I've always written my Rose/Scorpius's where Rose is confident and composed so for this one-shot I thought I'd turn everything on its head and make Rose shy.

Please let me know what you think!

Something's are louder than words...

"Shut up Weasley."

"I-I..." I flushed scarlet before slipping out the door and closing it quietly behind me. The prefect didn't even notice I'd gone.

It just wasn't fair.

All my life I'd been told to shut up. By my overlarge family, by my condescending friends, and now, it seemed, by the Hogwart's Prefects too.

I'm a sixth year. A Sixth Year! And yet no-one knows my name. I wasn't asked to be a Prefect because the teachers thought I was too quiet, too afraid of conflict. I wasn't asked to join the Duelling club because the leaders thought I was too wimpy. I didn't even make it into Gryffindor like the rest of my family because the Sorting Hat thought I wasn't brave enough.

At first, when I got to Hogwarts for the first time, everyone was all over Al and me. They wanted to know what it was like being related to Harry Potter, what it was like to be famous. Al loved it. Soon he had his little troop of admirers and forgot all about me, happy to be the Hogwarts Heart-throb, happy to fawned over and admired.

I hated it and soon they left me alone, they didn't know what to make of me. I was neither a joker like James, able to make anyone laugh, or the best at duelling in the school like Albus. I didn't have the nerve to try out for the quidditch team like Lily who, despite the fact she's only fourteen, has already been approached my four talent-spotting agencies and I wasn't beautiful like Dominique who models in her spare time.

When anyone say the name Weasley, most people think of my brother, Hugo, who had gained a reputation of unparalleled prankster, a boy who would do anything for the right price, legal or no.

I was just Weasley. Or Hugo's sister. Or one of the Potter's cousins.

I was neither witty or beautiful or funny.

Easy to over-look, easy to forget.

It's my sixteenth birthday today, the first of September, and I'm heading back to Hogwarts for another year of being forgotten.

The Prefects hadn't even noticed me when they first barged into my compartment, chatting about the new year and quidditch and what they did over the holidays. Scorpius was the first one to notice me.

In my mind Scorpius can never be Malfoy. Oh to be sure, he had his father's pale face and hair and startlingly grey eyes which flash like the lake in a storm. But his face shows none of the Malfoy's pride or harsh angles Da has told me so much about. Instead he has softness about him that I can only assume he got from his mother.

"Hey." He said softly to me, leaning forward to push the curtain of hair that I'd let slide forward to hide my face back behind one ear. I looked up at him and swallowed hard, praying he would just let me go back to my book and leave well enough alone.

"What you doing Malfoy?" The Hufflepuff Fifth Year prefect asked, leaning forward. Then he saw me.

"What are you doing in here...erm...what's your name again?"

"Weasley." I whispered, looking away from Scorpius and down to my clench fists. "Rose Weasley."

"Weasley eh? Not Hugo's sister?"

"Hugo has a sister?" The Slytherin prefect asked.

I flushed and gulped. Please, please...

"Does it really matter?" The Hufflepuff asked. "What matters is what are you doing in this compartment?"

"I w-w-was here first." I stammered.

He snorted, "Shut up Weasley." I flushed an even darker shade of red and stumbled out of the compartment, hoping they wouldn't see my tears. Then I shook my head, I was being silly, of course they wouldn't see my tears, I was forgotten, like a spoiled potion that had been vanished.

But even so, I glanced back through the glass one last time before I ducked my head and hurried off.

Scorpius was watching me, concern written in his silver eyes.

~x~

The next problem was where was I to go now. I'd got on the train early so I could find an empty compartment and now it seemed my only option was to join my family in the compartment right at the back of the train which would be full of smoke and laughter and make me feel as out of place as a muggle in Diagon Alley. I sighed and let my hair fall forwards to hide my face, stooping slightly I set off, trudging along. If I was to go to my cousins compartment I would have to traverse the whole length of the train. Endure the stares, however fleeting, meet people, talk to them.

Or I could hide out in the girl's bathroom until the Prefects can left the compartment and I could risk going back to find my bag, my trunk being safely secreted in the Potter's compartment, out of sight and prying hands.

I set off, hurrying slightly, my book clamped to my chest towards the nearest bathroom which I knew from experience was at the end of this particular carriage.

"Rose?"

I froze by a compartment with the blind pulled down and listened to the hurrying footsteps behind me.

"Rose?" The voice came again and this time I recognised it, turning around slowly to look into Scorpius's silver eyes.

