A/N: Hi everyone! JustSuper is BACK! Quicker update- Let's see if we can keep this going! Sorry we don't reply all of the time to your reviews but we have replied to all your reviews for the last chapter and we promise we will start as of now to reply to every single one! Because honestly you lot have really been amazing Thank you so much. So this chapter DEDICATED to all those people who have stuck by this story all the way through; even through all the impossibly long updates.
"There's No Place like Home"
"Friends!"
Never had that word been exclaimed by so many with so much scorn. It was all anyone at the opening feast was talking about. Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy had been secret friends for seven years. To begin with Rose had enjoyed it. A secret friendship with Scorpius sure proved that she could keep a secret.
They'd walked into the feast joking, throughout the feast Rose had joked with her Gryffindor peers, but Scorpius hadn't seemed to enjoy himself so much. Rose tried to cheer him up by sending him some jokes via paper aeroplanes. But that had stopped due to a third year Slytherin had 'accidentally' set the aeroplane a blaze. That should have been her first clue that their friendship wasn't going to be as easily accepted as they'd imagined.
As the feast went on, the truth about their secret friendship was morphed into theories about what else was going on and by the next day these theories would be the rumours that dogged them for the rest of the year.
Rose felt something heavy fall in the pit of the stomach. They had only been there a few minutes and people were already making things into things that they weren't. She carefully turned around and sent a smile over to Joseph at the Ravenclaw table. He simply gave her a small wink back before continuing his Quidditch conversation with Belle who looked less that interested.
"Ignore them," Al whispered quietly into her ear. "We all know that you're crazy for Joseph," But it was no good. No matter what anyone said the many theories were addling her brain and making her feel somewhat dizzy.
"Hey, Weasley?" She looked over to other side of the table to see Billy Bag, an extremely nosey little Hufflepuff smirking over at her. "Is it true that you and Malfoy are a couple?" He waited eagerly for an answer.
"No," she said tartly. "Not that it's anybody's business," she said huffily, scanning the room at the audience that had suddenly formed itself. "But we're just friends," Everyone continued to eat resuming previous discussions; or so it seemed. Rose knew that this had not altered anyone's opinions, however.
She sighed deeply before looking down at her untouched desert. Not even flying chocolate truffles could make her feel better. She watched as they flew a few inches and then she'd press them back down to the plate with her spoon. After playing with them for several minutes she pushed the plate away from her.
"You have them Al," She said flatly.
"But Chocolate truffles are your favourite,"
"I'm not hungry."
Then a silence descended upon the Great Hall, because Professor Kingsley had made his way to the plinth.
"Witches and Wizards, I am not accustomed to speaking to you at this festive juncture. But I have to remind some of you of some important facts: One, I don't care how cool the new ranges from Weasley Wizard Wheeze are practical jokes are only allowed in school if they can be done with humour and good sense. Some people would do well to remember that. Two, the clue to the status of the forbidden forest is in the title: forbidden. If I find about anymore duels or adventures in there… let's just say you'll regret it and finally…
"Three, inter-house friendships have never been a crime or the norm at Hogwarts. I pray that the explain set to us by certain members of the seventh year will become the norm. Now to bed…"
At this, the headmaster sat down. The whole hall looked between Scorpius and Rose and they wanted the floor to open beneath them; but it didn't. So, Rose took a deep breath.
Rose saw Joseph walking off with the other Ravenclaws. Before he left the room he made sure to blow a kiss over to her which she pretended to catch and blew one back. Rose was only vaguely aware of Scorpius beside her who was waving and winking over at Belle who blushed smiled, and followed her friend Gwen out of the door as they burst into an outbreak of giggles and eager whispering.
When Belle was finally out of sight, Scorpius flung a casual arm around Roses shoulder. He squeezed it slightly and Rose looked up.
"Getting annoying, isn't it?" Rose said glumly though all of a sudden she seemed to be happier.
"What's life without a bit of drama?" Scorpius said impishly, as he directed her in the direction of the door.
Rose, gave up trying to be strong and wrapped her arm around his waist and snuggled her head into him as they walked. For a good long while they didn't need words to comfort each other as they walked to their rooms, the only place in the castle that wouldn't be buzzing with the news of their friendship.
"Really, you weren't expecting the fall out?" Scorpius grinned. "I bet tonight, Slytherins are gossiping that I've been betraying them by corrupting you…" He turned his face away and Rose knew his grin had faded. Rose knew Scorpius was worried about the morrow. And she'd do anything to make him smile for real.
"Yeah? Well, Gryffindor's can gossip too. They'll be saying how brave our friendship is and that… yep you're corrupting me." Rose said with an exasperated, yet amused sigh. To this, Skip stopped walking and wiggled his eyebrows in mock seduction. Then, he took her by surprised and scoped her up in his arms.
"Well, how about it Mrs Malfoy? Let's christen our tower of normality with a night of debauchery."
