Dreams Do Come True
The redhead sat curled up in the armchair closest to the fire. Normally she would pick a solitary chair in a corner of the common room where she could be sure that she wouldn't be disturbed. Today however, Christmas Eve, she had the common room to herself. Almost everyone else in Gryffindor had returned home for the holidays, but the redhead decided that she wanted to spend Christmas at Hogwarts. She knew that she could stay awake as long as she wanted, staring into the fire, thinking. She was confident in the knowledge that no one would bother her.
The subject of her thoughts was a certain pair of grey eyes, and a head of silvery blond hair and a positively infuriating smirk.
She wondered why the grey eyes plagued her- after all; they weren't a magical or beautiful colour like her cousin Al's startling green eyes. Nor did the eyes change colour according to the person's moods- like Teddy's eyes. Yet those unassuming, stormy grey eyes had the capability to transform the worst of her moods into laughter. Those eyes lit up her day. The changing emotions in the grey eyes reminded her of a sea, a tempestuous sea, churning in the strong winds.
And the blond hair? She'd seen many blondes in her time. Her Aunt Fleur, her cousins Vic and Dom. They had Veela blond hair. Long, shimmery and enchanting. Yet it was this particular blond whose hair captivated her- with its careless messiness, the unaffected air with which it fell onto the grey eyes below it.
The smirk. Now that was something that intrigued her. She wondered how it was that it was always there. Didn't it have to give way to an occasional smile, a cheeky grin, a worried frown? How was it that the smirk was ever present? Even curiouser was how each smirk expressed something different. A slight smirk to the left meant happiness; while a smirk to the right meant anxiety. A full smirk- careless, devastatingly handsome, not a bit arrogant- meant victory. She'd figured out that much over the last six years.
She would have considering she spent all her time in the vicinity of that blond, grey eyed smirker; who was, incidentally, her best friend- Scorpius Malfoy.
He was also the only other Gryffindor that had decided to spend Christmas at Hogwarts.
She'd long since stopped denying that she liked him as more than a friend. To herself, that is. To the outside world the two of them looked like best friends that were too stubborn, too proud to admit to their feelings for each other. But she was sure that she was the only one in the friendship that wanted more. She was convinced that he just wanted to be friends. After all, she wasn't skinny like the Cover Witches on Quidditch Digest, nor was she curvy like her cousins Roxy and Molly. They were younger than her, yet curvier. She wasn't an athlete but she loved watching Quidditch. But, for the life of her, she couldn't play! She was, however the smartest witch in her year; and the most popular, the sweetest and of course, she would be a shoo-in for Head Girl next year. But she was completely convinced that to him she was just his best friend, just Rose.
She heard someone enter the common room and knew, instinctively knew who it was.
"Hello Scorpius. How's Hagrid?" she asked turning away from the fire. She knew that he'd gone to visit the half-giant and Fang. "Any new animals he's breeding?"
"He's okay. I think he's hiding a dragon's egg in that hut of his. You should have a word with your Uncle Charlie about choosing his customers. There are only so many times that McGonagall is going to ignore Hagrid's madness" replied the young man, pulling of his cap and ruffling his hair with one hand while peeling of his gloves with his teeth. His grey eyes, lit by the firelight, trained on the red-head in front of him.
Rose nodded, enchanted by his eyes, and absently noticing a slight smirk- left sided- he was happy. She was glad that the frequency of this particular smirk increased when he was around her. She relished the thought that her company brought him joy. Yet, she craved more; she craved something that she believed was forbidden to her, something that she was sure she would never get.
Scorpius pulled off his black wool scarf and sat down across Rose, kicking of his shoes and putting his feet up on the table before him. "What do you plan to do the rest of the evening?" he asked, pressing the tips of his fingers together and resting his chin on his interlocked hands, his eyes still fixed on Rose.
Rose coloured, noticeably, under her friend's intense gaze. But she knew Scorpius thought that her frequent blushes were due to her infamous Weasley genes. How she wished he was staring at her because he loved her, how she wished that he'd realise that she loved him, how she wished that he discovered that they would be perfect for each other. She wished that her wishes would come true and not remain unfulfilled fantasies.
"Oh, nothing, really." She replied airily, "homework's all done, I've had about enough of Wizard's Chess and Exploding Snap and I hate playing Gobstones and it's too cold to go outside and watch you fly. I think I might read. I'm sure Mum's sent me a book this year. I could open it this evening."
"Open a present before Christmas morning? You can't do that!" Scorpius exclaimed, astounded; staring at his friend as though she had grown an extra head.
