Chapter 11 – Scorpius' Secret
For a moment, one perfect moment in time, they were frozen.
It had all happened so quickly. As Scorpius was racking his brain for something, anything, to say to Rose Weasley when Albus introduced him, there she was—flying across the room like a fiery tornado, straight into his unsuspecting clutches.
Rose grasped onto his arms tightly for support and stared straight into his eyes. The eyes she'd been longing to see up close all evening. And she recognised him instantly. The memory of her very first journey to platform nine and three-quarters flooded her mind with vivid clarity. He was the forbidden boy—Scorpius Malfoy. He was the son of her father's and uncle's archenemy and the son of her mother's childhood bully. The whole Malfoy family had been sworn enemies to the Weasleys for generations.
And now she was here, in his arms, feeling like the most confused and astounded girl in the world. There was that magic again. Now they were so close, the pull was much stronger. There was such a powerful bond between them that Rose felt dizzy, and somehow she just knew it wasn't because of the intense spinning that she'd just performed.
Unable to move or speak, Rose just stared, searching her mind for anything to say—anything at all. But then Scorpius spoke, in a warm, friendly tone, as if they'd known each other since the start of time.
"Slow down there, Freckles." He grinned.
Freckles? What was Scorpius thinking when he'd called her that? That's not what he'd planned on saying at all!
Rose blinked, her confusion apparent. Blushing a deep shade of red, Scorpius held her hands and tenderly lifted her to an upright position. Neither let go of their grasp, Scorpius assuming it was so she could steady herself.
"Ohmygosh, Rose, are you okay?" Albus cut in ignorantly, rushing to Rose's side.
"Yeah, Albus, I'm fine. Really," Rose assured him, taking a step back and finally releasing her hold on Scorpius.
"You look a little overwhelmed. Do you need to sit down? Do you want me to take you to a teacher?" It was kind of sweet how worried Albus felt for his cousin, but Rose couldn't bear the thought of leaving her present company. She managed a smile, trying to look relaxed, but she couldn't have felt more out of control of the situation.
"Seriously, I'm fine. I just need to—" But she was interrupted by a hysterical Sam pulling her into his arms.
"Rose, I can't believe what happened. I'm so sorry—this is entirely my fault!" And he wouldn't stop apologising and expressing his guilt, much to Rose's annoyance. Embracing Sam felt wrong; his arms felt wrong.
He wasn't Scorpius.
Beside her, Scorpius was outraged. "Hey! She said she was fine, alright? Let go of her—she can't even breathe!" He pulled at his arms, forcing Sam away from Rose, but then the latter focused his attention on Scorpius, just as irritated as he was.
"What's your problem, Malfoy? I'm her friend—you're just a stranger, and she needs me right now." He may have even looked threatening if it weren't for Scorpius' height advantage.
"You? You're the one that threw her away, Tyler!"
Rose wondered how it was that Scorpius and Sam knew each other, yet she'd never spoken to him at all. Before Scorpius could get himself into another fight, Albus stepped in between the two boys.
"Trust me, Sam, Rose is fine, and what she really wants right now is a family member, i.e. me." This wasn't entirely true, but Rose didn't object, willing to see how Albus was going to handle this. "Professor Bobbin was looking for you earlier. She said it was urgent, that's what Scorpius and I were coming to tell you actually."
"Err, yeah, that's right," breathed Scorpius, after being elbowed sharply in the ribs by Albus.
Rose decided to offer her services as well. "I think you should go see her, Sam. You can't keep the headmistress waiting. I'll be fine with Albus and Scorpius, trust me."
Sam looked momentarily confused, unsure if this was just a distraction. But after mulling it over in his head, he decided to listen to Rose's urgency and noted the authority and command in her eyes. "Err, alright then. I guess I'll go see her. I'll be right back," he promised before darting off in search for the Bobbin.
"Don't hurry," Rose muttered under her breath so only Albus and Scorpius could hear. They all started laughing.
"How long do you think it'll be until he realises we made it up?" Albus asked with just a hint of shame in his voice.
"Not long enough," Scorpius said with a smile. And with this remark, they all burst into laughter again.
Now that Sam was out of the picture, Rose could really take in what Scorpius looked like in detail. The way his eyes shone like pale green glass, and the way his equally pale, blond hair emphasised his slender cheekbones; he was breathtaking.
Scorpius was surveying Rose in the same way, counting the freckles on her cute little nose, and counting the brilliant colours of her hair—red, orange, gold; a combination that was stunningly vibrant. Completely forgetting that Albus was there, Rose extended her hand towards Scorpius. "Rose Weasley," she declared.
Scorpius grinned down at her, taking her hand in his and kissing the back of it softly.
"Scorpius Malfoy," he said in reply. "Pleasure to meet you."
It seemed so peculiar, acting as if they'd just met when it felt like they'd know each other forever. There was no more awkwardness or shyness. Being together felt perfectly natural.
