The Benefit for the Davies Foundation was considered the event of the year. It was always the weekend following New Year's Day, and everybody who was anybody was usually there. Which meant that as a child of two parts of the Golden Trio, as well as a small business owner who had recent success in developing and marketing a healing paste, Rose was on the invite list. So was just about everyone she knew.

There would be hands to shake and people to impress and long stories about her parents and uncle to sit through that she'd heard many times before. The thing she hated more than the politics of it all, was the required formal dress. This year, she'd chosen a dress in a deep midnight blue with a high halter neckline, and it hugged her to her hips where the skirt then fell to the floor. The back was more open than she typically felt comfortable with, but she felt good in it. Confident.

Molly had come over to get ready with Rose and Jane at Rose's flat. Rose hadn't seen Molly since New Year's Eve, despite a few attempts to reach out, but Molly had promised to come over the day of the benefit early enough to explain what had happened. They'd sat down with mugs of tea before Jane had arrived, and Molly explained everything about how Archie had pushed her away in an effort to keep her from his controlling father.

"He thought he was keeping me safe," she said with a shrug towards the end of her tale. "He didn't want to subject me to the politics of it all, especially when he knew how much I already resented the pressures I felt from my family. Still, he shouldn't have taken the decision away from me."

"He was trying to protect you," Rose said. "I can see why he did it, even if he shouldn't have."

"You know what bothers me the most?" said Molly after a few beats of silence. "I think part of me knew that he was pushing me away even though he didn't want to, and I let him."

"Molly, you can't blame yourself."

"Why not?" she asked, getting worked up. "It takes two, doesn't it? And I heard the rumors. People thought he was using me for my connections. I knew he wasn't but it was hard to miss the gleam in his father's eye whenever he'd ask about getting together with my parents. I could have said something, but I just chose to ignore it all. I was young and in love and thought nothing too terrible could ever happen."

Tears were glistening in her eyes, and Rose moved from her chair to join her cousin on the couch, pulling her into her side in an embrace.

"It'll be alright," she whispered, not entirely sure what she meant by it.

"I know," Molly said, drying her eyes and pulling away from her cousin. She took a fortifying breath and gave Rose a grateful smile. "So no more tears for now. Let's show them all what they're missing."

The atmosphere significantly improved after that due to Molly's determination to keep her spirits up, and Jane, Molly, and Rose made their way to the benefit that evening with smiles on their faces, determined to have a good time despite whatever confusing circumstances were going on in their lives.

It was snowing lightly, and the benefit was held at a banquet hall that had been built by the foundation almost a decade ago and was now used for more events as well. It was only a few blocks from Rose's flat, so they'd decided to walk, thankful for their quick thinking in placing cushioning charms on their high-heeled shoes.

Jane and Molly were also wearing evening gowns. Molly's was white with two inch straps that almost fell off her shoulders, revealing delicate freckles across her collarbone. Jane's was a slight V and a dusty blue color that went wonderfully with her slightly olive skin tone. Both had chosen to wear their hair down. Jane had convinced Rose to wear her hair up for the occasion, and she had it pinned and clipped so that the ends still stuck out a bit at the top, but was twisted rather elegantly otherwise. She found she rather liked the effect.

They left their coats in the cloak room when they arrived, and many people were still milling about at the entrance. It was roughly eight o'clock in the evening, which meant guests had been arriving for the past hour, and dinner would be served in thirty minutes.

"I always hate how late the meal is for this thing," Jane grumbled, rubbing her stomach as it gave an ill-mannered gurgle.

"At least it's always delicious, if I remember correctly," said Molly. She seemed nervous as they made their way into the banquet hall. Rose had told Molly she didn't have to come, seeing as she had history with the son of the president of the foundation, but Molly had insisted that it would mean a lot to her father if she attended. Roger Davies' plans to connect himself with Percy Weasley hadn't entirely failed along with his son's failed relationship. Percy had advised on some recent ventures that the foundation was making to expand into more of Europe. Rose only really knew about this because she'd heard Abel drone on about it on more than one occasion. She would hazard a guess though, that Roger Davies would stop at nothing to get Percy Weasley on his board of directors. It would certainly make things easier for him to branch out and receive broader recognition for his work.

