A/N: I was born in Ah-mer-ree-cuh (America). (Yes, some Drake & Josh pronunciation there . . . Oh, I don't own that (or them) either.)
Thanks to: AlgophobianSadist, Anti-Banana19, Aruna (), Avanell and RAWR1229 for reviewing! Sorry for the delay! I was working on another story soon to be posted on here, but that's no excuse! Onwards!
Now, A Memory Refresher!
Previously on Acquaintances:
Rose Weasley, Ravenclaw, helps her cousins and brother set up for Albus Potter's, Gryffindor, party. Afterwards, she is called to Headmistress Vector's office to talk about certain matters.
Chapter Twelve (Admiring)
"Hey, guys?"
"Yeah?" James answered as he looked over some glasses to make sure they were clean.
"How many people are invited?"
"There are only going to be people Al knows."
"Oh." Silence came about as Rose, her brother, and cousins went about their designated job; Rose had to make the punch. At first she had protested, saying the house elves could make it, but the little creatures were already busy with the upcoming banquet for those who were staying for Christmas break and then the Christmas feast. James had nearly asked them to squeeze the punch in, but, feeling guilty, Rose decided she would make it. And there she was, on the ground reading from a Wizarding recipe book on Al's favorite beverage: Daisyroot Draught.
"Why couldn't you have just gone to Hogsmeade and bought some of that from the Hog's Head?" Lily asked Rose while trying to unravel some ribbon.
"Al, being the fastidious eater he is, likes it a specific way. And James, I hope you're still going to Hogsmeade to get those butterbeers."
"I am, no worries."
"And I hope word doesn't get out that I'm brewing alcohol." Rose stirred the liquid in the cauldron–her Potions cauldron!–counterclockwise two times before clockwise once. "And I hope my cauldron won't smell too much of alcohol."
"Neither of those will happen," Hugo assured her, walking over to Lily to help untangle the ribbon.
"Wait, so you, Rose, are brewing alcohol, but you, James, are going to go buy some butterbeer?"
"Yeah."
"Pretty much."
"Why?" Lily asked.
"The Daisyroot Draught is for the partygoers who like to, or want to, drink alcohol. The butterbeer is for those who do not, or don't want to, drink alcohol," Rose explained.
"Like Rose," Hugo said, causing James to snicker as he got rid of another spider web. Rose and Lily had refused to go near them, and Hugo had already called putting confetti bags in random spots. The bags, name still pending, were an invention James and Lily had thought of in response to their Uncle George's contest that had sprung up suddenly as a publicity stunt: make your own creation and, if you win, get it sold in the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmeade. The siblings actually wanted the cash prize of 400 Galleons, with a decision to split it if they won.
The confetti bags, upon its first impression, seemed to be decorations since they came in different colors. It could be hung up anywhere, and when an unsuspecting person–or people–came by, it would pop suddenly, the colorful paper flying everywhere. The uniqueness, however, came from the fact that the sack only popped when the people underneath weren't inspecting it. If they were, it would stay stationary until they forgot about it, popping at an innocent moment. James and Lily were getting help from Hugo and Rose with the spells after the success of the charms for the wall. Their cousins would help only for, of course, a small (to be determined) sum of the money if–when, James had said–the design won.
"Hugo, I still don't like the fact you want to test the confetti bags at a party. What if it doesn't work and seriously injures someone? I mean, I didn't get a chance to go over the spells or anything . . ."
"Oh, stop worrying, Rose," her brother responded while sticking a bag under some ribbon of the same color making it almost seem unnoticeable.
"Fine," she muttered. She listened to the noise of the other people as she checked over the drink. "So, someone asked me if they could come to the party, but I wasn't sure what to say," she finally blurted out.
"Okay, who is it?" James scratched the side of his jaw line where a little stubble was pronounced.
"Scorpius Malfoy."
"Does Al even know him?" Lily asked. She had become aware of her brother's short facial hair and was poking his face, her nose crinkled playfully. The redhead stepped away, laughing, when James tickled her side a little and threatened to give her matching stubble.
