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Chapter 2
Things were awkward. That was the best way to describe it. Slightly awkward. It had been a week since they had returned to Hogwarts, and everything was slightly off. Lily was no longer around - always with Albus and Scorpius. She would be at their table, studying with them, by the lake with them, eating dinner with them. It left Rose feeling very alone. She had always been closest to Lily.
Scorpius was different. She hadn't been able to find him on the train to apologize. And then classes started, and the duo turned trio was never apart long enough for her to speak to him privately. Of course, she thought bitterly, the one time in my life I need to speak to him, I can't catch him alone. She would catch his eye from time to time, and he'd give her a smile, the same as always but it wasn't the same. Dimmed. Not as playful. Not as moony.
She felt disgusted at herself. Why did she need him to be moony. He was finally moving on. He asked her out. She said no. She told him not to make it weird. Now she was making it weird.
Lost in thought, she didn't realize when she stumbled into someone's back. "Oh" she started, staring at her cousin. "Hey Albus." He gave her a nod. "Where's your other half?" she asked realizing for the first time since they were back in Hogwarts, she had not seen the pair together.
"Off with Lily" he mumbled, scowling. Rose nodded, understanding. "I like having her around, it isn't that," he paused, gathering his thoughts, "it's the fact she's around - all of the time."
"Well," said Rose slowly, realizing for the first time in quite a long time, she was having a normal conversation with her most difficult cousin, "I think she fancies him." The him in the situation was understood. Albus blanched, his face turning a faint green.
"Oh bloody hell. I thought I'd been imagining it" he said. "She's always blushing. Always. And Scorp, the git, has no idea, always going on about you" Albus paused looking at her. Her ears were turning red again. "You really shouldn't have said that about his mum."
Rose's eyes welled with tears, surprising both her and Albus who immediately looked all sorts of uncomfortable. "Look, I'm sorry" she began - "It was a terrible thing to say, I have no idea why on earth I said it and I just wasn't feeling myself and I want to apologize but I've hardly seen him all week - he's either with you and Lily and I can't very well go up to him and say 'oh I'm sorry for bringing up your dead mother'". To her horror, tears began spilling out of her eyes and Albus, petrified, moved towards her. He raised his hand and then stared at it, unsure of what to do. Usually when Lily cried, she would be so livid she would threaten bodily damage to anyone who tried to comfort her, but Rose was not Lily. He patted her on the head. Rose laughed despite herself. "I'm not a dog, Albus." He immediately removed his hand, turning a faint shade of pink. Rose, feeling a rush of affection for her cousin, threw her arms around him. "Oh Al," she said laughing, "you really can be wonderful."
As if the universe had decided to be merciful for only a moment, Rose spotted Scorpius in the library. He was alone and buried in a book, she let herself observe him in peace. His hair was longer, he'd gained an easy confident air. Even while reading. His shoulders were broader and his arms looked like arms of a man. This was new. He had always been so scrawny. She remembered when she had towered over him in second year, and now even sitting, she could see how tall he'd gotten. Somehow between the adventures of last year and this - he'd gone from being Albus Potter's friend, Voldemort's secret love child, to something else. Rose was uncomfortable with it all. She was her father's daughter. She didn't like change. She didn't like the change in dynamics. Everyone belonged in a box. Scorpius was threatening to leave his box. She couldn't have that. But that was hardly a reason to be so cruel.
She cleared her throat. Scorpius flinched and looked up slowly. When he saw Rose, his face broke into a smile.
"I thought you were Lily", he said sounding relieved.
"No, just me." she replied, all of a sudden feeling very nervous. "Scorpius, I want to apologize." He looked at her, puzzled. "About what I said on the train," she paused and looked down at her feet "I know it's been a while, but I'm sorry about your mum."
"Thanks, Rose." he responded softly.
"And I know I said it would be weird, only if you made it weird, but maybe I've made it weird, and perhaps we can just both make it not weird," she felt herself flush, aware of her rambling, "what I'm trying to say is that, maybe we can be friends." She looked up to see a broad grin on his face. "Friends," she emphasized, smiling back. "Don't get any ideas."
"Wouldn't dream of it." he responded.
