A/N: Yes, I've been bad because it's been far too long since I've updated. But I wanted to give you all an early Christmas present so Happy Holidays!
Disclaimer: I don't even look like J.K. Rowling so I could hardly be mistaken as her.
A Different Kind Of Love Story
By ByeByeBirdie
Chapter 9: Reclaim The Fun
Sunday, November 29th, 9:30 AM
Great Hall
Rose had never hooked up with anyone in the shower before and she couldn't get it out of her mind. Every time she tried to think of something else, she couldn't get the sensuality of it out of her mind and a smile would inevitably creep on to her face. It was weird to think that she and Scorpius were growing closer together and yet it felt right. Their lack of bickering lifted a weight in her heart she hadn't known was there. For years, it was as if she was expecting him to be around every corner ready to taunt her and she walked around stiff in anticipation because of it. Now she didn't hate seeing him or talking to him.
Especially seeing him in the shower.
"Haydn Thomas," Alice said, sliding into the Great Hall opposite Rose.
Rose glanced up from her plate, a blush creeping on to her cheeks as she pushed away the naughty thoughts in her mind. "Er…what about him?"
"Al and I agreed he's a decent bloke," she said with a shrug. "And word around school is he's interested in you."
All Rose could think about was her naked body pressed up against Scorpius' in the shower. "You and Al are talking about my dating prospects together?" she drawled.
"He said he needed to approve."
Rose rolled her eyes. "He most certainly does not. I can date whoever the hell I want to."
Alice shrugged. "So? What are your thoughts on Haydn?"
Rose sighed. "He's okay I guess."
"He's okay?" she groaned. "That's all you have to say?"
"I grew up with him, Ace," she pointed out. "I have never seen him as anything more than a family friend."
"I think you'll realize you could see him as something more if actually try."
She switched gears. "I am too busy to date anyone," she was quick to argue, trying to act as if that really was the truth. "Between N.E.W.T.s coming up and my Head duties and Quidditch practice, I'm just looking to get through my last year without any distractions."
Alice frowned hesitantly. "And when do you plan to have any fun?"
That's what I have Scorpius for. But of course she didn't say that. "When I'm no longer in school?" she said with a teasing grin.
"I'm serious, Rose," she sighed. "I never see you anymore. And when I do, you either have your head in a book or you're finishing up prefect paperwork. You are already the hardest worker I know. You are going to graduate Hogwarts and go on to be something incredibly awesome because-"
"Any chance you know what that might be?" she said with a sheepish shrug.
Alice's eyebrow shot up. "I thought that was obvious."
Rose's teasing smile slowly faded. "Why is it that because my uncle and cousin are prominent in the Auror Department that everyone automatically assumes that's where I'll go?"
"Who says I was talking about the Auror field?"
"You were."
Alice shrugged. "Yeah, I was, but I'm not saying you'll be an Auror because that's what your family does. I'm saying you'll be an Auror because you already are one. You're analytical, perceptive, nimble, stealthy, athletic, and you literally aren't afraid of anything. Don't talk yourself out of being an Auror if that's what you want to do just because you're afraid of always being associated with your family."
Rose frowned, glancing at Alice with narrowed eyes at the intensity of her words. "Have you been talking to Al about me?"
She stiffened, a flash of guilt settling into her expression. "What do you mean?"
Rose scowled. "Fuck, you have been talking to Al about me, haven't you?"
"I don't know what-"
"You do know what I'm talking about," she spoke coolly. "And you can tell Al that I don't hate being a Weasley. There are just sometimes I wish I could figure things out for myself without feeling everyone's eyes on me wondering what the daughter of Ron and Hermione Weasley's next move is going to be. Is that so hard to ask?"
Alice offered her a lopsided smile. "You know what your next move should be?"
Rose looked hopeful. "What?"
A sly grin broke out across Alice's face. "You should go on a date with Haydn Thomas."
"Alice," she groaned.
"Please just think about it," she pleaded.
"If you think he's so great, you go on a date with him."
"Nah, I snogged him a year ago already. Been there, done that. Your turn!"
She searched for another excuse. "I can't go out with him. I wouldn't dare leave you alone to wander the Hogsmeade streets by yourself."
"Don't use me as your excuse to say no," she scoffed. "I'll just walk around with Al or something."
"Al who usually goes with Scorpius?" she muttered with the roll of her eyes. "Wouldn't there be about a million other ways you'd prefer to spend your time?"
"You're the one who supposedly hates Scorpius, not me."
Rose's lips pursed. "I don't supposedly hate him. I do hate him."
What scared her was that she wasn't sure she actually believed that anymore.
Alice shrugged. "Could you at least try and entertain the idea of going into a Hogsmeade with a guy who shows an interest in you? It doesn't have to be Haydn if he's not catching your fancy. Reggie Davies is a good choice now that he's single. Or Jarett Lapicki?"
"Why don't you date any of these so-called worthy guys?"
"Because they're not interested in me," she said with a roll of her eyes.
"And who says they're interested in me?"
"You're the smartest girl in the entire school, you're bloody gorgeous, and your wit and sarcasm surpasses us all. Believe me when I say all guys in this school are interested in you in some way or another."
Rose's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. "You're exaggerating."
Alice smiled, shaking her head. "Face it, Rose Weasley. You're a fucking catch."
Rose forced out a smile, her gaze instinctively falling behind Alice's shoulder where Scorpius sat at the Slytherin table across from Albus. Her heart skipped an unexpected beat when she realized he already looking at her. He flinched when he discovered he was caught but only winked at her and flashed her a smirk before letting his gaze drop down to his lunch plate.
As she stared at him, she realized that as Alice considered Rose's dating prospects, she felt nothing. She wasn't flattered that apparently guys were showing an interest. She wasn't remotely curious about dating any of them. Her heart didn't skip a beat and she didn't smile or feel a flutter in her stomach. She literally felt nothing. The only time she felt anything was when she was with Scorpius.
Suddenly, the Great Hall seemed so small. She felt the walls closing in on her and the temperature rise to unbearable heat. She wasn't supposed to feel anything with Scorpius or towards Scorpius. The whole point of casually fooling around with him was to keep any sort of feelings out of it. And now she couldn't get him out of her mind and all she wanted to do was spend every minute of every day in her bedroom tangled up in the sheets with him. No. That couldn't happen. She had to stop it.
"Fine," she blurted out, turning to face Alice. "I'll go on a date with Haydn."
Alice's eyes lit up. "Really?"
She shrugged. "Yeah," she sighed reluctantly. "If he asks, I'll go."
