Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the story they belong to J.K. Rowling. But the idea was mine.
A/N: So this turned out to be different than what I thought you see I had written down a one-shot with Rose and Scorpius in mind but as I began to type it up it came out completely different. Originally inspired by Frou Frou's song Let go I'm certain that there are still bits and pieces that can be connected to the song but yeah... Enjoy.
"He's staring at you again." Albus said rather annoyed.
"I'm sure you're overreacting." Rose said not bothering to look up as she continued to read the notes that she had scribbled down from her previous class, trying her best to keep the material fresh in her mind.
"No, he's right," James quickly replied, "he's been trying to burn a hole into that bushy head of yours since we came out into the courtyard. I guess he hasn't noticed that your head is already in flames." James teased and began tugging at her hair.
"Leave her alone James." Albus said noticing that their cousin was beginning to get agitated about being picked on because of her red frizzy hair. She tried to brush the stray hairs out of her face but once she went back to reading a soft breeze blew them back to the front of her face. Rose let out a soft frustrated sigh and then began mumbling to herself to stay calm. James and Albus looked at her.
"You're very much like Aunt Hermione you know." James said trying to distract his younger brother and keep their attention off the Slytherin who continued to stare at their cousin with an emotionless face.
"You've been saying that for years James, and obviously I would be like her, she is my mother after all." Rose said as she began to fidget.
"What's the matter Rose?" Albus asked worried that his cousin was distressed by something.
"He's still staring at me isn't he?" Rose asked rather quietly. James and Albus looked towards the Slytherin who had yet to tear his eyes away from the red headed Gryffindor.
"Yes he is." James said finding that the situation was becoming very intriguing.
"What did you do to him?" Albus asked, wondering if there was a reason that his cousin was being stared at by a Slytherin.
"I haven't done anything." Rose said slamming her book shut. "Why would you even jump to the conclusion that it's my fault?" Rose said angrily.
"She even has Aunt's temper." James said only to be ignored by both his brother and cousin.
"I'm not blaming you I'm just curious because every time you're in the same room he stares at you. It's a wonder he can even answer questions in class."
"I-I don't know what you're talking about." Rose lied as she opened her book and pretended to read again.
"What do you mean by that Albus?" James asked his bother. Albus looked over to him and replied ignoring Rose's evident discomfort.
"He stares at her in every class we have together he looks away from her only to answer a question or if he has to pay attention to something in front of him, he doesn't even write anything down and yet he still manages to get high marks. He's been doing it since first year." Albus finished.
"Really, since first year?" James asked astonished.
"Yes, first year he would only glance at her every now and then, second year he would look at her for a bit longer, same with third and fourth year, but since we've entered fifth year he's been staring at her nonstop." Albus finished.
"That's not true." Rose said closing the book once again, reading be damned. She turned to look at her cousin who seems rather putout that he was being called a liar.
"Yes it is Rose." Albus said defensively. "Just because you don't want to admit it, doesn't mean it isn't true."
"Alright calm down you two. Now Rose," James said putting an arm around her shoulder, "let's get down to the root of this shall we? What is it that may have, transpired between you and Malfoy?"
"Nothing we met at King's Cross Station first year, and father made it apparent that he didn't want me talking to him, and told me that I should get better marks than him. Mother wasn't too fond of that and I know father wasn't joking about it because he used that tone in his voice where he makes it seem like he's joking, but he's really not, he also had it when he threatened me about not getting into Gryffindor." Rose rambled, another trait she got from her mother.
"Well there you have it. You see Malfoy has resented you since your first year, and he's taking out his anger about what Uncle Ron said and has been plotting to make you suffer since." Rose looked at James as if he had lost his mind.
"That is completely ridiculous." Rose said pushing her cousin's arm away from her shoulder.
"Maybe he's not." Albus said as though everything his older brother said was completely accurate. "It makes sense Rose; he's out to get revenge. I mean with everything Uncle Ron said, it makes perfect sense."
"No it doesn't, if he was really out for revenge wouldn't he have already started trying since first year? And why me, wouldn't he be after you I mean Uncle Harry and his father were enemies in school why would he have it out for me just because of a few things my father said." Albus and James looked at each other in utter shock.
"He's using you to get to us." They both said stupidly.
"You have to stay away from him." Albus told her.
"He's out for revenge." James added.
"You both have lost your minds." Rose replied. "Scorpius wouldn't do that." James's face looked happily surprised while Albus looked a bit ticked off.
"Since when have you been on a first name basis with Malfoy?" Albus asked causing his brother to smile wider.
"Yes Rose, do tell, when have you became so friendly with Malfoy?" Rose opened and closed her mouth a few times and her cheeks began to flush. She looked at her cousins and stayed quiet longer than they or she would have liked. "Well, well looks like someone has been coercing with the enemy." James said smugly.
"He's not the enemy could you please stop saying that he is." Rose pleaded.
"Rose it's obvious that Malfoy is just using you." Albus said hoping that his cousin would see the evils that lay within the Malfoy family bloodline.