"Oh, right. It's not done!" Rose murmured sheepishly. "So what do you suggest we do?"
"We could get some hot chocolate or Butterbeer and talk for a while. This last term's been horrible, and we haven't had much time to talk- you know, just you and I?" Scorpius suggested, blushing almost imperceptibly. He ducked his head, shyly.
Rose noticed none of his embarrassment or nervousness. She was busy trying to calm her heartbeat, admonishing herself for getting her hopes up. She needed to remember that she was just his friend. That she was just Rose. She took a deep breath, as if suppressing her strong emotions with the air, before she answered in a level, casual voice. "That would be nice, Scorp. It has been a while since we actually had a long conversation. I've missed that, you know!"
The blond's eyes lit up, but the redhead didn't notice. "I've missed it too, Rose" he said softly, the left sided smirk in place.
Rose just smiled, noticing the smirk and feeling happy herself. Yet a sadness weighed on her mind. She wished he'd missed speaking to her for the same reasons that she'd missed speaking to him. "I'll get the hot chocolate shall I? I don't feel like Butterbeer on Christmas Eve for some reason" she asked.
"Sure, I'll just be back, I just remembered something." Scorpius said before shoving his feet into his shoes and rushing off to the boys' dorm.
Rose just sighed and smiled to herself sadly. She was hoping for too much. Rose pulled out her wand and waved it and Summoned a large jug of hot chocolate and two mugs from the kitchen. She poured herself some and tucked her feet under her and settled back in her armchair to wait for Scorpius. She found her thoughts wandering; wrapping themselves around Scorpius. The eyes, the hair, the smirk, the kindness, the calmness, the intelligence. She wondered why she had to find the most perfect and unattainable person in the entire world and fall for him. As she chuckled wryly at her luck; Scorpius bounded down the stairs to the boys dorm and sat himself in his armchair. His hair had been pushed back and now Rose had a clear view of the eyes she tried her hardest not to drown in.
"So- how has the term been so far, Rose?" Scorpius asked, pouring himself some hot chocolate.
"It's been okay, uneventful. Top grades, and the huge amounts of studying that precede them! How have your Quidditch practices been? You better have got some work done; after all, it's because of them I haven't got to spend time with you!" Rose pouted playfully.
Scorpius smiled slightly, almost the left sided smirk. "Oh, yes, we got work done. Wood is every bit as brilliant her Dad, the rest are Weasleys and Potters so not much effort spent there!" he laughed.
Rose giggled softly, glad, that at last she could spend time with the one who lit up her life. "And am I to believe the rumours about your conquests? Supposedly certain brunette Ravenclaws?" she asked teasingly, though it pained her to think of Scorpius with any one else, anyone who wasn't her. She knew, however, that it was inevitable. But she needed to keep up pretences, the talks about painful subjects were necessary.
Scorpius turned a violent shade of red. "Rose! It's not true! I swear! They're just rumours to mess with our Quidditch Team. I promise you that they aren't true! I don't love anyone other than you! Merlin, I don't even see anyone other than you!" as he uttered the last sentence, Scorpius seemed to realise how big a mistake he had made. He stared at Rose, sure that the shock on her face reflected the same emotion on his.
His eyes widened and he stuttered an apology, "Rose, I'm-I'm sorry. Real- really, I am, I never meant for you to-to find out like that, it just- it just slipped out. I'm sorry Rose, please, just ignore what I said. Let's just go back to being friends and forget about all of this!" he looked pained, stricken.
Rose cocked he head to one side, amazed that the smirk was absent. There was no trace of his trademark smirk on his handsome, now terrified, face. She could hardly believe her ears. Scorpius Malfoy- the boy who had captured her heart- admitting that he loved her, the way she loved him was beyond her comprehension. She couldn't believe it. All her hopes, her wishes, her dreams, her fantasies had come true. But it couldn't possibly be true, could it? But then again he wouldn't hurt her like this, would he? It wasn't a prank or a joke, was it?
"Scorpius, please… just- just- tell me that you aren't lying. Please, tell me that this isn't some elaborate prank that Al and James thought of. Please, Scorpius tell me that it's true. Please!" the redhead whimpered, tearing- on the brink of joy; yet holding herself back because of fear.
"What? Rose? You mean-you mean that… you're not mad at me? You feel… erm… you feel the same way I feel about you? Really? As in you love me? Non-platonically? As more than a friend?" the blond asked eyes wide with wonderment as he jumped off his armchair and kneeled before Rose. The redhead's hands were clasped tightly around her mug, she was speechless, her eyes gave nothing away.
