A/N: Only three more chapters left today!

Disclaimer: JKR is awesome and amazing! Sadly, I am not she.

The Weasley Keys to a Perfect Christmas

Chapter Nine

Don't Do Anything You'll Regret

Deep in my heart, I'm concealing things that I'm longing to say. Scared to confess what I'm feeling- frightened you'll slip away.

~Madonna in Evita

Rose Weasley was thoroughly enjoying her Christmas. She loved spending time with her family, relaxing in the merry environment, and enjoying a glass of her Aunt Fleur's special Christmas punch. She'd been looking forward to Christmas since mid-October when her schoolwork had nearly overwhelmed her. Since then, she couldn't wait for the school break to come so she could relax.

As she sat on the floor of her grandparents' living room, in front of their warm fireplace, Rose allowed all of the stress she had accumulated over the past four months to be erased. For the first time since September, she momentarily forgot about schoolwork, her friends' crazy dramas, and relationship issues. The only thing that mattered in that moment was her family, the upcoming dinner, and the mystery guest her cousin Al was bringing.

He'd been dropping hints for weeks that he had invited one of his fellow Slytherins to spend Christmas Eve with the family, but he had been very cryptic about exactly who it was. Ever since he had first mentioned it, Rose had been hoping and praying that it wasn't Scorpius Malofy, his best friend. Yet her gut told her it would be, and Rose dreaded it.

Over the past two years, Rose had slowly been developing feelings for Scorpius. It all started when they were assigned midnight patrols together as part of their prefect duties. The long, lonely, mostly uneventful nights had created ample opportunities for the pair to talk and get to know each other. It was during those nights that Rose saw a different side of Scorpius. She began falling for the humorous, self-deprecating, even slightly shy male she met during the midnight.

However, she'd never told him. Rose lacked the courage that seemed to ooze out of every pore of the rest of her family. Her over-active brain always got in the way, imagining all of the terrible things that could happen, or the ways things could go wrong and blow up in her face. So, she kept her feelings to herself and dealt with the awkwardness, the stress, and all the other adverse feelings.

That was why she didn't want Al to bring Scorpius to Christmas. She was having a relaxing, stress-free vacation and she wanted it to stay that way. Having Scorpius visit would instantly raise her stress level and ruin her Christmas.

When he walked through the front door. Rose nearly dropped to the floor. Instead, she faked a smile, quickly hugged her cousin, and said the briefest of hellos to Scorpius. Then, she turned towards the kitchen, fully intending to pour herself more punch. She was going to be relaxed this evening, one way or another.

By the time dinner was ready, Rose had consumed a large amount of her aunt's punch and it was definitely affecting her. Her always-analyzing brain had quieted. Her inhibitions were lowered. She was feeling braver and less worried about the ramifications of her actions.

The environment, and the night's previous events, had also left feeling like confessing tonight would be a good idea. Nearly everyone else had come out and confessed something they'd kept secret for a fair amount of time. For each of them, the consequences had been good and pleasant. It left Rose thinking her confession would be met similarly. Scorpius would return her feelings, her family wouldn't hate the prospect, and Rose would finally be able to relax around the blond.

By halfway through dinner, Rose had made up her mid. Today would be the day; she wouldn't put it off or ignore it anymore.

Rose stood, causing her family to stop their conversations and turn their attention to her. Normally, having so many eyes on her would have made her stomach twist and her resolve dissolve. However, her aunt's punch made her feel braver. She stood tall, and cleared her throat.

"Everyone," she began, her voice firm, "in the spirit of the evening, I too, have a confession to make." She turned to look at Scorpius. "Scor, for the past two years, since we became prefects, I've developed feelings for you. I didn't tell you sooner, because I'm a Ravenclaw, not a Gryffindor. But now I'm telling you. Scorpius Malfoy, I fancy you." Having said her peace, Rose sat back down and waited.

She slowly looked at each of her family's stunned faces, waiting for what they thought of what she'd said. She avoided looking at Scorpius, finally feeling afraid of his reaction. She took a deep breath.

Then all hell broke lose.

To be continued

A/N: Review and let me know what you thought! Two more chapters to go!