Rose's heels clicked satisfyingly against the marble floors of the Ministry as she strutted down the hall. The leather bag Griffon gifted her for Christmas, smacked against her hip as she walked. If anyone were to glance out of their office doors and see her they would think she looked perfectly composed in her silver robes. Her hair was styled professionally in a classy up-do. Her make-up was minimal, her smile glistening, and her eyes gleaming with confidence.
On the outside she was perfect. On the inside, she was one giant ball of nerves. When she agreed to tutor him she must have been out of her mind. Here she was basically volunteering to spend uninterrupted hours with him for weeks when she needed to be at home working on her relationship. Not in the office of her ex-boyfriend. Yet, there she was early on Monday morning walking the halls of the Ministry, instead of the halls of her home where Griffon was sleeping peacefully in their bed.
When she told Griffon that she would be tutoring Scorpius at least twice a week for a month, he was not happy, to say the least. He let Rose know just how much he disapproved of the idea. After much convincing, he acknowledged that the two were only friends and that he trusted her.
"We are friends. Friends spend time together." Rose sighed to herself, as she reached his office door. Raising her hand she knocked on the door and opened it, without waiting for a reply.
Scorp glanced up, his eyes shining as the gazed at her. His hair was combed and his navy blue robes (which must have just been recently bought) pressed, making his grey eyes look almost black. He had an odd-looking square with a screen on his desk. It looked a lot like a television set but smaller. When Rose was little her Mum insisted that they get a television, so that they could watch movies together as a family. So she knew what a T.V. was, but that on his desk was not that. It was smaller and didn't have moving pictures on it. On the white screen, there were words, like a book.
Rose studied it curiously, trying to see what was written on the strange screen. Scorp, upon seeing her gaze, shut the box quickly and smiled charmingly at her.
Before he got the chance to greet her, Rose beat him to it, choosing to ignore how suddenly weak her knees felt at the smile being tossed carelessly her way. Did he not know how dangerous that thing could be? "You're ridiculous. You know that right?"
Last week when she received his letter about meeting for a tutoring session, she couldn't stop laughing. It was so like him to send her such a ridiculous letter. One that even told her to get some sleep. Which she shockingly didn't listen to. It was sweet of him to care, but when exams needed to get done nothing got in the way of that. Now that the school year was over and summer had finally made its appearance, Rose had plenty of time for sleep and time to beg for forgiveness.
She and Griffon had been on the rocks for a while now and hadn't gotten the proper time to take a step away from the sharp stones threatening their relationship. That was until the previous weekend. Once Rose finally had a chance to relax and talk with Griffon, they worked things out. She apologized profusely for lying and being an absentee girlfriend for the last month and he forgave her. For real this time.
Scorp wheeled around in his chair, causing his blonde hair to flop in front of his memorizing grey eyes. He ran a hand over the scruff growing on his chin, an amused smirk playing on his face. All morning his eyes skirted from his work back to the watch on his wrist. He was nervous. Extremely nervous. "And what have I done to earn that title?"
Rose pulled the letter he sent her out of her bag and waved it in front of her face. "Punish myself? You really give yourself no credit."
"Are you saying I wasn't the worst student you've ever had to teach?"
Rose tapped her chin, pretending to think about it. "I wouldn't say the worst. Maybe the most annoying."
"Har har har. You're so funny." He said sarcastically.
She took a seat and set her bag on the floor next to her. "Let's just see if you've improved." She grabbed the books out of her bag and held one up. "You ready for this?"
"Jump right to it then?" He wasn't at all surprised. It was so like Rose to not waste a single second. Knowing her she probably already had a lesson plan drawn up. When she used to tutor him, she'd spend hours making up the perfect plan to get him through whatever spell he was facing. Sometimes she'd even write down motivational phrases, she thought would help him with their sessions.
"Of course. We only have three hours today to try and get through everything I have planned. We don't have any time to waste."
"You haven't seen me in a few weeks. Don't want to know how I am?"
"I know how you are. I've gotten your letters."
"Ah but you see the polite thing to do when seeing someone is ask them how they are," Scorp said properly. "Now some people might see your actions as rude. You're just lucky I am such an understanding person, so I won't hold this against you."
"I rest my case. You are ridiculous but fine." Rose batted her lashes and looked at him seriously, "How are you, Scorpius? How's life at the ministry?"
"How thoughtful of you to ask, Rose," Scorp replied happily. "I am doing well. The Minister has asked me to compile all my data into a teachable presentation. I'm basically going to be tutoring people. Can you believe that?"
"Unbelievable," Rose said with a grin. This was literally everything he had written her in his letters, but he was right. It was nice hearing him talk about it in person. "How's life outside of the ministry?"
"It's been good. Mum's glad to have me home." Scorp patted his toned stomach. "She's been cooking all my favorite foods. I swear I've gained twenty pounds."
Rose raised a doubtful eyebrow at his toned stomach. "Doesn't look like it."
"Trust me it feels like it."
