On the afternoon following her birthday, Rose wandered aimlessly around her spotless flat trying to find more things to clean so she could take her mind off what was going to happen that night. Every time she thought about it, Rose got a really panicked and nervous feeling, like butterflies but more aggressive. It was like waiting for her OWL results when she was sixteen and her priorities were simply to work really hard so she could go far far away and start again. She hadn't cared all that much about her NEWTs, though, that summer she'd been too busy ruining her friendship with Scorpius and falling into the self destructive patterns that were to rule her life for the coming years.

Rose wasn't sure why she'd agreed to go out with Cat and Scorpius, maybe it was because she'd been a little drunk when Cat had asked, maybe it was because she felt she owed Cat something for the kindness and understanding and friendship she'd given her, maybe it was because deep down, she really wanted to see Scorpius again. She wasn't sure what she wanted to see, though- did she want to see him all settled and happy or was a part of her hoping she still had a chance of some kind? No, she couldn't let herself finish that thought. More than anything, she wanted Scorpius to be happy and she couldn't help but think she would never be the girl to make him properly happy, Cat was sunshine and so was Scorpius and together they would shine so brightly.

With twenty minutes before she'd need to leave, Rose decided it was time to get ready to go out. After quickly showering, Rose wrapped herself in a fluffy towel and made her way from her bathroom to her wardrobe in her bedroom. It was then that she suddenly began to panic. What on earth was the right thing to wear? She couldn't dress too nicely because then it might look like she was making an effort for Scorpius but she couldn't dress too sloppily because then it might look like she was trying to make it not look like she cared about how she looked for him. And looking like she cared what he thought would be awkward because then Cat might assume something wrong and that would be uncomfortable for everyone. Rose screamed internally at herself to stop thinking so much and just to dress as she usually would if she was going out for dinner with friends, so she picked one of her favourite patterned maxidresses and pulled her red curls into a loose bun and finished the look with beaded flip flops and a few bangles. She didn't bother with make up because she never liked to wear much or any make up in the summer, so looking at her watch she found she had another five minutes before she'd have to leave. Impatiently, Rose continued to pace and panic until it was time to leave.


When she got to the restaurant, Rose was relieved to see that Cat and Scorpius were already seated, so made her way to their table. Scorpius saw her first and they exchanged slightly uncomfortable looks before Cat turned around and waved enthusiastically at Rose.

"Hi Rose, you recovered after last night?" Cat greeted, referring to the amount of alcohol that had been consumed the previous night.

"I'm fine actually, it takes a whole lot more than that to take me down!" Rose grinned, taking the seat beside Cat, accidentally making eye contact with Scorpius once again.

"Yeah, I didn't think you were too bad- did you get Lily home okay by the way?" Cat asked. Lily did not know her limits when it came to alcohol.

"She was fine, got a bit teary once I got her back to her flat and told me way more than I'd like to know about her sex life, but eventually I managed to get her to drink some tea which I laced with a combination of sober-up and sleeping potion, so she was out pretty soon after that. I did receive an owl from her this morning about her hangover though, so that won't have been pretty!" Rose informed Cat, recalling the events of the previous night.

"I doubt it's possible for Lily to do anything and it not to be pretty, you know. Seriously Rose, what is with the Weasley blood and the production of beautiful people? I swear you Weasleys are the best looking family in Wizarding Britain, not that those snobby polls would show that due to that still remaining issue of pureblood supremacy in the older generation. Honestly, after almost thirty years you'd have thought they'd have got past it, don't you think?" Cat ranted and rambled. Having recently been getting to know Cat, Rose knew that Cat had a thing for causes and that when she got riled up about something or other it was best just to let her talk. As Cat continued her spiel about the snobbery and hypocrisy of the pureblood hierarchy, Rose and Scorpius switched between giving her amused smiles and shifting uncomfortably at their proximity and the fact that their unsaid words were hanging in the air and making the atmosphere increasingly hotter and more humid as they continued to avoid each other's gaze and attempted to listen to Cat, who had just somehow reached the subject of House Elf rights.

For the first half of the meal, Cat led the conversation, requiring Rose and Scorpius only to say a few words and somehow managing to entertain them both. Every now and then, Rose would forget the uncomfortableness of the situation and find herself laughing for real. Unfortunately, that all changed when Cat left the table for a few minutes to go to the toilet, leaving Rose and Scorpius at the table alone.

"So um, how's work?" Rose asked, knowing full well how stupid this small talk felt and sounded.

"Good, I didn't think I'd enjoy a Ministry job, but it turns out it really suits me. How about you? I know Cat raves about your articles and reviews, calls them funny and clever and informative and progressive, but I've never been sure of what it is you're reviewing." Scorpius asked, forcing a pleasant smile.

"Mostly beauty products, potions and hair spells and sometimes accessories, I also try to sometimes discuss Muggle products, which I believe are often better than ours." Rose replied quietly, smiling back very tentatively.

Neither spoke for about two minutes after that, leading to an uncomfortable silence which only passed when both suddenly began to speak. Scorpius gestured for Rose to speak first and she swallowed, hating how this had put all the more pressure on her to say something worth saying or something.

"So um, Cat's lovely, I'm so pleased I got the chance to get to know her," Rose said honestly, half maybe congratulating Scorpius on his choice of girlfriend.

"Yes, she's great and I'm not surprised the two of you are friends. She thinks you're great too, you know." Scorpius said, giving Rose another vague smile before looking down at his empty plate. It was then that Cat returned to the table and looked around at the slightly uncomfortable faces of her boyfriend and close friend.

The rest of the meal was a little awkward, Cat had given up on bringing both Scorpius and Rose into a conversation together and so was carrying on conversations with each individually simultaneously. By the time she'd finished her ice cream, Rose felt more uneasy than she'd felt all night and was relieved when the bill arrived, signalling an end to the evening.


When Rose got back to her flat, she sighed with relief that the night was over and it had been uncomfortable enough for it to be unlikely for Cat to arrange something similar again. She immediately changed into her pyjamas and took her hair down, choosing to plait it in a long braid down her back. Rose wasn't sure if she felt tired or not, though, so she made herself a cup of tea and curled up on her sofa to maybe watch TV or something. She was interrupted, however, by a knock at the door. Frowning to herself and wondering who it could possibly be, Rose put her mug on the coffee table and went to unlock and open the door for whoever it was knocking. When she opened the door, Rose gasped when she saw who stood there.

"Um Scorpius, what are you doing here?" she asked the pretty blonde boy who stood at her door.

"Can I come in?" he asked nervously.

"Um okay..." Rose replied, leading him into her living room.

"We need to talk." he stated once both were seated on the sofa.

"I suppose we do." Rose replied, hoping with everything she had that the conversation she'd been dreading for years wouldn't be as terrible as she'd always imagined...