A/N: Okay, I'm really sorry that it's been months since I posted anything at all, but I have a really good explanation for that. See, my computer broke sometime around mid-July whilst I was visiting family in Vermont, and I didn't get the chance to get it fixed until early August. THEN, the guys fixing it couldn't figure out what was wrong, so they tried a few things. Long story short, I didn't get my computer back until late October. I had to use the family computer for almost four months, and something about the alignment of the keyboard is off, so it's always a hassle trying to type on it, hence my four month hiatus.
Another thing- I realize that chapters one and two are in completely different tenses and writing styles. I'm sorry. Only one of those was on purpose. I changed writing styles for Rose because I felt that she and Scorpius are completely different people, so their views of the world would obviously be different. Also, one of my comments said my writing was unrealistic (or something along those lines). Hopefully, Rose sounds real enough for you. Now, about the tense thing, I totally would have done that differently, but I didn't realize they were different until I was 3,000 words into chapter two. Again, sorry. You'll live. Now, on with the story.
I clutched my books to my chest as I walked down the corridor, eager to be back in my common room after an afternoon of studying in the library. It was the week before Christmas holidays, and I was trying to get the last of my schoolwork done before boarding the train the next Saturday. I knew Albus and Hugo would scoff if they knew I'd been in the library all day, saying that there would be plenty of time for work later, but I also knew that they'd forget half of their assignments by the time we got back to school. Unfortunately, I'd probably be guilted into "checking" their work, therefore giving them all the answers anyway.
I had just moved on to wondering what would be served for supper, when I heard voices in a classroom to my right, and being the good little prefect I am, decided to investigate. I snuck up to the door, ready to catch whomever was in the room off guard and take 10 points from their houses, but stopped when I recognized one of the voices. Forgetting to be quiet, I threw open the door and stared wordlessly at what I saw.
There, in the middle of an empty classroom, was my boyfriend with his arms wrapped around a blonde Ravenclaw whom I vaguely recognized as someone James had dated the year before. They didn't seem to notice me at first, but after a second, the girl looked up and saw me standing motionlessly in the doorway. It didn't take long for my boyfriend to follow her gaze and realize he had been caught. Unable to stand looking at him, I turned and fled to the Great Hall, where supper was just being served, hoping to gain some comfort from my cousins. He caught up to me just as I reached the doors, and spun me around, a look of pleading in his eyes.
"Please, hear me out," he begged. "I was going to tell you, really, but it was never the right time. I'm sorry."
"Sorry. You're sorry? Oh, well that's just terrific! Now, we can forget it ever happened and everything will be perfect, right?"
"No, that's not-"
"Oh, or maybe I should just LET you snog every girl at Hogwarts! Why keep you to myself when I can share?" I was yelling now, and a few people left the Great Hall to see what was happening. Among them, I could see a couple people I didn't recognize, at least three of my cousins, and Al's best friend, Scorpius. I really didn't like the idea of them all seeing this fight, but I was too angry to try and move it elsewhere. "It's not like I haven't already been doing that for who knows how long. The difference is that now I'll know about it!"
By now I was sobbing, and even more people were trickling into the Entrance Hall, where our argument was taking place. I could feel the stares of my family and a few others, but I couldn't bring myself to look at them. My scumbag boyfriend, however, was looking anywhere but at me as I screamed at him, and at the moment I had no idea what I ever saw in him. I continued to rant at him about how I never wanted to see him again until I finally stomped up to the Gryffindor common room in a rage. I stormed into the sixth year girls' dormitory and flopped down onto my bed to grieve. I knew I'd have to answer to my family and friends later, but for now I just wanted to forget everything.
I tossed and turned for the next two hours, ignoring anyone who came into the dorm, until I finally slipped into an uneasy sleep.
Christmas at the Burrow was always chaotic, but this year it was verging on excruciatingly so. Whilst everyone else was running around, wrapping the last few gifts and stuffing Ton-Tongue Toffees into everyone's desserts (this was mostly James, Fred, and Uncle George), I was holed up in the room I shared with Lily and Dominique, sulking. It wasn't that I was upset about the break-up, necessarily, but more about the fact that he would cheat on me. When my ex-boyfriend had first asked me out, he was the perfect gentleman, always holding doors open for me and pouring me tea at breakfast, and it even continued for the first month that we were dating. Eventually, all of his kind gestures had lessened, and he'd stopped being quite so gentlemanly, but he was never rude or harsh with me. He'd never given me a reason to think that he'd cheat.
