Author's Note: I'm on a writing high this evening so I decided to put up a one-shot about Scorpius Malfoy and an OC. I don't want to make this multi-chapter so you have to bear with me on the length of this one. Being in the HP fandom, I've always shipped Draco and Hermione and though not a lot of people agree with me on that, I still think they could have had just a bit of a spark in the books and movies. (Besides, Emma and Tom were absolute cuties and I still think they belong to each other) However, I do not ship Scorpius and Rose like most people do. I mean, they're cute but I always have some other character paired up with either of them. Anyway, I'm rambling. Let's just get on with the story haha. I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters in this story with a few exceptions.
Reflected Memory
Nothing has been going right for her in the past few weeks. She didn't only lose her mother, now she lost her father as well. She understood that he was old but still worked hard for her sake, for her future. What she didn't understand was why he kept his disease from her for years. She couldn't have attended Hogwarts and instead took care of him, be there by his side even in his last breath. The Alfonso's library was vast enough to let her educate herself. After all, the things she learned for the past five years here in Hogwarts all came from books and manuscripts. It wouldn't have been different if she stayed home. Mr. Alfonso did his best to provide his daughter everything she needs and wants. He was always busy but he always makes the most out of their moments together. When his wife was killed by a lingering Death Eater for being a "blood traitor" when Andrea was only five, he worked twice as hard to fill in the position that his wife left. He started being both a mother and father to his daughter.
Albus finally gave up on chasing her heart. He cried that night she told him he was nothing more than a friend. That is true, though. He was always so nice to her, took care of her, and protected her but all she felt for him was the same love like that of a sibling. He was so upset that night on the Quidditch field where he declared his love for her only for Andrea to reject him. But Albus was smart and handsome, he eventually found consolation in the arms of Magnolia Longbottom. She had a big crush on him for years but he ignored it completely and told everyone that she is merely a 'friend'. So, it was a big shock to Andrea when she found her brunette best friend and the freckled girl kissing passionately inside an empty classroom during her nightly rounds three days ago. She felt conflicted at the sight of their intimate interaction especially when she felt her chest tighten and she couldn't breathe properly.
The day after that, she told Rose about what she saw and confessed to the redhead how strange she was feeling. To her surprise, Rose called her off for breaking her cousin's heart. She told her how selfish Andrea was for pushing away Albus just so she could reel him in again when he is already happy with someone else. Was she really selfish? Did she want that to happen? Andrea tried her best to apologize to the two friends that she had even though they are from different houses that rivaled each other. But she guessed that no one should mess with the pride of a Gryffindor and even if she tried to deny it, there is a downside of being placed in Slytherin even after the war.
The pain she felt was unlike any other. The only solution she found was this, to end it all completely, to join his parents, to leave this cruel world. She knows her reasons are shallow but who could blame her? The pressure was still there and try as she might, she's not strong enough to push it away and bury it on the back of her head. The chilly summer air engulfed her tired body and the winds gave a subtle slap on her face, making her tears roll down to stain her cheeks. The blonde's knuckles turned white by the time she fisted the railings. She could feel her nails digging into her palms as her knees shake. She bit on her lip to muffle the screams of her inner demons until they drew blood. She was ready for this. She just needs to hang her legs over the railings and…
"What are you doing here, Alfonso?" An annoyed voice rang in alarm behind her. Before she could proceed to what she was going to do, she snapped her head back to the owner of the voice. Her jaw dropped slightly and her eyes widened on the dark silhouette of a man standing in the shadows. "You are not to patrol here tonight. What is your business here?" Suddenly, the scowling form of Scorpius Malfoy emerged from the darkness. His silver blonde hair and pale face was illuminated by the bright moonlight. He took a step after another, moving closer towards Andrea. "Answer me or I will report you."
"Why do you care?" Andrea fired back, masking her weak demeanor with a stronger and assertive façade coupled with her one hand on her hip. This was her nagging stance as they say.
