A/N Holy shoot! Double digits!

Also, incredibly sorry for the delay. I got back from camp over a week ago, where I had a great time and was very sad to leave! But, now I get to update my fanfic! ...Yay!

The same trendy girl who handed me the coupon is working behind the register at Second Time Round today. She gives me the standard greeting without looking up from a notepad she's scribbling at: "Hi, welcome to Second Time Round. Tell me if you need anything."

Scorpius looks tentative to be in a place like this. Perhaps it's just the dust, but I suspect he isn't too keen on being in a second-hand clothing store. He flips through a rack of button down shirts that look like they haven't seen the light of day since the 70's. His grimace makes his distaste much too obvious and I can't help but smile.

I walk up to the counter. "Hi, I don't know if you remember me but-"

As soon as she sees me, her eyes light up. "Oh! You're the girl who was looking for Borgin and Burkes!" She looks at Scorpius. "Is that the bloke you were meeting? Wow, if he invited me to Borgin and Burkes I wouldn't mind, either." She winks at me and I blush, mortified. I give her a weak smile though, because, after all, I did tell her I was going to meet a boy there. Might as well be Scorpius, right?

I blink, trying to get the image of Scorpius and I, er, meeting at Borgin and Burkes out of my head.

"Actually, I was wondering, does the coupon you gave me still work?" I ask the girl (her name tag says "Sammy"), ignoring my sudden antsy feeling as I drum my fingers on the counter.

"It's still the weekend, isn't it?" she says jokingly, the teeth of her smile white against her tan face. "I take it you're looking for something to wear to the big Ministry bash this Tuesday?"

Well, if you can call a Ministry auction and gala where a teen terrorist is going to show up a "big Ministry bash," then I guess so! But of course, instead of saying that out loud, I merely reply, "Yeah, I can't believe I've put it off for so long!" and try to act like the giggly kind of girl who gets excited for these kinds of things.

Sammy waves away what I've said. "Don't worry about it, there'll be girls showing up here Tuesday afternoon, I guarantee it." I smile at her. "Let me show you the best dresses," she adds, leading me to a rack. She looks me over and pulls out a number of dresses before leading me to the fitting room.

I try on dress after dress, but none of them seem right. This one's too orange, that one has too many sequins, this one looks like a giant canary carcass, and so on.

After putting on a turquoise dress that's very hard to breathe in, I open the curtain and let Sammy look me over. Scorpius snorts and I shoot him a look.

"Hmm... doesn't look very comfortable," Sammy observes, for which I am grateful. I nod my head and start to close the curtain again, but Sammy stops me. "Hold on," she leans in closer to me and looks at Scorpius while she whispers, "I think I've got the perfect dress to impress your good friend there." Grinning wryly, she goes into a back room and comes back with an opaque gray garment bag.

She hands it to me and shoves me back into the fitting room. "Well, go ahead, try it on!" she urges from outside.

I unzip the bag and pull out a one-strapped ball gown in a beautiful spring green color. The strap is decorated with two giant pale green flowers, and a cluster of three flowers of the like meet at the hip. The bottom part is the same pale green of the flowers with an overlay of some sheer spring green fabric.

I try it on immediately but I can't reach the zipper. "Sammy?" I call out. "Could you help me with the zipper?"

She comes in and zippers me up, and we both look at my reflection in the mirror covering the back wall. And then something funny happens.

It looks good.

Really, really good.

I feel like a fairy or a princess or something equally neurotic but for some reason, this makes me smile.

"Oh, it's perfect!" Sammy squeals excitedly. "Let's get you out of it so you can buy it!"

I nod, and she unzips me before putting the dress. I look at the tag, and I'm surprised to see that it's actually a decent price. Plus, with the forty percent off coupon, it's practically a steal. She puts the dress back in the garment bag and goes back to the cash register while I put my clothes back on.

Scorpius stands up from the pile of pants he was sitting on. "Are we done here?" he asks, exasperated.

"Yeah, just let me pay."

"Scorpius," I say, pawing through my rucksack as we stand in the Leaky Cauldron once again, "I don't have enough money with me to pay for two rooms."

He raises an eyebrow. "I guess we'll have to share one."

