"The hell are you doing here, Weasley? Or should I say, Scamander?"

Rose couldn't help but flinch inwardly upon hearing that name spoken, although she wouldn't allow him to see her discomfort. Instead, she chose to smile up at him sweetly, attempting to gain herself a little sympathy points with her ex-schoolmate and ex...whatever they had been.

Back at Hogwarts, Rose and Scorpius had had a complex relationship. Best of friends one minute, mortal enemies the next. He would be charming, sweet, and everything a boy should be, and then something would cause him to snap and turn into a horrible, selfish little prat whom she would have loved nothing more than to punch right in his smirking little face, just like her mum had done to his father all those years ago. It wasn't until fifth year, during one of her many breaks with Lysander, that their on-and-off friendship evolved into something more, when a very heated fight in the Gryffindor common room over quidditch lead to an even more heated snogging session. These romps continued for as long as Lysander and herself were on a break, paused every time the couple got back together, and resumed every time they broke up. It was the perfect system, and the best part about it was that it was their little secret.

Then everything went to shit.

-flashback-

It was her last day of seventh year, and Rose was in a hurry to make it out of the castle. She had promised Ly she would make it out for a romantic picnic under the stars, and she planned to keep true to her word - even if she was already twenty minutes late.

Ly wouldn't mind, she knew he wouldn't. He would simply give her a kiss on the forehead and tell her that she was worth the wait, and then he would hold her tightly in his big, strong arms, tell her that she looked beautiful, and she wouldn't even be able to deny it, no matter how much she wanted to. That was just how he made her feel, simple as that. He made her feel beautiful, like the flower she was named after, and he made her feel special, like she was the only woman walking on the plant earth. He did it all, and he did it all because he loved her.

And that was that.

Or, of course, she assumed that was that. Rose was certainly not expecting Scorpius Malfoy to push himself off of the wall as she passed, stepping in front of her with a look of pure fury and, quite honestly, the urge to muder her, or any innocent firsties that might have been walking by at the time. She couldn't help it - she gulped, knowing what was coming. She had managed to avoid him for weeks, wanting to make sure this particular moment never happened, but now that he had cornered her it was obvious what was about to happen.

"You can't go back to him," he spat, the word 'him' leaving his mouth like he couldn't even bring himself to say Lysander's name. "He treats you like shit, Rosie, and you know it. He strings you along, dumps you for a month so he can shag half of the girls in the castle, then reels you back in with some sweet words and a kiss on the cheek. The guy's a scumbag, and I won't let you take him back." Scorpius had crossed his arms over his chest, still clearly furious but now looking more like a pouty child than anything else. They had had this exact conversation multiple times, and by this point she had figured out exactly what to say to him to get him to shut up long enough for her to make a quick exit. Sighing, she stared him down and shook her head.

"Like you're any different?" she said, and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. Really, after all this time he should have known what she was about to say. "After I'm emotionally battered when my boyfriend dumps me, you hook up with me as much as you're little heart desires, taking advantage of my state of distress. Then, as soon as he wants me back you act like your fine about it, then flip out on me a month later. You're just as bad as Ly, if not worse, and you know it."

With that she turned to leave, knowing it would leave him effectively speechless for at least a minute. A minute was exactly the right amount of time to get her ass out of the castle and towards her boyfriend, and that was what she was planning on doing right then and there.

That was, of course, until he called back for her.

"There's one difference, you know." She turned around, confused as he had been just moments before, and he grinned. "Between me and your little lover boy, there's one difference. I actually love you."

And then he left.

For the first time in her life, Rose Weasley was completely and totally speechless.

-flashback-

That had been five years ago. Five years since the last time she had seen Scorpius Malfoy's face, and five years since he had told her he loved her. Now here she was, on his doorstep, prepared to ask him for possibly the biggest favor she had ever asked anyone in her entire life.

Yeah, this was going to go well.

The door opened, revealing a tall, built man, with broad shoulders, light blonde hair, and stormy blue eyes that currently held a look of pure and utter confusion not similar to the one on her face the last night they spoke. She begged herself to say something, anything, to this stranger standing in front of her, but at the moment the only thought she found was running through her mind was...wow.

Because if one thing was certain, Scorpius was no longer the boy he had once been back in their Hogwarts days. He wasn't a boy at all, actually. He was a man, no question about it, a man with sharp cheekbones and well defines muscles, and...

Merin, she was staring, she knew she was staring, but she couldn't help herself. Rose saw the look on his face it was the same one he had back in their school days. Cocky, arrogant, annoying, and everything in between. It was that face, that attitude that made their friendship - or relationship, whatever you want to call it - so impossible. Rose was a modest, simple, easy-going girl, and Scor was, and always would be a cocky little bugger. Before it had mainly been because of his family, the way he was raised, but now that he had grown into his angular features and lanky body, well, he definitely had an excuse.

She hated him for it.

"Still Weasley, actually. That's part of the reason I'm here." Sighing, she pushed her hair off her face, afraid it was sticking to her forehead due to the summer heat. There was a bit of a heat wave in London, and in her opinion it was more annoying than anything. It made her red hair puff up into a frizzy mess like her mothers, and that was not how she wanted to look the first time she saw Scor in five years. "Mind if I come in?"

He paused for a moment, contemplating her request. Honestly she wouldn't have blamed him if he had given her the boot. If anything, she might have been a little relieved, seeing as how the longer she stayed there, the worse her idea seemed. Rose was seconds away from turning and leaving when the man in front of her stepped back, pulling the door to his little flat open and beckoning her inside. "Don't suppose I should leave you in that heat," he muttered, shaking his head. "You already look like you've run a marathon."

Rose wasn't sure whether she wanted to punch him or hug him.

xx

He was laughing. She had told him everything, including the part about Lysander leaving her with nothing but a note on their wedding day, and he was laughing at her.

"Glad you find the misery that has become my life so sodding funny," she mutters, staring at her hands. Scorpius was being an arse, no question about it, and it appeared that her comment had done nothing but make him laugh harder. She couldn't see what was so damn funny about the whole 'dumped at the altar' thing, but he seemed to find it hilarious, and all it made her do was want to slap the smile right off of his pretty little face.

Once again she had to thank her mother for giving her the Granger part of her brain, because as soon as she raised her had to smack him silly, her logical side kicked in and she calmed herself down. Slapping the guy she was trying to get help from would probably be pretty counter-productive. So instead she gave him her sweetest smile she could muster, and leaned forward slightly in her armchair.

"Listen, Scor. Please." Rose couldn't help but notice the way he froze when she used his old nickname, guessing that it had been five years since he had heard that name. She paused, hoping he wasn't angry, but instead of saying anything he simply stared her down until she assumed she was meant to continue. "I know you and Lysander had your...problems. I can respect the fact his betrayal is funny to you. I can respect the fact that you didn't like him. Neither did I." He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, looking at her as if she had lost her mind. "I loved him, Scor, and he hurt me. Bad. You know I'm not good with the whole revenge thing, not like you are. The only way I can get what I deserve is if you help me."

He was silent, and she couldn't help but figure that that was a bad sign. Scor always had something to say, positive or negative, and usually when he was silent it meant that something bad, or at the very least strange, was going on in his brain. It felt like ages were passing, but he was as still as a statue, so still that she had to wonder if he was waiting for her to leave.

"Fine," he spoke from the chair across from her. "Fine, I'll help you."

"I'm sorry?" Impossible. Simply impossible.

"I'll help you. But you owe me one, Rosie."