Written for The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition, Season 4 (Round 2)

Team: Puddlemere United

Position: Seeker

Prompt: Write about someone showing skill or interest in the subject [charms] before starting their magical education.

Word Count without A/N: 1,201 (Google Docs)

Rose Weasley, like her mother, had always loved learning.

When she and Albus had been in primary school, they were alternating in being the top of their class in almost every subject (both of them were utterly incompetent when it came to music).

Now that they were off to Hogwarts, the two of them were very excited.

Albus was - much to James' confusion and her Dad's frustration - extremely fascinated by potions (and Herbology). It was taught by Kenneth Towler. Professor Towler was a tall dark-skinned wizard and the same age as her Uncle George.

The cousins didn't know what to expect from him considering that James, Fred and Louis hated him, Dominique and Roxanne adored him, Victorie was frustrated (yet she admired him) and Teddy was utterly indifferent to him.

Rose on the other hand was looking forward to Charms. The subject seemed very complex and challenging, yet it left space for an individual touch, just what Rose liked (Albus kept pointing out the same was true for potions and almost every other subject too, but she wouldn't hear of it).

Now the two of them were sitting in a compartment at the end of the Hogwarts train (as close as possible to Fred, Louis and James who had managed to find the old compartment of the Potters' grandfather and his friends), quietly reading in their textbooks, when they heard someone opening the compartment door.

Both of them turned to see Scorpius Malfoy standing there.

"Would it be possible for me to sit here?"

Rose, being her father's daughter, did not trust him. "Why? So you can insult and ridicule us?"

"Do I look like Goyle to you? I should hope not."

"Sure, come in." Albus too took after his father. He would try to get along with everyone until they did something he could not stand. And then he would only ignore them to the best of his ability. Rose had always admired him for it.

"Thank you." Malfoy sat down next to Albus and opposite to Rose. "I assume you are as excited as I am. I especially look forward to Defense. How about you?"

Albus gave Malfoy. "Potions. It is simply so fascinating and complex. Just one little mistake can result to something entirely different as to what you planned. I really don't get why no one else at home likes it."

"I have to admit that I have a healthy respect for potions just because of that. One error and you might have poison that exploded into your face. How about you, Miss Weasley?" Malfoy looked at her, smiling encouragingly. Just a mask, Rose was sure of it.

"Charms," Rose muttered in reply, putting her book, The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk, aside.

"That is certainly a rare choice. May I ask why?"

Rose skeptically raised an eyebrow. "Why would you care, Malfoy?"

"Rose!" Albus admonished.

Malfoys answer wasn't what Rose expected. "Because I think we shouldn't repeat the mistakes of our fathers. Such a rivalry is simply too distracting from the important things in life. And please, call me Scorpius."

"Will do, Scorpius," her cousin promised. "You can call me Albus."

"Well, Malfoy," Rose continued in a slightly politer tone, "I like it that I can personalize it quite easily. It is also one of the most useful subjects, as you can frequently use them in your everyday life."

"Yeah, like Uncle George always uses Accio when he needs something from the back of his shop."

"Or the Lumos when you need light," Malfoy mused, again surprising her.

"I must say Malfoy, you are different than I expected."

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Albus grinning behind his copy of Magical Drafts and Potions which he was just now putting down (Rose supposed he had been at an interesting part. She knew this well).

"You thought I was going to be just like my father was at our age, didn't you?"

"Well, yes," Rose admitted.

"You forget that my mother is a Greengrass and my father learned his lesson deades ago," Scorpius reminded her.

He had a point, Rose supposed.

"What house do you want to be in, Scorpius?" Albus changed the topic.

"Ravenclaw," he answered.

"Same here," Albus replied. "Maybe we'll be in one house! It would be great to have friends other than my cousins already."

"You do know we are related, right?" Scorpius inquired.

"Yes, but that barely counts! I mean were what, fifth cousins twice removed or something?"

Scorpius smiled. "Something like that. Aren't you worried what people will think? After all, you father was Gryffindor's Golden boy"

"Not at all. It's like a famous muggle one said: 'Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind'," Albus quoted. "My Dad won't mind, neither will my Mom or the rest of my family. After all, Dominique is in Ravenclaw too." He shrugged.

"Sounds reasonable. Do you know any spells yet? My parents would not teach me any!" Scorpius pouted.

"Same with me," her cousin agreed.

"I do know one, but I can only do it half of the time."

"No way! Hermione taught you something? Or let Ron?" Albus Potter questioned, doubt clearly evident in his voice.

"No," Rose denied, "I simply could not wait, so practised it myself."

Rose began to look for her wand in her trunk.

"That sounds more realistic." Albus nodded.

"You are a Weasley after all," Scorpius agreed.

"I will take that as a compliment. Ha! Found it! Now watch!" Rose ordered, pointing her wand at her book.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" She moved her hand, swish and flick, just like the book described.

Indeed, her book rose a few centimetres in the air.

The boys applauded, causing the book to fall down again.

"That was very good!" Scorpius complemented.

"He's right, that was awesome!" her cousin agreed.

"Thank you. I still need to work on it though. I lost focus way too easily."

Scorpius smiled. "Hey, that's why we're going to Hogwarts, isn't it?"

Later that day, the three of them did get sorted into Ravenclaw, just as Albus had predicted. Nobody minded (except for James, who pouted for a week because he wasn't able to prank his brother on his first night).

Ravenclaw was just as they hoped it to be. And they even had their very own library! The three of them also loved that they had to answer a riddle and soon discovered that they were also let in if they honestly and voluntarily admitted that they did not know.

Or if they argued well.

Over the years they grew closer and closer (much to her father's horror and her mother's delight).

They were as close as the Marauders or the Golden Trio by their third year.

In their fifth year, Scorpius and Albus dated, and, while they quickly broke up, they stayed friends nonetheless.

In their sixth year, she and Scorpius started dating.

They did not break up.

Years later, when Rose would learn the Patronus for her WOMBAT exams, she would remember this day, the day she had become friends with the boy who would later become her husband and the father of her children.

Please tell me what you think!