Title: All's Fair in Love and Quidditch
Gift For: Rotae
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley bond and fall in love while at Hogwarts thanks to their mutual devotion to the game of Quidditch. Family politics and the pressures of playing professionally, however, eventually threaten to tear their relationship apart.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, Angst
Word Count: 3629
Lyrics/Quotes Used: "The caterpillar does all the hard work, but the butterfly gets all the publicity." - George Carlin
A/N: Written for the livejournal 2010 SMRW_FICAFEST exchange. Rotae asked for Rose and Scorpius in Ravenclaw as best friends who fall in love. I had a really hard time coming up with a believable plot about BFFs that turn into something more because in most of my rl experiences it's usually just ½ of the friendship that is in love and the other half is all WTF? So I was forced to steal my plot from the movie Love and Basketball. I also stole probably half-a-dozen lines from the film, too. I also stole borrowed names of many supporting characters from some of my favorite fanfics. A great big hug and lots of kisses goes out to queenb23more who agreed to beta this for me. Also a big thanks to birdseyeview for not crushing/cursing me for turning this in so late.
Part 3: Dodging Bludgers
The crowd roared in approval as Rose circled the stands doing a barrel-roll in celebration of the Magpies' victory. She'd played an amazing game. She'd taken fourteen shots at the hoops and scored on eleven of them.
When she landed, the press immediately swarmed her and started throwing out questions. Rose fielded them easily, making sure to give credit to her teammates and coach for the win. She saw Ginny standing toward the rear the group of reporters wearing her iDaily Prophet/i credentials. As had become their custom, however, Ginny didn't ask anything until the rest of the press had left, claiming that she didn't want her competition stealing her great questions.
Once the other reporters thanked Rose for her time and became to trickle away, Ginny stepped forward and wrapped an arm around her niece's shoulder.
"Great game, Sweetheart."
"Thanks! I really felt in a zone tonight."
"You keep putting up numbers like that and you are a lock for the all-star team."
Rose grinned widely. "I'd love to get to play with 'Magic-Touch' Mumps or Nigel Plumpton. They both have some of the most amazing records in the League."
"You'll get over being star-struck with those two the first time you try to have a real conversation with either of them. Their grasp of English grammar and vocabulary is just slightly higher than that of a Bludger."
"Damn, and here I thought I was part of a new generation of Quidditch players who had brains as well as brawn."
Ginny smiled, clearly pleased. "So you read my last column?"
"I read all your stuff. You're the best sports writer in England. But your last column on whether brains or brawn is more important for building a successful Quidditch team was the talk of the entire locker room before the game today."
"You're good for my ego, kid."
Rose laughed.
"Now help me stay on top of my game and give me a bit of inside information about your next opponents."
"Well…" Rose lowered her voice. "I can't be too specific. If the Kestrels find out our strategy, it will take away our edge in the upcoming game."
Ginny nodded. "Don't worry, Rose. You just tell me what's going on and I'll only mention it in a vague way until after the game so it doesn't hurt your chances next week."
Rose bit her lip and looked a little unsure. When Ginny continued to prod, however, she finally succumbed and told her aunt everything she wanted to know.
After showering and cleaning up from the game, Rose discovered she was one of the last people left at the stadium. As she walked toward the exit, she saw a tall figure lurking at the edge of the pitch. It was too dark to clearly make out his features, so she drew her wands and whispered, "Lumos." When the light from her wand illuminated the passageway, she saw that it was Scorpius who was waiting for her.
"Rose!" he called brightly, smiling as she stepped into sight.
She walked into his arms and kissed him deeply. When he finally released her, she hit him lightly on the shoulder. "You missed my game!"
He dropped his head. "I know. Coach made me and the other rookies stay after practice and fly laps."
"Why?"
Scorpius' shrugged. "Something to do with us not practicing to our potential."
"Well at least he didn't single you out." She saw him grimace. "Did he?"
"Yeah. He dismissed us one by one based on the effort and heart we were putting into the laps. I was the last to be released."
"Well, shite," Rose muttered, sounding sympathetic. "That was totally uncalled for. I've never known you to not put your heart into Quidditch, whether it was a practice or a game."
"He hates me. He's one of those guys who focus on the butterflies even though it's the caterpillars who do all the work."
"What are you on about?" Rose asked in confusion.
"You know, the caterpillars and butterflies of Quidditch."
Rose shook her head.
"The Seeker and the Chasers are the butterflies. They are exciting to watch and look good flying around, but it's caterpillars – the Keeper and Beaters – who do all the real work in a game."
"Very deep. Don't share that theory with anyone else if you don't want every nancy-boy between the Rhine and the Danube hitting on you after games," Rose teased, turning away from him as a security wizard approached.
"I'm getting ready to turn off the lights and head home, Ms. Weasley. Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?"
