I figured it was about time I wrote a Rose/Scorpius fic.
Chapter 1: Roses Make the World Sweet
"Love planted a rose, and the world turned sweet."
–Katharine Lee Bates
"Don't get too friendly." Her father's words echo in her mind as she makes her way down the train, Albus following in her wake, trying to ignore the whispers and stares.
"Is it okay if we sit here?" Rose asks, sliding open the glass door of a nearly empty compartment.
Its single occupant looks up, startled.
It is the boy from the platform. Scorpius, she remembers.
He gives an almost imperceptible nod.
"Thank you. My name's Rose. Rose Weasley. And this is my cousin-"
"Albus Potter. I know." These are the first words she ever hears him speak. His voice is softer than she expected, and his gray eyes betray no emotion. "Harry Potter's son, right?"
"Er, yeah," Albus confirms. He sits stiffly on the bench next to Rose, facing Scorpius.
Rose looks back and forth between them. "Oh, honestly, you two. Can't you put a little grudge behind you and be friends?"
Scorpius is confused. All his life the whole world has shunned him for nothing other than his surname.
The Malfoy. The pureblood fanatic. The Death Eater.
Rose's warm brown eyes study his, and he feels like she's searching his soul. "I know you're a Malfoy, but that doesn't mean anything. Your family doesn't have to determine who you are."
And that is when he decides. From that day on, he makes a name for himself, separate from his family legend, and the world eventually warms up to him, giving him a second glance before marking him as the enemy.