Ouch

It was the Friday before the big Valentine's Day Hogsmeade weekend and it seemed that the spirit of the holiday had come a day early. Couples were spotted literally everywhere, walking to class holding hands, eating lunch together in the Great Hall, and some were even sneaking a snog or two when they were certain there were not any teachers around to scold them. Albus and Lisa and Lily and Lysander had been spending their entire spare period together, running off to do Merlin-knew-what, leaving Rose, the rest of the Weasleys, Damien, Thomas and Lorcan at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

"I don't understand how Albus doesn't disapprove of them," Thomas muttered as he watched Lily and Lysander jogging out the large double doors, elbows linked together, "he's two years too old."

"It's not that big of a gap," Dominique said nonchalantly, her light French accent sounding particularly prominent today for some reason, "Paris has worse."

"Dom's right, and there are also those young pretty ladies who marry men twice their age just for their money." Roxanne added. Thomas rolled his eyes and began to pick at his food.

"Or maybe he's never really thought about it, now that he's with Lisa." Mandy giggled.

"Oh, don't tease him," Jane said, looking up from her copy of Hogwarts, A History, "as long as the both of them are happy I suppose."

Rose, however, had not been paying attention to the conversation. She was sitting with her back slightly hunched over, her chin resting in her palm and her elbow propped up on the table, her lunch untouched. Her eyes were glazed over with a faraway look, as if she was daydreaming. Her mouth was upturned in a slight smile, and every once in awhile she would heave a dreamy, satisfied sigh. Damien was sitting directly in front of her with an eyebrow raised. He leaned forward and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Er, Rose?" He tried snapping his fingers, "Rose, are you in there at all?"

The sharp sound of snapping brought life to Rose's vacant expression; she gasped and focused her gaze on her Ravenclaw friend.

"Oh-wha-" She shook her head and rubbed her eyes with her knuckles, "-I'm so sorry, I must've drifted off."

Damien smiled and shook his head, waving his hand dismissively. He looked over his shoulder for a moment to stare in the direction Rose was just a few moments earlier. Not surprisingly his eyes led him straight towards the Slytherin table all the way across the Great Hall, where a timid looking Scorpius Malfoy was nibbling on his sandwich. The Ravenclaw rolled his eyes and turned around to face his friend, but his smile was still intact. He chose not to say anything, but Rose read his expression and her cheeks heated up instantly. For some reason her mind reeled back to the day Scorpius asked her to Hogsmeade.

He interrupted Damien when he was just about to ask her something.

"In two weeks th-"

In two weeks, back then, was the Hogsmeade weekend Scorpius asked her out to. It made complete sense now. Damien was going to ask her, but Scorpius butted in just in the nick of time. A wave of guilt spread over Rose and her ocean blue gaze fell to her lap.

"Damien, I-it's not what you think-" She spluttered in a low voice so that her relatives would not hear, but Damien raised his hands and shook his head again.

"I know, Rose, I know. You don't have to hide anything." He said calmly. He leaned forward and rested his arms on the table; his chocolate brown eyes were staring directly into her dark blue ones, but they did not seem as intimidating as Scorpius'. They had a more friendly aura to them, more inviting.

"I know what happened that day," He started slowly, and paused a minute to wait for her reaction. She gulped and nodded for him to go on, "and I'll admit that at first I was jealous, maybe even a little angry, but what's passed has passed and as your friend I am obligated to stick by you and whatever you choose to do."

She gaped at him, her eyes as wide as Quaffles. Why did she have to have a crush on the insensitive, sarcastic Slytherin? Why?

Because doing what's wrong is way more tempting than doing what's right.

"Damien…" She croaked, and a painful lump began to form at the back of her throat. Her eyes had that familiar stinging sensation and she clamped them shut to prevent any tears that threatened to fall. She heard Damien wince and she felt his warm hand on top of hers.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad," He said softly before withdrawing his hand, "but I just want you to know that I have a great deal of respect for you, Rose, and though I don't completely agree with what you're doing-well what you're going to do, really-I support you." He leaned back and smiled. She opened her eyes to see his content expression, and it made her feel a little bit better about herself.

Damien was a good friend. A very good friend. She had no idea how she managed to find people like him. Dumb luck, she supposed. She could not think of anything to say so she just smiled back.

