A/N: Eek, thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate them, guys. :) They made me super happy. Shoutouts to Loving Your Smile (Ali) and Alyssa for their reviews. They basically made my life.

And sorry it's taken so long to update! I had to update my other story, and then I kept getting stuck on this chapter.

One of the Boys

Chapter Two – Prince of the Party Games

After the Great War, it had become accepted, and even encouraged, to mingle with the other Houses. An Inter-House common room was built for students of all four Houses to spend time in. It wasn't unusual to see a Hufflepuff at the Gryffindor table, or even a Gryffindor at the Slytherin table. There was still rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but it had been toned down quite a bit. Even enough for a few members of each house to make friends with one another. It was much easier, however, for Gryffindor to make friends with Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The same went for Slytherin.

Though it was acceptable for students to switch tables during meals, it was customary to sit with your House during the Welcome Back feast, and the end of the year feast. This meant Rose was stuck at the Ravenclaw table, virtually alone. Her two best friends were together at the Slytherin Table, and the rest of her cousins were at the Gryffindor table. Rose gave a huffy sigh as she dug into her meal. This was one of the few times she minded being a Ravenclaw.

When dinner was finished, Rose said goodnight to her cousins and Scorpius, and followed her fellow Ravenclaws up to their tower. On the walk up there, a pretty brunette girl hung back and waited for Rose. "Hey," she said in greeting. "How were your holidays?"

"Hi Ana," Rose said. "They were fine. Lots of Quidditch. How about you?"

"Mum and Dad took me to Paris," she sighed happily. Ana Selwin came from a long line of purebloods, and was naturally very rich. "I met a boy there. He was sweet, but nothing compared to James."

Rose made a face. She still didn't understand how anyone could have a thing for her cousin. Especially James. He was just so... Ergh. Ana and James had been overly (and disgustingly) flirtatious for a while, but they still weren't an official couple. Rose wished they'd do it and just get it over with. She listened to Ana unconsciously brag about her summer in Paris. Ana was actually a very nice person, but didn't really think before she said things. She tended to brag a lot, without really knowing it. Luckily, Ana was in the year ahead of Rose, so they didn't share a dorm. When they reached the Ravenclaw tower, Rose said goodnight and went into her dormitory.

No one could blame Rose's roommates for not saying much to her when she entered. She'd never tried to be overly friendly with them over the years, and they'd stopped trying a few months into first year. She changed silently into her favorite pair of pajamas and crawled into bed. As she had the night before, Rose fell asleep thinking about Scorpius. But this time, butterflies were fluttering happily in her stomach as she imagined the smile on his face.

…

The only girl in her dormitory that Rose really interacted with was Becky Carmichael, a soft-spoken blonde girl. And the only real interaction they had was when Becky shook Rose awake in the morning before leaving for breakfast. First year, Rose had been late to class one too many times, and had gotten a serious threat from Professor McGonagall. Becky had started waking Rose up in time to get dressed and have breakfast. Rose had never come up with a good way to thank Becky for it, but she was grateful. It was tough, being the late-sleeper she was, to get to class on time. Or it would have been, without Becky's help.

Rose threw her pajamas on her unmade bed and adjusted her uniform. It looked almost normal. The only thing that bothered Rose was her skirt. Lily had adjusted it using magic to make it shorter, like most of the girls did. Rose tugged at it, feeling uncomfortable, but it did nothing. She sighed. She'd just have to get use to it. She ran a brush through her auburn hair, still as stick-straight and glossy as it had been the day before. She applied what little makeup she had been willing to take from Lily, grabbed her school bag, and went down to the Great Hall.

"Morning," she said as she sat down beside Scorpius. He and Albus gave her wary looks.

"What are you so cheerful about?" Albus asked, staring.

"If I remember correctly, you're not a morning person," Scorpius added.

"I'm not sure," Rose said, shrugging. "I just feel... Happy."

"Whatever you're on, give me some," Albus said.

"Shut up," Rose said, reaching over the table to smack him on the arm while Scorpius laughed.

"Looking forward to classes?" Scorpius asked.

"Not really," Rose said. "McGonagall is still teaching?"

"Looks like it. Old woman just won't quit, will she?"

"Not until she dies," Albus replied. "She's going to shrivel into dust before she gives up on Transfiguration."

Their conversation died as they focused on eating. By the time they had all finished, it was almost time for class to start. "What do you have first?" Rose asked, looking down at her schedule.

"Ancient Runes," Albus announces. It'd been his dream since fourth year to be a wizard historian, and Ancient Runes had always been his favorite subject.

Scorpius and Rose exchanged looks. "Divination," they said together. They hadn't given the class up because they both found it such a laugh and stress-relief. Professor Trelawney was just too crazy. She got crazier with age, too. Rose stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Coming?" she asked Scorpius.

"Right behind you," Scorpius replied. "See you in Charms," he added to Albus.

