The Romance of the snake and the rose

The Hospital Wing

Rose woke up to the sound of soft voices whispering around her, The first thing she was conscious of was that all the pain she'd been feeling had vanished. She was lying in a bed with starchy sheets, sunlight falling onto her face. Rose opened her eyes and looked around. She was in the hospital wing, on a bed surrounded by curtains for privacy. Her left arm was covered in thick bandages. Sitting around her were her friends; Alice, Roxanne, Gracie and Susanne. They were chatting in whispers, when suddenly Alice noticed that she'd woken up.

"Rose!" she exclaimed, hugging her gently, "You're awake!". The other girls all turned to her and broke into smiles.

"Oh we were so worried about you!" Susanne told her, giving Rose a hug too.

"What day is it?" asked Rose groggily.

"It's Monday morning," said Gracie tentatively, "You've been out of it for a while Rose,"

"What happened while I was sleeping?" asked Rose, sitting up in the bed. Her friends exchanged smiles.

"Well," began Alice, "Finneas Brentley's been having a pretty hard time. Almost everyone knows he pushed you down those stairs. His house hates him now, since their value is kindness and he obviously isn't very nice. Even the teachers are giving him a cold shoulder." Rose allowed herself a small smile.

"The school told your parents what happened," added Gracie -Rose cringed-, "And your Dad was going to come over and curse Finneas, but your Mum convinced him to just never let Finneas into a Weasley's Wizard Wheezes store ever again, and to give people a discount if they promise to prank Finneas with their products,". Rose groaned at this, her father was extremely overprotective, and she hated it, but she was secretly happy with him this time.

"We've got to go to class now," said Susanne, "But we'll come see you later Rose,"

"Your Slytherin prince might drop in for a visit too," teased Roxanne, making Rose blush, and her friends waved her goodbye and walked out of the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey came to check on Rose and change her bandages. She gave Rose a large breakfast and told her to eat up and then try and get some rest. She also gave her two letters, one from her mother and one from her father, and told her she'd come and check on Rose later.

Rose ate her breakfast slowly, relishing each bite. Once she had a clean plate, she decided to read the letters from her parents. First she read her father's one;

Dear Rosie,

Your mother and I have heard about what that foul git Brentley did to you. I initially wanted to come to the school and curse his face in, but your mother doesn't think that's a very good idea, so instead he's been banned from WWW, and customers get a fifty percent discount if they're going to use their products on him. It just goes to show you can never really trust a Hufflepuff. Best to stick to your own house Rosie. We can't wait to see you in the half term,

Love Dad xxx

Rose bristled at the last few words, better stick to your own house. What was that supposed to mean? Sighing, she opened the second letter;

Dear Rose,

I'm very sorry to hear about what happened to you. I know Madam Pomfrey will take good care of you, but make sure to eat well and try and to keep up with your classes, you don't want to miss too much. I heard it was Draco Malfoy's son who took you to the Hospital Wing, please let him know your father and I are very grateful too him. I hope you get well soon,

lots of love, Mum xxx

Please let him know your father and I are very grateful too him. Rose pondered over that line. Did her mother not care if she was friends with a Malfoy? It sounded like that. But her father, however, definitely cared, and would never accept it. Sighing again, Rose cleared away the letters and her breakfast things, and then rolled over in the bed to try and get some sleep. She drifted off after a couple of minutes, but awoke again not long afterwards. Finneas was standing awkwardly beside her bed, a very disgruntled looking Madam Pomfrey hovering behind him.

"Hi," he said in a forced voice. Hi? Really? Rose sat up in bed and looked at him with an annoyed expression.

"What are you doing here?" she snarled at him. Finneas took a step back, as though hurt. He looked like the shy boy she'd thought she'd known when he'd asked her to Hogsmeade again.

"I just came to apologize Rose," he said softly, looking down at the floor and then back at her eyes. He gave her one of his signature small shy smiles. Was he trying to regain her friendship? Really?

"Well now you have," she told him coldly, "You can clock off now,". Finneas' small smile faded.

"Rosie.." he said, taking a step closer to her. Rosie?

"Go away," she told him irritably, busying herself with straightening the letters from her parents on her bedside table. Finneas' friendly demeanor vanished and his face hardened.

"Fine." he said coldly, and turned around, walking briskly out of the hospital wing.

"Idiot boy," muttered Madam Pomfrey as she too walked away.

Rose was just about to try and go back to sleep when someone else walked in to the hospital wing; Scorpius Malfoy. Had he come to visit her? Rose sat up straight in her bed and tried to neaten her hair as he approached her bed. Their eyes met as he sat down on the chair for visitors, and he smiled at her.

"How are you doing?" he asked kindly.

"Fine," she told him, "Thanks to you." He blushed.

"Is your arm alright?" he said, gesturing at the bandages on her left arm.

"Much better," she replied, "Madam Pomfrey said it might leave a scar-"

"A scar?" he asked, alarmed.

"Really it's fine," she told him. They both smiled at each other. "My Mum wants to thank you" she told him, fiddling with the bedsheets, "For what you did.." Scorpius looked both surprised and happy with himself. Then he looked at her, as though about to ask a question.

"What is it?" asked Rose.

"It's just," he said hesitantly, "What exactly happened between you and Finneas?" Rose blushed and turned away from him slightly. She might as well tell Scorpius, she thought to herself.

"A couple of days ago he asked me to go to Hogsmeade with him," she began, "And at first I wasn't really sure since I don't know him that well, but afterwards I told him I'd go. He seemed really nice, like he was just shy or something, but obviously... Well then the next day when we were going to hex Emma, and I saw them walking together, and talking how they were, I got really angry, and I hexed him instead. Then when we were walking away, he saw me in the crowd, and he looked really angry, he knew it was me somehow. You know the rest." Scorpius was silent for a moment.

"So that's why he pushed you down the stairs?" he said after a couple of seconds. "What about the rumors that he was spreading-"

"Those weren't true," Rose said hastily, "They aren't true," Scorpius looked slightly relieved. "In hindsight, it was a pretty stupid thing to do," said Rose, blushing, "I don't really know what I was thinking."

"Well," said Scorpius nervously, "Everyone makes mistakes. And since you're not going to Hogsmeade with Finneas anymore, maybe you'll consider going with me?" With him? To Hogsmeade? Had he just asked her out? Had Scorpius Malfoy just asked her out?

"I-" she began, blushing again, "I'd love to go with you,"