Author's Note

Hello! Sorry it took so long (again) I've been away for a month. This chapter is a little short but hey, it's actually here at last. I just wanted to put some warnings at the top, just in case. There is some violence in this chapter, including verbal threats, duelling and physical fighting. Nothing too graphic though. I'm not great at writing fight scenes so sorry if that bit seems a little weird. But otherwise, I hope you enjoy it. Well maybe. I don't think you're going to like the end. Sorry.

Chapter Twenty-Two

So detention is awkward.

And yes, I am fully aware that detentions are normally awkward considering the fact that it is one or more (in this case four) students sitting in silence with a Professor glaring at them disdainfully from their desk. However, this one is especially awkward. As it happens, I was not the only student late back from Hogsmeade on Saturday. (I am however the only student who apparated outside of Hogsmeade and therefore the only one who has detentions lined up every Monday until the end of the year, which is only a few weeks away but it is still an inconvenience.)

During my Hogwarts career – whether it be during my pranking time with James, Molly and Castor or my later period of wandering around the castle long after curfew – I have found myself in many a detention. None however, match up to this one in sheer awkwardness.

To begin with, there is a burly Sixth Year Ravenclaw sat in the back right hand corner of the room, shifting his attention back and forth from glaring at the paper on his desk and glaring at me. Last summer his girlfriend had found him moaning in my arms in what was probably one of my most uncomfortable 'jobs'. The poor guy had been a scrawny little thing at the time and I'm pretty sure had never even kissed the girl who had come seeking advice from me in the library one afternoon. He had been a complete, quivering mess and has never been able to look me in the eye since. He had bulked up though; muscles bulging through his shirt and probably stood a good head taller than me now – which is no mean feat.

Anyway, I'm not sure why he – Erik Boot, in case you were curious – was late back from Hogsmeade and to be frank, I've no real desire to find out. His glares are only a small factor in contributing to the awkwardness.

Professor MacDougal had arranged the four of us to sit as far apart as possible, so we each took up a corner desk. I was sitting in the back row along from Boot. In front of me, in the first row was the second most contributing factor to the awkwardness (which Professor MacDougal seems entirely unaware of).

Lucy Weasley.

Yes, my cousin, who had 'outed' me in front of the entire school, was sitting a few meters away scowling determinedly ahead of her. She hasn't bothered to approach me in the slightest since the incident in the Great Hall and in a way I am a little disappointed. I wasn't expecting an apology – I don't even want an apology – but I had been expecting her to yell at me some more. Someone seems to have suggested to her that that wasn't a good course of action though and so she has remained firmly silent towards me, barely even registering my existence if we pass each other in the corridors or in the evening in the dorms. Bethan finds the whole thing amusing and frustrating in turns.

Either way, she hasn't spoke to me and I have no intention of speaking to her but the tension wafting off her in waves is doing very little to appease the awkwardness of this detention. She was apparently getting 'hammered' (the grapevine's word choice not mine) in the Hogshead during the Hogsmeade visit and subsequently missed curfew altogether. And so we come onto the final student sitting with us in detention – who also happens to be the greatest contributing factor to the most awkward hour of my life.

Scorpius Malfoy.

Of course.

Who else could it possibly be?

And how, you must be wondering, is he making this detention so awkward? Because, after all, I am not one to become uncomfortable all that easily. Well I'll tell you how. He has point blank ignored the paper MacDougal had set before him, nor has he gotten any other work out from his bag, nor is he even facing his desk. No. He has turned his entire seat around, arms cross decidedly across his chess and legs splayed out obnoxiously in front of him. And he is staring at me.

Full on, barely blinking, not an ounce of humour, staring.

The reason as to why remains a mystery. Like so many things about this particular Slytherin.

Each time I look up, or glance around the room, he is watching me. His face void of emotion – which now that I notice its absence, I realise has never been the case before. Or at least, not when he looked at me. There has always been something there, marking his features ever so subtly when he looks at me and I have never noticed it before until now. Until it has gone. And I have no idea what it was or why it isn't there any more.

He looks completely blank. Like he's waiting for me instigate something, to paint his face with life again. It doesn't make any sense. So I glare at him and for a split second his face morphs into what he is so cleverly concealing – betrayal. Hurt. And that's not something I've ever witnessed on him before.

And it certainly doesn't make any sense.

Images flood through my mind again. Just like they had Saturday night as I lay in my dorm bed and glared furiously at the ceiling. Images of his happy smile, of his arm curved protectively around that insufferable girl. Georgiana Morrish.

