A/N: Heyyyyyy! Sorry I keep making annoying notes, you can skip them if you want lol. I just talk a lot so oops. Anyway, this chapter is a bittttt longer, but not as long as chapter 4. Also I am posting this from my phone so idk if the grammar will be messy or not. I am gonna go back and fix it later. Anyway, this may be one of my favorite chapters because it has one of my favorite parts of the story (don't wanna give away too much though ;) ) so enjoy! And please do leave a review if I like it, I love reading comments and reviews. Okay I will be quiet byeeee!

"What even just went down?" asked Albus, sitting down on the couch and gesturing for them to sit next to him. "Explain everything to me."

"Well," began Rose, taking a deep breath. "Yesterday when I was going to breakfast, Myla said something rude to me about my relationship with Scorpius, and he overheard it, and he was about to beat her up, but I stopped him and he said he would beat her up the next time she was mean to either of us. Then, before the Quidditch game this morning, while Scorpius was inside and I was outside, she said something else to me, and Scorpius saw her walking away from me, so after the Quidditch game, he beat her up, and we went to Professor Dunlop's office to discuss punishment, and Scorpius's dad was there, and so we lost 20 points, he got a detention, and Mr. Malfoy knows about our relationship. And when we told him about it, he responded with 'okay then,' and we don't know what that means." Rose had said it all in one breath, and almost choked when she took a huge breath after all that talking.

"Oh my gosh. That is a lot. Did Myla get punished?"

"Yeah, Slytherin lost 20 points as well and she also has a detention," said Rose. She was glad that at least Myla got a punishment after everything that happened.

"Why didn't your parents have to be asked to come here?" asked Albus curiously.

"I didn't get in trouble, I was just there as a witness," said Rose with a shrug.

"If you had gotten in trouble, I would've been pissed," said Scorpius, talking for the first time since talking to his dad in the hallway. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Neither did you! Myla deserved to be beaten up, it's just that you can't react like that here or you'll get yourself into trouble. I'm not mad though," said Rose reassuringly, wrapping her arm around Scorpius in an attempt to cheer him up.

"I could've gotten you in trouble though. I'm so stupid," said Scorpius, taking Rose's arm off of him as if he didn't deserve it.

"Come on now, no you're not, if Myla had said that stuff about Abby, I wouldn't let go of her until every bone in her body was broken," said Albus sympathetically. "Anyway, I just wanted to know what happened, I am sure you two need some time to talk so I'll leave you to it."

"I'm sorry, Rosie," said Scorpius, not being able to look up at her. "I caused so much trouble you didn't even want."

"That isn't true! Myla caused trouble, not you. Beating her up was stupid, but I know how annoying she can be, and I get why you did it. And as for your father, he didn't seem mad. He wasn't super excited, but it's a start," said Rose, wrapping her arm around him again tightly so he couldn't remove it. "I'm not mad at you, so please don't push me away right now. You didn't do anything wrong and I love you."

"I… I love you too," said Scorpius, looking up to face Rose. He seemed as if he would cry, but he didn't. Rose wondered if he was holding back tears.

"Almost everyone is inside right now because it's cold," said Rose. "Let's go outside so we can be alone." Rose grabbed Scorpius's hand and led him outside, where they both sat down by the lake.

"So… what now?" asked Scorpius, wrapping his arms around his knees and looking out at the lake.

"Are you okay? You don't seem happy," Rose said in a tone of concern. She knew what happened would take time for him to get over, but she still wanted to help as much as she could.

I just wish my father could have given me a direct answer about you. I have no idea what he thinks about us, and I am worried it'll end up bad for us," said Scorpius, his voice cracking a little.

"If you need to cry, you shouldn't hold back your tears, first of all. I'm not gonna judge you. And your father didn't seem as angry as he could be, considering he didn't lash out," said Rose, trying to stay positive.

"I don't cry. And you don't know my father. He never lashes out. A neutral reaction from him could mean pretty much anything," said Scorpius. He leaned into Rose, not being able to resist her any longer even though he still didn't think he deserved her.

"Everyone cries. I already think you're brave and strong, a few tears aren't gonna change that. And until your father says something further about us, there's no need to worry," said Rose, letting him lean into her.

