The following weekend brought around the latest of the Hogsmeade trips, all the students from third year and up had been excitedly preparing on the shops they wanted to visit and the sights they wanted to see in the wizarding village. However for Rose the visit brought about a bout of excitement for an entirely different reason. She was nervous about her date with her…um..something Scorpius and was currently not-so-patiently waiting for him to appear by the bridge. Trying to remain inconspicuous was easier said than done for her room mates were very insistent to find out why she wasn't visiting the village with them. Eventually she decided on telling a little white lie about studying…which was half true since she did actually study that morning.

It had snowed relatively early this year, and the castle grounds was as pretty as a Christmas card. Though the multiple footprints leading to and from the castle ruined the snowy landscape, Rose still admired it all the same. The scarf wrapped tightly around her neck billowed slightly in the wind and she found herself abruptly thrust into a battle to keep it from hitting her in the face. She scowled in frustration when it once again whacked her in face.

"Having fun are we?" Scorpius' voice asked witlight amusement. She jumped slightly in surprise before lightly slapping him in the arm- she always hated it when people snuck up on her, especially when they were Scorpius.

He merely smirked in amusement, something which always brought those butterflies back as well as frustrate her all the same. A few students had started to head out of the school and Rose quickly pulled the pair of them aside to avoid getting caught. Once she was sure they were out of sight she turned back to face him with her scowl returned.

"What took you so long?" She asked. He simply held up his hands in mock defence which caused her to roll her eyes, of course he wasn't going to be serious in this situation it wasn't like she had freezing in the cold whilst waiting for him.

"I had to lose Al and the others," He stated "Had to come up with an excuse" He added before he started walking. She quickly fell into step beside him, the pathway out of the school was clear due to most of the students having already left and there were only a few fourth years still loitering around.

"What did you tell them?" She asked with curiosity, she knew how nosy her family members were so naturally she was curious as to what excuse Scorpius came up with to throw Al off their trail.

"That I was going to the library" He answered with a shrug. She smiled in response for it seemed that they were more alike than she initially thought.

They fell into a comfortable silence after that, the pair of walking arm in arm on the way down to Hogsmeade.

It had just gone a little passed one and Al and Saoirse had been following around Meara and Vodden for the past twenty minutes. He had to hand it to the Ravenclaw seeker, he definitely knew how to charm a woman however he was just a little too suave. Every so often he would throw his arm around her waist or lean in a little too closely and Al more than once found himself about to physically vomit.

He knew that they perhaps shouldn't have been doing this, after all Vodden was the smart one who had the courage to ask Meara out before he did- he was just too slow and was paying the price for it. But what disheartened him the most was the way that Meara was smiling, she seemed to actually be having a good time with the Ravenclaw seeker and Al felt somewhat selfish for wanting to ruin it. He knew that he should be happy for her own happiness, though he wanted her to be happy with him.

"Didn't think that we would catch you two here…" A familiar dreamy like voice commented from next to him. Al double blinked and turned his attention from the couple and towards Lysander Scamander. Saoirse seemed somewhat startled at their sudden appearance for the brunette jumped slightly before directing a glare at each twin in turn, however it seemed that both Scamander's seemed unfazed by her glaring.

"I think they're spying 'Sander.." Lorcan commented from beside his twin. Lysander cocked his head to the side as if examining the two slytherins, his brows were slightly furrowed and yet his pale blue eyes shone with curiosity.

"We're just making sure that Vodden does nothing funny with my sister" Saoirse scoffed before folding her arms. Lysander hummed somewhat as he cocked his head to the side once more though Al didn't miss the way Saoirse curiously watched the blond.

"He doesn't strike me as someone funny" Lysnader added before quickly turning his attention elsewhere. A small brown speckled moth had flew past, and the blond avidly followed its flight pattern as it fluttered through the chilly winter air.

"Maybe he's taking lessons from James," Lorcan suggested to which his twin abruptly stopped watching the moth to nod in agreement. However once he turned back a small frown crossed his features, for the moth was now gone.

"He wouldn't know what humour was even if it slapped him in the face" Al muttered, though even he could detect the bitterness of his tone.

"So he's on a date with Meara" Lysander stated, his gaze absently flickering between the couple and back to Al. It was almost as if Al could visibly see the gears turning in the younger boy's head, after all out of the twins he had always been the more... observant.

"And the smarmy git has had his hands on her the entire time" Saoirse added with grimace. Lorcan chuckled slightly though Lysander's gaze was fixed on Al, his curious expression never fading.

"He'll treat her with respect," Lysander stated with a wistful smile "Though it must be hard to see her with him like that" He added his gaze momentarily flicking back to Al.

Saoirse shrugged "Kind of…but he's still a smarmy git" She stated almost as if it were obvious. Saoirse was almost a bot too protective over her sister Meara, despite her being older by two years. It was rumored that before all of Meara's dates, Saoirse had given the boys a little 'talk' which usually resulted in them never wanting to take the Hufflepuff out again.

