A/N: Ah! Okay, this is my second attempt at a Harry Potter fanfic. My first one wasn't that good, so I'm trying a story from this angle. I figured, since Hermione and Draco couldn't have possibly gotten together in the book, I might as well try putting their kids together:D I'm sure many Hermione/Draco obsessed fans (like myself) have already tried/done this, but...oh well...I want to give this a shot. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this, new readers and perhaps old.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter...or Gummy Life Savers (those things are good; the original ones are good as well.)
Rose sighed, holding her messenger bag close as she boarded the Hogwarts Express. Giving one last wave to her mother, Hermione, and her father, Ron, she set off to find a compartment where she would hopefully find her best friends Edward and Isabel, fraternal twins who had befriended her the first day of school. However, their looks were completely opposite. Their face and body structures were so perfect it was hard to believe they were human. Rose had always believed there was a hint of veela in them somewhere, but they had claimed that there was no such thing in their blood; it was 'simply luck' as they had put it. Edward had long dark, curly locks which he usually kept tied back. Rose had never seen him without it that way. His eyes were a light blue unlike Isabel whose were a dark brown. Her hair was straight and snow-white, cut choppily from her eyes and layered down to her shoulders. Isabel's skin was pale as her hair and Edward's tan.
"Isabel…Edward…Albus…where are you guys?" Rose mumbled to herself, searching through the compartments. Albus was her cousin, son to Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley. He was an exact replica of his father with messy raven hair and emerald eyes.
She finally reached the end of the train, yet she hadn't found any of them. She gave a groan of exasperation and ran a hand through her brown curls. She looked in the compartment opposite her and simply decided to stay there. Only one other person occupied it.
"Uh—um—excuse me, but…could I sit in here? Many of the other compartments are full." While she waited, she observed the other occupant, one with white-blonde hair and a height of about 5'10". He was so thin and long…kind of like her father, actually.
"Um, excuse me?" Rose asked, stepping a little into the compartment. He continued not to answer her, and she decided on her own that it would be okay to sit. She quietly settled herself on the opposite bench and sat there, toying with a keychain her parents gave her from their trip around Asia. She opened her bag and shuffled through, pulling out a book. She tried to concentrate on reading, but was too distracted by the guy. She'd never been alone with one before. There was Edward, Albus, her brother, Hugo, her father, and others, but she knew them, so things weren't that awkward.
"What-what's your name? I've never…seen you around Hogwarts before. What house are you in?" Rose began, hoping he would answer her questions and they could begin a nice conversation. "I'm Rose Weasley, part of Gryffindor house." It was then that he finally turned his face to her; Rose could swear her heart skipped a beat or two. He had the face of an angel with beautiful bone structure and thin, but not too thin, lips. His bangs casually fell over a pair of slate gray eyes.
She swallowed, looking down at her shoes under his scrutinizing gaze. Her eyes drifted up again, and still he was calmly assessing her. 'How overpowering,' she thought to herself, clearing her throat and positioning herself so she couldn't see him as well.
"Scorpius Malfoy," he introduced suddenly. Rose almost jumped out of her seat. She swerved her head to face him but he was already looking out the window again.
'Oh….Where have I heard that name before? I could swear I have.' She wracked her brain, shuffling through her memories when the door suddenly opened. Both occupants looked at the new person.
"Rose, there you are! We thought you'd been left at King's Cross or something, but here you are chatting up a handsome bloke. The least you could have done was text me." Isabel gave a small pout, hands on her hips. "Ed, Al, and I have been worried sick."
"I couldn't find you guys, and I wasn't chatting him up either. This is Scorpius, Scorpius Malfoy. We just met actually." Rose could the blush leaving her face, the one that had appeared when Isabel had thought that Rose had been flirting with Scorpius. They had only met after all, and even then it would still be impossible for her to try and flirt. She'd never really understood the whole concept. Isabel had put it simply as talking with someone you're attracted to and subtly hinting that you were attracted to them.
"Scorpius…Malfoy…? Aren't you the one that's always second to Rose in exams?" Isabel questioned, but stepped back when she saw his body grow rigid and his fist clench. "Or-or maybe I'm just mistaken," she added quickly, backing out. "Sometimes I just blurt stuff out without actually knowing what I'm talking about. Right, Rose, right?" She looked at Rose for reassurance, signaling with her eyes to agree.
"Ye-yes, Isabel is like that sometimes. Please, don't take it to heart. Really, don't. She's just…really…inconsiderate like that sometimes…I guess…." Rose mumbled the last part, her eyes straying downwards. She could feel Isabel's expression of shock as she stuttered, "Y-y-yeah, I guess…I really am inconsiderate like that." Coldly she added, "'Inconsiderate', huh? You could've mentioned that earlier in our friendship."
Rose looked up quickly and said, "No, I didn't mean it in a bad sense. I mean, I-it's just that-well…sometimes…you….It's just-I mean-I just-please don't take it the wrong way. I didn't mean it the way it came out. I'm sorry, really I am. I'm sorry." As she spoke, her voice had died down to nothing but a tiny whisper. She added nothing more when Isabel left the compartment, a scowl on her face. They hadn't even entered Hogwarts yet and already they were fighting. It usually never happened. Perhaps something else had happened to Isabel before this? Typically, Isabel wouldn't have gotten mad about something so small.
She slowly turned to Scorpius. "I'm…really sorry to you as well about how Isabel acted. She does, on occasion, say some bold things, but she doesn't mean any harm, really." She bit her lip, hoping that Scorpius would forgive Isabel.
