Being in Slytherin may not have been a glamorous as being in Gryffindor, but we did have a certain code of conduct that most of us obeyed. Among that code were rules about public display of affection which Scorpius Malfoy was determined to ignore.

Seducing another house mate was hardly a rare occurrence, but the rest of us had the decency to move out of sight once the snogging began.

"Get a room!" Rose Weasley yelled indignantly at her best friend, who simply sent a smirk her way. "I'm trying to study," she added sternly, "And it's revolting having you within sight."
Other students murmured their agreement, making Bonnie – the very lucky girl of the night – blush profusely. Scorpius glared at those who dared raise their voices.

"Perhaps you should look away, Rosie," Scorpius suggested, but led Bonnie out of the common room anyway. A sigh of relief was felt more than heard; Rose in particular was considerably uncomfortable onlooking such intimate moments.

Rose knew that the most popular destination for Scorpius' escapades was, of course, the broom cupboard a few corridors further up the stairs in the dungeons. Far away enough from the common room to ensure privacy, but close enough to avoid any professors on patrol.

Everyone knew to avoid that particular cupboard. Rumour was that Scorpius had scratched his name into the metal inside the cupboard, claiming it as his own. Rose wouldn't know.

She was one of five girls in Slytherin currently completing sixth year. Rose was also one of two girls – the other being Bonnie – to have not been corrupted by Scorpius. Rose was willing to bet that, upon their return tonight, she would be the last. Totally acceptable in her mind, seeing as they were best friends (much to her father's horror) and being that intimate would be slightly weird.

Rose twisted a lock of shocking red hair around her finger, tugging it sharply to make her concentrate. Unaware of how long she had spent speculating about Scorpius, she reminded herself that studying her Herbology textbook was far more important than thinking about boys.

Rose didn't see Scorpius until the next day before breakfast. He was walking – no, sauntering – up the stairs towards the Entrance Hall. Rose called out to him.
"Scorpius!"

He didn't turn, but stopped walking and waited for her to catch up. Rose didn't rush and kept walking at her own pace, proving to herself that she was not keen to talk to Scorpius, rather, she wanted someone to walk with.

"Hello Rosie," Scorpius greeted. The grin on his face was bright, his platinum blonde hair more on the fuzzy side. "Lovely evening?"
"Not as lovely as yours, I'm sure," Rose replied dryly. Scorpius' face turned smug but he restrained from commenting.

"What can I do for you, Rose darling?" he asked instead.
"Walk me to breakfast?" Rose asked sweetly. Scorpius' face softened ever so slightly.
"How could I deny my best friend?"

He held out his arm gallantly, and Rose took it with a smile.

"Whatever will Bonnie think of you now," she asked loftily. "Walking into the Great Hall with another girl on your arm, the night after she gave herself to you!"
Scorpius looked down at Rose with a smirk. "I have a reputation that I don't try to hide, Rose. Bonnie knew what she was getting herself into."
"I hope so."

Scorpius' interest in the conversation disappeared upon entering the Great Hall when the enticing aroma of breakfast food registered in his brain. He led the way to the Slytherin table, plonking him and Rose directly in front of a large platter of blueberry muffins – Rose's favourite breakfast food.

"You know me too well, Scorpy," Rose said teasingly. Scorpius sent her a nasty look.
"Shut up, Weasley," he grumbled. A sullen look graced his features. "You're not allowed to call me that. We've discussed this."
"I don't think so," Rose disagreed. "You said I couldn't call you Scorpion."
"Well, you can't do that either!"

Rose laughed as the owls started to drift in, dropping various assortments of letters, newspapers, and packages among the students. She looked up hopefully for her parents' owl but, not to her surprise, it didn't show itself. Rose's dad barely wrote to her, and her mother was usually too busy to write.

"Father sent you this," Scorpius muttered distractedly, tossing over a small piece of parchment. He had his nose buried in his own letter – essay length, Rose noted, thinking discouragingly how her father never did that for her.

Opening up the parchment, it was barely the length of her hand long and was folded precisely into thirds. It was sealed with the Malfoy crest imbedded in red wax. The ink was a lovely green colour. A small smile forced its way onto Rose's face.

Miss Weasley,

Your mother has made it quite apparent that your father simply refuses to write to you throughout the school term and is far too busy herself to write. Hence, I am writing to you at her discretion, wishing you a happy Christmas on behalf of the Malfoy Family.

