Describe Me Now

By Everafterjunkie

(I own nothing)

Bossy. Prude. Ginger.

That's how he'd described her.

The thought that out of every single word ever invented, the three that he thought of first when it came to her were those three upset her.

Her eyes narrowed at the smirking blonde haired boy, his finger and thumb twisting his wand in his hand.

"ROSE WEASLEY!"

The whole class burst into laughter, including her cousin Albus, who rather chuckled instead.

Hence, the whole class agreed.

She was bossy.

She was prude.

And she was ginger.

Her face was flushed bright red and she locked her eyes onto the parchment before her.

Don't look up Rose. Don't look up. She thought in a mantra to herself.

The laughter dissolved and she risked another look up to find Malfoy strolling back to his seat, satisfied with her humiliation. "Your turn." He winked at Daisy Greene on the way past and she pushed herself out of her chair and made her way to the board.

Rose hated when Professor Carlisle was missing.

Surely being a Sixth Year meant privileges, privileges such as being able to leave a classroom and to be trusted that they would do the work set alone.

But not Professor Carlisle.

He insisted that they all stay in the classroom and do the work there.

Meaning that the whole class were currently playing an immature guessing game where they put three words on the board and everyone guessed who or what it was.

So far they'd had: Bellatrix Lestrange. Wand. Gryffindor. Dumbledore. Longbottom.

And her.

She wouldn't have minded if the other five before him had done pupils, but Malfoy had always taken an opportunity to tease her.

Focussing on her work, she grabbed her quill and concentrated fully on the work set. There wasn't actually that much work and the answers were in the back of the book. But just to save herself from further embarrassment, she tried doing it instead of just giving up.

"Not like you to stay so quiet Weasley." Malfoy had dropped into the chair in front of her, usually it would've been Violet's seat but she'd moved to sit next to her friend.

Deciding for once, to ignore the itch to fight him back. She remained focussed as hard as she could, pretending that Scorpius Malfoy wasn't annoyingly smirking at her.

"Come on Weasley, I just insulted you in front of the whole class and you have nothing to say?" He shook his head, disappointed. "I expected more of you."

Rose risked a glance down to her watch, only nineteen more minutes to the end of this class and then she'd be free.

Free for two whole weeks.

Best of all, she'd be free from him.

"Is it because you know you're all of those things?" He asked, exasperating Rose beyond belief. "Don't really have a leg to stand on, do you Weasley?"

"JAMES POTTER!"

Someone shouted, diverting Rose's attention from her essay.

Daisy shook her head. "Nope!"

"ALBUS POTTER!"

"TEDDY LUPIN!" Another girl screamed.

Daisy beamed. "You got it."

Rose scrunched her nose up in disgust. Smart. Handsome. Sweet.

So with those three words, James, Albus and Teddy come to their minds. But bossy, prude and ginger makes them all think of her straight away.

"Huh." Malfoy seemed dumbfounded. "I thought she was talking about me." He almost sighed.

Rose bit her tongue so hard it was in danger of bleeding.

"What's wrong with you today Weasley? Normally you're something on a challenge ... well a pathetic challenge obviously, but today you're not even that."

Come on Rose. A few more minutes and then no more work till the Christmas holidays. Just one night left at Hogwarts.

"I can see why you're being snooty, as you usually are, but I was just pointing out why you've never had a boyfriend."

Rose finally snapped, her eyes like fire. "Why are you so interested in my personal life?"

Malfoy laughed, a laugh that almost seemed cruel. "I couldn't care less. I'm just giving you some friendly advice. Stop being so bossy, prude and ginger."

"Well, for your information, I've had a boyfriend." She seethed at his cheek, turning her attention away from him and back to her work.

"Your brother doesn't count Weasley." Her attention was immediately his again.

Her fist was becoming dangerously tight around her quill. "Not that it's any of your business, but me and my boyfriend went out for two months actually." Rose lied through her teeth.

Scorpius seemed intrigued, ignoring the game that he had started with his friend Markus, he grabbed her parchment from her desk and placed it quickly on his own desk. "How far did you two go?"

Rose's eyes widened, her distraction took away. She immediately jumped up from her chair and lunged for her parchment. Malfoy whipped it from her and held it high in the air. "Ah ah, you didn't answer the question." He teased, standing up himself and putting his chair between them.

"Just give it back to me Malfoy!" Rose screeched, whipping her frizzy ginger hair back from her face and pushing the chair out of the way.