"I don't." Malfoy repied almost too quickly with an unreadable tone. The expression on his face wasn't helping, either. Andrea couldn't tell whether he was annoyed, angry, or concerned. The last bit, she didn't believe. Scorpius glanced over to her other hand, still holding tightly on the railing and noticed the slight shaking of her fingers. His eyes moved down to her knees, exposed by the short black dress she was wearing that night, and saw her shivering in a subtle manner. He looked back on her face which contrasted everything else on her body, calm and collected. "Are you this weak, Alfonso?" She didn't answer. "Don't make a fool out of me. I know you were going to jump."
If it was even possible, her face grew even paler and her lips looked as close to a peeking blueberry. He doesn't know how he feels about this look of hers. She was always regarded as beautiful by everyone in Hogwarts and he did think so, too, though he would never ever say that to anyone in a million years. For five years they have been battling for the number one spot along with the Weasley girl but Andrea Lucia Alfonso always retains her position. He always comes in second, and Weasley third. She was definitely the Hermione Granger of their generation, maybe even smarter. That's what he likes about her, the fact that she doesn't back down from any challenge and always finds a solution to every problem. But now, standing here in the Astronomy Tower this very night, he feels like he's not looking at the Andrea Alfonso he knows. The girl in front of him wasn't her. This girl was too weak, was too helpless, and he noticed it too ever since they received the news about the death of Mr. Alfonso, the richest banker in the Wizarding World.
"Was it because Potter has been rubbing gums with Longbottom?" he teased earning him a hard slap on the face by none other than the blonde girl in front of her. His face was thrown to the side and he didn't even bother looking back at her no matter how angry he was by the stinging of his cheeks.
"How dare you, Malfoy? How dare you judge me so quickly when you don't know why I am like this?" Scorpius didn't have to look to know that tears were filling up her eyes. The sound of her voice, the slight choke that came out of her mouth when she called him gave it all away. Then the slight sniffles followed, he still didn't look because he still believes this is not the real Andrea. "I hate you and your arrogance. I hate you and how much of an airhead you are." With that, she left him alone, standing on the balcony, head still thrown to the side. He felt ever beat of his heart synchronize with her footsteps as she stalked out of the Tower. He counted in his head from ten and when he reached one, he turned to his heel and followed her out.
Andrea was sobbing her eyes out while sprinting back to the common room. She didn't care if she interrupted the paintings' slumbers with her chokes, she didn't care if anyone saw her at all. She was angry, very angry that for the first time, Malfoy was right. She was going to jump out of the balcony. She is, though only partly, upset for Albus to be with Magnolia. She hated him at that very moment. She hated the fact that he was him, that he was Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. She hated the fact that she appeared weak in front of him.
She quickly hugged the pillows on the emerald green couch of the Slytherin common room and stared at the fire still burning in the furnace. In the flames she saw the faces of her father, of Albus, of Rose, of Scorpius, and of her. The images appeared in front of her but are instantly blurred out by the tears building up again. She buried her face on the pillow and tried to forget the sharp turn that her life took in the past weeks. She was helpless, there was no one there to save her and she hated herself for it. This time, her problem couldn't be solved by books.
When Andrea felt like she have cried hard enough, she put the pillow down on the couch again and wiped her tears with her thumbs while she breathed deeply, in and out. Things will be better, she told herself. And though it seems that it is impossible, she decided to live for another day. She was about to stand up from where she was seated and head back to her room when something caught her eye. There in front of her, sitting elegantly on the glass coffee table, was a tiny little box with a tag bearing her initials. This was obviously for her. She took it carefully and opened the lid with dainty fingers. Cushioned in thin velvet laid a silver necklace with a locket the size of a sickle. A small piece of diamond was embedded on it. It was simple but elegant. Funny how much it resembled one of her mother's jewelry. Who is this from anyway? Is this from her father brought by a secret sender? Andrea opened the locket carefully and was amazed by what she saw. A burst of light crept out of the locket and danced on thin air, hovering just a few centimeters away from where it came. A few seconds after, the light separated into two balls and morphed into two different animals. One became a panther and the other a slender fox. They chased each other around, moving towards Andrea's left ear, across her nose and a few centimeters in front of her face. Patronuses, she thought. Though the wild forms chased each other, they didn't look aggressive, they looked more like engaging in a romantic dance. The two balls of light suddenly collided and zoomed back inside her locket.