"Rose, please say something, anything. Don't leave me guessing. Please" begged Scorpius wrapping his hands around hers.
"Scorpius" was all that Rose could muster the energy to say, "Tell me that it's true. Tell me that you aren't lying."
"Rose! Why would I lie? You're my friend. You're not skinny like the Cover Witches on Quidditch Digest, you're not abnormally curvy like some of your cousins. You're perfect!" he said reverently. "You aren't an athlete, yet you love Quidditch and you come and watch my every game. You're the smartest, sweetest and most intelligent witch in our year and I'm sure that you'll be Head Girl next year. You're perfect!" he said, "You're my best friend. You're Rose!"
As Scorpius spoke he noticed Rose begin to cry, but he had to go on, he had to. Now that she knew how he felt she needed to know everything. But seeing her break down completely as he said her name as though it was the most beautiful, powerful and magical thing in the world, Scorpius felt that he couldn't go on, not if what he said hurt her; caused her sorrow. He didn't deserve her, he'd hurt her with his words, he was just her best friend. He was just Scorpius.
Scorpius squeezed her hands one last time and murmured, "I'm sorry Rose, I truly am! But this is the truth. I love you more than anyone can possibly imagine; but if you don't like the thought of it, that's okay. I'll never get over you, but I won't mope like a lovesick fool and ruin your life. I swear Rose, you deserve to be happy. Please don't cry, Rose, please. It breaks my heart." And with that Scorpius dropped her hands and stood up, gazing at his best friend with a spurned lover's eyes. The next time he looked at her, he swore, it would be with the gaze of a friend, of a brother. She was too good to be his. To her, he was just her best friend. He was just Scorpius.
When she heard his voice break at his last words, she finally understood the meaning of what he said. He loved her. More than anything she could imagine. And the intensity of his love was beautiful, powerful and magical- she could feel it in the air, hear it in his words, see it in those now dejected grey eyes. And then she decided that she had to act. She set down her mug on the table in front of her, carefully and pushed her red hair out of her eyes. She stood up and walked towards Scorpius who was drinking in her appearance with the air of one who knew that he was about to die. She stopped right in front of him and whispered softly, shyly, "I love you too Scorpius." And then she threw her arms around him, content to be in his warm, albeit surprised, embrace.
"You feel the same way Rose?" he said, as though confirming what he had heard "You have no idea how long I waited for you to say that."
"I have wanted to say that for as long, maybe longer!" Rose replied sweetly, yet confidently- now that everything was out in the open. Scorpius hugged her closer, not wanting anything more in that moment. Rose pulled back a little and planted a tiny, soft kiss on his cheek. "Merry Christmas, Scorp!" she whispered and laughed when she saw the full smirk on his lips- he was victorious.
"Merry Christmas to you too Rose!" the blond chuckled as his smirk widened and he pulled out a small package wrapped in brown paper from his pocket. "This is for you." He said quietly.
Rose pulled back a little from his embrace, eyeing him quizzically. "I thought I couldn't open presents till Christmas morning!" she teased.
"Oh just open it!" said Scorpius letting Rose pull back but holding her close at the same time. The redhead smiled and nodded as she ripped the brown paper off the present. She gasped when she saw it- it was a small pencil sketch of the two of them. Rose and Scorpius.
"Scorpius… its-its beautiful!" Rose whispered, smiling through tears of joy.
"I know, you are!" Replied the blond- dazed; as though shocked that his dreams had finally come true. "I made this back in third year, Rose." He confessed, his pale skin turning a light pink. "I realised back then that what I'd felt for you since the second year was the real thing, that I'd never get over it."
"That's about the same time I realised the same thing!" Rose replied, kissing him on the cheek again.
Scorpius hooked a finger under her chin and raised her eyes to meet his. "I love you Rose Weasley. I always will."
Rose didn't reply. She knew that Scorpius knew exactly how much she loved him. Words were unnecessary; instead she smiled at him before resting her head on his shoulder as he tightened his hold around her waist. They were happy, satisfied in the moment. A delighted smile on her face and a victorious smirk on his, they were perfect. They were just Scorpius and Rose.
Just Rose and Scorpius…
~littlegirlgonemad~
Author's Note: Well, any thoughts? You know what to do! (cough*review*cough)
Rose Weasley: Hogwarts Head Girl Chapter 3 went up yesterday. Do Read and Review it!
Incidentally, Dreams Do Come True is my longest one-shot ever! Its 6 pages on Word and 2737 words!