A/N: Finally, eh?
I hope this brings joy to your day ;)
...also, I'm thrilled every time I get to hear your thoughts - whose story is your favourite, what relationships you guys are shipping and so on.
Chapter 32: Rose
Saturday, 14 March 2026
Rose took a final look at herself in the mirror, satisfied by the outcome. She hadn't really put an effort on her appearance during the previous weeks. Not after she had broken up with Nick.
Still, it wasn't like she had been walking outside dressed like a homeless person, and she did work in a coffee shop, which meant that she couldn't really roll out of bed and head to work without tidying herself up a bit. No, it was the effort of choosing the clothes that accentuated her best features, and taking the time to put on makeup, and doing more to her hair than trying to force a comb through it.
She was now wearing a knee-length black and grey floral-patterned skirt and a dark blue silk blouse. Her hair was straight and pulled into a ponytail on the nape of her neck. Rose reckoned she probably looked slightly more smart than casual, but she didn't really know what to gather from Scarlett's description of the place, so it had to make do. Apparently, they were going for drinks to a new 'fancy' bar in Soho.
It was Scarlett's idea, naturally, and Rose was actually pleased she had agreed to go, even if she had been a bit hesitant at first. It was over three weeks since she and Nick had broken up, and a lot longer than that when she had been out the last time. Rose reckoned it was just what she needed. To feel good about herself and spend some quality time with her best friend, somewhere else than on their sitting room sofa, where they both lounged several nights a week, staring at the telly with tired eyes, unable to hold a proper conversation.
"Have you thought about putting your dating profile back up?" Scarlett asked casually as they prepared a salad for late lunch. It was Saturday, and Hugo was going to come by to stay for the evening to watch a movie with Rose, while Scarlett was off to meet her parents.
Rose lifted her brows at her friend, giving her a doubtful look. She had been single for a little over two weeks, and going back to dating was the last thing she could think of.
Her breakup with Nick had been unfortunate but expected, for several days before it had happened. At first, Nick had become distant and unavailable. Until one night, he had asked if Rose could see him, if they could talk.
And they did talk. They talked about their future plans, what both of them wanted out of a relationship. Rose had been completely honest, telling him that she wanted more, that she wanted stability and commitment. She told him she wanted a relationship that would evolve and go deeper over time, a relationship in which she would get closer to her partner.
Nick had been truthful as well. He had been very apologetic when he had told her that committing, and moving them to the next stage of a relationship was something he wasn't able to give to her. That he couldn't promise her it would happen someday, because he didn't know if it would. He wanted to do what felt right and good for him. He wanted to think about what he now had with his partner and not the future. He told her that even though dating her had been that – right and good – he had felt uneasy and trapped when Rose had shown signs of investment.
Nick had been content with things staying the same, while Rose wanted different things. There really hadn't been any other option than to call it a day and decide to end their relationship. She had been sad and upset, frustrated at the prospect of being alone once more. She had been disappointed that while everything else had been perfectly well between them, they still wanted different things. After their talk, Nick had stayed late at night at Rose's place and held her in his arms while she had cried for the loss of their relationship.
"I don't think I'm going back there," Rose said wearily, grimacing at all the failed attempts of dates she had gone through.
Scarlett shrugged and gave her a smirk. "Who knows, maybe Tom is still around."
Rose narrowed her eyes at Scarlett. "Oh? And what about you? Have you stopped reading porn – which you try to excuse as fanfiction – about my relatives?" She asked, crossing her arms across her chest while she leant against the counter.
Scarlett snorted. "Please. I'm not reading porn about your relatives," Scarlett said with a huff and pursed her lips. "There are plenty of other options. 'The Dragon Tamer' series for example has quite many and good explicit stories, if you're interested – oh, and so does the 'Shrieking Woods'!" Scarlett continued with a mischievous smile.
Rose groaned and gave Scarlett a pained look.
"Now that I think about it, there isn't that many in the 'Quidditch League' fandom," Scarlett said thoughtfully. "Perhaps the writers are afraid to post anything that could be traced back to them. They are, after all, writing about real persons…"
Rose let out a displeased sound before turning back to the stove to watch the chicken thigh fillets cooking in the pan. "Yes. Well, if I were James and someone wrote about my – you know – prick online, I'd find them and make them remove the stuff they'd put up."
"…Why are we talking about James's prick?" Hugo asked from the end of the hallway, staring at the two girls with a stunned expression.
