A/N: Let's shine a little bit of light on our favourite next-gen Potter boy, shall we?

Date Drama

"Weasley?"

"Hn." She barely looked up from the bottle of unicorn blood she was examining. Scorpius sighed and ran a hand through his hair, which was still quite windswept from the Quidditch match he won earlier that day. He was skipping the victory celebration in the Slytherin common room to continue working on the Veritaserum assignment with a not-too-thrilled Rose Weasley in the prefect common room, who has not said a single word to him the entire evening. Irritated with being given the silent treatment, he had been trying to get her attention, but was failing miserably.

"There's no need to be sore over all of this," He said as he began to reach towards the bottle of unicorn blood; she slapped his hand away and his eyes narrowed. "I'm pretty sure Gryffindor'll have plenty of other chances in the season to-"

"Sore? Sore? You think I'm sore because my house lost some stupid game against yours? Sore! Swell choice of words, Malfoy. Go to the hospital wing and tell that to my brother and cousin, whom you've put in there, by the way. They're the real sore ones around here." She retorted acidly, her eyes flashing with anger. He smirked and leaned back against his chair, admiring the view. She was one thing when she was studying, but when she was all worked up...Merlin, she was something else.

"And just what the hell are you sneering at? Are you satisfied with the fact that you've seriously hurt Al and Randy?" She asked hotly, slowly rising out of her seat. Scorpius took that small movement as a challenge, but he did not stand up. Instead, he crossed his arms and inclined his head to look up at her.

"Oh c'mon Weasley, they're Gryffindors. Surely they're a little tougher than you're implying." He replied sarcastically, eager to see her reaction. Just as he expected, Rose threw her arms up in the air and laughed maniacally.

"You bloody pushed Al off of his broom so you can grab the stupid Snitch for yourself, and even before that, you tackled my brother into the wall! Now Al has a broken leg and Randy's got a fractured wrist!" She shrieked. He could see tiny tears protruding from the corners of her blue eyes, which were wild from anger.

"That's what Skele-Gro's for, love." He said with a playful wink, and she exploded. She brandished her wand and for a split second he thought she was going to hex him, but instead she tapped her cauldron, and as usual it disappeared. She then proceeded to stuff her books and other things into her bag. A few minutes later, the wooden door slammed shut. Its crashing noise echoed throughout the common room, bouncing off the stone walls and reverberating into the high ceiling. Scorpius was left alone nothing but his bag and his satisfaction.

It was always fun to pull at Rose Weasley every once in awhile. It took the stress off of a lot of things.

Tatia Schultz, for instance.

He reached into his bag and pulled out the Snitch that he caught earlier. He managed to nick it when Madame Hooch was not looking (he got Goyle to replace it with a wad of parchment painted gold; the batty old woman did not seem to tell the difference) and had managed to get away with it. The Snitch's wings unfolded and began to flutter away from his open palm, but when it looked like it was going to fly out of his reach he caught it at the last second.

He almost literally had to pry Tatia off of him after the match; she was ecstatic that Slytherin won, or maybe she was happy because she got to be with him again. She kept pestering him about the Halloween Ball, all the while dropping very obvious hints about how she wanted to go as his date. His stomach lurched at the idea, but he did not know whether it was because he did not fancy her in that way, or because it was her Veela charm that made the idea so intriguing.

In all honesty he did not really want to go to the Ball; he was merely forcing himself to attend to the blasted event simply because everyone in the school was probably expecting him to be there, and plus he was Head Boy, so he had to regardless-which meant, his eyes widened a little in realization, that Weasley also had to attend.

The Snitch looked like it was going to escape for sure this time, but he grabbed it again. He remembered distinctly that Rose Weasley was never one for dances, or any kind of social get togethers which involved taking a date. He did not really understand why; he thought she was one of the better looking girls at Hogwarts. Sure, she only recently started to look...decent...in their sixth year, but even before, with her bushy bronze hair, baby blue eyes, freckled skin, and oversized teeth, her looks still outshone many others-at least in his opinion. Thank Merlin for puberty. With the looks she had now, she was bound to get a boy or two to go with her to the Ball. He did not even know if it was possible to grow out of that unruly mess that she had for the first five years at Hogwarts. She was amazing, that girl.

