A/N: As I keep writing, the 'moments' keep getting longer... Hopefully you guys don't mind! Please review :)
When Scorpius sighs for what seems like the hundredth time, his friends sitting across from him roll their eyes.
"Scorpius, we haven't even gotten to school!" Rose exclaims. "Can you stop moping about?"
"Yeah, come on," Al agrees. "Tryouts will be fine."
"Yeah, you can say that," Scorpius shoots back. "You're not trying out for anything, Al."
Al makes a face at him, and Scorpius simply glares back in response.
"Well, I am," Rose declares. "And we will both make it onto our teams fine, and then I'll beat you like I did in the summer."
Scorpius frowns.
"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" he asks incredulously.
"Tough love, mate," Rose grins. "Astoria would agree with me."
"Astoria always agrees with you," Al laughs.
"Do you two have to call my mum by her first name?" Scorpius groans. "It's creepy, you know."
"She asked us to!" Rose protests. "Astoria loves us. Honestly though, if you don't make it, and I severely doubt that will happen, your father will hear about it, come down here, and raise hell. So lighten up! You'll be great, I know it."
"Yeah, yeah," Scorpius mutters.
Despite his annoyance at his still chattering friends and their unnaturally amiable relationship with his mother, he feels better. Rose always has that effect on him.
:::
When Scorpius meets her in the library after tryouts, Rose throws her arms around him immediately.
"You were brilliant!" she tells him. "Absolutely brilliant. I told you that you'd make it!"
"Thanks!" Scorpius grins, hugging her back. "I stayed after to watch you. You were the best one out there! Congratulations on Chaser!"
Rose pulls away from him and smiles back.
"So, can we still be friends?" she asks jokingly. "Now that you're the enemy and all."
"Oh, I suppose I could use our friendship to spy on the Gryffindor team," Scorpius replies, with a shrug. "You can take that as a yes."
Rose shakes her head and laughs.
"So, should we get to studying?" she suggests.
Scorpius's face falls.
"I'm sorry!" he exclaims. "I saw Sheila afterwards, and I promised to help her with Charms. Is that okay?"
"Yeah, of course," Rose says, forcing a smile. "I don't doubt that she needs help with her assignments."
"I'll see you tomorrow!" Scorpius promises. "We'll work on that Potions essay together, right?"
"Sure," Rose nods.
He leaves, still apologizing, and Rose sighs before turning back to her assignments.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" a voice asks.
Rose looks up, straight into the shockingly blue eyes of Thomas Brown.
"No, go ahead," she tells him, smiling.
"Thanks!" Thomas grins, as he sits across from her. "I watched you play, by the way. It was wicked! I fear for our team, really."
Rose giggles, all thoughts of Sheila forgotten as Thomas continues to talk.
:::
When Scorpius brings Sheila to the library with him, Rose is far from pleased.
"Hello, Rose!" Sheila smiles. "Scorpius offered to bring me along today. Isn't he great?"
"Yes, wonderful," Rose replies. "Scorpius, a word?"
She pulls her best friend aside and glares at him immediately.
"Since when could we have guests?" she asks.
"You brought Al!" Scorpius points out.
"Yes," Rose hisses. "But that was different."
"You just don't like Sheila!" Scorpius says.
"Well, if you like her so much then study with her alone!" Rose exclaims.
Before Scorpius has the chance to react, Rose gathers her things and stomps off furiously to join Thomas a few tables over.
"Is everything all right, Scorpius?" Sheila asks.
"Oh, yeah," he tells her. "It's fine."
As they sit down, Scorpius glances over at Rose, who is laughing at something that Thomas must have said.
"What's with him?" Scorpius asks rudely.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that," Sheila responds, confused. "What'd you say?"
"Never mind," Scorpius says. "I'm just talking to myself. Ignore me."
Sheila shrugs and does as he says, but Scorpius doesn't follow his own instructions. He just can't seem to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.
:::
Slytherin has just crushed Gryffindor in the biggest match of the year, so there are parties going on everywhere.
Yet, a member from each team sits in the otherwise empty library in silence. Rose is at a table across the room studying for Transfiguration, while Scorpius tries to study for Potions but cannot focus. He and Rose haven't talked in weeks, and it's slowly eating away at him.
"Hey, Rose!" he exclaims. "I won the bet!"
Rose doesn't respond, so Scorpius walks over to her table.