"What are we going to do with you?" Rose giggled as he carried her into the portrait hole. Scorpius raised his eyebrows suggestively at her. "I didn't mean like that Scorpius Malfoy!" Rose scrunched her nose up. "You and your dirty mind,"
"Who said I was thinking about anything dirty?" Scorpius smirked.
"Well- I,"
"Admit it Min, you just hope I am," Rose resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. Instead she shook her head still laughing.
"I think it's time to go to bed," Rose said finally smiling still as she grabbed his hands and looked up at him; he was still smirking at her.
"My, my, my Rose you move quickly," He teased nudging her a little. His smiled only widened when Rose hit his arm. "Be careful love, it's my first time," Rose scorned him though Scorpius noticed that the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile.
"It's been a long day,"
"Yes, it has," Scorpius sighed carrying her into their sitting room and laying her down on the couch. "Now back to the debauchery… I'm thinking chess, chocolate mousse and you wearing my Slytherin quidditch jersey..!" Scorpius stroked her cheek and smiled the smile that made Rose feel unsure.
It took her a minute to gather her thoughts throw herself into a very good flirty time.
"Yes to the first. Hell YES to the second. And are you out of your tiny mind? The whole school might think that you've corrupted me... But the fact remains... You haven't."
Then she lightly slapped him before the crumpled into laughter.
"Fine have it your way and be boring," Scorpius replied sulkily; nether the less he waved his wand and moments later a chess set and two bowls of chocolate mousse hand been put on the coffee table. "You can't blame a guy for trying," He said holding his hands up in defence.
"You're a taken man, Scorpius Malfoy,"
"Yeah, but I'm sure I could make an exception for you my little flower," Scorpius said in a low seductive tremor. He was leaning so far over the table that their faces were almost touching. The last moment he pulled back, leaving Rose feeling somewhat lonely all of a sudden. "Ready to be beaten?"
"In your dreams Skip,"
Over the years Min and Skip had certain rules about chess. The first and foremost was that they only had one game. But, as the defeated Skip joked as he set up their second game; "This is our night for wanton chess debauchery, Min,"
"Good," Laughed Rose while nursing a butterbeer from their secret stash. "Because I'm sure you let me win that one."
"Maybe I did but you'll never know…"
In the next two games, Skip won in very short order. For an ordinary Weasley, it was humiliating to lose, but Rose was only amusing.
"Now the teacher has become the master" Rose jokingly bowed. "You should play my dad" she yawned.
"Why Mrs Malfoy, I do belief that our wild night has tired you out?" he smirked getting to his feet to help her up. "I would take you to bed myself but the stairs and that boy of yours Jake, John… one what's his face… wouldn't like it."
Rose was too tired to argue with him so let him kiss her hand, she kissed his cheek and they departed to their separate dorms.
Unnoticed by Rose, Scorpius held behind and watched her as she walked up the steps. His gaze lingered at where she last stood for a moment or two until he finally shook away his thoughts. "Get a grip, Malfoy," He mumbled under his breath, rubbing his face with his hands as he too went up his own stair case and entered his room.
He had just got into bed when there was a knock at the door.
"Min?" He said squinting his eyes at the light that escaped from the opened door. There in the door frame stood the silhouetted figure of Rose Weasley. "Is that you?"
"Of course it's me you fool. Who else would it be?" She smiled as she slipped into his room. Skip moved to get out of bed but Rose stopped him. "Don't. I just need something to sleep in."
"Why Mrs Malfoy what are you suggesting?" he said with mock alarm as he pulled his quilt up to his chin.
"Why do you do that?" Rose asked crossly.
"What?" Skip asked surprised by her change in mood.
"Why do you keep calling me Mrs Malfoy? I'm not. I'm dating Joseph."
"I know Min… just Mrs Malfoy suits you. You're my other half: clever, cunning, funny and beautifully sexy…"
"You think I'm beautifully sexy?" Rose raised a questioning brow.
"Yes, course…" He said earnestly without thinking. Then he sighed. "You know, it a joke because we're professionally married… Why else would I call you Mrs Malfoy? It's not like I… anyway professional Mrs or not. I only have the best… believe you me, my future Mrs is going to be a total piece of eye candy!"
"Like Belle?" Rose asked slowly sitting on his bed.
"Yeah, course. Erm… just like Belle…" Scorpius answered slowly. It was then that Rose jumped up and headed for the door, mumbling goodnight. He had to leap out of bed to get to her. He twisted her round. "Wait Min, what did you want?" He asked searching her ridiculously deep eyes.
"Nothing, don't worry- I just left my pyjamas at home- it's no big deal," Rose mumbled looking in the opposite direction. "I'll just sleep in my night dress,"
Scorpius said nothing but grabbed an emerald green jersey that had been thrown over the end of his bed.
"Here," Rose spun around curiously. She eyed the material in Scorpius's hands slowly but surely she took it off him and unfolded it, holing arms length in front of her.
It appeared to be an old Quidditch jersey. It was Emerald green and round the back it had a large silver '4' with 'Malfoy' scrawled at the back.
