Chapter 1: Love Thy Enemy
Night...
It was the darkness. It was the sweet covering of the daylight. It served as the mask for the creatures of the darkness, the night. It brought out the worst things in existence, the demons and monsters. But it also brought things out as well. Night was the traditional time of love, of passion. To bask in the moonlight with your lover, to feel their flesh beneath your fingers as you held them, that was the sweetest gift of them all.
But it was one that Scorpius Malfoy was not allowed...
He loved the night. It was so soft to him. Many feared it, but he embraced it. It shielded him from the horrors of the daylight. yes, there were those that hid within it, and many were worse than anything the night ever produced. Scorpius was a lover of the darkness, the night's shield was for him. It protected him from the world, held him to her black breast. And while many students would be sleeping, he would dare to venture out into the castle's dark corners, exploring the blackness. Filch the elderly watchman, could never catch him even if he tried, so fast Scorpius conditioned himself to be.
But it was that one thing that he could not have, that he could not explore within the castle. in fact, it was not the castle itself. It was her...
The same girl he had seen with her parents, all those years ago, when he had been first preparing for this school...
That fiery red hair...those eyes...
Rose Weasley. The daughter of his family's sworn enemy. It was like some magical version of Romeo and Juliet, though he had never been able to even say more than a few words to her, so scared he was that he would mess up. But he had seen her staring at him on several occasions, and had not stopped her by glancing back at her, but allowed her to watch him, loving the feel of her eyes on him, almost as if it was a caress, but that would have been going to far.
By the gods...what was he thinking...
He could never approach this girl. His father had made it clear that he would like Scorpius to be a better man then he was, but that would have been taking it a step too far. And his grandfather would surely go so far as attempt to kill him as a blood traitor to the Malfoy family name if he ever found out about the love Scorpius had for the Weasley girl. Scorpius contemplated this as he made his way to the top of the tower.
The Astronomy tower was his favorite place to be at night. If he could, he would very much stay there then in his usual common room. Here was the open sky, the fresh air. He was not surrounded by the snoring and petty grumbles of his house mates. Here he was...free.
He reached the top and walked over to the railing. He looked out at the surrounding countryside, loving it's silvery glow in the moonlight of the full moon. He closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. The memory of his first day came to him as he did so, and he basked in it's warmth...
The frightened first years walked into the large hall, surrounded by hundreds of strange and rather frightening people. Though they were welcomed by smiles and gestures of friendship, there was nothing more scarier to an eleven year old than to walk into a the biggest area they had ever seen and be looked at by so many people.
Scorpius was in the middle of the pack, surrounded by what seemed like equally scared classmates. He knew what legacy he had in his line. And it was not a pleasant one at all. His grandfather had often told him that the house of Slytherin was the only place for people like them, purebloods as he said. Scorpius did not understand the need. Blood was blood. It flowed in everyone the exact same way, through the exact same veins. Scorpius always considered the heart to be where true purity was, but he was always to scared to voice this to his grandfather.
His father was a bit more lenient. He told him to simply do well, and to make sure he honored his family line, no matter what house he was selected to serve in. His mother said things along the same lines, and so Scorpius was walked with as much confidence as he could muster, though this faded in the light of what was happening.
The teacher, Professor Longbottom, began to read off names, and one by one, each student walked over and put the strange talking hat on. The first was Albus Potter. The hat was placed on him and it gave a resounding laugh.
"Well there, there be no need for debate here. Gryffindor!"
There was a resounding clap and a cheer, and the reddish golden table stood up to welcome him. he sat there, and looked as though he was about to pass out from the relief that was no doubt gushing through him. Several others were called up, and they were sorted into their houses as well, a good mixture of the four.
"Rose Weasley!"
That girl he had seen at the station, the one he had not been able to take his eyes off of, sat on the stool. The hat was placed in her, and it gave a chuckle. It did not even mutter any words or small talk.
"Gryffindor!"
She sat with her classmates. The crowd around him dwindled more and more. Until finally he alone, out of all of them stood there, with every single eye looking at him.
