So this story is totally random. I don't even know where it came from, but whatever. I really should be studying for my last few midterms right now, but if I had to read another sentence about the French-Indian war, I would have keeled over and died. Seriously.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did I would not be studying for mid terms, I'd probably be in Hawaii or something.
"It's outrageous you know, it's all because Professor Tyler hates me. I mean did you read my story? It's practically Shakespeare compared to the piece of crap they decided to publish!" Scorpius Malfoy ranted. His two best friends, Rose Weasley and Al Potter tried their hardest to console the angry Ravenclaw.
"Come on, I'm the best in our year, aren't I? So tell me why they chose to publish some random fluff instead of my masterpiece?" Al rolled his eyes. Scorpius had a tendency to be a little too overdramatic sometimes.
"Calm down Scorp. I doubt that whoever wrote this did it to show you up or anything. They probably just wanted to have something they wrote published. It's not an insult to your intelligence or anything." Rose tried soothingly. Scorpius looked away from her and back to The Daily Prophet. Disgustedly, he crumpled the story into a ball and hurled it through the hallway. Rose and Albus exchanged looks with each other.
"Did you even read it, mate?" Al asked him, pulling out his own copy of today's news. Scorpius shook his head.
"Well then, why don't we? And then we can judge if your story was actually better. Maybe you'll even learn something."
"I told you, Al, I don't want to read that stupid story."
"Come one Scorp. Rose will read it out loud; it'll only take twenty minutes tops." Scorpius realized that Al was never going to get off his case about the story so he moodily allowed his two friends to lead him to their favorite table in the library.
Normally Rose and Scorpius (being the two Ravenclaws) loved coming here, they went all the time. But Scorpius wasn't in the mood to do anything at all today except whine.
Last month, the seventh year Hogwarts students had been given the opportunity to write a short, five page story and submit it to The Daily Prophet. Then the best story would be featured in the first issue of the next month, which happened to be today. Scorpius, who was by far the smartest student in his year (yes, even smarter than Rose, shocking I know) had hoped-no, expected- to have his story in the paper. This morning he had eagerly opened the paper looking for his work when he saw that an anonymous seventh year's story was there instead. Needless to say, he hadn't been able to stop fuming about it all day.
The three friends plopped their bags down on the smooth oak table and pulled three wooden chairs over to sit on.
"Okay Rosie," Al told her. "Begin." Rose opened the newspaper and started to read.
"In a school, not so different from Hogwarts there were two friends, a boy and a girl named Leo and Azalea-"
"I'm sorry, but 'Leo and Azalea', really? Those are really stupid names." Scorpius interrupted. Rose, who hated being cut off, glared at him.
"Leo is a perfectly fine name. It's a constellation you know, just like your name. And an Azalea is a type of flower. What's wrong with flower names? I have one."
"Never mind, nothing's wrong with it. Just finish the story." Rose continued reading. It was a story about Leo and Azalea, two best friends who went to a magic school, just like Hogwarts. The story's main plot focused on Azalea's growing feelings for her best friend, Leo and how-after many flawed plans- she finally got him to fall in love with her by simply being herself.
"So, what did you think?" Rose asked him when she was done. Scorpius snatched the paper away from her and looked at it.
"I thought it was…witty, romantic and very relatable." Scorpius told her. Grabbing the newspaper back, Rose smacked the blonde over the head with it.
"Don't quote the reviews." She told him seriously.
"Sorry. Okay, I thought it was decent." He said. Al and Rose looked at him imploringly, their eyes telling him to continue. "It was well written, I guess and it was just like a slightly overdramatized Hogwarts relationship." Rose frowned at him.
"Oh."
"Oh, what?" He asked her.
"Nothing, I just didn't know what else to say. That's all." She replied. Just as Rose was saying this, Al got out of his seat and slung his bag over his shoulder.
"I've got Quidditch practice now. I'll see you two later?" he asked them. The Ravenclaws nodded.
"Bye, Al." After a few moments of silence, Rose spoke.
"I thought it was a good story." She mused quietly.
"What? Oh yeah, it was fine." Rose examined him carefully.
"What was wrong with it?" She inquired. Scorpius sighed.
"I don't know. It was alright, but it never works out that way in real life you know."
"So friends never end up together. Is that what you're getting at? Because I don't think that's true, tons of people date their friends."
"Rose, it's just a silly story about some love struck plain-Jane whose best friend is kind enough to overlook all of her faults and a hotter girl. It's just not very realistic. I mean, if I was the Leo in that situation I'd never choose Azalea over Emilie."
