A Forbidden Love (REMASTERED 2022)

CHAPTER 13: Remastered

Rose

"Lily, I do think this one-"
"Too dressy!"
I was up in the third-year side of the dorms, attempting to help Lily pick her outfit for the party. I had already helped her in the quest for the perfect eye shadow and shade of lipgloss but she was still torn between which dress. I had long since been ready. I wore an emerald green top with cutouts on the sides and a pair of faux leather jeans. Lily had insisted on doing something to my hair so she'd braided two braids along the circumference of my head and laced the hair together in the back to make a sort of flower crown. She'd pulled a few pieces of hair out in the front to frame my face before I had batted her hands away and insisted she start readying herself.
"Lils, please! People are starting to arrive by now," I pleaded. I could hear the commotion down in the common room along with the music.
"I know, I know...," she sighed and sat down on her bed, staring at the dresses. I furrowed my eyebrows at her. I'd never seen her so obsessed with an outfit before. It wasn't very Lily-like.
"What's wrong, dear?" I asked, sitting next to her.
She peered up at me, "What if he comes to the party?"
I cocked my head to the side, "Who?"
"Linus Hesper," Lily said, her voice no louder than a whisper. A smile broke out on my face as I clasped Lily's hand in mine. A boy. Of course, this was about a boy. And of course, it was Linus too. I'd seen her face at Cheyanne's mention of him earlier.
"He probably will be, he just secured his spot as a Gryffindor chaser after all. Why do you ask?" I replied, already knowing her answer.
"I...I think I kind of fancy him," she told me, swinging her feet off the edge of the bed.
"Really now? A fourth-year boy, Lily you're so bad," I joked but she looked up at me with wide, startled eyes and I instantly felt terrible.
"Oh Merlin, I'm sorry, dear. Only joking, not serious," I assured her. She relaxed immediately but stared at her feet in thought.
"Listen," I said, sliding off of the bed and pulling her up with me, "you're a beautiful, beautiful girl. If Linus sees that, then that's fantastic. If he doesn't then that's on him for missing out on such an opportunity." She gave me a soft smile and looked back toward the dresses on the bed hopefully.
"But Lily," I said, redirecting her attention towards me, "don't you ever forget you're just as beautiful, smart, and courageous without a partner as you are with one. Don't let others define the ways in which you view yourself." She nodded curtly and rushed into me, seizing me around the waist in a huge hug. I was almost knocked off balance but righted myself and hugged her back, smiling to myself.
"Thank you, Rosie. I love you," she whispered. My heart practically shattered all over the floor at her words and I squeezed her a little tighter.
"I love you most, Lils," I told her. I pulled away and bopped her on the nose as she giggled. I turned back toward the pile of dresses in front of us and scanned the mess for what I was looking for.
"Ah!" I exclaimed. I reached down and pulled out a purple flare dress that would hang loosely and stop at her knees. I smiled at her over my shoulder as I held the dress up for her to see.
"This one, you think?"
"I think you're going to look brilliant, that's what I think."

