A.N.: 18/08/14 Hi all. I have decided to edit this story since I wrote it years and years ago and, let's face it, my grammar and spelling were not that great. So I shall be going through chapters and adding, changing or removing anything that I feel needs to be added, changed or removed. Thanks.

Rose Weasley gave a final wave to her parents and set off down the rattling corridor of the Hogwarts Express. Her trunk, filled with all her new school books, was heavy, and coupled with her yowling cat, christened Spider by her younger brother Hugo, having a hissing fit in his cage, she was having a bit of trouble. Pushing her flaming red curls out of her eyes she spoke to the boy in front of her. "Hey James, could you-"
"Sorry Rose, gotta go! C'mon Albus!" And with that, James Potter raced away down the train hallway, his little brother Albus huffing and puffing in tow, as he too dragged a new trunk. Rose scowled after them.

"Boys." She growled. She struggled with her trunk down the train corridor, but everywhere was already full. Finally, just when Spider's crying was reaching a crescendo, she spotted a remarkably empty compartment. Rose whooped under her breath and struggled towards it. Once inside she heaved her trunk in after her and shut the door, and, after a struggle, hauled the heavy case into the hangar above her seat.

Relieved, Rose finally collapsed onto the seat and started fiddling with the clasps on Spider's cage, but before she could free him she startled and sat up straight again, because sitting opposite her was a boy already changed into his billowing black school robes, like her. He was tall, for an eleven year old, and had a pale face and straight, white-blond hair. His eyes were very light grey-blue and he was smirking slightly as he lounged across the seat in front of her, apparently amused at her struggles. She blushed, feeling her cheeks warm, and stood up abruptly and said "I-I'm sorry, I didn't realise you were here, I was just- I-… um… I'll be going now."
His eyes were glittering with amusement as she turned and started trying to lift her trunk down from the hangar overhead.
"You're a Weasley right?" a voice said. It was slightly drawling, with a hint of amusement colouring the tones. Rose found that it was pleasant to listen to. She turned her head and glared at him over her shoulder. "You're Scorpius Malfoy, correct? My dad told me to stay away from you." Her arms were still above her head, but they weren't trying to lift her trunk down, they were just resting on the hangar. "And yes, I'm a Weasley." There were neat fields outside the window now, with sheep and cows.
Scorpius inclined his head. "Rose." She was startled that he knew her name. "My dad told me to stay away from you too."
"Oh, then, in that case-" Rose was about to try and lift her trunk down again, but Scorpius just laughed.
"I'm always disobeying my father, I don't mind if you stay here." He lay down on the seat, bending his legs at the knees so his feet were flat on the cushions and pillowing his head on his arm. "And let your cat out, it's going to have an epileptic fit soon."
He was right; Spider was bashing the cage and hissing in competition to the train. Rose sat down again and sighed, though inwardly she was intrigued as to how he knew what an epileptic fit was. She shushed Spider and undid the clasp on the cage. Finally, the dusty grey cat bounded out of its cage and landed lightly on the floor in front of Scorpius's trailing cloak, his fluffy fur shaking as he quivered with energy. He quickly bounded around the compartment, jumping from seat to seat to the hangar and back a few times before landing back on the floor and sniffing Scorpius' cloak, sneezing and then leaping onto Rose's lap. He turned in a circle and closed his green eyes.
"I though he would've scratched you or something." Scorpius sounded disappointed. Rose scowled at him again, and stroked Spider as the cat purred.
"He's actually a real sweetie once he calms down, he just doesn't like cages. The only person he doesn't like is dad, so dad was happy I took him to Hogwarts with me this year." She stroked him again, and he purred.

"Mmm." Scorpius didn't seem interested in the subject anymore. Rose felt a little embarrassed. Was she really that boring?

"Where are those two boys you were with? At the platform?" He asked suddenly. Her eyebrows went up again. How much does he notice?

"James went to find his friends, because he's in his second year, and took Albus with him. They abandoned me." She huffed a bit at the thought of her cousins. Scorpius's eyes slid towards her from where they had been gazing out the window.

"How mean of them." He smirked. "What house is James in?" The teasing smile slid off his face and he sounded genuinely interested "And are they the Potter boys?"
"He's in Gryffindor. And yeah, they're the Potters. Why do you ask?" Rose said, though she felt she knew the answer.
"My dad said to definitely stay away from the Potters." Scorpius chuckled, and Rose drank the sound in. He sat up and grinned, showing her a set of straight, white teeth. "But maybe I'll defy him again. You never know. Hey," His eyes drifted to her bag. "What kind of wand do you have? And what house do you want to be sorted into?"
Rose, undeterred by the sudden topic change, got out her wand. It was a light brown, long and straight. "Fir, dragon-heartstring, ten inches. Nice and swishy and good for Transfiguration. What's yours?" She said
"Cypress, unicorn tail hair, twelve inches. Supple, good for... um, I can't remember, maybe Charms or something." He grinned. "Ollivanders?"
"Of course,"
"Me too."
"I figured." It was her turn to smirk. "And as for before, I don't really know what house I want to be sorted into. I suppose Gryffindor, because my dad said he'd disinherit me if I didn't get sorted in there." Scorpius laughed and Rose blushed. She hated people laughing at anything to do with her if it wasn't a joke. "But Ravenclaw would be alright too, I guess. What about you?"
"Um, I dunno, Slytherin I suppose... Y'know uphold the family tradition and ra ra ra." He shrugged.
"Oh yeah." Rose said, and put her head down. She was pretty sure it was unheard of for a person who wants to be a Gryffindor and a person who wants to be a Slytherin to share a compartment. Well, without bloodshed. But she knew how he felt.
All of a sudden the lunch trolley rattled past. "Anything from the trolley, guys?" The young man pushing the trolley was smiling broadly at them. Scorpius practically leapt to his feet right away and bought about half the trolley, grinning manically the whole time. 'Boys,' Rose thought for the second time that day, and rolled her eyes as he came back with an arms full. She got up to buy her own food but Scorpius nudged her back down with his foot.

"I bought some for you." he said. He flourished his arms at the pile of food he had tipped on the seat beside him. She smiled shyly and thanked him, surprised and flattered all at once. He offered her a Pumpkin Pasty and she accepted.
"A toast," he said a little while later, and broke the chocolate frog he had just opened (and caught, as it tried to jump away) in half. "For a Gryffindor and a Slytherin, if we get into our houses, to not hate each other." And he smiled warmly and offered her one of the halves. She beamed in return and bit into the chocolate.
Maybe this year at Hogwarts would be all right.