Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR. I own nothing.
He didn't expect to see her here.
He expected to find this place as empty as usual, devoid of all life but the roses growing everywhere. He thought maybe he could speak to his son in peace in this lonely place, undisturbed even by insects. Because, even though it's not about Albus's death, he feels like he owes it to him to explain why he approves the match.
But she is here, sitting stiffly on the bench, twisting her hands together in her lap. Stopping him from having a private word with the boy who meant so much to him.
And he remembers that she must be here for the same reason he is. And he can't help but pity her for thinking she could reach him now, even though he was seconds from trying the same thing. There's only one way she'll ever hear Albus's voice again in her life, and he dropped it in the forest thirty years ago.
Harry clears his throat. "What are you doing here?"
"Here," she begins in a voice much kinder than her usual tone, a voice that shows just how lost in thought she must be, "I am just another rose. Here, I am loved for who I am. My fellow roses will listen to my sorrows and my joys and weep or laugh with me. It is a place of comfort and trust. Here, I am accepted."
And he knows who she's quoting, and he can feel the ache in his chest where his heart used to be.
But he ignores it and sits next to her. Right now, it's not about Albus's death.
"Acceptance," He says slowly, letting the word sit in the air, reminding her that it's one of hers. "That's all they want from you. Rose, this is not what any of us expected. But we must accept them for who they are. Because we love Lysander." She turns away. Yes, she loves Lysander. But this isn't about him. "And because it is all Scorpius has ever asked for from us."
Rose says nothing. All he ever asked for, maybe, but not all he's ever taken.
"Please," he whispers. "Give them your blessing on their happiness."
"No."
And he's shocked, she can tell, but he doesn't understand. It's not about Albus's death to him. To him, it's just about overcoming the homophobia of the Wizarding World and his own prejudice against anyone named Malfoy.
But for her, it is about Albus's death. It is about the boy who raised his wand and shouted that third and final Unforgivable, those two words that took her cousin, her best friend, her confidante, her light from her. It is about the way Albus fell and the way her eyes lifted up to meet the cold, hard gaze of Scorpius Malfoy.
And she can't believe that Lysander, the one she loves more than Harry will ever realize, has fallen for a murderer. She will never accept that.
A/N: So what do you think? I didn't quite turn out the way I thought it would. But I'm still seriously considering doing a companion piece from Lily Luna's point of view.