Rose looked up from her cauldron to meet a pair of silver eyes. Malfoy was staring. Again. Already flushed from the steam rising off her near-perfect potion, she went an even deeper shade of pink.
He had been acting very odd lately. After enduring five and a half years of Malfoy's merciless teasing and insults, it was almost as if he fancied her or something. She shredded the dandelion roots under her knife with renewed fervor, not sure how she felt about that possibility. On the one hand, he was a petulant little git who probably didn't deserve more attention than a few witty retorts and possibly a slap. On the other hand . . . well . . . the bastard was cute. Silver-blond hair worn slightly long, high cheekbones, slim-yet-muscular frame, and those damn lucid grey eyes that he was fixing on her again! That was really the last straw. Rose got up and marched over to his cauldron on the other side of the room. To her further chagrin, he was sharing a table (as usual) with her cousin, Dominique, who looked up in apparent amusement.
"Hey, Rosie," she said.
"Um, hey, Dominique," her cousin replied perfunctorily before addressing the real issue. "Oi Malfoy!"
He made a great show of putting down the knife that he had been using to cut roots. "What?"
"Were you staring at me just now?"
His eyes narrowed slightly. Apparently he was weighing his response.
"Just now? I think you were staring at me. Got a crush, Weasley?"
Dominique snickered. Rose shot her a dirty look.
"I was not, and I defnitely do not!"
"Ever the righteous Gryffindor," put in Dominique, earning herself another glare.
"You were staring at me first. And a few minutes ago, and again at the beginning of class."
"You're right. I . . . I have a confession to make." Malfoy leaned his head back on his hands and gazed seriously into Rose's eyes. "I stare at you because . . . your face . . . it's just so damn ugly."
Dominique burst out in a fit of giggling. Rose's face went a scarlet to nearly match her hair.
"It's your dreadful speckled mug," continued Malfoy, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You're like a train wreck, and I just can't look away. Run along and play with your chemistry set, and don't even flatter yourself in your wildest dreams that I fancy you."
Rose wanted to pummel him right then and there, but revenge was best served cold. She gave him a parting look that promised all the vengeance she was itching to exact on his pretty face, and flounced back to her own cauldron.
Albus looked up with some apprehension as Rose returned. Her face was brilliantly red, and her arms were stiff as boards by her sides.
"Malfoy problems?" he asked. It was an affliction well-known to all Gryffindors in their year, as well as any younger student who wasn't in Slytherin.
"Oh, yes," she said.
When she didn't offer a further explanation, Albus went back to stirring his almost-completed potion.
"Oh, dammit, I let it simmer too long," she mumbled, in regard to the now rather sticky contents of her cauldron. "Far too late to start again . . . maybe if I add . . ."
They worked in silence for a few minutes. Albus was happy with his potion. It was far from perfect, but it was finished, and he thought it might be quality enough to merit an Acceptable.
"Do you think the rumors are true?" Rose blurted suddenly.
"What?" Albus was almost startled into dropping the flask of his completed work.
"About Dominique. Do you really think she and Malfoy are, like, dating?"
"No," he said, rather too quickly. "I mean, Nicky wouldn't, would she? She's too good for him."
"True enough, I guess. But they're practically inseperable."
Albus smiled. "That's just it, isn't it?"
"What?"
"They're inseperable, like best friends. Not lovers. Besides, can you really see Malfoy treating his hypothetical girlfriend with the respect that he treats Nicky? It would be all squabbling and insults, with some intemittent PDA, am I right?"
Rose chuckled. "You are so right!"
Albus squinted suspiciously at her. "Er, Rose?"
"Yes?" she said, ladling her own superior potion into a flask.
"You wouldn't, by any far-fetched chance, want to be the girl that experiences the squabbling and PDA with Malfoy? Just checking."
"Ugh, why would you think that?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "He's like a blister on my heel. A really persistent, festering blister that spits constant insults."
Albus felt a little bile rise in his throat at the description. "Um. I hope you don't actually have a literal blister anything like that."
She laughed. "No!"
"Okay, so no on both counts?"
"Affirmative," she said as they and the rest of the class surged forward to turn in their sample flasks.
"Glad to hear it."
Scorpius couldn't help staring after Rose with a touch of longing. Her vividly orange hair had the most adorable tendency to frizz in the stream from the Potions classroom, and she got this intense fire in her brown eyes when she was angry . . . especially when she was angry at him . . .
"Ooh la la, weasel got your tongue? Or should I say, weasel-ette?" said Nicky as they left the classroom.
"I don't think you get to poke fun at your own name. Eh, Weaselette?" he shot back.
"This is the problem," she said, adjusting her wire-frame glasses with a scholarly air. "To her face, it's nonstop sassy remarks and general asshattery, and then when she's not around, you defend her valiantly.
"What, defend? Who am I defending?" he sputtered.
"I'm not going to dignify that with a response, Moon Eyes," Nicky sniffed.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Mm-hm."
"What, Rose? That snub-nosed little snobbish Gryffindor isn't attractive to me in the least."
"Right. And Hagrid is interested in a haircut."
"This isn't funny! You are insulting my excellent and discriminating taste in women."
"Careful what you say about my cousin, Malfoy."
"Whatever."
"I agree completely."
