(p.s. okay guys im actually TERRFIED of you all reading this one...sidenote: something awful possessed me during this so I am not to blame...NOW EVERYONE GET UR POPCORN BECAUSE ITS HAPPENING
TW: -rose black having awful morals & the most rollcoaster chapter ever
-gore?!)

third person pov

' when I met you in that hotel room
I could tell that you were so bad news '

~
My sweet girl,

I understand you're angry, but things are different with Harry. His parent were murdered when he was only one, you should know how painful that is.

I am allowed to love him.

I know your friends said not to write, but I must as a father speak my mind.

Baffled, is what I am, that you would allow your friends to write such a hateful letter to me. They all seem to be mentally unstable from the vulgar threats written on parchment.

Your relationship with this Riddle boy will only bring you a world of trouble, no doubt the boys you consider friends will too.

Be smart and start to separate from them all at a slow pace. Times are changing and you need to be on the right side. Your mother never could choose the light, it's your responsibility to do better than she was capable of.

I suspect I will not have to see any more articles about those boys. I helped create you, therefore I should have some say in who you spend time with.

Do not lie to me, Harry has been updating me on you.

Also, stop ignoring Harry. His life is hard enough as it is. That is not to invalidate your own, instead to state that you should be more kind given your past.

Love, your father.

Rose continued to reread the letter while walking through Dumbledore's office, Mattheo grabbing onto her arm every five second to assure she didn't crash into anything.

Dumbledore watched in curiosity as the Riddle sat her down in one of the velvety blue chairs across from his desk. He waited until Mattheo took the other chair before speaking, "You've brought a guest this week?"

With a furious fire held in her eyes, Rose looked up. Her tone of voice contradicted how angry she appeared, "Thought it was time my two favorite men officially met"

Dumbledore crossed his ring-clad hands on the stone desk, giving a slight frown to Rose. She knew what the motion meant. He was insinuating the use of the word favorite men did not fool him. 

Rose tensely shook her head along with a firm glare. Begging Dumbledore internally to stop thinking about Theodore Nott. She had filled him in on what happened up on the Astronomy Tower two weeks ago. After missing five days of class from the depression episode she experienced, Dumbledore came to the dorm for a talk and let her spill everything.

"Well," Dumbledore smiled stiffly before switching his eyes to the boy who appeared to want to be anywhere else. "Mister Riddle, I hope you are enjoying your time here at Hogwarts."

Still refusing to forgive the headmaster for letting Rose be injured last year upon her father returning, Mattheo replies in a monotone voice. "I guess so"

Rose clutched the letter tightly with a groan, "Merlin! Stop the with the pleasantries!"

Dumbledore fell into a chuckle, "Very well....I heard you punched Harry today?"

"He's been meeting with my father! My father!" She seethes, "Am I in an alternate universe? How is any of this fair?!"

"It just so happens I heard Sirius wrote as well"

Rose did not tense up how Mattheo thought she would. Instead, sighed heavily. "He has wrote to me twice. Once for money and the second to tell me he doesn't want me around my friends"

Mattheo leans on his elbow placed on the armrest with a scoff, "He's a piece of shit if you ask me"

Dumbledore reached into the top drawer of the desk and tossed an acid pop at Rose, "He isn't worthy of your time dear"

"I guess a part of me thought I would finally get a father out of him being innocent" Rose muttered as she stared at the crumpled up letter. Her gaze turns up and out the stained glass window, "Wish I knew how to let go of that little child in me..."

"He favors Harry," says Dumbledore. "Does he not?"

"Yeah."

"Sometimes Rose, our family turns out to not be blood. It's the people who relentlessly love us despite seeing our worsts."

She takes the acid pop out of her mouth and hands it over to Mattheo. He doesn't hesitate to put it in his mouth, eyes focused on her to see if she was comfortable with the conversation.

Eventually, after much shifting around, Rose speaks in a small voice as she meets Dumbledore's blue eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if he even wanted to have me"

Mattheo became even more stunned by her so casually telling Dumbledore her thoughts. He knew they were close, but not enough to garner her sudden openness.

Dumbledore reached across his desk and she instantly took hold of his hand, "Well I am sure glad he did"

"Are you?" asks Rose timidly, "It cost my mother...a lot for me to be born."

The headmaster's tone flips to one of pure sternness, "What happened to her is not your fault and never will be."

Rose laughed lightly, not wanting to show how much everything was truly hurting her. "Thank you for everything, Dumbles."

He nodded and squeezed her hand before releasing it, "You've made me proud"

Her heart twisted. Maybe it was the validation from a male that was older than her that made the words feel so relaxing, like her soul had been craving it. Especially considering she heard it twice today, "I'll let you boys talk while I go have a one on one with the sorting hat"

Mattheo felt like he was witnessing the oddest interaction in the world as she stood up, walked to the other side of the office and put the sorting hat on her head.

He couldn't help but grin at her odd behavior. Eyes rolling when she shot him a wink.

Dumbledore spoke directly to Mattheo, "I have a few questions for you"

Mattheo looked over, "Hm?"

Dumbledore seemed to let his happy expression fade, "Do you care for her?"

Mattheo was taken back by the bluntness, but replied truthfully. "More than you could possibly understand"

Dumbledore nodded while adjusting his spectacles, "She means a lot to me"

Mattheo felt like it had to be clear across his face that he didn't trust the old man. Every part of him felt protective over Rose, feeling the need to be the person to steer all the bad away from her. That meant being skeptical of everyone, especially people who let her be injured under their care. He settled on a curt nod as a reply.

Dumbledore let his eyes travel over to Rose while speaking, amused from her scolding the hat in French. "She is not as tough as she looks, if you hurt her...I may just change my ways of being a follower of light magic"

Mattheo raised a brow at the headmaster threatening him, "I'd hurt myself before I ever did anything to her"

Dumbledore looked back at him, "That is not good enough, Rose is a rarity. It would serve you well to never forget to treat her like one"

Mattheo agreed with him completely, his reply filled with honesty. "If I do ever hurt her I'll gladly let you use a unforgivable on me"

Dumbledore seemed pleased with the answer and rested back into his chair, "You've got yourself a deal"

"Hm." Mattheo rubbed his jaw, staring at Dumbledore in a scrutinizing way. Out of no where Rose came back and dropped into his lap with a grumble. Putting her arm across his shoulders.

"Can you believe that old thing? Still can't figure out where I belong!"

Dumbledore's smile returned, "He will never be able too no matter how much you try"

"Guess not" Rose glanced at Mattheo, "What did you do to him, Dumbles? He looks a little tense"

Mattheo was in fact tense, wanting to figure out the man that held such interest in the only human that mattered in his eyes.

Dumbledore had a goofy way to him that Mattheo never saw as the man lifted his chin, "I have no idea what you are speaking of"

Rose narrowed her eyes at him before gasping, "You gave him the father speech!"

Mattheo grinned, giving a 'yes' to her assumption. He seemingly forgot he's supposed to be angry at Dumbledore as he watched her dramatic flair pop out.

Dumbledore shrugs, "One must do what another man is incapable of"

Rose tried to bite back a smile at him slyly dissing her father, "That is not fair!"

Dumbledore winked at her, "It is very fair"

She gave the man a pointed look, "Mattheo has the very best soul! It was not necessary!"

