Harry Potter fic--In Vino Veritas (1/6: Firewhisky)
This six part fic was written for the smrw_ficafest for orkyd.
I realized I never posted it here at my own comm, so here it is!
Title: In Vino Veritas (Part 1/6: Firewhisky)
Author: i_am_girlfriday
Date: 7/28/09
Word Count: 3,004
Rating: PG-13, eventually R
Warnings: Tame teenage horniness, mentions of Scorpius/OFC and Rose/OMC
Summary: Rose returns to teach at Hogwarts after a scandal sends her packing. She meets her ex-best mate, Scorpius, who is also a teacher, after a ten-year estrangement.
Author's Note: Thank you to my betas, nebakanezer, nowgold, and birdseyeview for encouragement.
The last person Rose Weasley expected to see seated at the head table in the Great Hall was Scorpius Malfoy. Rose blinked at Scorpius a few times, confused by the sight of her former friend and classmate. Last she’d heard his girlfriend Chantal had chucked him, and he was starting a magical creature healer training program in Romania. Her Uncle Charlie had written a letter of recommendation on his behalf. Her uncle had included this bit of information in one of his long letters to Rose, though she never commented on it in any of their subsequent exchanges. During the intervening seven years she’d carefully avoided all news about him, but somehow it seemed wrong that she had accepted a position at Hogwarts without a single person warning her he worked there too. A bouncy house elf named Speckles escorted Rose and seated her between him and Madam Chang, her former flying instructor and the Quidditch coach.
Scorpius caught Rose staring. He smirked, full of self-satisfaction, having caught her unawares. "You didn't know I took over as Professor of Care of Magical Creatures?"
"No." Rose felt all the color drain from her already pale face.
He took a large gulp from his mug of Butterbeer. "I find that surprising since you're a Seer and all." Scorpius’s remark was subtly caustic, but Rose sensed that he’d steeled himself for trading barbs. She was at a clear disadvantage since she’d had no time to prepare.
Rose felt like an awkward teenager, tongue-tied and blushing. "Scorpius, you know that I don't see things that way." She was indignant.
He laughed again. "Calm down, I was just taking the piss."
"You know I hate it when you--” Rose didn't dare finish her sentence.
"--When I what?" He challenged.
Rose kept her mouth shut. It had been years since they had even crossed each other’s paths at parties thrown by mutual acquaintances; and even longer since they had any sense of familiarity with each other. Scorpius abruptly turned away and tried to look very interested in what a pretty witch (presumably another teacher) was saying to his left. There were quite a few unfamiliar faces at the Head Table and Rose was surprised to find several under the age of thirty like herself. Before Rose could think of a retort to continue their conversation, Madam Chang tapped her shoulder.
"It's lovely to see you again, Rose. The teaching staff is all so thrilled to have you on board."
"Thank you, Madam Chang--"
"--It's Professor now, but you can call me Cho. We're colleagues now, equals." The elder woman smiled.
"Oh! That’s wonderful. Did the Governors finally agree to expand the curriculum?" Rose knew how popular jobs were in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. It seemed fitting that students be well versed in that subject if they wished to get a job in the profession.
“Yes, indeed, it took them long enough! I’ve been Professor of Magical Games and Sports these eight years now.”
“That’s wonderful. I always felt you had so much more to teach than flying and Quidditch.”
“Thank you, my dear.” Professor Chang was known for being affectionate with her students.
Rose smiled and observed Cho as she poured Rose a drink from an ornate pewter pitcher. Her cousin Albus had had a massive crush on his flying instructor and Quidditch coach since puberty. It was the source of much ribbing among the Potters and Weasley Grangers -- Al pining after the same woman his father had pined over twenty years prior. She couldn’t wait to write and tell him she’d only gotten finer with age. Cho had cut her long dark hair into a becoming bob and was fit as ever.
"Look," Cho pointed toward Neville, "Headmaster Longbottom is about to address the Great Hall." A few teachers giggled at Neville’s new title. He was a well-loved professor but his modesty made it an awkward transition into the position of Headmaster.
