A/N: Thanks so much to all of you! Please keep letting me know what you think! I just wanted to tell you that there is a two week time jump between the last chapter and this one, just in case it's confusing. Let me know if you have any questions about anything, and enjoy!

Chapter 31: Time Slips By

He was staring at me.

I was sitting at a table in the potions classroom doing lines, looking down at my parchment while trying to hide my smile, and Scorpius Malfoy was staring at me.

He hadn't assigned me any lines. This was the last day of the two-week detention that I had been ordered to serve on McGonagall's orders after sending her a letter saying that Malfoy was sleeping with a student, even though the only student he'd slept with was me, and he hadn't been sleeping with any student at the time of the letter. Ironic.

Since he was an amazing boyfriend that rocked my world on a daily basis with his words as much as his actions, he had asked McGonagall if I could serve my detentions with him. She hadn't thought anything weird about it—since what I had done affected him more than anyone, she thought it would be only fitting that I served my detentions with him.

Little did she know that every detention for these last two weeks had consisted of no punishments, unless you counted a few smacks on the arse. No, these "detentions" had consisted of Malfoy fucking me senseless on his desk and probably every table in this classroom—as well as up against the walls, on the floor, in his office, and in his quarters. They had consisted of him going down on me for so long that I had to beg him to stop after I couldn't take another orgasm. They had consisted of us lying naked on the floor or on the tables just talking about dumb things or important things or just any things that we could think of.

I got to know Malfoy so much over those two weeks. He talked about his apprenticeship in Germany and his time at Hogwarts. He told me about his friends, and he even said that one day he wanted me to meet them. I loved when he talked about future plans—"one day I'll take you here" or "one day I'll show you this"—because it told me that he didn't think of us as temporary. Obviously he couldn't introduce me to his friends until I was finished with Hogwarts, which meant that he planned on being with me after the school year ended.

Every day I thought about telling him I loved him. The more we laughed and talked and cuddled and screwed each other to exhaustion, the harder I fell. When he smiled at me, I wanted to tell him. When he whispered in my ear, I wanted to tell him. When he talked about his parents, I wanted to tell him. When he talked about how hard it was being an only child, I wanted to tell him. When he kissed me sweetly, I wanted to tell him.

Right now, as I sat at this table and wrote lines and I could feel his eyes on me, I wanted to tell him.

Sometimes I thought he wanted to tell me, too. Sometimes when we were together—laying in his bed looking at each other or just sitting and talking or whatever—he would get this look in his eyes. It was a look I'd first seen a couple weeks ago—the night of our first detention.

McGonagall had sent me a note telling me that I would be serving my detentions with Malfoy at his request, and I had smiled so big that a muscle in my jaw started to hurt. I'd practically skipped down to the dungeons, and as soon as I had opened the door, he was all over me. He'd taken me right there, against the door of the potions classroom, making me blush when I was reminded of it the next day in Potions class.

But afterwards he had gotten this look on his face. I couldn't even accurately describe it. It was a mix of a lot of things—most of which I couldn't identify, but I thought it looked like he wanted to say something. He was staring at me so intently and with so many emotions and he looked like he was on the edge of something. But just like all the times since, it passed, and I was left wondering.

With a smile, I stood up from my desk and walked up to Malfoy's. He watched my every movement—his eyes roving across my body. I held the parchment on which I had written lines in front of him, and he glanced down at it before looking back up at me. I pushed his chair back and walked so I could sit on his desk in front of him. I was in my school uniform—a dark skirt and white shirt, but I had taken off my Gryffindor tie and it was abandoned on the table I'd just been at. The first several buttons of my shirt were undone, exposing my cleavage to him. I crossed my legs and his eyes traveled up and down my legs. I leaned back on my hands.

"I finished my lines, professor."

He rolled his eyes. "Red—"

I nodded toward them. "Aren't you going to check them?"

"I'd rather have my cock inside you."

Even though I was used to him talking like this by now and I wasn't embarrassed, my face still heated up. It was a natural reaction.

