HERE IT IS! THE LONG AWAITED FIRST DATE! and i mean seriously long awaited, crikey 11 chapters... i totally was unaware how much i've been writing... well anyways, a gargantium thanks to everyone who's reading/reviewing/favouriting/followng the story because you know you're amazing right? OF COURSE YOU DO! anyways i'm a little crazy because i've been up for about 38 hours straight now without any sleep, ahh uni... XD

I'm going to bed now, but hopefully this is sufficient proof that i love you all...

Chapter 11 – This is horrible

"I need to ask Rose on a date." Scorpius announced as he and Albus were moving between classes.

"Yeah so?" Albus felt rather confused as to what the issue was, he had been filled in on the details by both Scorpious and Rose and sworn to secrecy. That secrecy, of course, had a 'but you can tell Frank, if he won't tell' clause.

"I don't know how to ask her," Scorpius' ears were bright red and he couldn't meet his best friends eyes. Al thought he looked more like a suspicious character than a teenager in love.

"Isn't it obvious? 'Rose go with me on a date to Hogsmeade' easy peasy wrackspurt squeezy."

"Wrackspurt what-now?"

"Nevermind."

"Hang on," Scorpius said, stopping, "How did you know I would ask her to Hogsmeade?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because it's a bit forward to ask her to the Room of Requirement so she can see your vanishing cabinet, or maybe because it's pretty much the only good place to go on a date at this time of year," Albus's tone was acerbic in every aspect.

"Shut up," Scorpius whined, playfully nudging Albus in the ribs as they continued walking.

"Just wing it, it'll be easier than you think, anyway, where are you going to take her?"

"I was thinking Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop, I've never been there before and I've heard that girls seem to like it." Scorpius scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea..." Albus said quietly.

"What?"

"Uh, it's nothing, I hope you both have fun."

Scorpius spent the rest of the day searching for Rose, alas to no avail. She wasn't avoiding him, he, by some terrible misfortune, just kept missing her. Scorpius was almost tempted to nick some Felix Felicis from the potions stock cupboard, to give himself a chance at catching her. He also hadn't been able to see Rose at dinner because he'd had to skip it due to needing an extra meeting with Professor Bletchly, head of Slytherin House and Flying Instructor as well as Professor of Ancient Studies, regarding his application for a summer apprenticeship at the Ministry of Magic. Scorpius also hadn't thought to ask her in class, he wanted to do it in private, so when he embarrassed himself he wouldn't utterly destroy his good reputation. But he was regretting not having asked for five minutes of her time so that they could talk. Scorpius trudged along the cloisters, moodily watching the ground move below his feet. A light rain had begun to fall, the floor was slightly damp and the air smelt fresh. A flash of red caught his attention and a wonderful, yet peculiar sight caused him to stop. Rose stood with her face in profile to him. Her chin was raised to the sky, eyes closed, and her hands were bent slightly at the elbow with her palms upturned as if to catch the misting raindrops. From the dampness of her hair she had obviously been standing there for a while. Rose also seemed to be missing her shoes. Scorpius felt a warm smile instinctively form. "Oi, Weasel-bee, watcha doing?" He called as he swaggered up to her. She didn't look at him, she just smiled and continued with her rain-basking. Scorpius couldn't resist the opportunity, Rose's positioning was just too perfect. Bending slightly, sliding his hands into hers, he softly pressed his warm lips to her rain chilled ones. Sighing contentedly she threaded one of her hands in his hair and deepened the kiss. They reluctantly pulled back, having to come up for air. "I'm never going to get bored of doing that," Scorpius chuckled, Rose smiled in agreement.

"So, what is it that you've been wanting to ask me all day?" Rose's smile stretched into a sly grin.

"Oh? So you caught on to that?"

"Just a little, the multitude of sidelong glances were a bit of a give away."

"It was just the usual type of question," Scorpius look at the sky and tried to act cool, it would have worked if he wasn't blushing like a Weasley. "Do you maybe want to go to Hogsmeade with me on Saturday?"

"Yeah, sounds like a lot of fun, who else is coming?" Rose asked, torturing Scorpius just a tiny bit.

"I meant, as a date," Scorpius said in a rush blushing even harder. Why is this so difficult? I'm not 12, I'm not 12, I'm not 12, I'm not 12.

"I know," She responded in a sing-song voice.

"So?"

"I'd love to, now can we please head back to the common room, I pissed off Fred so he stole my shoes and my feet are bloody freezing!"

The days passed more slowly than Rose and Scorpius would have liked. The Gryffindor-Ravenclaw match on the Friday, in some of the worst conditions Hogwarts had ever seen for Quidditch, had not helped. Even though Gryffindor had won, the victory hadn't relieved Rose of the fatigue. They both had been neck deep in work for their NEWTs as November was heading to a close and the Christmas holidays were inching ever closer. Much of their time was spent in the library, fulfilling Head Girl and Boy duties or out on the quidditch pitch for practice. By Saturday Rose and Scorpius alike, were practically crawling up the walls to take a break from the castle. Unfortunately, the streak of bad autumn weather was holding and the rain was coming down in icy sheets. Even in spite of this they both had agreed to go ahead with the date as planned. They met in the common room at 1:30pm with the intention of going to lunch. Rose was dressed in a thick, fluffy black jumper, paired with skinny jeans, a navy blue bomber jacket and a Gryffindor Scarf. Scorpius was in an un-tucked white shirt that had a couple of buttons undone, tantalizingly showing off his collarbones, with jeans and a dark grey leather jacket. Rose didn't fail to notice that he was also wearing his long grey scarf to go with the hat and gloves she had knitted him. They had left the castle before Scorpius thought it safe enough to take Rose's hand in his own. The pair forged through the rain to Hogsmeade, their repelling charms not being as effective as they would have hoped.

