Victoire's wedding reception was held inside a massive cream coloured circular tent. The tent had taken all of the Weasley's men's magic to set up.
It was well into the reception, everyone was up on the dancefloor twirling their partners around to some fast jig and I was sitting at one of the unused tables slowly draining my butterbeer.
It was getting dark fast I could see as the opening of the tent flapped open in the cold wind. I kept having to ask anyone with a wand to redo my heating charm. It was freezing even though Victoire's flushed red cheeks would tell you different. I had Scorpius' scarf wrapped around my neck again, I put it on after the ceremony no one suspected a thing except Lily who just smiled and laughed at the sight of it. I shifted in my dress again trying to find a comfortable sitting position. My feet ached in my heels. The heels were small in height (Lily complained a lot about that) and the front was pointed. It could leave a nasty bruise if I kicked someone with the point of my shoe but other than that it was bruising my feet.
I was alone because my only company, Lily, had run off to the other side of the dancefloor to talk to some 'hot quidditch players'. I couldn't care less about stalking quidditch players I had Scorpius to think about. In times like that, I liked to think and imagine he was already my boyfriend.
I glanced across to see how Lily was doing on her mission. She was twisting a strand of her hair around her finger talking to a youngish looking guy who had one eyebrow cocked in confusion. Scorpius was funny, smart and just about the right combination of everything else. I doubted anyone else in the world could be as great as Scorpius was.
Christmas was brilliant. Jane gave me a new set of purple quills and Abby gave me a magic eraser that tastes like ice cream if you lick it. When I opened Abby's gift Pumpkin sneakily ate it before I could even try it. Pumpkin, of course, got cat treats from everyone.
But I spent most of Christmas sitting in my room pretending to be busy waiting for Andrew. Andrew didn't show up until late in the evening on boxing day with a short letter from Scorpius. Hearing that he wanted to meet on the Hogwarts Express more than made up for all the waiting. I was worried that he somehow hated me after I sent him the Christmas present but I hoped that wanting to meet me on the Hogwarts Express meant the exact opposite.
I shuddered, the heating charm had run out. I got up and wrapped my arms around my chest trying to keep in all my body heat. Mom, dad and a couple of other people were taking a break and chatting at a table on the other side of the room. I shuffled in my shoes as fast as I could towards them.
Mom smiled at me as I approached finishing what she was saying in her important serious ministry voice,
"Anderson, the centaurs are not in the Forbidden Forest against their will. I have negotiated with them, several times before. They're intelligent and have morals, doing what you're suggesting would be cruel beyond measure. Yes, Rose?"
My teeth started chattering, "Can you do another charm?"
"Sure," Mom said whipping out her wand.
Uncle Harry and dad were at the table too along with a couple of minstry men I didn't recognise. Their robes were ridiculously expensive looking and tan in colour all matching each other. One of then directly across from mom frowned at me and I didn't miss it. I frowned right back at him as he nudged the man beside him.
"There you go." Mom said putting her wand away. I had been so distracted by the man I didn't even notice the heat filling me up.
"What was that, Biggs?" Uncle Harry asked taking another sip of his fire whiskey. The men had said something quietly.
"Oh," He said waving his hand dismissively. "I think I might be mistaken. Your daughter, Mr and Mrs Weasley, looks very familiar."
Dad laughed, "Yeah, she looks familiar she's my daughter after all. We're famous if you haven't noticed, Biggs."
"That's not what I meant." He replied. "It's funny, I thought I saw your daughter on her Hogsmeade trip. Thinking about it now it was probably not her. How many students do they have at Hogwarts? About a thousand?"
My heart jumped into my throat and I almost choked on it. The entire trip to Hogsmeade flashed before my eyes. I gripped the back of mom's chair for support looking to the ground with narrowed eyes.
He continued and added with a nervous laugh, "Don't take any offence by this, Mr and Mrs Weasley, I thought I saw her… well, I saw a red headed girl with Malfoy's son in Hogshead."
For Merlin sake! It clicked. The people that had walked into the pub in expensive ministry robes. We had paid them barely a second of attention but they seemed to have given us more.
There was a silence, it felt like it lasted forever. What was he going to say next? The snowball fight, had he seen that? Me on top of Scorpius in the snow?
