding Malfoy for calling me nicknames that he's been calling me for years. It hasn't bothered you for six years so it shouldn't now and even though I love you all very much if you start going around glaring and being all protective again I can't promise I won't hex you all," Rose turned to Malfoy and raised a questioning eyebrow. "You coming?"

Malfoy glanced down at his still half full plate of food then back up at Rose's tenacious gaze. With a sigh, Malfoy reached across the table, nabbed a muffin, then followed Rose's lead. Rose said a quick goodbye to her friends then started out the hall.

"I'll see you guys later," Malfoy offered over his shoulder before catching up to Rose, both of them ignoring the hundreds of pairs of eyes that followed their every step.

~oOo~

Rose wiped her sweaty forehead with a relieved sigh and pushed her somewhat damp hair from her eyes. They were exiting their last class of the day, Potions. Rose usually loved the class, but the hot steam that billowed from their cauldrons, the toxic smells, and the overall heat of the room as they brewed their potions was too much for Rose when she was already so tired and hungry.

"Have a good day everyone!" Mrs. Hawkens smiled as Rose and Malfoy passed her desk, heading for the door. Rose offered her kind professor a smile. She then all but ran toward the door that would provide her with cold air that would cool her flushed and sweaty skin.

"Thank Merlin," Rose said as she and Malfoy started walking down the dungeon corridor, in the direction of the Gryffindor Common Room.

Malfoy glanced furtively at Rose as they walked, "You alright? You seemed a bit on edge in there."

Rose nodded rather curtly as they started to climb slowly up the stairway in order to get out of the dungeon and reach level ground. "I'm fine."

Rose had always had the utmost respect for the Founders of Hogwarts. They had given her this castle and this opportunity in life and for that, she'd be eternally grateful. But Rose didn't think she could ever forgive Gryffindor for his choice of placing their common room at the top of the highest tower. Just to reach her bed at the end of the day Rose had to climb seven flights of stairs, all of which had at least twenty steps. It was a good thing that Rose never forgot her homework or bookbag because if she had to rush back to the tower to retrieve what she'd forgotten she'd be very late for class.

Usually getting up to the common room at the end of the day wasn't a big deal, Rose was fit and could easily go up and down but today all she wanted was to just slide into bed, cuddle up under all the warmth of the blankets, and sleep until next week and she did not want to haul herself up all those stairs to do that.

Their last class ended at three thirty so they still had a few hours until dinner. Hours Rose was hoping to spend sleeping.

They had just reached the Entrance Hall when Rose let out a groan of dismay. Malfoy stopped as well and turned to Rose, "What? What's wrong?"

"We need to go the hospital remember?"

Just before they had entered their Potions class they had received a note from Pomfrey telling them to go directly to the hospital wing after their class.

"Come on," Rose said with a sigh as she held out her hand toward Malfoy. He stared at her with a bemused expression and after glancing at her outstretched hand he shot her a closed off look that Rose didn't understand.

"We need to hold hands to travel with the portkeys," Rose explained in an 'Are-you-really-this-stupid' type voice.

Understanding flashed in Malfoy's eyes and if Rose wasn't mistaken, a faint blush tinted his pale cheeks, making Rose wonder what he'd thought she meant by the gesture. Unfortunately, she didn't have a chance to find out because as she reached out with the Bond to check she was met with only resistance.

The fact that Malfoy was blocking her out made Rose more suspicious, but the next moment Malfoy had grasped Rose's hand and pinched the little circular port key between his thumb and forefinger and before Rose could think any more about it, they were both pulled forward.

It was unlike any portkey Rose had ever taken; instead of being lurched forward and spun around, it felt as if they were being gently pulled forward. Their feet left the ground and it was as if they were floating while moving forward.

The closest thing Rose could compare it to was flying. Not on a broom or on an animal, but simply flying through the air; being supported by nothing.

It was a sensation that Rose found very pleasurable. But unfortunately, it only lasted for a few seconds before their feet landed back on solid ground with a soft 'thud'.

Rose shook her head to clear it; teleporting from one place to another was slightly jarring no matter how gentle.

They were standing just inside the Hospital wing's large glass front doors and, upon looking around, Rose noticed three things; the first being how much brighter it was in the Hospital then the Entrance Hall.

Rose supposed this was due to the fact that almost everything in the Hospital wing was white and the light trickling in through the windows, even with a blizzard going on outside, was reflecting making the room much brighter than it would have been if everything was the normal dark greys and browns of the rest of the castle.

