November 2, 2026

"Come this way, she's awake. Still a bit loopy though from her late night meds," the medi-nurse said, a smile on his face. "She's been recovering and is doing well. It's still a fight every day, but she's improved so much since she was first brought in."

As soon as visiting hours arrived, Rose and Scorpius were at St. Mungos, ready to visit Dom. Rose was carrying some daisies from the local flower shop for her cousin's bedside table. They were the cheapest flowers in the shop and it still hurt her miniscule budget, though she would never reveal that detail to Scorpius. Rose and Scorpius got into another minor argument when he tried to pay for the flowers instead – but he was paying for everything else in her life right now that she was fine with spending money on this. He did buy the morning coffee they were currently toting around the hospital.

The medi-nurse was super happy about life. He talked about his morning so far, the brief crisis in the cafeteria at the stroke of midnight earlier in the week, the excitement of the previous day when one of the patients tackled a Daily Prophet reporter that was hounding a Healer – all before they reached Dom's room. It was pretty quiet in St. Mungo's so far this morning, he was saying as he opened up the door to her room, as if he was warning them to keep it that way with a smile on his face.

Dom was sitting by the window, her frame silhouetted in the morning light. She looked up towards the door when she heard noise, and with eyes that didn't quite focus she said, "Blondie? Sailor! So nice to see you again. How is your family?" Her voice sounded perfunctory and vacant, like she was half sleeping and wasn't comprehending the words that left her mouth.

Rose raised an eyebrow. This wasn't the reception she was expecting. She set the flowers down on the side table and carefully sat down on the chair across from Dom by the window. Scorpius sat down on the bed facing them. "The family is doing well," Rose said. "Mum and Dad are working and keeping busy. Hugo is in Ireland still. Haven't heard from him since the family get-together."

"Oh right, Ireland … Its lovely weather we're having, isn't it?"

"It's alright," said Rose. "How have you been doing?"

"Oh you know. I'm flying high as a kite right now and can barely feel my body below my neck. But it's been worse." She gave a smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. She looked out the window and rested her head lightly on the glass.

"Do you stay on painkillers all day?" asked Scorpius.

"No. It was just a bad night. But company always makes it better! Lily said she was coming again today to discuss the changed wedding plans, and Molly and Lucy always stop by during their breaks. Haven't seen Louis or Vic in a while though. They've been busy. But I'm happy you two stopped in! Thanks for the flowers."

She was so calm and collected. Rose felt a growing anxiety about the questions brewing inside her, begging for answers. This would be using and abusing her cousin just to get answers and she didn't want to cause any setbacks to the healing process. Dom was recovering and seemed to be doing well. They finished their coffee and continued the small talk, with Scorpius throwing glances at her the whole time until he finally said he was going for another round of coffee and would bring some back to the room. Rose excused herself from Dom for a moment to join him in the hallway.

"I can't do it. She's too drugged and happy right now. It doesn't feel right – like I'm taking advantage of the situation."

Scorpius put his hands on her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Rose, you really need this information. This may be the perfect time to ask her, she seems open to sharing right now. I spelled the room against eavesdroppers as soon as we got here, so you just need to start the conversation."

He's right you know. She's forgiving, Greg said. You need to stop thinking about her health in order to get answers.

Unless you can get the answers elsewhere. Like from a different cousin, Marta said right back.

A few Healers passed by with their clipboards floating behind them as a quill jotted notes, and Rose glanced back at the open door of Dom's room. "I know. I just don't want to cause more chaos or cause her any more pain."

Scorpius surprised her by pulling her in for a hug and holding her there in the middle of the hallway. She wrapped her arms around him with her face resting on his shoulder and took a deep breath, smelling pine and clover. "She'll be fine," he said quietly. "Don't forget it's you who won't be in a few months and that's why we need to know everything we can. Dom'll understand when she's better."

Scorpius's hug provided the courage for her to go back into the room and sit next to Dom when he left for the second coffee run of the morning. Not that she really needed more coffee with the way she could feel it coursing through her veins. Dom gave another half lazy smile when Rose was seated again. "Sailor. You're looking better each time I see you. Blondie is doing you good."

