Scorpius Malfoy stopped in his tracks, looking at the object ahead of him. He was by himself in the empty corridor, not another soul in sight. He looked back at the ground in disbelief.

There was a toothbrush lying on the ground. Right in the middle of the corridor. It was a rather unused corridor and he tried to puzzle over how it would have gotten there. A toothbrush? Of all things. . .

He walked past it looking at it the whole way as if it would bite him. Was it there by accident? Was it a prank?

He was just about to continue his walk to class when he quickly went back and nudged the toothbrush, jumping backwards after in case it exploded. It fell on its side, but nothing happened. He picked up the toothbrush and braced himself, but again nothing happened.

Well he couldn't really leave a toothbrush laying on the floor now could he? Scorpius put it in his pocket and continued on to class. Perhaps there would be some signs up from some First year student about a missing toothbrush, though the chances were slim. Truth be told, he didn't really know why he felt he had to take it. He didn't question it though and headed off to class.

He got to class right in the nick of time. He sunk into his seat beside his best friend Malcolm Larousse. They were both seventh years and had been friends since First year. Whereas Scorpius had pale skin, light blonde hair, and grey eyes, Malcolm was the complete opposite: dark skin, black curly hair, and chocolate brown eyes. Scorpius was the tallest person in the school, and Malcolm was only considered average height for guys. Another big difference was that Scorpius was a ladies man whereas Malcolm was a one girl man.

They were both in Ravenclaw and knew each other very well. So well in fact that immediately when Scorpius's face dropped in disappointment in class, without saying anything I might add, Malcolm said:

"Apparently you won't be able to stare at her all class today. Maybe you'll make notes for once."

Scorpius stared in disbelief and said a little defensively, "what are you talking about?"

Malcolm snorted.

"Only a dumb person wouldn't see it. Seriously, I notice how you stare at her all class, and every class we have with the Gryffindors. It would be obvious to more people if we didn't sit all the way back here I'll have you know."

"I have no idea to whom you are referring to."

"Oh, I think you do. . ." Malcolm said, trailing off and focusing on the teacher who had thus begun to talk.

Of course he knew who the person was that Malcolm was referring to. Rose Weasley. The unattainable, unreachable, pretty witch with the dark blue eyes that could see right into his soul. She was tall, she had wild red flaming hair, she was intelligent, and Scorpius couldn't help himself, it was impossible to not stare at her all class.

He had had a crush on her almost since the first day he saw her. Not that she would have known. They dueled, threw paper balls at each other and got into fights. However, it had slowed down in the past two years. It was a phase he figured. They rarely fought now.

She was polite, she was rather shy at first, but if you got her going – she was as loud and as passionate as any person. She was also not in class.

"Where do you think she is?" Scorpius whispered at Malcolm.

Malcolm smirked. "Oh pardon? Apparently you aren't as easy to read as I thought. Who are you referring to?"

Scorpius groaned and put his face in his hands, saying a muffled "Rose Weasley."

"Oh I didn't hear you, you have something obstructing your mouth."

Scorpius lifted his hands off his face and repeated the name to Malcolm.

"Knew it. And I have no clue, she usually shows up to class yeah?"

"She was only in the hospital wing for that Quidditch accident for two days. Other than that I don't think she has ever missed class."

"Stalker much?"

Scorpius blushed and stammered out, "n.. noo. It. . . it's just- easy to remember."

"'Cause you lurve her. . . I'm joking. Merlin you look like you're sunburnt."

"Shut up."

"Will do gladly. You're distracting me with my notes. I can always go ask Potter at lunchtime."

"Well. . . I'm not that worried or anything. Just curious, you know?"

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"And satisfaction brought it back."

Malcolm nodded. "Touché. Okay I'll ask."

Lunchtime came. Scorpius positioned himself so he was facing the Gryffindor table and waited for Albus Potter to come in.

As soon as he saw him he threw his bun at Malcolm in his excitement.

"Look, look! He's there! Go ask!"

Malcolm took a bite of dinner and said, "hold your horses; he's not leaving, just arriving. Give him time to settle in."

