Author's Note:
Ah, my first Harry Potter fanfic! I have always wanted to do a Scorpius/Rose fic, but I never got around to it until now. I'm still not entirely sure about the direction I want to take the story in, so reviews and critiques would be greatly appreciated! I'm excited to hear what you guys think about the first chapter. I was going to do some more editing, but I couldn't help putting it up here as soon as possible. Well, before I ramble on too much, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it :)
A Black Rose
I. Scorpions Bite
"Weasley, is it absolutely necessary for you to have your nose in a book at all times?"
I immediately snapped my head up from The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 6) in irritation upon hearing Malfoy's arrogant, drawling voice. He looked at me with disdain as he absentmindedly played with a piece of bacon on his plate with his fork. While I had been absorbed in studying for the Charms examination, Albus and Malfoy had already made themselves comfortable at the Gryffindor dining table instead of taking their usual spots with their fellow Slytherins. I sometimes wondered how Albus could have become best friends with Malfoy of all people. Seeing him getting sorted into Slytherin had been surprising enough. Sure, Albus had always been a bit of a prankster and who else could be a better accomplice than Malfoy but… Malfoy was just so Malfoy.
"At least I'll be prepared for the Charms exam today," I said, glaring icily at Malfoy, "You, on the other hand, don't even look like you've opened your textbook. Just don't be surprised when you get a Troll for a grade."
"Come on, Rosie," said Albus, smiling slightly, "Everyone knows that you're going to get an O on the exam… and all the other exams that will follow after. I don't think you need to spend every morning reviewing your notes instead of eating your breakfast. It's not as if you're taking your N.E.W.T.s or anything."
"You make it sound as if I'm addicted to studying," I frowned, reluctantly closing my book, "I do have a life, you know. Still, if my eating breakfast pleases you so much, I guess I'll dig in."
"So you have a life now?" laughed Malfoy, "What does that consist of – little trips to the library? As far as I know, you haven't even had a proper boyfriend in a long time, Weasley."
"That's none of your business, Malfoy," I retorted, feeling the blood rush into my cheeks, "I don't need to date anyone to have a life. You wouldn't understand, of course. For you, dating roughly equates to breathing."
"Can't we have some peace and quiet for once?" asked Albus, somewhat exasperated.
"Malfoy started it," I muttered.
"Perhaps," smirked Malfoy, "In any case, I'll be heading back to the Slytherin table. I need to talk to Evelyn. I'll see you in a bit, Al."
I watched as Malfoy stood up, picked up his plate, and walked towards the Slytherins. He eventually sat down next to Evelyn Nott, a pretty girl with silky black hair and wide eyes who was known as the unofficial Slytherin queen bee. I honestly didn't know much about her because the only times I had actually spoken with her was during Prefect meetings. Considering that she was a Slytherin, Evelyn was actually quite nice. She was smart and hardworking unlike Malfoy who hardly paid attention to whatever anyone had to say. Judging from Malfoy's recent behavior, it looked as if the two had begun dating. I could only guess how long Malfoy's relationship would last this time.
"It would be nice if you two could be civil for even one minute," Albus sighed suddenly, "Scorpius isn't that bad really. He's just… misunderstood."
I almost snorted in derision, but I stopped myself because of how serious Albus looked. I supposed that it was very noble of Albus to try to mend my relationship with Malfoy. I knew it would be no good though. The Weasleys and the Malfoys simply don't mix well together. Dad had certainly made that clear before I had even seen Malfoy and with good reason. The scorn Scorpius had for nearly everyone in Hogwarts was as clear as Veritaserum on a summer's day.
"Albus, we've been over this," I said patiently, "I don't mind that you're best friends with Malfoy, but please stop trying to make us buddies as well. Not everyone is meant to be friends with each other."
"I wish you would at least make an attempt," insisted Albus, "You're a good person, Rose, and so is Scorpius. The two of you just can't see it because of this stupid Weasley-Malfoy prejudice that is going on."
"It's not a prejudice when there's a valid reason," I replied, chewing lazily on a chicken leg.
"What are we talking about?" inquired Lily, slipping into the seat on my left.
"Albus is going on again about how great Malfoy is," I said promptly, "He's trying to convince me that befriending Malfoy would be a good idea. What do you think of that, Lily?"
"Well, I think that my dear brother should let you decide for yourself whether that would be a good idea or not," said Lily, "I personally wouldn't bother. Albus, I know Malfoy's the best thing that happened to you or whatever but that's because you're you. Malfoy could give a flobberworm about us."
