Rose sat looking out the window of the Hogwarts Express yet again when Kira came and spooked her. Kira had been prowling the train since it had set off and had gotten rather bored of scaring first years with stories of the Sorting and Giant Squid.
She had finally come across her friend's compartment where her said friend was completely and totally oblivious to everything. She silently opened the door to the compartment and took a deep breath, "AHHHHHHHHHH!"
She flew out of the compartment as Rose reflexively hexed her. She groaned painfully and opened her eyes as she heard footsteps coming up to her. Scorpius was standing above her with a slight smile, "I'm guessing that scaring Rose is something to be cautious of this year."
She grinned, she and Scorpius had gotten a slightly better relationship over the summer thanks to Albus, "Spooking Rose is frowned upon all the time. She's rather fond of hexes you know."
He chuckled and walked up to the entrance of the compartment, and looked at the occupant who obviously wasn't too concerned with her hexed friend as she was looking once again out the window.
He cleared his throat, "May I come in?" She looked to him in utter surprise, glancing at Kira who seemed to have decided that the floor was quite comfy, and nodded silently to Scorpius.
He grinned and stepped on in, sitting down. And then jumping to his feet as something began thrashing around. He turned to see only to find one of the ugliest cats in the history of Hogwarts hissing up at him.
He remembered his father talking about a cat similar, apparently all those with Granger blood had strange taste in cats. He profusely apologized to the cat and sat in a different seat.
They sat for a while in silence before she bent and rummaged in her bag and pulled somrthing out. He smiled, it was a paice of parchement. He pulled out his quill. She scribbled something down and passed it to him,
Malfoy,
Her name is Malfoy, she happens to act just like the stereotypical kind, but has her times when she mysteriously tries to be nice. So Albus named her Malfoy. Kira got a kick out of it. It also happen to be the only name that she responds to.
Rose
He about killed himself with laughter before he wrote back,
Rose,
That's all right. I have an owl at home that my father named. He hates it, doesn't even remember where he got it. We can't get rid of it, it just sticks around so my father just gave up one day and let him stay. He calls it Weasley, he says it's because it's the same red as all of their your hair.
Scorpius
He watched as her eyes got a bit brighter, and smiled. Kira chose that moment to get up off the floor and shout something unintelligible.
Everyone looked at her, trying to figure out what she had just said. She simply gaped at Rose for a full minute before shouting, this time semi-intelligently, "You're a prefect!"
Everyone's' eyes now turned to Rose, the third year prefect. The very red, third year prefect. Scorpius grinned at her. She apparently didn't like a whole lot of attention, it seemed.
He closed the compartment door with a wave of his wand and locked it up and when the other students tried to look in, he fogged the windows to the extreme. She tapped his shoulder.
Scorpius,
Thank you for that, though when Albus finds out till get much worse. He swore I'd never get it, said I had too much of a temper. Guess I proved him wrong.
Rose
He grinned again, and wrote back,
Rose, I don't think he's have enough time with making fun of you, because every time he does he'll get a lovely taste of the Forbidden Forest.
Scor
She read and reread the letter, not really understanding it. She was also thrown off guard by the whole 'Scor' thing. He sensed her confusion and took the parchment back,
I have connections among the older prefects and am just too lazy to put my whole name down, too many letters for me.
Scor or Scorpius, whichever.
She nodded sagely, smiling only with her eyes. Then pointed outside, they both watched as Hogwarts finally came into view.
Well Score,
I'll be seeing you later.
Rose
She stood and left, preparing to get off the train. She left the train and went to where she knew the last carriage was. She smiled at the threstrals and petted them, waiting for her friend and cousin to come.
She was the only one they ever let pet them, not that many other people ever wanted to pet them. One time a girl named Natale was chased for a whole hour before Hagrid calmed them down. She claimed to have seen her grandmother die. They wouldn't let Albus get close.
They also allowed her the greatest honor of riding them on her bad days. There was a reason people thought she was strange. Finally Kira and Albus came over and she smiled at them. They didn't know it but they made quite the couple. All Rose had to do was give a few more pushes in the right direction and they'd realize that they liked each other.
"Oh, shoot! I forgot Malfoy! I gotta go! You guys go on ahead I'll just catch a thestral to the castle."
The two looked at each other; their forgetful Rose was hopefully referring to the ugly cat and not the blonde wizard. They nodded at her retreating back and laughed. Rose was definitely something else.
Rose burst into the Great Hall just in time for the beginning of the Sorting with a very peeved looking cat in her arms. People chuckled at her and watch d as she sat down at her spot. McGonagall, who rather fond of the strange girl, simply smiled slightly and went on with her welcoming speech before the actual Sorting.
