Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/11038206.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Harry_Potter_-_J._K._Rowling, Harry_Potter_and_the_Cursed_Child_-_Thorne
      &_Rowling
  Relationship:
      Scorpius_Malfoy/Rose_Weasley, Albus_Severus_Potter/Original_Male
      Character(s)
  Character:
      Scorpius_Malfoy, Rose_Weasley, Albus_Severus_Potter, Roxanne_Weasley
  Additional Tags:
      Porn_With_Plot, Harry_Potter_Next_Generation, Oral_Sex, Spanking, Sexual
      Tension, Masturbation, Quickies, Classroom_Sex, Office_Sex, Lab_Sex, just
      lots_of_sex, Dom/sub, Choking, Orgasm_Control, Semi-Public_Sex, Come_for
      the_porn_stay_for_the_plot, Post-Canon, Harry_Potter_and_the_Cursed_Child
      Compliant
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-05-29 Updated: 2018-03-03 Chapters: 17/? Words: 49551
****** Push & Pull ******
by JulyFireflies
Summary
     Rose Weasley is an innovative potioneer with a bright future. Her
     past has broken into her perfect life in the form of Scorpius Malfoy:
     her new boss. Who may or may not remember their drunken encounter
     many years ago. Rose certainly hasn't forgotten...
     OR
     The one where the sex gets kinkier, Scorpius has lots of secrets, and
     Rose is always running from her problems (literally).
***** Longbottom Laboratory *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
One resounding pop, and a short witch was walking glamorously into her
workplace with two large coffees, her heels clicking on the linoleum. She wore
her usual work ensemble: long dress pants, a flowing blouse, her white lab
robe, and her hair tied back into a no-nonsense ponytail that swayed when she
walked.
The interior building was slick and modern, redwood panels and metal accents
adorning a long hallway. It was unusual to see the attendant’s desk empty.
Usually her favourite pencil pusher was there with his charming smile to beep
her into the building. She didn’t dwell much more on his absence as she pushed
her pocket to the door and scanned in, the technology synced to her wand’s
unique signature.
“Alright, back to business,” her voice cut through the dull chatter of the
conference room. A tall willowy witch to her left gratefully reached for the
second coffee.
“Thanks Rose,” she beamed. Settling down at the head of the table, Rose finally
noticed that her small team was in various states of disarray. It was no
matter, there was work to be done.
“Alice, do you have the updated resilience tests for me?” her sunglasses were
off, her quill was out and Rose was in for the count. The four workers in front
of her snapped to attention, updating her on the various states of her lab.
They were making good progress, but average was never good enough for Rose. She
was just getting the finer details of their stocks when a head popped in.
“Sam, there you are!” Rose exclaimed, greeting her missing desk worker, but was
put out by the boy’s expression. He was always a cheerful kid, just a few years
younger than her and straight out of Hogwarts. Which was why the apprehension
in his gaze while he addressed her threw Rose’s flow off.
“Yes Miss Weasley, sorry for not being present for your arrival. Mister
Longbottom would like to speak with you at your earliest convenience,” he
nodded, all business.
Rose threw a questioning glance at Alice, who had nothing but a clueless shrug
to return.
“Sure. Tell him I can do a lunch meeting,” Rose waved a dismissive hand, making
a note on her sheet, “Does eleven work?”
“Just fine, thank you Miss Weasley,” he departed, closing the glass door behind
him. It was as if the sealing of the door closed in the fear of the workers in
the room, leaving the table vibrating with energy. Rose gazed over them,
finally gauging the tension of the room.
Alice Longbottom, a long friend of Rose’s sipped on her hot coffee. Five
creams, five sugars. Alice was in Rose’s class at Hogwarts, and was always so
much more organized. It was because of this that Rose had asked Alice onto her
staff, though of course there was no objection since it was her father’s
research facility. Alice was tall and thin, her dark hair cropped to her chin,
and large brown doe eyes offsetting the sharpness of her features. She was
quick, intelligent, and the perfect assistant. Her dark eyes stared down at her
coffee, seemingly oblivious to the room around her. Rose knew better.
Arthur Gallagher sat next to her, his long hair tied back into a short
ponytail. He had large rimmed glasses that gave a more mature look to his baby
face. The boy was a pureblood wizard of good wealth who had stumbled into her
care as a favor of her potioneering mentor. He didn’t have incredible
instincts, but gave fresh ideas, and was learning quickly what it took to fit
in at the industry. He flinched as Rose’s gaze came to him, and she paused in
her assessment, surprised by the reaction.
Millie Williams was a round older woman, a treasured lab technician with years
of experience. Her place was at the other end of the table, a few seats away
from Arthur. Her dark hair was dyed light to try and hide the graying roots.
She came in to get the job done, and went home to her husband and teenage sons.
Millie was an invaluable member of Rose’s lab, with no other wishes than to
take home her paycheck at the end of the week and have a laugh with her
labmates. She was staring to the older man to her left as if waiting for a
response to a question.
Augustine Bradley, better known as Auggie, sat to Rose’s right. His white hair
stood against dark skin, seemingly worn by ages of having his nose in books. He
was Rose’s essential consult on textual references, helping with her
publications. He was as usual, writing away furiously, though the urgency of
his writing was less enthusiastic than usual.
“What, the hell,” Rose started, her voice quiet, but resounding in the now
confining conference room,”is going on?” The question rung in the silence,
unanswered for several long heartbeats.
“Uh,” Millie cleared her throat, shifting in her chair. Her response had Rose’s
attention immediately, her ponytail flipping from her quick turn of the chin.
“I don’t know for sure, but I’ve heard rumors of a buyout.”
Alice fumbled with her cup, coffee spilling out of her mouth onto her white
blouse. Rose pulled out her wand and, with a flick of the wrist, summoned
napkins for her friend.
“Does anyone else have confirmation or speculation?” Rose replied, her voice
flat and eyes narrowed. Based on the unsurprised reactions of the room, her
team had all acknowledged the possibility.
“Alice?” Rose turned to her peer, and noticed the room pause, all attention on
the heir to the Longbottom legacy. Rose eased a little at the response, it
meant that nobody had sure confirmations of such a large change.
Alice swiped furiously at her button up, wiping more and more coffee onto her
outfit, “Honestly Rose, if I had heard anything you’d be the first to know, I
swear,” she swore, tossing the darkened napkin onto the table.
Rose stood from the table, feeling the corners of her vision pull away from
her.
It’s probably nothing. Just another complaint about how fast we’ve been through
our angelweed stock…
But as Rose motioned for the day to continue, she knew in her gut it wasn’t
true.
 
                                       …
 
Each glance at the clock reminded Rose of the anxiety churning in her gut.
Sure, she was just running a quality check on the mushroom stock, and that
required moderate attention, but the small indicating crystals in front of each
specimen would hold the test results until she cleared them. Her attention,
instead, kept flicking up to the large clock installed above the lab door.
Okay,  Rose reasoned with herself for the tenth time that day,  Worst case
scenario, your company is bought out, your lab dissolved, and you go back to
school.  Though she knew deep down it wouldn’t be that bad. She was a
fantastic, innovative researcher who just developed a more effective blood
thinning serum from the poison of a river leech. She had three new projects
that her lab was working on, mind children of Rose’s, and they all seemed
promising. No witch or wizard in their right mind would fire Rose, and she held
onto that nugget of pride with a last sweep of her wand as she completed the
quality check.
Just in time too. She discarded the expired or contaminated stock with a word
to Arthur on proper storage of the new materials before heading to the door.
She felt all eyes on her as she hung her lab cloak, and though she knew her
team might need a rousing speech before she heard her fate, she couldn’t find
it in her.
 
Lunch meetings with Mister Longbottom were usually lovely. Before he was her
boss, he was her friend’s father. She walked into the Three Broomsticks, heels
clicking once again on the hardwood floors. She let the sound fill her with
strength, tilting her chin a little higher as she approached the booth that she
used to occupy with her young friend as they grew up.
Mister Longbottom stood as she approached, reaching out a hand professionally,
then pulling her in for a hug.
“Alright Rose, we have quite a bit to go over. I’ve ordered your favourite
already, so all you need to do is take a seat,” he motioned to the booth and
she froze in place.
Sitting across from Rose Weasely and Neville Longbottom were two blonde wizards
that she hadn’t seen in years. Ones that cause the hairs on the back of her
neck to stand up, not because of their names, but because of what they
represented: the Longbottom Lab’s greatest rivals.
Rose was thrown back to Hogwarts.
 
                                       …
 
“You broke his bloody arm!” Rose yelled, pushing out of the Gryffindor Common
room entrance into the dimly lit hallway. It wasn’t yet past curfew, but
emerging from a celebration made the corridor feel eerily empty.
“He was touching you!” A tall bloke shoved through the portrait hole, pursuing
her down a staircase. Rose made no move to lose him, but pushed on all the
same.
“We won the match Scorpius, John has a fucking ego, and I know how to take care
of myself!” she turned quickly, barely running into her cousin’s tall blonde
best friend.
They stopped abruptly, chests heaving from the pursuit. Rose could feel how
wild she must have looked, her hair fallen out of its ponytail, fire in her
eyes from the fight. Scorpius wasn’t wrong, they’d all had some firewhiskey,
and John got a little too handsy in the common room.
“Most girls just say thanks,” Scorpius mumbled, finally gaining some humility
now that Rose was removed from the situation.
“Thanks.” she snapped, still glaring at him.
The situation changed faster than her mind could follow. One minute, Scorpius
was meters away, approaching with apprehension, and the next, the air between
them flickered with electricity. As he came closer, Rose felt the space around
her close in, give away, until it was only them. And for the life of her, she
couldn’t remember why she was angry, only that her head was fuzzy, and she had
never noticed the way his face softened when he looked at her.
“Are you okay Rose?” he whispered, so close now that the air from his mouth
brushed against her forehead. She shivered, recognizing this moment for what it
was. It was her seventh year, and Rose was not a virgin. She had been in this
moment before, the calm before the storm, but never like this. Never with her
cousin’s best friend, the unsaid burning in the last inches between their skin.
“No,” her voice escaped, a hoarse sound from deep within her throat. Before she
could stop herself, her lips closed the distance between them, and she could
feel Scorpius tense in response. It was only a brief moment, and then he was
spinning her, forcing her back against the wall of the corridor.
The kiss was not a light reassurance. It was grounding. Rose felt a need unlike
anything she’d known flow through her, forcing a fire into her movements that
she hadn’t thought possible. Everywhere Scorpius’ stupid lips touched her sang,
her skin cold where he left teasing kisses. She moaned as his teeth grazed her
neck, a firm touch that she didn’t anticipate. He pulled back in response, eyes
blazing with the same passion he’d had as he came to her rescue moments before.
She was moving before she knew where she was going, pulling him to the closest
classroom.
 
                                       …
 
Rose’s cheeks burned as she took her seat across from Scorpius Malfoy and his
father of Malfoy Industries.
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Note: Hey! Fireflies here, thanks for picking this up. I'm
     basing it off of a romance novel I read, but mostly this story is the
     fill the void of the best Scorpius/Rose fanfic I just read. This
     isn't going to be perfect, but there will be lots of sexual tension/
     activities with plot between. All suggestions/comments are
     encouraged! I LOVE feedback and rewrites, so just let me know what
     you'd like me to fix or what you'd like to see next! Like the
     description says, I'm aiming for daily updates, and they will all
     have some level of sexual escapades in them. ♥
***** Can’t Forget *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Mister Longbottom had given the lab the afternoon off after lunch with promises
of job security and explanations for the next day. In Rose’s case, he turned
off her access to the lab, forcing her to take the afternoon off despite her
strong job security.
“To relax,” he had said, a huge grin plastered over his face, “to celebrate!”
She didn’t see a sellout as celebrating, but she demanded an outing with Alice
and her roommate nonetheless. Rose had entered her flat, stripping immediately
and finding the shortest dress she owned.
“We’re going out out,” Rose yelled around the corner to her cousin Roxanne
Weasley.
“I’ll get the firewhiskey,” she cheered, beginning the night out ritual.
Four glasses and two smokey eyes later, Roxanne was just finishing the ten
charms she used to get her hair perfectly framing her round face. Rose couldn’t
help her usual pang of jealousy. Roxanne was the only Weasley blessed with dark
skin, and she knew how to glow. Her beauty had always intimidated Rose. They
hadn’t gotten close just because they were both in Gryffindor. Their friendship
had been born from the scrapes and dirt of the Quidditch pitch. Luckily, it was
a friendship that lasted.
The girls giggled, exiting the apartment off a side street in Diagon Alley and
heading for Dragon’s Place: their favourite little pub downtown. Alice was
already waiting for them at the bar, a butterbeer in hand, dressed to tear up
the down just like the girls were.
Alice pulled out a chair, beckoning them over, “Roxanne order the drinks, Rose
give me the details,” Rose’s stomach warmed with how much Alice wanted to hear
from her, despite the knowledge that it was because Rose was the only one who
knew anything of the morning. She slid between her two best friends, peeking
around the room.
“This is more than just a work story, so you’d better be ready,” Rose laughed,
crossing her legs on the stool. She didn’t see any familiar faces except for
their favourite bartender.
“Mateo! Rose has got a story if you can get us a brandy and firewhiskey,”
Roxanne motioned for him to come over. The tall, buff man brought them the
order with a crooked smile, grabbing a butterbeer for himself and joining them.
“It’s pretty quiet, I’m due for some little Red drama,” he teased and Rose’s
cheeks burned.
“It’s not my fault!” Rose whined, pulling the brandy to herself to warm with
her hands.
“We’ll be the judge of that.”
“Fine,” Rose rolled her eyes, “Alice, your dad sold out to Malfoy Industries.”
“Ugh, I knew it,” the witch leaned her face into the palms of her hands on the
bar.
“Why’s that so bad?” Roxanne laughed, pulling her whiskey to sip.
“They’re a large production company, no interest in small research groups like
us,” Alice explained.
“And Scorpius is overseeing the turnover,” Rose mumbled, hiding her face by
gulping down half her drink.
“No way.” Alice breathed.
“Scorpius Malfoy?” Roxanne echoed.
“Hot night in a classroom Malfoy?”
“Best sex of your life Malfoy?” Roxanne wiggled her eyebrows. Rose flung her
head back, groaning in response.
“I don’t think he remembers,” she whined, tilting her head over to peek at
Alice.
“How could he forget you?” Mateo gestured to Rose who, at the moment, was
definitely looking unforgettable.
“We were so wasted after Gryffindor won a Quidditch match…” Roxanne giggled,
thinking of her own fun night.
“The Slytherins had joined us, because my cousin Albus was in the house, and
his friend Scorpius brought a whole  case  of firewhiskey.”
“Barely anybody remembers that night.” Alice mumbled from her hands.
“Except me, I’ve never blacked out before,” Rose shrugged her shoulders, for
once not feeling lucky about that.
 
The party moved to a no name club in london where Roxanne could “dance
properly!” Rose joined her, but wasn’t really into it. The only thoughts on her
mind were of her lunch encounter.
 
                                       …
 
“Rose Weasley, it’s a pleasure,” Draco Malfoy reached a large hand to shake
hers. Rose shook out of her stupor and regained some semblance of
professionality.
“The pleasure is mine Mister Malfoy,” was Rose’s automatic response as she took
her seat. Directly across from Scorpius.
“Nonsense, I’ve heard of your tremendous accomplishments in the last year,”
Draco Malfoy drawled, but Rose’s attention was on the boy across from her. She
hadn’t seen him in two years, and a long two years it was. Scorpius had grown
even taller, if that was possible, and had filled out, which she had never
expected him to do. He dwarfed his father, and his careful scruff seemed to add
more than two years to him. The same bright blue eyes blazed at her from across
the table with a teasing glimmer in them, and it was only when her gaze met his
that she realized she was staring.
“I’m sure you’ve met, but I should reacquaint you with my son and business
partner, Scorpius,” Draco Malfoy nodded to his son, and Scorpius reached his
hand forward for Rose to shake. She reached out quickly to get the kind gesture
over with, but couldn’t move when their skin touched. It sent electricity up
her arm, paralyzing the nerves and preventing any sensible response.
“Of course we’ve met father, Rose is Albus’s brilliant cousin.” Scorpius
grinned his stupid perfect smile.
“Thank you so much Scorpius, I very much appreciate the kind sentiments,” she
blubbered, turning to the conversation at hand and retracting her arm as if it
were just burned.
“You don’t just need to appreciate them Rose, you may yet be nominated for an
award for your research.” Longbottom put a hand on her shoulder. She couldn’t
hear him, because Scorpius’s leg had just moved against hers, and she didn’t
move hers away.  He probably just thinks it’s the booth.  She reasoned.
“That’s incredible,” she responded, because it was what she should do.
“Yes, you’ll be joining us in a few weeks for the Slughorn Awards,” Draco
Malfoy responded.
“Joining you?” she asked, redirecting the conversation, because she couldn’t
process the enormity of several bomb drops.
“Yes, that is the second nature of our meeting here today,” Longbottom shifted,
gesturing to Draco Malfoy, “I am in the middle of processing a deal to transfer
ownership of Longbottom Labs to Mister Malfoy. We can go over the fine details
in meetings tomorrow-”
 
And Rose was thrust back into the present with a pull on her arm.
“Rosie, I’m heading out with Rick here. He lives down the road, don’t wait up,
okay?” Roxanne giggled in Rose’s ear, and she nodded. It was the usual way of
things, Roxanne was off season right now, and it was a Quidditch player’s way
to sleep around.
A few shots later, and Rose and Alice stumbled down the road and into a local
pub where they could floo home safely.
“I’ll see you tomorrow Rosie, don’t forget the hangover potion before you go to
bed,” Alice tapped Rose’s nose, “We have shit to do.”
Rose giggled a goodbye and stepped into the fireplace after Alice, entering her
dark apartment. She was home, but she wasn’t ready for bed with her mind still
on Scorpius. So even though she downed the hangover potion, stumbled into her
room, and pulled her dress off, she snuggled herself into the fluffy blankets
and let herself remember.
“Here?” Scorpius scoffed, letting his fingers linger on her hips as she locked
the classroom door behind her.
She lifted herself onto a desk, biting her lip and pulling Scorpius close in
response to his questioning. She dug her ankles into the backs of his legs,
pinning him to her. With a shift of her hips, she was able to grind herself
against him, finding his erection pressing against her already. A gasp escaped
her lips and He seized it, pressing his lips against hers and sliding his
tongue in easily. He groped at her sloppily, but Rose didn’t care. She only
felt a growing need to be closer. And they just had so much  clothes  on. She
pulled her jersey over her head, still gritty from the game. Scorpius didn’t
care. His hands were too busy trailing patterns along her bare skin.
Rose let her hands wander over her naked body in the present, trying to follow
the trail his fingers had taken.
She reached for the hem of his shirt, pulling it up in a fruitless attempt to
get closer. He laughed into her mouth before leaning back, removing the top.
And suddenly he was so  warm  against her, his arms pulling her close in an
embrace that she ached for. She sighed in his arms, kissing him more softly
now. But she noted to herself that she didn’t want soft assurance right then.
She wanted  him.  So she let her fingers trail along his stomach and to his
shorts, tracing the outline of his straining erection. A deep moan rumbled
through her lips from his, and she grinned, stroking him again.
Then he was clumsy for reasons other than the firewhiskey she tasted on him.
His need flowed into hers, and his hands were slipping into the hem of her
shorts, pulling them down. And then his fingers were slipping between her
folds.
Just as Rose was slipping her own fingers between her folds. Different than how
Scorpius had, slow and torturous. Rose had a mission, and let herself rub the
hood of her clit lightly.
Scorpius dragged his fingers along her slit, and traced the wetness around her.
“You’re soaked,” he whispered in her ear, and it shook her to the core. There
were no doubts that it was all because of him.
“Then you’d better do something about it,” Rose giggled back to him. And he
grinned mischeviously. Then Scorpius Malfoy, her cousin’s best friend, trailed
kisses down her neck, pulling her shorts and panties off. She tensed in
anticipation. Nobody had ever done this for her before. No man had ever had his
face so close to her shaking thighs, and she could barely contain herself. He
gently spread her legs, taking her in.
“You are the most fucking beautiful thing I’ve ever seen Rose,” he looked up at
her, naked and panting on a classroom desk, spread for him. She knew he was
lying, because the most beautiful sight she’d seen was his face between her
legs. He neared her, and shivered from his breath against her wetness. His lips
lightly brushed her, sending a shock through her body.
Rose felt her body tense just as it had when he had touched her, and her
movements became lighter, quicker.
Her excitement was built so high in her head that it didn’t take long. Despite
what most men thought, external stimulation really was the way to go. And holy
hell did Scorpius know what he was doing. She felt the slow build inside of her
as Scorpius licked her from bottom to top, hard and slow, and her thighs
clenched around him. He flicked his tongue quickly just above her clit where
the hood was beginning to retract. She moaned loudly at the movement, pulling
away from the intense sensation, but he held tight to her thighs, holding her
at his mercy.  He was a fast learner  she reasoned. He found his goal quickly,
positioning his mouth so that she felt the movement throughout her whole body,
earning him a squirming, panting Rose Weasley. She was so close, and told him
that, throwing her head back as she grinded against his mouth, searching for a
deeper friction.
Rose felt herself close now, panting and grabbing her sheets with her second
hand.
“I’m gonna, I’m gonna,” Rose whined, grinding shamelessly against his mouth,
clutching the desk for dear life.
“Then do it,” Scorpius murmured quietly against her, his voice vibrating in her
core. And that was her undoing.
Rose felt the quivvers of a quick, dirty orgasm ripple through her, just as
they had that night, just like they did every time she relived that fantasy;
leaving her tired, but not quite fulfilled. It was enough for the day she’d had
though, and with everything she had been through, she could do nothing but roll
over and let sleep take her.
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Note: Fireflies here, thanks again for reading! I hope that
     this is more of what you're looking for. I've always heard "write
     what you want to read", and I plan to deliver the fanfiction that I
     was always looking for. Because I have my own agendas, I'd LOVE your
     feedback, once again! Still aiming for daily updates, so R&R soon
     please & thanks! ♥♥♥
***** Realizations *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
At the beginning of the end, Rose Weasley slipped on her favourite heels and
lined her lips in red. If she was going down, it would be in style.
She was sipping her tea when Roxanne slipped in the door, her “I got laid” grin
on.
“Another walk of pride completed flawlessly,” she purred, throwing her jacket
on the couch and sitting at their small kitchen bar. Rose got about to making
another cup for her roommate, an act of routine more than anything else.
“So Rick?” Rose grinned, clutching her mug and leaning over the counter, “Rick
Campbell from Hufflepuff?”
“Hufflepuffs know how to use their hands,” Roxanne shrugged, a big smug smile
spreading over her face.
“Eww, gross,” Rose threw a sugar cube at her big headed friend.
“Probably won’t meet up again, he wasn’t great without his hands,” she cringed.
Rose made excessive gagging noises as she put her cup in the sink.
“I’m gonna go be an adult, unlike some of us,” Rose stuck her tongue out.
“Yeah, good luck with Malfoy,” Roxanne rolled her eyes, sipping on her tea.
Rose cursed, leaning forward and resting her head on the cabinet over the sink.
“I’m gonna need another drink tonight,” Rose muttered, picking her head up and
hitting it on the cabinet. Maybe if she killed all of her brain cells, she’d
lose the ability to talk, and forfeit the whole situation.
“I’m bringing in the big guns this time,” Roxanne reached across the counter,
grabbing a pad of paper and a quill.
“Do I get to know who’s coming out?” Rose turned her head, earning her a
giggle. There was a nice red line imprinted on her forehead where the counter
had rested.
“Nope.”
“That’s about right.”
“All you need to know, is that you’ll be wasted before they get here, and I’ll
clean up.”
“ Okay. ” Rose mocked her roommate, remembering the cups she’d tossed last time
she promised to clean up.
“For real this time!”
 
                                     ...
 
“Good morning Miss Weasley, looking especially attractive today I see,” desk
worker Sam greeted Rose, and the world was righted again.
“Thank you, and good morning Sam,” she grinned, grabbing a lollipop from the
jar on his desk. She took a moment to sift through for the strawberry one.
 Sam’s morning smile faltered, “Sorry about the interruption yesterday, Mister
Longbottom had come in early and already introduced me to Mister Malfoy…”
“You’re okay, Sam!” Rose laughed off the apology, “You’re doing splendidly. Any
dismay I had at your late arrival was only because I personally missed your
smiling face brightening my day,” she teased, handing him the wrapper to her
candy. Their banter was a typical morning routine for Rose, and after the
debacle the day before, she felt that her workplace wouldn’t crumble as long as
he was there.
“Well then I’m glad to deliver my shining services to you today Miss Weasley,”
he grinned, tossing the litter for her. When he looked back up, his gaze
flicked behind her.
A throat cleared, and Rose spun around, eyes locking on Scorpius Malfoy.
He was in a perfectly tailored dress robe, and though he stood at a
professional distance, Rose couldn’t help the flush in her cheeks. Curse the
Weasley skin tone.
“Good to see you early Miss Weasley,” his voice seemed to echo in the long
hallway. Scorpius was truly a Malfoy. He was towering; an intimidating wizard
in her workplace. Even if she wasn’t insanely attracted to him and reminded of
the way his hands felt on her every time she looked at him, she would have been
intimidating. Rose dealt with intimidation the way she always did, glad that
she had her war paint on. She slipped the lollipop she’d been holding into her
mouth so that she could offer him her hand.
“This is my typical arrival time,,” she spoke, not quite meeting his eyes. If
she was going to keep her job, she had to stay focused. It once again became
difficult when his hand clasped hers, and her skin tingled.  He should have
been a Hufflepuff , Rose’s mind told her, and she bit her tongue.  Stop. Stop.
Stop . She pulled back quickly, turning to enter the door.
“See you soon, Sam!” Rose grinned at her friend, and she couldn’t help but
notice the eyebrow raise that he gave her.  Stop it, he’ll notice you idiot!
She screamed at Sam through her smile, but they were already scanned in, and
she was free of Sam’s teasing look.
Rose was instead leading Scorpius down another hallway by her worker’s desks.
She was hyper conscious of the way she walked, trying to keep one foot in front
of the other with no wobbles. At this moment, she was proud she had chosen a
skirt. She imagined his eyes burning into her. Even the most restrained wizard
couldn’t help but notice Rose’s curves. She hadn’t been blessed tall and
willowy like Alice or with a tight body like Roxanne, but by now, Rose knew how
to use her curves to her advantage. It just so happened that today, she was
trying to dig up old memories from Scorpius, and at the same time intimidate
him right back.
“He’s nice,” Scorpius noted as they walked. Rose peeked over her shoulder and
he was gazing around the office. Now it seemed it was his turn to not meet her
eyes.  Who’s nice..?
“Oh, Sam! Yeah, Sam is a dedicated, friendly worker,” she responded, stopping
to unlock her office door.
Rose grimaced as they entered. Her office lived in infamy among her staff.
There were stacks of paper all over the three desks in the room, one large
center desk holding the least of the damage. In her efforts to create a mask
for herself, she had forgotten how unprofessionally unorganized she was. She
pulled her wand out, and with a wave, the two chairs in the office were
cleared. Her gorgeous view of London was slightly more obstructed.
“I’m so sorry for the mess,” she blushed, taking a seat behind her desk.
Scorpius stayed standing, despite her efforts to make him more comfortable.
“You were never the most organized,” he smirked, and she tensed. Rose took a
second to relax. She was in her office, he was Albus’s friend, they had hung
out often at Hogwarts. There was no reason to make this awkward.
“You’re one to talk,” she laughed, “I’ve seen your Quidditch locker.” Scorpius
couldn’t stifle a laugh himself, and this time Rose really relaxed. They could
make this work.
Scorpius finally took a seat, and Rose realized with a start that she didn’t
know the nature of his job there. She racked her brain, trying to develop a
strategy to be as direct as possible.
“So,” she grabbed an errant curl of her hair, an awkward habit of hers when she
was uncomfortable, “I apologize. I have the only closed office in the lab,
we’re a small center. I’m more than happy to share my space, there’s plenty of
room once I clear these stock forms,” she turned to straighten some papers on
her desk as if that solved part of the problem.
“As long as you’re okay with clearing one of your desks, I could definitely
make this work,” Scorpius looked at the one to her left. A quill fell off a
stack onto the floor to emphasize his compromise.
Rose looked to him for a moment, and the reality of the situation hit her in
the gut. Here was this boy, her age, presumably a business partner of Malfoy
Industries, there to take over her lab that she’d spent two years building.
Sure, it was Mister Longbottom’s lab, but once he’d seen her abilities, he
sectioned her out a niche, allowing her to thrive in her little corner of the
world. She really saw Scorpius in that moment as anyone else would: a threat to
that perfect career.
“Look,” she clasped her hands together, leaning forward onto her desk,
“Scorpius, I have no idea what your business plans for my lab. I know they have
various prospects including the Finnigan Lab, which already produces innovative
charms. I’m not sure what the intentions are for my work, except that we won’t
be fired.”
“I’m sorry,” Scorpius grimaced, and her heart sank, “Nobody ever explained to
you our process.”
“I’ve been assigned to your lab, because yours has been producing the most
promising potions out of Longbottom’s teams. I’ll be learning of your current
projects, assessing many qualities of the work, and determining the next
avenues of research.”
Rose’s brow furrowed, thinking over his explanation.
So I have to prove the relevance of my projects . Rose reasoned, thinking of
her staff. They had been working so hard.  Some of them, at first, doubted her
methods. That was until they saw her great successes. There was a method to the
madness, though she wasn’t sure she could make everyone else understand.  I
only have to prove it to Scorpius.  She noted with a deep breath. She couldn’t
let them down.
“Then let’s get to work.”
 
                                       …
 
Rose had dropped Scorpius off on Alice to give him a tour while she cleaned up
her office. He had grinned at her, shaking her hand firmly. Alice, the great
friend that she was, gave no indication to Rose, pulling him quickly away. She
could trust Alice to keep him occupied.
Back in her office, Rose leaned against her closed doors, biting her lip hard.
She had a lot to do in a small amount of time. Her cleaning started
productively, thoughts swimming with ways to introduce him to the methodology
behind her projects. But with every paper she stored into a drawer, her anger
grew.
He has the ability to cancel my projects.  She simmered in her building
frustration,  What gives him the right…
Rose filed old receipts, calling Sam to pick up a few boxes for storage. He
walked in, large grin plastered on his face, ready to gossip about Rose’s
reaction to Scorpius. If anyone realized when Rose was putting on a face, it
was her loyal accountant. But once he’d opened the door to her office, he’d
stared on in horror. There were papers flying everywhere, the blinds were
crooked, and there was an actual  fire  in her trash bin. He grabbed the boxes
and exited the war zone as fast as he could, mentally noting to buy her a
martini next time they were out.
“Stupid fucking Malfoy,” Rose mumbled, now regretting that she had worn a skirt
as she knelt on the floor to pull papers from under the desk, “Bloke thinks he
can walk into my life again as if nothing ever happened.” she burned some pages
of notes, strongly considering implementing some of the hexes she had learned
from her aunt Ginny.
Now, her memories of their fantastic night together were like pins in a voodoo
doll, poking her whenever she moved.
“Tell me what you want Rose,” Scorpius caressed her cheek, dragging his fingers
down her neck and over her taut nipples. She felt herself clench, face twisted
with desire.
“Fucking prick.” Rose snapped in the present.
When she didn’t answer, he pulled back. She reached out to him, trying to get
him closer with the need burning in her eyes. He had fantastic restraint.
“You have to use your words. Anything. I’ll do anything to please you, Rose.”
“Thinks he has the right to…”
Rose could barely think, her mind trying to draw up the dirtiest thing she
could think of to surprise him with her maturity.
“Could you,” she started, reaching a hand out. He grabbed it, pulling her off
the desk. She steadied herself, placing another hand on his chest. His skin
burned where they touched, and she felt a renewed desire, “... Could you spank
me?”
She faltered as she remembered the way a grin slowly spread across his face.
 
