A/N: Thank you for your support and comments! I reply to all reviews, so if you leave reviews with a user ID, I'll write back! Also, thank you sooo much for the great song recommendations. Several of those are now on my Scorose list.
Hungry
Rose looked around her, before turning her back on the entrance of the castle, taking off to the grounds. She rushed down the hill, looking back every so often to confirm she was alone, free. She felt slightly short of breath when she reached the foot of the hill and walked in haste towards the lake, headed for the old tree that had kept her and Scorpius so much company the year before.
He was there, standing cooly below the shade of the old oak tree, his hair messed and tangled. His broom was lying still on the grass, resting next to his leather gloves.
"How on earth did you do that?" Rose panted, once she reached him.
"Did what?" he smirked in a half shrug.
"Get him out the way. He disappeared," she said, gasping for air.
"Surprisingly easy. A simple Confoundus and he got disoriented and left," Scorpius explained plainly.
"Aurors don't get stunned like that!"
"This one did," he smiled again, restraining a chuckle.
"You could get in trouble for this," she warned him, only to see his grin grow wider.
"You were the one who said you wanted to punch him," he reminded her.
"This is so much worse!"
"How is confounding him worse than punching him?" Scorpius chuckled.
"—You could get expelled."
"He won't know it was me. He didn't see me— and even if he did, he'd be too ashamed to tell anyone," he said in a soft laugh.
"You can't just do that—"
"I couldn't resist trying— Turned out it worked."
"What about the others?"
"The one that roams around the grounds was near the Quidditch pitch a while ago. I think it's safe to say we're alone."
She smiled weakly and stared at him as he walked up to her, until he stood still, close to her, and moved his fingers to grab her chin, raising it to meet his sight.
"There are rules, you know. You can't just— break them whenever you like," she whispered, trying in vain to pull off a scolding tone.
"Actually, there isn't anything on stunning Aurors on school grounds— teachers, yes. Aurors no. I checked."
"You checked," she said in scepticism, raising her eyebrow.
"I checked," he said again in a solemn face, rubbing his thumb against her chin.
Rose shook her head, softly, squinting her eyes at him.
"Hey, if it'll make you feel better, I can head back right now, look for him and—"
"—shut up," Rose murmured, standing on her toes to lift herself high enough to kiss him. Scorpius released the grip on her chin and wrapped his arms around her. As soon as her lips brushed his, Scorpius brought her body closer to his. She wrapped her arms around his neck, inviting him to embrace her tightly. His hands, at first set firmly on her back, travelled slowly to explore down the line of her waist. She held on tighter to his neck and breathed him in, giving into the strength of his embrace, with the cool breeze of the afternoon stroking her hair and skin.
But she felt his hands settling on her waist, with great determination, to pull her slightly away from him.
"Someone could see us," he murmured, still caught up in finishing the kiss.
"You just said we were alone," she retorted, searching for his mouth again.
He pressed his lips firmly against hers, before separating. "You should still be careful if you don't want to get caught with me."
Rose's sigh was heavy, overpowered by him. She could not hold back a stern look, tempted to inquire why he was gutful enough to stun an Auror, but too cautious about giving in for a moment.
"You have dirt on you," she said dryly and took her hand to the skin of his face. She softly wiped what looked like soil off his nose, with the back of her thumb. Scorpius smiled.
"Fell off the broom. I couldn't concentrate," he whispered, looking at Rose as she cleaned his pale skin with the tip of her fingers. "So—you're going back to your team."
"I'll be trying out for the team. I'm not sure I'll make it."
"Being all modest, are you?"
Rose hit his elbow, to push him away while holding back a chuckle. He smiled as he pulled away from her.
"I'm serious," she retorted. "I haven't played in some time."
"The last time you and I played together, you knocked me out of the broom," he said, rubbing her face with the knuckle of his index finger. He cut the caress short and walked away from her and towards the tree. Rose frowned, frustrated at how well he was doing at restraining himself.
She turned around and observed him, sitting by the bark of the tree. "You might just make that cup harder for me to win," he said. Once on the floor, Scorpius placed his right hand on a spot on the ground next to him, a gesture she took as a request to join him.
Rose walked forward a few, reluctant steps, closer to him— But she stopped and stood firm. "Afraid of competition?" She asked.
Scorpius grinned and removed his hand from the spot he had reserved for her to sit on. He contracted his legs and took his arms to rest on top of his bended knees.
"Rose Weasley," he said softly, grin still on his face. "You sound— crossed," he told her.
She shook her head and turned to look at the lake in a quick move. She wasn't going to admit out loud how much his apparent capacity for self-restraint annoyed her.
"Don't worry about your cup," she tried to deviate from his comment. "If I do make the team I won't be able to practice much, with my ridiculous curfews and Aurors sniffing my back—"
"—Hey, we can work around the curfews, and that Auror is not as good of a protector for you as I thought he would be. Come to think of it— he makes it seem like you're an easy target."
"Just what I needed to hear."
"What?"
"That I'm —weak— that I can't take care of myself," she grunted, irritated by now.
