a/n: I wrote this story last year and decided to delete it because it was so rushed and I wasn't happy with it at all. However, after a reader messaged me about it I gained the motivation to rewrite it (thank you, mazerunnar!). I'm pleased with it now and I hope you will be, too!

27/11/14: Today I was sat in my maths lesson, deliriously bored, when suddenly I thought to myself, "Midnight has way too many chapters for such a short story... Tonight I am going to make it into a very long one-shot." So that's what I did. I don't know if that means I'll lose a load of my reviews, but it's a risk I'm willing to take.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. I'm just a child.

Rose was just about ready to curse someone.

The loud, echoing guffaws of her cousin and his obnoxious friends booming from the room across the hall was becoming more than infuriating. She pushed a chunk of rust-coloured hair away from her face and tried to focus on the parchment in front of her, but all the letters seemed to blend together. The laughter in the other room was getting louder, and her head was starting to throb.

She flung the parchment away from her in frustration, releasing an almost demonic groan. It landed neatly on top of a pile of empty ink pots and worn-out quills that has gathered over the course of her four-hour revision session. Unfolding her legs from underneath her, she left her temporary bedroom, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail as she walked down the stairs. The sound of the boys became quieter as she descended.

She caught a glance of her reflection on her way to the kitchen and groaned: her face was white and pasty, her thick glasses askew as they perched on the tip of her pointed nose - she had removed her contact lenses when her headache had started - her blue eyes were smudged with eyeliner and her lips were dry and chapped. A chunk of hair hadn't made it into her ponytail and was plastered to her sweaty neck, and she threw her hands into the air, wondering how on earth she had missed such a large section of hair. Altogether, she looked a complete mess, and wanted nothing more than to get a soothing glass of icy water and then sleep for forty-eight hours.

The kitchen was empty; her parents had already left with her aunt and uncle for the wedding of one of their friends from school, and she and Hugo were staying with Albus, Lily and James until they came home. James was staying over at his long-term girlfriend's house, Lily and Hugo were at respective sleepovers, and Albus had invited his friends round for a lad's night in. She smirked to herself as she thought of how Albus would rather invite his friends round to plan their next stupid prank while his parents were out of town than have a party, unlike any other seventeen year old boy. That meant she was in for a long night of hearing stupid yells of victory and declarations of each other's brilliance such as "YES! Utter genius, Longbottom!" and "They'll never be able to wash that off the walls!" through her temporary bedroom wall. Her nose wrinkled as she thought about the sleepless night ahead of her.

Casper, Felix, Scorpius and Albus had been best friends for as long as she could remember. They were considered the next generation of Marauders because of all the pranks they planned. She knew Al's friends and got along with all of them well; she and Albus were only a few months apart so they were very close. Rose had lots of memories of her childhood featuring the four of them: tree houses, quidditch matches, camp outs and countless other childhood pastimes.

A cool breeze swept across the room, focusing Rose's attention on an open window in the corner of the room. Despite the warmer weather, the kitchen was cooler than her bedroom which might as well have been an oven, and Rose's pyjamas – loose, grey, drawstring shorts and an old t-shirt with The Holyhead Harpies logo printed across it – weren't much protection against the cooler air.

Rose's head was throbbing slightly from hours of scouring through her astronomy notes; she reached for a glass, knowing where they were kept as well as she did in her own home, and poured herself a drink of water. Sipping at the icy liquid soothed the pain slightly, and she downed the rest of the drink in two mouthfuls.

Rose wondered if Aunt Ginny would mind her getting herself a sleeping draught from the potion cupboard. She knew it might seem drastic, but her mind had overworked itself into a state where as tired as she was, she wouldn't be able to close her eyes without seeing the movements of the planets and the names of stars from distant galaxies etched into the backs of her eyeli-

"Didn't expect to see you up," said a voice behind her.

Rose whirled around, her fingers tightening on the glass in her hand.

Scorpius Malfoy, Al's closest friend out of the group, stood in the doorway, the darkness of the corridor behind him eating at his silhouette. He wore a dark blue t-shirt, with grey sweats and bare feet. His thick, blonde hair swept upwards elegantly, held in place by all sorts of hair products that the other boys loved to tease him about. An automatic blush rose to Rose's cheeks – although she hadn't particularly acknowledged that she had 'a crush' or 'fancied' Scorpius (she detested those expressions), she had always found him very attractive, and he was the friendliest to her out of Al's group of friends. Okay, maybe she had had a slight crush on him in their first year. And second year. And third and fourth and fifth. But she'd definitely grown out of it by sixth.

"Could say the same about you," Rose retorted, clearing her throat slightly and placing her glass in the sink.

Scorpius apparently didn't hear her. "Your revision keeping you up?"

Rose nodded solemnly.

"Potions?" Scorpius asked sympathetically, seating himself at the kitchen table.

"Astronomy," she replied, folding her arms behind her back and using them as leverage as she pressed herself against the worktop. She immediately regretted this as the action threw her body forward, and she hoped she didn't look like the silly gaggle of girls who giggled as they walked past him in the corridors, desperate to be noticed

"Ouch." Scorpius didn't seem to notice.

"If I see another diagram of Venus, I'm going to scream," she joked weakly.

Scorpius laughed, his mouth widening pleasantly. Rose shuffled nervously, a warm feeling spreading through her chest. "We'll be glad when the NEWTs are all over. Then we'll have more time to stress over the rest of our lives," he teased.

Rose laughed. "Is that why you're awake?"

Scorpius shook his head slowly but his platinum fringe maintained its stillness. "'Fraid not. I'm sure you've heard about my father."

Rose understood immediately, chiding herself slightly for not being more considerate. A few weeks ago, Scorpius's mother had found his father unconscious in their bedroom, not breathing; the healers had said he'd had a severe heart attack - a rare occurrence in the wizarding world - during which his heart had stopped and the oxygen supply had been cut off to his brain. He was currently in a coma and nobody seemed to be able to tell her when, or if, he would wake up. The healers had tried all sorts of spells and potions to wake him up, but nothing was working.

Scorpius had always managed his emotions in the same way: laughing it off. Whenever anyone had tried to reach out to him about his father, he'd just shake them off and change the subject. Scorpius apparently didn't want anyone's sympathy.