Although we'd only dated for a couple of months, I sincerely thought I knew this boy. Then again, so did everyone else. He was fairly popular, and it wasn't like he'd never had other girlfriends; in fact, he'd been dating one of my dorm mates at the end of the previous school year. The problem was that what everyone else knew about him, I chose to ignore. So what if he'd supposedly cheated on all his past girlfriends; they probably just made that up because they were upset that he dumped them. Even if he had cheated, he'd probably learned his lesson, right?
The worst thing about the break-up is that I thought I was special. What girl doesn't? We've all read the stories about that one boy who never settles down, and that one girl who's able to change him. We all want to be that girl, and when we realize we're not, it hurts. I never wanted to think that I could be that girl, because I was afraid I was wrong, but that didn't stop me from subconsciously dismissing all of his faults. It didn't stop me from being crushed when he added me to the list of girls he'd betrayed.
I was contemplating this when Al knocked on the door to my room, pulling me out of my reverie. He opened the door and smiled hesitantly at me before walking across the room and sitting at the foot of my bed. Neither of us said anything for a while, but it wasn't uncomfortable. That's why Albus is my favorite cousin; none of the others seem to know when to shut up, but he realizes that sometimes silence is the best way to handle a situation. We sat like that for another five minutes before he finally spoke.
"Everyone's downstairs getting ready for dinner; you should join us." He said it like a casual statement, but I could sense his desperation for me to act normally for even a little while. Unfortunately, I wasn't quite done moping, and I had yet to get my appetite back, so I told him so.
"Awe, Rosie, don't be like this. That git's not worth being depressed over, and there are plenty of other guys who're interested in you. I won't let any of them near you, of course, but that's not to say that they don't exist. In fact, I have a friend…"
"Al, please," I said exasperatedly. "I really don't want to hear about anything that has to do with boys at the moment; I'm sure you can imagine why."
"Sorry; just thought I'd give it a shot. At least sit with Scorp and me on the train back next week, yeah? It seems like forever since we've hung out, what with you always hanging around that creep-"
"AL!"
"Sorry! I just meant that I miss you. We can catch up on the train if you want, and then you can even sit with us at the Slytherin table for supper. It'll take your mind off…things, and we can get away from the family for a bit. I won't even force you to leave this room until then. Deal?"
"I'm not sure," I hesitated. "Do you promise to stop anyone from bringing up - er - things, as you put it? I don't think I could handle any questions on the first day back."
"I'll bat-bogey hex anyone who so much as looks at you oddly. I'm sure Scorpius will help too; he hates attention."
I still wasn't sure whether or not I was ready for company, but I reluctantly agreed to sleep on it. Al left soon after, with the promise that he'd save me a bit of pudding (minus the magical sweets). I couldn't think of anything to do, so I pulled out my mum's old copy of Hogwarts, A History, and read myself to sleep.
I was woken up on Christmas day by the squeals and giggles of my female cousins as they read over a letter one of them had received. After a quick investigation, I found out that the boy Dominique had had a crush on since fourth year finally worked up the courage to ask her out. Why he did this in a letter over holidays, I had no clue, but it didn't matter; I still felt sick to my stomach.
My first reaction was to go back to sleep, but I knew it was only a matter of time before the boys would wake up, realize it was Christmas, and burst into the room to make sure we were up. With that realization, I made my way down to the kitchen to see if Nana Molly needed any help with breakfast. As I walked down the many flights of stairs, I was assaulted by the smell of sausages, and my appetite returned full-force, causing me to quicken my steps.
When I reached the kitchen, my grandmother was just putting the last of the food on the table, and when she looked up and saw me standing there, she asked me to get the plates set out. That was what I loved about Nana Molly; no matter how terrible I was feeling, she'd give me some sort of work to do, and it would immediately take my mind off of whatever I'd been thinking about. Unfortunately, setting the plates on the table only took about five minutes, and then I was left just as miserable as before. I'd just sat down and was about to reach for some toast when I heard what sounded like a herd of wild animals stampeding down the stairs. I sighed inwardly, Great, they're up. There go my peace and quiet.
