AN: Welcome, welcome, welcome to my next-gen fic! Hopefully the firstt of many! Disclaimer: I'm not J.K. Rowling. I wish I owned Harry Potter, but I don't. I can only lay claim to any OC's who may crop up from time to timeeee. Enjoyyyy!

ScorpiusxRose in later chapters.

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~Scorpius' POV~

"Sorry, d'you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is packed." I wasn't lying; every other compartment on the Hogwarts Express seemed full to bursting with students. This one was the emptiest as far as I could see – or else, the others were occupied by slightly daunting seventh-years, ready to hex any eleven-year-old who came their way.

"Depends who's asking," the ginger girl said without looking up from her book.

I started, "Oh, well, I'm Sc—"

"Scorpius Malfoy. I know who you are," she said, looking up at me with indifferent blue eyes. "My parents warned me about you. Best not take my chances," she said, turning back to her book.

"Wait!" I cried, "I'm essentially harmless if you get to know me…" Those blue eyes bored through me and I looked down at my feet. "…and I really need somewhere to sit on the train. Please?"

"Oh, go ahead," the girl said, sighing dramatically and whisking her belongings off the seat opposite her. "If you must."

"Thank you," I said quickly and took a seat.

The train lurched forward and out of the station. The girl clambered to the window to wave goodbye to her parents; I didn't bother. I knew that Mum and Dad had another appointment to get to before the train left.

We sat in silence for the first five minutes of the trip. She was reading her book. Once, I kicked the seat out of boredom, but stopped when she shot me a glare.

"So…" I said slowly, "Are you going to introduce yourself?"

The girl looked up from her book – even closed it this time – and stared at me as though I'd just called myself a Chudley Cannons fan (that would never happen as long as I lived!)

"You're joking, right?" she said, raising an eyebrow, "You don't know who I am?"

"Should…I?" I asked, "How did you know who I was?"

"Like I said earlier, my parents," she said offhandedly, "They told me a thing or two about you."

"My reputation precedes me," I said quietly, thinking about the way people looked at us when I walked down Diagon Alley with Father. I didn't like it.

"You're serious…you don't know who I am?" she repeated.

"I mean it," I said. "Well, okay, I have my suspicions."

"What would they be?"

"That you're…a Weasley."

Her face was impassive. Damn! I thought that would give me another hint, but she knew all too well what I was doing.

"You think I'm a Weasley, do you? May I ask why?"

"Your hair gives it away, just a tiny little bit," I pointed at her auburn curls, "It's hard not to notice."

"Come off it," she scoffed, "We're not the only red-headed family in the world."

"WE'RE!" I said, catching her out, "So you admit, you are a Weasley!"

"I never denied it," she smiled quickly, "But yes, I do belong to that clan. Rose," she said, sticking her hand out, "Rose Weasley."

"Scorpius Malfoy," I said, shaking her hand.

"I know who you are," Rose reminded me.

"So…which branch of the Weasley tree did you fall from, then?" I asked. No need to tell her who my parents were. She only had one option to choose from.

"Let me put it this way," Rose said slowly, "My mother…punched your father in the face. Third year." Her bright blue eyes searched my face for a reaction.

"Ah," I said, "Hermione Granger. Father never forgave her for that – says she permanently disfigured his nose."

"Nonsense," Rose said matter-of-factly, "There's nothing episkey can't fix…that little story has become quite the legend in our family."

"In ours too," I said, "Father can't go a Christmas without complaining about it. I don't know what he cares about more, his pride or his bone structure."

Rose looked back down at her book, and I sensed that she was about to close up again. "Wait…Rose…"

"Yes?"

"You're a Weasley."

"We figured this one out already, Malfoy."

"Why…why aren't you sitting with the rest of your orange tribe?"

Rose scoffed, "They're not all ginger, you know. But…I just wanted to be left alone."

"Oh. Sorry," I said, standing up to leave. "I shouldn't have disturbed you."

I felt a tug on my sleeve as she pulled me down again. "I meant away from my family. I've spent eleven years with them; this is the first bit of peace and quiet I've ever had." She noticed me looking at her and added, "This conversation counts as peace and quiet, okay? In my house, this," she said, gesturing to the whole compartment, "would basically count as silence. You might as well not be here at all."

"You think gingers are genetically programmed to talk all the time?"

"I wouldn't put it past us, but…look, can you focus on something other than our hair, Malfoy? It's getting a bit old – and a bit rich, coming from a snowman like you," Rose said, looking up at my platinum hair. "Doesn't your head ever get cold, covered in all that ice?"

"At least I don't look like I'm constantly on fire," I retorted.

"Don't push your luck, Malfoy," Rose Weasley said, reopening her book.

I figured I'd pushed it too much already.

AN: You likee it? I hope you do! I really like ScorpiusxRose, I think they're such an interesting couple (mostly because there's so many opportunities for witty banter/sarcasm). I plan to continue this as soon as possible, but I might not do so unless I get some encouragement in the form of…

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(you know it…)

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reviews! Haha

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