As always, thanks for the lovely reviews. I'm sorry if this first bit doesn't make a lot of sense, flicking between past and present. It makes sense to me, but then, so do a lot of weird things.

Chapter 15

They say your early years, the way you're brought up, shapes the person that you are. Scorpius had always been given everything he'd asked for, treated like a prince, his grandparents' darling, his father's pride and joy, his mother's little boy. Until he began at Hogwarts, he'd taken it for granted that he was important and he would be able to have everything he wanted.

Of course, he'd been swiftly disillusioned once he'd reached Hogwarts, but there was a lingering sense that he could have what he wanted, that he could have his own way, most of the time.

So now Scorpius was torn. One thing Narcissa had always taught him was to do what was right. She'd told him she'd learnt the hard way. His dad had once told him it was better to do the right thing than the easy thing. Scorpius had later found out that Al's namesake had spoke the words first.

Of course, that wasn't important. What was important was Scorpius wanted Rose Weasley, and from the moment he'd started to do so, it had been seemingly inevitable that he would have her. Only, it appeared that Rose Weasley was the one thing he couldn't have easily, the one thing his family wouldn't rush to get him, the one thing he shouldn't have desired in the first place.

Rose was unhappy, and he could see it. She was sure she was disappointing her parents, her grandparents. And he knew he was doing the same.

By the second week back after the holidays, things were strained between them. And Scorpius, sat in his common room late one night, thought long and hard about it. He wanted Rose to be happy, but the tension she felt was leaving her far from it. He didn't want to cause problems in her family, as he knew how much they mattered to her.

And he didn't want to make things hard for himself, either. Before he'd left, he'd had a conversation with his father that had given him way too much to think about.

"I don't know how serious this is, I don't know how much you like her, but you'll have to decide, one day, what's more important to you." Draco had told him.

"If this is about her being a half-blood -"

"No. Not really. I know you don't believe in any of that." There was the faintest hint of something that could have been pride in Draco's voice. It had confused Scorpius somewhat, but he doubted he'd ever get round to questioning his father about it.

"Didn't you ever think it was wrong? The whole pure blood thing? Didn't you ever question it?" Scorpius had asked him.

"No. Why wouldn't I believe it? That's what I was taught, since before I was old enough to understand. So were your grandparents, and their parents...Maybe you're just stronger than me." He'd paused, then shook his head. "This isn't about blood, it's about family. If it came down to us or her, who would you choose?"

The question had been rhetorical, and Draco had left after speaking the words, but it had swam around Scorpius' head ever since. Because he knew that's what it all came down to, in the end. He and Rose both had to choose between each other and their family.

He knew what she'd choose. And, after a long while, he knew what he had to choose, too.

"Is it fair?" Rose had whispered, as the two of them sat by the lake, the previous day. "Is there a real point to putting them, us, through all of this?"

"Maybe there isn't." He'd admitted. And then neither had spoke for a very long time. So she, too, was having doubts. And Scorpius knew that this was the right thing to do, the thing he had to do. This was the point where he had to grow up and learn he couldn't have everything he wanted.

It was a shame no one had told him how much it would hurt.

----

He'd considered driving Rose away. As a Malfoy, he knew how to be cruel. But he couldn't do that to her, he cared too much to leave her hurt, to have her thinking he'd grown bored of her. So instead, he lead her back to the lake as the sun lowered in the sky.

"We have to talk, Rose. About us." She knew. He saw it in her eyes, the shock, the hurt, the understanding and then the resignation.

"Go on." She murmured.

"We can't carry on with this, can we?" He said softy. "We can't do this anymore."

"Why?" Rose whispered, even though she knew.

"Is it worth it?" He asked her. "Is it worth the things people are saying to you? Is it worth you worrying so much about your family? Or me worrying about mine? Is this worth hurting them?"

"So - so that's it then." She replied quietly. "It comes down to me or them, and I lose?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." She shook her head, met his eyes and forced a shaky smile. "My family are the most important thing to me in the world. I agree with you. I choose them, too. If you hadn't done this now, I'd have done it soon."