As always, an invitation is extended to you to stay at the Manor over the Christmas holidays should you desire to do so.

Draco and Astoria Malfoy.

"I think your parents are warming up to me, Scorpius," Rose said in a delighted tone. "After all these years!"

Scorpius merely glanced at her, hiding his grin as best he could. "What's not to like?" he said at last.
"Indeed! I was even invited to the Manor… again!" Rose pretended to be shocked. "They do know I'm not your girlfriend, right?"
"I think Mother might have high hopes for you," Scorpius murmured with a shake of his head. "Honestly, that woman… bad judge of character, I'm telling you…"
Rose rolled her eyes playfully. "So that's where you get it from!"

The two were suddenly interrupted when a particularly brave Ravenclaw slid into the seat beside Scorpius, batting her eyelashes.

"Scorpius, sweetie, will you help me study for the Transfiguration essay due tomorrow?" The girl asked. "I really must get it done tonight."
"I'm sorry, Natalie, but I've already done mine," Scorpius declined politely. Natalie looked crestfallen but the rejection didn't detain her spirit.
"Perhaps something else then? You can't be caught up on all of your homework!"
Scorpius frowned. "I am, actually. Rosie here makes sure I keep up to date!"

Rose, who was previously torn between glaring at Natalie and laughing at Scorpius' obvious discomfort, was shocked when Scorpius draped an arm over her shoulders. Her silence was only short though; Scorpius was obviously needing her help in getting rid of the girl, who was obviously not taking the hint, and Rose was only too happy to rise to the occasion.

"I'm surprised that you're falling behind, Natalie. Perhaps you aren't suited for Ravenclaw after all," Rose said in a falsely sweet tone, referring to her Sorting Ceremony.

Natalie was the only student that year who suffered Hat-stall – she admitted later that the Hat was tossing up between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

With a nasty glare in Rose's direction, Natalie flounced off to the Ravenclaw table to finish her breakfast. She sat by herself and ignored any attempts of conversation, burying her face in The Daily Prophet. Scorpius pulled his arm off Rose, leaving her feeling strangely light and chilly.

"Thanks for that," he sighed in relief. "I didn't think I could get rid of her quick enough!"
Rose laughed. "Honestly, I was expecting you to accept her offer. We all know it's not studying she had in mind." Scorpius didn't show any reaction to her joke, but Rose ignored it. "What made you decline?"
"Maybe I've got my eye on someone else," Scorpius suggested breezily. "I'm looking for a challenge."
"A Ravenclaw's a challenge if I ever heard of one," Rose pointed out. "So what, a Gryffindor?"

Scorpius was silent whilst he thought, and Rose allowed the silence.

"Maybe. But you are the only Slytherin girl left," Scorpius said suggestively. Rose rolled her eyes.
"We've talked about this," she mocked. "I'm not your next goal."
"Are you saying you don't want to be?" he asked, feigning outrage.
"I'm not saying anything!" Rose giggled. Scorpius gave her a flirty look.
"Your time will come, Rose darling."

Both of the Slytherin's ignored the butterflies in their stomachs that appeared after their banter. They had had this conversation many a time before, but it wasn't until recently that it started having an effect of Scorpius, and it wasn't until even sooner that Rose recognised what she was feeling.

A whiny voice tried to interrupt Rose's intense studying session.

"Rose! You aren't even listening to me!"
"Because you're annoying, Scorpius. Go away."
"I'm having a crisis and I need my best friend," Scorpius said firmly, splaying his hands all over Rose's Astronomy book so she couldn't read. An age-old sigh escaped her lips.
"Tell me again, then," she said, leaning her head into her hand. Scorpius immediately explained his predicament with gusto, using hand movements and loud voices, resulting in more than a few glares from the librarian.

"So let me get this straight: you turned Felicity down after she suggested you two go somewhere private and study?" Rose clarified. Scorpius gave a stiff nod. "I don't understand the problem."
"Neither do I," Scorpius grumbled. "I'm a male, Rose!"
"I've noticed."
"Why would I turn down such a beautiful opportunity?"

With a dramatic sigh, Scorpius stole Rose's book from her grasp and rested his head on it.

