Rose sat numb in the uncomfortable plastic chair situated in front of the Healer's desk. She was aware of only the sound of blood rushing in her ears and disjointed words floating through her mind. "relapse", "aggressive", 'stem-cell transplant".
A cup of water was shoved into her hand. She blinked.
"Rose, dear, can you hear me?" A hand gently shook her shoulder. She looked up to meet the eyes of the Healer.
"We need to begin treatment again as soon as we can, and we need to come at it from a new angle this time. With a transplant we could have a permanent cure," the witch thrummed through papers in Rose's file. "Unfortunately, the only stem-cell match isn't open to donating at the current time. We'll keep you on your potions and start another round of radiation and hope for another match, but it's more difficult to find matches for magical people."
Rose's stomach dropped. This couldn't be real. It didn't feel real. She felt as though she were outside looking in, floating through a dream.
An alarm went off, blaring and jolting her out of her daze. She looked around as if suddenly realizing where she was.
The Healer stood suddenly and set the file down on the edge of her desk.
"I've got to respond to the code, there's only two Healer's on this floor today. I'll be back as soon as I can to continue the discussion."
After the witch left the room Rose glanced at the file, a plan rapidly forming in her mind.
With a shaky hand she reached for the file and flipped through the pages. She didn't understand many of the words and figures, but she knew it held the answer she needed.
She arrived at the page for her donor matches and searched the page for a name. Her index finger skimmed along the words and halted on the name of her only match.
Scorpius Malfoy.
No, this couldn't be happening. Her only match was someone she was sure didn't like her, or anyone for that matter. He had the reputation as the mysterious and withdrawn head of the Malfoy conglomerate. She hadn't seen him since their Hogwarts graduation just over ten years ago. A lifetime ago.
Instead of waiting for the witch to come back she put the file back where she found it and rushed from the room and down the long sterile hallways of St. Mungo's. As soon as she stepped foot outside, she took a large gasp of air as if she had been deprived of oxygen for too long.
There was only one clear idea in her muddled mind. Find Scorpius Malfoy and convince him to be her donor.
Later that night she sat cross legged on her couch with a book and her black and white tuxedo cat named Sausage snuggled in her lap. She wasn't reading the book though; she was staring blankly as she formulated a plan to find him.
She catalogued the things she knew about Scorpius. From what she had gathered from news stories from the past ten years she knew that he had moved out of Malfoy Manor, but where, she didn't know. She knew that he had never married and was never even seen out dating, though many young witches would jump at the opportunity to marry into his wealth. He ran Malfoy Group after his father's retirement five years prior. Leading up to that he had lived in America and attended school somewhere, again, the details were lost to her.
Chewing on her bottom on lips she thought of who she might know that would have some form of contact with him. Albus worked at a potions company that was supplied by Malfoy Group, but she had never heard him mentioned Scorpius. He wasn't likely to be involved in low level operations like that anyway.
Harry was the Minister of Magic and probably her best bet since he had to sign off on business permits and the like. She glanced at the clock and determined it wasn't too late to pay a visit to her Uncle.
She stepped into her floo and then found herself in Harry's sitting room. The house was quiet, and she wondered if she should have waited until tomorrow but before she could turn around Ginny entered the room.
"Oh, Rosie! I thought I heard someone come through the floo. How are you, dear? You're looking a bit pale, how about a cuppa?"
"Actually, Aunt Ginny, I just came to talk to Uncle Harry quickly."
Ginny looked both dismayed and concerned but ushered her into Harry's adjacent office. He glanced up from his papers and smiled when he saw Rose.
"What brings you, Rose?"
She suddenly found herself nervous and looked down at her trainers. Harry silently gestured Ginny to leave the room as he realized Rose wasn't comfortable with whatever it was that she had to share. Ginny shot him a wide-eyed questioning look but left the room. He got up to help her sit down on the leather couch and took the seat next to her.
Rose shift her body to face him and took in a deep breath.
"Today I found out that my leukemia is back," she said quickly without looking at him in the eye, fiddling with her fingers.
"Oh, Rosie, I'm so sorry," he enveloped her into a hug which startled her, causing her to stiffen. The longer he held her there she more she relaxed.
