–Night Albus,†he heard Rose mutter, and Scorpius looked up from the Transfiguration book he had in his lap. He got to his feet and stretched.
–See you, Rosie,†Albus said, glancing at Scorpius. –You coming, Scorp?â€
–I'll be up in a second,†he said, his heartbeat picking up. He knew what was coming; he knew he had to just grit his teeth and do it. –I need to get my books put back in my bag.†Facing the table, he waited until he could no longer hear Albus' feet before speaking. –Thanks for helping me.â€
–Of course,†Rose said, almost surprised. –I did my homework in the first week we were home, I don't mind letting you copy.â€
–No,†Scorpius corrected her. –I don't mean the homework.†He turned again and moved toward her, stopping only a breath away. Her eyes widened, those deep pools of beautiful blue. –I mean helping me find who I am.â€
–Scorpius, I-†she began, but he cut her off as he leaned closer.
–We belong together,†he whispered, and he stooped down, pressed his lips against hers, and they melted together. She pushed herself against him, the bends of her slim figure fitting right against Scorpius'. His heart soared; he had been waiting, it felt, his whole life for this very moment. Her hands ran through his white-blonde hair, spiking it and twisting it. Too soon, it ended, and she pulled back with an almost strangled gasp.
–Goodnight,†he said so quietly, his voice hardly registering with Rose's mind.
–Wait,†she begged, and she stood on her tip-toes, and went for his mouth again, fiercely and passionately. This time it was he who drew back, his face warm and his heart beat going like he'd ran seven marathons back-to-back.
–Goodnight,†she said in a chipper voice, and she turned and practically skipped up the stairs. He stood there, his fingers on his mouth, for what seemed hours.
~*~
–Breakfast!†Albus said over-excitedly, tossing himself onto the bench beside Thomas. –Grab a plate, Scorp!†Scorpius didn't hear him; he just kept pushing himself up in his seat and staring out the main doors. He couldn't stay still; after three years of waiting for her, he didn't want to waste any time.
There! He saw a mane of red hair bobbing in between the other students, making its way towards them at the table. He got to his feet, ignoring the questions from his friends, and pushed through a crowd of fifth year girls to reach Rose. She saw him and smiled sheepishly, stopping in front of him awkwardly.
–Good morning,†she greeted, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Without a word, he leaned down and kissed her; not as warmly as the night before, but enough that she got the gist, as did everyone around them. The whispers began immediately; the heir of the Malfoy name, dating the daughter of two of Hogwart's most famous fighters? How peculiar.
He led her back to their seats and sat beside her, looking at Thomas and Albus' wide eyed expressions.
–It's a great morning, isn't it?†he said in a bubbly tone, holding tightly onto Rose's hand under the table.
–If you say so, mate,†Albus shrugged, shoving two pieces of bacon at the same time into his mouth.
–When did...†Thomas began, then gestured wildly between Scorpius and Rose with his fork, a piece of egg stuck on the end, –this happen?†The two grinned at each other.
–Last night,†Rose smiled, pouring herself a glass of pumpkin juice. –Have either of you seen Alaina or Lily? I'd like to talk to them.â€
–They were leaving as we came in this morning,†Albus said as he sliced four pieces of sausages cleanly into small cubes. –Something about a friend's crisis.â€
–That's odd,†Rose said thoughtfully, pushing an apple slice on her plate back and forth with her gold plated fork, tilting her head.
–Well, gents,†Thomas said after they all finished eating, to a scoff from Rose, –and lady, we ought to be making our ways to class, now.†A groan came from each other the other three.
–What've we got this morning, again?†Scorpius asked, helping Rose out of her seat with a cocky grin.
–Charms.†Thomas grimaced. They shared the class with the Slytherins. –Can't wait to see if this Bulburry lady is any good.â€
–Here's hoping,†Albus grunted, swinging his bag onto his shoulder. –Let's go.â€
They trooped out of the hall and towards the Charms room, chatting animatedly about Quidditch again. Rose was holding onto Scorpius' arm as they walked, grinning broadly like she was having the time of her life. He leaned down on instinct and kissed the top of her head.
