Rose's POV:
Scorpius and I made our way down the stairs, hand in hand. I hadn't heard any shouts or even much talking for that matter, I hoped it was a good sign.
We walked into the kitchen where mum was cooking with nana Weasley. The two of them laughing and talking amongst themselves. Everyone else seemed to be outside or in the family room. I sighed and my mother turned to face the sound.
She saw Scorpius and I standing in the doorway and her eyes flitted down to our hands. I let go of his hand, wanting to tell them all as a family to avoid having to tell it 20 times, but it was too late. Her eyes grew about 5 sizes and a huge smile spread across her face.
Scorpius's POV:
Rose's mother saw us holding hands when she turned after hearing Rose's sigh. Rose immediately let go of my hand and I knew she didn't want to have to do this more than once. It was too late. Mrs. Weasley was already making her way across the kitchen, a huge smile on her face.
"I KNEW IT!" She shouted and engulfed us both in a hug. "Oh you two. It took you long enough. I mean, it was pretty obvious to everyone else. Though your father is still in denial." She said, looking at Rose.
Rose began to blush and I smiled.
"If it's okay with you ma'am, I'd like permission to date your daughter." I said to Mrs. Weasley. Rose's grandmother turned to us after hearing that and pointed a spatula at Rose.
"Now HE'S a keeper love." She said and Rose's face grew an even darker shade of red.
"You've always had my blessing." Hermione said, "Whether or not you knew it."
"Thank you-" I began but she cut me off.
"Ron on the other hand, well... him you'll have to work on. Bring it up at dinner perhaps? He may be a little upset given that you only just told him you didn't have any romantic intentions with her. He'll come around eventually I'm sure."
Great. Rose's father was going to be a piece of work. It would be worth it though, if it meant I could be with Rose.
Rose's POV:
Bloody hell! Scorpius just asked my mother for her permission to date me. I was too in shock. That was the kind of guy he was, his father truly did a magnificent job raising him. I felt my face becoming increasingly hot as my mother and grandmother kept commenting on how amazing he was and how adorable the two of us were.
"Wait, mum, how did you know?" I asked and she looked at me, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Dear, the way you two looked at each other made it quite clear. Though you usually did it when the other wasn't looking and I think that's why it took you so long. I noticed the first time you brought him over here that you two fancied each other but the feeling just grew more and more strong with each passing year. Took you long enough." She said, stroking my hair.
I stood there, unable to say anything. Had I been that obvious? Had HE been that obvious and I had just failed to notice? My mother made her way back to nana and nana smiled at us before they resumed cooking.
I turned to Scorpius and saw that his cheeks were tinged red as well. Did he, like me, not realize how obvious we both had been?
"How long until dinner's ready?" I asked.
"Another hour or two." My mother said, turning and winking at us before turning back to chopping something I couldn't see.
Scorpius's POV:
I grabbed Rose's hand again and pulled her out the back door. Her mother and grandmother stood watching us from the window but the rest of the family couldn't see us.
As soon as we made it outside, she knew exactly where we were headed. He pace began to quicken and before I knew it, we had arrived. Our tree stood in all its glory, covered from top to bottom in snow. As we approached it, Rose stopped to trace our initials with her fingers.
"I've always wanted to change this." She said, her hand now resting on the tree trunk over our initials. "Ever since we first carved our initials. I mean sure, it was just our way of claiming the tree, but even then it seemed like so much more." She paused and looked to me.
"Change it how?" I had a hunch but didn't want to be wrong.
She pulled her wand out from inside her coat.
"Turn around." She said. I laughed but her eyes narrowed and I knew she was serious. I sighed and obeyed, turning to face away from the tree.
Mere seconds passed when she tapped me on the back.
Rose's POV:
I tapped him on the back when I was finished with the tree trunk and our initials. I had only made a simple addition but I hoped it was enough.
"Go ahead and look." I said, though I could already feel the heat rising to my face. What if he didn't like it? Then what?
He turned around and his face immediately lit up when he saw what I had done. All it had been was me adding a simple heart around our names, yet we both knew it meant so much more than that. His smile and eyes said it all, he loved the change.
He reached down and cupped my face between his hands. I couldn't help but stare at him. My gorgeous best friend who had just recently become more than my friend. The boy I had been so in love with since 1st year, yet hadn't been able to admit it to myself fully, for fear of losing him. I'd known all along. Who wouldn't be in love with him? His storm gray eyes held so much right now I couldn't register all the emotions.
Scorpius's POV:
I held Rose's face between my hands and wanted nothing more than to kiss her. She had just added a heart around our names on our tree. Such a simple gesture, yet we both knew it held so much more meaning than that.
We had finally left the boundaries of being friends and gone into a much deeper love. We were at a crossroads and if we stepped over, there was no going back.
The heart was her way of telling me that she accepted there was no going back. Her way of telling me that she wanted, with all her heart, nothing more than to become more than friends.
It was her way of telling me she loved me and that she always would. I felt like the luckiest guy alive.