Chapter 1
Give Peace a Chance
May 23rd, 2020
"Can you believe that we've almost been at Hogwarts for three whole years?" Rose mused, looking out of the window of the Gryffindor common room and over the grounds where students lay in the sun, enjoying the last few days of term.
"Time really does fly," Rose's best friend, Ella Longbottom responded, smiling at Rose slightly. Rose grinned back, thinking about all of the good times that she and Ella had had together in their first three years at the school. They aced their classes, shared private jokes, giggled through Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons with the extremely good looking Professor Langford, fallen off broomsticks, shared detentions (mostly for giggling through Defence Against the Dark Arts) shared crushes; the two of them were basically joined at the hip. They had been since meeting on the train on the first of September; their very first ride to Hogwarts.
Rose remembered it like it was yesterday. Ella had tripped over a piece of raised carpet and stumbled straight into Rose, knocking her over. It was through many apologies for her clumsiness and many assurances that it was okay, that they exchanged names and learned that the other had nobody to sit with other than family. After that, the two of them were never separate for longer than two weeks.
"Feels like yesterday we walked through the front doors to be sorted," Rose said, half a smile on her face.
"Yeah," Ella said with a grin, rearranging her papers that she had to turn in for Transfiguration the next day and starting to scribble away at it with her quill. Rose watched her silently. She had agreed to stay in Gryffindor tower with Ella as she finished her long overdue essay rather than go down into the grounds with her cousins, brother and Ella's siblings for a swim in the lake. Rose looked out of the window longingly as she saw James tackle Ella's older sister Abigail in the shallows so that they both fell into the knee deep water. She smiled as she watched them and didn't hear Ella's quill stop scratching and was only aware of the fact that Ella was now watching her when she felt Ella's fist collide with her arm.
"Ow!" Rose exclaimed, turning around and rubbing the impact zone, "What was that for Eleanor?"
Ella wrinkled her nose at Rose's use of her full name, "Don't call me that."
"Don't hit me and I won't," Rose said indignantly.
"Well at least I killed the nostalgia," Ella said. Rose gave her a quizzical look, "Come on Rose, look at us! Reminiscing on the last three years as if it's our last moments here? Seriously that doesn't need to be done until we reach the end of our seventh year here."
Rose took a deep breath, realising what they had just been doing, "Thank you." She said seriously to Ella her expression stony. It didn't last long however as Ella could not keep a straight face to save her life and the two of them fell apart laughing.
"Come on," Rose laughed, punching Ella playfully on the arm, "Let's ditch the essay and go swimming with the others."
Ella stared down at her essay for a good five seconds before letting up, "I suppose I can finish it tonight, I've only got the conclusion to go."
Rose grinned at her, "That's the spirit."
"You go down, I'll catch up. I've got to change into my cozzies."
"Cozzies?" Rose asked in confusion. Ella laughed,
"I went to Australia last Christmas, remember? Can you believe that's what they call their swimsuits? I think it comes from swimming costume. Costume, cozzie, get it?" Ella said.
"Yeah, yeah," Rose said, waving it off, "I get it. Go and get changed into your cozzies."
Ella grinned cheekily, "Did you know that they also call flip flops, thongs?"
Rose's mouth fell open and her eyes widened, "You're lying!" she said, "Get your head out of the gutter you dirty child!"
"I'm not," Ella said seriously, "I almost had a heart attack when my aunt asked me if I owned a pair of thongs."
Rose laughed at the thought, "What did you say."
"I kind of just stood there opening and closing my mouth like a freaking fish until my uncle had the good sense to tell her that we called them flip flops in England." Ella said, giggling slightly. Rose laughed again and as Ella rushed up the stairs to get changed, she found herself wishing that her parents could get time off of work so that she could go and visit her Grandparents in Australia over Christmas. Ella had been for the first time and it sounded more fun than she could've ever imagined.
Ella was back downstairs in a flash, throwing a towel over her shoulder, "Come on Rosie, what are you waiting for?"
