A/N: Here's chapter three! I hope you enjoy! Please review, it would make my day/week/month/year so much better! :) Love ya! ~Em
Dusty stepped into the Three Broomsticks again, searching for the familiar mop of blonde hair. She craned her neck this way and that, trying to find him, but not seeing anything.
"Dusty!" She heard someone call her name and turned around, but didn't see anyone.
"Dusty!" She heard it again. Maybe she should yell back.
"What?" she snapped frustratedly, getting tired of this whole getting-yelled-at-by-an-invisible-person bit. She looked around again and suddenly saw Scorpius standing right next to her. "Oh. Sorry."
"For what?" he asked, panting. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I'm late, and I /am/ sorry, Quidditch practice took longer than usual."
"Oh, it's fine. Fancy a butterbeer?" said Dusty, leading Scorpius into the oh-so-popular pub.
"Sure." He shrugged and walked over to the bar. Dusty followed.
"Two butterbeers, please," Dusty said to Ross, the retired Rosmerta's son. Dusty and Scorpius both took out their coin pouches at the same time.
"I'll pay," they said in unison, and soon started arguing.
"I should pay, I'm the man!"
"Okay, so if two girls went on a date, who would pay? The man? I'm paying."
"That's not what I meant-"
"So what did you mean?"
"This isn't a real date, remember?"
"Yes, I remember we agreed we would get a butterbeer as friends. And the man pays on a date. This isn't a date. I'm going to pay."
"Bloody hell, will someone just give me the damn money?" said Ross impatiently. The bickering stopped and Dusty and Scorpius turned, blushing profusely. They muttered their apologies and Dusty allowed Scorpius to pay, planning to slip a galleon into his coin pouch when she got the chance. They each took a large mug of butterbeer to a booth and sat down.
"You look great," Scorpius said awkwardly after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence. Dusty blushed.
"Thanks, I don't try," she replied, rolling her eyes. "You do too, or as good as it gets with you."
"Hey! I resent that comment," said Scorpius, trying to withhold a grin. "I actually took time to shower after practice because I figured you wouldn't want to be sitting across from a smelly mess all afternoon."
"Sweat is hot," Dusty remarked, smirking. "It can make hot people hotter and ugly people hot enough to be shaggable."
"I am done talking about this. Would you like to go to Zonko's*?" he asked, and started to leave a tip on the table.
"No, you paid, I tip," she said, placing a very generous amount of money on the table. Dusty stood up and left the inn, Scorpius close behind her. Once outside, they slowed down and began taking a leisurely stroll through Hogsmeade.
"Big game tonight, who do you think is going to win?" Scorpius asked, debating which team she'd go for. It was Slytherin against Ravenclaw.
"Ravenclaw doesn't stand a chance," she said, not a hint of remorse in her voice. "Ever since I was little I rooted for the best. Not who I liked, but who I thought would win. You know I'm a muggleborn, so I watched football** all the time on the television. Of course, I've been obsessed with Quidditch since I found that I was a witch, but I still love to play football."
"If you know so much about Quidditch why don't you play?" Scorpius wondered as they entered the Hogsmeade branch of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Dusty reddened instantly.
"Well, see, uhh, I'm terrified of heights," Dusty said, looking at her feet.
"I don't know why Jamie didn't tell me that," said Scorpius.
"It wasn't his right to say so."
"Ooh, lovers' spat," a voice taunted from behind them. They turned to see a redhead leaning on a rack of Ton-tongue toffees.
"Oh, shut it," Dusty sighed, but soon smiled. "And we aren't together."
"Who's this?" Scorpius whispered into Dusty's ear. The man heard and laughed.
"George Weasley, owner and co-founder of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," said Mr. Weasley, extending his hand. Scorpius took it, his mouth open.
"George, this is Scorpius Malfoy, Jamie's best mate and one of my friends," said Dusty, biting her lip to keep from laughing at Scorpius' reaction.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Malfoy." George nodded politely.
"Pleasure's all mine, really," said Scorpius, running a hand through his hair. "I never would have thought I'd meet you, Mr. Weasley, you are one of my heroes."
"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy, I can't say I'm many people's heroes. I do recall one person, his name was Jamie..." George pretended to trail off, knowing very well that Scorpius and Jamie were best mates.
