Title: The Dragon and the Rose, Chapter 8 - Crash
Pairing: Rose/Draco
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 7330
AN: I'm planning on this being eventually being 10 chapters long. Read chapters 1-7 here.

I'm a girl who doesn't believe in fantasy, or make believe, or that life is a big freaking fairy tale. I deal in realities, the cold harsh facts of life. And there is nothing more real, nothing more absolute, than opening the last bottle of fire whiskey at an impromptu celebration. Talk about your major downer.

We were celebrating because Mum had given Scorpius a choice job for her campaign. He was going to in charge of recruiting the under 25 crowd to support her politically. He was stoked, and I didn't blame him. He would be hanging out at all the cool spots - Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and Maidenhead. He'd get to work with everyone who still had a pulse and knew how to live life to the fullest. He'd get to avoid the majority of witches and wizards who were half-way in the ground because they'd attained 'maturity' or whatever you called when a person settled for a humdrum existence of marriage and the daily grind. I'd been heading in that direction myself until I had the good sense to quit my job at Malfoy Industries and give myself a new lease on life.

Not that my new lease was going to be that great. It certainly wasn't going to be near as great as Scorpius'. Dad and Mum wanted me to be an assistant event planner for the campaign. There were going to be several fund-raising dinners and a number of speaking events that needed to be coordinated. Aunt Audrey was going to be officially in charge, but I was supposed to help make sure the proper people got invitations and showed up, that the right kind of entertainment was provided, and that everyone learned all the great things Hermione Granger-Weasley planned to do once she became Minister of Magic. All indicators pointed to the job being dreadfully dull.

The only bright spot was that I going to get to do some work with Scorpius. There was going to be to be at least one campaign stop in Hogsmeade for the younger set and I was going to work with him on the arrangements. That would be a blast. It would almost be like we were back in Slytherin plotting on how to rule the school.

"A toast!" Francesco called out, raising a glass of fire whiskey.

"A toast!" called out the dozen or so of our friends who had planned on celebrating Scorpius' promotion at the Leaky Cauldron but were now celebrating his new job at our flat.

"To Scorpius Malfoy and his inevitable march toward wizarding greatness!"

"Hear, hear!"

Scorpius waved down the cheering throng. "No, no… friends you have it all wrong. Tonight is not about me at all. I am just a cog in the machine, an ingredient in the potion, the salt in the soup. Tonight we should be celebrating the dawn of a new era and the rise into politics of a witch who actually cares about the thoughts of younger people. Hermione Granger-Weasley knows what it is like for those of us in this lost generation. She cares about our struggles to find employment in the worst wizarding recession since Voldemort was in power. She is a witch who understands our pain and suffering and is determined to do something to help us. If we can work, fight, and strive to bring her to power, then we can insure that our concerns will not be forgotten. It's the beginning of a new day. What you need to ask yourself is whether you plan on being a part of it or watching from the sidelines? Are you going to be left behind or are you going to support our next Minister of Magic - Hermione Granger-Weasley!"

I swear he choked me up. I almost believed him, even though I knew that my mum thought most people my age were spoiled babies that didn't know the first thing about suffering. Scorpius' ability to place things in the best possible light and make the worst cynics optimistic about the future is one of the reasons why I believe in him and am determined that someday he should have everything he wants.

Of course, that is when Francesco announced we were out of alcohol.

"I'll run out and get some!" I volunteered.

Although the rest of the crowd looked happy, Scorpius shook his head. "Not tonight, Rose. We've got a busy day tomorrow working to get your Mum elected. I expect to see every single of one of you who doesn't have a fulltime job, down in the London office volunteering for the Granger-Weasley campaign!"

Despite the cheering of the crowd, the backslapping, and general hearty mood that always accompanied Scorpius' pronouncements there was something in his tone that I didn't trust. Something in the inflection of his words that told me my Mum had got to him. Therefore, as soon as most of the crowd had shuffled from the flat I grab him by the arm and drug him into the kitchen.

"What did she offer you?" He tried to look confused. I say tried because the boy has never been confused about anything his entire life.

"What did she offer you to keep me under control?

He sighed. "It isn't like that."

