Well, don't stand there gawping!" snapped Scorpious at a crowd of people. "Carry on with your work. I'm not dishing out entertainment in free periods." Rose couldn't help smiling. How very like Scorpious.
"Find something funny, Weasley?" asked Scorpious, turning on her, gray eyes piercing. Rose hadn't realised she had lowered her Transfiguration book to watch the proceedings.
"No!" she said quickly. For a minute she thought she saw a flicker of a smile on his face then he turned his back on her and walked out.
"God, what a bastard," she heard someone mutter.
Rose was in the library when she felt someone's gaze falling on her. Turning around slightly, she spotted Matt, who was leaning against a bookshelf. She waved a hand at him.
"Hey!" she said. He grinned and walked over.
"Hey, Rose! How was your holidays?" He pulled out a seat and sat directly opposite her.
"Yeah, it was good, how was yours?"
"It was okay. I... missed you loads, though."
"Oh," said Rose soflty, lowering her eyes' back to her book. She could feel Matt's eyes intently on her.
"You never wrote to me," he said, sounding slightly wounded.
"Oh...yeah, I was just kinda...busy." A silence enveloped them. Rose didn't think she had felt this uncomfortable in all her life. She felt stifled. Maybe she should say something... But what? All interesting topics had dissapeared from her mind as soon as she had seen him.
"So...I heard you didn't get the badge," said Matt, sitting back, making the decision for her. "Why does that surprise me?"
"You didn't get it either." Matt grinned.
"Well, that's a different case. I spent most of the time in first and second year picking on people who were weaker than me."
"What?" asked Rose, confused.
"Yeah, I used to be a bit nasty before...but now I've changed." His blue eyes' met hers.
"You were nasty?" asked Rose, intrigued. "I didn't know that. You just don't seem the type." Matt grinned.
"Trust me, looks can be decieving." Where had she heard that before?
"Tell me about it," she snorted. Matt glaced at his watch then got up.
"Well, I have to go. I'll see you around?" he asked.
"Yeah, okay." There was a moments pause, then Matt leaned in and gave Rose a kiss on the cheek. His lips lingered there for a while, then he straightened up without looking at her and walked away. Rose held her hand to her cheek, startled. And even when she got up, packed her things away and started off to her next class, she could still feel his kiss there, burning her skin.
"Is it just me or are you totally avoiding Matt?" asked Dani, leaning over Rose to get a piece of mince pie.
"Am not," scowled Rose.
"Look, Rose, if you have no feelings with the guy, just admit it to him. Quit leaving him hanging. Whenever I look his way, he's staring at you like a fox at a rabbit. It's getting a bit stalkerish now," Dani added, giving a little shiver.
"I think it's sweet," said a girl Rose had never known before. She looked like a first year with her petite frame and blonde pigtails.
"I'm Amy, by the way," she said.
"Sweet?" asked Dani incredously. "I bet the guy secretly takes pictures of her and sticks it up on his wall, touching those lips he knows he'll never kiss-"
"Ok, pack it in now," snapped Rose. "Since when did you become all poetic?"
"Since she's been going out with Robert," said Amy cheekily.
"Oi, don't chat to me kid, I barely know you," retorted Dani. Amy, looking slightly stung, got off her chair and marched off with a slightly haugthy expression on her face. Dani rolled her eyes.
"Kids these days. So, back to the subject of Matt."
"I like Matt. We're very well acquainted."
"Acquainted?" asked Dani, rolling her eyes' once again. "Give me some credit, Rose."
"I like him." said Rose defensively. "He's a nice guy. Sweet...honourable...cute," she added. Dani laughed.
"Sure, he's hot. extremely hot. But-"
"You two had better not sit there for long," warned a flustered third year, running up towards their end.
"Why not?" asked Rose.
"Scorpious is coming along and he's allowed to give detentions. He's already handed a couple out and all the victims were doing was playing exploding snap in the common room."
"Christ, what's got into him lately?" said Rose angrily.
"A detention for saying that, Rose," said an annoyed Scorpious from abover her. Rose stood up.
"What?" she said. "All I did was-"
"You are a two- faced Gryffindor, Weasley. And you have detention in the dungeons. Tommorow, eight o' clock."
"But I didn't even do anything!" said Rise indignantly.
"I'll see you there," said Scorpioys stiffly. He walked away.
"Oh, great!" exploded Rose, turning to Dani. "What's worse than being stuck in a dungeon with Scorpious? I hope I'm not the only one there."