For the first time in weeks, Andrea smiled a genuine smile. The sight brought by the anonymous gift somehow made her feel better. As to who it was from, she still has no idea. She decided to inspect the designs on the locket more closely by holding it up against the light and close to her face. Whatever she saw on that necklace, made her gasp in surprise and in relief. But there was one thing she was sure of, it was definitely not the diamond or the vine-like engravings.
Andrea watched as the Slytherins stripped off of their arrogant and we-don't-care-about-anything façade while carrying upon their shoulders the one and only Scorpius Malfoy. They all cheered loudly, and Andrea was sure that some of them were drunk, as they give out praises to the Slytherin prince. "Who's the best Seeker, boys? Malfoy! Malfoy! Who caught the Snitch and brought as joy? Malfoy! Malfoy!" Scorpius laughed hysterically when the seventh years bounced him up and down in the air, making him touch the banners they made for him. It was a pretty sight for Andrea because it wasn't very often for the Slytherins to celebrate after a Quidditch game. Being the son of Harry Potter, Albus did have lots of practice and was an excellent Quidditch player no matter which position you put him to. But today was different, Malfoy actually caught the Snitch despite having scratched his beautiful pale face. Not accustomed to the unexpected clamor in the common room, Andrea thought of going somewhere quiet where she could breathe in fresh air. It wasn't long for her to realize that her feet were bringing her towards the Astronomy Tower where she felt the safest.
Winter dawned upon Hogwarts and every tree and blade of grass was covered in snow. The sky precipitates with thin ice every morning and every night. Even Andrea's breath was visible on the moonlit balcony as the chills tickled her nose. She inhaled and exhaled once more as she reflected back on the year that has passed.
On such an early age, the family business was entitled to the one and only Alfonso heiress, Andrea. Besides school, she has been talking to a lot of important people to keep her father's business alive and kicking. So far, she hasn't encountered anything major. That brain of hers really was a blessing.
Albus and Magnolia were happier than ever and Andrea had to admit that the sight of them wasn't revolting to her anymore. She knew Albus wouldn't let Magnolia go and Magnolia wouldn't let him go, either. Seeing her friend happy in the arms of someone he truly loves made her heart ache not because of jealousy but because of happiness. Albus and Andrea still loves each other but this time, they both know it is nothing but a sibling sort of love.
Andrea made up with Rose as well. It was kind of a funny story, actually. Two weeks after her attempt of jumping off the balcony last year, Rose was sent to the hospital wing for consuming a dangerous amount of love potion. The potion was mixed in with the chocolates meant for me and she accidentally ate them. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley visited her and can't help but laugh at the déjà vu that Mr. Weasley experienced. There was nothing serious that happened to her, she seemed healthy. When she got discharged from the hospital wing, the blonde Alfonso hugged her tightly by the time she entered the Great Hall that morning. The two girls both cried in front of the whole Hogwarts student body and apologized to each other. They also both vowed not to eat chocolates unless they are a hundred percent sure that they are free of love potions.
"Don't tell me you're still doing rounds when you could celebrate." Andrea turned to the owner of the husky voice and found Malfoy staring back at her with the same flat expression he sports every day. His hands were in the pockets of his thick black coat and his silvery eyes looked at her behind round frames. Scorpius seldom wears his glasses as he thinks it lessens his sex appeal but Andrea thinks otherwise. Though never would she admit that to anyone, not even on her diary.
