Disclaimer: No, I'm not Jo. No I'm not Dashboard Confessional either. and I am definitely not L. Frank Baum. Don't sue. kthanksbye.
Chapter Two: Rooftops and Invitations
"The first time you looked at her curves you were hooked
And the glances you took, took hold of you
And demanded that you stay.
And sunk in their teeth, bit your heart and released,
Such a charge that you need another touch,
Another taste, another fix"
"'Then a strange thing happened,'" Hermione Weasley's voice was soft and soothing as she read to her daughter by the fire side. "'The house whirled around two or three times and rose slowly through the air. Dorothy felt as if she were going up in a balloon'."
Rose could remember her feeling of delight and wonder as she sat in her mother's lap listening to a wonderful story of a girl who gets swept away in a marvelous adventure. Hermione Weasley was a strong woman, who worked too hard and too many hours, but never complained because she loved her job far too much. But despite the long hours and the heavy workload, she always found time for her children. She would read to Rose and Hugo every night, and Rose remembers how glad her little 4 year old self would get when she heard her mother announce that it was story time. She would crawl up in her mother arms, in front of the large fireplace in the den and listen to her mother's voice for hours. She would always ask Rose if she had any questions, or if Rose had her own input on what she was reading about. And it was through her mother and their hours spent in front of the fireplace that Rose discovered her love for literature.
She remembers when she a little older asking her mother a question while she read Rose "The Wizard of Oz" once again.
"'...but as the hours passed and nothing terrible happened, she stopped worrying and resolved to wait calmly and see what the future would bring'" Hermione read, describing the terrible cyclone to her daughter. "'At last she crawled over the swaying floor to her bed, and lay down upon it; and Toto followed and lay down beside her. In spite of the swaying of the house and the wailing of the wind, Dorothy soon closed her eyes and fell fast asleep'."
"How could she do that mummy?" Rose asked, before Hermione could continue.
"Do what dear?"
"Lie down and fall asleep when something so bad was happening around her?"
"Well," Hermione thought about her answer, carefully considering her daughter's question and young state-of-mind, before answering. "It wasn't that bad really. Dorothy was quite safe in the house. And while she was being swept away to another land, she was more excited than frightened." Hermione stopped looking at the page and looked her daughter in the eyes. "Understand this, my little Rosie. Sometimes something can sweep you up, and you won't know what way is up, or what is right or what to feel. And you won't be afraid. You'll be excited. Your heart will start pumping fast, and you won't feel like yourself. But it won't be frightening at all." Hermione looked puzzled by the end of her speech. Unknowing whether or not her young, clever daughter fully understood what she was trying to explain.
"I'm not sure I understand," Young Rose said. Her forehead was furrowed in concentration.
"You will someday sweetie."
Rose looked back on her mother's advice many times throughout her life, and never fully understood. She comprehended the point her mother was trying to make, and deduced she was talking about falling in love. But Rose, never having been in love, could never see how someone could let themselves be completely swept away by something so powerful.
"Rose?"
But she supposed that maybe someone might be able to sweep her off her feet.
"Rose?"
Without warning, and for reasons unknown, a pair grey eyes flashed in her mind.
"Rosie?!"
'Malfoy?' Rose wondered.
"ROSE! Earth to Rose!"
Shaking her head to rid them of her disturbing thoughts she addressed the very grumpy looking girl before her.
"Sorry Lucy," Rose apologized lowering her eyes and shifting the Transfiguration notes she was supposed to be studying around. "I was in another land." Rose felt her cheeks growing hot, and hoped her friend wouldn't notice.
"Yeah, I can see that," Lucy said with a smirk. Her blue eyes alight with intrigue. "Who were you thinking about so intently?" Lucy asked with an eyebrow wiggle.
Lucy Woodward was Rose's best friend. Lucy had a long train of black hair down her back, and fierce blue eyes with an attitude to match. She was the seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team and a quick-witted spitfire, who had no qualms speaking her mind. A quality that Rose envied.
Rose sometimes wished she wasn't so observant though. Blushing, Rose answered "No one." She tucked a strand of wild hair behind her ear, and avoided Lucy's eyes. Rose hoped she would just drop it.
"A boy?" Lucy asked with devious tone, shuffling Rose's notes, and dragging them towards her.
No such luck it seems. "No!" Rose said again with a little giggle, and pulled her notes back towards her. "Now stop distracting me and let me study," Rose said only half-joking.
"C'mon Rosie," Lucy said, picking up her own notes again. "If you were thinking of a boy, you could tell me."
Fortunately for Rose, she was saved from further inquisition by the arrival of her cousin Al. Albus Potter, the prodigy who was mistaken for his father more often than he would like to admit. Albus was shy, quiet, incredibly intelligent, and was currently dating the loud, beautiful girl in front of Rose.
