Chapter 14: Double Vision From The Blood We've Shed or, Looks Like I Strayed To The Arms That Were Open

Rating: M mainly for language, and I can't discount any funny business later on

Disclaimer: I work with only what the infallible J.K. Rowling has given me.

There was a buzz in the air. The same buzz that was in the air every year on this very day.

Rose walked down the last flight of stairs before she reached the ground floor, her eyes slightly unfocused as they trailed her path. The halls were loud, too loud for this early in the morning, and so she failed to hear the cherub until it was nearly upon her.

It whooshed past her with its beating wings, humming loudly as it strummed on its lyre, and Rose raised herself up from where she had instinctively bent, lowering her hands away from her head.

What would you do if I wrote you a Valentine's Day poem, huh?

Nate had grinned as he had slung his arm around her shoulders, the grin that had broken her heart and mended it all at once. She had met his gaze with an arching smile, entwining her fingers around his.

How about you don't, she had informed him, only half-meaning it. He had pressed his lips into her hair, and she had felt his smile.

What if I do it anyway?

Another cherub zoomed past her as she was lost in that thought, immediately drawing her out of it, and she entered the Great Hall. Her eyes fell on the spot that she, Al and Gen usually sat at for breakfast, but instead of her friends, she was met with an empty bench. She suddenly felt herself grow cold.

God, she hated Valentine's Day.

Resignedly, she continued on towards the table, sitting down and pouring herself a cup of orange juice as a way to force herself to stay, at least for a little while. When she looked back up, there was a cherub hovering in front of her face, expectant. Rose looked around her, frowning a bit when the thing wouldn't go away.

"Uh…hi," she said cautiously. "Did you…uh—"

The cherub (whose heart-shaped name-tag read "Nigel") loudly cleared his throat and unfurled the parchment he had been holding in his hands, and began to sing.

Roses are red,

Violets are violet,

Valentine's Day sucks,

But you're a riot.

Cherubs aren't even romantic-y

Valentine's Day sucks,

But you don't,

Our very best friend, Rosie

By the time he had finished, Rose was laughing uncontrollably, her face warm as she doubled over, wheezing. The cherub, looking more or less affronted, clicked his fingers to Vanish the parchment, and then zoomed away.

As Rose wiped her eyes on her sleeve, she looked up and saw Al and Gen making their way towards her, Al crossing the front of the table before he plonked himself down next to her; Gen took the space opposite them.

"So did you like it?" Gen asked, grinning wolfishly as she waggled her eyebrows.

Al nudged his cousin in the side. "It was Nigel, right? I deliberately requested Nigel." He sighed. "He's got the loveliest voice. He makes even the crudest of songs sound like bloody lullabies—"

"We don't need re-enactments of the preludes to your previous sexual congresses, as lovely as they sound," Gen interrupted dryly. "I'm sure we can use our imaginations."

Al winked at her before he began to load his plate with food.

Rose still had a little smile on her face as she took cue from Al and reached for the heart-shaped pancakes. "It was brilliant. You guys are the best, really."

"It would've turned out better if Al had let me do most of the writing," Gen said, rolling her eyes. "He said one stanza each. Obviously I did the first, unless you think that I would rhyme 'romantic-y' with 'Rosie'."

"It only added to its charm," Rose assured her cousin, locating the sugar and pulling it towards her. "So what have you guys got planned for today?"

Al and Gen shared a quick glance before Gen shrugged at Rose, too casually. "Oh, nothing much. We were just thinking of heading to Hogsmeade for a quick lunch, it's nothing big, you could even—"

"Gen!" Rose laughed. "I'm not a charity case. You guys go and have a good time." She looked around at the breakfast scene behind her. "It's just like any other day. Albeit, with…you know, singing cherubs."

"Who write almost unbelievably incredible songs," Al put in. "Oh wait, no. That was me."

"Okay, Wordsworth, settle down." Gen leaned over the jug of maple syrup and, upon realising it was empty, hollered at the group of third years a ways up the bench to hand her theirs. "If you're sure, Rose."

Rose waved a hand at her. "I wanted to start work on my Transfiguration essay anyway. The library might finally be empty and I might actually be able to concentrate for a change. Besides, I won't have time to work on it tonight with the party and everything."

Even as she said it she didn't really want to stay inside; she could go and work underneath the birch tree on the grounds and take advantage of the emptiness. What did she care about Hogsmeade — she didn't even want to go now that she thought about it.

"You're actually coming?" Al asked, impressed. "I thought you don't party on weekdays."

Rose shrugged. "People can surprise you."

Gen stretched, rolling out her shoulder. "Well, I for one think it's a great idea. No matter how the day ends up going, everyone can at least finish Valentine's Day with a party."

"It's a terrible idea," Al corrected her, laughing. "Do you have any idea how shit-faced people are gonna get tonight? It's Valentine's Day. What some people might consider to be the worst day of the year."

"Oh, is it?" Gen asked, raising her eyebrows. "Is it the worst day of the year?"

"For some people," Al emphasised. "But some people aren't taking their incredibly witty and beautiful girlfriend out to lunch." He cringed. "Sorry, Rose."

Rose rolled her eyes. "It's fine. I'm perfectly happy not to go."

No, she thought as she stared at her heart-shaped pancakes, dimly hearing Al and Gen moving on to talk about the upcoming party. She didn't want to go to Hogsmeade at all.

"Why the fuck would you do this to yourself, Weasley?"

Rose's head snapped up as she took in the blonde boy who was resting his arms on the empty chair across from her, his eyes lifted in dry amusement.

She immediately went on the defensive. "What, Valentine's Day should only be celebrated by couples?"

Scorpius crooked an eyebrow at her. "That is the function of it, so I've heard."

Rose drew her fingers away from the menu in front of her, curling her fingers around her elbows. "Valentine's Day actually started out as a Christian holiday that honoured saints."

"Saint Valentine?"

Rose smirked. "Valentinus." Her gaze suddenly furrowed. "You do not have this free."

Scorpius shrugged, and raised himself off the chair before sliding his hand under its cross rail and pulling it out so he could ease himself onto it. "She gave you two menus," he observed blithely. "Did you tell her you were expecting company?"

"The opposite, actually," Rose said shortly. "You have class."

"And now I've gone and painted you a liar," Scorpius mused. "You can't be happy with me."

As she watched, a small grin threatened the corner of his mouth.

"I went to class, but almost no one turned up. Coulter let us go."

He turned to peruse the menu, the stark red Valentine's Day promotion in the top corner immediately catching his eye the way it had caught hers. "You're welcome," he said.

"For what?"

He leaned over and tapped the identical symbol on her menu. "I've just made you eligible for twenty percent off."

Rose's lips thinned, and she suddenly wondered if this was some horrible plan, some evil, ghastly idea he had come up with just to spite her, to make this day even worse than it already was. But then she remembered the past few weeks; Scorpius sleeping in a hospital bed, red robins circling the white ceiling, not quite uncomfortable evenings spent working by the fireplace while the castle surrendered to the cold.

