A/N: Hey all! It's me, finally finishing a chapter after…. Well, shit it's been three months and I haven't updated. Well I'm sorry is all I can say. Thank you to those who are still following my story, and I hope you can all forgive my present and future selves for how horrible they are going to be to your cliff hanging emotions. As always, please read and review. If you have any advice or criticisms or anything, don't be afraid to leave a review or even pm me. Thanks! And in the words of Porky Pig "Thththththhththhththat's All Folks!" - Piper
I woke up to Rose shaking me gently, but I nudged her off and rolled onto my side, not wanting to get up. I was still tired even though I had slept all afternoon. I was sore, and I didn't feel like moving. I also didn't feel like food would help, even though I knew deep down it probably would.
"Isabella, you need to eat," Rose said calmly, gently rubbing my back, "Come on down with me to dinner."
"I'm not hungry," I replied, knowing full well that I needed to eat.
"Well then at least come down and sit with us," she said, trying to roll me back over, "Albus and James want to hang out with you and catch up still. I won't force you to eat, or even to get better, just come spend time with us."
I turn back over slowly to face her, "You won't force me?"
"No, I won't," Rose replied with a chuckle, "You saw how well that worked out for me last time right?"
I give her a small smile and a nod, acknowledging the joke. I then sat up, wincing slightly as I moved quicker than I had meant to. I see the hurt in her eyes when she realizes I'm in pain. I notice she doesn't ask about it, but only reaches over to hand me my hairbrush. I run it through my hair slowly, getting out any tangles that appeared as I was sleeping.
"Let me do that for you," Rose said, grabbing the brush back from me. She ran the brush through my hair so gently that I hardly even realized she was brushing my hair, "There done."
"Thanks," I said quietly, standing up to head down to dinner with her. Rose, links my arm in hers to help support me as we go down. I know I don't look my best since I don't have the charms on, but I try to look a little confident anyway.
Rose helped me down to the Great Hall at a slower pace than we were normally used to, but somehow we were still among the first Gryffindors down there. There was still around fifteen minutes until the food appeared, giving us a little bit of time alone as we waited for everyone to show up. I was happy that Rose had brought me down this early because it gave me a chance for rest that I hadn't had in a long time, it gave me a chance to fully wake up as well.
For the past few months I had done nothing other than work while I was awake; whether it had been homework or Harry's personal bidding, I had just never had a chance to sit and relax, or sit and read a book that wasn't school related. I was glad to have these few minutes of me and Rose just sitting in silence, and Rose didn't try to break the silence, which was even nicer.
Of course, there were noises going on outside our small, peaceful bubble. There was laughing and talking coming in from other tables and groups all over the Great Hall as more students poured in, waiting for the meal to begin. To me it all just sounded like useless noise within my small, peaceful bubble.
After a few more minutes of peace, the rest of Rose's family trickled in sitting around us. Albus and James rushed in just moments before all of the food appeared, taking their seats across from Rose and I, grinning from ear to ear. The food then appeared, and we all began to eat, James and Albus looking back and forth from me to Rose.
"Yes boys?" I asked curiously, referencing their looks.
"Everything cool?" Albus asked looking cautiously at me. I figured he was trying to speak in some sort of code, but I knew I could just come outright and talk plainly with them.
"Oh, um yeah," I replied, with a small bit of color coming to my cheeks, adding sarcastically, "I obviously look amazing right now."
"You look perfect," James responded quietly, looking at me differently than usual, only then realizing what he had actually said. He decided to add, a slight bit louder, "What I mean is you look more like yourself, than you have been."
"Well sleep definitely helped, and not having to focus on doing the homework of three people," I replied with a bit of a scoff.
"Yeah, well we can see why you were doing so bad," Albus said, his smiling fading as he paused, looking behind Rose and I.
"I suggest you leave," James said, to the person standing behind me, getting ready to stand.
I turned around to see Scorpius, and I motioned for James and Albus to stop and be civil, "What's up Scor? Why are you here and where is Harry?" I asked him, motioning for him to sit next to me in the empty seat.
"Harry is catching up on homework in detention, turns out he had been poor on turning in homework before…" He looked around skeptically before looking at me for permission to continue.
"Go on Scor, they know," I said quietly, giving him a small nod to continue.
"Well, before you were doing his homework for him, so I just wanted to make sure you were going to listen to me unlike earlier," Scorpius said in a caring way, adding jokingly, "Oh and by the way, thanks for the update that I'd need to turn in my own work."
"Scorpius you're such a git, you shouldn't have been using her for your homework. I thought you were better than that," Rose said incredulously, standing up, waiting for him to get up.
"Well I take it that is my cue… Listen Isabella, just think about it, make sure you stay safe, because it's only gonna get worse when break comes," Scorpius said as he was about to stand up.
"I'm not done with you," Rose said loudly, getting in his face, "You are the most, selfish, self-centered, annoying git I've ever known. I thought that it was just simple name calling, but violence against others? I thought you were better than that, and I thought you were smarter than to use other people too. You need to fix your priorities Scorpius Malfoy, and you need to think about what really matters in life. Not some stupid Muggle versus Pureblood battle that is so ancient it shouldn't be affecting our generation, and definitely not controlling other people's lives."
"And they say you're the smartest one in class," Scorpius said, looking her straight in eye, "Maybe you'd be smarter if you stayed out of people's business."
And with that Scorpius, gave me a half hearted smile and a wave before turning and walking towards the Slytherin tables for his own dinner.
"Was that necessary?" I asked quietly, turning to Rose, knowing she meant well, but also knowing that Scorpius was just trying to help too.
"Wait, are you really defending Malfoy again? What kind of spell does that git have over you?" Albus asked, butting in.
"I already told you his name is Scorpius and he is just trying to help. He is the one who knows best what is going on with Harry and going through Harry's mind. He is just trying to let me know that I need to be careful, because one wrong move and I could be worse off than break or even now," I said, defending Scorpius.
"He's still a huge git, and nothing is going to change that in my mind," Albus, said curtly.
"Same here, be nice to him all you want, but he used you the same way Harry has. It's like you have a crush on him or something," James said gruffly, crossing his arms. I felt like I was picking up on a hint of jealousy, but that didn't make any sense.
"Isabella would have told me if she had a crush," Rose said quickly, covering up any doubts, well trying to anyway, "But Iz, really, he is a git, and you shouldn't trust him. Just stop talking to him."
"You know, you guys are extremely kind and accepting, and even forgiving," I started, pushing whatever I had placed on my plate away from me, "But the way you treated Scorpius was based off of preconceived notions, and completely uncalled for. And hey you don't want me to listen to him, then fine, I won't."
I got up quickly and looked at them, knowing they would follow based off of everything, or at least one of them would. Although in the back of my mind I knew I was being irrational and stupid, and above all I knew that I needed to listen to Scorpius.
"I'll see you all in the common room."
That was the way I left things, for the second time that day, unsure of how I could make them understand without ruining my friendship, or whatever it was called, with Scor.