Hello everyone! I will be doing my best on filling in the rest of the side couples in this story as best as I can. Things have been a little hectic lately with school so thank you, as always, for your patience.
Enjoy!
Christmas at Hogwarts was its own kind of beautiful. Snow covered the castle like a blanket, and the peace from fresh fallen snow was the kind that you wouldn't get anywhere else. However, the atmosphere inside the castle was both frantic and exciting. Students of all years were rushing to finish their assignments in order to enjoy the last few days with their friends before returning home. Christmas feasts were abundant and in variety, and no one ever went to bed without their (more than) fair share of pumpkin pudding.
Scorpius found his mind wandering back to that night in the library several times, on any given day. It had felt like a dream, but he knew it wasn't. There was no way in hell his mind had the capacity to dream something like that, in that detail. He remembered how she felt under his hands. She smelled sweet, but not the kind of sweet that you would smell walking into Honeydukes. It smelled like nothing Scorpius had ever encountered before, and he couldn't place it at all. It was uniquely Rose: a combination of what the earth smelled like after it rained, like fresh flowers every time he walked past a Muggle flower shop, and a bit like the only thing he could place – coconuts. He remembered the way her hair fell over her shoulders, and how close she was to him. Her skin was soft, like his silk bedsheets back at Malfoy manor. She was this completely new sensation to him, but yet she still found a way to be familiar.
Then, there was the kiss. It all happened so fast, but so slow at the same time. He knew he had to go back, but he didn't even have time to think about what he was going to do. She was already pressed up against him on the wall. He remembered the way he looked up at her, curious and unsure, but with desire. He wouldn't ever forget that look for as long as he lived. When he brought his lips down to meet hers, it was timid, a soft brush. He was testing the waters, worried that she wouldn't kiss him back, but she did. As she moved her lips against his, he grew more confident, letting his hands explore her. He tried to memorize every part of her, for he wasn't sure if this was going to happen again.
Every time he saw her, he felt a pull. Even seeing her frustrated he was drawn. His body wanted so badly to be with her like that again, but his mind knew better. He couldn't do that. They haven't even really had the chance to talk about whatever that was. On the outside, he was calm, he had it together, but she had no idea what she was doing to him.
Rose couldn't believe the nerve on Malfoy. All this time, she thought she knew who he was, but she was surprised. He felt like a completely different person. Maybe that was what was really frustrating her, that as much as she thought she knew exactly who he was and exactly why she didn't like him, she really didn't. He was out of her control, and Rose really wasn't sure what to expect.
Rose wasn't sure what she was expecting when she decided she was going to talk to him, but she didn't expect for him to be so casual about everything. It was nice actually, because she needed some time to figure out what she wanted to say to him. She had told him that the kiss was nice, because it was. She thought that it was harmless, anyway. She wasn't sure it was going to happen again, but she definitely didn't think he was going to tell her she was gorgeous.
"Rose!" Penny said, snapping her out of her thoughts, "Don't you have a Quidditch meeting right now?"
Rose shot up to her feet, wailing in the process. Malfoy had distracted her again, and it was driving her crazy.
"I don't know what I would do without you," Rose said, hugging Penny quickly as she grabbed her things, "When I get back, I promise we can talk."
Penny laughed, "I don't know if you'll be able to come back once Tatiana is done with you!"
Rose's hair was flailing behind her, her belongings unorganized in her bag. Tatiana Wood was just as her father was: living, breathing, sleeping Quidditch. She was extremely intelligent and an athletic Chaser, and she led Ravenclaw in most points scored, a record that hadn't been beat in over fifty years. Oliver Wood made sure that Tatiana learned to fly as soon as she could walk. She was a natural, as she was with her studies. This was her year on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, and she was determined to win the cup for Ravenclaw. That meant extra practices, extra strategy meetings, and extra (required) team bonding activities. Nothing was going to get in the way.
Tatiana was not impressed that Rose was late. We have to want this, people! We will not get anywhere if we can't even show up on time! Gryffindor isn't going to wait for us to have our shit together. Gryffindor was their heated rival this year, as they were evenly matched in nearly every aspect. It wasn't exactly easy for Rose mentally, as that team was very much made up of her family members.
It was an extremely cold and difficult practice, and Rose especially was sore afterwards. Either she was exceptionally good at knowing where to place herself as the Keeper, or her teammates were spot on with their aim. She had bruises all over her body, and Tatiana was still mentally draining her with tips and tricks at the end. She smiled weakly at Tatiana before she slipped away, completely exhausted. She wondered if Tatiana ever took a day off, but she laughed lightly at the thought. It was very unlikely.
Rose wobbled back to the Ravenclaw dorms, taking a shower to rinse all of the coldness off her body. No amount of rubbing would heal the bruises on her, but she decided she would conceal them with a concealment charm tomorrow. Drying her hair with a towel, she walked towards her room. Penny was the only one there, writing an essay on the life cycle of phoenixes.