"I didn't say any of that. That Auror is useless. Is that what you think? That you're weak?"
"Seems to be a general opinion."
Scorpius chuckled. "You're not weak, but you are vulnerable."
"Is that you sugar-coating it?" she snapped.
He stared at her silently for a moment.
"I don't know why you're so upset, but— there are ways to solve this," he then said.
"Let me guess. You're writing to my father, suggesting he send two more Aurors to watch over me."
Scorpius frowned. "No," he said plainly.
"Then? How am I supposed to solve this? I clearly can't defend myself. What point is there in getting high marks if I'm going to end up breaking an oil lamp on the man who attacks me."
Scorpius smiled. "That was pretty wicked."
"I'm serious. If it hadn't been for you and Albus, I'd be—" she paused. "I always thought I was good with spells," she admitted in defeat.
"It has nothing to do with that, Rose. It's about— duelling under pressure, and anticipating your opponent's moves. Can you do that?" he asked, in a tone that came across somewhat defiant to Rose.
"I— think I can— I suppose," she said.
"Well, can you or can't you?" he pressed, something Rose had not seen him do to her before.
"I used to think I could— now I don't know," she admitted.
"Then, as I said, there are ways to solve that."
Rose looked at him. He stared back in silence. She breathed in softly and walked to the tree, to the place where he was sitting. She placed her hand on the bark to support herself as she sat on the ground, next to him, in the same spot he had reserved for her earlier.
"I won back your attention," he said plainly.
She released a shy smile and looked at his grey eyes. "I'm listening."
He remained silent for a moment, stared at her intently before speaking again.
"Rose, what we learn here is only a part of what's out there."
"I know."
"There's only so much these duelling lessons can do for you when you face a wizard with...dark habits."
"I know that, but— what are you saying? That I should learn dark spells?"
"I'm saying you should learn whatever you need to know to defend yourself."
"—Isn't that what we do in Defense Against the Dark Arts?" she defied him, already knowing the answer to her question.
"Even Professor Perry will admit there's much more to it than what he's allowed to teach us."
"—Allowed?"
"Hogwarts is not a school tolerant of dark magic, less so after the war. Many of the things we learn about Dark Arts are glossed over."
Rose sighed. "They don't want to put ideas in people's heads, I suppose."
Scorpius shrugged. "—and it makes sense in a way, but— it also leaves us in the dark a bit, don't you think?"
Rose turned to him. "I guess..."
He looked at her again, firmly. "Some of those spells...we do learn about them, but we never really perform them because they're too dangerous for a classroom— for others, they consider us too young."
"What are you getting at?"
Scorpius stared into her glare; his eyes seemed darker than before. He breathed in before talking again.
"I can teach you spells, things you might have read about but— but you haven't performed here."
Rose stared back, lost in the meaning of his offer. "And you—know all this?"
He didn't say anything for the next seconds but looked down at the ground. "Not all," he then said. "—Just some things."
"From where? Does Perry teach an extracurricular class I don't know of?"
"Of course not," he replied dryly.
"Then?"
"I just do, Rose."
She frowned, unafraid to show how unsatisfied she was with his answer. Scorpius stared at her for a few seconds before shaking his head to speak again. "I've told you this. I told you how my grandfather never wanted me to come here. I told you how he made sure I learned certain— things. He said he was preparing me for what was out there— he didn't want me to grow weak. I told you he's the reason I was such a mess when I got to Hogwarts. You know this," he grunted, his voice uncomfortable.
"Fine— I won't ask again," she said sternly. Yes, she did know that much, but it didn't feel like it was enough. Two things were clear to Rose; there was more to that side of him, which he insisted on keeping under shadows; and she was dying to unveil whatever was beneath.
"Just— I'm sorry," he said. "I was the one who brought all this up— forget I said anything."
"— No! I want to learn," she insisted.
"You want to learn," he turned to her.
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"You want me to teach you spells this school considers too dangerous for a classroom?"
"I can handle it."
"I know that—" he said, lifting the corner of his lip. "Honestly, I thought you'd be more—"
"—judgemental?"
He stared at her. "You'd be breaking a lot of school rules. You know that?"
"Of course, I know."
"I think I might be rubbing off on you. That's not good."
"Nevermind that—I need it. I can't go on like this— As long as he's on the loose, it'll only be a matter of time before he finds me. I need to know I can fight back. I can't even sleep thinking he'll— I keep having these nightmares of him—"
"—He's not going to touch you," Scorpius assured her, his grey eyes heavy on hers. He looked down at her neck and raised his hand, to softly press his thumb over the scar on her neck. He traced the thin, brown line Gerard Hancock's knife had drawn on her.
"So, you'll teach me what you know," she said.
"Only what's worth knowing," he replied in a husky, grim tone, as his finger slowly inspected the wound. Rose smiled in satisfaction. "This can't happen again," he removed his hand from her neck and remained deep in thought for what Rose thought was an eternity. "To be honest," he continued. "What you really should be doing is stop hanging around shady blokes".
"What?" she mumbled in irritation.
