This was the first Christmas after graduating Hogwart's that I would have, and I was going to spend it with the love of my life! Could things get any better? Well, I suppose they could. You see... My name is Rose Weasley and my love is... Scorpius Malfoy. Oh no! Don't tell my family! They would positively kill me! No, they would kill him first, and then kill me.

I know I probably should have told them long ago about this, but it was too late. I didn't have a Time Turner or any other means of going back to the day we met. It had been our first year and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. The graceful air that he had... The small conceited smirk gracing his pale lips... The soft silky blonde hair that seemed to beg me to comb through it with my fingers. Yes, I had become a Scorpius fan, like so many others. But, unlike the others, I could contain my enthusiasm. Of course, I had quite a bit of practice. He and I were both sorted into Ravenclaw. I was devastated, because I wished to be in Gryffindor with my best friend, Albus Potter. Scorpius was just as bad off as I, seeing as he had broken the long line of proud Slytherin purebloods of the Malfoy family.

The first time we had begun talking was in a detention. He was there for gluing some girl's bum to a chair. I was there for dying his hair hot pink with the words, "Pink is my favorite color" embroidered into the back of his robe. From then on, we tried to be together as much as possible. Scorpius became my best friend and associate in crime, until my older brother's friend, Teddy, found out. As soon as Teddy told James about our 'frivolities' we weren't allowed to see each other again. Unable to bear such torture, the two of us decided to remain friends, simply sneaking around the obstacles.

Then, that fateful day in sixth year, we had just sat down behind a secret door, panting. Running from the caretaker was difficult to do sometimes, especially with Peeves around. Scorpius had whispered something, but when I turned to ask what he had said, that pair of rose-petal soft, pale lips met mine. It was a simple kiss... but it was one of the first I would receive from my supposed enemy.

Now, here I was, awaiting judgment. Scorpius's tall, muscular figure, alongside his thin mother and aging father, would be coming up the drive at any moment. I hadn't told my parents what his real name was, fearing early prejudices. Instead, I had asked to introduce my boyfriend and his family at the Christmas festivities.

There was a ring of the doorbell and I sat up, listening. My breathing stopped, afraid I might miss something important. I smiled when I heard the Potters entering the house. Of course, Albus's strong, deep voice stood out a little above the rest. Somehow, he had surpassed his older brother, James, in height and was rapidly catching up with Teddy Lupin, who I could also hear. Footsteps thundered up the stairs and I smiled, seeing the black haired man peek into my room.

"Hey, Rosie Posie," Albus called, laughing at my expression. I despised the nickname.

"Hello, Pot-Head," I replied, sticking out my tongue at him in a teasing manner. And for a while, everything was fine. I didn't worry about Scorpius or his parents. After all, I had my best friend Albus, who had always supported our relationship.

After awhile of catching up, the two of us raced downstairs to steal a few cookies. Mum's were the best I had ever had aside from Grandmamma's. Unfortunately, Grandmamma and Grandpapa would not be joining us this year. They had a cruise to go on! Just as we sat down to eat, my cousin Tristan ran in, giggling madly. "Oh, Rosie..." he said in a sing-song voice. "There's a boy here to see you." He giggled again then raced off. Was I as immature as he was when I was six?

But my thoughts were cut short when I heard Teddy's raised voice, coming from in the direction of the front door. "What are you doing here?" he hissed at Scorpius. James was right behind him, glaring fiercely at the three guests.

"Scorpius!" I called, giving the trio a bright smile. The three blondes turned, as well as James and Teddy.

"You invited him here?" James demanded, taking a step toward me. Both Albus and Scorpius reacted, taking a step forward as if to protect me.

"Mum and Dad said I could invite my boyfriend and his family over for the holidays," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest, daring him to say something.

With a huff he pulled at Teddy's arm, dragging him away to the family room. "Can't wait to see what dad and Uncle Ron have to say about all this," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough so that as he passed by, I could hear. Great! The drama had already begun.