Amongst my cousins, who'd just stormed into the room and surrounded the breakfast table, I also spotted my dad, who looked entirely too awake for this early in the morning. I assumed it had something to do with his very healthy appetite, something both Hugo and I had inherited. Once everyone had settled down a bit, the rest of my aunts and uncles filed into the kitchen, placing themselves in the empty chairs around the table. I was unlucky enough to be stuck between my brother and James, who ate roughly as much as a small elephant, so any food I managed to get onto my plate was only there after much shoving and jabbing with my fork. I may be a girl, but I'm still a Weasley, and we love our food.
After breakfast, we all got settled in the sitting room, waiting for Grandpa Arthur to start handing out the gifts. I zoned out through most of the day, only paying attention when being handed a gift or when someone was speaking to me. By the time I got to bed that night, I couldn't remember anything I'd talked about all day, and it was kind of starting to scare me. I made a mental note to talk to Al sometime before we went back to school; it would help me stay connected to at least part of my family. With that thought, I dozed off into unconsciousness.
The rest of the break seemed to pass in a blur, until I found myself standing again on Platform 9 ¾ with my school trunk, waiting to get on the train. I'd decided to sit with Albus on the ride back to school, and he was taking an excessively long time to say goodbye to his parents. His friend, Scorpius, had already put his trunk in a compartment, and headed over to wait for Al too, leaving us both in a somewhat awkward silence. When the goodbyes were finally over with, we all made for the train, still not saying anything.
We reached the doors, and Scorpius wordlessly took my trunk from me, carrying it on board and into our compartment. I mumbled a feeble thank you before sitting down across from him and next to Al. The three of us sat in silence until my cousin broke it, asking the other boy how his vacation was. As Scorpius began explaining how boring life was at Malfoy Manor, I took a nap on Al's shoulder, not waking up until we were a couple of hours from the school to the boys playing a game of wizard's chess.
I sat for a few minutes watching the game and giving Al tips, but I eventually got bored and made an excuse to leave. I walked down the train corridor, heading for the bathroom, and was surprised when I literally ran into someone, falling on my bum. I looked up from the floor into the face of the blonde Ravenclaw I'd caught my ex-boyfriend cheating on me with. She opened her mouth to apologize, but whether it was for knocking me down or stealing my boyfriend, I never found out, as I was running back the way I'd come.
When I finally got back to my compartment, tears were starting to make their way down my face, and I had to hurriedly wipe them away before walking in. Al and Scorpius were as I left them, both hovering over the chess board, but they looked up when I opened the door. I must not have done a very good job of making myself presentable, because Al was out of his seat and hugging me the moment he saw my face.
"Rosie! What happened?"
"Nothing, Al; I just ran into someone on my way to the loo. It's fine," I tried to play it off, but he didn't seem to be buying it.
"Who, exactly, did you run into?"
"It's nothing, really! Now can you please just drop it?" I made my way over to my seat by the window and stared at the scenery flashing by. I could feel the eyes of the compartment's other two occupants boring holes into the side of my head, but I ignored them as best as I could. I felt bad for snapping at Al, but I knew that if I'd told him the truth, he would have wanted to talk about it, and all I wanted to do was forget. I didn't say anything else for the rest of the train ride, despite my cousin's numerous attempts at starting a conversation, and was relieved when we finally pulled into Hogsmeade Station.
The carriage ride up to the school was quiet, and I declined Al's offer to eat dinner with him when we arrived, preferring to head straight to the common room. I hated being so distant towards my favorite cousin, but I just couldn't handle the concerned looks he kept throwing me. That's not to mention his friend, who didn't have any reason to be worried about me, as we'd never even really spoken. I walked up to Gryffindor Tower wondering what would happen the next day in classes now that I was avoiding not only my ex-boyfriend, but also my family.
The next few weeks passed quickly, and soon it was February. My emotions were still all over the place, but I'd at least started talking to my family again. We weren't nearly as close as before the holidays, but I could at least joke with them a bit as we walked to class or ate breakfast in the Great Hall. I'd noticed a change in how I spoke with them, though. Instead of laughing obnoxiously loudly at Fred and Roxanne's detention stories or giggling over Lily's latest crush like I normally would, I found myself faking smiles and not really paying attention. I'm sure they'd noticed, but they were all too nice to point it out, and I was thankful for that.