"Wear that for tonight," Scorpius said going slightly scarlet. "You can owl your mum in the morning."
There was a long moment when the two simply looked at each other and then Rose smiled.
"Turn around then," Rose said suddenly shoving him in the opposite direction with his shoulders. "I need to get changed." Scorpius turned around, feeling suddenly very warm. He was only vaguely aware of the moon outside; all he could seem to think about was Rose shuffling out of her clothes behind him.
"You can look now," He heard Roses disembodied voice. His throat felt very dry as he thought it may not have a good idea to lend her his jersey. He turned around slowly; noticing her discarded robes on the floor.
"What do you think?" Rose said smiling. Scorpius looked her up and down. The shirt was easily too big for her. It acted as a short dress. A very short dress; the sleeves were down to her elbows. His heart seemed to do a summer salt as she turned around and 'Malfoy' was seen on her back; as if she belonged to him.
"It suits you," He said softly as he watched her smiling and twirling.
"I've been told the Malfoy name suits me" smiled sarcastically before stifling a yawn. "What time is it?"
"About 2am Min… And now that you're wearing my jersey the night is through." He said touching her upper arm and leaning forward to leave a long lingering kiss on her forehead. She felt a natural compulsion to hug him and didn't fight it.
"You're so warm… I always forget what a walking talking radiator you are…" she breathed before inhaling his neck.
"Well, Weasley if you need someone to keep you warm – send me an owl. Much as I love standing here with you looking so… Slytherin… Night Minnie of Mine, sweet dreams."
She bid him goodnight again and left him. As she made her way to bed, she wondered what Joseph would think about his girlfriend's harmless visits to the room of her male best friend. But as she curled up in her bed, the sweet smell of Skip quenched her thoughts, and even her half formed nagging guilt and she slipped off to sleep peacefully.
"Friends?"
"Yeah, that's what I heard."
"Apparently the old death-eater dad of his stormed into the Weasley place and found them together. Scorpius refused to leave and made his parents spend Christmas with the Weasley/Potters!!!,"
"I heard that Ron Weasley tried to stop her from coming back,"
"Forget friends. I heard they're lovers."
"Did you see that jumped up little slag looking at Scorpius?"
"I get it, she's got Joseph and now she's working her way to Malfoy,"
"Bet its Michael Hunter next,"
"She just doesn't know how to keep her legs together..."
Whispered followed Rose all through until the next morning. Last nights theories had become today's unofficial facts. No one could tell where the rumours started. In fact, all of the gossips were now claiming that this secret friendship of proof of what they'd been saying all alone.. Rose found herself stepping on eggshells around the many probing questions as she tried to stop herself from saying something that instigated another rumour.
"Just ignore it," Was Anita's witty solution to the problem. "It'll all blow over soon enough,"
"They have to make up stuff about others in order to fill this empty hole. They're with this meaningless crap, for want of a better word, about you two cos their own lives are just so boring." Then she sighed thoughtfully "We should start a charity for them cos when those sado's go to sleep at night, they'll weep in their sheets for no matter how much gossiping they do they'll never be happy," Hailey concluded with a matter-of-factly tone as she huddled next to Debby under a tree by the lake.
"Thanks Hailey, I'll put the gossip sado charity on my ever growing to do list" Rose said humourlessly collapsed onto her back and looked up at the forming clouds above her. Anita sat, embracing her legs, at Rose's feet, Debby to the right side of her.
"I'm being serious," She snapped back. "Just ignore it,"
"Easy for you to say," She muttered under her breathe. Debby had been the only one to hear her; she had said it so quietly that even she thought she hadn't had said it.
"Scorpius is getting a harder time of it that you are," Debby sighed, looking a little sympathetic. "Tell him not to go into the Slytherin common room anytime soon."
"What?" Rose asked sharply sitting up., "What are they saying?"
"You know the usual Slytherin larma style Drama," Debby replied offhandedly. "They're harping on about betrayal, deceit, back stabbing- forgetting that those are all fine Slytherin traits when used against other houses…" She trailed off and tried not to look at Rose.
"What else?"
"We've also got some old school Slytherin types" she said slowly. "Saying he's been fraternising with blood-traitors, you know Flint and Miller- always accusing others of what they're so good at." Rose groaned. "Also, I'd steer clear of Elizabeth King, if I were you Rose. You're not her favourite person right now."
"Great just what I need," Rose huffed. "Skips stalker on my case as well,"
"Lighten up," Anita smiled. "It could be worse."
"You think?," Rose breathed out. She needed to think about something nice Anita with a renewed sort of expression on her face. "So what's the story with you and my favourite cousin?"
"Nothing," She quickly mumbled, going slightly red.
"Oh come on,"
"No," Anita corrected, looking at the three pairs of sceptical eyes that followed her. "I mean it; Nothing!" She clarified, flattening her clothes as she spoke. "Violet hasn't left his side since we arrived at the Hogwarts Express." She sighed sadly. "And he's about as dense as she is. He enjoys the attention really."
