They were prepping Erin for the procedure that she was both dreading and impatient to receive. If it worked, things would go back to normal, even if it was a normal she couldn't remember. If it didn't…

It felt strange to miss something she couldn't even remember having, but that's what it had felt like ever since she'd realized there was a whole year of her life she couldn't remember. A year of memories and experiences that she'd never get to have again. Unless they could reverse the damage that had been done to her mind. The Healers seemed fairly confident that they could, but Erin was determined not to get her hopes up.

She was trying very hard not to get her hopes up about a lot of things. Like having a certain childhood friend turned boyfriend visit her.

Albus Potter was her boyfriend.

The idea both terrified and thrilled her. She wasn't sure if those feelings came from waking up with no knowledge of their past, or if they had been there before she'd forgotten. She had somehow retained her feelings for him, which she knew hadn't been there before. At least not this strong.

It would probably be easier to figure out if he actually came to see her. The fact that he hadn't was confusing and driving her mad. Why hadn't he come in after talking to Rose the night before? It was hard not to let her mind wander to him, so she'd had a lot of time to think about how frustrated she was. How stable was their relationship if he couldn't be there for her?

"It'll last for a few hours and then you should sleep through the night," said the Healer that was setting up some sort of magical contraption that was shaped like a dome and would be lowered over her head. "You'll take a dreamless sleep potion first, so you shouldn't be under any mental distress as it happens."

Erin nodded, returning the tight grip her mother had on her hand.

"When should she be awake?" her dad asked.

"Whenever she's ready," said Healer Thomas. "If she's not awake after twenty-four hours, we'll take steps to help her regain consciousness."

There had been many moments of tense silence throughout the day, and this was another one. Erin didn't blame her parents for not knowing what to say. She found it difficult to find words as well.

She really hoped the new day would come with her memories intact.

The uncomfortable silence was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. That sound had caused Erin's spirits to lift all day, only for disappointment to find her every time it was someone other than the one person she really wanted to see. She loved her family and Rose, but it wasn't the same.

Erin hadn't even looked in the direction of the door as her dad went to answer it, but then her mother was hugging her and kissing her cheek, telling her they'd be there when she woke up. Hannah stepped away to make room for her husband, who came back to the bed and kissed his daughter's head before following his wife out of the room. And that's when Erin saw him.

The door closed softly behind her parents, but Erin's every sense was focused on Al. He was slowly walking towards her bed, a smudge of soot on his trousers and his hair probably in need of a wash. His expression was apprehensive and his eyes heavy with exhaustion as he watched her, neither of them paying attention to the two Healers in the room that were continuing to set up for the procedure. It wasn't until he stopped right beside her bed that Erin found her voice.

"Where've you been?"

Al scratched nervously at the back of his neck. "I've been helping out at the Ministry. They're working hard to figure out who did this and it's a bigger case than just what happened at the Malfoy's, so they're letting all the trainees help."

She'd barely given a thought to what had happened at the Manor, but that wasn't the news that stuck out to her. Erin couldn't help smiling as his final words sunk in. "You did it, then?" she asked. "You became an Auror?"

Al returned her smile with a relieved one of his own and gingerly sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm working on it, yeah."

"Al, that's brilliant," she said, truly filled with happiness for him, her frustrations momentarily forgotten. Al was looking at her like he could hardly believe his luck.

"I'd actually sort of wondered if you really thought it was brilliant, or if you just came around to the idea when…"

And the hippogriff in the room was back again. Al swallowed nervously, looking away from her and focusing his attention on what one of the Healers was doing. It was a bit annoying that they were still in the room, but Erin doubted they would leave even if she asked them to.

"Where've you been?" she asked again. Al let out a deep breath before meeting her eyes with a sorrowful gaze.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I just… I've got no bloody clue what to say, you know? You're usually the easiest person for me to talk to, and I hate the fact that there are so many things I can't say right now."

Erin propped herself further up in her bed. "But…I know things are complicated, but we're friends, Albus. Why can't you-?"

"Because as far as you know, I'm the boy who you've known since we were both in nappies and shoves snow in your hair every Christmas Eve and throws you into the pool every summer," he blurted, anguish obvious in his voice. "I'm still that boy and I'm still your friend, but now I'm also the boy who loves you like crazy and even though you only see one of those versions of me, I can't separate one from the other anymore. You're the girl I grew up with and picked on and teased, but you're so much more than that now too. And it's so bloody hard to look at you and know that you no longer see me the way I see you."

