A/N: Did I try to make this factually accurate? Yes. But then gave up because British nobility is confusing. Please excuse anyone being called by the wrong title. My knowledge is strictly limited to Downtown Abbey…
Title: leaving you breathless
Summary: Lady Rose Weasley is betrothed to lord Lysander Scamander. But where does Scorpius Malfoy fit into that equation? Muggle!AU, 1920s!AU
Word Count: 1,554
Genres: Angst, Romance
Characters: Rose W., Scorpius M., Lysander S.
The door closed softly, barely a click as the wood brushed the carpet. It was so very, very quiet, a whisper against the rising chatter coming from down below, but still Rose heard it. A small clear of throat, like the la from the oboe before a concert starts. She could see who it was from the mirror on her vanity: a splash of blond atop a flame of dark. She didn't even turn around.
The light hands of the maid vanished from her hair and meekly stepped to the side.
"You may dispose, Sophie," she told her, nodding her head to show her gratitude for the hair. But before the girl could leave she stilled her, and whispered: "but remember not to tell anyone, alright?"
The girl nodded, a knowing look in her eye, a small smile on the corner of her lips. She bowed and escaped out of the door. A perfect mix of friendship and fear.
And that was exactly what Rose needed. Lady Rose Weasley was known to be friendly with her maids, turning them into her confidantes soon after they had first met, something that would shock more than one if they knew. But she was still lady Rose Weasely, and a great matter of fear was due to her too. From the Most Noble and Ancient House of Weasley on her father's side and from the Granger family, American nouveau-riche, Rose had all the cards in her hand to be one of the most important aristocrats in England. If only there wasn't the fact that although her mother had helped family affairs, the money was desperately lacking.
"Rose," came the voice from the back of the room and Rose smiled. "You look absolutely stunning tonight."
"Do you think so?" she teased as the footsteps neared. "I picked the silver especially for you."
"Ravishing," he murmured and she felt his presence by her shoulder.
Finally she looked up, ice blue meeting storm grey like a blizzard in the Antarctic, horrible but inevitable, and with the same dangerous beauty. His lips lifted in a slow smile. Scorpius Malfoy. Or rather lord Malfoy, as she supposed she should be calling. He was still as devilishly handsome as usual, with his immaculately groomed hair, sharp angles that had a certain smoothness when he smiled. Also, strictly and absolutely off-limits.
"You're not too bad, yourself."
"I suppose I am," he said smugly and Rose rolled her eyes as she began to pull on her gloves. "I am definitely more handsome than you, I might say."
Rose slipped comfortably into the little banter they'd always had. We're always expected to have. "Well, I would hardly describe myself as handsome."
"No, indeed. Breath-taking would be the word," he told her and his hand lowered itself to her bare shoulder.
"Scorpius," she chided, but it was only half-hearted. "Not now. Anyone could walk in."
Scorpius sighed, "And I suppose just finding me here would do as much good to your reputation."
Rose grimaced. "Please, Scorpius. I need to get ready."
He left her shoulder, and the sudden withdrawal of his hand caused her to shudder, as if a great weight had been lifted but with it a life-saving drug. Scorpius Malfoy, Scorpius Malfoy. Son of the great Draco Malfoy, sworn enemy of her family, and her parents especially. It was like Romeo and Juliet had been reborn in them. Except that rules of society demanded that they invite each other to their parties and pretend to smile at each other while offering back-handed comments on silver platters all evening. Romeo did not have to sneak into the ball in a costume to get into the house of Capulet this time. Not even to get into her room.
He was right about her reputation, of course. It would absolutely ruin her to have a man in her room, as Scorpius was breaking one of the foremost rules of etiquette, but when had rules ever stopped a Malfoy? Riches, power, they had it all. Even more than Weasley. He would have been the ideal match for Rose, if only there wasn't their hated enmity. The irony of the situation wasn't unnoticed.
Rose looked at herself in the mirror. Red hair carefully pinned back in a low chignon with the fashionable waves tumbling down her cheek. Silver dress falling in rivets around her, and shimmering whenever she moved, Scorpius' favourite colour. Blush and rouge for her lips she had just finished applying. A pearl necklace draped down her throat, a gift from Scorpius her parents thought was from Lysander and Lysander thought was from her parents.
"Scorpius," she said as she got up from her seat and looked at him.
His head snapped back to her and he walked over. "What's wrong, my darling."
Rose shook her head, and looked else where. "Should we really be doing this?"
"You mean this," he asked as he lowered his lips to her temple. Rose let out a shuddering sigh, taking comfort in the terribly, terribly illicit kiss.
"Scorpius… Lysander…" she tried to tell him.
Lysander Scamander. Son of Lord and Lady Scamander, close friends of her parents. They had practically grown up together, at least until her left to go to Eton and she was sent to a finishing school. And then they met again after Rose's presentation. Young, clever, sweet. Rich. He was everything his parents had ever wished, and their saving grace. He was also her fiancé. It was an arranged marriage in anything but name. And though he was sweet, he didn't ignite her soul the way Scorpius did.