Unluckily for Rose, he was a good few inches taller than her and she bristled as she tried and failed and tried and failed to reclaim her class work.

"Albus, help me!" Rose turned her attention to her brown-haired ladies man cousin. "Albus!"

Albus was too preoccupied playing tonsil tennis with Maci Redford.

Malfoy laughed mercilessly, putting the paper behind his back instead. "You'll get this back when you answer my question."

"We snogged." Rose fibbed, whispering furiously. "Now give it back to me!"

"Did you enjoy it?" He taunted, that stupid smirk etched on his face.

Rose shook her head in disbelief. "Why do you even care?"

"I don't! But you care about this, so come on, did you enjoy it?"

Rose Weasley flushed, her teeth gritted, her cheeks flushed and her hands curled into fists. "It was nice."

Scorpius smiled, albeit a little strangely, as he handed her work back to her. "There you go Weasley. Nice story. Very entertaining." He complimented, sarcasm etched in his voice.

Rose took the paper from his outstretched hand and marched back to her seat. "It wasn't a story." She muttered, flustered that he'd seen straight through her.

"Hmm, what was his name then?" Malfoy had taken his seat back and Rose rolled her eyes at his persistence.

"I'm bossy, I'm a prude and worst of all, I'm ginger. So why're you still talking to me? I'm sure Daisy would be more than happy to talk to you. Go bother her."

Scorpius shrugged. "I'm curious."

"Well don't be. There's nothing interesting about me." Rose thanked Merlin that the lesson had ended, she flew out of the classroom quicker than she could have done with a broom.

Rose breathed deeply for the last time. She was sixteen. Not a baby. She could do this. It wasn't not like anyone had died or anything.

With that in mind, she swung open her bedroom door and bolted down the stairs and into the living room.

She noticed the cropped brown hair of her Mum, sitting up straight and looking down at something. Two feet were hanging off the other side of the settee, dressed in woolly grey socks and at any other time she would have moaned that her parents were too soppy. As she edged closer she could make out her Dad's head in her Mum's lap, she was stroking his hair and he was making gooey eyes at her.

Noticing she'd been holding her breath, she let out one more before casually strolling past the settee and heading for the kitchen.

"Rose." Her mum had a sort of sixth sense, she always knew if it was her or Hugo.

Rose froze mid-step.

"Rose, what have you done to your hair?" Her voice was quite calm, calmer than she thought it'd be.

Her Dad got up off her Mum's lap and looked at his daughter in disbelief. "Why on earth would you do that?"

Rose shrugged, turning to her parents and flicking her new straight hair behind her shoulder. "I fancied a change."

Her Dad grumbled, making his way over to her and marching her to the hallway mirror. "Look at yourself, you don't look like the same girl!"

Rose did look at herself. Her frizzy ginger hair was now a straight, smooth, scarlet red. And she, for once in her life, felt pretty.

Her Mum sighed from behind the pair. "She's a teenager Ron, it's what they do." She said softly to her husband.

"Is this to impress a boy?" Her Dad asked sharply, looking down at his daughter with a fierce glare.

"No! I just don't want to be known as bossy, prude, ginger Rose. I want to be ... not that." Rose ran a hand through her silky new hair. "People think I'm a stuck up cow, I hate it Mum."

Her Mum looked at her in understanding. "I know sweetheart, but do you really need to change who you are, to please other people?"

Rose couldn't look her Mother in the eye for the rest of the night.

Rose was sitting in her room, reading a history book when Albus' owl Mortem came flying through her window.

Looking up, curiously, she put down her book and removed the letter from Mortem's beak.

Me and a few others are playing Quidditch at my house, come play, we need even sides. Oh and Scorpius' there, so don't say I didn't warn you – Al.

Rose knew that Albus expected her to be disappointed at his mention of Scorpius Malfoy, but in reality she couldn't be more thrilled.

Quickly finding out a coat, some gloves, a scarf and her broom, she grabbed a hand full of floo powder and raced to her fireplace.

"Rose!" Aunt Ginny held a hand to her chest in surprise. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry Aunty Gin, is Al about?" Rose smiled politely, knowing Albus and his friends would be in the garden.

"They're outside playing Quidditch. It's freezing out there though! Oh Rose, your Mum said you'd dyed your hair, but I don't know why you thought you had to, I mean your hair is a lovely—"

"Thanks!" Rose thanked quickly, racing her way towards the back door.

The boys were congregated around a few plastic tables, all sitting in plastic chairs and sipping butterbeer. Her eyes automatically zoned in on the blonde boy's head and she took a deep breath before revealing her surprise to him.

