Notes: This was the first Scorpius/Rose thing I attempted. I'm still not 100% sure I like it (I was contemplating not having a happy ending, too) but it's certainly not the worst thing I've ever sent out into the ether. I sort of tried to do one of those one-scene-per-year stories (though I cheated and added a couple extra bits) but, uh, yeah. It was mostly just a first try at the next-gen kids. *shrug* Also, it could use a title.
Disclaimer: Characters mentioned are used without permission; they are owned by J.K. Rowling and are trademarks of Warner Brothers. I do not own them and am simply borrowing for my purposes. Please don't sue.
First Year
Nobody had been surprised when Rose Weasley was sorted into the Ravenclaw house. She was as bright as her mother and as stubborn as her father. Determined not to live her life in the shadow of her large family, she'd decided long before boarding the Hogwarts Express that she would not be in Gryffindor. From there, it had been a simple process of elimination.
Slytherin would have peeved her family, she knew, but that alone wasn't enough to knock it off the list. In the end, it was her lack of cunning and the fact that she was a completely rubbish liar that spurned her from the snake house. Hufflepuff was easier to cross off. Simply told, she knew the amount of teasing she would have to endure from her family if that was her house. It would be foolish to give them such an easy and permanent excuse.
Ravenclaw it was. The sorting hat barely had to touch her head before it agreed. The cleverness of her thinking was all it really took to sway the magical singing hat.
On the other hand, nearly everyone had been shocked with Albus Severus Potter was sorted into Ravenclaw. It wasn't that he wasn't clever—he was. And his aptitude for magic came almost straight from his father. But with his older brother in Gryffindor and both of his parents as honored graduates, everyone had expected the Potter legacy to continue in the lion's den.
The fact that James was a Gryffindor was the precise reason that Al didn't want to be in that house. He loved his brother, grudgingly, but he was something of a bully to Al. His silent chant of, Not Gryffindor, not Gryffindor, not Gryffindor, made the sorting hat's decision rather easy. (It still remembered his father's sorting, after all.) The fact that his cousin and best friend, Rose, was sorted into the same house was just an added bonus.
There wasn't much comment when Scorpius Malfoy was sorted into Ravenclaw. His parents had made it clear that they were more interested in him assisting in the resurrection of the so-called family name than plebeian things like house sorting. Though he figured they were relieved he was in neither Hufflepuff or Gryffindor—for vastly different reasons, of course.
Truthfully, Scorpius wasn't surprised, either. He didn't have the constitution to be a Slytherin, the bravery for Gryffindor or the good heart of a Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw was all that was left. It probably didn't hurt that he'd found his father's library more enticing than the Slytherin spawn his parents had tried to make his friends, either, though his self-deprecating attitude hardly considered that factor.
Rose elbowed Al pointedly when Malfoy was sorted into their house. "My dad told me to stay away from him," she whispered, brown eyes wide. Then she smirked. "Maybe we should make friends with him instead."
"Rose," Al chided. "You can't make friends with someone to anger your parents."
"Not anger!" she objected. "Just… rile." She nudged her cousin. "Things are always so much more interesting when there's a little drama in the Weasley house."
He shook his head but didn't comment further. A determined Rose was impossible to deter.
She stood up and made for the other end of the table where Scorpius was starting to tuck in. "Oi," she called with a smile and a wave. "I'm Rose Weasley." She offered her hand to him.
Giving her a funny look, he shook her hand once and released it. "Okay," he said, obviously a bit bewildered. "Scorpius Malfoy."
Despite his lukewarm reply, she pushed on. "Want to come eat with us?" Rose offered, gesturing toward where Al was pointedly ignoring her.
There was a pause where he tried to discern if she was sincere or not. His father had warned him that the Weasley and Potter children might try to exact some sort of retribution against him due to his parentage—he just hadn't thought they'd do it on their first night! "Um, no, that's all right," Scorpius replied, choosing caution over politeness. "I'm fine here."
Rose, whose temper was not unlike her father's, was decidedly put out. "Hmmph!" Hands on her hips, she was like a tiny, red-haired version of her mother. "My father was right about you," she declared, wagging a finger at him. "Rude little ferret spawn!" Then she spun around and stalked back to where Albus was sitting, fuming all the way.