I took a step forward and immediately put myself into hospitality mode. "Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy. I'm sorry for such a rude greeting. My brother and Teddy tends to be overprotective of me. I'm Rose Weasley, your son's girlfriend." I held out a hand for them to shake, but the look I received told me that they considered it quite improper to shake a Weasley half-blood's hand. The small glimmer of hope in Scorpius's eyes flickered slightly, but I gave him a reassuring smile. "Well, welcome to my home. May I take your coats?"

Mrs. Malfoy's eyes flickered over the room, taking it in quickly before turning back to me. "I should think not. I wouldn't want my pockets pilfered through and all my valuables gone." I could see the smirk on her face as my heart dropped. I knew the adults could see the pain in my eyes, and they were enjoying it.

"Suit yourself. But it does tend to get quite toasty in here." I put on another fake smile as Albus moved in towards me a little more, letting me know he was there.

"Would you like me to show you to your rooms?" he asked, putting on a smile and cheerful attitude just for my sake. I knew that in normal circumstances he would have hexed them into oblivion by now.

Mr. Malfoy's eyes scanned over him, appraising Albus. "You're the spitting image of your father," he finally said, smirking.

"Why thank you, sir," Albus replied, smiling happily. 'Maybe they wouldn't be so bad' he thought to himself.

"I didn't say that was a good thing," Mr. Malfoy sneered.

The smile on Albus's face faltered before he picked it up, dusted it off, and smeared it across his face. Now the smile looked more like a scowl crossed with a grimace. "Follow me," he muttered before magically lifting their luggage and starting off in the direction of their assigned rooms.

Scorpius lingered behind a bit before stopping right next to me. His icy fingers laced themselves through mine, sending a chill down my back, as usual. "I'm sorry for my parent's behavior," he whispered, gracing my cheek with his soft pale lips.

"That's alright. You haven't even seen how my parents are going to react yet," I assured him, sliding a thumb over the back of his hand. "Let's just hope they've grown up a bit."

That's when Tristan ran in, followed closely by Uncle George. Of course, all you could really make out of the chaos was the carrot top sprinting away from his now blue haired father. "I didn't do it, daddy!" the boy squealed, trying to cut a turn. He slipped and skidded into his twin brother, Levi, who had just walked in through one of the many adjoining doors. The two boys rolled around, their father soon joining in, tickling them as they tried to escape.

As soon as they heard the deep, unfamiliar chuckle Scorpius had emitted, the fray immediately stopped. The three jumped up and somehow managed to do the same thing at the same time. They each took their right hand and rubbed the back of their neck sheepishly, eyes closed, thinking that they had just embarrassed themselves in front of company. But when three left eyes flicked open, they dropped the act and stood there. Uncle George was staring at Scorpius as if he had seen a ghost.

"Yo--You... Who are you?" he finally managed to choke out.

Scorpius gave a bright smile and extended a hand. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy, Rosie's boyfriend."

"Hello!" Levi replied cheerfully, taking Scorpius's large hand in his small one and shaking it. "I'm Levi, Rosie Posie's bodyguard."

"No, I am!" Tristan shouted, jumping forward as he added his hand into the shake. "The name's Tristan. Don't forget it, punk!" He glared up at Scorpius, but the serious facade soon crumbled.

And that seemed to be the point at which Uncle George finally realized what was going on. "You are in big trouble, young lady," he growled, glaring at me. Seeing that the fun to be had was over, the twins ran off. "Do you know what your parents are going to do to you? They might cut you off from the family tree! Have you lost your mind?"

I glared at my uncle, who had just degraded himself quite a bit with that remark. And to think he'd been my favorite of the five! "I know I'm in trouble," I replied, Scorpius's arm wrapping itself around my waist to keep me from launching myself across the room. "Unfortunately I'm stuck between the cross-fire of generations and generations of dead wizard's battles. I'm sorry for trying to fix it, alright?"

Uncle George's eyes softened as he looked at me, as if seeing me for the first time. "You really have grown up," he declared, smiling goofily. "Aw! My Rosie Posie is all grown up!" he cried, faking a sob and wiping an invisible tear from his eye. "Just don't grow up too much, kiddo. You and Albus are the only two willing to test out my new products."

I laughed and walked out of Scorpius's soft hold to wrap my arms around my uncle's neck. "Thanks. Now, if only we can convince our parents of that."

