Scorpius sipped on the punch as he let his eyes wander over the dancers at the Ball. His own date had gone to her room half an hour ago telling him she was sick. By the pale look on her face, he believed her. It was either she was sick or she had been frightened of the ghosts who had decided to swoop in for a peek at how the dance was going. She had been frightfully absent in October...

He shook his head and stood, setting his punch down on the table before wandering around the edge of the dance floor. He had long ago draped his tux jacket and tie on a random chair, but he didn't want to carry them around for the remainder of his time. He'd get it later. Not that he thought he would be staying very late anyway. His eyes caught on the door to the small gardens outside. With a shrug, he made his way towards it, figuring he may as well see what the Yule committee had done with the place.

A form almost blundered into him in the doorway, and he scowled at the kid and his stuttered apologies. Rolling his eyes, Scorpius continued on his way, allowing the kid to scamper off. Harold Newbaum. That was the kid's name. A year below Scorpius and rather a bit of an asshole, to be honest. Which was saying something that Scorpius was calling him that. Scorpius himself had gained a bit of a reputation as being rather cold and disinterested and he managed to make comments sometimes without thinking about the consequences of other peoples feelings. Harold was just an intentional asshole, which was a whole other breed.

Of course, his being such was not public knowledge. Only those boys who were on the quidditch team with him knew how he was. If anyone else had heard the stories he told and how he absolutely reveled in other people's misfortune, Scorpius doubted he would have as many friends as he did.

Shaking himself from thoughts of Harold, he let his eyes wander around the gardens. It was empty, for the Ball was still going pretty strong, but it was beautiful. Someone had set up a spell to keep the area warm and fend off the snow that was falling just beyond its borders. The plants within were exotic and flourishing, smelling pleasantly sweet and spicy. There were small floating lights all around, drifting through the air lazily almost as if drugged fireflies. The fountains seemed to attract the lights the most, as they had ethereal clouds of them all around.

Scorpius stood for a while just watching them with a small smile on his lips. Then he heard a small noise to his left. Eyebrows drawing down, he moved toward the sound, knowing there was a bench somewhere over there beyond the pillar. Quietly, he approached and was brought to a pause as he suddenly viewed Rose Weasley sniffling on the bench by herself. He looked back toward the castle, frowning as he put two and two together with Harold. She must have been his date. Poor girl.

He leaned against the pillar before looking up at the stars, "Nice weather, eh?"

There was a small shocked sound as Rose quickly wiped at her face, turning sharply away from him, "What the hell? Go away."

Peeking around the pillar at her, he lifted his eyebrows, "What? Can't a bloke comment on the weather anymore?"

She scowled at him, "I don't need one ass replaced by another, thank you very much."

Putting his hand on his chest, he gasped, "Oh the wound you have inflicted! I can hardly bear the pain!" When all he got was a deadpan look of a tearful Rose, he winced slightly, "Ah, sorry."

She rolled her eyes and turned her face away from him again as silence fell. He looked at her sideways, taking her in. He had never really talked much to Rose since she had made a strict point of avoiding him all through their years at Hogwarts together. Probably something to do with her dad and uncle warning her to stay away from Malfoys. After all, the stories his dad told him about their school days, Scorpius really didn't blame them.

She was really quite stunning.

He started as that thought ran through his brain. Had he just thought Rose Weasley was stunning?! He pinched the bridge of his nose before mumbling, "I'm going bloody mad."

"You're still here?"

He looked over at her and sighed, "Yeah. I don't especially like leaving crying girls all by their lonesome when they're dressed up to have a good time." The blush that suddenly flared across her cheeks and the shocked expression he received told him she had taken his words wrong, "No! Not like that sort of good time. Blimey. You wanted to have fun, dance, drink punch...y'know?"

Rose stared at him for a moment before a small snort of laughter suddenly escaped from her. Next thing he knew, she was just grinning at him, giving him a speculative look. "You should have seen your face," she threw at him.

Lifting an eyebrow, he retorted, "Should've seen yours. I guarantee it was way better."

They smiled at each other for a few moments before the music drifting out from the building changed to a slower song. He glanced back toward the brightly lit school before making a impulse decision. Walking forward, he held out his hand. She stared at it like it was a foreign object. She met his gaze with a wide eyed look of surprise.

He smiled softly at her, "I like this song. No better way of enjoying it than a dance with a pretty girl."

The color ran across her cheeks again and he found himself thoroughly enjoying it. Carefully, she put her hand in his and let him lead her into the middle of the garden near the biggest fountain. He pulled her closer and wrapped his other hand around her back before leading her into the dance. The lights floated around them, transferring their attention from the fountain to the two figures. Up close, he felt like he was actually taking a good look at Rose for the first time. He had never really gotten a chance to before.

Usually her hair was up in a strict ponytail, but tonight it was down around her shoulders, fiery and curly as it cascaded down. She looked up and met his eyes and he saw the small color rise again. It brought out her freckles that danced across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose. He was also noticing the small dotting of them on her bare shoulders as well. The dress she wore was a pleasant emerald green and the bodice fit her nicely, much to Scorpius' happiness. Little Rose Weasley had grown into the quite the woman without him even noticing.

