Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series or any of its characters, I swear. If not, I would be super wealthy and I wouldn't have to worry about anything ever again.
On that note, this is my second Scorpius x Rose fic as well as my second fanfic in this universe, so please don't judge me too harshly. I've been trying to write for fandoms that are a lot less popular as of late. I may not be the best at it, but I write for those worlds because those pairings deserve some love, too. Seriously, The Emerald Atlas and Etiquette and Espionage are some of the best books ever, and yet their fanbase on is practically nonexistent. I could count on one hand the amount of decent fics each of them have; 2 for the first, 3 for the second.
What can I say? I read too many books. I need to join some more popular fandoms.
Also, I am working on a bunch of oneshots for Miraculous Ladybug and Magnus Chase, along with a requested SVTFOE story. I also have a Zootopia thing I really need to update, but haven't gotten around to yet. I haven't abandoned anything though, I swear. The Miraculous Ladybug thing is really my biggest concern, though - it was mentally projected to be a 40k undertaking, but it's already about 20k long and it's not even a third of the way completed. So now I am guessing the story - which is now going to be called Team Miraculous - will be out in a month or two and is going to be around 60k to (at most) 100k.
In short, I am exhausted. I apologize in advance if this is absolutely horrible because of those things. If it is OOC or stupid or doesn't flow right, there you have it. I tried.
Anyways, with that in mind, there is my lengthy excuse, which should cushion the blow in case I do terribly. On the slight chance that you are still reading this intro, this story will consist of 5 parts and maybe maybe maybe maybe maybe an epilogue if I feel up to it.
Welp. Now that we're done with that, let the fic begin!
When Rose was little, she and Albus used to be very close.
Well, not just her and Albus. Of course, there was Lily and James, and she couldn't exactly forget about Hugo, her little brother. But there was always something she had liked about Albus; where all of her piers in the Potter-Weasley clan had always been so confident, he was more like her. Less sure of himself, less outgoing and extroverted. Albus was truly a kindred spirit, it seemed, and Rose had found a friend in him.
As a result, when they were smaller, they did nearly everything together. When all their cousins were out playing games in the lawn, Rose absolutely hated being in the big crush of people, and Albus and her retreated to the tree house in the back with several books and markers. When everybody else sang carols for Christmas, they always giggled at their relatives in the back of the room, trying to observe in relative silence. When their parents were outside, talking in the parlor, they would sneak into the kitchen and try to help Grandma Molly cook the food. In other words, when Albus did something, Rose was ready to share the adventure, and vice versa.
That is, until Hogwarts.
The duo had been planning on sitting together on the train when Albus spied him. Scorpius Malfoy, new annoyance. He was nice enough, sure, but he was a Malfoy, and Malfoys and Weasleys don't mix. Everybody knew that.
However, Albus had few friends and a kind heart, so he sat next to the new boy instead. Rose sat with Lily and the others at the far end of the hall. She had to admit, she was miffed. Her cousin had literally abandoned her in favor of a Malfoy he had just met. It didn't exactly get better when he got sorted into Slytherin house, right alongside that blonde haired kid.
Rose decided to ignore her cousin. As far as she was concerned, he was a stranger, anyhow. He picked someone else over her; it was his own fault, really, for their loss of closeness.
She tried to hate them for that. The red haired girl really gave it her all, putting all of her anger behind every thought and every word. Sadly, all those attempts at being cruel really didn't work, because she didn't hate Scorpius and Albus. The few times she interacted with them in classes, they were always nice enough.
It sucked, to put it bluntly.
Rose managed well enough without Albus, though, for years. She had Lily and James and Hugo, just like before, and now she had a handful of other friends from outside the family. She didn't think anything was missing, after a while. However, one afternoon while she listened to her friend Miranda talk about her cousins from muggle New York and how she loved visiting them, Rose realized that she missed her cousin.
She wanted to go on adventures around Hogwarts and make trips to Hogsmead and the watch Shrieking Shack like her parents did.
She wanted her first friend.
And thus began her quest to get him back.
"Can I sit here?" Rose asked, biting her lip nervously. Any other day, she would have never considered it. This was the slytherin lunch table. It was for slytherin students.
Rose was a Weasley.
Weasleys didn't do that sort of thing.
First time for everything, she supposed?
Albus looked up at her in a sort of dumbfounded amazement.
"You want to sit here? With us?"
"I . . . yeah, I do," she replied, already feeling awkward. Why, oh why, had she considered this a good idea?
You see, it had been an impulse decision to try to reconnect with her cousin, and thus her first attempt in a list of contingencies was tried. For all of her planing and fiery attitude and brilliance, Rose was woefully unprepared on how to do this. How does one go about making friends with family members?
This very sad excuse for a plan was probably destined for failure.
"I don't see why not," Albus shrugged, jolting her out of her panic. "I mean, it's been forever since I've actually talked to you. I have no idea why you'd want to, but we're fine with it." Obviously relieved, Rose slipped into the bench space across from him.
"Thanks, Albus. I guess I just realized I haven't really spent time with you since - "
"The beginning of first year, as I recall," he responded, albeit a little dryly. "I got sorted into slytherin. You kinda didn't speak to me besides 'pass that pencil, please' and 'how did you do on the exam' and 'isn't this teacher a tosser'." He spooned cereal into his mouth as if his point had been made. Rose supposed it probably had been.
"Yes, well, that's why I'm here. I just thought, hey, we were really close friends, but I really haven't spoken with you in forever, so maybe it could change," she told him, trying not to sound pathetic. She wasn't quite sure if her attempt was working.
Ehhh, probably not.
"Okay," he said after a minute, still not really questioning anything. "I mean, again, if you want to hang out with us, we don't mind." She slowly grabbed for an orange across the table. The redhead wasn't electrocuted, so she figured that this was probably alright.
"So . . . "
"So . . . what?"
"How's . . . life?" she asked weakly, silently acknowledging to every god in existence that this was a terrible opener. Am I trying (and failing) to sell something to an utter stranger or am I attempting to re-befriend my cousin? All of those prep-talks did nothing!
"How's . . . life?" he repeated skeptically. She nodded, cringing all the while like the orange was masquerading as a lemon. To be fair, over this short and awkward exchange, everything in her mouth had already turned rather sour.
Her dear, sensitive cousin burst out laughing.
"God, Rose," he wheezed, trying to create words through the cackling. "That was bloody awful! And your face - you should see it right now!" He couldn't contain himself, hair falling into his eyes, and for some inexplicable reason Rose began to laugh along with him.
"Bloody hell, this was terrible!" she giggled loudly, fully aware of the fact that they were drawing way too much unwanted attention to themselves, but not caring anymore. Note to self: when in need of an icebreaker, get your estranged cousin to laugh hysterically at your miserable attempts to act cordial.
