Chapter Two

Rose had elected to wear her Valentine's Day gift around her neck, especially since it made it so much easier to hide it from her parents. She played with it now, pulling it out from under her night shirt and holding it in front of her face where it dangled, the gold glittered in the uncertain light of the shy moon. Her parents knew she was spending time with Scorpius, they'd know that since first year when she and Albus had befriended him, but they either hadn't caught on to the change in the relationship yet -- or they didn't want to catch on, ever. Scorpius had been the one who'd seen Albus's trunk and called him Asp on their first train ride to Hogwarts. Rose and Albus had properly introduced themselves and Scorpius had given Albus a look of commiseration.

"My name is worse than yours, at least your initials spell out a cool nickname," Scorpius had drawled, "Everyone either has to call me Scorpius or Shhhmmmm."

Albus had smiled nervously, "You're the first person to call me Asp."

"Don't see why," he'd remarked casually.

"It does suit you better than Albus," Rose had said, eyeing her beloved cousin thoughtfully, "I know how you hate being named after teachers. Famous professors, heroes, but..."

"Still professors," Scorpius had agreed with Albus, apparently. The two had been practically joined at the hip from then on and everyone who knew Albus at school now called him Asp, and he played the part well. It was only at home where he reverted to a slightly modified version of his eleven year old self. Her cousin played his cards very close to his chest, even she wasn't always completely sure which persona was the truest.

Rose was lucky to have been looking at the watch, if she hadn't been she may never have noticed when the engraving changed in the middle of the night. The new words would fade back to say Scorpius Malfoy if she didn't respond. She grabbed the closest thing she saw that resembled a quill, as it turned out she had an old fashioned writing kit out with a caligraphy pen sitting on her dressers top. She'd been writing letters to Scorpius that she couldn't send, in case his parents saw them, and was planning on giving him the whole lot of it as a book when school started up again.

She replied to his initial message quickly and before she knew it there was a tap-tap-tap at her second story window. She scrambled out of her bed and peered past the curtains, gasping when her gaze ran headlong into warm gray eyes. Scorpius Malfoy. In the Burrow. Atop his broom. Hovering over her balcony. At her window. She could have sworn her heart stopped. She opened the door to the balcony, intending to yell at him as sternly as she could in a whisper, but he stepped onto the tiles by the time she got the door open and then, suddenly, she was in his arms.

She could barely remember why she was upset with him. She'd missed him so much. She'd wanted to see him so badly. And here he was. Where her father, grumpier than usual these last two years, might find him. And hex him into oblivion.

Rose pulled back and slammed her fist into his arms.

"Ah!" he yelped, before she covered his mouth.

"What are you doing here? Have you lost what little mind you had left after finals? Have you gone completely bonkers? What if my father catches you here," all this was shouted as quietly as possible, in an angry whisper.

"Iwote'ere'ong," he mumbled from behind her hand.

"What?"

"I won't be here for long," he repeated, minus her hand, "I just came to pick you up. If you want to go out with me... I have a very elaborate date planned for us. Don't worry, I'll have you back before dawn. Hurry up and get dressed, if we stand here arguing your parents really will catch me here with their daughter. While she's wearing her very nice, practically see through nightwear. What is that anyway?"

Rose turned red from the tips of her toes to the top of her head, she was sure, and then bolted back into her room to put on clothes. When he had that look in his eyes Scorpius wasn't going to be dissuaded. Well, the look in his eyes before he'd seen her nightshirt. Secretly, she admitted she wouldn't be getting dressed to go with him if she didn't want to see him so badly, no matter what line he used. She grabbed the first dress she saw and pulled it over her head, sliding the white, lacy tee-shirt she'd been wearing out from under the dress. Luckily for her, the day before had been her sixteenth birthday and her party dress was hanging rather near the front of her closet. It was a dark hunter green velvet with a scoop neck, long sleeves, banded waist, and gathered skirt that cascaded long in the back and altogether swirled nicely just below her knees. When Scorpius and Rose been discussing her upcoming birthday he'd asked her to wear something green. She didn't stop to consider that he'd probably hoped it would turn out this way. She slipped her feet into her matching shoes, a pair of wedges that left her toes peeping out. They were still painted green, thank goodness none of the polish had worn off. Rose thought the sweet, sassy shoes made her feet look smaller. The green ribbon that accented the shoes, Slytherin green come to think of it, was probably her favorite part.

And then they were off.

Author's Note: A picture of Rose's shoes can be found here, as I totally stole them from Jeffrey Campbell:

at 6pm(.com) search product id# 7224393