Instead of releasing Rose's hand, Scorpius held it tightly. "May I have this dance?" he asked like a true gentleman. A thousand Hippogriffs couldn't hold Rose back right then.
"Absolutely. But I must warn you, I'm not the best dancer in the world."
They smiled, both remembering how Rose had tumbled over her dress just moments before.
"That's alright. I'll lead you. Bit of an expert myself," Scorpius joked. Affectionately, he wrapped her arms around his neck and placed his own arms around her waist, cradling her back. "Just don't let go."
Rose couldn't believe how much more comfortable it was to be held by Scorpius than it was by Sam. It was as if they were two puzzle pieces, destined to be together—the only true combination.
"I won't ever let go. I promise. And I always keep my promises."
And with that, they were off, twirling much more gracefully than Rose last had, leaving Albus to stand awkwardly by himself, completely bewildered. He couldn't help but feel he'd just made a huge mistake. Had he really just hooked up his best friend with his cousin!?
Nothing compared to dancing with Scorpius. The way he held her and whisked her around the dance floor was enchanting. He clearly had experience when it came to dancing, and although the couple didn't realise, all the other students around them had stopped to watch, forming a circle around them.
The music was too loud for them to hear, but friends were whispering together, absolutely stunned. A Malfoy and a Weasley together? That combination was so bizarre that even the teachers were starting to cut off their conversations to watch them. And by the time, the song ended, the whole hall was whispering urgently, bringing both Scorpius and Rose abruptly back to reality.
Slightly dazed, they took in the surrounding witches and wizards. Rose searched the crowd, picking out the shocked faces of people she knew. She caught sight of Taylor McAdams grinning at her enthusiastically, urging her to continue. Janey, on the other hand, hadn't seemed to notice that anything else was going on, as she seemed to be chatting up some boy Rose didn't know.
Others were not so happy.
At the back of the hall, perched on a table, sat Evangeline, scowling bitterly, enraged that the attention was no longer on herself. And a few feet across, Sam stood sheepishly with a face full of sorrow. Rose wanted to comfort him, to call out to him and explain that she could never feel the way about him that she did about Scorpius, but that he was the most brilliant friend a girl like herself could ever wish for.
But before she could do anything, Rose caught sight of James and Mason roaring with laughter again, with Gwen stood nearby looking puzzled. Rose could tell she was going to pay for this a lot. But the teasing that would undoubtedly come over the next few years of her life would be completely worth it.
And then there was Albus. He looked so confused, as if he couldn't decide whether he was supposed to be ecstatic or appalled by their pairing.
Scorpius, on the other hand, was feeling a little more self-conscious. He was well-respected in Slytherin house due to his family name, and the Weasleys were a bit of a joke in their minds.
Should that really bother him, though? Albus was the one person he knew he could completely trust; he was his only true friend. In most of the other houses, however, particularly Gryffindor, Weasley was a name nearly as respected as Potter.
The younger students, and indeed most of the older students, looked amazed. Was this really such an unrealistic thing? That two people from different worlds could be so happy together? Scorpius had tried his hardest for nearly four years to make himself unknown, and that privacy was coming crashing to the floor faster than lightning.
Rose stared up at him contently, with a look that made all his worries melt away. Scorpius didn't care about his status, his respect, or his privacy anymore. She was all that mattered to him now. And seeing how happy she was right then was all he needed.
"Would you like to go somewhere more peaceful?" he murmured softly in her ear. She smiled blissfully at his suggestion.
"Let's go," Rose said, dragging him towards the doors to the grounds. As they darted from the room, leaving the crowds in stunned silence, Scorpius briefly saw Professor Bobbin's delighted face. She gave him a look so full of satisfaction and pleasure that it made him feel proud of his actions and confident that he was doing the right thing.
Defying his family, but following his heart.
It was definitely much more serene outside in the Hogwarts grounds. The moon was nearly full, casting shimmering light over everything it touched, illuminating every beautiful detail of the landscape.
Rose dropped Scorpius' hand as she realised she was still gripping it tightly, and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Silently, they strolled toward a rather large rock placed conveniently by the lake. It was just big enough for the two of them to sit together comfortably.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Rose said, admiring the prettiness of the moonlit area.
But Scorpius' eyes were not observing the scenery. Instead, they were taking in the magnificent beauty of the redheaded girl sat by his side. "Very," he agreed, his eyes unmoving from her face.
This made Rose blush more. And then she plucked up the courage to ask the question that had been eating away at her most of the night. "So... Did you bring a date?" she asked a little sceptically, praying that the answer was a 'no.'
Scorpius grinned at her reassuringly. "Does Albus count?"
At this comment, Rose laughed a little nervously. Was he trying to avoid the question?
Sensing her worries, Scorpius looked more serious. "There is nobody in this school that I even considered bringing to this ball." He paused to gulp. "Until tonight, that is."
Rose perked up then. "Well, I'm glad to hear that."