Pausing in his shoveling of food into mouth, Al pat her on the shoulder. "Come on, hurry up and eat. When we're done, we can visit Hagrid and Uncle Neville."
That thought cheered Rose up considerably, though she continued to mumble about blond gits who were bloody unfriendly wankers periodically.
Second Year
Quidditch tryouts were generally only for third years and up. That's why, when Scorpius Malfoy was announced as the new Ravenclaw seeker, Rose Weasley led the charge against him. She marched up to the sixth year captain and poked him sharply in the chest. "Oi, Musgrave, what're you playing at?"
The tall blonde boy, over a head taller than Rose, blinked down at her. "Can I help you, Weasley?" he asked in a tone that implied he'd rather she buggered off than continue the conversation.
"What did he do?" she spat, raising herself to her full height. "Get his daddy to buy him a spot on the team? The rest of us—" now she gestured toward where Al and several other first and second years were sitting, "weren't allowed to try out but somehow Scorpius Malfoy becomes the new seeker?"
Now Ralph Musgrave laughed, something that only served to enrage Rose further. "Look, Professor Flitwick called me into his office and suggested Scorpius for the position when he learned our try-outs had been for naught."
Rose sneered. "And why did he do that?"
"Because Madame Hooch told Headmistress McGonagall who told him about the incident during flying class last year," a new voice spoke up. It was Scorpius Malfoy himself.
The incident he was referring to involved her falling off her broom while goofing around with Albus. (She had, sadly, inherited her mother's flying skills, which was to say none.) It had been Scorpius who caught her by the robes, just above the ground. She had grudgingly thanked him after prodding from her cousin and sworn off brooms for life.
Her ears burned bright red at the humiliating memory and, "Oh," was all Rose could come up with. She looked up at the tall Musgrave again. "Well, it's still not fair." Then she stalked over Al and plopped down beside him, seething.
Al turned the page of the book he was reading. "Told you not to push it," he said with a sigh, eyes never leaving the page.
Rose blushed more furiously. "Shut up, Al."
Third Year
Rose Weasley, Karen Stafford and James Potter all raced down to the Quidditch pitch at the end of the Ravenclaw/Slytherin match. "Great job, Al!" Rose cried, throwing her arms around him.
James grinned proudly at his younger brother. "You were bloody brilliant, mate," he said, ruffling his hair. (Not that it made much of a difference—he followed his father and grandfather in having unflattenable hair.) "Not that it'll make much difference when you face my house…"
Pushing his brother away, he grinned. "You are so full of shite, James."
"Care to put your Quaffle where your mouth is?" the Gryffindor seeker asked, eyes bright behind his glasses.
Albus snorted. "You are a nutter," he commented with a long suffering sigh. There was a grin on his face, though, as the boys had bonded over their love of the game when Al was named the newest chaser on the Ravenclaw team.
James waved him off before sauntering over to his housemates.
It was then that Karen, a blonde muggle-born member of their house who Rose had become friendlier with that year, stepped forward. "It was an impressive display," she complimented diplomatically.
Furrowing his brows, Al cast a quick glance at Rose before replying. "Er, thank you, Karen."
Smothering a laugh, Rose thread her arm through Karen's and prepared to be off. Her bright eyes darkened perceptibly when Scorpius Malfoy came up beside Al to say something to his teammate and she stalled taking leave. Al listened intently, shooting Rose a look that clearly told her to be nice.
Pursing her lips, she finally acquiesced just before the pale boy left. "You were good as well, Malfoy," she offered quickly.
He paused, visibly surprised. "Thank you, Rose," he said, bowing his head slightly before heading off.
Shaking her head, she tugged on Karen's arm and they headed off. The blonde glanced back at Scorpius then looked at Rose. "He's a bit odd, isn't he?"
Rose laughed all the way back to their common room.
Fourth Year
"I can't believe it!" Rose cried, throwing herself onto a couch in the common room.
Albus didn't look up from where he was playing chess with Victor Carmichael, used to her antics by then. When she huffed loudly enough, he threw her a bone. "What happened now?"
