"Start of Something New (1/3)" - A Gift for kerneyhead

[a_smrw_gift]

Title: Start of Something New (1/3)
Author: ellielove_x3
Gift For: Kerneyhead
Summary: For the summer, both Rose and Scorpius are forced into getting internships at The Quibbler with Luna Thomas. As the two force themselves to work together and try to get along, their hidden feelings for each other are revealed. As much as the two are smitten with each other, the secret couple can’t say the same for their friends and family.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, excessive snogging, slightly EWE
Word Count: 19,208
Author’s Note: Ron/Lavender pairing, meaning Ron and Hermione are divorced in this story. Luna’s a big character, but sometimes I was trying to focus more on Rose and Scorpius’s relationship. And Hermione is just slightly OOC at times, but it helps the story. And there is the slightest hint of Draco/Hermione in it, too, which I hope you don’t mind. And thank you to my friend Dani for beta-ing this. You’re a lifesaver.

Chapter One: Saving Grace

Rose lay comfortably on the hammock her dad had bought her as a graduation gift a few weeks before. It had taken about three or four days to become used to it, but now Rose spent most of her days on the hammock, reading or sometimes writing. Hugo and Ron could successfully lay with her and they would keep Rose company by making her laugh or playing games. Hermione, though, didn’t find anything productive or relaxing about lying on the damned thing.

“Rose,” Hermione had said, “why don’t you look for a job? You’re usually always so productive.” She was worried that her daughter might turn out to be unsuccessful by just lying around all day.

“I have all the time in the world now, Mum,” Rose had replied, entranced with her muggle romance novel. “I don’t need to find a job now.”

Rose was officially complete with her Hogwarts studies as of the second day of June. She already knew that her N.E.W.T.S. scores were high, but she was having trouble figuring out a perfect profession. She couldn’t stand the sigh of blood and the Ministry was too big to deal with. She had a fear of goblins so an internship at Gringotts was out of the question and Hogwarts wouldn’t accept her as a professor for another two or three years. And heaven knew that the Daily Prophet was too dramatic and exaggerated at times. No job was right for her.

“Rosalie Jean Weasley!” Hermione yelled as she stomped out into the backyard, interrupting Rose’s thoughts. “Get off that hammock!” Rose fell off because she caught off guard. “I’ve found you a job.”

Rose snapped her head up over the hammock in surprise. “What?”

“Don’t say ‘what,’ Rose,” Hermione said, picking up the book that had fallen and inspecting it. She held it up as Rose stood up and dusted off the grass and dirt off of her dress and knees.

“See? This is not going to get you anywhere.” Hermione stared at the cover and rolled her eyes. “Rose, you stole this from my private stash!” Hermione blushed slightly and Rose giggled behind her hand. “Honestly, how many of my other books have you been reading?” It was Rose’s turn to blush and then the redhead proceeded to hang her head.

Hermione shook her head. “Your aunt Luna has offered to give you a job at The Quibbler. And you’ll be living with her and the rest of her family as well.”

Rose held the hammock above her head, staring at her mother as if she had lost her mind. Rose did love “Aunt” Luna, but a job at The Quibbler? That was basically suicide. Aunt Luna’s ideas were out of whack, even though Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny both agreed she was much more … normal now than in her teenage years. It may have been a result of her marriage to Dean Thomas and bitterness towards her father. Living with Luna, Dean, and their four younger children (their oldest, Courtney, was living with her boyfriend, Rose’s cousin James Potter).

“Mum! I-I …” Rose was at a lost for words.

Hermione gave her a smile. “You don’t have to make it your career, Rose,” she said as Rose now stood in front of the hammock. “I just won’t have my daughter sitting on her arse all summer.” Rose groaned. “You’ll thank me someday, I’m sure.”

“But why must you kick me out?” Rose whined, giving her mother a look of pure discontentment.

“Would you rather live with your father and Lavender?” Hermione threatened.

Rose shook her head furiously. Lavender Brown-Weasley was possibly the most annoying woman to ever live. Even though they had been “family” (Rose used that term very loosely) since Rose was twelve, she still couldn’t warm up to her stepmother.

Hermione chuckled and took her daughter’s hand. “I didn’t think so,” she said. “Come on, I’ll help you pack.”

Rose sighed as she walked inside with her mother. She had a feeling that this job would be disastrous. More disastrous than when Rose and Dominique teamed up to baby-sit Victoire’s son, Gaspard, two summers ago.

When Rose arrived at Luna’s home via floo powder, she tried to listen for the familiar voices of Dean, Luna, or one of their kids. Once she stepped into the family room, she heard footsteps. Perking up slightly, Rose stood up straight and smiled when she saw the two youngest Thomas kids, Sapphire and Ramona. Dropping her bags, Rose kneeled down and opened her arms to hug the girls.

