Disclaimer: Harry Potter, the subsequent characters, and universe belong to J. K. Rowling.

Summary: Ron suspects that Rose might be dating Scorpius Malfoy. He enlists the help of Teddy to figure out if he's right, but Teddy becomes quickly entangled in the situation. Rose/Scorpius Rose/Teddy.

Part 4:

The Party

This was exactly why Teddy Lupin was currently hiding under his sheets. He felt a hand shake his shoulder roughly. "Come on Ted. We're going to miss the party." He heard her enter his bathroom and start fussing about the sink.

He pulled the sheets from down over his head. "I don't feel well," he told Victoire in a pathetic sickly voice. He did his best to keep his skin looking pale and drawn.

Victoire left the bathroom and gave him a pointed look. She finished pushing a dangly silver earring through her ear before returning the bathroom. She left the door open, and Teddy watched her as she bent over the sink to apply some mascara to her eyelashes. "I know you better than that Ted Lupin," she shouted a little unnecessarily. "When you're actually sick you deny it until you are too incapacitated to resist being side-along-apparated to the doctor." She began applying a naturally colored lipstick. "So there must be another reason you don't want to go to the party." She rubbed her lips together and packed up her make up bag.

"Can't a guy not feel well without getting the third degree?" Teddy asked desperately.

"A guy certainly may, but you are not most guys." Victoire began to rummage in his closet until she found a shirt and pants that suited him. She tossed it onto the bed. "Be ready to leave in ten minutes.

"But Vicki," Teddy began to protest.

"We are not going to miss this party, even if I have to apparate you out of here in your boxers." Victoire told him alone in his bedroom to get ready.

Nine and half minutes later Teddy came out of his room looking sulky. Victoire ignored his pouty expression and gave him one of her dazzling smiles. "How do I look?"

"Gorgeous as always," Teddy acknowledged. She was extremely lovely with pale reddish blonde hair and a figure that muggle models would kill for. She leaned in and gave him a lingering kiss that made him want to stay in the flat for other reasons. "Victoire we could…"

However, Victoire was not about to have any of that. "Mind if we side-along? I hate apparating in heels."

Teddy let out a ruefull sigh and offered Victoire his arm. They arrived at the designated apparation point outside the burrow. They were one of the groups to arrive later. Most of the Weasley's were there including Victoire's parents. Teddy would rather avoid speaking to Mrs. Weasley, as it always ended up talking about setting a date for their wedding.

"I'll just go get some drinks, yeah?" He said slipping off of Victoire's arm. She narrowed here eyes suspiciously but allowed Teddy to sneak off and avoid an interrogation.

Teddy decided to catch Harry as soon as possible. Maybe, he could get away with giving his god father his best wishes and leave before anyone else noticed that he had arrived. He was a bit torn. He wanted to talk to Rose again, since she wouldn't answer any of his owls. On the other hand that's the absolute last thing he wanted to do.

"Harry," Teddy shouted catching the older man's attention. Harry smiled widely once he recognized the boy.

"I hardly recognize you," Harry told him as he made it through the crowd of family and friends. "You do look so much like your parents with the brown hair though." He was looking at Teddy a bit in awe which was kind of wierding him out.

"Well happy birthday, feeling bit old now that you're counting off your forties?" Teddy said knocking him in the side.

"To tell the truth I'm feeling a lot younger than when I was seventeen. I might be older, but life is easier." Harry looked around proudly at his friends and family celebrating in the fine weather. He leaned in to Teddy a bit and lowered his voice. "Hermione, though," he began with a look of terror crossing her face, "I can't imagine ever having another birthday for her. You know after we threw her a party in the spring she spent a week and a half trying to figure out how old she actually is including time turner use and time spent petrified. Turns out she's a good year older than Ron. Spent a week trying to convince her she wasn't getting old," Harry chuckled.

As Harry was reminiscing, something caught Teddy's eye. He saw just a glimpse of pale blonde hair. "Harry? Are…are the Malfoy's here?"