When Scorpius entered Rose’s office at the end of the day, it was pristine. The
desks had been shifted so that they were both cornered next to the large window
and angled towards the center of the room. To be honest, Rose didn’t know her
office was actually that big.
“This is perfect Miss Weasley, thank you,” Scorpius grinned, and her stomach
dropped.
Miss Weasley? Oh hell no.
“Fine.” she snipped, frozen. She couldn’t let herself appear affected in front
of him, “Good. I’m done for the day,” she quickly gathered her things, her
topped out temper burning through the room. Scorpius shifted uncomfortably.
Good,  she compromised to herself,  If I’m gonna suck at hiding my feelings,
he’d better at least be ashamed enough to be fucking uncomfortable.
“I’m sorry if the situation isn’t ideal…” he trailed off, slipping his hands
into the dress robe pockets. That did it.
“You really don’t get it, do you?” Rose advanced on him, finally snapping. How
did he have the nerve to still think this was about a bloody desk!? He was much
less astute than she’d remembered him being.
“Seriously Rose? If I knew why you were pissed at me, I’d have tried to-”  Oh,
now it’s Rose.
“Three years ago,” her eyes blazed, and he stopped, eyes finally flickering
with a building realization, “After the Gryffindor win and your crates of
bloody  firewhiskey, you fucked me senseless, then we never spoke again. Let’s
keep it that way.”
Rose stormed past him, leaving a stunned Scorpius in her wake.  
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Seriously, I'm never quite sure
     how my works will be received, and this has had a small, but good
     response! THANK YOU! Tomorrow's post may be a little late, as my work
     schedule has picked up a little. I hope that only builds the
     suspense! Please let me know what you think, as I would love to
     tailor the reactions and next directions to your tastes. OR surprise
     you. ;) ♥♥
***** Drinking with the Cousins *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push_&_Pull
                                   Chapter 4
                           Drinking with the Cousins
 
Roxanne and Rose often hosted small parties at their flat. It had a great
sitting area with plenty of space, and a built in bar to the kitchen. If they
really wanted to party, Roxanne would invite some of her Quidditch mates. Rose
would usually set up, stocking everything and making sure nobody puked on their
(finally) matching set of furniture.
Rose was not quite sure how she felt about Roxanne taking it upon herself to
set up, claiming she’d invited the whole Cannons team. She was still unsure
about whether she needed a four day nap, or a bottomless bottle of wine.
Rose couldn’t watch Roxanne try to freeze and set up an ice luge, so she headed
down the road to pregame for her own party. Much to her surprise, she noticed
an unmistakably large dark haired wizard in the crowded street.
“Al!” she hurried down the cobblestone, catching up to her cousin. Albus Potter
turned around just in time for Rose to hug him around the waist.
“Rose!” Albus exclaimed, hugging her back tightly, “It’s been too long.”
“That’s not my fault Mister Auror-in-training! You barely have time to breathe
in that damn program, what kind of ship is your father running?” Rose shoved
his chest, distancing herself. Albus had always been a big guy, but he had
filled out even more since the last time she saw him. Big bundle of pure muscle
he was. It made him an unstoppable force on the Quidditch pitch, and she was
sure it didn’t hurt with his training.
Albus leaned forward, “I’m actually about to do a little day drinking on my day
off. Care to join me?” he linked his arm in hers, pulling her along regardless
of her response.
“I would love to!” she responded as if it mattered, “I know the perfect spot!”
The Dragon’s Place was dead, which suited a Potter and a Weasley just fine.
“Tell me everything that you’ve been doing recently, Rose,” Albus inquired,
spinning to face her at the bar.
“Oh, I’d much rather hear about your adventures,” Rose covered. The last thing
she wanted to do was relive the day’s tragedies, especially since they involved
Albus’s supposed best friend.
“This is gonna be a long night,” Albus laughed, sipping his butterbeer. They
sat in a comfortable silence, each dwelling in the things that brought them to
a bar at 4pm.
“I’ve had some… Work.... Tensions,” Rose flinched at her own wording and Al
laughed.
“Not with Sam..?” Albus slowly asked.
“Oh god no, he’s as gay as Christmas,” Rose giggled then bit her lip,
considering the situation. It really was a bit messed up. She didn’t want to
put Albus in an awkward situation, and it wasn’t a secret that Scorpius and her
didn’t get along throughout hogwarts. The one incident didn’t change that.
“Sarah and I broke up,” Albus blurted, downing most of his drink.
Rose sputtered on a sip, getting butterbeer all over her shirt. “Oh, you win,”
Rose threw her hands in the air. She knew just what they needed: two
firewhiskeys to kick off the pity-fest… And a napkin.
“It was a while ago, actually,” Albus pulled his tie loose, “A few months.”
“So why does that bring you here today?” Rose questioned. Albus flinched,
sliding his empty butterbeer to the bartender and pulling the whiskey close.
“I decided that three rebound hookups were enough. I’m officially looking for a
new partner,” he admitted. Rose considered for a long moment, swishing the
whiskey in her glass.
“I might be able to help with that. Are you busy tonight?”
 
                                       …
 
The party was in full swing by the time Rose stepped into her flat. Albus had
conditionally accepted her invitation. He was bringing some Auror buddies, and
desperately needed to change out of his work robes. Rose looked around and was
suddenly glad she wore her little black dress. Quidditch players could clean up
real nice.
Rose heard someone calling her name from across the room and looked to the
kitchen to see Roxanne motioning her over, “Luge with me!” she seemed to mouth.
Rose rolled her eyes, but pushed her way to the kitchen nonetheless.
Squashed in her tiny kitchen was James Potter pouring a bright blue liquid down
the flat ice sculpture. It flowed down into the mouths of the two burly beaters
of the Cannons. Rose giggled when one of them coughed, losing half the shot on
his shirt. “Your turn, little Red!” James pointed to Rose with the bottle.
An obscene amount of alcohol later, and Rose was dancing in her livingroom. She
wasn’t dancing alone, but she made sure to bounce around so that nobody held
onto her for too long. Someone pushed her into a wall of a wizard and she
grinned.
“Albus, you made it!” She raised her cup, spilling a little butterbeer. Albus
grinned and  tapped his cup to hers. She grabbed his arm and pulled him off the
dance floor, looking for a tall thin friend of hers.
“Woah Rosie, slow down!” Albus tried to say, but Rose was on a mission. It took
two sweeps of dragging Albus around the perimeter, but she finally found her
target refilling in the kitchen.
“Alice!” Rose swung Albus into the doorframe, his massive build blocking anyone
else from entering, “Meet my cousin Albus, he’s single!”
Alice closed the fridge and gaped at Rose. “You do know that I’ve met Albus? We
were in the same classes, honestly Rose…”
“Yeah, but you haven’t  met  met Albus.” Rose rolled her eyes, putting a hand
on her hip. Albus sipped his cup, avoiding Rose’s accusing glare, and Alice
shuffled one foot on the floor. “Oh, come  on. ” Rose groaned, pulling the two
closer together, “Go dance or something you nerds.” Rose waved a hand, exiting
the kitchen.
When Rose re-entered the living room, she felt things spin a little.  Alright,
maybe I need to sit down,  she reasoned, searching for an open seat. She
couldn’t even see her couches there were so many people. She didn’t really have
a coherent thought as she made her way to the door, pushing out into her
building. Rose stumbled down the hallway and down the stairs, holding her cup
between her teeth and grasping at the railing with both hands. When Rose
finally made her way out the door onto the street, she noticed she wasn’t
alone.
“Oh, fuck this,” Rose said, and her cup fell out of her mouth, dropping on the
cobblestone. Scorpius Malfoy was leaning against the side of her building, a
flask in his hand. To her surprise, he was wearing a button down and jeans.
Rose gaped for a second. She honestly didn’t think he owned anything other than
dress robes. And he did not look happy.
“Shit,” she muttered, leaning over to grab her cup and scoop up what was left
of her dignity. She straightened too quickly and started to see stars, so she
leaned against the building too, clutching her empty cup with two hands.
Scorpius Malfoy now looked a little happy. The corner of his mouth twitched up,
and Rose felt butterflies.  Yeah, definitely fuck this.
The two stood in silence for long moments as Rose tried to find her center of
gravity again. She was clearly sloshed, but there was nothing she could do
about it now. In her efforts to try not to dig herself into a hole, she bit her
lip, trying to keep her drunk honesty closed up inside of herself. She finally
got her shit together.
“I should go…” she muttered, putting a hand on the door. He grabbed her arm and
it was the sensation more than the action that stopped her from running as fast
as she could.
“I’m sorry,” Scorpius flinched and pulled back. He tried for the cool demeanor
again, but at this point, Rose was having none of it. It felt childish. He took
a long sip of a flask and grimaced at the burn, “Fuck.” After a moment he took
a deep breath, “I remember that night so vividly.”
Rose felt a buzzing in her ears, and her world slowed to a screaming halt. her
brow furrowed with confusion. She opened her mouth to ask questions, and
Scorpius took a step back, laughing at himself.
“I’ve been standing out here wondering whether I should come in and tell you or
not,” Scorpius said, throwing an arm in the air. Rose felt like her vision was
pinching at the outsides. The regular late night bustle of Diagon Alley was off
in the distance, and her head tuned it out until all she could hear was her own
heartbeat.
“Rose, after we…” Scorpius closed his mouth, considering his words very
carefully. He looked at her. Really looked at her for a moment, and she felt a
tiny spark in her chest. At the same time, Rose caught a spark in Scorpius’s
eyes. “You’re wasted, we should talk about this…”
The cup dropped out of Rose’s hands and she threw herself at him.
Scorpius was clearly surprised by this development, but Rose wasn’t actually
comprehending his reaction, she only knew that once her lips were pressed
against his, the spark in her chest started to kindle, roaring into a dull
fire. Rose was floating, her world no longer spinning. Scorpius was firm
against her, unmoving, and Rose pushed further, grabbing his button-up and
pulling him closer. Something snapped and he finally melted against her,
opening his mouth and deepening the kiss. Rose felt herself moan into
Scorpius’s mouth, and then the world was cold again, nothing holding her down.
Now everything was bad spinning again.
“I’m sorry,” Rose whispered, dropping her cup and slipping into the door.
It wasn’t like the romance novels she liked to read. He wasn’t following,
calling out to her, no promises that everything would be peaches and cream.
Rose ran up the stairs wanting nothing more than to throw herself into her bed.
But when the door to her flat few open, and there was still a party in full
swing.
My room is down the hall.  Rose thought to herself like a mantra, over and
over. She pushed her way through people, the colors of the room blending
together.  Just a few more feet.
Her hand fumbled on her doorknob, and she fell more than walked into her room.
All of a sudden, the carpet rushed op to her face. Then the door was closed and
she was sobbing. After that it was a blur, but at some point, she remembered
Roxanne coming in.
“Oh, honey,” she cooed, scooping Rose up off the ground and somehow getting her
into bed with a hangover potion. She had no sense of time as she cried herself
to sleep next to her best friend.
 
                                     ...
 
Rose was in the lab before the sun was up the next day. She had missed a day of
work to clean out her office, and needed to keep her mind on something other
than her life. She buckled herself down with her newest project. Papers were
scattered all over her desk, calculations and textbooks strewn about. “Okay,”
she muttered to herself, “Intensifying. What has properties…” Rose was lost in
old medieval plant books.
There was a large creek, and Rose looked up to see an old round witch wobbling
over with two steaming mugs.
“Oh, Millie!” Rose laughed, “You scared me.” she took the mug gratefully, going
straight back to work.
“What’s this?” she asked, picking up one of Rose’s pages of notes, “The Mopsus
Potion? I don’t think I’m familiar with that.”
“Named after the Greek Seer Mopsus,” Rose sipped her tea, “He had fantastic
abilities and wanted to take on an apprentice, but nobody he knew had the
gift,” she searched her piles quickly, pulling out an old dusty scroll and
handing it to Millie.
Millie unraveled the scroll, looking at a list of very old-fashioned
ingredients. Her face twisted with annoyance.
“His son offered to learn, but you can’t create gifts like the Sight,” Rose
spun to Millie with a twinkle in her eye, “Except that he tried.”
“He managed to create the Mopsus Potion, named not for himself, but for his son
whom he tested it on. Apparently, it gave him temporary Sight and possible
telekinesis?” Rose spun back to her stack of papers, pulling one out and
scribbling a note, “I’m not quite sure, but I plan to find out.”
Millie looked back to the scroll. Most of the ingredients would need to be
ordered, and a few were hard to find in this century. “This is a bit of a pace
change from improving on health potions,” she put the paper back on a book,
“What happened to the less painful Skele-gro?”
“Oh you can still work on that,” Rose flipped a page, losing herself to the
project again, “This could really help the Auror department though, you know?
Be able to predict a scene before you go, decide what resources you need and
how dangerous it is.”
“There’s definitely great things that could come from that Miss Weasley. Good
luck,” Millie nodded, heading over to her own bench.
 
By the time noon came around, Alice had to force Rose to take a break for
lunch. Through protests and complaining, Rose was finally torn from her work
and on her way to the office.  Okay, I think I still have a salad in the shared
fridge. If I down that in like ten minutes, I can start brewing by-
Her thought process halted as she walked into her office, because she was
suddenly reminded of why it looked different. Scorpius stood as she entered,
and Rose felt like cold water was dumped down her back.
“I think we need to talk.”
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Notes: I'm going off of google stuff, so there will be some
     more potions talk coming up that may be incorrect, though I will try
     my hardest. If I get something blatantly wrong, or it's unrealistic,
     PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I love to fix things. Thanks again for the kudos
     and feedback! Now that the world has been set up, things are going to
     get interesting quickly (I hope!) Keep your eyes out, and keep that
     feedback coming! I love getting the email that says what you think.
     ♥♥♥ Fireflies
***** We do Good Work *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push_&_Pull
                                   Chapter 5
                                We Do Good Work
 
And that is how Rose ended up sitting at a nice Muggle cafe on her lunch break
with Scorpius Malfoy. It was vaguely french and definitely fancy. A beautiful
hole-in-the wall cafe with little black wire tables closed in on the patio
where she now sat. It was too fancy for a lunch meeting, and definitely the
most uppity place she’d eaten at since her cousin Victoire dragged her to some
world-renowned pizza place in Switzerland.
“We’re gonna need this,” Scorpius laughed, pouring Rose a glass of some big
name wine. Or so she assumed, because the menu had no prices on it.
Rose did not laugh. She did finish the whole glass in one go and poured herself
a second without a word. Her decision to come out was quickly becoming the
worst one of her life.
Scorpius cleared his throat, eyes glued to the menu, “I’d suggest the salmon.”
“Sure,” she shrugged, looking over the railing to her side. The busy street
seemed like it was a mile away. She couldn’t ignore what had happened, but more
importantly, she couldn’t ignore the strong attraction she felt to him, even
then. It didn’t mean that she wouldn’t try.
The waiter came, and Scorpius ordered two of what she supposed was the salmon,
because it was french and he pronounced it perfectly. Asshole.
“Rose,” Scorpius tried to catch her attention but she couldn’t meet his eyes,
“I’m really trying here. I want to fix this.”
“You can’t fix what isn’t broken,” Rose shrugged.
Scorpius was silent for a long moment, swishing the wine in his glass. “I’ve
thought of that night a lot, Rose.”
She finally looked up. Scorpius no longer appeared to be the big shot business
guy he’d become. He looked like the Scorpius she knew as a kid, knocked down by
the world. Hiding in a cart on the Hogwarts Express with Albus Potter, and
looking so hurt when she refused to sit with them.
Did I do that?
Scorpius wasn’t avoiding her eyes. He was burning holes through her soul with
his stare, and she couldn’t ignore it any longer. Their gaze locked, and she
was hooked on his words.
“Do you know what happened the morning after?” Scorpius asked quietly, and Rose
felt her stomach drop out. Scorpius kept swishing the damn wine glass, but
luckily it was a good excuse to tear her eyes away from his.
“We had gone back to our rooms, and when I woke up the next day, I was so
excited to see you again. I walked into the great hall with Al, and do you know
what happened next?”
Rose shifted uncomfortably in her chair. She didn’t know what happened next,
she didn’t remember this.
“Alice Longbottom looked at me and laughed.” He straightened in his chair,
stopping the glass and looking up at the ceiling, “Alice laughed at me, and you
wouldn’t even look at me. Albus noticed me moping around and asked me what was
wrong, and what could I tell him?” he laughed without humor.
Rose felt like her chest was collapsing on her.
“I told Alice about that night and she thought I was joking,” Rose muttered, “I
saw you in Potions later and you avoided me. I thought you were embarrassed of
me. You even moved seats so we wouldn’t have to work together.”
“Because I thought you had made fun of me.”
They sat in silence, just looking at each other, and she felt the pieces click
into place. Rose opened her mouth to speak, and her throat was too tight to
make a sound. She awkwardly cleared her throat, and finally spoke in the
smallest voice.
“You were excited to see me?”
A slow grin spread over Scorpius’s face. “Alice wasn’t making fun of me?”
Rose laughed, “She made fun of you and Albus for a lot of things, but never for
that. Not really.”
“Not really?”
“You know,” Rose smiled to herself, looking back at her glass, “We fought all
the time, she said it was only a matter of time we murdered each other or
screwed like rabbits.”
And Scorpius giggled. The sound rang in her ears.
Their food came, and luckily Scorpius was right, the salmon was delicious. It
paired deliciously with the wine. Definitely better than the old salad she’d
planned for lunch that day.
“So are you seeing anyone right now?” Scorpius asked. Rose froze again like a
deer in headlights, then reminded herself that it was a normal question.
“Uh, no,” she shifted in her chair, setting her fork down, “I haven’t really
done the serious relationship thing.” Scorpius nodded slowly.
“Do you mind if I ask why not?” he took another bite of his food, the most
casual thing in the world. She felt like her head was dunked into boiling
water.
“Well,” she shrugged, pulling her alcohol close as a crutch, “I want to get my
life in order first. I love my job, but I’m still in a small lab. I want a
house, I want a name for myself outside of my parent’s shadows before I share
that life and name with somebody else.”
“That’s a great reason,” Scorpius noted, putting his fork down.
“How about you?” Rose asked.
Scorpius frowned, grabbing his own glass of wine. “My father has particular…
Views on dating. Dating leads to engagement leads to marriage, so I try to cut
it off at the first step.” Scorpius shrugged.
“I mean, we could always have a rendezvous in the office every now and then,”
Rose laughed. Her hand flew to her mouth, realizing what the joke entailed.
Did I just proposition my boss?
“Err…” Scorpius swished his glass again, “We would have to be very discreet.”
“Wait,” Rose gaped at him, “Are you serious?”
“Why not?” he shrugged, “We’re two consenting adults who know what they want.
And I can’t deny that the attraction is definitely there. For me at least.”
“Me too,” Rose said quickly. Her eyes locked on his again, and just the thought
that this might be happening sent a sudden jolt through her body that pooled
right below her belly.
“So, Something casual?” Rose continued, “We don’t have to tell our friends.”
she added.
“Just us,” he finished for her, eyes glimmering. Rose remembered the feel of
his skin under her fingers.
“Our secret,” she grinned.
“I do have two conditions,” Scorpius pulled back, and she realized they had
been leaning on the table, “If we’re really doing this.”
Rose nodded. “Sure.”
“You’re on the potion?” he asked.
“Definitely.” she replied. She was not looking for kids any time soon.
“I’d also rather keep our relations monogamous, even if it’s not serious. You
can, of course, break this off any time, but that will be the end of it.”
“That’s not a problem,” Rose nodded, blushing.
“Really?” Scorpius seemed genuinely surprised, “There’s nobody else?”
“Well,” Rose grimaced, her cheeks burning, “Nobody quite… Ahh… Measured up?”
Scorpius’s eyes opened wide, and he broke into a gut-clenching laugh.
“Stop, people are looking!” Rose giggled, grabbing his arm.
 
                                       …
 
They walked into the lab together and Rose officially introduced him to the
team.
“Everyone, this is Scorpius Malfoy. He will be overseeing us for a few weeks to
see what we’re doing here. He may have many questions, feel free to answer them
as best as you can,” Rose nodded. Scorpius was a business man again, his hands
in his pockets under the light gray dress robe he wore. She wanted nothing more
than to see that robe on her bedroom floor.
“Alice,” Rose motioned to her friend. Scorpius reached out a hand to shake hers
professionally as if they hadn’t been sniffling first years together, “Alice
assists with all active projects.”
Rose turned to another companion, “Auggie,” she introduced. Scorpius shook the
older man’s hand.
“A Malfoy,” Auggie grunted, “Surprised to see your kind making a name in
business again.” Rose flinched, but to her surprise, Scorpius was unfazed.
“Ahh, you know. Just trying to build the world up after my grandfather tore it
down,” Scorpius shrugged, a large grin plastered on his face.
Auggie laughed, a deep reverberating sound, “Good kid. You’re alright.”
“Auggie assists with publications, research, and consults on all the projects.”
Rose finished, turning to the next in line.
“Arthur is a trainee right now, hoping to head his own lab some day,” Rose
pointed out her young, tall worker.
“Hello Mister Malfoy,” Arthur shook Scorpius’s hand with too much enthusiasm,
“I’m working with the Wolfsbane potion on a more efficient, longer lasting brew
with the hopes to eventually cure Lycanthropy.”
Scorpius turned to Rose with an impressed nod.
“Arthur has big dreams, and I’m not about to stop him,” Rose grinned.
“Lastly, this is Millie,” Rose motioned to the shortest of the group. Millie
shook Scorpius’s hand with a grin, “She’s working to alleviate the extreme pain
that comes with the Skele-gro potion.”
“Similar to our successful work with a faster acting blood-thinning potion,”
Millie motioned to Rose, “We do big things here.”
Rose looked around, remembering how proud she was of her team’s work. How could
Scorpius not like their projects?
“You’ll be working with Auggie the rest of today. He’ll make sure you’re up to
speed on the basic concepts before you dive into the logistics of each
project,” Rose nodded, heading to her own bench and leaving Scorpius to his own
devices.
“Alright Malfoy, let’s see what you’ve got,” Auggie marched to his corner,
Scorpius in tow.
“I think I’ve got a trick or two up my sleeve,” he grinned.
 
Scorpius seemed to be doing well. When Rose took quick breaks between books,
she caught herself glancing over. Auggie could tend to drag people for a ride,
so she was glad he was standing his ground. By the time Rose wrapped up, the
last of her team was headed out.
“Hey Miss Weasley, I’m leaving for the day,” Sam popped his head in, “I think
it’s just you and Mister Malfoy. Do you mind locking up?”
“Not at all, have a great night, Sam,” Rose waved a hand, and the door clicked,
marking his departure. She flicked her wand, sending books to Auggie’s
magically expanding shelves. The door clicked a second time.
“Did you forget something, Sam?” she called, putting her wand down. Then there
were hands lightly touching both of her arms from behind.
“I forget nothing, Rose,” Scorpius’s voice was warm on her shoulder. She leaned
back into him. His scruff brushed against her cheek, and Rose shivered at the
roughness.
“You didn’t tell me about your project,” he inquired, pressing his lips to her
neck. She made a noise of contentment, moving a sheet of paper into his view.
“Well Mister Malfoy,” she purred, leaning her head away from him and giving him
better access to her neck, “I’m looking to improve on a very old potion.” He
trailed kisses up her neck, and her skin was white hot where he touched her.
“That seems to be the specialty here Miss Weasley,” Scorpius murmured against
her neck, the vibrations rolling through her. She lifted her arms, quickly
grabbing his wrists and dragging them up her sides to her breasts.
“We do good work,” she turned her head to him, capturing his lips in hers. She
was trapped against him and the lab bench, his hands grasping at her breasts
over her shirt. He trailed his fingers down and slipped his hands underneath
her top and pushed up her bra so he could have better access. Rose gasped when
his fingers grabbed her nipples roughly, pulling them hard.
She was surprised by how much she enjoyed the rough touch.
“Tell me about this old potion,” he whispered against her lips, circling her
breasts with his fingertips before pulling roughly on her nipples again. She
gasped once more with the sudden intense sensation.
“Uhmm,” Rose considered. What did she do for a living again? “The Mopsus
Potion,” she told him, closing her eyes as his hands wandered back down her
torso to the waistband of her pants. He pulled them down roughly then brought
his hands to her ass. She thanked god she was wearing lace and heels. Rose was
sure her ass looked fantastic in lace and perky with the heels. Scorpius
slipped his fingers from behind into her panties, tracing her wetness up to her
clit.
“You’re a little excited already, Rosie,” Scorpius laughed, and she felt it
through her whole body, “Keep telling me about that potion.”
Rose whined in protest, grinding herself against his fingers. He slipped her
lace underwear off and pushed her lab robe to one side.
“The Mospus Potion supposedly bestows the drinker with the Sight,” she told
him, leaning over her paperwork and spreading her legs, “for a short time.”
Scorpius reached one hand around Rose’s front, rubbing circles on the hood of
her clit. “I want to,” She tried to continue with her explanation, but he
slipped a finger of the other hand into her from behind, curling it deliciously
towards himself. It created a pressure deep in her, “Oh,” she gasped, her
breath picking up as his movements sped up, “I want to improve the potion for
Auror use.” she finished her sentence, and Scorpius pulled his finger out of
her. She made a sound of disappointment, but then he was slipping two fingers
in, and she hummed with appreciation.
He definitely knew how to use his hands.
His outer motion sped up, and she felt a building inside of her. She started
panting, grinding on the two fingers he was curling inside of her. She tried to
press her thighs together, relishing the friction. She started to clench around
his fingers, feeling the tipping point, then, he pulled away quickly.
“What?” Rose gasped, spinning towards him, “Why did you-” then he turned her
back towards the desk roughly, pushing her lab robe aside again. She heard him
undoing his belt and unzipping his pants, and her legs shook with anticipation.
“Please Scorpius, I need…” and then she felt the head of him at her entrance.
She was so wet that it took no effort for him to slide into her. Or, would have
except for his size. His head slid in easily, and she felt a wonderful stretch
as he pushed into her slowly.
“Is that okay?” he asked, pausing.
“Please,” Rose begged, loving the feel of him inside of her. She forgot how
nice the stretch felt. How filled she was. He moved slowly inside of her,
pushing a little more of himself in with every thrust.
“Oh Rose,” Scorpius said quietly, reaching his fingers around to stroke her
clit, “You’re so tight, I don’t think I’m going to last long.”
“Then don’t stop touching me,” Rose cried, feeling a build inside of her again.
She slipped her own hands under her shirt, pinching her nipples roughly. She
moaned at the same time as Scorpius, feeling herself clench down on his
impossible length. He had stopped moving, but his hand was unrelenting,
building her higher and higher. She felt herself beginning to crack, and then
Scorpius started moving, pounding into her with light strokes. Her world came
to a peak, and she came with a shout, grasping onto the desk and riding out the
orgasm. Scorpius wasn’t long after her, grabbing her hips tightly as his hips
jerked a few final times, holding himself deep inside of her.
“Oh my god,” Rose whispered to herself. Scorpius stayed in her, his dick
twitching after his own orgasm, “Oh my god.”
He pulled out in one swift motion, grabbing a potion wipe from her desk and
cleaning himself off before zipping his pants again. Rose giggled That’s not
what those are for.
She shifted to move, and felt his cum slip out of her onto her thighs.
“Oh I forgot about this part,” Rose laughed again, holding her lab robe out of
the way of the damage. Scorpius made a sound of agreement, walking towards her
again. He grabbed her ass roughly, pulling her cheeks apart. Rose moaned softly
as Scorpius kissed one of her ass cheeks.
“Now that is a beautiful sight,” he commented, slipping a finger in his cum and
rubbing it around her vagina. He slipped two fingers in quickly, and she
gasped, still sensitive from his quick fuck.
He grabbed his used wipe from the desk and wiped his cum off of her with the
dry side. She murmured her appreciation as he pulled her pants and trousers
back up, kissing her lower back before pulling her lab robe in the correct
position.
“You’ve fucked me senseless again,” Rose muttered, unwilling to move from the
desk. Scorpius walked by her, tossing the wipe in the disposal.
“It was absolutely lovely,” he commented, pulling her back to a standing
position despite her protest, “And now you should go home and get some rest.”
Scorpius grabbed both sides of Rose’s face and pulled her in for a sweet,
tender kiss.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Sir.” Rose whispered against his lips. Scorpius
breathed in deeply, slipping his fingers into her hair and holding tightly. She
opened her eyes at his sudden fierceness.
“Sir,” Scorpius tasted the word in his mouth, “I like that.”
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Note: Thanks as always for reading! I hope you see the
     improvements I'm incorporating based on your reviews! I often lose
     interest in my projects, so my attempt to push out a chapter every
     day keeps me focused on the story, but clearly leaves big writing
     errors. I appreciate every word you leave for me in the review
     section, and love to see what you like and what you don't. See you
     tomorrow for C6! ♥
***** The Invitation *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push_&_Pull
                                   Chapter 6
                                The Invitation
 
Rose walked into the lab the next day with a renewed work ethic. Getting laid
was no excuse to not get work done. She had missed her roommate the night
before and that morning, though Rose wasn’t quite sure if she actually slept in
the flat or not. Rose sat at her desk with two large coffees, getting right to
work. Alice was the first one to arrive.
“Hey!” Rose handed Alice her usual, “I never got to talk to you about the other
day.”
Alice accepted the cup, dropping her bag on the floor of the lab, “What about
the other day?” She asked innocently, taking a large sip.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Rose teased, “I may have drunkenly shoved my cousin into
you in the hopes that you’d finally hook up with someone.”
“He was nice,” Alice mumbled into her cup, taking a seat next to Rose’s work
and peering at the papers. She picked one up and squinted at it, “Mopsus
Potion?”
“Ancient shit that may give someone the Sight, we’ll find out,” Rose waved a
hand, “What do you mean by nice?”
“We have a date tonight,” Alice finally admitted, rolling her eyes.
“That’s what I needed to hear!” Rose cheered, shoving Alice’s arm playfully.
“Whatever Rose,” Alice stood up, annoyance snuffed out by the smile creeping
onto her face, “I’ve gotta go help Sam place the stock order if we want it on
Monday.”
“Oh, take this,” Rose scrambled through her papers, finally handing Alice a
long list of ingredients, “Some will be expensive or hard to find, so we may
have to take an outing, but look into it please.”
“You got it Miss Weasley,” Alice took the list. She seemed like she wanted to
say something more, but Rose barely noticed as something in one of her books
caught her eye.
“Cinnamon!” she exclaimed, reaching for a quill and scribbling frantically,
“Cinnamon has amplification properties, right?”
 
Rose was oblivious as the rest of her team slowly entered, picking up their
daily tasks. She was, however, acutely aware when Scorpius finally walked in,
though she forced herself to pretend she wasn’t re-reading the same sentence
about Yarrow root uses over and over. Millie was brewing on the desk opposite
her, and today Scorpius seemed to be observing the woman’s project. He did so
mostly quietly, asking logistical questions every now and then. Millie was very
patient and clear in her responses. Rose wondered if she learned that
temperament from raising teenage boys. Every now and then Rose caught
Scorpius’s gaze drifting past the potions to her, and they locked eyes. Instead
of looking away quickly, Rose kept staring and bit her lip, letting her gaze
wander over his fitted white button up, imagining the tight muscles underneath.
She was always the first to break their staring contest, and looked back to her
books, flipping aimlessly.
By the time her lunch break rolled around, Rose was no closer to amplifying her
potion than she was to making it. Scorpius had left before her team, and so
Rose waited until two of her workers walked out for their own breaks, and
exactly ten minutes after Scorpius left before slipping out. It was clearly a
calculated endeavor if anyone had been paying attention.
She walked into her office and locked the door behind her, casting a quick
silencing charm. Scorpius had taken his dress robe off and was sitting at his
desk with his sleeves rolled up. Rose imagined him spanking her dressed like
that, just like he had the first time.
 