A wave of emotion washed over her and she felt like now it finally felt real. She had to accept that it would be another round of treatment, pain, and grappling with the idea of death. The flood gates burst, and she sobbed into his shirt. He calmly rubbed her back as she cried.
Finally, the pulled away and had the courage to look at him through watery eyes.
Harry summoned her a tissue and handed it over.
"Thanks," she said weakly. "I—I haven't told my parents, so please don't tell them yet!" she blurted.
Harry frowned but nodded in agreement. He stayed quiet, there really weren't words that could console, and he knew she came there with a purpose and he'd let her get it out on her own terms.
"So, this time they say that I need a stem-cell donor for a transplant, except my only match doesn't want to do it right now, or maybe ever, I don't know." She paused, gathering the courage to ask for what she came for.
"That's why I need to talk to him myself and I need your help." She looked up at him.
"Rose, you know I'd do anything to help you. Who is this person? How did you get their name? I didn't think they could give out that information."
She shook her head, "Never mind how I got the name. It's…. it's Scorpius Malfoy."
If Harry was surprised, he didn't show it. Rose wrung her hands.
"I was wondering, well, if you know how I could find him or get into contact with him. I'd send an owl except that I don't know where he lives and I think 'Oy, can I please have your blood' is really kind of a face to face discussion," she rambled.
He considered her for a moment and rubbed his chin in thought.
"I can give you the address of his business, since that's public record."
Her face lit up and she smiled for the first time all day.
"Thank you, Uncle Harry! Thank you so much, truly." This time she hugged him, and he smiled, resting his head on the top of her hair.
"Of course, Rose. Anything you need. We're always here for you. So are your parents, you should really consider telling them you know…"
She sighed and threw herself back against the couch cushions.
"I know, I know. It's just, I want to be able to have good news to tell them along with it. If I can get Scorpius to agree, then there's a chance that it could be a permanent cure. I don't want them to worry, you know how my mum worries."
"Of course she worries, she's your mum and you're her daughter. She loves you more than anything in the world. The longer you go without telling them the harder it will be for everyone. So just think about it, yeah?"
She nodded and Harry crossed the room to write down the address on parchment for her to take. He came back and handed it to her and she looked at it, trembling but gripping it like a lifeline.
The next morning, she laid in bed, unwilling to face the world just get. Truthfully, she had suspected for the past few weeks that she was sick. The bruises, nose bleeds, and utter exhaustion plagued her, and she finally knew it was time to see her Healer. She had no idea that it would throw her into this barmy situation here she needed to track down Scorpius Malfoy of all people and beg for her life. But here she was.
So, she carried on. She got dressed, cast charms on her hair and face to cover how tired she looked to the best of her magically ability. She studied her reflection in the mirror, feeling dazed and disconnected from who she saw looking back, she waved at herself and laughed dryly.
"Let's go," she said out loud to no one.
Sausage meowed loudly, rubbing against her ankle.
"Sorry, you can't come with me." She leaned down to pat his head.
She apparated to the closest point she could and walked the rest of the distance to the inauspicious looking building. It certainly didn't seem like the headquarters of the most highly valued company in wizarding London.
Upon entering the building, she was surprised to find that the inside was richly designed in a sleek modern fashion. There was a front desk with a pretty blond witch behind it. Nervously, she stepped up to the desk and cleared her throat to get the witch's attention.
"Can I help you, Miss?" She asked, bored.
"Ermm, yes, will I'm hoping to speak to Scorpius Malfoy.
The witch smiled sickly.
"Do you have an appointment?"
She hadn't even thought this far ahead.
"Well, no, but erm, we went to Hogwarts together, see, and I really need to speak with him."
The witch rolled her eyes. "Yes, you and every other desperate witch who comes in here to try and win him over. I'll give you some advice…" she narrowed her eyes and leaned in closer to Rose, "you can't win, so turn around and go back where you came from."
Rose's heartbeat sped up and felt like it might beat out of her chest.
"You don't understand, I'm not here for that."
The witch across the desk didn't look convinced and picked up the phone as if she might call in security. Rose began to lose hope and panicked.
"Please!" She shouted louder than she meant to. "I really, really need to speak with him!"
"Make an appointment, and then you can," said the witch with a smug smile.
The elevator to her left dinged and opened to reveal Scorpius dressed in a grey muggle suit and a stern looking man dressed in all black to his left. Rose's eyes widened and she felt paralyzed to the spot.
