Eight weeks prior:
Rose was reading on the bleachers surrounding the quidditch pitch, but was finding this to be difficult because of the clamor around her. She had thought that she would be able to block out the squeals and groans of the crowd she had been forced to sit with, but she was wrong.
Dejected, Rose closed Modern Magical History II and tuned in to the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin Quidditch game.
"JAMES POTTER SCORES AGAIN! 70 TO 40 WITH GRYFFINDOR IN THE LEAD!" yelled Markus Goldstein, Hufflepuff 7th year, and the usual commentator.
Rose watched her cousin pump his fists into the air, obviously very proud of himself. Although she would certainly be happy if her own house won, she couldn't stand the thought of dealing with James' boastful antics.
"MALFOY IN POSSESSION" continued Goldstein. Rose observed as James sped towards Malfoy, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands. She longed for her book. "JAMES POTTER IN POSSESSION, HE AIMS AND…..QUIRKE BLOCKS IT"
The Slytherin supporters burst into cheers while groans surrounded Rose.
"Look!" exclaimed Emma Snyder, a fellow sixth year sitting in the row in front of Rose. Rose, along with the rest of the people who had heard Snyder's shout looked up, high above all the action, to where Lily and Albus Potter were flying at top speed towards a spot in the air where Rose knew the golden snitch must be. Seconds later, Goldstein seemed to notice too.
"BOTH POTTER SEEKERS HAVE SPOTTED THE SNITCH!" He yelled into the microphone. "ALBUS POTTER SEEMS TO HAVE THE LEAD - BUT LILY POTTER IS CACHING UP FAST"
The whole crowd went silent. Each side praying for their preferred outcomes. Even the players themselves paused midair to look up at the brother and sister. Rose prepared herself for chaos.
"ALBUS POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" screamed Goldstein excitedly, "SLYTHERIN WINS, 190 TO 70!"
As expected, the crowd went bonkers. Boos, Cheers, and screams echoed all around the pitch. Rose thought of the fascinating essay Professor Shafiq had assigned her, and sighed. She missed her bed.
The Slytherin team was on the ground in seconds, all of them surrounding Albus in a large group hug. Mira Quirke even kissed him on the cheek. Rose wondered if she should walk down there and congratulate him herself. She decided against it. She was not sure if Al's Slytherin teammates would take well to a Gryffindor joining them in their celebrations.
James Potter touched down onto the grass on the other side of the Quidditch pitch. Rose's heart sank as she eyed him. She saw that his face had gone completely red, something rather rare for him. The rest of the team landed around him, shoulders slumped.
James spun around, centering his attention on Lily. He said something to her. Lily's fists clenched and she said something back.
Rose sighed. This was her cue to get down there. Around her, students were slowly shuffling their way into the castle, chattering animatedly. Rose stood (butt aching from sitting for so long) and walked down to the pitch, book in hand.
"Oh I'm sorry for trying my goddamn best out there James!" Lily was yelling.
"You're best isn't enough! You have to win! We lost this game because of YOU, Lily Luna. Now we're doomed for the rest of the whole fucking season"
"IT'S JUST A GAME" Lily shrieked "Just. A. Game."
Lily Potter was generally small in size, but still managed to look intimidating next to her much taller brother. Her flaming red hair matched Rose's, but instead of bushy curls, Lily's hair was silky and only curled at the ends. It was pulled back into a ponytail for the game.
James was obviously upset. Red faced and clutching his broom so tightly it might leave a permanent indent in his palm, he glowered down at his sister. "Is that what the team is to you? Just a game?"
Rose coughed loudly, causing both Potters to notice her presence.
"Quidditch is boring James. I'm glad Lily is starting to understand that" Rose stated helpfully.
"Fuck off Rose" He grumped back at her, "We all know you don't care about this at all."
Lily glared at Rose, mouthing 'not helping' rather conspicuously.
