"And do you remember the first time we talked?" Rose said, still smiling as the memories slipped away, back to the recesses of her mind.

"Of course," Scorpius replied. Chuckling, he added. "You were such a nerd, always reading twenty books at a time."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Like you were much better."

"That was an exception."

Rose walked among the shelves of the library, picking out different books and adding them to the already precariously-balanced stack in her arms. Her first year was quickly drawing to a close and exams were just around the corner. She wasn't too worried about passing Charms or Transfiguration, but Potions was a whole other story, and she definitely needed to study more for History of Magic too.

Finally satisfied with the pile in her arms when the books were closer to the ceiling than her head, Rose turned from the shelves and started to walk toward the tables, where she'd meet up with Albus and James. But she'd barely taken two steps when she smashed into someone else, sending books flying everywhere as she tumbled to the floor.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry," she began apologizing profusely, getting to her knees and reaching for her books. There were at least three dozen on the floor, more than she'd picked up. Whoever she'd bumped into must have had a stack almost as tall as hers. She grabbed one of the books and held it out. "Here's your…" Her voice trailed off as she realized who kneeled in front of her.

Scorpius had been watching her, waiting for her to look up. As expected, her cheeks flushed a deep pink when she noticed him. "Sorry," he apologized, taking the book from her and gathering the rest of his books together. "I didn't see you. Books got in the way."

Rose blinked. "Uh, yeah. Here." She handed him another book, Magical Mediterranean Water-Plants and Their Properties. "Guess you really like plants."

"Thanks," he said, taking the book from her, careful not to let their fingers touch. She was watching him the same way she eyed a particularly difficult potion recipe, and he didn't want to scare her off. "And no, not really. I just stink at Herbology and Professor Longbottom recommended some books that might help. I'm Scorpius, by the way."

She laughed, and the knot in his stomach instantly loosened. "I know who you are, we're in Potions together!" Granted, they were on opposite sides of the room, but still.

He smiled, and Rose's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah, but we've never been really introduced."

"Oh." He had a point. "I'm Rose. Rose Weasley."

"Nice to finally meet you, Rose." Still smiling, he picked up his last book and stood up. "Well, see you later."

"See you," Rose said, getting up.

"Are you okay, Rose?" Albus asked when she finally got to the table with all her books.

"Of course, why?"

"You look like someone's put a Cheering Charm on you," James said, barely looking up from his doodling.

"Just…thinking about how happy we'll be when exams are over," Rose said, ducking her head quickly and pretending to be absorbed in her reading. If she smiled that much when she and Scorpius barely talked, how would she react if they actually had a decent conversation?

The thought made her blush so hard, she kept her face hidden in her book till it was time to leave the library.