Fic: In Need of Some Good Advice, 2/5 (for Lunalovepotter)
Title: In Need Of Some Good Advice 2/5
Author: birdseyeview
Gift For: lunalovepotter
Summary: Needing help when it comes to his relationship with Rose, Scorpius receives some unsolicited advice from a few unlikely sources.
Rating: NC-17 eventually, light R for this part.
Warnings: Teenage-boy horniness, some profanity and (highlight for spoilers) mentions of Rose/OMC and sexy scenes involving Scorpius/OFC... I SWEAR TO GOD THIS WILL BE ROSE/SCORPIUS!
Word Count: 33,274
Author's notes: You asked for: something set at Hogwarts in their sixth or seventh year. Would like to see something with forbidden love, either Scorpius or Rose denying their feelings at first and then giving in. Reactions of Ron and Draco would be ideal, as well. I'm not sure if this is what you had in mind when you asked for "forbidden love" but for some reason this is the shape the story took. I hope you like it :D!
Much love to my amazing betas: Liz, Sarah and Mary (not their real names but I'll reveal that later). Without them this would have been 75 pages (that's what MSWord says anyway) of misplaced commas, mangled Britishisms and confused verb tenses. &hearts! Also, several aspects of the story including one joke and two minor characters were inspired by/shamelessly stolen from The Office (US version). So if you catch any similarities, you probably did not imagine them. That, kids, is what happens when you work on fic ideas while watching television!
Save for the crackling of the fire in the fireplace, the mansion was nearly silent. Now well past midnight, everyone else had gone to bed. Everyone except for Scorpius, who sat alone in the Green Parlor, watching the candles flicker on the Christmas tree and tracing the title of the book in his lap. Unrest & Unction: Urg the Unclean and the Goblin Rebellion of 1752 signed by the author. He'd mentioned it once to Rose several weeks ago, while discussing the various goblin rebellions. Most of the books Scorpius had read, having been written by wizards, were horribly biased in favor of the wizards. The older ones he found in the manor library, texts written centuries ago, were openly scornful of the goblins. And after Binns had finally shuffled off to that great classroom in the sky, the goblin rebellions were no longer taught in-depth at Hogwarts.
The book had arrived during dinner, sent by owl. It was habit for them to write a short note to each other inside the book cover and this time was no different. Nothing like a little light reading over hols! I call dibs on the book when you're finished. Along with it Rose sent a short letter thanking him profusely for the rose bush and telling him about the wonderful time she had in Muggle London.
"Not sneaking a look at your gifts, are we?" Scorpius looked up to see his grandmother standing in the doorway, a small grin on her face.
"No. I just-- I couldn't sleep."
"Nor I," Narcissa admitted, smoothing her dressing gown as she took a seat across from him. "Refusing that second glass of wine at dinner was a mistake, I'm afraid."
Pointing towards the liquor cabinet behind him, he offered, "I could get you a drink if you want."
"That would be lovely, dear, thank you. A brandy, if you have it."
"We do." He'd memorized the contents of the liquor cabinet in his fifth year when he got the brilliant idea to smuggle some of its contents into Hogwarts for the end of the year party. Unfortunately, his dad had also memorized the contents and Scorpius' theft was soon discovered. It hadn't been one of his better plans, he had to admit.
Deciding a little alcohol might be exactly what his mood called for, Scorpius grabbed two glasses.
"I realize that with her position at the Ministry your mother has to be mindful of the political atmosphere." Scorpius braced himself for what was coming next because it surely wouldn't be good. It never was when Grandmother mentioned his mum's job. As far as Narcissa was concerned, Asteria Malfoy's work was a "selfish indulgence". Her most important duties as a wife and mother were to help elevate Draco's status in society and devote herself to Scorpius. (Even if he was away at school 200 days out of the year.) Nothing else could possibly matter as much. That was what she had done for her family, and that was what she expected from her daughter-in-law.
"But I simply cannot understand why she refuses to retain even one house-elf full-time," his grandmother continued. "Her work clearly leaves her unable to manage the house; it's only sensible to have an elf or two."
Knowing that there was little he could say that wouldn't lead to an argument, Scorpius chose to bite his tongue and nod. He handed her a glass. "Your brandy."
With a murmured "Thank you," Narcissa took a sip. "I worry about how your father copes with such an arrangement. You must understand, we always had house-elves. That is what he is accustomed to. It must be very stressful for him."
"He manages."
Though Scorpius had been careful to keep his voice calm and show no sign of emotion, his grandmother sensed that this wasn't a topic he wanted to discuss. "I suppose so."
It could have been worse. This had been the first time the elder Greengrasses and Malfoys had been under the same roof without an argument erupting between the two families. Usually it began when Helene or Linus (it was usually his Grandmama) glowingly talked about her other son-in-laws and how fortunate Kallisto and Daphne had been to marry so well. Uncle Benedict had been an up-and-coming politician, lauded in the American press as the future president of wizarding America. Uncle Gustave was the scion of the incredibly influential and prestigious Dauphin family and the youngest headmaster Beauxbatons had seen in over 700 years.
Then there was their other son-in-law, the former Death Eater.
At which point Lucius would point out the unfortunate tendency of the Greengrass line to produce Squibs and how it was only thanks to the superior genes of the Malfoy line that Scorpius was such a powerful wizard while Narcissa focused on Asteria's shortcomings as a wife and mother.
This year, things had been different. Years of careful management of the various sports teams he owned had borne fruit for Draco. The Quodpot team he owned had gone on to win the World Quodpot Series; two of his Quidditch teams - the Dalian Dragons and the Toyahashi Tengu - had faced-off in the Pan-Asian Quidditch Cup; and several more teams had been among the best of their respective leagues. It was not inconceivable that at least one of his teams would make it to the World Cup. For this, he was being lauded as a Quidditch genius, with complimentary articles appearing in various magazines and he even got his picture on the cover of Wizarding World of Sports.
Equally important when it came to the more subdued mood of Scorpius' grandparents was Uncle Benedict's recent arrest for embezzling public funds and Uncle Gustave being found in a compromising position with one of his students, a barely-legal wizard.
Suddenly, his dad was the "good" son-in-law.
"Is that the parcel you received earlier?" Narcissa asked, gesturing towards the book he had set on the table.
"Yeah. One of my friends sent it along."
Tilting her head so she could read the title, his grandmother nodded at this new bit of information. "I know you share your grandfather's love of history but I must confess, by the way you jumped up from the table earlier, I had imagined something more interesting than a history book."
He shrugged. "I've been wanting to read it for ages."
"Obviously." His grandmother answered in a smooth tone, but he knew she didn't believe him.
"It's from a friend I didn't get to see before hols."
Eyes on her brandy glass as she gently shook it, Narcissa inquired, "Would this be the young lady friend you mentioned to your grandfather?"
"He told you?" Whatever doubts he had about his impulse to tell his grandfather about his feelings for Rose suddenly vanished. Scorpius now knew that had been the wrong thing to do.
"We were concerned for you. You'd been in such poor spirits all summer--"
"I can't believe he told you!" He'd been wrong before, this was the most pathetic point in his entire life. That his grandparents had discussed his sad lack of a love-life left Scorpius wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
"Please don't be too upset, darling. As I said, we were worried."
Scorpius slouched down in his chair, crossing his arms, looking for all the world like a petulant child. And he knew it, he just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment.
"I understand that this won't mean much coming from me, but any girl who can't see what a remarkable young wizard you are surely isn't worth so much heartache!"
A new low had been found. Who cared if Rose was off having sleepovers with her knuckle-dragging prat of a boyfriend when his grandmother thought he was a catch! In a tight voice, careful not to roll his eyes, he muttered, "She has a boyfriend already."
With a graceful flick of her wrist, she waved the comment away. "Still."
He nodded, finishing off the last of his brandy and hoping she would find another topic soon.
As if reading his thoughts, she said, "Did you know your grandfather was first betrothed to my sister, Andromeda?"
"Er, what? Really?" He didn't know Aunt Andromeda that well but the little he did know about her, he couldn't imagine a more mismatched pairing.
"Oh, yes. It was all arranged, of course. Andromeda and Lucius never got along very well," she said, a sad look in her eyes despite her smile. "It was just before their seventh year, before she met Mr. Tonks. Our families had known each other for ages - even then the Malfoys were among the wealthiest pureblood families in England. Naturally, my parents wanted one of their daughters to marry into such an upstanding family and since Andromeda and Lucius are the same age, it only made sense to them that it be her."
"I guess." He still had no clue why she was telling him this now, but it was an interesting bit of family history. "Why not you? I mean, I know Aunt Andromeda is older, but since you had feelings for him--"
His grandmother had anticipated this question. "Because they didn't know how I felt. I didn't know how I felt. Until then, your grandfather had been a friend, nothing more." Narcissa paused, as if carefully considering her next words. "I had feelings for him, I just hadn't realized them. It was only when faced with the prospect of losing him that I did."
