I'd like to thank aspiringwriter16 (THANK UUU!), Guest (Can you login so I can PM u? :D I can't really just tell you here.. sorry!), StarRose2011, RH96, weasley-potter-05 and Midaoru for reviewing! You guys are awesome! I'd also like to thank my beta, rokslite.
Christmas morning came bright and early, the sun shining through the curtains of Rose's room. She opened her eyes and found a hand across her face. Immediately knowing who it was, she smacked it away. Lily groaned lightly and turned. Irritated, Rose poked her in the side, making Lily curl into a ball, cringing from her. Snickering now, Rose got up to get ready for the day.
"Rose, I swear to Merlin, if you take any longer-" Lily was yelling, but was cut off as Rose came out of the bathroom, fully dressed and rubbing at her hair with a towel.
"Don't have a Hippogriff, Lils, I'm done," she said, rolling her eyes as Lily ran into the bathroom.
Rose soon made her way down the stairs and found that everyone was already awake. They had to make sure everything was perfect for the Christmas party they would be hosting that evening. She made her way over to hug each person, greeting them with a cheerful,
"Happy Christmas," and receiving similar responses.
When she finally made her way to Scorp and Al, they were already in the living room waiting next to their presents.
"Took you long enough, Rosie," Al said with a sigh.
"Lily wouldn't shut up about Lysander all of last night. I didn't get to sleep until after midnight," she said, hugging each of them before she dropped next to Scorp.
"Nice trousers," he said, with a smirk as he fingered the unravelling hem of her scruffy shorts.
"They were at some point," she said, contemplatively. "Maybe sometime in the last five years," she added with a grin.
He had just started laughing when Al cleared his throat, annoyed. They glanced over to see him glaring at them.
"Presents," he said, crisply, passing over a wrapped package to each of them.
Scorp opened his own and found a quill holder with the name, "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy/Potter/Weasley" engraved on it. He was up and hugging Al, laughing, before he had read the thing fully.
Rose opened her own present to find a signed copy of her favourite album from "The Weird Sisters." With a squeal, she hugged Al tight.
"You love me!" she said and he chuckled.
Rose quickly passed over the presents she had stored under the tree for them. Scorp opened his first and found a Quaffle that was signed by his favourite Chaser from the Chudley Canons. He stared at it in awe before his gaze flicked to her face.
"You're actually giving this up?"
She beamed at him, glad he liked the present.
"For that look on your face? Definitely," she said and he squeezed her until she laughed.
Al had already opened his gift, gawking at the Polaroid camera in his hands.
"It's charmed," Rose said, pulling away from Scorp to grin at him. "It will work just fine for compromising situations," she said, wiggling her brows at him.
As his face went scarlet, Rose and Scorp started laughing. Shaking his head, still chuckling, Scorp passed over his own presents.
"Be careful with that," Scorp cautioned Al as he gave him a box with a few holes in it.
Frowning, Al opened the box carefully and gaped at the contents.
"You didn't."
"I did," Scorp said, smugly and Rose clambered over to where he cousin sat staring down at a miniature Chinese Fireball.
She knew that he had recently become obsessed with the things after going through one of James' books on dragons.
"You're the best, mate," Al said, hugging him and slapping him hard on the back.
Rose grinned as Al went back to his little dragon, already enamoured with it. She opened her present and found a charm bracelet inside with all of their initials already attached.
"Oh," she said, tears filling her eyes before she launched herself at Scorp. "Best present ever," she whispered and only released him when her father cleared his throat from his seat on the sofa where he had been monitoring them.
"I swear to Merlin, if one more of your relatives pinches my cheeks-" Scorp whispered and forced a smile as Great-Aunt Muriel came over to do just that.
"What a lovely young man. Now this is the kind of suitor you should be looking for. Very good, Rose," she said with a nod. "As I was telling Fleur, when I was younger-"
"Oh, I'm so sorry, Aunt Muriel but we have to go meet my father," Rose said, smothering a laugh.
"Of course. You have to ask for her hand before you propose," Muriel told Scorp who nodded, woodenly.
When they escaped, they began laughing raucously.