"Would it be alright to leave the lights on for a few more minutes? I want to show my friend around. I can turn them off before I go."
"Sure," the wizard nodded. "The security wards are already up, so make sure to leave by the Floo on level four when you're done giving the tour." He tipped his hat toward Rose and turn to walk off the pitch.
"What's up?" Scorpius asked when they were alone again. "I've been here dozens of times. I don't need a tour."
"Yeah. I know," she grinned slyly. "I just wanted to get rid of him so we could play a little one-on-one."
Scorpius looked at her in confusion. "Merlin, Rose. I'm exhausted. Aren't you tired?"
"Not so much," she shrugged. "Play with me. I'll make it worth your while."
He was intrigued. "Why? What are we playing for?"
"Clothes. Every shot you block, I'll remove an article of clothing."
Scorpius grinned wickedly, suddenly looking refreshed.
"Of course, you'll have to take something off every time I score a goal."
"Aren't we a little old for strip Quidditch?"
"Sounds like someone is scared," Rose taunted.
"Alright, Weasley, you're on. But don't come crying to me when you get a splinter in your arse from flying around naked."
"Less talking and more playing, Malfoy," Rose replied, mounting her broom and flying up to the hoops.
Once the game began, Rose easily scored on her first two shots, forcing Scorpius to kick off his shoes and drop his tee to the ground.
"You weren't kidding about being exhausted," Rose taunted as she flew in close for another shot. Scorpius surprised her, however, by grabbing the front of her broomstick, pulling up beside her, and running his fingers along her ribs until she giggled and dropped the Quaffle.
"You cheater!" she exclaimed in mock outrage. "On this side of the channel we call that a foul."
Scorpius smirked. "Well on my side of the channel we have a saying that all is fair in love and Quidditch. Now lose a piece of clothing."
Rose kicked off her shoes, an amused grin on her face. "I can play dirty, too."
"I'm counting on it," Scorpius replied with a wink.
Rose laughed and then scored again when he was busy waggling his eyebrows at her. She Vanished his trousers when he started to make a big production out of unbuttoning them.
"Hey!" he cried, completely unclothed except for a pair of dark gray boxer briefs.
"Sorry," Rose said, licking her lips. "I got tired of waiting."
The sight of her nearly naked boyfriend broke Rose's concentration just enough that within a minute, she had also lost her shirt and trousers. She narrowed her eyes. It was time to end the game by breaking his focus.
"Malfoy, is playing Quidditch in just your pants giving you an erection?"
Rose waited for him to blush or stammer an answer or give some indication that he'd dropped his guard. Instead, his eyebrows rose and he drawled, "Fly a little closer and I'll let you check for yourself."
Her eyes widened at Scorpius' suggestion. Apparently, she wasn't the only one ready to bring the game to a conclusion.
Taking a deep breath, Rose dove for the right hoop. At the last moment, however, she aimed left. It was a low percentage shot, but one she rarely missed.
Scorpius had seen past her maneuver and lunged left along with the Quaffle. Although he only managed to get three fingers on it, that was enough to send it wide of the hoop.
"Shite," Rose cursed under her breath.
Scorpius sat up straight on his broom and smirked at her.
Rose felt the heat rising in her cheeks as she reached around to unclasp her bra. She wasn't thrilled with her chest. Her small freckle-covered breasts were never going to inspire Playwizard Magazine to come knocking at her door. Still, as her bra fluttered to the ground, the look on Scorpius' face was gratifying.
It was very gratifying. So gratifying, Rose decided the game needed to end immediately. She lobbed an easy shot toward the middle hoop which Scorpius easily blocked.
"I won!" Scorpius shouted happily.
Rose laughed. "I let you win, Malfoy."
"Bull," he replied. "Why would you do that?"
"Because I'm interested to see if you can take advantage of the situation," she replied right before her knickers hit him in the chest.
L*O*V*E*&*Q*U*I*D*D*I*T*C*H
Rose heard a knock at her door and stretched slowly before rolling out of bed. Scorpius had left less than five minutes ago to get in a morning workout before his practice that afternoon. He'd probably forgotten something and returned for it. Rose wondered if she could seduce him back between her sheets. When she opened the door, however, she was startled to see two Aurors standing there.
"Rose Weasley?"
"Yes."
"We need you to accompany us down to the Ministry."
"Why?"
"It will be explained to you there."
Rose started to get nervous. "Is my father hurt? My mother? Uncle Harry?"
The Aurors exchanged glances and then the older one shook his head. "No. This is official business involving a criminal investigation."
Rose rubbed her hand over her face, unsure of what to do. She really wanted to talk to her dad before agreeing to an interview but knew that refusing to cooperate with law enforcement officials would probably land her on the front page of the iProphet/i or in her mother's office. "Fine. Let me get dressed."
