I always had my eye on him. You don't easily forget the most charismatic boy you've ever met. The charisma made me a little suspicious, to be honest. Because was he aware that he wrapped everyone around his finger? Did he know that the way he made eye contact with every person he talked to made them feel for a moment as though someone really listened, really got it?

I wouldn't put it past him. He was, after all, a top student, and his knack for strategy was apparent from the way he captained the Slytherin Quidditch team.

He was always surrounded by people. Even if he was with just one friend, you would have felt as though you were intruding on something intimate if you'd tried to join in on their conversation; he was that engrossing and that able to look engrossed as well.

And I didn't think he knew who I was at all, because he never looked at me with those honest eyes, never gave me one of those genuine smiles that put people at ease.

So you can imagine my surprise, then, when I was taken away from my studies by- well, you guessed it. Him. Scorpius Malfoy. Tapped me on the shoulder, stood over me. I looked up and saw first his pale blue button up, and then his quiet eyes, and the combed, smooth blond hair.

You'd think, having kept an eye on him all these years, I wouldn't be so affected by his appearance, and yet- the quickening of the heartbeat, the sudden awareness of my pulse- I was.

After all, it's not every day a boy like that taps you on the shoulder.

"Hey there, Rose," said he, and I felt a flutter in my stomach. Seven years, and I never heard him say my name before this moment.

I closed my notebook. "Oh, hey there," I said, though internally I was thinking, Did somebody just cast a heat-spreading charm in here or is it just me?

His eyes met mine as I should've guessed they would. He was always so- so personable.

"Mind if I sit down here?" He gestured to the chair opposite mine. I gave the library a glance-over, trying to see if one of his usual companions was around waiting to meet him or something, but there was no one but a couple of second-years flipping through magazines.

I shook my head, and he set his things down on the table before going to sit across from me. When he was settled, he looked up and caught me watching him. Then he gave me one of those smiles so I quickly looked back at my textbook.

A minute or two past before he offered, "I hope you don't mind me intruding."

"Not at all," I replied, trying to sound nonchalant. "In fact, it's rather nice to have some company." In the moment I'd been feeling brave, but after I said it, my mind was reeling. Did he think I didn't have any friends? Did he find me self-pitying? Could he tell, from one sentence, that I'd always sort of fancied him in my own weird way?

I avoided looking at him for as long as possible (not very long at all) and when I finally did, he gave me a friendly smile.

We worked in silence for a while. I stole a couple glances at him every now and then, but he seemed very into his studies. Only, I looked at him again, and there he was, looking at me.

The blush spreading through my cheeks was unwelcome but unstoppable.

"Rose."

"Yeah?"

He suddenly heaved a heavy sigh and pushed his papers away from him.

"Can I be honest with you?"

I gave him a quizzical look. "Were you not before?"

He smiled and then caught himself smiling and then put his face back into a more neutral expression. "Well, I almost wasn't. Because I was going to tell you that I was seeking refuge here from all of the noise of the Slytherin common room."

He'd gone and muddled my brain again. "I, uh, what?"

"It wouldn't have been true. Because the Slytherin common room is empty right now."

"But then why would you need to come to the library?"

"Well…" He paused and loosened his tie and took a deep breath. "Because- well, now it sounds a little stupid-" He was being self-deprecating, probably for my sake, because Merlin knows he was anything but stupid, ever. "But it's our last year at school, and I've never had the guts before, but I've always wanted to talk to you."

This had to have been the last thing in the world I would have imagined he was going to say.

"Talk to me?" was all I could manage thanks to my rapidly beating most-vital organ.

He grinned as he rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah, Rose. 'Course I did. But you just always seemed so much better, so above all the petty stuff. You never cared about who was dating whom or who got messed up at a party or any of that dumb stuff. You've always been too, well, cool for it."

I couldn't help laughing. "Me? Too cool? I think you've got this a little wrong, Scorpius. I haven't exactly avoided all of these things by choice."