"She's barmy, that one," Rose said, shaking her head. "Every since I can remember. It's incredible, though. You're the first person I've met that she hasn't insulted upon meeting in... Actually, I think you're the first person ever that she hasn't insulted upon meeting."
"I would be flattered, but I don't like her," Scorp said, grinning and throwing his arm over her shoulders.
They were at the Christmas Party and having a rather hard time finding anyone their own age. Usually, they would have flocked to the kitchen, but today, it seemed that it was empty.
"Well if it isn't little Rosie?" she heard behind her and saw Teddy making his way over with his arm around Vic.
"I saw you talking to Muriel, Scorpius," Vic said, eyeing him pityingly. "Was she wretched?"
"Not really. She told me I'd be a good suitor," he said, shaking his head bemusedly.
At this, Teddy scowled.
"She told me I have funny hair and my shoulders were too broad," he said, annoyed. "When I changed them, she seemed rather insulted and stormed off."
"I like your hair and shoulders," Vic said and he smiled, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.
"She's always told me my hair was too red and my knees are too knobby," Rose said, rolling her eyes.
"If it helps, she says I'm too French," Vic put in, rolling her eyes. "I was born in England, for pity's sake."
"She's a twat," James put in, throwing his arm over Teddy's shoulder and was rewarded with a genial slap to the back.
"That she is. Listen, I heard that there's a temporary position available in our office-" Teddy said, pulling James aside to chat with him, giving Vic a quick kiss, leaving her with Rose and Scorp.
"He's been trying to get James to become an Auror for years," Vic said, rolling her eyes. "He's been able to convince Al, but James is too set in his ways. He wants to study dragons and that's the end of that."
"I thought Teddy'd be ecstatic that James isn't going to be causing havoc as an Auror," Scorp said, eyebrow quirked.
"Teddy and James are closer than brothers," Vic said while Rose nodded. "James used to follow us around all the time. It was rather cute. Until he caught us snogging on the Platform," she added with a small scowl.
Rose remembered the day clearly. It had been her first day of Hogwarts.
"He even has a key to the flat," Vic said, shaking her head. "He hasn't used it yet. Says he's not willing to bleach his eyes."
"I would think not," Scorp said with a laugh.
"Al was looking for you," Vic said as if she'd only just remembered.
"Where is he?" Rose asked, shaking her head.
"Last I saw him, he'd stumbled out of the upstairs coat closet with Alice," Vic said, smirking.
"That sounds about right," Scorp quipped before he asked, "Would you two like anything to drink?"
They both shook their head and he headed off to get one for himself.
"Quite a gentleman," Vic said, winking at Rose and she flushed.
"I suppose," she said, looking anywhere but at her cousin.
"Listen, Teddy and I were talking and-"
"You two have time to talk outside of shagging?" Rose asked, incredulous.
This earned her a small glare followed by a bright blush.
"It was after, thank you very much," Vic said before she continued, "And he was saying that the Auror office got quite a few empty spots this past year. A lot of Aurors who were still working after the Second Wizarding War decided to retire. So get your applications in."
"Already?" Rose asked, eyes wide.
"Yeah. They don't recruit often and when they do, it takes a while to pass all the requirements," Vic said, frowning. "Teddy got his in during his Sixth Year as well."
Rose immediately started nibbling on her thumb nail.
"I'll ask dad to pick up some applications," she said, worried.
"Good. You'll get in for sure, Rosie. I know it," Vic said, grinning. "Al and Scorpius as well. You're brilliant, the three of you."
Rose felt heat rise in her cheeks at the compliment. Vic didn't give false praise. Much like her mother, she only gave it where it was deserved.
"Thanks, Vic," she said, hugging her cousin.
When she pulled away, Teddy had returned, followed shortly by Scorp.
"Why don't you two join us for tea tomorrow?" Vic asked her, grinning as she wrapped her arm around her husband. "Al and Alice can come, of course. I've already invited Dom, Gerald and Molly. Gerald says that he's bringing a friend, too." she added.
Rose smiled widely.
"Will we not be disturbing your precious shag time?"
