Let me apologize
I'll make up, make up, make up, make up for all those times
Your love, I don't wanna lose
I'm beggin', beggin', beggin', beggin', I'm beggin' you
ROSE FELT HER HEART SKIP a thousand beats when she looked herself in the mirror. Even though she was tired and worn out from the efforts for the Yule Ball tonight (she had spent all day with the prefects and the new appointed Head, Matthew Bell, a Hufflepuff she knew back in their prefect years) the dress had managed to make her look like an elegant woman.
"You look beautiful," Hugo smiled, kissing her temple. "I think the dress suits you."
She was focused on the arms of the dress, noticing the vines with thorns wrapped around her.
Maybe Scorpius was right. Maybe they were alike.
His venom, her thorns.
"Mum sent a package for us," Hugo straightened his collar in front of the mirror in the common room. "I got Dad's watch to wear."
Everyone was already decked out into their gowns and suits, ready for the Yule Ball. She hoped it would be as extravagant as she planned it to be.
"What about you, Ronnie?" he looked over his shoulder at her.
She grimaced. "Paola probably dropped it off at Malfoy's dorm. She wouldn't know to fly her since I moved back."
He winced. "Want me to come with?"
"No," she shook her head, snatching up her wand. "I got this."
~
Rose entered the dorm with wary steps, rounding the corner of the couch and even peeking into the bathroom to see if she could catch a glimpse of the elusive Slytherin Head.
"Malfoy?" she called out as she rapped her knuckles against his room door.
After a moment, she stepped back and glanced around the living area in hopes that maybe she'd find a clue as to where he went.
Something on the kitchen counter caught her eye. It was a small vial, the kind used to hold peppermint oil. There was about 3 cm of a clear liquid. Rose walked over and snatched up the vial to read the label attached.
"Unbelievable." she snorted.
But something was itching in her to find out Scorpius' side of the story. So she pocketed the vial and made her way to the Headmistress' office.
The door creaked as Rose swung the doors open. On the elevated platform was McGonagall, lounging about as a cat.
At the sight of her, the Headmistress blinked twice, then padded over to the sink bordered by three vertical mirrors. Rose took that as permission and opened the vial of Scorpius' tears, letting them fall into the glowing water of the pensieve before plunging her face in.
~
The memory through her into the summer of fifth year. Albus' belated birthday party was in full swing. Rose could spot herself from across the tent in a baby blue chiffon dress, laughing with the joke that Lorcan and Lysander made, reminding her of the stories she used to hear from Dad about his own twin brothers.
But despite that warm feeling, she felt herself choke on the dark jealousy brewing in Scorpius' heart.
Scorpius was watching her from a distance, interacting now and then with Albus as her cousin was pulled along by different family members to dance and reminisce on his earlier days of unbridled youth.
Scorpius eventually cut in between Lorcan and her dancing to pull her away into his arms. Scorpius kept an arm at her waist, pressing her close to him. "You look beautiful, Rose."
The grin she sent his way made all of Scorpius' insecurities melt away. Rose herself couldn't remember the last time she smiled that big. "You clean up rather well yourself, Scorp."
He spun her once, then twice, dipping her down just for good measure.
"You've improved your dancing skills just for me?" she teased.
He smiled down at her. Rose was confused by the adoring look in his eyes, and it seemed that her past self was confused as well. "For you, I'd do anything."
For some reason, Rose was envious of her past self. Scorpius seemed so different, so genuine. Her past self was lucky to have him at his best.
Before she knew it, it was time to clean up and the party had died down. Clean up outside had been pushed onto the eldest- which meant Rose, Scorpius, Victoire, and Teddy were all cleaning up the mess outside of the tent.
The jealousy had eased to the back burner as Scorpius stared longingly at her past self.
"Today was fun." she began as she leaned down to pick up a wrapping from a chocolate frog. "Lorcan is actually hilarious-"
The jealousy came back full force, like a tidal wave that swallowed Rose whole. She couldn't imagine actually being Scorpius in this moment.
"Lorcan? Again? Why do you keep mentioning him? I've seen you flirting with him the whole night. We agreed to be exclusive- which means you're mine. I don't share." Scorpius snapped viciously.
Rose jerked back from his aggressive stance. "What are you going on about?"
The lump in Scorpius' throat matched her own as she watched her younger self knit her brows in confusion.
"Rose. Listen. I love you." Scorpius breathed out. "I know we said no feelings attached, but I just can't. I don't care what our parents would or wouldn't say. I want to be with you. And seeing you with Lorcan today just drove me crazy-"
"Scorpius, stop." she said quietly. "I'm not going to do this with you. We agreed not to have feelings. How long have you felt this way?"
Scorpius heart broke at her cold demeanor. "Since the beginning. It's been you, Rose. It's always been you."
"And what just happened- was that part of you loving me? You scared me Scorp. You didn't act like a jealous boyfriend, you acted like a possessive owner."
Scorpius sucked in a breath. "Rose, I'm so sorry. Let me make it up to you."
Rose clenched the wrapper in her fist. "No. I'm done. This thing between us is over."
And when Rose turned her back and walked away from Scorpius, he pulled out his wand and Obliviated her.
"I'll make you forget the fight, and things can go back to normal." he muttered under his breath, worry laced in his tone as he pulled out the wand.
Oh Merlin. His intention was just the fight. He never meant to erase everything.
Rose wanted to step into the scene, to scream at Scorpius to stop before he did something irreversible. Something both of them would regret for the rest of their lives. Rose felt the spell go awry, Scorpius not concentrated enough as the spell touched upon memories that shouldn't have been tampered with.
Her past self had blinked a few times before turning back to look at Scorpius. "Malfoy? What are you doing? Put your wand away, we have to clean up."
Malfoy.
Scorpius realized then that something had gone terribly wrong. She stopped calling him Malfoy when they had begun their arrangement.
"Rose?" he croaked, hating how weak his voice sounded as he stepped closer to her.
She looked uncomfortable at his proximity. The same proximity in which Scorpius would recall she once loved.
"What is it? Why are you acting weird? And why are you tearing up?" she laughed. "What? Upset Maryse Zabini didn't show up so you could flirt with her?"
Scorpius heart clenched painfully and he staggered back. This was his karma. He tried to make Rose forget their fight- to cheat his way back to how things were through shortcuts. But now she didn't remember their time at all.
"Damn it," he hissed, angry at himself for letting it come to this.
So instead of explaining to Rose the horrors of what he just did, Scorpius walked away from Rose. For good. It was the only way he saw that he could atone for what he did.
~
Rose jerked out of the pensieve, gasping for air.
"Scorpius- oh Godric, he loved me!" she cried out, gripping the lip of the pensieve tightly.
She saw McGonagall's reflection over her shoulder. "No, Rose. He loves you. And you love him."
Rose squeezed her eyes tight. How could she have been so blind to it? Everything he did, he did for her.
For you, I'd do anything.
Her eyes flew open as she stared hard at her reflection. She needed to make things right between her and Scorpius. And she knew just exactly how.