So I promised ChampionShoes an awkward moment but this chapter was getting to freakishly long (and I'm lazy okay) so I've split it up into two perhaps three and so it will be coming in a future chapter. But don't panic because it is already written. (It's so awkward too, I am resisting the urge to soften it, because I don't want to be THAT mean to Rose, I mean what did she ever do to me?)

Thanks to all those who are faithfully reviewing, seriously I appreciate it. Tell me if you all like the prank, I thought long and hard on it.

Oh and for everyone who commented on it, Yes it was Dr. Horrible, and Joss is my HERO! Serious, stop reading this fic and go to hulu to watch Dr Horrible's sing a long blog. IT'S SO GOOD!!!

The Prank

The excitement filled within her as she struggled to preserve a straight face. She glanced up at the large grandfather clock sitting on the east wall of the Ancient Runes classroom. Two minutes until operation Al of Age begins and after weeks of careful planning she was finding it difficult to wait the one hundred and twenty seconds before it all unfolded around her.

Their careful planning was all scheduled to go off the exact moment of his birth, 11:27am. Which was perfect, they would all be in class and unable to be held specifically accountable for any prank that may or may not be completely their doing. They had the secrecy pact of the entire collective brood as protection, something that not one teacher or parent had ever gotten past and though they were sure to be interrogated as the obvious culprits none could be held singularly accountable for it.

She glanced the watch on her wrist, the one they had all synchronized last night to ensure the spells were set to perfection, only 38 seconds left.

Lifting her bag on to her lap she rolled up her parchment and slid her book inside, 22 seconds. She looked over and met Scorpius' eyes, he had watched her put her things away and was eyeing her with obvious suspension. Rose simply smiled widely and shrugged in an overly obvious nonchalant way before looking at her watch again. She saw him mimic her movements, latching his bag with only 6 seconds left.

As the hand on her clock ticked closer to the top most position she looped her messenger bag over her shoulder and climbed up onto her chair. This action was greeted with confused stares from her classmates and a mischievous smirk from Scorpius who stood up looking both unsure if he should do the same as her and curious as to what antics he was about to stand witness to.

Then it happened, the crashing and echoing cacophony of thousands of hard glass spheres smacking loudly onto the floor, reverberating in a frenzy of high pitched dins upon the ground. As the rushing wave of cascading marbles descended from the door frame Scorpius' face broke out into a wide grin as he quickly jumped onto the chair he had been sitting in.

Her classmates glanced around with a jumble of confused or amused looks on their faces. Instead of bouncing, the surge of marbles clung to the stone unnaturally as they hit the floor, flowing toward the disoriented occupants of the N.E.W.T level Ancient Runes students.

Rose couldn't hold in her peel of loud laughter as the anticipation continued to build. So close, It was all so close and they were all just sitting there, none of them moving out of the way.

Then as the first ripple hit the legs of the few unoccupied desks and chairs of the back rows they took off in random directions as quickly as if they had been hit with an acceleration jinx. Whenever any hit another ball or chair leg they would bounce off with a deafening crash in a new direction faster than before. Soon the entire classroom floor was covered in a mad rushing of banging and zooming marbles.

A few students, like Scorpius, had watched Rose's actions when the first marbles had bounced and followed her lead by leaping into their chairs but at least three quarters of the class had just sat stupidly stunned. Now though as their senses returned they found their feet unable to move off of the ground. It was the struggling of pompous and perfect Jaslena Goldstein that did it in for her and she doubled over with laughter at the sight before her.

Each time one of the marbles hit a shoe or something immediately touching a person, instead of bouncing off it would stick, not just to the shoe but to the ground as well. Anything touching the marble when it hit would be affixed to it. A few panicked cries rang out and when Scorpius looked at her with confusion she just laughed more before calling out of the still echoing din.

"Just wait!" She glanced at her watch. "Two more minutes," He relaxed a bit then he seemed able to laugh with her with the assurance no one would be suffering permanent damage.

Then as those last two minutes ticked by the noise of ricocheting marbles quieted as they all found feet and legs to cling to, Rose quieted her laughter and waited. As the large grandfather clock struck 11:30 all of marbles exploded in a large cloud of dust, encircling the person they had been affixed to. Rose then found it once again impossible to hold in her delighted glee. The dozen or so multi-hued dust clouds settled and each person, who sat waving away the sulfur smelling haze as they coughed and gagged on the charmed smoke, was covered in head to toe graffiti spelling out 'Happy Birthday' in violently bright shades of the neon rainbow.

She bent over, unable to contain her laughter at the mix of amused and annoyed, flashing and clashing classmates around her. Then the inevitable happened, Rose, who never should be permitted to stand on any table or chair for any duration of time due to her inability to stand without falling over even on a flat level planes found the wobbly and elevated surface too much for her inept equilibrium and she began to teeter precariously.

