A/N: So, I've been dancing around posting this story for a really long time.
And, having experienced incessant bullying from certain people, I decided to finally publish.
Once again I would like to point out that this is a Rose/Scorpius fic, with no actual slash.
I cannot be sure whether that pleases you or not, but that's the truth.
Furthermore I do not own Harry Potter.
This story is dedicated to jasmineflower27 for insisting I put this up.
Reviews are very welcome especially when you're waiting for your entrance exams' results to come out!
Enjoy!
ACCORDING TO PLAN
Chapter 1: The Plan Goes Astray
Nineteen year old Rose Weasley took a look at the apartment around her. Her apartment. And she was very proud of it, with its bronze-painted walls, its small fireplace and above everything else, the dark-blue couch next to it, where she was currently sitting.
She took another sip from her earl-grey and closed her eyes relaxing to the sound of the burning woods.
It had been some time since she last came to that place. Her incessant work being to blame for that. Not to mention Auror training that had her staying to the Headquarters most of her nights.
All in all that day was a nice change from the exhausting routine she was used to, thanks to some black-haired cousin of hers.
She shook her head quickly trying to dispose thoughts of Albus. Thinking of him would only make her angry and she wished to relax.
But it soon became apparent that it was not meant to be.
The door bell rang in her ears repeatedly. Groaning Rose stood up and put a robe over her pajamas.
"Who is it?" She asked the door in mock excitement.
"Hey Al! It's me Scorpius, can I come in?" The red-haired girl cursed inwards but it was too late for her to pretend no one was in.
She slowly opened the door only to come across the pale, paler than usual, face of a tall, blonde man her age.
She moved back reluctantly, allowing him to come in. The blonde scanned the room with worried grey eyes and finally rested his gaze on her.
"Al?" He asked firmly as if his mouth could not bother to say more.
"He's out. I don't think he'll be back before midnight." She easily replied, having practiced that excuse many times in her mind.
"What are you doing here?" He spat annoyed at her, like it was her fault that Albus was not there.
"I live here too in case you've forgotten." She retorted putting her hands on her hips.
He didn't answer but his mouth formed on 'O' that soon was replaced by the same worried look he had when he first entered the apartment.
He seemed close to either tears or puking. He even shivered every once in a while.
Rose sighed audibly knowing well enough that her manners –and her kindness for that matter- did not allow her to let him leave at such a state.
"Care to sit and grab a cup of tea?" She asked not trying to hide the boredom in her voice. The guy shrugged and sat down on the same couch she was sitting minutes ago.
Rose flied from the living room for a moment and poured another cup of tea for him.
"You don't mind earl-grey, now do you?" She called from the kitchen.
"It's fine." Scorpius assured hurriedly.
"Sugar?" She soon inquired.
"Just a pinch." He mumbled.
"Milk?" She shouted ten seconds later.
"Just bring the sodding thing here Weasley!" He ordered and Rose almost dropped the cup she was holding from shock.
She muttered some well-chosen curse words as she returned to the living room and handed the blonde his tea.
She stood there for a moment observing his troubled and scared eyes. She sighed again knowingly.
"Would you rather have some whiskey?" She muttered as he looked up at her perplexed. He nodded slowly, gaze back to his feet.
"So what's the matter with you?" She asked after serving him and herself a glass of whiskey. She decided tea could wait.
"Wha-?" He seemed genuinely surprised. Like those ten minutes of silence had made him forget she even existed.
"I said what is the matter with you?" She repeated mad to be ignored.
"Nothing." Scorpius Malfoy hurried to reply. She scoffed.
"Yeah, ok, now tell me what is wrong." She discarded his words. He took another brief look at her wondering when exactly she began 'reading' him so easily.
"Wanna me to say it slowly, prepare the ground for explosion or would you rather I just light the fuse?" He said half-seriously half-jokingly. She thought about it for a moment.
"I'm all yours Malfoy, do your damage." She returned his smile.
Once again the blonde was left to wonder how she knew exactly how to retort to his remarks. He shook the thought away returning to his initial point: Spilling his guts out to a stranger.
"It is a very bad idea to say this to you." He began.
"And Al would have been a better choice?" She cocked an eyebrow to that.
"Good point." He agreed, to her surprise.
