Disclaimer: I don't own/ didn't write Harry Potter. I'm not that talented. Dammit. :)
The Magic Word Is Sorry, Not Please
(Chapter Two- It's Best Kept Hidden)
"So, what's your goal for this year then, Rose?"
Rose blinked back for a second, sliding out of the thoughts she always had when she passed the War Memorial monument.
"Oh, erm, well I don't know." She shrugged, before looking up and smirking at Scorpius, who sat opposite her in the carriage. "I've already beat you in OWL results, so I have to find something else to do better than you. Maybe I'll try out for the Quidditch team? Take your place as keeper." Rose tried to keep a straight face, but instantly burst out laughing at the idea of her playing on the Quidditch team, as did Scorpius and Albus. "Or, maybe I'll just carry on doing better than you in class."
"You only did better than me in one subject." Scorpius sulked.
"Yep, and my Dad was oh-so-pleased."
"Herbology's a stupid subject anyway." He mumbled, crossing his arms.
"Aww, of course it is!" Rose joked, pulling a face.
"Oh shut it you two!" Albus whined. "Scorpius, I'm so sorry you only got an E in Herbology, but believe me it's far better than my P!"
"Sorry, Al." Rose mumbled. She and Scorp often picked on each other for grades that anyone else would have been exceptionally proud of. It wasn't really their fault though; they'd had it drummed into them ever since that first day of school when Rose had been told to "make sure she beat him in every test." Ironically, he'd been told exactly the same thing by his father. It was as if they were expected to become enemies, but instead became best friends. The competitiveness was still there though, the only part of their enemy status that had remained.
When the carriage (which Rose still swore was pulled by itself much to the debate of her Uncle Harry) pulled up outside of school she, Scorp and Al all hopped out of it and headed straight into the Great Hall, into the seats at the Gryffindor table that had been saved for them by the rest of the Weasley-Potter clan.
"Hey Scorpius, good summer?" Fred asked, almost instantly, from opposite them.
"Yeah, bit boring but that's what I get for being an only child."
Fred laughed slightly, then turned his attention back to his girlfriend, Anna Wood, whom he had one arm around.
"What about you Hugo, how was your summer?" Scorpius asked, turning away from Fred and Anna who were, to be honest, far too close for this time of day.
"Ha!" Rose laughed. "He didn't even do anything; he spent the whole time outside 'perfecting his beating skills'!"
"Which is apparently far less productive than sitting inside and reading books for exams that you've already done!" Her brother bit back, glaring slightly at Rose from across the table.
"That's not all I did!"
"Oh yes, I forgot the time that you actually went out to Diagon Alley. But wait, wasn't that to help Uncle George with his accounting? Wow, you rebel!"
"Shut it, you!" Rose hissed.
"Good comeback." Hugo replied satisfactorily, before turning back to his conversation with Lily who was sat silently on the other side of him. Rose thought that he had to be the most annoying person on the planet, with the only competition coming from their father every now and again.
"Wow, so clearly you had a fun summer!" Scorp said sarcastically.
Rose looked at him scathingly for a second, trying to think of something witty to say back, but then they were interrupted by the sound of the doors banging open, and First Years pouring inside.
Moments later, without saying a word, Scorpius and Rose had both placed a Sickle on the table in front of them.
"Normal rules apply?" Scorp whispered.
"Of course."
"You're not seriously playing your stupid 'guess the house' game again are you?" Al hissed from behind Rose.
"Yep, and you're keeping score again!" Rose replied, turning to smile sweetly at Albus, who scowled back. He would never admit it, but he secretly liked being the one with all the power in the annual game they played, and Rose knew it.
As the sorting hat sang it's song, Rose found herself wondering why she played this game with Scorpius every year, even though she would just inevitably lose. You see, she always looked at the people, and decided what they were by just hearing their names or seeing their hair colour. Scorp on the other hand? It was weird; he was able to see inside their minds before even the sorting hat could. He'd always just known where everyone belonged. Maybe he was a Legilimens? (Rose had only just thought of that...) No, it was far more likely that he knew the unusual cases because he was an unusual case. A pure-blood Malfoy could never fit in Gryffindor, but somehow Scorpius belonged there. He fit with the red and gold common room, and it was impossible to imagine him sharing a dorm with anyone other than Albus Potter.
And that's why he always won this game.
And Rose always lost this game.
Yet she played it every year regardless, and she wondered why.
Deep down, she knew why; because every time he guessed someone right his eyes lit up a little bit, and every time a First Year was sorted into Gryffindor he would smile at them welcomingly with the kind of smile that made Rose's heart beat just that little bit faster. And because every now and again, he would turn around so fast to tell Al he'd won that his arm would brush up against Rose's, and her heart sped up so much that she wondered if she was going to be able to breathe again in the next minute.
Ok, so she was in love with her best friend. It was ridiculous. She was Rose Weasley; she didn't fall in love. And she knew from experience that she certainly didn't fall out of love. Because it had always been Scorp. No matter how she tried to change it.
