The first time Rose Weasley saw Scorpius Malfoy she was eleven years old, standing on the platform at King's Cross where she was to board the Hogwarts Express. Her father pointed him out, the boy with the light blond hair and silver eyes, and told her that she was supposed to beat him in everything. Though he had softened on it somewhat, Ron's disdain for the Malfoys was nothing new, and Rose thought little of his remark. What was slightly more unusual was what happened when her mother pulled her aside a few moments later.

"See what he's like. Don't judge too quickly," Hermione said. Her expression was even, but Rose saw something flicker in her eyes as she spoke.

Rose nodded, stood on her toes so that she could kiss Hermione's cheek, and reached for the handle of her trunk. "The train leaves in five minutes."

Hermione smiled. "It most certainly does. Say goodbye to your brother, Rosie."

Rose held out her arms. Hugo rolled his eyes, but he hugged her a moment later. She squeezed him tightly and then ruffled his hair. "Bye, pest."

"Bye, dork," he said, sticking his tongue out at her.

Ron chuckled. "It's going to be a while before you see each other again. Be nice."

"We are," Rose said. "Bye, Dad."

Ron opened his arms so that Rose could hug him. "We'll see you at Christmas, and make sure you write us."

"I will," Rose said. "I promise."

"Good," Ron said. "Bye, Rosie."

Rose smiled. She hugged each of her family members one more time, and then made her way down the train, trunk and owl cage in hand.

"Rose!" She stopped and turned to see Victoire standing there in a t-shirt and shorts, a wide smile on her face and her Head Girl badge pinned to her shirt.

"Hi, Vic," Rose said, glancing up and down the platform. "I need to find a compartment. Do you—"

"That's exactly why I wanted your attention," Victoire said. "I'm going to be in the Heads' carriage with my friends, but Al has claimed a compartment very close to ours, and James and company are just across the corridor. I'm fairly sure Louis and Max have a compartment close by as well. I can show you where Al is, if you'd like."

"If you wouldn't mind," Rose said, biting her lip.

Victoire's smile widened. "Sure thing."

She took Aella's cage from Rose and led the redheaded girl down the length of the train to the front of it. As they walked, Victoire greeted various students, and she only stopped when they came to a compartment only three doors down from the door emblazoned with a giant H and the Hogwarts crest. Victoire slid the door open and led Rose inside. Al sat there with two dark-haired, grey-eyed twins, a girl with dark hair and a round face, and a sandy-haired boy that Rose didn't recognize. She smiled at the familiar faces, and gave Victoire a quick hug in thanks after they stowed her trunk and Aella's cage on the luggage rack. Victoire nodded to everyone else in the compartment and then let herself out into the corridor as Rose sat down beside the dark-haired girl.

"Rose!" the girl said.

"Hi, Alice," Rose said, smiling. "Hi, Al, Lorcan, Lysander."

"Hey, Rose," Al said. He gestured to the sandy-haired boy. "This is Trent Alexander."

"You're Vic's friend Jade's brother, right?" Rose asked. He nodded. "She's mentioned you a few times. I'm Rose."

Trent smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Rose said. She glanced across the compartment to where the twins sat. "What?"

They were grinning at her, their smiles identical aside from the fact that the boy on the left had two dimples while the boy on the right only had one.

"Long time, no see, Weasley," said the boy on the left.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I know, Lorcan, but to be fair, you weren't at dinner at Uncle Harry's last week."

"Mum and Dad were busy," Lorcan said

"Not that it really matters," Lysander said. "We're going to Hogwarts!"

"And it's fantastic," Alice said.

Rose nodded and looked out the window as the train began to move. "You can say that again."

After the food trolley came past a while later, James and a few others came into the compartment and began a rousing game of Exploding Snap. Rose alternated between playing and looking out the window as they sped through the countryside. The sky grew progressively darker as they journeyed, and when it came time to disembark from the train, a multitude of stars were gleaming overhead. Rose followed Al down the platform to where a large man stood, his smile visible even beneath his beard.

