A/N: Okay, so a few days ago my laptop crashed. I don't know what happened but it wasn't working and all of my hard work was gone. Today, I took it to a computer repair shop and ta-da! It's back! With all of my work! Let's hope this time it keeps working! Please let me know what you think of chapter two!

…

Scorpius Malfoy had warned his family when he had first arrived home from Hogwarts. They knew of the law, of course. They also knew that, as a pureblood, Scorpius would be able to partially choose his wife. After graduation, the three Malfoys went out for dinner at a nice restaurant in France to celebrate and then back to Malfoy Manor.

"You turned in your request form to Minerva today?" Draco asked as he poured himself a glass of wine in his study. Scorpius sat in an armchair by the fireplace, with his mother standing beside him, both of them already had drinks in their hands.

"I did," Scorpius confirmed.

Astoria smiled happily while Draco frowned, "Who did you choose?" Astoria asked with excitement.

"I might not get any witch on my list," said Scorpius evasively.

"Well, yes, we know, but it's likely that you will. Malfoys are very prominent in the Wizarding community and your request won't be taken lightly," Draco didn't say this with arrogance, he stated it like it was just a fact.

"I suppose you should be prepared then," Scorpius got to his feet nervously and finally got the words out, "I put Rose Weasley down."

"Who else?" prompted his mother.

"Just Rose Weasley. As all three options, I put Rose's name."

Draco's expression could only be described as hysterical. His face twisted into an expression of horror and disgust. But there was no malice in it, just shock and repulsion. "Why?" he demanded.

"I couldn't think of anyone better," said Scorpius sincerely.

Astoria was beaming happily, "Oh that's so exciting! Who are her parents? Which one is she? There are so many Weasley's it's hard to keep track."

"She's the pretty one," said Scorpius slowly, "Who gave the speech at graduation tonight. Her parents are Ron and Hermione Weasley."

"Oh! She was pretty," said Astoria, "her hair is a deep shade of red unlike the bright orange of most of her cousins. Ron and Hermione you say? Well, with parents like that I'm sure many wizards requested her, if for no other reason than the popularity and social standing she has to offer."

"That," growled Scorpius, "was the problem. I heard how blokes were talking about her. They didn't care about her, just what a marriage with her would have to offer them. I don't know Rose very well," he admitted, "but I know her well enough to know that she's genuinely a good person and she doesn't deserve a husband who won't treat her right."

"That's my boy," said Astoria with pride.

"Dad? Say something," Scorpius urged.

Draco made a show of swallowing the lump in his throat before clearing it and saying, "I absolutely abhor the idea of being related to The Weasel. But if you want his daughter, then I hope she is the one you get."

Scorpius, glad of his parent's semi-approval, nodded to each of them, set his glass of scotch on his father's desk, and went up to his bedroom.

His letter arrived a week later. The three Malfoys were seated at the dinner table when a house elf came bobbing in and handed him the letter. Scorpius turned it over and over in his hands and set it aside without opening it. "Scorpius?" his mother was practically vibrating with excitement. Unlike most parents, Astoria was excited about this, she had always wanted a daughter to fawn over and more importantly, she wanted to see her son loved and taken care of.

With a sigh, Scorpius tore open the envelope and pulled out the parchment within. He didn't read any of the letter except for the name in bold at the bottom.

Rose Nymphadora Weasley

He jumped to his feet and beamed at his parents, "It's Rose," he announced.

…

Rose Weasley had only been to Malfoy Manor once. When she and Scorpius had been paired up by Professor McGonagall to work on a project together over the Christmas Holidays in sixth year. But once was enough for her to be able to Apparate there.

With a crack! she found herself at the front gates. She could have, of course, used the Floo Network to go directly into their home, but that was quite a rude thing for a witch or wizard to do without first announcing their visit. Now the only question was how was she supposed to get past the large wrought iron gates?

She squared her shoulders, tossed her hair back and brought up her hand. Soon, too soon, this would be her home. Better get used to it now. Her hand pressed against the lock and the gates swung magically open. Satisfied with this, she marched up the path straight toward the large front doors.

Merlin, how much room did three wizards need? This mansion was beyond ridiculous. Would they hear her if she knocked? Why didn't they have a doorbell? Grumpily, Rose fisted her hand and positively pounded on the door.

After just a few moments, the door opened and a tiny house elf stood before her. "Hullo, Miss," squeaked the feminine voice of the elf, "You must be Rose Weasley, you is."

