-Rose-

"Arggg!"

Thinking she was being attacked, Rose thrashed under her blankets and reached blindly for the side table where she had set her wand.

"That's your punishment," someone said, and Rose felt the pillow with which she had previously been attacked being tossed into her lap. "For scaring me."

Rose, eyes squinting with sleep, sat up and looked over the back of the couch to see Scorpius Malfoy standing in the dark living room, a pair of green Healer's robes folded under his arm.

"Erghh! I scared you?" Rose groaned before throwing the pillow back at Scorpius angrily. "You basically smothered me!"

"You made me think you were a bum who snuck into my flat. As a healer, I know for a fact that trauma like that can take years off a person's life."

Rose let out a loud sigh of exasperation. "It's hardly my fault Al is rubbish at relaying information," she said wearily as she lay back down and snuggled back into her make-shift bed. "I forgot you lived here."

"You flatter me."

Scorpius straightened his robes over his arm. Rose took in his rumpled appearance and the fresh robes he now held before him. It seemed Scorpius had probably just woken up and was getting ready for work. A look outside showed it was still dark, but here Scorpius was standing before here getting ready to start his day. She shouldn't have been surprised; Lily was always talking about the strange hours they were required to work at Mungo's. Roses barely thought about the fact that her cousin and Scorpius had simillar jobs in the past, but now as he stood before her clutching the Healer's robes that Lily had spoken of so many times in the past, Rose couldn't help but wonder how this man before her and Lily Potter got along at work. Were they friends? Good friends? Rose felt a quick sense of embarassment at the fact that she didn't even know. How long had it been since she had last chatted with her cousin?

"So why are you camped out on my sofa, Rose?"

"I figured you wouldn't appreciate me climbing into your bed."

"I'll always appreciate you in my bed, Weasley."

Rose smile sleepily at Scorpius. Truthfully, she and Scorpius had never been committed to each other. In Hogwarts they had shared kisses between moments of high tension, but nothing serious had ever panned out. And then after Hogwarts, the pair never seemed to cross paths, even though they had several friends in common. However, Rose would be lying to herself if she said she didn't enjoy Scorpius's flirting. After everything that had recently happened, it certainly didn't hurt to have a bloke smile at her like that.

In fact, she would go as far to say she felt oddly comforted by Scorpius's playful flirting. Her relationship with Daffin had been nothing short of disastrous, so exchanging flirty comments with Scorpius was like taking a deep breath of air after surfacing from months underwater.

Rose watched as Scorpius shifted his gaze towards the couch. Her neck flushed with heat as she spotted exactly what had captured his attention. Because she had left Daffin's in such a hurry last night, she hadn't brought any night wear with her, so she just slept in her shirt and knickers. She had actually forgotten, until that moment anyway, that she had carelessly tossed her bra over the back of the couch with her jeans before falling asleep last night.

Scorpius picked up Rose's bra and tossed it at her. "You can't leave these things around if you're going to sleep here. It distracts us men."

Rose scoffed. "I doubt my cousin would mind."

"Fine. It distracts me."

Rose smiled. She winked dramatically at him. "There's more where that came from, Scorpius."

Scorpius laughed loudly.

"You Weasley women are such trouble."

"Oh dear. Exactly how many Weasleys have been through here? I'm not going to find Roxy's bra in your room, am I?"

"Not Roxy's. Dominique though…."

Rose threw a cushion at him.

"I'm kidding. Dominique deserves a nice hotel room at the very least."

"Don't you have someplace to be?" she asked pointedly as she settled back into her warm blankets.

"So you're not going to tell me why you slept here last night?" Scorpius asked as he walked towards the hallway.

Rose sighed, "It's nothing bad."

"Suit yourself," he said, "Until next time, Rose."

Rose watched Scoprius walk back towards his bedroom to get ready for work.

As she lay by herself, she couldn't help but grin thinking of how charming Scorpius was. She had always considered the Slytherin Al and Lily's friend first. Lily had been friends with Scorpius because they both worked at St. Mungo's, and then Albus and Scorpius had been joined at the hip since 1st year. Those two had always been difficult to separate.

Rose had only become friendlier with Scorpius when he began attending family functions as a guest of Al's in their later days of Hogwarts. Their few kisses had been perfect for 2 people looking to relieve tension and also rebel against their parents. But once real life took over, Rose put her career first before anything or anyone. Which may have been the reason her relationships had been so riddled with problems.

