DISCLAIMER: Anything recognisable from the world of Harry Potter does not belong to little old moi. I just like messing with the characters.
A/N: Hey loves, I know I promised a "minor" delay in my stories and it has been over half the year. I apologise profusely. I am surprised and flattered that anyone is still checking in on the stories and putting them on alert. It gives me hope to continue. My 2nd year was tougher than expected and I was writing an essay every other week so I'm sorry I kinda forgot about fanfiction. I will try to be more regular and realistic about updates. If y'all still out there, I'll still be writing… Thanks for sticking with me through trying times. Onwards!
Chapter 1
I wake up to raised voices. So the traitorous cousin is back. I feel groggy from being asleep all day.
"But can't she stay somewhere else?" Scorpius's whiny voice reaches my ears through the slightly open door of my room. "She's ruining everything."
"Seriously Scor, she's my cousin and I owe her one. So no, she can't go anywhere else. Deal with it. She's not that bad. I'd know. I grew up with her remember?"
Scorpius gives a big sigh of defeat. Like he doesn't understand why someone cancelled Christmas, his birthday AND kicked his puppy. "Whatever. I need some more coffee. Tell her to keep out of my way."
My door creaks open and Albus pokes his head in. "Hey! How's my favourite cousin doing?"
I sit up in bed and put on my best "We are not amused" face.
"Okay, okay… I screwed up!" he raises his hands in mock surrender.
I turn away from him sulkily. I am going to milk this for all its worth. Making me shack up with him, his best friend, and their bevy of air fluff-brained girls. The nerve!
"Scorpius is less than thrilled about this arrangement, you know right?"
I give Albus a scathing look and say quite levelly "No, I had absolutely no idea I was inconveniencing your oaf of a friend. It's your own fault for being such a scatterbrain and not booking me an apartment. If you couldn't do it, you should just have called me up and I would have done it myself. Besides, he should be thanking me for getting rid of that skank road kill. He so wanted her gone, so he shouldn't pretend that I didn't do him a huge favour. I mean seriously, I know you guys are both single and all but that better not be the type of girl you go for too."
Albus looks affronted. As he should be. He starts stuttering "It's not…"
"Look Albus, I'm not interested. I'm not here to cramp your style or anything. I'll keep out of the way okay?"
Albus sighs and runs his hands through his hair. "Rosie, I'm really sorry."
I can't help but soften a bit at his use of my nickname. Rosie Posie was what I got called by the family when I was younger. Yucky nickname yes. And now, only Dad and Albus can even call me Rosie. Anyone else is asking for a black eye. James will grudgingly attest to that fact.
"I just don't get why you and Scorp don't get along. I never have. I thought things were looking up when we finished Hogwarts. You seemed civil enough, even friendly at the grad party before you left for America."
I flinch but Albus blindly continues, "Speaking of America, how was it living and working there? There's only so much I can glean in-between the lines of the letters you wrote back. And we hardly see you except for Christmas when you skulk alone in your room and leave with Dominique immediately after dinner."
Oh my Godric. He makes me sound really bad. But that's probably how everyone else sees it I guess. It's just that I cannot stand coming home for a relaxing holiday and seeing that cretin Malfoy at our family table. He's such a slime ball and no, I'm not over-reacting. I have totally valid reasons for not liking him. Like, like…
"Rosie?" I look to Albus and try to smile but it ends up as a grimace. "Maybe this is a chance for us all to get closer."
I harrumph. I missed Albus. He really is a sweet guy despite recent developments. It would be nice to be close again as we used to be. Malfoy was a whole other kettle of fish that wasn't going to happen in any of my lifetimes.
"Well what do you want to know about my stay in America?"
I talk with Albus all evening about my stay in America. While he knew the general gist of things, he wanted all the minor details. He is such a gossip honest! And while all this catching up is going swimmingly, I can't help but notice how I can't completely connect the boy I left behind to the man in front of me. He couldn't have changed that much could he? Could it be me that's changed? It's so weird that I have to get to know my cousin on a personal level all over again. I sincerely hope that he hasn't picked up too many habits from Malfoy. Well, any more than he did while at Hogwarts. It just never seemed to manifest until recently.
"I know I said I would mind my business while I was here, but I feel I need to mention the situation with you guys' groupies."
Albus has the decency to turn a bit red. "Look Rosie, it really is not like that at all. We're not like that. I mean, I'm not like that. And Scorpius well, he must have been a hella drunk for whatever reason last night cos' he never brings girls here. I was actually going to talk to him about that but he was too busy complaining about how I'd invited my she-devil of a cousin to co-habit with us."
Riiiiiiiiight. Like I was going to believe that they didn't get with girls. Albus must have clued into my scepticism.
"I'm not saying we don't mess around occasionally. We just don't do it here, and it is not often if at all. Honest Rosie! Bloody hell! It's mostly talk anyway. We're not as bad as the tabloids make us out to be. I can't believe that you'd think that of me." He seems hurt but I'm not buying it.
"Then why do you embrace the image Albus? I don't understand? Do you actually like it? You know it isn't just me that feels this way right? The whole family thinks the same!"
"It's complicated Rosie, I don't want to talk about it. Not yet anyway. Are you hungry? There's some leftovers from yesterday in the fridge."
I could tell Albus was getting uncomfortable with the conversation so I dropped the subject like a hot potato. So he had his reasons for not negating his playboy status. I could leave be. For now. Malfoy doesn't have any reasons though. He's just a man-whore.
Dinner is delicious. It's just leftovers but it's better than anything I've ever cooked for myself. Dauphinoise potatoes with a chicken gravy and banoffee cheesecake for dessert. All the more tastier due to the lack of a certain flatmate's presence at the table. Scorpius had excused himself from the communal area as soon as we emerged from my room. He did so with a lot of grumbling and shuffling of the feet but he retreated to his bedroom in the end.
"Albus, you have to tell me where you order your food from cos' I could eat this all day every day. Seriously though, what's the number for the place?"
Albus looks like he's trying very hard not to laugh. "Scorpius made that."
Really? Even the cheesecake? Urgh, whatever. Of course he can cook. He'd be the perfect man if he wasn't him and didn't have that stupid face that was so stupid.
"Well, I just meant that it was okay for grub. Passable really. I must be really hungry and jetlagged. Taste buds all screwed up."
"Uh huh…" Albus is enjoying this immensely.
I guess I'll be eating toast and cereal for the next six months. After I sneak some of this cheesecake back into my room for a midnight snack.