–In, in, you four,†a voice said as they approached the door to the classroom, and Professor Burburry stepped out of the door. She was taller up close, almost as tall as Thomas. Slim and young and blonde, she was bound to make an impression with the male students. –A lot to do today.â€
They stepped into the room and gaped around. In the span of possibly a week, the lady had turned Professor Jamus' classroom into a blue whirlwind. The walls were a creamy blue, and all the benches were draped with blue silks. All the walls had golden framed pictures of tropical forests with a grinning crowd or well-lit theater pictures. Bookshelves stood in the middle of the room, stuffed full of old tomes and scrolls and new-looking books.
Several kids were already in the room, one of them being Tyler from Gryffindor. He waved them over, pointing to an empty bench beside him.
–Hey you all,†he said as they made their ways to him and sat on the long bench he had saved for them. Scorpius opened his mouth to reply, but the door slammed shut with a loud bang at that moment, and his mouth snapped shut as well.
–Greeting, kids,†Professor Burburry said as she clicked her way into the center of the room, standing between shelves and facing the student-filled benches. –And welcome to Charms.â€
–As you all know, I am Professor Bulburry,†she continued, placing a hand on her hip. –But you lot can call me Dianna. I'm not one for the formality of titles. As I understand it, you all have been well taught in this subject in the past by poor, deceased Professor Jamus. This is good, seeing as this next year is going to be your hardest yet.†She smiled then, showing off sparkling white teeth. –So who's ready to get started?†There was a non-committal murmur from the kids in vary levels of enthusiasm, ranging from bored to impossibly, incredibly bored.
–Well, you're an enthusiastic bunch,†she said sarcastically. –Let's get this going, eh?â€
~*~
The classes of the day went by very quickly, and soon the quartet of friends were seated in the Great Hall for dinner. The ceiling was all pink and orange sky of dusk with a few clouds here and there, mimicking the sky outside.
–There's Alaina and Lily,†Thomas told the others, pointing out his and Albus' sisters. They were seated alone. –Want to sit with them?â€
–Sure,†Rose said with a grin, and she released Scorpius' arm and flounced away to sit on Lily's side. The three boys stopped for a moment and watched. Lily said something urgently to Rose, and Rose leaned forward and hugged the younger girl. Scorpius glanced at Albus with a raised eyebrow, and Albus shrugged in return.
–What's happened?†Albus asked as he sat on Lily's other side, and Scorpius and Thomas quickly dived under the table and popped back up on either side of Alaina. –Why do you two look as though you just watched a dog tortured?â€
–You guys remember our friend, Lea Finnegan, right?†Lily asked. Everyone nodded slowly. –Well, her parents have gone missing.â€
–What?†Thomas gasped, leaning forward on his elbows. –Have they got any idea as to why?â€
–No,†Alaina said tearfully. –But Lea got an owl this morning that told her her parents were discovered to be missing about an hour after she got onto the Express yesterday.â€
–And Lea's been taken out of school and into hiding, because apparently there was a note left in her house that she would be next!†Lily exclaimed, and she leaned her forehead on Albus' shoulder.
–Ms. Weasley,†a voice said, and they all looked up to see McGonagall standing over Albus' shoulder. –Ms. Longbottom, I'd appreciate it greatly if you both would come with me now.â€
–Erm, alright,†Alaina said, getting to her feet at the same time as Lily. The four fourth years watched them march from the hall.
–That's really unsettling,†Rose said absently as she spooned soup into her bowl.
–How do you figure?†Thomas inquired, taking a large bite out of his leg of chicken.
–Think about it this way,†she replied, stirring the soup without even trying to eat any. –First, Professor Jamus is killed. And now, on the day we returned, Lea's parents wind up missing. I think there's something unraveling here, but I don't know if I want to know what it is.†Silence settled over their meal.
–I think I'll go up to the common room,†Rose said finally, getting to her feet. Thomas and Albus elected to stay at the table, but Scorpius followed her out.
–Are you alright?†he asked her as she sat curled up in his lap by the fire, her head on his shoulder.
–There's something coming, Scorpius,†she whispered into his ear. –And we'd better be ready when it does.â€
Never The Same by foreverandalways14
Chapter Notes: Thanks for reading, I have no idea how long this story is going end up being, chapter wise!
Chapter Endnotes: Reviewww! :D