He felt his cheeks grow hot at the thought of that, and he shook it off. The Snitch was buzzing around his head, seemingly forgotten. He caught it once it stopped for a split second, right between his eyes.

You're not thinking of asking her to the Ball, are you?

What would Tatia think?

His head was playing with him again. Tatia? What did she have to do with any of this, and why on earth would he ask Weasley to the Ball? She was not one for dancing, and plus she would just be annoying him the entire evening, probably berating him on how he should keep watch on the students for any inappropriate behaviour or whatever. Tatia, on the other hand, was probably going to keep hounding him until he gave into her. He scoffed at the idea; he was not going to give in without a fight. He was not like his father; he was not a coward. He decided to use Tatia as a last resort date (his instinct was strictly disagreeing with him), since he figured he would find somebody more suitable to take.

Like Rose Weasley, perhaps? Just making a suggestion. He hated how his conscience sounded eerily like his father. Catching his Snitch for the last time that evening, he stood up, nearly knocking over his chair.

"Damn it!" He cursed to nobody, and shoved the Snitch back into his bag, along with his Potions equipment and textbook, and stormed out of the common room.

--

"Oh, it's just Malfoy shooting off his big mouth. It's not the end of the world, Rosie." Albus reassured his cousin the next morning. It was an ugly, grey Sunday; the sky was threatening to storm over the school any minute. The clouds were so grey they almost looked black; it reflected Rose's mood perfectly.

"Still, the way he said it-" Rose began to protest, but Randy shushed her. He was well enough to be up and about, but his arm was confined to a sling. Albus was stuck in bed since his leg was broken, but the Skele-Gro was working quickly; Madam Pomfrey said that he would be better in a couple of days.

"It doesn't matter. We'll have plenty of time to kick his arse-oh shut up Rose, it's not like you curse every now and then-next game, right?" The young boy grinned and Albus gave him the thumbs up. Rose looked downright miserable and she buried her face in her hands.

"Cheer up, Rosie. Like Al said, it's just Malfoy. There's only one of him and like-"

"Half a country of us." Albus finished Randy's sentence, grinning. Rose looked up and smiled weakly; having many cousins came to her advantage when it came to support. They all knew that she had it the worst when it came to Scorpius; he gave her the hardest time out of all of the members of their family. Albus secretly had an idea as to why, but he kept it to himself, and of course his sister, who probably had more knowledge at those sort of things.

"Well, I'm gonna head up to the common room and do my essay. I'll visit you during lunch, Al. Bye, Rosie." Randy gave them a small wave before leaving. Albus raised an eyebrow.

"Essay-? Isn't his wrist-that's his writing hand isn't-"

"He's ambidextrous." Rose replied. Before Albus had the chance to ask just what the bloody hell ambidextrous meant (he had a hunch that it meant that he could magically levitate his quill and make it write on its own without the use of a wand), Mina Chang burst into the room with a frantic look on her face, as if Albus only had five minutes left to live and this was her only chance to interact with him.

"Oh, Albus! I'm so glad you're okay-I didn't get the chance to see you after your accident...it was so crowded…" Mina's bottom lip was quivering, fighting back tears. It was Rose's turn to raise an eyebrow. She glanced over at Albus, who was buying into the Ravenclaw's melodramatic act-it was an act, right? His cheeks were tinged a slight pink and his eyes were an unreadable emotion, as if he could not help but focus on anything else in the room but Mina.

"'M fine, don't worry about me. Madam Pomfrey said that I should be better in a couple of days. Says I'm a fast recoverer or something like that." He mumbled in a voice so low Mina and Rose had to lean in to hear him. Mina clapped her hands together and laughed gleefully. Her lip stopped quivering; she was not on the verge of tears anymore.