"I'm a Malfoy. It was disappointing in the fact that I even reacted to what she said. Don't bother." He had his legs stretched out and was staring out the window at the passing scenery, his arms loosely folded across his chest.
"Um…Scorpius…although we haven't known each other for long…I hope that what just occurred…well, I hope we can still be friends." Rose spoke slowly, marveling at her boldness. Never had she said something like this, not really. She'd always tried to go with everyone else, trying to make them happy. She hated fighting, she really did.
He turned his head and looked at her expressionlessly before saying, "You really talk a lot, you know that?" He gave a small smirk, and Rose blushed a dark red in return.
"We-we-well if-if it-if it bothers you so much, then-well-then tell me to be quiet or something," she mumbled, playing with a hair tie, twisting it into different shapes and producing different knots.
He shrugged and said, "Who knows? Maybe…I like your company. That's possible, isn't it?" Rose nodded meekly. "Hey, stop looking down so much. Is my face really that horrendous that you have to look away all the time?" Rose shook her head no and took a deep breath before lifting her head as if it was the hardest thing she had ever done before. This Scorpius was so different from before. What had brought on this sudden change? It was odd…but oh well…at least he wasn't mad at her. All she had to worry about was Isabel, who would hopefully be able to forgive her.
"You seem…worried. Why?" He asked, staring at her. His dark eyes seemed to penetrate her, able to read her mind.
"Well, it's just that…." So she explained her feelings to Scorpius who listened intently, his eyes hardly ever leaving her face. This had been at first been extremely hard and embarrassing, but Rose found herself relaxing. They lay on the seats opposite each other, staring at the ceiling. Before she knew it, Rose began talking about anything and everything while Scorpius listened. When the food trolley came to their end of the train, much to Rose's discomfort, Scorpius bought a lot of sweets for them, telling her sternly that she didn't need to pay him back. All she had to do was keep talking, keep telling him stories about her childhood, her friends, her escapades at Hogwarts with her friends, and muggle stories that she'd read. He all found it quite fascinating since he'd never been introduced to anything muggle nor did he have any friends…not any close ones at least.
"That means I'm your first real friend, right?" Rose asked excitedly, propping herself up with her elbows, chewing on a licorice wand. He nodded numbly, a small streak of pink crossing his cheeks as he ate the head of a chocolate frog. Rose gave a small smile and continued to eat the sweets. "Hey, Scorpius…if you don't mind, would you tell me about you? I've been talking the entire time, and I've realized that I hardly know anything about you at all."
"Well, my life isn't as exciting as yours. I grew up in Malfoy Manor with my mother and father and some house elves. I began riding a broomstick when I was three, and well…that's about it I guess. Being a pureblood isn't all it's cracked up to be."
"Scorpius, what's it like riding a broom? I've asked my cousin James before but he isn't much help, and he even got me to try it once, but I-well, I wasn't that good. I could've been in a bad accident if my dad and uncle Harry hadn't been there."
"Harry…as in Harry Potter?" Scorpius asked curiously.
"Yes, why?" Rose replied, returning his stare.
"It's nothing, just curiosity. Oh, look, we're almost at Hogwarts."
"How can you tell?" Rose asked, sitting up and moving to look out the window. He walked over and stood behind her, his arm on the right side of her head as he pointed out a pair of out-of-place willow trees. His breath tickled her ear and his warmth was comforting, welcoming. "Scorpius," she said quietly, "could you…please not…come so close to me…?"
"Sorry," he muttered, leaving her side and returning to his own. An uncomfortable silence settled over them, only broken when Rose said she was going to change into her robes. Soon after arriving at Hogwarts, Rose lost track of Scorpius who seemed to blend into the crowd. Luckily, she was found by Albus who was slowly moving through the crowd.
"So who did you stay with on the train?" Albus asked as she walked up beside him, attempting to fix his Gryffindor tie.
"Here, let me help you," Rose offered with a small smile, stopping where they stood. She stood on her tip-toes and began tying Albus' tie the proper way. "We've been wearing ties for almost five years and you still don't know how to tie it properly? Really, Albus, you should have someone teach you."
"I've asked for help but I just don't seem to get it. Perhaps ties just don't like me at all. Thanks." They began walking quicker to catch up with the other students. "Hey, you never answered my question from before. Who were you sitting with on the train? Far as I know, you don't have any close friends besides Ed, Is, and me. Ow!" He exclaimed, due to the fact that Rose had just slapped him on the arm.
"I do so have other friends besides you three. Well…they're more like…acquaintances, I guess you could call them…or even just classmates if you wanted to be a little more specific. Anyways, why does it matter who I was sitting with? At least I'm here and still not at King's Cross."
"I'm your friend and cousin, Rose. I worry about these sorts of things. I don't want you getting brainwashed before we've entered Hogwart's grounds. It can't be that bad. Come on, tell me. Please, Rose?"
She contemplated for a few minutes in her head and finally answered, "Scorpius Malfoy."
Her answer was met with silence, which usually wasn't a good thing. She slowly moved her gaze upwards to Albus' face. "Albus…? Is something wrong?" She asked.
"Rose…do you really not know who Scorpius Malfoy is?" He asked calmly. She shook her head slowly, continuing to stare at Albus. "Well…you must be extremely unobservant, or you've spaced out many times these last four years. Scorpius Malfoy," he took a deep breath, "is the son of an ex-Deatheater. All these years, on every exam we've ever taken, he's always been second to you. He is a Slytherin who is always found with the worst ones, the ones that bully younger students and anyone else who can't defend themselves properly. Furthermore, everyone in the school knows that he has slept with many girls, both in and out of the school. He drinks and occasionally smokes, but that is nevertheless bad. He's an annoying, arrogant pureblood prat that will do anything to make a girl swoon and get into bed with him. He's the vilest…creature in the entire school, including any dangerous creatures Hagrid brings in." His tone had grown darker and darker as he spoke which was highly unusual for Albus. Maybe it was one of those phases that teenage boys went through?
