Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of any property of J.K. Rowling or other respective owners nor do I intend to profit off of their property. This is a work of Fanfiction, but if you'd like to pretend it's cannon go for it. :)

Green Grass & Hippogriffs

Rose looked around the common room anxiously, trying to find the right head of dark, wavy brown hair. She finally caught sight of it, finding it attached to the older girl she'd been looking for. Quickly, she rushed over, hoping to get the the girl before anyone else did.

It was purely luck that Roxy wasn't talking with anyone else when Rose found her that evening. Beater wasn't usually a glorious position, but the Weasley's talent was such that she had become rather a star in the eyes of the younger Gryffindors, and they'd often come up to her to ask about Quidditch maneuvers and innovations in broom-care. Tonight, though, most of the younger students who hung on her every word were up in bed, and most of her older fans were off either studying or participating in the season's Gobstones tournament in the room behind the portrait of the man with a cat on his head that hung on the fourth flour.

"Hey, Roxy?" Rose called out as she stepped toward her cousin. Though the older Weasley was far from intimidating, Rose secretly hero-worshipped her about twice as much as her other fans, and sometimes became flustered when she approached her at school.

Looking up from the book in her hands, the girl's pale blue eyes flitted to Rose almost immediately, and a smile spread across her face. "Oh, hey, Rosie," she replied cheerfully, setting down the book with a gentleness that made Rose suspect it was about Quidditch. "What's up?"

"Oh, well, I was sort of wondering," Rose murmured, feeling her ears grow hot, "Er, could I ask your advice one something? I—I wouldn't bother you, but I doubted James or anyone could tell me."

The older girl laughed warmly and gestured to the armchair across from her. "So it's about a boy, then, is it?" she asked, grinning. Rose nodded nervously.

"Well, yeah. I just figured—because you're dating Jamie Finnegan and all—that you'd know what to do," Rose explained, wondering how red she was. That was part of the problem—she blushed at practically everything, and especially boys. Scorpius said he thought it was cute, but she was sure she looked like a tomato half of the time and tomatoes certainly weren't cute.

"It's fine, I'm happy to help, Rosie, really," Roxy said with a chuckle. Then, as if she'd just had a brilliant idea, she leaned forward, blue eyes gleaming, and said (remarkably loudly for someone who was trying to whisper), "Who is it, then, Rosie? That Eoin Boot boy you tutor? Ooh, or that shy one, Kuval Thomas, who drew the banner for the last game?"

Rose looked down, "Er, no, it's not any boy you'd think of, I don't think."

Roxy was silent for a moment, trying to think of a boy she'd never think of—except all the boys she thought she'd never have thought of were certainly not Rose's type. Then, in a real whisper this time, she asked, "Is it a girl, Rosie—it's ok if it is, I won't tell, it doesn't matter. I bet Uncle Charlie would even-"

Rose shook her head vigorously, "No, no, it is a boy, it's-" she paused, and looked around the common room. When she was satisfied no one was watching, or listening, she caupped a hand to her cousin's ear and whispered, "It's Scorpius Greengrass."

Roxy didn't look particularly surprised, but she did look a little confused. "The Malfoy boy, you mean?" she corrected.

A smile tugged at the corner of Rose's lips, and she tried to force a straight face as soon as she noticed, but she was sure her cousin saw. "No, Greengrass. He says he hasn't spoken to his Grandfather since first year, and he refuses to take his name," she said, speaking with more confidence than she had before in the conversation. Then she added, quietly, as if to herself, "He corrects Professor Binns every class, but Nev—Professor Longbottom caught on right away."

Roxy nodded, a smile on her face. "So, what do you need help with?"

"Well, well, everything," Rose admitted, suddenly losing the confidence it had gained the moment before, "I don't even know where to start! How can I tell if he likes me? Al says he probably does, but Al also thinks Headmaster McGonagall is an unlicensed animagus and former dragon trainer."

"Well, liking a boy is sort of like... like riding a-"

"Broom?" Rose suggested, smirking.

"No," Roxy sniffed indignantly, "I was going to say Hippogriff. Liking a boy is like riding a Hippogriff."

"Dangerous?" Rose questioned, wincing.

"Only if you go about it the wrong way," the older student said with a shrug. "You see," she continued, "First you have to test the waters. You know, approach the Hippogriff and give it a good bow."

"I have to bow at him?"

"Well, yes. Throw a hint in here or there—nothing particularly bold, but let him know you might be interested in a roundabout way."

"And then what?"

"See if he bows back, of course! After that, you can be a little bit more bold, which will make him more confident in turn."

"And then?"

"Than then he asks you out!" Roxy finished with a grin, spreading her arms in a grand gesture.

There was silence for a moment, as Rose absorbed this information, then she began snickering madly.

"What? What is it?" the older girl demanded.

"It's—it's just-" Rose managed between laughs, "And then you—well you—you ride him, eh?"

Roxy laughed a little and shook her head, "And there I was, thinking you were this innocent little thing. That Greengrass boy'd better look out, he's got a raging pervert after 'im." Rose turned bright head and her cousin beamed, "'Night, Rose," she said as she turned to go up to bed, "Tell me how things go with your little Hippogriff, won't you?"

Al sat in the space Roxy had just emptied and asked, genuinely curious, "Your mum let you get a Hippogriff after all, Rosie? That's brilliant. Scorps and I were talking about it in potions, actually, and he reckons you'd be good on a Hippogriff but I said it's different than riding a broom."

Rosie quietly thanked Merlin her cousin didn't seem to notice the shade of red she turned after that.

-xox-

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I got the idea while watching the third movie with my little brother, and just had to write it before I forgot it. I'd sort of like to make this into a longer fic, but I feel like that'd ruin it, too. Maybe it'll get a spin-off...

Anyway, thanks for reading, and thank you also to those who take the time to review, I really appreciate it. Have a nice day! :)

x/NLC