Rose was finishing her second cup of tea when she glanced again at the clock above her parents' Muggle stove. "I really should be getting home," Rose said kindly to her parents, adding a small yawn in for good measure.
"It has been a very long day," Hermione smiled at her, placing her hand on top of her daughter's.
"But," Ron frowned, setting down his crumpet. "More dessert?"
"Ron," Hermione sighed and shook her head at her daughter.
"I'll be by again soon, dad," Rose grinned at her father. "You'll be sick of me."
"Could never be sick of you, Rosie," Ron put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "You'll come by the shop? We can get breakfast again?"
"I'd love that, dad," Rose agreed and stood up, grinning when Ron went back to his half-eaten crumpet and allowed her mum to walk her to the Floo. "I'll come by for us to discuss Healer Lang, if you'd like," Rose said in hushed tones.
"You think she'll behave now?" Hermione asked with a tilt of her head, "After you spoke with her?"
Rose had told her mother quickly about her interaction with Healer Lang while Ron had been making tea in the other room, not wanting to upset him; he had a very short fuse when anyone was threatening or rude to any of his family. "She's more afraid of losing me," Rose shrugged and Hermione bit her lip to keep from smiling too widely. "But she may pose a problem later on," Rose sighed. "Something to think about."
"I'll talk it over with Percy," Hermione nodded. "There must be someone less fame obsessed and better at fundraising who can replace her," Hermione trailed off and pulled her daughter in for a quick hug. "Goodnight, Rose."
"Night, mum," Rose hugged her back. "See you soon." And with a small wave, she stepped into the fireplace.
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Scorpius ran his hands through his hair as he sat up in his bed, still in the same clothes he had worn the past two days and yawned. He needed to shower, and change his clothes, and get something to eat; he looked at his clock and groaned. It was nearly bloody 10pm on a Sunday and he knew it was unlikely there was anything edible in their fridge. Rose hadn't owled and he knew she probably was either still at her parents' house or was now home in her own bed finally sleeping after such a long and exhausting day. He yawned again and sat up, remembering as he did so that he still had the bloody boot on his leg. He frowned and stared at it: he had no idea how he was supposed to shower with the blasted thing. Was he allowed to take it off? How did he put it back on again? It looked simple enough, but, well, he didn't want to do it wrong and risk Rose's anger -
Especially not when he swore something had changed between them today.
He closed his eyes, remembering how her hands felt in his, on his face, on his back, and he let out a long breath before standing up and stretching his hands above his head. He needed food, a drink, some more sleep, and to stop thinking about Rose.
He shuffled out into the living room, still getting used to the boot, and tugged on his thick, wool, winter coat as the temperature had dropped significantly now that they were getting closer and closer to Christmas and the unseasonably warm prior weeks seemed to have disappeared, and pulled the front door open and nearly stumbling into someone.
"Oof," he gripped the door frame behind him to catch himself, his booted leg straight behind him. "Are you all," he glanced up and saw Rose's face peering down at him.
"Are you all right, Scorpius?" Rose reached for his arms and helped to pull him up. "Godric, I didn't mean to," she shook her head and smiled when he was upright again. "Catching you on your way out?"
"Needed something to eat," he ran a hand through his hair. "What are you," he frowned and cleared his throat; he knew she wasn't there for Albus, he knew she was there for him. "Want to come with?"
"Oh," she looked surprised, her dark blue eyes wide as she stepped back so Scorpius could shut the door behind him. "You don't, um." He saw her fidget slightly with her hands. "You don't mind?"
"Could use the company," he smiled and gestured for her to lead the way down the hall. "There's a place around the corner. Can't really walk too far," he chuckled.
"How are you managing the boot?" She asked and Scorpius could see her face shift into work-mode. He didn't want either of them to be in work mode, but he figured it was better to get this out of the way now.
"It's okay," he shrugged. "Woke up from nap and forgot it was there," he hesitated and looked over at her as she pressed the button for the elevator. "How do I," he frowned slightly and ran a hand through his hair.
"Take it off to shower and change?" Rose asked helpfully, her face lighting up with a small smile as the elevator door opened. "That's velcro," she pointed at the straps. "You just peel it off and when you put it back on again, you press it together."
"I won't break it?" Scorpius asked, confused.
"No," her smile widened. "You've never seen velcro?" She stuck her hands in her coat pockets; it was a thick, wool, very dark orange coat that Scorpius thought would look rather ridiculous on anyone but her.