"You seem to harbor a large grudge against him, Albus. When I talked to him, he didn't seem that bad. He really seems like a good person. Scorpius bought me sweets and we talked—well, I did most of the talking, and he listened. Albus, I'm sure rumors are just getting to you and you've just begun using them to shape together Scorpius. After all, everyone has two sides to them, a good and bad one."
Albus shook his head. "No, Rose, I know what I'm talking about. Unlike others, before I start believing, I investigate to be sure it's true. I've done just that over the years and everything I just said is true. Malfoy is a horrible, despicable, loathsome git."
Rose sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to convince Albus otherwise. He'd begun showing the hotheadedness that his father had—according to Aunt Ginny at least. She continued walking beside a fuming Albus as they entered Hogwarts and the great hall. They settled themselves down at the Gryffindor table with Edward and Isabel who were quietly talking to each other. Albus' mood lightened immensely as he and Edward began talking vividly about quidditch. Rose's aura was full of discomfort and hesitation, Isabel's with distaste.
"What's up with you two?" Edward asked, his dark eyes resting on Rose's face.
"It's nothing," she replied calmly, quietly. "I'm just tired from the long train ride." She gave a small smile of reassurance and was saved from saying anything more when Headmistress McGonagall began speaking. Even after all the years between the fall of Voldemort and now, she and many of the past teachers were still there. It was amazing, to say the least.
"Good evening, everyone. Before we begin sorting, I'd like to remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden. Any students found after hours will receive an immediate detention and a deduction of house points. Now we shall begin the sorting." With a whole new load of first years, the sorting took twenty minutes. "Before you begin your feast, I would like to inform you all that a new optional class will be held after dinner during your normally free time. It is an advanced course that would prefer 6th or 7th years, but if anyone younger feels they are up to the challenge, they may join. Inform me of your decision if you ever make it. Now, you may begin your feast." She nodded approvingly and sat down with the other teachers as food magically appeared before them. All around, there were astonished and excited whispers from first years and relieved grumblings from other years.
Rose sipped a little pumpkin juice and nibbled on a little chicken. However, she was still full from the sweets on the train. Picking through her bag, she pulled out a licorice wand and stood.
"Where are you going?" Edward asked, neatly dabbing his mouth with a napkin. "Dinner hasn't ended yet, and we have to go back to our dorms after this. You should know that."
"I do. I'm just full from eating so much on the way here, and I'm heading to the library. Don't worry. I'll be in the dorms by the time we're supposed to." She picked up her bag and left through the doors.
At the Slytherin table, Scorpius watched as she walked away, her steps graceful like a dancer's. She was escaping from dinner. Why? Was it simply because of her friend? If so, what a cowardly thing to do.
"Scorpius, who are you looking at?" crowed one of the 7th year Slytherin girls, wrapping her arms around his neck. She laid a soft kiss on his neck, aware of all the jealous glares from the others. "What?" She asked innocently, laying her head down on his shoulder. "Don't be jealous because he chose me out of all of you." She smirked and sighed happily. Scorpius was handsome and from a rich pureblood family. What else could a girl want?
"For how long, that's the question," giggled a pair of young Ravenclaw girls. "Everyone knows that Malfoy moves through girls after two days at the most, so why should this be any different?"
"I don't really know, Fauna. Maybe this slut can actually satisfy Malfoy. Hm…then again, I highly doubt it. He's just using them until he has to get married to some pureblood."
"Hey, maybe she'll be lucky and it'll be her that Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy choose. Don't you agree, Flora?" She and her sister brought their heads closer, giggling like mad.
"I highly doubt that. Malfoy women have to be beautiful, intelligent, and not an embarrassment to society. However, it's hard to find girls that like nowadays, isn't it, Fauna?"
"Yes, it is. But never fear, we know at least a few girls like that." Both nodded with understanding, their arms intertwined.
During the sisterly conversation, Celina's face had been growing redder and redder. She would not let a pair of third years talk about her that way. She bolted up from her seat and spat, "Just who the hell do you think you are, talking about me like that?!" All became quiet in the Great Hall and eyes turned to where the three stood.
"Flora and Fauna Celeste, of course. Who else would we be?" They replied, staring at her questioningly. Each had dark red hair that fell to their waist and light green eyes. Freckles were lightly dusted across their noses, accompanied by pouty pink lips. The only differences between them were that Flora had a streak of blonde in her hair and a silver bracelet on her left wrist while Fauna's streak was black and on her left wrist was a gold bracelet.
Celina stood there, gaping. She had just messed with the daughters of the Minister of Magic. 'Shit,' she thought to herself, her fists clenching, her nails making little half-moon marks on her palm. 'Shit, shit, shit.' She began panicking, trying to figure out a way to make them forget she'd said anything bad.
"Must we repeat our names?" They asked amusedly, staring at her with their same colored eyes. "Or…have you been put into such a state of shock that we must take you to Madam Pomfrey? I'm sure she'd be glad to help, wouldn't she, Flora?" Fauna asked, her eyes flickering to her sister.
"Yes, and we would even be gracious enough to assist her on the way to Madam Pomfrey."
"Aren't we such good people?" Fauna sighed. "Oh well, we're wasting our time here. Let's go ask sister Rosie to tell us a story or something. She's always been good at that."