"Have you both decided on your orders yet?"

She was startled out of her reverie by the waitress who had shown her to her table, her pointed face smug as she refilled Rose's water before reaching over to plunk down a second glass in front of Scorpius.

"Um…" She looked up at Scorpius, half-expecting him to leap out of his chair whilst announcing that the waitress had made a grievous mistake and of course they weren't here together, he was just about to leave—

But he only stared at her and said, "I've chosen."

Blinking furiously, Rose turned her attention back to the menu and sought out the mains list, her mind at a complete blank. "The um…chicken breast, please."

She focused on the starters, even as she had no interest in ordering one, dimly hearing Scorpius relay his order as well.

"Any drinks for you?"

"Just some water, please," Rose said.

Scorpius cocked his head at her. "Come on, Weasley, it's a holiday." He inclined his head towards the waitress. "Any specials?"

"I could recommend the spiced mead," she said, indicating it on Scorpius' menu. "It seems to be a favourite on Valentine's Day."

"Perfect." Scorpius shot her a brilliant smile. "Two then, please."

Rose opened her mouth to argue; it was the middle of the day, and they had afternoon classes. It wouldn't do for someone to see the Head Boy and Girl drinking together at half-twelve-it wouldn't do for anyone to see them together as it was, on Valentine's Day of all days—

"I'll buy, Weasley. My treat."

She met his gaze, and then she was handing her menu back to the waitress, and suddenly they were left alone again.

"That's twice now you've bought me alcohol," she commented, breaking the silence as she rearranged her fork and knife.

Scorpius raised a brow. "Coincidence," he granted, just as lightly.

A sudden squeal drew both of their attentions, and they looked over to see a young girl inhaling a bouquet of roses before tucking them under her arm as she began to eat.

Scorpius made a dissatisfied noise, and reached for his glass. "Like I said: why would you do this to yourself?"

Rose felt a brief flicker of irritation seed up inside of her, though if it was at Scorpius or at the simpering girl, she wasn't sure. "Tell me, in this situation, which of us is the pot, and which is the kettle?"

Scorpius swallowed, and set his cup back down. "Are we talking in terms of shape, or function, or-"

"You're here too, aren't you? You're doing this to yourself just as much as I'm doing it to me."

Scorpius appraised her, long and hard, before saying, "I asked first."

Rose sighed. "I'm not going to stay in the castle on a perfectly nice day, especially when we've been given permission out, and I think it sends a stupid message, and I didn't realise you needed a boyfriend to enter a restaurant-"

"So you're proving a point? For the everyday man?"

"No. I'm just eating."

Scorpius laughed, a quick, sharp noise. "Do you know how long it's been since I've spent Valentine's Day alone?"

His tone was hard to place. It wasn't bitter, but it wasn't happy either. It just…was.

"I imagine you came out of the womb with a girl attached to your-"

"I was thirteen."

"Me too," Rose said, and that seemed to surprise him.

The waitress came back, two steaming goblets in her hand, and she set them on the table. Rose bent to sniff hers. "It smells nice."

"And it's free, so drink up," Scorpius reminded her.

She blew on hers before cupping the warm chalice, the heat immediately releasing some of the tension in her frame. "So if it's so easy for you to get a date, why don't you just get one?"

Scorpius pulled his drink closer towards him as well. "Did you know that girls want to talk to you first?" He grimaced. "They insist on it, actually. Apparently, Valentine's Day isn't an excuse to grab whichever girl you fancy and take her into bed with you. They'd prefer it if you buy them lunch before all that."

Rose rolled her eyes. "How revolutionary. And what's wrong with that?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Talking's all fine and good. I just don't feel like doing it."

"We're doing it now," Rose said before she could think about it.

Scorpius met her gaze. "Yes, Weasley, talking to you doesn't make me want to rip off my ears and your tongue. Happy?"

She didn't answer, she only continued to watch him with guarded eyes, trying to puzzle together just why he was here, why he was here today, why he didn't see her here, turn around, walk out and find some other pretty girl to buy spiced mead for and regale with a twenty percent off discount. What concerned her more though, was the slight shiver of pleasure that seemed to be creeping up her body every time he looked at her, every time he opened that mouth of his and reminded her that he was here, that he was here today, that the mead in front of her was bought by him, that she was no longer alone because of him.

Her silence seemed to amuse him. "Look on the bright side," he continued. "You could've been here with Wells or Goldstein-"

"And instead I'm here with you."

His expression didn't change, and he stared at her unwaveringly before finally saying, "And instead you're here with me."

Rose saw her plate lowered down in front of her, and she picked up her fork and knife, ignoring with every fibre of her being the red rose in the mason jar that this new waitress had put between the salt and pepper, just like every other couple in the room.

"So, why did you want to become a Healer?"

His question seemed to catch her off guard, and she sipped at her drink a little before her eyes began to trace the scratches on the wooden table.

"My Uncle Fred died in the war, and uh…" She cleared her throat. "My dad's never gotten over it. My Uncle George too — especially my Uncle George." She paused. "No one has, really."

Scorpius was silent.

"I remember the most horrible thing about it was that no one could've done anything to stop it." When she met his gaze then, it was hard, so hard that it almost flattened him. "I can't be helpless. Whatever happened, I would need to know that I'd done everything I could."

Scorpius thought he had gotten far more than he'd bargained for, and he didn't quite know what to make of this new information. Part of him was intrigued, as if he had somehow nicked a crack in her unbreakable exterior, and this was his reward. Another wondered if the tense, uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach meant that this whole situation, this whole intimacy in the air, was so, so wrong.

Her eyes suddenly brightened a little, and she relaxed back into her chair. "That's how I first bonded with Nate, actually." At Scorpius' arched brow, she nodded and cupped her chin in her palm. "He wanted to go into medicine as well, until he realised that he was more interested in wand lore and artistry."

"Braithwaite wants to fashion wands?"

Rose nodded again. "He's really good at it. He apprenticed with Ollivander the summer before last. Apparently he's a natural."

Her eyes were forlorn, but the small smile on her face was real, and before Scorpius could think about it, he heard himself asking, "So why didn't it work out?"

She was noticeably taken aback by his question, and as she considered, he waited, expectant.

"You know," she said instead, "it's a bit of a double standard, you always asking me questions about my relationships, and yet you never offer me anything about yours."

Scorpius could feel the muscles in his face visibly shifting as the openness of his expression closed off. "You don't seem to need me to tell you about my relationships," he said. "If memory serves, you managed to find out all on your own."

Colour immediately flooded to her cheeks and her eyes widened when she realised what she had inadvertently brought up, and Scorpius thought maybe he had just ruined their lunch.