I sigh. "At this point, I suppose I'll have to accept anything."

I sign my name in the guest book as Hufflepuff and put money into the silver cup beside it, which then spouts out a key. Scorpius catches it between his thumb and his forefinger.

"Show off," I tease, and we make our way up the stairs and down the hall to room one hundred eighty-three. The room is decent, but kind of small, what with only one queen sized bed, a shiny wood dresser, and a bedside table. I toss my rucksack on the floor and lay my dress at the the foot of the bed before flopping onto it. Suddenly, I feel exhausted. Maybe the past few events of the past two days have finally caught up with me.

Scorpius sits down next to me.

"So what are we doing tomorrow?" he asks, kicking his shoes off, and I do the same before yawning and rubbing my eyes sleepily.

"Sneaking into your house to get your dress robes," I reply rather calmly. I'm too tired to register the enormous amount of risk this has potentially.

Scorpius runs his fingers through his hair. "If you says so."

The fact that I'm not only laying in bed next to Scorpius but actually falling asleep here doesn't alarm me nearly as much as it should, and soon enough, I'm dead asleep.

"Morning, redheaded monster," Scorpius greets me as I wake up and realize that my hand is curled around his.

I quickly retract it before I sit up. "What is going on?"

Scorpius rolls his eyes. "You fell asleep there, and I didn't want to wake you up."

Oh.

I was holding his hand?

...And he didn't stop me?

I ignore whatever thoughts my brain is trying to shove to the forefront of my mind.

"Shall we get a move on, then?" I try, standing up and straightening my crinkled shirt.

"Rose, it's nine in the morning. We have all of today and tomorrow to go to my house."

"Well then, what do you suppose we do for forty-eight hours?" I put my hands on my hips.

He smirks. "Let's start with breakfast."

Soon enough, we're leaving the Leaky Cauldron after eating a complimentary breakfast of toast and eggs. I walk out the door, but Scorpius pauses for a moment.

"Wait, where's your rucksack?" he asks. My eyes widen.

"Oh! I left it on the back of my chair!" I hit my forehead.

He sighs. "I'll get it, then."

He walks back in the door and I'm outside by myself, watching as more and more people emerge onto the street.

"Weasley!" someone with a nasal voice calls, and impulsively I look in the direction it came from. All I'm met with is the sight of three jets of red light, headed straight at me.

The last thing I'm aware of before I'm hit is someone's cry of, "Rose!" and then everything goes black.

I wake up in someplace with a white ceiling. My partially opened eyes trace over the cracks as I feel myself regaining consciousness.

"Rose?" someone whispers. Scorpius' face comes into view. "Are you finally awake?"

"Whaaaa?" I mumble, still not completely with it. I look up at him with a dazed expression. "You hair looks..." I search for the right word, "soft."

He smirks at me before standing up out of his chair. I watch as he opens a dark wood wardrobe and pulls out the garment bag. It takes me a moment to realize he's already in his dress robes, white bow-tie and all. I don't want to admit it but he looks, to put it simply, perfect. I can't help smiling.

"Put this on, we've got about thirty minutes before seven," he tells me, handing me the bag, still on its wire hanger.

My eyebrows furrow. "But the gala's tomorrow," I tell him.

"Rose, it is tomorrow. You've been out for almost twenty-four hours."

"What?" I don't understand. "What happened?"

Scorpius rolls his eyes. "You somehow managed to get stunned by three of those Greater Good morons while I was getting your rucksack. They were about to Disapparate with you when I-" But he stops, looking embarrassed. "Well, I got you out and now we're at my house, and nobody knows we're here."

"But how did you get me away?"

His cheeks are tinged pink, a sight I've never seen before. I hadn't thought it possible.

"I, sort of, well I- I stunned the first two, and then the third guy tried to kill me but he missed and then I Body-Bound him and then I Disapparated here with you." He looks away, playing with his cufflink.

I can't believe it! Scorpius, well, rescued me! He nearly was killed, too! "Thank you," I say, and I can't put enough of my gratitude into the phrase.

"It's not a big deal," he brushes off. "But really, you should shower and get dressed. The bathroom's through that door."

"Oh, right," I say, standing. "But thanks again, really. For saving me."

