The cameras flashed violently I put my hand up to shield my eyes. The Hogwarts Express was right in front of me, I could see it's shiny red glow. I would be on that train in a second if the ten journalists surrounding me would let me move more than an inch.
"Lily!" they shouted.
"Rose!" I snapped back. "Clear off I'm not a Potter-"
"What does it like feel to be at the centre of a wizard-wide scandal!?"
"Where's Harry?!"
"Are you scared?!"
"Is this the end of the Golden Trio?!"
"What are you hiding-"
The last question (I had no intention of answering) was cut off by a scream.
"BACK OFF!" An arm violently linked mine. Abby. Who the hell else would go mad for me?
"State your name!"
She waved her free hand at the journalists and instead of saying her name she declared. "I have dragon pox and I'm not afraid to use it."
"Rose-"
"I will infect you all!" Abby reached for the photographer in front of us. I couldn't help but laugh. The flashing continued but the journalists took a good two steps back. "Thank you!" Abby chimed. She waved grandly as I led the way onto the Hogwarts Express. "We'll be back next midterm save your questions for then when I get a second dragon pox attack."
The train door shut behind Abby. I squealed and hugged her.
"Thank you!" I released her. "You saved me from being suffocated."
"No big deal," Abby shrugged. "All in a day's work. Maybe it'll be a Twitter moment-"
"A what?"
"Oh, I should've given them my name and twitter handle. I could be the next poster child for dragon pox." Abby smiled. "This is great."
"Yeah, Harry Potter is missing." I frowned.
"Yeah, but not dead." Abby grinned, completely missing the point. "Anyway, Scorpius and Kenny are saving a compartment for us, scaring off the slimy first years."
"Hey, we were once slimy first years."
Abby pressed her lips together and started walking. "Yeah, but we had more style and our slime was strawberry flavoured, let's be real."
"I'm glad to be back." I beamed.
"Me too. Scorp promised a storytime once you came aboard." Abby was practically skipping now. "I haven't heard anything cool and interesting since third year. I need to recover from a summer of Kenny's 'book' stories. I got him to tell me them at night. They send me to sleep."
"Ohhh," I teased. "Romance. He did get a muggle phone for you."
Abby shook her head. "No, his stories are just extremely boring and I peer pressured him into buying that phone… And here we are, home sweet home." The blinds on the other side compartment door were shut. Abby did a secret sounding knock and Scorpius opened the door.
"Hi, Rosie." He greeted.
"I saved her!" Abby sang, moving past Scorpius. "Kenny, move over! Your Kardashian ass is taking up two seats."
I kissed Scorpius quickly, catching him off guard. I hadn't seen him since the dinner at Malfoy Manor and it was hurting my insides.
Abby gagged.
"My arse is normal sized," Kenny said deadpanned and unmoving.
Scorpius and I sat across from them. I threw my legs on top of Scorpius, he gave me another long, lingering kiss and Abby gagged some more.
"Can you stop? I'm bringing up stomach lining. We want the story."
"You want the story," Kenny interjected. "It's none of my business. I just want to read my book."
I pulled at the collar of my non-Weasley jumper. That story. The one where we were attacked by death eaters and I neglected to tell my best friend because my boyfriend's father had forbidden it and the owl could've been intercepted?
I pressed my lips together.
Scorpius grinned like he was reading my thoughts. "Go on, Rosie. You tell it."
"No, Scorpius, I'm tired." I pretended to let my eyes droop. "And you're so good at it."
"I'm really not when I had to tell it hundred and one times." Scorpius pulled a face. "Father keeps getting me to repeat it-"
"Is this about your relationship?" Abby scooted forward. "Scandal? Are you in an arranged married, Scorp? Or has a muscular werewolf created a triangle with Bella- I mean Rose."
"Please stop with muggle references," Scorpius sighed. "I don't understand any of it and it's annoying."
"Oh, it's the stuff of legend. Teenage girl falls in love with a one hundred year old vampire that looks a lot like Cedric Diggory from the final Triwizard Tournament. I know what you're thinking but it's not pervy because muggles are innocent ignorant beings to the magical world."
"Is this set in Knockturn Alley?" Scorpius leaned forward suddenly intrigued.
"In an American school."
"He's a teacher?"
"Student. Who thinks she smells disgusting-"
I burst out. "Scorpius and I were attacked by death eaters." There was not a chance in hell was going to listen to Abby recite that story again.
