"Things that Matter" - A Gift for ginny112
Title: Things that Matter
Author: icanhaspancake
Gift For: ginny112
Summary: An unexpected visitor in Weasley Wizard Wheezes leads to a crazy adventure.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Just fluff. Nothing too bad.
Word Count: 2,603
Author's Note: A huge thank you goes to everyone who helped me with this. I wouldn't have been able to finish it without their help and encouragement. ginny112, I really hope you like this, even though I wasn't able to include some of the extra elements you asked for. And I really hope you don't mind fluff.
Rose drummed her fingers on the countertop, glancing around the near-empty shop disinterestedly. She had just finished her seventh year at Hogwarts almost a month ago, and Uncle George had immediately offered her a position at Weasley Wizard Wheezes. With some reluctance, she had accepted. Originally, she had been worried that a job at such a popular shop would be overwhelming - her people skills weren't the best. But now, sitting behind the counter and bored out of her mind, she was beginning to wish she hadn't asked for a shift during their least busy hours.
When she first came into the shop that morning, there had been a few kids tormenting the Pygmy Puffs - yelling and screaming when the little puffballs curled up to defend themselves. She had, somewhat timidly, told the kids to "bugger off" (standard Weasley Wizard Wheezes protocol, according to George) and that had been the highlight of her day.
The next few hours had been spent watching families meander through the shop, usually buying nothing, and the occasional prankster who came through and bought all he could carry.
Rose was snapped out her daze when the enchanted bell on the door started playing the Imperial March from some Muggle Move-EE that George had become obsessed with. She wasn't quite sure what the Move-EE was about - something about a war in the stars - but she knew exactly what the song meant: a Malfoy had entered the shop.
She couldn't see the door from where she was sitting, but when she heard the song cut off and a sharp clanging noise, followed by "Blast, fucking hell," she knew exactly who it was.
Just as she got up to go say hello, Scorpius rounded the display that had been blocking her view of the door, the broken bell in one hand.
"Do you always break everything you touch?" Rose asked with a grin, stepping around the counter and leaning against it.
If Scorpius was surprised to see her, he didn't show it. He merely shrugged and handed her the destroyed bell. "It attacked me," he answered, folding his arms. "I was merely acting in self-defence."
"Right." Rose rolled her eyes, smiling fondly as she put the bell aside for George to look at later. "So what are you doing here? I thought you said practical jokes were - oh, what was it? - 'painfully useless and unnecessary'?"
A smirk curved onto Scorpius' lips. "Yes, well, it seems I've changed my mind. Why, look at this lovely -" he trailed off, his smirk slipping a little as he picked up a small box next to the counter. "Er -"
"Basic Blaze Box?" Rose offered sardonically.
"Yes, yes, that's what I was trying to say," Scorpius said, putting the box back on the shelf. "It's my favourite item in the shop, after all."
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes again, Rose bit back a smile and said, "Oh, of course. I should have known." Scorpius eyed her suspiciously, but Rose paid no attention. "Well, since you're so interested in jokes, now, I'm sure you'd like to have a look around."
"No, actually. I -"
"Oh, come on," Rose said, her voice overly light with false sincerity as she took his arm and led him across the shop. "I mean, anyone interested in jokes would just love Canary Creams. Oh, here they are -" Rose gestured to a display near the window. "Go on, pick one up."
Scorpius flailed a little in her grasp, shooting desperate glances toward the door.
"Oh honestly, Scorpius," Rose said, imitating the exasperated tone her mother so often used, complete with her free hand on her hip for extra intimidation. "You like jokes, after all."
"Are you really that thick, Weasley?" Scorpius asked flatly, his shoulders tense in annoyance. "I was lying, I thought even you would be able to figure that one out."
"Just touch it! Go on, I dare you."
Scorpius shifted uncomfortably, looking between Rose and the Canary Cream display. Finally, he whined, "What do they do?"
"Nothing. Really. Just touch one."
