Alright bit of a spice up in this chapter. It started as a one shot but then it just ties in with the storyline and there are points that are necessary for story progression and I worried that if it wasn't kept with everything else yous wouldn't see it and things would get confusing so I just put it here. :( It's a different format and deals with a couple we haven't seen much of so... I hope you like it. The next chapter goes back to normal, I promise but I thought I'd try this out. I apologise in advance!

(Also FYI it takes place just hours before the dance.)

"Seriously! Why did it have to be her! You couldn't have asked anyone else?"

Rose's hair was tumbling loose of her carefully poised clips. She blew one curly strand out of her eyes with ever mounting frustration. For fuck's sake! Now not even her hair was doing what she wanted? And she'd spent so long on it; and on her appearance in general. Anything to feel slightly less inadequate when she spotted Little Miss Perfect with her Slytherin cohorts. Merlin, she knew it was wrong to be this envious of her own family, but Victoire had never been that to Rose, not the way that Louis and Dom were. Victoire was separate. Not even her own family were good enough for her.

She stomped her foot in poorly concealed irritation; the heel of her shoe clacking loudly against the dusty stone floor of the closet. Victoire was not going to ruin tonight. Thanks to the blonde bombshell she was not only not able to go with the boy she was madly in love with; but was forced to go with Aelius, who spent more time preening at any reflective surface he could find than he did talking or joking with Rose. And what's more; she'd now have to watch the boy she was madly in love with talking and laughing with Victoire. And she just knew that Victoire would be the embodiment of perfection tonight. Not content with being the most beautiful girl in the school Monday to Friday; she would have to be the most breath-taking girl in the Wizarding Universe tonight.

If only to spite Rose.

Scorpius stared at her in bewilderment as her cheeks flamed crimson. She knew she was acting like a nut but she couldn't supress it. The crazy was welling up within her after a week of watching Victoire's shiny locks falling perfectly around her face, her stupid long legs (always so fucking graceful) gliding across the Great Hall (something that her non-existent skirt seemed to highlight), her stupid pouty lips and infuriating smirk, her perfect skin, her lithe frame, her FUCKING EVERYTHING!

And Rose couldn't even say with certainty that she was smarter than Victoire. She knew that Vic had done just marginally better in her OWLs but Rose had been sick on that last exam. There was no way to know. It was all just so maddening!

Scorpius began hesitantly, watching his girlfriend come undone with scary speed.

"I… thought you'd be pleased with me. You keep saying make more of an effort-"

"Not with her! I meant the proper family!" Rose screeched, her voice rocketing through octaves.

The words were out before she could take them back. She hadn't meant it like that. She meant to say "the people that I spend every day with, the people who know me better than I know myself and love me". She didn't mean that Victoire wasn't family. Just… not close family.

"The proper family." Scorpius echoed calmly. He didn't know why that irked him. He'd known Victoire for a few years now, and only really got to know her recently enough. She wasn't the devil. Just… misunderstood.

Rose's chest heaved as she became more and more worked up. "You know what I meant."

"Not sure that I do." Scorpius leaned against the wall of the broom closet, the slit of light from the corridor outside illuminating just a sliver of his face. Enough that Rose could make out the eerie calm of his grey eyes and know she was in trouble. She knew she should back-peddle but the Weasley in her would not hear of it. So she stuck true to tradition and buried herself deeper.

"She's… she's just not like us okay? She's deliberately hurtful and spiteful and she never comes to any of our gatherings and when she does she's sullen and silent and ruins it for everyone and her friends are awful! She hangs around with Nott all the time and that Booth girl who was downright horrible to Molly- and-"

"I hand around with Nott. He's a good mate. And Alyssa is actually pretty dead on."

Rose narrowed her eyes. "Alyssa? You two are friends are you?"

Scorpius shook his head in bewilderment. "Am I not allowed have friends in my own house?"

Rose hesitated, not sure how to voice her concerns. She was new to this whole "boy" thing, and it was just her rotten luck that she was landed with Scorpius Malfoy as her very first love. The boy was a hero amongst Slytherins, the resident bad-boy for the rest of the houses and all too aware of his looks and charms. She had spent the last five years listening to rumours about all the girls he had dated and dumped and shaking her head in derision at their foolishness. And now she was one of them; only it didn't make sense. He was… well him; and she was… well, Rose Weasley. He was risking everything for her; and she for him. It had to be the real deal and yet a tiny voice would not stop niggling at her, constantly questioning, doubting.

