Standard disclaimer applies.

I cannot believe myself. I thought I was smarter than this. I promised myself that I would not fall for anyone this year because I'm going away in September, away from everyone, to America, and I do not believe in long-distance relationships. Trust me, I say that from experience. You see, my boyfriend two years ago, Andrew Hansen, his family moved to China in the middle of the school year, and we were idealistic, we tried to maintain our relationship, we really did. But it's just not the same, you know. Letters can't carry the same inflection as voice, and even with those enchanted mirrors (inspired by my Uncle Harry's), I got to see his gorgeous face but I missed the warmth of his arms. And when he came back to visit in July, I was surprised at how much a person could change in just a few short months, and, well, things were really awkward between us. So we broke it off. Sure, it hurt at first, but it was the only reasonable thing to do. Anyhow, we're still good friends now, we write and stuff from time to time, but yeah, that's the story of why I don't believe in long-distance relationships. I know that not every relationship is the same, but human nature is, and people change, they grow apart, and that's that.

Any case. Back to my original point. Given my history, my decision, and my determination NOT to fall in love this year, how could I, Rose Weasley, ace at following my own instructions, end up crushing on someone? On Scorpius Malfoy, of all people.

Let me explain. Before seventh year, we never had much to do with each other. I knew who he was, of course, what with Dad pointing him out on the first day of first year, and going on about beating him in every subject (which I do, by the way), but we never really had any classes or whatever together. I saw him in the halls and at meals, but he never went out of his way to be rude to the Weasley-Potter clan, which is surprising, given the history of our parents. But then again, my cousins have always left him pretty much alone too.

So there we are, leading our own separate happy little lives when Headmistress McGonagall has to go and make us Heads. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled when my Head Girl badge fell out of my seventh year letter, but I was mildly surprised, well, okay, shocked, when I found out who my Head Boy counterpart was. I guess the fact that the last six years had been relatively peaceful was enough to make McGonagall conclude that putting a Weasley and a Malfoy together would make for a productive year. Hah.

Okay, it was productive. That is, after we got over our first month of being stiff and awkward with each other and started to open up have friendly conversations, and learn that the other was a person, not just a last name. That's when being a Head got to be fun. Who knew that a Weasley and a Malfoy could have so much in common? We both love Quidditch (I play Keeper, he's a Chaser), Muggle literature (yeah, I was surprised too), sitting on the roof on sunny days, among other things.

So, yeah, we got to be fairly close friends. I'm not sure when friendship changed to romantic interest, but hey, the guy's got an athlete's toned body, hair that shines in the sun and glows in the moonlight, the deepest blue-gray eyes you will ever see, but oh, all that pales in comparison when he smiles. It's like his whole face is transformed into a little sun, and when his smile reached his eyes (always, as far as I could tell) sunlight streamed out of his eyes. Oh, and did I mention that he's quick to laugh and smile? Yeah, it was so intoxicating. I'm sure that more than just a few Heads' meetings have been derailed by that smile.

And I was pretty sure Scorpius had a little crush on me, too. I would look up from studying in the library and see him staring at me, but it never had anything to do with Heads stuff (I asked the first couple times), he would sit really close when we were discussing whatever so that our thighs were touching; he even did this when he sometimes came to eat meals with me at the Gryffindor table after I introduced him to my family and friends, but I generally attributed that to the fact that there are just so many of us. He got more touchy, too, but it was really subtle, just a gentle brush here and there, easily written off as carelessness. And I sort of noticed that he doesn't smile the same way around other girls-it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

But. There was just the matter of my plans for next year (go to America for a work/study internship in aerospace engineering at the Jet Propulsion Laboratories in California, because, combined with magic, who knows that type of worlds we could explore?), his plans (stay in London and train to be a Healer at St. Mungo's), and my whole anti-long-distance relationships thing. So I didn't really want to find out if this crush thing was mutual.

I snapped, though, right after we finished N.E.W.T.s, about two weeks before term ended. My resolve flew right out the window after my best friend, Alice Longbottom, made some joke about the sexual tension between me and Scorpius being palpable. I guess I felt it too, but just didn't want to admit it, and I was sort of curious to know if he liked me back, because my crush on him was really getting out of hand. So I decided to go read a book (Dune) and think about it, but unfortunately when I crawled out of the window, he was already there. I guess it is the best spot to read right after lunch. So I decided to just tell him.

