Prologue

Rose Weasley's eyes filled with tears as she looked at the couple seated in the seats in front of her and Scorpius Malfoy. Even though she didn't know who they were, she envied them. The couple was very attractive and dressed quite fashionably, however those weren't the reasons for her envy. As Rose tried to shake the envious feelings away, she found she couldn't. She tried paying attention to the opera she had been talking about for months now, but it was impossible to do so with the couple in front of her reminding her of what she once had, and apparently didn't anymore. She watched as the girl who seemed to be around her age was watching the opera intently and then her attention diverted by her lover, who was sitting beside her, as he playfully kissed her shoulder. The girl then smiled and kissed the man sweetly, and without knowing anything else about them Rose knew one thing, that there was love and passion between them. And that was why she envied them, her love and passion seemed to be nonexistent lately. She turned and looked at Scorpius who was sitting to her right and was disappointed when she saw how focused he was in the opera. He hated operas; he only came to please her, and yet he was so focused on the opera today, so unfocused on her that he didn't even notice her gaze on him.

She turned her eyes on the opera once more as she willed her tears to stay put and not fall down her cheeks. She didn't want to ruin their night out, especially since nights out for them had become so rare lately. She tried to put the whole thing out of her mind but it was impossible to do so. The opera continued and ended without Rose paying attention at all. The whole time all she thought about was how things had changed lately. As they exited the theater she noticed how Scorpius was walking ahead of her a little and she couldn't help but remember the days when they'd walk hand in hand everywhere. And as the same attractive couple that had sat in front of them, passed by walking synchronously holding hands looking deeply at one another, her eyes filled with tears once again; of course she held her tears not wanting to cause a scene. As they reached the big doors Scorpius stopped and turned to look at her as he smiled. How she loved that smile, how she missed it.

"It's raining," he said as the valet pulled up with the car.

Rose smiled as she said, "I love the rain."

"You're such a child," Scorpius said as he grabbed the keys and handed the valet his tip. He hesitated a moment not wanting to go out in the pouring rain but then pulled his jacket over his head and ran to get in the car. Rose stood there for a moment and remembered the times when he had offered her his jacket and had let himself get drenched. She put her small purse over her head trying to not get wet and quickly got in the car. As she did she noticed that Scorpius said nothing as he turned the car on and began driving. She waited a few more minutes as she wiped the water of her face and then when Scorpius asked no questions she spoke, "So the interview at Hogwarts went really well. I'm almost a hundred percent sure that I'll be the new Charms Professor there."

"Congratulations," Scorpius said.

"Well it hasn't happened yet," she said.

"It will." He responded.

"I hope so. I would just love to teach children magic, I think it would be very fulfilling," she said as she tried to make some sort of conversation happen between the two but he simply smiled and then turned his full attention at the road. She looked at him and wanted to smile as she saw how much better he had gotten at driving, how he never complained about doing things the muggle way just to please her anymore. It was these thoughts that made her still want to believe in them. It was these thoughts that made her think that maybe she was just overreacting. She stared at the windshield as the rain pelted it hard and rapid and she just felt sad. This was a new emotion for her. She had never been sad with Scorpius before.

"Hey," he said smiling at her.

She looked up at him and found herself wanting to cry again. He hadn't smiled at her that way in what felt like eons now. "Did you not like the opera?" He asked her and then at the confused look in her face he said, "You seem upset."

She smiled, "I enjoyed it, I just... I don't know I have this odd feeling I can't shake off." She waited a few minutes then asked. "Is everything okay... with us?"

He looked at her for a second and the look on his face scared Rose. The only time he had ever had that look on his face when he was with her was when he talked about his father. Never about anything else, and this caused Rose to panic as she raised her eyebrows and asked in a slightly higher pitched voice, "Is there?"

"No," he said as he avoided eye contact but instead kept his eyes on the road.

Rose knew it was a lie but even though she didn't know why that lie offered some sort of comfort. Not a lot of comfort but it did keep her tears from falling. After a few moments of quiet Scorpius then said, "How about we go to my place instead?"

She looked up at him; he still wouldn't face her but only looked at the dark rainy road ahead. She hadn't been in his place in probably about a month now. "Yeah," she said as her face brightened a little.

He nodded and said, "Then how about I just apparate us there, a car in front of my place would be strange, that's the problem with wizard neighborhoods."

Rose nodded as she smiled at him and within a matter of minutes they were in Scorpius's apartment. She smiled as she looked around at what may have looked like a cold place to an outsider with the dark furnishings and the lack of homey touches but was so warm and inviting to her. He smiled at her a smile that Rose thought was forced and said, "I'm just going to change real quick." She nodded as she turned away from him and began walking towards his bedroom and she reached the door her smile grew. Everything was the same still and she had missed this room so much. She had missed the dark cherry wood floor, the modern furniture, the big comfortable bed, everything, she had missed everything about this place.

She walked in the room and smiled as she saw the one and only picture in his place. There he was Scorpius the happiest Rose had ever seen him along with his little brother smiling the same genuine smile that Scorpius was smiling. Rose loved that picture she looked at it every time she came in. It was a reminder, a reminder of the goodness in the Malfoy household, of the fact that they could love, of the fact that her father, her mother, her aunt, uncle, her brother and cousins were wrong, all were so wrong. Scorpius was capable of love, he loved her.

