The Red Rose That Has Green Thorns

“Excellent bacon,” Scorpius finally said, as cheering rang from the Entrance Hall for more entrants.

“The eggs are pretty good,” I murmured in reply. He laughed as we fell into another brief silence.

“That was quite an experience,” Scorpius finally said. “The looks on their faces - as though none of them knew we’ve been friends for years!”

“As if it were our parents in the same situation,” I said, kind of darkly, and Scorpius nodded in grim agreement.

“That, too.”

“You’re right, this bacon is excellent.”

This made Scorpius laugh again.

“I’m so glad it’s a Saturday,” I sighed. “No classes for two more days. Hallelujah.”

“I don’t think I’d be able to concentrate if we had classes today,” Scorpius admitted. “And we only have two free days if you’re counting what’s left of today.”

“Yeah, yeah. But I wouldn’t be able to concentrate either, which is exactly why I’m glad it’s a Saturday!” I retorted. Scorpius grinned at me and just shook his head. I grinned cheekily back, getting over the slight queasiness I’d had from entering the tournament.

My face didn’t quite go read, but I turned my attention back to my plate just in case.

How was it that I’d never noticed how truly perfect in every way my best mate was?

“Bloody Hell!” a voice came not even a minute later. “And you didn’t tell me?!” Al cried indignantly.

“ ‘Twas a secret,” Scorpius and I said in unison - both with our mouths full.

Al stared.

“What?” I asked, swallowing. “Haven’t you ever seen people eating before?”
Scorpius laughed again, and Al joined in. I grinned and rolled my eyes, taking another bite of egg.

That afternoon, I lay on the couch in the Head Dormitory’s common room, reading Eragon. Eldest lay abandoned on the table, and the recently removed-from-my-possession Brisingr was on the arm of the green armchair. I was very relaxed, needless to say, and actually drifted asleep on page 251.

I was limping, my left leg dragging and my foot twisted at a rather awkward and painful-looking angle. There was blood running down it. It was nighttime.

I was nervous, edgy, even scared. I was wary, and I jumped at the sound of my own footsteps. I couldn’t do anything faster than a very, very, very slow walk. I normally loved the nighttime, but this time was different.

Then I heard it, as though it was being shouted - frantically - from a distance, “ROSE!”

I awoke in a cold sweat, even though I hadn’t seen how the dream had ended. I took a deep breath and looked around. Everything was just as I had left it when I dozed off. I sighed, a slight hint of relief in my voice, and picked up Eragon once more. I was trying to dismiss the unnerving dream, and I tried to clear my head with the familiar flow of words, in the spell I like to call a good book, and I succeeded.

After a while, I glanced at the clock to see it proclaiming 9 o’clock. I groaned, realizing I’d missed supper, and started to get up. As soon as I’d stood up, images began flashing across my mind at an alarming rate.

Acromantulas, blood, worried looks, centaurs, Grawp, and Hagrid carrying a rather limp form towards a tent with a St. Mungo’s emblem on it. A brief pause, then a faint scream from the dream - “ROSE!” - from a distance, echoing in a faintly familiar voice that I couldn’t have named.

The images repeated in another order, going faster and faster.

~~~~~

Narration

Scorpius glanced at his watch, looking about himself for a moment with a bundle of food tucked under his arm. He realized that it was stupid to have been quite so worried, because he was Head Boy now. He still used caution and took the steps three at a time, reaching the Head’s common room a few short minutes later. He entered, and opened his mouth to greet Rose, who was standing next to the couch. He couldn’t say anything, however, before her eyes rolled back, she let out a strangled cry, and fell to the floor.

“Rose!” Scorpius cried, the food now forgotten and rolling across the floor as Scorpius hit his knees beside her. She was curled in the fetal position, hands clutching at her hair in white-knuckled frenzy, a freakish sight to his worried eyes. “Rose!” he tried again. And again. He repeated her name, but she showed no signs of hearing him, save for a small whimper and reaching one hand towards his voice before returning it to her hair. And so, frantic and unnerved, Scorpius scooped her into his arms and fled from the room.

The hospital wing was eerie at night - that was the first thing he decided as Madam Pomfrey examined her. When she stood stalk-straight and turned towards him, his breath caught in his throat.

“It’s nothing too serious,” she announced, and he let a small breath of relief escape before she continued, “however, I’m going to go fetch Firenze and help him up the stairs.”

“Firenze…?” Scorpius said questioningly.

“She has no signs of any illness, and centaurs are greatly in tune to distant happenings and other causes of distress, so I think he can help. Stay with Miss Weasley until I can return, won’t you?”

“Of course!” Scorpius found his voice.

After she had left, Scorpius went to Rose’s side in three long strides, taking the stool beside her and grasping her clammy hand. He had no idea what was wrong, but it had unsettled him. And so this is how he sat, waiting for Firenze and Madam Pomfrey to return and tell him what was wrong with his best friend.

~~~~~

Rose

I was rather groggy. My head was spinning, and I didn’t dare sit up - or even open my eyes - just yet. So the images took over again, flashing by in all their bloody, terrible glory. It didn’t unsettle me as much this time, but it was still a bit too much for me to bear right now, so finally I shot upright.

“Rose!” A voice said, half in shock, half in relief, with a hint of uncertainty. My hand had a faint warmth about it, as though I’d lain on it in my sleep. I looked over, and saw an all-too familiar shock of platinum blonde hair.

