Scorpius and Rose

Chapter 4 - New Year, Old You

The next school year arrives rather uneventfully. Summer bores me endlessly- I can't figure out a way to send a letter to Scorpius without my parents noticing! I sit on the Hogwarts Express in the usual compartment, glancing hopefully at the door every few seconds.

Just as the train begins to move, Scorpius slides open the door and steps in.

"Scorpius!" I stand up. "Your hair!" I get a rush of deja vu, remembering last year.

He smiles, running his fingers through his long, platinum blonde hair. "I thought you liked it better this way."

I scowl. "I never said that."

"You did too. Anyway, I thought you'd be more irritated by the fact that I'm a lot taller than you now," he points out.

My scowl only deepens. "You were always taller than me."

"True," Scorpius says, sitting down.

I sit down on the seat across from him, smiling. This year is already off to a good start.

...

I hadn't told Rose yet. How could I? She was gone, and Father's temper was only getting worse. Mother would've wanted him to move on, to forget her, but I am a walking reminder of the life Father never deserved in the first place. He didn't even want me. He would've prefered to keep Mother for longer rather than have me at all. He wanted the Malfoy line to end.

Maybe it would with me. I pull the small ring out of my pocket. My mother's ring. I press the stone to my lips and try not to cry.

...

3rd year proves to be a lot more stressful than 2nd year. The teachers really have started to crack down, trying to prepare us for the O.W.L.S. that we'll take our 5th year.

We're in Care of Magical Creatures. My textbook - The Monster Book of Monsters-is open, squashed under my foot as I strain to follow Grawp's reading. The book struggles, trying its best to chomp on my foot, making everything more difficult.

Grawp may have taken over Hagrid's job, but Hagrid still leads the first years to Hogwarts, even though he's retired. Grawp looms above us, reading a ginormous version of the same Monster Book of Monsters book.

With a grin, I remember how that book nearly ate a student when I was in first grade.

I try to listen to Grawp, try to refocus, but I find myself once again overwhelmed by thoughts of Scorpius. I'm not sure I'll get anything done at this rate.

"Unicorns, however pretty, can also be useful," Grawp is saying.

"Focus," I whisper to myself.

"What's that?" Scorpius whispers, leaning to the side.

"Nothing,'' I tell him.

"What is it?" He asks, tickling me with a strand of my hair.

"Shh! Listen to Grawp!" I whisper.

"-can be made with Unicorn hair. Follow me," Grawp is saying, walking over to his hut. He snaps closed The Monster Book of Monsters and belts it closed.

He stuffs it in his cottage and smiles. "What are some other uses that Unicorns have?" I raise my hand. "Rose?" He says.

"Unicorn blood can be used to grant immortality, but is also very dangerous." I say, cursing myself for missing what he said earlier.

"That's right!" Grawp says with a smile.

I move on to Defense against the Dark Arts, and get out my textbook, DA Defense by Amelia Storme, and sit at my desk.

"Turn to page 394," Professor Storme says, and I flip to it. Boggarts are creatures that take a form to terrify you, The first sentence reads. I sigh. I know all about boggarts. "Read through page 400,'' She drones.

...

We're in Charms, and I find myself ignoring Professor Oakwood and staring at Scorpius. Have his eyes always looked like that? His eyes are gray, with light blue traces swirling around in them, which I knew, but I find hints of darker blue rimming the pupil. I could get lost in those eyes, finding all the different grays and blues.

Scorpius looks up and catches me staring at him. He smiles and I blush, looking down, but in a few minutes I'm staring up at him again.

"Remember, class," Professor Oakwood intones.

"Swish and flick," The class responds out of habit. I watch Scorpius' long hair move slightly in the breeze coming from the open window and smile.