Dumbledore smiles softly until reality hits him all at once. "Oh Rose, I forgot about your gift!" He says and starts to stand up, "Something to help with those headaches from constant use of wandless magic"

Around six at night the two teenagers left Dumbledore's office. Mattheo fell into silence the whole down from the headmaster's tower. Pulling Rose to a stop as they reached a somewhat empty corridor. Students hung around in small groups against the stone walls, but Rose could barely register that.

"We need to talk" Mattheo speaks sternly, nodding to the side. "About Dumbledore"

Rose pinches her eyebrows together, "What? Why?"

"You....you can't trust him. No, no—don't give me that look" Mattheo huffs as her lips turn into a frown. He releases her wrist and lowers his voice to avoid the prying passerby's, "I have a really bad feeling about him. Not to mention how he's used you for—"

"I'm not doing this with you." Rose bites back. Turning to exit down the corridor when his hand slips around her wrist, effectively forcing her to face him. "You listen to me and you listen now! That man up there is the only semblance of a father I have and you don't get to act like he doesn't love me. I train with him because he sees my potential!"

"He sees you as a weapon!" Mattheo's voice barely stays below a yell, "You cannot let your need for a father figure make you blind to cruel intentions!"

She stammers backward on her feet, taking in a long breath. "Is that how you think Walburga saw me then? She was obsessed with me being trained."

"That's not what I'm saying Rose," His voice turns soft and head shakes. "I just want to protect you."

Rose shouts uncaringly, "I'm not a child and I never have been, I can take care of myself!"

"But—"

"Stop!" She grinds her teeth together and Mattheo purses his lips, shoving all of his worry mixed with anger down.

"Okay." He holds out a hand, one which she takes while huffing. They only make it a little ways down the corridor before Rose spots Adrian Pucey leaning on a wall with a few other older students.

He looks bored, uninterested in everything being said around him but his eyes trail to her own and Rose cannot help herself from smiling at him. After the conversation they shared weeks ago, she feels appreciative of the boy. Not to mention he technically saved her life.

Adrian crosses his arms and although he still appears unimpressed, only offering a lazy nod, Rose can see the slight twitch to his lips as he looks away from her.

Mattheo's voice brings her back to the present, his hand giving her own a squeeze. "Since when did you start smiling at Adrian Pucey?"

"Oh," says Rose, focusing on the corridor ahead. She didn't want to worry Mattheo by telling him what happened on the stairwell. "He's on the Quidditch team with me"

"There's no Quidditch this year." Mattheo deadpans. "Maybe it has to do with you kissing that boy before we got together"

Unbelievable. Rose scoffs and yanks her hand from his, eyes rolling in sheer annoyance. "I'm not doing this with you, Mattheo."

He's relentless as ever, keeping up with each step she takes. "No, I think you will do this with me."

For a moment she stops to clutch her head one handily. "I'm done," mutters Rose. He instantly starts to question what she could ever mean by that but Rose cuts him off firmly. Turning to the side to face him head on, "We need to put this relationship on pause. I cannot deal with your jealousy issues."

"No." says Mattheo simply. "You're not breaking up with me and you're not going to act like you don't have the worse jealousy issues in the world."

"Yes I am and I'm not jealous!"

He rolls his tongue inside his cheek. Looking at her in warning, "You are not breaking up with me."

"That's not how it works!" She gawks, crossing both arms. "You cannot say no!"

"Watch me." Mattheo smiles but it never reaches his eyes, it only looks dark and almost demonic. "If you think for a second I'll let you leave me, you're sorely mistaken."

"I don't want—" Rose shakes her head. "I don't want to leave you, Mattheo." She reaches for his hand. "I actually care about you and I feel like we spent so long getting close to just to mess everything up."

He yanked his hand away, turning defensive in fear of her actually leaving. "What do you mean by that?"

"Here's what's going to happen. This relationship is going to end. No, listen to me!" She pleads as his opening mouth zips back shut. "You take a few days and figure out how the fuck you are going to trust me and then we can start from the ground up all over again. We got together when I was in an awful state of mind and I don't want it to be that way."

"A few days?!"

"Yes!" Rose huffs loudly. "I'm okay now, I'm doing a lot better and this time we can go slow, build something from a good place instead of the start of us always being when I was loosing my fucking mind."

Mattheo clings to both of her arms with a pained look, "I don't need a few days. We can start over right now."

"Yes we do." Her voice turns firm, "We'll end this relationship and start a new one if you're ready to actually trust me. If not, then it can be done for good."

His face contorts and he cannot manage to find the words necessary to make Rose change her mind. Instead, watches as she tears herself away, beginning to walk toward the dungeons. Only when Rose is five-feet away does he find his voice, "Just ending things and then leaving?!"

She spares him a glare over her shoulder, "I'm going to take a relaxing bath! I cannot do this today!"

*

Upon arriving to her dorm Rose quickly realized all the boys were napping. Hogwarts carried a special feast tonight for no certain reason and she can fully remember how each of them ate enough to send themselves into a food coma before she received a letter from Sirius, chaos ensuing after.

Quieter than ever, Rose slipped into the bathroom and did exactly as she proclaimed to Mattheo. Showering then proceeding to take the longest bath in history. Although, crying was never supposed to happen but she couldn't help it. Laying in a mass of bubbles with her head propped up off the edge of the tub, seeing Theo's toothbrush was enough to turn her into a blubbering mess.

Yes, his toothbrush made her cry.

It wasn't until an hour later that Rose exited the bathroom, feeling much better from experiencing the aromatic smells of her soaps. The room had became a little darker, only soft orange hues from the lake shining through the windows as the curtains around all the beds except her own stayed closed, different types of snores coming from each of the boys.

She halted when Draco stepped outside of his curtains. Platinum hair ruffled, white tee covered in wrinkles. He yawned before spotting her, every feature tensing up and time seeming to slow as their eyes connected. As if reliving the past, Draco's lips turned into the sneer he would always use to speak with hatred to her.

"I'm going to back to bed."

Rose could finally release the breath she was holding, going to catch his wrist but he yanks it out of reach. "Draco, please stop! I don't want to keep fighting!"

"That's the only thing I have left of you!" He shouts without meaning to actually say the words aloud. The sharp intake of breath Rose clings to is unmissable, her slanted eyes turning round. Draco rubs a hand against his face aggressively with pure frustration before stepping close to whisper, "You won't look at me. You will barely talk to me. I—I was able to put you being with Mattheo down to you struggling at first but now—" His words run off as anger flashes across every sharp edge jutting out, "Now you're doing a lot better and I'm not disregarding what you went through but you chose him! You actually chose to be with some boy that I know you don't love!"

Rose screws her jaw tight, hoping it will somehow bottle the flood of emotions he brings to the surface. "You don't understand."

"Why do you keep saying that to everyone?" Draco bites back, head shaking as his eyes scan her all over. "I don't get why everytime something good starts to happen in your life you run away!"

"You're one to talk." Rose instantly returns, arms crossing to put some divided between their beating hearts. "Every single time you've been the one running. I was the one always staying regardless of your behavior!"

"You're right, Rosie." Draco seethes, teething grinding together as his finger wrapped in the signet ring points at her chest. "I was a coward because the best damn thing in my life stood in front of me and I ran from it like a scared little boy! What's your excuse?!"

