...Spoke

"Come on, Scorp, please? You'll have to meet her sometime. She's my cousin and my best friend," begged the eleven year old Albus Potter. "She doesn't bite, you know…"

"That's not what I'm scared of, Al. I'm scared she'll think that I bite," said Scorpius. They were making their way down to the Great Hall for dinner. It was their second day at Hogwarts; last night, Scorpius and Albus had been sorted together into Slytherin, while Al's "cousin and best friend" had been sorted into Gryffindor. Al was complaining because they hadn't eaten a single Hogwarts meal together yet, as they both thought they should bond with their own Houses first. Apparently though, they weren't going to let their different Sortings interfere with their friendship.

It wasn't as if Scorpius hadn't seen her before. Ah, yes, he had seen the outgoing redhead around, being constantly checked up on by upperclassmen wowed by her parentage. They went to Al too, of course, but he got so uncomfortable that most felt bad enough to just leave him alone and admire him from afar. His cousin, however, loved it. It was a little obnoxious, but Scorpius found it funny more than anything. He didn't blame her for basking in the glory of her surname. People didn't treat him badly, really, but he definitely would have preferred it if his last name led to the kind of treatment it got her. And she wasn't mean, though if he read the frequent glint in her eyes correctly she did find it amusing.

So clearly, she was charismatic. She dealt well with people, but did that mean she would deal well with – or would want to deal with – him? His parents had warned him that while most wouldn't make too big of a deal, the Potter-Weasley clan might turn him away. Certainly this hadn't been the case so far.

"Look, so far, you're my best friend here apart from her. She's great, and she'll want to get to know you as soon as she realizes that. Well, she already knows, actually. She's seen us together in passing, and also I told her. She really wants to meet you."

"Really?" Scorpius was surprised at this revelation. "Why? Doesn't she resent me at all? Care about the history between our families?"

"Just as much as I do."

"Wait, what? You – do you – "

"No. Now will you relax?"

"Yeah," Scorpius sighed. He really wasn't like this, usually. He was upbeat, confident. But the fear of rejection once he came to Hogwarts seemed to have swallowed that up, for the most part. So far he'd only really been comfortable around Al, who had his own visible apprehensions. For completely different reasons, it seemed, but they had got to talking and had realized that their fears were quite similar. That wasn't all they'd bonded over, of course – they were boys, after all. They talked about quidditch, food, excitement for the new term. Lots of stuff. What would he talk about with a girl? Being friends with Al was certainly going to entail being friends with her – and he saw her. Sitting at the Slytherin table, talking to people he'd guess that she'd never met, as if she belonged there. Which she didn't. He stifled a smile at her boldness. It was kind of cute.

"Alright, get ready. She can be a little much. Oh hell, like I need to warn you…you've been so scared you could've been preparing yourself for a Dementor," Al nudged him. Scorpius nudged back. They approached her seat at the table, and she whipped around.

"Hi! I'm Rose, Rose Weasley. You are Scorpius, Scorpius Malfoy. This is Albus – " she grabbed him by the arm and tugged him to her side, " – Albus Severus Potter, poor guy, he'll never get a girlfriend with that name. So he'll just have to stick with me, Rose, Rose Weasley, his cousin and best friend. Oh, but you know Alby. Call him Alby, it makes him cringe – just like that! – and it's really too funny. You know what else is too funny? This joke I heard about Merlin and a talking toad, it's hilarious, isn't it? Oh you haven't heard it yet, have you? Well, it's very funny, take my word for it because I can't remember how to tell it. Now tell me about yourself, Scorpius Malfoy," she said in what seemed like just one breath. Scorpius' eyebrows were raised so high he wondered if they had gone over his head, and glanced to Albus as if for instruction.

"Um, Rose, you're a bit chipper."

"Am I really?" she gasped dramatically. "I can't imagine why, I mean usually I am quite – "

"No, please, not again," Al begged. "Have you taken something?"

"Oh, absolutely!" said Rose ecstatically, bobbing her head up and down. "I was dared to drink two whole bottles of Uncle George's Yummy Euphoria, it was absolutely delicious! Perhaps the most wonderful thing in the world. You are another thing, Albus dear, that is absolutely wonderful, positively fantastic! You seem like a right old chap, too, Scorpius. I just can't wait to know you better!" with that she leapt at him, capturing him in a tight hug as she bounced up and down.

"Haven't said a word to you yet, have I? Guess all that worrying was useless, it seems pretty easy to get into your good graces," Scorpius said. Al laughed as he pried Rose off of his dorm mate.

"You're not supposed to have more than half a bottle of that stuff, you know, Rosie – no, don't respond!" he clapped a hand over her mouth. She squirmed, but still seemed to be smiling. Suddenly, though, she lurched forward.

"Is she alright?" asked Scorpius, forehead creasing. She began coughing rabidly, and Albus pulled her forward.

