A/N: Here is the next installment! I had a bit of writers block, but I worked it out today and finished the chapter. Thank you to all of you who have put this story on your alert list, and/or on your favorite list. It means a lot! I also want to thank those of you who have reviewed - I love reading your reviews and knowing what you guys think. Any ideas for the plot of the story or improvements are more than welcome. There's some stuff from Scorpius' point of view in this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy that. Sometimes I find that when I write a chapter there's a song I listen to over and over again and this time it was The Next Girl by The Black Keys. I guess it's the soundtrack to this chapter? Just thought I would share in case anyone wanted to listen to it while reading. Anyway, enjoy! Let me know what you think!
I looked like some sort of criminal. At the current moment, instead of joining the majority of my History of Magic classmates in front of the classroom door, I was hiding behind the corner, peering out every now and again to see whether or not Professor Binns had started allowing people to enter the room. After Transfiguration had ended I had headed right for the History of Magic classroom, forgetting that unlike every other day, I wasn't supposed to spend the spare twenty minutes sitting in front of the classroom reading. So now I was reduced to hiding and hoping Malfoy didn't turn around and spot me during one of the moments when I had my head poking out from around the corner. He was standing right in front of the classroom door ensuring that he would be the first one in. On the one hand this showed some real dedication to our little bet, but on the other hand I had the feeling he was exaggerating some things just to make fun of me. A scowl crossed my face at the thought, two could play that game.
From my hiding spot I heard a door creak open and I sucked in a deep breath. With my back pressed against the wall I poked my head out from behind the wall to see that it had in fact been the sound of the door to the history of magic room. Malfoy began to shuffle forward and I quickly pulled back to ensure that he wouldn't see me while entering the room. In all honesty I was a little bit paranoid but I simply did not want to risk the embarrassment of loosing this bet. After the last person had entered the classroom I counted to ten in my head before slowly making my way over to the room. Earlier today I had found the clicking sound my heels made to be comforting, now however, I was distinctly aware of how loud the sound was in contrast to the silent classroom, and I was a little bit embarrassed. The class had already started taking down the notes Professor Binns had put up on the board, and a few people looked up thanks to the sound my shoes had made. Making a concentrated effort, I avoided making eye contact with any of the people who had looked up, and kept my gaze forward. I noticed that Malfoy was sitting in my usual seat, so I abruptly turned to the left and took his seat all the way in the back.
I felt weird sitting in Malfoy's seat so for a few seconds I sat very still and glanced around awkwardly. Sucking in a breath, I set my bag down and leaned back into my seat. Noticing that the seat next to me was free, I smirked as I stretched my legs out onto it. My action garnered me a few odd looks but I ignored them; this was actually quite comfortable. Settled in, I turned my attention to the work on the board and began to take down the notes as meticulously as ever. Malfoy had said that I had to act like him for a day and despite his nonchalant behavior towards school his grades led me to believe that at the very least he took really good notes.
"Can anyone tell me what led to Minister Sanders resigning from office in nineteen ten?"
I glanced up from my notes and noticed that Malfoy's hand had already shot up. He was leaning forward in his seat, an eager expression on his face. My jaw clenched and I narrowed my eyes at the back of Malfoy's head. I did not look that ridiculous.
"Yes Mister Malfoy?" Professor Binns, despite his usual monotone voice, seemed surprised that Malfoy had volunteered. After all, up until now, the only other times Malfoy had ever piped up in class had been when he felt the need to correct someone. Either that or to make some mean, snarky comment.
"Well, his policies were facing record low approval ratings and there were talks of the Wizengamot forcibly removing him from office for corruption reasons so he resigned to prevent that embarrassment." Malfoy finished answering and nodded his head, keeping a perfectly straight and stiff posture.
"That's not entirely true." I piped up from the back. My legs were still stretched out on the seat next to me, I had my left elbow propped up on the desk with my chin in my hand. Professor Binns turned to look at me and for a moment I was embarrassed by the fact that I was so slumped over in his classroom. On top of that, I had, had the audacity to speak without raising my hand.