"Maybe you're maturing, Scorp," Rose said scandalously. "You've reached that age where you realise that girls are not here just for you to have sex with."
"No, I'm still at that age."
Rose rolled her eyes, snatching her book back and putting her elbows on it. "Felicity is a Ravenclaw though, isn't she? Perhaps she wasn't a challenge for you."
"Maybe."
"Do you even like her?"
"Yes. Maybe."
"Look, I'm not your therapist. You need to work this out on your own," Rose said, effectively closing the conversation. Scorpius looked up at her dejectedly.
"But best friends help each other through hard times!"
"I've helped you as much as I can."

Rose gathered her things and stood, Scorpius' eyes following her every movement. "Before you leave," he said quietly, "Can you just give me one remotely possible explanation for my stupid behaviour?"

Fully intending to think of the most ridiculous reason, preferably involving aliens, polyjuice and a love potion, Rose suddenly had a crazy thought. Well, crazy by Scorpius' standards, anyway.

"Maybe you have a crush on someone."

Scorpius buried his face in his arms. "What a ridiculous idea!"
Rose grinned at her friends' theatrics. The sooner he admitted his feelings to himself, the better. "Are you coming?" she asked him. At her prompt Scorpius stood quickly, his chair scratching the floor loudly, making her wince. The two walked in companionable silence through the dungeons for some time before Scorpius spoke again.
"What do I do?"
Rose couldn't resist commenting, "I thought you were the expert on girls?" which resulted in a frown directed at her. She laughed. "Just tell the girl you like her! Pretty simple."

Watching the stone wall dissolve to allow entry to the common room, Rose barely heard Scorpius whisper, "I don't like Felicity."
"Perhaps I wasn't talking about her."

Rose sent Scorpius a small smile as she flounced away to her dormitory to discard her things. Upon her return he was in a far corner of the room, completely immersed in an intense exploding snap tournament. Rose noticed his fingers tap impatiently on the wooden table and admired his quick reflexes to avoid the spray of pus. When there was a rematch, she watched him still.

Rose fell asleep with dangerous thoughts running through her mind and a smile on her face.

On an unusually warm day at Hogwarts, many of Slytherin house had retreated to the dungeons in favour of the cool air. Rose had quite a liking for warm weather but, as Scorpius refused to go outside with her and she didn't crave anyone else's company, she was stuck inside the noisy common room for the day. Hence, it was with great distaste that Rose sat herself on a leather couch against a wall in the common room. Scorpius thumped himself down beside her with a grumble.

"Everyone's avoiding me," he said grumpily. Rose opened her book to the first page and glanced at it briefly before answering Scorpius.
"Because you're in a bad mood," she said squarely. "And no one likes you when you're in a bad mood."
"But you must like me, because you're still sitting with me," Scorpius pointed out.
"I always like you," Rose said without thinking. Hurriedly, she added, "But I'm not sitting next to you by choice. You came to me."

Wondering if Scorpius would pick up on the accidental innuendo Rose snuck a glance at him, but found nothing of interest; a scowl was resting firmly on his face, a faraway look in his pale eyes. Rose nudged him in the ribs.

"Back to earth, Scorpy. What's got your wand in a twist?"
Scorpius opened his mouth, then closed it slowly and nibbled on his bottom lip. "I can't tell you," he said at last. "Because you're my best friend and that's just weird."
"You said yourself the other day that best friends are meant to help each other through hard times!" Rose said playfully, making Scorpius roll his eyes.
"I'll change that statement to, Rose should mind her own bloody business unless I explicitly ask her for her opinion."
"Now you and I both know that's never gonna happen."

After some shared laughter, Scorpius' gaze lingered on Rose's face a millisecond longer than usual. Rose felt a heat beneath the surface of her skin.

"Did you finish that Transfiguration essay?" Rose blurted out in an attempt to avoid the awkward blush that was rising to her cheeks. To her relief, she felt her face cool down quickly.
Scorpius swore loudly. "You know Rosie, if you weren't so studious, maybe we would have a bit more fun," he sighed wistfully. With a wink at Rose he stood and sauntered away, leaving Rose sitting on the couch a little shocked and more than a little confused.

Sleeves rolled up to the elbows and a shirt tucked into tight pants with a tie loosened around the neck had never looked so glamorous. Rose occasionally marvelled over how over half the boys at Hogwarts suited the look, but her eyes were always drawn back to that ridiculously blonde friend of hers.

Suddenly, Rose caught herself fondly remembering the first time she'd truly noticed Scorpius in a disheveled uniform.

It was third year, and Rose had gone to watch the quidditch tryouts. Scorpius had refused to try out in second year, because Rose didn't, but he was too eager to wait for her any longer. He had a cocky grin on his face while the captain explained how the tryouts would work, and kept looking over the stands for people he knew and wanted to impress.