"Rose isn't at dinner either, but that chick she hangs out with, with the vampire fangs– what's her name, it's rather Indian?"

"First of all, she only has long canine teeth, they are not vampire fangs. And her name is Simerjeet, but everyone calls her Simey."

"Yeah right, and the Longbottom twins– well I guess you are dating the girl, Jaz, but they are her friends too, right?"

"Yes, yes. They are all one big happy family over there. You know why don't you just go over and ask? Why must I?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Potter would hex me even though he is Head Boy. I don't want to deal with that nuisance today."

"At least the Head Girl is from Ravenclaw– you could appeal to her?"

"And the fact that no one can know I like Rose is also, you know, just slightly important."

"Maybe she likes you back, but she doesn't know you like her so none of you will ever make the first move and even though you are destined to be together, it will end in tragedy with both of you breaking each other's hearts while marrying other people. And then you both die at young ages." Malcolm paused and then dramatically said, "the horror!"

"Either A, you read too many romance novels, or B, you read too many romance novels."

"I do not read romance novels!" Malcolm said indignantly.

"Are they still under your mattress, or did you move them again when I found them last week."

Malcolm growled and then said very quietly, "moved them."

Scorpius grinned, "knew it."

"Whatever, okay I'm heading over there. If I've not back by the time class starts I will just meet you later."

Scorpius grabbed at Malcolm's robes, "don't go off with Jaz! I need to know right away!"

"Patience young grasshopper."

Scorpius groaned, "you would."

Then Malcolm sauntered off to the Gryffindor table.

Scorpius felt a pang of envy. Malcolm was well received by them over there. He had no chance. Of course he had been a ragamuffin when he was younger, but he had matured, hadn't he?

Scorpius forgot about the toothbrush residing in his pocket. It was only later when he reached for his wand in potions that he felt it and jumped in surprise.

He pulled it out to register in his mind that yes, he had a toothbrush in his pocket, and yes he was still sane. His assigned partner, Judy Gray, looked at him and the toothbrush in surprise and said in her nasally voice.

"You have a toothbrush in your pocket. You are soo weird. What did I ever see in you again?"

He returned the toothbrush to his pocket, blushing slightly.

He should have asked that question, what did he see in her? He only dated her because she hated Rose, and still did actually. Rose never got jealous which was what he had been aiming for. She just avoided him when he and Judy were together and never said one thing.

Eventually Scorpius had enough and broke up with her. She never took it well.

He heard Rose's name being mentioned and listened to the nasally voice.

"So glad that pesky red-head is not here today. Can't stand her and her family. They think they are all so cool."

Scorpius decided to speak up, besides, no one could hear him other than his partner and the girl she was talking to. The potions room was loud and they were in the front corner.

"Is that because James Potter said no to you when you asked him out?"

She gave an affronted gasp, "excuse me, like I would ever ask that swarmy git out. He is gross-nasty."

"Yeah sure." Scorpius shook his head and stirred the potion again.

"Are you like, obsessed with him?"

"Pardon!"

"Why would you stand up for him. You're a Malfoy."

The age-old argument. Damn her.

"Actually, names have nothing to do with this. My name doesn't define me, same as their names don't define them. I respect them for who they are now as people. They are not their parents and neither am I."

"Ew, whatever." She turned back to the girl she was talking to, "as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, was that I am glad that that Weasley know-it-all isn't here today. Yesterday she took house points away from my house. Just because I had some First Years help me carry my books. She is such a prude, she always does that."

Scorpius turned in anger. "STOP talking about her. And she was in the right to take away house points. She should have given you a detention too. You can't bully other people to do everything for you. Especially those younger than you. It's disgusting."

Thankfully class ended and he headed out of there real quick. He had to find Malcolm. He had to know, where was Rose Weasley?

"They don't know."

Scorpius hadn't even opened his mouth yet before Malcolm beat him to the punch.

"I– what? What do you mean?"

