Hello my amazing readers! I'm really happy that anyone is reading this story. Thank you so much to my first reviewer, Arabella!
The title is False Pretense, after the song False Pretense by Red Jumpsuit !
Here we go:
-Rose-
As weeks passed by, Rose began to feel more comfortable being Head Girl. She was now able to hold civil conversations with Malfoy. The gist of these conversations were mostly discussing Head duties and throwing insults at one another, but it was a start.
When Rose entered the Heads tower, she immediately noticed the bright pink flyer on the Bulletin board. The bulletin board mirrored the same boards as those of the Gryffindor and Slytherin towers, so it was a combination of everything on Slytherin and Gryffindor. The pink flyer said:
ANNOUNCEMENTS
-Hogsmeade visit on Saturday, October 7
-Slytherin Quidditch trials on Sunday, September 24 at 2pm
-Gryffindor Quidditch trials to be announced
-Heads meeting on Saturday, September 30 at 4pm in the Professor McGonagall's office
Rose gasped. Albus was already holding trials? Merlin, his trials were tomorrow! Rose was so behind! Rose thought of whether she should just screw homework and hold trials, when she recalled a recent conversation with Professor McGonagall:
"Professor? Did you need me for something?" Rose asked, confused as to why she was here.
"Please sit down," McGonagall said. Rose's stomach dropped as she sat down in the wooden chair.
"I'd like to talk with you," McGonagall continued. "I understand, Rose, that you have a record of many detentions and many failing grades. Rose Weasley, as Head Girl, you are expected to maintain good grades and be an example. This year, I ask that you do your homework and study for tests. I am giving you until the holidays to get yourself back on track. I expect at least an A from you by then. There will be no more Ts and Ds, Ms. Weasley. I do not expect you, however, to start doing homework all of a sudden. You may start slow, working hard on one of your classes the first week, then two of your classes, and so on. But if you take your midterm exams and get even one failing grade, I will give you a tutor. In less than a year, you must begin to think about your career. Please consider what I have said. I hope you act upon what I've told you. That is all, Ms. Weasley. You may go."
Rose hated tutoring with a burning passion. She felt stupid and silly. Even when her cousins tutored her, she imagined them silently mocking her. "Hermione Granger's daughter, huh? Yeah, right." Rose would do anything to get out of tutoring.
Remembering this, she still decided to plan Quidditch trials on Wednesday, September 27. For one night, she could just screw homework.
"Weasley? Er, do you know what McGonagall needs us for?" Malfoy asked. Rose didn't even notice him standing next to her. She glanced at Malfoy. He never smiled, but Rose couldn't imagine him as depressed. He always kept a neutral face on. He never cried.
"Weasley..." Malfoy waved his hand is Rose's face. Rose noticed a scar on Malfoy's hand.
"What's that?" she asked, pointing to Malfoy's hand.
Malfoy quickly said, "It's nothing, nothing at all. Weasley, I was asking you a question. What does McGonagall need us for?"
"No idea," Rose replied, still glancing suspiciously at Malfoy's scar.
-Scorpius-
Scorpius wished Weasley would stop looking at his scar. It brought back painful memories he did not want to recall. He put his hand behind his back and escaped to his dorm, feeling awkward.
Scorpius sat down on his bed, lost in thought. The last few weeks were easy and simple. There was no yelling, not too much homework, and rounds with Rose were pure silence. Scorpius loved this silence. He always believed that silence was golden.
He decided to go to the kitchens, where there was something to distract himself with. The secret passageway was opened through tapping the window three times, which opened a hole in the floor. Scorpius jumped into the hole, and he slid down right into a couch.
"Mr. Malfoy!" the elves squeaked. "How can we help you, sir?" They bowed deeply to him.
"Er..." Scorpius looked around, and saw Hugo Weasley. Eh. Weasley was rude, but Scorpius didn't care at that point.
He walked over to Weasley, who was sitting on a stool, holding a bottle. Three more empty bottles lay on the counter.
"Hey, Weasley," Scorpius greeted, sitting down next to the boy.
Weasley's eyes were bloodshot. His breath smelled of Firewhisky. "Well, if it isn't the Head Boy. Arrest me, won't you?"
Weasley was obviously extremely drunk. "How many bottles did you have?" he demanded.
"This is my fourth," Weasley said, smirking. "Get the handcuffs already!" he yelled.
"Weasley, I'm not a Muggle policeman," Scorpius said. The boy was acting crazy. "Now, come on, I'm going to fix you up."
Weasley began to scream, punching the table like a child. Scorpius muttered a levitating charm and Levitated him to the couch where the secret passageway was. He needed to get Rose Weasley. He had never seen Hugo Weasley this drunk.
