"Rose, what's his name?"
"Who?"
"The person that you're staring at?"
"Oh. I'm not staring."
"Intensely focusing then."
"I'm not. Just..."
"What!! Tell me now, Rose Weasley."
Leila refused let the questioning go. Her excited face came alive at the prospect of Rose's love life that eventually Rose gave in.
"Okay. I was coming to class and I run into this guy and he said he was going to meet me here," She looked up and saw him standing talking to some classmates. She shook her head and continued to look at her book. "I don't even believe he's here. It must be a joke." She declared to herself, Leila was lost in excitement.
"Look at his robes, their Gryffindor!! He's in our house."
"Oh Merlin, He's coming over."
Rose perused another book. Her cheeks had turned a bright pink. While simultaneously, her stomach did a flip flop. She heard Leila mumble something about leaving to see her father, Professor Longbottom but she was lost in her own thoughts to remember exactly. She really didn't think that boy would even come to see her. But there he stood, in front of her expecting her to look up. She couldn't do that.
"Is this seat available?" He asked politely.
"I suppose. You can sit down if you'd like. I was about to go." She spoke in a hurried manner refusing to budge her head.
"Oh, you don't have to, I won't bother you."
"Well, I guess Al can wait." She sighed and by accident, lifted her face and then saw his dark brown eyes staring back at her.
"Al?" He questioned with a lingering anticipation.
"He's my cousin." After a long silence, Rose gave in and asked, "What year are you?"
"Second year. You must be one too."
"Why would that be?"
"Aren't you? You seem really mature for an eleven year old."
Rose couldn't help but suppress a slight grin. Maybe he wasn't so bad.
"So are you going to the Quidditch game?" He asked her.
"Yeah. My cousin is playing so if I don't go my family won't be happy."
"Who's your cousin?"
"James Potter."
"As in, James Potter, son of Harry Potter?"
"Yeah. He's not the only son of him, ya know."
"Harry Potter is a Quidditch legend. Youngest seeker in centuries." This gave Rose an excuse to finally leave.
"You know, he did more than catch the snitch. Now, I really must be going. Al's going to wonder where I am."
Rose grabbed her belongings and walked out of the library leaving behind a bewildered Trent. She felt empathic for him but at the same time she was too young to worry herself about a boy that was perfectly acceptable for her family. It was a dear shame; he was a tad attractive but perhaps for Leila. She walked outside to the Quidditch field and sat in the stands and watched the practices. Of course there were plenty of Quidditch players were exceptional, but Rose always preferred to watch James. James was like his father in the air. It was thoroughly exciting to watch him try to catch the snitch diving between the towers and players on broomsticks. Usually James was unmotivated in anything unless it included the opposite gender. He had always been that way too, conjuring roses for Muggle girls on his street; when they would ask about it, he simply told the truth- he went to a magic school. Aunt Ginny would have his head when he did stupid stuff, like fly when he wasn't supposed to, and magically change Lily's drink to soup, etc. He had gotten better- but his stubbornness was indeed still an issue coupled with his bossy nature.
Nonetheless, everyone loved his company and put up with his annoying charms. Rose just hoped he would stay out of her life a little more.
She finished all of her homework on the bench and eventually headed toward the dorms after applauding James' practice alongside 3rd years vying for his attention. Those girls gave her dirty looks as she screamed his name. She decided to leave more quickly after the looks she was getting were enough to kill. James got way too much attention for such an alpha male.
Her feet carried her past the expansive lake and she stood for a moment in wonder, staring at the sloped mountains.
"So it's you again, isn't it?" A familiar voice was behind her. Not turning around she responded.
"Yes. I think so."
"May I tell you something?"
"Yes."
"I believe you to be far too formal, and you obey too often." Rose turned around to see the boy from the train.
"It's you."
"Yes, it's me. Who did you expect?"
"No, it's not that but I just thought that after what happened on the train- I'm dreadfully sorry about that by the way."
"You're forgiven already. So Gryffindor right?"