"It's the truth," he whispered, leaning his head down to kiss her neck, on the dark wrinkled line that was the scar. Rose closed her eyes for a moment, giving in to the shiver that travelled up her spine.
"You can't contradict yourself like this," she said faintly, her eyes still closed. "You tell me I shouldn't be around you— and then you kiss me, like this."
"Why not?" he mumbled, separating himself from her. "One thing is what you should be doing— the other what I want."
Rose snorted at his crude statement. "Who says we shouldn't be together? You?"
"You need me to pull out a list?"
"No! That doesn't matter. It's you who worries me— it's like—" she interrupted herself. She had not expressed her fear out loud. The possibility that Scorpius could suddenly turn his back on her; whether out of nobility or lack of interest, haunted her, far worse than Gerard's shadow.
"It's like what?" He asked.
"Nothing—"
"I make your life more complicated than it needs to be," he then said, pressing the back of his hand against her cheek.
"No, you don't. Gerard does, my father does. You make it easier."
"Your father. You know, he used to be your dad."
"What?" she asked, thrown off.
"You used to call him dad whenever you talked about him."
"So? You never call yours dad."
"Oh, so you're copying me now?"
"You know what I mean," Rose whispered.
"You don't want to go there, Rose. Believe me," he said, taking her face with his palm. "There's no coming back from that," he confessed in a string of a voice. Rose frowned and breathed in softly.
"He's making this so difficult—"
"He's doing everything in his power to keep you safe."
Rose shook her head, a move that only made Scorpius hold on to her face with more strength. She felt horridly frustrated by how well Scorpius seemed to synchronise with her father's thinking; she was exhausted from trying to prove to him how her father's choices were affecting her, how his decisions were affecting them. She was also terribly tired of concealing to Scorpius the unfair image Ron had of him.
"You keep defending him—" she swallowed. "But— he— you know, he—."
"I know, Rose. He despises me."
"It's not that—"
"—He thinks me capable of hurting you—"
"—He has this image of you, but—"
"—It doesn't matter, Rose."
"How could it possibly not matter?" she snapped, wrapping all her frustrations in one firm, piercing feeling. "How can you not care?"
"It's fine. I'm— fine with it. Why does it bother you so much how people see me?"
"Because— it just does! I can't believe it doesn't affect you. You can't be this— disconnected— doing your own thing."
Scorpius frowned. "Why not? I've had— years of practice," his words slid out dryly, and Rose raised her eyes to meet his cold stare.
Rose shook her head, beginning to believe it impossible to break through him. Scorpius slowly released the embrace on her face, his stare firm.
"The other day—" Rose said. "When we met at Flourish & Blotts. You made quite an impression on both my mum and aunt Ginny. It's strange."
"What's so strange about that?"
"You shut everyone out— you have no interest in socialising with anyone around you— you don't talk to anyone— and then out of nowhere, you charm people with your manners."
He smiles. "Does that bother you?"
"No. It throws me off, though."
"And does that bother you?"
"I don't know," she laughed. "It's what happened to me, I guess. I didn't know what you were like until—"
"—until you yelled at me in potions."
"I never yelled at you," she claimed.
He caressed her face with the back of his index and then travelled his thumb to draw the shape of her lips.
"What is it really, Rose?"
Her eyes, half shut as she gave herself to the feeling of his touch, opened slowly and shifted to meet his sight, directly. "You can be very unpredictable," she condemned.
Scorpius frowned. "Are you sure of that?" His thumb stopped on her lips, resting on the space that formed between them. Scorpius' eyes followed the path his thumb had so careful traced. He breathed in. "Am I really the unpredictable one between us?"
"Don't turn this around to make it about me," she whispered. He smiled, and tilted his head subtly, as if he were studying her mouth, then the skin of her jawline.
"Rose," he said quietly before staring into her eyes again. "Everything is about you."
She looked at him in silence, at his unapologetic grey eyes, his partly open mouth. "There it is again," she said.
"What?"
"It's like you turn something on."
Scorpius shook his head, sarcasm spilling from a dry chuckle. He withdrew his hand from her face and separated himself from her, eliminating the beautiful short distance between them. He held both hands up as if trying to demonstrate he was no longer touching her. He then sat still and supported his arms over his bended knees.
"Alright, then," he nodded. "So I'm not much of a talker. I don't make friends at every corner. I don't skip around, begging to be noticed, wondering if I'll get validation from every bloke I run into. Well, Rose, that's because, generally, I don't care what people think," he shrugged. The simplicity of his statement bothered her.
Rose looked at him, intently. "Everybody cares what—"
"—No. Not everybody cares," he declared and looked at her, this time firmly.
"You seemed to care when you met my mum last year, and then again this summer."
He stared at her, his eyes bewildered. "And I did, Rose. I cared— a great deal, and I have a good reason. Is that so strange to you?" he inquired. Rose shook her head, sheepishly. "Is that what makes me so unpredictable? That you can't tell what strikes my fancy? Because to me, it's pretty obvious."
Rose pressed her lips together, doubting before speaking again. "So, you just turn your charm on, when something strikes your fancy," she insisted.