Scorpius moved his hands, but I kicked them away with my toe and nodded toward the lines. He rolled his eyes again and looked down at them. I watched as his eyes widened, and when he looked back up, it took his brain a moment to register that I had slid from the desk onto my knees in front of him. I pushed his chair back a bit as I shimmied into the little alcove where his legs usually went under his desk.

As my lines, I had written, "I can't wait to suck your cock" over and over.

I unzipped his black slacks and tugged his pants down a bit, and my mouth was on him before he could even register what was going on.

"Rose, fuck." He instantly hardened in my mouth and his hands sank into my hair, gripping the roots as he tried to slow me down as I began to bob. "Easy."

But I just shook my head and fought the resistance he was trying to apply. I loved him like this. I loved it because he couldn't control himself or his reactions, and he was always trying to stop me because he couldn't take it. It was the same thing when he put his mouth on me, but he was always relentless even when I begged, so I liked to return the favor.

"Shit," he said, panting heavily. His grip in my hair was so tight that it was almost painful, but it just spurred me on. "You're so hot."

I looked up from what I was doing where I had been so concentrated, and I saw him staring at me, his gray eyes blazing and searing me. My skin tingled and my chest clenched, and with my eyes on him, I pulled my mouth up and off him, and then tilted my head so I could lick him from root to tip. He shivered and his eyes drifted shut as his head tipped back. I took his tip in my mouth again and then slowly slid down—him releasing a low hiss as I did so.

The next time I pulled away, I sucked in my cheeks and sucked at him hard as I pulled back, making him release a strangled cry. I slid back down and I was sure he was going to come, and I craved it, wanting to taste all of him. His grip in my hair tightened and his breath was coming out in short bursts, and I could feel his thighs quivering beneath my palms—but then suddenly I heard a noise, and he jolted up, choking me a bit, and I pulled back, covering my mouth.

"Good evening, professor," Scorpius said. I looked up at him from where I was kneeling underneath his desk, but he kept his eyes off me, staring straight ahead.

"Hello, Professor Malfoy."

My eyes widened and my stomach churned so hard that I thought I might throw up when I heard the sound of the familiar voice.

"Everything all right?" Malfoy asked.

"Yes, yes, of course. I was near the dungeons so I thought I'd come remind you of the staff meeting tomorrow evening." Her voice was clipped and tight like it always was, betraying nothing and not letting on that she was suspicious of anything.

I finally released a breath I hadn't known I was holding. There was no way McGonagall would see me unless she walked around his desk, and I couldn't see any reason why she would. I felt myself relax at the thought. We were safe. When I released my breath, I saw Malfoy twitch, and I smiled in spite of the situation, thinking of my hot breath on his cock driving him mad while he talked with McGonagall. She started talking to him about something, and she didn't seem bothered by his nods and one-word answers. Apparently, he wasn't able to form words at the moment.

I looked up at him briefly before looking at his cock, which had started to go soft but had a small drop of come sliding down from the tip. I frowned. But then I bit my lip and grinned right before I leaned forward and licked the drop that had begun to slide down with just the tip of my tongue. He jerked a bit, and I heard McGonagall ask if he was okay.

"Yeah—yes," he chuckled breathily. "Just a chill."

She said something about the dungeons, but I didn't hear because I had scooted up and swallowed his tip in my mouth. His hands went up to fold on top of his desk, I assumed in an attempt not to touch me how he wanted and draw attention. I smiled and began to move up and down his length slowly. He became fully hard again and I felt his legs tense underneath my palms.

I went slow. I didn't want to make any sounds so I was careful with how my mouth was moving. Each suck, however, was a slow, hard suck, and after one particularly suctioned suck, his knee jerked a bit, but he just kept listening to McGonagall and talking to her when it was required. And although his body was reacting, he was doing an incredible job of keeping it together with his voice and expressions, which I noticed when I looked up at him through my lashes. There was no way McGonagall suspected anything.

