We watch the season pull up its own stakes
And catch the last weekend of the last week
Before the gold and the glimmer have been replaced,
Another sun soaked season fades away

You have stolen my heart

Test results had been handed out to every eligible student that very morning. The poor 5th and 7th years had to wait all summer to receive their standardized results unfortunately, however they weren't too fussed about this. Actually, as they were still riding the post-exam high, most couldn't care less. All that mattered to them was the fact that they were finished with the damn things. All throughout the castle students were packing up their trunks, and comparing scores while they prepared themselves to board the scarlet Hogwarts Express the following day. All the students were thrilled to go home. Three whole months of freedom! They were all very much looking forward to no more teachers and no more books. A whole summer to empty their heads. Joy was in the air.

Everyone was excited.

All except two.

"What shall I do without you for an entire summer?" Scorpius moaned as he nuzzled Rose's neck and felt her shuddering breath in response.

Rose, who was once upon a time looking forward the summer break, was now dreading it. Not only would she be away from Scorpius for months, but now she had the added guilt of keeping a secret from not only her cousins, but her entire family as well. She could already feel herself beginning to crack under the pressure.

But as Scorpius' attentive lips began to make a circuit up and down her throat, she couldn't quite bring herself to care either way.

"How did you survive before?" she panted, running her nails through his blonde locks.

"I'm not entirely sure," Scorpius said with all seriousness, pulling away from her neck and looking her in the eyes. He was instantly distracted. "Merlin, you're beautiful," he murmured once again before pressing his lips to hers. She giggled as he had said the same exact thing four times in the past hour or so before kissing her. If he said this enough she was going to start believing him.

When they parted for breath, Rose looked up at Scorpius. His stormy grey eyes were light and undeniably happy. He had a grin crinkling the corner of his mouth, and his hair was sticking up in all directions. While looking up at his face, she felt a vague wave of deja vu. Where had she seen this expression before? His perfect lips were swollen thanks in large part to her and his shirt was a bit of a rumpled mess.

He looked like a lovestruck fool.

She couldn't help herself, she kissed him again.

It was suppertime and the rest of the castle was gathered in the Great Hall for one last feast, leaving the corridors and a majority of the grounds unoccupied. This allowed Rose and Scorpius to lay in the grass by their fountain, enjoying the sunset and each other uninterrupted. The chance was slim to none that anyone would venture out there and catch them.

Scorpius trailed his fingers through Rose's red hair, while kissing her lips, her cheeks, her closed eyelids, her nose, her throat. Every inch of her he could reach. Silently marveling at the fact she was really here, and that he was really kissing her, really touching her, really making her moan in that way. He was sure any second he'd wake up to find he had drifted away on his desk again and the whole thing was just another vivid daydream. But then Rose shivered beneath him, a small noise of pleasure escaping her lips and brought his thoughts to an abrupt stop.

"I should go," Rose moaned between kisses. Scorpius just shook his head and continued kissing her. "I should go," she protested again, this time weaker than the last.

"Mmm.." Scorpius nibbled her ear. "No. Not going anywhere." He ran his hands down her torso again and she shuddered. Her legs tangling in his, her traitorous hands running under his shirt, pressing into the muscled skin of his back. She was intoxicated by him. She kissed him until she was gasping for breath, she clung to him with everything she had. She couldn't stop herself. She wanted him, all of him. She wanted to keep him here with her. It was selfish and self-absorbed, but she didn't care for once. He made her exceptionally and inconceivably happy, and she didn't want to give that up.

So she didn't. She had decided days ago that she was going to stop thinking about what everyone else wanted, what everyone else expected and she was going to do what she wanted. Damn the consequences. And what she wanted, what made her happy was Scorpius Malfoy. It was wrong and complicated and confusing, but she no longer cared. She wanted him and for some reason he seemed to want her as well. And for once she wasn't going to worry, she was just going to be happy.

She pressed herself closer to his body, feeling the entire length of him against her. It gave her a kind of forbidden thrill. A soft moan escaped her before she could stop herself, and she felt Scorpius smile against her lips. She smiled back, running her fingers through his hair, eliciting a soft moan of her own. With that moan, she let go. Let go of all her worries. She stopped thinking about how she would find a way to sneak out and see him this summer. She didn't think about keeping the secret from her friends and her family. She didn't think about Lily's suspicion, or imagine her Father's furious face if he were to ever discover what she was doing.

She let go. She was simply a seventeen year old girl being kissed by the one she loved.

"Where have you been?"

Rose was startled out of her daydreams of Scorpius' talented lips by Lucy's voice. "Huh?" She asked confused. It was after dinner and Rose was sitting in Common Room pretending to read. She had left Scorpius half an hour ago and had spent that time ignoring her hunger and reliving the past hours at Scorpius' side. She shook her head to rid herself of the vision of passionate grey eyes.

"Are you in there?" Lucy crouched down in front of Rose. Bright blue eyes blocked Rose's vision.

"Sorry," Rose mumbled, closing the book she was pretending to read. "Just a bit out of it I guess. Burnt out from exams." Rose shifted to the side, exposing half of the squishy couch she was sitting on for Lucy.

Lucy eagerly complied. She snuggled into Rose's side, peering over her shoulder to see what Rose was reading. "'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'?" Lucy's voice was soft and unintentionally sultry and Rose was envious. "What happened to 'The Wizard of Oz'?"

"I think I've found something better than Oz," Rose muttered mainly to herself.

