A/N: I'm back! My novel is edited almost completely, with only a few glitches to straighten out, and I've just returned from a month-long holiday in Costa Rica, so I now have time to work on this again. :-)
This is my favourite chapter so far. It's so...well, read it and see for yourself.
Rose woke up early on Thursday morning. She lay still for a moment, listening to the silence of a sleeping household. Quietly, so as not to wake Lily, she got out of bed and got dressed. Kneeling on the window seat, she unlatched the window and pushed it open. A breath of fresh morning air came in, bearing with it the sounds of birds in the garden. Rose looked out. Below her she could see the lawn stretching away to the stream, whose soft rippling noise mingled with the rustling of the Flutterby Bushes dotted here and there.
A movement to the right, where the Quidditch pitch lay among the trees, caught her eye. Rose studied it for a minute, and then smiled. She closed the window and tiptoed downstairs, pausing in the kitchen to grab an apple. Then she slipped out the back door and headed for the broom shed.
She took her Lightning bolt 300 off of the rack and made her way through the trees towards the pitch. When she reached the edge of the clearing, she threw her leg over her broom and soared into the air.
"Rose! You startled me."
Rose grinned. "Good morning to you too, Scorpius. I see I'm not the only early riser around here."
"I've been up for a good half hour," Scorpius said. "And since no one else was up, I decided to do some flying."
"Bet I can fly faster than you."
"Bet you can't," Scorpius retorted.
"I'll race you," Rose said. "From the far end of the pitch to the oak tree at the bottom of the garden."
"But if we fly above the trees, won't we be seen?"
"First of all, the nearest Muggle village is a mile away, second, it's way too early for anyone to be about anyway, and third, there are charms round the house to prevent Muggles from seeing anything out of the ordinary."
"Alright," Scorpius laughed.
The two of them swung their brooms around and headed for the far end of the pitch.
"From the ground or hovering?" Scorpius asked as they pulled to a stop.
"From the ground," Rose said. "We've even got a starting line marked. We race a lot," she added as they landed.
The two of them lined up next to each other. Rose pulled out her wand and made a complicated wiggling motion. A long blue beam of light shot out and, hovering in the air above them, formed itself into a large number ten.
"What's that?" Scorpius enquired, as it changed.
9.
8.
"Countdown spell," Rose answered, getting ready to fly.
6.
5.
Scorpius mounted his broom.
3.
2.
1.
The spell changed into a 0, which glowed bright gold before exploding in a shower of sparks. They were off.
Rose had an advantage, because she had flown the course so many times, but Scorpius had started a split second before she had. They zoomed up over the trees, and turned and headed for the far end of the garden. They touched down at exactly the same time.
Rose toppled off her broom and onto the grass. "I haven't flown that fast since our game against Slytherin last year," she panted.
Scorpius looked down at her and chuckled. "Want a hand?" he asked, holding his out.
Rose took it and let herself be pulled to her feet. She smiled. "Good race."
"You can fly awfully quickly," Scorpius said. He added, with a smirk, "Especially for a girl."
"Scorpius!" Rose laughingly attempted to slap him, but he dodged away and ran up the garden, laughing over his shoulder at her as he went.
Rose darted after him. "You'll…pay for that," she panted, chasing him around the bench and up the path.
Suddenly she tripped over something and fell. Luckily, she landed on the grass and not the paving stones. Scorpius came running back at once.
"What happened?"
"I tripped."
"Over what?"
"I don't know… I think it might have been a gnome." Rose slowly stood up. Then she suddenly flung herself at Scorpius, knocking him down. "I told you you'd pay for that!" she said, starting to tickle him.
"No—stop—please!" Scorpius gasped, through his laughter.
"Say that girls are just as good at flying as boys are," Rose ordered, still tickling him mercilessly.
"Alright, they are…can I—can I get up now?"
"Say it!"
"Okay! Girls are just as—good at flying as—boys."
Rose stopped tickling him and moved back to let him stand up. Scorpius gave her a mock glare.
"You don't want to know what I would do to you if you weren't so nice."
"What?"
Scorpius considered it for a moment. "I don't actually know either," he admitted.
Rose laughed. "Random question," she said, lifting her head and sniffing the air. "Do I smell bacon?"
"Mmmm…I think so. It's coming from your house, unfortunately."
"I would invite you in for breakfast, but…"
"…it's maybe not the best of ideas," Scorpius finished.
"Well," Rose said, getting up, "I've got to go, I guess. See you later!"
"See you."
Rose ran up the garden, pausing at the back porch to turn and wave to Scorpius, who responded likewise. Then she headed inside. She followed her nose to the kitchen.