And that familiar feeling of recognition returned. Somehow, she just felt like she knew Scorpius better. But that was impossible; she had never even seen him before tonight—with the exception of platform nine and three-quarters, of course. How was that even possible? To not even physically see someone for four years of being in the same classes. It didn't seem right at all.
"Scorpius," Rose said, looking up into his eyes, "how is it that we've never met before? It just seems a bit odd, especially with you being so close to Al and everything. And yet, somehow I do feel like we've met before..." She trailed off, feeling foolish. What a stupid thing to say.
But Scorpius hesitated, looking anxious, almost as if he knew the answer. "I... well, the thing is... it's just that..." He looked scared now, hurriedly breaking eye contact and staring at a shrub several feet away.
"Scorpius, what is it?" Panic was rising in Rose's voice. "Tell me, please."
"This has gone on too long," Scorpius muttered to himself with a vacant expression. "You deserve to know. But please, please, don't judge me—or say anything until I'm finished," he begged.
Rose carefully took his hand in her own and held it gently, resting on the rock. "I promise."
Her eyes were full of trust, and Scorpius knew he could believe her.
"Okay, here goes." He cleared his throat. "A few months before I started Hogwarts, my parents told me—warned me—to stay away from your family. You, in particular." He nodded at her.
Rose raised an eyebrow but kept her lips sealed, just as she'd promised.
"Anyway, they made it really clear that it was you, Rose Weasley, who posed most threat towards me—and towards my whole family. I don't know why—I still don't know why—but I knew I had to obey them, and really, it wasn't that big of a deal. I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but I wasn't really interested in mingling with you—or any other Weasleys or Potters. It's just the way I was raised.
"But it wasn't that easy. In fact, knowing I was supposed to be invisible to you made it even harder to stay away. Every now and again, you would just pop up—we'd be paired up in class or something like that.
"And so..." Scorpius gulped nervously, trying to ignore Rose's baffled expression. "I had no choice but to... give you a Forgetfulness Potion. Not a strong one, but strong enough to make you forget every interaction and detail about me for the whole week. It's adapted so you only forget me, not every aspect of your life.
"At the end of every week, you receive a small glass vial of the potion, and once you've drunk it, it disappears so you can't remember drinking it, and you forget me. But as it's fairly weak, every time we interact, you start to remember more about me, and I have a feeling that your memories get even stronger through eye contact and physical contact."
Scorpius immediately felt stupid and guilty. Why did he have to go to such extremes so that Rose didn't know him? It seemed so ridiculous, but his parents had assured him that it was for the safety and well-being of his entire family. The reasons being were a complete mystery to him, though, whatever they may be.
Rose's eyes were full of distress, and rightly so. But true to her word, she kept her mouth shut. Scorpius now felt so ashamed of what he'd been doing that when he spoke next, it was no more than a whisper. "The potion completely wears off when I no longer want you to forget me. And I don't want you to forget me, Rose."
Rose's eyes widened in realisation as a thousand forgotten memories flooded her mind. She dropped his hand rapidly and rose to her feet, backing away. "I know you. I know you!" She pressed her hands to her head.
Scorpius jumped to his feet, coming towards her. "Rose, please, it was for your own good too. I don't know why, but it was for the best, trust me. But I don't want this to go on anymore. I want to be in your life properly. I want to know you!" he pleaded.
Rose continued to back away.
"I know you," she repeated, deep in thought. And she stopped with such suddenness that it caused Scorpius to stop too. She stared deep into his eyes, searching for more memories.
"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy—you're a Slytherin in your fourth year at Hogwarts, first son and eldest child of Draco Malfoy and Astoria Greengrass; you have a younger sister named Serephina, who's in her second year—she's in Ravenclaw; you're best friends with Albus Potter, and your favourite teacher is Professor Bobbin; last week you were selected as the new Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team; you have a Firebolt.
"Your favourite subject is Defence against the Dark Arts; at the end of your second year, you chose to take Arithmancy and Divination, although you despise both; you're a pure-blood and come from a long line of wealthy and successful, pure-blood witches and wizards; you don't like to show your emotions, but you're perfectly willing to fight and argue for what you believe in; your birthday is the seventeenth of December, meaning you're fifteen years old; your favourite colour is green. And... and..."
And then Rose burst into tears, burying her head in her hands. The sudden knowledge of this one person she'd barely known before tonight was far too much to handle intellectually.
Scorpius rushed to her side after a brief moment of complete shock and surprise about how accurately she knew him, and Rose grabbed a handful of his robes manically, attempting to calm herself. For a moment, her sobs seemed to die down but her head was spinning... spinning... spinning... spinning…
Taking a deep breath in between her gulps, Rose opened her mouth to speak. And that's when she collapsed into Scorpius' desperate clutches, the world fading into pitch black darkness.
Author's Note: Inspired by Taylor Swift's 'I'd Lie' :)