Feeling moderately better about the success of her not-plan, Rose continued with regular conversation, and Albus did likewise. Soon after they regained their normal senses, Rose discovered that her paranoia was probably far better placed towards finals and spell-casting; her cousin clearly harbored nothing against her, and with a little elbow grease, she could very easily count him as a friend again already.
Maybe - just maybe - he missed hanging out with her, too.
And then, of course, came the sledgehammer to her terribly thought out and impulsively executed idea. The 'we' Albus had been referring to.
"Hi, Albus," he said cheerily, acting incredibly friendly for a Malfoy. He slid into the bench next to Albus like it was an everyday occurrence - which, she supposed, it probably was. "Hi, Rose," he also responded with a blink, saying her name without really registering her presence. Her cousin slowly began to smile at the pale-haired boy as he sat down, sipping from a goblet of orange juice. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"
" . . . no reason," Albus smiled, his lips stretched so wide they threatened to fall off of his face. "I was just eating breakfast with Rose, my cousin, who decided to ask me about 'life'," he informed Malfoy patiently, using air quotes to illustrate his point. Rose did not blush there. She was not a complete failure at social interaction; today was just not her day, that was all. "and wanted to get to know us a little better, I presume. At least, I think that's why she sat across from me this morning." He leaned back as though his part was over. Clearly he expected her, after her already stellar performance and lovely introduction, to continue with niceties involving Scorpius. Scorpius, who was one of the major reasons she and Albus grew apart; he was the friend that both understood the young Potter and was forced to spend all his time with him.
Despite loving her recently distant cousin, Rose wondered if she could get away with diving across the table, knocking him out, and leaving him trapped in the broom closet. Why must he thrust her into an already awkward scenario?
"Erm, yes," she managed to cough out after a moment. It appeared that Scorpius' brain was still trying to come up to speed on the events of the last 30 seconds. "As Albus so brilliantly explained, I just wanted to catch up on him. I realized I haven't hung out with him in decades and made the rash decision to come over here." She took the opportunity to scratch her neck. If she was going to feel uncomfortable, it was going to be for emotional reasons, not due to some stupid ache in her body. "So . . . since I'm here, I guess I should ask about you, too. I'm Rose, but you already knew that." She extended her hand across the table. Scorpius went completely and utterly white, not at all expecting that. She was afraid, for a moment, that she might have caused his neural passages to short circuit.
After a minute, just before they were prepared to cart him off to the nurse's office, he regained control of his body again and limply shook her had. "I'm Scorpius, but you already knew that, too."
"Nice to meet you officially, then," the red-head responded, somewhat relieved that her handshake hadn't sent him into a coma. The bespeckled boy she happened to be related to merely continued to watch the interaction, not attempting to guide the conversation at all or offer any areas of similarity. He merely grinned at their hands and back at Scorpius, almost as if he knew some sort of secret.
"I think I left something back in the common room, actually," Albus said suddenly, sitting up and grabbing a banana off the slytherin table before hefting his textbooks off the bench. "So I suppose you two can have fun together. I'll see you later in transfiguration!"
"Albus!" Scorpius hissed at him in a quiet plea. "Please don't leave!" He merely smiled and shrugged, patting the pale haired boy's shoulder before abandoning the table. Rose felt the need to follow suit, but not wanting to embarrass herself further that morning, she allowed her cousin to leave without protest, though her stomach started to sink ominously.
"Traitor," she mumbled, glaring at the spot he used to occupy moments ago. "He sits with me for no more than 20 minutes before deciding to abandon us here."
"You said it," Scorpius grimaced, looking at the banquet. "I'm terrible around people I don't know. He did this just to force us to get along." Rose snorted in a rather loud, unladylike fashion.
"I'm not about to attack you," she replied, rolling her eyes. "And we're not a group of toddlers. There have to be easier ways to get us to coexist without stranding us together at breakfast. Besides, if I want to be friends with Albus, I guess that means I'm bound to become friends with you, anyhow."
"I wouldn't mind becoming friends," her unwitting companion answered timidly, still looking nervous and slightly pale, but appearing significantly better since Rose admitted she dissaproved of their circumstances as well. "You'd be a big improvement from Albus. You're already a lot more straightforwards, and I doubt you would leave me alone with a complete stranger on a whim."
"Not just more straightforwards," she smiled slightly. "I'm sure I'm also smarter, being a Granger and all."
"And probably less quidditch obsessed - I can't begin to tell you what happened with that," he groaned. "He had no interest in quidditch whatsoever before he heard some girls in the hall talking about how attractive the players are. Now he's dying to get into the team next year, and he wants me to join him."
"I know next to nothing about quidditch; I never paid attention to the matches, myself."
"Me neither. I find most sports rather dull, actually, but my father loved it."
"Agreed."
Later that day, Albus asked Rose if her and Scorpius hit it off. After realizing that he was speaking to her now, she promptly hit him in the shoulder with her book before ceding to the fact that yes, Scorpius was fine. Albus ignored his bruised shoulder and replied with a witty comment on how they would all be 'the best of friends in no time'. She narrowly resisted the urge to whack him again.
"So I was thinking," her cousin began, and already she knew everything was about to go downhill. In the three weeks since her train wreck of a breakfast, she had gotten a taste of what her family member was like. Namely, he was more reckless and carefree than he was when they were little, and that combined with the natural stupidity of teenage boys created a recipe for disaster. When, exactly, had he become so sarcastic? She might have been a smidgen too naive and sentimental when she decided she wanted to reinsert herself into his social circle. He could be downright annoying sometimes - like now, for instance, as she tried to read a novel during her free time.
The library was a room of rest and relaxation. It was a bookworm's spa, a place of mental rejuvenation.
Albus did not mix with mental rejuvenation.
"A dangerous pastime, I presume," she responded, trying to tune him out. "Careful, your brain might implode if you overwork it."
"Your cutting wit is, as always, delightful, dear cousin," he smirked, hand over his heart. With a roll of her eyes, the red haired teen continued to ignore him. A page flipped. "I was proposing that you accompany us to a party. I figured, since you have nothing else to do and we're already going, maybe you could come."
"I hate parties," she monotoned. Another page was read. "And I am doing something. I'm reading. You should try it sometime."
"I'm not a big party person either, and Scorpius hates those things."
"Good. I'm sure you'll be thrilled to know that your cousin and your best friend have yet another thing in common." Flip. "Why do you want me to go?" He shrugged, almost as if he hadn't really thought about it. This should have been the first sign of trouble, but Rose was too busy trying to mind will her relative away from behind the book. Sadly, it wasn't working. Isn't there a Vanishing Cabinet somewhere in the school? Perhaps I can stuff Albus in there for an hour or two . . .