"I shouldn't have said anything," she said, and despite everything, her voice was steady. "It's none of my business what—"

Scorpius inspected his drink, checking for any remnants. "Makes no nevermind to me." There were a few drops left, not enough to bother. "You may not believe me, Weasley, but I honestly couldn't care less. Ask me whatever you want."

She shook her head. "You don't want to talk about your relationship with Liv with me. It's really none of my business."

"I'm asking you now. That makes it your business."

Rose bit her lip, and she took a deep breath. "That night we went clubbing, I saw Liv and Horatio. You know, together."

Something caved inside of him, the smallest of somethings, but he kept his face impassive.

She took another breath. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, and I wanted to, I swear, but…I knew it had to come from her."

A memory trickled through Scorpius' mind, a fragment of recollection, and he blinked. "Is that why you wanted to leave all of a sudden? Because of Liv?"

Her lips were slightly pursed, a symptom of the tightness of her face, and she relented. "We were having a good time," she said quietly. "I told Liv I would tell you if she didn't, but then the two of you broke up, and then we weren't talking, and I sort of figured-"

"You were right. It needed to come from her."

Rose nodded slowly. "So I guess she told you, then?"

Scorpius' mouth twitched. "Effectively."

She was back to staring at the table, her fingers curved protectively over her elbows, hugging them tightly to her chest.

"Weasley, you look like I've just broken up with you over a Valentine's Day lunch," he chided. "If you're not careful, someone will come and take away our twenty percent off."

She smiled a little, maybe, and right on cue, the waitress reappeared. "All done?" She balanced their plates on her right arm as she whipped out a smaller menu from her apron. "Would you like to see the dessert menu?"

Rose said yes, though Scorpius suspected it was out of politeness, and he peered over his menu to watch her as she skimmed hers.

"Anything you fancy?"

She bit her lip again, and Scorpius was sure their previous conversation was still weighing on her mind. He realised that, as always, Rose Weasley had been right: he didn't want to talk about his relationship with Liv with her. There were far better things to talk about.

"I'm not really hungry enough for a full dessert, but the last time I was here, Poppy said that the spiced apple pie is a must."

Scorpius smirked. "Is everything spiced on Valentine's Day?" He searched down his menu until he found it. "It does look pretty good, and it's only available for a limited time."

"I can't manage the whole thing," Rose said regretfully.

"Can you manage half?"

He wasn't sure who looked more surprised at his words, but he figured the worst thing he could do was look like he had confounded himself, so he simply waited for her answer.

She recovered quickly. "I'll order it. You paid for the drinks after all."

"So one order of the apple pie then?"

Scorpius had forgotten about the still-hovering waitress, and he coughed. "Yes, thank you."

He reached for the jug on the table to refill his water and unwittingly blanched when pain seared from his right elbow, a forgotten injury.

"Are you alright?" He thought there might be concern in those blue eyes.

"Oh yeah," he said, reaching for the jug again with his other arm. "Just a small incident a couple weeks ago. I was attacked by a rogue Bludger, wouldn't you know. Water?"

Her eyes, previously widened in worry, now lidded guiltily. "I thought you had recovered from that."

He chuckled, leaning over to tip the contents of the jug into her glass. "Training mishap." He rubbed at it gingerly when it continued to twinge.

"It looks a little bruised."

Rose reached out a finger, and then abruptly seemed to realise exactly what she was doing and clumsily pulled back, returning her arms to the safety of her torso. After a few seconds, she wound them back around her empty goblet, tapping her fingers against the metal.

"I spy dessert," Scorpius said unnecessarily.

Rose removed her hands again as the waitress slid aside the salt and pepper shakers, and then the mason jar with the rose to the sides of the table before placing the dish down in the centre.

"Enjoy," she said as she left.

Rose eyed the pie in front of them, and then the two forks.

"Ladies first," Scorpius said, inclining his head towards her. "I insist."

She pulled in her bottom lip, but grabbed a fork, offering the other to Scorpius.

"Poppy was right," she said with a smile after she had taken a bite, pushing the plate over a little.

He could feel her eyes on him as he cut himself a piece, and he forced himself not to look up.

"So you're like old-school charming, huh?" she said with a light laugh that sounded more like a light snicker.

"Huh?"

"Ladies first and everything."

He shrugged. "Self-preservation. You never know what they put in food these days. Were we in olden times, you might consider yourself to be my food tester."

"Do you get all the girls this way?"

"Evidently."

"I'm intrigued," Rose went on in a very different voice. She sounded as if they were about to play a game. "Do you use those sort of lines on other girls?"

"What sort of lines?"

She rubbed at her collarbone; Scorpius' eyes were drawn to the movement. "You know, stupid lines like that. Pick-up lines."

"That wasn't a pick-up line."

"I know that wasn't."

"I don't use pick-up lines."

"So what's your secret then?"

Scorpius wondered if she would be annoyed if he didn't answer. Depending on what he said next, she might be annoyed if he did.

He considered. "I ask them once, I tell them not to bother playing coy because I won't chase them, and finally I say that I'd prefer to have them out of my bed by eleven the next morning."

"Oh, yeah?" Rose said, resting her elbow on the table and lowering her chin onto her hand. "And that usually works for you?"

Scorpius indicated to his face with a circled finger. "This usually works for me."

He got a laugh out of her then, but her eyes were slightly narrowed. They wouldn't be narrowed if it weren't true, Scorpius couldn't help but think.

Rose leaned down below the table and when she came up she had her wand in her hand.

Scorpius, who didn't think his comment had pissed her off so much to warrant being cursed, was about to raise up his hands in surrender when she wordlessly pointed her wand towards the flower between them, and it promptly arched upwards until its stalk stood perfectly upright.

He looked at her curiously, and she shrugged.

"It was drooping," she said.

Scorpius fought to keep his expression neutral, and he dropped his gaze back to the pie.

They were just two people eating in a restaurant, talking together as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world, tucked neatly into a table for two, on this sunny Valentine's Day.

Gen's hand shyly wound its way around Albus' as they walked past shops and restaurants, and it felt as if it could be their first time, or their hundredth.

Al showed none of her hesitation, immediately bringing his other hand towards them and rubbing her palm between his own. "Your hands are freezing."

"That's because it is freezing," Gen pointed out, looking down as she watched their shoes carve two pairs of footprints in the snow.

Al laughed, but he faded off as the sight of the shop they were passing by caught his eye.

Gen followed his gaze to the dull looking window display, and frowned. "What is it?"

Al smiled a little sadly as he brought his gaze back to her. "You didn't actually feel ill that day, did you?"

It took Gen a little while to realise what he meant, and when she did, her cheeks heated despite the cold.

That was enough. Al looked down at their entwined hands, considering them. "I actually thought we wouldn't work out, you know." When he caught her stare, he nodded. "I wanted us to, obviously, but…I dunno, I thought just maybe we were better suited as friends."

Gen didn't know exactly what it was, but something in his expression - maybe it was his eyes, a little unsure, but brimming with something that might've been hope - made her go warm, and suddenly nothing before today mattered.

