A/N: Wanna hear my excuse for updating so late?

Midterms.

Sorry, this is a little short because I've been spending so much time studying for midterms. My last one is next week, so hopefully I'll be able to devote more time into writing a longer chapter!

--

My Eyes, My Eyes!

In the weeks that followed, not only did the weather improve, but so did Rose's mood. Albus was relieved at the improvement; she was talking to him again, and he admitted that he even missed how she nagged at him for not finishing his homework on time.

It was April now; the snow was wiped clear off the school grounds, revealing the lush green of springtime. Birds chirped merrily above the students' heads as they made their way to class in the sun-drenched, cloudless blue skies. Flowers of all shapes, sizes and colours bloomed here and there and it was nearly impossible to escape their tantalizing odour. Albus was one of the many students who were thriving with spring fever; he hated the snow, mainly because he was a common target for snowballs.

The black-haired Gryffindor pushed his glasses up with his index finger as he shuffled his way down the crowded stone hall, trying to find his favourite cousin. Rose cheerily greeted him in the common room earlier in the morning, promising that she would meet him here for lunch. He searched the crowd; being a few inches taller than the average height for boys his age he had the advantage of seeing over people's heads. He spotted Rose by the wall, looking around anxiously. He raised an eyebrow as he pushed his way through.

"Hey Rose," He huffed; it took a bit of a workout to shove through the throng of traveling students, "why do you look so flustered?"

Rose's cheeks were nearly as red as her tie, and her bottom lip was quivering slightly. She was fumbling with the edge of her skirt and her eyes were cast to the floor.

"Wha-? Oh, i-it's nothing, I assure you," She immediately looked up at him and grinned, but there was still a hint of nervousness behind her smile, "let's go."

She grabbed his wrist a little too tightly and dragged him further down the hallway to the large double doors of the Great Hall. She finally let go when they sat at their table; Albus absently rubbed his wrist, trying to get the blood to flow back properly. She had been acting odd for the past month or so, and he seemed to be the only one who caught onto her behaviour, unless everyone else also thought they were the only ones who noticed.

"Hey Rose, Albus." Hugo greeted them, his mouth half-stuffed with food. The rest of the family was sitting with him, along with Lisa and Thomas. Rose eagerly reached for the plate of sandwiches and Albus helped himself to some pasta. He listened to the conversations that swirled around him: Hugo, Randy and Thomas were chatting animatedly about the upcoming Gryffindor-Ravenclaw Quidditch match this weekend; Jane, Dominique and Mandy were arguing over something homework-related; Rose, Lily and Lisa were talking about the next Hogsmeade weekend…

"I'm going with Lysander, of course," He heard his sister say, and he could not help but cringe. He rarely showed it, but the thought of his younger sister dating really did not compute with him, and he was sure if James was here his reaction would not have been so different.

"Like it or not, Albus is coming with me too. He needs to get around more - he's either in the common room pretending to do his work or he's flying about on the Quidditch pitch!" Lisa exclaimed, and Lily and Rose laughed in unison. Albus groaned and pressed his forehead against the edge of the table, his appetite mysteriously vanishing into thin air. He almost forgot about Hogsmeade.

"All right there, Albus?" He felt a large hand on his back and he instantly recognized it as Hugo's. Albus nodded slowly and sucked in a lungful of air.

"'M fine," He mumbled, "just...just tired. I don't feel that hungry, really."

"Are you going with anyone, Rose?" He heard Lily ask; Rose hesitated and he could almost picture the doubt on her face.

"Um, I might actually pass on Hogsmeade this time. With NEWTs coming up-"

Lisa gasped, "Nonsense! We still have a couple months 'till those!"

Hmm, Rose never backed out on a Hogsmeade weekend before. This aroused Albus' suspicion. He lifted his head up and pretended to pick at his food; he strained his ears so he could hear the girls better.

"I know, I know," Rose continued, "but I have to start studying now...I want to do as well as possible."