“Spank you?” he had asked, grabbing the hand on his chest. Rose felt something
subtle shift in the air, sparking with electricity once more. The moment before
had been heated, filled with the desire of what was to come. They were young.
It should have been a quick shag and they’d both be on their ways, bragging to
their friends about one hot night. But this moment held the promise of so much
more.
Scorpius spun her around, shoving her torso onto the desk roughly. A yelp of
surprise escaped from Rose’s lips, and she felt a fresh gush of wetness come
with it.
“Rose Weasley, the head girl that loves to follow the rules-”
“We’re not following the rules right now, are we?” She laughed, but it was cut
short by Scorpius’s hand brushing her thigh, grabbing tightly onto one of her
cheeks.
“Do you think we need some rules?” he laughed back, slapping her lightly. Rose
let out a small gasp, and Scorpius was unimpressed.
“Harder?”
“Harder.” she responded, and he delivered. As soon as the word slipped out, his
hand hit her much harder. The sting radiated through her lower back, and her
whole body moved with the effort. A loud cry forced itself through her. It
seemed as if the action was connected to her sex, clenching around nothing.
“How is that?” Scorpius asked, less sure this time.
“Please,” she cried, and he spanked her again, twice in a row. He had moved his
efforts to other areas of her ass, not staying in the same place twice. She
moaned from the pain and pleasure, feeling so dirty for liking something so
unusual.
 
“Mind a little company?” Rose raised a shoulder, grinning through her blush.
Scorpius looked up from his work and responded with a sad smile.
“Unfortunately I have to run right now,” he crossed the room, and stood in
front of her. He reached out, grabbing a stray curl of her hair, “Maybe we can
reschedule?”
Rose pouted, and Scorpius slid his hand to her ponytail, pulling it back
roughly and holding her at his mercy. He ran the thumb of his other hand
against her lips.
“Oh Rose,” he growled, and Rose sighed lightly at his touch, feeling extremely
exposed, “Don’t you make those faces at me, or I’ll never make it to my
afternoon meeting.” She had half a mind to convince him not to when he released
her. He got to work unrolling his sleeves as she collected herself.
“I’ll see you for lunch tomorrow,” Scorpius collected his things and returned
to Rose, “Shit, tomorrow’s Saturday,” he brought a thumb to his lip as he
considered. Rose imagined how she could tease him if that were his finger on
her lip again. But she was no longer restrained by his touch, and they were
alone.
Rose closed the distance between them, reaching out and pulling his hand from
his face. He looked at her, bewildered as she put his thumb up to her mouth.
“Will I get to see you this weekend, Sir?” she purred. Then Rose stuck her
tongue out and licked his thumb from the bent knuckle to the tip. She watched
the change in his expression from confused, to intrigued, to lustful. She
turned his hand slightly and bit the pad of his thumb.
“I’m a very busy man Miss Weasley,” he murmured to her, dropping his coat and
slipping his free hand onto her hair once again. Then she sucked his thumb into
her mouth, swirling her tongue around it quickly. Scorpius hummed in
appreciation, “And you’re making me late.”
Then Scorpius slipped his hand away from her, releasing his thumb with a  pop .
He shoved her against the door to the office, kissing her roughly. It took all
the breath from her, and she was panting as he trailed his kisses down her jaw.
He stopped to suck lightly at the space just below her earlobe, and she
squirmed at the soft touch. He trailed his fingers down her torso as he dropped
to his knees.
“I like this,” he noted at her pencil skirt, hiking it up. Underneath, she wore
thigh-high stockings and no underwear. She blushed as he stopped to admire the
view.
“I  really  like this,” he slipped his hand from her knee to the top of the
stocking, sliding around to grip the underside of her thigh. He pushed it up,
forcing Rose’s weight to the other leg and swung the thigh over his shoulder,
opening her up to him.
Then his mouth was on her, unrelenting. He swirled around her clit, and Rose
tried to pull away from the too-intense sensation. Noticing the reaction, he
went higher, flicking his tongue lightly at the hood to her clit. She sighed at
the more comfortable feeling, until he surprised her by adding in the earlier
motion. It resulted in a quick build to her orgasm, and she realized how much
she needed this. Rose shuddered with a sigh as it rippled through her.
Scorpius placed her leg down carefully and stood, wiping his mouth with the
back of his hand. The motion alone left Rose wanting more. She grabbed for his
pants and he pulled back, reaching for his stuff.
“I really do have to go,” he gave her a small smile.
“I can’t return the favor?” Rose asked, mind still fuzzy from the orgasm.
“Save it for Monday,” Scorpius responded leaving her with a lingering kiss.
“Sure,” she muttered, fixing her ponytail. When Scorpius finally left the room
though, Rose couldn’t help but groan loudly in frustration.
 
                                       …
 
When the clock struck five, Rose left immediately, for once walking out with
all her workers on a Friday.
“You’re telling me about your date tomorrow!” Rose called after Alice before
she apparated home. Rose was surprised once again to be met by an empty flat,
although for once, she wasn’t complaining. She ran to the shower, pulling her
clothes off and stepping in quickly, letting the hot water wash over her body.
She thought once again of that night in seventh year.
 
Scorpius spanked her twice more on the other cheek, and before the pain could
finish traveling through her body, he shoved two fingers in her roughly. Rose
was so lost in the sensation that she didn’t understand the noises that were
coming out of her. She didn’t care if they were attractive or not, she only
knew that if he wasn’t inside of her soon, she would die. She pushed her body
back against his hands, and he removed them quickly, watching her carefully as
she turned around.
“Scorp, I need you,” she cried, kissing him with a need that she’d never felt
before. He moaned into her mouth, lifting her onto the desk and pulling his
pants down. He was at her entrance in a moment and held himself there with one
hand, looking to her eyes.
“Are you sure?” he asked, searching her for any doubt, “Are you on the potion?”
“Yes, please Scorp, for the love of-” and her sentence was lost as he started
to slide into her. She moaned as she felt herself stretch around him. He was
not small by any means, and her last boyfriend had been just smaller than
average. He seemed to feel this, and moved slowly, pushing in steadily. The
sensation was so erotic, and he was so attractive when he looked unrestrained,
that she felt herself building already. He started thrusting slowly, slipping a
little more of himself into her each time. She gasped lightly with every
thrust, and his enthusiasm matched hers.
“I’m not going to last,” he admitted, and she grabbed his face, forcing her
lips onto his. He pushed into her the rest of the way with one large thrust,
and she couldn’t contain herself. She cried his name as she came around him
simply for entering her, and he moved through her orgasm, reaching his quickly
after.
 
                                      ...
 
It was only when Rose was perfectly comfortable on her couch on a friday night
with her roommate that an owl tapped at her window.
“Who sends post on a friday night?” Roxanne groaned, putting her whiskey down
and rolling off the couch onto the floor. Rose was in hysterics, giggling into
her glass as Roxanne crawled unceremoniously to the window to let the creature
in. He swooped into the flat, depositing the letter on the counter.
“I don’t know this guy,” Roxanne went to fetch him a treat. Rose spun around,
leaning over the back of the chair to watch her get the post. Rose secretly
loved post. It was like a little surprise in an envelope. Before you opened it,
a letter could be anything.
“Here you go, friend!” she placed the treat on the windowsill, going back to
the letter on the counter. She picked it up, catapulting herself over the back
of the couch to join Rose.
“What is it?” Rose grabbed the letter, seeing her name on the front.
“Looks super fancy,” Roxanne responded, curling up next to her.
She tried very hard to open the letter one-handed, and Roxanne offered her hand
to help. The two girls held their whiskey glasses tightly as they tore the
letter in half, depositing the letter on Rose’s lap. It had a green wax seal.
“Oh my god,” Rose picked it up, investigating it carefully.
“What is it?” Roxanne’s interest was peaked.
“I think it’s an invitation to the Slughorn Awards,” Rose responded, looking
back to her friend.
“What the hell is that?” Roxanne crinkled her nose, “Slugs?”
“No, it’s a gala to celebrate magical research, offering awards to incredible
discoveries and inventions. It would make my career to be honored,” Rose handed
Roxanne her glass, breaking the seal and opening the letter.
“ Rose Jean Weasley, you are formally invited as a nominee- AHH!” Rose clasped
a hand over her mouth, bursting with excitement.
“When is it?” Roxanne hugged her friend, and Rose shifted to keep the letter in
sight.
“This Thursday,” she was beaming, “the whole lab’s invited! I can’t believe
this, we have to celebrate!”
Roxanne laughed, handing Rose her whiskey back, “Rose, congratulations-” “Thank
you!” “-but it’s like eleven at night, tell everyone in the morning!”
“You’re right,” Rose responded, taking deep breaths. At last she looked to her
roommate and clinked glasses with her.
“Sounds like we need to go shopping!” Roxanne cheered, downing her glass.
Chapter End Notes
     Author's note: Hello guys! Sorry for the long wait. I had a bit of a
     personal injury and had to take some time dealing with the pain.
     Luckily for you, that means I've spent a lot of the time on the plot,
     and this story will be gradually heading in some crazy directions,
     I'm just deciding how exactly to get there. As always, I love the
     feedback. It inspires me, gives me ideas, and keeps me going! Thank
     you for returning to read this newest chapter. ♥
***** Full English *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push_&_Pull
                                   Chapter 7
                                 Full English
 
Rose tossed and turned all night. At about 3am, she sat up in bed and strongly
considered flooing over to Alice’s place to tell her the news. She forced
herself to lay back down, drifting in and out until 7am. She knew she couldn’t
wake her roommate up for company, so she wrote up letters to her staff inviting
them out to dinner that night, and a special one to call Alice over for
breakfast. She sat for a long time before she decided to invite Scorpius out
too. He was technically her boss during the takeover, and she was sure he would
know about the nomination. She made the letter decidedly casual, mentioning
that she’d be announcing the news at the dinner and he was welcome to join
them. Once they were dropped off in the box for her landlord’s owl to take, she
got started cooking. Roxanne awoke long before her usual hours, tempted from
her room by the promise of food. Before she even sat down, Rose piled a plate
with eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, and tomatoes and set it at her counter seat.
“Where the hell is my tea?” Roxanne pounded her fists on the counter, and Rose
spun to give her a long stare, strongly considering tossing the spatula at her.
“Kidding!” Roxanne giggled, standing up and making her way to the teapot, “I’ll
make enough for the both of us.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Rose grinned, plating two more breakfasts. She
brought them to the counter, sitting down patiently for the tea.
“Are we waiting on someone?” Roxanne asked. She leaned against the counter,
listening for the water to heat up.
“No, these are both for me,” Rose pulled the plates in front of her, grinning
wickedly.
A crack sounded outside of the apartment and Alice entered, ruining Rose’s
joke.
“You should have told me to make enough for three!” Roxanne teased, waving a
greeting to Alice.
“You always make enough tea for twelve, I think we’re fine,” Rose rolled her
eyes. She didn’t need to let Alice know that her food was ready. Her friend
gravitated to the counter all on her own, taking a seat and digging in.
“Slow down! You have to tell us about your date!” Rose flapped her arms
frantically, and Alice groaned.
“I was really hoping to push that off a little longer,” she admitted.
“Well you can,” Rose was bouncing in her chair, “Because I’ve been nominated
for a Slughorn award!”
“No way Rose, congratulations!” Alice screamed, leaning from her stool
precariously and wrapping her in a big hug. They laughed together for a moment,
appreciating all they’d been through.
“See Roxanne, that’s the proper response to news like this,” Rose teased,
turning to her roommate. Roxanne stuck her tongue out. She then poured the tea
with lots of sugar.
“That’s what dinner is about then?” Alice questioned. She turned immediately to
her food, not waiting for an answer.
“Yes! I can’t wait to tell everyone, they’ll be so excited,” Rose accepted her
tea from Roxanne with a large grin that couldn’t be wiped off her face for
anything in the world, “Now that that’s out of the way, you have to tell me
about your date!”
“Wait, there was a date?” Roxanne handed Alice her tea.
Alice took a sip and flinched at the heat, “With Albus. It was nice. I had
fun.” her reassuring tone did nothing for Rose’s curiosity.
“Come on, I need details! Start from the beginning,” Rose finally got started
on her food, “Where did he take you?”
“We went to this cute little hole-in-the-wall italian place. It was really
good,” she finished her bacon, grabbing a slice of toast to dip in her eggs,
“he was really awkward, and it was adorable.” Alice grinned to herself. She
went back to work on her food.
“He’s never had a girlfriend before, right?” Alice asked between bites.
Rose surfaced from her breakfast, finishing with a pat on her tummy, “No, he
was with that one girl for like a year. I don’t remember seeing much of her
though. She was his only one I think. Oh! Remember when he turned down Carmela
Zabini in sixth year?” Rose laughed.
“How could I forget? She hexed him in the great hall!” Roxanne exclaimed,
waving a sausage in exclamation.
“Then she told everyone that it was because he was gay. Because god forbid a
man isn’t ready to die for the girl,” Rose’s nose crinkled at the memory. The
three laughed for a moment, wrapped up in Hogwarts memories.
“He’s not, is he?” Alice finally asked.
“He’s not what?” Rose questioned, confused.
“Gay? Albus? Of course not!” Roxanne scoffed, bringing her plate and Rose’s to
the sink.
“Why not?” Alice wondered aloud, “Have you hooked up with him?”
“God no,” Roxanne spun quickly, stomping that one out before it started, “I
just know the guy. Most manly man I know, that one.”
“Well, being manly doesn’t mean you’re not gay,” Rose laughed, “You’re straight
and you’re not exactly the most feminine woman out there.”
The three pondered for a moment in the awkward silence.
“Not that it matters much if he is,” Rose finally said, “But what would that
mean for Alice’s date?”
“Oh, we’re not going out again,” Alice replied. As soon as she set her fork
down, Roxanne swept her plate away from her, “He was really sweet, but he’s
still Albus from Hogwarts to me.”
“Well that solves that!” Roxanne wiped her hands together as if she were done
with the whole thing, “Let’s go buy dresses for that thing on thursday!”
 
                                       …
 
Rose didn’t always like shopping. In fact, there was once a time that she hated
anything other than pants. It was Roxanne, actually, that got her into the
whole thing. Roxanne prided herself on being able to drop her tomboy everyday
look and put on a gown for the formal functions that any Weasley or Potter had
to attend. Rose had always admired the way she was like one of the muggle fairy
tales her mother had always told her of: she could wish away her life for a
night and be a stunning young girl in a ballgown, stealing the hearts of anyone
around her. It was a fundraiser in sixth year that Rose finally asked if she
could join Roxanne and her mother shopping, and her life was forever changed.
Today, Rose found herself in a new muggle designer shop in London. She couldn’t
pronounce the name, but it wasn’t even witch-friendly. They had to exchange
currency at Gringotts before they even stepped in. But as Rose took in the
glory of this beautiful venue, she had no regrets for the extra few steps.
A sales associate assisted them to pick out several gowns for the occasion. “An
academic award ceremony,” they had dubbed it. Roxanne looked beautiful in the
first long, black gown she tried on. It had a cutout that her dark skin poked
through beautifully, the slight shimmer in the material only complimenting her
natural glow. She really should have been a model.
After several dresses, Alice picked an off the shoulder chiffon dress in dark
blue that complemented her thin frame beautifully.
Rose felt frumpy in everything she tried on. Her curves seemed to sit in all
the wrong places, and she just ended up feeling fat after the 10th dress.
“Let me in!” Roxanne demanded, pushing through the curtain without waiting for
a response. Rose was in nothing but her undies, which had little broomsticks
all over them.
“Cute,” Roxanne snorted, handing Rose a pile of sparkle on a hanger, “Try this
one on.”
Rose threw the hangar on a chair and stepped into the gown, pulling it up,
“It’s not gonna fit,” she told Roxanne knowingly.
“Shut up and suck it in,” Roxanne demanded, pulling the zipper up. With only a
little bit of effort, the dress was on, and it fit like a glove. Looking into
the mirror, Rose didn’t recognize her own body. The top was coated in gold
glitter which cascaded down to a black bottom. It hugged her tight in places
that it shouldn’t, but they were smoothed over by the beautiful material of the
dress.
“You’re a bloody genius,” Rose admitted, spinning around. And her ass looked
perfect. Score!
“What the hell is that,” Roxanne licked her finger, running it roughly against
Rose’s chest.
“Woah, gross Roxanne!” Rose shoved her hands away, making squeamish noises.
“Rose Weasley, do you have a hickey?” Roxanne’s voice started to raise. Rose
let go of her arms in favor for covering Roxanne’s mouth with a loud shush. Her
eyes widened behind Rose’s hands, and Rose felt a little dizzy. She pulled her
hands away slowly,, warning Roxanne with a look.
“Rose, you tell me right now if you’re getting laid, or so help me,”
“Fine! Yes. I’m sleeping with someone,” Rose sat down in the gown, suddenly
feeling very restricted. Was that the material or her stomach? She couldn’t
tell.
“Sleeping with?! What does that even mean?” Roxanne crossed her arms.
“You bloody well know what that means Roxanne, you do it all the time.”
“Yeah, but I  do that all the time . Who even are you?” She laughed, teasing.
“It’s Scorpius, we can’t exactly have a relationship now can we?”
Roxanne leaned against the wall, “Holy shit Rose, what are you doing?”
Rose grinned back at her, “Having a hell of a time.”
“Well I’d hope so. Your dad would kill you for sleeping with a Malfoy.”
Rose stood quickly, taking a step forward and poking her in the chest,
“Roxanne, my dad will  never  know that I so much as looked at Malfoy, do you
understand?”
Roxanne put her hands up in a show of mercy, “Rose, your dad would kill me for
being the one to tell him. Now can we show Alice the dress and try not to let
the world know about this fiasco before your dad  senses  that his daughter is
shagging out of wedlock?”
It was with a groan of defeat that Rose followed Roxanne to the main room,
showing off the dress to the associates and Alice. All were very proud, and the
girls checked out under budget. Apparently. Rose didn’t use muggle money often,
she honestly had no idea.
 
                                      …
 
The dresses were put away, Rose was redone up, and she had on a form-fitting
dress before she flooed to Alice’s to collect the girl. Alice’s flat was stark
white, a small space with a dining room table in the entryway and a large
bookshelf in the corner.
“Almost ready?” Rose called into the space, taking a seat at the table.
“Yeah, just a minute!” Alice called back.
With the lack of decoration, Rose’s attention was pulled to the bookshelf.
Alice had eclectic tastes it seemed. There was everything from old textbooks to
fantasy novels. One runic text in particular caught her eye, and Rose stood,
making her way to the shelf.
Alice never took ancient runes,  Rose noted to herself, running a finger down
the spine. Understandably, it was flanked by an introductory book to runes.
Rose opened to a random page. It seemed to be outlining details of runic
rituals. Rose had never gotten into that kind of magic, as it was reserved for
historians observing old magic. She’d been obsessed with new magic in school,
but as her studies continued past Hogwarts, she found value in old practices.
Rose wondered briefly how Alice came across a ritual book.
She heard footsteps from down the hall, and fumbled quickly to put the book
where she had found it. She shouldn’t be going through her friend’s things,
regardless of how fascinating they might be. She took a large step away from
the shelf and fiddled with her hands idly as if she’d been standing there
waiting.
“Alright, off we go,” Alice walked past Rose, opening the small container she
used for floo powder.
 
The two stepped into a busy Three Broomsticks, brushing themselves off.
“Oh shit, it’s Hogsmeade weekend at Hogwarts,” Rose ducked around the edge of
the room, looking for her team. She felt a tap on the shoulder and turned to
see the ginger mop of A very familiar Weasley.
“Hey sis!” Hugo grinned.
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Note: I apologize, this is the shortest chapter since my
     first one. I hope that this throws a tinytiny bit of the friend
     dynamic in there, and I can't WAIT for family interactions next
     chapter. That's part of the reason I love nextgen so much, is all the
     cousins. These next few chapters might feel a bit slow as I build to
     the first major conflict, so I'm trying to spice them up as much as
     possible. Having my friend over Sunday for some wine and second
     opinions, so I hope that helps! Can't wait for the awards ceremony!
     As always I LOVE your reviews! I read all of them and truly take the
     feedback to heart, so the constructive but not rude is perfect. The
     short encouragements are adored as well. THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU FOR
     READING!
***** Games & Trust *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push_&_Pull
                                   Chapter 8
                                 Games & Trust
 
“Rose!” Hugo grins, tipping his butterbeer to her, “It has been way too long.”
“You’re a seventh year you twit, you’ll see me every month for the rest of your
life,” Rose rolled her eyes, “Where’s Lily and Lucy?”
“Oh you know, NEWTs coming up in a week or two, they’re studying their arses
off,” he shrugged, sipping his cup. When his face reappeared, he had a mustache
of white whipped cream. Rose didn’t bother to let him know.
“And why aren’t you studying? Don’t you need it more than they do?” Rose raised
an eyebrow, crossing her arms.
“Oh, ha ha, very funny,” Hugo drawled sarcastically, “Actually I’m going to
work with dad and George at the shop, so to hell with the NEWTs. They’re
looking to finally buy Zonko’s here in Hogsmeade and turn it into another
branch, and I  really  want to manage it.”
“Don’t get enough of a fix torturing your classmates as it is?” Rose accused,
“They’d be glad to be rid of you, I’m sure.”
“Hey, Headmaster Mcgonagall is gonna miss my face popping up,” Hugo grinned,
“Anyways at least I’m doing something. Lily still hasn’t decided what she wants
to do with her life.”
“That’s okay,” Rose tried to defend her cousin, “She’s really young, doesn’t
need to know right away.”
“Yeah, but even Loony Lucy has something lined up,” Hugo said, suddenly
serious, “What with that ministry internship and all, she needs those high
NEWTs. Why doesn’t Lily just go into the joke shop or government like everyone
else?”
“Shut up, I didn’t do any of that,” Rose reminded him with a smirk.
“Why are you here tonight anyways? Not to catch up with me, I’m sure,” Hugo
snorted, sipping on his drink some more.
“Hey, I like you, don’t forget that,” Rose reached up to try to tousle his red
hair, but was too short and ended up flicking his bangs. Why was everyone in
her family ten feet tall?
“But no, we’re out celebrating. I got nominated for a big award in
potioneering, and I’m about to announce it to the people who helped with the
work,” Rose smiled. She really couldn’t wait to tell them.
“Congratulations Rosie,” Hugo tousled her hair successfully, and Rose shouted
in protest, “They’re gonna be so proud.”
“Yeah, I should go back to save Alice from our co-workers,” Rose admitted with
a wince.
“How is Alice?” Hugo asked, “I haven’t talked to her since the funeral over
winter break.”
“She’s getting by,” Rose responded quickly, “She’s thrown herself into work,
but her dad just sold the business to the Malfoys.”
“Ouch,” Hugo grimaced, “Maybe it reminds him of her or something. I mean when
Uncle Fred died, George would have given up the shop if not for dad’s help.
Mom’s told us that a thousand times. Losing someone that close to you…”
“Yeah, I can’t imagine losing our mum,” Rose looked across the room, locking
gazes with Alice. Her friend smiled back, beckoning her over.
“Anyways, enough of this sour talk. Good luck on your NEWTs, I’ll see you for
graduation,” Rose hugged her brother, departing to meet her growing group.
“What if I don’t want to go?” he called after her.
“Everyone will kill you if you don’t,” Rose responded with a grin.
“Fair enough,” Hugo muttered to himself on her departure.
 
