CHAPTER TWO

The silence between the couple continued and no one dare to talk. It was awkward. How could it be? Rose was there putting her distance away from him like he had acquired a disease. Their everyday lives revolved on that. Rose will go to work, he will also go to work, and they will have their seperate lives. Along with their fights, their separation continued on. It hurt Scorpius. After all, having Rose by his side even though they had a quarrel means that they could still work it out, but no.

How could they work this out now that Rose had presented him divorce papers six months ago?

And last night. Just last night, they had the last straw of quarrel in their entire marriage. It was supposed to be their day, a celebration for their first year of marriage yet it turned into a huge disaster.

'You know what? I'm tired of this. I want out and you still push me into it! What the hell is your problem, Scorpius? Don't you understand? Or you're just stubborn to admit that this won't work out?!'

'No matter what you say I know you still love me, Rose. I can still see you. Why are you hiding from me?'

'Because there's nothing from me to hide, Scorpius! This is me! Why can't you accept it! There's nothing left in me than hate!'

As the quarrel progressed into worst, they both shouted at each other, snarled every mistake and their imperfections. Until those words came out from her own lips. It was a hard time to process.

'Don't test my patience, Scorpius!'

'Go ahead and try, Rose! I am used to it. You hate me anyway! Why bother to listen to your wishes when you won't even try to hear mine?'

'You know what, forget it! You're definitely right! I HATE you to the maximum point, Scorpius! You're my husband but you act so superior like you are my mother!' Rose snarled pointing her finger at him in anger.

'Since when did I ever act so superior?! As far as I know, you're the one who's always bossing me around!' Scorpius replied raising his hands in the air.

'Oh yeah?!'

'Now tell me, since when did you ever leave that goddamn paperworks for us? When was the last time we had a proper conversation without snarling at each other? It was months ago! Months! Today's our anniversary yet we're both destroying it because of that damn paper you had presented me you call a divorce!'

'Damn it all, Scorpius! If I knew that this would happen, I should have never agree to marry you!' Scorpius was once more, frozen on the spot. This can't be real.

'I can't believe this will be my life after marrying you. I swear you made my life upside down the moment we got married. I regret every single minute of it! If Merlin would ever grant me one thing, I would wish to him that you'll be gone in my life!'

'Then wish me dead!' Scorpius shouted with tears flowing down on his face.

'How could you, Rose. I had given you everything I had, is there anything still missing? Tell me, Rose, am I not enough? Is my love for you still not enough that you really desire to leave me so much! If you really do wish for me to be gone, then point that blasted wand of yours in my head and say the words!' Rose can't say a word back. Was he daring her to kill him? How could she follow a statement like that?

'You're killing me every single day. Why prolong the suffering? Just say the words and I'll be gone, Rose.' But Rose didn't move a muscle. She just stared at his tearful eyes and stood still. When Scorpius could no longer bear the silence, he stepped out of the bedroom and went into the guest room, slamming the door behind him that Rose could hear. Inside that room, his tears started flowing as he realized how it was too late to save their marriage.

He was reminded of the whole scene as he looked at the redhead from where Hugo left.

It was uncomfortable until Scorpius finally breaks away from silence.

"Are you coming home?" Scorpius asked warmly but it sounded more like a plea.

A pain stabbed in his heart as Rose replied him with a cold look instead of replying in words. Rose didn't reply immediately. She just glared at her husband with such hatred and looked away diverting her attention to something else.

"No." And that's the end of the conversation for Rose. She walked out of him and sat at the sofa grabbing the book from the table and pretending to read its contents. She acts like Scorpius wasn't there at all.

"Rose, please help me make this work out. Please?" Scorpius said almost whispering but Rose still heard it but pretending not to hear it.

"Please Rose? I'm begging you. Don't do this to me." Scorpius pleaded for the last time hoping for Rose to reconsider their marriage. Deep inside his heart he was still hoping that Rose had plans to stay married to him. That she still needs him. But instead of a reply he was hoping for, she replied with a statement which killed all of his hopes.

"Just sign the divorce papers, Scorpius. Don't make this difficult for both of us. There's no way that we could work this out." she replied with a cold shoulder and he went blank.

'Damn it all, Scorpius! If I knew that this would happen, I should have never agree to marry you!'

'I swear you made my life upside down the moment we got married. I regret every single minute of it!'

'If Merlin would ever grant me one thing, I would wish to him that you'll be gone in my life!'

"Well then." Scorpius suddenly remembered the fight they both had last night. And her statement just now had killed all the hopes he had. It killed him inside. Literally. With one bitter smile, he nodded and walked towards the door going back to Wiltshire on his own but before he stepped out of the other side of the door, one of the things that runs from his mind came into words.

"If that's what you want, i'll make you return to the day we still never met each other." Rose looked at him with a blank expression when she heard him say those words. Scorpius struggled with the pain he felt deep inside as he continued.

"I guess, it's really over for us. There's nothing I can do anymore. After all, who does want to marry the son of a Blood Traitor and Death Eater anyway? I'll probably just be in your way if I stayed."