"What?"

"Nothing," Rose replied loudly. Setting the book on a near-by table, she turned to face her friend. "Look at you! You're glowing." And it was true. Lucy was positively radiating happiness. "Sweet Merlin! You're practically pink!"

Lucy just blushed deeper in response. She said nothing but suddenly seemed to find the illustrations in Rose's book incredibly interesting. "Why do I get the feeling that a certain Potter male has something to do with this." Rose gestured to Lucy's flushed body as a whole.

"Oh shut up," Lucy mumbled before resting her head on Rose's shoulder. Rose giggled and then sighed. She was going to miss her best mate. The coming summer months were going to be hard on the two of them. Lucy was headed off to Spain for a month on holiday, while Rose was thinking about getting a summer job in one of the shops in Diagon Alley in order to make some extra pocket change. The girls were going to have to rely on letters for correspondence, which was difficult because never before had they spent so long without seeing each other face to face. Ever since that first day on the train the girls had always spent a majority of their summer hols together.

Not only that but now Rose had the added pressure of keeping Scorpius off of Lucy's finely tuned radar. Rose and Lucy told each other everything and it was going to be hard for Rose to not ask her best friend's opinion on the matter. Even now Rose found herself wavering. She wanted to tell Lucy what had happened between her and Scorpius. How he made her feel so light and loved. She knew that Lucy wouldn't judge her, but she also knew that Lucy would never be able to keep a secret this big from Albus. It was the thought of what her favorite cousin would say if he knew that his dear little Rosie was gallivanting about with Malfoy that had her holding her tongue.

"What are you worrying about?" It was Lucy. She had sat up from her slouched position next to her and was watching Rose with a worried expression. Her previous glow had diminished, but not all together disappeared.

"Just not seeing you this summer," Rose said. She wondered when she had gotten used to this? Had gotten comfortable telling half truths, and partial lies? She wondered how she managed to keep her voice so normal.

Lucy hugged her. "I know. I'm going to miss you so much. But I'll be sure to see you after Spain."

Lucy took her words as the truth and Rose felt her stomach drop. It was the same swooping sensation she had felt in Scorpius' presence, but instead of making her feel as if she could fly, she felt as if her heart suddenly weighed ten pounds.

The steam at Hogsmeade station was thick. The humidity had rolled back into the air and Rose felt it stifling her as she wearily made her way to the gleaming scarlet train in front of her. All around her students were saying goodbye to friends, kissing cheeks, exchanging addresses with promises to stay in touch. A few people were just clamoring on to the train straight away, hoping it's cool corridors would provide some relief from the sweltering heat. Rose bypassed a group of crying seventh year Ravenclaws, and a pack of rowdy third year Slytherins. She spotted Albus and Lucy off to the side, gazing into each other's eyes in a sickening romantic kind of way. Rose thought this was a bit odd, considering the two of them always tried to keep their relationship as light as possible. They were plenty in love with each other, but they tried to keep most of the details of their relationship private. They rarely subjected the inhabitants of the castle to disgusting displays of affection and could often be found sitting together quietly, their clasped hands the only sign that they were more than just friends. But before she could inquire about this further, she felt a hand on the back of her robes, pulling her into a shadowy corner of the train station. Far enough away from wandering eyes, but still plenty exposed.

Rose didn't have to ask who it was, she smelled his honey and parchment scent and felt his cool lips on her neck almost instantly. She gave in to the sensation for a moment before a squeal of one of the students on the platform grabbed her attention.

"No, we can't." She mustered up all her will power and managed to push Scorpius' face away. He looked into her eyes, his arms still around her. His eyes burned with a passion that Rose was becoming familiar with, as she was finding it within herself more and more each day. He nervously licked his lips and Rose wanted him. All of him.

But this was neither the time nor the place.

"I'm sorry-" Rose didn't know why she was apologizing.

"No. I know. You're right." Scorpius released her then and came back to his senses, the fire in his eyes masked by polite propriety. He stepped back from her and Rose, though she knew this was for the best, mourned the loss of his body pressed against hers.

Scorpius seemed to take a minute to recollect himself. "I just wanted to see you before we left." His voice was quiet and low, like he was admitting some great failing.

"Me too," Rose whispered back, resisting the urge to run her hands up and down his arms one last time.

"I have to tell you something. And it's going to sound a little crazy."

Rose just waited, her fingers climbing up her neck to start fiddling with her necklace.

"Alright then, I'm just going to say it." Scorpius ran a hand though his hair and Rose wondered how bad it could possibly be that it would have Scorpius acting so un-Scorpius-ish.

He moved close to her and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "You should probably know before you leave for holiday..." A pause and an exhale. Rose shivered at the sensation of his breath running over her. ".. I am very much in love you Rose Weasley."

Rose jolted in shock, stunned by both his confession and his use of her surname. But Scorpius didn't give her anytime to react any further. He kissed her cheek and then the tip of her nose and finally her lips in the softest of grazes, before striding out on to the crowded school platform.

END CHAPTER SIX

End Notes: We are reaching the end of our tale, I think only one or two more chapters before the whole things all sewn up. 'Dusk & Summer' ends at the end of the (you guessed it) summer after Scorpius and Rose's sixth year, just before Seventh.

Look for another R/S one shot coming your way in the near future, if you are interested in that.

and don't forget to review! And to everyone who has favorited or put this story on alert, or reviewed, I luff yous guys! You truly rock my world.

cheers,

-wit