"Welcome, students! As always we are delighted to start another school year at Hogwarts! This year it is with much fondness that we usher out Professor Abyssinia Gray, longtime instructor of Divination. She has earned her retirement and we wish her the best. She will be missed. But we are also excited to welcome Miss Rose Weasley Granger as our new Professor of Divination." Neville gestured to Rose who stood and smiled mechanically as the hall applauded. Rose thought she heard a few snickers, but she tried not to let her face betray any insecurity. She took her seat and tried to maintain her composure through the rest of the Headmaster's speech and the Sorting Ceremony. She smiled and clapped when it was appropriate, but inside her head she was in turmoil. She forced herself to look out at the students, and ignore the fact that she was sitting less than a wand’s length from the very person she’d been avoiding since leaving Hogwarts ten years ago. Scorpius sat rigidly next to her, careful not to let even his sleeve graze her.
Before Rose could plunge further down her path of self-loathing, the students broke out into cheers and chatter. Platters filled with food. Rose used food as a defense mechanism to ward off conversation with Scorpius and her fellow professors. Rose took a tip from her father’s poor table manners and filled her plate with mounds of food and tucked in as if waging a war. She deflected questions by pointing to her mouthful of food. She cut off the two young witches next to Scorpius when they attempted conversation by asking them to pass the bread. She stalled her replies by insisting on washing down each bite with a gulp of pumpkin juice. When Rose did speak she only elaborated on the health of various relatives, her favorite dish of the evening, the weather, and her thoughts about the current Harpies lineup. By the end of the feast Rose had revealed precisely nothing about the scandal that sent her packing to Hogwarts and had flat out ignored Scorpius, who looked put out and just as determined not to crack.
Immediately preceding the feast, once the students had all filed out of the hall to their dormitories, the professors convened a meeting. Timetables were distributed and the fall calendar of events was discussed. Announcements were made and finally at the end of the meeting, Headmaster Longbottom gave another welcoming remark about Rose. As part of the staff tradition, Rose was assigned a mentor--the previous new hire before her--who would help her settle in at school. Rose held her breath and hoped it wasn't Scorpius. She knew she couldn't avoid him forever, but she wanted to buy herself some time before their inevitable confrontation. To her relief, Lauren LaFrance, Professor of Muggle Studies, stood up and shook Rose's hand. The meeting was adjourned and the professors dispersed to their quarters throughout the castle, leaving Lauren to take Rose on a tour of the East Wing that housed most of the younger members of the Hogwarts staff.
"It will take some time to adjust before you truly begin to see Hogwarts as your home. It won't be the same as when you were a student here. There are new areas of the castle for your to explore, to be sure, but you'll also see far more of the inner workings. All the little things you took for granted as a student, things that--excuse the pun--seemed like magic, you'll find are actually the careful work and planning of the staff.
Rose tried her best to smile and nod during Lauren's tour. Some minutes later Lauren finally stopped talking. "Excuse me for prattling on! It's exciting, you being here, to finally no longer be the newest staff member!"
"When did you start?" Rose asked.
"Two years ago. Scorpius Malfoy, Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, was my mentor. You two were schoolmates, were you not?” Lauren stopped and watched Rose carefully.
Her exchange with Scorpius had not gone unnoticed, and Rose sensed that Lauren was on friendly terms with Scorpius. There was no point in denying anything. "Yes, we were.” But what Rose lacked in tact she more than made up for in the art of deflection. “And you--were you and your younger sister not in Ravenclaw? Perhaps you were in my cousin Dominique's year? And your sister, Matilda, in the year below me?" Rose knew of the two LaFrance sisters, but as they were not in her house or her year, knew them only by name.
"Good memory. Yes, I was the same year as your cousin Dominique. How is she doing?"
Rose felt her face grow warm. "She just had her first child." Rose was not proud of it, but she had not gone to visit her cousin after the birth of her son the previous spring. Rose kept putting it off every weekend and then her life became too chaotic in the summer. She didn't want her first visit to Dominique and her new baby to turn into the third degree about Rose's drama; in the end she hadn't gone at all.
"That's nice. Congratulate her for me, won't you?" Lauren stopped in front of a portrait of The Rubenesque Woman, a stately woman sitting on an ornate settee. "These are your quarters. You can set your own password." Lauren ushered Rose into the foyer. "As you can see, Speckles has already brought up your things." Lauren pointed to a single suitcase that Rose had charmed to fit the bulk of her wardrobe and personal effects. The rest of her possession were hastily moved from her terraced house and stored in her parents' attic.