There were tears in her eyes, shock filling her that Albus Potter was capable of saying anything so perfectly honest and vulnerable.

"What happened to the boy who ran from his feelings?" she asked in amazement. Al gave her a sad yet tender smile.

"You did."

Erin managed to hold back her tears, but still sniffed and wiped at her eyes. It was staggering to know something as simple as loving her had changed him so wonderfully. Or maybe it had been her loving him. He was still that same boy he'd described, but she could clearly see he'd become a man now too. And she hated the fact that she'd missed it.

"I still should've been here for you, though," he said apologetically. "No matter how hard this is for me, I can't imagine what it's like for you. I'm here for whatever you need. You know that, right?"

She did know. And more than that, she knew more than he thought she did. She might not remember everything and truthfully, hardly anything. Yet some things had stuck around, and he probably deserved to know.

"Al, I…" she choked out. "I know I can't remember what…what happened between us. But for some reason that I couldn't even begin to explain, I…I remember how I feel about you."

Hope filled Al's face, and he scooted slightly closer to her on the bed. "You do?"

Erin nodded, her tears threatening to fall once again. But their moment was ruined by Healer Thomas.

"We're ready to get started," he said, his tone soft as he addressed Erin. He then looked apologetically at Al. "I'm sorry, but you can't be in here for this part."

Al stood and nodded, seeming to be in a bit of a daze. Erin grabbed his hand at the last moment and he looked down at her with a tender and fearful expression.

"Will you be here when I wake up?"

She let out a sigh of relief when he nodded and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. There was still fear in his eyes, and Erin wanted desperately to pull him close and tell him it would all be okay, but the other Healer was adjusting her bed so she could lie on her back, and she was forced to let go of his hand. Al held her gaze for a few more moments before reluctantly turning to leave the room. Erin lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling and taking deep breaths to steady her heartbeat.

"Erin?"

Her head snapped to the side at the sound of his voice. He was standing in the doorway, looking at her with obvious affection and devotion.

"I love you," he said strongly. "No matter what."

It was impossible to contain the smile that burst across her face, and it was the easiest yet scariest thing in the world to respond.

"I love you too."

Going into work on Monday morning was the last thing Rose wanted to do. Not when her best friend was in the hospital and her boyfriend was still missing.

If Scorpius actually was her boyfriend anymore. She'd had a hard time not worrying about that even amidst her fears for both Erin's health and Scorpius' safety. It felt selfish and possibly ridiculous, but it had been impossible to get the disappointed look he'd given her out of her head.

Still, the last thing she wanted to deal with was problems at work on top of everything else, so she even managed to get in on time that morning, despite her serious lack of sleep and the rainy conditions. She'd barely slept all weekend, finding it difficult to do in the flat by herself while Erin was still in the hospital. Most of her Sunday had been spent at St. Mungo's, but she and Ethan and Alice had left about an hour before Erin's procedure to give her some time with her parents. They'd promised to let Rose know when she woke up. She'd have to do her anxious waiting at the office.

"Rose, I need you to confirm Matthew Baker's book tour dates," said Mrs. Franks, shuffling out of her office as Rose took a seat at her desk. She was handed a list of locations and addresses and phone numbers. "It's one of our dual clients so get Rita to help you when she comes in."

"Okay," said Rose. Dual clients were authors who sold to both magical and Muggle audiences and typically came with the greatest amount of meticulous work. "Are accommodations taken care of?"

"No, and I'll need you to take care of that as well once you've confirmed with the venues. And you'll need to book three rooms at each stop."

Rose nodded, her eyes traveling down the list of about a dozen bookstores around the U.K, some with phone numbers and others with addresses. She'd be making a lot of phone calls and sending a lot of owls, which called for a lot of tea. With a sigh, she stood from her desk and made her way towards the kitchenette as her boss went back into her office. Rose closed her eyes and rested her hip against the counter as her tea steeped, thankful that the phones weren't ringing and the other two people she shared a workspace with weren't there yet, giving her a moment of peace.

The bell on the door chimed as she added cream and sugar, ending her temporary solitude.

Rita glanced anxiously around the room as she walked briskly in. She gave a sigh of relief when she saw Rose, who smiled in greeting and was about to offer her a cup of tea. But then Rita nearly threw her bag down on their shared desk and tossed her umbrella in the corner before plopping quickly into her chair. A moment later, she picked up the phone and immediately began talking into it without even dialing. Rose watched her in confusion as the door opened once again.