"Another Weasley an' a Potter," he said. "An' a Longbottom! Welcome t' Hogwarts."

"Hi, Hagrid," Rose said, accepting his hug.

Al and Alice did likewise, and they waited patiently beside him for the rest of the first-years to join the group so they could leave for the lake. As they boarded the boats down at the shoreline, she caught a glimpse of Scorpius Malfoy getting into a boat by himself. Lorcan and Lysander followed him on a moment later, the darkness hiding their faces. She lost sight of them as the boats began to move, but all thoughts of the blond-haired boy faded from her mind at the sight of Hogwarts.

She'd been there before, of course, for the anniversary speeches for the Battle of Hogwarts and other things, but she had never seen the castle quite as it appeared in that moment. The windows glowed with light, casting their reflection on the water, and the towers rose into the sky to join the stars. As the boats touched onto the shore, she blinked rapidly, and once they were given the signal, she followed Al out of the boat. The grandeur of the castle was enough to stun the first-years into silence, and they filed into a line as they made their way up the stairs.

They were greeted in the entrance hall by Neville, who broke his Assistant Headmaster facade long enough to wink at Rose and her friends before leading all of the first-years into a room off of the Great Hall. They stood there quietly for a few minutes before they were organized into an alphabetized line. Rose found herself sandwiched between Ellis Warrington, an intimidating looking girl with blonde hair and piercing brown eyes, and Olivia Webb, a petite brown-haired girl with grey eyes. They waited for a few moments, and then Neville led them out into the Great Hall.

Rose searched the crowd for those she knew, and she smiled to herself when she saw the familiar red hair of Louis, Molly, and Lucy, the dark hair of James, Roxy, and Fred, the blonde hair of Dom and Vic, and the familiar faces of the Finnigan twins and all of Victoire's friends. Feeling considerably less nervous, she faced the front of the line again.

Trent and the two girls at the front were sorted into Gryffindor, and each hurried to the table as soon as the Sorting Hat shouted out their house. An olive-skinned boy with curly dark hair was the next to be sorted into Gryffindor, followed by a blonde-haired girl a while later. Only three names after her came Alice, and Rose held her breath as her friend scampered up to the stool so that her father could place the hat on her head.

After a moment, the rip at the brim opened, and the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"

Rose saw a smile flash across Neville's face before he called the next person to the stool. It was the blond-haired Malfoy, who fixed everyone with a defiant stare as he sat down. Neville lowered the hat onto his head. It had barely touched his hair before the rip opened.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Rose's eyes widened as Scorpius got off the stool and went to the Gryffindor table. Everyone else stared at him as he sat down, and he crossed his arms and stared back. Rose watched him, barely noticing when another girl was sorted into Gryffindor as well. She only turned to face the front again when Neville called Al's name. Rose crossed her fingers as he sat down, and she let out a sigh of relief to match the expression on his face when the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"

A few more were sorted before Neville reached the Scamander twins. They were sorted into Gryffindor with ease, and then only four people stood between Rose and the hat.

She felt herself grow stiffer and stiffer as the number of people in front of her dwindled, and when Neville called her name, it took all of her self-control to force herself to walk up to the stool. He offered her a reassuring smile before she turned around and sat down. Within moments, she felt the weight of the hat on her head.

"Hm," a voice said quietly. "Granger and Weasley. This is a new combination. You'd do well in Ravenclaw, you know, with your mother's brains, but... I think we'd better make it GRYFFINDOR!"

The hat shouted the last word, and Rose felt the tension drain from her shoulders as Neville lifted the hat off of her head. She ran down to join Al and her friends at the table, only to pause when she saw who he was sitting beside. Scorpius Malfoy met her gaze without hesitation, and after a moment, she nodded to him. He nodded in response, and with that, she sat down.