The second thing Rose noticed was the group standing at the other end of the Hospital. Rose's parents were there of course, along with Malfoy's Mum and Dad, while Madam Pomfrey and her assistant were bustling around; picking up potions and writing things down. The Headmistress was also there, talking intensely to the four parents.

The last thing Rose noticed made her quite confused. There, standing next to the Headmistress, was a witch. Her jet-black hair was cut just before it touched her narrow shoulders with several strands of silver mixed in; that along with the wrinkles adorning her otherwise smooth face lead Rose to believe that she wasn't in the prime of her youth anymore.

"Ah Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley you're here. Very good, come over here dears and sit down." Rose and Malfoy were bustled over to one of the beds in the back on the wing by a very brisk moving Madam Pomfrey.

As they were shepherd past their parents, Hermione gave Rose a slight smile that did nothing to assure Rose that nothing was wrong.

Rose sat down on the side of the bed and watched with slight confusion as Madam Pomfrey moved around them, muttering to herself about potions and spells.

'Wonder what all this is about.'

Malfoy's sudden voice in her head startled Rose more than it should have and she jumped slightly in fright, placing a hand over her heart before turning accusing eyes on Malfoy.

"Warn me before you do that" Rose huffed, rolling her eyes exasperatedly, muttering something along the lines of 'Your going to be the death of me' under her breath.

"Have you two been working on getting along better?" Madam Pomfrey came bustling back over to them, a calculating look shining in her eyes.

Rose and Malfoy's silence was answer enough for Madam Pomfrey and she gave a sigh before motioning for Rose to lift her arm.

Rose obeyed and lifted her arm and turned it so that the palm of her hand was facing up. Madam Pomfrey tapped the tip of her wand on Rose's wrist; muttering a spell that would show the red-headed girl's vitals and out of the corner of her eye Rose saw Malory doing the same to Malfoy.

Rose and Malfoy stayed silent as they got their check-ups; though Rose's eyes were trained on the mystery witch that was talking in a hushed voice to her parents.

Rose nudged Malfoy next to her when Madam Pomfrey's back was turned and jerked her head in the direction of the witch.

'Who's she?'

Malfoy glanced at the witch for a moment before shrugging.

'No clue. I've never seen her around the castle before' Rose could hear the puzzlement in Malfoy's voice and she started to feel a bit on edge.

"Alright, we're done." Rose looked up at Madam Pomfrey's voice to see her finish scribbling something on her clipboard.

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey, Malory," Mystery witch said in a light moderate voice, nodding to both of them in turn as she seized the clipboards they held out to her.

The witch started looking through the few pages on each board as she rounded the bed, coming to a stop next to Malfoy. She scanned both boards, nodding and humming every once and a while before she turned and grabbed a chair to pull over to the side of the bed; sitting down and once again looking at the papers.

"Alright," The witch looked up from the boards after looking through the last page to smile at both of them. It was the type of smile that one couldn't help but feel calmed by; easy and kind. "You're probably both wondering who I am so let us get the basics out of the way. My name is Freya Lynde and I'm a Healer at St. Mungos; I work with all sorts of odd or unknown curses and spells. Madam Pomfrey contacted me this morning and asked that I come and look into your case to see if I could help in any way."

The way she spoke, moved and even smiled gave off an air of confidence in what she was doing.

"So, I've come today to make an assessment on both of you. To see what I can do to help you both through the next few months with as few problems as possible. To start, I'm going to ask both of you a few questions to see where we stand. Is that alright with you?"

Rose wasn't sure if she trusted this mysterious confident healer. She had never trusted people quickly. To her, trust was a thing to be earned, not given freely to just anyone. The Bond was big, important, and very personal. How could she know if she could trust this lady?

Rose looked over to her mum who was watching this all silently. Hermione gave her daughter a small nod that assured Rose that her mum trusted this Healer. If Hermione trusted her, then Rose would do so as well.

"Good," Miss Lynde said smiling as both teens nodded their agreement. "I'm going to ask you both a few questions. Nothing too hard, just the basics of what I need to know. Ladies first so I'll start with you Rose; can I call you Rose?"

Rose wanted to point out that she already had but that would seem rude so she opted for a nod instead.

"Wonderful. First question Rose. How has your magic been acting? Anything strange been happening? Flares in power, uncontrollable bursts? Anything at all out of the ordinary?"

Rose frowned at the question. "No. My magic has been working just fine. Why? Is it supposed to be acting up?"