Then mom chuckled and everyone followed except me. My mouth was too dry to even open. It wasn't funny. I suppose the idea of Scorpius and I together was absurd to them but in that moment I felt like I radiated that I liked him more than anything they could laugh at.
Dad snorted, "What were you drinking out of in Hogshead? Rosie was on the other side of Hogsmeade in our shop with her Ravenclaw friends. Right, Rosie?"
I nodded trying to shuffle discreetly backwards in my heels as far away from the table as I could get. My plan of action was to find Lily and the buff guy and hide behind him. He was surely big enough.
Dad continued, "That poor girl, oh well, probably stupid."
"Ron," Mom hissed. "How about we talk about something else."
"Wearing his scarf and all. Couldn't stay five steps away from him and googly eying him constantly." Biggs said a hint of the fire whiskey in his voice.
I wanted to shout across at him to shut up. I clenched my jaw to make sure I didn't. Dad laughed a bitter laugh. I didn't wait any longer I took off as fast as my shoes could carry me across the dancefloor almost knocking into several dancing couples. I wondered if Scorpius and I would ever dance together. Which was a completely irrelevant thought.
Nothing more was said of Biggs' comments and remarks at the wedding reception, at least as far as I had heard. I spent the rest of the night with Lily. I stood with her while she chatted to the 'hot quidditch player' who's eyes desperately darted for the exits in the tent until he was saved by Teddy. Lily sighed only for a second before dragging me onto the dancefloor to dance to some loud Weird Sisters' song. It felt like the table of adults were staring at me but every time I glanced in their direction they were in conversation.
I didn't return to get a new heating charm instead I kept warm by jumping and twirling around with Lily in the centre of dancefloor under a fairy lights chandelier covered in holly.
It wasn't the type of dancing I wanted to do with Scorpius. When I thought of dancing with him I thought of slow movements, like a waltz. Surprisingly, I had never waltzed before in my life. I didn't have anyone to waltz with until now. An occasional spin and standing close to him with my hand in his was where I wanted to spend eternity. Nothing could go wrong with that.
"Biggs is a complete git."
I peered down from my well-hidden spot behind the bannister of the stairs to see the top of dad's ginger balding head pacing around the sitting room. Mom wasn't in sight. My extendable ear set sat unused in my lap when dad spoke there was no need for extendable ears but I brought them with me just in case.
"Ron, you've said that about twenty times by now. He apologised, it was a joke. Rose didn't care about it when I asked her. Stop getting your wand in a knot about it. He's a git if you mean his views on centaur management."
"But what if, on the off chance, let's say it was her."
"You're paranoid and had too much to drink."
"What if that Malfoy is after taking advantage of her. Rose is a friendly, pretty girl and my daughter so it would only make sense-"
"Be quiet, Rose and Hugo will hear you!"
My eyesbrows furrowed so much that I could see the red hairs at the top part of my vision. My hands fisted, he didn't even know Scorpius. I knew with all my heart that Scorpius would never to that to me. He never would've studied, walked around the castle, eaten sweets and had snowball fights with me if that was his intention.
I wanted to get up, go back to bed and erased the whole thing from my mind. I sneaked to listen to their conversation because I was worried that they somehow knew about Scorpius but after that, I knew they had entirely the wrong idea.
Dad sighed, a painful, exhausted sigh before muttering,
"Malfoy."
"I think it's about time we went to bed. I have a busy day tomorrow."
"Rose is smart, isn't she? She's not going to get herself mixed up with that prick."
"For heaven's sake, Ron." Mom hissed losing all her patients. "She doesn't even speak to him at school. Can we please forget about it and go to bed."
"Fine," Dad said clapping his hands together. "For now at least. I'll give Biggs something to gossip about next time I see him."
Even though I couldn't see mom I could feel her roll her eyes.
"Yeah, sure you will."
Then the lights in the living room went off and the sound of footsteps started.
I jumped up and as light-footed as I could manage climbed the stairs, slipped through my door and rolled back under my blankets.
One thing was for sure, I couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts and onto the Hogwarts Express with Scorpius.
Author's Note: A short chapter but the end to the Christmas holiday section. Next chapter we'll be on our way to Hogwarts!
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