Of course, rationally, it is probably not Morrish's fault. The girl probably has no idea that she was a large factor in instigating my complete shut down and withdrawal from society back when she and Dave had their little fling. And rationally, the fact that Scorpius has a new girlfriend shouldn't surprise me (even if it had been a while).

My heart however, doesn't seem to want to think rationally.

~X~

When detention finally rolls around to an end, Boot is the first out to door with Lucy swiftly on his heels. Scorpius is still just staring at me and suddenly I have had enough, my face shuts down as I shove my work – which I had barely been able to pay attention to – into my bag and stride out of the classroom. Hurried footsteps behind me let me know Scorpius has followed me out. We walk down the corridor in silence, his a few steps behind me, until I can't take it anymore.

"What?" I demand, spinning around to confront him. He's still just staring at me but his mask is slipping a little, cracks revealing his hurt. And I don't understand. I am too tired to understand. And he's just looking at me, almost beseechingly. And if we had been in this situation a while ago – alone in a corridor staring intently at each other – it would have resulted in one of those kisses that I can still feel for hours after it's over.

A part of me just wants to reach out for him, drag him into me and loose myself in his touch. But the image of his arm around Morrish is burned onto my brain and I just can't. Which is ridiculous because the majority of times I've kissed him before this point have been while he had a girlfriend but I don't want to do that anymore. I can't do that anymore. Not with Scorpius.

He doesn't make a move either, just watches me, a little hurt in his eyes but the rest of his expression unreadable. We stand there for several minutes, although it seems like hours, just watching each other. Until I cannot take it anymore. Until I feel so exposed and open and every part of me aches. Until I just want to fall into his arms and never leave. But I don't. Because then there really would be no going back and I can't do that to myself, not when he doesn't feel the same. And why did it have to be the same fucking girl. The same girl that had ruined things with Dave. Scorpius probably didn't even know.

It's not his fault. None of it is really. It's mine. Mine for being stupid enough to think that we were ever more than we actually were. Stupid enough to think that we could be more.

So I do the only thing I can to stop myself falling apart again… I turn around. And I walk away. And to be honest, I feel like I'm falling apart anyway.

~X~

For a few days I retreat into myself a little more again. Not overly so, just enough to regain some of the energy the last few weeks – months really – has drained from me. It's weird how little I am truly alone these days anymore. I don't remember the last time I went a day without talking to anyone and that used to be a common occurrence. James and I write almost daily, catching up on the years spent being idiots and I can't wait until the summer when I can actually spend some proper time with him and Castor and Molly again. Will is keeping his distance a little, always there if I need him but far enough away that he has a chance of really moving on and while it hurts a little now, I hope we can make it out the other side as good friends. Faye is spending more time with Andrius and Lily but I always seem to talk to at least one of the three everyday. Dave repeatedly tries to talk to me but we don't really have much to say to each other anymore.

Quidditch is high on Albus' priority list, a little too high probably considering we're in the middle of NEWT exams, so we tend to spend a lot of our free time on the pitch practicing for the upcoming game against Slytherin. So between exams, Quidditch and my newly recovered social time, I find I have very little time to dwell on a certain blond haired Slytherin.

Which doesn't mean that my heart doesn't jump to my throat whenever I see him.

But I ignore that. And I carry on walking.

~X~

At night though, sometimes it's not that easy. Sometimes I find myself lying awake, unable to get his face out of my mind's eye. The hurt in his eyes. The hurt I had caused. And I don't know why. I don't know why he's hurting. I don't know what I've done.

But eventually I fall asleep. And when I wake up, it's easier to push him to the back of my mind again.

~X~

Lily slumps down on the seat beside me a couple of days after my eventful visit to Hogsmeade and states decidedly: "Hugo is acting weird."

I raise an eyebrow questioningly.

"I asked him if he was coming to Hogsmeade with us last Thursday because we normally go down in a group together but he said he was already going down with Jackson and Benny, which was fine – only when we were in Hogsmeade, we bumped into Jacks and Benny but Hugo wasn't with them so obviously I asked where he was and they said that he said he was coming down with us… Which isn't suspicious at all but anyway, he didn't show up at dinner that night either – not that you would know because apparently you were to busy having dinner with my family-" she smirks at me, "-then I was doing some homework in the common room pretty late that night and in walk Hugo at like, a quarter past one, with this stupid ass smile on his face and he walked straight past me without so much a nod of acknowledgement even though I basically waved in his face and the stupid prick hasn't stopped smiling since!" she huffs.

"Looks like our little Hugo is hiding something," I smirk and she glares at me.

"You know," she replies eventually, expression not changing. "You know what he's hiding and you're not telling me." It is really more of a statement than a question but I nod anyway. "It better be good when I find out because I'm going to spend hours trying to figure it out," she mutters darkly.