"…and what Ron's going to say is anybody's guess, because I really don't think he'll be happy with the idea of Astoria inviting—" Ginny broke off as Rose opened the door. "Good morning, Rose."
"Morning, Aunt Ginny. Good morning, Uncle Harry."
Harry smiled at her from his seat at the kitchen table. "Good morning, Rose. You're up early."
"Yeah, I'm not a whole lot like Dad in that respect," Rose laughed, perching herself on a stool over by the window. "And I'm the earliest riser in our dorm at Hogwarts, too. Although with Lucy in the room, it's not difficult to be an early riser by comparison." She chuckled.
"What are you laughing about?" Roxanne asked, coming in. "Morning, everybody."
"Oh, just how long Lucy sleeps."
Roxanne groaned. "We're sharing a room right now. I don't understand how you and the other girls can stand it."
"We manage. I'm getting quite good at producing a freezing cold Aguamenti charm."
Roxy looked thoughtful. "I'll have to learn how to do that. It could come in handy."
The others trickled slowly into the kitchen. James only woke up properly once he smelled the bacon. Ginny had to fry three packages before he and Fred were satisfied. And that was just for the two of them.
They all piled into the van at nine thirty. Rose was one of the first in this time. She sat at the very back, Lucy on her right, Stella on her left, and Roxanne over by the window. Albus, Fred, and James had claimed the front row—Ginny looked slightly askance at this combination, but decided not to do anything about it. Lily, Elanor, and Astoria sat in front of Rose, which left Hugo, Orion, and Scorpius the middle row, Ginny having taken the front. At last they were all sorted and ready to leave.
Rose turned to the little girl sitting next to her as they drove off. "So, Stella," she said, "how are you enjoying Gryffindor?"
Stella's face lit up. "A lot," she replied. "It's such a cool House. And what's more," she chuckled, "scarlet looks really good on me. Better than anything but blue."
"Blue?" Roxanne put in from Stella's other side. "Would you have made a good Ravenclaw, do you think?"
Stella made a face. "Definitely not. I hate studying. I do enjoy classes, but I prefer the practical stuff to reading about things."
"What's your favourite class?" Rose asked.
"Potions. I love mixing things together and having it all come out right. It's a bit like cooking and baking. And sometimes, if I don't get it exactly right—" Stella smirked. "The potion explodes."
Roxy laughed. "That used to be my favourite part of Potions. But I had Professor Bletchley for most of my time at Hogwarts, so Potions was never very enjoyable. Professor Spinnet only started halfway through my seventh year, so I didn't really get much of her."
"She's a good teacher," Rose said. "One of my favourites."
"I like Professor Ffloyd best," Stella said thoughtfully. "She's strict, but she's funny too. And she's good at explaining stuff."
Lucy leaned across Rose to ask, "What's your Quidditch team?"
"Holyhead Harpies," came the instant response.
Lucy grinned. "Mine too." They smiled at each other.
"What's yours?" Stella asked, turning to Rose. "
Aberdeen Arrows."
"Who were thrashed by the Exeter Eagles last year," Roxy put in.
"That wasn't their fault," Rose protested. "The Seeker was incapacitated during the game against the Hebrides Hurricanes, and they didn't have enough time to get a good reserve."
"That wasn't the Hurricanes' fault either," Astoria said from in front of them.
James broke off his conversation with Fred and turned around in surprise. "You're a Hurricanes fan, too?" he asked, looking at Astoria.
"Yup. As is Scorpius. Stella supports the Harpies, and Draco's inclined towards the Montrose Magpies."
"My dad's a Magpies fan," Roxy said.
James had now turned completely around in his seat so that he could look at the rows behind him without twisting his neck. He glanced at Scorpius, who was sitting behind Albus.
"You support the Hebrides Hurricanes?" he asked, for once with no trace of hostility in his voice.
"Yeah, I have since I was ten. My dad took me to a game between the Magpies and the Hurricanes. I think he was trying to win me over to the Magpies, but," Scorpius chuckled, "when the Hurricanes won by 250 points, I sort of decided to be on their side instead."
James's eyes widened. "Was that the game in the season of 2016? Because I was at that one. Uncle George took me. He's a Magpies fan."
"Yes, it was," Scorpius said, the ghost of a smile appearing on his face. "Remember when the Hurricanes Seeker did the Wronski Feint and totally knocked out the opposing Seeker?"
"Yeah. That was awesome. And the way Ackerley scored five times in a row."
"Mm-hm. Did you go to see the Hurricanes' home game against the Cannons last summer?"
Rose relaxed as the boys carried on their Quidditch conversation. At least James and Scorpius had something in common.