"Yes," agreed Flora, "Rose has always been good at that. I didn't see her here at dinner though."
"She probably escaped to the library. That is her sanctuary, after all." Flora and Fauna continued mumbling to each other as they walked away. Celina still continued to stare after them, bitter hatred in her eyes. They'd made a fool of her and continued even now to do so.
"I'm not done talking to you, you little witches!" She screeched after them. "How dare you show disrespect to your superior?!" Up at the teachers' table, Professor McGonagall made to stand up, but many teachers quietly told her to sit back down. It was only the beginning of the year; this was an extremely interesting turn of events. If things got too out of hand, then they would act, but for now, this was just some childish amusement. It also seemed that many of the students were enjoying it as well, so why ruin the fun?
"Yes, we are witches. What are you?" Flora asked calmly, tilting her head back to look at Celina.
"We weren't showing disrespect," Fauna added. "We were simply stating the truth. Ask any student—well, make that almost any student—and they will agree wholeheartedly with what we just said. Adieu." They left out the door without another word, leaving Celina standing there, shaking with rage.
"Scorpius, aren't you going to say anything?" Celina asked, swerving around to her last hope of comfort. She hoped he would embrace her and whisper to her how they would get back at the two girls and show them how superior they really were. A smile lit her face when he stood and walked towards her. She held out her arms as if to embrace him, but he walked straight past, a hand shoved nonchalantly in his pocket, the other loosening his green and silver tie. All around Celina, people from different houses began whispering amongst each other and even to other houses, giggling and pointing. She turned to the doors and followed Scorpius' lead out the doors. The last words she heard were, "Wow, if even Malfoy doesn't want her, she really must be bad."
She left almost in tears. She blinked them back, feeling her eyes water. Already a few were falling down her face. She wiped away at them furiously, glad that everyone was in the Great Hall. Just thinking about what had happened, she couldn't help it as more tears fell down. As she traveled farther and farther away, her nose became runny. 'Oh, God,' she thought to herself. 'This is the worst first day of school ever…and during my last year as well.' Before she knew it, she'd bumped into someone. She sat there on the floor, trying to hide her face, hoping that the other person would just go away.
"Um, here," the other person, a girl, whispered softly, "you can take my handkerchief if you'd like."
"I don't want your damn pity," Celina muttered, turning away. It was already tragic enough that this had happened to her and someone in the school was witnessing her tears. Tomorrow was going to be even worse once this person told her friends that she had seen Celina crying.
"Oh…" the girl replied in a hurt tone. "I-I'm sorry," she added quietly.
"Who is it, Rosie?" Fauna asked, curious as to whom the person was.
"Oh…it's just her," Flora said, her voice full of distaste. "If you're looking for Malfoy…well," she turned her head to look behind them, "he should be coming soon. We just met him in the library."
"He's probably still recovering from the stun spell," Fauna nodded, adjusting her gold bracelet. "You still need to work on the way you hold your wand though, Flora. It's not elegant enough."
"I like the way I hold my wand," Flora glowered. "Besides, I distinctly remember you laughing your head off when he tried to deflect but was just a little too late."
"Yes, his fall was none too graceful either," noted Fauna, nodding. "We should get going, Rosie, or else we'll be late to our dorms and get in trouble. We wouldn't want to get your no-late record blemished because of something like this."
"Flora, Fauna, don't be mean, please," Rose chastised gently.
"She was mean to you though, Rose," said Flora, "and she deserves what she got. I mean, really, she was hanging all over Malfoy." Flora shuddered, rubbing her arms. "Sure he has a nice face, but underneath he's nothing but a lying, scheming prat of the underworld."
"Not you guys, too. Scorpius isn't a bad guy; he's actually very kind." Her tone grew wistful, and a blush crossed her cheeks when both Fauna and Flora gave her strange looks. "Excuse me…but…what's your name?"
"…Celina," she replied, not quite understanding why she had told her name to this friend of the witches who would permanently ruin her.
"That's a pretty name, not as common as Rose. Are-are you sure that you wouldn't like my handkerchief? I-I'm sure you wouldn't want any of the other students to see you this way."
Celina slowly reached up and grabbed the plain white handkerchief with the only decoration of a red rose threaded on in a corner. She dabbed at her eyes and her nose. "Thanks," she mumbled.
"It's nothing," Rose beamed, offering a hand to Celina who hesitantly took it. "After all, we're Hogwarts students, and my mother told me that Professor Dumbledore always said we should help each other out, no matter what our differences."
Celina stared at Rose. 'This tiny girl is so strange…but kind…even to someone as pathetic as me.' Her eyes then strayed forward and widened. Purposefully walking towards them was Scorpius, running a hand through his hair.
"Great," Flora said, rolling her eyes. "Rose, we have company. You'd probably welcome this person, but I don't think any of the rest of us would make this person feel very…comfortable."
"What do you mean, Flora?" Rose asked curiously.
"Good evening again, Rose," Scorpius greeted. "I'm surprised I don't have any wands at my throat again as well."
"Oh, you actually want us to take the effort to bring out our wands again, Malfoy?" Fauna asked before adding, "I mean, not that you're really worth it, but…if you insist." She shrugged as she and her sister pulled out their wands, Fauna's of oak and unicorn hair, Flora's of willow and phoenix feather.
"Flora, Fauna, please stop this nonsense," said Rose before any spells could be cast. She moved in front of the twins' wands so they couldn't aim as well at Scorpius. "We haven't even started classes yet and you guys are already causing lots of trouble. Please leave Scorpius alone, please."
Both sighed, somewhat disappointedly, as they stowed their wands back in their robes. They moved to the sides of Rose and glared at Scorpius who coolly returned their glare.
