Sharing the bed

Rose and Scorpius still shared the bed, but the bed was large enough for it to feel like they both had their own bed. Rose lay on her side to avoid feeling the chain coming out from her back. At least she didn't have to have her hands chained anymore. In a way, this was more comfortable than being chained on both hands and feet. The main problem with this solution was that it was harder to breathe.

But even if she hadn't been painfully aware of the chain around her waist, she didn't think she could sleep. So much had happened in the last hours, she needed to process it all. Her mother, laying on the floor, crying as she watched Rose being tortured. Her mother clinging to her as if she was her lifeline, when it was her fault that she was there at all. Her mother pleading, begging Voldemort to stop. She honestly didn't remember how long it had lasted, but it felt like an eternity. Then it happened again. Displayed on the wall, dragged out in full view. She hoped her mother never had to see that. And she hoped she never had to experience anything like that ever again. She had no tears left, and with the chain the way it was, crying wasn't a good idea.

But it sounded like Al and Scorpius had had it worse. She wondered about something Scorpius had said.

"Scorpius?" she said quietly in case he was asleep. He grunted, to indicate he was awake.

"You said that watching that man be killed today was the third worst thing you had seen. Can I ask, what are the other two?"

There was silence for a while. Rose started to think that Scorpius may have fallen asleep after all. But at last, his voice came out.

"The second worst was watching you being tortured right in front of my eyes. And being completely unable to do anything about it. Twice. Maybe especially this second time, when I was so close to getting you out of here. I'm sorry. I should have been quicker." Scorpius tried but failed to hold back tears. He didn't know whether he was relieved that Rose had asked about this, or worried that she would hate him after he told her the horrible truth.

"And the worst?" Rose asked as she slowly moved towards his side of the bed. Did she even want to know what the worst was?

"That was the look in your mother's eyes when she saw me standing there with a sword at her neck. It was pure hate," Scorpius sobbed. He hadn't meant to tell Rose about this, but she would probably find out at some point. He just hoped she would not hate him now. He thought he saw her shocked face in the darkness in the room. "She was sure she was going to die. She really believed I would do it. And she was looking at me, turning all her determination and hate in my direction. She wasn't going to beg or cry. She was defiant to the last. Her only plea was to be allowed to die standing, and that was only at the last moment, when she was sure she would die. And then, later, after she was rescued, she started hitting and kicking me. I don't blame her. But it was hard, seeing a woman whom I have admired all my life looking at me like I was the worst person in the world, calling me a monster. And maybe I am.

The worst part is that I know I deserved it. Some of it at least. I have failed. My main goal in doing all this was to at least get you out safely. And yet here you still are, being tortured and used as a hostage and a target, while so many others have escaped. I'm so sorry. I am so sorry all this happened to you. If I had just left you alone, you would have escaped," Scorpius sobbed quietly.

Rose put her hand on his shoulder. Scorpius had been the one with the sword? She understood why he felt he needed to keep it from her, but she was glad he had told her now. And it was her mother that had attacked him? She had a hard time believing her mother would do something like that, but why would he lie? Maybe she hadn't known it was him. Though he had just held a sword to her neck. That must have been so awful for the both of them.

"Oh, Scorpius! I'm sorry! I'm sorry you had to do that. But you are not a monster. You are one of the best people I have ever met. I won't have you think otherwise. Situations like this often bring out the best in people and I have seen your best. You are not a failure."

"It brings out the worst in people, too. I don't feel like a good person at the moment. I understand if you hate me now. I know I do. You don't have to put on a brave face to me. It's my fault you are here. You don't have to pretend to like me."

"I mean every word." Rose said firmly. "I am very grateful for all you have done, and I appreciate that you want to keep me safe. And if you had left me alone, I would have died in that graveyard. I am sure of it. And you saved Mother, and James, and so many others."

"It was mostly Albus who did the saving," Scorpius protested "All I did was to get you moved here, to my room, preventing you from escaping with the others. Then I had to let you be tortured. Twice. Then I almost had to kill your mother. None of that would have happened if I had been better."

"Don't sell yourself short. It was your plan that got James and the others out. I know that. If it weren't for you, we would still be down in those dungeons, or I would be dead. You risked your life to get us out of there. And it worked. And you stalled long enough for the Ministry to save Mother. They are all alive and safe. Thanks to you." How could Scorpius have such a low opinion of himself? Had he always felt like that? No wonder he had been shy and quiet.

