Chapter 10

A/N: The horrible week of many essays is complete! I only have two due next week, so I have some spare time again! And I get to sleep. Ah, wonderful sleep, how I missed it.

There's a riddle in this chapter that doesn't belong to me anymore than the rest of the characters do (which is not at all).

Thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed and to Irianaceleste and thestarlitrose for their beta work!

Anyway, here's the next chapter.

~Frosty

Before she lost her nerve, Rose undid several buttons on her shirt – just enough to widen the collar and slide the sides down over the tops of her arms. She was still perched on the ground between Scorpius' legs, so she couldn't see his face or what he was doing with his hands. It heightened her anticipation of his touch.

While she was staring straight ahead, mortified about how much she wanted his hands on her, Rose missed the darkened look of desire in his eyes as he took in the bared skin. He sat there for a moment, lost in imaginings of what would happen should she undo those last few buttons and reveal herself completely to his greedy eyes.

It took a huge effort for him to make himself clinical about the whole thing. Clinical and unaffected. Yes, that was him. He was a pillar of unaffectedness.

All he had to do was avoid inappropriate thoughts.

He swept her silky hair to the side, trying not to notice that it caught the firelight, making it shine like rubies and smelled divine. It was a losing battle trying to avoid trailing his fingertips across her skin under the pretence of feeling for the raised purple scar tissue. He had to ignore how wonderful it would feel to lean down and put his lips on the smooth column of her neck, to find her pulse-point using his lips, and then suck and nibble until she was putty in his hands. As he dragged his wand along her skin, healing the only imperfections to be found, he was all the while imagining it was his tongue that was tracing the path across the milky expanse.

Yes, he was completely clinical and detached about the whole process. He would be able to forget about the entire incident once he murdered that idiot boyfriend of hers for injuring her. Probably.

Rose sighed in relief when Scorpius cast the healing spell on the first scar. A wonderful, cool sensation soaked into the area, numbing and then eliminating the pain she'd been feeling for almost a whole week.

It was amazing how she somehow became used to a constant dull ache across her back and shoulders. She'd barely noticed it unless she bumped herself on something, but it was such a relief to be free of the pain that had been plaguing her since Christmas.

Scorpius' clinical handling of the situation only reaffirmed her beliefs that he harboured no romantic feelings for her. To him, she was just a good friend with whom he'd swapped spit on a few occasions.

Had the situation been reversed, she would have been unable to resist at least trailing her fingers along his shoulders or something.

Maybe she just wasn't appealing?

"I've-" his voice came out gravelly, so he cleared his throat before trying again. "I've finished your back, are there any more?"

Rose glanced down at the one by her collarbone. It would be unbearable to have to face him and pretend to be unaffected while he healed that one. Detachment wasn't in her nature; it would be downright impossible for her be so cold.

However, the relief once she was completely free from the blasted marks would be sublime.

Maybe if she was careful not to meet his eyes and held her breath so she didn't have to smell his magnetic scent.

"Just one," she said, tugging her shirt back over her shoulders to right it and climbing to her knees before turning to face him. She tipped her head to the side and pulled the material away from her neck, revealing the last mark.

Internally, Scorpius let loose a string of curses that would have made a sailor blush. A whole new slew of inappropriate images bloomed in his overactive mind, giving him all kinds of ideas that could never happen. It was almost painful to push them aside and try to ignore them. Bloody hell, she was trying to kill him.

Rose was fighting a losing battle against a blush. She could feel it spreading across her skin, the heat pooling over her cheeks. Just knowing that she was blushing made her blush darker. It was probably spreading down her neck as he watched.

When Scorpius slowly moved his hands toward her, she made the mistake of glancing up into his eyes. There was a tug on her heart at the expression of complete concentration as he gave his wand all of his focus.

She was completely mesmerized by his mercurial orbs. Unable to turn her attention away, Rose knew he was going to have to be the one to leave first; she couldn't find the willpower to even look away.

The cooling relief of the spell was barely noticed as she watched him.

As fast as possible, he cast the spell, healing the old wound. He smiled at the relieved expression on her face.

Though he would have liked to stay, his own discomfort required attention. He could practically guarantee he was going to do something stupid if he didn't leave her presence immediately. Something stupid like pounce on her, pin her to the floor, and ravish her like his hormones were demanding he do.