It seemed to go on forever, but then finally, he slowly moved one hand to grip my hair tightly and I almost squeaked in pain, and he pushed my head down quickly, and I sucked hard as I pulled up slowly, and I felt him spilling himself into my mouth. It took all my power not to moan or make any noise at all as he filled my mouth and his grip in my hair remained firm. It was by far the hottest moment of my entire life, and I could feel my arousal in my underwear after he lost control but seemed to hold onto his control so well at the same time. This man had, yet again, rocked my world and taken me to a place I had never been. I wanted him. I loved him, and I wanted him inside me immediately.

There was a roaring in my ears as I pulled away and sat back on my heels, looking up at him as his hand moved from my hair and went back to the top of his desk. His cock was laying soft, and I couldn't help but look at it and think about how it felt inside me. Even soft, it was still so thick and long, and I just wanted to reach out and touch it, but I was afraid I might actually lose control this time if I did. So I waited and prayed for McGonagall to finish up and get the hell out.

"Okay, I'll let you get back to work." It took all my power not to audibly sigh. I heard a swish of robes and then—"Oh, isn't Weasley supposed to be here?"

I saw Scorpius's legs tense as my eyes widened. He chuckled—I could tell it was a nervous chuckle but I suspected McGonagall had no idea. "She was here. I let her go early—last day of detention and all."

She didn't laugh, but when she spoke, I thought I heard humor in McGonagall's voice when she spoke. "You're finally softening to the girl, aren't you?"

My hand flew to my mouth as I attempted to stifle a laugh. I saw a muscle working in his jaw. He smiled at McGonagall. "Perhaps."

"She really does mean well," McGonagall said, her voice softening. "She had a hard go of it last year, but… I've noticed a change in her lately." My smile faded into a thoughtful frown as I listened to McGonagall talk about me. The hand on my mouth slipped a bit and I looked up at Scorpius, who was staring resolutely ahead. I had no idea McGonagall even noticed or cared about me or my life. In that moment, my respect and love for McGonagall soared. "I think the old Weasley will be back soon."

"I'm somewhat fond of this Weasley," Scorpius said after a pause, making me smile and stupid fucking tears burn in my eyes. Why were they being so fucking nice? "As long as she's not breaking school rules." I smirked up at him, but he didn't look down, of course.

This time, I actually heard McGonagall chuckle. "Yes, this new Weasley does have spunk. But I just mean… She was… sad… And I see her now, and she looks happier than I've seen her in a long time." Love would do that to you, McGonagall. "I just hope it lasts."

Scorpius just smiled and nodded. A few moments later, the two said their goodbyes, and as soon as the door was shut, Malfoy flicked his wand at the door and I heard a faint click. Not a moment later, he was hauling me up by my shoulders, and I stumbled a bit and lost my balance and fell into his lap. His hands were still gripping my shoulders hard.

"Are you crazy?" he said angrily. His eyes were like molten silver lava.

"I—" I knew he'd liked it, but it certainly had been risky.

"You are…" I smiled at him weakly and squirmed a bit under his gaze. He hissed and I felt him harden beneath me. "God, you turn me on so much."

"What—"

But before I could say anything else, his mouth latched onto mine. Soon I was on my back with my skirt hiked up and my underwear pushed aside, and he was pushing inside me hard and rough, growling about how dangerous and stupid that had been, while at the same time saying how hot I made him and how sexy I was. I came apart on the desk, my arms above my head, gripping the desk above me, and my shirt yanked open as he grabbed my breasts roughly and continued to push in and out at an unforgiving pace until he finally spilled himself inside me.

After we both finished, he carried me to his bed, undressed me, and kissed me all over, whispering words of praise and adoration as he did so. I was so lost in him, and my heart was pounding fiercely and my entire body was on fire. After I'd lost count of my orgasms and the moon was shining brightly in the window, I laid on my back and he hovered over me, his torso over me and his legs to the side of me. He brushed a strand of hair out of my face and braced himself on his elbows so he could look at me.