His tears fell down all of a sudden, shocking Rose a bit. She never saw Scorpius cry until recently and his father's death. Though she was professional in hiding her feelings, deep inside her, a bit of pain struck her chest.

"I wish you all the best things, Rose." he said staring at her blue eyes on the verge of breaking down. Rose just stared back and didn't replied.

"I guess this is goodbye. I am sorry for everything."

With that, he closes his eyes and turned his back at her. He steps out of her door, just like what she wanted. And soon enough, he will walk away and step out of her life too just as what she wished for. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to walk out of her life, but then, she pushed him into this point, and she never gave him a choice.

Hugo went outside to meet his wife who had just said goodbye to the lawyer.

"Dear, are you sure you're not going home later?" Ashley asked her husband. Hugo just smiled and nodded.

"Okay, I'll just tell the kids." she replied giving him a brief kiss on the lips. The couple soon looked at the door both wondering of the other two.

"Hugh, do you think they're okay in there? I know I'm not in the place to talk but don't you think Rose thinks too rash? Scorpius is a good guy. Why letting go of a guy who had such a kind soul?"

Hugo just shrugged sadly. "I don't know sweetheart. Rose is really stubborn. Once she decided on something, it s really rare for her mind to change. I feel so sorry for Scorpius honestly. How I wish to God I could knock her head in the wall to regain her right mind to its rightful state."

As if on cue, Scorpius stepped out of the house in his vulnerable state and went to his car. Hugo noticed the way his back trembling uncontrollably as he stopped in front of his car's door. He looks like he's going to break down and there was nothing he could do to change his insane sister's mind. Ashley showed a sad face, tightening her hold on Hugo's hand and finally release it to go to their car.

"Scorpius, do you want to stay at Al's for a moment? I can take you there." Ashley suggested. Scorpius stopped trembling and hesitating to turned to her.

"Thank you for asking me Ash, but I'm going to work today. You know, paper stuffs," he said looking at her, still with the evidence of tears on his cheeks. Hugo just rolled his eyes. He really is a terrible liar. "I guess I'll see you later. Take care, Ash." With that, he started the car's engine and waved his hand to the couple before he drives away.

When he wasn't on sight anymore, the couple took a deep breath, worrying about him. "Do you think he will be okay? He's trying to show us his brave front, Hugh."

Hugo didn't also know what to do.

Ashley went home five minutes after Scorpius headed out. He walked back to the house and looked for his sister. Gladly, Rose had the patience to never open the documents on her own and waited for him to come back. But still, he wondered what Rose did this time. Scorpius was crying as he leave. Rose must have said something painful to him that made him into tears.

"Hugh, you're here. Do you mind if you read the things inside this envelope? My mind is full of thoughts. I can't process them all with this stress."

"You're always stressed, Rosie." he said mockingly. Rose just sneered.

"Puh-lease."

Hugo opened the envelope and pulled the letter out. The letter had no sender but it had the name of the receiver. Hugo scanned the letter and had a suspicion that this letter came from a man. He was surprised. These are words of love.

"Do you want to continue to read it?" Hugo asked.

"Just continue reading it aloud, Hugh. I don't think I'll be able to read it without raising my temper." Rose said and Hugo just rolled his eyes and just read the letter.

'Hermione,

My love, where have you gone all this time? I've missed you so much that my heart aches for you. In those fifteen years, I still remember the smell of the flowers surrounding you. I can still picture on my mind how beautiful you are. Every single memory of us came flooding into my mind as I went back to that place...'

"Stop it. I don't want to hear anything any longer. I can't believe this! Mother had a lover?" Rose said in outrage. Hugo just stared at the letter in shock.

"Rosie, calm down."

"How can I calm down?! I can't believe Mom had an affair! This is-this is preposterous! A blasphemy! I don't want to hear anything. This is too much for me." Rose stood up and went to the kitchen to calm herself down. Hugo was left alone continuing to read the letter on his own. He admired the man's words. He could tell that this man did loved his mother with all his heart.

"What does he say now?" Rose said frowning. Despite of being angry about her mother's affairs, she can't help but to think of the man her mother did fall for.

"He said that this will be his last letter that he will give to her," Hugo said with bored eyes. "He promised not to write again. And it seems that he really did granted that promise."

"Why?"

"Because he died on March 21st, two months after he wrote this letter," he said scanning the letter and the other documents. "The year's 2034, its two years from now and three years after dad's death. He was buried here at Bellington County, his magic released by Professor Longbottom. This man must be a wizard too."

While scanning the documents, Rose noticed a small key near the box. The siblings exchanged looks and proceeded to Hermione's room. Inside, they saw all of her belongings packed inside the chest. Hugo opened the box and saw some journals, Witch Weekly Magazines and some dresses. Rose had found and picked the muggle camera inside. Besides that, she found a necklace similar to her mom's. It has an initial 'D' into it. Seems familiar. Rose looked at the necklace on her neck. She and Scorpius had the same thing. Hers had the initial 'S' while Scorpius had the initial 'R' one. On the top of it was another letter.

'March 27th, 2036; To Rose and Hugo,'

Hugo picked the letter and hand it to Rose.

