Chapter Seven: Wanna Get Away
One week had passed and Scorpius and Rose had not seen each other. Scorpius had been putting off going to see Rose because he feared things would not be the same after the night at the Burrow. Rose was wondering what had happened to him, but was too proud to go out of her way to try and see him on her own. So they both went about the week with their normal routine excluding their nightly discussions at the book shop.
The following Monday when Rose went downstairs for coffee and breakfast both her parents were already sitting at the table.
"Morning," Rose said as she poured coffee into her favorite mug.
"Good morning sweetie," her dad replied almost too warmly.
"Rose, your father and I want to speak to you about something. Have a seat," her mother said. Rose hesitated but she eventually took a seat across from her parents.
"What's this about?" Rose asked.
"We wanted to talk about your plans for the future Rosie," her father said almost too sweetly.
"I have my job at the bookshop," Rose replied.
"We know and we're glad you decided to get a hobby for the summer, but it will be over before you know it and we think you should start considering what you want to do."
"Your uncle would be more than happy for you to join the auror training program," Ron offered.
"Or I could get you an entry level position in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," Hermione added. Rose sighed frustratedly.
"I don't want either of you to get me a job, I have one that I'm very happy at."
"Rose, we know you love the shop but you're so bright we just don't want to see you waste your life away. We're here to help you however you can."
"Merlin, mum, I don't want your bloody help, I'm perfectly fine the way my life is. Now, if you'll excuse me," Rose said while standing up. "I'm going to waste another day of my life." she let the door slam behind her. Seconds after her dramatic exit Rose realized she had went out the door instead of using the floo network like she normally did. She was too angry to aparate but too proud to go back inside and use the floo. Begrudgingly, she did the only other thing she could think of, she moved to the edge of the curb and stuck out her wand arm. Seconds later, the Knight Bus appeared speeding down the street. It screeched to a halt right in front of her and the door sprung open. The driver began to give the speech but Rose cut him off.
"Yeah, I get it. Just get me to Diagon Alley."
She took a seat in the very back and kept her arms crossed across her chest the entire bumpy ride. She got off without saying "thank you" and stormed to the shop. The whole morning she was miserable inside, snappy with the customers. Nothing could have changed her mood until a certain customer arrived.
"Do you have an earlier edition of this book, miss?" a man's voice grabbed her attention away from the morning's paper. Without looking up she cooly replied,
"Don't know why you can't find it yourself. You're a wizard are you not?"
"I know I haven't been by in a while but I didn't expect you to be so miffed about it," he replied and Rose looked up to see Scorpius standing in front of him with his usual pompous grin.
"I'm not in the mood today, Scorpius."
"What's the matter Rosie?" he teased.
"Don't call me that. Don't you have some training to be at anyway?"
"Nope, I have the day off," he stated matter-of-factly.
"Well, great to see you but I'm very busy today and I can't really take the time and chat."
"What's wrong Rose?" he asked sincerely, seeing right through her lie.
"Family stuff, I don't really want to talk about it." she opened up slightly.
"I get it, whenever my family turns to shit I always go to this one little spot in the garden." That's when an idea dawned on Rose.
"Do you want to get out of here?" she asked abruptly.
"Erm, well sure, but don't you have to be here?"
"I can leave for lunch whenever I want, I normally don't, but today I wanna get away."
"Great. Right, so where are we going?" he asked as he followed Rose as she rushed out of the shop.
"To my little spot in the garden," she stated simply after locking the shop and turning the "open" sign to "closed" and heading off towards the center of Diagon Alley. Scorpius didn't try to pry further and the pair walked in silence until Rose stopped in front of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Your garden is the Leaky Cauldron?"
"No you idiot," she rolled her eyes and brought him into the Leaky Cauldron, all the way to the back when it dawned on him.
"We're going to the muggle world? To London?!" he exclaimed and Rose laughed.
"Yeah, why are you so surprised?"
"I've never been," he admitted.
"Are you joking?" Rose asked.
"No, I've never had a reason to," he shrugged.