The receptionist stood quickly and walked around the desk.
"Mr. Malfoy," she bowed slightly and then turned to the other man. "Mr. Wilson can you please escort this lady out of the building."
"Certainly, at once."
The man approached Rose, hooked his arm with hers and began pulling her towards the doors.
"Wait!" she cried and spun out of his grip.
"Malfoy! I need to talk with you," she begged.
He studied her for a moment but ignored her.
"Sir, your car is waiting," said the man that the receptionist had called Mr. Wilson. "I'll be sure that she finds her way out," he said gesturing to Rose.
"Car?" Rose asked confusedly. "What kind of wizard uses a car," she mumbled under her breath.
She saw the small beginning of a smile form on the corner of Malfoy's mouth, but it quickly vanished, and he walked briskly toward the doors.
Rose ran towards him, heels clattering against the marble floors, but Mr. Wilson caught her. She struggled to get out of his hold and by the time she burst from the doors he was already in the car.
She had to make a split-second decision and she tugged her shoes off and ran after the car. She caught up and banged on the window of the seat Malfoy was seated in.
"Please! Malfoy! Stop this car!"
She began losing her breath quickly, she didn't have much energy as it was.
Suddenly exhaustion hit and she collapsed into the middle of the road. She sat up quickly and watched angrily as the car continued down the road. She huffed and dusted her skirt off and picked her heels up. Her joints ached but she had to get out of the road.
The sound of footsteps made her look up.
Malfoy was in front of her, looking incredibly angry.
"Are you daft?!" He yelled. "Chasing my car barefooted, yelling, and falling in the middle of the road. You're mental!" He said, glaring at her and shaking his head, but he held out his hand to help her up. She considered the pale appendage a moment but pushed his hand out of her way and clambered to a stand herself.
Her chest was rising and falling, and she suddenly felt very small being up close to him. He was a foot taller than she and there was fire behind his grey eyes that scared her. For a moment they just stood there, in the road, looking at one another.
His driver interrupted.
"Sir, we need to leave, or else you'll be late for you 11 a.m. meeting."
Malfoy looked from Rose to the driver to his watch and sighed.
"Get in, Weasley."
She gave him a shocked look but wasted no time. It might be the only opportunity she'd have.
Once they were settled in the back seat of the car Malfoy pulled out a leather portfolio and began flipping through the pages.
She suddenly wasn't sure what to do or what to say. She should have rehearsed. She was floundering.
He cleared his throat and without looking up from his parchment he said, "Suddenly have nothing to say, hmm? You seemed to have a lot to say just a few minutes ago."
She gulped.
"I'm sick," was all she managed to say, she grimaced at her own idiocy.
"Mentally? I can tell," he said nodding with a slight smile, as if agreeing with himself.
She looked over and glared holes into the side of his shiny blond head.
He turned his head to look back at her with focused gaze and she quickly looked away, out the window, anywhere but his face.
"No, not mentally, Malfoy. I have…leukemia, and I need a stem-cell transplant…and I only have one match, and.." he cut her off.
"And that match is me, right?"
Her eyes widened; she didn't expect him to understand so quickly. She only looked at her lap and nodded.
Malfoy remained silent, still flipping through pages of parchment.
"So…you'll help me then?" she asked with a weak smile.
He looked at her and this time she held his piercing gaze.
He thought for a moment.
"No." He looked back to his pages.
She squeezed her eyes shut and took deep breaths.
"Malfoy, please," she pleaded, giving him her best puppy dog eyes despite the fact that he wasn't looking at her. "It's my only hope for a cure, otherwise, I have to keep going through endless treatments and sickness and…and…in three years, if I'm lucky to even get that, I could-," die, she couldn't bring herself to say it. "Just, please."
"And I should care?" he asked with a shrug.
She was taken back by his irreverence.
She sighed and leaned her head back against the leather seat headrest.
After a moment of silence, he said, "I'm a businessman, Weasley. I don't do anything that doesn't at the very least mutually benefit me."
She turned to glare at him again.
"You're selfish," she hissed.
"No, I'm successful, and I haven't gotten here by taking on charity cases that do me no good."
She felt sickened by his words but if she wanted to convince him, she was going to have to play by his rules.
