Chapter 59
Chudley Canons Practice Pitch, 11:00pm
After the first potent bottle, most people in his situation would probably park themselves at the nearest pub and drink the night away; or at least that is what most people would expect him do after the way he was acting earlier. However, most people are not Hugo Weasley.
The cool night breeze didn't bother Hugo as he flew around the pitch. This was his sanctuary, where he felt at home, the wind in his hair, mounted on a broom. He was a Quidditch player. This was what he lived for; there was nothing else to him. As he took his position in front of the Hoops, he charmed a Quaffle to attack the hoops on its own. This was how he practiced night in and night out at Hogwarts, getting his frustration out and bettering his keeper skills. Quidditch was his only true friend. It was always there for him; whether he was happy or sad, it didn't matter. Quidditch didn't change, the rules stayed the same, and it was dependable.
He caught the Quaffle, saving another goal, and decided to hold on to it so he could take the chance to look around. He imagined the stands filled with screaming fans, decked out in orange, cheering his name. He saw his team mates flying about the pitch, sweat on their brows and determination in their eyes. 'This is all I'd ever need', he thought, smiling, as he scanned the crowd, spotting his family chanting along. 'What could be better than this?'
Suddenly, he caught sight of someone else in the crowd. Her beautiful blonde hair clashed with her bright orange Chudley Canons T-shirt, but somehow she managed to look stunning all the same. She was cheering with everyone around her, when suddenly she stopped and caught his gaze. Everything seemed to slow down as he watched her smile brightly at him, before blowing him a kiss and waving. Hugo shook his head, bringing himself back to reality. 'Great, now she is invading my Quidditch fantasies as well,' he thought as he released the Quaffle and went back to work.
Scorpius awoke to a sore neck and an empty hallway. He yawned as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, rubbing his face trying to wake up properly. Slowly he remembered where he was and why he was there. 'His Father…St Mungo's…Albus…Rose…Rose!' as soon as her name crossed his thoughts he looked up so quickly he was pretty sure he just made the ache in his neck worse. However, he was on his feet just as soon after, his heart beat going from barely there to rapid in a second. Scorpius looked down the hallway left and then right, disappointed when he didn't see her. He sighed as he sat back down, thinking she must have gone home to get some sleep. The sound of someone clearing their throat made him look up. He couldn't hold back his smile even if he wanted to as he looked up to see Rose standing in front of him.
"Hey, I thought you'd gone," he said.
"No, just went for a little walk, needed to stretch my legs," she explained. "Thought you might like some tea," she added, as she sat down beside him and offered him one of the Styrofoam cups he hadn't noticed she had been holding.
"Thank you," he said, reaching out to take it from her. As he took his first sip, his other hand moved to massage his sore neck.
"Are you okay?" Rose asked. Scorpius turned his head to see her expression full of concern.
"Ah…yeah," he stuttered a little, "just a bit sore."
"May I? I have been told that I have magic fingers," she said with a smile. He grinned back and lowered his hand to make room for hers.
"Is that so, Miss Weasley?" he asked as she lifted her arm and wrapped it over his shoulder, moving her hand to replace his. Softly kneading the stiffness in his neck, she couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of being so close to him.
"No," she replied, a small giggle slipping out of her lips. "Actually, I am terrible at giving massages. Sorry," she added, her expression half amused and half sympathetic, drawing a chuckle from the handsome man in front of her. Rose's hand stilled on his neck, but she did not remove it. Instead, they sat there silently staring at each other, tension in the air. Her gaze flickered across his features, committing them to memory, while his seemed to do the same; neither noticed the invisible force pulling them closer together.
Scorpius lifted his hand to her cheek. She immediately leaned into his caress, finding herself drawn to his warm and gentle, yet coarse, touch. As his thumb reached out to tenderly trace the length of her lips, Scorpius' stare followed. Rose's heart beat quickened when his hand slipped to the back her neck, slowly pulling her even closer. Her eyelids fluttered close as she felt the soft touch of his lips on her own. He lingered for a moment, shooting sparks throughout her body.