"Through there is your bedroom and attached is a loo. The kitchen is small, but it should suffice. It's self-stocking and self-replenishing. Anything available in the kitchens can be enjoyed right here. Simply think the name of the item you desire and it will appear. I love that feature, by the way, but really it's quite dangerous.” Lauren looked in one cupboard and muttered, “Mine is always charmed to keep the ice cream cold." Lauren shut it and then peered inside another cupboard. "Oh!” Lauren raised an eyebrow at Rose who looked back at her mortified. “Firewhisky?"
"Yeah, I need a drink." Rose slumped into a chair at the table, too tired to try and save face.
"Long day?" Lauren’s expression eased from pinched-judgment to concern.
"The longest." Rose sighed and rubbed her temples. Years of working independently for the Department of Mysteries had lowered her stamina to be around so many people.
"Well, have a drink, but get to bed soon. You've got a big first day ahead of you." Lauren moved toward the portrait and waved. "Good night, Rose."
"Thanks, I'm sorry I'm terrible company. We'll do a proper drink after I've settled in?" Rose offered not entirely out of genuine interest, but simply because she knew she’d made a poor impression on her new mentor.
"Of course. You need time to settle in. I'm just down the wing a bit.” Lauren gestured down the dark, expansive hallway. “So are Scorpius and Calista Smith, Ancient Runes Professor."
"Thank you. Good night." Rose shut the door and decided on a password for her portrait. She muttered fellytone to The Rubenesque Woman and the woman winked back at her.
Rose headed to the cupboard and pulled out an old fashioned glass and poured herself a double Firewhisky. She sat very inelegantly on the comfortable couch in the sitting area and let her mind wander.
***
Rose reminisced about the first time she saw Scorpius at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Rose had been encouraged by her father to beat Scorpius at every test, and being the determined child that she was, she sat next to Al on the train and thought about the challenge very seriously. It seemed to her that the only way she could best her rival was to spend time observing him and finding his weaknesses, and exploiting that knowledge for her own gain. So when she approached Scorpius and invited him to share their boat, she was very confident that her father would approve of her move. She was, after all, keeping her friends close and her enemy closer.
It was to no one’s astonishment that Rose was sorted into Slytherin, (though Ron Weasley would never admit to that). It didn’t cause the friction among her family that her she had initially expected, but it did complicate her relationship with Al in particular. By age eleven Rose and Al were very close. James had been out of the house for two years already, so it was only natural that Al looked to Rose for companionship. Both had younger siblings and they exerted their independence by rejecting the company of little Lily and Hugo.
Rose being in Slytherin and Albus being sorted into Gryffindor meant that they had to make an effort to find their places in their respective houses. Rose latched on to Scorpius, who was also sorted into Slytherin. Neither were happy with their placement, so they decided to make the best of a bad situation. After a few weeks though they both had adjusted to their house down in the dungeons. Scorpius had not been around other children whilst growing up, so having a constant companion in Rose was a change. Rose insisted on sitting next to him in class, eating meals with him, and whenever she did venture to spend time with her cousins she only did so if Scorpius would agree to accompany her. What had started out as her cunning attempt to beat her rival turned into a great friendship.
For the first few years, their friendship went untested. Rose and Scorpius could talk for hours about nothing and everything. Albus was relieved that his cousin had found someone to keep pace with Rose’s motor mouth. He preferred arguing loudly while Rose just out-talked people until they came around to seeing things her way. The Weasley Granger-Potter clan fully adopted Scorpius by their second year, there was no reason not to once he admitted to Rose’s father that he was a closeted Cannons fan. Ron had allowed Rose to invite Scorpius to the World Cup during the summer between their fifth and sixth year when the Cannons had made it to the finals. Rose was a fixture at the Malfoys’ home in Hampshire during holidays. Asteria particularly enjoyed Rose’s visits since she had no daughter of her own. Once Rose and Scorpius started their seventh year, things began to change and their relationship would never be the same again.
Rose had shown an aptitude early on for Divination. It was something that aggravated her mother to no end. “It's subjective,” she'd say, and therefore, “unreliable,” and an overall, “waste of time.” It hurt Rose, knowing that her mother had little respect for her favorite subject, so she worked doubly hard to maintain excellent marks in the subjects that her mother favored--Transfiguration, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes. Rose's father saw her natural ability as an extension of her strategy skills. Even as a kid she could pick up on things that should have been beyond her comprehension level. She was understanding, sympathetic, and thoughtful. At chess Rose gave her father a real challenge. She started to win the occasional game by age eleven. While her father had swift analytical skills, Rose had an uncanny ability to feel out her opponent. So when it turned out that Rose could also read things like tea leaves and palms with surprising accuracy, he was not shocked. He encouraged her to work at and develop her intuition and Rose appreciated the support.