The autumn of second year found her sitting in the common room with Alice and their two other friends, Serena Ladley, a blonde-haired, hazel-eyed girl, and Helena Averly, a girl with beautiful dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Rose had her head bent over her Herbology textbook as Alice, Serena, and Helena watched Al and Scorpius battling it out at a game of wizard's chess. Much to Rose's dismay, Al had been quick to befriend the young Malfoy after the Sorting, and it hadn't taken Scorpius long to begin to tease her relentlessly, though always with a smile on his face.

Rose didn't even bother to look up from her textbook as she said, "That's a dumb move."

Scorpius looked at her. She could feel his gaze on her. "Really? What would you do?"

"Well, if you must know, I'd move my bishop, not my knight," Rose said.

She didn't have to be looking at his face to know that he rolled his eyes as he moved his knight up and to the left. Shaking her head, she turned the page in her book. A moment later, Al moved his queen, and the knight was taken out.

"Checkmate," Al said.

"I told you that you should have moved your bishop," Rose murmured. She looked up just in time to see Scorpius make a face at Al.

He turned to look at her a moment later. "Go back to your book, Red."

"Gladly," she said. "And don't call me that."

"Whatever you say, Red," Scorpius said, grinning. He turned to Al. "Want to go down to the pitch and toss the Quaffle around for a while?"

Al shrugged. "Might as well, if we want to be good enough to make the team next year. See you at dinner, Rose."

"Yeah," Rose said, her attention back on her Herbology textbook.

She heard the boys get up and leave, and a moment later, Serena sighed. "Scorpius is lovely, don't you think?"

Alice shrugged. "I've got more of an eye for Max, myself."

"What do you think, Rose?" Serena asked.

Rose looked up. "Scorpius Malfoy lives to make my life miserable, so I'm going to say no to that one, and I've known Max practically since I was a baby, so no."

"Knowing someone since you were little doesn't mean you can't fall in love with them," Alice said. "Haven't Victoire and Teddy known each other forever?"

"Since she was born, practically," Rose said. "I don't see how it matters."

"Well, they're proof," Serena said. "You can fall in love with someone you've known for ages."

"I'm with Rose," Helena said. "If you've known someone that long and you see them as a sibling, it would be kind of weird to fancy them, don't you think?"

"Exactly," Rose said.

Serena shrugged. "Whatever makes you happy. I still think Scorpius is lovely."

"I just wish he'd stop coming over to my house," Rose said, turning the page of her textbook.

"He's been at your house?" Helena asked. "Why?"

"Well, he and Al are best friends, obviously, and sometimes we have Uncle Harry and the family over for dinner, which sometimes involves Al bringing people along," Rose said, making a face. "Unfortunately, this means I saw Scorpius more often than I would have liked over the summer."

Alice winced. "Sorry, Rose."

"It's whatever," Rose said. "I'm hungry. Anyone fancy a trip to the kitchens?"

"I'm in," Serena said.

"Me too," Alice said.

They all looked at Helena. She shrugged. "Why not?"

Third year, Rose found herself partnered with the one person in the class she would have preferred to avoid for their Care of Magical Creatures project.

Scorpius dropped down into the seat beside her in the library five minutes before they were scheduled to meet. She was intent on her textbook, flipping through it to determine the best way to care for the Diricrawl they were meant to be looking after for the next few weeks. Every so often, she would make a note of something on the parchment to the right of the textbook, unconcerned with Scorpius's presence.

Scorpius cleared his throat. When she didn't look up, he spoke. "Rose." Nothing. "Weasley." She still didn't respond. "Red."

That caught her attention. She looked up and met his gaze, her eyes narrowing. "What?"

"What can I do to help?" he asked.

She fixed him with an even stare. Despite the fact that he got on her nerves and seemed to live to drive her mad, she couldn't ignore the fact that he had the second-highest average in their year (After her, of course). She fiddled with her quill for a moment before nodding. "The section on magical birds is over there. Go see if you can find the guide to Diricrawls. I tried, and Madam Vellan said it's there, but it seems to be missing."