"Scorpius Malfoy?" Professor Longbottom asked.
"Ye..Yes sir..." Scorpius chirped out in an undignified voice. Longbottom chuckled and beckoned him forward. He walked to the stool and sat down, the hat placed above him. The was silence for a long while, and Scorpius tough he was surely going to pass out right there. Then the hat let out a thoughtful hum.
"I have seen your family before, and they have all gone to the house of Slytherin."
Scorpius closed his eyes. He did not care what house he was sorted in. As long as this whole process was through with.
"But there is something different about you. I cannot quite place it. But there is something that sets you apart from them...but what could it be...?"
Dear gods, Scorpius thought. Let this be over quickly...
"That's it..." the hat mumbled.
What was it?
The hat said nothing else. Only one word.
"Gryffindor!"
He had been sorted into the complete opposite house of his forefathers. Scorpius slowly walked over to the table and sat down, shell shocked at what had happened. Gryffindor? How? He had been from a line of Slytherins as far back as the Malfoy line stretched. He had the blood of Slytherins in him...
Why would he end up in the completely opposite house...?
He was snapped out of his memories by the sound of a scraping foot along the floor. He whirled around to find a shudder of movement walking toward the top of the tower, from his perch atop the stairs. He had no way of getting down there unseen, and so he fled into the shadows of the corner of the room, crouching down to blend into the merciful darkness. He waited for the person coming up to come to the top. And she appeared.
It was her. Rose Weasley had come to the top of the Astronomy Tower, for reasons that perplexed Scorpius./ She had never come here while he was here. In fact, no one ever did. He was always free with his thought here, free as the open sky that it reached into. But now Rose had come into that space, and Scorpius wanted to know why. He stayed in his crouched position, and watched her approach the railing, staring out into the sky.
She was crying? Why would she be crying? He had never before seen so strong willed girl in his life. She had stood up to the bullies of Slytherin, outsmarted Ravenclaw students, and been more compassionate than the Hufflepuffs. And she had had a stout heart as she did so. Why would she be crying here, in the middle of the night?
Angels shouldn't cry...he struck that thought from his mind the moment it came to him. It wouldn't do good for him to think that of her. What would his family think? his grandfather was still upset after these years...but she was an angel.
She stared out at the sky and the grounds, the tears flowing down her cheeks and soft sobs coming from her throat. Scorpius strained to hear if she would be mumbling anything that would reveal why she was crying, but she was content to simply mourn for whatever reason she was feeling. She sucked in her breathe and swallowed her tears for the moment.
"Why?" She asked the night. Scorpius risked moving a little closer to hear.
"Why does it have to be this way? Why do you have to be so cruel?"
Cruel? Who was cruel to Rose...if he found out who they were, he would secretly arrange to have them feel what the very definition of pain was. Rose continued.
"I have passed everything here with flying colors, surpassed even my own mom in several areas. I have done everything I can to honor my parents...so why must you be so heartless? Why must you make me fall?"
Fall? What did she mean by that?
"Of all of them...of every single boy in this whole school...why does it need to be him? Can you answer me that? Why he has to be the one I look at? Why he must be the one I feel so much for, even though I cannot bear myself to have more than a few words with him?"
Was she...was she in love with someone? Scorpius was in love with her...he could no longer deny it. To hell with his family, he knew what was within his heart. Who was this that Rose loved. Just as much as he swore he would find what it was that was making her world so painful, he would see to it that she found the man she was wanting, for this girl deserved as much.
She was looking up at the sky now. Staring up at something that he could not see from his position. But she looked up at the sky with tear filled eyes, and despite that, a smile crossed her face, a smile that could melt the heart of the coldest man, provided it were still beating.
"Scorpius..."
Did she just say his name? Did she just say his name?
"Why is it you...?"
Was she...by the gods...was she confessing to herself that she was in love with him? In love with the same person that her family had gone to war with not one generation past? The wounds would not have healed so soon, this could not possibly be so. No Weasley would ever love a Malfoy, not after the war.