"I do care. I don't want to see my family fighting over something as stupid as a quidditch game" Rose gestured to the now empty pitch
"You should all get inside instead of standing here and arguing like morons"
"Err James? Your cousin kind of has a point" chipped in Tyler Hughes, Beater and 3rd year. "We do need to get out of our quidditch robes"
"Yeah. What would Fred say if he was still here?" contributed Edward Aurum, the burly Keeper who had been on the team for about as long as James had. "He'd praise us all for doing our best and pull some weird prank on the Slytherins"
James looked at them, big brown eyes settling on little Tyler, who was tugging at his sweaty robes and frowning at the grass.
James mumbled something incoherent, before storming off towards the changing rooms.
"Mcgonagall really has gone barmy, appointing him as captain," said Lily before following him. The rest of the team slowly made their way to the changing rooms as well, leaving Rose alone on the pitch.
Dinner in The Great Hall made Rose come to terms with the fact that she had been wrong. Her cousin's bragging would have been much better than the sulking she was having to deal with now. Across from her, James sighed into his mashed potatoes for the fifth time that evening.
"It was my first game as captain, and I failed!" He moaned, before aggressively sticking a spoonful of mash down his throat. He swallowed loudly.
Rose took a second to finish chewing her green beans before responding.
"What I don't understand is why you can't accept losing," she paused to devour some more food, "When it comes down to it, Quidditch really is just a game"
James scoffed, "You wouldn't understand. You don't play Quidditch."
"Lily plays, and she's doing fine."
James glanced behind him. Lily was happily chatting with her friends at the Hufflepuff table, her Gryffindor robes standing out in the sea of yellow and black.
He scratched the back of his head "You don't think she's still mad at me, do you?"
Rose rolled her eyes. "Of course she is. You were a bloody maniac out there"
"We were so close to winning Rose, and Lily botched it all up. All she had to do was catch the snitch, and she failed. I was right to let her know!"
"You're forgetting who she lost to" remarked Rose after a moment of contemplation.
James' face soured at the thought of his little brother. Before he could start talking again, Rose stood up.
"Speaking of Albus, I'm going to go congratulate him."
As she walked across the Great Hall, she could hear James sigh once more behind her.
The Slytherin table was much more lively than the one Rose had come from, filled to the brim with students excited about winning the match.
"Rosie!" A soft voice exclaimed.
Albus Severus Potter was waving at her from the other end of the table. He elbowed his best friend, Mason Walters. Mason glared, then reluctantly scooched to make room for Rose.
She made her way around the table and plopped herself down in between them.
"You came just in time Rosie" stated Al, grinning "Mason and I were just planning our celebration party back in the common room"
After noting that Rose had nothing to say to this, he continued, "Being my favorite cousin," he remarked, "you're invited"
Rose's heart slid down her chest and into her stomach. Parties were her idea of Hell: A cesspool of gross, sweaty people, dancing wildly and drinking firewhisky. Two things Rose had no idea how to do.
"You know I hate parties" Rose gave Albus a pointed look.
Al's freckles moved downwards with his face as he formed a scowl.
"Cmon Rosie," he complained, "It would be no fun without you"
Rose bit her lip, Albus' green eyes were always so very convincing.
The funny thing was that Albus hated parties too. Rose knew this. The two of them used to hide away from this kind of chaos together. But it seemed times had changed. Possibly, it was because of Albus' position as Quidditch Captain. This was a quidditch party.
Rose's brain seemed to be churning together a plan.
She could use this opportunity for good. She glanced over at the Gryffindor table, where James was still sulking pitifully. Rose knew one thing for certain, James loved parties.
"I'll come."
"This is a bad idea Rosie" whispered James as they tiptoed down the staircase leading to the dungeons
"I thought you loved parties" she remarked, her lips set in a stony frown.
"May I remind you that this is a party celebrating my failure as captain!" exclaimed James, waving his hands in the air dramatically.
Rose shushed him.
"Don't think about it like that," she whispered.
He huffed loudly, but didn't respond.
Rose looked at him. In the shadows of the dungeons, James' messy auburn hair looked almost black, and for a moment Rose thought it was Albus walking beside her. They passed a torch and Rose caught a glimpse of his glasses and deep brown eyes. Although they looked similar, Albus and James could not be more different.
They paused in front of a stretch of blank stone wall, behind it, Rose knew that chaos was ensuing. Outside though, not a sound could be heard other than her and James' breathing.
Remembering Albus' instructions, she whispered "Basilisk" at the decaying stone.
