Chapter 10

"NO!"

Scorpius flopped down on the couch, eyes brimming with tears as they so often had for the last two days. He punched a deep blue pillow that he had been leaning on, startling Rose slightly. He calmed down a bit and straightened up.

"Sorry, Rose," he said, not looking her in they eye. "I just can't-"

"No, Scorp. You can't go back to your house! Your dad will beat you! Do you think I would let you go back there?"

"He's my father, Rose. I can't just not go home! And I need to be there for… for the…" His voice cracked as he tried to day the word "funeral."

Rose reached out, as if to hug him, but thought better of it. "I could get Al to help persuade you," was all she said, in an off hand voice.

Scorpius grimaced, picturing himself waking up the first day of break, stuffed into a small suitcase, already on the way to Rose's house. He looked up at her, straight into her eyes, and said "what about your dad?" She closed her eyes, wondering how he had said the one thing that she herself had just been panicking about.

"Um… Uncle Harry can talk to him? Or Mum… he can't say no to Mum…" she trailed off, knowing that she would need the combined efforts of all her aunts, uncles, and cousins that would agree to help, to convince her dad to even consider letting Scorpius stay with them. Another problem was that they had four days left before vacation. "I'll figure it out, but one way or another, you know I'll make you come… I-I'm sorry about missing the funeral, but I can't let you go home. You probably wouldn't come back alive."

He looked as though he was about to argue, when a new voice came from behind them.

"She's right, you know, Malfoy." Louis came down from where he had been listening silently on the stairs. "I was sorry to hear about your mom, by the way." He looked at Scorpius, who nodded in gratitude. Then he directed his attention to Rose. "His father beats him? Haven't you told anyone?" She looked at her cousin guiltily, and then shook her head, staring at her feet. "You should tell McGonagall, but that's up to you. I really don't want to get involved with the crazy soap opera lives of first years. But I will, however, agree that he should stay with us. I'll send a letter to Uncle Ron, and I bet you and Al will too. I bet Al would be more than happy. Anyway, Rosie, I am absolutely positive your mom will be able to convince your dad. You know her. We even hint that something bad is going on at the Malfoy Manor and she's instantly on our side. We can just… send a letter to Mr. Malfoy once… Little Malfoy here's safely at your house!" He had good points. Very smart. A true Ravenclaw.

"Why did Christmas have to be at my house this year! Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry would have let him stay…" Rose whined.

Scorpius looked between the two, wondering why everyone had stopped asking his opinion about his holiday. He did have to hand it to them, however; He couldn't imagine a place he would rather spend Christmas than with the Weasleys and Potters. Two of them had become his unlikely best friends, and he knew nobody else but Rose's dad actually had a problem with him. He had started to quite like the whole group.

He looked up, noticing the matter seemed to have been resolved and the two cousins were now looking at him expectantly.

"Well?" they asked in unison.

"Um… I'm in."

*Two days later*

Everyone was at the Ravenclaw table, waiting anxiously for the owls. Scorpius was so happy to see them all. He had never even exchanged a word with Dominique, yet there she was, standing right behind him, a worried, sympathetic expression on her gorgeous face.

Suddenly the large form of Athena appeared as a silhouette against the cold morning clouds. She landed with a slight thump and shook off the snow clinging to her smooth feathers. Everyone looked at Scorpius who, getting the message, untied the letter from her leg, frightened about what it might hold. Everyone leaned in to see the shortest letter ever. It was one word that had clearly been forced.

Yes.

They all leaned in and hugged him. He was astounded. Scorpius was amazed. The family that he had sworn to hat had accepted him, literally, with open arms. He had barely met some of them and they were still happy. They seemed glad to have him over, and happy to help him escape his father. He had never felt this accepted except when he was with his mother.

(A/N we interrupt this heart-warming chapter of Rosius Randomness to inform you that if you cant wait for this to be finished and are waiting in suspence for the ending… TO BAD! I have honestly no idea where I am going with this and haven't since day one! When will that mildly depressing, mildly sweet complete lack of plot end, one might ask? BRRUUUUUHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! NOBODY KNOWWWWWSSSSSS!!!!!!!! ((evil laughter and lightning flashes! Dramatic music plays from nowhere and just when all hope seems lost! The random authors note ends… )))

"So he thinks the train's been delayed?" Rose asked for the hundredth time.

"Yes, Rose. For the hundredth time: my father will not be there when we get there. He thinks the train leaves at noon. Calm yourself."

He had been doing a lot better over the past few days. Scorpius had even begun to be friends with some more of the Weasleys and Potters. They acknowledged each other's presence from time to time, anyway. Scorpius was happy that, for once, he could spend the holidays with a happy, close-knit family.

