The Christmas Bookcase

"You bought me.. a bookcase.. for Christmas?" Rose said, shock apparent on her face.

"Merlin's beard, Scorpius. I mean, I always knew you were stupid, but a bookcase? Really, mate?" Dominique laughed.

"Shove off, Dom," Rose said to her cousin. "Don't you have something else to be doing?"

"Not at all, love. You cleaned the flat yesterday and I don't have anywhere to be until later. Your life is so much more interesting!" The melodramatic witch flopped down on the couch, looking between her cousin and her fiancé.

"Don't you like it, though?" Scorpius said to Rose, his face crestfallen.

"I like it well enough, love, but that's not the point. I mean, yes, it will match the furniture we picked out, but really? A bookshelf?" Rose examined the bookcase. It was large, roomy, and a perfect cherry color.

Dominique sniggered from the couch. Scorpius shot her a look. "Dom, you're really not helping, you know that, right?"

She just smirked at him.

He moved to hug Rose, but she just gathered up the discarded wrapping paper and stalked off into her room. "I'll be ready in a minute."

Scorpius leaned against the wall and sighed. Christmas lunch at the Manor, Christmas dinner (and more presents) at the Burrow and Rose was going to be mad at him all day.

But that would all change once he gave her his real present.

OooO

Lunch was an evenly hostile event. Draco sat at one end of the table, with Lucius at the other end. Scorpius and Rose sat across from one another, she beside Astoria, and he beside Narcissa. Lucius did not approve of his grandson's engagement to the Weasley girl. Narcissa only wanted everyone to be happy, something that she was beginning to wonder about today. Astoria and Draco were as approving as they could ever be, fully supporting their son.

"Well… How has your Christmas been, Rose?" Astoria asked her future daughter-in-law.

Rose picked at the salmon on her plate. "Well, it's been all right so far, I suppose."

"You don't sound very sure of that," Draco drawled from the head of the table, looking between his son and Rose. "What did Scorp get you, if I may ask?"

Scorpius' face paled (if it could get any more alabaster in color). The boy looked as though he wanted to disappear.

"Well, that's just the thing," Rose said, her cheeks beginning to tinge red. "It seems as though Scorpius finds it appropriate to get his fiancée a bookcase for Christmas." The venom in her voice chilled Scorpius to the bone.

Lucius laughed aloud, something he hardly ever did. "Father," Draco said, attempting to stifle his own laughter. Narcissa and Astoria just looked at each other, sharing a sympathetic smile. Astoria reached over and patted the red-head's hand.

"If you'll excuse me," Rose said, standing, "I need a moment."

"Of course, dear," Narcissa said. She waited until Rose was fully gone from sight before she turned on her grandson. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, you did not buy that girl a bookcase for Christmas!"

He winced at his full name. His face burned at being called out over dinner for his gift to his fiancée.

"Narcissa, please, not at the table," Lucius said, his tone bored.

She ignored him. "Couldn't you have at least gotten her a pair of earrings? Something other than a bookcase?"

"Grandmother, please!" Scorpius protested quietly. "That's not all I got for her."

Draco smiled at his son. "There, you see Mother, he isn't totally incompetent."

Scorpius glared at his father. "I'm glad to know that you have such faith in me, Father."

"Oh, honestly, stop it, don't patronize him," Astoria said. "What else did you get her?"

00000

Rose closed the door of Scorpius' old bedroom behind her. His parents lived in a smaller house, just a few miles south of the Manor, but Scorpius still had a bedroom here. Grabbing a handful of Floo powder from the jar on the mantelpiece, she hurled it into the already lit fireplace, "Weasley's Keep!" and plunged her head in.

She was rewarded with a view of her parents' living room, her brother Hugo sprawled out on the couch with his girlfriend, Eliza Longbottom.

"Oy, Hugo, get a room!" She yelled at them, her temper still boiling.

"Ahh!" Hugo screamed at the sound of her voice, almost dropping Eliza on the floor. "What in the name of Merlin are you doing here, Rose?"

"Just go get Mum, will you?" Rose asked, exasperated. "I'm in a bit of a rush."

"All right, all right," her brother grumbled, disentangling himself from Eliza. The girl waved at Rose before following her paramour out of the room. A few minutes later, Hermione Weasley walked into the room, clearly concerned.

"Rose?" She knelt before the fire, "Hugo said you were upset. What's the matter?"

