A/N: Here's chapter three. I realized while typing this that I am currently writing two different stories with characters named Lily in them. And the name is spelled differently in each. Lilly in my Veronica Mars fic, and Lily Luna in this one. I caught myself accidentally adding an extra L in the Lily at the end of this chapter. I think I fixed them all, but if you catch the typo, that's why. Anyhoo, enjoy. R&R! Thanks! –Mac

Disclaimer: I don't own

Three

"I've got another question," Scorpius said.

He glanced sideways at Rose as they walked back toward the castle sometime later. Rose nodded vaguely as she swayed forward. She had eventually agreed to have a couple Butterbeers more with him and they had left her bubblier than he had ever seen her before. When they had left Three Broomsticks, she had skipped ahead of him, swinging her bags wildly. He had eventually relieved her of her bags, shouldering her book bag and taking her Honeydukes bags, for fear that she would injure herself or others.

"Ask away," Rose said as she sidled closer to Scorpius and looped her arm through his.

"I mentioned before all the pranks you've been a part of—" Scorpius started.

"Oh, the pranks," Rose exclaimed, "Well, I could tell you stories that would curl your hair. What do you want to know?"

"Why do you involve yourself in them?"

"It's all in good fun," Rose answered. "Nothing like a good prank to bring a family together."

"But do you do it because you enjoy it, or do you do it because all the others enjoy it?" Scorpius continued.

"Someone has to make sure they don't step too far out of line or do something thick enough to get caught," Rose said. She pushed some hair out of her face with her free hand. "If I wasn't involved, they would have all been expelled by now, save for maybe Lily and Molly, probably Louis. James never would have made it past O.W.L.s if I hadn't taken over the planning aspect of the more elaborate pranks. They need me to be involved."

"So it's not for you, it's for them."

Rose shrugged, "I suppose."

"Then what do you do for yourself?" Scorpius tilted his head to look at her as she started to lean against his side as they walked.

"I read," Rose said simply. "Not school books or supplementary texts, but novels—romances and adventures."

"Interesting."

"Everyone assumes that if it's not educational then I don't respect it, but it's not true. I enjoy fiction as much as I enjoy fact," Rose continued.

"I just learned something I didn't know about Rose Weasley," Scorpius said. A smirk formed on his lips, "By romances do you mean those dirty novels that use words like 'pulsating' and 'moist'?"

"Of course not," Rose's mouth dropped open. She pulled away from Scorpius and hit him in the arm playfully, "I meant love stories: soul mates, star-crossed lovers, forbidden matches, friendships that bloom into adoration."

"Love conquers all and all that, huh?" Scorpius chuckled.

"Go on," Rose waved her hand at him. She put a couple steps distance between them. "Have your laugh. I'll wait."

Rose could sense the soothing effects of the Butterbeers wearing off. The walls were building back around her. She suddenly feared the next question that might leave Scorpius's lips. Would it be too personal or something she wouldn't want to reveal? What had her answers thus far done to the way Scorpius viewed her? Just how deep would he dig to uncover what he called the real Rose Weasley? Did she even want him to keep digging? Rose stopped in her tracks as they approached the entrance to the castle. Scorpius continued forward a couple steps before he realized she wasn't beside him anymore. He turned around to look for her. He walked back so that he was standing in front of her again.

"Is something wrong?" Scorpius frowned. "I was only poking fun. I think it's wonderful that you like to read something other than Hogwarts: A History. I'm glad I know that about you. I'm sorry I laughed—"

"Scorpius," Rose shook her head. "Nothing is wrong. Don't apologize."

"Okay," Scorpius said. "Then why did you stop?"

"I was thinking," Rose answered.

"Yes, with you that's a given," Scorpius nodded. "What about?"

"This," Rose gestured between herself and Scorpius. "I wonder when you're going to ask a question that I don't want to answer or vice versa. What happens when it gets too personal?"

"Well, hopefully by the time we get there we'll be pretty good friends and it won't seem too personal. If not, then you don't answer and we move on to something else," Scorpius said.

Rose nodded her head slowly, "Sounds like that could work."

"Good," Scorpius smiled. "So, I learned something new about you. It's your turn to ask me some things. If I walk you to Gryffindor Tower, I might be able to tell you something that peaks your interest."

Scorpius started walking again and Rose followed after him, taking a few quick steps to catch up with his long strides. She mulled over what she was going to ask him as they entered the castle. Finally, she just asked the first thing that occurred to her.

"Can you tell me about your parents?" Rose asked.

Scorpius looked confused, "What do you expect to get from my answer to that question?"

"You can tell a lot about a person from how they talk about their parents," Rose said, "and the only things I know about your family is from my parents and aunts and uncles."

"Alright," Scorpius shrugged. "I guess you probably think that a last name doesn't get any more loaded than yours or Albus's."

"I suppose it's hard to deny that," Rose replied.

"Try having mine for a day," Scorpius said. "The lot of you have to try to live up to your names, but I have to struggle with living mine down. My father is nothing like my grandfather was, not now anyways. When he found out I was in Slytherin, I think he was somewhat disappointed. I think he would have actually been happier if I was in Gryffindor. I think he thought being in Slytherin would make it tougher for me to cultivate a good reputation, or that being in Gryffindor would just be easier. He has his flaws, but he's been trying to restore the family name legitimately since the War. He's trying to be a better person, at least to a degree. My mum is, well, she wants the best for all of us. She's a natural born mediator. She brings out the best in my father."

