"Tonight's the night." Scorpius said, dropping a kiss on Rose's head as he passed by to the opposite side of the common room downstairs, to get his bag. Rose smiled and said, "Tonight it is." Although, internally, she was dreading tonight with every fibre of her being. She was really scared that something would go wrong and that it wouldn't live up to her expectations. But, more than anything, she was terrified of being in a relationship. Scorpius, on the contrary, was immensely confident about the night. He believed that nothing could go wrong since he had looked into everything. The house elves were to bring them food and put it out before they arrived so that Rose wouldn't protest (she got her elf protection genes from her mother) and it was going to be romantic, beside a river which was going to look old and fairytale-like. He couldn't remember the last time he was looking forward to something so much.

They went about their classes as usual that day, exchanging subtle glances. And when the word subtle is used, it means very obvious glances. None which went unnoticed by Albus. Who, of course, reported to Lily, who finally came to the conclusion that they were, in fact, together. But she decided not to tell Rose that she had figured something out because she wasn't sure if it was true or if Al was seeing things. Knowing Al, it was probably the latter. So she chose not to act on her "discovery".

During lunch, Rose and Scorpius snuck off to the Astronomy Tower and sat there, looking out at the Forbidden Forest, just talking and laughing. Head Girl and Boy duties didn't seem as important as they were and even Rose managed to brush away the nagging feeling to go and attend to duties. Finally lunch was over and they had to go back to their classes. Before leaving, Scorpius put an arm around her waist and pulled her close and said, "Tonight is going to be amazing."

"That's what she said." Rose said, unable to contain herself. Scorpius looked at her, puzzled and curious. She shook her head, telling him that it was a muggle joke and that he shouldn't bother himself with it. He narrowed his eyes at her but nodded and let it go. Then they parted ways, going back to their previous routine of sneaking not-so-subtle glances at each other.

Finally classes were done and Rose went straight upstairs to see what she had to wear. Throwing open her cupboard revealed that she had...nothing.

"Nothing?!" Lily exclaimed minutes later when Rose had gone seeking help in the Gryffindor girlfamilmitory. She had only told Lily that she was going on a date (with whom she hadn't said) and she needed something to wear.

"Shout louder, I don't think Al heard you in the boys dormitory!" Rose hissed, angrily. Lily rolled her eyes and said, "Seriously, though. How can you have nothing to wear! You belong to one of the most famous Wizarding families ever!"

"Says the daughter of The Chosen One." The children often teased Harry by calling him The Chosen One, The Boy Who Lived and other such embarrassing titles he had acquired while he was busy battling the most evil wizard of all time.

"Shut up. He's your uncle."

"But he's still your father." Rose sang off-key and Lily glared at her. She smiled guiltily, pushing Lily's wand away so that she wouldn't reach for it and start using Rose as OWL practical practice.

"Anyway," Lily said, glowering, "we need to find you something to wear. Since I'm assuming it's Scorpius Malfoy, I think you should go for something black. Black always looks good and sexy. But not too black. Because that'll look like you're attending a funeral." She was talking so fast that it took Rose a few moments to realise what she had said about Scorpius. She quickly said, "Um what?!"

"Well, Rose, I don't know if you know this but people wear black to-"

"No! About Scorpius! We're not dating!"

"Oh?" Lily said in a mock questioning voice but didn't pause her rummaging.

"It really isn't!" Rose didn't know why she wasn't just telling Lily. She just felt the need to keep denying it.

"Sure, okay."

"Don't say that!"

"Then it is?"

"No it isn't! But don't say okay in disbelief!"

"Then who is it?"

"Michael." Rose said, thinking on the spot and mentally patting herself on the back for coming up with a real name.

"Last name?"

"McDreamy?"

"Nice try. Rose, it's okay if it's Scorpius. I won't tell a soul and I'll be totally fine with it. I promise. You can trust me. And I really thought you already did. Also, I kind of know it's Scorpius."

"What?! How do you know?"

"So it is true then?"

"Yes, yes it is." Rose finally admitted with a sigh. Lily's eyes widened and she said, "Ohmygod! Really? Scorpius Malfoy?!"

"I thought you knew!"

"Well yeah! But I didn't believe it until you admitted to it! I thought Al was seeing things!"

"Al knows?!"

"Shit. No. He thinks he knows something. I'll work on him. Now tell me all about it." She sat down on the bed, her eyes widening, waiting for Rose to tell.

"I really would but I kind of have a date to catch." Rose said, rolling her eyes. Lily's eyes widened and said, "Right! You're anti-fashion! I forgot! One sec." She rummaged through her trunk and resurfaced with a deep purple halter neck, satin dress with a single stitch separating the top half from the bottom half. Simple and elegant. Rose beamed when she saw it and said, "I thought you said black."

"Well, purple is the new black." Lily said and grinned. Rose ended up going back to her room with Lily and Lily got her ready.