"Why do you care? Shouldn't you be participating in underage drinking right now?" she asked teasingly, trying hard to hide her smile.
"I don't and no. I am not fond of firewhiskey," he answered as he usually does. He leaned on against the railings of the balcony and took in a deep breath as he stared out into the distance. Andrea only looked at his profile. The cheekbones that he had had more structure than her life. His silver blonde hair glistening like tiny specs of diamond. His eyes concentrating to wherever he was looking. And his lips that suddenly turned up into a smirk. "Am I that beautiful, Alfonso?"
Andrea felt her cheeks burn up at his remark, she didn't intend to stare so deeply and obviously. Hiding the shock in her voice, she only laughed and said, "As beautiful as Professor Longbottom's legs." His face scrunched up into a frown but he kept looking straight ahead. Her last statement has been a circling inside joke among the students of Hogwarts ever since the wardrobe malfunction that Professor Neville Longbottom encountered two years ago when he was walking down the Great Hall. Some prankster decided to charm his trousers so that they would grow shorter as he took a step. He didn't notice what was happening until he reached the teachers' table. By that time, his khakis were resting on his mid-thigh, exposing his very hairy legs that made some of the students gag and most laugh.
Following his gaze, Andrea looked into the distance and saw where Malfoy was looking. The Hunter, Orion, twinkled brightly in the night sky and reflected its light against the two blondes' eyes. Andrea never truly understood how people differentiate a group of stars from another. To her, they all look like dots scattered in random. Nevertheless, they all look beautiful.
"I agree," Malfoy said. "They all look beautiful even if they seem to be in random order." Andrea was taken back by his statement. She didn't know that she was thinking out loud. "You're right, again." Though he tried to lace his voice with venom, Scorpius knew Andrea noticed his amusement of her knowledge. There's no point in hiding it, to be honest. Whatever is going in that head of hers must be very interesting, Scorpius thought.
"You know, you owe me a 'thank you'." The young Malfoy straightened up and turned towards Andrea with a confused look on his face. Whatever did she do for him to thank her? She wasn't looking at him and instead focused on the Hunter. "You wouldn't have won if I didn't wish you luck."
Scorpius snorted inelegantly and made his hands retreat to his coat pockets as the cold air nipped at the tips of his fingers. "I didn't ask for you to do that," he remarked. "Just admit that I am just as good, if not, better, than Potter in Quidditch." It was her turn to snort.
Earlier, before the game started, Malfoy took a quick glance on the opposing team and saw Magnolia giving Albus a quick kiss on the lips before muttering a 'good luck'. To him, it felt weird to see them like that especially when he keeps seeing Professor Neville's face on her daughter's. That very thought made him dizzy in disgust. After the unpleasant interaction between Potter and Longbottom, he saw Andrea giving Potter a quick hug but punched his arm playfully when he said something incoherent to Scorpius' ears.
What surprised him greatly, though, was when the blonde smarty made her way towards him and even gave him a genuine smile, which he didn't return, of course. He felt his heart beat fast at her presence not because she was beautiful, although she is, but because she never did this type of thing. Was this a prank? He asked himself. "Good luck, Malfoy. Please beat Albus this time. His ego is dangerously inflated right now." Another flash of smile, then she left. He didn't say a word for he didn't have a witty remark during that time. He was only left staring at where she stood.
"Oh, please, just admit that I am right, as always. You needed that good luck that's why you won and the Slytherins are rejoicing on your behalf!" This time, she laughed a real laugh. Scorpius didn't know what to do so he just breathed in and avoided her eyes which were slowly turning towards his. There was a moment of silence between the two of them. Scorpius could only hear his heart beat and Andrea could only hear their synchronized breaths before she decided to break the silence.