Scorpius hesitated a moment more, then quickly shot out his hand to jab his finger aimlessly at the candies.
"There," he said, suddenly calm and collected again as he wiped his finger off on his jumper. "For whatever silly reason, I touched them. Happy now?"
Rose frowned. "Not at all, no." Scorpius blinked at her. "You barely touched it! Poking at something without even looking doesn't count."
"Well, maybe if it wasn't going to turn me into a giant canary," Scorpius snarled, gesturing wildly at the sign above the display.
"That's only if you eat one!" Letting out a frustrated huff, Rose looked around the store. "Never mind," she said dismissively. "I have a better idea."
Taking Scorpius' hand and ignoring his exasperated sigh, Rose led him over to a shelf holding innocent-looking telescopes. "Here," she said, carefully picking one up and handing it to him. "Just look through it."
"And if I do, can we stop this ridiculous game?"
"Sure, sure." Rose bit her lip to hold back her grin - her mum still complained about her horrible encounter with a Punching Telescope prototype.
Just as Scorpius was lifting the telescope to his face, he froze - pursing his lips in annoyance. "And why, may I ask, is this called a Punching Telescope?" He turned his glare to Rose, thrusting the telescope at her. "Take it back!"
But the force of his movement had been enough to trigger the telescope, and with a bang that caused Scorpius to let out a decidedly un-manly squeak and jump back for safety, a little fist sprung forcefully out of the end of the telescope. Rose couldn't stop laughing.
"You tried to kill me!" Scorpius shrieked, looking between Rose and telescope, which was now lying harmlessly on the floor.
"It was a joke! You're supposed to like them now, remember?" That was what Rose tried to say, at least, but her words were barely understandable between her giggles.
Scorpius rolled his eyes, obviously trying to act as if nothing had happened, but his cheeks were the faintest shade of pink. "Honestly, it wasn't that funny."
"Your face!" Rose howled, doubling over. "You should have seen your face!"
"That's enough!" Scorpius snapped, folding his arms. "I'll get you back, you know."
Rose arched an eyebrow, her giggles finally subsiding. "Oh, will you? I'm familiar with almost every item in this shop. You'll have a hard time getting any sort of revenge."
"Is that so?" Scorpius turned his back, pretending to look around the shop, but Rose saw his hand dart out to grab something off one of the shelves. She shook her head in amusement but said nothing, waiting to see where this would go.
She followed Scorpius as he walked around the shop, pausing with a dramatic "Hmm..." at a few of the displays, though he didn't move to pick up anything else.
Finally, they came to a stop in front of the WonderWitch display, and Rose noticed him staring at the Patented Daydream Charms.
"You know," Scorpius said thoughtfully, and Rose thought she saw his hand move again, followed by a clicking sound of something hitting the floor and scuttling away. "There's only one good form of revenge that I can think of, and that would be to see you drooling and staring off into space as you fell into a little daydream." He sighed dramatically as he picked up one of the boxes, opening it carefully. "Of course, you'd be too smart to fall for something like that, wouldn't you? If only there were some sort of distraction so I could cast the charm without you ever knowing."
Rose frowned. "Scorpius, what -"
But just then there was an explosion from somewhere in the back of the shop, and Rose whirled around to see what had caused it. Even in her panic, she heard Scorpius mutter a frustrated few curses behind her as he fumbled with the box, followed by the clearly spoken daydream incantation. Her last thought was "Oh, a Decoy Detonator. That was clever" before she was sucked into a fantasy.
It seemed a little odd that Rose's daydream would put her in a beautiful, sunny meadow with an extremely baffled-looking Scorpius. He blinked at her, inspected his hands as if he were looking for something that he had misplaced, and then looked back up at her with a frown.
Oh, Rose thought dreamily. He must be looking for me. It was her daydream, after all. It was probably full of symbolism and weirdness.
