Rose didn't see Scorpius until dinner in the Great Hall that night. In some ways, she was grateful for that. It gave her more time to figure out how she was going to tell him that Albus knew.
She had strategically placed herself so that Albus wasn't next to her. He was sitting with his back to the Slytherin table, glaring daggers at his empty plate. But at least it wasn't Scorpius on the end of his heated gaze.
Rose was seated next to Lily, who was directly opposite Albus. James was across from her, but had placed his head on the table to nap while they waited for food.
Leaving Rose with a clear view of the Slytherin table. And Charlie and Scorpius.
The former boy smiled brightly at her, fluttering his fingers at her in a sarcastic wave. Rose couldn't find it in her to even smile. Scorpius, on the other hand, had been frowning since he laid eyes on her.
He could tell that something was wrong. He knew her so well.
Rose felt a pressure at the back of her eyes and willed the tears to stay back. She shook her head lightly at Scorpius, trying to pretend that everything was fine. She could pretend for now, just for a little while.
But she knew that, sooner or later, everyone would know the truth about the two of them.
Scorpius' frown only deepened in concern, Charlie's expression falling to one of confusion. Rose forced herself to pull her gaze away.
Only to find Albus glaring at her like he'd just caught her snogging Scorp in the middle of the Great Hall. Rose's stomach dropped, just as her gaze when his eyes narrowed to slits.
She swallowed. Albus wasn't an angry person. He was rarely cruel, he never lashed out. Rose could count on one hand the number of times she'd seen him glare at someone. But the numbers were quickly rising with the scowls and glowers he was sending her way.
"Albus," Lily said with a sigh. "If you insist on glaring at Rose for the rest of your life could you please do it on your own time? I'm trying to enjoy dinner with my family and you are making it extremely awkward."
Albus stared at his sister. His expression gave nothing but his anger away. "You don't even know what she's done, Lily."
Lily let out a light peel of laughter. "I'm sure it's not that bad, Al. You're so dramatic."
"You'd be surprised," Albus spat. He looked down at the food that had just appeared on his plate. A green tinge seemed to wash over his skin. "I'm not hungry. I'm going to bed."
He pushed away from the table and stalked from the Great Hall. Rose watched him go. Scorpius' gaze followed him as well, before he turned it on Rose quizzically. Rose looked away. She would fill him in on everything later.
"What is he talking about, Rose?" Lily questioned.
James watched with intrigue too, as Rose swallowed harshly. "Nothing," she promised. The word tasted bitter in her mouth. "We just... had an argument."
James hummed disbelievingly. "Really? He seems really upset."
Rose looked down at her food, feeling the same rush of sickness that Albus appeared to have felt. "We were both angry," she said. "We said some horrible things. We'll be okay, though."
Her cousin narrowed his eyes. "What was the argument about then?"
Rose stabbed her fork at the chicken on her plate. It was almost as though the chicken was her voodoo doll by the way her heart felt the stabs. "Nothing."
"It doesn't seem like nothing," James said. His voice was rising. She couldn't risk him falling out with her, too. "Does it, by any chance, have to do with Albus asking me to apparate him into London last week?"
Rose felt sick. "Of course not."
"Right, so the fact that he was going in alone on the same day you were supposedly meeting Psycho Chester over there—"
"Don't call him that," Rose snapped loudly. "Don't you dare, James."
"What?" He sneered. "Afraid I'll hurt your little boyfriend's feelings? Come on, Rose, he's a Slytherin after all. He can take care of himself."
"What is wrong with all of you?" Rose hissed. "Why do you all have some sort of personal vendetta against the Slytherins? So what if I'm friends with some of them? And Charlie is my friend—not my boyfriend—and so I would appreciate it if you would refrain from being so fucking cruel next time you open your mouth about him."
Lily was gobsmacked. Rose never swore. Ever. It just wasn't like her at all. But her blood was boiling. She was so sick of everyone treating Charlie and Scorpius and the other Slytherins like dirt. Granted, some of them did live up to their names. But there were plenty of cruel witches and wizards from the other houses. Just take Serena Thomas, a Ravenclaw, for example.
James was grinding his teeth. Rose had no doubt she had pushed him with those last words. James wasn't an angry person, either, but he had a much shorter temper than his brother.
"Sorry," he finally forced out through his teeth.
Rose nodded curtly and, without another word, dug into her meal. She was acutely aware of the silence that had swept over the Gryffindor table. They had all heard her outburst. Instinctively, Rose's gaze flickered to the Slytherin table.