Sitting up, she scowled at the lack of attention her best friend was paying her. "I'm second in Defense Against the Dark Arts," she said quietly. "I asked Professor Flitwick—I wanted to see if I was on track for my prefect badge. I'm first in all my classes except D-A-D-A."
"Okay, so?" Al prompted, taking Vic's Bishop violently.
"So?" Rose repeated. "So? So, I'm never second! I'm the smartest witch in our class! I can't be second!" She threw herself down against the couch again, moaning. "This is horrible."
Al rolled his eyes and mouthed a, "Be right back," to Vic. Standing, he crossed to Rose and pat her on the back. "First of all, this is not that big of a deal. You're still the smartest witch in our class, regardless of your standing in one class. Secondly, you could always study harder." Here, Rose glared at him. "Or you could ask the student ahead of you for help."
Now Rose avoided his gaze.
"What?" Al asked.
She mumbled something into a cushion.
Nudging her, he frowned. "What is it, Rose?" he pressed.
"It's Scorpius," she mumbled, pouting.
Al rolled his eyes. Of course it was. He thought she'd finally let go of those prejudices she'd made in her younger years. "What about him?"
She threw her hands up in defeat and sighed. "He's the top of our Defense Against the Dark Arts class!" she all but wailed. "I can't ask him for help."
That was about all Al could take. "Then settle for second best," he said with a shrug. "I'm going to finish my game now. If you want to whine more, find Karen or Lucy."
"You suck, Albus Severus," she grumbled, sitting up again and crossing her arms.
Al's smile was lopsided. "Yeah, but who else would put up with you, cuz?"
That was when Rose decided that the Potter family was not allowed to go on holiday to America again. What kind of word was ‘cuz'? Honestly.
Fifth Year
It took a lot for Rose Weasley to admit she needed help. It took even more for her to do it with someone she disliked so incredibly. But desperate times and all that. Unfortunately, his opening greeting saw that he didn't appreciate just what a sacrifice it was for her to come to him. "So you've finally swallowed your pride and come to ask me for help?"
She glared at the side of Scorpius Malfoy's head, crossing her arms defensively. "Hmmph, I see your oversized pride has finally grown in."
Scorpius's pale eyes flicked up to meet her darker ones. "You may be clever," he drawled, "but your delivery leaves something to be desired."
"Argh!" Rose cried, stamping her foot. Her famous Weasley temper was coming out, despite her attempts to quash it with her logical side. "You-you're infuriating."
He smirked. "Only to you, Weasley."
Taking a deep breath, she forced her anger down. "Yeah, yeah." Rose sighed. "Malfoy, would you please help me study for the Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.s?"
For some reason, it was hard not to squirm under his gaze. That only served to irritate her further. "What do I get out of it?" he asked casually.
"The pleasure of my company," she offered with a sickeningly sweet smile.
He gave her a once over, then shook his head. "Pass."
Rose rolled her eyes, ignoring the injury to her pride as best she could. "That was sarcasm, Malfoy," she pointed out condescendingly. He returned her gesture but said nothing. The urge to squirm grew again. "Fine, what do you want?" she asked.
There was a bit of a pause as he mulled it over. "Introduce me to Lucy Davies," Scorpius answered finally.
She blinked. Then she blinked again. "That's it?" Her tone was incredulous, as was her expression.
He nodded. "That's it."
"But you're popular—practically a shoo-in for Quidditch captain next year—and smart—why else would I ask you to help me?" Rose admitted grudgingly, ignoring his grin, "—and, well, you're good-looking for an albino." Here Scorpius scowled. "Why would you want me to introduce you? You don't need it…"
Shrugging, he looked back at his books. "That's none of your business," he replied stiffly. "Those are my terms. Do you accept them?"
Rose considered for a moment, swallowed her pride again, and nodded. "Yes, I do. You help me and I'll set you up with Lucy next Hogsmade trip." Suppressing a sigh, she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "When do we start?"
"Thursdays after Quidditch practice, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom," Scorpius said easily.
"Classroom?" she repeated skeptically.
He shrugged. "We're both prefects," he pointed out. "I doubt we'll get in trouble for studying."
