Okay, so this is the second chapter. I hope you enjoyed the first one and thank you so much for the feedback. Unfortunately the others probably won't be up so fast - I'll most likely be confined to writing on the weekend.

A friend wipes your tears when you're rejected.

A best friend goes up to him and says, "It's because you're gay, isn't it?"

I loved Sunday nights.

I didn't have to worry about a social life, because I'd already been out on Friday and Saturday. I had little or no homework because I'd already done it earlier in the week or weekend. I didn't have to write to my mother, because she always wrote to me on a Monday morning therefore it would be pointless.

All I had to do was sit in my room, or Common Room, and relax. Usually with a book, but sometimes Rose would join me and we'd play Wizard's Chess.

Tonight I was sitting in my room, laying on my stomach on my bed, book open in front of me as I slowly became engrossed in it.

My roommates Andrew, Carl and Donnie had disappeared into one of the girl's dormitories to play truth or dare so I didn't have to worry about them interrupting me.

Just as I turned the page to eagerly start a new chapter, I heard the quiet yet unmistakable sound of our secret knock on the door.

I sat up quickly, closing my book and shoving it under my bed as I hurried to the door.

It was unusual for her to come directly to my room without warning me. Since students had been able to use mobile phones, she'd normally text me first.

All confusion disappeared when I wrenched open the door to see her; dishevelled, fragile, upset.

"Oh, Rosie," I mumbled in response to her sad smile, which backfired because she ended up releasing fresh sobs, and then I engulfed her in a hug.

She was tiny in comparison to me, my shoulders easily in line with the top of her head.

I rocked her back and forth in the doorway for a moment, murmuring soothing words and stroking her hair as she cried into my shoulder, then I ushered her inside, away from prying eyes.

I sat her on my bed and gave her an old-fashioned handkerchief emblazoned with the Malfoy family insignia from my jeans pocket, of which my mother had insisted on hiding throughout my suitcase in an effort to teach me 'Gentleman-like manners'.

She smiled weakly again, taking the handkerchief gratefully and wiping her eyes and nose with it.

"Th-Thank you," She hiccupped.

I sat down beside her, placing my arm over her shoulder.

I was a jerk to her a lot of the time, but she was still my best friend, and I cared about her a lot.

"Tell me what happened," I coaxed her gently, rubbing circles onto her arm to sooth her.

"I… He…," Then she burst into tears again.

"Oh, shhhh… Come on, Rosie, shhhh…"

"It's not- he… Aaron… he- he didn't…"

I understood completely from those few words.

"Aaron doesn't like you?" I asked carefully. Be too patronising and Rose would turn on me, be too detached and she'd close up completely and not tell me anything else.

She nodded. "He… knew I was… to prom… but he- he let me a-a-ask anyway… He…"

Another fit of tears took over her and she turned to sob into my shoulder again, drenching my shirt with her tears.

I rubbed her back soothingly as she cried and anger building up within me.

Nobody hurts Rose Weasley and gets away with it. Not even Aaron Cole.

"Listen to me, Rosie," I pulled back and shook her gently so that her devastated, mascara-run eyes looked weakly into mine. "You are so much more than Aaron Cole could ever be. You're clever and funny and beautiful and he is an idiot who doesn't know the difference between a Hippogriff and a Blast-Ended Skrewt."

"He-He's A-Aaron Cole," She sobbed, her expression defeated. "He's p-p-p-perfect."

I sighed once, half-mock annoyed and half determined, then I stood up, placing her hands in mine and taking her with me.

I mock glared at her. "You are perfect," I stressed.

She blushed slightly, then looked towards her feet.

I realised that I may have just revealed too much in my hast to cheer her up. Berating myself, I coughed awkwardly, hands still in hers, and grinned to cover up my feelings. "Now, we're going to get this sorted once and for all."

"Scorpius!" She warned as I pulled her down the corridor.

"Stop complaining, Rosie," I teased. "Trust me."

I heard her let out a strangled complaint as we descended the staircase into the Slytherin Common Room.

"Scorpius…" She whispered warningly. "Please don't. I've already been humiliated in front of everybody…"

"I'm not going to embarrass you, I'm just going to talk…" I grinned, a mischievous glint in my eyes.

We reached the group of students from our year, fifteen or so who orbited Aaron like he was the sun. Rose half hid behind me - she wasn't usually one to shy away, but she was afraid in this instance of what might happen.

The laughter subsided as Aaron looked up at us from his position on the carpet, in the middle of the group who sat around him and on the armchairs to the side.

His eyes narrowed when they set eyes on me.

"Malfoy," He spoke harshly - using my last name was a way to remind me of my family's past failures, no doubt. I ignored it.

"Aaron," I grinned warmly. "How are you?"

"Fine…" He hesitated, eyeing me wearily.

"And how's everybody else?" I smiled again, glancing between the other students who believed themselves cooler than me.

They looked at me with pointed distaste and annoyance, wondering why I was even talking to them.

"Get on with it, Malfoy," Aaron snapped in a haughty manner.

"Right-eo," I grinned again. Rose's nails dug into my arm as Aaron glanced at her and his lips twitched as he tried to suppress a smile at her and the memory of how funny he evidently found humiliating her to be. "Just a few quick questions."

"Go on," Aaron waved his hand, obviously enjoying his superior position in granting me permission to talk to him.

"Firstly, you rejected Rose when she asked you to prom?"

They was scattered laughter from the group as Aaron smirked to himself and Rose whispered a half-hearted complaint.

"Scor, can we just leave…"

"Okay, only one more question, I promise," Then I glared at him. The sudden contrast between my happy demeanour and my evident anger made him blanch and flinch. "Okay, so, considering Rose isn't a bimbo, and she isn't boring and she certainly isn't ugly-"

"-You take her to prom, then," Aaron interrupted.

"Oh, I will," I glared back.

"Then what is your point?" He snapped.

"Because of these things I, like every other intelligent person, can only come to one conclusion. You rejected Rose, obviously for one reason."

"Which is?" He asked amused.

"It's because you're gay," I declared. "Isn't it?"

The group of students around us burst into laughter as Aaron's face turned from embarrassment to anger to embarrassment again.

It wasn't that we thought being gay was cause for laughter or anything, there were a fair few students who were and who we all treated equally, it was simply that Aaron, a guy who had been brought up with traditionalist attitudes and prided himself on sexual conquests, would obviously be surprised and annoyed by the suggestion.

I ignored the other's laughter and looked at Rose, who was also laughing. I grinned at her as she mouthed 'Thank you'.

Then Aaron shut them all up as he darted to his feet and marched up to me, fist raised. "Don't you dare accuse me of being gay just because I don't fancy her."

He pointed a finger with his other hand at Rose as he pulled his fist back to punch me across the face.

Quick as my Quidditch skills let me, I grabbed his fist, twisted it so his whole body was forced to crumple forwards, and kicked him between the legs. Releasing his hand, he fell to the floor in pain.

"Yep," I grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her away from the group. "It's because you're gay."

Rose giggled from beside me as we made our way across the common room towards the stairs. The other students looked on in surprise, confusion and amusement as I called "Aaron Cole came out! If any guy is looking, I hear he needs a date for prom!" as we went.

Thank you for reading. I'd love a review to know if you want me to continue this story on.