When they finally reached Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop, both Rose and Scorpius were rather soggy, closer to drowned rats then the joint highest achievers and head students. Rose hid her surprise at Scorpius choosing this place for their first date, it wasn't really the sort of place that she thought he'd ever be caught dead in. I doubt even the Imperious Curse could force him in there. It wasn't really her kind of place, but she didn't tell him that, not wanting to spoil their first date before it had even properly begun. As soon as he'd led Rose into the shop, Scorpius knew he'd made a big mistake bringing her there. From the sickeningly sweet tinkle of the bell announcing the arrival of customers, to the overly frilly decorations. There was also the fact that a cherub (which Rose, under the impression from her sole trip with Thaddeus Edgecombe to the shop, thought were only around on Valentine's Day) hit them directly in the face, at point-blank range, with confetti as soon as they'd walked in.

"This is horrible," They groaned in unison. The clientèle also didn't do much for the shop as it was mainly happy-go-lucky third-year couples, whose relationships wouldn't last out the month.

"I actually feel nauseated." "I think I'm allergic to frills on this scale."

"I'm sorry this was a stupid idea is it alright if we go somewhere else?" Scorpius apologized.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that," Rose laughed and they made a rapid retreat back into the rain.

Due to the downpour, everywhere worth going was crammed to the rafters with people all trying to escape from the harsh late November weather. There was absolutely no where they could go. "This is the worst date ever isn't it?" Scorpius asked with a self-deprecating smile, they had literally trekked the whole of Hogsmeade and were finally sheltering under the overhang outside Honeydukes.

"No," Rose tried to sound convincing but Scorpius wasn't buying what she was selling, "No, I mean it."

He pulled her into a hug, "You're too nice."

"I'm really not," She laughed, "If it was with anyone else, this date would definitely be shite, but it's with you so..."

"Let's go back to the Castle."

"Does it have to be over so soon? We haven't even had lunch yet!" Rose exclaimed with a bright red blush.

"No, it doesn't, Albus gave me a great idea. I have a plan. You can rely on me, I-always-have-a-plan-because-I'm-massively-epic-Malfoy!" Scorpius laughed and pulled her out of the shelter to make a running break for it.

Scorpius sent a patronus ahead to the castle with instructions, but kept it as a secret from Rose until they actually went to the kitchens and he picked up a rather large picnic basket from the house-elves. From there he led her by hand up to the seventh floor, stopping in front of the wall opposite the tapestry of Barnabus the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet. "I know where we are," Rose sang, "I hope the room isn't in use."

"Yeah, me too." Scorpius focused, clearing his mind and picturing the place he needed in his mind. A door formed on the wall, as if melting into existence. The door was made from a heavy, dark wood, with a spiralling iron handle. "Take a look," Scorpius prompted. The handle felt strangely warm in Rose's hand, which was not unwelcome as she was shivering profusely due to the rain. Slowly she depressed it and stepped into the room. It took her breath away somewhat, the Room of Requirement had transformed itself into the perfect hideout. It was like the kind of den that you would make from blankets and quilts as a child, but on an enormous scale. There was also a wardrobe and a folding screen with a pair of towels hanging over the top, so that they could dry off and change out of their sodden clothes. There was a very warm fire blazing with a pale light, in the grate of an enormous fireplace. In front of the fire there were comfortable piles of pillows, quilts and duvets to flop about on.

"Why don't you set up the picnic and let me change first?" Rose suggested and Scorpius nodded his assent. Rose was soaked down to and including her underwear. Luckily the room had provided for that, even if she couldn't help but feel incredibly self-conscious, like an electrical current across her skin, knowing that Scorpius was just on the other side of the screen as she stripped. The clothes in the wardrobe were slightly oversized fleece pyjama sets, one for her (in midnight blue), one for Scorpius (in silvery-grey). The fabric was wonderfully soft against her skin and Rose also noticed the matching slippers, gratefully slipping her feet into them. It was only 3:30pm, so a little early for pyjamas, but at that moment, Rose really didn't care.

"I'm all ready out here, are you dressed yet?" Scorpius called and in answer she walked out from behind the screen and started hanging her clothes over the fire. Scorpius didn't move from his spot.

"Go and change," Rose ordered without looking at him, when there was no response she turned to look at him. The warmth in his expression blinded her.