"I'm not sure--"
"What I'm trying to tell you is that no matter what you may believe, young women can be just as clueless as young men when it comes to affairs of the heart. Stubbornly so. And it's only when faced with the prospect of losing them to another woman that we can admit those feelings."
He hadn't given much thought to any other girls. He wasn't dead, he knew they existed but for the past year, his life had been decidedly Rose-centric. It made a certain amount of sense, given the way his own feelings for Rose seemed stronger whenever he saw her with Finnigan. "Right."
"Well, I should head back upstairs before your grandfather wonders where I am." Standing and leaning over to kiss his forehead, she whispered, "Don't stay up too late."
"I won't."
~~~~~~~~
On January 1st, at roughly 12:24 am, Scorpius began seriously wondering if he should give up any hope of ever being able to pull a bird and just join a monastery. He already had the sex life of a monk and he heard some kept meticulous gardens; maybe his complete inability to attract the opposite sex was really a sign from above. The fact that this plan had several flaws - like him not being particularly religious, him really hoping to have sex one day, and his family expecting him to produce a few heirs - didn't matter to Scorpius at the moment.
The plan was to go to the best New Year's Eve party he could (which turned out to be fellow Slytherin Lavinia Costard's), find a nice-looking girl and make sure he was near her when it was midnight. It was a plan he had considered brilliant in its simplicity. The liquor would be free-flowing, there would be plenty of single girls and he had the perfect excuse to kiss one.
And still somehow he had buggered it up completely. He had barely talked to anyone, including Al who was animatedly discussing the medicinal purposes of dragon's blood with Ariel Bardolph, a Ravenclaw in their year. As dull as their conversation was, Scorpius hadn't been able to look away. Literally. In front of him and to his left were two couples having full-blown snog sessions. He wasn't sure if all the rooms in the Costard home were full or if this was some bizarre sporting competition he'd been previously unaware of, but if it had gone on much longer, he might be tempted to narrate it like it was a Quidditch match.
Around the time that Al and Ariel began debating the merits of St. Mungo's apprentice Healer program versus that of Notre Dame de Coeur-d'un-Géant's and the couple next to him started moaning, Scorpius decided he needed a drink.
Making his way through the mass of swaying bodies and clinging couples, he felt more depressed with each one he passed. At least getting through the crowd wasn't too difficult, the blonde in front was apparently headed in the same direction as he was and doing most of the work when it came parting the sea.
She also appeared to be talking to him.
"Merlin's pinkie finger, this party was a mistake."
He looked around and behind him but, no, he was the only one going in the same direction as her.
"I hear Rynaldo Ross is having a pool party. An indoor pool party."
Scorpius certainly hoped he wasn't having an outdoor pool party.
"His step-mum is a Muggleborn from California and the first thing she did after becoming the third Mrs. Salerio Ross was have an addition built on the house because she missed having a pool. Looks just like a Roman bath."
Understandable.
"You're my best friend but I may never forgive you for--" Upon reaching the bar, the blonde turned around suddenly. "Wait--"
Scorpius smiled, giving a half-hearted wave. The blonde girl, whom he now recognized as Bianca Montague, a Slytherin a year below him, ignored this and looked over his shoulder. "Where... Ugh. I am so sorry, I thought you were Portia."
Mistaken for a girl? Still not the low point of this evening. "Nope, I'm Scorpius."
"I know that. You gave me those Singing Gladiolas last year."
"I did?" A memory came to him of having successfully grown Singing Gladiolas for Herbology last year and then looking for someone to pawn them off to. They were one of the few plants he didn't care much for and Rose wouldn't take them so he handed them off to the first person to compliment him on them: Bianca. "Oh, yeah, I did."
Bianca giggled and Scorpius realized this might be the chance he'd been looking for tonight. "So, er... it sounds like you're having as much fun as I am."
"I would have been better off staying home and getting a start on my homework. I have a massive project for Divination that's due when we return that I haven't begun."
"Yeah, I have a few papers to finish."
Bianca nodded attentively and Scorpius found that he was at a complete loss of what to say. Should he continue with the school theme? Compliment her? Or was it too soon for that? And now he had waited too long and she was looking around and fidgeting with her drink.
"So, Divination. What's that like?" Maybe he could just skip the rest of the school year and join a monastery tonight.
"Erm, it's nice." He smiled but it was clearly one of those polite 'oh God why am I talking to this idiot' sort of smiles. "I like it."
"My mum did too, was one of her best subjects. She works at the Department of Mysteries, she's a Necromancer." He was babbling about his mum and he couldn't stop. For a moment he felt like he was having an out-of-body experience as he imagined what this train wreck must look like from the outside. "I always thought it was a fascinating subject but I never had much aptitude for it."
"I think it's a hard subject for some people to get into. A lot of people are so closed-minded when it comes to Divination. I can understand Muggles being skeptical, but wizards? We know there's life after death and that people divine the future and still people don't take it seriously. It's maddening."
Scorpius nodded, elated their conversation had lasted this long. "I know my mum has to deal with the same thing. People either don't take it seriously or think she's deep into the Dark Arts because she specializes in Necromancy."
"Like the Ministry would hire a Dark wizard," she responded with a roll of her eyes. Touching his arm briefly, she asked, "Do you mind if we sit? My shoes are killing me."
"No, not at all," he answered quickly, following her to a nearby couch.
"It's weird this is the first time we've ever really spoken. My dad always speaks highly of yours. He said he's a really nice guy."
"My dad? Draco Malfoy?"
"Yeah," she said, smiling at him. "Is that so hard to believe?"
"Erm..." Yes. "I just don't think 'really nice guy' is what would immediately come to mind when describing him."
"They knew each other in school, my dad was on the Quidditch team with him."
"I didn't know that."
She nodded, brow furrowing as she remembered something. "Sometimes when he talks about the past, it's hard to understand the details. He becomes confused easily. Old head injury."
That explained his opinions of Scorpius' dad. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"He does fine most days. Anyway, enough about that. So are you here by yourself or did your friends ditch you as well?"
"The latter, I believe. He was chatting up some Ravenclaw in a remarkably nerdy fashion last I saw."
Bianca leaned back onto the couch, settling in such a way that she was practically curled into him. "I think Portia ran off with her ex. He's such an obnoxious little toerag, but she's still hung up on him. I don't get it."
Not entirely sure what to say - he had no idea who Portia or her ex were - he went with the advice from Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches: Be sympathetic. "Sounds like you're having a bad night."
"You don't know the half of it," she said, frowning into her drink. Long hair over her shoulder and lashes lowered, Scorpius found it hard to take his eyes off her.
Rule #1: Always listen. "Why don't you tell me?"
Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, a mischievous grin played on her lips. "For starters, I didn't even get a New Year's Eve kiss."
Scorpius blinked, so stunned that this might be working that he could hardly believe it. "Still midnight."
She moved closer to him, body touching his and chin almost on his shoulder. "Do you think it would still count?"
"Only if you want it to," he said softly, leaning in slightly and wondering who this far smoother entity was that had taken control of his brain.
"I think I do," she said, before closing the distance between them with a kiss.
~~~~~~~~
"Aren't the two of you just a little worried about your N.E.W.T.'s?" Al asked, peering at the two of them over his glasses. "Gobbo's no cream puff. The test for Transfiguration is said to be the toughest of all of them, we are way behind on what we need to cover before the end of the month and the two of you are wasting time talking about some prank."
Rose frowned. "It's January. We have five months."
Every so often, Al would temporarily lose his mind over school. It was just the way of the world. That first night, after Sorting, Al had informed Scorpius that he was going to be a Healer when he grew up. Not just any Healer, but he would "ideally" become Chief of Medicine for St. Mungo's by the time he was 35 and go on to discover a cure for spattergroit. Scorpius remembered being unsure of how to respond, believing at the time that Al had to be taking the piss. A week later, when Al landed himself in the infirmary for a day after turning into a nervous wreck over a lost essay assignment, Scorpius had to concede that his new friend had been perfectly serious.
"No. We have four months, two weeks, and a day."
"Al, it's going to be fine," Rose spoke in the same soothing tones you'd use with a child that just lost their favorite toy. "You always do well on exams, there's no need to worry."
"For you! I need to do well! This is my future we're talking about and if I want to get my choice of training assignments, I have to do well." Well, as far as Scorpius knew, meant scoring straight O's on his N.E.W.T.'s. However, he was sure Al had worked out how many E's he could afford without ruining the life plan he had decided on when he was eleven. "And right now, we should be nearly done reviewing how to regrow and transform bones and we haven't even begun! How am I going to be a Healer if I can't fix a broken bone?"
"You already know how to do that. We all do," Scorpius responded.
"You just don't get it." Al raked his finger through his messy hair. A determined look came over his face and he stood suddenly, gathering his books and papers. "I'm going to the library to study. I can't concentrate here."
