*J.K. Rowling owns Harry Potter!

*Sorry for not updating. I've had the flu for four days. Isn't that the best way to start summer vacation?

*Guys, Daisy isn't white. Friendly reminder that BLAISE ZABINI is her father.

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ROSE

"Hey, are you all right?" Lorcan questions, giving me a look of concern. I nod my head quickly. Am I? I don't really feel all right. I don't exactly know how to feel, and Lorcan isn't making things any easier.

"I'm fine," I answer halfheartedly.

Lorcan doesn't seem convinced. "Really, because you don't seem-"

"I'm fine," I assure him, cutting him off. The more Lorcan asks about me, the more it seems like he cares, the harder it is. I just wish he could give me some space.

Looking slightly hurt, Lorcan looks down at his shoes. That makes me feel guiltier than anything. "It's just, you haven't really talked to me since you and Scorpius got into that argument," he persists. Merlin, if only he knew why. He wouldn't even believe it.

I can hardly believe it myself. I don't love Scorpius, and I have no idea what he's trying to do. Prove a point? I don't understand why I let him kiss me, either. If he's unhappy with Daisy, that shouldn't be my problem, and he should respect that. I've never felt so confused and so stupid. I don't even feel comfortable talking to my family anymore. When Mum and Dad write letters, I feel like I'm lying to them by acting as if nothing's wrong when that couldn't be any further from the truth. I wonder how Scorpius sleeps at night. I can't.

"You're still coming to my match?" Lorcan questions.

Slowly, I nod. They play Slytherin today. Internally, I've debated not going, telling Lorcan I had to study or something stupid like that, but it isn't fair that I have to avoid doing things with Lorcan just because of Scorpius. "Told you I wouldn't miss it."

"I know, I was just making sure," Lorcan tells me. "I'm glad you're coming." He really is nice, nicer than Scorpius could ever be. I hate that I've just had that thought, that even a small part of me wants to compare them. They're nothing alike, and there's a reason for that. Lorcan is my boyfriend. Scorpius isn't. "Y'know, my parents invited you over for dinner over break, if you wanted to come. Mum said you could bring your family."

I don't know why, but I feel really relieved to hear that. Unless it's something for Dad's job or one of his friends, no one really invites my entire family anywhere. Apparently, it's so shameful and disgusting that my mum's muggle-born no one can even handle it. It's bullshit, considering she's a better person than just about all the purebloods I've ever met. "I'd love to," I agree, offering him a smile.

"What about your family?" Lorcan asks, frowning slightly.

"I don't think it would be fair to ask your mum to cook for six extra people," I lie." Really, I just don't want my family there, Scorpius and Dad especially. I'm sure they'd find a way to be overprotective and embarrass me. Scorpius would be just plain rude.

"It's no trouble, I promise," Lorcan continues. "But, if you want to come by yourself, that's fine, too," he adds when I don't show any signs of budging. A bell rings, and First Years fill the hallways. They're loud, yelling and shouting and chasing each other like little kids. I wish my life was that simple again. My First Year wasn't so great. I remember seeing a lot of my cousins, most of which I hadn't seen since Mum married Dad. It was like they blamed me for it, like their parents thought they would somehow become Death Eaters by befriending me, when we'd played together years ago without a problem. Of course, Mum never understood. She only said if they weren't going to talk to me, then they weren't the sort of family I wanted anyway. Sometimes, I feel she doesn't really try to understand me.

"Isn't that your sister?" Lorcan says in a low voice, nodding his head forward. True enough, it is. I see Nina with a group of her friends, a bunch of little Slytherins. I still wonder how she even got sorted there, or why. Nina looks comfortable among them, which I'm happy for, but something about her seems a little sad too.

She looks up and notices me, and then looks away. I'm afraid this is how most of our encounters have been. I wonder what lies Scorpius has told her that make her think she's suddenly better than me, as if we don't need to talk anymore. I just wish I could do something to Scorpius to get even, like tell him the truth about Nina. I wonder how he'd feel about her then. Maybe I didn't talk to her as much as I could have at home, but I never ignored her like she is with me.

Lorcan knows better than to say anything. I wonder if it makes him uncomfortable, seeing how truly messed up my family is. I know I can't stand it, either.