To Rose's relief Scorpius didn't do anything too outrageous on his broom and didn't hurt anyone in his excitement.

He had of course made the team, and had the widest grin on his face the entire day. When Rose saw him exit the changing rooms, she was leaning against a wide tree as casually as she could manage. She was trying desperately to not wonder what people thought of her lingering outside.

Scorpius' smile was the first thing that caught her eye, as it was bigger and brighter than she'd ever seen before. Then, her eyes travelled downwards.

He hadn't yet put his cloak on but didn't seem fazed by the slight chill in the air. His shirt was perfectly tucked in around the back but Scorpius seemed to have forgotten about the front. The sleeves of his shirt were not folded to perfection; it rather seemed like Scorpius had tried to roll the cuffs a few times, then simply gave up and shoved them up his arm. A few top buttons were undone, revealing a sliver of his chest. His silver and green tie was knotted too tightly and rested crookedly around his neck.

Catching herself, Rose flicked her eyes back up to Scorpius' face quickly. To her relief, he didn't seem to notice. When he strolled up to her, she reached out and buttoned his shirt quickly, hiding his indecency.

"I think you're doing it wrong. You should be unbuttoning, not buttoning up!" he had quipped, making Rose giggle. She continued to straighten his uniform.

This particular day, however, Rose had no such desire to fix Scorpius' uniform. It suited him perfectly, after all, and the sleeves were rolled so perfectly she wondered if he had measured them. She was still looking at him when he thumped into the empty seat at the desk next to her precisely halfway down the classroom. It was close enough to fulfil Rose's desire to sit at the front of the class, and far away enough to satisfy Scorpius' need for rebellion.

"Why are you looking at me all weird?" Scorpius demanded. Rose hid her face by digging through her bag for her quill and ink.
"You look very nice today," Rose said at last in a very small voice. She half hoped he wouldn't hear her. But, he did, as he always does.
A flirty look graced his features. "How nice? Beautiful? Glowing?"
Whacking him hard on the arm, Rose replied faux sweetly, "As radiant as the stars in the sky, my dear."

Scorpius laughed and Rose joined in. "You do have such a way with words, Rose," he chuckled as the aging professor entered the room and demanded silence.

Over the next few days Rose noticed Scorpius' change in demeanour. It wasn't obvious and Rose would never have noticed it if she wasn't his best friend. But she was, and she did, and she was perfectly aware of what was going on.

Scorpius was testing the waters.

Rose was no fool. She worked out a long time ago why Scorpius refused to tell her why he turned down Felicity, and it wasn't long after that she realised who the girl was. Once Scorpius began acting warm, then icy cold once he thought he'd overstepped a boundary, it only reinforced Rose's suspicions.

It was about half an hour before Rose usually went up to dinner, so she was sitting quite comfortably in front of the green fire with a muggle book her mother leant her. It was entitled Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, but to be true, Rose wasn't really into it, so she was quite pleased when a distraction came in the form of Scorpius. He placed himself beside her grandly, reclining his feet out in front of him and crossing his ankles. His left arm rested on the back of the chair behind Rose's back.

"Plans for this evening?" he asked casually. Rose quirked an eyebrow.
"Oh, you know, meeting a boy at the Astronomy tower at nine, doing my Herbology research from ten til ten thirty, maybe run into another boy at eleven for a quick snog in the broom cupboard, sneaking away to the kitchens at twelve for a midnight snack…" Rose trailed off with a smirk, pleased at the angry expression Scorpius was wearing. It then disappeared and was replaced with a gentle smile.
"How about meeting me instead?" he offered. Rose deliberated.
"I'm sure that could be arranged," she agreed, holding back her smile. "How should I dress?"
Scorpius gave her body a once-over, lingering on her legs and (of course) her breasts. "You can wear as little as you like," he said in a low voice.

Rose twisted on the couch, bringing her right leg up underneath her body. She faced Scorpius, debating whether it would be a bad move to satisfy her curiosity. She discarded the thought.
"Scorp," she began, "Is this a date?"
"Do you want it to be?"
"You're the one asking me out, so I think you should be the one to answer!"
"It can be whatever you want it to be, Rosie."

With a so there! look, Scorpius stood proudly, announced he was going to dinner early, and almost skipped out of the common room. Rose shook her head.