"Um, I'm not sure, but before you guys say vote against it, just remember he helped me with getting the spells to make this room–sorry, these rooms–awesome." Rose didn't bother telling them the larger thing the Malfoy had done for her, but she knew they were thinking it. Instead she looked around the two rooms, the other three doing so as well. It was bigger now with the wall out of the way, the decorations already put up making it lively. Every nook and cranny was slowly getting cleaned, and the Daisyroot made the room smell pleasant . . . and alcoholic.
"Well," James twirled his wand around, "I'll ask Al." Rose sighed, barely noticing James checking his watch. "It's seven, so I'll stop by Hogsmeade to pick up the drinks for tomorrow. Remember to put a cooling charm on the draught when you've finished, Rose." Rose nodded. "And once you guys fill the room with more streamers, we'll be done for today. Now, money so I can buy Al his presents. Write your gifts down, please." Lily found some parchment, wrote down her gift, gave the list to Hugo, and dug for her money in her rucksack.
"Fifteen Galleons," Lily said, dropping them in threes in her oldest brother's open palm as Hugo slid the list to Rose. She wrote down the gift she wanted for Al (a picture she found when going through scrapbooks, but, as her parents probably wanted the original, she needed a copy and wanted it enlarged), and reached into her pocket for her money, finding it empty. After checking the other and her bag, she realized she hadn't brought any.
"James, can you spot me? I'll pay you back, promise." Rose bit her lip. Her cousin looked thoughtful.
"Fine, but I'm holding you to that. Okay, so you lot finished?" The teens younger than him nodded. "Then you can go to dinner, and Hugo, save me something, will you?"
"I thought you were getting something to eat in Hogsmeade."
"So what if I am?"
"Fine, fine, but you have to find me to get it or else I'm eating it."
"Ah, Cuz-o, I raised you right. Whoa, Lily, where do you think you're going?"
Lily paused where she was, halfway out the door. "I'm going to dinner."
"You're not walking by yourself. Here, I'll walk with you and Hugo can walk with Rose. Come on my little sister." James threw an arm around Lily's shoulders. She was frowning but the others knew she loved spending whatever time she could with her siblings. As they left, Hugo helped Rose haul the cauldron of the strong beverage underneath a table to keep it hidden. Rose then put a cover on it so nothing would get in it–and so no one would smell it–and casted the cooling charm.
After making sure the door was locked, the two headed off to dinner, Hugo talking about a name for James and Lily's–and, to an extent his and Rose's–invention. Rose only listened half-heartedly. She knew the actual reason James hadn't wanted Lily to go off on her own: he didn't want someone to attack her. In a way, she was mad at the boy for insinuating that they, the girls, couldn't get anywhere without an escort, but another part of her was glad for it. So when Hugo smiled at her, she grinned back.
The next day, also known as Al's party day, Rose was rolling up the poster-sized picture James had brought back for her. "You owe me, remember?" was what he had said, but with two or three different pastries stuffed in his mouth, it sounded something more like "I love you" and some unintelligent noise. After he swallowed, he told Rose he actually made two copies if the picture: one for her to give to Al, and one for himself. She smiled, knowing that if James liked it, Al was going to love it and, if not, she was going to send it to Harry and Ginny and get it put up on his wall in his room. Once it had been rolled tightly and held back with one of her hair ties, Rose shoved it under her bed, going down for some breakfast.
As she was pouring some syrup on her waffles, someone sat across from her. Picking up her fork, she looked up and smiled. "Morning, Lily, are you ready for a new day of classes?" Rose pierced a cut up waffle and ate it. Lily frowned.
"That's way too much syrup," she commented conversationally. Rose shrugged. "Anyway, why didn't you tell me Carter Dillon likes you? I may not know him, but still, cousins–no, friends–tell each other these things." Her cousin-friend glared.
"How'd you find out about that?"
"Carmen told me. I was walking into the Great Hall last night once James left to go to Hogsmeade, and she just came up, asking where you were. I told her you were coming, and was about to walk off, but she just kept talking, and that name popped up." Rose sighed; Carmen talked a little too much.
"I didn't tell you because I wasn't sure how valid the source Carmen claims she heard it from was."
"I forgive you this time, but next time, I don't know what will happen." Lily gave her a knowing look and a wave before getting up to sit elsewhere. Shifting a little, Rose chewed two more waffle slices before someone sat across from her again. Looking up, she saw it was another Potter.