Albus chews the tip of his quill, staring across the other end of the library. "It isn't fair," he says wistfully, turning back to me and wiping ink from his mouth.

"What isn't?" I ask, leafing through my textbook. I can't really be bothered with Al's musings. I've got homework to do.

"He doesn't even like her."

"That sucks," I agree, although I've got no clue what he's talking about. "Have you done number four yet?"

Al scoffs. "Haven't even done number one."

I look up at him, frowning. "Seriously, Al…" Then I follow his gaze. Liliana and Scorpius are sitting a couple tables away, poring over a sheet of parchment. From the looks on their faces, they're clearly arguing, which is nothing new.

"If I were Head Boy, I wouldn't be such an arse to her," Al says absentmindedly.

"Scorpius is an arse to everyone, or did you forget?" I mutter.

Al shakes his head. "He's my best friend. I couldn't if I wanted to."

Liliana puts her face in her hands for a couple seconds, and her shoulders heave up and down. She says something to Scorpius, her eyebrows furrowed. Scorpius leans back in his chair with his arms crossed, a smugly blank look on his face. I wish I could tell Liliana that's exactly what Scorpius does: he acts as if nothing bothers him, as if that somehow makes him better than anyone else. He's such a liar. It isn't the truth at all.

"Why do you care so much?" I ask, still looking over there myself. Although he's trying not to show it, Scorpius looks stressed and tired. I'm sure being Head Boy isn't making things any better.

"Liliana's nice," Al says plainly, which is always his go-to response. "And she kissed me last week."

"What?" I ask. "When were you going to tell me?"

"You don't tell me when you and Lorcan kiss," Al counters. "Not that I care."

"But, still," I say. "I would have liked to know. So, are the two of you dating now or what?"

Al shrugs, chewing on his quill some more as if he's annoyed. "I don't really know. She mainly seems too caught up in Scorpius and schoolwork to want to talk about it," he tells me. Hearing that makes me want to murder Scorpius. I know Al's too nice to want to say anything about it, but why does Scorpius have to be so bloody thick and oblivious?

"I'm sorry," I apologize, even though I know that isn't going to help any.

Al shakes his head. "Not your fault." He frowns slightly, as if he's just remembered something that's causing him a great deal of trouble. "You're um, you're coming to the match today?"

I nod. Why does everyone care? "I'm coming. Why?"

Al bites his lip, and then glances at Scorpius for a second. I feel sick. Scorpius wouldn't have told Al anything, would he? "Scorpius has um… well… he's been being Scorpius…" Al starts uneasily.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Al takes a breath. I wish he'd just spit it out. "Well, he's been talking a lot of shit, saying when Ravenclaw finally plays Slytherin he's going to.. uh…"

"Al! Get on with it!" I snap, glowering at him. "I haven't got all day!"

"He says he's going to hurt Lorcan…" Al mutters finally.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

Al shrugs. I seriously want to punch him. Why the hell does Scorpius have to be rash and unfair? Lorcan didn't do anything!

"Thanks, Albus," I say, slamming my book closed and stuffing it into my bag.

"Er, you're welcome?" Albus says, looking confused.

I stand up and push my chair in, marching across the library until I'm standing in front of Scorpius. He looks up at me, confused, as if he can't think of any reason I'd ever want to come and speak to him.

"Scorpius," I say, clenching my jaw. "Can I have a word?"

Liliana offers me a weak smile. "Hi, Rose," she says kindly.

"Hey, Liliana. Scorpius, now."

Scorpius raises his eyebrows as if I'm entertaining to him somehow. "Certainly." He stands up and gestures his hand forward. "Après vous." I roll my eyes at him. He's so pretentious.

After the library doors swing shut, Scorpius smirks at me. "What do you want?" he asks.

"You'd better not touch Lorcan!" I hiss, frowning at him.

Scorpius looks as if he wants nothing more than to laugh. "Where would you get an idea like that?" He questions mockingly.

"Don't play stupid. Al told me."

Scorpius raises his eyebrows. "What's it to you?"

"Lorcan is my boyfriend!" Can Scorpius be so daft and thick?

"Then what am I?" Scorpius asks, cocking his head to the side.

"An arrogant asshole, obviously! He didn't do anything, and you could seriously injure him. Just- don't!"