Because Rose had been perfectly prepared to hear that, yes, Albus was a better choice indeed. It kinda annoyed her that all those months of partnership and friendship with her cousin meant nothing to him and that he considered Albus nothing more than a stranger, like her. She stopped for a moment to admire the irony that was apparent only to her.
"So spill." She encouraged.
"I like Al." He blurted out, but Rose saw no fuse being lightened.
"Well, you're gonna be partners for a long, long time so I suppose that is good. Anything else?" She said matter-of-factly causing the blonde to jump up in surprise and blush a little.
"No, well… that's not what I meant." He whispered and it took the redhead some moments to actually process his mumblings.
"I like him." He repeated as Rose blinked a few time.
Scorpius was seriously beginning to fear she was retarded.
"As in being in love with him, you dimwit." He said aggressively and then he fell silent once more, deep into misery.
Rose on the other hand was feeling quite dizzy, all intentions of relaxing flying out of the window. Her cheeks were flashed and her heart was beating in her ears. She was ready to ask him to repeat his statement but then realized she could not bear to hear it a second time, so she just contemplated it in silence.
Then the outburst came.
"You're kidding me right?" She almost shouted at him shock reigning in her voice.
"Nope." He denied curtly.
"But-but-but… I always thought you had …erm… other preferences." She stumbled embarrassed.
"You and I both." He put a hand to support his jaw that seemed very fragile at the moment. Just like his entire, otherwise strong body.
"So how did this happen? Did you fancied him from the beginning? Like fourth year or something?" She asked still unable to conceive that the biggest Casanova Hogwarts had even seen was in fact into men.
"What? No! No… That thought never crossed my mind while I was in Hogwarts. It was all about girls back then. Imagine my surprise when I start having all those feeling for him as soon as Auror training began…." He looked honest when he said that and Rose saw no reason to contradict his words.
And indeed Scorpius had never thought of Potter that way when they were at school. True enough they hadn't been enemies like their parents, but they were never really close either.
All this of course changed when they became partners in Auror training…
"Imagine mine." She muttered.
"It's so weird, I swear it's driving me crazy." Now Scorpius was rocking back and forth on the couch.
"And I don't think it is just a crush either you know." He stopped moving for a second to look exasperated at her and then went on with his rocking.
"What do you mean?" The redhead was beginning to feel sorry for her father's lifelong enemy's son.
"All my life I dated girls because of their looks, cute face, nice legs, hot body… But now with…" He stammered painfully, "…him it's different." Rose took a sip from her whiskey. She felt like she needed to be intoxicated to handle this.
"How?" She didn't want to hear it. She was certain it would only make her feel worse, but she couldn't help her curiosity.
"I don't care for his looks. Hair color, face, body…" He shivered a bit at the last part. "But I cannot but stop to listen when he speaks, I am amazed by his ways, his attitude, his sense of humor." He sighed and stood up. He started pacing back and forth in her living room, hurt and strained, like a caged animal.
A caged animal… Rose thought, yeah, he looked like that. Like he wanted something, freedom, but he couldn't have it. And that hurt him.
"You've got it bad, man." Rose blurted out without thinking and barely stopped herself from putting a hand on her mouth and widening her eyes. She should not have said that.
The blonde interrupted his pacing to stare at her and once again she could feel her heart throbbing.
Then on his face a sweet warm smile appeared that changed his whole demeanor. His gray eyes lightened and looked at her happily.
"Your cousin says that all the time." He said simply. Yes he does… Rose told herself.
"I'm sorry Scorpius but I'm pretty sure Al is still into girls." She said apologetically, as if it was her fault that her cousin was still straight.
"Then again some time ago I would have said the same thing for you." She added on second thought.
"You and I both." He gave the same reply he had some time ago.
"So what now?" She asked unsure, almost timid.
"I don't know! I was planning on telling him today, that's why I came over here. But now I just can't. I lost my momentum." He seemed like a little kid who had spent all day playing and was too exhausted to go on.
"Well, Al's not the last guy in the world." She tried a new approach.
"What are you talking about? It's Al I've fallen for, not any guy." His eyes suddenly turned cold with anger and frustration.
"Then I'm afraid it's not gonna happen." Rose stated a bit angry herself by then. She was only trying to help anyway.
"Right." All light vanished from his face at once.