"What about him?" he murmured.
"Well, he's downstairs, and expecting me."
"Lysander Scamander doesn't scare me."
She gave a little laugh. "I doubt he scares anyone, apart from me."
He put his arms around her, and she pressed her cheek against his coattails. The jet black smoothness was a like a caress. The black of his clothes made his pale skin, pale eyes, pale hair stand out even more, like a ghost floating in a smart collar. A spectral appearance, someone who shouldn't be there any more.
"It breaks my heart to say so, but maybe we should end this," she managed to get out and refused the tears to start to pool. Sophie had particularly applied herself to put the noir on.
"Rose, no."
"But-"
"I am hopelessly in love with you. I'm your number one fan. I would die a thousand deaths for you. I am devoted to you with every fibre of my being. I won't give up on you."
She smiled softly. "I'll have to tell Dominique those lines. She would love them."
Her cousin, Dominique, was the social pariah of the family. Unmarried and never planning to do so, moving out of her parent's house as soon as she could, she had been disowned. Dominique sustained herself by being a journalist under the pen name Minnie D., and spent the other half of her time writing romance novels that were all the rage and the greatest shame of her mother. As far as she knew, Rose was the only one still in contact with her.
Rose feared that if anyone ever found out about her she would end up exactly like Dominique, throwing out a life that had been perfectly planned out for her and that would be sure to bring her future happiness.
Scorpius tried to reach down to kiss her, but Rose placed a hand on his cheek.
"Lysander…"
"I don't care about him. Because you're mine."
Rose shook her head. "I'm not really, though. Am I?"
He frowned and played with her pearls, his gift, before leaning down to kiss her. Rose let him this time and they stayed their locked in the embrace, in the heavy silence of her room, small arias drifting up from below. It was passionate, like a dark flame carelessly burning every social rule on its path. When they broke apart, Rose blushed, trying to catch her breath again.
"Please don't do that again," she begged him, 'though she didn't mean a single word of it.
"Did you not like it," he asked.
"That's not the question. I have to go down to meet the man I'm supposed to be marrying."
"And you're point is?"
"Scorpius..."
"Don't," he said bluntly.
"Don't what?"
"Marry him."
"I don't have a choice," she said bitterly. "You keep me in a daydream, a constant daydream. The best I've ever had, but I really must."
He removed his gaze from her. "I'm so incredibly jealous of him. He'll be expected to twirl you around the dance floor all evening, have you in his arms, while I'll have to stand on the edge and watch you be taken away from me."
"I'll save you a dance, okay?"
He gave her a wry smile and conceded. Rose knew very well that despite all her good-intentioned words about stopping whatever it was they had, the same thing would be happening the next time they met. He slipped out of the room, like the sun disappearing behind the horizon and leaving her in a cold moonlight.
When she thought he had had enough time to mingle inconspicuously amongst the guests, Rose left her rooms and went down the stairs into the arms of her betrothed.
FOR HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY
House: Ravenclaw
Assignment #7: Fashion, Textiles and Tailoring: Task #6 - Velvet: Write about someone who is a noble or aristocrat.
Talent show: 99) Writing 1) Writer!AU, 2) And your point is
Pops: Marvel 59) Storm - silver
Autumn Funfair:
Monster petting zoo: Dusty the Dybbuk: Pet him: Silver
Pirate Ships: Scorpius/Rose 1,554 words (total: 6,824)
Sing-a-long: 7) "Because you're mine"
Kiss, Marry, Kill: Marry Lysander Scamander 1) Arranger marriage
Drive-in: 6) "I'm your number one fan."
Pumpkin carving. Pumpkin 1) Tease
Murder mystery: People 4) Lysander Scamander
Til Death Do Us Part: 1) Forbidden Love
Wine tasting: Sparkling wine: 4) leaving you breathless
Palm-reading: Fate line 2) Writer
Trick or treating: House Lovegoods 10) Putting on makeup
Apple bobbing: Apple 18 Hugging someone
Costume party: Beetle juice 1) black
Leaf picking: Brown 7) Devoted
Spooky Playlist: 2) [Name] Doesn't scare me.
Writing club
Marvel Appreciation: 6) Falcon 1) Silver
Angel's archive: 11) Arranged Marriage
Scamander's case: 13) Black
Film festival: 12) Black
Record collection: 25 11) Devotion
Book club: Parker Devotion-Jealous-I would die a thousand deaths for you.
Show time: 14) I don't have a choice
Liza's loves: 7) Write about nobility BONUS
Lyric alley: 15) Keep me in a daydream
Forecast: 5) Please don't do that again.
Seasonal challenges
13th Novemeber: DhanTeras Silver
Pizza month: 1) Arranged Marriage
UN: 180) Black
Colours: 1) Jet black
Chemistry: 75) Romantic
Princess: 29) Secret relationship