Summary: From the moment the signs went up he had a plan to finally tell his secret. "Give a man a mask, and he will tell you the truth." Scorose. Companion to Le Masque

A/N: Told you I had a treat! Just a little later than I'd planned it. Scorpius POV of the final moments of Le Masque.

Disclaimer: JKR is the true genius, not me!

Masquerade

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he'll tell the truth.

~Oscar Wilde

"As you know, midnight –the witching hour- is nearly upon us. Soon, it will be time for the big reveal. I ask that all students return to the Great Hall promptly, and at exactly midnight, we will remove our masks and reveal our true selves. See you soon!"

Scorpius' heart began to beat faster as the one event he'd been waiting for all night was announced. All evening from the moment he'd walked into the dance and had Al point out Rose, he'd been eagerly anticipating the moment when they'd take off their masks, reveal their identities, and he'd finally be able to tell her how he felt.

He could tell she was nervous; it radiated off her in waves. He completely understood it. He felt the exact same way. That didn't make it any easier to deal with. He was fairly adept at containing his emotions –bottling them up and putting them away. However, with Rose's nervous energy emanating off her so strongly, he was finding it hard to keep the seal on the bottle that contained his own nervousness and anxiety.

He knew her nerves stemmed from the possibility of having to reveal herself to him. It would mean putting herself out there, laying her soul on the line and hoping he accepted. It was high stakes by any standard, but made even more so by the kiss they'd just shared.

Scorpius completely understood her nerves; he knew how she felt about him, yet he was still extremely nervous about telling her. He'd fancied her almost from the moment they'd met. He'd kept it a secret, or so he thought, from everybody because of his worry about how everyone would react. When he finally realized that nobody else's opinion mattered, years had passed and he'd grown accustomed to admiring from afar. As well, a fan club of sorts had begun to form around him, a result of his recently displayed Quidditch prowess. He quite enjoyed the attention he received and, being a hormonal teenage male, didn't want to cease that attention for one girl. Especially one who he was sure did not return his feelings.

It wasn't until the start of that year that Scorpius began rethinking his stance on expressing his feelings to Rose. A few days after arriving at Hogwarts , Albus had pulled him aside and expressed his utmost frustration that, while his best friend and his favourite cousin had fancied each other for years, neither had done anything about it.

Scorpius had been initially shocked by Al's admission of his cousin's feelings. Even though it had come about from the large amount of Firewhisky the Potter had consumed, he couldn't fight the overwhelming feeling that his inebriated friend was telling the truth. Rose Weasley, the girl he had fancied since first year, returned his feelings. It was, by far, the best day of his life and he promised that, before the year was up, he would act on his feelings, fan club be damned, and finally end up with Rose Weasley.

It had been in that frame of mind that he'd first seen the Halloween dance posters. It was the perfect opportunity to finally reveal his feelings. He could get her alone, spend time without her really knowing it was him, and then, when she was feeling really good about him, reveal himself and his feelings. Even though Al had told him that Rose liked him, he still wanted to ensure that he was at his absolute best when he finally shared his deepest secret.

Before he really registered it, they were walking in the doors of the school. The entire walk up from the grounds had been completed in absolute silence, not a word passing between the pair. Scorpius, curious about what had so occupied Rose's thoughts to render her mute, moved to grab her arm and inquire about it.

Instead of Rose's soft pale skin, Scorpius' hand made contact with the faux-orange arm of one of his fans. Within a few seconds, a group of them surrounded him. Each was vying for the privilege to be the one he 'revealed' himself too, even though they all knew who he was. As each girl clamored for his attention, the one girl he wanted to spend that moment with slipped away.

Scorpius was simultaneously dejected and heartbroken. All that work Scorpius had put into the evening, trying to show Rose his fun-loving self had been for not, destroyed by his fan club. Instead of joy and possible attraction, Rose's last thoughts of him that night involved him surrounded by a gaggle of other girls surrounding him.

He stuck his head above the girls, hoping to catch Rose's eye and somehow convey to her that she was the one he really wanted. However, when he did see her, relief was etched clearly across her face. Scorpius sunk back into the girls surrounding him, absolutely obliterated. Rose was relieved to be rid of him? Had Al been wrong? Misread or misheard something?

