Curiosity Is Not a Sin

Pushing the Line

She edged her chair to the right to close the last few centimeters between them, and then she leaned over and whispered in his ear, "You know, I never noticed it, but she does look a bit like a toad, doesn't she?"

He started as she brushed her lips across his neck. "Rose, what the-" She bit down gently, and he nearly jumped out of his seat.

"Even with my awful personality, I can see why you'd prefer me to her," Rose said to him, still keeping her voice very low. At that, he threw back his head and laughed loudly. When Rose glanced over at the girls, they looked like a dungbomb had gone off in their vicinity.

She lifted up her hand and wiggled her fingers in a wave before raising her other hand to Scorpius's cheek and gently turning his head enough so she could kiss him. After he got over his initial shock, he wrapped both of his arms around her, pulling her over so far that she was virtually perched on his seat.

Albus cleared his throat, and Rose broke away to look at him. He had a politely bemused expression on his face. "As glad as I am that you two are getting along, could you try to - er - get along a little less?"

Rose felt her face flush. "Sorry," she muttered. She started to slide back onto her chair, but before she could, Scorpius tightened his grip around her and leaned in to whisper, "You know, your personality really is growing on me, Red."

She made a face at him. He laughed again and let her go.

As Rose had returned to her seat, Albus pointed out mildly, "You know, Scorpius, that's exactly the kind of display you used to complain about."

Scorpius shrugged his friend's comment off. "I didn't realize how much fun it could be. And besides, I wasn't getting anything out of it then."

Albus stared at him for long enough that Scorpius shifted uncomfortably despite himself. Then Albus looked back down at his essay and muttered something that sounded an awful lot like "Slytherins."

It was so uncharacteristic that it took Rose a moment to process what he'd said - Albus rarely poked fun at any House but his own. Once she did, she felt a gleeful grin spread across her face. Scorpius, however, seemed significantly less amused.

"What did you say?" he asked Albus.

Albus looked up from the parchment. "I think you heard me," he said. Rose saw a hint of a smile on her cousin's lips - he suddenly put her in mind of James at his most insincere appeasement. Scorpius seemed to be at a loss for words, and after a long moment, Albus said, "If you don't like it, don't act like it."

"I don't know how else to act," Scorpius snapped and shoved his chair back. "I'm going to go get a book. Or something."

Rose and Albus watched him stalk over to one of the bookshelves, and after he'd left earshot, Rose caught her cousin's eye. He tried to keep a straight face, but he was fighting a losing battle; as soon as she started to giggle, he broke into a laugh himself.

"I probably shouldn't have done that," he managed to say after a minute. "But I had to." Rose wasn't even trying to fight her giggles, and after a moment, Albus cocked his head to one side. "You really do like him, don't you?"

Her giggles immediately stopped. "I-" Her cousin raised his eyebrows, and she sighed. "Yes," she admitted. "I do."

Albus pulled his Herbology book toward him and ran his quill down the page. When he moved back to his essay, he said, "I told you so," under his breath. Rose kicked him lightly, and he grinned without looking up. "Well, I did."

Scorpius eventually returned, and to Rose's surprise, he actually had a book with him. He tossed it onto the table, where it landed with an audible thud, but rather than sit back down, he rested one of his elbows on the top of her chair and trailed a finger from his other hand lightly down her face. She shuddered involuntarily, and he let out a soft chuckle before beginning to play with her hair.