A/N: Jeez, I thought I said to keep your chins up.

Something

Rose had tried her best to avoid Scorpius all week, but being Head Girl and Boy, it was nearly impossible. Head duties kept them together, much to her dismay. Patrolling was awkward, the silence louder than anyone would have imagined. Rose was kind of glad they patrolled different areas of the castle on their own. She knew from his expression and his body language that he wanted to speak to her about what happened, but he was being polite about it and did not bother to bring it up. She could tell it was building up though; she could almost sense the frustration when he was nearby.

As usual the rest of her family tried prying in on her, trying to get her to talk, but it was futile. Albus, the most concerned family member, was a little more persistent and went on to keep bothering her about it when everyone else gave up and decided to leave her alone. She did not understand how they knew something was wrong; she had been trying her hardest to hide it.

It was a cold, bitter Thursday afternoon and Rose was spending it in the library. She had been spending a lot of time in there lately. With all of the towering bookshelves serving as a sort of confusing maze, it was hard to find her. She picked a different spot to sit in every time she came in so nobody would expect her to be at a certain place. With the passing days, the visits became less frequent - except for Albus of course, who always managed to find her. She figured it was from that weird map James gave him a couple years back.

Stupid James.

"Rose?"

She had her nose practically buried into her Arithmancy book when she heard her name; instead of jumping out of her seat in shock like she usually did she chose to ignore the voice.

"I know you haven't been...in the mood lately, and I can take a guess why." The voice hardened at the end of the sentence, and Damien's face flashed across her vision. She turned to see the Ravenclaw boy standing not too far away, his hands in his pockets and his eyes as dark as coal. His neatly pomaded hair glistened under the dim lamplight that dangled over his head. His face was stony, emotionless, too harsh for him.

"He's done something to you, hasn't he?" He said gruffly after she did not answer him. He did not tear his eyes away from her, and he was not blinking either. He was up to par with Scorpius on the deadly glares now. She shrunk under his glower and pretended to continue reading.

"Rose, please. Tell me what happened. I won't tell Albus or anybody else. I want to know what's going on." Damien's voice softened at the slightest. She heard him shuffle over to the seat beside her.

"Nothing happened." She decided to speak; her voice sounded weaker than she intended it to be. Out of the corner of her eye Damien shook his head.

"If nothing happened you wouldn't be distancing yourself from everybody. What did he-"

"He didn't do anything." She interjected sharply, but much to her dismay Damien rose from his seat so suddenly he almost knocked the chair over. He probably took her the wrong way - well, it was true that what happened on Saturday was bothering her, but...no. He could not possibly understand the full story if she told him. It was too complicated for even her to comprehend.

"That sick git, when I get my-" Rose grabbed onto Damien's sleeve and peered up at him. It was the first time seeing him since Saturday; despite his neat hair and pressed uniform he looked rather restless.

"Don't do anything to him, please." She said, her voice barely louder than a whisper, "I'm being honest. He didn't do anything wrong."

Heaving a sigh, Damien threw his hands up in defeat and leaned against the bookshelf.

"Then what exactly is bothering you, then? Isn't it a little suspicious that you've only started to act distant after Valentines? It's not hard to put two and two together, Rose." He cried exasperatingly. Rose bit her bottom lip and tried to concentrate on her textbook.

Well, answer his question. What's bothering you?

In all honesty, it was a hard question to answer at the moment.

Let's think about what happened then.

No. Some things were better left forgotten.

You barely even ki-

No, NO! She shook her head and flipped a page of her textbook, trying to concentrate on the text, but it was no use. Her mind reeled back to that Saturday, replaying that one frame in her mind over and over again.

Though it only happened for a fraction of a second, it kind of was a kiss. Their lips touched-

More like brushed. Brushing does not count.

It was something at least. She did not know what it was exactly, but it was something. It was enough to...ignite something on the inside. It was like a spark: quick, bright and warm, and it disappeared the millisecond after it flashed into existence.

It was something.

So, you're saying you liked it then, even if it really wasn't a kiss, and it lasted less than a second. What the bloody hell is wrong then?

It was wrong. It was not supposed to be like this.

Be like what?