It was strange to Rose that a foundation that did so much good was run under somewhat shady circumstances. It wasn't that anything illegal ever occured, but most people were aware that Roger Davies wanted recognition and a prominent place in society more than he wanted to help wizarding kind. Most people ignored it, since the positives far outweighed the negatives. With everything Rose had just learned about his efforts to gain connections with her family and the way he'd gone about it, she'd have trouble holding her tongue tonight.

Rose swore under her breath as they entered the room and took in the decor, annoyed with how breathtaking it was. The banquet hall was decorated elegantly, with dark blue drapery hanging across the ceiling and down pillars that stretched along the length of the hall. There were beautiful chandeliers hanging and flooding the place with candlelight. More candles were placed on the tables as well as sconces on the walls. All of the tables were draped in deep purple cloths, with gold runners down the middle of them. They were running all along the walls of the room, the center open for dancing and mingling. Servers were carrying around trays of drinks and hors devours as the guests engaged in conversation around the room. Everyone was dressed exquisitely, and Rose suddenly felt thankful that she'd actually remembered to put on earrings and lipstick.

"Snazzy," Jane said, looking around at the impressive spread.

"Thank Merlin you're hear," Dom said as she approached them, her hand subconsciously resting on her only slightly swollen belly. "Ben's been dragged into a conversation with Uncle Percy, and this is the one night where I promised I'd let the man prattle on about work without interrupting."

"Anyone else here yet?" Molly asked.

"I saw Hugo and Louis wandering around," she said as she grabbed a tartlet off a tray that passed by. "And Al and Abigail are here somewhere. Want to grab a table?"

They headed to the left side of the room, grabbing drinks and a few appetizers on the way. By the time dinner was served, all the seats were filled.

At the front of the room, Roger Davies was sitting at the head table, with Minister Bones and her husband to his right. Abel Jordan was a little ways down, no doubt placed there due to his integral part in the planning of the event. Percy and Audrey were to Davies' left. Rose was surprised to see that Archie was next to Rose's aunt, looking extremely uncomfortable. Thankfully, he had Scorpius Malfoy by his side, who looked like he was doing his best to distract his friend from the position that he was in, no doubt thanks to his controlling father. It was the only table with assigned seating.

The rest of Rose's family members were scattered throughout the hall, but she wasn't paying attention to them. Her eyes had stayed on Archie and Scorpius, and more so the latter. His suit and vest were black and his shirt was white, like most of the other wizards in the room. Some of them wore old fashioned dress robes, but the younger generation was dressed much more modern in clothing that favored muggle fashion. His dark blue tie made the color of his eyes stand out to the point that Rose could see the steely blue from twenty feet away. How she had managed to make herself ignore how handsome he was all these years was a mystery to her. Watching him do his best to distract Archie almost made her smile, but she had her wits about her enough to try and at least make it look like she wasn't staring at him.

After New Year's, Rose had been left with a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach. Part of her knew it was because the reality of Leo's last letter had finally begun to sink in, but she felt like there was more to it than that. She had this feeling of excited anticipation, and that same feeling had struck her once again as she laid eyes on Scorpius Malfoy for the first time since that evening.

It was entirely unexpected, but something about him and the way he'd talked to her and danced with her so easily that night had made a far different impression than he ever had before. Maybe it was because she'd decided to stop hating him, and had actually succeeded, allowing her to see him in a different light. And now she knew why she'd kept her guard up all these years.

Those same inclinations towards him that she had suppressed all those years ago when they were in their last year at Hogwarts were starting to creep up again, at a faster pace than she was comfortable with. Rose had spent so long beating them down when she was seventeen, that they were instantly recognizable when they reared their ugly heads once again.

She couldn't let herself go there. After everything that had happened? And what about her feelings that were undoubtedly still there for Leo? Even if he no longer seemed to have an interest in writing to her, that didn't mean what they had and what she felt for him would just go away.

As these thoughts raced through her mind and she watched Scorpius subtly - or so she thought - she almost missed the way that Archie kept glancing their way, his eyes most likely in search of Molly. Rose received a moment of warning when she saw Archie knock his elbow into Scorpius, who looked up from his food and at his friend in question. Archie merely inclined his head towards her section of the table, and Rose looked away a second after Scorpius locked eyes with her.

She felt her cheeks turning pink as she focused back on her food, mentally chastising herself. There was no way he hadn't noticed her watching him, and even if he hadn't, Archie would no doubt be telling him all about it.

"Are you alright, Rose?" Jane asked from her seat next to her. Rose merely smiled and nodded, stuffing her face with a roll and trying to calm her nerves that had been sent into overdrive.