"I can't be long, Scorp and I are at lunch with his family, but yes, I'm upset! Do you know how much of an idiot he is?" Rose hissed.

Hermione sighed. "Oh, love. What has he done now?"

"Mum, he bought me a bookcase for Christmas!"

"He what?" Hermione almost laughed, but she stopped herself when she saw the outraged look on her daughter's face. "Why on Earth would he buy you a bookcase?"

Rose rolled her eyes, "I need one, apparently. I don't know, Mum, but I'm upset with him. I don't know what to do." She heaved a heavy sigh. "I should probably go; I've been gone long enough. Do me a favor and don't tell Dad, he'll really take the mickey out of it. And don't let Dom say a word about it before we get there!"

"All right. Oh, and Rosie, don't be so harsh on him. You never know what he has up his sleeve," Hermione said, blowing her daughter a kiss. "Love you, see you this evening."

"Love you too," Rose said. Pulling herself out of the fire, she shook some soot off her shoulder. "Something up his sleeve, indeed."

0000

The rest of the afternoon passed almost amicably. Rose gushed over the robes Narcissa and Lucius gave her and couldn't stop telling Astoria how much she adored the jewelry set they'd given her. She was still, however, giving Scorpius the cold shoulder. Soon it came time for them to head over to the Weasley's for dinner and Rose was still not speaking to her fiancé.

"Rose, please, forgive me," Scorpius begged as they stood outside the Burrow.

She simply ignored him, knocking on the door to her grandparents' house.

"Oh, yes, lovely, Rose, just lovely. Just throw me to the dogs, why don't you? You know your family doesn't like me," Scorpius spat.

"For the love of Merlin, Scorpius! You're twenty-four years old; learn how to buy a blasted Christmas gift!" She almost yelled at him.

Just then, Molly opened the door. "Oh, hello dears!" She wrapped them both in an enormous hug. "How are you doing? Have you had a good Christmas so far?"

"It's been lovely, Grandmother," Rose said, with a smile.

Scorpius nodded, hugging the Weasley matriarch back. "Yes, Molly, we've had quite the day."

Rose shot him a glare.

"Well, come in, come in, no sense in you lot standing out in the cold," Molly ushered them in.

The house was crowded, every one of Rose's cousins, aunts and uncles were there. Scorpius had lost count some time ago of just how many there were.

"Well, well, if it isn't the bookcase boy," drawled a voice from behind them.

Scorpius turned to see Dominique standing behind them with her cousin Albus Potter.

"Dominique, for the last time, lay off!" Scorpius said, unable to withhold his hostility.

Albus snorted in laughter. "She's been on about it all day. Is it true, mate? Did you really buy Rose a bookcase?"

Scorpius just sighed.

000000000

Dinner was loud and exciting, as Weasley dinners always were. Conversation flowed easily and the only one openly hostile towards Scorpius was Rose's father, but that was expected.

Just before Molly served desert, Rose's Uncle Harry leaned across the table and asked Rose, "Rose, what's wrong? You've barely spoken to Scorpius since you got here."

Before Rose could say anything, Scorpius interjected. "She's mad at me, sir."

They had the entire family's attention now. Dom was laughing quietly while Hermione just looked embarrassed for her daughter.

"And why is that?" Harry asked him.

Scorpius stood up. "She thinks I bought her a bookcase for Christmas. But, I didn't. The bookcase just goes with what I really got her. I never expected her to get so upset with me, though." He smiled almost sarcastically. He turned to Rose and said, "Love, I was going to save it for later, but… My real Christmas present to you is in this box." He pulled out a small white box, wrapped with a blue ribbon. He handed it to her and then sat down again, everyone's eyes still trained on them.

Gently, Rose opened the box to reveal an old, gleaming silver key. Under the key lay a picture of the house she and Scorpius had looked at a couple of months ago. On the picture he had written, 'The bookcase with match the library furniture perfectly. Xoxo, Scorp.'

"You bought me.. a house.. for Christmas?" Rose said, shock apparent on her face. Then a smile began to blossom on her face and she all but jumped over the table to kiss him.

He caught her and smiled as her whole family cheered, "Happy Christmas, Rose."

She kissed him. "Happy Christmas, Scorpius."

(A/N: Yay, happy! I'm trying to hurry and get this up before I leave for class and before my internet goes out. Gah. So, leave me lots and lots of reviews and I'll be working hard, I promise. See you all on Thursday. :D This is my first Rose/Scorpius, by the way. I'm quite proud.)