She ignored that feeling in the pit of her stomach that told her this was the last thing she wanted to do.
Friday, December 4th, 8:30 AM
History of Magic
"Haydn Thomas, hm?"
Rose jumped as an unexpected body slipped into the empty seat beside her in History of Magic the next day. "That seat's taken," she drawled.
"Looks pretty empty to me," Scorpius smirked. "And you didn't answer the question."
"Saying a Gryffindor's name is hardly a question."
"I have been informed by the gossip train, otherwise known as those pesky Hufflepuffs, that you are going on a date with Haydn Thomas."
She shrugged. "Still not a question."
He let out a disgruntled scowl. "Care to confirm that rumor?"
Rose rolled her eyes as she watched other students pile into the classroom. "Who I date is hardly any of your concern."
Scorpius frowned, frustration surging from deep within his heart. If Rose wasn't actually planning to go on a date with Haydn, she would have said so. He tried to stay composed as if his head wasn't screaming in utter annoyance, but the idea of her in the arms of another man made his blood boil. Which ultimately confused him because he wasn't supposed to care.
"Well," he muttered, pulling himself out of the chair, "I suppose it's been fun while it lasted."
She looked up, startled. "Who said I was putting an end to anything?"
He blinked curiously. "I assumed by agreeing to a date with another bloke, that was your way of saying 'piss off' to me. Was it not?"
Yes, that had been her intention. But the idea of actually stopping her clandestine relationship with Scorpius seemed tragic. She knew it was in her best interest to put an end to her arrangement with Scorpius before she was in so deep she couldn't find her way out. But when she opened her mouth to tell him that, the words wouldn't form.
Thankfully, she didn't have to say anything as Albus and Alice wandered into the room.
Scorpius felt every bone in his body fill with frustration for not getting an answer from Rose. The last thing he wanted to do was stop fooling around with her, for every inch of his body ached for her when he wasn't with her. But he didn't want to give either one of them any impression that he needed her in any way. He wanted to believe he was fine with her going on a date when instead the very idea made him unexpectedly squeamish.
While Binns droned on about the Death Eater Azkaban breakout, neither Rose nor Scorpius paid much attention, too busy drowning in their own thoughts of confusion and fear regarding each other to bother caring about anything else.
Friday, December 4th, 9:58 PM
Head Dorm
Rose was pretending to finish her Potions essay that night, though she had been staring at the near-finished essay for over twenty minutes without so much as writing a single sentence down. Scorpius Malfoy really was going to be the reason she failed and she would certainly consider murdering him if it ever came to that.
She wasn't surprised in the least to hear a knock at her door around ten o'clock that night. She knew the Slytherins had had Quidditch practice, which gave her two free hours to contemplate what to say to Scorpius when he came asking about their brief conversation in History of Magic earlier in the day.
"Come in," she initiated, her quill now scribbling down a few nonsensical words across the page to at least put up the pretense that she was working.
She door creaked open and Scorpius walked in, glancing hesitantly at the redhead sitting at her desk. Albus had yelled at him six times that night for not paying attention. He had missed half the tennis balls that were thrown in the air and then got hit by a bludger for swerving the wrong way during a standard maneuver. So now Albus was mad at him and his arm was already sporting a dark bruise. This was nowhere near the best time to be having any sort of deep conversation with Rose but he had to get it over with if he expected to be able to play Quidditch well.
"Hey," he greeted.
She glanced up from the page with a strained smile. "How was practice?"
"Brutal. I got clocked in the shoulder by a bludger."
She smirked. "Y'know, last I checked, you were supposed to avoid bludgers."
"Gee, thank you for that sound advice."
She shrugged coyly. "You should be grateful I'm giving the enemy any kind of advice."
He hesitated before saying, "Enemy as in Slytherin and Gryffindor? Or enemy as in you and me?"
She froze at the unexpected question, her stomach growing knots in anticipation of what was to come. "What do you think?"
He frowned, staring at her in a bit of bewilderment. "I think," he spoke carefully, "We may not be enemies anymore."
She looked at him, her heart starting to race. "Then what are we?"
He winced. "I was really hoping you wouldn't ask that."
She shrugged. "It's okay not to know," she argued. "I'm not sure myself."
He nodded gratefully, sensing the same confusion in her words that he felt in his heart. "We never got to finish our conversation from earlier."
"Which conversation?" she said, though she knew perfectly well what he was referring to.
He shot her a look. "You know which conversation."
She sighed, tossing her quill down on to the page and climbing out of the chair as she slowly made her way over to him. "You and I are having some fun together," she pointed out. "It's casual and it means nothing. We mean nothing to each other. So if I want to go on a date or you want to, we are perfectly in our right to do so."
"I don't date."
She clenched her fists at her side. "Yes, I know perfectly well how you feel about monogamy," she drawled. "But that wasn't really the point of what-"
"It's not monogamy I'm against," he was quick to argue. "It's love in general."
Well, that startled Rose. "What?"
He frowned, uncertain why he bothered to clarify when none of it mattered to her anyway. Sighing, he shrugged. "Love is a lie that I simply refuse to believe," he spoke, not sure if he was trying to convince her or himself. "It means nothing. It's an empty promise of broken hope. There's no such thing as love."
All she could do was stare at him, feeling a rush of shocked emotions filling her heart as she tried to figure out why his words seemed to cut her so deeply. "How do you know if you've never felt it?"
"I've seen enough of it to know it doesn't exist."
Her brow furrowed hesitantly and she had this feeling deep within her that he was referring to his parents. But as she didn't know anything about them, she wasn't sure how to comment. "I don't know why, but that just makes me so incredibly sad for you."
He shrugged, unperturbed by her words. "Are you telling me that after what happened with you and Cameron, you still believe in love?"
She felt as if she just got punched in the gut, the reminder of her broken heart now far too prevalent to ignore. She contemplated his words carefully, wondering what she considered to be the truth. Glancing up at him, she could tell he really was interested in her answer. "I have to believe there is something better for me out there than the occasional casual hook-up with a guy I've despised for six years."
The words caused an unexpected tugging sensation in his heart. "There is," he spoke softly. "Something better for you, I mean."
Whatever she was expecting him to say, it wasn't that. "You really think so?"
He offered her a curt nod. "Don't base all male tendencies on your unfaithful prick of an ex-boyfriend and me. There may be the occasional asshole in the world but there are some decent blokes out there, too."
She cocked her head to the side curiously. "Y'know, I'm beginning to think you may not be the asshole you always pretend to be, Scorpius."
"Oh, no, believe me. I am an asshole," he snorted. "But enough about me. You never answered my question."
