At first, Rose had been under the impression that it would be neat to work in a semi-Muggle environment. For the most part, it was. But if that damn copier jammed one more time, she'd be far too tempted to light it on fire with her wand.
"Shit!"
Rose looked up from the control panel on the still beeping copier to see her coworker scrambling through the stacks of notes on her desk. She had a pencil shoved behind her ear, her curly black hair tied back in a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck. Rose even noted a few gray hairs, which she was surprised to find on someone in their mid-twenties. A few flyaways were hanging across Rita's face, brushing against her angular features. Her lips were bright red today, matching the red blazer and red framed glasses that sat on her pointed nose.
"Damn it!" Rita hissed, narrowing her deep brown eyes and scrutinizing a ripped piece of note paper before tossing it aside and grabbing her phone. She looked towards Rose after dialing.
"I forgot to confirm the dinner reservation," she grumbled. Rose could barely glimpse Rita's knee bouncing up and down under her desk, a sign that Rose had picked up on even after only two weeks there. She was nervous.
"Yes, hi. I need to confirm a reservation for tonight?" said Rita, her voice more calm and collected than her demeanor. "Under Bobbin," she continued. Rose turned back to the copier, finally managing to get the paper tray back in. She let out a sigh of relief when the beeping finally stopped.
"Look, I know I was supposed to confirm twenty-four hours in advance, but-" Rita stopped abruptly, whoever was on the other end having cut her off. She pressed her lips firmly together, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. "Ma'am, I understand that it's inconvenient for you, but I would greatly appreciate a little understanding here."
She paused to listen once again as Rose made her way back towards the desk, Mrs. Franks client list for the next day finally printed and in her hands.
"Well, my boss is entertaining a very important client today, and just like you don't want to get in trouble, I don't either. So is there anything we can do to make this work?"
Rose sat quietly, holding her breath as the person on the other end responded. Her eyes were pulled from watching Rita grip the phone when Grant Turner walked in, returning from his run to the Muggle post office.
"Did you get it?" Rose asked in an undertone, he nodded, approaching her side of the desk and handing her a few receipts. Mr. Turner had never traveled the Muggle way internationally, but would be required to on a trip he'd be taking with Mr. Bobbin in a few months to meet with a potential author, so he'd had to apply for his passport.
Rose pulled out her cheat sheet for doing business expenses while Mr. Turner continued to stand in front of them, his hands in his trouser pockets as he watched Rita with a furrowed brow.
The best way Rose had found to describe Grant Turner was familiar, like she'd met half a dozen different versions of him before. He was in his late twenties but acted much older. He had brown hair, cropped close around his ears and slightly longer on the top. His complexion was fair, but slightly tanned. It was hard to make out the color of his eyes, but Rose thought they might be hazel. His features were attractive, but not particularly striking. And he was tall and thin, similar to Scorpius, but not quite as muscular. He'd definitely spent more time in the library than on the Quidditch pitch.
"Well, couldn't you just push a few of those tables together?" Rita ground out, her eyes locked on Mr. Turner and her cheeks slightly pink as she continued to talk to the restaurant. He raised his eyebrows, continuing to scrutinize his assistant.
It had become apparent to Rose from day one that Rita had a strange dynamic with her boss. It wasn't inappropriate, as far as Rose could tell, but there was an undefinable tension. She couldn't figure out if they loved or hated each other. Sometimes it seemed like both. Of course, she hadn't been around long enough to actually ask, and Mrs. Franks hadn't said anything to her about it either.
"I would appreciate it very much," Rita continued, her shoulders losing some of their tension and her gaze falling from her boss. "They'll be there at half past six. Perfect, thank you."
Rita let out a heavy sigh as she hung up the phone, beginning to tidy up her desk once again and avoiding the gaze of Mr. Turner.
"Did you forget to confirm the reservation?" he asked, his tone even and calm. Rita continued with her task, merely giving him a glance.
