She was in the Hospital Wing again. Rose could tell from the strong smell of disinfectant in the air, the starchy white sheets pressed against her skin, and the glare of harsh white light against her eyelids.

There were murmured voices around her, but she couldn't make out who was speaking. Her head was aching dully and felt a great deal heavier than normal; when she shifted a little, she could feel that it was firmly wrapped in bandages. Her wrist didn't hurt at all.

Sudden panic coursed through her as she remembered what had happened. Someone had attacked her. Scorpius had – how had Scorpius been there? She couldn't remember. And Charlie…Rose felt her gut clench with anger. Her hand on the bed sheet curled into a fist.

"Rose? Honey?"

The voice was her mother's. Rose cracked open her eyes and blinked in confusion, sure that she must be hallucinating. Maybe that blow to the head had addled her hearing? She gazed blearily in the direction of the voice.

"Mum?" her voice was harsh and cracked, but her mother gave a sob as though it was the most wonderful thing she had ever heard. Rose felt a warm hand curl around her own.

"Oh, honey. Ron, Ron she's coming round."

There were footsteps. "Rosie?"

"Dad?" Rose blinked several times to settle her vision, watching in surprise as the figures of her mum and dad materialised in front of her. Hermione was settled in a chair by the bed, while Ron towered behind her, his hands on her shoulders. Both of them looked pale with worry.

"How are you feeling sweetheart?" asked her dad in a voice she hadn't heard him use since she was about five years old. "How's your head?"

Rose lifted her free hand and touched the bandages gingerly. "Okay, I guess," her voice was still hoarse. She cleared her throat and wriggled up a bit into a semi-sitting position. Her mum immediately began propping pillows behind her, fussing over her as though she were terminally ill.

"Mum, stop," she protested weakly, but nevertheless sank back onto the pillows gratefully. "I'm fine. What are you doing here?"

"Fine is a bit of an overstatement, I should think," said her father sternly. "Here, eat this." He passed her a large square of chocolate and Rose took it without comment, feeling too exhausted to argue.

Before she could think of what to say, there was a commotion at the entrance to the Hospital Wing, and Rose heard the sound of several raised voices.

"What's going on?" asked her mother, half rising from her seat. Ron poked his head out of the curtains that had been drawn around the bed, and shook his head wryly. "It's Albus and Dom again." He cast a concerned glance at Rose. "I'll go tell them to wait a bit longer."

"No!" she said at once, sitting up straighter. "Let them come in."

"You've only just woken up – "

"I'm fine!"

Ron glanced at his wife, before shrugging and pulling back the curtain. Now Rose had a clear view of the door, where Al and Dom were being barred by a very obstinate looking Madam Pomfrey.

"We're her cousins – "

"We won't bother – "

"I really must insist, the girl needs rest – "

"It's okay," her dad called out, and they promptly stopped arguing. "They're alright. Let them in."

Madam Pomfrey looked as though she wanted to argue, but pursed her lips instead and retreated back to the bedside, where she busied herself in preparing a potion Rose didn't recognise. It looked a little bit like algae.

"Drink this slowly," she said crisply after a moment. "I mended your wrist, but your fractured skull might take a bit longer to heal, and it will be quite ginger for a few days, I imagine. Not to mention you've lost a fair amount of blood, so be careful not to over exert yourself. This should help to speed up the recovery process."

"Thank you," said Rose demurely, taking the cup from the old Matron's bony hands. She took a sip and scrunched up her nose. "Blurgh. It's disgusting."

"Now, now, it's not that bad," chuckled Madam Pomfrey. She wiped her hands on her apron and stared sternly at Albus and Dom, who were now hovering at the foot of the bed, looking nervous. "Don't stay too long," she snapped. "Miss Weasley needs peace and quiet to recover. I'll be in my office if you need me." And she turned on her heel and left them.

Ron ran a hand through his hair ruefully. "Still the same as ever," he muttered in a low voice once the door to Madam Pomfrey's office was securely shut. "The old dear."

"So what happened?" asked Dom, as though unable to restrain herself. "Are you okay? One minute you were going outside for some air, next thing you're being carried back to Hogwarts with blood pouring out of your head, and your hand all – " she made a rather gruesome shape with her own hand.

Rose grimaced, imagining what a sight that must have been, being carried through Hogsmeade looking like that. Just when the place was full of Hogwarts' students, as well. At least it would distract them from gossiping about her date with Charlie…hopefully.

"So?" asked Albus impatiently when she didn't respond. "What happened? Scorpius said – " he broke off, and glanced at Ron.