Scorpius and Rose exchanged a glance as Al retreated from the library.
"See you at dinner!" Rose called before turning to whisper to Scorpius, "I reckon I should pop over to the joke shop this weekend and pick up more Uninhibition Potion."
"That's too mean." He grinned. "Wait until after N.E.W.T.'s."
Rose smiled. "If it wasn't for the extremely high potential for disaster, I'd be tempted to slip everyone some of that and make that our prank."
"We'd never be able to slip it into everyone's drinks."
"Sure we could. Are you kidding?"
She wasn't joking about this. "How?"
"The house-elves. Several of them are rather fond of me," Rose answered proudly. "And Hugo. And Lily and Al. Then there's always Kreacher who loves you."
"Eurgh. Don't remind me." The first time they met, a few weeks into Scorpius' first year, the ancient house-elf had nearly wept with joy at meeting "Mistress Narcissa's grandson" and the "proper heir to the House of Black". He spent the next several years fawning over "young Master" whenever their paths crossed. The last time Scorpius saw him, Kreacher begged that he make certain his head went next to his mother's in Grimmauld Place. For some reason Kreacher just didn't have faith that Harry would honor his wish.
After that, Scorpius went out of his way to avoid him.
"You know, my dad said he used to snog Orion Black's trousers. D'you ever wonder what he does with your laundry?"
"No." And he never wanted to.
"Kreacher loves young Master, oh yes he does," Rose imitated the house-elf, holding her hands in front of her as if she were holding a pair of trousers. "Kreacher dreams of his aristocratic face every night he does."
"You are a disturbed individual, Weasley."
Rose pulled the imaginary trousers closer and inhaled deeply, sighing, "Oh, young Master."
"Stop," Scorpius laughed.
"He's so devoted to you, how can you break his heart?"
"I don't date outside my own species."
"That's a very narrow view of the world."
"I can live with it," he assured her. Rose opened her mouth to respond but then closed it quickly, a strange look coming over her face. Before he had a chance to ask, a pair of slender hands were covering his eyes.
"Guess who?" It was Bianca. He'd recognize her flowery perfume a mile away and his nose was already starting to tickle.
Still, he tried to play along. "Kreacher?"
Rose laughed and Bianca made a confused sound. "Who?"
Pulling one of her hands away from his eyes, Scorpius turned towards her. "I knew it was you."
"I'd hope so," she giggled, leaning in to give him a kiss. At once, he felt both uncomfortable that Rose was sitting across from them and gratified. He'd spent months with an unwanted front-row seat for the Duncan-and-Rose show, so it was nice to finally be on the other side. Wrapping her arms around him, Bianca cooed, "I missed you, sweetie."
Scorpius turned pink at the endearment, his mind racing for something to say. "You did?"
"Of course I did!" Bianca giggled, sitting down next to him on the couch. She glanced at the coffee table where their unopened books lay. "I thought you were studying for your N.E.W.T.'s?"
"We got sidetracked by Al before he ditched us for the library," Rose supplied helpfully. Bianca looked over at her as if she hadn't realized the other girl was there, merely nodding in response before turning back towards her boyfriend.
Leaning into him as she held Scorpius' arm, Bianca beamed at him. "Guess what I did? Guess!"
"I... have no idea?"
"I got us a reservation at Madam Puddifoot's for the Saturday before Valentine's Day," she squealed happily, nails digging into his arm as she did.
"You did," he repeated, trying very hard to sound pleased. The closest he'd ever been to Madame Puddifoot's during Valentine's Day was passing by it on the sidewalk, he and Rose making fun of the patrons inside. "Wow. That's really great."
Glancing at Rose, then facing Scorpius again, Bianca frowned. "You don't sound very happy about it."
"It's a very romantic gesture," Rose piped in, lips pursed as she tried to keep a straight face and eyes bright with that familiar invitation to join in on her amusement.
Any other time he would, but Bianca was the girl he was dating and this was what he wanted. Or close enough. For now.
Looking back at Bianca, he smiled and gave her a small, chaste kiss on the lips. Softly and as sincerely as he could manage, he said, "I am. I'm just surprised, I didn't expect this."
Mollified, she pressed close to him and kissed the tip of his nose. "Well. You-" a kiss to his cheek- "had better- " his other cheek- "get used to it-" and then his chin. "I'm going to spoil you rotten," she promised before kissing him on the mouth.
He kissed back, relishing the attention from her. Dimly, he heard books and papers being shuffled and then Rose mumbled. "I should probably get going. I need to turn in my story before The Herald goes to print."
Bianca broke off the kiss, smiling sweetly at the other girl. "Bye."
~~~~~~~~
"Achoo!"
"Bless y--"
"Achoo!" Scorpius wiggled his nose, still feeling as if he might sneeze. Next to him, Bianca looked on worriedly.
"You don't think you're coming down with something? Maybe we should head back--"
"I'm not sick." It was the blasted cologne she had bought him. Just as his luck would have it, the makers of Bianca's cologne made a matching fragrance for men. Less flowery but every bit as aggravating. The combination of hers (which she seemed to have bathed in) and his (which she made him put on just before his sneezing fit) was overpowering. Scorpius blinked rapidly, tears coming to his eyes.
"Are your eyes watering? Are you having an allergic reaction? Should I get some--"
"No." He stood up quickly, pulling out enough Galleons to cover their tab. "Let's just go outside. I need fresh air."
Only pausing to grab his coat, Scorpius hurried from Madam Puddifoot's, leaving Bianca behind to gather up their gifts. He felt a pang of guilt at that but spared no thought of going back to help. The only thing worse than being stuck in that gaudy pink-colored Hell, slowly being strangled by cheap perfume, was looking like he was so overcome with emotion that he was crying. In public! With his classmates around!
Closing his eyes, Scorpius inhaled deeply, breathing in the cold February air. He could still catch a whiff of the cologne, but it wasn't as strong when he was outside. Still, he intended to take a shower as soon as they returned to the castle.
"Scorpius!"
He turned to see Bianca glaring at him, his cologne, her flowers, candy and teddy bear in her arms along with her coat and scarf. Stomping her foot, she demanded, "Are you going to help me or are you just going to stand there!?"
"Right." Rushing over to her, he took all the gifts from her so she could slip into her coat. Bianca took her time, carefully arranging her hair and wrapping her scarf around her neck. Scorpius was starting to feel like an idiot holding a teddy bear in the middle of the street but stifled the urge to tell her to hurry it up. As soon as she looked finished, he shoved the stuffed animal and flowers back in her arms. "Here."
Frowning, Bianca took them. "Are you feeling well?"
"I'm fine. I just want to get back to the castle. It's cold out here."
She didn't seem entirely convinced by this but she didn't say anything, instead moving her gifts over to one arm so she could link her other arm with his. Scorpius forced himself to smile at this, even though it always bugged him a little when she did it. He didn't mind being close to her but she walked so slowly that he was forced to slow down to keep in step with her.
At least the holiday had gone... Well, at least Bianca was happy. She'd been dropping hints for weeks about what she had wanted and, grateful for the suggestions, Scorpius had done bought her everything she asked. He wouldn't have had a clue what to get her otherwise, though he wished he'd had the foresight to buy her a different, milder perfume.
Their relationship itself was going pretty well. Bianca seemed happy with it and he was satisfied - or as much as he could be when he had no idea where he was going or what he was doing - only the vague sense this wasn't going the way he wanted it to. (Though Scorpius could admit, he had no idea how he wanted it to go. He really hadn't thought this far.) Small snags aside, he wasn't unhappy.
He missed Rose though. And Al. And free time spent alone. Bianca seemed insistent upon spending every possible moment with him and, as they were in the same House, it was hard to avoid her. His only respite was when he was in class and then Al was too focused on learning and Rose was giving him the cold shoulder. They hadn't spent any time together lately, not even to talk about the prank. It was hard to do when Bianca was always around him.
To complicate matters further, Bianca despised anyone with the last name Weasley (or Potter). He had wanted to believe it was just her jealousy towards Rose, that she saw his best friend as a threat and that (hopefully) Bianca was right about that. This theory went up in smoke last week when he saw her glaring angrily at Roxanne Weasley as both girls were leaving the Arithmancy class the they shared. When he finally asked Bianca what was going on, she revealed some strange story about the Weasley twins shoving her dad into a cabinet that led to some unknown empty space. Lost in there for weeks, he finally reappeared in fourth-floor toilet where he was discovered by several classmates including Scorpius' dad.
An incredible story, though not an impossible one Scorpius had to admit. He just wished he could ask Rose about it.
They entered the castle but rather than turning towards the stairs that would take them to Slytherin, Bianca steered them in the opposite direction.
"Where are we going?"
Giving him a coy smile, Bianca replied, "You'll see."