"Oh, that's great! So you will be okay for the Ball then?" She asked eagerly, searching his face for an answer. Albus unconsciously scratched at a bandage on his face and Rose had to pull his hand away in case he ripped it off.

"Y-yeah, of course, but you know, it's still-" He began nervously, but Mina broke out in joyous laughter again and leaned in to peck him on the cheek. He stiffened and his face looked as red as a strawberry.

"Brilliant! I'll talk to you later then. Bye Rose, see you at the prefect meeting tomorrow!" Mina hopped off the edge of Albus' bed and skipped away. Albus seemed to have returned to his normal colour; he was also breathing again. Rose smirked and tapped him on the shoulder to make sure he was still on earth.

"I'm guessing you've already gotten your date to the Halloween Ball?"

Albus turned to face her; his expression was forlorn, much to her surprise.

"Well, that's what I thought." He replied quietly. His was guiltily down at his lap, as if he did something wrong and was confessing to her. Rose scooted closer to him and touched his arm.

"What are you talking about? I thought you were taking Mina; it certainly looked like you did when she was here a few seconds ago." She pointed out, but Albus shrugged his skinny shoulders.

"Y'see, I asked Mina to the Ball before the match yesterday, but then afterwards, when I was admitted to the hospital wing, erm…" He stopped and he looked around to make sure nobody else, or maybe Mina in particular, was listening. When the coast was clear, he cleared his throat and continued. "Lisa...Lisa came and she asked."

Rose's cobalt orbs felt like they were going to pop out of her skull. Lisa Longbottom? She never suspected such a timid girl to do something so bold, but then again she was in Gryffindor…

An aching pain began to rise her chest, and she knew it was pity for her favourite cousin. She understood how he felt; Lisa was such a nice girl, a good friend to them both, but Rose also knew that Albus had fancied Mina since...well ever since he first laid eyes on her, which was during their Sorting.

"Do you really want my opinion on this, Al? Because I think you already know what I'm going to say." Rose said after a bit of thinking, and Albus shook his head wearily.

"I know, I know. Save it for when my leg heals though." He smiled and she could not help but smile back. "What about you? I hear you have no choice this year, being Head Girl and all. You gonna bring a date?"

Rose's heart dropped to her stomach; she knew this was coming. She bit her bottom lip and stared at the window behind Albus' bed.

"I-I don't know, Al. You know me, I-"

"Don't fancy much dancing, I know, but McGonagall's forcing you to go." Albus pointed out again, and Rose felt a little irritated.

"I know that, but I think I'm just going to be there on Head duty, and nothing else. No date, nothing. I'm going to be there because Professor McGonagall instructed me to be there. I'm going to be there to make sure nobody does anything out of line." She said strictly. Albus shook his head.

"Not even a costume?" He said sadly, and Rose hit him on the shoulder. They both laughed quietly for a little bit.

"I think the costume's mandatory too, Al, so I don't have a say in that either." She said dismally. Halloween was probably one of her least favourite holidays; she did not see the point in dressing up, and being the granddaughter of dentists (actually that might not have to do with anything, since her younger siblings were candy addicts), she did not have a big sweet tooth either.

"Aw, you're no fun, Rosie. No date, no enthusiasm for the holiday whatsoever…you disgust me." Albus scrunched his nose up in a fair imitation of their great Aunt Muriel, and she burst into laughter. Madam Pomfrey shot her a pointed look and she clasped a hand over her mouth.

"Al, even if I was looking for someone to accompany me, I don't think I'd find anybody-I mean, who would want to go out with someone like me? Bookworm, bushy hair-" She ran her fingers through her thick, but definitely not bushy, wave of hair. "-Buck-toothed…" She felt her eyes stinging.