"Are we talking about the same person?" Rose blurted out, her mouth agape. "My cousin Albus Potter, you know got those famous green eyes, your saying he was actually enjoying Violets attention? Have you spent too much time in an unventilated potions class room?"
"He tries to hide it but…" she then sighed bitterly. "He misses it. He actually misses the simpering of that whinny, simpering giant squid…"
"Are you out of your mind?" Rose practically yelled at her.
"I don't mind, Rose," Anita assured her. "If he wants to be with her than that's really nothing to do with me, and the less I hear or see it. The happier I'll be."
"Did you get hit by the Express on your way here or something? He's crazy about you!"
"Well," Anita squealed bitterly. "He has a funny way of showing it." She briefly allowed her gaze to trace the area where Violet attempted to hug Al, while Summer had an animated discussion with Greg Duhurst, and Neal Andrews watched on as he played with his toy broomstick. "Anyway she can have him for now. He'll be more interesting when he's been driven by the bend by her droning anyway"
Rose frowned. She didn't want a crazed cousin or a miserable friend.
"You're the one being dense," Debby said, smacking her with her potions book.
"Ow, what was that for?"
"That," Debby growled, as Anita rubbed the side of her head angrily. "Was for being pathetic and stubborn and crazy and feeling sorry for yourself." She said bluntly. "We all know he's nutso about you!" Anita said nothing but glared determinedly at the grass. "Look, me and Al talk," Debby ranted. "And we talk about you and him and you and him. Trust me," She continued forcefully. "He likes you, the boy may have a brilliant mind but mostly it's conversation is limited to subjects about you."
"I swear Debby," Hailey said scandalised. "You get all these boys to tell you stuff. What do you do to them? Throw them upside down, point a wand to their neck and force them to talk to you?"
"Hey, that was only once!" Debby defended herself; the other girls looked at her with horrified expressions. "He deserved it," Rose snorted. "He did,"
"Off course he did," Rose giggled disbelievingly at her. "And I suppose everyone deserves all your blunt and cruel comments as well."
"I'm never that blatantly cruel!"
"Ha!" Anita retorted, the words slipped before she could stop them. "You told Holly Fletcher that a troll was prettier than her and if she thought she would ever get a boyfriend then she had about as much intelligence as a troll as well."
"Oh come on, she was showing Troll level intelligence coming onto my boyfriend," Debby reasoned, waving her hand as if to dismiss the conversation.
"You told that first year, Mickey Brown that he was the recantation of the devil and that he should be burnt alive because he didn't like Quidditch." Hailey commented her voice high pitched and shocked that Debby was even trying to deny this.
"That kid is not normal! He needed a bit of a wakeup call! This is Hogwarts for Merlin sakes," Debby said her voice strong. "What kid doesn't like Quidditch? I was preparing him for the anger of angry Quidditch fans that might thrust upon him."
"What about that boy you made cry because he his mother was a Bitch?"
"Oh, come on, I just said what you guys were thinking," Debby protested.
"You told him his family was evil and if he had any sense he would jump off the Astronomy tower, come to an untimely death, so that he could rot in hell like he deserved?" Rose squealed appalled by it all.
"I'm not cruel," She protested. "I'm just blunt, and like to use colourful adverbs and adjectives" she settled for. "I speak the truth."
"Boyfriend alert," Haley coughed. Everyone stopped talking and turned round. Immediately Rose's heart melted a little as she looked up and smiled at her boyfriend, Joseph.
"Hi," Rose sighed, slightly dazed.
"Hey you," he replied, giving her a wide grin. He wrapped his arms around her neck. "How's my favourite girl holding up?"
"Been better," She said in a small miserable voice. "But I'm happier now you're here." She ignored the sick noises and motioning coming from Debby. Sending her a short warning look she swivelled around to look at her boyfriend.
"The Malfoy thing still hasn't died down, huh?" He questioned looking a little concerned.
"Nope," She shook her head and smiled stupidly at him.
"So people still think you're having passionate sex in the Forbidden forest," Joseph chuckled as he watched Rose scrunch up her nose.
"People actually think that?"
"Yeah," Joseph said, kissing the side off her neck, Rose shrugged him off for a moment. "I've actually had a few offers from some friends to 'sort him out for touching my woman.'"
"And what did you say?" she asked seriously, looking at her boyfriend dead in the eye. "You don't believe the rumours do you?" She was so close to his hazel eyes she could see all the different shades in them. For a long moment he didn't say anything.
"If I believed them, would I still be here with you right now?" He said finally. Rose couldn't help but smile it him.
"I guess not," she smiled feeling kind of silly. She leaned over an kissed his cheek, and was surprised at how nature it wasn't. She moved quickly away feeling foolish.
"Well," He said, not noticing the change, as he grabbed her hand. "I have a certified way to show once and for all that you and Malfoy are just friends," He smirked at her.