"Dom … I have something rather serious to talk to you about," Rose said hesitantly. "I know you have a lot of other things to focus on right now, but this is rather important as well."

Dom made a face. "How serious? The sun is shining."

"I know." Rose winced. Woman of destruction, she was. "I don't know the best place to start, but I have a puzzle for you to solve – involving a medical anomaly, let's say. And I'm coming to you as a patient, with your knowledge of potions." She didn't intend to start with the voices, but that seemed to be at the forefront of her mind with her recent encounter with Danny. Dom looked a bit dubious, but Rose continued. "It's a bit up in the air how it happened – either through a spell or potion – but it's caused me to have voices in my head. Like an extension or separation of my conscious, echoing my extreme thoughts." Dom's eyebrows creased, but a subdued gleam appeared in her eyes and Rose took that as a good sign to continue. "They started the day I showed up at your flat when I got in the argument with Danny. And he also got voices in his head that night – so it affected us both – whatever it was. It's been giving me headaches – these voices – and it's rather annoying to have all the time … Alcohol inhibits the voices and that's all I know so far."

Scorpius came back with the coffee and passed her a mug.

"That sounds like a potion, honestly. Has it affected any of your senses? Sight, or been smelling anything recently?"

"Err, I don't think there's been a change in my senses that I've noticed."

"Any physical changes … ?"

"No."

"Lilacs," Scorpius said and looked like a lightning bolt just struck him, his face lit up in surprise. "Sorry, I know you were asking her but it just occurred to me … Daphne said it the other day! She smells like lilacs most of the time which may or may not have anything ... Which actually makes me wonder if Daphne … hmmm." Scorpius trailed off in thought.

If anything that made Dom's face light up and she seemed more animated than they'd seen yet that morning. "This is an interesting puzzle to solve. Do you have parchment and a quill? I want you to write down everything you've said. And then write down kelp diddies, fluorescent worms, and swallowtail liver underneath. Once you leave can you go down to the potion lab on the first floor and ask them to take a small blood sample and tell them I need a Habrasian test on it."

Rose was quick to dig through Scorpius' bag and start writing what Dom needed.

Dom's finger started tapping. "Nobody will let me near a potions lab, but I'll find a way to maybe get some standards. Ummmm … Write down Jeremy Näude on the paper – I'll have to look at some of his books. I think he has reference to separation of consciousness through use of daffodil. Or lilac? The lilac part is curious." She shook her head and then smiled up at Rose. "I'll come up with something. This will keep me occupied for a while."

"Thanks Dom." She took a sip of coffee and leaned back in her chair. The sun was still beaming in on them and showered light on Dom. She still looked swollen with her previous weight gain and her current bed-ridden state. Her hair was a little damp from a wash this morning and had lost some of the lustre it usually had. Her skin was breaking out like it hadn't done since Hogwarts. Hogwarts seemed like a lifetime ago.

Scorpius nodded towards Rose.

She took a deep breath. "Dom, we found a picture the other day and we're wondering if you can identify the women in it."

Dom frowned. "How would I know – ooooooh." Rose held up the picture and Dom got quiet, looking between the two of them. "Where did you get this?" she asked softly. "This picture should not exist."

"What do you mean?"

"Someone worked very hard to destroy all pictures of the girls and their mom. Very hard."

"Who are they?"

Dom bit her lip and raised her head off the glass. It lolled a bit on her neck but she was able to look between Rose and Scorpius. She looked conflicted.

"It's a weird question to be asked. They're triplets. You've met them before Sailor, at our flat."

We knew that, said Greg. Start with the important questions.

It's good to confirm and not assume, Marta said.

Rose nodded. "Alright, we guessed as much. What's the story there?" Dom looked out the window, Rose and Scorpius were about half done their coffee before Dom seemed to find her voice and make up her mind about what she was going to say.

"Just between us, right?"

"Yes," said Rose and Scorpius echoed it.

"The three girls were born when their mum was fifteen. She was very young and very poor. I don't know who the father is, but he was some deadbeat alcoholic or something – nobody ever talks about him. The girls know, but they have never said. Or at least I've never cared to ask. Their mum's the only family they have, but the girls basically live alone now because she got involved with a drug ring in the city and sort of took off on them."