"This party is a lot more casual. More of a . . . get together with a lot of people than a celebration," he explained, not really clarifying anything. She raised a skeptical eyebrow. "It's laid back. I just thought you might want to hang out with us and meet some more people." Ah. So he was attempting to bait her into more social interactions. She was beginning to sense a pattern here.
The likelihood that he would abandon her with some strange friend in hopes of initiating a bonding experience was quite high. On the plus side, it meant she could sneak into a corner and finish her book in relative peace without her cousin complaining about her tendencies to hole herself up. This might just be a good thing.
"If it means you will stop pestering me, then yes," she mumbled, briefly settling her novel across her lap. "But I do have friends, you know. Just because I wanted to be yours doesn't mean I'm desperate to have them," she warned.
"One can never have too many friends, Rosie."
"One can experience too much of you, though."
"Touche."
When Albus said the party was a modest get together? He never mentioned that it may or may not include the majority of slytherin house, several fourth years such as herself from various other houses, and a spiked punch bowl. This was not a good idea. Why did she assume going with her cousin would be a good idea? Why did she trust Albus' judgement?
Much to her surprise, he didn't just strand her in some conversation with a shocked friend of his; he actually did introduce her to various slytherin members and stuck around to watch the proceedings before showing her to other friends. To her surprise, he knew a variety of people, mainly due to his classes. There was Jenna from ravenclaw, Katie from hufflepuff, Henry from gryffindor, and a slew of other students she couldn't hope to remember after a while. Even the slytherin members he knew personally seemed friendly enough for her tastes; for example, Chase, an impossibly tall chaser from the quidditch team, talked animatedly about school for a while before moving on to get punch. Though she winced as he left - he clearly hadn't seen the first years mix something in there - she had to admit that he was nice. He wasn't at all what she had expected.
"I thought slytherins were calculating and crafty," she told Albus as soon as Chase was out of earshot.
"No, we're here supposedly for being 'ambitious' and 'driven', with a side of 'creativity'. Mix those things together with the fact that a lot of prestigious dark arts families got into this house, and you have a reputation for evil. I mean," he continued, "it makes sense, but we're not all bad. We're just . . . different." Then, after a minute of contemplation, he added, "Well, actually, some of us are evil."
"It figures."
"We can't all be prestigious little angels like you, Rose. You're the poster child for a future Head Girl." At that, the redhead laughed loudly.
"Yeah, I wish. Like that's going to happen." She felt a sudden pang of gratitude that she had changed into a nice pair of jeans and a blouse - few people were still wearing their robes, and her fiery orange mane probably didn't help her melt into the shadows any more. "Getting off the subject, I honestly just want to sit down. I've been having fun - "
"I knew it."
" - believe it or not, but I think I'm good. With the punch and the crowd . . . I would rather be out of commission in a corner when this all goes downhill." She gestured to the novel she had smuggled in. "Is there some unoccupied couch in the back of the room that I can disappear into?" Albus frowned, but pointed her towards the fireplace.
"There are usually a couple of chairs open there. But seriously Rose, the night has just begun. We've been here for barely an hour; are you really going to sit here reading for the rest of the night?"
"Hopefully, yes," she grinned, giving her relative a swift hug before moving away from the crowd. A cozy seat by the fireplace sounded much more enjoyable, anyhow. Thankfully, Albus didn't bother her about her reading, and she continued in relative peace despite the occasional shouts and other suspicious noises in the background. Thus many blissful hours passed without her notice, and by the time the book was finished, it was almost midnight.
"ROSE!" Miranda screamed, practically tackling the redhead. Her arms enveloped Rose into a death grip, squeezing her tightly. "I DIDN'T THINK YOU WOULD BE HERE!"
"I didn't think you could shout that loud, An," she told her with a wince. "I take it you accidentally took the drugged punch, right?" With a giggle, her calm, mature ravenclaw friend giggled like a first year and displayed her empty cup. "I see."
"ISN'T THE PUNCH SPLENDID?! I LIKE THE PUNCH!" she shouted loudly, tossing it to the floor. "GOT IT ONCE, TWICE, THRICE, FIVE-CE, WHEEEEEEEEEEE!" Rose, realizing her friend was about to jump off the couch with her and onto the hard, unforgiving floor stopped poor Miranda from face planting.
Miranda, at her heart of hearts, was one of the most sensible and sweet people she knew. The half-muggle was easily one of her closest and best friends at Hogwarts, and beyond her stellar personality and brains, she was also very attractive. With long dark hair that always seemed perfect (even now, which was something Rose was incredibly jealous of), golden brown eyes, a slim figure, and flawless cocoa skin, Miranda was one of those girls you scarcely thought was real. She probably walked straight out of a magazine.
Except, of course, for right now, as she appeared to be yelling at everything and sputtering out nonsense.
"Miranda, dear, I would like you to calm down so I can help you - "
"WHEEEEEEEEEEEE, I LIKE TO WALK AND UNICORNS AND HERBOLOGY AND SMELLY THINGIES AND THE SUN. SUNSHINE IS PRETTY BUT BURNY!" she giggled, looking at Rose as if expecting her to laugh as well. Rose didn't laugh.
"Miranda, I am going to - "
"NOPE NOPE NOPE ROSIE, I DON'T WANT A ZEBRA JUICE," her companion pouted, shaking her head. Clearly, there was going to be no reasoning with her. The damage had been done.
"Merlin's beard, why me?" she groaned at the ceiling, holding onto Miranda's arm to avoid the ravenclaw wandering away. "Things were fine until this."
"Need some help, Rose?" came the voice of her savior. He, not unlike Albus, was sporting a pair of pants and a blue t shirt. It was far from fancy, but she had to admit he looked good. At first she looked around, confused, for the source of him, but then she spotted the pale hair amongst the crowd and immediately became relieved.
"Scorpius, thank Merlin you're here," she told him, attempting not to sound so pathetic and overwhelmed and happy someone was there to help her. "I have never handled a drunk person, since I don't really go to these sorts of things, but Albus somehow convinced me and I've been sitting in solitude for the last several hours when somebody attacked me and apparently that person was Miranda who then - "
"I get it, Rose," he smiled at her, and she began to breathe again. "I hate these sorts of things. I'm not a big socializer - aside from Albus and a handful of other people, I mainly stick to myself - and frankly, as soon as alcohol is involved, they always end in me carting people back to their respective beds." He shuddered as if reliving the horrors. "I learned that the hard way." Together they began to pull a very loud and childish Miranda back to her house, trying not to let her dive for the floor or grab at the cloaks of strangers. They successfully made it out of the room and into the hall, where it was then discovered that Miranda shouldn't be trusted around changing staircases. The dark haired teen dove for platforms just before they changed, laughing hysterically as Scorpius and Rose attempted to catch her.