*****

"Come, come! Don't be shy, you look perfect, dear," I assured Lily as we descended the steps. Her hand was clasped in mine and she was looking down at the crowd nervously. "Lils...," I urged. She nodded and allowed me to lead her the rest of the way down.
"Woah, James! Your sister is kind of hot," Zacharias yelled to James above the loud music, staring up at Lily. James furiously hit him over the head and scowled at him. I rolled my eyes and looked back at Lily. She was blushing like mad but she looked happy.
"And would you look just there? Look who it is," I whispered into her. Linus was talking to one of the Ravenclaw boys over by the drinks. Lily's eyes got very wide and she backed up a step.
"I can't talk to him by myself!" she gasped. Hugo appeared suddenly by my side.
"Talk to who?" he asked curiously. A wild idea suddenly popped into my head.
"You see that boy over there? The one with the dark hair?" I asked my brother, pointing to the two boys. He nodded. "I want you to introduce Lily to him."
"That's Linus, isn't it?"
"Yes, is that alright?"
Hugo glanced from Lily to me and then grinned, "Very much so. Come on, Lils." He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the dancing crowd as she squeaked her protests. I smiled after them, knowing she would be just fine. She may trip over her words here and there but the most that would do is make Linus think she's even more adorable.
"'Scuse me, but I must say you look breathtaking this evening," a ridiculous American accent came from beside me. I rolled my eyes with a smile and turned around to meet Scorpius's eyes, but nothing could prepare me for the vision I set my eyes on.
Gone were his Hogwarts uniform and Slytherin flying robes and in their place was a black short sleeve collared shirt with the first three buttons popped open, revealing a lot of his chest. He wore black slim jeans and boots that Rigel had gifted him. I did a full body scan of him and still, I could not process how gorgeous he was.
"You...you look...wow," I told him, which was the understatement of the century but words truly couldn't describe him. He chuckled and pulled me toward him by my hand, only to let go and grasp my chin between his fingers.
"Finally," he mumbled hoarsely, and at last his lips were on mine. The music faded out and there was only me and him. Against the wall with everyone dancing around us and yet a meteor could have ripped through Hogwarts and I wouldn't have moved. I consumed myself with him, letting him take me as he pleased. His hands roamed my sides, moving to hold my back along with my head, cradling my face up towards his. I tangled my fingers into long hair and tugged with the frustration of how much I wanted him.
I decided then and there that Scorpius Malfoy was put on Earth for me. A silly notion considering the world didn't revolve around me but I thought it was true anyway. Because in all the world and places and dimensions he could've ended up, he was right there, holding me. Kissing me. Adoring me. And the fact that I got to do the same was too amazing for it not to have been fate. I pulled away, panting, and leaned my forehead against his, staring into his beautiful eyes. Sinfully beautiful silver eyes. At that moment, I decided he was mine and only mine. How could I not?
"Very bold of you to kiss me like that when my brother and three cousins are all present in this very room," I told him, my own voice hoarse with need.
"What can I say? You do things to me that even I cannot comprehend," he growled. He kissed down my jawline, ghosting his breath down my neck before pausing to kiss there too. "A vision, darling, an absolute vision," he murmured as I sighed happily into him.
"OI!" a scream cut through the crowd and the music. We froze and snapped our heads up toward the voice. Fred was standing on top of the makeshift stage they'd conjured up near the stairs, pointing at us accusingly with wide eyes and a disgusted expression. He'd used the Sonorus spell, the tip of his wand pressed to the side of his neck to amplify his voice. Everyone in the common room has turned to stare at us. Scorpius and I jumped away from each other, faces burning with embarrassment.
"BLIMEY, quit snogging my cousin, you git!" James yelled from next to Fred. Scorpius smiled sheepishly and put his hands up in mock surrender. Whispers floated from ear to ear as people realized Scorpius and I had been snogging. And I knew this was only the beginning of the chaos. I glared at my cousins, silently cursing them for their carelessness. Fred's face faltered up on stage as he realized what he'd done.
My head started to spin as heads turned and voices echoed through the room. All eyes were on Scorpius and me. I took a step back and then another. It was happening, it was finally happening. I knew it would eventually but it was as if an ocean wave had fallen on top of me and swallowed me up in its salty waters. Everyone knew. They all knew and they were all judging me, staring and judging. They didn't know our story, they would make one up. Rumors would fly and I would have no say in the matter. I could practically see the opinions forming in their eyes. I started to breathe rapidly, my chest heaving as I looked around at everyone. I stumbled backward, almost falling on my arse.
"Hey-wait! Look at me...Rose, look at me," Scorpius urged firmly, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward him. I turned to him, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. "Don't worry about them, just look at me. That's right, look at me, eyes on me," he whispered, taking my face into his hands. Everyone had gone very silent and only the dull hum of the music was making any noise. Suddenly, "O Children" by Nick Cave started to play and my heart skipped a beat.
It was Uncle Harry's song, the song he always played for us when we were feeling down. It had been so long since we'd all listened to it together, my cousins and I. He'd dance us around the room, getting our parents to join in too. He'd told me how it was the only song he could get my mother to dance to when they'd left my dad behind while Horcrux hunting.
My eyes swept the room quickly and landed on Fred who knelt by the record player which was playing music. They had put an amplification spell on it to make it louder but Fred had his wand pressed to the player and he was whispering what looked like it could be an incantation. He was trying to make up for his mistake.