A/N: Enjoy ;)

Chapter 10: Rose

Saturday, 29 November, 2025

Rose woke up late on Saturday morning, but she didn't really feel well-rested. Even though Rose had gone to bed at midnight, after watching a movie with Scarlett, she hadn't fallen asleep until four in the morning.

It had mainly been her upcoming date with Nick that had kept her awake, but she had had other thoughts that needed to be mulled over, making it impossible to empty her mind and let herself drift into sleep.

Last Sunday, Rose had met Bruce again at her mother's place. She, Hugo, their mother and Bruce had had lunch together, before Rose and Hugo had left to their father's place. Apparently, Rose's and Hugo's mother had been friends with Bruce for a while now, and they had only recently started dating – which was something Rose and Hugo had found out as they had grilled Bruce without subtlety, to the point that their mother had given them a sharp, disapproving look and ordered them to stop. However, Bruce hadn't seemed bothered by the interrogation, and instead had laughed and told Rose's and Hugo's mother that he didn't mind answering any questions that came up.

The lunch had gone rather smoothly, and only for a short moment their discussion had turned slightly awkward when Bruce had inquired about Rose's and Hugo's lives. Rose had stiffly told Bruce that she was taking a second gap year between school and university, and that in the meantime, she worked in a coffee shop in Bermondsey. Bruce's eyes had then tentatively flickered to meet Rose's mother's somewhat disappointed expression, before he had nodded at Rose, and told her that many of his students did similarly – they gained some work experience and saved up money before university. Hugo on the other hand, had been stiff and awkward for completely different reasons. How was he supposed to explain to Bruce about his career? Luckily, their mother had apparently thought of everything, and had launched on to a long explanation what Hugo was studying and in which medical school, and how he had started only his first year after finishing his A-levels and would focus on his studies for the next few years before going into his first clinical rotation in a hospital.

Needless to say, both Hugo and Rose had been somewhat bewildered and had tried to keep their expressions blank. Bruce on the other hand, had listened Rose's and Hugo's mother attentively, but had kept glancing at Hugo, as if hoping he would be the one explaining all of it.

When Rose and Hugo had arrived to their father's place, their father had been very interested to hear more about Rose's and Hugo's mother's new boyfriend, and had kept shooting questions about Bruce for the entire dinner. Lavender had seemed a bit put out by it, and had excused herself and Jasmine from their company for the rest of the evening. And while Rose thought her father and mother were definitely over, and was certain that her father's questions were based purely on curiosity and not some harboured feelings for Rose's mother, she also knew that her father didn't always remember to take other people's feelings into account when he spoke.

Rose's thoughts were interrupted by her phone buzzing on the nightstand. She grabbed the device and leaned against her pillows. A smile crept up on her face as she saw that Nick had texted her.

Good morning, gorgeous. :)

Rose rolled her eyes and let out a quiet snort, her fingers tapping a quick reply.

Morning :) …And I don't think anyone in their right mind would call me that the first thing in the morning…

Nick replied a moment later.

Don't sell yourself short. I bet you're one of those people who wake up sleep-fuzzy and with mussed-up hair but still manage to look adorable. ;)

Rose laughed this time. She definitely didn't fit into Nick's description. Her hair resembled a bird's nest and she was sure there were large bags under her eyes. She wrote him a reply before kicking away the blanket.

You're definitely biased.

As Rose walked out from her room and towards the kitchen, carrying her wand and phone with her, Nick replied.

So – a Hag, is what you're saying? …would it be weird if I said I'd be into that?

Rose sniggered. She flicked her wand, summoned the teapot and started to prepare tea while writing him a reply.

Oh god. You're a weirdo. Brilliant.

Rose was silently laughing when Scarlett spoke, appearing right behind her. "Someone's in a good mood," Scarlett said slyly.

Rose jumped slightly and turned quickly around, feeling her phone buzzing in her hand with Nick's reply. "Don't scare me like that!" Rose scolded her friend, who merely smirked and went to grab a couple of cups from a cupboard, nudging her chin at Rose's phone.

"Loverboy, is it?" Scarlett asked airily.

Rose didn't miss the glint of mischief in her friend's gaze. She rolled her eyes at Scarlett. "It is Nick, if that is who you meant," Rose said primly, before letting out a sigh. "The 'loverboy' part is yet to be seen."

"Oh?" Scarlett asked, putting the two cups on the counter. "Any second thoughts?"

Rose shook her head. "No, no. It's almost the opposite, I think," she said and bit her lip. "I mean, I think I know Nick well enough to know what to expect, and that's kind of what frightens me…" She said unsurely.

