A/N: Sorry for all the long delays! I don't have a computer up at school, so it gets really hard to post frequently. Anyway, this chapter is from Scorpius's point of view, because I felt like switching things up a bit. Enjoy!

Fire and Ice

Chapter Seven: Exposed

I never really cared for large families until Rose Weasley's mum invited me to Hugo's birthday party. My mum and dad, and my grandparents, were all I needed in order to be happy. Siblings would take all of the attention away from me, reduce my inheritance, and make my life a living hell. That's what I thought until Mrs. Weasley dropped me off at the gates to our mansion. Walking up the drive to the house, I pondered my father's ridiculous taste. The house was far too large for three people, and hardly as warm and cozy as the house Rose called home. We rarely used all of the rooms in the house; some rooms stayed locked year round because they were so unnecessary. Yet, for some reason, my father felt the need to live in extravagance and luxury just because he would. Of course, up until today I had never felt that way. I had no longing to be a part of a close knit family; my parents gave me just the right amount of privacy to do as I pleased. My dad never took me out for broom rides and my mum never baked me cookies. They loved me in their own way, I'm sure, but all of a sudden that was no longer good enough.

"Where have you been?!?" my mother asked frantically when I shoved the front door open and stepped into the house. She was pale, actually looked worried. Probably, my father had just laid into her for letting me slip out of her grip. He worries that some person who has a grudge against our family will take me out and end the Malfoy line for good. Hardly. She pulled me into her arms.

"Geroff me, mum. I was just at a birthday party," I snapped, pulling away from her embrace. "It's not like you care, anyway. Did dad threaten to kill you if I didn't return safely, or something? That's probably why you're standing here, isn't it?"

"Not quite," I heard my father say as he entered the large foyer. "You are just a boy, Scorpius. It is not acceptable for you to wander off without informing me…or your mother, of course. You need to ask for permission."

"Whatever. Sorry I worried you, then. I've got to go and finish packing my things for school," I grumbled moving towards the staircase. My father reached out a hand to stop me. "What now, dad? I have things to do."

"Of course. I just want to know where this party took place, who provided you with transportation, and what sort of things went on there," he said, frowning when I wrenched myself out of his grasp.

"It isn't any of your business. Just be happy I'm home safe and unharmed, okay?" I said, continuing towards the stairs. My dad would blow a gasket if he knew that I had been in the presence of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger Weasley, and Ron Weasley…the Golden Trio. As a child, my nanny used to read me the tales of their adventures until my dad found out. I was only five when he blasted the book to shreds. He was grateful for what Potter had done, and they had formed a sort of truce since their school days, but my dad still disliked him greatly.

Up in my bedroom-not to be mistaken with my lounge or my game room-I glanced at the contents of my trunk. My favorite house elf, Leif, had neatly folded all of my things into it. Of course, there were other things that I wanted to bring back, like my bag of money freshly withdrawn from Gringott's yesterday afternoon, and my new broomstick. I don't play Quidditch; I can't really stand the sport at all. I just like flying over the countryside and enjoying the view. I suppose you could say that I'm a bit of a romantic once you get past the façade I put up. I read poetry, listen to soppy music…hate smelly sports like Quidditch that are rough and violent and muss my hair. Dad thinks I'm gay, mum thinks I'm an intellect. I rather like her choice of words, because I do pride myself on my intelligence. It's the one thing that's going to help me get back at Rose Weasley.

You see, Weasley's a bitch. After all of the horrible things she's done to me, she certainly deserves the trouble I got her into over Christmas break. Having me parade my bits around Hogwarts in freezing cold weather was probably the worst prank anyone could play. For one, I keep on getting the attentions of seventh year girls itching to lose their virginity and stupid first years who've never seen a boy naked before. So bloody annoying, especially when I'm trying to save my first real kiss for someone special.