Rose knew Scorpius worked at St. Mungos with Lily. They were on similar Healer schedules. Also, Scorpius was two years more experienced in Healing than Lily, so she probably considered him a mentor of some kind.

Rose's mind drifted back once more to their flirty exchange. She thought she probably should feel embarrassed for her forward comments, but she instead felt relieved, as if a bubble of pent up sexual frustration (courtesy of her ex, Daffin) had finally been punctured.

Shr gathered her legs to her chest as Scorpius's face flew to the front of her mind. One thing was clear, Scorpius Malfoy was bloody fit.

Rose let out a breathy laugh as she waved the thought away.

"Get yourself together, Rose."

-Lily-

Lily blew at the red fringe that fell over her forehead. Everyone in St. Mungos already knew who she was because she was Harry Potter's daughter, and she certainly made it easier for others to spot her with her fire engine head. Even the bloody patients stopped her in the corridors to tell her how much they admired her father. How much they respected her aunt. How much they thought she looked like her mum.

She didn't actually look like her mum. Strangers said that to be nice. But Ginny Potter was an idolized beautfy. She was a athlete with a tiny frame perfect for catching speed on a broom. And Lily had seen enough pictures of Ginny when she was younger to know that her mum had kept a much longer, free flowing hair style. With Lily's work life at the hospital, it was much harder to maintain such a glamorous life as a professional Quidditch Player. But she knew her parents didn't care. They had always favored Lily- that

She turned as the toilet flushed and the door of the loo opened to reveal her patient.

"Ah, Mrs. Clark, I just arrived. Can I help you back in to bed?" Lily approached her patient with an extended arm.

Mrs. Clark scoffed. "In my day the Healer would knock before entering a patient's room." She ignored Lily's hand and sat down on the hospital bed by herself.

Lily smiled. Mrs. Clark was one of the more lively patients at Mungo's, and while others steered clear of her dominant personality, Lily rather like Mrs. Clark's spark.

"I've retrieved your test results," Lily continued. She flipped the pages on her clipboard. "And we've analyzed that your jinx is comprised of the same properties as a common mouth itching jinx, so I've consulted Healer McGreggor, and he agrees that a simple Mouth Itching Antidote should relieve any further itching symptoms."

"You should be making these decisions without McGreggor, that old trodger," Mrs. Clark said grumpily. She shook her finger at Lily. "You work much harder than him. Young Healers are what this establishment needs to survive, I should think. "

"Mrs. Clark, you know I'm still technically a trainee," she said in defense of her boss, though she couldn't help the smile that tugged at her mouth as Mrs. Clark mocked Healer McGreggor's age.

"I'm sick, not blind, Potter," Mrs. Clark said with an irritated scoff. "I know hard work when I see it, and you work much too hard to give your credit to those less deserving." She folded her hands with purpose. "I'll hear no more about it."

Lily nodded. After dealing with Mrs. Clark for this extended time, she knew that when the woman wanted to move on from a point, she did.

Lily consulted her chart before speaking again. "We've also—"

"I've."

"—Pardon?"

"Potter, do you want to become a Healer one day?"

Lily nodded. Then spoke up, "Yes, ma'am."

"Then you've have got to stop with this 'we' business. If you do not start representing yourself, no one else will." She raised her thin eyebrows in a scrutinizing manner. Lily nodded silently. "Now," Mrs. Clark gestured at Lily's chart. "Please continue."

"I've prescribed you Magi-Me-More."

Mrs. Clark groaned. "Those pills are for old people."

Lily smiled.

"We prescribe them to enhance magic because studies show that magical strength can lessen once a witch or wizard exceeds 100, and we want to make sure you are strong enough to keep the side effects from your jinx from returning." Lily raised her eyebrows at Mrs. Clark, as if daring her to contradict her advice.

"Fine. Now," she said as she laid back in her hospital bed. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you about your hair?"

Lily surveyed Mrs. Clark over her clipboard.

"You were frowning in my mirror AND you've been stroking it the whole time you were giving my diagnosis. I would advise against that in the future, by the way. Unhygienic."

Lily put her hands on her hips, trying to gain back her authority in this situation. "Fine," she sighed, deciding to tell the truth. "I'm thinking of…charming it a different color." Saying it out loud was much more difficult than thinking about it secretly.

Mrs. Clark scoffed and waved her hand as if to say, "How foolish."

