Everyone knew. Everyone. It was impossible not to notice. Everyone in the entire universe seemed to just know.
Rose Weasley was desperately in love with Scorpius Malfoy. And he felt the same way. Everyone knew. Even they knew. Everyone always thought it was just a matter of when. It was always just a matter of when.
Everyone could see it in the way she smiled at him whenever he did something stupid. Everyone could see it in the way her face lit up whenever he appeared. Everyone could hear it in the way she laughed at his jokes. Everyone could hear it in the way she said his name, the way it just fell from her lips. And all the time, she would shake her head at him, laugh, and call him "idiot," but all everyone heard was "I love you." It was just a matter of when.
Everyone could see it in the way he'd stare when he thought she wasn't looking. Everyone could see it in the way he'd always end up acting stupid in front of her, because he was trying to impress her, but he had no clue what to do. Everyone could hear it in the way he spoke to her, softer, lighter, only with her, only ever with her. Everyone could hear it in the way he said her name, like a promise he meant to keep for life. And if anyone asked if he loved her, he'd scoff, and say "never," but all everyone heard was "completely." It was just a matter of when.
But then years and years and years passed. Nothing. They dated other people, but those relationships never quite turned out right. The people they dated soon saw it as a game. Could anyone surpass the way Scorpius thought of Rose? Could anyone take over Rose's mind the way Scorpius did?
Rose was waiting. She fancied other guys, dated them, but it was never what she wanted. She wanted Scorpius. They argued all the time, sometimes big, huge arguments, but she had never felt so strongly for anybody but him. Sometimes, she'd catch him staring at her, while they were sitting in class, and she'd give him a questioning glance, but he'd just smile. It was the little moments like that where she thought she knew. It was moments like that where she actually felt that maybe he could love a girl like her.
Rose didn't consider herself to be the prettiest, but she was damn intelligent, and she knew it. She had big plans for Hogwarts, starting from her very first day. Her parents were two parts of the most famous trio in the wizarding world. She had known what she wanted from the very start, all up until she got blindsided by a tall, pale boy with platinum hair and grey eyes. She still wanted to achieve everything she'd always wanted, but she fought with all her might to find ways to squeeze him into her complex world. And she thought it would be just a matter of when.
Scorpius was waiting. He dated a girl for a long while, nearing two years, and he thought it would all be okay, but then he'd see Rose smiling, and he'd lose his heart all over again. He'd always hated the saying "think with your head instead of your heart," because Scorpius knew that humans don't even think with hearts at all. Yet, his thought process changed, every time he saw Rose with a guy, because he could swear that his heart hurt, no matter how hard he tried to forget. He felt like a total sap. But sometimes, he'd see how excited she got when he appeared, and he'd wonder if she did that for anybody else. But she seemed like she was just that way with everyone. Scorpius didn't really have a good idea of what love looked like… Sometimes it seemed like he would wonder for hours whether or not she loved him, or just loved everyone.
Scorpius felt so lonely, all of the time. He couldn't help it. As he walked around Hogwarts, he felt constantly reminded that his family had played a monumental role in Voldemort's army. There plaques all over the walls for Potters, Longbottoms, Lovegoods, Weasleys…and so many more. But there were no Malfoys. When they studied the history of the war in class during his first year, he had to leave the classroom because he couldn't bear to hear the things people were going to say about his family. He knew people's opinions on them, but they were his family, they were all he had. He'd read all of the stories, heck, heard stories from Harry Potter himself, but Draco Malfoy was his father, nothing would ever change that. Scorpius tried to laugh most of it off, like if someone insulted Malfoys, he'd say, "yeah, they're pretty bad, if you ask me," and then he'd give a little laugh, but it hurt all the same. But then there were people like Rose Weasley, people who he figured would never accept him that would do just the opposite. She was his best friend. He figured it would only be a matter of when.
But years and years and years passed. They graduated from Hogwarts. They were Head Boy and Head Girl. They were tied for number one. They were complete equals, in everything. Equally smart, equally loved, equally in love. Everyone could see it. It was impossible not to notice.
On graduation day, they both gave speeches. Rose went first, because Scorpius insisted that ladies always go first. "My whole life, I have grown up in the spotlight of what seemed to be the entire wizarding world. People saw my first steps in the Daily Prophet. Everyone heard of the day I completed my first spell correctly. I've always felt the need to live up to the expectations that were given to me. And, for the most part, I feel as if I have. It's an honor to be standing here today, graduating as the Head Girl, and the captain of my quidditch team, and tied for number one. I could never have done any of that if it weren't for everyone just naturally expecting so much from me. So, I just want to thank everyone out there, who ever pressured me to beat them on an exam, even though I am so sorry I probably became crazily competitive. I want to thank everyone who ever made me laugh when I was stressed out over a paper. I want to thank my mum and dad for being weird, and smart, and supportive. And I want to thank Scorpius Malfoy, because I don't know what I would've done if you weren't there for me. I most likely would have died trying to beat you, so I'm glad we were in this together. When nothing made sense, you always made it right. I can't wait to see all of the amazing things you'll do, all just a matter of when. And you know, I believe everyone in this year has such amazing things ahead of them. Every person shines so much brighter than you could imagine. So here's to us! We're all going to take the world by storm; there's no 'if's' or 'buts,' it's just a matter of when."
She was applauded by all the parents, students and professors in the Great Hall. The Daily Prophet caught her father shedding tears. And then it was Scorpius Malfoy, ending the ceremony with his speech. "Weirdly enough, my whole life, people thought I would fail. I always felt so lonely here, even though I had such amazing friends. There's so many trophies and plaques and memorials for wizarding families here, so many things to remember the great things they achieved, but I never saw anything for a Malfoy, which I understand. Sometimes, it was weird to walk around with all of my friends, and know that my family had once battled against theirs. But I feel it only made me work harder to prove myself, to prove my worth. And I know you all have opinions of my family, may they be good or bad, but my parents really loved me so much. They taught me to try to change the way us Malfoys were perceived, by being good and smart and doing what I love. Every triumph I had felt like one step forward, and every failure felt like ten steps backward, but I'm thankful for that. I wouldn't be here without that. But bloody hell, there's one thing I forgot to do while here at Hogwarts, one thing that has constantly left me feeling like I have failed everyone, and you know what? It's time. Everyone in my year has been waiting for something for a very long time. I have been waiting for something for a very long time. Rose, I love the way you say my name." The whole year erupted into cheers and clapping as he said that, but he only continued, staring straight at her, as her eyes widened, "I love your smile. I love the way you talk. I love how smart you are, and how driven you are. Heck, I love the way you insult me. And I feel like everyone has been trying to bring this out of me for years, so here goes, Rose, I love you." He stepped away from the podium, and the entire year clapped and cheered as he walked back over to his seat next to Rose.
She stood from her seat, and folded her arms. "It took you long enough."
"Technically, it took you longer." He said with a smirk. "Just a matter of when, right?"