"I've just remembered an assignment that's due tomorrow. I have to go," he quickly said. While Rose looked on bewildered and a touch disappointed, he rushed from the room. He desperately needed a very cold shower.


Rose finished doing up the last of her buttons, still casting confused glances towards the door. It wasn't like Scorpius to forget about an assignment. She hoped he was all right...

Her lips turned down into a frown as she remembered how uncomfortable she'd been with him so close.

The one-sided moments with Scorpius needed to stop. Could a person even have a one-sided moment? She gave it some thought, but didn't come up with a concrete answer.

Regardless of whether they could actually have a moment together when only one of them was feeling anything other than friendship, something about her starry-eyed look must have scared him off. Scorpius held nothing more than contempt for those fawning girls who frequently threw themselves at him, and she'd gone and turned into one.

He must have been horrified!

Moodily, she flung herself onto the sofa. She was delighted to find that it was still warm from Scorpius' body heat and a slight waft of his cologne clung to the fabric. If she closed her eyes, she could pretend that he was there with her.

A groan sipped from her lips when she realized how pathetic she was being. It was no wonder he'd run away.

She buried her face in the cushions and wondered if suffocating herself with the fluffy softness would be too extreme.

The next thing she knew, she was jolted awake from a horrible nightmare. Her heart was pounding furiously and her hands were shaking. It had been a horribly realistic nightmare. What exactly had transpired was a little cloudy, but clear as day she remembered a gaping wound in Scorpius' abdomen, just south of his bellybutton and a bit to the right.

The jagged sides of the ugly gash had been oozing blood that her dream self had attempted to stop, but there was no stemming the flow. She would probably never be able to get that image from her head, even if it was only a dream.

To cause that wound something terrible had happened to him, and she'd only been able to watch as it happened. If only she could remember what had happened. There were only vague flashes of images remaining in her mind. Something about falling wood and cold, red snow.

She shuddered, haunted by half-remembered dream images.

Anxious, she drummed her fingers on her thighs. With all the adrenalin in her system, there was no way she was going to be able to get back to sleep without making sure he was fine. Rose didn't believe there was much of a chance that she was a seer, but she didn't want to risk the very slim possibility that something could be wrong with Scorpius.

What if he was lying bleeding somewhere and he was going to die if someone didn't find him before he bled out? It was a slim possibility, but she didn't want to risk it.

Mind made up, Rose jumped from the sofa and rushed off towards Ravenclaw tower. It was a good thing that no students were awake at such an early hour, or they would have witnessed the Head Girl rushing through the halls as if Fluffy the three headed dog was on her heels.

At least she was still wearing clothes. They were severely wrinkled, but they were better than running through the school in her pyjamas.

She shifted from foot to foot in impatience while she listened to the riddle from the Ravenclaw door.

What can bring back the dead; make us cry, make us laugh, make us young; born in an instant yet lasts a lifetime?

It was sorely tempting too just blast the door to bits. How practical was something that required so much time? What about emergencies? Did they honestly expect her to stand there and think on the answer to a riddle if there was a fire in the corridor and the only place to escape to was the Ravenclaw dorms? Just not practical.

Frustrated, and knowing she wasn't going to be allowed entrance without the answer, she wracked her brain.

Save for a Deathly Hallow, there were few ways to bring back the dead, which meant that it probably wasn't something literal. What fit those requirements along with the rest of the specifications?

Her eyes narrowed at the stupid entranceway as she thought hard, trying to come up with an answer. Sometimes she regretted being a Ravenclaw; a password would be so much easier.

"Memories!" she exclaimed, irritated that she hadn't known instantly.

A brief, triumphant grin flashed on her face when the door opened for her. So what if it was more satisfying to have to come up with the answer than just saying a password, it still wasn't practical.

In a rush, she flew up the stairs to the seventh year boys dormitory and threw open the door. Her pace slowed when she saw that they were all asleep in their beds – all of them, including Scorpius. The racket she'd made hadn't roused a single one of them from their slumber.

Despite the evidence that he was fine, Rose knew she wasn't going to be able to leave the room without seeing for herself. Quietly, she crept over to the bed she knew to belong to her friend. His mouth was slightly open as he lay on his back, one arm flung over his head. He seemed peaceful and entirely uninjured, but still she couldn't just leave without checking.

