THE BUTTERFLY FALLOUT
CHAPTER THREE
May
"Rose, slow down on the butterbeer."
Ignoring Scorpius' plea, Rose downed her tenth drink before slamming the tankard down on the table. She felt hot and light-headed, and the grimy interior of the Hog's Head seemed to be swirling before her eyes.
Scorpius placed a firm hand on hers to stop her calling for a refill. "Please, talk to me. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's on your mind."
"Leave—hic—me alone."
"Rose," Scorpius sighed, pulling the empty glass out of the moaning girl's fingers. "Stop. I've never blamed you—"
"Then you should!" Rose tried to claw for the mug, then gave up and let her hand rest heavily on the table. "I tried, Scorp. I really tried, but… I'm sorry. I just can't."
"Don't be." Scorpius placed a hand on Rose's slumped shoulder. "I don't want you to force yourself to like me. It saddens me more to see you torturing yourself like this."
This is awkward. Rose had an urge to slap herself, over and over again. What had she done? Why did she drag Scorpius into her own problems? He shouldn't even be in this mess. She didn't deserve his kindness.
"I know you still like him, but this is for the best." Scorpius shook his head sadly. "You know that nothing can come out from that kind of relationship. It's just… wrong."
"Of course I know it isn't right," Rose waved off Scorpius' little lecture. "But my heart just won't listen to my head."
She turned her head and looked out of the dusty window. A storm raged outside the pub, and she couldn't see anything beyond the darkness except the reflection of the disheveled state she was in. Silence hung around the pair, with only a ballad by the Weird Sisters from the radio by the counter mixed with the barman's gruff voice filling up the almost empty pub:
"What is love? You ask
No logic, just magic
From the moment I met you
I knew I would spend the rest of my life
Avoiding you
I tried to run away from you
But I couldn't stop myself
Every time we passed by each other
Your eyes pulled me into your arms
Oh…"
Rose clutched her chest and closed her eyes. The lyrics really hit close to home as memories of the time she spent with James flashed across her mind. The warmth she felt when they hugged each other on those snowy nights, the impish smile she hated and loved all the same, the arousing whispers only for her, and her alone…
She looked down at the table. Ever since the break up with her cousin, she decided to grow closer to Scorpius and eventually agreed to date him. But no matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, nothing could be the same as before. She couldn't completely avoid James without making Albus (and by extent, their families) suspicious. She wasn't sure if she could take her mother, Hermione's, wrath if she ever found out about the forbidden relationship.
And she couldn't bring herself to like Scorpius the way she did with James.
She never felt so helpless, so ashamed, so lost in her life. Her smarts were useless to get her out of the grave mistake she had made, and she also hurt Scorpius out of her own selfish desire.
"I don't deserve you being nice to me," Rose moaned as she tried to stand up, wobbling a little on her feet. "Why don't you hate me? I never liked you, and I was only using you to escape from my own pain. I… I'm horrible. You're too good for me."
Scorpius didn't comply with Rose's attempt to shoo him away. He stepped forward to catch her from tripping over. "I'm the same as you, Rose. Just like you can't help loving someone you shouldn't, I can't help falling for you." He cracked a small smile at her. "Love has no logic. It's sweet when that feeling is returned, but bitter when it's not. That's how the oxymoron 'bittersweet' came about, isn't it?"
Rose raised an eyebrow at him. "Good one," she finally dropped the sullen look and giggled. Her drunkenness was beginning to wear off just as sunlight was breaking through the dusty windows. "Maybe I just need more time. Maybe… I just need to let it go rather than mulling over him."
"You just need to give yourself another chance."
And the pair left the pub for the sunny Hogsmeade.
Forum: The Houses Competition
Year/Round: Year 2, Round 3
House/Position: Gryffindor, Prefect 1
Category: Short
Prompt: [Speech] "From the moment I met you, I knew I would spend the rest of my life avoiding you."
Rating: T for cousincest
Betas: CK, Tigger
