A cold wind blew down the Hogwarts corridor. A single student walked down the hallway robes billowing out behind him. He could still hear the cheering and happiness from the classroom down the hall. Unlike the other students he had more important matters to attend to. Quickly he made his way up to the owlry tower. He had been waiting to send this letter for a long time…
For the second time in Rose's life she was in a complete panic, and for the second time her entire trunk was sprawled across her bed. If it was possible Rose felt even more nervous for this date than she did for her first date.
Amber was lying across Rose's bed looking just as hopeless as Rose. She had a sweater across her eyes and two cloaks draped across her torso. It seemed hopeless to the both of them.
"Well I would offer my red dress again but it seems to be bad luck. That and the fact I don't think Scorpius would enjoy seeing you in the same dress your wore on a different date." Amber told Rose sounding defeated.
"Sadly I have to agree." Rose sighed out. Feeling defeated she walked out of the chamber room while tugging her red hair into a tight bun.
As Rose descended the staircase she saw a figure standing in the shadows at the end of the stairs. Once she was at the end of the stairs she saw that the figure was none other than her brother. Startled Rose approached him.
"Hugo is that you?" Rose questioned as the firelight flicked against the walls.
"Well…" Hugo said as he cleared his throat, " Um… I heard you were going on your date with Scorpius tonight and… So… Here." Hugo finally huffed out holding out a package. Rose cautiously tore into the terrible wrapping.
"Did you wrap this yourself Hugo?" Rose questioned him a red brow raising itself up in question. "It looks like a toddler put it together." Rose teased him as she opened the gift. Inside Rose saw a beautiful mother of pearl dress. Rose carefully lifted the dress out and the fabric ran slowly through her fingers it felt like woven moonlight.
"It's really a gift from Peony. She helped me pick it out I'm completely hopeless when it comes to this kind of thing. All I did was tell her I wanted to get you a nice dress for your date and she took it from there…" Hugo tapered off seeing looking almost embarrassed. He continued, "I know how much you like him Rose, so I just wanted to take one more thing off your mind that way you can actually focus on what is important. How happy he makes you." Hugo finished a boyish grin on his face as he saw Rose's touched expression.
"Thank you." Rose told him. Hugo gave her a curt nod and another smile.
"You don't need to thank me Rose." With this statement Hugo turned on his heel and started to walk up the long stairwell to the boy's dormitory. For the first time in a long time Rose felt no competitive aggression toward her sibling. For the first time she felt the bond of siblinghood she thought was severed.
The last time Rose recalled a fond moment with her brother was his first time coming to Hogwarts. That was four almost five years ago.
Their family was at King's Cross having their traditional send off. The whole family gathered after a night spent together at any one of their houses. George's, Grandmother and Grandfather's, the Potter's it was a rotation every year on who hosted.
Then there was the breakfast, oh the famed breakfast. Grandmother would go into the kitchen and make a wide array of breakfast sweets such as cinnamon rolls and hearty foods such as eggs and sausage. Almost anyone in Rose's family can say they've woken up early for the first day of term only to be the first at the table.
Rose was sitting at the table eating a piece of sausage when she heard yelling upstairs. Rose's grandmother quickly turned to her and said, "Dear would you mind going upstairs to check on your brother and cousins?" She was still preparing breakfast so Rose readily agreed.
Rose made her way upstairs two at a time. Jumping up them quickly so she could go back to her meal. Rose was not prepared for the fight scene she saw at the top of the stairs. Hugo was on top of Albus and was throwing punches. Rose quickly ran to the scene and tore the two boys apart.
"What is wrong with you two!" Rose seethed. "You heathens! What are you doing!" It wasn't a question. Rose looked about as red as her hair and she was furious. "Albus you go down stairs and Grandmother will deal with you until your mother wakes up." Rose then looked to Hugo. He had tears in his eyes when Rose gazed upon him. Slowly she opened her arms and Hugo ran into them. "Hey it's alright. Shhhh." Rose gently cooed into his ear. "What happened?"