"Yes, and just what did Malfoy say, hmm?" asked her father testily. "What brilliant excuse did he come up with this time?"

"Ron," said Hermione warningly.

Rose looked from one to the other, her brain moving slowly, trying to work out what was going on. Ron and Albus were glaring at one another. Her mother was chewing her bottom lip, looking worried. Dom was staring at Rose intently, as though trying to work something out. Her eyes were red; it looked like she had been crying.

"Where's Scorpius?" Rose asked eventually.

Albus turned back to look at her, his expression mutinous. "He's being questioned."

"As he bloody well should be!" burst out Ron furiously. "He comes staggering out of the Forbidden Forest, with my daughter half-dead – "

"Dad – "

"…and bleeding all over the place, while he's completely uninjured. And he says he doesn't know what happened!"

"Dad!"

"I – I don't understand," stammered Dom, looking unsure whether she should speak or not. "We thought you were with Charlie, Rose. What happened to Charlie?"

"Why is Scorpius being questioned?" asked Rose, ignoring Dom and directing her question at her father.

"We're just trying to work out what really happened," her mother interjected softly.

"They think he did it," said Al. "They think he – ambushed you, or something."

"How did he know where Rose was?" blustered Ron, a familiarly obstinate look on his face now. "What, he just happened to go for a walk in the woods at the exact moment that my daughter was attacked?" his voice was heavy with sarcasm. "And, how convenient that his footprints are all over the scene, with no evidence of anyone except him being there."

Al's eyes flashed. "You're just jumping to conclusions!" he yelled. "Why would he carry her out of the forest if he'd attacked her in the first place?"

"Maybe he lost his nerve when he realised what he'd done!" Ron took a deep breath and made a visible effort to calm down. "Look, Albus, I know he's your best friend, this must be hard for you, but if he's laid a finger on my daughter – "

"Why would Scorpius hurt Rose?"

"Well, they do hate each other," put in Dom timidly. Al rounded on her angrily.

"Not you too!"

Dom held her hands up. "I'm just saying."

"Yeah, well don't," snarled Albus. "Scorpius would never hurt Rose. He – "

"Scorpius has got as much a reason to hurt Rose as anyone else," continued Ron in a hard voice. "Maybe his father – "

"I'm sorry Uncle Ron, but you don't know what you're talking about," countered Al fiercely. "You've always been biased against Scorpius because of his dad. But that doesn't mean – "

"I don't think any of us should jump to any conclusions before Harry and Professor McGonagall have finished talking to him," Hermione put in.

"Why wasn't Malfoy with you, Al?" asked Dom. "You two always go to Hogsmeade together."

Al scratched his head. "He said he wanted some time alone."

"Hah!" Ron scoffed derisively. "Time alone, indeed. And you didn't think that was the slightest bit suspicious?"

All four of them broke into loud argument at once, seemingly forgetting about Rose, talking about her as if she wasn't even there. She lay on the bed, glaring at them, a ball of anger swelling inside her until she found it impossible to keep quiet any longer.

"Will you all just SHUT up!"

There was silence, instantly, as four shocked pairs of eyes turned to look at her. She had never spoken to her family in such a way before.

"Rose!" her mother looked scandalised, but Rose ignored her.

"Don't you want to know my version?" she demanded, looking at each of them in turn. "Or are you just going to pretend that I'm lying here dead, or something?"

"Of course we want to hear your version," said her dad weakly. "That's not – we were just – "

"I went up the Shrieking Shack, and Charlie followed me," she said, staring at Dom, who nodded dumbly. "He…we had an argument, and I ran into the forest."

Albus swore under his breath.

"I sat under a tree to catch my breath, and while I was there – I – " this was where the details became somewhat sketchy. "Someone came out of the trees, and – and tried to stupefy me, but – but I blocked it – " she closed her eyes for a moment, reliving the terror of the sudden attack, the feeling of when the ropes had bound her and she had fallen helplessly to the ground.

"Go on, Rose," said her mother gently.

"I – I disarmed one of them, but not properly. But…I got their wand." That feeling of elation, when she had thought she would be able to defend herself, to finally put into practise all that she had learned in Defence Against the Dark Arts. It had been very short lived. "But someone else was behind me, and they shot binds at me, so that I fell over. I – I hit my head on…I think it was a – a rock or something. Then, one of them stepped on my wrist, and broke it, to get the wands out of my hand." She flexed her hand subconsciously, to reassure herself that there was no more pain. "And then I think I blacked out for a bit."

