3. Spicy as Firewhiskey

I had to say that before this year at Hogwarts I wasn't someone that sticked out in a crowd. I could go anywhere I wanted without even getting noticed and to be honest that was quite nice. I was like a ferret in a forest, almost impossible to detect. There was of course comments here and there about me being a child of a traitor but they didn't bother me. I knew that it wasn't true and to me that was the only thing that mattered. This year was however different. Now was it more like that I tried not to stick out but attention just attracted itself to me. The comments weren't about me being a child of a traitor but more about me being "spicy as firewhiskey" or "deadly hot as the cruciatus curse". I hadn't tried firewhiskey so I really didn't understand what that meant but being deadly hot seemed like a excessive compliment. I had grown quite a bit this summer and was now one of the tallest boys in the school and my features wasn't the ones of a child but becoming more of a mans. It had to be that. I had grown and also grown in peoples eyes. The problem for me was that I hadn't grown a single bit in the eyes that mattered to me. Rose Granger-Weasley wouldn't change her opinion about me so fast.

"Hi, Scorpius." I almost jumped of the surprise and turned my head to a group of Gryffindor girls in the same year as me. They had said it all in a choir in light kind voices. I had no idea who they were but they seemed nice. I scratched myself behind my neck. I had just walked out from the great hall and were going to met Albus on the other side of the castle. He had some business with his sister and had excused himself from the lunch before I was even done. I wasn't going to stop him if it was such an urgent business. He also didn't invite me to come with him so it was probably a family problem.

"Eh.. hi." said I and gave them a light smile. The girls giggled and whispered to each other. They hurried away and I looked after them. What was that about? I looked like a question mark and I could almost hear Albus laugh his ass off inside my head. I knew exactly would he would say but he wasn't the one saying it. Coming towards me were Rose Granger-Weasley in the flesh. Her red hair were tamed into a ponytail and she was wearing her Quidditch clothes. She had just come from a practice and strands of her hair were a bit sweaty. She looked gorgeous all so muddy. She were going to the great hall to eat. I cursed myself. I should have eaten longer so I could come up with some excuse to sit with her.

"You awfully popular this year." She sounded a bit... jealous? I didn't think that was awful but it wasn't what I preferred. She knew that my eyes were on her and her only. Something told me that I just had to get used to girls trying to talk to me. The Malfoy charm had struck at last. I looked at her with a confused look as if I didn't knew what it all was about. I owned a mirror. I knew that I didn't look bad.
"I haven't done anything different compared to last year." I thought girls were the ones going for personality more then looks maybe was that just a prejudice.
"It doesn't have anything to do what you done. Let me say that puberty maybe suits you." Why couldn't she just skipped the "maybe"? Then I would fall to my knees directly and tried to propose. I couldn't challenge this situation to much, Rose seemed a bit edgy after the training session. It wasn't easy being the best chaser the Hogwarts had seen in years. I wouldn't give in to much. I had already a plan how she would tell me her real feelings.
"You mean they think I'm..? Cool?" Rose didn't say anything in a couple of second and that was all I needed. She knew what to answer but she didn't want to say her opinion about it.
"Probably." She sounded so confident as if she hadn't said anything wrong at all. I had her in my trap. She couldn't get out of this one without answering.
"What do you think?" Rose just looked at me and were about to answer before someone cut her off.

"Who do we have here?" I felt everything in my gaze become cold. Who the fuck dared to cut her of when she was about to tell me how she felt?! I had waited five years for a moment like this and then... then some Hufflepuff guy come and distract her. I had no idea who he even were but he had just destroyed everything. I stared him down but this Hufflepuff didn't get the memo or, should I say, didn't find the memo? I sighed. Now started my bad lines to popup like ads.
"I'm Scorpius Malfoy and you timed really really ba..." He cut me off too. This guy didn't have any chill or Hufflepuff spirit at all. He wanted to pick a fight with me.
"I know who you are you prick." Prick? I mean. We were in the fifth year and that was the best he could come up with? I wanted to laugh but this probably wasn't a laughable matter. Wow, Rose looked stunning when she closed her fits like that. She was dangerous when it came people trying to pick a fight without any reason. I grabbed her hand to try to calm her down. When I didn't say anything the other fifth year carried on.

