A/N: Thank you again to the lovely scarlett71177 for helping me out with a title and summary. This fic has not currently been beta read, however I did some of my own editing. If you notice anything huge, please do not hesitate to let me know. I'd appreciate it.

From Crush to Love

Rose wished he wasn't standing so close. She could smell his spicy aftershave, and could feel the heat radiating from his body. If she didn't know any better, Rose would think that he knew the power he held over her and was doing it on purpose. He stood straight, his hands behind his back and, unlike Rose, Scorpius Malfoy actually looked good in his standard issue lime-green Healer's robes.

"It presents itself as a standard case of acute Dragon Pox," Scorpius said to the Sr. Healer, "I believe cold Rotesbane and Chamomile compresses and some boil reducing potion along with a lot of rest should do the trick."

"Anything else?" the Healer asked, turning his gaze toward Malfoy and then back toward Rose, "Ms. Weasley?"

"No sir," she said, "I believe Healer Malfoy has covered it." The short man nodded, turned his back and continued rounds. Scorpius smirked.

By the time they were done, Scorpius had answered two more of the Healer's questions before Rose could even form a coherent reply. He bounced from foot to foot, anxiously awaiting the shift change when they could go home.

As they were walking down the hall toward the changing rooms, Rose wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at Scorpius. "Show off," she muttered under her breath.

Scorpius elbowed her in the ribs and laughed. "It's not my fault it was an easy case, Healer Weasley," he teased, throwing her formal words back at her.

"You know Healer Johansen doesn't like me," she whinged, "You could have at least left a bit for me to say."

"He does too like you, Rosie-Posy. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, he likes you quite a bit," he wiggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"Eruuugh!" Rose gagged, "Don't even joke about that. He's old and he's got spots that wouldn't even clear up with a well-aimed Reducto! Besides, he's always looking after ways to give me a good dressing down. You should study harder, you aren't living up to your potential, blah, blah, blah," she rolled her eyes. "Sorry if coming out top on my class wasn't good enough for him."

"Aw, he's just jealous," Scorpius said holding the staff room door open for her, "I bet he was second in his class. It can do a job on the male ego, I should know."

Rose shoved him playfully and moved toward her locker. "Your place, or mine?" she asked him with just a hint of suggestion as he stripped his robe off over his head.

"There's that really good curry shop just down the block from your place, and you've got movies," he reasoned looking a little uncomfortable.

Rose's mouth was suddenly dry as she watched him unbutton his shirt preparing to go to the wizard's shower. She nodded and mumbled acquiescence before forcing herself to walk, fully clothed, to the witch's shower. Such had become their habit throughout training, and now at work. Rose smiled.

Throughout Hogwarts, Scorpius and Rose had been friends, but there had always been underlying tension. He was Slytherin and she was Gryffindor. He hung around Albus, and she around James. They played the same position in Quidditch (Seeker), but on opposing teams. They were constantly pitted against each other.

It seemed, however, that after graduation house rivalries were set aside. James had gone on to become an Auror, Albus a Chaser for Chudley Cannons and both Scorpius and Rose had gone on to Healer training. Rather than being in competition, they were suddenly working together. Studying, eating and even sometimes sleeping over at the other's house.

It was during their second term of academics that Rose had come to discover she had feelings for Scorpius Malfoy. They had been nearing their final examinations and Rose had been close to snapping. All she wanted was a good sleep, but her nerves were high and she was having trouble calming herself enough to really unwind.

Scorpius had practically forced her at wand-point to go have a lie down. When he'd followed her into the bedroom and sat down next to her on the bed, she'd felt the slightest thrill rush through her. She'd gone, only intending to rest her eyes for twenty minutes.

"Just relax," he soothed her, and then he'd rubbed her back in gentle circles until she'd fallen asleep. When Rose had finally woken, Scorpius had been waiting with a cup of strong orange pekoe and a home-cooked meal from her Gran Weasley. It had been exactly what she needed.

Her feelings for Scorpius had grown over the last three years from crush to love. Rose knew in her heart that there would never be another man for her. She'd promised herself that once they graduated, she would tell him how she felt. However, now that graduation had come and gone, she was no closer to actually uttering a confession to him than she had been before. For a Gryffindor, she certainly fancied herself a coward at times.