"Magical birds?" Scorpius said, grinning. "You'll have to introduce me to one. I hope she's attractive." When Rose rolled her eyes, his smile widened. "Only joking. Just give me a minute."

She shook her head as he got up and walked away, turning her attention back to her notes. He came back no more than forty-five seconds later, a book in his hand. He set it down on the table in front of her. "The Introductory Guide to Diricrawls."

"How did you find it that fast?" she asked skeptically.

"Have you ever heard of something called a summoning charm?" he asked.

She dropped her head to the table. "I'm an idiot."

"Yeah, you are, but don't worry," he said. "I've got enough brains for the both of us." He pulled a piece of parchment and a quill out of his bag as she glared at him. It didn't take long for them to fall into a peaceful silence broken only by the sounds of their quills scratching against the parchment and pages turning.

By the end of an hour, they each had multiple sheets of notes in front of them. Rose put hers in her bag and paused before she stood up. "You actually do work and take it seriously, even though you're smart enough to pass without doing any of this, so... Why?"

Scorpius looked at her, and for once, his eyes were serious. "My dad wasn't too thrilled when he found out I was placed in Gryffindor. He loves me, don't get me wrong, and his perceptions of the houses have certainly changed since he was at school, but he still doesn't like Gryffindor and he wanted me to end up in Slytherin. I know he probably just wants me to prove everyone wrong about his house, but I think a Malfoy ending up in Slytherin again would just prove them right about something else."

Rose nodded. "My dad's the same way. Not about me ending up in Gryffindor, he was thrilled about that, but about Slytherin. He knows that it's not the same as it was when he was here, but old habits die hard and he still doesn't have any fondness for the house. I'm convinced that most of the reason why Al was frightened about the possibility of ending up in Slytherin was because Uncle Ron has never been particularly fond of it. Uncle Harry couldn't care less, but Uncle Ron's opinion matters to Al."

"As if Al would ever end up in Slytherin," Scorpius said, rolling his eyes. "He's a Gryffindor through and through."

"I know that, and you know that, but he wasn't quite sure then," Rose said. "I don't know if he is now either."

"If he isn't, he's an idiot," Scorpius said.

"Well, I'm the smart one in the family, so that's entirely possible," Rose said. She stood up and shouldered her bag. "See you, Scorpius."

He nodded. "Yeah, see you."

The next time she passed him in the corridor, they smiled at one another.

The summer following fourth year was an interesting one. Her parents organized a trip to the south of France with Harry and Ginny, and all of the kids were allowed to invite their friends along. As a result, Rose would be spending two weeks on the beach with Helena, Alice, and Serena, and Scorpius as well, thanks to Al.

They arrived in Marseilles on a sunny Tuesday afternoon, and were immediately greeted by Aunt Fleur's sister Gabrielle and her husband Caleb. Gabrielle kissed Ron on both cheeks, causing him to blush bright red and Hermione to shake her head and mutter "Veelas." Caleb and Gabrielle's two daughters, Antonia and Elizabeth, were there for a little while before they took a Portkey to London to spend two weeks visiting with Victoire and her family.

Gabrielle showed Rose to the room that she would be sharing with Serena. Helena and Alice were across the hall.

"This is going to be fun," Serena said as they unpacked their clothes.

Rose shrugged. "We'll see about that."

"Don't write the whole trip off before we even start doing anything," Serena said. "Come on, get out a swimsuit and let's go down to the beach. The water looks great. Who knows, maybe you'll finally get a tan this trip."

Rose laughed. "Yeah right. I'm going to turn into a mess of freckles, you know that as well as I do."

"And some guy will find them really cute and sweep you off your feet and you'll ride off into the sunset," Serena said. She grinned when Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm just kidding."

"I know," Rose said. "I just can't believe you guys are still playing that card."