He chuckled again, this time in genuine amusement. "I don't turn anything on. If anything, it's you who has that effect on me."
Rose chuckled silently, shaking her head in disapproval. "I think you care about things far more than you're willing to admit. I think you're very different from how you see yourself."
"Am I?" he frowned.
"—Nevermind," she shook her head. "Never mind any of it. This is an awful waste of our time alone. All this— talking and talking."
He chuckled again, a wide grin spreading across his face.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "I fancy all the talking. Listening to you go into the weeds, seeing your muddled expression, arguing your way into very stretched conclusions; and confusing the hell out of me."
Rose snorted, turning to him again. "And you like that," she asked in scepticism.
He grinned. "I count the hours," he solemnly said.
Rose sighed. "You're so...strange," she smiled, and he laughed again, shaking his head. He changed his posture and moved closer to her once again.
"Then that's it. That's what bothers you, that I'm not more than the sum of my parts," he murmured. He had reached her, this time sitting so close his knee gently grazed her thigh. The palm of his hand pressed tightly to the grass, holding his weight, positioned close to her hip. With his free hand, he had grabbed her chin softly.
"You're much more than that," she whispered, closing her eyes for a few short seconds, as she felt his face approaching hers.
"That's not what keeps me up at night, Rose."
"What keeps you up at night?" she looked at him for a moment but closed her eyes again when he killed the remaining distance between their lips. She returned the kiss fully, wandering her fingers across the surface of his sweater. Her head rested against the bark of the old oak tree, while her body felt tight in his embrace, somehow tangled in him. She smiled at the soft brush of the tip of his nose against the skin of her cheek.
"You're impossible," she murmured to him.
He chuckled and kissed her again. "You seem to have a lot of problems with me today," he retorted, kissing her jawline.
"I'm just— tired. The nightmares are driving me insane. Audrey sent me something for that— to stop dreaming, but it's not fully working."
"You can't sleep because you let him inside your head."
"—Inside my nightmares," she corrected.
"What are the nightmares like?"
Rose sat still, in quietness. She looked upfront. "It's always dark," she began. "It's peaceful, but— I can't see anything, hear anything. And he always appears, and I can see him so clearly like he's right in front of me. His eyes, teeth—" she shook her head, a cheap attempt to spare the image out of her. "I can never move, I can't run, or scream. It's terrifying." Rose stopped to feel the soft silence that followed. She didn't see a benefit in admitting that her nightmares of Gerard usually came after any dream she had of Scorpius.
"Don't let it control you," he told her softly, reaching for one of her loose curls, and placing it behind her ear. "That's what he wants."
"I know."
Scorpius sighed. "I can't believe they haven't caught him yet," he murmured. "I thought by now—"
"He must be good at hiding," Rose hinted.
Scorpius stared at her. "Right— well, I wish I could tell you I found something out during the summer. But— I'm not sure of what goes on in that place anymore," he admitted.
"Why is that?"
"Things at my house are not normal— not even for us."
"But —did you see anything strange?"
Scorpius breathed in, softly. "Lucius has been… in and out of the manor. But he's cautious. Once I tried to follow him, but it didn't work out as I planned. He looks stressed, though. He suddenly seems— old."
"So... do you think he may be hiding— someone?"
"Nothing in the manor, of that I'm sure. I also overheard a conversation— between my grandmother and my father. She was telling him— to be ready."
"For what?"
"I'm not sure— I can't make it all out. And I can't be sure it's related to the Death Eaters. There are too many things— happening right now," he finished, his words echoed in his throat. His eyes became still, silent.
Rose waited patiently for Scorpius to elaborate on his last statement but didn't feel surprised when he didn't.
"Scorpius, what's going on?" she pressed, and she could feel how each one of the words in her question increased the tension between them. Scorpius remained still, staring blankly at the lake. After a moment, he suddenly turned to look at Rose.
"Do you think— we could talk about this some other time?" He wondered to her, in the middle of a sigh.
Rose breathed in. "Of course," she whispered plainly.
"Come on. We should go," he said and stood up from the ground in a swift move.
Rose stared up at him, at his silky grin, at his taunting eyes. She didn't move, reluctant to break what was left of a moment.
"It's getting late," Scorpius insisted, as he offered her his hand. "He— must be looking for you," he said, suddenly in a stern voice, staring at the castle for a moment.
"You can thank my father for that," she retorted.
"Come on," he said softly. "They'll start looking for you outside if you don't show up."
Rose sighed, her heart drowned in frustration. She finally reached out with her arm and accepted Scorpius' hand, which had been patiently waiting for her. He pulled her up in a single, steady move and brought her body close to him.
"Why are you crossed?" he whispered, taking one hand to her face.
"I'm not—"
"Right," he replied in a calm smile.
Rose let a sigh escape free and pressed her lips together.
"I hate that we have to do this— sneaking around," she said weakly.
Scorpius nodded in silence for a moment and addressed his eyes to her. "Maybe you should tell your father, then—"
"—No," she cut him. "It'll only make it worse."
Scorpius stared at her. "That doesn't leave us much choice," he stated.
