The Stubborn Heart of a Weasley

Chapter One: Friends are Forever

A/N: This story is the first in, most likely, a long line of Rose/Scorpius stories. I've fallen in love with that ship, and they're just too cute. Errr… the title is subject to change, and the format should be the same for each, but if it's not, don't lynch me! And there should be at least two chapters, but I may get struck by a whim. Don't allow me to get away from this one like with FLTF! I don't want to forget about it! Now to the story! Happy reading!

Hermione saw it before he did. She always had. But this was different. She saw it since the first letter. Those words would always ring in her mind: "His name is Scamander, and he's my best friend. Other than Al, of course." Hermione knew Al was an afterthought. An excuse to talk about Scamander. She saw right through it. Ron did not.

"Scamander?" he asked, laughing. "What kind of name was Scamander?"

"Perhaps his parents were Newt Scamander fans."

Ron didn't see, couldn't see. But Hermione knew about falling in love with your best friend. And she knew Rose had heartbreak ahead.

Then Rose came home for the summer. Oh, Scamander did this, that, and the other. It was blatantly obvious to Hermione. Ron was just glad to have her home. She noticed the little things. The look in her eyes when she said his name, gestures, the way she used certain words about him. And the most obvious: she still hadn't mentioned something.

Then, it came out over dinner.

"Oh, he's the only competition in my classes, Daddy."

"As long as you're ahead of that Malfoy kid. I won't have a Slytherin top my girl."

Rose had a look in her eyes that showed a clear preoccupation for a few seconds. Before Ron had time to notice, she said, "Of course, Daddy."

And that's when Hermione found out something she didn't know. Scamander was code for Scorpius. And Scorpius was "that Malfoy kid".

Rose saw it. When Hermione gave her a look over the dinner table, Rose knew. Her mother saw through her moment's hesitation. She wasn't exactly surprised. In fact, Rose hadn't expected to keep it up that long. Two weeks. Two weeks too many. When Ron and Hugo went over to Uncle Harry's to watch QuidditchTV, they left Rose alone with Hermione. In Rose's eyes, this couldn't end well.

"Rosie, honey" Hermione said the instant Ron left. "Don't you know better than to keep secrets from me? Don't you know that I'll find out?" Rose nodded, having already had those thoughts. "Your father, well, that's a completely different story. But me? Come on, Rosie. Think."

"Mum, you know how Dad is! The second he finds out we're friends he'll try to end the whole thing. He's so stubborn!"

Hermione chuckled. "Yes, he does have that tendency doesn't he?" She sobered up as quickly as she'd laughed. "But, Rosie, he saw the shaking mass that was Draco Malfoy. He has to know Draco's changed."

"Mum," Rose said, quirking an eyebrow. "You know better than that."

"I suppose I do." Hermione paused for a moment, looking into Rose's eyes. "You have to tell him. And soon. I won't spill your secret, but you should tell Dad what's going on, or there'll be hell to pay if he finds out on his own."

"Yes, Mum."

But how?

How do you tell your father that his archenemy's son is your best friend?

It was all Scorpius could do to not hug Rose when he saw her on the platform. But when his eyes met hers, he saw immediately that she hadn't told her parents. He was almost angry, but more than that, he was hurt. She was ashamed of him. She had to keep him a secret.

He got on the train first, and waited for her. When she joined him, she led the way to a compartment. The initial caution was almost physically painful. Shy? Was he going to have to start all over with her?

"Hi, Scorpius."

"Hi, Rose."

They were both looking at their feet. Then, he looked up at Rose, and almost simultaneously, she looked up at Scorpius. And as quickly as she could with her dignity still intact, she came over to him and hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I should've told him."

"Him?" he asked curiously, pulling back from her.

"My dad. My mum knows, but she won't tell him. She wants me to tell him."

"And why can't you? Are you ashamed to be my friend? Are you embarrassed to be friends with a Malfoy?"

She immediately crossed her arms over her chest. "Ashamed? Ashamed?! How could you even think that? After I stood by you when the other Gryffindors shunned you! After I sat with you in every class and at every meal! After I wrote you almost every day over the summer! How could you?" She shook her head.

"But you won't tell your father. That's really nice of you," he said, knowing this argument wouldn't last.

"You don't understand. My father will not approve of this. He won't see past your name for a long time. He may never see beyond it. He will try his hardest to pull us apart. And I don't want to lose your friendship. I wouldn't be the same without you." She paused. When he didn't answer, she said, "I'm sorry."

He stayed silent, though he knew couldn't stay mad at her. He never could. She always meant well. "I'll tell him over Christmas, I swear." Then her blue eyes met his gray ones, he smiled. "It's alright. And I do understand. My father is the same way. At least yours has a pretty good chance of coming around."

Rose almost smiled. "Ah, I see you underestimate the stubborn heart of a Weasley."

He chuckled. "No, I think I fully grasp your stubborn nature."

She slapped him lightly on the arm. "Shut up!"

And then Albus appeared. All was forgotten and only laughter was heard in the compartment.

It was all Ron could do to not hug Rose when he saw her. His little girl was home. When they got into the house, Rose turned around and grinned. Blimey. She looks just like Hermione. He'd never thought about it. "Hi, Daddy!" she said brightly. She ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him. "I've missed you."

Ron smiled and held her tighter. "I've missed you, too, Rosie. It's good to have you home."