"Let's drop the topic," said Albus, shaking his head, "I'm smart enough to realize that this talk we're having is going nowhere."
"Thank Merlin," I said under my breath.
"What classes do you have today, Rose?" asked Lily as she bit on a sausage, "If you can believe it, I have Double Potions first thing after breakfast. Eurgh."
"Let's see," I said, pulling out my schedule from my bag, "I have Charms with the Slytherins, Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Hufflepuffs, and Double Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws."
"Lucky you," moaned Lily, "You don't even have to take Potions today!"
I always thought that it was ironic that Lily seemed to have such a deep hatred of Potions. After all, she had been named after Uncle Harry's mother who had been one of Professor Slughorn's favorite students. Unfortunately, Lily showed about as much aptitude in Potions as Malfoy in being nice (as in, not at all). Lily had claimed several times in the past that it would be a miracle if she got the E on her Potions O.W.L. that would allow her to take the advanced classes in her sixth and seventh years. I secretly agreed.
"Uh… Rose," whispered Albus, "I think someone from Ravenclaw is staring at you."
"What? Where?" I asked loudly before being hurriedly shushed by Albus.
"On your left," he said quietly, pretending to be very interested in his plate, "I couldn't see very well, but he had blonde hair."
Taking a sip of pumpkin juice, I casually scanned the Ravenclaw table for the mysterious person who Albus claimed had been staring at me. I was about to ask Albus if he had seen correctly when I met the eyes of a handsome, blonde-haired boy whose cheeks were tinged with a soft shade of pink. Blushing even more profusely, he quickly averted his eyes to the empty plate in front of him. It took me a few seconds to remember that his name was Lysander Scamander. I had seen him a few times in the hallway but that was pretty much the full extent of our relationship, which made it all the more confusing as to why he had been watching me.
"His name's Lysander Scamander," I said, turning back to Albus, "I barely even know him. Why in the world would he be staring at me?"
"Isn't it obvious?" giggled Lily, "He fancies you."
"But he doesn't even know me!" I protested.
"Rose, you're so naïve," said Lily, patting me on the head, "If a guy sees a pretty girl, he's going to have a crush on her. That's all there is to it. Right, Albus?"
"What?" spluttered Albus, almost choking on his peas, "Why would you say something like that? Guys aren't that shallow. Well, at least, most of the guys that I know."
"Including Malfoy?" I asked incredulously.
"Scorpius is not usually the one with the crush," smiled Albus.
"That doesn't change the fact that he has gone out with nearly every girl in Slytherin," I said darkly, "I happen to think that the word 'shallow' fits the bill perfectly."
"Scorpius has not gone out with nearly every girl in Slytherin," groaned Albus, "Most of the girls who claimed to have dated Scorpius were just looking for attention…"
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that…"
"Please, let's not argue about Malfoy again!" Lily interjected quickly, "What we need to discuss is how Rose is going to react to these recent developments."
"Lily, we don't even know for sure if Lysander likes me or not," I mumbled unconfidently, "It would be best if we forgot the whole thing completely until something happens."
Lily looked like she was about to strangle me while Albus seemed almost amused by my behavior. It wasn't that I didn't want to believe Lily – trust me, I would be thrilled if Lysander truly had a crush on me. The only reason why I was so hesitant to agree with Lily was because it had been such a long time since anyone had bothered to ask me out on a date. To be honest, I was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with me. Perhaps that's why Malfoy's comment about my nonexistent love life had stung much more than I had thought it would.
"Rose, I know puppy love when I see it!" declared Lily loudly.
"I'd love to stay and chat," I said as calmly as I could, standing up from my seat, "but I have a Charms exam that I have to take in less than five minutes. You also have a Double Potions class to get to."
"Wait for me!" said Albus, shoving as many meat pies as he could in his mouth.
"This isn't over, Rose," vowed Lily, "I will make sure that you and Lysander get together eventually, no matter what I have to do."
Oh, for Merlin's sake, why did Lily always feel like she needed to play matchmaker?
...
After a particularly stressful Charms exam and a difficult Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, I walked into the Transfiguration classroom and practically collapsed into the closest seat I could find. The year wasn't even half done yet, and I was already struggling to catch up with the enormous amount of work we were being given every day. If someone had told me that sixth year would be harder than O.W.L. year, I would probably have laughed. Now, I just wished that there were more hours in a day so that I could actually get some sleep.