"You go for it, Hugh. I don't think I could manage." Hugo didn't made any protest and just opened the letter, reading it aloud so that Rose could hear.

"To my dearest children,

Hugo and Rose, my darling children. Time travels fast like they say. Back then I was just as young as you both are. Now, I am on the final stage of my life as I write this letter. As one says, it s difficult for a mother to write and say goodbye to your own children. It pains me to say the words 'Farewell' and 'Goodbye' to both of you. I am 57, still young to depart but had lived a life with stories like how an 84 year old lived. Ah, time flies. Back then, I was still there cleaning your nappies."

The last statement made both of them laugh despite of the tears falling from their eyes. "Mom, still making a joke in a serious situation like this." Hugo just nodded back and proceeded in reading the letter.

"My dear ones, I know you both. Today, as you read this letter, this could only mean one thing. I finally departed. One of you will find the key, which was inside the document envelope, to this chest. Rose darling, it s you I am concerned into this matter. I hope as you read this letter, you have Hugo by your side."

"It s because you have a bad temper, Rosie." Rose just raised an eyebrow.

"I know too that as you read this letter, both of you had a suspicion of what's going on. Your Uncle Harry once said, 'A secret will never remain secret forever. There will be a time that the truth will still prevail.' And he's right, for I have told him and your Aunt Ginny everything. As one grows older, their time on earth becomes lesser and lesser. For me to depart without any regrets, I will tell you the secret that I've been concealing all my life."

"Rosie, are you sure do you still want to hear it?" Hugo asked her after pulling a deep breath. "This... might shock you."

"Nothing could shock me now, Hugh. The fact that Mum had a lover shocked me to oblivion. And the fact that Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny knew, what's more in there?"

"That's not all, Rose. I think this will shock you too."

Rose didn't replied and just took a deep breath. She just nodded as he stared at the letter before proceeding.

"Seventeen years ago, I met him. I have known him back then, but I met him in a different way. Rose, Hugo, please don't bear a grudge against him. I loved him more than I loved Ron. I know you would resent me for this, but there is always a reason for everything. Though you both had brilliant minds, you were still too young to know the life of being married. As for your father and I, our marriage was slowly falling apart. Anyway, why am I telling this to you in a letter when I had written it all in the journals?"

Hugo noticed the journals he saw earlier and picked one. A white scented notebook with her name on it. The next statement made Rose close her eyes tightly as she tried to conceal her unexplained feeling.

"His name was Draco Lucius Malfoy. I know you both knew him so well, especially you, Rosie."

Rose shut her eyes, unbelieving the words on their late mother's letter. Draco Lucius Malfoy. Her own father-in-law - Scorpius's father. Draco died on March 21st, 2034, three years after Ron Weasley died, in natural causes. He died sleeping peacefully. She never knew. Hermione didn't told her a thing about this. This happened in 2019, Rose was just 13 and Hugo was just 11. They never knew that she kept such a huge secret from them.

"He was my former classmate and a colleague. He was here on year 2019, searching for a place to have a vacation here at Bellington, New South Wales. He was also a well-known man in the Wizarding World due to his name. I saw his face in the Witch Weekly. Even though he's striving into forty years of life, he still looked dashing as ever."

As if on cue, Rose picked the Witch Weekly Magazine with Draco Malfoy in the cover. On the next page, there was a picture of the smiling wizard. His hair hang on his forehead, palm under his chin as he smiles dashingly. Scorpius showed her once a photo of the twenty year old Draco before. Even if he was 40 at this age, he still looked like in his late-twenties.

"That's your father-in-law back then, huh. The perfect carbon copy of Scorpius Malfoy."

Rose just stared at the unbelievable man who conquered her mother's heart that caused her to commit such betrayal. She can't believe it. Why of all people, why Scorpius's father?

"He was wearing the same necklace that Mum had," Hugo picked the necklace similar to the one they saw earlier. "The initials must be Mum's name. It seems that some of his belongings were in Mum's care too."

Rose didn't respond. "Could you... give me the letter, Hugh."

Hugo handed the letter to her. She read it at her own.

"Don't bear a grudge at him, my dear. I know to you it sounds betrayal. I know that. But if you have known the story behind us, you'll know things about me and Draco. You will know the different side of us."

Rose folded the letter back to the envelope, unfinished, as she stared at Hugo. He just gave a nod. The siblings opened the first journal as they both read the story behind all of this.

It was the week of your grandmother's birthday and like the usual, I go to Bellington for two weeks vacation. The two of you were in Hogwarts and Ron was in Romania with Charlie. Rose was on third year and Hugo just had his first year at Hogwarts.

It was Monday when I arrived and you will all arrive here with your father at June 1st like the usual to spend the remaining two days here at your grandparent's home.

Starting from that day, June 25th, those seven days changed my life forever.

A/N: Hello, guys. I am a new author to the Harry Potter Fandom. This is the very first multi-chaptered story that I will write so... please bear with me with the wrong grammars and any errors you can see. Bellington is not a real place. Just a name of place that I had liked.