Scorpius purses his lips and considers me the way he would a nice dinner. His cold hand takes mine, and I back away. "You see, Rose, I'm one for the preventative method. I'm going to hurt him before he hurts you." Scorpius sets me with a wicked smile as if he's somehow proud of himself.

"And what if he doesn't?" I ask. "What if I love him, and he loves me, and he's better for me than you'll ever be?" I question, my lower lip trembling. Why does Scorpius have to make things so difficult? Why can't he just be unhappy on his own? Why do I have to be dragged into it?

"If you're wrong?" Scorpius asks. "What then?"

"I won't know if you won't let me," I remind him.

Scorpius blows air out of his nostrils. "Why should I let you get hurt?" he questions.

"It's better than hurting other people, better than being selfish!"

"I'm being selfish?" Scorpius questions, raising his voice. I motion for him to quiet down. He looks as if he wants to break something. "How am I selfish for trying to help you? If anything, you're selfish for forcing me to watch you walk around with that idiot, knowing you deserve more!" Scorpius isn't acting like an adult at all. He's acting like a four-year-old throwing a tantrum.

"That's not my fault!" I whisper angrily. "That's not my fault that you fell in love with me, or you're obsessed with me, or whatever you're gross infatuation with me is! How was I supposed to know you'd fancy me? I certainly wasn't planning for it-"

Before I can finish my rant, Scorpius pulls me close to him and kisses me again. This time, I don't want to return it. I shouldn't have to. If he really cares about me, he wouldn't corner me into being with him.

"Stop," I pull away, putting my hand out to keep Scorpius away from me. "You're so careless…"

Scorpius looks at me, dumbfounded. "Do explain."

"Anyone could have walked by and seen us- seen you , and you just don't care."

"I do care," Scorpius mutters, a childish look on his face.

"Well, if this is you caring, then stop. I don't want to be a part of it."

Scorpius frowns. "Rose-"

"Don't hurt Lorcan," I say with finality. I turn to walk away from Scorpius.

"And what if I do?" he calls after me. "What are you going to do?"

I turn around to see Scorpius standing there, looking very satisfied with himself. How could he be so cruel? I don't know what to say to get through to him. If Scorpius is set on something, then nothing will stop him.

"Then you'll never have me," I say, sighing deeply.

Scorpius shakes his head and laughs. "I didn't have a chance anyway."

I squeeze into the stands beside Liliana. My heart is pounding. The match hasn't begun yet, but there are only a couple minutes until it begins.

"Are you all right?" Liliana asks, frowning softly. I don't know what to say to her, I can't tell the truth. Even if I wanted to, there're so many students yelling and cheering, and it's so cold it's like a vacuum out here.

I nod. "Just a bit out of breath…" I lie.

"Albus was telling me it's going to be a great match," Liliana mutters, making small talk. I hope it goes well too, and no one walks away from it injured.

"I hope so." I also hope Scorpius is only threatening me, that he won't risk the trouble he'll get in for hurting Lorcan.

I want to vomit as the players take the pitch. Al flies out first, being the captain, and Scorpius is right behind him. He doesn't look in the crowd once, even though his fan club of Slytherin girls goes wild. I hope that's a good sign. If he was going to hurt Lorcan, he'd want to know I was somewhere where I could see it, right?

I look for Lorcan. He's hovering above the pitch on the other end. He scans the crowd too, and then waves at me. Even from hundreds of feet below, I see Scorpius glare at him. I want to wave back, but I don't. I don't want Scorpius to know I'm here. Lorcan lowers his hand sheepishly and pretends to be fixing his robes. I feel like my heart's being ripped out of my chest. Liliana sees, but she doesn't say anything. She only claps and cheers louder for Al, not seeming to mind she's cheering for the wrong House.

The quaffle shoots into the air and all the players take off. My hair is blown back by a strong gust of wind, and I can't see anything for all the blurs of green and blue flying by. I try to keep my eye on Scorpius, but he's gone, far above the pitch. Being the Seeker, I probably won't see much of him. I curse under my breath once I remember Lorcan is Seeker too. If one of them sees the Snitch, things could get pretty nasty. I hope Scorpius sees it first.

