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Chapter 19

As Lorcan ran after Albus, Scorpius stared at Rose's back. He watched as she wiped away the last traces of tears from her cheeks, and made several laboured breaths.

Rose put her wand in her pocket, and angled her face to the sky before making one last breath and turning to Scorpius. Anger and sadness was etched on her features. Her mouth set in a grim line, and her eyes, cheeks and nose red from the crying and cold weather.

She wasn't one who cried often, and she wasn't one who cried in public. Therefore the realisation of her crying in front of Scorpius-especially, made the whole situation worse. Rose thought everything would be better if she just stopped crying, she felt that it only made things worse. Crying being catharsis was a false statement to Rose Weasley.

"Are you okay Rose?" Scorpius asked carefully, holding out a hand in comfort, but she stepped away from it, staring at it distressingly.

She stood firm, her hands reaching up to pull her hat straight, trying to flatten the strands that stuck, out to resemble something like how it was before she rolled over the wall. Rose made one last breath before opening her mouth to speak; "Didn't you hear what I said Scorpius?" she asked, trying to sound malicious, but only sounding downcast.

Rose scrunched her hands into fists at the sound of her own meek and tired voice.

"I don't care what you said Rose, I'm not going to let you or Albus decide who I should keep in my company." He replied confidently, his hand dropping back to his side, but his stare not faltering.

"Just leave me alone Scorpius, I don't want to see you anymore," she replied weakly, "I...I promised," she continued, mumbling.

"I don't remember you promising anything Rose, and as far as I'm concerned, the decision is up to me." Scorpius said, stepping closer to Rose and forcing her to look at him with his searing gaze and the hand that lifted her chin up.

Rose stared into his steel eyes, and her breathing grew shallower, "no, we can't be friends anymore. You were Albus' first, it wouldn't be fair, and I...I have Lorcan." She managed, slightly falling over her words.

Scorpius didn't reply for a few seconds, just stared in her red-rimmed eyes, tears still brimming over the bottom of her eye lids and wanting to fall. When one did, he swiftly wiped it away causing Rose to bite her lip. "That's good then," he replied after seconds of silence.

Her eyes changed, presenting confusion, she opened her mouth to speak, but didn't know the words to say.

"I thought it was obvious I didn't want to be your friend," he continued, the seriousness melting from his face and forming a playful smile, one which was followed by a laugh.

"I didn't think you would have done me the courtesy of saying it out loud, I thought you would have pushed for our friendship," Rose replied, her eyes leaking fresh tears again, her state of mind causing her to completely misunderstand what Scorpius was saying. She slowly turned away from him, her hands fully covering her face. "I'm quite repulsive, that's what must have happened at some point." Rose sniffled, "the worst part is, is that I don't know what I've done to make it happen... I don't blame you, most people go off me after a while, it's okay, I understand." She said stuttering, "I'd just beg you to stop smiling about it, it's hard enough being in love with you when you don't even like me anymore." She continued, trying to sound strong, but her voice easily shaking. The word 'love' having easily fallen off her tongue, as if natural and out of habit.

Scorpius was staring at the back of her head with dismay, carefully constructing sentences in his head to escape the situation, and make Rose smile, the way he loved?

Rose looked to the ground, her hands moving to her pockets and completely turning her back to Scorpius. "At least now that Albus doesn't want me as family anymore; it will be easier for me to keep away from you." She started again, her voice fully shaking and tears easily falling down her face. "You don't have to explain why, I know," she said softly, "I know" she repeated finally, before running from the porch, not caring about the danger of slipping because of the fresh snow.

Scorpius was left in her wake, his mind going crazy. She had said 'in love with you', he thought distractedly, before turning his attention back to the running Rose.

"No Rose, wait!" he shouted, running after her, "you don't understand," he screamed, as he watched her run, reaching the castle doors before him, even with his longer and much stronger legs as an advantage.

When he did reach the doors, not much longer after Rose, he found they didn't open and had been obstructed. Angrily he kicked at it, the old wood groaning but not weakening.

Scorpius regretted his phrasing of what he had said, but it's what he meant. He didn't want to be her friend anymore, he just wanted to be hers.

XxX Albus & Lorcan XxX

"You don't know what it's like being second fiddle to Rose Weasley, and you'll never understand how I feel."

"Well tell me how you feel then. Because it looks as if this room won't be letting us out for a while."

Lorcan looked at Albus in anticipation, patiently watching as Albus breathed in, coughing slightly at the dust and aged-ash that was in the air.

"I feel separated, like I don't belong." Albus began, looking up at Lorcan from behind his arms, his knees pulled tightly against his chest now.

"How long have you felt this way?" Lorcan asked, getting more comfortable on the charred box.

Albus looked down and shrugged, "a while I guess."