Harry glanced over in the direction Teddy's gaze was fixated on. However, the blonde had already disappeared into the crowd. "I doubt it. Though I did tell Al he could invite Scorpius. They're good friends at school, and he seems like a nice boy," Harry frowned slightly. "I just wish Albus would talk to me more. He seems so distant lately and he's off at all hours. I don't like my kids keeping secrets, but I think it's inevitable at his age."

"Yeah…sure it will work out," Teddy said distractedly and moved into the crowd of people. "I best get back to Victoire," he called over his shoulder.

"Sure," Harry called back to him.

Instead of heading back to Victoire, Teddy continued to search the crowd for a flash of pale blonde hair. Once again Teddy wasn't exactly sure what he was planning to do or why exactly he was looking for Malfoy in the crowd of people. He had no desire to talk to the boy, so he wasn't sure what he was thinking. Maybe it was in a misguided attempt to protect Rosie, though at this point she probably wanted to be protected from Teddy more than anything.

He didn't see Scorpius, but he did see Albus pulling Rose along through the crowd. She looked nervous, excited, and slightly sick. Teddy ducked down slightly, so they wouldn't notice him.

"You alright there Teddy?" Mrs. Thomas asked him. He was about eye level with her chest.

He blushed and bent the rest of the way to the ground. "Yeah, uh just dropped something." He mimed picking up and pocketing the object before making his excuses and following the direction Rose was headed.

The only place he could figure that they were sneaking off to would be the garden shed. He had left the crowd of the party and approached the shed quietly. He leaned against the building and cast a quick eves dropping spell. What good was it being an auror if you couldn't put your training to practical use.

"Rosie what's wrong?" he heard what he assumed to be Malfoy's voice.

"Nothing's wrong, why would you say that?" Rosie asked him. Even Teddy could tell that she was hiding something by the tone of her voice.

"Your letters have been different lately…more subdued…less like you," he tried to explain. "And then you don't seem that excited to see me."

"Oh that's not true, Scorpius. I've been waiting to see you since school let out. I just…I've been thinking about things."

"Rose, is there someone else?"

"No, of course not," Rose said laughing slightly. "I love you. There's no one else." There was a pause before Rose continued. "Something just happened a couple of weeks ago that…it just changed things in my life."

"You know you can tell me anything."

"I know, but it's…family related."

This explanation must have satisfied Malfoy, because he didn't pressure Rose to go on any further. Teddy wondered if they often avoided discussing their families given the whole history there.

"Well, since I've got you all to myself for the next few minutes…" He heard Malfoy say. Teddy quickly canceled the listening charm and flushed a deep red. He felt extremely uncomfortable and upset. Teddy leaned against the garden shed. What was he even doing out here. What was he thinking spying on Rose.

He had really mucked things up with Posey and he didn't know if he would be able to fix it. He had never fucked up so badly in his entire life. Would anyone notice if he and Rose never again spoke to each other? Maybe, but probably not. Maybe he should just leave Rose alone to get on with her life.

He glanced back at the party. He should go find Victoire before she started having to awkwardly explain his absence from the party. He would definitely be hearing about it later if he completely abandoned her.

Before he moved away from the shed, he noticed an unusually tall red head of hair moving closer to the edge of the crowd and the shed. Now, Teddy could have just left them to be discovered, but he had a feeling Rose would end up blaming him for that as well. He quickly entered the garden shed without knocking which turned out to be a bit of a mistake.

Teddy cast his eyes to the ground as Rose and Scorpius pulled apart. Rose straightened her white summer dress and lifted a strap that had fallen down back onto her freckled shoulder. Scorpius looked flustered and at a loss for what to do. He looked to Rose for some form of guidance.

Rose just looked terrified and held onto Malfoy's arm tightly. "Ron's…uh…headed this way." Teddy said in lieu of an explanation.

Malfoy paled substantially. But Rosie was good at thinking on her feet. She cast a quick disillusionment charm and tapped Malfoy on the head. She then grabbed his disappearing arm and led him to the still open door and gave him a slight push out. Teddy heard a whispeted, "Thanks mate," before Malfoy made his escape. Just what he needed, Malfoy thinking he was a good guy. He was going to need extra antacid potion tonight.

