Ch 16 Rose, Scorpius, and the Malfoy Family
By the end of Sunday everyone in the Weasley family knew that Rose and Scorpius were girlfriend and boyfriend, dance partners and more. Everyone approved, although there was a great deal of good natured taking the mickey.
Sunday night much of the family stayed at the New Burrow or Potter's New Burrow. Monday was going to be warm and sunny, and the cousins who could, some with friends over, wanted to spend part of it at the pond. Rose, Lily and Cleo were sharing a bedroom.
"Scorpius is flying with us Monday morning," Lily announced, mostly to Rose, "but you can have him in the afternoon."
"I don't OWN him, Lily!" Rose protested.
Lily looked at Rose, scrunched up her face, and strongly suggested, "You NEED better bathing costumes, Rose! Both of yours are like too many of the rest of your clothes, like you will get dragon pox if you show any skin. You need a little bikini or at least a one piece that shows your nice waist and some breast. You are a hot witch and you need to show it!"
"My bathing costumes show that I'm a girl!" Rose objected.
"Well, it's pretty hard to hide THAT," Lily scoffed. "Don't tell me you don't enjoy it when Scorpius has his bathing costume on, bare chested. He is a good looking wizard."
Rose looked at Lily and Cleo, not sure how to respond. Finally, she asked, "Cleo?"
"I do not know fashion," Cleo admitted, "but I think you would send just the right signals by wearing a one-piece bathing costume that was acceptable to your parents, but not TOO modest."
Rose went to bed thinking about bathing costumes and dresses and, maybe, showing a little more skin. She was one of the witches that really knew style, and she had advised a number of the young witches on what to wear and how to look. She really could easily show much more skin, without being inappropriate in any way.
Rose had to admit that Lily was right. She ought to be freer to show some skin. She did want Scorpius to LOOK at her, just not STARE. She wanted him to touch her as well, skin to skin, some, but not too much, not too much feeling her but some but, how come this was so confusing?
Monday morning Rose asked her aunt, "Aunt Ginny, can you take me clothes shopping this morning?"
"As long as we leave right after breakfast," Ginny responded.
"I want to see what she picks out," Lily added. "Could I go?"
"Rose, do you mind?" Ginny wondered.
Rose looked at Lily, thinking of her comment. Lily was going to be an advocate for a rather skimpy bathing costume. Well, Aunt Ginny would want a respectable one. "Yes, Lily can come," Rose finally answered.
"I will stay with Minerva," Cleo volunteered. "We can play with dolls and read books together."
Rose had spent most of her life in love with clothes, and fashion. She knew when something was inappropriate. She had suggested to many witches as they looked at clothes that they could look a little sexier if they wanted to. It was just that she had an image of herself that was all business, and as such her clothes all covered her from her neck to her knees. Even her bathing costumes were modest one piece things that covered as much as they could. Well, they had purchased two bathing costumes, and although they were not tiny little things they were certainly more revealing.
Maybe she should have a few dresses or blouses that covered a little less. It would probably make her feel more like a desirable female, and she wanted to show that side of her to Scorpius. If she had that side of her. Well, she guessed, she did, after the last couple of days.
Just as they were leaving the store Rose spotted a sun dress, sleeveless, with a scooped neckline that was much more revealing than any dress she owned. It looked comfortable, and she knew the cut would flatter her thin figure.
"Could I try on that sundress?" Rose asked.
"I think it would look good on you," Ginny replied.
Rose tried on the dress, and quickly realized that the full bra she wore would show, which was a problem. So with Lily's encouragement and Ginny's smiling agreement she purchases two bras that did not cover near as much of her as her other bras.
Rose wore the sundress home.
They all gathered at the New Burrow for a lunch, and Rose waited for the flying group to come in. Scorpius was with them, but Erica Lionheart was the first to spot her.
"Is that a new sundress?" Erica wondered. "It really shows off your figure, Rose."