"I made him promise me something, you know." Damien said after a moment's silence, and that made her gape at him again.

"W-what? When?" She whispered, her eyes darting to her left to make sure nobody else was listening. Damien took her precautioned expression and leaned in once again so only she could hear him.

"That day he woke up from that Quidditch accident, and you left the hospital wing, I made him promise me something." He leaned in a little closer, "I made him promise me that he won't hurt you, and I added that if anything was to happen anyway I would hunt him down personally."

Maybe that was why Scorpius has not been acting like the toerag she was so accustomed to seeing, but then again she had a feeling his reasons ran much deeper than a forced promise.

"Oh Damien, you're so sweet. I really appreciate you looking out for me and everything. I'm sorry things didn't...turn out the way you wanted it to." Her face fell, but Damien still smiled.

"Ah well, life's all about dealing with the complete opposite of what you've always wanted. I'll manage, and it's not like we're not good friends, right? Our friendship is most important."

"Hey, spare's over. Time to head to class." Hugo's called over to them, and Rose and Damien stood up, hoisting their bags over their shoulders. Damien turned around to leave, but Rose dashed over to him and shook him by the shoulder a little. He turned around again to face her, and he saw that she was smiling.

"Thank you." She whispered before walking away to class.

--

This is it. You're done for. You're both done for. What are you going to say to everybody? Your parents? Her parents?

When the bloody hell am I ever going to talk to her parents?

Just thinking ahead, mate.

He had to be insane by now. He was bloody answering back to himself.

You've always been answering back to yourself, you twat! Don't deny it!

Shut up, shut up, shut uuup.

He had made his way to the courtyard, where all of the students eligible to visit Hogsmeade gathered with Argus Filch ("I can't believe he's still alive," Porter sniggered under his breath). He was dressed in black jeans and black shoes; his Slytherin scarf was wrapped around his neck and the ends were neatly tucked inside his black peacoat. He was never one for 'variety' when it came to clothing.

"You look mighty cheerful this afternoon." Rose's voice caught him from behind, and he whirled around to face her. She was wearing sneakers, blue jeans, and a brown jacket with her Gryffindor scarf tucked inside. Her bronze hair complemented the gold and scarlet, and her cheeks were flushed from the icy wind. Her blue eyes stood out from the rest of her appearance like they always did. He kept his cool and shoved his hands in his pockets, his trademark smirk sliding onto his face.

"As do you." He said simply, and she giggled. Argus Filch's throaty voice caught everyone's attention, informing them to follow his lead out of the school grounds and down the path towards Hogsmeade. The sun was out and it glared down at the glistening snow, making everything almost painful to look at. Scorpius wished he had sunglasses, but he realized how stupid he would look wearing them in the middle of winter.

The semi-long walk was not as awkward as he expected it to be; it was filled with a lot of small talk, bouncing in and out of topics they both just picked out from the top of their heads.

"My parents enrolled my siblings and I in a Muggle school before we got our Hogwarts letters," She explained to his surprise, "so we had a pretty good grasp on our maths and languages before we came here, but don't get me wrong, we already knew about our magical background-I am half Weasley after all. With a family as big as mine, nobody can keep their mouths shut for very long."

They were now in Hogsmeade; Filch was lecturing the group of students, telling them to meet at this spot later on in the afternoon, and other rules Scorpius did not bother to pay attention to since he had heard them so many times before. Rose seemed to be just as inattentive as him, since she was looking around excitedly. Shops were decorated for the occasion, especially Madam Puddifoot's; Scorpius saw the little golden cherubs zooming around the little tea shop from outside one of the windows.

"So," He said nervously, his eyes shifting left to right, "where to?"

"Anywhere but Madam Puddifoot's!" She exclaimed, and he sighed in relief, "I don't want to be showered with pink confetti. D'you mind warming up at the Three Broomsticks for now? I know a lot of people will be there, but there really isn't anywhere else we can go...for now."

