My first Harry Potter story. I may mangle things a bit because I'm a HP fan, but not an expert.... but hey...this is fanfiction! I know that OWLs take place at a different time than I'm describing. I'm also fully aware that I've put James in the wrong house, by the way, and that he'd never even be remotely useful in dealing with people's relationships, but meh. My story, so James can be OOC if I wish.

Don't forget to leave a review and tell me how I did. They're really the only thing a fanfic writer has to gauge the quality of his/her stories, you know.

Hermione Weasley looked up from her mug of morning tea as her only daughter Rose sank heavily into the chair across from her own at the Weasley family's kitchen table, preparing to eat her breakfast. It was the third day of Rose's 5th year Holiday vacation and Hermione had immediately noticed that her daughter was acting strangely. She seemed lost in thought, and somewhat more scatterbrained. At first, Hermione had chalked it up to post-OWL stress left over from taking the exams, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Rosie honey, is everything all right? You've been acting strangely since we picked you up at the station." asked a concerned Hermione. Ron Weasley, Hermione's husband and Rose's father, grunted an agreement from the other room. The large red-headed Auror was getting ready for another day on the job.

At this, Rose looked up, ran a hand through her bushy red hair, which fell in unruly waves across her shoulders and back, and adjusted the worn out old Slytherin Quidditch jersey she wore for sleeping and lazing around the house. Both were signs that she was a bit nervous.

As for the jersey, Ron had been beyond shocked when his daughter had informed him that she'd been sorted into the famously cunning Slytherin house, but that was forgiven when she became Slytherin's Seeker, easily the best one they'd had in decades, and had led them to the House Cup two years running. Plus, she was a Chudley Cannons fan, so not being sorted into the Weasley 'family house' was only a small price to pay for that.

"What do you mean, Mum?" Rose tried to look innocent.

Hermione smirked. She wasn't the 'brightest witch of her age' for nothing. Rosie wasn't going to slip anything past her. "You've been acting rather strangely, Rosie. Hardly eating, constantly out of sorts, bumbling around the house like a Longbottom, not noticing when people talk to you, I could go on."

Rose looked defeated and Hermione looked triumphant. Another grunt of agreement was heard from somewhere beyond the kitchen, courtesy of Ron. "Now, why don't you tell your mother what's bothering you, and then I won't have to keep pointing out how strangely you've been acting."

The liberal splashing of freckles across Rose's skin darkened, a sign of embarrassment, before she sighed and spoke.

"Well, there's this boy...in Ravenclaw."

There was a surprised noise from the other room, and Hermione squealed with delight. It was about time that her daughter began to notice boys! She honestly thought her tomboy daughter would never think of anything but her grades and Quidditch. "Oh, my little Rosie is finally growing up!"

"Mum! Come on, you sound like Hugo!" complained a flushed Rose. Hugo, who was currently upstairs sleeping, where he would be for the next several hours, most likely, loved teasing Rose whenever he got the chance.

Hermione ignored her daughter's protests and eagerly pressed on, wanting to hear all about this boy. "Come on, Rosie, tell me what he's like!"

Rose sighed and her face took on a dreamy look. "Well, he's quiet, and kind of shy, and really smart. As he should be, I suppose. He is a Ravenclaw, after all. He's also very nice. The first time I actually met him was..."

Flashback to fourth year, hallways outside the greenhouses.

Scorpius Malfoy pushed his small frame as fast as it would go without running, his blue Ravenclaw tie and robes fluttering behind. He was dreadfully late for the Transfigurations class he shared with his own house as well as 4th year Hufflepuffs.

Scorpius was late because he'd stayed behind after class to discuss Herbology with Professor Longbottom, who was one of his favorite instructors. Longbottom felt the same way about the blonde Ravenclaw, who was one of his prized students, one of the few who seemed to take Herbology seriously.

As he rounded a corner, Scorpius collided with a strong, yet soft object that seemed to stand several centimeters taller than himself. Both him and the object crashed to the ground.

As said object began to squawk in protest, Scorpius realized to his horror that he had just tackled Rose Weasley to the ground. The flaming riot of hair was a dead giveaway, as was the loud, now angry voice. Scorpius inwardly cringed. He tended to avoid Slytherins. They always seemed so much bigger and scarier than himself.