He half-smiles. "Well, I guess we're even now."

I take the dress bag and my rucksack into the bathroom with me. My mouth falls slightly as I look around. It's so... perfect. Clean, colorful tiles; a clawfoot tub with a shiny chrome shower head, a stack of fluffy white towels. It's like something from a magazine. I guess I hadn't been quite with it when I was looking around what I realize now is Scorpius' room. Because we're in Scorpius' house! But it's no house. No, it's the infamous Malfoy Manor where my mother and father and uncle were brought to, where Scorpius' great aunt tortured my mother. Perhaps it should be a place I should despise, but even the bathroom is beautiful.

I take a shower long enough for me to feel clean again after three days, soaping up my hair with Scorpius' shampoo. When I finally come out, I feel refreshed. Invigorated. Like I'm ready to take on the world.

Which, of course, is kind of what I'll be doing there.

I guess I better enjoy the feeling while it lasts, then.

I dig through my rucksack to find a nice pair of underwear. It's one of those things I have to do- find a cute pair. It gives me a sort of confidence, even though nobody's going to see them. And I need all the confidence I can get.

I slip the dress on and manage, after struggling for a bit, to zipper it by myself. After a quick hair drying charm my mother taught me and the fumbling of my fingers tying my curls into a loose bun... well, I suppose that's as ready as I'll ever be. It would be nice if I had pretty shoes to wear, but I suppose my battered combat boots will have to do. I look in the mirror.

Hey, I could look worse.

Actually, I could look a lot worse. Whole shades of worse.

I grin.

I know, I know. I'm supposed to be grave yet determined about this whole gala and everything. Especially since I'm trying to save my cousin's life, and could probably lose my own in the process.

But I can't help it! There's just something exciting about getting dressed up for a special occasion, you know!

I open the door from the bathroom to Scorpius' room and step out. He's standing in front of his bookshelf that I hadn't noticed earlier, and he's flipping through a book when he starts talking and turning around. "We're already ten minutes late. I just hope nothing's happened yet but-" He stops once he's facing me. I feel my heartbeat as his eyes widen slightly.

...Not that it matters?

Heh.

"You look-" he starts softly, but then something shifts his eyes, "like you'll... blend in nicely."

I laugh. "Oh, gee, thanks," I tease, but he just smirks. I suppose that's as close as I'll ever get to a compliment from him.

"Well then," he says, closing the few steps between us. Suddenly he grabs my hand and I feel myself inhale sharply. He's so close...

And then-

He spins on his heel, and we've Apparated to the Magnum Palace. When I turn to glare at him, he's smirking to himself.

"You're such a prat," I say, but I can't help smiling despite the fact I feel slightly dizzy. At least I don't have to worry about vomiting since I haven't eaten anything since before my little coma.

What an arse.

I quickly get over my annoyance when I see the Magnum Palace. It's beautiful, with its great gray stones crisscrossed with ivy and the first floor windows lit up with an orange glow. The sky above is already dark but here in the countryside you can see the stars. Why people ever stopped living in the Magnum Palace I'll never understand.

"Well?" Scorpius ask quietly. "Shall we go in?"

"What?" I mumble. "Oh, right- yeah."

After showing our invitation to a security guard, we walk through the large wooden door that's carved with fairy tales and into an entry hallway that's chilly and dim, and then from there into the great hall, where the party is. Music is coming from a small band made of a cellist, a bearded guitarist, a pianist, and a raspy vocalist, all dressed in hip purple dress robes and slicked back hair. On one side of the room is a dance floor, where there's a swirl of dresses and the sound of people laughing and talking and socializing. There are round tables around the edges, laden with food. Behind the filmy magical divider is the auction side, where people bid on historical items. We can't here their voices, though. The divider prevents it. All you have to do is walk through it to get to the other side.

I wait for something to happen, but nothing does.

In fact, Scorpius and I end up waiting for over an hour for something to happen. We slip to the edges where no one will notice us and I ate greedily for a little while at one of the tables while Scorpius watched in amusement, but now, nothing is happening. At least, nothing related to Yaxley. I've been trying to look out for anyone of those Greater Good kids but all I've spotted are a couple of my parents' friends, some relatives, and the Malfoys. Scorpius and I hid behind a marble column when his parents had danced their way in our table's direction. I was surprised I hadn't seen my parents, but I realized Mum probably dragged Dad to the auction.

