Chapter One

Rose sighed deeply as she walked to the agreed meeting place, apprehension bubbling in her gut. She really didn't know why she was so nervous—after all, like James said, she didn't have to talk to Malfoy, and it was only an hour of patrolling anyway—but no matter how many times she told herself it was irrational, the anxiety wouldn't dissipate.

Scorpius was waiting for her, leaning against the wall in that infuriatingly casual way he had, gray eyes flicking nonchalantly up and down her tense form before saying, "Good evening, Rose."

"Evening, Scorpius." It feels weird to use his first name instead of Malfoy or git. I mean, I have in front of Albus, but… Rose cleared her throat. "Er, so should we get started?"

Scorpius stood straight, staring her in the face with his stormy eyes, pinning her to the spot. "Sure, but I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Shoot," Rose said uncertainly, finding she could move again as he started to walk.

"Did you do something to piss Ivers off recently?"

The question was so forthright and frank that it caught Rose off guard. She realized that he must not have known about her and Demetri, or else had forgotten. She figured it was the latter, seeing as Albus considered her meager private life fair game as a topic of conversation.

"Er—well—" she sighed. "We dated for three months and then I broke up with him at the end of last year, which he wasn't too happy about." She frowned. "Why?"

"So this is your fault." Scorpius sighed too. "I mean, I don't actually plan on fighting with you if I can avoid it—I don't want to lose my badge—but were I in his place, I'd avoid putting us together if possible. Just as a preventive measure—"

"We get on when Albus throws us together," Rose interjected defensively, feeling a bit guilty.

Scorpius smirked. "I suppose, and it's sweet of you to point that out—" he paused to watch her go red, gave a little laugh, and continued, "—but as a general rule, we get a bit… at each other's throats, otherwise. And anyway, he leered at you when he named us as partners."

Rose frowned. "Did he? I didn't catch it."

"It was quick." He paused. "Did you really date that prat for three months?"

"Yes! What's it to you?" Rose said huffily before thinking.

Scorpius chuckled. "I thought you had better judgment. I can barely put up with him for three minutes."

"You're just jealous because he out-prats you."

Scorpius grinned widely, batting his pale eyelashes at her. "Do you really think so? That's a first."

"Don't get your hopes up. He only wins by a little bit," Rose said with a grin of her own.

Scorpius snickered. "Come on. That's still practically a glowing recommendation coming from you. Don't you dare try and deny it."

"Well—"

Scorpius stopped, holding up a finger. "Hold on. I believe I hear the sound of illicit snogging."

They were quiet. Scorpius stared contemplatively at the floor and announced, "Come out of there, Isabella, or I'm reporting you to Slughorn."

Isabella Zabini stepped huffily out of the broom closet to their right, dragging a slightly shamefaced Evan Finnigan after her. "Come on, Scorpius. Why do you have to be such a party pooper?" She flipped her black hair over her shoulder in a prettily miffed fashion that she obviously thought would have Scorpius drooling.

He did not, and said something sharp back, but Rose heard nothing. She was too busy staring at Evan, aghast. "Evan? Bella Zabini? Really?" she asked, so surprised she didn't even add the customary tone of malice to the other girl's name.

"…Yeah." Was all Evan said, red to his hairline.

Scorpius and Isabella had finished talking, and were watching with interest. Rose cleared her throat. "Er, right. Evan, get back to your dorm." She looked at Scorpius, silently questioning him. She didn't really trust Isabella to go back to her dorm unaccompanied, but didn't feel comfortable saying so.

"You'll go back to the dungeons, Bella? Really?" Scorpius asked. "I'll know if you don't."

Bella sighed. "Fine." She turned on her heel and marched off. Rose and Scorpius started to walk again. As soon as Bella was out of earshot, Scorpius said, "Advise Evan to break up with her."

Rose frowned. "Huh? Why? Because they're in different Houses?"

Scorpius shook his head. "She's using him to try and get at me. If she didn't want to be caught, she wouldn't have been."

"What? Does she like you?"

Scorpius shrugged, replying with careful indifference, "For upwards of two years."

Rose raised her eyebrows. "And you don't reciprocate? Why? She's very pretty." As far as Rose could tell, that was about the only criterion by which Scorpius judged suitable women.