"Bullshit. It is exactly like that. I'm the dirty secret. I'm the part of the family that needs to be managed." I should have known that Mum had an ulterior motive for allowing Scorpius to participate in the campaign. What better way to keep an eye on me?

"Rose..."

"Don't Rose me you sneaky, no-good tosser. I know what's going on here."

"What's going on?" Francesco asked walking into the room. "Lover's spat?"

"Bugger off, Francesco. We are trying to have a private conversation."

"Oh, she found out about her Mum asking you to keep an eye on her didn't she?"

"Francesco knows?" I couldn't believe it. How the fucking hell had Scorpius confided something in Francesco and not me? It is suppose to be me and him against the world. Francesco was the tag along the guy we sometimes let play. He wasn't supposed to be essential. He certainly wasn't supposed to replace me in any way.

"He was in the room when your Mum mentioned it."

"This is fucking bullshit. You can both go take a leap off of Big Ben."

"I was going to tell you."

That was a lie. Scorpius doesn't have any 'tells' and doesn't have any repetitive habits that give him away when he is being untruthful, it's one of the reasons I'm convinced he's going to make an excellent politician one day. It is also one of the reasons I'd helped myself to some of my Uncle George's experimental and highly classified anti-lie patches. Anyone you put one on automatically makes you a queasy if they lie to you. They are invisible and mostly undetectable. It just felt like you had a small rash. I'd been putting them on Scorpius, whenever we were going to be around my family, since I'd 'appropriated' a box right before graduation. This was the first time I'd actually felt nauseous. "Fuck you."

I turned and headed toward my room, but he beat me down the hall. "Just listen for a minute."

"59-58-57..." Yes, I was counting him down. Yes, it is a stupid, childish habit that I typical reserve for my interactions with Hugo, but I wasn't in the mood to act grown up. "56-55-54..."

"Okay, your mum asked me to keep an eye on you, but it isn't a bad thing. She just worries that if you are at lose-ends you'll forget the end game."

"53-52-51-50..."

"Besides, her request just means we get to hang out more."

"49-48-47..."

"She really does trust you when it comes to the assisting Audrey."

Okay, enough of this shit. "When do you trust me, Scorpius?"

His eyes grew wide. "Rose..."

"When do you trust me? Do you trust me not to fuck this up for you? Do you trust me to want what's best for you? Do you trust my ability to act like a grown up and get things done when they need to be done?"

He did not answer and his silence was telling.

"Great. I thought you were different."

"I am different."

"Bullshit. You are just another Hermione Weasley, another Hugo or Al Potter. You judge me and think the worst of my behavior. You can't just let me be me. Even though you know, I've always come through for you when it's been important. When I think back on all the times I've put your interests before my own, it makes me sick to realize you see me like everyone else does. Well great! This is just swell. I'm so delighted to find out my best mate finds me to be just as unreliable and undependable as the rest of the world!"

"Damn it, Rose. You aren't being fair."

I just glared at him. I might have even been tearing up a bit, but it could have just been that bloody patch of Uncle George's.

"You are my best friend and there is no one, no one I rather have beside me when I'm in trouble or when I'm looking for a good time. I know you care about me, I know you would do anything for me, and I hope you know that I feel the same about you. But being mates doesn't mean being blind someone's weakness or flaws. We all have them."

"Oh really? What's yours?"

"What?"

"What's your big flaw? What things do I need to watch out for with you?"

"Don't do this."

"Tell me Scorpius. Tell me what your big fucking flaw is?"

"You know it."

"Yeah, I do, you selfish prick. Your big flaw is that nothing... nothing... is more important to you than your future. Not your family, not your friends, not your pride or talents or intelligence. We are just all tools and stepping stones on the path to Scorpius Malfoy's fantastic future!"

He sighed and remained silent.

"What's wrong? You don't want to dispute me? You don't want to explain how if all you were interested in was your future you wouldn't be friends with me?"

"I can't."

"That's fucking right you can't, because you wouldn't be where you are today without me. You wouldn't have been headboy, you wouldn't have gotten that internship with the Minister of Magic, and you definitely wouldn't be working for my mother."

"I care about you, Rose. Just because I have an agenda, doesn't mean that there aren't other things in my life that I value."

"As long as they don't get in the way of your master plan."

