It was Monday. That in itself was enough to make Rose want to curl up and go back to sleep for the entire day. The prospect of reconciling for lessons with Scorpius made her feel physically ill, and her head began to throb the instant she opened her eyes. Rose groaned and rolled over, pulling her pillow over her face to block out the morning light. Unfortunately, this tactic didn't work for very long, and far too soon she found herself stumbling out of bed, feeling decidedly foul-tempered and out of sorts.

Rose dragged herself through breakfast, ignoring the people around her, including Dom, and refusing to meet anyone's gaze. She snoozed through most of Professor Binns' lecture on nonverbal counter jinxes in Defence Against the Dark Arts (Professor Doogle was still sick with Scrofungulus) and positively wilted under Professor Millew's stern gaze in Transfiguration when she failed to show any improvement in conjuring spells. Lunch was a similarly morbid affair; Rose kept sending furtive glances over to the Slytherin table, trying to catch Scorpius' eye, but he continued to act for all the world as though she didn't exist.

It was with a cold sort of dread that she took her seat in Potions, sliding in next to Albus with a mumbled hello. The room felt below freezing, and none of the layers she was wearing seemed to be keeping her warm. Rose sighed inwardly; it was times like these that she really wished Dom hadn't given up Potions. Her cousin could be annoying, but she sure had a warming effect and her chatter helped the time to pass quicker.

"You look nice and glum," remarked Albus, as the class settled themselves in their seats. He lowered his voice as Professor Cauldrish swept into the room, frowning and hawkish as usual. "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed, did you?"

Rose glowered at him.

"Would've thought you'd be in a better mood," he continued in an overly casual voice. "Considering what you got up to on the weekend."

She stiffened. "What are you talking about?" she looked at him and saw that a wry smile was playing at the corners of his mouth. "I didn't get up to anything."

He raised an eyebrow sceptically. "Scorpius told me he saw you and Charlie snogging, after the Quidditch match. Charlie Corner, Rose? Really?"

"It was hardly a snog," she said scornfully, her face heating up and her stomach giving an uncomfortable squirm. Scorpius had seen them? He couldn't have been watching them, could he? She would have noticed… "And it's none of your business."

"S'pose," said Al, now arranging his potion ingredients in front of him. "But I personally think you could do better than that Ravenclaw prat."

"He's not a prat," said Rose fiercely. "Charlie's a good guy. And what's so bad about Ravenclaw anyway? At least he's not in Slytherin." She regretted her spiteful comment immediately when Al's face contracted in a scowl.

"Yeah, whatever" he said shortly, rolling his eyes and looking away from her. They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence for a few minutes until Scorpius walked in, accompanied by Flora Bletchley, the other Slytherin sixth-year Prefect. Rose watched as the two of them made their way to the back of the room and sat on Albus' other side, without so much as a cursory glance at her.

Rose spent most of the Potions lesson fuming over the Babbling Beverage Professor Cauldrish had instructed them to create. She knew she wasn't doing as well as she could have if she concentrated more, but she was too irritated to care. Everything was annoying her, from the cold, to the puffs of steam rising from all the cauldrons in the room that made her feel lightheaded, to the low murmur of chatter generated from her right between Albus, Scorpius, and Flora. She tossed her lacewing flies into her cauldron and watched as the mixture bubbled and turned a bright lime green. Her eyes darted up and scanned the instructions on the blackboard at the front of the class; now she had to stir in a counter-clockwise direction, evenly and without pausing, for ten minutes. Oh joy…

At least the monotony of moving her arm in a continuous circular motion allowed her mind to drift a little. Rose gave a heavy sigh, watching as the surface of her solution rippled in response. By her side she could hear Albus and Scorpius discussing Quidditch in whispers…nothing new there. Her eyes wandered further around the room, observing the rest of the class. They were all bent over their cauldrons, silent for the most part. But her head sure was hurting. Rose blinked and looked back at her cauldron, only to see that it was beginning to thicken alarmingly. Was that supposed to be happening? She shot a glance at Albus, who was also stirring, and saw that his had the consistency of watery soup. Hers more closely resembled soft serve. Panicking slightly, Rose read through the instructions again, and felt her heart sink…she had forgotten to add essence of Belladonna.