Since Scorpius wasn't moving, Rose decided that she must secretly want to make the first move. With a speed and grace that can only be achieved in a dream, Rose was suddenly in front of Scorpius, taking his hands in her own.
Strange. She would have thought that her secret desire would have been for Scorpius to swoop her up into his arms for a passionate kiss. Instead, he only managed to look even more confused.
"Rose," he said awkwardly, then blinked and looked around since his voice had taken on a dreamy, echo-like quality.
There was an odd, warm, fluttering feeling in Rose's chest, and she smiled. Leave it to her uncles' brilliant invention to bring out desires she didn't even know she had - but now that she thought about it, confused boys really were adorable.
"I don’t think-" Scorpius started.
"Shh," Rose whispered, reaching up to smooth his hair back. They had less than thirty minutes left; she didn't want to waste it.
Scorpius looked like he was about to protest, but he was silenced by Rose's lips lightly brushing his own.
Suddenly, the light shifted, and Rose realised it was magically sunset. She grinned as she moved away from Scorpius' lips, nuzzling his neck as he stood there awkwardly. Distantly, she had to admit she was impressed by the thoroughness of the Daydream Charm - Scorpius felt warm and solid and completely real as she wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling up against him. She could smell the clean, boyish smells that she had grown so attracted to, along with something faintly spicy that she hadn't been close enough to notice before.
Still, it was disappointing that Scorpius wasn't reacting much. His hands were resting awkwardly on her shoulders, his breath coming in nervous little puffs that ruffled Rose's hair over-dramatically.
At that very moment, there was the sound of a horse neighing in the background. Rose looked up and there... on the horizon... was some shape that she couldn't quite make out.
"Um, hello?" she said hesitantly, because no one should be interrupting her daydream.
"Ah, my dear sweet Rosebud," came a rumbling, confident voice.
Scorpius dropped his forehead down onto Rose's shoulder. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he muttered.
"Hush," Rose said quickly, mystified.
"I've come to swoop thee off thine petite feet," the voice continued, the dark figure slowly approaching Rose and Scorpius. "And hitherforth carry you upon mine trusty steed - Dark Rose."
"Oh my," Rose whispered, enraptured, as Scorpius grumbled, "That doesn't even make sense."
"Shut up," Rose said tersely, stepping out of their embrace. "He named his trusty steed after me - oh, how romantic." She sighed. This daydream thing kept getting better and better.
And then, the mysterious man rode closer, finally facing the light and allowing Rose a good look at his face. It was Scorpius, though he was hardly recognisable at first. His hair was slicked back, rather than its usual state of disarray, and he held his head confidently, his shoulders squared, every inch of him radiating the classic "knight in shining armour" instead of the shy, clumsy boy Rose had been friends with for years.
But wait... why were there two versions of Scorpius in this daydream?
It didn't matter, though, because all of a sudden the knight Scorpius scooped Rose up in one arm, gently settling her in the spread of his legs.
"Come now, Rosie!" he thundered. "Our perfect lifetime together awaits us!"
She leaned back against the knight's chest as Dark Rose reared up and then began trotting away into the sunset. But something didn't feel quite right. There was warmth and comfort in this Scorpius' embrace, but he was missing something. Carefully, she turned to look over his shoulder, immediately spotting the original Scorpius standing there all alone, his arms wrapped around himself, his shoulders slumped and his head bowed more than usual.
But that wasn't what made her tell the knight Scorpius to stop. She realised, as she was gazing over his shoulder - almost in the exact same position she had been in with the original Scorpius just moments before - that he didn't smell like anything. She should have known something was wrong - the Daydream Charms, now that she thought about it, couldn't produce smells. Just visions and feelings.
"Scorpius?" she called, sliding off the horse and ignoring the dream Scorpius behind her. All she cared about was the real one.
He sneered at her as she approached. "Go on then. Off to your new, perfect life - tally ho!"
"Oh shut up," Rose said, smiling. "We're in the same daydream."
