Raindrops on Roses

Chapter 17: Sixth Year Part 4: Confessions

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Al did not sleep in the dormitory that night, so Scorpius did not have a chance to ask him what he wanted to ask. He was very slow to get up the next day, staring miserably at his own reflection in the mirror. He had hardly slept at all. He was torn between anger at Rose for what she had said, and anger at himself for not doing something about it earlier. He should have noticed how she felt, and now that he thought about it - and he found it very hard to think about anything else, now - certain things made a lot more sense. Why she had been so upset in their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class, for example. You didn't hex people you fancied, even if a teacher told you to.

Eventually he gave up looking in the mirror. It was not giving him any answers, and he had to find Albus. Luckily it was a Sunday, so he had plenty of time, but somehow he had to do it without running into Rose, either.

It wasn't hard. Al and Lizzie were still tangled up on the sofa in the common room - fully dressed, thankfully, though Al's glasses were folded on the coffee table - and he was stroking her hair. Suddenly Scorpius felt a maddening urge to slap both their silly lovesick faces.

"How many Prefects know that you two never went to bed last night?" he demanded.

Al groaned. "Oh shut up," he said. "Peter won't mind."

"What about the Hufflepuff Prefects? Liz, you were out of your House all night. What if your dad finds out?"

"You're very grumpy this morning," Lizzie said, unconcerned. She sat up and stretched, straightening her clothes - much to Albus' obvious disappointment. "Bel knows where I was, she'll cover for me. What's got your knickers in a twist?"

He glared at her, and she returned his look with an annoyingly calm expression. It was too calm for him to handle, so he turned on Albus instead. "Tell me something," he said shortly. "Did you think I was in love with Rose?"

"Yes," said Albus andLizzie in unison.

"Seriously?" he said incredulously.

"Mate, everyone knows," Al said, shaking his head. "If you want to keep that stuff a secret, don't wear that puppy dog look on your face every time you look at her."

"I do not -" he began, then shook his head, as that was not the point. "What did you say to her?"

"What did you say to her?" Lizzie asked, frowning. "Did something happen?"

"Don't get me started on you," Scorpius said, rounding on her. "What do you mean by telling her I did nothing but talk about her all summer?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, you did, you ass."

"Lizzie, what did you say to her?"

"I told her you were in love with her."

Scorpius clenched his fists, wondering vaguely if the ability to kill was genetic. If so, he might be really good at it. "Why?"

"Because you are, mate," Al said. "It's really painfully obvious, to everyone except you, apparently."

"She's in love with you too," Lizzie said helpfully.

"I know," Scorp said flatly. "She told me." Where had this word love come from anyway? No one accused Albus and Lizzie of being in love. They were just... going out. It all had to be so bloody complicated.

"You don't seem very pleased," Lizzie said.

"Because I'm not -" he hesitated.

"See," Lizzie said triumphantly. "You can't say you're not in love with her."