"Now isn't it common courteous for you to ask me how I've been? Some people may see not asking as rude, but luckily for you, I won't hold it against you." Rose smirked, throwing his words back at him.
Scorp jutted out his bottom lip in thought, "Well that just seems like a waste of time. You already wrote me everything in your letters. What more do I need to know?"
"Can we get started now?" She giggled. She really missed his relentless teasing.
Rose spent every spare moment trying to work up an effective lesson plan that would not only help Scorpius but also finish up their tutoring sessions quickly. If they stuck to her schedule they'd be done within the month and she could get out of here.
Scorp rolled his neck, cracking it in the process.
Rose cringed at the pops coming from Scorp, as he situated himself across from her. The snap, crackle, pop of body parts was only meant to be done by a healer. Anything else was unnatural and simply disgusting. Not that Scorp carried her opinion.
"We will start with the basics. Build up your fundamentals and work our way up from there."
She grabbed the first book in the pile. The book he gifted her. Rose inhaled, avoided his eyes, and forced a smile. Grabbing a healthy chunk of the pages, she flipped the book open as to not accidentally reveal the writing he put on the first one.
When she left for the ministry that morning she'd been in such a hurry that it didn't occur to her that grabbing The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, could be kind of uncomfortable. It was her only copy and she needed it to take him back to the basics of charm work, so she would be able to discover the true core of his struggles. The Minister said he was having difficulties with his spell works but hadn't gone into what specific spells he was struggling with. Rose needed to test his current skills and work with him on the ones that needed to be improved. Since charms were easily her best subject and his worst, she figured that would be the best place to start.
"Alright, so we will start right away with charms."
Scorp groaned and threw his head back not bothering to hide his dislike of her idea. "Do we have to do charms? Can't we start with something fun like transfiguration? I can't remember the last time I turned a pincushion into a porcupine."
Rose pursed her lips to hold back the laugh that threatened to spill out. "How about this," She bargained, folding her hands on his desk. "If you can perform the levitation spell flawlessly, we can skip charms for today and focus on transfiguration."
Scorp's grey eyes lightened at the proposition. "Deal." He grabbed his wand from on top of his desk and pointed it at the book in Rose's hand. "Wingardium Leviosa."
Rose's heart lurched as the panic began to assault her. She desperately did not want him to have that book in his hands. She watched perplexed as the book rose a few inches but flopped pathetically back onto her lap.
Relief coursed through her veins as she smirked victoriously at him. "Looks like we will be working on charms today."
Scorp licked his teeth annoyed that he had failed to perform a first-year level spell in front of Rose. "Looks like it."
Satisfied, Rose moved around the desk so she was standing right next to him. She laid the book out in front of him, pointing at the first words of the chapter. "Do you know what you did wrong?"
Scorp looked up at her, pleasantly shocked by their change in proximity. "No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me."
"You're not flicking your wrist enough," Rose explained, moving her finger toward the diagram on the next page. "You remember what Flitwick used to say?"
He nodded, recalling the stout man who used to waddle around the room murmuring swish and flick under his breath. He'd never admit it to Rose because she admired him, but he was certain old Flitwick had lost it in his last few years of teaching.
"Then take it to heart. In order to truly master any charm spell, you first need to master your wrist movement. So let's try again." Rose reached forward and grasped his wrist. "This time don't say the spell, just move your wrist."
Her fingers burned at the contact, but she didn't let go. This was how he learned best. Through demonstrations and personal guidance. It is how she used to tutor him in school and it was how she was going to help him now. She guided him through movements, adjusting where need be.
"Perfect. Now do it on your own." Rose stepped back and out of range from his cologne scent.
Scorp heaved a sigh and did as instructed, concentrating hard on the tips Rose gave him. For two more minutes, Scorp practiced the wand movement until it was just like the diagram in the book.
She studied his wrist carefully, making sure to speculate every single movement. When it looked like he'd mastered it Rose nodded her head approvingly, "Good." Moving back toward her bag, she bent down and grabbed a plastic bowl that had been in her bag from one of her many lunches with Al. Setting it on the desk, she nodded at it. "Alright. Now levitate it."
"Yes, Ma'am," Scorp muttered, his sole concentration fixated on the bowl. "Wingardium Leviosa."
This time the bowl rose higher and higher in the air, with no threats of falling to the ground.
Rose grinned, pride filling her chest. This right here is why she became a professor. It was the moments when she taught someone something new and they got that gleam in their eyes at the sight of magic in front of them. It was the most awarding thing in her life.
Scorp guided the bowl back down to the desk and shot her a look that said, "look what I just did."
"Don't get cocky. Just because you do it right now time, does not mean that you've mastered it. So do it five more times. The key to pe-"
"The key to perfection is in repetition." Scorp finished for her staring directly into her eyes. "I remember."
Rose gulped and licked her lips. When they used to have their tutoring sessions back in sixth year, that was her saying. She'd say it every time Scorp groaned or complained about having to do a spell over and over again, which was often. Once they started dating it was also that little saying he used to smuggle more time with her.
