I can't believe this is the last chapter before the epilogue! But this story has always been intended as spanning Rose's last year at school, not including the epilogue.

I hope you all like this, sorry for some of the confusion last chapter.

Also, there are some rather fluffy moments, courtesy of Scorpius, so be prepared. :D

Enjoy!

I sat in my dorm room, the early morning sun streaming through the window.

The others were down at breakfast, so I had a rare moment of peace as I sorted through my things, deciding what to throw away and what to pack in my trunk.

The exams had all finished a few days ago, and this morning… it was my last morning as a student at Hogwarts.

I sighed quietly to myself.

I was going to miss it. The castle was cold, dark, even scary sometimes, but it was home. More so than the house my parents lived in.

That was the only positive thing about leaving: my parents. Without boarding school, I'd be able to see them more often, whenever I wanted to.

Unfortunately, there were many more negative points: I had to get a job, find somewhere to live, and sort out my relationship with Scorpius.

Scorpius, I sighed again.

I placed the last book in my trunk, standing up and dusting off my robes.

We'd largely ignored our conversation in his room three days ago. Not because we didn't want to sort us out, but because… we didn't know how to sort it out.

I'd told him to accept his job - either way, he was going. I wasn't letting him throw it away. He needed perspective and objectivity when it came to me, and I was just the person to give it to him.

"You're not still packing, are you?" An amused voice asked from the doorway.

I turned in surprise to see Scorpius leaning on the doorframe, eyebrows raised and a smile playing at his lips.

"Just finished, actually," I replied, returning his smile somewhat hesitantly. "How about you?"

"I sent most of my stuff to my parents yesterday. Everything else is in one suitcase, ready for… when I leave…"

"Oh, right… of course," I mumbled at the reminder, busying myself making my bed.

He sighed after a moment, stepping behind me, catching my left hand in his own. "Rose…"

"It's fine, why don't you go down to breakfast? I'll be right behind you…" I avoided his gaze.

"Rose, look at me."

"I'm fine."

He walked round my bed and sat on it, so that he was now in my line of vision and I had no excuse to ignore him.

For a moment, I forgot he was leaving, "Scorpius," I complained half-heartedly. "I just made the bed."

He pulled me down to lay on it next to him, and together we laid side by side, looking up at the ceiling. He pulled his arm across my head, his lips beside my ear.

"I'm not leaving you, Rose," He stressed. "I'm leaving England. For a short time, in comparison with the rest of our lives."

"I know…" I told him, but I didn't really believe his words. I'd never been good with relationships before him, so I couldn't see a long distance one working out. I didn't know if I would even let myself try - if I was already so pessimistic about it, I, unconsciously, wouldn't put in as much effort.

It wasn't like me to be sceptical but… I just was in this situation.

I tried not to let tears well up behind my eyes as I realised that this could be the last time we were together as a couple.

After breakfast we were getting on the train for home and Scorpius was meeting his family there, then they were driving him (I think they wanted to spend some time with him before he left) to the meeting point where he'd see the other seven people who had been accepted into the programme for the first time. From there he was apparating (once he'd received his pass) to the 'secret' headquarters in Bulgaria. I swear, they were treating the programme as if he was James Bond, or Indiana Jones or something.

"We don't have long," I muttered sadly.

He shuffled, turning on his side to face me. "Listen, Rose, I know you told me to accept this programme - practically made sure I did - but… we haven't… we don't…"

He sighed in frustration.

"Shh," I tried to calm him down. "I know…"

We hadn't actually finished our conversation, or decided what we were doing. Were we still a couple when we stepped off the Hogwarts Express?

I hadn't made any plans to go with him. The Ministry had offered me a well-paying job in the Department of Magical Transportation. It was boring and tedious, but it was a start - it wasn't something I wouldn't ever dream of turning down. Plus, Victoire was beginning to show in her pregnancy, and she relied on me for little things, mostly emotional support, but I'd read about interesting circumstances in magical pregnancies, namely Teddy being a Metamorphmagus, so she kept sending me letters in the middle of the night, panicking about weird things that had happened to her.

I suppose I kind of felt it was my duty to stay and help her.

"Come with me," He said it so softly as he nuzzled his nose in my hair, that I hardly heard him.

