After the past few weeks of teenage turmoil and drama, Rose had never been so grateful to be mindlessly deflecting little balls of parchment Scorpius and Al were throwing at her head while she had her head in her books.
Scorpius had finally accepted Al's apology and the three of them were back to their usual antics by the time of midterms, putting Rose right at target for both of their incessant mocking.
"If you don't stop." Rose didn't look up from her notes."I'm gonna bind your testicles together."
There was a silence, and Rose glanced up, a tiny ball about two inches from her face, her cousin and Scorpius looking at her, horrified.
"Do you...Can you actually do that?" Albus half-whispered, horrified.
"Do you really want to find out?"
Apparently they didn't, because they stopped and went onto look at their own notes, leaving Rose to smile to herself.
"Do you always hum when you study?" Rose snapped up from her book looking up at Astoria and smiling sheepishly. She invited her to her office to follow her around with some consultations, but the day had been slow and Rose was left to (loudly) study while Astoria did paperwork.
"Sorry, Dr." She mumbled, blushing."I don't realize I'm doing it, I guess. Is it distracting?"
"Well, yes." Astoria was smiling at her when she said it."But I can tune it out. I think it's funny, I used to do the same thing."
"Used to?" Rose questioned, brow furrowing.
"Mm. I was always humming. Then, when I started at the Healing institute, I had this roommate. She was in the same program as me, and we never really spoke, which just about killed me seeing as I thought we were going to be best of friends. But we mainly just sat in silence, studying by ourselves. Well, she was silent. Then one day, she looks up at me, and I think she's just about to ask me to get dinner, when she, in the nastiest tone I ever heard, asked me to stop humming.
Rose scoffed, laughing slightly."What did you say?"
"Oh, I apologized and spent the rest of the day, alone, in the library, training my brain to not hum when I study." She smirked slightly, in a way that was eerily familiar."Though it didn't end up mattering because she would end up leaving the program a few months later."
Rose snickered slightly, curling up."What was the point of that?"
Astoria glanced up at the ceiling, eyebrows furrowing." Hm...To be true to yourself? That those who really care about you will always embrace you? That you probably should not choose at random who you room with?"
Rose threw her head back, laughing, rolling her eyes."Yeah? Are you sure about that?"
Astoria laughed, shaking her head." No. Be careful, it almost sounded like you were making a joke there."
She mock gasped, crossing her arms."Hey! I'm funny!"
"And pretty. And smart, apparently." She agreed, her tone changing. Rose blushed slightly, looking back at her books.
"Hm, not an appropriate thing to say to your assistant."
Astoria smirked."Then it's a good thing you're not being paid to help me." Rose met her with a stern look, and she pouted."Rose! I don't have a daughter. I mean, I love Scorpius to death, and he's comfortable enough with his feminine side that I don't feel like I've missed out on a lot but...I don't get to hear about any teenage gossip. It's cruel, really, for you to keep me from that."
Rose stared at her closely, then sighed, trying to suppress the warmth in her heart at the Astoria Greengrass Malfoy essentially calling her a daughter."You're evil, you know that?
She just grinned."There was a reason I was sorted into Slytherin. Let me hear it."
She rolled her eyes, putting her books down with a sigh."You couldn't be asking a worse person. I haven't been on a date since I was 13, and I think the boys in my year think I'm too stuck up to talk to me. That is, the ones who aren't, you know, complete morons." She shrugged. Astoria studied her.
"Right. So, there hasn't been anybody worth noting?" Rose blushed slightly, looking down.
"Well, I didn't say that." She mumbled.
"Ah! I knew it." She looked at her, smiling expectedly, and Rose pondered on when she became such an easy egg to crack.
"There is...was a boy. Named Dean. He was best friends with James-that's my older cousin, Al's brother- and we were...I don't know. Together? Sort of. Anyway, it's long over now, ancient history." She shook her head, picking her books back up.
"Hm. And there hasn't been anyone since him?" She asked, still watching her.
Suddenly, Rose was brought back to a dark classroom, Scorpius inches away from her. Her yelling at him shirtless, him laughing, and wrapping his arm around her. Late-night rounds accompanied by serious talks and shoulder bumpings.
Snapping out of it, she shook her head quickly."Um, no. There hasn't."
"Huh." Astoria shrugged."Maybe it's better, to be able to focus on your studies."
"Mm? Is that what you did?"
