Though she'd realistically spent little of her life in Al's flat, Rose found herself knocked back by the overwhelming wave of warmth that burst in her chest the moment she stepped through the floo. This was coming home, in a way that had her suddenly unable to fathom how she'd managed to go two years without its sanctuary. The only thing keeping her on her feet was the support of four arms, which had sandwiched her in an alarmingly tight hug approximately three seconds after she'd appeared; which she surmised was the amount of time it took her brother and cousin to recover from the shock of her unannounced arrival in their sitting room.

"You Grangers need to learn how to owl before popping by," Albus joked with a strain in his voice. "What if I'd been naked?"

"I missed you, too," she gushed in reply, her arms wriggling to wrap around the pair.

Hugo jumped back, and from the dramatic frown on his face she got the impression that he'd only released her for the express purpose of making sure she wouldn't miss his pouting. "Why haven't you answered my calls?" he whined, in a way only younger siblings could. "We've been worried sick."

"What?" she asked, peering over at Al, who was still hugging her tightly despite how put out he looked. "Why?"

Hugo gaped at her. Al lifted his brows, giving her his 'do you really have to ask?' look. When she continued to look flabbergasted, Hugo stormed into the kitchen. He returned a few seconds later brandishing a copy of the Prophet that featured a rather abrupt announcement of her engagement. "Huh. Too bad Skeeter didn't get her hands on that story," Rose thought aloud. "She'd've come up with a more creative headline." Albus snorted, much to her satisfaction, but Hugo remained unamused. She sighed, mulling over her words while Al moved to lounge on the sofa in front of them. He waved a hand in front of him, ushering her to explain.

She huffed, frowned, then pulled out her wand. "I don't want Elspeth to feel left out," she explained. Yes, she was stalling, but she wasn't lying.

"Sure, sure, just invite my roommate's ex over without asking first," Al drolled, "that's not a recipe for disaster."

"Oh, hush," Rose responded, pointing her wand at her wrist. "Elspeth is a joy and you know it. Malfoy can deal." Before he could protest further, she incanted implico and a blue jet of magic disappeared into the air half an inch above her wrist. Hugo excused himself, disappearing back into the kitchen, and a second later there was a translucent blue ghost of Elspeth's face floating in front of her, the wisps narrowing into a tiny tornado right where the magic had disappeared. "I'm at Al's," she said to the projection.

"I'll be right-" Elspeth said, and the floo flickered to life behind Rose as the brunette stepped into the room, "-there." Rose's face softened as she turned to see her let out a shaky breath. "Pumpkin," she muttered, and wasted no more time before throwing her arms around the redhead.

Rose returned the embrace with gusto, lifting Elspeth off her feet and pressing her face into her hair with a deep, much needed breath. "Hey, there, sugarplum," she mumbled back with closed eyes.

"Alright, you two," Al grumbled, "I believe Rosie Posie here has a story to tell us."

Rose turned to stick her tongue out at her cousin, unashamed in her childishness, while Elspeth joined Albus on the sofa with flushed cheeks. The moment she opened her mouth, hoping something clever would come out of it, the green flames of the floo warmed her back again. The expressions of the people in front of her were enough that she didn't have to guess who'd arrived.

Rose's eyes flickered to life as she turned on the spot to greet Scorpius Malfoy, who now shared her space on the welcome rug.

Scorpius had forgotten what it was to be in close quarters with Rose Weasley.

Never one to pass up the opportunity for a dramatic exit, she'd punctuated her statement (threat?) with a sharp turn that had her curls hitting him in the face, and led them into the kitchen. He didn't realize Hugo was there until then, but he wasn't surprised; he'd been visiting regularly since the news of his sister's engagement. He and Al spent an irritating amount of time on their sofa trading theories about Weasley, both of their eyes all but glued to the floo. Scorpius found his patience thinning, and his exchanges with the men had gotten shorter each day until the new routine became grunting and nodding at them on his way from the fireplace to his bedroom. Al had only started chiding him about sulking the last two nights, and he'd ignored it. He supposed he wouldn't have to anymore, now that the source of their preoccupation was traipsing around their kitchen like she owned the place. Never mind that she'd only been there a handful of times, as far as he knew.

He watched from his spot at the table, slouched in his chair with his legs lazily stretched out and one arm extended to fiddle with a coaster, as Weasley picked her way over to her brother, who was fretting at the cupboards. Scorpius suspected he'd forgotten what he was doing as soon as he opened the cupboard door; again.

"Bean," Weasley said with a frown as she nudged his elbow. She got Hugo's attention and lifted both of her palms to face him. "Taps?"

When Hugo pat his palms against hers one, two, three times, then linked his fingers with his sister's and took a deep breath that left him looking much more at ease, Scorpius glanced around the room with his eyebrows raised. He'd been looking for someone to share his confusion, or at least curiosity, but Albus and Elspeth were wholly unbothered, as if this was a regular ritual of theirs. He'd certainly never seen it.

"Goal?" he heard her ask, and when he looked back, he saw her brow pinch with worry. If she was really so worried, she would have shown up sooner, he thought bitterly. Wouldn't she?

"Tea," Hugo mumbled, continuing this odd display of monosyllables.

Weasley began rummaging through their cabinets. Scorpius's frown deepened at the realization that she somehow knew which cupboards to open. "I see Al's maintained his coffee-exclusive household decree," she said with a huff. Al snickered, and she started searching through the beaded bag that was slung over her shoulder - which had an extension charm on in, if the way her entire arm disappeared into it without so much as stretching the fabric was any indication. "Hang on, I know I have some, he insisted I pack- ah!" With a triumphant smile, she pulled out a floral pink tea tin; and as she held it out to her brother, Scorpius noticed something that hit a nerve.