Rose looked embarrassed, and could not help looking down to her cleavage. She has never had a dress that didn't cover everything.
"I like the dress, Rose, it looks nice on you," Scorpius told Rose, pulling her into a light hug, and looking down at her, down at her and into, well, Scorpius was taller, and he was looking down, and she was sure he could see more of her bust, and the start of the bra, and that was, well, that was why she had not worn clothes like this before.
Scorpius gave Rose a light kiss and backed away. He didn't want to stare, but there was a great deal more of Rose showing than he had ever seen before.
Scorpius could see that Rose was a little uncomfortable, so he kept quiet. Saying anything other than he liked the dress could get him into trouble. He knew that with Cassie he would have had to have complimented her over and over again. With Rose though, one compliment was enough… while she looked uncomfortable, she also looked pleased with him and herself.
After lunch most of the family, adults and children, went to their rooms and changed into bathing costumes. Even Grandmother Weasley wore a bathing costume.
Rose looked at herself in the mirror. The bottoms of the bathing costume were not skimpy, but they also didn't hide much, showing her thin figure. The bra top made it very clear that although she was hardly busty she was certainly big enough. She didn't need spells or straps to hold up the top, and more breast was showing than the sun dress showed. She did use a support spell that pushed her up and out a little because they gave her that spell as part of buying the bathing costume and using it would be sexier, which she thought was what she wanted. She thought. Maybe. Between the bottom of the bra top and the top of the bottoms was just skin.
Rose went out to the pond and even with a towel wrapped around her she was still feeling a little exposed. Rose had to admit that she was no more exposed than Lily, or Erica Lionheart, or several of the cousins. There was so much of Cleo that her two piece, even though it contained much more fabric, also exposed more.
Rose found Scorpius, who was trying hard not to stare. She took a deep breath and took off her towel putting it with the others, the looked back at Scorpius. Scorpius took Rose by the hand, and they walked partway around the pond, and sat down at a bench some distance from anyone else.
Scorpius looked straight ahead, not at Rose, and started, "I like the sundress, and I like your bathing costume, Rose. Do you want to talk about them? You seem to want to talk about everything."
"Cleo talks about embarrassing things to Albus," Rose sighed. "Most girls don't talk about their figure to boys, though. Most girls don't, I don't think. Except you and I talk about everything, which is why I like you so much.
"I really like being a girl. I think I read too much about sex when I was too little, and it embarrassed me, and I thought I really didn't want anything to do with it. I was not ready for a boy to hold me when I started dancing. And now, I am confused. I want you to look at me but not stare. I want you to touch me but not be feeling me all over but …"
Rose was close to tears. "I am really a case. Look but don't stare. Touch but don't feel. Hold but don't hug, well, hug but don't HUG."
Scorpius looked at her eyes but not anywhere else then turned and stared ahead. "I am listening, Rose. I get that you are not comfortable with your body or sex. I am not in a hurry either, Cassie always pushed and it made me uncomfortable so I understand what you are saying. I will go at your pace."
Rose looked at Scorpius. She grinned a shy grin. "Maybe we should get you a bathing costume that is tight around your nice butt and tight around your boy parts like tights are."
Scorpius laughed. "Lily says we have nice bods, so I guess I could do that. Would it make you feel better?"
Rose looked at Scorpius, then laced her fingers with his. "It would probably just make me more embarrassed." She rolled her eyes. This was one awkward conversation. "Then I'd have to not stare at where your boy parts are. I mean, every bathing costume before this one had a skirt, like I was hiding something."
The couple sat next to each other for several minutes, not saying anything. Finally, Scorpius suggested, "We really ought to go to the pond. They have added a diving board, and I would like to try diving."
Rose and Scorpius swam out to the raft in the middle of the pond, and dove off the diving board. The wore themselves out diving and swimming, and eventually came out of the water and dried off. Scorpius laid his towel out to dry, and grinned at Rose. Rose turned so her back was to Scorpius and laid her towel out to dry before shyly turning back to face Scorpius.
