Bossy, that's what she was. Scorpius Malfoy expected it, after all his father had never held back when talking about her mother. It stood to reason that Hermione Granger's daughter would be seriously annoying. Though to be fair Scorpius thought, as he rooted through the back room looking for extra popcorn, his father always had been a little bitter. After all Hermione Granger had been the only one to get out of their stupid little town. And to make matters worse she came back. That was the ultimate slap in the face. She came back with her redheaded husband and two perfect children. Something about giving her children roots. Scorpius wished Rose Weasley had put her roots down somewhere else. He could still hear her authoritatively giving instructions to everyone out in the front.
"Here you," he said, unceremoniously dumping the bags of unpopped popcorn in her arms.
"Put them next to the popcorn machine," Rose said, giving them back to him. "And careful not to burn it this time. We had customers who complained for days."
Scorpius smothered his indignation. It hadn't even been him that burnt the popcorn the last time. It had been that idiot Scamander. And what kind of name was Lorcan anyway?
"We're in for a long night people," Rose said, her voice grating on his already slightly frayed nerves. "Midnight releases are always tough and we have lines around the block for this one."
"Got it red," Jeremy Thomas said, winking at her.
Scorpius saw her stiffen. Rose Weasley did not like any erosion of her authority.
"We're opening our doors in half an hour," Rose said, acting like Thomas hadn't said anything. "Let's try an be as efficient as possible."
The movie theatre was peaceful, Scorpius thought as he went inside it to make sure there wasn't any trash under the chairs. Calm before the storm. In an hour there would be hundreds of loud, strangely dressed people screaming about the movie and whistling and clapping.
"Malfoy!" Rose said sharply sticking her head into the theatre. "Stop dawdling. We have to get Big Jerry out of storage."
Scorpius sighed. Sometimes he felt like Rose picked on him, but then he thought about it and had to admit that she treated everyone exactly the same way. He trudged out of the theatre not looking forward to lugging Big Jerry out of the store room which honestly felt like it was quarter the size of the goddamn statue.
Rose had already begun pulling Big Jerry out of storage. Her bright orange-y hair had come out of its neat ponytail and tendrils were sticking to the sweat on her face.
"Malfoy," she gasped, entirely out of breath. "Help me."
Scorpius quickly went to aid her in wrestling with the ridiculous statue.
"Why do we call it Big Jerry anyway?" Rose asked, as they pushed and pulled the statue, easing it out of the storage cupboard.
"It was originally a Jerry Seinfeld statue," Scorpius said. "We had a Seinfeld marathon and the owners commissioned this…"
"Monstrosity," Rose said helpfully.
"And ever since then they're way too cheap to make new ones for the premieres so they just change it a little," Scorpius said.
"Thought Katniss had a rather square jaw," Rose said dryly.
All of a sudden Rose accidentally let go of the statue and it almost fell on Scorpius' very vulnerable and rather attractive face.
"Sorry sorry," she said immediately pushing it away.
"Watch the face Weasley," Scorpius grunted.
"It's your money maker isn't it?" Rose said, with a barely discernable smile.
"Got that right," Scorpius said.
He suddenly felt uncomfortably warm. It was probably the fact that he had what felt like a two tonne statue in his arms but he also thought it might be because Rose Weasley's look of utter concentration was oddly sexy. He had never really thought about it because she was usually yelling at him to clean the bathrooms but Rose was a rather attractive person. The only problem was that now that he had thought the thought he couldn't unthink it. It didn't help that her skirt was riding dangerously high because of all the physical exertion.
"What's gotten you two all sweaty?" Jeremy asked suggestively, as Rose and Scorpius made their way to the centre of the lobby with the statue.
"You know you're the only one I ever get sweaty with Thomas," Scorpius said almost mechanically. He noticed a slight flush creeping into Rose's cheeks and suddenly felt the urge to push the little bit of her hair that was still sticking to her forehead away from her face.
"How about you check if the bathrooms are in ship-shape," Rose said to Jeremy sweetly. "I think that kid who came in dressed like a penguin might've puked out all the Fruit Roll-Ups he was shoving in his face."
Scorpius felt himself smile almost unconsciously. Rose Weasley had a bit of a mean streak.
"What are you grinning at Malfoy?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "The ravening hordes will be here in approximately ten minutes. You had better load up the popcorn machine."
Scorpius walked toward the machine the smile still on his face. His father was right. She was bossy, but for some reason Scorpius didn't mind so much.
The smell of buttered popcorn filled the air and Scorpius wrinkled his nose. The worst thing about working in a movie theatre had to be the fact that he couldn't look at a bowl of popcorn without retching.