Time stops once again and a bubble of emotion gets lodged inside her throat. Memories come in a flash, more specifically the memories of summer. It seemed almost as if they let down every wall to each other except the one they truly needed to be whole.

Draco cannot handle Rose's silence or the pure sadness held inside her eyes. It weakens him and exists as a reminder of the aching buried inside his soul for her, her only.

"I have nothing left of you, nothing at all." Draco begins slowly until a sudden change happens in his voice, turning firm and furious. "So, if I have to make you angry with me, cry, scream, or even wish to slide a dagger through my gut—I will! Because then at least you're looking at me and you're close by!"

He waits for her to say something, anything for that matter.

But all she does is look away, shifting on her feet as her throat bobs.

That dagger in the gut he was talking about, it comes without her actually doing so. Draco mutters, "I'm going to bed" Before turning and slipping right back through the thick emerald curtains.

The pain comes but not as harshly as it should. All of the medicine she started taking again was finally working through her system and made everything feel numb or maybe the true reason behind her numbness could be boiled down to ruining each good thing in her life. Even so, the clear wall between herself and Draco makes Rose want to run into the bathroom, throw up every bit of food.

There was one place she could go to though, one person who could make it all fade away.

Whitman, unlike the rest of the dorm mates, sat slightly propped up against some pillows. His eyes still lulled with exhaustion from sleep, yawning as he read through a thick book written in Russian. Upon waking up thirty minutes ago he casted a double way silencing charm, therefore heard nothing happening in the dorm.

Becoming quickly annoyed by only a sliver of the setting sun shinning onto his book page, Whitman shifted slightly. His eyes snapped upward at the sound of someone slipping through the curtains.

There Rose stood at the foot of his bed with a frown. Whitman lips almost twisted into a smile but got no time to do so because she threw herself face first into the mattress, making him scoot to the side so she'd land against the comforter.

One of her arms hung off the edge, the other coming around to circle her face that stayed buried into the bed. Grumbling loudly, "Thought you'd be asleep and hold me..."

"I just woke up—" Whitman's throat ran dry as he looked down and realized she had no pants on, only white lace covering her bottom that now was on display from the sweater riding up. He averted his eyes away with a thick swallow and closed the book, tossing it down between the curtains. Propping himself up on his side, "You can still get some sleep, I'll hold you."

"I hate life," She muttered against the mattress, "I miss Theo, I miss Draco, I miss our friends, I miss everything! I mean it's easier to deal with Draco acting this way because I dealt with it for years and adjusted to the pain but Theo?!"

Whitman took a deep breath, staring at the back of her head. "We all still spend every second together, you're the one who separated from us and I understand why but now your back except sometimes you leave to hangout with Mattheo....things are sort of normal."

"But Theo and me can barely look at each other or if our skin grazes then we start loosing our minds!" She groans and groans, "Nothing is the same right now...in our group, I mean. One little shift sets off the whole dynamic!"

In an attempt to soothe Rose, Whitman reaches out, fingers pushing through the dark strands of hair. "I still don't understand why you chose to be with Mattheo when we both know who you really want..."

"It's complicated," Rose murmurs, turning her head to the side to face the curtains. Becoming relaxed by the simple touch, "Can you rub my back? I think I have a heavy load of tension from all of the makeup work and lessons this week"

His face turns into a closed lip smile at Rose's avoidance, soothing her head down one last before retracting his hand. "Yeah," He begins to continue on as she sits back on her knees, "You should've let one of us help you catch up on all the assignments—" Suddenly the sweater is discarded. The only thing he can see and focus on is her chest spilling out from the lace, words getting lodged inside his throat. He had seen too many women to count like this, so why was it that he could not breath?

A smirk pulls at her features, one that only grows as his eyes holding intent trail up to her own. "Don't think your supposed to be looking at your best friend like that, Whit."

He subconsciously licks his lips while attempting to pull himself together. Challenging her, "Says who?"

"Not me, of course." Rose shoots back. Slightly laying down on her chest and adjusting her head so she faced the curtains once more. "You can look at me that way anytime of the day"

Whitman's fingers go to move the hair off her neck, "Witty as ever Ro"

"Mhm" She hums lowly, eyes closing as his warm hand comes in contact with her shoulder. "I missed this"

"Missed what?" He inquires distantly, trailing his fingers down her spine at a slow place. She's almost too distracting to bare. Each scar that he could name, the little birthmark placed in the center of her back, perfectly set slivers of sun shinning through the window—

"You, me. Home." Rose has to attempt steadying her breathing because with every moment of his hand chills erupt and her skin tingles. "Don't suppose we'll wake up everybody from talking so loud?"

"I put a double-way silencing charm before sleeping earlier" His hand moved further down, skipping over her bottom and latching onto her thigh, pressing into the skin there with much pressure. "Something else is wrong, tell me."

She shudders, stammering out a reply that sounds uneven from her breathing. "I feel numb constantly, I don't know if it's the medication or what but I cannot feel a damn thing..."

His breath fans over her back, voice quiet and mocking as he loosens the grip on her thigh. "Not even your happy relationship?"

"Doesn't matter if I jump off a building—can't feel anything"

The mattress dipped from him pushing up on his hand. It all happened too quick for her to process. Whitman flipped Rose onto her back, maneuvering himself between her legs with a devious look down at the breathless girl beneath him.

"Oh...I'll make you feel something" He speaks in all too familiar tone, given it's much deeper now but still. Rose knows he's about to mess with her until she's in a fit of laughter.

She warns, "Whit—"

Too late.

His hands come toward her and Rose tries fighting back, knowing he wouldn't use his full strength—hoping to use that to her advantage. Of course, it's futile. Whitman easily manhandles her until they are both in a mess of laughs.

Minutes pass until he crashes on to Rose's chest, arms boxing in her head as they smile breathlessly at one another.

"You're evil" Rose breathes out while her arms encircle Whitman's neck, running down his shoulder blades.

"Got you laughing though, didn't I?" He raises both brows, smiling some more as she shifts underneath his weight and wraps her legs around his waist.

Rose hums softly in reply, eyes seeming to soften without her knowing as she scans his scarred face.

The smile on his lips falls into a more gentle one, holding a slight twinge of pain underneath as he looks at her, really looks at her.

Without lifting either elbow from beside Rose's head, he brushes the hair from her face. "Mattheo doesn't know how lucky he is" Every thought leaves Whitman's brain as his thumb glides across her bottom lip, "No clue at all..."

Suddenly, Rose is very aware of their proximity and position. Aware of his weight on her, of how full his lips are, of how he's looking at her, of the lack of clothing across her skin—completely and utterly aware of how it felt over a year ago when they last kissed on his birthday...

"What makes you say that?" She murmurs. Eyes screwing shut as his fingers leave the tingle of a ghost on her lips, slowly weaving through her hair.

"Because...." Whitman trials off as his head dropped down to her shoulder, lips pressing ever so gently there. "That boy gets to kiss you here,"  Rose sucks in a shaky breath at the feeling and Whitman glides his mouth to the base of her neck, mumbling against her skin. "And here,"

Despite the fact everything in her screams how wrong this is, Rose doesn't stop him. Instead she tightens her legs around his waist, as if encouraging the behavior and begging him to just fully drop his weight onto her.