"Do you mind if I sit next to you?" asked someone shyly.
I turned my head around to see Lysander Scamander standing awkwardly before me with that same blush in his cheeks. Curious, I quickly scanned his appearance. He was wearing the signature black and blue Ravenclaw robe that was adorned with a small badge that displayed a flying Snitch. His blonde hair fell neatly across his forehead and his electric blue eyes darted around nervously as if trying to avoid my gaze. I noticed his wand tucked behind his ear, and I couldn't help but think that it was somewhat cute.
"Sure, go ahead," I said warmly, giving him what I hoped was a welcoming smile.
"Thanks," he grinned, sitting down cautiously, "I don't think I've ever introduced myself properly. My name's Lysander Scamander. It's nice to meet you."
"My name's Rose Weasley," I giggled, "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing fine," he said happily, "I guess I could be doing better in my classes, though. Just yesterday, I caused my cauldron to explode while brewing the Draught of Living Death. Professor Slughorn was pretty mad at me until he saw that Diana Boot had managed to turn her cauldron into some sort of giant slug."
"Mmm, charming," I laughed, "If I were you, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Everyone's been screwing up lately. Not too long ago, I was meant to turn my friend's eyebrows purple but they started to grow until they were as long as her hair."
Lysander gave a hearty chuckle before replying, "Classes really have become much harder, haven't they? I'm beginning to think that taking our O.W.L.s again would be a whole lot less stressful."
"You can say that again," I nodded in agreement, "Let's just hope that Professor Blackwood gives us a chance to rest our brains in Transfiguration."
Lysander opened his mouth to say something when Professor Blackwood rushed into the room, magically closing the door behind him. Professor Blackwood was one of the more eccentric professors, and you could tell by taking one swift look at him. His bushy hair fell wildly over his forehead and his blue-tinted glasses were an unusual triangular shape that appeared to serve no useful purpose. Instead of the customary plain black robes that most of the professors wore, Professor Blackwood wore a dazzling red-and-yellow robe that was charmed to sparkle in the sunlight. Despite his comical appearance, Professor Blackwood was very serious and talented at his job.
"Students, you are going to learn a new spell today!" said Professor Blackwood excitedly, "Now that we've had some experience transfiguring one thing into another, I would like for all of you to try to conjuring objects from thin air. I doubt that we'll see anything appear today, but we have to start at some point."
"This is what I've been looking forward to all year," whispered Lysander, his eyes bright with anticipation.
"We'll be practicing the bird-conjuring spell, Avis, today," said Professor Blackwood as he showed us how to flick our wands in the proper manner, "Be careful though. If you don't wave your wand correctly, something quite unpleasant may appear. Even if birds do appear, there's a great chance that they might start pecking at you rather violently…"
"Why does every spell we learn from Professor Blackwood sound so dangerous?" I asked Lysander jokingly, "It's as if he's trying to discourage us from practicing these spells at all."
"Yes, he's afraid that we'll use our conjured birds in the name of evil," replied Lysander, rolling his eyes, "No, really, Professor Blackwood's just being overdramatic as usual. Come on, let's start practicing. If we're lucky, we might do something wrong and end up with giant alligators on our desk."
With a small smile on my face, I began to repeat saying "Avis!" as I waved my wand exactly as Professor Blackwood had done. Lysander hurriedly did the same, brandishing his wand confidently in the air. Half an hour later, Lysander and I were exhausted after attempting the spell for what seemed like a thousand times. We had already known that it would be unlikely that anyone would perform the spell successfully, but it was frustrating beyond belief to practice for such a long time without knowing if you were getting any better or not.
Sighing, I looked around the room to see how everyone else was doing. Most of the students were continuing to practice the spell, boredom and frustration etched deeply onto their faces. Shanna Finnigan and some of the others had chosen to sleep behind their pile of books instead. I thought to myself that, if this is how the class looks like at third period on a Monday, not all of us might make it to the end of the year.
...
"Your homework is to keep practicing the spell until you get it right!" said Professor Blackwood, not looking discouraged in the least by the fact that absolutely nothing had happened in the past hour and half, "Keep your chins up! Conjuring charms are no easy feat, but I know that you'll all get the hang of them very soon."
Lysander and I stood up from our seats and walked out of the classroom quietly, both of us feeling drained from the double period. The Charms exam almost seemed like a thing of the distant past after Transfiguration. The prospect of continuing to practice the bird-conjuring spell as homework was enough to make me feel like puking. Thankfully, I now had lunch and a free period afterwards during which I could relax.