"Merlin's balls! You're the one who helped me develop the plan and pursue it over these last seven years. Why are you acting so surprised now that I'm going for it?"

"Because I never fully realized that I'm just as expendable to you as is everyone else. If I get in the way of your agenda, or stand in the way of your goals, you'll just lie to me, hide things from me, and use me until you get what you want."

Scorpius shook his head. "You're a hypocrite."

"How dare you?"

"You are! You don't think I know you are hiding things from me? "

I snorted.

"Why did you really quit Malfoy Industries?"

"Because your father is an arsehole."

"Who have you been seeing?"

"I... I haven't been seeing anyone." Fuck, he caught me by surprise with that question.

"Bullshit. I know you too well. You've been too relaxed to not be getting laid regularly. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I am not going to pry. But don't try to act like you are some holier-than-thou angel who never hides anything from her friends because I know you, Rose."

Suddenly I was exhausted. I didn't want to have to think about Scorpius or our friendship anymore. "I'm going to bed."

"We are going to finish having this out in the morning."

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered heading toward my room. I don't even know why I was mad. Everything he said was true. I did hide shit from him all the time. I knew and encouraged his selfish behavior. Mum and Scorpius were right, I was a ticking-time bomb for the campaign and having someone keep an eye on me probably was necessary. Moreover, if anyone was going to be keeping tabs on me, I'd much rather it be Scorpius than Hugo or Al.

I entered my room and found myself only slightly shocked by the sight of Draco staring out the window over my bed. This was just what my day needed to be a trifecta of misery – a scene with Draco Malfoy. "What are you doing here?"

"I need to test something."

"Well forget it. I was a guinea pig for my uncle George too many times. I vowed never to let myself-" Before I could finish my thoughts, he'd turned around, pulled me into his arms and was kissing me deeply. I sighed against his lips. This wasn't so bad. I could deal with a good snog, maybe a nice romp in the sack to take my mind off the rest of my horrid day. However, just as I was getting into the kiss and started to pull at his trousers, he pushed me away. He sat down heavily on the bed and buried his face in his hands.

Damn. This was the first time I'd seen Draco look distraught about something. It made me feel a bit distraught myself. I knelt in front of him and rested my chin on his knee. "Are you okay, Malfoy?"

He shook his head. "No. I've done something unbelievably stupid."

Oh well, that I could really sympathize with. "What?"

"I've fallen in love with you."

I snickered. I know I really shouldn't have. I mean he'd just revealed his heart and all, but it was so horribly funny. The pureblooded playboy, the successful, unattached older man, falls for the young and sweetly innocent mixed-blood girl. It could have been the plotline of over a dozen wizard romance novels. Only I wasn't sweet or innocent and he wasn't unattached. "Oh that is unbelievably stupid."

"Thanks," he said pushing my chin off his knee and standing up. "I'll be heading home now."

"Come on, Malfoy," I entreated. "It's not like this is the end of the world. You know you don't really love me. You are just confused or something."

He glared at me. "Do you think I'm an idiot? I know my own mind, my own feelings. Trust me I'm not happy about it, but it is what it is."

"Well, you are going to have to get over it."

He stared at me for several minutes and I couldn't quite make out what he was thinking. Finally he nodded his head. "Obviously. Do you have any suggestions on how I might accomplish that?"

"Ur..."

I was at a definite loss. I certainly had never been in love before. I'd been in serious lust. Fuck, I was in serious lust with Malfoy. I loved Scorpius in a mostly platonic, good mate manner. But romantic love was something I had no experience with. I'd never even had any friends come to me for advice about getting over a bout of romantic love. Slytherins tend to keep those kinds of deep emotions, hidden for fear they'd be used against one. "You can remind yourself of all the shit that would come falling in on our heads should your wife or Scorpius ever find out about our relationship."

He shook his head. "I've been doing that for weeks. It hasn't worked."

I shrugged. "Just remind yourself what a pain in the arse I've been, how much younger and less mature than you I am, and how little we have in common. Those kinds of reflections might cause you to wise up."

"Perhaps, but if my love for you depended on logic, it would never have occurred in the first place. I'm afraid I'll just have to continue this relationship until the feeling starts to fade."