He raised his arm, like he had done before and brushed my hair out of my face so he could see me without my protective curtain hiding me from sight. His fingers lingered on my cheek for a fraction of a second before he let his hand drop back down to his side.

"Yes?" I asked, almost so quietly, that if he hadn't been standing so close to me he probably wouldn't have heard.

"I..." He flushed slightly and held out my bag as though he had only just remembered why he was here. "Your bag, you left it in the compartment, I mean..." He broke off, like he had thought of a better way to phrase this. "I'm sorry, about that, I shouldn't have-"

"It's fine." I muttered, sliding the worn straps out of his fingers and into my arms. I didn't want his pity. "Happens all the time. It's no big deal." He was still staring at me. "Thanks for my bag." He still wasn't getting the hint. "I'll just go then.."

I turned to leave, walk as fast as is humanly possible without running to the bathroom.

"Wait! Rose. Don't go..." I paused, he looked like he wanted to say something else but wasn't sure how I'd take it. "Where are you going?"

"Find somewhere else to sit I guess. There'll be another empty compartment somewhere."

"But that's not fair, you where in that compartment first."

"Since when has that mattered? Besides I should've known the Prefect's would have wanted that compartment. I just wanted to be away from my family."

He looked slight bewildered by my logic. "So you're saying that it was your fault we came barging into your compartment and were so rude to you?"

"I guess." Though it sounded weird when he said it like that. "I'd better go." I turned around for a second time and started back off up the train. His longer strides easily caught up with mine.

"You can come and sit with me and my friends if you want." He offered, offhand, like he'd only just thought of it. When I didn't say anything for a moment he added, jokingly, "It's better than the guard's wagon, right?"

"The Guard's Wagon is actually very nice." I muttered, "As long as you have a very thick cloak. It gets cold in there very quickly."

His look turned to one of incredulity, "You're joking aren't you?"

My silence seemed answer enough.

"Oh Merlin, that settles it, you're sitting with us." And with that he grabbed my hand and pulled me into a compartment on the right.

"Hey Scorp. Thought you'd be patrolling forever!" The cheerful voice belonged to a boy with long dark hair, tied back at the neck with a tie and warm brown eyes that were twinkling merrily. He had his feet in the lap of a pixie of a girl with black hair cut into a sharp bob and tanned skin which made her black eyes seem even darker.

"Forever's a long time." Scorpius said mildly and tugged me out from behind him. "This is-"

"I know, you're Rose Weasley right?"

My mouth dropped open in surprise. "Yes. But how did you-"

"You tutored my little sister in Transfiguration all last year."

"Oh." An awkward silence fell and I shuffled uncomfortably. It was only Scorpius's warm hand that was anchoring me there and keeping me from running. Perhaps he knew what I was thinking because after a few more moments of the silence he pushed me gently into the compartment, let go of my hand and slid the compartment door closed, pulling down the blind as well.

"Have a seat."

"Thanks." I slid into the seat right by the door, clutching my bag to my chest and staring down at my knees, my red hair providing a curtain.

"Oh my gosh I love your hair! Is it natural?" A high voice asked.

"Lint! Don't be rude." That was the boy with the long dark hair.

I glanced up at Scorpius who smiled encouragingly. I was pathetic, I couldn't even answer a simple question with help.

"Yeah, it's natural." I ventured a smile and was hit by the full force of thirty-two perfectly white teeth.

"That's amazing! I dye mine like every month to keep it this colour." Lint fingered one of her perfectly sleek locks despairingly. "Otherwise I'd just be as mousy as Nat here." She gestured to the boy who stuck out his tongue in return, then stuck out her hand to me. "I'm Lint by the way. Lynette Mint really but that's a mouthful so everyone just calls me Lint."

She had perfectly manicured nails painted bright blood red. I took the proffered hand and shook it nervously. "Rose, Rose Weasley."

"Great to meet you. I've seen you around Hogwarts but you always seemed surrounded by followers so I never got a chance to talk to you."

"Followers?"

"Oh don't mind Lint," Nat said easily, pulling out a chocolate frog from one of his robe's pockets and lobbing it at Lint's head. "She thinks everyone who has more friends than her is planning to take over the world."

I shot Scorpius a helpless look.

"I think you'll find that the followers as you call them where in fact the rather extended Weasley and Potter clans."

"I'd love to be one of a big family." Lint said, dreamily. Think of all the presents you'd get at Christmas..."

