"I am sure I like it, till I find I don't
And I know things will be alright, till I think they won't
Minor complications never bother me
Except for when they do and then that is all I see"

-Cheryl Wealer


Flashback

Rose was so excited that Teddy and Victoire had come to their senses and had a traditional wedding. It wasn't exactly traditional, but it was better than nothing at all. Unlike Dom, or Roxy, who wouldn't openly admit it, Rose loved love, and she loved Victoire and Teddy, no matter if they'd wanted them to be a part of their wedding or not. She loved the dress she had gotten to wear and that she got to dress up, because she never got a chance to actually look like a girl. Well technically she did, but she had always claimed to be too intelligent to stoop to the level of showing off her legs and arms and processing her hair to get guys' attention. She didn't have to do any of that anyway because there was only one guy she wanted attention from and he seemed to like her just the way she was. She and Scorpius were best friends, they always had been, but everyone had always expected them to get together and she kind of let their nagging get to her head. She knew they were young and had time to sort all these things out, but Scorpius had changed significantly over the past year and she knew that the other girls in her year were going to start seeing him differently. Honestly, she was starting to see him differently. So much so, that she had put on lipstick today, even though he hadn't shown up to the wedding to see it. She was distracted from her musings when she heard a knock on her door. Thinking it was Hugo she screamed at the door, telling him to go away.

"Well, that's no way to talk to your best friend." a deep voice answered as they opened the door anyway.

"Scor? Oh my god, what are you doing here?" she yelped.

"Well, Teddy is my cousin and he invited me." He said smartly as he encased her in a bone crushing hug. "I know I'm a bit late, but that's no reason to knock me off the guest list." He put her down and she wasn't sure if she was dizzy from the hug, his proximity, or his cologne. She was going to bet that it was because of the hug.

"That's not what I meant; I know you're here for the wedding. What are you doing my room?"

"Your room? I thought it was Ron's."

"Sneaking up to this room and calling my dad by his first name? Feeling bold today I see. And it was his room when he was younger, so by default, it's mine too."

"How territorial of you."

"And rightfully so! It's hard to claim anything in this family so I'll take what I can get. You've still not answered my question; what you're doing here though."

"Just taking a personal tour." he said sarcastically, "I'm up here looking for you! Everyone else is down at the reception. Your parents were arguing over whether I should be allowed to come up at get you, so I snuck up. Is this a bad time? Hiding a secret boyfriend in here?"

"You're mental. I'm not hiding anyone, you just startled me is all. I thought you were Hugo."

"Yeah, I see where you could get the two of us confused."

"Ok smart ass, I'm ready to go down. That is the reason you came up here right?"

"Yes." He answered as he eyed her suspiciously.

"What? Do I look like a clown?" she asked.

"Quite the opposite. You look very pretty, though I'm sure you already know that." he complimented. It was no question that she didn't take compliments well, but this was absurd. She could only snort in response at the thought of someone finding her to be 'pretty.'

"Yeah, right. With Molly and Roxy running around no one's even noticed." He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, turning her face a deeper shade of red than her lipstick.

"I noticed. But then again I notice everything about you, you being my best friend and all." She rolled her eyes and because he had done that thing where he did something romantic or nice and then pulled the best friend card. It was so frustrating and she never knew exactly where she stood with him on a "relationship" level. She was so confused about how she felt and she normally wouldn't ask this, but she needed to talk to one of the older girls.

"Whatever you say. Let's go."

He opened the door for her and she did her best to not make an idiot of herself trying to walk in the high heels she'd been permitted to wear. She had almost been forced to wear flats like Lily and Lucy, but begged her mom to let her wear heels instead. Of course her mom had protested, but Victoire had helped them come to a compromise. Her parents allowed her to wear heels, but they were nowhere near as high as the ones Molly, Dominique, and Roxy were wearing. They weren't as high but they were still definitely hard for her to get used to and she did not want to bust her butt in front of Scorpius trying to get around in them. Thankfully she made it down the stairs and into the garden where the reception was being held. The pair walked outside and were thrust into the madness that was her life.