She and Nick had been texting back and forth the entire week, and every day Rose felt more excited when her phone buzzed with a new message. She couldn't wait to actually meet him and see if things between them were like she expected; that their conversation would go as smoothly as their texts, and if that spark she knew had been between them would still be there. At the same time, Rose was anxious since she knew she had high, and possibly too optimistic expectations regarding Nick and how things would evolve between them.

Scarlett nodded slowly, watching Rose carefully. "…If it doesn't work out?" Scarlett asked, voicing Rose's unsaid words.

Rose shrugged and absently twirled her wand between her fingers. "Yeah."

Scarlett hummed and fixed them some tea with a few flicks of her wand. "If it doesn't, then… at least you've given it a shot, right?" She asked, giving Rose an inquiring look. "Don't overthink it, Rose. Just go with the flow."

Rose thought about Scarlett's words for a moment, and as she felt the phone in her hand inform her about a new text message, she knew it wasn't as easy as Scarlett made it sound. She was already too invested in the idea what could happen with Nick, but she knew there was no point to keep anguishing about it. Only time would tell her what was to come. However, knowing how she ought to feel didn't really make any difference, and it definitely didn't make her feel settled.

"So, what are you up to today?" Rose asked as she sipped her tea after sitting down at the kitchen table – which was mostly filled by stacks of parchment and Scarlett's wizarding medical books.

Scarlett shrugged. "Nothing." She said lazily, fiddling with the handle of her cup. "Maybe I'll read some fanfiction," she said with a sly wink.

Rose groaned. "I thought you were done with it…"

Scarlett gave her a mock-astonished look. "There's more into it than some stories about one moronic Quidditch player – no offense –" Scarlett said with a grimace, and continued when Rose waved her hand in dismissal – "I mean, there's always the Harry Potter and the Order of Sex, which is basically a nine-part series about the Order of the –"

"OH MY GOD, SCARLETT!" Rose shrieked when she recovered enough from the utter shock. She gave her friend the most horrified look she could summon. "Please, for the love of Merlin, please tell me you haven't read something like that!"

Scarlett sniggered, obviously finding Rose's utter discomfort amusing. "Of course I haven't," she said with an exasperated snort, and continued as Rose still gaped at her in a complete loss of words. "Dunno if it even exists, I just made it up to mess with you," she said and shrugged.

Rose shook her head slowly. "I love you, Scar, but you're definitely the weirdest person I've ever met."

Scarlett smiled widely. "Aww, that's sweet."

Rose suppressed a much needed eyeroll and finished her tea before making her excuses and slipping into her room to shower. She wouldn't meet Nick until eight, which meant that she had several hours before she would have to start making herself ready for the date.

Rose and Nick had agreed to go to the Swingers for drinks, street food, and of course to play crazy golf. Originally, Nick had planned on taking her to a fancy restaurant in wizarding London, but Rose had then suggested a different kind of plan, still remembering her last dinner date a bit too clearly. Rose had been at Swingers with Scarlett once, and had enjoyed the game, food and atmosphere so much that she had wanted to go again some day. It was also an activity, which would be helpful in case the conversation wouldn't be flowing with Nick the way she hoped. Nick had been excited about the change of plans, and had told Rose he had never tried minigolf, and had wanted to try it out.

As soon as there was a knock on their door, Rose jumped up from the sofa and practically ran to the hall to open it, not missing the quiet snort coming from Scarlett's direction, as her friend stayed on the couch and continued to watch the telly.

Rose opened the door, feeling slightly breathless. Nick was there, as handsome as he had been the last time Rose had seen him. He wore a pair of beige slim-fit chinos, a white button-down shirt and a dark blue and sleek bomber jacket. His short brown hair was brushed back and slightly tousled, as if he had been running his hand through it.

Nick gave her a once-over and grinned. "You look cute."

Rose had decided to wear her floral patterned black loose shirt and had tucked it into her black fitted jeans. The whole look was completed by her worn brown leather ankle boots and her leather saddle bag, where she had put her wand. She had ended up going with a casual make up, and had only made sure to spell her hair into perfect, natural waves over her shoulders.

Rose cleared her throat and inclined her head at him. "Not so bad yourself." She grabbed her coat from the hanger next to her and turned to speak to Scarlett.

"I'm off, Scar!"

"Yeah, yeah, have fun. Be home by eleven!" Scarlett's voice carried from the sitting room, as Rose stepped into the stairway.

She closed the door and gave Nick a wide-eyed look. "I'm not – I don't have to be, um." Rose cursed Scarlett in her head.