Rose showered and got dressed quickly in a t-shirt and a worn pair of denims. She didn't bother with a drying spell, instead opting to tie her unruly red hair in a knot on top of her head. Rose knew before she exited the showers that he'd be waiting there for her, leaning against her locker with his arms crossed over his chest. It was their routine.

The only difference was that today he was holding a single red rose between his thumb and forefinger and smiling uneasily at her. Rose's heart thudded against her ribcage and she nearly forgot to breathe.

Using his shoulder, Scorpius pushed himself upright and came to stand before her. "A rose," he said brushing the soft red petals along her jaw, "for my Rose." He was gazing at her intensely as he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. Surely she was going to die of a heart attack right here in St. Mungo's Hospital. She could only imagine the Healers and Medi-Witches swarming her, calling a code-blue.

Stifling a giggle, Rose reached up and touched her cheek where the feeling of his kiss still lingered on her skin. He was still standing close enough that she could smell his soap and feel his warm breath against her ear. Tentatively, she reached up on tiptoes and kissed the corner of his mouth.

"Rosie," he whispered reverently, his eyes searching hers. She gave him a shy smile which was all the encouragement he needed. In one swift movement, her back was pressed against the lockers and his lips were caressing hers. When she opened her mouth to him he groaned and rested his full body weight against her. Rose melted into him. She felt as though she were absorbing him to her very core, as if they were heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul.

"Let's go home," Rose panted between kisses, "I don't fancy getting caught snogging in the lockers on my second day."

"Mhmm," he replied, his lips still on hers. Scorpius grinned against her mouth, and with a twist of his wand she felt the familiar crushing feeling as he Apparated them both to her London flat.

Quite some time later, after they'd worked up an appetite, they ordered curry from the place on the corner and ate together on her faded sofa.

"Merlin," Scorpius said eating his third eggroll, "This is great. I haven't eaten all day." He colored as he realized what he'd said and sheepishly admitted that he'd been a bit nervous. "I mean, what if I pulled that whole soppy rose thing, and you'd laughed at me? Or worse, you'd cried and run away?" he shuddered causing Rose to swat his arm.

"I'd have never laughed at you, Scorpius," Rose said sincerely. "I've been trying to work up to telling you how I felt for ages now… So much for my Gryffindor bravery," she grimaced.

"How long?" he wanted to know.

"Years," she replied, "since that night you brought me Grandmum's roast pork and treacle fudge. You?"

"Years," Scorpius admitted guiltily, "Since that summer I came to visit Albus."

"That was fifth year!" Rose exclaimed, "You hardly knew me."

Scorpius grinned and said, "I knew enough. You were kind, cute and a brilliant Seeker! During games I was hard-pressed to watch for the Snitch instead of watching you fly."

Blushing, Rose buried her face in his shoulder. How had she never known? "What were you waiting for? I mean, why did you wait so long to tell me?"

Scorpius shook his platinum hair out of his eyes and pinned her with a stare, "There were lots of reasons," he said seriously. "You know who my family is," he continued, "I was a coward, I was waiting for you to show some sort of sign that you felt the same, but most of all, I wanted to be stable. We lost all our money after the war, Rose. Father's been struggling ever since to keep up appearances, but it's been rough." Scorpius paused, trying to decide how much more to say, "It's old fashioned, but I—I wanted to be able to support you, to support our family, Rosie" he whispered.

Rose felt a tear sliding down her cheek. She drew him close and kissed him with all she was worth. "I love you, Scorpius."

"Mmm," he murmured, taking her face in his hands, "I love you, also. I always have," he told her.

They talked quietly through the night, cuddling and making plans. Rose and Scorpius decided on a July wedding, just two weeks away. Tomorrow after rounds, they would break the news to their parents. They perused the Daily Prophet for a new flat, something closer to Diagon Alley. And sometime in the wee hours of the morning, they fell asleep in each other's arms full of hopes and dreams for their future.

There never had been, nor would there ever be, another man for Rose Weasley.

The End