"I guess you're right. I just don't want anything to tear us apart. I literally don't deserve you, I love you," said Scorpius. His head now rested on her shoulder.

"You don't deserve me because you deserve better, and I love you too," replied Rose.

"Rosie…?" Scorpius lifted his head and looked into her eyes. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"I was just wondering… are you gonna tell your parents about us?" Scorpius looked down at his hands and started to twiddle them nervously.

"Do you want me to?" asked Rose, looking out at the water and then back at him. He looked back up at her before answering.

"I mean, I guess it's just… well, if my father knows… I just feel like it's not even a secret anymore. And I mean, I'm not afraid to tell my parents just how much I love you, and I don't know… you don't have to though… I just… I thought… maybe if my father isn't so mad, we could see each other over, like, Christmas break or something…" Scorpius turned a little bit red while speaking, feeling embarrassed by the fact that he asked.

"If it's meaningful to you, I'll tell them," answered Rose, smiling at him and placing a small kiss on his lips.

"Yeah, I guess it is, I just… I don't like hiding from people. I want everyone to know how much I like you. Hiding is for people who are ashamed of the people they are dating, and I could never be ashamed of you," said Scorpius, holding her hand.

"I could never be ashamed of you either. I'll write to my parents tomorrow," said Rose reassuringly.

"Do you promise?" asked Scorpius, looking down at the ground again.

"I promise," responded Rose. She then stood up. "Now let's go inside. No wonder nobody is out here, I'm freezing." Scorpius followed her up and held her hand as they walked inside. When they got back to the common room, lots of people were hanging out there.

"After lunch, we will figure out somewhere quiet to go, but people will be heading the lunch soon anyway so it's not worth it right now," said Scorpius, sitting on the couch with her.

They sat and chatted for a little while and headed along to lunch when everyone else started to head down. In the hallway, Rose and Scorpius were having a goofy conversation when someone else chimed in.

"Little cuz! Long time, no talk, Scorp. So the rumors are true! I knew you'd get yourself a girlfriend someday." A tall, thin girl with honey blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. She had a very pretty face and nice hair with a slender, tall figure. She had a Slytherin uniform on as well. She had a big smile on her face as she hugged Scorpius.

"Hi, Daisy, glad I ran into you," Scorpius said in a forced polite tone. "This is Rose, I am sure you have heard about her from said rumors."

"Right, yes, the Weasley girl! Hello, Rose, my name is Daisy. Scorpius is my cousin, you see! Aw, you are soooo pretty! I get why he likes you," said Daisy, observing Rose carefully, looking at her from the front and the back.

"Yes, well, thank you and it's nice to finally meet you, Daisy," said Rose, trying to sound cheerful over her confusion as to why Daisy was checking her out so intently.

"We had better be on our way, so see you later," said Scorpius. His tone sounded slightly harsh as he took Rose's hand and began to pull her away. Once Daisy was out of sight, he let go of her arm.

"Ouch! Why did you drag me like that?" asked Rose, rubbing her arm in pain. "And didn't you say you don't have any cousins?"

"I'm sorry. And yes, I don't usually talk about Daisy. She is complicated," said Scorpius.

"She seemed pretty nice to me, said Rose with a shrug.

"You haven't seen the other side of Daisy. Anyway, it's not important. Let's just keep wal-"

"What other side of Daisy?" asked Rose. Scorpius started to walk, but she gently grabbed his wrist and turned him to face her.

"She can get nasty, that's all. Not in school, but at family reunions, she can be awful. Then again, almost everyone in my family gets riled up at family reunions. I don't know why my parents even try to organize them anymore. Anyway, don't worry about it. It's just kinda suspicious when she is acting all sweet like that. Wouldn't be surprised if my father asked her to do a little bit of snooping if you ask me," said Scorpius with a sigh.

"Can't he just ask you what's going on?" asked Rose in a confused tone of voice.

"One would think, but my dad is strange like that," said Scorpius with a shrug. "Whatever, don't worry about her." He took Rose's hand in his and smiled at her as they walked to breakfast together. When they arrived, Rose noticed Albus looked a little bit nervous. He was shaking a bit and not talking much.