Hugo sniffled then looked up at Rose with eyes still shiny. "Albus was just saying that when I off to-oo…" Hugo paused and composed himself afraid Rose would think he was a baby, "that I was going to be placed into Slytherin house and you and Mommy and Daddy would disown me and I would…"
Rose quickly cut him off with a big bear hug. "Say no more. I promise, as your big sister, I will never do that to you."
With those thoughts in her head Rose went up to her dormitory to prepare for the time of her life.
Seeing Scorpius getting ready for his date the best word to describe him would be 'nervous.' Scorpius was going through clothes in his truck like a mad man. He had cloaks all the way across the room from his panic. He was already at the very bottom of his trunk with his muggle clothes. He already went through his muggle clothes and marked them as 'unacceptable.'
Slowly he pulled his hand through his tangled silver locks. He grimaced at himself. Scorpius knew he had a nasty habit of running his hands through his hair when he got stressed or nervous. He could tell he would need to brush his hair before his date with Rose. Again.
Quickly Scorpius rummaged through the very bottom of his trunk looking for the one item of clothing he believed was worthy of Rose's presence. Rose. His Rose. Scorpius loved the sound of that.
Scorpius loved the way she always smiled when she saw him in the corridors. He loved the way she tucked her long hair behind her ears as she studied. He loved the way her hands fluttered as she explained her point to someone. He loved the way she always sat down crisscross-applesauce on the floor when she wanted to have an important conversation with him. He loved the way she took the time to write him letters when they were apart.
Scorpius loved Rose. Just as the sky was blue and the grass was green. Scorpius loved Rose just as the ocean rocked onto the shore. Sun and moon, night and day, ying and yang, good and bad, Scorpius and Rose.
Finally Scorpius found what he was looking for and he wasn't planning on letting it go any time soon.
Scorpius had started to pace. He was alone in front of the great hall waiting for Rose to arrive. The light from the torches on either side of him reflected not only the old stonewalls, but also his own worried face.
He had been waiting for Rose for 20 minutes and he expected to wait another 40. Scorpius was so nervous he had gotten ready, paced Slytherin common room, and headed up to the great oak doors all in a span of 15 minutes.
In order to pass the time he knew he had to wait, Scorpius continued to pace. And pace. And pace. Even the ghosts had taken notice of his fidgeting and they hardly noticed anything at all!
After a short while Hufflepuff's ghost, the Fat Friar, approached him. He had been watching the strange boy walk up and down the hall for some time now and it was interrupting his daily float through the castle. Typically when he got to the great hall on a quiet Saturday night he would sit down with some Hufflepuff students and talk, but this was not a typical night.
The lanky, blonde boy's pacing and worried demeanor had scared off anyone else from entering the great hall. Although the Fat Friar wasn't angry at the fellow he wasn't exactly pleased with him either. He was planning to ask the students what they had eaten for dinner that evening!
"What are you doing good sir? Have you nothing better to do than walk this drafty room?" the Fat Friar asked as he tried to slowly lower himself to the ground.
Scorpius was startled. He had been so busy worrying about his date he hadn't been paying attention to those around him.
"I'm terribly sorry…" Scorpius said slowly trailing off with his eyebrows raised, asking who the ghost was while not offending him.
"I am the ghost of Hufflepuff house, but everyone calls me Friar" the ghost explained his eyes toward the ground.
Scorpius cleared his throat and tried to look the man in the eye, but it was very difficult to do because his eyes were see-through.
"I'm very sorry if I interrupted your night, sir, but I'm waiting for a girl. A beautiful girl. She has bright red hair and kind eyes…" Scorpius continued on his eyes glazed over, but the Friar had stopped listening.
He had actually seen the very girl he was describing on his flight over. The Friar was looking for an opportunity to tell the boy, but he kept going on about the great attributes of the girl.
"She also had a grouping of dark freckles right on the tip of her nose that you have to be close to see, but they are adorable and in the shape of a…" He said, still paying no mind to the Friar, he was instead pointing to his nose.