"Hey," Rose said softly, to which Penny replied with a smile.
"How was practice?" Penny said, putting her essay to the side.
Rose pushed her sleeve upwards, revealing her bruises on her forearm.
Penny's eyes widened, "Wow those Quaffles must hurt huh?"
Rose nodded, before sitting down on her own bed. It felt so good to be able to sit.
"I'm sorry," Rose said, truthfully, "I know I haven't been a great friend lately. Things have been busy and…" Rose trailed off. She wasn't sure what to say about Malfoy.
"It's okay," Penny grinned, "I'm your best friend Rose. You have been a bit distant this year, but that doesn't mean much. You're studying for NEWTs, you're trying to figure things out for the future, and you know I'm going to be here for you. I figured you'd let me in when the time is right."
"It's no excuse, really," Rose said firmly, "We haven't really caught up in so long. Every day is just as tiring as the next, but you should still make time for those who really matter, you know?"
Penny sat next to Rose on her bed, grabbing her hands, "I can tell that things haven't been the same since you broke up with Parker, which I still haven't heard about by the way."
Rose smiled, keeping her eyes down, "There isn't much there really."
"Maybe," Penny said, nodding, "But I think that things must have ended long before you called it off."
Rose looked at Penny inquisitively, "What do you mean?"
"Well," Penny said truthfully, "It didn't really seem like you were in mourning for too long."
Rose thought about it and realized that Penny was right. While Parker was around her a lot before they called it off, his absence really brought her more peace than loneliness. She liked the time she had to herself. Still, there were moments from time to time where she thought about how wonderful he was to her, but she knew they weren't going to work, she knew that there was someone else out there for her, and someone else out there for him.
Rose only nodded to Penny's remark. They talked for a bit more before Parker, but Rose didn't want to tell her about Malfoy yet. She didn't need to. Rose noticed that Penny seemed to have something on her mind too. Penny started talking about a certain pureblood of light brown hair and brown eyes, to which Rose grinned. Rose didn't know much about Smitt, but she had never seen Penny like this. Penny wasn't a giddy kind of girl; she wasn't one to go all red in the face about a boy, and she definitely wasn't one to ramble. She was part-Veela after all.
It was mid-October, and Penny was at Hogsmeade with Casey and Andriya, the latter of the two enthusiastically discussing Madam Puddifoot's new menu. Penny tagged along happily, her long lilac-white hair brushing against her lower back. It was no surprise that Penny was often approached by well-meaning boys, telling her how they fancied her. She was curvy in the waist, and had the daintiest hands, like a princess would. Penny carried herself with poise, and loved poetry and the arts, but she never really met a boy whom she could be herself around. She was nothing but kind, however, even if she had turned down nearly every boy that has ever approached her. Penny had matured quickly, and it took a while before the boys around her grew up.
It didn't take long before Pierce Hammerwall and Patrick Webster had spotted her, in the crowd of people outside Madam Puddifoot's. Penny was determined to lose them today, for she didn't have the energy for small talk. Working quickly, she bid farewell to Casey and Andriya, before slipping away behind someone extremely tall. He had brown hair and was quite built. She stayed behind him, working through the crowd, but it wasn't long before he turned around to face her, his eyes curious.
"What are you doing?" he said, looking at her inquisitively.
"Sorry," she said, "I was just trying to get away."
"From who?" he asked.
"Some admirers," she admitted, blushing slightly. She didn't really like thinking of Pierce and Patrick like that, but that was a much better word than stalkers.
"Oh?" he said, the corner of his lip curving upwards, "It's an honour to be of assistance."
Penny laughed, "Thank you kindly, sir."
Smitt looked at her, taking her in. She was unbelievably breathtaking, and he couldn't believe that she was talking to someone like him. Smitt wasn't exactly smooth with the ladies. In fact, he was quite clumsy, and he didn't seem to have any luck at all.
There she stood in front of him, rubbing her mittens together. He noticed she was shivering a bit. His mind was running wild. Should he ask if she wanted to go with him Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop? He was on his way to get some parchment anyway.
"Would you like to come with me to Scrivenshaft's?" he asked. It was a relatively harmless question in his mind. He wasn't sure she was going to say yes anyway.
"Sure," she said, smiling up at him.
He hid his growing grin behind his scarf and stuffed his hands in his pockets. He could feel himself getting warmer, suddenly.
Rose was frustrated. Malfoy had so casually grouped her into the rest of the girls at Hogwarts, the ones who threw themselves at him, begging for a second glance. It made her upset. Was she really nothing else to him? Did she want to be? Merlin, he really was the worst.
He had to know that she wasn't interested in him at all. She was going to make that obvious. She hated that he was getting into her head. For someone as smart as him, she figured he knew that they couldn't be anything. Anyone with eyes knew that. They couldn't possibly get involved.
