I don't own these characters or this world, this belongs to J.K. Wrowling. Only this particular story is entitled to me. Comment and review! ~ ghostwriter196

I don't remember the precise moment that me and Scorpius stopped being friends and migrated to something more. It just sort of happened, like the time when you conclude that Santa isn't real or realise that you have grown distant from a once close friend. Every love story starts off in a similar and pathetic fashion; best friends or sworn enemies overcome a conflict which triggers them into confessing their undying love for each other.

It's all very cliché if you ask me; those stories just rehash Romeo and Juliet in a million different ways, the majority with sappy and predictable endings. That's why I thought that it would never be me. I was too proud to think that I, Rose Weasley, could have fallen for my immature best friend. Unfortunately, my experience of romance had to conform to this ridiculous plot of this traditional love story.

Mimicking the Shakespearian procedure, Scorpius and I were enemies by our family names. The entire Wizard population knew that the Weasleys and the Malfoys had stood on opposite sides of both Wizarding Wars. Although the ill reputation of the Malfoys had diminished after the fall of Lord Voldemort, some old habits die hard. Neither family resented each other, but rekindling old fire between old school rivals could end disastrously, especially considering the lasting Malfoy pride and Weasley temper.

Nevertheless, Scorpius and I were friends since our first journey to Hogwarts as puny and scared first years. We weren't the 'star-crossed lovers' as everyone would assume, falling in love at the age of 11 across the King's Cross platform while being shepherded by parents. Not only is that the most unromantic story, but it sounds positively ludicrous. As I said before, I don't know when the platonic nature between us stopped, but I remember the day we both realised it.

It was in our fifth year in Hogwarts and per usual, it begun with harmless violence. This time it was between Albus Potter and Tracey Hennessy.

It was Albus' doing that forced us to notice the change in our relationship, albeit not by his choice. Hennessy had sent a particularly nasty curse at Al in the Defence Association while they were practicing duelling techniques which rendered him unconscious. Since fainting and shoddy spell-use was a regular occurrence in the DA, nothing sinister was thought of it. Al was propped on a cushion at the side of the room, provided by Professor Longbottom, along with the other stunned students.

When he hadn't woken up by the end of the session, James and I proceeded to round on Hennessy but she was nowhere to be seen. Coming to the conclusion that she must have escaped our grasp through the crowd of students, James hurried out of the classroom cursing loudly and pounding down the corridor to relieve his stress.

Meanwhile Al's roommates, Sam and Ben, hoisted Al up into their arms and walked quickly through the corridors in the direction of the hospital wing, Scorpius and I following in tow. Scorpius had broken his wrist at the beginning of the week during the Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw match. He was hit by a ferocious bludger thrown by David Kelly only twenty minutes into the match rendering him incapable to play and giving victory to the opposing team. Needless to say, Madam Pomfrey charmed the cast so that it was impossible to remove from his arm. This prevented Scorpius from participating in too much physical activity and since Al was a head taller than me and we hadn't learnt the levitating charm yet, I was a bad choice to carry Al up several flights of stairs.

After several tense and gruelling minutes, we reached the grand door of the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey admitted us in, and instructed Sam and Ben to lay Al down on one of the pristine hospital beds closest to the door.

After explaining in detail about what had happened to Al or least what we think happened to him, she dismissed us from his bed and ordered us to return to our common rooms. Scorpius and I pleaded with her to allow us to stay with Al and keep him company but she stubbornly told us that we could see visit in the morning and proceeded to shoo us out of the quiet and comfortable room. As the door locked with a flick of the matron's wand, we were left standing in the dimly lit corridor. Sam and Ben bid us goodnight and walked carefully down the corridor and up towards Gryffindor tower.

I looked down at my wrist and was startled to see that it was already 10:30. We had spent so long carrying Al up the stairs and talking to Madam Pomfrey that it was far past curfew. I glanced over at Scorpius and he looked back at me, both of us communicating without speaking as most friends do after years of knowing each other. We nodded in understanding and shuffled over to the wall behind us and sat ourselves down on the stone floor. Neither of us wanted to leave knowing that Al would probably attempt to return to his own bed the moment he woke up, most likely injuring himself in the process.

We sat in silence for a long time, not finding much to talk about. The only sounds that could be heard were the hoots of distant owls and quiet crackle of the wall-centred torches. Our breaths dissolved in the still air and cool stony corridor.

It felt strange, but I was deeply worried about Al. It was no coincidence that I had been in the hospital wing several times to visit injured relatives when there were so many of them. It also has to do with the fact the James and Fred and taken it upon them to become this generation's Hogwarts pranksters and that many of my cousins were on their respective Quidditch teams, but this was the first time that I recalled somebody being attacked like this.