"When do you remember?" Lorcan asked, a worried look written on his features.

"Well it's only been since we've been at Hogwarts, before I was fine, but as soon as we started doing exams and started getting graded on how well we do, I felt left out. Nobody cares how I do. I do well, and because Rose has done better, she gets all of the recognition. I just want people to see me and how hard I've worked." Albus said lowly.

"Then why have you tried so hard to push Rose away? Why have you pulled pranks and made her angry?"

"Nobody looks until I create a spectacle, it's either be ignored or be paid attention for being the first person to have 30 detentions over the course of 8 days." Albus replied snidely.

Lorcan frowned, "I know you don't want to hear it Albus, but it's not important. Recognition isn't important, you've got to do things for yourself sometimes."

Albus sent a burning look at Lorcan, "I knew you wouldn't understand, you think I care what McGonagall thinks, or even Scorpius?"

"Well," Lorcan started, but Albus continued.

"I don't care what they think, I care what my family thinks. Everyone's got their own thing, I have nothing. I can't even be known for my good grades, because Rose is smarter than me, more behaved than me, kinder than me, everything more than me. I'm the shade in comparison to her, it's what happens when you have the misfortune of having a cousin in the same year as you."

"Well Lysander," Lorcan started again, but Albus shook his head angrily.

"No! Lysander isn't me, he doesn't care. I care. You can't see that, Dominique has her musical abilities, Molly is a brilliant writer, Roxy is the funniest person I've ever met. You see? They all have something, but Rose, she just pushes me in the dirt. I just have to wait back. Do you even know how it felt in the summer for me when me and Rose got our O.W.L marks back? Do you even know what I got?"

Lorcan thought, but Albus just nodded, knowing the silence meant no.

"I thought so, I got all E's."

"Wow, that's great Albus."

"Don't you think I know that," he replied harshly, "it would have been nice if my own father had said that to me. But no, everyone was too busy cooing over Rose's complete set of O's. Always." He settled down, and leaned his head against the wardrobe. "My family only has an opinion about my behaviour, 'oh Albus, why did you turn the stairs from the fourth floor into a slide?' 'Albus, why does it tell me here that you lit a man's hut on fire?' I know it's stupid, but because it's all I get, I keep on doing bad things, stupid and reckless things."

"But if you just told them what you've told me, then it would all be okay." Lorcan answered.

Albus forced out a laugh, "I wish it were that easy."

Lorcan looked at Albus and then nodded, "I know why, and I think you know why too. You're proud Albus. You are stubbornly proud, and you are an attention seeker." Lorcan said truthfully, his soft tone of voice didn't change the fact that what he was saying was affecting Albus negatively.

"I am not an attention seeker," Albus replied spitefully and glared at Lorcan.

"You are Albus, you need the attention because you hate being the person to be left out. If someone makes a joke, you have to be in on it, because you can't take being by yourself. It's a terrible quality, because sometimes you've got to do things on your own, and I would have thought you would have understood that." Lorcan said sternly.

Albus' grimace grew, and he slowly got up from the wardrobe. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Your dad spent his whole life as an orphan, and was treated badly by people who he was supposed to share blood with! He managed, he didn't hurt others because he didn't get enough attention, presents, recognition or whatever. Even if what you did to Rose was unintentional. You are selfish and egotistical Albus Severus Potter and you need to grow up!"

He growled, his wand now in his hand and pointed directly at Lorcan's chest, his eyes watering, but he held still.

"You've got to own up to the fact Albus, you can't take being second place. You're first everywhere else, aren't you? Quidditch Captain, most beloved Gryffindor in the whole castle." Lorcan said sarcastically, and ignored the wand in Albus' hand.

The tears were freely flowing from Albus' eyes now, and he struggled to hold the wand still and wipe the tears away at the same time. "You don't understand, I'm a stranger in my own family. You don't understand anything. I...I might be selfish, but it's because I wish someone would just act like they loved me!"

Albus dropped his arm and turned away from Lorcan, running deeper into the large and half-destroyed room. He kept on running until he reached a pair of huge stuffed feet, probably belonging to what was once a stuffed ogre. He climbed it and sat in it, continuing to cry.

Lorcan shook his head and crossed his arms across his chest, tactically thinking of what to do next.

4 hours Later (3.30pm)

Rose had hidden back behind the same statue on the 2nd floor she had hidden behind 3 weeks before. It had taken her a while, but she had managed to push back the tears, and was just sitting, staring out of the window, watching the lower years playing in the snow, and watching the Whomping Willow as it twisted in the wind.

Rose thought that Scorpius didn't want to know her anymore because of her crying. A silly thing to think, but as far as she was concerned, crying was the be all and end all. Crying was weakness and frailty, things that contradicted her completely. Being contradicted meant her own personality was a contradiction, being seen with tears shining on her cheeks meant that she wasn't Rose Weasley anymore.

