"And I like you, Weasley." His words echoed through her head. The Weasley girl couldn't help the tiny smile on her lips. She looked him in the eyes, trying to decipher in what way he had meant that, but soon giving up.
"That's a proper response to a 'I hate you.', there's no doubt in that." Rose couldn't find any other thing in her mind to say. That was her being her and though it might now have been the best time to let out such remark, she had. But that was one of the many, many things that Scorpius loved about her. Her ability to make any situation, no mater how tense it was, fun and light. The boy smiled more.
"It's the truth." he bit his lip in hesitation.
"I would be quite offended if it wasn't, to be honest, you have been my best friend for two years, I do not know how I would react if you told me you didn't like me at this point." Roses motto had always been to not let herself get her hopes up when it came to matters of the heart, not after what had happened with Rhys. Sure she had been the one to split things up for real, but that did not mean she hadn't got her heart broken too, and when, only a few months after she had done so, Rose finally admitted it to herself that she felt more for scorpions than friendship, the one thing she promised herself was to not let his touchy, relaxed attitude get her, that he's hugs meant nothing, nor his smiles and kisses. And she had been very good at keeping that promise so far, of course, her heart fluttered every time she caught him looking at her, and her mind couldn't ignore the fact that she was touching him every time she was, but those were things that Rose could not control. That being said, the Weasley just brushed past his comments and latest confessions like he was telling her what he had had for breakfast.
"Much like what you just did to me, Weasley?" Scorpius cocked his blonde head at her, the usual smirk having returned to his lips. Oh, how Rose wished she could wipe it off with her own. The girl shook her head at herself, pushing the thoughts away.
"You know I don't mean it though, Malfoy." She added his last name too just because of how much she loved it when he said hers, and maybe saying it too would encourage him. She couldn't help but smile softly at him when he crawled over to where she was sitting, over her now extend legs, so his face was only a couple inches away from hers.
"So, we're good now?" He asked in a raspy voice. Roses breath was trapped in her throat. She could smell his minty breath, with a hint of not very well concealed cigarette, she could see his pupils dilate his ever so clear and blonde stubble, and again, his eyes. Blue eyes had never been Rose's thing, but she could stare into those ones for hours.
With an unavoidable shy smile on her lips, Rose nodded and, just like that, they were back to being Rose and Scorpius, goofs of Hogwarts.
"Good." Scorpius kissed her cheek before getting up and holding out his hand for her. She took it and pulled herself up.
"Can you unlock the door now please?" She batted her eyelashes and him.
The Slytherin boy let out a chuckle and turned the key that was inside the lock. There was a loud pop and the door opened with a creek.
"That's it? You literally just locked the door with the key?!" The soft chuckle then evolved into a loud laugh that echoed through the corridor and, Rose guessed, through the entire empty wing of the castle. As annoyed as she was, though, she couldn't help but giggle, too. Her mind was so formatted to witchcraft that the girl would never have thought of trying the key. And she was certainly very much impressed that he had done so.
"After you, Milady." The boy joked bowing down and holding his hand out to the hallway, motioning for her to go. Rose did so, not stopping after she was out, instead checking the next classroom.
After their patrol, the two Slytherins walked back to their common room to meet with their friends.
"Hey! You two are back together! Finally!" Scorpius cheered as he saw Zoe on Gus' lap, snogging him like there was no tomorrow.
Without stopping or pulling back one inch, the dark-haired girl showed him her middle finger, soon returning it to the mess that was the boyfriend's hair. The newly arrived laughed along with the others, each finding their spot on the floor to sit, next to each other, of course.
Everyone ended up diving back into their essays eventually, after quite a lot of chitchat and even more gossip, but Rose couldn't focus on hers not with the twins clearly throwing themselves at Scorpius.
"When is the next game, again?"
The first Friday of school. Rose clenched her teeth.
"First Friday after we get back."
"Against who?"
Griffindor.
"Griffindor."
"I'll sure be cheering for you guys!"
"Me too! I'll be the loudest!"
"Okay, maybe save your voice until then, then?" Row snapped at Cassandra. Everyone raised their heads from their books, looking at Rose but she really couldn't care less. "We are trying to get stuff done here and I can't concentrate with your constant chattering. Shut up or go somewhere else please." Aria opened her mouth to say something but Rose beat her to it. "You know what? Don't, actually, I'll go, I'm tired. Good night, everyone." Rose said as she closed her book and picked up her things.
"Good night." Some mumbled back, having long since gotten used to her little outburst and by the time she got to the spiral staircase, everyone was back to doing their schoolwork.