"Yes, that's right," said Rita, her eyes focused on the computer screen in front of her as Grant Turner walked in. The editor didn't look like he'd even bothered with an umbrella and seemed to be trying to catch his breath as he stood in the doorway. Even though his back was to her, Rose could tell he was watching Rita closely. It was impossible to ignore the tension in the room as Rita seemed determined not to acknowledge his presence, continuing to jabber away on her fake phone call.

Slowly, Mr. Turner took a few more steps into the room, shaking out his wet, short brown hair as he approached his assistant's desk.

"Yes, that's doable," said Rita, her voice rising in pitch when Mr. Turner stopped at her desk.

"Rita-"

"Rose, can you give me a hand?" she nearly hollered, causing her boss to jump and glance in the direction that Rita was looking. He stared at Rose with wide eyes for a moment, and then offered her an awkward wave before hastily moving into his office. Rita kept up her charade for a few moments after his door closed, but hung up the phone with a sigh as Rose approached their desk. She let out a groan and rested her head in her hands.

"What was that?" asked Rose, sufficiently distracted from her own problems as she sipped her tea.

"That was horrible," Rita groaned as the phone rang. "Can you take that?"

Rose handled the call, forwarding it to Mr. Bobbin as Rita managed to compose herself.

"So," said Rose, sitting back and sipping her tea, "are you okay?"

It probably wasn't the best idea to put off her work, but she needed the distraction of someone else's life. Besides, Danny - Mr. Bobbin's nephew and less than competent assistant - was likely to show up soon, and he was a notorious gossip. Rose could tell you the names of all his friends and acquaintances and who they'd either dated, slept with, or hated, even though she had no desire to know any of it. Rita had warned Rose very early on not to say anything personal in front of Danny that she didn't want repeated.

Plus, she and Rita got along well and they were starting to become friends, despite their six year age gap. Asking her how she was seemed like the friendly thing to do.

"Not particularly, no" said Rita, slouching back in her seat. "It's complicated."

Rose nodded. "Seemed that way. Am I going to have to run interference or do you plan on actually talking to him?"

Rita's cheeks turned a lovely pink and she pursed her red lips. "Well…," she said, squirming in her seat and nervously tucking a loose lock of dark hair behind her ear. "I don't suppose I can completely ignore him, but can you maybe make sure we don't end up alone together?"

Rose nodded, and then the implication of Rita's words hit her. She looked at her coworker with wide eyes."Wait, he didn't…do anything, did he?"

Rita looked at her in question for a moment before correctly interpreting the pointed look Rose was giving her. "Oh, no! No, he hasn't done anything inappropriate. I mean...I guess it depends on your definition of the word. Then again, I didn't exactly...well, anyway. No, he hasn't done anything...untoward."

She was nearly red by the time she finished her rambling, and Rose could only stare at her with wide eyes. Rita sat there grimacing for a few moments before letting out a deep sigh.

"Look, you can't tell anyone," said Rita, her expression serious as she spoke in a hushed tone. "I honestly don't know how much trouble either of us could get in. But nothing's really happening anyway, so…"

She paused, closed her eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath.

"It really all started on your first day of work, actually," she began hesitantly. "You might not have been able to tell from how we acted when we got back, but that breakfast meeting went really well. So well in fact that I saw Gra - Mr. Turner genuinely smile for perhaps the first time ever."

Rose couldn't help it. Her jaw dropped in shock and her eyes widened. The closest thing to a smile she'd ever seen him give anyone was a reluctant smirk.

She also clearly remembered how out of sorts both Rita and Mr. Turner had been when they'd arrived at the office that morning.

"Anyway, I was really excited because he actually let me play a role in the negotiating, and I did really well," Rita continued. "But before I knew what was happening...Rose, it all happened so quickly and I shouldn't have let it, but we'd ducked around a corner so he could Apparate us and no one was around…"

Her face was in her hands again. "What happened?" Rose prompted softly. Rita let out a resigned sigh and looked up at her.

"He kissed me. Or I kissed him. I'm not really sure which anymore. I was just suddenly in his arms as he spun me off my feet in excitement and it...it just happened. Sometimes I'm convinced I was the one to do it, but then I also remember being so surprised by it. Either way, it shouldn't have happened no matter who did what. He's my boss and I'm a…"

She trailed off, biting her lip and looking nervously away from Rose.