His eyebrows shot up. "Really? But you just never seemed phased by any of it."

I shrugged. "I suppose I never cared too much. But it always sort of interested me."

"That's just the mystique. It's really got no more substance than it seems."

"You say that, but it only makes me want to find out for myself."

"'Course it does. You're Rose Weasley, most inquisitive witch in our year. I shouldn't be surprised." He leaned back in his chair.

"Most inquisitive? That's my legacy?" I said in mock-offense.

He crossed his arms. "Amongst other superlatives, I assure you."

Half under my breath, I muttered, "Do I even want to know the others?"

"You'd like them."

"How do I know?"

"There you go again, Most Inquisitive.

"I accept that, Most Dubious Agenda."

He laughed and I couldn't help but return his smile. "It's really not so dubious. It's what I've said already. I've always wanted to talk to you, and I never did before."

"But why did you want to talk to me in the first place?"

"Why?" He gave me a rather incredulous look, like it should have been obvious. "Because you're so interesting." He silenced my attempt to interrupt by continuing. "You've always been this- this quiet storm. Always with your nose in a book, with some great insightful thing to say in class. You study harder than anyone I've ever met, and you sometimes tuck your wand behind your ear and bite your thumb nail when you're deep in thought. And-" He stopped himself, and now it was his turn to get pink in the cheeks.

The lump in my throat made me speak softly. "And what?"

"And-" he started laughing nervously, "And one time I heard you singing in the prefect's bathroom."

I could feel myself slumping in my seat, wondering when the host and camera crew would come out and tell me this had all been an elaborate prank.

"Dear Merlin no. I'm so sorry you had to hear that," I said, once it became apparent no film crew would be appearing.

"No, no, not at all," he said with a worried expression. "Look, Rose, I guess what I'm saying is that I've just always been fascinated by the way you are so totally yourself."

I couldn't bloody believe it. "You've got to be kidding me."

He looked alarmed, worried he'd said something wrong. "What?"

And then I started cracking up. I couldn't help it. The whole thing just seemed so funny to me. He was still looking kind of worried even when I'd managed to calm down. "I can't believe you've been thinking that for however long, when I've always thought," I began fiddling with my quill, "That you were so interesting, too. That you're always so composed and put together and able to go ahead and charm just about any person you fancy to."

He looked a little smug. "You think I'm charming?"

My face was burning again. "Not sure if I said that, but, well, yes."

He relaxed in his chair again, all traces of worry gone. "You really shouldn't admire how composed a person is. I feel like all I've ever wanted was to be able to be really honest about myself, but that's so… difficult. It's easier to be a 'type,' you know?" He furrowed his brows. "No, of course you wouldn't know. That's what I like about you, how you never made yourself a 'type.'"

It was hard for me to believe this spout of honesty wasn't a dream. The only way for me to properly function was to believe that it really was. "And this, coming from our very own Most Easy to Like."

"You can't possibly be referring to me?"

So he really didn't know the power of his charm.

"Did you really think everybody gets that many cards at Christmas?" I said. It was a fact I only knew from my friend Liza who lived for gossip- Scorpius had received nearly fifty-three Christmas cards over the Winter holidays in sixth year from friends and admirers and a couple of his most fond professors.

"Does everybody know that?" he said half to himself.

"When you're friends with the whole school, your business sort of becomes public property."

"I'm not friends with the whole school. In fact, there's a million students I wish I knew better," he said in a lightly indignant tone.

"That must be hyperbole."

"Fine. But there's at least one." He stared straight at me.

I felt my heart flutter again and a groan escaped my lips. "There goes Mr. Charming again."

He sighed. "Alright, Rose. You caught me. I'm not very good at this whole honest, barebones stuff."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. You just- fluster me a bit, is all."

The corner of his mouth flitted up. "In a good way?"

I could only laugh at his expression. "Well, in a word, yes."