Around sixteen Rose felt a shift in her body. She’d always been tall for her age and considerably well endowed by other girls’ standards, but this particular change wasn’t physical. Her aptitude for Divination was exceeded by an inherent gift that Rose didn't have the language to describe. It seemed to her as if she could pick up on other peoples’ emotions. She confided in her Uncle Harry; it was no secret that he had all sorts of strange talents. He immediately put her mind at ease and helped her talk to her parents about it. The Weasley Grangers were at a loss, so Rose’s mother consulted some of her contacts in the Department of Mysteries.
The summer between Rose’s sixth and seven year she spent interning under the tutelage of respected Seer, Sheridan Appleby. Seer Appleby helped Rose grasp the significance of her talent. She tested Rose rigorously and ultimately discovered that Rose's gift was very rare. She didn't actually see the future, but rather, she was attuned to feelings, wishes, and subconscious desires. Her gift, while useful to the Department of Mysteries in various capacities, was not practical for Rose. It only seemed to complicate her personal life.
With her newfound ability, Rose was privy to a myriad of lewd, inappropriate, private, and often times, hormone-induced urges. While Rose had always been talkative with those inside her immediate social circle, she came across as very snobbish with acquaintances, and her growing insight set her apart even further from her peers. As she honed her ability, it became clear to Rose that ninety-five percent of all feelings were related to sex and jealousy.
If Rose was truly honest with herself, she would have admitted that she was no exception. She was terribly jealous of Chantal Featherstone throughout most of her teen years, because Scorpius longed for Chantal to be his girlfriend.
Scorpius was a scrawny teen with dorky hair that he wore slicked straight back and a voice that cracked when he answered questions in class. He never thought to expand his social repertoire beyond Rose during his firs six years of school, and she was just fine with having him all to herself. Mostly he seemed content too, but it pained Rose to think that Scorpius would someday outgrow her.
I realized I never posted it here at my own comm, so here it is!
Title: In Vino Veritas (Part 1/6: Firewhisky)
Author: i_am_girlfriday
Date: 7/28/09
Word Count: 3,004
Rating: PG-13, eventually R
Warnings: Tame teenage horniness, mentions of Scorpius/OFC and Rose/OMC
Summary: Rose returns to teach at Hogwarts after a scandal sends her packing. She meets her ex-best mate, Scorpius, who is also a teacher, after a ten-year estrangement.
Author's Note: Thank you to my betas, nebakanezer, nowgold, and birdseyeview for encouragement.
The last person Rose Weasley expected to see seated at the head table in the Great Hall was Scorpius Malfoy. Rose blinked at Scorpius a few times, confused by the sight of her former friend and classmate. Last she’d heard his girlfriend Chantal had chucked him, and he was starting a magical creature healer training program in Romania. Her Uncle Charlie had written a letter of recommendation on his behalf. Her uncle had included this bit of information in one of his long letters to Rose, though she never commented on it in any of their subsequent exchanges. During the intervening seven years she’d carefully avoided all news about him, but somehow it seemed wrong that she had accepted a position at Hogwarts without a single person warning her he worked there too. A bouncy house elf named Speckles escorted Rose and seated her between him and Madam Chang, her former flying instructor and the Quidditch coach.
Scorpius caught Rose staring. He smirked, full of self-satisfaction, having caught her unawares. "You didn't know I took over as Professor of Care of Magical Creatures?"
"No." Rose felt all the color drain from her already pale face.
He took a large gulp from his mug of Butterbeer. "I find that surprising since you're a Seer and all." Scorpius’s remark was subtly caustic, but Rose sensed that he’d steeled himself for trading barbs. She was at a clear disadvantage since she’d had no time to prepare.
Rose felt like an awkward teenager, tongue-tied and blushing. "Scorpius, you know that I don't see things that way." She was indignant.
He laughed again. "Calm down, I was just taking the piss."
"You know I hate it when you--” Rose didn't dare finish her sentence.
"--When I what?" He challenged.
