A/N: This is Chapter Two to Second Chances. Let me clear up a few questions from chapter one. The person who dies is Ron. I might have gotten a little too cute not mentioning the person's name. Scorpius is not on great terms with his father and I will go into this more in subsequent chapters.
Purging
Scorpius rolled out of bed and looked at his alarm clock. It was Five AM. Scorpius groaned and walked into the bathroom, of the small flat he had rented since coming back. He splashed water on his face and looked in the mirror. He hated working out, but if he was going to play competitively, he needed to stay in shape. He donned an old pair of Muggle sweatpants and t-shirt. He knew where he wanted to go running so he Apparated there.
With a crack he appeared on the banks of a small pond and started to stretch. He could see the top of the lopsided house over the hill. For some reason ever since Rose and Albus first brought him here, the grounds of The Burrow had been one of his favorite places to go.
He started out jogging slowly along the banks of the pond and the small stream that fed it. He quickened his pace as his muscles warmed up. He was sweating now and his t-shirt was sticking to his chest. He tried to clear his head and concentrate on the work out. It wasn't working. It had been six weeks since the funeral of Rose's father. Rose and Scorpius had reformed, at best, a tentative friendship. They were civil when they met even meeting occasionally for lunch. Scorpius still loved her but wanted to give her space. He knew she was vulnerable and hurting. He would never take advantage of that situation, no matter how much the Slytherin in him was protesting.
Scorpius' running became more fluid as he poured his anger, frustrations, and longing into his run. He felt his legs start to protest but pushed past the pain into that runner's high. He had circled the pond and the house several times until finally his lungs screamed for relief.
He found himself panting and doubled over, next to a large elm tree, on top of a hill that over looked The Burrow. The tree was flanked buy a gravestone on both sides. Scorpius had not intended to run here but while lost in his thoughts he had climbed the hill. Scorpius read the marker to the left of the tree. 'Devoted Husband, Loving Father and Suffering Canons Fan.' Scorpius smiled despite the sadness the sight brought him.
After catching his breath, Scorpius began his cool down by jogging down the hill to the small house. Arthur greeted him as he came jogging around the side of the house.
"Sorry, Arthur," Scorpius said stopping. "I didn't think anyone would be awake."
"Nonsense my boy. No need to apologize you're always welcome here," Arthur said, waiving off the apology. "Besides you didn't wake us. Molly and I are going to Hermione's and," Arthur swallowed hard, "…. Hermione's to help her sort some things out. Hugo and Albus will be there as well. We're going to tackle that garage of his."
Scorpius chuckled, "Well good luck with that." Ron's garage was a legend in the family. It was more cluttered and much larger than Arthur's shed had ever been. A couple of years after Hogwarts he had gotten interested in Muggle cars. Not in the same way as his father though. Ron had bought a 1976 Lotus Esprit S1 and had been restoring it ever since. Hermione and Harry called it Ron's 'James Bond' car as an inside joke between them.
"Why don't you come over. We could always use another wand," Arthur said.
"I don't know," Scorpius said. "I don't want to intrude and..."
"You might see Rose?" Arthur finished his thoughts for him.
Scorpius looked shocked. "Well, yeah I guess that's a big part," he said.
"Scorpius," Arthur said, shaking his head, "I think that's what she needs. Sometimes she can't see what's right in front of her. She's like her father in that way."
"I just don't know where we stand," Scorpius said taking a seat on one of the garden benches. "One minute we're clicking like before and the next she's cold and distant. I just don't know."
"You won't be able to find out if you don't try," Arthur said.
"I just don't wanna push her. I want it to be her choice."
"I know you do, I know you do," Arthur said, patting Scorpius' shoulder.
Arthur walked back into the house leaving the young man to consider his words.
'Maybe I should go help, maybe it would be for the best,' Scopius thought to himself as he walked beyond The Burrows wards.
-ooo-
Scorpius was wearing an old worn pair of Muggle Jeans and a Chudley Cannons sweatshirt with the sleeves cut out. He stood on the porch of Rose's family home preparing himself for what was to come.
He knocked on the door and waited.
Hermione answered the door wearing sweats and a t-shirt.
"Scorpius!" she said, hugging him. "Arthur said you might show up," her voice was strained and tired.
"Albus, Hugo and Arthur are working in the garage if you want to help them," she said. Scorpius saw Rose walk down the hallway into the kitchen behind Hermione. He followed her with his eyes. Hermione touched his shoulder. "She'll come around. She just so stubborn sometimes. At least she comes by it honestly," she commented her eyes starting to tear up.
"I'll just head over," Scorpius said not wanting to intrude on her memories.
