A/N: Exams are done! I finally did it! Anyway to be honest, I wrote most of this chapter when I was studying. That's why I could post this up right after my exams. Well, enjoy!

Disclaimer: All characters belong to JK Rowling.

CHAPTER 5

"Be mine."

Scorpius widened his eyes. Surely he'd heard something else. But he couldn't help himself but ask the person in front of him. "What?"

Rose looked up. "Hmm? Oh, you wrote 'be mine' instead of 'behind'." She took his quill and put a circle on the words. "Seriously, what have you been doing here? Don't tell me you've been thinking about that girl who caught your eye a few days ago." She looked up again. "I don't even know who this girl is. And you already want her to be yours. I really want to see and know who she is."

It's you.

"Do I know her?"

"Yes."

"Oh, that's good. Well, is she pretty?"

Scorpius gulped before clearing his throat. "Well," looking intently into her eyes, "she's brilliant, inside and out."

Rose nodded. "Which house is she from?"

He smiled. "I can't tell you."

"Why?" she whined.

"Because you'll find out soon."

"Fine," she said as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, do James and Albus know her?"

"Yes, but you can't ask them either."

Rose sighed. "Well, that's really 'easy' to find. We all know this girl and she's really brilliant. I bet there's only one girl in the whole school," she said sarcastically. She rolled her eyes again, causing him to laugh. She poked his chest with his quill. "Don't laugh, Malfoy, or I'll stop right here."

He widened his eyes. "No, please don't," he said. "Sorry, I'll stop laughing."

For a few minutes, they stayed silent. The only things heard were Rose mumbling to herself and the quill moving on the paper. Scorpius took this chance to look at her closely: how her hair actually looked like, how her tongue sometimes came out of its hiding to lick her lips, how she sometimes took a bite of the end of his quill...

Wait a minute, that's mine.

"Scorpius."

"Yes?"

"Stop looking at me."

He blinked. "Oh, sorry," he said as he looked away.

Finally after minutes of waiting and struggling to keep his eyes away from looking at her, she finished reading and correcting his work.

"I've already circled everything that needs correction and added some things here and there. I've even written the pages where you can get the answers from for the rest of the work you haven't done," she said as she returned the parchment, book and quill to him.

"Wow." That's the only word that could come out of his mouth as he saw the corrections - albeit a few - on the parchment. He looked up at her. "You're amazing, Rose."

Rose blushed and looked down to start playing with her fingers. "Thank you."

Scorpius shook his head. "No, I should be the one saying that." He boldly placed his hands on hers, causing her to look up. "So, thank you." He smiled at her.

"You're welcome," she mumbled and looked down.

He looked down as well. As he realised that his hands were on top of hers, he took his hands away even though it felt really nice holding her small hands. He then cleared his throat. "Err, so what do you want in return?" he asked as he remembered she asked him not too long ago.

Rose was silent for quite a long time. He thought that she was angry at him for holding her hands all of the sudden. But then she mumbled, "Do you have any plans this break?"

Scorpius gulped. He then remembered his conversation with Albus not too long ago. He cleared his throat quietly and calmly continued, "Break? You mean this Christmas break?"

She looked up. "Yes, do you have any plans then?"

It was his turn to look down; he couldn't look at her eyes and have her found out that he'd been looking forward to this moment. So he pretended to inspect the parchment in front of him. "Well other than plans to visit my grandparents, nothing yet I guess." He paused before muttering, "Why?"

"Oh, nothing," she replied, looking down again.

Why did she ask if she's not going to –?

"Well, it's not nothing," she immediately continued and looked up. "Scorpius."

"Yes?" he prompted, looking up.

"Do you think you can come to the Burrow?"

She finally asked me, he thought with a pounding heart.

"If you're not busy, that is."

Scorpius subtly replied, "Well, I have to ask my parents about it."

"Yes, of course. You have to ask your parents about it," said Rose, looking embarrassed. She laughed nervously before clearing her throat. "Until what time are you going to be here?"

"I'm not so sure. But I think I'm going to do until I'm halfway done. Why?"

Rose shook her head. "Nothing."

Realising that she's sitting right in front of him doing nothing, he said, "You know you can go back to the Common Room."

She snorted. "And leave you here alone? I don't think so. You might be doing something else."

Scorpius smiled. "But if you're here, I can't concentrate."

"Why is that?"

"Because we're going to keep talking."

She narrowed her eyes. "Fine, I'll grab a book and read quietly."

In the end, he managed to do seven pages that night. They both then went back to join the others in the Common Room. Scorpius walked to his friend sitting on the corner, whereas Rose walked to hers.

"Scor, finally you're here," exclaimed Albus as he noticed him taking a seat in front of him. "Did you finish it?"

"No," answered Scorpius, shaking his head. "I still have to do around three more pages then I'll be done. But I'll do it tomorrow. My hand aches so much that it's shaking." He then showed his right hand to Albus. And it was indeed shaking.

Albus just smiled. "Well, at least you got to spend your Saturday night with her."