"Excuse me? Could you watch him, just don't let him move, please?" Scorpius asked a house-elf politely. He went through the passageway again after reciting a long, complicated password. He ran into the common room.
Rose Weasley was on the red velvet carpet, crying. Her sobs were quiet and muffled, but Scorpius could still hear them.
"Weasley?" he asked. "What happened?"
Weasley sobbed louder, not bothering to muffle it. She handed him a teardrop-covered letter. He read it:
Dear Rose,
Last night, your father and some other Aurors were questioning Lucius Malfoy. Your father was drunk during the questioning and tackled Lucius Malfoy. You know how he gets when he's drunk. Lucius Malfoy is cursed and your father was the one who got severely injured. He is in St. Mungo's. and he isn't responding to any of the remedies. The Healers don't know if he'll get better. We'll let you know if there any improvements.
Love,
Mum
Scorpius couldn't believe it. He remembered what Madam Pomfrey said: "I do not believe Mr. Malfoy had a full body contact with him. If he did, he would be dead now." Hugo Weasley must have already heard the news, and that's why he was drunk.
"Weasley," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."
The two sat in silence. The sobs began to cease. At last, Weasley looked up. She opened her mouth to say something, but then burst into tears again. Scorpius sighed, and decided to take action. He was glad he was tall, so he could carry her easily. Scorpius carried Weasley to the couch, where she continued to cry. He sat down next to her and Conjured a glass. "Aguamenti," he muttered and filled the glass with water. Scorpius handed Weasley the glass of water and sat there, feeling awkward and out of place.
"Where's Hugo?" a raspy voice asked. Scorpius was surprised to see that it was Weasley's voice.
"He's drunk in the kitchen," Scorpius replied plainly.
Weasley let out a long, shaky sigh. "Say something, please," she begged.
"What do you want me to say?" asked Scorpius.
"Just distract me," Weasley replied.
"Okay... um, I've never been on a date before. And, er, I love flying but I don't like Quidditch."
"Why not?" Weasley wondered.
"The last time I played Quidditch, I fell and was shown on the cover of The Prophet. They wrote an entire article about how certain genes never pass on, from Draco Malfoy to myself. I was only four years old."
Weasley laughed. Scorpius relaxed a bit. It was always awkward for him to comfort others.
"To Hugo," she said, standing up after another moment of silence. Scorpius entered his dorm, Weasley at his feet, and knocked on the window three times. The passageway only fit one person, so Scorpius climbed in first and Weasley followed after him. The two fell into a hump at the bottom of the tunnel, with Weasley's arms wrapped around Scorpius. She didn't need to wrap her arms around him, this part of the tunnel was wide and had plenty of space.
They were far too close. Scorpius could feel her breath on his neck. She gave him a smile that implied so much, perhaps too much. They were so close they could kiss right then and there, without even having to lean in. but then the tunnel opened and Scorpius tumbled onto the floor.
-Rose-
By then, Rose's tears were dry. The tunnel opened, and Malfoy fell on the floor. Rose, being the unlucky one, fell into the lap of a very drunk Hugo Weasley. Rose fell off the couch in disgust. For the second time that day, she was on top of Malfoy.
"Miss Weasley, Mr. Malfoy, how can we help you?" the house-elves chorused. Rose stood up, brushing invisible dirt off of herself. She glanced at Malfoy, who was actually blushing. Why was he blushing?It was just a fall.
"Do you have some hangover remedies?" Rose asked, glancing at the half-asleep Hugo. Hugo's eyes were open, but he still was muttering to himself.
"Right away, miss," a house elf squeaked, and they all ran off to find the hangover remedies.
"Weasley, you okay?" Scorpius asked Rose, looking at her concernedly.
"I'm fine," Rose snapped. She didn't want to be at the mercy of Scorpius Malfoy. He already saw her cry and lose it, and he didn't need to see anymore.
"Is there anything else you need?" the house-elf asked, bringing about five bottles of hangover remedies. Rose shook her head and took the remedies, reading the descriptions carefully.
"Do you need help?" Suddenly Malfoy was next to her, taking the potions out of her hands and examining them as well. His arm brushed her bare skin, and immediately Rose flinched.
"Don't touch me, Malfoy! I don't need you to curse me like your grandpa did to my dad. And don't even bother offering help! Since when have you ever been helpful? The only thing that would help if you could just go join your cursed grandfather!" Rose yelled.
Malfoy's look of concern suddenly transformed into a look of hate and loathe. "I will, thanks," he said, his voice cool and measured. He entered the secret passageway and left.
