The first time Rose Weasley noticed Scorpius Malfoy as anything more than a classmate was halfway through their sixth year, during a double Potions class.
Professor Clearwater had given them thirty minutes to prepare their ingredients for a fairly difficult potion they were to make during the remaining class time, and as usual, Rose was the first to finish her prep. She watched as her classmates continued to chop, crush or pound various potion ingredients, and as she glanced around from beneath her bronze lashes, her eyes fell on Scorpius.
He was sitting in the row diagonally across from hers, his head bent over his worktable. His blond fringe fell into his eyes, and Rose couldn't help but admire his silky hair. He had beautiful hair – it was like spun gold, and the envy of many girls at their school. He also had the most gorgeous blue-gray eyes. Rose normally disliked it when people said eyes could be more than one colour, but Scorpius was a definite exception.
"Rose," Albus Potter, her best friend, nudged her, "how're we supposed to get these bean things to break open?"
Rose made an exasperated noise that caused Scorpius to turn, and he raised a pale eyebrow at her.
She flushed, feeling the childish urge to stick her tongue out at him, but she restrained herself from doing so and instead turned to help Albus.
After demonstrating to Albus how to split the beans open, she resumed with her observation of Scorpius' appearance. She had seen his father before, but Scorpius didn't have the pale, pointed features Draco had. He was definitely on the pale side, but his features looked more like his mother's, and he was quite attractive.
Rose was sure more than one girl would scoff at her conclusion – even she knew it wasn't true. Scorpius wasn't just 'quite attractive' – he was the best-looking boy Rose had ever known.
After class that day, Rose and Albus headed back to their common room, talking excitedly about the Quidditch match that was going to be held the next afternoon. Albus was an excellent flyer and was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
"We're up against Slytherin." Al groaned. "They have such a good team this year, and now it's going to be even better thanks to Scorpius – he's standing in for Jeremy Tornwood tomorrow because Jeremy's down with the flu."
"Scorpius?" Rose blushed as she remembered what she had been thinking about during Potions. "Is he any good?"
Al nodded. "Absolutely brilliant. Not quite as brilliant as James is, of course, but still..."
James Potter, Albus' older brother, was the Gryffindor Seeker, and he was incredible. He had caught the Snitch at every game Gryffindor had played since he was a first year.
They gave the Fat Lady the password before stepping through the portrait hole.
"You've still got one more class, right?" Al said.
Rose nodded. "I've got Arithmancy. Are you done for the day?"
"Yeah," Albus said, "I guess I'll see you later, then."
Rose went up to the girls' dormitory to get her Arithmancy books before heading off to her Arithmancy class.
She looked down at the many books in her arms as she walked, itching to flip them open and read them cover-to-cover. Instead, she stared at their titles and wondered what they'd learn in class that day.
She was almost at her Arithmancy classroom when she crashed into Scorpius and tumbled onto the ground, her books flying out of her hands.
She gasped and scrambled to her feet. Scorpius was already gathering her books, and he handed them to her once he'd picked them all up. "Sorry."
She turned pink. "That's okay. I wasn't looking where I was going."
Scorpius gave her a half-smile. "All the more reason I should be sorry, considering I was looking where I was going and still crashed into you."
"Oh." Rose had never thought of it that way. She hesitated before saying, "I heard you'll be playing at the match tomorrow. I didn't know you played."
Scorpius looked surprised, but he quickly covered it up with an indifferent expression. "Yeah, I'm playing tomorrow."
Rose had hoped her remark would start a conversation, but he didn't seem very interested in making conversation, so she said, "I'd better get to class."
"Yeah," Scorpius nodded, "I-I'll see you around?"
For some reason, the thought of seeing him around made Rose's heart skip a beat, and it took everything in her not to beam at him for even suggesting it. "See you around."
She hurried into her Arithmancy classroom, a wide smile on her face. She chided herself for acting like that airhead she disliked so much, Lena Faye – Lena was in the same year as Rose, and constantly gushed about the boys in Gryffindor – but she couldn't really help it.
She had never really spoken to Scorpius before, but now she wished she could talk to him all the time.
For the time being, she contented herself with replaying the scene in the hallway with Scorpius in her mind over and over.
But that was just for the time being, she told herself. Because she was determined to make friends with Scorpius, and if there was one thing to be said about Rose Weasley, it was that she always got what she wanted.
