Scorpius was exhausted.
Actually exhausted didn't even begin to cover what he was. He was functioning off of shear force of will alone.
A recent new strain of spattergroit was making its way through the wizarding population and it was highly contagious and unprecedented in its potency. The Minster declared a full on epidemic two weeks prior and St. Mungo's had been working nonstop since then treating patients and working on an inoculation. Even Scorpius, who typically worked in Creature Induced Injuries, was taken off his normal rotation and was thrown into the fray. It had been hell.
He groaned as he heaved himself up the stairs. What had he been thinking living on the top floor of his building? Though it hadn't been a problem really until a few months ago, but once Rose had moved in he had tried to be more considerate about apperateing all hours of the night. Especially since he could never predict what she would be up to when he arrived. And he had learned his lesson about startling her.
Rose. His heart clenched at the thought of her. He had barely seen her the past few weeks, even though they lived together now. In fact, now that he thought about it, he wasn't sure when was the last time he had been home. Monday. It had been Monday. He remembered because he had brought an inoculation potion home for Rose, who (as a non-essential staff) had been barred from St Mungo's at the beginning of the crisis. He had known she would be anxious about leaving her greenhouse that long, especially now that all her plants had stabilized. He'd brought her the potion so she could at least be allowed to go to her greenhouse. So Monday. That was the last time he had been home. And it was late Saturday now. Which means not only had he missed their date night for the third week in a row, but he hadn't had a decent shower since then either. He was definitely in no state to see Rose. Not that she really would mind. He was just disgusting. There was no way he was going to make her endure kissing him until he had a shower.
Arriving at his door at last, Scorpius fumbled for his key. Everything around him seemed to be moving too fast for him to keep up and he struggled to get his key into the lock. After a fruitless minute, he sighed and stuffed the key back into his pocket. He went for his wand instead, but halfway to reaching for it he lost energy and slumped against the door. Scorpius had been living off of energy potions and cleaning spells for the last few days. And his body was finally feeling it. He sighed. If it hadn't been for Llewelyn noticing he hadn't changed his robes in a few days, he's probably still be at the hospital. But he had and sent Scorpius home with strict instructions not to return for at least 48 hours. Thankfully though, the influx of patients had begun to wain and Scorpius didn't feel too guilty about going home.
Though he was going to feel guilty if he kept Rose waiting on him much longer. She had been understanding, but he knew these last few weeks had been taxing. Once he was clean and had slept he was going to make it up to her. Of course to do that, he would first need to get inside the apartment. So wearily, begrudgingly, he checked the hall for any of his neighbors and then slipped his wand out of his coat pocket, muttered "Alohamora" under his breath and slipped into his apartment as quietly as he could, not knowing if Rose was up or not.
A quick glance revealed her small, sleeping frame on the couch. With mussed, red curls, a streak of dirt on her chin, and an open book laying across her chest, she was wholly and completely Rose. And she was breathtaking. The sight of her made Scorpius feel more awake than he had in days and brightened his mood. He wanted to hold her sweet face in his hands and wipe away that smudge of dirt and kiss her freckles, but in the state he was in he'd probably just get her more dirty. So instead he made do with drinking her in from afar before he made his way to the shower.
How had he gotten so lucky to have this amazing woman in his life? Scorpius was still overwhelmed at the complete change his life had taken these last few years. Especially now that he had Rose in his life again. He'd been in a reflective mood lately for a lot of reasons, but the main reason was a little black box that had been sitting in his pocket for nearly a month now. He'd bought it right before the epidemic and had to keep postponing the date for work. He was going to have to replan the proposal all over again, but Scorpius didn't mind. Rose was worth it.
Scorpius pulled the box out and examined the ring. It was just a simple band, nothing fancy. "You had better be right, my friend." Scorpius whispered to himself as he marveled at the ring His thoughts went back to a young boy who completely changed his life.
Samir had been different from the moment Scorpius had met him. Usually he had tried to avoid working with his patients as much as he possibly could. But Samir had been different. Scorpius found himself drawn to the sixteen year old. He'd come in with a terrible werewolf bite and severe blood loss. The protocol for treating werewolf bites in the middle of the warzone was to heal the wound, replenish the blood, and release them. There were no resources for Wolfsbane where they were and werewolves were a danger to the secrecy of the wizarding community, so they were actively hunted by many of the factions. There was nothing they as the healers could do about it. Most of them tried to draw out the time it took to heal the wound to give the victims time to say goodbye to their loved ones, but even then it only bought them a little time. A werewolf bite was a death sentence.