But he didn't feel the same way. She could bet her life on it. In fact, she could bet her whole family's lives on it. Because he told her, without even having to say anything.
It was back in fourth year, on Christmas Day. Over Christmas Rose was one of the only Weasleys around, with only Roxy and Fred to keep her company. But she and Hugo had a tradition of getting up as early as they could, and apparently that didn't change whether she was at home or not. So she'd gotten up, opened her presents, wrapped herself in her dressing gown and gone downstairs, despite it being only 5 in the morning.
So she was alone on Christmas Morning, in an empty Gryffindor Common Room. It was very possible that there wasn't a more depressing situation to be in. She was so lonely she even missed Hugo.
But then Scorp came in, with his blonde hair all messed up and his eyes still slightly bleary. And Rose smiled, forgetting everything that was depressing about the last second.
"Hey, what are you doing up?"
"Couldn't sleep." He shrugged. "What about you?"
"I don't know. I guess I always get up at this time on Christmas."
"Oh yeah, Merry Christmas." He laughed slightly, walking over and sitting next to her by the fireplace.
"I'm guessing you haven't opened your presents yet then?"
"No. Did you get anything nice?"
"Not really. A jumper?"
"Ah, the legendary Weasley jumper!" Scorp laughed slightly again, keeping his voice down to a whisper, even though they both knew that they didn't need to; they couldn't be heard upstairs.
Rose nodded, looking down into the fire.
"Hey, you ok?" He asked, placing his hand on hers. She moved her eyes slightly to check if he really had done it, or if it had been an accident, but no; his hand was firmly over hers, grasping her fingers.
"Yeah... Yeah I'm alright I just miss home."
Scorp smiled sadly. "I never miss home, is that weird? I guess this place is home to me."
"I don't miss the house, I just miss the people."
"Ah, see if I had to, I'd miss my house, not the people in it."
Rose laughed quietly.
"I'm kind of glad you're here with me though." Scorp sighed. "Christmas with just you and me could be the best yet."
Rose looked up at him, into his big grey eyes, and he just blinked back.
"I'm glad I- Ow!" Rose felt a poke on the back of her head, but turned to see nothing.
She looked up, to see what could've poked her, too see Fred's enchanted mistletoe. And out of the corner of her eye she saw Scorp looking up too.
They both laughed awkwardly, for which they got yet another poke in the back of the head.
"Jeez." Scorp whined, rubbing his head.
"Yeah, it's going to keep doing that." Rose sighed. "Fred enchanted it, mainly to get Anna to kiss him. It keeps poking or slapping until the two people under it... you know."
"That's good magic." Was all Scorp said.
They fell into a silence which was awkward, and thick with Rose's thoughts.
"So we have to... kiss?"
Rose just nodded, biting her lip.
And then before she really knew it, he bent his head down and kissed her softly on the lips.
Her first kiss. Was it really sad that it was in fourth year? It didn't matter to her. Because it was Scorp. The boy who had been both her obsession and her platonic best friend since the second day of first year. And he was kissing her.
She was so dazed, that she didn't know how long it lasted. It could've been minutes, but it also could've been seconds.
She truly wished she'd paid more attention when it was happening, instead of wondering how long they'd been sat there. All too soon he broke away from her and sighed, their noses still only inches from each other's.
"I'm... going to go, try and get some more sleep." He said awkwardly moments later, standing up and shoving his hands into his pockets.
Rose stared at him, and then just nodded, too stunned to speak.
She watched as he walked away, wondering if he was going to say anything else to her or just leave it like that. And she was so sure he was just going to leave, until he stopped at the bottom of the stairs to the boy's dorms and turned and looked at her.
He just looked into her eyes.
"Er, we won't tell anyone about this, yeah?" he stuttered. "After all, it was just the mistletoe." He sighed, still staring into her eyes.
She didn't reply; she just carried on looking at him.
"It was just the mistletoe...right Rose?"
She just nodded, scared that if she opened her mouth she might scream at him. Or worse; she might burst into tears.
She saved crying until she heard his door close upstairs.
They'd never spoke about it, her and Scorpius. Even all these years later. The next morning they had just acted like nothing ever happened.
And that was how she knew he didn't like her back. "It was just the mistletoe." No feelings, no love, not even impulse. Just a plant.
"Hey Rose, you in there?" Scorp smiled at her, waving his hand in front of her eyes. She just nodded. "Last one. What do you think?"
She didn't even look up; judging by how much she'd been concentrating she'd lost anyway.
"Gryffindor?"
"Seriously Rose? Hufflepuff!"
Sure enough, the hat shouted out Hufflepuff just as Scorp had said it would.
"I win." Scorp smiled, taking the sickles off the table and putting them in his pocket.
"Yeah, this time." Rose joked.
"Well, you only have one more year to play!"
Rose was about to correct him; they had to have far more years left in Hogwarts, surely? But he was right. They were sixth years now. Prefects.
And Rose had wasted all six years wishing for one boy. It was ridiculous.
And it was then she decided; this year, no matter what, she was going to get over Scorpius Malfoy. Even if it broke her heart.