"Scorpius…" I warned. This wasn't a good road to go down. I couldn't just go, my parents would call it ridiculous to move across the world just because my boyfriend was.

"I'll miss you," He pressed. "I'll miss you more than anything. I just don't want to lose you, Rose."

"You won't," I tried to make sure he knew I was telling the truth as I stroked his cheek. "I promise you won't."

"But I can't just ask you to wait for me, for a whole year," He pointed out sadly.

"I would," I whispered. "If you ask me to, I will."

He shook his head, "No, It-"

"Scorpius," I turned his chin so that he was looking at me. "Ask me."

"Rose…" He complained again.

"I'll wait," I promised without him asking. "I'll visit you every weekend you're allowed out, if you want me to, it wouldn't take too long to get a Floo'ing permit from the Ministry. We can see each other all the time, and then, next year, when you come back, we'll be… us again. Everything will be normal."

He sighed. "Floo'ing to Bulgaria everyday isn't a good idea, it'll tire you out, and I'm not allowed to go too far except on select weekends - they're really strict at the programme."

"I know," I replied sadly. We'd been over this before. "Why can't I just not have a stupid job and family in England… if only I had someone in…"

I sat up so suddenly I think I got whiplash.

"Rose?" Scorpius asked hesitatingly as he sat up slowly too. "What's wrong?"

I stared at the wall I front of me for a moment, completely stunned at my own stupidity. Then I turned to Scorpius, "Charlie!"

Scorpius' eyebrows creased in confusion, "Charlie who?"

"Charlie Weasley! Who else?"

I scrambled up off the bed, rummaging in my trunk, completely disregarding my hours of neat packing.

Scorpius sat up on my bed, watching me curiously. "What, in the name of Bathilda Bagshot, are you doing?"

"Looking for my mirror," I told him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Er, Rose, not to be too much of a guy or anything, but… why would you want a mirror right now?"

"It's a two way mirror," I explained in a rush. "But Uncle George and James broke it, so it's now a six way mirror."

"And it still works?" He asked, incredulous.

"Yep, aha!" I produced the mirror shard, looking immensely pleased with myself.

"And what are you planning on doing exactly? Fixing Charlie's hair?"

"I'm going to see if Charlie will let me stay with him," I said as if it was obvious again.

"He lives in Romania."

"No, I forgot, but he moved to Bulgaria a couple of years ago. I hardly ever see him so it completely slipped my mind - how could I be so stupid!"

"What?" Scorpius jumped off the bed and came to sit beside me on the floor. "No way are you moving to Bulgaria!"

"Why not?" I asked, hardly fazed by his reaction. "It's perfect - he's family, so nobody will mind, and I know he lives near the Curse-Breaker training ground - he helps out sometimes when they do Dragon related things."

"But… but…" Scorpius spluttered. "But you can't just decide to leave, not all of a sudden!"

"Why not?" I asked, his mood starting to deflate my own. Did he not want me to go?

Had we just switched places?

"Because it's not like you," He replied. "Listen Rose, I would love for you to be with me for the next year, but you can't just get off the Hogwarts Express and tell your parents, 'Sorry, but I'm moving to Bulgaria'."

I sighed again, "You're right. My parents won't exactly love the idea, but what if I gave them two weeks - Uncle Charlie would have to get everything sorted out for me anyway…"

Scorpius hesitated. I knew he liked the idea, he was just trying to be realistic. "How do you know he'll even say yes?"

"He's wanted somebody to go out there for years, but none of us have had the time. He'll love the idea."

"What about Victoire?"

"She'll be fine. I'll drop in every now and then, and I'll owl her. Besides, she has other friends."

We grinned at each other for a moment.

"I just need to persuade my parents to let me follow my boyfriend to a foreign country…"

"What if… what if I wasn't your boyfriend?" He asked, looking straight at me.

I creased my eyebrows and tilted my head at him amusedly. "Then we wouldn't have this problem, would we?" I joked.

"No, Rose, what if I wasn't your boyfriend?" He put more emphasis on the words this time, but I still had no idea what he was talking about.

"Are you trying to break up with me?" I joked, repacking my trunk. "Cause this is, like, the worst moment you-"

"Rose, I'm asking you to marry me."

I froze.

Then I turned to stare at him, eyes wide in shock. "You… you, what?"