“Rosie!” they yelled at the same time.

Rose really enjoyed being around the girls. Even though they weren’t twins, the two of them were inseparable.

Sapphire was currently eight-years-old and probably the child most like her mother in personality seeing as she loved all things imaginary and fairly absurd. She had Dean’s hair, but Luna’s length and her skin was a dark and rich caramel and certainly just as smooth as frosting (as Dean likes to joke). Sapphire never left Luna’s side whenever she wasn’t with her baby sister since she was always fascinated with whatever her mother happened to do.

Ramona had just turned seven-years-old and even though she loved all things imaginary and could only understand the crazy myths that nobody else could, she was fairly calm for such a little girl. She looked more like her grandmother-whom Ramona was named for-with her dark brown curls (unlike Sapphire’s soft black waves) and darker skin, though her smile reminded Dean of himself when he was losing all of his baby teeth. Ramona really loved her oldest sister, Courtney, because she was certainly a fearless woman who always looked for the next great adventure. Ramona only wished that her dear sister wouldn’t spend so much time with James instead of her cute baby sister.

As Rose squeezed the girls, the three of them all giggling softly, and Rose couldn’t help but think that it wouldn’t be so bad to be in the company of the insane Thomas family for awhile. Maybe she’d remember what it was like to take risks once again.

Rose pulled away and made sure she was at eye level with the girls, whom were both smiling widely. “My how you two have grown!” Rose cried with a laugh. “What have you been doing since I last saw you at Christmas? Found any new creatures or maybe you have discovered the secret to success?”

Sapphire and Ramona shook their heads. “We haven’t done much, Rose,” Sapphire answered. “Daddy’s been telling us to stay still for awhile, but we-”

“-we don’t like to!” Ramona finished for Sapphire with a giggle. “Are you coming to live with us? I think you should stay forever and then we can have endless adventures!”

“I’ll have to see about staying forever, but I will be staying for the summer,” Rose said, kissing both of their cheeks. “Now, where’s your mummy?”

Just then, the unmistakable chime of Luna’s favorite wind chime earrings and the soft patter of her feet carried over into the family room so Rose stood up. As Luna came into sight, Rose could see why Dean couldn’t keep his hands off her. Her hair was still long and full of tangles, but it was somehow always an alluring pure white blonde. Her eyes-of which onlythe two oldest Thomas kids, Courtney and Antonio, inherited-were a faded blue color, misty-looking and forever making Luna seem as if she were seeing a vision. She was a little plump from giving birth five different times, but Dean always said that the loose dresses and ballet flats Luna insisted on wearing wouldn’t really change anything about that. To Dean and all of the Thomas children, Luna looked nothing short of the Greek goddess Aphrodite herself.

“Is that you, Rosalie?” Luna asked- she always insisted upon calling everyone by their full given first names. “I could have sworn…”

“Hi Aunt Luna,” Rose said, holding out her arms to hug her.

Luna smiled and hugged Rose tightly, her daughters hugging the back of their mother’s legs. Luna laughed and looked the growing redhead over with a great deal of admiration. The little five-year-old Luna had remembered chasing after Courtney and James and begging to be part of their games was certainly becoming a beautiful young woman who would have young men (maybe older if she could find the right one) chasing after her.

“Oh Rosalie, you’ll just love it at The Quibbler, it’s a wonderful way to build a sense of character,” Luna said, stroking Ramona’s curls. “I know that my staff needs a younger employee around.”

“Will I be the only teenager there?” Rose asked, feeling just a little nervous. “I don’t want to be stuck with a lot of … old people, you know.”

Luna laughed and shook her head. “I plan on hiring another young soul to hopefully be able to help you out.”

“Who?” Now Rose was very interested in this job her mother set her up with,

Luna shrugged and began to look around the room. “I don’t know yet, but you’ll see when he or she comes tomorrow.” Luna was always a fairly decent liar, especially now seeing as she knew full well who would be Rose’s partner: a certain blonde boy Courtney had informed Luna about a mere four years before.

Chapter Two: Life Can’t Always Mirror Your Dreams

Scorpius Malfoy had been waiting for this moment for years: to be officially out of Hogwarts, a legal adult, and free to do whatever he wished. His plan had always been to find a cool bachelor pad, live there with his older cousin Constantine Nott and his best friend Philip Corner, and become wizarding London’s hottest bachelor under twenty. He wouldn’t work because of the inheritance and allowance he’d be getting from his father and marry a docile, beautiful, pureblood blonde only when his mother would force it upon him.

So far, that plan wasn’t working.