"Wait... His parents are here too?" he asked, lifting his head, eyes widening even more. When I nodded he threw his hands up and shouted, "God! How stupid can you get Rose? If you're going to try to move mountains, at least move one at a time!"

"So you won't help us?" Scorpius asked, stepping up, a cute frown turning his lips down.

"I never said that, kid. If you need my help just ask. But..." Then he faced Scorpius, eyes locking with the steely gray ones. "You keep your pants on. If you hurt her in any way, shape, or form, I can promise you I'll murder you in the most painful way possible. Don't worry though... I'm good at not getting caught."

Scorpius smiled and said, "Well, I shouldn't have a hard time with that. I don't plan on hurting her... ever." I blushed and smiled happily.

But of course, all precious moments must end. And in this house, most end abruptly and noisily. I heard my mother calling down the stairs to someone, "What is it, James? What's the rush?"... Uh oh, I sent Scorpius a look and he nodded, letting me know he had heard. After the footsteps had left the stairs and gotten into the entrance, Mum stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. Wow... I wonder if everyone would do that...

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley. How are you today?" Scorpius asked, using his charming voice. He could always seem polite, even in the toughest of situations. It was what had gotten us out of trouble many times at school.

My mum's chocolate brown eyes scanned his face then shifted to me. "Rose, may I speak to you for a moment?" she asked, beckoning to me to follow her. As I did so, she called over her shoulder, "George, would you be a dear and protect Scorpius for a moment. Heavens knows what Harry and Ron will do once they get back from the Quidditch pitch. James, calm down. I will not tolerate such rude behavior towards our guest." Not waiting for a reply, we moved into the family room.

Mum glanced around, making sure that there were no little ears to hear our conversation. Sighing, she took a seat in one of the large armchairs. "Rose... I thought we had raised you with more sense than this," she said, smiling ruefully up at me. "Dating a Malfoy... What has the world come to?"

I laughed and took a seat, facing her. "Scorpius is a really good person, Mum. I don't see why anyone would have a problem with him. I know his parents tend to be cold, but he's not, honestly."

"He looks so much like Draco," Mum said, smiling softly. "I swear, the only difference between him, now, and his father, back in seventh year, would be the Dark Mark." My heart fell to rest in my stomach, where it was slowly being devoured by gastric juices. She didn't like him, either, and all over a stupid grudge. Then she smiled, "But I must admit, I did teach you how to pick them... He's quite the looker, and he's rich to boot."

"Mum!" I shouted, laughing at her. "How could you say something like that?" Well, that was Uncle George, Mum, Tristan, Levi, and Albus down. Now all I had to do was convince the rest of them.

She laughed along, holding her hands before her face, as if creating a wall. "I kid, I kid! As long as you're happy, I'm happy for you. Now, your father on the other hand..."

I rolled my eyes. "I know... It won't be easy. But I think I can keep the Malfoys away from Dad and Uncle Harry until supper. Until then, James and Teddy should be my only concerns."

"Oh, I'll keep those two busier than they've ever been in their entire lives." She winked at me as she stood up, signaling that the discussion was over. "Now, you, young lady, have a boy in there awaiting your return. We shouldn't disappoint him." Giggling, I stood and followed her back into the room, where Scorpius stood, talking with Uncle George in whispers.

Uncle George laughed loudly, which made me raise my eyebrow in suspicion. As soon as the two saw us, the whispering stopped and they stood there, as if they were completely innocent. Yeah, I highly doubted it. "Well, look who's returned. The traitor sister," James hissed, glaring at me from the corner of the room.

"James, go get Teddy. I need the two of you to do something to help out. I wasn't expecting the Malfoys to be here so soon." With that, Mum bustled off into the kitchen, James stomping after her.

"Well, I've got to run. Who knows what those two kids are getting into!" With that, Uncle George sprinted off. Before he was completely gone, he called over his shoulder, "Remember what I said, you. Hurt her, and I'll kill you." Scorpius and I laughed, and he was gone.

"Wow... alone at last," I muttered, walking into Scorpius's outstretched arms and snuggling my head into the crook of his neck. "It's scary, because that was easier than I thought it'd be."