"Why are you crying?" he asked me quietly as he reached up to brush a tear that had fallen out of the side of my eye. He looked wrecked at the sight of me crying. I just smiled up at him. I took a moment to think before I considered what I would say.

"It's just all so much—how I feel about you, how you make me feel," I whispered. "It overwhelms me."

He smiled the sweetest, most beautiful smile, and the pain in my chest threatened to overwhelm me. He then reached down and grabbed my hand and moved it up to place it over his heart.

"Do you feel that?" he asked hoarsely. I did. "Rose, I feel the same way about you." I love you. "My heart is racing. It hasn't stopped racing in six weeks. I… I know how you feel, and I feel it, too."

I didn't know what to say. Was he trying to tell me he loved me without saying it? Should I say it? I didn't know. Instead of saying anything, I just cupped his face and pulled him into a kiss as more tears began to slide out of the sides of my eyes and land on his pillow. He pulled away from me and kissed them away, which only made me cry harder. When we finally fell asleep, he was laying on my chest and I was clutching him to me tightly, afraid that if I let him go I would lose this moment. I couldn't let this go.

I snuck out early the next morning before Scorpius woke up. I was embarrassed that I had cried, and I didn't want to have to sit there while Scorpius assured me that it was okay. Ugh.

And anyway, today was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the school year, and I needed to get ready. I had told Al that I would hang out with him and Fergie for a bit, and I had also told Hadley that I would come hang out with him and some of the Gryffindors at some point. Hadley and I were nearly back to completely normal—at least, normal before he had been my boyfriend. We talked a lot in class—although not in Potions because I didn't want to talk to him in front of Scorpius—and at Quidditch practice, which had become nearly almost every other day because we had our first match the following weekend against Ravenclaw. We were friends again, and it was nice, I had to admit. Really it was just nice to have friends in Gryffindor again. Because as much as I loved Albus, it was just nice to sit in the common room and be with them. It felt amazing to just be normal Rose again.

No one seemed bothered by my renewed presence. Some people were confused at first, but after they realized I wasn't there to harass or berate them, everyone essentially accepted me back into the fold without question, as if nothing had really happened. Ainsley Dale, one of my dormmates, was especially excited. She'd gossiped with me for hours a few days after everything had started to go back to normal. It was like she was catching me up on everything that had happened in the last year, and I just laughed and rolled my eyes and listened. She was so excited to have me back, and I was excited to be back.

As well as telling Hadley I would hang out with him and the Gryffindors, Scorpius had also promised to sneak me away at some point so him and I could have some alone time. The anticipation had my fingertips tingling already.

When I got into the dormitory, I saw Meg standing in front of a full length mirror we had hung on the wall next to the door back in third year for all of us to use. She was just staring at her reflection.

I frowned at her and chuckled a bit. "Hey," I said, walking over to my four-poster and throwing my bag onto my bed. None of them ever questioned the fact that I stayed out all night on many nights, but I could tell that all of them but Lucy were desperate to know. I then started digging in my trunk as I heard her mutter a greeting.

I straightened with a dress in my hand and turned to her. "You okay?"

Meg looked at me through the mirror, her back to me. She let out a deep, shuttering sigh. "No."

I smiled at her, amused by her silliness. I had an idea of why she was so stressed. After Hugo had told me everything about them, I had made a stronger effort to get on better terms with her. I figured if I could be friends with Hadley, I could certainly be friends with Meg. "What's wrong?"

"It's just…" She sighed heavily. "Hugo…"

"Okay."

"Is it okay for you to talk about this? I mean, he's your brother."

I laughed and sat on my bed so I could look at her. I crossed my legs and leaned back on my hands. "Shoot."

I heard the click clack of her heels as she walked over to Lucy's bed and sat on it, facing me. She did look really pretty. Her black, shoulder-length hair was voluminous and framing her face perfectly. She was wearing a casual, strapless caramel colored dress that brought out her eyes incredibly and made her olive skin look flawless. It was set off with a pair of nude heels, and a long gold chain hanging around her neck. She crossed her legs and leaned forward on them. I knew Hugo would be mad for her when he saw her.

