Okay, so I am back briefly because I read Cursed Child and my brain kicked into overdrive over all the new Scorose possibilities.
Scorpius sighed dreamily, staring out the window as the train steamed out of the station. Through the glass, he watched as the snow covered rooftops and towers of Hogwarts receded, not to be seen again until the next term.
His heart twinged slightly at the thought of the long weeks away from the castle looming in front of him. While growing up in a sprawling manor in the English countryside might seem idyllic, Scorpius knew the truth. Behind the elegant gardens and the impressive stonework were echoing corridors and dark, empty rooms. And loneliness. Crushing loneliness.
Instinctively, he turned to look at the seat his best friend usually occupied. Albus had gone looking for the witch who drove the trolley, hoping that their escapades at the beginning of the year wouldn't keep her from selling him some Pumpkin Pasties.
Chuckling, Scorpius turned back to the window, sighing happily as he watched snowflakes whirl past the glass. Privately, he had always thought that winter was the prettiest season. It wasn't his favorite; he got sick too often to fully enjoy the frigid, snow filled months. But there was something in the delicate lacework of ice clinging to fragile tree limbs, and the way that dappled moonlight fell on sparkling white ground at night that struck a chord in him.
The compartment door slid open, and without turning around, Scorpius said, "Even if she did sell you them, I'm not eating any. Wouldn't put it past her to give us the exploding variety."
When Albus didn't answer, Scorpius turned around. "I'm totally serious―" His voice died, because it wasn't Albus standing on the threshold.
It was Rose, looking awkwardly determined as she stood poised with one foot still in the corridor.
"I'm sorry, I was looking for my cousin," she said, staring fixedly at Scorpius's shoulder. "Do you know where he is?"
"Uh . . . I'm not sure," Scorpius said slowly, his brain spinning. "But," he added, smiling shyly at her, "he'll probably be back soon. If you wanted to wait for him."
Rose's mouth twitched slightly, her nose wrinkling with the barest hint of disgust. "Thank you . . . but no. I'll―stop by later, I suppose."
Scorpius's heart plummeted, and he couldn't keep his face from falling. "Oh, yeah. Sure. Okay." He turned back to the window, hiding the flush that he could feel slowly creeping up his face. Of course she wouldn't wait. She could barely stand to breathe the same air as him.
The compartment door slid shut with a soft thunk, and Scorpius swallowed hard, willing himself not to cry. He was fourteen years old, dammit. And besides, what was a little rejection when, just a few months ago, he'd had the Cruciatus Curse used on him by an insane, murderous Dark witch?
Sometimes, though, he thought he'd be willing to brave the Cruciatus Curse daily if it meant Rose would like him.
He exhaled forcefully, leaning forward to press his forehead against the cold glass. He closed his eyes and listened to the rhythmic movement of the wheels on the tracks. Schick-schick-schick-schick, schick-schick-schick-schick, schick-schick-schick-schick.
"You know, you're not very observant."
Scorpius jumped, spinning around to see Rose sitting rigidly on the edge of the seat closest to the door, observing him with a mixture of disapproval and amusement.
"What are you―?"
"I mean, I could have hit you with any number of hexes and you wouldn't have noticed until it was too late."
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you . . . I thought you left."
Rose sniffed. "I thought I might as well wait for Albus. I don't want to have to walk all the way back here again."
"Oh." He and Albus usually had one of the last compartments in the train. It was one of the many perks of being them.
"Mmmh."
The silence stretched between them, dense and awkward. Rose gazed at her hands with a closed expression while Scorpius tried not to stare. Tried and failed. Her hair glinted red and gold in the warm lamplight, and he couldn't help but notice how many different shades of blue her eyes held.
His heart twinged again, painful longing flaring up him. He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it quickly. He didn't need a repeat of the bread incident.
Apparently, Rose was thinking along the same lines. "So, no comment on my perfume today?"
He smiled wryly, trying to ignore the way his heart kept somersaulting in his chest. "I figured I'd bite my tongue this time, keep you from hating me any more than you already do."
An odd expression flitted over Rose's face. She opened her mouth, looking unsure, but before she could say anything, the compartment door slid open.
"Okay, so apparently she's still sore about us jumping off the train, so―"
Albus stopped short at the sight of Rose sitting so uncomfortably in his usual seat.
"Hello." Rose stood up quickly, reaching out to steady herself as the train sped around a curve. "Albus."
"Rose."
Scorpius looked back and forth between them, trying to decide which one would crack first. On one side, Albus's face looked as though it was carved from stone. On the other, Rose's hands were folded together so tightly he was surprised that her fingers hadn't snapped in half.
He cleared his throat and looked at Albus. "So, no Pumpkin Pasties, I guess?"
"Nope," Albus said, through gritted teeth.
"Ah, well, not surprising." Scorpius sighed and leaned down to rummage in his bag. "I think I might have a few Cauldron Cakes left over from my birthday."
Albus snorted, finally turning to look at him fully. "I think I'll pass on the food poisoning, thanks."
"Oh, come on." Scorpius flushed slightly. "That was one time."
Rose raised an eyebrow. "One time, what?"
Albus sank down beside Scorpius, rolling his eyes. "One time that Scor tried to kill me."
"Two points. One, I did not and have never tried to intentionally kill you. Two, there was no way for me to know that those cakes were expired."
"The fact that you'd gotten them for Christmas the year before didn't tip you off?"
