Scorpius's POV
Valentine's Day. Again. Scorpius groaned and rolled over in bed, already dreading going down to breakfast.
"Come on, mate, get up!"
A pillow hit Scorpius's blanket-covered midsection, immediately followed by another pillow to the back of the head. He groaned again and sat up, only to be smacked in the face by a third. "Albus, for the love of god, stop!"
His best mate stood there grinning, holding yet another pillow. "But it's my favorite day of the ye-ar!" he sang, prancing girlishly back to his bed. "We can't miss the mail at breakfast!"
"Ughh, you insufferable prat. I do not know how any girl finds you attractive enough to send candy to, let alone the dozens that do every year. I don't care if we miss your ego boost this morning." Scorpius scowled and flopped back down onto his mattress.
Today might be Albus's favorite day of the year, but it was Scorpius's least favorite. Every year was exactly the same, being forced to watch Rose Weasley receive piles of cards and flowers and gifts and praying she didn't say yes to any of the sods who asked her out.
It was no easy thing, sitting idly by while the girl of his dreams got present after present from the many boys of Hogwarts. Perhaps he would go to breakfast late this year and skip the jealous, overprotective observation of Rose for once.
Or perhaps not. A pile of robes landed on his face, jarring him out of his sulk. "Mate, I said get up!" Albus called, coming over to bounce the bed up and down with his hands.
"Fine, fine! I'm getting up. Just leave me alone, would you?" Scorpius sat up, sighing as he sorted through the clothes Albus had chucked at him, pulling them on one by one.
As soon as he was dressed, Albus grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out the door. They were still tussling when they reached the Great Hall, but Scorpius sobered quickly after spotting a certain redhead at the Gryffindor table.
The only thing to do was ignore her completely, he decided. Sitting down at the Slytherin table, he busied himself with breakfast, heaping his plate with toast, sausages, and eggs. Food always made things better.
Just then, the rush of owls overhead began. Albus shouted in glee as one after another of them swooped down to where the pair of boys was sitting.
Scorpius continued eating, studiously avoiding any sight of the Gryffindor table where Rose was sitting. He watched, unimpressed, as Albus sorted through the mail.
"Mine, mine, yours, mine, yours – ooh, that's from Jasmine Nott, that is! Nice work Scorpy!" Albus slapped him on the back, making Scorpius choke on his tea.
"Bloody hell, Albus, don't do that!" he coughed. "And you know perfectly well I don't want anything to do with Jasmine Nott."
"So you won't mind if I eat the chocolates she sent you, then?" Albus grinned, holding up a large heart-shaped box."
Scorpius gave a deep sigh. "You know I hate this holiday, Al. Take whatever you want, just stop bothering me." Pushing his mostly-empty plate away, he laid his head down on his arms and scowled into the crook of his elbows.
A few moments passed before Albus started cooing again. "Scorpiusssss!" he sang, "you have a secret admirer!"
A small piece of paper was thrown on the back of Scorpius's head, and something thin and cool was slipped into one of his curled hands. Opening his eyes, he found a white orchid slid though his fingers. As he cocked his head, the note fell off the back of his head and onto the table next to him.
Albus snatched it back up. "Let me read it! It was a school owl, and there was no name on the outside!"
"No, it's my secret admirer, I get to read the note!" Scorpius grabbed for the paper, but Albus held it out of his reach and unrolled it, beginning to read aloud.
"'Meet me tonight at seven on the Astronomy tower balcony.' And there's still no name! Mate, now you've got to go."
Scorpius managed to tear the paper out of his best friend's hands and crumpled it up. "No, I haven't. I don't want to do anything today." Looking up at the Gryffindor table by accident, he beheld Rose Weasley, eating cereal, surrounded by tokens of admiration for her and her cousins. He scowled, standing up. "Now if you've had enough fun opening my mail for me, I'm leaving. Enjoy your bloody breakfast, Albus."
"But wait, don't you want to know who sent you the flower?" Albus asked, mouth full of chocolate.
"No I bloody well don't! I'm not going anywhere or doing anything today, no matter what you tell me!" Snatching up a couple of chocolates from Al's open box, Scorpius stomped out of the Great Hall, orchid still clutched in his fist.
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Rose's POV
Valentine's Day.
Every year, Rose would watch all the owls flying over the Great Hall during breakfast, praying to see a certain someone's owl landing in front of her. Every year, it never happened.