"It just seems so— easy for you, all of this. I can barely stand it," she then admitted and stared back at his grey eyes.
Scorpius let out a short laugh, shook his head. "Rose— I spent two months in hell, thinking of you— not being able to do anything about it. I was going mad. Now we're here, and whatever little—"
"—Little? This seems little to you?"
"This is nothing, Rose. —Hell, I was crawling over the walls of that manor. Everybody noticed. My mum was starting to worry about me."
Rose chuckled. She contemplated his short smile. It appeared to Rose that he had one way of referencing his family, and a completely different one when it came to his mother. "You seem to get along with her, " she said.
"She's— different from everyone else in that madhouse," he said. "But, my point is that—this, right now, sneaking around and all, is what keeps me going," he said, and his warm hand travelled to hold the back of her neck firmly. She closed her eyes and slightly swayed her head to rest its weight on his grip. "Still upset with me?" she heard him said. Rose opened her eyes to answer.
"Only a little," she teased quietly.
"Only a little?" He smiled. "Brilliant," he said in a defeated tone, taking his other hand to hold her chin. "Somehow, I feel I have only one job with you, and I keep failing."
Rose frowned. "And what is that?"
"Keep you satisfied."
Rose laughed spontaneously; he smiled in return. "You're doing terrible," she teased again. Scorpius held her head with strength, and she inevitably took a step forward.
"It's worse than I thought, then?"
"So much worse," she mumbled, for he had already pressed his lips against hers.
"You alright?" Albus asked, once Rose reached their table at the Great Hall and sat down to join him for dinner.
"Yes, why?"
"No reason," he shrugged. "You must be exhausted from all that studying is all."
"Oh— shut it," she snapped, before realising he was better informed than she had expected. "Wait, how did you know?"
"That Auror has been walking up and down the halls like crazy. I assumed he lost you— a while ago. Let me tell you; he looks pissed."
"He's an arse," she retorted.
"Right— how did you get rid of him to sneak off, anyway?" Albus then asked, leaning down and lowering the tone of his voice.
"I—just—I."
"It was Scorpius," Albus stated calmly at the sight of all her rambling. He straightened his body to his original position and looked at her intently.
"Sort of."
"Rose, don't wander around on your own. It's dangerous—"
"I know that," she grunted. "And I wasn't alone. I was with Scorpius. Unless you're suggesting I should take care—"
"—I'm not suggesting anything," Albus cut her, holding the palm of his hand up in the air as if hinting he wasn't up for another fight between them. Rose was glad that was the case.
They left the Great Hall together, and Rose felt lighter of spirit, chatting carelessly with Albus. As they walked down the hall together, Rose spotted the Auror, standing firm.
"Someone must have told him you were here," Albus murmured.
Rose couldn't hold back the smile of satisfaction at the rugged look his eyes held. He breathed in and stared at her as she passed by. She threw him an innocent smile, and he turned abruptly, driving his eyes away from her. Rose laughed, and to her surprise saw Albus smiling when she turned to him.
"Told you he was pissed," Albus said. "You really should be more careful," he warned her in the middle of a laugh. "But I have to admit— his face is priceless."
oOo
What had started as a relatively slow week, gained speed in a surprisingly violent manner. Every new subject Rose walked into came with a good deal of workload, designed to test students for their NEWTs. And in the midst of what felt like a very overwhelming week, was Rose's newfound desire to make it into Gryffindor's Quidditch team again. She was not sure why, but had the sense it would help her calm her rather anxious head, as it had effectively done a few years back. She wondered, though, if her lack of sleep would even allow her to perform well at the pitch.
She figured she'd listen to Lily and practice before tryouts, something that absorbed even more time out of her busy schedule, leaving little to no space to figure out how to meet with Scorpius. She was less than one week into the new school year, and she could already feel the pressure building inside of her. Every morning, Lily would drop by Rose's side of the table during breakfast to 'remind' her she needed to practice. That morning, though, she couldn't finish her sentence, for she soon stormed off at the sight of an owl that was flying her way.
The Auror's presence only made things worse for Rose. After Rose's successful disappearance earlier that week to meet with Scorpius, Hendrick had taken on the task of keeping a closer eye on her, something she didn't think was possible. His stern face, sharp nose and brown eyes would follow her everywhere— to the point where Rose began to wish for Scorpius to Confound him again, and get him out of her way.
But Scorpius did no such thing. The following days he displayed what Rose thought was his most annoyingly good behaviour. Had she not been so busy herself, she would have found a way to confront him. But— at least until tryouts, she thought she would have to settle for a casual exchange of glances across the halls and rooms. Catching his grey eyes inexplicably both punctured her chest and soothed her, all at once, in an overpowering yet satisfying way.
To her dismay, she didn't share many classes with Scorpius. The Potions classroom was the place where they would most frequently meet, but Professor Maddock's last warning had chastened them, and Rose was doing her best at keeping herself together during class. During their last course together, she had restrained every impulse of cleaning the small mark of oil that had ended up on his cheek after preparing a concoction with the keen patience that characterised him. She had also held back her hand when she had impulsively reached to fix his wild hair, untamed by the fumes of the room. He noticed her intentions both times. He had smiled, softly, quietly.
