The first time I approached her, she was sitting by her own on one of the last compartments of the train on our first year. I didn't knock nor ask for permission to enter. Instead I walked into it, sat across her and waited for her to look up from the book she was reading.
She didn't.
I cleared my throat to catch her attention, she didn't even flinch. Tried a little harder, almost drying my throat in the process. Not even a blink. She kept reading like it was the most fascinating piece of literature ever written.
In that moment my patience began to falter, no one have ever had the nerve to not acknowledge my presence nor ignore me with such an ease that it almost made me question if in fact I was invisible.
Frowning I crossed my arms over my chest and started to tap the floor with my right foot. And just like my last attempt to unglue her from her book, it had been fruitless. I crocked my head to my right and gazed her intensely. Hoping that my glare might spark an interest on her and finally look up for a second. I was proven wrong.
Frustraded I let out an angry sigh escape my lips and stood up. I slidded the door to let myself out, before giving her one las look.
"You're pretty, for a nerd"
And I left, not before glancing over my shoulder as I closed the door and noticing the hint of a smile curving on her lips.
-.-
The second time we were sitting on the back of Potions. Normally that's were I usually sat, so naturally it had been a surprise not to only see her arrive late but take the free spot next to me. When she always, without exception, took a spot of the front.
She didn't wait for my permission before she sat ungalantly next to me and started to unpack her things. I raised an eyebrow as I watched how her big fuzzy red mane appeared and dissapered from under the desk. Until finally all her utensils were on the table.
I was ready to pay a nice remark on the bush she called hair, when she turned to me.
"Do you mind if I borrow your notes? I forgot my glasses and I can't see the blackboard from here"
I blinked surprised at this, in all the two years of sharing classes with her I had never seen her wearing glasses before. She seemed to read my mind because she interrupted my thoughts.
"Usually I wear contacts but today, as you noticed, I didn't have much to time to spare and be shallow"
I chuckled as I remembered how most of my female companions woke up at ungodly hours to get paint on their faces, so naturally I couldn't agree more to what extent girls could go in order to enhance her appearances. And that included perpetrating their eyes.
"I personally believe that is such a nonsense to torture one's eyes for the pure benefit of not letting anyone know that our sight is unapaired" I said as I passed her my notes.
"You clearly haven't seen my glasses" she responded smiling as she resumed copying my notes.
I smirked as I watched her a couple of seconds before I spoke.
"Well I'll be the judge of that, if you show them to me"
She looked up and raised a brow questiongly
"And why would I do that?"
I thought for a second before I made up my mind.
"Because I can teach you how to breed the potion my mother uses for ocassions that, as you plainly put it, she wants to be shallow"
She watched me for a couple of seconds, seizing my offer before she smiled and extended her right hand towards me. Frowning I took it and she shook it firmly.
"Deal"
I nodded but before I could turn back to the professor, I noticed by the corner of my eye how she went down to her bag and pulled out a case. I frowned and turned towards her. Before I could say anything she pulled out of a set of glasses from the case and wore them.
She had been correct, not only they were outdated but made her blue eyes look smaller than they were. Before I could say anything, I remembered my mother and how she always told me to be thoughtful and never critize a woman. At least not on her face. But then again she told me to be honest too.
"You're right, they're hideous" I said.
To my surprise she didn't take offense on my comment, instead she took them off.
"Told you so" she said and continued copying my notes.
"However..." I said looking at her "You make them look, decent" I smirked before turning back to the professor. Noting by the corner of my eyes her cheeks tainting pink before she muttering.
"Shut up, Malfoy"
-.-
The third time I was walking back to the castle after our first evening on Hogsmead, Albus was retelling the prank he set up to the clerk on his uncle's new joke shop, when I spotted a familiar redhead ahead of us. I excused myself with the group as I quicken my pase so i could catch on her. She was carrying a paper bag with both arms, that clearly was over her physic capabilities, so naturally the manners implanted by my mother kicked in.
"Need a hand Weasley?"
"More like three actually, but I can manage" she replied behind the bag as she hugged it tighter.
"You sure?" I insisted as I kept trying to take the bag of her hands.
"Yeah, just the stupid glasses getting on the way"
I frowned confused but finally I could a glimpse of her face, indeed the glasses were slipping down to the tip of her nose. And as I was already aware, she was blinder than that old hag that taught divination. So I could clearly understand the predicament.
