If there's any life out there still subscribed to this story, you are my favourite people on Earth. I know it's been just so long since this has been updated, but I couldn't leave it unfinished. I've had a lot of personal issues and some very extreme changes in my life recently, so I've basically disappeared off the face of the FFN planet.

Basically, I've tried to end this story in a way which seems natural and is enjoyable. This was, after all, supposed to be the last chapter anyway, but of course I've lost track of my original ending in the last year or so. I just hope it lives up to what you all want.

As a reminder, the last chapter ended with a conversation between Ruth and Scorpius, and a hint that Rose might have something bad coming.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

That first day at breakfast when Ruth came and sat next to me, pointedly and confidently ignoring the stares and whispers which followed her across the hall and to my lonely spot at the end of the Gryffindor table, Hogwarts exploded with more rumours and gossip.

By break time, people were smiling at me again. Like, friendly.

I found out from some guys in the bathroom (yeah, it was a social place for us too) that the general 'Chinese Whispers' version of the whole Ruth-Rose-Me thing was that I'd strung Ruth along and then cheated on her for Rose. Now that Ruth was talking to me again, most of the student body felt they were entitled to forgive me too.

Plus, I'd started damage control by telling the few groups of people I encountered the real events (albeit simplified).

By lunch time, I needed a nap. It was so tiring.

I was half-tempted to go back to weeks of isolation and sadness.

"Atta boy," Ruth drawled across the table in the Great Hall. "You've got your fighting spirit back."

I glared at her.

Then I caught Rose watching us.

She averted her gaze as quickly as possible and I wasn't able to gauge her reaction.

Was she put out? Jealous? Annoyed?

Who knew.

"It would just be so much easier to make a damn announcement," I mumbled sarcastically. "Maybe then people will stop staring."

Ruth rolled her eyes and then, to my embarrassment, catapulted herself on to her feet on the bench, attracting the attention of a few students within a couple of meters radius.

"Attention all gossips, airheads and sluts who can't keep their nose out of anybody else's business," She began, and I mentally slapped myself for even suggesting this. Some of the students laughed, others looked interested. "I'm grateful for all your concern, but we're not six years olds who've argued over the last Barbie doll. Scorpius and I are fine, and it's none of your business what's happened. Please keep your ridiculously shaped noses out of our business, and stop staring at us. It's creepy."

And then she sat back down.

A group of guys a little ways down the Hufflepuff table clapped her. Most of the others in the area laughed, some of the girls looked affronted.

I tried to suppress a smile.

"You're welcome," Ruth told me, flipping her hair.

I rolled my eyes.

But, Merlin, it was good to have a friend again.

Bea was absolutely ecstatic the first time I ran into her in Herbology.

"Scorpius!" She squealed, hugging me tightly. "Oh Merlin, I'm so so so glad everyone's talking to you again! I've missed you."

Utterly confused and sharing an anxious look with a passing group of guys we knew, I hugged her back awkwardly. "Nice to see you too, Bea."

"Come on," She gushed. "You can be my lab partner!"

Katie and Sam had largely stayed out of the situation, and had actually been some of the few people who had spoken to me since Christmas (along with Hamish, who didn't see the need in picking sides in the first place), so they continued as normal, albeit a little more relaxed and open in conversation again.

The real interesting situation came about two weeks into March when, randomly, Oliver joined the others in sitting with me at the dinner table.

He didn't comment, just acknowledged me once with a mature handshake and a nod of his head, and that was it. It took another week or so for us to get back into the swing of general conversation, but that was it.

I didn't ask for an apology either, or get petty. He was defending his sister, and taking her side. He was perfectly within his own right to do so.

The whole situation had just gotten way out of control, and it was time we all grew up and started fixing it.

Plus, if Oliver had slept with Ophelia and broken things off with her, I would have taken her side too.

So, it was whilst walking out of Charms with Oliver on our way to lunch when it happened during the beginning of April.

The student body had clustered together and was blocking off the second floor staircase, just outside the girl's bathroom - a clear sign of a commotion.

To start with we assumed there was a fight going on, just the usual minor wand fight, or a screaming match between girls, but once we pushed our way towards the front, we saw it.

Rose was on the floor, her bag a strewn mess a couple of meters behind her. Aaron was standing awkwardly beside a smug-looking girl a year above us.

Everybody was quiet, which proved just how unusual the situation was.

People had broken up in public before, but not like this.

Rose just looked absolutely devastated, and nobody had moved to help her.

"Why isn't anybody doing anything?" I whispered to Oliver. "Where are her friends?"

"Those girls she hangs around with?" Oliver gave me a confused, then sad look as he read my face. "They're not her friends. They don't care two bits about her."

I stared at the scene in front of me, hardly believing what I was seeing.

"How could…" Rose tried to breathe through her tears.

Aaron just stood there, letting her be humiliated. At least he had the decency to look ashamed of himself. The girl couldn't even manage that.

"Get up off the floor and go run back to your little French school," She snapped. "It's so pathetic."

I didn't realise what I was doing until I'd pushed my way through the crowds. Oliver tried to grab me, but I shoved his hand off my shoulder.