"Who is Rose Daphne to them?"

"Ah. Daphne, I see. Distant relative. Their great-great-great – probably a few more great's in there – grandmother. So kind of a weird situation going on. Daphne isn't the sanest relative to have – especially with her ancient and archaic knowledge of magic. The eldest daughter – triplet – is a witch, and the two sisters are very much immersed in magic even though they have none of their own." Dom made a face and put her hands over her stomach. "Damn. Painkillers are starting to wear off. This is the worst part of every day." The loss of painkillers were slowly making her eyes seem more human and less doll-like. Her face got some colour – though Rose wasn't sure if that was a good thing since it looked purple.

"Do you need anything right now?" asked Scorpius.

"No, I've got some time still before I'm bedridden. I always try and outlast the pain. Have to limit the amount of drugs I take."

Rose cringed. "Dom I'm sorry."

"Oh whatever Rose, it's really not your fault. Though I would love to know how the hell that drug ended up in our flat … The happy things I think about in my day to day – like hunting that psychopath down."

Happy things indeed, but they needed to get back on track. "Why did the triplets come over every month?"

"Well, the eldest is a witch, mother is MIA, and actually … hmm how do I put this?" She looked carefully between the two of them. "So this is classified information, but Chloe, the eldest, has some information that the Ministry thinks it has the right to know. And the three girls are so uncooperative with them, within right, that the Ministry has tried alternate means through … us. It's because Molly was doing a joint project with Department of Mysteries, looking into some weird medical malady. Impossible to say no and we just humoured the Ministry because they are a right bunch of fucktards and the girls were defenseless. We basically provided a safe place for the girls for however long they needed. It provided a cover so they didn't have some old, smelly arsehole trying to interrogate them. They march to their own drum, which is what many Ministry folk don't realise."

Scorpius was immersed in this portion of the story. He leaned forward, empty coffee cup hanging loosely in his hand. "The Ministry thinks she has information? Of what sort?"

"Important diplomatic decisions for the country. What they should do about whatever. Anything forthcoming in the future. Chloe's a seer. So everyone loves a good prophecy. And unfortunately that information fell into the wrong hands a few years ago."

The room was silent. Rose could feel her face heat up in response and felt like it was harder to breath. It couldn't be. "No. No way," she found herself saying. "She can't be a seer."

Dom shrugged and then folded over in half, her face scrunched in pain, her voice a bit higher. "Oh she sure is. Her sisters are fiercely protective over her and they really trust no one. I mean, this is her last year at Hogwarts now, so things might get more complicated when she's legally an adult and out in the real world. Don't know how much Lucy, Molls, and I will be able to intervene anymore."

Was anything in her life even hers? This was making Rose shake – with fear? Anxiety? She wasn't even sure. Every time one of the sisters showed up – was that all predestined? Were any of her actions actually her own or planned beforehand, schemed up in the mind of a teenager?

"How does it work when the one is at Hogwarts? Do the two still come over?" asked Scorpius.

"Yes. And they have a mirror between them to communicate at all times. I mean, I haven't seen them in a while, but I've also been out of my fucking mind. I don't know what the situation is now with them."

"Has she told any of you at all what she has predicted? Or have you heard a prophecy or anything?"

"No. And that's not something we ask. She's a young girl who has the potential to be overexploited … and we were trying to help her and just give her her own voice. I mean, probably more Lucy and Molly than I – aahhhhh! Bloody hell," Dom ended off in a half scream. She took some deep breaths. "If I start cursing you, I'm sorry. I just – it's been shit. This is deadly. It'll be hell for the rest of the day. I swear – this drug is the most dangerous substance I've ever come across. It's poison – that's what it is. Oh, while I can still think – write down Abahy Zemfrey on your piece of paper Rose, and pulverized basilisk scales."

"Do you know where the girls live?" Rose asked desperately. She had this sudden need to talk to them. Just needed to know about her life and why they kept showing up. Was she just a fucking puppet? This dumb floppy puppet on strings, dancing to a seer's little whims and fancies?