"Well, class was…" I hesitated, unsure of what to say.
"Stressful? Boring? A complete waste of time?" suggested Lysander as we walked towards the Great Hall.
"All three," I confirmed with a laugh, "Even I didn't think conjuring charms could be this difficult. Did you see the rest of the class? It was almost as if we had Inferi for classmates."
"If nearly all the Ravenclaws find something difficult, you know it's difficult," smiled Lysander, "Anyway, I hope you don't mind if I continue sitting next to you during Transfiguration classes. I would sit next to my friends, but they're always asleep by the end of class."
"Of course not," I said, surprised, "It's been really nice getting to know you."
"Thanks," he said, blushing slightly, "Well, here we are. Enjoy your lunch. I'll see you soon, hopefully."
"I hope so too," I said kindly, waving as he walked towards the Ravenclaw dining table.
I made my way to the Gryffindor dining table and noticed that Albus and Malfoy had once again decided to give me the pleasure of eating with them. Sitting next to the two were Lily, James, and Hugo. Realizing that I hadn't seen either James or Hugo at breakfast, I walked as quickly as I could to where they were sitting. I chose a seat next to my brother, Hugo, in my attempt to distance myself from Lily and prevent her from fulfilling the promise she had made earlier.
"Why didn't I see you two at breakfast?" I asked James and Hugo as I filled my plate up with a few sandwiches, "I probably would've gone searching for the both of you if I hadn't had a Charms exam to worry about."
"I decided to sleep in," said James cheerfully, "Trust me, you'll do the same when you're a seventh year. Bloody professors going on about N.E.W.T.s all the time as if we'll survive by then at this rate…"
"I should've expected that, not that I can blame you," I said grimly, "How about you, Hugo? You weren't sleeping in, were you?"
Hugo stared at me with a panicked look in his eyes, fidgeting with his hands nervously. He kept biting his lips almost like a girl would, and sweat was beginning to form on his forehead. Needless to say, this was highly unusual behavior for my little brother who was in his fourth year at Hogwarts. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that he had committed some sort of crime, considering how embarrassed and guilty he looked.
"I… uh…" stammered Hugo, "You see, I had an intense match of Wizard's Chess with Victor yesterday night. Every time I checkmated his king, he would somehow escape… and every time he checkmated my king, I would find a way out as well. We both wanted to go to bed, but neither of us wanted to surrender so… we… we might've kept playing until about… 3 in the morning?"
"Hugo Weasley, 3 in the morning?" I asked, scandalized, "I can already imagine what Mom would say about this! Who in the world plays Wizard's Chess until 3 in the morning? So I guess this means you were sleeping in?"
"No, no, I didn't!" said Hugo, sweat pouring down his face, "I actually woke up early because I had to finish my essay for Blackwood –"
"YOU PLAYED WIZARD'S CHESS UNTIL 3 IN THE MORNING WITHOUT EVEN FINISHING YOUR HOMEWORK?"
"You won't tell Mom, will you?" asked Hugo weakly, "I promise it won't happen again."
"Be easy on the little guy, Rose," said James, calmly biting into a cheese bun, "We all do stupid things when we're young. I know I have."
"That's because you're James Potter," I said, giving him a pointed look, "Irresponsible is practically your middle name. Oh, and don't forget… You still do stupid things."
"Stupid is fun," said James proudly, "Don't tell me that you didn't enjoy that prank I pulled on Slughorn last week or any of the countless, brilliant pranks I pulled before then."
I almost smiled at the memory of Professor Slughorn's disgusted face when his cauldron had exploded right in front of him after a Dungbomb had suddenly been dropped into it. Unbeknownst to Slughorn, James had snuck into the dungeons under the Invisibility Cloak his father had given to him as a birthday present. He had quietly used a Levitation Charm on a Dungbomb he had brought with him, choosing the perfect time to send it flying into Professor Slughorn's cauldron. I knew that I was meant to condemn such behavior, being a Prefect and all, but I didn't get all my genes from my mother. I got some from my father too.
"Well, I guess they were pretty fun," I admitted grudgingly.
"See, it's perfectly fine to be stupid once in a while!" laughed James, "There's no need to be uptight about everything, Rosie."
