A/N: I don't own Harry Potter or any related characters
This is for
THC/The Houses Competition
House: Hufflepuff
Class: Muggle Studies
Story Category: Themed
Prompt(s): [Discomfort] - mental or physical unease
[Character] Rose Weasley
Word count:1134
Fingers tapping against the wooden desk,
tip tap, tip tap,
her nails clicking against the wood.
He was supposed to be here.
He was supposed to be on time!
She tried not to glance at the clock,
tried not to listen to it ticking,
ticking,
ticking down the minutes,
the seconds.
She leaned back in the chair,
feeling the warmth of the fake leather through her thin jumper.
Footsteps.
Her head swiveled to the door.
Was it him?
This whole thing had been his idea,
His suggestion.
Make it easy on the both of us, he'd joked.
Nothing about this was easy!
Well, one part, the part that had led to everything!
Rose bit her lip trying to slow her breathing,
just thinking about the whole situation...
It was almost too much.
There were too many feelings involved!
How did she honestly feel about Scorpius?
Did she love him?
Was it just lust?
Wouldn't lust have gone away after that night?
Tick
tick
tick.
She looked at the wall below the clock,
refusing to look at the time as it continued to move forward.
There was a crack in the wall,
a wavy thing breaking the once pristine paint.
Anything could crack,
walls,
sidewalks,
friendships.
Was their friendship cracked,
broken beyond repair?
No, she couldn't allow herself to think that.
Yes, she'd done something, maybe foolish?
Had it been foolish to sleep with Scorpius?
Had it been foolish to want to be with someone?
Now, now she was starting to think it might have been foolish.
"Where are you?" she muttered, rolling her blue eyes.
She shook her head,
a strand of her brown curls falling across her face.
She tucked it behind her ear.
Would the baby have curly hair?
Scorpius' hair was straight,
blond, so light.
His hair, her complexion?
Her complexion, his hair?
Somewhere in between?
She wasn't sure.
She and Scorpius had done this,
created this life.
She bit back a laugh.
Did she love him?
Did she love Scorpius?
Did she want to spend the rest of her life in wedded bliss with the father of her child?
Would the baby be constantly late?
Was that even an inheritable trait?
Tick
Tick
Tick
Rose glared at the clock,
he was late,
always late!
Maybe it had been endearing at some point,
that he ran on Malfoy time,
but now, right now,
waiting for him,
waiting to do something she wasn't even sure she wanted...
More footsteps in the hallway.
Two pairs?
Had he brought someone with him?
Was it even him?
Rose folded her legs,
tucking them under the chair.
She had never expected to be sitting here,
sitting in the office of marriage licenses,
waiting for Scorpius Malfoy!
She hadn't planned on marrying young,
at all?
She didn't know!
She felt like she didn't know anything anymore!
What if he'd changed his mind?
What if he wasn't coming?
What if he'd abandoned her?
Rose bit her lip,
folded her arms across her chest,
unfolded them again.
The assistant said Scorpius would be brought here when he arrived.
Had he arrived and everyone had forgotten about Rose being here?
Rose's hand curled around the armrest of the chair,
about to rise to her feet when she heard more footsteps.
This time they stopped at the door.
She heard the golden handle turning,
heard the click of the door being opened.
She turned in her seat,
her arm over the back of the chair.
Scorpius looked horrible!
Had he slept at all since they'd found out?
Rose wanted to rush to him,
whisper in his ear how everything would be alright,
how she was here for him.
"Rose, I'm sorry! There was- you know what, it doesn't matter. I'm here now," he said, sliding into the chair next to her.
The ministry official walked past the couple sitting behind the large desk.
Rose smiled at Scorpius,
a weak smile,
one of worry,
of fear,
but also joy he'd come, even if he was late.
He'd come!
She turned back to the desk,
watching the official pulling sheet after sheet of parchment from a brown leather case.
Agreements,
the license itself,
name change forms if Rose wanted.
Did she want to?
Did she want to stop being a Granger-Weasley?
Did she want to become the new Lady Malfoy?
Scorpius' hand was on hers,
reassuring her he'd support whatever she wanted to be called,
but Rose knew he wanted their child to be a Malfoy.
Whatever she decided...
She was tired of making decisions.
There would be so many to make,
baby names,
where to live,
what color to paint the nursery,
would she work?
Rose bit her lip again.
Scorpius was talking again,
talking about prenups,
about how his father kept insisting Rose sign one.
"I'm not after your money," she snapped,
bile rising in her throat.
She looked around frantically,
a rubbish bin was handed to her and she spits it out.
"I know, we're in this together," Scorpius promised,
holding the prenup above the bin,
shredding it to pieces, and letting them fall like snow.
Rose felt a weight on her chest lifted slightly.
Scorpius knew she wasn't like that,
wasn't after his money.
She just wanted...
What did she want?
Did she want to marry him,
try and be a family for their baby?
"Rose?"
Her name on his lips,
she liked hearing it like that,
whispered and sweet.
She liked his hand on hers,
liked that he was here,
late but here.
He'd be there for her,
for their child.
She was sure of these things,
sure that he'd provide a stability she'd never had in life.
Did she love him?
Was she in love with him?
She didn't know,
How could she know?
She knew she wanted to stay right by his side,
that she cared about him,
was it enough?
People married for less than that,
people used to marry because their parents said they had to.
Scorpius' parents had married for love.
Their parents... that had been arranged, but it had worked.
This could work!
Rose looked at Scorpius,
at the light shining in his grey-blue eyes.
Yes, she wanted to marry him.
It might not be love yet,
but it could grow to be love,
and she was willing to do what it took to see it through,
not just for their child,
but for the both of them.
She picked up the quill,
watching it drip a few drops of black ink,
watched how they sparkled like bits of onyx.
She smiled at Scorpius as she wrote her name,
signed on the dotted line,
sealing the marriage between them.
The ministry official nodded.
There would be a wedding at some point,
but as of this moment,
Rose Granger-Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy were married.