"Elaborate for us Miss Weasley."
"Well, it's true that he was really unpopular at the time, but everyone knew that the Wizengamot would have never found him guilty of anything. They just wanted to scare him, and the Minister knew that." I shifted my gaze over to Malfoy who didn't appear to be too pleased by the fact that I was correcting him. I smirked at him and widened my eyes before turning my gaze back onto Professor Binns. "The truth of the matter is that he struck a deal with some of his critics in the Ministry. They had something on him, no one is sure what exactly that is to this day, but what we do know is that they were criminal charges of some sort, way beyond corruption. So, he resigned, and his critics kept what they had a secret." I leaned back into my seat and looked at Malfoy, shooting him a vastly exaggerated smirk as I batted my lashes at him.
"Very good Miss Weasley." Professor Binns commended.
"Thank You Professor. I think that Mister Malfoy should brush up on his facts, don't you Professor?" The class burst into giggles and I bit down onto my lower lip, surprised that the words had come out of my mouth. Sure, I had no problem insulting Malfoy in private or in front of his friends, but I usually held my tongue in front of the Professors.
"I'm not sure that's for you to say Miss Weasley." Professor Binns looked at me, a confused look on his ghostly face. He had never had to remark on my attitude before and I was sure he, along with the rest of the class, was wondering what had gotten into me.
"Sorry Professor," I blurted out. As soon as I spoke the words however, I saw Malfoy smirking from ear to ear. Clearly, he was thinking that I was on my way to loosing the bet, for he was never one to apologize for his bad attitude. No way in hell was I going to hand the victory to him that easily. "I guess I just enjoy being remarkably rude and insanely obnoxious." I added and watched as the smirk faded from Malfoy's face. I smirked and raised my brows at Malfoy, letting him know that he was the one I was thinking of when I had made that comment.
"Miss Weasley!" For the first time ever, Professor Binns actually sounded upset. A string of profanities was running through my head, cursing me for allowing myself to be dragged into this bet with Malfoy. What had I been thinking? "What has gotten into you?"
I was silent for a moment as my mind searched for an explanation. I couldn't very well tell him about the bet. "I think the change of scenery is making me cranky. Or maybe it's just Mister Malfoy's seat…" I trailed off, shifting and looking down at the seat in a confused manner.
When I looked up Professor Binns shook his head. "Whatever it is Miss Weasley, just don't do it again."
I pressed my lips together in order to keep my mouth shut. I didn't want to say anything that would put my position in this bet, or in this class, in jeopardy. Especially not after the gems that I had let slip earlier. Professor Binns turned his attention back to lecturing and I sighed, leaning back into my seat. I glanced over at Malfoy to see him looking at me over his shoulder. Arching a brow, I leaned forward in my seat letting a smirk slowly spread out across my face. Malfoy pursed his lips and nodded his head slowly before turning around in his seat. I wasn't one hundred percent sure what Malfoy and I had just communicated to one another other but I was pretty sure the ante had just been upped.
Sighing, I leaned back into my seat once more and turned my attention to the front of the classroom. I listened as Professor Binns began to elaborate on the story behind Minister Sanders' resignation from office. From time to time I would jot down a few notes, but for the most part I was preoccupied with thinking about what Malfoy would do to get back at me for showing him up in class. I couldn't think of anything that he could do without costing himself the bet and that scared me. He would either wait until tomorrow to get back at me, or he was so much of an evil genius that he could get back at my today while still retaining the façade of a well behaved student. At the present moment I wasn't sure which was worse. I faintly heard Professor Binns dismissing the class and I blinked. Realizing I had spaced out, I sighed and glanced around to see that a number of people had already left the classroom and the rest were rapidly walking towards the door.
Quickly, I gathered my things and shoved my books into my bag before standing up and swinging the bag over my shoulder. Before I headed towards the door, I glanced around the room and took note of the fact that Malfoy had already left the room. Confused as to why I had even bothered to look for Malfoy, I turned on my heel and walked out of the classroom.