We looked at each other and then I checked my watch. "Oh, Merlin, how'd it get this late? It's nearly curfew!" I stood and began collecting my things and he began to do the same.

We left the library together.

"Good night," I said once we were in the dimly lit corridor.

"Well, wait. Might I escort you back to the Ravenclaw tower?"

I was about to make up an excuse out of nervousness but decided against it. I sort of liked the way my heart was beating erratically, believe it or not.

"Yeah," I said. "You might."

He grinned.

We began navigating the empty corridors, our footsteps echoing on the stone walls.

"I hope I haven't freaked you out or anything," he said quietly as we passed a sleeping portrait.

"Not at all. I'm not very easily freaked, anyways."

"Well, that's good. And I really will try to be more straight-forward and honest and all that."

Maybe it was the absurdity of the situation or the late hour that made me bold. "Might as well practice now. The honesty, I mean."

He stopped walking. "Alright, what should I tell you then?"

I thought for a moment.

"You're doing it," he said with a pleased look.

"Doing what?"

"Biting your thumb nail!"

And indeed I had been.

"Well, I've got it. Tell me something you've never told anyone before."

We started walking again.

"I prefer vanilla to chocolate?" he tried.

I shook my head. "Not deep enough."

"I used to pretend I was adopted when I was little."

"Everyone does that," I retorted.

"Not for the same reasons, though."

I looked at him, trying to gauge his expression. "So what was yours?"

He stopped again and looked rather flushed. "Because people kept glaring at my parents. I thought I had been kidnapped by the bad guys, and some day my real, pure of heart parents were going to rescue me…"

I didn't know what to say at first. I never thought about Scorpius's parents as being the "bad guys." His father had been on the wrong side during the war, but that was over twenty years ago. He'd made a new name for himself in society. And Scorpius with his charm always managed to win over people who questioned him for his heritage.

"So how did you cope?"

"I figured out that 'bad guy' was a rather arbitrary term; that my father could be the bad guy but so could the person who was glaring at him."

By now we were in front of the Ravenclaw tower.

And it struck me as being so funny how one encounter could totally change your perspective on someone. I mean, I always knew Scorpius was a really charming guy. But I didn't know just how interesting he could be, how wonderful I found his desire to be authentic was, how he admired me- me, of all people- for doing my own thing.

The faraway look in his eyes was gone and his eyes met mine again. "Your turn."

"Something I've never told anyone before?" I knew what I wanted to say but I didn't know if my hammering heart would let me.

He nodded.

I gulped.

"I've never kissed a boy before." I willed myself to keep my eyes locked to his.

He tried to keep a flat expression but I could tell he was a little surprised, a little nervous.

Suddenly it seemed we were standing much closer together. I could feel his breathing, I could smell his aftershave.

"Really?"

I nodded.

My voice was soft. "The part I've never told anyone before, though, is that… I really want to kiss you." It was true, too. It hadn't been true until moments earlier, but I knew I wanted Scorpius Malfoy, this charming enigma, this silly boy who appreciated the more introverted aspects of my personality, to be my first kiss.

I could feel his breath on my ear as he whispered, "Is that so?"

And then he kissed me.

And again, I was struck by the craziness of it all. Because it turned out we'd found the other interesting for as long as we'd been at school. Because he noticed how I bit my thumb nail and I knew for sure now that his charisma was not entirely calculated.

The kiss was swift and rather chaste and sooner rather than later he pulled away.

"Well, good night, Most Kissable," he said, giving my hand a squeeze.

I gave him a small wave. "Good night, Most Charming." I turned to face the knocker when he grabbed me by the shoulder.

"Think I can see you tomorrow?" he said, biting his lip in a nervous way. I felt melt-y again.

"Yes. Yes I do."

Maybe it was crazy, but we went from being practically strangers to friends to, well, friendly strangers who kiss each other in empty corridors. But then again, maybe it's not that crazy. After all, Scorpius has always been a charming guy.

A/N: hope you liked it! review on your way out, if you'd be so kind!

GCP