Chapter Ten

After breakfast the following morning, half the school watched as Connor Finnigan and Harriot McLaggen were led from the grounds by their parents, their trunks bobbing along behind them. Albus and his friends leant out of a window on the first floor, halfway between the Great Hall and the Transfiguration classroom, as the boys crossed the courtyard below. As they reached the archway at the far end, Albus saw something pink fly through the air and strike McLaggen on the back of the head. It burst, and he thought it looked suspiciously like one of his uncles' prototypes. Craning his neck, he saw the distinctive red hair of his younger sister duck inside one of the windows below, and smirked.

McLaggen didn't even look back, just ducked his head and stumbled after his parents as the gelatinous pink liquid dribbled down his back. Albus ran a hand through his own hair and stepped away from the window. 'Good riddance,' said Fitzroy, grinning at the rest of them. 'And we're going to destroy Gryffindor next match.'

Albus hadn't thought of that. His brother had let McLaggen and Finnigan back on the team after Christmas, saying that their probation period was over, and although he'd disagreed with that decision it was undeniable that the two boys had made up a strong part of the team. James' likelihood of getting scouted hinged on him having a good final, and it was extremely likely that the final playoff would be Slytherin versus Gryffindor. He didn't like to think about facing James if Gryffindor lost that match.

He was so unfocussed in his lessons that morning that he managed to transfigure his cat into a cantaloupe instead of a cactus, and nearly hospitalised Rose when he absent-mindedly poured Tabasco into his Draught of Ebullience and made the whole thing explode. At lunch he ate hurriedly, and hurried up to the Hospital Wing as soon as he finished, as Scorpius was being woken up. To his surprise, he found Adelaide and then Rose joining him at the door to the ward.

'I saved his life too,' said Adelaide in answer to his inquiring look.

'I - want to support you,' said Rose, although he thought she looked rather pink about the cheeks. He wondered if she'd run there, too.

Madame Abbott was examining a small boy with hives on his face when they walked in, and looked rather exasperated at the sight of them. 'Honestly, will you lot ever let me Heal in peace?' she sighed, pulling a large pot of ointment out her robes and smearing it across the small boy's face. 'I'll apply that again in an hour, Simpkins, and you'll be out by dinner. Why on earth you felt the need to go grubbing about in a Devil's Lettuce patch I just don't know.'

'Madame Abbott?' asked Rose tentatively as she bustled across the room. 'Are - are you waking Scorpius up today?'

'Well I was planning on eating lunch first but clearly you lot would prefer me to starve. I suppose he's been sleeping long enough - come on, then. I'll allow you to be here as long as you do absolutely nothing to interfere or distract me. It is imperative that he wakes up right.'

They nodded, and sat down in a row beside the bed. Scorpius was in much the same position as the last time Albus had seen him, although his breathing was a little deeper, and he thought that there was a touch more colour on his friend's hollow cheeks. Madame Abbott leant over him and began her examinations, all the while taking notes on a clipboard. After a minute or two, Rose turned to Albus and whispered:

'Is it true? You caught out McLaggen and Finnigan for giving Scorpius that awful drug, and got them expelled?'

He nodded, wondering if she was going to be angry at him, but instead her face broke into a broad smile and she actually put her arms around him in a hug. He tolerated it for a moment, half out of shock, and then pushed her gently away. She was still beaming.

'I'm sorry to say it, but those two have been awful for the past six years,' she said. 'I'm not sad to see them go at all.'

'Alright but calm down, you look like you've stuck a broomstick in your cheeks,' said Albus, feeling rather uncomfortable at this unexpected approval. He glanced around at Adelaide, and saw that she was smiling too, although her eyes were still fixed on Scorpius. He decided that girls were very odd indeed, and went back to watching Madame Abbott's ministrations on Scorpius.

The minutes ticked by, with the whimpering of Simpkins in the background. After a while, Madame Abbott stepped back for a moment and produced a vial of translucent, blue-tinged potion, which she promptly fed to Scorpius. He choked slightly and Albus felt Rose grab his wrist as Scorpius gasped for air and his eyes shot open, staring blindly up at the ceiling. His back arched, his fingers scrabbling on the white sheets, and Albus' eyes started to water at the pain of Rose's grip. But just as Albus opened his mouth to protest, Scorpius' whole body relaxed back onto the mattress again and his breathing began to ease into a regular rhythm. Madame Abbott leant over and patted his sweaty forehead with a damp cloth. Scorpius' eyes had closed again - he looked peacefully asleep.