"Hey, Rose!"
I stopped upon hearing my name and with a quick glance to my right I noticed Frank heading my way. "Hey, what's up?" I questioned with a smile. Though I wasn't sure what Frank was doing hanging around my class I had to admit that I was happy he was here. Frank's presence was comforting and I could use a conversation with him to get my mind off of whatever Malfoy could be planning to get back at me.
"Nothing," Frank replied with a shrug of his shoulders as he walked up to me. "Just thought we could walk to lunch together."
"Yeah sure." I replied, nodding my head before I started to walk. Frank walked beside me, keeping one hand in his pocket.
"Do you want me to hold that?" Frank questioned, pointing to the history of magic textbook in my arms. Grinning, I shook my head, "No thanks, I got it. I'm a big girl, I can hold my own books." I teased, letting out a small laugh. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a bit of color creeping up into Frank's face as if he were embarrassed.
Clearing his throat, Frank nodded his head before he touched the back of neck. "Oh yeah, of course, I wasn't implying anything by it…" He trailed off, giving me a small smile. I frowned, slightly confused, "I know Frank, don't worry about it." I reassured, "I was just teasing you."
"Oh…" Frank glanced at me and gave me an apologetic smile. I could sense that there was something bothering Frank but I decided to ignore it. After all, there was no use in trying to get it out of him. After all these years I knew that if Frank wanted to tell me something he would eventually come out with it. So, instead I tried to lighten the mood. With a smile on my face, I stood on my tiptoes and ruffled his hair. Frank chuckled and swatted my hand away.
After that I thought that Frank had taken his mind off of whatever had been bothering him. However, just as we were about to head down the stairs to the ground level, he stopped. I too stopped in my tracks and turned around, frowning.
"What's wrong Frank?" I questioned. Frank glanced around nervously and bit down onto his lower lip. I narrowed my eyes at him and placed a hand on my hip. It wasn't like Frank to keep things from me and honestly I was beginning to get a little worried.
"Come here." Frank finally said as he motioned for me to follow him around the corner. Sighing, I followed him. "Come on Frank, out with it. I'm starving."
Frank turned to look at me and I could tell he was nervous. "Rosie, I want to ask you something. I've been meaning to ask you this for a while but…" Frank trailed off and I took a few steps towards him. I placed a hand on his shoulder, "Hey, Frank, come on, what is it?" I asked softly, "You know you can come to me with anything so just tell me what it is."
Frank looked at me for a few moments as if he was contemplating his next move. The next thing I knew Frank's lips were on mine and he was kissing me. My gut instinct was to kiss back but a few seconds later I realized what was going on and my eyes opened wide in shock. Frank had one hand on my cheek and the other on my waist. I knew that I needed to pull away but I was still so shocked that my brain was not transferring the message to the rest of the body. Plus, much to my surprise, Frank was a pretty good kisser and it was as if my body did not want to give that feeling up.
"I guess I underestimated you Weasley." A voice drawled from down the hall. The sound of Malfoy's voice shocked me back to my senses and I pulled away from Frank and turned my head to see Malfoy smirking at the two of us, his hands in his pockets. His posture was relaxed but there was something about the look in his eyes that screamed annoyed.
"Malfoy, what are you doing here. Just leave her alone." Frank snapped, taking a few steps so he could stand in front of me. Malfoy shifted his gaze onto Frank for a moment and rolled his eyes. "Shut up Longbottom, I'm not doing anything. I'm pretty sure Weasley can take care of herself." He spat, giving a Frank a look of disgust.
I sighed and stepped out from behind Frank. "What do you want Malfoy?" I questioned, placing a hand on my hip. Malfoy looked at me and smirked. Ignoring my question he walked forward and stopped a few feet in front of me. "I guess you're more like me than I thought." He sang, smirking wildly.
