"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Rose asked scathingly.
"I might ask you the exact same thing Weasley." he said, his smirk contorting to a scowl that so frequently graced his features in her presence.
The two stared at each other a long moment, taking in every detail and committing it to memory, it had after all been quite a while since they had met. Four years almost. He seemed to have grown up quite well, she grudgingly admitted to herself. Even back at Hogwarts he had been one of the most sought after males, with his soft platinum hair, quidditch toned body and pearly pale complexion.
He was rumored to be a true charmer as she had heard from her gushing housemates, but she had never succumbed to his slippery smiles or deceiving words. Not that she had ever been on the receiving end of his a point the only words they had exchanged were in the form of hexes and not the pleasant ones either.
He was scrutinizing her every expression as she was his, and it bugged her to no end that she couldn't know what was running around in his head.
He was handsome; she had to give him that. Especially in his formal trousers and crisp white shirt, minus the Hogwarts robes, he was exceedingly debonair. He held a file similar to her which, she assumed, carried his resume.
Not even in her wildest dreams had she imagined that she would be competing with Scorpius Malfoy for the post.
He had proved to be competent enough time and again, and now here he was again, daring her to better him once was never one to back down and he knew that exceptionally well.
It had been ages since she had had anything or rather anyone even remotely challenging and she was all set and raring to go. She had thrived on their rivalry at school though she hadn't realized it at that time, and only when they graduated and it was gone had she comprehended its importance.
On one evening soon after her promotion, she realized she missed their fights, their drama. When she had relayed her discovery to Lily she had just smirked, emulating the boy in question to perfection, before brushing it aside saying she actually missed Scorpius and not the hexes he sent her way. To say Rose had gotten angry at her accusation (yes, that's what she considered it) would be an understatement. After that particular conversation, a few dozen apologies on Lily's part and a large quantity of chocolates to pacify her, they never spoke of the incident ever again.
She had always felt something missing however, and she stubbornly refused to admit it had anything to do with Scorpius Malfoy.
Having resigned herself to the fact that she would never have anyone else who brought out such a rise in her, she was now quite shocked to find herself in front of him once again.
And pleasantly surprised.
This was exactly what she needed to move on with her life, one last battle with him.
"Like what you see Weasely?" he asked snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Hardly." she snorted the same reply she had used since they had been 14. Something at the back of her mind registered that while she had been completely honest all those years at school, now it wasn't exactly true.
Sure she didn't like the man whom she saw, but his looks weren't bad on her eyes at all.
"Then why were you staring?" he asked the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he recollected the familiar conversation.
"I was merely observing how one could look so revolting and still be so obnoxious." she said with a huff, but when she caught sight of his expression she couldn't help but smile as well.
"What are we doing?" she asked softly, confused by his sudden change in demeanor.
She needed him to be mean and aggressive, like he had been in school, not this dashing, slightly sheepish man before her. "I don't know Weasley, you tell me." he said, now a genuine smile on his face.
The expression was so unfamiliar to her that she felt stunned for a second. Before she could reply however, a woman came into the lobby, clipboard in hand, and called for them.
"May the best wizard win." He smirked before heading towards the required area in his usual swagger.
They were ushered into a small waiting room, which she supposed led to the Board Room, where the interviews were to take place.
Inside, to her surprise, were 4 more candidates, all whom she had never seen before. They all were in their early or mid-twenties too she presumed as her eyes roamed about, taking it all in. There were 3 men and 3 women in total including Malfoy and her.
A quick assessment based just on looks told her they were probably as qualified as she was or perhaps more. Her mum had always told her never to judge based on first impressions. But, in this case, she realized that making a good first impression did matter; hence she was decked in her finest blouse and skirt. She brushed her skirt down to smooth any crease that may have developed, perfection was important to her.
Each candidate was impeccably dressed in their own right. She only hoped her quick tongue and fast wit would give her an edge over the others. And then there was Malfoy. She took the seat that had been left vacant for her and tried calming her jangling nerves. Her encounter with Malfoy hadn't done her much good either.
She could take him on; she knew that, but what of the others?