"Hey Malfoy, we've got an extra deck of cards!" James yelled, "You in?" Rose had always been surprised at her family's acceptance of Scorpius. James only teased him lightly, in the way that he would with Al or Hugo, Fred wasn't the type to judge people without getting to know them anyway, Dominique paid him no attention unless they were in a big group and the younger kids adored him. Especially Louis, who was glad to be around another guy with blonde hair.

"I'm always gavailable to kick your butt in this stupid game. You wanna play Rose?" he asked.

"Nah, I'm good. You go on." He ruffled her hair quickly before walking over to the boys to play cards. So they'd down graded from a kiss on the cheek to hair ruffling...now she was really confused and needed to find someone to talk to fast! Teddy and Vic were her best bet, but they were making googly eyes on the dance floor, so she figured she'd find someone else.

Molly and Chase were in the corner fighting as usual, so she wouldn't be getting any advice from her. The boys were all hopped up on sugar and playing a game of Extreme Exploding Snap, which was a different version of the game they'd created years ago where they use as many decks of cards as there are players in the game. So because six of them playing, there were six times more of a chance to get your face burned off. It was safe to say Rose didn't play often, and it's not like any of them could give her sound advice anyway. Dominique was sitting at one of the tables by herself, but she was probably the worst to ask for anything. She had been in a bad mood ever since last year when she had stopped hanging out with Carter, James and Fred, and would either tell Rose to leave her alone or just make her feel stupid for asking in the first place. Lucy and Lily were twirling around in their dresses and they probably didn't know anything about boys anyway. That left Roxy, who kept looking at the garden's entrance, but wasn't otherwise occupied. She had been in a long, steady, relationship with Lex; she'd probably have some good advice.

"Roxy!" she called over the noise in the room, as she made her way to the chair Roxy was lounging in. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, shoot."

"Well, it's about boys...well one boy."

"Would this one boy happen to be in the room now?" she asked with a smirk on her face.

"No fair! That would give it away because 99% of the men here are family!" she screamed

"No need to answer, you outburst was answer enough." Roxy said with a laugh. Rose loved that Roxy was always so cool about things, it was hard to not be in complete awe of her .

"Fine, he's in the room." she said blushing. It was embarrassing enough to have a crush on your best friend that didn't really notice, but now she had to confess it to the girl who could have any guy she wanted.

"Don't be embarrassed. We've all had our little crushes Rosie."

"Well yeah, but this is different. I think I really like him and he only sees me as a friend. I mean, there are times when it seems like more, but I don't know."

"Rose, you're definitely not the first one of us to go through that. Don't believe it for a second."

"Really?"

"Molly, Vic, Dom, me, hell, even your mum."

"You?" she asked in disbelief. There was no way anyone had ever denied Roxy. She was...perfect! And not in a Victoire kind of perfect, where she worked hard to make everything seem effortless and did everything right, but actually perfect. She was smart, tall, pretty, athletic, confident and funny and she didn't even try.

"Oh my goodness, yes! I was only the most awkward little girl on this planet!" she said with a huge smile. It must be nice for your awkwardness to only be a phase, Rose thought. She, however, was in it for the long haul. "But anyway, the best thing for you to do is to come right out and ask him how he feels. The unrequited love thing is cute and all, but it wastes time. Prime example, Victoire and Teddy."

"But, they just got married... twice."

"Well if you ask me they should get married once more for god measure after all they've been through. It's been nearly 15 years of them dating other people, denying their feelings for each other, and sneaking around. The only reason they're in this mess now is because they waited so long to act on their feelings and they got overwhelmed. So trust me, ask him now, or you might end up going rogue during your graduation speech and eloping." she teased.

"I think it's romantic," Rose said with a wishful sigh,

"You have to admit, it will make a great story for their baby."

"Baby?" Rose asked, "What baby?"

"In the future. You know, when they ask how their parents got together."

"I still think it's romantic."

"It is romantic. In a Vic and Teddy-ish way. But that's because they're both selfless, over protective sops. You, on the other hand, are very particular and like to have all the facts laid out in front of you. Dancing around your feelings won't do it for you; you've got to buck up and tell him."