Ten minutes later, she was sitting in an interrogation room in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The Aurors who had brought her to the Ministry had turned her over to some clerk for the Wizengamot who was taking down all of her contact information – name, age, employment history. It was all stuff easily attainable from other sources and it gave Rose no clue about why she'd been brought in. Finally, Terry Boot, the assistant director of the department, entered the room.
"Hello, Rose."
"Mr. Boot, why am I here?"
"There is an investigation underway into an illegal Quidditch betting ring and we would like your cooperation."
Rose wet her lips. If she were linked to sports gambling her career would be over. "What do I need to do?"
"Just answer our questions honestly. We already know how the ring was set up and the main people involved. Now we are just looking into how far-reaching the gambling operation is."
"I'm not going to be able to help you. I don't know anything about it."
"That's okay. We just have some general questions."
"Do my parents know I'm here?"
Boot nodded. "However, they obviously can't be involved with this part of the investigation."
"Yeah," Rose replied, feeling slightly comforted. Surely her dad and mum wouldn't have allowed things to progress to this point if she was in serious trouble.
Over two hours later, Rose was finally dismissed from the interview. When she stepped out into the hallway, she found her dad and Uncle Harry waiting for her. She walked straight into her dad's arms and hugged him tightly.
"Let's go get lunch," he said.
"Okay," Rose said, struck by the serious faces worn by him. "Is Mum going to meet us there?"
"No."
This was unusual enough that Rose didn't speak again until after the three of them had exited the Ministry and sat down at a table outside of a Muggle pub. "What's going on?"
"What did they ask you about?" Harry demanded.
Rose raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"
"We've been shut out," Ron replied.
"Rose, just tell us." Harry urged.
"They mostly asked about the Quidditch season. Lots of questions about some of my missed shots and about the game against the Tornadoes that I missed because I got food poisoning the night before."
"Any questions about Ginny?"
"Yeah, a few. They wanted to know how often I spoke with her and what we talked about. How is Aunt Ginny involved in this?"
"She's not," Harry said, pushing his chair back from the table. "I'm going to go order a pint. You want anything, Ron?"
Ron shook his head and watched Harry walk away. He turned back to Rose. "They think Ginny has been helping this gambling outfit set the odds on Quidditch games."
Rose went momentarily numb. This couldn't be happening. Her aunt was one of the people she trusted most in the world. "Are they right?"
"Probably."
"And they think I've been giving her inside information?"
"At the very least. It's possible they think you've been throwing games in order to keep the wizards running the operation from losing too much."
"I would never do anything like that!"
"I know, sweetheart. It will all work out. You are going to be fine."
"Can't Mum do something to help me? What is she doing for Ginny?"
"She can't do anything," Ron said. "It's her investigation."
"Impossible. She wouldn't go after her own family."
"She started this long before anyone suspected Ginny was involved."
Rose was not appeased. "She should have stepped aside once she realized where this was headed."
Ron's face flushed red. "Yeah. She probably should have, but you know your Mum. Once she starts something…"
"It becomes more important than her family – more important than her daughter!"
"It's going to be fine, Rose. Your mum doesn't have a secret agenda. She isn't out to get you or bring down professional Quidditch. She just wants to stop the gambling."
"And tough crystal balls for anyone who gets in her way."
"Rose, you know she doesn't see it that way."
She rolled her eyes and felt her expression harden. When Harry sat down, his pint already half empty, Rose picked it up and drained it. "I'll get us another," she told him, rising and heading inside toward the bar.
L*O*V*E*&*Q*U*I*D*D*I*T*C*H
Rose sat on a bench outside of the front door of Scorpius' building. She'd pulled a hoodie over her curls and sat with her face downcast, not wanting to be recognized by anyone. She had a raging headache and hadn't been able to think straight since the Aurors had shown up at her flat that morning.
"Rose?"
She looked up. Standing in front of her was Scorpius. His hair was slicked back from a recent shower and his broom was slung over his shoulder.
"Hey."
"What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you until Sunday."
"I know. This is probably a bad time. Did you just finish practice?"
He nodded and sat beside her. "It was a great practice though. I think I impressed the coach for the first time since the season began. I might even get to start tomorrow."
"That's great," Rose stated but couldn't infuse any enthusiasm into her voice.
Scorpius grasped her chin between his fingers and lifted her face until their eyes met. "What's wrong?"
Rose bit her lip and haltingly told Scorpius about the gambling ring, her Aunt Ginny's probable involvement, and her mother's priorities. He sat next to her, slipped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her tight against his side. "So what happens next?"
"I don't know. I can't decide whether I should talk to my coach or not. I mean, if it all goes away, I don't want to have given him any excuse not to play me. But if it becomes public, there will be a scandal even though I'm innocent."