In the hallway, Scorpius threw his arm over Rose's shoulder like he'd done so many times before. The butterflies in her stomach went crazy, but she pretended nothing was different. "Trying out for the Quidditch team?" he asked.

"Duh," Rose said, nudging him in the stomach. "Tryouts are tomorrow."

"Us too," Scorpius said. "During lunch."

"Dinner," Rose replied. She'd be able to eat afterwards, but Scorpius was going to have to skip lunch. Everyone who wanted to try out for the Slytherin team would have to. The day after, Hufflepuff would have tryouts during lunch, and Gryffindor during dinner. This was done so teams were formed as soon as possible, while not having to excuse students from class. When the two of them reached the platform beneath the Divination classroom, they were not surprised to find that their classmates were few.

Rose was surprised, however, to see Becky standing there. Funnily enough, she couldn't remember Becky being in any of her Divination classes before. On the other hand, Rose was not the most observant person when she was with Scorpius. Unless she was concentrating on it. But when Scorpius was around, he was the only thing she wanted to concentrate on.

The other students were a seventh year Hufflepuff, Serena Boyd, two Ravenclaws, Katie Mullen and Angelina Thompson, and a Gryffindor, Darren Clark. Rose and Scorpius joined them, and they waited in awkward silence for the trap door above them to open and the ladder to descend. When it finally did, Rose scrambled up first, followed by Scorpius and the rest of the class. Professor Trelawney was waiting for them, her eyes as big as dinner plates from the spectacles she was wearing.

"Good morning class," she droned. "Please, take your seats." She motioned to the pillows that surrounded the tables. Scorpius and Rose dropped onto the pillows opposite each other and took out their Divination books. The two other Ravenclaws paired up, leaving the Hufflepuff, Serena, with the Gryffindor boy. "Today, we're going to start off with some review. We're going to be analyzing each other's dreams. To do this, I'm going to let you all sleep for about half an hour, and when you wake up, you'll discuss."

Scorpius looked at Rose. They both rolled their eyes, but obediently stretched out on the floor. Rose closed her eyes, and suddenly became sleepier. She had the feeling that Trelawney had cast a charm to get them to sleep. She would lift it when their half hour was up. In a few short minutes, Rose's breathing became slow and even. For a while, she didn't dream anything. She slept peacefully.

But soon the darkness began to fill with color, and Rose was dreaming.

Clouds surrounded her, and she realized she was flying. Looking down, she saw that she was on her trusty broomstick. The clouds were like puffy white pillows, and she wanted to curl up on one to feel the comfort of the cotton-like substance. When she turned around, Scorpius was there. He looked amazing, his blond hair perfectly in place. His crystal blue eyes were focused on Rose. Suddenly, her broom broke in half beneath her, and she was falling.

Rose let out a shriek and flapped her arms wildly. Before she had fallen more than ten feet, though, Scorpius caught her. He lifted her up, and she swung onto the broom behind him. "Thanks," she managed, looking down. The ground was almost invisible, they were up so high. "Are you sure this is safe?" she asked Scorpius, her arms wrapping around his waist. She was almost positive that they should be unable to breathe this high up.

"We'll be fine," Scorpius said, glancing back at her. He smiled, making her insides melt. The flew for a while, then Scorpius angled them down towards a great, puffy cloud. Instead of going right through, like they should have, Rose and Scorpius touched down on the cloud as if it were solid. It was like a giant pillow, Rose thought, testing the solidity and springiness with her feet.

"Rose?" Scorpius asked.

"Hmm?" She turned to face him and realized just how close he was to her.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she breathed, feeling a little faint. He was inching his way towards her.

"How would you feel... If I did this?" He leaned down towards her, and Rose was positive he was going to kiss her. She closed her eyes, waiting.

A voice cut through her dream, shattering it like glass. "Time to wake up." Rose reached out, trying in vain to reach her dream again, but it was useless. She blinked her eyes open and sat up, yawning. "Nice nap?" Scorpius asked her with a grin.

"Um, yeah," she replied, feeling a little shaken.

"Alright, my dears, please commence discussing your dreams!" Trelawney said, clapping her hands together.

"So what did you dream about?" Rose rushed the words, before Scorpius had a chance to ask her.

"It's kind of hard to describe," Scorpius said. "I was in this field, and then it started raining. Only it wasn't raining rain, it was raining something else. And before I knew it, I was surrounded by globs of pink jelly."

"Pink jelly?"

"Pink jelly," Scorpius confirmed. "And then I drowned in pink jelly."

"Well, my diagnosis is that you're afraid of pink jelly," Rose joked.

"How'd you come to that conclusion, Sherlock?"

Rose ignored him. "My question is, why are you afraid of pink jelly?"

"I'm not really sure," Scorpius said. "Maybe it has something to do with that jelly you dumped on my head first year."

"Oh, right. That," Rose said, sheepishly.