"Rose?" Damien asked, his voice much quieter than it had been in the whole few minutes he had been with her. She almost forgot about him. She looked up to face him, her eyes stinging.

"I...I don't know." She mumbled pathetically, and lowered her head. Frowning, Damien rushed over to her side and knelt in front of her. Rose sniffled and swiped at her eyes.

"It's alright." He murmured, patting her knee, but she shook her head violently and clutched her head with one hand.

"No, no Damien, it's not alright!" She hissed, remembering to keep her voice low in case Madam Pince was nearby, "It isn't supposed to be like this, it's not supposed to be this way-I'm not supposed to be feeling like this-"

"There are just some things that can't be helped, Rose," Damien explained calmly, "and out of all people you should know that."

"But why does it have to happen to me? To us? Out of all things, out of all people, it just has to happen to me! And him!" More tears spilled out of her azure depths; Damien brandished his wand and muttered a quick charm. A white hankie sprouted out from the tip of his wand. He handed it over to her and she gave him a watery 'thank you' as she dabbed her eyes with it.

"I don't know about you, Rose, but I think this was supposed to happen, whether you like it or not." He said in the same placid tone he used before. She did not understand how he did not burst out into a mad fit of anger or jealousy yet. He was such a good friend. Why did things have to be so complicated between her and Scorpius Malfoy? At the moment she rather preferred having a problem with Damien. At least her parents would have approved of him.

"But everything happens for a reason, Damien. I can't think of a logical enough reason for this-"

"I don't think everything has a logical meaning behind it, Rose." He cut in, but in his own polite fashion, "Maybe some things just...mean to happen, y'know? Like, they're there just because they are. Problems are problems just for the sake of being problematic. People fall in love with love. Two complete opposites find themselves attracted to each other. These things just happen because they do."

Rose sniffled and toyed with the hankie absentmindedly. Damien had to be wrong. Things did not just conjure out of nowhere - even in the wizarding world there was always some kind of explanation behind a spell. How could there not be a reason behind her feelings for...you know.

"I dunno, that's just my take on things I suppose. You have your own opinion and I have mine." He said before standing up. His hands were in his pockets again, "But Rose, I just want you to know that you don't have to search for an answer to everything. Maybe you're just thinking too hard."

Maybe you're just thinking too hard. Damien's last words reverberated inside her skull as she waved wordlessly to him, watching him until he turned a corner, disappearing completely. She swerved around in her chair until she was facing her textbook but she did not feel like reading anymore. She suddenly felt tired, but at the same time she did not want to go to bed. It was too early anyway; it was not even time for dinner yet. She came to the conclusion that she was just mentally tired.

Thinking too hard? What did he mean by that? The reasons why it was wrong to be feeling this way were plain and simple:

He was a Malfoy.

She was a Weasley.

Their fathers loathed each other in school, and she had the impression that they still did, kind of, it was just that after years of avoiding each other their disliking for each other had subdued somewhat (or maybe they had just gotten better at hiding it).

Dad did say that Granddad Weasley would never forgive her…(thinking a little too far ahead now, are we?)

She knew it would just not work out. It was pretty obvious for everyone to see.

But despite all of these facts, why are you still feeling this way? Isn't it about time you stepped down and admitted that there's nothing you can do about it? Stop convincing yourself otherwise; it's hard to overrule your heart. Your brain is more accustomed to giving in to these sort of things, but it won't change the way you feel deep inside.

She cursed herself and closed her textbook softly; she would have slammed it just to ease the frustration but she was aware that Madam Pince was stalking around nearby. She shoved the thick book into her bag and flicked a few strands of copper tinted hair over her shoulder.

I can convince myself otherwise. It's possible. I know it is, she thought determinedly as she stomped out of the library.

Outside, it began to rain.

--

It was dinnertime in the Great Hall. The large windows lining the vast room showed a nearly pitch-black sky, lidded with heavy clouds and sheet after sheet of rain. Every now and then there was a loud eruption of thunder and even a flash of lightning. It perfectly suited Scorpius' mood.

He was sitting at the edge of the Slytherin table, picking absently at his food. He was too angry to be hungry. Porter and the Goyle brothers tried figuring out what was bothering him but Holden firmly ordered them to leave him be.

