Author's note: Sorry for the large gap in time (3 months) but I couldn't think of anything interesting to happen, as Rose will explain.
Chapter 24: A Complicated Year
Seventh Year
(Rose's pov)
"Seventh year." Albus said, mostly to me. "Can you believe it, Rose?"
It was the last week in August before school starts up again, and Albus, Lily, Hugo, and I were lounging around in Al's room while our parents socialized downstairs. I sighed. "It seems like just last month that we got on the Hogwarts Express for the first time."
"Everything's going to be so different!" Lily exclaimed. "James is moving out next week, and you two are graduating this year. It's going to be so lonely."
"Hey, what about me and Roxanne? We're still here." Hugo asked.
"Alright, I will be lonely with you and Roxanne. Better?"
Hugo smiled. "Yeah, that's good." He said, and everyone laughed. I was going to miss seeing my brother and cousins nearly every day, but the Weasley family was a close-knitted bunch, and I knew we would still see each other often.
"Hey, Al, that reminds me. Do you know what you're doing after Hogwarts?" I asked.
Albus sighed. "No, James knew he wanted to be an Auror since he was about four or so, and he starts training with Dad next week, but I have honestly no idea what I want to do."
"I think I want to be a writer." I replied, mostly to myself. "Possibly a healer. Or both."
We spent the next half hour talking about Hogwarts and what we wanted to do afterwards, when Aunt Ginny called us down for dinner. At the dinner table, Mum brought up the letter I had received from Hogwarts yesterday, the one that had announced that I had been chosen to be Head Girl. Mum and Dad were extremely proud of me, which made me extremely happy, and I could tell Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry were happy for me as well. Maybe this year, if I was lucky, I could finally get over my relationship with Scorpius and move on with my life, because quite honestly, I was tired of the pain, and if being in a relationship with Matthew and being Head Girl didn't help me heal, then nothing would.
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"You've got everything you need, Hugo?" Mum asked, and my fifteen-year-old brother rolled his eyes. Mum asked this question every year when she and Dad dropped us off at King's Cross, and no matter how annoyed he gets with it, he always forgets something.
"Yes, Mum." Hugo said impatiently.
"Alright," Mum sighed. "We'll send you an owl if you do forget anything, okay?"
Hugo nodded, and, after a quick kiss from Mum and a hug from Dad, raced to find his friends.
"Well, this is it…" Mum said slowly, and I noticed she had tears in her eyes. "Your last year."
"I'll be okay, Mum." I said, giving her a quick hug.
"I'm not worried." Mum sighed.
"That's right." Dad said with a smile. "We just don't like the idea of our little Rosie growing up too fast. You'll still be our well-behaved angel, won't you? You won't let that Corner boy pressure you into anything, right?"
"Of course not, Dad." I sighed. My summer had been uneventful, and I had only seen Matthew three times during the summer, once on a date to Diagon Alley, once to visit his family, and once when he came to meet mine. My parents seemed to like him, better than I do, actually, but Dad's still a little over protective, because as far as he knows, Matthew is my first boyfriend. Imagine what he would have done had he met Scorpius. Saying goodbye to my parents, I quickly boarded the train to meet the Head Boy and give the prefects their instructions. I certainly didn't want to be late for my first duty as Headgirl.
I made my way to the front of the train in good spirits. I thought nothing could ruin my mood. That is, until I saw who this year's Head Boy was. Standing alone, waiting for the prefects to arrive was none other than Scorpius Malfoy. And he had on a shiny new Head Boy badge nearly identical to mine.
Scorpius looked almost as surprised if I felt. I don't really know why I was so surprised. I mean, he was a good student after all. It was just that Scorpius was never a prefect; Albus was. So, why would he be Head Boy? Then, thinking back, I could remember a few Head Boys and Head Girls who were never prefects, with Albus's paternal grandfather, James, being one example. As soon as he saw me, Scorpius's eyes filled with a half surprised, half horrified expression before darting to the ground. My good mood immediately escaped my body. With both of us as heads, Scorpius and I were in for an awkward and probably unpleasant year. Suddenly I was no longer looking forward to being Head Girl.
When all the prefects arrived, I let Scorpius do all of the talking. As the heads usually do, Scorpius explained prefects' duties, which included making sure all students obey school rules, and helping any first years that needed assistance. I was glad Scorpius was able to handle this speech, because I was still too shocked to speak. Afterwards, without second glance at each other, Scorpius and I went our separate ways, Scorpius to sit with Luke and Ben, and I to sit with Albus, Alana, and Sahara. If this was the way it was going to be from now on, Scorpius and I were in for a long, most likely complicated year.
(Scorpius's pov)
My summer holiday was more bearable than I thought it would be. During the school year, I thought of Rose every day. During the summer, she only crossed my mind occasionally. I was finally getting over her. Or so I thought, until I showed up to for my first Head Boy assignment and discovered that Rose was the Head Girl, and I remembered just how much I missed her. But what was even more painful, was that Rose didn't miss me back. She had a new boyfriend now, Matthew Corner, of all the arrogant prats she could have chosen, and they've been dating for four months. Albus doesn't like her either, but as her cousin and her ex, we have no right to say who she can and cannot date. So I left it be no matter how much I despise Matthew. Doesn't mean I have to like it though. In fact, it's actually painfully. But I'll survive. I've made it this far anyways, but that doesn't ease the pain whatsoever.
At the head dorm, things were even worse. Rose went straight past our spacious, private common room to her dorm, and slammed the door behind her. I unpacked quickly, and then went to sit in the common room to wait for Rose so that we could do our rounds. Finally, the door opened, and Rose and I silently exited the common room to begin our first rounds as Head Boy and Girl. We didn't say anything to each other, and the corridors were quiet as it was only the first night back. We passed a Slytherin prefect, and I nodded a greeting to him, but he glared at me and continued on his way. Finally, I couldn't take anymore of this silence.
"We have to get this over with, you know." I said. It was the first thing I had said to her since the break-up, and I wished I had something better to offer.
"Get what over with?" Rose muttered.
"We can't go through the year without speaking to each other. It won't work, I can guarantee it."
"Then we'll talk when we need to." Rose said, and didn't say anything more.
As we were passing the Ravenclaw common room, we ran into Matthew Corner. He kissed Rose on the cheek, and it took everything I had not to punch him in the face for kissing the girl I loved. "Hey, Baby, need help with your rounds?" he asked.
Rose smiled. "No, thanks, we're almost done. I'll see you tomorrow at breakfast, though, alright."
"Alright," Matthew sighed. "I just don't like to be apart from my Flower for long." With that he kissed her again, right on the lips this time. It was a long kiss, but it seemed like he was trying to eat Rose's lips. He was trying to make me jealous, I could tell, and as much as I hated to admit it, it was working.
Finally Rose pulled away from him, giving him a "not now" kind of look. She never gave me a look like that. Then again, I never had the nerve to kiss her for the sole purpose of making another guy jealous. Rose quickly said goodnight to Matthew, and we continued on our way. That was when I decided that I was going to get Rose back. I didn't know when, or even how, but I was going to do it. If only she was more willing.