The action sets him off, leading Whitman to trail his lips further up her throat until he reaches the most sensitive spot. Speaking huskily there, "It's so fucking unfair." He takes the skin in between his teeth, bitting harshly and yanking on her hair all at once that it seems as if he's angry. She can't help the whimper of pain and desire that leaves her lips, head pushing down into the mattress.

"Do you remember my birthday last year?" Whitman murmurs in her ear, the hold on her hair not loosening and electrifying each nerve ending inside her body. "Nobody knows, do they? How you spent the night whispering in my ear about the things you wanted to do? About the lines we almost crossed but didn't?"

The flush already on her face from every thing happening deepens, only able to answer in a meek voice. "No,"

"Didn't think so." He replied instantly before yanking on her hair once more, garnering a gasp in return as his lips hooked onto her jaw. "Never wanted to talk about it either, did you?"

"Because I was scared" Rose pants, digging her nails into his scarred shoulders as he drags his teeth along her sharp jaw. It's too hard to keep taking when he's affecting her so greatly.

"Always so fucking scared." He nips at her jaw one last time. Before she can shoot back a defensive response, Whitman grabs both her cheeks in one large hand and loosens the holds on her hair. Bringing their faces back together, so close his nose brushes her own.

As if her breath hadn't been caught enough, the blazing fire in his eyes sends Rose to a complete halt of doing anything other than looking back at him. Not breathing, not thinking—only enthralled with how intense he appears.

"If you—" She paused breathlessly, having to suck her bottom lip inward to muffle a sound that begs to leave as his hips fully drop against her. Something pools and twist inside her stomach because now she can really feel him, all of him, and it's scary almost how big he is. "If you think I deserve better...then show me better."

"You'd like that?" He muttered as each deep breath pushes his chest harshly against her own. Rose bites down hard enough on her lip to the point where the metallic tang of blood hits her tastebuds, nodding slow and desperate.

"Don't." Whitman hisses and drops his forehead against her own.

"Don't what?" Rose murmured, sliding her buzzing fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. His eyes close, shuddering at the feeling.

"Your lip because I...." He abruptly scoops up the side of her face, tongue darting out to lick his lips like he's salivating for her. "We can't—we shouldn't be doing this again..."

"Kiss me." She demands, unable to take another second.

"I know we shouldn't but—" With how wide his hand is, he easily stretches his thumb onto her bottom lip. Pulling the flesh down in a trance-like state and Rose knows there's no turning back because he looking at her like she's the last sip of water in the universe. "Just once," He breathes out, beginning to brush their lips together as he grips her cheek firmly. Rose's eyes roll back as he nips at her lips, "Maybe...maybe just once."

"Yeah," Rose groans breathily, "Just once."

"Say please," Whitman uses his teeth to pull on her lip, "I need you to want me"

She whispers against his mouth, lifting up slightly so their lips stay together. "I'm begging you to just kiss me, you."

And that's all it takes to snap every piece of control he has.

Whitman presses his lips to hers but there is nothing gentle about it. Not necessarily rough either. Desperate though, from both of them. Just like looking at her was almost too much for him to bare, this kiss is almost too much for her to handle because it's too raw—too passionate and there's no explanation on why every part of her is hungry for someone that is her best, best friend.

His hand glides onto her neck, thumb pressing in and Rose can't help herself from pulling on the roots of his hair. The groan he releases into her mouth only makes Rose want more, also giving her the opportunity to slid her tongue over his.

But when she rolls her hips against the strain in his pants, something changes and he grips her throat tightly, forcing their mouths apart.

"You need to stop." He warns hoarsely.

Rose's voice doesn't sound much better, "I can take it, I want you."

His eyes scan her face for a moment before he shifts slightly to carefully glide a hand between their bodies, down her stomach and leaving a trail of heat in his wake. His other hand still boxing in her head moves to her hair, searching for hesitation but finding none.

Instead, Rose mutters a quiet, "Please."

Whitman's face stays sharp as he looks to where his hand travels. Not hesitating to slip beneath the lace, pulling a moan from her as his fingers run down her wet cunt. Fighting every impulse in his body to just slip his fingers inside until she comes undone.

"You couldn't take it." He groans with restraint as his thumb moves over her clit, watching Rose moan helplessly. "Not me. Not the things I want to do to you."

"But I—" Whitman cuts Rose off by pushing a finger inside of her, wringing out a sharp cry that he cover with his mouth. Attacking her lips would be the best way to put it. Teeth nipping heatedly, lips pressed together furiously, thumb coming back to circle her clit.

He swallows each of her moans and doesn't stop or slow down. Instead brings another finger into her, mumbling a praise against her mouth as she pulses around him. Her breathing quickens as she draws closer to an orgasm, letting him practically fuck her in fast, hard strokes.

Whitman pulls back slightly, eyes flashing gold so quickly she almost misses it. His voice comes out in the form of a beg, "I need....I need to taste you" Immediately after he turns demanding, forcefully hitting that spot inside of her that makes Rose push up off the bed. "Let me taste you."

She whimpers, "Please,"

He withdrawals his fingers, reveling in the involuntary whine she makes at the loss. As if possessed by some external force, Whitman takes hold of her chin and forces it into the air, lips instantly attacking her throat.

Her nails dig into his scarred shoulders, moaning softly as his lips trail between the lace covering her chest. Mind reeling from this actually happening with Whitman, that it feels so good and so natural even if it shouldn't.

Whitman's hands travel in sync with his lips, digging into her sides as he reaches the center of her stomach and nips there—eyes turning up for a moment to look at Rose—needing permission.

She cannot formulate words. Capable of only pushing his shoulders down with parted lips and a desperate nod.

He goes slow, starting to mark up her stomach with little bruises until stopping above the lacy waistband. Eyes turning to her own once more as his fanning breath makes her hips buck, wincing as his nails force her back down. "Do you feel something now?"

"Almost too much" She breathes out. "Whit,"

Whitman uses all of the willpower in the world to sit back on his knees, taking in every inch of her body to the point she feels as if under a spotlight—heart beating quicker and quicker as he hooks both his thumbs into the lace over her hips—sliding down the undergarment.

Now she definitely feels too naked, too seen. The misty orange light of the setting sun doesn't provide enough darkness. But before she can let the thoughts consumed her, Whitman yanks her thighs apart, mouth opening as he sooth his hands down. He needed a second, just one second to memorize her bare and wet for him so the image never went away.

Rose's chest rises up and falls quickly as his hands inch closer. Gasping when Whitman parts open her cunt with his fingers. He watched every second of her reaction as his cold rings ran past her clit, the way she rolls her bottom lip in between her teeth with closed eyes, her hands fisting the sheets—all from him doing everything except pushing his fingers inside.

But Whitman cannot hold off for another minute, pressing his lips on her knee and working his way down, lowering himself.

Rose let's out a pleading sound as he teases her entrance with two fingers, lips only inch from where she needs him. Then, all at once, he bites down on her thigh and pushes both fingers in.

"Whit!" She all but screams his name, desperately latching onto the fluffy head of hair below. She was already so close from before, Rose knew there would be no way for her to last long at all.