She shouldn't be running like this. She knows she can't escape.

That was partially true; their Head duties prevented her from avoiding him completely. Hope sparked once again when he remembered that it was their turn to patrol tonight - maybe he would finally succeed in getting her to talk.

He rose from his seat, not feeling hungry at all, and stalked out of the Great Hall, well aware of the fact that he was being stared at by a good amount of the school population. He turned a sharp corner, only to collide with something - something hard.

"Oi! Watch where you're-" That voice sounded familiar. Scorpius staggered to his feet, rubbing his shoulder. Damien Byrne stood in front of him, his jaw slack and his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

In a quick second he found himself pinned against the wall; Damien had his arm pressed against his neck so tightly Scorpius was struggling to breathe.

"You!" The Ravenclaw boy hissed, and Scorpius raised an eyebrow, "You did something to Rose, didn't you? You hurt her somehow!"

Scorpius managed to wrench Damien away from him, and he took a few minutes to catch his breath. When he was ready he straightened up and gave Damien one of his trademark pointed stares. This bloke had to be barking mad.

"What are you talking about? I didn't bloody do anything!" He retorted, crossing his arms. Damien rolled his eyes.

"If you didn't do anything, why is she being so distant from everyone?" He asked, and Scorpius hesitated. Damien's eyes narrowed, "You did do something, didn't you?"

Was there a possible way to explain what happened? How could he explain without getting a fist to the face? Damien seemed to be a little overprotective over Rose - even more than her gigantic family.

"I really can't explain, but you just have to take my word for it. Nothing happened - nothing major." He ran his long fingers through tangled blond strands. After a short pause, he added in a lower voice, "I was planning to talk to her tonight about it."

"S'about bloody time you decided," Damien spat, "you need to straighten things out. Get her talking; you're the only one who can make her feel better, at this rate."

His words brought a flush to Scorpius' pallid cheeks; the Ravenclaw boy noticed and let out a low chuckle.

"I'll try m'best." Scorpius muttered. Damien clapped him on the back.

"Just remember that if you do anything-"

"Spare it, Byrne." Scorpius grumbled, and continued on his way.

--

Patrol's only a few hours, and it's not like you walk around together.

Just get this over with. It's nothing you can't handle.

Rose brushed off her skirt and made her way down the staircase to the lounge of the Gryffindor common room. From the boys' dormitories there was loud, fast music muffled behind the thick wooden door. She assumed it was Randy blasting one of those American punk bands he liked so much.

"Off to patrol, then?" Albus was sitting by the fire with a Transfiguration textbook on his lap. His glasses were lopsided, but he did not seem to notice or even care.

"Y-yeah." Rose replied before quickening her pace. He grabbed her wrist just before she was going to step out of the portrait hole. Damn those Seeker reflexes.

"Rose," He started, but then to her surprise the pressure of his fingers on her wrist lifted and he stood in front of her, arms limp by his sides, "...never mind."

A deep feeling of remorse sunk into her chest. She wanted to tell him so bad, but there were so many consequences, just too many. Plus he would not understand. Nobody would.

"I'm really sorry Al, but you won't understand. You don't know how much I want to tell you what's going on...but at the same time I know I can't. I don't even understand much of it myself."

Albus gave her a weak smile and shook his head slowly, "It's alright, Rosie. But I just want you to know that once you do understand just what exactly is going on, I'm here for you, okay? Don't run away."

Rose leapt into her cousin's arms, squeezing him affectionately. She could not have had better friends.

"I'm sorry for doing this, Al." She whispered. Albus shook his head again.

"Nonsense. Now go, you're gonna be late."

She waved to him before dashing out of the portrait hole. It did not take her very long to reach her destination, which was the lobby in front of the Great Hall. Scorpius was already there, leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. His platinum bangs were hanging over his steel cold eyes. Memories of Saturday flashed through Rose's head.

She remembered how close they were, how she was able to smell his rugged, musky scent which seemed so unlike him. His eyes, his silvery eyes, were staring straight into her, reading every thought, every emotion that ran through her head. She recalled the very brief sensation of their lips brushing against one another, and how the feeling shot wave after wave of electricity through her body.

