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Chapter 5: Detentions and Invitations

Dear Draco,

We would very much like to attend your Christmas Ball. I feel that after several years of sending you letters that seeing you in person would be a pleasant novelty. Should I tell Rose and Hugo or is Scorpius going to? That is if they are allowed to come.

Ron was a little abashed by the invitation, you two will behave won't you? The past is the past after all. Have you talked to Harry recently? He said you've been working together recently. Maybe if you have you could ask him to talk to Ron?

How is the family? I have to say I am very grateful for your son's reflexes when he caught my Rose, although I do apologise for the display she made on the Quidditch pitch; I had a word with her about that. I hope that Astoria is well. She looked very pretty at the Quidditch match and was that a baby bump I saw?

I am very excited now about this ball, what to wear?

Kind Regards

Hermione Weasley

He always enjoyed receiving her letters. They were a reflection of her; formal, intelligent, energetic. He knew it was bad and would make his father turn in his grave, but whenever he read one of her letters it made him smile for the rest of the week. He immediately wrote a reply and attached it to Ceasar's leg.

The beautiful black and brown owl landed gracefully on her countertop and she couldn't help but smile to herself. She had been told the bird was called Ceasar and she thought it very fitting. It reminded her of his owner; graceful, domineering, dark.

Dear Hermione,

I am glad that you are all coming to the Ball. I have to say I have the same desire to see you. You can tell Rose and Hugo if you wish but I was going to ask Scorpius to mention it to Rose in my next letter to him anyway.

Yes I will 'behave'. I can't make any promises for your husband though, how he behaves is up to him. Yes I have talked to Potter and I will ask him to talk to your husband for me.

My family is fine. My mother is fussing unnecessarily over my son; my wife is good company and my son seems to have settled well into his fourth year. I constantly remind him that that was a year of change for both his mother and me. That is ok, we both very proud in that moment as it showed us that we had raised a well mannered, chivalrous son! Don't apologise for that; she is fourteen years old after all. It seems a long time ago I know but I'm sure you would have done something similar with Viktor Krum if you had the chance, Granger. Astoria is well and I will tell her you asked after her. I doubt that it is a 'baby bump' as we agreed a long time ago Scorpius would be our only child.

How is the Weasley clan? Potter has told me that you have had a new addition recently. Pass on my congratulations, even if they are not received as warmly as they are given. Tell the father that it only gets better as you watch them grow up and when he says that it is impossible tell him that was what I thought.

I am glad you have something to look forward to. You haven't been mentioning your life at home recently which draws me to the conclusion that you haven't had a very interesting week. Wear something formal that makes you feel good. Let your hair down maybe?

I look forward to seeing you on the 16th December.

Draco Malfoy

She sighed, held the letter to her heart and replied.

An owl landed on her window sill. It was a truly beautiful bird and she never ceased to be astonished by this. The letter was addressed to her and she ripped it open.

Hello My Love,

I hope your week has been a good one. How are your cousins? Are they behaving? How is Thomas? I heard that he was injured. Tell him I wish him well. Is fourth year being good to you, remember it is the year of change.

I am writing to you with exciting news. I thought it wise to tell you and not your brother as he is a little too much like your father; we have been cordially invited to the Malfoy Christmas Ball. I have been assured that the company will be pleasant and that Mr Malfoy is considering asking Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny too as it would mean you have some people you know there and will help your father feel at ease, you know how he gets sometimes. I have been told that you will most probably be told by Scorpius as well so tell him thank you and that you are very excited.

It is a formal occasion so I would like to inspect that new dress you bought before the night so that I know what alterations to do, because no doubt there will be alterations needed - you did go shopping with Roxanne after all. I was told by Mr Malfoy not to apologise for your behaviour on the Quidditch pitch that time but I would like you to say thank you to Scorpius if you have not done so already and sorry to both Mr and Mrs Malfoy for your crude behaviour when we arrive at their house.

Send my love to the family and pass the messages along to Hugo will you please, and try to make sure he doesn't make a scene.

