Chapter 7- Family Fun

Disclaimer: Do not own.

AN: Hey everyone so first off I'd like to say thanks to all my readers and in particular to my reviewers. I'm kinda starting to understand why people love reviews so much, I'm getting addicted to them. I love hearing what other people think of my stories even if it's just one word or a smiley face, I appreciate the feedback. Anyways I'm quite enjoying this story and I'm glad that you guys are too! Apparently I'm gaining a knack for writing long chapters. This is the second chapter in a row that is over two thousand words long. Please read and review!

Rose trudged through Hogsmeade towards a small shop that was off the beaten track of the village, the cold air of early December cutting through her coat, chilling her to the bone. With Christmas time rapidly approaching, the entire castle was buzzing with excitement over the Yule Ball. With the first two tasks completed, and the third being far off, everyone was giddy with excitement over the ball.

"Rose!" She turned around, spotting her cousin Dominique Weasley rushing towards her, her pale skin flushed pink with the cold. Dominique was the kind of girl that everyone in the school seemed to aspire to be. Beautiful, intelligent, strong, courageous ,brave, captin of the Quidditch team, Rose couldn't think of one person she knew who didn't like her cousin, so it hadn't come to anyones surprise when she had been selected as the Hogwarts champion for the tournament. She had faired quite well in the first two tasks, effortlessly taming the Sphinx to retrieve her clue and had no issues with the Grindylows in the Black Lake as her mother had when she had competed in the tournament years ago. At the moment only seven points separated her from Damien Krum or Durmstrang, son of Viktor Krum, and Aubrey Cassing of Beauxbatons trailed Krum by only two points. Rose lifted her hand and gave her cousin a slight wave. "I 'ave been looking all over ze place for you!" Her cousin had picked up Aunt Fleur's French accent, though it was less pronounced then her mothers. Rose sighed as her strawberry blonde cousin rushed towards her. As much as she loved her family, sometimes she needed some time alone.

"Oh? What for?" Rose asked, almost hesitantly.

"'ave you gotten your robes for ze ball yet?" Rose wasn't sure she like where this was going.

"Dom, it's the first day of December, there is almost a month before that thing. You can't honestly tell me that I should already have everything that I need, that would be crazy." She should have known better then to argue with Dominique about anything fashion related, the only person worse was Lily.

"My beautiful little cousin, there is just so much zat you need to do, and you cannot get ze shoes or accessories without first 'aving ze dress." Moments later, Rose found herself being dragged into a dress shop in the heart of the village. Her cousin promptly began piling robe after robe into Rose's protesting hands.

"Aren't you going to try some on?" Rose asked as she skeptically eyed the ever growing pile of gowns in her arms.

"Don't be silly. I 'ave 'ad mine for veeks." Dominique laughed at Rose's expression, sweeping her strawberry blonde locks over her shoulder she turned back to the rack, handing Rose another five dresses before announcing that she had to go and try them on. Rose found her self being dragged unwillingly by her cousin for the second time that day.

"Oh! C'est magnifique!" Dominique exclaimed, hopping up and down, lightly clapping her hands together as Rose modeled what seemed like the thousandth dress she'd tried on that day. "It iz simplely perfect! Zat boy vill not know vat hit 'im" She must have looked confused, because Dominique continued, "ze little blonde von who you've been friendly vith all 'ear? Are you not going to ze ball together?" Oh thatboy.

"I doubt it, we're just friends." Though the prospect was rather surprisingly appealing to the Ravenclaw. Not that she'd every admit it unless under the effects of veritaserum, but the thought had entered her mind more then once, but she knew that it was never going to happen. They were after all, just friends and other girls had been noticing him all year, surely he had his pick of a date for the ball, why would he every go with plain old bookworm Rose Weasley, who up until a few months ago he thought hated him. Since the beginning of the term the two of them had become fast friends, almost inseparable, they were always together. Many people in the school still gave them weird looks whenever they saw the two together, but over time they had faded and people had started to see Scorpius as an actual person and not Draco Malfoy's son. He was not his father, and she was glad that people were starting to see that, though most of her cousins were still skeptical, James and Fred were by far the worst though.

"Oh, vat a shame. I'm sure zat you vill find yourself a 'ansome boy to escort you." Actually, someone had already asked her, but she had yet to give him an answer. Afterall, it was still early and she wanted to hold onto the childish fantasy of perhaps going with the boy who had become her best friend over the past three months for just a little longer.

"So, vat do you think?" Dominique asked. "Of ze dress?" Right, the dress. Rose looked at her reflection in the floor length mirror in front of her . It was a very simple dress in a deep shade of purple. The bodice was fitted with thick straps that crossed in the back with a shiny silver ring holding the two straps crossed in the back. The skirt flowed away from her body at the hips. Her part Veela cousin had been right, it was perfect.

"It's perfect."


Hours later, Rose stumbled into the Ravenclaw common room, her arms laden with numerous bags. After purchasing her dress for the ball, Dominique had proceeded to drag her into every shoe, accessory and makeup store until Rose had, to quote her cousin, 'everything she needed for the ball'. She dropped her bags carelessly in front of the couch in the common room before slumping down onto the couch itself.

