Scorpius couldn't remember when he'd last seen Rose. This stupid life was too much for him. He doesn't know why he didn't accept the Quidditch offers, being an Auror was far too much time spent away from home, but he suspected Ronald Weasley, Head of the Aurors and Rose's father just wanted to get the youngest Malfoy away from his only daughter.
'All right mate?' Cyrus, Scorpius' partner enquired with a crooked half smile, black eyes twinkling in amusement. Scorpius looked at his best friend and bared his teeth at the muggle-born Hufflepuff. The great, ebony man from Morocco laughed and pulled a jacket on.
'What do you fucking think, Cyrus? I'm going to quit this retarded job as soon as we finish this Merlin forsaken mission! I swear, Auror Weasley is doing this to me on purpose!' Scorpius followed Cyrus' example and pulled his Muggle jacket on, locking the flat they were sharing while in Italy, taking the steps down to the lobby two at a time.
'Yeah, I guess so. He probably thought because I'm a Muggle-born, it would be a double whammy for you.' Cyrus smirked at Scorpius' miserable demeanor.
'It's not fair, though, man, I mean…I was going to propose to her! And then, minutes before I was going to go down on one knee, he pulls me aside and announces I'm going to do a top-secret mission in Italy! I was ready to Avada him right there!' Scorpius snarled, scowling angrily.
'Look on the bright side, at least the mission is almost over.' Cyrus beamed.
'Yeah, three bloody years later! For all I know, she's already found some one better than me.' Cyrus shot his friend a sidelong glance and sighed, crossing his heavily muscled arms with a shake of his shaven head.
'Relax, Scorp. Another day and then we'll have a wonderful british Christmas with loads of presents and beautiful girls with creamy skin and Firewhiskey and treacle tart and girls that understand what you say to them and Grandmum Weasley's food and proper rough Quidditch and girls in the Leaky Cauldron. Oh, did I mention how much I missed the chicks?' Cyrus smiled dreamily and Scorpius laughed out loud, shaking his head in mirth.
'Buongiorno, how are my favorite Englishmen this fine morning?' Dona, the muggle owner of the small caféwhere they ate breakfast every morning sashayed closer, sending a sultry smile in Scorpius direction.
'We're good, thank you, Dona. The usual, please.' Scorpius grumbled, glaring at the table.
'Bad day?'
'We're leaving tomorrow and he's scared his lady love won't love him anymore.' Cyrus laughed, wwinking at her.
'Poor ragazzo.' Dona ruffled his hair and laughed at the sneer he sent her in response.
'it's a perfectly legitimate worry! I've never deserved her, I certainly don't deserve her now, not after I left her on her own for three years..' Scorpius mumbled, a pale pink creeping up his pale neck.
'If she won't take you back, I'm sure Sally Wood wouldn't mind pisking up where you guys left off after school.'
'That was six years ago, Cyrus! And I can't even contemplate looking at anyone else without comparing them to her.' Scorpius glared at his confidant and smiled appreciatively when his coffee was placed in front of him.
'Rose'll take you back, mate.' Cyrus smiled at the dubious expression on his friend's face.
Rose sank into the couch, seriously feeling Scorpius' absence. She knew it had been three years since she'd last seen him and a month since she'd gotten his heartfelt letter, explaining why he had disappeared; she still hadn't spoken to her parents for keeping it from her. She missed the pale Malfoy to the point of depression and everything she did reminded her of him, his mischievous eyes, his rare smile he saved for her and his best friend, Cyrus. She missed his unnaturally tall frame appearing in her doorway in the mornings to make her breakfast before she rushed off to work at Weasley's Wheezes. She missed his never-ending complaining about her cat, but she knew he actually adored Jones.
'Rose? Are you coming?' Rose flew to her feet, smiling hesitantly at Molly, who had inconspicuously moved into her flat after her huge outburst in the middle of Diagon Alley, shaming her parents in front of the entire street.
Molly grabbed a handful of Floo powder and Flooed to the Burrow, with Rose on her heels.
Scorpius felt as if he were home, smiling with Albus and James over something that had happened in the Ministry. Ron had invited him for Christmas dinner with the Weasleys as a welcome back gesture. Lily sat next to him; exactly as they had at Hogwarts, the only person missing was Rose, but Scorpius kept the disappointment at bay, laughing and joking as if he had never left.
That is, until Lily sobered next to him, her eyes trained on the fireplace. Scorpius followed her gaze and he found himself staring into Rose's sky-blue eyes. He felt like curling up and dying at the betrayed expression on her face, she looked so hurt, and broken.
'Merry Christmas, darling.' Ron Weasley mumbled behind him and Rose's face rearranged itself into a mask of indifference…until she glanced down and her mask slipped away, revealing a mixture of shock, joy, and anger. Scorpius offered a genuine smile, one he hadn't smiled in three years, the small, private one that she had once said lit his eyes up, turning them into sparkling silver. Her eyes filled with tears and before he could stop himself, he was on his feet, wiping the tears running down her cheeks away before pulling her into a hug.
'S-s-Scorp.' She stammered against his shoulder as a sob wracked her tall, lean frame. She buried her face in the junction between his neck and shoulder and laughed through the tears, wrapping her arms his waist.
'Hey there, Tulip.' Scorpius whispered into her ear, pressing a kiss to it. A shudder ran through her body. She pulled away, turning her big, innocent eyes to him and the bright smile he received nearly made his knees buckle.
'I missed you, Bug.' She whispered before pressing her lips to his. Scorpius chuckled against her kiss and pulled away.
'I'd like to live, Tulip.' He gestured with his head to her male family members glowering at him from the other side of the room.
'Screw them. They've had enough of you.' Rose giggled.
'Ew…they've got spouses for that, love.'
'Oh, I know. Dad, Scorp and I will be back tomorrow.' Rose nodded towards her father and Apparated the duo to her flat in Muggle London, where they proceeded to prove how much they missed one another.