"Boy!" The Fat Friar called. Slowly Scorpius quieted down and a pale pink shaded his cheeks.
"I believe I have seen this girl you speak of. Her name is Rose, correct?" Scorpius nodded and the Friar took his hands off his waist.
"I talk to her every time I see her. I always try to talk to students who seem troubled. That is why I'm talking to you." A kind smile had now made its way across the Friar's face.
"She's been troubled, sir?" Scorpius fiddled with his hands.
"Well" the Friar amended, "She was troubled last year and early this year, but now she seems less so. I'm more worried about other members of her family now. Especially the one who hangs around by the owlry all the time."
Scorpius was relieved. He was glad that she had been less down lately, but he wasn't stupid enough to think it was him causing her happiness.
"If you don't mind me asking… Did she say why she was so happy when you spoke to her earlier?" Scorpius questioned. The Friar simply gave him another ghostly grin and floated through the wall to his left.
"Daft old fellow…" Scorpius whispered to himself, shaking his head slightly.
"What was that?" A quiet voice said from behind him. Scorpius became as stiff as a board. He knew that voice. It haunted his days and his nights.
"Rose!"
"Hello." Rose said quietly. She was feeling all out of sorts. Usually she was the loud one out of the two of them. Now she felt as if her would come out as a whistle if she talked above a whisper.
"Is something wrong?" Scorpius quickly rushed over as he talked, as if to protect her if something was.
"Oh! No." Rose replied a dark red now covering her face and spreading down her neck.
"Good" Scorpius continued, "well you look.. Umm… Uhhh… Gorgeous, iridescent, beautiful…"
"Scorpius… Hello…" Rose waved her hand in front of Scorpius. His speech tapered off and the blush he had just gotten to go away had come back. "Thanks. You look really handsome too." Rose said with her head bowed down, her eyes barely looking up at Scorpius.
Rose wasn't lying when she said Scorpius looked handsome. He was wearing muggle clothes, which, surprisingly, made him all the more attractive. The blush gracing his face also made him more desirable. He also must have forgotten to comb his hair. It was all splayed across his forehead and was sticking up in many directions.
After staring at him for an awkward amount of time Rose cleared her throat. "So do you want to go… or…" Rose asked blushing once more and waving her arms back and forth.
Scorpius could not be more embarrassed. It was his first date with Rose and he was already screwing things up. All this planning and expectations and he was going to ruin it in the first ten minutes.
"Of course! I'm so sorry! Here follow me." Scorpius quickly grabbed Rose's hand. She couldn't help but notice how warm it felt covering her own.
Rose also couldn't imagine a night more perfect than one with Scorpius romantically pulling her through dimly, lit hallways. It seemed almost like a dream to Rose. Scorpius beside her fire lighting the way, him leading her to some romantic place to win her heart.
Scorpius was also getting very emotional on their date. His emotions though consisted more of fear and apprehension. He would not be able to enjoy Rose's company until he knew she was enjoying herself. Scorpius would just never be able to forgive himself if he messed up Rose's life again.
Suddenly Scorpius came to a stop. In front of them was a marble statue. It was of an old witch with one eye. At the feet of the statue was a golden placard with the words: Gunhilda of Gorsemoor.
"You took us to a… Statue?" Rose raised her eyebrows raised and face turned toward Scorpius.
"Well actually… It is a… Passageway… A secret hallway into Hogsmede." Scorpius finished an impish look on his face. Rose let out a laugh.
"Well alright how do we get into the passageway?"
"It's actually very simple!" Scorpius practically skipped to the statue. He then put his lips to the statue and whispered, "Dissendium!"Suddenly the hump of the crooked statue opened up and revealed a slide into a dark, and ominous passage.
Scorpius looked back at Rose. He then stalked over to her and grabbed her hands. Slowly he moved her hands back and forth in a childish manner. He appeared happier than Rose had ever seen him.
"Well" Scorpius continued looking straight into Rose's eyes, "ladies first!" He once again gave her a bright smile. Rose gave him a sideways glance, but she never the less climbed over to the hump of the witch.
