Chapter Ten
A/N: Thanks again to those who reviewed! Okay, this chapter has a little bonding segment between Rose and Scorpius at the library! (This chapter is sort of filler before the Ball, so please don't be angry for the lack of action) Sorry, I know it's shorter than the others!
Rose's POV
Today was Friday, December the 18th, 2022.
Well, for those who are lost today is the Yule Ball, which is 8:00 pm tonight.
Woo-hoo.
Today is also the day I promised myself that I would tell Scorpius how I felt, no backing down, no second thoughts. Tonight was the night I would stretch my Gryffindor bravery to its fullest. Tonight was the night when I wouldn't care what others thought. Tonight was the night.
The whole day, everyone was buzzing about the Ball tonight. You couldn't enter a room or hallway without people gossiping about it, whether it was about what they were wearing, about who was taking them, or just plain gossiping.
Anyway, the excitement was affecting me and I could barely concentrate on writing my essay about Wolfsbane for Potions. I resisted the urge to hex the giggling Fifth years in the corner into silence. I sighed, gathering my homework, stuffing them into my shoulder bag along with my quill, ink pot and spare parchment. I left the Common Room and walked to the library, finally getting some peace and quiet.
I spotted Scorpius sitting at a table and made my way over to him. His platinum-blond hair was hanging in front of his face and he kept brushing it back in annoyance. Unlike his father, he didn't bother to comb it back and left it almost as untidy as Albus's. His grey eyes were narrowed in concentration and his brow was furrowed. When I sat down, he looked up at me and smiled, flashing a perfect smile. I smiled back, setting my books, parchment, and quill and ink pot in front of me, sitting across from him.
"Hey, Rosie. What's up?" He asked.
"Nothing much, just left the Common Room to find peace and quiet, came here and right now I'm talking to you. What about you?"
He laughed. "I'm working on my Wolfsbane essay and talking to you."
"Same here. Do you want to work together?" I said.
"Yeah, sure."
We began to work together and checked each other's work, like we always did. As we listed down the properties of Wolfsbane, I found myself staring at him. Forcing myself to concentrate on my parchment, I asked him a question.
"Are you mad at me?"
He stopped scribbling on his parchment to look up at me. His grey eyes were filled with hesitation, and he was contemplating how to answer.
"No, I'm not. Why would you say that?"
"Well, it's just that every time I bring up the Yule Ball, you act all weird and ignore the topic."
He bit his lip, a bad habit of his. "Well, I guess I'm just nervous."
"Why?" I asked.
"I don't know. It's just a wriggly feeling at the pit of my stomach. I mean, who wouldn't be nervous?"
I nodded. There was a thick silence in between us. I broke it. "Scorpius? Can you promise me something?"
"Sure, Rosie. What do you need?"
"Can you promise me that, no matter what happens tonight, you'll always be my best friend? Even if things...don't go the right way?" I asked, looking straight into those deep, grey eyes.
There was a pause. "I promise, Rosie. You'll always be my best friend no matter what."
I smiled, glad. "Thanks, Scorp." I leaned over and hugged him, burying my face in his shoulder as he hugged me back. Even though when he promised me that we would stay best friends no matter what, I was worried that he would think that we wouldn't become more than friends. But, as Thalia said, there might be a chance that he liked me back. Oh, well that was a chance I was going to take.
I pulled back, and gave him another smile, and he smiled back at me. We continued doing our homework together and when we were done, we headed back to Gryffindor Tower. As we sat in the Common room playing Exploding Snap, Thalia and Albus came barging in, all covered in snow.
They were laughing and pushing each other. When they spotted us, they smiled at us, with stupid grins on their faces.
"What happened to you two?" Asked Scorpius, just when his card exploded.
Albus grinned. "We had a snowball fight after we went flying. You guys have GOT to try it. The snow is perfect today!"
"So it seems." I raised an eyebrow at Thalia, who blushed and shrugged. Thalia may be the most tomboyish girl at Hogwarts, but when she flirted, she was almost as crazy as Lily.
"Okay, we're going to clean up so we can get ready for the Ball, okay? Rose do you want to come with me?" Thalia asked.
I nodded. "See you guys later." As we climbed up the stairs, I nudged Thalia.
"So, did you have a fun time with Albus?" I asked, grinning.
Thalia rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well we did some flying, then when we landed, Albus fell on his face in the snow, I laughed at him, he threw a snowball at me, and we started our snowball fight. It was no big deal."
"Oh, yeah no big deal." I said sarcastically.
"What did you do all day, sit in the library with Scorpius and flirt while doing homework?"
I felt the Weasley blush creep up my face. "N-no! Well, not so much flirting but we did homework!"
Thalia snorted. "Right. Okay, the ball is in an hour and that's how long we have to get ready. I'll take a bath, you can next, and we can then go get Lily. Alright? Let's do this!"
I had to laugh. Never had I seen my best friend at a Ball; this was going to be interesting.
