Hey, this one's shorter, but I just felt it wouldn't work as a longer one. Thank you so much to everybody who reviewed/favourited/alerted this. You guys have been giving such amazing feedback and you're all wonderful. Plus, you've been awesome with the phrase suggestions.

I hope you like this one. It's back at Hogwarts - thank gosh. :)

When you are sick, a friend will offer you sympathy,

A best friend will say, "Stay away from me, I don't want what you have!"

"Face it, you're sick."

"Um noght!"

I flayed my hands about for a second, irritably throwing back the covers a little.

My dorm mates, Sarah and Kat, shook their heads at me as they finished straightening their uniform, ready to go down to breakfast. I glared back defiantly, despite my vibrant pink pyjamas.

"You need some rest, Rose," Kat told me kindly. "Sarah and I can bring you up some pumpkin soup later if you like?"

I grimaced. "I'm coming down."

Smiles played at their lips, but I wasn't trying to be funny, I was trying to get them to listen to me. I was fine.

"You won't make it through half of Charms before we have to get Malfoy to drag you back to bed again," Sarah sighed. "You may as well stay here and rest."

"But-"

"We'll bring you you're homework and extensions if we must, just stay here."

"I'gh perfectly cabable of goig to clasch," I huffed as I tried to stand up. The world started spinning, and Sarah had to help me back into bed.

"No, you're not. You've got a bug and you'll probably have it for a few days, so you need to rest and stop worrying about work. Do it when you're better."

"But I can't juscht lay here, doing nubbing," I complained weakly as I huddled the blankets tighter around me. "I'll go crazy."

There was a knock on the door, then a cheerful "Guess who?" sang through the door.

"Go away," I joked, but wished I hadn't a second later - raising my voice hurt my head. And my throat.

Kat strode over and opened the door whilst attempting to do up her tie.

"Here comes trouble," she murmured just before Scorpius was revealed.

He was leaning on the doorframe, tie loose, shirt half unbuttoned, hands in his pockets, sly grin on his face. He wandered in and took a seat on my bed.

"What's up with you?" He asked, "How come you're not dressed? Thought we were busting out for Hogsmeade later?"

"She's sick," Kat told him.

He turned to look at me, alarmed, then jumped up from the bed as if he'd been shocked. "Stay away from me! I don't want what you have!"

I glared at him, tilting my head with my eyebrows raised, then I crawled forwards and slapped him round the back of the head.

"Ouch!"

"You're my frienb," I stated as I slumped back into the middle of the large four-poster, sniffling. "You're schupposed to helb me!"

"Help you what? You'll make me sick!"

"Shno!"

"So," He stressed the pronunciation properly just to annoy me. "I'm looking for a date to Hogsmeade next weekend for Valentine's Day. I can't be sick!"

He genuinely looked aghast, but sat on the bed besides mine anyway. Sarah gave him a dirty look, because she'd just finished making it and he'd ruffled the covers.

"Right, we're going to leave before Sarah kills Scorpius," Kat declared, dragging her neat-freak friend out of the room. "We'll bring you back some soup for lunch, Rose."

"Make it pumpkin!" Scorpius called after them, smirking as the door swung shut. "She hates it!"

Whilst he was distracted with his own joke, I picked up a plain white pillow from my bed - one I'd been sleeping on last night - coughed on it for good measure, and then called his name.

"Hmm?"

As he turned, the pillow hit him square in the face.

"Rose!" He complained loudly as he jumped to his feet, floundering his arms about like an idiot. "What if you make me sick?"

"Schop schmirghing," I answered shortly.

"Smirging?" He asked, throwing the pillow back at me, his eyes lighting up in amusement as he causally leaned back on Sarah's bed. "What's that?"

"I shed schmirghing!"

"Schmirghing?"

"Schmirghing!" I snapped, but the word still came out wrong. And my best friend was just laughing at me more. "Schgorbiush!"

"Who?" He asked, grinning, as he tried to subdue his laughter.

"You know who!" I glared at him, then sniffed pathetically, which ruined the effect "I may be shick, bug I can shill hegsh you!"

My head really hurt, my throat hurt, my stomach hurt. And now my ego hurt, because he was grinning at me as if I was the most amusing thing in the world.

It was embarrassing.

I hated being sick, and he knew it. I always felt so… out of control. I couldn't do anything and I had to rely on other people to help me, even sometimes when I was better again to help explain the work I'd missed.

Suddenly his eyes turned soft. "Have you been to see Madame Pomfrey? Maybe she'll have something to give you to stop you being sick."

"I'm nog shick!"

"Rose."

"I'm-"

"Rose."

"I…" My protest was cut short by his sympathetic, serious look. And by a rather loud, violent sneeze from me. I fell back against my pillows, defeated. "Alrighg… I may be shick…" I admitted.

"Want me to escort you to the Hospital Wing?" He asked kindly. He actually looked concerned. "You've gone a funny green colour."

"I'm nog that-" Then I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my head and had to physically stop myself from throwing up. Scorpius glanced at me, concern etched deeply across his face. I stared back for a moment, knowing I must have looked pathetic. "Yesh, please…" I mumbled.

He stood up willingly and offered me his hand.

"Finnally," He told me gently, smiling kindly. "You're so stubborn, sometimes."

"I'm nog!-" I started to protest as I carefully got to my feet.

Then I caught sight of his grin, and I shut up immediately. He was teasing me.

"See what I mean?" He joked lightly. "But don't worry, Rosie…" He leaned in close. "I love that about you."

And he winked cheekily at me.

Yes, I blushed.

I hope you liked it! Again, I know it's repetitive, but please review, just in case I forget about this story and need a reminder to get myself writing another chapter! Thank you for reading. x