Under normal circumstances I might have agreed with him. I definitely would have tried to figure out a way to use his feeling for me to my advantage, but this was not normal circumstances. My mum was running for Minister of Magic, my best friend was charged with keeping an eye on me, and for some unexplainable reason, I really didn't want to be the fuck-up they all expected me to be. Continuing to see Draco Malfoy under these circumstances would be running a bigger risk that I wanted to take. Although I had not realized it until now, I desperately wanted to do something good for my mum, to prove that she, Scorpius, and everyone else was wrong about me. And I simply couldn't do that if I was constantly worrying about Draco and I getting caught having an affair. "I'm afraid that isn't possible."

"Why not, pray tell?"

"Because I'm breaking it off. I don't want to sleep with you again, I don't want to talk to you again, and I don't want to see you again."

He snorted. "Why does this sound remarkably similar to your 'fit' after quitting Malfoy Industries."

"No it doesn't!" It probably did, but I wasn't going to admit it. "And even if it did, I'm serious this time. We're over."

Draco looked weary. I could tell he wasn't in the mood for drama, unfortunately that is all I am capable of. "Red..."

"Look, circumstances are different now. It is impossible for me to continue seeing you."

"Is this because I told you I loved you? Because believe me, I am not going to allow that inconvenient fact affect my behavior one bit."

"That's not it. Well, maybe it has just awakened me to exactly what we are doing. But what is really driving my decision is concern about how us getting discovered would affect my family and Scorpius."

Draco shook his head again. "That isn't a new circumstance."

I didn't want to tell him about Mum running for Minister of Magic. He'd mock and I wasn't in the mood to either listen to it or join in the fun. "I'm sick of everyone thinking I'm a screw up."

"Why? It's works for you. Being a screw up gives you the freedom to do what you want and not worry about the consequences. You aren't going hungry, or living on the streets, or counting down the days until you're sent to Azkaban. Why would you want to change?"

"Weren't you ever something, but got sick of it? Got sick of how others saw you because of it and wanted to change it?"

Draco's countenance grew stony. It took me a minute to figure out why he was so annoyed. "I wasn't referring to your 'Death Eater' days."

"Believe it or not, Red, fucking me does not make you a bad person."

I couldn't believe him. Well, maybe I could. Maybe he lives so much for his own desire and his own pleasure that he forgets exactly what he's doing. "It does because you are married! It does since we are running around behind people's backs."

"You want to bring our relationship out in the open?"

"No! That is the last thing I want to do. Damn it, Malfoy. The two of us being together would be a hell of a lot for people to swallow even if you weren't married. The fact that you are just makes the entire situation impossible. This isn't a play for you to leave your wife. It isn't a push for us to somehow go public. Hell, I probably would never have messed around with you in the first place if I hadn't known that it was in both our best interests to keep this secret. That alone should tell you just how wrong we are together."

Draco's jaw clenched. "When two people are as good together as we are, it isn't wrong."

"Sex isn't everything! It shouldn't even be the most important thing, but for us that is all there is."

"You are wrong, Red. We talk, we share interests, and we want many of the same things out of life."

"You are nutters! None of that is true. We talk about sex, the only interest we share is sex, and as far as wanting the same things out of life, frankly you have no idea what I want out of life and I have no interest in what you might want."

"You are just trying to hurt me now. You are trying to drive me away because I was foolish enough to admit my feelings."

I wanted to yell, I wanted to bang my head against the wall, I wanted to throw a tantrum, but I couldn't do any of those things because then Scorpius would barge in my room, see his father, figure out just what the fuck we'd been up to these last few months, and his worst beliefs about me would be confirmed.

"Just go now, okay?"

"No, not like this."

"It isn't forever," I told him, but that was a lie. As far as I was concerned we were done. "I just need to think about things for a while, get my head on straight and make a plan about what I really want do with my life."

He cocked his head slightly, as if confused. I figure that meant he wasn't really confused by wanted me to think he was for some nefarious reason. "Why can't you do those things while still seeing me in secret?"