The wall slid open and they stepped inside.
"Shiiit" muttered James, awestruck.
The Slytherin common room was packed with 5th, 6th, and 7th years. Blaring throughout the room was a cheesy Chasing Quaffles song Rose had forgotten the name of.
Rose gulped.
At times like this, her strategy was to stick to the sidelines. Noticing a leather couch placed conveniently in a corner of the room, she settled herself there and rested her head against the window behind it. Despite the loud music and the antics of the crowd, Rose zoned out. Looking through the window and into the depths of the great lake, she swore she saw a tentacle pass her by.
BAM! Her couch was now occupied by a snogging couple. Rose wasted no time in standing up and getting away from them.
Al had been the one to invite her here, but she was sure that, at this rate, she would never get a chance to spend time with him. After all, this was his party and he was a popular guy.
Rose was tired of waiting, and her head was beginning to pound.
This had been a failure of an idea, at least for her. She looked around desperately for her cousin. Sure enough, James was already grinding with Rebecca Davies, bottle of whisky in hand. Rose looked away, disgusted.
She had to get out of there!
Her mission had been accomplished: James was happy and back to his nauseating self. Now was the time to escape.
She spun around, rushing towards the exit.
One step, the next step, she was almost there!
Thump!
Rose had crashed headfirst into a pair of Slytherin robes.
"Watch where you're going-" the boy she had run into looked down into her eyes
"-Weasley" he stated coldly
"Malfoy" Rose glared up at him. "I suppose I should congratulate you on winning the Quidditch match"
His lips thinned. Ignoring her statement, he asked "What's a Gryffindor doing at a party like this?"
She glanced around. He had a point, she and James were the only Gryffindors in sight.
Watching her, he smirked, "You're not lost, are you?"
Ruffled, Rose stuck her nose into the air, "of course not!" she pronounced. "I'm here for my cousin, Albus Potter"
He raised an eyebrow. "Sometimes I forget that Potter is related to a swarm of red-headed Gryffindors"
"I bet you do," she growled, trying to push past him, in the direction of the exit.
"Hold it, Weasley"
She paused.
"You're a Prefect, aren't you?"
Rose looked back at him. Something was up, she could see it in Malfoy's stormy grey eyes.
"What's it to you?"
Without warning, he grabbed her wrist and dragged her through the crowd, towards the back of the common room.
"Come on," he whispered, Leading her down the staircase that led to the boys dormitories. Heart beating fast, she paused.
"What on earth are you doing?"
"Saving you!" he exclaimed in a whisper, leading her even further down the spiraling stairwell. "I'll explain later"
Why she found herself doing as he said was a mystery to her. Perhaps it was shock.
The sixth year dormitories were at the very bottom of the steps.
Rose had been to the Slytherin common room on many occasions, but had never stepped into one of the dormitories.
There were six beds, shielded from view by silky emerald hangings. A silver lamp hung from the ceiling, illuminating the space in the same green tint as the common room.
The room was, thankfully, deserted.
"Tell me. What is this about?" she demanded
Malfoy shuffled on his feet "I happen to know that this party is about to be found out." he explained "and it wouldn't do for a Prefect to be found at an event like this"
Rose stared.
He was right. It wouldn't do at all. Her privileges would be taken away.
Yet something about his grin seemed suspicious.
"You didn't?" she asked.
He tapped the shiny badge on his chest, "I was doing my duty as prefect. Plus," he smirked "firewhisky has gotten a bit old"
She couldn't believe it.
Scorpius Malfoy, star Slytherin chaser had told on his team! His hand was still wrapped around her wrist. It was sweaty: slimey.
Rose flinched away from him, wiping the sweat off on her robes. She had known Malfoy was one of those stupid, disloyal Slytherins, but she never thought he was capable of this kind of betrayal. He cared more for the rules than his own friends.
What a bastard
She glared up at him, about to yell some profanities she usually reserved for James.
Unfortunately, she was interrupted by the noises upstairs coming to a sudden halt.
An angry, furious voice was yelling "BED! ALL OF YOU! TWENTY POINTS WILL BE TAKEN FROM EVERY PERSON PARTICIPATING IN THIS NONSENSE"
That was quite a punishment, given that almost every Slytherin 5th, 6th and 7th year was out there.