"We've got to get her to the hospital wing," he said fretfully. He started to run, and Scorpius went after him. After a bit of confusion and extensive directions from a fifth year, they found their way. They rushed through the doors and nearly ambushed the woman sitting in the back.

"Please help, she's sick, she swallowed too much potion she had the Yummy Euphoria and we don't know what to do – "

"Settle down," said the woman. "Yummy Euphoria? From Wheezes', correct? That'll be simple enough. I'm Madame Croyver, by the way, please sit down." The two boys did so, and Madame Croyver set Rose down on a bed. She propped the girl up on some pillows and reached for one of the potions on the bedside. She tilted the unconscious head and poured a little of the potion into her mouth. Rose swallowed audibly before her head was set down on the pillows once more. "I'll just leave you three be now, she'll be up in a moment. Nice to meet you," she smiled.

"Oh, yeah, I'm – " she cut Scorpius off.

"I know. The three of you best not bother with introductions. Have fun," and she turned away. Rose shot up from the bed and gasped loudly, swallowing the air. She shook her head from side to side as if to clear it, rubbed her eyes, and looked at Scorpius and Albus. She quickly looked down again, and began fiddling with a loose thread in the blanket of the cot she was sitting on. She ignored their presence for a minute or so before Albus interjected the silence.

"Hello? Rose?" No response. More looking down. Some absent-minded humming.

"Um, Rose." Nothing.

"Rose!" she looked up.

"God, what?" She glared at Albus.

"How about a 'thank you?' How about some acknowledgment of our existence?"

At the "our" she looked down again. She murmured a quick "thanks" and got back to humming. Scorpius glanced wearily at Albus. The other boy looked back and shrugged, saying, "I'll leave you two to get acquainted. I'm hungry." He left the hospital wing.

"Albus!" shouted Rose after him. "Ugh! That absolute prat!" she glanced at Scorpius and looked away again.

"Um, I can leave. I get it, that you don't want to be friends with me, so I'll just, um, go now," said Scorpius, looking dejected. What a reaction! Completely ignoring his presence…had Albus just been lying earlier, saying she wanted to meet him?

"No! No, it's nothing to do with you. Don't leave, I'm sorry," said Rose, red as her namesake, apparently forcing herself to make eye contact. "I'm just really embarrassed about what just happened. I'm not usually that…weird."

Scorpius laughed in relief, and wanting to cheer her up, said, "You sure? So it's just Albus then, not a family thing?" She giggled, and his smile grew. "Oh, sorry, I meant Alby." She smacked his arm but laughed harder.

"Oi! Show a little sympathy, I'm humiliated over here." Scorpius rubbed his arm.

"No need for violence! I swear, Weasley, if you weren't recovering from an illness you'd be hurting like hell right now," said Scorpius, no trace of malice in his voice.

"Yeah?" said Rose, hopping off of the bed and lightly shoving his chest. "I've regained my strength, wanna try it out?" Scorpius raised his eyebrows.

"Look, I'm sure you've fought Alby several times and won each one, but I assure you that unlike him, I am stronger than a four year old girl." As Rose cracked up, Albus came back through the doors.

"Hey! I'm still here, not that you'd care. Done bonding over my suckiness, then, are we?"

"For now," Rose smiled, glancing at Scorpius. "I'm sure it'll happen more in the future." Albus rolled his eyes.

"Merlin help me," he said. "Should've never introduced you two." Then a mischievous smile crept across his lips as he realized a way to make the new friendship less comfortable. "And be careful Rosie, remember that you're not supposed to marry a pureblood. Seems like you're regretting that rule," he smirked. Rose blushed.

"Oh my god, you heard that?" Scorpius looked confused.

"What?"

"Just something interesting my uncle said –"

"Was it that you need to learn to shut your stupid mouth before I hex it off, Alby?" Rose said menacingly. Albus laughed.

"On the first day of classes? Doubtful." Rose snarled.

"I'll find a way." The two boys backed away.

"Well, that's that, off to dinner then?" said Albus cheerily.

"Sounds good to me," said Scorpius, sounding to be a little shaken up but obviously kidding. Mostly. Rose laughed at them. She went between them and linked an arm with each.

"Off we go, then. God, I hope there's some pie left…so, have I ever told you the one about Merlin and the Toad?"


A/N: Thanks for reading! I promise it'll get more interesting once they're a little older. Hormones make everything more fun, eh? Thanks to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed my other two stories, and I hope you like this one as well. Also, on that note, 1. Sorry it took so long for me to post something else, school got a little overwhelming. I'll definitely be updating more now. 2. I kind of think that I should leave The Moment I Knew as it is...I said I wanted it to be multi-pairing, but I really like it as just an R/S thing. If you have an opinion about this please let me know. Once again, thanks for reading, and if you chose to do so following/favoriting/reviewing, I really do appreciate it.