"No. Lucy does. I've never visited." Then Rose remembered that Lucy had taken her to their place, when Dom was missing, and one of the girls directed them to Knockturn Alley.

The medi-nurse came back right as Dom was groaning again and he started running some diagnostics with his wand.

"Are we going to try riding it out today a little longer Ms. Weasley or should we go to the bed?"

"Leave the curtains open, but I'll lay down for a bit. I just need to think and nap. And the sun is nice." He was helping Dom get up, even though she was scrunching over in pain. They tottered over to her bed.

He reassured both Rose and Scorpius as he tucked her in. "Oh no worries. As Dom herself described it a few days ago, she's no longer trying to claw her body apart. She just has to keep afloat in the tsunami. It's slow, but there's been some marked improvements."

Rose stood up as well, unsure of where to go. "Rose," Dom said between heavy breaths. "Add fireweed – leave the paper … on the table – beside me. I'll let – you know – what – I find out."

They said their goodbyes and left the hospital, but not first before running into Lily who was in a rush to visit Dom since she had overslept. Her hands were a-fluttering and her hair was in disarray as she hurriedly gave them some hugs and a small greeting.

"Rose, I don't know if you got the few letters I've sent – I've heard that nobody is living at the flat now –but I've been so busy I haven't bothered to track you down yet. But short end of it is my wedding is cancelled until Dom is better. I've got to see her quickly and then dash to work, so I'll talk to you – both – later."

She gave a wave, a very significant look at Rose where her gaze danced between the two of them, and then took the stairs by two up to Dom's floor.

Rose stared forlornly at her fading figure, disliking more reminders of how shitty a cousin she was. She shrugged at Scorpius, went to the first floor to do some bloodwork for Dom, and then they left.

"So I have been to their house. And I think we could find it if we started at Pipers – the drug house first. Lucy and I apparated there and then walked a few blocks to where the triplets were."

"It's not safe to go to back to that house. Isn't it in the middle of Snakebitten territory?"

"Yeah … I mean it's not the nicest area." Scorpius raised his eyebrows and Rose avoided making eye contact. "OK. It's right in the thick of things, but I think we have to risk it for now. If we're quick about it, we should be fine."

"Absolutely not."

Rose was taken aback by his answer. Did he not understand how she needed to know if her life was hers? Was this blood bracelet all some carefully schemed diabolical trap for her?

Don't take that from him. He has no right over your decisions, said Greg.

He's the expert here. And this is more a team effort now than an individual helping out.

"Scorpius I'm going. You can either choose to accompany me, or stay behind." She had to go. Regardless of how crazy he thought she was acting – this was important.

He nibbled on his lower lip. He seemed to realise she wasn't going to back down but she didn't know how to gauge his face. It was pensive, with serious eyes that had a little too much sympathy, and a riffle in his eyebrows that seemed to be ever present. "I know you deem this important. One of my concerns is the fact that since this is so close to the drug house there will be Snakebitten members around, or they'll have the place under surveillance to see who comes back."

She was willing to risk it. She would even risk another run in with Box and Canwood. "Scorpius, I might be dead anyway in a few months," she said rather nonchalantly as if she were swatting away a pesky fly rather than talking about her life. "This seems like an impossible good lead."

"For what though?" he said. "How do triplets and Daphne lead us to Canwood?"

It just seemed like too much close circumstance to not be related. Why did the triplets, and seer keep showing up in her life unless it had something to do with her unfortunate situation? "I – don't know. But I just feel like it's important. And maybe they know something since they've been interfering in my life. And maybe the seer knows something." She felt herself going a little wild. She needed to go, as if something was compelling her to act now. He had to understand.

He stayed calm next to her irrational mood. "If we act too much on feelings," he said quietly, "we have the chance to get burned badly, or really hurt."

Go alone then, said Greg.

She turned from him. "I'll go alone then."

Scorpius sighed and argued no further though his eyebrows were still furrowed and his voice was hesitant. "No, I'll come along. I – I know you've never put much thought into divination, but we are the masters of our own fates. Seers cannot accurately predict the future. Only sometimes they might see a possible decision affect a certain outcome. But they can neither control that nor be so confident on the time or location. We choose the paths in our life."