I was tempted to just agree. Merlin knows that would be the easy way out. I'd just keep our relationship hidden, be super careful to only see him in my flat when Scorpius wasn't around. There would be no more late night calls to Malfoy Manor. No lunchtime visits to Malfoy Industries. There would be just a secret relationship that was in both of our best interests to keep hidden. Unfortunately, I knew that was the path to disaster. I might not have an 'inner eye' but it doesn't take a seer to know that most secret relationship usually blow up in someone's face. I wasn't going to let mine blow up and ruin either my Mum's or Scorpius' political aspirations. "Just give me some time. That really isn't so much to ask given that you dropped your big emotional baggage on me tonight."

That made him all stiff and starchy. "I'm so sorry to have 'ruined' your evening with my declaration of love."

"Malfoy..." He waved off whatever I was about to say. "I'll just return to the Manor and see if Astoria has left for Greece, yet. Perhaps, she'll want some company."

"Perhaps," I sighed, trying to be understanding.

"I'll give you ten days and then we are hashing this all out."

I nodded; glad he was going and determined to make sure we never had to meet for his 'discussion.' For some reason I still felt my throat starting to close up.

"This isn't over, Red."

"I know." And that's what I'm afraid of.

0-0-0

The entire week after my confrontations with Scorpius and Draco, I was on my best behavior. I'd go with Scorpius early in the morning to Mum's campaign headquarters, better known as the back room of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, and run errands, make tea, and take messages for the real political operatives. I was sent along on a couple of scouting missions, always heavily guarded by Al or Scorpius, to find potential speaking locations where Mum could appear. I even was allowed to plan the menu for a 'Working Witches Luncheon' at which my Mum was the guest of honor. All in all it was a nightmare. I had never before been so frustrated by my lack of influence. My opinions, for perhaps the first time in my life, were less important to the people I was spending the majority of time with than were those of the average wizard on the street. The only silver lining to the entire ordeal were the pleasantly surprised faces of Mum and Dad each day I showed up to help with the campaign.

Eight days into my self-imposed penance, I was finally given an interesting assignment. Scorpius was planning a rally for Mum in Hogsmeade on the first weekend the Hogwarts' students were back in school. Although the event was still a fortnight away, arrangements needed to be made for security, a room needed to be reserved for a post-rally press conference, and space for the campaign staff to relax had to be reserved.

Typically an advance team including some of the more senior members of my Mum's staff handled these arrangements. However, since the event was Scorpius' idea, he was being given full responsibility for getting everything set up. This was his chance to show how indispensible he was to the campaign and to any administration Mum might establish should she win the election. Considering how important this was for his future, you could have knocked me over with a fake wand, when he'd asked me to assist him in making the arrangements. "You don't have to do this just because I'm still yanked at you for telling my Mum you'd be my watched dog."

"That's not why I'm doing it."

I gave him a look full of pitty.

"Well, it's not the ONLY reason I'm doing it," he reply with his boyish smile that I was sure would one day win him a seat on the Wizengamot. "There is no one better at you at arranging events in Hogsmeade. I've attended enough of your parties over the last five years to have complete faith in your ability to pull this off."

I was flattered by his faith in me, even though it was completely deserved. Still, I wanted to make sure he realized the significance of the stakes. "If the rally is a failure, you'll end up taking the blame for it," I reminded him.

"I'm not worried because there is no way we are going to fail." At the time I admired his assurance. Needless to say, when everything came back to bite us in the arse, I couldn't refrain from reminding him of his misplaced confidence.

The day of our scouting mission started off like any typical day campaigning. We went to the office early. Scorpius answered owls and wrote letters begging for support, while I fetched tea and Mum's dry-cleaning. At ten, we finally made it out of the office and Floo'd to Hogsmeade.

Once in town, we decided to split up. Scorpius would scout locations, investigate for the best acoustics, and figure out where the photo-ops would take place, while I reserved rooms and discussed menu issues. We decided to meet back at the Hog's Head Tavern around noon for lunch. My arrangements went well and I finished an hour early. I decided to hunt up Scorpius and help him complete his tasks. If I showed myself to be on the ball and even eager to help out, maybe he'd take me on more of these kinds of excursions. It was obvious that no one else on Mum's staff was going to trust me with anything more important than grunt work.

