Part 4 is here.
13: More to Lose
In a letter written later that week, Rose poured her heart out to her mother. She was still young enough to do that, though she wouldn't be for much longer.
Your father worries too much, Rose. Hermione had written. She'd ended with a warning, not for Rose, but for Scorpius. Remember that he has more to lose over this friendship than you do. I can't imagine his father being pleased over your relationship, though he may have learned to live with things that displease him by now.
Reading that reminded Rose of a conversation she'd overheard over the summer.
"I doubt he was pleased that his boy ended up in Ravenclaw," her mother had said. Her father had agreed.
Alone in the dormitory, Rose wondered if her friendship was hurting Scorpius. She knew that even if it was, he would never tell her or anyone else.
14: Rejection
Most of Rose's cousins were attending Hogwarts now, and she found herself distracted by them. It took her over a month to notice that Scorpius had returned one of her books without asking to borrow another. She wondered if he was avoiding her, and admitted to herself that the idea wouldn't surprise her.
She thought about their kiss a lot. It hadn't meant so much to her at the time, but now that they weren't speaking nearly as much as they used to, it grew in significance, along with the idea that she had been rejected.
15: They -
Before Rose knew it, it was Christmas. It had been weeks since she and Scorpius had spoken, the longest they'd gone since that first summer holiday. They were both fourteen now, her birthday passing in the September, and his in the November.
She'd decided not to go home for Christmas, a decision that had not surprised her family. At least, not nearly as much as she'd expected. She may have spent more time with her cousins recently, but they'd never quite understood her as a Ravenclaw. She'd kept herself to herself since the sorting. Since longer before then, if she were totally honest.
She'd told her family that she had a lot of studying to do, what with the new classes she'd taken up. They didn't question her decision, especially when they remembered how hectic her mother's schedule had been during her third year.
Scorpius stayed too, exactly as she'd heard that he would. A few days before Christmas, she sought him out in the library.
"Skip?" She asked, peering over a pile of books.
He looked up from his parchment, rubbing his forehead.
"Haven't seen you in a while, Rose," he replied, his face guarded.
Rose chewed her lower lip. He'd never been like this with her, not before this year. She wondered whether or not his father had told him to be distant. Still, she decided to plough on with the course she'd chosen.
"I brought you a present." she said, holding the package out.
He smiled then, a real smile, one that seemed almost grateful. She wondered then whether his family had sent him any Christmas presents, or whether they would shun him, for being a Ravenclaw who'd befriended a Weasley. From what she'd heard she wouldn't have put it past them and, not for the first time, she felt a flicker of hatred towards his father.
Scorpius reached into his bag and drew out a similar package. "I got you a present, too."
She returned his smile. "We don't have to wait till Christmas, do we?"
He'd grinned properly then, that new expression he'd only begun using since he'd hit his teenage years. It accentuated his eyes and sharp cheekbones, making him look devilishly handsome. "Not if you don't want to,"he assured her.
On mutual agreement, they ripped open the wrapping paper right there and then. They'd bought each other books, of course.
She'd given him a new paperback, The Child Garden. She thought he'd find the future shown there interesting. She'd loved the story, when she'd read it; it was about love, and loss. It was about misunderstandings, someone working hard to unwittingly destroy something they didn't know they had. It was about doing exactly the wrong thing for all the right reasons.
She'd cried after reading it, and she'd wanted to share those feelings with him.
He'd given her a second-hand book, one of Severus'. It had been well-read, and she realised that he was giving her something he couldn't easily replace. She hugged him then, spontaneously.
Scorpius blushed furiously; the first time she'd seen him do more than flush slightly.
"I thought you were avoiding me," he confessed, when she let go.
"I wasn't sure if you'd want to be around me," Rose said, awkwardly.
"Why not?" he asked, sounding hurt. "Did I do something?"
"Oh, no! Oh, Skip, it's not you!"
"Then what, Rosie?"
"It's...our families, Skip." She said eventually, meaning, of course, his family.
She watched clouds drift through his eyes, before they shut down again.
"I see," he said.
She wasn't going to let him go this time. Instead, she leaned over and hugged him again, grasping him tightly.
"They don't have to know," she said.
"Rose -"
"Shh, Skip. I missed you. I'm not going to lose you. They don't have to know."
She waited, clinging, eyes closed. He stroked her hair.