But in spite of knowing this, Samir was just so optimistic and happy. It was infectious. Scorpius found himself spending as much of his time with the child as possible. Samir was with them for only a week, but in that time, Scorpius felt as if they had become almost friends. The boy would tease him about his grouchiness and Scorpius would show him gruesome things from some of his medical books just to make the boy laugh. He found himself opening up to someone for the first time in his life.
The last night Samir was with them though, things were different. Samir was more quiet, pensive. He knew was getting released the next day and that his time was drawing short.
"Why are you so sad, Healer Malfoy?" he'd asked out of the blue.
Scorpius hadn't intended on sharing any information about his life with anyone out here. It would defeat the purpose of running away. But the week with Samir had softened his heart a little and that night he found himself spilling his whole life story to him, up until the embarrassing moment with Penny and Beau.
"...and then we walked in on them. Like together , together. I couldn't believe it. I had given her everything she could have ever asked for. Clothes, money, the world's biggest engagement ring, and she just threw it all back in my face."
"Well there's your problem there, Healer Malfoy," Samir spoke in a kind voice, "You chose the wrong girl and gave her the wrong things. The right girl won't care what the ring looks like. She'll just want you and your love."
Scorpius was stung by this. He rolled his eyes at this and scoffed. "Oh well, excuse me, but I think I'll pass on taking life advice from teenagers who are stupid enough to get themselves bit by a werewolf."
For the first time since he'd met him, anger flashed across Samir's face. "Is that what you think happened?" the boy shouted. "You think that you are so much better and smarter than me, but you are not! You know nothing. You are vain and selfish and...a coward!" Samir threw the blankets from the bed he was laying in and fled before Scorpius could even think to catch him.
When Scorpius did finally find him, Samir was standing outside, staring up at the crescent moon in the sky. Samir was breathing hard but an eerie calm had overtaken his visage. He didn't turn when Scorpius came to stand beside him. "My father made some very important people mad," Samir spoke in a soft voice. "They had a werewolf they'd kept alive to use as punishment. It was supposed to bite my sister. It was in her room, but she...she's just a little girl. Ten years old. I couldn't let it take her. I couldn't let this be her fate. She's the kind of child that has no fear, who makes every strange her friend and every stray her pet. Talia doesn't love with her whole heart, she loves with her entire soul. She's...she's all that is good in this life. I love her more than my own life. I could bear to have that much good ripped from this world. So...I jumped in front of it... I let it bite me instead."
There were no words. Scorpius walked away, ashamed for himself and unable to make things right. He couldn't stand himself. He had to get away. From himself, from this place, and from this boy...no, man, who had lived and loved more in his short life than Scorpius could ever hope to.
Scorpius did not sleep that night. He wandered as far from the camp as he could, hoping against hope that he could run away from all that he could no longer hide from. But when the first rays of morning peaked over the horizon, and Scorpius's problems still weighed heavily on him, he faced the truth he tried to run from for so long... He was a creature of his own making. He had no one to blame for the empty hollowness of his life but himself. He had wronged so many people in so many ways and now he had to taste the bitter fruits of the seeds he had sown.
Squaring himself to the task, Scorpius made his way back to the camp. He may be a monster of his own creation, but this was not the end of his story. There had to be some way to right his wrongs, wasn't there? Some way to atone? Scorpius was unsure if he could even begin to deserve a second chance after he had squandered his life, but he could try. And he could start with his young friend; find some way to save such a pure soul from his terrible fate. For Merlin's sake, he was the heir of the Malfoy family fortune. That money had to be good for something. He would find a way to save Samir.
Scorpius raced as fast as his legs could bear him. New purpose thrummed in his veins. He would save Samir. But when he finally arrived at the tent that had housed Samir, he found it empty, with fresh bedding. A weight settled in Scorpius's stomach. He could not be too late, he couldn't be...but there on the fresh linens was a note...
My friend,
I am sorry for the words I spoke in anger. You are not a coward. You are just lost. Know that I accept my fate and walk to my destiny with my head high, proud that I can save those I love most. I hope that one day you find yourself and happiness.