As Thalia went to take a bath, I dug into my trunk and took out the white and silver dress with the matching pumps that we had purchased at Daniela's Delightful Dress Shop last week. Holding it at arm's length, I wondered if this was all part of destiny. I know it's sort of crazy to think this, but it seemed all fairytale-ish, didn't it? Falling in love (yes, I said it) with your dream guy, an upcoming Ball, the perfect dress and shoes to go with it, and finally, that magical moment when you both have your first and most magical kiss. It did sound like what you would read out of a Muggle story book. I smiled to myself, fantasizing the perfect moment. I wanted this to all be perfect.
I was shaken out of my reverie by Thalia, who I found was yelling at me. "Hey, Rose! It's your turn!" I turned around and found my friend in a bathrobe, her arms crossed and an amused smirk playing on her lips. "Dreaming again, Cinderella?"
I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm just thinking." I placed my dress down and headed to the bathroom. Turning the faucet on and taking off my uniform, I began fantasizing again. I was going to make this the best night of my life.
. . .
As Thalia and I sat down in front of the vanity in Lily's dorm, wearing our bathrobes, as she helped us do our hair and make-up.
"And...you're done!" Lily spun Thalia around her barber's chair. Her hair was up in a fancy up do, with ringlets framing her face. She had mascara, black eyeliner and dark blue eye shadow that made her powder blue eyes seem even more dramatic. She was also wearing blush, pink lipstick and dangly diamond earrings.
"You look stunning, Thalia!" I exclaimed.
She smiled. "Thanks. Now, It's your turn Rose! I'll be in our dorm, putting my dress on, okay?"
"Alright, Rose. Stay still and close your eyes." I obeyed my little cousin and stayed as still as I could. After about ten minutes of working on my make-up, I felt her move onto my hair; where I guessed she was slathering potion on it to make my frizzy curls under control.
"You're done!" I opened my eyes and my eyes widened. I also had black eyeliner and mascara that made my eyes seem more deep-set, with silver eye shadow. I had red lipstick and dark pink blush on, which stood out from my fair skin. My hair was put up in a half-up do, with my auburn curls cascading down my back, only they weren't all frizzy. To top it all off, pearl earrings hung from my ears.
"Oh my gosh, thank you Lily! You're the best!" I hugged her.
She beamed. "Well, what are cousins for?"
As I headed back to the Sixth Year dorm, I picked up my dress and hurried to the bathroom. I quickly and carefully slipped into it without getting any make-up on my dress. When I stepped out of the bathroom, I checked my reflection. Not to sound stuck-up, but I looked amazing. With my white and silver gown, I sort of looked like Cinderella. I smiled to myself, remembering all of the Muggle stories and fairy tales my mum had read me to bed when I was little. Stepping into my silver pumps, I managed to maintain my balance. For good measure, I cast a non-tripping spell on them, so I wouldn't make a fool of myself in the middle of the dance floor. I met Thalia and Lily in the hallway; Thalia wearing her midnight blue dress and Lily her black and white one. My cousin had pink eye shadow, mascara, and black eyeliner on, with magenta lipstick, blush and silver hoop earrings.
"You look dazzling, girls!" Lily squealed.
Thalia beamed. "Thanks, Lil, so do you! Lysander is going to be blown halfway across England!"
My cousin blushed. "Aww, stop it you guys! Let's go, our dates are probably waiting for us."
Thalia and I looked at each other. "Um, you're the only one with a date, Lils."
She smirked. "Right." She stretched the word, raising an eyebrow.
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Let's go."
As we walked down the stairs, I saw Lysander, Al and Scorpius were waiting in the Common Room. Scorpius was looking quite dashing in black dress robes with silver lining and a bow tie, his usually shaggy hair slicked back. When he caught my eye, he looked stunned for a moment, his mouth open, when he recovered and smiled at me. I smiled back, taking in his handsome and kept appearance.
Good Merlin, he looks amazing! Okay, stay calm, Rose, stay calm. Keep your breathing steady. Alright. You can do this.
I saw my cousin greet my best friend, wearing black and midnight blue dress robes. Smiling to myself, I noticed how they matched.
"Are you ready?" Scorpius asked me. I nodded, blushing when I saw him look over my appearance.
Lily took Lysander's hand, Albus fell into step with Thalia, and I walked with Scorpius. As we exited the Common Room and began walking down the stairs, the butterflies in my stomach fluttered. We were about to attend the Ball, where I was going to finally tell Scorpius, my best friend of 6 years, how I felt.
Finally, we came to the entrance to the Great Hall. There were decorations galore, even on the wooden doors. Even outside, I could hear the loud beat of the music playing. I subconsciously squeezed Scorpiu's hand; something I did whenever I was nervous. He squeezed my hand back. I instantly felt better.
Taking a deep breath, I pushed the doors open and stepped inside, my heart pounding in my chest.
This was going to be one heck of a night.
A/N: I know, I know! Cliff hanger! I'll try to update tomorrow or the day after that!
Until next time!
-TheFanfictionInator