"Can anyone tell me what a Mandrake is?" asked Professor Longbottom.
"Oh-oh! I know it!" called out Rose Weasley excitedly.
"Yes, of course you do, Miss Weasley. Does anyone else know?" Professor Longbottom asked the class. "Oh all right then, Miss Weasley. Take it away."
"A Mandrake is a root that resembles a human," answered Rose.
"Correct! Ten points to Ravenclaw. You have definitely inherited your mother's brains," exclaimed Professor Longbottom with pride.
"I wasn't finished…" muttered Rose softly, so she wouldn't disturb Professor Longbottom. She tried to focus on Professor Longbottom's lecture, but was having slight difficulties due to the constant snickering behind her.
"Will you three stop your snickering? I'm trying to focus!" Rose whispered angrily.
"Sure thing, ginger," said one boy from Slytherin, which caused two of the three to snicker even louder. One Slytherin boy was not, however.
"Oh, stop it," whispered the non-snickering boy. His friends glared at him. "I mean- stop being such a nerd!" more snickering. For some odd reason, the boy seemed to have been defending her. I'll have to keep my eye on him, she thought, and continued taking notes on Mandrakes.
Shortly after, the bell rang for lunch, and next on Rose's schedule was Transfiguration with Hufflepuff. She was the last one to leave the Green House, as usual. But this time that Slytherin boy was there, too. They bumped into each other while heading for the door, and, sure enough, the books they were carrying ended up spilled on the floor. Luckily the other two Slytherins were well on their way to the Great Hall.
"Oh..umm… Sorry," he mumbled, otherwise silently helping her re-stack her books neatly.
"That's all right." Said Rose.
"I'm… um… Scorpius Malfoy," blushed Scorpius. His now rosy cheeks greatly clashed with his short, spiky blonde hair.
"Rose Weasley," Rose returned in greeting.
"Um… 'bye." Said Scorpius, who left in a hurry, walking with purpose to the Great Hall. Boys. Rose knew of the Malfoy's from her father's lectures, but had never actually met a Malfoy, until now. According to her father, she should keep away from them as best and as far as she could. But there was something different about Scorpius. She just wasn't sure what.
In the Great Hall she barely talked to her friends; Parvati Patil and Artemis Lovegood. Her mind was set on the Slytherin table in front of her. She could see Scorpius sitting with his friends laughing about something she did not know, most likely about her or muggles. Suddenly Scorpius lost interest and caught eyes with Rose. Rose could feel herself blushing. She awkwardly looked down at her plate, foolishly hoping that he didn't notice. But she knew he did.
"What's the matter, Rose?" asked Artemis.
"Nuhfing," said Rose with a mouthfull of Sheppard's Pie.
"Are you sure you're okay?" asked Parvati, obviously aware of Rose's sudden change in behavior.
"Yes, I'm perfectly fine, thank you. I think I'll go to the library now." Rose excused herself. She wiped her mouth with a napkin and grabbed her bag and left. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Scorpius get up too. He couldn't possibly have any interest in the library, though. He must be heading to the bathrooms or somewhere. Rose shook her head. I have to snap out of this, I'm not like those other girls, drowning their eyes out over boys. She silently scolded herself and continued down the corridor as fast as she could.