"What would your father think about you being friends with the offspring of his old rivals?" Rose reached for the railing as they began to climb the staircase toward Gryffindor tower.

"My father was raised with prejudices. It was ingrained in him to dislike your parents, hate them even. He didn't raise me that way, though. Sure, there are snide comments he makes off handedly about the old days when the name Weasley or Potter comes up, but I think it comes more from wounded pride over owing your family so much for what they did for him and my grandparents," Scorpius explained. "Unsettled debts don't sit well with him. He knows I'm friends with Albus and Hugo. He doesn't discourage the friendship, so that has to count for something. Maybe he thinks I'll do something for one of you that will wipe the slate clean between our families, so he doesn't' have to handle it personally."

Rose laughed, "Knowing Albus and the trouble he likes to get into, the longer you spend time around him the more likely you'll have an opportunity to save him from some dire fate."

"I'll keep that in mind," Scorpius smiled back at her.

They reached a landing and had to wait for a staircase to move back into place. Rose tapped the railing with her fingers as they waited, "You know, your father called my mum awful things when they were at Hogwarts. Neither she nor my Uncle Harry hold a grudge against him though. My father still grumbles about him every once and awhile, but my mum…she forgives him. I can tell."

"I think there is a part of my father that wants their forgiveness. He would never say it and if they were to offer it to him, he'd probably refuse it on principle, but I think he wants to believe he is not a horrible person," Scorpius took a couple steps up the flight of stairs once it shifted into place, but paused and turned back to look at Rose directly. "I think it means something that he never tries to deny what he did, and he doesn't try to justify it to me anymore either. He's told me stories about the awful things he said and did, and I like to believe that he does it so that I can be better, because no child wants to know that his father was the villain in the story."

"I never thought about it before, but you were right to say that carrying your last name is a larger burden than mine or Albus's," Rose said. "We're not held responsible for our parents achievements, but you're held accountable for your father's crimes. Your father is probably right. Being in Slytherin doesn't offer you any advantage in avoiding that."

"I wanted to be in Slytherin," Scorpius shook his head. "I did. Not for the legacy or because it was the House I was best suited to, but because it would be a challenge. I wanted to give Slytherin a good name. It helps motivate me to be better and do good things. The Hat would have put me in Gryffindor; I asked it not to. I want to prove them all wrong. The House I'm in does not define the kind of person I become. Only I can do that, through the choices I make and the actions I take."

"Scorpius Malfoy, the philosopher," Rose murmured to herself. "I've learned something new about you, and just in time."

They came to a stop in front of the portrait that guarded Gryffindor tower. Scorpius took a step back down the stairs, still facing Rose, "Today was lovely, Rose. We should do it again soon."

"I'd like that," Rose smiled. "One last thing: do you know who I really am yet?"

Scorpius shook his head, "Not yet, but it's coming together."

He was down a few more steps before Rose spoke again, "Oh and Scorpius, I have a great philosophy for you: 'Be the change you want to see in the world.'"

As Rose laughed at her own joke, Scorpius rolled his eyes, "Have a goodnight, Rose."

"You too."

When Rose entered the tower after Scorpius disappeared down the stairs toward his own dormitory, she found many of her dear, irresponsible relatives sprawled out in various places around the common room. Hugo was lying on his back across the couch in front of the fireplace, with a day old Daily Prophet open over his face. Albus was curled up on an armchair still in his nightclothes and with his hair in disarray. Lily sat on the ground beside Albus's armchair with her head lulled against her brother's knee. Rose smiled as she walked over and claimed an open chair near the fire.

"Hello all," Rose said cheerily, "How were your days?"

Hugo raised a hand to lift one side of the paper off his face as he tried to look at his older sister, "Where have you been all day?"

"Hogsmeade, of course," Rose answered. "I told you I was going, even though the lot og you were confined to your beds, due to poor choices and idiocy."

"Didn't seem like poor choices last night," Albus piped up.

"That would be where the idiocy comes in," Rose pointed out.

"You went to Hogsmeade all alone?" Lily asked, lifting her head momentarily to look at Rose .

"Yes," Rose nodded.

:"I would never," Lily said. "It would be so boring spending the day there by myself. You must have had a dull day."

"On the contrary, it was one of the best days I've had in awhile," Rose said. "And I didn't spend the day by myself."

"But you just said—"

"I went to Hogsmeade alone, but while I was there, Scorpius Malfoy joined me. We had a great time together. I believe we're actually becoming friends."

"'Bout time, I'd say," Hugo replied, dropping the newspaper back into place over his face.

"It was getting strange with you being the only one of us not friends with him," Albus agreed

"Well it might have happened sooner, if the lot of you had given any indication that you had befriended him in the first place," Rose replied. "Instead, you're at parties with Scorpius while I make friends with your assignments in the library.—assignments which, by the way, are reviewed and completed. You can collect them tomorrow. Oh and when you do, you can collect the vials of hangover potion that I took for safekeeping."

Rose stood and left the common room to a chorus of complaints from disgruntled family members. She thought perhaps it was for the best after all that she had taken the potions. If her brother and cousins had been well enough to join her at Hogsmeade, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to spend the day solely in the company of Scorpius. Missing that opportunity would have been a shame, because she couldn't remember a time when she had been so honest and open with another person—or even with herself. If nothing else, the time spent with Scorpius would allow her to figure out who she really was. She had never felt so free to be herself, whatever that may be, than when she was with him. One day and she was already ready to break out of the picture that everyone had of her. There was no going back now.