"It's just…" She huffed. "God, okay, I really like Hugo." She waited for my reaction but I just raised my eyebrows for her to go on. "Like, I really, really like him. And it's crazy because at the beginning of… you-know-who—" I just shook my head with a smile and she went on. "—I never felt like this. It wasn't like this. I wasn't like a ten-year-old girl giddy over her first crush, but that's how I feel about Hugo. He's just… He's so sweet and funny and hot—oh. Sorry."

I laughed. "It's okay. My brother's a catch." She smiled back. "But if you like him and you think he's so amazing then what's the problem?"

Meg opened her mouth and closed it a few times, then she blurted, "He just makes me so nervous! Like when I'm around him, I can't form words sometimes, and when he smiles, I just—I lose it because—I don't know. I like him and I want him to like me, and I'm afraid I'm going to mess it up. And I know he's younger, but he's—god, I don't know! I just… It's hard for me to feel like this after everything that happened!"

"With Hadley?"

She exhaled and nodded.

"Look, take it from me, I let what happened with Hadley run my life for way too long. The sooner you move on, the better. Hugo is a good guy, believe me. I know you feel vulnerable and scared, but if there was ever a guy to feel vulnerable with, it's my brother. He'll never hurt you, Meg. You don't have to be afraid of that. Hugo is the most protective and loyal person on earth, and he would never hurt the ones he cares about. And besides," I added. "If he did, I'd kill him."

Meg laughed, and I saw relief sweep over her features. She exhaled and smiled at me. "You're right." Her smile grew. "You're right, you're right." She jumped up from Lucy's bed and smoothed her dress. "You're right."

"You keep saying that," I joked.

She laughed. "I know, but you are! Okay, I have to go, I told Hugo I'd meet him downstairs ten minutes ago."

"He's used to women being late," I said through a laugh. "Between me and my mother, trust me."

She bit her lip and grinned. "Okay, I'm gonna go." She rushed to her bed and grabbed her clutch purse, and then rushed to the door. Right before she turned the knob, she turned back to me. "Hey, thanks," she breathed. "I needed that."

I nodded with a smile. "Go," I urged. "Don't keep him waiting too long." She gave me a knowing look, and I think she understood my double meaning.

A while later, I was putting the finishing touches on my make up in the bathroom when I heard a vibration coming from near my bed, and I practically ran out.

Last week, Scorpius had charmed a piece of parchment so that we could send messages to each other without owls, figuring we could be more discreet this way. He'd charmed it so it would vibrate whenever he sent me a message so I could know, and the ink dissolved after a couple seconds so there was no trace.

When I got to my four-poster, I unrolled the scroll and saw his message.

Where did you sneak off to?

I smiled, and grabbed a quill and sat down to write him back.

I had to get ready for Hogsmeade.

He wrote back quickly.

Okay. You're sure this has nothing to do with last night?

Dammit. Of course he knew. He knew me better than anyone, so of course he realized I felt weird about last night. How could I not? I'd gotten all weepy after sex. Who does that?

No, I just needed to get ready and none of my stuff was there.

You know you don't have to be embarrassed, right? I feel the same way about you.

I know.

Are you sure?

It took me a moment to write back—was I sure?—but finally I wrote:

I think so.

You don't ever have to question how I feel about you, red.

My heart was pounding. I couldn't do this right now. My system was already so frayed from last night, and if he kept saying things like that, I would die.

Okay.

I'll still see you later, right?

Of course.

His response didn't come for a while, so I thought that was the end of the conversation. I set the parchment down and stood up so I could finish getting ready, but then I heard the vibration, and I leaned down to pick up the scroll and unroll it.

Rose, please don't be afraid.

My breath caught as my mouth fell open, and I exhaled a moment later. I felt tears stinging the backs of my eyes and I looked up and away from the scroll, trying to blink them away.