All but one.
"Hey Rose, wait up, I have something that I need to talk to you about."
"Tom, hi, yes, tell me." She smiled, stopping the first step.
"This weekend is the last Hogsmeade weekend and I would like to meet Cara there, and since you two are friends, I was wondering if you could maybe lour her somewhere and let me know?" If there was one thing all Slytherin boys had in common was their nervous tell: the neck rubbing. And Thomas Black was certainly doing so as he spoke, in addition to the lip biting, of course.
"Tom..." Rose frowned, biting her lip right back. "I don't want to get in bad terms with her for helping you..." Tom and Cara had been an icon at Hogwarts since the second year, but as soon as the sixth year had started, the Ravenclaw girl got heartbroken: Tom had been with other people during the summer. After breaking up with him in the spot, the girl had, very much rightfully, never wanted to speak to him again, but it was clear to everyone that they still liked each other very much. And even though Rose could see that, there was no way she was going to force him on her somewhat friend, not after what he'd done to her.
"Please, Rose, please..." The boy pleaded, he seemed so helpless to her, so wrecked from the inside, and yet, he had cheated on Cara. The sweetest girl Rose knew, Cara couldn't hurt a fly, she was so shy, she didn't talk one bad word about anyone. Rose had often wondered how someone like her had ever ended up dating a Slytherin, it would seem that what they say really is true, opposites do attract. Tom was, after James, of course, the most laid back, funny, playful guy that Rose knew, and she would never had thought of him as a cheating kind of guy, especially it being so obvious that he cared so much about her.
"I-I can't, Tom... You really hurt her, and I-"
"You don't think I know that? Of course I know that, Rose. I've smacked myself so many times because of it, I don't know what went through my mind, I really don't, because I love her so damn much, and I know I can be happy with her forever and I know that I can make her happy, but I need her to know that. I know that nothing will take away what I did, and I know that she was the last person to deserve it, and that I'm stupid as fuck for ever having let myself get caught up in it. Rose, please, please, help me talk to her. I'm not going to try to get her back or anything, I won't even touch her, I just need to talk to her, tell her exactly what happened if she wants to, hell, I'll tell her anything she wants to know, and if she doesn't want to know a thing, then that's fine, but I just want to talk to her, even if it's only for two minutes, I need to tell her how sorry and how stupid I am, Rose..." Tom seemed so genuine as he spoke. Rose's heart melted for him. She knew he had been wrong, and she had gotten mad at him for it, but the truth was that he felt sorry and he hadn't even been able to say that to the girl he loved and Rose believed everyone deserved to, at least, get to speak the truth. Or, that was what she told herself to make her feel better about what she said next, after biting her lip for a few seconds as all the information ran through her head.
"O-okay. Fine. I'll take her to Honeydukes to get some chocolate and you can pop by, but I am not leaving her side. Everything that you tell her I will listen to. And I swear to god, Thomas, if you hurt her again I will kick your ass to China." Rose tried to pull her bad girl's attitude, but he looked so happy, a huge smile growing on his lips, that she couldn't help but let a tiny one appear in hers too. The boy pulled her to him, hugging her so tightly around her shoulder that she was sure he would break something.
"Thank you so much, Weasley. I won't hurt her, I promise." Tom kissed her head softly, before pulling back and giving her a soft squeeze on the arm. "Thank you, by the way, you said what everyone was thinking, including him, you know?" And he was off, back to the group sitting around the small coffee table. Everyone seemed quiet by then, and even the twins were focused on their schoolwork. She couldn't see faces, only hairs, as Thomas sat down on the armchair. And just as she was about to turn around to go up the stairs, she noticed a pair of eyes looking at her intently, the face of whom they belonged to being cold as ice.
"Good night..." She mouthed with a small wave of her hand and a lingering smile on her lips as well as a hint of hope shining through her brown eyes, that turned into a glee as Scorpius mouthed a 'Sleep tight' back.
The Weasley climbed up the stairs and put her pajamas on, tucking herself into bed and falling asleep before any bad thoughts could come to her.
I'm so sorry that this one took so long to come! Even worst that I left you with a sort of cliff hanger on the last chapter! I thought it would be quick because I knew what I wanted for this chapter, but then came exam season and my life turned chaotic!
Good news is, I'm now on summer break! So hopefully - fingers crossed - I will be able to write ahead and have maybe two chapter up every week because I don't post the biggest chapters ever, I know, so maybe I can redeem myself by posting two? I sure will try!
Anyhow, I hope you liked this chapter! I love you just for taking the time to read, let me know what you think!
xoxo, ines out