Charlie was watching her with gratitude shining clear as day on his face. She was sure that he couldn't have heard James' comment, but the Great Hall had hushed with her heated reply, so he most likely heard her sticking up for him. Rose smiled back at him, her heart squeezing.
Charlie was so dear to her. He was far more complex than everyone thought—far more damaged. But Rose loved him so much. He was one of her best friends. She wouldn't have been able to go the past few months without him.
Scorpius caught Rose's gaze. He was worried, that was obvious. She tried to give him a reassuring smile but he wasn't falling for it one bit. He stared at her, silver gaze boring into hers.
Rose felt shivers down her spine. She would never get tired of those eyes.
After dinner, Rose broke away from her family and sought out Charlie and Scorpius. They were heading down to the dungeons when she caught up to them.
"I need to talk to you," she rushed out, grabbing hold of Scorpius' arm.
He spun around. Charlie stopped short and smirked. "Well, hello to you too."
"Please," she said to Scorpius. "We need to talk now. It's really important."
Scorpius nodded. A strand of his blonde hair fell into his eyes with the movement. His hair had grown out recently and Rose knew he would need a haircut soon.
But that wasn't important at that moment.
The couple turned to Charlie expectantly. The brunet boy held up his hands.
"Alright, I can take a hint," he muttered, turning to leave with his hands in his pockets. "Man, maybe I do need a girlfriend..."
As Charlie wandered off to the Slytherin common room, Scorpius turned to Rose. "What's going on, Rose?"
She took a deep breath, but the tears were gathering like an army against her. She could feel them prodding at her boundary lines, until she managed to push them back. "Can we go to our place? We shouldn't be talking about this here."
Scorpius grew increasingly worried, but took her hand and led her to the Astronomy Tower. They hardly saw anyone on their way—everyone was in their respective common rooms catching up with their friends after the two-week break. Even if they had passed fellow students, Rose doubted she would have even cared much. Everyone was bound to find out soon enough, anyway.
They climbed the stairs one behind the other. Rose's hand was clasped in his, however, the warmth did little to tame her guilt. Even the squeeze her heart gave at the sight of him holding her hand so protectively wasn't enough to distract her from the problem at hand.
When they finally reached the top, Rose pulled her hand from Scorpius'. The lack of contact left her feeling cold. Alone. She wandered to the railing, looking out over the Black Lake.
"Rose," Scorpius said softly from behind her. He approached her slowly, carefully. It was as though he was worried that she would snap if he got too close. Rose couldn't say for sure that she wouldn't. Everything was up in the air, including her.
Rose swallowed at the sound of her name from his lips. She didn't know how to tell him. How could she say how badly they had messed up?
"Rose, what's wrong," he pressed further, stepping up next to her.
She turned to face him, looking in his eyes. Hers no doubt reflected her inner turmoil clearly. But Scorpius just studied her with that same concerned frown.
He was perfect. Why couldn't it just be easy?
"Albus knows."
There. She had said it.
Scorpius blinked. "What?"
"Albus knows about us, Scorpius," Rose explained. "He saw us in London."
She went on to explain her argument with Albus and the week leading from it. She cried, tears falling from her eyes as much as she tried to hold them back. She longed for Scorpius' comfort and support, but he just stood there in shock.
"I'm sorry, I..." she finished. "I don't know what to do. I've ruined everything."
Scorpius shook his head dumbly. "No you... you haven't done anything, Rose. It's not your fault, I..." He ran a pale hand through his blonde hair and cursed. "What do we do?"
Rose shrugged. She sniffled, wiping her cheeks with the back of her sleeve. "I don't know what we can do other than come clean."
Scorpius nodded reluctantly. His eyebrows were knitted together in concentration. Rose knew he was trying to think of an easier way out of the mess they were in.
"You said he wasn't going to tell anyone..." he said slowly.
Rose nodded, eyes welling up again. "He wants me to do it. I—I have to tell them, Scorpius. I have to."
"I know," he said sadly. "It was silly of us to think we could last without telling anyone."
Rose looked at him with blurry eyes. "What does this mean for us?"
Scorpius sighed. "I don't know how people here will react. I know my father won't be pleased. He'll probably march up here, wand at the ready and hex me..."
"Mine too," Rose agreed. "Well, at least Uncle Harry is on our side..."
Scorpius breathed out a laugh. "Never thought I'd hear that. Harry Potter—on the side of a Malfoy?" He shook his head.
Rose stepped towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist. In turn, he hugged her shoulders close to him. "He understands," she mumbled into his chest. "He knows me. He knows I would never do anything stupid with someone I didn't trust."
