Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter world or any of its characters. All I have is the plot. Otherwise I would be super rich.
Scorpius is a Malfoy, and he has been constantly reminded of this his whole life. He has pale blonde hair, pale white skin, and a pale father named Draco. He lives at the Malfoy Manor, surrounded by the family heirlooms of the Malfoy ancestry, and his history has been chronicled over generations.
In essence, he is clearly and utterly a Malfoy, and as such, he has a lot of tradition to uphold.
It's true that his parents aren't nearly as strict as Lucius had been. His dad hasn't tried to force him to join any evil rebellions recently, nor has his mother commissioned teachers to follow him around as aid on hand. He's a far cry from the typical Malfoy boy; he's not overly confident, bold, headstrong or suave, and he really doesn't have a cruel bone in his body. Scorpius, if anything, is more of a neutral party to anyone who doesn't know him. He's Switzerland when it comes to taking offensive political sides, and it's not like he goes out of his way to promote any images. In all definitions of 'Malfoy', he's kind of a black sheep.
However, there are a few things that every single member of the family has in common, including Scorpius.
1. You have to be a Slytherin.
Now, this doesn't mean that you're a bad person, you're just a Malfoy. All Malfoys are Slytherins; end of discussion. That's got nothing to do with who you are, it's just a fact. Scorpius accomplished this well enough, even if he didn't fit the mold, and after his sorting he couldn't help but wonder what would have scared him more; being a Slytherin or not being one.
2. You have to excel in something.
No matter who you are in the Malfoy family lineage, you had to be the best in your area for at least one thing. It was just an unofficial precedent. Scorpius wasn't exactly pushed onto this bandwagon; on the first train to Hogwarts, his parents had simply told him to, "Be the best you can be, we love you no matter what." This was all fine and good, but their relief was evident when he started getting top marks in magic history. It seemed that establishing himself as 'the best' in a subject went a long way to securing their mental sanity.
3. You have to know what people to associate yourself with.
This rule should have been flat out discontinued. After all, this list wasn't being recorded or anything. It wasn't an official code of conduct that was being explicitly broken. However, it was true for Draco, and Lucius, and everyone else before them. Blending in with the 'popular crowd' with a certain amount of distinguishment was a trademark of the Malfoys throughout their schooldays; it was what they did. They were aristocrats; it was in their right to partner up with other students of their social standing.
Maybe that's why it was so odd that Scorpius and Albus Severus Potter had become such fast friends. Albus was a Slytherin, but he was also the son of one of the most famous wizards who still lived. Yet somehow they went together perfectly, the best of friends from their first train ride and sorting. And, as it turned out, the Potter clan was rather popular due to their surname after a couple years. Number three could be successfully checked off the list.
Whichever way you sliced it, Scorpius was the perfect Malfoy on paper, despite his kinder nature and oddities. He didn't like to deviate from that image around fellow Malfoys too often; it didn't tend to go over well. He was proud to report that he made no exceptions to this list, even if he was determined to be better than those who came before him. This was his legacy; he would bare it with pride.
Until, that is, he fell for her.
You see, Malfoys and Weasleys don't mix. They never have, they never will. Potters can be handled - or at least respected and admired - by the Malfoy group. Even the occasional Potter-Weasley hybrid can be stomached as long as it's presented in the right person (Scorpius's parents loved Albus, even if they - or really, Draco - would never admit it). But a full on Weasley? No. Nope. Try again later. The Malfoy family wasn't interested.
That's why Scorpius knew it was a sure sign of trouble when he instantly fell for his best mate's cousin.
Sure, Rose was a complete brainiac. She was a Gryffindor. She despised snakes. Whenever she talked to him throughout all of first and second year, it was in short and barely polite terms. But there was something about her that kept on drawing Scorpius back, no matter what.
Albus thought he was nuts. Rose clearly hated him.
Scorpius wasn't so sure.
Once, during a particularly difficult assignment in spell-casting, Rose had slipped him the answer after dozens of failed attempts. Another time, she had grudgingly told him that she liked his hair, which nobody had ever liked, considering who it reminded them of. Sometimes, she would let him copy her notes when he was absent. Of course, she never even hung out with him until recently, and every attempt at asking her out has gone badly, but still. It's progress.
He'll get there one day.
Probably.
Hopefully.
He's kind-of so far in with this girl, he's desperate.
Why Rose? Because no matter how much she shoved him away, she was incapable of shaking him off without showing the slightest bit of compassion that revealed she cared. It came in the form of a disguised smile, or a hand brush, or anything at all, really, that got him blushing the rest of the day. It was maddening - she was maddening. As soon as he was about to give up on her and move on like a good little Malfoy, she did something to win him back without even trying. She could never really be entirely mean, because some of her kindness shown through no matter what.
Rose was beautiful, smart, funny, kind, ambitious, and he could never stop thinking about her. That's why he loved her.
Rose was red haired, a know-it-all, too caring for her own good, an over achiever, and was everything he wasn't. She was clearly a Weasley.