"Rose," I called her name, effectively getting the other students to move out of the way and let me through. I reached her and dropped to the floor to shield her from the view of the prying eyes of the pitying but gossiping student body. "Rose…" I whispered softly, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

She tried to push me away. "Don't…"

"Rose," I said more firmly. "Don't be too proud to accept help."

"I can't…" She breathed tiredly, glancing up at me. "I can't deal with anything right now. Please…"

She was tired, and her make-up was a mess.

She looked like she had given up on anything and everything. It was absolutely devastating.

"I'm not trying to fight with you," I told her. "I'm trying to help you and, to be honest, you may not like me right now, but I damn well seem to be the only person by your side."

She hesitated, surprised. Then she let me help her up.

The older girl was glaring at us, obviously annoyed her show had been cut short.

"Scorpius Malfoy, aren't you such a gentleman…" I ignored her, trying to steer Rose down the corridor. As I stopped to grab her bag, the girl said, "Oh no, sorry, I forgot about the man-whore bit. My bad."

I snapped round at her without hesitating, invading her personal space, practically snarling, pulling my wand out of my pocket and placing it against her neck. "You shouldn't run your mouth off about something you don't know anything about, Ellie."

I breathed it so low and so quietly that she stared at me with wide, terrified eyes and managed a weak, croaky, "S-sorry…"

And with that I pulled Rose into the girl's bathroom and slammed the door shut on the rest of the student body which had gathered. I just about heard them erupt into conversation as the door slammed shut, leaving us in silence.

I turned to Rose, and we exchanged an awkward glance.

It was the first time we'd been alone together since Hogsmeade.

This was going to be interesting.

She spun away from me immediately after our eyes met, leaning on one of the sinks.

Through the reflection in the mirror I could see her trying to wipe heavily-run make-up off her face.

"Are you ok?" I finally decided upon asking.

She sniffed a little and avoided eye contact whilst she washed her face. I gave her a few minutes, then pressed the matter again.

"Are you hurt?" I asked sincerely.

"No," She whispered.

"Are you sure?" I took a step forwards, unconvinced.

"No," She repeated.

"Do you want a hug?" I offered. It might have seemed like a crossing of that imaginary line (after all, why would she want a hug from me if she hated me?) but it wasn't.

"N-n…" She managed before she turned and practically fell into my waiting arms.

I held her against my chest for what seemed like hours as she cried and tried to catch her breath and cried some more. Sometimes I stroked her hair to let her know I was still here and still worried.

Eventually, her breathing slowed and she moved her arms, which had previously been crushed between us, to wrap them around my neck. She clung on for dear life.

"Thank you," She said.

I didn't protest or try to get any more out of her. It was enough that she'd said it After all, I'd had to learn what it was to admit defeat and swallow my pride – this was her turn.

"You're always welcome," I said.

I walked her back to her dorm and, somehow, we ended up sitting against the wall in the corridor in the complete silence of the castle. Nobody else was around, and even the paintings seemed to have disappeared off somewhere.

"I can't believe we let everything get so messy," She said, looking over at me.

"I know."

"People are so…" She searched for the right word, "easily persuaded."

"Maybe we just all care too much what others think."

She nodded and let out the tiniest hint of a smile. The first reserved for me in a long, long while. "Oh, I definitely did." She admitted.

I met her eyes. "So did I."

"Well, if we're going to be friends again, we need to learn to trust each other, don't you think?"

I blinked, turning my whole boy to face her now.

"You want to be friends again? Seriously?" I couldn't stop the hopefulness from creeping into my voice.

Of course I wanted to be friends again. We'd got along so well until it had all been ruined by misunderstandings, miscommunications and pride.

I just wished we could go back to the simply days where the criteria for friendship relied upon both enjoying Chocolate Frog Cards or finding a worm under a rock cool.

She smiled again.

"You were the only person who helped me today, Scorpius," She reminded me. "I think we were friends all along."

I smiled genuinely for the first time in a long time as I considered those words.

"Is it possible to be friends but simultaneously be yelling hexes across a classroom at each other?" I pointed out.

There was a long pause whilst she considered it. Considered us, actually, I realized. After all, we were really having a conversation about where we were, where our relationship was, and where it could go from here.

Would it be easier to just break ties and be acquaintances? Yes, of course it would be. Relationships with people were messy and complicated and inevitably ended up hurting one or both parties. And we'd been through a thoroughly ridiculous and tiring ordeal, not least feeling tormented by the other for, well - when it really all came down to it – what?

We'd both been wrong, but what was new there? Everybody was wrong sometimes, and behaved in ways they regretted.

So I was really asking if we could move on and, eventually, move back to where we had been. I was really asking what potential she saw in us, now that it had all been said and done.

"Well…"

She finally turned to look at me, the slightest hint of playfulness twinkling behind her tired eyes:

"Maybe the line between love and hate isn't quite so clear."

And that's that.

I honestly do really hope this at least has a cathartic effect on you, or makes you feel hopeful for the characters. When I set out to write this story, I really did want to give some meaning to, and I've tried to do so. I hope you've all enjoyed it. I would love to know if the ending lived up to your expectations.

I also want to thank everyone one last time for sticking to the end. It's been a long hiatus.

Much love,

Sarcastic-Bones x