"Geez, Rose, why didn't you tell me you mentioned my name to Vector? She called me up there to answer some questions."
She licked her lips to make them feel less sticky. "Sorry, Al, I didn't know she would call you up there, honestly. Though it appeared likely since she was surprised you were in the picture beforehand. Sorry," she apologized once more.
"It's okay," he allowed. "But next time, don't make me seem like such a douchebag, okay?" His cousin laughed, and he couldn't help a small smile. "See you later," he said, grabbing two syrupy waffles off of her plate and standing to leave.
"Oy!" He stopped; waiting for her to tell him how uncouth it was to take food off of someone's plate. "Happy birthday." He grinned, throwing the food in his mouth and licking his fingers.
O.o.O.o.O
"Rose, are you seriously wearing that to the party?" Offended, Rose looked down at her white shirt, jeans, and sandals, then at Carmen's blue v-neck dress and black heels with matching accessories.
"Er, yeah? It's just a party, right? No need to dress up so fancy."
Carmen stared at her, making Rose uncomfortable before sighing. "Fine, but, if you're going to dress casual, at least put on something sexier than that." The auburn-haired girl turned to her wardrobe and pulled out a new shirt and shoes. Carmen nodded. "I guess that works. Not far from your current outfit, but it's better. Keep in mind that I need to take you out more and go shopping with you." She sat on her bed to place her heels on while Rose pulled off her shirt and shoes, putting on black shirt with a scoop neck and black flats. She made to put her hair in a ponytail, but was stopped by a hand on her wrist.
"What?" she asked.
"Please keep your hair down," Carmen said. "The boys will like it, I promise." She winked. "And here, wear this; it's cute, and matches your outfit and eyes."
"Carter Dillon does not like me," Rose said, situating the hair tie on her wrist. She then took the green necklace her friend offered. "He didn't ask me to the party."
"Well, maybe he'll ask for a dance or something if he's there. Now, get your present and let's go!" The girls left Ravenclaw Tower to go up a floor to the room the party was being held. James was waiting outside, a piece of parchment in his hand. He frowned when they came up.
"You two walked here by yourself?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know how dangerous that is? If –"
"It was just a floor, James," Rose said. "Now can we please get in?" He nodded stiffly, scribbling on his parchment.
"The presents go on the right of the room when you enter, and the birthday boy's somewhere inside. Don't forget to wish him a happy birthday." Inside, on the right of the room, there was a pile of presents. Rose knew the Potters were going to check over every single one of them to make sure they were safe before letting Al have them. She and Carmen set down their gifts, admiring the hefty amount of people Al knew. Rose was glad the room could hold them comfortably, watching the partygoers dancing, or standing around and talking, or at the refreshment table.
Suddenly, Carmen gripped her arm. "Your cousin knows Carter Dillon? That doesn't matter; there he is!" she squealed in Rose's ear over the music. The girl with the smarting ear glanced where her friend was, finding a boy. Carter was standing with a few other boys, sipping the Daisyroot Draught Rose had made. Rose thought he looked mean and bored until he reached up to scratch his brown hair, and smiled at something someone said.
He's actually attractive she thought, admiring his cute smile.
"What year is he in?" she asked.
"Seventh."
"He can't possibly fancy me!" Rose said.
"And why not? If it's because of his year, that means nothing. Now go talk to him!"
"You go talk to him!"
"What?"
"To make sure he really fancies me." Carmen made to argue, so Rose continued. "It'd be too embarrassing if I ask him. He'd think I have a crush on him."
Pushing some hair form her face, the brunette rolled her eyes. "Fine." Rose watched her friend approach Carter and his friends and start talking. When a group of people blocked her view, Rose went over to the snacks table to get a better observation. She got distracted by the immense assortment, however, and missed Carmen looking for her.
"What happened?" Rose asked, trying to seem nonchalant.
"Well, I know the source was real, at least."
"What?"
"Carter fancies some Ravenclaw named Josie not Rose. Really, though, the names sound too alike."
"You mentioned my name?" Rose hissed angrily.