Currently, Scorpius was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling through his green canopy sheet. His cousin hadn’t owled him since May and Philip was currently visiting his mother’s family in Rome and had just owled Scorpius earlier that week, saying that he was certain he had found his true love in some muggle brunette he had met on a nude beach.

Yes, his best friends were spineless pieces of shit.

Scorpius’s father, the famous Draco Malfoy himself, was currently trying to get his son into a successful career of some sort. Scorpius did not want a job at the Ministry, nor did he want to use his parents’ connections to climb the work ladder quicker than was of the norm. And Scorpius certainly didn’t want to become some grouchy old boss whose employees couldn’t stand him and didn’t respect him. And Scorpius planned on committing suicide if he became a drunken workaholic who doesn’t know what love is, even though he might have an amazing wife and a male heir. In other words, Scorpius didn’t want to become his father who hated his life and never paid attention to his debonair son and perfect wife.

Scorpius groaned to himself and perked up in the slightest when he heard a knock on his door and saw his mother’s head poke into the room.

“Scorpius, your cousin is here to see you,” Astoria said in her soft voice that seemed to get softer with each passing year.

Scorpius immediately sat up. “Constantine?” he asked.

A grinning and well-dressed curly haired brunette poked his head into Scorpius’s silver and green room. “You bet your ass!” he said with a laugh.

Astoria glared at her nephew. “Constantine, watch your language,” she said, trying to sound threatening, but not succeeding because of her soft vocal chords.

Constantine chuckled and kissed his aunt’s soft cheek. “Sorry, Aunt Astoria,” he said. “Will you ever forgive me?”

Astoria smiled and patted his cheek. “Of course, dear, I can’t stay mad at you,” she said beginning to walk away. “Don’t you boys do anything illegal or demeaning, all right?”

Constantine bowed gracefully. “Of course not,” he said, not bothering to hide his mischievous grin. Once Astoria was well out of earshot, Constantine quickly shut the bedroom door and turned his face to his baffled, yet highly annoyed cousin. “Well, well, well, Scorpius, what have you done to yourself?”

Scorpius rolled his eyes and stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in his shirt. “Nothing, apparently,” he said, looking at his reflection in his mirror above his fireplace. “I haven’t gotten my bachelor pad, my two best mates are off living their own adventures without me, and my father is trying to force me into getting a job right away.”

“Oh, how sad for the spoiled brat.” Constantine crossed his arms and leaned against the door, cocking an eyebrow with interest. “Sorry to have hurt your feelings.”

Scorpius glared at him. “Oh shut up, you wanker,” he muttered to himself. “And you know where that leaves me?” Constantine didn’t bother to ask, so Scorpius went on with his speech. “At home, like a bum, with my overbearing parents and nothing … interesting to do. Nothing exciting is happening to me and it’s been this way for a whole damn month!”

“So you want me to find you a random girl to take your virginity or something?” Constantine asked jokingly.

Scorpius didn’t say anything at first, blushing to himself. He didn’t like to say that he was a still a virgin and only Constantine knew that the Malfoy heir still had yet to discover the real pleasures of the flesh. He had pretended to have lost it to the Hufflepuff slut, seventh year Jeanette Bletchley. It hurt Scorpius’s ego just a little bit when he was spreading the rumor, but he needed to get Philip off his back during sixth year when Scorpius was about to turn seventeen. It was really daunting to know that all of his male peers had lost it long ago back when they were unknowing little schoolboys while Scorpius would probably end up being one of those poor souls who lost it to his wife on their wedding night. The fact that Scorpius actually wanted to lose his virginity to his true love (of whom he had yet to find) and marry her and live happily ever after was the real thing that embarrassed him and hurt his ego.

“Hell no,” Scorpius said. “I just need to do something with myself before I lose my mind and commit suicide earlier than I had planned.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm as he spoke and it was clear to Constantine that his cousin wasn’t playing games, but Constantine was going to keep his teasing and playful one.

“So you want me to baby-sit you for the rest of the summer?” Constantine began to laugh and Scorpius walked over to his closet. “Oh, you’re looking for a boy’s night, aren’t you?” Scorpius didn’t reply. “I knew it! I knew you wanted some ass. Who’s ass do you want? You can’t take Vanity Selwyn, though, because I think our parents are planning a betrothal and I want to be the only man she’ll ever do the dirty with.” He chuckled and sat on Scorpius’s bed.

“Well, that’s a start I guess,” Scorpius said. “But you’re going to help me be just the man my father doesn’t want me to be.” He pulled out his secret stash of muggle clothes that his father hated to even think about and grinned. “And we’ll start by going to a muggle bar and hitting on all the blondes there.”

“What’s wrong with the brunettes?” Constantine asked, laughing again.

“They don’t fit with the Malfoy looks,” Scorpius said matter-of-factly, quoting his father.