Her second-best bet besides Potions' class was their encounters during Muggle studies once a week, where they always shared a table.
Her first week was transitioning with such haste and clutter that she suddenly felt Quidditch might just be too much. But being only two days away from tryouts, and having set so much time of her afternoons to practice, she convinced herself to go through with it. Another thing she wasn't loving was how much time she was spending alone. Her practice hours and her elective subjects were clashing with Albus' schedule. That Thursday morning, as she walked out of the Arithmancy classroom on her own, with no more sleep hours than usual, and with the feeling Hendrick was following closely behind, Rose went back to feeling that the year could turn into the most challenging one yet.
She picked up her pace and walked across the hall, towards the Muggle Studies' classroom, feeling the cool breeze that came in from the courtyard, past the arches of the gallery she strolled by.
In the distance, on the other side of the courtyard, she saw two men walking together. Tall, thin and blondish hair, she recognised Scorpius instantly. But even as they crossed the yard and walked closer to the archway she was now standing next to, she had trouble confirming that the shorter guy, with black hair and green eyes, was in fact, Albus.
"What—" she mumbled, thrown off by the sight of Scorpius and Albus, carelessly walking and chatting together.
Scorpius seemed to be listening to Albus until he lifted his head as he caught sight of Rose, something that made him pick up his pace to reach the archway.
"I still think it's erratic, makes no sense," Scorpius said to Albus, his eyes still fixated on Rose's astonished stare.
"Yeah but, when you think about it," Albus retorted. "Divination is nothing but gathering clues, reading between the lines. It's more about interpretation than anything else," he finished, seemingly ready to elaborate more on the argument until he too looked up to see that Rose was standing in their way. "Hey!" he rashly said to her.
"Hey," Rose whispered back.
"We're both in Divination class now," Albus announced, pointing at Scorpius. "Turns out a lot of people dropped out this year, so they merged what was left of the four houses.
"Brilliant!" Rose mumbled, still in evident shock at how comfortable they seemed, one next to the other.
"Are you on your way to—" Scorpius asked her slowly.
"—Muggle Studies," she said.
"Need company?" he teased. Rose smiled, seconds away from telling him they should take off to the classroom. She wasn't concerned about the time, and she knew they were early for class— she was eager to have him for herself for some minutes, even if it was just to walk down the hallway, or to sit next to him in an empty classroom.
—Her thoughts and intentions were abruptly interrupted. Jasmine Cole, a tall girl with long, shiny black hair, had spotted them and had joined them.
"Rose, good to see you," she said as she reached the group, standing between Scorpius and Albus. Jasmine was, along with Thomas, one of Scorpius' few friends. Her unmistakable smile and straightforward nature made her stand out in a crowd. "That Auror is on to you, huh? Never seems to leave your side," Jasmine said.
"It's… dreadful," she retorted.
"Don't worry so much about it, Rose," Jasmine went on to say. "Having a handsome guy following you around can't be the worst thing in the world, right?" she teased, and Rose saw Scorpius turn to stare plainly at his friend.
"I suppose," said Rose in amusement.
"Cheer up. You'll be missing the extra attention once it's over," Jasmine said, and Rose heard Albus' sudden chuckle. Jasmine turned to smile at him.
"Right," Rose retorted.
"Don't you have— someplace to go?" Scorpius asked his friend, dryly.
"I still have some time to chat," she told him in an innocent shrug, and slapped his upper arm gently, in a teasing manner. Scorpius ignored her, but Rose was beginning to feel a puncturing sensation building up inside her chest, at the sight of how comfortable Jasmine felt with standing so close to him.
"She has a point," Albus jumped in the conversation, slaying Rose's unhealthy trance. "Come to think about it; you're sort of a celebrity now, bodyguard and all," Albus mocked. Rose merely squinted at him, before Jasmine retorted again.
"See, green eyes here agrees with me," Jasmine smiled at him, and Albus turned his face to her, almost immediately.
"I better go, before Scorpius kicks me out again. I'll see you in Transfiguration," she told Scorpius and swayed her riveting, black hair back when she took off.
Rose turned to look at Scorpius, who wore a modestly surprised look on his face. She then turned to Albus and caught him smiling sheepishly, staring intently at Jasmine's svelte figure, disappearing at the end of the hall.
"Well—" Rose roared, rescuing Albus from his obliviousness. "You alright there?" she asked him.
"Yes, brilliant—" he said distractedly. "Just— trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my morning. Got that free period."
"But it's Thursday," Rose told him.
"Yeah— hence, the free period."
"Aren't you supposed to be helping out Anya?" she asked sternly.
"Anya?" he frowned. "Oh—shit! What time is it?"
"Ten forty-five," Rose said, pointing at the clock on the wall.
"I told her I'd be there after class. See you guys later," he said and took off in a rush.
Rose rolled her eyes, turning to Scorpius. "What was all that?"
Scorpius shrugged, grinning awkwardly.
"You saw it too?" she asked.
