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Push & Pull

Chapter 14

Control

The next week seemed to drag on slowly. Rose felt as if she was in a microcosm, put on pause from the rest of the world. The tent had some comfort clothes set up in it, which served to unnerve Rose even more. How long were they going to be there? She told herself blind comforting lies to keep herself sane. The homey setup of the tent made her feel more like she was on vacation than in hiding. I can finally relax, she told herself, I've worked very hard for a very long time. I'm celebrating my Innovator award. Though the thoughts helped her to feel safe, she had some other things to work through. After her rendezvous with Scorpius the night they settled in, Rose couldn't even look at him. She still couldn't bring herself to trust him. He was obviously upset by her avoidance, and dealt with it as best as he could: by ignoring her back. Rose opted to share a room with Alice, not ready to talk to anyone else in the group yet.

Her days were long and boring. Luckily Alice remembered to bring the rune from her lab. On her first day, Rose spread some books out on the single table in the main room. She was attempting to bind the rune with a single book so she could read whatever she wanted. It would be a great excuse to continue ignoring people. Roxanne made the poor choice of trying to talk to her. Does nobody understand my disinterested face? Rose was fuming.

"What are you up to?" Roxanne sipped her tea and sat across from Rose. She waved her wand a second time, her next trial less successful than the last. With a frown, Rose studied the rune more closely.

"Anything interesting?" she asked again. Roxanne spoke loudly and clearly. There was no doubt that Rose had heard her. Rose studied the rune more closely, as if the engravings would jump out and yell at her. Her ears were visibly red from the effort of pretending Roxanne didn't exist.

"Well that's cool. I'll just sit here then," Roxanne kicked her feet up. She was clearly a stubborn girl. They both were, and so they were at a very awkward standstill. Rose didn't like it. She felt the burning of Roxanne's eyes on her, and it took serious concentration to stay focused on her task. By the end of the day she had successfully linked Auggie's rune with her book. Without a word, she took it and went to her room with a candle.

"Nice chat!" Roxanne yelled after her.

Albus knew to steer clear of Rose when she was in a mood, and she never even saw him. He was like a ghost in the tent, though she wouldn't have known if he was there or not anyway, because she never left her room. She spent her days in that tiny little room holed up by herself. It was very bare: two cots, a night stand, and Rose's stack of books. Sam brought her food at lunch and dinner. He'd sit with her silently and listen to the radio as she read.

"The string of crime in London continues as the Ministry Library is robbed of several artifacts," the radio crackled. Sam relaxed on his elbows, looking comfortable as ever on the old cot. Rose sat up against Alice's cot, half listening as she read more historical reports of Mopsus.

"Despite several small injuries, there is no sign of malicious intent. The recent break-in appears to be specific to the ministry, and at this time there seems to be no implication of personal threat," Sam made a noise of disagreement. Rose looked up, waiting for him to voice his complaint.

"Things like this historically start small, and become personal very quickly," Sam frowned, "Wars don't start overnight."

Rose's brow furrowed, and she folded the corner of her book.

"Really Sam? A war?" she viewed him incredulously, "Since when were you a history buff?"

He grinned back at her, "Only student in my class with an O in NEWT level history of magic!"

"That's because you were the only student who's ever taken a NEWT level history," she tossed the book at him. He swatted it away, laughing back at her.

Rose would sleep when the sun went down. And she found that if she woke up early, she could have a cuppa and return to her room before anyone could bother her.

The more time she spent by herself, the more she resented Scorpius and her cousins. How dare they alter her life without her consent? Sure they said it was to protect her, but she was a reasonable person, wasn't she? Did they really think she was so helpless that she couldn't protect herself?

On her third day in hiding, she left her room to pee, and ran straight into Scorpius.

"Sorry," he muttered, looking away from her quickly. Her face burned bright red, and her entire body tingled from the collision. Or so she told herself.

She didn't respond, simply moved straight past him. As she left the tent, she spun around to pin the door closed and caught the look on his face. He was watching her leave, and though she couldn't read his features, her stomach dropped at his stone cold expression. She left quickly, but the look was burned in her eyes as if she had just looked at the sun.

Rose found herself tossing and turning every night. By the time the morning light lit up the tent on her seventh day in hiding, she was convinced she hadn't slept a wink, though she was far from exhausted. Rose stood up, flinching at the cold of the morning. When she entered the main tent, she started up the heater right away.

