Author's Note: All of my wonderful reviewers, followers, favoriters and readers have inspired me to screw off and do the exact thing I'm NOT supposed to be doing during the academic year: write. Oh well, Calculus can wait. I suppose this is sort of a prequel to And The World Turned? Maybe? I don't know. I just really wanted to go deeper with Rose and Scorpius. And then you have my love of Potters… And Weasleys… And Longbottoms… And Scamanders… So I give you my newest multi-chapter creation.

Disclaimer: Bitch please. These things just get funnier and funnier.

Delumination

Breathe in. Breathe out.

That was the most vital variable in one Rose Nymphadora Weasley's equation to a successful life. Her mother had explained to her at a very young age the necessity for breath in her short time on earth. It was a particular philosophy that Rose had taken a real liking to at a very young age.

So as she sat across from Albus and Hugo, a place beside her vacant and cold in the September chill, Rose found herself drifting out into a world of exhalation and respiration, a pleasant place where Potions could be forgotten and the Cannon's incredibly miserable loss to Puddlemere United was no longer existent. Her eyes roamed up to the enchanted ceiling, where she found that the early morning breakfast had brought with it the beautiful pale pinks and oranges of an English sunrise. The owls that had stuck around to peck at their owner's plates or receive a pat or two cooed appreciatively and sleepy, prepared for a long nocturnal rest. The smell of pumpkin was everywhere, and cinnamon was high in the air.

Cinnamon. Of course.

"What are you doing Weasley?" There was a playful smile in his voice as he settled into his seat, his tie still hanging around his neck, his robes untidy on his shoulders. Rose's usual playful smirk slipped onto her face. What a wonderful way to start a morning.

"Clearly enjoying the space between you and I, Malfoy. It was heavenly." She lowered her gaze to meet his and the smirk grew into a warm and friendly smile. Who cared if she hated him half the time? He was Malfoy, and that was smile-worthy in her opinion.

Grabbing a fork and faking a stab at his chest, Scorpius groaned loudly and theatrically, his floppy honey hair falling over his forehead. "My heart shant go on, Weasley dearest."

"Merlin, can you both just shut up?" Albus rolled his eyes, hiding his face behind his copy of the Daily Prophet, his face contorted in the utmost concentration. "I'm trying to get Longbottom to look at me."

James plopped down beside Hugo, stealing the biscuit out of his hands and ruffling his curls, laughing to the sound of his displeased complaints. "Does anyone in this family call people by their first names? I mean, a pleasant, "Good morning, Ally," would do you a world of good mate."

Albus waved his elder brother off, switching to peering over Lily's head so that he could blindly swat at James from behind his back.

Rolling her eyes and standing, brushing nonexistent crumbs off her lap, Lily muttered, "Honestly Rose, I don't know how you spend so much time with them."

This of course earned her a cacophony of exclamations from her brothers. To appease them, she kissed both of their messy haired heads and giggled, floating off in the direction of a large gaggle of girls. Lysander, whom she had left in her wake beside Dominique, merely drooled.

Rose however had stopped her viewing of the Potter shenanigans that were usually so entertaining in exchange for a quick bout of banter before class. "Malfoy, do explain something; why must you keep yourself in such messy condition?"

Shaking his head with that clever, mysterious flash in his eye and a grin on his face, Scorpius replied, "I'll die before I tell anything so personal to a Weasley."

"Never stopped you before. Or should I delve into that Firewhiskey fueled confession of your undying love of Celestina Warbeck?"

Scorpius laughed heavily, his hand cupping his jaw as he leaned over the table, scooping a bite of Rose's eggs into his mouth. A blush warmed over his pale skin. This only made Rose's smile brighten. "You've got me there, I'm afraid. Can't hide anything from you weasels. Maybe it's a muggle thing…"

This of course earned him a hearty and cracking smack, which caused him once again to begin his melodramatic howling.

"No, Potter. I have no interest in you. Get over yourself." Alice brought her back to reality, her bright golden eyes rolling and her hand slapping Albus' head. "I don't understand this obsession."

Albus nearly giggled. "It was meant to be, Longbottom! I mean, Albus and Alice? It's poetic!"

"Poetically tragic. If my name were Albus, I'd want everyone to call me by my last name too." She smirked appreciatively at her own joke, the table bursting out in carefree laughter. Albus' shoulders stooped and he popped his lower lip out, whimpering like a wounded Niffler. Alice was unimpressed.

"Come on, Rosie. To Arithmancy, shall we?" Rose laughed at her best friend, flicking Scorpius ear and stealing another piece of Hugo's bread.

"Honestly, NO repsect!" At this, the whole table burst into joyful howls.

There was something about September that just brought a smile to Rose's face. Perhaps it was the smell of fresh parchment, perhaps it was the zooms of the first Quidditch practices of the season far above her. Perhaps it was the fact that she had yet to be forced to get Scorpius and Albus out of trouble from fatally dangerous secret of Hogwarts. Perhaps it was the simplicity of being autonomous.

As much as she loved her parents-and she DID love her parents far more than was acceptable to portray in adolescent society-there was something infinitely freeing about being on her own. Being able to make her own decisions was one of the best parts of being a teenager, in Rose's mind.