"About time you figured that out." He paused, looking away from her. "So that's what you've always dreamed of, then?"
"You, maybe. Yeah."
Scorpius snorted. "Me? You want someone who's the complete opposite of me, and that just proved it!"
"No, Scorpius... I - no. I don't know what that was."
"Forget it," Scorpius said dismissively, turning away from her completely and looking around. "Obviously something went wrong with the charm if we're both here together." Rose smiled fondly - the clumsiness that had been annoying for so long now seemed kind of endearing.
But wait... he hadn't messed up the charm. He'd had trouble opening the box, sure, but she heard him plainly say the incantation. So that must mean...
"We're each other's daydream."
Scorpius blinked at her. "What?"
"It's powerful magic," she said with a shrug. "It can work that way, I guess."
"What the hell are you on about?"
"Scorpius, if what we both really desire is each other, maybe the Daydream Charm just decided to put us together. Because that's what we wanted."
Rolling his eyes, Scorpius asked, "Oh? And what about your hero?"
"I wanted you to be a little more bold, I admit it, but just because I thought none of this was real." She shrugged. "I guess the Daydream Charm took it upon itself to try to fulfil all my desires, but maybe just a little too powerfully."
Scorpius frowned, and he looked like he was about to say something else, and then it was all melting away. The sunset dripped into blackness, followed by the meadow, until they were left in dark nothingness. Then, with the force of a Portkey, they were suddenly back in the shop, sprawled out on the floor.
Rose sat up slowly, trying to regain her bearings, when she noticed that Scorpius was already sitting up and looking at her oddly.
"A little more bold?" he asked. Rose blinked at him, but before she could respond, he lunged forward, his lips missing hers by a few centimetres. Warmth fluttering in her chest, she breathed in the smell that was very real, very Scorpius, and she took his face in her hands, finally pressing their lips together.
It didn't matter that he was still clumsy, or that he'd never be a knight in shining armour who names his trusty steed after her. He was real, and he was hers. That's all that really mattered.
Author: icanhaspancake
Gift For: ginny112
Summary: An unexpected visitor in Weasley Wizard Wheezes leads to a crazy adventure.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Just fluff. Nothing too bad.
Word Count: 2,603
Author's Note: A huge thank you goes to everyone who helped me with this. I wouldn't have been able to finish it without their help and encouragement. ginny112, I really hope you like this, even though I wasn't able to include some of the extra elements you asked for. And I really hope you don't mind fluff.
Rose drummed her fingers on the countertop, glancing around the near-empty shop disinterestedly. She had just finished her seventh year at Hogwarts almost a month ago, and Uncle George had immediately offered her a position at Weasley Wizard Wheezes. With some reluctance, she had accepted. Originally, she had been worried that a job at such a popular shop would be overwhelming - her people skills weren't the best. But now, sitting behind the counter and bored out of her mind, she was beginning to wish she hadn't asked for a shift during their least busy hours.
When she first came into the shop that morning, there had been a few kids tormenting the Pygmy Puffs - yelling and screaming when the little puffballs curled up to defend themselves. She had, somewhat timidly, told the kids to "bugger off" (standard Weasley Wizard Wheezes protocol, according to George) and that had been the highlight of her day.
The next few hours had been spent watching families meander through the shop, usually buying nothing, and the occasional prankster who came through and bought all he could carry.
Rose was snapped out her daze when the enchanted bell on the door started playing the Imperial March from some Muggle Move-EE that George had become obsessed with. She wasn't quite sure what the Move-EE was about - something about a war in the stars - but she knew exactly what the song meant: a Malfoy had entered the shop.
She couldn't see the door from where she was sitting, but when she heard the song cut off and a sharp clanging noise, followed by "Blast, fucking hell," she knew exactly who it was.
Just as she got up to go say hello, Scorpius rounded the display that had been blocking her view of the door, the broken bell in one hand.
"Do you always break everything you touch?" Rose asked with a grin, stepping around the counter and leaning against it.