They ascended the stairs, going farther and farther till Scorpius became worried. They looked to be heading towards Gryffindor though he couldn't imagine why, since Bianca wouldn't want to visit anyone there. When they reached the seventh floor, Bianca lead him down a deserted corridor. He saw no doors, no other staircases, just a wall of strange portraits (including one of trolls in tutus) and a blank wall opposite that. After they had walked past the painting once, Bianca turned them around so they walked past it again.
"What are we doing?"
Turning them to walk past the painting for a third time, Bianca shushed him. He was about to ask again when a door appeared across from the painting. Bianca smiled as if she'd been expecting this.
"Wh--" Scorpius sputtered, then it dawned on him. "The Room of Requirement."
"That's right," Bianca said, taking his hand to guide him inside.
It looked just as he imagined Madam Puddifoot's would look if she ran a brothel rather than a teashop. All pink and bows, flowers and frills, with one large bed in the middle.
Still holding his hand, Bianca ducked her head shyly. "I hadn't expected all this."
"I don't believe that for a minute," he laughed.
"Maybe I expected some of this." Inching closer to him, Bianca kissed him soundly on the mouth. Surprised but certainly not displeased, Scorpius slid his arms around her waist, pressing her close as he deepened the kiss. Her fingers twined in his hair and he sighed into her mouth, every fantasy he'd ever had playing through his mind as she pressed against him.
The only problem was all his fantasies included Rose. The few fantasies he had of Bianca also included Rose. (Those were some of his favorites.) Even with his eyes closed, he couldn't completely ignore that it was Bianca in his arms. Her hair was long and straight rather than wild curls, she was too short rather than almost the same height as him, and she smelled of flowers not pumpkin and vanilla. Reality couldn't stop his mind from imagining it was Rose's tongue against his, her hands moving down his back, her soft sighs as he kissed her neck, her body against his. Though Scorpius tried, he couldn't help picturing Rose. She made every fantasy seem more vivid and more exciting, it was like the difference between walking and flying.
Despite knowing better, he was still surprised when she pulled away and Scorpius found himself looking into blue eyes instead of brown. Bianca tilted her head and gave him a curious look. "Why do you always keep your eyes closed?"
Was she a Legilimens? "I--I--um," he stammered, trying to think of a good reason before lamely stating, "I didn't know I did."
She seemed to think about this for a minute before smiling and shrugging it off. Leaning against him, she whispered, "I just wonder because sometimes I like to look at you."
"You do?"
"Of course." She kissed him again, smiling against his lips as she gently nudged him backwards towards the bed. He followed her movements though his mind was buzzing with questions and worries. She started unbuttoning his coat and all those thoughts melted away, replaced by the vision of Rose pushing his coat from his shoulders.
"I KNEW IT."
Triumphant, Corny Fenton burst into the room with a smug-looking Imogen Dogberry fast on his heels.
Scorpius and Bianca flew apart at the sound of a their arrival. Moving quickly, his erection dwindling but not completely gone, Scorpius hid behind his girlfriend. He couldn't see what Bianca was doing, but from the way she was crossing her arms, he knew she was angry. Trying to look for his discarded coat and keep an eye on their uninvited guests, he caught sight of Imogen smirking as she looked at their surroundings.
"Fifth one today and they just get tackier and tackier," the Ravenclaw said to her partner.
Corny shook his head, "And stupider. Most people have figured out by know that we're keeping an eye on this corridor."
"What exciting lives you lead," Bianca said waspishly. "How you both haven't dropped dead of boredom is beyond me."
"Detention!" Corny crowed triumphantly. "Both of you. This Saturday with your Head of House."
"And twenty points from Slytherin," Imogen added, smiling nastily at them.
"You're both path--" Bianca began but Scorpius grabbed her arm.
"It's not worth it. Let's just get out of here."
Gathering their things, the pair hurried out of the room. Scorpius hurriedly slid back into his coat while Bianca stomped off ahead of him, heading towards the stairs.
"Some people really need to get lives," she said loudly, obviously hoping Corny and Imogen would overhear her. Turning around towards Scorpius and speaking in her normal voice, she grumbled, "Can you believe those two? And we're the fifth couple they caught which means they have nothing better to do but try to ruin other peoples' Valentine's."
He didn't have a chance to respond before she yelled in the direction of the room, "IT'S COMPLETELY PATHETIC!"
"Just relax," he said wearily. Right now, Scorpius wanted nothing more than a cold shower and then to hide in his room and not think of how messed-up his life was or how Corny would be holding this over his head for the rest of the year.
"I'm so sorry, sweetie. I wanted us to have a special day," Bianca said, falling into step with him and taking his arm into hers.
"It was," he reassured her.
Bianca shook her head but remained quiet. Scorpius was really worried that she was going to start crying and he would have to spend the rest of the evening trying to make her feel better. But instead of crying, she looked over at him with that familiar coy smile. "What are you doing for Easter hols?"
"Nothing. Why?"
She moved closer to him. "My parents will be out of town for a few days. I was thinking you could come visit."
"Are you sure? Not that I don't want to," he added quickly when he saw the look of surprise on her face. "It's just... are you sure you want to... you know?"
Bianca giggled. "I thought that much would be obvious."
"I didn't want to presume anything. We haven't been going out for that long."
"Do you think it's too soon?"
"I didn't say that!"
They reached the first floor and Bianca turned to face him. "I haven't felt this way about anyone and I'm very sure I want to be with you for a long time."
Scorpius nodded, very careful not to show how flustered he was by this.
Bianca seemed to notice anyway. "If you're not ready, I understand. I know--"
"It's not that," he said, his own pride not letting him reveal otherwise. "It's just... I'm surprised."
He wasn't, not when he thought about it. He just didn't know what to say. On the one hand: they were involved, Bianca did care for him and was attracted to him, and Scorpius liked that. And he did care for her and was attracted to her, just not quite on the same level as her feelings. (And even if he was still in love with Rose and still thought about her constantly.) But Bianca wasn't asking him for that, was she? It's not like she was in love with him or wanted to marry him. She didn't expect that much and on some level, Scorpius felt like he'd be absolutely mental to refuse sex with a pretty girl who was mad about him.
On the other hand: it was completely wrong and a cruddy thing to do to someone.
"You don't have to answer now," she said softly. "Just promise me you'll think about it?"
He nodded. "I will."
~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure about this?" Scorpius asked, nervously looking around the darkened corridor.
"More sure than I've been about anything in my life," Rose answered, pushing him up against the wall before kissing him again. It was brilliant and wonderful and everything he imagined it would be. Her lips parted, deepening the kiss while her hands roamed down his chest, pulling his robes open. He couldn't help the sigh that escaped his mouth when she started kissing his neck, her hands working at loosening his tie.
"I've always felt the same way," she whispered, pulling away to look at him. Behind her, the morning sun was pouring through the windows; in the golden glow, Rose looked like an angel. Leaning in, she trailed soft kisses along his jaw as her hands drifted lower, stopping to rest at his belt. "Let me touch you."
In one smooth movement, he turned them around so she was up against the wall, sliding his robe off in the process. Rose wrapped one leg around him, pressing his body against hers as they kissed. He thrust against her, the feeling so incredible he couldn't resist even as the fears of being caught (they were supposed to be on patrol) and the guilt over Bianca (he should have broken it off with her ages ago) came to mind. Rose moaned in his ear, a sound that went straight to his groin and her nails dug into his skin, egging him on. With that, all other thoughts disappeared and his world narrowed to the incredible, amazing woman in his arms. The way she sounded, how she looked, the way she felt; nothing else existed.
They moved against each other like that till they found a rhythm. Scorpius only pulled apart from her, to unbutton the rest of her blouse, hands sliding over her soft skin. "You're beautiful," he murmured, gently tracing the curve of her breast before cupping it fully. Rose whimpered softly at the touch, leaning in to kiss him again, her breath hot against his lips.
"SCORPIUS!"
He jumped at the familiar voice, pulling Rose closer to try to cover her while looking around for whoever had called his name.
Then Scorpius saw him.
Standing right in front of them, dressed head-to-toe in a purple robe decorated with gold stars, a preternaturally calm look on his face was Albus Dumbledore. Despite having been dead for 25 years, he looked very much corporeal and utterly unperturbed at finding two students frotting in the halls.
"What--what..." Scorpius turned to look at Rose, who looked completely calm considering a dead headmaster was standing there staring at them. Dumbledore, still not saying anything, dug around his pocket before pulling out something small and handing it to Scorpius.
It was a lemon drop.
"I don't--"
"SCORPIUS!"
He jolted awake, one hand groping a pillow and heart pounding wildly. Leaning against one of the bedposts, with a cross look on his face, was Al. "You sleep like the dead."
"What?" Scorpius asked dumbly, so thankful for thick blankets and his tendency to sleep on his stomach. "What's going on?"
"The match? Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff? The one you wanted to go to--"
"Yeah, yeah. I remember." He looked around for his watch. "What time is it? When does th--"
"Match starts at twelve and it's now quarter to," Al said, walking over to his own bed.
"Right. Thanks."