Al, Rose and Scorpius rode together on the bus. Al had loosened up on the whole "Operation: Get My Cousin To Like My Best Friend" thing lately. As Rose and Scorpius had pretty much, though they never mentioned it, become best friends, Al decided that the process of them falling madly in love with each other, getting married and living happily ever after was pretty much inevitable at this point. He could tell that they liked each other, as could anyone who bothered to look closely. But he also knew that they were the most awkward, dense, immature people he had ever met. His opinion was that they would be lucky if they admitted their feelings to each other before they graduated. He made a mental note to make a bet on that with James. He had no doubt that people like them, beautiful, smart, kind and perfect, would date in their time at school, but he honestly could not picture either of them having the courage to be the one actually asking the other out. There's the predicament.

When they arrived at the station, Rose and Al stood up immediately, grabbing their luggage and searching for their parents on the platform. Scorpius, however, remained seated. Noticing this, Rose put her hand on his shoulder and looked at him.

"You'll be fine. It can't be that bad… I mean, he's letting you stay, so theres no way he can still be mad at you for… you know… your dad, right?" She tried to give him a cheery smile, but failed slightly. He smiled back, halfheartedly, and rose from his seat.

They emerged as one mass. All the Potters and Weasleys were in a group, heading towards the smaller group of parents. Most of them were hugging and such, but before Ron greeted anyone, he went to Scorpius.

Scorpius had read that thing about "if looks could kill, he'd be dead," but he had never taken it seriously. Never, that is, until now. Ron was staring him down as though he was about to pounce, but then he extended his arm. They shook hands, and the atmosphere changed completely. By no means had it been what anyone would call friendly, but most of them were just happy that they had avoided a full on shouting match in the midst of all their classmates and their families. That had literally been the worst-case scenario they had expected, as Ron's temper had seemed to get worse with age.

The car ride was very packed. There were only two cars, and though Teddy, Ginny and the grandparents had stayed home, and the inside of the cars were magically enlarged, it was a tight fit. One held Rose, Scorpius, Al, Hugo, Lily, James, Fred, Roxanne, Harry, Ron and Hemione, while the other held Louis, Dominique, Victoire, Lucy, Molly, Bill, Charlie, Fluer, George, Angelina, Percy and Audrey.

They went through London, the senery changing unnaturally fast from city, to farmland. The Weasleys lived in a rural area, not far from the Lovegoods, Who would be joining them, and from the Burrow, where Molly Sr. and Arthur still lived, alone in such a big house. They eventually pulled into a long driveway, slowing to a stop. When they did, nobody wasted time getting out. The car Scorpius and Rose had been in was unloaded so quick, no one knew what had happened, due to the fact that smoke was emitting from the open windows. The twins had thought it was a good time to test their experimental firecrackers (ones that crack extra loudly, explode into rainbow smoke, and make everything it touches glitter for the rest of the day). Once they were safely out of the car, it was much easier to enjoy the glitter.

"Rose," called Scorpius as he unloaded his bag from the trunk. "When did you become a vampire?" he gestured at her skin, and looking, she saw how it was sparkling in sunlight. She laughed.

"I could say the same to you, Edward!" she said, still laughing.

"You did not just compare me to Edward!"

"Yes! It is you! The gorgeous, pale, shinny, creepy, abusive, stalker vampire: Edward!" she mock-fainted when she looked at him, emphasizing the word gorgeous.

"Gorgeous, am I?" said Scorpius, looking approvingly at his own reflection on the side of the car.

"Shut up!" she said, punching him lightly on the arm.

"You're the one who said it!"

"DON'T WORRY, SCORPY, MY LOVE!" cam a familiar, over-exagerated voice from above them. "I THINK YOU'RE GORGEOUS NO MATTER WHAT THAT MEAN ROSIE-KINZ SAYS!" The pair located him leaning out of a second story window, arms open wide as though he were trying to hug Scorpius, and Rose promptly hit him in the face with a rock.

"ROOOOOSIE! YOU'RE A BEATER! NO FAIR! YOU HAVE BIG MAN-MUSCLES IN YOU ARMS!" He faked crying and then, after the second rock, went inside. It was around then that Rose and Scorpius realized that everyone had ditched them and were claiming rooms.

Rose decided to give Scorpius a tour as soon as they had the rooms. Scorpius with Al and James and Rose across the hall. They wandered the corridors, exploring all the areas of the house. Rose introduced Scorpius to the parents, Grandparents, Teddy, Hugo, and Lily, the only ones he didn't know.

As they wandered the house, Scorpius found he liked it quite a lot. It was more welcoming than the Malfoy Mannor. It wasn't small, but it wasn't intimidating, the whole mood was just a lot more pleasant. Seeing Rose's room, and the room Al and James shared when they visited, he saw how much stuff they had. There were posters on the walls and fun curtains and the rooms really looked lived in. Some people might call Scorpius spoiled, but the thing was, he wasn't allowed anything. His parents decided what was in his room, and made sure it was perfect at all times. Being here, he felt a bit of jealousy, but it also made him happy. He wasn't the bitter type. For the first time in days he really felt happy. He knew all at once that he had made the right choice in coming here, and that he probably couldn't have beared going to his mothers funeral anyway.