A/N: I finally have some time this summer, and this story came to mind. My other story is not over and I will continue. I just have writer's block. And writing this is actually giving me some good ideas for the other one, so that is good! Right? I thought so.
Some things and characters are similar from my other story, but most things aren't.
This is going to be a shorter story because it just a writing exercise.
But I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything of Ms. Rowling's world.
"What the bloody hell are you staring at?"
I immediately snap out of my reverie. When I look up, my mood is killed.
"Nothing, spaz. Shoo," I say with honest contempt, and try to make him disappear with a flick of my hand.
"You have been staring at me for five minutes, Weasley," Malfoy says, in an annoyed tone. Then, in a sudden movement, he leans in close and whispers, "If I didn't know any better I would say you are harboring some secret feelings for me." His sickly sweet breath washes over me. I resist the urge to gag, although the reaction would have served him right.
"Please, Malfoy. The day I harbor any semblance of feeling for you, that isn't related to disgust or contempt, is the day the earth ends," I say, while leaning back, trying to give myself some room. Of course he chooses the day I come to the library without my friends, I think to myself.
Malfoy leans back in his chair as well, crossing his arms over his chest. Nicely framing a stain on his shirt, I might add. It suspiciously looks like raspberry jelly…something that wasn't served at breakfast today, but yesterday. Ugh. "Then, pray tell, Weasley. Who is the man starring in your daydreams?"
My face immediately gets hot. I can feel the blood creeping up my neck to my cheeks. Of course he would know I was thinking about a boy. I have such a telling face. I was probably drooling. The thought of Barry Jones, the incredibly gorgeous singer of Brooms and Bullets, often inspires such a reaction.
"None of your 'effing business. Can you leave now? I have some studying to do." I open my Transfiguration book and put on my reading glasses, hoping this puts an end to the conversation.
"Sure thing, Weasel. Just stop staring at me. You're making me blush," he replies.
I look up at him and he has a wide smile on his face. He gives me a wink and walks back to his tables, and ogre-ish cronies.
I wish I could slap him silly. But with me being a Prefect, it wouldn't set a good example for my peers.
Sense of responsibility: a virtue and a curse.
After I finish studying I head down to the Great Hall for dinner.
"Oh, Rosie Posey!"
I turn around, and see Albus running towards me.
"Oh, Albie!" I yell back.
Al stops mid-step and gives me a fuzzy kitten's glare. He hates being called Albie, but he knows I abhor being called Rosie Posey.
"That's what you get," I say. "So shut your gob."
"Fair enough," he says with a shrug, and laces his arm through mine. "Did studying go well?"
"If being bothered by twisted cads is well," I growl. The thought of Malfoy is still lurking in my head, even hours later. It wouldn't normally have bothered me so much, but I was getting to a really, really, really good part in my daydream about Barry.
"Malfoy?" Al asks.
"Who else?" I say dramatically, as we enter the Great Hall.
We separate at our table, Al choosing to sit with James and Freddy, while I go sit with my girlfriends. Z., Ella, and Demeter are sitting at the other end of the Gryffindor table. They refuse to sit near the boys at dinner because too many times our school uniforms have been stained with varied substances.
"Rosie! How did studying go?" Z. asks, scooting over for me.
I give an inward sigh as I sit down. I omit the Malfoy incident because I don't want to rehash it at the dinner table. "I finished my essay," I say cheerily.
"You going to let me have a look at it later, yeah?" Roxanne interrupts, as she shoves a first year down the bench, plopping herself next to me.
I roll my eyes at my cousin, and reach for a roll. "Sure thing," I say sarcastically.
"Oh, Roxie," Ella says, a big smile on her face. "Bobby wanted me to give this to you." She hands Roxie a folded note, which Roxie immediately stuffs into her pocket.
"Thanks, Ells Bells," Roxie says quietly, blushing very slightly. Only Bobby McCormack would make my confident, sassy, boy magnet cousin blush.
We are all looking at Roxie expectantly, waiting for her to say something…anything. But she just stuffs her face with food, my food.
"Roxie…?" Demeter pries. "A little something, something would be nice."
Roxie looks at us all like we are insane. "Are you insane?" she whispers loudly. "He is right over there." And she jerks her head back over her left shoulder.
We each take turns covertly looking over at the Ravenclaw table, and sure enough, he is there, every now and then stealing little glances at our little Roxie. Oh, young love.
Doh! This is just my luck. As I am looking at Bobby, I shift my eyes to his left and am unpleased to find Malfoy sitting next to him. Of course as I notice him, he looks right at me. He raises his eyebrows and smirks.