"Or you could completely ignore him and wait for him to come to his sense." Lex said as he wrapped his arms around Roxy. "Worked for me, it'll work for Malfoy if he wants you bad enough."

"Lex!" both girls screamed in response.

"What? Is it supposed to be a secret that you're hot for Malfoy?" he asked artlessly.

"Not exactly, but how did you figure it out?" Rose asked.

"You spend every moment of your day with Malfoy and Al , so I hope, for the sake of your family' s reputation, that you're talking about Malfoy." She let herself laugh at that. She always forgot how smart and observant Lex was, underneath all that male bravado.

"Promise you won't tell?"

"If you promise me you'll talk to him."

"I promise."

"Good." Roxy interjected. "And in the future feel free to come talk to me before it gets unbearable."

"Or me." Lex added, making Roxy roll her eyes. They really were an adorable couple.

"If me or even Molly are not around, I suppose you can talk to Lex too. Regardless of who you come to, just make sure to talk about it. Things could have been a lot easier for me if I'd had someone to talk to."

"Thanks guys, I appreciate it."

"No problem. Good luck!" she answered, before leaving with Lex in a fit of giggles. Rose really appreciated the advice, and she didn't want to end up like Vic and Teddy, so she decided she'd talk to him now. He had clearly lost their card game, and was now standing on the dance floor with Al and Lucy. Lucy was loving all the attention she was getting from the older boys and seemed to be having a really good time. It almost made her want to turn away and not ruin their moment, but of course, Scorpius had caught her eye and motioned for her to join them. She made it to the middle of the floor, where he was dancing around in circles; clearly more to entertain Lucy than to impress.

"I hate to ruin your fun Lucy, but can I have a word with Scorpius?" she asked.

"Go on and take him; he's a horrible dancer."

"Hey!" Scorpius said as he walked away from Lucy, faking being hurt by her words, "I'm not terrible. Was I that bad?"

"No, you big baby. You were killing it out there."

"Hey, don't patronize me Weasley." he joked, "What's up?"

"I have to ask you a question...and I don't want you to freak out, just hear me out."

"I'm listening. And for the record, telling me not to freak out isn't the best way to get me to not freak out."

"Noted. Ok I… well I guess I should ask you...do you like me?" she asked bluntly. She wasn't good at being coy, or demure. She was blunt and honest, and it wasn't the least bit charming, but it was right to the point.

"Is this a serious question or a joke, because if it's a joke I don't get it."

"Serious question."

"Oh. Well of course I like you. Why do you ask? Are you having doubts about being my friend?" he joked. He was always joking and she rarely joked. At times it could be funny, but when she was trying to be really serious about something it was just plain annoying.

"No-"

"Or are you just jealous that I've been spending more time with Al lately?"

"No, I-"

"I get it, you you're now one of those girls that's wants to be complimented all of the time-"

"No! Can't you be serious for one second in your life? You immature, insolent, troll!"

"You're actually mad! Where's this coming from?" Rose was extremely frustrated and confused and she didn't really think it through all the way when she leaned over and kissed him. She wouldn't exactly call it a kiss; it was more like a wet, uncomfortable, attack of his face. She had had to lean over so far that she lost her balance or her high heels and fell even further into the awkward kiss. Luckily, Scorpius was able to catch her before she made it even more awkward than it needed to be. He pulled his face back, still holding her, forcing them to look each other in the eyes. She pushed back on his chest so that she was standing on her own. As far as first kisses went, that was probably the worst that it could have been. "Ugh, I'm sorry. That was stupid."

"No, it was-"

"Awkward."

"Yes, but we can-"

"Just forget about it. It was a mistake." she said quickly. This had been a horrible idea from the start. Scorpius probably had no interest in her whatsoever. She had probably just ruined everything.

"It was a mistake?" he asked. She wanted to believe the look in his face was disappointment that she hadn't meant it; but that was probably just her mind playing tricks on her.

"Yes. We're just friends."

"Do you kiss all of your friends?" he asked with a smirk. She was glad they'd be able to joke about this, even if kissing him had been the furthest thing in her mind from a mistake.