“So as much as I love you all, I didn’t gather you tonight because I was lonely
on a Saturday night,” Rose announced. She stood with her back facing the pub,
surrounded by every person in her lab except for Scorpius. Which was okay, she
didn’t expect him to come.  Inviting him was just a formality, really.  She
told herself.
“I received a letter yesterday announcing my nomination for a Slughorn award,
and inviting our lab to the ceremony on Thursday,” Rose raised a glass to her
table, “We did it guys!”
The table erupted with cheers of excitement. Alice was just as glowing as she
had been the day before when Rose had told her. Sam was over the moon, babbling
loudly with Alice about how excited he was for the ceremony. Millie grabbed her
forehead, leaning back in her chair. She looked faint, but recovered quickly,
clapping and beaming at Rose. Arthur was wringing his hands nervously,
muttering about public appearances. Auggie was stoic, but a small smile crept
onto his face.
“I think we need shots,” Rose waved down a bartender.
It took some convincing, but the team finally agreed to a celebratory shot
along with their drinks. When the drinks started to kick in, Rose noticed that
Millie was adorable when she was tipsy.
“You know, after Colby was born, my life was never the same,” she hiccuped,
“That kid is just weird! Knew he was a wizard the second he was born, because
he turned my hair pink. Took weeks to turn it back! You should see the
pictures.”
Arthur wasn’t much better. “Being muggle-born is no picnic, let me tell you.
When I was finally legal and could get the house clean in ten minutes, my mum
cursed me out the window she did. ‘Why the hell did you never do that before,
do you know how much shit I could have gotten done?!’, and so I said ‘because
it was  fucking illegal  mum,’ bloody hell.”
Millie decided to leave early on because her husband would be missing her, and
she didn’t want to run into the boys. Auggie left too, citing that he preferred
the comfort of a fire and some scotch. They thanked Rose for the drinks, and
disappeared into the crowd.
“You look like you’re empty,” a familiar voice sounded behind Rose. A hand
appeared to her left, holding a mug of butterbeer. She took it and looked
behind her to see Scorpius holding a tray of them, “hope you don’t mind that I
bought a celebratory round.”
Rose’s grin broadened, welcoming him to the table.
“Have you heard the good news?!” Sam spoke a little too loudly for those who
sat directly in front of him, “We’re going to the big party on Thursday! Suits
and all!” Sam cheered. He downed the rest of his mug quickly, grabbing a
second.
“I have, I ran into Millie on the way out,” Scorpius was grinning at Rose. He
leaned forward, his scruff brushing against her cheek, “Congratulations, Rose,”
she could hear the smile in his voice. He pulled back, taking in the table, “To
a young, brilliant team, and an exciting year,” he cheered, clinking glasses
with the table.
They drank late into the night, telling odd stories about strange families and
Hogwarts mishaps.
“Well, okay, it’s a great story really,” Sam giggled, “You know how they
brought back the Yule ball for Hogwarts students every fall to extend
tradition, and you can ask someone with a wreath,” the table nodded, thinking
of their own celebrations, “I was actually handed two wreaths at once; one from
a girl in my Herbology class, and one from the Hufflepuff Quidditch captain. I
wanted to be popular so badly that I said yes to the Quidditch captain, even
though he was two years older than me. I didn’t really know him, but every time
I saw him in the hallway until the ball, I blushed like mad and you know,
butterflies, blahblahblah. He brought me to the ball and danced with me all
night, never suggesting anything more. So I kissed him on the dance floor and
was like ‘wow, okay. So this is what a kiss is supposed to feel like,’ and I’ve
never turned back.”
Rose couldn’t help but glance over at Scorpius, but when she did, she noticed
that he was already staring at her. The corner of his mouth turned up in a
smile that matched his eyes, and Rose’s heart stopped.
“I’m a virgin,” Arthur blurted, giggling to himself.
“Okay, time to get you home,” Rose laughed, standing up.
“I’ve got it,” Alice linked an arm with him, “He lives right down the road from
me.”
“I’ll back you up,” Sam grabbed Arthur’s other arm.
“You sure you have him?” Scorpius asked, humor wrapped up into a sly grin.
“Yeah, get home safe!” Sam said, leading Arthur to the fireplace.
Rose and Scorpius laughed for a moment, looking over the empty table.
“Would you like to join me for another drink?” Scorpius asked, face lighting up
hopefully.
“Sure, firewhiskey okay?” Rose stood, motioning to the bar.
“Yes, but I have plenty in my hotel room,” Scorpius grabbed her hand, grinning
mischievously.
“We have spent quite a lot tonight,” Rose responded, following him to the
fireplace.
They flooed to his hotel, giggling about their coworkers.
“Oh, you should have heard Alice after her date yesterday,” Rose laughed,
stepping into the elevator. The hotel was beautiful, ornate and large. She
tried to act unimpressed.
“Didn’t she go out with Albus?” Scorpius asked, pushing the top button.
“Oh, penthouse. Impressive,” Rose raised an eyebrow at Scorpius.
“Why have thousands of galleons if you’re not going to spend them,” Scorpius
shrugged. Rose’s parents were well off, but they lived inside their means, only
spending frivolously on the occasional vacation, or when donating to charities.
She’d never experienced this kind of luxury before.
So when they stepped into a beautiful hotel room five times larger than her
flat, Rose was a little taken back. She walked through the entryway to a large
rounded couch in the center of what stood as the livingroom. Behind it, there
were large glass pannels that served doubly as windows and the wall to the
apartment. There was a gorgeous view of london in the background. On her right,
there appeared to be a small library and door to a bathroom slightly ajar. To
the left, the room opened up to a full kitchen with a bar in the center.
Scorpius walked there now, pulling out two glasses and pouring firewhiskey.
“So how did the date go?” Scorpius brought the whiskey to the sitting area,
waiting for Rose to join him. She did, taking her heels off and curling up on
the couch before taking the glass.
“Not so well I think,” Rose responded, sipping on the glass, “You and Albus are
still close, aren’t you?” she asked, honestly unsure.
“We are,” he responded.
“Then don’t you already know how the date went?” Rose smiled, enjoying the
expression change in his features.
“Touche,” he raised his glass, taking a sip, “I was just wondering how things
went on her side.”
“Well she implied that he was gay,” Rose winced, “Just before she asked if
Roxanne slept with him.”
“That’s disgusting,” Scorpius gaped, “Well, the incest, not the sexuality.
Clearly.” he leaned back, considering.
“I’m sure she was just hurt that things didn’t go well,” Rose continued, brow
knit in thought, “though Alice has never been one to lash out.”
“She’s been through a lot in the last year though, has she not?” Scorpius
asked, concern in his voice.
“Yeah, I guess she has,” Rose sipped on her whiskey some more.
“Let’s lighten up the mood a little,” Scorpius grinned, “how about a game?”
Rose smiled, her lips pressed against her glass, “I like games.”
“I realize that we have never been close, and we don’t know much about each
other,” Scorpius finished his glass, placing it on the table. Rose was
impressed, she still had a lot of liquid left, “But I like my games to be
interesting. How about strip twenty questions?”
Rose blushed at the thought, “I definitely don’t have twenty articles of
clothing on,” she laughed, “And I know for a fact that you have much more than
me.”
“Alright,” he grinned, “Count, how many do you have.”
Rose thought for a moment, “Five. Six if you decide to include my bracelet.
Seven if you count each thigh-high individually.”
“Very specific,” Scorpius chuckled to himself, “Well I have seven. Eight if you
include my watch. How about we stick with five?”
He kicked off his shoes, and took his watch off, “Bracelet off. For each
question that is asked, we have to take an article of clothing off the other
person,” he studied Rose, eyes blazing with the promise of what was to come,
“deal?”
“Deal,” Rose slipped her bracelet off, “But I’m not touching your socks.”
Scorpius looked at her curiously.
“I don’t know, I just really don’t like feet,” she shrugged.
“Okay, first question,” he takes his socks off with a grin, “Is there anything
else you don’t like?”
“What do you mean specifically? I don’t like shrimp,” Rose crinkled her nose.
“No, I mean like hard limits sexually,” Scorpius corrected. Rose smiled,
turning pink.
Rose giggled, “Oh whoops,” she watched as he placed his socks nicely over where
his shoes sat.
“I mean, I’m not really sure. I haven’t experimented as much as I want to. Like
I said, I don’t like feet,” she looked at him curiously, “What about you?”
“Is that a question?” he teased. Rose considered for a moment, “No, I’d rather
find out as we go along.”
She thought about her own five questions. Only five. What did she want to know
about Scorpius?
“Why did you go into your father’s business?” she asked, downing her drink. She
shrugged her jacket off onto the couch. Her short dress had thin straps, and
her freckled shoulders were exposed to the room. Scorpius reached for Rose,
cupping her face with one hand. She leaned into his touch.
He moved his fingers lightly down her neck, tracing them over her shoulder, “I
spent a year traveling after graduation, and he convinced me to help out until
I figure out what I want to do with my life,” Scorpius shrugged, “He didn’t
force me, and doesn’t intend for me to take over the company.  He only offered
me the job so that I could have a stable income and we could spend more time
together. I think he really missed having me around.” Scorpius raised his
eyebrows, likely saying that out loud for the first time. “I made it clear that
I’m not a businessman.”
“You could have fooled me,” Rose raised an eyebrow. She reached forwards,
pushing the robe off of Scorpius’s shoulders.
“What was it like growing up with your family?” Scorpius brought his hands to
her wrists.
“So much family,” Rose giggled, letting Scorpius take her hands. He played with
her fingers as she spoke, “I have about a thousand cousins, each one stranger
than the last. You’ve met most of them from when you used to come to the summer
ones. We had get togethers every week growing up, but now it’s about every
month.”
“Yeah, I’ve met your crazy family,” Scorpius laughed, “but I only really know
it from Albus’s side. What are your parents like?”
“Oh sure,” Rose stared at their intertwined hands, “Dad’s a bit of a jokester.
He likes to make fun of us all the time, and working at the joke shop hasn’t
helped,” Rose grinned, “Mom was always really busy with the Ministry, but it
was important to her that we all had family dinner every night. So when I was
very young, I spent a lot of time at the shop with Uncle George and Ron.
Roxanne went to daycare, so I didn’t see much of her growing up. We didn’t
become good friends until we started Quidditch.”
“I’m surprised that you didn’t become a class clown like your brother,”
Scorpius noted. He let go of her hands and pulled a leg from under her, earning
a squeal of surprise. He placed her leg on his lap, reaching up under her skirt
to slip his fingers under the tight. He did so delicately, sliding the silky
material down her leg.
“I got sick of it pretty quickly,” Rose grinned, relishing in the sensation of
his fingers on her inner thigh, “I spent too much time with the Potion intern.”
“Why am I not surprised,” Scorpius muttered, discarding the first tight and
reaching up for the second. This time, the back of his hand brushed against her
panties, and she felt her stomach turn with delight. He pulled the second tight
down even slower, this time deliberately digging his fingers into her skin.
Rose licked her lips, hoping for a second that they would skip the game and he
would just touch her. But she was very still as he pulled it off.
“Good,” he smiled up at her, “Very good.”
“So how about a Malfoy?” she sat forward, putting her hands on his chest. She
let her fingers trail down to his belt, “What was it like growing up?”
She used the opportunity to stare at his pants before she moved her fingers,
sure of her movements before she made them.
“I’m an only child of parents who loved each other dearly. I had a wonderful
childhood,” Scorpius leaned back, watching Rose’s movements, “Our house was
always big and creepy, but my father has this obsession with improving on the
past. He says that we can’t pretend that the past never happened, can’t forget
it. We can only move forward and try to make up for it.”
Rose unzipped Scorpius’s pants, tugging on them, so that he understood to pull
them down. Scorpius shifted, lifting his bum and pulling them to his knees
where he could kick them off.
“Do you agree with him?” she asked. Scorpius stared at her curiously as if he
were recalling an old memory.
“I do,” he said at last, “My father is a great man who has been kind to
everyone. He loves me dearly, especially since mother passed, and wants every
success for me. I only hope that I can do them proud.”
Rose’s heart ached thinking of Scorpius’s unconditional love for his family.
She tended to take her family for granted. She had so many of them who loved
her that she didn’t have to consider it. She had only lost her grandfather
Arthur, and that was as a very young child. She couldn’t imagine not having her
choice of cousins to lean on in such a loss.
She couldn’t think of anything to say, so she leaned forward and pressed her
lips softly against his. The kiss was tender, a reassurance. It was filled with
her feeling of inadequacy, making up for what she couldn’t express.
“Thank you,” he responded, cupping her face, “I think we need more whiskey,” he
said at last.
“I agree,” Rose laughed, standing up and sobering quickly. The moment was very
romantic, and she felt awkward about it. She watched him cross the room in only
his button up and underpants. His butt looked fantastic in the form-fitting
boxers. Okay, so he was really sweet. Rose felt the beginnings of something
dangerous, and folded it up, shoving it into a little box in the corner of her
mind.
Scorpius returned with her filled glass, and she took it with a thank you. They
sipped and considered their next questions carefully. Scorpius turned to look
at Rose, and she faced him, catching his gaze and smiling. He smiled back.
“Do you trust all of your coworkers?” Scorpius asked suddenly.
Rose was very confused, “Is that a question?” she asked. In response, he leaned
over and set his glass down on the table. He slid his large hands up her outer
thighs, pulling the fabric of her dress up and over her breasts. Rose raised
her arms and tilted her head back, allowing him to pull the fabric over her
head. Her curls settled on her shoulders once more, and Scorpius discarded the
dress, dragging a hand down Rose’s front.
“I do trust my coworkers,” she said at last, standing very still as Scorpius
slid his arm around her waist, “I handpicked my staff, taking on each one
because of their skills.”
“They are truly skilled,” Scorpius agreed quietly, “But do you think any of
them would do something malicious. Like for example, leak your research to
another company?” His voice was pure honey, but his words cut at her. She
considered for a moment. Would anyone do anything so awful?
“No,” Rose responded, “My staff loves working in our lab. We pay very well, and
allow for freedom of research. If they were unhappy, they’d say so.”
“Good,” Scorpius said at last, pulling his hand back with a smile. That wasn’t
a great question. Rose wondered why he would ask. Was he trying to do his job?
Evaluating potential losses, potential cuts? They were together to spend time
with each other, what was his problem? Well two could play at that game.
“Okay,” Rose started to unbutton Scorpius’s shirt, “Have you and Albus ever
hooked up?” Scorpius tensed beneath her fingers, but Rose didn’t stop
unbuttoning his shirt. She kept her eyes focused on her fingers, waiting
patiently for his response.
“I’m not sure that’s my secret to tell,” Scorpius responded quietly. Rose
paused in her unbuttoning for a moment, but resumed quickly.
“Your relationships are your own,” Rose responded rather diplomatically, though
her intentions were entirely selfish.
“No,” he responded quickly, “We have never hooked up, though we did fool around
once in sixth year.”
Rose was extremely surprised by this, “Oh,” was all she could say.
“Yeah,” he shrugged, “It was awkward, and I regretted it, but it helped him
figure some things out.”
“What about you?” Rose asked, slipping the button up off of Scorpius’s
shoulders. She placed it nicely on the table.
“I was never attracted to him, but it wasn’t a bad experience,” Scorpius
shrugged. Rose nodded.
“My turn,” Scorpius stepped forward, running his fingers along the fabric of
her bra. He spun her around and unclipped her bra. Rose let the straps fall off
her shoulders, and Scorpius pushed them the rest of the way down. His fingers
slid up her torso, “Do you trust me?” he murmured into her neck, and his hands
cupped her breasts carefully.
“Yes,” Rose sighed as his fingers brushed against her nipples.
“No,” Scorpius told her, “I need you to really consider. Do you trust me?” He
pulled his hands back, resting them lightly on her hips. He held his lips just
against her neck, breathing over her skin, but not distracting her. Rose
thought carefully. Did she trust him? What did he mean by that? Instead of
asking, Rose considered the worst situation she could think of. Forget life or
death, Scorpius was a good man. Death happened in an instant. Worse than death
was the thought of losing herself in another person. Could she ever trust
Scorpius with her heart? Was it him that she didn’t trust, or herself?
“I… I think so,” she admitted.
“I’ll have to work on that then,” Scorpius reasoned.
Rose wasn’t sure how she felt about these developments. She had no idea if he
meant what she was perceiving, and no way to find out before considering her
thoughts. She did, however, have one question nagging from that little box in
the back of her mind. Scorpius sucked at her neck, grazing his teeth along her
pulse point. Rose moaned, and the little box flew open.
“Would we have been together?” she asked, her voice light and breathy. He
pulled back, and Rose spun towards him quickly, immediately regretting her
words.
“What?” Scorpius asked, clearly thrown.
“Nevermind,” Rose blushed as red as her hair, but Scorpius snaked his arms
around her, pulling her close.
“No, that was a question,” he teased, “What did you mean?”
“In Hogwarts,” Rose clarified, “If we had just told each other that it meant
something, would we have been together?”
Scorpius looked at Rose carefully, considering for a long time once again that
night. Rose could have passed out if her breath was held that whole time.
“I’m not sure,” he interrupted her internal moping, “We weren’t really friends.
NEWTs were coming up,” he watched her reaction carefully, “I really don’t
know.”
“Do you regret it?” she asked quietly.
“Is that another question?” was his response. Rose smiled, reaching down to
pull Scorpius’s tee off. Boy, did she appreciate his figure. Scorpius certainly
did not look like an office man. Once it was discarded, Rose hooked her thumbs
in his boxers, sliding them down quickly. His large dick was hard and ready,
and Rose couldn’t help but be proud of herself. She had barely touched him.
Just being naked with him made him like that.
“I don’t regret it at all,” he slid his fingers through her hair, pulling her
close to him. She was hyper aware of his hardness pressed against her thigh.
She moved against him, and he moved back, closing his eyes against the feeling.
“Your turn,” Rose breathed, running her hands down his arms. Scorpius moved his
hands down, pulling her panties off roughly. She kicked them off, and he
slipped his hand between her thighs, seperating her legs. He cupped her,
slipping two fingers in her wetness and spreading it over her clit.
“You’ll have to think about this one carefully,” Scorpius told Rose, completely
distracting her with his fingers slipping inside of her, “Have you thought
about me since that night?” her clenching around him was answer enough, but he
pushed on, “Rose, I’ve thought about having you again so often since the first
time. Did you ever think about me?”
“Yes,” she responded immediately, “Yes I did, I would touch myself and imagine
your hands on me,” he kissed her fiercely, leading her down to his couch. He
was on top of her quickly, repositioning her and leaning forward to suck on one
of her nipples, “Scorpius, I would cum imagining you pushing your huge cock
into me,” she said, full of courage now. Scorpius moaned against her breasts,
pulling himself to her face and trapping her lips with his.
“I need it,” she gasped into his mouth, “I need you inside of me right now,”
and without any delay, he lined himself up and pushed into Rose. She cried out
with pleasure, kissing him once again. She was so turned on that she felt the
build quickly from Scorpius’s punishing pace. She came with short moans of
relief, feeling her body at home again.
Chapter End Notes
     Author's note: Howdy y'all! To thank you for your wait, this was a
     double chapter, though I'm sure you noticed. I had a few things that
     I wanted to get into this one, especially with all the requests for
     more dynamics between characters! I hope that you are discovering a
     little more about the characters, and that you like where this is
     headed! As always, let me know what you think, I can't wait to read
     your reviews!
***** The Potters *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push & Pull
                                   Chapter 9
                                  The Potters
 
Rose had to pry herself reluctantly out of Scorpius’s arms on the couch.
“I’m not kicking you out,” Scorpius murmured against her skin, “You’re more
than welcome to stay the night.” Rose’s body was betraying her, raising
goosebumps where his breath touched. But she didn’t want to stay the night. It
came with unfamiliar territory, and a level of closeness that didn’t sit right
with her.
“I appreciate it, but I really like the idea of sleeping in my own bed,” Rose
responded, turning to kiss the side of his head. She recovered her discarded
clothes, recalling how they ended up where they did.
Do you trust me?
Rose shook the discomfort building in her spine and dressed quickly.
“I’ll walk you out,”
“Don’t you dare,” she responded, “I need the air to clear my mind before bed.”
Rose grinned, picking up a shoe. Across the couch, Scorpius picked up a dark
purple thong, holding it up to admire.
“I’m gonna need that,” Rose told him, reaching a hand out.
Scorpius looked back to her, smirking, “What if I don’t give it back?” he
asked, voice gravelly with the implication.
Rose stood from the couch, scowling, “Then I’d be arse-naked in the hotel
lobby.”
“A good sight, I’m sure,” he balled them up in his fist, and Rose felt like a
drop of cold water was making its way down her back, “I think you should ask
for these back on Monday.”
Rose’s mouth went dry, thinking of all the ways she could convince him to give
them back. But she’d play his game.
“I suppose that means I shouldn’t be wearing any when I see you next... so that
I have a reason to ask for them,” Rose grinned.
“You’re dirty,” Scorpius closed the space between them, slipping one hand into
her hair and pulling her head back. He claimed her mouth roughly, and she
melted against him. Just as soon as it had started however, he was pulling
away. When their eyes met again, Rose felt a need stir in her gut once more,
reflected in his eyes.
“Be safe,” he grinned, releasing her.
“Okay,” was her only response, as her mind had become terribly fuzzy. Rose
stumbled a little as she approached the elevator, hyper aware of the feeling of
her bare ass on the fabric of her dress. She turned back towards him, and as
the elevators closed, Rose held Scorpius’s gaze. And there was something there
that she hadn’t noticed before. The twitch of his jaw, or the crease in his
forehead. While they watched the other leave, Rose couldn’t help but feel like
there was something she should be worried about.
After the doors closed, she shook her head, reassuring herself.
On the walk and floo to the apartment, she tried to distract herself from the
odd feeling with the wetness between her thighs, but Rose didn’t feel at ease
until she drifted off to a dreamless sleep.
 
                                      ...
                                        
Rose awoke to a heavy weight on her and a ringing in her ears.
The ringing formed into words, “GET UP!” Rose blinked the sleep out of her eyes
to see a fully dressed Roxanne on top of her bed.
“What the hell?” Rose tried to pull the covers over her face, but Roxanne
pulled them back down.
“It’s burrow day! Gotta go see family for dinner, get dressed dummy!” Roxanne
tapped both of Rose’s cheeks. Rose flinched away, and Roxanne finally released
her.
“Shit,” Rose had forgotten that it was the last Sunday of the month. Like she
had told Scorpius, growing up they had regular dinners at her grandmother’s
house with the whole family. It had been great to know her cousins so closely,
but it was also a little competitive. Rose and Roxanne liked to go looking
nice, and having things to brag about.
This day was unlike any of the past ones. She was up early showering, picking
out a modest but flattering outfit and doing her face with the perfect light
pinks that her mother always complimented.
The two arrived with the usual box of butterbeer, as nanna Molly never had
alcohol in the house. The door flung open to reveal a house full of Weasleys
and Potters.
“Rose!” Hermione appeared, flicking her wand and levitating Rose’s crate out of
her hands. She pulled Rose for a tight hug, “Great to see you as always. Oh no
Molly, let me get that for you!” and her mum was off again, trying her best to
prevent nanna from cooking everything herself.
“Oh, I’ve got it dear, really,” Nanna Molly insisted, trying to pull a large
turkey out of the oven. Hermione flicked her wand, levitating the tray anyways
and rolling her eyes so Rose would see.
“Take this,” Roxanne held a butterbeer out for Rose, and the two went further
into the burrow.
They were greeted by the usual Sunday dinner sight, minus the Hogwarts kids, so
everyone held a drink. Rose noticed her favourite aunt Ginny in the corner and
went to chat, but was interrupted by her father.
“Rosie!” he loudly announced his presence, throwing an arm over her shoulder,
“Is your fancy job too important to visit your old pops?” Rose rolled her eyes,
the spitting image of her mother, half-hugging him back.
“Nice to see you too dad,” she kissed him on the cheek, prickled by his light
scruff.
“Have you seen your brother? He’s been avoiding me just as much,” Ron Weasley
pouted.
“Yeah actually, ran into him at the pub last night. I hear he’s joining the
family business?” Rose raised an eyebrow, taking a sip of her butterbeer.
“Oh, I’m actually very proud of that one,” Ron beamed at her, “What else can I
do with a young boy who has no idea what to do with his life?”
“Touche,” Rose giggled.
“Plus I’ve gotta keep him in sight so he doesn’t get into more trouble,” Ron’s
face was suddenly more serious. Rose laughed again, and luckily they were
interrupted by Fred.
“Little Fred! How is your apprenticeship going? Ollivander treating you well?”
Ron slapped a hand on Fred’s back, and Rose took the opportunity to escape.
She walked by Roxanne who was deep in conversation with her own mother and
James.
“You need to look at other teams though, the pay on the Cannons is shit,” Aunt
Angelina told the kids.
“Loyalty!” James scoffed, “The Cannons took my arrogant, immature,
inexperienced arse and turned it into an arrogant arse who can throw a damn
quaffle!”
“Plus he’s in line for captain, there’s no way he should throw that away,”
Roxanne backed him up, crossing her arms. Her determined look matched her
mother’s.
Rose looked out over the room, hoping for an excuse to escape the quidditch
talk: she got enough of it at home. Her uncle Harry passed her with a squeeze
on the shoulder, and Rose followed him to greet her Aunt Ginny.
“Jesus Rose, are you still on your first butterbeer?” Her uncle Harry grinned
at her.
“Come on, my liver isn’t as strong as yours,” Rose laughed, “Speaking of strong
livers, where’s my cousin? Are you keeping him hostage on rounds?”
Harry laughed, “He’ll be here soon, his shift ended about an hour ago.”
“Harry, did you hear Teddy finally set a date?” Ginny reached for Harry’s hand,
yanking him down on the couch with her.
“Yes, a fall wedding, right? We’d better give James some money for new dress
robes. We can’t let him go in whatever the hell he wore last time.”
“Please. I’ll rip his head off. Oh and did you hear about Molly’s first few
weeks out of the Healer program?” Ginny inquired, taking a deep sip of some
purple bubbling liquid.
“Of course, did you hear Rose?” Harry turned to her with his lopsided grin,
“She tried to diagnose some poor man with the black plague - the actual plague
- but it was just one of your uncles puking pastilles,” Harry grabbed his
wife’s arm, and the two giggled maniacally, holding each other for support.
Rose shook her head, a large grin spread over her face. She loved spending time
with  her Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry more than anyone. They spent every family
function giggling drunk in a corner, and she aspired to that niche at the
family gatherings.
There was an unusual pause in conversation, and Rose heard the opening of a
door. She was in the middle of a large sip of butterbeer as Harry looked to see
who it was. A grin spread on his face, “Scorpius! It’s been a while.”
Rose turned to see that yes, Scorpius was walking into her family gathering
with Albus, just like he had done so many times before. Except that since they
graduated, he hadn’t been back. So why the hell was he at their gathering now,
three years later? Right when they started hooking up again? She spun back
towards Ginny, who was now alone since Harry left them. Ginny raised an eyebrow
as Rose downed the rest of her butterbeer quickly. This was gonna be a long
day.
 
                                       …
 
“It’s going great,” Albus responded to Molly’s inquiries about the Auror
program, reaching for more potatoes, “I’m just working on my final field work
assignment, and then I’ll finally be a full Auror!” Albus glanced at Harry, who
shrugged knowingly.
“So will you graduate with your sister?” Molly kept on, trying to keep up with
her plethora of grandchildren.
“Well, it doesn’t quite work like that,” Albus corrected, “I’ll graduate when
this assignment wraps up.”
“And how about you Rosie? How’s that potions job going?” Molly turned to Rose,
who grimaced.
“It’s been a little stressful. Our company has been bought out, and so I’ve
been trying to prove how useful my lab is so that we can continue our
research,” Rose kept a and on her butterbeer, debating downing another one in
front of her grandmother. It wasn’t very becoming, and her face was already
warm, but she could save good decisions for another day.
“Oh, I haven’t heard an announcement or anything,” Rose’s mum perked up
suddenly, “Did Neville say anything to you?” she turned to Uncle Harry who
shook his head in response.
“Well, Rose won’t have trouble keeping a job,” Scorpius interrupted. Rose
snapped to attention.  What the hell is he doing?  She snapped, biting her lip
to keep any retort to herself, “She was just nominated for a Slughorn Award!”
He grinned at her. The table erupted in congratulations, clearly proud of her
accomplishments. They always knew Rose would do great things, and now it seemed
she was quickly accomplishing them.
Rose accepted the compliments with a plastered smile, and as soon as Molly
moved on to the next grandchild’s update, she sighed. Rose had planned on only
telling her parents unntil after the awards ceremony. Of course her parents
would be invited whether she went or not, hey had apparently known Slughorn
very well and were guests of honor at this ceremony, but now Harry and Ginny
would be going to and supporting her. She would never admit it, but for this,
she didn’t want to be a child of the Golden Trio. She wanted to be Rose, the
incredible, intelligent young witch, helping people with her innovations. Not
Hermione’s bright daughter.
With a glance to Scorpius, she considered his motives. Why did he announce her
accomplishment? It was strange.
Her brooding was interrupted by a flicker of white at the window. A ghostly
figure was pushing its way through the kitchen and made its way to the table.
Rose didn’t recognize the four-pawed animal, but she could tell it was a
patronus. It opened its muzzle to speak.
“Harry, Minister Weasley, there has been a break in at the ministry,” it
shouted and dissipated on the spot. The movement was immediate, almost everyone
stood, moving to an open space to prevent splinching.
“Everyone stay here,” Harry warned, “We don’t know the damage, I’ll send an owl
when I know everything is safe,” he nodded to Hermione. She latched onto his
arm, and they apparated together with a loud pop.
 
It was soon after that a snowy white owl tapped on the window, bringing good
news. It was a minor trespass, and all was well, but they would be staying late
at the offices.
Rose helped to clean, knowing her mother would be helping if she could. She
found herself in an assembly line: Ginny washed dishes, Rose dried and handed
them to Albus to put away. Scorpius had tried to help, but Ginny insisted that
he was a guest, and would do no such thing. So he sat at the table near them,
and Rose felt his eyes burning into her.
“I have a silly request of you,” Ginny handed Rose a plate, and Rose turned to
her with wide eyes.
“I’m sure it’s not silly at all!” Rose smiled.
Ginny smiled back, reaching into the dishwater and grabbing another plate, “Do
the lot of you want to stay over at my house?” she requested, not meeting
Rose’s eyes, “I’m always a little nervous when Harry is out late, and it’s
lonely without the kids”.
Rose considered for a moment. She would hate going into work the next day
without sleeping in her own bed, but she understood Ginny’s request. It was
certainly tough being married to an Auror. Rose reluctantly agreed, handing off
a plate to Albus. It was odd, but she swore she noticed Albus become visibly
relieved as she agreed. Maybe he didn’t want to stay by himself at home? Rose
pondered this as they finished up the dishes.
 
When they arrived at the Potter Residence, Rose found herself making tea in the
kitchen with Ginny as the boys sat in the parlor.
“Are you happy with your career?” Ginny asked suddenly, “Sorry if this is odd,
but I know I changed around a bit before I settled into my career as a
journalist. How did you find something you love so quickly?”
Rose considered her response for a moment, “I’m not sure. I went with my gut,
pushing myself out of my comfort zone. I shadowed, got an entry level job, and
fell in love with the work. You either know in your gut or you don’t.” Rose
shrugged.
It was a long moment before Ginny responded, “I’m worried about Lily,” she
sighed, taking the whistling kettle off the stove, “Everyone seems to know
where they’re going but her. She’s bright, and committed to everything she
does, but her interests are so varied she can’t choose.”
Rose nodded, “That was my problem as well. How could I chose one thing for the
rest of my life when I wanted to do everything?” she smiled, reliving that last
month of Hogwarts where she immersed herself in studies.
“I don’t mean to intrude,” Ginny smiled, knowing that her request was ironic,
“but maybe you could find a space for her at Longbottom Labs? I think working
with you would be good for her.”
Rose smiled, a little thankful that Ginny saw her as someone that could help
Lily, “I’ll see what I can do.”
 
The four sat up and chatted for a while, and it was nice. Ginny needed to catch
up with Scorpius, and he was happy to tell her what he had been up to after
Hogwarts. His stories of travel were incredible, but as the night went on, they
started to fade out with her eyes.
“I think it’s time you went to bed, Rose,” Albus had told her, and Ros agreed,
heading up and leaving the three chatting. She tried hard to sleep in Lily’s
bed, feeling comfortable in her Aunt’s home, but her sleep was restless. It was
as if something were nagging at her, like the night before big test. Get up,
study more or you’ll fail. After an hour of tossing and turning, Rose decided
to get up for a glass of water. Walking down the hall, she noticed the light
still on downstairs. Rose stood at the top of the stairs, considering
descending, but the hushed voices traveled clearly to her.
“That was the only thing taken, and we’re still not sure why,” Rose recognized
the voice as Harry’s. Who was he talking to about Auror business? “Do either of
you know any information?”
“No, I don’t know why the Death Keepers would need a time turner,” was the
response. Scorpius? Why was Harry asking Scorpius for information?
“I’ll keep a closer eye on the lead,” Albus’s voice carried.
“I suppose that’s the best we can do for now,” Harry sighed, clearly worn out,
“I have to catch some sleep before I head back in,” she heard the creak of
someone walking towards her. Rose startled, moving quickly and silently back to
Lily’s empty room.
What the hell is going on?
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Note: Hello again! Sorry for disappearing without notice,
     life happens blahblahblah. Clearly there will no longer be daily
     updates, as my classes have started again with a vengeance. I have
     had some time to revamp the story, and was re-inspired by a visit
     with my old friend who got me into writing in the first place! This
     story will start progressing to lots of plot, and will continue to
     have sexual elements. Please let me know what you think as always,
     but please keep the bitching about updates out of my comments. Nice
     nudges are great, but don't be a dick about it. Reminder that I don't
     get paid for this, nor am I in school for writing. Calm your tits.
     Please please let me know what you like or hate though! Those are my
     favourite to read. ♥♥
***** Falling *****
                                  Push & Pull
                                  Chapter 10
                                    Falling
                                        
Author’s_note : before I continue, I wanted to address an awesome comment! A
reader was worried about this turning into a Cursed Child-esque story. My
strategic answer to that concern, is that Rose will be doing NO time traveling,
and this story will continue to be mainly my sex musings. Any plot added is
meant to add or change the relationship between Scorpius/Rose, or make Rose’s
life a tiny bit realistic. Hope that relieves some concern! ♥
 
Rose snuck out of the Potter’s house before the sun came up, stopping by her
house to shower and change before work. Entering the apartment, she noticed
Roxanne sleeping, tangled up naked and snoring with a thin blonde on the couch.
Rose paused for a moment with a raised eyebrow, but shook it off, proceeding to
her shower. The hot water on her skin felt heavenly, and Rose couldn’t help the
moan that she released, scrubbing her lack of sleep away.
What the hell happened last night? Rose tried to straighten her thoughts. Harry
had been discussing the break in with Albus and Scorpius. They had taken a time
turner? Possibly? Rose thought those had all been destroyed after what happened
with her cousin Albus back in Hogwarts. And Albus was an Auror, but what did
Scorpius have to do with anything?
Just as she had the night before, Rose was thinking herself in circles with no
direction towards the truth. She exited the shower and dried herself,
considering what to wear for the day.
The one thing she did remember, was that even though she wasn’t sure whether to
trust Scorpius right now, she wasn’t supposed to wear underwear. Just the
thought sent a warmth to her gut, and she frowned.
 
Rose ended up in a pencil skirt again, showing up early as always and heading
straight to her office for some paper work. The door to the lab opened, and
Rose looked up to see if her office door would reveal Scorpius, but she was let
down as the footsteps faded the other direction. The next few entrances went
the same way, letting down Rose’s hopes. She finally resigned to actually get
immersed in her work, putting her hair up in a ponytail and scattering her
notes. She worked straight through lunch, and didn’t notice until her door
opened how late it was.
“Have you been working in here all day?” Scorpius’s honey voice melted over her
skin. Rose looked up and forgot why she was unsure about him. He was wearing a
black button-up with the sleeves rolled up, tie and dress robes discarded.
“I have a lot to get done,” Rose responded, looking back to her notes. But she
wasn’t really reading them, she was tracking Scorpius’s movement in the back of
her mind. He approached her desk, walking behind it and ending up standing over
her back. He placed both hands on either side of her desk.
“I shouldn’t distract you then,” he murmured, pressing himself close to her
shoulders. Despite her words, she leaned back into him, his warmth radiating
over her skin.
One of his hands trailed up her arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. It made
its way to her neck, “No, you shouldn’t,” she tried to say, but his hand
gripped her neck roughly, tilting her face backwards to him. He lowered his
face to hers, kissing her so gently in contrast to his rough grip. Rose
panicked for a moment, feeling her airway constrict, but when his lips touched
hers and she relaxed, she realized she was okay. He wasn’t touching her airway,
he wa pinching the arteries on each side of her neck, choking her lightly. She
tried to gasp against his lips, and he let go. She was surprised as she felt a
gush of wetness between her legs. Her face was red from the sensation, and from
her embarrassment.
“Was that okay?” he looked at her, concerned now.  
“Yes,” she responded quickly, head still tilted, “I’m not sure why, but I liked
that a lot.”
Scorpius grinned at her, but looked away, reaching in his pocket.
Rose’s confusion on his movement melted away as he produced a pair of purple
lace panties. “I think I need to return these,” he grinned, and she smiled
back.
“I thought I was supposed to beg for them,” Rose pulled away from her desk,
spinning her chair towards him.
“You seem rather busy,” he responded, letting them hang off his finger. He
pushed her chair further away from the desk, spinning her to face it and
kneeling before her, “I think I’ll return them myself so you can get some work
done,” he placed the panties on his knee and pulled her roughly forward, hiking
her skirt up. Rose gasped at the movement, feeling her body tingling with the
surprise. Scorpius licked from her knee up her inner thigh, nibbling his way to
her core. Rose let out a small sigh as his nails dug into the skin on her other
thigh.
He was just getting to the good part when there was a knock at her door. Rose
made to pull away, but Scorpius shuffled backwards, pulling her far under the
desk instead.
“Have them come in,” he murmured against her outer labia, and Rose blushed.
“There is no way I’m letting my workers come in when you’re down there,” Rose
whispered furiously.
“Trust me,” Scorpius laughed, and the sound sent ripples through her body,
“Just stay quiet,” he kissed her lightly, rubbing his lips along her outer
labia.
“Yes?” Rose asked, and the door swung open.
“Hi Rose, sorry to interrupt,” Sam walked in quickly, coming close to her desk.
What was he interrupting? Oh yes, she had been working all day. Rose’s lips
parted as if to speak, but it was really because Scorpius had slipped his
tongue into her and was so very lightly licking her clit.
“That’s okay Sam, I’m just a little busy,” Rose clenched her jaw, appearing
frustrated. Unbeknownst to Sam, it was because Scorpius had sped his movements,
but kept them light. It was awfully torturous to Rose, who was maintaining her
composure incredibly.
“Sorry again,” he truly looked apologetic, “but you wanted that order placed on
Friday, and we weren’t able to find one of your ingredients. The Hieracium
snowdoniense is said to be extinct, but there may be a patch among the grazing
hills of Southern Wales if you’d like to make the trek tomo-.”
“YES!” Rose blurted, biting her lip quickly as she began to peak, Scorpius was
unrelenting despite her outburst, and it was entirely unhelpful, “Yes Sam, the
herb is extremely important for Millie’s research, and we need it as soon as
possible. Make the arrangements and notify the staff,” she said quickly,
looking back to her notes, “If you’ll excuse me, I have a lot to do.”
“Of course Miss Weasley, good luck,” he turned, and Rose closed her eyes,
shifting her hips slightly and silently riding out the orgasm Scorpius had so
quickly brought her to. The door to the office closed behind Sam, and Rose
pulled away from her desk, glaring at Scorpius. She waved her wand, locking her
door and casting a silencing charm.
“YOU’RE SUCH A DICK!” She exploded, standing on wobbly legs and letting him
out, “YOU CAN’T JUST DO THAT!”
“I didn’t hear you complaining,” he stood, wiping his mouth on the back of his
hand, “In fact,” he walked closer, backing her into a wall, “I don’t think you
should be complaining at all.”
Rose gulped loudly. She had to admit in that moment, that she liked the switch
of Scorpius being completely dominant when it came to sex.
“Are you actually mad?” Scorpius looked at her seriously for a moment. Rose
shook her head, and Scorpius’s shoulders dropped with his relief.
 