"Hey," Albus said quietly. He sat down next to Lucy and kissed her cheek. Lucy turned slightly pink and turned to face Al.
"Hey," She said her voice low and husky. Rose tried not to be jealous that her friend was able to pull off sexy and mysterious in ways she never could.
Lucy greeted Albus with a kiss on the lips and Rose instantly averted her eyes. She was very happy for the two of them, but had no desire to witness their affections.
'The subject being transfigured may experience some psychological and physical trauma before they are completely used to the transformation...' Rose read. Her Transfiguration final was in two days and for some reason she was still having difficulty grasping the subject of human-animagus transformations.
"Hello Rosie," Albus' voice broke through her note reading.
Rose looked up at her cousin. He had a slightly dazed look in his eyes, a cheeky grin of his face, and the faintest trace of lipstick on his lips. The overall look said 'I'm-completely-smitten'.
She couldn't help but smile.
"Hey Al," Rose responded. "How are you?"
"Very well," Albus said with a covert glance towards Lucy who was back to studying but with less passion than she was before. Rose raised an eyebrow at his statement, and went back to her notes.
"What are you guys up to?" He asked, peaking over Lucy's shoulder at her notes.
"Transfiguration," Lucy said, meeting Albus' eye. They were staring at each other so intently that Rose suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
"Nasty," Albus said in a very distracted way. His eyes still locked onto Lucy's.
Rose looked between her two friends, feeling very awkward and thought it would probably be a good time for her to leave. She glanced at her wristwatch. It was half past five. Suddenly she had a very real reason for leaving the library.
Scorpius...
"I have to go guys," Rose said in a panic, gathering up her books and notes and quills as quickly as possible. "I am so late..." she said as an afterthought.
"Bye," Her two companions said in lazy voices. They were still looking at each other, mere seconds it seemed from tearing each other's clothes off.
Rolling her eyes, Rose left in a flurry of violent hair and scattered parchment.
"I am not looking forward to the beginning of Exam week," Scorpius said. He was lying on his back at the base of the fountain. His eyes were closed and his muggle tee-shirt was sticking to his skin, thanks to the thin layer of sweat that had developed there.
It was forty-five minutes later and Rose and Scorpius, after thoroughly exhausting "The Wizard of Oz", were lying in the heat of early summer and talking about the upcoming week. Rose was sitting next to Scorpius' head, her light summer skirt not keeping her as cool as she would have liked. She rested her head against the base of the fountain, enjoying the feeling of the cool stone against her neck, and closed her eyes. "Me neither," she replied in the same lazy manner.
Scorpius squinted a grey eye at her response. "What do you have first?"
"Transfiguration.," Rose replied with a sigh. She kept her eyes closed and tried to ignore the sound of her heartbeat in her ears. She felt Malfoy's crooked gaze and it made her feel uneasy, excited, and overwhelmed. "What about you?" she asked, picking up the necklace that rested on her chest and toying with it. It was a horrible habit that she had picked up a few years ago. She was always trying to break herself of it, but it had become second-nature.
"Charms," came Scorpius' reply. He was propped up on his elbow now, both eyes open, firmly affixed on the girl beside him.
Rose pretended not to notice.
The sat in silence after that for some time. Rose fiddling with the necklace, Malfoy watching her. The heat was stifling and small beads of perspiration gathered on Rose's forehead. She wiped them away hastily. The only sounds that were heard were the babbling of the fountain and the occasional bird call.
"What's that?" The question was so soft and quiet that at first Rose didn't recognize it. It was only after she opened her eyes, and saw Scorpius looking up at her, that she knew he had spoken at all.
"Excuse me?" She asked.
Scorpius pushed himself up to a sitting position and leaned into Rose. His eyes flicked from the necklace dangling between her fingers and her startled expression. "Your necklace. Why do you do that?"
Rose was distracted. He was too close. He was eying her in a predatory nature and she found that she didn't mind it all that much. Stuttering, she managed a feeble "It's nothing." She dropped the necklace, but her eyes didn't leave his.
He raised a cool blonde eyebrow at her response and Rose felt her resolve crumbling. She picked up the necklace again. "It was my mother's," she babbled. "It was the first ring that my father ever gave her. He proposed with it. When he upgraded her ring right before their wedding, she couldn't bear to part with it." Why was she telling him this? Surely it was none of his business. But now that she had started, she found her mouth wouldn't shut-up. "She wore it as a necklace for years. But when I first came to Hogwarts she gave it to me. It's a sort of good luck charm." She lowered her eyes to the necklace and continued to fiddle with it.
Scorpius leaned closer still, fingers brushing hers as he examined the ring. It was a plain thing. Simple gold band, with three stones set into it. Two gold topazes flanked a red ruby. Gryffindor colors.
