A/N: Short but important chapter! Please let me know what you think!

…..

Roxanne Weasley hadn't always loved Calvin Saunders. As a matter of fact, when they first met she thought he was quite the dork. Roxanne had always been true to the stereotypical Weasley form. She was bold, loud, brave, and usually getting into some type of mischief.

Calvin Saunders was quiet, studious, abided by all of the rules, and very timid. Through their years together at Hogwarts Roxanne barely paid him a second thought. Until she accidentally came across his journal after he left it in the Transfiguration classroom.

Because he was a muggle-born, it was just a regular spiral-bound notebook and that was what had drawn Roxanne's eye. Having no idea who it belonged to, she opened it up and began to read. It was full of drawings, poems, and deep profound thoughts that she'd never even contemplated before. After spending an entire evening going through the journal, she'd half fallen in love with the bloke who wrote it.

And it was, she was sure, a bloke, because the handwriting was so clearly masculine. Plus some of the poems were about girls he liked although no names were ever mentioned. Calvin, unknowingly, sparked a fire in Roxanne's heart by opening her mind to possibilities she'd never previously entertained. The way he used words! Merlin, those words made her melt.

Bound and determined to figure out who the owner of the journal was, Roxanne began asking around but nobody knew. Calvin always stayed to himself and didn't attract attention so of course nobody knew it was his journal. Not one to easily give up, Roxanne kept it in her messenger bag all the time. Until one day she was studying in the library. Calvin came in, sat down, began pulling books out of his bag, and accidentally dropped one. The loud bang caused her to jump and send a glare his way. That was when she saw it; a journal very much like the one she'd been holding onto. Calvin was the only person she'd ever seen use one.

Shocked, but glad to finally have the mystery solved, she'd approached him. They struck up a conversation, became friends, and because of his timid demeanor it took him a few years after Hogwarts to ask her to officially be his girlfriend. They were exact opposites but were exactly what each other needed in life.

George Weasley was still of the opinion that castrating Calvin was the way to go, but his wife had dissuaded him from that course of action. Now they were all gathered once again at the Burrow for a wedding. George simply couldn't understand what his daughter saw in such a quiet and shy man. His Roxy was so full of life and spunk; what could this guy possibly offer her?

But somehow they made it work. She added spontaneity to his life and he provided her with stability and reality. "You can still change your mind, you know," said George seriously as he watched his daughter adjust her veil and run her hands over her midsection; the dress hid her bump perfectly.

"No I can't, Dad," she grumbled. "Nor do I want to. I love Calvin and we were heading this way long before that damn marriage law."

"What are you going to do when my grandbaby pops out and starts reciting poetry, drinking coffee, and is the most boring baby on the whole planet?"

Roxanne snorted. "Merlin, Dad! Is that what you think of Cal? That he's boring? You obviously haven't been around him enough. He's positively fascinating. He sees the world so differently from you or I."

George rolled his eyes but humored his daughter. "Sorry, Sweetheart. Are you ready? