She was sipping on a cup of tea, warming up from the bristling cold weather outside Diagon Alley when Rose walked into Rosa Lui Teabag, the jingling sound of the doorbell alerting Aaliyah to her entrance.

Their eyes met, with tension but also with care. The past few weeks had been a confusing whirlwind, fraught with all that had happened at St Mungo's while Rose had been in quarantine.

Despite everything, Aaliyah had supported Rose through it all and as Rose made her way over to the table and sat down she couldn't resist reaching out and grabbing hold of Aaliyah's hand.

"Hey," Rose said simply, but her face conveyed so much more; I'm sorry, how are you, I'm so glad to see you.

"Hey," Aaliyah returned with a quick smile and a flick of her dreads. Today they were styled in a half-up half-down do that framed her brown face perfectly.

.

"How are you dealing with the freezing weather? I know you hate the cold," Rose smiled back.

"Better since I got an ear-warming beanie from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, they've really branched out these days, tell your family I love it."

Chuckling, Rose signalled to the waiter and quickly ordered a cup of hot cocoa.

She took off her mittens and coat, her palms were sweating with nervousness anyway.

She tried to hide the slight tremble in her hands and the way her heart was racing, looking at Aaliyah made her heart jump into her throat and she was almost shivering from the adrenaline coursing through her body.

.

"So Sam is completely recovered, I think he's decided to stay in England and... He knows about us. I told him that I'm still seeing you and that obviously, things are complicated."

Aaliyah's nodded but internally she was still waiting for the worst to be over.

She had been patient and supportive, but now she was done waiting.

She needed to know what was going to happen between them and so she quickly blurted out, "Just tell me who you've picked Rose, no matter who it is, I just need to know."

Rose took a deep breath and tried to form the words that she thought might sound crazy, but also might just actually work.

"I'm not breaking up with you. I'm not choosing him over you. Aaliyah, I couldn't bare to end things like this, even the way you've handled this whole situation with me and Sam the last few weeks shows me what a stellar human being you are. I don't want to lose that in my life."

.

Aaliyah's face broke into a grin and she looked down shyly.

"But I can't lose Sam again either. The time we spent in St Mungo's changed me. I realised that I spent so many years hurting him and ruining us and I finally feel like this is our chance to make things right. I want to be with both of you, if you'd be willing to give it a go.

Aaliyah's face twisted from happiness to confusion, "You want to be with both of us?"

"Yes! It's 2030, loads of people are in open relationships. Time's are changing, wizards and witches aren't marrying young anymore and on principle I don't think there's anything wrong with dating more than one person as long as it's all been discussed and we all agree. We never even had a talk that we were exclusive-"

.

"Yeah," Aaliyah cut in, "Because we'd only been dating three months before you got locked up in that quarantine ward."

Rose's eyes welled up, nothing was going to plan.

Desperately she racked her brain for another way to explain, "Please, I know this seems strange but I'm trying to work this out in my head too. But it goes both ways. I get to date other people and so do you. It doesn't mean that I love you any less, it just means that I am in love with more than one person. Can't you understand that?"

Aaliyah dropped her head into her hands as a tumultuous mix of emotions raged inside her.

She had been prepared to lose Rose, she had been prepared to stay with Rose, but she had not expected this kind of proposition from the plain, nerdy redhead she'd bumped into in the halls of St Mungo's.

Aaliyah was angry, but she was also relieved that things weren't over…

Or maybe they were?

Could she really make an open relationship work?

.

"Rose, I need time to think okay? "

Rose's heart slowed down a little. At least she hadn't outright rejected the idea.

"Take as much time as you need, you let me have that when I was dealing with Sam, and I will support whatever decision you make."

Aaliyah went straight from the cafe to the library, to address this issue the only way she knew how - by studying.

The London Library had thousands of books, from tomes on ancient potions development to modern political literature about the state of the Magical world.

Of course, Rose's parents, friends and family family featured heavily in many of the books written after the war - from biographies to historical records.

But where to look when researching a topic like human relationships, marriage, polyamory?

It wasn't a topic Aaliyah felt comfortable asking the librarian about, who was a wizened old witch who looked like she hadn't left the library in decades…

.

As she wandered through the aisles, boot heels knocking along the black and white tiled floor, she took in a deep inhalation.

Is there anything quite like the smell of books?

It calmed Aaliyah and filled her with a sense of nostalgia, for all those late nights and weekends during Healer training she'd spent here, desperately cramming for tests.

The London Library was stacked floor to ceiling with books, covering every topic imaginable.

Surely amongst these towering wooden shelves she could find something about romance?

Taking another deep breath Aaliyah pulled off her gloves, heating up from the warmth of the library, leaving the last of the chilly winter weather behind her and settling in for a long day of research.

Dear Cherry,

It's your revived-from-a Magical-coma-and-moved-back-to-Britain, long-lost best friend Jack (fruit) here. I've decided to finally reveal to you the code of our nicknames: hair-fruit colour coordination.

I know you needed some time to talk to Aaliyah about what's happened and I totally get that you might not want to see me, but can we please talk? I know everything might not be sorted out yet but I miss you, even just a game of chess would be more than amazing.

Also, in case you're interested to know, I'm applying for a job as a magizoologist at a remote care centre in Northern Wales. I'm pretty excited about it.

Write back soon,

Jack

.

Sam signed off with the name he and Rose used back when they used to write in their old Protean-charmed diaries and enclosed the letter in a brown parchment envelope, sealing it with a simple 'S' stamp and some dripping wax.

He paused before he attached it to his parent's owl, heart beating loudly in his chest as his hands hesitated.

What if none of this worked out? What if he was just involving himself in something totally mad?

.

Then he saw Rose in his mind's eye, like she had always been.

Everywhere he looked, everything he did, she was right there, at the forefront of everything.

Rose honestly took the term 'seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses' to a whole new level.

He tied up the letter and opened the window to let out the tawny owl, and a moment later the letter was soaring out onto the breeze, carried by the power of fluffy brown wings and desperate love.