Disclaimer: Not an owner!

Chapter 10

Malfoy and I make our way back toward the Great Hall and all the festivities for the day. I can't decide if he feels the same awkwardness that I'm experiencing. I think about starting a conversation, but I don't know what I'd say.

I contemplate asking him what's going on between the two of us, but the thought of my fiancé sends me into immediate protest.

The first step is admitting you have a problem!

But I'm really quite content living in denial. After all, this is Malfoy we're talking about.

You would've stayed in that room with him forever if you were given a choice.

But staying in a room with that version of Malfoy is really quite different from spending a lifetime with the Malfoy I've known all these years.

Maybe you just never gave him a chance.

Or maybe he never gave me a reason to.

We reach the top of the stairs leading to the entrance hall when the blonde git occupying my thoughts suddenly decides to say something.

"Forgot to tell you," he starts, flicking his eyes to mine as we start our descent down the steps. "I watched Chris take a massive spill down the stairs yesterday." I look at him in disbelief. "Like twice as many stairs as these. You would've absolutely lost it." He cracks a smile and I immediately burst into laughter.

"You are not serious. Please, though, tell me that you are! Did he trip or did you push him? Because if you pushed him, you are officially my new hero." His grin widens as I continue to laugh. The thought of Chris' huge form rolling down the stairs is an image to behold.

"Unfortunately," Malfoy begins slightly louder so that I can hear over my own laughter, "his clumsiness got to him before I could. A real shame that I didn't get to do the honors. But bloody hell, it sure was entertaining." He chuckles along with me as we reach the bottom of the stairs.

I spot James, Al, and Perry waving to us and we walk over to greet them.

"Where the hell were you guys?" Al begins in exasperation. "You missed the match! Now it's pouring down rain and mum thinks we're going to embarrass the family if we come to dinner soaked and covered in mud. I told her we can do magic for a reason, but she's not having any of it. Now we can't witness the great Scorpius Malfoy-Rose Weasley faceoff!" His green eyes flash and I give him a guilty look.

"Sorry, mate," Malfoy begins. "We'll have to get people together another time and have another go."

James rolls his eyes. "The whole point of this was that we could actually use a regulation pitch, ya know."

I chime in weakly. "Maybe you could convince Lily to ask Khal to get you some pitch time on one of the pro practice pitches?"

"Or you could just ask him, Malfoy. You know him, right?" Al looks at him expectantly and I catch a look of amusement cross Malfoy's features.

"Sure, sure," he says nonchalantly. "Our parents are old friends. I'm sure he'd be willing to do me a favor. Especially if you let him join in on the match." He flashes a smile in my direction and I feel the color rising to my cheeks once more. James looks back and forth between the two of us, but Perry and Al seem oblivious.

"Where were you two, anyways?" James asks skeptically.

I catch Perry's eye as I abruptly say, "Library." Turns out Malfoy simultaneously says the same thing. At least the stories line up.

Not that I really know why I'm lying. It isn't that big of a deal.

"So, what? You guys are friends now or something?" Al shoots, looking at me in disbelief. He knows the depths of my hatred for Scorpius Malfoy.

Or he knew them back when I actually hated him.

Luckily, Malfoy saves me the trouble of responding. "Don't be ridiculous. Your cousin here would never agree to be friends with me. Trust me, I've tried." He flashes me yet another grin and I feel my heart begin to race. I smirk half-heartedly.

"We actually ended up bumping into each other as we were both leaving," he continues. "So being the nice guy that I am, I walked her back down here."

I roll my eyes and grumble to myself as a loud voice calls out from the Great Hall,

"PLEASE BEGIN TO TAKE YOUR SEATS. DINNER WILL BE SERVED IN TEN MINUTES."

"Looks like I've got to go find my parents. See you around, Potters," Malfoy says, nodding at them. "Good to meet you, Perry," he says, extending his hand to him once more.

"Likewise," Perry says with a bit of a grin, throwing his free arm around my shoulders.

Malfoy turns to me last. "You're lucky the weather is bad. I would've kicked your ass on the pitch."

Al and James ooh exaggeratedly and I shoot them a glare. "Yeah right, Scorpius. I don't even think your broom could hold you, what with the size of your head."

A louder ooh comes from my cousins and Perry joins them as I smirk with satisfaction. Malfoy chuckles and turns to walk away. "See ya for breakfast on Monday, Thorny," he says coyly with a sly smirk. I roll my eyes, annoyance at his arrogance coming to the forefront.

"Ha! Don't hold your breath!" He laughs loudly and begins to weave throughout the crowd in the direction of his parents as Al calls after him,

"Don't be a stranger!"