The rest of the journey passed by. They pulled into the yard at the Burrow at one. Molly came bustling towards them as they got out.
"Come inside and have some lunch," she said, ushering them towards the house.
Rose walked into the kitchen to find a buffet lunch set up on the table. People were going in and out, getting food. Rose grabbed a plate and filled it, then headed outside to sit in the garden. Shortly after, Lily joined her, likewise carrying a plate of food.
"So, Lily," Rose said as her cousin sat down next to her. "Who were you writing to on Tuesday evening?"
Lily hesitated before answering. "Lorcan."
"Why was that such a big deal?"
"It wasn't, really. It's just…" Lily trailed off.
"Just what?"
"Nothing."
Rose gave Lily a hard stare, and then turned back to her meal. If that tone of voice meant nothing then she was a Hippogriff. But Lily would tell her eventually, if anything was going on. In the meantime, she might as well enjoy her sausages.
Lily reached over and nudged Rose. She pointed towards the gate, where Rose could see a tall, red-haired boy and a girl with dark-brown curls arriving.
"Look, there's Fred. But who's that with him?"
"I don't know. Come on, let's go find out."
They took their now empty plates inside, and went back out to the front yard.
"Oi! Fred!", Lily yelled over the tumult.
Fred turned. "What?"
"Introduce us." By now they had reached him.
Fred turned to the girl next to him with a grin on his face. "Alright."
"I already know her," Rose broke in. "You're Zoe Wood, right? Annie's twin?"
The girl nodded. "Yup. I know you're Rose. And you are...?"
"Lily. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too."
"I still need to introduce you," Fred said.
All three girls stared at him.
"Why?" Lily said.
Fred grinned broadly. "Ladies, allow me to introduce you to Zoe Wood...my girlfriend."
"Seriously?" Lily squealed.
Zoe laughed and pretended to slap Fred. "Yeah. But it's not like it's that big of a deal. He just gets a little overexcited sometimes."
"Oh, Fred's nothing compared to Lily," Rose said. "Look, there she goes already."
Lily had turned and run off, presumably to find someone to tell the news to.
"Hey, Fred," someone called out behind them.
Fred turned and looked over his shoulder. Then he turned back to Zoe and gave her a smile.
"I'll be back in a minute. I've got to go, Dad wants me." He headed over to the door, where George was beckoning.
Rose led Zoe over to a shady spot under a tree, slightly away from all the noise and bustle. "So tell me, Zoe," Rose said as they sat down. "How did you start going out with Fred? I didn't even know you two knew each other."
"We didn't know each other all that well while he was at school. I knew him by name, but he was the year above me and a star on the Quidditch pitch. I don't think he knew me as anything other than 'one of James's classmates' until last October."
"You've been going out since October?"
"Nearly. It all started on the first Hogsmeade weekend. I was in WWW, looking for something, I didn't know what, for my ongoing prank war with Annie. Fred came over and asked if I needed help, and when I said I was looking for something to use on my twin sister he mentioned he had a twin and that his dad was a twin as well. The conversation sort of escalated from there. Then two weeks later, he came to Hogwarts to watch the Ravenclaw-Slytherin match, and literally bumped into me in the stands. He was all apologetic, and helped me up, but I'm not entirely sure it was an accident." Zoe chuckled. "Then at the next Hogsmeade weekend, we had another chat at the shop, and he arranged to meet me at the Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer, and then he officially asked me out. Don't tell anyone else this, but," Zoe lowered her voice slightly, "you know the passageway behind the one-eyed witch, that leads into Honeydukes?" Rose nodded. "Well, I've been using it all year to meet up with Fred. Whenever I'm free, that is. N.E.W.T classes take a lot of work."
"What classes are you taking?" "Transfiguration, Charms, Arithmancy, and Defense against the Dark Arts. I'm hoping to get a job at the Ministry after school. What about you?"
"Potions, Transfiguration, Herbology, Charms, and Defence against the Dark Arts, and I'm doing Ancient Runes too. I want to do the training program at St. Mungo's when I finish Hogwarts."
"Sounds neat. But why Ancient Runes? You don't need them to be a Healer, do you?"
Rose laughed. "No, I'm just taking it because I enjoy it so much."
Just then, Hugo came running over. "Rose, Rose, guess what," he panted, coming to a stop with a large grin on his face.
"Nan's made pumpkin pasties?"
"No-well, yes, she has, but that wasn't what I was going to say. Dad just told me-the Chudley Cannons beat the Kenmare Kestrels 200 to 170!"
"They what?" Zoe said.