But then again, a Malfoy could love a Weasley, for he himself had just confessed that to himself, if not in the dramatic flair that Rose was doing now.
"How could it be you?" she asked, and Scorpius realized that she was looking up at the constellation that he had been named for. That had to be it. Was she looking at his constellation and believing that it was indeed him? That was it, he could not hold back any longer. He slowly stood up. But as he did so, he knocked into one of the telescopes, alarming the girl. She whirled around, her wand in her hand before he could say a word. But instinct had blessed him with skills of his own as well.
Weasley sent a stunning charm at the noise, and before the bolt could hit him, Scorpius summoned a shield in front of himself, taking the blow of the spell. In front of him, Rose was in a defensive stance, braced to move in a second's notice.
"Who's there!" She demanded. Scorpius slowly stepped out from the shadows, his wand in his hand, though his hands were slightly parted in a gesture of truce.
"Easy there, Rose. It's just me."
Recognition traced her features. She slowly lowered her wand, but maintained her position. Scorpius slowly approached her, keeping his wand in her field of vision to calm her nerves.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"I always come up here at night. I like it here."
She nodded and then slowly put her wand back. Scorpius walked next to her and looked out at the stars. In an attempt to keep her here for just a moment longer, he invited her over to star-gaze with him.
"I always liked looking at those," He said. Rose nodded, moving a little closer to him. He pointed out some of the more harder to see constellations, and remarked on a little of their history.
"You do know quite a bit about the stars."
"A lot of my family is named after them."
Rose nodded and turned back to the stars, but she seemed a little nervous. No doubt she was wondering if he had overheard her little talk with herself. He was till playing it over and over within his mind, trying to think about how to word his revelation to her. He could not deny it any longer. His Malfoy heart was hers. To fight it any longer could cause pain unimaginable to him right now. He needed to say it to her. But how to word it?
"Rose, I've kinda got a question for you?"
"Yeah Scorpius?"
"Do you think...well, your bloody brilliant and all...so I was wondering if you thought that it was possible that something like...let's say, Romeo And Juliet...could indeed be possible?"
Rose tilted her head.
"What do you mean?"
Scorpius sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought. He was trying to "drop the hint" without full out saying it.
"Do you believe that love can override any and all logic?"
"Of course. Love is not logical. It is a powerful force that cannot be measured."
Scorpius nodded.
"Why are you asking me this, Scorpius?"
How to say it? How does he confess that he was in love with her? There was the simple blunt way of saying it. But he would never have the guts to say it, Gryffindor or not. So how does he word it?
"Well, you see Rose, there is this girl..."
Rose suddenly let out a wide smile.
"Are you saying your in love?"
"Well, I think I am. But I am worried that she may not love me..."
Rose had just confessed to herself that she loved him, as he heard from the shadows. He was surprised that she was not acting nervous or anything, as if he had heard it. But she may just have that stoicism in her that he did not. Rose always was very collected, something he envied.
"Well, the just tell her how you feel then. I'm sure she'd understand."
"I am not worried about that. I'm worried about what my family would do if they knew I loved her."
"Don't worry about them. If they love you then they will accept it."
Scorpius nodded. Rose had told him what he needed to do. Now he just needed to do it and hope to Merlin for the best.
"Rose, there is something I have been meaning to tell you for...quite some time..."
She cocked and eyebrow and turned to face him fully. Scorpius gave a very undignified swallow and continued.
"I have...well, ever since I came to know you better...let's say that you are a very special girl..."
"Scorpius, what are you trying to say?" Her voice sounded nervous now, almost as if she were suddenly realizing what he was about to say.
"Rose Weasley...I love you."
There was a silence that would have put the grave to shame. Rose looked at him for a moment in a complete deer-in-the-headlights look. Scorpius swallowed. And then he swallowed again. He had never been as nervous as he was now in all his seventeen years. Rose opened her mouth to say something, but she could not seem to force the words out. Scorpius took a step back, as he had seen girls do this before virtually exploding. He braced for the attack, but to his surprise it never came.
"You love me...?" She asked in a low whisper, so quiet that Scorpius barely could hear it.