Rose kept her mouth shut. It had been years since they had even crossed each other’s paths at parties thrown by mutual acquaintances; and even longer since they had any sense of familiarity with each other. Scorpius abruptly turned away and tried to look very interested in what a pretty witch (presumably another teacher) was saying to his left. There were quite a few unfamiliar faces at the Head Table and Rose was surprised to find several under the age of thirty like herself. Before Rose could think of a retort to continue their conversation, Madam Chang tapped her shoulder.
"It's lovely to see you again, Rose. The teaching staff is all so thrilled to have you on board."
"Thank you, Madam Chang--"
"--It's Professor now, but you can call me Cho. We're colleagues now, equals." The elder woman smiled.
"Oh! That’s wonderful. Did the Governors finally agree to expand the curriculum?" Rose knew how popular jobs were in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. It seemed fitting that students be well versed in that subject if they wished to get a job in the profession.
“Yes, indeed, it took them long enough! I’ve been Professor of Magical Games and Sports these eight years now.”
“That’s wonderful. I always felt you had so much more to teach than flying and Quidditch.”
“Thank you, my dear.” Professor Chang was known for being affectionate with her students.
Rose smiled and observed Cho as she poured Rose a drink from an ornate pewter pitcher. Her cousin Albus had had a massive crush on his flying instructor and Quidditch coach since puberty. It was the source of much ribbing among the Potters and Weasley Grangers -- Al pining after the same woman his father had pined over twenty years prior. She couldn’t wait to write and tell him she’d only gotten finer with age. Cho had cut her long dark hair into a becoming bob and was fit as ever.
"Look," Cho pointed toward Neville, "Headmaster Longbottom is about to address the Great Hall." A few teachers giggled at Neville’s new title. He was a well-loved professor but his modesty made it an awkward transition into the position of Headmaster.
"Welcome, students! As always we are delighted to start another school year at Hogwarts! This year it is with much fondness that we usher out Professor Abyssinia Gray, longtime instructor of Divination. She has earned her retirement and we wish her the best. She will be missed. But we are also excited to welcome Miss Rose Weasley Granger as our new Professor of Divination." Neville gestured to Rose who stood and smiled mechanically as the hall applauded. Rose thought she heard a few snickers, but she tried not to let her face betray any insecurity. She took her seat and tried to maintain her composure through the rest of the Headmaster's speech and the Sorting Ceremony. She smiled and clapped when it was appropriate, but inside her head she was in turmoil. She forced herself to look out at the students, and ignore the fact that she was sitting less than a wand’s length from the very person she’d been avoiding since leaving Hogwarts ten years ago. Scorpius sat rigidly next to her, careful not to let even his sleeve graze her.
Before Rose could plunge further down her path of self-loathing, the students broke out into cheers and chatter. Platters filled with food. Rose used food as a defense mechanism to ward off conversation with Scorpius and her fellow professors. Rose took a tip from her father’s poor table manners and filled her plate with mounds of food and tucked in as if waging a war. She deflected questions by pointing to her mouthful of food. She cut off the two young witches next to Scorpius when they attempted conversation by asking them to pass the bread. She stalled her replies by insisting on washing down each bite with a gulp of pumpkin juice. When Rose did speak she only elaborated on the health of various relatives, her favorite dish of the evening, the weather, and her thoughts about the current Harpies lineup. By the end of the feast Rose had revealed precisely nothing about the scandal that sent her packing to Hogwarts and had flat out ignored Scorpius, who looked put out and just as determined not to crack.
Immediately preceding the feast, once the students had all filed out of the hall to their dormitories, the professors convened a meeting. Timetables were distributed and the fall calendar of events was discussed. Announcements were made and finally at the end of the meeting, Headmaster Longbottom gave another welcoming remark about Rose. As part of the staff tradition, Rose was assigned a mentor--the previous new hire before her--who would help her settle in at school. Rose held her breath and hoped it wasn't Scorpius. She knew she couldn't avoid him forever, but she wanted to buy herself some time before their inevitable confrontation. To her relief, Lauren LaFrance, Professor of Muggle Studies, stood up and shook Rose's hand. The meeting was adjourned and the professors dispersed to their quarters throughout the castle, leaving Lauren to take Rose on a tour of the East Wing that housed most of the younger members of the Hogwarts staff.