"How'd you know?"

He smiled again. "I wasn't the only one, mate. Everybody saw her going out of this room and everybody knew that she's going to meet you at the library."

Scorpius moaned and buried his face on his hands. "And everybody saw us coming in together."

Albus nodded. "But don't worry. At least she looks happy, even though she looks a bit flushed."

Scorpius looked up and turned his head to her. When their eyes locked, Rose smiled at him, causing him to turn his head back and blush. "I think I know why."

"What do you mean?" asked Albus. He widened his eyes. "Wait, you two didn't do anything, did you?"

He narrowed his eyes and then shook his head. "She helped me with the work and we talked for a while. That's it." He shoved Albus' shoulder. "Anyway she said that since she's been helping me for the past few weeks, I had to give her something in return. I asked her what she wanted and she –"

Albus widened his eyes again. "Wait; she asked you to come to the Burrow, didn't she?"

He nodded his head this time.

"And what did you say?"

"Well, I told her I had to ask my parents first."

"What? Why? Why don't you just say yes?"

Scorpius narrowed his eyes again. "Are you mad? No matter how much I really want to say yes to her, I still have to ask my parents first. I can't just Floo to the Burrow without them knowing where I will be."

"I can somehow imagine your Dad asking the whole people in Ministry to look for you," said Albus before laughing, causing Scorpius to hit him again. "OWW!" He then stopped laughing but still had a smile on his face. "Wait, that means you are going to the Burrow after you get your permission, right?"

Before Scorpius could do anything to answer his friend, someone took a seat just beside him and said, "Oh, you're going to the Burrow? When?"

"Christmas break," Albus answered for him before smiling. "Our cousin invited him."

"Really? Rose did?" asked James. After getting a nod from his brother, he smiled. He turned to Scorpius. "When did she ask you?"

"In the library just now."

James smiled even bigger. "I don't think you need to be a secret admirer since she already asked you to visit the Burrow, mate."

"What do you mean?" asked Scorpius, not getting what his friend had said.

"Scor, usually people who are invited to the Burrow during the break are those who will be a part of the big family soon."

Scorpius thought for a while before mumbling, "I'm still not following."

"Scorpius," this time it was Albus' turn to explain, "Aunt Hermione was a friend to our Dad and Uncle Ron since the first year. And both Aunt Hermione and our Dad were always invited during the holidays and were even asked to spend some nights in the Burrow before they had to go to Hogwarts. They used to be best friends – well they still are until today – but now Aunt Hermione is married to Uncle Ron, whereas our Dad is married to the only female Weasley at that time."

James continued, "You're invited now. Then that means you're going to be a part of us soon."

Despite the red face he's wearing, he replied, "You can't be serious."

"Why not?"

"You can't exactly know that I'll be a part of you in the future. It's still so far away."

Albus narrowed his eyes. "Weren't you listening to a single word I've said? Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron had been best friends since their first year at Hogwarts, and now they're married."

"You and Rose are best friends, aren't you? Maybe you'll be married later," said James. "Who knows, right? Besides, you two fancy each other."

Scorpius immediately blushed and hid his face on his hands. "Oh noo!"

James laughed. "For a bloke as brilliant as you, you are really slow."

"I just remember something," said Scorpius, his hands no longer hiding his face. "I told her."

"Told her what?"

"You told her that you liked her?"

Scorpius shook his head. "I told her who the person is." He then told his friends what happened in the library.

"And she still doesn't know who the girl is," James mumbled, shaking his head. "You two are brilliant and slow at the same time."

"Just like Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron."

"Stop comparing us to her parents," said Scorpius, hiding his face yet again.

Albus laughed. "But it's true."

"Scor, if you don't want us to compare you to her parents, you know what you should do right?"

Scorpius looked up to James. "What?"

"Declare your love to her."

He shook his head. "I still want to be her best friend," he said before pausing. He took a deep breath. "I'd rather be her best friend until we die than be her enemy for telling her how I feel."

James sighed. "Then I guess you'll stick to being a secret admirer until we all die."

Scorpius just nodded. "It's easier that way."

"Well, if you're going to be a secret admirer, what are you going to do? You haven't started being one yet, you know," said Albus.

"Write her a letter," James suggested. "Tell her that you appreciated her help in the library just now."

Scorpius tilted his head. "No, she'll straight away recognise it that it's me. And she already knows my handwriting."

For a while, none of them spoke. They were all busy thinking about what would be a better way to be a secret admirer without her finding out soon.

James suddenly clapped once, surprising everyone in the Common Room. Instead of being embarrassed for having the whole attention directed to him, he just grinned and said, "It's nothing, people. Just get on with whatever you lot were doing."

Both Albus and Scorpius rolled their eyes and asked simultaneously, "What is it?"

Grinning, he whispered, "It might be a bit cheesy but I think she'll like it." He then motioned them to lean closer and started telling them his plan.

A/N: As usual, don't forget to review. Til next time..

P.S: Happy holidays to those having a break - including me. For those who are not, well have a good day!