„You know, actually, I am a bit scared of tomorrow's Defense Against The Dark Arts lesson."
"Why so, Scorp?" Rose sat up and looked at him.
"Because I do not know what shape my Boggart will have."
"Oh Scorp…" Rose sighed and slightly stroked his cheek. She looked around the Room of Requirement. The tiny lights, dangling above their heads, filled the room with a soft and shimmery light. The meadow on which Rose and Scorpius were lying was soft and warm, yet still felt like grass rather than a blanket. It was lovely.
Rose just loved spending time with Scorpius. But now her wonderful hazel eyes were filled with worry and she frowned, fully caught up in her thoughts.
"Maybe…", she slowly said while running her hands though Scorpius hair – which wasn't that easy thanks to all the gel in it! -,"maybe… I don't know. What are you scared of? Apart from waters where you can't see the bottom?"
"Well, there are a few things. But none of them can have a proper shape, I think. And you? Do you know what your Boggart will look like?"
Rose shook her head.
"I have no idea. You know, there are two things I am thinking about because of tomorrow. First of all: I don't want the Slytherins to know my biggest fear. Second: I am glad you and Al are there tomorrow. Because I am really scared. I am scared because I don't know what I am scared of. Does that make any sense?"
Scorpius nodded. "Of course it does. It makes perfectly sense, Pumpkin Pie."
"Oh, now you're calling me this when you are not making fun of me? No, I really don't want it to become my real nickname. Because you know, I'll call you Cupcake if you do."
He chuckled. "Okay, it will not become you nickname, I promise."
"Thanks, Scorp." Rose hugged him. "You know, James is really right about your hair. It would be much nicer if you would wear it normally, rather than packed with gel."
He pouted, "Elenor said she likes my hair."
"Who's Elenor?"
"Elenor McDarvy. She asked me out on a date."
"Smart girl! You're a great catch! Wait! Did you say yes? Oh, tell me you said yes! I'll slap you if you didn't say yes!"
"I did!" Scorpius chuckled, "I am going on a date with her the next Hogsmeade weekend."
"Awesome! That is so great! Finally! I knew some day a girl will fully appreciate you."
"You fully appreciate me."
"Yes. But that's different. I don't want to date you. I don't want to kiss you or have you as my boyfriend or shag you. Although this scenery in today's Room of Requirement would be rather lovely. At least, I guess so. You know, I am not cool. I haven't had sex with 11 and I was never pregnant. So, in nowadays society, I am really uncool. 16 and still a virgin."
"Well, so am I. We are both not cool. What's with Albus?"
"He and Juliette are a couple for… ehm… for 10 months now. I have no idea if they ever slept with each other. But I hope he didn't! And I hope he'll tell both of us when they did!"
"So you want to know how your cousin's first time has been?"
"Of course! I know how James' was. And I know how Lily's was."
"Lily? But… she is…"
"She loved the boy and she talked about it with James and Albus and both of them told her it would be too early but well. She didn't really like it and cried her eyes out. It was during the summer holidays. He dumped her afterwards. Poor Lily. I feel sorry for her. Hope it doesn't happen to me!"
"I am sure it will not. You are far too clever. And I think, even when you are in love you will keep thinking about what you are doing. And with whom."
"So… you're gonna tell me?" She looked at Scorpius, smiling, "you're gonna tell me how your first time was when it has happened?"
"I will. And you are going to tell me?"
"Of course!" Rose giggled and kissed his cheek before she sank back into the grass next to Scorpius.
"You should really think about what James told you. About your hair. It would look so much better without all the gel."
"I will think about it, Rosie."

Neither Rose nor Albus nor Scorpius were very happy when they were sitting in the Great Hall the next morning. By now, Scorpius just met his friends outside, following them to the Gryffindor table. Everyone was perfectly fine with it. Rose loved listening to James, Albus, Lily and Scorpius chatting in the morning. She wasn't much of a morning's person, so she usually kept quiet. But this morning, only Lily and James were talking. The other three were too intimidated by what they would need to face later on the day. Rose was in deep thoughts, starring into her bowl of cereals. The little mermaids and hippogriffs were dancing around in the milk-yogurt mix she usually ate in the mornings. Here and there, Rose spotted a strawberry or a piece of apple. She loved to have fruit in her muesli. Always eat enough in the mornings, her mother used to tell her, eat something nutritious. And something the colour of your hair, her dad always added. And that's why Rose was eating wholemeal-hippogriff-mermaid-shaped-milk-yogurt-muesli with strawberries, apples and sometimes pumpkin every morning.
"We should head off now, Rosie."
"Hm?" She looked up and her eyes met the gray ones of Scorpius. Sometimes his left eye seemed to have a small brownish spot in it. Whenever he was happy, really happy and relaxed. But now they were full of concern and worry.
"Oh yes, you're right. Let's go." She smiled at Scorpius and stood up. Without further notice, she walked towards the class, followed by Albus and Scorpius.
"She is really scared, am I right?"
"Oh hell she is!", Albus nodded, "bloody scared. It won't be nice for either of us."

"Alright, students! We start with the alphabet. Just try to concentrate and pronounce everything correctly." The professor smiled at them and stepped aside as he freed the Boggart for the first student he called.
There were spiders, footballs, Quaffles, Grannys, all sorts of different Boggarts.
Scorpius glanced over to Rose. She was biting her lower lip, her eyes were sparkling. It took him a while to realize that mix of feelings. She was concerned, worried, excited and anxious at the same time. Oh yes, his Rosie was always up for something new, something thrilling, even if it scared her.
"Scorpius Malfoy. Please step forward. Concentrate and point your wand at the Boggart."
He nodded and did as he was told. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath.
"Ready, Mr. Malfoy?"
"Ready." He opened his eyes again to face his own Boggart.
The black thing quickly changed into the form of a man. An old man, with long spider-like fingers and hair as white as his face. He looked used, as if he wouldn't fit into his own skin, his own body.
HE was something Scorpius clearly did not expect.
It took him a while to recover from his shock before he spoke the one word which changed the old man into a marionette, dancing a silly dance. Scorpius didn't feel like laughing, but he heard Rose chuckling behind him and her laugh was so infectious that he had to laugh along.
"Well done, Mr. Malfoy!" The professor smiled at him and send him back to the others only to call the next student to him.
"So, who was he?", Albus whispered as soon as Scorpius was next to him.
"My grandfather. Lucius Malfoy."
Albus was just about to say something as the professor called his name.
His Boggart wasn't something really interesting and Albus knew that it would have the shape of a kappa. He was really afraid of those water demons but mastered the spell perfectly.
"Well done, Mr. Potter! Must be your genes. Your father and brother were as good as you", the professor smiled at him.
"Yeah… thanks." Albus sighed and went back to his friends. Surname associations. Awful.
Rose smiled at him softly and quickly cuddled her cousin before it was her turn. She knew how he felt. Scorpius knew as well.
"Miss Weasley, it is your turn now", the professor announced.
"Alright. I'll try my best." She smiled nervously and stepped forward.
Rose tried to concentrate but she was thrown of as soon as the boggart changed his appearance.
"Professor… this is not what I am scared of. It's a rat. I am not scared of a rat. Maybe the boggart is broken."
"It can't be broken, Miss Weasley."
"Look!", someone pointed at the boggart," it's changing again!"
Rose turned towards the boggart and gasped.
"What the…" Her boggart was now a small man. Fat, with an overbite, nearly bald. She didn't know what to do. Suddenly her brain was empty, her lips couldn't form the words she had to say, couldn't for the words for the spell. The man moved closer and closer towards Rose. And suddenly, suddenly everything was dark and cold.