Months flew by with Rose successfully able to bow out of each and every wedding event, blaming work or other responsibilities. She would always apologize, and make it up to her best friend and favorite cousin, assuring them she would make it to the next thing, but never following through.

After about a month or two, Albus and Kaydee begun to worry that their plan wouldn't work. Rose could tell their worry was weighing on them, but she wouldn't budge. She had valid reasons for not wanting to be forced into something with Scorpius, the most important being that he not only tore apart her heart, he made sure that no one else would be able to put it back together.

By the time their wedding neared, Rose had run out of excuses, and was debating whether it would be moral to outright lie to get herself out of the rehearsal dinner. She knew Scorpius would be there, and she wasn't ready to face him, though she would only have a few days more of peace if she didn't go. At the same time, her Aunt Ginny had pretty much threatened her life, and the lives of her future children, if she didn't show. She didn't know who she was more afraid of.

But none of that mattered to her at that moment. All that mattered was that she was late to meet her ex-boyfriend, Vincent Flint. Grabbing her purse, she checked her reflection, satisfied with what she saw in the mirror, and turned on the spot.

Rose arrived with a definite CRACK in the alley behind the tea shop she was supposed to meet Vince at. Rounding the corner, she saw that he was just arriving as well, and didn't feel so bad about being late.

"Hello Vince," she murmured when they reached each other. She took a second to give him a once-over, noticing all his flaws that had fixed themselves with time. She had to admit, age had been courteous to Vincent Flint. He looked better than when they were back at Hogwarts.

"Rose," he gruffed, his voice deeper as well. "You look well." He pulled her into a hug, allowing her to feel all the muscles in his chest that his Quidditch career kept toned.

"Thank you. You do also."

"Shall we?"

Nodding, Rose let herself be led into her favorite tea shop. The pair of them ordered, and then took their steaming mugs to a seat by the window.

"So what was so important that you felt the need to call me up after four years?" Vince sipped his coffee slowly.

Rose knew Vince wasn't the kind of person to keep waiting, so she decided to come right out and ask him. "I was wondering if you would be my date to Albus and Kaydee's wedding."

"Albus and Kaydee are getting married? I never thought they'd last."

Rose bit her tongue, holding in her snide remark. She was desperate to get Vince to go with her, because she felt he was the best to get a rise out of Scorpius. "They've had their fights, but they always manage to fix things."

"Why do you want me to go with you? Don't you have a man in your life?"

"Working at St. Mungo's doesn't really allot me enough time to date," she admitted. "I want you to go because I know I'd have fun. And because I'm comfortable with you."

"You were never comfortable with me," Vince muttered under his breath. Rose caught it, no less, and didn't dispute him. She knew how right he was, but he didn't know that the reason she had never been truly comfortable with a guy, truly into a relationship, was because of Scorpius.

"Would it help if I told you that Scorpius Malfoy will be there? And that if you go, you can flaunt me in front of him the entire night. I think I remember an ongoing feud between the two of you. Am I wrong?" Rose decided to leave out the part where she didn't think Scorpius would get very jealous at her being with him, just annoyed that he was there.

Vince, who had stiffened at the mention of Scorpius, took a moment to weigh his options. He could go to the stupid wedding, make Scorpius jealous, or he could spend the evening at home or even out with one of the bimbo Quidditch groupies that flocked to him nearly every place he went. "Fine," he murmured, a smirk crossing his lips. "I'll go to the wedding with you. But we need to talk about what you're going to do for me, since I'm doing this for you."

Frowning, Rose sipped her tea, suddenly wishing she had skipped this entire outing.

A few hours after her meeting with Vincent, Rose limped around her flat, wearing only one of her favorite silver strappy sandals. She couldn't seem to find its' mate, and her temper was fuming. It wasn't in the hallway closet, the designated area for company and everyday footwear. It wasn't in the closet in her own room, because that was where she found the one she had on. It wasn't even under the sofa, which was surprising since that seemed to be the only place where her cousin Victoire's, two children loved to hide things when she babysat them.

Climbing to her feet with an inward groan, she finally remembered what seven years at Hogwarts had taught her. She was a witch, and happened to know a handy dandy spell for summoning things. Grabbing her wand from the counter, she tried her best to picture her shoe. It was a task, considering she had to force her mind from her fretting over Albus and Kaydee's rehearsal dinner, and more importantly, who she would be required to be in the presence of. But she managed to form some semblance of what a shoe looked like, and practically screamed "Accio" inside her head.

Nothing happened for a second, and Rose frowned deeply. She was already running late and did not have time for the spell not to work. She concentrated harder on the shoe-shaped object in her mind, and repeated the incantation, again, nonverbally. It was the worst mistake she could have made in that moment.

