Scorpius was shocked when he first met Rose Weasley. His Father had mentioned her when talking about his new school: " The girl comes from an uncouth band of ruffians. I hope she has her mother's brains, will be some challenge for you, but Merlin help you if she has her Mother's right hook. Watch her, she's probably clever, and comes with influential backup." Annoyingly, Scorpius had never managed to get his father to explain the right hook comment.
Expecting some brash, loud girl who would probably ignore him on principle, he was therefore stunned that when she saw him on the express for the first time she greeted him. Nicely, in fact by some standards. "Hello, you must be Scorpius. My Dad told me to beat you in all the tests, please tell me you're going to be at least some kind of a challenge?" This was accompanied by her extending her hand in the proper style for a young lady to have it kissed. He actually lost his trained demeanour for a second, before taking her hand and performing the proper courtesies.
She then smiled, and asked: "Do you want to find a compartment? I'd be delighted to spend time with someone I'm not actually related to!" He agreed, and helped her settle her trunk in a nearby compartment, before finally asking her why on earth the Gryffindor Weasley wanted to talk with a Malfoy. Surely she had been brought up to believe he was evil?
"Oh, no. My Mum has a soft spot for everybody misunderstood, she doesn't stand for calling people evil around her. Well, apart from Voldemort. And anyway, I don't think I'll be a Gryffindor, far too logical for that. I will need a friend when the Potter-Weasley horde spend a couple of weeks avoiding me until they get their heads round a non-gryffindor weasley."
They were friends of sorts by the end of the Journey.
He was not quite as shocked as the rest of the Hall, therefore, when "Weasley, Rose," was followed a couple of minutes later by "RAVENCLAW." He was the least shocked person in the hall when she came and sat next to him on the bench. The mutterings about a Weasley and a Malfoy sat together lasted for weeks, through two attempted interventions by her older cousin James, and one very very proud letter from her Mother.
He wasn't surprised at all when she beat him in everything except flying lessons. Nor was he surprised when she bothered him until he taught her how to fly properly.
Everybody was surprised when Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy became the two new Ravenclaw beaters. They were even more surprised when they took the house cup. James didn't speak to her for weeks.
Nobody was surprised when he proposed at graduation.
A/N: Written for Next gen prompt in the battleship challenge.