Part One
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Author: birdseyeview
Gift For: lunalovepotter
Summary: Needing help when it comes to his relationship with Rose, Scorpius receives some unsolicited advice from a few unlikely sources.
Rating: NC-17 eventually, light R for this part.
Warnings: Teenage-boy horniness, some profanity and (highlight for spoilers) mentions of Rose/OMC and sexy scenes involving Scorpius/OFC... I SWEAR TO GOD THIS WILL BE ROSE/SCORPIUS!
Word Count: 33,274
Author's notes: You asked for: something set at Hogwarts in their sixth or seventh year. Would like to see something with forbidden love, either Scorpius or Rose denying their feelings at first and then giving in. Reactions of Ron and Draco would be ideal, as well. I'm not sure if this is what you had in mind when you asked for "forbidden love" but for some reason this is the shape the story took. I hope you like it :D!
Much love to my amazing betas: Liz, Sarah and Mary (not their real names but I'll reveal that later). Without them this would have been 75 pages (that's what MSWord says anyway) of misplaced commas, mangled Britishisms and confused verb tenses. &hearts! Also, several aspects of the story including one joke and two minor characters were inspired by/shamelessly stolen from The Office (US version). So if you catch any similarities, you probably did not imagine them. That, kids, is what happens when you work on fic ideas while watching television!
Save for the crackling of the fire in the fireplace, the mansion was nearly silent. Now well past midnight, everyone else had gone to bed. Everyone except for Scorpius, who sat alone in the Green Parlor, watching the candles flicker on the Christmas tree and tracing the title of the book in his lap. Unrest & Unction: Urg the Unclean and the Goblin Rebellion of 1752 signed by the author. He'd mentioned it once to Rose several weeks ago, while discussing the various goblin rebellions. Most of the books Scorpius had read, having been written by wizards, were horribly biased in favor of the wizards. The older ones he found in the manor library, texts written centuries ago, were openly scornful of the goblins. And after Binns had finally shuffled off to that great classroom in the sky, the goblin rebellions were no longer taught in-depth at Hogwarts.
The book had arrived during dinner, sent by owl. It was habit for them to write a short note to each other inside the book cover and this time was no different. Nothing like a little light reading over hols! I call dibs on the book when you're finished. Along with it Rose sent a short letter thanking him profusely for the rose bush and telling him about the wonderful time she had in Muggle London.
"Not sneaking a look at your gifts, are we?" Scorpius looked up to see his grandmother standing in the doorway, a small grin on her face.
"No. I just-- I couldn't sleep."
"Nor I," Narcissa admitted, smoothing her dressing gown as she took a seat across from him. "Refusing that second glass of wine at dinner was a mistake, I'm afraid."
Pointing towards the liquor cabinet behind him, he offered, "I could get you a drink if you want."
"That would be lovely, dear, thank you. A brandy, if you have it."
"We do." He'd memorized the contents of the liquor cabinet in his fifth year when he got the brilliant idea to smuggle some of its contents into Hogwarts for the end of the year party. Unfortunately, his dad had also memorized the contents and Scorpius' theft was soon discovered. It hadn't been one of his better plans, he had to admit.
Deciding a little alcohol might be exactly what his mood called for, Scorpius grabbed two glasses.
"I realize that with her position at the Ministry your mother has to be mindful of the political atmosphere." Scorpius braced himself for what was coming next because it surely wouldn't be good. It never was when Grandmother mentioned his mum's job. As far as Narcissa was concerned, Asteria Malfoy's work was a "selfish indulgence". Her most important duties as a wife and mother were to help elevate Draco's status in society and devote herself to Scorpius. (Even if he was away at school 200 days out of the year.) Nothing else could possibly matter as much. That was what she had done for her family, and that was what she expected from her daughter-in-law.
"But I simply cannot understand why she refuses to retain even one house-elf full-time," his grandmother continued. "Her work clearly leaves her unable to manage the house; it's only sensible to have an elf or two."
Knowing that there was little he could say that wouldn't lead to an argument, Scorpius chose to bite his tongue and nod. He handed her a glass. "Your brandy."
With a murmured "Thank you," Narcissa took a sip. "I worry about how your father copes with such an arrangement. You must understand, we always had house-elves. That is what he is accustomed to. It must be very stressful for him."
"He manages."
Though Scorpius had been careful to keep his voice calm and show no sign of emotion, his grandmother sensed that this wasn't a topic he wanted to discuss. "I suppose so."
It could have been worse. This had been the first time the elder Greengrasses and Malfoys had been under the same roof without an argument erupting between the two families. Usually it began when Helene or Linus (it was usually his Grandmama) glowingly talked about her other son-in-laws and how fortunate Kallisto and Daphne had been to marry so well. Uncle Benedict had been an up-and-coming politician, lauded in the American press as the future president of wizarding America. Uncle Gustave was the scion of the incredibly influential and prestigious Dauphin family and the youngest headmaster Beauxbatons had seen in over 700 years.
Then there was their other son-in-law, the former Death Eater.
At which point Lucius would point out the unfortunate tendency of the Greengrass line to produce Squibs and how it was only thanks to the superior genes of the Malfoy line that Scorpius was such a powerful wizard while Narcissa focused on Asteria's shortcomings as a wife and mother.
This year, things had been different. Years of careful management of the various sports teams he owned had borne fruit for Draco. The Quodpot team he owned had gone on to win the World Quodpot Series; two of his Quidditch teams - the Dalian Dragons and the Toyahashi Tengu - had faced-off in the Pan-Asian Quidditch Cup; and several more teams had been among the best of their respective leagues. It was not inconceivable that at least one of his teams would make it to the World Cup. For this, he was being lauded as a Quidditch genius, with complimentary articles appearing in various magazines and he even got his picture on the cover of Wizarding World of Sports.
Equally important when it came to the more subdued mood of Scorpius' grandparents was Uncle Benedict's recent arrest for embezzling public funds and Uncle Gustave being found in a compromising position with one of his students, a barely-legal wizard.
Suddenly, his dad was the "good" son-in-law.
"Is that the parcel you received earlier?" Narcissa asked, gesturing towards the book he had set on the table.
"Yeah. One of my friends sent it along."
Tilting her head so she could read the title, his grandmother nodded at this new bit of information. "I know you share your grandfather's love of history but I must confess, by the way you jumped up from the table earlier, I had imagined something more interesting than a history book."
He shrugged. "I've been wanting to read it for ages."
"Obviously." His grandmother answered in a smooth tone, but he knew she didn't believe him.
"It's from a friend I didn't get to see before hols."
Eyes on her brandy glass as she gently shook it, Narcissa inquired, "Would this be the young lady friend you mentioned to your grandfather?"
"He told you?" Whatever doubts he had about his impulse to tell his grandfather about his feelings for Rose suddenly vanished. Scorpius now knew that had been the wrong thing to do.
"We were concerned for you. You'd been in such poor spirits all summer--"
"I can't believe he told you!" He'd been wrong before, this was the most pathetic point in his entire life. That his grandparents had discussed his sad lack of a love-life left Scorpius wishing the ground would open up and swallow him whole.
"Please don't be too upset, darling. As I said, we were worried."
Scorpius slouched down in his chair, crossing his arms, looking for all the world like a petulant child. And he knew it, he just couldn't bring himself to care at the moment.
"I understand that this won't mean much coming from me, but any girl who can't see what a remarkable young wizard you are surely isn't worth so much heartache!"
A new low had been found. Who cared if Rose was off having sleepovers with her knuckle-dragging prat of a boyfriend when his grandmother thought he was a catch! In a tight voice, careful not to roll his eyes, he muttered, "She has a boyfriend already."
With a graceful flick of her wrist, she waved the comment away. "Still."
He nodded, finishing off the last of his brandy and hoping she would find another topic soon.
As if reading his thoughts, she said, "Did you know your grandfather was first betrothed to my sister, Andromeda?"
"Er, what? Really?" He didn't know Aunt Andromeda that well but the little he did know about her, he couldn't imagine a more mismatched pairing.
"Oh, yes. It was all arranged, of course. Andromeda and Lucius never got along very well," she said, a sad look in her eyes despite her smile. "It was just before their seventh year, before she met Mr. Tonks. Our families had known each other for ages - even then the Malfoys were among the wealthiest pureblood families in England. Naturally, my parents wanted one of their daughters to marry into such an upstanding family and since Andromeda and Lucius are the same age, it only made sense to them that it be her."
"I guess." He still had no clue why she was telling him this now, but it was an interesting bit of family history. "Why not you? I mean, I know Aunt Andromeda is older, but since you had feelings for him--"
His grandmother had anticipated this question. "Because they didn't know how I felt. I didn't know how I felt. Until then, your grandfather had been a friend, nothing more." Narcissa paused, as if carefully considering her next words. "I had feelings for him, I just hadn't realized them. It was only when faced with the prospect of losing him that I did."