"We are friends," she elbowed him teasingly.

Al grinned back, and, after a moment, leaned down to press a light kiss to her temple. He looked around at the shops lining their left and right sides. "So, where do you wanna go?" He smirked. "I heard Madam Pudifoot's brought out a new selection of desserts."

"I'd rather starve," Gen said bluntly. "That place is where sane people go to die."

"It has gone through renovations," Al said diplomatically. "Maybe it's not so bad anymore."

Gen scoffed. "Why entire renovations were needed to change the wall colour to a slightly less offensive shade of pink, I don't know."

"Three Broomsticks, then?" Al mock conceded, leading them in the direction of the pub.

Gen would've liked to have stood back and enjoyed the day out, but something was nagging at her. She drew her finger along the velvety stalk of the flower in her hand. "Do you…do you think Rose is okay?"

Al gave her a weird look. "You worry about Rose way too much."

"I feel bad, it's her first Valentine's Day alone since Nate and, well, the host of other guys who tried their luck with her before him. Maybe we should have taken her out with us, it's not like— oof!"

She grunted as she crashed into Al's still form, and rubbed at her arm. "Oi, what was that about?"

Al was staring straight ahead, unblinking. "I don't think you need to worry about Rose."

Gen followed his gaze through the window of the Three Broomsticks, landing on the redheaded girl and blonde-haired boy sharing a pie in the back-end of the restaurant.

They stood there in the window and for a long moment, neither of them said a word.

Then next to her, Al's shoulders began to shake, and she looked towards him, her eyebrows furrowed in concern, but suddenly he barked out a laugh. "Happy Valentine's Day, Rose," he said, still chuckling.

Then he took Gen's hand into his and led them down the street.

When Rose exited her room, Toby was sitting on the couch, jiggling his leg impatiently.

He looked up at the sound of the door opening, and hesitated before offering her a little smile. "Hi."

"Hi," Rose replied, pulling the door shut behind her. "Are you um…going to the party?"

Toby nodded. "Yeah. If we ever end up leaving, that is."

Rustling noises were suddenly discernible from the room near the back of the dormitory, and Toby angled his head around. "Oi, Scorp! Hurry up!"

Two seconds later, Scorpius' door was flung open and he stalked out, one hand scrubbing a towel vigorously at his damp head, the other holding up the towel wrapped around his waist. "Jesus, Toby, why do you insist on getting there so ear-"

He abruptly broke off at the sight of Rose, and she saw him clench his hand more tightly around the towel at his waist. Her face immediately heated.

"Weasley," he greeted her stiffly.

"Oh…um…" Still burning, Rose averted her eyes and focused on the ground so hard her vision began to blur. "Um…I'm um…ready so I'm just gonna um…okay, bye."

She couldn't actually feel her feet hitting the carpet as she scarpered out, though she somehow made her way through the portrait hole unscathed - ungraceful as her departure was - and collided headfirst into Gen.

"Woah!" Her friend steadied her. She squinted. "You look jumpy. What's up with you?"

Rose drew a hand over her cheek and was relieved to find that it felt a normal temperature again. She self-consciously relaxed her face. "Just…excited."

Gen scoffed. "Please. Anyways, we're early, I thought we were just meeting inside first."

Rose immediately grabbed her friend's arm and entwined it around her own. "No no. You know how I hate to be late." She tugged them away from the dormitory entrance and down the corridor. "I could really use a drink, and I don't want the mead to run out before we get there."

Gen continued to study her suspiciously. "Okay. But you're being weird," she informed her.

Rose laughed, a little too loudly, but soon they were walking up the staircase where a scant few other students were making their way towards the Room of Requirement.

As soon as they entered, Gen pulled Rose over to the drinks table where a handful of seventh years were still unloading bottles from wine boxes.

"Did you guys empty the entire village of its alcohol?" Rose asked, bewildered.

The two guys shared a quick glance.

"You're not gonna like…report us, are you?" one of them asked bravely.

"I'm off-duty tonight," Rose assured them. "Can we?" She handed over some coins and grabbed a mead for herself and gin for Gen.

"I thought you said that evil never sleeps," Gen teased as they located an empty sofa, no large feat with so little people in the room.

"Evil's a bit of a stretch, don't you think?" Rose smirked. "Hooliganism, maybe. Speaking of, I can't believe you convinced Al to join us so early."

Gen shrugged. "It's my right as his girlfriend — ah, speak of the devil. Oi, Al!"

Al raised a hand in greeting and picked his way over to them, snagging a drink from the table when the two seventh years had their backs turned. "I see the party's in full swing," he snickered. "What have I missed?"

"They finished putting out the drinks a minute ago," Rose offered. "It was very exciting. You missed a rager of a set up."

"So witty, even on Valentine's Day, dear cousin," Al remarked, unfazed. "How's your day been?"

Rose felt her composure slip for a fraction of a second, but she smoothly rearranged her features. "Not much. Just, you know, lunch."

"Oh?" Al asked, and, with the twinkling look in his eye, Rose missed the swift motion as Gen's elbow made contact with his gut. "Where?"

"Three Broomsticks."

"Us too," Al said immediately.

Rose felt her stomach bottom out, and her fingers went white around the bottle in her hands. "You…you guys were there?" She turned towards her best friend. "Gen, you never—"

Gen shouldered out of Al's hold and stepped in front of him. "We were going to, but we decided-"

"It was too packed," Al interrupted, poking out from behind her. "You know, full of couples and…other people."

"Yeah," Rose said hastily. "It was pretty busy. Anyways…I'm really thirsty, shall we start drinking? Let's start drinking."

As she walked off without waiting for an answer, she missed the vigorous but silent burst of laughter from her friends as they shook their heads and followed her to the couches.

Two hours later, the party was in full swing.

Rose, having just allowed Gen to drag her into some drinking game or another, had decided to claim a moment alone; she located the nearest couch and fell rather unceremoniously onto it, nearly spilling the whiskey that was sloshing around in her cup.

She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering if the alcohol was going to hit her, and if it was, if it could preferably do so sooner rather than later.

"Mind if I sit?"

Rose looked up from where she had bent to study her drink, and blinked. "Nate?"

Her ex-boyfriend grinned and still, Rose felt the tiniest of tugs deep in her stomach. He lowered himself down onto the couch next to her, and Rose could immediately tell that he was wearing the cologne she had bought him the year before.

"Good time for a party," he said, chuckling at the game of Mugs that was very quickly turning in favour of one team. "I guess the career stuff really stressed people out."

"Real life is stressful," Rose admitted, the thought that this was the first time they had sat down together since the break up suddenly occurring to her. "So, are you still wanting to pursue wand fashioning?"

Nate nodded, grinning. "I did another summer with Ollivander, and he thinks I have a future, Rosie—uh…Rose."

She smiled gently at him. "You don't have to call me Rose, Nate."

He returned her smile before he knocked the side of her leg teasingly. "So, I've heard you're into musicians now."

