All through Defense Against the Dark Arts I tapped my foot impatiently and stared up at the clock counting down the minutes until I could see Scorpius again. I was supposed to be practising Protego with Abby but Scorpius was much more interesting to think about.
"HIT ME, ROSE!" Abby screamed at me again.
A Hufflepuff girl standing nearby winced and clapped her hands over her ears.
"Miss Sliver, stop that this instance. This is a classroom, not a jungle. You are a witch, not a monkey." Professor Crespley snarled. "Five points from Ravenclaw."
"Asshole," Abby whispered and then hissed across at me. "Hit me, Rose!"
I sighed, taking a break from wondering what exact shade of silver Scorpius' eyes was, I cast Stupefy at Abby.
"PROTEGOOOO," Abby yelled out with great gusto. An invisible barrier formed a shield around her and the spell bounced off it right back at me. I jumped aside at the last second before it could hit me. Merlin, thinking about Scorpius was becoming dangerous.
An invisible barrier formed a shield around her and the spell bounced off it right back at me. I jumped aside at the last second before it could hit me. Merlin, thinking about Scorpius was becoming dangerous.
"Yes!" Abby cheered doing one of her embarrassing but enchanting victory dances. "Take that old Crespley. P!" She made a motion in the shape of a P with her body.
"R… O…T…E…G…O… what's that spell? Not potato! Protego!"
It was entertaining the first time but by the tenth, it was exhausting to watch.
Professor Crepsley marched over to us.
"Do that again and I shall deduct 50 points."
All the Ravenclaws moaned in sync.
"The quidditch pitch is on the other side of the grounds, Miss Sliver. Miss Weasley, focus! You're wasting time."
I stared at the clock more intensely. Yeah, Professor, I'm wasting time by not being with Scorpius.
"Abby, can we stop now? I think you've practised the spell more than enough." I said once Professor Crepsley's shadow was away looming over someone else.
Abby dusted off her hands on her robes and hesitantly nodded. We leant against the far wall out of Professor Crepsley's view and watched everyone practising.
I had hoped to go back into my dream state in peace but two seconds later Abby started laughing.
"Rose, look at Janic." Abby pointed at the couple nearby practising the jinx. "Listen."
Eric lifted up his wand, hesitantly pointed it at Jane and said, "Sorry, Jane." Before casting the freezing charm. Jane, of course, blocked the spell easily. Then she did something I had never seen or heard her do before. "Sorry," she called as the spell rushed back at him. I was caught between staring mouth open at them or going back to my Scorpius thoughts. Abby continued laughing, she tried to get Kenny's attention across the room to show him.
I didn't need to choose my brain was already there. If that was Scorpius and me it would've been a completely different scene to look at. Firstly, we both would be on the floor laughing about something as usual. And secondly, there would be no apologies, but I would aim over his shoulder instead of directly at him.
Wait, wait, wait… were Scorpius and I a couple. The thought sparked electricity through my body, all the way down to my toes. WAS I HIS girlfriend?
Why didn't I think of that earlier! It was such an obvious question.
"I've been completely put off boys if they all behave like that around girls." Abby thought out loud to me. "It's too much work. I don't have patience for sappiness. Get to the point and buy me a box of sweets, that's what I say."
"They're not all like that," I said before I could stop myself.
Abby raised an eyebrow at me and grinned, "So you and your lover-"
I gagged, not that word again.
"Aren't like Barbie and Ken over there."
I shrugged, "I have no clue what you're on about."
And for once, the bell was on my side. It rang signalling the start of the next period. Which meant the end of double defence and the start of lunch. Thank Merlin!
Abby huffed at the sound and groaned, "I have to go and hand in the essay I forgot to do for Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid isn't as cool as he used to be."
"Abby," I defended Hagrid's coolness. "He gave you like ten extensions on that. Most teachers," I glanced at Professor Crepsley. "Would reduct points and give you detention."
"I still don't want to walk all the way down there. The stairs are bad enough."
I grabbed my bag and headed to the door with Scorpius on my mind.
"Owl it."
"He said he wanted to see me in person."
"Good luck." was all I could say. I couldn't restrain myself any longer, I hurried out the door.
I was speed walking so fast to the Great Hall I almost completely missed the guy I couldn't stop thinking about. At first, I thought the hand grabbing onto my hand was the work of my overactive imagination. But I couldn't mistake the warmth and grip of the hand for fiction. I froze on the spot allowing him to turn me around to face him. I wanted to squeal and yell out a hundred different things at him but all I could do was stare. My mouth wouldn't work, all I could do was squeeze his hand back. I thought now that things were different these freezes would be completely gone, that I would be cool, confident Rose Weasley.
I was still going to need to work on that. He squeezed my hand back reassuring. He still liked me and yesterday hadn't been forgotten about that's what his grip told me.
"Say something!" he said shaking my hand. His brow furrowed worriedly.
"I just want to hold your hand," I said weakly looking at our entangled hands. My voice bounced off the stone walls of the empty corridor. Only the knights standing guard in between the windows were there to watch and listen.