Scarlett and Rose exchanged a look, and then burst in laughter.
After their laughter had died off and they had eaten, Scarlett asked if Rose would want to go out for a few drinks on the next weekend.
"No pressure, just the two of us," Scarlett said reassuringly. "Haven't done that in a while…"
Rose contemplated the offer for a moment, before she nodded. "Sure, why not. It would be great to get out of the flat," she said agreeingly, and then gave her friend a pointed look, "But only if you promise you're not going to try to set me up with some random bloke."
Scarlett grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Rose took one last glance at herself and then sighed, pushing her phone and wand into her handbag, before walking back to the sitting room, where Scarlett was waiting for her.
"How do I look?" Rose asked, feeling slightly unsure as she stopped at the edge of the room and saw her friend. "Wow."
Scarlett was stunning, as usual. She looked very fashionable in her sheer black lace top and black trousers. Her hair was pulled up into a sleek top knot, and her makeup was otherwise neutral, except for her lips that were deep red. The whole look was only slightly spoiled with Scarlett's carefree slouch on the sofa.
Scarlett gave her a once over, a wide smile on her lips. "Beautiful. You might need to cast a repelling charm to keep all the boys away," She said with a sly look and turned her focus on her phone, typing something with swift fingers.
Rose snorted, shaking her head. She watched her friend for a while. Scarlett seemed to be as glued into her phone as Hugo had been lately.
Hugo had spent a lot of time at Rose's and Scarlett's place during the past two weeks, ever since their mother had got back together with Bruce. Rose knew that Hugo didn't need to leave his home. They both knew their mother would always put Hugo before Bruce, and if their mother thought for one minute that Hugo felt uncomfortable in his home when Bruce was there, or that Hugo was bothered by their mother occasionally staying nights at Bruce's place, she would've ended things with Bruce.
But as both Rose and Hugo wanted their mother to be happy, and to her relationship with Bruce actually work, Hugo didn't really mind giving the fresh couple some space. And as both Rose and Scarlett were perfectly all right having Hugo at their flat for several nights a week, the arrangement worked well for everyone.
Since Hugo and Rose were spending more time with each other once again – whenever he wasn't busy texting or seeing Olivia – Rose had managed to get her brother to open up about what was occupying his mind lately. She had known Hugo would soon go back to work, and thought that that seemed to make him somewhat nervous and doubt himself and his capability to handle his addiction.
Hugo had been sober since before the Christmas holidays, and Rose could see that he was doing better every day. Still, Rose could understand his worry about returning back to work. It would be easier to relapse in a place where he had all the necessary substances within arm's reach. She knew that Hugo was scared of losing control and falling back into using potions.
He had told Rose that he had talked a lot about a possible relapse with his Mind Healer, and apparently, it wasn't really an uncommon thing to happen during recovery. To prevent that from happening, Hugo had managed to lengthen his apprenticeship a bit, so that he would be working only three days a week. He wasn't allowed to work outside of his apprenticeship, which he had been doing for Merlin knew how long before the holidays. He was also planning on seeing his Mind Healer more often, at least until he felt like he was in control.
Rose thought that Hugo had matured a lot during the past months. She could only admire him for taking the responsibility of his well-being and for being so determined to hold onto his career. She was afraid, however, that while Hugo focused on returning back to work, he wouldn't be preparing himself enough for the inevitable death of Olivia Parker.
A topic, that made Hugo close up and practically run away the moment it was even suggested to be discussed.
He talked about Olivia, the funny things she had said, or some of their discussions. But he never spoke about her illness.
It was somewhat unsettling.
"…Rose?" Scarlett said, her brows lifted up in inquiry. "You look like you zoned out a bit?"
Scarlett was standing in the middle of the room, supposedly ready to leave. "Is everything all right?"
Rose cleared her throat and shook her head. "Yeah, uh. I was just thinking about your upsetting phone-addiction and then I started to think about Hugo, and then Olivia, and you know," She shrugged, her mouth twisting down.
Scarlett grimaced. "Yeah." She stood still for a moment, before narrowing her eyes at Rose. "I'm not addicted to my phone."
Rose snorted loudly, and they both moved towards the hallway to put on their coats.
After a successful apparition and a short walk to the restaurant and up the stairs to the bar above it, Rose and Scarlett finally entered the low-lit and cosy space. The atmosphere was something between a relaxed pub and an illicit drinking club, where the comfortable looking leather booths and armchairs mixed with antique mirrored ceilings and dark panelled walls.
