Chapter 16: Fun on Halloween

(Rose's pov)

By October, nearly everyone at Hogwarts knew that I, Rose Weasley, a half-blood with a muggle-born mother, and a pure-blood, "blood traitor" father, was dating Scorpius Malfoy, who came from a long line of prejudice, arrogant, nothing-but-pure-blooded Malfoys and Blacks, and mostly everyone was shocked by that fact. Everyone knew that the Weasleys and the Malfoys hadn't gotten along for generations, so it was a major surprise for most. We were the current rumor of the school, the new couple that everyone, even first years, was talking about, but honestly I couldn't care less. I had also made my cousins, at least those who still remained at Hogwarts – Lucy, James, Albus, Roxanne, and Lily – along with my brother Hugo, vow to keep my relationship with Scorpius a secret. I could threaten them if I really had to, as I knew at least one secret about each of them that I could "accidently" spill to their parents if they spilled mine, so my worry about one of them snitching on me was slim.

Albus's reaction to my dating Scorpius was different than I expected. Albus is naturally very protective of all of his female relatives, but I think he feels the need to watch over Lily and me the most. Although Al seemed a bit awkward getting used to the fact that his two best friends were dating each other, I was surprised he didn't try to seriously injure Scorpius yet. So surprised in fact, that I even confronted him about it.

Albus laughed when I asked him if he ever thought about hurting Scorpius for even laying a finger on me. "See, the thing is, Rose, I already sort of have." He said.

"Really?" I asked. I didn't remember Scorpius having to go to the hospital wing or anything, and I was around him constantly now, except for when we were in our dorms, of course. "When?"

"Remember when I used the conjunctivitis curse on Scorpius in February of last year?" Al asked.

"Oh!" I exclaimed, suddenly remembering the incident from about eight months ago. "That long ago?"

Albus smiled. "Yeah. That was the day Scorp told me he fancied you. I guess I just couldn't stand the chance of your heart being broken, even though I knew Scorpius would never hurt you. But then, I got used to the idea, liked it even, and so at that Hogsmeade trip, I ditched you on purpose to give you and Scorpius some alone time. And I guess it must have worked."

"Albus!" I shrieked, and playfully slapped my cousin on the arm.

Albus continued to tease me about my relationship with Scorpius, but in a playful, cousinly way. Meanwhile, I desperately tried to discover who Albus fancied, but he dropped no clues whatsoever. Perhaps if I knew who he fancied, I could set them up. Then again, Alana wouldn't be too pleased with me if I set Al up with some Ravenclaw girl, or any other girl besides herself for that matter.

The Halloween party was fast approaching, and as promised, I was going as Scorpius's date. Knowing how much Scorpius loved my flowing red hair, I had straightened it out in order to show it off. My outfit was Halloween themed, as it was an orange, long-sleeved shirt with a somewhat fancy collar, and a long black skirt that nearly touched the floor. I met Scorpius in the common room. He had on a suit, something I've never seen him wear, complete with a white dress shirt underneath and an orange tie to match my shirt. As soon as he saw me, Scorpius smiled and kissed me on the cheek. "Beautiful as always, Rosie." He said.

I smiled back at him. "You're not looking to bad yourself." I replied, and linking arms, we made our way to the Great Hall for the party.

Hogwarts Halloween Party was an annual event that was held the weekend before Halloween. The party started at 7:00 and went until 10:00 for first through fourth years, but went on until midnight for the fifth through seven years. The night started with a big feast, with Halloween themed food and beverages. Nearly all of the school was there, as no one wanted to miss the Halloween Party. Some people were dressed in costumes, while others, such as Scorpius and I were dressed more formally. Out of all my friends, I was the only one with a date, but it was fine. Sure, Sahara had been dating since the end of fourth year, but none of her relationships so far had lasted more than three or four months. Although Scorpius and I had only been together for about a month, I was confident that we were going to last longer than that.

After the feast, the "haunted" thestral rides began. On these rides, Hagrid would lead a team of thestrals through Hogwarts grounds, and even parts of the forbidden forest. The ride wasn't usually very scary, but it was fun just to enjoy the nice weather.

After the thestral ride, Scorpius and I went back into the Great Hall. The lights were dimmed, and a few couples were dancing to Halloween themed music. After talking to Sahara, Alana, Albus, Ben, and Luke for a few minutes, I dragged my reluctant boyfriend out to the dance floor to dance. We danced for about an hour, but by ten o'clock we were getting tired. When we went back to join our friends, we found Albus standing alone.

"Where is everyone?" Scorpius asked.

Albus pointed towards the dance floor. "Well, Zoey Chang-Lee practically dragged Ben out there. That girl just doesn't seem to leave him alone, even though he wants nothing to do with her. Luke and Alana are out there dancing too, because Alana really wanted to dance with someone, so he offered to dance with her. As a friend, you know." Al paused, and I could have sworn I heard him sigh. Maybe it was just my imagination. "And Rose, you aren't going to believe this, but Andy Boot asked Sahara to dance with him."