He could read her too easily. "I just think this is really important," she said stubbornly.

"Let's be very, very careful then."

Even though she hadn't apparated herself last time she was at Pipers, it was easy enough to remember the house and where it was located. That day was burned into her mind, with the long unkept grass in the front of the house, screaming people, and the urgency of finding Dom. Scorpius was patient as he waited for her to concentrate on the spell.

The neighbourhood nearby with the safe apparition zone was overgrown with weeds and boarded up houses. It was only around noon and the houses they passed had a haunted and neglected look about them with mold growing on the roofs and front steps. For ease of movement they were under disillusionment charms, so they could vaguely see each other as they walked to Piper's.

His house was deserted. And half of it was burned – the upper right corner of the house exposing a gaping hole. Rose guided them past the house and down the next alley, going straight and then tracing the route she and Lucy took only a few weeks ago.

There was no wind, lots of sun, and no people along the way. The only sound was of the two walking – rocks skipping out underneath their feet, and small sticks on the ground snapping. The few places that were fenced had peeling white paint and were overgrown with dandelions that had gone to seed.

The apartment was looming up ahead, looking more foreboding the closer they were getting. The sidewalk was cracked in long and spindly tributaries. She felt as if it were a spider web, luring her in and leading her closer and closer to danger.

Why are you doing this?

She got an unexpected shiver and looked behind her, feeling as if someone was there. The bottom step to the building had rotted out since she was there last, so they stepped over it onto the creaky second step. The windows seemed to be in the best shape out of the whole house – they looked new, clean, and had no cracks.

"So, what do we do now?" said Scorpius so quietly that Rose wasn't sure she heard correctly. Last time she was here one of the girls was seated outside to the left of the door where a potted plant now sat. The black roses in it were shriveled and dead.

That's a sign, said Marta. That's a clear cut sign to get out of here now.

It's just a dead flower. No significance. Anyone with any resolve whatsoever would ignore such a paltry thing. But it was a weak rebuttal. Her need for knowing about the seer was fading fast.

Rose put her hand on the handle and pushed. She wasn't sure if she was going in to get answers for herself or to prove her determination to Scorpius. The door opened without any fight and swung open wide.

Instead of an apartment style building with multiple rooms, all the walls had been stripped out on the main floor, exposing the frame, wires, and plumbing that was usually hidden within. Drywall chunks littered the floor around where the walls had been removed. The place was bare except for blankets in different spots on the floor where it looked like numerous people had been sleeping. There were floorboards missing around the perimeter of the whole floor, exposing the gaping black hole of the basement. The odd food wrapper was laying around and glass was broken near the front door from an old bottle.

Scorpius moved to take a large step forward over the missing floorboards in front of them and Rose stopped him, grabbing his arm and holding it tightly. "No. I changed my mind. Let's get out of here."

"Five minutes. It looks like someone has been brewing at the very back. We can just do a quick check and then directly apparate out. No anti-apparation spells here."

He pulled his arm out of her grasp and stepped inside. Rose froze up, half expecting an alarm to go off or someone to jump out and attack. He got a few steps in and stopped, looking back at her.

"We should stick together … "

Taking that first step into the building was harder than she thought. From her fervent need to get here, it changed to a repulsion with the question why? why? circling her head over and over. She didn't want to be here anymore. Yet she followed him, wringing her hands out in front of her as she stayed at his heel.

The evidence of multiple people sleeping on the floor was overwhelming. The building smelled of sweat and urine. They walked deeper, past empty bottles laying around, old dried food beside exposed wires, flies gathered in swarms around the fresh food, and then there was dirty cardboard galore, covering the plywood. The more she noticed the more Rose started to really doubt the triplets lived here. This was too disgusting and dangerous. Her cousins would have put a stop to it a long time ago. Something wasn't right.

As soon as they got to the back, Scorpius started moving empty containers and cardboard and looking around the blankets. There was a kitchen pot sitting on the floor above a blackened spot burnt into the plywood. He found papers and ripped scraps inside an empty milk container. Rose peered over his shoulder as he thumbed through them. The letterhead of Luminess Bank was present on the majority of them. There were symbols, numbers, and words on every page. Rose couldn't even focus on reading.