Rose rolled her eyes good-naturedly, her reply ready, when the double door opened and Scorpius walked in. He was in clothes this time, but that same heat, that same feeling Rose couldn't place snuck up on her again, and their eyes met.

His gaze slid over to the boy next to her for a fraction of a second before it returned, and for some reason, that gave Rose the ounce of confidence she needed. She raised her fingers and waved them.

Looking throughly amused, Scorpius smirked back, nodding at her before he turned back to Toby and pointed them in the direction of the drinks table.

Rose turned back to see a puzzled Nate.

"What?" she asked.

He shook his head, shrugging. "I guess I've seen stranger. Are you guys—ah, you know, not my place to ask."

Rose hastily took a sip of her drink. "Nothing to ask," she said. "Nothing to tell."

Nate looked like - despite what he had said - he wanted to ask more, but suddenly there were hands wrestling on his arms, and the scent of Firewhiskey was a heady thing in the air. "Come on, Nate, we're up next!"

Nate looked back at Rose and shrugged helplessly, allowing his friends to pull him towards the game. "Nice talking to you, Rosie!" he called.

She raised her bottle towards him and sighed deeply.

She had been alone for a minute before she sensed someone behind her.

"Not into Mugs, I'd wager?"

Scorpius had brought a drink with him, and when he sat, he didn't smell like cologne; he smelt like soap and shampoo and everything clean, and Rose thought maybe she liked that a little bit more.

"You're first to come to a party and still the last to be drunk."

Rose frowned at him. "You're not drunk either."

"I only just arrived," he pointed out.

"Toby made it sound like you were heading straight out."

"Toby missed dinner and wanted to head to the kitchens first."

"Where is Toby?" she asked, doing a cursory sweep of the room.

Scorpius shrugged. "Trouncing your ex in Mugs."

Rose followed his gaze towards the large group in the middle of the room, and watched Nate down the glass in his hand, coughing and laughing as Toby did a victory lap around the table. She raised a brow. "I see."

"Was he as stimulating as you remember?"

Rose pulled a face. "Excuse me?"

Scorpius chuckled, raising the bottle for a swig. "Braithwaite. You looked bored."

"I wasn't," Rose said shortly. "But thanks for your concern."

"How'd you meet the guy, anyway?"

Rose felt a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Detention."

"Detention?" Scorpius repeated, incredulous. "I can count the amount of detentions you've ever had on one hand."

"And they were all your fault," Rose informed him dryly. "It was after the one in fourth year, when I met Nate. I was uh…preoccupied with the whole thing and walked straight into him — dropped my books and everything — and we got to talking."

"The Herbology Incident?" Scorpius asked.

"The Herbology Incident," Rose confirmed.

"I still can't believe you did that," Scorpius said, shaking his head.

"I didn't do it on purpose!" Rose immediately insisted. "I told you I tripped."

"And poured Invigoration Draught all over my already mental plant?"

"Yes," Rose said stubbornly. "And you did the same to mine before I even had the chance to explain!"

Scorpius laughed at the memory of their two screeching, cannibalistic plants, devouring their brethren around them while the rest of the class erupted into a terrified frenzy. "I guess a part of me knew you'd never do something like that deliberately, but…" He shrugged unapologetically. "I guess I didn't care back then."

"Oh, and you would now?"

Scorpius shrugged again. "Possibly."

Something he said suddenly occurred to Rose, and she bristled. "What do you mean I'd never do anything like that?"

Scorpius caught her expression and snorted. "Come on, Weasley, what's the worst thing you've ever done in your life?"

The silent challenge in his eyes sent Rose's mind whirring.

Scorpius watched her struggle and gave a short, satisfied laugh. "I knew it."

Rose grimaced. "One time I threw Fire Crabs at a classmate during a Care of Magical Creatures class."

Scorpius pressed his lips together, his eyes glinting. "Did you? What did the poor sod do to warrant that?"

Rose crossed her arms. "He was a prick."

Scorpius met her eyes, and they shared a small, rueful grin.

"Come on, then," Rose said. "What's the worst thing you've ever done?"

Scorpius studied her for a few moments and then cracked a grin, raising his hands. "Fine, someone tell McGonagall she's chosen the most boring, rule-abiding Heads in Hogwarts' long history." He paused, and then in the same dry voice, said, "He's staring at you again."

Rose followed his gaze, and blinked when Nate sheepishly ducked his head to break their eye contact and immediately engaged his friend in conversation.

"It's nothing."

"It's Valentine's Day." When Rose furrowed her brow at him dubiously he shrugged. "People get awfully sentimental on holidays like this."

Rose considered that, remembering the amount of times today she had inadvertently caught herself reaching for some fleeting memories of her past relationship. It had been two years of her life after all.

"Here we go."

"Here what?" Rose fretted.

Scorpius lifted his chin straight ahead of him, and Rose turned to see Nate making his way towards them.

"You should say no."

Rose frowned. "You don't know what he wants."

"I do," Scorpius promised.

Nate brought with him the scent of Firewhiskey, and as he approached, he offered out a hand to her. "Rosie, we never got to finish our talk earlier." He hadn't drunk enough for his words to be slurred, but there was a brightness to his eyes and an ease to his gait that hadn't been there before.

"Nate—"

"One dance, Rose? Come on, you love this song."

Unbidden, Rose found herself looking to Scorpius, who, after returning her gaze, got to his feet.

"Later, Weasley," he said, and without a second glance he was carving his way through the crowd, leaving Rose wondering why he even seemed to care.

He had said one dance.

That was five dances ago, at least. Scorpius had lost track. Or maybe it had been five Firewhiskeys ago? He looked at the one in his hand, angling his head to study the label as if somehow it would give him the answer.

As he lifted the bottle to his lips again, he saw Nate Braithwaite lean down towards Rose, and when he whispered something in her ear, she rolled her eyes as she smiled, shaking her head. He leaned down again, but it wasn't towards her ear this time, and Scorpius turned away.

He craned his head around, looking for Toby, who had disappeared under the guise of getting a drink, though that was a while ago. Scorpius heaved a sigh.

"Scorpius?"

A lot of girls had said Scorpius' name tonight, but this one, even through his drunken haze, immediately sent his stomach twisting into an uncomfortable knot. It had been so long since he'd heard her say his name.

He lowered the bottle of Firewhiskey in his hand, and turned around to face his ex-girlfriend.

She looked half-surprised that he'd actually turned around, but when Scorpius looked at her properly, under her cautiousness was that unfailing obstinacy held in the tightness of her expression.

"Enjoying the party?" he asked, indicating the cup she was cradling in her hands.

She followed his gaze and shook her head, abruptly discarding it on the table next to her. "Um…I'm not really drinking tonight."

"No?" Scorpius questioned, taking another sip and realising with dejection that the bottle was now empty. "S'not like you."

