7th year - January

They never spoke of New Year's again. But that didn't stop Rose and Scorpius from going to breakfast together in the Great Hall. Or studying together in the library sometimes instead of the common room. Or running into each other at Hogsmeade just by coincidence. Or walking to classes side by side despite whispers from their classmates. Or having their own jokes that no one else understood. Or finishing each other's sentences even when it was unnecessary. Or sitting close enough that their knees would brush against each other. Or even spending more time together than either of them did with Albus.

And that's why Scorpius Malfoy was irritated. Just a bit.

Because if he heard Rose Weasley giggle at another joke Billy Atkins made, Scorpius was going to dunk Billy's head into their freshly made potion. And he did not care about the look of disapproval Professor Slughorn would give him afterwards.

The only thing stopping him was the look of disapproval Rose Weasley would undoubtedly give him. And he couldn't have that.

Who made it a rule that you couldn't be Potions partners when you're both Heads anyway? It seemed quite unfair that you couldn't pair up with someone of equal intellect. But Slughorn had deemed it an unfair advantage to have the two brightest students pair up for a class. So, instead of Scorpius, Rose was paired up with dimwitted and terribly average-looking Billy Atkins.

(In actuality, Billy was a completely pleasant boy who had a boyishly handsome face. Yes, he did get Es and As for the majority of his coursework, but the boy was still bright enough for stimulating conversation. He was known to have a very lovely sense of humor and earned the favor of most people he came across for his friendly demeanor. Rose included.)

But Scorpius had listened to them chatting at the potions table behind him for far too long to be considered just friendly. He had heard Rose laugh at his jokes, compliment Billy on his potion stirring (which was the most basic potion skill anyone could possibly compliment), and connect with him on their shared love for cats (Scorpius despised cats… he was allergic). He had seen from the corner of his eye how Rose helped Billy get a piece of Valerian root out of his hair and how their hands brushed when they both reached for the same vial at the same time.

Appropriately, the potion they were brewing was the Draught of Living Death. All Scorpius wanted to do was drink the entire cauldron if Rose didn't stop smiling at Billy like that.

So, yes, Scorpius Malfoy was irritated. Just a little bit. He wasn't furious or murderous or anything so dramatic like that. But if Billy were to fall off the astronomy tower in that instant, Scorpius would not be saving the boy.

But he knew that Rose Weasley would never allow Scorpius to bring any harm to the boy. And he didn't want to imagine her face looking at him with disappointment.

So Scorpius decided to be petty instead.

He made sure to be extra kind to Caitlyn Clearwater, his own partner. He made sure the Caitlyn also laughed at his jokes (he could be just as funny as Billy), made sure to allow their own hands to brush as they both reached for the moondew, and smiled at her wide enough to make sure his dimple was in full view. He even complimented Caitlyn's hair (even though it was much too straight for Scorpius' liking).

Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy refused to speak to each other at Heads rounds that Friday evening.

At least until Scorpius sheepishly brought out a chocolate frog to hand to Rose.

A peace offering of sorts.

"What is this?"

"A chocolate frog."

"But what is it for?"

"It's for you."

That was that.

And during their next potions class, Scorpius overheard Billy ask Rose to Hogsmeade that weekend and almost knocked over his cauldron specifically in their direction. But he found that he didn't have to because Rose politely told Billy 'no', saying she didn't like to mix her academics and her personal life. Scorpius felt positively giddy until he realized that Rose dating Scorpius would be an even bigger mixture of academics and her personal life.

But Scorpius Malfoy was not Billy Atkins, and he would make sure of that.

So Scorpius made it a habit to bring Rose a chocolate frog every Friday night for an after-rounds treat.

Because if chocolate frogs were the key to having Rose reject handsome men who wanted to take her to Hogsmeade, he would buy a lifetime supply.

7th year- February

Scorpius Malfoy had somehow made Rose Weasley furious. This used to be a common occurrence, but it had been quite a bit since Rose had snapped at him like that. And Scorpius could not for the life of him tell what he did wrong. No one could. Not even Albus. Scorpius racked his brain for all the things he'd done in the past week, and they were fully mundane things. Not a single moment stuck out in his brain.

So Scorpius needed to cheer Rose up. Because he was no longer used to having Rose angry with him, and he couldn't stand how she was avoiding him. He would actually prefer that she yelled at him again than this ignoring him business. But tonight, he knew that Rose would be cornered because tonight was the day they had to work on an assignment from the Headmaster herself. And even an angry Rose was still the Responsible Head Girl Rose.

