Disclaimer: yeah, no rights are mine, 'cept the idea, I suppose.

He watched her.

He watched the way she pushed her family and friends away from her; she didn't want the comfort, or the sympathy. She deserved to be alone. Forgotten. Teased. Deserved the hate.

Everyone knew the story. It was impossible to not know it.

After all, The Boy Who Lived now had a dead son.

Of course, no one blamed Rose at all, but when it became evident that she took the blame fully, that she was filled with such an uncanny amount of wrongly felt grief, The Prophet and bullies alike took advantage.

It had been an accident. She and Al were messing around just outside Platform 9 3/4, shoving each other and laughing, the way best mates and cousins do. Well, it just so happened, when Rose shoved Al, he was shot.

By a gun.

It was all a blurr after that.

No one knows how the gun got in, or who the shooter was, but because the shooting happened near Platform 9 3/4, where a large lot of magical families could be found, it became obvious that the killer was a wizard. Must've diillusioned the gun to get in and shot. Maybe they were aiming for Albus. Maybe for Rose. Maybe for Harry Potter. Maybe for another witch or wizard. No matter.

Rose had been the one that pushed Al into the path of the bullet.

She was fifteen when it happened. Al was fifteen when he died.

Rose and Al were inseparable. Unbelievably, their birthdays were three days apart. So, from birth, they had been together.

Best mates.

Family.

And she killed him.

People started to pick on her. Why not? It seemed like she was asking for it, too.

"Kill anyone else, lately, Rosie? I hear you have it out for Lily next."

She would cringe and turn the other way. She could skive off classes for the day. No professor would punish her anyways. Maybe this death was a good thing.

No. Never. How could she possibly think that for a second? Even if she was joking?

She should've been the one to die. She didn't deserve to be here.

Needless to say, fifth year had been rough on Rose Weasley.

Scorpius Malfoy knew this better than anyone. Because he watched her.

Scorpius and the Weasley/Potter bunch never really interacted. A few half hearted, joking, insults was the extent of their relationship. They could care less about carrying on their parent's fued, since they had all grown up in the spot light, they heard enough opinions about the other family to make them realize there was no point. The war was a long time ago. It's over. And they could start fresh. All of them.

But he had always watched her.

Rose was...different. She was loudest when she was with Al. She was happiest when she was with Al. If Scorpius didn't know any better, he'd swear that Rose was in love with her cousin, but he knew that wasn't likely. She loved Al, no doubt, but only to the maxium capacity of a best mate/cousin.

But still. She shied away from her family when she wasn't with Al. It's almost as if...she felt like she didn't belong.

Which was, of course, absurd. Rose was everything a Weasley should be. Ginger, blue eyes, big appetite`, yet thin. But Rose was also part Granger, and she was brilliant. And curvey. Yeah, curvey. In all the right places. Beautiful.

How could any child from The Golden Trio not be considered beautiful?

When Albus died, so did Rose's connection to the rest of her family.

Hermione and Ron had tried to get her help. But she refused. Well, not really refused. She just didn't talk. Ever. Not to the shrinks, anyways. She'd talk a little with her family, but only small talk. She had learned to sense when the conversation was ebbing towards Albus, so she would drop out and leave.

At Hogwarts...well, it was almost as if she had gone mute.

Her marks dropped because she stopped participating in class. She mainted average marks, only because she did do her homework, just...yeah. That's how she felt most days. Just...yeah. She was just there. Going through the motions. One day, minute, second at a time.

Sixth year rolled around and Scorpius was eager to see Rose. She was such a complex creature; he wanted to know how she had changed over the summer, what she'd be like after she had time to get over Al's death and what not. But he'd have to keep his distance. Like he always did. If his last name wasn't Malfoy, some days Scorpius truely believed Rose didn't know he ever existed.

Her family had adjusted nicely, Scorpius observed. They were all in their compartment, laughing away. But Rose wasn't there. Huh.

That's when he stumbled over a pair of legs in the hall of the train. "Weasley?" he barked, once he was steady on his feet again. "What the hell are you doing on the floor? Trying to kill someone?" He saw her stiffen. Fuck. Had he really just said that? It had been a knee-jerk thing to say. "You know I didn't mean that," he said quickly, but she kept her eyes trained forward, only now her knees were up to her chest, and she had her arms latched around them tightly. "I've never been anything but good to you, Rose. I swear to you, I didn't mean it like that."