"Where would I have seen it?" He asked her honestly.
"Hmm," Rose agreed. "I forget you're not actually Muggleborn. It's mainly on shoes for children and the elderly," she shrugged.
He leaned over to pull at the velcro and laughed at the sound it made before standing back up grinning. "Father would never allow that in the house," he laughed and his heart warmed when he saw Rose was smiling now too. "I would have annoyed him endlessly with that noise."
Rose didn't get a chance to respond as the elevator doors opened and she let Scorpius lead them out onto the street, "This place isn't the nicest," Scorpius admitted sheepishly. "But they've got the best chips, if you don't mind?"
Rose shook her head and said softly, "Chips and a drink sound bloody wonderful." He watched her tilt her head back slightly to look up at the sky, but he could sense how tense her body was, she practically thrummed with a nervous energy.
"You walk here?" He asked her gently, leaning towards her.
"Apparated to the alley Albus showed me," she glanced at him quickly. "I'm okay," she said to his unanswered question.
"I wasn't," Scorpius started slowly, his voice gentle. "Not after my first duel."
"This wasn't a duel," Rose muttered, her head turning away from him but he ignored her, knowing full well it wouldn't do well to argue with her directly.
"Was on edge for weeks after," Scorpius continued. "Every noise was too loud, every stranger I saw anywhere was a potential enemy, someone wanting me dead," he let out a shaky breath. "I was a right mess. Barely slept. Would have never left the Ministry if Albus didn't force me to have dinner with him once a week," he chuckled. "And James didn't force me to have drinks," he winced slightly as he lifted his booted leg over the curb as they crossed the street. "Well, everyone helped out without really knowing they were helping by keeping everything normal. Maybe they knew I was struggling," he shrugged. "I'm sure Harry told them he found me under my desk."
Rose started at that, her head turning back to look at him, but she kept quiet as he continued.
"Eventually I relaxed, got used to noises and people," he chuckled slightly. "Having another duel a few months later definitely helped, made me used to that sort of thing, but," he glanced at her again. "Talking about it with Harry and others who had been through it helped a little. Being around friends and family helped." He pointed at a large wooden door under a sign that Rose could barely read in the dark street but she was fairly certain it read, Albion. "Last chance?" He offered her.
"Not after you told me about their world famous chips," she scoffed and pulled the door open, holding it open for Scorpius. Rose's face broke into a wide grin when she stepped inside. This was exactly the type of pub she was hoping for: small, dark, nearly empty but for a few seemingly-regulars, and with only three beer taps. There were virtually no windows, no neon signs, no TVs, the wooden floor was old and warped, and the music was low. "No offense to your regular place, Malfoy, but this," Rose turned to him with that wide smile. "This is my type of place."
Scorpius felt his stomach tighten and he leaned against the bar, "Chips, please. And an amber," he turned to Rose.
"Two of each, please," she smiled at the older man and then pointed to a small table a few feet away in the corner. "Go ahead, I've got the pints," she said to Scorpius.
He settled himself with some difficulty in the chair and shrugged his thick coat off. He liked this pub too, but it was too close to his flat, and he and Albus came here sometimes, sometimes with James and Fred, and even Dominique. It was hard to be invisible in a pub that too many of his friends knew about, that's why he needed his bar, even if Rose knew about that one. He suddenly didn't seem to mind that she knew about his bar, or this bar or -
"Here we are," she set the glasses down and shrugged her own coat off. "I asked for vinegar, not sure what you want for your chips?"
"Vinegar's good," he smiled and lifted his glass. "Thanks for today."
"Thank you for today," Rose said back and they clinked glasses, taking a silent sip.
"You don't have to thank me," Scorpius started to say but closed his mouth, not wanting to talk about work or anything that happened today unless she wanted to.
"I won't say I was doing my job for your thanks," she said pointedly. "But I did want to thank you," she tapped her fingers against her glass. "After, you know," she took another sip to stop herself from continuing.
Scorpius wanted to reach out and take her hand but knew now wasn't the time. "I know what it's like. I want to help, if I can," he said kindly before scratching his beard. "Not exactly what it's like, since what you did was," his eyes caught her face and he quieted. "We don't have to talk about it," he said and saw the relief wash over Rose's face.
"Maybe later," Rose's eyes lifted to meet his.