"Scorpius," she said again, and Scorpius thought maybe it wasn't the best idea to do this right here, right now, when Oscar Bates was chugging an entire bottle of mead as his friends hollered him on, and the music blasting throughout the room was reaching its climax (what was the name of the song? Why couldn't he figure out what the song was called?)

He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Can we talk?" she asked.

"Isn't that what we're doing?" he replied, and when she was about to retort, he continued blithely, "Did you think I wouldn't talk to you if I was sober?"

"No," Liv said immediately. "But I wouldn't have come over if you were."

Scorpius smiled wryly at her, cocking his head. "Are you going to ruin my party, Liv?"

Her face fell, but she stubbornly shook her head. "I'm trying to make up for the last night of yours I ruined." She looked down at the drink beside her, and Scorpius knew she was wishing its contents were in her stomach. "You um…you look better. All healed up."

"I am," Scorpius said. "But that's not what you wanted to tell me."

"No," Liv admitted. She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Scorpius blinked. And then he blinked again.

"Scorpius, I'm so sorry. I don't even know where to start. I know that I—what I did was wrong, I know it was, and I should've talked to you, I should've told you how I felt instead of doing what I did, and it's not an excuse, but I…I wanted you to hurt like I was hurting, and I know that was wrong of me too—"

Scorpius' eyes moved to her hair. It was mussed, like it always was in the morning, and he wondered why, if anyone had mussed it. She didn't usually have it as messy as that, especially at a party.

"—not like I'm expecting us to go back to how we were before, but I miss you, okay? I miss my best friend, I miss you and me, and you and me and Toby, and I know how badly I fucked up — I fucked up so bad, and I know I can't ask you to trust me, but at least let me try and make it up to you—"

Liv's eyes were shining, he thought they might even be glistening, and suddenly memories of that night in November dredged themselves back up again. She had been cruel that night, and he felt as vacant now as he did then. It felt like a lifetime ago. He wasn't mad at her anymore, he knew that much. Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe.

His eyes travelled back to the curve of her lips as she spoke, particularly liking the way that her mouth pursed every time she told him how sorry she was, and those lips were so familiar, so invitingly like home that he found himself stepping towards her. How long had it been since he had kissed someone? Three months? Had it ever been so long before?

He angled his head away from her confused eyes, and he studied the room. Two Hufflepuff girls in the corner, one of whom had already attempted conversation with him tonight; he would have no problem there. A pretty Ravenclaw sitting near the entrance, sipping her drink as she watched the party around her. Inexplicably, his gaze turned back to the girl in front of him, and he was looking at her soft hair and remembering how it used to feel in his fingers, and he fleetingly wondered if she would still smell like cinnamon, and that odd thought began to nag at his brain.

He had been drinking bad decisions by the bottle, and Liv was just the cherry on top of the fucking cake. The rational part of him knew you shouldn't re-open closed wounds, especially when the wound in question cheats on you with a reserve whose name you can hardly remember (Horatio Horatio Horatio), but there on the dance floor, not twenty feet away from him, was Rose Weasley and Nathaniel Braithwaite, and Rose Weasley never did anything wrong and if she could do it, Scorpius would be damned if he couldn't do it either.

Liv's hair was as soft as he remembered it, and he felt the empty bottle of Firewhiskey slip from his fingers as he moved his other hand to join the first there.

He knew in the morning this would come to bite him in the ass, but morning was hours away. Morning could wait.

"Nothing like a slab of bacon to cure a hangover," Al said merrily, depositing three on Gen's plate as they sat in the Great Hall on Wednesday morning.

Gen raised her head from where it had been resting on the table long enough to wrinkle her nose. "I think the smell is making it worse." She turned to face the table again, her voice coming out muffled. "You have it."

"Suit yourself." Al pulled her plate toward him, and considered before picking up an additional two rashes. He looked at his cousin, who had said almost nothing since they had been sitting at the table. "You're quiet, Rose."

She blinked, coming to. "What? Oh, yeah, sorry, just um…thinking."

"About?" Al pressed.

Gen groaned, and then straightened up, rubbing at her temple. "Three guesses who. Wait, two guesses. One for each of the guys you spoke to last night."

"She spoke to me," Al said.

"This isn't a list you want to find yourself on," Gen said, patting him on the shoulder. "So, who is it? Nate?"

"You spoke to Nate?" Al asked, his eyebrows raising as his fork hung in the air.

"Amongst other things," Gen muttered, keeping her eyes down. "Are you guys okay?"

Rose shrugged. "I'm sure we are."

The three of them were quiet for a while, broken only the sound of Al's fork and knife working away at his food.

"I haven't seen Malfoy get so pissed in a while," Gen said nonchalantly, finally grabbing the jug of orange juice and pouring herself a cup. "Was he drunk when you were talking to him, Rose?"

"No, he wasn't." She frowned. "Wait, how drunk was he? He was totally sober when I was with him—"

"You were otherwise preoccupied for a while, Rose," Gen pointed out gently. "Besides, alcohol tends to warp your sense of time."

"He doesn't usually drink too much at parties."

"He broke the habit then," Al snorted. "And my back."

"Your back?" Rose echoed. "You had to carry him back to our dorm? He was with Liv the last time I saw him."

"Yeah, she was there too," Al confirmed. "I helped her bring him back to his room."

"Did any of you see her?" Rose found herself asking. "After she brought him back?"

Gen pursed her lips thoughtfully. "No, I don't think I did."

Rose didn't think she had seen her either. After everything that had happened with Horatio, she didn't think there was any possibility that Liv and Scorpius could get back together. Even yesterday at lunch, he had said he didn't care, she was welcome to ask him anything she wanted. That didn't seem the sort of comment that preceded a relationship.

Rose felt Gen's eyes on her briefly before she looked back at Al. "So, are they back together then? They've been broken up for so long I just assumed it was for good this time."

"I don't think he was conscious enough to make any decisions like that." Al shrugged, unconcerned. "It was probably just a stupid, drunk decision. Lots of people do stupid shit like that when they're drunk."

"Stupid's a little harsh," Gen said quickly. "Hooking up with an ex isn't the worst thing in the world. I mean—"

"Are we forgetting that I didn't actually kiss Nate?" Rose asked, amused.

"You kissed Nate?" Al choked on his eggs and hastily gulped down the glass of juice Gen offered him to relieve his coughing.

"I didn't kiss Nate," Rose hissed, looking around to make sure no one had heard him. "And shush."

"How did I miss all this?" Al whined.

"How are you not hungover?" Gen retorted. "You drank more than I did."

"Yeah, but I threw it all up last night," Al said sagely. "Best way to prevent a hangover."

"You're an example to us all," Rose said, pursing her lips in distaste.

"I guess now's not a good time to tell you that your shirt's on inside out?" Al said dryly.

Rose's head snapped down, and she suppressed a groan. "How long were you waiting for that?"

Al tsked, grinning. "Our Head Girl's slipping."