He watched her.

She didn't even acknowledge him.

"Say something."

Silence.

"Grunt, at least. So I know you heard me."

Nothing.

"Well, I didn't mean it. Whether you believe it or not."

He was already turned around and walking away, so he missed the tiny nod of her head.

"Have a nice summer, Ms. Weasley?"

Rose murmured a "fine" to the professor without looking up. She'd talk to the professors. Only if they talked first. But if they tried any funny business, she'd bolt. Even if it was the middle of a lesson.

"Ahh, Mr. Malfoy. I should've know it was you that'd show up to my class late." The woman threw Scorpius a wink before turning to the front of the class. "Find you a seat, boy. Hurry now."

Scorpius noticed Rose alone at her table. But he slipped in next to his best mate, Tobias Svensson. What? She had been a bitch to him on the train. She didn't deserve his sympathy. She didn't want it.

The professor turned around and scanned the room, her brow furrowing. "Odd. Seems we have an uneven amount of students. Let me just check my roster..."

Everyone looked up and hushed when Rose pushed from her table and left the room in a flurry.

Al should've been in that class.

Scorpius should've known he wouldn't find Rose in the library. That's the first place everyone would look. And she was smarter than that.

So he wandered around school. He hoped he'd stumble upon her eventunally, but he wasn't seeing her anywhere. Merlin, that girl. He was just about to give up when he heard a hasty sniffle. He swung around, but saw no one in the corridor behind him. So...had he imagined that?

Nope.

He heard it again, and this time he could clearly tell it wasn't supposed to be heard.

But where the hell was she?

He walked up to the nearest tapestry and pushed it aside, almost exclaiming, "aha!" when he...didn't find her. She wasn't there. Huh.

Since he was in Hogwarts, he started feeling the walls. He'd come across something eventually, he guessed.

And he did!

One oddly shaped stone that he pressed on, revealed a hidden door! He stepped through, and there was Rose.

She looked up at him with the sadest eyes he had ever seen in his entire life. Her face was blotchy and her eyes were puffy and red. Clearly, she had been crying.

"I, uh, brought you your Potions book." He held it out to her, but from her spot on the floor, she merely looked at him. She was waiting for the teasing to start.

Realizing that she wasn't going to take it, he sighed and sat it on the floor next to her. Rose watched, never taking her eyes from his face. He lifted a brow at her. He watched her.

"Well, are you going to say something, or not?" Still, Rose remianed silent. She turned her head away from him.

Scorpius sighed and slid down the wall so he was sitting next to her. "Weasley, what I said on the train, I honestly didn't mean it. I swear." He could feel her tense beside him; at least he was getting something from her. "I'm sorry about what happened to Al. I know it must've been hard for you." Scorpius turned his head to look at her and found her knees pulled up to her chest, face burried in her hands atop her knees. "Right then. Your potions book." He stood up. "See you in class tomorrow, yeah?" He sighed when she again said nothing and left.

Rose skived off all her classes the next day. She didn't want another awkward run-in with Scorpius.

What she did do, however, was sit in her hidden passage under the cloak. She wasn't taking a chance on a professor finding her because Malfoy ratted her out. Yeah, that cloak. Her Uncle Harry's invisibility cloak had been passed on to James during his First Year, but when Al was enrolled the next year, it was to be shared, and then with Lily when she came. Normally though, it was Al and Rose that always had the cloak. After Al's death, Rose was given it.

Rose was beginning to doze off when she heard an UMPH! and felt someone fall over top of her. She jolted awake, and there was Malfoy rolling onto his back and sighing. "I've been falling for you a lot lately," he chuckled, sitting up, dusting off his clothes. He looked up and realized Rose wasn't there. "Weasley?"

Rose was still cloaked. Oh, thank Merlin! She could get out without him ever knowing she was there! He'd leave her alone from then on!

Rose scrambled to her feet, but when she stood, the cloak fell off and revealed her.

Scorpius' foot had been on the edge. Great.

Holy shite, no one but the family knew Rose had the cloak.

"Were you hiding from me?" Scorpius asked as he got off the floor, holding the cloak. "What the hell is this?" Scorpius looked at her expectantly. But she wouldn't talk, and somehow he knew that.