"Later," Scorpius agreed and perked up slightly when the older man brought over their chips and a bottle of malt vinegar.
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"My favorite pub in Stockholm," Rose was saying as she bit into one of her chips and looked around, "was actually a bit like this. Reminded me of England, ya know," she shrugged and glanced up at him. "Everything was in English too, which helped." She chuckled and Scorpius's face broke into a wide grin. "Their chips were good, but not this good," she picked up another one. "I had to sneak in my own malt vinegar, until one of the bartenders took pity on me and bought a couple of bottles."
"You start a trend in Stockholm then? Vinegar on chips?"
Rose let loose a deep laugh and Scorpius felt pride at making her laugh like that, especially on a day like today. "I did, actually," she smirked. "One of my mates saw, tried it, got her other friends to try it," she shrugged. "I'm sure it's all the rage there now."
"Want more?" He nodded at her empty basket of chips.
"Not when you got some left," Rose looked offended as she reached for his basket but he smacked her hand away lightly.
"My doctor would be horrified knowing I wasn't eating enough," Scorpius admonished her.
"Your doctor would tell you to eat some protein if she were here," Rose leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "They got a scotch egg here or something?"
"They got a fry up, but I don't think I could stomach a full fry up now," he bit into a chip and nodded at their nearly empty glasses. "Want to get us another round and ask about a scotch egg? I wouldn't say no to more chips, either."
Rose laughed again and stood up, "Yessir," she saluted him playfully.
Scorpius watched as she spoke to the old man at the bar and he thought he'd like this night to last forever, just sitting in this pub, talking to Rose. He worried that if he pushed too hard or too soon he could lose whatever this was, this, friendliness? Openness? He wasn't sure what the right word was, but the feeling he got from just being near her made him want to dissolve into a puddle.
"Got you some mushy peas too," she winked at him as she sat down. "Your doctor thinks you should have a green."
Scorpius raised his new pint to his lips, "Can't refuse my doctor, can I?" He took a sip, "Now, tell me more about Sweden."
Rose leaned back in her chair again and gathering the twists in her hair tie, put them over one shoulder. "What do you want to know?"
"Is everything too much?" Scorpius asked honestly before he could really think about what he had said; he tried not to wince.
Rose's dark blue eyes widened slightly, "I promise you it's not that exciting." She took a sip of her beer, Scorpius could tell she was hesitating to gather her thoughts. "I worked a lot, truthfully. Didn't have a lot of downtime for friends and," she trailed off.
"Do you miss it?" Scorpius asked, watching her closely.
Rose smiled fondly as she stared at her glass, "Parts of it, sure." She glanced back at him, "The water, mainly. Took it for granted. Sure, there's the Thames, but," she shrugged. "Not the same. There's just something about being surrounded by water all the time, all the islands, the sea right there, the boats, and," she sighed and met his eyes again. "It was somehow very soothing."
"You can go to the coast here," Scorpius offered. "Apparate and spend the day."
Rose smiled kindly at him, "Yes. There just never seems to be any time." She couldn't hide the sadness in her eyes. "Easier when the water's always right there, you know?" She took a sip of her beer and set it down gently before chuckling to herself, "I don't miss how dark it is in winter."
"Must have been especially hard if you worked nights?" Scorpius couldn't help the upturn of his lips as she smiled.
"Some weeks I reckon I didn't see the sun at all," she shook her head. "Summer was the complete opposite, the sun was always shining."
"Hard to sleep?" Scorpius asked.
Rose raised an eyebrow at him, "Not when I was working 16 hour shifts at a Muggle hospital."
Scorpius was saved from having to respond when the bartender dropped off their new basket of chips and Scorpius's scotch egg and mushy peas. "Thanks," he said to the man before turning to Rose. "You sure you don't want any?"
"Mum and dad fed me," Rose shook her head. "Leftovers from grandmum, thankfully," she muttered and Scorpius grinned up at her, knowing full well that neither Hermione nor Ron were especially gifted at cooking, but didn't say anything.
"How did you manage working in both a Muggle and a Magical hospital?" Scorpius asked, pleased with himself when Rose began to talk animatedly.
He could have listened to her talk about Stockholm and her hospital experiences for an entire month. Her excitement was palpable and it made Scorpius wonder if no one had taken the time to ask her about the last few years of her life before, not even anyone at the hospital. She had stories about nameless patients, stories about new procedures she saw and witnessed, stories about techniques she was excited to put into practice at St. Mungo's. Scorpius was fairly certain he had never seen her so happy and carefree before.