Nick gave her a subtle snort, and smiled. "I figured." He then gestured at the stairs. "Shall we?"

Rose nodded, and took the lead. She guided him into a dark alleyway close to the apartment, and then side-alonged Nick to their destination.

The place was in the city, next to the Gherkin, but since there wasn't really a suitable spot to apparate close to the building, they had to walk a couple of blocks.

"So, you've been there before?" Nick asked as they walked away from the alley close to Aldgate Station.

Rose nodded, glancing at Nick. "Yeah, I went with Scarlett last summer. It's really fun, I think you'll enjoy it."

Nick grinned at her. "I might suck though."

Rose smiled innocently. "All the better for me."

They laughed and continued to discuss different muggle activities and sports either of them had tried. Fifteen minutes later they stepped inside the building, which was decorated as an English countryside inspired golf club. They decided to start with drinks and then proceed to play minigolf.

"So…what do you do? Besides serve coffee and go to see your cousin's games?" Nick asked as they sat down with their drinks – beer for him and a G&T for Rose. He watched her intently.

Rose huffed out a laugh. "That… pretty much sums it up," she said with a shrug. "I have no life, apparently."

Nick shook his head with mild amusement. "I'm sure that's not true. I mean, you do occasionally make an appearance in your cousin's parties, right?"

"Like, once in a year?" Rose asked with a small grin.

Nick seemed to think of it for a moment, before letting out a sigh. "Yeah. I agree. You have no life," he said with a serious look, before a wide grin took place on his face. "So, you stay home every night with your roommate and knit socks?"

"Occasionally I meet my parents and my half-sister. And knit for them as well." Rose replied with a deadpan voice.

Nick sniggered before inquiring a bit more about Rose's job and asking if she would serve him coffee if he popped by some time at the coffee shop – a request which Rose firmly declined.

Rose felt so at ease in his company, that she briefly wondered why had she even stressed about meeting Nick? She knew him, and every time she had been in his company, it had been anything but awkward. And as she looked into Nick's dark brown eyes, she knew that the spark was still there, like it had always been.

"Did you really ask me out when we were at James's party last year?" Rose asked, suddenly remembering what Nick had said to Scarlett at Albus's party.

Nick chuckled. "Yeah, don't you remember?" He asked with a sly expression.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I wasn't really in a condition to keep up a proper conversation," she muttered, and Nick continued laughing.

"I believe you, Rose." Nick said with a smile.

Rose felt something pleasant flicker in the bottom of her stomach when Nick said her name, and it had nothing to do with the drink she had nearly finished.

Nick put his empty beer bottle on the table and gave Rose an inquiring look. "Are you ready to lose?"

Rose huffed a laugh and took one last sip of her drink before standing up from their booth. "Do you even know how to play minigolf?" She asked teasingly.

It turned out, that Nick had known exactly how to play – that, or he had been experiencing beginner's luck. Nick had won every single one of the nine holes, managing to win Rose – who had thought she was better than average, based on the last time she had played – with at least two strokes on each hole, and never going over par.

"Aww, Rose, don't look so glum," Nick said lightly as they walked down the road towards the Thames, after Nick had suggested that they could stop for a quick drink at a pub. "Neither of us can help the fact that I'm a natural," he said airily.

Rose narrowed her eyes and gave Nick a much-deserved nudge, which he used as an opportunity to snatch her hand so that they could walk hand in hand towards their destination. Rose thought wryly how smooth he was, and that Nick was lucky that she wasn't as bad at losing as her father was, since their date would've probably ended right then and there.

On their way to the river bank, they talked a bit about Nick's apprenticeship and then reminisced their final years at Hogwarts. As Nick had graduated two years prior to Rose, they hadn't really had the same group of friends. But as they both had been Gryffindors and somewhat acquainted through James and Fred, Rose was aware of some of the things James and his friends had been up to during their school years.

Rose laughed especially hard as Nick recollected how he and Fred had once hexed all Slytherin brooms, so that they would only go forward with a snail's pace, and it had taken Flitwick a week before he had been able to reverse the spell. It had been a good week of practice for the Gryffindor team.

"Good times," Nick said with an easy smile as they stepped into the pub and reached the bar.

Nick bought them drinks after asking what Rose would like to have, and they found a corner table with two free seats next to each other in the otherwise packed pub.

"Now that we've gone through the highlights of my school years, I want to hear more about all the mischief you were up to at Hogwarts?" Nick said and lifted his brows in inquiry.

Rose gave him an amused look. "What makes you think there was any?"

She wasn't sure if Nick was merely taking the piss out of her, since it was widely known that when Rose had been at Hogwarts, she had preferred studying over anything else. Even Scorpius had come second whenever there had been schoolwork or exams to finish.