Rose stepped forward and took the cloak from him. She needed to leave before he started asking questions. Why was he even bothering her so much?

Rose pulled the cloak on and turned to leave, but his voice stopped her.

"W-wait!"

Scorpius scratched the back of his neck. "Well, considering I can't see you, I've no idea if you're still here or not, but, yeah, umm..." Scorpius chuckled awkwardly. "If you ever want to talk... I mean, I'll listen. Or whatever. Right then." He picked up his bag from the ground. "So, uh, I'll see you in class tomorrow. Not Potions, but I think Gryffindors and Slytherins have Astronomy together, yeah?" He sighed. "If you're not in class, someone unwanted just might show up here tomorrow. So, see you."

Rose shuffled out of his way before sliding down the wall to the floor after his departure. Great. Malfoy would blab if she wasn't in class.

Bloody bastard.

Needless to say, Rose showed up to class the next day.

And Scorpius showed up to their hidden spot.

Yeah. It was theirs.

Months passed and Rose continued to not talk and Scorpius continued to sit with her in companiable silence. Normally they worked on homework and essays and such together. Sometimes he'd have a question, and she'd merely hand him her already completed paper - he had no idea how she was so bloody fast with the work, nor how she was so brilliant, given that she never asked questions in class.

But no matter. They found a routine and they stuck to it. Scorpius talked mostly. He talked about his friends, he talked about the food they had for dinner the previous night, he talked about girls. He asked her questions too. Mostly he couldn't get anything out of her, but occasionaly he was able to get a shake of the head, or a nod from her - sometimes, if he was really lucky, a smile.

He felt like he was making progress.

Scorpius didn't know when it shifted from just 'checking on her' to 'trying to help' to something a little bit more, but he didn't mind. He liked her presence, even if she didn't like his.

But she did.

It made her feel good that someone cared enough about her to show up everyday, despite knowing how she was and what she had done. Her family had given up on her. She pushed them away, and finally they stayed away. But Scorpius was different. No matter how hard she pushed and pushed and pushed, he'd always side-step and stay with her.

So it shouldn't've surprised Scorpius or Rose when they began regarding the other as a friend.

"You're going home for the hols, yeah?" Scorpius asked, glancing up from his essay, his grey eyes locking with Rose's blue. She nodded her head before darting her eyes away, her heart pounding in her chest suddenly.

Merlin help her. Rose Weasley did not want to think of Scorpius in that way. Especially since every other girl in school had a crush on him too!

"Me too," he agreed, brows furrowing at her odd reaction to his question. He shrugged and went back to work.

"Rose! Hugo! Over here, loves!" Hermione called to her children, waving them over. Hermione gave both child a hug, planting a swift kiss on their heads. "We're headed to the Burrow for Christmas, alright? Nana Weasley is having everyone over for the duration of the hols - "

"But, mum," Hugo cut in, "I haven't finished my gift shopiing yet!"

Hermione sighed. "Alright, alright. Rose? You'll go with Hugo to Diagon Alley and the two of you can do what you need there, then meet up with Ginny at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and she can apparate you to the Burrow. I'll get your bags packed from the house, alright?"

"'Mione, it's not like we're in a great big hurry, or anything," Ron said, coming over and hugging Rose tight. "Looking prettier than ever, sweetie," he said, planting a kiss on his daughter's cheek. She blushed lightly.

"Ronald, please, your mum's going to need help and I'd rather not show up after all the work is done. Come now. We've got to drop them off at Diagon Alley - Hugo didn't finish shopping yet."

"I'll meet you at WWW in an hour."

Rose stuck her tongue out at her brother as he bustled away to finish shopping, weaving in and out of the other shoppers. She had an hour to kill now. What to do?

Being a child of two-thirds of the Golden Trio, Rose's family now had money, and her mum and dad sent her and Hugo some money every once in a while for Hogsmeade's trips and the like, but Rose saved hers mostly. She'd buy gifts with all the money she saved, and normaly had a nice amount left over for herself. So when she walked past the window display of Quality Quidditch Supplies, she actually stopped for once.

She didn't play Quidditch. Never cared for it. She'd go to the Gryffindor games where her family dominated the team, but after Al's death, it just wasn't the same. Al and James were the team Beaters, but it seemed...off after he had died. Like the team was now lopsided. So she stopped going. Really, she stopped thinking of Quidditch all together.