'It's not unusual for patients to fall straight into a natural sleep again, it takes the body some time to adjust and the wake up process alone is quite taxing. He'll be up in a while,' said Madame Abbott softly. Albus checked his watch and grimaced.

'I've got Magical Languages, now, Professor Glotten will kill me if I don't show,' he groaned.

'Me too,' said Adelaide, as the bell for the end of lunch rang.

'I might skip it, someone should be with Scorpius when he wakes up,' said Albus, pausing with his hand halfway towards his bag.

'No, Scorpius, I won't let you,' said Rose firmly. 'You can't skip anymore school, you're toeing close enough to the line as it is. I'll wait here, I've got a free period now anyway.'

Albus raised his eyebrows at her. 'Really? You'll wait by Scorpius' bedside?'

'Don't be so sceptical, we can be perfectly civil when we want to be. We are paired up for Prefect duties, after all,' she retorted. Albus still seemed unsure, but Adelaide was on her feet and with a final check of his watch he picked up his bag and followed her out the ward. Rose watched them go, and then settled back in her chair.

She found herself watching Scorpius sleep, glancing over his features and then meditating on the steady rise and fall of his chest. He had become incredibly thin from his stint in hospital, his ribs visible through his hospital gown, although he did at least now have the colouring of a person rather than a corpse. She mulled over the last two days, since she'd heard that Scorpius was seriously ill in the Hospital Wing. At first, the rumours had said that he was likely to die, that he'd been poisoned, and she'd found herself wandering the castle in a state of shock and terror, unable to focus on anything but the possible loss of Scorpius. When she'd found out that he wasn't going to die the terror had abated, only to be replaced by confusion and, when it looked like he was going to be expelled, fear again.

And now she was sat beside him as he slept peacefully, and she was left only with that confusion, that bewilderment, over why she'd become such a mess. This was Scorpius Malfoy, her nemesis, the boy she'd been unable to stand from the very moment they'd set eyes on each other all those years ago on the Hogwarts Express. They'd virtually come to blows then, and Albus had attested that they had sent sparks at each other. And even after they'd grown up a little, and could stand to be in a room together, they'd always argued or teased each other to the brink of anger.

'Weasley?'

She jumped a little, suddenly realising that Scorpius' eyes were open. The grey-blue irises seemed to be more piercing than usual. She stared, unsure quite what to say, as Scorpius blinked in confusion and then looked around at the Hospital Wing.

'What … what happened? Did I have an accident? Was it at the match?'

'No,' said Rose. 'Look, I'm not sure how to say this. You overdosed at the victory party for the match. McLaggen and Finnigan have confessed that they paid someone to give you Basilisk's Powder and call it Billywig - they're already expelled, your gang of Slytherins tracked down what happened. But you're lucky to be alive, really. Albus saved your life.'

'Merlin's left bollock,' croaked Scorpius. 'That's quite something.'

'Do you not remember any of it?'

'I remember bits of the match, I think, but it's all blurry and mixed up. I think some of what I remember was just dreams, I'm not sure,' he said. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, and smiled. 'So what're you doing, sat by my bedside?'

'I was just here with Albus,' said Rose, quickly.

'Alright, alright, don't flatter me even if I'm an invalid…'

'I wanted to come support him, he's been a wreck about it all. You nearly dying, then nearly getting expelled. It's been tough on him.'

'I'd expect nothing less. But thanks, Weasley. You don't have to sit here. Won't your boyfriend be wondering?'

'Oh my god, Daniel!' Rose jumped to her feet. 'I was supposed to meet him after lunch, I said we could hang out all this period!'

'Well, you'd better hurry off, then. See you around, Rose.'

She hurried out of the Hospital Wing, taking the stairs two at a time and virtually running back to the Common Room. Several people looked around as she burst through the portrait hole, but she ignored them and went over to Daniel. He was sat with his back to her, bent over a book they were supposed to be reading for Charms. He didn't look up as she sat down on the arm of the chair, until she put her arms around his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek.

'Dan, I'm so sorry, really I am,' she murmured. He looked around at her, his brown eyes wide and hurt, and she felt her chest clench with guilt.

'Where have you been?'