Al hovers in front of the three goals, seeming to be watching Scorpius with half his attention and focusing on blocking goals with another. One of the Chasers flies by with the quaffle tucked under her arm and tries to throw it through the goal. Al blocks it, but he seems more irritated that she's trying to break his attention than he seems happy for helping his team.

"Go, Albus!" Liliana cheers, clapping her hands and grinning brightly. There's no way they aren't dating.

"How touching…" A voice drawls. Daisy appears at my side, looking bored as ever, her glittering black cloak flowing behind her. Just what I needed, the worst distraction imaginable.

"What are you doing here?" I ask, frowning. "Quidditch doesn't really seem to be your thing."

Daisy rolls her eyes and rests her arms on the railing. Merlin, how I wish I could push her. "It isn't. But your brother is. And so is his little friend."

"Al would never touch you," I say in a hushed voice, trying not to let Liliana hear. I don't know if she can, but her posture certainly seems much stiffer.

"No?" Daisy questions, raising her eyebrows and giving me a wicked smile. "But I'd certainly touch him."

"His girlfriend is standing right there, I'd think you could have a bit more decorum," I mutter harshly.

Daisy looks upset and confused, but does her best to mask it. She trains her hawk-like gaze on Liliana. "So you and Albus have finally made things official? Congratulations," she mutters, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Thank you," Liliana says plainly, not bothering to confirm or deny Daisy's claims. She then proceeds to watch the quidditch match as if Daisy's that quickly out of her mind. I wish I could take a few pages out of her book.

Daisy claps daintily as one of the Slytherin Chasers scores. She then leans over to me, although she keeps her gaze on the pitch. "Whatever's going on between you and Scorpius, I want it resolved," she orders, keeping her voice as low as she can with all the noise.

I frown for a second, wondering if she knows anything. Then again, Daisy isn't one to save information for later. She'd probably forget it.

"What?" I ask.

Daisy rolls her eyes. "Quit fighting with him," she orders. "Whatever the hell you two are fussing over is nothing compared to me."

"What's it to you? I thought it'd make you happy to know Scorpius and I aren't getting along."

"It doesn't. You see, it makes him think there are more important things to worry about. More important than me. I don't like that."

Daisy isn't one for complex sentence structure. "I'm sorry to hear it."

"You will be sorry if you don't fix it."

If I wasn't under so much stress, I might be able to laugh at Daisy. "Why do you insist on acting like he loves you, anyway?" I ask. For once, I'm glad Scorpius has fed my ear with all the shit about Daisy that he has. I'm finally able to use it to my advantage.

"Because he does. Jealous, Weasley?" Daisy asks, looking quite happy with herself.

"Not in the slightest. I wouldn't ever want to be something to get used and thrown away like you are. Whether or not you're marrying him doesn't change the fact that you're nothing more than Scorpius' toy."

Daisy's nostrils flare and she looks as if she's desperately trying to come up with a comeback, but her poor brain cell can't think quickly enough.

"I use him just as much as he uses me!" Daisy assures me.

I raise an eyebrow. Well, so long as she believes this is a sign their relationship is going well. "Glad to know you two are madly in love."

"I'll enjoy watching you move out of my home," Daisy says furiously.

"That's a blissfully long seven years from now," I remind her. "I won't even be there to do you the honors."

Daisy frowns as if she has a bad taste in her mouth. Then, unable to think of anything better to say, she storms off. Good riddance.

"She's horrible," Liliana says. "It should be outlawed to be so stupid." This is the first time I've heard her make a joke.

"At least she isn't your future sister-in-law," I say, trying to lighten the mood.

"You've got me beat," Liliana relents, cheering as Al blocks another goal. Slytherin is leading by twenty, and Lorcan and Scorpius are still searching for the Snitch. Luckily, they're on opposite sides of the pitch.

My heart drops as Lorcan's head turns violently. I know he's seen the Snitch. I want to scream out to him not to Chase it, to just let Slytherin win the match. But I can't. He wouldn't hear me. Lorcan sneaks a glance over his shoulder to see if Scorpius has seen him, and he has. He's been watching him the entire time.

Lorcan takes off on his broom, going after the Snitch. "He's a great flyer," Liliana compliments kindly. I just hope he's good enough.