The place was also more than half packed already, even though Rose thought it was still a bit early. They managed to take over a small round table close to a window, next to booth where a larger group sat in.
"Looks nice," Scarlett said approvingly, as she viewed over the place.
Their waiter, a young bloke who introduced himself as George, came a moment later to take their orders, recommending them to try one of their drinks that was crafted from whisky, beer and butterscotch.
Rose and Scarlett agreed to try it out, succeeding to hold their expressions neutral until the man went back to the bar.
"So – basically we're drinking Butterbeer, huh?" Scarlett asked wryly, while Rose sniggered, nodding at her friend.
Ten minutes later they were sipping their drinks that tasted a lot like a strong Butterbeer, and talked about Rose's mother.
"…I mean, it's looking a lot better for her right now," Rose said, remembering exactly how lonely and aloof her mother had seemed, only some weeks ago. "She's really happy with him. I hope it lasts."
Scarlett nodded. "Is she going to tell him? About the whole witch thing?"
Rose took a sharp glance around them. "Scar!"
Scarlett arched a brow at her. "As if someone could think anything about that, even if they managed to hear our conversation."
"Still," Rose said quietly, chewing the inside of her cheek. "We should be more discreet."
Scarlett gave her a doubtful look, but inclined her head in agreement. "All right. You think she'll tell him about the thing?"
"I think so," Rose said and pursed her lips at her friend's sarcastic tone. Scarlett could be infuriating whenever needed.
" – Everything all right, ladies?" George asked as he passed their table.
Rose gave her friend a sharp look, before smiling widely at the waiter. "Yes, thank you. It's very good," she said, nodding at her drink. "Don't think I've ever tasted one like it."
Scarlett's snort was poorly disguised under a cough. She smiled at the man as well. "Very good. Love the butter and beer in it."
Rose wanted to kick her under the table, but she thought it might've been a bit too apparent.
George laughed. "Yes, butter and beer. Although, we like to call it butter-whiskey here," he said with a wink.
"Oh, how original," Scarlet said, smiling at the man. There was biting tone in her voice, which went unnoticed by George.
"Well, I hope you'll enjoy your night. Let me know if there's anything I can help you with," he said and winked at Rose, who was torn between wanting to scowl at Scarlet and smile politely at the man.
When George left, Rose let out a huff. "You're the absolute worst, Scar."
A while later, when they were in the middle of their second drinks – white wine this time – Rose spotted two familiar figures stepping into the bar.
"Scar – it's Al and Scorpius!" Rose said to her friend with a distracted voice, before waving at the two wizards. "Al!" Rose called over the crowd.
Her cousin turned to look towards her voice, and a wide smile stretched his lips. "Rosie!"
The boys made their way to their table through the now packed bar, both stylishly and casually dressed. Albus wore dark slacks, dark shirt and a brown denim leather jacket, looking like a teen heartthrob. Scorpius was a bit more formally dressed, in black trousers and a white shirt that was topped off with a dark blue textured sweater.
"What are the odds?" Albus asked, grinning as they stopped at Rose's and Scarlett's table.
Rose's own smile faltered slightly when she saw the sharp scowl on Scorpius's face – an expression that was aimed at Albus.
"…Truly…" Scorpius murmured, arching a brow at his friend.
Rose frowned at the exchange, but the moment was quickly over as Scarlett inquired if the boys wanted to join them at their table. When both Albus and Scorpius readily agreed, Rose decided to let the odd interaction between Scorpius and her cousin slide and not think of anything about it. Scorpius sat down next to Rose, smiling at her in greeting and not looking at all bothered to be in her company.
"How's the night going so far?" Albus asked after both he and Scorpius gave their orders to the waiter. "Haven't seen you out of the flat in a while," he added to Rose.
Rose shrugged. "Well, it was this or finally becoming one with the sitting room sofa."
While Albus and Scorpius smirked at her, she glanced at Scarlett, who was once again whisked away from their presence by her phone. "It was supposed to be a girls' night out with Scar, but since I'm apparently coming second to whoever it is on the other end, I reckon I'm glad you guys showed up," she said lightly, not really that bothered by Scarlett's wandering focus.