Roses eyes got watery before she shakily stood up. "I see," she mumbled before she grabbed all of her books and practically ran away from the table.
Scorpius' eyes followed her, baffled. What in the name of Merlin did he say to make her so upset? Maybe she was having a bad day or something. He wondered if that was the case. 'I should go talk to her' he thought.
After answering the door's riddle, Scorpius went to the Girl's dormitory staircase, forgetting that guys couldn't climb up it. Just like it always did, the staircase morphed into a stone slide and Scorpius slid back down to the bottom. Once he hit the bottom a tall girl stepped out of the doorway to Rose's dorm. It was Rose's friend Vanessa.
"Hey Vanessa, could you get Rose for me?" Vanessa simply looked at him and shook her head.
"Why not? I just wanted to know why she was so upset."
"She doesn't want to talk to you right now." Vanessa told him in a cool voice. Scorpius looked up at her in shock.
"Why not? I didn't do anything!" He protested, but she slammed the door before he could plead with her further. He waited for an hour for Rose to come down to the common room, but the her door didn't open again after his encounter with Stephanie. Feeling even grumpier than before, he trudged all the way over to the Gryffindor common room to find Albus. It was about five o'clock, so Quidditch practice should be ending soon. He waited in front of the Fat Lady for Al to arrive. When Al got there he looked a little surprised to see Scorpius.
"What's up?" The black haired boy asked him.
"I need to know why Rose is so mad at me. Did I do anything?" Al gave him a measured look.
"That's not for me to tell."
"Al, if you don't tell me what I did wrong, how am I supposed to fix it? Just tell me, Al. Please?" Al, being the pushover that he was gave in within minutes of pleading.
"Fine. Fine! I'll tell you." Al said. "Rose is upset because she wrote that story in the paper and you told her that you thought it was a piece of crap." Al told him accusingly. Scorpius felt like his stomach had just fallen out of his body. He had never, ever wanted to hurt Rose. He felt like such an idiot.
"Rose wrote that story?" He asked quietly.
"Yup. She was really proud of it too. You wouldn't believe how excited she was when she saw it in the paper and she thought that'd you'd be happy for her too, but the first thing you did was complain." Scorpius nodded numbly. He did remember Rose seeming particularly happy when she came over to greet him. He couldn't believe that he had said all of those horrible things to Rose.
"Al, I had no idea that it was Rose's story. I swear!" Al just shook his head.
"There's more?" He asked meekly.
"Yeah, but I've already said too much. Just ask Rose about it when she finally leaves her dorm." Scorpius nodded.
"I've got to go and apologize, Al. I'll see you at dinner." And with a wave the two boys parted ways.
Scorpius waited in the common room until dinner, but Rose never came down. Discouraged, he went to dinner hoping that she would come down soon. She did not. He left dinner early because he wasn't feeling very hungry. In fact, he thought he might be sick if he ate anything. Just when he was beginning to lose hope of seeing Rose, he saw her red curls sitting in one of the cobalt blue arm chairs that decorated the Ravenclaw common room.
"Rose?" he asked. She looked up. Her eyes were slightly red around the rims, but they were dry. She held a potions book in one hand and her quill in the other.
"Go away Scorpius. I'm trying to study for the potions exam. We can't all be naturally brilliant like you."
"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I said about your story. I was just being a jerk. I actually think that it was really well written and-"
"You hated it, admit it."
"Only because I was jealous, Rose. I'm really, really sorry." Rose shook her head at him, her red curls swishing from side to side.
"You don't get it Scorpius. I didn't just write that story for kicks…I wrote it…" She trailed off and paused. Rose looked very uncomfortable and shy, so unlike the outspoken girl he knew so well. He tried to meet her eyes, but she was looking at her interlocked hands instead of at him.
"Why did you write it, Rose?" He asked softly.
"I wrote it about you, about us." Scorpius was confused for a second until he remembered exactly what the story had been about.
"So, you're Azalea and- am I?… I'm Leo?" Rose simply nodded.
"But I know that's not how the story is going to work. We're not going to end up falling in love. You said so yourself, you would never fancy Azalea." Rose mumbled morosely.
"That's because you're not Azalea, Rose. You characterized me perfectly, but Azalea didn't reflect you at all. Azalea wasn't clever, or witty, or beautiful at all. I don't think you realize it Rose, but you are amazing." Rose beamed at him, her smile was brighter than the sun on a clear day.
"And even though I don't think I'd ever fancy Azalea, I don't ever remember saying that I didn't fancy Rose Weasley."
Hope you enjoyed it! Review!