Another thing I'd noticed was Scorpius Malfoy. I'd always thought of him as Al's Slytherin best friend or 'That One Guy,' but recently I'd begun to think of him as Scorpius. I'd caught him looking at me multiple times since the train ride, but I had no idea if this was a new development of if I'd just never noticed it before. Whatever it was, I had no clue what to do about it, or even how it made me feel. However, once I'd noticed it, I couldn't help observing other things about him.
I noticed how he always held doors for people, even if he was running late for class and holding the door meant he'd get five points taken from his house. I noticed how he didn't seem to have many friends besides my cousin. In fact, the only times I ever saw him speaking to anyone else was to ask for a spare quill or last night's Charms homework. I noticed how he really was quite attractive, and that it was a shame I'd never seen him with a girlfriend. By the time February rolled around, I'd decided that I was going to befriend the Malfoy boy; I just wasn't sure how to go about doing so.
It was Monday morning, and I was seriously regretting the girls' weekend my cousins had insisted upon the previous Friday. I'd already been in a bad mood after crying for hours in the courtyard earlier that day, and all I'd wanted was a peaceful weekend spent in the library. What I got was four of my very loud female cousins dragging me between our dormitories for two days straight with the occasional trip down to the kitchens. By the time we all passed out on Sunday night, Lucy had managed to turn her hair a bright, fluorescent purple, Roxanne had been forced to sneak into her brother's trunk twice for sweets, Lily had acquired a moustache, and Dom's clothes were all inside out. I was relatively unscathed, but for the large welt in the middle of my forehead, which was the result of the combination of a badly placed Exploding Snap card, my already impaired balance, and a very solid bed post. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to classes that morning.
Dom was again recounting how Lucy had finally admitted her crush on Lysander Scamander when we arrived at the Charms classroom to see the very boy who'd been plaguing my thoughts for the past few weeks holding the door open for us. My cousin, being used to this kind of behavior from boys due to being part veela, simply walked past. I, however, stopped to say thank you. I saw a flash of something in his eyes, but I didn't really pay attention to it as I sat down beside Dom and in front of Al. Instead, I let a small smile escape at the realization that I'd made it through a whole weekend with my nosy cousins without once mentioning my growing fascination with the boy now sitting at the table behind me.
Once class let out, Dom returned the common room for her free period, whilst I made my way to Arithmancy, and the day continued without much more excitement. It wasn't until Dominique ran up to me in the hall after my last class that my day became more interesting. Apparently, she'd overheard Al taking to Scorpius about wanting to play a quick game of quidditch, and she'd gotten it into her head that I would like nothing more than to watch it. Despite my protests and pleads to be left alone, she dragged me outside and into the stands around the pitch. I decided to just go along with it, so as to not get her upset. I knew I had a bit of a temper, but Dom was part veela, so she was a bit more intimidating when angry.
We had a good chat as we were waiting for the boys to arrive, but I couldn't tell you what we were talking about once Scorpius showed up and launched himself into the air. It was a bit distracting, to say the least. Unfortunately, my lovely cousin noticed this, and became convinced that I was secretly in love with him. I, of course, vehemently denied any feelings for the boy, but I knew my ears had gone bright red from embarrassment. I wasn't lying, though; I could honestly say that I did not love Scorpius Malfoy. I could not, however, say that I wasn't intrigued my him, and that's really all Dom needed to start screeching about how I should have told her I had a crush on someone and waving her arms around like a lunatic. I tried my best to shush her in case someone were to hear, and that's where things got crazy.
My cousin yanked my scarf from my neck and proceeded to dangle it over the side of the stands, threatening to drop it unless I admitted that I fancied Scorpius Malfoy. I don't know why I didn't just say it and get it over with – my guess is that it was my pride – but something made me get up and try wrestling my scarf from her hands. I must have reached a little too far, though, because the next thing I knew, I was hanging from the railing around the stands, screaming and trying desperately not to fall. I started kicking, and I vaguely heard Dom yelling at me to do something, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out what. Then I heard a new voice, and I looked down to see Scorpius waiting a few feet below me on his broomstick, arms held out like he was trying to catch me.