"I have something to give you, by the way," she started, her voice a little softer this time. Scorpius turned to her as she searched inside her pockets with a hint of seriousness plastered on her face. It took her at least fifteen seconds to finally found the right pocket and in she plunged her gloved hand. "Ah! There it is," she said with delight as her eyes widen a bit and her lips turn into a small smile. From her pocket, she produced a small green box and handed it to Scorpius.
He eyed the box with confusion on his face. "What is that for?" he asked. She nudged the box towards him which he finally took in his hands. He took a glance at Andrea and saw her anticipated expression, urging him to open it. With a careful gesture, he opened the box and saw a silver ring with an emerald in the center. He picked it up with his thumb and forefinger and examined the band. Inside, his initials were engraved in cursive.
Seeing his eyebrows drawn together, Andrea now questioned if she should have given it to him or not. "If you don't like it, you could always throw it away, your choice." She chirped in embarrassment.
"Why would I do that?" Scorpius asked softly, still examining the ring.
"I don't know. Maybe it's not worthy being put on one of your Malfoy fingers," she teased.
He snorted once again as he slipped the jewelry on his left ring finger, flexing his hand to see that it was a perfect fit. He smiled at the gift, though it was simple and unexpected. But of course, he was Malfoy and Alfonso can't see him being genuinely happy at something that she has done for him. With a fierce look and teasing smirk, the very same look that makes Andrea's brain go numb in inexplicable ways, he leaned forward to her just close enough so that he wouldn't tower over her too much. Just close enough so that their glassy eyes could meet, he said in a deep voice, "You know, if you wanted to give me an engagement ring, at least ask for my opinion on designs."
She knows that he is joking but even if he doesn't have anything true to tell with those words, Andrea internally gagged at what she heard. "Professor Longbottom should be hairless first before I even consider of having you as a romantic partner." He found her remark quite amusing and truly funny, so, he moved back for a bit and fingered the ring.
"You haven't answered my question. What is this for?" Scorpius asked again, this time a little less stern.
Andrea took a deep breath and started explaining using her I-know-everything voice she always uses during classes. "Well, that is for two things," she started. "First, it's my congratulations to you after you've actually defeated Albus. Slytherin has been rubbish at Quidditch ever since Albus came but I guess everything is different now that you have claimed victory."
The praises that his blonde companion gave him made his cheeks flush. He turned away from her and pretended to find a better light to inspect the ring further. "You had this made before you even knew I was going to win? That is such high expectations, Alfonso. You must be getting good at Divination."
"You know I hate that class. It's stupid." He did know, indeed, because they share the same hatred towards irrelevant subjects such as Divination and Arithmancy. Their heads are both working oppositely or alike, if that made sense. They hated the same things, they like the same things, but they constantly battle against each other. Maybe it's because of the fact that Scorpius couldn't stand the fact that this girl has outsmarted him in everything. Even in Wizard's Chess and she is absolute rubbish in it! Whenever he plays against one of his friends, he always got to say 'checkmate' but when it comes to her, he always loses.
"So, the other reason?"
"Oh, that." She hesitated for a moment but cleared her throat and spoke. "It's a thank you, as well… for the uhh… the… necklace." In an instant, Scorpius stopped whatever he was doing with the ring and looked absentmindedly on the railings. He swallowed hard but managed to speak without looking at her.
"Necklace? What necklace?" he asked dumbfounded.
"This necklace." He turned towards Andrea who was pulling out the chain hidden inside her coat. She showed him the locket hanging from her neck. Scorpius stared at it for a long time and was only snapped back to reality when she spoke again. "Don't pretend like you don't know. I know it was from you."
Scorpius stood there staring at her, jaw dropped, and face drained of color. He felt his knees shake slightly. He stuttered out something which Andrea assumed to be a question as to how she was sure it was from him. "You wrapped it with green and silver to conceal where the box was from but you forgot the insides. On the inside of the lid, though it was very small, I saw 'Malfoy and Co.' written on it." Scorpius swallowed hard again. "But what really gave it away was your face."
