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Chapter Nine

The next morning, there was no sign of Marc anywhere. Later in the day, Scorpius and Rose had found out that he'd been come to early that morning and limped up to the Headmistress's office. He'd demanded that he be sent home immediately, and although they didn't know exactly what he'd told the staff, they knew that he'd been gone before the rest of the school had waken up.

"He's gone for a few months." Alex had said at lunch. "He's going to Durmstrang in the meantime but coming back for sure. Everyone was asking Rose about it, since she'd been her girlfriend they figured she'd know what was up with him.

"We aren't going out anymore." She would tell them, and then they would look at Scorpius, who she'd been attached to all day. When they asked her who broke up with whom, and she told them she'd broken it off their suspicions only grew. Scorpius could only wish that their misconceptions about the two of them were true.

"You should tell McGonagall." He said as they were walking.

"No. I already know what she would say. 'Mr. Flint is going through a hard time right now Miss Weasley. Those are very serious accusations, and as far as I know you two had been involved. If you are trying to destroy his life simply because he broke things off with you, then I am appalled. Either way, we will have to wait until he returns to school before we can act on your accusations.' Telling her won't help anything."

"Rose, we can't just let him get away with what he's done to you."

She stood on her tip toes and put her thumb and index finger on either sides of his face. "Don't worry about me so much. It'll make you sick." Even though she was smiling, he could see her eyes watering.

"Oh, Rose." He said, "Come here, don't cry." He stuck out his arms and she let herself rest on him as he wrapped his arms around her. He wanted to say something, anything what would actually be meaningful. He couldn't. Well, at least nothing he'd say out loud.

"I'm fine. It's just that you're so pretty, I feel intimidated standing next to you."

He didn't believe her, not for a moment, but he didn't say anything. He just smiled and hoped she didn't notice how long he was holding on to her. He let go finally and stuck his tongue out at her. "If anything, we both make each other look better. Me with my devastating handsome face and sexy body, and you looking all exotic with your big lips, freckles, and red hair are a force to be reckoned with. People are probably intimidated when they pass us in the hall together."

"You're so full of shit." She said, looking at her feet but smiling at the same time.

"I mean it. You're gorgeous, Rose. Don't let anyone tell you any different." He regretted saying as soon as it came out. "Let's go check up on Al. Without one of us with him at all times he might set the school on fire."

She laughed and agreed it was a good idea they check up on him. Rose felt really bad, since she was hogging Scorpius all of the time now. He was Al's best friend, and Al needed his best friend like Rose would need hers if she had one.

"Oh, no." she said all of the sudden. She attempted to pull Scorpius in another direction but it was too late.

"What do we have here?" a voice called from down the hall.

"What is it?" Scorpius asked her.

"My bloody cousins. Lucy and Louis, you know them. They're right dreadful and-"

"Rose I didn't know you were acquainted with Scorpius Malfoy." Lucy said, giving him the once over.

"I've known him since we were in our first year, Goosey."

Lucy scowled at the nickname, then turned her attention back on Scorpius. Louis was as well.

"I thought you were dating that one boy, Rose." Louis said, raising an eyebrow.

"We broke up."

"You scared him off, that's what happened." Lucy said, cutting in.

Scorpius looked down at Rose and saw that she looked miserable. He wished he was cleverer and could think of a way to make her feel better.

Lucy walked closer to them and tugged on Scorpius's arm like a lost child. "What are you doing right now, Scor?" then she added in a low voice, but Rose still heard her, "Hopefully you'll say me."

Rose hadn't looked at Scorpius, but if she had, she'd have seen the evident distaste on his face. For all she knew, he wanted her cousin. "Actually, Rose and I are going to hang out with Albus for a little while." He was just being nice to her, she realized that. She'd just been in the Hospital wing, and he didn't want to upset her any more than she already was. Otherwise he wouldn't have thought twice about running off with Lucy.

Lucy scowled; she didn't like Al any more than she like Rose, but she was a lot nicer to him since he was her ticket to all the Slytherin boys she wanted. "When you're done, then?"

"It'll be all night. Maybe another time, though." Rose admired his will power. Everything he'd said the other night made sense now. Why did she care, then? It was just because he liked Lucy. If it was Lily, she'd have encouraged him.

They talked for a couple more minutes, and then they were able to part ways. Rose felt an unfamiliar feeling in her throat as they walked away. "Is it Lucy?"

Scorpius furrowed his eyebrows together. "Is what Lucy?"

"Last night you were describing your perfect girl. Is it Lucy?"

"Merlin, Rose, of course not."

"Are you sure? She sure seemed pretty friendly with you."

"Rose, I see her every summer. I never talk to her except for once or twice, but she knows who I am. She was only acting like that to mess with you. She thinks you like me. I don't like her, no way. Didn't you hear me say I don't like prissy girls? If Lucy isn't the Queen of Priss then I don't know what she is."