Scorpius held out a hand, and Rose took it and put her body next to his, and gave him a brief kiss.
"Do you want to slide down the slide?" Scorpius wondered.
"Together," Rose giggled. "You just want to hold me."
"Of course!" Scorpius exclaimed. "You are fun to be with and fun to hold and touch. You are my best friend. I cannot tell you how much I am enjoying this."
The two of them climbed up the tower that held the large slide, Rose leading the way.
Scorpius was grinning once they reached the top of the tower. Rose put her hands on her hips in mock anger. "What is that grin for, Scorpius?"
"I was just enjoying looking at your hips as we climbed the tower," Scorpius replied, a little embarrassed.
"Well!" Rose exclaimed, "I guess I cannot blame you. Female hips are looser, so we can have babies, and when a female walks with a boyfriend her hips usually wiggle more." She sighed. "I probably did wiggle my butt, so I cannot complain if you noticed." She giggled. She was getting more comfortable being sexy for Scorpius, somewhat to her surprise.
Once up there they put down a small rug (it was hard to slide down the slide with bare skin). Scorpius sat down and motioned for Rose to sit on his lap. Once she was seated and they were in position Scorpius put his arms around Rose's front, his arms snug under Rose's breasts.
Scorpius felt Rose's wand under the Bra top. "So that's where you have your wand in this bathing costume!" he exclaimed.
"That's what you noticed, my wand?" Rose wondered.
Scorpius pushed off so they slid down the slide. Of course he enjoyed holding Rose, but this conversation was getting into dangerous territory.
Grandmother Molly spent part of Monday afternoon watching Rose and Scorpius. She enjoyed watching young love, but a certain amount of chaperoning was always a good idea. There were a few too many post mature marriages in the family, with children born rather quickly after the wedding. Including her own wedding.
Monday morning was a meeting of all the supervisors in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and it included the heads of several other departments including a large contingent from the Magical Creatures and Other Sentient Beings division. The Ministry was getting ready for Harry to be in Switzerland the end of June and the first part of July.
Harry spent some time with two different teams working on difficult cases. He reminded one that there was specialized forensic expertise available in North America, and the other team to work with the Goblins in Switzerland, and with Michael Appleleaf. Michael was employed by Bill Weasley and the Potter Estates, but still consulted with the Ministry on financial crimes, having extensive training in forensic accounting.
Towards the end of the day Lavender Brown Blackburn saw that Harry was just looking over some paperwork, and asked to come in. Harry waved her in, and almost immediately her husband, Gray and his seeing eye Elf Lumos followed.
Harry came out from his desk, waved his wand, and the conference table and chairs in his office changed into a low table and some comfortable overstuffed pieces of furniture. Harry sat down in one of the comfortable chairs, and motioned Lavender to sit in another of the chairs, and Gray and Lumos to sit in a larger overstuffed piece of furniture.
Lavender sat down, grinned, and folded her arms. "What is going on between Scorpius and Rose," she wondered. "I have had a couple of most interesting conversations with Narcissa, and one very tense conversation with Draco and his wife."
"Scorpius had a dance partner that wanted to be his girlfriend. I guess she was willing to get pregnant so Scorpius would have to marry her. Rose went through several dance partners before finding one. Rose, Scorpius and the other two were at Potter's New Burrow when everything blew up, and the two other students were sent home. There is more to the story, but it seems that Rose and Scorpius are boyfriend and girlfriend now. Scorpius even took Rose over to Malfoy Manor for a brief introduction to the family."
"Narcissa has given me much more information, Harry," Lavender scoffed. "Scorpius threatened to appeal to the Department for Domestic Affairs if he was not allowed to go to Switzerland. He even pulled the "bloody hero" card, because of killing the basilisk."
Harry laughed. "There are advantages to being acknowledged as a hero," he admitted, "although just as often it is annoying."
