Scorpius Malfoy was, from a very young age, a reserved, serious, considerate child. He was the type to think things through before he did them, the type to carefully consider everything he said. It was a quality his mother approved of, and one that made the adults around him smile fondly, pronouncing the well behaved, polite child to be things such as "perfect" and "mature."
He was a cautious child, too – not the type to jump four steps just to see if he could, or to climb on chairs to reach high shelves. He was even careful with the pocket money his mother gave him, storing sickles and the occasional galleon away, just in case he ever found something expensive he wanted to buy.
Above all though, Scorpius Malfoy had always been something of a lonely child. It was difficult not to be when you were an only child with no close relatives or boys his age who his parents considered to be suitable companions.
He had learned to combat his loneliness by amusing himself with his own observations of other people, unshared with others but kept close so that he might take them out later and examine them when he was in solitude.
Scorpius had hoped to cure his loneliness when he started school. Instead he learned quickly that being alone and being lonely were two very different things.
He found that he wasn't used to sharing a room with four other boys – at home, he had a whole wing to himself – nor used to sharing a table with dozens of other students. At home, he could be alone as much as he wanted – at Hogwarts, privacy was rather difficult to find. It was the only thing about his new school that he utterly disliked. He often found himself wandering around the lake and in secluded corners of the library to find bits of solitude.
Being alone was comfortable but being lonely was heartbreaking. He wished to find a friend who understood his innate introverted nature, but found his options wanting. He pushed people away and instead continued his little habit of observing people from afar.
He found one student in particular held his rapt attention and curiosity and he made her the subject of his close study.
Rose Weasley was not a shy girl. Growing up with a large extended family, in her mind it was either speak loudly and frequently, or not be heard at all.
So when she started school at Hogwarts, she was not afraid to walk up to complete strangers and introduce herself in the hopes of becoming friends.
In the case of Scorpius Malfoy, though, she restrained herself.
Maybe it was her father's warning not to get too friendly with him, or maybe it was his cool reserve, but Rose was tentative to approach him. Instead, she did something rather unusual for her to do, and that was to simply observe, but never approach him.
He quickly discovered that she was his opposite in nearly every way. She chattered with her family, babbled to her friends, she even spoke with the portraits in the hallways. Rose Weasley was never alone, and she was never quiet. The only time he found her mouth closed was when she read, which she did with surprising frequency considering how much she seemed to enjoy talking people's ears off at every opportunity.
Despite her ease when chatting with others, it was only when reading in silence that seemed to be her most natural and peaceful state. Scorpius found himself endlessly frustrated and fascinated by this contradiction.
He liked watching her most when he was hidden in his corner of the library, and she in hers.
From the evidence he had observed and was now internally analyzing as he pretended to read his book, he assumed that her over the top ability to talk was a learned behavior.
When he had observed the whole Weasley clan together at meal times, for instance, he saw her frown when she disagreed with someone, but if she didn't speak up, her voice would be drowned out completely. From what he had gathered, she was not naturally so loud and talkative, she had adapted to fit the demands of a large rowdy family.
It must have been difficult to grow up surrounded by so many people, so many voices, he could see why she must enjoy reading. She could take the time and do something just for her and enjoy the silence.
Rose knew Scorpius was an only child and her first instinct was to feel sorry for him. She only had Hugo, but her numerous cousins may as well have been her siblings. She was never alone and always had someone to talk to, he must have been so bored and lonely before he started school.
He seemed to prefer being alone though. He never socialized with anyone, not even the members of his own house. Yet, the looks he gave people, it was as if he knew everything about them. She found that fascinating and wondered why he didn't seem to want friends.
He dressed in only white, grey, black, and occasionally green. She found that this matched his detached and restrained personality. When he wore white button downs she was convinced it was an effort to match his pale blonde hair and fair complexion, as if he wanted to lean up against a white wall and camouflage himself away from the world.
He was too handsome to be ignored by others though, and she often overheard girls gossiping about him, with the occasional brave soul who would actually approach him, only to receive his shy smile and be shooed away.
He never spoke in class, but she always peeked over at him when assignments and exams were returned and his marks were perfect, better than hers even. She often watched him from her spot in the library but found that he never read any books related to school, he simply came to read through the dozens of fiction volumes that he kept piled at his side.
In spite of his reticent nature, he was terrible at keeping his thoughts private when he read. He probably wasn't aware of it, or maybe it was just easy for her to notice these things after weeks of watching him. But he may as well have been speaking aloud for how plainly his emotions drifted across his face when he read.
He chewed his lip when he was anxious for a character, he scrunched his eyebrows together when something happened he didn't approve of, small smiles when he was pleased, smirks when he was amused.
For someone so reserved and private, he couldn't hide anything in his facial expressions or in his eyes. She felt a little uneasy knowing this much about him when clearly he wanted to be left alone.
But she started noticing that he watched her too, and thus their "friendship" of observing each other and sharing knowing glances began. Rose quickly learned that eye contact could communicate more than words ever would.
It took her nearly forty minutes to gather her courage. After months of watching and waiting, today was the day.
They were both in the library, he in his usual secluded armchair and she several rows away, reading her own book and glancing at him impulsively at periodic intervals.
He sighed and rolled his eyes at the book in his hands. She recognized the cover. Why I Didn't Die When the Augurey Cried by Gulliver Pokeby. She had read it the week before and found it tiresome. She knew it was not his taste.
She approached him slowly and took a breath before speaking. "You won't like that book," she said softly but firmly.
"And just how would you know something like that?" He questioned her.
It suddenly struck her that she had never actually heard him speak before. She was surprised by how melodic his voice was. Like a babbling brook or the buzz of a bee, there was something soothing but raspy about it.
"I... Well I... You see, I kind of... Well, I observe you." He arched an eyebrow, probably wondering why she was babbling at him with the eloquence of a mountain troll. No one had ever looked at her with such pervasive intensity, as if he had already figured her out and was mildly amused and surprised by her actions now.
"Not in a creepy way, don't look at me like that." She continued nervously. "It's just well, I like to read too, and so I've noticed what you like to read and I know for a fact you won't like that one." She tried to cut off the flood of words rushing quickly from her mouth. "I myself found it dreadful," she tacked on as an afterthought.
She waited anxiously for him to speak. She knew he always paused and weighted his words carefully before speaking though. She waited for what felt like hours until he spoke.
"I observe you too, Rose." He said quietly. "And given your demeanor, I'm surprised it took you all year to summon the courage to speak to me." He gave her a lopsided smirk and she was surprised by how formally he spoke for an 11 year old. "But you're right, this book is dreadful. Do you have any other suggestions?"
Rose had no short of fifty suggestions, which she proceeded to describe to him in great detail. And just like that, for the first time in his life, Scorpius Malfoy had made a friend. A real friend, one who understood him and who's love for books was matched only by his own.
Years passed. Combined the two must have read half the books in the school library. Rose never forced him to talk, never forced him to open up to her, but over time he found that he did so willingly. He was no longer lonely, and surprisingly, he found that he no longer wanted to be alone.