Rose knew she had been thoughtless, and searched her mind for a way to cheer him up slightly. The silence stretched out between them and reached a point where it was nearly awkward, and she couldn't help but notice how little she was wearing. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.

"Do you remember," she began slowly, testing the waters, "when we were about seven or eight, when your dad built us a tree house?"

Scorpius's eyebrows quirked slightly, intrigued. "Yeah?"

"That was the best tree house ever. I remember he spent ages on it, on that massive oak tree in your garden. And he absolutely refused to do it with magic – some kind of bet with my dad, I think - even though he could have done it so much quicker. It took him months, and he was so pleased when he finished it. And then your mum decorated it with rugs and posters and beanbags, and she managed to put little floating orbs of light in there. Merlin, I loved that tree house."

"Do you remember," Scorpius added, his eyes lit up with excitement, "when we had that sleepover in there? When we tried to convince you there were vampires in the woods? You were so freaked out."

"I was ten!" Rose protested but Scorpius couldn't help chuckling.

"I think Al was more freaked out than you, actually. I heard him talking in his sleep, telling them his blood would taste awful."

They both laughed helplessly. Scorpius had moved closer as they were talking and he was now stood right in front of her, his head tilted towards her. Rose stopped laughing. Scorpius was watching her closely, and she couldn't help but notice with a pang of sadness the dark circles that cast shadows under his eyes.

"Rose," he murmured, brushing his thumb lightly over her jaw. She could see the reflection of her parted lips in the glassiness of his eyes.

When he bent his head for their lips to meet, his long-lashed eyelids fluttering shut, Rose didn't even think about stopping him.

His warm lips were as soft as they looked and as they moved leisurely against hers. Rose's eyes slid closed. Kissing him was better than she'd ever imagined. He was gentle, and his lips were warm. He cupped her face with his other hand and leant in closer, pressing himself against her. They moved gracefully against one another mouths; small, chaste kisses and long, breathless kisses passing between them. There was an ache at the base of Rose's stomach that made her clasp her hands around his neck, pulling him even harder against her. As she pulled his lower lip into her own mouth, rubbing it gently, something in him seemed to snap. His kisses were suddenly more intense, his hold on her became vice-like as he pulled her against him.

His hands left the counter and skimmed down to her waist, and he lifted her up as if she weighed nothing. His hands skimmed her behind as he sat her on the kitchen worktop, finally level with him. Scorpius leaned back, swallowing hard, cupping her face in his hands. He tilted his head forward again and kissed her bottom lip, his tongue tracing the seam of her mouth.

"Fuck, you're not wearing a bra," he whispered against her lips, causing heat to flood in Rose's core. His flicked her already-hard nipple over the fabric of her thin shirt. She ran her hands over his t-shirt clad chest as he stepped into the space between her legs. Pressing her backward so that her back was pressed against the cool marble of the worktop, he pulled the bottom of her t-shirt up, exposing her midriff. His mouth and tongue moved over her stomach, nipping and kissing the pale skin. His hands curled under the back of her knees as he nuzzled up her stomach, dipping his tongue into her bellybutton. As his tongue flicked at the undersides of her breasts, she let out a low, desperate whimper.

"Merlin, I love the sounds you make," he growled against her stomach, sending shivers down her spine.

Suddenly, he grabbed her and pulled her up so that they were frantically kissing again, with Rose perched on the edge of the worktop. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her body so that they were pressed together tightly. They stayed like that for a long moment, passionately kissing with her body pressed against his. Slowly, her body became aware of an evident thickness pressed between them. Never before had she been in this position; she'd never even kissed a boy before tonight, for Merlin's sake. But there she was, pressed against her cousin's best friend, kissing him fervently.

His lips broke contact with hers and she let out a small noise of protest, which quickly turned into a low moan when he moved his lips along her jaw. She moved her hand from his shoulders so that both hands were now linked around his neck, holding him against her throat as he kissed the tender skin. She lost her train of thought as he began to suck the hollow of her throat, sending shivers down the entire side of the body. She fleetingly wondered if his ministrations would leave any bruises.

She pulled away from him slightly, forcing him to meet her gaze. His eyes were dark and intense. She felt her stomach flutter under his gaze.

Abruptly, he swept her from the counter and twisted them so that she was suddenly pressed against the wall, her legs still draped over his waist. She hissed a curse under her breath. Rose swore she felt his erection swell even more beneath her at her curse and she moaned. Scorpius grabbed her hips harder to steady her and pushed himself hard against her, snapping his hips like he was fucking her.

"Do you like that, baby?" he asked jaggedly as her head lolled back in pleasure. "Shh, you're going to have to be quiet. But I promise I'll make you scream one day."

His teeth took her lip between his and pulled at her plump flesh. The feel of his soft yet roughened hands making their way along her bare thighs sent a wave of shivers down her body. His hardness pressing against the apex of her parted thighs, his movements of rocking against her were unlike anything she'd ever felt before. An unfamiliar feeling began to overwhelm part of her body, low in her stomach. Her chest was tight, her toes curling and digging into his back, causing him to tighten his hold on her hips and rock faster.

She could feel herself building to something. His movements weren't as painfully slow; he moved erratically, and her hips were moving against his in a jerky rhythm. She broke their kiss and buried her head into his neck, his lips once again devouring her neck but not in the same way as before.

"Scorpius!" she cried through gasping breaths before her whole body trembled. She threw her head back as her back arched and her thighs tightened their hold on him. Her centre throbbed with ecstasy as his movements slowed, his breathing coming out in short, sharp pants. He stayed still for a minute, their damp foreheads pressed together intimately.

"It's quarter to midnight," he said quietly, his voice interrupting the silence and bursting Rose's post-orgasmic bubble.

"Yeah," she breathed.

"I should probably get back upstairs," Scorpius said, not unkindly. "Just in case any of the boys notice I'm missing. Don't want Albus knowing I was ravishing his cousin."

He said the last sentence with a wink, and Rose felt her whole face flush red. He eased her down, her bare feet touching the cold tiles of the floor with a soft slap. He looked down at her intently, cupping her chin with his fingers and tilting her head back.