No," Carmen said, "but I almost did. I merely asked him why he didn't ask the Ravenclaw he fancies out and he told me because she wasn't invited. That's where I got confused and just about blurted your name, saying that the girl had been invited. He told me she hadn't because Al didn't know Josie Tanner." Rose nodded. "I'm sorry, Rose; I should've listened harder to those girls in the loo."
"It's okay, thanks. Now, how about we find Al and wish him a happy birthday?" Rose wasn't too concerned. If she had liked the boy, however, it probably would have turned out differently. The two Ravenclaw girls grabbed a beverage–nonalcoholic for Rose, alcoholic for Carmen–and moved around the two rooms with no real objective but to find Al. Just as they had found his messy hair, someone pulled on Carmen's arm.
"Come on, girl, let's dance!" A girl Rose didn't know said, motioning for her to join them on the dance floor. Carmen nodded, but Rose shook her head.
"You go ahead; I'll give Al your wishes."
"Okay," a slightly tipsy Carmen said, moving over with the other girls. Rose went on her path to Al. He was surrounded by some girls, but she just pushed them out of the way.
"Hey, Al," she said, ignoring the grumbling of the girls, "Carmen wants to wish you a happy birthday."
"Tell her thanks for me." Rose was happy to see her younger cousin hadn't been drinking.
"When are you opening presents?"
"Don't know yet, but I'm guessing you want me to open yours?" She grinned. Al only opened three presents at his party. When she asked him about it, he said he would waste time reserved for having fun by opening gifts.
"Yes, please," she said as James came over.
"Time to embarrass the birthday boy!" he shouted out, and the two boys went through the crowd dancing in a way boys would that probably didn't humiliate them. She laughed with some people as others joined in the dancing. Bringing her bottle to her lips, she finished off her butterbeer and contemplated having some of her drink. Finding a rubbish bin, Rose went to the table with the Daisyroot Draught, reaching for the ladle as another hand closed around hers. She quickly pulled away.
"Sorry," the person said, pouring the beverage in a glass and handing it to her. She hesitantly took it from the smiling Scorpius, watching as he poured some for himself. "So, Weasley, I didn't know you went to parties. Or drank."
"I'm pretty sure you knew I was coming. Shouldn't you be thanking me for getting you in this party?" Apparently James or Al had told Scorpius of their decision to permit him to come for Rose hadn't. "And it's not like I'm going to get inebriated or anything. I've got a good head on my shoulders."
"Then that must mean you don't have a neck." He brought his drink to his lips. Rose adopted a bewildered face.
"What?"
"Oh, er, nothing–just a joke . . ."
"Okay," she replied slowly, trying to understand. She waited for him to say something else, but he seemed busy replenishing his nearly full goblet. "Bye," she said awkwardly, starting off in Lily's direction. He didn't respond.
Lily was dancing with someone that looked familiar until Rose realized it was one of Scorpius's friends. When she was close enough, she became conscious of the fact that they weren't dancing; Lily was just swaying and moving her feet with the music. Rose wanted to get closer to hear their conversation, but chose to stay put until they stopped talking. After a few minutes, a person approached her and just stood nearby.
"Lynn?" Rose asked, finally turning to see the intruder. "What are you doing here?"
"I asked your cousin if I could come too when he invited Scorpius. He told me I wasn't allowed to drink anything except butterbeer."
"Oh, okay, well . . . what are you doing over here?"
"I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you." Rose nodded to show she was listening. "I dropped my bracelet somewhere, either in here or outside. Would you mind looking outside for me? I'd ask someone else, but I don't know any of them, and they're all partying anyway. You appeared to be thinking or something; I promise this won't take long." Rose didn't have anything to do anyway; her friend was dancing as were her host and cousins, and she didn't really have anyone to talk to. Parties just weren't her thing.
"Okay, just give me a second." Lynn smiled happily and took the goblet the older girl passed to her. "If you'll hold that for me, thanks." Outside, Rose opted to just looking up and down the corridor when she saw someone waking off. "Leaving so soon?" she asked, even though she had no idea who the person was. The aforementioned person stopped and looked back, having been caught in the act. Looking at the person, Rose wondered why she even bothered opening her mouth.
A/N: Please review! This chapter wasn't supposed to end like this, but it was way too long (in my opinion), so I decided to make another chapter. I think it's pretty decent . . . Hope you liked it too!