Sure, a lot of people would have it out for the 'children of the golden trio' but we had never been spited for it because most of us never acted upon our names. As I thought for a while though, I realised that it must have been a deliberate jibe at Al. I mean, why else would Hennessy have sent a dangerous curse like that? She was a Slytherin too, quite a nasty one at that. Don't get me wrong, I was friends with many Slytherins and my own cousin was sorted into Slytherin herself, but I noticed that Hennessy always seemed to hold this expression of detest every time she passed by me or Al in the castle.

We continued to sit in deafening silence, me staring at my hands, deep in thought, whilst Scorpius looked blankly in front of him. We both knew we should go back to the common room and study for the OWLs that were less than four months away. We knew we were both thinking it but didn't speak of it, neither of us really felt like delving into homework and study just before the weekend.

'Are you okay? Scorpius asked quietly staring at me looking slightly worried, his voice was hoarse after the long period of silence.

I nodded, my throat feeling too clenched to say yes. I had worked myself into an anxious panic and my throat felt stiff and odd.

Scorpius didn't seem satisfied with my pitiful answer and so he pressed on.

'He'll be okay, you know' He said smiling at me, 'he maybe a git sometimes, but he's a stubborn git. He will probably walk out tomorrow morning pretending nothing had happened. His Gryffindor pride won't allow him to admit to himself that he got knocked out by a fourth year', Scorpius scoffed.

'Don't worry, he'll be up and joking about in no time' he said, grasping my shoulder briefly, attempting to reassure me.

I grinned at the thought of Albus prancing out of the hospital wing and felt my heartbeat relaxing. My lazy smile quickly transitioned into a deep yawn. I glanced at my watch to see it was almost midnight, no wonder my body had reached a stupor. I had woken up early that morning to send a letter to mum and Uncle George and I was emotionally tired and physically exhausted from the DA session. Albus didn't sound like he was going to escape anytime soon, but I didn't feel like leaving the corridor in case he decided to leave during the night. I wouldn't have been surprised at this daring behaviour to take off from the hospital wing while injured as Al would do anything so that he could keep out of the spotlight in Gryffindor tower.

So Scorpius and I continued to sit on the cold, dank floor outside the entrance of the wing. Neither of us spoke after that, I looked over at him to see his eyes glaring lazily at the ground and his body was slumped against the stone wall. Obviously I wasn't the only one who was too tired to think of more conversational topics. I stared at the wall again and I felt my head lolling slightly and my eyes drooping as sleep threatened to take over.

I heard shuffling next to me and felt a warm heat radiate from the left of my body. I groggily opened my eyes and saw that Scorpius had moved himself closer to me so that there was not an inch of space left between us. I glared at him in bewilderment. What the hell was he playing at?

'I've been told my shoulder's very well developed and comfortable to lean on' he whispered delivering an arrogant grin at me.

I scoffed. 'How many girls have told you that? You only wish' I said sarcastically.

He glared at me momentarily before I gave him a warm smile and leaned my head on his shoulder. He was taken aback slightly at my change of mind but, I sensed his shoulder relax and exhaustion began taking a toll on him. I felt him place the side of his cheek on top of my scalp and I swear. I have never been more comfortable in my life. It wasn't long before I felt my eyes closing again as I gently drifted off into temporary unconsciousness. What I didn't know was that Scorpius had the same sappy look of content in his smile that I had as we dozed off, comfortable in our position.

We were woken up to an obnoxious voice shouting in our faces.

'What the hell are you two doing?!'

My eyes jolted open and I found myself leaning against Scorpius' shoulder still, but soon I realised that our arms had intertwined during the night and we were in considerably close proximity. We separated instantly and our faces flushed as if we had been burnt by hot coal.

'We were waiting for you to come out, dipstick' Scorpius said exasperatedly, as he stood up offering me his hand, 'we thought that you might have tried to leave the hospital wing during the night'.

I took his hand and hoisted myself into a standing position as Albus continued staring at us.

'Right,' Albus said drawing out the word but knowing better than to question the situation further.

I rolled my eyes at him before looking at Scorpius. We looked at each other briefly and looked away again, our faces pinked slightly. I felt my heartbeat quicken in pace. Oh no. Oh no no no no no. I was not developing feelings for Malfoy. I was not becoming one of those clichéd girls who denied their affection for their best friend until the last possible minute.

I sneaked a glance at him again as we walked down the corridor. His face looked tired but his high cheekbones and fair complexion still exaggerated his good looks. I looked at the ground and sighed quietly. Oh damn it, why couldn't have I been more original?