Malfoy waves his hand over his head without looking back. I feel Perry squeeze my shoulders and I turn my face up toward him, asking him how he liked quidditch as we find our seats.

We arrive at a table that sits in the direct middle of the spot that normally holds the Gryffindor table. Lily and Khal are already there.

"Hey, guys," Lily says as we approach. "The parents are at a separate table, so we're stuck with Al and James, unfortunately. And Hugo, if he ever shows up."

I take a seat next to Lily and grab a glass of water. Perry squeezes my shoulder again, still standing.

"I'm going to find the loo before dinner starts. Where's the nearest?"

I take a gulp from my glass and direct him up the stairs in the entryway. As he walks away, Lily turns to face me.

"So, where were you all afternoon? And why was Malfoy suspiciously missing as well?" She narrows her eyes at me and I roll my own back at her.

"I was in the library. I have no idea where that prat was all day." I don't even convince myself as the color rises to my cheeks.

Lily exchanges a look with Khal and I feel like snapping at her, but I keep my cool. Better to remain calm and not give her any reason to suspect, well, anything.

Not that there's anything to suspect.

"Likely story," she says, still eyeing me skeptically. "What's the deal with you two anyways? I saw you guys coming back to the entrance hall together."

I play with the corner of the napkin in front of me, stalling. "There is no deal," I say firmly. "In case you haven't realized, I'm engaged and have been for a few months now."

I continue to look at the table in front of me, deciding it's best to avoid eye contact with my crazy, yet insightful cousin. Perhaps if I don't take her bait, she'll drop the issue.

But, alas, no such luck.

"I mean it's pretty clear that he's still into you," she says condescendingly. I loudly set my hands on the table and turn to face her.

"What's your point, exactly?" I begin heatedly. "Why does it matter if he has feelings for me or not? Either way, I'm getting married to someone not named Scorpius Malfoy." I take a second to catch my breath, roughly brushing some hair from my eyes. "And," I add with vehemence, "what do you mean by still into me? I know you have your theories, but they're just that. Theories. You don't know what you're talking about."

It's Khal's turn to chime in with his deep, rich voice. "Hate to take sides here, Rose, but your cousin is right. I grew up with Scorpius and we used to spend a lot of summers together until we were 14 or so, and let me say this: I've already known almost everything that Lily's ever told me about you, thanks to Scorpius. From the time we were kids, he constantly talked about you. Never outright said he had feelings for you, but I think it was pretty clear."

"Well then explain why he's such an ass-"

But I'm interrupted by the arrival of my little brother throwing himself into the seat across from me.

"What's got your knickers in a twist, sis?" he asks obnoxiously after taking in my angry features. I shoot him a glare and take this as an opportunity to change the subject.

"Where were you all afternoon?" I ask in an accusatory tone.

He smirks widely. "Well, if you must know- Oh, hey, Perry." Perry takes a seat next to me and Hugo continues his story. "If you must know, I've been hanging out with a girl lately."

Lily feigns a choking sound. "Do my ears deceive me? Hugo Weasley actually settling down with one lady?" I laugh and hear Perry and Khal doing the same.

Hugo rolls his eyes. "Yes, yes. I guess I rather like her."

James and Al materialize behind Hugo, appearing through the crowd. "Wait, Hu is admitting to liking someone? What happened to the 'never show your true feelings' attitude?" James cracks up as he slaps Hugo on the back and Al punches him in the arm before taking a seat.

"Who is the mystery girl, anyways?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.

"Well," he begins slowly, smirking even wider, "do you guys remember Eleanor Zabini?"

What.

"What?" I say loudly, volume quickly elevating. "This is a joke right?"

He laughs loudly. "I knew you'd lose it. But really, she's pretty cool, Rosey. I don't know what you ever had against her."

"Oh, Rose was just jealous of her," James quips and I whirl around to face him, upending an empty glass in the process.

"Jealous? What about her would I be at all jealous of?! She's a total airhead!"

"An airhead who dated your new best friend, Scorpius Malfoy," James says slyly. I give him an outraged look and avoid even glancing at Perry.

I throw my hands in the air. "Just an indication of her poor judgement, I guess!" I shout as food appears in front of us, filling the many plates and bowls. "Her judgement isn't as bad as Hugo's though, considering this horrific life decision!"

Hugo, Al, and James all laugh jovially. I glare at them and stab some carrots viciously with a fork.

"You guys are pricks," I say, wishing I was sitting with my parents instead. "I can't believe you're dating Malfoy's ex. Aren't you guys like sort of friends or something? Isn't that against the guy code?" I try to come up with any valid reason to get Hugo to break off his relationship with Zabini. She was rude to me from the moment I met her. There's no way I'm partaking in family dinners with her.