"Oh, cheer up, love!" he replied, picking me up in a quick spin. "It'll be fine. They don't hate me, to tell you the truth. It's my father they have problems with."

That's when I really remembered that his parents had come along with him. And I had left them with... "Albus!" I cried, turning on my heel and racing in the direction of the Malfoy's rooms. Scorpius must have remembered as well because he raced after me, not asking a single question.

When I reached the rooms, huffing and panting, I could hear squeals from within the room. Opening the door, I was met with the strangest sight. Albus had Levi pinned, tickling him with no mercy. Mrs. Malfoy had Tristan in her arms, tickling him just as much. Mr. Malfoy was sitting in a chair, watching his wife lovingly, but still slightly shocked. As soon as Scorpius was behind me, he gasped out, "Mother?"

His voice seemed to break the spell. Mrs. Malfoy let Tristan go, who immediately ran to 'save' his brother. "Oh, hello, Scorpius," she said, standing up and dusting herself off. She was back to her normal self, though the small sparkle in her eye was still present.

"Um... Hello, Mother," he replied, very shocked by her behavior. Never had he seen Lysandra Malfoy look so happy and at ease. "Hello, Father. What have you two been up to?"

"Tristan and Levi decided to introduce themselves," Albus spoke up from his place on the ground; the two children had 'overpowered' him and were now trying to jump on him.

"I believe he was speaking to us," Mr. Malfoy sneered, giving a reproachful look to Albus, who stuck his tongue out at him once the blonde man had turned his back. I giggled at this exchange and received an odd look from Mrs. Malfoy. "We were meeting these little monsters," Mr. Malfoy finally explained.

"Hey!" Levi exclaimed, jumping up, quite angry. "I don't wanna be a monster!"

"We wanna be dragons instead!" Tristan volunteered. And with that the two boys were pretending they were dragons, spreading their wings in pretend flight. Scorpius gave me a wink before aiming a levitation spell at them, sending them up into the air.

"Hey, we're really doing it!" Levi shouted, his face lit up in delight. The two twins squealed as they flew out the door.

Albus watched in terror, sending Scorpius a serious look. "You better put 'em down, or they'll tear the entire place up." Just as he finished there was a loud crash and two "Ouch!"es.

Sighing, Scorpius walked out and lowered them back to the ground. "Don't worry!" Levi shouted, spinning around in circles. "We're fine."

"We just ran into the wall," his brother added, stumbling to his feet and joining in the spinning fun.

I giggled, lifting Tristan, the closer of the two, onto my shoulders. Scorpius got the idea and lifted Levi. Albus laughed as the boys tried to push each other off of our shoulders, as if they were playing the Muggle game called Chicken that Mum had told me about. "Well Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, if you would like, I could give you a tour of the house or grounds. Or maybe you'd like to do something else."

"Oh, a tour would be lovely," Mrs. Malfoy replied, her tone of voice less stern than it had been previously. But with a glance from her husband the small smile gracing her pretty lips vanished. "Of course, it wouldn't be a very long tour in this small place." She chanced a glance at Mr. Malfoy who had now decided to correct his son, who was spinning with a squealing Levi suspended on his shoulders.

I smiled and nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm sure your home is much larger, but having a smaller house just makes my job as tour guide that much easier. Now, would you like to begin, Mr. Malfoy?" I turned my gaze to him, obviously startling him with the sudden attention and bright smile. I don't think he had ever seen a Weasley smile at a Malfoy before. Well, he was going to have to get used to it.

"Oh... Yes." That was it. It was a curt reply, but I couldn't detect any kind of malice or disdain in that short phrase. Maybe this would work out, at least until Dad and Uncle Harry got home.

"Follow me then!" I chirped, giving a small jump that made Tristan begin giggling madly. And that's how the bond between families had begun. Oh, trust me, it was strained, but as we walked--3 Malfoys, 3 Weasleys, and 1 Potter, alongside one another--somehow we were able to come to some sort of understanding. I could understand that the Malfoys had a long line of proud history and that their son even touching a half-blood like me nearly crushed them. Sometime during the tour the twins had become tired of the 'game' and demanded their own release. With a few laughs from Albus, Scorpius, Mrs. Weasley, and I the two scurried off like hyper mice. And you know, I could've sworn I heard a deep chuckle, not like that of Albus or Scorpius, coming from Mr. Malfoy's direction.