My eyes met his, and I saw the determination in them, calming my nerves a bit. I was still hysterical, of course, because there's nothing calming about hanging fifty feet above the ground and knowing you have to let go soon, but I at least felt better knowing I would be caught. With that thought, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and let go. I fell for a second before landing safely in Scorpius' arms, and we made our descent to the pitch. I could hear Albus yelling somewhere, but I was still too shaken to think straight. The only thoughts that registered were that I was alive and Scorpius smelled really good. Before I knew it, I was being placed on my feet and lead away by Madame Pomfrey, whom I hadn't even realized was there.
We didn't get too far before I panicked again. I'm not sure why I thought having Scorpius with me would make me feel better, but I immediately turned back and asked him to accompany me to the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey had been supporting my weight as we walked to the castle, but he walked over and took her place, so she scurried on ahead of us. It was a strange experience walking with Scorpius' arm around me. At this point, I was about ninety-five percent sure that I fancied him at least a little bit, but I didn't feel the butterflies in my stomach that I'd felt when my ex-boyfriend had held me. I didn't feel anything like how I'd expected to feel in that situation. My skin didn't feel tingly, I could think relatively clearly for someone in shock, and I wasn't experiencing any signs that I was nervous. Instead, I felt safe. Of course, that could have something to do with the fact that this was the boy who'd saved me not twenty minutes before.
When we reached the hospital wing, Scorpius helped me onto a bed whilst Madame Pomfrey brought me some potions to calm me down and help me sleep. As I was taking them, I noticed him staring, so I took his hand in my own, hoping he would stay. He obliged, pulling a chair over to my bed and sitting down. He was the last thing I saw before drifting into a deep sleep.
It was early morning when I woke up, and I was thrilled to find that Scorpius had stayed with me whilst I slept. His head was resting at an awkward angle by my shoulder, but the look on his face was of the utmost contentment. I considered waking him, if only so I'd have some company, but I couldn't bring myself to pull him from whatever dream he was having. Fortunately, it wasn't long before he began to stir, and within minutes he was awake and looking at me. He seemed a bit disoriented at first, but then his face broke into a goofy grin, catching me by surprise.
The only word to describe Scorpius upon waking was cute. The hair on the side of his head was sticking up, and his smile reminded me of a five-year-old with a cookie; it was endearing. I was wondering as to what his smile could be about when he suddenly said hi, catching me off guard. I responded with the same before we lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. He broke it by asking what the time was, and when I answered, I also accidentally implied that I was watching him sleep. He thanked me awkwardly, and I just knew I was blushing. I hastily turned away and grabbed the glass of water by my bed, letting go of his hand, which I hadn't even realized I was holding.
I'm not entirely sure why I started crying. I guess having Scorpius there with me when I woke up had reminded me of how there were people who cared enough about me to listen to my problems, or maybe I'd just had a rough day and the shock from the accident was catching up with me. Either way, I ended up crying into his shoulder, waving off his concerned questions and accepting the handkerchief he offered me. He pulled me into a hug, trying to comfort me, and he was doing a wonderful job of it. It took me half an hour to calm down and offer an apology, but of course he didn't accept it. He claimed I had nothing to be sorry for, but I knew he was lying, and told him so.
He must have known the extent of my distress, however, because he looked me in the eyes and told me I could tell him anything. So touched was I that the only thing I could think of to do was to wrap my arms around him and say "I know," and in that moment, I did. It wasn't long before I was telling him about everything I'd been going through for the past few weeks. I told him about my boyfriend troubles, how I was distancing myself from the people who loved me the most, and even about how I'd started to fancy someone who didn't like me back (I didn't say it was him, of course).
By the time I was finished, I was utterly exhausted, and hadn't noticed that Scorpius had moved onto the bed until I was practically falling asleep on him. I must have passed out, because the next thing I knew, light was shining into the infirmary windows, and Madame Pomfrey was scurrying over to check on me one last time before releasing me for the day. I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that Scorpius wasn't there when I woke up, but I resolved to sit with him at breakfast.
As I made my way to Gryffindor tower to get dressed for the day, I made a mental note to get to know Scorpius a bit better, and I already had a plan in my head. Now, I just had to carry it out.
A/N 2: I'm hoping to add at least one more chapter to tie everything up, but I'd really like to know what everyone thinks so far. Also, should I go with past or present tense, now that you've read my writing in both? Review, and tell me.
Next chapter is Scorpius again, and I promise not to repeat any events from now on, because I'm sure that gets boring.
Thank you to TimeToWriteIsHistory and Lulip for your reviews. Hopefully it won't take me five months to post this time!