"You're shaking," said Jane in surprise, and Rose made an effort to still the hand that was clutching her glass of wine.

"I'm just hungry," said Rose, digging back into the plate of food that she'd barely touched. Jane seemed to buy this, and went back to the conversation she'd been having with Hugo. The two had gone to lunch twice during the previous week, and were getting along far better than Rose could have ever anticipated. It hadn't turned romantic yet, but if the way he'd looked at Jane when she sat next to him was any indication, it was likely to soon.

"Why do they have to do all the honors and awards so late," Molly complained. "I'd be able to make a nice, unnoticed exit not long after dinner, but no, I have to watch people dance and avoid uncomfortable conversations for another hour first."

Rose chuckled. She felt the same, but Molly didn't normally voice her displeasures so obviously very often.

"Do you have to stay for that part?"

Molly sighed, taking a sip of her wine. "My dad said Mr. Davies has been dropping hints that he'll be receiving the Founders Award for his help with the relations with France he oversaw this year. I know he'd be disappointed if I left, especially since none of us have been to one of these in years. He wouldn't even fully understand why I left."

"Do either of your parents know you broke up before you moved to France?"

Molly shook her head. "They think we just drifted apart after I left. As much as he broke my heart, I didn't want them to hate him. I knew leaving him behind meant he'd probably have awkward run ins from time to time, and I wasn't about to drag his name through the mud."

Molly went back to her meal, and Rose couldn't understand how a person could be that gracious at a moment of such deep hurt. She wanted to be able to say she would have responded the same way, but the evidence was against her on that front. The amount of times she'd responded in spite when she hadn't even been wronged in a detrimental way was embarrassing to consider.

"I wish I had your patience," Rose said to her cousin. "The world would be a better place if we all had at least an ounce of it."

Molly looked at her quizzically.

"Is this about Scorpius?"

Rose shrugged, her appetite failing as guilt raked through her.

"You're trying now," said Molly. "If what I saw at New Year's was any indication, you seem to be doing an alright job of it so far."

"I wasn't sure if you'd even noticed what you'd walked in on," Rose mumbled, but Molly heard her and chuckled.

"I was so surprised, I actually stopped on the edge of the dance floor and watched you for a few moments before I interrupted. You looked good together."

Rose rolled her eyes, willing herself not to blush. "Are you still on about that?"

Molly smirked. "I'll be on about it until I see you more than happily settled. Either with him or someone else."

Rose shook her head, laughing at the determined look on Molly's face. Without even thinking about it, she snuck another glance in Malfoy's direction, and felt a shock run through her to see his eyes already on her. He held her gaze for a moment, before a smirk that was much more friendly than teasing appeared on his lips. She felt her own mouth twitching, begging to return it, but she was able to merely roll her eyes before turning back to her meal, making an effort to calm her suddenly rapid heartbeat.

Music started playing as dessert was served, and people were moving in pairs to the dance floor not long after. Rose smiled as she watched Ben and Dom, swaying together with matching smiles, and she was blown away and thankful once again for the people in her life who had the ability to forgive. And accept when they were wrong.

Jane boldly pulled a somewhat reluctant Hugo into the throng of dancers, but he didn't seem nervous at all as he began to dance with his sister's friend.

If she were asked, Rose would say she was content with being single. She had her work and her family and her friends, and she'd only recently ended a relationship. But seeing so many of her friends and family members find happiness in another person caused a slight ache to form in her chest. Especially now that Lily was with Carter, and Hugo and Jane seemed to be hitting it off. She was selfishly thankful she had Molly in moments like this.

"Rose, there's someone you should meet," Louis said as he approached her table, gesturing to a group of people in the direction he'd come from. Rose nodded, glancing at Molly in question, who was still finishing her pie.

"Go on, I'll be fine," she said with a smile. Rose followed after Louis, who led her to two wizards and a witch, the latter of which was instantly recognizable to Rose.

"Healer Parker, Healer Osborn," Louis addressed the two wizards when they reached them, "meet my cousin, Rose Weasley."

The two wizards looked pleasantly surprised by the introduction, and each shook her hand.

"And I think you know Healer Ryan."

Rose turned to Jane's mother, her lips in a tight smile as the witch nodded at her.

"We were just talking to Healer Weasley about your recent accomplishments," said Healer Osborn, the elder of the two wizards who gestured to a smiling Louis. "It's truly a pleasure to meet you. I'd love to know what your plans are for expanding your line."