He knew she was telling the truth. Then, because he could think of nothing else to say, he simply hugged her, holding her tight, unwilling to let go because he knew he could never hold her again.

"I wish it didn't have to be this way." She murmured.

"Me too." He replied softly. "But a Weasley and a Malfoy. We never had a chance, did we?"

"No. It was stupid to think it could work." She choked.

"Don't cry, Rose. Please, I can't handle it if you cry." He whispered, still holding her.

"I'm not. I won't." She replied softly, blinking back the tears that threatened. "I knew this would happen. It was just too hard, wasn't it?"

"It was. We'll still be friends." He said, even though he didn't think he could stand to be around her and know she wasn't his anymore.

"Yeah. Course." She replied, finally drawing back. She touched a hand to his face. "I wish it were different. That I was someone else, or you were someone else."

"I wouldn't change you." He told her quietly. "I wouldn't change what we had, even if it couldn't last."

"No. Me neither." She replied, removing her hand. "I wish...I wish I'd known who you were, who you really were, before. Maybe if I'd given you a chance, like Albus did, we could have been friends all along."

"That doesn't matter now." He said softly. A brief silence passed, although not awkwardly, and he held both her hands in his.

"I guess it just wasn't meant to be." Rose sighed finally.

Maybe it was because he'd expected her to argue more, maybe because he still wasn't used to not having the things he wanted, but the finality in her tone weakened his resolve.

"What if it was?" He murmured. "What if it was meant to be, and we're making a mistake?"

She shook her head, smiled slightly, understanding it was her turn to be strong, to do the convincing. "If it is, then we'll find our way back someday." He nodded, deciding not to tell her he didn't believe in fate.

"I never wanted to hurt you, Rose." He said instead, brushing away the single tear that had got past her. "Remember that."

"I didn't mean for it to end this way, either." She murmured.

"I know." He hugged her again, and then, because he feared he'd lose the strength to do so if he didn't do it soon, he let her go. "I'll see you around." He whispered, because he had to leave her now, before the pain in her eyes got to him, before his own anguish got to her.

This was the right thing to do, he reminded himself, as he turned and left her there.

She watched him leave, watched until he entered the castle. She couldn't bring herself to follow, though, to go into the castle and face the people. Instead, she wondered a little way around the lake, sank down to sit on a huge rock. Maybe it had been put there for people to sit on, to cry on, she though vaguely. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence that the lake drew couples to it, to begin their relationship, to end it. She allowed the vague, senseless thoughts to invade her head, so she wouldn't have to think about anything real.

But she wouldn't cry. She didn't cry. Growing up with so many males in the family meant she'd learned not to cry if she could help it. Crying in front of one of her male cousins meant they'd refuse to let her join in their games for weeks, proclaiming she was "too girly". She fought the tears until they gave up, and sat there, her mind blank.

Eventually, she registered someone calling her name, and for a brief moment thought it was Scorpius, thought he'd changed his mind, even though she knew they'd done what they had to do and they couldn't go back. But it wasn't; instead, James Potter was walking towards her.

"Why are you out here all alone?" He asked her. And then, when he was close enough to see her face, his smile faded. "Are you OK?"

"What are you doing out here?" She asked him, avoiding his question.

"Visiting Hagrid." He replied easily. "Now you answer."

She sighed, looked up at him. James had always been like a big brother to her, and right then she needed one. "Scorpius and I broke up."

"Aw, Rosie." He sighed, and crossed to her, wrapped his arms around her. She clung to his arms, drawing comfort, and didn't even bother to correct her name. "You want me to curse him?" He offered, causing a reluctant smile.

"No. No. It's for the best. We decided it together. It's easier this way. I'll be OK."

"I know you will." James replied quietly. And for a long while, they sat in silence, neither knowing what to say.

Don't hate me! It'll all work out, I promise. As if you ever doubted it...I'm a sucker for happy endings...