With all my love,

Mum

P.S. Some exciting news closer to home, although I'm sure you've already heard, Victoire gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Chantelle. Teddy is thrilled! I think he quite enjoys the idea of having someone else to pamper. She came in at 8 pounds 2 ounces and has her father's hair and her mother's beauty.

Rose arrived early to detention on Friday evening. She assumed it was a force of habit from being a renowned school swat. She waited patiently outside Slughorn's door for either the teacher or her fellow student to show. She took the time to contemplate the week. This was defiantly the year of change. She had undeniably changed, although she hadn't realised just how much until this week. She had spent most of this week with her brother, cousins, boyfriend and friends as she seemed to have neglected them of late. Scorpius would occasionally come to the common place of meeting too, when he felt like it. He was the only one that didn't seem surprised by her actions and she found comfort in that.

She had been very cruel to Tom all week she realised suddenly; she was amazed at his persistence and almost felt sorry for him. She was giving him the cold shoulder constantly, ignoring him and insulting him every chance she got. The thing was not that she didn't like the boy, because she did, or that he was not boyfriend material, which he was, it was just that she didn't want a boyfriend. Not like him anyway; he was too perfect as a boyfriend, almost twee. He constantly told her she was beautiful and always tried to 'snuggle'. She was made uneasy by these gestures that he considered romantic; she had never once felt beautiful and she didn't like to 'snuggle' because it was too personal a thing to do. She barely knew the guy and the gesture implied that they had known each other for years and knew what made each other tick; knew each other better than they knew themselves; and they didn't.

She had to break up with him. How though; and why? He hadn't done anything wrong apart from try and be her boyfriend. Her mother would be extremely disappointed in her, but that had never stopped her before. She just couldn't let him get close to her, worse; she couldn't let him fall in love with her. Not when she's sure he's already half way there, the fool, and she knows she could never love him back. And then there's the sex thing. It would be cruel if she did the things she did to the other boys and felt just as numb when she was doing it to him; especially as they would mean something to him. She wouldn't let him touch her when she knew that she'd feel hollow. If he were to fall in love with her the act of sex would mean more to him, love making. She didn't want to lose her virginity that way; knowing the boy loved her when she never could love him back.

"Weasley," Malfoy drawled, snapping Rose out of her thoughts.

"Malfoy," she said, acknowledging him. They were not on first name basis; that would be too much of a shock to the system for her, and her cousins for that matter.

"Ah, good you're both here on time I see," Slughorn said as he rounded the corner, looking slightly dishevelled, "right, well, come in. OK, now I want you both to sort through my supplies, I know students open new jars of things without finishing others so I want you to make sure that the supplies are in as few jars as possible. I'm off, I missed dinner and I have a meeting, I'll be back at around ten." he left as soon as he finished his last line, a little flustered. Malfoy and Rose looked at each other a little confused at the Professor's behaviour. After exchanging weary glances they set themselves to the task at hand.

The two had light conversation whilst doing their detention and they finished long before ten so they seated themselves on top of one of the desks and continued to chat.

"Oh," Scorpius said in the middle of a conversation, "I almost forgot. Dad says that you have been invited to our family Christmas Ball,"

"I know, my Mum sent an owl this morning, she seemed pretty excited about it,"

"My Dad did too, which is slightly odd, he always complains about these kinds of things,"

"Mum mentioned that maybe Uncle Harry and Auntie Ginny would be invited, you heard anything?"

"Oh yeah, Dad said he was thinking about it and that he'd owl me tonight with his decision,"

"Mum also said to say thank you for catching me, I couldn't remember if I had so thank you,"

He chuckled, "Anytime," he said with a surprising sincerity in his voice. Rose inwardly gasped; that one word had made her feel so much better than any praising word that had come from Tom. She frowned. "What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing, just thinking." Malfoy looked at her slightly worried, she noticed his eyes were more silver than blue now. "Don't look at me like that," she said, feeling a little fidgety.