Still, she wondered why she felt that way. Why he made her heart race whenever he was nearby, and why she felt shaky every time he touched her. She thought about the kiss, and how much she liked the way that he smelled, and how he felt underneath her hands. Did he really think that she was like all the other girls?
Maybe that was what hurt her the most. That he didn't think anything of what happened between them. That he made every other girl feel the way he made her feel. She would have much rather him hate her than feel like this.
Scorpius realized soon that he did something wrong. She seemed to be avoiding him again, and he couldn't get more than a few words out of her at any time. He seemed to be invisible to her. He replayed nearly all of their interactions again and again in his head, but he couldn't figure it out. All he knew was that he would do anything for her to look at him and to speak to him again.
It was finally the holidays, and Rose was grateful. She wouldn't have to see Malfoy for at least a few days, which gave her some time to herself and a much-needed break. Her family members, of course, would also provide some sort of distraction. It had been a while since everyone got together, and there was a lot to catch up on.
A few days before Christmas, Rose and Penny spent some time Christmas shopping in Muggle London. Although London was nowhere near as beautiful as Hogwarts was, it was still charming in its own way. There were Christmas lights strung up everywhere, and huge trees decorated with baubles and tinsel. Local festivals could be found around every corner. Penny had taken Rose to some of her favourite places to visit during the holidays in London, including a cute cozy clothing store, and a live music concert. Rose felt at peace, thoroughly enjoying the sights. The apple cider was Rose's personal favourite.
Oh no not apples.
There was a trinket store at the corner of the block, one run by wizards. It was small and quiet from the outside, and the windows were partially tinted. Penny's grandmother worked there, so they dropped by to say hello. Inside, however, was magically enlarged. The ceilings were high, accessible through the winding staircase conveniently placed in the middle of the store. It was busier than Rose thought it would be, with everyone buying last minute Christmas gifts. While Penny chatted with her grandmother, Rose wandered off. With each turn of her head, her eyes caught something new. She couldn't imagine trying to restock or find things here, there was simply too much.
In the corner of her eye, she saw only what she would believe were vinyl. She had only ever read about them, once two years ago in a Muggle studies textbook she borrowed from Hugo. She knew they played music, but only if they were properly placed on a machine with a needle on it.
Her mind raced back to Scorpius, that one afternoon where they listened to his music on his MP3. He certainly seemed to like listening to music on rather dated devices, and his music taste was quite peculiar. It was a combination of music she had never heard before, music her mother played through her music amplifier (called a "speaker") when she made dinner, and music she heard on the radio from time to time. Rose wondered what kind of music was on the vinyl, and more specifically, she wondered if Scorpius would like it.
Should she even get him anything for Christmas? She never did before, in fact, she never even thought about it before. So what's different this time around then? You know what's different, she scolded herself, but does that mean anything?
She carefully brought the few records that she could find to where Penny and her grandmother were. Penny's grandmother explained how she got a hold of them in the first place.
"Is there any way that I can listen to what is on these records?" Rose asked, to which she responded with a smile.
"You're just in luck, my love," Penny's grandmother said graciously, "This was brought in last night."
She reached underneath the table to grab the record player, squealing slightly, "What are the chances!"
Rose watched carefully as Penny's grandmother explained how it worked. Her eyes lit up, reflecting the lights strung up all over her shop.
"I've always been extremely interested in Muggle technology," she admitted, "There is something so innovative, yet obsolete about it."
Rose laughed. She couldn't imagine being without her wand and without magic. Rose was delighted when she heard the first few notes of the song cutting through the silence in the air. It was beautiful.
"Could I have these records?" Rose asked, pulling her purse in front of her. These were perfect.
Penny's grandmother shook her head, reaching her hands towards Rose's, "I will not take any of your money for these, sweetheart. Look at you! I can tell in a glance that these belong with you."
Rose gasped slightly. She couldn't possibly take these without paying. Plus, she wasn't even sure if she was going to have them for long.
After much bickering back and forth, Penny's grandmother sent Rose and Penny on their way, Rose with a box in hand. There was no winning, Penny's grandmother was a stubborn old lady.
Rose was elated. Still, there was this uncertainty in her head, because she wasn't sure at all why she did what she did. Why did she get him something? She was sure that he wasn't going to get her anything. After all, why would he?
Still, she spent the time to wrap the box nicely, putting his name neatly on a card, before putting the box underneath her bed. She wasn't even sure if she would get the chance to give it to him alone, without everyone else nearby. It was just a peaceful gesture on her end, to thank him for giving her back her notebook, and for everything else.
Sorry to cut it here everyone! The next section is quite long, so this felt like a good place to stop. Thank you for reading and reviewing, and my apologies for being so busy. I suppose my updates will likely come every month instead..