"You're lucky that Rose here has grown fond of you, Malfoy. I don't know what spell you've cast on her yet, but know this, we won't ever let you have her; you can be sure of that. And just so it'll be fair, you better always have your wand on you or else one day when Rose isn't around, who knows? We might end up accidentally cursing you at the same time." Flora smirked at him, watching a small look of hatred flicker across his face.
"Flora, Fauna, I thought I told you to stop. Don't threaten him like that," Rose scolded.
"Then I guess to keep him safe, all three of us will always have to be together," said Fauna. "That's the only way to ensure his safety, Rosie."
"We could always get Ed, Al, and Is on our side as well. You know how much they disapprove and loathe him so."
"Yes, that's true. We should text one of them tonight, or simply talk during breakfast tomorrow. Yes, it's getting late so let's talk to them tomorrow."
"Wh-wh-wait, you can't do that! You can't just gang up on Scorpius like that!" exclaimed Rose, walking as the two girls walked away, their arms intertwined as usual. "Flora, Fauna, you can't do that!"
"You can let them do as they want. As you might not have seen at dinner, I have many admirers who would protect me," said Scorpius, walking up to stand beside Rose. "You should be more concerned about yourself. After all…once I become infatuated with a girl, there's no way she can escape me."
Rose laughed unsurely, feeling as Scorpius brought himself closer to her. "Well, hopefully that girl returns your feelings, then. It would be a shame if she didn't. However, if she did, it would be even worse if you lost your infatuation after only a few days. After all, everyone in Hogwarts knows how much you like to move from one girl to the next."
"True, true. However, there is one particular girl that I have my eyes set on; I haven't had her yet, but I plan on it…soon." Rose began shuffling away as Scorpius moved closer to her.
"Rosie, come on!" Fauna yelled down the vast hallway. Soon footsteps were heard as the twins came bounding back, wands in hand. They each intertwined one of their arms with one of Rose's. As they walked away, they turned around and stuck their tongues out at Scorpius. There was no way they were going to allow some Slytherin playboy to steal away their pure and innocent Rose.
Scorpius watched as the two red-heads walked with Rose, keeping her busy with chatter so she didn't have time to turn around and say good-bye to him. However, for a second, Scorpius caught her eyes as she turned around and then back again.
That was the last time he ever made contact with her. Yes, he saw her in class, but she was always surrounded by other people whether they were from her own house or other houses. He didn't want other people around, mostly because he just wanted her to himself, and the fact that a Gryffindor and Slytherin match-up wouldn't be seen so well through the eyes of the other houses. Beside that, he had his own admirers to take care of and satisfy. He slept with girls, accepted their gifts and affection with the courtesy he was taught, yet never let them have any more than that. As to Rose's fan boys, he cursed them behind their backs, chuckling to himself. After all, no one could have her but him.
7th year at Hogwarts
"Rosie, Rosie, Rosie, where are you?" Fauna called frantically, searching the train for her friend. Behind her, Flora searched as well, albeit more calmly than Fauna. "Rosie, come out or else that evil Slytherin will find you first!" Two years had passed since they'd met Scorpius, and he hadn't done anything suspicious (except for cursing Rose's admirers) but the twins were still on guard. He wanted her badly, and this was their last year at Hogwarts, his last real chance to get at Rose before they left and went their separate ways.
"Fauna, she's right in here," said Flora, stopping by a compartment that Fauna had passed. Fauna stopped abruptly and turned around, running to the compartment. The twins went in and were relieved to find Rose chatting animatedly with Edward and Albus. When they stepped in, they looked up and gave some greetings.
"Rosie, if we're calling for you, you should answer at least. We were worried that Malfoy had found you first and had you tied up somewhere or something," Fauna exclaimed, crossing her arms and sitting down beside Albus.
"Sorry," apologized Rose, "but we had Edward do a silencio spell so we wouldn't be able to hear everyone else. They are quite loud when boarding the train after all." She took a look at her watch and stood. "I have to go to the Head's compartment. Professor McGonagall is going to explain Head duties to both the Head boy and me." She gave an apologetic smile before leaving.
"…Does anyone know who Head boy is?" Flora asked while her sister sat across from her, gaping.
"Malfoy," both Albus and Edward replied tightly.
"What?! No, we can't let Rosie go. We have to stop her!" Fauna screamed, standing hastily. Before she could move any further, her sister grabbed her forearm.
"Once the Head meeting begins, no one must interrupt. Besides, you can't interrupt. A silencio spell and locking spell has been put on. Don't worry. Professor McGonagall will be there the entire time so there is no need to worry. Now sit down and relax with the rest of us. Besides, Rose is a talented witch. She can protect herself."
"With her wand, that is," huffed Albus. "Malfoy can overpower her in physical strength due to the vigorous training he puts his teammates and himself through for quidditch. Without her wand, Rose stands no chance against him."
"Must you always be pessimistic, Albus? Rose will be fine."
"As it goes, the both of you will be sharing a dorm. Now, considering that you are both in your last year of Hogwarts, I sincerely hope that you take it upon yourselves to act responsibly and not engage in anything…compromising or bring together a family feud." Professor McGonagall peered at Scorpius specifically while she said this, but he casually avoided her eyes, fiddling with a ring on his right hand. "Now, as when you were Prefects, you must patrol the hallways after hours. I have already composed a schedule. You must set an example for the rest of the Hogwarts students, do you understand?"
"Yes, Professor McGonagall," replied Rose, already reading over the schedule.
