Curiosity Is Not a Sin

Talking By the Lake

After breakfast, most of her fellow Gryffindors beat a quick retreat to the Common Room; most people weren't studious enough to do schoolwork on a Saturday morning. Rose, however, decided not to join them. She couldn't stand the idea of sitting through an awkward morning with Albus pointedly not looking at her. The day was pleasant enough that the lake ended up winning out over the library, especially since she thought it was cool enough to dissuade other people who might have had the same idea.

Scorpius, however, had other plans.

"Hey," she heard him say behind her shortly after she'd sat down.

The breeze had been making her eyes tear up, so she brushed a sleeve across her face before looking up; she didn't want him to think that she'd been crying. "Hey."

He crossed his arms. "Alex Finnigan tried to ask you out again."

"Yes, this time I noticed."

"You said no." His eyes were narrowed.

"Yes, I noticed that, too." The sunlight was hitting him from behind, which made looking at him both difficult and uncomfortable. "Sit down, will you?"

He sat. "Why did you say no?"

Rose studied him closely, but he didn't seem to be teasing her. "What do you mean, why? I told you, I'm not interested in Alex."

Scorpius pulled his knees up to his chest and looked out over the lake. "But is it just that you aren't interested in him? Would it be different if it was someone else, I mean?"

"Huh?"

He sighed. "Is it not liking him, or is it that you like me?"

Now she thought she understood what he was trying to say, and thankfully, she did have an answer to this question. Talking to Colleen about him had confirmed her suspicions - she really had come to genuinely like Scorpius Malfoy, bizarre as it still felt.

"Of course I like you. I've been snogging you all over the place, haven't I?"

Scorpius smiled despite himself, though he still didn't look at her. "You have, and I've enjoyed it. But... Rose, where are we?"

"By the lake."

"I'm serious."

"So am I." He finally gave her a pointed look, and she sighed. "You mean, like, as an us?" He nodded. "Scorpius, I have no idea. Where do you want us to be?"

He swallowed audibly. "I..." He looked up at the sky. "I want you to be my girlfriend," he said very quickly, and Rose felt her stomach turn over.

"Sorry?" she asked, sure that she must have misheard him.

"I want you to be my girlfriend." This time he got the words out slower, though judging from the way he was clenching his shirt, this was not a conversation he was finding easy to have. "I've never not gotten along with Alex, but I've spent the last couple days kind of hating him. I know that's not fair, and I'll get over it, but - well, if I'm going to feel that strongly about some decent enough guy asking you out, I figure I should probably beat all the rest of them to it."

Rose let herself fall backward so she was laying on the grass. "Scorpius, I really don't get it. Until this year, you hated me."

He laughed and looked down at her. His hair still looked a little ridiculous, but his eyes were as striking as ever, and not focusing on his lips took concentrated effort - she had a feeling that if she did, they'd start kissing again, and this was a conversation that probably needed to happen. "No, I didn't, and you know it."