"Oh."

After a few long, awkward moments, he cleared his throat. "Were you jealous?"

"What?"

"I said, were you jealous because you thought I liked Lucy."

"No. That may be the most ridiculous thing that you have ever assumed, Malfoy."

She didn't know how easily she could hurt his feelings. "I see."

She looked up at him, "Did you want me to be jealous?"

"Can we stop it with the bloody questions, Rose? I don't care, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't care?" In reality, he hadn't told her very many times. He'd repeated it in his head so many times, though, that it seemed that he had to have said it to her a few times.

"You don't care."

"No."

"I know that isn't true."

"I don't fucking care, okay?"

"Don't say that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not true. Even if you don't care about me in a special way, you still feel like a brother towards me. You care."

Oh.

Oh.

So that's how she saw him, as a bloody brother. She thought he saw her as a sister. Well damn. "You just… you don't get anything." He said, rubbing his eyes. They were in front of her common room, now. "I'll see you around."

"I thought we were going to hang out with Al." she said, confused.

"I-I have to talk to him about something." He said, starting to walk away from her. "We can all hang out another time."

"Malfoy, it's still early. I-I don't want to be alone."

"Go in there, then." He said, pointing to the portrait door. She looked over her shoulder as she knocked the gold knocker and waited for the door to ask her a question. "What came first, the phoenix or the flame?"

"I'd have to say… that a circle has no beginning."

"Well answered." The door swung open but Rose didn't walk in right away.

"Go on." He said, making a shooing motion.

"Scorpius, I…" she started, but then she shook her head. "Night Malfoy."

"Night."

She looked back one more time before she walked inside. As the door closed, the portrait looked at him and narrowed her eyes. "You, I fear, have something hidden inside of you. So does she."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play stupid. I have seen enough, and have been around long enough to read people's faces. You desire her, not just physically, but her heart."

"Keep your bloody voice down, will you?"

"Ah, your father was just the same."

"I am not my father."

The woman rolled her eyes. "That girl, she has pain inside of her. It's the pain that can only come from genuine cruelty. But you, you lighten her up a bit. You make her smile when she is with you."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, your love is not unrequited, you bloody fool. She just doesn't know it yet."

Scorpius gaped at the picture, and then after a while he laughed. "Rubbish. You're a barmy one, you." He pointed his finger at her as he walked away. "You almost had me for a second there, but not quite. And I don't love her."

The woman scoffed. "Men. It doesn't matter what century it is, they are always just as daft as the ones who came before them."

"I'm sorry I haven't hung out with you all day, mate."

"It's alright. I'm glad you're taking care of her."

Scorpius nodded and stared intently at the fire. "She's afraid, Al. She doesn't want to be anywhere alone."

"Why can't you explain what happened, mate? What's so bad about it?"

Scorpius shook his head. "She'd be pissed at me. I'll let her tell you herself, when she's ready to."

Al sighed and decided to drop the subject of what had happened. "Where is she now?"

"In her dorm." He said, looking at his feet. "She wanted to come but I told her I had to talk to you about something."

Al glared at him, and then pointed to the door. "Go get her."

"No. No way."

"Go get her."

"I said no."

They glared at each other for several seconds, but then they grew bored of being a little irritated with each other. "What happened?' Al asked.

Scorpius explained about the previous night when they'd talked about their perfect mate, and then he told him about their run in with Lucy and Rose's questions about it. "She pissed me off."Scorpius said. "And I didn't want to fight with her again."

"So you'd rather ditch her and let her think that you hate being around her than yell at her a bit?"

"Yes. And I didn't ditch her."

"I doubt she feels the same way."

Scorpius stared at his hands for a while then said, "We are not going to go get her. If you do, I'll go up the room and go to sleep."

"You're a pussy."

"And you're a faggot. But Al, I'm serious."

"I know." He said, "I just wish she'd have come."

Scorpius immediately felt bad; he had a bad habit of putting his own well being before others'. This time, he'd been more worried about being angry than he was about letting Rose see her cousin. It definitely wasn't her place to tell her when she could and couldn't see Al.

"If you want me to get her, I will."

"Do you want to get her?"

Yes. "No. I'll see her in the morning."

"I'll just owl her, then. It's no big deal."

Scorpius looked around, and noticed the common room was almost empty. "I'm going up to bed. You coming?"

"Yeah." Al said, and they both got out of their seats and headed up the stairs. "A lot of the guys asked me if you and Rose are dating."

"Really."

"Yeah."

"What'd you say to them?"

"I told them no, of course."

"Well good."

"You don't seem so happy about it." Al commented.

"I don't see how I could be happy about the world being reassured that a Malfoy and a Weasley aren't dating. It makes me more and more upset the more I have to deny the rumors."

"You wish it were true."

"Well no shit, Captain Obvious."