Next time he saw her was at a ball in July. It was in honor of some witch's coming of age (he learned later in the night it was for one of Rose's cousins, Roxanne, whom he knew attended Beauxbatons.) Everyone was dressed even more finely than usual, and the staff had even been issued boutonnieres- white carnations. The location was the beautiful ballroom of an old castle-like hotel, and the place was teeming with the creme de la creme of the Wizarding world. Rumor had it the Minister for Magic herself was planning on stopping by.

By August, working parties had become second nature. No longer did he worry about bumping into guests or knocking over trays. He rarely spilled anything on himself, and his polite smile was so well-practiced, he didn't have to consciously think about putting it on anymore.

So perhaps it was hubris, his belief that he no longer needed to think too much about what he was doing, that led to the night's unfortunate turn. When he learned that the Weasleys would be there, he had begun immediately searching for Rose in the crowd. Finally, he spotted her, and she looked more beautiful than ever. The dress she wore was a pale gold color, and hugged her tightly where appropriate but was in no way trashy, landing just above the knee. The the thin straps showed off her freckled shoulders, and Scorpius subconsciously took a step towards her- landing on the foot of a party-goer.

The party-goer was extremely displeased. "Wotcher, you pillock!" he cried, grabbing his shoe and hopping up and down on his uninjured leg. "Just where do they find these imbeciles?"

A few nearby guests turned to look. Scorpius began making apologies until the man grabbed him by the front of the shirt. "Tell me you name, kid. I wanna make sure I can write in on the report." The man leaned in, and Scorpius could smell the firewhisky on his breath.

"Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy," he said softly, looking around at the many pairs of eyes watching them.

"Malfoy, eh?" the man bellowed. By now there were nearly twenty people surrounding them, paying close attention and muttering to one another. "Lookie here, folks. We've got a Malfoy." He chuckled, and as he did, he noticed Scorpius's shoes. Glaring, he remarked, "Awful strange that poor ol' Malfoy's boy would be wearing such nice shoes. Thought we took away all that stuff after the war."

Suddenly, the voice he'd been hoping to hear chimed in. "Mr. McLaggen, you're drunk. Why don't you leave Scorpius alone?" She'd somehow managed to break through the ring of people around them and came to stand beside Scorpius.

McLaggen leered at her. "Oh ho ho, so that's how it is. Ron Weasley's girl's got a thing for the help."

Scorpius noticed Rose was blushing furiously but she maintained a fearless demeanor. "Even if I did, it wouldn't be a concern of yours. Won't you please be civil?"

McLaggen laughed. "You're telling me to be civil? What about the spawn of evil itself, huh Rosie?"

This wasn't the first (nor the last) time people had used Scorpius's father's past against him. Even at school, there were kids who after certain History of Magic lessons would glare at or recoil from him. This was part of the reason he tried to maintain a low profile.

Only now, there was no way to hide.

"Mr. McLaggen, I'm afraid you're making quite a fool of yourself," said Rose, grabbing Scorpius's arm. "Scorpius here is a nice guy, and he really shouldn't have to stand this sort of abuse."

Rose began pulling him away and Scorpius turned over his shoulder to call out another apology for stepping on McLaggen's shoes.

"You really don't need to apologize, Scorpius. He's just an old drunk who gets jealous when he sees young people, because he peaked at Hogwarts," said Rose as she towed Scorpius through the crowd.

When they were finally in open space again, the crowd having dispersed once it was assured that no further drama would be following, Scorpius found himself one-on-one with Rose Weasley, the distant but consistent object of his affections for the past few months.

"Thanks for that," he said.

She gave him one of her bright smiles. "Anytime. Besides, anyone with common courtesy would have done the same."

"But no one else did."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "My point exactly. These people don't want anything to do wit the word 'common,' even if it's courtesy. Not my family of course-" she was quick to add, "Well, except a few key members."

After a pause during which brown eyes met grey, Scorpius said, "I guess I should get back to work." He noticed her eyebrows raise.

"Do you have to?" she said, and she sounded a little disappointed.

He nodded and gave her a sad smile. "Sort of why I'm here."

"I find you much better company than all these folks, even if some of them did help save the Wizarding world or whatever." She played with her bracelet as she spoke.

"You sure you're not just trying to piss off your parents?" he joked, and she smiled out of surprise and batted his arm.

"Shut it! Am not!"

They laughed a bit and then they were looking at each other again and then she said, "Well, I s'pose you really have to get back to work." Scorpius nodded solemnly and started to walk back towards the kitchen, when she grabbed his sleeve. "Catch me before the party's over, yeah? I'll be the one with the mean expression leaning against the wall."