'I'm sorry, I was with Albus, he's been such a wreck -'

'I don't mean just this lunchtime. I've hardly spoken to you for days, you've been so distant, it's like I don't even exist to you!' he said. 'Do you even care about me anymore?'

'Daniel, of course I do!' cried Rose. But even as she said it, she felt guilty, as if she was lying. She did care about him, deeply, but it felt different to how she'd felt before. Pushing that out her mind, she placed a hand on his chest. 'Please, Daniel, give us a chance. I've been absent, I know, but I'll try harder. Please?'

He sighed, but took her hand. 'Alright. Let's go upstairs and talk properly.' She nodded, and followed him upstairs.

The next day, Albus brought a leather duffel bag of clothes and books to Scorpius in the Hospital Wing, and found him already up and dressed, his half-eaten breakfast pushed to one side. Albus fell into a chair and placed the duffel bag beside him, but Scorpius didn't look at it. There was a strange expression in his eyes, one that had been lingering in his face since he'd woken up.

'It's just a three day suspension, Scorpius,' said Albus. 'You can have some peace and quiet, and get better. And you wouldn't want to be in Hogwarts anyway, not until the bloody gossipers have moved on.'

'Yeah, and my father will probably be away on business, anyway.'

Albus thought this was an odd thing to say, but he let it slide. Madame Abbott had arrived, anyway, to check Scorpius over and give him her all clear. 'Peaky, but you'll do. Eat lots and don't tax yourself - use that cane! And come for a checkup when you get back to Hogwarts.' She bustled off, and left Scorpius and Albus alone again.

After a long pause, Scorpius stood up slowly and grasped the plain wood cane beside him, leaning heavily upon it. He flicked his left hand so that the bag hovered just behind him, and then set off out of the Hospital Wing. Albus went with him all the way to the Entrance Hall, where Professor Flint was waiting with the haggard figure of Mr Malfoy.

'Potter, you can go,' said Flint. 'Breakfast is almost over, anyway.'

Albus nodded and went quietly, as from the expression on Mr Malfoy's face at the sight of him, his hanging around would not be helpful at all. At the doorway to the Great Hall, he glanced back and saw Mr Malfoy speaking to Scorpius, his hand clenched on his shoulder. The expression on Scorpius' face was stiff and unreadable. Albus turned, and went into the Great Hall.

—

The library swam before Scorpius' eyes, tipping on its axis as he tried to steady himself, but his limbs felt dull and sluggish, like he was moving through thick treacle. The lights seemed to spark and flicker, blindingly bright, and he squinted as the crooked silhouette of his father loomed before him. His whole body was shaking, as the floor shuddered beneath them, and his stomach swam with nausea and pain.

'You bastard!' screamed his father, 'you're no son of mine!'

The silhouette moved swiftly and Scorpius felt his back arch in agony as a bolt of pain shot through his body. He fell backwards as a black wave rose around him, washing over his head and enveloping him in thick darkness. He fell through the air, flailing in the treacle, and still screaming so hard he thought it would wrench his chest apart.

'Scorpius! Scorpius!'

Something was shaking him, pulling at his body, and the thick darkness was suddenly cloyingly moist and seemed to be wrapping tighter around him, constricting his limbs…

'Scorpius!'

His eyes shot open, and he saw Albus' face looming over him, blurred slightly at the edges. He gasped, and realised all at once that he was in the dormitory, and that it was damp sheets wrapped tightly around him. He blinked, and the room came into focus as Albus stepped back, still staring at him. He knew that he must look a sight, wild-eyed and soaked in sweat. The other boys were watching from their own beds, except for Zabini who seemed to be in the shower. Attempting to look normal, he blinked and turned away from Albus, pulling the sheets off of his legs.

'Why did you wake me?' he asked, running a hand across his damp forehead and pushing hair out his eyes.

'You were … yelling in your sleep,' said Albus.

'Sounded like a pretty intense nightmare,' said Fitzroy from his own bed, watching Scorpius through perfectly tousled curls.

'Are you still on withdrawal from those drugs?' asked Albus.

'Ugh, yeah must be that,' lied Scorpius, still not looking at any of them. 'I can't remember anything. I should get moving, I've got to go see Madame Abbott before lessons.'

Zabini emerged from the bathroom in a towel and Scorpius snuck past him before Albus or any of them could say anything, escaping into the shower. He stripped off and stared at his reflection for a moment. The slashes across his torso were still bright red, thin lines that crisscrossed his chest and back. He traced one with a tip of his finger, and then turned away and stepped into the shower, gritting his teeth as the jets stung the raw cuts.