And following yet another 10 minutes of the worst game of tag they had ever experienced, they proceeded to taking her into her room, almost getting hit over the head by a ravenclaw girl with a good aim, and wrestling Miranda into bed. Both were covered in bruises and scratches when it was done, but they felt significantly better now that she was back where she belonged.
"I don't understand how anybody could do that by themselves," Rose grumbled, crossing her arms. "Making sure she didn't start a fire was hard enough. I never would have gotten her back without you."
"Is that a thanks?"
"Yes, I suppose it is," she told him instantly, not bothering to think about it. He grinned. "That was really nice of you, so thanks."
"Maybe this was Albus' master plan, you know," he hummed in a noncommittal fashion. "He wanted you to socialize with others and bond with me over Miranda's drunken escapades." She snorted.
"Albus isn't smart enough to predict all that." Scorpius nodded as if agreeing with that fact. "Frankly, I had no idea Miranda was even going to be here. I dunno how she was invited in the first place."
"She's pretty enough that one of the boys might have snuck her in, but I think she came with Tammy."
"Tammy?"
"A slytherin girl. I've seen Miranda and Tammy hanging out sometime. Tammy's fairly nice - more of a hufflepuff if you ask me, but destiny put her in our house, I guess," he explained. "She and Miranda go to Hogsmead sometimes; you really didn't know who she is?"
"Not a clue," she confirmed, frowning a little. "I guess I'll just have to meet her sometime." She extended her hand after a moment, much to Scorpius' confusion.
"What exactly are you doing?"
"I'm bidding you goodbye," she responded patiently, almost as if talking to a puppy. "I take it you're going back to that party to hang out with Albus or something, but I know exactly where everything is going and I don't want to go back. My book is finished, so I am too." He still didn't take her hand. "Are you going to shake it, or . . . "
"I'm not going back there," he laughed suddenly, causing her to jump back. Rose certainly wasn't expecting that response. "I honestly don't feel like watching drugged teenagers make out or end up fighting another roommate while trying to place someone in their dorm. I detest parties with alcohol - or just most large parties in general." Now she was confused. It seemed to be the theme of the night.
Wait, no. The theme was clearly exasperation.
"Why did you go at all, then?" she interrogated, brow knit. "Albus was with me for the first hour or so, and I have no idea where your other friends were, if they were there at all."
"I didn't come for them."
"Who, then?"
"I thought it might be a little less boring and tedious if somebody else who hated these things was there, too," Scorpius said, taking a sideways glance at her. "And it would have given me an opportunity to show that I can talk to other people instead of freezing up when they start talking to you." There was a moment of silence as she mentally worked that statement out.
"Wait a second, you came because of me?" Rose questioned finally.
"Well, yeah," the slytherin replied, developing a newfound interest in the wall, and then his shoes, and then the ceiling . . . really anywhere but her face, really. "Al told me he invited you, and then . . . See, this is why I should think before I speak. For some reason this seems really embarrassing now." She couldn't help but smile slightly at his discomfort, because she knew she would feel the same way if it was her. Instead of letting him suffer, however, she put a hand on his shoulder and looked him in the eyes.
"It's slightly flattering, actually, that you care," she grinned. It was true, oddly enough. "Nobody has ever carried a drunken Miranda back to her dorm simply for the sake of hanging out with me." She actually got him to laugh shakily there, and for some reason she felt proud afterwards. "I'm probably just going to go back to the common room. I wouldn't mind talking with you there, if you wanted to tag along somewhere without a crowd of people and a spiked punch bowl." He didn't say anything, but it was obvious he felt better. "But, if you're still embarrassed, I suppose you could go back to your house and drown your woes in alcohol . . . "
"How could I pass up this once in a lifetime opportunity to see the natural habitat of the illusive Rose Weasly?" The response is instantaneous and thoughtless, so off they went.
It took another half hour for them to actually reach gryffindor house, mainly because they took so many detours into other halls, randomly broke out into a race, and continuously talked the entire way there. Once inside, they drunk hot chocolate and compared favorite books and played silly kindergarten hand games like the five year olds they were until the sun came up.
Rose never said anything, but silently she thanked Albus for forcing her to go to that stupid party. Even if it had totally appeared to be heading for the worst, she had a good night because of it.
"Are you sure you want to go with me?" Lily asked, still a little hesitant. "I know it's not the nicest out today, and you've never shown an interest in quidditch before. Why do you want to see a match now?"
"Well, you and James enjoy watching it, Hugo is starting to like it, Miranda sometimes goes by herself, as does another friend, Penny, and Al and Scorpius are considering trying out for the slytherin team next year," she huffed into the cold evening air, watching as puffs of breath dissipated before her eyes. Silently, Rose thanked her past self for having the hindsight to pull on her school cloak and homemade gloves (courtesy of Grandma Molly) over her regular clothes before leaving the castle. It should be illegal for it to be so cold outside in the middle of October. Seriously, it's still the end of fall - it's not even winter yet! Why should the temperature even dip below 60 degrees? "Anyhow, I need to build up my tolerance for it if everybody I know is going to take an interest in it. Then you said you were going and I thought it might be more bearable if I went with you. It was fate." She shivered again and scowled, burying her nose into the cloak's collar to avoid the wind. "I just hope I don't catch a cold."
"I guess we'll really know if it was fate or not if you don't get frostbite," Lily joked, though she looked rather concerned and the slighted bit guilty. It was evident that if Rose was in anything but pristine condition by the time they got back, she would blame herself.
Ah, the struggles of being Lily Potter; she had far too much kindness and conscience for a single human being. She, in general, was the sweetest person Rose had ever met, and it was remarkable that the older redhead didn't have cavities from hanging out with her so much. Seriously, Lily was going to become either a world peace advocate or a nonprofit organization founder. She had such a giving, caring, charitable nature that it was hard not to like her.
As if that wasn't enough, she also had to be good with children and animals alike, clever, responsible, friendly to everyone she met, always willing to try new things, and incredibly pretty. In short, Lily Potter was a boy magnet, mostly for the fact that she was literally the perfect human being.
Like everyone else on the planet, Rose adored her cousin. She may have been far from the ideal girl in comparison - her bookish ways, hatred of obnoxious social gatherings, intelligence to the point of annoyance, and sarcasm didn't make her nearly as personality-winning as Lily - but she still maintained a healthy friendship for the younger redhead over the years and was proud to call her family.
"If I get frostbite, it will give me an excuse to miss the finals," Rose reassured. She didn't consider herself a very reassuring person, but Lily looked a little better. "Besides, I'm sure it'll be fine." They continued walking to the stacks in relative silence, rubbing their arms and trying to ignore the fact that they couldn't feel their feet.