"Front row— Impossible to miss," he said, tucking his hands in his pockets. "You better tell Albus to be careful there. Jasmine is a handful."
"Right," she looked at him. A tiny, yet poignantly burning sensation had suddenly sparked inside her chest again.
"What?" Scorpius asked softly.
"Nothing."
"She's got the worst temper," he then said.
Rose nodded coldly, wandering into his eyes.
"What is it?"
"Nothing— so what's with you and Albus. You two are friends now?" She interrupted, diverting any of the attention she had brought on herself.
"We shared a table in Divination. Thomas missed class so—"
"—So you sat with Albus?" she asked. "You, the guy who always sits alone."
Scorpius' lip arched. "He sat next to me."
"Why?" she asked, utterly aware of how far she was pressing him.
Scorpius smiled at her, slipped his hand from his pocket, and took it to hold his chin. "I think you know that, Rose," he said.
"What— what did he say to you?"
"He walked up to me and said we needed to talk," Scorpius said vaguely.
"Yes, but— what did he say?"
"He wanted to keep it between us. So— if you don't mind."
"I do mind."
"—Rose," he whispered and took his hand to stroke her cheek gently. "it's nothing to worry about," he said.
"—He'll see you," she said, annoyed by his sharp ability to divert from the subject with simple gestures.
"Good," he replied in a grave voice. Rose raised her eyes slightly to confirm that the Auror was still there, behind Scorpius. Hendrick was standing still against a wall, a few meters away from them, seemingly unfocused, staring at what could be the grass on the courtyard.
"Should he be following you around this closely? He's taking it—very seriously," Scorpius complained, removing his hand from her cheek.
"Honestly, I don't know. I'm sick of the sight of him," she said faintly. "Have you thought about how we're going to do it?" she suddenly asked, attempting to keep the lead of the conversation. She moved gently to start walking forward.
Scorpius frowned, and followed her lead. "Do it?" he asked.
"Dueling lessons," she whispered to him impatiently, as they both walked in the direction of the Muggle Studies classroom.
"I have an idea of where we could meet— Problem will be getting you there alone, without your knight noticing."
"—Don't call him that."
"Give me some time. I'll think of something," he looked at her as he followed her pace. Rose breathed deeply, accidentally inhaling his intoxicating scent. He asked for time. To grant him that, she'd need patience, something she had very little of. To Rose, time was a luxurious item she did not possess, and patience was a quality she no longer understood. She looked at his sombre eyes. The closer he was to her, the less she felt she could live off those short, unattached encounters. She stared at him quietly, eager for more; she knew just how heavy her glance was.
"You know, you're not the only one who's impatient, Rose," he said again, gravely, as if he had heard her every thought.
"—what are you so... impatient about?" Rose asked innocently.
Scorpius smirked gently. "You'll always pull the thread— won't you, Weasley?"
She savoured his half, almost hidden smile, and dreaded that she had to keep her distance.
When Rose walked into her common room that night, she scanned the room looking for Albus. She spotted him on the floor, sitting in front of the coffee table, his nose stuck on the pages of the Prophet.
"Did you interrogate him?" Rose asked once she was standing in front of him.
Albus raised his eyes at Rose and looked at her for a moment. He shook his head. "No," he said dryly.
"Then? What did you say to him?"
"Nothing," Albus said again, lowering his eyes to address his attention back on the paper.
"What did you say to him, Albus? She said sternly.
"Why are you so worried? What could I have possibly said that worries you this much?"
"If its nothing, why won't you tell me?"
"I asked him to be careful— for both of you since you aren't taking care of yourself."
"Was that it?"
Albus pushed himself up from the floor and folded his paper in half. "That's it," he shrugged evasively and took off. She looked at him as he walked up the stairs. She knew him well; that wasn't it.
o0o
The morning of Quidditch tryouts arrived. A thick fog rested over the pitch, daunting on the cold breeze. Rose had had a quick breakfast and had rushed out of the Great Hall.
"Good morning Hendrick," she had said earlier, as she passed the Auror by the archway. From the corner of her eyes, she had seen him frown, perhaps disconcerted by her lack of hostility, or by her bold attempt at addressing him by his name. Rose had hoped the latter would annoy him the most. She strutted out of the castle and before walking down the grounds, she stopped cold. Knowing he would be following, Rose turned and looked at the Auror sternly. He understood her signal almost immediately, stopped, took a step back and stood still by the entrance.
With a sense of satisfaction, feeling her day had started on a right note, Rose took off towards the pitch to warm up. She found Lily was already there and did her best to ignore her cousin's bossy attempts at keeping everyone there in order. She flew around the pitch where she ran into Elaine Roberts, with whom she ended up playing for a short while until Lily announced that tryouts had formally begun.
Rose awaited her turn, sometimes turning to look at the stands, seeing if she could spot anyone familiar.
She never did find anyone in the distance and felt at ease with the fact that she didn't have to deal with any additional pressure. She still wasn't sure that she wanted to be in the team but didn't feel like making a fool of herself, particularly in front of Scorpius.