The whole mistletoe thing earlier today, back at Weasley's house…it was weird. I mean, she wanted me to kiss her, after all the horrid things she's done to me. she thought that I was going to kiss her in her warm, cozy kitchen but she was wrong. I want my first kiss to be perfect-perfect spot, perfect timing, almost-perfect person…and Weasley's kitchen wasn't the perfect place at all. But the weird part, right? The weird part is that even though the whole kitchen thing wasn't at all what I would have planned, I wanted to kiss Weasley. I only said no because she was stupid enough to doubt herself, to think she wasn't comparable to the likes of Gloria Knipping, her ditzy best friend. How that chit got into Ravenclaw is beyond me, honestly.

"Master Scorpius, have you eaten dinner yet?" Leif asked me, appearing out of nowhere. I jumped back in surprise, crashing into my trunk and banging my leg on one of its sharp corners. "Leif is so sorry, master, that he scared you. Please forgive him, but the mistress asked me to make sure that you were fed before you went to bed."

"Tell my mum I'm fine. If I was hungry I would just go down to the kitchens. Now, get out. I have things to do," I said, annoyed and angry. I hate getting injured. Leif Disapparated, and I changed into some pajamas without taking a bath. I was too busy writing mental notes to myself to bother with the tediousness of a bath. Climbing into bed, I pulled my journal from under my pillow and whistled for my charmed quill to come to me. It flew straight out of my desk drawer and into my outstretched hand. Then, I began to write.

Back at school, my fellow Slytherins were up to no good, as usual. I don't really know how I fit into the house; probably it's because no Malfoy has ever been sorted into any other house. Or because I knew that if I'd been placed in Gryffindor, my dad would have withdrawn me from Hogwarts and sent me to Durmstrang before I could say 'Phoenix fire'. My best friend Gavin Avery approached me. It was mid-January and I was working on an essay for Charms class.

"Yes, Gavin?" I drawled lazily when he had been standing over me for some time.

"I just thought you should know that Lily Potter is finally ready to accept your attentions. You see, my younger sister was-shamefully-sorted into Gryffindor and…well, she hears that Lily's been asking all about you, and saying that you're the best looking lad in the entire school, and…well, I know you've always fancied her a bit. I mean, you have that penchant for redheads and all…" he blabbered. I lifted a finger to my lips to quiet him.

"I'm not interested, my friend. She's yours for the having," I assured him, knowing that this was where the conversation would lead eventually. "And yes, you can borrow a hundred galleons to purchase those everlasting flowers all the girls are going mad for. I'm sure she'd love to have some, and I know that your parents would think you were mad if you told them you needed that much spending money."

"Thanks mate; I really appreciate it!!! I've been eyeing her for quite a while, but you know those snooty Gryffindor girls. Us Slytherins aren't good enough for them. Heather Ownes was getting rather dull, if you catch my drift. I shall enjoy this new conquest quite a bit. Oh, and…can you cough up the galleons by next week? I want them to arrive in time for the Valentine's ball. It's a week before the actual holiday," Gavin informed me. I shrugged. It would be no problem for me to get the money to him. He clapped me on the shoulder. Hard. I winced. The tip of my quill had broken from the force of the slap.

"Bloody bollocks, Avery. What the hell are they feeding you these days?" I hissed, using my wand to mend the broken quill. "Move along, I've work to do. I'll give you the funds tomorrow morning at breakfast, if it's okay with you." He nodded and moved to clap my back again. I glared, and he moved away. See? With my friends, I'm a nice guy. I just have to be mean to survive outside the walls of my dormitory. I settled in to get back to work, only to be interrupted by two students stumbling into the common room snogging like crazy. Bloody hell, could I get no peace? I rolled up my parchment, shoved it into my bag, grabbed my quill and some ink, and stomped down to the library. Bloody couples. They were showing up everywhere these days. Love was in the air, just…not for me. In the library, I sat at a table where I was certain I wouldn't be interrupted.

"Imagine, everlasting roses for Rose," I heard some girl whisper. Looks like I was wrong. I was going to be interrupted. Of course, my ears perked up at the mention of the name Rose. She's on my mind a lot lately, probably because we're competing to be top of our year and I'm actually beating her this week. "If only some guy was willing to spend that much money on me…I'd be in heaven. Pity I don't have a rich boyfriend somewhere."

