The Weasley and the Malfoy

Chapter 13

Scorpius

I glanced at the courtyard clock one more time, my patience running thin and my nerves going crazy. Rose had promised to meet me in the courtyard ten minutes before, and only twenty seconds had passed since I last looked at the clock.

Suddenly, the clock released a horribly loud, unexpected chime, signaling the passing of another half hour. I was taken by surprise and jumped so high that I almost hit my head on a low tree branch. I swore and glared at the clock face angrily.

It was now 10:31P.M. Thirty one minutes after curfew.

"Pssst!" came a voice from somewhere unseen.

I turned in a circle, thinking I had maybe imagined it, when I caught a glimpse of fiery red hair behind a column. Rose peeked her head out meekly to look at me and then returned to her hiding place.

"What the hell are you doing, Weasley?"

She came out from the column, her hands on her hips. The way her figure was framed between her hands distracted me and I caught myself staring.

Rose noticed.

I coughed uncomfortably and motioned for her to come out of the shadows. "Why are you hiding?"

Amused at my awkwardness, she was no longer being shy. "I wanted to make sure the coast was clear."

I rolled my eyes. "I told you that I checked the Ministry aurors' schedules and none were scheduled for this part of the castle until eleven."

"I still don't see why we couldn't have met in the common room," she muttered under her breath.

We walked to the edge of the courtyard, paying little attention to the garden and the fountain. My focus was on the girl beside me and the way her jaw curved below her bright lips and how her back arched from her tailbone to her shoulders.

"What if the aurors are early?" Rose whispered, eyeing the shadows.

Regaining my thoughts, I looked away from her quickly. "You're ridiculous."

She whacked my arm. "At least I'm not afraid of a clock chime."

My cheeks went warm. "How long were you standing there?"

Rose giggled and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "A while."

"Stalker." I stuck out my tongue.

"You're such a child," she informed me, still laughing.

I smirked and pulled her into me, making her squeal. In her surprise, she had left her sides vulnerable and I tickled her mercilessly.

"Scorpius, stop!" she said in between laughs and breaths. "I can't breathe!"

I lightened up on the tickling and she was able to grab my hands and hold them still. Without meaning to, I had pressed her into the wall of the courtyard, her hands holding mine captive so I wouldn't tickle her.

Her eyes softened as she noticed our proximity and her lips parted into a soft smile. Her chest was pressed against mine, and I could feel her heartbeat and the expansion of her ribs as she caught her breath.

The air was silent. I could smell Rose's perfume coming from the crook of her neck and her shampoo wafting off her ginger hair. I could see tiny freckles on her eyelids and specks of gold in her lively eyes. They were focused on my lips distractedly, and without thinking, I leaned in to close the gap.

Melting into the kiss, I pushed her further into the wall.

Her gentle hands let go of mine and drifted to my hair and my chest, forgetting about keeping me from tickling her sides. I held the small of her back, losing myself in the subtle way it curved. I couldn't think straight as her fingers trailed down my chest.