"Beat the Kestrels! By thirty points! Wait till Uncle Charlie hears, he'll be hopping mad..." And Hugo had disappeared again.
"But-the Cannons haven't won anything since 2003, when the Seeker of the opposing team wasn't playing," Rose said.
Zoe chuckled. "Looks like they've won something now. Go Cannons!"
"You're a Cannons fan too?"
"Totally. You?"
"Nope. Aberdeen Arrows all the way."
"Didn't they used to be something else?"
"They were the Appleby Arrows. But the Quidditch pitch near Appleby was shut down in 2010, because of all the Muggles. They kept getting near, and the Ministry was tired of performing Memory Charms. So the Arrows built another pitch near Aberdeen, and changed their name to suit."
At that moment, Dominique rushed up to them. "Rose! There you are, I've been looking everywhere for you. The ceremony starts in half an hour, we've got to go get ready."
"Alright, I'm coming," Rose said, getting to her feet. "See you later, Zoe."
She allowed herself to be pulled inside and up the stairs by Dominique. They entered a bedroom on the second floor to find Lucy, Lily, and Roxanne walking around in various stages of undressing. The bridesmaids' dresses were hung on a rail in the corner.
The girls finished doing each other's hair in record time—ten minutes each. They slipped into their dresses, and then followed a scramble to sort out their shoes.
At last they were ready—and none too soon. Bill knocked on the door.
"Ready, everyone?" he asked, sticking his head into the room. "Come on, then, we're about to start."
He led them downstairs and out to the back yard. A large white marquee had been set up, and everyone was inside. The five girls joined the group of people waiting by the entrance.
Victoire looked radiant. Her long, silvery-blonde hair had been twisted into a bun at the back. A few strands had been left free, and these had been curled and were hanging on either side of her face. Her dress had a tight-fitting, strapless satin waist that joined a wide skirt puffed out with layers of lace and silk. It swept into a train behind her. The waist was pure white, and where it met the silver-spangled skirt Victoire wore a single crimson rose. She was absolutely stunning.
Music started to swell from within the marquee. Bill nodded to Teddy and his best man, Samuel Finch-Fletchley. Teddy took a deep breath and started to walk down the aisle with Samuel right behind him. Then came Gabrielle's daughter Suzanne, carrying the rings, and behind her Stella with a basket of flowers. Roxy and Lucy entered side by side, and then it was Rose and Lily's turn. Dominique came behind them, and last, leaning on her father's arm, came Victoire.
The guests all stood as she slowly proceeded down the aisle. Up at the front, Teddy turned and sent a smile at Victoire. As she reached him, Bill pulled her close for one last hug, and then took his seat. Victoire placed her hand on Teddy's arm and turned to face the front with him. The ceremony began.
"Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, we are gathered together to witness the joining in marriage…"
Rose let her attention wander from the Ministry wizard who was officiating. On the other side of the tent she could see Fred and Zoe. Fred had his arm around Zoe's shoulder, and she was leaning against him. Rose smiled. It was nice seeing Fred and Zoe together. They clearly genuinely cared about each other.
Rose's eyes wandered over the rest of the guests. George and Angelina were next to Fred. As Rose watched, Angelina looked up at George and smiled, giving his hand a squeeze.
A few rows behind them sat the Malfoys, minus Stella. Orion was fidgeting around as usual. Scorpius looked up, and saw Rose watching him. He grinned. She smiled back, and then quickly turned to face the front again.
"Do you, Theodore Remus Lupin, take Victoire Apolline Weasley to be your lawfully wedded wife…"
In the front row, Fleur sniffed and wiped her eyes.
"And do you, Victoire Apolline Weasley…"
Hermione pulled out a handkerchief too.
"Mum," Rose whispered, mortified.
She held her breath as Victoire answered.
"I do."
The Ministry wizard raised his wand. "Then I declare you bonded for life."
Streamers burst out of his wand and spiralled around the pair, who were now kissing.
"Ladies and gentlemen…" Teddy and Victoire turned to face the audience; Victoire was clutching Teddy's arm, flushed and laughing, and Teddy was grinning broadly. "May I present—Mr. and Mrs. Lupin!"
Everyone burst into cheers and started applauding. Teddy and Victoire headed down the aisle among a shower of confetti.
Once they were outside, everyone else started moving. Rose, Lily, Dominique, Lucy, Roxy, Stella, Suzanne, and Samuel were all wanted outside for photos. After what felt like hours, but was only about thirty minutes, the photographer pronounced himself done. With a sigh of relief, Rose headed inside the house to get a drink of cold water.