Albus hummed thoughtfully, before shifting closer to Scarlett and leaning down to see what she was up to with her phone. "Huh." His face twisted into an incredulous expression. "Wow." He blinked and looked overwhelmed, not even noticing how their waiter brought their drinks and how Scorpius thanked him for the both of them.
Both Rose and Scorpius watched the other two in anticipation, as Scarlett gave Albus an unimpressed look and put her phone away.
Scarlett sighed and shrugged at Albus. "It's just some random bloke on Tinder sending me dick pics."
Scorpius coughed loudly after swallowing a mouthful of his beer, managing to hold it in. He glanced at Rose with an alarmed look, while Rose rolled her eyes at her friend.
"Oh, so that's what it is." Albus said with a sarcastic smile, reaching for his pint. "Wouldn't have guessed." He murmured and took a gulp of his drink, looking slightly bothered by something.
Scarlett lifted her brows at him. "And what's so surprising about that? Surely you've sent your share of – well – you – " she smirked, "to poor unsuspecting witches?"
Albus narrowed his eyes at her. "I haven't. It's distasteful."
"Well good for you, Mr Tasteful." Scarlett said with a saccharine tone, her eyes dancing with mirth.
Albus tsked.
"How's work, Rose?" Scorpius suddenly asked, pulling her focus into him. He was looking at her attentively, his features relaxed.
Rose smiled at him. "Oh, the same as usual. Nothing spectacular happening in a coffee shop, unfortunately," she said with a disappointed twist on her lips. "It would be great, though, if something exciting happened. Other than Higgins bringing a new flavoured syrup into the selection."
"Don't say that, it was the highlight of your week, Rose," Scarlett said with a mischievous look.
Rose laughed. She had actually been a bit excited to try out flavouring coffee with their new syrups. Not that she would be admitting it to anyone. She turned back to Scorpius. "What about you? What have you been up to? Did you say you were going to go to the States for business?"
She remembered that the last time they had spoken, the previous week, Scorpius had mentioned the plan to travel to the States, to see a client of his father's. Apparently, his father didn't really fancy the intercontinental Portkeys, as they made him uncomfortable and sick for several days, so Scorpius got the task.
He nodded. "Yeah. I'm going there – to Boston – for a week, before Easter."
"Sounds exciting. I hope you'll get the chance to look around as well," Rose said, knowing that it would be the first time Scorpius travelled there.
Scorpius hummed in agreement. "We'll see. If not this time, perhaps during the next visit."
"You're going more than once?" Albus asked in surprise.
Scorpius trailed a hand through his hair, which managed to distract Rose enough that she almost missed his answer.
"Yeah, we've already agreed three visits, to go through last year's results and plan the future years," Scorpius explained, his fingers tracing the water droplets on the outside of his pint. "They are one of our oldest clients, as the partnership was established even before my grandfather started to manage both the Malfoy fortune and our clients' assets."
Albus smirked at his friend. "You sound like your dad."
Scorpius rolled his eyes and gave Albus a dry look. "Well. I do tend to spend most days with my father, seeing as I work for him and live in his house."
Scarlett snorted, lifting her glass in salute. "Hear, hear. I'm just jealous you all get to travel, even if it is work related," she said with a shrug.
Rose let out a short laugh. "I don't have any plans on travelling this year. I barely have the money to drink cheap wine. So, unless Higgins sends me somewhere to scout around for a new place for a coffee shop – which is very unlikely, given that his business is not exactly thriving," she said, her eyes glinting with mirth, "you might have to get used to seeing my face around…"
"Oh, so you're saying your dad won't be taking you to France to see your cousin play this summer?" Scarlett asked airily, a doubtful arch in her brow.
Rose sighed. Yes, it had been discussed already, and her father had offered to take her, all expenses paid. The thing was, that Rose had made rather big plans for her future during the previous weeks, and if those plans came to fruition, she wouldn't be able to take any time off from work, as she would need to save every penny she made. She would possibly have to take another job during the summer months. Still, Rose could possibly take one weekend off to see some of James's games – or any game, really, if the English team didn't reach the Quarterfinals – and then return back to Britain. It wasn't like she would have to be there for weeks.
"He might," Rose said simply, drinking the last mouthful of her wine. "Don't know if I can take time off to go there."