"You will," Teddy said, nodding easily and Vic smacked his stomach. "But I suppose you can still come," he muttered, scowling slightly.
"I'm so honoured," Rose said, rolling her eyes.
"Did James want the job?" Vic asked, abruptly changing the subject, turning to look at Teddy.
His scowl deepened and he shook his head.
"Git still wants to study dragons. At least if he was an Auror I could keep an eye on him. Now I have to trust him to Louis, who I'm pretty sure would let him burn to a crisp."
"After he branded his forehead with 'I still wear nappies' in his Seventh Year, I don't think he'd have much sympathy," Vic added with a roll of her eyes as Rose snickered.
"You have to admit, that was some advanced magic. Lou couldn't get it off for weeks," Teddy said, howling with laughter. Vic shook her head at him and turned back to Rose with a smile.
"So you'll come to tea?"
"Wouldn't miss it," Rose said with a grin.
"Wonderful. I'm off to find Tante Gabrielle. She's only here for a week."
Teddy groaned, letting his head drop back in frustration.
"Must we go? She keeps telling you to divorce me and marry Claude."
"Claude?" Rose said, eyebrow quirked.
She watched Vic give Teddy a small look of censure, but she saw the amusement as well.
"He's this bloke that Tante Gabrielle is trying to get either Dom or I to marry," she said, rolling her eyes. "He's rather fit," she added, earning a small pinch from her husband, "But he's not Teddy."
Teddy grinned at her now, hugging her to his side.
"I knew you wouldn't leave me for some nice French boy," he said, mimicking Gabrielle's pronounced French accent at the end, using a falsetto.
"I might, if you don't throw away those trousers that I found at the back of the closet again," she said, turning to face him and Rose recognised a marital fight when she saw one.
"But they're comfortable, V. The only ones that fit properly!"
As they walked off, still arguing about the trousers, Rose shook her head, grinning.
"They're adorable."
She turned to see Scorp quirk his brow.
"That's adorable? They're fighting about trousers."
"They're not really fighting," Rose said, rolling her eyes. "They're just squabbling."
"The last I checked, those two could be considered the same," Scorp said, taking a sip of his butterbeer.
"Not really. Fighting is what you do when you're angry. Squabbling is what you do when you're in love," Rose said, idly taking a sip from his cup.
"Birds are bonkers," Scorp said, shaking his head in bemusement.
Scorp snuck down the stairs and peered around the corner of the wall. When he spotted Rose making hot chocolate, he grinned and made his way over to her. His tongue was in his cheek, trying to hold back a laugh as he made to grab her.
She almost screamed, spinning around but her eyes narrowed instead, her mouth snapping shut.
"You git," she said, quietly while he grinned back at her.
"Can I have a cup?" he asked, moving to lean against the counter next to her.
"No," she said primly.
"Do I have to beg?" he asked, pretending to pout.
"Perhaps," she said, smirking at him.
After a moment, he saw a melancholy expression replace the teasing smile, however.
"I hate the end of Christmas," she said, softly. "It always seems like the end of an era, doesn't it?"
"Is that why you stay up until the very last moment, then?"
As she nodded, he moved to hug her from behind.
"I'm sorry we don't have hot chocolate at home, then. I know you've missed this tradition."
"It's fine," she said, her hand sliding over his arm, making him close his eyes in pleasure. "I only feel this way when I'm at home, anyway."
"You're not supposed to be sad after Christmas, you're supposed to be relieved," Scorp said on a chuckle.
"I know," she said, pouring the chocolate into the two cups that, he realised, had been put out before he got there.
"Were you expecting me?" he asked, smirking.
"I was hoping," she said, laughing.
Scorp lowered his head to inhale the scent of her hair and knew he was supposed to move away to take the cup. He couldn't seem to get his body to move properly, though and he slid his arms up and down over her waist.
"Scorp?" Rose whispered but he heard a distinct quaver in her voice.
Was he making her uncomfortable?
"Sorry," he said, pulling away and all but snatching the cup from the counter.
She turned to look at him, her gaze searching, but he smiled back at her, innocently.
Thanks so much for reading! Please review with comments, feedback and questions.