"Here, let me help you" I tried once more to take the bag, but she pulled it away.
"No, it's ok" she puffed, evading my arms.
"I insist"
"And I say I'm ok" she evaded once more.
"Ok, if you don't let me carry that..." I said before placing myself in front of her, making her stop.
She looked up confused and rose an eyebrow, I smirked before reaching my right index to the bridge of her glasses and pushing it up.
"Let me help you with this instead"
She blinked a couple of times before smiling softly or at least that's what I thought she did. Since the bag was covering all her face except her eyes.
"Thanks, Malfoy"
"Please call me Scorpius" I blurted before I could realize what I just said.
She didn't seem to notice, she just nodded.
"Ok only if you call me Rose. Not Rosie or Rosy. Got it?" she demanded frowning.
I smiled and nodded in response as I tried once more to retrieve the bag from her hands. This time she allowed me.
-.-
After that day somehow the two of us managed to create a civl relationship, when we crossed our paths she smiled at me or waved as she headed the other way. Also occasionally she sat next to me in the few classes we shared, which I wasn't going to complain, except for the days she forgot to use the potion for her eyes and kept on stealing my notes. In those days I kept reminding her that she owned a perfectly usable set of glasses. She just dismissed my comments and kept on pulling my parchment to her. There was the option of her going back to the front, but I didn't want her to. So I came up with a solution.
The last class of Potions before we headed back home to our holidays, I sat on my usual spot and placed my bag on the stool next to mine. Even if I knew that no one would dare to take that place, I didn't want to risk it. The class started to fill and I wondered where she was. I was getting restless when I spotted a bushy red mane coming trough the door. She smiled apologetically at me as she moved my bag to the table and started to pull out her things. Before she could finish I pull out of my bag a wrapped package and placed it on top of her things.
She was pulling out her pencil case when she noticed the package that didn't belong among her possessions. She took it with one hand and look at me questioningly with a raised brow.
"It a present, Rose. The norm is to say thank you and then open it"
She just rolled her eyes before smirking and opening it slowly, being extra careful in not tearing the paper nor the ribbon. My patience was almost ready to evaporate when finally she pulled out the black box. Frowning she opened it and pulled out a case of it. Licking her lower lip she opened it with the same care she took with the wrapping paper and pulled out a set of rectangular frameless glasses. She gasped and turned at me shocked and before she could say anything I shook my head.
"So you can stop stealing my notes" I said before turning my attention back to the front.
I could tell she wanted to say something, because she kept on switching looks from the glasses and me. I noted from the corner of my eye that she placed carefully the glasses down and without warning she threw herself at me and hugged me tightly and whispered her gratitude. I was in a state of shock that I couldn't do or say anything, but I was thankful she didn't expect anything. Instead she just pulled away. I waited a couple of seconds before speaking.
"So... That's what a bear hug feel like huh?"
She just snickered
-.-
The next year, at the beginning of February, I found myself sitting in the library with her. Rose kept on insisting that we were behind schedule and we needed to prepare for the finals. I told her she was delusional and that there was still four months before our final terms. But reminding her that only seemed to increase her sense of panic. So I ended up in a group of study between some of her fellow Gryffindors and some other brainiacs from the other houses. There was noting eventful those afternoons, we usually split out the work and share notes during our two hours of study.
It was the end of one particular session, which involved a pretty nasty translation of Ancient Runes, when Rose finally decided to called it a night and dismissed everyone. Normally I would had stayed with her and help her pick up the books we used and place them back to their shelves. But apparently I wasn't the only one staying that night. Michael Davies cleared his throat to make himself present. Rose spoke before me.
"Yes Michael?"
Smirking Michael pulled from his bag a long stem rose. Rose blinked confused at it then back at Michael. I just stood there, grasping the book I was carrying with more force than needed. But I waited for the same explanation as Rose was too.
"A rose for a Rose" Michael said after a couple of seconds before smiling widely and turning on his heels.
Taking a deep breath I dared to look at Rose's face, expecting to see awestruck or perhaps a mild case of redness on her cheeks. Instead I found her looking at the rose and placing it carelessly on the nearby table as she resumed with her packing. I didn't say anything until we were both finished and when we were ready to leave I noticed her leaving the rose on the table. I frowned and looked at her, but before speaking out my concernes she just said.
