House: Gryffindor

Category: Short

Prompt: Touch by Little Mix

Word Count: 2077

Beta: BetterYouThanMe Thanks Miranda!

Rose Granger-Weasley lost herself every Friday night.

During the rest of the week, she was an independent, strong witch. Her piercing stares could make even though staunchest members of the Wizengamot cower and squirm. In only her fifth year as a public defense advocate with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she had developed a reputation for fierceness. More than one prosecutor had requested to be removed from their cases when they discovered that she would be their opponent.

Rose loved that people were so intimidated that they would flee when they heard her stilettos clicking down the marble hallways of the Ministry's courts. She was the best and brightest of her age, just as her mother had been. She had been wooed multiple times by private defense firms. They presented her massive salary offers and bonuses, but she turned down each and every offer. She didn't work as a public defense advocate for the money. She served because it was the right thing to do. The thrill of victory was her just reward.

Rose Granger-Weasley was a proud and successful woman. She prided herself on being self-sufficient. But she had become dependent on those Friday nights.

It had all started a year before. Her cousin, Lily, had dragged Rose out clubbing. Lily had just broken up with her philandering boyfriend and wanted to go on the prowl for a rebound. Rose agreed to accompany her as a wing-woman. They'd have a few drinks and dance the night away. Rose would help Lily find a satisfactory wizard to take her mind off her good for nothing ex. It sounded like a fine enough plan in theory.

Lily insisted that Rose come over to her flat to get ready for their night on the town. Using a combination of magic and muggle methods, Lily tamed Rose's wild auburn curls into a smooth curtain of red fire. She insisted Rose wear a backless black dress with thin straps. Once the dress was on, Lily waved her wand and shrunk the fabric so that it fit her like a second skin.

"I thought this night was supposed to be about you?" griped Rose as she pulled at the hem of the dress.

Lily tied a metallic gold halter dress around the back of her neck. "You look hot, Rose. If you're really that uncomfortable, you can change. You're a sexy witch, not just a bad-ass advocate. I think you should flaunt it."

Rose checked herself out in the mirror. She was comfortable with her body, and nothing important was revealed in the outfit Lily had created.

"Alright, Lily. Let's go find you a guy to take your mind off of-"

"-Don't say it. That jerk's name is taboo tonight."

Rose nodded in agreement and held out her hand. The cousins apparated to the popular new wizarding club, Alchemy.

Rose groaned when she spotted the long line waiting to get in the club. She started walking to the end until Lily pulled her straight up to the bouncer and gave their names. The two witches were immediately invited in and ushered to the VIP section.

"Lily," Rose hissed, "You know I don't like when you throw around our family's reputation to get special treatment."

"Would you relax, Rose? I called ahead and dropped a fair amount of galleons for this. Now kick back, have a drink, and help me scope out a guy."

Rose settled down into one of the leather couches, grabbed the drink menu and tapped Emerald Elixirwith her wand. Instantly, the drink appeared on the table beside her.

"That's a mighty Slytherin drink for such a proud Gryffindor," commented a satiny voice.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Now, Rosie," Scorpius patronized with a smirk, "I'm just here to look after my two dear friends."

Lily scowled. "Did Albus put you up to this?"

"Yes," he answered unapologetically.

"If you think you're going to stop-"

"-I know better than to think I can stop you from having a good time. I'm not your brother. But I just wanted to let you know that I'm here in case you need any help."

"Thanks Scorpius!" Lily scanned the crowd. "I just spotted the new keeper for the English National Team. I'm going to go make his acquaintance." She rushed off across the club.

"Make his acquaintance? Is that what they're calling it nowadays?"

Rose harrumphed. "Now that you know Lily is fine, why don't you buzz off?"

"What would I do that, Rosie?" Scorpius settled onto the couch beside her. "Just rush off and leave my dear friend and co-worker to fend for herself?"

"Sounds like a perfectly reasonable plan to me."

"Nope." He let the 'p' pop at the end of his refusal.

"Fine then. What shall we talk about? How about the way I trounced you in the practice arguments for the O'Shanahan case?"

"No shop talk. Tonight is for forgetting the rest of our lives and cutting loose. Drink up. Feel the music. Let yourself go."

Rose suppressed a growl. Scorpius Malfoy had been a thorn in her side since their first day at Hogwarts. At first, she disliked him because her father had told her that she was supposed to. Over time, she realized that was a ridiculous reason to continue the hostility. Her competitive nature became her new motivation for prolonging the animosity towards the blond. He was her only real competition for marks back in school. And, as her luck would have it, he followed her to the defense advocate office after graduation.

Rose sighed. She knew that she'd have the same luck in ditching Malfoy tonight as she did avoiding him in the rest of her life. She quickly drained her drink and ordered another- a Ruby Runner this time. She did not miss Scorpius' mouth upturning into a knowing smile.

Midway through her second drink, Rose began to relax. Her head started to bop along to the bassline of the song that was blasting through the club. It was a muggle song that had been popular during her first year at Hogwarts.