Abby gasped. Kenny did nothing. And Scorpius sat back, looking somewhat pleased with himself.
"You cannot tell anyone."
"You have to tell everyone. That's bad-ass. Think of all the shiny medals and free stuff you could get us!"
"No!" I said sternly. "This is one of the reasons why I didn't write to you about it in the first place."
"Details!" Abby shrieked. Kenny winced.
"Scorpius?"
"Rose?"
"Scorpie, come on?"
"Rosie, if I do this now you can tell my father the next time he wants to hear it."
I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Fine."
When I had finished the tale, my mouth felt dry. Abby's eyes were shining with interest.
"Thank God you are alive." Abby pressed a hand to her mouth. She then slumped back in her seat. "Hogwarts, the train suddenly doesn't feel… magical. The wizarding world isn't Disneyland. God damn, we're one person too much for the Golden Trio." She looked pointedly at Kenny.
Kenny didn't return her look instead, he flipped to the next page in his book. He commented. "Things aren't perfectly fine in the muggle world either." He spoke for the first time since he asked me and Scorpius what the death eaters looked like and what the bangs from the duel sounded like. He was less excitable than Abby- thank Merlin. I didn't think I was cut out to be an exciting hero all I wanted to do was pass my OWLs and get a job at the ministry or Gringotts.
Abby coughed. "'Aren't perfectly fine.' Doomsday. Those muggle newspapers my dad lent you don't tell half the story."
"A lot like the Daily Prophet," Scorpius inputted. "I heard."
"They shouldn't be saying those things about your families." Kenny's eyes darted between me and Scorpius. "It's cruel."
"That's the point of a scandal," Abby said, with a smile. "The wizarding world loves a soap opera. Like the muggle world likes to connect politicians losing their memories to the latest model falling off the runway. Kenny, put your newspapers away living in it is a different story." Abby crossed her arms.
"Abby!" I rolled my eyes. "For Merlin's sake, since Uncle Harry's disappearance, it's been every man for himself."
Abby and Kenny weren't listening they were too busy arguing about what was actually dangerous and what was fake.
"Well, you are not my only muggle connection," Kenny frowned. "Sam and-"
"Next it will be the animal kingdom!" Abby threw her hands up. "Then the robots!"
Scorpius sighed, irritated next to me. "Want to go for a walk?"
"Not a question you needed to ask."
"Maybe I should've gone with my cousins on the nightbus." I said my annoyed tone only half fake.
I watched the green scenery outside whizz past the train. We were standing in the corridor, me looking out at the scenery with my back against the wall dividing the compartments and Scorpius with his back pressed against the window watching me, his hands in the pockets of his robes.
"I'm just too attractive," Scorpius smirked. "I can't help it."
"It's the green cloak," I pulled a face, teasing him. "Turning me off. It's not too late to floo off the train. I'm sure there's a fireplace around here somewhere-"
"Poor, Rosie. I looked into my crystal ball this morning, if you leave this train you'll have to wrestle a troll."
"No wrestling I'll just use the leg locker."
"A big, brute of a troll who is immune to magic."
"A potion then."
"That too," Scorpius said.
"I'll just send Abby after the troll." I smiled and sighed.
"What were you expecting from Abby and Kenny?" Scorpius raising his eyebrows. "It was either political problems or duelling for them."
"I was expecting things to be different."
"Different?"
"Normal. Boring normal. Us sitting around playing wizard's chess, eating Bertie Bott's and telling really crap jokes."
"My jokes are not crap."
"Better than discussing the destruction of the wizarding world."
"Rosie..."
"Apparent destruction." I held up my hands.
The corridor of the train was loud, filled with blaring music, shrieks of laughter and first years running around the place. We could've declared anything and no one would've heard us. It was giving me a headache.
"I'm not very focused on our 'apparent' ultimate destruction today. My parents are being called in by the Aurors again," Scorpius said and cleared his throat like something was stuck there.
My eyes went wide with concern.
"A fourth hearing," I stated.
"And counting," Scorpius added darkly. "And how many raids, Rosie?"
"Eight."
"Seven," Scorpius corrected. "I don't count the one where they didn't make it to the door because a loyal peacock attacked them."
My lips twitched.
"It's okay you can smile." Scorpius grinned at me. "You're prettier when you smile."