"I hate roses"
I waited for the reason behind her words, but none came so I spoke my concerns. "Why?"
She then stopped walking and turned to me, there was annoyance drawn on her face.
"Rose for a Rose? Really? He must had fried his brains with that one. Maybe I should consider changing my name to Galleon, at least I would get something useful instead of dead flowers on Valentine's"
I barked a laugh. Only her could manage to turn a token of affection to an insult. She must find my laughter contagious because seconds later she joined me. It wasn't until our stomachs started to ached that we stopped. Rose looked back to her usual self. I was glad about that. But then again I remembered that indeed it was Valentine's and I didn't get her anything. Then an idea popped in my head. I looked in my pockets and pulled out what I was looking for. I took her hand and placed the content into it. She looked at it confused then she started to laugh once again and I joined her.
I had been a galleon.
-.-
One of the things that I hate the most about my birthday is that no one seems to remember it. To my bad luck, my birthday was always at the beginning of June. So, naturally everyone was stressed out beyond the point of recognition to even bother to remember that today I turned 15. As I was walking the path back to my common room after dinner, I decided to get used to it and just be happy that at least my parents knew about it and send me gifts to prove it. So as I kept cursing mentally I opened the common room and strolled to my room and locked the door behind me. Once again I was thankful that we didn't have to share rooms. So as I threw myself on top of my bed, my head collided with something rigid. I groaned in protest as I pulled up in my bed. I frowned as I pulled out my wand and lighted up the room.
The perpetrator was a thin rectangular package, wrapped with emerald wrapping paper and circled by a delicate silver ribbon. Curious I took it on my lap and tore the paper. Inside laid a black quill, apparently the feather was from a hawk, and underneath it was a note. I placed the quill carefully on top of my drawer and pulled the note out. I instantly recognized the handwriting and I smiled.
'So you can keep on lending me your notes'
-.-
The holidays went out quickly to my pleasure. Obviously I enjoyed enormously the lack of activities and being spoiled by my parents and servants, but after two weeks of that it started to lose its flare and I was yearning to be busy. So when it was time to board the red steaming machine I was more than grateful I was heading back. But this year it would be a slightly different, I had been made prefect. My parents were delighted and took me to Greece as a celebration. So after getting tips of what to do and how to enjoy the privileges of being prefect, I walked straight to the prefect's compartment.
No one had arrived yet so I decided to enjoy the solitude until the rest arrived, it wasn't until later that the door was opened by none other than Rose. I jerked instantly from my spot, feeling a little embarrassed of being caught laying around. She didn't seem to notice, instead she smiled widely.
"You too?"
Resisting the impulse to roll my eyes and declare the obvious, I nodded.
"Great!" she exclaimed as she took the spot next to me. "I can't wait to go patrolling and enjoying the perks of having a badge"
Waggling my eyebrows at her I smirked mischievously "Like taking a bubble bath with other prefects for instance?"
Her face turned a deep shade of crimson, she was about to counter my insinuation when the door opened once more letting the rest of the prefects in. She just glared at me and punch me on the arm. Despite her height and complexion, her punches did hurt.
-.-
It wasn't till Halloween when I started to loathe the badge I was carrying on my chest, while the rest of the houses enjoyed a feast with fountains of chocolate and multicolored sweets, we prefects had to patrol the corridors. The reason? Apparently every Halloween some morons thought it was funny and original to prank all the students, so it was our duty to make sure that didn't happen. I started to regret accepting the position when I encountered Rose walking by the third floor. She was heading to my way and as I was ready to say hi, I noticed her drenched in what it seemed flour. I ran towards her.
"What happened?"
She didn't say anything, not at least something coherent. She just kept on muttering something about third years and how the next generations are dumber that the previous ones. I took out my wand and started to clean the flour from her. She thanked me once I was over, when I asked her why she didn't clean up herself. Rose blushed and looked away. Confused I asked once more.
"I forgot the spell" she whispered, looking away embarrassed.