"Yes," said Rose with a smile, she'd always been exceptionally fond of house elves. "Is Scorpius home?"

"He is," said the house elf, "Master Scorpius is expecting you in the south sitting room."

"He's expecting me?"

"Yes, Miss, you coming through the gates alerted us to your presence."

"Of bloody course," grumbled Rose. Of course they would have enchantments all over the damned place. Pureblood prats. She followed the bobbing house elf through a series of complicated turns before finding Scorpius. His back was facing her, he was looking out a large window up at the sky. Torches along the walls were all lit, even though it was still early evening so the sun provided plenty of light through the large windows surrounding the room.

"Rose Weasley is here, Master," said the house elf.

"Mistress," Scorpius corrected, "Rose is to be my wife and you are to call her, 'Mistress Rose.'"

Rose's temper flared at this, "She can call me whatever the hell she wants, Malfoy," Rose turned to the house elf who was looking up at her with large round eyes, her bat-like ears perked up with interest. "What's your name?"

"My name is Rin, Mistress."

"Rin?" repeated Rose. That was unlike any other house elf name she had ever heard.

"Master Scorpius named me, Mistress Rose, when he was only two years old."

"Oh, that explains it," said Rose with a small smirk at the thought of a two year old Scorpius being unable to pronounce much. "Well, Rin, you can call me whatever you fancy calling me."

The house elf looked nervously toward Scorpius who simply raised his eyebrows at the elf. "I will be calling you Mistress Rose."

"Alright, but only because that's what you want to call me." Rin nodded her head vigorously, gave a curtsy, and left.

"Well," Scorpius said, "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

"I think we both know what this is about, Scorpius," Rose held up the letter she had received from the Ministry. "Apparently they decided that you and I would be an ideal couple. I, however, remain unconvinced. I barely know you."

Scorpius's lips thinned just a bit. This was why he hadn't wanted Rose with anyone else. That fiery temper and attitude would not be tolerated by any of the other boys who had requested her. Already she had tried to overthrow his orders to his house elf and was acting like a selfish brat. As far as she knew, he hadn't wanted this anymore than she did. "Then perhaps we should get to know each other," he added gently, motioning for her to sit on the sofa.

Rose hesitated. She hadn't expected Scorpius to be so mature about this. With a snort, she sat down, crossing her legs and arms defensively. "What did you have in mind?" Rose asked shortly. She would show him! If he could be mature about this, then so could she.

"Well, I was thinking we could talk," he said with a smirk.

Rose scowled, "About what exactly?"

"Each other," he offered, "our interests, our families, or if you prefer to be all business about this, then we could discuss any ideas you have for a wedding or a wedding date."

Her eyes widened, "Didn't you read that bloody parchment they sent?"

"No," he said without a trace of guilt, "I just saw your name on the bottom. I figured you would read it thoroughly enough for the both of us."

Rose wasn't sure if this was a jibe or a compliment, so she continued on as if he hadn't spoken, "They set the date for us already. We are to be married one month from tomorrow. The date is July 21st. I think that I'll just leave all of the arrangements up to my mum," she concluded, "I honestly don't have any input on the subject and I trust my mum to know what I like."

"What about my mother?" Scorpius asked, "She's very excited about this, you know."

"She is?"

"You wouldn't believe it," he chuckled, "I was surprised myself, but she is practically beside herself with excitement. She wants to be involved, Rose, and she's simply dying to meet you properly."

Rose couldn't help but smile a bit when she heard this. Astoria Malfoy wanted to meet her. She was excited that Rose was going to be her daughter-in-law. "I'm afraid my parents probably won't react with the same amount of enthusiasm as your mum apparently has."

"What do you mean 'probably'? Haven't you told them yet?"

"No, I haven't. I came straight here after opening the letter."

"Weren't they with you when it came?"

"I don't live at home anymore," she told him, "I moved into a flat with my cousin, Albus. We got our letters together and went to his family's home to open them. I didn't tell anyone what mine said, I had to talk to with you first. Just to make sure this is real, I guess."

For the first time since her arrival, she was showing just how nervous she truly was. Her teeth were worrying her bottom lip and she kept wringing her hands together in her lap. Scorpius sat down next to her, "Yes, it's real and actually happening. Now, since we're going to be together for, well, ever, I don't want either of us to spend the next several decades unhappy. Let's get to know each other, okay? What's your favorite colour?"

Rose laughed, "Green," she answered immediately.

"Your favorite flavour of ice cream?"

"Mint."

"Your favorite hobby?"

"Reading."