Under the green light, Malfoy's pale, pointed features highlighted his silver-grey eyes. "Do you want me to save you or not?"
What was she to do? Any minute now, Slytherins would come pouring into this room and find her. Albus would be nice about it, he'd even lend her his invisibility cloak. But the others, such as Mason Walters (who had never really taken to Rose) would protest.
Why would they let her walk free while everybody else was punished?
Glaring harder than ever, Rose mumbled "fine"
With this confirmation, Scorpius grabbed her arm again, ushered her towards one of the fancy emerald beds, and pushed her through the cold hangings.
"Stay in there, and don't make a sound" he hissed, before closing them behind her.
Lying on Scorpius' bed, Rose considered her situation. There had been firewhisky involved. That alone was enough to get her badge taken away. She thought of the howler her mother would send her. The disappointed letter from her dad. But Malfoy had saved her. The annoyingly handsome know-it-all git from class had saved her.
She didn't have to disappoint her parents after all.
Her breathing slowed against Malfoy's pillow. She was still stuck here, in Scorpius Malfoy's bed. How would she sleep?
She hated Albus for inviting her, hated James for giving her a reason to come.
Couldn't Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry have decided not to have children?
What was the point if the bloody pricks would just end up ruining their niece's weekend?
Rose rolled over. She was trying to pretend that she was in her own bed, up in Gryffindor Tower.
Behind the hangings, she could hear Malfoy pacing. What had she been thinking? This was probably some ruse to get her into his pants. But it was too late now.
Footsteps could be heard; sullen Slytherins murmuring about their lost party as they headed for bed. Someone entered the room.
"Malfoy," a voice grunted.
Albus?
Rose almost pulled apart the hangings. She desperately wanted to reveal herself to her friend.
"I suppose this is your doing?" Al continued, a hint of anger in his speech.
"You know me too well, Potter." Malfoy spoke.
"All these years with our beds side by side, and you think I wouldn't know you by now?"
A chuckle came from Scopius. "Knowing you, I suppose you've already forgiven me."
A sigh from Albus "Goodnight Malfoy"
The sound of his footsteps came closer and closer to where Rose was sitting on Malfoy's bed, listening carefully.
To her left, she could hear the sliding of hangings, a creak of a bedspring
He was gone, sort-of.
As the rest of the boys shuffled into the room, Scorpius carefully slipped into the cramped space Rose was currently occupying.
It was beyond awkward. Rose was fuming, Malfoy was smirking.
She pulled out her wand, whispering "muffliato"
"So, what's the plan?" she snapped at the blonde.
He scratched his chin in mock contemplation. "I suppose you could spend the night here" he yawned "I-I'll sneak you out tomorrow morning"
"What? Why not now? Surely it would be easier while everyone's asleep"
Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her "Isn't it obvious? I'm exhausted. It's past midnight"
Rose made to protest, but he cut her off.
"Also, the professors will be on red alert after this catastrophe. Even if you do manage to get past them, Peeves will surely find you. It'll be much easier while everyone is rushing to breakfast"
"Fine" Rose conceded yet again, rolling as far away from him as possible. She was finding herself resenting the Prefect beside her more and more as the minutes drew on.
She'd never really interacted with the boy. He was a Slytherin, she was a Gryfindor. He was the son of a death eater family, and Rose was the legacy of wizards who helped bring Voldemort's end.
Furthermore, she resented his attitude. They usually both ended up with top marks in class. While Rose silently prided herself on her success, Malfoy would boast about it to anyone who would listen. He'd always have that annoying smirk on his face, and if he was in a particularly good mood, he'd make fun of her marks in Defense (which were only a few points behind his top score). She never understood why Albus tolerated him, but she supposed it was hard for someone like him to hate anyone.
Now, she loathed Scorpius Malfoy more than ever.
An hour of uncomfortable silence assured Rose that there was no way she was falling asleep that night. Judging by his breathing, Scorpius was awake as well.
"Malfoy!" she whispered, reaching her foot over to kick him in the shin.
He rolled over to face her, "what is it?" he asked, staring questioningly.