Now it was Ron's time to swear. His face was a harsh red, and he was clenching and unclenching his fists, as though he wanted to hit something.

She sipped some more of the potion, wrinkling her nose in distaste, before continuing. "When I woke up, they were speaking. Something about a – a plan, and how they should have waited. I – " she put a hand to her head, which had just throbbed painfully. "I think there were three of them."

"And then what?" demanded her father, looking tense.

"Then…they heard someone coming. A voice. So – so they left me," she shuddered, thinking of what could have happened had Scorpius not shown up. Where she might have been, at that very moment. "And then Scorpius came. And I – I must have blacked out again."

There was a silence. Rose leaned back against her pillows, and closed her eyes, feeling exhausted. She desperately wanted to see Scorpius, to talk to him about what had happened. But she didn't suppose that was going to be possible, with all her family crowding around her. After a bit Hermione stood up and moved with her husband a few paces away from the bed, where they began to talk in low voices. Rose didn't bother trying to overhear. Dom took her mother's vacated seat, and stared balefully at her.

"I'm sorry," said Rose tiredly after a while. "I ruined your day. Your date with Calvin…"

Dom waved her hand. "Oh, don't worry about that. I'm just glad you're okay. When I first saw you, I thought – we all thought – it looked really bad. I never knew a person could bleed so much from their head."

"Your mum and Victoire, are they – "

"They wanted to come, but Uncle Harry told them to stay in Hogsmeade. I'm sure he's sent them a message now he knows you're okay."

"How did Uncle Harry get here so quickly?" asked Rose. She couldn't decide whether it was all a big overreaction from her family or whether she really was in some kind of danger. It was hard to think rationally about it.

Dom shrugged. "I think Madam Rosmerta contacted him, or something, you know how the Ministry is…as soon as Malfoy came down the hill, carrying you, we all knew something was wrong." She lowered her voice. "I've never seen Malfoy look like that before. Covered in blood, and shouting like a crazy person. We all thought he'd killed you."

"Yes, I suppose that is the first conclusion people would jump to, isn't it," said Rose dryly, fighting to keep the annoyance out of her voice. Scorpius had very probably just saved her life, and yet here her family thought he'd tried to kill her. Something niggled at the back of her brain. "What happened to Charlie?"

"Charlie?" Dom frowned. "I saw him, in the commotion when Scorpius was bringing you down. But it was only for a second. I didn't know what was going on, so…but he looked pretty shaken up. What did he say to you?"

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from him?" cut in Albus, who had been standing beside them listening. "I told you he was a prat. You didn't listen."

"She doesn't need a lecture right now!" snapped Dom. "You're just annoyed because your best friend was lurking around where he shouldn't be."

Albus opened his mouth to respond, but his words were cut off by the sound of more voices approaching. A second later the door to the Hospital Wing opened and Professor McGonagall entered, followed by Uncle Harry. Her parents immediately stopped their whispered conversation and looked up.

"Well?" her dad asked, looking from one to another and back again. "What did he say?"

"Scorpius has given us his version of events," said Professor McGonagall wearily. "And I have accepted his explanation."

"He says he was talking to Charlie near the Shrieking Shack when he heard Rose scream," said Harry, taking off his glasses and wiping them on the edge of his shirt. "He ran into the forest but didn't get there in time to see who attacked her. "

"And you believe him?" Ron looked at his best friend, who nodded once, his face grave.

"We tested his wand, and found no evidence of any of the spells that had left traces in the clearing. I don't doubt he's telling the truth."

"It's just fortunate that Mr Malfoy got there when he did, otherwise who knows what might have happened," said Professor McGonagall.

Ron grumbled something under his breath.

"We're going to have to ask Rose to give us her side of the story," said Uncle Harry, his green eyes looking at her in concern. "When you're ready, of course, Rose."

"I don't think – " her mother began, but she cut her off.

"It's alright, I'll do it now. I want to get it over with."

Harry nodded, his expression full of understanding. Rose was reminded that he had been in her position on more than a few occasions during his own time at Hogwarts.

She told the story quickly, and thoroughly, making sure not to leave anything out, besides the exact details of her conversation with Charlie – that was just a little too embarrassing to admit to a room full of family. When she got to the part in the forest, she hesitated for a moment on whether to mention that she had found of one of her attackers' voices vaguely familiar, but decided not to, since she couldn't place the voice whatsoever. It would only frustrate them further if she brought it up, and she already felt bad enough for having not got a proper look at their faces.

