Scorpius found Rose studying in the library the next day.
"Hey, Rose! How did you like the party?"
She looked up sharply, then turned back to her notes. She didn't respond.
"Rose?"
She looked up again, and Scorpius could see the tears threatening to spill out. "It was awful, Scorpius."
Scorpius was grateful he hadn't chosen a seat yet, because now he could take the one beside her. He put a hand on her arm but she moved away.
"You got what you wanted. You won your stupid Quidditch game, I went to your stupid party. I even danced! Which was stupid of me."
"What happened, Rose?"
"They were all talking about me. The music was loud, but so were the whispers. They wondered why I was there, what I was doing. Who had invited me." Scorpius froze.
"They what?! Who was it, Rose?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Everyone, probably."
"Well, I happen to know it wasn't Lily or Michael. They, uh, seemed rather busy."
Rose let out a little laugh. "Really?"
Scorpius smiled and nodded. "Really. They talked for a while and seemed to hit it off pretty well. They spent the whole party together."
"Talking?" Rose asked with inquisitive eyebrows.
"Well, uh, no. They were talking at the beginning, but, uh."
Rose laughed and shook her head. "Lily Potter."
"You did set them up. Hopefully you weren't interested in Michael yourself."
Rose shook her head. "He's in my house, but no. I'm not at all. I'm happy for her."
Scorpius smiled. "You did good at the party, Rose. You introduced them, and Lily probably would never have talked to Michael on her own." Rose nodded her agreement. Scorpius leaned closer. "Sometimes, Rose, people talk. But you can't listen to them. People will always have different opinions. But the only ones that matter come from the people that are important to you. You understand?"
Rose nodded. "Like Mr. Darcy?"
Scorpius laughed. "Is he that bloke from your book?"
Rose grinned. "Yes , he is. You should read the book. You might actually like it."
"Someday I might, Rosie. Someday I might."
"Scorp, what are you doing for Christmas? What do you usually do for Christmas?" Rose asked. She, Scorpius, and Albus were studying out under the great oak tree. It was approaching winter, but had yet to snow. Scorpius had convinced her that studying in the fresh air could do her some good.
"Usually my family travels. We like to go all over, and see the sights. But this summer, well, we had a bit of an incident with some kangaroos in Australia, and my mother decided we'd better lay off the travelling for a while." Rose laughed.
"Ah, yes. The kangaroo fiasco. I remember your stories about that," Albus commented. "Who knew kangaroos could get so energized off of Cauldron Cakes?"
"Well, that happens to people sometimes too," Scorpius responded. Rose stared at her book more intently, hoping to disappear.
Unfortunately, she saw Albus's eyes light up, and knew it was coming. "Ah yes. I do seem to recall a dear cousin of mine getting quite hyper after eating a few."
"Oh? And do I know this cousin?" Scorpius asked, with a glance at Rose.
"Of course! You know all my, cousins, Scorp. This one just happens to be sitting right here!"
"I was ten, Albus," Rose responded flatly.
"You were. But it could potentially happen again. I wonder how many it would take this time…"
Rose shook her head. "You are such a Slytherin."
"Hey, Scorp, if you're not travelling, you should come hang out with the Weasley clan! We always have a good time. We usually play a few Quidditch games. If you came, there'd be enough of us for two teams. We wouldn't have to try to convince one of our parents to play."
"That sounds fun. Do you have usual teams, or does it change every year?"
"It usually changes from year to year. Teddy and Victoire are usually the captains. Then they pick from there. People tend to play the same positions from year to year, though."
"What position do you play, Rosie?" Scorpius asked. Rose stilled, but it was already too late.
"Seeker," Albus responded easily.
"Wait. You play?" Scorpius was dumbfounded. "You, Rose Weasley, bookworm to the extreme, play Quidditch? As a seeker?"
"And she's brilliant at it, too," Albus added with a smug grin.
Rose sent him a glare.
"So, why don't you play on a school team?"
Rose shrugged. "It would interfere with my studies."
"That's it? Not because you're not good enough, or you don't like it, but because studies take priority? Do you enjoy Quidditch?"
"When I don't have the worries of exams and essays in the back of my mind, yes."
Scorpius just shook his head. "Well, I'll be looking forward to seeing how your skills compare to mine."
Albus grinned. "She can take you. But you'll have to fight Lily for it. Lily and Rose usually play seeker."
"Ah. Well, we shall see then, won't we miss Weasley?"
AN: Here's another one! It's also pretty short. Hopefully the next ones will be a little bit longer. And we get to see Rose play Quidditch!