Nick grinned. "After there was no hesitation on your part when you agreed to play a drinking game with me last year, I started to wonder, what kind of rebellious secret identity you have had all these years. And I thought, there probably are a lot of things I don't know about you."

Rose shook her head and gave him a rueful smile. "Sorry to disappoint. I only grew into the 'rebellious identity' after utterly screwing up my life."

As Nick frowned a bit at her words, Rose quickly scolded herself and continued. "I promise there was nothing but studying for me at Hogwarts. I only learned to loosen up a bit after graduation."

Nick nodded and watched her closely. "…After you broke up with Scorpius?"

Rose took in a deep breath and stared at the table in front of them. It was no secret that they had been together, and she was sure that everyone knew about them – and about how they had broken up before graduation. It just wasn't something Rose wanted to talk about. Especially not with Nick.

"Sorry. You don't have to answer that," Nick said with an apologising smile.

He reached out to push a tendril of Rose's hair behind her ear and stared into her eyes.

Rose completely forgot what she had been thinking and could only think of the fact that they were sitting very close to one another, turned towards each other, with nothing between them.

Nick's hand lingered close to her ear and Rose was sure she saw his head turn slightly towards her. It made her somewhat dizzy, and she couldn't really wrap her head around it before there was a sudden voice that broke the moment.

"Rosie!"

Rose whirled towards the pub, forcing Nick to pull slightly back, and saw the pleasantly surprised Albus walking towards their table. Albus's expression tensed slightly when he saw who Rose was with, but it seemed that he recovered quickly and grinned at Nick.

"Hey, mate." Albus said with a nod.

Nick grinned at Albus. "Hey."

Rose was about to ask what Albus was doing at the pub, when she saw who had followed her cousin to their table. She froze.

It was Scorpius.

Scorpius didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that Rose and Nick were there together and sitting somewhat closely next to each other. Instead, he greeted them both and then told Albus that he would be at the bar, to get them drinks.

"Is it just the two of you?" Albus asked casually after Scorpius had left. He glanced at the surrounding tables.

Rose cleared her throat. "Um. Yes."

Albus's brow twitched slightly up and he nodded. "Okay. Cool." He jerked the back of his head to the other side of the pub. "Our group is there if you wanna join us?"

Rose tensed in her seat. She could feel Nick's eyes trained at her as Albus's inquiring gaze moved from her to Nick.

Nick shrugged. "Rose can decide."

Albus gave Rose a somewhat challenging look, and it was obvious he was trying to determine if the two of them were on an actual date. If Rose declined, Albus would have his answer – and Rose and Nick would be on a display for the entire night. If Rose said yes, it would mean she would be facing the most awkward night she could think of: drinking with her date and her ex.

Rose felt a spark of annoyance towards her cousin, since it was none of his business whether she was on a date or not, and she definitely didn't want to join them with Nick. So, she chose the coward's option.

"Actually, we were leaving." She said with a strained smile and stood up.

It was totally a lie, and it was clear that Albus had also caught on it as his eyes flickered to the table and to their half-empty glasses before he looked back up.

For her benefit, Nick didn't say anything and stood up, ready to follow Rose out.

Albus shrugged. "Okay. Good seeing you," he said with a smile and then turned to walk back to his friends.

Rose avoided Nick's gaze as they put on their coats and walked to the door. However, she was unable to not look at Scorpius, who was standing at the bar and watching her leave with a small frown between his brows.

Outside the pub, Rose and Nick walked without destination for a while. Rose thought back at the encounter and suddenly hoped she could go home. The night with Nick had been fun and just what she had needed, but seeing Albus and Scorpius had somewhat dampened her spirits.

As they reached the river, Nick spoke.

"Can I take you home?" He said, as if guessing her thoughts.

Rose stopped in place and turned to look at him with a mild surprise. "Um. Sure. If – if you don't mind me calling it a night…?"

"Sure." He said easily.

They walked to a nearby alley to apparate into Rose's neighbourhood. After reaching their destination, they continued to walk in silence towards Rose's building.

When they reached the front door, Rose turned to Nick and gave him a hesitant smile. "I had a fun night."

Nick studied her features before he smiled teasingly. "You sure? I mean, you did lose all nine holes – ouch!"

Rose shoved him lightly. "You're an arse." She said, laughing lightly. "I'll get you next time."

Nick's brows lifted up and he gave Rose a wide grin. "Oh, so there's going to be a next time, huh?"

Rose huffed, shaking her head. "Not so sure yet."