“No, I guess I'm not,” Rose shrugged, moving closer and grabbing his tie,
“Sir.” she tested the word on her lips, more of a sarcastic retort than
anything. But Scorpius reacted immediately.
His fingers dug into the back of her thighs, hiking her up onto the wall and
forcing her to wrap her legs around him. Her wetness was forced into the front
of his pants, and she felt her juices soaking the material. He kissed her
roughly, shoving his tongue into her mouth. Secure against the wall, Scorpius
moved a hand to her throat, and Rose felt herself clench and gasp with
anticipation. He gripped her roughly, and Rose felt the same panic as before,
followed by a rush. It felt so wrong to enjoy this, but it felt as if her whole
world was focused on this one moment, on the feelings in her body. On the
hardness of him rubbing against her, prolonging the feeling. Just when she
moved a hand to grip his, he released her, and she shuddered with pleasure as
the oxygen rushed quickly into her lungs. She gasped with relief and dug her
nails into his back, trying to pull him even closer.
“Please!” She begged shamelessly, grinding into him.
“What do you want Rose,” Scorpius muttered against her forehead, moving his
hips against hers torturously.
“I need you to fuck me,” Rose responded, trying to open her eyes.
“Fuck me, what?” he growled, stopping his movements suddenly. Rose sobbed at
the lack of friction, trying to grind herself into him.
“Fuck me, Sir!” She told him, feeling her world slip away as he wasted precious
seconds removing his belt, “Please Sir, I need you to fuck me hard!”
He was at her entrance in a moment, halting and glaring at her to get her
attention.
“Don’t tell me how to fuck you,” he spat before slamming into her hard and
fast. Rose shuddered at the impact, feeling him slide deep within her. Forced
against the wall, she had nowhere to back away, and his thickness was so deep
inside of her. Each time he pushed into her, it felt as if he were going
deeper, slamming against her cervix. Rose considered calling yellow, because
his length was painful, but after a moment, the pain mixed with pleasure, and
Rose was being fucked as hard as she had hoped. The gasps in her mouth turned
to drawn out moans, and Scorpius swallowed them with his lips, biting down on
her bottom lip roughly. Rose could feel her clit being squished roughly by his
skin with the deep movements, and it pushed her towards an orgasm. With each
thrust, Rose felt her stomach clench, and she gasped louder, calling out his
name.
“Oh Scorpius, don’t fucking stop,” she yelled, “It feels so good when you fuck
me hard, don’t stop!” Rose didn’t recognize the sounds coming out of her. It
was brought to a peak with her orgasm, and Rose felt her world freeze as she
broke into one of the most intense orgasms she had ever had. The waves of
pleasure coursed through her, and she rode them out as long as she could,
barely able to shift her hips anymore. Scorpius didn’t relent as she finished.
“You wanted to be fucked hard, you’ll be fucked hard,” he put a hand to her
neck, but didn’t squeeze. Rose gasped in surprise. He hadn’t let up, and she
felt herself building to a quick second orgasm. What?!? She felt her muscles
tighten around Scorpius, and screamed and gasped against him as she came a
second time, her pussy burning and clenching around him. With this orgasm,
Scorpius held her tightly as he slammed into her roughly, thick jets of cum
shooting out of him deep inside of her against her cervix. She felt herself
filled by him, the sensation odd.
Thank god I’m on birth control, she thought briefly as she imagined herself
fucked and filled with his cum. She clenched around him at the idea and visual,
but the aftermath was not something she wanted.
He leaned his face into her neck, and she considered what had just happened as
she released her legs and shifted to the ground.
“I just came twice,” Rose said in amazement, conjuring a cloth and wiping
herself up.
“Yeah you fucking did,” Scorpius sighed, kissing Rose. It was a deep kiss, and
she felt her heart soar, but quickly stomped it out. Calm down there, girl.
“I’ve never had that happen during sex,” she raised her eyebrows at him, a grin
plastered on her face, “It surprised me.”
Scorpius grinned triumphantly, “You could have had me fooled, you can finish at
the drop of a dime,” he rolled his eyes.
“Only with you,” Rose responded quickly, and they locked eyes for a moment. Why
was he the one that could make her feel that way? She was so incredibly
attracted to him. Rose realized she was staring, and looked down, noticing her
panties on the ground.
“Thanks for returning these,” she giggled.
 
                                       …
 
Rose kept thinking of being lost in Scorpius’s eyes. She hated it. And her
staff could tell she was in a mood.
The team had traveled together to southern Wales to try and acquire Rose’s
ingredient. They had already checked three grazing pastures and were now hiking
up a hill to reach a fourth that held some promise. Auggie was entertaining the
team by giving them life advice. Rose had sighed loudly, trekking far ahead of
the group.
“I wonder what’s up her ass today,” Alice scoffed at Scorpius, who shrugged in
response.
 
Scorpius was up her ass. Well, not literally. Although I have to admit, that
isn’t an adverse thought…She shook her head, focusing on her footsteps. She
admitted to herself this was typical Rose behavior. It was usually a few dates,
a shag or two, then the boy was kicked to the curb. She may have skipped the
dates, but it was about time to kick the boy to the curb.
And she didn’t want to.
So she was mad.
At who, Rose had no idea. Herself? She didn’t have feelings for him or
anything, but she let herself enjoy him too much. Was she mad at him? For being
so fucking charming? And hot? And ugh. Rose kicked a rock out of her path,
feeling a tiny bit of relief as it hit a fallen tree and splintered the bark.
“What did the poor rock ever do to you?” she heard Scorpius’s voice nearing her
and ignored it, kicking another rock. This one didn’t do any damage, and her
annoyance rose.
“You know, some people like to talk about a problem when they’re angry,”
Scorpius continued, falling into step with her. Rose fought the urge to hex
him.
“I think we talk plenty, thank you,” Rose snapped. He was unfazed by her venom.
She briefly registered him taking his wand out and muttering to himself with a
swish, but tried very hard to continue to ignore him. They neared a split in
the path. Rose made to go right, where she could see the vague outline of a
fence.
“I see something!” Scorpius yelled suddenly, bounding up the left path. With a
reluctant glance to the right, she changed her path and followed him.
Scorpius was bounding up the hill with great leaps, and Rose couldn’t keep up.
“There’s no way you saw something this far up!” she yelled after him, but
continued to follow more quickly. The hill was becoming very steep at this
point. She had to use her hands to steady herself on the cliff face.
“Where the hell are you?” Rose sped up, throwing a hand forward and letting her
feet follow. She got into a great rhythm, even leaping before she was steady,
and soon regretted her confidence.
One of Rose’s hands slipped, losing some rubble and causing her foot to fall.
With a yelp, Rose felt herself tumble backwards. She reached forward, trying to
grab any purchase she could, but it was useless. Instead, she wrapped her arms
around her neck to brace for impact, but she found herself slamming into a warm
body instead.
Strong arms wrapped around her, barely phased by the impact, “I’ve got you
Rosie,” Scorpius’s voice came from the body, and Rose gasped deeply, trying to
catch her breath from the scare. She held onto him tightly, reassured in his
embrace. Rose stayed in his arms much longer than she needed to urging her
pulse to slow down. It was then that she realized it wasn’t the fall that was
making her heart work double, it was him.
She peeled herself from his arms awkwardly, muttering, “Thank you”.
Scorpius handed her a small bundle of the yellow herbs they had been searching
for.
“You’re welcome.”
***** The Awards *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push & Pull
                                  Chapter 11
                                  The Awards
 
Over the next few days, Rose immersed herself in her work. She came in early,
spreading her notes over her lab bench and starting a brew before the sun rose.
Her staff came in gradually, and knew from experience that when she got on a
roll like that with a project not to bother her. But Scorpius was new, and had
to face her wrath the hard way.
Slaving over a filled cauldron, Rose grinded pre-treated sticks of cinnamon
into dust, ensuring the particles were fine enough to dissolve in her mixture.
Upturning the mortar into the cauldron, she stirred twice to the right, and
once to the left; a classic technique to ensure proper dispersal of the
particles. She tried to hold back a sneeze, cinnamon billowing in the steam out
of the pot.  
It gave her a small headache, so she sat back, running her hands over her head.
Her hair had started to curl, something that only happened when she was
stressed and brewing.
“Good look,” Scorpius came by with a take-out container.
“Lick my arse Malfoy,” Rose spat, not even looking at him.
“Gladly,” he responded, and Rose froze. It was then that she noticed the lab
was empty. She forced herself to relax.
“Where is everyone?” she took the container from him, shifting over to a clean
lab bench. Opening it, she was excited to see a lasagna with plenty of cheese:
just the comfort food she needed.
“Well, it’s the end of the day Rosie, most people like to go home when their
work shift ends,” Scorpius chided with a smirk. She didn’t know whether she
wanted to kiss or slap it off of him. Rose responded with a grunt, shoveling
more food into her face.
“Jesus Rose, did you eat at all since Sunday?” He laughed, and she shrugged,
returning to her potion.
“I need to finish this,” she sighed, “it needs to brew overnight.”
“Then let me help,” he scooched closer to her.
Rose laughed, “No way, you were stuck with me in NEWT potions. You know how
picky I am.”
“And I survived, didn’t I? We do have a date tonight that I’d really like to
get to…”
“Shut up and slice those moth wings as thin as you can,” Rose rolled her eyes.
Scorpius shook his head, grabbing a small knife and getting to work.
Rose had to admit to herself, it felt nice to work next to Scorpius. There was
something bubbling in her gut, and with the comfortable silence in the room to
protect her from doing anything stupid, she let the feeling fester. Scorpius
didn’t steal glances at her the way he had the week before. He finished his
task as she asked of him, sliding the cutting board to her and watching her add
the wings to the brew. He did not comment as she stirred, and she felt her
stress ebb away.
“Anything else?” Scorpius asked her. Rose wiped her hands, glancing around the
room.
“I guess not…” her eyes locked on her cauldron, brewing lightly in the silent
room. The steam changed from green to a pale blue, and she sighed with relief.
“You’re a great brewer,” Scorpius placed a hand on her shoulder, “It will be
just fine.” Rose felt that familiar warmth in her stomach at his comfort. She
nodded, flipping off the lights and following him out.
 
                                       …
 
“Stop touching it,” Roxanne pulled Rose’s arm down from her hair and she
frowned. Her palms itched for something to do.
The three girls stood by the fireplace, waiting for the rest of Rose’s team to
arrive. They weren’t late by any means, but Rose had returned home and gotten
ready right away, brewing tea and even putting together a lunch for work the
next day. She wasn’t quite sure why, but she was more on edge than she
expected.
“Stop worrying,” Roxane scolded, putting her heeled toe on top of Rose’s. Her
foot had been tapping, “Everything will go great tonight. Worst case scenario
you don’t win anything, right?” Roxanne raised a lined eyebrow at Rose.
“Right,” she replied, taking in her friends once more. Alice kept a classic
look, red lips and rosy cheeks matching so well with her dark hair and angled
face. Roxanne glowed, sure to steal the spotlight with her powerful gaze and
strong body. Rose suddenly felt frumpy standing next to them, though Roxanne
had charmed her curls and Rose had spent extra time contouring her face.
“I’m gonna check on my potion,” Rose mumbled and took the elevator to her lab.
Everything was as it should be, the potion brewing exactly as she left it. Even
the half-eaten lasagna sat on the once clean lab bench. Rose’s heels clicked on
the floor as she made her way over, grabbing the container and taking it to the
trash. Spinning quickly, she accidentally knocked some papers off of Alice’s
lab bench.
“Shit,” Rose muttered, leaning over and collecting the stack in her hands. An
unmarked file had toppled, and while she was typically very respectful of her
workers’ privacy, her curiosity got the better of her when she noticed her
uncle’s name. Rose froze, listening for any sign that someone was outside of
the lab. Glancing around as a last check, she read the open page.
 
Prophecy retrieved by Senior Auror Potter 21 May 2025. Prophet: Inigo Imago.
“From the wreckage of war at the Solstice will come the Augurey, powerful
beyond measure. The keeper will raise her from despair and illuminate her
abilities. She shall burn through the veil and reveal the ultimate truth.”
Notes: Imago’s last prophecy before his death. Due to the overwhelming surge in
prophecies surrounding Delphini Lestrange’s imprisonment, this has been
categorized in Vault 394 as Prophecy 109 on Delphini Lestrange. Connection due
to Scorpius Malfoy’s account of the Augurey in an alternate timeline, and
Lestrange’s tattoo.
Classification:Null Reopened
 
Rose found herself reading and rereading the file. It was strange for Alice to
have, she had no connection with the Department of Mysteries. Rose heard a
noise in the hallway and rushed to shove the papers back in the folder,
slipping it under some loose ingredient sheets.
She turned around, flustered, just in time for the door to open. In walked
Scorpius, as put together as ever. Rose wasn’t sure what she expected of him,
but his deep emerald robes and silver tie were elegant, tailored tight to his
body as usual. Rose let her gaze trail over him, appreciating his trimmed
scruff. She had expected him to gel his hair like his father for some reason.
Hoped he would so that he would look less attractive, but it was no use. His
clean mop of hair was perfectly ruffled, and she longed to slip her fingers
through it. Instead, she was frozen to the spot, held hostage under Scorpius’s
clear eyes as he closed the distance between them.
Rose wasn’t taken in a dramatic kiss as she had hoped. Scorpius dragged his
fingers along her collarbone, tracing her curve to the cut out of cleavage that
was exposed to him. He leaned forward, pressing his lips to her now sensitive
skin, and rose shuddered, her skin puckering with goose bumps.
“You are the most stunning woman,” he murmured against her, kissing his way up
her neck, “I wish I could show you off tonight,” and Rose pulled away. Scorpius
didn’t bother to disguise the hurt in his eyes, and Rose felt her stomach drop
at the sudden hard set of his jaw.
“I’m sorry,” she avoided his eyes, “I didn’t mean…”
“It’s okay,” Scorpius stuck his hands in the pockets of his pants, “That was
inappropriate.”
“No, it wasn’t,” Rose sighed. Scorpius’s brows furrowed curiously. “It’s just…”
She bit her lip, searching for the answer in his expression, “I can’t…”
“I know,” he responded softly, leaning forward and placing a small kiss on her
cheek. He turned around and left the room, leaving her wanting. Rose wasn’t
sure what she wanted to say, and couldn’t quite comprehend what had just
happened. She slapped her cheeks twice, leaving the room and making her way
slowly downstairs.
 
                                       …
 
When Rose arrived at the large mansion, her breath was taken away. The large
garden in the front lead the way to beautiful ornate white pillars and flying
buttresses. The cameras flashed away, turning on Rose as soon as she lead her
team to the front door. She was flanked by Neville Longbottom and Draco Malfoy.
Rose hadn’t felt so safe from the press since her father hid her in a porta-
potty when she was twelve.
“Roxanne Weasley, any comment about being scouted for the Harpies?”
“Neville Longbottom, how does it feel to be here since the loss of your wife?”
“Scorpius, a word for Witch Weekly?”
“Draco Malfoy, tell us about the merger!”
“Rose Weasley, over here please!”
Rose left the safety of her group, taking a deep breath, and pulling out her
press smile. She was used to interviews, growing up with the family she did,
but she was glad to finally have the questions be about her work.
“Rose, you have only been in the field for a few years, and you’re making tidal
waves,” the young woman’s quick quill was flying, camera man waving for Rose’s
attention, “How has it been trying to make a name for yourself in a field that
doesn’t have the Weasley name stamped all over it?”
Rose frowned, but quickly covered it, considering her answer.
“My family has never stood on its merits. We all choose to make a name for
ourselves in one way or another, and my passion just happens to be in
potioneering. I’m so honored to be present tonight, even just to witness the
talent in the room.”
“You got that big brain from your mother no doubt,” the reporter continued, and
Rose turned, pretending to hear someone else calling her.
“Thank you so much, enjoy the ceremony,” Rose flashed a winning smile, slipping
away and posing for another photographer. It went on like that for what felt
like an eternity, when she found herself speaking with the Daily Prophet.
“Any news on if Harry Potter will be in attendance tonight?” The reporter
asked, and she sighed, struggling to keep her smile up. A thin hand slid around
her arm and tugged her away.
“Sorry man, I need a drink,” Roxanne winked at him, pulling Rose from her doom.
“Thank god for you,” Rose clung onto Roxanne for dear life, waving down a
waiter for a martini. The two made their way to the ballroom and found their
seats. Roxanne was towards the middle of the room with the family, and Rose was
to sit further up front for the nominees. She was just taking her seat when she
heard a commotion towards the entrance. She turned and her face sunk when in
walked none other than Harry and her parents. Rose sipped on her drink quickly,
trying to wave the waiter for another, but his attention was fixed on the
entering stars. Rose groaned, leaning back in her seat.
“Nothing like a famous parent to humble you,” Scorpius slid into the chair next
to Rose, and she blushed.
“I hate to be jealous…” Rose started.
“Tonight’s about you though,” Scorpius leaned forward, taking her hand while
nobody was watching, “It should be about your accomplishments, recognition for
your hard work.” and in his eyes Rose saw all the understanding in the world
for a feeling she was so ashamed of. “Nobody gets to take that away from you.”
The chair pulled out from next to Scorpius, and he pulled his hand from hers
quickly, favoring his drink. Draco slipped in easily, turning a handsome smile
to Rose and his son, “Ready to sweep the competition?” he asked confidently,
and while Rose blushed a bright red and wondered if he had seen the
interaction, she told herself that he hadn’t, and responded with a dorky thumbs
up.
 
The ceremony was long, offering awards for all manners of innovative magic.
There were acknowledgements for inventions in muggle equipment, charms,
transfiguration, education, healing, and so many others that Rose lost track.
She lost the potioneering award to Seamus Finnigan, a friend of her parents who
invented the disintegrating cleaning potion this past year.
“Damn Finnigan,” Neville had whispered to his daughter Alice, “Always liked
blowing things up.”
And at the end of the night, when they announced the larger awards, Rose was
well on her way to drunk. Alice kept ordering more drinks, and Rose had kept
up, trying to keep her morale as strong as her liver.
“When is this damn thing going to end?” Rose said through gritted teeth to
Scorpius, who flashed a smirk at her. Rose blushed, kicking him under the
table.
“And the young innovator award, presented by none other than Horace Slughorn
himself!” Rose sat straight and clapped along with the rest of the room. She
decided she should pay more attention to the man who founded the whole awards
than the last ten announcers she sipped her way through. As Slughorn made his
way to the stage, Rose noticed how old he was. He had retired the year before
she had entered Hogwarts, and her mother had mentioned him once or twice, but
she had mentioned everyone in the wizarding world once or twice. The only
reason Rose knew the name was because of the awards.
“Good evening all,” The man spoke slowly, as if everyone hung on his words, “I
am so grateful to have such beautiful minds present tonight,” he looked around
the room, eyes settling on tables one by one, “I have lived a long life in
teaching, spending my spare time at Hogwarts recognizing greatness as it
presented itself to me. I am honored to have shared the great halls with such
grace, such talent.”
“The award I present tonight is my personal favourite. As I recognized upcoming
greatness in young students, I like to recognize the go-getters who have
devoted themselves to magical discovery. These innovators have chosen a field
with much ambition and little recognition. I have worked hard to allow for more
recognition in these careers, and am happy to award labs the honor of public
recognition, and of course, a little monetary substance,” he wiggled an
eyebrow, and the crowd laughed good-naturedly.
“Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to this year’s Rookie
innovator of the year,” he opened a small envelope dramatically, pulling out a
small card with wobbly hands.
“Rose Weasley!”
Rose was swept in thunderous applause, and whisked to the stage by two men in
black dress robes. She glanced back to see the proud faces of her table,
lingering on Scorpius. She took strength in his natural enthusiasm for her win,
and took her place at the podium, holding the classic gold trophy in her hands.
The room hushed quickly as she was supposed to say a few words.
Her mouth opened, and nothing came out. Rose glanced around the room, searching
for her labmates, but couldn’t find them.
“Where’s my team?” she asked awkwardly. From the back of the room, she heard
cheering from one table, then the rest of the room chimed in, helping her out.
“Stand up guys,” Rose grinned broadly, “I’d like to thank my incredible team of
workers for dealing with all of my crap,” the room laughed, and she laughed
with them, “Alice, Millie, Auggie, Sam, Arthur. Neville Longbottom for founding
the amazing company that I have been able to do such great work for, my
parents, for buying me my first brewing kit at age six,” she giggled, and heard
a cheer from the back of the room, “Roxanne for my morning tea, you all for
inspiring me at such a young age,” she heard the band start to play, and
anxiety pulled at her, wishing her moment wasn’t over so soon, “And at last
thank you to Horace Slughorn, for allowing me this opportunity. Good luck this
next year!” Rose finished, a smile plastered to her face. As she exited the
stage, a woman spoke of her accomplishments over the last few years, and Rose
was surprised at how much she had actually done.
After the lab award was given to the Finnigan lab, the awards shifted quickly
to an after party, the winners lead to the stage for pictures. Rose quite
literally ran into Seamus Finnigan, apologizing profusely.
“Congrats little Rosie,” he grinned, slapping a hand on her shoulder. She
smiled back, “I was so worried you would beat me out for this one,” he raised
his own golden award.
“No way,” Rose scoffed, “I use your potion in my lab for cleanups all the
time.”
“My husband is just so proud I tried to clean up my fires this time,” Seamus
rolled his eyes, and Rose laughed along. They took their pictures, and Rose
escaped as quickly as she could into the crowd. So many congratulations were
thrown her way, she didn’t know who she hugged or took pictures with. She
briefly remembered hugging her parents, and something tugged at her mind when
she thanked uncle Harry, but she was so swept up in her joy that she shoved the
thought away.
Rose ran to the bar to grab another drink, as her tipsy was getting more sober
by the moment, and a bright blonde head crossed her vision. Scorpius was
standing very close with a pale beauty, all legs and silky black hair. The girl
was clearly interested in him, placing a foot between his legs and leaning
forward onto the bar, pushing her cleavage up perfectly. And he was not immune.
Rose strategically came up behind the girl, ordering her drink and flipping her
hair, giving Scorpius a full view of her freckled shoulders. She tilted her
head sideways, rubbing the back of her neck and fluttering her eyes shut as if
she were tired. Rose knew exactly what she was doing, putting herself on
display like that. She only hoped it would be enough to distract him. She took
her drink gratefully from the bartender, spinning quickly without a glance at
him. She shook her arse a little more than she needed to when she walked away,
and hoped that the burning of her ears was because of his eyes on her and not
everyone else’s.
 
It was well into the night when her friends decided they should stumble home.
Alice slipped into her flat safely, leaving Rose & Roxanne to take the long way
around home. Rose found herself a street away from Scorpius’s and paused, her
fuzzy head puzzling out whether she should go or not.
“Go,” Roxanne flipped her hand dramatically, “ someone’s  gotta get laid
tonight,” she giggled.
“Thanks,” Rose breathed, half running down the street. It took all of her
effort not to wobble in thin heels on the cobble of the street, which was a
hard feat sober, and she was truly drunk by now.
She took the elevator up, shifting in her heels. Just knowing she would see
him, and thinking of the way he looked at her that night, she was already wet.
She slipped out of them, choosing to carry the shoes instead. When the elevator
dinged, her heart leapt, and the doors opened to reveal her cousin.
“Albus!” Rose’s voice raised an octave, “What are you doing here?” she noticed
briefly he was in his dress robes.
“I was at the ceremony! I tried to track you down, but you couldn’t stop
moving,” he hugged her briefly, “What are you doing here?”
“Oh, I have her purse,” Scorpius turned around the corner, rolling his eyes,
“she left it at the table. So forgetful.”
“The worst,” Albus agreed with a grin, “Which reminds me, I haven’t been to see
your lab yet.”
“How about in the morning?” Scorpius patted Albus on the back, “We’ll all go
over together.”
“Sounds lovely,” Albus agreed, “I should really get going. I’ll see you,” he
exited through the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, Rose dropped her
heels, throwing her arms around Scorpius and snogging him fiercely.
“Woah, slow down,” he laughed, scooping Rose into his arms and carrying her to
his bedroom. Rose realized she had never been in here before. It was a large
bed with dark sheets, modern architecture like the rest of the flat. It was
neat, the bed made nicely and all toiletries placed neatly on the backs of the
furniture. She paid it no more attention as she was tossed onto the bed.
Scorpius pinned her down, biting into the flesh of her breasts. Rose gasped and
then sighed as he sucked at her soft skin, leaving small marks where he moved.
Rose pulled her arms free, pushing him away from her.
“Take my damn dress off,” she ordered, and he needed no other request. Scorpius
spun her over, laying her belly-first onto his bed. He unlatched the top and
undid the zipper. Rose shivered as the material slid over her skin. She
shimmied out of the material, leaving herself fully naked underneath him.
“I’m a little overdressed,” Scorpius muttered, and Rose wasted no time amending
that issue. Knowing that she needed no preparation this time, Rose leaned
backwards against his pillows, pulling him on top of her. She kissed him
softly, and he lined himself to her, sliding in easily. They both sighed in
relief, the sensation washing over them. Scorpius moved at a torturous pace,
slipping his hands into her hair and holding her steady. Rose could only moan
into his mouth, twisting her legs into his, and relishing in the friction.
“You’re incredible,” Scorpius said against her lips, tasting her moans as they
slipped from her mouth, “So smart, so beautiful,” he slid a hand from her hair
down the side of her body and under her arse, lifting it and grinding her
against him. Rose’s orgasm surprised her, rippling through her body slowly at
first, and lasting for so long. She felt Scorpius moving more quickly inside of
her, and though she was already so far gone, her sensation was heightened,
leaving her a sweaty, gasping mess. She felt him cumming inside of her as she
rode the last waves of her orgasm, and they settled against each other, bathing
in their clear heads.
That was…  Rose thought with anxiety,  very romantic. And I liked it.  She
tried to push the fear away as he pulled out and dragged her close to him. She
settled into his embrace and fell asleep, his hands protectively around her.
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Note: Thanks for a wild ride guys, I so appreciate these
     reviews. If you haven't gotten it by now, this is my (third?) week of
     steady Sunday updates, so I think this is sticking well! Sorry this
     one is a day late, I'm on school time, and lucky for me there was a
     nice Monday holiday. I needed the extra time to set up some plot
     points. Next chapter is gonna get a little crazy, so bear with me.
     Let me know how you like/hate the plot, because we're gonna get a
     little more push than pull for a hot second. Thanks as always for the
     read! ♥
***** Everything's Gone to Shit *****
                                  Push_&_Pull
                                  Chapter 12
                           Everything’s Gone to Shit
 
“Morning,” Rose awoke to Scorpius’s lips on her neck, and she knew it would be
a good day.
“Shit,” Rose muttered to him, spinning around and kissing him quickly before
sliding out of bed.
“Shit what? Don’t ruin a beautiful morning for me Rose,” Scorpius laughed,
leaning back against his pillows. He looked so tempting, his muscles rippling
across his chest as he placed his arms behind his head.
“I didn’t want to sleep over!” she whined, stealing one of his button-ups and
grabbing her dress, “I’ve never had a walk of shame before, and I was not
planning on starting  ever .”
“I don’t think there’s anything shameful about a good shag,” Scorpius eyed her,
renewed lust written clearly across his features.
“You put that face away right now, Malfoy,” she warned him with a pointed
finger.
“Make me,” he teased, and she rolled her eyes.
“I’ve really got to go. I think we promised Albus that we’d show him the lab,
and I’m not doing it without trousers on.”
 
                                      ...
 