"Think of all the presents you'd have to buy." I snapped suddenly. Lint had no idea of what it was like to be one of hundreds. "It would cost you a fortune. And you never get a moment to yourself either. Someone is constantly wanting something." Brilliant Rose, I groused, just go and alienate the only person who's been nice to you today. Are you really trying to ruin your life?

Lint looked at me for a few seconds before throwing back her head and bursting out laughing. "Oh she's a gem Scorp! I can see why she's got your panties in a twist!"

I flushed scarlet but Scorpius didn't seem that fussed. "Why are you so interested in the state of my underwear?" His voice was calm and melodious, as though he never got worked up about anything. "Is there something you're not telling us Lint?"

"Oh shut up Scorp!"

I flinched.

Three pairs of concerned eyes immediately flew to me.

"Are you okay?" Scorpius asked, in that same concerned voice he'd used back in the prefect's compartment, like he actually cared what my answer was.

"I'd better go," I said hurriedly, standing up and reaching down for my bag but Scorpius got there first, snatching it out of my hands.

"Please Scorpius, give me my bag back." I whispered. I wrapped my arms around me as though that was all it took to stop all the hurt pouring out of me.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just have to go, that's all. My cousins..."

"You said you wanted to get away from them."

"I-I..." I stuttered, almost cringing away from the inquisitive looks Lint and Nat where directing at me.

"You know what?" Lint interrupted suddenly, after exchanging a glance with Nat. "I fancy a pumpkin pasty. Want to come and try and find the trolley Nat?"

He jumped to his feet and headed for the door, "Sure! Great idea."

Scorpius sighed as the door slid closed and the footsteps hurried away. "Those two, they'll do anything to have a quiet life. They avoid conflict like some people avoid dragon pox."

"Give me my bag."

"Not until you tell me what's going on."

"I don't even know you, why should I tell you anything." I spat, trying to ignore the look of hurt that flashed across his features. "Look, I'm sorry but I've spent my entire life keeping everything to myself and it's not exactly easy to spill my innermost thoughts and emotions to someone I've never spoken to before."

"I'm not a stranger. Least, I'd like not to be."

"Why? Why do you even notice me?"

I felt my face burn at his frank look.

"Because no-one deserves to be alone. I know."

Of course he did. In every turn of his life he must have been opposed by almost everyone. Just like I was, he must have been judged by his family. But whereas I'd shied away from them, destroying my first, best chance at making good friends; Scorpius had embraced to whispers and rumours and used them to his advantage. He's proven to the wizarding world that he's not his father. He's even made friends something I didn't manage.

"It's just..." I cannot believe I'm telling him this, "It's just that my entire life I've been just one of the Weasleys, one of hundreds. I'm not loud or confident like my family and that's made me..."I trailed off trying to find the right way of putting it.

"Easy to overlook?" He said.

I nodded. "Everything I did or said just seemed to disappoint everyone so in the end I just found it easier to not bother. The only one I can rely on to actually listen to me without being told to close my mouth is me."

"Well you failed."

"What?"

"You never disappointed me. I've watched you for five years. I've seen what you do for other people without ever telling them and how they treat you in return yet you never lost your temper with them. You just let them say what the hell they felt like to you and turned and walked away like you couldn't care less. So what if you're not like your family. You're unique Rose, isn't that the best way to be? Don't you know how much I've envied you? You're beautiful, you're smart, you get knocked down and you just get back up again. Over and over and over again."

His hand was entwined in my hair, not even touching my skin yet he was sending goose bumps down my spine.

"You don't see the heads that turn when you pass by do you? Hear the whispered conversations about that beautiful girl who is aloof and distant, not needing to be supported by anyone. Rose..."

Then his hand was on my jaw, fingertips tracing my lips and so close, so close. Close enough to feel his cool breathe on my skin, making it tingle, making it sing.

"B-but-"

He didn't tell me to be quiet instead sliding his hand down to cupping my neck. "What?"

I gulped slightly, and when I did speak my voice was barely more than a whisper. "But you barely know me."

"I know you better than I've ever known anyone, all my life, and I can just tell, right here..."

He lifted my fingers, pressing them to his chest, just over his heart.

And then he kissed me, the barest butterfly of kisses like wings beating together, barely touching.

And for the first time in my life...

...I felt like I could shout out loud.

So...What do you think?

To like or not to like...That is the question!

Please review!