"It will take some time to adjust before you truly begin to see Hogwarts as your home. It won't be the same as when you were a student here. There are new areas of the castle for your to explore, to be sure, but you'll also see far more of the inner workings. All the little things you took for granted as a student, things that--excuse the pun--seemed like magic, you'll find are actually the careful work and planning of the staff.
Rose tried her best to smile and nod during Lauren's tour. Some minutes later Lauren finally stopped talking. "Excuse me for prattling on! It's exciting, you being here, to finally no longer be the newest staff member!"
"When did you start?" Rose asked.
"Two years ago. Scorpius Malfoy, Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, was my mentor. You two were schoolmates, were you not?” Lauren stopped and watched Rose carefully.
Her exchange with Scorpius had not gone unnoticed, and Rose sensed that Lauren was on friendly terms with Scorpius. There was no point in denying anything. "Yes, we were.” But what Rose lacked in tact she more than made up for in the art of deflection. “And you--were you and your younger sister not in Ravenclaw? Perhaps you were in my cousin Dominique's year? And your sister, Matilda, in the year below me?" Rose knew of the two LaFrance sisters, but as they were not in her house or her year, knew them only by name.
"Good memory. Yes, I was the same year as your cousin Dominique. How is she doing?"
Rose felt her face grow warm. "She just had her first child." Rose was not proud of it, but she had not gone to visit her cousin after the birth of her son the previous spring. Rose kept putting it off every weekend and then her life became too chaotic in the summer. She didn't want her first visit to Dominique and her new baby to turn into the third degree about Rose's drama; in the end she hadn't gone at all.
"That's nice. Congratulate her for me, won't you?" Lauren stopped in front of a portrait of The Rubenesque Woman, a stately woman sitting on an ornate settee. "These are your quarters. You can set your own password." Lauren ushered Rose into the foyer. "As you can see, Speckles has already brought up your things." Lauren pointed to a single suitcase that Rose had charmed to fit the bulk of her wardrobe and personal effects. The rest of her possession were hastily moved from her terraced house and stored in her parents' attic.
"Through there is your bedroom and attached is a loo. The kitchen is small, but it should suffice. It's self-stocking and self-replenishing. Anything available in the kitchens can be enjoyed right here. Simply think the name of the item you desire and it will appear. I love that feature, by the way, but really it's quite dangerous.” Lauren looked in one cupboard and muttered, “Mine is always charmed to keep the ice cream cold." Lauren shut it and then peered inside another cupboard. "Oh!” Lauren raised an eyebrow at Rose who looked back at her mortified. “Firewhisky?"
"Yeah, I need a drink." Rose slumped into a chair at the table, too tired to try and save face.
"Long day?" Lauren’s expression eased from pinched-judgment to concern.
"The longest." Rose sighed and rubbed her temples. Years of working independently for the Department of Mysteries had lowered her stamina to be around so many people.
"Well, have a drink, but get to bed soon. You've got a big first day ahead of you." Lauren moved toward the portrait and waved. "Good night, Rose."
"Thanks, I'm sorry I'm terrible company. We'll do a proper drink after I've settled in?" Rose offered not entirely out of genuine interest, but simply because she knew she’d made a poor impression on her new mentor.
"Of course. You need time to settle in. I'm just down the wing a bit.” Lauren gestured down the dark, expansive hallway. “So are Scorpius and Calista Smith, Ancient Runes Professor."
"Thank you. Good night." Rose shut the door and decided on a password for her portrait. She muttered fellytone to The Rubenesque Woman and the woman winked back at her.
Rose headed to the cupboard and pulled out an old fashioned glass and poured herself a double Firewhisky. She sat very inelegantly on the comfortable couch in the sitting area and let her mind wander.
***
Rose reminisced about the first time she saw Scorpius at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Rose had been encouraged by her father to beat Scorpius at every test, and being the determined child that she was, she sat next to Al on the train and thought about the challenge very seriously. It seemed to her that the only way she could best her rival was to spend time observing him and finding his weaknesses, and exploiting that knowledge for her own gain. So when she approached Scorpius and invited him to share their boat, she was very confident that her father would approve of her move. She was, after all, keeping her friends close and her enemy closer.
