EPILOGUE
Most other student's had gone home yesterday, leaving just the seventh years and a selected amount of their siblings behind. Exams were finished with months ago and the results were in. People were nervous, excited and planning for their futures. Breakfast was quiet with so little of a student population, that some students had taken to sitting on the one table in the centre of the Great Hall.
The Graduation Ball would be held tonight instead of the usual dinner feast and the attending parent's would be allowed to aparate in after noon.
The school otherwise felt empty.
"Hey Rosie," Her father cheered, walking up from the Quidditch pitch, her mother in tow. "Excited?" He pulled her into a great big bear hug, and in his warmth she let him hold them there for a while. Smelling of grass.
"Hey let me at her, she's my daughter too you know!" Her mother scooped her arms in from under her husbands and gave her, her own tight squeezing hug. "Is Hugo with you?"
"He's in the library, something about quidditch theory, I don't know." Rose gestured clumsily to the bulk of the Hogwarts Castle.
"How you doing anyway?" Her father smiled.
"Yeah okay," she lied.
She lead them into the building, knowing perfectly well that they more than knew their way around. Before long she left them to go get ready with her friends, leaving her parent's to meet up with the Potters.
"'Moine, did you or did you not spend a great deal of time convincing me to let the Malfoy kid be? You said that he was good for her and that he wouldn't hurt her. What exactly would you say to that looking at the girl you just saw back there?" Ron exclaimed, a bit dramatically.
"Ronald!" Hermione warned.
"Don't you Ronald me! She looks miserable!" He stated crossing his arms haughtily.
"I know," his wife sighed. "It's not his fault though. Funny thing is I think Scorpius thinks he's protecting her. He doesn't seem to be doing any better though."
"And how would you know?" Ron asked accusingly.
She pointed over his shoulder, past his view, at the Malfoy's, taking their son into their arms. Whereas his parents were happy and rejoicing over the occassion, Scorpius himself looked as if it were any other day.
"Oh. Right." Ron said, frowning at the sight.
Rose's hair had grown a little since the start of the year. It was now long enough that in her dorm room, with the help of her ever trusty gal pals Alexandria and Daphne, she managed to pin her hair up elegantly at the back.
"Oh Merlin, I'm so nervous I could be sick!" Daphne cried, clinging to her hips and the soft blue satin that sat there. "Do I look okay? Please tell me I look okay!" Daphne cried, beginning to sound frantic.
"You look beautiful," Rose reassured her, slipping the spaghetti strap that had fallen from Daphne's shoulder back into place.
"How you managed to pass your classes is beyond me though!" Alexandria teased, reapplying lip gloss on her lips over and over again.
Daphne threw a pillow at her in response.
"Help me will ya?" Rose bent into their direction, allowing either of them to zip her up. Her soft rose pink dress zipped at the back with ease and after a moment of self collection all three girls dared to examine themselves in the mirror.
Alexandria had chosen a crimson red dress for the Ball, thick straps that led down into a heart-shaped neckline, curving in all the right places before finishing just at the knee.
Daphne went for a blue gown, flowing all the way to her ankles, the blue looking more sapphire like than anything.
Rose however picked a dress that came over the knee, seeming simple in design. It reminded her of a sundress more than a ball gown (even though the material was to die for!) and a distant memory of a boy who loved her and loved her in them.
They gathered themselves, accessories and all before looking back at their room, their packed trunks sitting aloof about the place. The ascended from the dungeon's and went off to find their respective families, promising to meet up with each other before they left for good.
"You look gorgeous Rosie!" Her parent's cooed. Hugo just smiled supportively.
"Now on to the dancing!" cried Headmistress Mcgonagall after finishing up with the last of the presentation. The band began with an uproar of noise, causing Mcgonagall to cover her ears protectively, as she shuffled back to the teachers table.
"Congratulations son you've done it!" His father clapped him on the back, Merlin Scorpius hated that. "And in better form than I ever could have. I'm proud of you son."
Scorpius hugged his father instantly, he couldn't tell why but it seemed important to him to do sdo. He had never particularly sought out his father's approval but felt suddenly relieved to hear his father say that he was.
"My darling boy, you've done us both proud!" His mother cried, tears actually slipping down her face.