"Fine," she said, surprising him. "I'll play along, Malfoy. I'll owe you my life, and I'll do you one favor, whatever it is you want." She stuck her nose up on the air at him.
He smirked at her like he had just caught his prey, causing her to recoil and divert her gaze back to her lap.
They didn't say anything for a few minutes. She snuck a glance at him to see that he was lost in his own thoughts. She didn't want to interrupt in case he was thinking he might take her deal.
Suddenly he looked at her, straight in the eye, soft chocolate brown meeting intense steel grey.
"Marry me."
She jolted.
"Excuse me? Are you barmy?! A minute ago, you were ok with me dying and now you're telling me, not asking me, I might add, to marry you?!"
"Look, Weasley, do you want my blood or not? If I save your life then you have to, metaphorically, save mine."
She crossed her arms.
"And how would us getting married save you? Metaphorically, that is."
"If I'm not married by 30, then I have to marry Tulip Parkinson, it was arranged by our families." He grimaced but continued. "And really, I've always preferred Roses to Tulips." He shrugged flippantly.
She just looked at him, bewildered and unable to form words.
Suddenly the weight of the situation and his ridiculous suggestion of marriage cracked her, she began laughing uncontrollably until tears rolled down her face. And then, she wasn't laughing anymore, she was really crying.
"Can you please refrain from doing whatever this is," he gestured to her current state, "in my car."
She took a deep breath and jumped, without looking back.
"Ok then, I'll marry you," she said with one firm nod.
His steely façade cracked and for a fraction of a second he looked startled.
"You must really want to live, huh?" he mumbled quietly, rhetorically, not looking at her.
The car came to a stop and Malfoy gathered his papers and transformed them into a pocket-sized wallet that he placed in the pocket in the lining of his suit jacket.
"My driver will take you wherever you're going. Be ready at 7 tonight to discuss the arrangement, I'll come to you." He opened his door.
"But, wait! Malfoy!" She called after him. "How will you know where I live?"
He smiled a half smile. "Don't worry about that, I have ways to know anything I want," he replied mysteriously. He bowed slightly to her and turned.
She closed the car door and sank into the seat he had just been sitting in. His residual warmth was almost comforting until she realized how cold Scorpius Malfoy really was.
The driver cleared his throat. She forgot that he had been present the entire car ride and her race burned hot and red with embarrassment.
"Where will it be, Miss?"
She thought for a moment, she could just apparate home, but she felt exhausted like she might fall asleep at any moment.
"Just, home, please." She gave her address quickly.
Before the recent events could even sink in, she fell asleep in the back of the car. She was startled awake by her door opening and the driver holding out a hand to help her out of the car.
"Thank you," she nodded to him. At least someone around her had manners. Her mind flashed to an image of Malfoy holding out a hand to help her off the ground earlier. It made her stomach twist.
Once inside she collapsed on her bed. She starred at the ceiling for what felt like ages, dozing in and out of sleep.
Consciousness came back to her all at once. She had agreed to marry Malfoy. The thought caused her to shoot up out of bed. She checked the time. He'd be at her apartment in a half of an hour, she really had been lying in bed for a long time.
What would she tell her family? What would she tell her friends? She was 29, she had never even thought much about marriage, even though all her friends were married, some even had kids already and her mother was always worrying over if she'd ever get married herself. She had almost no experience with men.
This was madness, but her life depended on it. She needed him, and the sooner she accepted it the better.
An abrupt knock came at the door.
Bollocks, he was early. She quickly checked her appearance and then shook her head, why did she care what she looked like anyway.
She met him at the door and gestured him inside without saying anything.
He looked awkward in her apartment. He was dressed in the same grey designer suit he had on earlier, looking much to formal. He looked around her apartment briefly and took a seat on her couch.
"Let's discuss the terms of the business arrangement."
She huffed; everything was business to him.
He took out a piece of parchment and handed it to her. The top read 'Terms and Conditions'. She scanned the page.
"Three years!?" she shouted. "We have to stay married for three years?"
"You said yourself, three years might be all you have left without me. Therefore, that's a fair amount of time."
"Two years," she countered.
"Five," he returned.
"What! You can't add years. That's not how negotiation works. I thought you were a businessman after all."
"Three years, or the offer is void," he said sternly.
She looked at him glumly.