It was to no one’s astonishment that Rose was sorted into Slytherin, (though Ron Weasley would never admit to that). It didn’t cause the friction among her family that her she had initially expected, but it did complicate her relationship with Al in particular. By age eleven Rose and Al were very close. James had been out of the house for two years already, so it was only natural that Al looked to Rose for companionship. Both had younger siblings and they exerted their independence by rejecting the company of little Lily and Hugo.
Rose being in Slytherin and Albus being sorted into Gryffindor meant that they had to make an effort to find their places in their respective houses. Rose latched on to Scorpius, who was also sorted into Slytherin. Neither were happy with their placement, so they decided to make the best of a bad situation. After a few weeks though they both had adjusted to their house down in the dungeons. Scorpius had not been around other children whilst growing up, so having a constant companion in Rose was a change. Rose insisted on sitting next to him in class, eating meals with him, and whenever she did venture to spend time with her cousins she only did so if Scorpius would agree to accompany her. What had started out as her cunning attempt to beat her rival turned into a great friendship.
For the first few years, their friendship went untested. Rose and Scorpius could talk for hours about nothing and everything. Albus was relieved that his cousin had found someone to keep pace with Rose’s motor mouth. He preferred arguing loudly while Rose just out-talked people until they came around to seeing things her way. The Weasley Granger-Potter clan fully adopted Scorpius by their second year, there was no reason not to once he admitted to Rose’s father that he was a closeted Cannons fan. Ron had allowed Rose to invite Scorpius to the World Cup during the summer between their fifth and sixth year when the Cannons had made it to the finals. Rose was a fixture at the Malfoys’ home in Hampshire during holidays. Asteria particularly enjoyed Rose’s visits since she had no daughter of her own. Once Rose and Scorpius started their seventh year, things began to change and their relationship would never be the same again.
Rose had shown an aptitude early on for Divination. It was something that aggravated her mother to no end. “It's subjective,” she'd say, and therefore, “unreliable,” and an overall, “waste of time.” It hurt Rose, knowing that her mother had little respect for her favorite subject, so she worked doubly hard to maintain excellent marks in the subjects that her mother favored--Transfiguration, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes. Rose's father saw her natural ability as an extension of her strategy skills. Even as a kid she could pick up on things that should have been beyond her comprehension level. She was understanding, sympathetic, and thoughtful. At chess Rose gave her father a real challenge. She started to win the occasional game by age eleven. While her father had swift analytical skills, Rose had an uncanny ability to feel out her opponent. So when it turned out that Rose could also read things like tea leaves and palms with surprising accuracy, he was not shocked. He encouraged her to work at and develop her intuition and Rose appreciated the support.
Around sixteen Rose felt a shift in her body. She’d always been tall for her age and considerably well endowed by other girls’ standards, but this particular change wasn’t physical. Her aptitude for Divination was exceeded by an inherent gift that Rose didn't have the language to describe. It seemed to her as if she could pick up on other peoples’ emotions. She confided in her Uncle Harry; it was no secret that he had all sorts of strange talents. He immediately put her mind at ease and helped her talk to her parents about it. The Weasley Grangers were at a loss, so Rose’s mother consulted some of her contacts in the Department of Mysteries.
The summer between Rose’s sixth and seven year she spent interning under the tutelage of respected Seer, Sheridan Appleby. Seer Appleby helped Rose grasp the significance of her talent. She tested Rose rigorously and ultimately discovered that Rose's gift was very rare. She didn't actually see the future, but rather, she was attuned to feelings, wishes, and subconscious desires. Her gift, while useful to the Department of Mysteries in various capacities, was not practical for Rose. It only seemed to complicate her personal life.
With her newfound ability, Rose was privy to a myriad of lewd, inappropriate, private, and often times, hormone-induced urges. While Rose had always been talkative with those inside her immediate social circle, she came across as very snobbish with acquaintances, and her growing insight set her apart even further from her peers. As she honed her ability, it became clear to Rose that ninety-five percent of all feelings were related to sex and jealousy.
If Rose was truly honest with herself, she would have admitted that she was no exception. She was terribly jealous of Chantal Featherstone throughout most of her teen years, because Scorpius longed for Chantal to be his girlfriend.
Scorpius was a scrawny teen with dorky hair that he wore slicked straight back and a voice that cracked when he answered questions in class. He never thought to expand his social repertoire beyond Rose during his firs six years of school, and she was just fine with having him all to herself. Mostly he seemed content too, but it pained Rose to think that Scorpius would someday outgrow her.