"I think it's really nice that you and Albus are spending time together again," Lily finally pandered with a misleading sense of causality. "I know that James always felt bad when you wanted to hang out and he was already involved with Al. I guess we can all do more things together now." Rose rolled her eyes with fondness, easily recognizing the underlying question behind her cousin's words.
"As much as I suffered from the lack of James' presence - " Lily laughed a tiny bit at Rose's notable sarcasm, and as expected, it came out daintily. How does her laughter always sound like tingling bells? Actually, for that matter, why am I the only one out of the Potter-Weasly clan who can snort? Couldn't that ability have been given to Hugo? " - I never held it against you guys when you hung out with Al instead of me, which probably happened more times than I know about. He's your brother, for merlin's sake. So don't you dare feel bad about it." She sneezed, then groaned. Seriously, being outside sucked. The things she did for her friends. "I'm happy we're interacting, actually. I really missed him; he was one of my dearest friends, once upon a time." She shuddered instantly for reasons completely unrelated to the cold. "Actually, forget that part. If Al ever heard that, he would never let it go."
"Hey, Rose," came a voice as a hand placed itself on her shoulder, and she whirled around with murder in her eyes. He flinched back. "Woah, stand down, Rose! It's only me," he said with a cringe. Luckily for him, he was considered . . . well, a friend, at this point. So she chose not to kill him for surprising her, which was a rare act of mercy indeed. Distracting Rose in a test, taking away her book, or spooking her were the three quickest ways to get decapitated.
Silently, she took a smug bit of pride from scaring people after they scared her, especially when said scared person was male. As Hermione often told her, it's fun to strike terror into boys, sometimes. It lets them know you aren't to be walked all over.
She taught Rose well.
"Hi, Scorpius. I suppose I can't murder you this time." She smiled, so he was probably safe. Probably. As she looked him over she realized that he had the same idea as hers, wearing his school issued cloak over regular long sleeved clothes. The only difference was that he brought a scarf. Smart. "What are you doing out here, anyways? I thought you would be inside with all the normal, smart people who don't want to catch hypothermia." Suddenly his smile evaporated as if he remembered where he was again. His eyes became pools of desperation and remorse, and the slytherin gripped her shoulders and starred at her intensely.
"Albus," he told her solemnly as if that should clear up everything. Knowing Albus, it probably did to somebody with more context. "Albus has dragged me to every game." Realization dawned upon her.
"Every game?" Scorpius winced as if he had been shot.
"Every single quidditch game. Every one Rose, every one, figuring we should 'study up'. And we will probably see every one until the end of the season. Just hours upon hours of people flying about on brooms and passing balls . . . " He was clearly traumatized by the experience.
"You poor baby," she murmured with genuine sympathy, briefly wondering if it would be strange if she leaned forwards and hugged him. You know, as a means of comfort.
Probably.
"I would rather face down the Whomping Willow than endure every game of quidditch," she finally responded, entirely serious. "The horrors you must have lived . . . "
"I would rather battle an ogre than seen another match," he replied quickly. It was a good thing somebody understood his pain.
"Really? I'd rather spend a night in Azcaban."
"I'd rather become and animagus."
"I think that I would rather - "
"So, you must be one of Albus' friends. Scorpius, right? Rose mentioned you a couple times," Lily interjected, looking from Rose to Scorpius and absolutely beaming. Rose had learned not to trust that grin; it usually signified the start of one of her random charity projects or the planning of a devious (yet benevolently-intended) scheme. She was clearly plotting something.
Also, Scorpius jerked his hands away instantly when he realized they weren't alone (and with a blush, no less). This made Lily beam brighter, which wasn't a good sign.
"Yeah, I'm Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy, to be accurate." Though he attempted to cheer up for the introduction, it was painfully obvious that he was nervous as to what Lily would do with that information. His foot was twitching, his hands (now removed from Rose's shoulders, which was a shame, since they were somehow warm and she was freezing) were fidgeting, and he was shifting his weight from one leg to another. Clearly he had never met Lily before, the least judgmental person on earth, because she didn't bat an eyelash.
"I figured as much," she responded simply, thrusting out a hand. "And I'm Lily. Lily Potter, to be accurate, but I'm sure you already know that." Grateful that nothing was drug out, he shook her gloved palm.
"Nice to meet you," Scorpius replied simply. Then he frowned. "Okay, Al was with me a second ago. I can't for the life of me remember which way he wandered off in. We were about to pick a stand when I saw you and - "
"Rose!" Apparently yet another person she knew conveniently found the redhead. She would have called that improbable, but considering the few people outside, her neon sign of a mane, and the fact that she was rarely seen remotely near the quidditch field, Rose supposed the chances of running into and easily recognizing other friends was pretty high. "Why are you here? I thought you hated these things."
"Hello, Miranda," she smiled back, because like Lily, it was impossible not to like An. She was just nice. "Yeah, I do, but I need to get into it eventually, I suppose."
"Better late than never, then," the dark-haired beauty grinned, leaning forwards to hug her gryffindor friend. "So, are all of you going to see the game? Because I usually just go alone since I can't find anybody to watch with." They nodded. "Great! Maybe we can all sit together, then." Unlike everybody else, since Miranda was a frequent at the field during all weather since first year, she came prepared in boots, gloves, a thick winter sweater, and a muggle snow coat. Clearly she had seen the wind and knew what to expect.
Rose then realized she was ogling An's outfit choice. She looked up. "Yeah, maybe we can. I know Scorpius and Al also go to every game, so we can drag them along to the stands. I have food, so . . . " Miranda perked up.
"You have snacks? I haven't eaten since breakfast. Can I have some?" she pleaded. Rose allowed her to dip into her stash. After three chocolate frogs had been consumed, she cut her off.
Scorpius laughed and whispered, "First lesson of watching quidditch: don't let anybody know you have food. People you don't even know will swarm you, and if they're your friends, they feel no remorse over stealing your stuff."
"So you have food?" she whispered back. He rolled his eyes.
"Of course I do, Weasly. I'm not a simpleton." For a split second, he flashed open his cloak to reveal a stash of assorted candy. "Just don't let Al find out."
"Promise," she giggled. Honest to god giggled. She never did this. Ever.
If this wasn't proof that they were friends, she didn't know what was.
"You promise what, Rose?" called voice number three, at which point she tapped out. People had to stop appearing at convenient moments out of thin air. It wasn't fair.
"Somebody finally materialized, Albus," Lily exclaimed, greeting her cousin warmly.
"Good to see you too, Lil. Though I have to say, I'm surprised to see Rose. What powers of persuasion did Lily pull on you to get you out here?" he teased, but with genuine interest. Rose snorted (again with the snorting, seriously).
"I wanted to go with her," the older gryffindor told him simply, shrugging her shoulders. He blinked.