In other moment I would had find this hilarious and mock her, it sure was improbable that the top or the grade could forget something as simple as a cleansing spell. But then again, the courage it took her to admit that to me gave a sense of pride. Somehow I felt special that Rose confessed this to me. So instead of laughing I placed my arm around her shoulders and walked right next to her.
"Come, let's go to the prefects bathrooms"
She turned at me scandalized, after catching the meaning behind my statement I could help but blush a little before I shook my head and smirked.
"Naturally, it would be only you tonight"
Rose smiled and looked straight ahead.
"Unless you want some company"
She snickered and pushed me away. I chuckled and kept her company until we reached the door and she spoke the password. She looked at me before getting in.
"Last chance to change your mind" I said with a teasing tone.
She just laughed "Pervert" she said before closing the door behind her.
-.-
"Hey Rose, have you ever kissed someone?"
Rose raised her face from the book she was currently copying notes from, naturally her interest has been ignited. Even if the question had come from Michael. I couldn't help but been curious myself, and waited for her response holding my breath. Somehow my ego couldn't bear the possibility that she had been tainted by someone else's lips. But what did I know about her anyway, it's not like we were glued together to know each of her movements. Yet I did share huge part of her time with the classes, prefect rounds and our study group. So you can understand my shock when not only she admitted to have kissed someone but in fact it had been with her boyfriend.
I was ready to meddle the conversation and demand some answers, but I didn't want to look hypocrite. Afterall I didn't shared my personal agenda with Rose, why would she? Glooming I turned back to the parchment and kept on weiting about the moonstones. It wasn't until everyone left, and like usual I helped her out picking up, that she started to snicker. Confused I turned to her and asked her what it was so funny. She just grinned.
"Nothing, just that I can't believe he bought that"
I blinked confused but then clarity reached my eyes. She had lied. Grinning I joined her merryment, while inside I somehow found it delightful she was still pure. But then again she might had lied about the boyfriend part but no the kissing. So I asked her before I could stop myself. She gave me a long look before answering.
"Oh that part was true. I just didn't want him to ask me out for the eighth time"
I muttered a quiet 'Oh' before I continued packing. Something foreign had settled in he depht of my stomach, making it queezy. As I kept on putting away, curiousity started to whisper its cruel taunts to my ears. I couldn't handle that annoying voice any longer, so I asked her who it had been. To my utter surprise she turned an exact replica of a beet. Hiding her face under her bushy hair and avoided my gaze. When I was about to tell her that she didn't have to say anything, she spoke.
"Lily"
My eyes opened like saucers and my mouth went dry.
"Lily?! As in Lily Potter?!"
She just nodded before turning to me with pain in her eyes. Then she started to explain what she had done it and it was just because she didn't want to be unexperienced and dissapoint the guy when it actually happened. But in my mind I couldn't care less what she had done it. Hell, no straight man should have ever question he motives nor mock her reasoning. That's a mental image that no man could ever refuse to have in his spank bank. Two red heads... Getting to know each other. Just brilliant.
I must have looked like a predator, because she slapped on the arm to bring me back to my senses. I shook my head and complained about her tendency to smack me around. Rose just muttered something about men before taking her bag and leaving the library. I didn't waste time and took my things and followed her.
"Just so you know" I said as I caught on her "If you need more classes or new techniques. I can open some space in my agenda"
She gave me a deadly glare before smacking my arm harder, acussing me from being a big pervert And storming out. I just stayed there, still clinging to the memory she just implanted in my head. The amount of gold any guy in this school would give to retrieve that memory from her head. Maybe I should start a fundraiser.
-.-
"Explain me again, why are we doing this?" I asked as I turned to my right.
"It's a muggle tradition! Everyone must eat a grape for each ring the bells gives before midnight and ask for 12 wishes" Rose said trilled as she picked up two cups filled with grapes and hand me over one.
I examined them closer and noticed they weren't seedles.
"You do know that even if I manage to insert these in my mouth in less than twelve seconds, I am going to choke on the seeds right?"
"Don't be such a party popper. Just amuse me, please?"
I was about to tell her exactly all the things I do just to 'amuse her' as she put it. But in that instant the rest of the crowd started to get restless. Apparently the count was about to begin. I glared at the grapes before taking one in my fingers and shove it in my mouth, then another, another and so one until I looked like a baboon. Trying my best to chew them as I kept on wishing not to choke on this darn things and repeating mentally that muggle traditions were deranged. I must had been very busy because I failed to hear the bells nor the multiple congratulations on the new year from everyone in the dinning hall. The only thing I did notice was the tenderness of her lips as they pressed to mine softly against mine.
