Muggle Studies

Monday

"You know, Scorpius, you should take Muggle Studies with me next year," Rose said as she nonchalantly set down her goblet of pumpkin juice. From behind her, she heard her Ravenclaw friend with pale blonde hair start to sputter. She suppressed a smile and spoke again, her voice calm. "Oh, don't be like that, Scor," she said without turning around. She crossed her legs beneath the table. "I think you'd enjoy it."

The young Malfoy boy crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the Gryffindor girl who sat before him. He was conscious of all of his red-and-gold peers who sat listening to their conversation at the long table in front of him. "No I wouldn't."

"Oh, you would," Rose said as she faced him, putting her back to the rest of the breakfast table and all of her Gryffindor friends. "It's a much better class than Ancient Ruins. It's certainly easier, anyway."

"I don't want a class that's easier," Scorpius spat, frustrated. He shook his head. "I don't mind the hard work!"

"Well then you won't mind taking Muggle Studies in addition to Ancient Ruins," Rose countered. She tugged at her bushy, bright red Weasley hair as she spoke. "I mean, if you don't mind hard work, and all."

"Rose-"

"Come on, now," she coaxed. "We need to have a class together next year. I hate only seeing you in Charms. It would be much more fun if we took this together-"

"That's what divination is for," he groaned. He let his arms fall to his sides. "Remember? So you, me, and Albus could have a class together? Or did you forget?"

"Oh, no. I remember. Mum's still a bit cross from when I told her I was signing up for that class," she said with a giggle. "But it's completely different now then from her time, isn't it? I mean, Professor Nouvelli is an actual seer, not just some old fraud. I think she'll calm down over time."

"Well, unlike your mum, my father would never calm down if I told him I wanted to take Muggle Studies," Scorpius pointed out with a scowl. "So that's simply not an option-"

"Your father needs to grow out of his prejudices," Rose said with a roll of her eyes. "You're a Ravenclaw, for Merlin's sake! Surely he can see that you don't share his values."

"If only it were that simple."

"If what were that simple?" Albus Potter asked as he sat beside his cousin at the Gryffindor table. "Morning, Scor," he said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear across his face. "You revise for the Charms exam yet?"

"Oh, I think I'm going to start that tonight, actually," Scorpius pondered as he tilted his head to the side. "Library at five, maybe? The round table in the back corner by the potions books? We can start going over the list of spells-"

"Excuse me," Rose interrupted with a roll of her eyes. She turned to Albus. "Al, tell Scorpius that he should take Muggle Studies with me next term."

After a beat of silence, Albus snorted and shook his head. "To tell you the truth, Rose, I don't see why you're taking Muggle Studies at all. Aunt Hermione practically raised you in the Muggle world. Surely there isn't too much more for you to learn."

"It's all about the perspective with which the Muggle world is looked at," she explained. "It sounds utterly fascinating to me. To see Muggles through a wizards' eyes..." She trailed off before quirking an eyebrow at Scorpius. "And, of course, since I know so much already, I'm almost guaranteed an 'O' on my OWLs in this subject. As is anyone who studies with me," she added in a pointed manner.

But Scorpius stood his ground. "No, Rose!"

She laughed and shook her head. 'Well, fine then. You can continue to say that if you like. But we don't have to turn in the sign-up sheets for what subjects we want to take next term until Friday morning. You'll see, Scorpius. I've still got time. I'll wear you down."

Tuesday

"Scorpius, did you know that the Muggle Relations office is expanding every year at the Ministry of Magic?" Rose Weasley asked after Charms class. She fell into step with him as they walked towards the Great Hall, a small smile on her face. Albus had stayed behind to talk to the Professor, giving Rose the perfect opportunity to badger Scorpius some more. "The assimilation of Muggle-borns into our culture has been a rather strong topic of debate in this last year, and learning about Muggle culture while in school could really only aid you once you leave Hogwarts."

"Unless you have no plans to go into any Muggle-based field," Scorpius countered with a roll of his eyes. "Which I don't. I'd much rather work in a field not filled with Muggle-rights activists."

Rose frowned and stopped walking. She pressed her Charms' book closer to her chest and glared at the blonde boy in front of her. "What's wrong with Muggle-rights activists?" she demanded.

Scorpius sighed. "Nothing, Rose. They're just a little too extreme for my taste, that's all. I'd rather not deal with people so emotional and impassioned on a daily basis."

"Well I happened to agree with what they're doing," Rose said with a sniff as she started walking again. "Who knows? Maybe I'll join them one day."

"I'm sure you will," Scorpius said with a shake of his head as he started to follow after her. "That certainly wouldn't surprise me. "

She scowled, but allowed him to catch up with her anyway. With a quirk of an eyebrow, she turned to him and asked, "So are you going to take the class with me or not?"

"Certainly not."

Wednesday

Rose, Scorpius, and Albus were relaxing in the springtime sun by the Great Lake when she decided to try again. As Scorpius and Albus practiced floating a feather between each other, Rose interrupted their game by turning to Scorpius with a crafty gaze. "Scor, do you know what a movie is?"

Albus groaned, but continued to levitate the feather as Scorpius made a face. "A what?"