When she came out again, the marquee had been transformed into a pavilion-type roof supported by golden poles, the chairs had regrouped around tables, and in the middle was a smooth silver dance floor. Rose saw Lucy, Roxy, Fred, Zoe, and Dominique sitting at a table, and went over to join them.
"Where's Lily?" she asked as she sat down. "And Louis, Molly, Hugo, James, and Al, for that matter?"
"Lily went to get drinks," Roxy said. "Hugo's over with Uncle Ron—probably talking about the Cannons." She rolled her eyes. "I think Molly went inside to find the library, and Louis, James, and Al have all seen fit to vanish with their girlfriends. Fred here was the only one who decided to stay."
"Chose to confer the honour of his presence upon you lot," Fred corrected.
Zoe slapped him again. "Fred, what did I tell you about behaving earlier?" she said sternly, but with a twinkle in her eye.
"Sorry, mum," Fred said, rolling his eyes and grinning. They all laughed.
Just then, music started playing softly from somewhere. They all looked up to see Bill walk out to the edge of the dance floor. When everyone had quietened down and all eyes were on him, Bill cleared his throat and turned towards the entrance.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said in a clear, carrying voice. "Please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Lupin!"
There was a round of applause as Teddy and Victoire entered. They walked out to the middle of the dance floor; then as the music (which seemed to be coming from the ceiling) got louder, Teddy put his arms around Victoire's waist. She lifted her arms to his shoulders, and the two of them slowly began to dance.
After a bit, Bill led Fleur out onto the dance floor, where they were quickly joined by Harry and Ginny. Soon the area was full of couples. The music sped up.
Rose, Lucy, and Dominique were the only ones still at the table now. Fred and Zoe had vanished, presumably to dance, and Roxy had been asked to dance by one of Victoire's French relatives. The three girls were talking about the upcoming World Cup when someone approached their table.
"Excuse me?"
It was a tall, dark-haired man who looked familiar. Rose racked her brains as to who he was. Then she remembered. Teddy's best friend, and Mary Finch-Fletchley's older brother, Samuel. He was looking at Dominique.
"Er…I was wondering…"
"Yes?" Dominique said.
"Would you…would you like to dance?"
Dominique smiled up at him. "I'd love to."
He led her off to the dance floor. Rose and Lucy looked at each other.
"So what do you reckon are the chances of Germany not winning the Cup this summer?" Rose asked, returning to their previous conversation.
Lucy frowned. "I don't know. They did win the last two, but I heard a rumour that that really good Chaser of theirs, Heckenhofen, won't be playing this year. That would give the rest of the world a chance. But we won't know until we find out what the line-ups are."
"I know," Rose sighed. "It's so annoying. I don't get why the teams won't let the public know who's playing until their first match."
"For safety," Lucy said. "Remember that incident back in 2020, the summer before our third year, when some Brazilians attacked the Peruvian players three weeks before the match?"
"Good point."
"Lucy!" someone called.
Lucy turned. "Oh, it's Mum. I've got to go. See you later." She got up and left.
Rose looked around. She was now the only one at the table. Lily hadn't returned, Hugo had vanished, and everyone else was dancing. She noticed Hermione weaving her way between the tables, headed in her direction.
"Hi, Rose," Hermione said, slipping into a chair across from her daughter. "Having a good time?"
"I was, until everybody abandoned me to go dance," Rose laughed.
"There's a letter for you, it just arrived," Hermione said.
Rose frowned slightly. "A letter? That's funny. Who'd be writing to me at this time?"
"No idea. But the owl's on the kitchen table, I think it's waiting for an answer."
Rose got up from the table and went outside. She headed up the path to the house, relishing the cool night air as she walked. In the kitchen was a large Tawny Owl, perched on the table as Hermione had said. It held out its leg. Rose undid the letter tied to it, and unrolled the parchment as she sat down.
Dear Rose,
I know this is short notice, but some of us are getting together at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow. We're meeting up at two, to hang out. If you want to come, you'd be welcome.
Mary
P.S. Tell Al and Lucy for me, would you? And I heard Scorpius is there too, so I guess you can invite him along as well. Not James or the others, though, I've only told sixth years about it.
MFF
Rose thought for a moment. She wasn't doing anything the next afternoon, as far as she knew. She found a quill on the counter and wrote an answer.
Dear Mary,
I'd love to come tomorrow. I'll ask the others, too. I'm sure they'll come if they're able to.
Rose
She folded up the parchment, tied it to the owl, and then sent the bird off. She went back out into the garden. As she walked down the path, she bumped into someone and nearly fell over. A hand steadied her as she caught her balance. Rose looked up into the face of her rescuer.
"Thanks, Scorpius."
"No problem. It was my fault, anyway—"
"No, it was mine—"
"—I wasn't watching where I was going," they said at the same time.