"What do you mean?" I questioned, genuinely confused about what he was getting at. Malfoy chuckled, "I'm talking about what you were just doing with Longbottom over here. Very me, the whole making out in the hallway." Malfoy nodded and shot me an exaggerated wink. "Of course, I would never make out with a Longbottom, but I'll allow you that small lapse in judgment considering you're a Gryffindor and can't do any better. Though, I never thought you'd lead someone on like that just to win a bet. That's what I'm most surprised about Weasley. I didn't think you had it in you." Malfoy widened his eyes and smirked, his gaze shifting between Frank and myself.
"Is that why you let me kiss you Rose?" Frank sputtered out from beside me. I turned my head to look at him and I saw the hurt look on his face. I opened my mouth to speak but Frank beat me to the punch. "I can't believe you let me make a fool out of myself just to win a bet." Frank turned on his heel and pushed past me, making his way towards the stairs.
"Frank!" I called after him. Frank however didn't even turn around. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I made a move to follow him but that was when I heard Malfoy chuckling. My head whipped around and I glowered at Malfoy. "What the hell was that?" I asked angrily. I strode towards Malfoy and stood within inches of him. "I didn't even know you were there!" I snapped, pushing his shoulder with my hand.
Arching a brow, Malfoy looked down at his shoulder and wrinkled his nose as if he now needed to disinfect himself. Sighing, Malfoy looked up at me and with a nonchalant look on his face he shrugged his shoulders. "I decided that messing up your little moment over there was worth more than winning our bet."
I stared at Malfoy with an incredulous look on my face. I wasn't sure whether or not this was payback for what I had said in class but I didn't care. Malfoy was even worse than I had thought him to be. Thanks to him one of my oldest friends was furious with me. "You really are something else." I muttered before turning on my heel with every intention to catch up to Frank.
"The bet was for the whole day Weasley!" Malfoy yelled after me, "I may have lost but if you go after him it's a draw!" Despite what Malfoy had just said, I didn't even stop. I merely raised my hand and flicked him off before I turned the corner and ran down the stairs to find Frank. Once I had reached the ground floor I glanced around but he was nowhere to be found. Biting my lip, I glanced into the Great Hall and spotted him sitting at the Gryffindor table with Frederick and Lily. Sucking in a deep breath, I walked into the Great Hall and headed straight for where Frank was sitting. I came to a stop right next to Frank and while both Frederick and Lily greeted me, Frank didn't even look up.
"Frank, can I talk to you?" I asked, doing my best to act as if nothing was wrong. I did not want Lily cornering me and asking questions later.
"Um, I think I'll pass." Frank mumbled under his breath, causing Frederick and Lily to exchange looks.
I sighed, "Please." There was a tone of desperation in my voice and Frank sighed before he stood up. "Fine." He mumbled, still refusing to look at me. Turning on my heel I began to walk out of the Great Hall with Frank following me. Once out in the hall, I turned right and opened the door to one of the empty classrooms. Frank followed me in and shut the door behind him. As I turned around to face him, I saw him standing right next to the door, his arms crossed over his chest.
"Frank…" I began, taking a step towards him.
"Rose, you said you wanted to talk to me. What is it?" He asked, picking up his head. However, I could tell that his eyes were gazing right over my shoulder.
"Frank, don't be mad at me. I had no idea Malfoy was around, I swear!" I was pleading with him, hoping that he would understand that my actions had in no way been influenced by the bet I had going on with Malfoy. "I would never do that to you." And the truth was, I wouldn't. Frank and I had been friends ever since we had been in diapers and his friendship meant a lot more to me than some bet with Malfoy.
Frank was silent for a few seconds until he finally met my gaze. "Rose, I really like you. I've liked you for a while and when Malfoy said those things I just…" Frank trailed off and dropped his gaze. I bit my lip and sucked in a breath, unsure of what my next move should be.
"Malfoy was just trying to get back at me for embarrassing him in class." I took another few steps towards Frank and when I was close enough, I gingerly placed a hand on his arm.
"So you didn't just kiss me back to win this bet with Malfoy?" Frank questioned, furrowing his brows.