“Scorp?” I asked softly, wincing at the crack in my voice.

“Who else?” he replied, almost hesitantly.

The images ran through my head again and I let out a strangled cry, more from annoyance than anything, and threw my arms around Scorpius in the hope to fend off the terrible recurring visions. The door opened just as Scorpius, caught off guard, lost his balance. He tottered for a moment, then we fell, me in his lap, as I heard light running footsteps and the sound of hooves.

“Miss Weasley, you’ve woken up!” I recognized the voice of Madam Pomfrey, and realized that the tell-tale clicks of hooves were undoubtedly those of our Divination teacher, Firenze. Inwardly, I wondered if this were the Hogwarts version of a shrink.

“Uhhh…Rose?” Scorpius said, “I think Madam Pomfrey would rather talk to you…face-to-face?”

“Oh! Sorry, Scorp,” I muttered, embarrassed, and struggling to my feet. I nearly fell, but Scorpius caught me as he stood, and helped me find a seat on the edge of my bed in the hospital wing.

“How long have you had these visions, young one?”

Everyone turned to stare at Firenze, for it was a sudden question. I hurriedly tried to decide whether to ignore the comment, act like I didn’t know what he was talking about, or come clean. Coming clean would be best, but I didn’t know if I was ready to take the plunge. I might have to, though, now that Firenze had put me on the spot. Wait - he already knew I was exceptionally good at Divination, due to the lessons I sometimes took secretly with him - so had he guessed, long ago, at my visions?

“Visions?” Madam Pomfrey voiced what was clearly etched on the faces of both Scorpius and herself.

“Prophetic visions. Very few are blessed with this ability.” Firenze clarified. “You’ve the look of someone who is used to having them, but this one must have been different.”

“Slightly,” I said dryly. “But what’s life without mixing up the norm sometimes?”

“How was a vision so traumatic it left her unconscious?” Madam Pomfrey asked.

“You know some are of the viewer’s own death. If it was something of the sort, it’s no wonder Rose is here.”

“It wasn’t,” Rose quickly interceded, unwilling to let them go on about a supposed vision of her own death - maybe it was her own injury, but she hoped it had not been her death. “It was just a little bloody, but I couldn’t tell who, and I couldn’t tell where.”

It was a bit of a lie, and I suspected Firenze guessed as much, but he said nothing and merely looked at me in slight curiosity.

“But - if it left you unconscious and so weak, shouldn’t we do something? Perhaps if you told us the contents of your vision, or--”

“There is nothing to talk about,” I said, as firmly as I could. “It’s nothing I can’t handle on my own. After all, am I a Gryffindor or not?”

She didn’t look very approving at all.

“We should at least do something. Firenze…?” she turned to the centaur, expectantly, as though under the impression that he would back her up and force Rose into admitting something, but he let her down.

“We will let this incident be for now,” the centaur said in reply. “Scorpius, if this occurs again, please bring her directly to me.”

“Yes, sir,” Scorpius said, startling me, as I’d nearly forgotten he was there.

“Okay. Now that we’ve got that settled, can I leave?” I groaned. Scorpius kind of chuckled, and I realized he had seated himself in the chair beside my bed again.

Madam Pomfrey sighed, recognizing the glint in my eye - if she didn’t let me go, she’d find I’d left on my own anyway. “It’s early on a Sunday morning, and it’s getting chilly out, so I expect you to stay in your dorm for most of today, except at meals. Am I understood? You’re still so weak I’m sure you can hardly stand…normally I wouldn’t let you leave, you know, but I know how much you Potters and Weasleys detest the hospital. After all, I see at least one of the clan a week! And I’m sure you’ll not follow my instructions exactly, but it’s my job to at least try to help you get well.”

“And I thank you for it,” I grinned, “So, I’ll be going now!”

“Just hurry before I change my mind. Mr. Malfoy, you’ll most likely be needed to assist her to your common room. Is this acceptable?”

“Completely,” Scorpius said, standing.

“Go.”

“Bye!” I said, hopping up and taking four quick strides before I became wobbly and had to go slower. I reached the doorframe and leaned against it, and I didn’t know that as I took this rest, Madam Pomfrey leaned over and whispered in Scorpius’ ear, “I think you’ll have to carry her. It’s early enough that students aren’t supposed to be out of bed, and if she keeps going like that she’s likely to collapse.”

I did hear Scorpius reply, “Yeah, I think I’ll do that. It’ll be quicker, anyhow.” as he caught up to me.

“Hey! Stop! Stop! Scorp, what’re you--?!” I cried as my feet left the floor.

“I’m carrying you, duh. You won’t make it to the dorms the way you’re going.” he said, sighing - but a little glint of laughter shined in his eyes.

“Scorpius!” I groaned. “Don’t embarrass me! It’s a Sunday! How many people are out?!”

“Calm down, Rose,” he chuckled in my ear. “It’s too early for them to be out. It’s three-thirty in the morning.”

I flushed dark as I muttered, “Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘Oh.’ Now hold on, I’m taking the stairs at a run.”

“Whaa---ah!” I flung my arms around him as his long legs took the stairs three at a time - just like always. He laughed at me and I hit him in the back side of his shoulder, where my clenched fist rested. He just laughed harder.
We narrowly avoided Peeves on the sixth floor, but otherwise we had no encounters on our trip back up to the dorms.