"I'm not sure--"
"What I'm trying to tell you is that no matter what you may believe, young women can be just as clueless as young men when it comes to affairs of the heart. Stubbornly so. And it's only when faced with the prospect of losing them to another woman that we can admit those feelings."
He hadn't given much thought to any other girls. He wasn't dead, he knew they existed but for the past year, his life had been decidedly Rose-centric. It made a certain amount of sense, given the way his own feelings for Rose seemed stronger whenever he saw her with Finnigan. "Right."
"Well, I should head back upstairs before your grandfather wonders where I am." Standing and leaning over to kiss his forehead, she whispered, "Don't stay up too late."
"I won't."
~~~~~~~~
On January 1st, at roughly 12:24 am, Scorpius began seriously wondering if he should give up any hope of ever being able to pull a bird and just join a monastery. He already had the sex life of a monk and he heard some kept meticulous gardens; maybe his complete inability to attract the opposite sex was really a sign from above. The fact that this plan had several flaws - like him not being particularly religious, him really hoping to have sex one day, and his family expecting him to produce a few heirs - didn't matter to Scorpius at the moment.
The plan was to go to the best New Year's Eve party he could (which turned out to be fellow Slytherin Lavinia Costard's), find a nice-looking girl and make sure he was near her when it was midnight. It was a plan he had considered brilliant in its simplicity. The liquor would be free-flowing, there would be plenty of single girls and he had the perfect excuse to kiss one.
And still somehow he had buggered it up completely. He had barely talked to anyone, including Al who was animatedly discussing the medicinal purposes of dragon's blood with Ariel Bardolph, a Ravenclaw in their year. As dull as their conversation was, Scorpius hadn't been able to look away. Literally. In front of him and to his left were two couples having full-blown snog sessions. He wasn't sure if all the rooms in the Costard home were full or if this was some bizarre sporting competition he'd been previously unaware of, but if it had gone on much longer, he might be tempted to narrate it like it was a Quidditch match.
Around the time that Al and Ariel began debating the merits of St. Mungo's apprentice Healer program versus that of Notre Dame de Coeur-d'un-Géant's and the couple next to him started moaning, Scorpius decided he needed a drink.
Making his way through the mass of swaying bodies and clinging couples, he felt more depressed with each one he passed. At least getting through the crowd wasn't too difficult, the blonde in front was apparently headed in the same direction as he was and doing most of the work when it came parting the sea.
She also appeared to be talking to him.
"Merlin's pinkie finger, this party was a mistake."
He looked around and behind him but, no, he was the only one going in the same direction as her.
"I hear Rynaldo Ross is having a pool party. An indoor pool party."
Scorpius certainly hoped he wasn't having an outdoor pool party.
"His step-mum is a Muggleborn from California and the first thing she did after becoming the third Mrs. Salerio Ross was have an addition built on the house because she missed having a pool. Looks just like a Roman bath."
Understandable.
"You're my best friend but I may never forgive you for--" Upon reaching the bar, the blonde turned around suddenly. "Wait--"
Scorpius smiled, giving a half-hearted wave. The blonde girl, whom he now recognized as Bianca Montague, a Slytherin a year below him, ignored this and looked over his shoulder. "Where... Ugh. I am so sorry, I thought you were Portia."
Mistaken for a girl? Still not the low point of this evening. "Nope, I'm Scorpius."
"I know that. You gave me those Singing Gladiolas last year."
"I did?" A memory came to him of having successfully grown Singing Gladiolas for Herbology last year and then looking for someone to pawn them off to. They were one of the few plants he didn't care much for and Rose wouldn't take them so he handed them off to the first person to compliment him on them: Bianca. "Oh, yeah, I did."
Bianca giggled and Scorpius realized this might be the chance he'd been looking for tonight. "So, er... it sounds like you're having as much fun as I am."
"I would have been better off staying home and getting a start on my homework. I have a massive project for Divination that's due when we return that I haven't begun."
"Yeah, I have a few papers to finish."
Bianca nodded attentively and Scorpius found that he was at a complete loss of what to say. Should he continue with the school theme? Compliment her? Or was it too soon for that? And now he had waited too long and she was looking around and fidgeting with her drink.
"So, Divination. What's that like?" Maybe he could just skip the rest of the school year and join a monastery tonight.
"Erm, it's nice." He smiled but it was clearly one of those polite 'oh God why am I talking to this idiot' sort of smiles. "I like it."
"My mum did too, was one of her best subjects. She works at the Department of Mysteries, she's a Necromancer." He was babbling about his mum and he couldn't stop. For a moment he felt like he was having an out-of-body experience as he imagined what this train wreck must look like from the outside. "I always thought it was a fascinating subject but I never had much aptitude for it."
"I think it's a hard subject for some people to get into. A lot of people are so closed-minded when it comes to Divination. I can understand Muggles being skeptical, but wizards? We know there's life after death and that people divine the future and still people don't take it seriously. It's maddening."
Scorpius nodded, elated their conversation had lasted this long. "I know my mum has to deal with the same thing. People either don't take it seriously or think she's deep into the Dark Arts because she specializes in Necromancy."
"Like the Ministry would hire a Dark wizard," she responded with a roll of her eyes. Touching his arm briefly, she asked, "Do you mind if we sit? My shoes are killing me."
"No, not at all," he answered quickly, following her to a nearby couch.
"It's weird this is the first time we've ever really spoken. My dad always speaks highly of yours. He said he's a really nice guy."
"My dad? Draco Malfoy?"
"Yeah," she said, smiling at him. "Is that so hard to believe?"
"Erm..." Yes. "I just don't think 'really nice guy' is what would immediately come to mind when describing him."
"They knew each other in school, my dad was on the Quidditch team with him."
"I didn't know that."
She nodded, brow furrowing as she remembered something. "Sometimes when he talks about the past, it's hard to understand the details. He becomes confused easily. Old head injury."
That explained his opinions of Scorpius' dad. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"He does fine most days. Anyway, enough about that. So are you here by yourself or did your friends ditch you as well?"
"The latter, I believe. He was chatting up some Ravenclaw in a remarkably nerdy fashion last I saw."
Bianca leaned back onto the couch, settling in such a way that she was practically curled into him. "I think Portia ran off with her ex. He's such an obnoxious little toerag, but she's still hung up on him. I don't get it."
Not entirely sure what to say - he had no idea who Portia or her ex were - he went with the advice from Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches: Be sympathetic. "Sounds like you're having a bad night."
"You don't know the half of it," she said, frowning into her drink. Long hair over her shoulder and lashes lowered, Scorpius found it hard to take his eyes off her.
Rule #1: Always listen. "Why don't you tell me?"
Looking at him out of the corner of her eye, a mischievous grin played on her lips. "For starters, I didn't even get a New Year's Eve kiss."
Scorpius blinked, so stunned that this might be working that he could hardly believe it. "Still midnight."
She moved closer to him, body touching his and chin almost on his shoulder. "Do you think it would still count?"
"Only if you want it to," he said softly, leaning in slightly and wondering who this far smoother entity was that had taken control of his brain.
"I think I do," she said, before closing the distance between them with a kiss.
~~~~~~~~
"Aren't the two of you just a little worried about your N.E.W.T.'s?" Al asked, peering at the two of them over his glasses. "Gobbo's no cream puff. The test for Transfiguration is said to be the toughest of all of them, we are way behind on what we need to cover before the end of the month and the two of you are wasting time talking about some prank."
Rose frowned. "It's January. We have five months."
Every so often, Al would temporarily lose his mind over school. It was just the way of the world. That first night, after Sorting, Al had informed Scorpius that he was going to be a Healer when he grew up. Not just any Healer, but he would "ideally" become Chief of Medicine for St. Mungo's by the time he was 35 and go on to discover a cure for spattergroit. Scorpius remembered being unsure of how to respond, believing at the time that Al had to be taking the piss. A week later, when Al landed himself in the infirmary for a day after turning into a nervous wreck over a lost essay assignment, Scorpius had to concede that his new friend had been perfectly serious.
"No. We have four months, two weeks, and a day."
"Al, it's going to be fine," Rose spoke in the same soothing tones you'd use with a child that just lost their favorite toy. "You always do well on exams, there's no need to worry."
"For you! I need to do well! This is my future we're talking about and if I want to get my choice of training assignments, I have to do well." Well, as far as Scorpius knew, meant scoring straight O's on his N.E.W.T.'s. However, he was sure Al had worked out how many E's he could afford without ruining the life plan he had decided on when he was eleven. "And right now, we should be nearly done reviewing how to regrow and transform bones and we haven't even begun! How am I going to be a Healer if I can't fix a broken bone?"
"You already know how to do that. We all do," Scorpius responded.
"You just don't get it." Al raked his finger through his messy hair. A determined look came over his face and he stood suddenly, gathering his books and papers. "I'm going to the library to study. I can't concentrate here."
Scorpius and Rose exchanged a glance as Al retreated from the library.