"You're the best you know that?" Rose kissed him on the cheek again and allowed his arm to encircle her waist.
"It has been said," He watched as she laughed, shaking her head a little. "What if this weekend we have a double date with Belle and Malfoy," Rose felt as though something heavy had fallen in the pit of my stomach.
"What?" She asked slowly feeling suddenly distant from the conversation.
"We'll just prove to everyone that you two are perfectly happy with your other halves- that you're just friends,"
"I don't think that's such a great idea," She said dismissively, rubbing his arms before walking away.
"Why not?" Joseph questioned following closely behind her.
"Well, I don't know if they're in the going on date's type of relationship," she finished lamely.
"So your saying, you're best friends and you don't know if he's the dating type?"
"No- well, yeah- I suppose I could ask..." She trailed off, unsure why she wasn't as excited about the idea as Joseph seemed to be. Rose had always looked for more ways to get Scorpius and her to spend more time together. Over the past years their time together had been extremely limited. Rose briefly pondered that if the same question had been asked before Christmas, when they're friendship had been a secret, she would have jumped at the chance to see more off him but for some odd reason the thought of a double date with herself, Joseph, Scorpius and Belle didn't seem so appealing.
"Great," Joseph smiled, kissing her quickly on the cheek. He started to walk off backward so that he was still facing her. "Talk to you about it tomorrow."
"Yeah alright," Rose forced a smile. "Can't wait,"
"Well, if it isn't stab-in-the-back Scorpius Malfoy,"
"Miller, how charming ?" He questioned somewhat cheerily at him.
"I always knew there was something funny about you," Lloyd Miller sneered at him, leering down. He was extremely tall and thin, his eyes were a dull grey and his hair was Cole black. For as long as Scorpius remembered Miller hadn't approved of him but the ringleader Marcus Flint had always trusted Scorpius and then in turn was welcomed into the Slytherin group with ease.
"Must be your shining moment," Scorpius mocked. "Able to get me for something- show Marcus that your brains not filled with fly droppings."
"I was right, wasn't I?" He shrugged, leering. "You and that half-blood…" Scorpius gritted his teeth and balled his fists, knowing that for Rose, he had to survive this. "It's not going down well with Marcus now - you'll not be welcome in Slytherin anymore,"
"On the upside, I'll always have Debby and Rubilius" he smirked. His friendship with Marcus was more out of convenience then any real bond.
"What's going on here?" The two boys shot their gaze over to Marcus Flit who stood at the door; his teeth stupidly crocked and his eyes scarily black.
"You alright, Marcus- had a good Christmas," Scorpius smiled at his friend, going to shake his hand; Flint didn't take it. Miller watched on smirked to himself behind his ling spindly fingers.
"You're not welcome here Malfoy, so I suggest you back to your Head's Common room like a good little blood-traitor,"
"Ridiculous, I'm a Slytherin, this is the Slytherin common room" Scorpius laughed mirthlessly. "And we've know each other since before we can remember - you can't honestly throw all that away because off what this clowns been saying."
"Oh, I can and will," He said dangerously. "You lied to us; you lied to me. Sold us out- betrayed us. And for what? What? A bit of Weasley skirt?"
"You have no idea what your talking about! There's nothing going on!" He stated firmly, if a bit harshly. "We're just friends- that's it."
"That's what you say- there might be nothing going on but you still picked her over us."
"I haven't. But I can see you want me to! Why does there have to be a choice?" Scorpius yelled incredulously at him.
"Her and her family are not our kind," Marcus didn't smile- his face was totally and utterly serious. "They go against everything we believe in."
"This is all about blood." Scorpius was amazed. "NO ONE CARES ABOUT BLOOD STATUS ANYMORE, get your head out of the middle ages and join the real world, you'll like it there's pizza on Friday's." Scorpius was starting to feel the blood rise in his body; if there was one thing he couldn't stand, it was prejudice.
"Maybe you done care about blood…"
"Miller's been drooling for Rose for years- why doesn't he have to make his choice."
"He didn't lie to us- he didn't betray us,"
"I haven't betrayed anyone," Scorpius explaimed to the general room that was now watching the exchange. "Blood doesn't matter like that… Even Severus Snape the last great Slytherin headmaster was a half-blood. He worked towards a better world without this blood status bull. He didn't betray us and neither have I."
"YES YOU HAVE," Flint moved closer to Scorpius the lighting off the room was playing tricks with Flints face. The shadows casted over it made it look even more menacing than usual. "You can't expect to lie to your friends for seven years and think that they'll welcome you back with open arms. You went behind our backs to see her,"
"It wasn't like that ," he said, locking eyes with his now former friend. "We weren't hiding it from you. But our families, they have this insane pure-blood grudge. It wasn't you and you know it, Flint"
"Do I now?" He was grinning at him. His eye-brows raised. "Well, then you have a choice. We'll accept you, again, welcome you back as our brother if… you choose Slytherin over Rose," Flint collapsed on the arm chair behind him; Scorpius heard the jeers from the fellow Slytherins. They were all watching them; Scorpius could feel Rubilius watching and Miller boring his eyes into him; as if wishing bad thongs upon Scorpius.