"Yes, actually I do. I run around tripping over my own feet and kissing my best friends."

"So that wasn't your first kiss?"

"No." she lied. "Was it yours?"

"No. Who have you kissed?"

"Who have you?" she countered.

"You're a terrible liar." he responded.

"I take that as a compliment, and I wasn't lying." she said softly. This had all gone horribly. "You're not so great at changing the subject."

" Does Al know about all of these guys you've been kissing?"

"No. Why would I tell my cousin about all of the guys I've snogged. That would be very callous of me."

"Snogged?"

"Yes, snogged." she answered diligently. "Does Al know about all of the girls you've snogged?"

"Did you know that Al snogged Reid Longbottom?" he asked.

"Why are you doing that? Why are you answering my questions with questions and avoiding the bigger picture?" she asked loudly, causing a few of the wedding guests to turn their heads her way. "Just forget it. Forget all of this; it's not worth it." she said as she began to walk away. He grabbed her arm quickly and all she could think was that he was one lucky bloke because she had left her wand in her father's old room.

"What the hell do you mean a bigger picture?" he whispered harshly.

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, let go of my arm this instant or I will literally detach your arm from its socket." she threatened. He released her arm and pinched the bridge of his nose. Rose didn't get it. Scorpius was the most patient, fun-loving, kind person in the world; the only time he got angry was when he was with her. She swore she was the only person that dealt with this angry, nose pinching, huffing and puffing version of Scorpius.

"What bigger picture Rose? You kissed me, told me it was a mistake, then told me about the other guys you've snogged. What in that has been lost in translation? Because I heard you just fine."

"Sod off Malfoy. I told you to forget all of that."

"I know you've got an insane need to be in charge and be right all of the time, but that's not the case. People weren't put on this earth to follow your orders and do things your way. You don't get to just tell me what to do Rose. You don't get to tell me to forget that you kissed me accidentally on purpose."

"Accidentally on purpose? That makes no sense! You think I tripped and fell on your slimy , skank-infested little lips on purpose? You think I was that desperate to kiss you?"

"Skank-infested? Says the girl who goes around tripping herself and kissing her friends. Your words not mine."

"Fuck you, Malfoy." she said as she willed a tear to not fall from her face. The same way she was the only person that he yelled at, he was the only person she had ever cursed at. He knew exactly how to ruffle her feathers, mainly because he was the only person capable of holding his own when arguing with her.

This whole night had been a fail and she wished she'd never talked to him in the first place. Not only had she kissed him, but she had also openly regretted it, tried to take it back, lied about it being her first kiss, accused him of being some kind of man whore, and cursed at him. She'd really botched this, but he was being- well, he was being himself. He was joking and teasing and trying to make light of an awkward situation and she had gotten frustrated. Instead of handling it like a normal person she'd over-analyzed everything and weaved a pretty tangled web. She couldn't help but feel like shit as he stormed away, making many of the wedding guests watch with interest. Of course this was the part they paid attention to. They got in arguments all the time, but this one hadn't been the same because deeper feelings had been involved. Feelings neither of them had been able to come to terms with.


By the time Rose had finished relaying her story to Roxy and Lex, the two looked pretty sympathetic.

"Don't give me those pitiful looks. It's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal?" Lex asked, "Do you two even talk anymore?"

"It's hard not to, being friends with Al and being partners in class, but we haven't really talked since then. He did apologize, I think Lily talked him into it."

"Lily?" Roxy asked confused, "Why would he go to Lily?"

"That's what I wanted to know. I went to go apologize after I'd regained my composure and couldn't find Malfoy anywhere. No one had seen Lily either and I figured she was in her little hiding spot. When I got there I heard the two of them talking."

"Scorpius and Lily?"

"Yes, Scorpius and Lily. What's the big deal?" Roxy and Lex looked at each other from the corners of their eyes, before Roxy answered.

"Nothing, that's just...weird. But go on, what happened after that?"

"Well I let them be and soon after he apologized for "being short with me' even though I was the one that should have apologized."