I had just rounded a corner by Gladrags when I saw Scorpius disappearing down an alley behind Dervish & Bangs. I knew instantly that whatever he was doing had no connection to Mum's campaign. I couldn't help but smirk as I envisioned discovering enough blackmail material to have him taking doing my laundry for the next month. Therefore, I disillusioned myself, cast a silencing charm, and slowly crept after him. What I saw when I ended up turning the corner, however, nearly caused me to lose the two cups of tea that I'd had for breakfast.

Standing there in the shadows by a trash bin, locked in Scorpius' embrace was my cousin Lily. The two of them were kissing as if they were trying to eat each other's faces off. I seriously wanted to gag. Scorpius had her pushed up against the brick wall, while his hands gripped her ribs. Lily meanwhile had wrapped her arms so tightly around his neck that I wouldn't be surprised if he keeled over from lack of oxygen.

I was struck with an urge to rip Lily's hair out. Pretty unreasonable on my part, given that Lily is one of the only cousins I can stand. She's sweet and unassuming and nice. Too damn nice, if you ask me, not that anyone ever has. She really should be a bit more discerning. Of course, if she was more discerning I definitely wouldn't make her list of people to hang with. Nevertheless, the sight of her in Scorpius' embrace sent me into some sort of no-man's land where the normal rules governing physical responses ceased to matter. The sight of my best friend and my favorite cousin snogging was causing my brain to malfunction – I couldn't move, I couldn't breath, I couldn't think.

I do not desire Scorpius. I really don't. My response wasn't inspired by jealousy. I was fucking hurt. The fact that he was carrying on this 'secret' relationship had me chuffed. It was obvious from how close his hands were to her tits, and how she was arching up against him, that they didn't just run into each other unexpectedly today. They had planned this meeting. Planned it.

That's when I realized that Scorpius wasn't just fucking around and getting his jollies with Lily. She was part of his master plan to one day rule the wizarding world - a master plan that until this very moment I thought I was a partner in creating and helping achieve.

I'm a sap.

I'm not his right-hand man, or the woman behind the throne. I'm not a puppet-master or even a sycophant along for the ride. In Scorpius mind, I'm just a tool. The same ways that being Head Boy, working for the minister, and helping my mother get elected are tools in his path toward wizarding greatness.

Perhaps most disturbing of all, was the realization that I wasn't even going to be the most important tool in his arsenal. Being with Lily Potter, the daughter of the man who defeated Voldemort, was going to be the main bounce in his springboard to the minister's office.

I turned away from my friend and my cousin seriously sick to my stomach. Had he looked up and caught me watching them, I'm not sure I could have avoided casting hexes. I burned for revenge and retribution. I wanted to make him pay and bring him pain and dance on the grave of his ambitions. I stumbled down the alley and out into the street allowing my disillusionment spell to wear off without bothering to renew it. I needed to get away immediately. I needed to think things through before acting. I had to make sure of what I ultimately wanted before I let my emotions get the best of me.

Had I been in my right mind, I'm certain I would have noticed the photographer from the Daily Prophet skulking around Hogsmeade. As it was, however, I probably brushed right past him as I emerged from the alley.

I took off for the Shrieking Shack, which had actually stopped Shrieking years ago when it became a memorial for Severus Snape. It's still pretty creepy and not many people go there, so I figured it was the perfect place for me to get my shit together. Like the rest of my plans since this stupid bloody election began, however, this one also fell apart.

No sooner had I reach the memorial than I caught sight of Draco. I hadn't spoken to him or seen him since the night he told me he loved me. I'd been hoping that he'd wised up and decided to cut his losses before I completely emasculated him by refusing to return his affection. Obviously, it takes more than a verbal rejection to convince him that a situation was hopeless. If I'd ever thought about it, I probably would have known he was unable to take a hint no matter how fucking big. After all, he'd stuck with Voldemort to end.

"Go away."

He snorted and stood next to me, gazing at the memorial. "This is public property, Red. I'm fairly certain that I have as much right to be here as you. More really, since I actually knew Professor Snape."

I'm glad he wasn't looking at me because his self-righteous tone caused me to roll my eyes. "I don't want to talk to you."

"That's fine. I don't want to talk to you, either."

Now it was my turn to snort. "You're such an arsehole. I don't believe a word you say."