Constantine rolled his eyes and leaned back, staring at the ceiling, trying to figure out when would be the right time to tell his cousin the plan he had for the new graduate. “You really are shallow, I now realize.”

“No, just finally able to act on the feelings I have in my groin,” Scorpius said, taking off his clothes.

Constantine covered his eyes in mock horror. “Oh! Oh! My eyes are burning from the sight of a pale skinny boy!” he cried, holding in his laughter.

Scorpius pulled on a tight-fitting black shirt. “Oh shut up. You’re coming with me, you know.”

Constantine snorted, sitting up on his elbows. “Actually, I have a prior engagement.”

“With whom?” Scorpius was amazed at how many girls Constantine could sleep with in one week. It was destructive and admirable all at the same time.

“A Miss Vanity Selwyn, of course,” Constantine said. “If I’m going to be tied down to her, might as well make sure she fits my needs.”

Scorpius rolled his eyes and pulled on a pair of black slacks. “Honestly, Constantine, I have never understood you.”

Constantine snorted. “Nobody but me understands me and sometimes even I don’t understand my own mind. You should take notes, actually.”

“Why would I take notes on how to be a dick wad?” Scorpius combed back his hair, trying to figure out what hairstyle would have the most beautiful women flock towards him.

“Hey, I take pride in my reputation as a dick wad,” Constantine said.

Scorpius rolled his eyes again and looked at his cousin, who was currently inspecting the state of Scorpius’s silk green comforter. “So, are you really not coming?”

“Quite true cousin. What? Do you need a buddy for when you get piss-ass drunk?” He snorted and looked at the defensive blonde.

“No, just wondering if I’d be able to take all the women for myself,” Scorpius said with the trademark Malfoy smirk. He then began to walk towards his door.

“Hey, Scorpius, you better get a good night’s sleep after you hit the bar,” Constantine said, trying to hold back his laughter.

“Why?” Scorpius asked, wondering what the hell his cousin was talking about. Scorpius hated sleep, he was becoming an insomniac, and he had all the time in the world now that he no longer needed to be worried about his studies. Besides, he’d be with the first woman to experience his bedroom skills tonight so he doubted he’d be doing any sleeping.

“You have to get to your first job tomorrow,” Constantine answered, beginning to feel butterflies in his stomach from holding in his laughter.

Scorpius sat up abruptly and looked at his cousin angrily. “Excuse me, did I hear you correctly?” He didn’t want to believe the bloke. When Constantine nodded and began laughing hysterically, Scorpius threw a discarded throw pillow at him. “Where?” The blonde’s voice was a deep growl, similar to the dogs they heard howling at random times during the evening.

Constantine tried to stop laughing for a moment to be able to tell his favorite cousin (well, his only cousin) the hell he was about to be put through. “Oh … a writer for … The Quibbler!”

Then Scorpius pounced on the poor brunette, trying to shake him to death.

Chapter Three: To Hell and Back Again

Rose really hated to be out of her bed at six o’clock in the morning, but Luna loved the feel of the early morning air. To Luna it was misty and refreshing, but to Rose it was cold and piercing. Rose would rather be in her warm and comfy bed, dreaming of her future summer love and the sweet things he’d do to her while Luna would occasionally take a dip in her pool during these hours.

Yes, Rose thought the aging woman just continued to lose her mind with each passing day.

“How many of your other employees arrive at the office this early, Aunt Luna?” Rose asked, trying to warm herself by rubbing her already covered up arms.

Luna chuckled softly and placed a hand on Rose’s elbow. “Oh, Rosalie, these skills will be the basis of your success, my ruby,” she said. “I’m quite sure that you’ll thank me one day when you are discovering the new hyper-breed of hippogriff and dragon.”

Rose laughed and rested her head on Luna’s shoulder. “You’re starting to sound like my mother,” she said.

“Is that a bad thing?” Luna asked, slightly puzzled. “I do so hope not; Hermione is quite a charming woman.”

Rose sighed. “I guess it’s not … but what if I can’t live up to my family’s expectations, Aunt Luna?” she asked softly, fear quite evident in her voice. “You know I can’t disappoint my mother and I have the greatest feeling that’s exactly what I might end up doing.”

Luna smiled and stroked Rose’s out of control curls. “Oh, Rosalie, all great leaders of our world have had their fair share of doubts,” she said encouragingly. “You are another one of those who will save the world from all its harm and fear. You mustn’t let those old boogiemen get in the way of letting you achieve your destiny. You’re a bright and all-knowing star, even though you were named for a sensual and romantic rose. Don’t let those thorns and meteors get in the way of you becoming what the fates laid out for you to do, Rosalie.”

Rose looked at Luna curiously, but also with gratitude. She then enveloped the blonde with a tight hug. “Oh, thank you, Aunt Luna!” Rose cried into her cold skin.