"Ugh!" I exclaim as I turn around. "Roxie, if you and Bobby start dating, promise me that you won't allow Malfoy to tag along."
Roxie laughs and gives me a side hug. "Don't worry, Rosie. I wouldn't dare."
I have a sigh of relief.
We continue to eat, chatting about boys and classes as per usual, but towards the end of dinner Demeter tunes out of the conversation. As she sits across from me, her eyes trail something behind my back.
"Demeter. What are you looking at?" I say, as I turn my back. There is nothing behind me, just the Ravenclaw table, and beyond that the Slytherin table. When I turn around Demeter's eyes are looking to my right. When I turn my head in that direction I find Malfoy's pale face three inches from mine.
"What did I tell you about staring, Weasley?" he purrs.
"Oh, please!" I exclaim and scoot forward in my seat, giving myself some space once more today. I stretch my legs under the bench and into the aisle. When Malfoy walks past he trips on my feet.
"Oomph!" I hear behind me. When I turn and look at the floor, it is like Christmas has come ten months early. Malfoy's hair is tousled and in his face, and his long limbs are everywhere. If there is one thing I am glad my father gave me, it is long legs.
"Have a nice trip, Malfoy?" I ask sweetly.My friends erupt in laughter while Al helps Malfoy up. "Thanks, mate," Malfoy says to Al. He pats Al's back as Al sits back down, shaking his head at me. That is one friendship I will never try to understand.
Malfoy walks back up to me and says quietly enough so my male cousins down the table can't hear, "Fuck you."
"You wish," I whisper back.
Malfoy's face turns a faint pink and he leaves the Hall in a hurry.
Back in the common room, we are still roaring over the happening at dinner.
"Did you see his face when he fell?" Z. sputters through her laugher. "It was priceless!"
"Thank you, thank you," I say, taking a few bows.
After a while, we quiet down and lounge about, watching our fellow Gryffindors do their own things. I hear Demeter give a little cough. But I think nothing of it, and continue to watch James tutor Louis at a table in the corner. James never ceases to amaze me. He is so brazen and arrogant, but when you aren't looking, he is loving and helpful. It just baffles me.
I hear Demeter cough again. When I look at her, she is looking at me…with a slightly apprehensive look on her face.
"What is it?" I say.
"I don't want to make you upset, but why did Malfoy say that to you? You know, about staring?" she asks, looking down, hoping she didn't make me mad.
Her question grabs the attention of the rest of our friends. In my peripherals I see each of their heads snap around to listen. I sigh heavily, and sit up straighter. Of course our Demeter would notice that. She notices everything.
"Well, it happened in the library," I start. And I relay to them this afternoon's encounter.
Luckily, after my little story, they think nothing of it. And they shouldn't anyway, especially because it concerns Malfoy, but we all know how girls are. We overanalyze every little gesture and statement made by the boys of our heart's desire. But "Malfoy" and "desire" are two words that will never be in the same sentence where I am concerned.
We continue to lounge and people watch for another hour before heading to bed.
I was lucky when it came to dorm mates at Hogwarts. Each one of them is one of my closest friends. We have been together for six years now, and every year we just get closer.
Of course I am close with Roxie. Her and Albus have been my best friends since we were born. I mean…we are family! Of course we are close. I was so happy when we were both sorted into Gryffindor with Albus. I don't know how I would have survived my first year.
Z was one of the girls who I immediately bonded with at Hogwarts. She is very much like Roxie personality wise, only a little more tactful. Her and Roxie butt heads sometimes because of this, but they are still friends. Thank Merlin.
Ella is a smart girl, almost as smart as me. She is simply lovely, but is slightly overweight and self-conscience because of it. If any bloke had sense, they would snatch her up right away. She has big, blue peepers and tits I will envy to the day I die.
Demeter is our shy one. She is sweet, caring, and cute as button. Just thinking about her now, I want to crawl into her bed and give her a big cuddle.
"Rose…Rose…Rose!"
"Merlin!" I say desperately. "I'm tired. Leave me alone!"
"But class starts in twenty minutes!"
I almost have a conniption fit. But my brain catches up with me.
"Its Saturday," I growl, before I slam my pillow over my head. A hint of lavender and my dad's strong aftershave tickle my nose, and for a moment I am homesick.
"Okay, okay. You got us. But we said we were going to go to the lake today! And the morning is almost over!" Ella whines.
