Off Limits

By Everafterjunkie

(I own nothing)

Dedicatations: Happy Birthday Alexa!

Thank you to Jacqui, Danci & Emma for your lovely birthday fics!

"Are you staring at my cousin Malfoy?"

A rabbit in headlights, an eleven year old Scorpius Malfoy averted his eyes to the brown haired boy before him. He instantly recognised him, he probably would have been able to had he not asked his father to confirm his suspicions earlier that morning. Yes, Albus Potter looked much like his father, the most famous wizard of all time.

Scorpius Malfoy was used to a life where both he and his family were shunned in public, for years he'd grown up puzzled as to why someone like his mother and father could ever be disrespected. He finally did understand on the night of his eleventh birthday when his father, seemingly disinclined at the time, was forced to tell him the story by his mother, Astoria Malfoy.

In that precise moment, Scorpius changed.

Yes, his father had told him before about the likes of Harry Potter and his ginger sidekick. Yes, his father had briefly mentioned that before he was born there were dark times. But never had he even suggested that he was anything to do with them. Even at Scorpius' shaken response, his father did not bat an eyelid, he remained composed as he explained that was why Scorpius had nothing to do with his grandfather, Lucius.

So Scorpius didn't blame everyone for hating them when he truly understood. Having the rug pulled out from underneath him so young was a wake-up call to remember, one that made him feel much older and wiser than his eleven years. Having gotten used to the cold shoulder of the wizarding world, he hadn't expected anyone to give him the time of day, especially not anyone from the Potter clan. Therefore the interruption of his thoughts by the apparently easy going son of Harry Potter was certainly a turn up for the books.

Scorpius had indeed been watching the strange ginger girl. It was hard not to look at her as almost the whole room had their eyes firmly on her. This didn't surprise him. People were much more familiar with Harry Potter, his wife and their three children. From what he'd read, Albus Potter had lived in Godric's Hollow all his life, meaning he often appeared in the Daily Prophet, either walking about Diagon Alley or shopping in Hogsmeade with his mother and father. Ron and Hermione Weasley kept a much lower profile, they lived in a Muggle village in the countryside, meaning their daughter and son were rarely seen by the Wizarding World.

The absence of Ron and Hermione Weasley from the Wizarding World meant that as soon as Rose Weasley walked into the castle, there was an air of mystery surrounding her. Her parents protecting her from a life in the limelight meant everyone was extremely curious to see what the War Heroes daughter would be like. Scorpius did sympathise with her, her mother and father were enough to get her noticed anywhere she went, but unlike him, her parents had a seemingly positive influence on her social life. The strange thing was, she didn't seem to be using her popularity well, he noted, she was floating around First Years who were sitting on their own mostly, introducing herself to them with a pleasant smile.

Scorpius dared a glance once again in the direction of Rose Weasley, as if he was looking to see who Albus Potter was talking about. She was lost in conversation with a girl he recognised from earlier in the Sorting, if he recalled correctly, she'd been placed in Ravenclaw with Rose. Scorpius wished that Rose Weasley would have taken pity on him too, then perhaps he wouldn't have gotten ignored all day by every single First Year he'd came into contact with. Well except for Albus Potter of course, but at that moment in time, Scorpius surmised his first real conversation with a fellow pupil at Hogwarts was not going to be a long or pleasant one.

"Of course not ... I was just lost in thought." Scorpius offered feebly, intimidated by the young boy's question.

There was a strange glint in Albus Potter's eye as he climbed over the bench and sat next to him on the table with a smile. "Good, I'm Al ... and you're Scorpius right?"

Scorpius had to stop his mouth from dropping to the floor. Albus Potter wanted him, Scorpius Malfoy, the son of the Death Eater who terrorised his father for years, to call him Al. It seemed utterly ridiculous to him that Albus ... Al was being friendly with him. Maybe he was easy going, like the Daily Prophet had reported, after all.

He instantly decided that he would also like a nickname, Scorpius was hardly the Name of the Year in his opinion, so he uttered out the first shortest version of his name he could think of. "I prefer Scorp."

"Scorp it is!" Al grinned, giving Scorpius a playful thump on the back. Scorpius was immediately glad that he'd chosen Scorp as his nickname. "You see that boy over there? The one who's showing everyone his wand."

Scorpius cast a glance down the Slytherin table to see a boy with dark brown shaggy hair comparing his wand with the boy opposite. "Yes..."

"Well, that's Eddie. He's pretty cool and seeing as Professor Tince said everyone in Slytherin can share a dorm with who they want ... me and him are gonna share."

Scorpius inwardly groaned. So far his first day had brought him nothing but rejection and he was sure asking anyone in First Year on the Slytherin table to be his roommate would bring him no joy.

"And over there ... that's Alfie ... he already asked me. So that's three." Al stuck up three fingers on his right hand.

Scorpius nodded politely, inside seething, Albus Potter was most definitely rubbing it in his face that everyone loved him and no one had even tried to speak to Scorpius. He instantly decided that 'Al' was going to act the exact same way their parents had.

"So ... you found anyone to share with yet?"

Scorpius felt his cheeks flood with heat. "Is that some kind of a joke?"

Al chuckled, seemingly he hadn't picked up on Scorpius' distaste at the questions he was asking. "Not at all. So, how about it? Me, you, Alf and Ed, fancy it Scorp?"