"Oh no," she moaned, dropping her ladle and snatching up the vial containing her Belladonna. Albus looked sideways at her in surprise. She almost never made a mistake in Potions, and she had certainly never missed an entire ingredient. Her solution was now so thick it was like poorly congealed cement. Frantic, Rose allowed two drops of the Belladonna to fall into the mixture – it hissed and began to smoke copiously. Several people turned their heads at the sound.

"Uh oh." Rose grabbed her ladle again and began to stir urgently. Her head was feeling heavier than lead and the fumes issuing from her cauldron were making her vision blur. The world seemed to tilt momentarily, before righting itself.

"Er, Rose, are you alright?" asked Albus in concern.

She looked at him and found she couldn't quite focus on his face; his outline seemed strangely blurred.

"Rose?" he repeated, and she felt him put a hand on her arm.

"I don't – " she took a step back from her steaming cauldron, to get away from the noxious fumes now spewing from it, and swayed on the spot, blinking rapidly and trying to steady herself. Why was her head reeling? She had been fine a moment ago. "I don't feel so good," she said, as the room gave another sickening wobble.

"What happened?" Albus reached out and placed his palm against her forehead. "Merlin, you're burning up Rose."

Burning up? She felt freezing. Rose put her own hand on her forehead and groaned; her head was throbbing. "I'm…"

"She should go to the Hospital Wing," said another voice, a cold, smooth drawl. "She's sick, Al. Take her to Madam Pomfrey."

"Yeah," said Al, and he put both his hands on her shoulders. "Professor! Professor I think I need to take Rose to the Hospital Wing. She's – "

But Rose didn't hear anything else, because at that moment her mind went blank and she slumped forwards into oblivion.

Her head was full of a dull buzzing, like a swarm of angry bees. Rose was lying on her back, on a bed, with no idea of how she had ended up there. Slowly, she cracked open one eye; it watered painfully against the light. The swarm of bees grew louder. She tried to clear her throat, which was as dry as sandpaper, but only succeeded in producing a low grating sound.

There was movement to her left, though she couldn't see who was there. "Are you awake?" said a voice.

Rose nodded ever so slightly. She wished someone would turn out the light; it was making her head ache.

"Hold on," the voice said, and there was a scraping like a chair being pushed back. "I'll get Pomfrey."

Pomfrey? So she was in the Hospital Wing then. Rose lay quite still, allowing the memory of earlier in the day to flood through her – she had been in the dungeons, in Potions, and she'd been feeling sick and dizzy. Albus had told her to go to the Hospital Wing, that she wasn't well. Then…she must have passed out. Rose swallowed uncomfortably and opened her other eye, squinting in the bright light.

A second later a shadow fell over her and she saw Madam Pomfrey's kind, wizened face staring down at her in hazy definition. There was somebody standing behind her whose face Rose couldn't see.

"Hello, Rose dear," said Madam Pomfrey in a soft voice. "How are you feeling? You've had quite a scare, haven't you? Well, that's not to worry, we'll get you back on your feet in no time. Just sit up, dear, and drink this." The nurse offered her what looked like a cup of steaming purple liquid, which was giving off a strong smell of crushed blueberries.

Knowing better than to argue with the Matron, Rose wriggled into a sitting position and took the cup, allowing its sickly sweet but somehow heartening fumes to wash over her as Madam Pomfrey bustled away again. She had certainly had worse medicines administered to her by her mother when she was younger. Rose stared into the thick purple liquid, thinking of her failed Babbling Beverage and wondering whether Professor Cauldrish would let her make up for it one night after school.

