Chapter Three

Rose overhears something interesting

Rose finally found Marianna sat at the side of the great hall

"Boys are not going to see you here Mari,"

"No but I can see people."

"Ah the noble pursuit of people watching."

"Yes and I can tell you Lily has danced with Charlie twice already,"

"Really? Go her they're not on the dance floor now though?" Rose questioned as she looked for Lily's red curls and Charlie's dark brown hair.

"No-" Marianna was going to continue but a voice interrupted her.

"Really Scorpius are you going to be as dull as to stand here looking moody all night? There are plenty of girls you could dance with."

"You virtually claimed the only beautiful girl in the room tonight already."

"Lily Potter? Isn't she pretty?" They heard Charlie gush excitedly.

"Yes,"

"What about her cousin Rose?" at this the two girls who had worked out that Charlie and Scorpius obviously couldn't see them so really strained to hear more than they already could.

"I am sure she is amiable but not handsome enough to tempt me."

"Well how about Miss Darling? Or that blonde Ravenclaw who sits near us in potions?"

"Charlie I have danced with your sister and your Miss Potter that is more than enough for me so in answer to your first questions yes I will just stand here." Then after a slight pause "go go I think you and Miss Potter have been standing still half a minute you better go dance." Rose was first worried that Scorpius would keep to his word exactly and she and Marianna would be have to sit were they were all night lest they move and show that they had overheard the conversation but after a minute or two Scorpius walked over to the other side of the room and the two girls could breathe again.

"Rose I am sure that Scorpius didn't really mean that he meant…" Marianna began.

"Marianna you don't need to make excuses about him he is perfect misery and a rude one at that plus a Slytherin I have hardly lost anything."

"Yes but still Rose," she replied "he said you weren't pretty that's mean."

"And he's a Slytherin Mari do you really expect anything else?"

Although Marianna was sure she could see her best friends face she did not see self-pity there but rather annoyance with the boy who was now standing on the other side of the room.

"How about a dance?" Marianna asked.

"Who with?"

"Me you divhead," this was an odd insult that had taken Rose a while to get used to it was a northern word that Marianna had in her arsenal. At least half of Marianna's colloquialisms Rose could have sworn she made up on the spot but nevertheless Rose found them amusing. Rose looked across to the dance floor where the quartet had strung up a jazzy number and the dancers had disintegrated from couples to several large groups.

"Let's go girl," Rose said grabbing Marianna's hand and the two half walked half danced onto the dance-floor working their way into a group that consisted of Albus, Hugo, Roxie, Matt, Fred and a seventh year Ravenclaw Rosie was pretty sure was called Alexandra Benson who Albus was holding hands with. Rose gave a little smile to him and he smiled back .Out of the corner of her eye she saw Abi dancing and flirting with a Gryffindor boy, her sister Aliza was attempting to copy her but was either not as practiced in the art or not as naturally capable with it because she just stepped on the foot of the boy she was dancing with.

In the middle of the song the string quartet died away and everyone looked towards the them the grand piano, which previously had been empty, was now sat a small dark blonde haired girl was sitting down at the piano.

"Is that Octavia?" Rose asked Marianna "I didn't know she played the piano."

"Me neither."

Octavia's diminutive figure sat at the piano cracked her knuckles a habit that Rose despised and began to play. Octavia's playing was quite good at least she played so first two bars of green sleeves so that most people could recognize it however just as everyone turned their backs to begin dancing she began to sing. Rose new she was poor judge having never been musical herself but even she could tell Octavia's singing was desperately off key and tone. Slowly as people got over the shock they began to snigger and laugh that grew into a raucous so much that Octavia's playing could not be heard. It was not until Professor McGonagall came to the piano and told Octavia that she should stop that the laughter died away. As the quartet slowly began again Rose saw that Octavia's face was tear stained. Although Rose knew Octavia's singing had been poor she felt annoyed at those who had laughed at her and that included most of the Hogwarts population. At least half an hour when Rose was sure she had danced as much as she could she went to grab a drink by the drinks table she noticed the people in the hall was thinning many friendship groups leaving in small groups boyfriends and girlfriends pairing off and some new couples such enraptured with one another. However Scorpius Malfoy stood stern beside the drinks table by the column Rose and Marianna had first overheard him talking to Charlie.

"Miss. Weasley," she said when she first approached a rather formal greeting for two people who had been in various classes together for seven years.

"Scorpius," she replied a little less formally.

"May I ask a question?"

"I believe you have but you can ask another," Rose knew she was being annoying something she generally tried to avoid but for Scorpius Malfoy she would make an exception.

"I have heard that music is the food of love but I wonder what is your opinion?"

"William Shakespeare Malfoy I am impressed. I didn't know you knew a muggle writer?"

"Yes I like him very much now can you answer the question."

"Yes generally I agree with Mr. Shakespeare considering the heart, he knows human emotions of all degrees better than any of us but on this I disagree dancing I feel is more accurate to be the food of love." She paused "even if ones partner is only amiable." Rose turned and began walking back to the dance floor before Scorpius had a chance to reply.

The night ended with several tired girls all carrying, rather than wearing their high-healed shoes up to the Gryffindor common room Marianna had filled Lily in on the overheard conversation between Charlie and Scorpius.

"He is just proud remember how dad told us that his dad could be at school,"

"Yes and my dad interrupted with the word git."

"Yes," Lily added, "Scorpius was rude I mean he is hardly a god himself."

"I think the girls of Slytherin would disagree with you," Marianna put in and both cousins stared at her.

"Well," Rose finished "I could have forgiven his pride had he not wounded mine."