Scorpius had never been more shocked in his entire life.

As the silence stretched on, Al started looking a little uncomfortable. "It's okay if you don't ... I mean, I'm over our parents feud, but if you aren't—"

"No, no!" Scorpius cut him off, eyes wide. "I'd love to share a room with you three ... I was just a little surprised at your offer..."

Al looked curious. "Why?"

"I just thought you were warning me off from your cousin ... I didn't think you were going to ask me to be your roommate."

Al smiled, a sort of sinister smile that slightly scared Scorpius. "Oh I am most definitely warning you off mate ... but as long as that's clear ... come sit with me and the boys."

As he grabbed his things and gratefully followed Al to the group of boys, Scorpius cast a glance back over to Rose Weasley. Little did she know, it was thanks to her that Albus had began talking to him, meaning he now had three roommates and a marginally better chance of enjoying the seven years at Hogwarts that awaited him. He felt as if he should go and introduce himself, possibly even thank her. But instead, he climbed over the bench next to Al and gave a sigh of relief when Eddie and Alfie agreed to him becoming their roommate.

He decided against talking to her that day. She was most definitely off-limits after all.

"Are you staring at my best friend Malfoy?"

A twelve year old Scorpius started, freezing in place, he whipped around to see Camilla Grey, rocking back and forth on her heels and smiling at him. Adjusting his green striped scarf, he swallowed, eyeing up the pint sized girl to look for a sign of her real intentions. To actually warn him off from her friend or to tease him. By the smile, he supposed she didn't exactly dislike him, in fact, she looked quite at ease with him. Which was slightly bizarre, considering they'd only really chatted politely before.

It was also strange to see anyone shorter than him, considering that he was one of the shortest people in Second Year. Of course, he was mercilessly teased about it by Al and the gang, but he didn't at all mind it. Any teasing from Al was in good humour. His mother had told him he'd get a growth spurt soon enough, his father and his grandfather had been the same in the puberty stakes.

Cammy Grey was something of an enigma, she was always gossiping and hardly ever working, he found it hard to believe that on her first day, she'd been sitting on her own, looking too scared to say boo to a goose. Well, he also found it hard to believe how at ease everyone seemed to get on with him too, there'd been apprehension at first, but the presence of Al had seemingly neutralised their negative conceptions. Scorpius, slightly awkward in social situations, didn't tend to give her too much to natter about, meaning he found it hard to believe she was seeking conversation from him now. Well, he was slightly awkward when his best friend Albus wasn't around, whenever he was near, Scorpius felt the shell he'd built around himself break and the two would create heaps of mischief.

His father had remained in the dark about his close friendship with Al for the first term, it wasn't until Christmas break that he'd finally admitted to his father who his best friend at Hogwarts was. His father seemed to take it well, he looked rather pleased, begrudgingly he'd admitted he'd offered his friendship to Harry Potter at the start of First Year, only to have it thrown back in his face in favour of Weasel. Before the confession he'd often written short, to the point letters to his parents, feeling disheartened that he couldn't tell his parents of his adoration of Al. Afterwards, he wrote frequent long letters, informing them of all the things he and his best friend did together. Al's parents also took it quite well, they even invited Scorpius over towards the end of the Christmas holidays. He'd felt anxious about the visit from the moment he'd received the Potter owl, Mortem. He'd arrived in the fireplace, his heart racing frantically, to find a familiar ginger haired girl reading on the armchair before him.

"Scorpius!" Rose Weasley had jolted in surprise, dropping her book off her lap.

"Oh ... hello Rose. What are you doing here?" Scorpius had been rather relieved he hadn't walked straight into Harry or Ginny Potter.

"My mum's just dropping something off for my aunty Gin, then we're going to Diagon Alley, she's promised to buy me a cat behind my dad's back." Rose had informed him, smiling excitedly.

"I'm here to see Al ..." Scorpius had smiled, intrigued once again by Rose Weasley.

"He's upstairs in his room." Rose had replied. "He should be back down in a minute, I think he's getting his broom."

For a good half hour the two had talked until Albus had returned with a sharp 'Rose! I told you to call me when Scorp came!', Rose's mum had came out of the kitchen laughing just a second later, holding out an arm for Rose and grinning at Scorpius.

Scorpius' fascination with her was back straight away, hence why he'd been watching her from a distance for almost nine months.

"Well?" a high pitched voice prompted.

Cammy gave him a tongue in teeth teasing smile when he looked at her like she was mad. Her blonde, angel curled hair was blowing crazily in the wind and she looked up at him with bright blue eyes.

Scorpius cleared his throat. "No ... not particularly..."

Cammy rolled her all-knowing eyes. "Of course you're not Malfoy." She winked, taking a glimpse back down to the pitch. "Aren't you trying out?"

Scorpius followed Cammy's eyes, a certain ginger haired girl automatically catching his eye. "I don't think Al would be too happy if I signed up for the Ravenclaw team." Scorpius said wryly.

Cammy sniggered, smoothing back her hair that was blowing fiercely in the wind. "Good point. If you're any good though, we could sure do with you on our team."

"Did you not see me in our first flying lesson? I made a complete idiot out of myself."

Cammy smiled, amused. "We all did Scorpius. Even me."