"Not much Quidditch going on, is there?" Rose asked, smiling cheekily.

Albus spun around, grinning too. He hadn't seen his cousin since Boxing Day, and that was pretty long where there relationship was concerned. "Long time no see." He smiled up at her and watched her approach.

The rest of the boys turned also, half of them with their mouths open. Many of them had never seen her with her hair down, never mind straight and red.

"Decided to take my advice Weasley?" Blue eyes met hers and she swallowed away a lump in her throat.

Rose ignored him, going to hug her cousin thoroughly.

"Nice hair ... Rose." Markus Clews actually spoke her first name, smiling rather goofily.

Scorpius scowled at his friend. "Put your eyes back in your head Clews."

"Thank you Markus." Rose smiled sweetly, almost blushing. "Your hair looks nice too."

Mike Thompson grinned too. "Yeah Rose, you brush up good."

Albus was by this time making the same faces as Scorpius. "Let's get to the Quidditch, if I hear much more of this, I think I'll be sick."

Rose thumped him playfully. "Nice of you to finally stick up for me again Potter!"

Rose had to admit, she'd never enjoyed a game of Quidditch more in her life. It was three aside, her, Albus and Markus were on one side and Mike, Scorpius and Rob Barton were on the other.

The only competition she had was Scorpius, Mike and Rob spent the whole time staring at her, as did Markus so she and Albus kicked Scorpius' arse thoroughly. Much to his dismay.

"GET THE BLOODY SNITCH YOU IDIOTS!"

Rose chanced a glance at Scorpius, his face was bright red and you could see the veins on his neck. Rose giggled and ran a hand over the top of Scorpius' hair as she passed.

Albus was chuckling too, throwing the quaffle once again into its abandoned goal. "I wish you were in Slytherin Rose, we wouldn't ever lose."

Rose laughed too, genuinely laughed. She laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed until she realised she was lying on her back in the grass, crying of laughter. It was so hilarious to her that three boys were actually showing an interest because of her and not her parents.

Five boys were watching her curiously from above when she opened one eye and she burst into another round of hysterical laughter.

"What's up with her?" She heard Rob ask.

Rose grinned up at Rob, jumping up to her feet and throwing her arms around the boy. "Nothing is wrong Rob!"

Albus, his eyebrow raised, gave his cousin a strange look. "I'm getting another butterbeer, you lot coming? I'm freezing my arse off out here." He strolled off in the direction of the house and Markus, Rob and Mike followed behind him.

Rose shook her head in disbelief as she took a step forward to follow them too. Before she could take another step, Scorpius had caught her by the wrist and she whipped her head backwards to see who had stopped her.

"Did you ... dye your hair because of what I said?" He asked quietly, avoiding her eyes.

Rose's wrist remained limp in his muddy glove. "W-What?"

"On the last day of term ... I said some things. Is that why?" He repeated, giving her a look that made her want to tell the truth.

Rose didn't want him to know he'd got to her, but she found herself wanting to tell the boy who had caused her so much pain everything. "Malfoy, people like me because of who my parents are. But no one has ever fancied me for me. For how I look. For who I am. Now people do. And it's the best feeling in the world. So, yes, you got to me. But I'm glad you did. Now I know that I'm not ... well not as ugly as I thought I was. I'm still ug—"

"Oh shut up Rose! You're not bloody ugly!" Rose gawped, her mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. He'd called her Rose and complimented her. This must have been a dream or something.

"Well, why has no one ever liked me before then? Because I'm an ugly, bossy, ginger prude! And if I was ever going to get a boyfriend, I needed to change, I did and look what happened!" Rose grinned in excitement. "I think they might like me!"

"They don't like you." Scorpius muttered, frustrated.

Rose blanched like he'd just punctured her heart. "You've said some awful things to me Scorpius, but ... you don't understand ... you don't get that ... I just want someone to bloody like me! I'm like, the only person in the whole of Sixth Year whose never been out with anyone. And every time I come close you always, without fail, warn him off!" She spat out the last sentence.

"I ruin everything for a reason Rose! It's not my fault if you're too god damn stupid to see it!"

"I am not stupid Scorpius!" Rose growled. "Every time a boy shows the slightest bit of interest you always ruin it for me. You always tell them how boring and annoying and whiney and ugly I am, then they run a mi—"

"I've never called you ugly." Scorpius said quietly.