He wondered what she meant when she hesitantly added the 'for now', but he shrugged it off and led the way. It was relieving to feel warm air again as he pushed the door to the Three Broomsticks open, at least. Since they had just arrived there were not a lot of students yet, plus it was Valentine's Day so he expected Madam Puddifoot's to be the place for students to go instead of here. Not willing to take a risk though, he secured a table in a secluded looking corner. As they took their seats, he ordered two mugs of hot butterbeer. Their drinks came very quickly, and they took a few minutes to take their first sips. The warming effect of the drink helped defrost the both of them.

"Damien told me about the promise he made you keep." She blurted out as she gently placed her steaming mug on the wooden table. Scorpius almost choked on his butterbeer; he coughed awkwardly into his fist.

"Er, he did?" He asked, his voice breaking at the end. Rose giggled; he felt like an idiot.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Scorpius. I thought it was very sweet. You didn't have to give in, you know. I thought you would've resisted, knowing you, but you caught me by surprise this time," She hesitated for a moment before adding in a lower voice, "but then again you've been surprising me a lot lately."

More students were coming into the pub now; Scorpius could tell because it was starting to get louder. He leaned in closer, pressing his arms on the edge of the table. His eyes ran all over her face, examining her features like he always did. He noticed her shrinking under his gaze.

"How?" He asked in the calmest voice he had ever heard himself speak. She was faltering now; her eyes were shifting from left to right and she was clearly hesitating.

"Uh, well-" Her voice was unnaturally high, a usual trait for her whenever she was nervous, "Hey, who would ever guess that we'd be having butterbeer together at the Three Broomsticks? We've come a long way since we first met."

Dissatisfied at the random change of subject, he leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow, but decided to follow along anyway.

"Do you even remember how we first met?" He asked skeptically, and she pretended to look offended.

"Of course I do, how could I forget?" She exclaimed, her cheeks flushed pink despite the fact that it was pretty warm inside the Three Broomsticks, "You didn't give a very good impression, that's one thing I'm sure about…"

--

"Wow, this is huge! It's way bigger than my book described it!" An eleven year old Rose cried, her head craned back to look at the towering castle properly. Albus, who was standing nervously beside her, gulped.

"I hope we don't get lost on our first day. That would be pretty embarrassing." He mumbled. Rose giggled and took hold of her cousin's arm, dragging him inside the castle to join the rest of the first years.

"Oh, don't be silly. We haven't even gotten to our Sorting yet!" When Rose mentioned the Sorting, Albus turned a dangerous shade of green.

"Don't listen to James. I'm sure you won't get into Slytherin - both of your parents are Gryffindors, shouldn't that help? And your dad did say that the Sorting Hat takes your choice into consideration." Rose reassured, rubbing her cousin's shoulder comfortingly. Albus looked grim still, but not as much as before. He managed a weak smile before letting Rose drag him inside.

"Gather 'round, first years!" Professor Longbottom was standing before the large double doors to the Great Hall, surrounded by first years. Rose and Albus managed to push their way to the front.

"Hullo, Uncle Neville." Rose whispered, waving up at him. Professor Longbottom gave the bronze haired girl a wink.

"Get into a single line; you will walk straight through the Great Hall to meet Professor McGonagall, who is also the headmaster of this school. You will be sorted into one of the four houses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw, and you will sit at your designated table. C'mon now, single file!"

When Professor Longbottom mentioned Gryffindor, Rose heard sniggering from behind. She whipped her head around to see who it was, and her sky blue eyes widened. Not too far away from her was that strange blond boy her parents were bickering over earlier.

"Best not to get friendly with him, Rosie." Albus hissed in her ear, "You know better than to talk with a Malfoy."

Rose turned to face the front once more, but she was too late.

"Is that Albus Potter?" A drawling voice crept up from behind, and she knew it was him despite the fact that she had never heard him speak before. In an instant the blond boy was by Albus' side, sneering at him. His sleek head turned towards her and he eyed her up and down. She noticed that his eyes were a cold, menacing grey.

"And you, you must be Rose. Rose Weasley." He gave her a malevolent, though lopsided grin, "Don't tell me you both want to get into Gryffindor. Potter, your middle name's Severus for a reason. Even your dad's giving you hints." Nearby, a few other boys broke out into giggles.

Albus gulped and Rose stepped over to his side.

"Why on earth would Uncle Harry want his son to join a house that represents cheaters and liars? Surely he would want his son to do better, unlike some people."