Madame Abbott was bustling around the near-empty Hospital Wing when Scorpius entered, and she waved him over to an empty bed. 'Sit down, Mr Malfoy, this shouldn't take long.' She took his temperature, heart rate, checked his eyes and throat. 'Eating properly? Any pain?'

'All's normal,' said Scorpius, attempting a relaxed smile.

'You're lucky to be alive, Malfoy, and next time you may not be. Take this as a stern warning, understand? I don't want to see you back here, and certainly not for intoxication or substance abuse. Alright, off you go. Eat lots of greens, and red meat too, you need to keep your protein up. Take this potion twice a day for a week, and you shouldn't have any lasting effects. Now go, lessons are starting and you've missed enough over the past week. Go!'

She handed him a box of vials, and ushered him out. The bell had already rung for class, and when he reached the Transfiguration classroom Professor Foxworth was midway through a speech on inter-species Transfiguration between exoskeleton and endoskeleton species. He ducked his head and hurried to sit beside Albus, who silently slid his notes between them for Scorpius to copy.

'Are you alright?' whispered Albus, but Scorpius ignored him on the pretence of pulling a sheet of parchment from his bag and diligently trying to catch up on notes. 'What was going on earlier?'

'Nothing,' hissed Scorpius, avoiding Albus' gaze and starting on his notes. 'it was just a nightmare, Albus, leave it. I'm going through withdrawal from the Basilisk's powder, aren't I?'

'Seemed like more than just a nightmare,' muttered Albus.

There was a Quidditch practice that afternoon, and Scorpius changed into his robes in the dormitory to avoid stripping off in front of the rest of the team. They all stared at him in surprise as he walked in, broomstick over his shoulder, and Bowles stepped forward. 'You sure you want to practice, Malfoy? Don't you need to rest up a bit?'

'No, I don't,' said Scorpius firmly, 'I've rested up enough, I'll be fine. We've got the final coming up anyway, I need to practice.'

'Alright, it's up to you.'

To Scorpius' surprise and pleasure, practice went perfectly. As soon as he kicked off into the air, he felt the maddening cycle of thoughts and anxieties that had been plaguing him for the past week drift completely from his mind. For ninety minutes, he could forget all of it and just focus on the Quaffle, his teammates, and the three hoops at their end of the pitch. When Bowles finally blew his whistle and practice came to an end, Scorpius felt a vague sinking feeling in his chest that wasn't just because he'd directed his broomstick to land.

Bowles clapped him on the back as they headed back to the changing rooms. 'Nice practice, Malfoy, not bad at all. We're thinking of having drinks tonight after practice, if you want to come along?'

Scorpius shook his head. 'I … I shouldn't. I've got stacks of work to catch up on from the past week, you know, I really don't want to get in even more trouble for that. In fact, I think I'll go now.'

He lifted his broomstick onto his shoulder again and left. The chatter and banter of the locker room faded away to silence behind him as he headed down the passageway and away through the castle.

It was a Friday night, and as usual the Slytherin Common Room was packed and noisy but the Library was virtually deserted. Scorpius realised as he stepped inside that he'd never actually been to the Library on a Friday night during his whole time at Hogwarts. Still, the cool silence felt much better than the maelstrom of Slytherin House. At least here he had a chance to order his thoughts, go through them steadily, instead of being attacked by them all at once. He needed to work out the last week of his life.

He let the door swing shut behind him, ignoring the glare from the wizened old librarian, and set off down a long aisle of shelves to the row of desks at the far end. To his surprise, it wasn't entirely deserted. A familiar head of red curls was bent over some sheets of parchment between tottering stacks of books, urgently scribbling away. With a smile, Scorpius ran a hand through his hair, thinking as he did how long it was getting, and wandered over to sit down opposite her.

'Evening, Weasley,' he murmured, pulling out his own work. 'I'm surprised, I always thought you were a secret swot. Albus is the one for the Library.'

'I've got to catch up on some essays,' whispered Rose. 'And there's a party going on in the Gryffindor Tower that I didn't feel like going to.'

'I'd tease you for that, but I've got enough to be getting on with,' said Scorpius, running a quill down the list of essays he had to do. 'It seems that accidentally overdosing isn't an excuse for skipping out on homework.'