The sun was sinking deep into the forbidden forest from her position under her favorite tree. It had been one of the few trees remaining on the grounds after the Great War, an apple tree. It was strong and proud, protective. It's branches extended out over the a battleground so old and weathered that when the wind blew, you could hear whispered incantations hidden in it's deepest and earthen parts. From this ground, however, the tree stood. It had scars, of course, deep seated scars and bruises that would never really fade. But it was there. On the very highest branch was carved a rough emblem, a sign of one of the only permanent things in her life, as though the thing itself stood despite every desperate attempt to put it down.

Love will conquer all.

She knew who had cast the spell oh so long ago, forever marking this one tree as a testament to the entire war. It wasn't like the great stone memorial or even Albus Dumbledore's tomb. This was a thing for the warriors. This was a thing for their pasts, their presents, and their futures.

His breathing was warm on the crown of her head, and she bumped her elbow hard into his ribs. "Honestly, Malfoy. You're breathing on me."

She felt her best friend laugh, her back against his stomach. "I'm sorry, am I fussing your hair? Allow me." With that, he pressed a slender hand deep into her curls, eliciting his favorite side of Rose: angry.

Albus didn't dare bother the two. His father had given him a brilliant piece of advice when it came to best friends who were clearly made to be more: don't push anything. Albus rolled the snitch over his fingers and watched musingly.

Really, he was a much more thoughtful young lad than people gave him credit for. James was much more like their grandfather, it had been said, but Albus was his father's son. He liked to watch the smile on his best mate's face when his favorite cousin began to scream at him. He liked to watch Rose dissolve into giggles over the idiocy of their arguments and beg for forgiveness that never seemed to run out when it came to her. Their arguments were real and tangible, fiery. But then again, so was the love in Scorpius' eyes.

Albus had decided in third year when Scorpius admitted this blossoming obsession to keep it from Rose, allow it to fizzle or flame in whatever way the boy allowed. Rather than doing either, it had smoldered into something not quite uncomfortable. There's was a playful tension, a comfortable reminder that the other was always to be challenged, and Albus, rather than being a third-wheel, was the welcomed referee.

"Rosie, please stop hitting him. The more you move, the harder it is to get comfortable on your legs." Albus finally tossed his book back at them, folding his arms behind his messy black hair and allowing himself to drift into a pseudo-slumber.

Rose kicked her leg solidly, grinning with satisfaction at the thunk of Potter-flesh hitting the ground. She returned to comfortably leaning back on Scorpius as she felt his breath easing to a soft, steady rhythm. The three of them laid like that for what could have been days for all they knew, together as they had always been. They were so different from their parents, and yet, under this tree, there was something wonderfully familiar.

"Oi, Wealsey, is that your wand or are you just happy to see me?" Scorpius breathed the words quietly, his finger poking the bulge in her front pocket.

"I won't dignify that with a response." Rose rolled her eyes, but extended her palm into her pocket and pulled out a little metal trap, something similar to a device Scorpius had seen in one of his Muggle Studies books.

"Is that a Flamer?" Scorpius reached out to touch the cool metal, his finger brushing hers and heating instantly.

Rose giggled, "I think you mean a lighter. And no, it's a Deluminator. It used to be my dad's. Well, it used to be Dumbledore's, but he gave it to my dad. And Dad gave it to me. I always have it."

Scorpius' brow furrowed; there were three things he truly couldn't stand in this world: being corrected, not knowing something, and not being allowed to kiss Rose Weasley every moment of every day. At the moment, he was being tested with all three.

She didn't wait for him to ask. "It keeps light in here. Something about being a light in even the darkest of darks. I dunno. Watch."

With a simple flick of thumb, the lid popped up, releasing a tiny blue ball of light. It hovered before them for only a moment, then began an orbit around them. Scorpius laughed in wonder at the thing, watching it with his eyes. He felt Rose's weight and he rested his chin on her head. It was harmless, for he knew she could never understand or even see the feelings he hid for her, but sometimes it was too painful to stay away.

The ball finally stopped it's ellipse, and floated slowly up to the highest branch, evaporating against the inscription that Rose so loved.

Rose turned her head to grin at Scorpius, her eyes bright and warm. "See? Beautiful, isn't it?"

For a brief and cliche moment, Scorpius considered taking the bait that he had Albus or James take so many times. But Scorpius, smooth and silky as his masculine mystique was, had never been one for cliche. At least, not when it came to Rose.

Someone so good deserved so much more than his recycled lines and dirty laundry.

"Really, it's very impressive." His voice was soft, his hair whistling in the wind. Rose couldn't help but feel a little warmer in his presence. His smile felt as though it had absorbed the Deluminator's light, and she felt as though she could do no wrong.

Rose knew she was so lucky to have a best friend who could inspire her in such a way.

"Don't get sentimental on me now, Malfoy. I might have to lug you to the hospital wing again."

With his laughter floating with the breeze and the last of the sun's heat sinking down now, with Albus snoring and coughing on the stray blade of grass that swept up his nose, with her father's handiwork high above her head, Rose felt safe. She was happy, here in the presence of her two best friends. She was pleased to be their wing woman, the one who would save their skins any time they needed. Rose was quite satisfied with the simplicity of it all.

But the course of true love never did run smooth, and when nothing is permanent, and when everything is forever changing, and when all you can do is take a deep breath and dive in, Rose never knew what she was getting into. She simply did as she always had.

Breathe in. Breathe Out.

Author's Note: And so it begins. I love love love these characters. They're so tangible to me. Enjoy this pipe dream of mine. You all have my love.