A/N: When I first heard this song, it was love at first listen. And then I thought it was the perfect Rose/Scorpius plot line – go give it a listen on YouTube if you haven't heard it – Love Story by Taylor Swift. It's a bit country, but still really good.
--
We were both young when I first saw you
I close my eyes and the flashback starts
I'm standing there
On a balcony in summer air
The words my dad had told me rang in my ears. "Don't get too close, Rosie." But I was drawn to the little boy with the slicked-back blond hair. I didn't understand what was so bad about him – other than old prejudices, that is.
He didn't look bad. When we were being sorted, he looked just as nervous as the rest of us – of course, he was sorted into Slytherin. But still, I saw him the halls. He smiled at me. He smiled at everyone. But he was forbidden.
--
Now I'm standing on the top of the Astronomy Tower waiting for the little boy with the slicked-back blond hair. But he's hardly a little boy anymore, and I'm hardly the little girl with the bushy orange hair anymore, either.
I'm still waiting for him, though, I'm always waiting for him. And I don't even mind.
See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
See you make your way through the crowd
And say hello
Little did I know
The warm night air brushes my hair back.
"Rose?" The voice asks. I turn around – my knight in shining armor. He's wearing a mask, as am I, "Are you ready to go down?" he asks, his voice soft, gentle. My knight in shining armor.
"I've always been ready," I whisper. He grabs my hand and we make our way down the many flights of ever-changing stares.
We enter the throng of dancing students undetected. The girls swing around in their medieval style dresses, the boys bowing slightly. Everyone's wearing masks, and you can't tell who anyone is. Except him. I know him so well. After all, he's my knight in shining armor.
That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
And I was crying on the staircase
Begging you please don't go
We dance all night long. It is the perfect night – up until the very end. And it was all ruined by one tiny mask.
Towards the end of the dance, my mask slips off, falling to the ground, and leaving me unmasked. The dancing stops and everyone stares. Ironic, really, that they would notice something this small – but the mask was hard and it did make a loud racket when it hit the floor.
"Rose," he whispers, still holding my hands, "Your mask."
"I know," I say, gritting my teeth.
And then the worst possible thing happens. Someone pulls off Scorpius' mask. Some snickering first year. So there we were, unveiled, the perfect example of who not to be.
The whispers start; I can hear them all.
"What is she doing with him –"
"Rose Weasley? With a Malfoy –"
"Their parents –"
But one voice cuts across the others like a knife. "Rose," it's disappointed and regretful, "Why didn't you tell us?"
I shake my head, words escaping me. Albus, my rock, my best friend; I could recognize his voice anywhere. Right now, it was haunting me.
I do the only thing I can; I flee.
"This wasn't a good idea," he whispers, once we're both outside of the Great Hall, sitting on the empty Grand Staircase.
"I know, Scorpius, I know." The party sounds are echoes in the distance. Everyone has already gone back to their party, the 'scandal' forgotten. But I remember; I will always remember – 'why didn't you tell us?'
"We shouldn't be together," his voice is hoarse.
"It feels so right," I answer, the tears falling freely. He brushes them away.
"Your dad," he warns.
"I don't care," I say, grabbing his hand.
"No, Rose," he says, pulling away, "No, Rose," he repeats, "We can't – it's not right." He turns, and the tears come back.
"Don't go!" I cry, "Don't leave me!"
"Rose, don't make this harder than it already is!"
"It doesn't have to be this way," I whisper.
And I said
Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story,
Baby just say yes
"What other ways are there Rose?" he asks.
"We can still be together, we could make it work," I insist, and he shakes his head.
"Scorpius, bloody hell, I love you! Stop doing this to me!"
His voice cracks. "Rose, I l-love you too, but I – we –" he's at loss for words.
"Run away," I whisper, "We can run away."
He turns around so fast, it seems as if his head should fall off. "Rose – we can't run away."
"Yes, we can!" I stand up, gathering my skirts and walk over to his still form. I look him right in the eyes, steel gray meeting baby blue. "Please, Scorpius, take me away, run away with me. Anywhere you want."
He shakes his head. "Rose," he warns again.
"Shhh," I press my finger to his lips, before removing it and kissing him softly. I can feel his knees weaken, "We'll run away to – to Paris or somewhere, it'll be like a fairy tale, our little love story."
He steps back. "Rose," he warns a third time.
So I sneak out to the garden to see you
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew
So close your eyes
Escape this town for a little while
"Rose what?" I ask.
He doesn't say anything, and I continue.
"Remember that night?" I press, stepping closer.
"Rose, there's been lots of nights in my life," he answers, confused.
"The night in the garden, remember?" His breath catches in his throat, and I continue, "Close your eyes," I whisper.