Ever so gently, she pulled his blankets down, revealing the cotton shirt and pyjama bottoms he was wearing. At least he didn't sleep naked, that would have been a whole other level of embarrassing – and tempting.

She froze when he shifted slightly. Her position was not one she wanted to be in should he wake up. He'd probably think she was there to take advantage of him or something, hovering over him like she was in the middle of the night.

When he didn't move again, she unfroze and reached for him, still not reassured enough to go back to her own bed.

His breathing hitched slightly as she carefully lifted the bottom of his shirt.

"Rose?" he asked groggily.

She ignored him for a moment, sliding the shirt up and letting out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding. His skin was smooth and completely unmarred by the horrible wound she'd dreamed. Forgetting herself in her moment of relief, she just kept running her hands over that spot. It had been so real.

"Rose?" Scorpius asked again, sounding concerned and something else she couldn't define.

That she could wake him up in the middle of the night, basically molest him and he'd still be worried about her was what finally made her snap. She burst into tears and sunk down onto the edge of his bed, burying her face in her hands.

After a second of groping around on his nightstand for his wand, Scorpius closed his curtains and then silenced them. Rose may not care if his roommates woke up, but he wanted the privacy.

That done, he reached out and pulled her on top of him, wrapping his arms around her. He didn't know why she was crying, but he wanted her to stop. He'd seen her sad before, but she wasn't usually one to let sobs wrack her whole body as she was doing now. It disturbed him to see her so upset; something must be horribly wrong.

"What's wrong?" he asked, stroking her hair and trying to get her to calm. Anything to get those heart-wrenching sobs to stop.

"I had a horribly vivid dream and you got hurt and I had to make sure it wasn't true it looked so real!" she rushed out between gasping breaths. As she mentioned that injury again, she unconsciously ran her hands over his abdomen once more.

Scorpius let out a pained huff of breath. "Rose, I'm not injured and you need to stop touching me like that," he said seriously. Shifting slightly, he pulled her off of his lap and twisted on his side so he could still keep his arms around her.

She was limp and just let him move her around like a rag doll. As long as he didn't let her go, she didn't care how they sat.

"Don't fret, I'm perfectly fine," he soothed.

Gradually, her tears stopped, but the tight grip she had to cling to him didn't. It was such a relief that he was warm and breathing that she wasn't ready to give it up just yet. A few more minutes, then she would go back to her room.

She sniffled, pressing her face into his chest. "Promise me you won't die." Her voice was hoarse from crying and muffled by his shirt, but he heard her.

"Rose, no one can promise that. Everyone dies."

At that, her sobbing renewed and she clutched him tighter, as if Scorpius was an oversized teddy bear that could make everything better.

Unsure what to do, but refusing to lie to her, Scorpius stroked her back and waited for her to calm down. He'd never seen his friend so distraught before.

Eventually, he noticed that her sobs had faded, giving way to deep, steady breathing. He pulled away from her slightly and glanced down.

She'd fallen asleep.

Knowing it wouldn't be good if people found the Head Girl in a boy's bed, he tried to wake her. Unfortunately, no amount of shaking could get her to budge. He didn't really want her to leave anyway; it was rather nice to have her in his bed, even if it wasn't in the capacity he'd imagined.

Maybe he could just let her stay for the few hours that remained of the night. They had Quidditch practice in the morning, so they would probably be awake before anyone could catch them.

After setting his wand to wake them up in a few hours, he pulled his blankets over them both and pulled her close. No one was looking, so he took the liberty of burying his nose in her hair. He let out a happy sigh, his smile hidden amongst the tumble of fiery curls spread out across his pillow.


Rose woke up to a strange buzzing, confused. It looked like she was in her old dormitory, but it smelled wrong and someone was snoring much louder than any of her roommates had ever snored. It sounded like the wood chipper her Grandpa Granger had once used to clear his yard of trees after a storm. Plus there was an unfamiliar weight over her back.

Angry muttering came from startlingly close behind her, making her jump.

It all came back to her as she stared wide-eyed at the curtain around the bed that was keeping her shrouded in shadows. She'd run to Scorpius in the middle of the night, hysterical over a dream she'd had. Merlin, how was she going to explain that to people?