Oh, Rose got Valentines from all sorts of boys. Older, younger, from all four houses. But none of them were ever the one she was hoping for, waiting for.
It was well known that he hated Valentine's Day, or well known to his friends, among which Rose counted herself. Scorpius made no secret of his dislike of the holiday and all its empty sentiments, he said. Why bother with a box of chocolates or a card they'll just forget come the next day, he always said.
And Rose always kept her mouth shut, never arguing. She wasn't sure she could argue, not without revealing too much. Honestly, how embarrassing would it be to confess her admiration for her cousin's best friend while trying to convince him of the merits of Valentine's Day? She would seem so desperate.
So she stayed quiet and kept out of it, always wishing he would change his mind. But of course, he never did. Five and a half years of being friends and she knew well how stubborn he could be. He never sent a Valentine to anyone.
This year would be no different. She sighed, trying to ignore Roxy and Lily squealing next to her over their cards and favors, and served herself a bowl of porridge. Heaping it with brown sugar and cinnamon, keeping her gaze decidedly away from the Slytherin table, she almost dropped her spoon in shock as a beautiful Great Horned owl landed gracefully in front of her.
Tied to his leg was a gorgeous white orchid.
Roxy and Lily immediately turned towards her and began clamoring to know who sent it. Rose didn't answer, busy untying the flower. As she did so, a small, rolled-up note fell onto the table.
Rose passed the flower over to Lily for the two girls to exclaim over, and, as the Great Horned flew away, she unrolled the parchment and read it quickly before hiding the scrap of paper in the folds of her robe.
Meet me tonight at seven on the Astronomy tower balcony.
No name, no signature, no identifying marks. A mystery. Rose's curiosity was piqued.
No need to get Lily and Roxy overexcited about this, she decided. She didn't even know who it was from, after all.
Heart fluttering in her chest, she pushed away from the table, making her excuses to her cousins. Who could possibly have sent her the note? Is there any way it could have been…Scorpius?
There was really only one way to find out. She would go meet them on the Astronomy tower that evening, hoping with all of her heart for a certain blond Slytherin to be there too.
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Scorpius's POV
There were too many busybodies in this school, Scorpius decided, striding angrily down the corridor. Every corner he rounded revealed yet another person or group of people, talking or laughing loudly, not giving him even a moment's peace. He finally threw open the door to an empty classroom and slammed it shut, dragging a desk in front of it for good measure.
At last, solitude. With a moment to relax, he realized he was still holding the orchid. Cursing, he dropped it on a desk.
Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed in frustration. What was he going to do? Albus had already seen the flower and the note and would badger him into going if he spent too long in the common room.
Then again, would going really be so bad? A niggling doubt entered his mind. What if Rose were the one responsible for this?
Scorpius scoffed out loud at the thought. She'd made it clear, time and again, that she considered him to be one of the family. There was almost no chance that Rose had anything to do with sending him the flower.
But on the other hand…almost no chance was not the same thing as no chance. It was possible.
At once, hope gripped his heart. If there was even the tiniest chance that he might have been invited to dinner with Rose, there was no real way he could refuse. Even if it meant risking awkwardness or humiliation in front of someone else.
Scorpius sighed again and got up, carefully picking up the orchid from where he'd thrown it aside. He began ambling back to the Slytherin common room to tell Albus he'd changed his mind, already preparing for the multitude of questions and gloating statements that were sure to be made.
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Rose's POV
When Rose opened the door to the Astronomy tower balcony at precisely 7 o'clock that evening, she had no idea what, or who, she would find. What she did find was nothing she could have guessed.
A table was laid out, covered in a deep red cloth, with two places set. In a slim vase stood another white orchid, identical to the one Rose had received that morning. Two chairs stood on either side of the table, waiting for a couple to sit down. A picnic basket stood nearby, on top of a folded up blanket.
The balcony was otherwise empty. Whoever had sent the note had not yet arrived.
Walking over to the table, she slipped the flower she was carrying into the vase with the other. Not knowing what else to do for the time being, she leaned on the railing, gazing up at the stars and wondering who she would be meeting tonight.
In her heart, she knew who she wanted it to be. But in her mind, she knew it never could be him. This wasn't his style, her prankster, her courageous and assertive Scorpius. He would just come out and say it, as she had been waiting for him to do for nearly six years. He didn't do romantic gestures like this; in fact, she doubted he had a romantic bone in his body.