Despite herself, she found she had to agree. Besides, despite Al's practical nature, they did have a habit for finding themselves on the other side of the law. As far as rule breaking went, this was practically benign. "Fair enough. See you Thursday."
"See you then," Scorpius agreed.
Summer Between Fifth and Sixth Year
Scorpius—
Thank you so much for the help last year! I got an O in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and I know I couldn't have done it without you. Really, I'm quite indebted to you. Expect a large bag of sweets courtesy of me sometime in the near future.
If you're interested, I'd like to continue studying together. I was sorry to hear about you and Lucy—she's always been a bit of a tart. Just remember what I told you: popular, smart and good-looking. You'll find someone new. Someone better.
If you want something else in exchange for studying, let me know. If you like, I could tell you the secret of nicking food from the kitchen…
Your stubbornly reluctant friend,
Rose W.
Rose,
You know your achievements are your own. I played only a small role. However, I will happily accept your sweets as they include all of my favorites. Thank you kindly.
Lucy and I were a poor match from the start. I should've realized it sooner, but I was taken in by those innocent dark eyes. Once I finish licking my wounds, I'm certain you're correct. There are most assuredly girls I will be better suited to out there. As of now, though, I am happy to have the reprieve of summer.
I will take your assistance in Arithmacy in exchange for our continued study sessions in Defense Against the Dark Arts. I found myself floundering toward the end of the previous year. Though, I would not be opposed to learning the secret of entering the kitchen.
Your proudly awkward friend,
Scorpius M.
Sixth Year
"Lazlo Zambini? Really?" Albus shook his head at his best friend. "I thought you had better taste than that prat, Rose."
Rose made a face at him. "Said the boy who snogged my friend!" she shot back. "Don't think I didn't hear about you and Karen on the Quidditch pitch last month."
Al's cheeks colored and he scowled. "Damn James and his big fat mouth." Rose gave him a look that said that reply wasn't going to cut it and he ducked his head. "She really came into her own over the summer," he mumbled. "And, anyway, we're not talking about me."
"Agreed," Scorpius piped up from where he was sitting nearby. "My dad is good friends with Lazlo's dad and I hear he's busy ‘sowing his oats'—whatever that is."
Now Rose rolled her eyes. "Honestly," she said, hands on hips. "You two act like I've accepted an offer of marriage or something from the boy. All we're doing is going to Hogsmade together."
Al and Scorpius exchanged a look, then the former took his cousin's hand in his. "Rose, he's just using you. Can't you see—"
Suddenly, she burst out laughing. "What am I—new? Of course, he's just using me. And as all I want is a fling, that's just fine with me." She grinned at both boys, reaching to pinch their cheeks. "You two are so cute when you're overprotective."
Scorpius swatted her hand away, returning his attention to the potions essay that was due the next day. "You owe me a knut, Potter," he said as an afterthought.
Now Rose's dark eyes were flashing dangerously. "You bet on me?" she asked in a slow tone.
Both boys eyes widened perceptibly and began moving away from the irate red head. "If it's any consolation," Albus offered, hands up in an innocent gesture, "we hexed Flint for what he said about this development…"
It wasn't but, lucky for Al and Scorpius, the majority of her rage was taken out on revenge against the Slytherin seventh year once she heard just what he'd said. The two Ravenclaw boys were just glad to escape with the majority of their pride in tact.
Seventh Year
Rose threw down her book and get out an aggravated growl. "That's it, that's it! These damn N.E.W.T.s are trying to drive me insane!" She rubbed her eyes and slouched into the chair. "And I think they're succeeding…"
Al, who was sitting on a loveseat beside her with his girlfriend of over a year, Karen, gave her hand a comforting pat. "Don't worry," he said easily. "They're taking us all with you."
"Yeah," Lucy agreed from the other side of Karen with a sigh. "We'll all have brilliant company in St. Mungo's."
Standing up and stretching, Rose began collecting her books and parchment. "I should probably get back to the Head's Common Room before I really am committed," she told the others. "Same time tomorrow?"
Karen nodded, smiling at her friend. "Scorpius said he'd bring snacks, too," she said with thinly veiled excitement.