He didn't even blink. "Not… I don't mean we'd get married now. Just… marry me. Be my fiancée. It's a commitment, just so you know and our parents would know, that I'm serious. That we're serious."

"I…" I swallowed, retracting my hands from my trunk and placing them on my heart to make sure it was there. Yep, still beating. "M-marry you?"

He nodded, taking my hands in his and leaning forwards. "You don't have to… accept, if you don't want to. I just… I don't want to leave you, I don't want to be with anybody else… I… You're the best person I know, the only person I…" He was becoming flustered now, agitated. "I'm doing this all wrong, I'm sorry. Listen, Rose, I love you. I don't want… not that it's just me… I want you to, well, you know, want to marry me. I just… oh Merlin, I'm terrible at this-"

"Yes."

"-I don't mean to…" My heart beat uncontrollably in my chest as I looked into his eyes. His eyes widened. "You… mean it?"

"Yes," I laughed. "Yes. I'll marry you."

I couldn't believe what I was doing. It was crazy, it was irrational, it was not 'Rose Weasley', yet it felt completely right.

He kissed me, cupping my face in his hands, his lips curving into a smile against my own.

As we pulled apart, his exuberant expression turned to fear. "Oh no… our parents are going to hate us."

I laughed as I pulled him down for another kiss. "I don't care."

An hour later Lily came up to get me for breakfast. As the last day, the breakfast feast usually lasted until about half eleven, so it was really brunch when she knocked on the door.

"Rose?" She called hesitantly through the door.

"Come in!" I sung back cheerily.

She pushed the door open with a confused, yet happy, expression on her face. Scorpius and I were laying on the bed together, but we sat up as she came in, the six way mirror from when we'd spoken to Charlie earlier at the end of the bed. "I don't mean to disturb you, but you haven't got long left before we have to leave."

"We're coming, Lils. Thanks for getting us."

"No problem," She looked a little weary at my easy smiles and light voice, having been used to my rather subdued appearance for the past couple of days.

We got up off the bed as Lily left. As soon as the door swung shut, Scorpius turned to me. "Here, I want you to have this."

He pulled his ring from his finger - it was black and green and held the Malfoy family crest on its face, a gift from his father. The ring had been something Astoria had had made for Draco, something to remind him that he shouldn't be ashamed of who he was, but also to signify a new start to his life. Draco had destroyed the old ring heirloom with the Malfoy family crest on and replaced it with this one.

I smiled up at Scorpius as he stepped in front of me, gently placing the gift on my ring finger.

"This is a promise to buy you a real one one day," He smirked.

I kissed him again. "I love it."

We met the others in the Entrance Hall with our luggage. Students milled about, waiting for friends or family members before heading down to Hogsmeade train station.

"There you are!" Al exclaimed as we reached them, Scorpius levitating my trunk for me, his own bag over his shoulder and hand in mine.

"Here we are," I repeated. "Are we the last ones?"

"Yep."

"We've been waiting for ages," Roxanne complained.

"No, you haven't," Lily laughed. "You and Fred only just got here."

Roxanne stuck her tongue out at her as we made our way out of the grounds, teasing Louis about being in Ravenclaw.

Halfway to the gates, I stopped, pulling Albus, Scorpius, Alice, Dom, Fred and Angie to a halt.

"What's wrong?" Alice asked as they followed my actions, turning back to look at the old, familiar castle behind us.

"This is it," I spoke quietly.

"Yeah," Fred agreed. Then he laughed. "Thank Merlin for that!"

"Fred!" Angie elbowed him.

"I'm going to miss it, in a weird way," Al agreed with me.

"Yeah, now we've got to get jobs and, y'know… start a life."

Scorpius and I exchanged covert glances out of the corner of our eyes, barely daring to move our heads.

"Take responsibility for our actions," Fred complained.

We all stood rooted to the spot. The summer breeze wafted lazily through the trees in the Forbidden Forest, the sun shone down onto the rippling lake, and the students called to each other happily to have a good summer.

This was home, for all of us, and we were leaving it.

"Come on," I sighed after a moment. "It's time to let go."

Scorpius squeezed my hand as we passed through the gates.

Hardly any time later, we were on the Hogwarts Express, the train had left the station, and we were well and truly past Duff Town and into the countryside.