"Rose," Miss Lynde leaned forward in her chair and rested her elbows on her knees, looking at both teens intensely. "Do you know what the Bond does to the couple involved." When Rose shook her head Miss Lynde leaned back in her chair. "Essentially it combines everything besides your physical selves. Before you two were Bonded, you were both living with only half a soul; then you turned sixteen Rose and the curse was set into motion. Your soul was never complete, it was always missing its other half and that night it was finally whole."

"Do either of you two know how a Soul Bonded couple comes to be?" Both Rose and Malfoy shook their heads and Miss Lynde looked at them for a moment before continuing. "I think the best way to explain this would be to give you a bit of background on Soul Bonding. I'm sure you've been told the basics, that you two were meant to be, but it's so much more than that. It happens when the child is born. Something about the time or the events that take place before or after the birth determine whether or not the child's soul is whole or not. Of course, it's very rare for everything to line up so that the child's soul is not whole which is why Soul Bonded couples are so rare, but every few decades things line up just so and a child is born with only half its soul, the other half belonging to another child."

"Now to only have half a soul won't affect a child's life all that much. They will feel that there is always something missing, a piece of them that isn't there, but all in all they have a normal childhood. It's when they turn sixteen that everything changes. Now while having half a soul won't affect a child, it will affect an adult drastically; it can make them heartless, uncaring, and cruel. It can turn them into something less than human. Which is why the Bond takes action when both people are sixteen and starting to enter adulthood. Your souls connect and become one, tying an unbreakable bond between both people that brings them closer. Making you both Soul Mates."

"But besides merging your souls together, it also changes your magic. From what I've been told you two are both very bright, coming in tied for first in almost all your classes, so your magic levels were already above average. But now that you two are Bonded, they are unbelievably high, because when the curse took place it not only connected your souls, it combined your magic as well."

Throughout this speech Rose had remained silent, listening to what Miss Lynde was saying. But at this, she made a little sound deep in throat and stared wide-eyed at the Healer. "Are you saying that our magic is now stronger?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying. You now have the magical level of both of you combined with the added magic the Bond gives you. Which means, you can do magic only a few wizard and witches in the world can do."

"How can that be, though?" Rose asked, completely confused.

"Right now you essentially share the same magical core. You both no longer have separate magic. You share it between yourselves."

Rose squinted. "But my magic doesn't feel stronger. I haven't been able to do anything more powerful than before."

"Well, that depends on the type of spells and charms you're casting Rose. If you've just been doing ordinary things like accioing something or unlocking a door, simple things that you learned in your first year, then you wouldn't have noticed any difference. But once you start practicing spells and charms for class, you'll notice that they are too easy for you and that you are able to cast them faster and stronger them you normally would."

"So practically you're saying we're both more powerful than any sixth year should be," Malfoy's tone was cynical and Rose could feel he didn't believe the med-witch.

"Yes Scorpius, that is what I'm saying."

Rose scrubbed a hand over a face with a sigh. Could things get any more complicated?

"But isn't this dangerous? Both Weasley and I were already at the top of our classes; if our magic is now combined isn't there a large chance that it could get out of control?"

Miss Lynde nodded her agreement at Malfoy's words, saying, "There is. That's why for the next week you two are not allowed to do any challenging magic."

Rose opened her mouth to voice her concern about how that would interfere with her classes, but Miss Lynde just held up a hand, "I've already talked to all your professors; they know about your unstable magical levels and will be keeping an eye on you both in class. You are not to do any magic past a second year's level. I know that it'll be inconvenient but until the bond has settled down more you can't push yourselves."

"But... But we have a test in Transfiguration on Wednesday and we were going to be starting on some new spells in DADA."

"For the next week, you are both excused from participating for the practical part of the lessons." Rose looked over at the Headmistress. "You will still need to take the written part of any tests but the hands-on section is out limits until Med-witch Lynde is sure that there won't be any problems."

Rose opened her mouth once again to argue her point, but was cut off by Malfoy. "Just give it up Weasley, they know what they're talking about and if they say that it would be dangerous to do magic then we won't do magic," Malfoy fell back onto the bed and closed his eyes; not noticing the look his mother gave him from being less than presentable.

Looking around at all the determined faces around her Rose concluded that, for the next week at least, she and Malfoy would be doing very little magic.

"Alright, but when can we do magic again?"