You and I and nobody else

Feeling feelings I never felt

The way you got me under your spell

Don't you keep it all to yourself

She started to hum along to the tune. The song had always been infectious. It would get stuck in her head and stubbornly run around her subconscious for days.

Suddenly, Rose was pulled from the couch.

"Dance with me," Scorpius demanded.

Rose didn't know if it was the drinks, the atmosphere, or the pulsing bass but she allowed him to drag her out on the dance floor. He pulled her close into his chest and started to move.

In the swarm of gyrating bodies, Rose felt Scorpius' fingers dig into the exposed skin of her lower back, commanding that she move at his pace.

Any other day and time, Rose would have objected to being controlled like that. But there, on the dancefloor, with her rival, she gave into the song.

So won't you take it, I feel like for the first time I am not faking

Fingers on my buttons and now you're playing

Master of anticipation

Don't you keep it all to yourself

Rose grinded against Scorpius. Beads of sweat trickled down her back as the song spurred them on. She fell into a trance. One by one, her senses left her. She could no longer see, smell, taste, or hear. All she could do was feel. Feel the beat of the song setting a driving pace for metronome of her heartbeat. Feel Scorpius' hot touches on her skin.

Suddenly, she felt herself being ripped away from Scorpius' hold.

"Rose! Rose!" Lily screamed to be heard over the music.

"What Lily?"

"It's time to leave. The club is closing in ten minutes and I wanted to beat the rush."

"But we've only been here for maybe an hour?" Rose was quite confused.

"Rose, you've been out on the dancefloor for three hours."

Rose's eyes bulged. She turned back to ask Scorpius where the time went, but the blond man had vanished.

That Monday, Rose prepared herself to face Scorpius at work. She'd decided that Friday night had been an anomaly. Just a dance between two co-workers and pseudo-frenemies. She had to tell him that it meant absolutely nothing to her.

She arrived in the office early in an attempt to beat him to their desks. She was disappointed to find him already seated, perusing through a thick case file.

"Have a nice weekend, Rose?" Scorpius asked nonchalantly.

Rose was momentarily taken aback. That's what Scorpius asked her every Monday morning. If he wanted to pretend that nothing was different, that's exactly what she'd do too.

"It was fine, Malfoy. Pass me the Smith file when you're done."

"You can have it now." He walked over to her desk and handed her the file. Her fingertips just slightly brushed his and she felt a jolt from the brief touch.

All week, Rose had reacted to his unintentional touches. By the time Friday rolled around, her skin felt inflamed. She called upon Lily to head out to the club once more. She needed to get the memory of Scorpius' touches out of her head.

It was a brilliant plan.

If only she had accounted for the possibility that he would be at the club again. She was drawn back to him like a magnet. Once again, the punishing beat of the music pushed her into a trance where nothing existed but his touch.

And so began the vicious cycle. During the week, Rose was a strong, independent woman. But on Friday nights just was completely at the mercy of Scorpius' intoxicating touches on the dancefloor. It was like a drug; the more she had, the more she needed. She hated herself for it, but she couldn't stop.

One year after it all began, Rose and Scorpius were assigned to be co-chairs on the biggest case of their careers. They were forced to meet up after work hours to dig through evidence, records, and legal precedent.

Friday afternoon rolled around and it looked like they would be stuck searching through endless stacks of parchment, tomes, and texts until dawn.

"It seems like neither of us will be visiting Alchemy tonight," Scorpius said offhandedly. Rose blinked owlishly at him. This was the first time he'd ever referenced their club interactions away from the dancefloor. "Rose? Are you alright?"

"What are you playing at, Malfoy?"

He sighed. "Never mind, Rose."

"No! Not this time. We've been dancing around each other for a year. Actually dancing around. I can't take it anymore, Scorpius!"

"That's the first time you've ever used my name."

"I call you by your name all the time. I haven't referred to you as Ferret-face since Hogwarts."

"No. You call me 'Malfoy'. Never Scorpius."

"Fine, Scorpius! What the hell do you want?!"

"You."

With that one single syllable, Rose was knocked off her feet. "Wha-what?"

"You. I want you, Rose. I have since I was fourteen. This past year has been both the best and worst of my life. The feel of you pressed up against me every Friday night gets me through the week. I need it. Crave it. It's too much and not enough all at once."

"Why didn't you say anything? That first Monday at work, you acted indifferently."

He shrugged. "Self-preservation. You never gave me any indication that you felt anything for me. Sure you've been less antagonistic towards me in recent years. I suppose we've become sort of friendly. But I wasn't going to say anything in case that night meant absolutely nothing to you."

Rose recalled that was exactly what her plan had been. But things had changed in the last year.

"Scorpius?"

"Yeah, Rose?"

"This means something to me."

His face lit up.

"Scorpius?"

"Yeah, Rose?"

"Kiss me?"

He happily obliged.

Their lips met for the first time and Rose found her new addiction.