Luna wasn’t the least bit surprised as she hugged Rose back, just knowing that her plan-of which Courtney had so wonderfully helped her plan-would undoubtedly work out in the end. Well, as long as Scorpius and Rose didn’t kill each other first.

“Come along, Rosalie, we have a magazine to publish, you know,” Luna said, pulling away and leading Rose inside the building that housed The Quibbler’s publishing needs.

Meanwhile, Scorpius Malfoy was sleeping and snoring his pretty little self away in the comforts of his silk sheets and comforter. He had gone to a muggle bar the night before, but hadn’t found a girl interesting enough to simply talk to. Most of them just wanted him for his body and didn’t have any conversational skills, which Scorpius believed was vital for a woman to have.

When he had come back home at the early hour of eleven P.M., his father was sleeping in his study, drooling on a piece of parchment, and his mother was sleeping somewhat peacefully in her bed (she no longer slept in the master quarters because her husband was too much of a workaholic). Scorpius had walked back to his room slowly; knowing that the rubbles his parents’ marriage had fallen to wasn’t what he wanted for himself. He wanted a peaceful job at a place that had few employees and did not require him to stay late at night constantly or cause him to be cranky when he’d come home. He wanted a wife who made his heart beat wildly, his loins fill with desire, and his thoughts focus only on her, especially when they were apart.

Scorpius had fallen asleep thinking of which of the girls he had already met would fit that criteria. As dreams swirled around in his head, he had figured out the body of his ladylove and just the slightest bit of her face, but nothing that could lead him straight to her the next day. In his dream, Scorpius was chasing after her in a forest and he could hear her giggling and saying his name in a voice so distinct and operatic, he could probably find her the next day if he tried hard enough.

Wait, that wouldn’t be possible seeing as damned Constantine decided to sign him up for a job at The Quibbler of all places in the world! What did Constantine want Scorpius to do? Jump off the top of the building the next day and have Constantine inherit the Malfoy fortune? Scorpius was really hoping it was a joke that his cousin was playing on him because so far, it felt too real and much too much like a disaster waiting to happen.

Just as his dream was about to come to a great ending with Scorpius finally capturing his mystery maiden and making her his forever, someone decided to burst into his room, singing gaily and loudly.

Scorpius shot right up, his eyes fluttering wildly and the sheets tangled all over his body. “What? Huh? Who’s there?” he called out sleepily, trying to process his anger for having his dream interrupted.

“Rise and shine, Scorpi!” sang Constantine, shutting the bedroom door and heading for the windows. “It’s a quarter past six and you should start getting ready for your first day at your first job! I know that you take about as long as the average good-looking woman might so think of this wake-up call as a dear favor.” He thrust open the dark green curtains, hoping to get the first rays of the morning sun into the room.

Scorpius groaned and tried to hide himself underneath his sheets and pillows, hoping to get to see the end of his dream. He didn’t want his cousin to spoil the moment nor did he want to get ready for his job at such an early hour. “Go away,” he muttered into his pillow.

Constantine threw the pillow onto the floor, clicking his tongue in a mocking way. “Now, now, Scorpius, your morning routine will surely wake you right up and turn your grumpy mood into a happy one.” His voice was mocking and it caused him to snort softly behind his hand.

Scorpius hid underneath his sheets, but Constantine pulled those off the bed as well. Scorpius groaned and hid his face in his hands, now unable to get to the end of his dream. “Constantine, can’t you just bugger off?”

“No, I need to make sure that you’re presentable to your co-workers and your boss,” Constantine replied, patting his cousin’s back. “Can’t have you showing up late or worse, not showing up at all. Okay now, chop, chop!”

As Scorpius went through his daily routine, Constantine sat on Scorpius’s bed, talking to his cousin about things Scorpius did his best to tune out. The man was insufferable and Scorpius was starting to look forward to spending time at his new job just to get away from him. Even though it would put him through absolute hell, Scorpius had it a feeling it would much more enjoyable than listening to Constantine ramble on about Vanity Selwyn and her perfection.

“Okay, Constantine, you can shut up now,” Scorpius said once he was fully dressed. “Wait, how am I supposed to get past my parents?”

Constantine waved it off. “Oh, don’t worry, just tell them you’ve got a job and let them figure out the rest,” he said, pulling Scorpius with him out the door. “Come along, kid, we’re going to get some fresh air and walk to the building.”

When the two made it to the front of the building, Constantine pushed Scorpius ahead, pretending to cry like a father giving away his daughter at her wedding. Scorpius glared at his cousin and tried to avoid getting inside the building. Seeing what his cousin was doing, Constantine was quick to guide him into the building.