Absentmindedly, Rose frowned. Where was Scorpius, anyway? Al had muttered some excuse but she couldn't recall what he'd said now. She had a fleeting thought that he had snuck out to meet some chit but that thought was quickly quashed, if only to maintain her sanity. "He only knows that trick because I showed him," she tossed out, joining the conversation again with a small smile. "See you all tomorrow."
Her housemates called various good-byes as she headed out of the tower. She yawned as she wandered down the steps at a lazy pace, hitching her bag higher onto her shoulder. Another yawn had her colliding with a wall.
A wall that caught her with a grunt?
Looking up, she saw Scorpius peering down at her with a mixture of concern and amusement. "Better watch where you're going, Rose," he teased, helping her straighten again before releasing her. (Strangely, she felt cold when he did.) "Next time you might hit someone with worse reflexes."
"Lucky I ran into the Ravenclaw seeker then, isn't it?" she tossed back with a grin, shrugging off her odd feelings. "Speaking of—where have you been hiding yourself? Don't you know we have N.E.W.T.s to be studying for?"
He gave a dramatic gasp complete with over the top gesticulation. "You don't say! Well, damn, I wish I'd known sooner…"
Rose socked him in the shoulder none too gently. "I'm so pleased you're finally learning the finer points of sarcasm," she commented dryly, "but I never would've spent so much time teaching you if I'd known you'd use it against me."
Holding his hands up in surrender, Scorpius smiled genuinely. "I was down in the dungeons tutoring Callie Warrington in Potions."
For some reason, she felt like all the wind had been knocked out of her. "Oh." She forced a smile, though it was more of a quirk of her mouth, really. "What'd you get from her for that?"
Scorpius shrugged. "Nothing. Professor Hobskins asked me to, since I've got such an aptitude for it."
And because you like her, was Rose's irrational thought, not that she'd admit that. Or say it aloud. Instead, she smirked dangerously. "Figures. You never could deny a compliment to your vanity." There was a distinct undercurrent of anger in her tone, which took away from the teasing nature of their conversation.
Unamused, he frowned at her. "What the hell is that supposed to mean, Rose?"
"Figure it out yourself," she shot back, voice raising just a hair. "I can't stand to be in this stairwell another moment—your ego is suffocating me!" Then she turned and raced off, ignoring his shouts echoing after her.
Furious tears raced down her cheeks and she had no idea why. Her dad had always claimed her mum was crazy but never before had Rose felt so completely out of control of her person. If this was growing up, she wanted no part of it. She had no idea why she felt this way; what it meant. No idea why she'd overreacted so totally and completely at someone she now considered a valued friend. None of it made sense.
It wasn't until she was back in the Head's common room, bawling her eyes out that the truth revealed itself. She fancied Scorpius Malfoy.
"Fuck."
Graduation
Despite Al's questions and prodding (especially after he and Karen broke up), Rose continued to make excuses about why she was so scarce their last months at Hogwarts. She claimed Head duties and studying—anything to avoid the Ravenclaw common room. Anything to avoid Scorpius.
She knew she should apologize—it wasn't his fault she'd gone off her rocker and had a minor meltdown at him—but her pride and humiliation was just great enough to keep that from happening. He didn't seem too keen on seeing her, either, so she figured it was mutually beneficial.
Soon enough, her time at Hogwarts came to a quiet, if anti-climatic, close.
To celebrate their achievement of matriculation, there was a lovely ceremony during which Rose tried desperately not to fall asleep. It wasn't that it was boring, really, she was just seated between two dreadfully dull people. It was moments like these that she longed for Al, Karen or Lucy's company. Even Scorpius would almost be welcome. Well, maybe not.
They received their magical diplomas, marching up one at a time so parents could take pictures and cry. Both of Rose's parents had glistening gazes as they watched her, though her mother was more outright in her emotion. It was all very lovely. Once it was all over, Rose put up with the dull conversation and generic congratulations for as long as she was able.
When her tolerance was reached, though, she made her brilliant escape. Racing from the magically altered Quidditch pitch, she took refuge by the greenhouse. She knew she should spend her time saying farewell to classmates and the like but it wasn't like the wizarding community was so overly large she'd really lose touch with those she cared about.