"G'night, Rose," he whispered, leaning in a pressing a lingering, chaste kiss to her swollen lips before disappearing into the hallway and up the stairs.

Rose woke up slowly, feeling damp all over. As consciousness slowly entered her body, memories of last night flashed before her eyes like a kaleidoscope of images, causing heat to flush her entire body. She realised that she was soaked in sweat.

She could hear the boys chatting from downstairs, probably feasting on the sausages and eggs and hash browns that Harry and Ginny had left the five of them for the weekend. She wondered how Scorpius was acting around them; was he laughing and chatting among them, pretending nothing had happened? Was he taciturn and aloof, picking at his food? Was he regretting it? Had he told them?

Rose doubted he'd told them – Albus would not be happy, and they would not happily be having breakfast if he knew what they'd done last night.

A glance at the clock next to her bed told her it was half nine, and a glance at her reflection told her she needed a shower. She paused as she grabbed her wand and a towel, her mind racing through all of the possible scenarios for when she finally went downstairs.

These thoughts ran through her head as she showered, dried herself, dressed, applied her makeup, dried her hair with her wand and plaited her hair sloppily.

She descended the stairs slowly, hearing that the boys were still eating their breakfast. She listened in vain for the sound of his voice, knowing that he wouldn't be one of the chattier boys. He was often quiet before, but since his father's heart attack he was much more thoughtful and pensive.

Walking into the kitchen as casually as she could, she reached for the cupboard, grabbed her favourite cereal and began to prepare her breakfast. She heard all of the boys mumble a tired, "Morning, Rose" to her; she didn't hear Scorpius.

"Morning." She looked at the empty seat at the table. "Where's Scorpius?" she asked, trying to keep from sounding too curious.

"'E's gone 'ome," Casper told her through a mouthful of toast.

"Why?" she said, too quickly.

Al gave her a funny look. "Remembered he had homework or something. I didn't ask - it's probably something to do with his dad." He sighed. "Poor kid."

Rose's lips curved downwards sympathetically and she turned back to her bowl of cereal. What did this mean?

Rose nestled further into her stack of pillows, buried cosily beneath her blanket. She was alone in the common room, which wasn't as difficult as it sounded - she'd been awarded the position of Head Girl in the summer holidays and had it all to herself, unlike the Gryffindor common room which was seemingly always full.

The Head Boy, a Ravenclaw named Toby Parkin who she'd always had a good friendship with, was currently at the annual back-to-school ball. Usually, Rose attended the ball each year with her friends which consisted of them awkwardly standing around the edge of the dance floor together in their floral dresses and curled up-dos. However, this year Rose couldn't think of anything she'd like to do less. After three months of revision-induced stress she had no interest in any social events. She knew she probably should, as her many family members would definitely notice her absence and she'd be interrogated by each of them over the course of the next week.

However, her sleepless nights had paid off - she'd received an 'Outstanding' in every subject, the best results in her year, for many years.

She sighed, her mind drifting to Scorpius as it had quite frequently in the last six weeks. The summer holidays had passed fairly quickly and consisted of her catching up with her sleep. She'd seen her friends and cousins lots of times, meeting up for quidditch matches and water fights, but she'd definitely noticed the lack of Scorpius. He'd always been a part of her summers, as constant as any of her cousins. She'd often see him around her or Al's house, or even in the burrow. But he'd kept to himself more this summer, causing her aunts and uncles and grandparents to smile sympathetically and shake their heads whenever anyone commented on his absence. She knew he'd seen Albus, but it was always whenever she wasn't at his house. She couldn't help but wonder if it was on purpose.

A groan escaped her lips. Of course it was. She wasn't an idiot - it was no coincidence that after what had happened, she hadn't seen anything but brief glances of him disappearing into Al's room. He was obviously avoiding her, and she'd decided that she wasn't going to push it. The logical part of her knew he was just lonely, upset, confused - after talking about his dad he was obviously craving comfort and she was there to give it to him. The less logical part of her was furious that after years and years of friendship, he couldn't even talk to her about it. Or say hello to her.

Although she'd never admit it to anybody, she'd spent the rest of the weekend after their 'encounter' half-hoping that he would show up at her doorstep like in some cliché teenage rom-com that her mother had secretly watched with her as Rose grew up, and admit his everlasting love for her.

Of course, only a small part of her wished this. Rose couldn't stand clichés.

However, Scorpius had not even come close to making large confessions of adoration. He hadn't spoken to her, or even looked at her, since the incident. She had seen him on the train back to Hogwarts and around school with Al and their friends enough times, but he hadn't even spared her a glance. At first, she was hurt that he was being so cold to her. But then she remembered what Scorpius was going through and it had all just been comfort for him, or even a distraction; he was ignoring her because he felt guilty.

Rose closed the book in her hand slowly. Wrapping the thin blanket tightly around her body, she hopped over to the window and shut it, concealing the room from the cool evening air. She wrinkled her nose, considering whether or not to get herself a self-congratulatory snack from the kitchens in celebration of her sixth-year exams being over. She was in desperate need of a Cauldron Cake.

As she grabbed wand from her bedside table, there was a knock at the door.

Scorpius woke to the sound of his door being hammered on.

His brain conjured an image of Rose finally deciding to confront him about him avoiding her, her red hair a wild halo around her head as she demanded answers. One of the reasons he admired her so much was her spirit and temper - although it wasn't often shown around others, he was as close to her as she was with her own cousins and had often seen her fiery side. Well, he had been that close with her, anyway. He didn't know where they stood now. He knew he should talk to her, tell her that h-

"Scorpiuuuuuus!" cried his best friend in a terrible falsetto voice.

Irritated that he had been woken from his sleep, he groped for his wand, squinting as the bright light from the corridor blinded him.

"This better be fucking good," he answered as he saw Albus stood in the doorway.

"Scorpius, mate, I need a favour," Al said desperately.

Scorpius sighed, sitting up. "Yes?"

Albus, dressed in very smart dress robes, skipped into the room. Scorpius, in his sleep-induced haze, wondered for a moment why he was dressed so smartly before he remembered he was going to the back-to-school ball, formally known as the Summer Ball. Scorpius was not going.