"Leave it to Rose to take everything to the next level." Lily teased, and Rose's cheeks flared red again. Lisa laughed and clapped the blushing Gryffindor on the back. Albus raised an eyebrow as he stirred his nearly untouched pasta with his fork. Rose did not sound at all convincing - something was up, and he was intending to find out.

"Oh!" Rose blurted, and she immediately rose from her seat. Albus' brow furrowed as his eyes followed her, "I need to get to the library to finish up some Herbology. I'll see you all later!" She gathered her things and hurried out of the Great Hall. Albus glanced at his watch - they had only been here for ten minutes.

"Er, I think I should go too," Albus fumbled as he stood up awkwardly; his family and friends stared at him, waiting for him to continue, "I forgot about that Herbology assignment...I'm gonna go ask Rose for help."

He spotted Hugo opening his mouth to protest, but he spun his back on him and walked out of the Great Hall as quickly as he could without making it look obvious that he was following his favourite cousin. Once he reached the stairs he slowed his pace down a little bit, trying to kill some time before actually reaching the library so Rose would not be suspicious as well. He took cool, even breaths as he made his way into the library; there was nothing out of place so far. He made sure his steps were soundless as he crept closer towards his and Rose's usual study spot. He turned a corner, ready to confront Rose and her odd behaviour…

Only to discover that she was nowhere to be found.

Albus scratched his head in confusion, but he did not give up. He prowled the aisles, ready to strike if he caught a glimpse of the familiar scarlet-haired Gryffindor doing something she ought not to be doing…

But she did not seem to be anywhere, and that only fed his suspicion.

Was she lying when she said she was going to the library to study Herbology?

He ran his fingers through his hair as he left the library, perplexed over his cousin. It was not like Rose to lie - she was definitely hiding something from him. Frowning, he shook his head and stalked out of the library.

--

"That was close, Scorpius Malfoy - too close." Rose's voice was husky against his neck; he had her pushed lightly against a book case at the farthest part of the library. Albus was just a few steps towards them but backed out at the last second, probably giving up on his search.

"Oh come off it, will you? He didn't find us and that's what matters." Scorpius whispered, his breath tickling her cheek. His fingers traced the outline of her jaw and she shivered under his touch.

"Still," She started, but a kiss behind her ear stopped her from continuing.

--

"This is ridiculous," Albus cried exasperatingly as he trudged into the common room later that evening, "she's nowhere to be found! I searched the entire bloody school for her, and it's like she's disappeared out of thin air!"

"You saw her in Herbology though, didn't you?" Lily asked. She was sitting on one of the squashy armchairs by the fireplace. Randy was strumming on his guitar again, and Hugo was playing Lisa in chess. Albus huffed in frustration and flopped down on the armchair opposite of his sister's.

"Not the point," He snapped, "I was looking for her before and after class, and she was gone. Right after Herbology ended she ran out of class like she was late for something else!" He furrowed his brow and pushed his glasses further up his nose. Lily frowned and stared into the fire.

"Come to think of it, she was acting rather odd during lunch…" She trailed off.

"Exactly, it almost seemed like she was trying to hide something, don't you think?" Albus picked up where she left off almost too eagerly, "You know just as well as I do that she isn't that great of a liar."

"Oh, I don't know Al - maybe you're just thinking too hard. Knowing Rose, she probably is trying to study for NEWTs. Maybe she found some secluded corner to isolate herself in so nobody could disturb her studying or something." Lily countered, her eyes still locked onto the fireplace. Albus' eyes were rolling behind his glasses.

"She wouldn't do anything of the sort. She'd at least invite me to study with her." He said indignantly. Lily laughed and shook her head, her flaming hair swinging wildly around her face.

"Sorry, but I think she'd ask Lisa or Damien to study with her - you would probably make the worst study partner in the school." She giggled. Albus rolled his eyes and reached for his bag, which was lying by his feet. He remembered that he had a Transfiguration essay due the next day and it was about time he actually handed in something. Doing work would also distract him from his suspicions too. He grumbled as he searched his bag for his quill - if Rose was around he probably would have this essay finished before midnight…

"Where is it…" He mumbled, digging through scraps of crumpled parchment. He felt Lily staring at him and he looked up.