Samir
Something broke in Scorpius at the sight of those words. He could not be too late. He just couldn't be. In his pride, he refused to accept that he could not change this. Every morning until the next full moon, Scorpius woke before the sun and spent hours searching for Samir. Every night after his shift he searched until he dropped. He was a man possessed with a frenzied determination. He barely slept and almost never ate. The waxing moon haunted him every night. The night after the full moon, Scorpius finally found Samir. He had been hiding in a small cave, nearly undetected but hunters had found him before Scorpius could. He brought the boy's remains back to his family to be properly buried. Leaving that small bundle that had once been Samir behind with his so very obviously despondent family shattered Scorpius. For the first time in many, many, years, he wept.
Scorpius threw himself into his work after that. Slowly over time, Scorpius's fractured soul began to heal. And he began to see all the goodness and light around him, like he had before his mum died. Maybe he needed to be completely broken so that he could be remade into something, someone better. He found light again, but also heartache. He could laugh and cry again. He saw selfless love all around him. It was a marvel to be able to feel . Scorpius found true joy from his work for the first time. And never again did he let a werewolf bite victim walk away without helping them somehow. He finally put his fortune to good use. Many he was able to get asylum in other countries. Others accepted death bravely, but Scorpius was able to give their loved ones peace and safety. And Talia and her family, he was able to get them refuge in France, though they were loathe to leave Samir.
But all to soon, his time was over with the International Medi Wizard Alliance. He had to return home. He tried his hardest to stay, but as a relatively young healer he had no choice but to return for further training and education. Upon returning to Britain, Scorpius had been required to see a counselor to clear him for work, but Scorpius kept going back after the first visit. He slowly worked to unravel the years of depression and found each new day a little better than the last.
Part of his growth though, was admitting his wrongs and atoning for them. This was the hardest for him. Many people laughed in his face, or threw back his apologies with bitter words and resentment. Penny tried to get back together with him. But a surprising number of people gave him second chances. He never took those precious second chances for granted. Soon he wasn't alone anymore. He had friends and coworkers that he enjoyed the company of. He lived for his work, helping others. For years he was content with his life. He wasn't very close with anyone, but he lonely anymore.
Until the class reunion.
Scorpius smiled and put the ring down on the counter as he dragged himself into the bathroom. The reunion had changed everything. He would've been content to live his life apart from everyone else, forever giving penance for his past if it hadn't been for that reunion and Rose. She'd brought true happiness into his life. She showed him that he didn't have to keep atoning, that he deserved to enjoy life and live it to its fullest. And he was finally going to ask her to marry him. Of course she definitely was not going to agree to marry him if smelled like sweat and hospital. Scorpius struggled out of his clothes and finally climbed into the shower, his thoughts full of the woman who had changed his life so completely and the night that they had met again.
Reunions were things Scorpius tended to avoid. Too many people from the past who didn't care to see him anymore. He hadn't intended on going at all, but after seeing Alice Potter for the first time in years and her bringing up Rose's return, he knew he had to go.
Rose.
If there was anyone he had wronged as a youth, it was her. He hadn't been just rude to her, he had been downright cruel. And then he had had the audacity to try and kiss her without her consent the last time he had seen her. It made him sick to think of it now. His actions were so dispicable to himself now that he wanted to hide for the rest of eternity. But she deserved an apology, so he was going to make sure she got one.
Which is how he found himself outside the Leaky Cauldron, trying to talk himself into going inside. He arrived late on purpose in the hope that no one else would see him. All he had to do was go in, find her, and apologize. In and out. That's all it had to be. He didn't have to talk to anyone else and he could go. Simple.
In all went to pot the second he walked in the door. She was there, in the middle of the dance floor, slow music was playing, and a spotlight seemed to be shining on just her. It was like something out of a movie. And Godric, was she beautiful. She had always been beautiful. Even when he had cruelly teased her the first time they had met she had been beautiful, but now, she was so much more. Gone was all the gangliness and uncertainty of the teenager she had been, replaced with a woman that radiated confidence and poise. Her tall, lithe frame was accentuated perfectly by a stunning black dress that hugged her in all the right places. Her hair was still the brilliant copper red it had always been, but now it hung past her waist in iridescent waves. More of her skin was showing than Scorpius had ever seen before, and it seemed to glow under the lights. A lump formed in Scorpius's throat and he swallowed thickly. He could just picture himself kissing the soft, supple skin of her shou…
Scorpius shook himself. Where had that thought come from? Get it together , he thought to himself. You're here to apologize, not maul her . She deserves more that this. Scorpius steeled himself, and took a step forward. But then he heard it...her laugh.