"Yeah...for quite a while now...I just can't understand why but...I have never felt anything for anyone quite like you..."
She swallowed like him and and licked her lips. Scorpius decided it was time to leave. He knew she would have a hard time to grasp this. He had heard her talk to herself, but this was noticeably a tense time for them both and he felt that maybe he had said enough. He smiled at her as she tried to speak.
"Rose, you don't need to say anything. We can talk about this later. It's late..."
he turned to leave, feeling...different. he could not describe what he was feeling but it was a very different feeling than when he first got here, after hearing Rose confess about him to the stars. He heard her confess that she loved him. That was enough for him. They could setle it later.
He was almost near the steps down when he heard her call his name. It was low and soft, but he heard it loud and clear. He stopped and turned to face her.
"Yes Rose?"
She stared at him for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then she spoke.
"Did you hear what I said out loud?"
Simple question. It deserved a simple answer.
"Yes...yes I did."
Rose suddenly burst forward in a fast walk toward him. Her expression was still unreadable, but Scorpius was braced for whatever may happen. People tended not to walk that fast unless they were angry about something. Rose closed the distance between them faster than he though her capable of. Scorpius expected a slap or a harsh report due to his inadvertent hearing. But what he did not expect was the sudden kiss.
Yes, he did not expect anything like that. But Rose promptly marched right up to him and kissed him. His eyes shot open and he saw her's had closed as she pressed her lips upon his. But the surge of pleasure running through him overtook him and he slowly closed his eyes. The girl's lips were cold, probably from the night air. But his heart exploded in a fury of warmth that equaled nothing he had ever felt.
They broke apart for a moment, for sheer lack of air. Rose opened her eyes slightly and gave a small smile. Scorpius smiled back at the red-haired angel.
"I guess that's your answer?" He asked.
"Something along those lines," She replied.
Their lips came together again, and Scorpius felt her hand wrap around his neck, and he reached up and tenderly stroked her cheek, feeling the warmth of her flesh despite the chilly night. Rose whimpered and pressed against him tighter, pressing her body tightly against his. Scorpius slowly reached around and held her waist. They broke apart several times again, only to crash together once more.
What they were doing was forbidden. Their family's were at war several decades ago, and tensions between their parents may have somewhat lessened, but never to this degree. There could be no forgiveness for what they were doing right there in that tower, but to them, the world, in all it's cold and darkness, was warm. For just that moment, they were feeling peace.
They broke apart for the final time. Brown eyes looked into cold gray ones. The eyes of two teens who had grown up hearing only the deeds of their parents, and how they should not trust each other, met and locked. They stared into each other for a long time, not moving and barely breathing. There was only a silent transition, of something that no one could explain, running between the two of them.
"We really...we really need to get back..." Rose said.
"Yeah...we should..."
"Scorpius..."
"Yes?"
"Meet me here tomorrow night...about an hour after lights out."
Scorpius nodded.
"All right then. Go on ahead. I'll be back in just a few minutes."
Rose nodded and caressed his cheek one last time before disappearing into the blackness of the stair case. Scorpius listened to her footsteps fading, and then looked out back into the vast, dark sky. He was surprised to see the stars twinkling better than ever, and they were brighter than he had ever seen them. He smiled, thanking fate for being so merciful to him on this cold night...
The next day was a blur of nothingness. It was Friday and so everyone was excitedly jabbering over what activities they would do over the weekend. But Scorpius's mind kept traveling back to last night in the tower, feeling Rose Weasley's lips against his. he felt himself feeling his lips when thinking about that moment, and quickly cut the habit after he was asked about it.
He did not see Rose anywhere. He did not know what she was up to, but he had a feeling that whatever it was, he might end up liking it. Strike that, he would like it. Everything he had see that girl attempt, she had succeed at. Except for Quidditch, in which she was not all that interested, she excelled. She was just like her mom, he had heard others say. But when they talked about him, they always said it in hushed whispers, not wanting him to hear. He knew what they were saying.