"Why'd you help me?"
It was a simple question (one that had been prodding at the back of her mind all evening), but it seemed to have stumped him.
After a long silence, he responded "I dunno. I guess it would be unfortunate if you lost your position on my account... you're one of the better Prefects out there"
Rose didn't know what to think. She had had no idea Malfoy had paid attention to her contributions at prefect meetings. He always sat lazily in the corner, reading a book instead of participating.
Books…. how she wished she could be reading one right now. At least she'd have something to do besides having to interact with (barf) Malfoy. If it wasn't for the damn Quidditch game, she'd have spent the entire day reading. Which was something she actually enjoyed. Right now, she'd be cozily asleep in her own bed!
Rose found herself sighing loudly at the thought.
"What is it?" wondered the human currently taking up her personal space.
"Quidditch" she explained through gritted teeth.
"Err...What?"
"If it wasn't for that goddamn boring game, I wouldn't be in this situation!"
Malfoy stared "A Weasley who doesn't like Quidditch? I didn't think that was possible"
"Well, it is. Not that you'd understand, you love the sport."
"Who told you that?"
Rose started. It was obvious, wasn't it? He played quidditch, had been a Chaser since second year. And from what she could tell, he was very good at it.
"To be perfectly honest, I find Quidditch to be exceptionally dull" He said, a smirk once again prevalent on his pale face. It was unclear whether Rose should laugh or not. She decided against it (better safe than sorry).
"Then why do you play?" she asked incredulously. This was ridiculous. Malfoy was obviously attempting to make some kind of joke at her expense.
His answer surprised her: "My father expects many things of me, including participation in extracurricular activities." he looked her over in slight wonder "I've never met anybody else who hates it"
Rose gaped at him. She hadn't either. Growing up as a Weasley meant Quidditch games at every family gathering, and tickets to the World Cup. But that was beside the point. She couldn't imagine doing anything solely for somebody else's approval. Not even her parents.
Eventually, her racing thoughts drifted back to her frustrations with Quidditch.
"I hate how they get so worked up about it. Have you seen Professor Mcgonagall at the Gryffindor games?"
Malfoy nodded in agreement "I've never seen such blatant favoritism from the headmistress away from the field. Really, it's unacceptable!"
"They shouldn't allow her to attend the matches" contributed Rose.
"Even better, we shouldn't have Quidditch at all"
"That would be great, no more weekends wasted on doing the right thing and supporting my family"
"And Father couldn't force me to play if it was banned"
They looked at eachother, grinning. For a moment, Rose forgot who she was talking to.
She wasn't sure how long their conversation ended up lasting: logically speaking it must have been at least half an hour, but it felt much shorter than that.
"Do you ever get tired of having so many relatives?" asked Scorpius at a memorable point in their discussion.
Rose snorted "All the time"
"I've always wished for a larger family," he explained, "My father only wanted one child, and my aunt never married."
"You're lucky. I never get a moment's peace and quiet"
"I suppose you're right" he conceded wistfully.
"Believe me, you don't want to be a Weasley," Rose reassured him.
"Why?"
"You wouldn't look good with red hair and freckles!"
Malfoy chuckled. She smiled.
"A complexion like mine is a curse. You'd be forever unattractive" Rose meant it as a joke, but Scorpius (the weirdo) didn't laugh.
"Don't be daft. You're one of the prettiest girls in our year"
She froze. Did he seriously just compliment her appearance?
"Really?" she croaked.
"Erm… yeah." His cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink
The silence following his statement seemed to last a millennium, and tension was palpable in the air surrounding them. Rose became acutely aware of how close their faces were.
She wasn't sure who moved first, but, suddenly they were kissing. She was kissing him and he was kissing her back.
She was tired, so bloody tired she couldn't even think straight. All she could process was how right this all felt. It was too late at night to make any sort of rational decision. She pressed her lips harder against his, clumsily maneuvering so that she was on top of him.
"Weasley." moaned Malfoy in between kisses "what-" he gasped for breath "What are we doing?"
They paused.
"I don't know" she panted back
Rose looked into his eyes. They were hungry for more.
She was too.
And honestly, she ended up having one of the best nights of her life.