As they swayed gently, he felt her slowly starting to relax a bit and her body drifted closer to his. As much as he was enjoying it, he felt that he should start talking before she got much closer. He cleared his throat a bit, "So...Harold. Bit of a slimy bloke?"

Her face scrunched in the most adorable way as anger flashed across it, "Understatement of the year. He's an ass."

Scorpius laughed softly, "What did he do this time?"

She let go of his hand and shifted her hands to clasp up behind his neck. Shrugging, she sighed, "Tried to kiss me, I turned him down. He called me all sorts of bad names. I shouldn't have been crying over it. Quite dumb, really."

His eyebrows lifted, "Turned him down? What for? I thought good ol' Harold was the most eligible bachelor for the Yule Ball!"

Rose snorted, "Yeah, my bum. The most eligible bachelor got snatched up months ago."

He grinned, enjoying the way her cheeks started to flush again, "Oh? And who is the lucky man that you wish you'd gone with instead then?"

She blinked at him, "What?"

"Who is the most eligible bachelor?"

Scowling, she slid her hands down to his arms and stepped back slightly, "I didn't want to come to the Yule Ball with the most eligible bachelor! Why would you think that?"

"You're blushing," he retorted with a wicked grin. She spluttered for a moment, at a loss for words, and so he took the opportunity to pull her back into him, his arms wrapping comfortably around her back, pressing her quite close to him. "But really. Help a poor bloke out who tries his best to stay out of the Hogwarts' gossip. Who was the prime candidate for the ball?"

Her cheeks were only a few shades lighter than her hair now as she tried to figure out where to put her hands when in such close proximity. He was thoroughly enjoying seeing the Gryffindor Keeper, normally so brazen and confident at a loss for what to do. Finally, she returned her arms to where they previously had been around his neck and let him continue their swaying.

She looked up at him then, lifting an eyebrow, "You do that well of ignoring gossip?"

Grinning, he nodded, "After having a father who thrived in it, one learns to try and avoid their predecessor's mistakes. Gossip makes enemies and also makes the wrong kinds of friends."

Rose's eyebrows drew down slightly as she took in that information before saying quietly, "Guess you're dad may not be as bad as mine makes him out to be."

He chuckled, "Well, he used to be, but my mum's helped him change a lot. He's a good bloke and a good father, just got a bad past that he can't shake."

She surprised him by resting her head gently on his chest and he felt his own cheeks warm up at the intimate gesture. As if she were actually comfortable with him holding her. She smiled slightly, "Well, you're not as bad as the world tries to make you out to be either, Mr. Malfoy."

"Oh, please. Call me Scorpius. Mr. Malfoy is my father."

She looked up at him in surprise, "Was that...?"

He laughed, "Finding Nemo reference. Sorry. Loved that line."

Shaking her head, she grinned at him, "You just keep surprising me."

"It's what I aim to do, darlin'," he responded with a cheeky grin.

She watched him intently for a moment, and he turned his head to glance at the lights that were now swirling around them. It was breathtaking. His eyes slipped back down to the lovely creature in his arms and he smiled softly at her, enjoying the moment. It probably would never happen again. After tonight, there was a distinct possibility that they would go back to being strangers, albeit more friendly ones.

"Scorpius?"

She pulled him out of his reverie with the quiet word, and he met her gaze. "Did you really want to know who the most eligible bachelor was?"

"Sure, why not?"

She smiled at him, "You." And then she shocked him by grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him toward her, lifting herself up on tiptoes to kiss him. He froze in surprise at the soft feel of her lips on his, but quickly adapted to the scenario, his hands pulling her closer, one drifting up to tangle in her hair to cradle her head delicately as he responded. It was intoxicating to be kissing Rose Weasley surrounded by ethereal lights. Her initial brazenness had disappeared for a moment until he took up the reigns and led her in a different dance altogether. Her hands were pulling him closer, running through his hair, as if they could not decide where to stay, as if they wanted to savor everything.

A small moan of satisfaction slid from Rose and they broke apart, staring at each other in surprise, trying to catch their breath. He was trying to comprehend what had just happened. He gently trailed his hand through her hair after a moment before clearing his throat, "Um...I just want to point out that...you just kissed me."

Her cheeks were an attractive shade of pink as she started to laugh, leaning her forehead against his chest as she did. "Yes. Yes I did kiss you."

Scorpius licked his lips, still tasting hers there, "Erm...why?"

She lifted her face once more, "Maybe because you quoted one of my favorite movies. Or because you called Harold slimy. And maybe it's just because a good guy showed up, cheered up a girl that he barely knew even though she was a Weasley and he was a Malfoy. It could also just be because you're bloody attractive and I couldn't help myself. But I won't tell you which."

He laughed, "I like the last one the best, I think." Rose rolled her eyes at him before stroking his hair lightly as she focused on the lights that swirled around them. She was stunning. Always had been. Reaching up, he gently tilted her face toward him and her chin up. Her eyes met his and he smiled before lowering his lips to hers once more, though in a different kind of kiss. It was gentle and soft and he watched as Rose closed her eyes at the sensation, her cheeks flushing lightly. She was stunning and beautiful and he was wondering how he hadn't noticed before.

But he wouldn't soon forget.

"Happy Yule Ball, Rose."