The room had been cleared of it's usual four long table set up and instead had circular ones distributed about the room. There was a square glowing space set up for dancing in the centre of the hall as well as a platform transfigured in the corner for the band to play. Six Blonde Pixies.
The Malfoys had seated themselves alongside the Notts and the Flints, being close family friends and as a result Scorpius could almost feel Alexandria bore a hole in his head with her stares. He making sure to keep his body turned away from her in return.
"It's not too late, to win back her heart Scorpius!" His mother whispered in his ear suddenly and instantly his eyes darted to her, as if his body would always know where Rose would be.
She wore a pink sundress, of course she had. There would be no mercy for him tonight.
"It's not that simple mother!" He whispered harshly back.
"My darling, love is as simple as you make it." Astoria replied.
"She's right son," His father interjected out of nowhere. "I know I've told you to steer clear of her family before, but running from this makes you just as cowardly as I have been in the past."
He watched his father let his own words sink in, the confession hitting closer home than he was sure his father had intended.
"I'm not afraid father, I'm just…"
"Scorpius!" His mother warned.
Rose was dancing with her father, feeling like a little girl all over again. Her heart ached with nostalgia as she knew that after she left here tonight she could never make excuses to play the little girl ever again. She would miss this place strangely, even though she didn't feel like she ever would before.
"May I cut in?" Scorpius!
"Be my guest!" Her father relinquished her to him, trying terribly to hide a knowing smile.
"May I have this dance?" Scorpius asked, visibly cringing from how corny he sounded, she was sure.
"I guess." She whispered reluctantly, "Actually, I'm a little surprised my father gave me up so easily." Rose looked back to her father, who was smoothly asking his wife to dance next.
Scorpius took her into his arms, one hand in hers and the other just above the small of her back. "Actually, last Christmas your father told me that any given time he could turn me into ashes, so I wouldn't feel that abandoned just yet." Scorpius joked, leaving a serious look on his face.
They slowly danced for a moment. Getting used to each other once more. She could smell him as perfectly as the day they had come back from holidays, the thought of everything in between then and now smacked her in the face and made her stomach roll. She wouldn't cry in front of him. She could not.
"Rose-"
"So, next year I've decided to work with my Uncle George." She interrupted awkwardly, worried about what he would say next if she didn't. "Yup! He's going to show me the ropes of business. I kinda hope to open my own Apothecary one day."
"That's fantastic Rose!" He cried, genuinely happy for her. "You'll do great I'm sure!"
"You got that position in my mother's department, I heard." She continued, enthusiasm waning. He was right in breaking up with her, they would be going in different directions next year. Of course he wouldn't want her in his life, he'd want to move on from his 'high-school girlfriend', maybe get a nice girlfriend in the Ministry, someone really smart. Smarter than her. She would just distract him, hinder his career.
"Yeah, yeah I am." Scorpius sighed, "Your mother gave me a wonderful recommendation. Merlin knows why." He laughed, the soft kind of chuckle that rolled out of his mouth.
Scorpius caught her again. In those mesmerising mercurial eyes and she felt her own well up in response. She couldn't stand that look from him. She didn't want to. It hurt her to melt for him the way she could. She felt a flush of warmth all over.
They'd stopped moving, when did that happen?
He closed his eyes leaning in to kiss her, letting out a little moan against her mouth in the splendor of her touch.
"Rose," he whispered against her mouth. "Rose!" He sounded as if he were pleading.
"Scorpius no! What about everything you said?" She pushed against his chest, as his arms wrapped around her back holding her in place. Their foreheads touching, keeping the space between them close and thick with tension. "About us only getting hurt?"
I must not cry in front of him! She inwardly whimpered.
"Oh Rose," he kissed her again, just as soft, almost patient-like. "You are worth it. We are worth it. God I love you Rose."
They kissed once more, more passionate than they ever had before. Ignorant of the stares, ignorant of their parents smiling from the sidelines. The music went on and they stood there kissing, finally hopeful for tomorrow.
"I love you too Scorpius!" She whispered, as a single tear slipped from her eyes, landing into her smile.
END.
a/n- Thank you all for the reviews and follows and such. I would like to thank LillyMay77 and rin916 especially. There have been times where writing this has left me disheartened, hitting wall after wall of writers block and these two beings in particular have pushed me through it each time. So thank you, hope you enjoyed it. (Hope there was enough fluff.)