"Rose," Scorpius said simply, as if it just fell from his lips naturally; the word were out before he even thought of the answer.
"Sorry," Flint puzzled expression illustrated that this hadn't been the answer he had been expecting.
"I pick Rose,"
"You what?" He stood up angrily, the whole common room was silent; out of the corner of his eye he saw Debby slip off to her dormitory, looking pleased with herself.
"I pick her,"
"So let me see if I can get this straight;" Flint said, beginning to pace. "You lie to us for seven years, go behind are backs- back stab the lot of us and then have the cheek and nerve to defy me and pick her?"
"That just about sums it up, from your perspective yes," Scorpius said in a steady tone; though he felt his insides squirming. "But to me I was just showing the best of my Slytherin cunning. You just hate it because I've used it against you and you didn't even suspect."
"Don't make me laugh Malfoy. Your no true Slytherin, even you friend Rubilius is better… you could learn a lot from him ," Flint said in a sinister tone. "He knows how to treat his fellow Slytherins." Scorpius froze- a sudden bitterness had erupted inside of his stomach, if only Flint knew...
"Oh stop harking on about loyality like your some kind of born again Gryffindor! I'm a Slytherin, I haven't done anything wrong,"
"You keep saying that, even call me a Gryffindor but you still don't understand what bond you've broken by doing what you've done. Disloyalty, even in Slytherin is wrong."
"You're a rich one to be criticising loyalty, Flint,"
"You and your half-blood mother," Flint jeered. "I should have foreseen this from the start- Rubilius is a good Pureblood with a sense of value,"
"Yeah sure," Scorpius agreed, every bit of his insides trying to digest the information.
"Yes he is- and you are nothing but a traitor,"
"How can you say that," Scorpius asked disbelievingly. "We're childhood friends! We have known each other our entire lives- how am I the traitor?"
"I should have known you'd be the one," Flint laughed, hollowly. "Miller always said- I was always to think to notice but he knew something was going on. I always knew I should have trusted Rubilius more,"
"Is that so?"
"Yes,"
"He had purer-blood than you- a more virtuous family,"
"Both my parents are purebloods. Rubilius's aren't." He shouted at them. "His father's a Muggle," The words were out before Scorpius realised what he was doing. There was a sharp intake off breathe from the entire inhabitants of the room. Flint's smile vanished. Scorpius heart suddenly stopped, however, when he saw the look on his friends face.
Their eyes met and for one stupid second Scorpius thought that it was alright but after a closer look his eyes expressed nothing but a completely broken element of trust.
"Yeah that's right," Rubilius walked out of the shadows and into full view of everybody else. "I'm a half-blood- I have a muggle father and me and Scorpius doesn't need you and Miller Flint- we've got each other," Rubilius stood tall next to Scorpius but didn't look at him. "Come on mate," He motioned for Scorpius to follow him. "Let's get some air- there's a bad smell in here," And without another word, Rubilius and Scorpius walked out off the common room. When Scorpius was sure the tapestry was firmly out of range he spoke.
"Thanks for that back there," Scorpius smiled but Rubilius ignored him.
"I didn't do it for you Scorpius," Rubilius replied harshly. "I did it because I'm sick of Flint,"
"You're not angry with me too are you,"
"Angry? Angry?" Rubilius screamed. "You think I'm angry. I should be angry but I'm past angry Scorpius- What did I ever do to you, eh?" Rubilius said with a mirthless stare. "Why did you have to go and tell everyone for?"
"It slipped out. I'm sorry-"
"You're always sorry Scorpius- and I'm sick of it." He paused. "One secret- one thing I wanted you to keep secret and you couldn't even do that for me,"
"Like I said I'm sorry. It just slipped out," Scorpius said chasing after him down the corridor. "I didn't mean anything by it."
"You betrayed me,"
"You want to talk about betrayal?" Scorpius yelled, Rubilius stopped in his tracks. "Why didn't you come to my rescue, why didn't you help me?" Rubilius said nothing. "Why the bloody hell is it such a secret anyway? You're so bloody ashamed of having a muggle father-"
"Don't you dare try and turn this all on me," Rubilius took out his wand and pointed at Scorpius' chest. "You know why I didn't tell them, you know I'm not ashamed."
"No I don't Rubes- I don't know." He said breathing heavily to control his temper. "I don't understand why you're so desperate to be friends with that lot anyway- why you're so flipping desperate to fit in that you have to lie to be friends with people who turn their back on you like that,"
"You'd know all about that wouldn't you?"
"You should have told them when you saw them laying into me and talking about how perfect you were,"
"Flint's right," Rubilius said quietly. "You're nothing but a traitor,"
"You don't mean that," Scorpius said hopefully; his insides had suddenly turned into jelly.