Yes. This was definitely a date. Was it too late to put a bit of effort into her appearance?

With a mischievous grin Scorpius had tried to get Rose into a blindfold, which she refused adamantly. So, it was with a shake of his head and a deep sigh that he took Rose by the hand and led her out onto the Hogwarts grounds.

"Where on earth are you taking me?" Rose squealed as she stumbled on the damp grass for the third time. She clung to Scorpius' arm firmly in an effort to stop falling.
"Not much further," he assured her, patting her cold hands. The two walked on, eventually reaching greenhouse 4.
"You're not going to try and feed me to a plant, are you?" Rose asked seriously, making Scorpius laugh.
"Don't be ridiculous. We're not going inside."

Rose was curious when Scorpius led her behind the greenhouse, but stopped her just before turning the corner.
"Do you trust me?" he asked with a smirk.
"Not in the slightest," Rose replied.
"Good." Scorpius placed his hands over her eyes, blocking out all light. "Tread carefully, Rosie. Wouldn't want you falling over again."

Pursing her lips sourly, Rose took tiny steps forward, feeling Scorpius shuffle along behind her. Occasionally muttering directions for her, Scorpius finally decided she was standing in the exact right spot, and released his hands from her eyes.

Fireflies were glowing brightly, hovering over bushes and the grass. They flickered in and out of sight, some flying away to other areas of the garden, the others staying in a group in front of Rose. She turned to face Scorpius with a smile.

"How did you remember fireflies were my favourite insect?" Rose asked in an amused tone. Scorpius shrugged.
"I'm just amazing. Do you want to sit?"
Rose nodded and sat herself against Scorpius' side comfortably. He wrapped an arm around her waist.
"You know fireflies flash to attract mates?" Rose informed Scorpius, who nodded.
"And prey," he added.
Rose sighed wistfully. "If only it were that easy for humans."

Scorpius leaned away from Rose immediately, making her topple over onto the grass. "Are you saying you want to have an easy way of killing and eating people?" he demanded.
Rose laughed loudly. "Of course not! You know what I meant, you fool."
"I know."

Scorpius returned to Rose's side and silence enveloped the two as they gazed at the flying insects. The dampness of the grass was starting to make Rose uncomfortable, but she tried her best to ignore it. The only time Scorpius moved was to adjust the position of his arm around her waist, after all – and if he could deal with it, so could she.

"It is easy, you know," Scorpius murmured after a while. "To tell someone you like them."
"Is it? I wouldn't know," Rose teased, looking at the fireflies but not really seeing them. Anticipation was building within her chest. Was Scorpius feeling it too?
"It is, let me show you."

Scorpius scooted around the grass until he was facing her, probably staining his pants, Rose thought. He reached out to hold her hands in his own.
"This is me telling you that I really like you," Scorpius said bluntly, looking deep into her brown eyes. He didn't appear to be nervous and his hands weren't sweating like Rose's were; she was tempted to pull her hands away to wipe them dry, but Scorpius either didn't notice or care. Realising that Scorpius was waiting (rather impatiently) for her to say something in return, she clasped his hands back firmly.
"And this is me telling you I really like you too," she said earnestly.

A smile as wide as the Cheshire cats' graced Scorpius' face. It was one of those rare smiles that Rose couldn't help but grin back to.

"See? It wasn't that difficult," Scorpius said happily, returning to her side comfortably. His arm rested once again around her waist. Rose, who had been expecting rather a bit more than what she received, turned to face Scorpius.
"Well, aren't you going to kiss me?" Rose demanded, making Scorpius laugh.
"I didn't realise I had to," he joked, then leaned in and gently touched his lips to hers. Rose placed her hand on the back of his neck, holding his head firm, and took the initiative to deepen the kiss herself. A rush of excitement ran through her body and seemed to transfer through to Scorpius, who clutched at her hair and waist, pulling her closer ever so slightly. After a nibble on Rose's bottom lip, making her moan, Scorpius pulled away.

"You're one hell of a kiss, Rosie," he breathed. Rose giggled.
"You aren't too bad yourself, Scorpy."

The fireflies had lessened during their distraction, but the two felt no more need to be outside. They traipsed back over the ground, through the castle, down to the dungeons. Passing Scorpius' favourite cupboard made Rose's heart beat nervously, but Scorpius kept walking without falter.

"Is it true you have your name engraved in that cupboard?" Rose asked suddenly. Scorpius smirked.
"Maybe one day you'll find out."