"Hey Al, what's up?" Rose asked, trying to sound casual so he wouldn't get defensive. He looked up at her, and her beliefs were confirmed by the glassy sheen over his eyes.

"Oh, yeah, um, I'm fine," he said, going back to poking at the single egg he had on his plate. Rose's heart sank. She hated seeing her cheerful prankster brother feeling like this. She knew she would get to the bottom of what he was hiding. When she heard Scorpius speak, she wondered if he could read her mind.

"Al, we know you better than that. If something's wrong, you can trust us," said Scorpius. Rose quickly nodded in agreement.

"No, I'm just being selfish, forget about it," said Albus with a shrug. He continued to poke at his egg and Scorpius and Rose looked at each other determinedly before turning back to Albus.

"Albus. You are my cousin and I love you, and Scorpius is one of your best friends. We could never think you're selfish. Now please let us help you!" Rose took his hand in hers and squeezed it.

"Meet me right after lunch today by the tree we usually sit by," said Albus with a sigh before he picked up and left for class. Rose turned to Scorpius and frowned. She knew they both cared about Albus and they hated seeing him like this.

The second lunch ended, she darted outside and sat underneath the tree, not even waiting for the other two. She was eager to get to the bottom of Albus's sadness so he could go back to his usual happy self. She was the first one there, followed by Scorpius and then by Albus.

"So, tell us what's wrong, Al, so we can try and help…" said Rose soothingly, giving Abus a hug when he sat down next to her.

"It's just… Abby and me… I just don't know if we really belong together," said Albus, not being able to face Rose or Scorpius. He just solemnly stared at the ground.

"I thought you really liked Abby, why do you think that?" asked Rose. It was true that they seemed to get along perfectly, and they seemed like such a fitting match.

"Well, I like Abby, I really do, but she just isn't… the one. She isn't for me. But I can't break her heart, and I'm worried that once I let her go, there'll be no one else," Albus said. His voice became increasingly quiet and his eyes were still fixed on the grass.

"If Abby doesn't feel right to you, all you can do is tell her. And the part about nobody liking you is nonsense! Plenty of pretty girls like you, you're you, who wouldn't like you?" Rose patted him on the back reassuringly and Scorpius nodded in agreement. Albus didn't perk up at all because of this, though.

"Yeah, girls like me, but I…" Albus trailed off, and a sudden realization flooded over Rose. Albus wasn't worried about getting another girlfriend. He didn't want another girlfriend. When Rose and Albus would hang out when they were younger, they always had these Quidditch magazines and Albus would spend hours talking about how big and strong the male players were. She didn't think much of this at the time. She thought he admired their Quidditch playing and that was why he talked about them. She also noticed how little Albus talked about girls. In fact, the only girl she'd ever heard him talk about was Abby, and he never said anything about her before they were dating. She assumed this was because she was his cousin, though, and there was no other reason. Even then, though, they would flirt, but before he asked her out, he didn't blush much around her, he didn't get shy, he didn't act like he had butterflies in his stomach.

"You don't want girls to like you... " Rose whispered, and she noticed he was finally looking up at her. He looked on the verge of tears and she quickly wrapped her arms around him. She glanced at Scorpius, and he, too, had a look of realization on his face.

"I didn't like Abby. Don't worry, I didn't ask her out because you told me to Rosie. I was flirting with her before. You were right about me liking her. Kind of, anyway. Well, I had been flirting with her for a long time because I thought if I liked a girl… I would be more normal, but here I am…" Albus trailed off with a bit of nervous laughter. Rose still hadn't let go of him.

"You don't need to be "more normal" or anything! Love is love and we accept you! But you shouldn't have hidden, you could have told us you were…"

"Gay. I'm gay. Yes, I should have told you, but I don't want… I don't want to get a bunch of attention because of it… I don't want gossip… "son of Harry Potter is gay"... and Abby, oh, she'll never forgive me… She's already a bit, uh, mad at me right now…" Albus looked down at his lap in shame.

"Why is she mad?" asked Rose, releasing the hug but putting her hand on his knee.