Perhaps it had been a mistake to come. Rose knew perfectly well that she was far too preoccupied with Scorpius to give anyone else a chance; when the mastermind of this plan appeared, she was going to have to let him down.
Her thoughts drifted again to Scorpius, imagining yet again what it might be like if she ever got the courage to tell him how she felt. Her silly, hopeful heart was still holding on to the idea that he was the one responsible for this, even though all logic was against that hope.
Still, no harm in dreaming. She sighed, wishing with all her heart for it to be him.
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Scorpius's POV
Scorpius's heart was pounding. He walked slowly up the stairs of the Astronomy tower, carrying his white orchid, almost turning back twice.
Perhaps it was a mistake to come here, he told himself. Scorpius knew perfectly well that there was only one girl he wanted, that anyone else wouldn't do. If this had been planned by anyone but Rose, he would feel terrible that he showed up, only to have to turn her down. So why was he going?
Because there was the slightest, smallest chance that this might have actually been Rose. He was pretty sure that she never thought of him this way, only as a second brother or yet another cousin, judging by how she always treated him and Albus together. But the fact that there was even the tiniest chance that she might return his regard was worth all awkwardness that would occur when it wasn't her up here.
With that thought, Scorpius reached the balcony door. He checked his watch: 7:04. He was four minutes late.
He took a deep breath and opened the door, heart in his throat.
It was her.
There she stood, back to him, looking out over the grounds. A light wind tugged at her dress, pulling it tight around her side and sending the hem fluttering around her calves. Her red curls gleamed, bouncing gently in the breeze, and Scorpius knew that he had never seen anything so beautiful.
"Rose." The name was pulled from his lips, a soft breath of a word that carried all the relief and wonder he was feeling.
She turned.
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Rose's POV
"Rose."
The word, warm and comforting, pulled her around, and her breath caught in her throat.
It was him.
He stood there in the doorway, looking devastatingly handsome in his midnight dress robes. Ruffled white-gold hair, bright emerald eyes, and in his hands, a slim, white orchid. A small smile was on his face, and she grinned in return, feeling as though her heart were about to burst from her chest.
"Scorpius," she sighed, reaching her hands out to him.
He stepped forward, seeming to notice the table for the first time, and laughed. "Oh, Rose, I can't believe you're here!"
"Of course I'm here, you ninny!" She laughed with him, taking the orchid from his hands and placing it next to the other two in the vase. She felt light, as though she were floating. He was really here. "Shall we eat? I skipped lunch today, so I'm starved."
He grinned up at her and pulled a chair out, gesturing for her to sit down. "I'll see what we have, shall I?" Opening up the picnic basket, he began pulling out food and setting it on the table.
She sat, watching food and drink appearing in front of her. All of her favorites were there, and she felt a pleasant shiver run down her spine at the thought of how much he must care, what with all the trouble he had gone to in planning this out.
"Looks like that's all! Shall we?" Scorpius looked expectantly at her as he sat down, and she smiled in response.
"Let's." They dug in.
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Scorpius's POV
Staring across the table at the stunning redhead had Scorpius's mind running a little bit more slowly than usual. He kept feeling as though he were dreaming, the back of his mind devoted to worrying about waking up.
He smiled at her. "Rose, I…I can't believe you're really here. I… I'm really, really pleased." He could feel his face heating, and he cursed internally. Why couldn't he be cool when it counted? "Anyways, I guess I'm just trying to say…thank you."
She tilted her head to one side. "Thank you for what?"
He swallowed. "I mean, I've fancied you for ages but never worked up the courage to tell you. Thank you for doing all of this today, because I'm not sure if or when I ever would have been able to ask you out."
Now Rose looked downright confused, not really the reaction he had been going for. "Scorpius, I don't know what you're talking about. Didn't you set all of this up?"
It was his turn to look bemused. "No? You sent me that anonymous note with the flower this morning, telling me to meet you here tonight."
Rose gave a short, disbelieving laugh. "That's what happened to me this morning. An owl I'd never seen showed up with a white orchid and a note saying to come to the Astronomy tower balcony. You mean to say that wasn't from you?"
Scorpius slowly shook his head. "I had nothing to do with this. I just showed up."
If this wasn't Rose's doing, then whose was it?
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Rose's POV
This evening was beginning to feel like a rollercoaster, Rose thought. The anticipation of arriving at seven, not finding anyone here, then Scorpius coming in with a flower for her. Setting out all of her favorite foods for dinner, confessing his love for her, then revealing that he wasn't the one to plan all of this – Rose could barely keep up with her emotions.