"I'll be coming back to see you both on Saturday. I'll do a check-up, look at your magical levels, talk to you both for a little, then we'll see."

Rose just nodded, feeling more drained than before and wanting nothing more than to just sleep and forget about all this.

"All right, now that that's taken care of I still have a few things I need to ask you."

Rose answered the rest of the Healer's questions without complaint, knowing that they served some sort of purpose. Malfoy got asked similar questions and by the time they were done, dinner was starting in a little less than an hour.

"Is there anything else we need to know? If not, I would really like to go back to the dorm now," Rose asked after Miss Lynde seemed to have gotten all the information she needed.

"No, no that's all for now." The Healer finished scribbling something down and looked up at the two teens, smiling. "Have a good week and I'll see you both on Saturday, and remember, no magic."

Rose nodded her understanding while Malfoy let out a quick "Yes, Healer," before both stood and grabbed their book bags.

"Thank you, Healer Lynde," Draco said tilting his head in thanks to the Healer who nodded back with respect. "Scorpius wait a moment, we need to talk" He added with a look at Malfoy.

Rose glanced at her parents when they said some quick words to the Healer then turned to her saying. "We need a word as well Rose."

Rose looked around the room, suddenly hating all the pristine white and speckless surfaces. "Can we walk and talk? I'm a little sick of being in this place."

They moved outside and slowly walked down the hall, Rose and Malfoy falling into step next to their parents. Rose kept glancing at her parents, more than a little perplexed when they didn't start talking immediately. She studied their worried faces as they walked; neither Rose's or Malfoy's parents seemed to know where to start. A good fifteen to twenty minutes later, they made it back to the Entrance Hall and Hermione stopped and turned to her daughter. Rose was ready for whatever bad news was coming.

"Rose, are you doing alright?" The sudden and vague question made Rose uneasy.

"What do you mean?"

"I think your mother is just trying to make sure you're alright before we leave," Ron said running his hand up and down Hermione's arm in a relaxing way.

Rose felt her throat constrict slightly and was amazed when her voice came out sounding normal, "You're leaving?"

"I'm afraid so Flower, I'm needed back in the office and the Minister is lost without your mum-" Dad started to explain but was cut off by mum. "But if you need us here I'll have someone fill in for me and your father can tell Harry to cover for him and we'll stay for as long as you need."

"No, don't be silly. If you need to go then it's fine; you can't both stay here just because things are a little unsteady," Rose quickly relented at the looks her parents gave her. "Alright, a little more than unsteady but still, if you need to go then go. The last thing I want is for you to get in trouble at work for me. I'll be fine, I've got Hugo, Al, James and the whole lot and if I need something I can always owl or even floo you."

Hermione did not look happy at all about leaving Rose on her own with all that had happened, but if they had to go back to work then they needed to go; Rose wasn't about to get them fired for being gone too long.

"Are you leaving too?" Malfoy asked looking at his parents, who nodded. "Yes, I'm needed back at the Hospital and your mother has business at home that needs attention."

Malfoy did not look any happier than the parents at this news.

"When are you leaving?" Rose directed her question to her parents but knew that Malfoy looked at his parents for an answer too.

"Now actually, just after we're done talking we'll be apparating out."

Rose gave a sigh. She didn't want her parents to go, it was nice having them around the school, knowing that they may be just around the corner or down the next hall. She felt safer somehow with them around. That was how it was with parents, having them around made you feel safer, knowing that they could be there for you in a moment notice if you need them.

Rose liked feeling like that. Safe. It was a good feeling, one that she'd often took for granted before the Bond. Funny how something like this could make a person see things in a different light. Small things like feeling safe or normal could become something you yearn for but know that to get them you have to go through hell and back.

"Have you said goodbye to Hugo? he'll want to know you're leaving."

Ron nodded, "He would be here to say goodbye, but he has classes all day and won't have a chance to come down."

Rose ducked her head and stared at the floor, scuffing her shoe into the stone. She looked up however when she felt a slight discomfort growing in her chest. Malfoy and his family had moved away from them, a silvery white bubble alerting Rose that they had set a silencing charm around them to keep their conversation private.

"Rose?" Hermione asked when Rose didn't respond. "Are you alright with this, us leaving?"

Rose gave another sigh. What did she say to that? If she told them the truth and said no, then her parents might try and stay and Rose couldn't let that happen. They had lives to live and they had responsibilities that Rose didn't; they needed to get back to their jobs. But if she told them she was fine they would be able to tell that she was lying; she was a terrible liar, her face and eyes were transparent. She had never been able to hide a damn thing before and now wasn't any different.