"I'm not uptight!" I said, feeling the blood rush up to my face, "Fine, fine. I won't tell Mom about your little chess match with Victor, Hugo. I'm warning you though. Make sure that it doesn't happen again."
"Sure thing, sis!" said Hugo, his face brightening up instantly, "Who was that boy you were with, anyway?"
"Boy?" asked Lily, lifting her head from her plate, "Does this have anything to do with what happened at breakfast?"
Eurgh. Trust Lily to show interest in our conversation only when the subject of boys is brought up.
"Thanks a lot, Hugo," I groaned, "Yes, Lily. I was walking with Lysander Scamander before I came here. End of discussion."
"Definitely not end of discussion," said Lily, eyes sparkling, "You need to tell me every single detail, and I won't take no for an answer."
"It's nothing like what you think," I said exasperatedly, "All I did was sit next to him in Transfiguration class before walking here together to get some lunch."
"It doesn't sound like nothing to me," grinned Albus, joining in the conversation, "In fact, it sounds like the kind of thing that couples do."
"Could it be that you've gotten yourself a real boyfriend, Weasley?" asked Malfoy in mock surprise, "I'm sure that he'll break up with you before the week's up, but it's relieving to see that you're making progress."
"He's not my boyfriend, Malfoy," I hissed through gritted teeth, "We just happened to have a nice conversation before Transfiguration class. And, for your information, I – I've gotten several date offers. It's just that I can't be bothered to deal with romance and all that stuff while I'm so caught up in schoolwork."
"Right, of course" said Malfoy sarcastically, "In that case, you should start a relationship with your homework. It would certainly be a more reliable boyfriend than your last one. What was his name again? You know who I'm talking about – the one who cheated on you for…"
"Shut it, Malfoy!" I yelled angrily, "You know perfectly well who that person is. Besides, that particular relationship ended nearly three years ago. If you don't mind, I'd rather focus on the present than dwell on the past."
"Ooh, touchy," smirked Malfoy, "You would think that three years would be enough for scars to heal, but it's quite understandable in your case. Since he was one of the only – scratch that, the only – person who even feigned to be interested in you, I can see the reason why you're still attached to him."
"Scorp, there's no need to be so harsh," said Albus softly, "Rose, he's just joking around. He doesn't mean anything by it, okay? Rose? Rosie?"
I had promised myself time and time again that I wouldn't let Malfoy get to me, yet here I was, tears threatening to overflow and blind my vision. I couldn't let Malfoy have the satisfaction of knowing he'd cut me deeper than he had ever done before, so I simply stood up from my spot at the table and pretended to laugh as if I had heard a hilarious joke. I felt several heads turn my way, but I ignored them and stared directly at Malfoy who was now looking confused.
"You're right, Malfoy," I said with a crooked smile, "I'm such a loser that no boy in Hogwarts would seriously want to date me. I'm also an obsessive freak who can't get over the fact that I was cheated on and dumped by a slimy git very much like you. But you know what? At least I'm not an arrogant prat like you who steps all over people's feelings and considers that to be a triumph. I'd rather be pathetic old me for the rest of my life than be you for a single day."
It took me a moment to realize that I had screamed those last few words at Malfoy. Malfoy's face is blank and unreadable, but the others' faces show visible shock and discomfort at my outburst. Before I knew it, I had begun running desperately to the Gryffindor Girls' Dormitory as my tears finally started to fall in torrents down my face. I choked down the sobs that threatened to escape my throat, afraid that the sounds might reach the Great Hall (and Malfoy). I ran faster and faster until I reached the portrait of the Fat Lady who examined me with great concern and surprise.
"Dear, is anything the matter –?"
"SEMPER FORTIS!"
I scurried through the entrance as soon as it opened, ignoring the Fat Lady who yelled after me. Somehow, despite my distress and confusion, my legs led me through the entrance and up a flight of stairs to my bed inside the girls' dormitory. I threw myself onto my bed, crying pitifully into my pillow. I couldn't understand why I had reacted so badly to Malfoy's insults. Over five years of verbal abuse from Malfoy should've prepared me for this moment. Maybe it was because I believed the horrible things he had said about me this time and the things I'd said about myself.
A flurry of random questions swirled around in my head:
Does Lysander like me? Would he still, after seeing what I had done in the Great Hall?
How would I face Malfoy and my cousins now or the rest of the school for that matter?
Could anyone really love me? Pathetic old me?
As I contemplated these questions, I slowly fell asleep and escaped the pains of the world, if only for a short while…