Disclaimer: Neither Rose nor Scorpius are mine.

A/N: So here it is, the final chapter! I'll have another author's note at the bottom because I know you're probably skipping this anyway.

"Look, Malfoy, I'm kind of tired tonight," Rose was saying to me, fiddling with a pawn that was currently squeaking in her hands, "I don't think I'm up for one of our games. In fact," she paused, and looked at me for the first time since last night, "I don't think I really can continue doing this."

"If you want," I drawled tonelessly.

"I mean, our professors have been giving us so much work lately, and I think I need this valuable time to get all my work done. Just today..." she rambled on.

I peered closely at her face from where I was lounging back in the chair across from the board. I could tell she was nervous; just like when her queen was in danger, Rose was rolling one my taken pieces in between her fingers as she figured out her next move.

"...and so I think it would be best if we both give our chess games a break," she finished, setting my pawn down.

Hiding my panic, I said slowly, "Perhaps one more, just finish the game we've got here?"

She looked at me doubtfully.

"Please, Rose," I asked quietly.

She stood there, stunned, for a minute. I had never called her by her first name before even though we had been playing with each other for the past month and a half.

Slightly dazed, she sat back down and we began to play.

After I directed my knight I said suddenly, "I didn't mean it, you know, what I said in the library."

Her face went from surprised to sceptical faster than I could recite Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration.

"Oh?" she said shortly. Evidently that was all, as she then proceeded to tell her queen to pummel my last remaining bishop.

"Well, no, I did," I backtracked.

Immediately her face took on a stony look of resignation.

"Of course you did," said Rose dully, watching the fight with a feigned absorbed expression.

"But not in the way you thought." I shook my head, "No, not at all."

She looked up at me, curiosity etched all over her features. Once she realized I was looking at her too, she forced it back and put on a look of polite detachment.

"How else can I interpret, 'I would not be caught dead in some empty classroom with that Weasley girl'?" she quoted perfectly with a disgusted expression, trying and relatively succeeding from keeping the hurt from her voice, but I could hear it just the same.

I watched in absolute horror as moisture began to gather in her eyes. "You know," she said quickly, reaching for her bag and turning her face away from me, "I think this was a bad idea after all. Good night, Malfoy."

I reached up over the board and grabbed her wrist to prevent her from leaving. "Get your bloody hand off me," Rose said fiercely, trying to squirm away. "You made it quite clear you wouldn't ever want to touch me, so do yourself a favour and let me go."

"I said I don't want to do it in an empty classroom," I said smoothly as I pulled her closer to me so that she was standing right beside my chair.

I saw her blue eyes widen in confusion as I continued silkily, "I never said anything about anywhere else in the castle." I reached up and yanked her right down into my lap. "In fact, I distinctly remember not mentioning anything about the Ravenclaw common room in particular," I muttered in her ear once she was close enough to hear.

I felt Rose shiver slightly at my proximity. "Oh yeah?" she raised her eyebrows to indicate her distrust of me as she shifted her position slightly.

She was leaning as far away from me as possible, even while being seated on my thighs. I briefly wondered if Al had been exaggerating about Rose fancying me, but then, I reasoned with myself, she would have hexed me good and proper if I had done anything she didn't approve of.

I checked her pocket. Ah yes, there's her wand, perfectly within her range. Plus, since she was so close to me, slapping wasn't out of the question either.

"What the hell are you doing?" she demanded, looking me square in face.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked scornfully. For all the good marks she got in school she could be surprisingly dense sometimes. "Trying to convince you that you were wrong about what I said." I watched her light blue eyes widen slightly. "And you're making it bloody difficult, I must say," I added.

She immediately began to protest. "I just don't see how you can ev-"

I cut her off. Effectively. I mean, her mouth was already open and everything. It was just too easy to cover it with mine and slide my tongue in.

A bloke had to take his opportunities when they were offered, especially with such a problematic bird like Rose Wealsey.

After a moment, while Rose was busy lining kisses along my jaw, I leaned over the unfinished chess game and belatedly moved my final piece.

Check and mate, Weasley.

A/N: So there it was, the Final Chapter. *sob* it's over! Yes I know it was a bit cliche, and little fluffy, but my big ol' romantic at heart couldn't make it any different. Hopefully you kind readers wouldn't mind indulging me.

First off, I'd like to give a huge, and I mean super-mega huge, thank you to Yellow 14 and Avanell, who reviewed every single chapter since I started Checkmate. You guys are truly spectacular.

Second off... I really have nothing to say except the ever-asked command of "Review, please!"

Please don't favorite without reviewing. I know it's tempting, but just writing out 'great fic' is simply smashing to an easy-to-please author like myself. I even sometimes favorite without reviewing, but only for fics that already have 100+ reviews. So, I give all you readers out there (who liked my story enough to favorite it) permission to do so when I have more than 100 reviews! Hehe, as if that'll ever happen. Until then, please, please review!

- Veri