"So, this is stupid, is it?"
Rose smacked his back lightly. She knew he was only teasing her. "You know what I meant."
"I know," he murmured. His chin moved on top of her head. "I'm glad he's on your side, Rose. We're going to need support. This is not going to be easy or fun."
She nodded in agreement. She inhaled deeply, the familiarity of his scent washing over her and calming her. "It will be worth it, in the end."
"Of course it will," he agreed. "No matter what happens when we tell our families, we'll be alright. We'll have each other."
—
The next three days felt like Rose's own personal hell.
Albus continued to ignore her completely, even in the classes they had together. He would sit next to her and stare straight ahead, not once even glancing at her.
Scorpius watched from afar, keeping a careful eye on them to make sure Rose was okay. She appreciated his support. But she missed her cousin dearly. She wanted her best friend back.
James was iffy around Rose. He knew that she wasn't telling the whole truth, but that Albus wouldn't spill the beans either. He hadn't stopped speaking to Rose, but he wasn't as friendly as he usually was. And he wouldn't be until Rose told him the truth.
Lily, however, when she wasn't with or talking about Lorcan, constantly pushed Rose to tell her what had happened between her and Albus. Rose was reaching her breaking point.
She hadn't decided when she was going to tell them. But she knew it was soon. Scorpius had told her that it was her choice, but that she was to give him a head's up and he would be there if she wanted him to. But this was something Rose had to do on her own. She had no doubt that Scorpius' presence would only make it worse.
They were at dinner on the fourth day back at Hogwarts when Rose had decided enough was enough. James was brooding silently while Albus was sulking next to him. Lily was yapping away at Rose about keeping secrets from her.
"Actually, there is something I need to tell you," she said quietly.
Lily perked up. "Really? What is it?"
"I need to tell all of you, actually," Rose said, craning her neck to find Hugo. She caught his gaze and waved him over.
He said something to his friends and hurried over, plopping down on the other side of Albus. "Is everything okay, Rose?"
She was sure he had caught onto the look on her face. Rose felt sick to her stomach and no doubt it showed. Her tongue was heavy with the words she was about to say, her hands shaking from the fear.
She prayed to Dumbledore and the stars above that they would understand. She couldn't handle another reaction like Albus'. She hoped that they would control themselves in the presence of the entire school and staff members.
"I—I—" she stuttered, her nerves getting the best of her.
"What is it, Rose?" James pressed, not unkindly. His eyes were burning with curiosity.
"Spit it out," Albus snapped. He knew what was coming. And he wasn't going let her drag it out.
"Hold your hippogriffs, Al," she replied snappily. "Let me do this on my own time!"
James looked between the two of them. "Is this about what happened between you two?"
Rose nodded. "Yes. He found out something that I've been keeping from you all..."
They all said nothing, waiting for her to continue. She took a deep breath.
"The truth is... the truth is that I do have a boyfriend. I—"
"Ha!" Lily shrieked triumphantly, jumping to her feet. "I knew it! Why didn't you just say, Rose? Everyone knows you and Charlie—"
"It's not Charlie, Lily," Rose said, her voice breaking.
"What?" Hugo piped up. "Who is it then?"
James frowned as Lily slunk back into her seat. She had gained them the attention of the Gryffindors next to them, but after a glance from Rose they returned to their previous conversations.
Rose could feel her stomach churning within her, pushing the bile up her throat. Never, in her life, had she been so nervous. Her head was swarming with the physical dizziness from how sick she felt.
"Just say it, Rose!" Albus exclaimed. "Stop stalling!"
Rose nodded. She didn't even have the energy to be angry at him. He was right, after all. She needed to say it.
"My boyfriend isn't Charlie," she repeated. "It... It's Scorpius."
Silence.
Rose could have heard Uncle Harry's invisibility cloak swishing in the silence if they had it.
Her cousins, Albus excluded, and brother all blinked back at her. They had unreadable expressions on their face, the shock overpowering their brains.
Rose sat in front of them, wringing her hands under the table. She thought she might be sick at that very exact moment.
Finally, James cleared his throat. "Sorry," he said. "I could have sworn you just said Scorpius is your boyfriend."
Rose nodded, biting her bottom lip nervously. "I did say that."
Lily's jaw dropped. "Scorpius? Scorpius Malfoy?"
"Is there another Scorpius at Hogwarts?" Albus asked sarcastically.
Lily glared at him. "You, shut up! This is what you've been angry about? You've known this entire time and didn't bother to tell any of us?"
