Amortentia (a Scorose Fanfiction)

Chapter Three

The first Friday after Rose's lack of success — failure was not a word that existed in her vocabulary — in attaining the Charms book brought grey skies and a drop in temperature.

She entered the Great Hall that morning with her Gryffindor scarf wrapped snugly around her neck. She wore blue, fluffy socks with pink polka dots and the shiny black ankle boots her mother had convinced her father to let her buy for winter from a muggle store. Rose knew if any professors spotted the navy-blue socks poking from the top of her boots that she would be in trouble, but her father's rebellious characteristic in her trumped that worry.

Her head was held high as she passed the Slytherin table. There he was, head bent towards his bowl of cereal, white-blonde locks falling into his face, Slytherin scarf hanging loosely around his neck.

Blasted Malfoy. Rose refused to give him the satisfaction if he caught her staring at him — again.

Yesterday's Potions lesson had gone disastrously. Rose had spent the majority of the lesson glaring holes in Malfoy's head. Although Albus had been less than pleased about Rose's lack of contribution to the paired assignment they'd been tasked with that lesson, he'd found the whole situation rather amusing. That is, the situation being Rose's newfound dislike of the boy.

As much as she wouldn't admit it to anyone — and certainly not Lily — Rose couldn't deny the anger that coursed through her when Malfoy's steely gaze caught hers. His face had been blank, and he'd simply turned back to writing the essay on Draught of Living Death with Kurtis Camil, a fellow Slytherin.

Rose wished she could be as nonchalant as Malfoy about the incident in the library — but her stubbornness refused her that luxury. Rose would get that book, no matter the cost.

Until she did, Malfoy would feel failure at the hands of her. If he had ever come close to beating her in anything, Rose was about to make sure that he never again would.

She had spent the past few days plowing through the piles of coursework her professors had handed out, making sure she had enough of a head start on essays and examination preparations that all the work she handed in would be her best.

She would prove to Malfoy that she was far more intelligent than him — without that book.

Rose snatched her gaze away from Malfoy. He hadn't noticed her, thankfully. She wasn't in the slightest of moods to deal with yet another silent confrontation.

Arriving at the Gryffindor table, Rose was greeted by her classmates before she slid onto the bench next to Lily. "Morning, guys."

Lily shot her a grin. "Good afternoon, cuz!"

Rose rolled her eyes. She'd only slept in five minutes later than everyone else. "What did I miss?"

She didn't miss the way Al's cheeks reddened across the table from her and Lily. The redhead next to Rose sniggered. "Al dropped a sausage on his—"

"Okay, Lily! I think that's enough," her brother cut her off, face flushing a deep scarlet. Rose worried that steam might explode from his ears any second.

She cocked an eyebrow. "On your what?"

Lily hid a grin with her cup of pumpkin juice. Albus looked away, an expression of irritation on his face. Rose sighed, knowing she would just have to pester an answer from Lily later on — not that the younger girl would take much persuasion to embarrass her brother.

Lily changed the subject quickly. "Anything new with Malfoy?"

Rose shot her an irritated glance. "Let's not get into that."