Then I took a deep breath, threw down the scroll and rushed around for the next ten minutes so I could finish getting ready. I couldn't think about this know, or I could go crazy. No, I would just have to think about this later.

"Rose, you look incredible."

"Thanks, Fergie," I said with a smile as I walked up to Albus and Fergie, who were perusing the shelves at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, a place they had to keep their hands off each other because our uncle could be anywhere. But I could tell they were both itching to touch. The thought made me grin.

"Yeah, Rose, what's the occasion?"

"I just wanted to look nice for the first Hogsmeade weekend," I said with a shrug.

"Yeah, I'm sure that's it," Albus muttered. I elbowed him.

I knew I looked good, though. I was wearing a blue dress that perfectly matched my eyes. It had thick, lace straps that led down to a tight lace bust that pushed my cleavage up nicely without being indecent. It got looser after the bust, and changed into a chiffon material that fluttered against my skin. The dress was almost—almost—indecently short, so that when I was outside and the wind blew too hard, I would have to hold it down so every witch and wizard in Hogsmeade wouldn't get a show. My hair was pulled to the side in a thick, loose braid, and I was wearing the long chain with a turquoise charm at the end that Albus had gotten for me, along with a pair of short turquoise, peep toe heels that matched the necklace.

It was still unseasonably warm, but I had a sweater shoved into my brown leather messenger bag that was hanging off one shoulder just in case.

"Are you going to the Three Broomsticks with the Gryffindors in a bit?" Fergie asked me.

"I might go for a little bit, you?"

I saw Albus studying a bottle of something intently, but I could tell he was hanging onto every word of Fergie's. "Probably not," he said. "We were thinking about heading back to the castle soon."

"Oh?" I said, feigning innocence.

"Yeah, we're kind of over it, you know, after seven years…" he trailed off, but I noticed neither he nor Albus would look at me or at each other.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, grow up. If you guys want to go back to castle and fuck, just say it."

Fergie's mouth fell open, and Albus gasped.

"Rose!"

"What?" I said with a shrug.

"We—what—okay, we aren't going to—do that."

"Well, you're going back because you want to fool around, right?"

Neither of them said anything, and I laughed.

"It's okay with me," I said. "I get it. Everyone's away at Hogsmeade—dorm to yourselves. I'm surprised you guys have even made it this long."

"It's a struggle," Albus mumbled. Fergie elbowed him this time.

"Well, I should go hang out with the Gryffindors for a while anyway," I said. "You two go. Have fun and don't do anything I wouldn't do." Albus arched an eyebrow at me and I punched him in the shoulder. "Just go, you deviants." After saying goodbye, they both practically ran from the shop.

I walked slowly over to the Three Broomsticks, looking in shop windows and appreciating the sun and warm weather. Briefly I thought of Hugo and Meg, but when I got an image of them snogging in Madam Pudifoot's, I shook my head in an attempt to get the thought out of my head. It was one thing to give Meg advice, it was another to get the mental images. Gross.

"Hey! Rose, wait up!"

I looked over my shoulder and saw a tall, muscular, light-brown-haired figure coming toward me.

"Hey, Hadley."

"Are you on your way to the Three Broomsticks—you look amazing, by the way," he said, panting a bit as he caught up with me and started walking in step with me.

"Thanks," I said, smiling.

"New dress?"

I rolled my eyes. "Hadley, you've seen me in this dress before."

He frowned. "When? I think I would remember a dress like this."

I just shook my head and didn't say anything. The only other time I'd worn this dress was at the end-of-year celebration in the Great Hall last year. He'd bumped into me and told me I'd looked pretty. I'd run from the Great Hall and out onto the grounds and cried in front of the lake until Albus came to carry me back to Gryffindor.

"Anyway, yes, I'm going to the Three Broomsticks. I thought you'd already be there," I said coldly, recalling my bitter memory.

