December 13, 2033…

She wished he had told her he had been divorced. Not that it made a difference or anything, she insisted, biting her lip as her eyes followed him around the living room. But…well, it felt like something that he should have confided in her, no matter if it had ended badly, and he barely ever spoke with his ex-wife anymore.

She wondered what else he had kept from her.

"One cup of tea for the lovely lady," Joseph said, beaming down at her—his fiancée.

"Oh—thanks, dear," Rose smiled weakly, shaking her head. "You're marvelous."

Joseph grinned, kissing her cheek sloppily. Rose cringed inwardly.

Scorpius closed his eyes, heaving a shuddering sigh. He felt sick to the stomach. James was going to be furious, and Harry was going to kill him, it was certain. Even Albus wouldn't take his side, despite his being slightly softer than his brother. Scorpius had broken Lily's heart. It was not going to sit well with the Potter men.

"Scorpius!" she squealed in surprise, throwing her arms around his neck. "What are you doing here?"

Scorpius swallowed heavily, glancing around at the various Ministry workers who were watching them curiously. "Lily—er, can we talk in your office, please?"

Lily frowned, astute as ever. "Scorpius, what's the matter?" She led him into her cozy, little office at the far corner of the corridor. "Are your parents all right? Are mine—?"

"Lily, I can't marry you."

Scorpius felt his face burn at the memory. He had been so stupid. So stupid. Lily was never going to speak to him again. Ever.

He ran a finger over the sofa's tattered cushions, wallowing in pitiful thoughts.

"Wh–what?"

"I—I'm so sorry—" Scorpius began.

"What do you mean you can't marry me?" Lily whispered, cutting him off. Her eyes were wide, but she didn't look angry at all.

She looked crushed. It was worse.

"I—can't." Scorpius's hands shook. He wanted to hug her, comfort her—his best friend in the whole world.

Lily's chin trembled. But, when she spoke, her voice was unnervingly smooth. "You can leave, now, Scorpius."

Scorpius burped loudly, tossing his Firewhiskey bottle against the wall, as wrath—pure, unadulterated wrath—propelled him to his feet. He roared in anguish, leaning against the sofa in shame, as tears prickled the corners of his eyes.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Joseph was going on and on about how excited his family was for the wedding. Rose beamed forcibly, tugging at the sleeves of her cloak, not really listening. She was still trying to make sense of what she'd learned earlier that afternoon.

"…Marion said she'd try and make it to the wedding," Joseph was still rambling.

Rose's head snapped up. "What?"

"Marion," Joseph explained patiently. "She's not sure if she can come yet."

"Marion Wallace?" Rose asked tersely, pursing her lips. Her eyes flashed for a split-second.

"Yeah," Joseph nodded obliviously, looking pleasantly surprised. "I didn't know you knew her—"

"Oh, I don't," Rose retorted sharply, springing to her feet. "But, you know what I do know, Joseph? I know there's a little pink file in my boss's office with her name on it and the word 'divorce' written in the corner."

Joseph's lips parted slightly.

"Oh, hang on!" Rose feigned surprise. "That file coincidentally happens to be your marriage records!"

Silence.

"How—how did you—?" Joseph began.

But, Rose simply shook her head in disgust, and left the room. A minute later, the front door banged loudly.

Scorpius clutched the doorknob, steadying himself slightly before opening the door. He'd barely a moment to gather his thoughts, before Lily had stalked in, glaring at him.

"Lily—"

"Save it, arse," Lily snapped. "If you think I'm here to convince you to take back what you told me today, I'm not."

Scorpius closed his mouth.

"As your ex-fiancée, I know I should do what most women would do, if you ever flaked out on them," she continued. She turned around, staring him straight in the eyes. "Shut you out of my life and forget that we were ever together."

Scorpius looked at her.

"But, I'm not just your ex-fiancée," Lily said gently, reaching forward to touch his hand. "I'm your best friend."

Scorpius felt dizzy.

"Tell me what's the matter…" she whispered. "Please."

"I'm in love with Rose."

Lily blinked at him, evidently stunned into silence. Her grip on his arm tightened uncomfortably.

An awkward silence was unfolding.

So, Scorpius did the only thing he could think of, in that moment. He kissed her.

Er, hi guys! This is my first BIG fanfic project, so I doubt it's any good. But I'd be really happy if you guys reviewed to tell me what you think!

Love,
Andria