"Lost something?" She asked casually.

"Quill...I can't find it." He replied pathetically, staring forlornly at his bag to emphasize his point. Lily frowned and scratched her head.

"I'm out of spares, sorry. This is the only one I have on me." She gestured to the quill in her own hand; he noticed that she was doing her own homework, "Do you remember where you last used it?"

He furrowed his brow for a minute, recounting his steps. "I think I was using it in the prefects' common room...I was doing work there." He scrambled out from his seat, careful not to accidentally kick over Hugo and Lisa's chessboard, "I'll go there right now and get it."

"Rose is doing patrol right now, I think. Maybe you can find her on the way there and ask her why she's being so dodgy." Lisa piped up. Albus brightened up at the idea.

"Yeah, maybe I will." He grinned before disappearing into the portrait hole.

--

"Don't you think it's about time we started patrol?" Rose asked, pushing Scorpius away to look at him properly. His smoldering grey eyes bored holes into her and she found it nearly impossible to resist the electricity fizzling between them. She was lying on the couch by the fire in the prefects' common room and he was on top of her, supporting his weight with his palms pressed against the cushions to make things a little easier. They were supposed to start patrol twenty minutes ago, but they got a little...sidetracked.

"What do you think we're keeping watch for anyway?" He snickered as he moved in closer to plant his lips on her neck; she gasped at the contact and he grinned against her skin, "Like there's anything out there that's worthy of taking down the school. Your uncle and your parents dealt with all the bad stuff a long time ago."

"You can never be too careful," Rose muttered. She moved her arms to her sides and stared off into the fire. Scorpius rolled his eyes moved closer so that their stomachs were touching, but he still held his own weight - she felt nothing but their contact. He nuzzled his head affectionately against her neck and she gasped again - he loved it when she did that. He moved up a little so their lips would be leveled with each other, but she was still looking away.

"Scorpius, we really should get started on p-" His fingers brushed under her chin and gently turned her head so that she was facing him, and he brought his face to hers in an aggressive kiss. Rose's eyes were wide open in surprise, but it only took her a few seconds to give in to the moment. She sighed against his mouth and let her fingers wander from his shirt collar to his tangled platinum tendrils of hair. He grunted, a low rumbling at the back of his throat and slid one arm around her waist to pull her up to him. His other hand, still pressed against the seat cushions of the couch, was the only thing that supported him now.

Rose moaned again and broke free from the kiss, gasping again as she felt his lips brush against her jawline. He moved downwards, trailing hot kisses towards the sensitive spot behind her ear, down her neck and stopping at her collarbone. Her fists, gripping handfuls of his hair, tightened and her back arched at the slightest. The fire burning inside of them grew, the flames licking at their insides.

Suddenly, Rose's eyes popped open and she pulled away from him, flopping back on the couch.

"Scorpius," She squeaked, her voice a little higher than usual. He stopped and he stared at her in concern. She read his expression and shook her head, "I'm fine...but I was just wondering about...what happened earlier."

He raised an elegant eyebrow and she unconsciously reached to graze it with her fingers.

"Potter." He answered with no emotion. She frowned in response - she hated it when he made himself hard to read. She nodded slowly, half-hoping his reaction would change somewhat, but his face remained stony. She sighed and decided to continue.

"Well, yes…I already said that it was a close call, but knowing Albus, that won't be the last time we'll see him snooping around." She explained, and Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"D'you really think I'd make us easy to find? I'm smarter than you think." He muttered, and she laughed and pressed a hand to his cheek.

"I know you are, but ugh...it makes me feel horrible that I'm keeping things from him. I never keep things from Al." She sighed again and her eyes returned to the fireplace. He moved closer to her, his face fitting into the crook of her neck. He breathed in her scent; his hot breath against her skin sent tiny little shocks up and down her spine and she found it difficult to move.