"You're too cocky for your own good." Cocky? I surely wasn't that if I didn't try to and the only time I tried was to impress Rose. I was normally the king of awkwardness. Hey, who was the one that was cocky? I wanted to say something cool to make Rose understand what a gorgeous peaceful man I was. This time would I go with a more innocent style, yes, that would probably make her fall.
"Have I done something?" The million galleon question was out.
"They way you talked to my girlfriend a few seconds ago." My eyes looked down at Rose at once and nothing came out. Did Rose have a boyfriend? Rose immediately shook her head and gripped my hand a bit harder. Oh, thank Merlin. Wait, did she just confirm to me that she was single? I looked at her and I couldn't hide a grin. Yes, she was. Even better. She held me. I laughed a bit to my amusement. I wanted to leave this conflict now and talk to Rose about the future we should share together but the fifth year didn't let me go that easily.

"Not her!" I had to think a while before it hit me.

"You mean one of the girls in that group of Gryffindors? I'm sorry it's a misunderstanding." I could feel Roses eyes hit me. Butterflies were celebrating in my stomach. What was she thinking? About our wedding and how wonderful we would look together on the alter? I turned around to the great hall and pulled Rose with me. I knew better then continue this discussion. I could eat a bit more for her sake. I only walked a few steps before I heard the Hufflepuff guy take something out of his pocket.

"Expelliarmus!" Before I even understood it had the Hufflepuff guy picked up his wand, pointing it at me and tried to hex me with a jinx. Rose had taken my wand and disarmed him before anything had happened. Everyone in the corridor looked at he red storm that was about to arrive.
"How dare you cast a spell on someones back?!" She let go of my hand and walked towards the guy. The Hufflepuff guy had lost his voice but he had a comeback.
"He's a Slytherin and a son of a death eater! How can you not?" I opened my mouth to say something but I hadn't anything to say. I was a Slytherin and a son of death eater. I wasn't going to deny that. I was proud of who I was but I couldn't find a reason why jinxing me would help him.

"Our houses doesn't defy us. It's our actions." She was so cool and I was so proud to call her my first crush. She spoke with such wisdom and I could hear people in the corridor agree with her. She wasn't going to let this go so easy. She continued. "And your actions are out of line!"
"Why do you defend the enemy?" The enemy? Really? Rose snorted.

"I, unlike you, know that within these walls there are no enemies. Everyone during the second Wizard War fought to defend this school even the ones in Slytherin." I had to slytherin (hah) into this conflict but this better then I had expected. Her actions were her feelings and now I knew that she saw me in another perspective than before. I had a chance with her.

"You're going to regret this." hissed the Hufflepuff and turned around in a defeat. Rose looked at me and her eyes were turning gentle. She had defended me like no one had ever done for me before. I had to say that I wouldn't wish for anyone in the world to be on Roses bad side. She was... granger-danger. Shit, I couldn't say anything stupid now.

"Are you okay?" I frowned a bit and couldn't help but laugh.
"Of course I'm. I just got saved by my dream princess. I'm more then okay." I felt like I could do anything if she just stood beside me. She looked at ease but I could feel something weren't as it should. The trouble were written all over her face. Was she worried?

"You're really funny, aren't you?" She sighed. "I'm sorry, Scorpius." Why did she tell me that she was sorry? If anyone of us should be sorry it was me. I had just let her defend my honor.
"What do you mean? You finally noticed your head over heels for me after my five years of unrequited love?" If it was so then this would be the best day ever but that wasn't the case.
"Not that." She said firmly. She wasn't going to take that question next to the great hall were everyone could hear her. She thought about explain herself but as the crowd around us became bigger she shook her head and walked towards the great hall.

"Bye, Scorpion King."