Rose glared down at her parchment in frustration, a headache raging war with her brain as if, by some bloody band had set up to practice but hadn't played their instruments in eight years and so resulted only in mindless noise.

She sighed loudly and shook her head in frustration, groaning as she allowed her head to fall into her hand, elbows propped on the table. Three hours had resulted in just as many words on her essay that was meant to be seven pages long by the end of the week.

She raked her fingers through her long curly hair she'd inherited from her mother and winced softly as they came across a tangle. She glare at the paper a moment longer before giving a helpless huff of frustration and standing abruptly, allowing her chair to skip back a bit, magically silenced of all scraping.

Rose gathered her items, growling softly at the useless textbooks that held no relevant information everyone else wouldn't already have. She knew everything there was to know of the War of the Dragons that was in the textbooks.

What she needed was pureblood information, not Weasley world. As much as she loved them, her father's side of the family had often been on the outskirts of society and thus often only knew the very essentials of current history in the making.

The assignment had been to surprise the teacher, Professor Avel, a handsome dark-skinned man with an alluring accent, a perfect smile, and a friendly charm that made his students aim to please.

She stomped out of the library, grumbling to herself, giving in to the idea that perhaps she'd have to write to her mother to look into the archives at the ministry and not looking forward to the many jibes she'd likely get for her slight crush on the handsome teacher as a result.

Turning a corner she noticed only a moment too late that she should have taken more care as, in an instant there was a flurry of colorful curses, groans, and meetings with the hard stone floor as both she and Scorpius found themselves brutally reacquainted with each other and the ground.

"What the Hell Weasley?!" Scorpius gripped his head, wincing, a headache swiftly forming where he had apparently hit it on something. Not her head obviously since the top of hers only came to his chin but something all the same.

Rose groaned softly, eyes closed tightly and wishing upon all the stars that it had been anyone else as she only felt her headache build in his argumentative presence.

They were on friendly terms most of the times sure but regardless; Scorpius lived to complain about inconveniences such as these. She'd likely be expected to coddle him in return for his injury for days before he'd realized his bribing had lost its potency.

She moaned softly, her hand going down to her own throbbing knee where his heavy book bag had landed in their fall before finishing its decent to the floor below. She winced softly at the aggravated welt that was already making itself known and sighed as she realized she'd have to go to the infirmary if she wanted to be able to play in that nights Quidditch game.

Rose's eyes suddenly snapped open as a gentle but firm hand caught her beneath the arms and hoisted her to her feet, an arm appearing under hers as a body pressed against her side with the injured knee. She looked in surprise to see the steely eyed Scorpius frowning down at her knee as he supported her weight, "You need to get Patil to look at that, I can't have the only challenging player on the team go missing the night of our game now can I?"

Rose smiled slightly, wincing as he slowly began to urge them into walking, supporting her weight every time her right foot made a step as she found she really couldn't support much weight on it at all.

Scorpius was great at complaining yes but he was also good at Quidditch and showed it every game. Tonight was the Slytherin-Gryffindor game and the two of them always put their best into this one, wanting to beat the other in the battle they always waged. It didn't even matter to them whose team won but rather which of the two scored more goals between them.

Rose smiled slightly at her friend's feet as they limped to the infirmary, happy that she'd run into him and trying to ignore the slight blush that spread across her cheeks.

Scorpius looked over at her suddenly, looking as if she were insane and stopping their slow crawl to the infirmary completely, "Did you just say you're happy you ran into me?"

Rose frowned, looking at him as if he were just as insane as he clearly thought she was, "No? Why, are you glad I ran into you?"

He scoffed slightly and frowned, looking around him in confusion, "I could have sworn you said something."

"But I didn't!"

He turned his head slowly to face her, eyes wide and startled, "How did you…?"

Rose frowned deeply, "How did I what?" She asked, confused and a little unnerved by her friend's behavior.

Scorpius's eyes widened further and his mouth fell open. He closed it with a soft *Clack* before clearing his throat a few times, "Rose. I didn't say anything."

Rose laughed uneasily, shaking her head slowly, "No, because that's impossible." And insane.

Scorpius's eyes suddenly twinkled with good humored mischief as his thought was cemented, "Not so insane when you think of it. Strange magical occurrences happen often in the wizarding world due to some stray collision."

Rose shook her head slowly, still refusing to admit the obvious truth but beginning to realize there was no other choice but to accept it. It's impossible. She couldn't have Scorpius Bloody Malfoy of all people reading her thoughts.

"It could be worse," He said with a wicked grin, "It could be Scorpius Bloody Malfoy sharing your skin."

Rose gaped at him, both at the name she had only just given him and the reminder of one of the most bizarre medical mysteries that had resulted in a collision between two wizards some thirteen years ago that had left them in one body with conflicting needs and desires. It had taken the men eight years to decide what house they had wanted to move into and how to manage their separate families since, in truth it was indeed, two souls sharing one form.

"Bloody hell, you're serious, aren't you?" Rose's voice trembled ever so slightly and Scorpius's playful gleam vanished with the sound as he realized how seriously his friend was taking the matter.

"It's not so bad, is it? Sharing a mind with me? It's not even complete telepathy, only if you're being loud, really." Scorpius tried for a comforting few words but only served to make Rose cry out in frustration, "What do you mean by loud?"

Scorpius coughed softly and tapped his temple, a guilty smirk upon his lips, "Your little band raging war inside your head is currently playing a horrendous rendition of Hoggy Hoggy Hogwarts."