Rose was met with a laugh." Ha. No. I had a few Dean's as well. I was quite popular in school, particularly college." She smirked, looking so much and sounding so much like Scorpius Rose was having a really hard time not being brought back to that dark classroom.
"I think Scorpius would kill me if he heard me talking about...that with you."
"Can't really be much talking if you're not getting or doing any of that." Rose spluttered, and Astoria gasped."I have an idea! Let me set you up!"
Rose's face grew hot as she stuttered, shaking her head."With Scorpius? Why would you think that-"
"No, no, no." Astoria shook her head."I know better than that. He couldn't handle you not yet anyway. But Scorpius's cousin, Norbert, he's about your age. He's really sweet, maybe I'll have him meet us here for lunch sometime."
"Um, no offense Miss Malfoy, but I will stop doing your paperwork if you do that."
She pouted."You're no fun."
"Mm, well, then you definitely don't want me in the family." Astoria laughed and agreed, going back to her charts. Rose stared blankly at the page in front of her, thinking
What the fuck had she meant by 'not yet'?
Xx
Rose had made it back to the castle before dark, intent on trying to get to the library for a bit before she went to bed. She'd be forgoing dinner but it was nearing exam season and well, food could wait.
She was walking to the library, her head down and her mind wandering, when she felt herself bump into something.
Or rather someone. She looked up, ready to scoff at whoever she had walked into (was it her fault? Yes. did she care? no.) when she was met with Professor Carter's tall build.
"Oh, I'm sorry." Rose smiled politely and went to go around him, in a rush, when she felt an arm around her wrist.
"Miss Weasley! I was just looking for you." He smiled at her, and Rose was reminded of the many girls (herself included) who had gushed over that exact smile in hushed whispers during potions.
"Oh, um, you found me." She joked awkwardly, looking at him, confused.
"Come into my office?" He held the door to his classroom open and she obliged, confused.
She looked around the potions classroom, biting her lip. She had been the one to ask Professors something around a thousand times to stay with her after class (they only said yes about half the time), but she'd never been sought out like this before.
"How have you been doing this semester?"He leaned against the desk as he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rose smiled."Good, I think. Nothing note-worthy, but it's been okay."
He raised an eyebrow."I talk with your other professors, Miss Weasley. Most of them would consider six years of consecutive Outstanding would be noteworthy…"
"Not you, though, if you had to ask me how I was doing."
He chuckled."I suppose I just wanted to see your view on your own success."
"That's why you wanted to meet me about?"
"No, actually. You're one of my brightest students, and I have an opportunity to offer you." He indicated for her to sit and she obliged. "Before I was a professor, I spent my years after Hogwarts in the field, doing research. Did you know that?"
"Must've skipped that part in your biography. My apologies." She quipped, smiling. He smirked back.
"All's forgiven. As I was saying, I have been intending on getting back into research, as one of my old projects has found some funding, but I started it before I began teaching, so…"
"So?"
"I need an assistant." He said bluntly.
"An assistant?"
"You know, help me with my research, cut up ingredients, grade papers I can't get to…" He trailed off.
She stared at him for a few seconds, considering. In all honesty, between her normal enormous loads of work both in and out of school, she knew the smart thing to do would be to say no, but before she could…
"You should be doing more."
Astoria's words were an intrusive thought in her head, however, before she could stop herself, the words came out of her mouth and Professor Carter was shaking her hand and grinning and she found herself grinning as well because, well, it was sort of a big deal.
He gave her his notes (his research was focused on fo ding a potion. That could work as a preventative for DragonPox) and she left his classroom, grinning.
She was busy looking through the paperwork when she bumped into someone. She opened her mouth to apologize before rolling her eyes.
"Oh. You."
"Geez, Weasley, don't look too happy to see us." He mocked, as Al laughed.
"I actually look incredibly disgusted but, given your history with girls, I'm not surprised you get the two confused." She mumbled, shoving the papers into her bag.
"Have you ever considered that your weird obsession with my relationships with other girls might be rooted in your own jealously?"
"If I wanted to have a relationship with a bunch of other girls, I'm sure I could, Malfoy." She mumbled, walking into the Great Hall.
Before Scorpius could respond, which given the smirk on his face Rose thought he would, Albus groaned.
"Yeah, do you guys mind? I haven't been around the two of you together in weeks and I think I need to ease back into mediating you two."
