Chapter Two!

Acquaintances

After that Scorpious had managed to convince Albus to trade seats with him. Al had been confused but didn't object. During the next class none of them mentioned what had happened and Rose didn't even wonder why Albus was sitting where Malfoy had the day before. She sat next to her cousin and gritted her teeth in silence through the entire class.

"So what happened?" Albus asked that night at dinner

"What do you mean, Al?"

"You and Scorp. You spent all day yesterday laughing and hanging out and now you are back to ignoring each other…. "

"Nothing happened we were laughing because Pefifenberg is a hilarious name. we finished our work and that was the end of it. He probably figured that due to the fact that we are cousins that we would want to sit next to eachother."

Albus muttered something under his breath that she didn't catch "Okay then, there just seems to be a lot of "nothing it was just-" between you and Scorp. I was starting to hope that you guys were becoming friends"

"Friends? Albus we are barely acquaintances!" She said trying not to sound too defensive knowing how much Albus read into words.

Albus decided not to push it. He had pushed information from rose once in second year and it had taken him almost the whole year to grow his eyebrows back. "Well you want to go to the library to do homework?"

"Sure!" Rose was probably the only Gryffindor that loved spending so much time in the library. She loved the smell of the books and the quiet atmosphere. Not to mention the actual books themselves.

They walked in silence until Rose saw a familiar blond hear sitting at the table Albus was leading her to.

"You said there was nothing wrong with Scorpious." Albus said when he noticed her face

"There isn't. He just caught me by surprise, that's all." Rose sighed and sat down across from Malfoy and opened her books.

Scorpious looked almost as uncomfortable as Rose felt as the three of them sat there in silence. Al cleared his throat after a few minutes of the awkward silence to announce that he had forgotten his potions book in the classroom and that he was going to go get it. It took no seconds flat for Rose to realize that this meant leaving her alone with Malfoy.

The two of them stayed silence for a long while after Albus left. "Rose I-" Scorpious started right as Rose said "Malfoy I-" they both stopped and chuckled a bit.

"You first." Rose said when she calmed her laughter. He nodded and looked at her. His gray eyes pierced her blue ones for the longest moment "I wanted to apologize for the other day."

"I was wondering what that was about. Even Albus thought we were getting along. Then you brushed me off like any other Gryffindor."

"I didn't mean to seem like that, it's just that… You and Albus are completely different! He is all jokes and laughs and you are all… Rose."

"That cleared it up absolutely none."

"I don't know how to explain it. It freaked me out when I realized that I wouldn't mind being friends with you. Rose, you got me to laugh within twenty minutes of talking to me. It takes most of my friends at least twice that to even get me to smile."

"You afraid of a Gryffindor entering your little Slytherin bubble?"

"Something like that… "

"We aren't all that bad you know."

"Yeah you are. You and your chivalry and bravery and all around goodie-two-shows ness it makes me almost sick." He joked. Rose could hear the exaggeration in his voice

"Oh and you sneaky slimy Slytherins are any better?" she countered a small smile creeping onto her lips

"Why yes. Yes we are."

Rose picked up her book and threw it at him laughing. Scorpious, not expecting the book at all, was hit in the face hard enough to cause him to nearly fall from his chair. He held the book as laughter bubbled up in him again.

"You should do that more often!" Rose murmured not meaning to speak aloud. His laughter made her whole body shiver. It was almost magical to see this boy, this Slytherin, who never really laughed at all, who had such a bad-boy reputation laughing his arse off in the library with a Gryffindor.

"Hmm?" Rose blushed. He had heard her.

"Laugh. You should do it more. It suits you."

"If that is the case, then we need to do this more often. It seems to suit us."

"I suppose we should then." Rose smiled "How about next time we finish an assignment early in class and get to leave we hang out?"

"I may take you up on that Weasley."

"I think I lied to Albus…" Rose laughed as she reached across the table to retrieve her book

"How so?" he said. He held the book where she couldn't reach it. His chair was leaned back on two legs and his arm was holding the book up and away from the table. Well out of Rose Weasley's reach. Rose being the crazy, unorthodox, Weasley that she was did not stand up to grab the book, nor did she accio it, she instead opted to crawl across the table and grab it.

when she grabbed the book he tugged back causing her to topple off the table and onto Scorpious. The chair crashed down with a loud thud and there was a small shriek from rose along with a shout from Scorpious as well.

The two of them burst into laughter where they lay on the floor. Rose was pinning in down still attempting to get the book that he had managed to keep a hold of as they fell.

Scorpious didn't think about what he was doing, he reached his free hand over and ticked her causing her to laugh harder and squirm before pinning both of his arms down next to his head on the ground.

This was the precise moment that Albus turned the corner. He looked at his best friend and his cousin sprawled together on the ground laughing and had no idea how to handle it.

"What the Hell?" he called out loudly. He was promptly shushed by the librarian as she walked by. She had somehow missed the sight of Rose and Scorpious.

"Hey Albus" Rose and Scorpious said in unison causing them to laugh even harder. Neither of them even noticed that they were in a compromising position until Albus pointed it out.

"I can't tell if you are fucking or fighting! And I don't know which I would prefer right now either." He said. Anger flashed in his green eyes.

"Neither." Rose said sliding off of Scorpious. They both sat up and dusted themselves off. Scorpious handed Rose her book before explaining "I guess you could say we were friending?" he laughed

"I thought you said you wanted us to be friends Albus! I'm fairly sure that at this point we are at least acquaintances."