"You have a table," she said, not fully answering his question and continuing to avoid his eyes. Rose watched as he smirked before slowly making his way towards his office and saying nothing else. All of Rita's tension immediately fell away as soon as his door closed.
"That was a little too close," she said, slumping back in her chair and patting down her hair with her hands.
"How much trouble would you have gotten in?" Rose asked.
"Hard to say," Rita said with a shrug. "I've worked for him for a year now and he's always been a bit unpredictable, and even more so lately."
Rose nodded, agreeing with her coworker. She'd had a hard time getting a read on the editor. Not only was it hard to predict how he'd react, but it was difficult to even decipher his reactions. He rarely smiled, and Rose was fairly sure no one had ever done anything to impress him.
After taking a deep breath, Rita got back to work, and Rose did the same. She Flooed home an hour later, tired and already wishing for the weekend that was still a day away. And it wasn't until another hour after that when she finally felt relaxed, changed out of her work clothes and sitting at the kitchen table with a book after eating some of yesterday's pasta.
She'd just gotten to the part of her book that she'd seen coming chapters ago and had been anxious to get to, when she heard the sound of Erin arriving through the Floo.
"I saved you some pasta!" Rose hollered, trying to quickly get to the end of a paragraph.
"Oh, I'm just getting changed real quick and then meeting Al for dinner!" Erin hollered back.
A whirlwind of emotions that she hadn't been expecting hit Rose, and a sick feeling grew in her stomach. It was always shocking how quickly a few simple words could have such a visceral effect, and this time, it wasn't difficult for Rose to figure out why.
First, her best friend was now in a serious relationship, and she'd been spending an increasing amount of time with her boyfriend, who happened to be one of Rose's other best friends and cousin. So there was the inevitable pang of feeling left behind.
Second, she was reminded of the fact that her own boyfriend, whom she was very much in love with and had only recently told her he loved her too, had been a bit distant.
She knew it was unfair to so closely compare not just their relationship to Al and Erin's, but also Al and Scorpius in general. Her cousin had made a valiant effort to spend time with Erin over the last week, and he'd been very successful. Scorpius, however, didn't seem desperate or eager to do the same with Rose. She hadn't seen him since the previous Friday night, and she'd only seen him two times in total since his training had started.
After their conversation in the kitchen that night, Rose wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it wasn't what had actually happened. They'd Flooed a few times and she'd asked if he was free to spend time with her throughout the week, but he'd insisted he had too much work to do. Seeing Al having no problem finding time for Erin had frustrated Rose, but then Scorpius had always been a bit more diligent with his studies than Al. Maybe it was unfair to assume something was wrong and he was keeping his distance. He was probably just a little overwhelmed and wanted to stay on top of things.
"You can come with us, if you'd like," Erin said as she entered the kitchen, fastening a hair tie around the end of her plait. Rose looked at her in surprise.
"Oh, no, I couldn't do that," she said dismissively, marking her place and setting her book aside.
"Why not?" asked Erin. "We're all still best friends. And Al was just saying the other day that he really misses you."
Rose melted a little at those words, a bit of warmth returning to her. "But I've already eaten."
Erin rolled her eyes. "There was only one serving of pasta left. If you saved me some, you barely ate anything. Come on, we're trying the new pub down the street."
She walked over to their front door, slipping on her sandals and grabbing Rose's. The redhead barely got her hands up in time to catch them when they came flying at her.
"Erin," she said with a bemused chuckle, but her flatmate didn't allow her to argue further.
"Rose, you've stayed in every night this week, and hanging out at Fred and Ly's with Dom doesn't count as going out. It's only one floor below us."
Rose let herself smile and finally give in, standing from the table and laughing at a clapping Erin as she slipped her shoes on.
"If you two so much as look like you're about to start snogging, I'm leaving," Rose said as she followed Erin out of the flat. Erin let out a chuckle in response.
"We'll behave ourselves."