If Scorpius was surprised to see her, he didn't show it. He merely shrugged and handed her the destroyed bell. "It attacked me," he answered, folding his arms. "I was merely acting in self-defence."
"Right." Rose rolled her eyes, smiling fondly as she put the bell aside for George to look at later. "So what are you doing here? I thought you said practical jokes were - oh, what was it? - 'painfully useless and unnecessary'?"
A smirk curved onto Scorpius' lips. "Yes, well, it seems I've changed my mind. Why, look at this lovely -" he trailed off, his smirk slipping a little as he picked up a small box next to the counter. "Er -"
"Basic Blaze Box?" Rose offered sardonically.
"Yes, yes, that's what I was trying to say," Scorpius said, putting the box back on the shelf. "It's my favourite item in the shop, after all."
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes again, Rose bit back a smile and said, "Oh, of course. I should have known." Scorpius eyed her suspiciously, but Rose paid no attention. "Well, since you're so interested in jokes, now, I'm sure you'd like to have a look around."
"No, actually. I -"
"Oh, come on," Rose said, her voice overly light with false sincerity as she took his arm and led him across the shop. "I mean, anyone interested in jokes would just love Canary Creams. Oh, here they are -" Rose gestured to a display near the window. "Go on, pick one up."
Scorpius flailed a little in her grasp, shooting desperate glances toward the door.
"Oh honestly, Scorpius," Rose said, imitating the exasperated tone her mother so often used, complete with her free hand on her hip for extra intimidation. "You like jokes, after all."
"Are you really that thick, Weasley?" Scorpius asked flatly, his shoulders tense in annoyance. "I was lying, I thought even you would be able to figure that one out."
"Just touch it! Go on, I dare you."
Scorpius shifted uncomfortably, looking between Rose and the Canary Cream display. Finally, he whined, "What do they do?"
"Nothing. Really. Just touch one."
Scorpius hesitated a moment more, then quickly shot out his hand to jab his finger aimlessly at the candies.
"There," he said, suddenly calm and collected again as he wiped his finger off on his jumper. "For whatever silly reason, I touched them. Happy now?"
Rose frowned. "Not at all, no." Scorpius blinked at her. "You barely touched it! Poking at something without even looking doesn't count."
"Well, maybe if it wasn't going to turn me into a giant canary," Scorpius snarled, gesturing wildly at the sign above the display.
"That's only if you eat one!" Letting out a frustrated huff, Rose looked around the store. "Never mind," she said dismissively. "I have a better idea."
Taking Scorpius' hand and ignoring his exasperated sigh, Rose led him over to a shelf holding innocent-looking telescopes. "Here," she said, carefully picking one up and handing it to him. "Just look through it."
"And if I do, can we stop this ridiculous game?"
"Sure, sure." Rose bit her lip to hold back her grin - her mum still complained about her horrible encounter with a Punching Telescope prototype.
Just as Scorpius was lifting the telescope to his face, he froze - pursing his lips in annoyance. "And why, may I ask, is this called a Punching Telescope?" He turned his glare to Rose, thrusting the telescope at her. "Take it back!"
But the force of his movement had been enough to trigger the telescope, and with a bang that caused Scorpius to let out a decidedly un-manly squeak and jump back for safety, a little fist sprung forcefully out of the end of the telescope. Rose couldn't stop laughing.
"You tried to kill me!" Scorpius shrieked, looking between Rose and telescope, which was now lying harmlessly on the floor.
"It was a joke! You're supposed to like them now, remember?" That was what Rose tried to say, at least, but her words were barely understandable between her giggles.
Scorpius rolled his eyes, obviously trying to act as if nothing had happened, but his cheeks were the faintest shade of pink. "Honestly, it wasn't that funny."
"Your face!" Rose howled, doubling over. "You should have seen your face!"
"That's enough!" Scorpius snapped, folding his arms. "I'll get you back, you know."