I step out onto the roof and he looks up. And smiles at me. And I nearly melt off the roof and lose my resolve again. But I sit next to him, sit the closest I can sit without being directly on top of him, and say, "Scorpius, I just wanted to say..." I trail off and don't meet his eyes. He pokes me in the ribs, I look up at him, he looks at me expectantly.

"Say what?"

I try again: "Well I sort of have this huge crush on you and I-" but I don't get to finish because he's grabbed me into this bear hug and, "I-can't-BREATHE!" I squeak out. He releases me, but still keeps an arm around my shoulders.

"Well?" I demand. "Aren't you going to say anything?" Because if he doesn't feel the same, or similar, I might just throw myself off the roof in embarrassment.

He puts a hand up to my (flaming red) cheek. "You're so cute, Rose."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I mean, it's nice he thinks I'm cute, but I'm still a bit wary.

"Al said that if I made the first move, you'd just shut me down with your whole no long-distance relationships thing. So I had to wait for you to come around." He still hasn't answered my question, but I am temporarily sidetracked.

"Wait, you talked to Albus about me?" He nods. I sigh. Then I realize what his words mean. "But wait... Wait, that means you like me too?"

He smirks at me. "Yes indeed. Took you long enough."

I throw myself into his arms again, and he nearly drops his book off the roof. Whoops. I'd forgotten where we are.

We sit there for a couple hours, and I am so very comfortable in his arms. We chat idly, I find out that he's actually wanted to ask me out since fourth year, but never had the guts, so getting Heads and spending time this year was a blessing. But even as I lay in his arms on the roof a little nagging voice in the back of my brain reminds me of my stance on long-distance relationships, so I just have to go and break this bliss with a stupid unpleasant question.

"So... In September I'm going to America." It's not a question, but he knows what I mean.

He looks at me and sighs. "Really, Rose? It's been barely two hours." And this side of the roof is getting shady.

I pout, say, "Yeah, but it has to be discussed sometime, right? What're you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to enjoy the last two weeks with you, visit you over the summer as frequently as you like and face September when it comes. Good enough answer?" My response is to snuggle closer to him. It's also getting a little chilly.

The next two weeks were pure bliss, after I got over the shock of all my family members and then some betting on when (if at all) I would confess my feelings to Scorpius, and also on how long until I brought up long-distance relationship stuff. No wonder Scorpius knew the time so precisely. Grr.

During the summer, we saw each other three, four times a week at first. He brought me to meet his parents (the Great War really did change some pureblood supremacists' minds) but I was hesitant to bring him to meet my parents, because we were just gonna break up anyways. I wanted to believe that this was different from Andrew, that this could stand the test of distance, but that's also what I thought when I was with Andrew. So, little by little, I started spending less time with Scorpius and more time with my nose buried in some Muggle textbook: astrophysics, mechanical engineering and design, history of international space programs, fluid dynamics, calculus, you name it.

So yeah. Because I, Rose Weasley, am a Gryffindor coward, I gave up the greatest person in my life from the last two years. We broke up in late August. He was really nice about it too, but I don't remember specifics because I was already too far into the little steel fortress I had been building around my heart. He said that he still wanted to be friends, and that we'd write, and something about, just growing apart.

That was two years ago. I'm still in SoCal, working on rocket boosters. I visit home twice a year, I've been asked out several times, but none of them last longer than a handful of dates. Because I'm still hung up on Scorpius Malfoy. I hate how, right before I fall asleep, or when I'm concentrating on something in the lab, a memory of Scorpius' gorgeous smile, of some really random conversation we had, or of his golden laugh, or of some Kodak moment we had together comes up, and it takes way too long for me to re-concentrate, reclaim my focus.

But true to his word, we've stayed in touch. I try to tease him about his lady friends, but he hasn't had anything serious in the last two years either. So now I have a ginormous problem, because St. Mungo's is transferring him to the Los Angeles branch, because they need his expertise and fresh outlook on neurodegenerative disease. He's flying in tomorrow and we've already arranged to meet up. So I guess I won't be getting any sleep tonight.

Inspired by Chris Wallace's "Remember When (Push Rewind)"

Thanks to BelletheWickedWitch for proofreading.