Scorrose

five

She couldn't shake away the horrible feeling that conversation had left her with. The word approachable floated through her mind constantly, always at the forefront of her thoughts. She had also spent a majority of the last few days avoiding the two boys entirely, although even Albus had made an attempt to apologize, probably partly due to guilt and partly due to Scorpius' insistence.

It didn't matter. She felt so awful, she could hardly look either of them in the eye. She was a terrible person. She really was.

She glanced up as a boy she recognized from class passed by, and as they made eye contact she tried for a smile; blinking in mild surprise, he gave her a small tight-lipped smile in return before hastily continuing on his way.

Rose sank even further into her seat, feeling absolutely dreadful.

Perhaps she really was as unapproachable as Albus claimed.

She sighed and rubbed her temples, wondering how her life had taken this turn. Since her first year at Hogwarts, she'd been so careful about who she befriended— her parents had met during their first year, and the pair of them, along with Uncle Harry, had been Hogwart's golden trio. They were legends— rumors about the antics they'd been up to during their school years echoed through the halls even to this day. Students and professors alike spoke highly of how they'd led a student-run rebellion, how they had found and destroyed the dark wizard Voldemort's horcruxes, and how bravely they'd defeated the Dark Lord.

Rose, however, was already in her fifth year, and had experienced none of these adventures, nor these tight-knit friendships.

Admittedly, Scorpius' accusations had been true. She had never wanted anything to do with a Malfoy. She'd heard nasty rumors about Draco Malfoy and his parents, how they had been in league with Voldemort and the Death Eaters after his rise to power. She had seen Scorpius' father a few times before (even now, her own dad liked to point him out of the crowd and mutter unkind words) and when she met Scorpius, he had seemed like a complete replica of him, from that infamous white-blond hair to the cool blue of his eyes.

He had been right when he said she judged him for his image. She had seen his father in him, and though she had never admitted it, she was afraid— afraid that this Draco Malfoy replica would be capable of doing all things Draco himself had done in the past.

She had been afraid for Albus' sake as well, but she couldn't bring herself to intervene. So instead, to be on the safe side, she stepped out of her cousin's life and ventured out on her own.

However, she hadn't been lying when she told Scorpius she didn't hate him. It was the fear that had hardened her and made her so cold when he was nearby.

What a true Gryffindor I am, she thought miserably.

It had not been long, just around the end of last term when Scorpius had first plucked up the courage to ask her on a date, that she'd started to warm up to him. He had proved himself a hero. There was nothing to be afraid of. Though she'd always pitied the way he chased after her, she couldn't stop herself from being his friend, though it was no conventional friendship.

She mulled all these things over for a long while, lost in her own head, when somebody nearing the staircase caught her eye— that third-year girl who had spoken to her in the Great Hall last week.

"Hey, you!" Rose called, startling the girl so much her book fell out of her hand. She paused to pick it up and looked over at Rose in confusion, pointing to herself uncertainly. Rose nodded in affirmation. "Come here."

The girl did so reluctantly, hesitating before plopping onto the couch opposite Rose. "Yes?"

"What's your name?"

"Erm... Siobhan. Siobhan Murphy."

"Siobhan," Rose repeated.

Siobhan fidgeted, and Rose realized her stare may have been a notch too intense. She softened her gaze and smiled warmly.

Approachable, she thought. I need to be more approachable.

"You have a lovely name."

"Thank you?"

"Listen, you're a third-year, right?" She nodded. "Meaning you aren't quite yet eligible to attend the Yule Ball on your own?"

"Yes...?"

"Great." Rose beamed. "Go with me."

Siobhan's eyes widened, and she quickly stood up, letting out an uncomfortable laugh. "I— uh— that's a nice offer. Really. But, um... when I said you were pretty, I didn't mean... I— I like boys. I'm not into—"

Realizing where she was going with this, Rose laughed. It was so genuine she surprised even herself. "No, that's not how I meant it," she assured. "Just hear me out. Sit down." Siobhan eyed her warily and Rose gestured to the seat pleadingly. "Please?"

Rose sighed in relief when she obliged, cracking her knuckles distractedly as she wondered where to start. "Look, recently I've been told that I'm... unapproachable." She paused, as if the girl would jump to her defense to argue against this. She just nodded, waiting patiently for Rose to get to her point. "Er, well I suppose it might be somewhat true. My point it, all of my friends have found partners and nobody's yet asked me—"

"I thought someone asked you and you refused?"

Rose fought the urge to scowl at the interruption. "Yes," she said slowly. "That's true."

"If you're so worried about finding a date, why would you refuse him?"

She did scowl this time. "It doesn't matter now, he's already found a different date," Rose said, trying to keep the annoyance in her tone to a minimum. "And anyway, I wasn't worried about it. Not until recently. I didn't think it would be such a big deal, finding a partner, but now, I..."

I wanna prove Albus and Scorpius wrong, she thought. I wanna prove I can be approachable, and can make good friends without scaring them off.

"I've realized nobody else will want to go with me, and I'd rather not go alone," she finished.

"So, you want me to go with you?" Siobhan asked incredulously.

"I know we hardly know each other, but it would be a good way to start. Anyway, it'll be fun! Who knows if you'll ever have another chance to attend a Yule Ball?"

She pondered it a moment.

"Is that allowed, then?" She asked. "Bringing me as your partner, even if I'm not a boy nor your date?"

Rose shrugged. "Well, why wouldn't it be?"

She thought about it for a minute longer, and Rose was beginning to shake her leg up and down with impatience. Finally, she broke into a grin. "Okay," she said. "I'll go with you— as a friend."

Rose clasped her hands together in thanks, grinning back. "You won't regret it," she promised, as Siobhan returned to the staircase.

She relaxed into her chair, feeling a little bit lighter knowing she wouldn't be going to the ball alone— and maybe, if all went well, she might get a new friend out of it.

A/N Let me know what you think so far! I have a basic idea of how I want this to go, but if you have any suggestions, I'm totally open to them. 

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