"Do you honestly think you're bushy-haired and buck-toothed? Bookwormish, alright, but bushy-haired? Buck-toothed? Rose, when was the last time you've looked in the mirror? You're none of those at all." Albus said softly. That triggered it; tears formed at the corners of Rose's eyes.

"That stupid drawing of Malfoy's seemed to disagree with you." She croaked through her tears. They were streaming down her face full force now; Albus held his arms out wide and she leaned in towards him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, sobbing quietly. Albus held his cousin for a few minutes, rocking her back and forth despite the pain he was feeling in his casted leg, and murmured words of encouragement in her ear. He knew that she never really got over that drawing Scorpius made for her in second year; he noticed how self-conscious she had become since then.

"That was nearly five years ago, Rose. I told you, Malfoy's nothing. He's all bark but no bite. That slimy git doesn't deserve your attention." He whispered. Rose's crying ceased with those words; she looked up into his brilliant green eyes.

"He really is a slimy git, isn't he?" She asked with a smile. Albus laughed and held her away at arm's length, examining her face. Her appearance really did change drastically over the years, and though she would not admit it, it did get a few boys running after her.

"Always was and always will be." His eyes shot to the clock. "Don't you have a class to get to?"

Rose pouted, pretending to be hurt.

"Eager to get rid of me, I see. It's Sunday, Al. Did you fall on your head too?" She teased as she wiped the remaining tears from her eyes with her sleeve. Albus laughed and shook his head.

"No, no-it's just that you've been here for over an hour and I don't want to keep you from anything. There's better things to do around here than tend to the sick." He said with a wink. She had no idea what he meant by that, but she leaned in to give him a thank you kiss on the top of his messy black head.

"Now that you mention it, I have to start on my Runes essay (Albus' eyes widened at the mention of this; his accident probably caused him to 'forget' about that too). I'll give you notes later so you can start on yours." She added after reading his shocked expression. "Thanks for everything, Al; you're the best, really."

He gave her a wink as she rose from her seat on the edge of his bed.

"Now you're really being modest. Later." She waved goodbye before leaving the hospital wing, feeling much better than she did when she entered. She could always count on Albus to cheer her up-

"Hey, did you start on your Veritaserum yet?"

"No...my bloody partner's lazier than anybody I've ever known."

She was passing by a couple of students in her Potions class as she made her way back to the Gryffindor common room. Her mood suddenly dropped when she remembered that she had to meet up with the dratty Malfoy boy later tonight.

So much for cheering up.

--

It was nearing seven thirty in the evening, and Scorpius was making his way to the prefect common room to meet up with Rose to work on their Veritaserum assignment. There was only a few weeks until the assignment was due, and then they did not have to see each other anymore-wait, they still had Head duty. Damn.

Nice try, but it looks like it'll be a little harder to Weasel your way out of this one.

Smacking the side of his head in a vain attempt to get his conscience to stop talking, Scorpius pushed the door to the common room open with his other hand. Rose was early, as usual, sitting at the table they always sat at with the cauldron in the centre, bubbling excitedly amidst a pile of bottles filled with strange ingredients.

"Started without me, have you? How inconsiderate." He greeted jokingly as he sat down across from her. She glared up at him, her eyes flashing again. He felt something flop around in his stomach at the sight of that.

"I always start without you, Malfoy." Rose replied scathingly. Scorpius raised his eyebrows, surprised. That was the first time she had spoken to him since their little row the other night.

"Ah, so it speaks." He said, and he heard her mutter a string of curse words under her breath. So what they have said was true: she has inherited her mother's brains, but her mouth, she definitely got from her father.

"I'm not in the mood for you right now, Malfoy. Just-just stir the potion like the textbook says and keep your bloody mouth shut so I can hear myself think for once." She snapped, and returned to scribbling on a long roll of parchment. He squinted at her fine writing, and realized that it was their report. Sighing in defeat, he pulled the cauldron closer to him and did as he was told. Silence elapsed them for the next fifteen minutes, both immersed in their own thoughts. The only noises present were the bubbling from the cauldron and the scratching from Rose's quill. Every now and then Scorpius would look up to see what Rose was doing, only to realize that she would only be doing the same thing she was doing five seconds before, which was writing furiously on the parchment. She looked like she was pressing very hard onto the paper; her writing hand looked strained.