"But not you," Scorpius said. "You are still stuck here in hell. Literally chained to the wall. Forced to share the bed with me."

"It could be worse. At least I am not down in the dungeons. Up here I have a soft bed. And company. Please, Scorpius. Believe me. I don't hate you. You are a good person. You are one of the best people I know. It just took me a while to see it."

Scorpius turned around and looked at her, hardly daring to believe what he heard. She meant it. She really did not hate him, despite what he had just told her. Carefully, he stretched out his hand and took hers in it. He cried, but good tears this time. Rose moved closer to him.

The two then embraced, kissed, cried together and finally fell asleep, in each other's arms. He barely even felt the pain in his leg anymore.

***

They woke up late the next morning, still firmly in each other's embrace, when Albus entered. He carried a tray with breakfast.

"Good morning," he said, trying to hold back a smile.

Scorpius leaped up from the bed, looking embarrassed. "What? What are you doing here?"

"It's morning. Voldemort has called a meeting in 30 minutes. You need to get up and get dressed. I brought breakfast to save you some time," Albus explained, still trying not to smile. He put the tray down on the small table in the corner of the room.

"Albus," Rose said, "This isn't what it looks like. We have to share the bed you know…"

"Don't you remember that I made a hole in the wall so we could talk even if we were in different rooms?" Albus said "You weren't the only ones who had trouble sleeping last night, after that horrible day."

Rose blushed slightly. "Oh. So, you heard?"

"Most of it. Don't worry. I'm not mad. On the contrary, I understand completely. I'm glad some of us got some decent sleep. Now come here and get some breakfast."

"I can't reach all the way over there," Rose said, pointing to the chain still attached to the wall. It was shorter than her previous restraints had been, and she could now only be in the area around the bed.

"Oh. Right, sorry," Albus said. He moved the table closer to the bed, so Rose could help herself. In the meantime, Scorpius had untangled himself from the bedsheets and started looking for his robes. It seemed his leg was better. He looked over to Rose, still in her dirty and torn Hogwarts robes.

"We really should find you some new clothes to wear," he said, mostly to fill the silence.

"I'll be fine. Clothes are the least of my worries right now," Rose said between mouthfuls. "Besides, I don't want to wear anything found in this house, no offence." Scorpius smiled at that.

"One more thing," Albus added. "I think that most of the group have found out, or think they have found out, what you did last night."

"What? What do they think we did? How?" Scorpius asked, horrified.

"Apparently, one of the guards walked by during the night. He heard some noises. They misinterpreted the cries I suppose. Don't worry, I don't think they are mad either. Quite the opposite actually."

Scorpius groaned. "So now I am also going to have to discuss this whole thing with a group of evil sadistic people?"

"Yes," Albus said. "You should probably lay it on a bit thick. I certainly exaggerated when they asked me what I had heard, though I was careful to not go into details. On the plus side, it gives you an excuse to be protective of Rose."

Scorpius sighed. "Well, let us go then. We can't keep Voldemort waiting." He skipped breakfast. He wasn't hungry and just the thought of what he now had to do made him sick.

"Oh. I almost forgot what it was I came in to tell you. I got a reply from dad this morning. Just one word really, hidden on my owl's leg. "Impostor". I don't know what it means."

"Of course. That explains it!" Rose exclaimed.

"It does?" Albus asked, confused.

"Of course," Scorpius added. "It isn't really Voldemort. It is just another person pretending to be Voldemort. That also explains why he doesn't know what happened at the graveyard."

"That makes sense. Thank Merlin. I have been worried he was just waiting for the right moment to expose me," Albus said, relieved.

"Let us go downstairs," Scorpius said again. "Let's go and hear what terrible things we are going to do today. I just hope it won't be worse than yesterday."

As they walked down the stairs, they were met with roars of laughter. Scorpius got many pats on the back as he passed through the crowd. At last, he stood before Voldemort.

"Well, if it isn't lover-boy," Voldemort laughed. "I heard you were active last night. Was that your first time Malfoy?"

"Yes. Yes, my Lord," Scorpius said, slightly embarrassed. He tried to give a triumphant glee, but he wasn't sure if he succeeded.

"Well, the first time should always be celebrated. It is when you finally feel like a man!" Voldemort jeered. The others laughed. "But that will have to wait! We have important plans to discuss!"