Albus pulled himself up into his own bed, adjacent to Scorpius's. He crossed his legs underneath him like a child, grinning hopefully. "I would ask Casper but he'll probably be shagging Connie tonight, Felix is in Paris for that interview thingy-ma-bob and Michael's got Beth-"

"What is it?" Scorpius asked, sitting up and trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"I want to take Sarah back here tonight," Albus told him, fumbling his hands together. "For, you know-"

Scorpius cringed. Albus had never been able to explain things in a subtle way and he didn't want his friend telling him about his plan to lose his virginity in their dormitory. "I bloody know what. And?"

Albus raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Well, obviously I don't want you listening in, you saucy bugger. Could you sleep somewhere else tonight?"

Scorpius closed his eyes and tried not to groan. "Where?"

"Room of requirement? Please, please, please, Scorp. You know I wouldn't normally ask, especially now, but I'm desperate here," Albus begged.

"Do you know how many couples will be wanting to use that room tonight?"

Albus faltered. He pursed his lips, thinking. "Oh! Why don't you sleep in the head's quarters?"

His stomach tightened. He licked his lips slowly, thinking, and said, "I'm sure Rose would have something to say about that."

Albus waved his hand dismissively. "She won't mind! Who's head boy? Toby Parkin?"

Scorpius nodded.

"Well, I know for a flipping fact he's staying with his girlfriend tonight."

"Am I the only one not getting laid tonight?" Scorpius muttered to himself.

Albus didn't seem to hear him. "That's perfect! You can stay in his room! Rose won't mind. She won't even notice you're there."

Scorpius internally snorted. He would definitely know she was there.

"Don't you think Rose will want to have a say in this? I think she'd be a bit pissed if I turned up at ten at night and hijacked her sleeping quarters."

"She won't even care. She'll be reading some bloody book, knowing her. She'll probably have fallen asleep in the common room. Just sneak past her and–"

"Oh, I'm sure she'd love that. Probably wake up, freak out and castrate me."

"Oi," Albus said seriously, "my cousin is not allowed anywhere near your testicles."

Scorpius laughed, a slight edge of nervousness entering it. Al didn't notice it.

"Al, I'm not su-"

"Please, Scorpius."

"But-"

"SCORPIUS, I AM ACTUALLY BEGGING YOU. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REMOVE YOURSELF FROM OUR DORMITORY SO THAT I CAN HAVE SEX WITH MY GIRLFRIEND."

Scorpius sighed, knowing he had no way out of this. "Fine."

Al released a very high-pitched 'whoop!' and jumped in the air. "Thank you so much, Scorpius! I love you, man."

"Right, ew, whatever," Scorpius grumbled, kicking his bed sheets away from himself. "You owe me."

"Anything. See ya." He slid out of the door with a wink and skipped down the hall.

Scorpius sat on his bed for a moment, rubbing his hand over his face tiredly. After weeks and weeks of successfully avoiding Rose, he was going to be thrown into her sleeping chambers with no explanation as to why he'd been ignoring her. What would he say to her? Hi, Rose. Sorry to disturb you, but can I sleep on your sofa tonight? I know I haven't spoken to you in, oh, seven weeks? Eight? Please don't ask me why, because I'm a fucking idiot who doesn't even understand why I'm doing it.

That was a lie. He knew exactly why he'd been avoiding Rose; he was ashamed of his behaviour. After years and years and years of pining for her, secretly desperate to talk to her in any possible situation. He couldn't remember the first time he saw her, as their parents had been good friends from before they were born, even after years of rivalry. However, one of his first memories was of seeing Hermione Weasley brushing Rose's hair when they were three as he and Albus chased each other around Rose's bedroom. He remembered not being able to stop looking at Rose's hair, vibrant and red even from a young age. Albus had teased her about it as they'd grown up, calling her a carrot, but Scorpius had never commented on it, worried he'd blurt out how beautiful she was.

He knew she wouldn't like the usual way boys seemed to ask out girls: approaching her as she sat in a group with her friends, asking her if he could talk to her in private and causing all of her friends to giggle, then asking her to go on a date to Hogsmeade with him. Rose hated clichés, and she deserved something better than that. Whenever he'd imagined telling her how he felt, it had been when she was alone, curled up with a book. He'd find her alone in the library in her house, or possibly in Malfoy Manor. She'd be curled up in an armchair with a book and a cup of tea, her hair pulled messily away from her face so he could see her soft features. He'd clear his throat to grab her attention and tell her he'd never seen anything more beautiful than her there at that moment, and he couldn't keep his feelings to himself any longer.

He frowned to himself as he grabbed his backpack and emptied it of his parchment, quills, textbooks and ink pots, replacing them with pyjamas and toiletries. There was no point thinking about that now. He needed to plan his opening sentence.

"Um, hello."

The sight of Scorpius Malfoy in her doorway sent such a violent jolt of shock through Rose that she considered slamming the door shut. His hair was messier, much messier than usual, and his eyes were lined with dark rings of tiredness, but he was smiling sheepishly.

"Hi," Rose replied slowly, drawing her cardigan tighter around her chest.

He lingered there for a moment, looking down at his feet. "Er... well, Al spoke to me. A few minutes ago. He wants to bring Sarah back to our dorm so that they can…"

It took Rose two seconds to understand what he meant. She grimaced at the though.

"And he's asked you to evacuate the room," Rose confirmed softly, pressing her lips together. The idea of Scorpius and her sharing sleeping quarters, even if he would be on the sofa, was not desirable.

Scorpius seemed to feel the same way. "If there was anywhere else I could go, I would. This is the only place available. It'll only be for tonight," he said quickly. "I don't have to if you don't want me to."

Rose wished she could tell him she didn't want him to, but the circles under his eyes made her smile at him kindly.

"Don't be stupid," she said, gesturing awkwardly to the sofa. "Make yourself at home. I'm, er, going to go get changed."

He walked into the room slowly, his backpack slung over his shoulder. He looked around at the stone walls and paintings, all of inanimate objects rather than people; he was glad that he didn't have an audience to this awkward situation.