"Watch where you're going, you idiot! If you're going to run through the hallways, at least keep your damned head up instead of studying your shoes!" Rose was indignant, and already on her feet. She thought she recognized the blonde who had just knocked her down, he was the quiet kid who always sat near the front of the classes and always knew answers when asked to give them.

As Rose continued to berate Scorpius in her Slytherin tiff, Scorpius had been gathering up the books she had dropped. As he hauled himself to his feet, he looked up, gave her a warm smile hoping it would keep her from hexing him into dust, and held out her books. "I'm really sorry about that, I should've been paying more attention. I was just in a hurry."

As Rose looked down slightly at the smiling young man, she felt a wave of heat rush to her face. He was definitely cute, with a delicate nose and a sharp jawline as well as a warm and brilliantly white smile. But, what had stopped her in her tracks were his eyes, deep dark pools of gray-blue that seemed to suck her in.

As Rose continued to stare, Scorpius noticed her piercing gaze and felt himself flush a bit, and turned his head, which snapped Rose out of it.

As the still-flushed Rose grabbed her books, she snapped at him. "Just don't let it happen again, Ravenclaw!" and with that she skittered away as quickly as she could in the opposite direction, breathing heavily.

Scorpius watched her leave for a second, before resuming his own quick pace towards Transfigurations. He had to admit, the Slytherin girl was a beauty, but she was also a Weasley. While Scorpius himself bore no ill-will towards the family, his father and grandfather had made enough remarks about the family over the years for Scorpius' bright mind to piece together that the two families didn't share a pleasant history. Not that either man had ever told Scorpius what that history consisted of, but he really didn't want to know anyway.

Besides, his relationship with his family was strained enough. He was everything a Malfoy shouldn't be. Meek, non-athletic, kind, and most of all, not a Slytherin. There were times when he could sense his father's disappointment. Pining after a Weasley certainly wouldn't help, in fact he doubted anything good could come of it.

There's no doubt that the sorting hat was right in sending Scorpius to Ravenclaw. He certainly wasn't brave enough to be a Gryffindor.

Scorpius sighed as he settled into his chair in Transfigurations and opened his book, allowing the pursuits of academia to flush the unpleasant thoughts out of his head.

"...and even though I yelled at him, he still smiled at me and picked up my books." finished Rose. "He was really sweet about the whole thing."

Hermione listened on. While she didn't approve of how her daughter had treated this boy, she knew from personal experience that Slytherins didn't take kindly to people standing in their way, even in the most literal sense.

Before Hermione could even ask what this boy's name was, Rose continued on.

"After that, I started paying more attention to him. It turns out he's in most of my classes, I just never noticed because he's so quiet." Hermione nodded. "That's when I noticed how smart he is, and how he's got this quiet confidence when he's in the classroom. It was actually pretty appealing." giggled Rose.

4th year, Professor Binns' History of Magic class.

Rose was so bored she felt even more dead than the Professor who was teaching the class as she sat through Binns' lecture in History of Magic. Who cared about this stuff, anyway? There was Quidditch to play and Gryffindors to beat, dammit!

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, please explain the significance of the 1779 Wizarding Battle of Boston." Binns smiled as he called on one of his favorite students.

Rose, who had since learned the name of the quiet young man who had literally bowled her over in the hallways with his careless rushing in the halls and then figuratively bowled her over a second time with his eyes, snapped to attention at the word 'Malfoy'.

She found herself again unable to take her eyes off the young man as he stood up and began recounting the story of the battle, which had been fought in the former colonies by many former Hogwarts students, and how the battle with American Revolutionary wizards and witches had affected both Hogwarts and the British magical society in general. Rose felt the familiar Weasley curse strike again as her face heated up and her freckles darkened.

After finishing his mini-lecture, much to the delight of Professor Binns, Scorpius glanced back at the class to see if they had listened. His eyes settled on Rose, who looked flushed and was staring intently at him.