"My face?" he asked dumbfounded.
She chuckled with grace. "I held the necklace up in the light and saw you smiling behind me. I thought no one was there so I was taken aback when I saw you. I never confronted you before about this because I didn't know what to say. Now that I have a reason to, I guess I'm saying thank you again."
For a brief moment, they locked eyes. Hers were full of gratitude and his was full of… something. Even he can't explain what he was feeling. Was he embarrassed that she found out? No, it was fine. He knew she would've figured it out sooner or later. Feeling the tension between them, Andrea looked away and pointed at the necklace. "It was a memory, wasn't it? The Patronuses?" Malfoy nodded. "I've heard of virtual pensieves before but I never actually got to see one."
"It's not a virtual pensieve," Malfoy corrected.
"I know," Andrea countered quickly. "At first I thought it was but I did some research," Malfoy wasn't surprised. She practically buried her whole face inside every book in Hogwarts. "Memoria reflexionem was the spell. A person could duplicate a memory and transfer it to an enhanced mirror so that the image could bounce back in thin air."
"Don't school me about something I already know, Alfonso." There wasn't a hint of annoyance in his voice, much to Scorpius' dismay. Instead, he felt like remembering the very first time he charmed this necklace for her. "It was the first time I saw my parents conjure their patronuses," he said in a monotonous voice while staring back ahead, avoiding Andrea's face. "After the war, Father was severely scarred not only physically but emotionally. Mother said that he couldn't conjure a patronus because he doesn't have a particularly happy moment in his life. We took a holiday in France when I was nine or ten, I remember we were watching the Fireworks from a very high place and we were all very happy. My parents kissed in the midst of the colors exploding right before my eyes and for the first time in his life, a silvery mist in the form of a panther emerged from my father's chest and a fox from my mother. I didn't know it was possible to conjure a patronus in that sort of way but it was a magical moment for the three of us and I've always remembered it since."
When he looked back at Andrea, he saw tears welling up on her eyes and a huge smile drawn on her face. I know he has touched her with his story and if he wasn't careful, he might look like her, being emotional and all. "Don't cry on me, Alfonso. It's just a story."
Andrea chuckled and sniffed softly, not letting her tears roll down her cheeks. She quickly turned towards his ring again and added a tad more information. "It works like my necklace. I replicated a memory of mine and put it inside the emerald."
"How do I see it? It's not like I could open up the gem like you could with your locket."
Andrea smiled at him cunningly. "You're smart. You'll figure it out eventually." Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her which she returned with an even wider smile. "Out of curiosity, have you ever conjured a patronus?" She asked.
"No," he answered briefly before following it with "Have you?"
Andrea shook her head from side to side, looked down her feet and took a deep breath before looking up at Scorpius once again. "I think I've had enough fresh air now. I'm going back before I catch a cold. I suggest you do, too." Without another word, Andrea turned on her heel and walked out of the Tower.
Scorpius felt a sense of déjà vu by the time he was left with only his thoughts for his company. He raised his hand up to wipe away the moist snow that landed on the side of his lips. Accidentally, his ring touched his lips and the emerald glowed bright green. From it emerged a ball of light giving of a soft glow. It wasn't long for it to morph into something he recognized, his face. So that was how it was activated, if it touches his lips, Scorpius thought to himself, grinning. A scene played out right before his eyes.