"You're just talking nonsense now."
"Perhaps, perhaps."
"I really don't fancy her."
"Yes, and Victrola Petracca is fond of shampoo."
It was time for lunch, and Victrola again found herself working against the tide of hungry students and making her way down to the dungeons. Her gastric area protested loudly, as she had skipped breakfast too, but her thin, sinewy body generally didn't require much sustenance. What she required was Slughorn's favor, if she wanted the job she was after.
"Good afternoon, sir," she greeted her elderly professor. He flinched in surprise.
"Merlin's beard, Miss Petracca! You startled me." He chuckled perfunctorily. "It's my - I mean everyone's - lunch break! Why aren't you in the Great Hall? I was just on my way there myself."
"Professor Slughorn, I was wondering if you needed any help cleaning up after the lesson. I know those sixth years can be a bit of a pain," she said significantly, nodding to a particularly nasty spilled mess in the corner.
His eyes followed hers. "You're quite right, of course. I was going to have the students in detention clean it . . . but my afternoon classes . . ." The old man looked wistfully at the door.
"You go on and have lunch, sir. I can clean this up for you."
His face brightened. "Really? Why, Miss Petracca, that would be exceptionally kind. I have to admit, I may have underestimated your ambition."
She had to play along. "Ambition?"
"Well, call me an old fool, but I never invited you to the Slug Club because you lacked that certain spark I like to see in a student. Though, of course, you've done brilliant work all six and a half years in my class!" He chuckled again, more warmly. "But this year, I see a new potential that's very promising. I'd keep an eye out for a certain violet-ribboned invitation, if I were you!"
Victrola widened her eyes in what she assumed was the proper mode of surprise and gratitude. "Thank you, sir! I never expected I might get into the Slug Club, though of course I hoped."
He smiled genially and edged toward the door.
"This is really very kind of you - Victoria?"
"Victrola, sir."
"Ah, yes, Victrola. A very memorable name, that. Good afternoon!"
Alone in the classroom at last, Victrola went straight to the supply cupboard to browse around. She really had come to do a favor for Slughorn, but being unattended in the Potions room had added benefits.
There was nothing of special interest that wasn't out of reach in Slughorn's private store. A simple Alohamora almost certainly wouldn't work and just might set off some sort of ward, so she contended herself with filching some extra saltpetre and a few bezoars. Always useful, and unlikely to be missed.
The mysterious floor stain was easily eradicated with a Scouring Spell, leaving the rest of the lunch period free for a brief sojourn in the library.
Ruby Kumar stifled another giggle. She and her best friend, Annabelle Brown, had taken to frequenting the library in the hope that Annabelle would finally catch the eye of her crush. It was hilarious.
The two girls were hiding behind their copies of Unfogging the Future in the sunniest corner of the library. Mark Davies, the handsome Ravenclaw Seeker, was browsing the Astronomy section nearby. It was rather a transparent disguise, considering all the whispering and giggling and glancing at Davies, but the man himself seemed blissfully oblivious. Ruby rather suspected he wasn't very observant. Either he was completely immersed in finding the perfect book, or he wasn't too bright.
An intimidating seventh-year Slytherin slouched by, her gaze shooting daggers in their direction.
"What a weirdo," whispered Annabelle.
"That's Petracca. I heard she only showers once every two weeks, and never uses shampoo."
"Gross!"
This sent the two girls into a giggling spell that only ended when another boy approached Davies.
"Ooh, he's cute!" said Annabelle.
"I thought you liked Davies," whispered Ruby, her brow furrowing slightly.
"Davies is mega-hot, but his friend is too. He would be so perfect for you, Rube!"
His face looked familiar. Ruby tried to place where she had seen him. "Isn't that Zach Smith? The Ravenclaw Keeper?"
Inexplicably, Annabelle started giggling again. "He's looking this way, he's looking this way!"
True enough, the sandy-haired boy was indeed looking in their direction, and soon approached them.
"Hey . . . Ruby, right?"
"Um, yeah, hi," she said. Ruby was grateful that she was too dark to blush. Annabelle smiled her most winning smile.
"I'm Zach," he introduced himself. He looked as if he was about to extend his hand, but thought better of it and started swinging his limp arm instead. "So, Ruby, do you want to um, I was wondering if . . . I mean, we don't know each other, but, er . . ."
She was getting a little impatient. "Next Hogsmeade weekend?"
He smiled sheepishly. "Like, yeah! Great! I'll pick you up in the Great Hall next Hogsmeade weekend, then?"
She smiled back. "Yes. Sounds great."
"Cool."
He stood there for a moment, then nodded once and walked away.
As soon as he was out of earshot, Annabelle squealed and threw her arms around Ruby. "You got a date with Zack McYummy! You go, girl!"
Ruby hugged her friend back. "I did, didn't I!"
"Isn't he just the cutest?"
Ruby thought it rather rude that he had asked her out before even knowing her, and it was extrmemly rude to just ignore Annabelle completely.
"Total cutest."
AN: To clarify:
Canon characters-
Rose Weasley
Albus Potter
Scorpius Malfoy
JKR's noncanon characters-
Dominique "Nicky" Weasley
Original characters-
Victrola Petracca
Annabelle Brown (Lavender Brown's niece)
Ruby Kumar
etc