"You're supposed to drink that, you know."

Rose nearly dropped the cup in surprise; her fingers slipped and she only just caught it in time. Looking up, she saw a pair of silvery-grey eyes twinkling with mild amusement at her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked rather abruptly.

Scorpius leaned back in his chair, stretching. "Such a pleasant girl," he drawled.

Her head gave a particularly painful throb, and she winced. Scorpius cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Drink that," he said, pointing to her goblet. "It'll help."

She pursed her lips stubbornly, knowing he was right. "What is it?" she asked with a sniff.

Scorpius shrugged. "Beats me. But if Pomfrey gave it to you I doubt it's intended to do anything except make you feel better."

Couldn't really argue with that logic. And her head certainly was hurting. Rose grimaced and downed the potion in one go; it was warm, and very sweet, as it trickled down her throat. Immediately, a sort of tingling warmth began to spread through her, starting from her chest and spreading to her fingers and toes. It was as though someone had just given her a pleasant electric shock.

"So I'm guessing, from your expression, that it wasn't any kind of deadly poison?" remarked Scorpius sarcastically.

"No, it was…some sort of Pepper-Up Potion, I think," said Rose, grinning as another jolt of warmth shot through her. The buzzing in her head had receded to a very quiet murmur, and she felt comfortable and relaxed. She looked over at Scorpius, who was watching her with an unfathomable expression on his face. "So, um, what…happened?"

"When, in Potions?" he asked.

She nodded, feeling a blush creep across her cheeks.

"You fainted," said Scorpius bluntly. "Albus and I dragged you up here. That's about it, really."

"So where is my no good cousin?" said Rose, looking around for Albus' lanky frame. "Surely he should be here, mourning over my sick bed?"

"We had to go back to class."

She stared at him in confusion, before comprehension dawned on her. "Wait…how long have I been asleep?" she asked, then, without waiting for an answer, she swivelled around to look at the clock which hung above the front doors. It was almost five. "Oh no," she groaned.

"Yes, it's tragic," drawled Scorpius. "Your Babbling Beverage will be greatly missed."

Rose glared at him. Then (since her brain was working much slower than normal) something occurred to her. "So, if you went back to class…then…why are you here now?"

"Our lesson," he replied swiftly. "I figured you wouldn't want a minor fainting attack to disrupt the plan. McGonagall's breathing down our necks enough as it is."

"Oh," she said, not quite sure why she felt disappointed at his answer. It wasn't like there was any other reason he would be visiting her in the Hospital Wing. She should just be grateful he had come and seemed to be in a co-operative mood. "Of course."

Scorpius appeared to be scrutinizing her closely. Rose blushed under his stare; she was thinking of their kiss, despite trying her hardest not to. She just couldn't help remembering the molten look in his eyes when he had grabbed her, pulled her against him and kissed her; the power, the abandonment that was so uncharacteristic of him. He had said this was his problem? Did that mean she was? Would he kiss her again? Could she refuse him if he did?

She was spared from having to dwell anymore on such agonising questions by the re-emergence of Madam Pomfrey. The old nurse bustled over to her with a smile.

"Feeling better dear?" she asked fondly, picking up the empty goblet of medicine that Rose had drunk.

"Yes, thanks," said Rose. "Do you know what happened?"

Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "Just exhaustion, it seems. Although I've no doubt that awful dungeon and the fumes from all those potions didn't help. I've told Professor Cauldrish a dozen times that it's not suitable to brew strong concoctions in such a closed environment, especially in the middle of winter with half the kids sick already, but do you think he listens to me? No, I'm just the nurse, never mind what I think."

Rose looked at Scorpius, who rolled his eyes behind Madam Pomfrey's back. "So…I'm free to go now?" she asked.

"Oh, not quite yet," said Madam Pomfrey. "I'll let you go at dinnertime, I think. And make sure you get plenty to eat tonight, and a good night's sleep afterwards. Poor girl, all this stress….your mother was the same, working herself much too hard."