“Oh no you don’t, Scorpius,” Constantine said. “I need to know that you have fulfilled your duty of going to work on the first day.” Once the blonde was inside the building, Constantine waved with a bright and mocking smile until Scorpius was out of sight and on his way to introduce himself to his new boss.

“Mr. Malfoy!” Luna cried when she saw Scorpius signing in with the secretary Mabel Green. Scorpius tried to hide his embarrassment as best she he possibly could when the elder blonde hugged him unexpectedly. “It’s such a pleasure to have you here!” Luna let go, but took hold of his elbow and began to lead him down a long hallway to his office. “How are you this fine morning?”

“I’d rather be in my bed, actually,” Scorpius said, wondering why she was so touchy-feely. “My cousin put me up to this job in the first place.”

“I’m sorry that you feel that way,” Luna said. “Well, you will be working with another intern for the duration of your internship. I think you might remember her from Hogwarts days, actually.”

Scorpius perked up immediately. At least he might have someone cute to endure this pain with. “Really? Whom?”

Just then, Luna led Scorpius into the office he’d be sharing with his fellow teenage intern, smiling slightly to herself.

“Oh, Aunt Luna, so glad you’re back,” came the voice of someone Scorpius remembered very well from Hogwarts. She stood up and walked towards Luna, a heavy book wobbling in her arms. “What in the hell is a …” She stopped mid-sentence when she saw the blonde boy standing next to Luna and dropped the heavy book in shock, crushing Scorpius’s toes. “Malfoy.” She glared at him, crossing her arms in a defensive manner.

“Weasley,” Scorpius growled, feeling an immense amount of pain in his toes now and pure hatred towards Constantine for setting him up with this job in the first place. “Thank you for cutting off all circulation into my feet.”

“Oh, let me lift that for you, Scorpius,” Luna said, kneeling down so she could lift the book off the poor kid. She stood up, hugging the book to her chest and looking back and forth between the glaring teenagers. “Well, at least Courtney was right about the two of you knowing each other.”

“Aunt Luna, why did you hire Scorpius Malfoy of all people?” Rose wailed, looking at Luna incredulously. “He’s a complete slacker and has everybody else do his work for him instead of doing it himself!”

“Well, someone else-” Luna began, but Scorpius cut her off as he began to speak.

“Oh, really?” Scorpius had heard this speech before since Rose loved to fight with him and try to disprove his intelligence by saying he was a fraud. It always made her seem more human and attractive, but the blonde would never admit that out loud. “And what about you? Have you informed your aunt here that you’re a pusher and a perfectionist?”

“Well, it’s not my fault I have a reputation to live up to!” Rose cried, now looking at the smirking blonde boy.

“What reputation do you have, Weasley?” Scorpius asked, laughing now. “That’s the biggest load of bullocks I’ve heard since my father told my mother he loved her. You are a bossy, ill-tempered know-it-all who will become an old maid living with fifty cats in a cramped flat.”

Rose scoffed. “I am not bossy!” she cried, amazed at the crap Scorpius was spitting out in front of her dear aunt. “I am intelligent and I know that my family and friends expect me to do great things. And you know what, I will not live to be an old maid. I will marry the love of my life while you will marry some blonde bimbo who can’t even carry a decent conversation. And you know who I think fits into that scenario? Your stupid girlfriend Jolene Flint!”

“I will not marry Jolene Flint seeing as she’s promised to Roderick Yaxley. What do you have against Jolene anyway? Not as if you two go after the same things, anyway.” Scorpius then snorted behind his hand, thinking it comical to compare blonde and ambitious Jolene Flint to frumpy and annoying Rose Weasley.

Rose cried out and pushed past Luna and Scorpius, deciding that she would rather live with her wicked stepmother and bratty half sisters than keep her job and work alongside Scorpius Malfoy.

Luna sighed and looked at Scorpius. Scorpius shrugged and began to walk away, but he stopped when Luna began to talk. “You know I expect you to go after her, comfort her crushed spirits, bring her back here, and see the two of you working together like civilized human beings, right?” she called to Scorpius who groaned and did as he was expected to do.

Luna sighed and shook her head as she began to walk towards her office. Obviously, after observing her two newest employees fight just before, she could tell that bringing the two together and having the working environment become young and fresh and fun wasn’t going to be very easy. It probably would have been daunting for someone else to try and complete, but Luna knew that she had the ability to do it.

Chapter Four: Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You

Rose found herself walking out of the building and down the streets, pushing past the people around her. She still hadn’t gotten her apparation approval and she didn’t know the closest fireplace to be able to use floo powder. She was holding back tears, not wanting the random muggles to look at her and feel sympathy for her. Looking up, Rose saw a nearby children’s park and walked hastily towards it.