What if it's a joke?

What if Victoire knew? What if she was laughing at her, back in Slytherin dorm with her friends, giggling all the time behind her back? She could hear that tinkling laugh reverberate in her ears.

"You thought he loved you? A messy, wild haired, short, frumpy, book-worm- over me? Over Victoire Weasley? You delusional little troll. I thought you were supposed to be clever?"

It could be for any reason. To get at James. To get at Teddy even. Just because they could. When she first began this thing with Scorpius she hadn't really entertained the thought that it could be anything but the real deal; she'd been so swept up in the whirlwind of the romance and was confident that no one; no one in the whole world; had ever felt love like this. If she was feeling these fireworks; these explosions every time they were together then how could he not be? It was ridiculous. Didn't bear consideration.

But she'd seen then together. Just chatting, laughing, walking to classes. Their matching blonde hair and perfect smiles and satisfied smirks and tall, lithe limbs and sarcastic words and matching uniforms. Like it was meant to be. And she was all that was in the way of that. Poor little frumpy Rose Weasley.

She glanced up at him; frazzled, frantic; trying to find a way to voice her concerns where she didn't sound crazy or frightening. His handsome face was peering down at her with she could only assume was years of practised indifference. Whatever she said; whatever she did; he never seemed to lose composure; he never let his emotions crack through. Only his eyes or tone gave him away. Whereas Rose… she was a melting puddle of over-brimming emotions and issues; each of them screaming to be vocalised.

Her pause was enough for Scorpius however; his eyes widened in disbelief. "You are kidding. Am I not allowed friends in my own house?"

Rose shook her head. "I didn't say that. Just… not those ones. Please."

He laughed; the sound oddly hollow to Rose's ears. "Rose you can't do that. They happen to be the only people in that house who currently don't make me want to Avada Kedavra myself every time I walk into my own common room. You can't dictate who I hang out with."

This was not going as she'd hoped. At all. But then; she didn't really know what she had hoped would happen. She didn't expect Scorpius to drop all his friends. She didn't. It was a mad hope and she didn't know what had come over her that she had felt the need to vocalise it. It was wrong.

"I know. I know, I'm sorry. I just… she makes me go a bit… crazy, that's all. And there's all these rumours about you two… I think she started them."

She bit her lip anxiously; begging him to take her seriously. She was going to explode with no one to talk to about her concerns. And Scorpius was the only one who knew (apart from Victoire herself but that didn't even bear mentioning). Why was he so infuriatingly poised!?

He looked down at her silently for a beat.

"She didn't." His tone closed discussion. He was confident; sure in this, and in no mood to humour Rose's theories. It was a tone he adopted often; one that quickly silenced any of his friends in Slytherin; people that knew perfectly well it's meaning. But Rose seemed to be the only person in the world indifferent to it; immune to it's cutting effect. She mustered on regardless; acting as though she had not even heard him.

It genuinely alarmed him how much that simultaneously frustrated and thrilled him. She would be the death of him. If not through her irritating stubbornness; then for sure once her extended family found out about them. But one way or another…

Rose Weasley was going to kill him.

"But I heard Nessa-"

"She didn't start them Rose, she wouldn't. I know you think that you know her better than I do or whatever; but you don't. You need to let it go. Vic has enough on her plate without you stirring shit okay?"

Rose blinked at his tone. He was… defending her? She knew it. She had known it all along!

"She blackmailed us, Scorp. She's going to cost Slytherin their match, all to get back at her ex-boyfriend for god knows what depravity-"

"Rose. Just stop. You don't know what you're talking about."

Jutting her jaw she ploughed on; all her suspicions about the two of them growing, and becoming more defined by the minute.

"You like her don't you? You think she's "not that bad"; maybe she's "just misunderstood"? Well she isn't! Merlin what does she have to do before you'll realise-"

"Rose! What do I have to do so that you'll realise? Vic isn't the enemy! In fact, she's about the only ally we have. You keep pushing me to make more of an effort with your family- and I have- the only part of it that has made any effort with me! You wine and moan about how horrible she is to your friends and cousins and crap; but look at your own cousins and friends!"