Suddenly needing air, Scorpius broke free of the gaggle of girls and headed back out towards the grounds and the crisp fall breeze. The cold air hit his face and cleared his thoughts. Instantly, he could think clearly and logically. The cool wind had kick stated his cunning brain.

Al hadn't been wrong. Rose did still like him. Her relief was not at being rid of him. She was relieved that she wouldn't have to take her mask off and face his possible rejection of her. She didn't know how he felt about her. It had caused her nervousness that Scorpius had felt earlier. She was relieved that his fans had commandeered his attention and she could slink back into anonymity. She'd simply be a mysterious red head to him.

Scorpius took one more deep breath of the autumn air, then turned to returned to the dance, more determined than ever to go through with his confession. He only took four steps into the entranceway when he was stopped and his plans changed. Rose was emerging from the Great Hall just as Scorpius was about to enter it. She didn't see him in the doorway and simply continued on her way towards the stairs.

Scorpius watched her progress across the foyer and up the first flight of stairs before he made to follow her. About three flights of stairs from Ravenclaw tower, Rose reached up behind her head and removed her mask. She paused in her climb for a moment, looking at the mask. The angelic rosette then deposited it on the stairs and continued to climb.

Even though he was alone on the stairs, Scorpius hurried to retrieve the mask. He picked it up and examined it. As he looked at the shimmering blue object, a new plan formed in his head and a smile crossed his face. He carefully tucked the mask in his waistcoat pocket and then turned to head to the dungeons and the Slytherin common room.

Every day starting on the Monday after the dance, Scorpius awoke at the crack of down, dressed, and headed down to breakfast. It was his intention to catch her on her own and confess his feelings. He was positive he wouldn't have the confidence to do it in front of her friends. However, each day that he tried, he found her with her friend Alfred. It was infuriating and Scorpius was almost about to scratch his plan and start over. On Friday, he decided to give it one last go and, if he was once again unsuccessful, he would do just that.

Once again, he woke up early, got dressed, and, as hopefully as a guy who had recently faced a lot of rejection could muster, he headed down for breakfast. His head was hung low as he entered the Great Hall, feeling fairly pessimistic about his chances. A few steps in, Scorpius took a steadying breath and raised his head. The sight that met his eyes nearly bowled him over.

Rose Weasley was sitting hallway down the Ravenclaw table with a book, and complete alone. Scorpius nearly booked it to her, afraid that someone would sit beside her in the time it took him to reach her. However, he knew that such an action was very unbecoming of a Malfoy and resisted. Instead, he calmly, if quickly, made his way down the Great Hall.

He internally sighed with relief when he finally arrived in front of her and there was not another person in sight. He quietly took his seat and dropped the mask he'd kept carefully hidden for the past week in front of her face.

She dropped her book in surprise and stared at the mask. Realization slowly downed across her face and she turned to look at him. At first, her expression was one of hope and astonishment. However, it was quickly clouded over with horror. Scorpius couldn't stand her looking like that and quickly spoke.

"I had fun at the dance," he stated. He sat for a few seconds while Rose digested the information. Then he stood and left. His plan had been to get her thinking about his feelings for her, and then have him confront her about it. That way, he could confess his feelings after her, ensuring he would not face rejection. If she didn't return his feelings, and Al was in fact mistaken, he would simply not say anything and save face.

After exiting the Great Hall, Scorpius ducked into an alcove to wait for Rose. His statement was purposefully ambiguous and lacking in answers. He was certain that Rose, who absolutely abhorred ambiguity, would come chasing after him to get the answers he had failed to reveal.

It took five minutes, but Rose did eventually hurry out of the Great Hall. She paused, momentarily in her progress and gazed around the expansive entryway. It was obvious from her determined expression that she was desperately searching for some sign of him. He considered stepping out of his hiding place and surprising her but before he could, she spotted him and raced towards him.

Scorpius was not prepared for what she did next.

He thought he'd confront him, ask him to explain himself. He hadn't expected her to throw herself at him and kiss him full on the mouth. It was a very un-Rose thing to do and he was taken completely aback.

After a few seconds, she broke apart, a mischievous grin on her face.

"I had fun at the dance, too. Let's do it again real soon." Scorpius smiled down at her.

"I'm free now if you are."

The End

A/N: Hope this ending answers your wonderings from Le Masque. Let me know what you thought!