Rose didn't go after him. She had a task at hand. Rose poured out a cup of each potion and mixed it together, then opened Hugo's mouth and forced him to drink it. Hugo didn't struggle for once, and Rose sat next to him on the couch, the two siblings silent. Rose was lost in thought about what would happen to her father. Was he going to die?
Rose started to imagine a life without her father. But she couldn't, because there was no life without Ronald Weasley.
She remembered Malfoy ending up in the hospital wing because he only brushed Lucius Malfoy's skin. Malfoy! Rose remembered what she had told him, and immediately felt a pang of guilt. She had not meant to yell at him like that.
Rose decided to stay with Hugo, so she could actually think up a plan of saying sorry. This was Scorpius Malfoy, and a snog would not fix it.
-Scorpius-
Saturday, September 23, 2023
Dear Journal,
Rose Weasley is a bitch. There. I've said it. Today, she fell into my lap twice. She was about to kiss me. She was leading me on and then -bang!- she yells at me once I brush her arm. Honestly, that slag is crazy.
Today, I had to deal with her tears because her dad ended up in St. Mungo's. He was drunk while questioning my grandpa, and tackled the Dark Dementor. How idiotic, and Rose Weasley just sobs about it FOREVER and blames me for the problem?!
What bothered me most of all was that it felt just like fifth year all over again.
Sincerely,
Scorpius Malfoy
Scorpius finishes writing and slams the book shut. Ugh, girls were so confusing.
He decided to have a chat with the wise Albus Potter. Albus knew Weasley well and could explain what was happening.
He opened the door, praying Weasley wasn't in the common room. He did not want to talk to that mess. But, the odds were not in his favor, because Weasley was in the common room, sitting on the steps right in front of the door. She was blocking the doorway!
Scorpius decided to get it over with. He took a deep breath and walked right up to Rose Weasley. He tried to slip through, but she stared at him with piercing blue eyes that were impossible to ignore.
"Malfoy, I'm sorry," Weasley said. Never in a million years would Scorpius have expected her to apologize. They had many arguments in sixth year, but there were never apologies."I shouldn't have called you cursed and compared you to your grandfather. I overreacted and was upset about my dad."
The apology was simple, short, and straight to the point. Scorpius was speechless. Should he forgive her? Or should he go to Albus first?
"Step out of the way, Weasley," Scorpius stated calmly. He was neither demanding nor begging. He was simply stating.
But this girl was so goddamn persistent! She stepped closer to Malfoy. Scorpius stepped back. She backed him into a wall, and then Scorpius smirked at her and turned around, running to the doorway and leaving.
"Stupid Slytherin," he could hear Weasley mutter.
Where on Earth would Albus Potter be at this time? He must have gotten the news about Rose's dad. Scorpius racked his brain, but then remembered it was lunchtime. He entered the Great Hall, where students had just begun to come. He could see the messy raven-black hair and glasses sitting alone at a corner of the Slytherin table. Scorpius sat down next to the boy. Albus didn't seem in bad shape, he just looked slightly upset.
"You alright, mate?" Scorpius asked.
"I'm not terrible," Albus said. "It's just, after what happened to you, I dunno what will happen to Uncle Ron."
"Did he have a drinking problem?" inquired Scorpius.
"Yes, he does, not did. I know he will get better. After all, you did."
Scorpius didn't mention what Madam Pomfrey said. Just a little hope wouldn't harm anyone.
"Did you need something, Scorp?"
Scorpius just let out one sigh, and Albus already guessed it. "You have that face. The face that tells me something happened between you and Rose. A lot of boys have that face, I'm so used to it. I call it the Weasled face."
"You're a genius, Albus," Scorpius said tonelessly.
"Spill."
Scorpius recalled the day's events to Albus, who listened carefully.
"So?" Scorpius asked after a moment of silence.
"First of all, forgive her. Rose rarely apologizes. She must have felt really bad. Second of all, give her some space and let her be miserable. Don't constantly comfort her. The girl hates feeling helpless. Third of all, you guys should try to become friends. You are Head Boy and you'll always have to work with her. Unless... do you fancy her?"
Scorpius rigorously shook his head. He could not possibly fancy that girl. "She led me on in this way that I thought she fancied me."
"I can't believe she would lead you on like that. If she ever does it again, let me know. But for this time, I'm not going to yell at her because you were comforting her, and Rose will do that to every boy eventually. She has no idea the effect she can have."
"So… friends?" Scorpius asked. He felt as if he wasn't just talking about Weasley, but also talking about Albus. Because at that moment, Albus felt like a true friend.
"Friends."
And... that's it! Finally, some Scorrose action! And the "she has no idea the effect she can have"... HUNGER GAMES REFERENCE! But in this case, Albus is not in love with Rose, he's just very observant. So, thank you for reading! Keep reviewing. :)