A/N: Scorpius wasn't very nice in the last chapter was he? Perhaps this might help to redeem my favourite blonde...

Al walked lazily through the corridors, not really caring that curfew was fifteen minutes ago. After all, he already had a month's worth of detention. How much worse could it get? He didn't even know why McGonigall had seen fit to punish him; he was doing enough of that himself. The shame hadn't left him, not once, since that night all those weeks ago. He had known just how volatile his cousin could be when it came to magic but he hadn't paid any attention to it. He knew fine well how vulnerable she felt when it came to her lack of control but he had kept pushing her, using it to his advantage. It would have served him right if she had snapped.

He wanted nothing more than to apoligise but...he couldn't. On the rare occasion where he managed to catch her alone, the words wouldn't form. In truth, he was scared to. He knew he had done wrong so what if she didn't think he deserved her forgiveness? What then? After all, it had only been one kiss and he had tried to kill them both...It wasn't as if either of them had known what they were doing to his little sister.

What happened to Gryffindors being brave? I spend most of my time hiding nowadays. It was true. If he felt ashamed when he thought of Rose, it was ten times worse when it came to Mia. The look on her face when she had seen him, it was something he could never forget. She looked so...disappointed. How could she possibly love him now? He had finally begun to win her trust, to let her know that he would never hurt her before destroying it all in one night.

He had finally reached the entrance to the common room when he saw the two figures huddled in the doorway. With a jolt, he realised one of them was Hugo who was desperately trying to pull a drunken blonde to his feet.

"Al! Give us a hand? He's gone, absolutely gone," One look at his best friend told him it was true. Scorpius eyes were unfocused, an empty bottle of firewhiskey clenched in his hand.

"I found the poor sod giving the password to the wrong portrait."

Scorpius' drunken eyes finally settled on the friend who had tried to kill him mere weeks and he broke out into a grin.

"Hey Al! I was wondering where you've been," his voice grew serious, "I have a problem mate. I need your help."

Taking pity on him, he knelt beside him. Scorpius might have pissed him off big time but Al wasn't heartless. Chances were he wouldn't even remember this in the morning.

"What you do?"

"I broke rule number one but she thinks we're a mistake. A mistake! And then I opened my fat mouth and made her hate me! I'm in love with a girl who hates me. How'd this happen Al?"

Hugo and his cousin shared a look; Scorpius was in love with Rose? This was news to the two of them. Of course, the two were closer than anybody fully understand but Al had never been given any reason to believe they were anything more than friends.

Al knew he should be angry they'd lied to him but he couldn't bring himself to shout at Scorpius when he was in such a pathetic state. Instead he just patted him on the shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner.

"I don't know, Scorp, I don't know."

Scorpius woke the next morning to see a very confused Al looking down at him. He accepted the hangover potion he held out warily, all too aware that things had been a little tense between the two of them. As he felt the pounding in his skull recede, memories of the night before hit him. The betrayal he had felt when he heard what Rose what had done; the callous way he had cut her down; the bottle of firewhiskey he had downed in an attempt to shake the heart breaking look she had given him as he left her alone with tears threatening to spill.

That was something he would have preferred to forget.

"Is it true? Are you in love with Rose?"

Scorpius nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

Al ran his hands through the black hair that was so like his fathers before smiling apologetically at his friend.

"Well that changes everything."

Okay I know it was super short but i just wanted something in between the two pieces of drama and to offer some explanations.

Please read and review :)

It might be a while until I get a new chapter up because I'm going home tomorrow! And I get my results and new college and blah blah blah. Basically, things will get busier.