Scarlett stared at her like she had grown another head. "You have your annual leave, right? I'm sure Higgins will be more than okay for you to have at least some of that during the tournament. I'm sure he'll hire more help for the summer months. I mean, he has to. I'm cutting back my hours starting from next month…"
Rose shrugged, chewing the inside of her cheek. Yes, she had her annual leave, but she had considered working during it, possibly in another job. She could feel Scorpius's eyes at her, and the blonde Slytherin looked like he wanted to ask something, but he was cut off by Albus, who spoke.
"Why're you cutting back?" Albus asked from Scarlett, eyeing her curiously.
Scarlett grimaced. "I haven't made enough progress in my apprenticeship… It's mostly to do with the staffing problem at St Mungo's," she muttered, a deep furrow between her brows as she glanced at Rose. "They're asking us to work in different departments, and unfortunately, we cannot use those hours to complete our training."
Rose knew Scarlett was thinking about Hugo. She too thought about her brother, wondering if he was going to be all right going back to Mungo's, where everything still seemed to be in disorder.
Albus shook his head. "That's bollocks…" He grunted.
"Yep." Scarlett said and looked a bit displeased. "Luckily, my parents agreed to pitch in so that I won't be thrown to the streets when I'll stop making money.
"Rosie wouldn't let it go to that," Albus said simply, gulping down the rest of his pint and nodding subtly at the waiter.
Rose snorted and gave Scarlett a wide grin. "Yes. I'd certainly be willing to share the negative balance in my account with you, along with the cheap bottle of wine.
Scarlett laughed. "A witch for my taste," she said and winked. "Now, how could I refuse that kind of offer?"
The waiter stopped at their table behind Rose and Scorpius and gave them a friendly smile. "Anything to drink?"
Albus glanced at the others. "The same?"
When everyone murmured their agreements, the waiter nodded and viewed around the table "Very well. Two glasses of Grillo and… Whitstable Bay, was it?"
Albus and Scorpius said yes in unison, and the waiter left their table after kindly reminding them that they would offer table service until ten-o-clock, and that after that, the drinks would be served from the bar.
They continued talking about the Quidditch World Cup and discussed which of the British and Irish Quidditch League players were selected to play for the English National Quidditch team, and which for the Irish National Quidditch team. The conversation was held mostly between Rose and Albus, who were a lot more into Quidditch than Scarlett and Scorpius were. Rose thought it probably had something to do with both her and Albus growing up with Quidditch in their lives, as Rose's father was an avid fan and Albus's mother had played professionally.
There was a short silence after the topic of Quidditch had been perused.
"How are Jasmine and Jackson?" Scorpius asked, eyeing Rose with an inquiring expression.
Rose smiled warmly at the thought of her half-sister and godson. Jasmine was always unintentionally cheering Rose up, making her see past whatever worries she had in her mind. The three-year-old was joyous and lively, sweet and incredibly sincere. And Jackson – he was already over three months! He was growing up so fast and learning new things so quickly that Rose was always brimming with excitement whenever she went to see Molly, John and him.
She knew there were more personality traits and moods than what she had witnessed, and that parenting wasn't always peaceful and joyous. Still, Rose was content letting the parents handle those days and moments and simply enjoy the kids' best features and days.
"They're well," Rose said, grinning at Scorpius. "You know, my dad bought a new toddlers' broom for Jasmine the other week," Rose said and gave Scorpius a wry smirk, "even after she broke one of his. I mean, he really is wrapped around her finger…"
The corner of Scorpius's mouth twitched before he spoke. "So…perhaps she is a future Slytherin, after all – for having such skill of persuasion?"
Rose gave him a withering look. Scorpius and Albus both laughed at her expense.
"Anyway," Rose continued pointedly, glancing at Albus and Scarlett on the other side of the table. "She's been zooming in their back garden ever since, not agreeing to take any breaks or do something else, insisting on sleeping next to the broom…"
Scarlett smirked. "I bet Lavender's happy with your dad at the moment."
Both Rose and Albus grinned.
"Yeah, well," Rose shrugged. "I think it's cute. After the phase is over, I might take her to spend a day at our flat again. I think last time was a success."
Scarlett laughed. "Merlin, I remember our discussion…" She said and looked at the boys before she started to explain. "We had a little girls' evening – we painted our nails and ate sweets and so on. And then, Jasmine turned to look at me with the most contemplative look. I asked what she was thinking, and she said," Scarlett grinned as Rose snorted, "That I need to settle down with someone."
Albus shrugged. "That's not so bad. She's told me loads of things…"
"She told me I should select a boy who would want to kiss me," Scarlett continued with an amused expression. "But she also told me not to select a boy from her family."