"S'not like you can do much to help though, is there?" He whispered, and she managed to shake her head. He looked up at her, taking in the confusion in her navy depths, and closed the distance between them with another kiss. As expected, she gave in, closing her eyes. One hand moved to his hair while the other was pressed against his chest. The inferno inside the both of them raged on, intensifying with every touch.

There was the sound of a door being forced open, and Scorpius froze, his face still pressed to Rose's neck. Her eyes, as wide as the full moon outside, were staring in shock at their intruder.

Albus stood at the doorway, his unkempt hair standing on end and his brilliant green eyes difficult to see due to the glare on his glasses from the fireplace, but judging by the way his mouth was opened in a perfect 'o' he was shocked from what he just walked into.

"Bloody hell…" Was all he managed to splutter, and he took a shaky step backward. Scorpius cursed under his breath and rolled off of Rose, flopping on the end of the couch. Rose's cheeks were flaming red as she sat up to sit beside Scorpius; her mind was racing, trying to come up with a proper explanation, but she was totally speechless.

"S-so...so this is what you've been keeping from us...this is why you've been so bloody cheerful lately-" Albus stuttered, and he took another step back. He was halfway through the door now.

"Potter…" Scorpius growled, but Rose glared at him and he said no more. She turned towards her cousin, her expression now more sympathetic.

"Al, you know I wouldn't keep anything from you...but obviously this was something that I couldn't really tell anybody about-"

"You're damn right it's something you can't tell anyone about!" Albus' voice was stronger now; he marched right up to the couch. The glare disappeared from his glasses and Rose saw that his emerald eyes were glaring daggers at her, "I should've known something like this would've happened between you two, with this stupid Head stuff and the both of you being the smartest in school and Uncle Ron goading on about the Malfoys…"

"Will you cut it out, Potter? You're going to wake up the whole school." Scorpius hissed, "It's not like we planned any of this. It just...happened, that's all."

Albus laughed darkly and threw his hands up, "Right, right - like I'm supposed to believe that fate or something just brought you together out of nowhere. Ironic, don't you think? Two completely different people with families who practically despise each other are caught snogging in the prefects' common room! This would make a perfect TV drama-"

"Albus, seriously, will you stop it?" Rose cut in; Scorpius furrowed his brow and muttered "TV?" in confusion as she spoke, "This is why I opted not to tell anybody about this in the first place; I knew you were going to be against it from the very start."

Her eyes wandered to her shoes and the corners of her mouth tugged downwards in a crestfallen frown. Albus' insides ached at the sight of his cousin; he hated it when he made her sad. Scorpius, on the other hand, looked like he was planning his murder.

"I guess you're right, Rosie. I just don't understand how this all works out…" He mumbled, "after all these years of him being such an arse to you…"

"People change." Scorpius grunted, and Albus rolled his eyes.

"I suppose that's one reason." He grinned mischievously, and Scorpius turned away from him so he would not see him blush. Rose giggled.

"Well I guess it's sort of like how the opposite of what you wish for is what ends up coming true, right? I didn't think this would happen when I first came to Hogwarts, and I doubt Scorpius did either, and you're right about having all these things lead up to where we are now, with us being constantly paired together for assignments and being Head Boy and Girl - it's like the something wanted this to happen, you know?" She reached out to grab Albus' hand, "I know you'll have a difficult time understanding...but I really want you to try, 'cause I'm having a little trouble understanding it myself."

"Says you." Scorpius muttered, and she swatted him on the shoulder with her free hand. Albus gave his favourite cousin a half-hearted smile and he nodded.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise." He whispered, and Rose smiled back. She leaned up to give him a grateful peck on the cheek and he leaned down to recieve it.

"Thanks Al, really. I know I can always count on you." She said. Scorpius was still looking away, his arm stiff against hers. Albus winked and stood up straight, his eyes wandering the room.

"Now I'll just pretend I didn't see anything and go on to look for my missing quill. I'll see you back in the common room, okay? Don't forget to tell Lily how exciting patrol was tonight." He grinned again as he bounded towards the other side of the common room, where the study tables were. Rose gasped, her cheeks flushing red again. Scorpius found it impossible not to laugh.