"It's one thing to work with magical people, and I really do enjoy it," she said despondently. "But actually being in a personal and romantic relationship with a wizard? I feel insecure enough as it is when you lot talk about Hogwarts and growing up around magic and the most I can contribute is something I've heard my sister say or seen her do. I imagine it would be a lot worse if I were to actually be with Grant."

It was easy to forget that Rita was a Muggle. She fit in so well and even understood a fair bit about the magical world. The only times it became obvious was when she helped Rose with some of the Muggle aspects of her job.

"Anyway," Rita continued with a sigh. "I didn't think I'd have to make a decision about anything because we were both acting like nothing happened, but…"

"I'm guessing something happened this morning?" asked Rose.

Rita grimaced. "Last night, actually."

Rose listened in rapt attention as her coworker explained how she'd run into her boss at a bar the night before, how her friends had been more than happy to invite him and his friend to join them once they learned who he was, and how he'd cornered her at the end of the night to confess that he couldn't stop thinking about her, that he'd liked her for a while, and that he wanted to see what they could be.

"I couldn't get out of there fast enough," said Rita. "I had no idea what to say, no clue that he had any feelings for me whatsoever. There's also the fact that it's a horrific idea to ever date someone you work with, let alone your boss. You're just asking for trouble when you do that."

She huffed and crossed her arms, glancing uncertainly towards her boss's still closed door.

"What was all that about this morning?" asked Rose.

"Oh, we just ran into each other on the way to the office," said Rita. "I think we live fairly close to each other because it happens every now and then. He tried catching my attention but I obviously had other ideas."

Rose nodded. "Any clue what you're going to do?"

Rita shook her head. "Not one."

They sat there in silence as Rose sipped her tea and Rita continued to stare at Mr. Turner's office door, the rain beating a steady rhythm against the windows.

"Do you have feelings for him?" Rose couldn't help asking. Rita glanced at her, chewing her lower lip nervously with uncertainty in her eyes.

"I've been working for him for almost two years, and I'm not sure I even know him," she said. "How could I possibly have feelings for someone I hardly know?"

Rose didn't have an answer to this question. Everyone she knew in relationships were with people they'd known fairly well beforehand. And more often than not, they knew each other very well.

She was saved from trying to find an answer by Danny stumbling out of his uncle's office. He was half covered in soot, having Flooed in through Mr. Bobbin's fireplace, and his eyes were red and glassy.

"I've had it," Mr. Bobbin snapped, following Danny out of his office. "You've shown up here late and drunk off your arse one too many times, and I don't care if your mother hates me. You're fired."

Danny scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Took you long enough. I've been trying to get you to fire me for weeks."

In the month Rose had worked at Bobbin's Books, she'd never seen anyone manage to fluster Jerry Bobbin. But his nephew had just managed it.

"Wh-what?" he spluttered, his grey mustache quivering. "You wanted me to fire you?"

Danny shrugged. "My mum wanted you to hire me because she hates the fact that I'd rather pursue art. And I couldn't just quit, because then she'd just keep pushing me to get a similar job somewhere else. I had to prove to her that I'm not cut out for this if I want a chance of her backing off long enough for me to prove I can do what I want."

Rose and Rita exchanged wide-eyed looks as Mr. Bobbin stared gobsmacked at his nephew.

"You couldn't have told me that from the beginning?" Mr. Bobbin asked. "There were other people who actually wanted this job."

"Sorry," said Danny, not sounding like he truly was as he picked up his few personal items from his desk. "Give it to whoever you want, now. See you at Christmas!"

With a chipper smile at his uncle and a salute to Rose and Rita, Danny walked out of the office, whistling merrily as the bell chimed and the door snapped shut behind him.

Mr. Bobbin heaved a sigh and shook his head, running a hand through his silver hair before turning to Rose and Rita.

"Miss Garcia?" he asked, taking out a handkerchief to dab as his forehead. "Please tell Grant I'd like to see him in my office when he gets here."

"He's already here," Rita said quickly as Mr. Bobbin turned to go back to his office.

"Oh," he said with a furrowed brow before changing direction and knocking on Grant Turner's door. Rose had to bite her lip to keep from chuckling as Rita immediately began busying herself with the computer.

"Wonder who they'll get to replace Danny," said Rose as Mr. Bobbin closed Grant's door behind him.

"It won't be anyone worse than Danny, that's for sure," said Rita as Rose finally picked up the phone to call the first venue on the list for the book tour. "The amount of time he spent doodling at his desk makes a bit more sense now."