Rose stared blankly at the rather portly Healer, who watched her expectantly.

"My line?"

"Yes, Miss Weasley. I'm assuming you have more products in the works? I was on the advisory board that oversaw the testing of your burn paste. Marvelous stuff. Most people these days are looking for new diseases to heal, but you tackled something already out there and made it better; a tricky thing to do. We always need to be improving. I'm hoping you have plans to do the same with some other remedies."

Rose was in shock. She'd had her meeting with St. Mungo's and they had struck up a deal that would allow her to supply the hospital with the rights to produce the product, seeing as she would be unable to keep up with the demand in her small shop. She was being paid rather handsomely in royalties, but she didn't expect this as well.

"I've had a few thoughts, sir," she was finally able to say.

"Have you thought about moving into a staffed lab?"

This question came from Healer Parker, a tall wizard with dark hair who looked to be slightly younger than her parents. Rose looked at him with wide eyes.

"I… no. I hadn't. I don't exactly have the means or the time to focus solely on research. I run a shop with Healer Ryan's daughter."

She glanced at Jane's mother, who was watching the conversation with an unreadable expression. The Healer was a bit of a cold woman, but she did take an interest in her daughter's life.

"Do you have other staff that could pick up on the slack along with your partner?" Healer Osborn was asking. "I know I'd be more than willing to put in a good word for you and pull some strings to get you a lab at St. Mungo's."

Rose felt like she could have fainted in shock. She shot an aghast look at Louis, who was beaming at her, before turning her attention back to the Healer.

"That's a very generous offer, sir. I'd have to think about it."

"No hurry, really," he assured her. "Just reach out whenever you get a new idea in that brilliant brain of yours. It's amazing, all of these young people who are making waves in the world of healing. Just this week I heard about a young man who won the Campbell Research Grant to study cures for blood maladies. He's already done some impeccable work with his research."

Rose was beginning to believe that Healer Osborn would never say anything that wouldn't shock her. She thought back to a letter she'd received what now felt like months ago. He had to be talking about Leo. The likelihood that two young wizards would receive grants to study the same thing around the same time was slim to none. It had to be him.

"Did you say blood maladies?" she asked, just to be sure before she got too excited.

"That's right," Healer Osborn said with a nod, and Rose felt a rush of excitement and nerves. His response to her next question could change everything.

"Do you happen to know who-?"

Her question was cut off by Healer Ryan placing a hand on her shoulder and saying rather loudly, "Isn't that one of your cousins?"

Trying not to let her intense displeasure at being interrupted show, Rose glanced in the direction Jane's mother was looking. All thoughts of Leo flew from her mind and dread filled her as her eyes landed on Molly. She'd gone to refill her drink, and Roger Davies was now standing next to her while Molly looked like she wanted to be anywhere but in his presence. She assumed the rather uncomfortable way Roger Davies was standing close to Molly was the reason Healer Ryan had said something.

Rose excused herself before quickly moving across the hall, Louis right on her heels. She hadn't realized how far they'd wandered off until it seemed imperative that she be at Molly's side as quickly as possible.

There was a rather sudden movement from somewhere to Rose's left, but her eyes were on Molly, who was trying to keep her composure while most likely asking the man to leave her alone. If Rose had to guess, the elder wizard was trying to make some sort of play to get Molly Weasley back in his son's life.

No sooner had Rose thought of Archie, than he suddenly appeared, and her brief curiosity about what was going on just out of her line of sight was answered when he pushed through the crowd and approached his father. His eyes were lit with rage and his jaw was clenched as he strode purposely towards where Roger Davies now had his hand on Molly's shoulder.

What occurred next happened so fast that Rose was barely able to blink before Archie strode right up to his father, grabbed him by the collar of his robes, and pulled him away from Molly before landing a swift punch on his strong jaw.

Molly let out a shriek as Archie's father collapsed onto his hands and knees, a fuming Archie standing between them, his back towards Molly as he glared down at his father.

"I told you to stay the hell away from her!"

Archie was paying no mind to the silence in the room as people stared. Rose's father and her Uncle Harry were standing a few feet behind Roger Davies, alert and ready to intervene at any moment. Archie's father pushed himself up off the ground, his eyes hard as his hand went to his jaw.

"How dare you behave like this," Roger Davies spat at his son, his eyes glancing around the room and taking in their audience.

