Dance Lessons - Scorose

Blueberry Pancakes

A few weeks later, Rose woke up early for a change. She looked up from her pillow and drew the curtains around her bed and her gaze fell on the presents at her feet. It was her birthday. Her sixteenth. She picked up the presents and put them on her bed. She opened the cards first. The first was from her parents. She opened the card to see her mother's neat handwriting. It read: Dear Rosie, Hope you have a wonderful day. We can't wait to see you and Hugo for Christmas. Tell him dad's got your grandfather's old Ford Anglia working again with a fully working invisibility booster. Don't worry about losing the game, sweetie. Winning isn't everything, though don't tell your dad I said that! Stay safe, don't work too hard and enjoy youself. Write if you need anything. Lots of love, Mum and Dad xox

Rose felt tears welling in her eyes. It wasn't that she was sad but whenever she got word from home, she always felt slightly homesick despite being at Hogwarts for five years already.

She put the card on her bedside table and opened ths next one from her aunt and uncle, Harry and Ginny Potter, then the next from her grandparents on her mum's side, then her dad's, then the ones from all of her other uncles and aunts. It was only at birthdays and Christmas that Rose realised just how many relatives she actually had.

She opened the neatly wrapped presents from her mum. Three new muggle books. Classics apparently. A Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice and A Study in Scarlet. She opened a small box from her dad to find a silver locket engraved with her initials and swirls. After she had opened her other presents, she got changed into her robes, put the locket on and headed down to breakfast, book in hand.

When Scorpius walked into the fairly empty great hall, he wasn't at all surprised to see Rose with her nose buried in a new book. He walked up to her and held a bouquet of snapdragons out in front of her book to break her gaze. She smiled, turned around and quickly pulled him into a hug. He laid the flowers on the table and sat down next to her. He held out a badly wrapped present. She took it and felt it in her hands.

"Hmm, it's squishy. Could be clothes, unless it's something soft protecting something delicate-"

"Rosie, just open it will you?" Scorpius interrupted.

She rolled her eyes at him. He had always been impatient. She tore the wrapping paper and pulled out an old Slytherin quidditch jumper with MALFOY 07 stitched across the back.She smiled.

"You wear it so often, you might as well keep it." The first time she wore it was last year when she was supporting Slytherin in a quidditch match after Gryffindor had been knocked out the competition. They had gone on to win the entire thing. Ever since then, Rose had worn it on and off. Whenever she was supporting him in a match, whenever he gave it to her if she complained about how cold she was... She loved how soft it was, how it was too big for her and how it always smelt like him.

She chuckled, leaned forwards and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you." she whispered into his shoulder. She kissed him on the cheek and they both turned back to the table. Magically, a stack of blueberry pancakes appeared on her plate. The house elves always knew what to serve each student on their birthday.

Rose had a fairly normal Thursday. Double potions, Charms, History of Magic and Herbology. Rose was well liked by everyone and as the day progressed, she soon became burdened with more and more boxes, presents, cards and sweets. Even her Herbology teacher gave her a present. Though, Neville probably didn't count as a teacher since he was a close family friend that had known Rose literally all her life.

"Happy Birthday, Rose." Neville said after everyone else had left the greenhouse. He crossed to his old and worn wooden desk at the side of a rather large and carnivorous looking plant. He opened the first drawer and pulled out a neatly wrapped present tied up with a perfect bow. No doubt Hannah, his wife, had wrapped the present. She took the gift from his outstretched hand.

"Aw, thanks Neville!" she said. She carefully untied the bow and ripped open the wrapping paper. Inside was an old, heavy book. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" she read aloud. When she was little, Neville and Hannah would babysit her and her brother. He would always read them extracts from his copy of the book. In fact, it was this that urged Rose to take Care of Magical Creatures for her OWLs.

"It's a first edition." he stated. She looked up at him in disbelief.

"H-how did you -- where did you-" she stammered.

"Luna." he replied. She was another close friend of the family and was married to the grandson of the author of the book. Rose smiled.

"It's perfect." she said and gave him a quick hug.

"You're welcome. Now go, or you'll miss dinner." he reminded her.

She nodded and quickly left the greenhouse and headed for the great hall.

When she got to the hall, she sat at the Slytherin table opposite Scorpius and Albus. Before she could even say 'hello', Albus had tossed a present across the table to her. She rolled her eyes at him. It was a wooden, hand carved picture frame with a photograph of Rose, Albus and Scorpius. It was from last summer when they were sitting under their tree next to the lake in the sunshine. Albus had just slipped over in a hilarious fashion which was why he was looking extremely grumpy whilst Rose and Scorpius were in tears of laughter.

The photo sparked yet another conversation about the event and despite Albus' protests, Scorpius and Rose insisted it was still just as funny as before.

"So I'll meet you in the room of requirement in twenty minutes, yeah?" Scorpius confirmed. Rose nodded. She was slightly nervous, trying to learn to ballroom dance might have been a little too ambitious after all.