Al couldn't help but laugh slightly, though once his gaze turned back to Meara he was once again saddened by the wide smile on her face as Vodden wrapped his house scarf round her neck. Lysander was right, Vodden wasn't a bad person for he had morals and would treat Meara with upmost respect.

Lysander fell into step beside Saoirse, the brunette's cheeks darkened and Al mused that it wasn't solely due to the winter air. He sent a smirk over to the younger girl and she ducked her head in response to avoid catching his eye.

"Do you think she has a cold?" Lorcan asked from his space beside him. Since his twin was already preoccupied with Saoirse Lorcan had decided on walking with Al.

Al shrugged with a slight smirk, from their space behind the couple they could see Lysander animatedly talking with the Slytherin. She wore a small smile on her face, something he only saw when she was in her older sister's company.

"I doubt that…" He muttered though Lorcan only hummed in thought and fixed his gaze on his younger brother.

The pair glanced up, Al frowning once he noticed Saoirse and Lysander had come to a stop.

"What do you think they're staring at?" Lorcan asked with curiosity.

Al shrugged, only half interested in what was going on however once he noticed the scowl on Saoirse's face he realised that it was something he wasn't going to like. Glancing past the younger girl he saw a couple standing together in the empty streets of Hogsmeade and he felt a punch to the gut once he realised who they were.

Vodden was standing barely inches away from Meara, his hand was laced in her chocolate brown waves and the way he was slowly leaning in made it very clear what he intended to do.

"Quite a romantic setting…" Lysander mused absently. Saoirse scoffed in response and turned to leave...well that was what Al thought she was doing.

He suddenly felt something cold and wet being placed into his open palm and he turned down in confusion to see a perfectly formed snowball. He turned back to see Saoirse smirking as she gestured to the couple in front of them. It seemed rather tempting though he knew that he shouldn't intrude.

"You know you want to..." She said with a grin akin to the Cheshire cat.

Al sighed, he glanced to the couple where Vodden had pulled Meara impossibly close to him and he knew that if something wasn't done they were going to kiss...the moment was just too perfect.

Before he could even stop himself the snowball had left the comfort of his hand and was flying through the air.

The loud THWACK that echoed through the empty street signalled that the snowball met its target. The added force had sent Vodden staggering backwards and to Al's relief, away from Meara.

Saoirse was cackling like a madman; Lorcan was attempting to stifle his own laughter whilst Lysander was watching the rest of them with a light amusement.

He was glued to the spot half shocked, yet half amused at what he had just done and yet he was kind of glad. Saoirse was tugging at his arm, a wide grin spread across her face as they started escaping the scene of the crime.

"I-I can't believe you just did that...classic!" She exclaimed before wiping a tear of amusement from her eye. He gave a small smile though he spared a glance back towards Meara as she attempted to pull a frazzled Vodden from the floor however due to the snowy ground he slipped and fell.

He felt somewhat bad for ruining their date, however he would happily ruin all of their kisses.

Most of the sixth and seventh years had taken to populating the three broomsticks that Saturday. Due to it being a busy day and for them wanting to keep their date a secret, Rose and Scorpius had taken a booth in the furthest corner of the pub.

One hand was tightly grasped to her butterbeer whilst other was entwined with Scorpius' larger one whilst smirking at her very obvious blush. So far their date had gone relatively well; they had strolled around the village, taking time enjoying each other's company (which mostly involved teasing each other), buying the entire stock of honeydukes and then avoiding their friends and her family members.

"Been a long day…" She muttered with a small smile. He nodded in agreement before taking a sip of his beer, his thumb running small circles in the back of her hand.

"Has been...mostly avoiding Weasley's" He added with a grin.

She resisted the urge to eye roll and instead settled on swatting him with her free hand.

"Be nice...they're just looking out for me" She stated, though she left out the part where she claimed not needing their help. She was almost seventeen after all.

He nodded in agreement though his gaze was fixed onto their joined hands. It was almost too surreal for him; one moment the pair hated each other, though when he looked back way back, there was always an interest always an attraction hidden beneath their snide remarks and teasing.

"Figures…" He answered a small somewhat fond smile on his lips, yet Rose could sense sadness in his tone. Growing up she had been surrounded by her large family consisting of Aunties, Uncles and cousins she always loved to be around. Since most of them were around her age, it meant that they went to school together and hardly ever went a day without meeting up at least once. So of course they were close, they looked out for each other so to be an only child like Scorpius and only ever having to look out for yourself must have been well…lonely.

"How's quidditch training?" He asked, quickly changing the subject. She gave a loud sigh as she remembered the seemingly endless training sessions which always consisted of laps, laps and surprisingly more laps.