I must had look like a buffon with my cheeks bloated with the remains of th grapes and my eyes wide open. She didn't seem to think that because she just smiled.
"And that's also another muggle tradition for new year's eve"
She turned to her friends as she starded hugging them. Finally my mind seemed to be working again and I swallowed the grapes that had a light taste of strawberry. Her lip balm no doubt. As I watched her, frozen in my spot I grinned fully.
Muggles were brilliant.
-.-
You might think that after an incident like that, we were now officially exclusive. But apparently that muggle tradition had some clauses that I failed to read on the contract. I tried to figure out how come she still treat me like we were still friends. Somedays I thought about this so hard that it started to give me a headache. So after a particular nasty migraine I decided to forget the incident and pretend it never happened.
So it wasn't until the begging of march that she started to act odd. She looked ready to snap at someone. Poor Tobias, he almost cried whe he asked her to pass him the beetleeyes and she barked at him. The poor fellow crawled back to his chair and Rose sat on hers.
"My... Someone ate Hypogriff a la Skele-Gro for breakfast"
"Don't!" She growled as she pulled her wand at me.
In a peaceful manner I raised both hands in surrender. She accepted that and started to pull her things from her bag, making her mane messier than usual. It most be a nightmare brushing that. I was about to ask her if she needed any help with her stuff, when she turned at me with such a speed that I thought she twisted her neck.
"ARE YOU EVER GOING TO ASK ME OUT?!"
The complete class was silent with her sudden outburst. We were frozen in our spots, not daring to even blink with the fear she might lose it and slash us all. Thankfully the teacher broke the tension.
"I might ask you out of the class, if you ever scream like that in my class again, Miss Weasley"
"Sorry proffesor Williams"
She sunk on her chair as she starded to play with her hair, just like she always dis whenever nervous or embarrased. It was endearing. After a minute or two, everyone turned back to their cauldrons, Rose kept on sulking on her spot when I approached her left ear and whispered.
"Next Hogsmade weekend, don't chicken out"
She turned to me with a cocky smile on her lips.
"A Gryffindor? Never"
-.-
Anyone with a common sense must think that after dating for almost two year with a girl, the guy must be entitled to have access to other parts of her aside the lips. But common sense had never applied with Rose Weasley. She was by far the exception of all the rules, including what I would normally date. But that was what made her stand out from the rest, and I couldn't help but cherish that from her. However I am still a guy, a hormone driven teenager with needs and boiling blood flowing in my veins. So you couldn't possibly ask me to play decent and wait until she was ready. Normally I can handle myself, but not when she pressed herself on my back, giving me a preview of what her breast might feel like, or when she let our whimpers and moans during our snogging sessions. There's a limit to what a guy can handle.
So like usual, after fullfilling my girlfriends demands I decided to do mine in the privacy of my room. Almost ready to lock the door when I saw it open by itself and close once more. Shocked by this I took my wand out, ready to jinx the living pants of the perpetrator when I saw Rose appear.
"Rose? What are you-"
She didn't let me finish my sentence, nor stand up for the next two hours.
-.-
After two hours of celebrating with her and my family, we were finally on our own. She couldn't stop gazing at the silver band around her finger. I was just happy that she was. So as I undressed and got into the bed, she crawled on top of it and kissed me gently.
"You want to know why I said yes?" She said as she started kissing my jaw.
I couldn't care less if she was marrying me because I unfold my pants to the left, as long as she kept on doing her magic on me. But I felt the need to play along.
"No, why?" I whispered as I closed my eyes. Enjoying the ministrations.
"Because you give me galleons instead of roses on Valentine's"
I chuckled as I pull her underneath me and looked at her straight to the eyes.
"Knew it was the money, money is sexy"
She snickered as she played with my hair.
"That and your hair"
"Oh yeah... That too"
She laughed openly, making her body shake with it. And in that moment I knew that I couldn't live without that sound in my life anymore.
-.-.-.-.-.-
A/N: Written in my iPod, forgive the mistakes.