Rose sat by it, a blanket wrapped over her shoulders, and a morning cup warming her hands. It was strange to her still, to have such a quiet morning. She tried to enjoy it, pretending she was on vacation. But anxiety bubbled in her gut. Her companions could wake up any moment, and she was still giving most of them the cold shoulder.

As if her thoughts conjured him, Albus stepped through the front doors, letting in the cold of the early morning and carrying some brown bags.

"Morning Rosie," he grinned, stepping past her to the kitchenette. He dropped the bags on the counter, pulling out some perishables. Rose wondered again how long they would be staying in that tent.

Thankfully, they sat in silence as Albus started up the stovetop and started making bacon. They hadn't had a proper conversation in a while, and she felt the tension between them. She frowned, a foreboding feeling filling her. His cooking seemed to be coming to a close, ad she didn't want to be forced into a conversation. In a last attempt to avoid the situation, she stood and walked towards her room.

"Sorry for lying to you," he said at last, and she stopped. The words released a little of the tension in her shoulders.

Rose stared at a twig on the floor, willing the heater to warm her still freezing toes, "I'm not ready to forgive you," she replied. Her voice felt hoarse from disuse.

"That's okay," he said nonchalantly, the sputtering of the bacon ceasing. He made his way over, sitting on the couch with his own cup of tea, "You're safe, but I know it came at the cost of my trust."

"Why couldn't you guys just tell me?" Rose spun to him, demanding his full attention. Albus's jaw clenched, for a moment, and when it finally released, he looked tired.

"Scorpius's plan," he told her. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly, "I'm not blaming him. I agreed. We couldn't tell you."

"Why not though?" she pestered.

"I don't know," Albus dismissed her, "How about fate?"

"Seriously?" she laughed, "You couldn't tell me because of fate?"

"Yup," he grinned, "If I give you an abstract answer it's too out there for you to ask more."

"Whatever," Rose rolled her eyes, sitting back down next to him. They sat in silence once again, but it was no longer tense.

Rose simmered in her thoughts, trying to pick her feelings of her cousin out of the messy soup that was her anger. It proved to be more difficult than she anticipated.

"Remember when our parents would bring us to the Quidditch World Cup?" Albus smiled.

"We'd try to stay up all night because we didn't want to miss anything," she smiled back.

"And somehow we still woke up before anyone else," he wondered aloud.

"Hugo sleeps like a rock and James always snuck some of Uncle Harry's Firewhiskey," Rose giggled.

"That explains a lot," Albus shook his head. They laughed it out, and the feeling spread in her chest. Everything felt almost right again. She leaned her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her, giving her a side hug.

"You should at least talk to Roxanne," he muttered. Rose sighed. She didn't have the energy to do much of anything.

"And say what?" Rose scoffed, "You all lied to me Albus, but Roxanne is my roommate. She's my best friend," Rose felt her throat tighten and swallowed quickly. She had held strong so far, she wasn't about to break down yet.

"She only knows that we were protecting you," he said, "We didn't tell her what you needed protecting from, or anything else Only that we needed her to keep an eye on you. And we needed access to your apartment just in case," Albus cringed, "that sounds worse than it was."

Rose made a face, "Do you get why I can't trust you guys?"

Albus nodded, "No, I get it. And I know I can't earn that back right now. But you're talking to me, and that's a start."

"I can do that much," Rose said.

"Good. So while we're talking," he kicked his feet out, considering his next words. A little crease appeared between his eyebrows, "Scorpius is pretty put out."

Rose grabbed a single curl, smoothing it out between her fingertips, "So?"

"So he's been my friend for 10 years and I've never seen him looking so guilty. You probably know, but I think he cares about you a lot," Albus tried to catch her eye, but Rose had gotten very good at ignoring people in the last few days.

"He does," she whispered.

"Is something happening between you two?" Albus asked, and immediately covered his eyes with one hand, "Nevermind, I don't think I want to know right now."

"And I wouldn't tell you if there was," Rose rolled her eyes.

Albus pulled his hand away, taking a big sip of tea to center himself, "You haven't had a relationship since-"

"I know," Rose pulled the blanket tighter on herself, "That's not why I haven't said anything to Scorpius," she defended herself.

"I didn't mean to jump to conclusions, but you can't say it doesn't affect you at all." he said softly.

"I know," Rose frowned, "Scorpius is a whole different person."

"I'm not saying you should do anything about it, but you should know that he's miserable," Albus said.

"This feels a lot like a guilt trip," she laughed. He shrugged.

"If it gets him to stop moping around like you are, I'm willing to try anything," he admitted. Rose punched his shoulder.