All the burning questions I had were washed away. I really just wanted to hold his hand forever. His hands were perfect. I was never big into hand holding with anyone but Scorpius wasn't just anyone. His hand sparked something deep in my hands. Something unusual and mind numbingly hard to explain but I didn't want it to stop.
I heard voices around the corner of the corridor. Laughter echoed towards us. Scorpius didn't let go of my hand in response to this instead he said to me quietly so only I could have a chance at hearing,
"Let's go for a walk outside." And with that, he led me by the hand up the corridor before anyone could see us.
And with that, he led me by the hand up the corridor before anyone could see us.
Giggles rose in my throat as we went through a few more corridors, down a set of hidden stairs and then out a back door onto the grounds. The snow was a thin blanket on the grass, pointy green blades poked through it. The sky overhead was grey. Not the soft, endless grey of Scorpius' eyes, it was a gloomy grey.
Scorpius cleared his throat, "I was expecting more snow."
Queue flirting.
"What?" I said giving him a playful shove. "So you can shove more snow down my robes?"
"Rosie, you can see right through me," he said smirking.
Before I could react he kneeled down and gathered some snow in his fist. He reached out to grab me, gently, and I ran.
Merlin, it felt good to run again. His legs were longer than mine so just as I had thought I had gotten away he caught up with me and tackled me to the ground. It was Hogsmeade all over again except this time with more feelings.
I laughed and he laughed with me. I hugged him burying my head into the crook of his neck on the snowy ground. It was million times warmer than getting a fist full of snow down my robes and a sneaky way to distract him. Well, it would've worked as a distraction if I hadn't been so caught up in the hug myself.
"You're wearing my perfume." He said his breath tickling my neck.
"You didn't notice that yesterday."
"I did. I didn't want to ruin the moment."
"You couldn't have. I want to tell you something." I said sitting back from him.
We had ended up near the Black Lake surrounded by trees. The snow was thicker, I could see the thawing out Black Lake over Scorpius' shoulder.
I reached up and started to twist a strand of hair around my finger. I was getting giggly again. I knew a part of me might regret telling him later but the madly head-over-heels part of me wanted to spill every one of my secrets to him. And this was a big one.
"Is it bad?" he asked not in a flirtatious way but in a concerned way.
"Maybe creepy. Depending on how you see it." I said and I burst out laughing. "It's really embarrassing so don't laugh."
He grinned and scooted closer to me wrapping his arm around my shoulders.
"I will laugh. I suppose since we're -you know- I have to try not to."
"You know Amortentia, love potion-"
"You haven't drugged me have you?"
"No! I haven't." I exclaimed. "Before I met you at Hogsmeade Jane and I were looking at them. And we… smelled them. Guess what I smelled."
"Your cat." he grinned.
I laughed nervously. Merlin, maybe I should stop. Maybe it wasn't as serious as I thought it was. Maybe it was a game to him or something.
He was waiting expectedly for me to reply.
"Your books," he said filling in the silence. "Parchment."
I was in too deep. Merlin, the tension was killing me.
"The boy I like."
I could feel Scorpius sit up straight beside me.
"What?" he said in complete disbelief.
My face glowed red.
"Say it again."
"Scorpius, you heard it," I said firmly.
I wasn't going to say it again. Yesterday on the train was emotionally exhausting but this was on an even bigger level. I realised I had told Scorpius I loved him. Talk about moving fast. Not only had I told him I loved him but I had revealed the most powerful love potion in the freaking world is there to back up my claim.
He didn't take his arm away and put distance between us. Maybe I wasn't too clingy.
"I'm serious. I'm not sure if I heard it right. Merlin, you're awkward, Rosie."
I tried to stand up and get angry at him but his arm weighed me down.
"I'm not awkward! I shouldn't have said anything it's stupid! I don't even know if I'm your girlfriend or if you're my boyfriend. We never went on a date. You never asked me and I didn't ask you. Am I suppose to ask you? Are we even together if you didn't even bloody kiss me!?"
That was about every one of my burning questions.
"I did," Scorpius said defensively. "Yesterday. Don't tell me it wasn't up to your high standards."
I scowled, "I meant on the lips."
Scorpius looked at me frustratedly, "You want a kiss! I'll give you a bloody kiss!"
He leant towards and I gave him a hard push in the chest away.
"No!" I protested. "I want one. But not when you're mad. And not when I'm mad. It's our first kiss, I don't want it to be more of a bite than an actual kiss."
"Sorry," he muttered dropping his arm from around my shoulder. "You're doing my head in. It's hard because I can't tell what you're thinking or what you want. You have to say what you mean or I'll have to take up legilimency."
"No, I'm sorry. It's my fault." I said, look who was becoming Janic now. "Was that our first fight?"
I could feel tears forming in my eyes. Why was I so stupid?
Scorpius laughed at this, "No, Rosie, we've had like ten thousand fights way worse before this. No one's in the Hospital Wing vomiting slugs so I think we're fine."
I brightened up at this. He was farther away from me than usual. I reached out my hands and held his pulling him closer to me.
"You are my love potion," I said with a smile. Scorpius moved closer to me and used his free hand to wipe my cheeks. There were tears on them. I didn't know until I felt the wet smudges. "You're much too good for me," I said smiling sadly, he was. The few times I had cried or almost cried in front of him he would usually look away and try to change the subject fast.