When Rose saw Scorpius later, she was wearing her own trousers, but still had
his button-up layered over a blouse.
“So this is your famous lab,” Albus nodded his head, looking around the small
space, “Much more sterile than I expected.” He entered after Rose into the
space, followed by Alice, who looked much more comfortable than he. Scorpius
trailed behind them, hands in his pockets and peering around the place that
he’d spent every day the last two weeks.
Rose donned her lab coat and led the way around the outside of the benches,
flipping on lights as she went. “Yeah, I based my design off of muggle research
labs, allowing for very little contamination, which is unsurprisingly a big
problem in potion making.” She rolled her eyes. Albus looked to Scorpius who
shrugged in response.
“Tell him about what you’re working on now,” Alice encouraged, walking to
Rose’s bench. Rose grinned that proud smile of hers, coming up behind Alice and
taking her rightful place among the piles of books.
“Mopsus potion blahblah history blah blah.” Rose waved a hand, opening a book
to retrieve her most recent scrap paper, “Long story short, it’s a potion that
supposedly gives the sight and possibly telekinesis.” She raised her eyebrows
at her cousin.
“That sounds bloody awesome Rosie,” Albus nudged Scorpius, eliciting a
reluctant nod of approval from the tall blonde.
“It really does,” Scorpius agreed, looking back to Rose. She felt her face warm
at his approval, and couldn’t help but note a giggle from Alice.
“Anyways,” Rose looked back to her work, “I’m missing something. My last few
brews weren’t quite the light blue from the texts I’m working off of. They’re
all a bit too greenish.”
Albus walked forward, taking the spot at Rose’s right shoulder, peering over
her paper.
“Mandrake  root ?” Albus noted, and Rose looked up at him.
“Yes? To maintain sense of self in case of transformative sight,” Rose said
with a scoff.
“Why not Mandrake leaf?” Albus suggested.
Of course.
Scorpius’s mouth was moving, but Rose couldn’t hear anything over the ringing
in her ears. She was too busy fetching the leaf, “Alice, set up the cauldron!”
She called over her shoulder, going into full potioneering mode.
The root of the mandrake was for restorative potions. The leaf of the mandrake
was for  transformative  potions. It was certainly worth a shot to see if the
leaf that incited the difficult animagi transformation could incite other
powers. She thanked Sam in her head that he’d ordered fresh leaves and not dry
ones. She ransacked the stock room, moving boxes to the door and looking in
nooks and crannies, but to no avail.
“Alice!” Rose called, hoping her voice was loud enough. When she heard no
response, she yelled once more, “Alice, get your skinny arse over here!”
Alice came bounding into the room, almost tripping over a box of empty vials.
“Mandrake? Where did we store the mandrake leaves?” Rose moved another box
under a shelf.
“I don’t remember storing any. Maybe we should call Sam?” Alice suggested, and
Rose frowned, but nodded. She preferred not to disturb him out of hours: she
really was a reasonable head researcher, but when her mind was whirling, she
couldn’t stop it.
Fifteen minutes later, and Sam, clad in sweatpants and a fitted tee, emerged
from the storage room with a wooden box.
“Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” Rose cheered, snatching the box from him and
running to her already brewing potion.
“You’re welcome!” He called out after her, but Rose was too far gone to notice.
Now relieved of his one duty, he fiddled with his hands awkwardly, glancing to
Scorpius and the other companion.
“Ah, we haven’t officially met,” Albus grinned, reaching a hand out, “I’m Albus
Potter, and you must be Sam, the incredible receptionist.”
“The one and only,” Sam shook Albus’s hand, suddenly feeling rather clammy. It
wasn’t often that you got to meet a Potter in the flesh. And a very tall,
muscular, attractive one. And here was Sam, in his sleepwear, “Uh, how’s that
potion coming Miss Weasley?”
“Give it like five minutes,” Rose turned around, wiping her brow.
“Well, I’m gonna sneak off to the loo now so I don’t miss the action,” Alice
left the excitement with very little notice.
Rose grinned at Scorpius, but the tall blonde hardly noticed. His jaw was set,
and he was glaring at Albus, who was barely apologetic.
“Are you okay?” Rose reached out to touch Scorpius’s arm, but he flinched away.
She held her hand where he had been, shocked at his reaction.
“Yeah, sorry Rose, I just have a lot on my mind,” he covered, moving back to
push his arm against her waiting hand. She retracted it, crossing her arms and
looking to Albus who simply shrugged in response.
The four stood in awkward silence until Alice returned, excitedly bounding into
the room. Upon her appearance, Rose looked back to her cauldron.
“Yes!” Rose exploded in excitement, grabbing tight onto Scorpius’s arm despite
whatever mood he was in, “You’re a bloody genius Al, grab me a vial!”
Albus hastily did as he was told, and Rose bottled a small portion of the
pearlescent blue potion. Just as Rose walked to store it on her shelf,
everything suddenly went to shit.
There was a large crash from outside of the lab, and she spun around, “Wha-”
“Damn it,” Scorpius rushed to the door, pulling his wand out, “this is too
soon!”
Albus spun Rose around so she was facing him, “Rose, there’s no time to
explain, you have to trust me,” She was in shock, still looking past him to
where Scorpius stood. Alice and Sam were huddled together in confusion, looking
to the door.
“Pocket the vial, burn your work, and destroy the potion,” Albus ordered, and
Rose snapped back to attention.
“Albus Potter, there is no way I am burning  months  worth of research-”
“Rose!” Albus shook her, and Rose was steaming, “There’s no time to argue.
You’re brilliant, you can recreate it,” Albus pleaded, “You need to believe me,
whoever is on the other side of the door absolutely  cannot  have your
research.”
After a moment, she finally nodded.
“Alice!” Rose ordered, and her assistant snapped to attention, “Store the books
in Auggie’s shelves, then grab me the rune stone from the top left shelf,”
Alice nodded, heading to Rose’s bench. Rose scooped up her papers, piling them
with the unused ingredients on the center of the lab bench. “Sam!” she yelled.
“Yes Miss Weasley,” he was by her side in an instant, wand clenched and shaking
in his hand. If Rose was in a right mind to notice, she would have made fun of
him for his readiness to assist her in all situations, despite his obvious
fear.
“I need you to set fire to these documents and not burn the whole lab down,”
Rose seemed emotionless as she ordered. She glanced to Albus, “Al, help him.”
Rose slipped the little blue vial from her desk into her pocket, pulling the
wand from her jacket and directing the cauldron to the sink. She felt sick with
the thought that she was about to dump her newest discovery. It was like
ripping a piece out of her flesh as she upturned the steaming cauldron into the
sink, pouring some Destroying Draught after it. When Rose turned around, she
was witnessingthe last year of her life being burned at her own bench. It was
only when the heat of the flames warmed her that she felt the wetness on her
face.
“Is everything clear?” Scorpius walked to the group, the fire reflected in his
eyes. Rose turned away quickly, wiping her tears before anyone saw. “Right,
well we need to go immediately. Can you all apparate to Rose’s flat?” everyone
nodded but Sam.
“It’s okay, you can side-along with me,” Rose grabbed onto Sam’s arm, holding
onto him much more tightly than she needed to.
Scorpius looked from Sam to Rose and nodded, “You go first, then immediately
move so we don’t-”
Rose apparated before the end of his sentence and keyed into her flat, pulling
Sam along, although he didn’t need much encouraging. He ran over to her kitchen
and threw up in her sink. He wasn’t even done before Albus and Alice walked in
after Rose.
“Don’t side-along very often?” Albus chuckled, walking to the kitchen. Rose
stood frozen as Alice flicked on the living room light. One last  crack , and
Scorpius was walking into Rose’s apartment as if he’d done it a thousand times
before. He stormed straight past Rose and down the hall to Roxanne’s bedroom.
“Scorpius, what are you doing?” Rose questioned, forcing her legs to move
forward.
“Rosie…” Albus peeked his head out of the kitchen as she walked by, and she
spun towards him.
“Don’t you  Rosie  me!” She shoved his chest hard, though he barely moved under
her strength, “You just made me destroy some of my best research, and now your
friend is running around in Roxanne’s room like he fucking owns the place. I
need some bloody explanations,  now .”
“You’ll get them in a few minutes, but we need to  move ,” Scorpius pushed past
Rose to her fireplace now wearing a large backpack. He motioned to the floo
powder. Albus dragged Sam out of the kitchen.
“No way,” Rose planted herself firmly, “I’m not moving until you tell me what
the bloody hell is going on!” Rose shouted, but Scorpius was not listening.
“I don’t remember this bloke being with us,” Albus laughed, supporting a still
nauseous boy.
“It doesn’t matter,” Scorpius checked his watch and swore, “Malfoy Manor, I
have a touch-sensitive portkey there,  go .”
Alice went first, disappearing quickly. Then Sam, though Albus made him
pronounce the address once before grabbing powder. On his departure, Rose heard
a large bang from downstairs.
“Rose, hurry!” Albus pushed Rose into the fireplace. She grabbed the powder
with a shaking hand, disappearing just as her door broke down and spells were
thrown into her flat.
She tumbled forward into a dark room, landing on something hard.
“Oi, get off of me!” Sam shouted from under her, and Rose scrambled to her
feet.
“What the hell is going on?” Alice wondered aloud, standing before them. She
muttered a  lumos , and the room lit up dimly. Rose helped Sam to his feet,
trying to ignore the gothic theme around her. It was certainly a much colder
place than she had grown up. Rose didn’t want to think about it too much. A
light crack sounded from Rose’s right, and she ran to a window, looking out
into the night’s darkness on the Malfoy lawn. Flashes of light flew by, and
with a grunt, one figure fell. Two others bounded away from it, entering the
door with no problem.
“Come on,” Rose beckoned, leaving the sitting room they had fallen into and
entering a large hallway. She turned to her right and proceeded slowly down the
hallway, seemingly toward the direction the figures had entered into the house.
Her wand was pulled, and a curse was ready on her lips.
“Rose, don’t you dare hex me!” Albus called down the hall, though Rose didn’t
drop her guard, “It’s just me and Scorpius, bring the others this way.”
Albus stuck his head around a corner, and Rose finally allowed herself to
relax.
“How did you know it was me?” she threw at him accusingly, walking down the
hall. It opened up into a not-so-cozy livingroom with a single rusty spoon
sitting on the table in the center where tea should have gone.
“In good time, grasshopper,” Albus bowed to her, and Rose rolled her eyes.
“Come on guys, portkey,” Scorpius motioned towards the spoon. Rose nodded. Of
course that was what it was. The dirty old spoon didn’t fit what little
beautiful decor she could see. The group squeezed together around the table,
and Rose looked around. Scorpius was decidedly avoiding her gaze. Albus
supported the clearly shaken Sam. Rose felt a pang of pride for her cousin,
helping a stranger. Rose caught Alice’s attention as she looked to her friend.
Alice looked the most afraid, and with a start, Rose realized how serious the
situation was. What had been chasing them? What waited at the other end of the
portkey? She didn’t have any more time to consider.
“Hold hands tightly, and don’t let go,” Scorpius instructed as if Rose had
never used a stupid portkey before. She grabbed onto Alice’s hand and Albus’s,
nodding to Scorpius. Albus grabbed onto his arm, and Scorpius reached forward,
activating the high-tech portkey with his touch.
 
***** Trust *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push_&_Pull
                                  Chapter 13
                                     Trust


Rose felt her body contract and contort, squeezing her very molecules together
for faster, more efficient travel. When she came out the other side, it was
still in darkness, though she could smell the familiar scent of the forest
around her. She immediately crossed her arms, preventing the cold from entering
her lab coat.
“Lumos,” Scorpius cast, and the forest around them lit up eerily. The trees
were dense, and there was thick undergrowth. Scorpius walked quickly forward,
“We need a flat surface. Al, help me out.”
It was a few minutes of standing in the cold before Rose saw the fruits of
their efforts. Scorpius had somehow gotten a magically expanded napsack from
Roxanne’s room which held a tent. Al lifted his wand and worked silently,
clearing a bit of undergrowth while Scorpius levitated the tent into place. The
group was silent as they worked, and Rose stared at the ground. She felt eyes
on her, checking in, trying to make some sense of what was happening, but Rose
wasn’t there. Finally, Albus and Scorpius lowered their wands. Rose entered
with Alice and Sam to see that the tent had a large living area, a kitchenette,
and several door flaps which seemed to lead to rooms. Rose had camped in a
similar tent plenty of times. She went to the center, starting up the heater
now that she saw a way to be useful. Alice sat next to her, wrapping herself in
a blanket with Sam.
“You guys have no idea what’s happening?” Sam asked, and the two girls shook
their heads. Rose stared at the heater, waiting for something to happen.
Scorpius finally entered the tent and Rose stood immediately. He walked past
her to one of the rooms in the back, and Rose followed closely behind. She
turned on him before the flaps of the door even closed.
“What the hell is this?!” She shouted, pacing in the small room. The room held
the appearance of a tent with the feeling that it had been put up in her
livingroom. It held two cots and a small end table with a lamp. The coziness
didn’t ease her anger at all.
His silence and blank expression was enough of an answer for her.
“Scorpius, one minute we were in my lab talking about my project, and the next
I was  burning  it.” Rose’s voice cracked. Her hair was in great disarray at
this point. She pulled the tie out and ran a hand through her mane, catching
her fingers in it and grasping her scalp, “And we were being chased? I think?
By someone influential enough to want to steal my research and not just kill
some Weasley-Potters,” she scoffed, pausing in her pacing.
Scorpius took that opportunity to grab her arms, “Please stop moving, you’re
making me dizzy,” he said softly. Rose finally looked at him and his hard face
was cracked, revealing a fear that she hadn’t noticed before, “Rose I’ll tell
you what I can and no more, you have to trust me,”
“I’ve given a lot of blind trust today,” she spat, pulling away from him.
Scorpius’s face hardened again, and something inside of her pulled back
together at the old appearance. She sat herself on one of the cots and stared
at him where he stood, expectant. His arms were crossed and his eyes were fixed
on the lamp. He seemed miles away. Was it really that morning that she was
picking her dress up off his floor?
“I’m not a businessman,” he said at last, tilting his head to her attention but
still avoiding her accusing gaze, “I was assigned by Harry Potter to protect
you under the pretense of my father’s work.”
The room was silent as Rose considered the information. A humorless laugh
escaped her lips at the absurdity of the statement.
“So you’re what, my secret bodyguard?” she reasoned, eyes boring into him,
demanding his attention. He seemed unfazed.
“Trained with Al as an Auror right after graduation,” he admitted, a small
smile creeping onto his face, “Originally it was  me  that wanted to keep my
career a secret from the public, but then...” the smile fell abruptly.
“It turned into an advantage. There are a few missions where Harry needs
publically unknown aurors to investigate matters. I did small jobs at first,
then he chose me for this,” the haunted look started to cross Scorpius’s face
again, but he finally looked at Rose and it melted away.
“I don’t…” Rose tripped over her tongue, refusing to piece everything together,
“I can’t do this right now,” Rose muttered, standing up and making towards the
door.
“Rose, I need you to understand-” Scorpius reached for her. Rose pulled away
from him, the burning of his touch scalding her where so many times it had been
welcoming.
“How can I possibly understand?!” she laughed, all humor void of the reaction,
“You’ve been lying to me. You and Albus,” Rose paused with a start, “My family?
And what the hell do I even need protection from?”
Fear suddenly gripped Rose like a cold blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
She took small steps backwards until she could sink onto the cot, not trusting
herself to stand. What are we running from?  How unsafe am I that I need a
bodyguard?  The thought intruded on Rose. She pushed it away quickly, another
unsettling feeling bubbling up. Rose looked up at Scorpius, hurt finally
grasping at her features.
He walked to her suddenly, kneeling on the ground in front of her.
“Scorpius,” Rose started, but was stunned silent when he took her hands in his.
He grasped them too tightly, but she held onto him, feeling as if the world
would fall out from under her if she let go. “Scorpius, you lied to me.”
“I know,” he said fiercely, leaning his head down to rest it on their grasped
hands.
“Please tell me this was real,” she begged, tears filling her eyes. She tried
to keep her breathing steady, but it was no use, she was already falling apart,
“Scorpius, you didn’t just have a  shag  with me to gain my trust.”
“ No ,” Scorpius’s voice was rough as he raised his head, ripping his hands
from hers and placing them on either side of her face, “Rose, there is one very
important reason that I took on this mission,” he told her. She placed her
hands over his, tears running freely down her face.
“Shit,” Scorpius looked up, blinking away tears, “I’ve been selfish this go
around. I allowed myself to have something that I could never have,” his voice
cracked, and a single tear escaped down his cheek. Rose sucked in a deep
breath, feeling her body shake with huge sobs.
“You’re-” gasp, “-not making sense,” Rose gasped again, trying to keep what
little dignity she had at that point.
“I know, but hopefully I will in the end,” he tilted his head slightly, a look
crossing his face that she couldn’t place.
The room was silent as they stared at each other. She considered everything
that had happened in just the past twenty four hours: her award, the ceremony,
the running, burning her work, and Scorpius. He had invaded her life in the
best way, infecting every thought with his stupid smirk, his gentle touches.
“Rose, I’m in love with you,” he said at last.  
Rose sat for a long moment, letting the words sink in.
“Fuck,” she finally said.
“Yeah, he responded.
“I…” Rose went through a hundred different emotions and feelings in a few
fleeting seconds, I don’t-”
“You don’t need to say anything,” he continued. Scorpius leaned in close and
kissed her forehead. Rose felt a deep need in her to wrap her arms around him
and pull him close, but her mind was at odds with her heart.
“You just need to trust me,” he told her, smoothing her hair down.
“I...”
And a large crack sounded from outside the tent. Scorpius was out the door
before Rose could blink, wand at the ready and a pillar of strength. Rose, and
she pulled her wand out, ready to fight.
Upon entering the main tent, she saw that it wasn’t an enemy, but another
friend that had joined them.
“Rose!” Roxanne rushed around the heater in the center of the room and hugged
her friend tightly, “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
It took a moment before Rose replied. “What are you doing here?” without the
tone that the question entailed. Roxanne picked up quickly on the accusation,
looking to Albus for help. Rose didn’t follow her gaze, keeping her eyes fixed
on Roxanne. It made her clearly uncomfortable.
“I… don’t think I should be the one to talk to you about this,” Was all she
could offer, and Rose stormed out of the tent without another word.
“Rose, wait!” Albus called after her.
“I’ve got it,” Scorpius muttered, following quickly.
The room was left in a stunned silence.
“So, how about telling us what the hell is going on?” Sam grinned, beckoning
the two newcomers to sit down.
 
                                       …
 
Rose stumbled through the forest, anger building as she walked. She had no idea
where she was, but she just needed to get far enough away to think. She trekked
along, letting the cold finally seep into her bones. She stopped at a fallen
log, and stood, staring at it. A shiver racked her body, and she let it,
embracing the numbing feeling. Rose finally sat, sinking onto the rotting wood
and letting her tears fall again.
Her life had been flipped upside down in the last twenty four hours, and she
felt betrayed. How could Rose possibly return when Scorpius told her that
everything she knew had been a setup?  Well, his feelings weren’t…  Rose pushed
the thought away. There was no way she could deal with that sort of thing just
then.
First and foremost, she was in danger. He was helping. Albus was with him.
Harry had approved it. She went through facts in her head, chewing on them
until they sat with her. She didn’t feel like seeing the other side. Rose could
only think of herself, and how her perfect life had fallen apart.
I don’t deserve this , she cried harder. Rose had pushed herself, worked her
arse off to get where she was as a potioneer. And what did she get for it?
Chased by some fucking goons. And for what?
Rose recalled her potion, pulling the small vial out of her pocket. It still
glowed a pale blue. She smiled sadly to herself.  Will I ever get to test it?
She felt a presence before she heard it, and Rose spun quickly, slipping her
vial into a pocket.
“It’s just me,” Scorpius had both hands up. Rose could only relax slightly,
taking her hand off her wand. He slipped his hands into his pockets, gazing at
her silently. She wiped the tears from her face with the palm of her hand,
trying her hardest to regain her usually strong appearance. She crossed her
arms, staring back at him defiantly.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Scorpius shrugged, the defeat clear in his
voice.
“Thanks,” she responded, though she didn’t forgive him. Rose didn’t feel the
forgiving type just then.
“Roxanne was just helping us as much as she could,” Scorpius explained to the
still tense Rose, “She’s not an Auror or anything, but Albus thought she could
be helpful. He was right.” He seemed relieved at that thought, and Rose
wondered if he intended to protect her on his own.
“Am I safe?” The words left Rose’s lips before she could think about them. As
soon as they came, she decided she didn’t want to know the answer.
“No,” he told her, and she nodded. She should have expected that much.
“Who is coming after us?” her voice was small. She was having an out of body
experience, watching herself blurt the questions that were on her mind.
“The Death Keepers,” he told her as if he had done it a thousand times before,
“They seem to be sympathizers of Voldemort’s cause. We’re unsure if they’re
targeting you because of your heritage, or because of your potion.”
“According to our intel,” he continued, “They’re only after you, not any of
your siblings or cousins. So we believe it’s your work that caused this
interest.”
Rose nodded slowly. That fit in with what she had already considered.
“I’m not even sure if it works,” she shrugged, “They could be looking for a
botched potion.”
“It wouldn’t just be for the potion you made Rose,” he told her slowly, “It’s
you. You’re brilliant. We don’t know what for, but you’re one of the brightest
minds of the time.”
Even though it was a compliment, the words struck fear into Rose once more. She
found herself taking deep breaths, and the familiar prick of tears clawed at
her face once more.
“Oh my god,” she pulled her hands to her face, and Scorpius was there in an
instance. Her fear won over her mistrust, and she found herself wrapped tightly
in his embrace.
And Rose found that despite what her brain screamed at her, Rose felt protected
in Scorpius’s arms. Her heart soared, and she found herself tilting her head
up, forcing her lips onto Scorpius’s. He pulled back in surprise, but she
slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him close. He hummed in appreciation,
falling into the passionate kiss. The vibrations traveled down her body,
sending a gush of wetness to her core. His lips were grounding, pushing the
numbness away and filling her with warmth once again. She forced her tongue
past his lips, tasting him, and she couldn’t get enough. Rose’s fingers laced
into his hair, pulling his head back and taking those sweet lips away from her.
She grazed her teeth along his jaw, licking her way down his collarbone.
He pulled back, placing his hands on either side of her face, “Rose, are you
okay?” he searched her, but all she could see was his messed up hair, and the
flush of his cheeks in the moonlight.
“No,” she answered, grabbing his robes and spinning him around. She backed up
into a tree, pulling him close so that she could feel his throbbing cock
against her thigh through his trousers, “But I need you,” she was kissing him
again, inviting him in.
“Rose,” Scorpius muttered against her lips, a warning.
“Please,” she cried, grinding a thigh against his length. Scorpius moaned in
response, and she knew she had caught him.
He returned to her with renewed passion, kissing her fiercely and forcing his
tongue roughly into her mouth. Their tongues danced, and he grinded against
her. With every movement, the friction built in Rose, soaking her panties. She
found herself pulling at his clothes franticly. Scorpius pushed her hands back,
slipping her trousers and panties below her ass and reaching for his own belt.
Rose kicked her bottoms off, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. When he
was free, he grabbed her hips, hiking her up onto the tree and pinning her
there with his weight.
Rose was impressed by his strength once again, and a pang deep inside her head
reminded her it was because he was trained as an Auror. As he slid into her,
the thought melted away, and she was back in the moment. Scorpius entered her
slowly, and Rose relished at the familiar stretch. She was a little sore from
the night before, but she adjusted quickly, sighing at the sensation.
“Fuck me hard,” she whispered to him, and he delivered. Scorpius set a
relentless pace, and Rose was gasping at every movement. She felt so dirty,
fucking in the woods, pinned against the tree by nothing but Scorpius’s body
weight. The thought sent a fresh wave of pleasure through her, and she moaned
loudly. Scorpius raised a hand, forcing it over her mouth.
“Shh, the others will hear,” he grinned at her, grinding in just the right way
for her to moan through his hand. She bit at one of his fingers and he looked
into her eyes, his passion the only thing written on his face. Rose kept her
eyes open, as they glazed over with her orgasm. She could think of nothing
besides Scorpius’s cock pounding through the feeling, and she was left a
moaning, sweaty mess. She was so wrapped up in her own feelings, that she
didn’t notice him finish, but the slowing of his movements certainly cued her
in.
He let her down, and they laughed together, cleaning up the aftermath and
pretending, just for a moment, that everything would be alright.
===============================================================================
 
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Note: Sorry for the late update guys! I had a rough week,
     and while the chapter was half finished yesterday, I wanted to take
     an extra day to make sure I gave you a quality as opposed to a rushed
     chapter. I got AMAZING responses to the last chapter, and I am so
     excited to hear your thoughts as the story unravels! Hope you enjoy!
***** Control *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push_&_Pull
                                  Chapter 14
                                    Control
 
The next week seemed to drag on slowly. Rose felt as if she was in a microcosm,
put on pause from the rest of the world. The tent had some comfort clothes set
up in it, which served to unnerve Rose even more. How long were they going to
be there? She told herself blind comforting lies to keep herself sane. The
homey setup of the tent made her feel more like she was on vacation than in
hiding.  I can finally relax , she told herself,  I’ve worked very hard for a
very long time. I’m celebrating my Innovator award.  Though the thoughts helped
her to feel safe, she had some other things to work through. After her
rendezvous with Scorpius the night they settled in, Rose couldn’t even look at
him. She still couldn’t bring herself to trust him. He was obviously upset by
her avoidance, and dealt with it as best as he could: by ignoring her back.
Rose opted to share a room with Alice, not ready to talk to anyone else in the
group yet.
Her days were long and boring. Luckily Alice remembered to bring the rune from
her lab. On her first day, Rose spread some books out on the single table in
the main room. She was attempting to bind the rune with a single book so she
could read whatever she wanted. It would be a great excuse to continue ignoring
people. Roxanne made the poor choice of trying to talk to her.  Does nobody
understand my disinterested face?  Rose was fuming.
“What are you up to?” Roxanne sipped her tea and sat across from Rose. She
waved her wand a second time, her next trial less successful than the last.
With a frown, Rose studied the rune more closely.
“Anything interesting?” she asked again. Roxanne spoke loudly and clearly.
There was no doubt that Rose had heard her. Rose studied the rune more closely,
as if the engravings would jump out and yell at her. Her ears were visibly red
from the effort of pretending Roxanne didn’t exist.
“Well that’s cool. I’ll just sit here then,” Roxanne kicked her feet up. She
was clearly a stubborn girl. They both were, and so they were at a very awkward
standstill. Rose didn’t like it. She felt the burning of Roxanne’s eyes on her,
and it took serious concentration to stay focused on her task. By the end of
the day she had successfully linked Auggie’s rune with her book. Without a
word, she took it and went to her room with a candle.
“Nice chat!” Roxanne yelled after her.
Albus knew to steer clear of Rose when she was in a mood, and she never even
saw him. He was like a ghost in the tent, though she wouldn’t have known if he
was there or not anyway, because she never left her room. She spent her days in
that tiny little room holed up by herself. It was very bare: two cots, a night
stand, and Rose’s stack of books. Sam brought her food at lunch and dinner.
He’d sit with her silently and listen to the radio as she read.
“The string of crime in London continues as the Ministry Library is robbed of
several artifacts,”  the radio crackled. Sam relaxed on his elbows, looking
comfortable as ever on the old cot. Rose sat up against Alice’s cot, half
listening as she read more historical reports of Mopsus.
“Despite several small injuries, there is no sign of malicious intent. The
recent break-in appears to be specific to the ministry, and at this time there
seems to be no implication of personal threat,”  Sam made a noise of
disagreement. Rose looked up, waiting for him to voice his complaint.
“Things like this historically start small, and become personal very quickly,”
Sam frowned, “Wars don’t start overnight.”
Rose’s brow furrowed, and she folded the corner of her book.
“Really Sam? A war?” she viewed him incredulously, “Since when were you a
history buff?”
He grinned back at her, “Only student in my class with an O in NEWT level
history of magic!”
“That’s because you were the only student who’s ever taken a NEWT level
history,” she tossed the book at him. He swatted it away, laughing back at her.
Rose would sleep when the sun went down. And she found that if she woke up
early, she could have a cuppa and return to her room before anyone could bother
her.
The more time she spent by herself, the more she resented Scorpius and her
cousins. How dare they alter her life without her consent? Sure they said it
was to protect her, but she was a reasonable person, wasn’t she? Did they
really think she was so helpless that she couldn’t protect herself?
On her third day in hiding, she left her room to pee, and ran straight into
Scorpius.
“Sorry,” he muttered, looking away from her quickly. Her face burned bright
red, and her entire body tingled from the collision. Or so she told herself.
She didn’t respond, simply moved straight past him. As she left the tent, she
spun around to pin the door closed and caught the look on his face. He was
watching her leave, and though she couldn’t read his features, her stomach
dropped at his stone cold expression. She left quickly, but the look was burned
in her eyes as if she had just looked at the sun.
Rose found herself tossing and turning every night. By the time the morning
light lit up the tent on her seventh day in hiding, she was convinced she
hadn’t slept a wink, though she was far from exhausted. Rose stood up,
flinching at the cold of the morning. When she entered the main tent, she
started up the heater right away.
Rose sat by it, a blanket wrapped over her shoulders, and a morning cup warming
her hands. It was strange to her still, to have such a quiet morning. She tried
to enjoy it, pretending she was on vacation. But anxiety bubbled in her gut.
Her companions could wake up any moment, and she was still giving most of them
the cold shoulder.
As if her thoughts conjured him, Albus stepped through the front doors, letting
in the cold of the early morning and carrying some brown bags.
“Morning Rosie,” he grinned, stepping past her to the kitchenette. He dropped
the bags on the counter, pulling out some perishables. Rose wondered again how
long they would be staying in that tent.
Thankfully, they sat in silence as Albus started up the stovetop and started
making bacon. They hadn’t had a proper conversation in a while, and she felt
the tension between them. She frowned, a foreboding feeling filling her. His
cooking seemed to be coming to a close, ad she didn’t want to be forced into a
conversation. In a last attempt to avoid the situation, she stood and walked
towards her room.
“Sorry for lying to you,” he said at last, and she stopped. The words released
a little of the tension in her shoulders.
Rose stared at a twig on the floor, willing the heater to warm her still
freezing toes, “I’m not ready to forgive you,” she replied. Her voice felt
hoarse from disuse.
“That’s okay,” he said nonchalantly, the sputtering of the bacon ceasing. He
made his way over, sitting on the couch with his own cup of tea, “You’re safe,
but I know it came at the cost of my trust.”
“Why couldn’t you guys just tell me?” Rose spun to him, demanding his full
attention. Albus’s jaw clenched, for a moment, and when it finally released, he
looked tired.
“Scorpius’s plan,” he told her. He took a deep breath, releasing it slowly,
“I’m not blaming him. I agreed. We couldn’t tell you.”
“Why not though?” she pestered.
“I don’t know,” Albus dismissed her, “How about fate?”
“Seriously?” she laughed, “You couldn’t tell me because of fate?”
“Yup,” he grinned, “If I give you an abstract answer it’s too out there for you
to ask more.”
“Whatever,” Rose rolled her eyes, sitting back down next to him. They sat in
silence once again, but it was no longer tense.
Rose simmered in her thoughts, trying to pick her feelings of her cousin out of
the messy soup that was her anger. It proved to be more difficult than she
anticipated.
“Remember when our parents would bring us to the Quidditch World Cup?” Albus
smiled.
“We’d try to stay up all night because we didn’t want to miss anything,” she
smiled back.
“And somehow we still woke up before anyone else,” he wondered aloud.
“Hugo sleeps like a rock and James always snuck some of Uncle Harry’s
Firewhiskey,” Rose giggled.
“That explains a lot,” Albus shook his head. They laughed it out, and the
feeling spread in her chest. Everything felt almost right again. She leaned her
head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her, giving her a side hug.
“You should at least talk to Roxanne,” he muttered. Rose sighed. She didn’t
have the energy to do much of anything.
“And say what?” Rose scoffed, “You all lied to me Albus, but Roxanne is my
roommate. She’s my best friend,” Rose felt her throat tighten and swallowed
quickly. She had held strong so far, she wasn’t about to break down yet.
“She only knows that we were protecting you,” he said, “We didn’t tell her what
you needed protecting from, or anything else Only that we needed her to keep an
eye on you. And we needed access to your apartment just in case,” Albus
cringed, “that sounds worse than it was.”
Rose made a face, “Do you get why I can’t trust you guys?”
Albus nodded, “No, I get it. And I know I can’t earn that back right now. But
you’re talking to me, and that’s a start.”
“I can do that much,” Rose said.
“Good. So while we’re talking,” he kicked his feet out, considering his next
words. A little crease appeared between his eyebrows, “Scorpius is pretty put
out.”
Rose grabbed a single curl, smoothing it out between her fingertips, “So?”
“So he’s been my friend for 10 years and I’ve never seen him looking so guilty.
You probably know, but I think he cares about you a lot,” Albus tried to catch
her eye, but Rose had gotten very good at ignoring people in the last few days.
“He does,” she whispered.
“Is something happening between you two?” Albus asked, and immediately covered
his eyes with one hand, “Nevermind, I don’t think I want to know right now.”
“And I wouldn’t tell you if there was,” Rose rolled her eyes.
Albus pulled his hand away, taking a big sip of tea to center himself, “You
haven’t had a relationship since-”
“I know,” Rose pulled the blanket tighter on herself, “That’s not why I haven’t
said anything to Scorpius,” she defended herself.
“I didn’t mean to jump to conclusions, but you can’t say it doesn’t affect you
at all.” he said softly.
“I know,” Rose frowned, “Scorpius is a whole different person.”
“I’m not saying you should do anything about it, but you should know that he’s
miserable,” Albus said.
“This feels a lot like a guilt trip,” she laughed. He shrugged.
“If it gets him to stop moping around like you are, I’m willing to try
anything,” he admitted. Rose punched his shoulder.
“I’ll think about it,” she grinned.
Once again fate was working in mysterious ways that day. One of the room flaps
opened revealing a shirtless Scorpius. Rose looked up and couldn’t help but
admire his chiseled muscles. A week without him had been very long for her, but
as soon as she looked to his face she remembered why she hadn’t been talking to
him.
“And that’s my cue,” she sighed, retreating to her room without a second glance
to the boys.
 
