Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Scorpius/Rose.
"Why do you like me?" he asked.
We were sitting in the Great Hall. Most people had gone to their first lesson of the day but seeing as we both had a free period, the Great Hall was empty. There were a few people here and there but no one close to us, no one within listening range of our conversation.
"Umm, well, for all the same reasons I like you as a friend" I replied, looking down at my leftover oatmeal.
There are a million reasons why I like him but his question caught me off guard. I could have said that I like him because he seems genuinely happy to see me every day, or that I like how he makes me feel beautiful, or that I like how I can talk to him about almost anything, or that I feel safe with him. I like how he doesn't know how smart he actually is so he's not an arrogant ass like the other guys in our year. I like that it takes him an hour to get ready for class every morning because he cares what he looks like, he makes sure his robes are clean and pressed, he does his hair, he puts cologne on. I like that when he hugs me, I want to stay in his arms for all of eternity, and that hours after the embrace has ended, I can still smell his cologne on my shirt. I like that I know he's afraid of the dark because he felt comfortable enough to tell me, and that the only other people who know this are his parents. I like that when he comes over to study during the holidays, he gets easily distracted by my brother's toys. I like that he doesn't make fun of my flowery comforter or all the purple on the walls of my bedroom. I like that when he comes into that bedroom, he doesn't think twice about sitting down on that bed and plucking Teddy off the pillow. Nor does he laugh when he hears that the teddy bear's name is Teddy but he continues to hold Teddy, making his dance and speak in funny voices. I like that he's never told me that I looked nice, but I know from his facial expressions when he thought it. I like that he sings along to the wireless and he doesn't care that I can hear him but expects me to join him. I like that he's not a great dancer, not that he's a bad dancer either, but he likes to dance and he clearly has fun doing it. I like that he has thin lips, much smaller than my full lips, but that I forget when he smiles at me. I like him because I never expected to be his friend, let alone his best friend.
"I have a girlfriend," he said softly.
"What?" I asked, rather loudly, as my head snapped from my oatmeal to his eyes. "We spend all our time together, when do you have time to see her?"
"I make time."
"Oh," I mumbled, finding the congealed oatmeal interesting again.
After that I tried to fake interest in his new relationship, asking all the appropriate questions a best friend is supposed to ask but I barely heard his answers. We remained friends the following two years of Hogwarts but we were never as close again. We stayed in touch another year after graduation but stopped when he started another relationship and I moved. It's our ten year Hogwarts reunion and I'm nervous, excited, anxious, and terrified of seeing him. It's been almost 9 years since I last saw him, almost 13 years since we had that conversation and nothing has changed. I think of him often and have compared him to every guy I've ever met. I still like him and don't think I could answer that question any differently nor would I expect a different reaction from him.
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this, as it was a real experience for me. I think that one of the reasons why I like Scorpius and Rose is because they remind me of my past relationship with this boy.