"It has to be convincing to my parents and the public. You have to move in with me and you have to agree to take on the responsibility of acting the role for the benefit of the reputation of Malfoy Group once you're….recovered. And you absolutely may not date anyone else through the duration of the marriage."
She rolled her eyes.
"I don't want to live in whatever mansion you probably live in, Malfoy."
He narrowed his eyes at her.
"I don't live in a mansion, I did enough of that growing up."
She didn't let her curiosity at his statement show.
She continued to scan the page and found no objections.
"Well, surprisingly, this all seems reasonable. I'll agree to it."
"Do you have a boyfriend or anything you need to deal with first?" He asked.
"No," she replied quickly, crossing her arms, feeling altogether too uncomfortable under his gaze.
"Good. That will make it easier."
"Nothing about this is easy, Malfoy! You're capitalizing on my potential death! My family and friends are never going to believe that I fell for you and much less married you."
"Why's that? I'm a catch." He smirked at her.
Again, she rolled her eyes.
"Well, it's just, I've never…..had a boyfriend."
His eyes widened.
"Really? Never?"
She pursed her lips at him.
"It's not all that surprising. I'm only in London for the summers and Hogwarts is full of children, not a lot of opportunity to meet men."
"Hogwarts?" He inquired.
"I'm the History of Magic professor. Surely you did your homework before proposing marriage?"
He ignored her. "Well then, we need to finalize the marriage as soon as possible and arrange your treatment before you go back in the fall."
"You're not going to tell me to quit my job?" She asked, testing him.
He shook his head no. "I'm busy, it's better than you keep entertained and out of the way most of the time."
She scoffed and looked away from him. They sat in silence for a few minutes.
"That's what you want in a wife, huh? Quiet and out of the way?"
He looked uncomfortable at her forwardness.
"No, I don't want a wife. That's the problem, but my family has other plans for me." He sniffed.
For a brief moment the felt sympathy for the man sitting beside her whom she realized she didn't really know at all.
Suddenly he pulled a small box out of the inside of his suit jacket and handed it to her.
He noticed her hands were shaking when she took it from him.
She opened it and found a silver band with pear shaped diamond mounted on it. She gasped and closed the box quickly, shoving it back in his hand.
"I can't take that, Malfoy!"
"Why not? You're my fiancé," he said matter-of-factly.
"It's too expensive!"
This made him laugh and the sound of his laughter was completely foreign to her.
"What kind of woman are you, turning down a diamond?"
He opened the box, took the ring out and grabbed her hand. She was too shocked at the feeling of his skin on hers to move.
He took her hand in his and slipped the band onto her ring finger with his other hand, but he didn't drop her hand right away. He just held it and looked at the ring on her finger. She studied his face while her own burned hot. She couldn't discern the meaning of the look on his face.
She took her hand back and held it out in front of her to look for herself. It was beautiful, even she could admit that. She glanced up to find him already looking at her. She diverted her eyes quickly and feigned a cough.
"So, you'll schedule your procedure then?" He asked, breaking the silence.
She nodded and remembered why they were doing all of this in the first place. She felt overwhelmed by gratitude in that moment.
"Malfoy…. Erm, well, thank you." She met his eyes directly for the first time all evening.
He just nodded and stood.
"We'll go to the Ministry to finalize the marriage tomorrow."
She jumped up to stand as well.
"Tomorrow? What's the rush, Malfoy?"
"I turn 30 next week."
Her eyes widened.
"Oh." Was all she could muster. Her throat was suddenly bone dry.
"So, you should pack, and Mr. Wilson will help you move to the cottage."
He reached in his suit pocket again.
"Have you got more diamonds in there?" she asked nervously. He smirked and pulled out a plastic card, handing it to her.
"What's this?" She asked turning it over in her hand.
"A copy of the Malfoy charge card, and before you try to give it back to me, don't. It works in both Muggle and Wizarding shops, use it how you please."
She opened her mouth to reply, but a loud crack signaled his apparition and he was gone. She stared blankly at where he had just stood.
In utter disbelief of the few days she had just lived she collapsed onto her couch and groaned. She had to pack, get married, move in with Malfoy, fake a believable relationship, tell her parents about her relapse, get a stem-cell transplant, and keep living. Before she was able to dwell too much she drifted to sleep.