DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters in this story.

This is third era HP, the story of Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley

PROLOGUE

present day

"Did you see my green sweater anywhere?" Rose lifted her head from the book she was reading and frowned at her cousin.

"Really Vic, sometimes I wonder if you're even a witch. Accio green sweater!" A green sweater whooshed out of her bedroom and Vic combed through her hair slightly embarrassed.

"Why didn't I think of that? Oh, never mind." She cut her cousin off before she could make a clever remark and pulled it over her head. It hardly seemed fair, Rose thought to look like that and be related. Vic was her cousin from her father's side – her mother of course was a muggle so she didn't see that part of the family very often. They didn't look anything like cousins, much less cousins with a five year gap between them. Vic was tall, slender with long luminous blonde hair while Rose was on the small side and inherited the Weasleys trademark ginger hair. It didn't normally bother her, at least not when it came to Vic, but sometimes it was just a hard pill to swallow. Especially when she looked to great in her sweater.

Rose could hardly imagine her life without Vic – they moved in as soon as Rose finished Hogwarts, and bought the place when Lily, their third cousin moved in a year later. Looking back Rose thought of those moments as probably one of the happiest times in her life. Of course that had more to do with other things, but she couldn't let herself thing of that. Of him. Instead she just gave Vic a bright smile and closed the book.

"You look great Vic." Before she could answer Lily appeared in the doorway, a spoon filled with ice cream in her mouth.

"Are you girls ready?"

"What? Oh yes, just about." Vic mumbled and looked at herself in the mirror. "God I feel old being with you two." She didn't look thirty-one but sometimes she felt much older, what with having a husband and her own house. While Rose and Lily still pretty much lived like students at Hogwarts, even though they were both slowly inching towards thirty – Rose at twenty-six and Lily following close behind at twenty-five.

"Yeah, I'm blinded by your grey hair." Lily punched her cousin jokingly in her arm and rolled her eyes at Rose. Even though Rose was the one in the family with 'the gift with words' Lily was always the clown that made everybody laugh. And that's what she was expecting tonight at dinner – lots of laughter.

It was their weekly ritual to go for dinner and drinks on Fridays ever since they finished with school. Teddy and Vic always came, almost like the head of the family, to make sure everyone behaved, and Rose found it immensely funny to see Teddy, the playboy she once knew, now a happily settled married man.

Lily would probably spend the night cracking jokes, James would bring his latest bimbo, Rose and Al were usually discussing her newest article at the Daily Prophet or his work at the ministry. Dominique and Hugo with some of their Rawenclaw friends would excitedly debat about their future and Slytherins stood in line for their lost friend they all missed.

They never even spoke of him. At first Al would sometimes mention him, how he was in Romania or how he got a postcard, sending waves of sadness all over her. But he gave up since then, or at least refrained himself from doing so in front of her.

She shook her head, determined not to think about him for the second time that night and stood up. "Ready?"
"Oh, you look nice!" Vic exclaimed and Rose arched her eyebrows.

"What, as oppose to my normal troll looking self?" She knew they meant no offence, but when jeans and a pony tail were her constant look, a nice looking dress seemed like a huge improvement.

Rose never knew how they even made it to the restaurant with all the laughs and jokes already and smiled when Lily rushed into Teddy's arms when they arrived. Somehow they were the best of friends even with the age difference between them. She loved her cousins all the same, but even in families you couldn't help but to be closer to some then others, just like she was with Al, who she sometimes considered more like a brother than a cousin.

"I was starting to worry you kidnapped my wife. Should I remember this?" He embraced his wife, placed a kiss on her forehead and looked suspiciously at the sweater she wore.

"No, you're home free, it's Rose's." Al appeared out of nowhere excitement blazing in his wide green eyes. He was her best friend since they were kids, the second part of the Hogwarts trio she was once belonged to.

"My three favourite girls! Come, come!" He rushed them in to the back side of the restaurant where a long table stood, already prepared for them, a large group of people stood around it, chatting, drinking and laughing. Rose felt the warmth spread through her and smiled in spite of her wary mood.

"Ladies, gentleman. Can I have your attention please?" Al clinked on his glass and the laugher gradually simmered down. "I'm so happy I can say this, but please welcome back into our midst one of the greatest seekers since my dad, my friend who finally returned back to us after six long years of playing abroad, Scorpius Malfoy!"