And so now, here we are, bored out of our wits.

At least, I'm bored. I don't know about Scorpius. He always looks like he's thinking something important. Or, at least, something he thinks is important. But now I'm kind of eagerly anticipating the arrival of Felix Yaxley, assuming he comes. It would at least give me something to do besides sitting here, drumming my fingers on the table.

I start tapping my foot in a rhythm with my fingers when Scorpius stands up suddenly.

"Rose, do you want to dance?" He asks it as if it's an obvious question.

"What?" I reply, the epitome of smart.

"Come dance with me."

"But I- But we- But someone will spot us or-" I splutter.

Scorpius smirks. "Oh, Rose, I can see right through you."

My face goes blank. He can see right through me! He knows- what? He knows just what exactly, Rose Weasley? There is nothing for him to know anyways! Clearly.

So tentatively, I ask, "And what exactly are you seeing?"

"You're covering for the fact you're a terrible dancer, of course."

I can't help laughing. "I'm not a bad dancer!"

"Prove it, then," he says as he grabs my hand and whisks me to the dance floor.

The band plays a waltz, which is a simple enough dance my mother taught me when I was a little girl. "In case you ever have to dance with a prince one day," she'd said. I can do the steps, and we even manage a twirl here and there. But I don't worry too much about dancing perfectly. I'm just enjoying the time I have while everything is still peaceful here. I try not to think about the fact that Al may be dead and if not may be soon.

After the waltz ends, the music transitions into some slow pop song about love potions and that kind of rubbish. The singer's voice is soft and husky, like a whisper, except magnified. We keep dancing. My arms wrap around his neck and his arms wrap around my waist naturally.

"You're a better dancer than I thought," Scorpius says softly, the corners of his mouth raised.

"Well," I say, meeting his gaze and grinning, "You're a better person than I thought."

I look into his eyes for a moment longer and tilt my head to the side.

I can't stop myself from looking at his lips. They're pink and they look so soft... I'd never noticed before.

He's leaning towards me and I lean up at him and my eyelids flutter shut. I'm anticipating the kiss but I know I'll never get it when I hear someone's voice, so loud it seems like its surrounding us.

"GOOD EVENING LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. THERE'S BEEN A CHANGE OF PLANS. IF EVERYONE COULD PLEASE JOIN US AT THE AUCTION FOR THE CHANCE TO BID ON A VERY SPECIAL ITEM, PLEASE DO SO NOW! I'M YOUR NEW HOST, FELIX YAXLEY!"

Well, shoot.

A/N Okay. Now here's a longer apology for not writing sooner!

I'M SOOOOOO SORRY! I've had ideas for this chapter for a while though, but I just couldn't write it until now. Thanks so much for everyone who has reviewed or Favorited or subscribed to this story! And thanks especially to those of you who read it! I can't believe I waited this long! What was I thinking?

But anyways, I had a great time at camp! I may have possibly even fallen in lurrrve! Oh yes, with this amazing Indie kid who's amazing and I love him even though he lives one state away. He smells amazing, too! GAHH.

Anyways.

This chapter was pretty long, so... it can almost kiiinda make up for the delay? Heh heh... yeah? Even though it's kinda choppy and not-so-good?

Oh! And... ALMOST KISS? WHAT THE WHAT? DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING? WHAT?

Tell me what you thought about that and more in... A REVIEW! YAYYYYY.

In fact, tell me anything in a review! Your favorite color, your favorite car, things you hate, things you can't live without... anything! So long as you review... and your review has at least something a little bit to do with the story. But yes.

And, a special shout out to a couple wonderful people!

One to yellow14, who has been reviewing my stories from the start. Thanks so much for the support and I love you!

And another to weird-cute-n-random (Darbe) who is my bestestestestest online friend! She does nice things for meez, yessiree. :) She also wants to tell me more about her new guy friend/ almost boyfriend she mentioned... Don't you, Darbe dearest?

Anyways!

Thanks. Review. I love you.

Also, link to Rose's dress on my profile, because I'm nerdy like that! :)

xx

Ali