"Fool For Love" – Chapter 2
I must've fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes again it was pitch black outside and there was someone knocking loudly on the door. A moment later, Albus' voice rang through it, "Rosie?"
I wiped my eyes, hoping that they weren't still swollen or red, and got up to open the door. The light outside poured into the room, making me squint.
"Rose, are you okay?" He asked, leaning close to my face, his brow furrowed. "You've been crying."
I shook my head, forcing a smile onto my face, "Come on, Al, do I seem like the crying type? I just don't feel good."
"I feel like I haven't seen you all day," he said. "Have you been in your dorm all day?"
"Of course not," I quickly responded.
He looked at me skeptically.
"I was at breakfast," I defended myself.
"That's it?"
"Albus, I don't know why you're so concerned."
"Am I not allowed to be concerned over my own cousin?"
"I'm fine, Al," I said, putting a reassuring hand on his arm. "Right as rain. Really."
"Are you sure?" He made a face, probably because I've never said 'right as rain' or anything like that before in my life.
"Positive."
He looked at me for a moment longer before shaking his head. "Fine. Get better then."
I nodded. "I'll try."
"I'll see you tomorrow then?"
"You will."
"I'm going to hold you to that, Rose Weasley," he said – pointing a finger at me.
***
The thing with me is, after a good cry I'm completely better. Now, I'm all smiles, flowers, and sunshine, and I'm completely over the entire losing my virginity thing – I mean, maybe not completely over it, but the fact is, that it happened and now life is moving on.
And if you wanted to think of the entire situation is a positive way, if it hadn't happened, I would still be hung up on Gerry, and I wouldn't have cried about it (because, well, face it, he's an arse and not worth crying over), so I wouldn't have gotten better from it, and I would just mope about him for the next few weeks.
See? Optimism – smiles, flowers, and sunshine. I'm doing so much better.
***
Dinner in the Great Hall had always bothered me. There was always too much laughing, too much talking, and too much drama, so normally, I would grab something that I could carry in my hand and go back to the Gryffindor Tower and eat there. Dominique liked to call it antisocial, but I simply like to think of it as a way to avoid a bad headache.
Surprisingly, today was different. After Herbology, I found myself in the Great Hall during dinner – talking and laughing – with Dominique, James, and Haley at the Gryffindor table, having a merry old time.
"Please," James rolled his eyes, "Slytherin is not going to beat us on Saturday's game."
Haley rolled her eyes back at him, "Face it, Potter. Their team is perfect this year." She counted off on her fingers, "They've got Albus as Seeker; Malfoy, Giles, and Prewett as Chasers; Gibson as Keeper; and Geller and that really huge Slytherin as Beaters. Perfect team."
James pointed a fork at her, "Haley! How can you root for the other team and oppose your own team? You're our Keeper! It's your job to not let Malfoy, Giles, and Prewett score."
"I'm not Iopposing/I Gryffindor, I'm simply stating the facts," she said simply.
Dominique shook her head, "You two talk about Quidditch too much."
"We do not!" James and Haley said together.
I laughed to myself, I personally thought it was fun to watch James and Haley argue.
A while into dinner, I couldn't help but glance at the Slytherin table. Albus smiled and waved, obviously pleased that I was feeling better. I grinned and waved back. Next to him, Malfoy ate silently, eating each bite slowly, not talking to anyone. He looked up when he saw Albus waving, and followed his gaze to me, his eyes widened a little and a pink tinge appeared on his pale cheeks, and he quickly looked back down to his food, and started to eat again, quicker than before.
Albus looked at Malfoy, then back at me and shrugged.
***
My absolute favorite place in the world is probably the library at Hogwarts. I don't know why – but the way the books would just surround you with their smell and presence just sort of makes you want to curl up and stay that way forever. Somehow, it always had felt like home.
Not to mention, there's no one to bother you when you want to study or just to be alone – normally, I'm the only one who likes to stay in the library for more than a few minutes.
Also, the old librarian – Madame Pince – has been at Hogwarts for so long, she's practically blind and deaf, and doesn't come out of her office much, contrary to what she was like when my parents were at Hogwarts, or so my mother tells me, so I usually have the entire place to myself.
After Transfiguration – the last class of the day – I walked to the library. As usual, I was grateful to find it empty. I took a seat at the table nearest to the entr and pulled out my Ancient Runes textbook and the page we had to translate and got ready to do homework for a good few hours.
I had gotten a good hour of homework done before I heard someone come in. Without looking up, I heard him – or her – walk to the table I was working at and sat down. I had to bite the urge to look up and snap at whoever it was, telling them that there was plenty of other tables in the library and why sit at the only table with someone already sitting there.
Of course, I didn't say anything, and just decided to ignore whoever it was.
"Rose," I heard the person say and my head shot up, shocked to see Scorpius Malfoy sitting diagonally from me, leaning forward on his elbows.
"What?" I was half-annoyed that he had interrupted me, a fourth nervous because this was the first time I had talked to him in over a week, and the last fourth was incredibly surprised.
"Can we talk?" he asked.
I thought for a moment, deciding that there wouldn't be enough time to make a mental list of pros and cons before he was expected an answer. I finally nodded and said, "Quickly though, I have a lot work to do."
"It won't take long. Do you want to talk here or go somewhere else?"
I looked around for Madame Pince, not seeing her anywhere, "We can just talk here."
He nodded, "I know that you said that we should just let everything be and forget about it, but that just doesn't seem right with avoiding each other and making everything awkward. I know that you've been avoiding me these past weeks, just like I've been avoiding you."
I nodded, not quite sure where he was getting at.
He continued, "I think we should try being friends."
"Friends?"
"Yes, friends. I mean, it's useless just ignoring each other – we'll have to talk to each other eventually, so we might as well be just friends. That way, we could avoid any awkwardness later on."
I found myself nodding, "That actually makes some sense… Fine then - friends."
"Good," he said.
"Friends," I repeated it to myself, it sounded simple enough. I stuck my hand out, "Friends," I said as he took it.
"Very official," he pointed out, shaking my hand, smirking.
I pulled my arm back, defensive, "Hey!"
"Just kidding." He stood up. "It's going to be very interesting being friends with you," he said before adding, "Rose."
Rose. Not Weasley, but Rose.
"Same with you," I thought for a moment, "Scorpius."
He smiled at that and turned to leave the library.
"Scorpius," I said to myself, testing it out. Yeah, I could definitely do this friend thing.
***
The smell of freshly mowed grass is probably my favorite smell on the earth. I tell this to my father in the last letter that I wrote to him. I realize this the day after me and Scorpius decided to be friends while I was walking outside to Care of Magical Creatures.
My father responds, telling me that I truly am my mother's daughter.
This letter was shorter than usually were. I had decided that I wouldn't tell my father about Scorpius, telling from how much my father hated – or rather, loathed – Scorpius' father, Draco, he probably wouldn't like Scorpius any better. I had told myself when I decided about this that I wouldn't technically be lying to my father; it would just be not telling him absolutely everything, which, in all honestly, who did? I had found out, though, while writing the letter that with each word I wrote I felt that I was, in fact, lying to him.
"Stop being stupid," Haley said when I told her. "Everyone lies to their parents and this isn't even a big deal."
"It isn't a big deal," I said slowly. "You're right, this isn't a big deal."
She looked at me as if that were obvious.
"I shouldn't feel bad," I said. "That's right. I don't feel bad."
But in complete honestly, I did.
***
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