Prologue
The first time Scorpius Malfoy had given Rose a flower, she'd thrown it on the ground and stormed off.
"I hate it." She'd said, and it confused Score greatly. It had been the most beautiful of all the roses he'd seen, and damn it if rose bushes didn't have thousands of prickly thorns. He'd been planning to make his move for months, and by then he'd been as ready as ever. He'd even had to wait for the bud to mature and crease open, plucking it gently from its bush before it had a chance to close up again- no easy task. Its fragrance was lovely, and he'd even endured some slight teasing from the other boys, but that hadn't mattered much with the goal he'd had in mind. The day had seemed bright and cheerful, as if nothing could go wrong.
It was the day he'd been prepared to confess his love for Rose, and she all but spat it in his face.
"Don't be so glum Score." Al said. "It's not you she hates, it's the flower."
Scorpius- who'd been lying on the library table, sprawled across the books- solemnly grumbled, "that makes me feel much better Al. Thank you."
Detecting sarcasm, Albus tilted back in his chair. "Don't be a wanker. She's always hated roses."
"Why?" The slightly muffled voice of Scorpius questioned.
"I dunno." Al returned. "Girl thing, I guess."
Albus was quiet after that, leaving Score to his grieving in peace without examining the workings of the female mind. There was nothing he could do to ever prove he loved Rose. In fact, the whole flower thing might've just put him even lower in her books. Roses did symbolize that knight-in-armor kind of love, after all, perfect for best-friend confessions about harbored feelings. Scorpius was just about to consider that Rose didn't even believe in love when an idea struck him. Bless his brilliant Ravenclaw mind!
"I've got it!" He shouted, jumping up and startling Albus off his chair. The hawk-like librarian was glaring daggers at Score, and looked about ready to lecture them, so he hastily sat down.
In a rush he explained his plan, saying that Rose couldn't hate all flowers, and that he just had to find the one she liked the most. It was perfect, he just knew it, no way for her to resist. With Albus's encouragement he sprinted out of the library, down the Entrance Corridor and to the gardens, a little ways away from Hagrid's hut.
With hundreds of flowers planted there, he knew he'd have no trouble whatsoever. It couldn't take him forever, but if it did, he'd find the right flower for Rose.