The compartment was noisy, like always.

Unsurprisingly, Exploding Snap was the main attraction, and it resulted in a lot of bruising and burning, some minor arguments and one dodgy incident involving the melting of a Chocolate Frog.

Molly and Lucy were discussing their plans after Hogwarts with Al, Roxanne and Hugo when the spotlight was suddenly thrust onto Scorpius.

"You're parents are meeting you at the station, right, Scor?" Al's head spun round to face us, sitting in the corner of the compartment by the window.

"Er, yeah, with Claire," He confirmed.

"But you're gonna visit right?"

"I get one weekend off after four months, and the other after 8 months," He told his best friend sadly. "But I'll write to you."

"You better," Al punched him playfully on the arm, probably to make the conversation seem more manly, no doubt. "So long as you're not too preoccupied writing to Rose."

Scorpius and I exchanged a look. I didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"You are… staying together, right?" Alice asked quietly.

"Yes, of course," I laughed. Scorpius smiled at me, our secret passing between us.

The others knew something weird was going on and, like always, weren't exactly tactful.

"Is it just me," Roxanne spoke up. "Or is there something going on here that we don't know about?"

"Something definitely seems fishy," Fred agreed.

"Erm…" I looked to Scorpius.

"You may as well tell them…" He started. "About Bulgaria, I mean… the other thing… well, that's your choice."

I grinned at him.

"About Bulgaria?" Lucy asked.

"Scor, we already know you're going to Bulgaria."

"Not me… Rose," Scorpius stated.

They all turned to look at me in confusion.

"I'm… going to Bulgaria," I mumbled, self-conscious from all their gazes.

There was a pause. Then manic shouting.

"What?"

"No-"

"Mum and dad will kill you!"

"What about us?"

"What about the Ministry?"

"You can't just leave!"

"Alright, alright, calm down," I called. They, for once, did as I said. I rolled my eyes. "Believe it or not, I did think about those things before I made the decision."

"When… when do you leave?" Al asked quietly. He was subdued for once - although, his best friend and favourite cousin were leaving the country for a year, of course he was sad.

"In two weeks. Uncle Charlie is really excited about having me stay there, and I'd like to see him for more than a couple of hours, to be honest. It'll be nice having a change of scenery, and I'd get to be with Scorpius too."

"So you're leaving the country to be with your boyfriend?" Molly scoffed.

"Well, partly," I sighed - I knew this reaction was a given. "But that's not the only reason I'm going. Uncle Charlie needs help, he's lonely and I can fill that gap. Besides, it's only for a year, I'm not moving there forever."

"What about your job at the Ministry?" Hugo asked.

"Doing paperwork for the Department of Magical Transportation? It's not exactly my goal in life. It's part time anyway and they allow people to do it from abroad. They need contacts in foreign countries anyway. I already spoke to Mr Dartsworth, and he's happy for me to transfer to the team in Bulgaria."

Al, Hugo and Fred all stared at me in disbelief.

"You've really thought this through," Louis commented.

"I have."

"And you're definitely going?" Lily asked, a little put out.

"I am."

Nobody said anything for a few minutes, the scenery passing us by. Then Dom blurted out, "What if you break up?"

"Dom!" Lily and Alice reprimanded her.

Scorpius and I exchanged another look.

"Rose…" Lily started, a twinkle in her eye. "Don't tell me you… did something stupid…"

The others turned to look at her, confusion etched across their faces, but I knew what she was getting at.

She knew.

"It's not stupid, Lily. It's what we want."

"Okay, will somebody please explain what's going on?" Hugo complained. "My sister is leaving the country with her boyfriend in two weeks and our parents are going to go mental. What can I have missed?"

"We…" Scorpius started, then gulped. The faces of Fred, Al, Hugo and Louis stared up at him, curious, and he bottled out of it.

"Chicken," I mumbled in his ear.

"You tell them then," He whispered back.

"We… won't break up," I finished for Scorpius, a little ambiguously.

"No offence, because I don't want it to happen or anything," Dom started. "But-"

"-you don't really know that, do you?" Angie interrupted.

"They're right," Alice reluctantly agreed. "You guys are great together, but who knows where you'll be in a year. It's not like you're getting mar… Oh, Merlin!"

