AN: Hello everyone!
This was just a quick write as a request from a friend. Wrote it in 2 hours and barely edited.
Just some fluff to brighten the day.
Enjoy!
...
Trade
On a wonderful September afternoon, Rose Weasley was reclining by the edge of The Lake enjoying a particularly stimulating read of one of her favourite classic novels: Gone With the Wind. Classes were done for the day and most of the school was enjoying the last glimpses of sun before night fell and with it the inevitable studying for NEWTs.
Scorpius Malfoy was walking out of the castle with a few of his fellow Ravenclaws when he noticed the young Gryffindor sitting alone and a smile split over his fair features. Using typical teenage boy logic, he viewed this as a chance to have a verbal sparring match with his crush of 4 years, inevitably annoying her right to Beauxbatons and effectively keeping his affection for her absolutely secret.
As he began to saunter over, he took a moment to admire Rose (not for the first time since he'd met her). Perhaps you could argue that she wasn't beautiful by popular standards, but Scorpius saw something in her that many others missed. She had her mother's massive curly hair and her father's ginger colouring and fair skin, disturbed only by the thick smattering of freckles across her round face. The oldest Granger-Weasley was wearing jean cut-off shorts and a Phoenix band T-shirt that particular afternoon and Scorpius could see her curvy legs stretched out in front of her, breaking out from the shade of the great elm tree she was sitting beneath.
Her eyes (dark brown, like the coffee they were allowed on special occasions) were currently wide as she scanned a favourite line, and Scorpius could see from his vantage point that they were currently missing the usual dark rim of kohl eyeliner Rose usually sported. Scorpius didn't mind. He imagined Rose would look striking whether she was dressed in a ballgown or a pile of troll bogies, though heaven forbid she ever hear that from him.
"Hey Weasley!" Scorpius called in his perfected Malfoy drawl. "I'm surprised your legs aren't as red as your hair yet!"
Rose looked up from her book and immediately her face pulled into a scowl. "Sod off, Malfoy, there's no need to ruin everyone's perfect afternoon with your presence."
"No seriously Rosie, how've you managed? What spell did you use? Maybe I could use it to make my hair blonder."
"Maybe you could take your bleached brain and shove it up Myrtle's toilets!" Rose quipped, shoving a mass of stubborn curls behind her ear and securing them with her wand.
Scorpius looked at Rose with his kicked-Pigmy puff gaze, attempting to look affected. "Awww, come on Rosie, you know I was only concerned for your well-being!"
The redhead glared back as she set her book down, fully engrossing herself in the argument. "Malfoy, why do you have to be such a prat? I'm wearing sunblock, if you must know. Now please either belt up or clear off before I make you puke slugs."
"From what I recall from my father, Weasleys and that particular spell don't get along too well," Scorpius retorted, smirking as Rose's face went red. A split second before Rose could verbally explode or pull her wand from her ear and hex him, a gust of wind shoved him in the back and he face planted into the soft summer earth.
"Nice shot Ivy!" Rose crowed, all traces of anger gone from her face as she looked at her closest female friend. The girl had bright blond hair pulled back into two long braids and a pair of pretty frames sitting in front of her big brown eyes. She was holding hands with her boyfriend Benjamin, the son of Mr. Longbottom, Rose's Herbology professor, and his wife Luna.
Ivy shoved her wand back into the pocket of her Gryffindor robes and gave Scorpius a toothy grin as he glared at her from his place in the muck. "No problem, Rose! Next time Scorpius, think twice before you mess with me and my friends," she chirped, waving as she went to sit with some students from the other houses.
As Scorpius stood up he noticed that his perfectly pressed white shirt had gotten a bit dirty from his spill in the earth. He scowled and tried desperately to wipe it away, hearing Rose giggle in the background. "Come off it, Scorpius, you deserved that for bringing our parents into this," she taunted, grinning widely now.
"Right, I'll get you for that!" Scorpius declared, pulling out his wand and shouting a spell that sent Rose sprawling into the lake fully clothed.
Some of the students laughed as she rose to the surface, sputtering. She promptly pulled out her wand and cast the same spell, sending him careening into the water beside her with a loud splash.
He resurfaced to find her laughing; head tilted back and wet curls splattered against her face. And suddenly the only thing Scorpius could think of was how good his first name had sounded coming from her lips.
"Wait… you called me Scorpius, didn't you?" he said, watching as the smile died from her face and a look of insecurity flashed across her eyes.
"That is your name, isn't it? The last time I checked you hadn't changed it to meathead yet," she replied, but Scorpius could tell she only said the words because that was how all their encounters went and she wasn't quite sure what to do now that they were moving outside of their comfortable range.
But now that Scorpius had seen that flash of insecurity and shyness in her eyes, he knew he had to at least go for it once or he would never forgive himself. Always better to live with answers rather than regrets.
"No, but if you like that better I could be convinced." Scorpius said carefully, wading gingerly toward her through the water.
"I could rock just about any name," he continued, getting closer and closer with each step. "'Meathead', 'Beauty Personified', 'In-love-with-the-same-girl-since-third-year' even. And they would all be true."
He was close enough now that he could hear Rose's small gasp as he was finally close enough to grab one of her curls gently. He leaned slowly closer to her, giving her plenty of time to pull back if she wanted to, and gently placed a kiss on her cheek.
Her eyes widened as her drew back, gauging the reactions on her face. The whole area around the lake was completely silent.
What the bloody hell was I thinking? Scorpius thought wildly as he was suddenly painfully aware that he had just professed his love to Rose in front of practically all the students in Hogwarts.
He was just beginning to step back in mortification when Rose grabbed him by the upper arms and pulling him over to place a kiss solidly on his lips.
Scorpius was so shocked that he didn't react for a second before his eyes fell closed and he allowed his arms to circle her waist. Trading confessions instead of sarcasm for once, he thought whimsically as he allowed himself to get lost in the kiss.
Rose pulled back and, as if she had just remembered they had an audience, promptly turned as pink as her name alluded and stepped away.
Clapping seized the crowd around the lake and a cheer of "YES!" could be heard from the direction of Ivy's spot in the throng. Scorpius could barely hear a muttered "Blast", the jingling of coins and the voice of Fred Junior crowing "Pay up Lils, I told you Scor would find the bollocks to ask her out!" from behind him.
Rose rolled her eyes, which told Scorpius that Rose had heard them too. "I have horrible friends," Rose whined, allowing him to lead her out of the lake. "Can you believe them? Betting on my love life!"
Scorpius muttered a drying spell for both himself and Rose and he couldn't resist a little jibe. "Your love life, huh? I'm part of your love life now?"
Rose rolled her eyes as she slipped her hands around his shoulders. "Don't act dumb, you can't pull it off," she retorted, but she was smiling.
"Fine," Scorpius conceded. "Rose Weasley, would you do me the most esteemed honor of being my girlfriend?"
Rose pretended to mull it over, and he tickled her in the sides for her joke. Through her laughter she managed to reply, "I guess I could do that."