Scorpius pulled his cloak tighter around himself, trying to protect himself from the biting wind. "I'll let Al take the glory this year. Maybe next year."

"Rose is doing excellent. Just look at her fly! I hope she gets it. I'd have thought she'd have been a goalie, her—"

"Her dad was the Gryffindor keeper. Yes, I know." Scorpius nodded at the perky girl and she laughed good-heartedly.

Cammy reached into her pocket and pulled out two chocolate frogs. "Would you like one?"

Scorpius had always knew that Cammy was nice, nosy too, but always nice. He understood why Rose idolised her.

"Please." Scorpius smiled, taking the chocolate frog from her enclosed hand and shoving it in his mouth before it jumped. "Thanks." He mumbled when he'd swallowed it.

"I hear it's your birthday soon." Cammy folded her arms, grinning.

Scorpius laughed. "You hear everything."

"So ... you doing anything for it?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Well ... it's on a school day, so hardly very much. Al says he's got me a present to remember, but I don't know if that's good or bad."

"Good!" Cammy clapped happily. "Al is the perfect present buyer! He got Rose the sweetest bracelet last year. It was just lovely!"

"Well then, I hope my bracelet's in pink."

Cammy burst into a round of giggles as she usually did. She was rather peculiar.

"CAMMY! I got in! I'm chaser!" Rose Weasley was running frantically towards them through the stands, one big stride at a time until she reached the two. Somehow, the tryouts had ended without either of them noticing. She was grinning from ear to ear, her bushy hair flowing wildly behind her.

"Oh my gosh! Well done!" Cammy pulled her into a suffocating hug and Rose giggled, dizzy with pride.

When the two let go, Rose flashed a smile at him. "Hello again Scorpius."

"Alright." Scorpius acknowledged back, nodding. "Congratulations."

"Thank you!" Rose beamed a fantastic smile. Since last Christmas, the two had taken to greeting each other in hallways and smiling politely at each other in class. They were more acquaintances than friends, but occasionally there'd be moments they'd be sitting side by side in the Library or both of them would be sitting by Al at dinner and Scorpius would wonder whether she considered them as friends. She did occasionally help him in Defence Against the Dark Arts if he sat there long enough, looking puzzled. "I can't believe I got it." She shook her head, disbelieving.

Cammy threw an arm around her best friend. "I can! I was watching you the whole time and you were brilliant! Right Scorpius?"

"Oh, Scorpius doesn't have to—"

"You know me well enough by now to call me Scorp." Scorpius winked, burying his hands in his pockets.

"Well, I better go get changed..." Rose ran her fingers through her messy hair self consciously. "Nice talking to you Scorpiu—" Rose blushed slightly, her cheeks matching her hair. "I mean ... Scorp." Rose gave them both a quick grin before making her way back down to the pitch.

Cammy gave one last wave to her best friend when she reached the exit to the stands, she then turned to Scorpius, a sly smile on her face. "Did you just wink at her?"

Scorpius' eyes widened, looking at her with astonishment. "I was being friendly! To both of you!"

"Well, that better be all that's on your mind. She's off-limits ... especially to you Scorp."

And didn't Scorpius know it.

"Are you staring at my niece Malfoy?"

Scorpius turned, a small smile on his lips as he came face to face with Ginny Potter. From the moment he'd met her in Second Year, he thought she was brilliant. She was the most welcoming and friendly person he'd met out of the Weasley-Potter clan, well except Al of course. "Not just your niece Mrs Potter, all of them."

Mrs Potter grinned, leaning back against her kitchen bench. "But Rose is my lovely little niece ... so I have to assume you're staring at her."

Scorpius smirked, putting down his pumpkin juice behind him and once again staring out of the window. "Why does everyone think—?"

"I'm just teasing you Malfoy! Lighten up." Mrs Potter winked, ruffling Scorpius' hair as she leaned over the sink and looked out. "Looks as if Rose is kicking Al's arse again. He'll be in a right mood later on. Why aren't you playing Scorpius?"

"I needed a drink, Al and Rose are going bonkers out there."

Mrs Potter laughed, her red lips smiling. "They always are. I'm glad you and Cammy are here or else they'd have fell out again by now."

"Scorp! Get your scrawny arse outside, it's two against one out there!"

Al had ran inside, out of breath and his cheeks faintly pink.

One of the things that irked Scorpius most about Al was his competitive streak with Rose. He couldn't stand the thought of Rose beating him in any sport. Scorpius suspected Al had realised long ago he had no chance in competing with Rose for grades, he spent far too long playing Quidditch and thinking up ways to infuriate the Slytherin girls with his and Scorpius' pranks to ever out-read her. Luckily for Scorpius, Al was a lot more outgoing than him, meaning the girls usually blamed Al and let Scorpius off.

"Oi, watch the language you!" Al's mum reprimanded, looking a little stern.

"Sorry Mum." Al mumbled in a familiar drone, he then looked to Scorpius expectantly, tapping his sock on the floor. It was a strict rule of Ginny Potter's that muddy shoes had to remain at the backdoor.

"I was getting a drink. Nice of you to notice though." Scorpius grinned and Al's mum sniggered, ruffling her son's hair on the way out of the kitchen.

"What's up Al? Can't you beat two girls?" Rose had popped her head around the door, a great big teasing smile on her face.