From all around her, shoes began wiggling, lifting themselves off the floor, and, in most cases, thumping loudly against the doors between them and their Summoner. The one on her foot, too, began wiggling, but was strapped half way up her calf, so it had nowhere to go. The shoes that were not housed behind closed doors soared through the air, colliding right into a very, very irritated Rose. Once she wised up to their intent, she turned her wand on them, causing them to fall to the floor immediately.

"Maybe I should just call Kaydee and tell her I'm not coming." Rose sighed heavily, slumping down on the sofa.

"You're going, whether you like it or not."

Rose nearly jumped right out of her skin. She twisted to see that her favorite aunt, Ginny, had just stepped out of their fireplace. "Aunt Ginny! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I came to see what was taking you. The rehearsal dinner was supposed to start half an hour ago, but Kaydee and Albus insisted on waiting until you were there. Much to your father's disapproval, I might add."

Rose frowned, biting her lip. With her aunt's words, she realized how horrible a friend she had been for the past few months. It was not a pleasant feeling, but it did manage to open her eyes. The dinner, and the wedding in general, was not about her, and the fact that she definitely did not want to see Scorpius. It was about her two best friends in the entire world coming together, promising to spend their lives with each other. She felt selfish, and desperately wanted to rewind the past and be a better friend.

"I'm sorry, Aunt Ginny," Rose murmured, nearing tears. "I am a horrible person. And-and I can't seem to find my other shoe."

Ginny pulled her niece into a hug. "I know it will be hard on you to see him, Rosie," she cooed.

"Which one of them told you?"

"Kaydee. I was fussing with them over where you've been the entire wedding planning process. It sort of came out. Don't get mad at her, though. I'm glad she told me. I was kind of hoping that you knew you could come to me with things like that, but I guess you didn't."

"No," Rose answered quickly. "I knew I could. I just thought that somehow it would get back to Dad, and I just wanted to forget it. I didn't want to think about that time in my life, not even while I was living it."

"I see. And you're not a horrible person, Rose. You're just someone who got her heart broken. It happens to the best of us. But look at it this way: If you can get through tonight, and tomorrow night, you'll never have to see Scorpius again."

A small ghost of a smile crossed Rose's lips briefly before fading, leaving a grimace in its place. "I don't think I'm strong enough for this, Aunt Ginny." Her eyes shone with the truth behind her words. She honestly believed seeing Scorpius that much in such a short amount of time would break her into pieces once more.

"You, Rose Weasley, are the strongest woman I know. You've made it through way worse than this. I guarantee you this will feel like a piece of cake, once you introduce yourself into the atmosphere at the Burrow. Trust me, it's chaos there, it always has been when all of the children were over. And your Grandmum has been looking forward to seeing you for so long. You should visit them more."

"I know, Aunt Ginny. I should visit everyone more often. But it's so easy to hide behind my job, much easier than facing them, and letting them know that I'm just barely getting through even the best of days. I just can't put my problems on anyone else. It's not fair to them."

"No, Rosie. It's not fair to you. Your family loves you. We all would do anything in the world for you, and all you'd have to do is ask. I think you know that. I think you're just embarrassed that you're have a tough time in your life right now. But it's nothing to be embarrassed by, dear. It happens to the best of us. Don't shut your family out of your life, Rose. We only want what's best for you. Now, would you like me to help you find your shoe?"

Rose nodded, wiping at the tears that had begun to stream down her cheeks.

Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out her wand. She took one look at the sandal her niece was wearing, and then called, "Accio sandal!"

The footwear at Rose's feet began to wiggle once more, causing her to mutter, "Oh Merlin, not again," before the mate to her sandal shot straight up out of the pile. Ginny caught it, and handed it over.

"Thank you, Aunt Ginny," Rose murmured as she tied the strap up her slender leg. "For everything."

"No need to thank me, dear. All ready to go?"

Rose nodded, though she was the furthest thing from ready to see the boy who had ripped her heart to shreds. Hand in hand, the pair of them turned on the spot, their destination: the Burrow.

Scorpius sensed Rose's presence the moment she arrived at the Burrow. He had been mid conversation with James about a new Quidditch play he thought they should try for next season, when he heard the unmistakable CRACK! Forgetting about his teammate, his eyes sought out the girl he let get away. She looked absolutely stunning, more gorgeous than the last time he had seen her months before.

"Ah," Ron Weasley called. "There's that daughter of mine. Now can we PLEASE get started with this dinner?" Laughter bubbled up throughout the crowd, while Hermione tried to hush him.

Chuckling, Albus answered, "Yes, Uncle Ron. Now that my lovely cousin decided to grace us with her presence, we are free to begin tonight's festivities."

