The Black Lake edge, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, October 23, 2022

'Scorpius, stop it!' Rose laughed as the tickling curse overtook her.

'Nuh uh,' Scorpius replied grinning, his blonde hair flying wildly sometimes covering his grey eyes.

Rose stumbled on the grass clutching her sides torn between mirth and annoyance; her long, flaming red hair framing her freckled face which was currently screwed up in an expression of laughter and tears.

'Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, STOP IT PLEASE!' Rose demanded.

Scorpius flicked his wand and Rose fell to the ground, next to where Scorpius was sitting; she closed her eyes and folded her eyes across her stomach, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

Scorpius grinned mischievously and flicked his wand, Rose's school bag jumped up and floated away.

'Oi!' Rose cried as she chased her school bag off into the trees. Scorpius jumped up and followed her, wanting to see her face.

As he passed Hagrids hut he saw Aaron Finnigan, Rose's current boyfriend and Rose wasn't happy.

She was crying…

'Go away!' Rose cried.

'COMMON ROSE!' Aaron Finnigan cried.

'GO AWAY, NOW!' she shrieked.

Scorpius watched as they shouted and saw him yell a profanity at her. Before he knew what he was doing, he walked up to Aaron, punched him in the face. He fell to the ground clutching his face.

"You stupid git,' Aaron cried.

Scorpius grabbed the collar of Aaron's robes.

'You hurt her again and I'll be the stupid git that beats the stuffing out of you' Scorpius hissed.

Aaron just glared up at him. Scorpius brushed it off and went to follow his best friend into the castle.

Scorpius found Rose sobbing next to a suit of armor on the fifth floor.

'Rosie?' I whispered, 'Rosie are you alright?'

'No,' she sobbed, 'of course I'm not all right! Do I look alright to you??'

'No,' Scorpius replied honestly, sliding down to sit next to her, 'what that idiot done now?'

'He...' Sob, 'Kissed…' Sob 'Georgina' Sob…

'I told you right from the beginning that he was an idiot and you shouldn't go out with him.'

'You were right Scorp.'

'Yeah, I know,' he muttered.

She managed a weak smile, and Scorpius put his arm around her. She let her head drop against his neck. He smiled discreetly to himself…

'Scorp…? We'll always be best friends, I mean, you won't go and be an idiot and ditch me just because your girlfriend or something doesn't like me, will you?' Rose turned her head towards him and looked at him.

'I'll never let a girl come between us, you'll never have to worry about that.' Said Scorpius dryly. How could he ever let a girl come between him and Rose when the only girl he wanted was Rose.

Rose smiled up at her best friend, and Scorpius admired her beautiful smile.

Deserted classroom, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, December 20th, 2022

Rose pointed her unicorn hair, yew wand at her trunk, and thought in her head, Locomotor Trunk! Causing her trunk to rise slowly into the air.

Rose was quite good at performing non-verbal spells and as she guided her trunk downstairs, she nearly crashed into Scorpius Malfoy, at the door of a deserted classroom.

'Crap! Sorry Rose!' Scorpius muttered, as he pointed his wind wildly, causing a window to shatter, five meters away.

Reparo! Rose pointed her wand at the glass on the ground, which instantly reformed itself in the windowpane. Scorpius looked thoroughly embarrassed.

Rose guided her trunk to a standstill, turning to look at Scorpius.

'Are you all right, Scorp?' she asked.

'I'm going to miss you. That's all.' Scorpius stuttered.

Rose eyes widened a miniscule amount.

'It's just the Christmas break Scorp, like two weeks.' Rose replied unsteadily.

Then Scorp was staring at her, and then eventually, she at him.

Scorp walked forward and grabbed Rose's hand, then he pulled her into the deserted classroom. She leant against the wall. He pressed her lips against his, rather forcefully and she responded back just at enthusiastically.

His hands twisted themselves in her flaming curls and he pressed himself right against her warm body. She hugged him tight and circled his lips with the tip of her tongue. He breathed in the smell of her hair and she sighed between kisses.

BANG

The door slammed open and standing in the doorway was none other than… Rose's uncle Harry.

Crap!

'ROSE! GET HERE RIGHT NOW!'

Crap! Thought Rose, and then she remembered that Harry had been here giving talks again and was leave with the other students going home on the Hogwarts express. That, and her Cousin James had told her of Uncle Harry's map that showed everyone in the castle.

Uncle Harry must have seen her and Scorpius alone, and suspected the worst. And he had been right.

