Chapter Four
When Rose and Scorpius returned to the Great Hall most everyone had already disappeared back to their beds. The dance floor was sparsely populated and Scorpius led Rose back onto the dance floor. Scorpius held her close in his arms this time as they drifted slowly across the floor. About a half hour later, although it seemed like only moments to Rose, Professor Longbottom interrupted the two, as Asp had done earlier.
"It's midnight Cinderella, time to go up to bed," Professor Longbottom said, a hand on Rose's shoulder. She sighed as Scorpius reluctantly let her go.
"May I walk the young lady to the entrance of her House's common room?" Scorpius asked the professor.
"Em, well, I - I don't..." Neville Longbottom was taken aback by the request, or by the oddness of a polite Malfoy, "I don't see why not." Then he turned stern, "But I'll be sending the prefect of your House to check on you, so no funny stuff Malfoy."
"Yes, sir," Scorpius stiffened and his gray eyes turned cold. Rose knew how his anger could turn cold and was disturbed by the exchange.
Rose took the top hat from Scorpius and he carried his cloak, scarf, and cane with one arm. His other arm he threw around Rose's shoulder. They walked like that to the fifth floor of the west side of Hogwart's castle to the beginning of the staircase that would lead them up into the heights of Ravenclaw Tower. Scorpius was still silently fuming and a slight stiffness gave him away, despite his attempt to smile for her sake.
"You know," Rose began softly as they started up the tightly winding spiral staircase, pressed even closer to each other, "Professor Longbottom and my parents are very good friends, they've known each other well since their schooldays together, and when they formed Dumbledore's Army to defend Hogwarts from the Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Neville is like a part of our extended family. I know he was being overprotective because he thinks he needs to be more responsible for members of the Weasley-Potter tribe than he does for other students."
"I hate the way people use my name like a curse word," Scorpius said quietly. Rose felt her heart stutter and let out a breath.
"Maybe you should tell him how you feel," Rose paused on the stairs to press her cheek, then her lips over his heart. Scorpius closed his eyes for a moment, letting himself bask in the glow of how it felt to be near her. He was slightly mollified and they started walking again after a moment.
When they reached the plain expanse of aged wood with the bronze eagle knocker they stopped and Scorpius lifted her hand press a light, brief kiss to her knuckles. Rose let him kiss her hand, then grabbed him by his white silk vest and pulled him closer, feeling brave, daring, and reckless.
"Hold me," she demanded, smiling.
"Always," he whispered, as she slipped into his arms to kiss him goodnight. Softly, only once, chastely, and then she was slipping away again. She walked to the bronze eagle knocker the two whispered back and forth.
The eagle quizzed Rose: "Fourth years should know the answer to this question for the essay they will have to write in Transfiguration. Name the two characteristics that makes Transfiguring easier and an example for each."
Rose answered: "It is easier to Transfigure creatures with similar names, similar appearances, or both. For instance, turning a guinea pig into a guinea fowl, turning a hedgehog into a pincushion, or turning a beetle into a button."
"That was perfectly correct!"
Then door swung seamlessly open and closed quietly behind her. Scorpius put his hand over his heart and gave a melodramatic sigh. The eagle knocker humphed at him, which only encouraged Scorpius to smile wider and turn on his heel. He whistled as he made his way back to the dungeons where the entrance to the Slytherin common room.
Meanwhile, Rose danced over a midnight-blue carpet decorated with stars and beneath the domed ceiling with its glittering stars, through the wide, circular common room and towards bed. She let her hand slide across the blue and bronze silk wall hangings and over the cold glass of the graceful arched windows for the first time immune to the spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. Opposite the entrance was the door leading to the dormitories beside which stood a life-size white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw wearing her diadem. Rose passed the sleeping statue quietly, barely containing the urge to dance past. It wasn't until she sprawled across her bed that she realized she was still holding his tophat. She held it to her face and inhaled, then laughed at herself. A practical as ever Rose took the time to undress and put on one of her comfortable shirts to sleep in and, despite being so tired, she carefully hung up her dress, wrap, and cloak and left them hanging for the house elves to tend to whenever they came through for clothes to wash. Blissful, she sprawled across her bed and fell instantly into a deep sleep strung together with dreams of dancing throughout the night.
When Scorpius finally reached the Slytherin common room, an extension of the dungeon, it was nearly one in the morning. It had taken quite a while to walk from the highest point in the castle to the lowest, built beneath the Lake. He may very well have collapsed onto one of the green chairs and slept under the low light of the greenish lamps but the skulls seemed to be staring at him. Then he realized he really was being watched.
"Merlin's pants! Asp, don't sneak up on me like that!"
"I was waiting up for you." Albus S. Potter threw himself over the back of the couch to land next to Scorpius with a thud. He slung his arm companionably around Scorpius.
"What took you so long, eh, best friend of mine," Asp said, and suddenly his arm tightened from around the elegantly clad shoulder to the his friend's delicate throat. Scorpius went limp against Asp, knowing full well fighting wouldn't do any good. Though neither lad was particular brawny, Scorpius still had the market cornered when it came to being slender.
"I walked her back to Ravenclaw Tower, like a gentleman, then walked myself back," Scorpius hissed, "Their common room is the highest, farthest point from here in Hogwart's castle, you dunce."
"Hmm. I knew that," Asp said, relaxing his hold. Scorpius drew back and glared at his friend.
"Where's your ridiculous hat?" Asp asked. Scorpius smiled, but it resembled a grimace.
"She carried it for me and forgot to give it back," he replied, tossing his feet up into Asp's lap.
"Ugh, get off me," and then a laugh, "Don't you know you're supposed to let her keep you jumper or a shirt or something? How's she supposed to sleep with your tophat?"
"It was an accident. I'll ransom it back for one of those," Scorpius replied dismissively, "Right now I'm going to bed."
The End
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Author's Note: I did not mean for it to seem as if Rose was a contestant in the Tournament! She's in her fourth year, fifteen years old is too young to compete (legally) and she certainly couldn't be late to the Yule Ball if she was competing. I must have really messed that up. Sorry if anyone was confused. I did research. The common room information is accurate. It's almost as if Hogwart's itself is plotting and scheming to keep a pairing like this apart. Cunning, determined, Slytherin shall never court beautiful, brainy Ravenclaw. So sayeth the Founders of Hogwarts. Although, I read somewhere that Helga Hufflepuff was the architect of Hogwarts. The way the castle moves itself around magickally was her idea and Rowena Ravenclaw (reputedly) praised her for her creativity. So, now you know who to blame.
Next up, Valentine's Day (sequel fic) and the ransoming back of the tophat. What should Rose ask for in return for his nice, tall, shiny hat? (You didn't think it was really over, did you? Poor things!