Rose arched an eyebrow, her giggles finally subsiding. "Oh, will you? I'm familiar with almost every item in this shop. You'll have a hard time getting any sort of revenge."
"Is that so?" Scorpius turned his back, pretending to look around the shop, but Rose saw his hand dart out to grab something off one of the shelves. She shook her head in amusement but said nothing, waiting to see where this would go.
She followed Scorpius as he walked around the shop, pausing with a dramatic "Hmm..." at a few of the displays, though he didn't move to pick up anything else.
Finally, they came to a stop in front of the WonderWitch display, and Rose noticed him staring at the Patented Daydream Charms.
"You know," Scorpius said thoughtfully, and Rose thought she saw his hand move again, followed by a clicking sound of something hitting the floor and scuttling away. "There's only one good form of revenge that I can think of, and that would be to see you drooling and staring off into space as you fell into a little daydream." He sighed dramatically as he picked up one of the boxes, opening it carefully. "Of course, you'd be too smart to fall for something like that, wouldn't you? If only there were some sort of distraction so I could cast the charm without you ever knowing."
Rose frowned. "Scorpius, what -"
But just then there was an explosion from somewhere in the back of the shop, and Rose whirled around to see what had caused it. Even in her panic, she heard Scorpius mutter a frustrated few curses behind her as he fumbled with the box, followed by the clearly spoken daydream incantation. Her last thought was "Oh, a Decoy Detonator. That was clever" before she was sucked into a fantasy.
It seemed a little odd that Rose's daydream would put her in a beautiful, sunny meadow with an extremely baffled-looking Scorpius. He blinked at her, inspected his hands as if he were looking for something that he had misplaced, and then looked back up at her with a frown.
Oh, Rose thought dreamily. He must be looking for me. It was her daydream, after all. It was probably full of symbolism and weirdness.
Since Scorpius wasn't moving, Rose decided that she must secretly want to make the first move. With a speed and grace that can only be achieved in a dream, Rose was suddenly in front of Scorpius, taking his hands in her own.
Strange. She would have thought that her secret desire would have been for Scorpius to swoop her up into his arms for a passionate kiss. Instead, he only managed to look even more confused.
"Rose," he said awkwardly, then blinked and looked around since his voice had taken on a dreamy, echo-like quality.
There was an odd, warm, fluttering feeling in Rose's chest, and she smiled. Leave it to her uncles' brilliant invention to bring out desires she didn't even know she had - but now that she thought about it, confused boys really were adorable.
"I don’t think-" Scorpius started.
"Shh," Rose whispered, reaching up to smooth his hair back. They had less than thirty minutes left; she didn't want to waste it.
Scorpius looked like he was about to protest, but he was silenced by Rose's lips lightly brushing his own.
Suddenly, the light shifted, and Rose realised it was magically sunset. She grinned as she moved away from Scorpius' lips, nuzzling his neck as he stood there awkwardly. Distantly, she had to admit she was impressed by the thoroughness of the Daydream Charm - Scorpius felt warm and solid and completely real as she wrapped her arms around his waist, snuggling up against him. She could smell the clean, boyish smells that she had grown so attracted to, along with something faintly spicy that she hadn't been close enough to notice before.
Still, it was disappointing that Scorpius wasn't reacting much. His hands were resting awkwardly on her shoulders, his breath coming in nervous little puffs that ruffled Rose's hair over-dramatically.
At that very moment, there was the sound of a horse neighing in the background. Rose looked up and there... on the horizon... was some shape that she couldn't quite make out.
"Um, hello?" she said hesitantly, because no one should be interrupting her daydream.
"Ah, my dear sweet Rosebud," came a rumbling, confident voice.
Scorpius dropped his forehead down onto Rose's shoulder. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," he muttered.
"Hush," Rose said quickly, mystified.