"No, of course not." I replied, giving Frank's upper arm a squeeze.
"So, you'll go to Hogsmeade with me this Saturday? On a date?" Frank asked hopefully, his brown eyes wide.
My mind reeled – wait, what?
"Yeah sure." The words spilled out before my brain even had any time to process how the conversation had taken this turn. A wide smile spread out over Frank's face and he leaned in to kiss me again. However, this time, he placed a light kiss on cheek. "Figure we should go on a date before I start snogging you again." Frank gave me a lop-sided grin. An uncomfortable chuckle left my lips and I nodded slowly as I wondered what exactly I had just done.
"I've got to head to class but I'll see you later Rosie." Frank blurted out before he left the classroom, a smile still gracing his face. I raised my hand a waved him off as the door slammed shut.
I groaned and leaned against the closest wall, putting a hand over my eyes. I cared about Frank a lot and yes, he was a good kisser but I simply did not have those feelings for him. Frank was one of my closest and oldest friends. I had only kissed him back because I had been so shocked. I sighed and slid down the wall, tossing aside my bag and the textbook I had been carrying. Why hadn't I just explained to him that I didn't have those feelings for him? I groaned once more. Even though all I had agreed to was one date I knew that I had gotten myself into a far bigger mess. Now that I had agreed to a date in the first place if I let Frank down after that date it would hurt him even more. While the whole situation wasn't Malfoy's fault, he was still to blame for making Frank think that I had only kissed him due to the bet and for that, I was going to find a way to make him pay. Malfoy was an evil prick but that had been way over the line, even for him.
Scorpius
Weasley had more guts and more wit than I had originally given her credit for. Just like I had expected her to, she had corrected the answer I had given for why Minister Sanders had resigned and just like I had expected her to, she had apologized to Binns for insulting me. What I hadn't been expecting her to do however was make that comment about being obnoxious and rude. I let out a frustrated groan as I stalked down the hallway. Clearly getting Weasley to loose this bet was going to be more work than I had anticipated. Frankly, I hadn't expected her to last past breakfast. I also hadn't been prepared for her to put so much effort into her appearance, or for her to look so good. I scowled at the thought and shook my head as if to clear my mind of the image. Weasley did not look good; she merely looked better than she usually did. That was all. As I turned the corner, hushed voices reached my ears and I froze in my tracks, straining my ears to try and make out as many words as possible. However, I couldn't discern anything and then a moment later, the voices stopped. I muttered to myself in confusion before I sped up and turned another corner, dying to know what was going on. Then that was when I saw it, Frank Longbottom shoving his tongue down Rose Weasley's throat. I scowled, well that's disgusting.
I took a few steps forward and for a split second I felt like tearing Longbottom away from Weasley and hitting my fist against his face a few times. However, that feeling was soon squashed by the mechanism I had developed to keep my emotions down. Instead, I stuck my hands into my pockets and smirked, "I guess I underestimated you Weasley." I drawled. As soon as I had spoken the words, Weasley pulled away from Longbottom and deep within the pit of my stomach I felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
Longbottom glared at me and moved in front of Weasley, "Malfoy, what are you doing here. Just leave her alone." I heard him sputter. Exasperated and frankly, annoyed that he had even had the audacity to speak to me, I turned my gaze onto him. What did he think he was doing? Did it look like I was about to attack Weasley? I nearly laughed at the thought. I knew better than to start a duel with Rose Weasley. The girls' arsenal of hexes was just as good, if not better than my own. She could take care of herself better than Frank Longbottom ever could. I was honestly annoyed that he even thought he could keep up with her on a personal level, much less protect her.
"Shut up Longbottom, I'm not doing anything. I'm pretty sure Weasley can take care of herself." I spat at him. I wrinkled my nose and gave him the most disgusted look I could muster up. He was lucky I was even tolerating him at this point. It was at that point that I saw Weasley step out from behind Longbottom. She had never been one to be scared of me.