"Well it's what you think, isn't it?" Rose folded her arms across her chest, feeling suddenly cold. "Let's get inside. It's starting to snow."

"Wait." Scorpius murmured, staying rooted to the spot. Rose, against her better judgement, turned around and waited for him to speak again. "Put your hair back to the way it was ... please."

"No!" Rose yelled back at him systematically. "When I get back to school, I might actually have a boyfriend. I'm not giving that up because you tell me too!"

"One of the things I liked about you was that you weren't shallow. You didn't want people to go after you or be friends with you just because of who your parents are. Now you're telling me you want to get a boyfriend who just cares about your hair and new low-cut clothes!"

"I'm wearing a coat you imbecile!" Rose almost screamed.

"Well, I'll just warn them all off. Tell them what a control freaknutter cow you are." Malfoy raised both eyebrow as if to say what you gonna do about that?

"What I don't understand is why! Why are you so against me having a boyfriend? About anyone liking me! Why don't you just leave me alone?" Rose spat each word at him, her teeth gritted and her eyes wild.

"Because you don't deserve to have a boyfriend! It's my duty to stop those boys ruining their lives by going out with you!" Scorpius looked livid.

"You know, if you'd have said that a year ago, it would've really hurt me. I think I might've cried. But you're just bitter. You can't let go that my parents won! So you feel like you need to get revenge on me, don't you? That's why you'll never leave me a-bloody-lone!"

Scorpius' blonde eyebrows knitted together. "I couldn't give a crap about our parents Weasley—"

"But you give a crap about every boy who may like me a little? I really can't stand you Malfoy." Rose looked at him, disgusted and hurt. He would never just leave her alone. If it wasn't for him, she could have had three boyfriends by now. He'd scared off every one.

"Well I hate you Weasley." Scorpius smirked, satisfied that he'd beat her comeback.

"I hate you more than I hate celery!" Rose countered, folding her arms and reminding herself slightly of her cousin Lily when she was in a strop.

Scorpius smirked once more. "Celery? Really, Rose?"

"Well I hate it! It's horrible and leaves a horrible taste in your mouth. It's a horrible colour too, much like your hair!" She flailed an arm around in the air to motion to his hair.

"Do not insult my hair Weasley. I've never had to dye mine to impress any girls!"

"Shut your face you arrogant sod!"

Scorpius chortled. "You couldn't get a boyfriend if you begged someone and even if you did, you're such a prude you wouldn't even hold their hand!"

"Oh yeah?" Rose's eyes were like fire.

Scorpius' eyes narrowed. "Yes."

Rose turned on her heel and marched towards the kitchen, vaguely noticing footsteps behind her that told her he was following her. She grabbed a butterbeer off the side and took a quick gulp before going up to Rob Barton with a seductive smile on her face. "Hey Rob." She greeted, wrapping an arm around his.

"Uh ... hi Rose."

Scorpius marched in behind her, looking ridiculously flustered. "You are pathetic Weasley!"

Albus grumbled, frustrated with his cousin and his mate. "Will you two just get along for three minutes? I knew inviting you both was a bad idea!"

They weren't listening to him.

"Rob, do you fancy going to Hogsmeade together on Monday?" Rose asked casually, twisting a lock of her new red hair around her finger.

"I'd love—"

Scorpius had pulled out his wand before he even knew he had. "Are you blind mate? It's Weasley!"

Rob looked slightly intimidated. "Um ... so?"

Rose grinned, relieved that Scorpius hadn't changed his mind yet.

Mike and Markus didn't even laugh at Scorpius' remarks as they usually would have. It made Rose's smile bigger.

"So she's a bloody squat! She's annoying and boring and a know it all. It doesn't matter what colour her hair is, she's still the same old Weasley! Who in Merlin's name would want to go out with that? She's—"

Albus made a loud sound of frustration when Rose started to blink back tears, releasing Rob's arm. "You would Scorp! You. Would."

Scorpius stopped his rant, looking at his friend with wide eyes. "W-What?"

Rose, Markus, Mike and Rob looked curiously at Albus and Scorpius.

"YOU WOULD! Remember last year, when we nicked some firewhiskey and you drank the whole bloody bottle 'cause we dared you. You told me when I was sneaking you back to our dorm. You said you were mad about her!"

Scorpius looked shocked. "You're lying."

"Oh come on, I'm not bloody stupid! You go out of your way to make her miserable, you talk about her in your sleep, when you were drunk you confessed your undying love, when Ravenclaw have a match, you stare at her the whole time and make comments about how she plays! Just man up Scorpius. I'm sick of you teasing her because you fancy the arse off her!"