Feeling more exhausted than she remembered, Rose lay back in the prickly grass and gazed up at the clouds in the sky. The sun felt lovely on her face and she sighed contently, closing her eyes. They opened again when a shadow fell over her. There, towering above her in all his spiky pale blond glory, was none other than Scorpius himself.
Rose immediately sat up, ignoring the way her stomach dropped. "Hi," she said quietly, looking down at her hands.
Sitting beside her, Scorpius didn't reply at first. He glanced at her, then looked away. He repeated the process a few times. Finally, he settled for looking over her shoulder at the castle. "You should have never been nice to me at all," he commented casually, as if they were discussing the weather.
"What?" Rose spluttered, too surprised to remember to be mortified. She looked at him as if he'd grown a second head.
Scorpius gave her the famously condescending Malfoy look. "If you'd never been nice," he explained slowly, "then I wouldn't have missed you when you went all lionel richie on me."
Temper rising, Rose glared ferociously at him. "I did not go lionel richie on you," she hissed angrily. "And you—you have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Then enlighten me, please," he retorted, arms crossed. "I think you owe me that much."
Rose felt herself deflate. "I-I can't," she stuttered, looking away from his icy gaze. She wanted to say more—to apologize but the words wouldn't come.
Jaw clenched, Scorpius shook his head. "That's not good enough, Rose. You may not be a Gryffindor but I'm not going to let you take the cowardly way out. You're better than that."
"I'm sorry," she whispered to her lap.
There was a long pause before he replied. "Fine. Consider this friendship dissolved." He started to rise but Rose latched onto his wrist. He growled in frustration. "Rose—"
She cut him off by placing a finger on his lips. Kneeling, she moved her hand to cup his cheek and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. It was warm and sweet and made her stomach flutter in a way it never had before.
When she pulled away, there were tears in her eyes. "Now do you understand?"
"No," Scorpius said, leaping to his feet. He began to pace furiously in front of her, running an agitated hand through his hair. "You-you can't just…" Suddenly he stopped and faced her, gesturing wildly between them. "That doesn't fix this."
Rose nodded solemnly. "I know." She should've never done it. She should've let him walk away, friendship be damned. But if she was going to lose him anyway, her gut had told her to just go for it. It would be too ironic otherwise. Unfortunately, now she just wanted to crawl in a hole and hide until the whole thing was forgotten.
He was pacing again, brows furrowed. "Did Albus tell you? I told him about my feelings in confidence!" He began to slow, fixing her with a serious look. "You can't just use people, Rose. You can't kiss me when you know it means more to me than you."
"What are you on about?" she asked incredulously. "I was trying to—" Well, hell, it wasn't like she was going to escape this with her dignity in tact. "I fancy you, you prat! Why do you think I reacted like a complete nutter when I found out you were tutoring Callie? Why do you think I couldn't muster up an apology? I was embarrassed! I knew you wouldn't feel the same. I knew it would ruin our friendship. And look at that—it did!" Rose wiped her eyes and tried to pull forth all her remaining stubbornness. "Ugh! I should have never—"
It was right about then that Scorpius cut her off with another kiss. This one was hot and urgent and caught her completely off guard. When he pulled away, she blinked up at him in surprise. "I've fancied you ever since the first time I saw you angry." He smiled. It was just a little bashful and completely lovely. "You're beautiful when you're angry."
Rose's cheeks were warm with flush, but she shot him a dubious expression. "Then why did you ask me to set you up with Lucy?"
"Well, I could hardly expect you to want to date me when you were so keen on hating me, could I?" he pointed out. "So I put those thoughts out of my mind."
Fair enough. "But what about when we became friends?" she pressed.
Scorpius had the good grace to look abashed. "Would you believe I didn't want to ruin our friendship, either?"
Now Rose laughed. It seemed like she hadn't smiled—really smiled in a long time. It felt lovely. "We really are quite the pair, aren't we?"
He took her hand in his and gave it a kiss. "Yes, we are." There was more in his words, though, than a simple agreement.
Needless to say, when Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy returned to the graduation celebratory chaos hand-in-hand, more than one parent blanched. Albus, however, grinned proudly at his friends. And Harry thanked Ginny for waiting to give him a daughter.
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