Scorpius must think she was insane.

Judging from the light peeking through the small gap in the curtains, it was morning, but the stillness in the dormitory told her that it was early enough that few other people should be awake. For the first – and probably the last – time ever, she was glad that Quidditch practices started so ridiculously early. Otherwise, she may have slept late enough to necessitate sneaking out of the boy's dormitory like some shameful one night stand.

The buzzing started again, making Scorpius take in a large breath before stretching against her, his muscles hardening and then relaxing. He stopped the buzzing once again and buried his face in her hair. His arm tightened around her waist, and he absently started stroking her hip with his long fingers.

As much as she wanted to stay, she knew she had to leave before people woke up, caught her, and got the wrong idea.

"Scorpius," she whispered. Past knowledge told her that her friend could be notoriously difficult to wake up in the mornings, hence the persistent alarm. He mustn't have been very deeply asleep the previous night, or else he never would have woken at just her fleeting touches.

He hummed something vague against her neck, giving her shivers. Though it was a wonderful way to wake up in the morning, Rose needed to leave.

She tried wiggling out of his grip, but he was much stronger than her and wouldn't move. Even in his sleep the blond was stubborn. He probably didn't want to lose her warmth; it seemed she was a pillow he didn't want to release.

"Scorpius, people are going to start waking up soon," she complained in a hushed voice.

Her whole body tensed when she felt him press a kiss to the back of her neck. He must have thought she was that Slytherin slag, or whoever else he shared his bed with!

Merlin that was humiliating.

She tripled her efforts to escape. If he woke up and looked at her with disappointment that she wasn't someone else, she wouldn't be able to take it.

With a little wiggling, managed to turn herself around in his arms. It seemed he only had a problem with her moving if that movement was away from him.

Despite her reluctance to wake him, she was going to have to if she wanted to leave his bed before someone saw her.

"Scorpius!" She slapped his face lightly. "Wake up!"

Sleepily, he blinked his foggy grey eyes open. "Rose," he sighed happily, leaning forward to nuzzle his face into the juncture between her shoulder and neck.

Once again, Rose fought off waves of shivers, this time less successfully. He was obviously still only partially awake, otherwise, he'd be kicking her out of his bed and scolding her for waking him up in the middle of the night.

"We have Quidditch practice," he murmured against her skin.

"Yes we do. You need to let me go," she said, trying to wiggle away again.

Stilly groggy, he obeyed her order. Rose climbed out of his bed, shaking her head fondly as he rolled over and buried his head under a pillow to hide from the morning light.

Briefly, she debated dragging him from the bed, but she needed some time alone. It took effort to squish her feelings down into a little box inside her mind so she'd be able to treat him as normally as possible, and feeling-squishing worked best if he wasn't there. His presence had a tendency to let them out of that tiny box.

He'd have to get to practice on his own.

She was just creeping down the stairs into the Ravenclaw common room when she caught sight of two pairs of blue eyes watching her.

Shite.

"What are you doing in the boy's dormitory so early?" Lysander asked. There was none of the accusation one would normally expect from a boyfriend catching his girlfriend coming out of another boy's room.

"I think what's more important is what she was doing in there last night," Lorcan said bitterly from his twin's side. The less dreamy of the pair, Lorcan was very protective of his brother.

With a surprisingly sharp glare at his brother, Lysander spoke in her defence. "Rose may love Scorpius, but she wouldn't cheat on me."

Suddenly pale, Rose looked between the two twins. "What do you mean?"

Lysander's stare was once again dreamy when he turned its full force onto Rose. "You've never really treated me like a boyfriend, and I've known all along that it wasn't me who held your heart. I do enjoy planning our outings though." He turned to grab his bag. "Lorcan and I are going to the lake to find some jellyfish. It's Uric the Oddball's birthday today, and we thought we'd celebrate by wearing them as hats." That said, he wandered out of the room.

Rose looked at the glaring Lorcan. "Did he just break up with me?"

"He knows you don't love him and doesn't want to lose you as a friend," Lorcan sighed. He ran a tired hand through his hair, sent Rose one last glare, and followed after his brother. Somehow, Rose didn't think Lorcan was looking forward to their jellyfish hats.