When she was finished, she drained the last dregs of the potion and lay back against the pillow with her eyes closed. Her head had begun to throb a little bit, and she felt drained and weary. This had to be one of the worst Valentine's Day she had ever had.

"Right," said Harry, his demeanour reflecting pure efficiency, and reminding Rose that he was Head Auror, not just her uncle. "Well, I've got Aurors combing the Forest, but so far they haven't found anybody and it doesn't seem like they're going to, considering what you've told us. It's highly unlikely your attackers hung around. More than likely they doubled back and apparated once they were beyond Hogwarts, and since there are no barriers that side of the Forest – " he glanced sideways at Professor McGonagall.

"Rest assured there will be extra security put around the borders of the Forbidden Forest immediately," said the Headmistress, addressing Ron and Hermione. "If anyone attempts to enter or leave the forest from Hogsmeade again, we shall know at once."

"It's unfortunate neither Rose nor Scorpius got a clear view of any of them," said Harry, running a hand through his hair. "But based on the fact they were wearing hoods…" he broke off, his expression thoughtful. "We're going to have to question this Charlie. What did you say his last name was, Rose?"

"Corner."

"Corner?" repeated her dad sharply. "Is he related to Michael Corner, by any chance?"

"Michael's his dad," said Rose, watching as Ron and Harry exchanged surprised looks.

"Never liked that Ravenclaw prick," muttered Ron darkly. "And now I like his son even less."

She would have laughed if she hadn't been feeling so weary. Between her father, her cousin, and Scorpius, she doubted Charlie had much chance of coming out of this unscathed. Well, she didn't have any sympathy for him. He had brought it on himself.

"Now you definitely need to rest," said Hermione firmly, and she began to steer the rest of them outside. Before he left, Albus leaned down over her, his eyes an exact mirror of his father's.

"Listen," he said in an undertone, so that only she could hear him, "I know how much you hate Scorpius, but since he saved your life and all, do you think you could be a little nicer to him now? Like, maybe say thank you?"

She opened her mouth, feeling a blush spread across her face, but Albus turned and walked out without waiting for a reply. That was probably just as well, since she had no idea what to say to him. It was strange, hearing him say something like that, completely oblivious to how much their relationship had changed over the last few months. And how things had changed. Now she couldn't even remember why she had hated Scorpius for so long. She looked at her father, wondering whether he would ever change his opinion about Draco's son. She supposed he would have to if…but she wouldn't think that far ahead.

"I'm going to go and talk to Harry," said Ron, and he bent over and pecked Rose on the forehead. "I'll be back in a bit, sweetheart."

"Sure, Dad."

"You should try and sleep," her mother was gazing sympathetically at her. "You're exhausted. Try not to worry about those…people. I don't think your father will rest until they're caught."

Rose nodded automatically. She hadn't really thought much about it, beyond the immediate retelling of what had happened. She supposed she should feel afraid, or worried, but truthfully, she didn't. There wasn't really much point, and besides, this was Hogwarts – it was the safest place in the Wizarding World. So long as she didn't wander into the forest again, she would be fine.

But she did as she was told and closed her eyes, and before long she felt herself drifting off to sleep.

When she woke again, the room was dark and silent. Rose blinked several times, her eyes adjusting slowly to the darkness. It took her a few seconds to notice the warm hand curled around her own on the bedspread. Assuming it was her mother again, Rose started to gently pull away, but to her surprise, the hand responded by tightenening around hers. She pulled a bit harder, to no avail. It was only then that she registered the roughness of the palm, the length of the fingers, and the calluses on thumb and forefinger that most certainly didn't belong to her mother. Her mouth stretched into a smile.

"You're here."

"Of course," his voice was soft and gentle. "Where else would I be?"

"Where are – "

"Your mum and dad went for a walk with your uncle while you were sleeping. They left about twenty minutes ago."

She narrowed her eyes to see him better, but could only vaguely make out his face in the darkness. Reaching up, she took hold of a strand of his blonde hair and pulled hard.

"Ow," he drawled in response. She could feel the intensity of his stare as her hand fell back to the bedspread. "What was that for?"

"Just making sure you're not a vision," she said, closing her eyes and smiling. "Who knows what the side effects of Pomfrey's potions could be."

He leant over her, and a second later she felt the warm pressure of his lips on her forehead. She suddenly found herself lost for words.

"I should…I should say – "

"I'm just glad you're okay," he said, kissing the corner of her eye and making her blink rapidly. One of his hands stroked her neck, and a wave of sensations coursed through her in response. "I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, that I didn't listen to you. You were right about… everything."