Rose sighed exasperatedly as Ella raced past her and through the portrait hole, pushing aside some very sunburnt first years as she did so. Rose smiled at her, shaking her head as she rushed after her. She knew that Ella had been dying to get down into the grounds all day. She hated missing out on anything that seemed remotely fun and therefore it was hard for Rose to catch up with her as she sprinted through the castle. Thankfully, she had slowed to a walk by the time that Rose had reached her at the top of the marble staircase.
"You have got… to stop doing that," Rose gasped as she put her hands on her knees, "I am not as fit as you."
Ella rolled her eyes at her friend who seemed like she was trying to cough up her lungs as a result of how unfit she was.
"I hate you, you know," Ella said, completely out of the blue, "You eat so much crap but you're so skinny and I have to watch everything or I'll balloon out like a freaking elephant."
"Well," Rose said, having regained some of her breath, "At least you're not the one that feels the need to physically eject her lungs every time she runs."
Ella laughed, "Come on then," she grabbed Rose's upper arm and started to pull her down the stairs and into the entrance hall.
"Watch it Weasley, you don't want to go too close to the front doors, they'll catch on fire."
Rose didn't need to turn around to know who was talking to her. Only two people in the world could throw that greater insult at her, the first was her cousin, Albus and the second was his best mate, Scorpius Malfoy and there was only one person with such an arrogant drawl that could throw that greater insult at her, and it sure wasn't the former.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" she asked, turning around and putting her hands on her hips.
"Nothing," Malfoy said, smirking at her, "I'm just warning you that if you get too close to the front doors, you'll start a fire with that flame on your head."
"Rack off, Malfoy," Ella said, "Why are you so horrible to Rose anyway?"
"It's not a question of being horrible, Longbottom, I'm stating the facts here," Malfoy sniggered.
"Oh Malfoy can we just stop?" Rose asked, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. Malfoy continued to sneer at her.
"Whatever do you mean Weasley?"
"Oh, for crying out loud! Malfoy, you know I don't like the way that you speak to me. You walk around this school thinking that you're superior to everyone because you're a freaking Malfoy and you insult me on a daily basis on my appearance because you can and I'm sick of it. Can you just give peace a chance? I'm really sick of getting up every day knowing that you're constantly fishing for a fight, okay? What is your problem with me anyway?"
Rose crossed her arms, staring at Malfoy, her eyebrows raised, waiting for an answer. Malfoy looked slightly flabbergasted and Rose was sure that she was the first victim of his constant tormenting that had ever stood up to him, "Well, Malfoy?" she asked, smirking at him.
Malfoy glared at her and hit one of his friend's arms and turned away, "Come on," he said, "Let's go."
Rose and Ella watched as they walked away and as soon as they had rounded the first corridor, Ella turned to Rose, her mouth open and her eyes full of pleasure and surprise.
"Rosie, that was the most badass thing I've seen anyone do in a long time," Ella said, her mouth open.
"Please tell me that this isn't a dream," Rose said, shocked herself, "Because I so want that to be real."
"It's not a dream," Ella said, "You just completely embarrassed Scorpius Malfoy."
"Jeez that felt good," Rose said, turning to Ella and grinning, "Thank god that's dealt with. Hopefully he'll leave us alone now."
"Damn right he will," Ella said, "You exposed him for what he really was; a bullying git."
Rose laughed loudly, "This is the best day of my life."
"We will always remember this as the day that Rose made Malfoy go cowering back to his dungeon. Hell yes, Rosie you deserve a medal for that!"
Ella slapped Rose a high five, "Come on," Rose said, "We won't have to worry about Malfoy for a while. Let's go and enjoy the sun."
"Sounds good to me," Ella said with a wide smile, "I can't believe you did that, he's never going to want to show his face around here again. I wish there were people to watch!"
"Well," Rose said, "At least I've got him off my case and know that I haven't got an invisible second head that's visible to everyone else."
Ella doubled over laughing and Rose couldn't help but let a laugh of relief and hysteria slip through her lips. This had been the best last week of term ever.
AN: This story is for alohamora080's "One Day" competition. I have to write about Rose and Scorpius on May 23rd for 7 years (but not necessarily consecutive years) and also the OTP Bootcamp challenge with the prompt Breathless.
I'd love it if you could leave me a review :)
DFTBA,
Best Wishes
~ The Original Horcrux~