Rose wondered how she could possibly feel this much for someone so suddenly; for her it almost felt like it had come from nowhere. Like being struck by lightning or taken out by a well-placed Bludger. It felt amazing, but as she questioned in her mind whether it was normal or even natural, she felt him start to draw back. Immediately she knew she didn't want it to end, regardless of her previous thoughts. So instead Rose slid her arm around him further, tightening her grip on him and refusing to let him end the kiss. She moved her lips against his and deepened the kiss slightly. As Scorpius responded just the way she'd hoped, setting her nerves on fire, her mind had only one coherent thought, 'Merlin, he is a fantastic kisser'.
Scorpius knew that he couldn't let the kiss get too heated; he had to stop it soon, but she was just so intoxicating. Nevertheless, he managed to slide his other arm around her waist and pull her closer, the redhead nearly sitting in his lap. He was pretty sure he was in heaven, which was until he felt the quick burning sensation that only comes from a hot liquid on your flesh. He jerked back with a hiss, quickly rubbing the small burning wet patch on the top of his leg. Rose, realising what she had done, pulled her wand out and quickly vanished the hot tea from his jeans.
"I'm so sorry," she said, her cheeks tinting pink from her embarrassment. "I didn't…didn't mean to…I wasn't even thinking," she stuttered, covering her face with her hands.
"It's okay, no harm done," Scorpius tried to reassure her, unable to keep his amusement out of his voice. "Come on, now, I am fine, don't hide away from me," he said before he reached up and softly held her wrists. "Where are those big beautiful brown eyes?" He slowly lowered her hands from her face and held them in his own. "There they are," he said with a growing smile. Rose smiled a weak smile in return, but was still clearly embarrassed. Scorpius simply leaned forward, tenderly pressing his lips to Rose's forehead, before wrapping his arm around her and hugging her close to his side. "Thank you," he said softly.
"For what? Spilling my tea on you?" Rose joked, the blush still warm in her cheeks.
"For everything you did for me tonight," he replied seriously. "You may not realise, but what you did really helped me." Rose pulled away a little so that she could look up at him. "I don't think I could be here right now, waiting to talk to my father, if it wasn't for you," he told her. The sincerity and affection in his magnificent blue eyes left Rose speechless. "So, thank you," he finished with a slight nervous yet honest smile.
Scorpius turned his gaze down to the floor when Rose did not respond as she was still taking it all in. She was so stunned by what he had said but so happy and grateful as well. He was letting her in; slowly she was breaking down his walls. No matter what would happen in the future between them she knew that tonight could not be forgotten. It could not be pushed aside or ignored like they had done with every other tender moment in their past. There was no going back now, their dynamic had changed and it was not like before when they could find a way back. This slightly thrilled Rose, but also scared her. They could not go back to being just friends because in this moment she knew that she would always want something more. She couldn't ever go back to hating him like in school either, because even if something went wrong between them and hating him somehow became justified, it would never be the same kind of hate. It would never be the same because she now knew that a part of her would still always care about him. Whether it was too soon or not to be feeling this way was irrelevant to Rose at that moment. She didn't want to let in the fear and anxiousness that she knew was brewing in the back of her mind; she wanted to live in this moment and just enjoy it. So with those thoughts in mind, Rose didn't waste a second in reaching out for Scorpius and turning his face towards her. She pressed her lips to his, softly but strongly. Much too soon for Scorpius' liking, Rose pulled back with a smile.
"You're welcome, but it was truly my pleasure," she said brightly. Scorpius chuckled and was about to reply when the sound of someone clearing their throat tore the couple's attention away from each other.
"I am sorry to interrupt," the healer said in a tone suggesting that she really wasn't sorry. She was obviously still sour about before. "But, Mr Malfoy, your father is now awake and responding well to treatment. You're able to see him now."
"Thank y-" Scorpius started to say, but the Healer had already turned around and walked away.
"Cow," Rose muttered under her breath.
"Well, I guess it's now or never," Scorpius said anxiously as he stood up, not hiding his unease about seeing his father again. Rose didn't say anything, she simply just stood up next to him and slid her hand into his, letting him know that he wasn't alone.
Midnight
The loud knock at the door woke Ron first. He shot upright in bed, immediately reaching for his wand out of habit, his sudden movement waking his wife.