"For some reason, I suspect that Malfoy could not care less about who Zabini dates. He seems to have his eye on someone else these days." Al snickers as he says this and I scowl. So much for family solidarity.

I try to ignore his comment and narrow my eyes instead at Hugo. "If you want to date that vile excuse for a human being, be my guest, but don't you dare spring her on me at family functions. You best warn me ahead of time so I can plan to not be there."

Perry coughs and then says in an annoyingly gentle tone, "Don't you think you're overreacting? This girl cannot be that bad."

I abruptly turn to face him, but before I can swallow my mouthful of food and start a fresh tirade, Lily jumps to his defense. "He's totally right, Rose. If anything, she has more reason to dislike you than the other way around. She really isn't all that bad. Although she does give the general female population a bad name, what with her throwing herself at a rather large number of men..." she trails off and I roll my eyes.

"People called her the Hogwarts Express for a reason," I say with venom. James spits out his punch and Hugo glares at me as Perry asks what I mean.

"What do you mean, 'the Hogwarts Express'?" James and Al laugh even louder at this and I can't help joining.

"Well," I say with a large smirk, "they called her the Hogwarts Express because everyone got a ride."

If looks could kill, James, Al, and I would be dead. Hugo's cheeks have turned a fiery shade of red, but instead of retorting, he eats in silence, stabbing his food with hostility.

My mood has brightened considerably now that Hugo appears to be rather miserable. Not sure what that says about me as a person, but I'm just happy to be out of the spotlight.

James, Al, Khal and I banter back and forth about quidditch for most of dinner, with Hugo eventually lightening up and joining the conversation. It's nice to hang out with my family every now and then. Plus, since Perry is here, I don't have to hear them comment about him never being around. Although my family is really terrific, they tend to become overbearing pretty quickly. But every once and a while there's a golden day like today where we all end up happy and jovial at the end of the night even if we wanted to kill each other during the day.

A couple of hours later, we decide it's about time to clear out for the evening. I say goodbye to my parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, making my rounds with Perry. I sternly tell Hugo to warn me when he decides to bring Zabini around since I'll need mental preparation, but even the thought of dinner with Zabini isn't enough to bring down my mood.

Perry and I make our way to the front of the castle, waiting to be picked up by one of the carriages. As we hop into one, I turn back to the castle for one last glimpse. My eyes are instead drawn to a messy head of platinum blond hair. I meet Malfoy's eye, watching him lean against the doorway to the castle. He smiles slightly and without thinking, I return it before turning back to Perry.

As we walk through the front door of our flat, I kick off my boots while listening to Perry's one hundred and one observations about quidditch, Hogwarts, and everything else he saw today.

"And I had a great time with Al and James. They were actually super cool with me today. Definitely enjoyed hanging out with them. Khal seemed like a good guy as well." I nod and stretch my arms above my head, yawning all the while.

"Even Malfoy didn't seem so bad." I face Perry and see him watching me closely, gauging my reaction. Instead of saying anything, I just nod.

He continues on in my silence, his tone needling at me. "I was just expecting him to be a huge arsehole based on what you previously described. But in fact, it seems like you guys aren't on such bad terms after all."

What's that supposed to mean?

"Trust me, you'd hate him if you got to know him," I say casually, bending down to straighten the cuffs of my jeans. When I straighten back up, Perry is still eyeing me.

He sits down at the kitchen table and says tentatively, "Do you normally willingly spend full afternoons with people that you hate?"

His eyes darken slightly and I look at him in bewilderment. "I didn't-"

"Please, Rose. I can tell when you're lying and it's pretty clear you weren't at the library all afternoon."

I consider my options and decide to tell the truth. Or at least part of it.

"Fine, you're right. I was in this room called the Room of Requirement. It's where I used to practice piano when I was still in school. I ended up bumping into Malfoy there." I shrug nonchalantly, glossing over the real details of the story.

"Piano?" he asks questioningly. "I didn't know you played." I feel my blood beginning to boil. I told him I played weeks ago. "But more importantly," he continues, "I want to know why you felt the need to lie about where you were."

Why did I lie?

Oh, right. Because I was busy feeling merlin knows what while hanging out with someone other than my fiancé all afternoon.

"It was just less complicated," I say, hoping he drops the subject. "I don't see what the big deal is."

Perry sighs heavily before slowly answering. "I'm not stupid, Rose, and you sure as hell aren't either. Don't act like you don't see what I see."

And what exactly does he see? I think nervously. What does he see now that he met Malfoy?

"I don't know what you're talking about," I say loftily, but my heart is racing.