Scorpius made a face at him before sneaking a glance at Rose. Her mouth was quirked slightly, her eyes amused. It was such a departure from the severe looks that usually graced her face, and for a moment, Scorpius lost his breath. What would it be like to have her look at him like that?
Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he sat back in his seat. "Well, you're still alive, so no harm done."
"Easy for you to say," Albus replied darkly. Then, turning to Rose, he said, "So, to what do we owe the pleasure of your company?"
Her face fell back into its usual mask of stony aloofness. "James sent me to tell you that we're going straight to the Burrow once the train gets to London."
"What? Why? We're not supposed to leave until next week."
Rose rummaged through her robes and pulled something out of her pocket, which she tossed down on the seat beside Albus. "He got a letter from your mum last night."
Albus snatched up the parchment and scanned it, scowling. "Oh, that's just fantastic," he said sourly when he had finished, chucking the letter back down. "Wonderful."
"What's wrong?" asked Scorpius tentatively. "Is everyone okay?" Unwillingly, he thought of his own mother, who was not and would never be okay again.
Albus just shook his head in disgust. "My parents left for France early. They won't be back until right before term starts."
"Good." Rose nodded decisively. "Heavens knows they need a good holiday, especially after what you. . ." Her sentence trailed off, her unspoken words hanging heavily in the air between them. Albus flushed angrily.
"Thanks, Rose, thanks for that."
"For what?" she retorted.
"Oh, I don't know," he replied mockingly. "Being a complete and utter prat?"
Scorpius winced, wishing he could disappear into his seat. He hated it when Albus and Rose fought, especially since he usually ended up being caught in the crossfire.
"You are so full of yourself, you know that?" Rose tossed her hair furiously.. "You think you're the only one who gets a bad go of it. My parents are going to France, too, Albus! I get to spend my holiday crammed into a room with your sister and Merlin knows who else! At least you get the attic to yourself."
"Oh, that's right," Albus replied sarcastically. "The wonderful attic, with its drafts and pipes and, oh yeah, the ghoul that lives over the ceiling!"
Rose swelled threateningly, but before she could throw another insult, Scorpius said quietly, "Even a ghoul sounds like good company when you spend most Christmases alone."
They both froze, turning to look at him incredulously.
"Alone? Scor, what about your dad?" asked Albus, his brow creased.
Scorpius shifted uncomfortably. "After . . . my mum . . . well, I don't really see him too much on holidays. It's too hard for him, I think."
He dared to glance at Rose, unsure of what he would see. Of what he wanted to see. But her face was blank, the only remnants of emotion the angry flush that still colored her cheeks and ears.
Albus stood up suddenly and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking ashamed. "I . . . I'm just gonna . . . bathroom . . ." he mumbled, shouldering past Rose and out the door.
In the silence that followed, Rose steadfastly avoided Scorpius's gaze. She looked like there was anywhere else she'd rather be, and he wondered why she didn't just leave.
After a time, he said, "You know, this is only going to be weird if you let it be weird."
Rose laughed, looking surprised. "Using my own lines against me, Malfoy?"
"Well, they're generally better than the ones I come up with."
She snorted. "Don't I know it. 'What's wrong with bread?'"
"Oh, come on. That can't be the worst thing someone's ever said to you. . . . Can it?"
"No, Malfoy, that is not the worst thing someone's ever said to me. Honestly, it doesn't even crack the top ten."
Scorpius made a face. "I don't think I want to know."
"No, you really don't," she said darkly. "But then again, I guess you have it worse than me."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, as far as I know, I've never been accused of being Voldemort's daughter."
"Neither have I," Scorpius joked. He paused. "Well, actually . . ."
Rose's eyes widened. "Oh, no."
He winced. "Yeah. But you know, I'm used to it."
The train gave a sudden lurch, and Rose, who was still standing by the door, stumbled and collapsed onto the seat.
"What the hell?" she said, just as a piercing shriek rent the air. The train deaccelerated rapidly, throwing her forward onto the floor and pinning Scorpius against the back of his seat. The entire compartment trembled as the train came to a shuddering halt.
"Are you okay?" asked Scorpius anxiously. Something metallic clicked loudly, but he ignored it as he crouched down beside Rose.
She sat up and winced, rubbing her shoulder. "I'll live."
Scorpius looked at her arm pointedly and raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, I might be a little banged up," she allowed. "But I'm fine. Really. And we have bigger problems." In all honesty, Rose looked more than a little banged up. Her hair, which was excitable even on a good day, was everywhere. An angry red mark marred her forehead, and even though she was trying to hide it, she was holding her arm gingerly.
"I don't know who's more hard headed, you or Albus," he muttered. Shaking his head, Scorpius helped her back onto the seat. "I'm going to go see what's going on," he said, moving to the door.
Rose stood right back up, still favoring her shoulder. "Then I'll go with you." When Scorpius didn't respond, she said, "Huh. I thought you'd argue with me."
"Because you're hurt?"
"Well, yeah."
"Two points. One, I'm pretty sure that even if your arm was broken, you'd still wear me down until I agreed."
"And two?"
Scorpius turned to face her, looking disconcerted. "Neither of us are going anywhere. We're locked in."
Yeah, so this is the first chapter of what I'm thinking is going to be a short three chapter story. And yes, I know I still have to finish my other stories, namely Chaos Theory (and I promise promise promise that I will finish it, and hopefully very soon). But anyway, thanks for reading, and if you have half a sec, leave a review!