As we passed by the kitchen, Mrs. Malfoy suddenly gave a loud sniff, almost as if she could taste the fragrant foods the varying aromas belonged to. "That smells heavenly," she muttered under her breath.

I smiled and said, "That's Mum's treacle tart. She has a secret recipe somewhere up her sleeve that she won't even allow me to know. If you'd like, though, I'm sure she'd give you a sample. It's served best fresh, and from the smell of things it just got out of the oven."

"Ooh." With that, Mrs. Malfoy was making her way into the kitchen.

"Fresh treacle tart's always been Mum's weakness," Scorpius said, laughing to himself.

Mr. Malfoy just stood there looking slightly clueless as he stared after his wife. "Up her sleeve?" he finally asked, turning to look at me. "Women hide things in their sleeves?"

Albus started laughing as I giggled slightly. "No, Mr. Malfoy. Up her sleeve is a Muggle phrase used for magicians, because they always seem to have something hidden there. It's how their illusions work." The man seemed to be in thought a moment before nodding as if he understood... He didn't. But I had the courtesy to drop it. "So Scorpius, would you like to see that TV that Grandpapa fixed up?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.

"Lead on," he replied, linking my arm with his.

Before walking away I suddenly remembered Albus and Mr. Malfoy, who were standing awkwardly by the kitchen door. "Are you two coming or not?" I asked, smiling back at them. Albus immediately responded by walking up to us. Mr. Malfoy on the other hand balked.

"I think I'll wait for Lysandra."

"Oh, come on Mr. Malfoy," Albus said. "The thing won't eat you even though Rosie might tell you it will." I scoffed, but he smirked and continued. "Besides, from the looks of things, Mrs. Malfoy is happy in the kitchen."

After a moment more of persuasion, Mr. Malfoy began walking towards our group, staring at the ground. Then he looked up and asked, "What's a TV?" And with that, we launched into an enormous discussion on the mind-numbing powers the magical television--TV for short--possessed.

Sometime later I heard the door open then close, a few shouts of greeting following after. It sounded like my dad and Uncle Harry had just gotten back.

And here is where the fun begins... Yes, Scorpius and I were able to keep our families separated until dinner. Mum and Mrs. Malfoy enjoyed themselves in the kitchen and could be heard laughing quite a bit. Dad and Uncle Harry were soon met by Uncle George, who must have pulled a prank on them, because there was a lot of shouting, but even more laughs. Then, of course, Albus, Scorpius, Mr. Malfoy, and I could all be found watching TV. It took awhile for Albus and me to explain to the two Malfoys what the TV did.

What I dreaded finally came. Supper time had rolled around and I was extremely nervous. Mr. Malfoy had somehow put aside his hate for my father while talking to me, but I knew this slight bond wouldn't be very helpful if my family decided to be difficult, as they so often did. "Well, time to make our debut," Albus announced, standing and stretching himself out. Hmm... He'd gotten rather tall, hadn't he? "You two might want to get your wands ready. There might just be another big battle and you don't want to be caught off guard."

"Albus!" I cried, reprimanding him, even though I knew all he had said was a pretty good possibility. As the four of us walked towards the kitchen, the mutant butterflies decided to attack once again. It felt almost like they were trying to eat away the lining of my stomach. A hand slipped into mine and I looked up to meet Scorpius's astounding blue-grey eyes. The butterflies were suddenly very active, now only bothering to flutter up into my heart, my pulse beginning to race. I forced a smile and turned, following Albus.

The door opened ahead of us, Albus fighting his way through all the clatter and conversation to his chair. I peaked through, noticing that Mrs. Malfoy and Mum were talking amiably to Dad and my uncles. They must not have formally met Mrs. Malfoy and therefore couldn't recognize her as their nemesis's wife. Teddy was teasing James, who had his mouth clamped shut. Oh my! Mum had locked his jaw into place so that he couldn't tell anyone who was on their way. This time my smile wasn't forced as I swung the door open, leading Scorpius by the hand into the confusion. Mr. Malfoy was tagging along behind his son.