Scorpius shoved the paperwork in his bag and kept looking around, a sense of urgency now. He found another pile and quickly riffled through it. A banking cheque fell out and Rose and Scorpius both read the name – Matild. He shoved it in his bag.

"This must be – " Rose said at the exact same time Scorpius said, "We need to leave – "

Their eyes met – his filled with sudden alarm – and graced by some instinct they both looked back towards the entrance. Two men were standing there, wands drawn. The hair on the back of her neck rose.

"Don't move," Scorpius muttered, his lips barely enunciating. The two groups of people stared at each other for an eternity, it seemed to Rose, though it was only a matter of two seconds before the men made the first move.

The unknown man's wand whipped around by the time Rose blinked and a jet of dark purple light shot at them. Rose blinked again and she jumped away – away from Scorpius, and away from the purple light coming in hot.

Scorpius's instincts were less physical and more magical. He shot up a shield charm that blocked the explosive spell. Instead of rebounding, it blew up just on the other side, fire crackling along the edges, heating up the air, and causing a roaring in her ears. A shockwave seemed to push through and the pressure blew her backwards – her body helpless and flailing as it hit the back wall. The floorboards that should have stopped her weren't there and Rose fell down to smack hard on the ground in the basement. The floor was damp and dirty.

"Scorpius?" she said shrilly. Her voice rising and her heart beating. Everything happening so fast caused her disorientation and she didn't know what happened to him after he blocked the spell. "Scorpius?" Her voice was getting higher and she got to her knees. Panic was rising inside of her uncontrollably. She didn't know where she was and all she could think was darkness, and what might be beyond her sight in the basement.

His hands were on her not a second later, shushing her almost scream at being grabbed and holding her tight.

"I'm here, I'm right here," he said. His voice providing the comfort to stop the rising storm of tears that were threatening to break through and to stop the small ball of panic from taking over her mind. "We're together and safe – for the time being."

It sounded like they were in the middle of a raging forest fire. The wood was crackling overhead and the air felt smoky. The two just held each other in the dark. It was hard to distinguish the noises around the burning wood, but Rose thought she could make out footprints on the floor above. She just gripped his arm tighter and held on. She wasn't going to move from her spot. Regardless of his presence she still had a paralyzing fear.

"How are you doing?" he asked when it sounded like the footsteps had stopped above, though the wood crackling was getting stronger. The fire had not breached through the floor yet.

"I've been better. You?" Her voice was still much too high. She struggled to keep calm.

"I've been better as well." She could hear the grin in his voice and he hugged her closer. "I'm just glad we're both here right now. Any injuries?"

She shook her head but then realised he couldn't see her motion. "No. Probably just a few bruises."

"Good."

"So what just happened?" Her voice wasn't quite back to normal yet.

"Well, a few different things happened at once. Before those men came into the building, they blocked off all apparition. Hence why we're still here. Then shot a few spells at us – which were blocked, but one snuck around the edges and the shock wave was what blew us backwards. They started the fire – with the intent of burning down this whole building and the evidence in it, which I'm assuming is ample since the response was so immediate. I've reinforced the foundation of the building with a few spells, but I think we'll have to lay low here for the building to finish burning and the people to leave."

"Okay."

"Should we sit down?"

"Would that involve moving?"

"It doesn't have to."

She hummed and decided to let him breathe just a bit.

"My nerves are gone," Rose said as soon as she was seated with her head on his shoulder and his arm in her lap where she had an octopus hold on it. "This was a bad idea and I should have listened. I'm sorry for being clingy right now. But this is starting to get stupid. I'm starting to fear the dark. I really don't like having spells shot at me. Nor fearing for my life every day. Anxiety is always present now … I hate falling … Yet there's no way around my situation except to keep moving forward.

Scorpius didn't seem to know what to say, he was oddly quiet next to her as she stayed huddled in a ball. He rested his head on hers briefly as acknowledgment. The air around them was smoky, but not unbreathable. With his steady, stable breaths her hold became less severe.