I frowned mockingly.
Scorpius added. "Only said it because you look like there's a bloody funeral-"
"Don't!" I held up my hands. "Uncle Harry," I hissed. "Don't jinx it."
Scorpius didn't flinch. "And you said Divination was a load of crap."
A small firework shot between us and exploded with a loud bang up the corridor into a massive W. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Scorpius raised an eyebrow, looking superior and I knew what he was going to say before the words left his mouth. "Oh, look a sign, Rosie, to go along with my jinx. Should we huddle up in a ball and wait for death now?"
I snorted. "No, I can't yet I'm too busy worrying about you getting a summons to the ministry."
Scorpius tilted his head back. "The department is too busy trying to get Grandmother down to the ministry for an interview. We can't prove Grandmother is senile," Scorpius winced at the word. "Somewhere between senile and mentally ill. She's in no way fit for interrogation."
"That's disgusting."
"Tell it to the Auror coming this way." Scorpius glared ahead of us.
Bones, a member of the Order of the Phoenix and a field Auror, was headed our way. He was slowly pushing through a group of Hufflepuff second years, his wand out and his expression dead serious. I pressed my lips together. I knew him- but then again I knew almost every Auror thanks to the Golden Trio parties/feasts we used to have. That was back when the days were brighter and the nights were longer. The firewhiskey was for special occasions not a pastime for my dad. My mum was still basking in the glory of her latest promotion and there were several more ladders in the ministry waiting for her to climb.
"Ronald and Hermione Weasley's daughter," Bones grabbed my hand and shook it, snapping me out of my thoughts. I went red, as I usually did when Golden Trio stuff appeared when Scorpius was around. Scorpius narrowed his eyes at the Auror snapping into stranger danger mode. "Rose Weasley, it's an absolute honour to guard the train while you are on it."
"Thanks," I said, quickly taking my hand back.
"No need to fear." He smiled flashing his gapped teeth. "But I will advise you to stay away from the windows. Glass is a dangerous weapon. I see your Grandparents got my letter about how safe the Hogwarts Express will be with me on it."
I made a humming noise and nodded. I wondered whether to introduce him to Scorpius. Some dark, desperate for a laugh part of me thought it would be funny to see him squirm at the Malfoy name.
"Where are your other cousins, the Potters specifically?"
I wanted to frown like a two year old because I was childish and the 'hate being second' gene I inherited from Dad was acting up. I couldn't stop myself from saying, "I'm the only one in my family on the train. Not because of your services but because I wanted to spend some time with my boyfriend," Bones frowned, I added. "He's behind you."
Bones turned to him. His eyebrows raised clearly recognising who Scorpius was or who popular opinion thought he looked like.
"Very funny. You have your father's humour I see."
"She's not joking." Scorpius inputted. "I know she looks young but she's old enough to have a boyfriend."
I put a hand to my mouth, muffling a laugh.
"Right then," Bones said. "Safe journey, Ms Weasley- ah, almost forgot, my condolences. Your uncle was a great man-"
"He's not dead." Scorpius snapped. "For Merlin's sake leave her alone."
Bones looked stunned. "Ah, right, he isn't." Then he turned fully to Scorpius, adjusting his dragon skinned waistcoat. "You'd do well to watch that mouth of yours, Malfoy."
Scorpius blinked, looking confused. "Malfoy? Do you mean the evil Slytherin guy in our year? I'm Muggleborn."
Colour flushed across Bones cheeks. "Oh, you just look exactly like…" Bones cleared his throat. "Good day to you both then." He hurried down the corridor his strides long and quick.
"Like who, Rosie? Who do I look like?" Scorpius faked panic.
I giggled unable to control myself. "That very evil Slytherin Scorpius Malfoy. I personally know him though. He has a soft side, he's a big teddy bear really." Scorpius came over to my side of the corridor. His back shielded us from everyone else. He kissed me with force. I brought my hand up, my fingers brushing against his cheekbone.
"We handled that well."
"What do you mean we?" Scorpius smirked. "I had all the good lines."
"Well, Scorpie, I introduced you as my boyfriend." I beamed. "Maybe I'm tired of playing hide and seek constantly."
"Finally."
I trailed my finger behind his ear and down his neck making his skin goosepimpled to my absolute delight. It never got old. I could make him react like that.
1-2-3 pull!