"I've come to swoop thee off thine petite feet," the voice continued, the dark figure slowly approaching Rose and Scorpius. "And hitherforth carry you upon mine trusty steed - Dark Rose."
"Oh my," Rose whispered, enraptured, as Scorpius grumbled, "That doesn't even make sense."
"Shut up," Rose said tersely, stepping out of their embrace. "He named his trusty steed after me - oh, how romantic." She sighed. This daydream thing kept getting better and better.
And then, the mysterious man rode closer, finally facing the light and allowing Rose a good look at his face. It was Scorpius, though he was hardly recognisable at first. His hair was slicked back, rather than its usual state of disarray, and he held his head confidently, his shoulders squared, every inch of him radiating the classic "knight in shining armour" instead of the shy, clumsy boy Rose had been friends with for years.
But wait... why were there two versions of Scorpius in this daydream?
It didn't matter, though, because all of a sudden the knight Scorpius scooped Rose up in one arm, gently settling her in the spread of his legs.
"Come now, Rosie!" he thundered. "Our perfect lifetime together awaits us!"
She leaned back against the knight's chest as Dark Rose reared up and then began trotting away into the sunset. But something didn't feel quite right. There was warmth and comfort in this Scorpius' embrace, but he was missing something. Carefully, she turned to look over his shoulder, immediately spotting the original Scorpius standing there all alone, his arms wrapped around himself, his shoulders slumped and his head bowed more than usual.
But that wasn't what made her tell the knight Scorpius to stop. She realised, as she was gazing over his shoulder - almost in the exact same position she had been in with the original Scorpius just moments before - that he didn't smell like anything. She should have known something was wrong - the Daydream Charms, now that she thought about it, couldn't produce smells. Just visions and feelings.
"Scorpius?" she called, sliding off the horse and ignoring the dream Scorpius behind her. All she cared about was the real one.
He sneered at her as she approached. "Go on then. Off to your new, perfect life - tally ho!"
"Oh shut up," Rose said, smiling. "We're in the same daydream."
"About time you figured that out." He paused, looking away from her. "So that's what you've always dreamed of, then?"
"You, maybe. Yeah."
Scorpius snorted. "Me? You want someone who's the complete opposite of me, and that just proved it!"
"No, Scorpius... I - no. I don't know what that was."
"Forget it," Scorpius said dismissively, turning away from her completely and looking around. "Obviously something went wrong with the charm if we're both here together." Rose smiled fondly - the clumsiness that had been annoying for so long now seemed kind of endearing.
But wait... he hadn't messed up the charm. He'd had trouble opening the box, sure, but she heard him plainly say the incantation. So that must mean...
"We're each other's daydream."
Scorpius blinked at her. "What?"
"It's powerful magic," she said with a shrug. "It can work that way, I guess."
"What the hell are you on about?"
"Scorpius, if what we both really desire is each other, maybe the Daydream Charm just decided to put us together. Because that's what we wanted."
Rolling his eyes, Scorpius asked, "Oh? And what about your hero?"
"I wanted you to be a little more bold, I admit it, but just because I thought none of this was real." She shrugged. "I guess the Daydream Charm took it upon itself to try to fulfil all my desires, but maybe just a little too powerfully."
Scorpius frowned, and he looked like he was about to say something else, and then it was all melting away. The sunset dripped into blackness, followed by the meadow, until they were left in dark nothingness. Then, with the force of a Portkey, they were suddenly back in the shop, sprawled out on the floor.
Rose sat up slowly, trying to regain her bearings, when she noticed that Scorpius was already sitting up and looking at her oddly.
"A little more bold?" he asked. Rose blinked at him, but before she could respond, he lunged forward, his lips missing hers by a few centimetres. Warmth fluttering in her chest, she breathed in the smell that was very real, very Scorpius, and she took his face in her hands, finally pressing their lips together.
It didn't matter that he was still clumsy, or that he'd never be a knight in shining armour who names his trusty steed after her. He was real, and he was hers. That's all that really mattered.