I flooed into the Leaky Cauldron at 12:30 on Thursday. Scorpius and I were meeting there before going into Diagon Alley for our lunch. I stumbled out of the fireplace, brushing the soot off my clothes and my eyes scanned the pub. I spotted the head of pale blonde hair instantly. He sat in the corner at a little table, nursing a bottle of Butterbeer. He looked up and I waved. He grinned at me and got up, leaving his bottle behind him.
He crossed the room and slung an arm around my shoulders. "Hey, there." He greeted me. "Ready to go?"
I nodded and we went out back, to access the entrance to Diagon Alley. As we entered, the street, his arm slid back across my shoulders and he grabbed my hand in his. We strode down the street with little conversation.
He stopped, suddenly, in front of a little café, chairs and tables out front, condiments, breads, and baked goods in the little glass window. I looked up at him in awe. "You know Rhodes' Sandwich Shop?"
He looked down at my, surprise etching his features, "Yea, you've been here before?"
I nodded, "My cousin Al and I come here all the time. It is our favorite little spot."
He smiled, "It is great, isn't it? Not many people know about it. Mrs. Rhodes was a friend of my grandmother's, so my family and I have been coming here for as long as I can remember."
We entered the shop and went up to the counter to order our sandwiches. I got chicken on French bread and he got turkey on rye.
We talked, playing a twenty question-like game. I would ask a question, we would both answer it, and then it would be his turn. By the end of our meal I learned that he had a pet owl named Conway, had two other girlfriends before (Alison and Sherrin), loved chocolate as much as I do, had no siblings, loved Quidditch and had an intense dislike for anything cherry flavored.
We finished our sandwiches and he purchased a couple of cream cheese brownies from the counter. He took the bag and gestured for me to follow him. He led me out of Diagon Alley and back through the Leaky Cauldron. We emerged into Muggle London and he grabbed my hand again.
I looked up at him curiously, "Where are we going?"
He simply smiled and gave me one of those looks. One of those you will see looks.
We walked a couple of blocks and he pulled me off the road into a Muggle park. We walked slowly, all the way to the back, at the edge of the woods in a small meadow. He pulled a square of cloth out of his wallet. He pulled out his wand and muttered a spell, after looking around surreptitiously to make sure that there was no one watching.
The small cloth stretched into a blanket. He laid it out in front of us and flopped down on it, pulling me down with him.
We lay on the blanket, side by side, pointing out shapes in the clouds. Eventually, he sat up and reached around his back for the bag of brownies.
He pulled one out and I giggled at the rapturous look on his face as he took in the chocolate-cream cheese delight.
He mock glared at me. "What are you laughing at, missy? Have you ever had one of Mrs. Rhodes' cream cheese brownies?" When I shook my head, no, he looked appalled. "You have no idea what you are missing!"
I laughed at his theatrical attitude. "Well, then, Scor, you are going to have to show me exactly what I am missing."
He paused for a minute, reflecting. "'Scor.' Hmm. I like it." We grinned at each other for a minute.
He then seemed to remember that he was holding a brownie in his hand. He looked down at it and broke a piece off. He, very slowly, leaned over me and placed the piece against my lips. I opened them and he put the bite of brownie in my mouth.
He was right, it was delicious. As soon as the morsel hit my tongue, my mouth was filled with amazing flavors. The chocolate was extremely rich, but the cream of the cheese softened the effect. The result was an explosion of wonderful taste that overwhelmed my senses.
He laughed in delight at my rapturous expression and took a piece off for himself. "Good, are they not?"
I nodded my head emphatically, smiling at his enthusiasm.
He grinned and broke another piece off for me. He, once again, placed it within my mouth. This time, however, he did not back away after. Instead, his face kept approaching mine, slowly. His lips pressed very gently against mine. I gasped into his mouth and he took advantage to make an entrance, his tongue sweeping the inside of my mouth, sharing the flavor of the brownie.
We continued in this fashion, eating and kissing, until both brownies were gone. He lay back down beside me. I sighed, content and lay my head across his stomach. His hand came down to play in my crimson curls.
After a minute or two, he began to sit up. I did the same, confused. What had I done?
After he was in a sitting position, he grabbed my hand and placed a soft kiss to the back of it, similar to the one he had given me when we had first met at Carla's ball.
He then lifted his head and looked me directly in my eyes. I, once again, realized how gray his were. Although one may think that gray would be a cold color, his were the furthest from. They were full of emotion, serious.
He addressed me, "Rose, I have to get you home now." I sighed and began to get up. He, however, held my hand steady and I was unable to move far. He continued just as gravely, "I would like to see you again, Rose. Are you alright with that?"
I could not control the smile that stretched across my face. I pressed a light kiss to his lips before pulling back. I took my free hand and placed it to his cheek. "I would love that."
He grinned at me and stood up, offering a hand to help me so the same. I took it and was pleased when he did not let go. We packed up our picnic and he brought me home.
I stood in the doorway, watching him leave, a smile on my face. I am sure that I will be seeing a lot more of Scorpius Malfoy.
A/N: So, the brownies are not of my own invention. A local deli where I live makes the best cream cheese brownies and my friend and I had some the other day. They were heaven! So, big ups to the Black Sheep Deli!
