Never Be The Same {SCOROSE}

Chapter 1 - Rose [UPDATED]

"I don't like a gold rush"

I had just come in from studying in the courtyard, and was already longing to be back in the fresh air of early spring. Hogwarts was beloved to me, but I couldn't deny that the spacious internal halls and stone corridors felt suffocating when I knew how it felt to breathe in the rejuvenating scents of springtime outdoors. I was slowly climbing the last staircase to the seventh floor when I heard a voice behind me.

"Rose! Hey!"

The voice belonged to Albus Potter, and I knew that my cousin didn't often go around by himself. His companion would likely be a problem. I rolled my eyes and kept walking. If I could just make it to the common room—

A hand caught my shoulder just as I reached the top of the stairs, and I whirled around to glare at my cousin. "What on Earth do you want?" I said, perhaps a bit too tersely.

Al's face dropped, and his dark hair tumbled into his eyes. "I just came to ask you—"

I interrupted him with a scoff. "You had better not be about to say something on behalf of your bloody annoying friend..." Looking down over my cousin's shoulder, I saw Scorpius Malfoy lingering at the bottom of the staircase, having the nerve to look uncomfortable. The bastard hadn't even bothered to come talk to me himself. I supposed he was tired of my rejections by now. Which was, of course, a good thing, because I was growing rather tired of repeating my sentiments towards him over and over again.

"Rose, come on. He just wants—"

"To sleep with me? Yeah, I know. Kindly tell him to shove off."

Albus' green eyes flashed as they met mine. "A chance, Rose. He wants a chance. I wish you wouldn't act like you know him. He's not what you think he is."

I sighed. "I don't just think he's a careless playboy, Al. I know it. Everyone knows it. I'm not that kind of girl. And even if I was... Scorpius Malfoy wouldn't be the boy for me."

My cousin seemed to be toeing the line between anger and plain sadness. "We've all made mistakes, you know. There's no need to act so high-and-mighty."

"I'm sure all the girls Scorpius has shagged would very much appreciate being called mistakes," I said, my statement accompanied by a harsh laugh. Al seemed to be preparing to launch into a further argument, but honestly, I didn't want to hear it. "I have to go," I told him, not bothering to be gentle about it. "I'll see you around." Before he could protest, I turned and continued in the direction of my common room. My cousin did not follow.

When I reached the Fat Lady's portrait, she was sipping her glass of wine, grumbling about some ridiculous problem to a friend from another portrait who was keeping her company. "Firebolt," I pronounced, wanting to get safely through the portrait hole in case Scorpius Malfoy decided he wasn't going to give up quite yet. The Fat Lady continued her conversation as if she had not heard me. "Firebolt," I said again, louder and rather impatiently this time.

Her head snapped up, and she rolled her eyes. "You children just do not have a bit of patience, do you?" she whined. "Everything must happen precisely when you want it to... no matter what other people may be doing!"

I rolled my eyes. I certainly did not have any patience at the moment, especially for her. "Are you going to let me in?"

"Oh, fine," the Fat Lady said, scowling as her portrait swung forward.

I climbed into the common room and sat down with a huff on a sofa already occupied by a slim blonde girl who was eyeing me curiously. "What's got your knickers in a twist, Rosie? Wrackspurts bothering you?"