Now it was Rose's turn to want to roll her eyes. She suppressed the urge with difficulty.

There was a silence, in which time Madam Pomfrey cast a surprisingly disapproving glance at Scorpius. Then she leaned in a little closer to Rose and said in a low voice, "Malfoy tells me the two of you are required to have lessons each Monday. Is this correct?"

Rose nodded. "It's for Professor McGonagall," she explained. "Fostering Inter-House Harmony."

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips. "Silly business, if you ask me," she said in a hard voice that Rose had never heard her use before. "Well dear, if he starts to bother you, don't hesitate to call me." Her voice was still very low, but Rose could tell, from the steely glint in Scorpius' eyes, that he knew exactly what the elderly Matron was saying.

"It's alright," said Rose in a firm voice. "We're fine, thanks."

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey straightened and smoothed down the front of her robes in a matronly fashion. "I'll be in my office if you need me."

Scorpius waited until she was gone before leaning forward. He looked irritated. "She's been bugging me since I came," he said darkly. "Kept telling me I should go and leave you in peace."

Rose looked at the closed door of Madam Pomfrey's office with a small frown. "No, she wouldn't do that. She's always so nice."

"To you," said Scorpius.

Rose stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"Don't be thick," he said curtly. "You know who I am. You know who my parents are. And you can't figure out why she might not like me?"

"Madam Pomfrey wouldn't think like that," said Rose, shaking her head so vigorously it throbbed a little bit. "There's no way."

Scorpius raised his eyebrows sceptically. "Everybody thinks like that," he said simply. "Even you."

She blushed and lowered her eyes. She wasn't that bad, was she? Okay, maybe when she was younger. But it was only a silly House rivalry. Rose recalled Albus' words to her a year earlier: It doesn't matter what he does, he won't ever be good enough in your eyes. She thought about what Mrs Tonks had said, about a person's experiences being more important than their blood. She looked back up at Scorpius and lost her breath at the sight of his expression.

"I'm…sorry," she said at last.

"Don't be," said Scorpius harshly. "I don't need your pity."

"I wasn't, I…" she floundered for a way to express her thoughts, but nothing came to her. Instead she stared off to the side, wondering if the two of them would ever be able to have a civil conversation about anything.

"So did you enjoy yourself on Saturday?" he asked unexpectedly, and something in the tone of his voice made her look back towards him.

"What?"

"At the Quidditch," he said, and this time she definitely noted the suppressed annoyance in his voice. "Shame lover-boy didn't win, isn't it? Sorry about that."

"He isn't my lover-boy!" she snapped, her sympathy for him evaporating.

"You seem to like your Ravenclaws, though, don't you?" mused Scorpius, taking no notice of her. "First Scamander, now Corner. I'm seeing a pattern here."

"Shut up Malfoy."

"I mean, I can understand why you'd look outside your own House, given its obvious lack of talent and the fact that you all seem to be related, but – "

"Shut up!"

"…I don't really see the attraction to the sparrows? I mean - "

"The only boy I've ever kissed is from Slytherin!" she yelled at him without thinking, then blushed, realising what she had just said.

Scorpius broke off abruptly, and stared at her. The silence stretched uncomfortably. Rose blinked down at her hands, cursing herself for simultaneously rising to his bait and admitting that he had been her first kiss. Damn him for knowing how to push her buttons!

"You kissed Corner," said Scorpius quietly.

Her head snapped up, and suddenly she was furious with him. "Oh yeah, and that's what you told Albus, wasn't it? That I snogged Charlie Corner after the Quidditch. But I didn't!" she shook her head and blinked rapidly against the stinging in her eyes. "I didn't! It was barely even a peck on the cheek, I didn't even feel it."

Scorpius opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. The words seemed to flow out of her from nowhere, uncontrollably, as though emerging unbidden from her subconscious.