"This is going to be more fun than I thought," she grinned mischievously and began to tap the bricks to open the door to the muggle side of London. "Welcome mate," she gestured when the door opened to the busy streets of London. Scorpius looked like a child in a candy shop. It wasn't that he had never been to the muggle world. He had been to King's Cross to get to school and when he was younger he would venture into the muggle village near the Manor until his dad caught him and forbade him from going back. Besides that he spent his life flooing between different wizarding households, using portkeys to get to special events like the world cup and apparating now in and out of Diagon Alley where his apartment was and the concealed quidditch stadium the Magpies used for practice. His father had come along way from his muggle hating days, but he still had no interest in learning more about them and although Scorpius had taken muggle studies and was curious about the other world, he never spent any time in it.
"You're wand is sticking out and you look like a complete wanker," Rose chided and he quickly tucked it away. Luckily throughout the years the wizarding world opened up more to the muggle world and more young witches and wizards like Rose and Scorpius had begun to wear muggle clothing on a more daily basis so there was no need to change their appearance.
"Right, follow me," Rose grinned and took off down the busy London streets. Scorpius struggled to keep up as he was soaking it all in while also in awe at how at ease Rose looked.
Finally Rose came to a stop outside a restaurant Scorpius shockingly recognized from muggle studies. He smiled softly.
"The food is sorta rubbage but it reminds me of holidays with my grandparents," Rose shrugged and opened the McDonald's door. Scorpius let Rose order for the two of them because he had no clue where to even begin. A few bites in and Rose could tell Scorpius was enjoying it more than he would let on.
"I suppose this doesn't comply with your strict Quidditch diet," Rose laughed.
"I doubt it. But it is my day off," he joined in the laughter. "So, do you want to talk about it?"
"No, you probably would think I'm mental," she sighed.
"I'm a Malfoy, Rose, try me." She hesitated but then began to explain.
"It's just so hard living up to their legacy. The whole world is watching me and I'm letting them all down by not doing something extraordinary."
"See, now that is something I can relate to, it's not easy being a Malfoy either."
"At least you're the bloody star of the Wizarding World. Everyone loves you, even my family. No one ever cares about what your dad did."
"Are you serious?" Scorpius' face soured slightly.
"Well, yes. There were not reporters following you around every Hogsmeade visit, every summer."
"Just because you didn't notice me at school doesn't mean no one else did. All the whispers, rumors, from kids whose families my family did terrible things to. I had to grow up with that guilt. And I work so hard to prove to the world that I'm not like my father."
Rose looked at him and could see the hurt in his eyes. He wasn't wrong. She had never seen him as anything but the Hogwarts golden boy. But it was naive of her to assume that she was the only one bearing the weight of their parents.
"I never thought any of-" she stumbled over an attempt at an apology.
"I know you didn't, R, just like how I never assumed you or your cousins hated me. We live in a different world than our parents."
"What did you just call me?"
"R. Fuck, sorry do you not like that now? I know you hate Rosie but I remember in 4th year when you tried to get our whole year to call you R because you thought Rose was too sweet."
"You remember that?" she looked at him bewildered.
"Erm, yeah, well, I guess it was funny to watch your campaign at the time and it stuck," he stumbled over his words. "Do you not like it now?"
"No, I do, only my best friend ever caught on. And I guess you," she had a soft smile on her face.
"We're not our parents R, no matter what others choose to think about us." Scorpius' words sunk in to Rose and she suddenly was not as angry as she was before. They finished up their meal and walked outside.
"Do you have anywhere else to be today?" she asked.
"No, but I suppose you need to get back to work," he replied.
"Oh, I think Diagon Alley could go an afternoon without books," she said slyly. "There is so much more to see over here." A devilish grin spread across her face and she grabbed his hand. Scorpius felt his heart skip a beat as she tugged him further into the muggle city.
"What exactly will we be doing?" Scorpius asked, knowing that she could say anything and he would do it if he could spend more time with her.
"This," she stopped them in their tracks and pointed at a bus that looked strangely like the Knight Bus. "This will take us to all the fun muggle places." She stated matter-of-factly.