She couldn't quite grasp why she couldn't stop crying, maybe it meant that once she cried in public, she wouldn't stop? Ridiculous thoughts that went through her head, she even guessed heart-break, her heart was thumping, hurting. But who for? Albus or Scorpius?

She sighed and put her head to her knees. Wishing Lorcan was around. When she had come into the castle, the first place she had gone was the Common Room, but he was nowhere in sight. People had only seen him run after Albus up the stairs. He always knew what to say to make things better. He was always the person she went to when she had serious problems, her roommates could only help her to a certain extent. Lorcan understood her completely, and she thought Scorpius did too. Well he probably still did, but as she thought he didn't want to know her anymore, he wasn't the best person to talk to, especially when the problem concerned him.

Her head was comfortably resting on her knees and forearms before she heard footsteps and looked between the legs of the statue to see Emma and Lyra walking down the stairs, Emma sounding quite angry.

"He was supposed to meet me 20 minutes ago to help me with my Potions work. And he's not in his Common Room."

Lyra frowned, "maybe he forgot?"

"Lorcan doesn't forget." She replied, moving her potion books from one arm to the other.

Lyra nodded in reply, and they continued down the hall. When Rose could hear their footsteps going down the next set of stairs, she turned back to the window.

Lorcan didn't ever forget, that was one of his qualities people found infuriating when they owed him something. Rose couldn't think why he wouldn't have met Emma, Lorcan would have at least told her that he couldn't make it if he was still talking to Albus, or still looking for him.

Rose wrapped her arms more tightly around herself, holding back a shudder as she breathed through her nose and wished the day had gone differently.

She sat that way for seconds, maybe minutes, maybe hours. Steadily breathing in and out, blocking out her surroundings. She was surprised that she heard the murmur of her name, she was surprised anyone had found her in the alcove.

"Rose?" the voice asked softly. "Rose," it repeated, now much more closer, Rose's eyes were closed and she didn't open them to see who the voice belonged to. She didn't even think who the familiar voice belonged to.

When minutes went by and she still hadn't answered, she felt a hand around her wrist and a gentle tug, urging her to exit the alcove.

After being pulled out, she opened her eyes and her face fell into a deep grimace. Her sadness coming back to her almost immediately.

"What do you want from me?" She asked Scorpius desperately. Sucking in a breath and looking into his eyes.

"You do jump to conclusions a lot Rose." He said sighing, "I've been looking for you for hours, I passed this staircase 10 times. If it wasn't for your mumbling I wouldn't have found you."

"I don't mumble," she said adamantly, before turning away, a stricken look on her face, "you don't want to be my friend, so stop talking to me."

Scorpius rolled his eyes and pulled a hand through the front of his blonde hair. "No Rose I don't want to be your friend, I want to be your bloody boyfriend, you idiot."

Rose gawped at the insult and then straightened up, her face turning slightly angry. "No," she replied simply.

"But yesterday you said,-"

"Never mind what I said yesterday," she replied, interrupting. "Things are different now, we can be friends. That's it."

He grimaced, "you've changed your mind very quickly, haven't you? Weren't you just crying about not being able to be my friend any longer? Didn't you say you lo-,"

"No!" she shouted, screwing her face up. "Shut up shut up shut up" she repeated, putting her hands to her ears.

"Has Albus' crazy rubbed off on you too?" he asked, smirking at Rose's actions. "Come on Rosie, don't be like this" he said softer this time and putting a hand on her shoulder, which she quickly shrugged off.

"Don't" she said, glaring at him.

Scorpius sighed painfully and rolled his eyes, "fine Rose, but this isn't the end of the story, trust me on that one."

Rose didn't reply, and watched after Scorpius as he walked up the stairs.

He just remembered something Lorcan had said; "don't make Rose too angry, she'll turn into Irrational-Rose." He realised he'd come metres away from seeing it, but he knew he'd have to see it to snap Rose out of her craziness.

Rose didn't know what to do, so she did the first thing that popped into her head. She went to find Lorcan, and at least if she didn't find him, he'd be in the Hall for dinner, wouldn't he? She suspected he took a nap in the middle of the day and lost track of time, something he had only done once in Second Year. It was her only suggestion, because if Lorcan was awake and on the school premises, he would have never skipped out on helping Emma with her Potions.

She stood in quiet contemplation, swearing she could still hear Scorpius' footsteps, minutes later.

I know, I know. GAHHHH ALBUS. He's a tortured soul ~cries for him~.

Please Review, I love to read them :D

What's going to happen? Hmm? The term ends on Friday. Dun dun dunnnnn