The garage was a large detached gray corrugated metal building.
The three wizards were levitating boxes out of the garage, separating them into piles. The twins were "helping" by going through the boxes and playing with some of the contents.
"Scorpius," Albus said moving a box, "break out your wand and get started."
Scorpius shook his head. "I'm gonna do it the Muggle way for a bit," he said. "I need to get back in playing shape." Albus shrugged and walked away.
It didn't take Scorpius very long to break a sweat moving and lifting the boxes of car parts and spare inventory from the shops. It felt good to use the muscles in his upper body.
Arthur had taken to sitting with the twins helping them "sort" the joke items. The pair of seven-year olds squealed with delight as Arthur shot sparks from a fake wand.
Hugo walked out of the garage, levitating a box. "Wish I could heal and as fast as them," he said to Scorpius, who was taking a break.
"Yeah children always seem more resilient than we know," Scorpius commented before walking back into the garage.
The cooling charms must have been turned off as the heat and humidity in the garage was stifling. It felt good to be working and sweating. He worked up a rhythm moving boxes out of a corner and stacking them to where the people levitating them could reach.
"Hey, do you want a drink," Rose interrupted his rhythm.
He almost dropped the box he was holding. Rose was standing in the doorway with a pitcher of ice water. She was wearing a pair for cutoff sweats and a black half shirt. Her hair tied up in an orange bandana.
"You read my mind," Scorpius said tossing the box onto the pile his biceps and pectoral muscles straining against his sweat shirt as he did.
Rose turned her back to him, walking to the workbench, so he could not see her flushed face.
Scorpius walked over to the bench and leaned across her to pour himself a glass of water.
Rose walked to the end of the bench and picked up a worn leather pouch. She opened the bag and poured several different colored galleons into her hand.
"Remember these?" she asked holding the coins up to show Scorpius.
"Shit, I didn't know he still had those."
Rose took a green coin paced off ten steps from a wall, she turned and flipped a coin with her thumb towards the wall. The coin bounced off the wall and came to rest about six inches from it.
Rose looked at Scorpius, raised her eyebrow and held out the red coins to him.
He took the coins and flipped one towards the wall it landed a little beyond Rose's.
"Arrrgh," he said throwing his head back.
Rose laughed and picked up the two coins.
Neither saw Albus enter the garage and watch the couple for a few moments smirk then leave.
The couple continued their game playfully trash talking and berating each other.
Rose tossed her last coin just narrowly beating his last throw.
"Ah, man you got so lucky," he pouted.
"Luck is when skill meets opportunity ya know," she quipped walking over to pick up the last coins.
Scorpius moved to the bench turned and leaned back on his elbows.
Rose watched him out of the corner of her eye. Her face grew serious and she started to speak.
"How did we get here?" she asked.
"What you beat my last throw and..." he started to explain.
"No," Rose interrupted, "how did WE get here?" She said moving painfully close to him.
"Do you ever replay that conversation in your mind," she asked him.
"Only every single day," he answered. "I try to slow that down in my head hoping I can change it."
"You said, 'You're the one walking away,' She said looking down.
"And you said 'You're the one not stopping me,' he said moving even closer.
"Biggest mistake of my life," Scorpius said, reaching forward and tucking a strand of hair back under her bandana.
"We were like two comets hurdling towards each other and we both swerved," she said sighing into his touch.
"And we should have just crashed into each other and let it happen," he said leaning forward pressing his lips to hers.
After a few breathless moments Scorpius held her and placed his chin on her head while she put her head on his shoulder and breathed in his scent,
"So what now," she asked not looking up. "Do you still love me?" she asked worried.
Scorpius pulled her out the hug and stared into her eyes. "Never stopped."
"I screwed up so much," she protested.
"Shhh," Scorpius said kissing her, "we both did, and none of that matters."
Scorpius took off a chain he was wearing around his neck. At the end of the chain was a gold band with a solitaire diamond.
"Let's fix our biggest mistake," he said removing the band from the chain.
Rose bit her lip and nodded.
Scorpius slid the ring on her finger and smiled. "Right now."
She looked shocked. "What do you mean?"
"I mean we've both waited too long and I don't want to wait another minute," he said.
Rose smiled. "We're really doing this?" she giggled.
"Absolutely," Scorpius said.
Rose kissed Scorpius and sprinted to the house.
"Mum, Mum!" she called out running to the house.
Scorpius stopped outside the garage watching her run into the house.
The men were standing around outside the garage resting.
Scorpius looked shaken. "Merlin what am I doing?" he asked himself as he approached the group of men.