Rose's laugh had always been his favorite. Even in the depths of his self-loathing and self-pity in school, he had always loved her laugh and it never failed to brighten his days. She was the kind of person who could never hide her emotions; she expressed them with her entire self. Her laugh was no exception. It was a completely unfeminine, deep belly laugh. And it was infectious. Scorpius had always wished he could laugh so recklessly unrestrained like that. Seeing her now, in the arms of some past classmate he vaguely remembered, laughing that laugh with her head thrown back…
Scorpius couldn't do it. He couldn't talk to her, let alone apologize. He had to leave. Now. Flee to the furthest corner of the world and hide from what he had done to her. And the simple fact that she would never, ever laugh that laugh for him.
Before he could even turn to leave though, Alice Potter pounced.
"Scorpius!" she gushed, "I so glad you made it! I was wondering if you were even going to come, it's so late! But come, come! Let's get you a drink!"
Scorpius had no choice but to let her drag him over to the bar where he ordered a firewhiskey, neat. He'd need all the liquid courage he could bear tonight.
"You remember Albus, my husband!" said Alice.
"Uh, yeah.." said Scorpius. Unsure of what to do, Scorpius stuck out his hand rather uncertainty. Albus coldly eyed Scorpius and only shook his hand after Alice less than subtly nudged him. An awkward silence fell.
"You have the sweetest baby," said Scorpius unable to bear the tense silence "I had the privilege of giving her some inoculations when I was covering for another Healer. I don't think I've seen a cuter baby."
Scorpius had obviously said something right, because Albus's face changed completely. "You know," Albus said rather slyly, "people say that she takes after her father."
This comment garnered an eye roll from Alice who shot back, "By some people, he means himself. Obviously." They all laughed at this. For a few minutes conversation flowed easily between the trio. Scorpius said a silent thank you to whatever fates had put Alice Potter in his path that day. She was a good person to have in your corner.
Of course Scorpius immediately regretted that thought a second later when she was dragging Rose over. Alice hastily made introductions that somehow he didn't mangle and then abandoned him. Up close, Rose was even more stunning. Her face had lost all traces of childhood and before him was truly a woman. Her honey brown eyes sparkled in the lights of the bar and he could see her deep intelligence in them. Fully intimidated, Scorpius's mouth went dry and he felt his hands shake. What had he been thinking? Unable to say the things that weighed so heavily on his heart, uncomfortable silence overtook them.
Tell her, tell her, come on Scorp…
"So how have you been?" Rose asked after the silence became unbearable.
"Uh...pretty good...how was South America?" Scorpius asked, inwardly cursing himself. You coward.
They chatted for a few minutes about Rose's adventures. Before, when he had seen her on the dance floor, she was stunning, but now, she was radiant. She came alive describing every detail of the flora of the Amazon and Scorpius could see how truly she loved every moment abroad. After a bit, Rose seem the realize where she was and who she was talking to and tapered off. Knowing it was now or never, Scorpius took a deep breath.
"Rose, look, I was a real arse in school. There's no ex-" he was cut off by his wand buzzing. Befuddled, Scorpius withdrew his now glowing wand from his pocket. He was getting called in?! He wasn't even on duty tonight! The odds of this happening was so beyond unlikely that Scorpius took it as a sign that he wouldn't ever be able to make amends with Rose.
"Shit," he sighed. "It looks like I'm getting called in. I guess we'll had to continue this again some other time. It was good to see you again," Scorpius gripped her arm, hoping to convey something of what he had been trying to say, and then turned to leave. "I'm really glad you're back Rose," he said, in a whisper. And then he walked away, accepting that the fates just weren't going to allow him to move on.
Scorpius was roused from his thoughts by a stream of freezing water. He'd been so lost in thought and so exhausted that he hadn't realized he was still in the shower. Quickly, he shut off the water and hopped out of the shower. As he was toweling off he considered all that had happened since that fateful reunion.