"Okay, really, what blackmail was used?"
"None, I actually just wanted to build up my immunity."
"I think you've been brainwashed. Rose hates watching these matches." He turned to Scorpius. "Did you hear anything?" The pale-haired boy wisely held up his hands in surrender.
"I'm staying out of it, Al. I think she's telling the truth."
"Why is it so hard to believe that I would go to a quidditch game of my own free will?" Rose groaned.
"I just want to know what exactly Lily has on you, Rose," Albus told her slowly. Lily looked scandalized.
"Albus!"
"What, Lil?"
"You know I wouldn't do something like that."
"Oh come on, you're expecting me to believe that my cousin of all people has miraculously developed an interest in quidditch?" He crossed his arms skeptically. "She's got to be hiding something."
"Of course I am," Rose retorted with a roll of her eyes. "That's why I'd let Lily drag me into this mess. Because of my magical deep, dark secret."
"I knew it!" he cried triumphantly. "So you finally admit that - "
"Let's go sit down, shall we?" Miranda said firmly, grabbing Lily with one arm and Albus by the other. Together, they all began to scale the nearest tower. Scorpius and Rose, left blissfully unencumbered thanks to the ravenclaw, seemed visibly relieved.
"After you," Scorpius told her with a bow, gesturing towards the staircase. She laughed and pulled back his cloak on the way up.
"Why, of course."
The quidditch game went as expected; Albus teased her relentlessly for information (but in good nature, as there wasn't any real cruelty in it), Miranda snuck away her snacks, and Scorpius offered her some of his when Miranda eventually took the whole container. Lily smiled and giggled every time Scorpius and Rose talked, which was often. Though Lily occasionally interjected, she mainly left the two to chat on their own, opting to steal out of Rose's already stolen goods. Albus stole off of Lily, who stuck her tongue out at him in retaliation, causing Miranda to laugh, which in turn caused Rose herself to laugh as the gorgeous ravenclaw ended up spilling said confiscated food all over the seat. All in all, none of them paid much attention the the actual match, but they figured that this was way more fun anyhow.
Christmas break marked family bonding, fun traditions, and avoiding singing songs with her family like the plague, which was why hanging out with Albus was so great this year. She didn't have to suffer in some closet alone in order to spare the world from her voice (which was passable, but in the mornings it always seemed like she inherited her father's off pitch screams instead of proper vocal cords).
Now, however, Christmas break was over, and she was back at Hogwarts for the next semester.
The joys of being a student.
"It feels good to be back!" Albus beamed in the compartment of the train, looking eagerly out the window like a puppy. Perhaps he had been one in a past life. It would explain the friendly immaturity and the low attention capacity. "It feels like forever since we've been to Hogwarts. I miss sleeping in my bed."
"It's only been two weeks, Al. And besides, you have your bed. It's at home," she pointed out, yawning. Being at home gave her the opportunity to sleep in, but school meant more exams and a schedule. Don't get her wrong, Rose adored her time at Hogwarts. But sleeping . . . sleep was sacred. She had gotten too used to being in bed.
"Yeah, but I got used to the Hogwarts mattress. Sleeping someplace else seems really weird now."
"Hmm," she said with crossed arms, wondering how exactly her cousin was so alert. She would still be beneath the covers if she had her way. "What say you, Scorpius?"
"Huh?" he mumbled, haven half fallen asleep himself. That was one of the perks of having an enormous mansion; it was usually extremely quiet. You could sleep as long as you wanted, and clearly he had. Which sorta just reinforced her point.
"See? Even your best friend is too tired. This proves that they should give us another day to stay at home and catch up on napping before we're thrust back into testing," she beamed triumphantly. Albus simply smiled and shook his head.
"Have it your way, Rosie, but I missed staying here. I'm glad we're back right now."
"Me too," Lily spoke up. She had been relatively quiet throughout the ride, watching the scenery numbly while she daydreamed. Rose had nearly forgotten she was there, and the same went for James. He had instantly slumped over and fell asleep the minute he relaxed into the chair, and now Miranda was tasked with making sure he didn't fall off the seat. Rose was suddenly grateful that she didn't have to sit on the other side of the cramped compartment; four people would have been enough. However, all six of them - and it would have been eight, had Hugo not been stolen away by his friends and Penny not been delivered to the school by her father, who had been going to ask about a teaching position - just fit, but they made it work.
Still, with Lily by the window and Miranda in the middle, keeping hold of an unconscious James with a struggle, Rose was more than happy to be seated between Albus and Scorpius on the right cushioned bench. It made the ride far easier to endure in her tired state.
"Besides, we still have another hour before we get there, so you can do whatever with your precious freedom until we get there," Miranda huffed, pulling up the dark haired boy to prevent him from slumping to the train floor. "At least you don't have the responsibility of somebody's life on you."
"I doubt James would have found a way to kill himself in our compartment, An, but you're right," Rose spoke out decisively. "And thus I am going to sleep. Wake me up when we get there."
"Can't you just read or something?" Lily asked, once again proving that she was present and listening.
"I can, I just don't want to. Again, if you guys wake me up before we get there, I'll strangle James," Rose retorted firmly.
"Why James?" Scorpius questioned, clearly confused. He had been so close to nodding off as it was, but their conversation had finally prompted him to ask. Now he was wide awake, which tended to happen when talk of murder arose. Poor bloke.
"Because he's asleep and won't feel it, so at least I will have gotten out my anger on someone who won't suffer," she explained patiently, already nuzzling into the back of the seat.
"Be my guest," grunted the ravenclaw from where she sat. Although she was usually a well of sympathy and kindness, her extensive depths of defensiveness and overall patience had grown thin. She was, after all, saddled with the most attention-hoarding problem in their car, and guarding James from disaster for the past 3 hours, especially since she was just as tired as the rest of them, had taken its toll.
" . . . I'm not sleeping now," Scorpius eventually told them, to which Lily and Albus nodded solemnly. He looked back over his shoulder, and there she was - the gryffindor was already out cold next to him, and was already slumping forwards like James had. Scorpius nudged Albus. "Aren't you going to do something?"
"Like what? I'm not dying if she wakes up because of me. I'm too jittery - I drank three glasses of muggle coffee this morning and have been eating sugary snacks from the trolley for the whole ride in preparation. What do you think I'm going to be able to?" Albus protested, displaying his shaking hands as evidence. Scorpius' mouth puckered into an 'o'; it certainly explained a lot.
"Well still, she's your cousin."
"Aren't you her friend, too? Just make sure she doesn't end up hurting herself during all the bumpy parts, like Miranda. See, Miranda's doing it, and she's not related to James," he rebuked, pointing to the dark haired girl holding James' arm in a death grip.