But something was tickling the back of her mind as she gazed in at the emerald green and black stripped flying shirt. It was perfect to wear under Quidditch gear in this snowy weather, and Rose just had a feeling Scorpius would look dashing in it -

No.

No no no no no no.

No.

She turned and walked as fast as she could from that window.

No way in hell was she buying Scorpius a Christmas gift.

But what if?

What if he had bought her something?

The thought stopped her dead in her tracks.

They had spent many days together, and despite him having had girlfriends before, he always spent time with her. Sometimes he stayed for shorter or longer periods of time, but he was there at least. So it wouldn't be strange for him to have gotten her something. Right?

Hugo laughed when he saw Rose walking up with the bag in her hand. "I knew perfect Rose Weasley had forgotten a gift for someone! Rosie, you can't fool me! I knew there would be a day when you forgot someone's gift!" he laughed. Rose blushed a deep red, for if Hugo, or anyone, knew the gift was for Scorpius, they wouldn't be laughing for long.

The Weasley Christmas at the Burrow passed much the same as the previous years, but with a slightly more somber tone, being the second Christmas without Albus. None the less, the others were able to enjoy the holidays more than Rose.

Currently, she was sitting in the open field, all bundled up against the cold, a light snow fall dusting her hair with white. She glanced to her left when she heard someone approaching, and was surprised to see her Uncle George take a seat next to her.

They sat in comfortable silence for awhile before George Weasley spoke. "Rose, this needs to stop." Rose flushed bright red and scowled at the ground. Ah, so now her parents had sent her uncle after her too? Lovely.

"People die every day." George took a deep breath and sighed. "Rose, you know we all lost Fred during the war." Rose bit her lip. Her Uncle Fred was spoken of highly, and a lot, in her family. "My twin brother, Rose. My best mate. We'd gone through everything together. Birth, school, pranking people, flat out leaving school before finishing Seventh Year. Rose, I know it's hard losing someone you love, but you have to get over it. Albus is gone. He's somewhere better for him, somewhere where totally awesome children go, and you're ruining that for him. You're ruining it for everyone. Where ever Al is, he can't be happy. Because you can't get over the fact that he's gone. You're holding onto him, and not in a good way. We didn't just lose him that day - we lost you aswell. Rosie... we want our Rosie back, okay? It's alright to feel sad and upset, angry and hurt - that's all part of the grieving process. But all this shite about not talking? We miss your voice and your laugh, and your smile. Years from now are you going to depend on your mother and father because you failed to get a job because you stopped talking? That's not the Rose Weasley I know. Suck it up, honey, because you aren't the only one that misses him." George stood up. "Grandmum says dinners in ten minutes, alright?" He nodded and walked back to the house.

Rose sighed. She cleared her throat. She swallowed. Hard.

Dinner was chaos. Food flying, people laughing, people arguining - typical Christmas. "Rose, would you pass the yams?" someone asked.

"Sure."

Everyone stopped and it was silent for a split second before everyone started talking again. They wouldn't bring attention to Rose talking. Progress. George smiled at her from across the table. Rose smiled back.

For the rest of the break, Rose said things. Not much, but she was talking, to some extent, at least.

Progress.

On the train back to school, Rose shared a compartment with her family. It was awkward at first, but she was there, and they were there. Al wasn't. But Rose didn't feel like he was cmpletely gone.

"I remember when Al..." James started enthusiastically, laughing away with the others as the y recalled the story of Al. Rose made to get up, but Lily grabbed her hand and held on tight. Lily smiled at her older cousin. "It's okay to remember him, Rose."

Rose skipped dinner that night, instead she ventured to her and Al's favorite tree by the Black Lake. She sat. Cried. Remembered.

She went to bed that night feeling better than she had in a long time.

The last few days back at school before classes started were pretty uneventful. Rose didn't see Scorpius at all. She waited in their spot, but he never came. Maybe he had finally given up on her.

Just when she was getting better, too.

Maybe every good thing Rose had ever had was doomed to be taken from her.

Mondays and Tuesdays Gryffindors had no classes with Slytherins. So that was two days Rose didn't see Scorpius. She was too afraid to hide in their spot, for fear that she'd feel lost without him, the memory of his voice so potent there. Because...what if something had happened to him? The Malfoys would try to keep it a secret, only because they wouldn't want any bad publicity, even if it was a death they had no part in.