"I'll behave however I damn well please," Archie snapped at his father. "You seem to hold to that same standard, so why the hell shouldn't I?"

Archie's father took what looked like a calming breath, before taking a step closer to his son. They were roughly the same height, though he did have what appeared to be almost an inch on Archie.

"Archibald, consider your actions-"

"I am, Dad. Believe me. And I'd do it all again in a heartbeat if you ever so much as look at her. Our family's put her through enough already."

"Archibald, I was merely acting on your behalf since you clearly can't-"

Archie shoved his father hard in the chest, and murmurs of shock ran through the crowd as Ron and Harry pulled their wands and Roger stumbled back a few steps, looking at his son in anger and shock as Archie pointed at him threateningly.

"Never," Archie snarled, "not once, have you done anything for anyone other than yourself. I don't want to have anything to do with you or your plans for my life that have nothing to do with what I want. So stay the fuck out of my life. And that includes Molly."

Before his father could say anything, Archie had turned and stormed out of the room. Rose shared a brief look of concern with Scorpius, who'd been standing on the other side of the room, before he took off after his friend. As conversations that were tinged with comments of scandal and impropriety began to escalate, Rose closed the distance between herself and Molly. She'd stopped in shock when Archie had hit his father, taking in the whole thing from a distance. It was obvious as she reached her that Molly was only seconds away from dissolving into tears.

Rose spared one glare for Roger Davies, who was being led away by a rather flustered looking Abel and her uncle. Her father gave her a look of concern, and she gave him a small smile to placate him before he too walked away.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Rose asked, suddenly panicking at the thought that she hadn't been paying close enough attention to her cousin, but Molly shook her head just as her parents arrived at her side.

"No, I'm fine. He was just saying all these things about how I should give Archie a second chance and that my father would be very on board with the match. And then he said some things about finding me a position at the foundation and he was all but planning the wedding when…"

She trailed off from her rambling, her eyes glazing over as the events that had just occurred were likely replaying in her head.

"Molly, what's going on?" Percy asked, his gaze concerned as he and Audrey looked at their daughter in confusion.

"Are you alright?" Audrey asked when Molly remained silent.

"Come on," Rose said, slipping her arm around Molly's waist. "I'll take her to get some space alright? We'll explain later," Rose assured her aunt and uncle. They nodded reluctantly and Rose led her cousin towards the front doors amid many curious stares. Louis followed after them, but they weren't approached by anyone else as Rose ushered her down a hall that led to the bathrooms.

She pulled Molly inside, Louis still right behind them. There were only a few witches standing at the sink, who gave Louis scandalized looks as he held the door open for them, telling them he was a Healer and not to worry. He cast a silencing and locking charm once they were gone as Molly sat on a bench across from the sinks. Rose kicked off her heels so she could crouch down in front of Molly, who seemed to be in a state of shock.

"I know it was upsetting," Rose said in a soothing voice, "and you have every right to fall apart."

Molly nodded, one stray tear falling down her cheek.

"Is there anything I can do?" Louis offered. "I can talk to him, if you like."

Molly shook her head. "No. Let him be. He's probably more upset than I am."

At first, Rose hadn't been sure who Louis was referring to, and it might not have been Archie, but he appeared to be the only person Molly was thinking about.

"I always wondered if he'd ever stand up to him," said Molly. Her eyes were focused on her hands in her lap, but Rose could've sworn she saw her lips almost twitch into a small smile.

"Can't say I expected it to be in such a dramatic fashion."

Louis gave an amused snort.

"From everything I've heard about Roger Davies, he probably got what was coming to him."

Molly gave him a resigned smile. "I just feel bad for Archie. Although, he didn't have to stand up for me."

She paused, and Rose could practically see the gears turning in Molly's brain.

"But he did stand up for you."

Molly's eyes snapped to Rose, something like hope in them.

"And he'll probably pay for it later," continued Rose. "I'm willing to bet this more than somewhat damages his career."

Fear replaced the hope in Molly's eyes as she glanced between her two cousins.

"How could he have been so stupid? Even if his father keeps him on, it's going to look horrible for the foundation either way. Why would he do that?"

Rose knew exactly why Archie did what he did, but saying it out loud meant acknowledging that Molly had a choice to make in regards to her ex boyfriend, and she didn't seem to be in the best state to handle that. She settled for at least part of the truth.

"I'm sure he blames himself," said Rose, "for everything that happened."