"They haven't seen her since this morning. And they were rather vague about something but they said she had something that they could have used to find her– but I don't know what they mean so I suppose that it's irrelevant. But yup, no sign. They figure she just went flying and lost track of time or something. To tell you the truth, they weren't too worried."

"They weren't worried! But what if something bad happened to her?"

"Well okay that's a lie, her friends and Al were slightly worried but they said she wanders off all summer so it's not very abnormal. Maybe she just got lost in the library? Some younger kids who I assume were relatives were laughing the whole time, or they were just occupied in their own conversation, I'm not exactly sure."

"The library. Hmm, it is a possibility, but unlikely. She's been going here seven years. I'm pretty sure she has never gotten lost before. Why now?"

"Ah well maybe tomorrow she will show up, and you can stare once more in class. Hey– what's in your pocket?" Malcolm asked, pointing to the toothbrush that was just peeking out of Scorpius's pocket. "Is that. . . what I think it is?"

Scorpius pulled the toothbrush out. "Yeah, it is a toothbrush. I found it in the hallway."

"Aaannndd, you picked it up because. . . ?"

"Honestly, I really don't know why. It was a fairly deserted corridor and it just seemed so randomly set there. So I grabbed it."

"Well you keep it in your pocket, and just leave it there. I am going to ask no more questions. Quite frankly I don't know what to say. Only a few hours without your lovely eye-candy and you've gone loopy! I have nothing at all to say right now. I'm speechless in fact."

Scorpius laughed and returned the toothbrush. "Oh Merlin. Don't worry about it. I'm heading off to the library." He noticed Malcolm about to open his mouth and interjected, "NOT because I'm looking for her, I really need to get started on my Potions assignment."

He waved good-bye and off he went.

It was later that night when he pulled out the toothbrush again. Still he kept it for some reason and he wasn't sure why. It was getting late, the library had closed, and his dorm mates were talking and getting on pyjamas. Scorpius closed the curtains around his bed to make certain no one saw him staring at a toothbrush. He cast Silenco, like customary, to block out the noises from his roommates getting ready.

Why did he keep it?

Maybe because the toothbrush was neatly coloured: the bristles on the head were a bright red. The rest of the toothbrush was black and white. It seemed odd to him, almost as if someone had requested for a specialty brush made.

Why the hell was he looking at a toothbrush! He was just about to throw it to the end of the bed when it got warm, and warmer, then hot.

He dropped it.

The toothbrush grew larger and larger.

All of a sudden there was a very disgruntled Rose Weasley sitting in front of him.

Her white school shirt was half unbuttoned and had numerous crinkles, rips, and creases. Her socks were bunched at her feet. Her black school skirt was haphazardly rumpled. She had some dirt smudged on her face. Her hair looked like it had been in a wind storm: curly tangles a foot off her head. If Scorpius had just seen her without knowing she had been a toothbrush all day he would have thought she just got back from a special rendezvous in the forest. However he was wise not to say anything.

Her freckled face was growing redder– from anger or embarrassment?– and she growled, "I am going to kill Roxanne and Fred Weasley."

She tried to cover up her chest but the buttons were broken. She was just about to pull back the curtain and lunge out when Scorpius reached out and grabbed her arms, bringing them together in front of her.

"You can't leave."

"What!" she asked in disbelief.

"Well you can leave, just wait 'till everyone is asleep. All my roomies are still up, and not gonna lie, you don't want them to see you like this."

"Why shouldn't they see me like this?" she asked defensively.

"Well you know. . . you like you just came out of a shag. And if you come out of my bed, well you know what they will think. Not that you know, it is a bad thing if that ever happened- I mean- wow I didn't just say that. Oh crap. Anyway I don't know if you want people all around the school to know or think that."

She sighed, holding her shirt together and fell backwards on the bed, laying there.

"You're right. I'll have to kill them later I suppose. Well you don't mind if I stick around a bit longer then eh?" she propped her head on one arm and looked at him.

Scorpius just about fainted then and there. He answered weakly, "no. . . not at all."

He then thought of something. "Err, Ro- Weasley I mean, do you want my robes to. . . er, cover up?"