God. What if he had died? Rose would have no way of knowing; no one knew she and Scorpius were friends, so there'd never be a need for Rose to know.

She had to calm herself down. She couldn't do this to herself. Not again. After Charms, she rushed to the bathroom, locking the door behind her so she was alone.

How could she calm herself down? What would make her feel better?

She cleared her throat.

"Scorpius is okay," she told herself, heart pounding at the sound of his name from her lips for the first time.

She didn't want to live without ever having said his name.

"Scorpius," she said.

"Scorpius Malfoy."

Wednesday came, and when it was time for Potions, Rose skived. She had calmed herself down last night, but what if he wasn't in class? She would probably have a heart attack.

She ended up in their spot.

"Scorpius," she said, hearing his name echo.

She should chance it. Going to Potions, she decided, would be worth it. He had to be there. No one was talking about him missing. Calm down, she told herself.

She turned around and yelped when she ran into someone. He gripped her forearms and stepped back so he could see her face.

"You said my name," Scorpius said, elation evident on his face and in his voice.

Rose let her heart slow to a normal pace before murmuring, "Yeah, I've been doing that a lot lately."

"I like the sound of your voice," Scorpius admitted a few days later, grinning when she blushed. "Talk more. Please. I beg you!" he chuckled.

Rose hadn't said much more the last few days, though she did talk occasionaly. Usually no more than a sentence or two. She felt weird. Like she was giving an important speech, and every word she said was gold.

"I got you something," she said, just to get him to leave her alone about the talking thing.

"What?"

Rose froze. Did she say that out loud? She met his intense gaze. With shaky hands she pulled open her bag and handed Scorpius the flying shirt, face bright red. "For Christmas," she explained, barely audible.

Scorpius took the shirt and unfolded it, looking at his gift. He loved it, really, he did. But... "I-I didn't get you anything, Rose," he admitted, his face now pink. She shrugged and continued with her arithmancy homework.

"Rose, I-"

"It's fine," she snapped. He was so taken aback by the tone of her voice, and the fact that he had just glimpsed a part of Rose, that all he did was slip the shirt in his bag and leave.

Rose ignored Scorpius from then on. Not that she was angry at him for not getting her a gift, but because she was angry at herself.

She was such a fool.

A fool for falling for him.

A week passed and Scorpius never showed up to their spot.

And another.

And another.

Three weeks without Scorpius.

She felt lost without her best friend.

"Coming to the match, Rose?" Hugo asked, tugging on his sister's hair.

"No," she said, curling up in the chair by the fire place in the common room. How could she? The match was between Slytherin and Ravenclaw today; Scorpius was Slytherin's Seeker.

She didn't even know why they were fighting anymore. She missed him so much.

Rose was wandering the school, glad most everyone was at the almost completed Quidditch match, when she heard her name called.

"Miss Weasley! Oh, thank Merlin, dear." It was the attendant for the Hospital Wing. "Please, would you mind sitting with the patient in the room? There's only one, and I'll be back soon. It's just I have to run to the kitchens for a moment - "

"I don't mind," Rose said, nodding before going into the Hospital Wing. She looked around and spotted a body in the last bed on the far end of the room. She hesitantly approached.

Her eyes widened in fear and her heart started beating uncontrollaby when she saw who it was. "Scorpius?"

He turned his head to her and opened one eye. "Rosie," he smiled, but it looked like it hurt. His nose was broken. "You said my name."

"What happened?" Rose demanded, suddenly furious at his easy goingness about the situation.

"Saw the snitch, not the bludger," he said, pointing to his ribs. "Broke three ribs," he told her. "The impact of the bludger, my speed, and my bad hold of the broom sent my face into the handle of my broom. Broken nose," he said, pointing.

Rose looked at him. And then she was hugging him. "Scorpius," she breathed, holding him tight, until he protested at too much pain. She pulled away, wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry - "

"It's fine." He grinned.

"Rose."

"Hmm?" Rose was dozing in the chair next to Scorpius' bed.

"Tell me something," he requested. She had talked more today than he had ever heard after Albus' death, and he liked her voice, so he was trying to keep her talking before she reverted back to a few words.