She felt more than saw his smirk. "I know."

His lips were trailing down her cheek now, making clear thinking difficult. "Anyway…" she began, feeling dangerously light-headed. "Happy Valentine's Day…"

He chuckled. "You too." Then his lips found hers, and all remaining thought vanished from her mind. Her arms curled instinctively around him and she arched her back, pressing him closer to her. The longing in her own body amazed her – it felt as though she was having her first sip of water after days – weeks – of dehydration. Scorpius mumbled something and held her tighter, his free hand curling around her waist. He was leaning over her, one leg still anchored on the floor, the other kneeling on the bed. But it wasn't enough. Rose grabbed at his shirt and tried to drag him closer, desperate to feel that closeness that she had been craving. She moaned as Scorpius' tongue brushed her own, totally lost in the sensations of his kiss.

There was a creak, and the door to the Hospital Wing swung open. For a fraction of a second they both froze, arms still wrapped around each other, before Scorpius jerked backwards and away from her as though an invisible shield had suddenly materialised between them. A moment later and the torches in the walls flared to life, illuminating the room with a warm orange glow. Rose stared wildly around her, already envisioning the shocked, horrified faces of her mother and father, desperately trying to think of an excuse for what she had been doing, before she realised with a magnificent rush of relief that the curtain had been moved so as to shield her bed from the main doors. She let out her breath, thanking the gods that Scorpius had had the foresight to block them from view, before hurriedly attempting to flatten the sheets so that Scorpius' indent was not so obvious and to erase the flushed, 'just-kissed' look she knew she wore.

There were several rather ominous footsteps as whomever had interrupted them walked across the polished tiles of the Hospital Wing, before the figure rounded the curtain and came into view. Rose tried hard to keep her expression neutral, but she had a feeling her shock was written clearly all over her face. After all, it was hard not to stare when a near-exact replica of the boy she had just been kissing appeared at his side.

Draco Malfoy looked remarkably similar to his son. They had the same platinum blonde hair, pale skin, and grey eyes. They shared the same imperious look, marked by arched eyebrows and obstinately pointed chin. For a second Rose thought she was looking at a time-warp of Scorpius in thirty years, before her eyes started to pick out the small differences between them, such as Scorpius' broader jaw and the softness around his mouth that was missing from his father's sneer. His eyes were a shade bluer too, she thought idly, or maybe they just seemed that way because of the icy glare Draco Malfoy was directing her way.

"F-father," Scorpius stuttered, looking as bewildered as she felt. He ran a hand casually through his hair, but Rose knew he was trying to remove the evidence of what they had been doing. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," said Draco in a soft, somewhat menacing voice, his eyes still fixed on Rose. She stared back at him defiantly, refusing to drop her gaze, until he looked away with a bored expression and turned to his son. "But I won't. I shall merely presume that you came to see how Miss Weasley was faring after your rather heroic rescue effort."

"Yes Father," answered Scorpius, an expression of blank neutrality on his face. "I just wanted to make sure she understood what had happened."

Rose was in the middle of appreciating Scorpius' well-honed acting skills when she noticed that the top button of his shirt had popped off and now hung delicately from a single cotton thread. It must have happened when she yanked on his shirt, she thought, fighting the blush that was stealing up her neck. Hurriedly, she diverted her eyes and stared instead at one of the burning torches on the wall.

"It seems strange," commented Draco, "that you would sit in the dark and talk, rather than turn the lights on."

"She was asleep when I came in," said Scorpius smoothly. "And I didn't see the point in waking her unnecessarily."

"Indeed," said Draco in a dismissive voice. "Well, I assume you have completed what you came to do. I should like to speak with you for a moment before I return home."

Scorpius didn't even glance in her direction. "Of course Father." And he turned and walked out of the Hospital Wing without another word. After inclining his head briefly in her direction, Draco followed.

Rose heaved a sigh and fell back against the bed, her eyes burning with a mixture of exhaustion, humiliation, and adrenaline. That had been close. Far too close. And yet, a small part of her almost regretted not being caught. It wasn't fair that they should have to sneak around, as if they were criminals. Then again, she couldn't imagine how Scorpius' dad would react…or her own father, for that matter…

She rolled over and closed her eyes. After a minute or so Madam Pomfrey came out of her office and extinguished the torches with a wave of her wand, but Rose pretended to be asleep and the Matron left again quickly. In truth her mind was full of the feeling of Scorpius' kiss and the icy grey of Draco's stare. It didn't seem likely that she would get much rest that night.