"Yeah, okay, I will," he answered, and hurried away before she could see him burst from joy.

He didn't notice his manager Ross following him back to the kitchen, but as soon as he'd swung the door open, Ross had grabbed his arm.

"Scorpius, look, I know that little scene with that wanker wasn't your fault," he said, and Scorpius as usual had to expend energy trying to look him in the eyes and not the unibrow. "But you can't interact with guests like that."

"But he started-"

Ross sighed. "I don't mean that. I mean you talking to one of the Weasley girls. It doesn't look good."

Scorpius started to apologize but Ross put up a hand. "Look, it's really not your fault. But just to avoid any other incidents like the McLaggen one, I'm putting you on dish washing for the rest of the night."

"You're really going to have Peter walk around out there?" Peter was the shrimpy dishwasher, and a year younger than Scorpius. Over the course of the summer, he'd managed to drop near thirty plates, seventeen wine glasses, and a ceramic platter. Of course, they were all easily fixable by magic, but Peter couldn't legally do it himself, so the hassle had been in finding an available older staff member before all the pieces scattered too far.

"Just for tonight, Scorp. It's not a big deal."

Scorpius complied and went to tell Peter.

"Really? They're going to let me cater?" Peter's whole body had perked up at the news. "Hell yes!" He began scrambling to untie his apron, but stopped when he saw Scorpius's long face.

"Oi, mate. What's wrong?"

Scorpius unhooked the apron from around Peter's neck and put it on. "Nothing. It's just…"

"Well, on with it!"

"There's this girl…"

Peter waggled his eyebrows. "Oh, is there? You gonna get it on with one of this high society dames?"

Scorpius shot him a look. "It's not like that, mate. Don't be gross."

"I don't know, man. Sounds pretty hot."

Scorpius ran his fingers through his hair. "She told me to catch her before the party ends, that's all."

"Oh, I get it," said Peter, winking very deliberately.

"Would you stop that?" Scorpius said, a little irritated but also a little amused.

Peter wiped his hands on his pants. "Sorry, Scorp. But if Rossy's not looking, maybe I'll come trade places with you before it's over, okay?"

"Would you really?" Scorpius said, lighting up over the stack of tiny plates he was about to clean.

"'Course mate. We're brothers here." With that, Peter left to pick up a tray.

If catering was boring as hell, Scorpius wasn't sure what that made dish washing. Of all the jobs, dish washing was the worst, as you didn't even get to see the crazy antics of the party-goers. Occasionally his fellow caterers would drop in with another stack of plates or to pick up the glasses he'd just set down on the drying rack, but other than that, it was rather lonely work.

He'd been at it for nearly an hour when Peter came dashing back to the sinks. "Quick, Ross is in the loo, you know he takes forever in there but I wouldn't waste your time." Peter untied the apron and Scorpius fumbled to get it off quickly enough.

"Go get 'er, mate," said Peter, punching his arm lightly.

"Wait," Scorpius looked down at himself, "How do I look?"

"Like a prick as always, you tosser," Peter ribbed. "Now get out there!" he said with a push.

In his rush, he went out without a tray or any catering paraphernalia at all, and hoped to Agrippa Ross wouldn't see him. He still needed to get his paycheck for the past week and a half, after all.

Back in the ballroom, he scoured the walls, looking for her dark red hair leaning against the marble. But even after a few minutes of walking around, mumbling "Excuse me," at frequent intervals, he didn't see her anywhere around the edges. He noticed that people had started dancing- a cotillion, he knew, because his mother had taught him all about how to live among the social elite. He paused in his search to watch the dancing, and happened to find just whom he was looking for.

Because there was Rose Weasley, dancing with the dark haired fellow, no mean expression to be found. In fact, she looked like she was having a lot of fun, really. Even if the guy seemed to be a total fool at dancing.

He watched for another moment or two before deciding to go back to the kitchen. He figured losing his job just to see this wasn't worth it.

Peter grinned at him when he slunk back to the sink.

"A real quickie, then, huh?" he said, giving Scorpius a playful shove with his elbow. Only, when he did, the dish he was holding slipped onto the tile floor. "Oh, shite," he said, starting to shove the pieces under the sink with his foot. "You saw nothing, mate. Remember that."

But Scorpius was barely paying attention.

"Not that good, was it?" Peter asked at his forlorn expression.

He shook his head. "She was busy."

Peter gave him a confused look. "Busy doing what?"

"Dancing with some bloke, that's what," he said. "Give me the apron before Ross comes back."

Peter handed it over and Scorpius took over the dishwashing.

"Geez, sorry to hear it mate."

Scorpius nodded and Peter went on his way when he saw Scorpius was no longer in the mood to talk.


