Disclaimer: JKR owns everything Harry Potter. I do not.

"It is my honor to present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Scorpius Malfoy!" The priest announced to the room, filled with people she barely knew and barely liked. Scattered around were the few people who she actually liked quite a lot – including the man she was currently standing side by side with, her new husband Scorpius Malfoy.

The smile on her face alternated between being genuine and being faked. It was always there, though – only the few who knew her well could tell any difference and those few understood why it changed.

She was extremely happy with her marriage – she completely loved him, no matter what anyone said. Her wedding had been beautiful, and so far the reception was too. Everything had gone as planned.

Except for the missing faces in the crowd. Not many noticed and if they did they didn't care enough to mention it. They were simply here because it was the wedding of a Malfoy and it was expected that everyone in that social circle would come. And there was the added bonus of the bride being a Weasley. Everyone (well, most anyway) had been hoping to witness some drama.

She scanned the crowd before her as she walked with Scorpius to the center of the floor, where they would dance the customary waltz and she would try not to break any of his bones in the process (she was a horrid dancer). He knew what, or who rather, she was looking for; he gave her a reassuring squeeze.

She spotted Andromeda towards the front of the gathering, but she had known that she was there. Andromeda had been the one to give her away, after all. She had always been close to her 'Aunt' Andromeda. She understood her. They shared many things –for example, they detested nicknames- and they got along like she never had with any of her actual aunts or uncles. Her situation wasn't unlike Andromeda's had been – she too had run away from her family for love – except for the fact that she was running to pureblood society instead of away. Andromeda still understood.

Teddy was close behind his grandmother and she was glad that he had decided to come after all – he had been torn between his grandmother and his godfather. And right next to Teddy was Victorie! It made sense as Victorie was married to Teddy, but Rose hadn't been at all sure if Victorie would go against the Weasleys and come to her wedding. It was weird to think of them that way – as the Weasleys - but she was a Malfoy now.

The music started, and Scorpius and she began the waltz. For a few priceless, wonderful, blissful moments, she lost herself in his embrace and forgot the outside world full of false friends and hating families. She snapped out of it as quickly as the moment came as she saw a flash of long red hair. Lily was here.

She smiled in elation – not just one, but two, of her cousins came! She hadn't even dared hope for that many. Lily was one of the few who had supported her relationship, but she had never honestly thought she'd be able to make it to the wedding, not with Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny acting as they were.

The song ended and so did the dance, and the newlywed couple slid off into a corner, away from all the fake niceness of the society guests.

"I love you." She murmured into his ear.

"I should hope so." He grinned. "I love you."

"Lily's here." She told him after a few kisses. "I didn't think she was coming."

"She wouldn't have missed it. Shall we find her?"

"As nice as this is, I probably won't have much chance to talk to her after this, so yes, we should."

"You underestimate your cousin's talent at getting what she wants. I'm surprised she's not Slytherin."

"The hat did seriously consider putting me there." Lily popped up behind them, slinging her arms around the pair. "But I think I was too bold for it."

"Thanks for coming, Lily." Rose said.

"No thanks necessary. It was my pleasure. And as for you not seeing me much after today, don't worry about it. I've only one year of school left and then no one can stop me." Lily glanced about the room. "Have you seen Al or Hugo yet?"

"They're here?" Rose nearly shrieked in delighted surprise. "Really?"

"They were at the wedding. In the back. I bet they're hiding, the idiots."

"Isn't that them, over there?" Scorpius pointed out the two (nearly) men who were indeed hiding (or at least trying to) behind the bar.

"Why don't we go say hello?" It wasn't a suggestion. Lily dragged the newlyweds towards the bar with such force, Rose was afraid her arm might be torn off.

When they reached the bar, Rose needed no prompting. "You came!" She squealed and launched her self at her cousin and brother, engulfing them in crushing hugs.

"Can't … breathe…" Hugo gasped.

"Sorry." Rose loosened her grip on them, but didn't let go.

"We're not going to bolt if you let go." Al told her.

She blushed and let go. "I haven't seen either of you in months." The last time she had seen them was, in fact, that horrible Christmas party when she had run away crying. Hugo and Al (the only exception to her nickname hate) had watched on with gaping mouths as her father had screamed, as she had screamed back, as her mother had joined in on her father's side. Hugo had actually gone to help her pack (throw her things into her suitcase) though he had spent most of the time trying to convince her not to go.

"I thought you both hated me."

Hugo looked shocked. "You're my sister! How could you think that?"

"You never liked Scorpius." Rose reminded him. "No offense, love." She said to Scorpius.

"None taken." Scorpius assured his wife, grinning as she reconciled with at least some of her family. He had been afraid that they were gone for good from her life.

"Lily knocked some sense into our heads a few weeks after you left. Told us that if you were happy with the bloke then we shouldn't interfere." Al admitted sheepishly.

"Bloody right I did." Lily piped up from behind. "I had to smuggle this one" She nudged Hugo, "out of the house. It was like bloody Azkaban in there. He didn't want Hugo or her to go to your wedding." There was no reason to say his name or her name. Everyone there knew who she was talking about.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get anyone else, Rose." Lily told her cousin sincerely. "I almost got James, but he had to play a game. Roxy and Fred are out of the country, Domi and Louis are in bloody France. I got Victorie to come but she only got out of France by begging alone time with Teddy."

"It's okay, Lily." Rose insisted but Lily didn't seem to hear.

"I tried with the adults too. I almost got Uncle Percy and Aunt Audrey but they wouldn't go with out Molly or Lucy any you know how they are." Molly and Lucy were practically sheep, they followed the majority of the Weasleys. "Aunt Mione cried when she got your wedding invite."

"Really?" Rose said in surprise. "Mum, cry?" She looked to her brother for confirmation.

"She did, and a lot. I think she wanted to come…but…you know."

"I took lots of pictures. They'll make her so guilty she'll definitely visit eventually." Lily added in.

"Why in the world were you not in Slytherin?" Scorpius asked as the other gaped at Lily.

"I blackmailed the hat into placing me in Gryffindor."

"With what? How do you blackmail a hat?"

Lily just smiled. "I wish I hadn't done that. Lorcan turned out to be Slytherin, and I only wanted Gryffindor to be with him." She shrugged. "It turned out alright in the end. Did I show you the ring yet?"

"What!?" Al shouted at his little sister. The others gaped.

"Oh, shush." Lily laughed at their reactions. "I'm not married or engaged yet. I'm just going into my seventh year. It's a promise ring." She lifted her hand for all to see. The ring was green with a lily carved out of some white stone on it.

"Oh, it's beautiful." Rose cried over her cousin's ring, while the men (boys) rolled their eyes.

"I tried to get Lorcan to come but he's in Australia now, with his family. I think they're hunting nargles or some such thing."

"I still think it's amazing that you got even this many of our family to come."

Right then, Lily's wand vibrated. "Drat." She muttered. "We have to go now. I told him we'd be back by now."

"Well, I guess you should go then." Rose blinked back tears.

"We're going to see you when you get back from the honeymoon. So stop crying."

"And we'll meet up for Christmas at Al's place." Hugo told her.

The wand vibrated faster this time. "Ooh, we really have to go." Lily turned and walked away with a, "Ta-ta for now!"

Rose smiled as she heard Al tell Hugo, "Who said we'd have a party at my place?" and at Hugo's retort of, "You're the one with the flat!"

Then they disappeared into the night. Rose leaned back into Scorpius's arms and smiled. Maybe this would work after all.