A/N: Hello! I'm back! I promised at the end of my last fic that I was working on a post-CC Rose/Scorpius story, which is TRUE and I've fleshed the story and written about ten chapters, so that should hopefully start going up once I find time to edit (by the way, anyone feel like beta-ing?)

THIS one shot takes place in the same world as that story, though several years earlier. Just a little introduction to the characters, if you will.

Anyway, hope you like it!

Disclaimer: Jo Rowling, Bloomsbury, Warner Bros, and what have you own everything. I own nothing.

An Interlude in the Library (One Shot)

"Scorpius Malfoy is staring at you again," Polly Chapman said, her wide eyes darting rather conspicuously at a spot over Rose Granger-Weasley's shoulder where the offending Slytherin must have been seated.

"Just ignore him, he'll go away," Rose replied, though she brushed a thick lock of dark red hair over her shoulder as she did so, conscious to position what she considered to be her best asset directly in his line of vision.

"Why is he so obsessed with you?" Charlotte Kemp asked, frowning over the potions notes that the girls had spread across their shared table in the corner of the library.

"He's mates with my cousin," the redhead replied, scratching out the end of her essay and striving to appear unruffled.

If she'd been somewhat less than subtle before, Polly was now making no attempt to complete her school work, but rather openly staring at the table beyond. Her chin was propped up in the palm of her hand as she studied the blond boy.

"I never thought I'd say this, but he's actually gotten quite fit," she said, her brown eyes narrowing in a way Rose could only describe as predatory. She felt a bubbling of irritation in her stomach as she observed the other girl twirling her hair and gazing across the desks at Malfoy.

"You're only interested in him because of all the attention he got last year with the Time Turner incident," she replied rather cruelly to her friend, but Polly shook her comments off with an easy laugh.

"Maybe I'll ask him to Hogsmeade next weekend," Polly giggled, sending a trite little wave over Rose's shoulder.

Rose looked down at her essay, intending to proofread her last bit of work before she could pack up for the night. She was just reading the same sentence for the fifth time while attempting to ignore Polly's giggles, when the offending girl tossed her hair and sent a brilliant white smile Malfoy's way, batting her eyelids seductively.

"Do you think he-" began Polly again, and Rose groaned aloud.

Exasperated, the redhead rose from her chair and turned on the spot, marching the fifteen meters to see a bewildered Scorpius Malfoy sat before her. Before he could say anything, she leant on the desk in front of him, her face leveling with his.

"Do you want to go to Hogsmeade with Polly next weekend?" she demanded, loud enough for the other girl to hear. A nearby seventh year prefect glared at the pair of them and made a rather loud shushing noise.

"Oh, erm - I, well-" he spluttered, his fair cheeks rapidly spreading with colour.

"Do you want to date Polly Chapman, yes or no?"

"No, thank you." His gray eyes were wide as he looked up at Rose, and she felt an inexplicable mildly dizzying sensation at his answer. If she hadn't known any better, she'd have thought it felt somewhat like relief.

"Lovely," she said, turning on her heel again, and striding out of the library. She paused to grab her book bag from the table where her friends sat, gaping after her as she soundly ignored them both.

Rose was halfway down the corridor and about to head back to Gryffindor Tower when she heard quick footsteps behind her. It was Malfoy again.

"Rose," he said, catching his breath as he fell in line with her. She stopped and said nothing, but raised her eyebrows at him. This seemed to be the encouragement he needed to continue.

"I was actually wondering - erm, what I mean to say is - would you like to come to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?"

Rose wasn't often speechless, but uncomfortably now found herself so.

"-And Albus would be there too, of course." Scorpius said quickly, carrying on as if he were now unable to stop talking, his words coming out in an unbroken stream of sound. "It was actually his idea, really, because he'd mentioned that he hasn't seen you much since the summer holidays, and that the two of you spend a fair amount of time together over the break, and I was just thinking - we could maybe go to Honeydukes, because I know you like those strawberry sugar quills, and then perhaps we could-"

"Malfoy," Rose said firmly, grabbing his arm. He blinked several times and looked down at where her hand gripped his sleeve. "Yeah, I'll come to Hogsmeade with you and Albus."

"Oh," he breathed, his face flushing again as his smile lit up. "Great, that's - brilliant news."

"Right," Rose said, frowning quizzically at him as he ran his hands through his hair several times, looking rather flustered. "Well I'll see you next Saturday, then."

Rather than waiting for an answer, she walked off towards the Gryffindor common room, leaving him standing alone in the corridor behind her.

It wasn't until she got to the portrait of the Fat Lady that Rose realised she was grinning from ear to ear.

FIN