"What question?"
"Are you or are you not going on a date with Haydn Thomas?"
"I actually did answer that question by reminding you it wasn't any of your business."
He rolled his eyes. "But where does that leave me and you?"
"It leaves you hovering in my doorway and me standing in front of you."
The fact that she didn't come out and say she was putting an end to them was a very good sign. "I can see that, but the hovering in the doorway and the standing in front of me would look a lot better if our clothes weren't involved."
She couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. "You may have been right before."
"About?"
"You really are an asshole," she smirked before closing the gap and pressing her lips to his.
Friday, December 4th, 11:02 PM
Head Dorm
"You looking forward to the holidays?"
Scorpius peeked an eye open, glancing over at her. "What?"
She shrugged, staring up at the ceiling. "I just asked if you were looking-"
"No, I heard you, I'm just…" he trailed off, saying nothing further. It wasn't as if it was an unusual question considering everyone at school appeared to be chatting about their holiday plans. He just hadn't expected Rose to care enough to ask him.
"You just what?" she asked. "Surprised that I bothered asking?"
Scorpius hated it when she could read his mind. "Well, yeah. I wasn't aware my holiday plans concerned you."
"They don't," she said, reaching down and pulling the sheet atop her naked body. "I was simply curious considering all anyone can talk about these days is our bloody holiday break."
Dammit, there she went again reading his mind. "You don't sound like you're terribly excited for the holidays."
She shrugged, turning towards him with a curious gleam in her eye. "The holidays with the Weasleys are a surefire way to cause conflict," she said with a shrug.
"That's because there are enough Weasleys to form a small army. Conflict is bound to occur with that many people."
She shrugged but said nothing more as she let her gaze lift towards the ceiling once again.
Not that he would ever admit it to her or to anyone, but a part of him was incredibly envious of what they had. They all complained quite a bit about how having a big family meant never getting a moment of peace. It meant overprotective brothers and cousins that didn't know when to back off. It meant hormonal girls bitching and moaning at each other. It meant fights breaking out at the dinner table. It meant no privacy. It meant someone was always breathing down their neck.
But Scorpius would take that over a racist grandfather and a neglectful father any day of the week.
"Do you all get together for the holidays?" he asked curiously, assuming the answer was a big, fat 'yes.'
"For Christmas Eve we do a huge friends and family ordeal," she said. "So it's not just Weasleys and Potters. The Longbottoms come and the Scamanders and the Lees and sometimes the Thomas' and the Finnigans. But for actual Christmas Day, it's just the immediate family in the morning. And typically in the afternoon, we break off and visit other family. We'll probably go and see my Papa on my mother's side."
"The Muggle?"
Hesitation settled into her expression as she nodded. "Yes. Is that a problem?"
Scorpius shot her a look, turning over and propping himself up on his elbow. "Did I say it was a problem? I was just confirming, Rose."
She frowned, stealing a glance at him and sensing no judgment in his eyes. "Oh," she murmured. "Well, yeah. My mother was a Muggleborn so that would in fact make my grandfather a full-blown Muggle."
"It's better than having a full-blown ex-Death Eater for a grandfather," he muttered, immediately regretting it.
When he dared to look over at Rose, he saw her facing him as she stared at him with a tilted head. "You don't get along with your grandfather?"
He blinked at the probing question. "No," he said with a shrug. "He still believes in pureblood supremacy and I don't."
She frowned hesitantly before asking, "And what about your grandmother?"
He frowned. They were starting to get into questions that he was becoming slowly uncomfortable with. "She died a few years ago."
Her expression turned remorseful, offering him a sad smile. "I'm sorry."
He shrugged but was grateful when she said nothing more. He hadn't known his grandmother all that well but it had still been a blow. She had always been able to calm down his grandfather when he started into one of his rants and ever since she died, his grandfather only got worse. A grandfather that Scorpius would be forced to spend Christmas Eve with. Oh, joy.
He turned his head away, wondering if he should start gathering his clothes and heading back to his room. He decided not to, instead saying, "Not to be completely nosy, but when you said what you were doing for Christmas, you only mentioned you'd be visiting your papa. Does that mean your grandmother on your mother's side is…"
"She died," she spoke softly, regret resting in her eyes. "I was nine when it happened."
"I'm sorry," he said just like she had.
"Me, too," she murmured, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. "She loved teaching us about Muggle things. Riding bikes. Watching movies. Playing soccer. Muggle nursery rhymes."
He saw a flicker of nostalgia in her eyes as she spoke. "Do you miss her?"
She blinked in surprise, glancing at him curiously. "Yeah," she said. "It's different now. I think it really hit Papa the hardest. He's only really ever had her. I mean, he had my Mum, too, but when the war was happening, she had to…well, never mind."
He saw her cheeks flush. "She had to what?"
"It's nothing," she argued, forcing a smile on her face. "I shouldn't have brought it up."
"Rose," he spoke softly, placing his hand over hers. "What is it?"
Her eyes glanced down to where his hand was touching hers before she looked up at him, guilt evident in her brown eyes. "She had to modify their memories and remove all trace of her from their minds," she spoke softly. "For an entire year, they lived in Australia and were under the impression they had no children. She did it to protect them, but later when she reversed the charm, a lot of their childhood memories had been lost for good."
Scorpius felt the ice fill his heart at the harsh truth of her words. He almost wished he hadn't pushed her into telling him.
"I…I don't think there's anything I can say to that," he whispered honestly, pulling his hand away from hers as shame for his family and the organization they were a part of filled his every vein.
"You don't have to say anything," she spoke softly, shaking her head. "I shouldn't have even said what I did."
"You mean the truth?" he murmured, shrugging. "There's nothing wrong with telling the truth, Rose."
"There is when it creates a barrier between us because of our pasts," she muttered, her words filled with slight frustration, as she started to pull herself out of the bed. "C'mon, I should be starting that Potions essay and-"
"That barrier's been there for six years, Weasley," he sighed, grabbing her arm before she could rush off. "And it will continue to be there for as long as we know each other. It's never going away. We just can't let it define us."
"It's not us who it defines," she murmured. "It's our parents."
"Exactly," he spoke, grabbing her waist and drawing her into him. "It's their baggage, not ours.'
She glanced up at Scorpius with a curious expression etched into her face. "Then why is it we always seem to make it our baggage, too?"
He hesitated curiously. "It was easy throwing it in each other's faces," he said with a frown. "Both of our parents and my grandparents were integral parts of opposite sides of the war. Being opposites ourselves, it's always been easy using it as leverage against each other."