"I'll think about it," she grinned.

Once again fate was working in mysterious ways that day. One of the room flaps opened revealing a shirtless Scorpius. Rose looked up and couldn't help but admire his chiseled muscles. A week without him had been very long for her, but as soon as she looked to his face she remembered why she hadn't been talking to him.

"And that's my cue," she sighed, retreating to her room without a second glance to the boys.

…

After a week and a half, Rose was starting to get really anxious. She was bored with her books, and didn't know what else to do with herself. To make matters worse, her companions were driving her crazy.

"Yesterday's break in has been evaluated further, and it seems that some runic scrolls were stolen from Kit's Specialty Shop." The radio buzzed. Rose let the sound wash over her like white noise, her book long forgotten near her feet on the cot.

"More missing materials?" Sam put his head in his hands and mumbled something else.

"What?" Rose shook her head, slipping back into the moment.

"There were four injuries this time," he continued. She could see the tension in his hands. Rose was starting to see that his wild theory of war was really getting to him.

"Hey," she said, sitting up straight and trying to catch his eye, "Sam, look at me," she commanded.

He did, and his face reflected the rigidity of his body. Rose fought a frown that threatened to creep onto her face.

"Sam, they're just break ins," Rose said softly. Sam nodded slowly at her. She needed to get through to him, "We're not near them. They're not targeting anyone specific, it's just robberies."

"I want to see if my mum is okay," he whispered. Rose's heart broke for him.

"I know," Rose said, "I want to check in on my family too, but Albus said no communication right now." And Rose did know. She grew more anxious every day that she wasn't talking to her labmates and her family. Luckily for her, everyone that they were in hiding with was her close friend. Sam was completely alone.

"We'll get through this soon," Rose hugged Sam, "I promise."

Rose and Sam entered the main tent, sitting with Alice on the couch. Sam and Alice chatted for a while, and as Rose stared at the heater, her familiar anger started bubbling up again.

"I really wish I could tell my dad we're safe," Alice said quietly. Rose stood up suddenly, yelling in frustration.

"I don't even know why we're hiding!" Rose shouted, pacing around the main tent. Alice and Sam sat wide-eyed as they watched her move back and forth.

"The Death Keepers are trying to capture you," Sam reminded her.

"But why?" Rose asked, throwing her arms in the air, "What do they want from me?!"

"We don't know," Alice answered. The plain response slowed Rose, but only for a second.

"What will be so bad if they catch me, huh? What do they really want?" She continued her rant. When she spun around to continue pacing, Scorpius was standing in the corner of the room. She was stunned silent, biting her lip from spitting a short remark at him.

"They want you dead," Scorpius replied with no emotion. That really stopped Rose.

"What?" she whispered, but he was already broken past her hardened walls.

"They will torture you for information, and then kill you." he told her.

A million questions filled Rose's mind, but none of them made their way out of her lips.

"What the hell are you doing?" Albus entered the tent, anger diffusing into the room.

"She wants the truth?" Scorpius spat, "I'll give her the bloody truth."

He stepped up to her, shoving a finger to her chest, "You're dead if they find you."

"I can protect myself," Rose said through clenched teeth. She found her footing again, digging her heels in against Scorpius's onslaught of statements meant to scare her.

"You can try," he stepped closer, "But they're better." He was standing so close now, the heat of his anger coming off of him in waves. Rose held strong, glaring at him as if this was all his fault.

"And you're so much better than them?" Rose retorted, invading his personal space. She could feel his breath on her face now, the sweetness that was now familiar to her.

"I'm not," he growled, "And that is why you're not safe." he spun quickly, retreating to his room.

"I'm not done here Malfoy!" Rose stormed after him, pushing Albus out of the way.

"Of course you're not," he retorted, still facing away from her.

"You can't just keep my friends and I locked up here," Rose pleaded.

"You're not locked up anywhere, this is for your safety!" He said, running his hands through his hair.

"Then why don't you tell me what's going on?! Who are the Death Keepers, why are they so powerful?" she felt like she was talking to a brick wall, "Scorpius I'm sick of this. You can't ignore me for two weeks and then talk to me like this, who the hell do you think you are?"

This felt so familiar. It was as if she were thrown back into hogwarts, a sixth year screaming at the immature boy to stop being a lazy prat and do his work on their potion already.

"You're a fucking arse, you know that?" she spat.