Lily, offended by Mrs. Clark's reaction, found herself wanting to defend her choice, even though she had thought relatively little about it before that morning. "Oh let me guess! In my day, ladies would not even consider such a thing," she said, mimicking Mrs. Clark's posh accent. "Well, my hair color doesn't define me and if I want to change it, I will!"

Mrs. Clark was silent.

Lily rewound her words in her mind, and immediately felt herself flush realizing she had just yelled at a patient. Shite.

Mrs. Clark smiled as she took in Lily's horrified expression. "Potter," she said softly. "I don't think it's silly of you to dye your hair, I think it's silly to waste your time weighing the pros and cons. You're not a muggle. If you don't like your hair color, wave your wand and do something about it." Mrs. Clark spoke so bluntly that Lily was sure her face resembled that of a tomato. "What insignificant problems you have."

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," Lily muttered.

"You're forgiven. Now get out."

-Scorpius-

"I yelled at a patient today," Lily said as she and Scorpius walked together towards their boss's office. Healer McGreggor had called a meeting, and Lily and Scorpius's names were on the summons.

"That sounds about right."

"I hate you."

"Rose slept on our sofa last night."

"Daffin kicked her out?" Lily asked sympathetically. "I wish she would've come to ours."

"Hmm?" Scorpius asked as he caught a charmed clipboard heading toward him. He let Lily's words sink in as he glanced at the words on the clipboard, which suddenly seemed fuzzy and not at all legible. "Who's that?"

"Who's what? Oh, you've never met her boyfriend? How have you managed that? Lucky sod…" she muttered.

"You're not a fan?" Scorpius asked, wondering himself how he could've not known Rose had a live-in boyfriend. Had he really been working that many hours at the hospital?

"He's just so arrogant." Scorpius could tell from Lily's tone that she was serious about this disapproval. "I barely ever saw Rose when they were together. I didn't understand the match, honestly. He's dreadful and Rose is so…so…"

"Not. Yeah," Scorpius said, remembering their flirty conversation from that morning.

There's more where that came from, Scorpius.

"She didn't mention him at all?" Lily asked.

"Who?" Scorpius tried to remember what Lily had asked him as he pulled his thoughts away from the way Rose's lips tugged upwards when they had spoken that morning.

Lily laughed. "Daffin! The boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend, right. So they didn't break up?" Scorpius asked.

Lily looked away, suddenly evasive. "I can't speak for Rose. But you saw her this morning, not me. What did you think?"

"She seemed…single."

Lily tisked skeptically. "Says the bloke who didn't even know she was in a relationship."

Scorpius laughed. "Fair enough."

"Still, I wonder if she'll reconsider and stay with me and Roxy." Lily turned to Scorpius and pushed him in excitement. "It'd be almost like Hogwarts again. Oh, I should owl her!"

Scorpius rubbed his arm. "Owl her and say what?" Scorpius impersonated Lily with a high squeaky voice. "Dear Rosie, you get chucked out of your flat? Poor luck, darling, but I have an available room and I'd just love the extra rent money. Cheers!"

Lily scoffed. "Shows what you know. I'd obviously add an extra fluffer paragraph before immediately asking for money."

Scorpius couldn't say anything more about the subject, for they arrived at Healer McGreggor's office, where the other Healers were all gathered, and beginning to pass around sparkling juice.

-Lily-

"Who?"

Lily laughed at her friend's inability to stay focused. But then again, she supposed she shouldn't be surprised- Scorpius had always been bored by her family's petty gossip and drama. It was probably the reason Al enjoyed his company even after all these years post Hogwarts. "Daffin! The boyfriend?"

"Boyfriend, right. So they didn't break up?"

Lily didn't want to confirm Rose's breakup. Just because Roxy's had to gossip about Rose's personal life to everyone, didn't mean Lily felt comfortable doing the same. But there was more than not wanting to talk behind her cousin's back. When Roxy and Lily were laughing about Dopey Daffin, it felt like silly banter. But something about how Scoprius was asking questions made Lily keep quiet. "I can't speak for Rose. But you saw her this morning, not me. What did you think?"

"She seemed…single."

"Says the bloke who didn't even know she was in a relationship."

"Fair enough."

"Still, I wonder if she'll reconsider and stay with me and Roxy. It'd be almost like Hogwarts again. Oh, I should owl her!"

Lily rolled her eyes when Scorpius raised the pitch of his voice to impersonate her. As she listened to him. She opened a door for Scorpius as they walked to Healer McGreggor's office.