Rose turned back to Teddy and gave him a pointed look that told him he was definitely not forgiven. "How did you know we were in here?"

Before Teddy had to answer that awkward question Ron entered the shed dramatically. He shouted, "Aha!" and pointed at Teddy with Triumph.

"Daddy?" Rose questioned and Teddy turned around and raised his eyebrows at the now sheepish looking Ron.

"I found you," Ron finished lamely.

Rose placed her hands on her hips, the flush that had stained her face earlier had drained away. "Daddy, aren't we a little old to be playing hide and seek?"

"What are you two doing in the shed then?" he asked slightly confused. Teddy realized that Ron's confusion was about to make a quick shift to suspicion and eventually accusations, because that was just how Ron's mind worked concerning his little girl.

Before Ron could consider the situation too deeply, Teddy offered a plausible excuse. "Grandma Molly sent us in to look for a muggle croquet set. She thinks that there should be one in here, but it's so messy I don't know if Rosie and I will have any luck."

Ron tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I think I remember that sort of thing. Funny stick like contraption and a ball?"

"Exactly," Teddy said. Though, Ron could have been as easily describing cricket as croquet or some other muggle sport.

"It might actually be in the attic," Ron told them. "I'll go take a look while you two look around here."

The second Ron was out of site Rose made for the door, but now that Teddy finally had an opportunity to talk to Rose he wasn't going to let it slip through his grasp. He shut the door and stood in front of it preventing Rose from passing. He also cast a quick silencing spell, because he had a feeling this was likely to get a bit loud.

"Rosie I just want to talk to you," Teddy pleaded.

"That's nice for you Lupin, but I don't really care about what you want."

"Posey I didn't mean it."

"Right, like that's supposed to make me feel better about our little snog," Rose threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. She affected a dramatically fluttery girl voice "Oh thank Merlin, he didn't mean it, because then I'd really feel like shit." Her voice dropped back to her normal scathing tone for the last bit. "A guy taking me aside for a shag is so much better if he doesn't care," Rose said punching him in the shoulder. The force of the hit caused him to fall back into the shed's door.

"I didn't mean it like that Rosie of course I care."

"Merlin curse you Teddy. You took advantage of me."

"I know. I know I took advantage, but Merlin, can't you just calm down and be rational for two seconds!"

"No, I don't think I can. I'm sick of being the god damn level-headed Ravenclaw. I have every right to be pissed and I think I'd rather stay that way."

"Don't you even want to know why it happened."

"I'd be very surprised if you even knew why, Lupin." Rose crossed her arms and looked at him doubtfully.

It's true, Teddy still didn't know why he had done it. He'd been thinking about it the last couple of weeks which generally led to sexual frustration and guilt. "Maybe I like you a bit more than I should," he mumbled.

If steam could blow out of your ears when you were angry, Teddy was pretty sure Rose could power the Hogwarts express. "Don't you even start with that Lupin. The only reasons you think you like me are because you're scared shitless of your relationship with Victoire and feel damn guilty about coming on to me."

Teddy was more than slightly offended at her presumption, "Rosie you don't know…"

"You're right, I don't know. I don't know what you're thinking. Just like you don't know me well enough to really like me properly."

"I've always liked you Rosie…"

"You don't know and like me well enough to fuck up a relationship with someone you already love Teddy."

Two things stopped him from responding. It was the first time she had referred to him as Teddy, just Teddy, since everything happened and the truth of her statement. Of course, he knew her, but it was in the vague sort of way. He'd only spent time with her at family gatherings and heard only praise from everyone who knew her. She was smart, kind, pretty, bang up at quidditch, and he learned today swore like a sailor. Then again he didn't know her at all. She was apparently in love with a Malfoy and a damn good liar.

"That's what I thought," Rose said sadly. "Look, I'll probably forgive you eventually…just not in the next several years," she smiled tightly at him. "I'm going now." She shouldered past his motionless body and left the shed's door to swing shut repeatedly.