"Will you talk to me?" Scorpius asks. "Let's talk about this issue, whatever it is. Honestly, that can be the thing for the bet this year for all I care. Come on, Rose."
"What do you want to talk about?" Rose says icily.
She doesn't look up as she honors the bet and talks to him.
"I like Sheila, okay?" Scorpius tells her. "I'm not saying that you have to. I just want us to be friends without my relationship with Sheila affecting that. Is that too much to ask, Rose? I mean, don't you feel the same way about Thomas?"
"Leave Tom out of this!" Rose snaps.
"Oh, Tom, is it?" Scorpius teases. "Come on, Rose. I'm sorry if I sprang Sheila on you that day. But I want to be able to hang with both of you. And I promise we won't always be together. We can even go out, all four of us!"
Rose's lip twitches; she wants to smile.
"I'm sorry for acting like an idiot," she says finally. "If you like Sheila, I guess I can tolerate her."
"Great!" Scorpius grins. "Mates?"
"Mates," Rose agrees, smiling back.
:::
"Hey, thanks for doing this, Tom," Rose says. "It'll be fun!"
"Yeah, Sheila and Scorpius are nice," Thomas agrees. "A double date with them shouldn't be anything terrible."
They look at each other and smile.
"Besides, I love spending time with you," Thomas adds.
His arm slips around her waist, and Rose laughs.
"Tom, don't make me blush," she tells him, with a grin.
"But you just look so cute when you turn all red," Thomas protests, before leaning down to kiss her.
The couple is soon interrupted by a certain Slytherin's thoroughly unsubtle coughs.
"Hey," Scorpius frowns.
Rose and Thomas quickly break away from each other as Sheila beams at them.
"You two are adorable!" Sheila squeals. "Aren't they, Scorpius?"
"Of course," he replies stiffly.
"I wish you would kiss me spontaneously like that," Sheila sighs.
Scorpius nods but doesn't respond otherwise, Thomas laughs nervously, and Sheila continues to pout. Only Rose notices Scorpius's fingers curling into a fist, but all she can do is bite her lip.
:::
When Scorpius sees Rose sitting at their usual table, head down and shaking, he knows something is wrong. He rushes over and sits down next to her before putting his arm around her.
"What's wrong?" he asks quietly. "Why are you crying?"
Rose only sobs harder.
"T-T-Thomas," she stutters. "He b-b-broke up with me."
She turns toward Scorpius and leans against his chest, and he strokes her hair comfortingly.
"He's an idiot then," Scorpius murmurs. "Did he say why?"
Rose is silent, so he doesn't try to get any more answers out of her.
"I'm sorry, Rose," Scorpius tells her, pulling his best friend closer. "I'm so sorry."
But as he feels his lips curving into a smile, he knows that he's lying.
:::
"We'll see you for fifth year!" Al grins. "Probably won't see you over summer, but you'll write, of course."
"Of course," Scorpius nods.
They are mere minutes away from King's Cross, and Al stands up suddenly.
"Damn it, I forgot to tell Andrew about what Susan said!" he exclaims. "I'll be back in a little bit. Don't leave without me!"
He runs out of the compartment as the other two watch in amusement.
"Typical Al," Rose laughs, shaking her head.
She turns to the boy next to her and is surprised to find him looking at her intensely.
"Scorpius?" Rose says. "What are you looking at me like that for?"
"I told Sheila that I didn't think we should go out anymore," Scorpius blurts out.
Rose blinks.
"Why would you do that?" she asks. "You seemed really happy with her! She really liked you, and I thought you liked her too."
"Stop talking," Scorpius tells her.
Rose raises her eyebrows, taken aback.
"Well, don't be so awful about it," she replies. "It just doesn't make sense to me, that's all. Why would you do that? What happened?"
"Stop talking," Scorpius repeats, more firmly this time.
Before Rose knows what is happening, his hand is at her waist, her arms are around his neck, and his lips are on hers. When Scorpius finally pulls away from her, he smirks.
"You, Rose," he says. "It's always been you."
Rose blinks rapidly, still shocked.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Scorpius asks gently.
"You expect me to be able to speak after that?" Rose retorts.
"Obviously you're not having a problem," Scorpius points out.
"You're an idiot," Rose tells him.
"Does that mean I can't kiss you again now?" Scorpius frowns.
"That's exactly what it means," Rose replies.
Before Scorpius can protest, Rose is kissing him again. When they break apart, Scorpius looks at her in confusion.
"It was my turn to kiss you," Rose shrugs.