It was wrong, but it was something.

"Good evening," She greeted him nervously; he barely looked up at her. He gave a small grunt before leaving to start his patrol. She winced at his aloofness, but shook it off and veered off into the opposite direction.

The halls of Hogwarts were wide, cold, and empty at this time of the evening, and it had a sense of loneliness reverberating throughout its stony interior. Rose was so used to shoving her way through the crowd of students during the day, her ears filled with the blah blah blah of everyday conversation and her eyes nearly blinded by uniforms, textbooks, and assignments. Hogwarts felt more like a creepy old castle when its halls were unoccupied.

She ascended the stairs to the next floor and walked down another wide, empty hallway, her eyes glazing over the stone walls and the occasional portrait or two. When she spun on her heel to turn a corner, she nearly dropped her wand.

He was not supposed to be here.

"Y-you're supposed to be in-" She stammered, but even from the other side of the hall his eyes still retained its ability to freeze anything in its line of vision. Scorpius began to move; his long legs managed to take him from all the way down the hall to just a few feet in front of her in mere seconds. His eyes, which were easier to see now, seemed more intense than ever and she felt her knees growing weak. His hair, which looked even more careless than usual, flickered slightly in the dim light. Her breath was caught in her throat.

"Enough. We need to talk." His voice was firm. She gulped and nodded. She was trapped.

"Scorpius, I really don't know how to-"

"Try your best." She felt the flames of frustration licking at her insides - that was the second time he interrupted her in the past five minutes. She sighed and began pacing. His eyes followed her from left to right, right to left.

"I...I don't know if it's advisable for us to be...friends. Anymore." She said slowly, and clamped her eyes shut. She knew what was coming.

"Friends? Are you still trying to convince yourself that the word friends is the best way to describe us right now?" He exclaimed, his eyes flashing. She looked at him questionably; they were friends, right? What was he talking about…?

"Look at me, Rose." He ordered. She opened her eyes slowly and her air passages felt congested again: he looked so angry.

Without even thinking she took a few steps closer towards him. He began to do the same. There was a tingly feeling rising in her chest as she looked up at his smoky eyes.

He was about to lean in again when she came to her senses at the last minute and took a step back.

"No," She said, but her voice was shaky, "we can't. This is wrong…we can't-"

"Wrong? Give me one good reason why this is wrong!" He hissed, and his eyes flashed again.

"Isn't it obvious, Scorpius? Who's your father? Who's my father? What are our last names?" She screamed back. She felt her eyes stinging and she looked away furiously, "Think of the consequences! It can't work. And don't even think about keeping secrets; they'll find out eventually. I know your dad will."

Scorpius threw his hands up in frustration, "What the bloody hell does that matter? Do you think their opinions can change the way we feel? They don't have control over us," He took a step closer and they were inches apart again, "they're already too late anyways."

Her pulse was speeding up and she felt heat rising to her cheeks but the logical side of her kept nagging her to pull away, to resist. She held her fists up to her chest and tried taking another step back but she realized that she was pressed against the wall.

Think of the consequences. What would happen if…

If what?

"Give in Rose," His voice was softer now. His spidery fingers curled around her wrists; he was surprisingly warm, "don't think about what will happen later."

His eyes bore holes into her.

This was definitely something.

"This is wrong," She began to protest again, "we ca-mmph!"

Her words were muffled against his lips; her azure stare widened considerably in surprise and she felt her hands on his chest, ready to push him away, but the warm sensation that flushed her face was spreading to the rest of her body now, and she felt too uncomfortable to do anything else.

Everything felt so hazy.

She closed her eyes, giving in to him; her hands found his hair and she clung onto it for dear life, and she let him push her against the wall lightly. His arms were strong and warm around her waist. She did not know how much time had passed the moment they finally pulled away, the both of them gasping for air. Their eyes stayed locked on one another, lingering on each other's thoughts. After a few seconds of silence, they broke out into soft chuckles.

"S'about bloody time." He whispered huskily as he pressed his forehead against hers. Rose giggled and closed her eyes again, basking in the warmth that radiated between them.

A small part of her still thought it was wrong, but what could she do about it? They could deal with the stupid consequences later.

This was definitely something.