"It's okay, Rose," Gen consoled her. "That guy over there has vomit on his front. And Liza McCarthy is wearing a Ravenclaw jumper."

Rose laughed into her cup. "I saw her and Ephraim getting together last night."

"What?" Al gaped. "Liza and Eph-I missed that too?"

"I wish that was my biggest problem," Gen groused. "I don't know how I'm gonna get through Runes without throwing up. Though it would serve Westknight right if I did throw up on him—"

Rose's attention was suddenly on the Great Hall's entrance. Toby Nott walked in, hands in his pockets, and sat down next to a group of seventh years near the door, not one of them blonde. He frowned a little as if sensing eyes on him and looked up, meeting Rose's gaze with a searching expression.

She hastily turned back to her food, toying with a piece of toast and realising that she had inexplicably lost her appetite.

From across the hall, Toby stared at her curiously a moment longer before returning to his breakfast.

Scorpius was hungover.

He knew it before he even opened his eyes, and when he did he was accosted by the sunlight beating down from his window. He abruptly turned onto his side, and saw Liv still sleeping beside him. Something in his stomach churned, and he staggered to the bathroom, upheaving last night's dinner into the toilet. He fumbled half blindly in the cupboard above the sink, his fingers closing on the small vial of potion he kept stashed there, and he downed its contents.

He splashed water onto his face, rinsing out his mouth before abandoning that and grabbing his toothbrush.

Liv was sitting up when he returned, her gaze expectant.

At his expression, she gave him an appraising look. "You always did have a terrible memory after a night of drinking."

Dread washed over his body, cold and disorientating, and though the potion was already working to settle his stomach, he felt like there was a good chance he could go for another round. "What happened last night, Liv?"

She made an incredulous face and crossed her arms. "You're not serious. You think I want to get back together?"

Scorpius leaned heavily against the doorway, and she sighed.

"The only reason I came back here with you was to make sure that you ended up in your own bed and no one else's."

Scorpius wanted to stay standing a safe distance away, but with his throbbing headache and nausea, that wasn't really a feasible option. He walked measuredly back to his side of the bed and lowered himself back down onto it.

"What actually happened, Liv?" he asked again, because all he could really remember was—

"You kissed me."

That.

"Okay," he said lamely. "What happened after that?"

"You asked me if I wanted to leave the party. You weren't really in the best way, so I agreed, and I brought you back here."

"And then?" His hands were freezing. He rubbed them together.

Some of the seriousness evaporated from Liv's expression and she rolled her eyes. "You wouldn't stop bloody talking. I was going to make sure you were okay and then leave, but you were in a bit of a talking mood, so I figured I'd stay with you for a little while until you'd had enough, but you went on and on about the most random things, and I was getting so sleepy and I must've fallen asleep."

"Like what sort of things?" Scorpius asked.

Liv shrugged nonchalantly. "Hell if I remember."

"And you stayed?" Scorpius murmured, his brow furrowing.

"And I stayed," she replied.

They sat in silence for a little while, Scorpius digesting her words. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he turned to face her. "How did you get in?"

Liv leaned back against the bedpost, mirroring Scorpius' pose. "I was half-way towards Rose when Toby bumped into us, and he told me the password."

"I see. So, ever the gentleman, he didn't offer his help?" Scorpius asked, raising a brow.

"Toby wasn't in a fit state to help anyone," she scoffed, and then her tone shifted. "Albus Potter, however, was more than happy to offer his assistance."

Scorpius was quiet. "Thanks, Liv."

He waited a few seconds before looking at her, and when he did, she was already looking at him.

A small smile tugged at her lips. "You're welcome."

"You don't look too good."

Scorpius raised his head from where he had been bent over his Ancient Runes textbook. "Cheers, Weasley."

Rose smirked and lowered herself down onto the chair next to him, piling her own textbooks on the table. "I'm surprised you don't know how to make a hangover cure," she commented.

"I can," Scorpius objected. "But I'm hoping this hangover will convince me to never drink that much again."

"You'd take a day of throwing up over acceptance at being a teenager?"

"I'm not that desperate to be convinced," Scorpius admitted. "I took something to settle my stomach this morning. Anyway, it's the headache that's the killer."

"With how much you drank, I'm not surprised."

Scorpius gave her a look, flipping to the next page of his book. "Don't start, Weasley. I saw you."

"Given that we had an entire conversation together, that doesn't particularly surprise me."

"Dancing."

Rose frowned. "With Nate?"

Scorpius grunted.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Nate asked me to dance for old times' sake."

"Did you kiss him for old times' sake as well?"

"Did you?" Rose countered, and that shut him up.

They sat in a stalemate silence before Scorpius picked up his quill again. "You're making my headache worse."

"Just think about how much you're being convinced."

He didn't reply, so Rose opened her Arithmancy textbook to start on the week's assignment. As she took out her quill from her bag, a fellow seventh year passed them, studying them with open interest. Rose raised a brow in defiance, and the girl scuttled off.

"You guys looked like you were having a good time."

Rose angled her head to look in Scorpius' direction, and saw that he hadn't looked up from his work.

"We were."

"So why didn't it work out?"

Rose dropped her gaze back to her paper, positioning her quill in her hand, though she had no idea what she was planning on writing. "You asked me that yesterday."

"You didn't answer me yesterday."

"Why are you interested?" she asked, feigning nonchalance.

He saw through it immediately. "That's how this works out, doesn't it? Give and take. I tell you something, you tell me something. But if you don't feel like telling me why you dumped Braithwaite, I won't force it out of you."

Rose raised her eyebrows, suddenly appraising him as she straightened up. "Why do you assume I was the one who ended it?"

Scorpius blinked, then seemed to be carefully crafting his next words before he spoke them. "You don't seem particularly the sort of girl that gets, uh..." He trailed off, and Rose couldn't help but think that if only he were braver, he would've gone through with it. Still, she only nodded.

"With Nate, uh," she said, suddenly realising that she had never had to voice aloud the reason why she had ended things after those two and a bit years. "He — he was nice, really nice, but..." She looked up to see Scorpius furrowing his brow as he watched her. "We never fought."

Nice. That was the only word she could think of to describe their entire relationship. Nice.

Scorpius taxed her conflicted expression and frowned further. "And that was...bad?"

She nodded. "I never fought with Christian either."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "I don't think that was your problem with Stubby Goldstein."

"Yes, you've made your opinion of Christian rather clear," Rose said stoutly, crossing her arms.

Scorpius shot her a challenging look back, as if daring her to tell him he was wrong.

She sighed upon seeing his expression. "But yes, the music thing played a substantial role in the break-up."

"You don't like fighting," Scorpius intoned suddenly. "You like the challenge."

She kept her gaze on her parchment for a few protracted seconds. "How'd you figure that?"

He shrugged. "You wouldn't have bothered with me for all these years if you didn't."

Rose wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

"I didn't actually kiss him," she heard herself saying instead. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scorpius blink before casting her the briefest of glances.

