Star-Crossed Rivals
Rose and Scorpius were destined to hate each other. She was a Weasley, he was a Malfoy. Children of the longest-rivalling families in the Wizarding World. And when they're both at Hogwarts, it's bound to lead to chaos. Right? Definitely. And when both are sorted into their family houses, it's the same old story - Gryffindor vs Slytherin. But with Rose and Scorpius involved, things can never be so normal.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters. If I did, I would be rich and famous and blonde, meeting famous people. But sadly, it wasn't to be.
Chapter Six: Third Year –Physical Violence
"I love this school!" Rose declared blissfully, as she and her friends walked to their spot – the tree by the Black Lake. She pirouetted with the grace and elegance only people who have been trained in ballet for years can have (Hermione had forced her to go to those lessons). People stared on at her enviously, but she barely noticed.
Rose had changed since her first year. She was still Rose Weasley. But now, people didn't just stare at her because she had famous relatives. They didn't just stare at her because her mind was now more advanced than some teachers at Hogwarts. They didn't just stare because she was amazing at Quidditch. They stared because she was just so naturally pretty.
Unlike her mother, it didn't take some fancy event for people to realise. It just... happened. One day, her hair wasn't so bushy anymore, then the next minute – they'd transformed into waves. Still slightly bushy waves, but that was only noticeable if you stared at them from up close. Her teeth suddenly weren't too big for her mouth: they were pearly, pristine and... perfect.
Her eyes weren't a simple blue any more. They were big, wide, inquisitive – and a startlingly pretty sapphire. This didn't change the fact that she was known as 'the tomboy one'.
"You only love it now, Rose," her friend Alexis said, laughing fondly. "Now that it's still sunny and warm. You wait until December." Alexis was 'the sexy one' of their Gryffindor group. She was the first to have experienced puberty.
She was tall, at least 5'8, and was the only one who unbuttoned the top button of her blouse to reveal her lacy red bra. Guys in the school lusted after her, and girls envied her. She even had the envy of girls in their seventh year.
"Are you kidding?" Rochelle giggled, tossing her golden ringlets back over her shoulder. "Rose loves Hogwarts at any time of year. She loves the lessons, the students, the rules, the Quidditch..." Everyone laughed in agreement.
It was true, Rose loved Hogwarts just as much as Rochelle loved make-up. Rochelle was a tad bit of a flirt, but she was better known as 'the pretty one'. Rochelle wasn't sexy like Alexis, but she had a kind of porcelain doll look to her. She stood at 5'5, the average height for girls their age.
"... sometimes, I think Rose even loves the Slytherins," Annabel added cheekily, her hazel eyes sparkling in humour. Everyone laughed once more, as Rose swatted Annabel jokingly. The two Gryffindors had grown extremely close, despite not knowing each other for any longer than three years.
Annabel really and truly was a flirt. She'd been the one to teach the group how to apply make-up, how to straighten their hair... and the perfect way to get boys to stare at you. She wore her skirts short, her blouses tight and she wore heels instead of the school's regulation ballet flats. With her heels she was 5'7, but without she was short like Rose (though a bit taller), at 5'3.
"Rose liking the Slytherins?!" Alice squealed, rolling her light-blue eyes. "That's just as likely as Annabel and my brother being a couple." The girls laughed and Annabel pretended to gag. Frank and Annabel didn't hate each other, in fact, they were extremely close. But the closeness between them was like the closeness between Rose and Hugo. It was a brotherly/sisterly bond.
Alice was the 'blonde one' of the group. She was the typical stereotype of a blonde: slightly scatty, but funny and loveable. She had blonde hair that was just a bit longer than shoulder-length, light-blue eyes and pale skin, with not one freckle. Rochelle was her best friend, and the two of them could natter on about anything for hours and hours. It was no surprise to anyone that Rochelle and Alice were the same height. They wore the same make-up, the same clothes, the same shoes – they shared everything.
"Don't exaggerate, Ali," Alexis said jokingly, nudging her friend. She winked teasingly at Rose. "I see some sparks between her and Zabini." Rose shuddered, making her friends laugh harder. "No way!" Rochelle said, continuing the joke. "Malfoy, for sure!"
"Yes, me and Malfoy could be a couple," Rose said sarcastically. "Just as much as Uncle Harry and Voldemort could." That was the final straw. The Gryffindor girls collapsed in a heap on the group. Their arms and legs were tangled as they lay on the grass but they didn't care. They were laughing much too hard to care.
"If only Uncle Harry heard you say that, Rose."
"Would he go mental?"
"No, silly Annabel. He'd burst out laughing too."
"You bet."
"Everyone knows a Weasley and a Malfoy can never be together."
"Yeah, they're deadly enemies."
"Why?"
Everyone thought about what the Muggleborn brunette had said and turned to Rose questioningly. The redhead sighed and sat up. "Well, y'know the Malfoys are purebloods?"
"I think everyone in the Wizarding World knows that dear fact, Rose," Alexis said, leaning her chin on her elbows. Rose shrugged her off.
"Whatever. Well, anyway, so are the Weasleys..."
"Not anymore. You're a half-blood, remember?"
"And Albus isn't a pure-blood either."
"Yeah, he's a... three-quarters blood?"