"I think it's rather obvious," I tease.

"Well obviously he's with someone," she snaps back. "But I've never seen him like this so it must be pretty serious and he's never felt the need to keep a relationship secret before so my question is: who the fuck is it."

"I'm sure he'll tell you when he's ready but I don't expect that will be very soon if I'm completely honest with you. He's still figuring things out so just don't… Don't push him okay? This is actually good for him and I don't want him to freak out."

"Fine," Lily agrees moodily. "But I will find out eventually."

"I've no doubt about that," I snort.

~X~

Slipping into the kitchens that evening I am greeted by the sight of Lily's frustration. Hugo is slouched in one of the armchairs by the fire, a grin splitting his face in two as he chews on a liquorice wand and absentmindedly throws Bertie Botts' Beans at whoever is sitting in the opposite chair. Which of course, is Logan Moon.

"Evening boys," I smirk. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Rose!" Hugo's grin gets – if possible – wider. "I was hoping you'd come down- stop doing that," he snaps at Moon who was now throwing the beans back at Hugo. He just smirks and carries on. "Dude, I want to introduce you to my sister, you're not making a great impression," he huffs, throwing a bean back. There are beans all over the floor.

"We've already met," Moon snorts.

"Dude," Hugo whines.

"Stop calling me dude," Moon huffs.

"I want. To introduce you. To my sister," Hugo repeats, giving the words a strange emphasis that I suppose is supposed to have some kind of meaning. Logan frowns before letting off an 'ohh' of understanding. "Rose," Hugo turns to address me, "I would like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Logan," he grins stupidly and waves an arm at Logan, who is watching him with a raised eyebrow. Oh. "Logan, this is my sister Rose," he swings his arm towards me.

"Is this some kind of boyfriend-meets-family thing?" I smirk.

"Shut up," Hugo laughs but the blush gives him away.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Logan," I reply.

"And you, Rose," he smirks but the happiness in his eyes gives away how much Hugo's desire to introduce him as his boyfriend actually meant to him.

"I'm going to get some more of those brownies," Hugo announces suddenly before launching himself out to the chair and across the kitchen. I take his vacated seat.

"I feel like now would be the time to grill you about what would happen if you broke his heart," I grin at Logan. "But somehow I don't see that happening any time soon. Just remember that he has a lot of cousins. And they all have Weasley genes."

"I have no intention of ever breaking his heart," Logan replies seriously before Hugo reappears and drops himself into Logan's armchair despite the free one beside them. Logan's face says it all really as he curls an arm around my brother's waist and takes the offered brownie.

~X~

NEWT exams pass by in a hurry, leaving me little time to think of other things and with the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin game on the horizon, Albus is taking up all of our free time. With two weeks left until the end of term, the school is far to preoccupied with other things to really pay too much attention to me so the whispers and insults that exploded after Lucy's revelation die down into almost non-existence.

Monday finds me once again in detention for apparating out of Hogsmeade and this time I am alone. Professor Sinistra, who is taking the detention this evening, spends the entire hour talking to me about my Astronomy exam and ends up letting me go ten minutes early. The hallways are quite as I make my way through the castle, despite it not being curfew yet, everyone too exhausted from exams to be up causing mischief – that will come in a few days time when exams are over – and so the sudden but muffled thump from ahead of me comes out much louder than it would have done normally.

Curiosity, as always, get the better of me.

Picking up my pace for the last few meters of corridor, I emerge onto the top of the Grand Staircase of the First Floor. The evening summer light is seeping in through the arched windows and illuminating the dust that swirls in the air at the commotion a few meters bellow me. Three figures are perched in various positions on the stairs – a girl is leaning against the stone balustrade, looking a little terrified; a tall, blonde headed boy in just his shirt and slacks is a couple of steps up from her leaning over the third figure, another, slightly darker blonde headed boy who is sitting down on the step above him (no doubt from whom the thump had originated). The first boy has the second by the collar of his robes and is spitting fire in his face. Metaphorically of course.

"I told you to stay the fuck away from her," Scorpius hisses, jerking on Dave's robes.

"The fuck is your problem Malfoy," Dave sneers, trying to scramble up another step away from him. Unsuccessfully of course.

"Obviously that would be you, you sniveling wimp."

"We were just fucking talking," Dave retorts, fumbling in his pocket for his wand, which Scorpius spots and kicks aside when he manages to extract it. "Get the fuck off me!"

"If I so much as see you even fucking glance in her direction again-" Scorpius continues to hiss, ignoring Dave entirely.