Rose disappeared up the stairs that led to her room and he placed his bag on the foot of the armchair, which he then sank into slowly. He had no idea how this evening was going to go - would she ignore him? He glanced at the staircase she has just ascended. Was she ever coming down? Would she yell at him? He'd decided earlier that if she was going to confront him she'd have done it before now, but Rose wasn't really the type to start an argument.

He didn't like the idea of sleeping in Toby Parkin's bed, as they didn't know each other very well at all. A glance at the plush sofa told him he'd be comfortable in the night but he knew he didn't have a chance of getting to sleep. It was hard enough getting to sleep at the moment with the situations with his dad and Rose constantly playing at the back of his mind, never mind having the object of his affections less that twenty feet away.

Rose returned, wearing red, tartan pyjamas that clashed with her loose hair beautifully. Her make-up had been scrubbed off her face and a large book was trapped between her fingers. She stood by the sofa opposite him, and cleared her throat formally.

"I don't think Toby would particularly mind you sleeping in his bed but you should probably sleep down here, just in case," she told him, not looking at him.

He nodded. "That's fine."

"Good. Um. I'll be off to bed, then." She turned to leave. "G'night, Scor-"

Before Scorpius could process why, he'd crossed the space between them with two strides of his long legs and whirled her around. Her eyes widened in shock and she looked into his eyes properly for the first time that night.

"Rose, please," he pleaded, although he didn't know what he was pleading for. "I don't want it to be so awkward between us."

"I-It's not," she stammered.

"It is, Rose. I have been a complete dick. You can say it."

Rose's cheeks flushed with such a dark red that Scorpius was slightly shocked. He wondered if she was thinking about what had happened between them that night and a tiny thrill went through his stomach.

"I understand. You don't have to make excuses. I know that everything's been catching up to you and-"

"Rose!" Scorpius yelled, silencing her. "You know that's not true! Just- just... yell at me! Tell me how much of a dick I've been because I can't stand you acting like I've done nothing wrong!"

Rose stared at him for a long moment. He almost groaned and walked away from her, but then she began to speak.

"Fine! I will tell you what a huge dick you've been. You kissed me, and then you ignored me for seven weeks!No explanation, nothing! If you regretted it, which I'm guessing is the reason, you could have just told me that! We have been friends for our whole lives. I've known you forever, and you think you can't just say to me, 'Look, Rose, I made a mistake, wasn't thinking straight, blah blah blah, let's just be friends again'? What was your plan?" Her cheeks were ruddy with anger and her hands were attached to her hips defensively. "Were you just going to ignore me for the rest of your life? Pretend I don't exist every time we see each other? One minute you're all, 'Yeah, I love the sounds you make,' 'Fuck, you're not wearing a bra,' 'I promise I'll make you scream some day,' and then you just-"

Her lips were hot and wet against his mouth and he pulled her to him by her hair, moving his mouth against hers urgently. For a brief moment she held her lips still, unsure. He clasped her face between his palms, desperate to feel her and she reciprocated, moaning slightly as he pulled her lip in between his, making her knees weaken. Her hands slid to his neck as his mouth moved against hers again, sucking on her lower lip and feeling the faintest hint of his tongue as he kissed her. His right hand wrapped around her waist, his movements beginning to slow slightly. Scorpius's lips were slow and meticulous. She ran her tongue slowly along his bottom lip, curious as to how he tasted. She felt his lips curve into a smile at her movements and her heart thumped in her chest.

He moved away from her suddenly, breathing heavily.

"Rose, you- you need to know that I'd never, ever hurt you. I ignored you because I thought I'd fucked this up by kissing you. Al would never be alright with me being with you and-"

"Like I care what Albus thinks," she told him. "He'll grow on it once he realises how much more you'll be around."

He smiled at his crookedly and kissed her again before pulling her into his lap. He shifted, grabbing her right leg as he did and lifting her so that she was positioned with a leg on either side of his lap. She ground against him slightly, almost unconsciously, and he let out a low growl. Rose kissed him thoroughly, pouring all of her lust and passion into the movement of her lips against his.

"Let's go to my bedroom," she whispered.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his eyebrows pulling together.

She kissed fiercely him again and he lifted her so that her legs were wrapped tightly around his hips – the same position they had been in a few weeks ago – and walked them over to the staircase, where she jumper down and led him to her bedroom. He lowered her down onto herbed, only breaking the kiss to get rid of his shirt, which he threw on floor. She ran her hands over his chest as he covered her body with his own. His skin was feverishly hot, stretched over hard, corded muscle. The ridges in his stomach rippled as she slowly trailed her fingertips over him.

His mouth found hers again, kissing her deeply as his hands made their way under her loose shirt and fluttered over her sensitive stomach. His fingertips brushed the undersides of her breasts and she moaned with need.

"Be patient, baby, or I'll have to spank you," he said gruffly, running his fingers gently over her pebbled nipple.

His words shocked her into silence for a few seconds; she'd never imagined such erotic, suggestive words, leaving his mouth. Not that she was complaining, at all.

She gasped slightly as he yanked her shirt over her head in one fluid motion, leaving her chest naked before him. Her hands automatically moved to cover herself, but with lightning-fast reflexes his hands shot out and pinned her wrists on either side of her head.

She cried out in shock and pleasure as he lowered his mouth and sucked at her nipple tenderly. He swirled his tongue around it tantalizingly before tugging it into his mouth, eliciting a soft gasp from Rose.

"Rose, you don't know how long I've wanted to do this to you," he breathed as he began flicking his tongue across the tip of her bud.

His large hands slid down her body and she shivered lightly. His mouth travelled back up to hers and she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her body into his.

Wearing a cocky smile, he pressed himself firmly into the summit of her thighs, grinding gently. His dark eyes looked down on her, heavy-lidded desire. His lips curled into a slow smile. "I am going to fuck you, Rose."

He rubbed the pad of his thumb roughly across her lower lip, intentionally wetting it on the tip of her tongue as she gasped. He caught her face between his hands, his lips hovering millimetres above hers for a long moment, their panting breath mingling. Suddenly, his mouth was on hers in a searing, wet, brutal kiss. She moaned into him and he deepened their kiss, ravaging her lips mercilessly; licking, biting, tasting, with her desperately trying to meet the insistent stroke of his tongue with her own.

