In the Previous Chapter…
"Don't you think it's weird that Weasley and Malfoy are sat together straight after that rumour they slept together got out? Maybe the rumour was true and they can't be bothered to hide it!"
Scorpius glanced across at Rose and saw that her face was paler. He realised that she was really stressed out by these rumours. To try and perk her up, Scorpius reached into his bag and pulled out a sugar quill before handing it to Rose. "You need the sugar to get some colour back into your face" he whispered into her ear as the lesson started.
Behind Rose and Scorpius sat Maisy Thomas and Megan Finnigan. "Oh my merlin! Look at Rose and Malfoy! We should probably tell Daniel about this development, shouldn't we" whispered Maisy.
"Yeah" Megan whispered back, "maybe he'll dump her now she's cheating on him and he could ask out one of us!" she squealed.
After suffering through Transfiguration and Double Charms with constant whispers about her and Scorpius flying about the room, Rose couldn't quite face lunch. Instead, she went up to Gryffindor Tower to try and speak to Daniel.
As Rose neared the 7th Year Boys Dormitory, Rose heard the voices of Megan and Maisy, her old roommates inside.
"Yeah, Daniel, we're really sorry, but Rose and Scorpius seem to actually be together!" said one of them.
"We were sat behind them in Transfiguration and before the lesson Scorpius whispered into her ear.."
"And then gave her a sugar quill and she smiled back into his eyes and oh my merlin I thought they were about to snog and everything! But then McGonagall started the lesson and they both started taking notes as always" said the other.
"I knew those rumours were true" said Daniel quietly. "I should have never kept up this relationship with that bitch for this long. She never did seem the faithful type. I should have known that she was cheating on me with that Death Eater scum.."
At this, Rose burst into the room. "How DARE you speak of someone like that!" She screamed. "I haven't cheated on you. The rumours were started by spiteful fourth year slytherins. That's all they are, Daniel, rumours! I would never cheat on you!"
"Get out, Weasley" said Daniel, heartlessly. "It's over between us. You're a greedy, selfish little bitch and I wish I'd never gone out with you in the first place. Go and crawl back to your Malfoy play boy. Join that scum in his scum hole. For all I care, go and rot in hell you little BITCH!" he roared, before getting off of his bed and grabbing Rose by the collar of her shirt.
"Get out of my face, you cheating piece of filth" he spat in her face before slapping Rose across the face and shoving her roughly through the door, before slamming it in her face.
Rose blindly ran out of the tower. She was heading towards her common room, just running past the closed doors to the Great Hall, when she ran into a body. She looked up to see who she had crashed into, and then collapsed into tears against Scorpius' chest. Scorpius, slightly shocked at seeing Rose in such a state, did the only thing he could think of and wrapped his arms around her small, fragile body and held her upright. He feared that if he let go, she's collapse onto the floor.
"He dumped me" Rose sobbed into Scorpius' jumper. "He called me a bitch, forced me up against a wall, slapped me and then threw me down on the floor" she said, choking down waves after waves of tears.
Scorpius couldn't believe that McLaggen could be so harsh on Rose. "Where did he hurt you?" he asked softly. Rose lifted her face out of his chest for a few seconds before erupting into a fresh batch of tears. In that time, Scorpius could already make out a hand print across her cheek. Scorpius looked down and saw someone who he once thought of as a strong person at her weakest, and clutched her tighter to him.
"I won't let him hurt you anymore" he whispered. "You've got to report this, he's abused you for the sake of a stray rumour."
"He won't listen" she sobbed. "He never does."
"OH MY MERLIN!" came a shout from nearby. "WEASLEY AND MALFOY ARE TOGETHER!"