They stepped out into the warm evening and proceeded down the street, filling each other in on their days. With the anniversary of her grandmother's death and most of the following days spent with Al, Rose hadn't spent a lot of time with Erin over the week either. Doing so now was enough to raise Rose's spirits and forget her concerns about Scorpius and their lack of time together.
Until they entered the restaurant, shock replacing her joy when she saw not one, but two Auror trainees waiting for them.
And Scorpius looked just as shocked to see her too.
When Al had first suggested that he join him and Erin for dinner, Scorpius had been hesitant. He had things he could be studying, and he'd wanted to finish the book he was reading as well. But he knew his real hesitation came from guilt. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, he knew he'd been avoiding Rose.
It wasn't that she'd done anything wrong or that he didn't want to spend time with her, but he was still having a difficult time with his godfather's sudden departure, and he didn't think Rose would understand.
The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that Rose didn't like Theo. And talking to her about his disappointment sounded painful.
Not to mention Theo's comments about Rose's family kept coming back to him, no matter how much he wanted to forget them.
It's not like he believed them anyway.
But, somehow, Al had talked Scorpius into going out, and his guilt quickly multiplied as soon as he locked eyes with Rose.
She was quick to attempt a smile and approach him, but he'd seen the flash of confusion and hurt on her face.
"I didn't know you'd be here!" he heard Erin say in excitement. He only had a moment to smile at her before Rose was in front of him. And he didn't even hesitate before wrapping her up in his arms.
Wow, had avoiding her been a huge mistake. He already felt ten times better than he had all week just by holding her.
He still felt guilty as well as stupid, though, and knew he owed her an explanation.
They pulled away from each other as Al announced that their table was ready. Scorpius heisted for a moment before taking Rose's hand in his as they walked through the restaurant.
"I've been dying to try this place," Erin said as she sat down next to Al - Rose and Scorpius across from them. "And craving a burger as well."
She and Al continued to aimlessly chat, not paying attention to the fact that Rose's face was buried in the menu. Scorpius couldn't take his eyes off her. She was obviously upset with him, and he didn't really blame her. He'd told her on Sunday that he wouldn't have time to see her all week. To make matters worse, she'd been under the impression that he'd spent Sunday with Theo and his parents, when he'd ended up doing neither of those things.
There was nothing he could do to fix it right now. Having a conversation like that in front of Al and Erin didn't seem like a pleasant option, so he focused on trying to make a decision on what to order. If only he hadn't lost his appetite a few minutes ago.
He became so lost in the menu and his thoughts, that he'd missed the signs of where Erin was taking the conversation.
"I mean, I think I'm looking forward to it because I really do love my godmother, but Luna and I have never had much in common."
"It's nice of her to reach out like that, though," said Al. "I got used to seeing my godfather all the time, and I think it'll be neat for you all to get to spend more time with yours now."
Scorpius doubled his efforts to make it look like he was having a very hard time deciding what to order, but his attempt was in vain.
"Have you gotten to see much of Theo?" Erin asked, and Scorpius took a moment, still acting like his attention was taken up with the menu as he attempted to respond nonchalantly.
"Oh, he left town."
The table fell silent. He knew they were all watching him, unsure what to say. He didn't really know what to say either.
"When?"
Scorpius met Rose's eyes. She truly sounded disappointed for him, and she looked it too.
"He wrote me on Saturday," said Scorpius, still hoping he sounded like it didn't bother him.
"That's why he couldn't take us for drinks?" Al asked, a look on his face that Scorpius couldn't quite decipher. Suspicious, maybe? Scorpius nodded.
"I'm really sorry," said Rose, reaching out and resting her hand on his arm. Scorpius gave her a forced smile before turning back to his menu.
"It's fine. What are you all ordering?"
"Oh my God!"
They all flinched in surprise at Erin's outburst. She stood, smiled, and waved at someone across the room.
"That's Kiran!" she said, reaching down to grab Al's arm and pull him to his feet as they all glanced in the direction she was looking. "Come on, I want you to meet him."