Rose laughed. "I guess neither of us was."
"Enjoying yourself?" Scorpius asked.
Rose smiled. "Yes. Oh, I just got a letter from Mary Finch-Fletchley. A bunch of people are getting together at the Leaky cauldron tomorrow. You want to come?"
"I wouldn't mind," Scorpius said as they walked back towards the entrance to the pavilion.
Rose gave a small sigh as he music and laughter streamed towards her.
"Is something wrong?" Scorpius asked, looking concerned.
Rose laughed. "No, I was just feeling sorry for myself because all my cousins are off dancing and I'm not."
"Do you want to?"
"What?"
"I said, do you want to? Dance," Scorpius added.
Rose looked flustered. "Well, I'd love to, but we can't. Not in there, at least."
"What's wrong with out here?"
Rose chuckled. "Nothing, I guess."
They went over to the side a bit, away from the well-lit entrance. Just then, the fast piece that had been playing changed to a slow waltz. Rose caught her breath as Scorpius turned to face her. She had never danced with him while he looked himself. Not that the hair colour made that much difference, but still…
Scorpius put one hand on her waist, and Rose raised her hand to his shoulder. They clasped their other hands together, and started to dance. For some reason, Rose couldn't stop staring into Scorpius' eyes as they danced. She felt the same as she had that night when they went skating in December. Almost as if he were about to—
A resounding clap of thunder startled her out of her thoughts. Surprised, they both stopped dancing and looked up, just in time to see a bolt of lightning flicker across the sky, followed by another loud thunderclap. Then it started to rain.
Rose grabbed Scorpius by the arm and dragged him under a nearby tree to shelter from the downpour.
"That was abrupt," Scorpius said.
"Yeah, I'll say," Rose agreed.
The tree, while providing shelter from the storm, didn't offer a very wide area, which meant that the two of them had to huddle together quite closely against the tree trunk. Rose shivered slightly as more lightning flashed across the sky. Scorpius turned and looked at her.
"What's the matter?" he asked. "Cold?"
"A bit," Rose admitted, rubbing her shoulders. "Sleeveless dresses aren't the best for sudden thunderstorms."
Scorpius hesitantly put his arm around her shoulders. "Better?" he asked, looking down at her.
"Ye—yes, thanks." Rose turned to watch the storm again, not quite sure what else to say.
The wind blew stronger, and soon the rain was starting to drive sideways, reaching them.
"I wish I had my wand," Rose said suddenly.
"Why?" Scorpius asked.
"Because I know a water-repelling spell. But I left my wand inside."
"What's the spell?"
"Impervious."
Scorpius pulled his wand out of his pocket with his free hand and directed it at the two of them, saying the spell.
"Thanks," Rose said again.
"No problem. I—I guess we can go back to the reception now without getting soaked."
"Alright."
They moved out into the rain. Scorpius still had his arm around Rose's shoulders; Rose wasn't sure if he had left it there on purpose, or if he'd just forgotten. But it felt nice.
They stopped near the entrance to the marquee. "I suppose I'll go in now," Rose said, looking anywhere but at Scorpius.
"Okay." He lowered his arm, as though suddenly conscious of the fact that he still had it around her.
Rose turned and started to walk around the clump of bushes that stood between them and the entrance.
"Rose," Scorpius called behind her.
She turned to face him again. "What—"
But she never finished her sentence, because at that moment, he placed his hands on her shoulders, pulled her close to him, and kissed her.
Half an hour later, Rose slipped back inside the marquee and found herself an empty table in a corner, well away from the prying eyes of her family. Most of them, anyway.
Rose chuckled to herself as Lily spotted her and immediately made a beeline for her table. That girl seemed to have a radar for any time something out of the ordinary happened. Lily sat down opposite Rose and leaned forward.
"What happened?" she demanded.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what happened? You left more than forty minutes ago, and I haven't seen you since, and now you walk back in here with a secret smile on your face and sit down on the other side of the tent from the rest of us. So," Lily pressed, "what happened?"
Rose laughed. "You're too clever for your own good sometimes, Lily. Well," she lowered her voice, "I may or may not have just…er—kissed Scorpius."
Lily's face was priceless.
For a moment, she said nothing, just sitting there. Then, apparently regaining control of her senses, she stood up, grabbed Rose by the hand, and pulled her outside. The rain had stopped now, but every now and again, lightning flickered in the distance.
Lily and Rose sat down on a bench, out of earshot of the reception. Lily turned eagerly to Rose.
"Well, come on, spill. What exactly happened?"
