AN: For the absolutely amazing Mary, here's the fic I promised you for getting your dissertation done :D
Brighton beach had always been Rose's favourite place to go and think. Her mother hadn't wanted to bring up her children in London, so they had moved to Brighton just after Rose was born. When she was a child, her parents would take Rose to the beach and she would run across the stones, picking up any she found pretty before ditching them all and running into the sea as soon as one of her parents was ready to go in with her.
She had learned to swim at Brighton beach, and the sea had kept a special place in her heart because of this. Even when she was old enough to notice the murky brown of the water and pieces of debris and litter that clung both to the shore and further out, she still took her shoes off, rolled up her jeans, and let the final splashes of the waves hitting the shore wash over her feet as she walked.
When it was too cold to paddle along the shore, Rose often spread a blanket—if she'd remembered to bring one—or her jumper over the smooth stones and sat down, staring out over the sea. It was not only where she went to relax, but once she had reached her fifth year, she had taken to studying for her OWLs while on the beach as well. It was a much nicer and quieter atmosphere than the often crowded Granger-Weasley household. Rose had not told anyone this, but it had also been the place she went to escape the thoughts plaguing her head during the holidays in the years Scorpius' attitude had changed and the friendship she'd had with him previously had dissolved.
It was also a perfect place to take photographs (her mother had insisted that both Rose and Hugo take up a Muggle hobby), and Rose was never far from her camera while she was there. Her room was already littered with photographs of sunsets, children playing, and her red hair flashing vibrantly against the deep turquoise of the sea or the pale blue of the sky, but Rose could not help but take the same photos over and over again each time she visited. There was something she found very therapeutic in trying to improve the composition and get the lighting just right. Her favourite photos to take, however, were of her friends and family, either silhouetted against the sunset or with the bright red of their hair shining under the sun, drawing your eye to it.
It was as she was taking a photo of Lily against the sunset that everything started to go wrong. She was examining the photograph she had taken, shaking her head at the poor lighting, when she spotted a blond head in the bottom corner. Zooming in, she saw, to her horror, that the blond head was attached to the body of none other than Scorpius Malfoy who was dipping his toes into the water at the edge of the beach.
"Oh, no," Rose whispered to herself.
Lily, who was leaning over her shoulder, froze when she realised what Rose was talking about.
"We have to get away from here. Now." Rose hit the off button on her camera and threw it into her bag, still attached to the tripod (thank Merlin for undetectable extension charms). It was as Rose was throwing the blanket in there too that she felt Lily rest a hand on her arm.
"Rose, calm down. He probably doesn't even know you're here."
"I only have two weeks of the summer off. I came home to relax, not to remind myself of school!"
Lily let out a small laugh. "You came here because you couldn't get enough of us together at the same time to organise a holiday to Greece."
"That's true, but I still need to get away from him. He ruined my life during school, and I'm finally over him. I won't let it happen all over again."
"So what you're saying," Lily said, her voice slow and deliberate, "is that you're running away from someone you used to have a crush on because, what, you're scared you'll fall for him again?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Rose hissed, turning her head to give Lily a sharp glare. "I found out that he wasn't what I'd thought he was; maybe he never had been. I wasn't what I'd thought I was, either, but that doesn't matter. The point is, Lily, that he crushed me in school. It was utterly humiliating, and if I never speak to him again it'll be too soon."
"Well," Lily said with a laugh, "prepare for it to be too soon. He's coming over."
"WHAT?" Rose's voice was loud enough to startle a nearby seagull into the air, and she felt her stomach drop.
What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
"Well." Scorpius' voice came from a lot closer than Rose had anticipated and it made her jump. "If I hadn't already known it was you, I certainly do now. I'd recognise that scream of yours anywhere."
"I'll bet he would," Lily muttered under her breath, quiet enough that only Rose could hear. She batted a hand at Lily, shutting her up.
"We were just leaving," Rose said, finally turning to face the person she'd wanted to remove from her life for so long.