Part 6 is here.
13: More to Lose
In a letter written later that week, Rose poured her heart out to her mother. She was still young enough to do that, though she wouldn't be for much longer.
Your father worries too much, Rose. Hermione had written. She'd ended with a warning, not for Rose, but for Scorpius. Remember that he has more to lose over this friendship than you do. I can't imagine his father being pleased over your relationship, though he may have learned to live with things that displease him by now.
Reading that reminded Rose of a conversation she'd overheard over the summer.
"I doubt he was pleased that his boy ended up in Ravenclaw," her mother had said. Her father had agreed.
Alone in the dormitory, Rose wondered if her friendship was hurting Scorpius. She knew that even if it was, he would never tell her or anyone else.
14: Rejection
Most of Rose's cousins were attending Hogwarts now, and she found herself distracted by them. It took her over a month to notice that Scorpius had returned one of her books without asking to borrow another. She wondered if he was avoiding her, and admitted to herself that the idea wouldn't surprise her.
She thought about their kiss a lot. It hadn't meant so much to her at the time, but now that they weren't speaking nearly as much as they used to, it grew in significance, along with the idea that she had been rejected.
15: They -
Before Rose knew it, it was Christmas. It had been weeks since she and Scorpius had spoken, the longest they'd gone since that first summer holiday. They were both fourteen now, her birthday passing in the September, and his in the November.
She'd decided not to go home for Christmas, a decision that had not surprised her family. At least, not nearly as much as she'd expected. She may have spent more time with her cousins recently, but they'd never quite understood her as a Ravenclaw. She'd kept herself to herself since the sorting. Since longer before then, if she were totally honest.
She'd told her family that she had a lot of studying to do, what with the new classes she'd taken up. They didn't question her decision, especially when they remembered how hectic her mother's schedule had been during her third year.
Scorpius stayed too, exactly as she'd heard that he would. A few days before Christmas, she sought him out in the library.
"Skip?" She asked, peering over a pile of books.
He looked up from his parchment, rubbing his forehead.
"Haven't seen you in a while, Rose," he replied, his face guarded.
Rose chewed her lower lip. He'd never been like this with her, not before this year. She wondered whether or not his father had told him to be distant. Still, she decided to plough on with the course she'd chosen.
"I brought you a present." she said, holding the package out.
He smiled then, a real smile, one that seemed almost grateful. She wondered then whether his family had sent him any Christmas presents, or whether they would shun him, for being a Ravenclaw who'd befriended a Weasley. From what she'd heard she wouldn't have put it past them and, not for the first time, she felt a flicker of hatred towards his father.
Scorpius reached into his bag and drew out a similar package. "I got you a present, too."
She returned his smile. "We don't have to wait till Christmas, do we?"
He'd grinned properly then, that new expression he'd only begun using since he'd hit his teenage years. It accentuated his eyes and sharp cheekbones, making him look devilishly handsome. "Not if you don't want to,"he assured her.
On mutual agreement, they ripped open the wrapping paper right there and then. They'd bought each other books, of course.
She'd given him a new paperback, The Child Garden. She thought he'd find the future shown there interesting. She'd loved the story, when she'd read it; it was about love, and loss. It was about misunderstandings, someone working hard to unwittingly destroy something they didn't know they had. It was about doing exactly the wrong thing for all the right reasons.
She'd cried after reading it, and she'd wanted to share those feelings with him.
He'd given her a second-hand book, one of Severus'. It had been well-read, and she realised that he was giving her something he couldn't easily replace. She hugged him then, spontaneously.
Scorpius blushed furiously; the first time she'd seen him do more than flush slightly.
"I thought you were avoiding me," he confessed, when she let go.
"I wasn't sure if you'd want to be around me," Rose said, awkwardly.
"Why not?" he asked, sounding hurt. "Did I do something?"
"Oh, no! Oh, Skip, it's not you!"
"Then what, Rosie?"
"It's...our families, Skip." She said eventually, meaning, of course, his family.
She watched clouds drift through his eyes, before they shut down again.
"I see," he said.
She wasn't going to let him go this time. Instead, she leaned over and hugged him again, grasping him tightly.
"They don't have to know," she said.
"Rose -"
"Shh, Skip. I missed you. I'm not going to lose you. They don't have to know."
She waited, clinging, eyes closed. He stroked her hair.
Part 6 is here.
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