"I don't think that term exists."
"It should..."
"I so agree..."
Rose coughed and Alice and Rochelle fell silent, both mouthing sorry.
"Well, yes. We aren't fully pure-blood anymore. But before, we were. But we weren't your typical purebloods."
"Why?"
"How?"
"We associated with Muggleborns, creatures and half-bloods, etcetera."
"And the pureblood Malfoys didn't like that?"
"That's so vain!"
"Very vain!"
"So shallow!"
"I know!"
"Yep. They hated that. Thus, came the term blood traitor."
"Traitors?!"
"The Weasleys aren't blood traitors!"
"Yeah, you lot are the loveliest family I know!"
"Yep!"
"You can hardly compare you Weasleys to Benedict Arnold," Annabel declared, raising her eyebrows, slightly confused.
"Who's he?"
"Yeah, who?"
"Just this American guy, who betrayed them. Never mind. Continue, Rose?"
"Well, thanks, Alice and Rochelle. And yes, Annabel, you can't really compare us to Benedict Arnold. But a blood traitor is someone who socializes with those who aren't purebloods."
"That's so..."
"Annoying!"
"Yes, so horrid!"
"Very horrid!"
"And Malfoy's family believe in all that junk?"
"Yes, and they have done for many, many generations. That's why our families hate each other."
"Oh."
"Wow."
"That's silly."
"Very silly."
"Well, that's the case."
Rose pushed herself up. She was getting an awful cramp in her legs. "I'm gonna go walk around a bit. My legs have completely fallen asleep."
"Bye!"
"See you, Rose!"
"You'll be back soon?"
"'course she will."
Rose began walking by the edge of the Black Lake. She looked at it, remembering all the stories she'd been told and had read. Her Uncle Harry had had to swim down there. So had her Aunt Fleur. Her mum, dad, Professor Corner and (kind-of) Aunt Gabrielle had been kept down there; to be saved by her Uncle Harry, her Aunt Fleur, Cedric Diggory and Viktor Krum.
As she looked down into the lake and wondered what it must've been like, a pair of hands pushed her in.
It took a few seconds for Rose to comprehend that she was in the deep part of the Black Lake. Those few seconds were way too long. By the time she realised she was in the Black Lake and drowning, it was too late. She tried to bob to the surface, but her clothes were too heavy and were dragging her down. She choked on mouthfuls of water and her vision became hazy. That's when she felt a pair of strong arms around her waist. She was pulled to the surface, gasping and choking.
She looked up to see her saviour and saw the grey panic-stricken eyes of the one and only Scorpius Malfoy. It must've been him, she thought. He was the one who pushed me in. I saw no one else there. It must've been him. He pushed me in and saved me because he was scared he'd get into trouble!
"MALFOY!" Rose screamed. "YOU BLOODY GIT!" The Slytherin boy jumped as she screamed. He hadn't been expecting this. He hadn't expected to save her as well. All he'd been doing was walking by the edge with Angelo and Vincent when he saw her thrashing about in the water. He saved her because... well, he still didn't know the answer to that.
"I'm sorry, Weasley?" he said, his voice frosty and cool. He got up, smoothing the creases in his trousers. "You should be happy I saved you, Weasley. You were drowning. You could've been killed." He got up to walk away, pushing through the crowd that had formed around them. He could see his friends and hers amongst them. "Anyway, I'm out of here."
Angered by the sight of him walking away, she jumped up. "EXCUSE ME?!" she screamed. "I SHOULD BE THANKFUL?! YOU PUSHED ME IN!!"
The platinum-blonde haired boy turned around, opening his mouth to defend himself, when he felt her hand sharply connect with his cheek. The crowd around went 'Ooh!', 'Ahh!' and 'Wow!' Scorpius simply touched where she'd slapped him. He was sure it was red, clashing with his pale skin, but for once didn't care. The pain, the pain, the pain...
"YOU'RE SO UN – BLOODY – GRATEFUL, WEASLEY!!" he yelled, shoving her away from him. No one was really sure who made the first move. All that everyone knew was that suddenly Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley were fighting . And it wasn't one of those silly little fights, it was a full-on one. Rose scratched Scorpius down the cheek with her sharp nails and he kicked her shins, making her double-over in pain.
"Rose!"
"Stop it!"
"Rose, he's not worth it!"
Her friends, seeing Rose wasn't listening to them, grabbed her, trying to pull her away from him. The boys, however, were egging them on.
"C'mon, Weasley!"
"Kick him in the privates!"
"Punch him round the face!"
"You gonna let a girl beat you up, Malfoy?"
"Pull her hair!"
"Twist her arm!"
"That's ENOUGH," the sharp voice of Professor McGonagall made every student in a fifty-foot radius flinch at its harshness. "Weasley, Malfoy; step away from each other." The third-year pair did that, scowls evident on their faces. "Come to my office. Detentions for two weeks, the pair of you."
As the redheaded girl and the blonde boy followed their headmistress to her office, the word was being quickly spread around Hogwarts. This was a fight that wasn't going to be easily forgotten.
I had to do that too. Hermione slapping Draco just made me laugh so much; their kids HAD to do the same.
I love reviews more than I love chocolate :O