(FLASHBACK)
"Where are we going?" I ask, giggling as he pulls me down the staircase. A blindfold covers my eyes.
"I can't tell you, or it wouldn't be a surprise," he answers, and I can tell he's smirking by his voice.
"Wipe that smirk off of your face, Scorpius Malfoy."
A door opens and a burst of cool wind hits me. I shiver involutarily, and I feel his strong arms wrap around me. "Cold?" he whispers in my ear.
"Not anymore," I answer, smirking slightly. We're still walking, until we stop suddenly. He pulls off my blindfold and I smile at the sight. We're standing by the lake, and the trees are lit up by thousands of lights. It's midnight out, and freezing, but I don't care.
"Happy Birthday," he whispers in my ear.
(END FLASHBACK)
'Cause you were Romeo, I was the scarlet letter
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
But you were everything to me
And I was begging you please don't go
"Rose," he whispers, opening his eyes, "Rose, why do you do this to me?"
"Because I love you," I whisper back, kissing him again. He pulls away.
"Your dad ..." he says again.
"I don't care what my dad thinks," I answered, "Just don't go, alright?"
He doesn't answer, and I grip his arms.
"Please? Promise me you won't go, Scorpius? Don't leave me," I answer, on the verge of tears again.
And suddenly he's pulling me to him tightly. "Never," he answers.
And I said
Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
It's a love story
Baby, just say yes
His arms are wrapped around my waist and mine around his neck. I could stay like this forever.
"I love you," I whisper.
He doesn't even hesitate. "I love you more," he whispers back.
"Then let's get out of here," I say, "Tomorrow or even later tonight, they're all just going to be breathing down our backs; they'll just break us up. But we can go off and elope; Scorpius, please? Just run with me?" He pulls back from our hug and runs a hand through his messy blond hair.
"We don't live in a fairytale world, Rose," his words are sharp but his voice is soft.
"I know," I sigh, "Just wishful thinking, I guess."
"Why don't you get to bed?" he asks, "That way you won't have to deal with all of this tonight. There's going to be lots of questions."
"And we'll have to give lots of answers, I know," I say turning away, towards the Gryffindor dormitory. "Goodnight," I say, but he grabs my arm lightly and turns me around. I stare at him.
"Goodnight kiss," he whispers in my ear, before capturing my lips with his. It feels so good, but it's over much too soon. A final wave, a final smile – then he's gone.
Romeo, save me
They're trying to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story
Baby, just say yes
The next day is hectic. So many questions, and not enough answers. It's only a matter of time until Albus has managed to corner me in an empty classroom.
"This isn't a good idea, Rose," he starts, "We've known Scorpius and his family for a long time; he's trouble, Rose."
"I've been going out with him for almost two years, and he's never hurt even a hair on my head. Don't judge, Albus."
"I can't believe you kept this from me, Rose, from all of us. We're your family, for crying out loud!"
"I kept it from you, because I knew this was the way you were going to act! All of you, you don't understand – Albus, I love him! Bloody hell, Albus, I'm in love with Scorpius, so deal with it!" My words shock him, I can see it in his face. He's been a rival of Scorpius since forever, and I know he sees this as betrayal.
"What?" His voice is stone cold, and suddenly my knees feel weak beneath me.
"I – I –" I'm cut off as someone bursts open the door.
"Leave her alone," Scorpius' voice rings out through the room.
"Stay out of this," Albus growls. I don't know why he's acting like this; Albus never acts like this. We've always been best friends, but I've never seen him so angry.
"No," Scorpius' voice is final, almost intimidating.
But Albus being Albus, he ignores him. "I can't believe you lied to us, Rose," his voice is stern, "You disgust me."
My mouth drops open. "Albus Severus Potter! You know damn well why I didn't tell you! If it was anyone but Scorpius, you wouldn't care!"
"Exactly, Rose, that's the bloody problem! IT IS SCORPIUS!" He screams, his face growing red with rage. Silent tears stream down my cheeks.
Scorpius grabs my hand. "Rose, c'mon, let's go," he says.
"Rose, c'mon, let's go," Albus mimics, "How sweet, Rose, how sweet."
"SHUT UP!" I yell, getting frustrated.
Scorpius grabs me from behind and starts to carry me out of the room.
"YOU SHUT UP!" He screams back, "I DIDN'T DO A BLOODY THING, ROSE – I HATE YOU!"
Scorpius carries me out of the room, and I struggle, silent tears streaming out of my face.
"TAKE IT BACK!" I'm screaming, "Take it back! Take it back, Albus, take it back..." my voice trails off and I find myself sitting in a small room with a soft couch and lots of tissue boxes all around. Scorpius sits next to me, and I pull myself out of his arms so I can look at him.