He spun around quickly, and Rose could take in every feature like a snapshot. His face was the stone that caused her stomach to clench, but his eyes weren't empty like they were before. They were blazing with that same fire they always had at Hogwarts. Rose was frozen as he approached her, grabbing her head roughly and pulling her towards him. Scorpius's lips crushed against hers, and the anger built inside of her erupted into passion. He forced his tongue past her lips and she bit it, forcing him to pull back.

Rose grabbed his shirt in two handfuls, shoving him back onto the small cot. He cupped her arse with both hands, hoisting her into his lap and grinding her hips against him.

"Scorp," she moaned against his lips, and he tilted his head, dragging his lips against her jaw. He grazed his teeth against her pulse point and she pulled back from the intense sensation, placing her hands on his shoulders. He pulled her closer, pulling at the fabric of her blouse. The buttons popped open or tore off, she couldn't tell when his lips were on her skin. He sucked roughly at one of her breasts, darkening the skin just above her nipple. A deep moan escaped Rose as she gave into the sensation, her wild mind quiet at last. The only thing that occupied her senses was Scorpius. His smell, the salt on his skin, the feel of him beneath her. He pulled her bra down, sucking a nipple into his mouth and biting lightly. Rose grinded into him, finding friction against his cock hardening beneath layers of clothing. It wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her, and she made soft noises of frustration as her hips moved fruitlessly against his hardness.

"Tell me what you need Rose," Scorpius murmured against her pink flesh. Goosebumps formed where his breath touched her, encouraged by the wetness of his spit on her breasts.

"I don't want to think about anything anymore," she pleaded, "Scorpius, I need you to take control of me." The words had barely left her mouth when he flipped her over, kissing her roughly.

"Stay right there," he whispered into her mouth, and she gasped, pulling in the air of his words.

Her body was hot, aching from where he left her. Rose went to sit up and gasped as a hand clenched around her neck.

"Did I tell you to sit up?" he asked her. Rose's mouth hung open as a gush of wetness flooded from her vagina. This was exactly what she had wanted, but she didn't expect it to have this much of an affect on her.

"No," she squeaked, his hold on her neck allowing her just enough room to speak.

"No, what?" he prompted, his hold on her tightening ever so slightly. A look of confusion passed on Rose's face, but no sooner had it crossed her features than it left, replaced by a look of pure lust.

"No, Sir," she gasped as his hand released her, "No sir, you didn't tell me to move."

"What did I tell you?" he repeated, crossing the room once more.

"You told me to stay right here," she responded, watching him as he pulled a box out from in front of the cot. He pulled out a tie, letting the fabric run through his fingers.

"I like that one," Rose purred, sitting very still, "You look good in green."

"I think you'll look better in green," he grinned, holding the tie in both hands.

"Cross your arms behind your back," he instructed. She did as she was told, lifting her chin to keep him in her sight. He pulled her up off the cot, turning her away from him.

"Is this okay?" he asked. Rose simply nodded.

"Now if this is the kind of play you like," he raised an eyebrow at her, "I need quick ground rules."

Rose giggled, "Like a safeword?"

Scorpius moved Rose's wrists so that they overlapped, wrapping them in the fabric and tying them tightly together, "Exactly like a safeword," he responded.

"I hate silly words, so I stick with simple words," he continued. Scorpius pulled at the tie a little, testing his handiwork. He hummed in approval.

"You like quidditch, right?" Scorpius grinned, placing a kiss on Rose's neck. She would normally snake her arms around his head, but found herself tugging at her restraints instead.

"Sometimes I might check in, to see if you're doing okay," he hooked his thumbs into her trousers and panties, removing them both in one swift motion, "Quaffle means everything is good. You are enjoying yourself."

"I am definitely enjoying myself," she giggled.

"Enjoying yourself, what?" he brought his arm around so quickly, grabbing Rose's chin and spinning her towards him.

"I am enjoying myself, Sir," she was wide-eyed as she responded.

"Good," he brushed his lips against hers, pulling back when she tried to kiss him.

"If you need to slow down, or are uncomfortable, you'll say Bludger," he instructed.

Rose nodded, "Nobody likes Bludgers."

"Easy, right?" Scorpius grinned, "And lastly, if something is going wrong, if you need to stop what we are doing immediately…"

"Snitch?" Rose guessed.

"Snitch stops the game," Scorpius grinned, "Do you understand the rules?"

Rose nodded once more, shifting in her makeshift restraint, "Quaffle is good to go, Bludger is slow down, and Snitch is stop immediately." she told him, "Sir," she added with a grin.