Nick's smile softened and he took a step closer to her. "I had fun too," he murmured. His hand was back at Rose's cheek, pushing her hair behind her ear, making Rose's breath hitch in her throat.

This time, there was nothing stopping him as he leaned towards her and closed the distance between their lips.

It was close to midnight when Rose walked into the flat, but she wasn't surprised that she found Scarlett in the same position on the sofa, watching the telly.

"How was the date?" Scarlett asked as Rose proceeded to walk to the kitchen to drink a glass of water.

"It was great," Rose replied before opening the tap.

Her insides were still tingling with excitement and warmth after the kiss downstairs. Or, several kisses. Her thoughts lingered in the fact that Nick was clearly a great kisser, and knew exactly how to make a woman's head spin. Rose wanted to linger in the thought of his sinfully talented tongue, but unfortunately, Scarlett's laugh interrupted her.

"Oh my god, Rose. You're so in the clouds right now…"

Rose blinked and realised the water was still running, and she had been standing there, staring into nothingness for a while. Hastily, she closed the tap and whirled around to see Scarlett grinning madly at her, nearly hanging halfway off the sofa while watching Rose.

"That good, huh?" Scarlett asked teasingly.

Rose narrowed her eyes at her friend, but couldn't stop the smile spreading on her face. She sighed longingly. "So good."

Scarlett sniggered as Rose walked to the sitting room and plopped down to sit next to her friend.

"And the rest of it?" Scarlett asked and put the volume down in the telly. "Did you have fun?"

Rose thought back at their date and smiled. The minigolf had been rather fun, even if she had lost each hole, and there hadn't been a single awkward moment between them during the whole – and then Rose sobered. There had been, though. Meeting Albus and Scorpius had practically made her call it a night and run away from the pub. She frowned and started to wonder what Nick was thinking about the whole scenario, as they hadn't discussed it. Was he mad that Rose hadn't told Albus that she had been on a date with Nick? Was he upset that Rose had wanted to go home? Did he think Rose had still feelings for Scorpius and that had been the reason for her odd behaviour?

There was a small, nagging sound in the back of her brain, asking wasn't it though?

"Okay, you're starting to freak me out, Rosie…" Scarlett muttered and stared at Rose with concern in her eyes. "What happened?" She asked, obviously seeing the change in Rose's expression.

Rose sighed and shook her head. "Everything was fine – brilliant even – before we went into the pub close to the riverbank." Rose looked away and stared at the table as she spoke. "We were talking about everything, really, and I enjoyed his company, and…"

"…And?" Scarlett prompted after a short silence.

"Albus and Scorpius were there…"

"Ouch."

Rose gave her friend an exasperated look.

"What happened?"

Rose thought back at the rather awkward meeting, and remembered the expression on Scorpius's face when she had left. He had looked upset. And confused.

"I ran." Rose said simply and looked at Scarlett.

Scarlett mulled Rose's words for a moment, before nodding approvingly. "Expected."

Rose huffed.

"So what did Nick say about it?" Scarlett asked, and slouched slightly down on the sofa, leaning her head against the headrest and turned her attention to Rose.

Rose grimaced. "Nothing. He came with me and we, kinda, didn't talk about that…"

"Ouch."

Rose scowled at her friend. "Will you stop with the 'ouches'?"

Scarlett watched Rose with a scrutinising look. "What did Scorpius say? How did he react?"

Rose gave her an incredulous look. "He said nothing – and why would he react?"

Scarlett lifted a perfect, single brow at Rose.

"Fine." Rose huffed. "He looked – well – he looked upset."

There was a knowing look on Scarlett's face, which made Rose grit her teeth together.

"Stop. That."

Scarlett leaned forward to grab the remote from the coffee table before glancing at Rose with an innocent look. "Stop what?"

"I didn't run because I'm still in love with Scorpius – I ran because – because it would've been awkward!"

Scarlett nodded slowly. "Of course." She said lightly, obviously not believing a word Rose was saying. She started to flick through the options on Netflix. "Fancy a movie?"

"Scarlett!" Rose huffed.

Scarlett turned to look at Rose, evidently trying to suppress a smirk. "Yes?"

"You're – insufferable!" Rose hissed, even more so annoyed as her friend kept smirking at her. She stood up and ground her teeth together. She stared at Scarlett's knowing look and shook her head. "I'm going to sleep."

Scarlett smiled sincerely at her. "Good night, Rosie."

Rose huffed a one last exasperated huff before marching to her bedroom and muttering a good night to her friend.

She was definitely not going to ruin whatever it was that was happening between her and Nick with what seemed to remain unresolved between her and Scorpius. She was not.