"What, you don't want a white knight to come and rescue you?" Serena asked.

Rose shook her head. "As if. I can take care of myself."

"I don't doubt that," Serena said. She smiled a moment later. "Come on, let's get changed and then get Alice and Helena and go down to the beach."

They left the house once everyone had changed and followed the path down to the beach. As soon as the warm sand touched Rose's toes, she smiled. They laid their towels out on a thoughtfully constructed wooden platform that rose a few inches above the sand, leaving room on either side for Alice and Helena to lay down once they arrived. Rose lay down on the towel, her face to the sun, and closed her eyes. After a bit of sunbathing, Alice spoke.

"This is so nice. Thanks for inviting us, Rose."

"As if I'd come all the way down here without my best friends," Rose said. "This is lovely though, you're right."

"I'm going to have such a great tan by the time we leave," Serena said. "I think I could just stay in this spot forever."

Helena chuckled. "That might not be the best idea ever, Rena. You'd probably look like a lobster by the end of it."

"Yeah, that probably wouldn't be so great," Serena said. "I take it back. Still, I think I could stay here until dinner."

"I'm all for that idea," Rose said. "Maybe I'll look vaguely human once we get home instead of being ridiculously pale to the point of possible vampirism."

"Spend enough time in the sun, and even you can get a little bit of color," Alice said.

"I appreciated the vote of confidence, Ali," Rose said.

"I try," Alice said.

"I'm sure you do," Rose said. "I'm just glad that Gabrielle agreed to let us stay here."

"She's your aunt's sister, right?" Serena asked.

"Yeah," Rose said. "She's Vic's aunt. She's a bit younger than Aunt Fleur though, so they weren't the closest growing up, and with them living here, they don't visit often, but she met Uncle Ron and Uncle Harry during the Triwizard Tournament, and ever since then, she's always loved seeing them. Mum hated it when she was younger, or so Dad says, but now she just thinks it's a bit silly."

"Why did she hate it?" Serena asked.

Helena laughed. "You know how guys react when they see Veela, Rena. Even a part-Veela can have quite the effect on them. I can't blame your mum for disliking it, Rose."

"Oh, she didn't just dislike it," Rose said. "She absolutely hated it. After a while though, she started to think it was funny how Dad just can't seem to shake their influence, even after knowing Aunt Fleur for all these years. He's a lot better with her than he used to be, or so I've been told, but he still gets flustered sometimes. The whole family finds it hilarious."

"I can imagine," Alice said. "I'll bet George finds it especially so."

"He would, if he weren't almost as bad," Rose said. "Teddy and Uncle Bill seem to be the only ones who are immune to it, and that's probably because the people they're in love with are part Veela."

"How are Teddy and Vic doing, anyway?" Helena asked. "I remember you saying that they got engaged, but not much more than that."

Rose smiled. "They're doing really well. They're both Aurors, they're living in a flat together, they have a cat named Minerva, much to Professor McGonagall's chagrin, and like you said, they got engaged back in May. Apparently he was going to wait to propose until the day that he gave her the promise ring that she has, but there was some mention of a near-death experience on a mission and deciding that they shouldn't wait, so it happened. I honestly think that it would have happened sooner, but she was insistent that she wouldn't be engaged until she was twenty, so he waited."

"They've got such a sweet story," Serena said. "I wish I had something like that."

"That's what you think," Rose said. "It was awful for them during the winter holidays of our first year. They were going to tell everyone once Vic was done with school, but then James saw them kissing and told Uncle Harry, and it spread after that, so they had to spend Christmas being pelted with questions from everyone. If it weren't for Uncle Bill stepping in and telling everyone to leave them alone, I really do think they would have left the party and gone back to their flat so that they wouldn't have to deal with it. I shouldn't have anything that bad, provided I don't date a Slytherin. If I did, I think my dad's head might explode. Speaking of relationships, what's up with you and Declan, Ali?"

