The last words he had said to her were, "Don't forget, Weasley, I'll always hate you the most." And then he had walked off, smiling. And she hadn't replied anything back. It was the first time she hadn't replied anything back, because after years and years of arguing with Scorpius Malfoy, she had finally realized that she was in love with him. Somewhere along the rows and pranks, she had fallen in love with the way her name fell from his lips, and the way his eyes crinkled around the edges when he smiled, and the way his hair fell into just the right amount of mess. And yet his last words to her were that he'd always hate her the most.
It was that later that day that he got hit during the Gryffindor/Ravenclaw Quidditch match. She watched in horror as he fell to the ground, looking like a crumpled ragdoll. She felt her heart break the moment she saw him start to fall, and every argument they ever had fled from her mind, and all she could think was how much she wanted him to know how much she wanted him, and how he might never know. And the last words that he said to her were about how he hated her. The words repeated and repeated and repeated in her mind. She hadn't even replied. Her last memory of Scorpius Malfoy could be about his hatred for her. Her mind had started to fill with so many "what ifs" that she felt she might drive herself mad. What if she had just said it? What if she had just plucked up the guts to tell him how much she wanted to be the girl he most desired and not the person he most hated? Everyone in the Quidditch pitch went frantic after his fall, and when she felt tears fall onto her cheeks, she quickly wiped them away before any of her friends asked why she would be sad that Scorpius had fallen. And yet it felt like he hadn't just fallen from his broom, but that he had fallen right out of her life.
He was badly injured, so many broken bones, he'd be in the hospital wing forever. She went to the wing to visit him later in the night, when nobody would see her. The nurse was about to shoo her, but she started bawling, which earned her some sympathy.
"Are you his girlfriend, dear?" She had asked, quitely.
"No, he hates me more than anyone." Rose had replied, sniffling. She knew this response wouldn't help her out in the slightest, but she liked being honest to everyone. Everyone except the broken boy in the hospital wing. But the nurse didn't ask any more questions, so Rose walked over to Scorpius' bed, and sat at the chair next to him. The bed was surrounded with presents and cards from all of his friends; he had so many. She wasn't surprised when she saw a card from her cousin Al, Scorpius' best friend. She had even brought a card to place by his bed as well, but she felt as if a card wasn't enough for him. So, instead, she decided to just keep him company, even if he wouldn't know she had been there. She plucked a book out of her bag, and started to read to herself, hoping to lose herself in a story that had a nicer turnout than the story being created in her own life.
She did this every night; the nurse let her stay every time, sometimes even bringing her pumpkin juice. On the fifth night, while she was reading, she saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and looked up to meet grey eyes staring at her.
"Weasley?"
"Yes, Malfoy?"
"Why are you watching me sleep?"
She rolled her eyes at him, "I believe I was actually reading a book until I was so kindly interrupted." She waved the book in front of him just for good measure.
He rolled his eyes right back at her. "Not the point. Why are you here?" He asked with a huff.
She shrugged, looking off absentmindedly. "Just thought I'd keep you company." She replied, to which he narrowed his eyes. For a moment, they just stared at each other, until she pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. "Don't forget, Malfoy, I'll always love you the most." She stated, and then pretended to go back to reading her book, but she could see the shock hit his face. But it was out there. She had said it; there was no going back now. Either she was doomed to ridicule or happiness. She had taken the leap, jumped from a cliff, plunged to her death, ready for whatever she had to face. When she had watched as he fell to the ground, she had felt the air sucked right out of her lungs because she thought she would never have her chance, but now she was the one falling. In just five seconds, she had changed everything about the existence of Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley.
"I thought so." He replied, smirking. "So, it took me plunging to my death for you to admit it, huh? Did I scare you?" He asked with a laugh, obviously taking the whole situation as a joke. She felt humiliated; she had let herself believe that maybe, maybe, just possibly, she and Scorpius could be good together. But no, this was just another joke to him.
She bit her lip, then let it go. "Actually, yes, you did." She said, quietly, trying to focus more on the book in her hand, than on the stupid git lying in front of her. "Your last words to me would have been 'Don't forget, Weasley, I'll always hate you the most' and that would have been pretty sad, am I right?"
She saw him sigh. "Rose, by now, I think you've realized that I don't like showing emotions to people. I don't care for the ooey gooey mess that most people enjoy. I was hoping that one day you would realize that all the times I told you I hated you the most, it really meant that I was helplessly in love with you."
She looked at him incredulously, "You thought I would realize that you saying you hated me meant you loved me? In what world would I figure that one out? Did that really make sense in your head?" She threw her book down, and sighed.
He rolled his eyes at her, and she sincerely wished that he would stop doing that. "You're skipping the fact that I love you, too."
"Oh, sorry? Should I take you saying you love me as you hating me?"
"I am too injured for this shit, Rose."
"Oh, really? I bet I could add more injuries."
"Well, you've already injured my heart."
"Oh, merlin, you don't like ooey gooey mess? Malfoy, I hate to break it to you, but that was completely ooey gooey." And suddenly, they both were laughing, both breathless. And she found herself falling all over for the boy in front of her, for the boy she had so desperately wanted to make her own. Years and years of arguments had all culminated into the mess that they were.