She felt her heart ache at the unfortunate words he spoke. "We should probably stop doing that," she spoke softly.
He smiled faintly, nodding in agreement. It was another way to attempt to shed the Malfoy and Weasley out of them to focus on the Scorpius and Rose. It would take a lot of time to move past the things their parents did and the things they said to each other because of it, but it was a start. He wasn't naive to think that he and Rose could ultimately change what happened in the past between their parents. That rivalry would always be there. It was what probably sparked their own rivalry to begin with. But they were both beginning to realize that they spent too much time trying to be enemies when it was easier to just admit that they actually knew how to get along.
"Yeah, we probably should," he murmured with a reluctant sigh, wondering deep down if doing so would actually make a difference.
She sensed the burden in his tone and let out a frustrated sigh. "If I had known talking about our holidays was going to bring it back to that stupid war, I wouldn't have asked the question at all."
"Ah, so we are in agreement that the war is stupid?" Scorpius teased, tangling his legs with hers and drawing himself closer to her.
She threw her head back and laughed before meeting his playful grin. "That's probably the first and only time we'll ever agree," she smirked before pressing her lips to his.
It was the second time they spent the night naked in each other's arms.
Friday, December 11th, 8:00 AM
Great Hall
"You've been rather elusive lately."
Scorpius glanced up from his breakfast a week later at the familiar voice. "Leona," he greeted dryly.
She slid into the bench opposite him with a curious smile on her face. "You've been avoiding the Slytherin House."
It hadn't been intentional, but he had been foregoing his old stomping grounds to spend more time in the Head Dorm with Rose. "I've been busy, Leona," he sighed. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm Head Boy and have a lot of responsibilities on top of my already busy schedule of Quidditch practice and upcoming N.E.W.T.s."
She shrugged him off. "That, or you're avoiding me."
He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Leave it to you to turn my busy year into something about you."
"I know our last conversation didn't exactly go the way either one of us planned, but-"
"No, actually, it went pretty much exactly how I had planned it," he drawled, shaking his head in slight amusement.
Her lips pursed hesitantly. "We used to be friends, Scorpius."
He frowned. "No, we used to be acquaintances. Big difference, Leona."
She glared at him. "I didn't come over here to be insulted," she drawled.
"Then what are you doing here?" he sighed.
She leaned back on the bench, her eyes carrying hesitant curiosity. "Come to the Slytherin party tonight."
"I can't," he said almost immediately.
"And why not? I know you don't have Quidditch practice or patrols."
Scorpius grunted. "So, what, you're checking up on me now?"
"Come to the Slytherin party," she repeated again, ignoring his question.
"Leona-"
"Not for me," she argued with a shrug. "But because you used to live for those parties. We all used to have so much fun together and it doesn't feel the same without you. Do you remember what fun is? Because I can't recall the last time I saw you pick up a drink or hit on some unsuspecting girl and frankly, I can't imagine it's because you've grown up."
He stared at her hesitantly, her words striking an unexpected chord in his heart. It had been over a month since he bothered to show up at one of the Friday night Slytherin parties for he had always chosen to spend that time in Rose's room. But the very fact that he had been choosing some annoying girl over being the life of the party that he used to thrive upon made him wonder who he had turned into because it wasn't someone he particularly recognized.
"For once, I have to agree with Leona," a voice chimed in and Scorpius glanced over his shoulder as Albus joined the duo. "Reclaim the fun, mate."
The part that worried Scorpius was that he really didn't want to. He really just wanted to spend the evening in Rose's room. He didn't want to hang out with his old friends. He didn't want to get drunk. He didn't want to gossip with the boys or play spin the bottle with the girls. He didn't want to do anything of that. Which was unsettling because that was all he had wanted to do in prior years.
"Yeah, okay," Scorpius said with a slight shrug.
Leona and Albus exchanged a look of surprise. "Er…really?" the latter said.
"Yeah, I'll be there. But I'm all out of goblin gin so someone else better be providing it."
The two chuckled and as they dove into their own breakfasts, Scorpius swore he could feel a pair of familiar eyes watching him from behind. When he snuck a peek towards the Gryffindor table, he wasn't at all surprised to meet the curious gaze of Rose Weasley as she stared at him. Frowning, she offered him a curt nod before refocusing her gaze back on to Alice beside her. Scorpius didn't look away immediately, wondering why Rose was looking at him and what she was thinking.
And most importantly, why he even cared.
Friday, December 11th, 7:30 PM
Head Dorm
That evening, Scorpius was lounging on the common room couch with his head buried in his Transfiguration notes when the door opened and in walked Rose. He glanced atop his notes to offer her a curt nod before returning his attention back on the spiritual elements of Animagi transformations.
She said nothing as she headed towards her stairwell, a pile of books in her arms. She stopped at the bottom of her stairs, slowly turning towards the Slytherin. "Not that I'm sure you don't have about a hundred better things to do on a Friday night, but want to review these detention slips with me? Seems there are a handful more than last week and I think there are certain prefects who are abusing their power."
Scorpius glanced up at her with a frown. "I would, but…"
"You have plans," she finished for him with a knowing smile. "Hitting up that Slytherin party tonight, hm?"
He didn't like the fact that she could easily read him. "Albus is forcing me to go."
"Hm, I would have thought it would have been Leona."
Scorpius' eyes narrowed curiously. "Well, she was trying to get me to go, too," he said with a shrug.
"It's fine," she spoke flatly. "I'll just review them myself."
He watched as she spun on her heels and headed up her stairwell. Sighing in anticipation, he blurted out, "Or you could come to the party."
Rose froze on the stairs, blinking hesitantly before slowly turning around to face him. "The last Slytherin party I went to didn't exactly work out in my favor."
Scorpius' brow furrowed as he folded his notes inside his textbook and tossed it on to the table in front of him. "The one in September?" he mused. "If I recall, though to be fair goblin gin is clouding my memory a tad, it seemed like you were actually having fun. Took me by surprise actually."
"Yeah, I know. You made that perfectly clear to me that very same night."
Scorpius blinked as he met the steely warning in her eyes. "I'm not entirely sure I know what you're talking about."
Rose hesitated before shaking her head. She didn't know why she had brought it up in the first place. It was the night that Scorpius insinuated she hadn't shown any outward signs of happiness since her breakup with Cameron and she hadn't at all appreciated the fact that her worst enemy had somehow picked up on that. "It's nothing," she lied. "Never mind. You have fun tonight, but I've got a mountain of schoolwork that my time would be better spent on."
"Hold up!" he called out after her as she disappeared up the stairs. He let out a frustrated grunt before swiftly pulling himself off the couch and taking the stairs by twos. She had left the door open a crack which told him she had expected him to follow her.