Rose stuck her tongue out at James, who shook his head and gave her a playful high five for being late, and Fred who was quietly clapping in admiration. Kira laughed out loud at a very fortunate time as the hall burst into cheers at someone being sorted into a house.
After the Sorting she received a letter,
Rose,
Why were you late? You got off the train before everyone else. And why do you have that hideous cat with you?
Scor
She looked up and down the table and saw Scorpius giving her a confused look,
"Scor",
I forgot Malfoy on the train so I had to hurry back to get her, the bloody menace.
Rose
He laughed. As he read the letter and looked back at her where she was waving Malfoy's paw at him. He waved back, laughing.
The Gryffindors were the last to their common room that night, having been unwilling to go before the Slytherins, a playful challenge that had begun James' first year.
Rose fell into her bed after writing a very short letter,
Scor,
No letters tonight, Night.
Rose
And fell asleep.
Albus sat with his family at breakfast, sitting in between Rose and Kira, much to Rose's triumph. James turned to Rose after goofing off and started talking about his favorite subject, "So I heard you and Malfoy are still passing notes. You friends or something?"
She looked at him groggily, not being a morning person in the least, "We're acquaintances."
He looked at her, "I heard that last night you sent a letter to him, addressed to a 'Scor' saying not to send letters and he almost punched a kid who said he should anyway."
She yawned, "Remind me to thank him then." He watched in amazement as she then put her arms of the table, placed her head on her arms, and fell asleep.
Near the end of the term
"So are you guys friends or what?" Kira looked at Rose as she answered the fifth letter that afternoon. Rose looked up at her, surprised, "I don't know."
Scorp,
Kira wants to know if we are friends. Are we? Or are we still acquaintances?"
Rose
They waited a moment, then
Rose,
I dunno. Do you wanna be friends?
Scor
Kira smiled as Rose wrote "Why not." And got a response saying, "Then yeah, we're friends."
"You guys are the weirdest people I will ever meet."
Rose looked at her with a smile, "Have you ever met yourself? By the way Ive been meaning to ask, When are you going to tell Albus you like him?"
Kira turned redder that a tomato, "I-I don't know-what your t-talking about. I-I don't l-like Albus."
Rose raised an eyebrow at her friend with a knowing smile, and Kira felt herself crack.
"Oh, Fine! I like him! I can't tell him though, because that'll just make things weird because there is no way he could ever like me back."
There was a voice behind Kira that made her freeze and Rose smile, the plan had worked perfectly.
"Told you."
Scorpius stood behind Kira with Albus right next to him looking like Hogwarts just turned to chocolate and he had been given permission to eat it all. Kira looked like she was going to cry.
"Y-you like me?"
Kira whirled around, "You weren't meant to hear that at all! I d" – She didn't get any further because Albus had just kissed her. Rose and Scorpius both pulled the same, slightly-satisfied- slightly-disgusted face and walked out, congratulating each other on their superb matchmaking skills.
Silently of course. It was how they did things. Three years and they had said twenty-seven words that anyone had bothered to count. They didn't mind, really. They had gotten used to this. It was fun to them. A challenge.
She tried not to speak to him, while he tried to see if he could wait for her to speak to him.
They liked it this way.
End of the year
She was sitting in her compartment on the Hogwarts Express once again looking out the window and minding her own business when Albus and Kira barged in looking a bit mad, "YOU PLANNED WITH SCORPIUS TO GET US TOGETHER!"
Scorpius appeared at the sound of his name and dodged the battered book that they threw at him. He bent to pick it up, "Look it isn't that big of a" – He froze, and did the others in the compartment. Her diary – they had thrown her diary. There were some things in there that no one should ever read.
He was staring at one of the lines in it that sent him spiraling in confusion,
June 17,
I died today. Albus saw it all.
The book was snatched out of hands as Rose finally got her mind together. She looked down at what page he had been on and paled. Albus saw her eyes get moist and knew that Rose, the one person who never cried was about to cry.
She stood up and ran from the compartment. The ride back to the platform was completely silent. When Scorpius got off he was startled when his little red owl, Weasley flew into his head and dropped letter at his feet.
Scorpius,
I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to find out that way if ever you did find out. I'm sorry and I would understand if you never spoke to me again.
Wilted Rose
He couldn't help himself; he smiled at her little name at the bottom of the parchment.
Wilted Rose,
Don't wilt and don't droop. I forgive you s I do not know what it is exactly that is so bad but I will be expecting an explanation either this summer or on the train next year.
Your friend, Scorpius.
Unbeknownst to him she about burst into thankful tears, thankful that she had not last a friend.