                                       …
 
After a week and a half, Rose was starting to get really anxious. She was bored
with her books, and didn’t know what else to do with herself. To make matters
worse, her companions were driving her crazy.
“ Yesterday’s break in has been evaluated further, and it seems that some runic
scrolls were stolen from Kit’s Specialty Shop.”  The radio buzzed. Rose let the
sound wash over her like white noise, her book long forgotten near her feet on
the cot.
“More missing materials?” Sam put his head in his hands and mumbled something
else.
“What?” Rose shook her head, slipping back into the moment.
“There were four injuries this time,” he continued. She could see the tension
in his hands. Rose was starting to see that his wild theory of war was really
getting to him.
“Hey,” she said, sitting up straight and trying to catch his eye, “Sam, look at
me,” she commanded.
He did, and his face reflected the rigidity of his body. Rose fought a frown
that threatened to creep onto her face.
“Sam, they’re just break ins,” Rose said softly. Sam nodded slowly at her. She
needed to get through to him, “We’re not near them. They’re not targeting
anyone specific, it’s just robberies.”
“I want to see if my mum is okay,” he whispered. Rose’s heart broke for him.
“I know,” Rose said, “I want to check in on my family too, but Albus said no
communication right now.” And Rose did know. She grew more anxious every day
that she wasn’t talking to her labmates and her family. Luckily for her,
everyone that they were in hiding with was her close friend. Sam was completely
alone.
“We’ll get through this soon,” Rose hugged Sam, “I promise.”
Rose and Sam entered the main tent, sitting with Alice on the couch. Sam and
Alice chatted for a while, and as Rose stared at the heater, her familiar anger
started bubbling up again.
“I really wish I could tell my dad we’re safe,” Alice said quietly. Rose stood
up suddenly, yelling in frustration.
“I don’t even know why we’re hiding!” Rose shouted, pacing around the main
tent. Alice and Sam sat wide-eyed as they watched her move back and forth.
“The Death Keepers are trying to capture you,” Sam reminded her.
“But why?” Rose asked, throwing her arms in the air, “What do they want from
me?!”
“We don’t know,” Alice answered. The plain response slowed Rose, but only for a
second.
“What will be so bad if they catch me, huh? What do they really want?” She
continued her rant. When she spun around to continue pacing, Scorpius was
standing in the corner of the room. She was stunned silent, biting her lip from
spitting a short remark at him.
“They want you dead,” Scorpius replied with no emotion. That really stopped
Rose.
“What?” she whispered, but he was already broken past her hardened walls.
“They will torture you for information, and then kill you.” he told her.
A million questions filled Rose’s mind, but none of them made their way out of
her lips.
“What the hell are you doing?” Albus entered the tent, anger diffusing into the
room.
“She wants the truth?” Scorpius spat, “I’ll give her the bloody truth.”
He stepped up to her, shoving a finger to her chest, “You’re dead if they find
you.”
“I can protect myself,” Rose said through clenched teeth. She found her footing
again, digging her heels in against Scorpius’s onslaught of statements meant to
scare her.
“You can try,” he stepped closer, “But they’re better.” He was standing so
close now, the heat of his anger coming off of him in waves. Rose held strong,
glaring at him as if this was all his fault.
“And you’re so much better than them?” Rose retorted, invading his personal
space. She could feel his breath on her face now, the sweetness that was now
familiar to her.
“I’m not,” he growled, “And that is why you’re  not safe .” he spun quickly,
retreating to his room.
“I’m not done here Malfoy!” Rose stormed after him, pushing Albus out of the
way.
“Of course you’re not,” he retorted, still facing away from her.
“You can’t just keep my friends and I locked up here,” Rose pleaded.
“You’re not locked up anywhere, this is for your safety!” He said, running his
hands through his hair.
“Then why don’t you tell me what’s going on?! Who are the Death Keepers, why
are they so powerful?” she felt like she was talking to a brick wall, “Scorpius
I’m sick of this. You can’t ignore me for two weeks and then talk to me like
this, who the hell do you think you are?”
This felt so familiar. It was as if she were thrown back into hogwarts, a sixth
year screaming at the immature boy to stop being a lazy prat and do his work on
their potion already.
“You’re a fucking arse, you know that?” she spat.
He spun around quickly, and Rose could take in every feature like a snapshot.
His face was the stone that caused her stomach to clench, but his eyes weren’t
empty like they were before. They were blazing with that same fire they always
had at Hogwarts. Rose was frozen as he approached her, grabbing her head
roughly and pulling her towards him. Scorpius’s lips crushed against hers, and
the anger built inside of her erupted into passion. He forced his tongue past
her lips and she bit it, forcing him to pull back.
Rose grabbed his shirt in two handfuls, shoving him back onto the small cot. He
cupped her arse with both hands, hoisting her into his lap and grinding her
hips against him.
“Scorp,” she moaned against his lips, and he tilted his head, dragging his lips
against her jaw. He grazed his teeth against her pulse point and she pulled
back from the intense sensation, placing her hands on his shoulders. He pulled
her closer, pulling at the fabric of her blouse. The buttons popped open or
tore off, she couldn’t tell when his lips were on her skin. He sucked roughly
at one of her breasts, darkening the skin just above her nipple. A deep moan
escaped Rose as she gave into the sensation, her wild mind quiet at last. The
only thing that occupied her senses was Scorpius. His smell, the salt on his
skin, the feel of him beneath her. He pulled her bra down, sucking a nipple
into his mouth and biting lightly. Rose grinded into him, finding friction
against his cock hardening beneath layers of clothing. It wasn’t nearly enough
to satisfy her, and she made soft noises of frustration as her hips moved
fruitlessly against his hardness.
“Tell me what you need Rose,” Scorpius murmured against her pink flesh.
Goosebumps formed where his breath touched her, encouraged by the wetness of
his spit on her breasts.
“I don’t want to think about anything anymore,” she pleaded, “Scorpius, I need
you to take control of me.” The words had barely left her mouth when he flipped
her over, kissing her roughly.
“Stay right there,” he whispered into her mouth, and she gasped, pulling in the
air of his words.
Her body was hot, aching from where he left her. Rose went to sit up and gasped
as a hand clenched around her neck.
“Did I tell you to sit up?” he asked her. Rose’s mouth hung open as a gush of
wetness flooded from her vagina. This was exactly what she had wanted, but she
didn’t expect it to have this much of an affect on her.
“No,” she squeaked, his hold on her neck allowing her just enough room to
speak.
“No, what?” he prompted, his hold on her tightening ever so slightly. A look of
confusion passed on Rose’s face, but no sooner had it crossed her features than
it left, replaced by a look of pure lust.
“No, Sir,” she gasped as his hand released her, “No sir, you didn’t tell me to
move.”
“What did I tell you?” he repeated, crossing the room once more.
“You told me to stay right here,” she responded, watching him as he pulled a
box out from in front of the cot. He pulled out a tie, letting the fabric run
through his fingers.
“I like that one,” Rose purred, sitting very still, “You look good in green.”
“I think you’ll look better in green,” he grinned, holding the tie in both
hands.
“Cross your arms behind your back,” he instructed. She did as she was told,
lifting her chin to keep him in her sight. He pulled her up off the cot,
turning her away from him.
“Is this okay?” he asked. Rose simply nodded.
“Now if this is the kind of play you like,” he raised an eyebrow at her, “I
need quick ground rules.”
Rose giggled, “Like a safeword?”
Scorpius moved Rose’s wrists so that they overlapped, wrapping them in the
fabric and tying them tightly together, “Exactly like a safeword,” he
responded.
“I hate silly words, so I stick with simple words,” he continued. Scorpius
pulled at the tie a little, testing his handiwork. He hummed in approval.
“You like quidditch, right?” Scorpius grinned, placing a kiss on Rose’s neck.
She would normally snake her arms around his head, but found herself tugging at
her restraints instead.
“Sometimes I might check in, to see if you’re doing okay,” he hooked his thumbs
into her trousers and panties, removing them both in one swift motion, “Quaffle
means everything is good. You are enjoying yourself.”
“I am definitely enjoying myself,” she giggled.
“Enjoying yourself, what?” he brought his arm around so quickly, grabbing
Rose’s chin and spinning her towards him.
“I am enjoying myself, Sir,” she was wide-eyed as she responded.
“Good,” he brushed his lips against hers, pulling back when she tried to kiss
him.
“If you need to slow down, or are uncomfortable, you’ll say Bludger,” he
instructed.
Rose nodded, “Nobody likes Bludgers.”
“Easy, right?” Scorpius grinned, “And lastly, if something is going wrong, if
you need to stop what we are doing immediately…”
“Snitch?” Rose guessed.
“Snitch stops the game,” Scorpius grinned, “Do you understand the rules?”
Rose nodded once more, shifting in her makeshift restraint, “Quaffle is good to
go, Bludger is slow down, and Snitch is stop immediately.” she told him, “Sir,”
she added with a grin.
“Now where were we,” Scorpius stepped up to Rose, trailing his fingers around
her breasts. He watched as her nipples hardened, pulling on one of them
lightly.
“You were gonna fuck me hard,” Rose crossed her legs, trying to find friction.
“You don’t tell me how to fuck you,” Scorpius growled, shoving Rose to sit on
the low cot. She gasped, surprised by his rough movements.
“Yes Sir,” she replied, “You can fuck me however you want,” she said. And as
the words left her mouth, a new wave of wetness came with it. She felt herself
leaving a soaked spot on the cot, feeling dirty for having her uncovered pussy
rubbing on something so odd.
“You’re damn right I can,” he unzipped his trousers, dropping his pants and
stepping out of them. He stroked his length, and having it so close, Rose
wanted to lick it. She imagined that were her hand stroking him, giving him the
pleasure he deserved.
“I’m going to fuck your mouth, Rose,” he told her. She ground herself against
the cot and a light moan escaped her.
“But first,” he said, “I want you to get me hard.”
“Please, Sir,” she licked her lips, and he brought his cock to her mouth.
Rose stuck her tongue out, licking him from balls to tip. She swirled her
tongue around his large tip, earning herself a noise of content from Scorpius.
She puckered her lips, dragging them down his length and sucking lightly,
rubbing against every vein, licking hard as she returned to the tip. When she
finally sucked Scorpius into her mouth, she moaned against him, rubbing herself
once more against the cot. She pulled him to the back of her throat, swallowing
around him and earning herself a moan.
“Very good Rose, but one more thing,” his voice was honey, pouring over her
skin and warming her core, “I’m going to cum, but you are not.”
“What?” she said, his hard dick falling from her mouth with a pop.
“You heard me,” he told her, “You aren’t allowed to cum yet. If you do, you
will be punished, do you understand?”
Rose looked up at him, biting her lip and staying strong, “Yes Sir, we’re
Quaffle.”
“Good,” he said at last, wrapping a hand in her hair and pulling her to him.
Rose took his long hard dick into her mouth once more, but Scorpius had her
head this time. He shoved himself down her tight, wet throat roughly, causing
her to gag on him. He moaned loudly at the sensation, and Rose ground against
the cot again, pleased that she was making him feel that good. She relaxed her
throat, and he thrusted into her lightly at first, sure that she could take
him, then gradually more roughly. It was a strange sensation, but Rose found
that she loved the feel of his thick, hard cock penetrating her throat. She
relaxed, letting him use her as he saw fit. And he was enjoying himself,
sliding in and out of her hot, wet mouth. With a gasp, Rose realized she was
nearing an orgasm. She had been grinding herself against the cot the whole
time, and tried to pull off of it, preventing it from furthering. But Scorpius
was relentless now, finding pleasure in the vibration of her throat as she
moaned against him. With his gasps of pleasure, Rose sat in admiration as her
climax built just from pleasuring him. She imagined him filling her throat with
his thick, hot cum. It filling her stomach and warming her from the inside. She
would swallow all of him, keeping him in her throat for as long as he pleased.
The thought turned Rose on so much, that she ground against the cot once more.
That was enough to send her over the edge, and Rose moaned loudly against
Scorpius’s cock.
As she came, he pulled himself quickly from her mouth, grabbing her neck
roughly.
“Did you just cum when I fucked your mouth?” Scorpius asked her, pinching the
sides of her neck. Rose’s airway wasn’t closed, but she felt a lightness fill
her head.  He’s blocking blood flow . She registered briefly, but more
prevalently, was the feeling of her world coming to a point. He released her,
and when his hand left her throat, The blood flowed back to her head again.
Rose panted as something else flowed through her: pleasure, straight to her
clit.
“What?”  Rose asked herself, incredulous at the sensation. Scorpius pushed her
chest back, forcing her to lean against the wall of the tent. She feared for a
moment she would fall backwards into the fabric, but despite the appearance, it
was as hard as a wall.
“If you want to cum, I’ll make you cum,” he told her, sliding his tongue
roughly against her clit.
Rose cried, trying to pull away from the too-intense sensation, but Scorpius
held the cheeks of her arse tightly against his face, flicking his tongue
quickly against her clit. Her next orgasm built quickly, his relentless pace
tipping her over the edge. As she came a second time, he slipped two fingers
easily into her pussy, turning his wrist and pulling his fingers against her G-
spot. He rubbed his fingers against her, licking circles around her clit now.
This time as she built to another orgasm, she ached, exhausted from the
sensations. They felt incredible, the most pleasure she’d experienced over and
over again, leaving her clit sore and aching. When she came, she cried, tears
spilling from her eyes. He pulled from her quickly, and Rose barely registered
the next sensation until Scorpius’s dick was pushing into her. She was so wet
that he slid in easily, and Rose savored the feel of his head pushing through
her tight walls. As he pulled out, she was hyper aware of the feel of him
inside of her. It was as if the tight, warm walls of her pussy were clutching
so tightly at him that she could feel every vein, every brush of his head
against her. He pulled himself almost all the way out. He then slammed himself
into her hard, and Rose felt as if the wind left her body. He kept up the
relentless pace, and though Rose was glad to give her aching clit a break, her
body was worn. Aware of this, Scorpius pulled Rose’s leg up, hitching it around
his shoulder. He hiked her other leg up so that her calves were against his
chest. This time when Scorpius pushed into her, Rose couldn’t stop the cries
that escaped her. She was even  tighter  if that were possible. She felt
herself being stretched by his girth, unable to ignore the sensations deep
within her. When he pushed in, she felt him meet resistance, and gasped at the
new feeling. The sensitive head of his dick was rubbing against her cervix. He
pulled out and thrust in roughly, and Rose couldn’t stop the guttural noises
that escaped her. Tears streamed down her face as he fucked her, building her
to a deep orgasm. She felt it beginning, but it grew slowly, encouraged only by
the deep penetration that he was forcing upon her. Rose’s throat felt raw, and
her body tingled as the orgasm slowly enveloped her body. It was the most
pointed pleasure she had felt, an orgasm unlike any she had experienced. It was
deeper inside of her, grasping at every part of her body. As the corners of her
vision blurred, Rose heard Scorpius moan as his thrusting slowed. He was so
deep inside of her that when he came into her, she could feel herself being
filled more than she ever had. Thick streams of cum hit against her cervix,
pooling around the head of his dick buried deep inside of her. Rose was gasping
for air even as he removed himself from her, dripping onto the already wet cot.
He squeezed into the space next to her, pulling her tight against him and
stroking her hair.
“Was that okay Rosie?” Scorpius whispered into her hair. Rose could do nothing
but moan in response. He laughed, kissing her head lightly.
 
                                      ...
 
When Rose awoke the next day, she felt very different. Opening her eyes, she
realized it was because she was in Scorpius’s bed.
“Morning,” Scorpius pulled Rose close again, breathing in her scent.
They lay in comfortable silence, and Rose was thankful for the warmth of
Scorpius’s body. When she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine that they
were in her own bed, with the window open and the sun on her skin. But it
didn’t last. Something was nagging at her.
“Scorpius,” Rose said, her voice hoarse.
“Mmm,” he responded, tracing patterns on her back. She took a moment to lay in
the sensation.
“We’ve only been…” she paused, smiling, “... seeing each other for a little
while,” she felt Scorpius tense under her, and her stomach did a backflip,
“When did you..?”
“Ah,” he cleared his throat, pulling himself to a sitting position. Rose stayed
where she was, laying her head on his lap. He moved his hand and ran his
fingers through her hair, “You’re too smart for me,” he laughed.
Rose waited as he collected his thoughts, “That day that we were together, in
seventh year,” he paused, still pulling his fingers through the tangles in her
hair. She shifted to a more comfortable position, committed to letting him tell
her his full story this time.
“You’ve always been perfect. I never had the courage to properly snog you. I
still don’t know who kissed who,” he grinned at the memory, “but at some point
you mentioned how glad you were to finally have a casual night without
strings.”
Rose’s brow furrowed. She didn’t remember saying that.
“And so I took the love that I could get,” he shrugged, “I acted detached the
next day, because that’s what you wanted. And I knew that I was lucky enough to
get Rose Weasley in any way that I could have her,” he told her, but he did not
seem sad.
“I don’t remember telling you that,” Rose said in a small voice.
“You might have been drunk,” Scorpius reminded her with a smile, “When people
black out, you don’t usually lose whole nights, you lose small moments, bits of
sentences,” He pulled a curl of her hair, watching it bounce back into place,
“Even if you didn’t mean to say it, the words reflected how you felt at the
time. And I didn’t want to push. Ruin what we had.”
“What did we have?” Rose asked. Scorpius paused in his playing as he considered
his answer.
“A start to something good,” he told her with a smile.
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Note: Hey y'all! Thanks for the encouragement. A lot has
     been going on with my personal life, and I've just kinda hit a slump
     with this story. I'm trying to find inspiration in weird places, so
     if you have anything you love PLEASE recommend it to me! Bad romcoms,
     other fanfictions, etc. I love them. Anyways if you didn't notice,
     this is a double chapter to try to make up for my horrid lack of
     updates. Also the sex is kicking up a notch, so I hope that helps.
     Thanks for being incredible and sticking with me. I'm excited to see
     what happens next for these guys.
***** Snow *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push_&_Pull
                                  Chapter 15
                                     Snow
 
Christmas was Rose’s favourite holiday. She always saved her knuts, stowed her
allowance away and sought out the perfect presents. She prided herself on being
able to give her family and friends the most perfect presents every year.
This year was no different, but it was also very unique. After the time she’d
lost, she spent some frantic weeks picking out the perfect gifts for her
family. A beautiful bronze watch for her brother as a gift for getting the
management position of the Weasley shop in Hogsmeade. A quick-notes quill for
Lily, who had been studying so hard at her new job. A clock for her mother that
matched Nana Molly’s: so that she could keep track of all her children at all
times: something that would be very important to her after the year they’d had.
Scorpius’s present had been the first one she had found that year. Her father’s
had been the last. Of course her father’s present mattered the most, because he
was forced to accept a truth that he had never wanted to face: Rose was
bringing a boy home for the holidays.
“I’m not sure he’ll like me,” Scorpius lamented for the hundredth time. He
pulled at his tie, nervous as she had ever seen him. She noted with a grin that
he hadn’t sweat this bad even when her life was at stake.
“He’s already met you, and he loves you,” she reassured him, because she wasn’t
a monster. Rose knew that Scorpius needed to feel good before he walked in the
house, and while she was throwing him to the wolves, the least she could do was
give him a sword.
“Yeah, but as an auror. Not as your boyfriend,” Scorpius muttered. Rose
grinned. She felt something wet on her face and brought a hand up to her nose,
her features shifting with a crease of confusion between her eyebrows.
“Snow,” Scorpius noted with a sad smile. The last time they had seen snow had
been an awful day. Rose fought the tears that threatened to spill across her
face. She felt as if someone was reaching in her chest and squeezing her heart.
“Come here,” he pulled her tight, planting a long kiss in her hair. With a deep
breath, warmth began to spread through Rose again. She felt just as safe in
Scorpius’s arms as she had the first time that he had embraced her. He held her
until she regained her composure. When she could breathe properly, she pulled
from him and kissed him tenderly. His lips were chilly, and she grinned against
the kiss, finally breaking their contact.
“Don’t be worried. It’s Hugo you really have to watch out for,” she told him,
because while she wasn’t a monster, she liked to keep him on his toes. At that,
Scorpius blubbered something about feeling ill, and she flung the front door of
the burrow open as she had a thousand times before.
“I’m here!” Rose yelled in as if everyone hadn’t been waiting for her. Squeals
of joy sounded through the house as the residents and guests rushed forward to
greet her. With a flick of her wand, Rose’s presents flew through the door high
above the family’s heads where they couldn’t reach them.
“Don’t you dare, James!” Rose shouted as he leaped up at a broom-shaped parcel.
Of course she had gotten him the new experimental Cumulus 2.5 broom from her
peer at Flight Industries. It wasn’t even being advertised yet. She grinned
with glee.
Rose’s shining moment, however, was when she looked across the room and saw her
father. But he wasn’t looking at her. He was looking at Scorpius as if he had
brought him the world as a present. The roaring of the family died to chatter
as Rose’s father made his way to Scorpius and pulled him into a tight hug. The
relief spilling from Scorpius was palpable, and Rose had to look away from the
blinding interaction.
“I’ll never say it enough,” Rose could barely make out her father’s words,
“Thank you for saving my family.”
 
                                       …
 
Back in the present, Rose couldn’t even conceptualize such a future. She was,
however, basking in the first good night of sleep she had since being locked
away like a princess. Scorpius left the cot to go do “Patrols”. She rolled back
over and passed out, noting briefly that she hadn’t realized he’d been leaving
the tent to do his job the past few days. She’d been too stuck in her head to
notice. When the tent started to warm up again, she slipped from the covers on
the makeshift bed, stretching her sore muscles.
“Why is getting laid so much work,” she grumbled to herself, leaning forward
and listening to her back pop. Rose found Scorpius’s dresser and shifted around
through his clothes, pulling out one of his sweaters and throwing it on. It
didn’t smell like him, so she was already starting the day badly. She left the
room to see everyone but Scorpius sitting around the heater, drinking tea and
eating breakfast.
Rose froze as all eyes fell on her, and with a growing horror, she realized
that she was doing the walk of shame in front of her closest friends. She
slowly raised an arm to scratch the back of her head awkwardly, and the silence
droned on, nobody daring to address the situation. Roxanne looked down at her
tea, barely covering a laugh.
“Ahh…” Rose started, looking to the door and hoping Scorpius would come in and
save
the day. She wasn’t that lucky. Instead she muttered, “Do silencing charms work
well?”
“Oh my god,” Albus stood from next to Sam, covering his ears in disgust, “I
can’t do this.” he rushed past her into his room, whispering to himself, “Ew.
Ew. Ew.”
Roxanne was full-out laughing now, spilling a bit of her tea. It was
infectious, and Sam started giggling, pulling his eyes from Rose. Even Alice
covered her mouth to try and stop her laugh. Rose couldn’t help but crack a
smile.
“We didn’t hear anything, though we could definitely connect the dots,” Alice
interrupted.
“At least someone’s enjoying their time locked away,” Sam rolled his eyes,
moving over as Rose took a seat next to him.
“Barely,” Roxanne rolled her eyes, “I can never tell if she wants to kill him
or fuck him!” She raised an eyebrow.
Rose crossed her arms and pouted, “I can control my temper, thank you.”
“Yeah, right,” Alice giggled, “Do you remember in fifth year when you used Aunt
Ginny’s Bat-bogey hex on him?”
“He couldn’t blow his nose for a week,” Roxanne couldn’t stop giggling.
“All because he got one point more than you on the DADA practical,” Alice shook
her head.
“That was one time!” Rose threw her hands up in exasperation.
“That was every time!” Roxanne retorted, “You couldn’t stand him ever doing
better than you.”
“Which wasn’t often,” Rose mumbled.
The laughter died down and settled into a blanket of expectant silence. It
wasn’t quite awkward, but Rose felt an urge in her chest to speak that tried to
bubble over. She searched for something to say, but every word that came to the
tip of her tongue died out in a futile simmer. Rose found herself looking at
Roxanne, and her best friend’s eyes told her everything she needed to know.
Rose smiled, and Roxanne’s lips turned up in kind.
“I’m sick of being stuck inside,” Alice complained, standing up and stretching
her arms, “Anyone wanna go for a walk?”
“I think I’ll stay here,” Sam said, and Rose noticed him glancing to Albus’s
door. She tilted her head in curiosity, but he ignored her, “It’s pretty chilly
out.”
“Okay,” Rose dragged out the word, leaving him room to change his mind, “I’d
love to leave this prison though,” she stood as well, making her way to her
room, “Just give me a sec to throw some real clothes on.”
Roxanne followed Rose into her room and took a seat on Rose’s cot. Her dresser
was bare of the fashionable clothes she liked to wear, but she settled on some
big warm garments: it was apparently cold, not that she would know.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry for keeping secrets from you,” Roxanne said as
Rose shed her shirt. For a brief moment, Rose felt like she was at Hogwarts
again, dealing with the latest drama between her cousins. The nostalgia washed
over her like warm water, and she found herself giddy. When her shirt was on,
she turned to Roxanne.
“I missed you,” she flopped onto the cot and pulled her friend in for a hug.
They held each other until Rose felt as if the frayed edges of their friendship
were mended. When she went to pull away, Roxanne pulled her back, and Rose
found herself smiling.
“I was so scared,” Roxanne said quietly. The smile slipped from Rose’s face,
feeling her cousin shaking against her. Rose pulled back and this time Roxanne
let her, looking at her with misty eyes.
“Rose, they told me you could die if I told you anything,” Roxanne said more
strongly this time. Rose wanted to say that was absurd, but for once in her
life she noticed the value of not speaking her mind the second the words
floated through. Instead, she sat in silence, contemplating her next words.
“Thank you,” she said at last. Fighting against the questions that built in her
chest, Rose took Roxanne’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, “I know it
wasn’t an easy choice, but I appreciate that you made it.”
Roxanne was clearly still bothered by the predicament, but the corner of her
mouth turned up in a smile nonetheless. “Come on,” Roxanne cleared her throat,
standing and letting Rose’s hand fall off of hers, “You’re family. If anyone is
gonna recklessly put your life at risk it’s gonna involve your best cousin and
gallons of booze.”
 
The two girls slipped out of the tent to meet Alice. The blinding light that
met Rose reminded her how long it had been since she’d stepped outside. She
hadn’t known where they were, but seeing the woods in the daytime made their
tent look much less menacing than she’d imagined it. On the contrary, if
someone were to come across it on an adventurous hike, they’d think a group of
friends were simply camping. Why anyone would in this weather though, Rose
couldn’t fathom. They were right, it was very cold out. Rose thanked the higher
powers that their tent had an enchanted heater. Rose could see her breath, and
shook as it took hold of her legs. Normally, she would fight the pain of the
chill. But right then, it reminded her that she was alive.
Alice must have noticed the lost gaze on Rose’s face, because she grabbed her
hand, dragging her along the trees. The three walked in silence, and Rose was
comfortable in a way that she hadn’t been since leaving. If she focused, she
could imagine that she and her two best friends were walking to the pitch after
class, not talking because their brains hurt too much from studying all day.
She was brought out of her fantasy, surprisingly, by the shape of the trees.
They were a foreign species, not native to england. She snorted; only Rose
would get tripped up on such a small detail.
After walking for a bit, Rose started to notice patches of snow in well-shaded
areas.
“Where are we that there’s snow in June?” She wondered aloud. Alice stopped
suddenly, yanking Rose’s arm with her.
“Ow!” she exclaimed, pulling her arm back quickly. She cradled it as she glared
at Alice.
“Sorry,” Alice muttered, staring at the patch of white, “I just didn’t notice
it.”
“The wardens won’t tell us where we are, ‘for our own safety.’” Roxanne mocked
in a funny voice. They started walking again, and Alice kept looking at the
trees, mind seemingly far away.
“Hey, are you okay?” Rose asked. She had asked that question often in the past
year, and each time she asked it, Rose had felt intrusive. And just as every
time she had asked it, Alice turned back to her and grinned.
“Of course, why?” Alice asked. It was clear, throughout the loss of her mother,
that Alice didn’t like to talk about the things that bothered her. Back at
Hogwarts, Alice was a rampent complainer of all students. If she had something
good to say about you, there was something bad to even it out. In the past
year, Alice had lost that, gaining a more distant, airy quality to her. Nobody
had addressed the change, as it wasn’t damaging anybody. But there was no
denying that Alice was a different person.
Rose simply smiled back and shrugged, “You just seem a little out of it, that’s
all.”
“Oh,” Alice looked back to the trees, “I’m just wondering which countries
experience winter in June.”
“That’s right,” Rose’s face lit up, “It depends on the hemispheres right?”
“I’m so bad at geography,” Roxanne groaned.
“Me too,” Alice and Rose echoed.
“Sam might know, we can ask him when we get back,” Rose concluded with a nod.
“Hold on,” Roxanne stopped suddenly, putting an arm in front of Rose. She
stumbled and grabbed onto her friend’s arm.
“What is it?” Alice asked, but was shushed by Roxanne. It was then that Rose
noticed movement in the trees to their right. The three stood still as the
movement ceased. Rose held her breath, waiting for what might happen next. She
was suddenly reminded of Scorpius’s warnings.  They’ll kill you  the voice rang
in her head. On instinct, Rose couldn’t let her friends get hurt before she
did. Making to push Roxanne’s arm out of the way, Rose stepped forward to
confront whatever they faced.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” A voice came from behind them. Rose
spun around to come face to face with the man she had just been thinking about.
“Oh, it’s you,” Rose sighed, letting her breath out.
“I told you not to leave the tent!” Scorpius was staring wide-eyed at the trio.
“Yeah for over two weeks,” Rose scoffed, “You can’t just keep me locked up in
there forever, I’ll go crazy.”
“You’d rather risk your life?” He asked without the fury that his voice had
once had. He was clearly tiring of her arguments quickly.
“Come on,” Roxanne argued, “Just one quick walk to town. Maybe you could take
her out to dinner?” she grinned mischievously.
Scorpius sighed and massaged his forehead, “Do you guys not understand what
‘Your life is in danger’ means?”
“We’re a bunch of Gryffindors, what do you think?” Roxanne retorted with a sly
grin.
Scorpius took a moment to consider Rose carefully. She wasn’t sure what was
going through his mind, but it was probably something along the lines of:  fuck
this stupid fucking shit wants to put her life at risk be my guest it’s not as
if i’ve risked my life the last month to save your ass ungrateful piece of-
Rose grinned at the thought.
And as Rose smiled, Scorpius’s tough demeanor started to break down. The
tension in his shoulders eased, and he dropped his hand from his forehead. Rose
noticed these small changes, and felt a strange flutter in her chest. She held
her breath, surprised that anything could penetrate the numbness that had taken
hold there. And for once, she didn’t immediately stifle it down.
“Everyone is coming,” Scorpius said at last. Alice and Roxanne gave a cheer,
and Rose’s smile beamed, “I’ll have to spend a day or two making a solid plan.
This is extremely dangerous, and you have to know that you’ll be in more danger
if we’re spotted.”
Rose searched his face for the apprehension and fear that had lined his
features the last few weeks, but she found it was covered up by an emotion she
couldn’t quite place. She fiddled with her hands awkwardly as she thought of
how to express that she would be safe.
“Thank you,” she said at last, the simple words feeling like they were just the
tip of an iceberg of words that she wanted to spill.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Scorpius warned, turning from her and walking back to the
tent, “We’ve gotta make sure your defensive spellwork is up to par.”
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Note: Thanks for being super patient, and sticking through
     with my story! Anytime there's a review or I get kudos, my heart
     fills, even if it's a bad review. This story will NOT be abandoned,
     but school and work have been piling up. I plan to have one more
     chapter up in the next week (which will be a bomb of emotions, if I
     do it right), then updates may become sporadic again. It took me a
     lot of thought as to how I wanted the next events to proceed, but I
     think I'm at least relatively happy with the results. Have some happy
     holidays, and I'll see you guys soon!
***** Freedom *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push_&_Pull
                                  Chapter 16
                                    Freedom
 