She gasped at the same time as realisation dawned on most of the others.

Alice, Lucy and Roxanne covered their mouths with their hands whilst Al, Fred and Hugo looked like they were in total shock. Louis, Molly and Angie exchanged disbelieving looks.

Lily looked rather relaxed. Just like Aunt Ginny, I thought affectionately.

I coughed as Scorpius' hand gripped mine a little tighter. He was probably imagining the millions of different ways my cousins were going to murder him.

"You what?" Al exploded first, darting to his feet.

"You're barely out of school!"

"You are not getting married!" Dom shook her head. "No way."

"Why not?" I asked casually, as if we were talking about the latest Quidditch Match.

"No," Molly agreed. "Your parents would never allow it."

"Why not?" I repeated. "They like Scorpius."

"As your boyfriend," Angie pointed out neutrally, but she smiled at me and winked in support.

"Molly's right," Lucy sighed. "Uncle Ron will go catatonic."

Their words frightened me a little. After all, if they responded so negatively, what would my parents say? I knew my dad hated the Malfoy's, although at least he could stand to be in the same room as them now. My mother… she was tricky. She loved Scorpius and she was always accepting of him, but the past was the past, and there was only so much Malfoy she could take in her life. She'd been tortured at their Manor, and Scorpius' ancestors were the one's to do it.

"Well, I like it."

My head snapped round in shock at my little brother. "You… do?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, why not? It's not exactly like any of us thought you were going to break up anyway."

"I agree," Lily said, whilst Alice nodded.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you, I just… don't want you to get your hopes up that the adults are going to be pleased about this," Dom said.

"I'm not deluding myself," I snapped finally. "And it's not like we're getting married tomorrow. It's just for the future. The rather distant future."

I don't think Scorpius had breathed throughout the entire conversation and, when I followed his gaze, I realised why.

Al was glaring at him.

"Al…" I prodded nervously. "What do you think?"

"What do I think?" His eyes were so wide I thought I was seeing things. "I think it's crazy, absolutely bloody mental! No way is Uncle Ron going to let you marry Scorpius Malfoy."

He stood up, unsure of what to do. He wasn't angry, he was just… confused, I think. Surprised.

"Are you… mad?" Scorpius asked quietly, nervously.

"I'm… no, I'm bloody well not mad, am I?" He suddenly laughed. "I'm happy for you, really. I'm just… this is crazy."

"I know," Louis whispered his agreement.

"I know," Scorpius added.

"I know," I finished.

"So… you're really doing it?" Angie asked. "You're really engaged?"

I grinned. "Scary, I know."

"But we're not getting married yet," Scorpius reminded them. "We've just… come to an understanding."

"Of loooove," Fred teased.

I flicked my wand so a Pumpkin Pasty flew into his face.

Scorpius and I blushed. Why couldn't we talk about someone else's love life for once?

Everyone started laughing, and the conversation changed, an unvoiced agreement that we wouldn't say any more on Scorpius and mine's relationship and that they wouldn't tell. For once, I knew none of them would say anything until we had - it was just too serious to mess around with.

As the train pulled into the station at Platform Nine and Three Quarters, Al leaned over to whisper something into Scorpius' ear. He nodded seriously, then laughed nervously as Al said, "And good luck with Uncle Ron."

We filed off the train, the others disappearing into the smoke.

Al, Scorpius and I were left together, standing awkwardly in a circle as our respective families stood a little way off, watching patiently as we said our goodbyes.

I pretended to be busy with something in my bag as Al and Scorpius said goodbye. It was rather tearful, even though they tried to hide it.

They even hugged.

It was that serious.

"Thanks for… y'know… you know, being… my friend, yeah?" Al said lamely.

Scorpius nodded. "I'm still your mate, I'm just not gonna be around for a little while."

"Look after Rose, yeah?" Al asked seriously.

"With my life," Scorpius promised rather melodramatically.

Then Al walked away, giving me a look that clearly told me to stick to my guns when it came to telling the adults, about both Bulgaria and Scorpius and I.

I turned to him, already feeling the tears come as I saw his family shuffle restlessly out of the corner of my eye - they were on a strict deadline.

"Hey, hey," He tried to shush me by pulling me into a tight hug. "Don't cry, come on, it'll be fine."

