Next Generation Pairings

Fifth Year

Rose was excited for her fifth year at Hogwarts, to say the least. Her OWLs were going to take place this year. She'd already been studying.

She was almost ready to go to the train station.

Then she frowned, remembering when Scorpius had asked her out a few months before. She had said no and it tore her apart. Rose only said that because her father told her not to get too close to this boy. She secretly liked him, though.

Ron had made it very clear.

"That boy is off-limits. That's a rule."

But Weasleys weren't known for following rules.

Rose really wished her father wasn't so salty towards him sometimes. Whenever she thinks about Scorpius now, her heart flutters a little.

We're all those years of resentment towards the boy only driven by her father's unjust rule?

Things were going to change, Rose was sure of it. She really needed to talk to Scorpius, hoping that he would forgive her for being so cold towards him.

"Do you have everything, Rosie?" Her dad asked as she closed her suitcase.

"Yes, I think so. I'll miss you," she said, pulling her parents into a hug.

•••••••••••••••••

An hour later, she was sitting on the train with her friend, Lucy. After the trolley came, she got up to find Al's and Scorpius's cabin.

"I'll be right back, Lu."

Surprisingly enough, it was the one nearest to hers.

She knocked and pushed the doors open.

Her breath hitched in her throat when she saw Scorpius. His unruly blonde hair had gotten longer, and his jawline looked sharper, she noticed.

His silver eyes looked surprised to see her standing there.

"Um, hi," she said. Al looked at her.

"Can I please talk to you?" She said to them both.

Al raised an eyebrow. "Not if you're going to bring up how much you hate Slytherins."

"I don't hate Slytherins, Al!"

Both boys stopped what they were doing and looked at her strangely.

Rose continued, "I am not prejudiced, whether you believe it or not. I came to apologize for being rude to you these past years." She acknowledged both of them, blushing slightly when Scorpius studied her.

"Well I've already forgiven you-" Scorpius started, but Rose wasn't finished.

"Al, can I talk to Scorpius alone, please?"

"Um, okay..."

He left the cabin with a strange look on his face.

"Listen, Malfoy. I know I'll never deserve to know someone as sweet as you, but I'd like to try–"

"Are you drunk?" He asked, dumbfounded.

"Well, no..."

"Deathly ill?"

"What?! No! Scorpius I'm trying to apologize. I think you're sweet and kind and cute..."

Rose hadn't noticed herself drift off...

"Rose?"

"Right," she said, her face red.

So she explained why he thought she had hated him all these years, when really that wasn't the case.

"Rose, I've never held this against you. I mean, I'm used to it, right?"

This felt like a dagger in her heart. The poor boy had always been judged for his father's actions.

"Of course we can be friends," he said with a sly smile. "Unless you'd want to be something more..."

"Really?" She jumped up with a smile.

He stood up too. "I was kidding. I mean, unless you really wanted that?"

He blushed and scratched the back of his head. She ran into his arms and laughed.

"Yes! I'll go out with you! But we should keep it a secret," she said, pulling away.

"Really?" He couldn't keep the smile off his face.

To answer that, she ran her hands through his silky white-blonde hair, and pulled him into a kiss.

He held her there for a minute, but then a face appeared from the cabin doors. It was James. He was speechless.

"Oh, when Uncle Ron finds out..."

"James!" Rose yelled. "This is a secret, okay?"

He nodded slowly.

"Your dad!" James turned to Scorpius.

He looked rather pale.

"My father will not hear about this," he muttered under his breath.