"Well, it was nice to see you, George, but I have to make sure he gets ready, big game tonight! But I'll probably be coming over for Christmas again this year!" Dusty called, ushering Scorpius out the door.
"Jamie's met him?" Scorpius exclaimed as soon as he was out of the building. Dusty rolled her eyes.
"Yes, we've had Christmas dinner with his family ever year since second year. Now come on, your game's in an hour." Dusty grabbed his hand and pulled him up to the castle, only stopping when she tripped and got a face full of leaves. Half an hour later Dusty was shoving Scorpius onto the pitch while she went to find Rose. She spotted the familiar red locks in the Gryffindor stands and decided to sneak in there, even though it's only supposed to be Gryffindors.
"Hey Rose!" said Dusty, sliding into a free space next to her. Rose grinned at her and turned to the pitch. Soon Meghan Wood started some pre-match commentary.
"Alright, folks, today marks the start of the Quidditch season. It's Slytherin versus Ravenclaw and I have a feeling this is going to be a rough game for both sides, seeing as both captains have claimed that the team this year is easily better than last year's tenfold. Speaking of teams, on the Slytherin side we have Scorpius Malfoy, seeker, Jamie McKay, keeper, Kathryn Zabini and Harper Kirkpatrick, beaters, and Marty Benson-Parkinson, Lindsay Parker, and Daphne McKinnon, chasers. On the Ravenclaw team..." Meghan droned on, and soon Dusty started to block her out of her head.
"So how was your date?" Rose asked, smirking. Dusty playfully smacked her arm.
"I thought I made it perfectly clear that it was not a date," said Dusty, and Rose snorted.
"Keep telling yourself that. A blind person could tell he fancies you to the moon and back." Dusty scoffed and pretended to be interested in Meghan's statistics and facts, letting Rose's statement mull over in her head. Sure, Scorpius could be considered attractive. He could probably get any single girl in the school to go out with him. It seemed odd to Dusty that the school's "most eligible bachelor" was single. Dusty's thoughts drifted until the sudden sound of a whistle brought her back down to earth.
"Parker gets the quaffle and passes it to McKinnon, ooh, intercepted by Chang who passes it to Belby, who shoots and ooh! Blocked by McKay! Slytherin in possession of the quaffle again, Benson dodges a bludger that Patil hit, passes the quaffle to Parker, Parker passes it to McKinnon who shoots and scores! Score is ten-zip to Slytherin…" Dusty blocked out the commentary and brought her attention to the movement of the players, Scorpius specifically. The way he zigged and zagged across the pitch, sometimes pausing to hover and look for the snitch. His strategy wasn't different from that of many professional players. Dusty just found it...boring. His tactics were effective, that's for sure, just a little too predictable for her taste. Then Dusty saw the snitch. About half way between Scorpius and the Ravenclaw seeker, but if Scorpius got to it first his team would win. Dusty decided she was going to use a spell of her own invention. Dusty waved her end and muttered the incantation. She was pleased when she saw Scorpius expression. She waved her wand again and he suddenly saw the snitch. He raced toward it, and the Ravenclaw seeker caught on, but it was too late.
"Malfoy has seen the snitch, Davies now sees it, but it's too late! Malfoy has caught the snitch! Slytherin wins two-ten to fifty!" The stands around Dusty bursted into either cheers or tears. Dusty didn't care which; she was just happy for her brother. She ran into the pitch where Jamie engulfed her in a hug.
"We did it!" he exclaimed, jumping up and down. "We won!" Dusty grinned with him and looked for Scorpius to congratulate him. She saw him surrounded by his team and many of his housemates.
"Oi! Scorp!" Dusty called, waving her hand like a mad person. Suddenly noticing her, Scorpius ran over and hugged her as well. "Congratulations."
"Couldn't have done it without you," he said, "or your voice. I heard you speaking inside my head, telling me where the snitch was. I think I've finally lost my mind."
Dusty laughed, "That was me, using my very own spell."
"That's brilliant!" said Scorpius, chuckling along with her. They hugged again before Scorpius was caught in the current of the crowd and carted off to the Great Hall for a dinner fit for a king.
*I know Zonko's was bought by WWW, but I believe the official name is "Zonko's: The Hogsmeade branch of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes".
**International football, not American football.
What do you think? Please tell me! There's a little box down there that's feeling a little lonely. :(