Rose could still feel the gray eyes of Scorpius Malfoy staring intently at her as he had since he first saw her at King's Cross Station. It seemed no matter where she was she could feel his constant gaze. In the Great Hall she could feel him staring, in the classrooms, even in the library. Once she looked up and saw as he sat at another table he wasn't even reading he was just staring at her. For years he had gawked at her finally she had had enough, and one day instead of ignoring him as she always had she walked up to him and demanded to know why he stared at her. Malfoy did nothing more than look at her for a few seconds longer before getting up and leaving without saying another word, it continued on like that for weeks. Everyday Rose would ask him why he stared at her and he would do nothing more then walk away. On occasion Rose would just stare back at him for a while before asking him the same question that he would answer with silence.
"Hello Rose," James said waving a hand in her face, "care to share with us where you drifted off to just now?"
"Scorpius Malfoy is anything but what his father was, and if you can't understand that, than that is a shame on your part. I thought that you would be above all that, perhaps you're the judgmental ones." Rose said as she sulked off. The two confused boys watched as she walked off.
"What's got her wand in a knot?" James asked looking at Albus. Albus merely shock his shoulders and looked down at his shoes not knowing what to do.
Rose walked off not quite sure where she was headed but after a while she realized that her feet where forcing her to go to the library. As she walked down a deserted hallway she stopped and took in a deep breath before letting it out, she wasn't sure why she had defended Malfoy or called him by his first name. She let out another sigh as she leaned against one of the walls; she had known why she did it. After all Scorpius Malfoy had grown on her, he was very intelligent, and clever, and most of all he didn't make fun of her.
Rose had always heard stories about the Malfoy's and how they felt about pure-blood superiority, after all they had been under Lord Voldemort, but from the story her mother had told her they abandoned him. Rose let out a sigh; Scorpius wasn't a coward like his father or anything resembling his grandfather from what she knew of them, even though she know that his father, grandfather, and grandmother betrayed the dark lord, she just couldn't understand why he kept staring at her. Rose let out another frustrated sigh.
"Are you upset Weasley?" Rose's head shot up and she noticed that Scorpius Malfoy was standing right in front of her staring into her eyes with that same intensity. It would be the first time he ever spoke to her.
"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Rose said as she looked around wondering how long he had been there. She had been too lost in thought to even hear him walk close to her.
"Following you of course." He said coolly.
"Why?" Rose demanded.
"Why not?" Malfoy replied.
"I'm sick of this Scorpius, just tell me why?" Rose shouted.
"Why what Rose?" Malfoy replied using her first name only because she used his. It unnerved her.
"Why do you follow me? Why do you stare at me whenever I'm in the same room as you? Why do you refuse to answer me every time I ask?"
"What makes you think I'm staring at you?" Scorpius said dryly.
"I catch you, every day, you stare at me any chance you get."
"I think you might be full of yourself Rose." Malfoy replied unemotionally.
"I'm not the only one that sees it." Rose yelled at him. She tried to gain control of her emotions, and she tried to calm her breathing, it felt as though she had been running none stop. Then again she always felt this way when she spoke to Scorpius Malfoy: out of breath, frustrated, annoyed, yet exhilarated all at the same time.
"Are you sane yet?" Malfoy asked rather indifferent about her outburst. Rose let out a frustrated growl and began stomping off only to be pulled back by Scorpius who had grabbed Rose by her wrist. Rose turned around ready to start yelling at Malfoy again when she was stunned. Scorpius Malfoy had covered Rose Weasley's lips with his and gently kissed her. He slowly pulled away and looked intently into her eyes. Rose's head was spinning and she had no idea what to do, she was at a loss of words and just stared back into his beautiful gray eyes.
"What was that for?" Rose said after a silence that seemed to have lasted forever.
"You're smart girl Weasley figure it out yourself." He said as he let go of her wrist and started to walk away.
"Wait." Rose said as she ran after him and grabbed his arm he stopped and looked at her with a shocked expression on his face. Rose knew that she was blushing but she looked down to the ground in front of them took in a deep breath and then looked back in to Scorpius's eyes. "Please Scorpius…" She stopped not knowing what to ask or how to feel instead she let go of his arm, cast her eyes to the ground and started to walk away, when a voice stopped her.
"You're beautiful, you're smart, you're confident, you see me as Scorpius not just a Malfoy, and I like you." Rose turned around and looked at Scorpius who had his back turned to her and his head facing the ground. He broke an unspoken Malfoy rule; he swallowed his pride and told her how he felt. Rose bit her lip and took a few steps towards him.
"I'm not like my family Scorpius; I don't judge you by things that happened before we even existed. You're smart too you know. And I knew how you felt even though you wear that stoic mask, your eyes betrayed you, you know." Rose licked her lips, suddenly they felt dried. "I don't care what everyone else has to say Scorpius. I can see that in your eyes as well, you're worried because of your family I see how everyone looks at you. I want you to know that I know you're not like them, and that, well, I like you too." Rose finished as she stepped in front of him and looked into his gray eyes when she told him she liked him.