Scorpius couldn't help but detect a bit of acidity in his best friend's tone, and he was sure Rose could as well. He felt sorry for her, sorry that his own presence was most likely what had kept her from all of the wedding planning in the first place. He cursed his Sixth Year self for not realizing what he was letting go when he turned her down. But he made it his mission to, at the very least, begin the apologizing process. And while he didn't see any sort of romantic relationship with Rose in his future, though he wished he was wrong on that one, he would have liked to become civil with her at best. He hated himself for causing her so much pain, and was sure that she felt the same. He only hoped she would forgive him, even if it took all the time in the world.

While Scorpius was lost inside his head, Albus had been calling his name. "Scorpius, are you in there?"

Once the fog in his mind cleared, Scorpius tore his attention from Rose only to realize that every single pair of eyes were on him. He felt hot all over, and wished everyone would go back to their own business.

"Er, yes?" he half-whispered.

"Now would be the point in the evening where the best man would generally give his toast," Albus prompted, causing laughter to bubble up once more. "Do I need to ask my brother to step in for you?"

"N-no!" Scorpius replied quickly. He stood, raising his glass. The crowd that was the Weasley-Potter clan, along with Kaydee's parents, Neville and Hannah Longbottom, and her brothers, Xander and Benjamin, quieted.

"Good evening," he began. "Let me start off by thanking each and every one of you for everything you are doing to help Kaydee and my best mate have a night they won't ever forget. I met Albus and Rose on our very first train ride to Hogwarts, and we became fast friends, much to our parents' dismay." Scorpius paused while a few chuckles rang out. "And while our parents disapproved of our friendship in the beginning, Albus and I still grew closer as they years progressed.

"We also met Kaydee our first year at Hogwarts. She was Rose's best friend, and Albus was Rose's favorite cousin, so we were acquaintances by default, at least in the beginning. It didn't take long to begin a friendship with her as well.

"School started off great, the four of us learning new things about each other, and forming lifelong bonds. We did nearly everything together back then, despite the fact that we were in different Houses. Rose and Kaydee tutored us throughout our Hogwarts days, and I'm sure we wouldn't have gotten by without them.

"As Albus and I got older, we started noticing girls as something more than walking, talking cooties, and I could tell something was brewing between him and Kaydee. They both denied their attraction to each other, but Rose and I could see it there, bubbling under the surface. We were happy for them, but at the same time, we were frustrated. We spent our entire Fifth Year trying to force them into situations where they would have to confess their feelings. Almost all of our plans never made it past the beginning stages, though it was fun spending so much time with her." His lips turned up at the memories that were playing in his mind.

"Nevertheless, we eventually got what we wanted in our Sixth year, when Albus finally plucked up the courage and asked Kaydee out. By then my friendship with Rose was nonexistent, so we didn't get to share in our friends' good fortune, but that is a story for another time."

Scorpius fell silent for many moments. He looked somber, and his slate eyes stung with his hatred for his younger self. When he began again, his voice had a harsh edge. "I'll never forgive myself for what I did."

Rose blanched. She had been trying her best to keep the memories of younger days at bay, and was succeeding, until she caught his words. She didn't want her family to know how he had rejected her, tossed her to the curb without a moment's thought. She was so focused on her worrying that she missed the meaning behind his words.

"Er," Albus called quickly, "Scorpius? This is not the time, nor the place."

Kaydee could tell her best friend was close to a breakdown. She reached over and took Rose's hand in hers, squeezing it to show her support. Despite all the things Rose had missed out on during the whole wedding planning process, Kaydee didn't think any less of her. They had been best friends for more than twelve years, and a few occurrences of bad friend-itis wasn't enough to damage their friendship.

Nodding, Scorpius agreed. "You're right, mate. Sorry about that everyone. In the past seven and a half years, I have watched Albus and Kaydee together. What I saw was a love that should only exist in fairytales. She's been there for him when he needed her the most, and pulled him through a few pretty dark places. And he's done the same for her. I couldn't imagine them spending the rest of their lives with anyone else. So let's toast to Kaydee and Albus. They truly are soul mates. My only hope is that, one day, I can be as lucky as they are."

Scorpius raised his goblet to a cacophony of tinkling glass.

Albus stood, forcing a smile. "Thanks mate." He turned to face his cousin. He was worried about her, but he knew she didn't want their family to know what happened. "Would you like to say anything, Rosie?"

Rose tried her hardest to forget Scorpius's Best Man speech in its entirety. It, coupled with the sight of him, stirred up feelings that never truly went away, both pleasant and unpleasant. When she arrived at the Burrow, she was not prepared to be transported, emotion-wise, back to a time where she thought she had fallen in love with him. Nor had she expected that same pain she felt rippling through every vein in her body to sear her once more.

In the span of less than a minute, she was overloaded with a lifetime's worth of emotions. It was too much for her to bear. Before Albus had a chance to call her name once more, she jolted from her seat and ran as far as her legs would take her.

Kaydee stood to follow her best friend; along with both of Rose's parents, but it was Albus who calmed them. "I've got it," he murmured calmly, and took off to follow her.