The next hour was relatively ordinary, except for the fact that Rose found herself glancing at the clock more often than normal. The day turned eventful once again when Mr. Bobbin came out of Mr. Turner's office about an hour after he'd entered it with one of Rose's former classmates in tow.

"Miss Garcia, Miss Weasley," said Mr. Bobbin before gesturing to the young wizard next to him. "This is Alec Turner, Grant's younger brother. He applied for Danny's job and would've gotten it if it weren't for my meddling sister. Thankfully, he's still interested in the job so we had him Floo in to talk it over, and he'll be starting tomorrow."

Rose felt foolish that it took until that moment to make the connection. No wonder Grant Turner had looked so familiar to her. Alec was practically a younger version of his older brother.

Despite his friendship with Devon Shepherd, who had made it a point to make it clear how little he thought of Scorpius up until the very end of their seventh year, Rose had never had a problem with her fellow Gryffindor. Alec was a good student and she'd even witnessed him going out of his way to be kind to the younger ones. It had come as a surprise to Rose when the position of prefect had gone to Devon instead.

A surprise smile bloomed across his face when he saw Rose. "Hey! I didn't know you worked here."

Rose returned his smile. "Yeah. Professor Bray got me the interview, actually, since he knows Mr. Tur - your brother. Sorry, I didn't make the connection until just now. I didn't even know you had an older brother."

Alec waived off her apology. "No worries. I try not to talk about him. He's a bit embarrassing."

Rose grinned at the playful smirk on his face as Rita muffled a snort behind her hand. Mr. Bobbin rolled his eyes.

"Don't make me regret hiring another member of this staff's family," he grumbled.

"No, sir," said Alec, giving Mr. Bobbin a firm nod. "I'm very grateful for the opportunity."

Mr. Bobbin scrutinized him for a moment before signalling for Alec to follow and heading into his office. Alec trailed behind his new boss with a quick smile and a wave at Rose and Rita.

"He seems nice. And cute," said Rita suggestively once the door was closed. Rose rolled her eyes.

"What happened to not dating coworkers? Besides, I have a boyfriend, remember?" she said, trying to ignore the pang that went through her at the thought. "And of course you think he's cute. He's the spitting image of his older brother."

Rita's cheeks turned bright red and she gave Rose a scowl, though it was obvious to Rose that she wasn't really mad and was maybe even amused by the comeback.

As hours passed and Rose heard nothing about either Erin or Scorpius, her anxiety grew until it felt like every single possible emotion she could have about both situations was just sitting right below the surface, stewing together and making her increasingly restless and nearly sick to her stomach. And whichever emotion decided to surface first was dependent entirely on whatever was just around the corner. Which was completely outside of her control.

Rose couldn't even bring herself to remain interested in the drama going on between Rita and Mr. Turner as the day wore on, not that anything of much note happened besides a few awkward encounters and lingering looks. From both parties. It was still raining as she headed home that evening, choosing to walk once again in an attempt to calm her incredibly heightened nerves. She didn't even try to shield herself from the rain. She was unable to use an umbrella charm as she walked through Muggle London anyway, and she chose not to wear her jacket, the cool rain refreshing as it hit her face and bare forearms. She'd probably take a bath when she got home, light a few candles, and hope it was enough to relax her. After first making Floo calls to the hospital and the Ministry, of course.

Even though she'd only done it once, Rose hated going back to an empty flat. Especially because of why it was empty. She trudged up the stairs absentmindedly, knowing she had a long night of failing to get a good night's rest ahead of her. Maybe she would try starting that new book her mother gave her. Or see if Dom was visiting Lysander. Or she would finally experiment with the new magic friendly mobile device her cousin Fred had given her to test out. Violet had one too. Maybe she could message her and see if she had any news about Erin.

With a tap of her wand, the front door unlocked, and Rose didn't even notice that a light was on in the flat until she'd stepped inside. She froze, knowing she hadn't left one on when she'd gone to work that morning. Halfway through doing a thorough scan of the state of the living room, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

Scorpius Malfoy was sitting on her couch.

A/N: Sorry I keep leaving you with cliffhangers but also not sorry! Thanks for the feedback as always! Quick shoutout to PrincessCecelia, chocoluvr, and Butterflies765 for your consistent reviews. Can't wait to hear what you think happens next! I'm getting better at weekly updates and I might get the next chapter up sooner if there's enough of a clamor for it. But that's also because I'm really excited to post it.