"Yeah I do," Rubilius said looking Scorpius straight in eye.
"But we're best friends," Scorpius tried; hiding his suddenly lost feeling with a small weak grin.
"No we're not," Rubilius said shortly and simply. No emotion on his face or in his tone; nothing but pure hatred. "I'm might have stuck up for you back there but that's it," He did a cutting motion with his hand for emphasis. "We're done Scorpius,"
"Oi, Malfoy," As Rubilius walked off; Albus Potter came bounding over to him. He was wearing a pair of denim jeans with a Quidditch t-shirt sporting the Tornadoes.
"I'm not in the mood for an argument Potter," Scorpius groaned, rubbing his temples.
"What's wrong- problems with the Slytherins? No one said it was going to be easy Malfoy," Albus curled his lip.
"Shut up, Potter,"
"I wonder how that will affect Quidditch match this next week,"
"I said shut up!"
"Someone is in a touchy mood," Albus laughed and Scorpius felt something snap in his body; he grabbed his wand from his robes and drew it to Al's neck. "I'm warning you Potter, one more word,"
"AL, SCORPIUS," At the sound of the familiar voice Scorpius allowed his wand to drop immediately. Albus straightened his clothes and spun around to see Rose Weasley watching with a stubbornly angry look on her face.
"Just practicing a little bit of charms," Al stepped in to their usual best friend routine when anyone caught them arguing. Rose, however looked unimpressed. The look on her face made Scorpius' heart sink rapidly in his chest.
"Detention- the both of you," Scorpius mouth dropped and so did Al's.
"You can't give me detention- I'm your cousin," Al looked unconvinced by the threat and smirked at her.
"I can and I will," rose said in a low choice. "I'm sick to death with the both of you A- you can't keep this bloody feud you have up. It has to stop it has absolutely no basis-"
"Just because you have suddenly got this friendship with Malfoy doesn't mean I have to like him,"
"Fighting is against the rules, Al; you have to go along with them," Rose and Al stood eye to eye looking both as livid as the other.
"You've changed Rose, This is not you,"
"Excuse me but it is,"
"Before Malfoy, you never gave me detentions." Al stated looking hurt.
"What are you talking about Albus? Before Malfoy, I wasn't even at Hogwarts to give you a detention- seven o'clock Saturday- no excuses", Al shook his head disbelievingly but walked off all the same; leaving Scorpius and Rose alone together.
For a long while neither of them said anything; they both stared at each other in a way that told the other that they were exhausted.
"Well glad that's all over," Scorpius said lightly, attempting to remove the awkward silence with a joke.
"I'm far from happy with you," Rose snapped back frustrated.
"Me?" Scorpius questioned. "What did I do?"
"Why can't you just try to get along with Al- why can't you just be nice to him?"
"Hey, hey, hey- he started it."
"And you should have stopped it," Rose said finally, scanning his appearance with her eyes. "You should have walked away instead off drawing a wand to his neck- he's one of my best friends."
"And so am I!" Scorpius was livid; he couldn't believe that after the day he just had that Rose was seriously picking an argument at him.
"You have no idea what being friends with a Malfoy has done to me today,"
"You!" Scorpius chuckled, his head falling backwards. "I doubt yours was worse than mine; the entire Slytherin house won't talk to me; I think I've been unofficially excommunicated. Rubilius hates me, Al caught me at a bad time, picks a fight but you never trust me with your precious Potter and then you put me in detention. Don't you dare talk to me about having a bad day?"
"Well, if you're complaining why don't you go and find your twit of a girlfriend- I'm sure she's far more pleasant to talk to,"
"At least she won't bite my head off when I need a bit of understanding and support…"
"Yeah, perfect little veela girl isn't she?" Rose spat bitterly at him; Scorpius frowned.
"What the hell is your problem with her?"
"I don't have a problem with her," Rose corrected, her arms folded and her eyes narrowed into slits. "I've just had a bad day and I don't need my stubborn best friend aiming jinxes at my family,"
"You know what, Rose?" Scorpius said finally, hands in air as if he was surrendering. "As much as I love you and have risked my family and my house for you. I can't deal with you right now- not today."
"Well then, why don't you just get lost - if I'm so horrible to be with," Rose yelled.
"Maybe I'll just do that." Scorpius felt his insides give a nasty lurch of protest as he walked away from a clearly upset Rose Weasley. But as he walked away, towards the lake he wished that he could have done the whole day over.
Scorpius lay awake that night, looking up at the ceiling trying to make himself feel better about the day events.
He had always dreamed of Rose and him becoming public friends but the reality of it hadn't quite matched up to his expectations. He never thought Rubilius would not be talking to him, never mind the rest of his house.
After he tossed over to his side; it was no good he still felt as if his insides had disappeared as if all life was over. He had nothing left- no friends and no Rose.
