Scorpius was bored.

Al had been a no show to tonight's party and as of yet, he hadn't seen Rose. Instead he had to make do with talking to the captain of the Gryffindor team and his dorm mate, Ryan Theaton, who made History of Magic seem exciting.

He was trying his best to pay attention, he really was but he doubted even the most skilled politician could cope with this for very much longer. Scorpius had talked to some of the dullest people in the wizarding world at some of the high profile events he had been dragged to but this was unbelieveable. Listening to Ryan recount stories of his summer made Scorpius want to rip his ears from the side of his head. In fact, he was ready to jump off the astronomy tower when he spotted Rose making his way towards them.

Damn she looked good, he thought before he realized this was his best friend and he was not meant to think of her in that way. Although she was making it very hard for him to keep his thoughts chaste in that tight black dress that showed off her famous curves, covering just enough to keep it classy. Her wild red hair was tumbling around her shoulders in loose waves and her eyes! Subtly lined in black, they were the eyes of a seductress.

He gulped.

Why did she have to look so gorgeous? He was having enough trouble getting her out of his head since her little tricks this morning and now this? It was enough to send any guy over the edge.

"Can I borrow Scorpius for a minute?" She asked Ryan, smiling sweetly at him. He nodded dumbly, transfixed. Like most of the other guys in the room and Scorpius noted with a chuckle, a few of the girls, his eyes were glued to Rose's body. Not that he could blame them.

"That's twice I've saved you now, Scorp. I think you owe me a drink."

They were dancing, both long past sober when it happened.

"Scorpius," she had breathed, fear evident on her face. He looked at her shaking hands and cursed. There were too many people here. If she lost control now, the secret would be out.

Scorpius grabbed took her trembling hand in his and began to pull her from the Room of Requirement. Luckily most people were either too drunk or oblivious to notice the duo slip from the party.

He wished he had the cloak with him but knew that he didn't have time to get it so instead they snuck through the corridors, moving as quickly and silently as they could. Since most of the staff didn't know and the two of them were visibly drunk, to be caught would mean serious trouble for them both.

"We need to hurry," Rose whispered. She was trying to stop it but she knew it was useless. When the tide of magic hit her, she had no control. All she could do was make sure the damage was minimal. It took all her effort to keep it in check until they were out of the castle. She barely heard Scorpius' muttered spell above the pounding in her ears. It was close.

The second the branches of the Whomping Willow stopped their wild thrashing they dashed through the cramped tunnel. This sure was a lot easier when they were younger, Rose thought absentmindedly as she watched Scorpius crawl ahead of her.

He sure has a nice ass. Wait this is Scorpius I'm talking about! Maybe I shouldn't have drank so much...

She was dragged both from her thoughts and the tunnel by the strong arms of her best friend. Rose looked around the Shrieking Shack with a grimace. It wasn't the most appealing of places but with all the rumours surrounding it, nobody would notice if she made some noise.

Rose could feel it, feel it building within her. She didn't even have time to reach for her wand before the room began to shake as if caught in an earthquake. He was by her side in an instant, his hands around her wrists.

"You should go," she said, struggling to form the words. If only the almighty hammering within her skull would stop, she might be able to concentrate, make out the words Scorpius was whispering to her. "Rose, Rose you need to look at me, just keep looking at me."

Their eyes locked. He was her anchor; she clung to him fiercely as the magic was ripped from her chest. She couldn't see what was happening, couldn't focus on anything other than deep, grey eyes that refused to let her go. The tears were flowing freely now as she struggled against it. She was so scared that if she relaxed for even a fraction of a second, she would be lost. This sort of power was absolute and if she gave into it... she wasn't entirely sure she would be able to stop herself.

As suddenly as it started, she felt the noise recede, the last of the magic seeping from her. It was ok. She had made it through.

Her heart dropped when she saw the state of the Shrieking Shack. The grimy walls were charred, scorch marks adorning them. It looked as if an explosion had happened, which she guessed it had. She hugged her knees to her chest – she had done this. It was her fault.

She couldn't speak past the shame in her throat as she watched Scorpius wordlessly put out the last of the embers and do his best to set things right. Didn't he realize this couldn't be fixed, that she couldn't be fixed?

"What's wrong with me?"

The words were barely audible but he heard them, felt the agony seeing her so defeated brought out in him. He crossed the room, kneeling beside her.

"Listen to me very clearly. There. Is. Nothing – Nothing- Wrong with you?" She nodded, but he could tell she didn't believe him. Why was she so stubborn?

His hand was upon his cheek and at that moment all he wanted was for her to realize that whatever this was it didn't mean that she was anywhere near as messed up as she thought she was. He surprised both of them by leaning towards and pressing his lips against hers. What shocked him the most was the passion he felt with the connection. The kiss deepened and he pulled their bodies closer.

They both knew that they would regret it in the morning but right there, in that moment, all the friends knew was that neither of them wanted to be alone tonight, especially when breaking the rules felt so right.