Scorpius felt his own face go red at the sight and quickly sat down. He'd noticed the girl's stares several times, both in class and in the dining hall, and he felt a bit uncomfortable whenever he noticed. Partly because it was somewhat disconcerting to be stared at in this manner, and partly because his own heart would start to race every time it happened.

He'd been noticing the vivacious redhead more and more, and he had to admit, he was thinking about her more than he thought should be necessary.

"He's just so in command when he's talking to the class." sighed Rose dreamily.

Hermione smiled. She liked that Rose had taken an interest in a boy because of his brains. Like her father, Rose wasn't a dummy, but admittedly academics weren't her strongest suit. Much like her father, it seemed that Rose had a thing for bookworms. Maybe it was a necessary trait that had evolved into the Weasley clan, necessary to keep the IQ's of the future generations at acceptable levels.

"So, what does this young man look like? Is he cute?" asked a curious Hermione as she winked conspiratorially at her daughter.

Rose again flushed. "Yes." She smiled. "He's not a big, burly man like daddy. He's actually a few centimeters shorter than me, and kind of skinny." Admitted Rose.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow. She always figured her daughter would be more interested in big strong Quidditch players like Viktor Krum, but it should've been obvious from Rose's earlier description that this guy probably wouldn't fit that description.

"But, he's so handsome, in a kind of boyish way. He's got this dirty blonde hair that kind of looks like Uncle Harry's in those pictures from when he was my age, all messy and unkempt. And his smile is really cute!"

Hermione agreed, this boy certainly sounded appealing. She probably would've glanced his way in her schoolgirl days.

Rose's hand went over her breast as she continued. "But, oh Merlin, his eyes, Mum! His eyes are just incredible. They're this dark blue-gray, so dark you can barely tell he has blue eyes unless you're close to him. And they're just bottomless, I could stare into them forever." Rose's blush deepened and her own eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment

Hermione was slightly taken aback at how hot and bothered her daughter appeared to be getting as she thought about the object of her affections. Rose seemed to snap out of it though, and leaned closer to her mother with a shark-like grin on her face.

"He's also got a really nice arse."

Ron, who had entered the kitchen a short while earlier, proceeded to jolt upwards and hit his head on the inside of the cupboard he'd been rummaging around in, much to the amusement of the two women at the table. Ron just grumbled as he dug out the dishes he'd been looking for.

"Wow Rosie, he really sounds like quite the catch. When are we going to meet this mystery man?" asked Hermione.

Rose looked confused. "Why would you meet him?"

Now Hermione looked confused. "Isn't he your boyfriend."

Rose deflated. "No. In fact, I hardly ever speak to him. I'm pretty sure he's avoiding me."

Ron looked up from his massive breakfast and spoke for the first time. "What kind of bloody idiot would ignore you?!" As he said it, a few bits of bubble and squeak flew out of his mouth and onto the table.

Rose just frowned. "I don't think he's an idiot."

"Ron, please don't swear at the table. Have you tried to let him know you're interested in him?" asked Hermione as Ron continued to grumble about idiots and his little girl.

Rose's Weasley temper flared a bit, as she pounded a fist on the table in frustration. "YES! I've tried so many times to try talking to him, or try flirting or even just getting him to look at me!" Hermione leaned back a bit as Rose picked up steam. "I know he's a bloody Ravenclaw, but he can't be smart enough to read my mind! Every time I try to get near him, he's somehow one step ahead of me! It's so damn frustrating!"

Hermione's eyes widened as Rose began vividly describing all of the various methods she'd tried to get any kind of interaction with her unnamed potential beau. Attempting to work as a partner in classes they shared, trying to 'bump' into him in the hallways again, wearing clothes that flattered her figure where he'd see, simply attempting to corner him anywhere she could. The list went on.

'That part of her is definitely Slytherin.' Thought Hermione of her daughter's unrelenting ambition to get near this boy.

Flashback to early 5th Year.

Rose waited somewhat impatiently near the greenhouses, waiting for the 5th year Herbology classes to end, sending regulation Slytherin death glares at any male who glanced at her.