"No, it's true. I don't want to talk. I want to fuck you."

Oh be still my heart. The idea, however, did have a certain inevitability to it given I had just caught my best friend in a lie about his love life. A lie, moreover, that wasn't just about a romantic relationship, but about everything we'd ever plotted for since first year. Fucking his father seemed like the perfect revenge. Mind you, it wasn't exactly perfect, since I'd been fucking his old man for the last few months, but I wasn't in the mood to be picky.

Therefore, I grabbed Draco by the arm and drug him to the backside of the monument. "This is the last time," I told him as I fumbled with his belt.

He laughed. "Right."

"I'm serious," I said, reaching into his trousers and pulling him free.

He pushed up my skirt and pushed aside my knickers. His fingers began to stroke. They dipped into my heat and within a few moments I was wet, slick, and ready for him. "We've never done it out in the open before."

"Getting a bit of performance anxiety are we?" I teased, tugging him closer.

"Hardly," he muttered before summoning a stone and pushing it against the wall. "Stand on that."

"You aren't going to try and hold me up? How boring." In all honesty, I'd never been fucked against a wall before. I'm too tall and exactly petite. Any previous suggestion of wall sex would have had me worrying that my partner would drop me before the deed was done. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that Malfoy was so practical.

"Shut up," he growled, pushing my back hard against the wall once I'd climbed onto the stone. He reached under my thigh and wrapped it around his waist, rocking against me as his cock rubbed against my clit. Merlin it felt good and wicked and naughty all at the same time. This was revenge sex, outdoor sex, sex with a married man, sex with a guy who claimed to be in love with me. I was dripping for it.

Of course that didn't mean I was just going to give it away. I squirmed against Draco and tried to pull away slightly without losing my balance.

He tightened his arms around me. "No way you are getting out of this, Red."

I licked my lips, mostly to stop myself from licking his. "You have been nothing but talk since I ran into you today, Malfoy. Either commence with the seduction or bugger yourself back to Wiltshire."

He smirked. I don't know why I even bother to try and play with him. He's not only been playing longer, but he has more experience dealing with the consequences of his actions. "Shouldn't seduction be reserved for innocents and the powerless? I would say if anyone is in a vulnerable position it's me. After all, I'm the one who's admitted his feelings. You are the one who refuses to reciprocate."

I so did not want to talk about this. I wanted him hot and hard inside of me, not pouting and philosophizing on the outside. It was obviously time to take control of things. "Well, then maybe I better get to work on seducing you." I pushed my groin against his and his cock slid between my thighs. It didn't quite hit the mark, but if possible it made me even more determined to have him fucking me as soon as possible.

He pulled back. "You're playing a dangerous game, Red."

"I'm not playing," I informed him before pulling him to me once more. This time he slid home. I moaned and rested my head on his shoulder, waiting for him to move. Instead he just stood there for several seconds, one of his arms still holding up my leg, while the other was braced on the wall near my head. I pushed against him, but rather than withdrawing he just followed my movements, staying buried deeply within me. It was torture. Exquisite torture, but still torture.

"Move Malfoy," I hissed.

He smirked, then bent down and kissed me hard.

I loved the pressure of his mouth on mine, as he stayed unmoving. But when I'd eventually felt like I'd explode of he didn't act, I bit on his lip just hard enough to startle him, while at the same time jerking against him, pushing forward slightly. He would have pulled completely out of me, had I not at the last minute grabbed onto his hips and pulled him back toward me roughly.

He lifted his head, his eyes dark with emotion. "You shouldn't mess with me, Red."

"I guess I need to be punished," I said trying to be coy. He kissed me again, just to show me he was still in charge, and then finally began to move. As his pelvis banged against mine, I wanted to roar in satisfaction. It was hot, fast, and not the littlest bit sweet, just the way I wanted it.

"Tell me you love me," Draco's voice rasped into my ear.

"Fuck off."

"Tell me or I'm going to stop."

"I'm real scared."

He growled and used both his hands to pin me to wall while he continue to fuck me.

I shivered as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. "Oh yes, there!"

"Tell me."

"I can't lie in the middle of sex," I gasped. "What kind of person would that make me?" I gripped hips more tightly with my hands, determined not to let him pull away.