"Now where were we," Scorpius stepped up to Rose, trailing his fingers around her breasts. He watched as her nipples hardened, pulling on one of them lightly.

"You were gonna fuck me hard," Rose crossed her legs, trying to find friction.

"You don't tell me how to fuck you," Scorpius growled, shoving Rose to sit on the low cot. She gasped, surprised by his rough movements.

"Yes Sir," she replied, "You can fuck me however you want," she said. And as the words left her mouth, a new wave of wetness came with it. She felt herself leaving a soaked spot on the cot, feeling dirty for having her uncovered pussy rubbing on something so odd.

"You're damn right I can," he unzipped his trousers, dropping his pants and stepping out of them. He stroked his length, and having it so close, Rose wanted to lick it. She imagined that were her hand stroking him, giving him the pleasure he deserved.

"I'm going to fuck your mouth, Rose," he told her. She ground herself against the cot and a light moan escaped her.

"But first," he said, "I want you to get me hard."

"Please, Sir," she licked her lips, and he brought his cock to her mouth.

Rose stuck her tongue out, licking him from balls to tip. She swirled her tongue around his large tip, earning herself a noise of content from Scorpius. She puckered her lips, dragging them down his length and sucking lightly, rubbing against every vein, licking hard as she returned to the tip. When she finally sucked Scorpius into her mouth, she moaned against him, rubbing herself once more against the cot. She pulled him to the back of her throat, swallowing around him and earning herself a moan.

"Very good Rose, but one more thing," his voice was honey, pouring over her skin and warming her core, "I'm going to cum, but you are not."

"What?" she said, his hard dick falling from her mouth with a pop.

"You heard me," he told her, "You aren't allowed to cum yet. If you do, you will be punished, do you understand?"

Rose looked up at him, biting her lip and staying strong, "Yes Sir, we're Quaffle."

"Good," he said at last, wrapping a hand in her hair and pulling her to him. Rose took his long hard dick into her mouth once more, but Scorpius had her head this time. He shoved himself down her tight, wet throat roughly, causing her to gag on him. He moaned loudly at the sensation, and Rose ground against the cot again, pleased that she was making him feel that good. She relaxed her throat, and he thrusted into her lightly at first, sure that she could take him, then gradually more roughly. It was a strange sensation, but Rose found that she loved the feel of his thick, hard cock penetrating her throat. She relaxed, letting him use her as he saw fit. And he was enjoying himself, sliding in and out of her hot, wet mouth. With a gasp, Rose realized she was nearing an orgasm. She had been grinding herself against the cot the whole time, and tried to pull off of it, preventing it from furthering. But Scorpius was relentless now, finding pleasure in the vibration of her throat as she moaned against him. With his gasps of pleasure, Rose sat in admiration as her climax built just from pleasuring him. She imagined him filling her throat with his thick, hot cum. It filling her stomach and warming her from the inside. She would swallow all of him, keeping him in her throat for as long as he pleased. The thought turned Rose on so much, that she ground against the cot once more. That was enough to send her over the edge, and Rose moaned loudly against Scorpius's cock.

As she came, he pulled himself quickly from her mouth, grabbing her neck roughly.

"Did you just cum when I fucked your mouth?" Scorpius asked her, pinching the sides of her neck. Rose's airway wasn't closed, but she felt a lightness fill her head. He's blocking blood flow. She registered briefly, but more prevalently, was the feeling of her world coming to a point. He released her, and when his hand left her throat, The blood flowed back to her head again. Rose panted as something else flowed through her: pleasure, straight to her clit.

"What?" Rose asked herself, incredulous at the sensation. Scorpius pushed her chest back, forcing her to lean against the wall of the tent. She feared for a moment she would fall backwards into the fabric, but despite the appearance, it was as hard as a wall.

"If you want to cum, I'll make you cum," he told her, sliding his tongue roughly against her clit.

