"Rosie, why do you hate me so much?"

Her mind loses its grip on her next insult. Scorpius Malfoy looks at her expectantly. She glances around the library for any witnesses. There are none. It's too late at night for witnesses.

"What are you talking about? And don't call me Rosie." she hisses at him.

He grins easily. "Why do you always get so angry with me? I barely provoke you, and you go flying off the handle."

She bites her lip. She hadn't expected him to get so personal mid-argument. They were fighting like always, she couldn't exactly remember over what, but it was justified… or she thought so. Yes, it was definitely justified. What did he say that started this? Did it matter? He started it. He always started it.

"You started it." she blurts out defiantly.

He raises his eyebrows at her. "Did I?"

"Yes. You always start it. You get on my nerves. You're….impossible." she bites out the end, clenching her hands into fists.

He considers this.

"What did I say that offended you so much?"

"I don't…"

"I asked you how your potions essay was coming along." He raises his eyebrows. "I'm sorry if that was callous of me, I should have been more considerate."

She groans at this. Potions class was a particularly bad subject that she tried so hard to do well in. And it came so easily to him, which he liked to rub her nose in. He'd always offer to help out, and though she needed it, she could never get past the way he just marched up to her and acted like she desperately needed help. She glared at him.

"I'm stressed Malfoy, and I don't appreciate…"

"Do you hate me?" he cuts her off.

"What, no, I…"

"You act like you hate me. You've always acted like that."

"I have not."

"Ever since we were kids. I really wanted to be friends with you, and you wanted nothing to do with me."

"Well, you….look at you! You're so smug and arrogant, you're such a…"

"A what?"

She blushes down at the floor. "Nothing."

"No, say it. I mean, you've never held back on your opinion of me before." He's focused his full attention on her, and it makes her squirm. He's really listening. He's not airily fighting back, never letting her get the better of him. He's having and intent discussion, and it's making her nervous.

He annoyed her always. She wasn't sure why, but he got under her skin. She spent more time thinking about him than she would ever admit. It was like she pushed herself, that extra hour of studying, that tougher quidditch drill, as if she was proving something.

Not to herself. But to him.

She wasn't sure why. Not anymore. Because she wanted him to be devastated by his inferiority? He seemed unperturbed by being the runner-up. It had only really mattered to her.

She bites her lip. "I don't know why I hate you." she admits this, blushing the same shade as her red hair.

He closes his eyes. "I knew it."

"What?"

"You've hated me since the day we met, because I'm a Malfoy. For someone whose mother is all for equality, you're pretty backwards, Weasley."

"What? How dare you?" she stammers angrily.

"You were very quick to pass judgment on me because of a prejudice. You've never offered me kindness. You just hated me because of what your parents say."

"Of course they told me to steer clear of you, look at our families! Didn't your parents tell you to stay away from me?"

He loses her gaze, staring at the floor.

"No." he says quietly.

She blanches. "What?"

"No. My father told me you'd probably be clever, like your mother. That I'd have to compete with you for top grades. But never this. They never wanted me to hate you."

"Oh," is all she can say.

"I really wanted to be friends, but I guess you didn't want that so I annoyed you. I got that. But I'm not smug and I'm not arrogant. I keep to myself. Or at least, I try to."

He gives her a shy look, and she's surprised by how vulnerable he seems.

"I always thought you were really fascinating. You were smart and funny and well…everything around you seemed better. So I tried competing with you."

"You could have just talked to me…" she bites her lip. Instead he tried one-upping her. In all their classes, they nearly killed each other for the best grade. On the quidditch field, they came closer to killing each other. He dated all her friends. She flirted with all of his, but rejected them because she wanted to focus on her studies. He broke up with all her friends.

"I liked competing with you. It made me improve myself. It made the extra work fun." He says softly.

"I hardly see why all the effort was necessary, Malfoy."

He closes his eyes. "Scorpius. You've never called me Scorpius."

She shakes her head. "You never said anything. I didn't know."

"You never really cared to know. It's fine."

He packs up his books.

"I liked you Rose. Over all these years, I thought you were pretty and bright and different. But I give up. You clearly want nothing to do with me."

He leaves her standing alone in the library, head in her hand, feeling very small and foolish.