"Getting personal, aren't we?" Scorpius's voice had an edge that almost made her physically recoil. But he sighed and continued, "But—I just don't feel that way about her. And I mean, I tend to bounce around a bit—I don't stick with one girl for very long. If I do stay with someone, they really mean something to me. But with her, I'd stay because I'd feel guilty, and then I'd feel trapped."

Rose shrugged. "I don't think much of guys who do that, but—I guess I understand what you're saying." She paused awkwardly. "Thanks for telling me."

Scorpius shifted uncomfortably. "Er—thanks for listening."

"Oh, of course. No problem." Rose said seriously. They walked in silence for a bit.

Rose was spacing out, not really seeing her surroundings, when Scorpius grabbed her arm, face white. "Rose! Holy shit, look!"

She did, and went pale herself. Hanging right there, held up by wrists that had been nailed to the wall, was Ella Rhees. Ella was a Hufflepuff girl in their year whom Rose remembered vaguely as being a sweet girl, though a bit uncomfortable in her own skin.

Scorpius ran over to the prone girl, checking her breathing. She was alive, but unconscious, no doubt due to blood loss. "Rose, I want you to get Madam Pomfrey, but first you need to see this." Rose obeyed, walking over on jellified legs. Her eye moved next to where Scorpius's white hand leaned on the wall.

Above poor Ella's head, in green ink on a piece of school parchment, someone had drawn a crude rendition of the Dark Mark.

#

Slughorn and McGonagall were in their night robes, which would have amused Rose and no doubt Scorpius as well had they not been in this situation.

After they had discovered Ella and the Dark Mark, Rose had gotten Madam Pomfrey as per Scorpius's instruction, and she had in turn told Rose to get the Headmistress and Slughorn while she saw to Ella. They had just repeated the story to both of their teachers, who now sat in horrified contemplation of what they had just heard.

Finally, after about five minutes of highly disturbed silence, Slughorn began, "Mr. Malfoy, you are very popular amongst our House—"

"Sir, Professor McGonagall, I swear to you that if I knew anything about this I would have volunteered it immediately. I do not possess the cruelty of my grandfather, nor the cowardice of my father." He bit his lip. "I don't know who would do such a thing. I could guess, but it would be a very uncertain one, and I wouldn't want to point fingers unjustly."

Rose stared. This was not the flippant Scorpius she knew, the one she traded glares and repartee with in the halls and who seemed not to have a care in the world. This boy looked sober and sad, and she actually felt sorry for him. She tentatively put her hand on his arm. He looked at her for a second, bust didn't move away.

"Your cooperation is much appreciated, Mr. Malfoy, and I won't put you in the position of possibly wrongly accusing your friends." Scorpius relaxed a little, and McGonagall turned to Rose. "Ms. Weasley, I don't suppose you know anything?"

Rose gulped, shook her head. "Just—this is terrible. Ella didn't deserve—no one deserves—" she stopped.

"Horace?" McGonagall asked.

"No, Minerva, I know nothing. But I will interrogate each of my students."

"And I will be present at these interrogations." McGonagall turned back to the two prefects. "I am sorry that you children had to witness this, and grateful that you came to us immediately." Her gaze flicked involuntarily towards Scorpius. Rose saw his fists clench, and her heart bled for him. "You are excused from classes tomorrow in the event that they continue, which I doubt. Please return to your bedrooms now." They nodded and went outside.

As soon as the door to McGonagall's office swung shut, Rose asked, "Scorpius, are you okay? I mean, what McGonagall did back there was—"

"No more than I expected. I was sure she'd incarcerate me on the spot."

Rose went to his side, putting her hand on his shoulder to get a better view of his face. "But are you okay? Do you want to talk about it? If there's anything I can do—"

"I'll be all right." He said curtly, then continued haltingly, "You're—you're a very sweet girl when you want to be, Rose. I—thank you. To be honest, I thought you'd blame me, too."

Rose smiled slightly. "I'm glad you think so, although I haven't really given you reason to. And—you might be a rude little git—" she smiled to take the edge of the insult—"but like you said, you're not cruel. You'd never do something like that."

He smiled a bit as well. "I'm glad you think so." He sighed. "I—we both should be getting on. Good night, Rose."

"Good night, Scorpius." She watched him walk off for a minute, then shook herself and went on her own way.