I lift my pillow and peek at the clock above the door. Sure enough it is close on ten in the morning. I lift myself out of bed and see Z sitting at the end of her bed, already dressed.
"And the queen awakes," she says mildly, swinging her legs.
"Bugger off," I say grouchily as I move to the toilets. "Go on ahead. I'll be down in twenty," I say, closing the door.
"Laters!" Ella calls, and I hear the two of them pound down the stairs to the common room.
I shower and put some product in my hair to keep it tame. I used to be made fun of my first two years at Hogwarts because of my hair. But my Weasley's Lion Tamer Mousse (which my Uncle George invented for my mother and I) helped in that area. Now my red hair falls in waves, like Z's, but of course her hair is a normal blond, not a weird bright auburn like mine. Now, no one but Malfoy makes fun of my hair.
As I walk down the corridor I hear sloppy footsteps come up from behind me.
"Hello, my darling," James drawls, as he puts an arm over my shoulder.
"James, darling. How does your day fare?" I say, playing along.
"Oh, it fares fair enough. But now it is better, seeing your radiant face. The dark cloud no longer looms, and the sun shines brightly, screaming your name," he says dramatically, in a voice that would dazzle any girl not related to him.
"Way to lay it on thick," I giggle.
"What's your plan for day, love," he says, making conversation.
"The girl's and I are hanging out down by the lake…as long as the weather permits," I say slowly. We have just left the castle, and I see the sky is partly cloudy.
"And who are these girls?" James inquires, wriggling his eyebrows.
"The usual. Roxie, Ella, Z, me, …Demeter," I list off; enjoying the new glow in his eyes as I say the name he was searching for.
"Eh?" he says, craning his neck to see my friends lounging under our favorite beech tree. "I just might have to bring the boys down. I hear Albus fancies Z."
"What?" I ask, completely taken aback. My Albus and my Z? How did I never see it before? It is absolutely perfect!
I shake my head to myself as I head towards my friends. Victoire told me at the beginning of the year that sixth year is the year for romance. I didn't believe her because I felt fifth year was overloaded with hormones and crushes. But this just goes to show: never doubt Victoire. I mean, sixth year was the year Teddy made a move on her. And now they are married. Wow. What if James woos Demeter and they get married. What if Al and Z get together? And they get married?
I am almost to my friends when someone crosses my path.
"Morning Weasley," he says.
I am so lost in my thoughts I don't notice who it is, and reply, "Morning." But then I pause. And turn around. It is Malfoy. He is standing there, cool as can be.
"Wait. What?" I ask, really not comprehending what just happened.
Malfoy smirks. "I said 'Morning Weasley.'"
My mind is so rattled. He would actually say something as normal as "Morning Weasley" to me? I look at him, trying to figure his angle, and he continues to look at me. Donna Burma, a Hufflepuff, walks by.
"Hey, Malfoy," she says. Malfoy merely nods in her direction, not taking his eyes of me.
This is just too much. After learning about Albus liking Z, and the possibility of two of my friends getting married out of Hogwarts, to my cousins no less, I cannot stand here and do this…whatever this is, with Malfoy.
"Ugh," I say, and head down to my friends.
As I sit down next to Demeter I look back up towards Malfoy. But he is walking over to a group of boys.
"Boys," I mutter to myself. Ella giggles across from me.
"Speaking of boys," says Z, in her coquettish voice. I turn and see what she is alluding to.
James was true to his word. He is bringing down a gaggle of boys, which includes Albus, Freddy, Bobby, and Tucker Brown, a really neat looking Slytherin.
"Oh good-," I say excitedly but my sentence is cut short, when to my horror, I notice a tall, pale, white blond boy walking in the back of the group. "Bugger!"
"Oh, put a lid on it, Rosie," Roxie says, eyeing Bobby. "Just deal with it for one afternoon."
I turn to her, enraged. "You promised!" I exclaim.
"I had my fingers crossed," she whispers to me, as Bobby sits down next to her.
"Hey there, love," he croons, kissing Roxie on the cheek. She just about melts into his lap and I just about vomit into my satchel. But instead I pull out a copy of Hogwarts, A History and start rereading my favorite chapter. It's the one about my family and their friends defeating Voldemort at the Battle at Hogwarts.
"That's my favorite chapter," someone interrupts me, obviously reading over my shoulder.
"Why? Doesn't it just remind you of your family's dirty little past?" I say lowly.
Malfoy stares at me blankly for a moment, and then turns around and looks out over the lake. If I were stupid, I would think his feelings were hurt. But he doesn't have any, so I have nothing to worry about.