Malfoys and Weasleys don't mix; at least, not in the ways Scorpius fantasizes about. That's the overarching, unspoken rule of his entire list. It's bolded, highlighted, italicized, and capitalized in the most posh font possible.
And said untouchable Rose Weasley has recently joined his friend circle.
For the last several months, she's been sitting over at the Slytherin table with him and Albus. She's been going to Hogsmead with them. She's started helping the boys study for their OWL exams during her free period. It's like she's always been a part of the group, and it's been driving Scorpius insane.
"What are you thinking about, Scor?" arose a familiar voice. He turned around slowly, although he already knew who it was. He would follow her to the ends of the earth, if she asked him to.
"Hey, Rose." She had taken to calling him Scor; not Scorpius, not Malfoy, not Scorp, which was what Albus called him now. He was only called Scor by one person, and he secretly loved her for it.
It was a good thing that she didn't know he had been thinking about her. He would be a dead man for sure. Any child of the Weasleys and Hermione Granger was sure to be dangerous (and quite possibly deadly).
"I was just doing my homework for transfiguration class. I wasn't really thinking about anything, really." This had been true enough, until he had gotten sidetracked by his friend's cousin. Nothing awkward about that.
"Mmm." She seemed to buy that; hopefully that meant the threat was nullified. "But why are you doing that in the Room of Requirement?" Oh yeah; he had forgotten that he was in here.
"I don't know. It was too distracting in the library."
"Distracting? In a library?" She crossed her arms, not impressed.
"Yes, well . . . it was loud today or something." You were what was distracting me.
"Or something?" Something like you.
"More like some one." WHY THE HECK DID YOU ANSWER THAT OUT LOUD?
"Some one?" she questioned, slipping closer as though she was actually curious.
"Uhh huh." Honestly, she was getting so close it was distracting. That was the reason he had left the library; Albus had to leave with James for something and Scorpius couldn't handle himself around Rose.
"Would you mind telling me who?" It was moments like these where Scorpius wondered who liked who. Rose could have fooled him.
" . . . yes."
She backed away, which was a blessing and a curse simultaneously. "Pity."
"Yes, that is what I am going with." He never sounded more like an idiot to his own ears. Please leave so I can die of embarrassment in peace.
Sensing an opportunity to change the subject, he jumped to a new topic. "Why did you come to find me? I don't know what I could help you with in our homework. I'm not nearly as good at this stuff as you." At this, the girl threw back her head and groaned.
"Are you kidding me?"
"What?"
"Do you really have to ask that question, Scor?"
" . . . yes?" See, she had a habit of making him incoherent. It would be a lot easier to think clearly around Rose if she weren't so irresistible.
"I came to find you because you're my friend. You're probably one of my closest friends, if I'm honest, and I don't have too many ordinary friends to begin with. I was wondering where you are and I came to find you. Why does there need to be another reason?" He blinked. Did she just admit to caring about him?
"You care about me?" The red haired beauty sighed again in aggravation.
"Of course I do, you complete toad! I don't just hang around you two for Albus; I'm not that needy." At this, he laughed. She laughed back after a moment, putting her hand on his shoulder as she folded over. Scorpius was pretty sure he'd never heard anything better.
"I knew there was a reason I love you!" he exclaimed, still lightheaded and not really thinking. After all of 3 seconds, though, he realized his mistake. "I mean . . . uh . . . I . . ."
"I love you too, you idiot," she told him. Her voice was suddenly serious, with none of the teasing from before. Biting the side of her lip, she leaned forwards and kissed him right on his jaw. His eyes fluttered shut on instinct.
Her lips were feather light, barely there, but they lingered entirely too long for a 'friendly peck'. An inch to the right, he reflected later, and they would have been kissing for real.
"You're far too oblivious," she told him as she pulled away. She was blushing furiously and looked entirely too much like a tomato, but was still able to manage coherent words. "I've got to go. I'm . . . right. I'll see you later!" Within seconds, Rose Weasley had departed. Scorpius was incapable of doing anything but clutching his jaw and flushing mercilessly.
It was pretty much the best moment of his life.
Malfoys and Weasleys don't mix, and that's a proven fundamental on his list. He's a Malfoy, and there are several things he really should be doing. His homework was probably one of them.
But hang the rules if he would rather daydream about Rose.
So, yes, he's a pure-blooded Malfoy through and through. Maybe some rules were made to be broken, though, he wisely revises. After all, it doesn't seem like he's going to be able to get rid of her anytime soon.
Perhaps he will let Rose be the exception.
So, yup. This was my first Scorpius x Rose fic. It was a random rush job that I pulled out of the back of my head, so sue me. I try.
I hope everybody liked it and that this was tolerable. I really love this pairing, even if I turn out terrible at writing for it. Oh, well.
Bye! I'll be writing a (good) multi-chapter fanfic about this pairing in the future. Be on the lookout!