"I was over at the house because I'd gotten a letter. Then when I was walking back, I ran into Scorpius—literally. He caught me before I fell, though. We talked for a bit, and then the storm started, so we went to shelter under a tree, and because it was a bit cold, he put his arm around my shoulders to warm me up. Then I remembered the water-repelling spell, so we used that so that we could walk back through the rain. I was about to go inside when I heard him call my name, so I turned around and he…well…" Rose blushed in the darkness.
Lily laughed. "That's when he kissed you, I assume. What did you do after that?"
"He went all apologetic on me, you know, the whole oh-I'm-so-sorry-I-didn't-mean-to-do-that thing."
"What did you say?"
Rose blushed even harder. "I think I may have told him to just shut up and kiss me again," she mumbled.
Lily giggled. "Rose! What did he say to that?"
"He didn't say anything much for a bit." Rose laughed again at the look on Lily's face. "But then he, er, asked me to go into Diagon Alley with him tomorrow."
Lily sat bolt upright. "Rose," she said, eyeing her cousin, "considering he's officially asked you out, does that make him your boyfriend now?"
"Um, I guess so?"
Lily squealed and gave Rose a hug. "That's so exciting! What are you going to tell Uncle Ron?" she added as an afterthought.
Rose looked worried. "No idea."
"You're going to have to think of something really quickly," Lily said, peering over Rose's shoulder. "Here he comes now, and he doesn't look too happy."
Rose whirled around, but there was nobody there. She turned back to her cousin, who was trying and failing to hold in her laughter.
"Merlin, Lily, if you ever do that to me again…"
Lily laughed harder. "Your face was amazing."
"We should probably go back inside, or someone's going to start wondering where we are," Rose said.
Lily raised her eyebrows. "Oh? And who were you thinking of, hmmm?"
Rose tried to slap Lily, but she ducked. "Don't be stupid, Lily, you know that's not what I meant. Come on, let's go in."
As soon as they entered the tent, someone asked Lily to dance. Rose searched the crowd for her mother. She found Hermione over by the buffet, talking to Angelina.
"Hi, Mum," she said, coming up to the pair. "Auntie Angelina, do you mind if I borrow Mum for a minute? I need to talk to her about something."
"Sure, no problem."
Rose and Hermione found an empty table in a corner.
"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Hermione asked as they sat down.
Rose blushed slightly. "I—I have a boyfriend."
"Really? Who is it? do I know him? Is he nice? How long have you two been dating?"
"Mum, Mum, slow down," Rose protested, trying to stop Hermione's flow of excited questions. "I can only answer one at a time. Of course he's nice, else I wouldn't be going out with him. He's seventeen, in my year. And he asked me out—er, just now."
Hermione looked surprised. "Who?"
"Scorpius," Rose muttered.
She rolled her eyes slightly. It wasn't as though she'd told her mother during their conversation last Tuesday that she fancied him or anything, right?
Hermione's eyes widened in shock. "Scorpius?"
"He's really nice. And he's friendly, and caring, and—and really good at Quidditch, and I'm sure you'd like him if you knew him," Rose said desperately. "He's not really like his father at all—well, except for how he looks. But he's more like his mother. And besides, you're always saying we should judge people for themselves, not for their families."
Hermione laughed. "Don't worry, Rose, I won't be judging him until after I've met him. And if you like him, I'm sure I will. The question is, will your dad?"
Rose turned worried eyes on her mother. "I don't know."
"I'll tell you what," Hermione said. "I won't tell him you have a boyfriend, but I'm not going to tell him you don't. If he asks me, of course, I'm not going to lie to him, but I won't mention it until you want me to." Rose opened her mouth to agree, but Hermione stopped her. "On one condition—if you and Scorpius are still together in six months, you have to tell your father then, if you haven't before. Alright?"
Rose considered it, and then nodded slowly. "Okay. Thank you."
Hermione smiled, and gave Rose's hand a squeeze. "No problem. See you later." She got up and vanished in the crowd.
Rose was watching the dancing when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder.
"May I have this dance?"
Rose turned around to see Scorpius smiling at her. "Of course. If we go outside again."
"I don't mind."
Rose and Scorpius danced together for the next half hour. They had just sat down for a break when Rose heard someone calling her. She turned to see Ginny looking for her.
"I'm over here, Aunt Ginny."
"Where have you been?" Ginny said, coming closer. "I've been looking for you for a good twenty minutes. What were you—" Then she saw Scorpius. Ginny chuckled. "Oh. I see. Well, Rose, we have to go now if we want to be home before midnight, so when you're ready…" She gave Rose a knowing smile and left again.