Scorpius bared his teeth in an angry simper, but he quickly regained his cool and stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Hmph. Relying on a girl for protection, I see." He smirked and his eyes glinted ominously under the light of the room, "Scorpius Malfoy. I'll see you around, Potter." He paused for a minute to give an extra intensified glare in Rose's direction, "Weasley."

He spat out her name like it was a spoiled bit of food before disappearing into the crowd of frightened first years. Rose shook her head and brushed her bushy hair over her shoulder. No wonder her dad did not speak of him very highly.

"Alright, that's your cue. Everyone be quiet now!" Professor Longbottom's voice silenced everyone, and the doors to the Great Hall creaked open very slowly…

--

"That brought back very pleasant memories." Scorpius muttered sarcastically, and Rose giggled in response.

"Oh, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn't your fault - at least I don't think it was."

He took another sip from his mug. Rose was leaning forward now, her arms folded on the edge of the table.

"We were both basing our impressions on whatever our parents said. We didn't really take the chance to get to know each other to give a real honest opinion." She explained simply, her voice taking on that business-like tone of her mother. He shrugged it off nonchalantly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah...I guess…" He mumbled distractedly, and went on to stare out the window. Suddenly a strong pair of hands wrapped themselves around his forearm, and he came to the realization that Rose was holding onto him for dear life.

"What the blo-" One of her hands moved to his mouth. She looked like she was going to have a heart attack.

"Shh!" She hissed, and pushed his head under the table. Scorpius glared up at her, but she kept her hand pressed down on his head so he was unable to get up. After a few tense minutes her hand moved to his collar and she pulled him back up again. She had her coat on.

"We have to get out of here." She said in a low voice. Scorpius raised an eyebrow.

"Wha-why-"

"Albus and Lisa Longbottom are here, and I think I just saw Tatia-"

She did not have to say anymore. He grabbed his jacket and followed her out of the Three Broomsticks, moving slowly and trying their hardest to blend in with the crowd so they would not get noticed, especially when Tatia was around.The moment they felt the cold winter air brush against their cheeks they knew they were safe.

Or maybe they thought wrong.

"Oh for Merlin's sake-" Rose cried out in frustration as she spotted Hugo and Lorcan walking in their direction, "C'mon-"

She grabbed Scorpius' sleeve and dragged him further into Hogsmeade, only to nearly bump into Lysander and Lily. They managed to avoid them by turning their backs on them at just the right time, then moving out towards another street.

"They're going out?" Scorpius asked, bewildered. He was jerked sharply to the side again, and he glared at her.

"Sorry, I thought I saw Randy and Mandy." She huffed, exhausted from all that running.

"If your family didn't take up half the school's population we wouldn't be running like this." He muttered, looking around them. They were sandwiched in a narrow alleyway. The buildings were so close together there was not enough room for the sun to shine through, so everything was cast in shadow. Scorpius was also aware of how close he was to her; their noses were inches apart, and there was not enough room to back away.She seemed to be aware of it too, since she was trying to avoid his gaze, and by the way her cheeks and the tips of her ears were glowing red. He was certain it was not from the cold.

"Um, I think the coast is clear now." She said, her voice barely audible. He craned his head to see; the street was practically empty, to his surprise.

"Right then. I'll go first." He turned to face her again, but he froze. Something about her made him stay in his place.

He realized that he had never been this close to her before. He could count the faint group of freckles on the bridge of her nose. He was close enough to fully appreciate how beautiful her eyes looked. Even in the dark it was obvious that they were the darkest shade of blue he had ever seen in his entire life. They stared up at him, telling him something that she dared not to speak. Her wavy bronze hair framed her thin face, curling slightly at the ends and flowing gracefully over her shoulders. Her small mouth was slightly parted, as if she was going to say something.

"I…" She started, but he shook his head. He leaned in and closed his eyes, waiting for something to happen.

It all happened so quickly.

She was warm against him, he could feel something radiating off of her, but he was not sure what it was. It was not like he had enough to figure it out anyway, because a second later she pulled away, her eyes glistening and her bottom lip trembling.

And then she was gone.

It felt colder for some reason.

--

A/N: I felt like being mean. Sorry.

But keep your chins up.