I could spend eternity with her like this. It was the only thought in Scorpious's head. Rose looked stunning, even with her hair still damp and messy from the wind and rain, in fuzzy pyjamas and slippers, hanging her soggy clothes over a fire. She was saying something but his thought processes were too absorbed by warm fuzzies that he couldn't understand the words. When she turned to look at him her expression was priceless. A classic Weasley blush, lit her face completely on fire, and a slightly embarrassed but extremely happy smile dominated her features, lighting up her eyes. Rose turned away quickly to hide her face and she spoke again, this time Scorpius got the message.

"Go and change."

He followed his orders and like the lovesick youth he was, hurried every movement so he could return to her. Also because he was absolutely famished, having not eaten since breakfast at 9:00 that morning.

Rose couldn't help but giggle when Scorpius returned. His hair stuck out at alarming angles from him rush drying it with a towel, he also had managed to fasten the buttons on the pyjama shirt wrong so it was hanging strangely on his torso. "What?" Scorpius asked, utterly oblivious to his dishevelled appearance.

"You!" Rose couldn't stop giggling. Scorpius looked down at himself and seeing the buttons, hung his head and sighed. His ears started turning red from the embarrassment. He started to undo the shirt when his hands were brushed aside and another pair took their place. Rose's hands worked nimbly, but she couldn't meet his eyes. She was surprised that she wasn't spontaneously combusting with the amount of heat radiating from her face. She kept her eyes firmly fixed on the milky skin that was revealed and then safely hidden away again. Scorpius had been taking much too long redoing the shirt, if she had let him continue she probably would've jumped him and everything would've become too serious, much too fast.

"Why did you run?" Scorpius sighed, Rose froze as the question came out of the blue.

"I told you in the note."

"Yes, but what did that mean? 'I didn't want you to see my expression'? What should I take from that?" he asked slowly, taking her face in his hands so that Rose found his eyes looking into the depths of her soul.

"I was too happy," She finally said simply. "I didn't want you to tell me it was just a spur of the moment thing and for me to find out that I was the only one who felt that way."

And there it was. The truth that he needed to hear. Rose never regretted kissing him and they could finally be together. Scorpius brought his face closer to hers, his lips just brushing against Rose's. The sound of Scorpius's stomach growling at about 140 decibels reminded them both of the lavish picnic set out for them, and with the moment slightly gone, they had no regrets in flopping onto the blankets and tucking into their feast.

The time past by wonderfully slowly. They laughed and talked for hours without getting bored. Too soon it was evening and they started to get hungry again. "I don't want to moooove," Rose moaned as she buried her face deeper into the fleece collar at the base of Scorpius' throat. The pair were snuggled in a delirious warmth under a mountain of blankets, in front of the still roaring fire.

"If I could I would spend every Saturday like this," Scorpius hummed.

"Me too," Rose agreed and she meant it.

"I'm still hungry though." As soon as Scorpius said that, the floor dropped out from beneath them and they were sent rocketing down a steep chute. They both screamed in exhilaration and clung tightly to each other. The steepness decreased as the chute went from being straight to spiralling downward. They shot out at the bottom and found themselves in the school kitchens surrounded by house-elves. The chute transfigured into a lift and patiently waited for them.

"Hi, everyone!" Rose greeted slightly awkwardly, "I know it's a bit cheeky, but I was wondering if we could have some dinner?"

Immediately there was a chorus of "Of course" and "It would be our pleasure" and "There's nothing we would like more!" followed by a basket appearing as the house-elves brought trays of goodies forward and placed them in. Soon they had yet another feast prepared for them. Rose and Scorpius hurried back into the lift and sped back up to the Room of Requirement, slightly concerned that it might have changed due to the fact that they had both technically left it. Thankfully it was just the same, just as cosy and now with a delicious dinner for the both of them. There was a selection of little dishes for the main followed by a couple of perfect chocolate soufflés, that were mouth-wateringly delicious. Dinner was devoured with much gusto. At the bottom of the basket, Rose found a bottle of firewhisky and a couple of glasses. After consuming two-thirds of the bottle, both Rose and Scorpius were feeling a bit drunk. Rose looked up into Scorpius's alcohol glazed eyes with a soft smile on her face. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him onto his back so she was hovering over him.

"What are you thinking right now?" He whispered straining his face upwards to get closer to hers. Rose placed her forehead against his and nudged him back to the floor.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Yeah, I know I'm irresistible and sexy," He sniggered.

"Broomhead." Despite saying that, Rose leaned down pressed her lips against Scorpius's. In unison their mouths opened. Tentatively their tongues explored each others mouths. Blushes rising in both their cheeks. Only coming up for air, they could hear their hearts thundering in one another's chests.

"Stop."

"What?" Rose pulled back confused.

"Neither of us are thinking straight right now."

"You're right. If we rushed into anything, I'd regret it later," Rose sighed.

"I know you would, I wouldn't, but you would," Scorpius murmured, rolling out from underneath her. He checked his watch and raised his eyebrows in disbelief that it was already 1:53am. "Well, it's late so we should get some sleep."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, can we stay here though?" Scorpius replied with a sleepy smile. The excitement of the day was finally getting to Rose now that the euphoria was wearing off. She flopped onto her back next to Scorpius, their hands finding each other and clasping tightly. They drifted off to sleep, along with the fire.

"Best first date ever."