Professor McGonagall suddenly looked out the window and said, "I'm sorry, but there are some things as Hogwarts that I must prepare. You may return to your previous activities. I'll see you soon." She nodded to both of them and disapparated.
"I can't wait to see the Head dorms at Hogwarts," Rose gushed. "Mum never got to be Head Girl, so she couldn't exactly explain to me what they look like. What do you think they'll look like, Scorpius?" She turned to her partner and found him staring at her intently. "What? Is there something on my face? I knew Mum was right when she said I should put a mirror in my bag."
"No, of course it's nothing like that. No, wait." He brought forward a pale hand and brushed a stray curl off her temple. "Perfect," he muttered, continuing to stare at her.
"Thank you for the compliment, Scorpius, but I wouldn't exactly call myself perfect. I'm far from that. But, while you're still here, would you like a licorice wand? Or would you prefer a pumpkin pasty? Or would a chocolate frog do?" Rose asked, pulling the sweets from her bag. "Unless you'd like some muggle candy; I have some of that as well. Oh, wait, you've…never had muggle candy before, have you? I'm sorry."
"Of course I've had muggle candy before. I'm a Malfoy; we're supposed to be diverse in our choices. I've been taught that from birth," he replied lazily, looking at his choices. "Hm…I've never seen that muggle candy before."
"Oh, gummy life savers? These are my favorites. Here, hold out your hand." He did so and she grabbed it, pulling it towards her. Rose dumped a handful in his palm and gave herself some as well. She chewed happily on a red-colored one while Scorpius eyed them before popping a light green one in his mouth. "See? They're good, aren't they? And they really could be life savers; for example, if you were stranded somewhere with nothing to eat but these, then you could survive even a little longer until help came."
"Hm," Scorpius replied, silently chewing on the candy. "More," he demanded, holding out his hand.
"But I already gave you a lot," Rose pointed out, quickly putting the bag of gummy savers in her bag. "You shouldn't be demanding anything of me, either. After all, I was the one who offered it to you, not the other way around."
"Well then you shouldn't have offered them to me in the first place if you weren't going to share," Scorpius replied stubbornly, his hand still held out, a small glare on his face. "Now give me some, Weasley."
Rose bolted out of her chair and began shouting, "Oh, so we're going with last names now? I can't believe you're getting so upset over candy. I mean, really. Besides, I did give you some; it's better than me taking out the candy and not offering you any at all. If you want some, why don't you send a letter home and ask your house elves—no, wait, why don't you simply go to a muggle city and buy the candy yourself?!" She took a deep, shuddering breath, closing her eyes and counting to ten. Her mother always did tell her that she had her father's temper. It just took an extremely irritating person to bring it out. Of course, she wasn't really one to react that quickly to something so simple. Maybe it was a Weasley thing to do when it came to Malfoys. At this thought she smiled to herself. Yep, her father would be proud of her. Her eyes opened again to some shuffling. Rose's mouth opened and closed when she found Scorpius sitting comfortably in his chair, feet propped up on the desk Professor McGonagall had just been sitting behind, throwing gummy savers in his mouth.
"Y-y-you—what do you think you're doing, Scorpius Malfoy?!"
"Eating," he replied casually. "What else does it look like?" He slightly turned his face to her, a small smirk on his face.
"I didn't give you permission to eat those. Give them back!" She demanded, one hand balled into a fist and resting on her hip, the other held out. "Scorpius Malfoy, give me back my life savers before I hex you to Timbuktu."
"Rose, have you taken into account that I'm physically stronger than you? I'm a seeker, and having quick reflexes is a requirement. Before you'd even whip out your wand, I'd have your wand and your arms twisted behind your back." He countered calmly, continuing the lower the number of gummies.
"And if any of my friends found out you touched me, they'd hex you as well, worse than I would, actually. I'd pity you and leave your hex at something that would keep you away from the public eye for a few days at the most."
He chuckled mirthlessly and rested his dark gray eyes on her face. "Rest assured that you will never be able to hex me."
"What makes you believe that?" Rose asked, her focus on the gummy savers completely gone.
"Although your mother, father, others of your family, and my father shared an…interesting past…hating each other because of their different outlooks, you and I are not them. And, if I may be so bold as to say, I'm simply infatuated with you, Rose." A blush instantly colored her cheeks as Scorpius' eyes looked at her, filled with nothing but honesty. Yes, she'd had many confessions from boys over the years, but his confession was so straight forward, not in a card or written in the sky; nor did it come along with flowers or chocolates. He hadn't stuttered when he'd said it, and his eyes had never left hers.
She jumped back when he stood, taking a few long strides towards her. 'Oh, bugger, what do I do now?' Rose thought to herself anxiously, backing up, trying to keep as much distance between herself and Scorpius. 'And all this happened over a bag of gummy savers? Oh, Merlin.'
His arms trapped her on either side of her head, his own lowering, but suddenly he stopped when they both heard a knock. "Damn, doesn't anyone know that they're not to disturb a Head's meeting?" Scorpius muttered under his breath, standing up straight. Rose took this opportunity to escape him and run to open the door.
"Oh, hello Lucien. What are you doing here?" Scorpius came to stand behind Rose, a glare on his face. Lucien Zabini wasn't exactly his favorite person in the world. They were rivals to say the least. Unlike their fathers who were friends, the two hated each other from first glance. Both were always competing for everything. From the smirk Lucien gave him, Scorpius knew that they would be competing for Rose's affection as well.
"We can't start the meeting without our Head boy and Head girl now, can we?"