As soon as she did, Rose felt her heart skip a beat and her stomach start doing little flips. Not only had Scorpius grown even taller than he had been at school four years ago, but that growth made his once soft features drawn out and pointed, and they suited his face much better that way. His blond hair, which had obviously been gelled back earlier in the day, was starting to fall loosely over his face, and he had a small amount of stubble that enhanced his already perfect jawline. He had truly become what Rose would call 'a proper man', and he was absolutely gorgeous.
She felt herself start to blush, so turned away, hurrying to throw the remaining items into her bag. This meant she didn't notice the silent conversation Lily and Scorpius were having over her head, nor did she notice Lily slip her wand into Scorpius' outstretched hand with a wink.
"My wand!" Lily cried, startling Rose and causing her to drop everything in her hands, including several bundles of wool—Lily had taken the time sat on the beach to begin knitting Christmas presents, despite it only being July. "I can't find my wand!"
"What? Where is it? Where did you last have it?" Rose asked in a worried voice at the same time as Scorpius said, "Keep your voice down, Potter. We're on a Muggle beach."
"I think the last time I had it was when we were down by the pier. I'll go look while you pack up."
"Give me a minute and I'll come with you," Rose said, trying not to show just how desperate she was to get away from Scorpius before she did something stupid.
"It's fine. I won't be long. There can't be that many wands lying around on a Muggle beach."
Lily started to run off, but Rose was determined not to be left alone with Scorpius.
"But it's dark now! You won't be able to see anything," she called after her cousin who was quickly retreating, but it fell on deaf ears.
With a sigh, Rose bent down to pick up the spilled wool but was met with a neat pile.
"Here." Scorpius pushed the pile towards Rose from where he was sat.
"What do you want, Malfoy?"
"To apologise," he replied, his statement frank, but his voice probably a little smaller than he would have liked. "For school, I mean. I was an arse to you."
"You can say that again," Rose said with a small, shocked laugh. His apology was the last thing she was expecting to hear.
Rose sat on the stones, carefully moved the pile of wool into her bag, and began rearranging the contents and sorting the mess she had created by throwing everything inside. Even though Rose wasn't directly looking at Scorpius, she could still see him out of the corner of her eye, and she could see that he was staring at her.
"Either say something or leave," she told him. Rose was still looking down, trying not to blush under his intense gaze.
"I only came to Brighton to find you," Scorpius started.
This got Rose's full attention and her head snapped up. Still not wanting to meet his eyes, Rose focused her attention on the waves crashing to the shore. The effect it had on her was almost instantaneous—it was amazing what being near open water could do for Rose—and after a few seconds she was able to turn to face him.
"What do you mean? Why would you be coming to find me?"
"I'm getting a job at Flourish and Blotts—working in the Ministry wasn't particularly enjoyable—and I wanted to make peace before I started so that it won't be awkward at work."
Rose felt her stomach drop. She didn't know what she was expecting, but it certainly wasn't that.
"You're going to be working with me?"
Rose's outrage must have shown in her voice because Scorpius' response was almost sheepish.
"Yes, that's why I came here to find you. I wanted to explain why I was… well, the way I was."
She trained her eyes back on the sea, willing it to calm her as it had done not moments ago. It didn't work, and Rose didn't trust herself to speak without giving away her emotions, so instead, she just nodded, prompting him to continue speaking.
"If I'm honest, I think it was mainly because I was a little intimidated by you."
"Intimidated? By me?" Rose laughed, a real, hearty laugh that neither of them had been expecting. "I'm about as intimidating as a butterfly!"
"You were strong, beautiful, and excelled in everything you did. Not to mention how popular you were. You don't know how hard it was for me being a Malfoy, being the son of a Death Eater."