Rose turned to Scorpius, her cheeks faintly pink. "I was about to say see you later, but then I remembered that you're coming back with us," she said with a laugh. "Come on, let's go."
They walked around to the front of the house, where all the cousins were saying goodbye to Molly and Arthur, and trying to sort out seating arrangements in the big blue van. Under cover of all the chatter, Rose drew Ginny aside.
"Er, Ginny, there's something I wanted to tell you…"
Ginny's eyes twinkled. "Might this have something to do with the fact that you and Scorpius vanished together for at least and hour and a half?"
Rose blushed. "Well, yes…he asked me out."
"And it took him a whole ninety minutes to do so?"
Rose's cheeks got redder. "As I'm sure you have already guessed, he did more than just ask me out."
Ginny laughed. "Alright, Rose, I won't enquire any further. And I'm guessing you probably don't want me to mention it to Ron just yet?"
Rose's cheeks had begun to cool down. "It would be much appreciated if you didn't. And Mum's made me promise to tell him in six month at the latest—if we're still together then."
"Fair enough," Ginny conceded. "Come on, let's go get in the van."
They walked back out to the front yard, where no one had as yet made any move towards the vehicle.
"Alright, everyone, time to go," Ginny shouted.
Rose climbed into the van. Scorpius was sitting at the very back, and she joined him, quickly followed by Lily and Lucy. Ginny, Astoria, and Elanor, who was looking very sleepy, took the row in front of them.
Rose noticed James, Albus, and Hugo racing towards the van. She chuckled to herself as Al leaped for the front, flung open the door, and threw himself into the passenger seat, sending a triumphant grin in Hugo's direction. Hugo grinned back, defeated, and climbed into the first row of seats, followed by a, for once in his life, silent Orion, and James.
"Who are we still missing?" Harry asked, sticking his head in.
Ginny did a quick head cont. "Stella, Fred, and Roxanne."
"Stella and Roxy were talking with Nan," Lily said from next to Rose.
"Where?" Harry asked.
"In the kitchen, I think."
Harry turned to go look for them, and nearly ran into them instead.
"Sorry we took forever," Roxanne said, climbing into the van after Stella. "Nan just wouldn't stop talking."
Harry chuckled. "I know what you mean. Right then, only Fred left."
He turned back to the group of people clustered around the front door. "Has anyone seen Fred?"
Dominique detached herself from some of her chattering French cousins and came towards them. "I think I saw him in the backyard. Shall I go find him?"
"Yes, please."
Dominique vanished. She reappeared a few minutes later, Fred behind her. Dominique grinned mischievously as she looked inside the van.
"I found him. Out back." She paused. "Snogging his girlfriend."
James and Al chuckled. "I thought you were only going to say goodbye," James said.
Fred looked puzzled. "I don't think I told you that."
"He's right, you know," Al put in. "As far as I recall, his exact words were 'bid her farewell'."
"Precisely," Fred said. "I never specified how." He winked, and all three boys burst out laughing.
"Much as we enjoy hearing about your exploits," Harry said, his eyes twinkling, "we really must leave if we want to get home tonight."
Fred, his face slightly red, sat down next to Roxy. Harry climbed into the front, and they drove off amidst a chorus of goodbyes.
Rose studied the seating arrangements. Really, they couldn't have been better. She was next to Scorpius at the very back, with Lily and Lucy on her other side and Ginny just in front of her. And Fred, James, and Al were about as far away from her as they could get. Rose decided to risk it. But first, she would have to explain to Lucy.
She nudged Lily. "Do me a favour, and tell Lucy that Scorpius asked me out tonight, I'm keeping it a secret from most people, but Mum, Aunt Ginny, and now you two know, and that I'll tell her more later," Rose whispered.
Lily nodded, and turned to relay the message to Lucy. Rose didn't notice Lucy's reaction, as she had turned to Scorpius.
"I'm tired. Do you mind if I sleep on you?"
Scorpius smiled down at her. "Of course not."
Rose leaned her head against his shoulder and relaxed, breathing in his faint lemon and pine scent. She knew that even if anyone looked back, Ginny and Astoria's heads would block them from view.
Just before Rose fell asleep, she felt Scorpius wrap his arm around her shoulder. Rose snuggled up against him, smiling to herself. She slept comfortably all the way home.
A/N: I'm sure everyone's thinking, "Finally! It's taken them long enough!" I know my best friend is.
But honestly, wasn't that sweet?
And sorry to disappoint, but the next chapter will not include their date, because when I started writing it, so much happened the next morning that it would have been way too long to include the afternoon as well. The next chapter's nearly as long as this one, and this one's already seven pages on Word.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it (if so, please tell me!), and I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can.