Scorpius shook his head, "I'm a Malfoy, pureblood, Slytherin-"
"That's not what matters. I don't care about that." I said. "You were in the love potion, Scorpius. You, only you, no other guy!"
Scorpius' face was bright red and every time I said 'you' it got brighter.
"Really? You've been to Potions and you know what that usually means."
"Was that too much?"
"No. Unexpected but not too much." Scorpius grinned to himself. "Looks like I need to get my hands on some love potions."
"And we can try the Patronus charm." I joined in.
"Snakes all around," Scorpius said.
I raised an eyebrow, "Ugh, there's no way my Patronus is a snake. And who says it has to be your Patronus because you're in Slytherin. I think your Patronus is better than a snake maybe a hippogriff, phoenix or an owl."
Scorpius stroked my hair. My dad sometimes did that, but Scorpius was different. His gesture was softer and for some reason more adoring.
Scorpius paused for a second.
"What do I smell like?" he crinkled his nose and brought the sleeve of his robe to his nose.
I grinned at his expression, "Nice and clean."
That evening I was in the Ravenclaw common room finishing up some homework by the fire or at least trying to. Scorpius…. Scorpius… Scorpius was on my mind. I wrote his name down a couple of times by mistake and had to start my essay over again because the writing was so big and loopy.
At one point I wrote the word 'quidditch' which just proves I'm overdue for a trip to St Mungos.
I was so caught up in Hippogriffs and Scorpius that I didn't notice at first when Jane and her new friend sat down next to me until Jane delicately cleared her throat. I almost spilt my pot of ink all over my essay. I ruined it by smudging the ink with my arms in a desperate attempt to protect whatever I had written on it from my last few minutes of daydreaming.
"Hi," I said sounding too nervous to be considered casual.
I glanced over at Kenny in an armchair not far away. For once, he was paying attention to his surroundings. He did not look comfortable.
"Hello, Rose," Jane replied with a smile.
The other girl had taken a seat on the opposite side of Jane, she didn't respond, she was far too interested in her nails. A finely pointed manicure that I could only imagine took a lot of precise magic to do.
I didn't know what to say. I couldn't think of anything remotely intelligent to say. All I could do was thank Merlin Abby wasn't around, she would've known just what to say and it wouldn't have been polite.
"Where have you been? We haven't talked in like 10 years."
I scowled, 'like 10 years' that sounded nothing like Jane. She would've never used such a slang bubblegum choice of words.
Jane then laughed to herself, "We're sharing a dorm."
"Yeah, I've been busy." I peered over at the other girl who had now moved onto examining the fingernails on her right hand. "And it looks like you've been busy too."
Jane nodded, "I like to keep busy. Eric and I were just outside looking at the constellations. Lovely clear night for stargazing."
"Sure." I said even though there was nothing to be 'sure' about. It sounded better than 'okay' or 'cool'.
"Where's Abby?" Jane asked changing the subject.
I glanced over at Kenny who was trying to eavesdrop discreetly behind his book. He wasn't very convincing at it. I hadn't a clue where Abby was.
"I don't know. Probably up in the dorm."
Jane nodded again, looking at me up and down.
"Have I done something?" she asked.
"Nothing bad. It just feels like we're starting to become your second friends." I said quietly trying to be as polite about it as possible.
"Really? Friends aren't exclusive, Rose." Jane said, something tingling behind her stretched out smile.
"I know. I have other friends too," I said. Well, I did. Scorpius wasn't really a friend anymore. When Jane said 'exclusive' it made me feel like I was the one who was causing the problem. "It's the way you go about it that hurts."
Jane dropped the friendly smile.
"I didn't know you and Abby felt that way. Is it because of Kenny? He's a bit strange."
I snarled, that was mean.
"Kenny's brilliant," I snapped nodding towards him. He was rolling his eyes at Jane behind his book. She probably thought he was deaf.
"I'll make it up to you girls," Jane suggested smoothening out her skirt. "We're best friends we should be there for each other. I know guys, single guys in the year above."
I panicked,
"No, no, no. I'm perfectly happy living it up single."
Jane smiled, "Maybe we'll study sometime together. Or practise potions. How are the clubs going?"
Oh, yeah, the Herbology club and the Potions club. Jane rarely comes anymore. Abby's the star pupil in each club while I easily give it a miss to hang out with Scorpius. Which has turned into a habit.
"I've been busy," I said simply. "But there going fine."
"That's good, Rose," Jane said.
Then a cocky voice boomed across the common room,
"Jane! Come over here. I have something to show you."
Eric Longford, the annoying pig, of course.
Jane stood up and hurried over to him after telling me she'll see me later. Her friend who still refused to look anywhere but at her nails followed her.
"That was…" I said to Kenny lost for words and annoyed.
"Interesting." Kenny filled in the gap.
I shrugged and forgot about it until Abby quizzed Kenny and me on it later. Then I forgot about it again. I had much more 'interesting' things to think about which included Scorpius' face and Scorpius' smile.