Rose and Scarlett sniggered, while both Scorpius and Albus seemed to choke slightly before they joined the laughter.
Evidently Jasmine had somehow heard about Scarlett and James, which was a both remarkable and concerning. She was three and a half, which meant that she shouldn't even have heard about the thing between Rose's friend and Rose's cousin. And while Jasmine barely remembered what she had eaten for breakfast, it was somewhat unusual for her to remember something that had happened months ago.
As their laughter died down, Rose turned back to Scorpius. "Oh, and Jackson's learned to bring his hands to his mouth!" Rose said proudly.
Scorpius grinned widely, gazing at her with warmth in his eyes. "It's sweet," he said quietly, watching her closely.
Rose blinked, feeling her cheeks tinge with redness. "Um. What is?"
"You. That you care about them so much." Scorpius continued softly, his eyes moving over her face.
Rose could hear a faint groan from the other side of the table, but she couldn't draw her eyes away from Scorpius's face, not when he was staring at her with the most intent expression.
"…I think I need another drink…" Scarlett muttered and stood up, and as Rose finally glanced at her friend and cousin, she saw Scarlett practically dragging Albus away, murmuring their excuses.
Rose blinked and stared after the two as they disappeared into the crowd. She looked around the place. People were sitting at their tables, smiling, chatting lively, standing at the bar, laughing and mingling around. The place was warming and relaxed, even though it seemed to be full of people. The music wasn't blaring, but was loud enough to softly fill any silence that fell during a conversation.
"That was… odd," she muttered, giving Scorpius a faint frown.
Scorpius licked his lips and looked away. "Yeah."
There was a short silence, before Scorpius turned back to her, eyeing her curiously. "Do you have financial problems?"
Rose stared at him, taken aback by his question.
Scorpius grimaced, looking sheepish. "I'm sorry. It was – you don't have to answer, Rose." Scorpius said quickly, shaking his head and looking at the table.
Rose sighed. "Uh. No. Not exactly." Rose said, and gave Scorpius a helpless look when he turned to face her again. "It's…" She murmured, and then her expression hardened. "You can't tell Albus."
"Cross my heart." He said instantly, a sincere look in his eyes.
Rose eyed him hesitantly before she threw caution to the wind and opened her mouth. "I applied to a university to study law."
Scorpius blinked at her in surprise. "Good for you, Rose," he said finally, his tone earnest as he studied her features. "Is that why – " he said, and then realisation flickered into his eyes. "You're saving up for the tuition fees. And you don't want your parents to help you, even though they could easily pay all of it," he said, lifting his brows in question.
Rose shrugged and moved her empty glass on the table, wondering what more she could say to Scorpius's astute observation.
"All right. Do you know if you got in?" Scorpius asked, moving the conversation forward, even though there still was a faint frown between his brows, evidently because he was wondering why she insisted doing it all by herself.
"Not yet," Rose said, bringing her hands to her lap. "I think during May… But I have to make plans to be able pay for the fees if I get accepted."
Scorpius nodded slowly. "I hope you'll get in." He said kindly, smiling at her. Then his smile faltered a bit. "Is that the same school you were aiming at during Hogwarts?"
Rose suppressed a shiver and swallowed hard, feeling a sharp twist in her stomach at the reminder of their Hogwarts years and how badly everything had ended between them. "Not the same university, but the same degree." She said and grimaced, her shoulders sagging as she steeled herself for what needed to be said. "Scor, I'm – I'm sorry," she said quietly, watching him intently.
Scorpius's body stiffened and his eyes widened in surprise. He opened his mouth – to argue? To agree? Rose wasn't sure.
Either way, Rose continued before he was able to say anything, "I'm sorry for ending it like I did. I'm sorry for putting my education and career before you – and not realising I didn't have to make a choice like that."
It felt both terrifying and liberating to get it off of her chest. She knew Scorpius's betrayal had been… one of its kind, but what she had done, couldn't be dismissed either. She had loved him but cast him aside for something better – something she needed more at that point of her life.
"I know now that you would've supported me, like you always did," Rose said softly, her smile strained.
"Rose…" Scorpius murmured, gently grasping her hand.
Rose felt goosebumps flicker from the tips of her fingers up along her arm.
"I'm sorry," Scorpius said, watching her with a grave look. "What I did – it was –" he shook his head, glancing away for a moment, "I've regretted it ever since I saw the look in your eyes. I remember how betrayed and upset you were."