Once again, he hated that she could easily read him.
He pushed the door open, watching as she discarded the books on to her desk. "What did I say to you that night?"
"I already said it was nothing," she reminded him.
"You wouldn't have brought it up if it was really nothing."
"You were drunk, Scorpius," she said with a shrug. "You didn't know what you were saying."
His head tipped to the side as he gazed at her, recognizing that she was straightening up the books on her desk so as not to look up at him. He could see a slight hint of red flushing to her cheeks, her eyes filling with unexpected doubt. He had no idea what he had said to her the night of the past party but he could tell staring at her now that it had affected her. "Rose," he spoke softly, walking the few steps into her room to join her at her side. "What did I say?"
She made the mistake of looking up into his eyes and seeing a combination of concern and guilt staring back at her. Her lips pursed as she turned around and leaned her body up against the edge of the desk, folding her arms across her chest. "You told me you hadn't seen me happy since before my breakup with Cameron."
Scorpius blinked in surprise, taking a cautious step back. "Fuck, I brought up Zee?"
She nodded swiftly.
"I shouldn't have done that," he admitted with a shake of the head.
"Why not? It was true."
His eyebrow shot up into his forehead. "What?"
She shrugged, her heart skipping an unexpected beat as she forced herself to look away from the boy in front of her. "You called me out on it," she argued. "You can't be surprised to hear that I agree with you."
His brow furrowed in unwavering confusion. He opened his mouth to argue with her but he found himself unable to do so. Because while he never would have admitted it to her unless under the influence, the cheerful girl that always used to bug him with her chipper attitude had turned bitter and cynical, something he never thought he'd ever see in her. "That was two months ago," he pointed out.
Glancing back over at him, she said, "So?"
He wandered over to her bed with a shrug, perching on the end of it as he faced her. "So I don't think that anymore."
She blinked in surprise. "You don't?"
He was surprised when even he shook his head. "I'd like to believe it was because you found someone far better to snog," he teased, knowing that he couldn't explain himself any further without slipping into an unsettling conversation he knew that neither of them wanted to have.
She met his gaze before bursting into laughter, the cheekiness in his voice and the smirk on his face too much for her to not find amusement in.
But the scary part was, as she was laughing at the ridiculousness of his statement, she suddenly because aware that it wasn't that ridiculous at all.
He swiftly picked himself off the bed and closed the gap between them, placing his hands on her hips as he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers. "Come to the party," he murmured between kisses.
"Why do you want me there?"
He shrugged, dipping his head down as he trailed kisses along her neck. "Why not?" he whispered into her warm flesh.
She let out a slight moan as she tilted her head back. "How about you stay here instead?" she murmured, her arms coming around to wrap themselves around his neck.
Oh, how he wanted more than anything to consent but he knew if he didn't show up to the party, Albus and Leona would read too much into it. "Wish I could," he sighed before recapturing her lips with his. "Really wish I could."
She smirked into the kiss, parting her lips as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She felt her stomach flutter with unexpected yearning as she felt his body press up against hers, his lips dancing hungrily against hers.
"One hour," she whispered breathlessly.
He pulled back with an arched eyebrow. "Hm?"
"I'll join you for one hour. And then you and I are coming back here and picking up where we left off," she urged, shoving him away reluctantly.
His eyes gleamed in pure delight. "You've got yourself a deal, Rose Weasley."
Friday, December 11th, 8:05 PM
Slytherin Common Room
Albus and Alice were lounging on the green velvet couch when the Head Girl and Head Boy wandered in. Albus stopped mid-sentence as he stared at his friend and cousin, the latter laughing at something that the former was saying.
"What the hell?" he murmured.
Alice followed his gaze and noticed immediately what he was referring to. "What the hell is right," she said just as Rose and Scorpius made their way over to the pair.
"That better be a bottle of goblin gin," Scorpius urged as he stole the bottle out of Albus' hand before joining them on the couch.
"Firewhisky," Albus corrected. "And care to tell me what's going on here?"
Rose and Scorpius exchanged an inquisitive look. "What's going on where?"
"With you two," he spoke huffily. "You just arrived together."
"Because we live together," Rose said with a roll of the eyes. "What was I supposed to do, wait for Scorpius to leave, give him a ten-minute head start and then arrive after him?"
"I was more thinking you were supposed to not show up since that's what you've been doing all year."
"I showed up once," she argued.
"Oh, gee, my mistake. You showed up once," he drawled, rolling his eyes at her.
Rose was grateful for all of a half second when a new voice interrupted what she could only describe as a pointless conversation. But the gratitude dissipated when she realized it was Leona. "You showed up," Leona spoke, a hint of a smile on her face as she addressed Scorpius.
"It would appear that way, wouldn't it," he drawled as he brought the firewhisky bottle to his lips.
"And you brought Weasley," she spoke, turning her gaze on to the redhead.
"Gee, nothing gets past you, does it," the Gryffindor snorted.
"I was under the impression these parties weren't exactly your scene," Leona fired back. "You see, we like to have fun at these things and you seem to thrive on being a buzzkill."
Rose merely rolled her eyes. "I did not come here to partake in ridiculous small talk with you, Goyle, so kindly find someone else to annoy."
The blonde made a show of rolling her eyes before turning back towards Scorpius. "Come dance with me," she urged.
"Not right now, Leona," he sighed, shaking his head.
She looked torn between disappointed and frustrated. "You're saying you'd rather sit here and spend it with the likes of Weasley than with your friends who you actually belong with?"
Scorpius' eyebrow shot up into his forehead as he met the determination in the other Slytherin's eyes. "Just because you need a posse to immerse yourself with doesn't mean I do. I'm perfectly fine being my own person."
"You're a Malfoy," she snorted, slowly shaking her head. "You'll never be your own person."
She shot him a significant look before traipsing back over to where Noah Zabini sat with his arms wrapped around Elle.
Rose frowned as she watched the anger settle into Scorpius' eyes as he busied himself with a long swig of firewhisky.
"Ignore her," Albus spoke, nudging his mate's arm. "She doesn't know what she's talking about."
Scorpius merely shrugged and pretended not to be affected by Leona's words when they all knew he was. Just because he was born into the Malfoy family and placed into Slytherin alongside the rest of the offspring to pureblooded, Voldemort-supporting families didn't mean he had to agree with his father or grandfather's views. But the unfortunate part was, that was all anyone would ever see when looking at him. Just another bad egg in a sea of pureblooded fortune.