He was too good.

His nose nudges her clit and fingers curl, dragging her eyes down to him just as his tongue slides flat against her cunt.

Something snaps inside of Whitman. His fingers leave her and instead grab onto both sides of her hips, mouth coming down instantly. He possessively yanks on her hips, eating Rose out like a man starved—sending the girl arching up off the mattress.

He can't help himself from groaning and letting the sound vibrate against her. Not stopping, going harder and faster until his nails pierce through her skin and tears gather in her eyes from how intense the pleasure is. Whimpers fill their space like a melody.

Desperate is the only way to describe his motions that scream more, more, more. The high comes too quick, buildings knots in her stomach and making Rose pull painfully tightly on his hair.

"Whit...I...I have to—" The words get stuck in her throat as she comes undone in his mouth. Repeating his name like a vow of promise.

Rose can't mange to loosen her hold on his hair even when she starts to come back down because he doesn't slow his pace nor does he give in to her whimpers from the overstimulation.

Next thing Rose knew the pain subsided and she fell right back into ecstasy, eyes rolling backward as she started to chant his name once again—falling apart for the second time.

Finally, once she collapses into the mattress weakly, Whitman slows himself and loosens the grip on her hips. Still though, his tongue runs across her cunt so nothing goes to waste despite the wince she makes. 

And then, he slowly sits up on his knees, grabs her underwear and slides them back into place as she tries to come back to earth.

Whitman takes a deep breath before kissing up Rose's stomach to where her breasts are and gliding his hand around her throat.

She goes to grab his face but his grip tightens in warning, stopping all movement with a raspy voice.

"That's all you get until you breakup with your shitty boyfriend"

Her eyes widen in shock and Whitman cracks a smile at how exhausted she sounds, "We did break up"

"I mean when you break up for good." He shoots back.

She goes to argue but finds it no use. Instead, nods toward the mattress and waits for him to settle down next to her. Once he does so, she yelps slightly from him grabbing her hip and yanking her to the left.

Whitman breathes heavily as she hooks a leg over his waist, brushing their bodies together and purposely tormenting him by pushing against the strain in his pants.

"Whit," She mumbles and leans forward, flicking her tongue over his lips. "What did we just do?"

"I don't know," He replied lowly, reaching to slowly rock her hips against him. "Doomed ourselves to a world of trouble?"

"Yeah, definitely." Her voice stays quiet, groaning softly as she tries to refrain from pressing down. "What's...the real reason that you won't have sex with me?"

"I can't..." He trails off with a shaky breath, "I can't while there's another in your life—I just can't do it."

"Okay." She answers simply, even now their closeness provided a sense of normalcy despite what occurred. Her fingers graze his jaw and breath picks back up as he leans into the touch. "I—I need to lay differently and put my shirt on" Rose attempts to stop herself from going any further, finding the mission too hard.

Whitman cracks a full smile but it's breathy from how much it takes for him to pull away and sit himself up against the pillows. "Come here then"

Rose couldn't keep from suddenly smiling either as she searched for her sweater and slipped it on. After, cuddling into his side with her head falling onto his chest, arm stretching over his abdomen.

She cranes her neck up to look at him curiously, knowing damn well everything they did had not fully hit her yet. "I cannot believe that just happened"

His head tilts and fingers go to brush her hair away, "I think we might be in a dream or something....very probable." He sighs and she snorts, sending him into a full blown mess of laughs. Soon enough Rose has to bury her face into his chest to muffle the sound.

But the curtains rustle and every hair on the back of her neck stands up without looking as Whitman turns his eyes to the left. Theo's going to sit at the foot of a bed with a yawn, stopping short when he sees her.

All of the laughter dies out and Whitman tries to remind himself he doesn't need to feel guilty, "You just wake up, Theo?"

Theo stares where Rose stays buried into Whitman and his jaw twitches in jealousy. Not jealous because he thinks Whitman wants Rose, no. The two cuddling up like that was not a new thing. He's jealous because someone else has the privilege of holding her in their arms and it's not him. She's not the only one numb without her other half. Theo feels dead every second of every day. His chest hallows out as she lifts her head up and her features contort with pain upon meeting his eye.

Whitman let's out a exaggerated sigh, "Can you two just talk already?!"

"We do talk." Theo snaps back harshly before sitting on the edge of the bed, his back facing them as he runs a hand through his hair.

"Yeah...everyday." Rose mutters, staring at the side of Theo with a deep yearning making her heart physically ache. It's crazy to think how one person can make every detail of the world fade.

"Give me a break," Whitman grumbles. "You won't even look one another in the eye."

Theo tries to turn his head to look Rose in the eye but his gaze only shifts a centimeter toward her until snapping away, truly unable to bear it regardless of how dramatic he sounds. There was no way to explain the feeling.

Whitman gives Rose a squeeze and she takes the signal, using every piece of strength she garnered over the years to sit up.

Her normally steady hands in even the worst of situations shake so badly she has to tuck them into the sweater sleeves. "Te—Theo," She whispers like a small child and grabs his arm.

flashback- rose & theo at 15 years old

Theo waited until her screams stopped sounding throughout Grimmauld place. When Walburga exited the tapestry room he snuck around the corner and ran in.

Rose sat on the floor in a ball, her body trembling from the Cruciatus Curse.

He walked over to quietly and knelt beside her, his voice shaking. "Ro,"

She didn't look at him, just trying to move her body away. "Please—I won't do it again"

Theo tried to grab Rose but she just kept trying to crawl then suddenly, she screamed. "I won't let you do it again! I won't!"

He gently took ahold of her body and pulled her head into his lap, not letting her thrashing phase him. "It's over now, you're safe. She's gone!"

Rose painfully opened one eye and stopped trying to escape when she saw who.

Theo was her solace, always would be. Her body kept jerking, the affects still inside of it. "I—I can feel it"

He went to wipe the blood off her cheek but she flinched back, "It's me Ro, I'll never ever hurt you."

She let him pull her up right into his lap, body starting to wither and causing him to hold on tight. Closing his eyes to prevent his own tears from seeing something so traumatic. It didn't matter how many times he witnessed it, always would be scarring to watch.

He held Rose for five minutes until her body stopped reliving the curse, quickly wiping his tears on her shirt. It terrified him to think one day the curses would fry her brain.

Rose looked up breathless, "I can't—I can't keep living like this"

Theo grabbed onto her cheek in warning, "Don't you even think about it"

She shook her head furiously, "Theo I—"

His hand glided over her mouth, his voice breaking. "You can't say those words"

Her tears ran down, "Everything hurts so bad"

Theo took a deep breathe and finally began wiping the blood off her cheek, "You're okay, I promise you're okay."

She spoke between sobs, "I—I know you were supposed to go home but will you stay tonight?"

He nodded quickly, "I'm going to be right here."

She began to cling onto him. Theo was everything she loved in life. If anyone brought her comfort after what just happened, it would be him. He was her world, there would be no point in denying that.

"You mean it?" She whispered.

"I swear on—"

end of flashback

Rose cut the flashback short by yanking her hand away from Theo with widened eyes, horrified from watching it in his perspective.

Theo's gaze turned glassy as his voice shook, neither realizing Whitman sat up looking worried between them."Why—why did you do that?"