Everyone's mouths had dropped open, including Rose's. Her hair fell in her face slightly but she couldn't even move it. She was too in shock.

"He's lying." Scorpius insisted to the three boys and indirectly to Rose. "He's just annoyed that me and Rose are the centre of attention and for once he isn't!" He looked a little desperate right then.

Albus ignored him, walking over to his cousin and standing in front of her. "He's liked you for years Rose. That's why I hardly stick up for you around him, it's because he doesn't mean anything he says about you. He beat up Danny Walls when he tried to give you a Valentines Day card last year! That's why you've never had a boyfriend. Because he's too—"

"That makes no sense." Rose whispered, frustrated.

"It makes no sense because it's not true!" Scorpius shoved Albus as hard as he could so he fell backwards into the kitchen table.

"What did you do that for?" Mike yelled, going to help Albus up.

Albus rubbed the back of his neck as he stood up. "Coward." Albus muttered under his breath. "Just like your father."

Scorpius blanched at the insult. His face even paler than usual. "I-I'm not my ... Al you know I-I'm not—"

"Come on mates, calm down." Markus intervened, stepping between the two.

"Is that what you really think of me Al? That I'm just like my father. Really?" Scorpius asked softly, a tone Rose barely ever heard from him.

Albus looked a little guilty. "I ... I'm just sick of—"

"When we first met in First Year, you said you knew I was different to him. You said you didn't care about our parents fighting..."

Albus nodded. "I did and I meant it. But Rose means a lot to me ... and I know she does to you too—"

Scorpius closed his eyes, irritated by Albus' persistence. "Enough Al! I may not be my father, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to shack up with Weasley!"

Rose let out a small whimper. She'd just kidded herself that Scorpius Malfoy actually liked her. She'd let Albus convince her that in reality, Scorpius loved her and never meant anything he said. A proper love story. She'd been shocked, but secretly over the moon that all this time, someone actually had liked her. It all fit into place. Like a jigsaw puzzle that took her three years to figure out.

Now he had broke apart the jigsaw puzzle and mixed the pieces up once again.

"I'm tired, see you later." Rose blurted out, thinking of a quick excuse and running towards Albus' living room. Before anyone could stop her, she grabbed a handful of floo powder and hurriedly whispered her address. She just caught site of her Aunt Ginny trying to say something before she arrived back in her own fireplace.

Rose was grateful she was left alone for the next few hours, it gave her enough time to cry and feel sorry for herself. How could Albus do that to her? She was absolutely humiliated. She was dreading school now, dreading ever seeing Scorpius again. She should have told him she'd rather eat ten spiders then go out with him, but instead she'd almost cried and ran away.

She felt ashamed to be a Weasley. Weasley's never ran away. And yet, she'd just done the exact same thing.

"Rose?" A faint voice came through her door and a few light knocks.

Rubbing away the mascara she'd tried on for today from under her eyes she let out a hoarse "Come in," and lay back on her bed.

Her Mum looked sympathetic as she sat down next to her daughter on her bed. "It's not like you to run away Rose."

Rose's eyebrows shot up. "How did you know?"

"Al popped by, he was worried about you. I told him to give it a few hours." Her Mum reached out for her hand and Rose took it gratefully.

"I'm a sorry excuse for a Weasley, aren't I?" She used the hand that wasn't in her Mum's to rub a hand over her eyes.

Her Mum laughed lightly, Rose suspected it wasn't a real laugh. "You are a Weasley. I'm going to tell you something, that only me, your Dad, Uncle Harry, Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur know."

Rose's eyes narrowed. "Does Aunt Ginny know?"

"Yes of course, Uncle Harry told her, but no one else. When me, Dad and Uncle Harry were searching for horcruxes, your Dad thought something was going on with me and Uncle Harry." Her Mum said softly, breathing deeply.

"Was something happening?" Rose asked sharply, looking a little scared.

"No, of course not! Harry's like a brother to me. But your Dad hadn't been eating properly, he was tired, he was worried about everyone and his mind ran away with him."

"What happened?" Rose asked curiously.

"Your Dad and Uncle got into a huge fight when we heard some news about Ginny and Neville in the tent from some ... passers by." She said carefully. "Well, the truth is ... we didn't all stay together the whole time. Your Dad ... he left us."

