Written for the Of Blank and Blank Competition.

Of Challenges and Tables

"Rose," Lily said coming to sit down beside her cousin, "Why don't you go sit by Scorpius?"

Rose glanced over at Lily and then looked over at the Slytherin table where Scorpius sat with his group of friends. Part of her wanted to go over, just to see if he would leave his friends for her. But it still felt forbidden.

"Why?" Rose asked. "I'll see him in potions as soon as breakfast is over." She went back to her breakfast hoping that Lily would leave it at that.

Of course she didn't. Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "You always see him in potions. I see my boyfriend outside of class."

It was easy for Lily to say, she was dating a Gryffindor and her parents were perfectly fine with his and Lily's relationship.

Rose and Scorpius's was another story. When Rose had written her parents to tell them her mother had written back saying that her father had wanted to send a howler. Her mother had never said it in the letter, but Rose could tell from the way that she tried not to address her feelings on relationship that she didn't really approve.

Rose had almost not gone home for Christmas that year for fear of what her family would say. She was finally convinced that it would be worse for her to stay. Her father, along with several of her uncles, spent the first half of the holiday lecturing her on how a Malfoy would only hurt her and that she should get out while she could. Only when her mother told them to let it go did they finally stop. They continued to give her knowing looks across the room when they thought no one else was looking.

It had been a relief to return to Hogwarts, at least until Lily started pestering her about the time she spent with Scorpius.

"Why don't you go see him now?" Lily was saying.

"Because," Rose replied.

"That's not an answer. You two are dating, I see no reason why you shouldn't be allowed to sit by him at breakfast."

"People just don't do that, Lily. He sits at his table and I sit at mine."

"Are you scared?" Lily taunted.

"No!" Rose answered. Every since Rose and Scorpius had begun publicly dating Lily had been encouraging them to spend more time together. Rose was alright with it sometimes but other times she was afraid that it would upset the balance between their two houses. Rose had heard plenty of stories about what the relationship between the Slytherins and Gryffindors was when her parents, aunts, and uncles were at school and she knew things had improved. However, she still didn't think that it was a good idea for a Gryffindor to go sit at the Slytherin table. "I just see no reason to go over there when I know it will upset his friends and cause a huge mess."

"You don't know that it will."

"Yes I do," Rose protested.

"You are scared then. You're scared that he will get mad and break up with you."

"I'm not. I could go sit by him if I wanted to."

"Then do it."

It was a challenge and Rose knew it. She had to accept.

She stood slowly and walked towards the Slytherin table.

Scorpius looked up when she was standing beside him. "Rose," he said sounding slightly surprised. "What are you doing?"

"Coming to sit by you," Rose answered sounding braver than she felt. Even though she hated to admit it some of the Slytherins scared her.

Scorpius smiled slightly, still looking confused. "Oh," he said. "Well sit then." He slid over to make space for her on the bench.

Rose sat trying not to look too uncomfortable. Lily was right. Scorpius was her boyfriend and she had every right to sit by him if she wanted.

"So…" Scorpius said.

Rose laughed.

"What?" Scorpius asked.

"Nothing," Rose answered.

"No really, tell me what's so funny."

"I don't know," Rose said still laughing. "Lily told me to come sit by you but I didn't think it would be this…you know."

"This what?"

"Awkward," she gestured to all of his friends who were staring at them as if they were crazy, and they probably were.

Scorpius leaned closer to whisper in Rose's ear, "I don't care about them."

Rose laughed. "Good."

Scorpius leaned in and kissed her. Rose usually hated when he kissed her in public but today she didn't. That will show Lily, she thought I can sit at any table I want. Though why she would want to sit at any but Scorpius's she didn't know.