"Never forget you're not alone," he said and then pulled the arm out of her grasp that she had trouble letting go of and wrapped it around her shoulders to pull her in close. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on him and not the dark room that encompassed them. Trying to notice his warmth and thereness and not the unknown that was the whole room she couldn't see, or the fire blazing above them.

Their vigil was long. Hours past and the apartment still burned above them. She was so incredibly exhausted, but she couldn't sleep.

The plywood floor finally burned above them when evening set in, though no fiery pieces rained down. Rose was in such a trance she didn't really notice anything around her.

Eventually Scorpius nudged her. "I think it's safe to leave now. We should get going."

She blinked into focus, forgetting where she was. "What time is it?"

"It's late evening – the stars are out. The whole building burned down – every floor, blanket, and toilet." She still felt sleepy as they stood up. The few stars visible above London twinkling down on them and provided some light to the area.

The only place that didn't burn was the basement, which was empty now that Rose was able to look around.

As soon as they got out and to a safe place, Scorpius apparated them away back to his flat.

"Just come with me," he said, voice soft. "No couches or floors for anyone tonight."

He held her hand still, waiting for her affirmation or refusal. Rose was so tired and just wanted a warm bed, with no lumpy areas. She nodded and then followed Scorpius up, not letting go of his hand through the darkened staircase and to his room. It was safe here.

My clothes are downstairs, she wanted to say, but Scorpius handed her a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. He pulled the covers back on the bed – the thick, soft black down covers – and Rose climbed in once she was changed, scooting over to the wall. He was right behind her, arm slipping under her head and pulling her body close to his. Rose curled into him and threw an arm over his bare stomach. He was radiating heat like no other and she was so deliciously warm in his embrace as he pulled the covers above the both of them. She should have done this weeks ago, wanted to do this. She wasn't sure what she was so terrified of, or what was holding her back. The room was dark, though it was a different dark than hiding out in the basement. The curtains were down and there was an outdoorsy scent in the air that was solely his scent and she breathed it in.

With his free hand, Scorpius pulled the elastic from her hair, and slowly unwound her braid, letting her hair spring loose. He ran his fingers through it, getting higher and higher, closer to her head. The sense of security she felt was such that she'd never experienced before and she let herself melt into it. By the time Scorpius had unwound her braid and was running his fingers through her hair and over her scalp, she was in a deep sleep. Scorpius pulled her closer, resettled himself in the bed, and joined her in her slumber.

Rose awoke to darkness around her. She didn't have a clue what time it was, but she felt more rested than before. Sometime in the night she had twined her legs together with Scorpius'. She had never felt closer, emotionally, with anyone. And she had the sudden realization that she didn't want to move from her spot. She wanted to be in this room every night, with Scorpius, wrapped around him, near him, with him. She still had an arm slung over his stomach, and pulled it back slightly so she could run her fingers over him, lightly tickling his smooth skin. Her eyes were still closed in her groggy state, and she probably would have fallen right back asleep if Scorpius hadn't woken up.

He stirred under her, but she didn't stop her light movements. She felt his arm tighten around her shoulders and then his lips were on her head as his hand groped down the side of her face to her chin, and angled it up towards him. He kissed her temples, down her cheek, and found her lips. He kissed her long and sweetly, lips and tongues moving together. Rose pushed herself up higher, trying to get closer, trying to deepen the kiss. His hands found her legs, and moved up underneath her shorts. He hoisted her upwards so she was laying right on top of him, and could feel him below her as she rubbed her hips over his. He growled into her mouth and answered her need by deepening the kiss, his hands cradling her face for a few moments. And then his hands were on her back, her stomach, and hers were in his hair, and it was all they could do to get her shirt off when they didn't want to break apart.

She felt his arms squeeze around her, and one of his legs snaked over hers, and then he flipped them over and she was on the bottom, being pressed down from above. They were both gasping now between their frantic kisses and hot heavy hands. His hands made their way down to her shorts and slipped underneath the waistband.

"Scorpius," she said breathlessly into his mouth. And there was nothing there but needful desire, and his shorts were gone soon after and it was just the two of them, alone, into the wee hours of the morning.