"He doesn't understand why I don't want to see him anymore." Rose sighed, staring down at her plate of scrambled eggs and bacon and pushing the food around a bit before taking a bite. It wasn't that she wasn't hungry; in fact, she found that she had more of an appetite than she usually did this early. Just the thought of her father, though, was enough to make her miserable. "I mean, why would I?"
Draco looked up at her and set the Daily Prophet down at the same time, his brow arched. He wasn't quite sure who she was talking about – or that this was a good conversation to have over breakfast. However, if he'd learned one thing about his stepdaughter, it was that she could only go so long with something bottled up. "Speaking from experience, when you tell that to your ex, it doesn't work. They'll just continue to ask."
She sighed even louder this time and put down her fork. "I wish he were my ex."
"You're telling your boyfriend that you don't want to see him? I don't follow."
"Uh, no. I told my dad that." Draco's coffee almost shot from his nose. "Hence why I said I wish he were my ex. That, at least, would make things easier. Is there a way you can do that? Besides being adopted, I mean, because that still leaves your biological parents as your biological parents and I don't even want to give him that."
"You what?" Of all the times for him to be home alone with the girl… "Rose. I need you to slow down."
"Ugh." She picked her fork back up and took a few bites of the food on her plate. "Basically, I wish Mum had come to her senses before she married him, and that you were my father. You know, biological father."
"Oh. Well, thank you." He would have been lying if he said that that statement didn't make him happy. He'd wanted a daughter, as well as a son, but Astoria had flatly refused. He took a bite of egg himself and then peered at Rose over the edge of his mug. "Mind telling me exactly what brought this about?"
"He's an arrogant prick. Harry was over the other night, and he was trying to tell a story about one of the cases you two worked a few months ago, and Ron just flipped – yes, I'm calling him Ron now. It's not like he cares what I do as it is. Anyway, he started yelling and going on about how it was rude of Harry to stay partners with you and to talk about you, even after everything that happened with the divorce."
Rose took a breath and then pushed her plate back. "He messed things up with her a long time ago, whether he wants to admit it or not, and yet he wants life to stay the same – no matter what. He lost her, and he lost me, and he just can't admit that it's his own fault."
Tinsel, Rose quickly learned, was stubborn. The past few years, Christmas trees had failed to be set up in the house and before that, the tree was already decorated when she got home for the holidays. She had little experience with anything beyond ornaments, and they were easy. The tinsel just wouldn't quite stay where she wanted it to.
Downstairs, the tree was finished. Draco and Hermione had decorated it together and left the one upstairs for their children. Rose still wasn't quite sure why there had to be two different trees, but she wasn't going to complain. She liked leaving it lit up all night so she could look at it at any point that she wanted, and up here, she could do that all she wanted without worry of disturbing anyone.
"You look like you could use a hand."
Rose turned at the soft voice, trying to hide her smile. She hadn't seen Scorpius all day, much to her disappointment. "Yeah, if you wouldn't mind. I don't care for this stuff much."
"Sorry I wasn't up here earlier. I would have helped." He took the silver material from her and in only a couple of moments had it situated on the tree. "I was in the library doing some research for that paper we have for Transfiguration."
"No worries." She shrugged slightly and reached for his hand. "Are the parents in bed?"
He nodded, pulling her close to him. Around his father and her mother, they put on an act. Neither parent knew yet, and they weren't sure how the news would be taken. "I didn't see them anywhere, in any case."
"Good." Rose looked up at him before she kissed him, taking in his grey eyes and that light blond hair. She was always amazed that someone like him could be attracted to someone like her – and she was always thankful that he father didn't think it was possible. Ron would probably do something stupid (like he didn't do enough of that as it was).
"So," Scorpius began, his words a whisper against her skin. "I hear you had a rather interesting conversation with my father this morning."
"Hm." Of course that wasn't kept secret. "It boiled down to the fact that I can't stand mine. He still wants me to come see him when we have Hogsmeade weekends."
"Well, fascinating as that is… Those weekends are mine." His tone was teasing, but his eyes weren't. "You want to get your mind off of it?"
She flashed him a wicked smile, and threw one more glance at the Christmas tree. Funny how she'd dressed it up, just to get undressed herself.
a/n;
This was written for Round 8 of the Harry Potter Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition.
I write as Beater 1 for the Montrose Magpies.
The overall round prompt was next-gen love for Weasley's, or something like that.
My character was Rose.
My prompts were;
- 5 (word); stubborn
- 7 (word); tinsel