Lily took in the others who were gathered, and began to think she had read the summoning memo incorrectly. Everyone gathered was a full time Healer, and she herself was still a trainee. Granted, she was a third year, and did most of the same jobs of the full time Healers, but she still wore different colored robes and had to introduce herself to patients as Trainee Healer Potter. As she stood in a sea of lime green robes, she suddenly regretted not checking the memo twice to see if any of her trainee coworkers had been summoned.

She felt her face flush, knowing others were probably beginning to stare. She mumbled to Scorpius, "I think I made a mistake."

Not wanting to take extra time to explain her mix memo mix up, Lily tried to quickly move backwards out of the crowd, but Scorpius caught her wrist. Before Lily could argue with him, Healer McGregor quieted the crowd.

Too late, Lily thought. She shiftily looked around at the others who were gathered. Was she really the only trainee healer here? Why hadn't Scorpius bothered to mention the memo hadn't been for her when they were walking toward Healer McGreggor's office. Lily was caught between wanting to curse Scorpius and wanting to go die in the corner, embarrassed by her memo mix up.

Then, Healer McGreggor began to speak. He caught sight of Lily (damn obvious hair), and raised his glass of bubbling juice.

"Our guest of honor has arrived!"

Lily looked behind her to see her colleagues smiling. "What?" she asked quietly, not wanting to talk too loud, for fear that they were not actually looking at her.

"To Lily Potter, St. Mungo's newest Healer!" Healer McGreggor said loudly. "Congratulations, Potter."

-Rose-

Rose applied yet another cushioned charm to her pointy black heels. She was currently sitting in her office with her leg held in front of her as she examined her foot. Why did pretty shoes have to be so bloody painful?

She sighed as she put her foot back down and turned back to her desk. She dipped her quill and started revising a letter to her mum. It should've been easy, except that she was supposed to be writing to the Minister for Magic as the Head of Magical Rights and Welfare, but it was much easier to write to her Mum. If it's formal business, would it be completely unprecedented to send a letter addressed 'Dear Mum'?

"Hey," Albus said, sticking his head into her office.

"Hey!" Rose yelled, happy for the distraction. "Come in!"

Albus smirked at his cousin's strange enthusiasm; these days when he showed up unannounced she always seemed to be in the middle of some important project.

"I brought you a treat," Al said as he dropped a Sugarplum's Sweet's bag onto her desk.

"No!" Rose exclaimed happily. She rifled through the bag before pulling out the pumpkin pasties she knew were waiting at the bottom.

"I still don't understand your obsession with those. Maybe in first year it made sense, but there are so many other better sweets—"

"They smell like fall," Rose said with a content smile as she unwrapped the treat. "Is this your way of saying sorry for not telling Scorpius about me staying the night?"

Albus scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. He owled me earlier wanting to know how long you were staying. He said Lily was wondering why you didn't stay with her."

"Ofcourse she was. Bloody nosey. So," Rose said, happy to change the subject. "You went all the way to Diagon Alley for me, huh?"

Albus seemed taken aback by the question. "Oh. Well…it's a nice day for a stroll."

Rose looked up at the change in Albus's tone. "Stroll?"

Albus shrugged. "Can't a bloke stroll?"

Rose shifted her gaze back to her treats, pausing a beat to gather her words. "Did you happen to stroll through The Leaky?"

Rose didn't want to believe it, but as the question left Rose's lips, Albus shifted uncomfortable and looked away. Rose knew The Sugarplum Sweet Shop just around the corner from The Leaky Cauldron, which was had become something of a crutch to her cousin. He had become obsessive about visiting the bar after his Hogwart's graduation. While an oblivious outsider would think Al's behavior suggested alcoholic tendencies, Rose knew it was much deeper and more complicated than that. In fact, she almost wished his problem was alcohol related because at least then she would know how to go about finding a cure.

Al's obsession with The Leaky was less about the bar and more about the memories. Specifically, the times spent there with his ex-girlfriend, Hannah Longbottom II.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rose asked softly.

"Do you want to talk about Daffin?" he snapped.

"Fine," Rose said curtly, folding her arms.

"Fine."

The cousins were silent.

"She wasn't there anyway," Al said quietly. Rose bit her lip, contemplating her words.

"Well ofcourse not," she said, pushing out a chair to him with her foot. "She's not supposed to get back until Friday."

Albus took the seat silently. "Everything about that place reminds me of her."