As soon as the blondes had entered the room, all noise stopped and James smirked in satisfaction. Oh how I positively loathed him in that one moment. Mum spoke up first, knowing I would never be able to at a time like this, all eyes either focused on the Malfoys or on Scorpius's fingers intertwined with mine. "Ron, this is Scorpius, Rose's boyfriend. That's his father, Draco Malfoy. You remember Draco from school, don't you?"

I had never seen Dad's face so red before. It wasn't an embarrassed red that he would sometimes get with Mum when she'd whisper something in his ear. No, this was a furious, vibrant crimson. Of course, Uncle Harry looked about the same and James looked like he was about to explode. After all, he was like a brother to me and having a secret like this from him, especially with his loathed enemy... It was too much to handle. I had to break the silence. "I see you've met before."

"What... What is going on here?!" Dad shouted, standing up from his chair. His outrage seemed to drown out the clatter of the chair as it hit the floor.

When Uncle Harry stood up, placing a hand on Dad's shoulder I took it as a good sign. He'd always been the calmer of the two. But instead of saying a comforting word or two, he glared at Mr. Malfoy and Scorpius, trying to burn their flesh from their faces. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?" he demanded in an icy tone. What had the world come to? Suddenly the adults were acting like children. Could this be the Apocalypse that Mum's parents had talked about?

"Oh, Potter," Mr. Malfoy spat. I had to turn to make sure it really was Mr. Malfoy and not a trick in my head. When had he become so terribly cold and rude? Then he continued. "How could you not see what was going on? Your niece has been dating my son for the past two years and you were too clueless to figure it all out."

"Draco, you aren't helping," Mrs. Malfoy spoke up, standing and making her way over to take her place by her husband's side.

"And who are you?" Dad demanded, now glaring at her.

"How dare you take that tone of voice with my wife," Mr. Malfoy hissed, his wand arm twitching slightly. Oh no... There might just be a battle.

"Wife?! Yo-- You mean-- to tell-- to tell me-- that a Malfoy has been sitting with us this entire time." Then he turned to Mum, who had squared her jaw defiantly. "Did you know about this?" he demanded.

"Ron, calm down," Mum practically whispered, using the calming voice she used with me when I was younger and had lost my temper over something stupid.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down?!?!" Dad screamed, purple blotches of color adding to the red in his face. If this situation wasn't so serious, I probably would have laughed my brain out. "My daughter has been sneaking behind my back and going out with him!" He pointed at Scorpius, who was clutching at my hand, knowing that if he let go I may faint. "That's a Malfoy, Hermoine! She's dating a Malfoy!"

"I know, Ron. But are your antics really that necessary?" Mum asked him.

"Trust me, Mrs. Weasley. They're very necessary," James spoke up. "I tried to warn her away from him in first year, but did she listen? No! Of course not!"

"It wasn't your place to tell her who to speak to," Mum replied, frowning at my cousin.

"Someone needed to straighten her out," he retorted.

"She is perfectly fine the way she is," Scorpius said, adding in his own sense. Apparently this enraged my father and Uncle Harry, who had tried to hold his tongue after Aunt Ginny had given him that warning look she was so good at, even more.

"This is a family discussion. And, quite frankly, you won't ever be apart of this family. So shut your trap, kid." And with that the argument continued. I couldn't concentrate on what was being said, or who had said what. At one point, Tristan and Levi had decided that it was time to add a bit of confusion in there with everyone else. They were only six, so they couldn't imagine that this game of 'who can shout the loudest' was actually very serious. Aunt Dotty, their mother, tried to convince Uncle George to take them out of the room, but he was very much involved in this 'heated debate.' Even the three Malfoys got involved, throwing quite witty and sarcastic remarks every which way.