"No?"

She shook her head. "No."

She directed her attention to the words in front of her, though she immediately realised she was on the wrong chapter for the assignment. She pulled in her bottom lip, wondering if it would be obvious if she pawed through half the book before resuming work.

Scorpius ruffled a hand through his hair, messing it up for a short second before it fell back into place. The same scent she remembered from last night suddenly drifted over to her, and she wondered how he could be so hungover and yet smell so clean.

He stretched, rubbing a little at the back of his neck as he straightened. His brow furrowed as he turned his head to survey the library.

"The library's not crowded," he said.

Rose squinted at him. "No..."

"So why're you sitting here, then?" he asked.

Rose blinked at him, and then shrugged before she decided she would flip to the right page, her pride be damned. "Because I wanted to."

The Slytherin Common Room was colder than Scorpius had remembered.

Maybe it was because he was now used to a smaller space, closer to the warm fire. Maybe he had just grown accustomed to something new.

"So, tell me again, Toby, what possessed you to hook up with Ruth Nesgrave of all people?"

Toby sighed dramatically. "I told you, I was smashed. I didn't even realise it was happening till too late."

"Hear that, Scorp?" Liv said dryly, turning a concerned eye on Scorpius. "Our Toby's been the victim of a predation."

"You looked like you were really having a rough time of it, Toby," Scorpius agreed, adopting a similar tone. "Now, tell us, where did the bad lady touch you?"

"You two are right ones to talk," Toby informed them stoutly, which effectively shut them both up.

"As your friend, Toby, I feel inclined to warn you that Ruth has been telling all of her friends that it's only a matter of time before you ask her out."

"She what?" Toby choked out in a strangled, horrified voice.

Liv let out a small laugh, glancing at Scorpius with twinkling eyes. From the couch opposite her, Scorpius felt the corners of his mouth turn up in reply.

"How do you know? You guys aren't even friends."

Liv shrugged casually. "I may have…overheard something."

"You were eavesdropping," Toby corrected her, smirking.

"They were talking about it in the bathroom," Liv defended smoothly. "You can't eavesdrop in a public place. Really, Toby, did you have to choose someone with such a loud, annoying voice?"

"I was drunk!" Toby crossed his arms. "You guys are gonna put me in a bad mood."

That wasn't true, Scorpius knew. Toby was in happier spirits than Scorpius had seen him in months. Looking at the fond expression she was directing at their friend, Scorpius had an odd suspicion Liv was thinking the same thing.

"Sorry, Toby," Liv said, smiling.

Toby met her gaze and grinned. "Have you told Scorp about your summer internship?"

Scorpius raised his eyebrows in surprise. "No, she hasn't."

A faint blush rose to Liv's cheeks, and she shook her head nonchalantly. "It's nothing, really. I sent the final designs for my aunt and uncle's party to them, and she forwarded them to a design company, and they um…offered me an internship."

"It's great, Liv," Toby interrupted her.

"It is great, Liv," Scorpius concurred, inclining his head at her.

That was another thing Scorpius had noticed. While Liv had been updating him on her life since Christmas, she hadn't done the same for Toby, though nothing she said seemed to surprise him.

Horatio Reed had never come up.

Toby yawned, stretching as he rose from the couch. "Bed time, I think."

He clapped Scorpius on the back as he left, and truthfully Scorpius was half-tempted to leave too. Slight discomfort set in the moment the sound of Toby's footsteps faded away, but before he had the chance to think of something harmless to say, Liv cleared her throat.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"On the topic of the anniversary party, I was wondering….I mean, I know we're good again, but I know we're not really ready for a family situation together, so I was thinking…would you mind if I brought Toby?"

"You don't need my permission to bring Toby, Liv," Scorpius said, somewhat amused.

Liv rolled her eyes. "It's not for your benefit. Toby won't agree to come if he thinks you're not okay with it." She gave him a hopeful look. "I thought maybe if you told him you were fine with it, he wouldn't feel weird."

Scorpius shrugged. "I suppose I could say a little something to him."

Liv smiled before she glanced down at the watch on her wrist. "It is pretty late. I think I might head upstairs as well." She unwound her legs and rose from the sofa, hugging a cushion to her chest for a second before putting it down. "Night, Scorp."

"Night," he replied, watching her as she gave him a little wave before disappearing up the staircase.

Scorpius stared into the emerald fire for a minute longer, wondering when he had forgotten what it looked like. He turned away from the flames and got to his feet, realising how tired he was as well, and made for the entrance hole. As he neared it, he heard footsteps coming down the girls' staircase, and curiously he angled his head back around.

Liv was playing with her hands, looking half-surprised to see him still there.

He waited for her to speak, keeping his face as impassive as he could.

"I never asked," she finally said, meeting his gaze, and Scorpius somehow knew exactly what she was going to ask him. "Why did you kiss me?"

Scorpius considered for a while before he told her.

She still looked deep in thought as Scorpius left.

Scorpius' mind, on the other hand, was empty as he walked back to the Heads' dorm, and it was peaceful. It had been a long time since he'd done this walk, and the immediate familiarity of it was calming. Force of habit, he'd said.

"Another late night, tenderfoot?" John greeted him, chortling, canting his hat in his direction.

"Not quite so late," Scorpius replied, smirking. "Leo Anguis. Goodnight, John."

It was a lot warmer in here, that's what he had thought. Scorpius peeked over the couch, the image of Rose studying on the floor by the fire already playing in his mind. But the space was empty, and her door was closed.

Scorpius hesitated by the fireplace, its warmth something he was loathe to leave. On the table was his half-finished Transfiguration assignment, and, a little ways away, a blank sheet with the title of their assignment written in Rose's - now familiar, he realised with start - script.

He raised his wand, Noxing the lights and leaving the room in almost total darkness. He continued to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him, and the red fire blazed on.

A/N:

Hey guys! I know it's been a while since the last chapter - quick updates are not my speciality (nor is productivity). Hope you enjoyed reading the chapter; I do love bringing back some old faces ) Just as a note, this fic is still planned to go to 22 chapters, which makes us almost two-thirds of the way there! Also, word of advice to any aspiring fic writers: make sure you know your fic better than I know mine. I completely forgot that Scorp had already figured out that Rose knew about Liv and Horatio, and confronted her about it at the end of chapter 12, and wrote a totally conflicting scene to that during their Valentine's Day lunch and had to completely rewrite that section. *face palms*. Anyways! Uni's started up again so updates will probably stay few and far between, but I'll do my best! Chapter titles come from Shinedown's State of My Head and Hozier's Angel of Small Death & the Codeine Scene.

~ Rach

P.S. A lot of you have left reviews with things such as "so glad to see you're still writing" etc., which is obviously very sweet (❤), but I don't want any of you to think for a second that I'm going to abandon this fic. As long as it takes, it will absolutely, inevitably, get its ending. So don't worry — I plan on seeing this thing through.