Plastering on her best smile Rose replied with a cheery voice. "I'll be fine. Like I said before, I've got the whole lot with me. What could go wrong?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow and Rose knew her face was just as transparent as ever. "We can try and stay. I can ask-"

"No, mum, don't, " Rose dropped the smile and sighed, "You both need to go and it's fine. I'll be alright on my own, I've got lots of studying to do, I need to keep an eye on Al, James, Fred, Hugo, and the rest of them, I'm still working with Hagrid and I have Prefect duties once a week. I have so much to do that I won't even notice the Bond, things with go back to normal, well as normal as they ever were, and I'll be fine."

I need to quit saying I'm fine, Rose thought vaguely, I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

Ron sighed as his daughter rattled off just a few of the many things she was doing. She really needed to cut back and relax a bit.

"You're sure?" Hermione asked, biting her lip in a way that Rose had come to know meant she was nervous.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll be alright. Don't worry about me."

"I'm your mother, it's my job to worry about my children and no matter how old and grown up you get I'll always worry." Hermione suddenly got teary eyed and Rose winced a little. "My little girl, sixteen years old. When did you go and grow up on us, it seems just yesterday you were running around in your pink bunny footed pyjamas with your teddy bear and pacifier and now look at you. You've grown into such a strong beautiful young woman and I'm so proud of you."

"Mum" Rose said sheepishly as her cheek flushed. "Don't get all emotional on me."

Hermione wiped at her eyes and gave a little chuckle. "Sorry." She took a deep breath and looked at Rose. "I just can't believe how grown up you're getting. Sixteen. Where did that little girl with bushy red hair and toothy smile go?"

"No more bushy hair or toothy smiles mum. I've got a little more fashion sense too."

"Time flies, you're all getting so big. Even Scorpius," Rose glanced over at Malfoy briefly as her mum said this before firmly turning her attention back to her parents.

"Malfoy's grown? I hadn't noticed." She said drily.

Back in the fourth year, Malfoy had hit his growth spurt and was no longer the small somewhat chubby cheeked boy anymore. By the end of that year, he was a good inch taller than Rose and had been overtaking Rose since then. A thing Rose was still sore about.

"He isn't a bad man Rose," Hermione said with a slight reprimanding edge to her voice. "He's still immature but they all are at their age. Us girls get the brains and sense early on Rose. Boys? Well, they seem to like to make stupid mistakes for a long time until they finally grow a brain between their ears." Ron gave a little indignant grunt that Hermione ignored. "What I'm trying to say is to give him a chance. You can't change your situation, the only thing you can change is how you chose to deal with it. Scorpius isn't the worst person in the world Rose; I know you don't get along but he and Albus are as close as brothers. Harry and Ginny trust and like him, so it could be worse. You could have been Bonded with someone you didn't even know. At least you know who Scorpius is, and the rest you can work out."

Rose let out a breath.

"Will you at least try and work it out with him?" Rose saw the way Ron cut his eyes to Hermione before looking back at Rose; he didn't like the thought of Rose working it out with Malfoy. Maybe because of how he felt toward the Malfoys, maybe because of how Rose and Malfoy had fought through all the years, or maybe just because he was a bloke. Either way, he didn't like it.

"I can't promise anything," Rose answered tightly.

"And I'm not asking you to, just that you'll try." Rose nodded and Hermione answered with a soft "Good."

"Well enough boy talk," Ron scrunched up his face in disgust as he said this, as though it was a poisonous phrase. "I have something that I wanted to give you Rose. Your mum and I were going to surprise you by coming to Hogwarts on your birthday to give this to you in person but then everything happened and well, it slipped my mind, but I still want to give it to you in person."

Rose tilted her head at her father, wondering what he wanted to give her. She watched as he dug around in his pockets for a moment, muttering about always misplacing things before finally finding what he was looking for and pulling it out of his coat.

Rose frowned slightly as she took the item. It was a small square box about as big as her hand. It was made of soft ruby red velvet and if Rose wasn't mistaken it was a jewelry box. Rose's frown of puzzlement deepened as she carefully turned the box so that the front faced her. Ron had only ever gotten her jewelry once, and that had been back when she was six. He had given her a small bracelet with a shield charm on it; he wasn't the type to buy someone fancy things like necklaces or bracelets, preferring to give useful gifts that could be used for more than just looking pretty.