It was from first year, the sorting ceremony. In Andrea's point of view, she looked intently at Scorpius Malfoy and only turned away when he stared back at her. Then the ball of light changed. Second year, Malfoy was injured by getting hit by a bludger on the face. He was sleeping peacefully on one of the beds of the hospital wing, a bandage across his nose. A hand, which he assumed to be Andrea's, put down a stack of books in his bedside table and stroked his hair lightly before leaving. Next, third year. They were in a snowy patch in Hogsmeade and she was crying. He suddenly came out from behind a tree and told her some advice. He remembered that day, the exact words he said to her. Back in third year she had a crush on Pierre Colter, a Ravenclaw git who only used her to write his essay. She changed herself for him and cried a lot because of him. Scorpius remembered how upset he was when he noticed Andrea dumbing herself down for that boy. So, he approached her one day, on a Hogsmeade trip and told her, "When you hide behind an over decorative mask, you'll forget who you are, eventually." The scene changed to fourth year, the Yule Ball. Pierre was asking for a dance with Andrea but she looked at the suit up Malfoy just behind him, the blonde oblivious to her stares, and quickly declined the Ravenclaw's offer. Then, fifth year, just last year. In this very place, where she could have jumped, Malfoy's face suddenly emerged from the darkness. Skipping through all the slapping, Scorpius now understood how she knew the necklace was from him. True enough, it was his grinning face that was reflected from the raised gallery where he stood observing Andrea. He thought she never saw him but apparently she did. Malfoy smiled all the way through the five scenes until it dimmed.
That was her memories of him which made his young heart skip a beat. He never knew that she returned the feelings he had for her for forever. He thought lingering in her shadows was good enough but apparently, she felt him, too. And now that he's here, watching as the small orb of light slowly approach his ring, he can't help but feel if this was the right time to confess to the girl who was always right. He thought for sure, the memory would go back to his ring but another scene flashed before his eyes.
The Quidditch stadium and what it looked like a few hours ago. Andrea looked around her and saw the crowd of students cheering for their team. He noticed that she was on the Slytherin bleachers which was new because she always watched Quidditch with Potter and Weasley on the Gryffindor side. Then, the Snitch came zooming in directly a few meters in front of her. Scorpius saw himself once again in Andrea's memory. This time, he was wearing his protective goggles and reaching out his gloved hand. He hesitated for a moment and disregarded the Snitch which was still hovering in front of him just to look up at Andrea. Then he smiled, a genuine and happy smile as he saw her cheering for him in the stadium. With one quick move, he snatched the Snitch.
Author's Note: Was it kinda long? Kind of a cliffhanger in some way? Let me know in the comments! Oh and by the way, this is kind of a cliffhanger, sort of. I played out an original ending in my head but I felt like it was too cheesy so I am leaving the ending to your imaginations. What will Scorpius do next after realizing that Andrea likes her back?
Without letting another second pass by, Scorpius ran as fast as he could out of the Astronomy Tower and looked for any signs that Andrea was still there. Luckily, he could still hear her footsteps tapping on the marble floor. "Andrea!" he called out. He sprinted towards the sound she was making with her shoes and was just in time to see her turning around towards him with a confused face.
"What is it?" she asked as he approached her. "Did something happen?"
The next events were quick, faster than a heartbeat. Scorpius leaned down and pressed his lips against Andrea's. He inhaled her scent, a mixture of snow and gingerbread cookies. He knew he was doing the right thing. This is, indeed, the right time for him to let her know, no riddles in the process. His hands snaked up to her face and rested on her cheeks as he deepened the kiss.
Andrea didn't know what to do. She was waiting for this to happen for years but now, she felt more like fainting. His touch was cold against her skin but the coolness of his hands were more comforting than she expected. He broke their kiss for a moment, eyes still closed, foreheads pressed, and whispered, "I love you, Andrea Alfonso. And I am so dumb not to let you know all these years."
"I know. You are always dumb and I am always right." And with that, she captured his lips with hers for another deep and passionate kiss. All of a sudden, a silvery figure emerged from the blonde lady's chest, just in the middle where her heart should be taking a form of a rabbit hopping about and around the couple engaged in their clandestine kiss. And from the beating heart of the male blonde, emerged a roaring wolf, chasing down the rabbit playfully. The scene was beautiful, perfect, straight from a fairytale. What a shame that only the eyes of the people in paintings are the ones who could see them.