"Here you go, making everything about yourself again." Rose's moment of shocked relaxation disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"No, Rose, I didn't mean tha—"
"No, Malfoy, let me speak." Rose knew it wasn't a good idea—she could feel herself getting worked up—but she was on a roll that she just couldn't stop. "I gave you everything—my attention, my time, my love. I helped you overcome the stigma that came with your name. I put in so much effort to be your friend and make people see that you were a good person. And what did I get in return? Nothing but deceit and lies. You told my secrets, you all but burst out laughing when I told you how I felt about you, and then you used it to inflate your ego. Everything ended up being about you. In the end, I couldn't trust you with anything or share anything with you. I could never trust you with anything, give you any piece of me without you grabbing it to keep for yourself. Everything was about you and—"
Rose stopped, feeling a hand on her face. She looked up to see Scorpius staring at her, a look of pure regret on his face as he wiped away a tear she hadn't realised she'd shed.
"Rose, I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry." Scorpius' eyes were starting to water, tears threatening to spill any moment. "I was crazy about you, and I still am. I was an arse in school. I was a complete and total arse that didn't know how to handle my emotions. Nobody outside of my family had ever shown me the kind of love and kindness you did—the kind of love and kindness that bears no judgement, that's completely open and trusting. Nobody had ever been that kind to me, and I took that for granted and completely threw it away, and for that I am sorry."
"I forgive you," Rose whispered, tears rolling freely down both of their faces. They settled into a calm silence, and Rose turned back to face the sea as she digested what had just happened.
It was Lily that finally broke the silence between them, sitting down on the pebbles next to Rose with a heavy sigh.
"Well, I couldn't find it. My parents are going to kill me. That's the third wand I've lost now."
"Of course!" Scorpius exclaimed, a little too loudly. "That's why I came over here in the first place." He pulled Lily's wand from his bag. "Is this your wand? I spotted it while I was watching the sunset. I picked it up so that a Muggle didn't get their hands on it and I guess it just slipped my mind when I came over to you and Rose dropped all that wool."
Scorpius handed the wand over to Lily and the two of them shared a smile. This time, Rose noticed.
"You little sneak!" Rose shouted, playfully hitting Lily in the arm. "You planned this, didn't you?"
"Well," Lily said with a laugh, "you wouldn't have spoken to him with me around, would you?"
Rose laughed. "No, I suppose not."
They fell into a comfortable silence, neither of them minding that Scorpius was sat with them. Staring out over the sea at the horizon, Rose saw a star shoot across the sky.
I wish that whatever happens with Scorpius, it makes both of us happy. That's all I want: to be happy.
Word Count: 2,294.
History of Magic – Task 2;
Choose a Founder and write a story in which the element of your chosen Founder plays an integral part.
Salazar Slytherin – Water.
Chocolate Frog Cards – Hippocampus;
(Silver) Write about someone who enjoys being in the water.
The North American Song Contest;
Washington – Waves.
The Valentine-Making Station;
Indigo Ribbon: Write something that takes place after dark.
Ice Cream Sticker: Write something set during the summer.
Red Roses Sticker: Write about Rose Weasley.
Pop Culture Icon Sticker: Write a story that includes a quote from your favourite celebrity.
(quote) 'I'm about as intimidating as a butterfly' – Dan Howell.
Social Media Competition;
Facebook Like – Write a fic with the genre 'friendship', 'romance' or 'family'.
Sophie's Bookshop Challenge – Teen/Young Adult #1 (Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen);
(plot theme/topic) Red/Auburn Hair
(quote/dialogue) "I can never trust you with anything or share anything with you. I can never trust you with anything, give you any piece of me without you grabbing it to keep for yourself."
(quote/dialogue) "He wasn't what I'd thought he was; maybe he never had been. I wasn't what I'd thought I was, either."
Greek Mythology Category Competition;
Selene: Write about something that takes place at night.
Gringotts Prompt Bank;
Words instead of said – Cried, Hissed, Muttered, Replied, Started, Whispered.
Vocabulary: Nature Words, Flowers, Trees, and Plants – Horizon.
Object Prompts: Magical Objects – Wand.
Single Word Prompts: Descriptors – Called, Cried, Asked, Shouted, Whispered, Replied, Exclaimed, Spotted, Beautiful.