"Yeah, it's a blast," she deadpanned. "If this happens again at semester's end, I nominate Albus to deal with his own brother." Albus had the decency to at least appear sympathetic.
"Fine, fine," the Malfoy finally ceded, slipping an extremely cautious arm around Rose's waist. As if in retaliation, her head slipped towards the slytherin's side, bashing his shoulder rather painfully. Scorpius tried not to move during said bash. "This is going to be a long hour." Lily merely smiled apologetically and shrugged.
For the rest of the ride, Albus talked about randomness around the castle, Lily commented on his occasional quidditch-based comment, and Miranda grunted at odd moments. James often shifted during his sleep, and the train car seats weren't conducive to his thrashing, which resulted in never-ending torture for her. Eventually, Scorpius drifted off as well, resulting in Rose waking up to a concerned looking Albus and Scorpius's head resting on hers, his arm slung loosely behind her back. After figuring out exactly what had transpired, she lightly slapped Al's shoulder and waited for her friend to wake up. When he did, utterly embarrassed and just in time for the train to pull towards the stop (he had excellent timing, apparently), she simply handed him one of Al's chocolate frogs and said something about him drooling in his sleep. He retaliated with a similar insult, and thus the status quo was restored.
It was good to be back, after all. Each and every one of them, even poor Miranda, had missed eachother.
"Is this going to be a regular thing now?" Rose remarked with surprise as she realized this was the sixth time all of them had shown up together to watch a quidditch game. There was Lily at her left side, and Miranda (who was fully decked out in snacks this time, having smuggled nearly the Great Hall's worth of food into her seemingly-endless pockets) at her right. Al and Scorpius were directly in front of her, Al completely engaged while Scorpius feigned entertainment and regularly turned around to talk with the girls to cure his boredom. Also accompanying them was James, who was sitting on the remaining side of Albus and acting just as hyped about the exchange, and Hugo, her brother who was continually turning to Lily and asking her questions about the way the game was played, which she was happy to answer.
"I mean, I thought that after the third time this was kind of an established group," Scorpius answered honestly from directly in front of her, looking visibly better now that he had an excuse to not pay attention. "I can't say I'm dissapointed. This is way better than trying to decipher Al's rambles for the quidditch team." She smirked.
"Isn't anything?"
"True, that." She smiled but then sighed, and the slytherin frowned.
"What's up? Not having a good time at this incredibly interesting match?" Her smile returned slowly at his sarcastic inquiry, and so she explained.
"No, it's just Penny. I know the game is only about ten minutes in, but she should be here by now. Like Miranda, she usually just went by herself since nobody wanted to see the game with her - "
"Can't imagine why, with all the excitement brewing about."
" - so she really wanted to come see one with us. But I'm worried she got confused and went up the wrong spire and thought we weren't coming and thought I was pranking her or something and - "
"Rose," he stopped, grabbing her hands. She blinked. "I'm sure Penny's going to be fine. You're just nervous because, like always, you want things to be perfect. You're a little bit of an overachiever, actually. She's going to find us eventually, I'm sure of it." Slowly, the redhead relaxed.
"I know. I'm just a bit nervous is all. You and James and Hugo and Al have never met her, so I'm worried she's going to feel unwelcome of something. You know, in addition to getting lost." He smirked.
"I don't know. I can be rather charming when I want to be."
"So, never?"
Scorpius placed a hand to his chest in mock offense. "And here I thought we were friends, Weasly!"
"All's fair in love and war, Mr. Malfoy."
"Noted." Divine intervention stopped her from continuing in their witty banter, because at that moment, Penny entered the stands, bag in hand and hufflepuff cloak on her back.
"Over here, Pen!" Rose shouted, practically jumping out of her seat, and the girl beamed and began walking over. Lily and Miranda briefly chatted with her as she sat down, seeing as they also knew the fourth year and were friends with her. James and Hugo, oblivious to the exchange, continued paying attention to the game, but Scorpius smiled at the newcomer and extended a hand.
"Scorpius Malfoy, nice to meet you." She took it with a grateful smile, which made sense. She wasn't used to seeing these matches in a big group - it made sense to be nervous.
"Penny Taliwhen, pleasure," she replied. At this moment, Albus turned around to see what was going on.
"What are you all talking ab - " he stopped mid-sentence, which was typical for boys meeting Penny. It was easy to loose your train of thought around her.
Penny was kind and loyal - she had to be, being sorted into hufflepuff - but she was also insanely beautiful, which was apparently typical for Rose's friends. With her cyan blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair, and milky white skin dusted with freckles, she was gorgeous. And sporty, apparently, as she enjoyed running in her free time and was an avid quidditch watcher. Not to mention that, like Rose, she was incredibly clever and gifted at spells. They were teamed together for an assignment in herbology - their only weak subjects - and the rest became history.
Seriously, all of Rose's friends were perfect models with delightful personalities. She was beginning to sense a pattern, and she seemed exceptionally out of the mix in this group of boy-magnets. How did she even befriend these people in the first place?
Finally, Albus regained his cognitive abilities and was able to speak again. "I'm Albus Potter. You must be Penny," he blurted out with difficulty. Scorpius, Rose, Lily, Miranda, and everybody else who still cared enough about the exchange to pay attention held back respective snickers. You couldn't pay Al to shut up for a second, but here he was, recovering after being rendered essentially speechless.
"Yeah, I am," she told him. "Are you okay, or . . . " Another great thing about Penny; she didn't flaunt her looks. Partially this was due to the fact that she was oblivious to her effect on others.
"No! No, I'm fine, actually," Albus reassured her, his adam's apple bobbing up and down. This time, Rose couldn't help laughing slightly. Luckily, Lily covered her mouth before she could distract from the interaction. "Better than fine. So . . . do you come here often?" Penny nodded with the patience of a saint.
"Yup, all the time. I try to come for every game, since nobody is here in the winter and just after break. That's not true right now, obviously, but I'm just used to coming alone. This should be fun," she explained cheerfully. Albus nodded too quickly for the human eye to follow.
"So have we! I've forced Scorpius to come to every game next year for the same reason. We want to sign up for the team next year."
"Cool! I hope you guys get it. What positions were you thinking about trying out for?" Albus was freaking beaming, and even Scorpius was starting to get both jittery and unnerved.
"Well, I was hoping for chaser or keeper, because I think I'm better suited for it, but Scorp . . . "
After another hour and a half, the match was completed and Penny had left. She and Albus had spent the whole time shouting out at the plays on the field or chatting animatedly over quidditch. Scorpius was generally glad to be relived of his duties as 'interested best friend' for the duration of the game. No one was happier about this development than Rose, who had scarcely known what to do with herself after everybody was occupied talking to other people. Sure, Miranda and Lily held conversations, but soon Hugo would be asking about stats and Lily would go to respond and Miranda would go back to watching plays. At least with Scorpius she wasn't completely alone.