"You know you really are a Gryffindor, I couldn't even look at you when I told you how I felt."
"You're a Slytherin Scorpius, you weren't meant to be brave you were meant to be ambitious." It was the first time that she had ever seen Scorpius smile and she couldn't help but smile back at him.
"That's true, well it seems I was able to achieve one goal." He said as he still smiled.
"And what is that?" She asked looking away from him.
"Getting you to finally notice me of course." He responded with ease.
"I've always noticed you." Rose replied softly.
"Yes, but now you notice me in the way that I have always noticed you." He said placing a hand under her chin causing her to look at him. "I've noticed you at King's Cross Station our first year, and I have been trying to come up with the courage since then to tell you how I feel."
"That's a long time." Rose admitted keeping her eyes locked with his even though she felt nervous and a bit uncomfortable.
"Yes it is a long time, you're worth it. Regardless you still came up to me first anyways."
"Does it matter?"
"No, but I'm glad that you did."
"Well after years of you staring at me I couldn't stop myself from being curious." Rose said. She was feeling dizzy and the urge to kiss him again was becoming stronger with every breath she took.
"Their watching you know." Scorpius said quietly to Rose snapping her out of her trance.
"What?" She said confused.
"The Potters, they're watching from around the corner." Rose let out a frustrated sigh and tried to look down but Scorpius still had his hand under her chin and wouldn't let her. "No, no, you'll give it away. Let them think that we don't know. They're too headstrong you know. My father told me that their father like that, always seemed to jump before looking at where they were going to land."
"The Potters are good people Malfoy, my cousins just worry about me is all."
"I mean no offense Rose. I was merely stating an opinion." Scorpius said honestly.
"Scorpius we aren't our parents, if we were I'm sure we wouldn't be talking to one another, or kissing. Scorpius what's going to happen to us?" Rose said nervously.
"I'm not sure." He replied honestly removing his hand from under her chin. Rose looked down a bit upset and Scorpius continued. "I say we take it day by day, I'm sure there will be a lot of people staring at us, obviously we are a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, and there will surely be a lot yelling and screaming when we get home, because I'm a pure-blood and I've fallen for a half-blood." Scorpius said and then cleared his throat.
"I'm sure my father is not going to be happy about this." Rose said looking up at him.
"I think he can learn to accept it." Scorpius said leaning in closer to her.
"I'm not sure; I mean you are a Malfoy."
"And you're a Weasley, I don't think either of our families would like but, I don't expect them to, all I am saying is that I am sure that they will have to accept it."
"Will you accept it?" Rose asked
"Will you?" He asked back.
"Of course I'm a Gryffindor." She said proudly. "I will go against the world if I have to."
"Well my next ambitious goal is to always be by your side Rose Weasley. The world will be expecting us to fail and I feel the need to prove the world wrong." She smiled and closed the gap between them as they shared another kiss.
"What's she doing?" Albus hissed to his brother.
"Uncle Ron isn't going to be happy about this." James said.
"He'll murder Malfoy." Albus continued.
"That he will, I think I'll send him a letter and warn him about his soon to be son-in-law." James said as he turned on his heels and began walking towards the Gryffindor Dormitory. Albus continued to spy on his cousin before looking back and realizing that his brother wasn't there.
"Wait James where are you going?" He asked running after his brother.
"To write a letter to Uncle Ron I told you that already. Perhaps I'll write a letter to Father as well, can you imagine how angry they will be?"
"But he's just using her remember its part of his plot to extract his revenge on us."
"And what better way to foil his plan if Father and Uncle Ron stop them from being together."
"And if that doesn't work."
"Then I guess we will have a Malfoy in the family."
"Dear Merlin!" Albus shouted. "That was his plan all along to soil the Potter and Weasley name!"
"Mr. Potter, please lower your voice."
"Sorry Professor Longbottom." Albus said before continuing to run after his brother.
"Your cousin is loud." Scorpius said as he looked towards where her cousins had been.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Rose said softly.
"Seems like they are going to rat you out." Scorpius said looking back at her.
"I'll be fine as long as you mean what you said." Rose said looking into his eyes.
"Of course I never go back on my word; it's like an unspoken rule." He said with a serious face.
"Are you nervous?" Rose asked hoping that he would be, so that she wouldn't be alone.
"No," he responded, "not when I have you, you have enough courage for the both of us. In fact I think our families should be proud of us."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because we are breaking down the barriers that they put up between our families, now isn't that worth being proud of?" Rose smiled and threw her arms around Scorpius's neck and hugged him close to her. Scorpius was surprised at first but hugged her back.
They were Rose and Scorpius, that's how they saw each other. Not as Malfoy and Weasley, not as Gryffindor and Slytherin, not even as pure-blood and half-blood, but as two people who saw beyond a family name and beyond a Hogwarts House even beyond blood purity, they saw each other for what they truly were, and they were willing to go through hell to make their families and everyone else see that they were breaking down walls, and that it was in fact a beautiful thing.