Rose Weasley, perhaps she should pick her friends more carefully, or perhaps she is exactly where she needs to be, though she can't see why. Only a first year, she becomes all too closely involved with the unfortunate son of a lunatic. A boy whose...
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Rose was really quite glad that Scor and Al had overheard what Max had told her. That way, she didn't have to hide it from them. Max didn't seem angry; he had said that it was one less time he would have to relive it. But ever since Max's honesty in the library, she seemed to have developed this new feeling toward him that she didn't like, was it pity?
Valentine's Day was coming up, and everywhere they looked, boyfriends and girlfriends linked arms down corridors and made open displays of affection that made everyone around them uncomfortable. People were asking each other to the next Hogsmeade weekend scheduled on 14, February. Max joined the Gryffindor table a couple of days before, red-faced and looking furious with himself.
"What's your deal?" asked Scorpius while eating marshmallow pie.
"I just..." he started with his hands over his face. "I just accepted to be Valentine for..."
"Who?"
He glanced over at the doors leaving the great hall to see Danielle skip in and look around. She caught sight of Max and waved enthusiastically. Max fake smiled and waved awkwardly back. Al roared with laughter.
"You're the Valentine of Danielle Daniels?" he laughed.
"I didn't mean to!"
"How did you not mean to?" Scor smiled. "It's not a trick question."
"I was walking down the corridor, and I heard someone call by name, so I turned around and said 'yes?' Then she got all excited and happy, and that's when I realized, she had said, 'Will you be my Valentine, Max?'"
"How did you miss a full sentence?" Scor asked.
"I was busy watching Peeves fill a suit of armor with Jell-O."
"What's the problem?" Rose asked. "She's not going to Hogsmeade, and there's nothing else special planned."
"The deal is that now I have to spend a whole day with her and get her chocolate and pretend I'm having fun. And after Valentine's Day, I'll go back to avoiding her and hurt her feelings. It also means," he leaned in close to whisper. "That I can't go to Hogsmeade with you guys."
"We're not going to Hogsmeade anyway," said Al.
"What? Why not?"
"We don't have a disguise, we can't wear the masks, and Rose here doesn't want to run into Illya and have to explain where she's been." Rose hit Al in the arm but didn't deny it.
"If you don't want to go with her, then just say so, tell her what happened," Scorpius suggested.
"NO!" Rose exclaimed. "If you're gonna dump Danielle, you'd better keep one eye open when you sleep and your hand on your wand because she'll kill you! Besides, you never say yes to a girl, bring her spirit to 100%, then tell her that you didn't mean it. You'd be the biggest douchebag there is."
"Well then," said Max. "You three have fun laughing at love birds together, I'll be writing my will."
"I won't be with them," said Al with a half concealed smile.
"Why not?" Rose asked.
"Because I already have a Valentine," he smirked.
"What? Why didn't you tell me?"
"I just did."
"Who?" said Rose becoming giddy, and actually quite shocked that Al had his first date already.
"This lucky guy is spending a whole day with Olivia Merik. You know, she's the Slytherin sister of Oliver, Owen, and Oscar?" said Scorpius, shaking Al by the shoulders.
"Did you ask her?" asked Max.
"No..." said Al. "She's cute and friendly, and she asked so I said sure."
"Awe, that's so exciting!" she said gripping his arm tightly. "My little brother is growing up!"
"Cousin."
"Close enough."
"Wait," said Scor. "So that means that Rose and I are the only ones without Valentines?"
"Oscar had asked me yesterday," said Rose, offhandedly. "But I respectfully said no because I saw him eat a bug the day before."
"Oh!" Scorpius exclaimed. "Rosie! Why don't we be each other's Valentines?"
"Scor, we don't all need a date," she tried.
"No, but Max and Al have one. Also, two other guys in my dormitory, Olivia, even Relctory."
"Relctory has a date?" she said in surprise.
"Well, most of one. You know Limpy Libby?"
"Calvert has someone," said Max. "Please, Rose!" he begged. "If all of you have a Valentine then you can join Danielle and me! I won't have to pay any attention to her at all!"
"Yes you will," Rose corrected. She looked around at Max's pleading face, Scorpius' hopeful expression and Al's hopping eyebrows. She really didn't want to celebrate Valentine's Day at all; she had always enjoyed laughing at everyone else much better. But then again, it was just Scorpius. "Yeah, sure," she shrugged. "What all will it include?"
"Well," Scorpius thought for a moment. "we already hang out most of the time so, nothing really, but if you do feel the need to buy me chocolates, I won't object."
Valentine's day rolled around and everywhere they looked flower petals were falling from the ceiling, Valentine's day cards were flying across halls to find their addressee. Scor had given her a card because ("Al said that I had to. See? It says 'to my rosebud!' Get it? Because your one of my buds and your name is Rose!") he said this as if it were the cleverest thing in the world. Other than that, Scorpius was right in saying that being a Valentine won't include anything; it felt like a typical day except for the constant giggling coming from the girl hugging Max's arm. Danielle thought that Max's hair was red to celebrate the occasion, Rose really knew why and found it quite funny. Herbology was spent with the Slytherins de-licing rockshood wood. Danielle kept touching Max's hair which made him cringe and pull away. He ended up putting the Rockshood between them because she was skittish to reach around the lice.
"Why don't you separate them?" Rose whispered to Neville.
"I would, but there is no valid reason. Believe me; I'm looking."
"Personal harassment?" Rose suggested.
"He's the one who accepted her date request," he chuckled.
Max was incredibly grateful toward Dalbert for finally splitting him and Danielle up. She was so close to him that he wasn't able to cast a decent disarming spell with her holding onto his arm. After Dalbert had moved her, Max stretched his arms out and gave the Professor a look of admiration and gratitude, and Dalbert winked back. They had already worked on disarming spells, but today, they were learning how to make them stronger and longer.