"Oh, no, I was on the pitch." That was when I noticed that his hair was still wet, apparently from a shower. He saw me glance up and then he shrugged. "I'm just trying to make up for my shitty practices a few weeks ago. I want to win next weekend. I don't… Well, I don't want to let Hugo down." He looked at the ground, and just like that, I wasn't mad about the dress anymore.

"That's really good, Had," I said, using the nickname for him I hadn't used in over a year. He looked up at me and grinned like a fool.

We chatted for the rest of the way until we got to the Three Broomsticks and immediately spotted a group of sixth and seventh year Gryffindors in the corner being loud and disruptive. I smiled as we walked over and waved to the people who had turned and waved at us.

As soon as I got to the table, Ainsley pounced. "Are you and Hadley back together?" she whispered frantically. "Is that why you've been coming back late every night… or not coming back at all?" She raised both of her perfectly-sculpted eyebrows.

I shook my head with a smile. "No, we are definitely not back together. Just friends."

She narrowed her eyes at me and gave me a knowing look before shrugging. "By the way, what do you think of Meg and Hugo?"

It was nice to be sitting around with my classmates. Lucy and Nate were there—even though Nate was a Hufflepuff—but as always, they were in their own world, and my cousin Lily was there, as she was seeing a seventh year, both of whom were extremely into public displays of affection. We all hung out for a while, just laughing and talking and joking, and it hit me then how much I had missed it—how much being with my classmates made me happy. I realized then that it hadn't necessarily been Hadley that had made me so isolated, but maybe it had been my choice to isolate myself from everyone. It was all intertwined. Hadley had made me unhappy, and I thought I needed to isolate myself in order to protect myself, but the isolation only made my unhappiness worse, not better.

Look at me, I thought to myself. Growing and changing and shit.

Currently, Hadley was telling a ridiculous joke to Ainsley and me that had me snorting into my butterbeer while Ainsley just rolled her eyes at his crude humor.

Then, I heard the bell above the door tinkle and immediately my fingertips started to tingle. I frowned and jerked my head over my shoulder, and I saw Scorpius standing in the doorway. I tilted my head a bit, and he jerked his head toward the door before he headed out of it and back outside on the streets of Hogsmeade. My heart started pounding and my breathing picked up, and my mind started racing as I tried to think of an excuse to leave.

"I'll be right back," I said quickly, and then I got up and headed out the door without explanation.

"Rose, hey!"

As soon as the door to the Three Broomsticks had shut behind me, I looked back and saw Hadley, looking confused and upset.

"Did I do something?"

"What? No, I just… I forgot I had to… do something." I glanced around and saw a bright blonde head turn a corner, and my heart leapt. "I'll be back in a minute," I said.

"Okay…" Hadley still looked confused, and he turned to go, but then he turned back. "I'm glad you came today," he said.

"Yeah," I said quickly. "Me, too. I'll see you soon." And then I rushed away, leaving a confused Hadley Underwood in my wake.

As soon as I turned the corner of the alleyway Scorpius had gone down, I felt a hand grip my wrist and yank me down. Scorpius dragged me down until he found a small alcove that we could fit in and be concealed. I looked up at him, expecting him to start kissing me, but he looked angry. I frowned.

"What's—"

"He's still in love with you."

"Scorpius."

He ran his hands through his hair. "I can't stand you spending time with him."

"What? What are you talking about?" I was confused by his attitude. I remembered back to a few weeks ago when he'd gotten angry after seeing me walking to Potions with Hadley. After that, though, he hadn't mentioned it since, and I assumed it was because he realized how I felt about him.

"I didn't want to be a controlling boyfriend—I don't want to be—but I can't fucking stand it, Rose. He's in love with you."

"You have nothing to worry about," I said, repeating what I'd said the first time we'd had a similar conversation. "I'm not in love with him." I'm in love with you. "I promise you, we are only friends. I want nothing more than that from him."

"I don't care. I don't want you spending time with him."

Anger flared inside me. "You aren't going to tell me what to do."

"You need someone to tell you what to do," he snapped. "Or you get yourself into stupid situations."