His mouth moved over her rosy nipple, alternating between sucking and touching the sensitive point with the tip of his tongue. Her hand clenched in his hair harder, and his other hand went to her other breast, pinching and twisting the second nipple until it was as hard as the first. Her panties were drenched now, and the friction of rubbing her legs together was unbearable.

He sank to his knees in front of her, yanking her hips to the edge of the bed with him as she shrieked with surprise. Her legs enveloped his head as he bowed to brush soft kisses along her thighs.

"Do you want me to taste you, Rose?" he teased, his cool breath fluttering over her feverish skin. "God, I can smell you from here, princess. I bet you taste as good as you smell."

Suddenly, he cupped her mound of her flesh with a firm hand, stroking the wet folds repeatedly with his thumb. He sucked in a breath. "You are so fucking wet," he said softly, his voice strained. "Is this for me, baby?" He moved his hand just barely and she bucked against him with a cry. "Shit," he hissed, "I'm gonna make you scream for me, Rosie."

She moaned and fisted her hands in his hair, almost unconsciously trying to draw his mouth down to where her body needed him most.

"Please," she whispered, panting in anticipation.

"Please, what?" he asked blithely, tauntingly. "Do you want me to taste you?"

"Yes!"

"Do you want me to lick you, Rosie? Do you want me to put my tongue in your pussy?" His thumb flicked over her bundle of nerves, causing her hips to snap violently.

"Yes!" she cried again. She was nearly mindless with need, her legs trembling from pent up desire.

"Tell me to fuck you, Rose," he demanded evenly, applying the most minuscule pressure with his fingers. "Tell me to fuck you with my tongue and I will."

"Please, Scorpius!" she moaned. "Fuck me with your tongue! Please!"

The first contact of his hot tongue made her back arch and a cry tear from her throat. She was lost to everything but the surreal pleasure of Scorpius's tongue and it licked and sucked at her wet centre. His tongue delved deeper into her core with sharp thrusts that made her jerk in response, moaning softly with each pass of his tongue.

She heard the cry that was ripped from her throat when Scorpius's tongue flattened over her pussy but she didn't realise right away that it was her. His lips closed around her clit and he sucked while swirling his tongue over it. He began to lick tiny circles around the swollen nub

The cries coming from her mouth were starting to sound almost tragic and she could feel her knees starting to shake. Rose felt the pressure building deep inside her, warmth radiating out as her breath came short, gasping as she reached desperately for her climax. She emitted a series of unintelligible moans and mewls, her stomach and legs tightening and she began to ride the waves of bliss.

He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand – a gesture that was oddly attractive – and smirked. "Liked that, did you?"

"Oh my God, Scorpius."

He chuckled and crawled back up her body, pressing a hard kiss to her cheek. Rose was breathing heavily, as if she'd been running for miles. Scorpius wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her body to his.

"Night, Rosie."

"Wait." She twisted round so that their faces were centimetres apart. Scorpius looked into her eyes intently.

"Yeah?"

"We're not going to stop now, are we?"

Scorpius's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Rose pushed herself up, ignoring her jelly-like arms, and straddled him. Scorpius looked up at her, pleasantly surprised. She had no idea where all this courage was coming from.

"Scorpius," she whispered, leaning forward so that her long, cherry-coloured hair trailed along his bare chest. She pressed her lips next to his ear, tickling him as her lips moved.

"I want you to fuck me."

Rose felt Scorpius's reaction against her thigh before he said anything.

"Fuck," he hissed. "Rose, are you sure?"

"What happened to," she lowered her voice, "'I am going to fuck you, Rose'?"

"That was in the heat of the moment." He swallowed hard as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "We don't have to-"

Rose pressed her lips to his, slowly savouring them. She'd never get enough of this. Scorpius's hands moved from clasping her hips to gripping her behind tightly, moving his hands over the soft skin.

"Please, Scorpius," she moaned as his mouth latched onto her neck, sucking at the tender flesh. "Don't make me beg."

"As much as that would amuse me, I won't. I just want to make sure you really want this."

He looked up at her through his lashes, and a flash of heat erupted in Rose's stomach. "Oh, I want this," she breathed.

His laughter caught in his throat as her hand darted between them and brushed against his erection. Rose dropped her lips to kiss along his throat and collar bone, finding a spot behind his ear that made him buck his hips against hers in pleasure.

Rose shifted lower down his body, letting her tongue and lips skate and slide over his chest. He groaned and tried to pull her back up his body. Rose slapped his hand away, earning a chuckle from him. She continued moving south, trailing her fingers over his abs until her fingers caught in the waistband of his drawstring pyjama bottoms. His breath stopped as she slid his trousers down his hips, her eyes never leaving his. She took his manhood in her palm and gave him a wicked smile before darting her tongue out to catch the drop of moisture glistening at the tip of his erection.

"Fucking hell, Rose." His cock twitched against her palm.

"Can I…?" she whispered.

"Yes," he choked out.

He hand closed around him and she slowly began to move up and down, marvelling at his length and width. Her fingers couldn't touch.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," he bit out, burying his head in the crook of her neck, kissing it tenderly. His lips were feverishly hot. His hand reached down to close over hers. "A little faster," he whispered, and she obeyed, their hands moving in unison over his cock.

Gradually, he started thrusting helplessly against her palm, his hips moving back and forth, groaning softly. He exploded with a barely-contained cry of her name, hot, sticky fluid coating her palm.

"Was I okay?" she asked, her voice quieter than it had been all night.

"That was fucking amazing," he said, his voice slightly shaky. Rose blushed.

"Do you have a condom?"

Scorpius pulled a foil packet from the back pocket of his jeans, tearing it open quickly. Rose giggled nervously.

"Listen, Rose. I promise you can trust me completely. I'll try my best not to hurt you. If you don't like it, we can stop. But I don't think that'll be the case."

Rose took the condom from him from him, rolling the latex slowly down his shaft with her right hand while pinching the tip with her left. Scorpius exhaled shakily.

He flipped Rose so that she was lying on her back, her head resting on his pillows, as he hovered above her.