Rose coughed and dropped her gaze to the bowl, trying to reign her mind in from drifting off to one of those many moments that had been unlocked upon his return. She failed miserably.
"C' mon Rose." Scorp laughed, reaching for her hand and yanking her back behind the column where they had been snogging for what felt like hours. Her nose smashed into his chest and she melted a little at the pine smell that he was radiated after his little stroll in the Forbidden Forest a few hours early.
She giggled and grasped his shirt. Raising on her tips toes, she brought herself closer to him, despite her mind screaming at her not to. She had to get to potions class, but the more Scorp grinned at her the blurrier the time got. "Scorp, I'm going to be late." She said, grazing his nose.
"But Rooose," He whined leaning down to kiss the spot behind her ear, "The key to perfection is in repetition." Before Rose could think of a suitable argument, Scorp's lips were on hers and the only thought on her mind was that potions were not that important right now.
"Alright. Was that good, Professor?"
Rose jumped, eyes wide as Scorp stared expectantly at her. "Uh ya those were great. Do three more for reassurance."
Scorp did as he was told. This time, Rose made sure to watch and not let her mind derail back to the locked memories of their past. "Okay good. If you keep up your wrist movement like that you'll be able to lock down these charms in no time, but just to make sure let's move on to Lumos."
For the next two and a half hours, the worked non-stop on the basic charm skills. They spent most of the time critiquing his hand movements, which had never been a specialty area for him. Over the last few years, they scarily decreased in his absence. Rose pushed him hard really honing in on the first few chapters of the book until he could perform the spells in his sleep. There was never a single second that she let him slack.
By the time lunch rolled around, Scorp's wrist hurt and Rose's voice was scratchy from talking so much.
"Okay, I think that's enough for today." She announced. She closed her planner, which shouted reminders at her.
"Oh thank Merlin." Scorp collapsed in his seat, shaking his wrist out. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. He was exhausted. He hadn't worked that hard since he went bull-running in Spain.
"That was great," Rose said excitedly, bouncing as she took her seat across from him. Immediately she put the book away. The less time it was out, the less likely he would notice that it was the book. "You breezed through those. If you keep this up, I'll have you practicing magic like it is nothing in no time."
"I know you will."
Rose blushed, satisfied with their progress that day. Both professionally and platonically. True she pushed him hard, but that was just how she was. Focus. When Rose set to work her mind became 100 percent dedicated to her task at hand. That is until she worked with Scorp. No more than ten minutes could pass without him making a joke or comment. It caused a lot of laughter and only about 85 percent of Rose's intense focus. Rose couldn't remember the last time she laughed so much while at work. It was nice to know that they could still interact like the mates they had once been.
"We should probably figure out a schedule," Rose suggested, reopening the color-coded planner that screamed at her to not forget about starting lesson plans. "Let's see." She tapped the bottom of her lip as she looked over her schedule for the next month, which was planned out to the tee.
It really amazed Griffon how Rose could be so completely organized when it came to schedules and lessons but her office be so cluttered. Rose really didn't know why that was. All she knew is that if her schedule wasn't planned out in front of her it caused stress and uneasiness. Life was so much easier when it was mapped out and color-coded.
Scorp took the planner out of her hand. Rose tried to object. That planner held her entire life in it, to have him holding it made her uneasy for the second time that day. He carefully examined the calendar in front of him.
"Why am I not surprised that this is color-coded?" He asked, glancing up from the page to smirk at her.
Rose rolled her eyes, but before she got the chance to fire back a defense, Albus threw the door open and marched in, taking a seat on the edge of Scorp's desk.
"Are you guys done yet? Because I am hungry and ready for some lunch. Gran sent me another pie that I've been dying to dig into."
"Gran sent you pie?" Rose asked appalled. "She knows I love pie. Why hasn't she sent me any?" Pie was her favorite dessert and that fact that Albus got some and she didn't was infuriating.
"She thinks I'm too thin," Albus explained, pulling a plump pie dish out of his briefcase. "She has been sending me at least two pies a week for the past month."
"And you haven't been sharing? You know Gran's pies are my favorite." She whined, crossing her arms in anger.
Rose peeked inside the briefcase, expecting to see files, but was surprised to see it filled with his lunch.
Scorpius must have been thinking the same thing, "Do you really carry a briefcase around for your lunch?"
Albus nodded, taking another bite of the pie. "It not only makes me look more professional, but it is surprisingly spacious. I can fit my pie and normal lunch in here and still have room for afternoon snacks."
Rose and Scorpius shared an amused look and pulled out their own lunches. The friends ate together, discussing everything and nothing at the same time. Albus contributed random facts about dementors he learned recently. Rose talked about the end of term things and discussed who she thought would win the quidditch cup next year (Ravenclaw, obviously). Scorpius shared his input on the latest gossip around the office.
When Rose left Scorpius' office later that day she did so with a confirmed tutoring schedule, a piece of pie in her bag, a smile on her face, and a surprising eagerness to come back for their next session.