"Come on, you two! Time to decorate the tree!" Hermione said, smiling at them.

"Mum?" Rose said, looking at her suspiciously. "I have to put my things away."

Hermione grinned. "Rosie, I think after last year's incident, it might be better if you just didn't unpack."

Ron barked a laugh. Rose's things were put in their proper place upon his wife's insistence when she came home for the holidays. When it came time to repack, however, Rose couldn't find all the books she wanted to read. Then, she couldn't find something else - letters or something - and began to break down. There was a seemingly endless recovery period in which Rose found everything, calmed down, and had a happy return to Hogwarts.

"Come on, Rosie," Ron said softly. "Let's show Mum how to decorate a tree."

"Hey!" Hugo said, acting offended. "I know how to decorate a tree!"

Hermione grinned. "That's right! Hugo and I will show you!"

Hugo looked at Hermione warily out of the corner of his eyes and said, "Maybe you should let me do most of the decorating."

Ron and Rose roared with raucous laughter.

Oh, the joys of Christmas.

The next day, Ron was sitting in the living room, unhappily filling out paperwork for a recent Auror mission he and Harry had been on. Rose came in and sat down next to him. "What're you doing there, Dad?"

"Some paperwork."

"Ah. Lost the coin toss?"

"Yeah." He looked at her for a brief moment. She seemed to be thinking. So he went back to the papers.

"Dad?" Rose asked quietly. "Yes, sweetheart?" he asked, not looking up from his papers.

"I have something to ask you."

Ron filled out another area on the sheet. "Ask away."

"Promise not to get mad?"

"Of course."

"Could I invite a friend over for New Years?"

Ron looked up at her. "Sure. I would love to meet some of your friends." He grinned, and went back to the sheet. He expected her to get up and return to the letter she was probably writing in her room. But she didn't.

"Is there something else?"

"I…" she stopped, looking at the ceiling. "Ihasuthintoteyu."

The words were too fast and soft for him to hear. "What was that?"

"I have something to tell you."

Ron was perplexed. "Okay."

"You won't get mad?"

He looked at her with furrowed brows. "What is it, Rosie?"

"Well, you know you told me to beat that Malfoy kid in schoolwork? Well, I am."

Ron nodded. "Of course." Was this about grades? "I wouldn't expect any less from my girl."

Rose smiled a little. "Well, er, he's…he's…" She seemed to be nervous.

"He's what?"

She shook her head with her eyes closed, just like Hermione in the old days. "You know Scamander?"

He was becoming more confused by the second. That was Hermione's deep thought face. "Yes, you've often mentioned him."

"He's…he's…" Rose swallowed and opened, looking Ron straight in the face. "He is Scorpius."

Ron looked at her incredulously. He must have heard wrong. "I'm sorry."

"There is no Scamander. He doesn't exist. Scorpius is my best friend."

Ron dropped his quill. "What?"

Rose sighed. "There is - "

"No! I heard you! Do you mean that this whole time, you've been lying to me and your mother?"

"No. Mum knows."

"What?"

"She figured it out."

Ron laughed wryly. "Of course. And she approves of this?"

"Well, she doesn't disapprove."

He fell silent. "This isn't right, Rose. Weasleys don't fraternize with Slytherins."

A humorless laugh escaped Rose's lips. "How narrow-minded can you be?! He's a Malfoy, so he must be in Slytherin. No. He's a Gryffindor, Dad. A Gryffindor."

His jaw dropped. "Have they done away with the Sorting Hat?"

"No. Same old Sorting Hat."

"I don't believe that. Malfoys are not Gryffindors."

Rose stood up in anger. "You're just like them!"

"Who? The Malfoys?"

"You would think that, wouldn't you?" she said, shaking her head disgustedly. "No, not the Malfoys. Everyone else. The Slytherins won't take him because he's a Gryffindor. And the other houses won't take him because he's a Malfoy. Albus and James certainly didn't want him, after what they've heard from you and Uncle Harry. So he was alone at the first breakfast. And I sat with him and he was my best friend from the very beginning. Eventually, Al warmed up to him, too. The three of us are friends."

"Al? Harry's Al?"

"Yes, Albus Severus Potter."

Ron looked at the fire in his daughter's eyes for a long moment. "I'm still not sure I like it."

"You don't have to like it," she said determinedly. "You just have to accept it. His father changed after the war. And he takes more after his mother than Draco anyway."

Ron looked at her a moment longer. "He's coming over for New Years?"

"Yes."

He paused briefly. "I'll decide what I think then."

Rose raised a single eyebrow. "Alright. But you aren't making a decision about whether I'll be his friend. It's too late for that."

Ron gave her a disparaging look. She didn't back down, however. Finally, he nodded and she slowly stood to leave. In the doorway, she turned and said, "Thanks, Daddy."

He almost smiled. "No problem, Rosie."

Hermione entered the room quietly, sitting by her husband, who was staring blankly at his forms. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.

Ron let out a long breath. "No. But I will be."

She laughed slightly. "He seems to be a good boy from the way she talks about him."

"I suppose so."

There was a pregnant pause. Ron looked up at Hermione for the first time since she came in. "Why do I feel like I've lost my baby girl?"

A/N: This was edited and typed when I should have doing Pre-Cal homework. Ah well. This was more important anyways. PLEASE REVIEW!

Surely that purple button on the left has a purpose. Click it and see what happens.