Rose blinked. What was that supposed to mean? Whatever they had done; she could personally guarantee it was in retaliation to whatever crap his house had come up with! But Scorpius wasn't done.

"I offered to let James borrow my Broom-Kit yesterday and he tried to jinx me. I offered to take Lupin to the hospital wing during the week and I swear the boy tried to murder me with his eyes! With his eyes Rose! In the fucking owlery, for Merlin's sake! Victoire is the only one of your beloved family who has shown me any kind of decency, so I am sorry if she'd not good enough for you, but it makes her pretty alright in my books."

"Any kind of- She blackmailed us! That is not decency!"

"She didn't tell! She didn't tell on us and that is all I care about! You have no idea how huge that is! And her coming with me means that no one will even blink in our direction- it's-"

"Oh, because no one would ever believe you'd be with me when you could have Victoire?" Bitterness seeped through her tone as the week's worth of resentment finally found an outlet.

Scorpius's jaw dropped. "That isn't what I said. It isn't what I said and you know it."

"Doesn't make it any less true. And now that the Veela Queen is single and you are too; it only makes sense. Natural progression." Suddenly she was biting back tears. How did that happen? God she was such a mess. She knew she was being crazy and irrational but Merlin she loved him. She really, really didn't want to lose him.

Scorpius sighed. "Rose. I love you, and I amn't going anywhere. Besides… I don't think Vic is as single as she makes out." His admission came awkwardly, almost as if he didn't really want to admit it but felt obligated.

Rose blinked away tears; suddenly interested.

"What? What makes you say that?"

He shrugged; silent again. He was holding out. She was sure of it. She could read it in the way he was slightly avoiding her gaze, refusing to hold it for too long.

Gritting her teeth, she glared up at him. "Spill it Malfoy. Now."

He sighed again. "Promise you won't tell? This is all speculation, mind."

She nodded, attentive once again, her ears perked.

"Well… I've been thinking recently. About why Vic didn't tell on us. So I snooped around a bit and I don't think it's anything to do with Slytherin at all. It actually about Gryffindor, or rather… a particular Gryffindor."

Rose tilted her head, not following. A particular Gryffindor? She did recall seeing Aelius pop over to the Slytherin table once or twice. She remembered panicking that she might lose a second boy to be Victoire; albeit a boy she wasn't particularly enamoured with and one that at a stretch she could only say she was indulgently fond of. But that wasn't the point. It was the pride of the thing.

"Greenwood? Victoire and… Greenwood?" Her tone hitched through octaves as shock rippled through her. It made sense she guessed. For him at least. Victoire was beautiful and on the rebound and it would piss Zabini off no end… but Victoire? What was the draw there? Aelius was handsome she supposed….

Scorpius shook his head impatiently, something darker flashing across his face at the mention of Greenwood. "No; obviously not. Although on the subject- I want to talk about him before we leave. I heard something earlier about-"

It clicked for Rose. "Oh, of course. Louis."

"Stop guessing! I'm telling the story!"

Scorpius coughed slightly, before calming himself and continuing.

"I asked about discreetly and a few friends on the Ravenclaw team said they were sitting out as well. They said the Hufflepuffs were on board too. So I thought- it's a ploy for Gryffindor to win. But get this. James has stopped training with them. He was moaning about how he had no excuse to get his dad to buy more broom polish since he wasn't playing anymore when I offered him mine. It didn't click with me at the time but-"

"So… what? James got replaced? I'm not seeing the significance of this."

Scorpius shot her an incredulous look. "Okay, first of all- interrupt one more time and I will literally walk out."

He shot her a plaintive look that was not amused and she nodded sheepishly, conceding. She would try at least.

Satisfied, his expression morphed from one of severity to one of incredulity. "And secondly- replace James Potter? Listen to yourself Rose. With who? That boy is a gift to Quidditch. Admittedly not in a Chaser's position, but still; he'd be near impossible to beat. I thank Merlin every day for his mother not allowing him play Seeker until next year-"

"Okay I get it. James is great. So… what you're saying is James isn't training anymore so there's a vacant spot and that means… what? Are they buying time to fill it by making everyone sit out?"