When her turn arrived, she felt slightly relieved to see that Christopher Brown had been assigned as the keeper for her test. Chris' weakness was in blocking his right side. She remembered arguing with him after a match, for not stopping what she had considered a "weak throw". He was a good player, but it was comforting to know she could predict her opponent.
It all began with the sound of a whistle. The modest crowd stood still, scattered across the stands. A warm thunder blasted within her chest; she was ready. Not willing to lose one more second, she held the Quaffle tightly, and flew towards her target, leaning intentionally to her right. She could see Chris smiling as she approached the hoops more and more, his broom leaning softly to her right as well. She flew forward, faster now, mildly correcting her direction. Once close enough, with her eyes firm on Chris' she abruptly turned her broom to the left and threw the Quaffle into the first hoop of the row. Chris flew hastily but reached the circle once the Quaffle had already made its way inside.
A rush travelled up Rose's chest. She rapidly flew to her initial position and caught the new Quaffle that was thrown at her. As soon as she heard the second whistle, she flew towards the hoops again. This second time Chris advanced fast, and Rose, feeling he was blocking her move, flew back, and travelled rapidly around the pitch, and behind the hoops. She saw Chris turning, unsure of which direction she would choose next. She flew back again and then rapidly forward towards the centre hoop. He blocked it immediately, and she flew towards him, so close she could have crashed against him. In another drastic move, she moved to her left and scored again.
She saw Chris wording something, and she released a smile. With a steep rush of adrenaline overpowering her head, Rose flew and regained her initial position, ready for the last run.
The third and final throw felt easier to Rose than the other two. By then, Chris was either dizzy or annoyed. He was guarding the middle hoop, with his broom positioned in the direction of the ring on her left. She flew in rapidly, swinging her broom slightly towards the left. He looked focused, ready, until she drastically changed her direction and scored through the hoop on her right. By now, she couldn't hide her grin. An electrifying feeling fulfilled her; a satisfying rush owned her. She was in.
"Welcome back, Rose," Chris said to her once they were back on the ground. "You have one good memory," he claimed with an impressed smile, taking his gloves off.
"It's only been two years," Rose reminded him.
"Right— well, it's good to have you on the team again," he reiterated.
"Thanks— feels great to be back," she said, before receiving an energetic pat on the back from Fred, and several thumb ups from some of her Gryffindor teammates.
o0o
She walked out of the Quidditch pitch feeling renewed, a smile stamped across her prideful face. As she walked up the hill on her way back to the castle, she raised her eyes and spotted a tall, slim figure, framed in the backlight that overpowered him, a few meters away from her. Rose smiled again, walking up to him.
"Welcome back, Weasley," Scorpius said. "It's gotten brutal since you left, you're gonna love it,"
"Are you trying to intimidate me?" she asked once she reached him.
"When have I ever succeeded at that?" he retorted softly and paused before speaking again. "You can sure put on a show."
"Were you even there?"
Scorpius nodded, a little smirk hidden in his mouth.
"—But, I didn't see you..."
He shrugged. "I wasn't sure you wanted me there, so I laid low," he vaguely said. Rose raised her eyebrow. "Alright— I sat on one of the lower stands. Once I saw you were done with Brown, I walked out through the back entrance."
"Why wouldn't I want you there?"
"Lately, you seem to find plenty of reasons to be annoyed with me."
Rose rolled her eyes. "Not true," she said. "Just one reason."
Scorpius laughed. "Just the one? And what's that?"
Rose turned to him, wondering if she should be straightforward about admitting that it wasn't what he was doing what bothered her, but more what he wasn't doing.
He approached her slowly, and she held on tightly to her broom. "So?" He asked softly.
"Well—" she whispered faintly. He looked at her intently while she breathed in to speak again.
A shattering bang broke in echo in the distance. Rose startled, and she felt how Scorpius grabbed her arm in haste.
"What was that?" She said as Scorpius' grip grew tighter. He was staring downhill.
"It came from the pitch," Scorpius said, his eyes widening.
"What?" she answered, looking down at the hill. "We have to go. What if someone is still there— what if someone got hurt?" She said, raising her voice, not realising she was struggling to free herself from his grip.
"No, Rose" Scorpius had turned to her, his eyes heavy.
"No?"
"No. You can't go back there. You have to go inside."
"What? No! What if Lily is down there? Or Fred, or—"
"—No one's down there," he answered. A vile lie, she though. He couldn't possibly know if he left before her. You have to go, Rose. You can't be out here."
"I'm not leaving!" she shook her arm, but his grip around her forearm was so firm now she could not move it."
"Rose, please," he looked at her. "Please go to the castle," his grey eyes begged.
"Miss Weasley," a stern voice said from the top of the hill. Hendrick was standing firm, his face as unfriendly as ever. "You have to come with me," he told her. Rose turned around to look at Scorpius, who had released pressure from his grip and was freeing her arm slowly. He looked into her eyes, his gaze softer, imploring her in silence.
Rose straightened herself, defeated. She stared at Scorpius' tortured eyes one last time before turning her back to him, to walk towards the Auror.
oOo
A/N: Song: Hungry by Dotan.