"Don't patronize me," he says with a hint of venom. "It's really pretty apparent that your so-called enemy is actually really interested in you. He really couldn't have made it any clearer. And you couldn't have made me look like more of a fool, spending your day with Malfoy and leaving me to hang out with your cousins."

I stare at him in shock, anger rising in my chest. "I left you? You ran off with them the minute they suggested quidditch! And why does it matter if Malfoy is interested in me? There's nothing I can do about that. Like, do you want me to quit my job so I never see him or something? Or maybe you should actually spend more than a few hours a week with me and you won't feel like you have to worry about some random guy I know, and quite frankly have always hated!" My tone is harsh and Perry furrows his brow.

"You know there's nothing I can do about my schedule," he snaps back. "Go ahead and try to make me feel guilty like you always do. Or maybe you're just projecting your own guilt onto me since you've clearly been lying to yourself about the coworker that you hate." He feigns air quotes around the last word and I throw my arms into the air.

"What is your obsession with Malfoy?! Can't you see that all of our problems are stemming from you?! I don't know why you're even worried about him when you should be worried about your bloody self!" I'm breathing heavily as Perry stands up and shouts back at me,

"I'm worried because it's clear I'm competing with him!" I stare at him in disbelief. "You chose him over me today. This guy who you claim to hate. What does that say about our relationship, Rose?"

When I don't answer, he continues on. "You're constantly miserable around me, and yeah, I do take some of the blame since I'm not around much, but you used to seem much happier. And now you'd rather spend time with some guy you claim to not even like who you see 40 hours a week instead of with your fiancé who you barely get to see. Whether or not you admit it, you've made this into a competition, and I'm not willing to compete because I know that I can't!"

I don't even know what to say at this point. I've never seen Perry as angry or disappointed as he is right now. A piece of me is feeling horribly guilty, while another piece of me thinks that he deserves this for proposing to me and then ditching me 6 days a week.

"For crying out loud, Rose," he continues quietly, "the guy was apparently practically a pro quidditch player. He looks like he stepped straight out of a Calvin Klein ad. He grew up with you and probably knows more about your life than I ever will. Oh yeah, and he's a bloody wizard and I'm just some regular guy who has only a small fraction of an idea of what your magical life is like. Maybe you should think long and hard about what you want out of this relationship, because this is definitely not what I want."

I stare at him for a few seconds. What he wants? What he wants?

What about what I want? What about what I've wanted all along?

"Well then what exactly is it that you want, Perry?" I ask, voice full of hostility. "Do you want me to go to work and be miserable because I haven't seen you in weeks? And then do you want me to come home with a shred of hope that I might actually get to see the guy I agreed to marry? Only to wait days until I actually get that chance? Because, guess what. That's the life we're leading right now. If you want things to change, then maybe you should take a good, hard look in the mirror and start with yourself. I'm going to bed."

I turn around and abruptly storm out of the room, briskly climbing the stairs and slamming the bedroom door.

The nerve of him, I think as I collapse onto the bed and tear off my tshirt and jeans, throwing on a tank top and shorts instead.

How dare he act like this is my fault? I've tried time and time again to support him, but what do I get in return? Nothing!

Instead, I'm accused of, well, whatever he just accused me of.

His voice echoes through my head, telling me he didn't know that I played piano. Of course he didn't know. He doesn't listen to a word I say.

As I lay in bed, fuming, another voice pops into my head.

Perry doesn't know how lucky he is.

I picture Malfoy's face, full of sincerity and I know that he's right.

Perry assumes I'll always be around. Perry assumes that he can do whatever he wants and I'll still be here because I've agreed to marry him.

Perry takes me for granted.

Guess who doesn't take me for granted?

Scorpius Malfoy.

A/N: I'm a day early on the update! I told you I'd try, and although one day isn't much, I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know some of you were looking forward to the quidditch match, but unfortunately I couldn't fit an actual match in with the flow of the story, so I stuck with a bit of banter instead. And I know several people were looking for more of a Perry/Malfoy showdown, but I just didn't see it as very realistic at this point since Perry was under the impression that Rose and Malfoy were enemies. Obviously, Perry has now realized otherwise ;)

Thanks to everyone for your support! I know I typically talk to all of you reviewers through PM (and I feel like many of us have become good pals and have had some insightful chats, which I love!), but I'd like to thank 15sofiayaziji here since (s)he doesn't have PM capabilities... thanks for your reviews :)

Next chapter has a whole bunch of Rose/Scorp interaction in a bit of a different setting from the usual, so stay tuned! It will be up by Friday! As usual, let me know what you thought of this chapter! I quite enjoyed seeing Perry and Rose fighting... Perry actually does have some emotion hidden under his boring facade! Hope you guys enjoyed reading it as well... Can't wait to hear from you! :)