Then she heard the oh-so familiar voice of a certain blonde behind her. ”Weasley!” Scorpius yelled, trying to catch up. Rose chose to ignore him, focusing her attention on the swing set at the park. “Weasley!” As Rose continued to ignore him, Scorpius growled in annoyance, wondering how one small little person could be so insufferable. Deciding that he needed to catch her off guard, Scorpius knew just what he could say to get her attention. “Rose!”

Rose stopped abruptly, now standing in the middle of the parking lot next to the park. Had Malfoy just used her first name? He hardly ever liked to call her by her actual name seeing as he knew that it would annoy her more if he called her only by her last name. She turned around, red hair flying all over her face, and watched as Scorpius finally caught up to her.

Scorpius stopped a meter away from Rose and tried to catch his breath for a moment before speaking. “Boy, do you have a pair of legs,” he muttered, but because hardly anyone was around, Rose could hear him perfectly.

He looked at her and noticed that she looked like a fiery nymph with the sun beaming behind her and her red hair illuminating her face. She was definitely confused as to why he was running after her and it was evident in every part of her face. Oh gods, now Scorpius knew that he might live to regret having come after her in the near future if he was going to constantly be admiring the annoying redhead.

Rose decided to finally speak since Scorpius was so wrapped up in his thoughts. “Why did you come after me?” she asked, her voice tentative and confused. “I thought you would have taken that as an opportunity to run back to your parent’s house.”

Scorpius sighed, his annoyance towards Luna Thomas growing with each passing second. “Your aunt told me to come after you.”

Rose didn’t know why, but it felt as if her heart had sunk when he said that. She scolded herself for thinking that he might actually care about her feelings. Malfoy’s didn’t care about the feelings of others because they were too power-hungry, greedy, and horny. Scorpius was just another typical Malfoy who would have gladly left Rose out in the cold if that meant his survival and happiness.

“Oh, right,” Rose said, pushing stray curls away from her eyes. She looked at the swing set again and began walking towards it. “Tell her that I’ll be back soon or something. She knows I won’t get myself into any sort of trouble.”

Scorpius raised an eyebrow and began running after her again. “Wait, wait, I have specific orders to bring you back to the office,” he said, now walking beside her.

Rose looked at him and doubted he was telling the truth. “Really? Why do I not believe that? Oh, right, because you are a compulsive liar.”

Scorpius scoffed. “I am so telling the truth,” he said indignantly, sounding like a defiant five-year-old. “She wants me to bring you back and wants to see us working.”

Rose rolled her eyes and sat on a swing, choosing to ignore Scorpius for as long as she could. She lifted her legs, propelling herself into the air and trying to think of something that cheered her up seeing as Scorpius continued to just spoil her mood.

Scorpius sat on the swing next to her, swinging back and forth, staying closer to the ground. He watched as Rose seemingly transformed from a stubborn seventeen-year-old to a carefree five-year-old just by swinging on the swing. She really did look lovely in the direct sunlight and he wondered what would happen if he tried to spoil the moment. He liked to see Rose in her element, which was laughing and smiling, whenever he wasn’t around and simply watching her from afar but he also loved to provoke her and watch blood rise to her face as she focused all of her attention on him. Her mood swings could be hilarious and if Scorpius remembered correctly, he would feel something similar to desire during and after their fights, but also when he saw her having a good times with her friends.

Scorpius hated to even think about it, but he was damn well smitten with the girl.

As Rose came to a stop, she noticed Scorpius staring at her and blushed with embarrassment. He was probably thinking to himself how ugly and unattractive she looked and how unfortunate it was that he would have to work alongside someone who wasn’t comely at all. The redhead again felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach and she couldn’t believe that she was so far gone with those kinds of feelings.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Rose demanded as she slowed down and became eye level with the blonde.

“Like what?” Scorpius also had a tendency to despise her mood swings.

“Like your picking at everything you find wrong with me in your mind,” Rose said, scowling at her feet.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. “It’s never flattering for a girl to express her insecurities,” he said. “And for your information I’m not thinking anything bad about you.”

Rose raised a curious eyebrow, wondering if Scorpius might possibly possess an actual soul. “What were you thinking about?” Her voice was soft, but full of curiosity.

Scorpius was surprised by her question and blushed as he looked down, not wanting to tell her that he was actually admiring her in the depths of his mind. So he replied with the quickest lie he could muster up. “Oh, nothing, just about what your aunt is going to make us do while we’re working for her.” Smooth, Scorpius, he thought to himself.

Rose looked at him, wondering if he was just simply spinning lies to save himself. On the other hand, he could be telling the truth, but Rose highly doubted he was telling the truth. It just wasn’t in Scorpius’s nature to tell the truth.

