I've been away for a long, long time. I'd love to say I'm back, but I really cannot commit to that. What I do know, though, is that I lost my way with writing a little bit, but the support, kindness and wonderfully enthusiastic messages I've come back to have been such a huge impact to me. Thank you all so much, I cannot express just how much it means to me.

So, here's a new chapter of this series of one-shots. I hope you enjoy it! The phrase in question was suggested to me by ShiningHowlz914 (if you're still around!)

A friend would say "I love you, but you're stupid."

A best friend would say, "You're stupid, but I love you."

It had been a running joke ever since they'd been friends in First Year.

Rose would do something undeniably stupid – attempt a spell well beyond her grade level, end up helping Albus with a prank practically designed to be caught, trip over her own two feet – and Scorpius would make her feel better by pointing out the idiocy of the act.

Once, in Fourth Year, they'd been sitting in the library, quietly working on a Potions essay which was due the following week.

Scorpius was sitting at the window, staring out across the gloomy grounds of Hogwarts and attempting to will away the bad weather so that he could go out and practice his Wronski Feint.

Rose, ever the studious of the two, sat at the table, the sole one in the corner of the deserted library. It was silent, just the gentle pitter-patter of the rain as it met the windowpane could be heard.

Rose turned the pages of her books in hushed tones.

The clock on the wall ticked by ever so quietly, lulling Scorpius and at least three other students to sleep.

Then, it happened.

Rose Weasley sneezed so loudly and so violently that the rickety old chair she had been balancing on, on one leg in an effort to reach a book just out of reach, wobbled, toppled and fell backwards with the loudest bang Madame Pince had surely heard in decades.

Scorpius span round, caught sight of her on the floor, and threw his head back to laugh so loudly that they both were promptly kicked out of the library.

"I love you, Rose," he grinned at his ridiculous friend, "but you're stupid."

Ever since then it became his thing. His phrase.

She hadn't even noticed he'd repeat the same words until the middle of Sixth Year, some point between that time she'd accidentally transfigured McGonagall into a cup or that time she stupidly told Professor Longbottom about those kids growing questionable herbs behind his greenhouses.

"I love you, Rose," he'd sigh with a ridiculous grin on his face, "but you're stupid."

The phrase was usually followed by a punch to the arm or a smirk and an eye roll.

Scorpius didn't even seem to be aware he said it, he just said it because it was true.

She'd always liked the phrase – as someone who didn't have many close friends, or indeed friends who she could be open or blunt with, it became somewhat of a favourite of hers.

It was simply a lovely reminder that he did actually want to be friends with her, and that someone valued her.

However, it had become somewhat of a problem by the Easter of their Sixth Year.

If Albus hadn't pointed out the fact that she was madly infatuated with everything about him, she would have thought no more of it.

But he had. And since then, every small "I love you, but…" caused her heart to flutter and then falter.

Those words did not convey that sort of love, and she truly believed they never would.

And yet, one day, it was different.

By the Easter of their Seventh Year, they'd changed – they'd been through a lot together: loss, loyalty, and heartbreak.

This day, they were sitting back at that same desk, and that same windowsill, except that Scorpius was now the one rooting through the many books strewn across the table, and Rose was forlornly staring out the window across the grounds.

It was a beautiful day, and it seemed that all the inhabitants of Hogwarts had made their way outside to enjoy the sunshine while it lasted. Scorpius was serving a punishment in the form of a ridiculously long essay for Astronomy class.

In actuality, he was gazing across the mountain of work at the girl sitting opposite him, quietly and peacefully joining him inside the stuffy room for no reason other than that she'd wanted to.

And his staring was exactly why he saw it happen.

Rose, ever peaceful and clearly considering an idea within some deep crevice of her mind, did not see the bludger as it barrelled towards her window, having gone rouge from some friendly Quidditch match out across the lake.

It slammed into the glass panelled window right beside her face with such force and such abruptness that she visibly tensed, shook as if she'd seen the ghost of Voldemort himself and fell backwards off of the windowsill and unceremoniously landed in a pile on the dusty floor of the library at Scorpius' feet.

He was so busy trying to breathe through his laughter that he didn't even have time to think about helping her up.

Getting her elbows underneath her body, she irritatingly blew the strands of hair out of her face, threatening the boy under her breath.

His next words stopped her short.

"You're ridiculous, Rose," he managed through his laughter. "But I love you."

And she knew things had changed. It meant something different.

Thank you so much for reading! I haven't written in so long, so I hope this isn't too bad. For this one, I took the prompt as if "best friend" really meant there was something more to their relationship, which developed as a result of the development of their friendship.

I hope you enjoyed it!

Much love,

Sarcastic-Bones x