She dragged Al off to the other side of the restaurant to meet her new coworker, leaving Rose and Scorpius on their own. He wasn't at all surprised when Rose turned her full attention on him almost immediately.
"I'm really sorry," he said before she could get out an accusation. Her expression was hard as he looked at her apologetically.
"For ignoring me, lying, or both?" she asked, her tone challenging yet shaky.
"Both," he said guiltily. "This stuff with Theo really messed with my head and I just didn't handle it well."
Rose nodded before looking down at her hands. She was nervously picking at her fingernails and seemed to be gathering her courage to say whatever it was she wanted to ask him next.
"Did you mean it?" she asked softly. "What you said the other night?"
He looked at her questioningly. "Which part?"
A bit of her confidence came back as she grew frustrated with him, rolling her eyes and sighing as she looked at him impatiently. "The part where you said you love me? That you're in this and plan on fighting for it?"
"What?" Scorpius asked in surprise, the stiff posture he hadn't realized he'd been maintaining falling away as he turned to face her more fully. "Rose, of course I meant that. Why would you think I didn't?"
"Maybe because I've barely heard from you since?" she argued, crossing her arms and looking at him with wide eyes. "Maybe because you've made no effort to see me, even though you had time to, as tonight's proved. Or maybe it's because you're obviously having a hard time with this, but chose to ignore me rather than tell me what's going on."
Scorpius sighed and sat back in his chair, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. He knew she'd react like this, but he also knew it couldn't be helped. Not only had he made his choices, but they had nothing to do with his relationship with Rose.
"I'm sorry I did anything to make you think that way," he said. "But none of this has anything to do with that."
"Really?" Rose asked, her voice skeptical and a bit sarcastic. "The fact that we love each other in no way holds any weight when it comes to your life?"
"I didn't say that."
"So it does?"
"Of course!"
"And you trust me?"
"Completely."
"Then why didn't you tell me what happened?"
"Because I didn't think you'd understand!" he snapped, almost immediately regretting it. He was still avoiding her gaze, but Scorpius could tell out of the corner of his eye that Rose was sitting remarkably still. What he said had stung.
"I know you don't like Theo," Scorpius continued, keeping his gaze firmly away from her and on the table in front of him. "You didn't have to tell me because it was fairly obvious every time I mentioned spending time with him that you didn't like the idea. So I figured you'd be happy he was gone and wouldn't understand why him up and leaving me once again hurts so damn much."
He hadn't meant to share quite so openly, but maybe it was for the best. They did love each other after all. Weren't you supposed to be able to be vulnerable with the people who loved you?
"Will you please look at me?" she asked softly.
Scorpius closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking at her once again. It was obvious she was frustrated, but he still saw kindness in her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "Not just because what he did hurt you, but for not being supportive of your relationship with Theo. It's not that I don't like him, it's that I don't know him and he's given me no reason to trust him."
"How about the fact that I trust him?" Scorpius asked.
"Scorp, you said it yourself," she said softly. "It hurt you that he left, and seeing as he's done it before, I was afraid he would do it again. I didn't trust him not to hurt you."
Scorpius gave an unamused laugh, crossing his arms and looking away from her again. "Guess you were right, then."
"I didn't want to be, and I'm trying to be understanding because I know you're hurting," Rose continued, "but if you're going to close yourself off from me every time someone else causes you to lose faith in them, this isn't going to work."
Her words hit hard. Partly because he knew she was right, but also because he realized how afraid he was of her losing faith in him.
"You're right," he said, reaching out to gently take her hand in his and meeting her eyes. She visibly relaxed at the gesture and gripped his hand. "I'm sorry. Next time I'm upset about something, I'll do my best not to shut you out, all right?"
Rose smiled at him for the first time that night. "All right," she said. "Can we talk a little more about this later? They're heading back over."
Scorpius nodded, still not feeling quite settled about the whole thing, but knowing that Rose only wanted what was best for him. And their relationship as well. He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek just as Al and Erin returned to the table.