"Pity you don't even have a boyfriend. I mean, honestly, Rose! When are you going to give Freddie a chance at your heart? You're not still pining away after Malfoy, are you? He didn't even kiss you that time in your kitchen; why bother waiting around for him?" I heard Gloria Knipping ask. Ah, so it was Rose! And she was pining away for me? Ha. I slunk down in my seat so they wouldn't see me as they approached the table where I was sitting. I gulped when they sat down there. Shit. I was stuck.

"Don't be stupid, Glo. I don't like him, I just…he called me brilliant. And he didn't think it was horrible to kiss me, even though he didn't do it," Rose sighed. "He can be nice, too. The other day he helped me translate a rune I was having trouble with, and last week he sent me a note in the post. It was really sweet; didn't I show it you?" shit. I'd forgotten about that note. It wasn't actually all that sweet. It was more of a thanks for her not being so evil to me lately, and apologizing for what I'd done to ruin her Christmas hols. I wasn't really all that sorry, because payback's a bitch after all. I suppose I was just trying to make peace with her. After all, I was now friends with her brother and cousins. It was only fair to make amends with her too, right?

"Yes, I saw it. It was sweet, I suppose, but I wouldn't get my hopes up when it comes to Malfoy. Kennedy McIntosh from Slytherin told Alison Keasts who told Heather Ownes who told Patricia Harris who told me the other day that he can be a wanker when it comes to girls. Rumor has it he broke her heart a few weeks ago, told her that she looked like a thestral on ether. I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. Kennedy's really pretty, and if he won't date her…" Gloria trailed off. That bitch! Was she implying that I wouldn't date Rose because she was unattractive? Because Rose really isn't unattractive. She's got these sparkly hazel eyes and straight white teeth that gleam when she grins, and a smattering of freckles across her cheeks. Kennedy McIntosh was a ghoul compared to Rose!

"Are you saying that I'm too ugly for Malfoy's tastes?" Rose asked, her voice catching slightly. "I mean, I know I'm not the prettiest girl in the world, but…"

"Red, I'm not calling you ugly. You know I think you're gorgeous in your own way. I just think that Malfoy is…I don't know how to explain it," Gloria stammered. "But look, let's not talk about him anymore. Let's just get started on our homework. I have to meet Albus up in the Astronomy Tower at eight." They started to work, which screwed me over big time. I'm a tall guy, and being crouched in a tight area for a long period of time can be painful. Then, out of nowhere, Rose kicked me. HARD.

"Bollocks!!" I cried out before I could stop myself. Gloria and Rose screamed in unison. It was silent for a moment, and then I could hear Madame Pince's footsteps. Uh oh. Those idiots were going to get us all in trouble

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Madame Pince bellowed. Total silence. Then Pince ducked down and looked under the table. I was caught. "Get out from under there at once, Mr. Malfoy!!" She grabbed me by my collar and dragged me out from my hiding spot. Bloody hell.

"Er…hello Gloria. Weasley," I greeted the girls, smiling mischievously. Gloria yawned, but Rose was glaring at me as if I had done something wrong. It wasn't my fault that I was under the table while she was pouring her heart out.

"All three of you, out of my library at once, or I will give you detention!" Pince yelled. Gloria was gone in a flash, but Rose took longer to get her things together. Hooch had drawn back, but she was still angry.

"How could you spy on us like that?" Rose asked softly, her cheeks bright red. I shrugged sheepishly. I hadn't intended to spy. It just happens.

"It isn't my fault you decided to blab about your feelings for me while I was trying to do my work. Besides, I only hid so you wouldn't be mad at me for overhearing your stupid desire for everlasting roses," I explained, without any idea as to why I was explaining. I never explain. It goes against my principles. Rose turned to walk off. "But just so you know, Weasley: I think you're way better looking than Kennedy McIntosh anyday. She really does look like a thestral on ether." She flashed a grin in my direction before walking off. I followed, returning to my room in a daze. Rose liked me just as much as I liked her. Good to know.