He hated awkward silences, even if it was with the person he loathed most. Even though he did not feel a hint of remorse for what he said last night, he did not want her to be angry at him anymore. He wracked his brain for anything, any topic he could talk to her about.

"So, the-erm, Halloween Ball-" He realized that it was a dangerous subject to talk about, especially with her, but he could not think up of anything else.

"What part about keeping your mouth shut did you not understand, Malfoy?" She interjected cuttingly, not even bothering to look up at him. He glared at her, a little annoyed now. How dare she tell him what to do…

"What gives you the authority to order me around like I'm some kind of house elf? I was just trying to make some conversation and you bite my head off!" He yelled back. Rose dropped her quill and raised her hands to rub her temples. She seemed like she was under a lot of stress; she looked very tired.

"Sorry, I'm just-" She hesitated for a moment; he sensed the vulnerability in her voice and he went in for the kill.

"You don't want to go to the Ball." He stated indifferently. It was not a question, merely a statement; her great blue eyes widened and they seemed to be flickering with the flames from the fireplace. She seemed so surprised at what he said that she forgot to be angry at him.

"I-what? No, what could have lead you to that?" She asked, her voice slightly wavering. He shook his head, dismissing her question. He found it too easy to read people.

"You haven't gone in the past two years, and now that you're Head Girl, McGonagall's making you go against your wishes, and you're torn between what you want and your duties as a Head. It's quite simple, really." He explained casually, and her eyes only widened further. He smirked at her dumbfounded expression; he found it oddly cute. Rose then coughed and recomposed herself.

"You're very observant." She replied, her eyes falling to her parchment. Though the room was fairly dark and their only light source was the fire, he could still see the faintest mark of the Weasley Blush painted on her cheeks. Her hair was hiding her ears, but he was sure they were red too.

"So, who's the lucky bloke?" He asked as he leaned sharply on his chair, the legs tipping back. Rose's blush darkened and she picked up her quill, probably to distract herself.

"That's none of your business." She replied quietly, and resumed writing up on their report. Scorpius raised an eyebrow, curious. He did not even know why he felt so keen on finding out who her date was.

"Everyone's going to find out on the night of the dance anyway. Who is it?" He pressed on. He leaned forward, letting his chair fall back into place, and he rested his forearms on the table so he could lean in even closer. He pushed the cauldron out of the way; he could almost see the faint group of freckles on her nose…

"I'm going on strictly business. One of us has to keep watch." She answered quickly, her eyes darting left to right as her hand flew across the parchment. He frowned, not quite understanding what she meant.

"So...you're going alone." He stated, and waited for her clarification.

"That's the plan." She agreed emotionlessly. He leaned back on his chair again, placing his hands behind his head.

Alone? How could she be going alone?

"Knowing you, you're probably bringing the girl every boy in school is after." There was a short pause. Rose stopped writing, though she kept her quill in her hand and her eyes were still focused on her paper. "You're going with Tatia Schultz, aren't you?"

He stared at his Potions partner, who was not returning his gaze. It would not have been an odd question to ask if it did not come from her.

Strictly business. Her words were echoing in his brain, and for some reason he felt empty, let down.

"Well?" She was looking up at him now, but there was an unreadable expression on her face. He took a deep breath and nodded slowly, very slowly.

"Yeah, I'm going with her." He answered in a voice that did not feel like his own, and she nodded. She was probably expecting that answer.

"Thought so." That confirmed his suspicion.She continued on with her writing, and he simply sat there, his mind reeling.

You said she was a last resort, his conscience fired at him.

Yeah, she was, he replied dully, she is.