Alice groaned. "Oh, Merlin, I don't know. The boy's an idiot. I thought he was going to ask me out before we left, but he chickened out at the last second and asked me if I was excited about the trip. Aidan said he would talk to him, but I don't know how much good that's going to do. You guys are so lucky that you don't have boy troubles."

"Oh yes, so lucky," Serena said. "Instead of an attractive Irish boy a year ahead who can be a bit thick sometimes, we get a bunch of pubescent boys with the maturity level of five year olds. It's the best thing."

"What she said," Helena said.

Rose made a face. "I think I'll stick to focusing on school for now. We've got O.W.L.s this year, and I'd like to be as focused as possible. I need to do well if I want to get into the Healer program."

"I'll stick to Herbology," Alice said. "It seems to run in the family, and Dad knows some people who can get me a position at St. Mungo's working with the potions department, so I'm set. I just need to keep my Potions and Herbology grades top-notch."

"You won't have any trouble with that," Serena said. "You Longbottoms are born to work with plants."

"Yeah, except that Dad can't brew a potion to save his life," Alice said. "I don't know who I got it from."

"Your grandparents, maybe?" Helena asked. "I'm going to be an Auror, if I can get into the program."

"Well, I'm going to join Rose on the Healer track," Serena said. "It's going to be difficult, but I want to help people."

"That's really the best reason for doing it," Rose said. "You have to care, because if you care, you'll work hard."

"Exactly," Alice said.

They fell silent after that, the sun warm on their faces. Rose was just beginning to drift off to sleep when someone grabbed her, picked her up, and sprinted down the beach. Her sunglasses flew off as the person carrying her ran, and she had just enough time to scream "SCORPIUS MALFOY!" before she hit the water.

When she surfaced, dripping wet, she glared at him. He held his hands up and grinned at her. "Okay, I know it wasn't nice, but you have to admit, it's funny."

She continued to glare at him, but he just smiled at her, and after a while she felt her control slipping as she began to smile and, once his smile widened, laugh. He had waded out and stood chest deep in the water. She walked up to him, smiling, and he held his arms out for a hug. She made to hug him, and at the last second, jumped on his back and shoved him underwater. When he surfaced, he brushed his hair out of his eyes and chuckled.

"I guess I deserved that, huh?"

She nodded. "Yeah, you did."

The girls and Al joined them a few moments later, and they spent the rest of the day splashing in the surf.

Alice groaned and shoved her notes aside. "I can't do this anymore. It's driving me mad."

Helena nodded, closing her Transfiguration textbook. "I can feel the beginnings of a migraine. How about we go for a walk?"

"I'm in," Serena said. "Some sun will do me good, I think. I feel like I've gone as pale as a vampire."

Rose glanced at the blonde girl, whose tan complexion glowed even under the dim lighting of the library. "I don't think you need to be worry about being pale, Rena. You're not the redhead here."

"Be that as it may, I'd like to get some sun," Serena said.

"I think Declan said that he and the boys were going to be down by the lake," Alice said. "We could walk down there, if you want."

Serena raised her eyebrows. "Oh, Declan said?" When Alice ducked her head, Serena grinned. "I'm only kidding. You two have been dating since October. I just like messing with you. That sounds great."

"I'm coming," Helena said. "I can't take much more of this."

"You coming, Rose?" Alice asked.

Rose shook her head. "I need to go over my Defense notes again, and compare them with our textbook to make sure that they're accurate."

"As if they wouldn't be," Alice said. "You sure?"

"Yeah," Rose said. "I need to do this, or I'll drive myself crazy thinking about it later. Go, have fun. I'll come join you in a bit."

"All right," Alice said. "Don't stress yourself out too much, okay?"

Rose nodded. "I'll do my best."

The three other girls put their books in their bags and left the library. Rose pushed her book away from her, spreading her things out across the newly-vacated table. She bent her head over her Defense Against the Dark Arts notes and began to edit them with the help of a quill and her wand.