"You're not wearing your bracelet," he observed dryly.

Weasley tilted her head at him, helped Hugo pull out five cups, then took three slow steps - closing the distance between them. He blinked up at her, hoping against hope that he'd managed to keep his expression blank as she took his hand in hers and guided it over her wrist... His brow furrowed. His fingers swept over warm skin and cold metal, though visually there was nothing there. "I never take it off," she explained, "I just have it charmed to stay invisible while I'm working."

Scorpius raised a brow, clearing his throat and pulling his hand back. His other hand rubbed over his mouth and jaw, perching his chin on his hand as he looked up at her. "So... why's it still invisible now?" he prodded.

Weasley surprised him by shrugging one shoulder and saying, "Good point."

As she set about dispelling the invisibility charms on her bracelet, Hugo distributed cups of tea. Al sniffed it and pulled a face, tongue out in disgust. "Agh, why's it smell like mud?" Weasley frowned. Scorpius snorted.

"I think it smells lovely," Elspeth hummed in appreciation.

Scorpius raised a brow at the far off look in Weasley's eyes as she seemed to consider something. Perhaps the quality of tea she'd deigned to serve them, he theorized. "Everyone freeze," she blurted. Elspeth, who had already taken a hearty sip, looked rattled. Weasley's gaze bore into each of them in turn, finally settling on his. He cursed the racing of his pulse. "Malfoy, what does it smell like to you?"

What on earth? He blinked at her, eyebrows quickly approaching his hairline, but indulged her and lifted his cup of tea to his nose; only to sate his own curiosity, he told himself. "Wood..." He found himself frowning down at the liquid as a peculiar line of steam spiraled up from it. It smelled... familiar, somehow, and he hated that he couldn't quite place it. "Rain, and..." He eyed her wrist as he tried to identify the rest of the scent. Hers had more charms on it than Elspeth's, he realized. It had the same dog and little ball of light, but it also sported a dirigible plum, a snake, and - a kidney bean? The only thing missing was the- "Pumpkin." He looked up to find Weasley looking rather shaken. "It smells like burnt wood, pumpkin juice, and rain."

Weasley visibly shivered, then snapped out of it and promptly poured all of their tea down the drain with a wave of her wand. "Sorry, bean," she said in the vague direction of her brother, sounding oddly out of breath. "Turns out this tea's no good."

Strange.

"What did it smell like to you?" he found himself asking.

She met his eyes so steadily, it felt like she was speaking specifically to him - as if everyone else in the room had just been shut out of the conversation. "Citrus." He waited for her to continue, but she didn't. She just stared, face unreadable. He cut his eyes toward Elspeth, who was back to looking at the newspaper. His brow was pinched when his gaze returned to Weasley, who was suddenly looking rather put out.

She sat down with a sigh and nodded once, seemingly to herself, before her eyes swept over the room. "Onto the erumpent in the room," she segued with all the delicacy of a graphorn in an antiquities shop. "The engagement wasn't planned. It was a surprise to me, too." She had the decency to look abashed, at least. "I-I... Honestly, I expected dad to go ballistic, but I thought you guys would assume it was fake." Her eyebrows raised, and she glanced between her brother and cousin. Hugo frowned. She rubbed her brother's elbow, then pulled him close enough to wrap her arms around his waist. "Which it was, actually. At least at first," she said with a small smile. Scorpius frowned and crossed his arms. "For what it's worth, I am sorry for giving you all a shock, for worrying you... and especially for taking so long to get here."

"You didn't answer my calls, ya twat," Hugo grumbled down at her.

Her cheeks pinked, and she pressed her lips together with a glance at Al. "You've heard of the honeymoon phase."

Both of the other men in the room immediately exploded in a fit of dramatic retching, Hugo nearly shoving Weasley out of her chair as she laughed. Scorpius narrowed his eyes at her, then took a moment to take stock of Elspeth, who had been oddly quiet since their almost-tea. He frowned when he found her running her fingers gently over the engagement photo she'd have happily set on fire not twelve hours ago. Weasley was saying something about MACUSA's transportation department getting an earful, but he hardly heard it. He was too busy stewing over the new, almost fond look his girlfriend - (ex-girlfriend, he reminded himself bitterly, despite the fact that he was the one who ended things) - was giving that bloody animation.

"What's he like?" he heard her ask, tone warm and quiet.

"Oh, he's an absolute golden retriever," Weasley laughed.

Elspeth's eyes flickered to the redhead in question, and Scorpius followed her gaze in an effort to stamp out the riotous flames that licked at his chest. "And you love him?"

Weasley's face shifted into a tender smile, but he couldn't help thinking that something about the thousand-yard stare she gave the sink was in direct conflict with the warmth that bathed the rest of her features. "I do," she said quietly.

Elspeth hummed. Scorpius clenched his jaw. "I suppose he is rather handsome, isn't he?" she acquiesced, sounding dazed.

Scorpius scoffed, and the fact that Elspeth didn't even seem to notice over the squeamish groans of Hugo and Al made something snap in him. "What happened to 'Rose would never date someone with such a sleazy mustache'?!" he demanded, openly mocking.

Weasley's burst of laughter only served to stoke the rage blooming in him. "The mustache was a piss-poor disguise designed for an unrelated incident, I assure you." While she launched into another topic entirely (he caught something about a club, but didn't absorb anything else), Scorpius decided that he didn't just hate Weasley. No, no.

He hated her stupid bloody fiancé and his unpretty face, too.

AN: Woo! This chapter got a little away from me. I ended up splitting it up more than I originally intended because it was getting so long; but the good news is, that means I already have part of the next chapter written! We pick up next chapter with Rose's POV, which will involve a few big reveals I'm excited for.

I hope you enjoy, and I'll see you next chapter!