A/N: I've tried to do justice to Rowling and her amazing world and characters, but of course, I'm flawed, so please forgive me for any flaws in this story and if there's anything you think I should work on, please let me know!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, Hogwarts, etc. J.K. Rowling does!

"And then there was that little mishap that happened during our second year," Scorpius said, bringing them both out of the reverie.

Rose couldn't hold in her giggle. "You still remember it?"

"It's kind of hard to forget when you're just minding your own business and a girl falls on you," he replied, a smile tugging up the corners of his mouth.

ooo

Scorpius knew he wasn't supposed to be outside after dark. He knew, but he couldn't help himself. It was getting to him again. The sneers of his fellow Slytherins, the thinly veiled jibes at his father and grandfather, the not-so-subtly dropped hints that he couldn't avoid turning out just like them no matter how he tried, how he was foolish for even thinking it was a possibility. Most days, he brushed it off, but sometimes, like tonight, it all crawled out from the corners of his mind and attacked him till he couldn't take it anymore.

How could he be noble and a Slytherin at the same time? Was it possible for a Slytherin to be clever without being sly? Could he be ambitious without sacrificing his morals?

It was at times like this that there was only one place that would bring Scorpius peace again: the graves of Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape. Dumbledore had made mistakes in his youth, but he had more than redeemed himself and become the most powerful wizard of his time, the only one capable of striking fear into Voldemort's heart. Snape had made mistakes as well, but he had used his past mistakes to protect Harry Potter and help bring Voldemort to his knees. Snape had been a Slytherin. He had not been perfect, but he had been loyal till the very end, braver than most.

It had rained earlier; the wet grass rustled under Scorpius's sneakered feet as he walked briskly across it toward his destination. He was almost there when he froze, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. The rustling under his sneakers stopped, allowing another sound to come to his ears. It sounded awfully like…screaming.

Scorpius looked up just in time to see a white face rushing down toward him, long hair trailing wildly behind in the air. He reached for his wand, but his head hit the ground before he could even think of a spell to cast.

He groaned in pain, his body pinned to the ground under the weight of whoever had just fallen on him, as wavy, jasmine-scented hair brushed against the side of his face. "Please get off of me," he grunted, the back of his head throbbing in time with his pulse.

The girl – it must have been a girl, no self-respecting boy over the age of four would willingly walk around with his hair smelling like flowers – groaned in response and rolled over onto the grass beside him.

After taking a few moments to catch his breath, Scorpius lifted his wand and whispered, "Lumos."

The girl lay on the ground with her eyes closed as she breathed in and out slowly, her face pale as shiny red hair pooled about her shoulders. A wavy tendril of it closed the space between them, brushing Scorpius's shoulder like a caress.

Scorpius did nothing but stare at her in the wandlight, his tongue paralyzed by surprise.

A moment later, those golden brown eyes snapped open, and Rose Weasley shot up into a sitting position. "You!" she cried, her face flushing. "What are you doing here?"

"Acting as your safety mat, apparently," he said dryly, sitting up as well and rubbing the bump on the back of his head. "What are you doing?"

"None of your business," Rose retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

But Scorpius had already spotted the broomstick laying in the grass a couple of feet away from them. "You were flying? Now? Was that necessary?"

"Again, none of your business." She uncrossed her arms to point her wand at the broomstick. "Accio broom! I knew coming here tonight was a mistake. I'm better off getting laughed at."

"Laughed at for what?" he demanded, watching her get up and storm off toward the castle. "Hey, wait!" He jumped to his feet and bounded after her. "Laughed at for what? By whom?"

"Still none of your business." He'd caught up to her by now, but she was still pointedly trying to ignore him.

"But why were you flying in the dark? Why–"

"Because I can't balance, alright!" she burst out, wheeling around to glare at him. "I'm the daughter of the brightest witch of her time and my Uncle George, Aunt Ginny, and Uncle Harry were amazing Quidditch players. Even my dad was pretty good, once he got over his nerves. But not me, no, I can't even get up ten feet off the ground without sliding right off my broom. That's why everyone laughs at me and that's why I was out here in the dark trying to fly. Are you happy now?"

Scorpius had stopped walking and was staring after her, momentarily dumbstruck. "No, Rose. I'm not."

Though he'd spoken softly, she stopped as suddenly as if he'd yelled her name. She turned around slowly.

"So what if your relatives were great Quidditch players?" he continued softly. "You're not them; you're you. So you're not a natural when it comes to flying, what's the big deal? You're still smarter than everyone else in our year. You still have plenty of time to learn how to fly, but it takes a lot longer for people to learn not to be stupid. If anyone laughs at you, let them. They won't laugh long, not when you show them who you are and what you're capable of."

Rose studied him for a few moments. Then, quietly, she said, "Why are you out here right now?"

Scorpius lowered his gaze to the grass. "Because I get laughed at too. When I got Sorted, I asked the Hat to Sort me into Slytherin. I wanted to be in Slytherin, just like my dad and granddad, but I didn't want to make the same mistakes they did. I wanted to be loyal, clever, a leader, but I also wanted to be good. My housemates laugh and say that I'm too idealistic for my own good, that one way or another I'll slip up because it's in my blood."

He lifted his gaze to find her staring at him, her eyes wet. "But I can't give up," he continued. "Because that would be letting them win, letting the Dark win. So when I can't handle their laughter any more, I go to Dumbledore and Snape's graves and…" his voice trailed off as he realized how mental he'd sound if he'd kept going.

"And?" Rose prompted, taking a couple of steps closer. She didn't even realize she'd done it, but it was enough for Scorpius.

"And…I imagine I'm talking to them. I tell them my problems and they listen, but they never let me leave till they've reminded me that it's not worth it to let the Dark win, that no matter what, I have to keep trying, and someday I'll do it."

Rose smiled faintly. "Sounds like you're halfway there already, Scorpius."

His eyes locked on hers and a grin spread across his face. It was the first time she'd ever addressed him by name; the name that sounded so venomous coming from others' mouths sounded so sweet and pure coming from hers.

"Thanks for catching me, by the way," she added, returning the grin.

"I didn't really have a choice," he chuckled. "Are you okay, though? Do you need to go to the hospital wing?"

"Not if you don't; you absorbed most of the shock from my fall." Sighing, she jabbed a thumb toward the castle behind her. "Well, guess I'd better go back to bed. You should too, after you've gone your way, I mean."

His grin grew. "Actually, I think I'm okay."

She turned to face the castle. "Well, come on, then! Filch may be a hundred years old, but he'll still try to hang us from the ceiling by our ankles if he catches us!"

ooo

"I rarely had to go to the graves after that," Scorpius recalled. "My housemates never stopped trying to rile me up, but it stopped bothering me."

"And I eventually learned how to fly without sliding off my broom and landing on someone's head," Rose replied, grinning just as widely as she had that night.