"Oh, yes, the meeting. Come on, let's go then Scorpius. I'm sure we've made everyone wait a little bit now." She smiled at him unsurely before grabbing her things. Rose began walking out the door beside Lucien before Scorpius called her back. "Yes, what is it?" He said nothing in reply, but simply grabbed her hand. She blushed softly but said nothing as they went to the enlarged compartment where prefects from every house were chatting loudly.
"Um, excuse me, but could everyone settle down?" Rose asked, her quiet voice hardly breaking through the noise. "Everyone, please be quiet. We have to get this meeting started before we reach Hogwarts." She sighed to herself, trying not to let her annoyance overrule. 'Oh well,' she thought to herself. "Would all of you stupid prats just shut up and listen for once?!" She yelled, glad that Scorpius had cast a silencio spell before she'd spoken. Surprised that the normally quiet and subdued Rose Weasley had screamed at them, everyone stopped talking and stared at her. She cleared her throat and began, "As it goes, we are the leaders of our own houses and role models. Now, here's a copy of our hallway patrolling schedule, and who you will be partnered with. As you may notice, you will be with someone from another house. Professor McGonagall feels that there is still some animosity between houses and she wants to lower that distrust."
As soon as they saw the schedule, everyone began muttering to each other. The ones paired with Slytherins and vice versa eyed each other warily before turning to their friends.
"I can't believe I'm stuck with a mudblood," muttered a girl from Slytherin, casting a spiteful look at the small Hufflepuff girl she was paired up with.
Before anyone could react, Rose had already pulled out her wand and had it aimed at the Slytherin girl's chest. No one made a comment, noting how her normally cheerful face was now dark and foreboding. "If you ever," she spat, the tip of her wand poking the girl's chest, "say that word again, I swear I will use the cruciatus curse on you. I don't care if it is illegal or not, I will do it."
"Now, now, Rosalie. Imagine how mum and dad would feel if they found out you'd tortured someone. Don't waste your time or energy on a pathetic pureblood like this. No matter how much time has passed, muggle born hatred has been passed on from one generation to the next. It's something that can't be helped in some families that raised children with such close-mindedness. We don't want you to become the next Voldemort who fends for muggle born rights." Everyone turned; no one had heard the door open, so entranced and frightened by Rose's threat. Leaning against the door frame was a guy about 5'10" with short reddish-brown hair that fell over a pair of sky-blue eyes. He wore no robe, but the standard Hogwarts uniform, his tie simply hanging around his neck. He stepped into the room and grabbed Rose's forearm.
"Calm down, Rosalie. We're getting closer to Hogwarts, and we wouldn't want to disappoint Professors McGonagall or Dumbledore now, would we? And you know how Professor Longbottom reports things to mum and dad. We don't want any trouble come Christmas." He murmured in her ear. She, in turn, reluctantly lowered her wand. "Girl, what's your name?" He asked, coaxing Rose away from the girl and towards the door.
"M-M-Mia," she stuttered, whether from the shock of Rose's threat or from the gorgeous guy in the front of her, who knew? Perhaps it was a little of both.
"Mia of Slytherin house, I assume? I'll keep that in mind." He turned and began ushering Rose out. "Come now, dearest sister, before you give any more threats that could get you expelled from Hogwarts. Malfoy, I'm sure you can take over whatever is left to do. Oh, and Mia of Slytherin, you better not stray off by yourself. You never know what could happen in the dark corridors of Hogwarts." He turned his head only to give her a malicious grin.
Right after the door clicked itself shut there was a moment of silence, perhaps three minutes at most, before everyone began talking. They'd definitely seen a new, darker, and scarier side to Rose Weasley, who was known as the bookworm princess of Gryffindor house. Not to mention the hot guy that had come in to take her away.
"Who the heck was he?"
"I think his name is Hugo, Hugo Weasley. He did call Rose 'sister', after all. And he mentioned something about 'mum and dad'. He didn't say 'your mum and dad', just 'mum and dad'."
"I've never seen him around Hogwarts before. Is he new? What house is he in? What year?"
"I think he disillusions himself or something. He doesn't really like people all that much, I guess. He only hangs out with his sister and her friends. He's in Gryffindor house if I saw the right colors of his tie. What a surprise there. He's a…fifth year, I think."
"Oh my god, he's so tall! I want him as my boyfriend!"
"Does he even have a girlfriend?"
"Of course not. He keeps to himself a lot, remember?"
While everyone else talked, Scorpius made his way out of the compartment and to an empty one. He pondered over Rose's reaction to the word 'mudblood', jotting down in his mind that he should never use the word, at least not when she was around or he'd have a wand shoved down his throat. And the guy that had calmed her down…was he really her brother. They hardly looked anything alike, but then again, he hardly looked anything like his little sister either.
"…Hugo…thank you for stopping me back there," Rose said quietly as they walked down the long hallway of compartments to no where in particular.
"It was nothing. Besides, I was assigned as your caretaker here at Hogwarts, dearest sister." He smiled at her cheekily and added, "I also know though, that you really would've crucio'd that girl's arse. I really worry about you, Rose. You overreact so much when someone uses the 'm' word."
"I just don't like it. You know how much I hate it when people prejudice against you over something as simple as blood. It just…it just makes my blood boil, and I find myself saying and doing things that I wouldn't normally. It scares me, Hugo."
"Well…it seemed to have scared the other students as well. Hopefully now they'll pay closer attention to their Head girl. You can definitely count on that. And I'm here to keep your split personality in check, so don't worry."
"I guess, but should we really have left Scorpius back there with all those prefects? I feel kind of bad that he's handling them all alone. Do you think he's alright?"
