"So that's little Scorpius," said Rose's father pointing out three people in the distance, one of which was a small, pale, blonde haired boy. Her dad was saying something to her but she didn't hear what he said because the boy was smirking at her, she met his silver eyes and then he winked and turned away to talk to his parents.
"Don't set them against each other already," Rose heard her mom say to her dad and he leaned down to her and said,
"Just don't get too friendly with him, Grandad Weasley will never forgive you if you marry a pure blood," Rose jumped, had he seen them staring at each other? Just then James rushed out of a train compartment distracting everyone from Rose's flushed face.
"What house do you reckon you'll be in Rose?" Albus asked her from across the compartment.
"Practically everyone in the family has been in Gryffindor, so that's I expect I suppose, but I guess I could be happy in Ravenclaw," she said after thinking about it for a moment.
"How are so you unconcerned about it?" Albus asked in wonder.
"Well for one I haven't had James filling my head with nonsense and anxieties," she said just as James opened the compartment door.
"Talking about how disappointed Mum and Dad are going to be when Albus gets Hufflepuff?" he said in mock seriousness and his friends laughed.
"I hadn't even thought of that," Albus whispered as new fears began to expand in his brain.
"Oh come off it, James you know there hasn't been a Weasley or Potter that hasn't been Gryffindor, you've got nothing to worry about Albus," Dominique Weasley said as she walked up through the aisle to the blockade caused by James and his friends.
"Did you expect to be in Gryffindor, Dominique?" asked Albus.
"Well, dad and everybody was in his family was in Gryffindor like I said, but my mom went to Beauxbatons so I wasn't sure what the hat would choose," she said redoing her white blonde ponytail, "But I guess it just thought I was a Gryffindor and that's what it chose,"
"How were none of you worried about this," Albus asked.
"Well…actually your brother was the most freaked of all of us in our first year," she said.
"Oh, stuff it Dominique. She's obviously remembering wrong," huffed James to Albus and Rose and then continued on down the aisle with his friends.
"Is it true?" Rose said.
"Definitely, but Albus, you know the reason he gives you such a hard time about it is because he just wants to be a cool older brother to you," Dominique said.
"Really?" said Albus. Dominique nodded before leaving to go to her own friend's compartment. Albus was thinking about what Dominique said when Rose got up,
"I'm going to go change into my robes,"
"But we still have like two hours until we get there," said Albus.
"I…just like to be prepared," she said sounding just like her mother. She went and got into them without any trouble but when she stepped out she ran straight into the boy from the train station. It took her a moment to notice but she realized a few seconds later that he was also wearing his robes and had just stepped out of changing into them as well.
"You're Scorpius Malfoy aren't you?" Rose asked him.
"And you're Rose Weasley," he said.
"Why were you staring at me at the train station?" Rose said using the bluntness she inherited from both parents. And while he was smug and confident when they were distanced from each other, now that they were face to face, Scorpius was quite nervous,
"I, well, my father's told me a lot about you Weasley's and I just wanted to, ah, was interested in, well, seeing what you were like," he stammered.
"What did your father say about 'us Weasley's'?" Rose asked accusingly, her hands on her hips and looked as menacing as an eleven year old can.
"Well, he, er, he told me about-"
"Would you two first years either move on or get out of the way before I hex you!" an older burly child said to the pair and they turned with wide eyes and quickly ducked into a nearby empty compartment.
"So you were saying," she asked as a statement, sitting down, not about to let him get away without an answer. Scorpius looked downright frightened to be in a compartment alone with Weasley who looked like she was about to strike, but uneasily sat down opposite. However, after he stumbled through his explanation and made sure she knew that what his father had said about the Weasley's wasn't insulting (he may have out a thing or two) one thing led to another and soon they were talking about Hogwarts, home, and anywhere else their conversation went. Her energetic and humorous personality met his sarcastic and sharp one and what occurred was, for now, an innocent connection in two innocent children. They didn't even realize what time it was until Albus slammed open the compartment door.
"I've been looking for you everywhere Rose! There's only about a half hour until we arrive. And who is this?" he said, out of breath.
"I'm so sorry Al, we just ran into each other by accident and we started talking and lost track of time," she apologized, standing up.
"I'm Scorpius Malfoy," he said also standing up and held out his hand to Albus who shook it quickly, "And I should be going too," he said, and without another word he lightly stepped out the door and walked away down the aisle. Rose looked sadly down the hallway for a moment wondering when she would see him again.
"I really am sorry Albus, I didn't mean to leave you alone," she said as they walked back to their compartment.
"Well you did," he said shortly, "You ditched me for someone you just met!"
"I know, and I won't do it again. You know you're my favorite cousin," she pleaded looking at him with her big brown eyes.
"Hm" he said.
"Would you forgive me if I buy you a chocolate frog?" she tried.
"Did you just use flattery and bribery?" he asked.
"Maybe, but I meant both of them," she said hopefully.
"Alright, I forgive you Rose, you know I can't stay mad at you...but only if you throw in a licorice wand," he said.
The next time she saw Scorpius Malfoy was sooner than she thought, it was about an hour later and she was crowded up next to all the other first years in the great hall about to be sorted. The sorting hat was up to the M's and Albus was whispering worries into Rose's ear when she heard a familiar name.
"Malfoy, Scorpius," the teacher shouted and the pale, blonde boy began to move his way up through the back of the crowd. When he reached Rose his hand brushed hers and he winked at her out of the corner of his eye, Rose blushed and looked down so nobody would notice. When the sorting hat was placed on his head it debated for a long time and the hall was silent, unable to hear what the hat and the boy's conversation. Finally it shouted out,
"SLYTHERIN!" and all the houses burst out into relieved applause. The expression on his face was that he had been expecting it, but for a moment a flicker of disappointment slipped across his face and Rose noticed it.