"You want to piss off Goyle, Malfoy?" Alice spoke up, interrupting his thoughts.
He turned towards the blonde Gryffindor who was leaning in towards him with a hint of a smirk on her face. "What do you have in mind, Longbottom?"
She took the bottle out of his hands and took a long drink before handing it off to Rose. "Dance with me."
Scorpius' eyebrows shot way up into his forehead, the looks of surprise on both Rose and Albus' face not going unnoticed by him. While he and Alice Longbottom had been forced to spend time together every now and then because of Albus, he considered her a mere passing acquaintance, and the fact that she had always been the best friend of the girl he hated made a great part of him not particularly fond of her. "Come again?"
She chuckled. "Don't look so surprised. It's not like I asked you to shag me or anything."
"Can you not even joke about that?" Albus spoke up in a low growl.
Both Rose and Scorpius turned towards him in amusement at the vehemence in his tone, but Alice merely smirked. "Are you dancing with me or not, Malfoy?"
He would have much preferred to dance with Rose but seeing as that wasn't an option, he shrugged and climbed off the couch. "But don't even think about trying anything, Longbottom. You are so not my type."
"Wait, you're actually doing this?" Albus scoffed.
"That's funny, I thought anything with boobs was your type, Malfoy," she smirked, ignoring Albus' comment altogether as she grabbed Scorpius' hand and made her way over to the makeshift dance floor.
"What the hell is she playing at?" Albus muttered under his breath as he glared at his two friends.
Rose stole a sideways glance at her cousin. "I really don't think you have anything to worry about," she spoke hesitantly, not sure if she was trying to convince him or herself. Seeing her friend and the guy she was fooling around with dancing closely together made her stomach churn in an unexpected way. "Alice may be a serial snogger and Scorpius may be a manwhore, but I really do think Alice is just trying to take Scorpius' mind off of Goyle's below-the-belt comment."
There was still a bit of slight frustration in Albus' eyes as he turned away from the pair, swiping the firewhisky out of Rose's hands and taking a long swig. "Leona asked me today if I thought she had a shot with Scorpius."
Rose tried to ignore the overwhelming curiosity swelling in her heart as she responded. "And what did you say?"
Albus hesitated before shrugging. "I think Scorpius made himself pretty clear how he felt about her. Or how he didn't feel about her. But then again, he broke things off with her at the end of last year only months before starting something up with her again. So I guess it isn't out of the question."
Rose frowned, his gaze falling onto Scorpius and Alice who were laughing on the dance floor. "Well, he's an arrogant arse and she's a stuck-up slag so I suppose those two deserve each other," she spoke, hoping to hide the frustration in her voice.
She could feel Albus' narrowed eyes on her and she wondered if she hadn't hidden her frustration as well as she had hoped. "I don't know if you can call him an arrogant arse anymore when you two seem to actually be getting along."
Rose rolled her eyes. "We must be good actors then because I still can't stand him and I assure you the feeling on his end is mutual."
Albus considered interrogating her further but quickly realized his heart wasn't into it so he merely shrugged and said, "If that's how you really feel."
As Rose's eyes instinctively fell on to the dance floor once again, she felt an unexpected tugging at her heart that was reminding her it was how she had to feel. He was still Scorpius Malfoy and she was still Rose Weasley and whatever love-hate relationship they may have been teetering on the edge with, it would always ultimately land on the hate side of things. Their families lived in two different worlds and while they had bonded over unexpected similarities at times, she knew it could only ever be fleeting. It could never and would never be anything more.
So with a reluctant sigh, she simply said, "It's how I really feel."
But only because she had to feel that way.
Friday, December 11th, 8:20 PM
Slytherin Common Room
"So, dancing with Scorpius, hm?" Rose teased, nudging Alice with her elbow when Alice came back over to the couch and dropped down beside her.
Alice rolled her eyes as she swiped the firewhisky from her friend's hands. "He looked like he needed a pick-me-up," she argued. "Where'd Albus go?"
"Well, he claimed he was going to go look for goblin gin but it appears he found a better interest in Quinn Wilkes."
The bottle was halfway to Alice's lips when she pulled it away swiftly, whirling her head around to turn to where Rose was gesturing towards. Her eyes narrowed curiously. "I didn't think Albus liked Wilkes."
"I didn't think he did either but he's now dancing with her so apparently we were both wrong."
Alice frowned and turned away, taking a long swig of the firewhisky without bothering to say anything.
"We should go join them," Rose urged with a shrug.
Alice blinked, staring at her friend hesitantly. "Are you sick or something, Roe?"
"What?"
"Well, that's the only explanation I can think of for you suggesting we dance."
Rose was all ready to roll her eyes but she stopped suddenly, a frown instead spreading across her face. She thought back to her conversation with Scorpius at the Slytherin party in September, about how she hadn't been happy since before Cameron. Back then, she had been somewhat of a partying fiend. She'd be on the dance floor, laughing and drinking and staying out until three in the morning with her friends. A year ago, Alice wouldn't have thought something was wrong with Rose for suggesting moving to the dance floor. A year ago, it would have been a given.
"It's not a Slytherin party until we hit the dance floor, Ace," Rose said, ignoring the curious thoughts running through her head.
Alice glanced at her, a small smile breaking out. "You seem different lately, Roe.'
Rose' eyebrow shot up. "Er…different how?"
Alice shrugged, pulling herself off the couch and extending her hand to her friend. "Just…different."
Rose reached for the firewhisky and glanced at it contemplatively before pulling it to her lips. "Good different or bad different?" she mused.
Alice smiled, grabbing her friend's hand and pulling her off the couch. "Definitely good."
Rose let out a relieved smile. She didn't know how or why but she felt different, too. So much had changed in the past year. She wasn't the same person she used to be and while she had spent so much time trying to figure out who she was and who she could be, she realized that it didn't particularly matter that she still hadn't figured it out as long as she was okay with who she was in the moment. And for the first time in a long time, she felt happy.
Or at least she did until she caught sight of Scorpius dancing with Leona and she was only reminded how messed up her life really was. Scorpius had joked earlier than she was happier now because she had found someone new to snog and the truth was, a part of her feared he might be right. But he wasn't supposed to make her happy. He was supposed to be a distraction, the guy she fooled around with to forget everything else going on in her life. He was supposed to be mere fun, a feeling moment of casual satisfaction that could never last.
So when did he become something more?
Friday, December 11th, 9:15 PM
Random Hallway
Rose had slipped out unnoticed a little over an hour later. She was slightly buzzed as she slid through the hallways towards the Head Dorm. She had left Alice and Albus on the dance floor while Scorpius had been dragged into a conversation about after-Hogwarts plans with Noah and Elle. Knowing it was her best chance at getting away, she finished off the firewhisky in her hand and quickly disappeared before anyone could try and convince her to stay.