"What the hell happened to you?" She looked up and met the smirking face of her best friend.

"Dominique." Scorpius bit back a laugh. "I had the unfortunate pleasure of running into my part Veela cousin in Hogsmeade today since someone," she looked at him pointedly, "hadn't finished his potions essay. Apparently she decided to make it her personal mission to ensure that I had everything I could possibly need and more for the ball." Rose couldn't help but laugh at the expression the blonde wore on his face, it was a sort of cross between amused and shocked.

"Isn't that thing like a month away?"

"Try telling that to Dominique. I suppose it could have been worse. It could have been Lily." Rose shuddered at the thought "Twenty-three and a 'alf days Rosie. You must take zese things seriously my little cousin. Zere is just so much zat must be done!" This time Scorpius couldn't help but laugh as Rose impersonated her cousin.

"I'm assuming you found everything?"

"Wow, no wonder your in Ravenclaw." She told him sarcastically. "Your ability to point out the obvious is absolutely amazing."

"You wound me Rosie." He put his hand over his heart and threw his head back dramatically. She bit back a laugh and mock glared at him for the use of the nickname she had never liked, though when it came from him, she found she didn't mind it as much.

"So, what's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"You're pretty dress silly" He took his quill, tapping her lightly with it on the very tip of her nose. She smiled coyly.

"Wouldn't you like to know. But that's for me to know and you to wonder about." She stood up gathering her bags.

"Oh Rosie, I'm hurt."

"I'm sure you'll survive. Curiosity is a healthy thing... well unless you a cat." He gave her a weird look. "It's a muggle saying, curiosity killed that cat?" He still looked confused. "Oh never mind." She gave him one last smile before turning around and heading towards her dormitory leaving him to work on his essay.

Scorpius watched the petite red head leave the room, noting how cute she looked all bundled up in an attempt to keep the cold out, her cheeks flushed pink from the cold. He sighed, potions essay abandoned on the table in front of him. He'd recently determined that he had had a bit of a crush on his now best friend for the better part of the past three years. He had decided that afternoon that he was going to ask her to accompany him to the ball at breakfast the next morning. Even if they would just be going as friends, he knew that they would have a wonderful time. He smiled slightly to himself once again before returning to his essay.


Rose walked into the Great Hall at 9:30 the next morning and took a seat at the Ravenclaw table. She glanced around at the sparsely populated room seeing if she could locate her favourite platinum blonde, but apparently he wasn't up yet. Her attention was brought back to her table as a large envelope plopped down in front of her.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. . . I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." she hadn't even heard Lily come up behind her.

"What was that Lil?" Lily blushed a deep breath and muttered something that sounded like never mind before joining the rest of the Potter-Weasley clan at the Gryffindor table. Rose just shrugged and turned back to her letter. The moment she tore it open, she clued into her cousins weird behaviour. Lily had the biggest mouth on the face of the planet.

"ROSE NATALIA WEASLEY!" Her fathers voice boomed, echoing through the Great Hall, making her glad that it was a Sunday morning and there weren't too many people at breakfast. "I SPECIFICALLY TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM THAT BLOODY MALFOY PRAT. I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS KIND OF DEFIANCE YOUNG LADY" yup everyone was definitely staring at her now, she could feel her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "THAT ENTIRE FAMILY IS NOTHING BUT TROUBLE AND I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD BETRAY YOUR OWN FAMILY AND BECOME FRIENDS WITH THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING WAS OF SKIN. YOU CAN PUT THEM IN DIFFERENT COLOURS BUT A MALFOY IS STILL A MALFOY AND NO DAUGHTER OF MINE IS GOING TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT SORT. DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR! IF I HEAR ONE MORE WORD OF YOUR ASSOCIATION WITH THAT LITTLE FARRET THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY YOUNG LADY. DO YOU HEAR ME ROSE? YOU STAY AWAY FROM THAT BOY HE'S NOTHING BUT TROUBLE." the letter burst into flames after the message finished, and Rose could feel the tears burning behind her eyes.

She stood up and ran towards the doors and thanked Merlin that Scorpius hadn't been there for that. She kept running until she smacked right into something, or rather someone. She looked up, her hazel eyes meeting grey ones. Shit. What are the chances that he didn't hear that? Judging by the look on his face? None what so ever. His normally sparkling grey eyes were as cold and emotionless as steel, his lips drawn in a tight line. He pushed her off of his chest and turned and walked in the opposite direction. Her lower lip began to quiver and she willed herself not to cry. She looked at her feet, trying to compose herself, but when she saw the crushed orange tiger lily that sat at her feet, she couldn't contain her tears any longer. She ran into the nearest empty class room and slumped against the wall and cried until she had no tears left. She didn't understand how her father could be so cruel to a boy that he didn't even know. Scorpius was not like his father at all, once you got past the arrogant act that he put on for the rest of the world, he was the sweetest person she had ever met in her life and her pig headed father was too thick to see it. She made the decision then and there sitting on the cold dusty floor of the empty classroom, she was not going to let her fathers arrogance keep her from the best friend she had ever had. Now she just needed to find a way to make sure that Scorpius knew that before their friendship was beyond repair. She let out a shaky breath. There were days where she really hated her father.