He had left that night feeling utterly defeated and sure he would never cross paths with Rose again. What he hadn't expected was to see her the next workday. Her willing acceptance of his apology was even more unexpected and her desire to become friends completely dumbfounded him. Before Rose, he had friends, but he always kept them at a distance, believing himself unworthy of close friends. But Rose changed that. Something about her had always gotten under his skin and once they were friends, he was completely incapable of keeping away from her.
It took a month before he realized he was done for. He had fallen for her completely. Just talking to her brightened his day. He spent as much time with her as he possibly could. He loved watching her with her plants and seeing how much joy they brought her. Scorpius knew though, that friends were all they could be. She could never love him, not after who he had been. And Scorpius was content with that. Even when she dated that dolt, Scamander, he was happy just to be in her life.
And then she kissed him. That kiss was like a door opening. It unlocked that part of him that he had hidden deep within himself as a penance, that part of him that loved and desired. He allowed him to believe himself worthy of love for the very first time. It also made him very, very stupid. Stupid enough to walk out on an incredibly important conference, stupid enough to sneak up on Rose in her greenhouse, and stupid enough to get his nose broken in the process. That second kiss though, made it all worth it though.
From that day forward, their relationship could be defined in a series of moments in greenhouses. Their first date had been to the Temperate House at the Royal Botanic Gardens, their first argument had been in her greenhouse at work, their first time had been in her greenhouse at her old apartment…
Scorpius flushed thinking about that night. It had been completely unplanned, and in hindsight, not the most romantic setting but the bedroom had seemed too far away. Throughout their relationship, Scorpius had made it his mission to take Rose to as many gardens and greenhouses around the world that he could manage. Being a wizard made it much easier to whisk her away to whatever country he wanted. He loved being able to surprise her with some new garden she had never heard of. He had been planning on taking her to an incredible greenhouse in Singapore to propose, and he still was going to right after he found some clothes and took a nap.
Scorpius shuffled wearily to his room and pulled on the first pair of sweats he could find. He made his way back to the living room, meaning to carry Rose to bed with him, only to find her missing from the couch. Frowning, Scorpius looked around. He had tried so hard not to wake her too. Not finding her in the apartment, Scorpius climb out the window that led to the outside patio.
Scorpius had no shame admitting his patio, not him, was the reason Rose had agreed to move in with him. There was no debate when they were deciding whose apartment to move into. The next day Rose sent all her things over and proceeded to ignore all her boxes of clothes and books for weeks as she worked to tirelessly make his previously unused patio into the greenhouse of her dreams.
It was completely unrecognizable now. Rose had enclosed the space and filled it with the wildest assortment of plants, magic and non-magic alike. There were Snarfalumps, peonies, lilies, snapdragons, Fanged Geraniums, and a dozen other things Scorpius couldn't name. There were daisies right next to a Venomus Tentactula, Flitterblooms were scattered among the vegetables, and every herb know to man took up the entire west wall. The greenhouse was literally overflowing with plants. Everywhere you looked there was another plant. In the back there was even a large sprig of Devil's Snare that had nearly strangled Scorpius when he got too close to it one day, but only crooned in the presence of Rose. But mostly, there were roses. Climbing up trellises, peeking out from the under the Rhododendron, and nestled among Rose's plants from the Amazon. Scorpius had thought that Rose would have an aversion to them since they were her namesake, but she adored them. She never ceased to surprise him.
During the daylight, the garden was breathtaking, but bathed in the moonlight, it was truly a wonder. Scorpius took it all in as he leaned against the entryway, searching for Rose with his gaze. He learned the hard way not to approach her in a greenhouse, even if she could see him. She just got far to absorbed in her plants to notice what was going on around her. Not that he could walk to her if he had tried tonight. Once he stopped, Scorpius found he could no longer find the energy to move.
He finally spotted her in the back near the Devil's Snare, bent over some roses. She was a sight to behold. There wasn't a trace of make-up on her face, her hair was wild from sleep, and she still had dirt on her cheek, but she was utterly magnificent. The queen of her domain. This was his Rose. And Scorpius never took it for granted that she let him see this part of her. Natural. Real. This was the Rose who allowed him to finally forgive himself, who helped him to believe himself worthy of love.
"What's that look for?" Rose's voice called from across the greenhouse.
"Huh?" Scorpius asked wearily.