"I didn't mean to," Tears filled her eyes as she stilled. "I think—think my emotions are out of place and it's making my magic mess up...I'm sorry."

Theo attempted to use a hand to touch her cheek but she jumped back, the feeling of watching the moment making her flinch.

Rose wiped her eyes quickly, "I am so sorry"

Theo went to touch hold her cheek again except this time she scrambled up out of the bed.

"It's not your fault" Theo muttered, a pained frown on his cheeks.

"I have to go get some water...or something." She quickly slipped through the curtains and disappeared, leaving Theo to drapes both arms over his knees—head hanging forward tiredly.

"What happened?" Whitman asks as he outstretched a hand onto Theo's back for a semblance of comfort.

"Nothing I," Theo shook his head before looking over to Whitman as the door slammed. "I'm just glad Walburga's dead and I'm glad it was by our fucking doing."

*

Not even an hour later all of the boys sat on Whitman's bed with the curtains drawn open, listening to Blaise recall the horrendous nightmare he had as others yawned from just waking up. The sun was long gone by now and Theo tried to refrain from looking over at the door every five seconds.

"Your nightmare is seriously Fred dating Potter?" Draco asks from beside Whitman, nose scrunched in disgust.

Blaise fake cried while leaning against the bed post, "Could you imagine? Fred with the halfblood!"

Whitman shrugged slightly as he looked around for Bowie, his bowtruckle who had been missing all day. "Would it really be so bad to date a halfblood?"

Blaise and Draco chorused together a deadpan, "Yes."

Theo tipped his head back against the other bed post, "I can't even think about that"

Blaise leaned toward him with a mocking voice, "Because you're too in love"

Instantly, Theo pushed the boys head away with a scowl before dropping back against the wood. "I'll tell you what, if she doesn't break up with that scumbag soon I'm going to turn into—Blaise, what's the word for people who don't experience sexual attraction?"

"Why are you asking me?" Blaise snorted with a smirk, "It's called asexuality I believe"

Theo snapped his fingers and pointed at Blaise, "I'm going to turn into an asexual and never look or breath at another woman if they stay together, I'm serious!" His eyes turned up to the stone ceiling. "I'm going to turn myself into a pebble and then make one of you toss me into the bottom of the ocean!"

Everyone slowly looked to him with tilted heads.

Draco's brows furrowed. "Theo, everytime I think I'm the messed up one in this group, you open your mouth" He laughed dryly and pointed to his chest. "And then I'm like, oh yeah, I'm in the clear."

"Won't be much longer now, either way..." Theo completely ignored Draco, a smirk that didn't reach his eyes taking form. "The poison will get rid of the boy soon enough"

Whitman blinked repeatedly, "You're still poisoning him?!"

Confusion took over Theo's face as he finally met everyone's eyes, "What else would I be doing? Am I supposed to let him be with her?"

Blaise fought back a laugh, "You know...she could very well like him"

"That's too bad" Theo rolled his tongue against his cheek in irritation at the idea, eyes seeming to darken. "If I can't have her, no one else is going to."

Draco points at his own temple, "You're fucking delusional"

"I prefer the term obsessed, thank you." Theo greeted curtly. "I'd poison any of you if you tried to take her away from me, why are you acting like this is new information?"

"You'd poison me?!" Draco asks.

"Yes." Theo deadpanned with no hesitation.

"He answered that way too quickly!" Whitman shouts, tossing a pillow at Theo's head.

"Draco," Theo spoke slowly. "You'd poison me too, wouldn't you?"

Draco averted his eyes away, mumbling a reply with a sly look. "Yeah...definitely"

Blaise falls into a fit of laughter and Theo looks over at him, joining in on the sound until a sudden pain rips through his own skull.

"Fuck," Theo winced. Leaning forward to clutch his head as everyone falls silent. He knows what it means because this feeling hasn't came since summer when Rose used the bracelet he'd given her all those years ago. She wasn't just rubbing it once to get him to find her—she had to be furiously rubbing the bracelet.

"Something's wrong, really wrong." Theo muttered as the pain continued, her not stopping the mission to get him to come. "We need to go."

Like a school of fish they all slipped on shoes and followed after Theo, going through the half-empty common room and into the dungeons corridor.

"How do you know where she is?" Blaise had asked as Theo picked up his steps, getting worried when she suddenly stopped rubbing the jewelry.

"I'll feel it" Theo answered distantly.

Luckily Rose was close by, on the first floor corridor near the grand archway that opened up into a side courtyard that no one ever used because it dipped right off into the forbidden forest.

Although the corridor was dark, only a haze of gray hues, they easily spotted her crouched down by what look like a body from the moon trickling through the open archway. The length of the coat she clearly grabbed while leaving the room getting wet by some substance marking the floor.

Upon nearing it became clear she was clutching onto a dagger, her head snapping over to the group as their loud steps filled her ears.

They all came to halt and quickly realized there was a big, big boy laying face down on the floor in dark robes. "Theo," Rose whispered before scambling up onto her feet. She turned to him with wide, unblinking eyes. Beginning to speak a mile a minute, "Theo, I was leaving the kitchens and he came out of nowhere! I—I didn't mean to...."

Theo's eyes scanned her eye face and landed on the blood covering each of her ring-clad fingers, the dagger dripping shades of crimson onto the stone floor.

"He started saying crazy things! He had to be drunk, you know?" Her voice shook in an awful way. "I was just so on edge from the flashback and—and I had this anger about every nasty thing some man has said about me..." Rose started to lose breath, pleading out loud. "He grabbed me and I just wanted to protect myself! I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay." Theo nods along, cutting her words off with no care for the blood about to stain him as he wraps a hand around her own clutching the dagger. "You're fine love, just give me the dagger."

She swallowed thickly and let him pry the weapon from her clutching fingers, watching as he stuffed it into his back pocket. After, Theo grabbed onto Rose's bloody hands and guided her arms around his waist—letting out an exhale as she shook against him and his fingers came up to firmly hold her head.

"Blaise," Theo called to the boy crouched by the body with apprehension. "Check if he's dead"

Blaise carefully grabbed ahold of the unknown body and flipped it over with easy strength. Recoiling backward as a seventh year they didn't quite know the name of but had seen before was revealed, so many stab wounds in the chest and one in the eye that it became gruesome to look at.

"How many times did you stab the bitch?" Blaise inquired with a grimace.

Her words were muffled against Theo's chest, starting to cling to him tightly. "I don't know...he's so big that it took forever for him to fall. I'm sorry..."

"Shh...it's okay love but we need to make this quick, yeah?" Theo breathed out in the steadiest of voices. He pulled her head from himself, forcing Rose to look up at him. Smearing his now bloody fingertips on her cheeks, "Do you want one of them to take you to the dorm while we handle this?"

"No no!" She rushed to say, "I want to help."

"Okay," Theo pressed a long kiss to her forehead before unwrapping her arms despite the pain of losing her touch. "Whit," He looked over. "Help me carry the body?"

"Fuck...." Whitman rubbed a hand over his flexing jaw. "Yeah, I'll get the arms—you grab the legs?"

Theo nodded along and moved toward the body, but stopped to give Rose's hand a squeeze. "It'll be okay."