She knew she should be focusing on figuring out what the heck was going on, but her mind just kept coming back to his admission. It was everything she'd been waiting to hear for years, and she was having trouble concentrating on anything else.
He liked her. Scorpius liked her. And he had for ages, he said.
She nearly squealed in delight at the thought.
That didn't solve the current mystery though. If not Scorpius, then who had set this all up?
"Alright, why don't you tell me exactly what happened," Rose said, keeping her voice as calm as she could. "Maybe we can compare stories and figure this out."
"I told you, I got an anonymous note this morning. Al said a school owl delivered it, and the orchid I brought up here came with it."
"What did your note say?" Rose asked. "Did it look anything like this?" She pulled her own note out of her pocket and unrolled it for him.
After peering at it for a moment, Scorpius nodded. "That's exactly what it looked like, word for word and everything. Do you recognize the handwriting at all?"
She shook her head. "I've never paid much attention to people's handwriting though, so that doesn't mean it's not someone we know."
"I think it would have to be someone we know, wouldn't it? They would have to know we fancied each other. Why else would they be trying to set us up?" Scorpius looked stricken for a moment. "Wait, you do fancy me, right? You never said."
Rose laughed, realizing her mistake. "Yes, of course I do, you dunderhead! Couldn't you tell?" She leaned over and took his hand in hers, smiling dreamily up at him.
He grinned back, giving her fingers a squeeze. "Good. I'm not sure what I would do at this point if you didn't."
"Well no worries there." She stared at him for a long moment, still smiling, mystery forgotten once more.
How had her dreams magically come true like this?
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Scorpius's POV
She really was incredible. He couldn't help but stare back at her as she smiled at him, feeling a little bit stunned by everything that had transpired.
"I guess it doesn't really matter who set us up then, right?"
Rose chuckled. "I suppose not. Thought I almost feel we should thank them."
"Maybe. I'm sure we could have worked this out on our own, though. We didn't need someone to set us up."
"Oh didn't we?" She arched one eyebrow. "You just thanked me for setting this up, saying you would never have gotten up the courage to properly ask me out. I've been waiting for more than five years to hear you say you fancied me."
Pleasantly surprised, he squeezed her hand again. "Five years? Really?"
She ducked her head as a blush began spreading across her cheeks. "Don't laugh, but yes. I guess I probably also should have told you at some point."
"Of course I won't laugh. I'm just glad I'm not the only one who has been waiting since First Year." Scorpius shook his head at the ridiculousness. "We really did need this push along, didn't we?"
Rose made a face. "We're not very good at this whole 'taking initiative' thing, are we? At least we're here now."
"Thank goodness." Scorpius spied the blanket still folded under the picnic basket, and an idea occurred to him. "Here, let's not go back yet. We can stay out here and watch the stars for a little while."
"Use this tower as it's meant to be used, you mean?" Rose laughed and pushed her chair back, helping him get the thick blanket unfolded.
He grabbed the corners and held it like a cape, relishing in the chance to throw his arms around Rose and pull her against him, sitting down and settling her against his chest. He couldn't believe how good she felt against him, warm and soft and alive, chest rising and falling with each breath. He leaned back against the wall of the balcony and relaxed, feeling her heart beat through her back as she snuggled farther into his arms. He brushed her hair back from her face, heart feeling full.
"I still want to know who set all this up, though," she murmured, nuzzling her head into his neck and sighing softly.
Just then, a flicker of movement caught his eye. The door to the tower balcony was cracked slightly open, and he saw a sliver of two faces peering through it. The upper had dark hair and bright green eyes, the lower a redhead with a striking blue gaze.
Albus and Lily.
Scorpius's eyes narrowed. Of course, those two could never leave well enough alone. He almost stood up to go confront them, but Rose chose that moment to wrap her arms around his middle.
He sighed in contentment, a soft smile involuntarily sliding onto his face. Loath to disturb her, he pulled Rose even closer against him and closed his eyes, reveling in the feeling of holding her. The door softly shut, and Scorpius decided to let the Potter siblings go, for now.
He had waited long enough for this. Everything else could get sorted out tomorrow.
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A/N: I'll be posting stories every three days for the next six weeks. Sort of a summer challenge for myself, I suppose. Check back for more Scorose fics! Prompt ideas are welcome - PM me if you have a request. No promises I will write them, but if they strike my fancy I'll give it a go.
Thanks!
~Star