Scorpius couldn't help but laugh when Al's face flushed red. "Not when it's two against one, no!"

Cammy appeared from behind Rose, her grin matching Rose's. "I thought you were the best player Slytherin has ever seen! Can't you beat two measly thirteen year old girls?" Rose asked mockingly.

Grunting, Al took the drink out of Scorpius' hand that he had just raised to his lips and slammed it on top of the bench, pulling Scorpius back outside by the arm.

Al had threw a leg over his broomstick and flew into the air before Scorpius could even stumble his way out of the patio. "Hold up a sec mate!" Scorpius called after him.

Rose put a friendly arm around Scorpius and grinned up at him. "Don't you just love winding old Albus Sev up?"

He froze slightly, uncertain about whether to put his hand on her waist and make it feel even more complete. She's doing it to wind up Al, he reminded himself.

Cammy took his other arm and the two giggled loudly.

"Stop fraternising with the enemies Scorp!" Al roared. "And you two, stop distracting him!"

He shrugged off the two girls with a smirk. "Let me get my trainers first!"

As Scorpius was putting back on his muddy trainers he'd left on the step outside, Mrs Potter came outside, her hands nursing a steaming mug of tea. "I know that you said you weren't looking at Rose ... but if you were ... be very careful. She's off—"

"Limits. Yes I know." Scorpius said quietly, giving Mrs Potter a quick nod, he ran to rejoin his friends.

"Are you staring at my girlfriend Malfoy?"

Scorpius had never been more petrified of that question than in that very moment. He swallowed, the sound audible, and looked away as nonchalantly as he could. "No." He answered simply.

Mike Milligan's eyes narrowed as he leaned over the library desk. "I saw you."

"Just because I'm staring in that particular direction, it doesn't mean that I have to be staring at Rose." Scorpius answered, his voice as steady as he could muster.

"Are you cheeking me you little arsehole?" Mike Milligan was not someone to be messed with. Especially seeing as he was two years older, Quidditch Captain and had an army of (muscular) friends ready to back him up at any second.

"Not at all."

Milligan grunted, leaning closer to Scorpius. "You stay away from her, alright?"

Mike Milligan hated Scorpius with a vengeance. He was fine with James, Al's older brother, and fine with Al, but his Muggle grandmother had been killed in the War, so he found it appropriate to take it out on Scorpius. Of course, he idolised Rose, daughter of the war heroes who helped Harry Potter save the world. He was as sweet as pie whenever she was around, it was the moment he turned his back that a spitefulness came out in him that only Scorpius got to see.

The feeling was mutual. Not only was Mike Milligan an awful human being in Scorpius' opinion, he also took away a huge amount of time that Scorpius could have been spending with Rose. Throughout Fourth Year, the two had grown ridiculously closer, they often checked through each other's homework, partnered up in Potions and they even strolled through Hogsmeade together alone when Al was sick. This changed when Mike Milligan asked Rose up to the Astronomy tower and asked her out. Her answer meant Scorpius either had to put up with Mike Milligan's threats or even worse, watch the two snog right in front of him.

Luckily for Scorpius, he wasn't alone in his pure hatred of Milligan, Al had immediately disliked him from the day he'd stuck his tongue down Rose's throat and Scorpius was secretly thrilled when Al bad mouthed him. He could not understand how someone as quick witted and intelligent as Rose could not see right through him. Cammy had even expressed her concerns about him a few times.

Normally, Scorpius stayed far away from the bulky Sixth Year, but Milligan asking him to stay away from Rose made an anger bubble up within him, an anger very rare to him. He should have been inclined to say yes to save his own skin, but something inside him was seething. "She's my friend. If she wants to me to stay away from her I will. If not, no."

"What did you say?" Milligan's nostril flared.

"What's going on here?" Rose had caught their exchange and strolled over to them, Cammy not far behind.

"Nothing." Scorpius answered quickly.

Rose looked suspicious. "Oh, really?"

Their growing relationship meant Rose could probably see straight through him. Not only was she book-smart, she was also very people-smart. It had probably taken Rose a couple of weeks to figure out every single expression Scorpius had.

This worried Scorpius. It meant she'd probably deciphered his jealousy of her and Milligan and it didn't make a blind bit of difference to her. She was still with him.

"He was perving all over you baby, so I had to step in and have a quiet word." Mike winked, throwing an arm around Rose and pressing a sloppy kiss to her forehead.

"Pardon?" Rose's eyebrows shot up.

"That perv was watching you, staring at you like a piece of meat, I had to step in and tell the arsehole to keep his eyes in his head!"

Rose shoved him off. "One, Scorpius is not a perv. Two, he does not stare at me like that. And three, how dare you talk to my friend that way!"

Mike looked furious. "You're sticking up for him?"

"Yes. I am. And you're obviously not the person I thought you were. You're dumped Milligan." Rose gave her sweetest smile and sat down in the chair next to Scorpius. Cammy looked away awkwardly.

Mike was at a loss for words. "Y-Your ... I break up with girls, they don't break up with me—"

"Someone just did. Goodbye." Rose waved her hand dismissively and turned to Scorpius. "So what you doing Scorp? I haven't seen you in a while!"

"I'm telling everyone I dumped you." Mike muttered, marching out of the Library.

Mike was not the only one at a loss for words. "Y-You just broke up with Mike...? For me?"

