Looking Back on a Day in the Life of a Very Confused (and Hormonal) Teenage Boy or the Five Times I Saw Rose Weasley and She Was Soaking Wet or More simply (because I can't remember that ) That Day I Fell in Love

(Hogwartian Memoires of Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy)

((looking back, now aged 21))

Chapter 1...In Which We Introduce The Characters Which Is, Frankly, Scary Enough

(1st September, 2027)

Looking back, I realised I was very stupid not destroy my old journey straight away after leaving Hogwarts. After all, all that evidence in the hands of Al Potter, or even worse Rose Weasley, was a terrifying thought. Gulp.

The three of us were stretched out on the ground in the late summer sunshine at mine and Rosie's place. Al was flicking through the dog-eared pages of one of my school journals and occasionally reading bits out to my mortification.

"Geez Scorp, I don't remember you being this much of a git at eleven."

"Yeah, you never said anything when I was around." Rose rolled over and propped her head up on her hand.

I ran a hand through my shoulder length hair and groaned. "I knew letting you two help me clean out my attic was a bad idea!"

Rose shuffled closer and laid her head on my chest. "Yes, but just think, I might just let you read my diary after we've finished yours."

I kissed her shoulder, "Now that would be interesting."

"Stop it you two!" Al pretended to vomit into some snap dragons.

Rose kicked him with her foot. "Behave Al," She commanded. He winced and rubbed his shin, scowling.

"You have bony feet Rose. And anyway, what was it with you two and keeping a dumb diary through Hogwarts? I mean, have you heard of anything quite so lame?"

Rose snorted. "Says the boy who keeps a scrapbook."

"That," Al said with dignity, "Is completely different. Much less touchy feely."

I laughed, "Yeah right - Like you didn't have a photos of you with each of your five girlfriends from Hogwarts and your thoughts and emotions all around them."

Al flushed. "I did not!"

I looked at him.

"Okay, maybe I did but that's not the point." He conceded. "We're reading your journal right now, not looking at my scrap book."

"Go on, then." I buried my face in Rosie's neck to hide my burning face. "Let's get this over with."

Al coughed loudly to clear his throat and I shot him a look.

Rose laughed.

"Oh give it here." I grumbled and turning to the first page, avoiding both their eyes, began to read...

(1st September, 2017)

Journal Entry 1.

Today, I fell in love.

I met Rose Weasley for the very first time, on the very first day of school I stood waiting on Platform Nine and Three Quarters for the Hogwarts Express to whisk me away to Hogwarts. But I'm not counting that specific point as the official first time because it wasn't.

Not really.

I didn't speak to her , surrounded as she was by her family, but our eyes met and I knew that something was going to happen. Something big. Which is why I took a compartment with her dark haired cousin and hoped against hope she'd join. Of course she didn't but that didn't stop me having my fingers crossed inside the pockets of my robes for the entire train journey and feeling a twinge in my stomach at how much I wished she had.

When, finally, the train began to slow down it had stopped raining but the wind was howling and though I didn't dare say it aloud for the fear of what Al would say, all I could think was 'my Hair!'

The boats were rocking madly on the rough lake and they tipped alarming as we clambered (rather ungainly on my part) into them. Al and I were joined by two other boys who seemed to know Al and when I glanced back, Rose was gone. Obviously, she had joined another boat farther back in the pack (what do you call a group of boats? A pack? A swarm? - oh, Al is just telling me it's called a fleet - Don't be such a know it all!) I mean the fleet of little boats with her own friends.

The Entrance Hall was, predictably, deserted when we arrived, staggering slightly on wobbly legs. I glanced around and then, just like she'd apparated (yes I KNOW Al, you can't apparate inside the grounds of Hogwarts, I was making a metaphor, or a simile, or something like that, and NO, I have not ever and will never read Hogwarts: A History. What's the point, you and Rose know it back to front) , there was Rose, making a beeline for me.

Ha-ha, I wish.

No, she was heading for Al and when she skidded to a halt in front of us I could see why. She was drenched, soaked, saturated, whatever you want to call it. Her fiery hair was flattened against her head and a few strands were sticking to one pale cheek. Her robes were waterlogged and she was leaving a trail of watery footsteps behind her. A couple of people laughed as they saw her and she laughed with them, obviously knowing everyone already, despite the fact we'd only met a few hours ago.

When she reached us she was beaming.

"Oh Rosie," Al rolled his eyes and pulled out his new wand. He muttered something and a jet of hot air shot out the end, drying her. (Though I didn't say so at the time, Al - your head is quite big enough already thank you very much - that was quite impressive, I knew about as much magic as a squib on my first day.)

"Thanks" she said, quite unconcerned at what some would have considered abject humiliation. "I fell in the lake."

(Later I was to learn that falling over, into, and generally everywhere was just how Rose worked but at that time, as a stringy eleven year old, that seemed quite impressive)

"Rosie!" Al sighed theatrically, "Aunty Hermione warned you. Leaning that far over from the boat isn't good."

"I saw a merperson." Rose explained, just as if she had announced she had just seen a cow in a field. (I later learned that Rose worked like that, too.)

Al didn't bother to reply.

Meanwhile, I was busy hopping from foot to foot in an attempt to stand on Al's foot (something I got better at over time, though being in robes does make it easier) while still trying to look suave and cool and desperately hoping that my ruined hair looked interestingly windswept rather than, as I feared it probably did, a birds nest.

Al, amazingly, seemed to get the message (OUCH! Al, that was my foot) and introduced me.

"Oh yeah, Rose, this is my mate Scorpius."

"The Weasley hater?" ('I did not say that Scorp!' 'Oh Yes You Did Rosie-Pose' ) Was her rather unflattering reply.

I shifted awkwardly, not quite sure what to say to that but then she laughed. "I'm kidding! "

"Oh. Right."

She bumped me with her elbow and grinned at us.

It was the start of a long a beautiful friendship.

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