She was halfway back to the Head Dorm when she heard hurried footsteps behind her. She stiffened slightly in anticipation of who might be there, whirling around just as Scorpius rounded the corner.
"Oh, it's just you," she murmured, suddenly wishing it had been anyone but him.
"I saw you leaving," he said as he made his way over to her. "What happened to leaving together?"
"We arose suspicion showing up together, Scorpius," she pointed out. "I hardly think leaving together would have made them all talk less about us."
"You worry too much," he argued, slinging his arm across her shoulder.
"Someone has to," she scoffed
His eyebrow shot upward as he lifted his arm off of her, taking a hesitant step back. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"It means I don't fancy myself being caught fooling around with you, that's all," she drawled.
He frowned. "Believe me, I'm all for keeping this a secret, Rose."
"Glad to know we're on the same page," she spoke coolly, folding her arms across her body.
His expression grew into bewilderment. "I'm getting a very strong angry vibe from you. Did I do something to piss you off?"
"No," she sighed, shaking her head. "It's just been a long night."
"It's only nine o'clock."
"It's nine-fifteen."
He blinked. "Did you seriously just correct me by fifteen minutes?"
She rolled her eyes as she turned her back on him and started down the hallway once again. She didn't know why she was picking a fight with Scorpius. All she knew was that he was one of the last people she wanted to be talking to. Being around him only clouded her judgment and all she wanted was to see things clearly once again.
"Guess I had to realize that your alleged happy mood had to come to an end at some point."
She froze, whirling around to glare at him at the reminder of their conversation from earlier. "Yeah, I guess you just aren't half as satisfying as you actually thought," she fired back.
He let out an aggravated grunt. "Even though I joked earlier, I hardly think I had anything to do with your attitude adjustment," he drawled. "Nor do I particularly care what did change it. But I appreciate the insult when all I'm trying to do is figure out what's got your knickers in a bloody twist."
She shook her head vehemently. "I never asked you to figure me out, Scorpius," she snapped. "Believe me, there are about a thousand other people on this Earth that are more qualified for that job than you."
"Oh good, more insults," he grumbled, rolling his eyes. "Do you care to tell me what the hell it is I did between the hour we left our dorm and now? What, are you jealous that I danced with your best friend? Resentful that Leona has a thing for me? Annoyed that I ditched you to hang out with my Slytherin friends?"
She could only stare at him in utter disbelief. "Has your head always been this far up your arse?" she hissed. "Because for your information, I don't give a shit about who you choose to spend your time with. If you recall, I'm the one going on a date tomorrow which only proves how little you mean to me."
Scorpius blinked in surprise, gaping at her as she continued to glare at him. "You're still going on that date with Thomas?"
Rose frowned before nodding. "Is there a particular reason I shouldn't go out with him?"
Scorpius opened his mouth to remind her that she had been occupying all of her nights with him that week that he only assumed Haydn Thomas was all but forgotten about. Until he realized he couldn't say that because that would insinuate that he had suspected her of choosing him over Haydn. And he wasn't in the business of being someone's chosen one. "No," he murmured with a curt shrug. "You should go out with him."
She was surprised by the slight coldness in his tone. "Good," she murmured. "I will."
There was so much more he wanted to say but he somehow held his tongue as he slipped past Rose and headed down the hallway, reminding himself that he didn't care what Rose did or said. If she wanted to suddenly be shot with him, he had to shrug it off and pretend it didn't bother him. If she wanted to go on a date with some haughty Gryffindor, he had to pretend he didn't care. He had to pretend a lot of things with Rose Weasley because he didn't dare let her know the truth.
The truth being that he did actually care. But she could never know that.
Friday, December 11th, 9:45 PM
Head Dorm
Rose and Scorpius had gone their separate ways when they reentered their dorm, neither particularly in the mood to fool around with each other with all of the confusing thoughts running around in their busy minds. So Rose was cursing her Potions notes, attempting to figure out the difference between the use of goblin blood and ghoul blood in anecdotes, when she realized there were muffled voices coming from the common room downstairs.
Curiosity getting the better of her, she quietly creaked her door open in an attempt to figure out who the nighttime visitor was.
She wasn't at all surprised to find out it was Leona.
"-back to the party, Leona," Scorpius was saying.
"Not without you."
"I was there. I had my fun. Now I'm trying to get some work done."
There was a rather long pause, a tense silence filling the air, before Leona spoke once again. "What exactly do you think you're doing, Scorpius?"
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."
"You do," she sighed. "You showed up with her. And it can't be a coincidence that when she disappeared, you quickly did, too."
Rose blinked in surprise, realizing that they were now talking about her.
"Gee, paranoid much?"
"It's not paranoia," she argued. "It's perception. And my perception is that something is going on with you and Weasley."
"What are you talking about, Leona?" he said in a rather bored voice.
Another heavy silence filled the air and Rose felt herself lean further out her door in anticipation of what Leona might say. "I meant what I said before," she spoke in a rather soft voice. "You're a Malfoy, Scorpius. And what I neglected to add earlier is that she's a Weasley. You already hang around that Potter kid and we've all allowed it because he was placed into Slytherin so we were forced to accept with it. But she's a Gryffindor through and through. She'll never understand you the way we all do and you can't manipulate her into thinking that she can."
Rose's eyebrow shot up at that last comment. Because the truth was, a part of her thought that she did understand him. But maybe she didn't. Maybe it was all just a misperception.
"You make it sound like I'm friends with the girl when I'm not," Sirius drawled rather bitterly. "We've just unfortunately been forced to spend a lot of time together because we are the Heads of this school. You're turning this into something it isn't."
"She's not one of us, Scorpius," she spoke, this time more firmly.
"Or maybe I'm not one of you," he argued. "So go back to the party and find some other guy you can use because it isn't going to be me."
"Scorpius," she cried out and Rose heard loud footsteps thundering up a set of stairs as Scorpius disappeared from the common room. "I'm not trying to use you, I'm trying to understand you!"
"There's nothing to understand, Leona," Scorpius' voice echoed. "You and I aren't friends. Not really. We hung around the same circle for a couple of years but that doesn't mean we have been anything more than two people who happened to share a House."
"We shared a lot more than that," she drawled.
Rose cringed irritably at the insinuating comment, listening as the creak of stairs had Scorpius returning to the common room. "And now we don't," he urged. "Don't fool yourself into thinking we're anything more than we are."
