Amortentia (a Scorose Fanfiction)

Chapter Twenty

The next day was spent in the company of Albus and James. As they walked side by side, with Rose in between the two boys, she couldn't help but cast her mind back to the last time they had been on their Family Hogsmeade Day.

She glanced a James. A small smirk was playing on his lips. She wondered if he was thinking the same thing — although, she wouldn't dare to bring it up. That was an event of the past. All those horrible words exchanged between them were long forgiven and forgotten. There was no use dwelling.

"So, where are we heading?" She asked, instead.

"The Three Broomsticks?" Albus suggested. It was no surprise, either. They always ended up there, anyway.

It took mere seconds for James and Rose to agree, and off they went, trailing through the small town towards the popular Hogwarts destination.

When they arrived, it wasn't nearly as busy as it usually was. Rose suspected that was because most students spent the start of the day wandering the town, ending it in the warmth of Madam Rosmerta's bar. It was usually what Rose, James and Albus did, too.

They found a four-seated table fairly easily, nestled in the far corner underneath the stairs. Madam Rosmerta had recently converted The Three Broomsticks so that there was, now, two floors. It welcomed in many more Hogwarts students, that was for sure.

"Butterbeers?" James asked, although the three of them knew he didn't really need to. They always had a Butterbeer.

Rose and Albus nodded, and James swept off to order their drinks. Rose shrugged off her thick, grey pea-coat and draped it over the back of her chair. Across from her, Albus did the same. Rubbing her cold hands together, she looked around the room.

There were many unoccupied table in the centre of the pub, as well as near the door. But all the tables along the walls were filled, as well as the coffee couches at the back of the room.

Although there were a few Hogsmeade residents, the majority of the customers were made up of Hogwarts students. There was a group of Hufflepuffs, who Rose recognised from their Quidditch Team, occupying the coffee couches. She noticed Marie Merryweather's friends grouped in a giggling huddle around a large table opposite hers. Rose frowned when she noticed that Marie was nowhere in sight, however, there was an empty chair in the middle of them, draped with a thick winter coat, a half-drunken Butterbeer on the table in front of it.

Rose didn't like the feeling that churned her stomach when she noticed that, a few tables along, Charlie Chester was sitting grumpily by himself, nursing a red drink in his hand. That wasn't what bothered her, though. It was the dark tartan scarf slung across the chair opposite him, and the almost full pint glass in front of it.

Scorpius.

Rose couldn't think of anyone else who Charlie would be in The Three Broomsticks with.

However, he was nowhere in sight.

Rose glanced back at the table of Gryffindor girls. She was in no doubt, now. That was definitely Marie's empty chair. Was he with her? At that exact moment, was Scorpius sneaking off somewhere with Marie Merryweather, leaving his friend alone at their table and Rose frozen in her thoughts?

"—Rose? Rosie? Hello, Earth to Rose Weasley?"

Rose blinked, turning back to look at Albus. "Sorry," she said when she noticed the incredulous look he was giving her.