ROSE
"So I got a date for the ball." Scorpius Malfoy was saying as I stepped into the common room.
"Oh my, who's your girl this week, Scorpius?" I ask as I sit down in a chair opposite Scorpius and Albus.
"Kristy. I can't find anyone else." He added as he observed my wrinkled nose.
"Kristy is awful. Why would you choose her?" I asked him. When you could have chosen me, I silently finished.
"Like I said, no one else would go with me. I've either dated them, dated one of their friends, or pissed their boyfriend off by asking them." Scorpius shrugged. Was the boy oblivious to the fact that I was a girl who had not a.) dated him or b.) had a boyfriend in a year?
"You know Kristy is going to be all over you. She's going to want to dance with you, kiss you, make out with you, anything. Kristy is very forward." Albus decided to chime in from behind his newspaper.
"I'll deal with all of that except dancing. I refuse to humiliate myself by attempting to dance." Scorpius vehemently shook his head.
"Wait. You don't know how to dance?" I asked with a smile playing at the corners of my mouth.
"No, I don't actually. I never found it exactly necessary to learn." He replied.
"Get up." I spoke forcefully, and he did as I said.
"Rose, you are not going to make me some fantastic dancer in one night. It's just not going to happen." He insisted.
"As much as I think that you are far too good for Kristy, every girl deserves a date who can dance." I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the middle of the empty common room
SCORPIUS
"Albus, can you turn on the radio please?" Rose asked Albus. Her cousin got up, turned the radio on, mumbled something that sounded like "I don't want to see this trainwreck", and walked upstairs to our dormitory. It was just me and Rose now.
"Okay, Rose. What torture are you going to force me into?" I asked jokingly. Honestly, Rose could tell me to wear a panda suit and dance around the Headmistress's office and I would do it in a heartbeat.
"It's just a waltz, nothing too complicated. Every boy should know how to waltz." Rose softly grabbed my hand and rested it on her waist. I looked up at the ceiling, attempting to contain my future embarrassment.
"Scorpius! You have to look at me while we dance!" Rose yelled and stamped her foot. I smiled at the ceiling as I lowered my head.
"Well, it would be easier if you weren't so short." I joked with her. Her head came up to my shoulder, so she wasn't that short, but short enough for me to pick on.
"Shut up and get ready to dance. The Waltzing Hour is about to start." An entire hour of this torture?! I'm not sure I'll live through the night.
"Welcome to the Waltzing Hour, the Wizarding World's #1 ballroom dance show. Now let's get down to a nonstop hour of the best waltzes and classical music." The wizard on the wireless said and Rose stiffened up.
"Ready?" She looked up at me, and I reluctantly nodded. The music played and Rose started leading the dance.
"1..2..3..follow me, Scorpius, not the music..1..2..ow, no, it's okay, just my foot..1..2..3.." Rose kept on counting but I lost track as I listened to her voice. Had her voice always been that...melodic? It was a gorgeous sound.
"Scorpius! Are you listening to me?" She asked.
"Yeah, I am. I think I've got it. Can I try it without you counting?" I wasn't lying. I think I got the general dance down. What I really wanted was to lead her. To make her happy.
"Sure, if you think you've got it. Do you want to lead?" Rose asked tentatively.
"I think I can." I tried to sound confident.
"Okay. Take it away." She said, making sure that I knew she was following this time by taking a step closer to me.
I followed the music and started the dance promptly on one. I danced with Rose with minimal foot casualties, even adding a spin at the end. Rose looked appropriately shocked.
"Are you sure you didn't know how to dance?" She asked with a skeptical look.
"I knew the basics. I've just never had such a good partner." I said to her, and she blushed at my compliment and quickly looked down.
We were silent. I didn't know what she was thinking, but the color had gone out of her cheeks. A new song came on, and to ease away the awkwardness, I grabbed her hand and started dancing again. After a few seconds, she hesitantly rested her head on my chest.
"Why didn't you ask me?" She mumbled against my chest. I didn't have to ask her what she wanted me to ask her.
"I don't know. I didn't think you wanted me to." I knew it was a cliche answer, but it was the truth. She never showed any interest in me before. I thought we were just friends.
"That's a really stupid answer. You said you asked everyone. I would've said yes in a heartbeat. You know that!" She was almost crying. I don't want to be the reason she cries. I have to fix this.
"Rose, I wanted to. You think that I would have asked Kristy if I knew that I could have you instead? Do you really think that I would do that?" I forced her to look at me, and I was right. She had tears in her eyes.
"I didn't think you would. But since tonight, I don't know anything anymore." Rose cried.
"I don't know what you want me to do-" I started speaking, but she cut me off.
"Do you fancy me?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"You know what I mean. Do you fancy me? Red hair, freckles, curls, curves and all?" Rose asked me, expecting an honest answer.
So I gave her one. "Yes, Rose. I fancy you so much that sometimes it hurts me to look at you. You're so beautiful, so sweet, and the funniest girl that I've ever met. I date around so much because I just try to get you out of my head and I can never do it. I don't just fancy you, Rose, I love you. I love you so much, and I don't ever want you to think that I don't."
She had tears freely flowing down her face now, and was choked up and couldn't speak. She lifted her head up to look at me and I took my chance to lean in and kiss her. She didn't push me away. In fact, she deepened the kiss by putting her arms around my neck.
When we broke apart, we both realized that the wireless was no longer playing music. Albus stood there, his hand still on the dial, taking in Rose's tear-stained face, our embrace, and the red lipstick now faintly smeared across my lip.
"Scorpius, I think you should probably tell Kristy that you found another date." Albus said, and walked out of the room.
Rose laughed at his comment, but I realized I needed to correct my mistake.
"Rose, I want to do this properly. Forget Kristy, forget dancing, forget everything that just happened. Pretend that this is yesterday. Rose, will you go to the ball with me?" I asked, looking at her so she would know that I was not joking around.
She simply nodded in response and I picked her up, spun her in a circle, and kissed her one more time before heading off to bed after promising to tell Kristy first thing in the morning.
When I got up to my dormitory, Albus was waiting for me on his bed.
"What happened to 'I don't dance'?" He asked with a smirk on his face.
"Shut up, Albus." I said, tossing a pillow at him and shutting the curtains to my bed.
That night, I dreamt of waltzes and red lipstick. I would never again scorn the difference a dance can make.