"No, you shouldn't have. He yelled at you and grabbed you. Fair is fair." Lex huffed. Rose couldn't help but giggle. Somehow Lex had become somewhat of an older brother to her. He was what James was supposed to be, but couldn't because he was too full of himself and childish. Ever since Rose had started getting closer to Roxy, Lex had taken to her as well. He was really a sweet and good-hearted guy, she didn't understand why he let people believe otherwise.

"He wasn't going to hurt me, I just make him lose his temper in a way that Voldemort himself couldn't" Rose responded, "Plus, I had initiated the fight anyway. I don't even know how we started fighting in the first place to be honest!"

"Partly because you didn't do what I told you to do." Roxy scolded, "You were supposed to tell him how you felt, not ask him how he felt about you."

"What's the fricking difference?"

"The difference is that you gave him an out. He able to avoid the question because you asked. If you had just told him how you felt you would have just gotten a yes or no or at least."

"But what if he'd have said no? What would I do then?"

"If he said no, you move on and continue being friends. Sure, it won't feel great, but would you rather know that it won't work out now, or get your hopes up for months or years and then get your heart broken?" Roxy asked softly. "Wouldn't that be much worse?"

"I suppose. But, I don't like anyone else. What if that was it for me?"

"You're 13 Rosie, there'll be other boys to come along and catch your eye." Lex answered sweetly, "And you still don't know that Malfoy doesn't fancy you; boys take longer to figure all that stuff out sometimes. You'll only know if you talk to him."

"I can't! I'm too embarrassed now."

"Of what? You were only best friends before your little fight, it'd be crazy for him to actually want to speak to you again or dare I say miss you. If one little out of hand spat caused this much of a divide, you weren't great friends to begin with; and I know that's not the case."

"I may as well at least try and have a decent chat," she reasoned, "I don't think I could be more crazy than the night if Vic's wedding."

"What have you got to lose?" Roxy asked. "Go!"

Rose rolled her eyes as she shuffled towards the boys' dormitories to speak with Scorpius. Maybe she should stop asking Roxy for advice; the girl was just too brave for her own good and while her advice made sense, it didn't seem like she had ever been in a situation like this before. Rose felt like her entire world was on the line here. She could either gain a relationship, or lose a friend and possibly even her mind. She honestly couldn't even imagine that he'd want to keep being friends with her anyway. She was a bossy, hot-headed, potty mouth that had to be in control of every situation. She couldn't help it though! Her life at home was increasingly hectic and in turn she held a tighter grip on the things she could control like her school work and her friends.

"Knock knock," she said as she entered Al and Scor's room. All of their roommates were there, which wasn't awkward for Rose, because she hung out in their room all of the time. "Hello everyone!"

"Come to speak with Al?" Scorpius asked, "He's not here."

"Actually I came to talk to you. Can we go for a walk?"

"Sure, I guess." The two of them walked quickly and quietly out of the common room and she figured she might as well say something since she had dragged him out of his room.`

"Listen, I want to apologize."

"Apologize for what? I apologized at your Grandmother's house, everything's fine."

"Yeah, you apologized after Lily told you to-"

"Actually no. I decided to apologize on my own, although now that I know you were eavesdropping, maybe I shouldn't have."

"Get over yourself, I wasn't eavesdropping. As soon as I heard you guys I left!"

"It honestly doesn't matter. I apologized that day and I thought we were fine, but then when I got back to school you were still mad."

"I'm not mad, I was just frustrated and a little confused, because somehow I turned a simple question into a big argument. I couldn't talk to you afterwards because I was still embarassed."

"That's ridiculous. You don't have to be embarrassed around me, ever. It's just me."

"That's the thing Scor, it is you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean...listen, I'm not going to dance around it this time because it ended so tragically the first time. I just don't know how to say this because I'm not sure if what I feel is real or if I'm just caught up in the hype."

"Oh. OH! You mean- about us, as in, us being more than friends?"

"Yes." she said relieved. So he had felt the pressure too; that made her feel a little better. "I know it's kind of crazy, but everyone just expects us to like each other and I think I started to."

"I don't know about everyone. There are two people I can name that are praying to Merlin we don't like each other."

"Our dad's?" she said laughing. "That doesn't count, my dad would die a happy man if I never had a boyfriend in my life."