Rose sighed, pulling her hand away and averting her gaze, unable to think clearly when all she wanted to do was to squeeze Scorpius's hand and pull him closer to her, to feel his warmth, feel his touch… No – she had to have the conversation with him, as there probably wouldn't be another chance at it.
She took in a calming breath and spoke quietly, unable to look at him in the eyes. "Why? Why did you go after her?"
Rose was perfectly aware that Brittany hadn't been forced into anything, which meant that she was to be blamed as much as Scorpius was.
Scorpius was silent for a moment, before he spoke. "I wanted to hurt you."
Rose turned swiftly to look at him, surprised at his honesty.
"I'm sorry." Scorpius said again, looking miserable. "I knew it wasn't going to last. Our relationship. I knew you weren't ready to take us to where I wanted to."
Rose nearly gaped at him. She was also painfully reminded of Nick and how their relationship had ended. How she had known that it wouldn't last, from the beginning. How he hadn't been ready to take their relationship to the next level.
Had it been like that for Scorpius, when they had dated? Had he known, from the start, but still held on to her, as long as she had let him?
Rose shook her head slightly, amazed by how things had turned out. She looked at Scorpius again, at the alarmed expression, admiring his dark grey eyes.
"I forgive you," Rose said, giving him a small smile.
Scorpius let out a sharp breath, and smile that was both relieved and surprised stretched his lips. "I forgave you a long time ago."
"You've changed, you know. For better," Scorpius continued after a short moment, giving her a strong look. "I rather admire you. You've gone through a lot, and you still managed to figure out your life, while the rest of us are still scrambling through as well as we can."
Rose's heart threatened to leap out of her chest and swoon at Scorpius's caring and warm words. She swallowed and gave him a slight smile as she looked straight into his grey eyes.
She briefly glanced away, holding her smile. They kept gazing at one another, staring into each other's eyes in silence, while the bar was bustling with laughter and noise around them.
The moment was interrupted as a woman close to their table stumbled in her steps, straightened and continued her way forward.
Rose sniggered. "You remember Dominique at the Yule Ball in sixth year?"
Scorpius laughed loudly, his chin tilting slightly upwards. "Funnily enough, I was thinking the exact same thing," he said, chuckling still.
They had pulled a prank on Dominique – Rose, Scorpius and Albus – on the evening of the Yule Ball in their sixth year. Dominique had been obsessing about the dance for months, making preparations and ordering several of her housemates to help her. She had also been one of the three students to open the event with a dance she had practiced for weeks. Dominique had been horrible then, screaming at people, making everyone jump through hoops for her, all because she was so utterly stressed out.
Still. Rose, Albus and Scorpius hadn't exactly been angels themselves.
When the night came and when the music started, with a little help of a spell aimed at her shoes, Dominique had slipped on her heels, several times, managing to straighten herself up while looking utterly embarrassed, until she was slipping again. It had been hilarious – until she had finally lost her footing and dived head first into the buffed table.
She had ended up into the hospital wing, and by a miracle, Rose, Albus and Scorpius had avoided detention.
Rose raised her brows and gave him an unimpressed look. "I still think you and Al were let off the hook too easily."
Dominique had been beyond enraged after she had found out. While Scorpius and Albus had survived merely with sincere apologies, Rose had ended up doing her cousin's History of Magic homework for the rest of their sixth year, even though Rose knew Dominique had already forgotten the whole incident by the end of January. Somehow, Dominique had managed to turn everything for her gain, ending up more famous amongst their peers, and getting a new boyfriend due to her fame the moment she was able to leave the hospital wing.
Scorpius lifted his hands up in surrender, the corners of his mouth curving upwards. "Yeah, probably."
"I wonder where Al and Scarlett are…" Rose muttered, looking over the bar.
She didn't see her cousin nor her friend anywhere. The bar was still packed, and as Rose glanced at the watch on her wrist, she had to blink a couple of times.
"It's close to eleven already!" Rose said, lifting her head up to frown at Scorpius. "Is something the matter?"
Scorpius had an odd look on his face as he stared at the table. He then seemed to shrug away whatever it was that he had been thinking and gave Rose an inquiring, if not a bit stiff look. "I think they've left. Uh. You want to call it a night?"