'Try saying your Crup ate it?' said Rose, smirking. He noticed a dimple appeared in her cheek when she smiled. He chuckled, and then groaned a second later as he reached into her bag. Rose raised her eyebrows. 'What?'

'I'm such an idiot, I forgot to bring any ink. I'll just head back to the dungeons and grab some-'

'Don't be silly, you can borrow mine,' said Rose. He reached out to take the small glass pot she held, and felt his hand jump involuntarily as their fingers brushed. Avoiding her eyes, he hurriedly took the pot and busied himself with starting a plan of his Herbology essay on Gravity Resistant Shrubs. There was a few minutes of silence, filled only by the scratching of their quills and the occasional flick of pages.

'Gravity Resistant Shrubs shrivel at the touch of lemon juice, don't they?' asked Scorpius.

'No, lemon juice helps them bloom,' corrected Rose.

'But according to this book, citrus fruit is deadly for them!' exclaimed Scorpius.

'And if you turned the page, you'd see that lemon juice is the exception. That essay is supposed to be discussing what properties are required to make a Gravity Resistant Shrub grow, so the different reactions to lemons as to limes or grapefruit or whatever is one of the main points you're supposed to be discussing!' said Rose.

'No need to be so high and mighty,' retorted Scorpius, refusing to admit that she was right. He added a few points to his plan, and then looked up to see Rose smiling. 'What're you smirking about?'

'I'm not smirking. I was just thinking, that was probably a record for us managing to be together without arguing,' she replied.

'Next thing you know, we might actually be friends,' said Scorpius.

'Will you two be quiet!' hissed the librarian, glaring at them from around a shelf. 'This is a library!'

'And I should probably be going. I made a promise to Daniel that I'd spend more time with him, and this definitely doesn't count as that. Have a good night, Malfoy.'

'And you, Weasley.'

She left the Library and only realised when she was halfway back to the Gryffindor Tower that she was still smiling. It only made her annoyed that it was Malfoy of all people who'd made her smile, the manipulative little snake. She pushed him out of her mind and thought instead of Daniel. He'd probably be at the party that James Potter was throwing, wondering where she was and waiting for her to appear. Only yesterday he'd appeared outside the door of her last lesson of the day with a bunch of flowers - roses, of course - and taken her off for a walk by the lake. He was the perfect boyfriend, she thought, as she reached the Fat Lady and entered the Common Room.

The party was loud and boisterous, as usual, and she had to crane her neck to look for Daniel over the jostling heads. Lily appeared beside her, bottle of Butterbeer in hand. 'Who're you looking for?'

'Daniel, of course. I can't see him!'

'Oh, he disappeared a while ago. I think he said he was tired and wanted an early night.'

'Thanks, Lily!'

'No problem,' said Lily, shrugging and disappearing into the crowd again. Rose started to push her way through the crowd, picking up a couple of cups of punch as she went. This was perfect - the rest of Daniel's dormitory would be at the party until the early hours of the morning, so they'd have the place to themselves for hours. She shoved her way between the last gaggle of students, some Third Years gathered near the door to the boys' dormitories, and then made her way up the spiral staircase. Maybe he'd be asleep already, and she'd surprise him and wake him up.

She reached the door of his dormitory and grasped the doorknob, but as she began to open it she stopped short, her heart suddenly beating fast in her chest. As she'd opened the door she'd heard the unmistakeable sound of a girl's moan. She stood frozen, trying to find air to breathe, as she let the door swing inwards and saw her boyfriend entwined on his bed with another girl. The curtains of his bed weren't even drawn, she had full view of them writhing half-naked together, until the girl opened her eyes, saw Rose, and screamed.

Daniel looked around and, at the sight of Rose, sprang from the bed towards her. He tripped over his feet in his undone jeans, and she was halfway down the stairs before he caught up with her, grabbing her by the wrist.

'Rose, stop! Rose!'

'No, let me go Daniel!' cried Rose, tears in her eyes as she pulled away from him.

'Please let me explain!'

'There's nothing to explain, is there? You were in bed with another girl, about to have sex with her! You can't even deny it!'

'Look, I'm sorry, I was just talking to her and one thing led to another - I was drunk - we weren't going to have sex!'

'Oh, like any of that even matters!' hissed Rose, glaring at him through her tears. 'You were cheating on me, and you can't even pretend you care! What, the whole way up to the dormitory did you not once think about me? You're not even that drunk!'