"See you at dinner!" Rose called before turning to whisper to Scorpius, "I reckon I should pop over to the joke shop this weekend and pick up more Uninhibition Potion."
"That's too mean." He grinned. "Wait until after N.E.W.T.'s."
Rose smiled. "If it wasn't for the extremely high potential for disaster, I'd be tempted to slip everyone some of that and make that our prank."
"We'd never be able to slip it into everyone's drinks."
"Sure we could. Are you kidding?"
She wasn't joking about this. "How?"
"The house-elves. Several of them are rather fond of me," Rose answered proudly. "And Hugo. And Lily and Al. Then there's always Kreacher who loves you."
"Eurgh. Don't remind me." The first time they met, a few weeks into Scorpius' first year, the ancient house-elf had nearly wept with joy at meeting "Mistress Narcissa's grandson" and the "proper heir to the House of Black". He spent the next several years fawning over "young Master" whenever their paths crossed. The last time Scorpius saw him, Kreacher begged that he make certain his head went next to his mother's in Grimmauld Place. For some reason Kreacher just didn't have faith that Harry would honor his wish.
After that, Scorpius went out of his way to avoid him.
"You know, my dad said he used to snog Orion Black's trousers. D'you ever wonder what he does with your laundry?"
"No." And he never wanted to.
"Kreacher loves young Master, oh yes he does," Rose imitated the house-elf, holding her hands in front of her as if she were holding a pair of trousers. "Kreacher dreams of his aristocratic face every night he does."
"You are a disturbed individual, Weasley."
Rose pulled the imaginary trousers closer and inhaled deeply, sighing, "Oh, young Master."
"Stop," Scorpius laughed.
"He's so devoted to you, how can you break his heart?"
"I don't date outside my own species."
"That's a very narrow view of the world."
"I can live with it," he assured her. Rose opened her mouth to respond but then closed it quickly, a strange look coming over her face. Before he had a chance to ask, a pair of slender hands were covering his eyes.
"Guess who?" It was Bianca. He'd recognize her flowery perfume a mile away and his nose was already starting to tickle.
Still, he tried to play along. "Kreacher?"
Rose laughed and Bianca made a confused sound. "Who?"
Pulling one of her hands away from his eyes, Scorpius turned towards her. "I knew it was you."
"I'd hope so," she giggled, leaning in to give him a kiss. At once, he felt both uncomfortable that Rose was sitting across from them and gratified. He'd spent months with an unwanted front-row seat for the Duncan-and-Rose show, so it was nice to finally be on the other side. Wrapping her arms around him, Bianca cooed, "I missed you, sweetie."
Scorpius turned pink at the endearment, his mind racing for something to say. "You did?"
"Of course I did!" Bianca giggled, sitting down next to him on the couch. She glanced at the coffee table where their unopened books lay. "I thought you were studying for your N.E.W.T.'s?"
"We got sidetracked by Al before he ditched us for the library," Rose supplied helpfully. Bianca looked over at her as if she hadn't realized the other girl was there, merely nodding in response before turning back towards her boyfriend.
Leaning into him as she held Scorpius' arm, Bianca beamed at him. "Guess what I did? Guess!"
"I... have no idea?"
"I got us a reservation at Madam Puddifoot's for the Saturday before Valentine's Day," she squealed happily, nails digging into his arm as she did.
"You did," he repeated, trying very hard to sound pleased. The closest he'd ever been to Madame Puddifoot's during Valentine's Day was passing by it on the sidewalk, he and Rose making fun of the patrons inside. "Wow. That's really great."
Glancing at Rose, then facing Scorpius again, Bianca frowned. "You don't sound very happy about it."
"It's a very romantic gesture," Rose piped in, lips pursed as she tried to keep a straight face and eyes bright with that familiar invitation to join in on her amusement.
Any other time he would, but Bianca was the girl he was dating and this was what he wanted. Or close enough. For now.
Looking back at Bianca, he smiled and gave her a small, chaste kiss on the lips. Softly and as sincerely as he could manage, he said, "I am. I'm just surprised, I didn't expect this."
Mollified, she pressed close to him and kissed the tip of his nose. "Well. You-" a kiss to his cheek- "had better- " his other cheek- "get used to it-" and then his chin. "I'm going to spoil you rotten," she promised before kissing him on the mouth.
He kissed back, relishing the attention from her. Dimly, he heard books and papers being shuffled and then Rose mumbled. "I should probably get going. I need to turn in my story before The Herald goes to print."
Bianca broke off the kiss, smiling sweetly at the other girl. "Bye."
~~~~~~~~
"Achoo!"
"Bless y--"
"Achoo!" Scorpius wiggled his nose, still feeling as if he might sneeze. Next to him, Bianca looked on worriedly.
"You don't think you're coming down with something? Maybe we should head back--"
"I'm not sick." It was the blasted cologne she had bought him. Just as his luck would have it, the makers of Bianca's cologne made a matching fragrance for men. Less flowery but every bit as aggravating. The combination of hers (which she seemed to have bathed in) and his (which she made him put on just before his sneezing fit) was overpowering. Scorpius blinked rapidly, tears coming to his eyes.
"Are your eyes watering? Are you having an allergic reaction? Should I get some--"
"No." He stood up quickly, pulling out enough Galleons to cover their tab. "Let's just go outside. I need fresh air."
Only pausing to grab his coat, Scorpius hurried from Madam Puddifoot's, leaving Bianca behind to gather up their gifts. He felt a pang of guilt at that but spared no thought of going back to help. The only thing worse than being stuck in that gaudy pink-colored Hell, slowly being strangled by cheap perfume, was looking like he was so overcome with emotion that he was crying. In public! With his classmates around!
Closing his eyes, Scorpius inhaled deeply, breathing in the cold February air. He could still catch a whiff of the cologne, but it wasn't as strong when he was outside. Still, he intended to take a shower as soon as they returned to the castle.
"Scorpius!"
He turned to see Bianca glaring at him, his cologne, her flowers, candy and teddy bear in her arms along with her coat and scarf. Stomping her foot, she demanded, "Are you going to help me or are you just going to stand there!?"
"Right." Rushing over to her, he took all the gifts from her so she could slip into her coat. Bianca took her time, carefully arranging her hair and wrapping her scarf around her neck. Scorpius was starting to feel like an idiot holding a teddy bear in the middle of the street but stifled the urge to tell her to hurry it up. As soon as she looked finished, he shoved the stuffed animal and flowers back in her arms. "Here."
Frowning, Bianca took them. "Are you feeling well?"
"I'm fine. I just want to get back to the castle. It's cold out here."
She didn't seem entirely convinced by this but she didn't say anything, instead moving her gifts over to one arm so she could link her other arm with his. Scorpius forced himself to smile at this, even though it always bugged him a little when she did it. He didn't mind being close to her but she walked so slowly that he was forced to slow down to keep in step with her.
At least the holiday had gone... Well, at least Bianca was happy. She'd been dropping hints for weeks about what she had wanted and, grateful for the suggestions, Scorpius had done bought her everything she asked. He wouldn't have had a clue what to get her otherwise, though he wished he'd had the foresight to buy her a different, milder perfume.
Their relationship itself was going pretty well. Bianca seemed happy with it and he was satisfied - or as much as he could be when he had no idea where he was going or what he was doing - only the vague sense this wasn't going the way he wanted it to. (Though Scorpius could admit, he had no idea how he wanted it to go. He really hadn't thought this far.) Small snags aside, he wasn't unhappy.
He missed Rose though. And Al. And free time spent alone. Bianca seemed insistent upon spending every possible moment with him and, as they were in the same House, it was hard to avoid her. His only respite was when he was in class and then Al was too focused on learning and Rose was giving him the cold shoulder. They hadn't spent any time together lately, not even to talk about the prank. It was hard to do when Bianca was always around him.
To complicate matters further, Bianca despised anyone with the last name Weasley (or Potter). He had wanted to believe it was just her jealousy towards Rose, that she saw his best friend as a threat and that (hopefully) Bianca was right about that. This theory went up in smoke last week when he saw her glaring angrily at Roxanne Weasley as both girls were leaving the Arithmancy class the they shared. When he finally asked Bianca what was going on, she revealed some strange story about the Weasley twins shoving her dad into a cabinet that led to some unknown empty space. Lost in there for weeks, he finally reappeared in fourth-floor toilet where he was discovered by several classmates including Scorpius' dad.
An incredible story, though not an impossible one Scorpius had to admit. He just wished he could ask Rose about it.
They entered the castle but rather than turning towards the stairs that would take them to Slytherin, Bianca steered them in the opposite direction.
"Where are we going?"
Giving him a coy smile, Bianca replied, "You'll see."