She didn't know how long it had been since she started working when she groaned and rested her head on the table, shoving her notes and book away from her in the process. Her head still on the table, she reached back to the bun on the back of her head, which had just about fallen out completely. She pulled the hair tie loose and allowed her hair to fall around her face as she sighed. After a few moments, someone spoke.

"Red?"

She groaned again. "Not now, Scorpius. I had patrol last night and I'm dead."

"You sure?" he asked. "Don't tell me I snuck food in the library for nothing."

She sat up. "You what?"

"Okay, maybe I charmed Madam Vellan into letting me bring it in here, but nobody needs to know that," Scorpius said. "The point is, you need to take a break before you go completely insane, and there's food ready to be eaten here."

She took the pastry that he held out to her and bit into it. "You're the best, but don't tell anyone I said that, and definitely don't let it go to your head."

He grinned. "Don't worry. I won't. I've got Quidditch practice and patrol tonight, so you can take pity on me tomorrow."

"Fat chance."

"I figured as much."

The end of sixth year came faster than Rose ever thought it would. It felt as though she was packing up her trunk as soon as the year started, ready to go home.

She shut the lid of her trunk and looked around the dormitory. It had been an interesting year. Victoire and Teddy had announced they would be getting married that July (it couldn't have been any sooner, due to their desire for a long engagement), she was finally of age, and—most importantly, though she wouldn't actually admit that—Scorpius Malfoy had been proven that he might be worthy of Head Boy-ship. He may have driven her mad, but there was no denying he was good at his job. He led the prefects, even those older than him, with an incredible ease, and she didn't think it would be too forward to say that they had actually formed a serious friendship over the course of their many patrols together that year.

She was pondering their newfound closeness when Helena leaned around the doorframe to look at her. "You ready to go?"

Rose glanced around the room. "Yeah, I think."

"Good," Helena said. "Everyone else is downstairs."

Rose followed her out of the dormitory and down to the common room, where they joined their friends. Al led the way out of the common room and down to the entrance hall, and they split themselves up between carriages so that they could go down to the station. The train ride back to King's Cross was filled with laughter on all sides, as well as a series of practical jokes courtesy of Lorcan and Lysander. Towards the end of the journey, Rose found herself staring out the window just as she had on their first trip to Hogwarts.

"What is it?"

She looked up to see Scorpius. The rest of their compartment had gone over to the Heads' carriage to see Louis and his girlfriend Quinn, who had been Head Girl that year, and it had been silent up until Scorpius spoke.

"I dunno," she said, shrugging. "It just feels odd, you know? We've only got one more year."

He sat down beside her. "Yeah, I know. It's strange. It feels like it was yesterday that I was looking at that imperious redheaded first year, and now look at you. Still redheaded, but not quite as arrogant as initially assumed."

"Scorpius Malfoy admitting I'm not arrogant?" Rose asked, though she grinned at him to let him know that she was joking. "What's happening to the world?"

He rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway. "You could at least accept a compliment when I give it to you instead of turning it into something other than what it is."

"But where's the fun in that?" she asked.

He shrugged and stood up. "I don't know." When she didn't move, he sighed. "I'm going to head over to the Heads' carriage. Would you care to walk with me?"

She looked over at him to see that he was holding out his hand. After a moment, she put her hand in his and allowed him to help her to her feet. "I guess I probably should see Louis on his last Hogwarts train ride, huh?"

"Probably."

They left the compartment and started down the corridor. She paused after they'd passed into the next carriage. "Wait, shouldn't you be with Shannon or something?"

He shrugged. "I broke up with her last week."

"Scorpius, that's the fifth girl this year!"

"She's done with school. There was no point in us staying together."

"You're ridiculous."

"And that's why I have you to look out for me."

"Yeah, I'll bet."

Neither of them seemed to notice that he was still holding her hand.