Rose eyed him closely. He looked like he didn't really want to go, or so Rose hoped. She hoped, because she didn't want the night to end yet. She wondered if he was just asking her if she wanted to go, seeing as they were at a bar by themselves. Something they hadn't really done before.
"I could stay for a bit if you want to?" She said, giving him a tentative look. "I mean, we can still enjoy drinks and each other's company, even without our friends, right?"
A smile touched his lips. "Yeah, I'd like that. What would you like to drink?"
After Scorpius came back from the bar, carrying their drinks, they continued talking about their Hogwarts years – only the good things.
It was getting late, but Rose didn't really mind. She enjoyed talking to him, especially after they had finally managed to clear the table between them, agreeing to let go of the bad things in their past.
They reminisced how Alyssa – one of the Slytherin girls in their year – had mystically lost her eyebrows for two weeks after humiliating Rose during their Charms class in their fourth year and revealing to everyone how she and Rose's previous boyfriend Logan had been seeing each other behind Rose's back.
"I thought it was you," Rose said, surveying him with doubt and amusement.
Scorpius huffed, shaking his head. "Nah, it was Albus. I would've done a lot worse than that," he murmured, looking displeased.
Rose gave him a crooked smile. "And was it Al too, who stole our clothes when my friends and I were taking a late-night swim at the Prefects' bathroom during fifth year?"
Scorpius's eyes danced with mirth, and there was a slight tinge of redness on tops of his cheeks, before he cleared his throat and schooled his expression. "Of course. That Potter boy was a menace at school. Still is. Beware."
Rose laughed, a permanent smile on her face, very much distracted by the upturned corners of Scorpius's mouth. He licked his lips, and Rose kept staring at him, transfixed.
"You remember Madam Filch's outburst?" She asked faintly, wondering if he was aware of which outburst she was talking about. The librarian had had many, during the years Rose had visited the library and read her precious books.
The outburst happened right after Rose's and Scorpius's first kiss – the first serious one, as they had kissed a handful of times before they had fell in love and after they had started dating. They had been at the library, and it had been nearly curfew. Rose had been in the middle of returning books to their correct places, after a long study session with Scorpius. He had followed her, crowded her against the shelves and kissed her like she had never been kissed, making her breathless, shivering, fervent, making her completely forget that they were in a library, where the librarian could practically feel when someone was misbehaving.
It had been coming for a long time – their kiss, that was. It had been coming, ever since Scorpius had confessed that he was in love with her, at one of the parties shared between the houses. There had been tension, long gazes, brushes of fingers for weeks, for months, and finally, finally, Rose was able to really feel him, to taste him, to touch him.
At least, until the vulturelike librarian had jumped from behind one of the shelves, screeching at them, accusing them of destroying and tainting her books. While Rose and Scorpius had barely suppressed their sniggers, the librarian had jinxed an entire shelf of books – which had to be at least a hundred tomes – to chase them out of the library, hitting them on their backsides as they ran into safety.
After the library, Scorpius had pulled Rose into a secluded corner in a hallway and they had continued where they had left off, kissing, pressing against one another, running hands over each other's robes until they were both shivering, until their lips were tingling and swollen, until they simply had to stop, as it was well past curfew.
Scorpius swallowed hard, his Adam's apple sliding up the length of his neck. "How could I forget?" He said quietly, his fingers tracing the side of her hand on the table, leaving more goosebumps in its wake.
The air grew charged and thick between them, and Rose was vaguely aware that they were both leaning towards one another, so close, that she could almost feel the warmth of his body radiating off of him. He was so near, that it wouldn't take much to close the distance between them and feel his perfectly shaped lips pressing against hers. She felt warm all over, need and longing caressing the bottom of her stomach. Scorpius was right there, letting her set the pace, obviously interested, evidently wanting to kiss her as much as she wanted to kiss him.
She wanted to kiss him, to feel him. She wanted to slide into his arms and never let go.
Rose blinked, interrupting her own train of thought.
She could not simply melt into a puddle whenever Scorpius was looking at her the right way. Merlin. She needed to think everything through, what it meant, what would happen.
"Rose?" Scorpius asked gently, pulling slightly back.
Rose cleared her throat, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "Um. I think I might need a bit of fresh air," she said and gave him a hesitant smile. "I should go home."
Clearly alcohol had lowered her inhibitions.
Scorpius nodded, a hint of disappointment in his expression, before it cleared away and was replaced with a pleasant smile. "Of course. I'll walk you home."