"We can be."
"No," he said with a heavy sigh. "We can't be."
"And why not?"
More silence and Rose could feel her heart race, wondering what Scorpius might say to her. "Because you will only ever see me as a Malfoy. The son of a pureblooded family who comes from money and so-called prestige. A Slytherin who gets drunk at parties and merely lives in the moment because we think our futures are already carved out for us. The Quidditch star who walks around this school as if he can get anything he wants. Only I don't want any of it. And I don't want you."
"Who the hell have you become, Scorpius? Denouncing everything you come from? Denouncing everything that you are?" she whispered and Rose could have sworn she heard the tears in her voice.
"I might be a Malfoy, Leona, but I'm not defined by my surname. And I'm not defined by my House. And I'm certainly not defined by you."
"You're making a mistake."
"No," he murmured. "For the first time in seventeen years, I feel like I'm finally doing the right thing."
"What are you—Scorpius, where are you going? We're not done with this conversation!"
But Rose heard a distinct door slamming in the distance and she knew Scorpius had fled the common room, signaling the end of the conversation.
Rose tiptoed back into her room and quietly shut the door behind her, wondering why she felt such a strong sense of pride resting in her heart. She had known all of the things that Scorpius had been feeling for a while. He had spoken to her about his insecurities and regret when it came to his family. But he had never once given her the impression that anyone else knew the truth. And instead of just going along with what Leona was saying, he finally put his foot down. He didn't have to do that. He could have gone on pretending he was the dutiful Slytherin who believed in all the same things most of his housemates did but it had clearly gotten to the point where he was done pretending. In a way, Rose wondered if maybe Scorpius Malfoy was growing up. It had once been unfathomable but as she had gotten to know him over the past few months, she couldn't help but realize that she no longer hated the guy he was.
And that was what scared her the most.
On the other side of the common room in the quiet of his own room, Scorpius lay in his bed staring at the ceiling as he recalled the conversation he just shared with Leona. It had felt so weird to be in front of her and feel absolutely nothing. Once upon a time, he would have taken one look at her and shagged her right there on the common room couch because she was an easy lay but as Leona hinted at her warped feelings towards him, he found himself disinterested. And for the first time in his entire life, he wanted her to know the truth. He wanted to give her all the reasons that he couldn't be with her. He wanted her to realize that she didn't have a chance with him. Because they were too different. She believed in the hierarchy within the misshapen world that they had both grown up in. She believed in prestige and power and money and social standing. And he believed in finding a way out of all of it.
He knew a good part of him had Rose to thank for that. She had made him realize that he didn't have to be someone he wasn't. He knew figuring out who he wanted to be and what he wanted to be wasn't ever going to be easy but for the first time in his entire life, he was hopeful that one day he might be able to find out.
As thoughts of Rose crept into his mind, he found himself frowning. He hadn't a clue why Rose had decided to get all pissed off with him earlier but what really bugged him was that he was actually bothered by it. He should have just let her be pissed off but after telling Leona all the things he had been holding in for so long, he was in no mood to hold back his frustrations with Rose, too. So he picked himself out of bed and wandered down his stairwell towards her room. He wasn't sure this was going to end well, but he couldn't spend the night tossing and turning because of a girl he wasn't supposed to give a second thought to.
He had just reached her landing when the door opened and Rose rushed out, nearly toppling right into him. She yelped as he grabbed her arm, stopping the both of them from falling backwards down the stairs.
"Bloody hell, Scorpius, don't do that!"
He chuckled. "Don't do what? Scare you?"
"Yes," she urged, rubbing her forehead that had just slammed into Scorpius.
"Sorry," he said with a shrug as he dropped his hand from her arm. "Where were you headed?"
She frowned. "Nowhere."
Scorpius' eyebrow quirked upward as a slow smirk spread across his expression. "My room perhaps?"
She rolled her eyes. "That depends. What are you doing outside my room?"
"Sex obviously," he spoke almost immediately, laughing when she immediately glared at him in disgust.
"Then you can turn that pretty little head of yours around and go back from whatever hole you just crawled out of because that ain't ever going to happen," she scoffed.
He continued to laugh, finding the impatient fury in her eyes too much of a turn on not to. "Ah, so you admit that my head is pretty, hm?"
She rolled her eyes. "You are impossible to hold an actual conversation with," she drawled before spinning on her heels and rushing back into her own room.
He made the decision to follow her. "I want to know why you're mad at me," he said bluntly.
She frowned as she dropped on to the end of her bed, slowly glancing up to meet the sincerity in his gaze. "I'm not mad at you," she admitted. "I'm mad at myself."
When she said nothing more, he rolled his eyes. "Care to elaborate?"
She hesitated. She couldn't explain to him what was running through her mind for she wasn't entirely certain herself. She only knew that while she and Scorpius had shown signs of actually getting along as strange and unexpected as it was, it wasn't enough to overturn the odds stacked against them. It's not like she wanted to be with him. She didn't. He was just the guy she was having fun with. But the idea that a girl like Leona was better suited for him because of who she was and how she grew up, even if Scorpius was convinced otherwise, still made Rose's blood churn because Scorpius had been right before. Leona didn't know or understand him at all. And it's not like Rose did either but she felt as if she understood pieces of Scorpius that others didn't. And it made her actually see him as a human being and not the arrogant prat he always tried to be. But the unfortunate part of all of it was that he was still a Malfoy and she was a Weasley as much as they pretended with each other that they weren't. She had let her guard down around him far too much already. Maybe it was time to find a way to build that guard back up before either one of them got hurt.
She couldn't tell him any of that so all she did was shake her head. "No, not really," she pleaded. "But I was taking my mood out on you and that isn't fair. So I'm sorry."
His eyebrows jumped upward. "That's it? That's all you're going to give me?"
"Yeah," she spoke with a shrug. "There's nothing more to give."
He tilted his head to the side. "Really? Because you gave me the distinct impression earlier that you were far from happy with me."
"I already said it had nothing to do with-"
"And I'm saying you're lying."
She shrugged coolly. "I'm not going to spend any more time arguing with you so either leave or shut up and kiss me."
He appeared to be pondering her words. "You still want to kiss me?"
"Well, it's pretty much all you're good for," she deadpanned.
He looked shocked as her upper lip twitched with outward amusement which ultimately made him laugh. "You're a snarky little thing, aren't you."
"You must be rubbing off on me."
He threw back his head and laughed before taking the three strides over to her bed and kissing her.
A/N: Well, things are certainly getting interesting... Will either of them just admit that they might feel something towards each other that they had never expected? Time will tell!