"Yes, that," Scorpius teased. "So what did you dream about?"

"Me? Oh, nothing much," Rose said casually.

"Liar," Scorpius said.

"Oh, alright," Rose said reluctantly. She relayed her dream, careful to make sure that she made Scorpius into a mysterious boy she'd never seen before. He'd never guess that it was him, not in a million years. At least, Rose hoped so.

"Sounds to me like Rosie's got a crush on someone. Is that why you girl-ified yourself?"

"No," Rose lied. "I just wanted to change stuff up a bit."

"Sure you did," Scorpius said knowingly. "So who is it?"

"No one you know," she replied quickly.

"I know everyone you know," Scorpius pointed out. "So who is it?"

"No one!" Rose insisted.

"Alright," Scorpius said, holding his hands up in defeat. "I give up, you win. Keep your little secret. But I'll pry it out of you eventually."

"Over my dead body," Rose retorted.

"That can be arranged." The grin was back.

…

When classes were over and dinner had been eaten, Scorpius grabbed Rose's arm. "There's a back to school party in the Room of Requirement tonight," he said in a low voice. "You're coming, of course."

"But, I have homework, and-"

"That's not due until Wednesday. Come on, have a little fun, Rosie." The way he said it made it seem like a challenge.

Rose was never one to back down from a challenge. "Fine, I'll be there," she said.

"8 o'clock sharp," he said. "See you then."

Rose returned to the Ravenclaw common room, went up to her dormitory, and changed her clothes. She put on a jean skirt that Lily had given her, a t-shirt, and a pair of tennis shoes. She looked good, but not too girly. She pulled her glossy hair back into a ponytail and added a bit of clear gloss. Perfect.

She went back downstairs to the common room, and was hoping to slip out before anyone noticed, but she was stopped by Ana. "Where are you going?" Ana asked.

"Oh," Rose said uncomfortably. "Just to a party."

"Is James going to be there?" Ana asked hopefully.

"I would assume so," Rose replied. "He never misses a party."

"Take me with you!" Ana pleaded. "I really want to see him."

Ick, Rose thought. Who could love her cousin so much? She sighed, then gave in. "Alright, you can come. But you better not tell anyone. And keep the PDA away from me."

"Deal," Ana said. "Let's go."

Rose lead the way from the common room to the Room of Requirement. The door to the party was a portrait, and the password was "sugar plums". Albus had told her after Scorpius had left. She and Ana seemed to be the last ones to arrive. It was hot in the room from all the bodies crowded together. Music was pumping from a seemingly harmless toy chest. Someone had obviously charmed it to play music like a radio. It was obviously on a muggle station, because no one was singing about potions or charming (literally) the love of their life.

She knew where she'd find Scorpius. He'd be where he always was; in the far left corner, snogging whatever girl he'd decided was worthy of him that evening. But when Rose was able to see the corner, she saw that Scorpius wasn't there. That was very odd, and unusual for Scorpius. Rose began pushing through the crowd to see if she could find him. Finally, she found Albus. "Do you know where Scorp is?" she asked.

"He's out looking for a bottle," Albus said.

"A bottle?" Rose asked. And then she made the connection. "Really? He wants to play spin the bottle?"

"You know Scorpius. Always looking for an opportunity to kiss a pretty girl."

"He doesn't need a game," Rose said bitterly. "He could get any girl he wanted."

Albus stared at her curiously. "Are you mad about something?"

Rose quickly regained her composure. "No, I'm fine. Just a little annoyed at Scorp. He's so childish sometimes."

Albus shrugged and turned back to his Slytherin friends. Rose decided to go get something to drink, and had just picked up a glass of sparkling cider when a hand clapped her on the shoulder. She jumped, nearly spilling the cider. She turned on her heel and saw Scorpius grinning at her. Her anger faded away. He held up a bottle. "Ready to play?"

"Sure," Rose said. She knew that, with her luck, Scorpius's spin would never land on her. But she could always play, and hope.

Scorpius gathered a large crowd, and they all sat down in a circle. He placed the bottle in the center of the circle and straightened. "I'll go first, since it was my idea." He bent down, spun the bottle, and waited for it to stop.

Rose closed her eyes and held her breath. When the group went, "Oooooohhh," she decided to brave it. She opened her eyes and saw that the bottle was pointing at Rachel Mason, the most popular girl in school. And one of the few girls who had never given Scorpius the time of day. Rose's heart plummeted. This was it. Scorpius and Rachel would kiss, and Rachel would fall for him like everyone else did.

"Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!" the group chanted. Scorpius shot Rachel one of his heart-melting grins, and she stood up gracefully, crossed to the middle of the circle, and kissed Scorpius full on the lips.

Game over, Rose sighed.

A/N: Decided to end there, so you guys can finally have something to read. Anyways, please drop me a review and let me know what you think! I'll try to update again by next Saturday. :)