Rose sat in the Heads Common Room, dreading the moment Scorpius would walk in. And Scorpius did walk in and Rose gaped at him.

Because Scorpius Malfoy had sauntered out of his room wearing a Chudley Cannons Jersey.

Rose was stunned, and she really didn't know what to with herself as Scorpius started to yell out the Chudley Cannons fight song in the middle of the Heads Common Room.

She noticed that he even had the little wooden figure she had given him a year prior dangling around his neck.

And she couldn't stay mad at the boy. Not for another moment. In fact, it was difficult to even remember why she was mad.

But it didn't even matter what the reason was behind her anger. Because Scorpius Malfoy had decided to wear a bright orange Chudley Cannons jersey that clashed terribly with his skin tone and his hair color just to make Rose Weasley smile again. Despite it not being his color, Rose couldn't think of anyone who looked more attractive to her in that moment than Scorpius Malfoy in Chudley Cannons gear trying to cheer her up.

So she burst out laughing and made sure to run up to her own dorm room to change into her own Chudley Cannons jersey so they could match.

Rose never ended up telling Scorpius that she was angry because he had forgotten her chocolate frog the week before, even though it was also the week of Valentine's day.

Scorpius had not forgotten about Valentine's day – there was just a delay in his Valentine's day order from Hogsmeade. The next week after Friday night rounds, Scorpius gave Rose a chocolate frog that was 20 x the size of a normal one. It was absolutely frightening, but Rose loved it.

And that's what counts.

7th year – March

Scorpius hated everything about the idea of a picnic. First of all, his clothes would get wrinkled. Second of all, his clothes would get dirty. Third of all, his clothes would smell like grass. Not to mention, Scorpius was disgusted by bugs.

Let's just say, he wasn't a huge fan of nature-oriented outdoor activities. He loved libraries, museums, cafes, and restaurants. Indoor, clean, controlled settings where he could wear his favorite Italian leather shoes and not worry about the possibility of insects crawling onto his skin. Where the temperature was always just right and he wouldn't have to put a sunblocking charm on his pale skin.

So when Rose Weasley excitedly told him she wanted to go on a picnic, Scorpius wondered if this would be one of the first times he'd have to say "no" to an activity with Rose Weasley. He desperately tried to convince her of other activities. She had even declined going to Scrivenshaft's even though he had promised to get her the quill she had been eyeing since January (though he had actually already gotten it to give to her the following weekend… but she didn't need to know that.)

Rose Weasley was hell bent on going on a picnic. Especially because the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match was coming up soon, and she wanted to take her mind off of it. Scorpius had practically given up the idea of winning the Quidditch cup after a devastating loss to Gryffindor earlier in the year. Well, it should have been devastating for Scorpius and especially Captain Albus. Because it was their last year of Quidditch and the Gryffindor team had somehow beaten them only by 10 points. It should have been devastating, but Scorpius could not stay devastated when Rose looked so fantastically happy at the end of the match. She had been covered in head to toe red and gold glitter and paint and cried the happiest tears Scorpius had ever seen. And, in that moment, suddenly the loss had been less painful.

Rose Weasley was a brilliant Quidditch player, which was why Scorpius was so confused why she would be even a bit nervous to play against the Puffs of all people. Rose would never admit she was nervous, but Scorpius could tell from the way she bit her lip when she spaced out or the way she clutched her broom when coming back to the common room from Quidditch practice.

So maybe a picnic was the least he could do to ease her mind a bit. Plus, Rose was determined to get him to go on a picnic with her. And Scorpius Malfoy knew that you could never convince a determined Rose to change her mind on anything at all.

And Scorpius couldn't say no to an outing with Rose Weasley after all. And that's how he found himself holding a basket of baked goods that Rose Weasley had begged one of the house elves for, sitting on a blanket on top of a grassy field a bit too close to the Shrieking Shack for comfort, getting his clothes dirty and wrinkled, swatting away a fly buzzing near his ear.

And, somehow, even amongst the dirt and insects, Scorpius found himself enjoying himself. Because Rose was happily munching on a scone beside him in a bright yellow sundress that showed a bit more of her legs than Ron Weasley would have ever approved of. And she was humming while her curls did a soft dance around her.

She brought out two books from the nearby basket and asked him to read a book with her. And they both stayed there for hours, chatting (and maybe arguing) over their opinions on the characters' choices, laughing at the plot holes they discovered, stealing glances at each other between the pages, basking in the warm air, and appreciating each other's quiet company.

And maybe picnics weren't so bad after all.

A/N: Hope you're enjoying the fluff.