They boarded the bus, Scorpius with some hesitation, and took a seat on the top. Rose made them get off at all the attractions and did her best to explain them to Scorpius. Their final destination was the London Eye, which Rose had only been on once in her childhood. Since she was afraid of heights and Hugo found it to be boring, her grandparents never bothered with it again. Nonetheless, Rose was determined to give Scorpius the full muggle experience so she dragged him to the queue and they waited patiently, poking fun at the muggles they observed while they waited. They boarded the capsule just as the sun began to set. The view of the city was breathtaking, but Scorpius couldn't take his eyes off of Rose. The sun reflected perfectly off of her golden curls and her cheeks were slightly flushed.
"It's nothing you couldn't see on a broom, but I reckon it's still a sight to see," she commented with a soft smile as she tucked strands of her hair behind her ears.
"It's perfect," he replied and they locked eyes, paying more attention to each other than the golden scene in front of them. The capsule lurched slightly as it came to a halt and Rose instinctively clutched his hand out of nerves. They both slowly looked down at their hands intertwined and then back at the other's eyes. Rose opened her mouth to say something, an explanation perhaps, but before she could utter a single syllable Scorpius lips were on hers. She dropped his hand in shock and he immediately pulled away, partially shocked at himself for what he had just done.
"Rose, I-" he began stuttering over an apology but before he could finish her lips collided with his. Instantly, his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her body close to him. Her hands found their way behind his neck as their kiss intensified. Neither could tell you how long it lasted. They finally separated as the wheel restarted and they made their way back down to earth. Neither of them spoke a word. They only listened to their own hearts racing and the sound of the other breathing quickly. Rose's thoughts were racing. Trying to understand the consequences of what she had just done and replaying it over and over again to make sure she would never forget it. They slowly began walking in the general direction of the Leaky Cauldron, still silent. As they got closer and closer to reality Rose felt a growing need to explain it away. It was better if they never spoke of it, if she never let herself believe that this could be anything more than an impulsive accident brought on by her vulnerability that day. Once they were steps away from returning to their world, Scorpius grabbed her by the hand and pulled her off into the nearby alleyway.
"Scorpius!" she cried incredulously holding back a smile. "What're you doing?" He didn't answer. Instead he ran his hand through her hair softly and kissed her once again. Rose stumbled backwards, their lips still locked, until her body was backed against the wall.
"What are you doing?" she whispered against his lips when he had pulled away momentarily for air. "This can't be happening," she said more firmly.
"R, I know you'll come up with a million and one reasons this could never be by tomorrow. For now, can we please just live in this day and save worrying for later?"
She almost tried to protest and insist they return home at once, but the rest of her gave in to his ask and she kissed him once more. Her hand gripping his hair while his tongue swirled against hers. His hand brushed over her chest and she let out the slightest moan. His hands traveled all around her until they landed on the soft rolls on her torso. Rose tensed as he grasped then. It was the part of her she was most insecure about and she was certain he would stop. He pulled his lips off of hers and she braced herself for the rejection she felt to be inevitable.
"You're so bloody sexy Rose," he groaned against her neck before colliding his lips onto hers again. They continued like that, exploring each other the way they had both longed to do for some time until they heard movement in the alley and startled apart. A shocked muggle man uttered an apology before quickly backing out of the alley but reality had already set on Rose.
"We need to go back," she said quietly and he nodded.
They made their way back through the Leaky Cauldron, not seeing anyone they knew to Rose's delight and continued to the Floo Network Entrance in Diagon Alley.
"Goodnight, Scorpius," she said with a small smile as she grabbed the Floo Powder and stepped into the fireplace.
"Should we talk?" He asked apprehensively before she could state her destination and disappear home.
"You know where to find me," she grinned before green smoke engulfed her and she was suddenly back in her home, greeted by her brother.
Author's note: Hello! I know it has been long overdue for an update and I truly apologize. College & my mental health got the better of me but I am back now and quarantine has me getting back into my writing. I hope some of you are still out there & I promise I will be more consistent. Small note on this chapter: I am from the US and have only ever been to London once on a layover. We had 10 hours and did exactly what I had these two do, a double decker bus tour of the city. Its cheesy, I know and I'm sure it's obvious I don't know much so please bear that in mind. Also, parts of this were inspired by the first kiss scene in the Netflix film Dumplin' (which I highly recommend!) Please leave a review with comments & predictions & I promise to update soon xx