"No. Stop interrupting. What I'm saying is; there is indeed a vacant spot, but they aren't buying time to fill it. They already know who they want in it. James dropping out made me think two things; who could possibly be better than James and who could mean enough to James that he would abstain from Quidditch to give them his spot."

Scorpius watched her expectantly, the beginnings of a smug smirk on his face. Her brow knitted as she concentrated, thinking hard. Who could it be? Nothing was coming and it was so infuriating because- would he stop smirking?

"And then it hit me. The only answer to both questions was Teddy. They're striking to reinstate him. It's brilliant really; getting Slytherin to strike too means that the whole rivalry is over with in the eyes of McGonagall. She'll lift his ban for definite."

Rose frowned. "What does any of this have to do with Victoire? She doesn't even like Quidditch."

Scorpius's smirk grew even smugger. "That's what I thought. But then I noticed she's been sneaking about a lot more and I always see Nessa and Alyssa together absent their ringleader."

Unable to stop herself Rose intervened again. "That's not true- I always see them together-"

"In public." Scorpius corrected; thoroughly enjoying being the one with all the answers for a change. He watched with mounting delight as Rose became more and more frazzled. Confusion was a cute expression on her. He didn't think he'd ever seen it before.

"But in the Common Rooms? Vic is never there anymore. If she spends her time in public with her friends and is M.I.A in her downtime it must mean she can't be with this boy in public. It has to be a secret."

Rose acknowledged the point grudgingly. "If she even has a boy."

Scorpius ignored her. "Which means it must be some form of a relationship similar to ours. He could be a Hufflepuff and she finds the shame crippling. Or… he's a Gryffindor."

"Or he could be a she." Rose mused speculatively. Scorpius shot her an odd look and she flared up defensively.

"It is the twenty first century Scorpius and if Victoire was in love with a girl then that is perfectly acceptable and we are not-"

"Merlin calm down! I didn't say it wasn't! Just that it's slightly dubious seeing as she was with Zabini for two years." He eyed her in alarm before proceeding cautiously.

"When Victoire mentioned that the entire team were sitting out, I asked Booth about it and she told me that Vic personally blackmailed and bribed and persuaded every single member to sit out. It's been her sole purpose for the past three weeks."

Rose stared at her shoes, determined not to admire the girl for being so vindictive even if it was for a good cause. "That's lovely of her." She commented sarcastically when it became clear that Scorpius wanted a response.

He rolled his eyes, adopting a more gentle tone. "Rose… I don't think you get what a big deal that actually is. There's Zabini for one. Getting her die-hard Quidditch loving ex to sit out is sticky at best. But… Do you know a girl called Bursnell?"

Rose thought for a second. "Dark hair? Always smirking?"

He nodded his assent. "Yeah. Well she's on the team too and… her and Vic don't get on. At all actually."

She smiled wanly. "Ah, so there is someone in existence who doesn't fawn over her!"

Scorpius didn't smile back. "When I say they don't get on… I mean they really, really despise each other. I don't know the ins and outs but… Look Vic wasn't always like she is now. Her first few years were pretty rocky actually; mainly thanks to Bursnell. No one wanted to be her friend and she was abused for being a Weasley and related to Harry Potter."

Rose kept her face blank. That wasn't the Victoire she knew. From her earliest memory she'd been snooty and aloof.

"Wait- she was abused for having a wealthy and famous uncle? I thought you guys lapped that shit up?"

Scorpius's face darkened. "Not when it's Harry Potter. A lot of people with a lot of parents who don't exactly sing the Chosen One's praises."

She swallowed as she was all too forcefully reminded of their different families; different lives; different upbringings.

"Oh. Well… I guess I could see that then. So go on. Victoire was bullied."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, it came to a head in third year I think. Before the summer break. Something happened down by the lake- and then she came back after the summer with boobs, a tan, a new wardrobe, new hairstyle, new make-up- new everything. Within a week she was dating Zabini and she left Bursnell out in the cold. She invited all of Bursnell's friends to all of Zabini's parties and purposefully excluded her. She lent them her clothes, her make-up, her perfume- and they all clamoured to be a part of it; to be a part of her life. Before long they were telling her all their secrets; everything they'd sworn to Bursnell that they'd never tell."