Rose flashed a smile in Scorpius' direction. "Of course. That was slander!" Rose grinned teasingly, seemingly unaffected by the break up. "So, what were you staring at Scorpius?" she asked, curiously.

Scorpius rolled his eyes at his best friend's cousin. "I was daydreaming actually."

"Fine, what were you daydreaming about?" Rose pressed again in a slightly less teasing tone.

Scorpius let out a chuckle, obviously amused by the girl's behaviour. "I was just thinking about Quidditch, Al's says he'll hold some try outs for me on Friday if I want ... reckon I have a shot?"

"Of course you do Scorp! I've been telling you this all along." Cammy pulled out the chair next to Rose and gave him an encouraging smile.

Scorpius smiled at Cammy. "You really think so?"

"Yes! You're brilliant." Cammy cooed. "Completely fabulous! Whenever we go to Al's to play Quidditch, you're always as good as Al!"

Rose nodded. "You are pretty good Scorp. Go for it."

"Thanks Cam, thanks Rose." Scorpius grinned at the two of them, finishing his doodle of himself winning the House Cup.

"However, I have a duty to Ravenclaw so I say ..." Rose pretended to think. "I say you should go for it."

Scorpius frowned. "Are you trying to say I'm rubbish?"

Rose shook her head. "No, but my duty to you as a friend is greater, so I went with that."

Scorpius couldn't help but beam for the rest of the night.

"Are you staring at my sister Malfoy?"

For the first time in his life, Scorpius burst into hysterics when that question was asked.

Hugo Weasley was hardly the hardest kid at Hogwarts. He was in fact, quite the opposite. Rose's pet cat Lance was more scary than him and he was blind in one eye.

Seeing the tops of Hugo's ears tinged red, Scorpius held his breath, forcing himself not to laugh. "Ahem." He coughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "What d'you say Weasley?"

Hugo didn't look impressed. "You heard Malfoy."

Scorpius tried his best to suppress another smile. "And who would your sister be?"

Hugo folded his arms over his robes. "Don't mess with me Malfoy. You may have Al and Rose fooled, but you're not fooling me."

Scorpius lifted his hands in surrender. "Please don't tell Al and Rose about my real identity!" he begged mockingly.

Hugo bristled. "Just stay away from my sister."

"He'll be doing no such thing." A voice cut into their hostile conversation and the two looked before them to see Rose, dressed in a pretty red dress and matching shoes, looking furious at her brother. "How many times do I have to tell you? Stay out of my business." Rose hissed.

"You look ... pretty." Scorpius offered weakly. Of course what he wanted to say was absolutely out of this world or like a supermodel. Unfortunately Scorpius was never that good with words when it came to pretty girls.

"Rose!" Before Rose could even mask her blush with a returning compliment, Cammy had ran in behind her, looking very short of breath in her long lilac gown. "Why wouldn't you wait up? You know I can't run in heels!"

"Sorry, sorry. But I saw Hugo here trying to do the protective brother act." Rose glowered at him once again.

Cammy laughed. "Seriously, Hugh?"

Hugo didn't look too amused. "I could take out Malfoy, any day of the week."

"I'd like to see you try Hugh!" James Potter grinned at his cousins, Georgia Dean, also Head Girl, hanging off his arm. "You couldn't fight your way out of a paper bag."

Rose, Cammy and Georgia burst into a fit of girly giggles.

Scorpius smiled sympathetically at the easily embarrassed Weasley. He was fully aware of the fact Hugo Weasley hated his guts, but Scorpius actually thought Hugo was quite a nice kid. Unfortunately, Hugh suffered merciless teasing from James, Fred and Al.

A song started playing throughout the Great Hall and the three girls screamed in recognition, all running towards the dance floor. Hugo stalked off in the direction of the food table, looking absolutely livid.

James sidled up next to Scorpius, standing tall, looking down at the dance floor with piercing blue eyes. "Hugo may be a wuss, but he is right. Rose is out of your league, understand?" James murmured under his breath, careful that Rose was out of earshot.

Scorpius kept his eyes on the three girls as he nodded, their hands were entwined with each others as they laughed and larked about. Rose's smile was more vibrant than he could ever remember it being. He saw James leave his side from the corner of his eye and go off towards his Gryffindor teammates. Scorpius sighed in relief.

"Not gonna dance Scorp?" Cammy was in front of him now, her arms folded over her dress.

"I'm more of an observer to be honest." Scorpius let his eyes wonder back to Rose, who was now dancing happily with Georgia, Al's girlfriend and Sinead Finnigan.

Cammy gave a sigh. "A Rose observer more like."

Scorpius took his eyes off Rose, moving them onto the girl beside him. "I don't know what you mean."

"Don't play dumb Scorp. You just want her because you can't have her. All males are the same."

Scorpius blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Cammy looked frustrated. "That's the point though, you can't have her. So maybe you should start staring at someone else for a change."

"Like who?" Scorpius asked teasingly.

"Well ... not Rose, not Lily and definitely not anyone going out with her army of cousins." Cammy suggested, pleased with herself.

"Can I still stare at Hugo?"

Cammy rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up."

"Are you staring at my daughter Malfoy?"

Scorpius winced, heat rushing to his face as he turned to see Ronald Weasley standing menacingly behind him.