"You're giving me that look again. Like I did something right." Rose had stood and was tugging gloves off her hands. She smiled as she made her way over to him.
"It's nothing," Scorpius smiled back at her. "I'm just glad to see you again."
Rose stowed her gloves and then wrapped her arms around Scorpius. She pressed her lips to his and and they shared a bone melting kiss. They broke off after a moment and Rose nestled herself closer to Scorpius.
"I missed you." she said softly, tucking her head under his chin. It was her favorite place to be.
"I missed you too. I'm sorry about how crazy things have been." Scorpius said as he held her tighter to him. " And missing our date. Again...I'd really been looking forward to it." That was an understatement. He'd hoped they'd be engaged by now.
"Scor, you know it wasn't your fault. You don't need to apologize. There hasn't been a strain like this in a century. You can't control that. And I know you, I know you wouldn't work like that if you didn't have any other choice."
Scorpius sighed, still having a hard time letting go of his guilt. "Yeah...well I could've tried coming home more...anyway, it doesn't matter now. Llywelyn sent me home and instructed me not to come back for at least 48 hours, so you hav-"
"One week" Rose interrupted.
"What?!" asked Scorpius.
"One week," Rose replied, "Llywelyn found out how long you haven't been home and sent an owl. I've been given strict instructions not to allow you anywhere near St. Mungo's for the next week. Week and a half if i can manage it. And he gave me the next week off too!"
"Wha...but what about your plants?" Scorpius's brain was having a hard time following what was going on.
"That's why I have interns Scor. It'll be fine."
"Really?"
"Really. Now please stop worrying about it. I want to enjoy these few days with you. I'm going to go wash up. I expect you to be in bed when I get done. I have plans for you, so you'd better rest now," Rose said with a laugh and a wink. She kissed him on the cheek and then slipped inside.
He'd meant to follow her, he really had. But once her warmth left him, the exhaustion returned. Scorpius couldn't move a muscle. Either Rose was going to have to levitate him to bed or he was going to sleep right here because there was no way he was moving.
"Scor?" Rose's voice called to him through a haze.
"I'mmmm coming Roseee," he said, slurring his words in his exhaustion. He blinked but his eyes refused to open.
Rose was shaking him awake the next minute. "Scor?" He opened his eyes. "What's this?" Rose showed him a little black box.
Scorpius blinked. And blinked again. It took him almost a full minute to process what was going on. Then a jolt of adrenaline course through his body as he realized what she was holding...in his exhaustion, he'd just left the ring sitting there on the bathroom counter.
"Shhit!" He jumped up, fully awake now. "I didn't realize...it's not a big deal...Rose, I, uhh…" unable to explain the situation away, he told her the truth. "I was going to propose. Right before...everything happened. I didn't know what to do and I, uhh, didn't want to let the ring out of my sight in case you found it and guess you did. I'm so so sorry Rose. This isn't how I planned this at all. I was going to take you to this really beautiful garden and I had this speech...and I'm sorry." he finished lamely. He bowed his head in shame. While the logical part of him knew Rose really wouldn't mind about any of that, part of him still felt ashamed that he couldn't give her the proposal she deserved.
He was therefore, completely unprepared for her to throw her arms around him and squeal "YES!"
"What?!"
"Yes, I'll marry you, you wanker! What did you think I'd say?"
Scorpius pulled out of Rose's embrace to look her full in the face. "But I haven't even asked you!"
"So?"
"And I didn't give my speech or get down on one knee!"
"Again, so? I can imagine all of that!"
"You didn't even look at the ring!"
Rose shook her head and laughed. Her beautiful, ridiculous belly laugh. "Scor, you know me. None of that even matters. I have you and you have me and that's all that matters. You could've proposed without a ring and I would've said yes."
"Really?"
"Really Scor. Though I do hope you didn't spend too much money on this. You know I work with dirt all day, right?"
Scorpius laughed. "Open it," he said.
Rose opened the box, looked up at the ring, and then smiled up at him, her eyes glistening. "It's perfect," she said, her voice thick with emotion. She slipped her arms back around his neck and they were lost for a few minutes in a kiss.
Later, when they were snuggled in bed, Rose's head on his chest and her new ring glinting on her finger, Scorpius realized Samir had been right. He had found the right girl, and nothing else mattered except being with her.