Rose nodded. This was more like it. This was more of the Victoire she knew. A bit different maybe, now that she knew why Vic was the way she was. She'd almost begun to think Victoire was born with mascara in one hand and a knife in the other.

"And once Victoire knew everything; once she'd taken her friends, the boy she fancied, her position in our year, and then our house; then Bursnell decided to take it to the next level. She slept with Zabini in fifth year."

Rose froze. "Does she know?" Her words were thin. Once upon a time, she would have thought this no less than Victoire deserved. But now that she had fallen in love with someone; now that she knew how much pain a betrayal like that would cause… She wouldn't even wish it on Victoire. Especially not with a girl that had bullied her and tormented her for years. She used to feel sorry for Zabini. Was it too bizarre to think that Victoire might have actually been the nicer one in that relationship?

Scorpius shrugged. "I think so. Can't be sure though. Zabini told me he convinced her it was just Bursnell being forward, but it's hard to know with Vic. She's like you in a way. Too fucking clever for her own good."

Rose frowned. "You don't think you should tell her?"

Scorpius stared at her like she'd sprouted an extra limb. "Would you want to be the one to tell Victoire that? Even if she did know; she wouldn't want to hear that other people did."

Rose scowled. "You think she'd stay with him and pretend she didn't know?" Scepticism coloured her tone. Whatever she thought of Victoire, spineless was not one of her choice words. She couldn't ever imagine a situation where she would have allowed herself to be degraded like that. But then she caught Scorpius's eye.

Would she? Pretend she didn't know; just to hold on to whatever this was a little bit longer? Lie to herself so she wouldn't have to let go? She couldn't say.

Scorp shrugged in response; an odd look in his eye. "She might have. I don't know. It's not like we braid each other's hair and swap secrets every night."

Rose rolled her eyes. As if Victoire would ever let Scorpius's grubby paws near her shiny, expensive locks. "So… she blackmailed Bursnell. Somehow she convinced her to sit out and that couldn't have been easy, I get that. So will you put me out of my misery and just tell me why? And what on earth has this to do with her mystery boy?"

Scorpius laughed. "How have you still not got this? They are all linked. The teams are striking to put Teddy back as Captain. She did all of that; including blackmailing us; to get the teams to strike. Ergo Rose; she did all of that to put Teddy back as Captain. I wonder why."

He paused for dramatic effect, his drawl becoming even slower and more sarcastic with each syllable that passed his lips; watching in glee as the pieces fell together for Rose, her jaw slackening in shock.

He smirked; a signature twitch of his lips that normally had Rose as putty in his hands. But she was too shocked this time. Too absorbed in her whirlwind thoughts to notice. Scorpius continued; trying to reclaim her attention before she exploded from the speed of her thoughts.

"He fits doesn't he? Popular, good-looking, Gryffindor hero. Can't imagine Zabini would be overjoyed."

Rose's eyes widened as her mouth fell open. "No fucking way. No way. Victoire and… Teddy?! That's the oddest couple I have ever heard of. She's so… and he's… No way."

He laughed again. "Some people might have said the same of us you know." He remarked dryly.

She shook her head, thoughts whirling. "My God. It… makes sense."

He shot her a hurt look, his foot nudging her in the dark. "It's been known to happen."

She rolled her eyes. "No- think about it. Remember the whole thing started when Teddy and Zabini got in that fight? Probably over Victoire. And then she resigned as prefect… Merlin, she must have resigned to save both of them. And then Teddy lost the Captaincy-"

"-to give her back Prefect! I didn't even think of that. He must really love the girl. There is no way I'd give up Quidditch for a lousy Prefect's badge-"

She shot back hotly, irked by his eternal indifference for the rules. "It is not just a lousy Prefect's badge! Besides, Victoire could be Head Girl. She's got the grades, the attendance, the influence, the- Oh my God."

He looked down at her curiously at the change in her tone. Her words were much softer when she spoke again.

"He did it so she could be Head Girl."

He nodded his head; musing. "Yeah. I guess some boys are into that whole good girl thing-"

She smacked him, as he grinned down at her cheekily. "Shut up. I meant that when she's Head Girl she has her own dorm and compartment- she'd be out of Slytherin. I had no idea Teddy could be so…"

"Womanly?" He offered.

She narrowed her eyes; warning him. "I was going to say sweet."

"Were you though?"