"No sir." Scorpius answered dutifully.

Ron Weasley sniffed, sticking his hands in his pockets and his eyes looking between him and his daughter suspiciously.

Scorpius tried not to squirm. He knew there was a possibility of running into Ronald Weasley again, but for the chance to see Al, Rose and Mrs Potter for Christmas he'd taken that risk.

"I'm watching you Malfoy. She's off-limits to the likes of you." Mr Weasley murmured under his breath just loud enough that Scorpius could hear. Out of the corner of his eye he was looking at his wife and daughter, making sure they were out of earshot.

"Yes sir."

"I can see right through your little act Malfoy. Gin, Rose and Al might not be able to, but I—"

Scorpius was saved when a hyper Al, who had just eaten at least a bowl full of sugar in sweets, dived for the settee and landed straight on top of Scorpius. This diverted the attention of everyone in the room to them, meaning luckily, Mr Weasley's lecture was cut short. The two began play fighting and satisfied that Scorpius' attention was fixated on something other than his daughter, Mr Weasley joined his wife's side and reclaimed her hand.

Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief as he saw him go from the corner of his eye. The last thing he needed was his arse being kicked by Rose's Auror dad. That would certainly go down well with Rose.

"Do you surrender?" Al asked, his eyes alight with playfulness.

Scorpius chuckled, pushing his best friend off of him with an almighty shove so he landed on his arse on the floor.

"You two are so immature!" Lily Potter sniffed, climbing over the two with her pumpkin juice high in her hand and going to join her Dad. Hugo followed dutifully behind her.

Scorpius looked up to see Rose watching him, she looked rather amused by their actions and gave him a wink.

Scorpius couldn't help but smile back.

Mrs Potter appeared then, watching Scorpius knowingly and passing a hand through her son's hair on the way to the door.

"Where you off Gin?" Mr Weasley asked.

Mrs Potter smiled. "Just to get the Christmas crackers! Hermione's muggle traditions are way better than our Mum's woolly jumper trad—"

Nana Weasley had appeared out of the fireplace, dusting off her clothes and stepping forward so that Grandad Weasley could also appear. In her hands were a pile of jumpers in an array of different colours. "Hello dears! It's ever so cold, good job I got you all jumpers for Christmas!"

Hermione Weasley smiled at her husband when he groaned, laughing quietly to herself. Scorpius couldn't understand why he was still holding her hand when she was so obviously annoying him. Mr Weasley whispered something in Mrs Weasley's ear and she laughed even louder and this time, he joined in too.

Seeing Mr Weasley laugh was a site not very common to Scorpius.

"Don't worry Ronald, I know you're too old and 'not a baby no more' as you ever so nicely put it last Christmas—"

Rose decided to chime in. "Last Christmas, Nana gave you a jumper, and the very next day, you said you were—"

"Shut up Rose." Her Mother said sharply.

Hugo, Lily, Al and Scorpius sniggered together.

"Is that another one of your Muggle songs dear?" Nana Molly asked, placing the pile of jumpers on the settee and pressing a sloppy kiss to her granddaughter's forehead.

"Yes Nana." Rose answered, cringing slightly as she caught sight of Scorpius' grin.

"You look freezing dear! Here, I got you a brand new jumper, put it on quick. It's not warm enough in this house Ginerva." Nana Molly pulled a yellow sweater off the side with a big 'R' on it. "I gave this to your father many moons ago."

Rose looked horrified. "Thanks Nana." She took it, albeit tentatively.

The next five minutes consisted of Hugo, James, Al and Lily all trying to look pleased about their Christmas presents and their parents all dying to laugh at their expense. Scorpius was for once extremely happy that his grandmother was a bitter old cow who didn't even give him Christmas presents.

"Nice jumper." Scorpius murmured to Rose as she walked past.

Rose threw a scowl over her shoulder. "You tell anyone at school and I will—"

"What's that dear?" Nana Molly asked, coming to stand by the relatively tall blonde teenager. "You didn't think I'd forgotten you, did you Scorpius?"

Scorpius turned white.

Nana Molly rifled through her bag and pulled out a bright green jumper with a big 'S' on it. "There you go love."

Scorpius forced a smile, and a quiet 'thanks Nana Molly'. She pulled him into a big hug and cooed "You're welcome my dear!"

He caught site of Rose over Nana Molly's shoulder, sticking out her tongue.

He'd never been so happy to be in the arms of an elderly lady in all his life.

"Are you staring at me Malfoy?"

"Oh ... yes."

"May I ask why?"

Scorpius stopped his seventeen year old self from admitting he wanted to snog her senseless and waggled his eyebrows. "I'm psyching you out ... so we win the match."

Rose cackled with laughter. "As if!"

Cammy then appeared behind Rose, hugging her from behind. "Good luck Rosie!"

"Don't need it." Rose winked at Scorpius, nonchalantly leaning on her broom.

Scorpius scoffed. "Bit confident for a Ravenclaw aren't you? When's the last time you won the House Cup?"

Rose mumbled something incoherently.

"Huh?" Scorpius grinned.

"Fifteen years ago, alright?"

"And when's the last time Slytherin won?"

"Last year Scorp." Cammy provided cheerily.

"So I think we know what's going to happen today, don't we?"

Rose sneered, glaring at both Cammy and Scorpius. "We'll see about that."