As they finally cleared out - Miranda had already left to ravenclaw and James and Lily had gone off somewhere else - Albus looked back at Hugo, Rose, and Scorpius with wide, starry eyes. Rose didn't know if she trusted Al with that look. It was almost terrifying.
"Penny should come see all the games with us, guys," he exclaimed, appearing far too happy. Hugo grinned a little.
"She made a big impression on someone, huh?" he told his sister. The redhead ruffled her brother's hair in agreement.
"I'm sure she'd be more than happy to, Al. And next year, I'm sure she would be fine with doing other stuff with us, too," Rose told him, trying not to smirk. If she thought he acted like a child before . . .
"Great!" her cousin smiled at her. "Do you think she likes me?"
"Come on, Al." Well now she has to come see all the remaining games of the season with us, Rose thought. In her mind, there was no reason to not smirk, so she did. Quite extensively, actually. Albus was, apparently, very easy to win over. She's the only one who can hold his full attention span for so long.
The end of the year was rapidly approaching, and with that came the OWLs. Rose had been especially anxious for that, but Albus of all people squeezed her shoulder before she went into the testing room. It was a small comfort, but it calmed her down enough to focus. Now they had just gotten back their results, and as she was handed her scroll and dismissed from the classroom, said anxiousness was slowly creeping back in.
Slowly, she pulled apart the seal and rolled open the parchment, awaiting to score with a wince.
"I got a 97!" she squealed with delight, practically jumping up and down. With a cry of joy and relief, she burst into the dining hall, not caring who heard her. "Al, Scorp, An, Lil, table, chair, goblet of ciber I got a 97!" Albus wasn't present, and nor was Miranda, but Lily and Scorpius got up to hug her.
"Great job, Rosie!" Lily beamed, picking up on her excitement and relief through emotional osmosis. "I'm so proud of you! We all know how nervous you were."
"You did great, Ro," Scorpius smiled, hugging her impulsively. The warm action sent tingles down her spine as she returned it.
"Thanks, guys," she sighed contentedly, savoring the moment. Testing was over, classes were wrapping up, and she had nothing to do but relax for the next hour or so. Life was pretty good.
Maybe it was because she had such good friends. She would definitely miss this come summer.
The ride back on the Hogwarts Express was filled with reminiscing and the retelling of fond memories. The year had flown by, and Rose could hardly imagine that there was a time in which she hadn't been involved regularly with Albus and Scorpius. She liked to think that she had gotten much closer to both over the past year, and she was glad that they were around her now. Speaking of which, she still had something to say to the later of said boys.
As they got off the train, she stopped him. In confusion, the tall slytherin cocked an eyebrow.
"You alright, Rose?" Scorpius asked, starting to frown. "Are you not feeling well? You look a little off."
"No, no, I'm fine," she reassured. "I just wanted to tell you something. It's pretty cheesy and unscripted, so please don't laugh." He waved his arm as a symbol to proceed. "When Albus and I were little, we did everything together. He got me. And then Albus met you, another boy his age in the same house with the same qualities, and it was like he didn't need me anymore. That was really why I stopped hanging out with him. But the thing is, I missed being close to him like we were as kids." She pulled at the sleeves of her jumper, realizing that they were in a very public place and this confession was not the sort of thing she wanted to go public. Oh well, I guess we're ruining our own reputation one sob story at a time. "So I made the impulse decision to start seeing him again. I tried to be friendly with you - even if our first talk was a little awkward - "
"Define awkward, Rosie. I think I was about to faint when you actually started talking to me," her pale-haired companion said with a smile, and she couldn't help but smile back.
"Okay, well, a lot awkward. I was hoping I hadn't sent you to the infirmary."
"With the reputation of our parents, it wouldn't have been out of the ordinary." Cue laughing.
"Back to the point, Mr. Malfoy, and the point is that at first I didn't really know what to make of you other than the fact that you were being nice to me. I thought that it was just because of Albus. But I really do consider you a good friend now, and I have for a while, and I wanted you to know," she finished. And no, Scorpius Malfoy wasn't beaming. That was ridiculous. His face was just doing this involuntarily; it had absolutely nothing to do with this exchange. "So, friends?" She extended a hand, just like the first time at breakfast.
For a split second, she sincerely hoped that his lack of motion didn't mean that he was going to collapse onto the floorboards. Luckily, he remained conscious, and he pushed past her hand and straight out hugged her. She hugged him back.
"Friends, Rose," he told her firmly. "Definitely friends."
"ROSE!" called a voice. A shock of red appeared over the crowd, and she instantly groaned. Her father had a knack for interrupting her at pivotal moments.
"COMING!" she yelled, hoping he'd hear her. Turning back to Scorpius, she smiled apologetically. "You're always welcome at our place during the summer, you know."
"Same for you and Al, though the manor isn't exactly the most welcoming at times."
"ROSIE!" Ron shouted again, and Rose resisted the urge to hex her father. Why must he always do this?
He means well. Just remember he means well. Remember he means well, and you don't know where you would hide the body.
"Bye, Scor," she told him, hugging him once more for good measure before running back to the source of the voice. Scorpius waved after her and waited for his parents patiently - the platform was a crowded mess of people.
As they got in the flying car and prepared to head back, Ron turned around and stared at his daughter.
"Were you hanging out with that Malfoy kid, Rose?" She shifted uncomfortably under his intense gaze.
"Erm, yes?" Apparently this wasn't sufficient, because he continued to look at her with eyes that would make the Minister fidget. "Scorpius is one of my friends, actually." With a frown, her father turned around and started up the car, brow knit together. A moment of silence followed, causing the redhead to momentarily forget how to breathe.
"If he ever hurts you, I'm feeding him to a pack of wild dragons," Ron said finally, looking straight ahead. Realizing this was the closest she would get to approval for now, she beamed and said 'thank you'. Her father waved her off and began asking questions about school.
She still considered it a battle won.
So, there you have it. Part 1 of an incredibly long series. I didn't expect this to take up any more than 6k or so, but here we are. The quidditch scene actually got deleted 3 TIMES IN A ROW, which slowed progress down significantly, and if it's crappy then that is why. I rewrote it based on my original draft with much difficulty.
Anyways, I hope the beginning was satisfying. I'm going to be alternating the focus of the story based on chapter, so Scorpius will be the main character of the next portion. I refuse to surrender the name of said next portion, though; you'll all just have to suffer.
Please stick around for part 2, which will be coming out sometime between now and the 16th of next month, hopefully. I'm going on vacation soon, but if I work quickly and have the time, this may be uploaded within the next week or two. We'll see.
Bye! Please please please leave a review and remember to favorite this story; I sustain myself off of validation.
See you in the next chapter!