Anxiety had been a problem for her, but she was good at taking it in her stride and aiming for the starts. So, she thought of the look on Malfoy's face when she beat him yet again, and was soon set with renewed determination.
This job was hers, no matter what obstacles they threw her way.
"You will be called in for your interviews now, individually." The lady with the clipboard said.
"Starting with Jason Toby" she said.
One of the men stood, collecting his file before walking in rather nervously to the room adjoining theirs. He came out about 15 minutes later, looking thoroughly shaken. "How did it go?" one of the women asked.
He didn't respond, instead he just collected his belongings and fled the place as fast as his legs could carry him. If the others in the room were disturbed by what they saw they didn't show it.
To Rose however it only meant that there was one less person to beat.
"Scorpius Malfoy." The lady called out.
He stood gracefully as always, and walked with quick long strides towards the door. He caught her eye as he passed and winked once, that Malfoy smirk firm on his face.
She rolled her eyes at him, showing it wasn't appreciated, even as he heart did a little flip.
Just nerves she told herself repeatedly as she struggled to bring her heart rate back to normal minutes after he had disappeared behind the heavy oak doors.
He reappeared a few minutes later, the cocky smile still on his face, his stance as confident as it had been before. He resumed his previous seat, nonchalance oozing from him as he appeared oblivious to the questioning glance of the other candidates.
"Emma Page." The lady announced and the petite young woman to the right of Rose stood. Rose could feel her shaking in her shoes as she fumbled over her own feet twice as she attempted walking to the door. When the door finally shut the remaining 3 turned to Scorpius, their curiosity peaked.
"What did they ask?" the other man asked him.
"Questions…" Scorpius said drily.
"Come on Malfoy you know that's not what he meant." Rose hissed impatiently.
"Tsk Tsk Weasely, resorting to cheating are we? Why am I not surprised?" he said leaning back on his chair and surveying her.
"I am not a cheater Malfoy that would be you." She said affronted by his comment.
"You know each other?" the woman asked.
"Yes"
"Unfortunately"
Scorpius and her answered simultaneously.
"Aww, you don't mean that Rosie?" Scorpius said feigning hurt.
"Go jump in a dry well." She muttered, frustrated with him, all her maturity flying out of the window.
He laughed at that, knowing he had won.
"Isabel Rivers" the woman said introducing herself to him. "Scorpius Malfoy" he repeated for her benefit, taking her hand while flashing his 'I-make-girls-swoon' smile. Rose huffed as she saw the woman fall under his spell.
He smirked at her, before turning his attentions to the brunette.
As a result of his attentions the woman was for a lack of better words, a puddle of goo when she was called on next. The woman who walked out to let her pass was worse than before, her hands quivering as she made her way down the hall.
Rose shot him a scathing look before settling into her earlier position.
"You should be thanking me Rose, there's no way she's going to do well now. Her thoughts are now occupied by yours truly." He smirked condescendingly.
Rose turned away from him; her head held high, though she knew what he said was probably true.
There was no conversation for the next 20 minutes and complete silence was observed except for the agonizingly slow, but loud ticking of a clock nearby.
After what seemed an eternity Isabel Rivers walked out, not nearly as flustered at the other two, but skittish all the same.
She seemed to have just one goal in her mind as she headed straight for Scorpius Malfoy, eyes burning bright with desire not wavering from his.
Rose stood as her name was called, glad to leave the room so as not to witness what was going to happen not.
Blood was pounding in her ears, and she felt bile rise in her throat as Isabel, none to discreetly bent low to whisper in his ear, literally falling into his lap. Scorpius was listening with interest, the smirk widening on his face at what Rose assumed were her words. He did however lift his eyes to find Rose's, calling out a 'good luck' as she walked through the doors.
She shut her mind to all thoughts of the Malfoy, reminding herself she had a task to do. She could worry about minute details like why her body had reacted so violently to Malfoy later, for now the interview that lay ahead was top priority. Even as she told herself that however, the picture of Isabel all over Malfoy swam in front of her eyes, and it took her a few moments to regain her staid composure.
Get it together Weasley she berated herself as she stepped through the doors to face what she hoped were her future employers.
So sorry for the wait! Hope you liked it? PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! :)