Sparks of Fyre (a Scorose FanFiction)

Chapter Eighteen (Rose)

          Rose slept in for breakfast the next morning.  Roxanne tried to wake her in time, even going as far as to use Rose's own pillow tactic against her, but the redhead simply rolled over and buried her head under the covers. 

          "Fine," the other girl muttered, dropping the pillow back on her bed.  "Suit yourself, but don't come crying to me when you're halfway through double Charms and you're craving a pain au chocolat!"

          Rose groaned as she and Hannah left the dorm.  Roxanne was right, she was starving and it would only get worse.  But Rose couldn't face seeing the Slytherins—and even less, Malfoy. 

          When she, James and Fred had returned to Gryffindor Tower the night before, she had immediately retreated to her bed.  She hadn't waited for the girls, who were seated around the fireplace, to ask where they had been for the last hour but she didn't doubt that James and Fred had filled them in as soon as she disappeared up the stairs. 

          Rose rolled over onto her back with a sigh.  What had she gotten herself into?  Quidditch lessons with Scorpius Malfoy?  As if people didn't gossip about them enough, she had no doubt that the news would make its way around the student population by lunchtime—however if Lily had anything to do with it, everyone would already know.

          Reluctantly, Rose forced herself to get ready for the day.  She pulled on her uniform and lazily wrapped herself in her Gryffindor robe before grabbing her bag and trudging down the stairs.  The common room was unsurprisingly empty; no one was willing to miss breakfast that morning like she. 

          Briefly, she wondered if anyone would come looking for her if she curled up on the armchair and just stayed there for the rest of the day.  As appealing as that sounded, she knew it would not go unnoticed by Mcgonagall.  Rose would just have to add this to the ever-growing list of things she had to suck up and deal with. 

          When Rose clambered out of the portrait hole, The Fat Lady tutted as she swung closed after her.  "Sleeping in, Miss Weasley?" she shrilled.  "You're lucky to have such a nice young man to look after you."

          Rose frowned at her.  "What?"

          "You should really eat something throughout the day if you want to stay on your broom tonight, Rosie."

          She whirled around.  Malfoy smirked at her, pushing off from where he was perched on top of the staircase banister.  He was dressed in his own Slytherin robes and uniform, but instead of textbooks or a bag, he held something wrapped in a white napkin.

          He held it out to her.  "Al said this is your favourite."

          Rose regarded the object with utmost scrutiny.  After last night, she didn't trust anything Malfoy did for her.  A second later, she took it from him. 

          In her palm was a pain au chocolat. 

          Her heart stuttered.  He had brought breakfast to her?  He hadn't simply saved her some... no, he had ventured all the way to the Great Hall and, when he noticed she wasn't there, he had gone out of his way to come to her?

          Rose didn't know what to think.  What was he playing at?  Was this a trick?  He had completely humiliated her not twelve hours previously and there he was showing up at her doorstep with sweets?

           Her heart hardened.  She narrowed her eyes and dropped her hand to her side.  She glared at Malfoy.  "I hope this isn't your idea of a peace offering because, if so, it's pathetic."