Rose was breathing heavily. He was far too close now. She felt as if she was being swallowed by his presence. His blonde head was bent in polite curiosity and his lips were parted slightly. He smelled like crisp parchment, and another scent she just couldn't place. The overall affect was not unpleasant. She closed her eyes and regulated her breathing. She didn't know what had come over her.
"It's nice," He said, dropping the ring from between his fingers. It hit her panting chest with a soft jingle.
"Thanks," she breathed. She continued to look at him. He hadn't moved yet. He was still sitting very close to her and as her eyes studied his face; the piercing grey eyes, the angled features, and surprisingly thin lips, it finally came to her.
'Honey! Crisp parchment and honey.' That's what he smelled like. Realization brought a smile to her lips.
He smiled back.
"What?" She asked.
"Nothing," he said cocking his head to the side, smirk playing across his lips. He moved away from her and resumed his position on his back. His eyes were once again closed, shielding themselves from the setting sun.
She found herself missing his nearness. She was puzzled by the sudden cold that stole over her when he left her immediate proximity. Shaking her head, she looked towards her companion.
He looked peaceful, relaxed. A slight smile played on his lips. She wondered if she would ever be able to reach that state of easiness.
As she was pondering, the figure stretched. His long arms reached out above his head and Rose was distracted from her musings by their lines. She could see the muscles and ligaments shifting and moving beneath the skin. Her eyes followed his fingers and hands, as he placed them behind his head. Her eyes, now moving with an intensity all their own, scanned over the long body beside her. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but she felt that she couldn't get enough. The peaceful face, the tee-shirt pulled tight against his chest, the jean clad legs, crossed at the ankle. He exuded calm. 'He always has,' a small portion of her mind reminded her as she eagerly consumed his figure. Her eyes snagged on a piece of fabric by his waist. His blue shirt was bunched up, revealing a small sliver of skin. A jutting hip-bone stared back at her. Her breathing was becoming irregular again. But before she could fully appreciate its fitness, the fabric moved and covered it again.
Her heart rate slowed.
"I got to go. I told Dylan I'd meet him for a little Charms brush-up." Scorpius was looking at his wristwatch. And all too quickly he was up from the ground, bag packed, and looking down at her sitting form with a small smile.
"Same time tomorrow?" He asked. She nodded, not trusting her voice and before she knew it he was striding across the grounds towards the castle.
Rose tried to catch her breath and suddenly found herself very warm. She gathered her things and set off for her dormitory at a brisk pace.
A cool shower and the calming presence of books was what she needed.
'Describe the theory behind physical trauma and emotional stress as it pertains to animal transfigurations, and give an example of each.'
Rose sat in her Transfiguration classroom, tapping her quill and reading the questions to her Transfiguration Final Exam. The exam had just begun and Professor Clearwater was overseeing the students. The ticking of the clock reminded Rose that her time was precious, rare and rapidly running out. She was generally a good test-taker, but Transfiguration wasn't her best subject.
Fiddling with her quill, she took a quick glance around to clear her head, hoping to form answers. Lucy was sitting next to her, tapping her foot and writing at a smooth pace. Albus was at the front of the class, quill moving quickly across the test parchment in a way that Rose envied.
Taking a deep breath she dived into the test. It was slow going at first, but she soon rediscovered all the answers buried in the back of her head. As she continued to write about theories, wand movements, the difference between animagus transformations and werewolf transformations and different effects of wordless spells, her mind began to wander.
Yesterday with Scorpius was nice. They had sat by the fountain and helped each other study. However somewhere between re-teaching Scorpius the proper wrist movement for the Levitation Charm and studying the dates of the first know animagus transformation, Rose discovered something. Somehow, through all their talking and reading and story-sharing, she and Scorpius had become friends.
And best of all, she liked it.
However, whenever she thought about that scent that she discovered as they talked about her mother's ring and that slip of stomach she caught a glance of as he lay next to her, she started thinking about things that were very far from friendship indeed.
She wondered of the rest of his torso was as fit as that little piece of hip. It looked smooth and she surprised herself when she realized that she would like nothing more than to run her fingertips down his chest, his arms, his broad shoulders, his back…
"Ten minutes left," Professor Clearwater shouted with authority.
Startled, Rose was pulled from her fantasies with all the shock of being plunged into cold water. Shaking her head and burying her fantasies, Rose finished her exam with time to spare.
And it wasn't until later, when she, Lucy and Albus sat beneath the large beech tree, rehashing the details of the test that it hit her. Scorpius Malfoy had sucked her up into a cyclone all his own. And she didn't feel scared, frightened or nervous. A sort of giddy excitement came over her as she sat there only half-listening to Albus spout off the three different examples he used.
She didn't know what to think, what to feel or which way was up, and she liked it.
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So, what do we think? Our little Rosie sure has got something bad alright.
Reviewers are loved, as always.
Chapter Three: Rose and Scorpius are pushed to the breaking point and James Potter makes an appearance.