"Go to sleep, Scorpius," she mumbled.

He chuckled and winced. "It's only 1:43 in the morning, why would I ever do that?" he teased.

Rose slowly opened her eyes to look at him, sitting up in her chair. "What do you want me to tell you?"

"Does your family know? About us?"

Rose felt herself flushing uncontrollably in the dark. "There's an us?" she squeaked.

"Well, yeah, I mean you kissed me - "

"I never kissed you!" she exclaimed, blushing deeper. "We've never kissed, Scorpius. Are you sure your brain wasn't affected from the accident?"

He smirked. "Oh, right. Only in my dreams then," he said.

"Wha-"

"Go to sleep, Rose," he said, his voice playful.

"Youwanttokissme?" she asked quickly, quietly, flushing again.

"I've always wanted to kiss you."

He wanted to kiss her. Scorpius Malfoy wanted to kiss her. Her. Rose Weasley. She couldn't even- couldn't even fathom why he - him. Scorpius Malfoy - wanted to kiss her. They had never really interacted until this school year, and Merlin, was he lying about always wanting to kiss her? She couldn't even remember the last time she had felt a boy's lips on hers -

"Rose?"

She snapped her head to his form. Her heart was pounding in her chest and it was hard to breathe and she couldn't think straight and it seemed like everything was dark, but Scorpius was glowing, and Merlin, had he always been this gorgeous? Had his lips always looked so good? Had her heart always pounded like this for him? She was pretty sure it had, she remembered that. And she was one hundred percent certain that she could produce her patronus again because Scorpius Malfoy wanted to kiss her. Her!

"Say something," he requested, a bit awkwardly.

"I-I..." Rose closed her eyes, trying to form coherent thoughts, sentences, words, letters, dreams, memories, Merlin!

Scorpius felt the corner of his lips tug up. "Lean closer to me. I've got a secret for you." Rose did as she was bade. She turned her head so he could whisper in her ear, but his finger was on her chin, turning his face to hers. And then...and then Scorpius Malfoy was kissing Rose Weasley. He pulled back and smirked at her. It hadn't been a long kiss, nothing more than chaste. Rose watched him for a long moment, very much resembling a deer caught in the headlights. She flushed pink in the dark.

"T-that was the secret?" she breathed, trying to calm her erratic breathing. Wow. Just...-wow.

He smirked even more deliciously and got comfortable in his bed, ready to sleep. "Nope. The secret is that I know you won't be able to sleep tonight."

Cocky bastard.

But he was right.

Boy, was he ever right.

"Look at her."

"She's smiling."

"I bet she was possesed. We can ask your mum, James." James swatted Hugo on the head.

"Twat," Lily said, eyes darting back to Rose. "She's happy!" Lily grinned.

"Duh, dummy," Hugo rolled his eyes at his cousin and she pushed him out of his chair. They all laughed. Rose looked over from her spot on the couch in their shared common room. She caught their looks and flushed. She stood and made for a hasty exit.

James was faster. "Alright. Who is he?" he guessed. He was no flanked by Hugo and Lily. Rose felt cornered. Sure she could run back to her dorm, but it'd be useless.

Lily squealed gleefully. "Oh, Merlin, Rose! You have a boyfriend!"

"I do not," Rose snapped back, trying to push past him, but Hugo held her back. "Let me go, Hugo," she muttered, but James wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back.

"Do I have to kill him?" he asked, trying to keep her from hitting him the face. She was a fighter, that one.

"No," Rose said, struggling against him. "Let me go!" she screeched, huffing.

Not to keen on getting sacked in the balls, James released her. Rose huffed and fixed her shirt and skirt. She threw her hair over her shoulder and walked towards the door. "Going to meet him now?" Lily grinned.

Rose shot daggers at her. "No, no I'm not-"

"Oh, so there is a boy, though?" Hugo asked, clenching his fists. "My sister can't be dating a boy-"

"Leave me alone-"

"Do you like him?" Lily inquired. "Is he cute? What's his name? Have you kissed?"

Rose flushed bright red. She rolled her eyes and went for the door. "You'll tell us eventually, Rosie." James winked and let her go.

Rose yelped when she was yanked into an empty classroom, the door locking behind her. It was dark, so she reached for her wand, but a hand stopped her. "Lumos," the voice whispered. But it wasn't just any voice.