"Excuse me Miss, we don't allow guests back here-" came Gregory's voice from the far side of the kitchen. The party had ended five minutes ago, and the whole staff was at work cleaning up both the kitchen and the ballroom.

"I'll just be a minute."

Scorpius began furiously scrubbing at a spot of marinara sauce at the sound of that voice.

Soon enough, Rose Weasley was standing next to him once again. He was vaguely aware of the fact that her dress was worth probably more than most of what he'd made that summer so far. In the muggy kitchen, in the midst of the smell reminiscent of compost, she was so out of place, so fresh and bright looking.

"You stood me up," she said by way of greeting.

Scorpius put down the rag and dirty saucer.

"My manager was upset with me for earlier," he tried, and it wasn't fully a lie.

She still looked impatient but also like she was trying to control her temper.

"For the thing with McLaggen? But that was his fault!"

"It wasn't just that. He didn't want me talking to you," he said calmly. She had a puzzled look on her face, and one of her red curls had sprung out of its place. He felt a strange urge to brush it back.

"And why's that?"

Scorpius shrugged. "It doesn't look good for the help to socialize with the guests. Makes them uncomfortable."

Her hands were on her hips. "Well that's total bullocks. I would have said screw that and done it anyways."

"You'd lose your job that way," Scorpius said, the corner of his mouth turning up.

"It's not about the job, though. It's about pride!"

"Some of us need the job," he said, and she blushed.

"Oh, Merlin. You're right. I'm being such a snot again. Sorry," she said, eyes downcast.

Scorpius grabbed her forearm. "Hey, it's alright. And, well, besides," he started without finishing.

"Besides what?" She looked up through her eyelashes and Scorpius was hit again by how very pretty she was.

Sighing, he told her, "Besides, I went to look for you anyways, but, well, you were dancing with some bloke."

She pulled away from his grip with a groan. "You saw that? How embarrassing."

"You didn't look too embarrassed."

"Geez, Scorpius. Do you know who that was? That was the bloody son of the Minister for Magic! 'Course I had to be nice, or it might've come to bite my parents back later!"

Scorpius raised an eyebrow.

"You don't believe me? The poor sad sack's fancied me since I was fourteen. Doesn't understand the meaning of 'not interested,' apparently."

"So you don't fancy him?" he asked, only afterwards wishing he'd bitten his tongue.

She laughed. "Hardly. The only thing worse than his dancing skills is his enormous ego." Scorpius felt himself relax a little. "Truthfully, Scorpius," Rose said, leaning against the counter and trying to be casual, "I sort of wish I could have danced with you."

He tried to play it cool, tried to hide his internal elation. "Well, I am a wonderful dancer."

Rose laughed. "Oh yeah? Prove it," she challenged.

"Right here?" he said, looking around. The kitchen by now was deserted as the rest of the staff was outside packing the van.

"Yeah," she said, and she grabbed his right shoulder and left hand.

"Well," he began, clasping her hand and letting his other hand slide from the small of her back to her waist, "We open with the classic waltz." She hummed a tune in ¾ time, and in the back of the kitchen, they danced a waltz. It was almost strange, really, how easily they fit together, Scorpius thought. He spun her without announcement and she laughed, and when she came back to face him, their bodies were closer together than ever.

Rose looked up at him with a smile and said, softly, "You really are a wonderful dancer."

In the stillness of the kitchen, their gazes held to each other as if by magnetic force, he knew he was about to kiss her. Their lips drew nearer to each other's, the distance becoming milliseconds apart, when-

"Ay, Scorpius, you ready to head out or-"

Their heads whipped to see Gregory, carrying a box of pans and looking rather stunned.

"Oh, I, uh- sorry to interrupt," said Gregory, taking a step back.

Scorpius and Rose had both dropped their arms. "It was nothing," said Scorpius with a shake of the head.

"I- uh- I'll be waiting in the van, then," said Gregory, who managed to shuffle the box in his arms enough to give Scorpius a thumbs up when Rose wasn't looking before walking out.

"Rosie, you almost ready to go?" called a voice from outside of the kitchen.

"Sorry," she said to Scorpius, before shouting back, "Just a minute, Dad!" She straightened the bottom of her dress, though it didn't need straightening. "I- well, I guess I'd better get going." She bit her lip, as though waiting for him to say something.

All he could manage was to mutter a "yeah" and run his fingers through his hair.

She waited a moment longer, though he wasn't sure what for, before saying, "Okay, good night, then," and walking out of the kitchen back into the ballroom.


AN: oooh, romance!

last chapter got only 2 reviews, but they were both really, really lovely ones. thanks for the follows, too.

reviews make for quicker updates! until next time!

GCP