"Hey Rose," came the voice of Scorpius Malfoy, however it was warped. Instead of being witty and sarcastic, he sounded timid and in a rush to get the words out.

"Oh, uh, hi," was her response. She was a loss for words as to why she was here, since he hadn't made a grab to kiss her yet. "Umm…" she tried to pose a question, but he cut her off.

"Next weekend's a Hogsmeade trip," He simply said.

"Yes it is indeed. Would you care to elaborate on why you felt the need to inform me of that?"

"Iknowwe'!" He rushed out in one breath. She didn't hear the next thing he said. All she could understand was a jumble of syllables.

"Umm, excuse me?"

"You. Me. Butterbeer," he paused. "Please."

"Scorpius Malfoy, unless I am wrong, and I am rarely wrong, but I believe that may very well be the first time you've ever said please," she said, with mock shock in her voice.

"Rose, I'm not kissing! Kidding! I mean kidding!"

"Wow, really? You're asking me on a date?"

"I-I like you Rose. Not a lot, just a little bit. Enough that I want to get to know you better, and not just the inside of your mouth. I really like your eyes, and I can never see those with this dim lighting. And I like the way you bite your lip when you're thinking about a question and how you're such a great Quidditch player, better than me and how I don't even feel threatened by that."

"I want to say yes, Scorpius, but I'm dating Lysander. I would feel terrible-"

"Dump him!"

"What?"

"Just fucking dump him already, Rose! You obviously don't care about him much if you've been sneaking around with me."

"I didn't plan to sneak around with you!"

"But you are. And that's what matters. I'll be waiting for your answer at dinner," he said, and pushed past her and out of the cupboard.

Rose was so shocked by his sudden power for a moment that she forgot how to move her legs. When she did regain her muscles though, she hurried out and to her Potions class.

Dinner arrived faster than she would have hoped. She'd been contemplating her decision the entire day, and was no closer to an answer than when she had begun. She was also no closer to completing her potion, and had received no marks for the lesson.

She reached the dining hall, and saw Lysander sitting at the far end of the Gryffindor table. At that moment, she knew what her choice would be.