'I said I was sorry! Can we not talk about this? I was just feeling lonely, you haven't been around!' he said as she turned away.

'Don't you dare throw that in my face!' she yelled. 'I never want to see or speak to you again. We're over, Daniel, you're dead to me!'

She ran down the stairs and he didn't follow her. Tears were streaming down her face as she burst back into the party and pushed her way through it, ignoring the yells of surprise and annoyance as she shoved past people. At the Portrait Hole she bumped into one of her friends, a girl called Emmanuelle, who stared at her in surprise.

'Rose, what's happened? You're crying!'

'D-Daniel - with Christina - in bed - I need to go!' choked Rose, and she ran past Emmanuelle and out through the Portrait Hole again. She hardly took notice of where she was running, just that it was away from the Gryffindor Tower, until she went around a corner and bumped straight into someone coming from the opposite direction. Someone caught her before she fell and she heard a familiar voice:

'Weasley? What's going on?'

It was Scorpius. He was clearly on his way back from the Library. She stared at him in shock and surprise, and then found herself bursting into a fresh wave of sobs, her heartbreak combining with mortification that he was seeing her in such a state. To her very great surprise, she suddenly found he had put his arms around her and was hugging her. Her face pressed into his shoulder, soaking it with tears as he held her.

As they pulled away, she attempted to choke out an explanation, but he quickly shushed her. 'Don't try and speak yet. Come on, let's go talk somewhere else.'

He put an arm around her shoulders and led her down a passageway, up a staircase, and along another corridor. She was unsure where they were headed until suddenly they reached a spiral staircase, and she had a split second of realisation before they emerged on top of the Astronomy Tower. 'It's one of my favourite places to go when I need some peace and quiet. I was wondering whether to come here or go back to the dungeons when you pitched up,' he explained, as he cast a little ball of familiar bluebell-coloured flames that hovered just above them. 'Now, tell me what's going on to get you in this state.'

Her sobs had subsided a little on the walk, but her voice still choked on the words as she attempted to tell him what she'd walked in on in Daniel's dormitory. She finished with their breakup on the staircase, and he murmured several extremely rude names for Daniel. Despite all of it, she couldn't help but giggle a little, and Scorpius gave her a slightly crooked smile. She wiped her eyes with a sleeve, and went to lean against the parapet of the tower. It was very beautiful, she had to admit, with the clear starry sky overhead and the panoramic view of the moonlit grounds. Scorpius leant next to her, close enough that she could feel the heat from his arm through their robes.

'He's not worth it, Rose. If he thinks he can do something like that to you then he's the biggest idiot in the world. You're going to fall in love with someone so much better and wonder why you ever fell for such an arsehole.'

She stared at him, no longer crying, and he looked around at her. 'What?'

'Nothing just … I don't think you've ever called me 'Rose', before. It's always been Weasley or … worse.'

'I'm not such a dickhead that I'd insult a crying girl,' he replied.

'You're not acting like a dickhead at all, for once.'

He shrugged, a lock of hair falling over his eyes, and then suddenly grinned as wide as if he'd stuck a wand in his mouth. 'Look at you, getting all soft,' he said, laughing even harder when she scowled and smacked him on the arm. 'Can't deny it, Weasley!'

'I will. Say it to anyone and I call it slander,' she retorted, but he didn't lose the annoying smile. 'Oh, and your hair's fallen on your face.'

'What, here?' He pointed at his cheek. 'Here?' He pointed at his chin, smirking.

'Oh for Merlin's sake,' she sighed, reaching to brush the lock off his forehead. He caught her hand, and she let him hold it by his cheek, her mind for once empty of anything to say. They were close enough that she could feel his breath, or maybe it was hers, she couldn't be sure but her face felt very hot.

The kiss was slow at first, his lips rough against hers, but the explosion inside her stomach was instantaneous. She found herself leaning into him even as her mind screamed this is Scorpius Malfoy! and he grasped her waist, holding her close. She was reaching to tangle her hands in his silky blond hair when suddenly they were on his chest instead and she was pushing him away. Turning away from his expression of confusion and hurt, she took a few steps away from him.

'Rose?'

'I need to go - I can't deal with this, not now!'

'Rose, wait!'

But for the second time that night, she was running away from a boy down a staircase, and once again she found herself in tears, although this time she couldn't be sure why.