"Great," She said, her voice filled with sarcasm "James is laying on the training thick…after your match with Ravenclaw he doesn't want any surprises"

Scorpius raised a brow in confusion "But you're going against Hufflepuff" He stated, his emphasis on the house showcasing his confusion. The Hufflepuff team weren't exactly known for their fantastic quidditch skills, however if the previous matches were anything to go by, then anything could happen. The quidditch cup had been in Ravenclaws hands for the past two years and due to her families' trouble making streak the Gryffindor's had always been within reach of the house cup and resulted in it going to Hufflepuffs instead.

"Rumour has it that Mimi has been working her team extra hard…something about a bet with her sister" Rose explained with a small smile. She was kind of glad to have some sort of competition with the Hufflepuff's for she was looking forward to an interesting quidditch season.

"Perhaps we should state a wager" Scorpius suggested with a grin. Rose opened her mouth to agree when her eyes widened at the sight of her cousin Al stumbling into the pub with Saoirse and the Scamander twins trailing behind with guilty expressions. Al's quickly searched the pub, as if searching for someone and Rose quickly grasped Scorpius' hand and pulled him down and under the booth's table. The action caused him to quirk a brow in confusion however she quickly silenced him with a finger to his lips.

"Al…!" She loudly whispered before gesturing wildly. He watched in confusion as Rose peered round from under the table; Al and the others were quickly running towards another exit whilst an angry looking Mimi and a snow covered Vodden were walking in. The situation looked rather amusing however Rose did want to continue her own date in relative peace.

"Sorry.." She muttered as she turned back to face him "I just didn't fancy getting caught just yet"

He nodded in understanding before shifting awkwardly, the booth tables did nothing to accommodate their tall statures and the pair of them were forced to slouch in their hiding spot.

"Perhaps we should continue above the table?" Scorpius suggested with a grimace.

Rose nodded, however the action caused her to not so gracefully hit her head against the table top and most likely leave a bruise against her crown.

"That would be great"

The pair managed to make it back barely before curfew, keeping true to their plans of study they took a quick detour to the library in order to take out some books. Rose's arms were filled with various DADA, potions and ancient runes books that she doubted that her roommates would have any questions as to where she had been the entire day.

"You think you have enough?" Scorpius quipped with a small smirk. He had a couple of potions books held under one arm in order to fulfil his studying façade- unlike Rose who had decided to go all out.

"Kaylee and Suzanne will most likely get suspicious if I don't carry back the usual load" She stated. Some of her books started to slip and she had to quickly reposition her arms to prevent them from falling to the floor.

Scorpius shook his head in disbelief though Rose didn't miss the fond smile on his face, the kind that caused the butterflies in her stomach to go berserk.

"I could always give you a hand…" He suggested, his hand outstretched as if in an offering.

"Thanks but we can't be seen together. People-"

"Will get suspicious" Scorpius interrupted with an annoyed sigh. He wanted to be able to walk freely with Rose, to drape an arm over her shoulders, to entwine their fingers as they had done in the three broomsticks and be able to kiss her in public. He hated all the sneaking around and the 'suspicious friends' for in his opinion if he wanted to wrap his arms around his um…something he was bloody well entitled to.

However he knew it wasn't that easy, he respected Rose' wishes to keep their um…something a secret at least while they were till in early days however he was finding it more difficult to keep his eyes and hands to himself.

A gentle grip on his forearm dragged him away from his thoughts, and turning to face Rose he was met with her small smile, her books awkwardly tucked under one arm and her brows raised in an expression of amusement.

"This isn't forever," Rose stated as if reading his thoughts, "Just until we know where we stand and are comfortable with telling others"

He nodded in understanding, it did make sense to wait until their um..something had become more established before showing each other with affection in public however he didn't know how long that would take and how long the sneaking around would last for.

"Let's just take each day as it comes okay?" She stated before quickly stepping up on her toes to press a chaste kiss to his lips, a somewhat impetuous act for a few of the younger students still lingered around the hallways. However he wasn't going to complain.

He simply nodded and she mirrored the action before continuing down the hallway towards the Gryffindor tower, whilst he continued his journey down to the dungeons.

A/N TIME:

So I had Scorpius and Rose name their relationship an 'um…something' because neither of them wants to put a label on it so early. Rose especially is knew to this sort of thing, meaning that the sneaking around and not being able to show affection doesn't bother her as much as it does with Scorpius.

Now with Albus and the 'snowball situation', he does sort of regret ruining the intimate moment between Meara and Vodden, however he is sort of selfish when it comes to her and wants Meara (Mimi) to have those moments with him.

However like the true 'devil/angel' fashion Saoirse tempted Albus with the opportunity to throw said snowball and ruin her sister's date due to her own desire to protect her sister from boys she doesn't see as worthy, and essentially she was using Albus for her own gain.

Of course he isn't going to get away with it lightly and secrets are never easy to keep so stay tuned for the next chapter where Al evokes the wrath of a 5ft2 pixie, Rose discovers how hard it is to hide from a map and Scorpius thinks that Rose has lost it.

JustAnotherFairy :)