But Rose decided to let it slide just this one last time. She sighed and pushed more curls behind her ear. “We might as well head back now.” Scorpius scoffed and looked at her. “What? You were ordered to bring me back weren’t you?”

Scorpius got a better look at the redhead next to him and noticed that her expression was playful and almost, well, flirty. He had never believed that Rose was capable of flirting with anyone, but then he remembered the long relationship she had with Dorian Wood, his Quidditch rival.

Scorpius had never liked Dorian and not only because he was the Gryffindor seeker (Scorpius was the Slytherin seeker) but because Dorian was a bumbling idiot who was fawned over by many of the female students at Hogwarts. Scorpius couldn’t stand it whenever he had seen Dorian snogging one girl then carelessly move onto a new girl.

His hatred reached its boiling point when Scorpius saw a certain redhead snogging Dorian out in the open without any regret. Scorpius had been stilled and he didn’t know if the redhead was the girl he was slowly gaining feelings for her or her Hufflepuff cousin. When Scorpius had found out during dinner that night that Dorian and Rose were an item, it took all of the blonde’s will not to shove his dinner plate off the table and attempt to strangle the smug playboy to death. Scorpius hated how comfortable Rose was spending all of her time with Dorian instead of fighting with him. Going through a year and a half of that was just unbearable.

“Earth to Scorpius,” Rose said, now standing in front of the scowling blonde and waving her hand in front of his face. She jumped and took a few steps back when he suddenly looked at her. “Sorry, but you looked like you were in another damned world! What made you get so angry anyway?”

“Nothing,” Scorpius said, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair.

When he looked at Rose again, she didn’t seem convinced with his answer, but didn’t question him. Scorpius stood up and stood in front of her, causing Rose to tilt her head a little to be able to clearly see him. Seeing her so … vulnerable made Scorpius wonder what she would do if he spontaneously kissed her. The two of them were so close and Scorpius could feel something passing between the two of them, but he knew that it was probably just his loins thinking for him once again.

“Um, let’s go back now,” Rose said, turning around and heading back in the direction she had first come. She didn’t look at Scorpius, too caught up in her own thoughts. Her heart was fluttering too wildly for her taste and she hoped that it would stop sooner than later.

For some reason, he always did something … indescribable to her heart and mind and … well, her unmentionables. Whenever they fought, Rose’s cheeks usually turned bright red from anger, but her heart fluttered wildly and she could never understand why. Whenever Scorpius would throw a compliment her way, Rose would blush with embarrassment and her heart would flutter wildly yet again. It was even more confusing whenever Rose would become green with envy if she saw Scorpius getting extra cozy with some girl (especially if that girl was Jolene Flint) even though she had thought she was in love with Dorian Wood. Even though Rose didn’t tell Dorian the real reason why she lost interest in him, she knew deep down that it had to do with a certain blonde Malfoy.

Looking behind her, Rose saw Scorpius lagging behind, looking like a lost puppy almost. He was actually quite adorable with his hair starting to fall over his face. He didn’t look menacing the way he usually would, he just looked confused somewhat. Rose couldn’t remember when, but she had always taken a notice to Scorpius’s good looks once he began to hit puberty and transform into a dashing young man. She just never wanted to admit it because puberty made Rose feel awkward about her body and she wanted nothing more than to hide in a corner until she felt pretty again for the longest time. That didn’t stop her from wondering if Scorpius felt the same way or even if he found her as pretty as the girls he was always kissing.

Once they made it back inside the building, the two looked at each other before heading for their office and sitting at their desks. Scorpius leaned back in his chair, rubbing his hands over his face tiredly. Looking at the clock in between his fingers, Scorpius groaned when he saw that it wasn’t even nine o’clock yet. Rose looked at her partner and sat up straight, hoping to set an example for a serious working space. Obviously, this job would be harder than when the two of them had been partners in Potions, Charms, and Transfiguration.

Rose cleared her throat and Scorpius looked at her with annoyance. “I’ll have you know that I am very serious about making deadlines,” she said in a frank tone. “Can you give me your word that you will cooperate and complete your half of all our assignments?”

Scorpius almost didn’t hear what Rose was saying to him because he was too fascinated with the way her body looked when she was sitting like a proper lady. It was maddening not to be able to touch her and let her know just how tempting she was to him.

“Yeah, you have my word,” Scorpius said, looking at the woodwork of his desk.

“Thank you,” Rose said, looking at the parchment neatly piled on her desk. She had already collected it before Scorpius had ruined her day and planned to use it to take notes about the article Luna had told her to work on with Scorpius.

Looking at Scorpius again, she caught him staring at her and both glared at each other before abruptly looking away. Yes, this summer was definitely going to be unbearable if things kept going on this way.

And neither of them knew whether that was a good or bad thing.

Part 2.