"Sweetheart, relax."

She complied, every inch of her skin blushing. He slowly eased his middle finger inside of her, hissing at how wet she was for him.

"That's it, baby girl," he murmured, winking at her. "God, you're so fucking beautiful."

He positioned himself at the juncture of her thighs.

Suddenly, the full reality of what she was about to do dawned on her and she froze.

"Rose," he said softly, "I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to. Do you want this?"

"Yes," she replied firmly, and parted her legs under him.

He took himself in his hand and positioned the head of his cock at her opening. He slid in inch by inch, gritting his teeth at the sensation of her warm, wet tightness. Rose's eyebrows furrowed as he slowly stretched her.

"Are you okay?" he grunted.

"Give me a sec," she whispered. At first it felt like a sharp pain, but it was now a very dull ache. When the pain has worn away, she told him to move.

By way of answer, he drew out of her and slowly slid back in, and her eyes fluttered shit at the incredible friction it caused. "Tight," he groaned. "You're so fucking tight."

"Language," she gasped as his pace quickened.

"You love it," he said cockily.

He continued thrusting in and out until they discovered their rhythm. The pain had evaporated, now replaced with intense pleasure that Rose had never experienced.

Scorpius drove into her deeply, and her hands clutched desperately at his shoulders. His fingers were clinging so tightly to her hips they would probably leave bruises, but Rose could care less. When his thrusts become less controlled, Rose knew they were both close and tilted her hips up to meet each one of his desperate thrusts.

Finally, the building pressure exploded within her and Scorpius gave three final, frantic thrusts. With a cry of, "Scorpius!" her body exploded into oblivion. Scorpius followed her, cursing and hissing her name.

Breathing heavily, he pressed his lips to hers and then to her damp forehead. He rolled over, withdrawing from her. She whimpered softly.

"I love the sounds you make," he told her, pressing two quick kisses to her lips before walking to the bin in the corner of the room and disposing of the condom, shamelessly naked.

He returned with his t-shirt. "Wear this," he said.

She slipped the sleeves of the top onto each arm and did up the buttons, leaving the top two undone. She looked up at him and saw he was watching her intently.

"God, you're gorgeous," he murmured, and gathered her into his lap. His mouth met hers. The kiss was rough and needy, and she felt a shudder go through her when his hands slid into her hair. He tilted his head to deepen the kiss. Her hand clutched his bicep and they were both gasping when he pulled away.

"Stay with me tonight."

The next morning, Rose's legs were draped across Scorpius's lap as they nestled into the sofa. She had woken up pressed against Scorpius's chest, warm and content. They had decided to pick up their respective clothes from the common room in case Toby returned and eventually collapsed on the sofa with exhaustion. Now, Scorpius was trailing his fingers along her creamy legs, tracing invisible patterns and scraping his fingernail lightly along her shin. Rose's books lay discarded beside her, as she had given up trying to focus on the words around him. Her eyes were heavy, and she felt them closing more with each stroke of his fingers along her skin.

Just as she was about to doze off, a familiar voice sounded from outside the common room, muffled by the wooden door.

"Shit. Um… 'Books'? 'Reading'? 'I love Albus Potter'?"

Scorpius and Rose glanced at each other.

"I am her cousin! I've just forgotten the password. Please let me in!" Albus begged the adamant portrait of a Roman soldier.

"Sounds like Al's gotten in a fight with Aelius," Rose muttered.

"SCORPIUS! ROSE! LET ME IN PLEASE!"

The witch and wizard sprang apart from each other. Rose jumped up and jogged to the door, yanking it open.

Albus stood in the corridor, a huge grin spread across his face.

"I JUST HAD SE-EX," he sang loudly and skipped into the common room, "AND IT FE-ELT SO GOOD!"

Rose looked slightly nauseated.

"Bit loud, Al," Scorpius said, disturbed.

"What even is that?" Rose laughed.

"Some muggle song Casper sings." Albus shrugged, attempting to do an arm wave. "How's she been?" Albus asked in mother-hen tone of his grandmother. "Not any bother, I hope."

"He wasn't babysitting me, Al," Rose complained, jumping onto the sofa and picking up her book.

"'Course not." Albus grinned. He flashed a smile at himself in the mirror opposite the fireplace. "Do I have a post-coital glow?"

"Ew," Scorpius groaned.

"You are just jealous, you poor virginal boy. One day you will be a man, and we can laugh heartily together with flagons of ale and manly moustaches. Until then, you can sit in the corner with all of the other children."

"Right," Scorpius said, flashing Rose a quick look as Albus checked himself out in the mirror.

"Anyway, just checking you two hadn't shagged or anything. You coming, Scorp?"

Rose and Scorpius barely showed a reaction; they were so used to Albus making jokes like this about them, half-jokingly, half-warningly. They had even suggested he might when they were picking up their clothes from the common room floor earlier that morning.

"Okay, time to leave," Rose said firmly, causing Albus to chuckle. "See you, boys."

"See you, Rosie," Albus said cheerfully, stepping out of the gap through the portrait.

Scorpius lingered for a second. "Bye, Rose."

"Bye," she whispered.

Scorpius lay in bed, his head cushioned by his pillow, grinning at the ceiling.

He couldn't stop thinking about her. The way her long, titian hair fell over he shoulder in waves, the way her dark blue eyes sparkled mischievously… He'd wanted her for years. Not just sexually, but in any way possible. He'd always liked her.

Sighing, he rolled over as he thought about what Albus's reaction to knowing what Scorpius thought of Rose would be like. Albus was like a protective older brother when it came to Rose, even though she was older by a few months. Scorpius knew he had to tell him one day, if he wanted to ask Rose out. Albus might be pissed at first, but he'd warm to the idea. It wasn't as if Scorpius was a complete love-them-and-leave-them manwhore; Albus would realise that Scorpius was serious with how he felt.

Scorpius almost laughed as he considered the rest of Rose's family's reactions. Why did there have to be so bloody many of them?! Most of them knew Scorpius and he got on with the ones he had met, so it wouldn't be as if there was a huge family feud between the Malfoys and the Potter-Weasleys. Their fathers had gotten over that a long, long time ago…

Scorpius froze. He suddenly felt unbearably guilty. Here he was, a lovesick puppy, wondering how he was going to ask the girl of his dreams out and whether her family would approve, when his father was lying in a hospital bed in St Mungo's, struggling to live.