She walked away from the picture with a big smile on her face and as she turned towards the bed she noticed a big bouquet of white daisies on the nightstand of his bed. Scorpius had never had flowers in his apartment, never in all the time they had been together. She slowly walked over to the nightstand and then her attention was diverted from the flowers as she noticed a little black jewelry box next to them.

Her heart stopped for a moment. Could this be what she thought it was? She picked up the box slowly and opened it and as she saw the huge diamond ring she stopped breathing and she only began when she heard Scorpius say, "Rose." She turned to face him with the box in her hand still and her face in wonderment. She didn't know what happened next. It all happened so fast, it all turned downhill and all without words.

As she turned to face him in wonderment and awe and her heart beating like crazy and her stomach full of butterflies she didn't know what emotion to emote. Happiness? Was the ring for her? Was Scorpius planning to propose? Is this why he had been acting so strange lately? Was the strange behavior because of his nerves? But he shouldn't be nervous, not really he should know her answer. Her answer would be yes. She walked closer to him and then stopped right in front of him as she noticed the look in his face. It was horror. There wasn't a hint of a smile not even a hint of nerves, just horror and sadness. They stood there for a moment just looking at one another in silence and then Rose's eyes filled with tears and then as she turned her head towards the flowers the tears began falling down her cheeks. All the little signs made sense now. She looked at the ring again and closed the box. She walked up to him and said, "I was so foolish, for a moment I thought it was for me. Whoever she is she's going to love it. The ring is beautiful." She placed the box in his hand and began walking toward the door.

Scorpius who was now in his boxers turned towards her and said, "Rose wait." But she didn't stop, she walked out and closed the door slowly and Scorpius was filled with an immense silence the instant the door closed. It was then some sort of panic hit him. A panic that even he didn't understand and he ran in his boxers, barefoot after her. He called after her a few times but he got no answer, this only made him run faster down the numerous flight of stairs, his running became faster and faster and he only stopped when he had caught up to her on the first floor as she was about to walk out the door.

"Stop Rose," he said forcefully as he grabbed her wrist.

She turned to him and her eyes were full of tears, full of sadness and full of the hurt that only betrayal by the person one loves most in the world can cause. She looked at him, tried to speak but couldn't. She let go of the door handle and Scorpius released her wrist.

"Please," he said, "Don't go."

She looked only at the floor, still unable to speak.

"I didn't know how to tell you." He said.

Rose didn't want to talk anymore as those words entered her ears. She expected him to explain, to tell her that the ring was for her, or it wasn't his. But to confirm everything, that it was his engagement ring, but not for her, she couldn't take, she didn't want to hear it, she just wanted to walk away, but she couldn't, she had to know. "Why?" She asked as tears began falling faster and faster down her cheeks.

"My father..."

"Say no more," Rose said, "I get it, she's pureblood, and she's not a Weasley."

"Rose..."

"Really you don't have to explain. I get it."

"It's just hard you know what my family thinks..."

"Yeah," Rose said now getting angry, "My family thinks the same about you, but I didn't listen to them because I love you." She paused for a moment and grabbed his hand, the one that was still clutching the engagement ring box. She looked in his eyes and said, "I love you." It was a plea almost, she didn't want to have to give him up, she didn't want him to give her up. He however just simply looked down. She then nodded against her will and let go of him as she made her way towards the door.

"Rose it's raining, come inside please."

She looked at him and was so hurt and in so much pain that she didn't want to be near him even. She couldn't say one more thing to him. She was hurt, the kind of hurt she had never felt before. She looked at him once more, he was so handsome and as much as she wanted to hate him she couldn't, even now she couldn't deny how much she loved him.

"How long has this been going on Scorpius? How much of our relationship has been a lie?"

"Three months now."

She shook her head, the two of them had been together since 6th year, for about 12 years now, and after three months he was proposing to this other girl, who she had such loathing for.

"When were you going to tell me?"

He was quiet then and said nothing, he didn't want to say his thoughts out loud to her, he couldn't. "Were you not going to tell me?"

"So what, I'd find out when it was announced in the papers like everyone else? Be embarrassed in front of my friends and family and the entire wizarding world?"

"Rose I..."

She stood there waiting for some sort of explanation but it seemed that Scorpius had none. She shook her head and willed her tears to stop falling, she didn't want him to see her cry. "Goodbye Scorpius," she said as she walked out in the pouring rain. She turned he head against her will many times to check if he was following her, but he never was back there. He didn't come after her.

Scorpius walked slowly at the door and grabbed the handle; he opened it a little and stood there at the door in his boxers, for a long time. He wanted to go after her, run to her catch her, make her see things his way, but there was nothing to see. The two were doomed, and going after her would be pointless. He couldn't be with her and going after her would only prolong her suffering and intensify her pain. She was a Weasley and he was a Malfoy and the two were doomed from the start. She'd get over him, find someone else and fall in love, he was sure of it. She was amazing; love would come to her soon. And he, he would make his father happy when he'd propose to Elaida Zabini tomorrow morning, and ... begin to convince himself that he didn't love Rose Weasley, and that he never had.