They had long finished their food and drinks, and were just sitting at their small table amiably, Scorpius listening to Rose and peppering her with follow-up questions, when the bartender came over to their table and asked them if they wanted anything else. Scorpius glanced at the man's Muggle watch and his eyebrows shot up, "Is it really 2am?"
"Hmm," the man nodded, nonplussed. "You need another?"
"Oh," Rose stood up. "No, I should close out," she followed the man to the bar, handing him Muggle bills as Scorpius struggled to stand up.
"I wanted to pay," Scorpius grumbled as Rose was back to help him out of his chair.
Rose met his eyes with a kind smile and handed him his coat, "You can get the next time," she patted his arm. "I didn't mean to bore you with hospital stories," she turned her head to grab her own coat but Scorpius could tell she was embarrassed.
"I wasn't bored," Scorpius's voice was low and his heart slowed down when Rose looked up at him, her dark blue eyes wide. "I love hearing what you're passionate about."
Rose's mouth parted slightly as she stared up into his face, looking for the lie, and felt her cheeks warm slightly. "Oh," was all she could manage.
"Goodnight, thanks again," Scorpius called out to the bartender and hobbled towards the door.
Rose grabbed his arm and put it over her shoulder, "Let me help, Scorpius.
He leaned on her slightly, his entire body warm as he muttered softly, "Rather hard to walk after sitting for so long." She snaked her arm around his waist to support him and because it was more comfortable to walk.
Rose's laugh was soft and light as she pushed open the big wooden door. "Let me walk you to your elevator at least," she said gently. "It's the least I can do."
"Thanks," Scorpius tried not to get overly excited. "I really meant it you know," he started.
"What?" Rose turned her head to look at him as they walked down the sidewalk.
"About Stockholm and the hospitals," Scorpius tilted his head slightly towards her. "It was fascinating. I mean, everything you've done for me alone," he let out a soft laugh. "It's really impressive."
"Thanks," Rose's lips upturned slightly. "That's very kind of you to say."
They were nearing the building and Scorpius suddenly felt very protective of her, "You'll be okay to get home? You can use the Floo if you'd prefer."
"Oh," Rose breathed and Scorpius tightened his arm around her shoulder. "You wouldn't," she looked up at him. "You don't mind?"
"Not at all," he pulled her closer to him again.
He hated to release her when they stepped on to the elevator, and he immediately missed her arm around his waist, her warmth. He shut his eyes briefly.
"You okay?" She asked.
His grey eyes met her dark blue ones and he smiled; her breath hitched. "Just tired," he nodded slightly.
"Been a long couple of days, I take it," Rose agreed as the elevator doors opened on his floor.
"Hmm," he hummed in agreement and gestured for her to step out first as he hobbled out behind her. "You don't have to work tomorrow, do you?"
"I'll probably go in later for a few hours," Rose shrugged as Scorpius opened his front door. "What about you?"
"A lot of paperwork," Scorpius sighed and closed the door behind them. "Thank you again, Rose, for everything."
Rose arched an eyebrow at him and pointed at herself, "My job," before pointing at him. "I'd thank you too but I know you'd say it's your job." Her face softened slightly and Scorpius thought he saw her take a small step forward towards him, "But not all of it was your job, so thank you for helping me with," she hesitated, her lips downturning slightly. "Thank you for tonight. I feel a lot better, knowing you had trouble," her eyes were locked on his. "And for talking about other things too."
"I'm here for you, Rose," he leaned towards her, wanting desperately to kiss her but knowing, somehow, now was not the time. "Anytime you need it." His dark grey eyes searched hers and he smiled slightly, leaning back and running a hand through his hair. "But give me a few hours to sleep first, yea?"
Rose's laugh was deep and she turned to walk into the living room where the Floo was and reached to grab the small pot of Floo powder from the mantle before she turned back to Scorpius, an evil glint in her eye. "I'm not sure what you wear to sleep, but you may want to wear that boot with pajama pants," Rose smirked at him, her eyes glancing down at his leg deliberately. "But it may chafe your bare leg." She nudged him gently with her shoulder and winked at him, "Goodnight, Scorpius. See you soon."
"G-goodnight," he managed to get out as she turned and stepped through the Floo, desperately wanting to see Rose again as soon as possible.