"What do you want Malfoy?" She asked me, taking a defense stance. Rather than immediately answer her question, I waltzed up towards her. "I guess you're more like me than I thought." I replied, my voice had a singsong tone to it considering I was genuinely amused at the moment.
"What do you mean?" Weasley asked, her brows were furrowed and her lips pouted, the expression she always wore when she was confused. Despite myself, I chuckled. She had no idea what I was about to do. She had no idea what kind of trouble I was about to get her in. Honestly, she deserved it after her little commentary in class today. I didn't care that this was going to cost me the bet, it was so worth it.
"I'm talking about what you were just doing with Longbottom over here. Very me, the whole making out in the hallway." I nodded and shot her an exaggerated wink. "Of course, I would never make out with a Longbottom, but I'll allow you that small lapse in judgment considering you're a Gryffindor and can't do any better. Though, I never thought you'd lead someone on like that just to win a bet. That's what I'm most surprised about Weasley. I didn't think you had it in you." I widened my eyes at her and smirked, my gaze shifting between her and Longbottom. Of course I knew very well that she had, had no idea that I had been there. However, Frank Longbottom was gullible enough, and stupid enough to believe it. Plus, he was also insecure enough that I could easily convince him that Weasley didn't like him enough to genuinely kiss him.
"Is that why you let me kiss you Rose?" Longbottom sputtered, turning to face Weasley, a wounded look on his face. A feeling of accomplishment washed over me and I grinned – far too easy. "I can't believe you let me make a fool out of myself just to win a bet." He soon added. How pathetic. With that, Longbottom turned around and rushed away. Weasley turned to watch him, calling after him. I couldn't help but laugh at the scene. What was she calling after him for anyway? The boy was soft and pathetic.
Apparently, Weasley had heard me laughing for the next moment she turned around, a furious expression on her face.
"What the hell was that?" She asked, anger evident in her tone. I didn't answer her and the next thing I knew she was walking towards me. I arched a brow and looked down at her curiously. Weasley was a mere few inches away from me and I could feel her breath on my skin. "I didn't even know you were there!" She snapped, reaching her hand out and pushing my shoulder. She hadn't pushed me very hard and I kept my balance with ease.
Arching a brow, I looked down at my shoulder and wrinkled my nose as if I were disgusted by the fact that she had touched me. Honestly, I liked my space, and I didn't appreciate people touching me if they not invited to do so. However, I wasn't actually disgusted by the fact that Weasley had touched me. Unlike my father during his school days, I did not think that half bloods were beneath me, or that they could spread their impure blood to those of us who were purebloods. Even though I didn't have a real answer for her, I sighed and looked up, keeping my expression as neutral as possible. Shrugging my shoulders I replied, "I decided that messing up your little moment over there was worth more than winning our bet." The truth was, my actions had been purely impulsive.
The look on Weasley's face was priceless. She was shocked, stunned, all the synonyms in the book would have applied at the moment. For a split second I was confused. What was she so surprised about? Had she actually thought that I was above doing this? That I was above doing anything? "You really are something else." She muttered before turning around, presumably to find Longbottom. Apparently she had thought that I was above this. But why? I was curious to find out why she had thought such a thing and so my next words were said in a desperate attempt to get her to stop walking away, "The bet was for the whole day Weasley!" I yelled after her, "I may have lost but if you go after him it's a draw!" Despite my attempt, Weasley continued to walk off, flicking me off as she rounded the corner.
I stood there for a few minutes even though she was long gone. I was intrigued by the fact that Weasley had actually had some sort of expectation for me. It was intriguing because I wasn't used to people having good expectations of me. Shrugging my shoulders, I turned around and walked back the way I came. I would merely question her about it later. Sure, she was furious with me now but she would eventually cool enough to resume bickering with me. She always did. It was one of the few constants in my life.
There you have it!
P.S- I'm trying to come up with the next interhouse competition challenge and I have a few ideas, but if anyone has any, feel free to let me know! Who knows, they might be more interesting than mine.