Scorpius' face came into view just then. "Scare me half to death-"

"-you weren't there this morning," Scorpius cut her off.

"Huh?"

"You left. When I woke up I was all alone in the Hospital Wing-"

"-I didn't want you to see how right you were."

Scorpius grinned. "Nox," he whispered, and it was dark.

Lucky for them, kissing didn't require light.

The train lurched to a stop as it arrived at King's Cross Station to take the students home for summer break. Rose sighed, slouching down in her seat as her family chatted noisely around her. "Chin up, Rosie," Lily said, smiling.

"Yeah, cousin, you'll see Mystery Man next year. Unless he's graduating next week with me." James furrowed his brow, beginning to think of all the guys from his year that Rose might be involved with when the door to their compartment opened.

"Hey," Scorpus greeted, smirking at the looks he was getting. Rose sat up a little straighter.

"Malfoy," Hugo greeted. He, like the others, watched Scorpius' hand extend towards Rose. She took it and stood up when he tugged.

"Just came to give my girlfriend a proper goodbye," he shrugged, pressing his lips to Rose's. She blushed, smiled, and kissed him back. He pulled back and tucked some hair behind her ear. "I'll owl you when I get home," he promised, throwing a wink at her family before leaving, disappearing into the crowd of the students exiting the train. Rose watched him go, entraced by him before she turned around. She jumped slightly when she noticed her family - she had forgotten about them completely.

She grabbed her bag, ignoring them as she tried to leave the compartment, but James was there. "Malfoy?"

Ron looked sullen.

Hermione, slightly less sullen, but she was smiling politely.

Astoria looked awkward, having not really known Ron or Hermione in school.

Draco looked defeated.

The four adults stood in a circle, not daring to let their eyes drift off to their son or daughter (respectively) kissing.

They hadn't seen each other all summer. They owled daily, if possible, though. Words. Rose had words, and she used them now. Scorpius loved it. God, loved her.

His arms were around her, crushing her to him, one hand tangled in her hair. Rose's hands were on his chest, trapped between them, their lips glued together.

After what seemed like forever, Ron and Draco both cleared their throats. They shot each other a glare before looking back to their children.

They had separated, but Scorpius kept his arm around Rose's waist, and leaned into him slightly.

"Well," Hermione finally began. "Best be off now. I'm sure the train's about to depart."

Rose nodded, grabbing for her trunk, but Scorpius had released his hold on her, holding her trunk and his. "It was nice, uh, meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Scorpius offered weakly. He hadn't even spoken to them. He had went straight for Rose.

Ron grunted. Draco snorted. "It was nice finally seeing you, Rose," Astoria said. "Merlin knows Scorpius couldn't stop talk-"

"We're going now," Scorpius announced, walking towards the Platfor. Rose started to follow, but turned and looked. Remembered.

Two years ago Albus Potter was killed. Two years ago her life was irreversably changed. For worse, or better?

"Rose?" Rose turned to Scorpius and smiled. Albus always told her there was something different about that Malfoy kid. Something different. Something good.

"Bye, Al."

a/n: okay, so this has been a WIP for like EVER for me. I think I started it in June. Yeah. I hope it's good. I put a lot of work into it, I think. I hope it makes sense. I hope the feelings, tone, colors, dialogue, everything comes off understandably. That's my biggest fear: that people won't understand what I've written. Yeah, I debated just not finishing this one and forgetting it completely, but I think I'm glad I didn't. I'm proud of this story. Even if y'all aren't, I am. I hope the grief process was understandable as well. I've never lost someone so intensely close to me, but my bestfriend in the entire world - he's the most beautiful person ever, like, Im seriously getting teary-eyed thinking about him. God, I love him so much! - we've never met :/ but anyways, the point of the tirade was that I can't even think about losing him without starting to cry a little and die just a bit inside, so I'm going to pretend that's how Rose felt when she thought about losing Al, and then it really happened, so ya know. I know, that sounds cheesy, and dramatic, and whatever, but it's just the truth! Imagine falling in love with someone you call your bestfriend, that comes out to you and says he's gay, and you've never met him. And then losing him. How tragic would that be? Never having met the gay-man I fell in love with. *sob*

And I'm not saying Rose was in love with Al - nevermind. I talk too much .