I couldn't think. I wouldn't have been able to hear myself think even if I had been thinking. I was confused and aggravated and completely torn. "Just shut up! All of you, shut up!" I screamed, putting my hands to my ears, trying to block the noise. Unchecked tears leaked from my eyes as I watched the chaos slowly die down before me. Maybe that's what this was all about. They wanted to see me break. And break I did. My legs collapsed beneath me, leaving me on the floor, staring up at all of the furious people. All of it was my fault, too. Christmas was supposed to be joyous, but all I saw here were generations old battles resurfacing, being played out by my family and the Malfoys. Even Scorpius had joined in the yelling... The yelling that had finally ceased as I sobbed into my knees.

"Rosie..." Dad whispered, taking a step forward. I was his little girl and he couldn't bear to see me cry like this.

Levi jumped up, soon followed by his brother, racing over to me. Two pairs of arms encircled me and I looked up. "Don't cry Rosie Posie!" Tristan said, tugging at my hand.

"Yeah!" Levi added, tugging at my other hand. "See? You won the game! You even beat Uncle Ron, and he looked like his head was going to explode!" The two giggled like only children could and a small smile surfaced on my lips.

"You're right... I did win, didn't I?" I asked, letting them help me up. As soon as I was back on my feet, I was able to swipe the tears from my eyes. "Well, Mum, I'm heading off to bed. It seems I was more tired than I thought." With that I turned, about to head back out the way I had come in, the Malfoys blocking my path. "If you'll excuse me..." And I fled. I'd never been afraid and unable to deal with the fear before, but this was different. This was the pure hatred that seemed to radiate from everyone around me. But what really scared me was that I wanted to hate them just as much as they hated each other.

I was lying in bed for what seemed like years, simply staring at the ceiling and wishing that I hadn't done what I did. Inviting the Malfoys over was like a death wish. Actually, it was more like handing Deborah Windsgor, Scorpius's 'number one fan'--more like stalker-- a wand and telling her "Take your best shot." There was suddenly a knock at my door. "Hey, Rosie, it's me," James called in.

"Listen, I'm not sorry for what I did okay? I'm old enough to make my own decisions. I was just... kind of... kind of hoping you would accept it a bit better."

He opened the door, peaking in at me. "You're so stubborn," he said, sighing. Surprised I turned to see that he wasn't angry with me. Taking a seat on the edge of my bed, James let out another sigh. "I can't believe you'd do something so stupid. Not only going behind everyone's back and dating that guy... But then bringing him and his family in here... I thought Dad was going to blow his top! And your dad didn't seem too pleased either."

I groaned. "James, if you're going to be a pain in the butt, go away."

"Hey, I was just supposed to say you should come down for dinner now. Don't shoot the messenger." And with that he stood up, making his way to the door. "By the way, I may have been wrong, so I'm sorry." With that said, he was gone, leaving me very confused.

Of course, after that, I was so intrigued that I had to go downstairs to see what was going on. And when I arrived, I was astounded. Not only were they not shouting they were behaving! I'd never seen them so... so civil... Not even just amongst themselves! "I think I'm dead," I muttered out loud.

"No, not quite," a voice whispered in my ear. There was Scorpius, arms wrapping themselves around my waist.

"What in the world happened? From what Mum's told me of the Apocalypse, this could be it!"

He chuckled, the vibrations in his chest sending tingles down my spine. "No, nothing like that. We've... Come to an understanding, I suppose."

That they had. As I sat down, everyone politely said hello and smiled. None of the smiles were false either. This was scaring me almost as much as the shouting! And that's how the rest of the Malfoy's visit played out. Everyone was extremely courteous and overly helpful. Once I even saw Mr. Malfoy tying Levi's shoe! Of course, he magically tied it, but it's the thought that counts.

I was very disappointed when the three had to leave the next day. The house would seem less crowded without them. As we stood by the fire, we gave them hugs and sometimes Scorpius and I would exchange a kiss unnoticed by the others. "I'll see you soon," Mrs. Malfoy called over her shoulder to Mum. The two had really become quite close to each other. Green flames engulfed the Malfoys, one by one, until all that was left was a small fire and diminished bag of Floo Powder.

"Well, that went well," Uncle George joked, walking up behind me.

"Yeah, well let's just see how well it works out when the grandparents have to meet." The two of us shuddered as we thought of all the possibilities. I was doomed.