"Which side of the bed do you sleep on?"

"Scorpius!"

"Well that's a kind of important one to know, because I'm a left side of the bed man, myself."

"It doesn't matter to me," she was blushing now and trying to hide it. Scorpius tactfully pretended not to notice.

"Scorpius?" It seemed that Astoria Malfoy couldn't wait to meet the woman who would be marrying her son. She was standing in the doorway, looking timid but determined. "May I come in?"

"Of course, Mum," he said at once, "Mum, this is Rose," Rose stood up at the sound of her name and turned toward the woman who had entered. Astoria Malfoy was tall, thin, and beautiful. She had blonde hair that wasn't the Malfoy white-blonde, but a gorgeous golden blonde that seemed to shimmer in the light from the torches. She had blue eyes that were the same as her son's and she moved with elegance that Rose thought she could never pull off herself.

Just as she was appraising Mrs. Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy was appraising her. Rose Weasley's hair was a darker and richer shade of red than Weasley orange. She also had blue eyes but they were an ocean blue colour compared to the light sky blue Scorpius had. She was average height and while she was thin she still managed to have nice curves. A perfect hourglass figure, Astoria noticed.

Without any hesitation, Astoria pulled Rose in for a hug. Caught off guard, it took Rose a moment before she returned the embrace. "It's wonderful to meet you," Astoria gushed, "I know you have a lot to discuss with my son, and I didn't mean to interrupt, but I simply had to introduce myself. I'm Astoria, as you probably figured out. You can call me whatever you fancy; Mum, Astoria, Mrs. Malfoy, anything that you're comfortable with, dear."

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy, you have a lovely home," Rose was partially lying. She, personally, felt that while the Manor was gorgeous, it was just way too much.

"Thank you," Astoria was beaming, "I know it's a bit large, but this home has been in the Malfoy family for centuries and Draco couldn't bring himself to leave. I told him we would just have to fill up all of the empty rooms with children, but I had a lot of trouble carrying Scorpius, and I couldn't have anymore after him."

"Mum," Scorpius warned that she was revealing too much, "Rose doesn't want to hear about that."

"Of course," said Astoria quickly, "but that just means that we'll hopefully be able to fill up the empty rooms with grandchildren instead!"

Rose's face paled. Astoria didn't seem to notice. She swiftly kissed Rose on the cheek and bade them both goodbye before she swept regally from the room. "I'm sorry about her," said Scorpius, "Don't dwell on what she said. My mum is the type who likes to make decisions, but don't worry, I won't let her make any for us. Children is something we'll discuss together."

He wasn't sure if he had said the right things to make her feel better or not, but he figured he must have said something good because Rose managed to give him a small smile while wrapping her arms around her tiny waist. "I didn't plan on getting married for a long time," she said, "this is just all so surreal to me."

"We'll get through it together."

…

Things in the Potter home were still a bit chaotic. James was talking animatedly about his extravagant plans for his wedding. Albus was pale as chalk and could barely bring himself to speak as he was so nervous. Lily was squealing with delight and kept reading Vin's letter out loud over and over again to anyone who would listen. Ginny humored each of her children in turn while preparing dinner.

Then Teddy Lupin came in. Already happily married to Victoire for the past few years, he wasn't subjected to this law. He simply came to see what was happening with his family. Because the Potters were his family in every way that mattered.

You could count on Teddy to bring chaos to any situation. He was constantly changing his features with his Metamorphamagus powers and wielding the exuberance he'd inherited from his mother. Then Leila Scamander showed up. This wasn't abnormal by any means, as Leila often popped into the Potter home at least every other day.

However, this time was different because she didn't arrive to see her best friend, James, she came to see her fiancé, James. When they saw each other, James and Leila linked hands and started jumping up and down like school children. "Have you thought about the wedding?" he asked.

"Not yet," she yelled, "have you?"

"Yes!" James was yelling, too, "I want my Uncle Charlie to bring dragons from Romania, and I want the best fireworks Uncle George has, and I was thinking we could have all of the invitations explode when they're opened! But not like a dangerous explosion, just with lots of confetti and noise makers. Then, we could ask all of the guests to wear costumes and have a masquerade ball for our reception. What do you think of flying away from the reception on a Hippogriff?"

"James!" Ginny groaned at hearing the words her son was saying.

"What?" asked James innocently, "I considered flying off on a dragon, but I didn't want to look like I was copying dad's famous move."

"Yes, because escaping Gringotts on the back of a dragon is your father's finest accomplishment," Ginny teased.

