Do you believe in love at first sight?
Chapter 1
August 2024
Quidditch World Cup.
"There is no way I'm putting that tent up without magic." Said Rosie bluntly, It was a blisteringly hot August afternoon and she was stuck in an overcrowded field with her family and a thousand other people she didn't know.
"I second that!" interjected Lily.
"Yeah sorry love, I'm gonna have to agree with the girls, it's too hot for all this." Ron patted his wife on the back and flicked his wand at the pile canvas and poles. The jumped to life and formed what looked like two modest two-story town houses.
"These are not tents, I thought we were camping?" Hermione rolled her eyes and followed the adults inside the first tent/house.
"Yeah, but who knows how long this match could last, do you really want to wash in those crowded muggle places with everyone else? No, didn't think so." He gave his wife a cheeky grin "See this is the grown-up tent, and the kids are all next door, plenty of room for everyone!"
Rose had left her cousins in the 'tent', they were bickering over who got what room and she couldn't be bothered with all that in the current climate. Instead she had grabbed a book and found refuge on a deck chair between her 'tent' and her new next-door neighbors, whoever they were.
Scorpius heaved a sigh and looked around his new room for the next week, it looked just like home, it even had the same wallpaper in the bathroom. He pulled open the drapes – the same that hung in his room at home - and…brilliant he had a lovely view of the side of next doors tent. He glanced down to a bit of grass in between and noticed a figure. A mass of curly red hair loosely tied back, she was wearing a grey t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts revealing a pair of pale skinny legs.
Maybe the view wasn't so bad after all.
"Son? Your Mother wants you to go get some water apparently there's a pump not far from here. You need a hand?" Draco Malfoy stepped into the room, looking hot and uncomfortable, he was wearing a pair of pale linen trousers and a crisp cotton shirt.
"No, I'll be fine on my own." Scorpius replied distractedly, he glanced back down at the girl. She maneuvered her limbs delicately in the deck chair, all the while, never taking her eyes off the page.
"Rosie?" Scorpius heard a distant voice call, the girl looked up as a dark haired boy and another red head met her. They talked for a minute then the girl - Rosie - stood up slipping on her flip-flops, marking her page, throwing her book on the chair and followed her companions out of sight.
"Merlin! This queues flippin' massive, that's it I'm going back," Rose turned to walk away but was wrenched back.
"Rosie we need your muscles, look at Al all stringy and pathetic, what use is he gonna be." Lily rolled her eyes at her brothers protesting, she caught the eye of a boy walking past and gave him a smile, "Actually on second thought Al, we don't need you, you can go now." Al ran off before anyone could change their minds, the second Al had disappeared the boy had reappeared, Lily began giggling, twirling and flicking her hair around her finger, Rose turned away from the blatantly obvious flirting. All around Wizards and Witches were arrive setting up tents, decorating them with their supporting colors. She rotated on the spot, spotting people she recognized, giving a small wave here and there, strange people grouped together, a blond boy she thought she recognized from somewhere. Rose faced forwards again, still ignoring her cousin, and shuffled forward a bit as the queue receded. She must have recognized him from Hogwarts, he looked about the same age as her, but she was sure she knew everyone in her year.
The queue shrunk a little again, Rose was joined by friends, who came to say hello, then went back to their families.
Finally Rose reached the water pump!
She stuck her head under the tap, pulling her hair to one side, and letting the cool water dribble into her mouth. She filled up a couple of buckets, which Lily got her new friend to carry for them, and a few bottles then started to head back. When she entered the front door of the 'grown-up' house. The 'Grown-ups' were sitting round a kitchen table and had started on the butter beer, Rosie grabbed a couple and headed back outside. She settled down back into her book, 'So you want to be a Healer?' Rose sat snuggly in the deck chair her toes curled over the edge, she was having trouble concentrating on the page this time rereading the same paragraph over and over again. Eventually she gave up, threw her book onto the grass, and snatched up a butter beer uncorking it with her teeth. She took a huge swig of beer, throwing her head back, then let out a huge belch.
Yes Rose Weasley was quite the lady.