Why Rose had moved into a separate category he wasn't ready to name… He shifted in bed again trying to get more comfortable. Then, he heard the door open. It was her. And even though he was desperate to talk to her, to hold her; he paradoxically also didn't want to talk to her, so he pretended to sleep. But she didn't go; in fact she just sat on his bed.
He dared to look at her through his eyelashes. He wanted to smile. Even though her night clothes had arrived earlier today, she was still wearing his jersey. Her hair was tied up in loose braids and the light from the corridor made her look like an angel; his angel. He moved again, hoping to scare her off.
Surprisingly, she heard her slip off her slippers and climb into bed with him. To begin with he was shocked and thought his breathing had stopped. But he carried on the pretence. Then he had a wicked idea, he moved over so they were spooning and whispered in a dizzily lustful tone.
"Oh Belle!!!"
Scorpius was right it did get her angry, but not in the way that he thought. She sat up grabbed a pillow and proceeded to pummel him with it.
"MALFOY, I know your awake, stop being a prat!" she explained punctuating every word with a blow. It was then he grabbed the pillow and started fighting back.
"Mrs Malfoy - will you for the love of Merlin calm down!" She stopped hitting him and sat perfectly still for a minute. So still that he thought that she'd had a break down.
"Before you ask: I just came in here to apologise" Rose said in a deadly calm voice. "And you try and grope me!!!"
"Grope you?" He chuckled, letting his head fall back as his lips dissolved into an amused smile.
"To quote a T-Shirt of Teddy's - spooning leads to forking - therefore groping!" she said with a wicked grin.
"Is this your idea of an apology, I suppose," Though he sounded amused he sounded slightly angry as well. "Not everything I do has sexual meaning you know,"
"I know - I'm just glad you're talking to me. Sorry your house excommunicated you. Sorry you alienated your only male Slytherin friend... But I'm sure the Rubster will come round. Maybe it's his time of the month." she said as she adjusted her pillow to a better position.
"Yeah," Scorpius breathed. "You're probably right- I'm sorry for taking my bad mood out on you- it was uncalled for-" But Rose cut across.
"But-" She said looking over at him touching his arm.
"No buts, Min, I was bang out of order,"
"Well, you weren't a complete gentlemen but I wasn't exactly a lady either was I? she started, when he tried to interrupt she put her finger to his lips. For a moment she faultered at how soft they were but she continued.
"I was distraught; it's not every day I'm accused of having mad passionate sex in the forbidden forest with you: is it? You know people are saying that I should learn to keep my legs closed?"
"That's mad; anyone with half a brain should know that if we wanted mad passionate sex we'd do it in here. Rose giggled slightly.
"Oh yeah," Rose smiled. "The idea of the forbidden forest is ridiculous but me not being able to keep my legs closed, that's perfectly normal."
"Well, no you'd be the perfect lady with any boy." Scorpius said seriously then smirked. "But I am irristiable - and we'd just be explosive together." Then they laughed as Rose stared hitting him with the pillow again.
"Again, for the hundredth time," Rose muse smirking still. "I'm going to pretend you never said that,"
"But other than saying sorry, Rose, and I mean that's great and all. And of course I forgive you. What are you doing here?"
Rose began to blink rapidly.
"You're REALLY upset that people are saying that about us, aren't you?" Skip asked slowly, his stomach dropping. Rose couldn't speak so she shook her head. "So you're just upset that people think you're a scarlet woman."
"That and…" Rose sniffed sounding upset but holding back her tears.
"You're upset that the school has reacted so badly?"
Rose nodded and flung herself into his arms. Her emotions suddenly came out like a flood as she snuggled closer to the only thing that had remained normal.
"Oh Skip, I knew it'd be bad. That they'd be whispered and what whatnot? But, you being excommunicated then people thinking I'm a scarlet woman! Oh Skip, I've been such a bad friend. I only ever considered this truth out of the closet thing from my own point of view. And then I was horrid to you." She wept inhaling him.
"Min, this isn't your fault. You've been brought up in a world where blood status doesn't matter. You're Uncle Harry and parents only defeated Voldemort and his followers. These ideas are much older and so will take generations to re-educate the prejudices. Blame them Min. Their small minds; but not you." He signed drawing her closer "I don't regret being your friend or that we've finally told everyone," he said yawning.
"But it's late; you should go back to bed."
"No thank you" Rose said simply I'm going to stay right here" she said snuggling down and getting more comfortable.
For a moment, Skip stared down at her dumbfounded. Then, he shrugged and joined her. He lay as far away as was possible until Rose complained. "Skippy, I won't give you a disease you know. I need to be here so that for comfort, and I can't be comforted with you half off the bed!"
So he moved closer and held her lightly, trying not to get too excited by the fact this was a beautiful girl in his bed. He was just dropping off when a little voice innocently asked,
"Skip it would really help if Joe, Belle you and I went on a double date: fancy it?"
"Thanks love, you're the best" and with that she fell into a happy sleep. Eventually, Skip too fell asleep and dreamed a dream that was forgotten when he woke of the double date: but Joseph and Belle coupled off, together.