"I should be going." He muttered dejectedly.
With a soft 'thud' he had apparated away. Yet before leaving he had given a word of gratitude only for her ears.
"Albus Severus Potter!" The redhead's angry voice echoed through her empty apartment.
She glared at the Communication Mirror she was holding until a pair of green sleepy eyes appeared in it.
"Rose? What the hell do you want?" He asked sleepily.
"You annoying, egoistical, careless dimwit!" She blurted all the curses she could think of at the moment.
"Wow! Don't shout Rose you're gonna wake Claire up!" He said, looking alarmed out of his bedroom door.
"I don't care about your muggle sweetheart Albus, we're in trouble." She hissed.
"How?" Albus messed his jet black hair uncomfortable.
"Malfoy came over my apartment…" She begun but was cut off.
"You mean our apartment." He corrected.
"Well, it is hardly yours since you haven't set a foot on it for like… ever." She argued and he rolled his eyes.
"Fine. So what did he want?" Albus asked already bored.
"You." She replied easily.
"Well, you took care of it right?" Rose felt a pinch of annoyance at his words. Made her feel like the underling of a gangster or something.
"Trust me no one could take care of what he had to say." She stressed each word.
"Do explain." Her cousin encouraged.
"He's in love with you." Rose said clearly so that it wouldn't take him as much time to comprehend as it took her.
Albus choked on… well nothing in particular.
"He…agh… what?" Was all he managed to utter.
"You heard me. Malfoy is in love with you." She repeated just to annoy him.
"But, that cannot be. Malfoy is straight in every possible way… And with every possible girl. We both know that." He added.
"Turns out we've been mistaken." Rose shrugged.
"You sure, he said my name, clearly?" The black-haired boy decided to give it one more try but he soon gave up seeing her eyes rolling.
"So how long now? I mean we've been living in the same dorm so… I'm starting to get scared here." He shivered like Scorpius had some time before.
"No, no… he said he never felt anything for you until you became his Auror training partner." At her words Albus cocked a black eyebrow.
"Since Auror training?" He asked trying to hide a victorious smile.
"Yep." She confirmed.
"And what does he like about me? Did he say?" Albus Potter was never the sharpest pencil in the box. So he thought he could always use some wisdom universe was offering him. When he had hunched he chose to follow them.
And right at that moment Albus Potter had had a hunch.
"I'm telling he came to my doorway like a lost puppy, saying all those stuff about not liking your looks but your character and your attitude." She recited and now Albus was unable to contain his laughter.
"Then I guess he came to the right doorstep." He pointed out and Rose shot him a perplexed look from her mirror.
"Huh?" She asked.
"What you don't get it?" Her cousin seemed shocked at her oblivious ways.
"What is there to 'get'?" She racked her brains to find an explanation but came across none.
"Well, you know… Rose… I never went to train with the Aurors." He whispered with a smile.
"Hello, my bedroom is filled with cauldrons of Polyjuice Potion and your hair, do you think I don't know?" Rose paired her words with a gesture towards the bedroom.
"Precisely. Meaning I've never actually been partners with Scorpius in Auror training. You have." He shot his hands up in the air, but Rose was still in the dark.
"Merlin Rosie, you are slow!" He exclaimed no longer caring about the girl who was sleeping in the next room.
"So what? He is in love with you." Rose muttered almost angry with her statement.
Albus wanted to scream to her that, no, Scoprius wasn't in love with him. But he decided against it. She would have to figure it out herself. For once Rose had to take care of herself and this was the best opportunity.
At first he had felt guilty for making her take up his job so as to avoid confrontation with the family, but now he saw there were some merits for her too in that business. Even if she couldn't yet see it.
"Just think of what I've told you Rosie and you'll understand. I'm off now." He said and his face disappeared from the mirror.
"Come back you prat! This is all your fault. Hadn't you made me transform into you and take your place in Auror Training none of this would have happened!" She shouted . In vain. He was already gone.
Rose was in big trouble.
A/N: Confusing? I know. Weird? I know.
But I promise you next chapter will be all about explanation.
So leave a review.
Tell me what you thought about it.
I get really, really stressed out when I post a new story so… if you're looking for the perfect moment to give some love, now's the time!
Lots of love,
Kisses and Hugs,
Sarah