"He shouldn't," Molly said, conviction coursing through her words. "His father's a pig and I'm thankful he kept him from me. You should've heard the way he talked about his son. It was all these subtle digs about how worthless and useless he is when absolutely none of it is true. Despicable. What kind of father does that?"

Rose and Louis shared a look at Molly's heated words, and Rose found herself wishing Archie could hear what she was saying.

"Lou, could you maybe check on him?" Molly asked when no one answered her question. It was obvious from how quickly the words fell from her lips that she'd been wanting to say this the whole time. Louis nodded before unlocking the door and leaving.

"He shouldn't have done that," Molly said indignantly. "Standing up for me wasn't worth his reputation. He at least didn't have to hit him."

"Molly," Rose said, moving to sit next to her cousin on the bench. "Remember what you said to me and Dom about your choice to leave the country?"

Molly shook her head.

"It was something about not regretting your choices because you finally took control of your life. Maybe, in a way, that's what Archie did tonight. You might not blame him anymore, but he probably does."

Molly was silent for a few moments, before she nodded.

"I just hope he's alright."

Rose sighed, leaning her head on her cousin's shoulder, thinking of Archie's murderous look as he glared down at his father, and his expression of pure disgust as he fled the building with Scorpius on his heels. She hoped Louis found them so he could at least tend to Archie's most likely bruised hand. Too bad nothing could yet be done for his shattered heart.

"I hope so too."

Archie was pacing back and forth along the sidewalk, his hands gripping his hair as he tried to control his heavy breathing.

"Arch-"

"Don't."

Scorpius remained silent, watching nervously as Archie stopped before leaning over and retching into the street. He stayed bent over and breathing heavily for a few moments, and Scorpius took the liberty of conjuring a cloth and dampening it with his wand before handing it to his friend, who accepted it gratefully.

"What a bastard," Archie groaned, dabbing at his face.

"What happened, exactly?" Scorpius asked. "I sort of missed the part where he ended up on the ground."

Archie sighed and turned to face his friend.

"He was talking to me earlier about Molly, since Percy apparently told him she was in town. Percy even made comments to my dad about what a shame it is that things didn't work out between us. Of course, this just put all sorts of ideas into Dad's head and he was insisting I try and talk to her tonight and maybe make amends."

Archie paused to spit, wiping the cloth along his face once more before pulling out his wand and vanishing it along with the mess he'd made in the street.

"Pompous arsehole wouldn't let it go, so I told him he better stay away from her, which, of course, didn't happen."

Archie paused and took a deep breath, and Scorpius thought for a moment that he'd get sick again, but he composed himself and continued.

"I knew the minute I saw him talking to her that he had to be up to no good. She looked terrified and angry and I couldn't stop myself. I hardly knew what I was doing when I pulled him away from her, but I should've punched him ages ago."

He subconsciously flexed his bruised hand at the words, and Scorpius wished he was decent at healing charms.

"What are you going to do?" Scorpius asked.

"Hell if I know," Archie said with a resigned shrug. "But there's no way I'll ever work for him again. He can take his precious foundation and go to hell for all I care. Doesn't even matter if he drags my name through the mud to save his face. I'm done with him."

Despite the mess of it all, Scorpius couldn't help feeling proud of his friend. He'd needed to stand up to his father for a long time, and Scorpius found he didn't blame him at all for the method or the place in which he chose to do it.

"I can't believe he would do that," Archie spat, resuming his pacing. "Actually, I can, but I thought he'd at least have the decency to not stir the pot on the most important night of the year, as he so proudly claims it is. And who the fuck meddles in their kid's love life for political gain? I don't deserve that! And Molly sure as hell deserves far better than any of this!"

He was shouting now, and people were watching him nervously as they made their way down the street.

"Arch-"

"Did you see the look on her face?" he continued. "I doubt she'll ever want to have anything to do with me again. Not that she did before, but this sort of seals the deal a bit, doesn't it?"

"You stood up for her. And you're not your father."

"But I was!" he hollered, stopping in front of Scorpius, a look of hopelessness in his eyes as he pointed at his own chest. "I did what I thought I had to do in order to save my own skin when I pushed her away, and I did it for myself. Did I tell you he threatened to cut me off when I said I'd break up with her sooner than let him control her life? He said if I wanted a single knut, I better screw my head on straight and marry her. I told myself I had no other option at that point, because what was I supposed to do with my life otherwise? I've been bloody groomed for this life! But there was no fucking way I'd let him get his claws in her that way. He might have had me, but he couldn't have her too. So I let things fall apart so she'd realize I wasn't good enough for her, and thank Merlin she did."