The males would've been glancing at her, because instead of wearing her school robes, Rose had adopted a dark green muggle top that, while keeping her torso completely covered, was more than snug enough to demonstrate her feminine attributes. Paired with a black skirt that only fell to mid-thigh, stockings, some modest heels, and a Slytherin green band to hold her unruly hair in some kind of order, Rose was certainly dressed to kill.

'Today. Today is the day I say more than three words to Scorpius Malfoy.' Thought Rose as she tapped her toe and waited for the familiar sound of students leaving the greenhouses.

'It figures that I'd be doing this here, right where we first ran into each other, literally.' Rose thought with a chuckle as she waited.

As Herbology let out, Scorpius began his trek towards the Ravenclaw tower. Herbology had been his last class of the day, and now he was eager to sink into one of the luxurious couches in the common room and do some reading.

As he continued on, he saw part of a plume of fiery red hair and a single attractive leg sticking out from around the corner. He stopped dead in his tracks.

The Slytherin redhead was waiting for him again.

It had already happened a time or two this year. She'd be waiting, seemingly for him, and he'd have to quickly make an excuse or otherwise make an escape.

He always wanted to just go right to her, to give her whatever she wanted from him, but then he'd realize how flustered and nervous and outright ridiculous he'd get whenever she was near him, and he just couldn't deal with that kind of embarrassment. Plus, the words of Draco and Lucius Malfoy would loom large in his head and he'd remember exactly why he shouldn't be anywhere near the Weasleys.

Sometimes he wondered why Rose didn't seem to have the same reservations. Maybe her family hadn't told her explicitly about their pasts. He wouldn't be surprised. Who would want to hear about that, anyway?

But, now he had more pressing problems. Gorgeous red-haired problems.

Scorpius looked around a bit frantically, and saw his potential salvation.

His housemate and fellow Herbology enthusiast, Katherine Longbottom was walking past, struggling with the huge potted Mimbulus Mimbletonia plant she was carrying.

In a move that surprised even himself, Scorpius subtly removed his wand and quietly muttered a small spell that caused a single floor brick to rise slightly, tripping Katherine up as she walked past. She fell, and the huge plant released it's defense mechanism, a considerable amount of Stinksap, all over the multitude of students in the hallways.

In the ensuing commotion, Scorpius quietly and quickly moved towards his destination. He made a mental note to do something nice for Katherine later. She was dating Albus Potter, after all, and he had no desire to be on that Slytherin's bad side, especially considering that Scorpius tended to avoid Potters for the same reasons he avoided Weasleys.

The noises in the hall caused Rose to turn and look around the corner, just in time to see a blonde streak shoot past through the throngs of Stinksapped students and around the corner.

Rose just sighed. 'I guess not today, then.'

"Rosie! I swear, you're as bad as your father! Don't swear at the table!" snapped Hermione, before her face softened at her daughter's obvious frustration. As Rose dejectedly took another bite of her cold cereal, Hermione spoke again.

"Does this boy have any idea at all about your feelings?" asked a sympathetic Hermione.

Rose sighed. "He does. Or at least, I'm pretty sure he does. James told me..."

"James? Your cousin James? Why would he know about all of this?" asked Hermione.

"They're in the same house, so a few weeks ago I begged James to talk to him for me, to try to find anything out." said Rose. Hermione quirked a brow. She knew Slytherins were goal-oriented to the extreme, and her daughter was living up to that as she tried to get closer to this boy. "So, James did it."

Flashback to two weeks before, main dining hall.

Scorpius sat at breakfast in the main dining hall, contentedly munching on some toast and fruit slices as he read the Daily Prophet.

Lately, things had been going well for Scorpius. He'd been doing great in his classes, Rose Weasley hadn't tried to sneak up on him lately, and he had all the confidence in the world about his OWLs.

Of course, fate chose that moment to heavily set James Sirius Potter at the table directly across from Scorpius' own seat.

James was a fellow Ravenclaw, and also a 7th year Prefect for that house, 2 years ahead of Scorpius. Much like Rose and then Albus Potter later being sorted into the Slytherin house, it had been quite the shock when Harry Potter's first born son wasn't sorted into Gryffindor. Mercifully for both families, Lily Potter and Hugo Weasley were both proud Gryffindors.