Not working.
I cursed. Great. The sixteenth time was not the charm. Breathing in or not breathing at all wasn't the charm either.
Was I getting fat? No.
Had puberty ripped me up inside and made my hips gigantic for some reason? Yes.
Was my skirt already a size too small last year? Yes.
I winced giving the grey itchy fabric one last tug.
"Nope, not giving."
Who spent two hours in Flourish and Blotts instead of Madam Malkin's?
And who's fault was it? Mine.
I was stupid to think Mum would've had that covered, especially at a time like this. I frowned. What was I going to do?
Oh! And did I know any clothes charm? No. Just an extendable charm that did nothing to the stiff fabric of my skirt.
I couldn't go skirtless and I definitely couldn't owl Grandma Molly. I winced thinking back to her reaction when I asked for clean clothes. I pulled off the skirt entirely and replaced it with my pants. I hadn't put on the rest of my uniform yet. I gathered everything into a ball. I tried to keep it together because there was a solution for everything but the first solution I thought of made my cheeks go red: Get Scorpius.
Maybe he knew clothing charms (probably not) but his upper body strength could surely get me into the skirt. I stepped out of the cubicle and stopped dead. I tried to reason with myself, Abby was the obvious choice for this task, Kenny's wand abilities were the second obvious choice and Scorpius' smirk and upper body strength was the third choice or the choice after asking Bones the Auror or any other girl on the train.
But still… I wanted Scorpius. Thinking about asking Abby or Kenny to help made me feel nervous and embarrassed but asking Scorpius... it made my cheeks red but for a different reason. He somehow felt like the safer option. I could guarantee he wouldn't laugh at me or pull a serious 'oh, this is hopeless and going to hell' face.
He had seen it all before. Suddenly I was out of the bathroom and in front of Scorpius. He was leaning against a window outside the bathrooms re-tying his Slytherin tie.
"New uniform?" he looked up from his tie.
"No," I pushed my hair back from my cheeks. It was unbearably hot. "I need help."
Scorpius eyes brightened like I had just offered him a box of Bertie Bott's. "Rosie, are you flirting with me? You can just say it straight out I won't think you're shallow."
I held my bundle of school clothes close to my chest. "My skirt is at least three sizes too small," I said bluntly. "Did that sound sexy?"
Scorpius cocked his head. "Kind of… yeah, it actually did. What do you need me to do?"
"Follow me," I said nervously, glancing over my shoulder to see if anyone was coming or watching. I marched into the girl's bathroom, Scorpius hesitantly followed behind. We stuffed ourselves into a cubicle.
"Thank Merlin, no one's in here." I sighed.
"The bathrooms on the other side of the train are much nicer," Scorpius remarked, picking up my skirt and pulling at it experimentally. "You are this size." Scorpius laughed.
"Was that sarcastic?"
"No, seriously, you are tiny."
I rolled my eyes. "We'll see.
"Did you remember to open the zipper?" Scorpius asked, still not believing me.
"Yes, I tried everything I could on my own," I said, ignoring the fact I should've taken off my pants by now. I really didn't think this through. It was so much warmer and nicer in my head.
"If you mentioned this earlier, I wouldn't have put on my own uniform." He murmured, getting all up in my personal space. He kissed me, his arm on my back pulling up my t-shirt. His fingers brushed against my bare back.
"This is serious. And by serious I mean we could kiss passionately when my uniform is on." I broke away from him. "Don't laugh-"
"What's there to laugh about?" Scorpius played it cool but I could see red spots of colour forming on his cheeks.
"My butt is not fitting into my skirt." I half snapped.
Scorpius snorted with laughter but quickly recovered.
I crossed my arms and gave him a look.
"Sorry, you said butt," Scorpius said. "It's not a word you use often."
I rolled my eyes. "Turn around you immature wizard."
"I've seen it before. And I'll clearly be seeing it up close in a second."
"I'm nervous," I admitted.
Scorpius' eyes softened. "Want me to do it?"
"Merlin, Scorpie!"
"Just like hitting a bludger," Scorpius said as I took off my shoes. "Easy and quick- you couldn't be any redder."
I don't know what exactly made me say fine- maybe it was because my hands felt like jelly and in no way capable of undoing the button. But the next thing I knew Scorpius was hunched over, my hands gripping onto his back to steady myself.
