"I give up Rosie." Scorpius flopped on the squashy armchair set up in the Great hall after dinner. It's a recent addition and I thought it was brilliant.

I bookmarked my page and tucked it between me and the armchair.

"Give up on what?" Though I had a pretty good idea what.

Valentine's Day was only 5 days away and Scorpius had dated a good number of the girls around the castle with no success yet for finding 'the one'.

"I've been dating all these girls and none of them seem right at all. They either giggle and simper all day long, are too clingy, or they scare the living hell out of me. They're just ... not right." He sighed.

"I don't think I'll have a date for Valentine's day." He finally said.

We both stayed quiet. He lost in thought about his predicament. Me secretly pleased that all his dates hadn't worked out, but trying to appear sympathetic.

"Are you going out with anyone?" He asked suddenly.

I shook my head but before I could elaborate I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see Landen Nott standing behind my chair.

"Rose can I speak to you for a second?" He asked politely. He was a Ravenclaw. Didn't take after his father much. Or should I say grandfather, since Theodore Nott actually turned out to be quite a decent man. Or so my mother tells me. I dunno how she knows that.

Confused I waited probably 10 seconds longer than necessary to answer, "Sure."

I got up and followed him to another set of deserted armchairs further down by the professors' table.

5 min later I was walking back toward Scorpius completely dazed and a little in shock.

"What did he want?" Scorpius asked abruptly. I looked up. Scorpius never spoke like that. Not around me. Not to me. He has always been soft and gentle. He looked ... decidedly rough right now.

"Well –" I stalled. "I guess one of us has a date for Valentine's Day after all."

Scorpius looked straight ahead at a plant in the corner. He didn't say anything but I could see his mouth thinning by the second. One of his hands was clenched in his lap the knuckles white.

"You like him do you?" He asked. More like demanded. I didn't know what was up with him.

"I dunno yet Scor," I hesitated. "I'm just gonna go and see how things work out."

"Suit yourself Weasley, you don't have to clear anything by me."

Weasley.

He hasn't called me Weasley for months.

"Weasley?" I asked. "Scorpius, what's wrong?"

He stared at the floor for a few seconds without answering.

I held my breath.

He couldn't be ... could he?

"Nothing" he finally said. His eyes met mine, but they were dull and lacked any warmth.

"Have a great date." He pushed off from his arm chair and strode to the great hall's doors.

I stared after him with a heavy feeling of disappointment.

5 miserable days later I was found in my room getting ready for 'Valentine's Day'. Who invented this stupid holiday anyways.

Scorpius hasn't spoken to me since that day in the great hall. He's avoided me. It wasn't fully obvious to those around us but when he would purposely arrive late for classes so he wouldn't give me a chance to sit next to him, I knew he was avoiding me. He was never in the great hall for normal meal times and I never got a glimpse of him no matter how early I arrived or how late I lingered over my meal.

And there's no need to mention that he hadn't been to the library either.

I brushed out my curly unruly hair after my longer than usual shower. I had tried to put some effort in by shaving my legs and underarms and conditioning my hair twice.

I wasn't sure what Landen saw in me but he had been hanging around near me since I accepted his invitation. He stared. A lot.

Valentine's Day landed on a school day and so we were all going to be in classes today instead of in Hogsmede but I didn't think this was any big loss. This meant I could avoid – anticipate - the date with Landen all day.

"I'm so excited. So so so excited."

Mairel was rushing around our dorm room with ribbon flying every which way. She was still in her underwear with tons of those frilly things all over it.

"I can't believe he asked me."

I wasn't going to bite the bullet and ask her what she was talking about.

"Who asked you what?"

But Agnes apparently was.

Agnes' ears were perked up in their usual way when she knew she was getting some good gossip.

Rose continued to dress in her uniform and ignored the two as best she could.

"He asked me to be his Valentine for the day. We're gonna have dinner together." Mairel squealed as she put another bow in her blond hair and finally pulled her shortest skirt over her knickers. Rose was sure you'd see them if she bent even a quarter of the way. And she was proven right when Mairel leaned close to the mirror to line her eyes.

"Who did? Who are you having dinner with?" Agnes was nothing if not persistent.

Mairel turned around triumphantly and looked them both in the eye before she blurted out "Scorpius Malfoy!"

Okay, on the inside, my heart shrivelled, I screamed at the top of my lungs and took Mairel down in some sort of kung Fu ninja move. But on the outside, I smiled politely as I finished buttoning my blouse and grabbed my bag to run out of the dorm room.

Landen really was a perfect gentleman. We were sitting together for lunch at the Gryffindor table.

My bouquet of roses (yeah I know, super cliche, he probably thought he was clever getting roses for Rose) was sitting on the bench beside me and the box of chocolates was nestled into my bag. I'd spoken very little today. But he didn't seem to mind.

He smiled at me, opened doors for me, and nervously took my hand as if waiting for me to pull away.

And I wanted to.

But I didn't. He didn't deserve that.

His eyes were constantly on me.

My eyes were constantly searching the room.

He hadn't been at breakfast, but then, neither had Mairel. I tried not to think about that too much.

Landen stroked his thumb over the back of my hand and a shiver ran through my body.

I didn't look at him to see his pleased expression. My eyes were on the door as a certain Slytherin had just walked in.

Look up.

I willed him to turn his head my way. But he didn't.

I felt a tug on my hair and turning my head back to Landen I found him twirling one of my curls around his finger. That looked wrong. He shouldn't do that. My hair shouldn't be so intimately entwined with his hands. They were too dark for one thing. They should be paler.

"You're so beautiful Rose"

I didn't reply. He was looking at me. Waiting for something.

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. I just stared at his hand still wrapped in my hair.

You're not Scorpius.

AN: I hope you guys are enjoying this story. It did start out slow but I'm pretty sure it picked up and will continue to pick up in the last chapter :) Tomorrow.