Lavender continued, "Narcissa wants Scorpius to be able to go to Switzerland, and she likes Rose. Draco is furious and wants the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to force Scorpius to come home. I met with Draco and Astoria, and I told them that in cases of conflict like this our first step is to have them all, Narcissa, Draco and Astoria go through some counseling. When she heard that, Astoria blew up at me, insisting that she was not going to have anyone messing with her mind.
"When I suggested marriage counseling Astoria walked out. I told Draco that I was not going to suggest Scorpius be forced to do anything while there was a war going on at his home."
"Does Draco have any options?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Lavender replied, "but with his mother on the other side, and Astoria and Draco not getting along, I think Draco is going to be a typical Draco and not do anything but be very unhappy. I understand that Scorpius and Cleopatra have to spend some time at Malfoy Manor every year, but beyond that I think that Scorpius will take the freedom to be where he wants to be. He will be an adult at seventeen, so he will not be under family rule much longer. At seventeen he can petition to be free of his parents' demands."
"I know I was very happy when I did not have to go back to the Dursley home," Harry reflected. "It has been years since I have been in that house."
"Do you have any contact with your aunt?" Gray wondered.
"I see her maybe once a year, when she is at my cousin's house," Harry responded. "Since my uncle died my aunt has turned her house into a fussy place that is uncomfortable for her grandchildren to visit. Dudley occasionally visits his mother alone, but none of the rest of the family ever go there."
"Family can be complicated," Lavender admitted. "My brother is much younger, and we have grandparents and even great-grandparents. We gather for holidays, but we are not as close as your wife's family."
"My immediate family is dead, killed in the explosion that took my eyes," Gray reflected. "I have great-grandparents and other relatives that have moved to England. They did not feel safe where they were living, and there is an Arab community here. They are living is several flats in an apartment building that the Koizumi family owns. I know you are trying to have all the magical people live in a few places, so that it is easier to hide the evidence of magic. We visit my family every month or two, and around the Muslim holidays. The family is not religious, but they still observe some of the traditions."
"You know that Scorpius has two great-grandmothers that live at Malfoy Manor, Harry," Lavender said, changing the subject back to the Malfoy family. "What do you know about them?"
"Have you asked Narcissa?" Harry wondered.
"I get the impression that something is changing, but am not sure what," Lavender replied.
"I went back over the recordings we have of Draco meeting with Lucius," Gray added. "Lumos tried to see if he could read anything from the body language. The audio recordings are excellent, but the visual ones are not very good. The magic messes with the Muggle recorders. I am sure the Malfoy men suspect that they are being recorded, and there are secrets that they do not dare talk about. Draco is doing something with or to Scorpius, though."
"Draco and Scorpius occasionally disappear for a day or part of a day, and Scorpius cannot remember what they do," Harry informed the group. "We have had the memory experts look at Scorpius, but they say it would be dangerous to force him to remember."
"I am not sure we can use Scorpius not being able to remember days with his father as a reason for him not to go back home, but I will remember it as a way of threatening Draco. Draco is rather easy to intimidate," Lavender reflected with a dry smile.
"Everybody knows that Albus and Cleo are important, and even though he will not admit it, I think most people expect him to be the next king or whatever is prophesied. Do you have any feeling, and prophesy, about Rose and Scorpius?"
"You have seen the tapestry at Grimmauld Place," Harry replied. "It is a reflection of a much larger tapestry in Switzerland. I am not sure how many of the smaller tapestries there are, but there are a number of them.
"There is the finest little line between Rose and Scorpius, and there was never a line between Rose or Scorpius and anybody else. I have the feeling that Scorpius and Rose are going to be important, but nothing is clear. Prophecy is hardly fortune telling, and there is more the prophets and I do not know that we do know. We just have a feeling that things are happening faster than we at one time expected. When Albus started school I thought that any climax, any battle, would occur after he graduated. Now we are all worried about next year and the year after."
"We will deal with Draco and the Malfoy family as best as we can," Lavender ended with. "I am glad that we do not have to do more at this time."
2021