"Five minute warning," Lorcan Scamander said dreamily as he passed by Scorpius.
"Thanks man," Scorpius said with a tight smile.
And then it was show time. Scorpius knew exactly when the clock struck twelve because there was suddenly a huge cheer that practically made the theatre vibrate. Then in streamed the countless children with bows and arrows strapped to their backs, their hair in complicated braids, all dressed in black and wearing Mockingjay pins.
"We're in for a wild night," Scorpius muttered picturing the injuries that would undoubtedly accompany the pointy objects the theatre patrons had brought into the theatre.
"Lighten up," Frankie Longbottom laughed. "Don't you find it just a little bit exciting."
"Yeah smelling like butter for weeks is something I've always dreamed about," Scorpius said.
"You work at a movie theatre," the tiny blonde girl said. "You knew what you signed up for."
Scorpius just shook his head and went to get a soda for an earnest looking girl with a 'Katniss Rules' t-shirt.
"Oi Weasley," Francie yelled. "We need reinforcements."
"Coming coming," Rose said, hurrying over to the empty counter in the middle of Scorpius and Frankie.
"How can I help you?" she asked a burly boy, who had an arm around a redheaded girl.
"So professional Rosie," the girl said with a laugh. "Do we get the family and friends discount?"
"What do you think?" Rose said, her voice retaining its customary dryness.
"Fine," the girl huffed. "Two buckets of popcorn and two Cokes."
"Excuse me," the customer in front of Scorpius said impatiently. He realised he had accidentally given her three Cokes instead of two buckets of popcorn.
"Watch it Malfoy," Rose said good-naturedly, efficiently dispensing various food items.
"Sorry," he said shaking his head.
God what was wrong with him today? It was that goddamned Big Jerry and sweatiness. And she was so close. Bossy Rose Weasley who beat him in all his classes. Bossy Rose Weasley who got promoted before him even though she had worked here for far less time than he had technically making her his actual boss.
The interval was even worse than the beginning because Scorpius Malfoy was now totally and painfully aware of the fact that he was attracted to Rose Weasley. He watched her as she moved quickly from dispenser to dispenser, handing people sodas and refilling the popcorn machine almost simultaneously. Dammit, he thought to himself. Why did it have to be Rose Weasley?
"Want me to drive you home?" Scorpius said, after the whole theatre had cleared out.
Rose raised an eyebrow. "You want to drive me home?" she asked, a hint of incredulity in her voice.
"It's late," Scorpius said, leaving out the fact that he had waited for her to finish up in the parking lot. "And walking isn't much fun when only four streetlights actually work."
"Can't argue with you there," Rose said, climbing into the drivers seat. "Just didn't think a Malfoy would be giving me a lift."
"And why not?" Scorpius asked, a little amused at her forthrightness.
"Well we aren't exactly your favourite people are we?" she said, the ends of her mouth quirking up into a smile.
"Correction your mother isn't my father's favourite person," Scorpius said. "I don't mind you."
"Really?" Rose asked. "Never really got the impression that you liked me very much. I distinctly remember something you said about me being entirely too authoritative."
Scorpius felt himself colour slightly. "Never said I didn't like you though," he said. "Just said you were a little bossy."
"I'm bossy because I'm your boss Malfoy," Rose said with a rueful smile.
"That you are," Scorpius mumbled, more to himself than to her.
"My mother would not be pleased," Rose said, almost meditatively. "She likes your father about as much as he likes her."
"I can imagine," Scorpius said, remembering the sheer amount of vitriol his father had spouted when Hermione Granger moved back home.
"Kiss me," Rose said suddenly.
Scorpius almost crashed the car into one of the defective streetlights.
"What?" he asked, deciding it might be better to just stop driving.
"Only if you want to," she said, sounding rather disinterested.
And Scorpius needed no other invitation. He moved his hand to the back of her neck and eagerly pressed his lips to hers. It was an interesting kiss. There was very little of the sloppiness that usually accompanied kisses in cars. Rose Weasley kissed the way she did almost everything else, with precision.
Then, almost without warning she just moved away from him.
"Thanks I think needed that," she said, her smile odd. "I'm going to walk home now. Good night Scorpius."
And then she just opened the door of the car and left. As she walked away from the car Scorpius, still a little bit stunned let out something between a groan and a sigh.
a/n: So it's been a while since I've written anything. I think this is kind of me easing into it again. I hope you like this. Also I might make this a multi chapter but for now its just a one shot. Anyway tell me what you think :)