Scorpius looked up and his eyes widened. The two rarely if ever spoke outside of school business, and they had never eaten together either. Something was up.

"Hello, Mr. Malfoy." said the hulking 7th year Ravenclaw Prefect with a small smile on his face. Scorpius gulped slightly and tried to make his small frame even smaller.

"Um, hello Mr. Potter. Is there something I can do for you?" asked Scorpius.

"You simply need to talk to me about something."

"And that would be?"

"My cousin, Rose Weasley."

Scorpius immediately stiffened. "I...see." was the best reply he could manage.

James cut right to the chase. "She seems to think you're desperately trying to avoid her. If you're avoiding her because she yelled at you that one time, she's sorry, by the way."

"Um..well...I wouldn't say 'desperately', but um..." Scorpius was floundering.

"She's quite frustrated. Is there a reason you dislike her so much?" Scorpius was amazed at how such a friendly tone could still feel like being interrogated.

"I don't dislike her!" Scorpius' loud answer started James, and several other people at nearby tables.

"Then, why do you never let her get near you? I doubt that her intentions are bad. In fact, they're probably farthest from." said James with a wink that Scorpius missed.

"I dunno...I just kind of panic when she's close to me." muttered Scorpius quietly.

James smiled at the small man's admission. "Scorpius, what do you think of my cousin?"

"Uh...well, she certainly seems to be full of life." said Scorpius as he surreptitiously glanced across the room to where Rose sat with several other Slytherin girls, pretending not to be watching Scorpius and James. "And she's probably one of the strongest witches at this school, and a great Quidditch player....and, she's very beautiful." finished Scorpius quietly.

James' grin grew. "Then, why don't you just let her talk to you?"

"Like I said, I panic when she's near me. Plus, I..."

"...You?..."

"I...just don't want any...trouble." Scorpius finished carefully.

"Trouble?"

"Trouble." Scorpius nodded.

James chuckled a bit. "Yeah, that cousin of mine is definitely trouble." Then his tone turned serious. "But, I suspect that isn't the trouble you're referring to?"

Scorpius said nothing and looked at the table.

James sighed. "Malfoy, none of us hate you." Scorpius looked up. "Lily thinks you're a swot and Hugo thinks you're a bit strange, but none of us hate you. Not even Albus." Scorpius pursed his lips. "In fact, we're all pretty sure that you're one of the most upstanding guys around here."

"Thank you, I think."

And as for the parents, well....young people are supposed to turn their parents' hair gray." said James with a smirk.

Scorpius smiled a little at that.

"You're just Scorpius, and nobody else. Remember that." Scorpius nodded.

As James left, Scorpius thought to himself 'Maybe when OWLs are over, I'll let her catch me. I just hope I don't make a total arse of myself when she does. I'll have to aplogize...'

"James reported that 'he didn't want any trouble.', whatever that means, and then I never got a chance to try talking to him again because of the OWL tests, and now I'm here." groused Rose.

In a most un-Hermione like manner, she thought 'He doesn't want any trouble? What the bloody hell kind of reason is that?' Then, Hermione realized she was missing one last bit of critical information.

"Rosie?"

"Yes, Mum?"

"What is this young man's name?"

"Malfoy. Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy." replied Rose.

*Crash!*

Rose and Hermione turned just in time to see Ron drop the dishes he'd been carrying towards the sink onto the floor, right before he fainted dead away and landed with a thud.

"Daddy?!" Rose looked alarmed.

Hermione just chuckled a bit. "Don't worry about him. Rosie?"

"Yes, Mum?"

"Do you really like this Scorpius boy?"

"I do."

"Then, promise me that when you get to school, you'll keep trying to connect with him."

Rose beamed. "I will!"

"And Rose, when your father comes to, don't take the things he says too seriously. The past has to remain in the past."

At that, Hermione got up to floo her way to her job at the Ministry, leaving a confused Rose and a still-unconscious Ron in the kitchen.

Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review. Tell me you like it, tell me you hated it, give some constructive criticism, whatever. Just tell me how I did.

Don't hand me no lines and keep your hands to yourself.