"He left you?" Rose asked incredulously. "I thought you said—"

"He did come back Rose. He found us again. And he had a good rollicking too! But the point is, we all do things we regret and ... your Dad regrets running away deeply. Sometimes you just need to get out so you can think. When he came back things were much better."

Rose still couldn't believe she'd been lied to for sixteen years. "How long was he gone?"

"It was hard to tell in that tent, minutes felt like hours. It was the worst time of my life." She admitted, looking her daughter in the eye.

"Al said Scorpius likes me, he said that's why he always teases me." Rose made her own confession, avoiding her Mum's eyes. "When we were in the garden, Scorpius asked me to put my hair back to the way it was."

"Are you going to?"

Rose shrugged, taking her hand from her Mother's and rubbing her eyes with the balls of her hands. "Do you think he wants me to dye it back so he won't ... do you think that maybe he likes me now ... because of my hair ... I mean, because it was the first time he'd been nice to me in years and now he's begging me to dye it back! Then he probably won't fancy me anymore so he won't have to worry about it ..."

Her Mum smiled in understanding. "If I'm honest Rose, I agree with Al. I think he's liked you for a very long time."

"She's right." Both Rose and her Mum started at the new voice and turned to see a flustered Scorpius Malfoy standing in her doorway.

Rose's eyes darted to his quickly, her hands itching to smooth her ruffled red hair.

"Who let you in?" Rose asked curiously.

"Your Dad. I told him ... I told him what I wanted to tell you and he let me up." Scorpius gave a sideways smile.

"He did?" Her Mum asked, smiling proudly. "I loveyour Dad too much sometimes Rosie. I'll leave you two to it." With that, her Mum scurried off, shutting the door behind her and racing down the stairs to see her Dad.

Scorpius buried his hands in his pockets as he took a few steps closer to Rose's bed. "The thing is ... Al was right. I'm a coward."

Rose couldn't mask her surprise.

"I've always teased you because ... because I wanted no one else to go out with you. Until you realised that ... that maybe you and me could..."

Rose shook her head, feeling slightly confused. "If you liked me, why didn't you just ask me out?"

"Because you're way too good for me. I just thought that ... if I made you think that you're not good enough, you'd settle for me." Scorpius shrugged one shoulder, feeling like an idiot. "To me, you're just ... brilliant the way you are ... or the way you were."

Rose clicked her tongue. "Why would you, like someone whose bossy, ginger and prude?"

"Because I likethat you try and boss me around. I like that you don't let anyone touch you. I like your birds nest hair. So please just dye the bloody thing back, button up your shirt and tell me how to get you to forgive me for being such an arse for all these years."

Rose self-consciously folded her arms over her chest and looked up at him. "Fine, I'll dye my hair back. But only because I want to, not because you want me to."

Scorpius chuckled, greatly relieved. "Good. I couldn't stand those prats ... ogling you."

"This cannot be happening. It must be some kind of dream or something." Rose muttered to herself, feeling a little lightheaded.

Scorpius sat down next to her and lightly pinched her arm. "Afraid not."

"And you're not kidding me? This isn't some kind of a joke?" Rose kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, scared to looking him in the eyes just in case he was.

Scorpius sighed loudly. "It's not a joke. I wish it was. I'm an idiot really. At first I didn't understand why I wanted you to never have a boyfriend, I thought it might be because I hated you. But I realised, that night of Al's party, when you were dancing to that stupid Muggle song ... the macaroni was it? You looked like such an idiot and I couldn't stop watching you. Daisy was trying her hardest to get my attention, she was practically giving herself to me."

"Urgh. I never liked her..." Rose scrunched up her nose and Scorpius grinned, encouraged.

"Then I realised that it's because I like you. I've liked you for years. It scared me to death because I knew you couldn't stand the sight of me ... but I just needed to ... protect you." Scorpius admitted, feeling more comfortable then he had since Rose had arrived at Albus' that afternoon. "Al made me realise that, I just needed to tell you. Now it's up to you."

"Well ... I never even thought about it until today ... but I guess you're not too shabby." Rose grinned, giving him a cheeky wink.

Scorpius physically relaxed. "So ... do you ... maybe want to go to Hogsmeade with me ... instead of Rob?"

"On one condition." Rose held up one finger.

Scorpius looked a little worried. "What?"

"Kiss me first."

Scorpius was only happy to oblige.

AN: My first Scorpius/Rose fic! Thanks to Emma and Danci for your encouragement. I may do more Scorpius/Rose fics if people like them or venture into Ron/Hermione land if people don't.

Review please? :)