"Like what?" he asked, his voice soft,

"Like... like what happens to me matters,"

"Of course it matters, why wouldn't it?" he had a crease between his eyebrows now and he had come closer with the question,

"Because I don't matter,"

"Who's to say you don't matter, Rose?" she gasped at the use of her first name and the proximity of his body to hers

"I'm to say, I don't matter,"

"You do matter and don't tell yourself otherwise," he said firmly, he hadn't moved forward again but she was very aware of him.

"Stop!" she screamed suddenly making him move back, "stop acting like this!"

"Like what?" he was angry now and his eyes seemed to have seeped into the blue shade,

"Like you care, you don't care; you just want to laugh at me while I'm down!"

"Oh so you know what I'm feeling now is that it?! I can't possibly feel for you, can't possibly want to get to know you, because I'm a Slytherin, better yet I'm a Malfoy!" he said the last word like it was a disease.

"No! It's just you're... you; you have people around you who want you because of or in spite of those facts. You are worshipped and adored and idolised. Why would you care about me a low life, the daughter of a blood traitor and a mudblood, a girl who spends most of her evenings smoking anything roasted and dried? You don't care you just want to watch me bleed, well here I am and I'll give you what you want!" with that she pulled her sleeve up to reveal the white smooth skin and placed her wand to it. Without giving him time to react she ran her wand across her wrist with a scream of agony. His brain suddenly went into overdrive as the blood dripped to the floor.

"Do you really think I want this? Do you really think that I would want to be your friend only to see you do this?" he screamed at her as he healed the wound with his own wand and cleaned the blood from the floor. She was shaking, she didn't know whether it was fear or sadness but she was shaking. He looked up at her, his face calm once again and saw her tousled state and ran over to the corner she was now sat in. Her eyes were brimming with tears and his eyes were telling her she could cry.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me, I really don't,"

"It's OK," he said serenely, "just please, don't ever do that to yourself again, ever."

"Alright, but why do you care?"

"I don't know exactly but what I do know is that ever since that first night I've noticed you more. What I've also noticed is people are looking at you and seeing what they want to not what they should be seeing. Now, tell me honestly, what's wrong Rose Weasley?"

"I'm fucked up," he couldn't help but let out a humorless chuckle, it was a generalised answer but totally honest. He pulled her into an embrace and she cried freely into his chest.

Since the detention Rose had insisted that Malfoy hang out with her and her friends more. She needed him there to help her through the break up with Tom that was inevitable. She had somehow started to rely on Malfoy to help the numbness subside and she knew she would become torn again once she had let go of Tom. Not because she loved him or that her heart would break but because she knew she'd be breaking his heart, she knew his wounded face would haunt her and she would feel guilt that could ultimately have led to her demise. She needed Malfoy to stop her from doing something stupid. She was uncharacteristically trusting of him now, since what had happened in the classroom, and needed him to prevent a similar situation arising.

A few days after she had called it off with Tom she stormed up to where Malfoy sat, laughing with Austin Nott: his cousin on his mother's side, and simply said "Malfoy, I need to scream," he looked up shocked and Austin nudged him and winked. 'God, is that all he thinks about!' Rose thought irritably. Malfoy ignored this gesture and looked up at Rose's face, seeing that she looked ready to explode.

"OK, see you later Aus," Malfoy said and grabbed Rose's wrist and dragged her out onto the school grounds, "go!" he said after encasing them in a silencing charm. She opened her mouth and screamed a loud, bloodcurdling scream. "Better?" he asked.

"Not quite, I brought this with me too," she said producing a large clear glass bottle with a red cap on it, "want a drop?"

AN: I was pondering for a long time as to whether I should leave it here or do another scene and decided, after getting no response from the people I looked to for help that I should end the chapter there. In other words: sorry it's taken so long.

I'm trying to make it so that the main focus of each chapter alternates between Rose and Scorpius.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! I love the reviews that I've been getting; they really help me with the story. If you have any suggestions they are welcome but I will only put them in if I see fit!