Everything started to happen too quick. Theo and Whitman both aligned on opposite ends of the corpse, directing Blaise to walk next to Whitman and make sure he didn't trip from moving backwards. The body lifted up from the ground. Everyone started walking toward the archway.

Way too fast.

Rose stayed frozen in shock.

That was until Draco stepped next to her and pushed the raven locks out of the way, "You did what you had to do, Rosie." He holds his hand out for her to take but she shakes her head.

"I'm...covered in blood"

"I don't care, hold my hand." He demands and this time she listens, slipping her wet fingers through his.

Draco guides her after the group of three stepping out onto the grass with the corpse swinging, giving her hand reassuring squeezes every few seconds. "He was a bad person, okay? Repeat that."

She takes a shaky inhale as the cold air hits her cheeks, "He was a bad person."

Draco gives a firm nod, "If you wouldn't have killed him, we would have." She doesn't say anything and he feels the need to make it all better somehow. "Think about the fact that if he harassed you, he would've done it to some other girl as well and they might've not fought back. Who knows how far he would've went."

"Yeah," Rose mumbles and her anxiety starts to calm, "Yeah."

"You did the world a favor, Rosie. One less cunt to prey on girls."

Her eyes lift over to Draco, lips twisting in a tight-lipped smile before she leans her head on his shoulder. Muttering a small, "Thank you."

His chest can stop aching as she relaxes into him, "Always."

It took longer than suspect to make their way down the grassy hill and into the forbidden forest. Whitman yelling every so often when Theo got distracted by making sure no one was looking from the high-up windows. Once reaching the tree-line Draco lead Rose to the front, considering she usually was the one to guide them through the Forbidden forest, she would be best fit.

No one suspected to walk twenty minutes deep into the forest as she searched for a clearing to bury the body. Mixes of grunts and groans came from Theo and Whitman the whole way because contrary to popular belief, a dead body weighed a million times more than a breathing one.

"Fuck sake" Theo spat as they reached a wide circle of dirt where trees surrounded, dropping the bottom half of the dead body to the ground with a thump.

"Theo!" Whitman scolded in disbelief as the sudden drop made his arms ache. He took to letting go as well, "Trying to rip my hands off?!"

"My arms hurt, you idiot." Theo groaned and pulled one arm in to stretch the muscle while looking up at the half moon above. "Why are dead bodies so fucking heavy?"

"This should do well" Rose finally spoke up, still clutching onto Draco's hand as she looked around. "Some centaur's got in a fight a few months ago here and ended up blowing the patch of land out. Means it's now considered cursed to them and the other creatures, won't have to worry about any of them digging up the body once it decays and the smell becomes prevalent."

"Why do you even know that?" Blaise mutters as he looked at the body. "Are we sure we've never done any magic here all together? We don't want to bury this scumbag where we've practiced spells and done rituals..."

"I know everything, Blaise." She rolled her eyes, "And no, no we haven't. We usually travel much deeper for group spells and rituals."

Eventually Theo finished stretching the cramps from his arms and looked over at her in an almost scrutinizing way, always able to see if she was truly okay. Rose tears her fingers from Draco's suddenly, seeming to remember her need to keep a distance but Theo quickly realizes that's not what she's doing. No, Rose is lifting a finger up to the moon and counting under her breath.

After a few seconds Rose speaks up, "We have exactly seven hours before early sunrise—plenty of time"

"Are you okay?" Theo blurts out and makes Rose slowly bring her hand down. Her eyes turn to him with a pained look taking form and Theo cannot tell if it's from the hurt of taking someone's life for the first time or from simply having to look at him under the moonlight.

"I'm fine, just shook me up at first." She smiles to the best of her ability, corner of her lips twitching in hurt from the inability to look away. "Draco was right, he would've done it to some other girl and who knows how far he would've went. I—I just started to stab him but he wouldn't go down and Walburga's voice was in my head telling me not to stop..."

Theo's gut hallowed out, "Did he—"

"No" Rose interrupted to stop the worse assumption possible. "He just said a lot of stuff and started roughly grabbing my arms. I'm actually happy to rid the world of a miserable, misogynistic cunt."

"Thank Merlin." Theo mutters to himself before crossing over, bringing Rose into him so quickly she gasps. "Let's bury this son of a bitch"

"Okay Teddy" Rose laughs and everyone follows suit except him, breath hitching for only her to hear. Of course, her laughing dies out too at the nickname slipping out. It's such a silly name, so stupid and childish but yet it brings so much comfort while managing to drive a knife through their stomachs.

He cannot think about that right now, Theo tells himself. Cannot get upset because she's here and her arms are wrapping around his waist, no longer fighting herself to not give in. So instead, Theo settles on the burst of relief the name brings to his chest. Lips starting to press down atop Rose's head repeatedly as Blaise jokes about what sticks to turn into shovels.

Theo keeps kissing because he doesn't know the next time he'll be the granted the ability to kiss her head for so long she starts sighing softly against him. One of the million habits he missed gravely.

"I'm proud of you" Theo says as his lips press down one last time.

"For what? Murdering someone?" Rose murmurs dryly.

"For protecting yourself."

She'll do anything to keep this conversation going so no one can force her to let go of him, "Someone has to do it, hm?"

"I will." He promises in that firm voice which sends chill up her spine. "No matter what's going on, I will."

Blaise shouts breathless from the tree-line, "Sticks! Sticks, Rose! You do the murdering, you help find the sticks!"

She jumps away from Theo at the loudness, glaring toward Blaise's back off to the side but unable to do so for long, very aware of Theo's towering presence over herself.

Is it possible to miss being towered over?

Draco, who had been busy standing a few feet away with crossed arms with amusement at Blaise thinking the stick size mattered, noticed Rose and Theo's sudden intense stare down.

"I was looking at that corpse and thinking about something," Draco called and tossed his arm around her shoulders to bring them both back to this plane of existence. "What is it you always say, Rosie? Fuck that man and his patriarchal attitude?"

Theo steps back with a clearing of his throat, attempting ease the tenseness in his bones from the loss of her touch. "It's fuck the patriarchy, Draco,"

"Yeah!" Blaise cheered from afar, turning around to grin. "Fuck the patriarchy!"

Rose snorted and leaned into Draco, "You all realize you're apart of the patriarchy? You're men."

Theo gives her a look of offensive, "No we are not."

Carrying a heap of small twigs, Whitman speaks up with a smirk. "We're for the girls or team girls, however you wish to put it"

She falls into a fit of laughter. "I'll tell you what you all are—" Taking a brief pause, "—a bunch of arseholes!"

"What a sweet compliment" Draco raises both brows before laughing deeply at the small twigs Whitman drops down. "Blaise! Get over here!"

"I'm getting sticks!"

Whitman shouts, "I already got them!"

Blaise curses them all out in French his whole way over, only getting amused looks in return. Nothing quite sets him off like Rose explaining that they only needed twigs or some sort of object to transfigure into shovels after he was fighting through tree limbs for large sticks. Eventually, he calms down once Draco threatens to throw his body into the grave instead and Rose squats to the ground, mumbling transfiguration spells five times until each of them has a large shovel.

Draco takes the lead on drawing a rectangle in the dirt before everyone forms a circle around the lines. All seeming to remember there's an actual dead body sitting off to the side, sharing a grimace together.