"The Room of Requirement always fits the needs of the user," he offers as explanation. "Tissue?" he asks, holding out a Kleenex.
"Thanks," I say.
I got tired of waiting
Wondering if you were ever coming around
My faith in you was fading
When I met you on the outskirts of town
The rest of the day passed pretty much the same, except the comments weren't affecting me as much. I just ignored them.
But when I woke up the next morning, I couldn't find Scorpius anywhere. He had left.
And so the I waited, and waited, and waited.
The hours turned into days; the days turned into months; the months into years. I was lost and alone; I didn't know what to do without him.
And then two years later he was standing at my doorstop like no time had ever passed.
"Scorpius?" I ask, and in response he grabs my hand and leads me outside.
"Hold on tight," he says, and he apparates us to a small creek. I recognize it; it's where we used to meet secretly during the summer.
And I said
Romeo, save me,
I've been feeling so alone
I keep waiting for you, but you never come
Is this in my head?
I don't know what to think
He kneeled to the ground and pulled out a ring
I start the talking first. "Where the hell have you been?" I demand.
He doesn't miss a beat. "Figuring things out," he answers.
I snort. "For two years?" I ask, taking a step back.
"I had a lot of things to figure out," he defends himself.
"No note? No explanation? That was real low. What if I moved on and found somebody else?" I counter.
He looks panicked for a moment. "Did you?" he asks.
I sigh, contemplating lying, but I decide not to. "No," I admit grudgingly, "But I could have," I can't help but add. "I had chances, I mean, offers ..." I trail off.
"But you didn't take them," he finishes for me and I nod.
"I was only ever waiting for one person."
"Me?" he asks.
"Obviously," I reply, rolling my eyes, "But I don't know anymore – I don't know anything anymore. Here I am, Rose Weasley, almost 20 years old, and I don't know what I'm going to do with my life." I shake my head.
"I thought you wanted to become healer," he states.
"Yea, I do, but I guess ... I don't know, another dream down the drain."
"Your dreams don't have to go down the drain, Rose," he says, looking me in the eye.
I ignore him. "How'd you find out where my flat was?" I ask.
He squirms, then gives in. "Lily," he answers, "But don't tell her I told you – she was afraid you'd be mad at her for telling."
"I'm mad at you," I say, glaring.
"I thought you would be," he says.
"You know me too well, Scorpius – sometimes better than myself, I think," I pause, "You broke your promise," I remark in a small whisper. His mouth opens, then closes, like he doesn't know what to say.
Finally, he says something. "I'm going to make it up to you."
"How?"
And then he's down on the dirt, on one knee, and reaching clumsily into his pocket. I gasp.
And said
Marry me Juliet, you'll never have to be alone
I love you and that's all I really know
I talked to your dad, girl pick out a white dress
It's a love story
Baby just say yes
"Scorpius –" I start, but he cuts me off.
"Rose Weasley," he says, "I've been horrible to you these past years, by leaving you; by not being with you. But the truth is, I love you more than anything in the world, even more than life itself, and I guess I just needed time to figure that out. If you could find it in your heart to forgive me, will you marry me?"
My mouth opens. Then closes. Then opens. Then closes. I'm seeing a pattern here.
"Rose?" he asks, standing up, still holding the ring. "Rose are you okay?"
He starts rambling. "I guess it was a stupid idea – I dunno, I thought for one second that you might say yes; I talked to your folks, but I didn't consider how you would feel – it was so stupid of me, I mean, I wouldn't marry me if I just up and left for two years, god I've been such a jerk –"
I cut him off. "Yes," I whisper, so quietly, I can barely hear myself.
His head jerks up. "What?" he asks, as if he's unsure if he heard right.
"Yes," I say it a bit louder, trying it out, "Yes, Scorpius, I'll marry you!"
And then the full impact hits me. I wrap my arms around his neck, leaning on him. "We're getting married," I whisper in his ear.
He's smiling; I can tell. "I know," he whispers back. I feel him slip the ring onto my finger, and everything is perfect.
"I love you Rose Weasley," he says.
"And I love you, Scorpius Malfoy."
--
A/N: The end! Sorry about how it's kind of rough in between – like he's suddenly gone for two years. I know it was a weird thing to do, but just go with the flow.
I'm thinking that this might make for an interesting chapter fic. – the story line, I mean. Boy and girl secretly date. Secret gets out. Boy runs away. Girl is lonely. Boy comes back. Girl is resentful, but forgive boy. Boy and girl get married and live happily ever after. Do you think I should make a Rose/Scorpius chapter fic based on this? Review and tell me! If I do, it probably won't be until I've gotten My Cousin's Best Friend at least halfway done.
Lots of love, and leave reviews,
Paige