Chapter 10

"Parents Weekend?" Jeremy Davies complained as he joined Scorpius and Rose on the sofa. "Really, what is McGonagall thinking? Didn't we just see our parents two months ago? The whole point of boarding school is to get away from them."

Rose continued to read. "I thought the point of it was to learn," she commented, having little patience for the dark haired, pureblooded boy. He was Scorpius's friend, but she couldn't understand how he put up with Jeremy either. "Besides, some of us like our parents."

"Does that include the ones who abandoned you?" Jeremy inquired.

While Rose was able to ignore him, Scorpius's anger got the better of him. Rising, he pulled his arm back and let his fist connect with his friend's nose. "Leave my sister alone," the little blond seethed. Rose stood beside him, pulling Scorpius away to the boys' dormitory. "I'll kill him if he ever talks to you like that again."

Rose scowled as she examined his knuckles. "You shouldn't have done that," she told him.

"You're my best friend. I stick up for you," he replied, pulling his hand away.

Sighing, she sat down on his bed. "Scor, I love you, but you can't fight my battles for me," she told him. "Besides, one stupid comment from an ignorant twelve year old doesn't bother me. You getting kicked out of school will. Just...go apologize before he goes to the headmistress."

"Good thing Dad's coming today. Maybe he can get me out of trouble," Scorpius joked, moving towards the door.

Smiling, Rose joined him. "I wouldn't count on it," she warned him as they walked back to the common room. "You know how he feels about you causing trouble."

"Even if I'm in trouble for sticking up for you?" he wondered.

She shrugged. "That might make him a bit more lenient," she agreed.

Standing in the doorway to the Ravenclaw dormitory was Headmistress McGonagall. "Mr. Malfoy, Miss Weasley, come with me." Nervously, the first years followed the stern witch to her office. Once inside, they took seats, and waited. "Mr. Davies needed to have a broken nose healed. Would either of you care to explain why?"

The pair exchanged a look, and it was Rose who spoke first. "Jeremy was teasing me, making fun of the fact that my dad walked out on my mum and me," she said, conjuring tears as she told the pitiful tale. "I just...and he wouldn't stop. Scor didn't mean to hit him, I promise. Jeremy just wouldn't stop."

"There are never appropriate circumstances for hitting another student," McGonagall stated, eyeing the young Malfoy. "Your father will be here today, correct? What do you think he'd say about your actions?"

Scorpius shrugged and glanced at Rose. "He'd probably tell me about the time her mum slapped him," he replied. "Actually, they've told us that story about six million times. Dad acts angry that it happened, and Minnie rationalizes just how much he deserved it. This time though, Minnie will be mad that I resorted to violence, and Dad will be more concerned about Rosie. Does that sound accurate to you, Rose?"

Rose nodded before looking imploringly at the headmistress. "Are we in trouble?" she wondered, throwing in a sniffle for good measure.

The stern look the headmistress wore deepened. "Not you, Miss Weasley, but Mr. Malfoy will be spending the next week in detention," she stated. "Hopefully these actions won't be repeated."

"They won't, Headmistress," Scorpius promised. The pair was dismissed and began the long walk to the Great Hall to see their parents. "Well, that wasn't so bad. Where did you learn to cry like that?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't know. It's a talent," she replied. "Your dad has always said I belonged in Slytherin. I'm starting to wonder if that old hat made a mistake. Although, I did ask for Ravenclaw, so maybe that's why I'm there."

"Why would you ask for that?" he wondered. "We're the smart house, the nerd house. All anyone thinks we do is study. It's boring."

"You really don't know why I'd ask for it?" Rose asked incredulously. "You were sorted first, and I didn't want to be separated. I overheard Al say that his dad told him you could choose your house. So, I picked Ravenclaw. You're the closest thing I've ever had to a brother. I didn't want to be somewhere without you."

Scorpius put his arm around her shoulders. "I would have done the same," he told her.

They spotted Draco first and ran to him. He hugged both children at once, and kept his arms around them to keep them close. "Where's Mum?" Rose wondered, looking around.

"Your um...Ron is here," he told her nervously.

She tensed beneath his arm. "To see me?" she asked.

Draco glanced across the room. "I think that's what she's trying to find out now."

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Ron Weasley was the last person Hermione wanted to see. She was sure Harry was to blame for his presence. Leaving Draco behind, she marched up to him, anger brewing in her dark eyes. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

He seemed happy to see her, giving her a quick smile when she appeared. "I wanted to see the kids," he replied. "Ginny couldn't make it, so I tagged along with Harry. I thought it might give me the chance to see Rose too."

Hermione scoffed. "The door to her has always open, Ronald. I haven't kept you away from her. You did that all on your own," she said bitterly. "By the way, how's the family?"

Ron sighed. "They're fine. Lavender's home with Hugo, and we're expecting our second in May," he told her reluctantly. "So, can I see her?"

Turning to look at Draco behind her, she frowned when she saw their children. "It's up to her," she said, repeating the familiar mantra. She walked away, joining her family across the Great Hall. Rose pulled away from Draco to greet her mother, refusing to let her go. "You don't have to talk to him," she whispered, kissing the top of her daughter's head.

The little girl glanced behind her mother. Al stood beside his father and uncle, waiting for his older brother, James, to join them. She turned back to the family that surrounded her, the one that had been by her side for the majority of her life. Curiosity was beginning to get the better of her. She wanted to know what Ron Weasley was like. She wanted apologies for his abandonment, and the reassurance that she wasn't the cause of the split between her parents.

"Would you be mad if I did?" Rose asked, directing her question not only to her mother, but Draco as well. Draco frowned, but Hermione assured her that it would be fine. She walked away and nervously approached her father. "Um, hi. I'm Rose."

He smiled brightly as he stooped to hug her. "You're just as beautiful as the day you were born," he told her.

Rose scowled. "It's not like you've got any other frame of reference," she muttered. "Listen, I'm not interested in a family reunion, and I'm not about to start calling you 'Dad'. I just need to know something. Why did you leave us?"

Taking hold of her arm, Ron found a quiet place where they could talk privately. "Every day I've regretted my decision to leave," he told her. "I knew I didn't handle it the right way. Your mum and I fought constantly, from the time we were your age, in fact. But I loved her. She was my best friend, and what should have stayed a crush turned into a marriage. It took awhile for me to figure out that being married to her wasn't what I wanted. What I did wasn't fair to you or your mother."

"But you just left," Rose said angrily. "You just walked out on us. Didn't you care about me at all? How could you not love Mum enough to at least tell her you wanted out? She deserves better than that. We deserve better."

Ron nodded remorsefully. "I did care about you, Rose," he replied. "But I wasn't a good father. Your mother has this sort of take charge approach to things, and I was more than happy to let her do that with you. She did everything for so long, and after awhile, I began to resent it. I'll never be able to justify my actions, but I did love you."

"Well, nice to know," she replied sarcastically. "Thanks for coming."

Turning on her heel, she returned to her family.