She gave a laugh, "you've been calling me Rose all day, why can't you do it now? And yes I'd love them, thanks."

Scorpius turned red, she had heard him? Could the floor swallow him up? Could he disappear right now?

Apparently not.

He shrugged off his robes and handed them to her. She put them on and then rolled the sleeves back a few times since they fell over her hands. She faced him, sitting crossed legged on one side of his stretched legs.

He felt very naked in his trousers and his button up shirt. He loosened his tie, trying not to acknowledge how much he liked Rose Weasley in his school robes, in his blue colours.

She looked at him and bit her lip, then frowned and looked down, as if she was trying to decide something. "You're cute when you blush," she said quietly.

Oh geez, what do I say to that? he thought, his face turning even redder.

"Err, thanks. You look cute righ. . ." He coughed. "never mind. So did you really hear everything I said today?"

She laughed, "each and every thing. Thanks for standing up for me against that complete cow Gray though; I laughed in toothbrush form– if that even is possible."

Scorpius couldn't help but smile, "she is a cow, isn't she. Can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but yeah I know what you mean, so yes, you can."

"Why were you a toothbrush and in the hallway?"

Rose rolled her eyes and sighed, "my younger, bratty cousins. I caught them once out after dark, well actually multiple times and I know it's bad but since they are family, but I tended to let it go without reprimanding. After– it was maybe five times I had caught them– I told them they had detention for being out. They said I better watch it then because revenge was coming and badaboom badabing I became a toothbrush for what- approximately 12 hours? They bring such joy to my life I tell you."

"And why were you in the corridor?" he prompted.

"They must have spiked one of the muffins I ate, or the milk. I'm not sure. But I was just walking, and then I felt really warm and then I couldn't move. It was kind of a scary feeling actually. You weren't the first person to happen upon me. I did get kicked around a bit before I went to your pocket."

"I still can't believe you were in my pocket all day!" Scorpius put his hands on his head, covering his eyes and mouth. "And that you heard everything I said about- you." He muffled out.

There was silence for a moment and his heart beat faster. He felt like if she didn't say something soon he was going to explode.

He felt her body move on the bed. That's it, she's just going to leave, he thought.

Scorpius then felt a hand trace his chin. He jumped in surprise and goose bumps erupted all over his arms.

"You know, your friend Malcolm was right."

She lifted his hands off his face and held them away while she looked into his eyes. He was falling. . . falling, into the dark blue depths.

"In what respect?" he breathed out, acutely aware of her hands on his still.

"I always thought you hated me. I thought you just got tired of being around me, and that you dated all those girls to make me feel worthless. But if I had known the truth, the last two years may have been different. . . way different."

She then sat back, still looking at him deeply and intensely. Scorpius was speechless. Did she really just mean what she said? Did she say that? Do something. Say something! But he just sat there, staring.

She faltered, "oh my god. I knew it was too good to be true!" She fell back on the bed.

He shook himself in shock and said, "No. No, I meant it." He sat up quickly and was just bending over her when she sat up at the same time. Their foreheads smacked together.

"Ooow!" they both exclaimed. They were both holding their foreheads. Scorpius started laughing, and then Rose joined in.

"This day has been rather unbelievable hasn't it?" she questioned, as Scorpius lay down beside her.

They looked at each other. Scorpius smiled and said, "yes it has. And I meant every word you heard today. Wea- I mean, Rose. I really like you. Frankly I have for quite some time. And I don't care if your family doesn't like me, I don't care that you beat me at half the subjects we take. I want to, I want to be with you." He sat up then and then looked at her as she slowly sat up to.

"My family will love you, albeit maybe not quite at first, and even if they don't it's my life, not theirs. I don't care that you beat me at half the classes, I don't care that you prefer chocolate over vanilla,-" he grinned and she continued on, "I don't care that you cannot play Quidditch to save your life." She took a deep breath and then said,

"Scorpius, can I kiss you?"

He didn't even answer; he brought his hand to the back of her head and put his mouth on hers.

No more words needed to be said between them for quite some time.

La Fin

:)