"And what's it to you anyway! Why are you making an issue out of this? What I do in my spare time with a boy who likes me and whom I also like is none of your business! It's not like you even care – you just want an excuse to torment me."

Scorpius raked a hand through his hair, uncharacteristically ruffling his neat appearance. "I care," he said.

"Well you shouldn't," she retorted harshly. "I'm not your girlfriend. There's nothing between us."

He recoiled as though she had slapped him. For a moment Rose had a clear glimpse at his expression, and what she saw there made her stomach tie itself in guilty knots. An instant later, though, and his face was blank and smooth again, wiped clear of emotion. Before she could say anything else, he stood up and turned towards the door.

"Yes, I see," he said in a very tight voice. "Well, I think that's probably enough for today, don't you?"

And he left.

Rose stared at the door as it swung shut behind Scorpius. Then, before any part of her brain could think of a reason not to, before she allowed any doubts to surface in her mind, she threw her covers off, leapt out of bed, and ran after him.

He hadn't even made it to the end of the corridor. She sprinted in his direction, hesitant to call his name because of all the people who might be around. When she reached him, she grabbed his wrist and tugged him sideways into an empty classroom, ignoring his sound of surprise and attempts to jerk out of her grasp. Only when she had shut the door behind them and ensured that they were alone, did she turn and look at him, huffing slightly from the speed with which she had raced down the corridor.

"What are you doing? Are you crazy?" he shook his arm free and glared at her.

"You are such an arrogant prat!" she screamed at him, and his eyes widened, surprise written all over his face. But she was too angry to care. She stepped toward him and grabbed a fistful of his robes, bringing them close together. "You kiss me like that and then you do nothing, absolutely nothing, about it!"

"Wha – "

"You snog my brains out, and then you ignore me, ignore me!" she tried to shake him but he was too solid, so instead she settled for stamping her foot. "Either kiss me, or leave me the heck alone! You can't do both!"

Scorpius, who had been looking utterly bewildered the whole time she had been yelling, his mouth hanging open, now snapped to attention at her last words.

"Do you mean that?"

"I – what?" she stopped short and looked up at him.

"Do you mean that?" he said again, his voice deep and full of purpose.

"I – yes of course I mean it!"

A smile spread itself across Scorpius' face. "Well good," he said, pulling her towards him. "I choose the first option."

Rose gasped when he put a hand on the back of her head, and closed her eyes, already anticipating his kiss. But before either of them could move, there was a sudden commotion in the corridor outside, and the sound of Madam Pomfrey's yells came floating towards them.

"Rose? Rose Weasley? Oh, where has that dratted girl got to?"

Rose clapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing out loud. Scorpius looked half amused, half annoyed, his fingers already curled in her hair.

"Rose Weasley? Has anyone seen Rose Weasley?"

"I'd better go," whispered Rose, reaching up and removing Scorpius' hand from her head.

He bent towards her, and for a split second she thought he was going to kiss her anyway, but then his lips were at her ear, and he was whispering, "Meet me at the Astronomy Tower, 9 o'clock, Saturday night. Bring that cloak."

She stared at him for a moment, eyes wide with surprise, but he didn't say anything else, just stepped backwards and let himself out of the room.

Rose waited for a few moments until Madam Pomfrey's calls became unbearable, and then she stepped out too. She hurried over to the elderly Matron, who was facing the other direction, her hands on her hips.

"Sorry, Madam Pomfrey," she said innocently, and the nurse jumped and span around. "I just realised Scorpius left his book behind. I'm sorry I left."

"Good heavens girl," huffed Madam Pomfrey, putting a hand to her breast and peering suspiciously up the corridor, which was now deserted. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. Very well, then, very well, back inside with you, come on now. That's enough silly business for one day, I should think."

Rose nodded, and followed Madam Pomfrey obediently back into the Hospital Wing. This time, though, she didn't need a Pepper-Up Potion to lift her spirits; they had risen all by themselves.