"Scor!" the girl protests, reaching out in his direction as Scorpius shoves Dave by his robes again, hard enough his head almost cracks on the step behind him. My attention is dragged away from the boys and of course.

Georgiana Morrish.

"Do you always make a habit of defending a young girl's honour?" I ask before I can stop myself.

All three heads snap up in my direction, evidently unaware they had an audience. Morrish just looks a little more shocked than she had before, Dave looks furious that Scorpius is still holding him down by his robes and Scorpius… well I couldn't really describe the look that passes over Scorpius' face.

"Rose?" both boys say in unison. Which oddly makes them glare at one another again before returning their attention to me.

"Let him go," I roll my eyes at them and Scorpius, surprisingly, instantly lets go of Dave's robes, earning a smug glare from the Gryffindor as he stands up and brushes himself down. Scorpius' face is once again carefully guarded and he avoids looking at me at all. Morrish's eyes flicker between the three of us in confusion. "You going to answer my question?" I raise an eyebrow in Scorpius' direction and he frowns for a moment.

"Well obviously," he mutters, glancing between Morrish and I. "She's my cousin."

Wait, what?

"Your cousin?" I ask dumbly, shooting a quick glance at her and then returning my eyes to Scorpius' face. She looks even more confused that before. "Georgiana Morrish is your cousin?" I repeat, feeling the carefully blank expression I had had on my face slip and crack and a small smile forming in its place.

"Yeah…" Scorpius trails off, frowning. "Wait," he pauses, "did you think we were..."

"I thought nothing," I firmly deny, finding myself already halfway down the steps as a smirk begins to spread across his face. But then it disappears into a frown once more.

"But I saw you… in Hogsmeade… you were with someone, you were hugging them…" his frown deepens.

"Where?"

"In The Three Broomsticks, you were hugging for ages," he huffs.

"That was James!" I laugh. "I was with James."

"Oh," he frowns. "Oh," he repeats at the frown melts away. "That's… That's good," he smiles.

And now I'm in front of him, one step above him and his hands are fluttering by my hips as mine rest gently on his chest and we're smiling at each other. And we are such idiots. And I can't stop smiling as he looks at me, his face open and happy and I think that maybe, just maybe, he might be feeling what I'm feeling too. And his grin is blinding as he leans forward against me and my hands slip up into his hair and I can feel my face pulling into a grin just as wide and-

"Jeez Malfoy, don't think you're anything special, Rose has screw all the guys in sixth and seventh year, stop thinking you're any different, she just an eas-" Dave is cut off as Scorpius slips away from me and lands his fist straight in Dave's face.

"Scorpius," I hiss, grabbing his arm before it comes into contact with Dave's face a second time. Dave stumbles back, hands clutched to his bleeding face. "Are you crazy," I hiss again, inspecting his bruised knuckles. He just huffs angrily in responds, glaring at Dave but making no move to approach him again. I stroke the back of his hand with my thumb and eventually he returns his gaze to me, first glancing at our hands before up to my eyes as his expression softens and my heart feels like it might burst from my ribs. "You're an idiot," I mutter, squeezing his hand gently.

As he opens his mouth to respond, a flash of red light rips through the peaceful bubble we were in and he is thrown across the staircase. I instantly reach for my wand only to remember with blinding horror that I had left it on Sinistra's desk only minutes ago. Scorpius scrambles up, one hard cradled against his chest, the other hastily pulling out his own wand as Dave – who must have retrieved his wand from where Scorpius had kicked it – advances on him.

"Expelliarmus!" Dave yells and Scorpius' wand goes flying through the air just as someone behind me bellows and the steps in front of Dave are suddenly blasted away, throwing him back again. Spinning around, I watch as Andrius jumps down the last few steps to his brother. I feel routed to the spot, unable to move my feet. Faye is there as well, just behind Andrius. They were having a study date tonight. She had told me all about it.

"Dri!" she screeches as Dave manages to scramble up from the rubble. Andrius is suddenly covered in nasty looking boils and instantly spins around, eyes alight with fury, to send a body-binding curse at Dave – it misses by a hairsbreadth. Morrish is yelling and trying to climb over the rubble to Scorpius who is still cradling his arm and everything is happening to fast and then I'm moving in front of Scorpius trying to call out to Faye who is watching in horror as Andrius and Dave throw hexes and jinxes at each other and Scorpius is up and searching for his wand and why is mine still in Sinistra's office and then several shouts of 'reducto' echo through the hall and another large chuck of staircase is blasted away and then- And then she's falling, her blonde hair streaming out around her as her body is propelled downwards. Gravity and the blast force working in tandem to throw her down the staircase… down… down… down.

Please don't hate me.