Scorpius smirked as she mounted her broom and flew into the air, she was as determined as ever. He followed her up with a big amused grin plastered on his face.

Ravenclaw were actually kicking their arses good and proper too for the first thirty minutes. This was pretty unusual. Being intelligent didn't usually go hand in hand with being sporty but it did for Rose. Scorpius thought she could probably singlehandedly beat them the way she was going.

Al was almost giving as good as he got of course. Mumbling occasionally for the Beaters to aim at Rose.

But the game all ended when Al caught the snitch just before Kika Terrin could.

Scorpius grinned triumphantly, flying downwards to the ground, he charged at his best friend with the other Slytherin players. The boys all hoisted Al into the air, cheering loudly and even Professor Tince joined in with the celebrations.

Scorpius was laughing triumphantly and untangled himself from his cheering teammates to single out his favourite Weasley and rub it in her face. Instead he caught sight of Cammy charging at him, grinning madly. He grinned back and the next thing he knew she'd threw two arms around his neck and two legs around his waist and kissed him hard on the mouth.

Scorpius was so shocked, he kissed her back enthusiastically for a few seconds, even going as far as to thread his hands through her straight, soft hair. But as he slowly began to open his eyes, he realised her hair was much to straight and smooth for him. He'd much prefer to run his fingers through a big unruly ginger mass of hair.

"Cammy." A stern, angry voice came from the side of them.

Cammy reluctantly pulled away, relieving herself of their embrace by tapping Scorpius to tell him to release her quickly. She flushed to see her best friend standing before her. "Uh hi ... Rose."

"How could you?" Rose looked furious. "I told you ... I told you ..." She repeated, lost for words. "...I bloody told you!"

Cammy looked away guiltily.

Scorpius sent a smile Rose's way. Now that James Potter had left Hogwarts, Slytherin finally had claimed the House Cup once again and he couldn't wait to rub it in her face. Their friendly teasing was something Scorpius loved dearly. "Is someone a wittle bit sad they wosty losty?"

Rose eyes darted to his. "Shut up Malfoy." She said, murderously. "I'm off." Rose turned on her heel and began to march off.

Scorpius' eyes widened. Rose was usually more than friendly with him. Yes, she got frustrated with him sometimes when he said stupid things. But normally not to that extent. He guessed she must have been exceptionally upset about Ravenclaw losing. She normally took Quidditch less seriously though, he thought about it being to do with she could never win a House Cup at Hogwarts.

"Rose, wait!" Cammy screamed desperately.

Rose turned around sharply. "You know how I feel." She repeated. "How could you do that to me?"

"I .. I ... just because you've liked him longer, it doesn't mean you like him more!" Cammy retorted childishly.

Scorpius couldn't believe his ears.

Rose bristled. "If it wasn't obvious already to you Camilla, we're no longer friends, bitch."

And with that she stormed away from the Quidditch pitch.

"I'm such an idiot." Cammy murmured to herself.

Scorpius was still reeling with shock. "She likes me?"

"YES!" Cammy threw her arms in the air, frustrated. "Are you blind? We both do."

Scorpius had never had anyone like him in his whole life, now two girls did at once. "How long...?" he asked weakly.

"Oh, she's liked you since she was thirteen ... I started liking you a few months later. That's why she's so mad at me, she liked you first." Cammy sighed.

"She does?" Asked Scorpius, his voice filled with awe.

His stomach was jittering. His heart was racing. Rose liked him. Rose liked him. Rose liked him. She'd been the feature of his dreams for much too long. She'd been the star of his thoughts for even longer.

She ... liked ... him.

Cammy seemed a little unnerved by Scorpius' tone. "Not as much as me! Anyway, even if you like her back, Rose is out of your reach. Her family would hunt you down and kill you slowly."

Scorpius groaned. "Yes, I know." He said, frustrated. "If I've been told once, I've been told a thousand times."

"So ..." Cammy clicked her tongue, looking distractedly around the Quidditch pitch. "Wanna go out with me?"

Scorpius' eyes widened again. "But Rose wouldn't talk to you again..."

"Just because Rose is off limits, it doesn't mean that I am. So ..." Cammy chewed her lip nervously. "What do you say Champion?"

Scorpius looked over to his best friend, hoisting the House Cup in the air with such a smile on his face. Cammy would be the perfect solution. Al would be happy for him, his parents would be happy for him, she was pretty, friendly, sweet, quite intelligent. Pretty much the perfect choice for everyone else.

"I need to think." Scorpius rushed out his excuse, racing towards the exit of the Quidditch pitch. He didn't look back as he rushed even faster. Without thinking, he knew where he wanted to go, who he wanted to see.

Rose.

Of course Rose. She'd been a constant theme in his life for seven years now. He couldn't explain what he felt for her. He didn't know if it was love, but he knew he'd never looked at anyone else. His infatuation with her had definitely grown into something more. Something he wanted to explore with her more than anything.

She felt the same way and he couldn't believe it.

He raced towards the Ravenclaw Tower, paying a young girl walking back from the pitch to go in and look around for Rose for him. She wasn't there. He knew her well enough to know where she'd be if she wasn't in her room. The Astronomy tower. He took to the stairs, two by two and felt his heart jump against his chest when he saw her.