Scorpius had told Charles the same and had shown his outfit that he had planned to wear to Charles. Like Rose, he hadn't told Charles who he was going on a date. But unlike Lily, Charles wasn't very nosy and figured that this girl was just a fling that Scorpius would use to get over Rose. He didn't know that it was, in fact, Rose. That didn't stop him from heavily criticising the suit and the tie. Especially the tie.

"What is wrong with you? Do you want to go on a date looking like Hooligan the Ass?"

"It's nice to see that my sense of fashion pleases you." Scorpius responded, sarcastically. Charles pretended not to hear that and said, "No no no! This is all wrong! You're taking this girl to dinner and you want to dress in a suit with a a striped tie?! What is seriously wrong with you." It was more of a statement than a question.

"What should I wear?!"

"How about, instead of wearing a grey-black tie, you go with black? You know, like a normal person? There's a reason it's called a "black tie event", Scor."

"Right. But there's the slight problem of me not having a black tie." Scorpius said.

"That's easy to fix. Accio Charles Zabini's black tie!" Charles called out and, within a minute, a black tie came soaring in through the open window. Charles caught it and put it around Scorpius' neck, tightening it a little too much. He loosened it, glaring at Charles.

"She wouldn't mind if I showed up without a tie, you know."

"And who is this 'she'?" Charles asked, looking at Scorpius curiously.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Scorpius teased and Charles rolled his eyes. He sat down on the bed and, curiosity getting the better of him, said, "Fine. Then I'm going to wait here until she shows up."

"What?! Why do you suddenly want to know who it is?!"

"Because I have an inkling that it's a certain female Weasley who has agreed to go on one date with you but will probably Lemon Law you."

"Lemon Law me?"

"It's a thing. Don't ask."

"Charles, how obsessed are you with that televenus show?"

"It's television Scorpius. And pretty damn obsessed. But that's beside the point. Am I right?"

"No, no you aren't." Scorpius said, not meeting Charles' eyes.

"Oh?" He said in a tone of disbelief.

"It really isn't!"

"Sure okay."

"Stop not believing me!"

"I can't help it! Your denial just makes me further believe it." Charles said, using elaborate hand gestures to further his point. Scorpius sighed, knowing he had to admit to it. So he said, "Okay fine. It is." And, as if on cue, Charles Zabini's mouth fell open. He said, "Rose?!"

"No. Lily Potter. Yes, obviously Rose."

"Merlin's beard!"

"Wait, I thought you knew!"

"I didn't actually believe myself until you said so!" Charles exclaimed and Scorpius rolled his eyes and said, "I think I hear her coming down. So I'm going to go down. Do you think you'll be okay? Won't get a stroke and die?"

"No no. I'll be fine. Just need a little time."

"Pity. Okay then Charles, you can stay up here as long as you want. Just don't go through my stuff. And don't tell anyone. We're trying to keep it a secret right now." Charles snorted at how easily Scorpius had told him. Scorpius glared at him and continued, "So I'm trusting you with this."

"Yes, sir!" Charles said, mock saluting Scorpius and then going back to his previous state of disbelief and, Scorpius sensed, denial. He said, "Just don't tell my parents, okay?"

"I'll probably choke on my saliva if I try."

"Now there's an image I don't need before dinner."

"Right. Sorry. Now go on your date! My boy's all grown up!" Charles said, grinning and hitting Scorpius' chest. Scorpius didn't flinch but gave Charles a look of disbelief. He shrugged and said, "Now go go go!"

"Going! Don't mess up in here!"

"I won't. Go!" Charles said, pushing him towards the door. He laughed and was about to open the door when something heavy hit him from behind. It took him a moment to realise that Charles had tackled him in a hug from behind. He smiled and patted Charles' arm and Charles muttered, "Go get her, Scorpius." Scorpius didn't want to ruin the moment by pointing out that he already had her so he just nodded and Charles let go, beaming at him. Scorpius muttered a bye and left.

Downstairs, Scorpius saw Rose sitting on the sofa, her hair curled at the ends, in a deep purple dress that looked beautiful. He said, "Merlin's Most Baggy Y-Fronts, Rose! You look amazing." Rose snapped her head in his direction and gave him a huge smile. She said, "You don't look too bad yourself. You clean up well."

"That's it? I said you look amazing and I get 'clean up well'?" Scorpius said in a mock offended tone.

"I'm sorry. Scorpius Malfoy, you look so amazing tonight that the stars themselves shy away from your beauty even when they're against a clear night sky, making the sky look like heaven." Rose said, pretending to recite a line from a romantic play, therefore using hand gestures and making Scorpius laugh.

"How very poetic of you." Scorpius said.

"I know." Rose said, grinning at him. Scorpius laughed and leaned in to kiss her but she pulled away, shaking her head. She said, "We'll see if I still want to kiss you at the end of tonight. You never know, I may have to Lemon Law you."