"He is," I nod, not taking my eyes off the two off them. The Snitch comes closer to the ground. I hope if Scorpius decides to knock Lorcan off his broom, he won't have too far to fall. The Snitch flies by the stands, at eye level with all the spectators. Lorcan and Scorpius fly by so quickly it makes a loud sound. Al yells something at Scorpius, but he ignores him. They chase one another into the air, higher and higher until I'm sure there's no way Lorcan isn't going to get hurt.

Everyone in the stands is going crazy, and the announcer is so loud my ears are beginning to hurt. I feel powerless, knowing something bad is about to happen and only being able to watch.

Lorcan reaches his hands out to catch the Snitch. I hope that he does, because then the game will end, and everything will be all right. I'm not so lucky. The Snitch plunges downward, choosing today of all days to be impossible to catch. Lorcan's got a lead on Scorpius, if only a small one. He reaches out for the Snitch again, trying to get away from Scorpius while staying in catching distance.

Scorpius goes a little faster, as if he hasn't even been trying the entire time. He doesn't even care about catching the Snitch anymore. Lorcan glances over just in time for Scorpius to give him a nasty elbow to the face. Lorcan immediately falls from his broom, and the stands go silent. I can't help but scream.

"My dear God," Liliana says in shock, putting her hand over her mouth. She looks over to me, but I can't look back. I can only watch, horrified, as Lorcan falls Merlin knows how many feet from his broom. He hits the ground with a sickening sound. Hundreds of wizards and teachers around, and no one performs any sort of magic that could help him.

I push past people, running down the stands until I'm out on the pitch. Lorcan definitely has some broken bones, and he's out cold. I want to cry, but I know that's exactly what Scorpius wants me to do. He wants to get to me, and he'll go to any length just to do it. He hovers above, probably with a stupid smug look on his face, until a clear foul is called on him.

It seems everyone's ready to go on with the game until they realize Lorcan isn't getting up. Did they really think he would?

"What the hell, Scorpius?" Al shouts, landing his broom and leaning down beside me to have a look at Lorcan. "Rose, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's not your fault," I mutter, my lip trembling. I'm not going to cry. I won't let Scorpius win.

"I was trying to catch the Snitch. He was in my way," Scorpius says nonchalantly, opening his hand and revealing the Snitch. The asshole. He nearly kills someone and still wins the game. He tosses the Snitch into the dirt as if he couldn't care any less about it.

"You liar," I say, getting up and turning on Scorpius. "You could have killed him!"

"I could have done a lot of things," Scorpius retorts, a challenging look in his eyes. "This is your fault. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"That was dirty," Al says, turning on Scorpius as well. "I don't care whether or not you like Lorcan, but you can't hurt him. It's not… it's not fair."

Scorpius rolls his eyes. "Since when do Slytherins play fairly?"

"I do," Al says harshly, glancing upward as Liliana rushes onto the pitch. "Is he all right?" she questions, deciding to stand on Al's other side so she isn't forced to look at Scorpius. "I've got the nurse, and a few teachers…"

"Thank you," I tell her. We're rushed back by a group of teachers, who are a bit late, I might add, and Lorcan is taken away to the Hospital Wing. I want to go with him, but my guilt doesn't let me. I resolve to visit him later.

"Go back to the locker room," Al instructs, looking at all the confused Slytherin players. They stalk off, seeming more concerned with whether or not they actually won the match than they do with Lorcan's well-being.

"Is there anything else I can do?" Liliana asks, looking between Al and me.

Al shakes his head and kisses her forehead. "No… thanks though. I'll see you later." Scorpius glances at Liliana as if she's the worst sort of garbage.

"You should be glad nothing happened to him," Liliana says, frowning at Scorpius.

Scorpius raises his eyebrows as if the thought's never occurred to him. "I should?"

"You should." Liliana says stiffly. "Wouldn't want to be the first Head Boy to kill someone, would you?" Liliana walks off with Al. He looks over his shoulder at me, but I motion for him to keep going.

"I can't believe you!" I say to Scorpius once Al and Liliana are out of earshot. Most of the students are filing out of the stands, seeing how there's no longer a half-dead student in the middle of the pitch, there's not really anything else to look at anymore.

"The things I do for love," Scorpius says mockingly. Even though his tone is light, I can tell that he's hurt. I don't care, though. I can't, after what he did.