"You two fancy splitting an order of the pretzel bites?" Al asked. "They had some over at their table and they smell fantastic."
Scorpius smiled as he picked his menu back up, Rose heartily agreeing to Al's idea. He let himself relax and enjoy spending time with his best friends for the first time in what felt like ages. He knew it had really only been a few weeks, but with the long days of training and the emotional stress he'd recently had piled on, it felt like a lot longer.
They were able to get through the majority of the meal with laughter and lightheartedness, until Al once again brought up the subject of Theo.
"How come you didn't mention he'd left?" Al asked after sharing his surprise that Scorpius' godfather had in fact left town.
"Well, you were a bit preoccupied," he said, nodding to Erin to indicate what had been keeping Al's attention.
"Yeah, but you could've told me when you said he couldn't take us out on Saturday," Al argued.
"Look, I was upset, all right?" said Scorpius, growing frustrated by the topic. "I wasn't up to sharing that quite yet."
Al nodded, seeming to let it go.
"Any clue where he went?"
"No fucking idea," Scorpius snapped before chugging the remainder of his beer and hoping Al got the hint.
"Okay," said Al, putting up his hands in defeat before reaching for his own beer. "Just let me know if you hear from him."
"Why?" Scorpius asked, puzzled by the slightly odd request.
"So I'll know that you need to be pulled out of whatever funk his next letter puts you in," said Al.
"Who says the next time I hear from him won't be good news?" Scorpius asked, his good mood successfully ruined.
"It might not be," Al said with a shrug as their waitress dropped off the bill. "But let me know anyway."
Scorpius wasn't sure why, but he could tell that this was something that Al actually really cared about. So he gave his best friend a nod as Al picked up the check and said he'd take care of it.
"Come on," said Rose, reaching for Scorpius' hand after Al had paid. "Let's take a walk."
The Diagon Alley Christmas Festival. That was the last time things had felt this tense between them.
Not that there hadn't been tension in the meantime. Especially in the weeks leading up to the day they became more than friends. Like when they'd spent time together at the village in Ireland over Easter break, as well as the day following. And the week leading up to their first official date, which had ended in their first kiss and cemented the change in their relationship. All that had tension, but it was a different kind. There was something enjoyable about your rapidly beating heart and your nervous twitching and your mind spinning in circles when you knew something good was happening.
That wasn't the case now.
Whatever was happening, it felt unsettling. Like Rose was trying to pull something back together that had somehow managed to start crumbling.
Part of her also knew that was a little dramatic. Life wasn't always peachy, and the people you love are bound to go through things that you can't quite understand or explain. She knew she would have her moments too. But every part of her was screaming to do everything she could to regain control of things, to fix what she could, and to make things as okay as she could possibly manage.
Best to start with the source.
"Do you want to talk about why this is so hard for you?" she asked. They'd made it to her building and headed towards the small park across the street. Scorpius had his hands in his pockets, but Rose kept her hand loosely secured in the crook of his arm. He still seemed out of sorts after Al's questioning.
"Wouldn't it be hard for you if your godfather only acted like he cared when it was convenient for him?" he asked, irritation obvious in his voice. "Oh, wait. How could I forget that yours is the savior of the whole bloody world. No way he won't always be there when you need him."
Rose stopped in her tracks, her hand falling from his arm as he took a couple more steps into the park. Scorpius never spoke that harshly, with obvious disdain and judgment in his voice. She tried to keep the tears from welling in her eyes as he turned to face her. He looked a little guilty, but not enough to apologize, apparently.
"Maybe you're right," she choked out. "Maybe I don't understand, but that doesn't mean I don't want to. And the only way I will is if you let me."
The summer air between them was icy as they faced each other, unmoving until Scorpius took a deep breath and hung his head before walking over to stand right in front of her. Rose folded her arms and turned her head to the side, making it obvious she wasn't looking at him.