"True."

"Aside from him, the teachers, our classmates, my family, everyone thinks that because we're best friends we're supposed to end up together because our dad's were enemies and mine told me specifically not to."

"What do you think?"

"What do you?" she asked quickly.

"We've got to progress from avoiding each other's questions by asking questions. It never works. So I'll ask again, what do you think about us and our destiny to end up together?"

"Honestly? I don't know. Sometimes I like you, and sometimes I feel completely neutral towards you. I think the times I like you outweigh the times I don't and it messes with my head. And sometimes the way you treat me, or the way you'll compliment me, will make me think that we're on the same page on the odd day when I am feeling more towards you. You see how I'm confused here?"

"Yeah, I get it. I'm sorry if I come off as hot and cold, but it's the same for me. Some days I'll be thinking you're the best friend I've ever had, and other days I'll imagine if we could be more. But then, someone will call me your boyfriend or ask when the wedding is and it'll throw me off."

"Please tell me you're joking. Has someone really asked you about us getting married?" she said as she laughed. That was one of the most ridiculous things she'd heard in a while. They were 13, way too young to think about marriage. Rose didn't even know if she ever wanted to get married.

"I wouldn't lie to you. I just, want to figure out my feelings for you on my own, you know? I want you to like me because you like me, not because you're rebelling against your dad."

"Yeah, I know. That'd be much easier if people didn't ooh and ahh every time we looked at each other."

"Every single time." He said with a laugh. "I mean, just because we're good friends and we're boy a girl, it doesn't necessarily mean we'll end up together."

"Exactly. There's Roxy and Goyle-"

" Your mum and Uncle Harry-"

"Katniss and Gale-"

"Who?"

"Doesn't matter. Just know that they were and are best friends, and they also did not end up together. But then again, they did kiss once."

"So did we." he shrugged, before reaching over and pecking her on the lips quickly. "Twice. Although you've kissed multiple other people so both of ours probably pale in comparison."

"About that- I kind of embellished about my kissing conquests." she said with a blush.

"Oh really?" he asked sarcastically, "Because I had no idea that you weren't serial kissing guys in the school. Glad you cleared that up for me."

"Oh shut up." she said as she hit him. "But you should know that I didn't technically kiss you by mistake either. I meant to do it."

"Well, I meant to kiss you back."

"Really? I thought you were just trying to de-awkward a really awkward situation."

"De-awkward? Hell must have frozen over if Rose Weasley is making up words."

"Will you stop joking please? I have more to apologize for."

"So sorry, please do continue."

"Not only did I kiss you on purpose, I kind of lied about ever kissing anyone period. Though, I'm realizing that you and Al have and that's just...weird."

''Now you have too, remember? You laid one on me at the wedding.'' he said with a sly smile. She wasn't even going to entertain that with a response. As far as Rose was concerned, that never even happened.

"Well I'm officially done apologizing if you're ready to go back to your brooding or whatever it is you were doing."

"I do not brood."

"Whatever you say Scor." Rose realized that she hadn't exactly done what Roxy had suggested, but she had received some peace of mind. They hadn't expressed any deep dark feelings, or become girlfriend and boyfriend, but she knew that the thought had at least crossed his mind and that she hadn't been over-analyzing things. He was just as scared of everyone's expectations as she was, he was just better at hiding it. They had time to figure all of that out.

"So, at the wedding, that really was your first kiss?" he asked, no games, no smirks, no jokes.

"Yes." she said blushing. He smiled back as he tucked a strand of her wavy hair behind her ear.

"Well, I guess I have things to apologize for too. Sorry you wasted your first kiss on me, Rose." he said softly, as he stood from the bench preparing to leave. " It should have been more special. With someone special." In that instant, Rose was confused again. She had just received "peace of mind," then he had to go and say that. Hadn't he heard anything she'd said? He thought that she'd wasted her first kiss, or that she should have shared with someone more special. What he hadn't realized was that she had shared it with the most special person in her life. Whether they ended up in a relationship or married or not, he'd always have a place in her heart. And that thought alone was enough to drive Rose crazy.