"That again. What is the Lemon Law?"

"Where have you heard it before?" Rose said, curiously.

"Charles said it. He was talking about some television show and it came up."

"Oh. Well never mind. It's a muggle thing. Not something you pure-bloods should worry yourselves with."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Ugh, Scorpius. Learn to take a joke! Shall we go?"

"We shall." Scorpius said, offering his arm. She took the crook of his elbow, her purse in her other arm. He led her out of the common room (getting a comment on how lovely they looked from Dumbledore on the way out) and to the Room of Requirement. Once they reached the Room of Requirement, since Rose didn't know where the date was supposed to be, Scorpius paced before the empty wall, imagining every feature of the place. The third time he paced, the door appeared. He pushed it open and motioned for Rose to enter. She did and sucked in a sharp breath when she saw the place. The beauty of it left her breathless for a few seconds. She spotted the empty table for two beside the river. She had the urge to just paint the entire place. But she held herself back and said, "Scorpius, it's beautiful."

"It's for you." He said, smiling at how she was taking everything in.

"You are such a romantic." Rose said, smiling at him teasingly.

"I'm going to take that as a compliment." He said, making her laugh more.

"You should." She said and Scorpius smiled, taking her to the table. Rose only then realised that she was famished. All the getting ready for a date had tired her out. Maybe that was the point of getting ready. So that you'd be hungry enough to eat anything. And Rose didn't shy away from food. Once they sat down, she piled her plate with food. Scorpius gave her a look and she said, "What?! I'm starving! Have you ever been a girl who needs to do all this crazy crap to get ready for a date?"

"Um... no."

"So don't judge me then." She said, rolling her eyes. He nodded, piling his own plate with food. He figured that since they were piling, he may as well do the same. They began eating and began a conversation but it soon died out and they only concentrated on the food, making occasional comments about how good the food was. Once they were done, they were sipping on butterbeer and just enjoying the comfortable silence they had fallen into. Finally Rose said, "Let's go onto the bridge."

"Why the bridge?"

"Because it's a wooden bridge and I haven't seen one of those in a while. And I think it's really gorgeous." She said, in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Alright then." Scorpius said and their glasses and plates were left abandoned as they moved to the bridge, standing there and looking out at the river. They stood close together, their arms brushing together as they sat with their elbows resting on the railing of the bridge. They just stayed there in a comfortable silence, looking out at the river. Finally Scorpius broke the silence saying, "So, how secret is this exactly?"

"What do you mean? Did you tell someone about us?" Rose pretended to be accusatory but an underlying tone of longing was present. She really hoped he had told someone about them.

"No." Scorpius said, a little too hastily. Rose knew he had told someone. So she said, "It's okay if you have. As long as the person can be trusted." She didn't look at him while she said this.

"Okay fine. I sort of told Charles."

"Oh thank Merlin! I told Lily." Rose gushed and Scorpius raised an eyebrow at her. She said, "What? Now we're even."

"Even? You know you can't consider being 'even' in a relationship."

"We're in a relationship?"

"Aren't we?"

"Are we?"

"Do you want to be?" Scorpius asked and Rose hesitated. He noticed and said, "Rose... do you?" Rose thought about it and immediately the voice kicked in:

Do you?

I don't know. Do I?

You know, Rose. This is Scorpius Malfoy. This is probably a once in a lifetime opportunity. Plus, you need to experiment. You can't be scared forever. You'll never end up getting married if you're this scared!

MARRIED?!

Oh god. You're so stupid. Stop freaking out. Scorpius Malfoy could be the best or the worst thing that happens to you and you need to put yourself out there! Lily supports it. You're fine. Just go for it. The longer you hesitate, the worse he'll feel.

Right.

Or, on second thought-

Shut up. You convinced me. Go back to being nothing. Rose told the voice and shut it up. She turned to Scorpius who looked really crestfallen at her longer-than-necessary hesitation. She gave him a big smile, took his hand and said, "Yes." Scorpius looked up at her, searched her face for a second and then nodded, beaming. Then, out of nowhere, music began to play. It was a slow song by the Weird Sisters Revamped who were the descendants of the Weird Sisters. Personally, both Rose and Scorpius liked the original band more. But this song fit the romantic atmosphere perfectly. Scorpius held out a hand and said, "May I have this dance?"

"Of course." Rose said, without a moment's hesitation took his hand. He led her away from the railing and she put her arms around his neck and he put his around her waist and they swayed gently to the music in silence, just looking at each other. Not staring, but looking. The night never seemed to end. And neither wanted it to either.

x

For those of you who are confused, the Lemon Law is an idea from the sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. It basically states that, under the Lemon Law, a person may call off a date within the first five minutes without any repercussions.

Thanks for reading :)