No author's note; I don't need it. Soon I will be able to post a real new chapter.

Why couldn't he just leave me alone? Well, why couldn't I just forget him is the question I should be asking, because really, he didn't torment me much more than usual. It was me, my fault, my stupid mind's fault. As in real life, he remained in a corner of my head, taunting me with his presence, smirking at me when I tried to do my homework or concentrate on anything. I took to glaring at the back of his shining blond head.

He doesn't have that many friends.

Emma, my disgustingly observant friend, called me on it. "Why the Malfoy fixation, Rose? There are better people to stare at." I just wordlessly shook my head. In all honesty, I had no idea why I was staring at him either. He was a prat, worthy of nothing but loathing. You didn't think that when he was crying. Do people have to cry to win your respect? my traitorous mind reminded me. I had no answer to satisfy myself with. And so I stared.

Maybe it's just that…

We had no further contact until one fateful, rainy afternoon in the library. I was securely tucked into a corner, concealed by mountains of books (I hoped), doing my homework. I was bored. I was not lonely. I did not want company. I became aware of a presence just outside my cave. The presence was blond, tall, male, and went by the name of Scorpius Malfoy. "What do you want, Malfoy?" I asked without looking up.

"If you're going to be so bloody difficult, I won't bother you, then," he said angrily. I also detected a hint of embarrassment in his voice. I sighed. Try to be nice…just try.

Maybe it's just that he doesn't know…

"Sorry. My question still stands, though." I still hadn't looked up from my homework.

"I…erm…I saw that…" Spit it out! Then, in a rush, "."

Took you that long to ask for homework help. Damn pureblood pride. "Sure. One sec." I shifted a huge pile of books out of the way to make room for him. He sat, hesitantly, glancing around as if making sure no one he knew was watching. Again, damn pureblood pride. It took me about a minute and thirty seconds to figure out that Malfoy understood the Sleeping Draught perhaps even better than I did, and was in need of no help. "Malfoy, you don't need help on this." Not a question.

He looked chagrined. "I could pretend to need help with my Transfigurations homework or something."

"Why? Why aren't you avoiding me like the plague or mocking me? That's what you usually do. You don't pretend to need homework help."

Maybe he just doesn't know how to be nice to people.

Now his usually pale face was turning bright red. "I haven't been able to get you out of my head for about a month," he mumbled.

Oh, god. I could feel my face going red as well. This is awkward. I shut my eyes. Opened them. Shut them again. Maybe when I open them again it'll all be over. Nope. No such luck. "Same with me," I muttered, so quietly I could barely hear myself. Malfoy's pale gray eyes widened. I glanced at him, hunching myself miserably down further into my nest of books.

"Aaaw, isn't this sweet," came a drawling voice from above us. Adrien Smith (Slytherin, where else, but he sure as hell didn't have anything good in his mind for Malfoy) stood over us, his mouth twisted in a smirk. Not as impressive as Malfoy's. Malfoy reached for his wand, but before he could get it out, I had a silencing charm on Smith. And immediately after that, a memory charm to erase everything that might have happened to him in the past five minutes. Not as good as Emma could have been, but it would do.

"Which brings us to this point, Malfoy," I said as Smith wandered aimlessly away. "These past few minutes did not exist, okay?" He nodded and walked away. I stared at the homework in my lap. It made no sense anymore. I pulled out another sheet of parchment and wrote at the top, in large, decisive letters, Scorpius Malfoy.

Is a prat. No, used to be a prat. Now I don't know what he is.

Is a Malfoy. Mum says that it doesn't matter. Well, shouldn't matter. Grandpa Weasley says the same.

Won't stay out of my head.

Can't keep me out of his head.

And we now have an experience that didn't exist.

I don't know what to think. I don't really want to think.

There was no way I was going to get any of my homework done now.

Perhaps you will review. That would be nice.