"I knew it! He just tells the press that it was his defeat of Voldemort, but really, it was the dragon."

Ginny slapped a hand on her forehead in exasperation. "Whatever you want for the wedding," said Leila with a giggle, "is fine with me, James. Don't let your mum discourage your dreams!"

"Our dreams now, my dear fiancé!"

James promptly hoisted Leila up over his shoulder and they ran out of the house screaming something about playing Quidditch. "Dear Merlin," said Teddy with wide scared eyes after they'd left, "I dread seeing what their children will be like."

Everyone laughed. "Why do you think Rose took off so fast?" asked Lily.

"It must have had to do with her letter," said Albus, who seemed to have finally found his voice. "I feel like a prat now. I should have asked her before she left. I was too caught up in my own soon-to-be wife. Do you reckon she went back to our flat?"

"Probably not," said Ginny, "knowing Rose she stormed off to the Ministry to demand a different bloke."

"Nah," corrected Teddy, "Rose probably went immediately to find the bloke and murder him. No husband, no wedding, right?"

He winked and smirked but Albus was momentarily worried that perhaps Rose had gone to do just that.

…..

Hoping that Rose had gone home, Albus said goodbye to his family and left. To his dismay, the flat was empty aside from himself. With nothing else to do, Albus sat down at his desk and pulled out a sheet of fresh parchment. After many failed attempts, he finally managed to find the right words.

Dear Norah,

This is Albus Potter. I received my letter today from the Ministry and it seems that you are to be my bride. I know this is probably just as big of a shock to you as it is to me. I mean, I don't think we've ever even had a conversation.

I would really like to meet up with you soon and talk about things. I'm not sure where you live or where it would be convenient for you to meet me. Here are just a few options off the top of my head: we could meet up in Diagon Alley, or I could meet you at your home, or you could meet me at my home. If you have any better ideas, please let me know. I'm willing to meet you anywhere you want.

Sincerely,

Albus S. Potter

He nodded in approval after re-reading his letter and sent it off with his mother's owl.

….

Norah Zabini smiled as she touched the words on the parchment. Albus wanted to meet up with her. He was concerned about how she was feeling about all of this. She felt like a weight was being lifted off of her shoulders and all of her dreams were coming true.

Norah Zabini had been raised in a tradition pureblood home with her twin brother, Nathan. While Nathan thrived in this environment, Norah, oppositely, had wilted. Her father was one of the most horrible people she'd ever known. He was an angry drunk most of the time. He often came home from work at the Ministry, hit her mother, her brother, and herself. Then disappeared for the night, usually with some other woman.

Nathan learned from his father's example and usually mimicked it. More than once he'd hit his own sister. The first time was when they were eleven years old. Upon arriving at Hogwarts their first year, Nathan had been sorted first, into Slytherin, of course, then it had been Norah's turn. To the shock of everyone in the Great Hall, Norah Zabini became the first Hatstall since Professor Flitwick.

They had argued, mentally, for nearly eight minutes. The Sorting Hat prevailed and announced to the Great Hall that Norah Zabini was to be a Hufflepuff. After the Feast, her brother had pulled her aside to yell at her for disgracing their name and pureblood heritage. Then he'd smacked her. The sound still resounded in her nightmares as it echoed off of the stone walls.

She didn't make a single friend her first night. Instead, she'd barricaded herself immediately into her four-poster bed and cried herself to sleep. The following morning, her first class ever, was Transfiguration with the Gryffindors. Albus Potter caught her attention immediately. Not because she'd seen him numerous times in The Daily Prophet, not because he was famous or because she'd grown up hearing his name. No, she noticed him because of his personality.

Kind, quiet, shy, like Norah herself, but there was more. He gave off a feeling of confidence and belonging. He looked well cared for, loved, and Norah was jealous. She wanted a life like that. She wished, more than anything, that she had parents like Harry and Ginny Potter. She wished that her family looked after her and loved her and cared for her.

They never spoke until Third Year. She was sure he didn't remember it, but she would think of it every day for the rest of her time at Hogwarts. It had happened while she was walking from her dormitory to Ancient Runes class. Her brother spotted her walking with group of her Hufflepuff friends. He and his Slytherin cronies, Nott and Selwyn, ambushed them. Tore their bags, books and ink spilling everywhere, called them names, Nott even managed to chop off a chunk of Lucy Weasley's hair.