Looking down was not a good idea for Rose. She had always been fairly athletic, but she did have one fatal flaw. She was deathly afraid of heights. It was why she loathed brooms and couldn't play Quidditch. Although she was fairly good at the muggle sport football her mother taught her.
Rose took a deep breath and gulped down her impending vertigo. In a flash Rose had jumped down the secret passageway. Wind whooshed past her ears and her eyes burned from the stale air. Eventually she hit the bottom and fell into what felt like sand.
She barely had time to stand and walk a few feet away when Scorpius came tumbling down right behind her. Unlike Rose who came down in a heap, he instead landed straight on his feet. In the dim light Rose could make out him dusting off his robes.
All of a sudden the room was filled with a soft glow. Rose saw Scorpius had taken out his wand. A tiny ray of light was coming out of the tip. Seeing that was the way they were going to light the tunnel Rose took out her own wand and did the same.
"This isn't the first time we've traveled by wand light, Scorpius" Rose teased throwing her elbow 'gently' into Scorpius' side.
"Are you talking about the night we met or all the times we met up after curfew?"
"The first night we met. You know when we were both little first years. I was on my way to see the library and you were out crying in the corridor." She said as she pinched Scorpius' cheek in a joking manner. He quickly batted away her hand.
"Haha., very funny, hilarious. I was running away from your terrible cousin and the Slytherin cronies."
"Albus is not that bad. He's sweet. Sometimes a little moody, but so am I occasionally."
"Alright. Whatever you say. Although I have to tell you the other Slytherins are terrible! That I will bet my life on." Rose lifted her hands in surrender.
Both of them walked side by side. They occasionally brushed up against each other, as they were pressed closer and closer in the tight passageway. Scorpius' hand brushed against Rose's. She shivered.
"Here take my coat. You're shivering!" Scorpius exclaimed. Rose was too embarrassed to correct him and let him take off his jacket. Underneath he was only wearing a tightly fitted shirt. Rose shivered again and it definitely wasn't from the chilly air.
They walked on for only a little while longer until they came to the end of the tunnel. Once the wand light was close enough a wooden ladder could be made out. It was old and termite bitten, but seemed to be in decent enough shape. Looking up they could also make out a small trap door with a golden knob on it.
"Well" Scorpius said, "this is it. Right above us is Honeydukes." He pointed up to the trap door with one hand. The other was now holding Rose.
"So what do you have planned?" Rose asked her eyebrows knit in a mix of anticipation, worry, and giddiness.
"I have arranged a night of candy provided by Britian's best candy shop of course!" Scorpius finished his introduction with a flourish of his hand and a deep bow. Rose let out a laugh.
It was well known knowledge that Rose had a giant sweet tooth, but this, to her, was above and beyond sweet. Even eating a whole crate of chocolate frogs couldn't make Rose any happier. Her heart was already so full of love for a boy with a soft smile and sharp features.
The date passed faster than Scorpius or Rose wanted it to. They talked and laughed. Both had stories from over the summer they hadn't had time to share, and memories they wanted to relive. Time was just a haggard idea hanging over their heads and ruining their evening. All too soon, it was time for them to head back to the castle.
Both Rose and Scorpius walked ever so slowly through the dark passage. Scorpius was dragging his feet and Rose kept her hand on the wall. Neither wanted the seemingly endless night to… End. Finally they reached the other side of the underground corridor.
Both stood not saying anything. Just brushing against each other. A glimpse of hands, a snapshot of sides, and a moment of shoulders. Rose slipped a letter into Scorpius pocket.
"I had a great time. And please for my sake… Don't open that until I'm gone." Rose quickly clambered up the ladder after she gave her piece. Scorpius was left in a daze. It took him a few minutes to realize there was a letter in his pocket.
Scorpius slowly climbed back into the castle. He stood at the bottom of the one-eyed witch basking in happiness. Not even a hallway away, Rose stood in an abandoned alcove, out of breath, doing the same.