"Sure am, and you're in Slytherin."
"Actually no, I'm not. Ravenclaw."
Rose smiled. Scorpius smiled. They started walking along the lakeside together talking about Hogwarts and anything else that came to mind.
"So just wondering, but why aren't you"
"I'm not like my dad. I know what he was and what he stood for but I'd rather spend a day in the library at home reading novels." He looked down at her with a gentle gaze.
"You're so grown up." She said admiringly.
"My mum says I'm an old soul. You must be one too." He declared with knowingness,
"An old soul? I don't what that is but its sounds alright." They laughed and continued on their path along the grassy knoll.
Scorpius was particularly surprising to her in almost every way. She'd had only spoken to him twice but she felt calm around him. His grey blue eyes were warm and inviting and she was welcomed. She wanted to sit and talk to him forever but dreams don't come true. James was passing with some of the Quidditch team, back from practice and on their way to the great hall when he noticed a familiar pair standing by the lake.
"That's it! She has to know who she can't talk to." James said furiously to his friends. James turned and whispered to his friends, filling them in on the back story of the Malfoy family and the Weasley/ Potter family. A few moments in congregation and they set about their plan. Blinded by the seemingly unjustified act of two friends merely speaking to one another, they walked down to the lake where Rose and her new friend stood. Rose and Scorpius looked up abruptly in shock and unconscious fear. Rose knew James well and knew his intentions weren't ever completely thought out before the action ensued.
She stood in front of Scorpius between him and her cousin.
"James? James, go away."
"Rose, I told him to stay away from you and he's not doing that."
"What are you on about? James? Jamie, No! You have the wrong idea!"
James brushed past her as a teammate grabbed her and held her back. James and the rest of the team hovered around the first year who was inching closer and closer to the water's edge.
"Jamie! You're
crossing the line! Scorpius, I'm so sorry about him- he's an
idiot."
"Rosie- stay out of this!" Turning to the boy, the
team picked him up and threw him in the water. A deafening splash
signified Scorpius immersed in the murky lake.
"HOW DARE YOU do that to my friend!" Rose squirmed out of the guy's grasp and unleashed unto James. "I don't get why everyone that cares is only trying to hurt me. I'm making friends finally and I'm not even related to them so BUT OUT!"
"You shouldn't even be his friend at all!"
"You of all people have no right to tell me what to do OR who I can be friends with."
"C'mon, you're coming to dinner with us." Ernie, the new Keeper, took hold of her arm and started dragging her up the hill.
"James, you are a horrible person. Let me help him out of the water at least. He could drown." Her eyes met her cousin's and no empathy resided in his pupils. She was forced up the hill, drudgingly. She looked back at Scorpius swimming back to shore.
I believe you to be far too formal, and you obey too often
Rose wriggled out of the grasp and ran back to Scorpius.
"Hey."
"Hey."
"Need some help? Oh course you do." She knelt down, extending a hand. He took hole as she pulled him up. "You're soaking wet. What's a good drying charm?"
"I'll think of one." A silence lingered as his clothes dripped unto the grass. James' team had already left but James waited on the hill ready to take action. "You best be off."
"Scorpius."
"If I were you I'd go."
"Oh, okay then." Rose walked away from hearing him mutter an instant drying spell but she walked on. Once she got to James he put his arms around her and walked the rest of the way with her to the Great Hall. They didn't speak the entire way instead only anger and resentment clouded their judgment.
Leila was in the Great Hall, talking with Trent. As she walked closer, she scanned for another place to sit but alas there was nowhere. She was forced to sit next to Leila across from Trent. She piled food on her plate so as to never have a chance to talk. James took his seat far from Rose and Rose was entirely fine with that outcome. Leila knew however that something was bugging her and pried the rest of dinner to figure it out. It was no avail because she refused to speak. The only time she even looked up was when Scorpius walked into the Hall and sat with his House. He didn't look at her and she quickly switched her glance from him to her plate. This stayed this way for weeks.
Two days at Hogwarts and she already wanted to go home.