It was like the world suddenly sped up around her. She found herself unable to grasp onto anything, nothing to hold onto and the ground seemed to be rushing toward her at an alarming pace. 'Oh no' she thought, 'not again, and it's been a whole week sense the hospital wing.' And much like a child will hide their face in hopes that the world can't see them if they can't see the world she clamped her eyes shut tightly praying this would all just get over with already so she can stand back up and pretend she wasn't mortified by the humiliation.

As she hit the ground she held out her hands instinctively, despite knowing that it would do know good and though the room was still a loud chorus of confusion the ensuing snap was loud enough that Scorpius clearly heard it from where he stood, watching her in horror.

This was not the first time Rose had broken a bone, in fact it wasn't even the first time she's broken this particular wrist, but pain of a broken bone is always considerably more painful than our memory gives the moment credit for. So Rose sat on the ground with her chin tucked against her chest willing herself to be strong and not give into the hot tears that were pressing to come forth. She didn't try to focus on getting up or moving, all her energy was concentrated on not crying in the middle of a room of classmates.

Soon she felt a warm arm around her shoulder and the familiar scent of cashmere and vanilla wafted over her and assured her of whose embrace she was encircled in. She felt his breath tickling her neck but couldn't concentrate on the sounds making their way from his lips to her ear. It was all just pain; bright searing pain was taking up all her focus. After a moment she noticed he weight shifting rhythmically Rose pushed back the pain to take in her new position.

The pair of solid arms were holding her; one behind her back as before but the other was tucked beneath her knees. He was still speaking, whispering to her and she finally began to take in the murmured words of comfort he was doling out, though by the tone of his voice she suspected the words were just as much for him as they were for her. She opened her eyes for the first time since falling and looked up at him. Rose's eyes immediately met his silver gray eyes and he smiled at her in such a tender way that despite the excruciating pain pulsating through her, she smiled back.

It was then that the tears spilled over, and for the first time in a very long time she didn't mind crying with someone there to see that moment. She tucked her head against his chest and just let him hold her. His body was warm and comforting to her as she bounced and swayed steadily as he walked. It was peaceful in his arms, safe and a place she felt at peace.

His consolatory murmurings halted when she adopted her new position and after a moment of silence she felt his cheek against the top of her head.

They went along like that for a moment then as they turned a corner she felt the soft pressure of a gentle kiss on the crest of her forehead. She smiled through her tears at this tender action and when she once again opened her eyes to peek a look at her rescuer she noticed for the first time where she was, which was a mere corridor away from the vast double doors of the hospital wing entrance.

"No stop!" she cried out as she connected the consequences of passing through that horrible threshold. "You can't take me in there." Scorpius was startled by her sudden burst of fight so that when she cried out in pain as her attempts to get down caused her further injury he set her down as carefully as he could.

"Rose you have to go, your wrist is clearly broken," he insisted as he took her swollen appendage into his hand. She winced as he touched her, and he raise a knowing eyebrow that clearly backed up what his voice was saying.

"Broken bones get letters home, if this was only a bruise or a minor laceration then I would go in right now." She studied him, pleading with her eyes that he understand her position. "If a letter goes home then Mum and Dad will know about the prank. Right now we all have plausible deniability in this thing but the moment we get the parental involved we're punished whether it can be proven or not. They'll know it was us and have the luxury of not needing to be sure about it to penalize the lot of us." Scorpius rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"Rose it's a broken wrist, you can't just ignore this." He placed his hand on her elbow as if to steer her toward the entrance. She had to do something, say something for him to not want her to go in there either.

"If my Dad gets word I'm hurt he'll come, and then he'll wonder why I can't spend time with him tonight when I'm in detention," she paused for dramatic effect, "with you." These last two words sealed it for him and she knew from the way his whole body froze she'd hit on the right vein of argument.

"I'm sure Auror Weasley wouldn't have any problem what so ever with the situation, I mean it's not like he didn't have detentions of his own in his day. It's something he'll completely understand once I tell him exactly what happened." She felt the color rush to her face as she laid out the ignored topic of last night's encounter.

"Are you blackmailing me?" He voice was stunned and he simply looked at her for a moment. After a moment though the shock wore off and he shook his head as if it would clear away the ridiculousness of her argument. "It doesn't matter Rose, dismemberment by your father or not, you have get that wrist taken care of." He attempted to steer her toward the hospital wing again but she moved herself out of the way quickly, wincing as she did so. His brow creased as he watched her in pain and her heart warmed at the obvious care he had for her well being.

"I'm not suggesting we ignore this," she said, smiling sweetly in a way that always bespoke mischief. His brow rose again, encouraging her to continue. "You're the one who's been prattling on for ages about wanting to be a healer." She held out her arm for him. "So heal."