Enchanted

Alice Longbottom

SCORPIUS'S POV

"Cut it out Al, I'm busy." I shot him a death glare.
"I'm sorry! The fact that I only got to know about my best friends's break up through the dude who sits behind me in Divination, a class I'm pathetically failing in, kind of bothered me!" Al bellowed.

"I'm sorry okay! I fell asleep in Frank's room! Cut it out!" I snapped at him.

"Why are you being so salty?!"
"OH GEEZ I DON'T KNOW MAYBE BECAUSE I JUST BROKE UP?"

"Ah! That's a good enough reason." Al sheepishly. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to me, not uttering a word and just staring at me.

"Do you mind? Stop breathing down my neck." I said, annoyed. It's been a week since Rose and I broke up, and the stupid ball is still not here. Which means, no skinship with my Ro till yet another two days.

"At least tell me why you and Rosie broke up!" Al pleaded, and I panicked. We had never decided a specific reason for our 'breakup'.

"Al, I'm glad you're worried about us, but please, stop. It was heartbreaking, and I don't want to go through it again."

"Okay. Fine. I was just asking because people are saying that Connor and Rosie are going to the ball together, and I was shocked because I didn't know she could bounce back so fast." Al said.

I gasped. "With Connor!" Great! The plan was on! The sooner this shit is over the better. "That's preposterous!"

"I know right! I mean, out of all the people, she chooses that snek ass dude!" I cringed at his vocabulary. Maybe I do have some family blood in me.

"So who're you going to take?" Al asked me.
I ignored him, I couldn't tell him I was going to take Ali, it would just ruin the plan.

"I don't know. What about you?"
Al was about to answer when I beat him to it.
"How about Hazel? Rosie and Ali's friend? I mean she clearly has the Hots for you, plus like you said, jealousy works best right? So you take Haze to the ball, Ali gets jealous, you guys make up, and all comes back to normal. Yay! I'm so glad you're taking Hazel! Would you look at the time! It's already 7:56! I had to return the library book to Pince before 8! I've gotta go." I patted Al's shoulder before turning around. "I'm glad you're taking Hazel."

As I left the Slytherin common room, I could hear Al standing up and muttering, "I guess I'm taking Hazel to the ball then?"

Grinning, I made my way out of the portrait.

***

ALICE'S POV

"So you said yes to Connor because he asked you to go to the ball with him, because you saved him from falling down from the Astronomy tower? How'd he even end up tripping?" I asked Rose.

"Hey! What are you suggesting? That I pushed him down the Astronomy tower and didn't pull him back up till he wouldn't ask me to the ball?" She said accusingly.

"That is exactly what I'm suggesting Ro and you know it."

Rose huffed.
"Whatever. I can't even believe you could think so low of- Fuck is that Scorpius?" I looked up to see Scorp exiting the Library.

I looked at Rose worriedly. It was clear that she still wasn't over their breakup, and I didn't want her to hurt more.

"Ali listen, I've got to rush, I don't think I can face him yet." I nodded, seeing that Scorp had already spotted us and was making his way here, and turned to go with her, when she stopped me.

"Don't. Don't let your friendship with Scorp waver just because he and I broke up. Go talk to him."
"Are you sure hun? I wouldn't mind coming up with you."

Rose gave me a bright smile. "I'd rather not, or it will all go down the drain." And she scurried past me, before I could ask her what.

Scorp looked almost amused as Rose ran straight past him. Wait. Amused?
His eyes followed her till she disappeared behind a turn and he turned to face me.

"Ali! Hey." Scorp said.
I waved at him and made my way towards the Malfoy.

"Hey Scorpion king. What's up?"
"Oh nothing, just thinking." He looked out of the window.
"About what?" I pressed. It was important for me to know how he was feeling, I know how whipped he was, still is perhaps for Rose, and seeing him in this state was shattering to watch.

"Rose going to the ball with Connor. It hurts you know? That she's going to the most romantic event in this institution with someone who's not me."

Just as I had expected. He was hurting so bad! Poor child.

"I'm sorry Scorp,.. but maybe she has her own reasoning behind it right? I mean she probably just wants to forget about the pain?"

"But I don't want her to you know? Moving on is not something very positive in our case Ali."
I sympathized with him. Despite how much Al hurt me, I still couldn't get myself to look at anyone except for him.

"So I'm guessing you're not going to the ball with anyone too?"
He shook his head and sat on the window sill.

"Good! That makes two of us then!"
Scorp turned to look at me with a glint in his eye.

"Ali? What if we go together?" Before I could object, he continued, "not as a couple obviously! But as friends! What say? That way, we can say no to anyone who asks us with a legit reason, and we can actually have fun and not look like losers!"

I thought about it. I was true that Scorp was like a brother to me and nothing more, and it was also true that I didn't want to look like a complete idiot while Al sucked up to the other females at the ball. Plus, I also knew, that because of Scorp being my date and Rosie being my best friend, they would actually spend some time together and gain closure! And who knows? Maybe they could actually make it up by the end of the night!

It was a win win situation, so who was I to refuse?

"I'm in loser!"

Scorp smiled widely and hugged me before running off in the same direction Rose did, leaving me lost in thought.

***

ROSE'S POV

"I'm in loser."
I smirked in victory. Mission Alibus was on a roll.

I waited till hurried footsteps sounded outside the broom closet.

Scorp got in and closed the door before giving me a high five.
"We're quite the actors Love.". Scorp grinned.

"Oh you bet! Well done ferret, now I've gotta go, Ali will get suspicious."
I turned to leave, when he pulled me back in.

"What's the hurry?"