Why did they judge him by his forefathers? Was the sins of the father the sins of the son? Was he not a free boy, free from his father's past deeds? Must he be so strangled by his ancestry? The world was a cruel place to be, but there were those glimmers of warmth, and Rose had given him one of those last night. Why had she asked him back there tonight he did not know. He was going to go up there anyway, as he often did. What did she have planned?
The day ticked onward at an agonizing pace. he found himself pacing, as his fellow students ran out at the end of the school day to have what fun they may. He forced himself to sit in the chair for a while, his eyes staring into the fire. He played with his hands, and then his robes, before finally giving up and going back to pacing. He mind was full of Weasley's brown eyes.
Finally, the call for students to get to bed was rung out, and the common room emptied, Scorpius staying in his chair, lost n thought. No one bothered him as he sat there, and he did not wish to bothered so. He simply ticked the minutes off the clock, waiting for the magic hour after curfew. And then he got up and left through the portrait. Checking to make sure his way was clear, he slowly made his way to the tower.
He entered the tower and slowly walked up the stairs, each step resounding in the quiet gloom. He reached the top and glanced at the edge, to see the figure of Rose standing there, looking out into the landscape. He slowly began to approach.
"Why did we fall?" She asked, her back still to him.
Scorpius froze on the spot. he had no answer for her.
"I don't know..."
"A bigger question would be how we fell."
"What do you mean fell?" He asked her. She chuckled, her back still to him.
"In love, you silly boy."
"Oh. To be honest, I do not think we fell."
She turned around to face him, and he saw her eyes fixed upon him once more, and found himself drowning in them. Rose was an extremely beautiful girl. He felt that if there was only one face to see for the rest of his life, it was that one.
"What do you mean?" She asked. Scorpius slowly walked up to her until he was nose to nose.
"I think...that we jumped."
She turned completely around, and took a deep breathe. Scorpius did the same, and their lips met. The passion of the previous night was relit as they slowly wrapped each other up in embrace. Scorpius buried himself in her red hair, and she in turn locked her face into his chest. They held each other and rocked in unison. Rose softly was muttering to herself, and Scorpius swore he heard her say "love" in her speech.
He lifted her head up once more and kissed her deeply. Their eyes were closed and their hearts were on fire. Rose slwoly peeled away from him and looked him in the eyes, sending something to his consciousness that instructed him, told him what she wanted. And he complied with her silent plea.
Slowly, he reached down and raised her shirt up slowly and then completely took it off. Her skin was somewhat pale, yet so warm when she laid it upon his now bare upper torso. She attacked his face more passionately now, and they slowly descended to the ground, holding each other tightly.
They did not attack each other with a passion that had been long subdued, even if that had been the case. No, they held each other with utmost tenderness, for both had now found something that gave them peace, and Scorpius felt that if he held her to tightly, she might break beneath him. Their naked bodies moved together rhythmically, the scene lit only by the moonlight. Rose's face was flushed as the heat of the moment reached it's climax, and her hands gripped Scorpius's back and her fingers dug in. Her head was leaned back, exposing her neck, which Scorpius placed soft kisses upon as he reached the moment of climax.
After they had satisfied their most primal urges, they laid there with each other, allowing each other to simply feel the body of the one they now loved more than anything. They cuddled together, their arms around each other, and her head resting on his shoulder. Scorpius thought he felt tears from her eyes, and leaned back to look into them. yes, she was indeed crying.
"Rose...what's wrong?"
"Nothing...it's just...I don't know how our parents will think when they find out about us...because they will find out..."
Scorpius shook his head.
"As you said Rose, if they love us, they will see that this makes us happy. That we make each other happy."
Rose sniffled.
"And what if they don't...?"
Scorpius gave her a look of fierce fire, a look of a guardian.
"Then to hell with them. I love you Rose Weasley. Nothing is going to change that. Not them, not your uncle and my grandfather, not even fate itself. My heart...is yours."
Rose looked into his eyes as he spoke, and her lip slightly trembled. The moment he finished, she slowly leaned in, and the next few minutes were lost in each other once more...