"You're shaking-"
"I'm not." I retorted.
"I promise not to pull down your underwear with it-"
"Shut up!" I was tempted kneed him where I knew it would hurt the most. Then I calmed down when I felt the button come loose. "Your hands are sweaty," I commented.
"Thank you, I know that," Scorpius said, going for the zipper now. "Anything else to add?"
"I can see your ears are as red as my hair." I exhaled.
"Well, Rosie, you're making it uncomfortable for everyone by not trusting me," Scorpius said. "If I was going to try anything or say anything my own private bedroom would've been the obvious place to be inappropriate."
"You were the first person I thought of." I continued. Talking helped. "Even though Abby was the obvious choice. I still wanted you to do it." I could feel him rolling down my pants painfully slowly. For Merlin's sake. "I feel most comfortable with you."
I could feel Scorpius' eyelashes against my leg as he pulled the pants free of my feet.
"Scorpie, please say something."
"Your… knickers have butterflies on them. That's… nice."
"Thanks?" I said my face heating up again. I noticed that he hadn't put a finger on my newly bare skin. "You can touch me," I said hesitantly. In my head that sounded fine, out loud that phrased seemed to echo through the bathroom and make my insides squirm. "I mean-"
"I know what you mean." I could suddenly feel Scorpius tapping my knee-
"What in Merlin's name are you doing?"
"Counting your freckles." He said like it was obvious.
I shut my eyes unsure of whether to laugh or just smile.
"Twenty-one, twenty-two-"
"You can count them after the skirt is on me. I don't have many freckles passed my skirt anyway."
"As I can see," he replied. I pushed him playfully. "Take five seconds anyway." Scorpius held out my skirt for me to step into. He then slowly pulled it up, his fingers brushing against my skin standing up with it until- snag.
I cursed, not for the first time. "I told you so," I smirked. I really had nothing to gain from it though. Scorpius tugged it again, again and again, making no progress.
"Why didn't you get a new one?" he asked first.
I smiled nervously because I knew how he was going to react. "I forgot and stupidly thought my mum had done it when she bought my trunk to the Burrow."
"Rosie…" Scorpius groaned.
"I know." I groaned back.
"You should've just asked my mother," he surprised me. "She would've have gotten you a freaking tailor fitted skirt- you could've even borrowed a skirt from her, she still has her Hogwarts uniform somewhere."
"No offence, Scorpius, but your mum is Witch Weekly cover material so I don't think borrowing without destroying would work." Scorpius gave the fabric another tugged- too gently in my opinion.
"You are short and curvy not huge." Scorpius reminded me. "Are you breathing in?"
"Yes!"
"Are you bloated?"
"What? No! Do I look bloated to you?"
"No, but I had to ask," Scorpius said. "Did you eat anything before this-"
"Let's see, Scorpius, the feast we always have on the train."
Scorpius tugged again. "I remember your skirt being tight but not this tight."
"You're not pulling hard enough," I whined.
"What size is this?" Scorpius muttered. I nervously jumped from foot to foot as he went to the tag or where the tag was. "Extra small. Rosie…" he groaned again. "You are a medium!"
"Don't you think I know that! Pull!"
After about five minutes of unsuccessful tugging. Scorpius had decided enough was enough and pushed in my extra- personal- flesh and slowly but surely the skirt was barely on my hips.
"There!" Scorpius gave it one last pull and rip- he cursed.
"I can fix rips."
"You'll be fixing them all night, Rosie," Scorpius said. I pushed him playfully again, my skirt uncomfortably tight around me.
"I'll write to my parents now."
"Not right now," Scorpius said his voice husky again as he straightened up.
I smirked catching onto his game. "Thank you, Scorpie, my hero." I wrapped my arms around him daintily.
"You digging your nails into my back and yelling at me to pull really helped." Scorpius kissed my cheek. "You can see my underwear now if you like." His breath tickled my ear.
"Okay- no." I corrected myself. Colour shot back into my face. What was my problem?
Scorpius was already unbuttoning his own trousers. "I heard an okay." He beamed, looking far too happy with himself. I glanced quickly at his blue boxers then back at my feet.
"Thank you, Scorpie. That was completely necessary. I'll bank it away for my dreams."
Scorpius kissed me. "You know what I'm going to be thinking about during the feast tonight."
I kissed him back. "Depends if we ever leave this toilet."