Rose nodded. She had heard Al say these things before.

"She's so amazing."

"Hannah is a very likable person," Rose agreed, keeping her voice steady.

Rose wasn't just saying these things to appease her cousin. Hannah Longbottom II was truly a very sweet and genuine person. In Hogwarts, she was well liked by everyone and with good reason; she wasn't fond of gossip, and she seemed to have something in common with every person she met, so she was a natural conversationalist. Slughorn, Rose remembered, adored her, not because she was academically brilliant, but merely because she spoke with such enthusiasm and conviction.

Hannah was Lily's age, which meant she had been a fifth year when she and Al began dating. Their relationship had seemed perfect to those around them, Rose included. They seemed utterly compatible; Albus went out of his way to befriend students in other houses and Hannah could charm a portrait. When they broke up at Albus's graduation, the couple made it seem like it was a mutual decision and a separation of friendship.

It was an entire year later before Albus confessed his secret to Rose drunkenly one night.

"I still love her."

Lily stopped drinking her own firewhisky, thinking she had misheard. "Pardon?"

"I never wanted to break up."

Rose suddenly snapped her mouth closed. She hadn't even realized it was hanging open until that moment.

Albus continued, his voice dark, making Rose's stomach turn. Or maybe it was the firewhisky.

"She tore me apart. I don't understand it. How can something that happened so long ago still hurt this much? I can still feel it." Al clutched at his chest. "I can literally feel it every day. How can that be?" His voice dropped to such a ragged whisper that Rose could barely hear him. "How can that be?"

Rose hated recalling that night. It was painful seeing Albus torn apart in such a devastating way. Thinking about it just made her realize that his depressed was just an exposed version of what he went through every day, and that made Rose's heart heavy with despair for her cousin. No one deserved to carry around such weariness because of unrequited love.

"Have you thought anymore about what I said?" Rose asked.

Albus shook his head. "I don't think it's possible at this point, Rose."

"I don't think there's anything left to do at this point, Al."

"I can't tell her how I feel. Every time we talk she only treats me like a friend. Nothing more."

"Oh how would you know what more than a friend would act like?" Rose asked derisively, leaning back and folding her arms. "When was the last time you so much as uttered the word 'date'?"

Albus stood up angrily. "Thanks so much for your support!"

"Al, I didn't mean that like it sounded…"

"You think I'm blind, Rose?" Albus asked, his voice getting louder. "You don't think I noticed you were crying yesterday before you came to my flat? Fucking hell- I have never see you cry. But did I make a sodding joke about it?"

Rose stood up, wide eyes, and hurriedly raised her wand to ensure that there was a silencing charm placed around her office. Merlin- the Daily Prophet reporters were in and out of the ministry every day. She could easily end upon the front page of the newspaper with a headline dedicated to her love life if Albus didn't keep his mouth shut.

"NO!" Rose yelled back at her cousin after she was absolutely sure the walls were secure. "No, you didn't make a joke about it! And I'm really grateful for that, OKAY!"

"You can stop shouting now," Albus muttered.

"NO I can't! Because now I'm all worked up!" Rose threw her wand down on her desk and slumped back in her chair. "And you know what, Al. I really like Hannah, but if you're going to continue down this crazy path, then I hate her. Because this weird, obsessive, over involved bloke that you become isn't healthy. And I hate her for doing that to you."

"No you don't," Albus muttered.

"No," admitted Rose. "No, I don't. But I swear, if in 6 months you're still going to the Leaky Cauldron I will hate her." Rose leaned over to take her cousin's hand. "Please, Al. This isn't healthy."

"We were so good, Rose. Don't you remember? A love that good is worth fighting for." Albus squeezed his cousin's hand.

Rose heaved a heavy sigh before letting go of Al's hand.

"I should be getting back to work. Your sister wants to stop by later. Is it alright that I'm inviting a guest round your flat?" Rose asked.

Al scoffed. "Lily's hardly a guest. Thief would be more accurate. She steals my food and occasionally one of Scorpius's medical books…speaking of…"

Rose looked suspicious. "What?"

"Oh nothing. I heard you and my flat mate got a little cozy this morning,"

"Cozy," Rose repeated the word and its implications. "You say that like we shagged."

"Why did your mind immediately go there!"

"Oh get out of my office! Don't you have work to do?"

Albus dutifully retreated out of his cousin's office, and Rose charmed the door to slam behind him.