It was then she saw him, completely unaware as to how she missed him before. Scorpius dominated any room he was in, with his chiselled features and light, almost silvery hair. She used to be so aware of his presence, but now, after six years when she was finally letting her guard down, here he was.

"Thank you, really, it's not necessary." He thanked each and every one of them who congratulated him and Rose knew he wasn't being falsely modest. Being someone's best friend for ages, even when you didn't see him for six years gave you a somewhat insight to them.

Unable to move she let Al push her towards the table and looked straight into her plate, not daring to look up and maybe incidentally meet his gaze. That seemed like an almost impossible task as she was seated directly opposite of him.

Al set next to him, hugging his best friend from the old days and looked expectantly at her. "Rose?" That seemed to have an effect on Scorpius as well as he looked confusedly up and met her eyes for the first time.

All the feelings she kept so safely hidden rushed back in and it was then and there she knew why the whole world was in love with him. She had been too, for the longest of times and for a brief window six years ago, she allowed herself hope he had been as well.

Like a fish gasping for air she opened her mouth a couple of times but no voice came out of it. She could see his jaw clenching like he fought very hard not to explode but it wasn't him to left out an outraged gasp.

"Oh for Merlin's sake." Al looked angrily at both of them. "If 'giving a cold shoulder' would be an O.W.L's class believe you me, you'd get an Outstanding out of it. But you're taking it to the next level. Back in the day I couldn't get you two to shut up, now you can't even look at each other?" He looked in disbelief at Rose.

"Are you really that mad at him for leaving? Are you-" He turned to Scorpius. "-really that mad at her for not staying in touch?" The group quieted down and in silent embarrassment looked at this heated exchange and Rose felt all the blood rush to her face.

"We're not giving each other cold shoulders, are we Rose? We simply…" Scorpius retorted slowly. "Ran out of things to say to each other."

It hurt like a knife to the soul and with each minute she sat at the table it grew bigger. "I'm sorry, I just remembered my article is due tomorrow." She saw Al roll his eyes but didn't care.

She couldn't care less if this whole table knew she escaped because of him, but the room was suffocating her and without another word she stood up and almost ran away.

Gasping for air outside, she fought with the tears in her eyes, and eyed the empty alley to disaparate when an hand touched her arms. She turned around in weary annoyance, not in the mood to explain to Al what was going on but froze on the spot when she saw who it was.

Scorpious.

"I thought the dramatic exit was kind of my territory." To anyone but her it would seem like he was making a joke, trying to light the mood but his scowl told her otherwise. To some his superior exterior might seem like he was acting he was above them all, but from all the years she knew him, Rose knew he was just uncomfortable.

"I thought it was my turn to try it." They stood there in silence for a while and Rose pondered his words. "Do you say that because you so dramatically exited this country six ago, or because you somehow feel I don't deserve to walk away from you?"

"Both I suppose." He exhaled quietly. "I heard you were getting married." Of course Al told him. To him they were just estranged friends, not two people that once loved each other with broken hearts. Or as much his could be broken.

"No, well, I mean, it's not exactly official yet or anything." The tears rushed back in and he slowly sighed, leaning back against the wall.

Here they were. No anger, no shouting, just… sadness.

"So, are you back? I-I mean for good?" She asked, hating the hopefulness in her voice.

"Yeah. Puddlemore United offered me a good deal." Of course everything revolved around Quidditch with him. Was she actually so stupid to let herself hope he came back for her?

The soaring in her heart told her she did exactly that. "Scorpius, I… I can't do this."

They didn't pretend not to know what she meant, and slowly she pushed herself from the wall. "I'm glad you're back. Really."

Too painful to look at him in the face she instead focused on his chest, but realized it wasn't going to be much help. "Take care." She left him there then, running off into the night, something she did so well.

He touched the spot where his heart was, remembering her wistful eyes when she looked up at him the first time he kissed her. Please Scorpius, don't play with my heart. He pretended to brush away some dirt where he previously held his hand and smirked to herself.

Who knew it was going to be her that played and broke his?

AUTHORS NOTE: alright lovely readers let's get this party started! in the prologue you found out that rose and scorpius were once in love but something went terribly wrong as they haven't seen each other in six years. so in the first chapter we're going to travel back those six years and meet up with them as they're just falling in love until we get back to this place. hope you like it so far :)