Finally Scorpius reached the water pump, he filled up the bucket and bottles he'd brought with him, and struggled back through the throng of people. He saw his mother waiting outside the tent.
"Good you're back." She relieved her son of some of the weight, "Lunch is ready we set the table up behind the tent." Scorpius followed her round the back to see a full-length dining table and a positively sumptuous feast. You can take the parents out of manor but you can't take the manor out of the parents. He sat down, he had a view of the back of the mysterious Rosie's tent, where there was also a large table set up although it was completely deserted.
"Excited about the big match, Son, it should be one to remember. England vs. France."
"Yeah should be a good'un." Scorpius tried to sound enthusiastic instead it came across deeply sarcastic. The dinner carried on in almost silence they chit-chatted about the meal, the tent, the journey, the heat, the crowds, and of course the upcoming match. Until they're peaceful little dinner was interrupted…
"JAMES!" Screeched a female voice, "If you touch your brother again, I'm sending you home to your grandparents. DO YOU HEAR ME! Get the others dinners ready."
A red headed woman stormed out slamming a large pot on the table, she didn't bother to look at the little family that had all stopped eating and were listening in with interest.
They heard a male voice yell "DINNERRRR!"
The garden was suddenly full of voices and people carrying bread, cutlery and jug of icy Pumpkin juice, yet nobody noticed the family sitting only a few feet away.
They started taking seats when two men walked out. One was dark and bespectacled the other lanky and ginger, Scorpius saw his father stiffen and his mother throw a warning look.
"Lets finish this inside." Said Draco in a low voice, picking up his plate and heading in.
"Rose, Where's Rosie?" asked the ginger one, he turned around a caught sight of Draco Malfoy, "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"Ron." Came three female voices at once.
"It's the Quidditch final, of course I'd be here." Draco replied coolly.
"Well the likes of you shouldn't be allowed here, not after what you lot did last time there was Quidditch final here." Ron's voice was full of malice, Rosie had stepped out just in time to hear the last part, she slid into the seat next to the girl she was with earlier and whispered something in her ear.
"Come on mate." The dark haired one stepped between them and on closer encounter Scorpius recognized him to be Harry Potter, The Harry Potter. "All that was a long time ago, just leave it. He's only having his dinner and so are we."
A bushy-haired woman put a hand on gingers shoulder, this seemed to relax him slightly, he turned away from them and walked towards his family.
"It's been nearly 30 years since Hogwarts, don't you think its about time we all got over this feud?" Gingers wife piped up, she received quite a few glares from the table for even suggesting it but she carried on anyway, "Would you like to join us for dinner?"
"No-" started Draco but he was interrupted by his wife-
"That'd be lovely, thank you." Astoria answered firmly for her family as she picked up her plate and sat at one of the chairs that had hastily been conjured up for them. Draco and Scorpius followed suit quietly.
"Well that was awkward." Laughed Lily throwing herself onto her bed after dinner, "Thank your mother for me. What time we heading out?"
"As soon as the parents are asleep. They put an alert alarm charm on the front and back door, I checked it out earlier, so we'll have to go out the window." Rose brushed her hair from the window sill.
"I can't believe we have to be this sodding sneaky. Especially since you're of age!" Lily exclaimed.
"Yeah but you know what my dads like."
"What was all that about at dinner then? The Malfoys, I mean I've heard them mentioned before, but the way your dad reacted…" Lily lowered her voice to a whisper.
"It's all stuff to do with the war, I've never been told the details." Rose thought about the boy, Scorpius Malfoy, she'd seen him earlier but couldn't place him. Now though, now she'd learnt his name it all came back to her. Her first year at Hogwarts, he was there, but then he wasn't. He had disappeared after a couple of weeks, left school, people said he'd vanished in the night, gone home. She thought about Scorpius Malfoy, he was definitely what she'd call 'her type.' Tall, lean, with that slightly malnourished look that Rosie found quite attractive. His hair, which he wore short, emphasized his angular face and round grey eyes that (to Rosie) gave him a deep but incredibly sweet look. And his smile – lopsided - extremely sexy.
Yes Rose Weasley was quite taken with Scorpius Malfoy.