Sitting in the corner of the room, her knees up to her chest, her eyes red and puffy and her chin resting on the top of her knees. Scorpius felt a shock go through him, this was the first time he'd ever saw her cry.

"How did you find me?" she broke the silence, her voice a shadow of it's normally loud, bubbly sound.

"I know you ..." Scorpius answered truthfully, walking towards her and kneeling down in front of her.

"Where's Camilla?" she said her name with something akin to venom.

"Probably still outside I guess ... she asked me out and I ran off."

Rose laughed through her tears, rubbing a handkerchief over her face. "Bet she loved that."

There was a question niggling at Scorpius' mind. Cammy said she likes you! She must know, she was her best friend. He had to ask her how she felt about him. For years he'd held his tongue, unable to say what he wanted to. So for once, he just let it blurt out. "How doyou feel about me?" Scorpius asked hoarsely.

"What?" Rose asked sharply, looking at him, eyes wide. Scorpius was never usually like that and he'd probably given her a good shock.

"You said to Cammy, you said you had feelings for me..." Scorpius shrugged awkwardly.

"I said ... you know how I felt about him. Past tense." Rose shrugged her shoulders.

Scorpius smirked. "So you used to like me?"

"It was a long time ago!" Rose protested defensively.

"When, exactly?" Scorpius ventured with a tongue in teeth smile.

Rose couldn't look him in the eye. "Just a brief spell in Third Year ... no big deal."

"So ... you're not bothered that Cammy kissed me then? You're just upset about the game?" Scorpius watched her curiously. It was crunch time. She was either going to admit to liking him and being jealous or she was going to deny the whole thing and they'd never become more than friends.

"Exactly." Rose mumbled.

His heart sank. She'd chosen the second option. He knew Rose well, well enough to know she was lying through her back teeth. Yes, he was in a position to get his bony arse rejected, but he was also in a position to tell Rose how he really felt. "That's strange ... it's usually Al that's the bad loser, you're normally pretty good about these things."

"Usually yes." Rose answered curtly.

"So that's why your mad at Cammy too?" Scorpius interrogated further.

"Yes. She was supporting Slytherin over her supposed best friend!"

Scorpius looked down at her, his arms folded across his chest. "Stop lying to me Rose." His voice was commanding, a tone Rose had never heard from him before, a voice he hadn't used since before his eleventh birthday.

"I didn't like you and Cammy kissing, alright?" Rose burst out suddenly, her red rimmed eyes glaring up at him. "Is that what you wanted to hear? Are you happy now?"

"Oh definitely." Scorpius grinned. "So why didn't you like us kissing?"

Rose smacked a hand to her forehead. "Are you really that stupid?"

"Yes, very. It looks like you'll have to spell it out for me."

Rose grumbled. "Oh go away you arrogant pig."

"Sorry." Scorpius pulled his ear nervously. "I'm only teasing."

Rose didn't even flinch, she stretched out her legs and leaned her head back on the wall. "She knows that I have them for you. She's such a bitch." She muttered to herself.

"Cammy?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "Nooooooooo! I'm talking about her great aunt Mary!" Rose muttered sarcastically. "Of course I mean her! She knew the whole time."

Scorpius twisted himself so he could sit down next to her, also stretching his legs. "I didn't know you liked me. Never had a clue."

"You do now." She said humourlessly.

"So ... what do you like about me? My boyish charms? My great hair?" Scorpius poked her side, trying to lighten the mood.

"Certainly not your ego, I like you in spite of that."

Scorpius sighed. "It would be so easy to go out with Cammy. My parents would certainly approve."

Rose looked at him, her eyes sad. "This isn't cheering me up Malfoy."

"All my life, people have been telling me that you're off-limits ... I guess I had it drummed into my head that you could never like someone like me..."

Rose frowned. "Who told you I was off-limits?"

"Al, Cammy, James quite a few times, my Dad, your Dad, your Aunt Gin, your Uncle Harry, Hugo, Mike Milligan, Professor Longbottom, basically everyone."

"How dare they!" Rose's face turned red.

"They're right. You're way too good for me."

"That's not true." Rose insisted vehemently. "How bloody dare they!"

Scorpius reached out and placed his hand on her warmer one. "I think you're brilliant."

"Really?"

"Yes of course." Scorpius replied, amused. "I just don't know if we should ... risk ... risk hurting and upsetting everyone else."

Rose's eyes suddenly lit up. "Risk? Are you saying you ... you like me too?"

"Oh come on Rose, keep up!" Scorpius brushed her fringe from her face. "You really are quite slow sometimes Miss Weasley."

"So the only reason why you're not asking me out right now is our families?" Rose verified.

"Um ... I guess..."

Wiping the wetness from under her eyes, she laughed triumphantly and propelled herself forward so she was suddenly in his arms. "They'll get over it."

Scorpius caught her gladly, basking in the smell of her hair. "Will Al? You know he means the world to me."

"Most definitely." She said softly into his ear.

Scorpius took a deep breath. "Rose ... will you go out with me?"

Rose pulled back from their embrace so they were face to face.

The kiss she planted upon his lips confirmed to him that her answer was most definitely a yes.

AN: This took me absolutely yonks to write so there will be several mistakes! I apologise sincerely! I haven't had time to ask anyone to read it through :) I hope your birthday was lovely Alexa!

Review please? :)