'Uncle Harry! I…' Rose stammered.

'Just be quiet Rose, I'm not going to yell at you, that you're fathers job and he'll do it well.' Harry glared at Scorpius as Rose stared glumly too.

'Bye, Scorp, seeya after Christmas.'

'Bye Rose.' He muttered sadly.

Harry pointed his finger at Scorpius.

'Keep away from her, if I catch any mention of you two together, you will not like the consequences.' Harry threatened.

Scorpius glared back and bit his tongue from retorting; he had been warned numerous times from his own father. 'Respect Harry Potter, he is not a likeable person but he had done many great things to benefit our family, he saved my life more than once.' Yeah Dad, you got the unlikable bit right. Scorpius thought as he picked up his trunk and walked down towards the entrance hall.

'Harry Potter this! Harry Potter that! That's all anyone ever talks about!' Scorpius muttered to himself as he boarded the train home.

They sat in the same department and if it wasn't for the fear of being caught, (or the fear that Uncle Harry would discover her in the same department as Scorpius and not with her girlfriends as she had told him) they would have resumed the happenings from the deserted classroom. But instead they held hands and stared at each other.

'Have you…?' Rose started.

'Always liked you?' said Scorpius.

'Yeah,' Said Rose.

'Ever since we became friends I've liked you more than as a friend.' Scorpius confessed.

Rose turned and smiled at him, she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips.

'I have too.' She admitted, blushing.

Scorpius left his head on her shoulder and smiled.

A house near the burrow, near the village of St. Ottery Catchpole, Cornwall, December 20th 2022

'MUM!' Rose shrieked running into Hermione's arms. Her father, brother and trunk were still in the car.

Rose wanted to tell her mother before Uncle Harry wrote to tell her father.

Hermione looked curiously at her daughter.

'Are you alright, Rose?' she asked.

'I need to talk to you.' Rose said, pulling her by the arm into the kitchen. Rose shut the door.

'Mum, dad's going to kill me, Uncle Harry nearly did.'

Hermione's eyebrows rose, her face confused.

'I kissed Scorpius Malfoy and Uncle Harry walked in.'

Hermione looked dumbstruck.

'You… kissed… Draco Malfoy's son…?' she whispered.

Rose bit her lip and nodded.

'Ron's is going to burn the house down!' Hermione whispered.

Rose bit her lip and nodded, again.

'I warned you Rose! I warned you that you couldn't be anything more than best friends with Scorpius Malfoy! Ron hates Draco, and Draco, Ron.' Said Hermione.

'Mum,' Rose said.

'He'll be…'

'Mum?'

'This is bad…'

'MUM!'

Hermione turned to her daughter.

'Mum, I like Scorp, more than a friend. I'm sorry, that's just the way it is.' Rose said firmly.

At that moment Ron walked cheerfully into the kitchen and looked between the two of them.

'Whats are you two whispering about? Something I should know about?' He frowned at them.

'No,' said Hermione definitely, 'We were just talking about school.'

Ron walked over to the table just as Hedwig the 2nd soared through the window, hooting and screeching, with a letter on her leg. She pecked at Ron's hand.

It was a single scrap of parchment but Rose couldn't see it.

But she really didn't need to, because what she could see was her father's ears going red with anger.

'Crap!!' Rose whispered.

Ron turned on his daughter.

'Rose Hermione Weasley,' He hesitated in the saying the next bit like it was poison to utter the next couple of words, 'were you kissing Scorpius Malfoy?'

'Yes…' Rose whispered.

'WHAT!' Ron yelled, 'YOU WERE KISSING A MALFOY? YOU KNOW WHAT THEY ARE LIKE! MUGGLE HATERS AND PURE BLOOD MANIACS! WE DON'T TALK TO THEM FOR A REASON!'

'SHUT UP!' Hugo yelled, as he walked into the kitchen.

Ron turned around and glared at his son.

'You, keep out of this.' Ron demanded.

'But…'

Hermione slammed her hand down on the table.

'Hugo! Out! To your room!' she said.

'But…'

'Now!'

Hugo grumbled to himself and stalked into the lounge room.

'You, will not, have anything to do with him, got that?' Ron demanded, turning back to Rose.

'I will have relationships with who I please!' Said Rose in a deadly whisper.

'Not with a Malfoy!' Ron replied viciously.

Rose whipped out her wand, flicked it in anger (causing the table where Ron was resting his hand to burst into flames) and soar from the room in tears.

Hermione turned to her husband, glared at him and stormed off as well…