That was when Albus came around the corner with a couple of his mates. They'd rescued Norah, Lucy, and two of their other dorm mates. With shaking hands, Norah had begun to collect her things. Albus knelt beside her, scooping up a handful of quills, and said, "I'm sorry about what happened. Don't pay any attention to those gits. Hufflepuff is an excellent house to be in. My god-brother, Teddy Lupin, he was a Hufflepuff and he's brave."

Norah had stared at Albus with wide shocked eyes. "Thank you," was all she had said in return. From that day forward, she noticed Albus Potter every day. She wasn't sure if she fancied him or if she was just envious of his life or perhaps she just wanted to get to know him better. He was a fascinating bloke.

When the new law went into effect Albus was the first person who'd come to her mind. In a way, he'd always been her image of her very own knight in shining armor. Never, in her wildest dreams, did she think she would get him. There was no way of knowing how many girls requested Albus Potter as their first choice, but she was sure it was a high number. But she'd been the lucky one.

Clutching the letter from her husband-to-be to her chest, for the first time in her life, when she looked toward her future, she felt hopeful.

….

Albus Potter was awoken the following morning by an owl taping repeatedly on his bedroom window. He groped along his bedside table for his glasses, shoved them onto his face as he sat up and scratched the back of his head. He'd fallen asleep in his clothes the previous night. Truthfully, he'd been unable to sleep so he attempted to wait up for Rose, but in the end he must have dozed off while reading one of those ridiculous muggle romance novels Rose loved so much.

The owl was one he didn't recognize. Tenderly, he untied the letter from it's leg and unrolled it.

Albus,

I would like to meet with you as soon as possible. I work in Diagon Alley, at Ollivander's Wand Shop every day except for Sundays. Please stop by whenever you get the opportunity. I hope that you and your family are doing well and I do look forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely,

Norah Zabini

Albus felt a twist in his stomach at reading those words. They addressed each other so formerly; like strangers. That, of course, is because they were strangers. As much as he was afraid to meet with her, he also felt a bit giddy. How should he dress? Should he bring her flowers?

Those were just two of many questions and worries that were plaguing him while he showered and got dressed for the day. He decided to dress casually. After all, he was just going to Diagon Alley. To meet his fiancé. With a groan he pulled on a pair of plain black slacks and a white t-shirt. Over that, he pulled a very light blue robe. Normally he wouldn't wear Wizard's Robes, he very much preferred muggle dress, but his fiancé was a pureblood and pureblood wizards tended to look down on muggle attire.

If he were being honest with himself, he would have admitted that he wanted to impress her. If they were going to be spending the rest of their lives together, he wanted to do everything in his power to make her happy and he hoped very much that she felt the same way.

Before he left the flat, he peeked into Rose's bedroom to make sure she was there. She was, curled up under the yellow duvet of her queen sized bed, sleeping peacefully on her back with her wildly untamed red hair fanned out around her heart-shaped face. Al smiled as he watched her sleep. Rose was like a sister to him and he felt like her protector. He hoped that she hadn't spent the night before getting drunk in Hogsmeade to wash away her sorrows. Again, he felt like a prat for not having asked who she was now engaged to, but that would have to wait until later.

He used the Floo to reach Diagon Alley and stopped by the florist to pick up a bouquet of wildflowers for Norah. Did she even like flowers? He hoped she wasn't allergic to them. His hand was trembling slightly as he reached for the door of Ollivander's wand shop. When he stepped inside, the dim light made him pause for his eyes to adjust. There she was. With a start, Albus realized that she was pretty. She had dark hair, like his but shinier, and big dark brown eyes. She was small, petite, thin, almost too thin, and her white alabaster skin seemed to glow in the candlelight of the shop.

"Oh!" she squeaked in surprise, "Hullo, Albus." Her cheeks flushed a pleasant pink colour and she glanced down as she spoke, obviously shy.

"Good morning, Norah," Albus smiled at her and was glad to find that it was a genuine smile. She wore witches robes of light green which went well with her dark hair. "When do you get a break?"

"Any time she wants one," said Mr. Ollivaner who had just appeared from behind a stack of boxes. "Good to see you, Mr. Potter," he added as he extended his hand for Albus to shake in greeting. "How's your father doing?"

"Very well, Sir, thank you. And yourself?"

"Oh, I'm doing alright for an old man," he grumbled, "I'll be glad when this girl is capable of taking over full time so I can retire. I've been at this for far too long. I should have retired after the Second War," he laughed good naturedly.

"We'll miss you when you retire," said Al sincerely, as he unconsciously fingered the wand in his pocket which had been made by Ollivander. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to take Norah for some ice cream on this warm spring day."