They ascended the stairs, going farther and farther till Scorpius became worried. They looked to be heading towards Gryffindor though he couldn't imagine why, since Bianca wouldn't want to visit anyone there. When they reached the seventh floor, Bianca lead him down a deserted corridor. He saw no doors, no other staircases, just a wall of strange portraits (including one of trolls in tutus) and a blank wall opposite that. After they had walked past the painting once, Bianca turned them around so they walked past it again.
"What are we doing?"
Turning them to walk past the painting for a third time, Bianca shushed him. He was about to ask again when a door appeared across from the painting. Bianca smiled as if she'd been expecting this.
"Wh--" Scorpius sputtered, then it dawned on him. "The Room of Requirement."
"That's right," Bianca said, taking his hand to guide him inside.
It looked just as he imagined Madam Puddifoot's would look if she ran a brothel rather than a teashop. All pink and bows, flowers and frills, with one large bed in the middle.
Still holding his hand, Bianca ducked her head shyly. "I hadn't expected all this."
"I don't believe that for a minute," he laughed.
"Maybe I expected some of this." Inching closer to him, Bianca kissed him soundly on the mouth. Surprised but certainly not displeased, Scorpius slid his arms around her waist, pressing her close as he deepened the kiss. Her fingers twined in his hair and he sighed into her mouth, every fantasy he'd ever had playing through his mind as she pressed against him.
The only problem was all his fantasies included Rose. The few fantasies he had of Bianca also included Rose. (Those were some of his favorites.) Even with his eyes closed, he couldn't completely ignore that it was Bianca in his arms. Her hair was long and straight rather than wild curls, she was too short rather than almost the same height as him, and she smelled of flowers not pumpkin and vanilla. Reality couldn't stop his mind from imagining it was Rose's tongue against his, her hands moving down his back, her soft sighs as he kissed her neck, her body against his. Though Scorpius tried, he couldn't help picturing Rose. She made every fantasy seem more vivid and more exciting, it was like the difference between walking and flying.
Despite knowing better, he was still surprised when she pulled away and Scorpius found himself looking into blue eyes instead of brown. Bianca tilted her head and gave him a curious look. "Why do you always keep your eyes closed?"
Was she a Legilimens? "I--I--um," he stammered, trying to think of a good reason before lamely stating, "I didn't know I did."
She seemed to think about this for a minute before smiling and shrugging it off. Leaning against him, she whispered, "I just wonder because sometimes I like to look at you."
"You do?"
"Of course." She kissed him again, smiling against his lips as she gently nudged him backwards towards the bed. He followed her movements though his mind was buzzing with questions and worries. She started unbuttoning his coat and all those thoughts melted away, replaced by the vision of Rose pushing his coat from his shoulders.
"I KNEW IT."
Triumphant, Corny Fenton burst into the room with a smug-looking Imogen Dogberry fast on his heels.
Scorpius and Bianca flew apart at the sound of a their arrival. Moving quickly, his erection dwindling but not completely gone, Scorpius hid behind his girlfriend. He couldn't see what Bianca was doing, but from the way she was crossing her arms, he knew she was angry. Trying to look for his discarded coat and keep an eye on their uninvited guests, he caught sight of Imogen smirking as she looked at their surroundings.
"Fifth one today and they just get tackier and tackier," the Ravenclaw said to her partner.
Corny shook his head, "And stupider. Most people have figured out by know that we're keeping an eye on this corridor."
"What exciting lives you lead," Bianca said waspishly. "How you both haven't dropped dead of boredom is beyond me."
"Detention!" Corny crowed triumphantly. "Both of you. This Saturday with your Head of House."
"And twenty points from Slytherin," Imogen added, smiling nastily at them.
"You're both path--" Bianca began but Scorpius grabbed her arm.
"It's not worth it. Let's just get out of here."
Gathering their things, the pair hurried out of the room. Scorpius hurriedly slid back into his coat while Bianca stomped off ahead of him, heading towards the stairs.
"Some people really need to get lives," she said loudly, obviously hoping Corny and Imogen would overhear her. Turning around towards Scorpius and speaking in her normal voice, she grumbled, "Can you believe those two? And we're the fifth couple they caught which means they have nothing better to do but try to ruin other peoples' Valentine's."
He didn't have a chance to respond before she yelled in the direction of the room, "IT'S COMPLETELY PATHETIC!"
"Just relax," he said wearily. Right now, Scorpius wanted nothing more than a cold shower and then to hide in his room and not think of how messed-up his life was or how Corny would be holding this over his head for the rest of the year.
"I'm so sorry, sweetie. I wanted us to have a special day," Bianca said, falling into step with him and taking his arm into hers.
"It was," he reassured her.
Bianca shook her head but remained quiet. Scorpius was really worried that she was going to start crying and he would have to spend the rest of the evening trying to make her feel better. But instead of crying, she looked over at him with that familiar coy smile. "What are you doing for Easter hols?"
"Nothing. Why?"
She moved closer to him. "My parents will be out of town for a few days. I was thinking you could come visit."
"Are you sure? Not that I don't want to," he added quickly when he saw the look of surprise on her face. "It's just... are you sure you want to... you know?"
Bianca giggled. "I thought that much would be obvious."
"I didn't want to presume anything. We haven't been going out for that long."
"Do you think it's too soon?"
"I didn't say that!"
They reached the first floor and Bianca turned to face him. "I haven't felt this way about anyone and I'm very sure I want to be with you for a long time."
Scorpius nodded, very careful not to show how flustered he was by this.
Bianca seemed to notice anyway. "If you're not ready, I understand. I know--"
"It's not that," he said, his own pride not letting him reveal otherwise. "It's just... I'm surprised."
He wasn't, not when he thought about it. He just didn't know what to say. On the one hand: they were involved, Bianca did care for him and was attracted to him, and Scorpius liked that. And he did care for her and was attracted to her, just not quite on the same level as her feelings. (And even if he was still in love with Rose and still thought about her constantly.) But Bianca wasn't asking him for that, was she? It's not like she was in love with him or wanted to marry him. She didn't expect that much and on some level, Scorpius felt like he'd be absolutely mental to refuse sex with a pretty girl who was mad about him.
On the other hand: it was completely wrong and a cruddy thing to do to someone.
"You don't have to answer now," she said softly. "Just promise me you'll think about it?"
He nodded. "I will."
~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure about this?" Scorpius asked, nervously looking around the darkened corridor.
"More sure than I've been about anything in my life," Rose answered, pushing him up against the wall before kissing him again. It was brilliant and wonderful and everything he imagined it would be. Her lips parted, deepening the kiss while her hands roamed down his chest, pulling his robes open. He couldn't help the sigh that escaped his mouth when she started kissing his neck, her hands working at loosening his tie.
"I've always felt the same way," she whispered, pulling away to look at him. Behind her, the morning sun was pouring through the windows; in the golden glow, Rose looked like an angel. Leaning in, she trailed soft kisses along his jaw as her hands drifted lower, stopping to rest at his belt. "Let me touch you."
In one smooth movement, he turned them around so she was up against the wall, sliding his robe off in the process. Rose wrapped one leg around him, pressing his body against hers as they kissed. He thrust against her, the feeling so incredible he couldn't resist even as the fears of being caught (they were supposed to be on patrol) and the guilt over Bianca (he should have broken it off with her ages ago) came to mind. Rose moaned in his ear, a sound that went straight to his groin and her nails dug into his skin, egging him on. With that, all other thoughts disappeared and his world narrowed to the incredible, amazing woman in his arms. The way she sounded, how she looked, the way she felt; nothing else existed.
They moved against each other like that till they found a rhythm. Scorpius only pulled apart from her, to unbutton the rest of her blouse, hands sliding over her soft skin. "You're beautiful," he murmured, gently tracing the curve of her breast before cupping it fully. Rose whimpered softly at the touch, leaning in to kiss him again, her breath hot against his lips.
"SCORPIUS!"
He jumped at the familiar voice, pulling Rose closer to try to cover her while looking around for whoever had called his name.
Then Scorpius saw him.
Standing right in front of them, dressed head-to-toe in a purple robe decorated with gold stars, a preternaturally calm look on his face was Albus Dumbledore. Despite having been dead for 25 years, he looked very much corporeal and utterly unperturbed at finding two students frotting in the halls.
"What--what..." Scorpius turned to look at Rose, who looked completely calm considering a dead headmaster was standing there staring at them. Dumbledore, still not saying anything, dug around his pocket before pulling out something small and handing it to Scorpius.
It was a lemon drop.
"I don't--"
"SCORPIUS!"
He jolted awake, one hand groping a pillow and heart pounding wildly. Leaning against one of the bedposts, with a cross look on his face, was Al. "You sleep like the dead."
"What?" Scorpius asked dumbly, so thankful for thick blankets and his tendency to sleep on his stomach. "What's going on?"
"The match? Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff? The one you wanted to go to--"
"Yeah, yeah. I remember." He looked around for his watch. "What time is it? When does th--"
"Match starts at twelve and it's now quarter to," Al said, walking over to his own bed.
"Right. Thanks."
Part One
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five