Disclaimer: Harry Potter sadly isn't mine...
Ah, fifth year. What a wonderful time. It meant that James was in his last year (who also happened to be Head Boy as well as the Quidditch team captain for Gryffindor), there was bound to be an increasing amount of drama, not to mention our upcoming O.W.L.S. And O.W.L.S. indeed was my perfect excuse for not dating anyone. Scorpius had, of course, resumed his status as the hottest guy at Hogwarts. Don't get me wrong—I wasn't saying that he was magically turned into the worst-looking guy last year!—it was just that he had resumed his snogging-with-the-ladies pastime.
Did I mention that both Scorpius and I are prefects?
That left me daydreaming of the times he kissed me, though I doubt he actually liked me or anything. That would be too good to be true.
"Rosie? Is something on your mind?" Al asked, prodding me in the side. I almost choked on my butterbeer.
"Er, no," I told him quickly, but my glance in Scorpius's direction at the Slytherin table gave my lie away. Al followed my gaze.
Before either he or I could say anything, James saved the day. He stepped onto the top of the bench, waved his wand and muttered, "Sonorus," before announcing to the whole of Hogwarts, "LISTEN UP, FELLOW GRYFFINDORS! THIS IS MY FINAL YEAR, AND I EXPECT IT TO BE THE BEST OF ALL TIME. WE WILL DEFINITELY WIN THE QUIDDITCH CUP, ESPECIALLY WITH SUCH AMAZING TEAM MEMBERS. WE WILL CERTAINLY WIN THE HOUSE CUP, TOO! EVEN IF THERE ARE OBSTACLES IN THE WAY, BECAUSE...WE—ARE—GRYFFINDORS!" He said the last words between long dramatic pauses. Every single Gryffindor (excluding me and Al) cheered loudly at his inspiring speech. The Slytherins looked uneasy, and Scorpius rolled his eyes. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws simply watched. I had a feeling that by "obstacles", James included yours truly.
Professor McGonagall's voice masked over everyone else's. "MR. POTTER, JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING? YOU MAY BE THE HEAD BOY, BUT HOGWARTS WILL NOT TOLERATE SUCH RUDE BEHAVIOR. INTERRUPTING DINNER! THIS IS UNHEARD OF IN THE HISTORY OF HOGWARTS!"
"SORRY, PROFESSOR," James grinned sheepishly. "COULDN'T HELP MYSELF! THIS WAS THE OPPORTUNE TIME, YOU KNOW!"
"NO, I DON'T KNOW!" Classic.
I raised a hand so I could be heard above the commotion. "MISS WEASLEY? IS THERE SOMETHING YOU WISH TO SAY TO THE SCHOOL?"
All these loud voices were giving me a headache, but I hadn't spent hours reading Hogwarts, A History for nothing. I too amplified my voice and said, "ACTUALLY, PROFESSOR...ACCORDING TO HOGWARTS, A HISTORY, AMPLIFIED VOICES WERE COMMONLY USED FOR COMMUNICATING PURPOSES!"
"DID IT INCLUDE INTERRUPTING SUCH A PEACEFUL EVENING, MISS WEASLEY?"
"NO, PROFESSOR," I admitted as a few of the Slytherins sniggered at their table. I shot James a death glare. Oh, he was going to pay for this. No longer feeling hungry, I escaped the Great Hall before Professor McGonagall could decide on a method of punishment.
A voice stopped me in my tracks. "Look who it is. Do you feel all glorious now that I'm no longer dating Scorp?"
Susanna Zabini.
She just had to make me hate her so much more, did she? "Do I seem glorious to you?" I retorted.
"No, yet I know you're not satisfied. You want him." The ways she said it...it was as if Scorpius was an inanimate object that any girl could possess should they have the ability to. The thought itself disgusted me.
"O-Of course I don't want him," I sputtered, staring at her in shock.
"Denying just makes it all the more obvious," She scoffed. Good point.
I said as firmly as I could, "Even if I did want him, I'll only 'have' him if he loves me. I don't care if he's the most popular, or if he's rich. I'll love him for who he is, inside. Even then, it'll be because I love him. And I don't."
"Sure you don't, Weasley."
"Don't what?"
We both jumped as Scorpius himself came walking towards us, his expression grave. I instantly knew I was in trouble. "Don't know what the password to the Slytherin common room is!"
"Why exactly do you want to go into the Slytherin common room, Rose?"
"N-No reason! I was just curious about it, that's all! Zabini wouldn't even let me guess! Anyway, did you want me for something?"
He nodded. "Professor McGonagall wishes to speak to you about detention with your cousin," he informed me. "Now."
I gulped, casting a sideways glance at Zabini. The other girl looked satisfied that I was about to be punished. "This'll be bad for James," I breathed. "If his position as Head Boy is taken..."
Scorpius patted my shoulder. "Oh, don't worry, Rose. I'm sure she's not that evil. She's secretly very fond of James."
"Is she?" I asked, mystified.
He smirked at me. "Well, good luck with the old lady." If the Headmistress had been there now, she'll most certainly give Scorpius a detention too for calling her an old lady. As I passed him, he whispered in my ear, "The password's Conquer Death, by the way." Conquer death? What sort of password was that? Why was he even giving it to me? "And here I was, thinking you and Zabini have finally looked past your differences and became friends," he added with a wink.
"WE'RE NOT!"
A/n: What is Rose going to do with her knowledge of the Slytherin password? You can only wait to find out.. ;)
Fifth year now! Not all of the story will be fifth year, either.. there will be sixth and seventh too.
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