"I hope you get what you deserve for this," I mutter, unable to look at him.

"I hope so too, as long as it's you," Scorpius says with a stupid grin. "I can't assume you'll get much from a boyfriend who's going to be in the Hospital Wing for Merlin knows how long."

"Because you put him there! He did nothing to you, and you hurt him!" I shout.

"Sounds eerily like someone else I know," Scorpius mutters. "Besides, he took something from me that I'd quite had my eye on."

"You're disgusting," I mutter, shaking my head hopelessly.

Scorpius nods his head as if I'm giving him a compliment. "Among my better qualities."

"Everything is a joke to you," I realize. "You're so unhappy that you can't control your own life that you've resorted to ruining everyone else's? That's really mature of you!"

"Who's life have I ruined?" Scorpius asks dumbly.

"You're off to a pretty good start with mine! Because of you, my boyfriend's in the hospital! I don't even feel comfortable speaking to my parents anymore! Nina won't speak to me!"

Scorpius shakes his head. "None of that's my fault. Maybe the first thing, admitted, but nothing else is."

I could kill him. "It's not your fault that because of you and your wandering eyes I feel sick thinking of what to say to Mum and Dad, how we can look them in the eye when we go home? And I suppose it isn't your fault either that Nina suddenly thinks she's above speaking to me?"

"She said the same about you," Scorpius tells me.

"Well, I don't know where she would get any of that from except you! The common denominator in all of this is you! You never gave a damn about her before!"

"You don't know that!" Scorpius snaps.

"Right, perhaps I'm just stupid. You never talked to her, or played with her, but you sure as hell cared about her! Why now, because she's been sorted into Slytherin too, and that's some boost to your Malfoy esteem?"

Scorpius' face flushes and I know he's getting annoyed, but I can't stop myself. Finally, I understand why Scorpius is so mean. When you're so angry and feel you've been wronged so greatly, it actually feels rather good to take it out on someone.

"You don't know a thing," Scorpius says tightly, his jaw clenched.

"But still, you want me," I remind him. "Poor Nina, taking lessons from you. At this rate, she'll be bitter and rude the rest of her life-"

"I don't want her to turn out like Isobelle!" Scorpius says harshly, raising his voice. A couple of the students that haven't really gotten around to leaving decide now's a good time to do so.

I stare at Scorpius, confused. "What?"

"I don't want Nina stuck depending on some man," Scorpius says, running his hand through his hair. He won't look at me.

"She isn't going to. And it's not up to you to protect her from that if it's keeping her away from the rest of us."

"That's not my fault what she does," Scorpius says defensively.

He doesn't get it. "You can't go around protecting everyone, or whatever the hell you call it! It's not your job! You're not our father! Not mine, and not Nina's!"

"Why do you care so much what I do with Nina? Why does it matter to you whether I care about her or not?" Scorpius demands.

"Because she's not your sister!" I tell him angrily, my fists clenched. As soon as I say it, I wish I could take it back. "Scorpius… I…"

"Shut up," Scorpius says coldly. I can tell by the look on his face that he's given it some thought before, but dismissed it. "You're lying to me."

I don't say anything back. Mum and Dad are going to kill me if Scorpius says anything to them. They don't even know that I know.

"Don't tell her, please," I say quietly. This is all Scorpius needs to know that I'm serious. He stares at me, not even blinking. "She's still your sister, no matter what."

Scorpius looks as if he's about to choke once he realizes I'm telling him Nina and I have the same parents. One of us he looks at as a sister, and the other he doesn't.

"Anymore secrets you might care to tell?" Scorpius asks coldly. "Does my father know? Because I highly doubt he'd want a child that isn't even his to have his name."

I nod. "He agreed to it." I don't understand it either, but that's what Isobelle told me.

Scorpius looks completely shocked and dumbfounded. He looks up at me, his face stone cold again. "Well, if that was your sorry attempt to get me to treat Nina any differently, then you've failed miserably," he informs me coolly before lifting his broom over his shoulder and walking off. No matter what I say, Scorpius insists on treating everything like it's a game. I wish he understood not everyone thinks that way.

A/N: Don't really know what to say about this chapter other than wow.

How do you think this is going to play out? Leave a review!