Rose cried, trying to pull away from the too-intense sensation, but Scorpius held the cheeks of her arse tightly against his face, flicking his tongue quickly against her clit. Her next orgasm built quickly, his relentless pace tipping her over the edge. As she came a second time, he slipped two fingers easily into her pussy, turning his wrist and pulling his fingers against her G-spot. He rubbed his fingers against her, licking circles around her clit now. This time as she built to another orgasm, she ached, exhausted from the sensations. They felt incredible, the most pleasure she'd experienced over and over again, leaving her clit sore and aching. When she came, she cried, tears spilling from her eyes. He pulled from her quickly, and Rose barely registered the next sensation until Scorpius's dick was pushing into her. She was so wet that he slid in easily, and Rose savored the feel of his head pushing through her tight walls. As he pulled out, she was hyper aware of the feel of him inside of her. It was as if the tight, warm walls of her pussy were clutching so tightly at him that she could feel every vein, every brush of his head against her. He pulled himself almost all the way out. He then slammed himself into her hard, and Rose felt as if the wind left her body. He kept up the relentless pace, and though Rose was glad to give her aching clit a break, her body was worn. Aware of this, Scorpius pulled Rose's leg up, hitching it around his shoulder. He hiked her other leg up so that her calves were against his chest. This time when Scorpius pushed into her, Rose couldn't stop the cries that escaped her. She was even tighter if that were possible. She felt herself being stretched by his girth, unable to ignore the sensations deep within her. When he pushed in, she felt him meet resistance, and gasped at the new feeling. The sensitive head of his dick was rubbing against her cervix. He pulled out and thrust in roughly, and Rose couldn't stop the guttural noises that escaped her. Tears streamed down her face as he fucked her, building her to a deep orgasm. She felt it beginning, but it grew slowly, encouraged only by the deep penetration that he was forcing upon her. Rose's throat felt raw, and her body tingled as the orgasm slowly enveloped her body. It was the most pointed pleasure she had felt, an orgasm unlike any she had experienced. It was deeper inside of her, grasping at every part of her body. As the corners of her vision blurred, Rose heard Scorpius moan as his thrusting slowed. He was so deep inside of her that when he came into her, she could feel herself being filled more than she ever had. Thick streams of cum hit against her cervix, pooling around the head of his dick buried deep inside of her. Rose was gasping for air even as he removed himself from her, dripping onto the already wet cot. He squeezed into the space next to her, pulling her tight against him and stroking her hair.

"Was that okay Rosie?" Scorpius whispered into her hair. Rose could do nothing but moan in response. He laughed, kissing her head lightly.

...

When Rose awoke the next day, she felt very different. Opening her eyes, she realized it was because she was in Scorpius's bed.

"Morning," Scorpius pulled Rose close again, breathing in her scent.

They lay in comfortable silence, and Rose was thankful for the warmth of Scorpius's body. When she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that they were in her own bed, with the window open and the sun on her skin. But it didn't last. Something was nagging at her.

"Scorpius," Rose said, her voice hoarse.

"Mmm," he responded, tracing patterns on her back. She took a moment to lay in the sensation.

"We've only been…" she paused, smiling, "... seeing each other for a little while," she felt Scorpius tense under her, and her stomach did a backflip, "When did you..?"

"Ah," he cleared his throat, pulling himself to a sitting position. Rose stayed where she was, laying her head on his lap. He moved his hand and ran his fingers through her hair, "You're too smart for me," he laughed.

Rose waited as he collected his thoughts, "That day that we were together, in seventh year," he paused, still pulling his fingers through the tangles in her hair. She shifted to a more comfortable position, committed to letting him tell her his full story this time.

"You've always been perfect. I never had the courage to properly snog you. I still don't know who kissed who," he grinned at the memory, "but at some point you mentioned how glad you were to finally have a casual night without strings."

Rose's brow furrowed. She didn't remember saying that.

"And so I took the love that I could get," he shrugged, "I acted detached the next day, because that's what you wanted. And I knew that I was lucky enough to get Rose Weasley in any way that I could have her," he told her, but he did not seem sad.

"I don't remember telling you that," Rose said in a small voice.

"You might have been drunk," Scorpius reminded her with a smile, "When people black out, you don't usually lose whole nights, you lose small moments, bits of sentences," He pulled a curl of her hair, watching it bounce back into place, "Even if you didn't mean to say it, the words reflected how you felt at the time. And I didn't want to push. Ruin what we had."

"What did we have?" Rose asked. Scorpius paused in his playing as he considered his answer.

"A start to something good," he told her with a smile.

Author's Note: Hey y'all! Thanks for the encouragement. A lot has been going on with my personal life, and I've just kinda hit a slump with this story. I'm trying to find inspiration in weird places, so if you have anything you love PLEASE recommend it to me! Bad romcoms, other fanfictions, etc. I love them. Anyways if you didn't notice, this is a double chapter to try to make up for my horrid lack of updates. Also the sex is kicking up a notch, so I hope that helps. Thanks for being incredible and sticking with me. I'm excited to see what happens next for these guys.