Rose Weasley wasn't sure how she had gotten into this situation.
She only knew that she was pressed against a hard brick wall by none other than Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, her sworn nemesis. His hands were pushing her shirt up, and she wasn't stopping him, because she… well, she had initiated it. And she didn't want it to stop.
She would have to examine this particular feeling later, but for now, she was just going to kiss him back. She was just going to slip her own hands up his shirt, feeling his heartbeat quicken under her fingertips. All those years of fighting him, of trying to get her hand in the air quicker than him, of hating him for beating her in DADA year after year... they melted away with every flick of his tongue against hers.
She gave a breathy moan, unable to stop herself, and he paused for a moment, his hands clutching her thick, curly red hair.
"I'm sorry," he whispered into her lips, and he pushed off of her, panting slightly from the effort.
"Why?" she asked, pulling him back to her, disoriented. He turned his cheek so that her lips landed clumsily onto them and she drew back, frowning at him. "What?"
"No," he said, his eyes turning icy, "no."
"Okay," Rose said, her hands dropping to her sides. "No then."
He stared at her for a moment, grey eyes on blue. She was about to say something more, but he turned abruptly and walked out of the small closet. The door slammed behind him, and Rose stood there, confused and frustrated. Fighting tears, she took a deep breath and straightened her shirt. She counted to thirty and walked out of the door and into the hallway in front of the Room of Requirement. She closed her eyes and walked back and forth, thinking of the password in her mind. The door materialized and she walked inside.
The room was just as she left it. It was teeming with Hogwarts students, the music pounded loudly, and the drinks were freely flowing, supplied by Rose's cousins, James Potter and Fred Weasley. She made a beeline for the drink table, even though she probably didn't need more, and grabbed a shot. She took it in one go and let it burn through her, taking the tears away with it.
"Are you okay?"
She turned to see Albus Potter, her cousin and best friend, sitting in a chair near the drink table, watching her curiously. She grabbed two more shots and handed one to him, taking the seat on his right.
"To how much of an arse Scorpius Malfoy is," she said, raising her glass.
"I'll drink to that!" he said, downing his own shot. "Anything happen in particular?"
"The usual," she said, averting her eyes. "Just being a prat."
They sat in companiable silence for a while, watching their classmates dancing and mingling. Rose saw fourth year Lily Potter, Albus's little sister, dancing with a tall, handsome guy that Rose vaguely recognized from seventh year. She shoved Albus in the side and discretely pointed in their direction. "Isn't he in James's year?" she asked.
Al's green eyes widened, and Rose had to put her hand on his arm to keep him from standing up. "Bloody hell," he cursed, "he is three years older than her!"
"I'm surprised James hasn't seen them," Rose said. "What's his name… he's in Ravenclaw I think…"
"Davies. Christopher Davies," Al said, sounding annoyed. "He's a chaser on the Ravenclaw team. I'm going to go over there."
"You're going to make a scene," Rose said, "and Lily will probably turn you into a toad before you could even get a word in, so I think you might want to think before you do anything rash."
"You're right," he sighed. He grabbed another shot from the table next to him and took it. "Distract me. Tell me what Malfoy did."
"He just insulted me as usual," Rose said.
Al looked around and then at her, "Where is he? I saw him here earlier. I don't know how he got an invite."
"James invited all the Slytherins," Rose said, "in a fit of house unity. But I think he's just trying to hook up with Vicky Desai. He's been after that girl for ages."
"Well the problem isn't Slytherins," Al said defensively, "it's just Malfoy."
"I know it's not Slytherins," Rose said fondly, patting her cousin's cheek. The shots were really starting to set in. "I'm perfectly friendly with the lot of you."
"Except Malfoy," they both said together, laughing. Rose was already feeling better.
The party was one of James and Fred's beginning of term parties, only for fourth years and up. James had some way of getting to Hogsmeade and getting firewhiskey that he only shared with his cousin, Fred Weasley. Al was particularly sore about this, but James had promised him and Rose the secret after graduating at the end of the year.
"There should always be a Potter or a Weasley at this school who knows," he once had told them mysteriously. He refused to say anything more on the subject.
Rose had been at the party for a whole hour before she spotted Malfoy leaning in the corner, a drink in his hand, talking to Arianna Zabini, his fellow sixth year Slytherin and one of the most beautiful girls to ever step foot in Hogwarts. Normally, Rose would not have let her gaze linger on him, her hate usually trumping any other emotion she might've felt for him. But she had just finished her firewhiskey and let herself wonder. He was wearing a deep green blazer and a white shirt with skinny black pants. His blonde hair was tousled gently, as if he had just run a hand through it. He was laughing at something Zabini had said to him, and she was touching him lightly on his arm. Rose watched him for too long, and he finally noticed her. His eyebrow had gone up slightly, and a small smirk lit on his lips, causing a bright red blush to creep onto Rose's cheek. She averted her gaze quickly and tried to disappear into a group of students who were dancing in the corner.
Rose could've sworn that Malfoy could somehow apparate on the grounds of Hogwarts, because a second later he was in front of her, catching her before she tripped on someone's shoe. She pulled hastily back, glaring at him.
"I just saved you from an embarrassing fall, Weasley," he drawled, his smirk growing. "You could thank me instead."
"Thanks for nothing, Malfoy," she said with venom, trying to stalk off. He grabbed her hand and she stopped abruptly.
"You look hot, Weasley," he said, with immense arrogance. Rose's blush reached her roots. "You look like that for anyone in particular?"
"You're drunk," she pointed out. She could've stepped away, she could've walked away even, but something kept her rooted to the spot. It was his eyes. He was smirking, but there was something genuine in his eyes.
"Maybe," he agreed, "but so are you."
"What about Arianna Zabini?" she asked, hearing the childishness in her voice.
"What about her?"
"We hate each other," Rose said.
"We could just not," he said, "for now."
Rose considered this for a heartbeat. Then she was pulling him out of the Room of Requirement, unnoticed by any of the drunk students by the entrance. Before she knew it, they were shut in a nearby supply closet, kissing ferociously.
And now she was here, downing her fourth shot with Albus, searching for his blonde hair. But it was nowhere to be found, and Rose assumed he had turned in early. Good riddance, she thought, annoyed.
Scorpius Malfoy walked through the halls of Hogwarts, cursing himself. He couldn't believe what just happened. Rose- Rose freaking Weasley. The bane of his existence. The know-it-all, bossy, stubborn girl made his blood boil with anger.
Except when she made his blood boil with need.
He stopped walking, leaning against a wall. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to remember those moments before he had sped off. Her lips were so soft, her hair smelled so sweet, and she was just so damn lovely, it drove him nuts. He had been dreaming about that for months now. It had haunted him. And the way she was looking at him from across the party, the way she watched him for so long. It made him reckless tonight. Reckless enough to tell her she was hot. Reckless enough to push her against the wall and snog her senseless.
"But we hate each other," her voice came, jarring him from his musings.
He wanted to punch a wall in frustration. He shouldn't have let that continue. She was obviously using him. She hated him, after all. He saw it in every look she gave him. How could he be so stupid, to let himself be so weak? They both had a few drinks in them, sure, but it wasn't a good enough reason for him to completely lose his mind.
"Who needs it?" he muttered to himself. "Don't want to deal with that bloody family anyway."
With this final thought, he headed down to the dungeons, hoping that his dormitory would be empty.
A/N: Just an idea I had and hope to pursue! Feel free to review~
