Never Be The Same {SCOROSE}

Chapter 6 - Scorpius [UPDATED]

"What a mess I made upon your innocence"

Albus spent the remainder of the afternoon shooting me looks I couldn't quite understand. Whatever he was trying to communicate, I had a feeling it wasn't positive, because he didn't seem at all inclined to talk to me. Rose was no better, of course. She would hardly even look at me.

Maybe I deserved it. Last night had been... crazy, really. I'd let the hormones take over, and it was probably a mistake. There was a possibility I had ruined my one chance with Rose Weasley. But I couldn't help feeling like something had clicked between us last night, long before the alcohol or lust or anything else had kicked in. If I could convince her of that... maybe, just maybe, she wouldn't give up on me so quickly.

Easier said than done, I reminded myself, a wry expression on my face as I approached the Slytherin common room. I spoke the password quickly and slipped inside, hoping to avoid any encounters inside like the one with Prissy last week. I didn't have the energy for it. I'd slept plenty well last night, but the hangover, combined with the mental pressure of the Rose situation and the fact that Al apparently wasn't speaking to me, made me want to crawl into bed and hide until everything resolved itself. Hah. If only life were that easy.

Luckily, the common room was sparsely populated, and I made it to my dormitory without having to face any unpleasant conversations. The only person inside when I reached it was Carson Rowle, who was digging through his trunk looking for something (knowing him, he would definitely never find it, whatever it was). He looked up as I came in, and smirked when he saw it was me. "Out late last night, Malfoy?"

I set my jaw, pacing towards my bed. "So what if I was?"

Rowle raised an eyebrow. "Oh, we're a bit touchy, aren't we?"

"It's none of your damn business if I am."

He scoffed, tossing his dark blond hair like the pretentious asshole he was. "Something's really got your knickers in a twist. Normally you'd be ready and willing to regale me with tales of your-"

Someone cleared their throat, and I turned to see Albus leaning against the doorframe, fiddling with his prefect badge. "As much as I hate to break up this clearly enthralling conversation, Carson, Teresa is out in the hallway and wants to talk to you. I told her I'd send you out."

Rowle groaned. "What the fuck did you do that for? Now I've gotta go."

My friend didn't look amused. "If you're so averse to talking to her, why don't you just break it off?"

"We are not together," the blond boy whined, slamming the top of his trunk shut. "The girl just does not understand the concept of no strings attached." Grumbling to himself, he brushed past Albus and out the door.

I rolled my eyes, a snide comment about Rowle on the tip of my tongue, but paused when I realized that Al had shut the door and was staring at me, arms crossed. I made a face. "Is Teresa even out there, or did you just want to get rid of the potential witness so you could kill me at your leisure?"

My best friend sighed, walking over to lean against his bedpost but never taking his eyes off of me. "Contrary to what you may think, I'm not angry. I'm just-"

"I swear, Albus, if the word disappointed is about to come out of your mouth..."

"I know it makes me sound like a dad," Al said, "but there's no other way to put it. I thought you could handle yourself... I thought you were capable of proving your worth... I still do think you can, and you are... but you failed to show it. Merlin knows I've put up with plenty of bullshit from you, Scorp, but... screwing my cousin on the first date? That might be a new low."