"Rose, you're making it sound as though he's facing a horde of dragons. They're all just 5th-7th years, and if Malfoy's learned anything during his years at Hogwarts, it's how to defend himself. If he can't do that even against them, then well, he's not prepared for the outside wizarding world now, is he?"
"But there's just one of him and a whole bunch of them. Oh no, it's like feeding him to the dogs! I'm sorry, Hugo, but I have to go back. I'll see you at Hogwarts, okay?!" She gave a quick, frantic wave before sprinting off, back towards the way they had come.
Hugo sighed and shook his head. "Sorry, dad, but what we both dread is beginning to come true. It's only begun, and she's falling for him—bad." He looked at his hand and realized that it was still holding Rose's bag. "Oh, she's going to need this, isn't she? Oh well, I'll just give it to her during dinner. It's not like she can't just ask someone else for parchment and a quill."
Scorpius stepped out of the compartment, feeling that it was his duty to see that the prefects hadn't killed each other yet. He was Head boy and had to set an example after all. Before he'd started walking away, someone with curly brown hair ran in front of him. Instinctively he reached out and grabbed the person's forearm.
"Let go of me, you pervert! I'm Head girl!" Scorpius smirked. He was right in the fact that it was Rose Weasley that had almost gotten past him. She continued to fight against his grip, threatening him with things from cursing him to ordering a hippogriff to chew his arms off.
"Are you done struggling yet?" He drawled amusedly, wondering why she hadn't bothered to turn around and see who the person holding her was. He watched as she froze and turned around.
"Scorpius," she breathed. Her voice suddenly climaxed as she yelled, "What are you doing out here?! What about those prefects?! We still have to ask them for ideas for this year's dances!"
"Stop screaming," he replied, pulling her into the compartment. "We can do all that ourselves. McGonagall just wants us to ask them so they'll feel more involved. Who cares though?" She sat on one side of the compartment, he on the other.
"Um…Scorpius, are you 17 yet?"
"Why?"
"Well," she began blushing, "Hugo sort of has my bag still. I would conjure some supplies myself, but I don't turn 17 until January. Since we're both here, we might as well start jotting down ideas and then we can discuss them tomorrow after classes or something."
"Or we could simply start it all tomorrow after classes and just talk now," Scorpius suggested smoothly, his feet propped up beside Rose. He leaned back comfortably and commented, "Our meeting today was interesting, don't you agree? I never thought the goody-goody Gryffindor princess would have it in her to threaten someone—and with an unforgivable at that!" He chuckled and watched her, her expression unchanging. "Why all the hostility, Rose? Just before, we were so close."
She didn't answer him. She simply sat there, head bowed, hands clenched in her lap.
"Rose?" Scorpius asked curiously, watching her. He moved to sit beside her. "Rose?" He slowly reached out a hand and cupped her face gently. Scorpius felt something wet, most likely tears, on his fingertips. His face met her tear-streaked one. "Hey, don't cry. I don't know how to handle crying girls," he said quickly. He hated it when girls cried; they always expected guys around them to offer a handkerchief or a shoulder to lean on. There was no way he was getting his robes dirty for a girl, even if she was Rose Weasley, one of the most sought out girls at Hogwarts. "Don't cry," he repeated more firmly. His thumb caressed her cheek, and he watched as her eyes widened. He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Don't cry," he mumbled. "Don't cry."
"Stop," she replied pleadingly, "please stop, Scorpius." He leaned his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes.
"You say that, yet you don't move away," he replied, his dark eyes searching her face. "You want me here with you; you want me to hold and touch you. You want me to always be at your side." He moved to kiss her forehead again. "But don't worry; I won't be leaving your side, not ever."
"Rosie, we're here to protect you!" Fauna screamed, pulling the compartment door open. She instantly noticed that it was just Scorpius and Rose, and Rose was crying. She quickly summed it up and accused, "Get away from Rosie, Malfoy!" She ran over and pulled Rose away from Scourpius' grasp, standing in front of her like a shield.
"I see you found her." Flora said dryly behind them. "Come on, Rose, let's leave Fauna to whatever she's going to do." Flora ushered her out the door quickly, grabbing the back of her sister's robes. She didn't want her sister to get in trouble before school had even started or lose house points because she decided to beat up the Head boy. No, that wouldn't do any good at all.
"Flora, let go of me! Malfoy made Rose cry! I have to hit him since Rose is too nice to! Flora, let me go!" She yelled, clawing at the compartment door.
"Flora, Fauna, Scorpius didn't do anything to me, really. I was just being overemotional, just another one of those teenage girl things. You two must understand. Don't hurt Scorpius; he really didn't do anything, really." Rose tried explaining. "I got something stuck in my eye, and I asked Scorpius for help. And then I just started crying for no reason. Really, you guys, that's all there was to it."
"Yeah, yeah, that's all there was to it," Fauna said in a 'uh-huh, yeah, whatever' tone. "You better watch your back, Malfoy! Don't stray too far from the pack! Because if you do, I'll be there! I'll curse you for making Rosie cry!"
"Fauna, I told you Scorpius didn't do anything," Rose tried inserting again as Flora dragged the both of them away.
"You better watch your back, Malfoy!" Fauna's threat echoed throughout the Hogwarts Express. Most Hogwarts students just sighed to themselves before continuing with their conversations. First years popped their heads out and retreated back in fright at Fauna's murderous expression. Once Flora reached the compartment where all their friends sat, she put Rose in and then shoved Fauna in before moving in herself.
Scorpius sighed to himself. As long as the twins were around, he'd never have time to be alone with Rose.
A/N: Well...that wasn't too bad...was it? I actually kinda like it. I hope this story goes somewhere, and I don't get too lazy with updating it. Thanks for reading:D