"Of course, of course, you two lovebirds have a great time!" he waved them out of the shop.

Albus escorted Norah to the ice cream parlor in silence. He kept an arm around her back to guide her gently and was pleasantly surprised when she leaned her body into his just a bit. He hoped she didn't feel too awkward around him.

"I didn't realize you studied wand lore," he commented politely.

Norah was blushing again, "Yes, it's always fascinated me. I've been working with Mr. Ollivander since I entered his shop when I was eleven years old. Every summer he lets me come in and study and work with him. He plans on retiring soon and wants me to take over his work."

"Is that what you want?"

"Well," she hedged, "it was, but then I got engaged," they both gave a small laugh, "Seriously, though. Albus, what do you do? I don't want this whole marriage thing to get in the way of your dreams. If you want to get out of here and study obscure magical creatures in other parts of the world or travel somewhere, then I'll tell Mr. Ollivander that he needs to find someone else."

Her words were so sincere and so self-sacrificing that it caught him off guard. "I couldn't ask you to do that," he shook his head, "Plus you won't have to. I'm Albus Potter, for Merlin's sake! What do you think I'm going to be? An Auror, of course," he said this with pride.

"I'm sure you'll be the best Auror on the force," she told him.

"Perhaps one day," he mused.

"Tell me about yourself," she requested suddenly, "I only know a few basics. Like the fact that your entire family are war heroes and you were a Gryffindor. Oh, also, you were Seeker on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team."

"Yes, that's all correct. Hmm, what else about me is there to say? I live in a flat not far from here, in muggle London, with my cousin, Rose Weasley, who is my very best friend. I'm starting my Auror training in one month. I have many pets. Two owls, a cat, three Pygmy Puffs, a goldfish, and a niffler. My hair refuses to lie flat on my head, and I dislike muggle romance novels. How about you? Let me see, I know that you were a Hufflepuff. You were good friends with my cousin, Lucy. You have a twin brother who was in Slytherin, and you like wand lore. Tell me some more about yourself."

For a moment she didn't know where to start. She almost started rambling about her awful home life, but thought that might be a bit too personal. She wanted to keep things light with him. After all, this would essentially be his first real impression of her. "Well, for starters, my full name is Norah Alecto Carina Fiona Zabini. My patronus takes the form of a unicorn. I am excellent at brewing potions and I'm terrified of flying."

"Wow," said Al as he put his elbow on the table and set his jaw on his hand, "that's quite a name you've got! I'll have to write that one down. There's nothing to fear from flying, though. Just look at my brother. He's a Chaser for Puddlemere United. He's fallen off his broom loads of times and he's alright. Well okay, maybe that wasn't the best example because my brother's mental health is always a bit up in the air, but he's usually alright." Norah laughed at this and felt herself relaxing in his presence a bit more every second.

As they ate their ice cream they talked casually about other things. He mentioned how his sister's boyfriend was allowed to wait for her to come of age so he could marry her, and she talked of how much she enjoyed working with the First Years as she had been a Prefect. It wasn't long, however, before Rose Weasley appeared.

"Albus! There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Hullo, Rose," said Norah politely.

"Oh! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt anything. It's lovely to see you, Norah. Congratulations on getting this wonderful bloke," said Rose in a welcoming voice.

"You weren't interrupting anything," Al assured her, "What's going on?"

"I need your help. I want you to come with me when I tell my parents who I'm going to marry," Rose had never been one for beating around the bush. When she had something on her mind, it immediately came right out.

"Of course. Do you think you could wait a bit? I am sort of on a date here…" he trailed off.

"It's fine," said Norah as she stood, "I have to be getting back to work anyway."

"Here, before you go," Albus flourished his wand and the bouquet of flowers that he'd purchased earlier appeared in midair. Norah caught them with ease. "I hope you like them."

"They're beautiful," Norah spoke to Al while looking at the blossoms in her arms. "Thank you so much," bravely, she leaned forward, kissed his cheek swiftly then practically ran back to Ollivanders.

Rose snorted, "Shy, isn't she?"

"That's not always a bad thing you know," he teased, "you might be able to learn something from that girl about humility and manners."

"You wouldn't be in a very good mood if you were me right now either, Albus."

"Why? Where were you last night anyway? And who is the lucky bloke who gets to spend the rest of his miserable life putting up with your sorry arse?"

Rose punched his shoulder, scowled, and finally grumbled, "Scorpius bloody Malfoy."