"Ron, what is it?" she muttered, still clearly sleepy.
"I'm not sure," Ron replied, much more awake then her, as he walked over to the window and peered out through the curtains. From the window in their room, Ron could see the rest of the street, their front yard and driveway. He had chosen this house especially because of that fact, it was a great vantage point and he liked being able to protect his family. At the time they had bought the house, Hermione was six months pregnant with Rose, and Ron was going through a very over protective phase. The amount of times Hermione awoke to her husband guarding the door or spying out the window was actually rather concerning. "I swear it was the front door, but it's too dark, I can't see anything," Ron said, still peering down from the window. "Why do I keep forgetting to fix those blasted security lights?"
"Honey, it's nothing," Hermione groaned as she rolled over. "Please come back to bed," she sighed closing her eyes.
"Yeah, okay," Ron said, but didn't move.
"Ron," Hermione almost growled.
"Alright, I'm coming," Ron assured her, finally stepping away from the window. Just as Hermione felt the bed dip beside her, she heard another loud knock at the door. "Okay, I definitely wasn't dreaming that one," Ron said as he got off the bed again and heading out the room. Now fully awake, Hermione was hot on his tail after she wrapped her robe around her night gown.
Opening the front door, Ron found his son barely standing, his weight being supported by a man who Ron vaguely remembered lived down at the other end of the street. "Hugo," he exclaimed reaching out for his son and helping the other man get him inside the house.
"Hey Dad," Hugo groaned before slipping into unconsciousness again. He had a gash on his forehead with blood dripping down the side of his face.
"My daughter found him in the park, muttering something about a broom," the man said as they lead him to the living room. "I figured he hit his head and is talking a bit crazy."
"Oh my word, Hugo," Hermione cried when she entered the room, as the two men lowered Hugo on to the couch. She was by his side in no time, worried and scared for her baby.
"He kept dropping in and out of consciousness, but insisted on coming here. Now I know why," the man said as Hugo let out a groan.
"Ron, get the Dittany," Hermione said, pretty much ignoring the man.
"The what?"
"Ahh, don't worry, it's one of her family remedies," Ron deterred, as he started ushering him out. "But thank you so much for all of your help. We really appreciate it."
"You're welcome, glad I could help," the man said, before he was finally out the door. "I hope he is okay," he managed to get out before Ron closed the door.
"Merlin's balls, Hermione, that was close," Ron said as he came back into the living room. He noticed that she had already summoned everything she needed, and Hugo was already looking better.
"Oh please, Ron that was hardly anything to worry about," she snapped. "And honestly, is that all you care about? Never mind the fact that your son has turned up on your door step in the middle of the night in this state."
"What? No…Hermione, you know I didn't mean…" he stuttered, before letting out a sigh and letting it drop. Instead, he moved on to more important matters. "How is he?" Ron asked, as he moved to kneel beside Hermione and wrapped an arm around her.
"He'll be okay," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder, enjoying the comfort that she always felt in his embrace. "At this stage it doesn't look like he'll need to take a trip to Mungo's, he's just lucky that someone was around to help him," she added.
"Why was it necessary though?" Ron questioned. "What happened to him? How did he even get in this situation?"
"I don't know but all that matters is that he is safe now," Hermione reassured the worrying father. Ron was silent for a while causing her to move to look up at him, noticing the look in his eyes. "Oh come on, Ron, I know that look," she said.
"What?" Ron remarked.
"I swear you are getting more paranoid in your old age," she muttered.
"Hey! Who you calling old?"
"I am sure there is a perfectly fine reason for his condition that we will find out in the morning," she explained, ignoring his remark but smiling all the same. "Now, let's get him into his room."
"Fine," Ron replied with a sigh. A swish and flick later, Hugo was being carefully lifted and guided up the stairs to his room by a seemingly unknown force. "But remember, you're older than me," he added on his way past, looking very much the youngster, playfully poking his tongue out at her.
"How could I forget," Hermione giggled at her husband.
So that is Chapter 59. I am so sorry for how long it has taken and I understand it doesn't answer many questions at the moment, but I still hope you enjoy it. I would love your feedback, so let me know what you think.
Many thanks to my beta, Courtney