"Rose, all your life, you've had people who are there for you no matter what," Scorpius began. "Your parents, your brother, your cousins and aunts and uncles. And a whole slew of other people as well. I've never had that luxury. I have two parents who I know have always loved me, but my father isn't exactly all warm and affectionate. And now with Mum not being well…"
He trailed off and shrugged his shoulders, glancing away from Rose and immediately making her feel horrible for pushing any of this. With everything else going on, she'd forgotten that his mother's health was now in question.
"My grandmother might be better than she used to be," he continued as if the topic could be easily skimmed over, "but she's a piece of work. And sure, I have a relationship with my mum's sister and her family, but it's nothing like what I see in your life. I mean, you all love each other enough to actually scream at each other when the occasion warrants it," he said with a disbelieving chuckle. "My family is all cold shoulders and judgmental looks and acting as passive aggressive as possible."
In all honesty, Rose had never thought too much about how different Scorpius' family was to hers. There was the obvious differences when it came to their histories, but that was in the past. She'd never fully realized how different they still were.
"But Theo is different," he continued, and she finally found the courage to meet his pleading eyes. "He doesn't buy into all the family legacy shit and he listens to me and doesn't shy away from being real. And I thought he was actually going to be someone who was there for me and stuck around."
Realizing how desperately Scorpius wanted this was enough to break a fraction of her heart. It was something she'd always taken for granted, having so many people that she knew she could rely on. And now Scorpius had thought he'd gained one back, only for it to be gone so quickly. And with his mum's health being in doubt, the possibility that he could lose another was very real.
It made her feel selfish and naive, but she also saw something that she didn't think he did.
"Scor, you know you do have people that have stuck around," she said earnestly. "And they'll continue to. I'm not going anywhere. Al and Erin aren't. Neither are the rest of my family. And I know Harry and Ginny care about you. She once told me that you mean almost as much to her as her own kids, and she wouldn't say something like that lightly."
She had to smile at the way he perked up at her words, obviously surprised by them.
"Please don't ever think you'll run out of people that care about you," she continued. "There are more than enough Weasleys and Potters to make sure that never happens."
A rush of relief went through her when Scorpius smiled, even if it was tentative. He took a step closer and ran his hands up and down her arms affectionately. Her whole body relaxed as she leaned slightly into him.
"I'll do my best to remember that," he said. "But I also need you to understand that no matter how much your family might be there for me, it'll never be exactly the same as if it were my own."
Rose nodded, because she did want to understand that, even if it wasn't easy to do. He was part of her family. Why couldn't he see that?
Eventually, he would. She knew that. It would just make things a whole lot easier if he figured it out now.
"And I need you to understand that I can't actually be there for you if you're not telling me things," said Rose, placing her hands on his forearms as his own stopped at her elbows. "You say you want someone who's there for you and understands and listens, and I want to be that for you. Will you please let me?"
It hurt a bit to know that she wanted to give Scorpius something that it was obvious he wanted, but it didn't seem to occur to him that she was capable of providing it.
A look of tenderness and love took over his face as he lifted his hands to her cheeks, gently caressing them with his thumbs. And Rose felt like he finally understood exactly how she felt.
"You're that for me every day, love," he said sincerely. Rose closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead and then pulled her close, holding her head against his chest so she could feel it rumbling as he spoke. "Every damn day, I know I'm lucky I'll always have you."
And his honesty in that moment - because she knew he meant it - was enough to make everything else seem so small, that it almost faded into nothingness as she held him close and hoped everything stayed exactly as it was now.
A/N: I know you've been asking for more ScoRose, and while this might not have been the type of interaction you were hoping for, it's still important! This story won't always be about Scorpius and his struggles with various forms of identity and relationships. But he's also not the only one. And it's a very turbulent time in a person's life, leaving school and adjusting to the real world. He's got a lot going on.
Don't worry, we'll get to the good stuff later on. You might just have to bear with me longer than you'd like. But I hope you enjoyed a more speedy update than what's been normal lately! Always feel free to review and let me know how much you appreciate that.