Well, at least Sahara wouldn't go on and on about how she wished Andy would notice her anymore. As we waited for our other friends, I couldn't help but notice that Albus seemed a bit distracted. It took me a while to figure out where exactly his mind was.

Farther out on the dance floor, Luke and Alana were twirling around to a fast-paced song. Alana laughed every time Luke spun her around and seemed to be having a fabulous time. Alana wasn't the most graceful dancer as she was clumsy and awkward, and had a talent for blowing things up in potions – apparently she got that from her father – but luckily for her, Luke evened it out a little. Albus's gaze was set on Alana the entire time, his eyes full of some sort of longing. Was it possible that Al fancied Alana, just as she fancied him? I wanted to ask him about it, but how was I going to get Scorpius away? Thinking quickly, I drank the rest of my punch. "Oh, my punch is gone." I said sadly.

"I'll go get you more." Scorpius offered, just as I had expected. He made his way towards the refreshments table, giving me the perfect opportunity to talk to Albus.

"I see how you look at her. Alana, I mean." I said softly.

Albus blinked. "I… I don't know what you mean."

I smiled at my cousin's confused expression. "Albus Severus Potter," I said teasingly. "Don't lie to me. I can read you like a book, and right now, the book titled Albus's Longing Gaze is telling me that you fancy Alana Finnegan."

Albus looked at the floor, a habit much less embarrassing than my ears turning red, which is what happens when I get embarrassed, thanks to my lovely father, who I have inherited the trait from. "So what if I do?" Al muttered. "After all, since you obviously fancy Scorpius, why shouldn't I be able to fancy one of your friends?"

"Ask her out, then." I suggested.

Albus's eyes grew wide, but Scorpius returned with the punch just then, so I didn't get to hear his reply. Shortly after, Alana and Luke joined us again. Oh well, I thought with a sigh. I would get those two together eventually. There was just one problem. When Alana and Luke came back from the dance floor, their hands were intertwined.

(Scorpius's pov)

I felt like I was living a dream. I was still in shock from that day Rose dragged me into the broom closet, and kissed me. The day she actually became my girlfriend. My girlfriend. Rose Weasley. To say that I was surprised to hear Rose say that she was in love with me, just as I was with her was not only the understatement of the century; it was the understatement of the millennia. Well, maybe not quite…. But anyway, I still couldn't believe all this was real.

The Halloween Party was the most fun I'd had in awhile. And at least two new couples came out of the event, Sahara Thomas and Andy Boot, and Alana Finnegan and Luke Phillips. Maybe I was wrong, but I could have sworn I saw a hint of jealous in Albus's eyes when he saw Luke and Alana holding hands.

A week after the party, on Halloween itself, Rose invited me to an event that was on the stranger side. Every year, Rose, her brother Hugo, and their cousins would all go trick-or-treating through Hogwarts. The tradition had started when Rose's cousin Fred, who had graduated last year was in his first year at Hogwarts, and the Weasley/Potter family had been doing it ever since. Those professors who didn't hand out sweets would receive a prank, or trick, the following day, something James, with the help of his friends and Fred's younger sister, a fifth year named Roxanne, would handle. When Rose asked me to join them, I wasn't too sure about it, mainly because I worried I would feel awkward being the only non-Weasley/Potter on this "family outing".

"Come on, Scorp," Rose begged. "It'll be fun. And besides, James is bringing his current girlfriend, Hollie Simonson , and his friends along, too, so you won't be the only 'stranger' as you called it."

I sighed. For my Rosie, I would do anything. "Alright," I said after some hesitation, and was rewarded with a kiss from Rose.

Our first stops for trick-or-treating was outside of the castle. In Greenhouse number two, Professor Longbottom greeted us with a smile and sweets, as if he was expected us. When we visited Professor Hagrid's hut, he filled our buckets up halfway.

Back in the castle, we continued our quest for sweets. Some of the professors gave us one or two sweets, but some slammed their doors in our faces. James took the time to write down the names of professor who had refused to give us sweets on a piece of parchment, reminding himself to prank them later in the week before we continued on. We stopped right outside of the potions room.

"Professor Flint always gives out detention and a loss of house points, so this is the part where I leave." Rose explained. "I think you should go too, Al, since you're a prefect."

Albus frowned. "I suppose so. Are you coming too, Scorpius?"

I nodded. I had enough for the night. The three of us started up the dungeon stairs, and it was a good thing we did too, because a few seconds later we heard Professor Flint bellow, "How many times do I have to tell you, I will not accept any trick-or-treaters. Detention for all of you!" Flint paused, assumedly to count the head in the room. "Also, thirty points from Gryffindor and ten from Hufflepuff. Good evening." With that, Flint slammed the door, causing the group to laugh hysterically and thunder up the stairs after us.

I was glad Rose, Albus, and I weren't with them, because not only would we have also received detention, but there would have been fifteen more points, five for each of us, lost as well. Over all, it was a great Halloween, and I got to spend all of it with the girl I loved most.

Preview for next chapter: "Didn't you just admit that you fancied Albus a couple of months ago?" I asked Alana angrily.

"Yes, but…"

"Then why, Merlin, are you dating Luke Phillips!"