"Shovel tap!" Rose giggles and points the tip of her metal shovel in the center of the circle. They all blankly stare at her until realizing how long it's been since she's made that sound—shrugging slightly and tapping their shovels together until Rose starts to make fun of them for actually doing it.

Blaise begins, "You know what they say about friends who dig graves together?" He slams the shovel inside the dirt of the rectangle and looks up with a devilish smile, "They stay together."

Draco's lips twitch, "Shut the fuck up and let's get started."

Five minutes later of them all digging while Theo hums a tune under his breath that annoys Whitman to no end, Rose tosses her shovel to the ground with a heavy sigh. Wiping her forehead as if this was the most tiring task on earth.

"I need a cigarette" She grumbled and reached into her coat pocket, frustratedly pulling out a rolled paper. Theo couldn't help but be distracted from next to her as she angrily turned the wheel of the metal zippo lighter, failing to make it light.

Theo paused for s second, "Do you need—"

"No!" She snaps before muttering an apology, "Sorry"

Theo just smiled at her attitude, laughing quietly as he returns to digging.

"Stupid fucking lighter" Rose scowls when suddenly the flame comes through and a smile crosses her cheeks as she lights the cigarette excitedly. Taking a deep inhale of the tobacco.

Draco throws a clump of dirt by his feet with a sarcastic smile directed at Rose, "You are being just so very helpful, Rosie."

She lets a stream of smoke and smirks at him, "Thank you, my sweet boy."

His eyes widened only for a moment, "I hate you."

Rose sticks the cigarette between her lips while bending to pick the shovel back up, "Unlike you all...I can multitask! Stop assuming!"

Two hours. Two long hours later and they finally dug a four-foot deep hole. Dirt covering their clothes and faces. Limbs tired. Too much banter to where now everyone was making fun of one another to pass the time. Feeling delusional.

Utterly exhausted.

Why did no one ever tell them how much work it took to dig a grave?

"Give me hand" Theo called up from inside the grave to Draco after the boy was pulled out by Whitman.

Draco laughs dryly, "You can get out, you six-foot four bastard!"

Theo whacked Draco's ankles with the shovel, "You're literally an inch shorter than me"

Draco winced in pain and yelled down at Theo, "Ow?!"

Blaise leaned forward from the scene, grabbing his knees as he shook with laughter. "Oh—I'm so delusional right now"

"I'm injured!" Draco scoffed, "It's not funny!"

"Drama queen" Rose rolled her eyes and dropped her shovel. Circling around to bend down, extending a hand to Theo. "Come on"

Theo looked at her in disbelief, "Not gonna happen"

Rose tucked her lips in to prevent a smile but ultimately failed, knowing there was no way she could pull him out of the grave.

"Stop laughing" Whitman muttered with a grin at Blaise as he wiped the dark stain of dirt off his cheeks, "We all need sleep!"

Draco started to curse under his breath as Whitman came over. Complaining loudly about how gravely Theo hurt him, not even showing signs of pain, just wanting to annoy everyone further.

Theo had enough, "Someone get me out of this damn grave!"

"Oops" Blaise snorted and held his hand out, successfully pulling Theo out.

Theo attempted to dust himself off when he felt a quick tug on his sleeve, looking over to see Rose nodding and walking toward the body. He didn't hesitate to follow after.

"You sure?" Theo asked as she started to pick up the limp legs, getting a nod in return with no expression. "Okay, on three?"

"Yeah."

Theo gathered the arms in one of his hands as the boys cleared their pathway from the shovels, "One. Two. Three."

She grunts as they lift the body off the ground, shuffling in sync with him toward the dug out hole. "Always knew we'd bury someone together"

Breathlessly, Theo smiles over at Rose and she feels it in her chest. "Hoped it would be my father"

He has no clue how much she means her snappy reply, "You can still count on that happening."

"That's my girl" Theo winks without thinking, the behavior and attitude too natural toward her. They paused upon reaching the edge of the grave, "Let's swing him in."

"Can't believe we're doing this" says Blaise as Theo and Rose swing the body left then right. Jerking slightly as they toss the body four feet deep with a crunching sound of bones breaking after.

"Oh please," Rose mutters, dusting her hands off and going to crouch by the foot of the hole. Head tilting to inspect the body below, "All of us doing this is the most believable thing in the world"

Blaise takes to crouching next to Rose, scanning her face before mimicking her actions—head tilting at the body in the ground. "Guess that's true"

"Give me that shovel" Theo demanded out of the blue, yanking the object from Whitman's hands.

Whitman began, "What could you possibly..." His words trailed off as Theo knelt on the opposite end of the grave, lifting the shovel up in the air before doing the most unexpected thing.

Theo slams the shovel down, leaving Rose and Blaise who'd been staring at the body to watch him almost completely slice the corpse's head off. Whitman gasps and Blaise latches onto Rose in shock, turning his face into her shoulder with the instinct to look away.

But she doesn't. Her eyes slowly trial from the body up to Theo, "What...the fuck?!"

"That's what he gets for trying to mess with you." Theo speaks spitefully, meeting her eyes challenging. Then, he smiles so lovingly she has to swallow. "Also...if someone does find this body and you go to Azkaban, I'll be going with you."

Her gaze drifts up to Theo, a lovesick smile forming in the most twisted of situations. "And they say romance is dead?"

"In the case of Azkaban..." Draco mutters with his fingers outstretching to Theo as he crouched down. Theo hands the shovel over encouragingly and Draco finishes taking the head completely off. Slamming the shovel down, the sound of bones breaking and skin ripping ringing out.

Draco nods curtly in reassurance to Rose, lips twisting up on one side as she puts a hand over her heart. "We'll all go together—maybe even get cells next to one another"

"Matching robes?" She raised a quizzical brow to both boys.

Whitman's face is in pure, unbridled shock. Trying to prevent them from further mutilating the body, "Stop!"

________________________________

A/N: oh my god....i cannot believe i wrote them hooking up. i almost deleted the scene ten times, literally not even joking. WHAT. THE. FUCK. also if you were waiting for the chapter last night I apologize, I literally fell asleep at ten pm lol

—writing gory scenes makes me have nightmares so everyone stayed tuned ! (currently dying inside) WHY WAS THE CHAPTER A REAL ROLLERCOASTER?!

—I've been holding this chapter hostage for days because so i was scared to post this. Rose literally hooks up with someone five seconds after putting Mattheo on pause and if you hate her for it, that's fine! anyways no one get mad at me for making her get with Whitman <3 i pinky almost every little detail i put into the book has a purpose, I'm not just throwing in random things and plot lines for no reason !! seriously though, if you cannot handle women making awful decisions, don't keep on reading 🤺🤺
^^ if you cannot tell the rose hate traumatized me

—i miss Theo and Rose so much right now like nobody understands my pain 😵‍💫😵‍💫

—me when Theo is golden retriever but a psychopath😍🤞🏼

ANYWAYS RETURN OF THE MEMES:

me when Draco said he has nothing left of her:

Whitman acting like he hasn't seen Rose undress before:

Rose when Whitman started kissing her neck:

My brain the whole time I tried writing the hookup:

Whitman when Theo comes in five seconds after he finishes messing with Rose:

Theo after taking the head off because he thought it was romantic:

xx bri