Chapter One

"Well, Rose and I will get married.", Scorpius put his arm around Rose's shoulders, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Only in your dreams, Malfoy.", she said, brushing his arm off, a smile playing on her lips. Normally she would have been sharper with him, but today was the day after Christmas and she was enjoying the family time too much, even with Scorpius around. Old habits die hard though, and Rose found herself falling back into their familiar banter. "Like I could ever be with someone as arrogant, conceited..."

"Handsome, smart, loveable..."

"You just grab any opportunity to start bragging about yourself, don't you Hyperion?", Rose had started using Scorpius' middle name as soon as she found out about it. It had stopped being funny though the moment Scorpius had begun calling her by her own middle name.

"Oh, I just thought we were listing my best qualities, Nymphadora."

The slight giggles that had been going on throughout their conversation turned into outright laughs. Rose hated the effect Scorpius had on them; it seemed like he could always say the right thing and immediately bewitch them. Rose, on the other hand, seemed to give off a bitchy vibe more often than not. Only her family and close friends knew her loving self. It was a good thing her family was so big.

Now her cousins and brother had started recounting the events of Christmas Eve to Scorpius. Today it was just James, Al and Lily Potter, but two days ago their whole family had gathered at the Burrow to celebrate Christmas - it was their annual tradition.

"And then James and Fred decided to play Quidditch with gobstones! The whole room reeked and everyone was covered in that stinky liquid by the time grandma stepped in and called things off!" Al's face had a huge smile on at the memory. Then he turned to Rose with his eyebrows raised. "Of course Rose didn't play."

"What, and get drenched in that gross fluid? As opposed to you, I don't marvel in smelling like a swine."

"Come on Rose, it would have been fun if you played.", Lily chimed in.

"Of course it would have been a hilarious sight, watching me fumble with the broom while the rest of you threw gobstones at me."

"If you had let me teach you how to fly, you wouldn't be 'fumbling' with the broom.", James told her.

Lily looked down playfully at him. She was sitting on her bed with Rose, Scorpius and Al, while James and Hugo rested on the floor. "Because we all know what a patient teacher you are, big bro."

James threw a sock that was lying on the floor at her. Lily's room wasn't exactly neat, but it was definitely cleaner than James and Al's. Lily caught the sock before it reached her face and threw it over at Hugo, who was too absorbed in his own thoughts to catch it properly.

"Oi Hugo, where's your head at?", James brushed the sock from Hugo's hair.

Rose smiled adoringly at her brother. Hugo had a habit of daydreaming, getting lost in his thoughts. She wondered what was on his mind now. Maybe one of his latest inventions. Hugo didn't put his intelligence to use the same way Rose did. While she spent her time studying, something that had earned her the title of Prefect this year, Hugo didn't much care about grades and titles. To outsiders he might seem a bit aloof, but everyone in their family knew how excited he got over his creations. Giving shape to his crazy ideas fascinated him immensely. James and Fred kept begging him to help them with their pranks, but Hugo had yet to satisfy their desire, much to their dismay.

Rose's thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the window. Every head turned to look at the black owl holding a letter in its beak.

"Oh, that's for me." Rose sat up to open the window, but Al and Scorpius were faster. While Albus held Rose back, Scorpius took the letter from the owl and opened it.

"Hey, that's personal!", Rose shouted.

"Read it, Scorp!", Lily urged him on. "Who's it from?"

"It's from Anna Krum.", Scorpius cleared his throat and started reading in a high-pitched voice. "Dearest Rose,

I hope your Christmas was as great as mine! We went skiing on the Alps with my family and there I met a very attractive boy named Hans."

"Ooooh...", everyone started catcalling, while Rose turned a bright red colour and tried wrestling out of Al's grip.

"Of course, he's not as handsome as Albus...", Scorpius continued, at which even more whistling and cheering ensued. Everyone knew Anna had a crush on Albus, she had spent a part of her summer holidays with them and they had all gotten to know and like her.

While Albus was smiling victoriously, Rose managed to escape his grip and race towards Scorpius, who held the letter high above his head and continued reading.

"Me and Hans kissed under the moonlight..."

"Give that back, Malfoy!", Rose tried to reach the letter but since Scorpius was a head taller it was rather a lost cause.

"And made love under the starlit sky...", Rose climbed on the bedside table, but Scorpius started retreating. Without thinking she jumped on him, putting her legs around his waist, and tried pulling his arm down.

A sudden knock on the door cut the howls of laughter short. Rose managed to climb down before her aunt entered. Ginny looked at Scorpius, who had put the letter behind his back.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Draco sent a message for you to return home. He says your grandfather is over for dinner."

Everyone sobered at that and after Ginny closed the door they all looked back at Scorpius.

"Well, that's going to be an interesting dinner.", Scorpius' voice dripped with sarcasm. Everyone in Hogwarts knew the special interest Lucius had taken in his grandson. Draco had made it clear that he didn't want Scorpius anywhere near Lucius or dark magic, making sure to avoid meeting with him apart from special occasions. Christmas holidays was one of those.

It seemed like the temperature in the room had suddenly dropped. Rose snatched the letter from Scorpius' hands and read it through. "You liar. She doesn't say anything about 'making love in the moonlight'."

Scorpius gave her that infamous lopsided smile of his. "Well, I had to make it interesting somehow. I guess I'm not surprised that your correspondence is so dull."

"As opposed to your correspondence, which is nonexistent."

"Guys...Don't start." They both turned at Al's exasperated voice. Scorpius sighed.

"Don't worry, mate. I anyway have to get going."

Rose hated that Scorpius could follow through on their peacemaking better than her. She hated that he got to her more than she got to him. That he could dismiss her with a sigh, that he could stop their fights whenever he felt like it. That he had more control over it than her. She was jealous and resentful.

"Oh, and James, you have congratulations from Anna on landing that job with the Falcons. She says you'd better be in the world cup when she starts playing for Bulgary.", Scorpius said with a wink.

"Oh, I'll be waiting for her."

Rose turned red in anger. She could have said that to James herself. Did Scorpius think she wouldn't have? Or did he just do it to piss her off? How could he always steal the attention and glory whenever he was around? She felt like she dimmed just by being in the same room with him.