Curiosity Is Not a Sin

Conversations with the Potter Boys

He whistled softly. "Well. That's... certainly something. I take it this wasn't a conversation they know you overheard?"

Rose shook her head. "And then I saw them in History of Magic and I could barely even look at him. It's just... it feels weird to talk to him when I know that he's... you know."

"Thinking about you at night when he's all alone?"

She hit him. "James!"

"Sorry." He patted her shoulder. "I don't mean to make light of it. It's just - never mind. Well, how do you feel about that... revelation?"

"I don't really know. It just feels weird. Part of me feels like I should back way off so I don't give him ideas - that just seems mean. But part of me is - well..."

"Intrigued?" James supplied. "Seeing the sweet, sweet window of opportunity?"

Rose felt her cheeks get red. "It just might be fun to, you know. Tease him a little. I mean, he's been so unpleasant this year - I try to ignore him, usually, but he always seems to be trying to pick a fight. I don't get it - how can you want to sleep with someone you hate?"

James sighed. "Move over a little?" She shifted over, and he leaned against the headboard of his bed. "I don't know. Maybe some people can, but I don't think Scorpius Malfoy is one of them."

"How do you know?"

"I don't like him, but other than you, he's been my brother's best friend since your first year. Al - he loves that guy. I don't really get it, but he does. In the world according to Albus, you and Scorpius Malfoy are literally the two best people aside from his immediate family on the planet."

She looked up at him. To her surprise, James looked thoughtful, not mischevious - he seemed to actually be telling the truth. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. That's why he's been trying to push you guys to be civil to each other - he'd love being able to hang out with both of you, and he thinks you'd probably get along if you really tried. I don't know if that's actually true, but you know Albus - always the optimist."

"Oh." Rose sighed. "Well, I guess Scorpius threw a wrench in that by wanting to sleep with me in the first place, and then I threw a wrench in it by overhearing it." She hesitated. "So you don't think he does hate me?"

"Not really. I mean, I've overheard him and Albus talking about girls enough over the holidays that I'm pretty sure he's not that type. I'm not saying he likes you, but... I mean, if you really, genuinely dislike someone, you find things to dislike about them and they get to be ugly pretty fast. And even if not - hell, if I really hated a girl that much and still found her attractive anyway, I would be avoiding her like the plague. But he doesn't seem to be doing that."

"No. He isn't. He actually invited me to study with them in the library after History of Magic - he promised to try to behave himself."

She glanced up at her cousin to see his reaction. His eyebrows had shot up. "Well. Isn't that interesting?"

"Interesting how?"

"If he really does hate you, why on earth would he do that? Friendship only takes you so far, and I doubt Albus would blame him for wanting to avoid you after they had that conversation."

Rose rolled onto her back and stared up at the canopy of his four poster bed. "Huh. That is - er - interesting." She hesitated, and then said, "He has nice eyes, doesn't he?"

She avoided her cousin's gaze, though she could tell he was even more perplexed than he had been a minute ago. "I guess. I can't say I've ever noticed Scorpius Malfoy's eyes before."