"S-s-sorry," I tried to smile. Imagine if you had stayed in England, Rose. You would have been an absolute mess. "I didn't want to cry. It's so… so weak."

He laughed. "Rose Weasley, needing a man? Never."

"Rose Malfoy might though."

His lips curved into a smile at that. "Nope, not even her. She's a Gryffindor, don't forget. She's courageous and loyal, she can hold her own."

"If you say so," I laughed, stroking his face even though my parents were watching.

"Come on," Scorpius took a deep breath, "We better tell our parents."

I nodded hesitatingly. "They'll go mental."

"I don't care," He repeated my earlier phrase. It made me smile.

He took my hand and led me over to where our parents were standing, our mums trying to make small talk. As soon as they saw our faces, they were suspicious.

As I hugged my mum, I whispered into her ear, "Please don't hate me."

She gave me an apprehensive, quizzical look as I pulled away.

"Rosie!" My dad exclaimed happily, breaking across our conversation. He picked me up and spun me around.

I heard Scorpius greeting his parents and sister beside me. "Hey, dad…"

"I've missed you!"

"I missed you too, dad," I smiled as he put me down. "I… need to tell you something."

"What is it?" He smiled, not catching on to my serious expression.

"I want to move to Bulgaria in two weeks," I blurted before I could chicken out.

Scorpius' parents also turned to look at me, incredulous.

"What?" My mother asked finally.

"Not forever," I explained quickly, now that I knew they hadn't died from shock or anger. "Just for a year, whilst Scorpius is out there. And before you say anything, I spoke to the Ministry and Uncle Charlie - he really wants me to come stay with him. Says he misses his family, and I miss him too."

"Mr Ron, if I may," Scorpius added. "I… didn't want her to just up and move her whole life for a year. I really tried to dissuade her, but she's determined…"

"It was completely my decision," I agreed, glancing nervously at my dad.

He was frozen, but his eyes moved between us, and I knew his mind was working faster than lightening on whatever thoughts had come into his mind. Draco Malfoy looked completely and utterly shocked. Both Astoria and my mum evidently thought we were crazy, because when my mother spoke next, Astoria nodded.

"I know you two want to be together," She started kindly. "But moving to Bulgaria is a serious commitment Rose. You don't know what'll happen in three months, how your emotions may change, let alone twelve. I want what's best for you, I do, and I'll support you in anything, but I don't think, logically, that moving abroad because of your boyfriend is a good idea."

"It's too much for you to understand at your age," Astoria agreed.

"No offence, Scorpius, you're a lovely boy but I don't know how serious you are, and-"

"Serious enough to ask Rose to marry me."

Even I stared at him in shook - he voice was so determined, so sure, so honest. And I hadn't expected him to just say it, had I?

I saw four pairs of eyes gaze down at out intertwined hands, at the ring on my fourth finger as it tangled between Scorpius'.

"No," Draco stated.

"Absolutely not," my dad said at the same time.

"For once, Weasley, we agree."

They both looked surprised.

"See, it's not like you two can't get on," I pointed out.

"Rose," my mother actually let out a small laugh at that. "This isn't exactly what I'd call 'getting on'."

"I agree," Astoria nodded, shifting a sleeping Claire in her arms. "I don't think you've thought this through."

"We have," Scorpius and I spoke at the same time.

"Rosie…" My dad's sad tone caught my attention. "You… want to marry a Malfoy?"

"I want to marry Scorpius," I corrected.

"It's not Scorpius we're finding it hard to accept," My heart dropped when I realised my mum was including herself in that opposition. "It's… forgive me Astoria and Draco, it's the past we've had with the Malfoy's. I don't think the family would… necessarily accept it."

"Then we'll be Weasley," Scorpius said, even though his father looked horrified at the idea. The other three stared in shock, not even bothering to close their mouths. "I don't care. I really don't. I just want to be with Rose."

He blushed at the end, and I thought it was both sweet and embarrassing for him to say.

"No," My dad finally said. "I'm sorry Rose. Scorpius is a great kid, and I got over you dating him, and I'm calm now, but no."

"I think it's a great idea," Hugo suddenly appeared, scaring the life out of us all.

"Hugo?" My mother asked, surprised.