Rose frowned, and went to shift her weight haughtily only to yelp in sudden pain and nearly collapse in surprise if not for Scorpius's reflexes.

She blushed softly as she realized how close they were and cleared her throat, sudden embarrassed, their predicament taking residence in the back of her mind for the time being, "Can we just…. Get to the infirmary? I need to get my knee looked at and get some headache medicine for the both of us."

She felt the faintest tingling in the back of her mind, "So you don't mind us hearing each others' thoughts then?"

She turned to glare at the silent Scorpius who had, she knew, not said anything, "Don't you go getting all happy about it, there's nothing I know how to do and my knee hurts. Besides, I don't want to be known as the weirdo who heard Malfoy's lewd thought."

Immediately, as if against his will, Rose caught a glimpse of his snogging a girl passionately, though who, Rose couldn't tell because of how quickly Scorpius blushingly reigned in his loud thoughts, "Yeah let's not go telling people about this. Keep it strictly under wraps until we can figure something out."

Rose nodded quietly and he gently reached around to support her again before continuing the slow path to the infirmary, wondering why they had such an important place at such an inopportune spot in the castle.

Finally, a half hour later, they arrived, panting and tired at the infirmary, laughing softly at the silly jokes Scorpius made up in and out of his head to keep Rose from getting nervous about their condition and Patil.

Rose had never liked the medical field and often felt nervous around areas of such professions such as the infirmary and Scorpius, knowing this all too well did his best to keep her cheerful.

Scorpius had just finished the tale of the Jade Penguin and the Limping Gator ("Are you saying you're a penguin Malfoy?")And their adventure across the desert when they reached the door, Rose gasping for breath as he aided her.

Scorpius smiled happily at his laughing friend before setting her down gently on one of the great many beds and walking towards Patil's office, "Be right back."

Rose smiled this time, recognizing his voice in her head rather than outside. She shook her head slightly, amused by his tale even still, snorting as she realized who the Opera Peacock had been as Padma Patil came rushing in from her office, looking every bit as busy and flashy as the Peacock had save for Patil lacked the habit of singing everything she said.

"Let me take a look at that leg of yours, 'right Rose?" Padma smiled gently at Rose who swallowed thickly around the sudden lump in her throat as she glanced between her parents' old friend and hers who offered encouraging thumbs up.

She screwed her eyes up as she lifted her bad leg up onto the bed, groaning at the pain that merely lifting it brought and refused to look at what she was sure was a nasty bruise or worse.

She whimpered as she felt probing fingers on her aggravated leg and then a series of tutting which was followed by a sigh, "Looks like something heavy landed on the side of your knee and snapped your kneecap. It's not the easiest fix but I can have it done by tonight's game if it's really as important as Mr. Malfoy tells me it is."

"It is."

Rose managed a smile at the gentle matron and nodded gratefully, "Yes, thank you. That sounds fantastic."

Patil nodded and immediately hurried to retrieve the proper potions from her storage before Scorpius remembered something equally important, "Oi! Could we also get a little something for these headaches we got? We bumped heads on our way down."

Padma could be heard laughing softly and they took that as an answer that she would take pity on them both.

Scorpius turned to Rose and smiled, "Admit it, its fun being able to talk to me without speaking."

Rose smiled softly, "It doesn't count as talking to you then, only thinking at you."

"Shhh…. She might hear you and then dissect you." He wiggled his brows playfully and she couldn't help but smile at her friend, "At least you don't have to worry about that. Half the school already knows the most intimate parts of your anatomy."

He laughed out loud at that and grinned gleefully at her, "No need to be jealous Weasely, just tell me when you want your turn and Im yours." However you want me.

Rose grinned, knowing he hadn't meant for her to hear the last bit and judging by the gradual look of horror on his face as he saw her spreading grin he knew she had, "However I want you Malfoy? How generous."

"That's not what I meant." –Well it is- "I meant it that since you're my friend you get special privileges." The poor boy seemed rather embarrassed, his cheeks red and his eyes wide as he tried to cover his blunder.

Rose smiled, "As-" Tempting, "-Interesting as that sounds, Im going to have to decline. Thank you though Malfoy."

Rose and Scorpius both blushed at each other, both agreeing silently to pretend the entire conversation hadn't happened by the time Patil showed up again, looking both proud and flustered to have finally found the potion she had been looking for in her cluttered storage closet.

Rose downed the first potion in one go, gagging at the taste and the lumpy texture and shook her head in disgust, earning a laugh from Scorpius until he learned that that was the one they both had to take as he was handed his own glass.

The second vial was both more pleasant and met with less laughter as Scorpius was still gagging on his by the time she'd finished.

Rose looked down at her knee, already less battered but still bruised nastily and then looked up at Scorpius, "Hey. Thanks for being the one I ran into today. I'd hate to share thoughts with anyone else."

Scorpius hesitated for a moment, distracted from his complaining by the voice in his head, "Of course. Me too Rose. Embarrassing conversations – two already now – and all."

Rose laughed. Who would have thought she'd live to see the day when she'd live to see the day she'd see what he thought of at the mention of lewd thoughts or have Malfoy become a blubbering mess when accidently inviting her to do something naughty with him.

Scorpius glared at her softly, a blush upon his cheeks, "Damn it Weasely! Stop thinking about me so loudly, it's embarrassing as hell."

"And do me a favor," He requested silently, eyes trained on hers, "Don't ever tell anyone about those two things. Ever."

Rose laughed and nodded obediently, sure that this year would turn out to be far more interesting than she'd originally thought.