"As I recall," Rose said, sitting down across from them at the Gryffindor table."That was the fault of your own menarche."
Scorpius filled his water."Besides, you should be thanking me. Without me, Weasley would have to take out all her angry, sexual tension on someone else."
"I'm eating!" Rose gagged, throwing her bread down. Al looked between the two of them, laughing.
"How do you guys manage on rounds?" Albus muttered, shaking his head."Assuming you're not just snogging in some dark closet." He laughed.
Rose, who had been pouring juice into her goblet, jerked nervously at Al's words and before she could stop it, she had spilled her juice onto herself.
"Blimey Rose!" Al started to laugh, grabbing a few napkins.
"Don't get too excited at the idea." Scorpius said, smirking.
"Shut up." She blushed, muttering."I'm going to grab more napkins." She stood up but before she could leave Al stopped her, laughing.
"Don't, let me. You're dripping." He got up before Rose could protest, leaving her to avert Scorpius's eyes as he raised a slight eyebrow at her.
"Do you want to explain what that was about?" He asked, crossing his arms. She laughed forcefully, trying to look natural. Which, for someone whose face was bright red and had orange juice on their skirt, was a bit challenging.
"What? My arm jerked. I'm clumsy. I'm pretty sure you've pointed that out to me before." She said unconvincingly.
"And now you won't look at me."
"Yeah, you really gross me out."
"Mm. I bet." He said, and for the first time, she looked up at him. She knew why Al's words had made her jump (suave she was not) but the idea that Scorpius knew as well made her head spin a little. She was terrified he was about to bring up the incident when she heard a familiar laugh from behind her.
"Blimey Rose, do we need to get you a child's cup?" Rose had never been so grateful for Hugo Weasley's rude comments in her life.
"I don't know, Hugh, do you need to get hexed?" She scowled.
"Tsk, tsk. And Al told me to give these to you. After that comment, I might not." He said, holding up a few napkins. She glared harder.
"Give me!"
"Say the magic word."
"Avada-"
Hugo threw the napkins at her head, rolling his eyes."You're a delight, Rose, really."
She smiled sarcastically back at him, frantically cleaning her skirt."Where did Al go, anyway?"
"I think he was getting you napkins when he bumped into Cece Trevino and he mumbled something about you needing these when I walked by." he shrugged, sitting down next to Rose. She and Scorpius shared a look.
"Did he seem...okay?" She asked, now closely listening to Hugo.
He gave her a weird look.
"I mean, more okay than someone just spilled their drink all over them, so, compared to you, yes." He said, looking at Scorpius."Do you know what she's on about?"
He sighed."For once, I do. Albus has a bit of a thing for her and when that happens, he has a habit of forgetting how to speak to someone."
"Mhm. When he liked May Miller, he accidentally went on a fifteen-minute tangent about hippogriffs before I took him out of his misery by starting a small fire in his cauldron."
"Ha. Wait. Didn't he end up snogging May?"
Rose grimaced."Yes, but I reckon it's just because had a bit of a Harry Potter fetish."
"Gross," Hugo commented, picking up her bag to move it. As he did, he picked up the papers poking out of her bag."Oi, what are these?"
"None of your business." She said, trying to grab them back. He leaned back and groaned, reading it.
"You are such a nerd!"
"What are they?" Scorpus asked, leaning over to grab them.
"Just further proof that my sister is an over worked sociopath."
"You're doing Potions research?" Scorpius asked, frowning slightly.
Rose shifted uncomfortably."Thats what it says."
"With Carter?"
"Well I wouldn't be doing it with Hagrid, would I?" She said defensively. He started at her for a second too long, more serious than he had just been, before shaking his head.
"I guess you're right, Rose. I'm gonna go check on Albus." He said gruffly, stalking off before she could say anything.
"You know, it's going to be really embarrassing for me when you write a letter home to Mum and Dad telling them about this, and all I have to tell them is I managed to accurately guess the flavor of fifty two Bertie Botts Beans in a row the other night."
"Hey, some things can't be taught."
Xx
Not gonna lie, writing Astoria and Rose's interactions are my favorite part of this fic. Sorry this chapters a little shorter, but the next chapter should be out within the next few days. Let me know if you guys have any predictions! What do you guys think about Rose being Carter's 'assistant'? Why do you think Scorpius is annoyed about it?
Please leave a review, they make me write faster ;)