"What's not to like?" He continued casually. "It was kind of obvious - why else would dad go so crazy when he first found out they were dating? And two ancient families are reconnecting. Face it, it'll bring an end to any prejudices of younger generations… it was kind of inevitable really."

Even Scorpius and I were staring at him now.

Who knew Hugo was so… philosophical.

"You're completely behind this?" Astoria asked my brother. "One hundred percent?"

"Totally," Hugo answered casually, ruining the philosophical vibe. "And so are the others. Besides, they're not getting married now, are they? They're just promising to get married later on, like in five or ten years, promising they'll still be together or that they're at least giving this a serious go - you wouldn't want Rose to just move to Bulgaria if there wasn't a promise, would you? Besides, by the time they actualyl get round to the whoel wedding thing, you'll all be over it."

My mother's lips twitched as if she wanted to smile - Hugo's words made it obvious he thought they were overreacting.

"Well, I'm in support if you are, Hermione," Astoria suddenly smiled at Hugo. "He's a smart boy."

Hang on, how had Hugo been the one to persuade them?

"Well, I…" My mother looked torn, surprised by the change in conversation, then she caught my face, and all anxiety left. "You can't help who your ancestors are - muggleborn or pureblood - and I'm certainly not going to be a hypocrite a persecute someone for it."

She grinned and I breathed out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

My dad and Scorpius' shook their heads. "No! Why isn't anybody listening? This is ridiculous. There's no way I'm letting you marry a Malfoy."

"And same to you Scorpius - I'm open minded, I'm not foolish."

"It's not harming you, father!" Scorpius snapped finally. "I know grandfather will go crazy - with a bit of luck it'll be enough of a shock to give him a heart attack-," He spat those words out bitterly. "-But it's not like I was going to invite him to the wedding. We don't have much family, family I'm proud of or want to keep in contact with, so let me have my own family. Let me marry Rose - she, and you guys, are my family."

Even my dad looked impressed at his words. "A Malfoy who's willing to be disgraced by his own family and change his name? I think… I think you might have won me over."

He looked confused by his own words, by the fact that he'd said them.

"I never thought you'd say that, Ronald," My mother looked impressed.

"You- you mean it?" I asked, just to make sure.

My dad hesitated, reluctant to agree for a moment, but then gave in.

"Thank you!" I yelled as I launched myself at him. "Thank you, thank you! I love you, you know that?"

He laughed, half disorientated, half resigned. "You'll always be my little girl though."

"Draco?" Astoria asked as I pulled away from my father.

"Well, I don't have a choice, do I?" He sighed, but he didn't look too angry about it. Now that everybody else had given their consent, what else was he going to do? Besides, I had gotten the impression he actually liked me, something which Scorpius had confirmed.

Scorpius, uncharacteristically, hugged his father, something which shocked Draco more than our engagement announcement. "Thank you," He breathed, squeezing his dad enough to knock the wind out of him.

"Now," Astoria looked flustered as they stepped apart. "We better get going, we're already late."

"And… Mr Ron," Scorpius looked nervous. "I'm really sorry I didn't ask your permission first, I-"

"That's fine, Scorpius," My dad sighed. "You wouldn't be the first one to forget…"

He shared a glance with my mother, and I got the distinct feeling he wasn't one to remember to stick to tradition either. Althougth, knowing my father, he probably didn't plan a proposal, it probably sort of... came out of his mouth.

Scorpius awkwardly extended his hand to shake my dads as I turned to Astoria and, before I knew it, hugged her. She let out a short, amused laugh, and huggedme back happily.

When we pulled apart, and Scorpius had hugged my mother, and I his father (do I need to explain how strange that was?), Scorpius turned to me, "See you in two weeks?"

I sighed, "Two weeks. Definitely. I'll be there."

Then he kissed me.

"I love you, Rose Weasley."

I laughed as he and his still-dazed parents turned to leave. "Just go, Malfoy!"

Sooo... thoughts? I really really hope you like it.

You guys are actually just the most amazing people ever. Yes, you. You, reading this right this second: YOU'RE WONDERFUL. Thank you all an incredible amount for reading and reviewing and just generally sticking with this story and being so encouraging about it.

The epilogue won't be too long, but it will definiely be at least a week - so sorry about that!

Kerry. x