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” Scorpius looks around as if someone will jump out
of the shadows and grab Rose right there.
“Come on Scorp, I can’t just sit in a tent for the rest of my life,” Rose
rolled her eyes, dragging him along.
“Of course you can. I’ll even wrap you in bubble wrap so you can’t hurt
yourself,” he said smartly, grinning like an idiot. Rose giggled, slowing her
pace and walking next to him. Rose hadn’t felt more alive in months. Her face
burned from the cold, but that didn’t stop her huge smile. She looked over at
Scorpius, surprised at the warmth that gathered in her stomach. It spread to
her whole body, and it was is if she was tingling with energy.  This is what
it’s like to be happy with someone,  Rose told herself,  Scorpius is a really
good guy. Just let yourself fall for him.
“Wait,” he pulled Rose back a little, and her heart skipped a beat. Did he see
something? Were they still safe? She glanced around as if she would run into
the danger immediately. “Did you just call me Scorp outside of the bedroom?”
Rose blushed, and she took a deep breath, calming down. She smiled to herself.
“Is my name too long, Rose?” he teased, grinning as he pulled her closer.
Rose’s heart swelled and she turned bright red, embarrassed of the nickname.
”I don’t know, I thought it was cute,” she mumbled into his chest.
Scorpius wrapped his arms around Rose, kissing her head and messing up her
hair, “It is. I like it.”
He released her and she proceeded to drag him along, looking at the beautiful
fronts of the shops. She still couldn’t tell where they were, but she could see
a ski lodge down the road. At the moment however, her toes were too cold to
think of anything but hot chocolate.
“Food?” she asked, pointing at a sandwich place.
“I had other ideas,” he grinned slyly, taking the lead.
They hadn’t been out for long, but the sun was already starting to set. It cast
beautiful lights on the snow and odd shadows on the street. As they walked,
Rose appreciated the serene beauty of the small snow town that they found
themselves in. Woodsy accents reminded her of old vacations to the lake: sandy
toes and laughing with her cousins. Of course it was way too fucking chilly to
think of the lake house just then.
Scorpius led her to a building tucked next to the slope with large beautiful
windows. As Rose entered, she got the impression that it wasn’t the kind of
place she typically ate dinner. The lights were dimmed low, and the tables were
comfortably spaced against a wooden wall. There were antlers adorning lights on
the ceiling, and the long bar was calling out to her.  When’s the last time I
had a drink?  She wondered briefly.
“Reservations for Smith,” Scorpius told the hostess.
“Right this way, Mr. Smith,” she responded in an accent Rose couldn’t quite
place. The hostess grinned at Rose as she turned and led them to the back of
the room. They sat themselves and Rose appreciated the heat being pumped in
from the fireplace behind Scorpius.
“Could I offer you a sample of any of our wine selections?” the hostess asked.
Scorpius responded as Rose considered the hostess.  Australian?  She guessed.
It would probably be snowy there this time of the year.
Quickly, a large glass of red was placed in front of her, and as Rose sipped
she swooned a little.
“Yes,” Rose said, “This one please!”
Scorpius laughed and asked for the bottle.
“Have you been skiing?” Scorpius asked. Rose fell easily into the facade. Being
away from the tent helped to clear her head, and she couldn’t remember the last
time she’d been out for a fancy dinner.
“I haven’t,” Rose admitted, “I tagged along with a friend once, but I was too
scared of the ski lift to try.”
“You Rose? Scared?” Scorpius scoffed.
“I don’t like uncontrollable heights,” her voice rose in defence.
“Don’t you fly?” he countered. She crossed her arms indignantly.
“Control! That’s totally in my control. A ski lift could break at any moment.”
He laughed at her.
Luckily the hostess brought the wine and notified them that their server would
be over shortly. Rose covered her embarrassment with a deep sip.
Just as she reached to refill her glass, the waitress took their order. Rose
thought the Asian-inspired cuisine was out of place, and it served to throw her
even more from her place of hiding. They ordered a couple of appetizers and an
entree to share. As the waitress left with their order, Rose caught Scorpius’s
eye and couldn’t help the small smile that spread across her face. He grinned
in kind, reaching out and taking her hand. She could almost imagine that she
was at a nice quiet trip with her lover until Albus and Sam walked in and took
a place at the bar.
“Is that really necessary?” She glared daggers at her cousin, who pretended to
be totally oblivious to the couple in the corner.
“It is entirely necessary,” Scorpius responded, squeezing her hand and letting
it go in favor of finishing his glass of wine, “You have to remember how big of
a risk this is.” Rose was pulled roughly back down from the clouds, and she
frowned.
“Can you tell me more about the Death Keepers?” She lowered her voice, leaning
in on the table, “Nobody knows anything, it’s like you hold all the cards
here.”
He let out a short laugh with no humor, “If only you knew how true that were,”
he muttered ominously. Rose’s brow furrowed in confusion, but she waited
patiently as Scorpius glanced out the window. Two skiers zoomed by, and while
Scorpius let his gaze wander, Rose’s attention was fixed on her companion.
“When I graduated and joined the Aurors, I heard a little of the Death
Keepers,” he pulled his hand to his face, biting at the side of a nail, “Old
Voldemort fanatics, we assumed.” Rose made a sound of agreement.  That makes
sense from their name,  she thought.
“They were known for petty theft, attempted kidnappings,” he continued, “They
weren't trying to make their intentions known. Most were non-violent. I
actually didn’t know the depth of their dealings until Harry dropped the file
on my desk.” Rose imagined a younger Scorpius drowning in paperwork when Uncle
Harry, all serious, brought the file.  He would have been super dramatic about
it.  “Wait, I thought you said you didn’t know what they want,” Rose said.
Scorpius glanced around quickly, probably making sure nobody was eavesdropping.
“It’s a bit more complex than that,” he responded, “They had a network of
illegal trade of magical objects, but it seemed focused on the payoff. One past
attempt at infiltration led to an altercation, causing the death of two
Muggles. It wasn’t a pretty case, but Harry had hope with me.”
Rose felt pride in her chest. Of course Harry would place trust in Scorpius. He
was a good wizard.
“After a few weeks I had done well. Taken out some smaller names, closed off
some of their trade routes. I had some knowledge of their inner workings. At
the time I was investigating a warehouse of stolen objects. It was a big bust,
so Harry sent your cousin, Teddy, along with me and a team. It ended up being a
lot harder than I had anticipated.”
Scorpius paused suddenly. Rose opened her mouth to urge him to continue, but
closed it again quickly. He looked lost in thought. Scorpius bit his nail
again, apparently deep in the memory.
“There were some bigger guys stationed to protect the artifacts, but like
nothing I had seen before,” he ran a hand through his hair, “Rose this was the
kind of man power that they’d have on a hideout. And it was.”
“A hideout?” she asked.
“Like a home base for their operations,” Scorpius explained, “It was more than
we could have hoped to find.”
“When we went in, cleared out the place, we only found two or three artifacts;
a lot less than we had expected. But we learned so much more. There were tables
and walls  full  of information about the trades. Coded, of course. That took a
long time to decipher. But the most disturbing part was when Teddy found your
picture.”
“What?” Rose gasped, leaning forward more. She was forced to lean back when the
waitress came over with the food. There was a beautiful Tempura Prawn plate
with a salad, some sort of fried chicken with a peanut sauce, and a beautiful
steak. Rose might have been too wrapped up in the story to eat, but she hadn’t
had a proper dine-out like this in a few weeks. While she pulled a few pieces
of chicken onto her plate with a fork, Scorpius cut the steak in half. She
started with a bite of salad, and was surprised by the bite of spice to it. She
took a sip of her wine, and her tastebuds were in heaven.
“Tell me more about my stalkers,” Rose prompted, starting in on the steak.
Scorpius twirled his fork in his hand, finishing the bite he was on.
“They had your weekly schedule down to a point,” he told her, “Possible grocery
points, dinner places, drinking habits. We contacted Harry immediately. He came
down, and while we found tons of information about the routes, there was no
information about any one person. Except for you. And no ties as to why. Why
the hell would this illegal trade business want to know what days Rose wanted
to stay late at the office?”
Rose snorted, “My life is not that interesting,” she said, but despite her
laugh, Rose couldn’t hide that she felt very uneasy about the intrusion of
privacy. Scorpius eyed her warily, clearly picking up on her discomfort.
“Yeah, it couldn’t have been for anything good,” he said quietly, “Harry
assigned Teddy to the trade deals, and asked if I would take your case. Protect
you. I said ‘Why not  Teddy ? They’re close, aren’t they?’ but he told me Teddy
was too high-profile. He’d had the Gringotts break-in case just a month
before.”
“Oh, I remember that,” Rose interrupted, “They’d used him as a spokesperson to
ease public unrest. Some of those rich pureblood families were pissed about
their money.”
“Wouldn’t you be?” Scorpius countered, taking a bite of his salad. Rose grinned
back at him and shrugged, throwing in the towel. He wasn’t wrong.
“If Teddy had been hanging around you, the Death Keepers would know,” he
nodded, affirming his own conclusions.
What does illegal trade have to do with me?
They ate in silence for a bit, and Rose distracted herself with appreciating
the spread of food in front of them.
“This is real good,” Rose said between bites, and Scorpius laughed. By the end
of the meal they were good and stuffed. The bottle of wine was empty, and Rose
figured she’d probably drank most of it. Her cheeks were tinged pink, the only
giveaway to her lightweight nature. Scorpius squared the huge bill, despite
Rose’s protests.
“What money are you gonna pay with?” he had laughed. Rose puffed up and pouted
as if it would make any difference. They passed by Albus and Sam at the bar,
and Rose punched Scorpius in the arm to point them out. When the pair left,
they were grinning like idiots.
“Did you see that?” Rose asked as if he were blind. When she had glanced at
them, there was no mistake that Sam was feeling Albus’s bicep.
“Albus and Sam? Of course Rose, they’re watching us,” he rolled his eyes at
her.
“Noooo,” she giggled, “It’s his signature flirt. Sam is putting the moves on
Albus,” she said in a funny voice. Scorpius stared at her seriously for a
moment then she wiggled her eyebrows at him. They both broke out into laughter,
heading down the street together.
 
As they walked, a little blue dress caught Rose’s eye. She stopped suddenly,
almos taking Scorpius down on the icy walkway.
“That dress is the fucking cutest,” she said bluntly, putting a hand on the
store window. Rose was the worst impulse shopper. It took her almost a full
minute to peel herself off the glass.
“Do you want it?” Scorpius asked, looking it over.
“I have no money silly,” Rose shook her head.
“But I do,” he grinned.
“No way am I letting you buy me an expensive dress,” she said immediately, “I
can buy my own clothes when I have my own money.”
“Just try it on,” he grabbed her hand, pulling her into the store, “It is
really cute.”
They walked in, and they were greeted immediately by a worker.
“Just looking,” she said on instinct with a grin, “Thank you so much.” She was
apparently the only worker in the store, and ran off to continue arguing with
some woman about the availability of ten expensive new season items. Rose found
the dress quickly, and happened to pick up five more on the way. Scorpius gave
her a look.
“It’s a good store!” Rose had said in defence. She headed back to the changing
rooms and was thankful that nobody had to let her in. She left the door open
for Scorpius, but he waited patiently by the door. Rose hung up the clothes and
turned to him expectantly.
“Are you gonna come in or not?” she asked, “You’ve gotta tell me if the dresses
are cute.”
Looking around to be sure nobody was watching, he stepped into the small
changing room with Rose. Suddenly they were very close.
“I’m not sure there’s enough room for you to change with me in here,” Scorpius
whispered, slipping his hands behind her head and pulling her lips to meet his.
Rose wasn’t sure if it was the wine, the warm store, or the thoughts swirling
in her head, but when her lips met his, she felt her skin burn. She sighed into
the kiss, and Scorpius silenced her with his tongue. She moved her hands to
undo his thick jacket.
The store wasn’t empty on a friday night. There were other people in the long
set of dressing rooms, but the worker seemed to busy to care about them just
then, and Scorpius had looked hot all night.
“Here?” he laughed against her lips, shrugging out of his jacket. He grabbed
his wand and muttered a quick silencing spell, and another that Rose recognized
as an illusionist spell.
“What did you just do?” she giggled, shrugging out of her own coat.
“If anyone looks right at us, their eyes will glide straight past as if this
dressing room were never here,” he shrugged, “A little one I picked up from
Teddy actually.”
“Come here you hot, smart man,” Rose said comically, pulling him close by the
shirt. His lips were on hers again, traveling quickly down her neck. Rose went
weak in the knees.
For a brief moment, Rose let herself relax into the feel of Scorpius. His warm
body through thin layers of clothing. The hardness of him rubbing roughly into
her thigh. This was a man that she could see herself with. In every touch, she
recognized what had been missing in all her past lovers. She couldn’t name it,
but knew that nobody else had it the way he did: passion.
He pulled her pants and panties down, and she shook her hips, wiggling her way
out of them. She moved her foot to step out of one pant leg, but Scorpius
seized it, kneeling between her legs and tossing it over one shoulder. He
wasted no time at slipping his tongue around her clit, using rough movements
with his mouth. Rose gasped, throwing her head back and relaxing into the
feelings.  God, the things he can do with his mouth , Rose thought. She slipped
her fingers into his hair, holding him against her. Her enthusiasm caused him
to pull back, and she felt him smile against her skin, “Calm down,” he spoke
against her pink flesh, vibrating her core and causing goosebumps to raise on
her skin, “I’ll have my way with you yet,” and she moaned loudly as he slipped
two fingers into her. She was so wet already that they slid in easily, and her
walls clenched around him. Scorpius curled them deliciously, and Rose felt a
beautiful pressure inside of her. His tongue was back on her clit immediately,
and Rose felt a slow build start in her. Everytime she was almost there,
Scorpius would change movements. At one point, Rose grew so frustrated that she
cried out when she lost her orgasm.
Finally, so frustrated and done with the ordeal, Rose pulled him up as fast as
she could. Scorpius laughed at her enthusiasm, and she ignored him, pulling his
pants down roughly and slipping her shirt off. His long, hard erection met her,
and Rose’s mouth watered in anticipation. She was so ready for him that she
spun around and leaned forward, giving him full access to her dripping wet
pussy. Scorpius wasted no time, steadying her with one hand, and aligning
himself with the other. Rose realized then that she was facing the dressing
room mirror. She got one look at herself and felt her vagina clench at the
empty air. Rose looked thoroughly fucked, and they hadn’t even shagged yet. Her
hair was thrown to one side, and her face was filled with desire. As Scorpius
entered her, she saw her face emanate pure pleasure, finally finding a kindle
for her built up tension. Scorpius fucked her hard, and fast. With one hand on
each side of the mirror, Rose had a wonderful view. Her breasts, held by a
white lacy bralette, jiggled in the cups with each thrust. She looked to
Scorpius and met his eyes. She felt a fresh gush of wetness flow from her as
she held his gaze, watching the way his mouth hung open a little as he slid in
and out of her. His eyes were glazed over, lost in the sensations of her.
Finally, she felt herself slip into an orgasm, clenching tight around his
thick, hard cock. Rose moaned loudly, and Scorpius grabbed her hips more
roughly, pounding into her relentlessly. She watched him through the mirror as
she came, seeing him gasp as he felt his own release. Watching Scorpius’s face
as he came was the hottest thing that Rose had ever seen in her life. His
eyebrows relaxed, and he leaned his head back slightly, giving himself in to
her body. Scorpius stayed in Rose for a moment longer, and Rose gasped, trying
to regain her breath.
 
Scorpius and Rose left the store hand in hand. As they were walking, they ran
into Alice and Roxanne.
“Hey guys!” Rose grinned, “How’s your night been?”
“Well,” Roxanne made a show of thinking, “When you guys disappeared for an hour
into a clothes store, we looked for places to drink since tonight is going just
fine, thank you very much,” Roxanne gave Scorpius a pointed look. He rolled his
eyes at her.
“They’re a little out of our price range, so we grabbed some firewhiskey and
figured we could head back to the tent,” Alice held up two paper bags.
“Sounds perfect to me,” Scorpius responded, “Have you guys seen Albus and Sam?”
“We think they already headed back after their duty,” Roxanne responded.
“Perfect, let’s gooooo!” Rose barreled ahead, hoping she was heading in the
right direction.
 
                                      ...
 
When they arrived back at the tent, Rose tried to make as much noise as
possible. She giggled, blaming it on the firewhiskey she had opened as she
walked back to the tent, but it was really just in case Sam was  really
putting the moves on Albus. Much to her disappointment, when they walked in,
Sam and Albus were simply sharing some tea.
“You’re doing it wrong!” She giggled, walking up to Albus. He watched in horror
as she poured some of the whiskey into his tea.
“You’ve soiled perfectly good tea!” Albus shouted in indignation.
“Hey, tea with whiskey is pretty good!” She responded, sticking her tongue out.
“Not cinnamon and watermelon!” he cried.
“Who the fuck drinks watermelon tea anyways,” Roxanne muttered, taking Rose’s
bottle and drinking a deep swig of it.
After Albus poured his tea down the drain ( Why did you do that, you just
wasted perfectly good whiskey!? ), the group passed the bottles around, asking
about their days. They recounted pretty typical sightseeing, and the
conversation dissolved into banter.
“I can’t believe you drink skim milk,” Roxanne scoffed, “Who the fuck wants
water with their milk?!”
“I just preferred the taste,” Alice shrugged, struggling to keep a straight
face.
“The  taste !!??” Roxanne shouted, “ There is no bloody taste!!!  You want some
now? I’ll pour you a glass of water with a  shot  of milk you bloody twat!”
Rose stood and wobbled a little.
“You good Rose?” Alice asked, clearly happy to change the course of
conversation.
“Totally fine,” she responded, “I’m just gonna run and pee real quick.”
“I’ll go with you,” Roxanne responded, “I should probably leave Alice to think
about what she’s done.”
They exited the tent together, and both took a deep breath, letting it out
slowly.
“Being social is hard,” Roxanne said, starting the walk away from the tent.
“You’ve fucking telling me,” Rose shook her head, “We’ve partied a lot
recently, but being around  people  every day,” she sighed, “Shit.”
They walked in comfortable silence for a while, and Rose watched the trees as
they stepped. It had started snowing lightly, and it was absolutely beautiful.
The silence of the forest rang in her ears like a chime of bells. It was
comforting and serene.
“You totally fucked Scorpius in a dressing room didn’t you,” Roxanne said
suddenly.
“What the hell?” Rose laughed.
“Rose Weasley, I don’t think you’ve taken an hour trying on clothes in your
whole life,” she smiled. Rose simply shook her head.
“We should head back,” she responded.
“Oh you totally did,” Roxanne turned around, leading the way back to the tent.
“I didn’t even buy the cute blue dress I went in for,” Rose realized out loud.
Luckily it was easy to see their way back because of the light footprints in
the new snow. They passed a familiar rock when Rose stopped suddenly.
“Hey Roxanne, do you see those other footprints?” Rose asked, pointing to a
third set leading off from theirs.
“What the-” Roxanne was interrupted as a spell flew from the trees. Rose
ducked, just missing the spell meant for her. Roxanne fell roughly to the snow.
Rose reached for her wand, but the assailant was faster. Rose was hit in the
back, and felt every muscle in her body tense as she went face-first into the
snow.
She felt her heart beat fast in every inch of her skin as footsteps slowly
crunched towards her in the snow. Rose felt tears form in the corners of her
eyes as the ambush stood over her.
“You’re smart, Rose,” a deep unfamiliar voice sounded from over her, “Lucky for
me you're too fucked to retaliate.”
Chapter End Notes
     Author's Note - Thanks for a great 2017 y'all! My job's gonna demand
     a lot of my attention until about June, so I apologize for my partial
     hiatus. I might still be posting, I might not, but again, you will
     eveeeentually see an end to this story. I have no estimation on how
     many chapters this will end up being, but thanks for hanging along
     for the ride. I have to say, I've fallen in love with where this is
     going. PLEASE continue to comment. If you point out plot holes and
     loves and hates, I will likely not comment back, but you probably
     will see them addressed in the story! Thank you for your continuous
     support, I am so happy that my little drawlings get read by someone.
     I hope that all is well with you, beautiful wonderful reader, and
     that this story will start to keep you on the edge of your seat,
     ready to have your mind blown. (Realistically, I feel like I've given
     you NO information, so be ready for that shitbomb to drop.) Stay
     warm!
***** Water & Air *****
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
                                  Push_&_Pull
                                  Chapter 17
                                  Water & Air
 
It was warm out, and after their OWLs, Rose could think of nothing but the
fresh air. She rushed ahead of her two best friends on the path to the school
grounds, throwing her head back and letting the sun warm her face.
“My mom says that the Zabini family is really respectable,” Alice said
factually.
“You would think of his family first,” Roxanne laughed, “I think he probably
has a big…”
“Ew,” Rose laughed, leading the way to the bank of the Great Lake. When they
arrived, they all found a nice patch of grass and lay down, enjoying the sun.
It was crowded out, students trying to escape the confines of the castle after
their long and stressful exams.
“Anyways,” Roxanne continued, “We were just talking. I guess we’ll see if we
hang out at all over the summer. He promised to write.”
Alice sat bolt upright as if she had just remembered something. But when Rose
looked over to her, the expression on Alice’s face was horrified.
“You’re lost Roxanne,” she said. Rose’s head began to ache. She turned to
Roxanne to ask what Alice’s problem was, but Roxanne was no longer next to her.
In fact, the students who had all been laughing and enjoying the day had
disappeared.
“What’s happening?” Rose asked, raising a hand to her head.
“Be careful,” Alice warned, raising her wand to point it at Rose, “They’ll find
you again.”
There was a bright green flash, then darkness.
 
Rose awoke gasping for air. It took her a moment to register she was not in
immediate danger, and when she did, she felt as if she had the worst hangover
of her life. Her head was pounding, and she was a little nauseous.  I didn’t
drink that much, did I?  She asked herself. But when her eyes finally focused
in the dimly lit room, she quickly recalled what had happened.
“Shit,” Rose murmured to herself, now feeling the ropes that held her to a
chair.
“Yeah,” a familiar voice echoed in the small room from behind her, “You’re
telling me.”
“Roxanne!” she gasped, trying to turn her head. Rose couldn’t see much, but
noted the corner of another chair against hers. They must have been back to
back.
“Don’t you dare sound happy to see me Rose, we’re bloody fucked right now,”
Roxanne sighed. Rose blinked, her head clearing just a little, and tried to
take in her surroundings once more. She felt like she was having some sort of
cartoon-style nightmare. The room was so dim that she couldn’t see the color of
the walls, but the worn border clued that wherever she was, it was not well
taken care of. There was a puddle in the corner, a steady drip of water every
few seconds the only sound that could be heard. Rose saw no windows or doors,
but there had to be some way in and out of the room.
She wasn’t sure how long they had been in there, it could have been minutes or
days for all she knew.
“Roxanne,” Rose whispered, her voice shaking.
“I don’t know anything,” she responded blankly, “I’ve been awake for awhile and
nobody has came or left. Just us and that damn fucking dripping.” Rose looked
once more to the puddle. There was piping on the ceiling, and the water seemed
to be coming from one of the larger pipes. Rose’s mind worked quickly, trying
hard to find a way out of this situation, but after several minutes of
perceived dead ends, her head started pounding again.
“Fuck,” she spat, leaning her head back and trying not to cry.
“Yeah, that’s about right,” Roxanne said, no emotion in her voice.
Rose moved to massage her temples, but was caught by her restraints. She let
out a small sigh, jerking roughly against them in a feeble hope they would
snap.
The silence in the room was boring into Rose. At last she said, “My head is
killing me.”
“Yeah,” Roxanne breathed deeply, seemingly deep in thought, “Side effect of the
stun I think.” Rose nodded in response, but realizing Roxanne couldn’t see her,
made a secondary noise of agreement.
Rose had no idea how long they sat like that, making small talk, neither giving
any more knowledge than the other already had. Having no sense of time was
disorienting to her, and Rose’s stomach turned awfully. At one point she
thought she would be sick.
Rose wasn’t sure why her eyes caught it, but before it was even there she
noticed a line forming in the wall in front of her. She whispered a warning to
Roxanne as the dark line traveled down the wall and across, outlining a door,
which swung forward from the wall and let in a robed figure. It was
frighteningly familiar.
 
Rose would never say that she hated a subject of study, but History of Magic
was, by default that subject. Mostly because potions was right after, so the
hour stretched on as she waited to see her cauldron again. This day in
particular would be dreadful, and she saw her apprehension reflected in Albus’s
eyes across the room. She risked a glance next to him to Scorpius. Whenever he
and Rose met eyes, there was a fire in them, waiting to retort whatever insult
she threw at him. Today, however, there was nothing. A blank, guarded
expression for completely different reasons than her own. For the first time in
her life, Rose felt pity for Scorpius Malfoy.
Even though the ghostly Professor Binn’s droning voice could make any lecture
dull, this discussion hit home for many of the young witches and wizards in the
room.
“The first recorded battle of the second wizarding war was in our own
Department of Mysteries,” he began, writing a year on the board, “It was fought
between several young Hogwarts students self-proclaimed ‘Dumbledore’s Army’,
the Order of the Phoenix, and the Death Eaters,” more scratches on the board.
Albus and Rose typically took notes religiously, but they had heard these
stories a thousand times, “During this battle, Minister Fudge himself viewed
the end of a duel between Albus Dumbledore, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and Harry
Potter. This battle signaled the public belief of his return to power. There
was one casualty to the Order of the Phoenix, presumed mass murderer Sirius
Black. All Death Eaters involved were arrested, most notably Lucius Malfoy,
whose house later became the base of operations for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.”
There were more than a few glances and whispers towards Malfoy, who sat stone-
faced. Rose averted her eyes, and focused instead on an image in her textbook.
Standing dark against the pale text, a hooded black figure with a slit for an
eerie mask stared back at her. The sixteen-year-old Rose Weasley tried to
imagine fighting a frightening figure like that.
 
And now one was staring right at her. She could hardly breathe. A second figure
moved in behind the first, and the door closed behind them, merging back in
with the wall. The second figure moved behind her, presumably staring at
Roxanne the same way the person in front of her did.
They were silent for several moments. Rose tensed, trying to remember where her
wand was.
“Are you Death Eaters?” Rose asked quietly. Silence dragged behind her
question. The glittering eyes of the figure looking between Rose’s determined
face.
“We are Death Keepers,” the figure replied. It’s voice sounded feminine. Rose
had no way of reaching her wand, and her heart sank. Instead, she looked more
closely at the ‘Death Keeper’. If she was going to die, she wanted to know her
killer. She tried to memorize all of their features.
“Stupid name,” Roxanne spat, “Not very original.” There was a movement behind
her and Rose flinched as Roxanne cried out in pain.
“ The Augury will come, powerful beyond measure ,” a deeper voice behind her
sounded as if they were reciting lines, “ The keepers will raise her from
despair and illuminate her abilities…”
“We are the Keepers,” the figure in front of her interrupted. Rose’s head
pounded.  That sounds familiar…
“Spit it out then,” Roxanne’s words were angry. An icy feeling crept up Rose’s
spine, “What do you want with us?” More movement from behind her, and Rose
fought against her restraints, trying to turn so she could block Roxanne. There
was no cry this time.
Rose had never felt more helpless.
“Knowledge,” the figure in front of Rose said slowly, “You have something we
want.”
“What is it,” Rose asked through gritted teeth. Rose’s Death Keeper looked
across the room to the other one. There was a long moment where they seemed to
communicate without speaking. At last, she nodded and looked back to Rose.
“A potion,” she said, “We did not find one on you when we searched you. Your
renowned talents though, suggest that... with some persuasion,” the Keeper
nodded towards their companion.
“ Crucio ,” Rose heard from behind her.
“No!” she shouted hoarsely, but was shocked by Roxanne’s screams of pain. The
moment stretched on forever. Rose felt Roxanne’s head slam back into her own,
felt the awful contortion of her neck against Rose as Roxanne tried to squirm
away from the pain.
“No,  please  stop!” Rose cried out, tears spilling across her cheeks. The
squirming halted suddenly, and the once silent room was filled with Rose’s sobs
and Roxanne’s whimpers.
The Death Keeper leaned in very close to Rose, “... that with some persuasion,
you could brew it for us.”
Rose’s instinct was to hold her ground. She wanted to shout back her refusal,
to spit in their face.
Never in her life did Rose wish harm upon someone like she did in that moment.
But with the horror of Roxanne’s pain freshly cutting into her, Rose could only
glare her hatred through her tears at her imprisoner.
“My Mopsus potion, right?” her voice was so quiet, and at hearing the defeat
from herself, Rose’s eyes welled up with tears again, “What do you need it
for?”
“No business of yours,” she said quickly, “how long will it take?”
“I’m not sure,” she responded, and they nodded at their companion once more.
“No, wait!” Rose shouted, “I just need materials!” they held up a hand to stop
the torture spell.
“They made me... burn all of my notes,” she said between sobs, “I just need
time to come up with the protocol again.”
“We’re not known for our patience,” they said.
“Please,” Rose cried, and her head hung forwards, “Please, I just need time.”
Rose gasped softly, willing herself to lift her head and look at her captor
once more, but it was as if her body were no longer her own. “I can do it,” she
repeated quietly, but her words were drowned by a loud crash and a bright
light.
Looking up, Rose cried in relief. A blonde-haired boy wordlessly threw a spell
at her captor. She dodged it and disappeared behind Rose. She struggled against
her restraints again, and Alice slipped in behind Scorpius, rushing to Rose.
Alice pointed her wand at the restraints.
“Please, please, please,” she begged, feeling so trapped. Suddenly there was a
loud crack behind her, and profuse swearing.
“They took her!” Scorpius shouted, turning towards a new figure at the fallen
wall, “Albus they have Roxanne.”
“ Emancipare ,” Alice whispered, and as the ropes slithered out from Rose’s
arms, she flung herself forward and out of the chair.
“Wait, Rose, your legs!” Alice warned, rushing to untie those as well, but Rose
could think of nothing but trying to get away from that horrible room. She
barely noted when her legs were freed, but proceeded to crawl towards the
blasted opening. Catching her leg on a piece of fallen wood, Rose fell over
herself and sobbed, curling into a ball on the floor. She felt hands on her
back, trying to rouse her back to sanity, but Rose could only sob, staring at
the corner of the room where water was still dripping every few seconds.
 
                                       …
 
Rose was carried from the building into a snowy forest. At some point they met
Sam in the woods. Everything was a blur, and she didn’t even know who was
carrying her.
“-Can’t go back…” she heard someone say. Rose started singing very softly to
herself, trying to block out the scene around her.  Down in the “valley, valley
so low. Hang your” head over, hear the wind blow.  Only half of Rose’s words
seemed to leave her mouth. When the voices around her grew more frantic, she
started humming louder, the words of the old lullaby filling her head.
Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow. Hang your head over, hear the
wind blow.
“I don’t know,” a voice above her shouted over her singing, “We can’t just
apparate, I have to contact someone. We can’t stay in Australia.”
“Ethan lives in Adelaide,” Rose whispered.
“Hey,” A voice said loudly from next to her, “Rose said Ethan lives here.” Rose
opened her eyes to look at Albus, whose lips were pressed together in a tight
line.
“We have nowhere to go mate,” another voice responded. At last, Albus nodded.
Side-along appariting seemed to have no effect on Rose. What did have an effect
on her, was recognizing the five small trees planted in the front yard. The
stone pathway leading to a house with all its lights off.  “Roses love
sunshine, violets love dew.”  Rose sang softly again, burying her face in the
chest of who she now recognized as Scorpius. His arms tightened around her as
they knocked.
Lights flicked on. Alarmed voices. Blankets. Hushed discussions. The flash of
wandwork and protective spells being put in place.  “Angels in heaven know I
love you.”  Rose found herself wrapped tightly on a large couch. Sam sat in
front of her, taking one of her hands. She tried to speak, but couldn’t find
anything other than song lyrics. He rubbed circles on the back of her hand.
“Know I love you, dear, know I love you,”  Rose sang at Sam. He looked sad, but
she couldn’t remember why. Rose shivered and closed her eyes,  “Angels in
heaven, know I love you.”
 
A while later, Sam’s hand was replaced by a larger one, and Scorpius made Rose
look at him. Once she recognized his face, he crawled onto the couch onto her
and flicked the lights off.  “Will you be mine, dear, will you be mine?”  Rose
muttered softly.
“My father used to sing me this song,” Scorpius pulled Rose tightly to him. She
didn’t know she had been shivering for so long until just then. Rose tried to
commit his words to memory, since she couldn’t respond just then.  Answer my
question, "Will you be mine?"
“He didn’t have a good voice like you,” Scorpius laughed quietly, listening to
her hum another line. Rose paused briefly, breathing deep. “He was pretty awful
actually. But I loved it.”
Hear the wind blow, dear, hear the wind blow.
“He’d visit me and tuck me in and sing a verse. I always felt safe when he did.
Loved.” Scorpius’s voice was far off now. Rose’s humming ceased, and she moved
a hand to gently place it over his.
Very quietly, and almost without a tune, Scorpius sang the last line back to
her,  “Hang your head over, hear the wind blow.”
And Rose drifted off to a peaceful rest with the sound of Scorpius’s snores.
Chapter End Notes
     Author’s Note: Welcome back! Again, not rushing to get chapters out,
     and I’ve been feeling very uninspired under my loads of work. I
     recently picked up the Harry Potter audiobooks for my long commutes,
     and ideas have finally been flowing again! WHOO! Plot ideas though,
     not sex ideas, so I have no idea where the style will go. I have
     always been committed to the major plotline, which was written before
     any of the chapters, and will expose itself in the next few. Please
     let me know where you think things are going! Were you surprised by
     Rose shutting down through all this? Who the hell is Ethan? I love
     her but damn she does not know how to handle her shit. Tell me what
     you think! Miss and love y’all. ♥♥♥
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