The first time she spoke to him was when he barreled into her on the Hogwarts Express. She went flying, her trunk skidded out of her grip and careened against a wall, and his face turned beet red.
"S-sorry…" he stammered, climbing shakily to his feet, his eyes on the ground.
"Where are you going?" she said. "It's the first day of school! You can't possibly be in such a rush to get anywhere, we literally just got on the train!"
"Oh… uh… m-my… cat. She got out and I… wait… I can't see her anymore!"
"I'll help you look! What does she look like? What's she called? No, wait, tell me while we look, there can't be that many cats wandering around the Hogwarts Express. I'm Rose, by the way."
His mouth curved just enough to barely be called a smile. "Scorpius."
The last time she spoke to him, she was packing her clothes into a suitcase. Their voices were soft and muted. The hurt and anger in their words had worn out long ago, and all that was left was weariness. "I'll miss you, you know," she said.
"Don't lie to me."
"Ok." Her face wrinkled like she might cry, but her eyes stayed dry.
He sighed and enfolded her in a hug. "I'll miss you."
He sounded almost sincere, and she almost smiled.