I narrowed my eyes at him, knowing he was referring to the letter and to the night when he caught Hadley forcing himself on me.

"How can you even want to be his friend after everything he did to you?"

"Because I'm with you now," I said angrily, my voice raising. "I can go back to normal and have friends again because I'm fucking happy with you now. How can I possibly think about wanting anyone else when you occupy roughly 90% of my thoughts?"

His features softened a bit and his hands went up to cup my face. And then he got that look in his eyes—that look that I thought meant something, but I didn't know what. He kissed me softly.

"Come on," he said, his mood completely shifting. He took my hand and laced our fingers together, and then he looked out of the alcove to make sure no one was around and then he pulled me out. "I have a surprise for you."

He dragged me along behind the shops until we reached the Shrieking Shack.

"Really?" I said, smirking, all my anger from earlier gone when I looked up into his smiling, boyish face. I couldn't possibly stay mad at him when he was so bloody gorgeous.

"For some reason, everyone still thinks it's haunted. Come on." He pulled me past the gates, and flicked his wand at the door. It creaked as he pushed it open, and he pulled me inside. I looked into the large open space at the entrance, and saw there was a wide beam of sunlight coming in from where the ceiling had fallen away years ago. Underneath that beam of sunlight was a checked blanket with a wicker basket sitting on top.

I looked up at him with a bright smile.

"I know it sucks that we can't have a real picnic out on the grounds since we can't be seen. But I hope this will be okay." He gave me a shy smile, and I wanted to slap him for making me love him so much. But instead, I lunged at him and wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his. He laughed into my mouth and wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, lifting me off the floor.

"Why are you so perfect?" I asked, after leaning back so I could look at him.

Scorpius shrugged with a grin. "I guess I was just born this way." He kissed me hard again and then set me back on my feet so I could go over to the blanket of our makeshift picnic. I sat down and bent my legs underneath me, and he sat down next to me with his legs slightly bent in front of him. "You look incredible," he said, while looking into the basket. "I can't wait to rip that dress off of you." I blushed as he opened the picnic basket and pulled out a tray of covered sandwiches and a bowl of strawberries.

"My mother sent these to me yesterday," he said casually, as if he hadn't just said he was going to get me naked in the Shrieking Shack. "They're fresh from her garden."

"Does she know you're sharing them with your secret girlfriend?" I asked, leaning in to nuzzle against his neck and smell him before I pulled away and looked at him. My whole body was on fire. I shifted closer to him, craving constant closeness with him.

"I don't think so," he said with a smirk. Then he pulled out a bottle of champagne and two glasses. He held the bottle out toward me. "Do you want to open it?"

I nodded eagerly with a smile. I had always been jealous when I watched my parents opening bottles of champagne during the holidays. "I've never done it before," I said, taking the bottle from his hands.

He smirked. "Glad I could be your first." I shoved at his shoulder before ripping the foil off the top of the bottle and twisting the metal that held the cork down.

"Ready?" I asked, grinning broadly. He nodded, smiling at my excitement. Then I pushed the cork out and it popped loudly, and I yelped. He laughed and grabbed the bottle from me before it could spill all over and he filled both of our glasses. Then he handed me one and raised his toward me.

"A toast?" I asked.

"A toast," he said, nodding. "It was six weeks ago today that we kissed for the first time, red." I faltered. He remembered. "Since then, you've been driving me crazy and making me mad and frustrating me to no end."

I arched an eyebrow. "How romantic."

He grinned. "But," he said. "You've also been challenging and beguiling me and making me the happiest man on earth. We've got a lot ahead of us, but I'm so ready to face it all with you."

TELL HIM YOU LOVE HIM, the voice in my head screamed at me. "I… I'm so happy," I breathed. I tipped my champagne back into my mouth and swallowed it all. It burned a bit from the bubbles, but I didn't care. I then threw myself at him and kissed him with everything I had. Needless to say, it took a little while for us to get to those fresh strawberries.

Next chapter:

Hogwarts has a Halloween dance!