Albus scowled darkly back at his sister. "I only found out last week! I wanted Rose to tell you, considering she didn't have the decency to do so with me!"
"But you didn't think a little warning would have been nice—"
"How long, Rose?" Hugo asked quietly. He was watching his sister with eyes gleaming with hurt.
Rose felt her heart crack. "Not long," she promised. "But we've... we've been friends for a few months, now—"
"Months!" Lily shrieked. "Merlin's Beard, Rose! You didn't even think to tell me when you were just friends with him?!"
"I didn't know how to, Lily, I—"
James snorted. "It's pretty simple, Rose. A quick "oh, by the way, guys, I'm friends with Scorpius Malfoy" would have sufficed."
Rose opened her mouth to respond. "You wouldn't have understood!"
"Oh, cut that dung, Rose!" Albus said.
"You don't know that," James agreed. "You don't know that at all."
"I can't believe you didn't tell me," Lily said sadly.
"I'm sorry—"
"Sorry isn't good enough," Albus snapped. "Try harder next time."
Rose didn't know what to say. She let her family verbally attack her as she sat and took it without a word. The traitor tears were bubbling in her eyes again. She didn't want to cry, not again, not anymore.
Hugo piped in softly after the other three started to pick up volume. "Guys, calm down."
"Shut up, Hugo," Albus snapped. "Aren't you angry?"
"No," he said. "I'm upset, yes. Hurt, yes. But I'm not angry."
Albus glared at him. "How can you not be? She lied to us!"
"Yes, she did," Hugo agreed. Rose was dumbfounded as she watched her younger brother stick up for her. "But can't you see why? This is exactly what she was worried about!
"You're all saying that you would have understood but that's not true! When we thought she was seeing Charlie you all told her he wasn't good enough for her! Why would it have been any different if she had told you about Malfoy? You're using the fact that she didn't as an excuse to cover the fact that you—"
"You don't know what you're talking about, Hugo," Albus seethed.
James was glaring between Rose and her brother. "Why are you on her side? She lied to you as well!"
Hugo snapped back at them. The four began bickering between themselves, firing insults and repeating everything they'd said to Rose in the last ten minutes.
Rose sniffled and looked for Scorpius, the only person she wanted to be with at that moment.
He was standing next to Charlie at the Slytherin table. Charlie had his hand on his shoulder, half raised out of his seat himself. They were both watching intently—along with the majority of the Great Hall, which had fallen silent once again to listen to the Potters and Weasleys argue amongst themselves.
Rose felt a hot flush colour her cheeks. Everyone would have heard. Everyone knew.
Charlie looked like he was holding Scorpius back from coming over to her, but Rose only wanted to see him at that moment.
A rush of bravery washed over her as she met his gaze. His steely eyes searched hers to make sure she was alright. She wasn't. But she would be.
Rose got to her feet, climbing out of her seat at the Gryffindor table.
"Where are you going?" Lily asked, drawing the rest of them out of the argument too.
Rose didn't bother to respond to her cousin. Lily would find out for herself in a moment where Rose was going. Everyone would.
She marched around the Gryffindor table, heading towards the two Slytherin boys who looked like they didn't quite know what to do.
Everyone watched in silence as Rose approached Charlie Chester and Scorpius Malfoy. The former boy smirked at Rose as she neared. She smiled back at him as he stepped out of the way, shaking his head and plopping back into his seat.
Rose arrived in front of Scorpius. He stared back at her, mouth agape. His eyes were questioning. He was dying to know what she was doing, what she was up to.
"Rose—" he started, but he was cut off.
Cut off by Rose Weasley grasping the collar of his robes in her hands, pulling him towards her and planting her lips on his.
—
EEEEEEEEK!!!!!! I AM SQUEALING SO MUCH RIGHT NOW I CANT EVEN! WHY AM I FANGIRLING SO HARD AT MY OWN STORY!
I swear I've had that last moment planned since the beginning of Amortentia, before I'd even written a single word of the first chapter. I had no idea how it was going to happen or when or why but I always knew that Rose was going to kiss Scorpius is front of everyone in the Great Hall. Aw man. My lil babies!!!!! Brb, crying.
Question of the Chapter: favourite Amortentia character??
My Answer: I think we all know by now that mine is Charlie, considering he's everywhere! I seriously can't get enough of him. Maybe it's because he's my character but I love him so much. I'm going to miss him the most I think.
I'm on a roll, wow. 3 chapters in what? 3 days? This is me making up for those months of nothing :(