Carefully, as not to disturb the item inside, Rose lifted the lid; feeling a startled gasp escape her before covering her mouth with a stunned hand.

Inside, laying on a bed of brilliant red velvet, was a necklace. The chain that it hung on was thin but looked sturdy, and was made of dozens of small rose-gold infinity signs all linked into each other to make a long link. But what made Rose gasp wasn't the chain, but the heart shaped locket attached at the end. It was small but not too small, and engraved on the lid of the locket were two smaller hearts slightly overlapping over one another. All around them were ribbons that twisted and intertwined.

Rose stared in awe at the gift letting out a little sound when she saw that engraved into the small hearts were two symbols, one meaning strength and the other beauty. It was breathtaking and Rose loved it.

Ron nervously rubbed the back of his neck while looking at the box in Rose's hands "I had it custom made a while ago, been keeping it safe so that I could give it to you for your sixteenth birthday. Do you like it?" Rose had to let out a breathy laugh at her father's antics. How could he think Rose wouldn't love it?

"It's- I- Oh I love it. I can't even talk right now, it so beautiful and I just.. I can't believe this, thank you thank you thank you. It's beautiful and I love it." Rose vaguely realized that she was rambling and repeating herself, but she didn't care because of the delighted look on her dad's face.

"You want me to put it on?" Ron asked and Rose paused for a moment before nodding.

She handed her father the necklace, turned around, and pulled her hair off her neck. She remained still trusting her father not to touch her as he put the locket on.

Rose shivered slightly at the combined feeling of someone other then Malfoy being so close to her and the cold locket hitting her bare skin. It only took Ron a moment to clasp the necklace and step back. Rose dropped her hair and lifted a hand to touch the beautiful locket.

"And the best part is that it has protection and shield charms cast on it so it'll do more than look pretty."

Rose laughed again. It was so like her father that how could she not. "Damn this Bond! If I could, I'd give you a hug. But I'm quite sick of the Hospital wing so I'll just have to settle on saying thank you so much."

"I'm glad flower," Ron said grinning. It was a soft sort of smile. One that reminded Rose of ages long past, of playing chess and hide-and-seek with her dad, of baking cookies with him, sitting and colouring with him, of late night talks over hot chocolate and marshmallows, racing him with over the forest on her broom, of happy things that she would always treasure. Funny how a smile can send you into flashbacks of your childhood.

The hall echoed with the chime of the clock. Ron look up as it ticked off the hour and sighed when he realized that it was five.

"You need to go?" Rose guessed and Ron nodded.

Rose shook her head as her mum opened her mouth, "I'll be fine mum," Hermione gave a little nod and Rose saw that the tears were back.

Choking back the obvious waterfall of tears that wanted to fall, Hermione said in a tight voice brimming with emotion. "Be careful alright? Don't do anything crazy or get yourself into trouble. Keep an eye on your brother for us, and try and keep him out of trouble as well. Do your school work, don't get behind."

"But try and relax every once and awhile too alright? You're still human and need to have fun as much as the rest of us," Ron said sternly and Rose nodded.

"I will."

"Oh," Hermione whimpered slightly. It was like when she'd sent Rose on the train to Hogwarts for the first time. She hated seeing her little girl go.

"I'll be alright," Rose said in what she hoped was a reassuring whisper as the Malfoy's broke out of their bubble and walked over to them.

"The gate won't be open forever Weasley, let's go." Ron shot Draco a hard look before glancing away because of Hermione's elbow to his side.

"Goodbye flower. We'll see you at Christmas alright?" Rose could only mutely nod as she watched her parents struggle not to attack her with their held back hugs. This was hard.

"Goodbye, Rosie. And remember if you need to talk, about anything, you can floo me." Hermione said in a pained voice then turned and started to walk toward the doors leading outside, obviously wanting to leave before she did something the Bond wouldn't be happy with.

Malfoy came to stand next to Rose and together, side-by-side, they watched their parents open the large oak doors and walk out into the blizzard past them. The magic cast on the door prevented any snow from passing the threshold, making it look as if there was a pane of glass blocking the storm outside from entering, the snow beat and pushed against the magic but it stayed strong.

Their parents looked over their shoulders one last time at the two of them before stepping down the snow-covered front steps and disappearing from sight as the doors magically closed tightly behind them.

And Rose was left standing frozen to the stop, clutching the locket that already meant so much to her, tightly to her chest.

"Bye" Rose whispered, too late for her parents to hear.