However, Rose's words from their cuddle-session this morning returned to him.

"He'd hate to see you worrying… It's not going to help, you making yourself sick with it…"

Rose was right. He shouldn't worry. His father would be fine.

The door to the dormitory swung open, revealing a lit wand and the troubled face of Professor Longbottom.

"Scorpius?" he whispered, raising his wand to Scorpius's puzzled face.

The sound silenced Albus's loud snores, which Scorpius had grown accustomed to over the years.

"Uncle Neville?" Albus asked through a yawn. "Wha's going on?"

"Scorpius, you need to come with me. Your mother's here," Professor Longbottom said warily.

Panic gripped Scorpius's chest.

"Why? Has something happened?" asked Albus, saying the words that Scorpius couldn't. He shoved his glasses on and glanced between the professor and his best friend.

"Come with me, Scorpius. You too, I suppose, Al."

Rose hummed to herself happily as she used her wand to add some bouncier curls in her hair. Her face was pink and full of colour with her happiness from the day before. She wondered if Scorpius had told Albus about them yet – which was very unlikely because she would have heard Scorpius's screams as he was castrated – or if they would tell him together. Were they together? They certainly seemed to be. Would they tell Albus about the night they'd spent together, or come up with a plan to make it seem as if Scorpius was going to ask her out to Hogsmeade and go from there?

Rose didn't even mind if they kept it a secret for a little bit, but only a little. As thrilling as sneaking about was, she'd rather openly have him as her boyfriend. The thought made her tingle.

She skipped out of the common room and down all of the stairs, greeting students, teachers and ghosts as she passed them. Some looked surprised at her chirpy attitude, but many returned her radiant smile.

She entered the Great Hall and beamed at the sight of all the glorious food on the tables. Immediately, her eyes sought out Scorpius as she scanned the rows of people. They fell on Casper, Felix and Albus, who were huddled together and looking solemn. Her smile dropped. Had something happened? She couldn't see Scorpius anywhere.

She strode over to them and dropped into Scorpius's usual seat, next to Albus.

"Where's Scorp?" she asked, not caring if she sounded suspicious. "Has something happened?"

It was then that she noticed that Albus's eyes were slightly rimmed with red and he was sniffing slightly. He didn't look up at Rose.

She looked towards Casper and Felix. "What's going on?"

They glanced at each other warily.

"Scorp's dad passed away last night. He's gone with his mum to say goodbye."

Rose stared at Felix and drew backwards with shock. "What? I-I thought they said his condition was improving."

"He took a turn for the worse yesterday and didn't make it."

Rose's eyes prickled with the sudden urge to cry. She'd known Draco Malfoy her whole life. Unlike Harry or Neville, she'd never seen him as a second father or uncle like Albus had, but he'd always been kind to her; he'd even joined in the joke of her and Scorpius one day marrying.

Scorpius. She closed her eyes, unable to imagine the pain he must've been going through. She wanted to hug him and hug him, but he was all the way in London with his widowed mother and dead father.

"How long will he be gone for?" Rose asked softly.

"We're not sure. Dad says the funeral will be in two days," Albus croaked.

Rose nodded. "Are we going?"

"Yeah, and Felix and Cas. We- we need to be there for him."

Rose nodded again. She didn't know what to say. Her bright mood had darkened considerably and she'd lost her appetite.

Rose adjusted the long plait that rested over her left shoulder. She wore natural makeup, a knee-length black dress, a black blazer, natural tights and her black school shoes. Malfoy Manor loomed above her as she walked between her mother, father and brother. They wore matching solemn expressions as they walked along the pebbled drive.

Mrs Greengrass, Scorpius's maternal grandmother greeted them kindly, welcoming them in. The manor was full with funeral-goers, chatting politely to each other, all dressed in black. It was incredibly depressing.

Rose's eyes sought out Scorpius and she found him stood with Albus, Casper and Felix, eyes downcast, wearing an impeccable black suit.

"I'm just going to give Scorp my condolences," she told her mother, who patted her cheek with a sad smile and turned to her husband again.

Rose threaded through the groups of people until she met her cousin and his friends.

"Hello," she said gently. They all nodded to her except Scorpius, who just stared at her, his eyebrows pulled together. It broke her heart.

"I'm so sorry, Scorp," she almost-whispered. She took his cold hand in hers and squeezed it affectionately. "If there's anything I can do to help you, I will."

Casper looked at his two friends. "Guys, I think we should-"

"Yeah," Felix agreed. He looked at Albus quickly. "Let's-"

"Bye, you two," Albus said, clapping Scorpius on the shoulder. The three of them left and Rose and Scorpius were suddenly alone in the corner of the huge room.

"Why did they leave?" Rose asked absently and she watched them turn the corner.

"I told them," Scorpius said, peeking into her face.

Rose's eyes bulged. "That we had se-"

"That I'm in love with you."

He held her gaze as Rose stared at him, shocked by the blunt sentence.

"Don't worry if you don't feel the same way," he told her quietly. "It's just – there are so many things I wish I'd said to my father, and now I can't. I'm not going to waste anymore time. I love you."

Tears pricked her eyes as the emotions of the past few days caught up with her and she smiled at him.

Taking both his hands within her own, she said, "I love you, too."

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. She felt his breath span across her face.

"I want to kiss you, but eighty-five per cent of the people in this house are related to me and I don't want to cause a scene," she whispered.

He chuckled and glanced around. He took her hand and led her to an unused cupboard in the corridor, which they slipped inside when no-one was looking.

He stroked the braid across her shoulder and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Slowly, he brought his face down to hers and kissed her slowly, pouring all of his love into it. It quickly became rougher as he filled it with his grief and emotion, until they were both gasping for air.

"Sorry, I'm sorry. That was too much," he gasped.

"Don't worry," she told him, stroking his cheek and finding it wet. "I love you, Scorpius. I'll always be here for you."

He gave her a watery smile and whispered, "I know."

a/n: It's finally over! Review review review!