He paused, breathing deeply as his eyes shone with tears Scorpius knew he'd never let fall.

"I don't care what I have to do. I'll make sure Roger Davies can't so much as spit in her direction."

Scorpius met Archie's hard gaze, knowing he meant every word he said.

"Even if it means losing the love of your life?"

Archie's hard gaze softened with pain and grief, before resolve washed over him.

"I already did it once. I reckon I could try and survive it again."

Scorpius had serious doubts about this, but didn't voice them as someone approached them from behind. Louis Weasley stepped out from the shadows, his brow furrowed as he looked between the two before his gaze settled on Archie.

"She alright?" Archie asked in a strangled voice. Louis gave a hesitant nod.

"She asked me to check on you," he said in his deep voice. Archie closed his eyes, pain etched across his face. He gave a nod.

"M'alright. She doesn't need to be worrying about me. Especially since it's all my fault."

Louis stepped towards him, pulling out his wand and nodding towards Archie's bruised hand.

"Want me to fix that?"

Archie didn't even flinch when Louis lifted his hand, murmuring some spells under his breath as the skin healed.

"Thanks," Archie mumbled, pulling his still slightly red hand away and flexing it experimentally. Louis was watching him closely, and Scorpius wondered how much of their conversation he'd heard before he made his presence known.

"And she doesn't blame you," Louis said. Archie looked up at him in surprise. "If she really is the love of your life," he continued, "then I suggest you remember that she's perfectly capable of making her own decisions. Particularly when it comes to what and who she wants in her life. Even if it's you."

Archie gave a nervous swallow before giving a quick nod. With a final nod of acknowledgement to each of them, Louis made his way back inside.

"Are you going to go back in?" Scorpius asked. Archie shook his head.

"I doubt they'd let me back in even if I wanted to. I think I'll just go home."

Scorpius gave a nod of understanding. "Alright. I'll pop by tomorrow?"

Archie gave a noncommittal shrug, but his expression seemed grateful before he shoved his hands in his pockets and began to walk off down the street. Scorpius took a few moments to gather his thoughts before heading back into what was sure to be an uncomfortable rest of the evening. He hadn't gotten far when he bumped into Rose, who was coming down the hall that led to the bathrooms. She looked exhausted, but just as beautiful as she had been at the start of the evening, even though her hair was slightly out of place.

"She okay?" he asked as she reached him. Rose let out a long sigh.

"I think so. Just a little shaken. Louis and Lucy are with her now."

He gave her a sad smile and they both continued into the banquet hall. People were still dancing, and he saw Rose's brother on the dance floor with Jane Ryan, as well as Al and Abigail and his parents. Everything had gone back to normal, but he couldn't see Archie's dad anywhere.

"Is he okay?" Rose asked, looking up at Scorpius with concern in her eyes.

"Not really, but I hope he will be eventually."

Rose let out a sigh as they stopped at the drink table. He poured them each a glass of wine, which they sipped as they watched the crowd of dancers.

"What a fucking mess," Rose mumbled, and Scorpius couldn't help but laugh.

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

He smiled down at her, enjoying the way she smirked up at him before her gaze turned back to the people on the dance floor. They stood in silence for a few moments before he noticed she was swaying slightly on her feet to the the music.

Should he ask her to dance? They'd already done it once before, but he'd had an excuse for that. This time, the only reason he'd be able to give convincingly would be that he wanted to. He wasn't sure he was ready to admit that to either of them.

"Wishing you had an excuse to ask me to dance, Malfoy?" she said in a teasing tone, her eyes still fixed ahead of her. He looked away from her, his pulse quickening with nerves and realizing she must have felt him staring. Scorpius knew what he wanted to say in response, and the fact that her mind had wandered in the same direction as his gave him the right amount of courage to go for it.

"Just wondering if you'd actually be able to keep up with me in those heels."

He gave her a challenging look, and her smirk was nearing flirtatious as she looked up at him.

"Only one way to find out."

A/N: It's update day! This might be one of my favorite chapters so far. Can't wait to hear what you think! And WOW. Over one hundred reviews! You guys are the best. And in case you haven't read it yet, I did post that Archie/Molly scene. I have some Jane and Hugo stuff coming too if you're interested!

Happy Reading :)