Scorpius nodded. "What does your dad think?"
Rose grimaced. "He says to wait. He thinks it might all blow over and never affect me."
"That would be good."
"He's deluding himself. If Aunt Ginny really is involved, this entire situation is going to be public and it is going to be bad. Everyone knows how close I am to her. I'll be pilloried by the press, especially those reporters who resent me giving her exclusive interviews. People will assume that I'm involved somehow or that I knew what she was doing. Bloody hell, even my mum thinks I'm involved."
"You don't know that."
Rose snorted. "She wouldn't have wasted time having me brought in for an interview this morning if she hadn't at least suspected me."
"Have you talked to her?"
"She knows where I live. If she wants to talk she can owl me."
Scorpius kissed the side of her head. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I wish I could make it all go away for you."
"Me too."
Scorpius glanced at his watch. "I know this is shite timing, but I need to go inside."
"What?"
"I've got a curfew tonight. I have to be in my room by 11 p.m. or I won't get to play tomorrow."
"Oh."
"If I had any choice, I'd stay with you."
Rose nodded. "Yeah."
"Are you still going to meet up with Dominique at the Ministry of Sound tomorrow night?"
"Probably."
"Why don't I meet you there after my game? We can talk then."
Rose gave him a half-hearted smile. "Okay, sure."
L*O*V*E*&*Q*U*I*D*D*I*T*C*H
The next day, Rose was trying to dance away her troubles at the Ministry of Sound. Usually she hated going to Muggle nightclubs with her beautiful part-Veela cousin because she didn't enjoy dealing with an endless stream of bad pick-up lines and roving hands. Tonight, however, rubbing mindlessly against burly strangers, allowing them to suckle her neck and grasp her arse was exactly what she wanted. Although Dominique shot Rose a couple of concerned glances, Rose continued to grind against her partners and enjoy the dark anonymity of the club.
As it neared 1 a.m., Rose and her current dance partner left the dance floor and headed toward the bar. Just as she leaned over to order a Vodka Collins, she felt someone move between her and the bloke with whom she'd been dancing. "You can go. She's with me."
"Bugger off, mate. I saw her first."
Rose turned and saw Scorpius standing chest to chest with Rob or Ross or Rodney – whatever her Muggle partner's name was. She turned back toward the bar, uninterested in whatever burst of testosterone was about to take place.
Less than a minute later, Scorpius' arm slide around her waist. He placed a 10 pound note on the bar and ordered a pint of Mackeson Stout. "Who was that pillock?"
Rose shrugged.
"You seemed to be pretty chummy with him on the dance floor."
"Just killing time."
"Sorry I'm so late," Scorpius replied, shifting his feet slightly as if he felt guilty. "I went out with the team after the game to celebrate our win."
Rose gave a half-hearted smile, but her eyes scanned the crowd rather than meet his.
Scorpius grasped her chin and turned her head toward him. "What's wrong?"
Before she could answer, however, one of his teammates came up and slung an arm around Scorpius' shoulder. "Weasley, did you hear about your boy? He was the star of the game."
Rose smiled again, but it was obvious her mind was elsewhere. "That's great," she murmured, moving away from the pair. "You two continue celebrating; I've got to check on Dominique."
It was clear something was wrong. Rose was not acting like herself. Scorpius watched as she walked past the dance floor where Dominique was twirling between a pair of handsome Muggles and headed over to the table where the bloke she'd been dancing with sat. He saw her bend over to talk with him and Scorpius' stomach clenched when she laughingly allowed herself to be pulled onto the prat's lap.
Marching across the club, Scorpius grabbed Rose the by arm and drug her to a dark corner of the nightclub. "What's up with you?"
She brushed her hair away from her face angrily. "Nothing. What's your problem?"
"You are flirting with that guy! If a long distance relationship is going to work between us, I have to be able to trust you. I can't do that if you continue to act this way."
"Maybe I don't want a relationship between us to work out."
Scorpius looked stunned. "Are you serious?"
"Look, I'm going through a lot of shite right now and it is clear that you don't have time for me."
"Is this about last night?"
Rose refused to answer.
"What did you want me to do? I had a curfew. You knew today's game was important to me."
"Well, it certainly was enlightening to see where I rank in your priorities."
"That isn't fair. I'm a professional Quidditch player. You of all people know what that means! I've never asked you to choose between Quidditch and me."
"You would never have to," Rose replied, looking for the first time more sad than angry.
"Rose…"
"I'm sorry, Scorpius. I can't deal with you on top of everything else. My family is in turmoil, my career is hanging on by a thread, and I'm sick of not having someone with whom I can share my troubles. I'm heading home. Good luck with the rest of your season."
"No! Bloody hell, I will not let you do this to us."
Rose shook her head. "There is no us anymore."
TBC