He kissed me deeply, obviously just as determined to make me do his bidding.

Luckily, I'm not a woman easily swayed by emotion, saliva, or even mind blowing orgasms. There was no way I was opening myself to the kind of vulnerability Draco wanted. If one of us had to be a clingy, emotional, basket case, it was going to be him.

I tore my mouth away from his and bit into his shoulder as the tightness inside me began to break apart. As he palmed my breast in satisfaction, I saw a flash from the side of the monument.

"Stop," I hissed.

His only response was to grip my leg more tightly around his waist.

"Malfoy, someone is here." He froze; his eyes glazed but open wide. I saw another flash and pressed my face into his neck, just as he grunted his orgasm.

"Don't turn around," I muttered into his neck.

"What?" he growled, dropping my leg and trying to pull away from me.

I lifted my face slightly.

"Do not turn around. Where's your wand?"

He shook his head. "I think I dropped it on the ground."

"Do a wandless concealment spell so I can fix my clothes and find out who is watching us."

"You do the wandless concealment spell," he replied, angrily. "I won't be able to focus enough for wandless magic until I get my breath back."

"Bugger it all. I can't do it. I never figured out how to do wandless magic." My wits were slowly returning, but not before I heard the unmistakable click of a camera. "Just stand in front of me. I can pull up my knickers and go investigate while you grab your wand and Disapparate out of here."

He took a step back and pulled up his pants and trousers, while I quickly rearranged my clothing. "I'm not going to leave you here to deal with the fallout by yourself."

"You certainly are," I informed him under my breath. "I can not be discovered in a compromising position with you. It would ruin everything. You are going to disappear and I'm going to engage in some reconnaissance."

"Red..."

"Just go. I'll be in contact as soon as I can."

He frowned, obviously not happy. However, since I've never made it a big priority to make Malfoy happy, I wasn't too concerned. He finally decided to follow my advice. He reached down and grabbed his wand and then with a quick turn - Disapparated.

I moved toward where I'd last seen a flash and got another flash in the face for my trouble. "What the fuc—"

"Rose, how long have you been dating Scorpius Malfoy?" asked the arsehole with the camera.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"David Marks with the Daily Prophet."

"Well, David Marks with the Daily Prophet, hasn't anyone ever told you it is rude to take someone's picture without asking them first?"

"We are in a public place and you are a public figure. Even more so now that your mother is running for Minister of Magic. I wouldn't be doing my job if ignored your indiscretions."

I felt my stomach start to churn. I was on the fast-track to ruining the political career my mother had been pursing since she was my age. There had to be some way out of this situation. "Look I don't know what you think you saw…"

"I don't think anything. I have pictures of you having sex with Scorpius Malfoy against the war monument dedicated to Severus Snape. How long have you two been an item?"

Merlin's balls, Marks had mistaken Draco for Scorpius. I wanted to faint in relief. The pictures were still bad, but it wasn't as awful as I had imagined. "We aren't an item."

"Are you just 'intimate' friends?"

"I'm sorry, but I refuse to talk about this."

"Do you think your cousin would talk to me about it?" Marks asked slyly.

"My cousin?" I couldn't imagine who the hell he was talking about. None of my cousins would rat me out to a reporter on the cusp of my mum's election, even if they knew anything.

"Lily Potter? I also have pictures of her embracing Scorpius Malfoy earlier today. Maybe she could fill me in on what going on between her, you, and your mother's youngest paid campaign staff member."

"I…she…" I felt light-headed, like all the blood had drained from my brain and pooling in my stomach.

"Did you know they were involved?" He took a step closer to me, pressing what he recognized as his advantage of catching me unaware. "Or maybe they are just 'intimate friends' too?"

I shook my head. "What are you going to do?"

"We'll run the story with the photos in tomorrow's paper. It will undoubtedly be first page news."

I sucked in a deep breath of air to keep from passing out. This was a nightmare. "My mother…"

"I'll be contacting her later today to see if she has any comment."

I must have looked as miserable and wild as I felt because Marks didn't take another photograph or ask another question. Instead he handed me a card with his address on it. "If you want to answer my questions or make a comment just send me an owl before midnight."

TBC