"Well… she said she loves me after the Quidditch game and I couldn't… I couldn't say it back," said Albus, who choked on his words trying to get the sentence out.

"Oh, Al," she said, hugging him again. Scorpius seemed to be thinking hard about what his next words should be.

"Listen, I know this won't be easy to hear, but the next time you talk to Abby, you need to tell her you're not interested. You can't lead her on like this, it's not fair to her. I know you have good intentions, but Abby deserves love too, and you can't hold her back," said Scorpius. For a second, he looked as if he was worried he had said too much, but he seemed to calm down a bit when Albus nodded in agreement.

"I will go find her," said Albus. He stood up and started to walk away, but he turned around. "Thanks. You two are the best." He walked away quickly before Scorpius and Rose could respond.

"I wonder what Abby is gonna say," Rose said a bit nervously as he disappeared into the distance looking for Abby.

"She might be really mad, she might be really forgiving," said Scorpius with a shrug. "I hope she will stay friends with you two. I haven't gotten to know her much, but I know she is really close to both of you."

"At least no matter what happens, I'll have you two goofs," Rose said teasingly. She scooted over next to Scorpius and kissed him on the cheek.

"Shit, I almost forgot about my potions essay," Scorpius said suddenly. He looked over at Rose, who was giving him a disapproving stare.

"Scorpius! That's due tomorrow," she said, elbowing him playfully. She giggled for a second and then regained her serious expression. "I'm serious, though. You'll never finish."

"Can I reword yours and copy it?" Scorpius asked in an ashamed whisper. Her expression changed to one that Scorpius could tell meant "what do you think I'm gonna say?" He frowned and then pouted at her. "Please? I'm gonna fail."

"No, I'm not helping you cheat, Scorpius," Rose said stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"Well, you can write an essay in 10 minutes, right? So can you at least help me?" Scorpius looked even more pleadingly at Rose until she groaned and stood up.

"Fine," said Rose. "Let's go to the library, and all I will do is help you. I don't want people to think I'm helping you cheat just because I am smarter than you." She giggled at her teasing of Scorpius as he stood up.

"So arrogant. All of my grades are O's and E's, actually," Scorpius retorted.

"Yeah? Well, 90% of my assignments have gotten O's," Rose smirked and crossed her arms smugly.

"That was after you dropped Divination. Didn't you get "Poor" or worse on every assignment in that class?" asked Scorpius. Rose frowned immediately as soon as he mentioned Divination.

"I hardly call that batty old woman dancing around the room and telling us how we'll all die next Tuesday a class. I heard she is retiring after this year. You'd think she is only the way she is because she is old, but she was like this when my mom was in school," Rose said with an eye roll. "Either way, I hope for the sake of people in Divination, they get a real teacher for next year."

"I never thought I'd hear you talk like that about a teacher," Scorpius said in a surprised tone.

"Like I said, her so-called "class" isn't even a class so she is hardly a teacher," said Rose with a shrug. "Albus believes her garbage no matter what I tell him."

They reached the library, and Rose quickly forgot their conversation as she got a Potions textbook and began to help Scorpius. Normally, people didn't ask her for homework help, and Scorpius quickly realized why. Rose was rather stubborn and impatient, and even though she wouldn't let him copy her essay, she wouldn't really let him write his in his own words anyway because she thought hers were better. She pretty much told him what to write. After a little while of working, Scorpius wished he had asked someone else in the back of his mind. However, his essay was really good, so he supposed there was nothing to complain about.

"Thanks, Rosie," said Scorpius, kissing her on the cheek. "You're the best."

"Aww, it's really nothing. Just don't forget your essay next time," Rose said, giving him a serious glare for a few seconds before grinning at him.

"Okay, I won't mum," Scorpius teased. Rose rolled her eyes at him.

"I wonder where Al is. He probably finished talking to Abby by now," said Rose, heading off to the common room.

"Wait," Scorpius said, grabbing her arm before she could walk away further. "I'll come with." So the both of them headed to the common room and they saw Albus sitting on the couch by himself with a blank expression on his face. He was sitting very still, and his face was more nonchalant than Rose had ever seen before on his usually smiling face.