She sat by the window in the Heads dormitories, looking out into the storm, just remembering. They had been best friends since that first day on the train.

*Flashback*

Rose Weasley was very nervous about her first year at Hogwarts. She anxiously looked through the compartments, searching for a familiar face, but wherever she saw one of her many cousins they seemed to be having too much fun with their friends and she didn't want to disturb anyone. Finally she came to the last compartment on the train. It was empty apart from a small blond boy, looking miserable and lonely. Shyly, she opened the door.

"Excuse me, sorry to disturb you but can I sit here?"

His head immediately snapped up. He quietly nodded, then looked away, hoping she wouldn't recognize him. Then she would surely leave.

"It's such a nice day. My name's Rose. What's yours?"

He knew who she was. His father had pointed her out in the station, but he had already recognized her. His father had described her parents to him all through his childhood, and he had warned him to stay away from her. Though Draco Malfoy had changed since the war, the grudge against Ron Weasley was still firmly intact. Scorpius remembered once his father had told him that he could sometimes still feel the punch Hermione Granger (now Weasley) had given him in his third year. Scorpius had been endlessly trained to stay away from any Weasley/Potters he may meet. Scorpius had listened, but when observing them in the station he didn't see anything wrong with them. He wasn't creeping, no! Just observing.

It occurred to him that Rose was still patiently waiting for an answer. He was unsure about whether he should tell her, but she seemed really nice. Softly he replied, "Scorpius."

"I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that."

"Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy. Go ahead and leave. I don't mind."

"Why would I leave? It's good to meet you Scorpius." Truly Rose knew her father would explode if he saw her now. She had been drilled daily to stay away from anyone with the surname Malfoy. She didn't see why though, and what's wrong with a little rebellion once in a while? Her Uncle George had told her about lots of things her father had done with Uncle Harry while they were at Hogwarts, not to mention his own adventures with her Uncle Fred. This couldn't be as bad as any of the things they had done, could it?

Scorpius was shocked. How could she not want to leave now that he had told her who he was? He smiled.

They talked for a while, and soon it was time to get off. Before they parted, Rose had to be sure of something. "Scorpius, um, are we friends?"

Scorpius smiled again and replied. "From now on, we'll be the best of friends. I promise."

*End Flashback*

Now Rose wondered how things had gotten to be like this. Through sixth year, he had kept that promise. Though many of his promises had been empty and meaningless, this was the one he kept. Even though he was in Slytherin and she in Gryffindor, they were there for each other, always. Now, she didn't know what to make of things. They were Heads, but he managed to avoid her. They never sat together in class anymore. They never snuck out to Hogsmeade in the middle of the night, got some butterbeer and walked around looking in the shops for hours. They had had so much fun last year. She even thought she could have been developing some romantic feelings for him, but she couldn't tell anyone. Lily was the only person she could easily tell and she would understand, but she would just go squealing to all her friends, including Hugo and he would just tell her dad. Ron had only recently found out about the friendship between her and Scorpius and he had had a fit. She couldn't imagine what his reaction to her feeling anything more than that would be. It doesn't matter anymore, she thought bitterly. He doesn't even talk to me now.

That brought her back to why she was here in the first place. It had been raining when it happened. She still didn't understand it. When she arrived at the station after the summer, she dropped her umbrella and ran over. He just turned away and walked off to talk to his Slytherin buddies. She felt like she had been slapped in the face. Did none of his promises mean anything, then? Was he just toying with her the whole time? Were Malfoys really just like her father said they were? Did she endure a whole summer of fighting with her father on his behalf for nothing? She stood in the rain crying, and she never cried.

She knew she had to confront him. Watching the rain, she waited for him to come back to the common room. He always arrived late, assuming she would be in bed. She usually was in her room reading a book and drifting off to sleep right now, but she was determined to catch him this time.

It seemed like hours later, the portrait opened. She quickly looked up, and she saw him. He was standing there, staring at her. He was clearly surprised she was still here, and he didn't know what to do. She saw this as her chance, and she ran towards him. In his moment of weakness, she was able to grab his hands and drag him to the couch even though he was a good six inches taller than her. She shoved him town and did a quick body-bind hex to be sure he wouldn't run off.

"Now I just have a few questions for you, and then I'll let you go. Why did you ignore me on the first day of school? And every day since then? It's been driving me insane! Did I do something wrong?"

"No, you didn't. It's not that at all. It's just…" He trailed off, unsure what to say. He couldn't tell her the truth. He hated his father for doing this to him, but there was nothing he could do. He respected his father too much to disobey him again. He never wanted to see him as disappointed as he had been when he had told him he was friends with Rose. "I can't be your friend anymore." He wanted things to be different, but he couldn't see how they could be. Why couldn't she understand that?

"Why not? What's so wrong with me that you hate me so much that you can't be my friend?" Hearing those words, her heart shattered. She was utterly confused. Why did he hate her now?

"I don't hate you! That's not it at all! I just…" He trailed off.

"You just what? What could possibly make you say that if you don't hate me."

"It's my father. I told him, just like I said I would, and he looked so disappointed. I knew I couldn't disappoint him anymore, so I had to avoid you."

"My father yelled at me, and we had shouting matches throughout the whole summer! But I didn't back down, I didn't give up because I care about you! And if you cared about me you would have stood up to your father as well!" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. He decided to ignore her just because their friendship had upset his father? And what did he mean by upsetting him more?

"I do care! I just couldn't bear to tell him anything else, if that was his reaction to me just being your friend, then who knows what would happen if he found out that I really want something more!" Wait, what? Did he just say that out loud? Supermegashitfucktards. He quickly looked away.

"What?" She couldn't believe what she just heard. Could he really have the same feelings she had been trying to hide since last spring?

"You heard me, please don't make me say it again," he pleaded.

"But what if I feel the same way?" she replied softly. His head immediately snapped up, and she was reminded of how he reacted the same way the very first time she spoke to him on the train. She smiled.

"Y-you do?" Did he just stutter? He may have been insecure at times, but he never stuttered. But then, he had never experienced butterflies in his abdomen either, and yet he was feeling them now, corny as it sounds. He cautiously looked at her eyes, and was met with a soft, loving gaze. How could he have missed it before, when it was so clear now? He was an idiot. But yet she still wanted him. He was the luckiest man in the world. He reached out his hand, and she took it and they walked out of the portrait hole. They spent the evening in Hogsmeade, like all the times before, but different. This time, they were there, not as friends, but as a couple. And he couldn't be happier.

Suddenly, she stopped walking and looked at him. "Are you going to leave again? How long will this last?"

He smiled lovingly at her. "I'll never leave. Together forever, I promise."

And this time, she knew he meant it.