"A movie," she said with a coy smile. "It's a Muggle invention. It's when Muggles animate pictures so that they move like wizard pictures do."

"Okay," Scorpius said with a roll of his eyes. "So?"

"So the pictures also talk," Rose explained. "They talk, and they tell stories. They're really interesting. And funny. And sad, and scary, and romantic, and all sorts of things."

"What's your point?"

"Bet you can guess," Albus muttered under his breath.

Rose shot him a glare, but addressed Scorpius anyway. "In the Muggle Studies class they watch movies. All different types. It's really very fun and educational at the same time! Wouldn't it be nice to just relax in class and watch a movie?"

Scorpius, however, just shrugged. "Not really."

Rose scowled and pled harder. "But you don't have to do any work. There is literally no effort involved with that. You just sit back and watch moving pictures talk and tell a story. What could be better than that?"

"I don't want to take Muggle Studies, Rose," Scorpius said as he turned back to Albus.

"But-"

"Give it a rest, Rose," Albus said with a short laugh. He flicked his wand and sent the feather shooting into Scorpius' hand. "He doesn't want to join the class. Now would you mind shutting up for a second? We're trying to practice for the exam."

Thursday

She cornered him outside of the Ravenclaw common room before breakfast the next morning. He jumped as he stepped out of the portrait-hole, surprised to see her standing there with her frizzy, bright red hair surrounding her head like an out of control fire.

"Merlin, Rose," he said with a shake of his head. "Don't just pop up like that!"

Her eyes were twisted with need as she approached him. "I think it will help you grow as a person," she said quickly as she grabbed ahold of his arm.

"What are you talking-" he cut himself off and briefly shut his eyes as understanding washed over him. "Rose," he groaned, "I do not want to take that stupid Muggle Studies class. Please stop asking me. Please."

"It will give you a new perspective on the world around you," she continued on as though she hadn't heard him. "It will let you see more and more about how things work and why they work that way."

"Rose-"

"And it will introduce you to new things. Things you might actually like. Things you might grow to love-"

"Enough already!" he snapped, pulling away from her. Her eyes were wide as he yelled. "Stop it, Rose! I'm not taking Muggle Studies. And nothing you say is going to change that!" He turned on his heel and stomped away.

Friday

"You lose, Rose," Scorpius said smugly as he looked down at the form in his hand. Professor Flitwick was in the process of going from table to table and collecting all of the forms from the second-year students. On his, Scorpius had checked the boxes for Ancient Ruins and Divination. "Your time is up, and I haven't agreed to take Muggle Studies with you. I hate to say that I told you so, but-"

"Oh, save it, will you?" Rose said, frustration evident on her face. Her eyes were tired, and her own form had Muggle Studies, Divination, and Arithmancy marked. "You don't have to rub it in."

"I think I do," he replied with a grin. "You didn't break me, you didn't break me, you didn't-"

"Hello!" Lily Potter interrupted as she popped up next to her cousin. The young Gryffindor girl shyly blinked her eyes up at Scorpius, before she turned to face Rose. "Oh, are those your courses for next year? Let me see!"

"Sure," Rose said as she handed the form to her cousin. She noticed a faint red flush forming over Scorpius cheeks as he watched the younger girl peruse the list in front of her. A conniving grin found its way across Rose's face as her cousin squealed.

"Oh, you're taking Muggle Studies? That sounds like so much fun!"

"It does, doesn't it?" she replied. She looked pointedly at Scorpius.

"I can't wait until I'm old enough to take it! But..." she trailed off, biting her lip, "you know so much more about Muggles than I do, Rose. Do you think you can help me study for it?"

"Of course, Lily," Rose said smoothly. "You don't even have to ask."

A smile blossomed across the young girl's face at those words, and she handed the page back to Rose. "Thank you! I can't wait." Without a glance towards Scorpius, Lily skipped off towards the far side of the table where her friends sat.

Rose, on the other hand, turned to the Ravenclaw before her. "Of course," she said slowly, "you could always be the one to tutor her in Muggle Studies. If you took the class, that is."

He looked at her sharply. "Why would you think I'd want to-"

"Don't give me that, Scorpius. I've seen the way you look at her. You like her." Rose shrugged, a coy smile crossing her features. "And I think she could like you too. If she got to know you, that is. And what better way is there for her to get to know you then by the deep, personal, immersing act of learning about a culture together?"

As Scorpius stared at her, the tips of his ears beginning to turn pink, Professor Flitwick approached them, a toothy smile on his wrinkled face. "All right there, Miss Weasley?" he asked as she handed him her form. "Mr. Malfoy?" Yet Scorpius didn't move. He just continued to stand there, staring at Rose with his mouth slightly open. "Mr. Malfoy?" The professor repeated, his grin starting to fade away.

Scorpius jerked out of his trance and began to dig around in his bag. "Hold on a moment, Professor," he said as he pulled out a quill. Rose gave a triumphant grin as he bent over the parchment. "I forgot to add a class I wanted to take."

This was written for the Hogwarts Games: Men's Football and the Hogwarts Games: Backstroke. It was also written for the Head Canon Boot Camp with the prompt "Muggle Studies." Please review it and tell me what you think! I'd love some criticism. Thanks!

Cheers!

-Selene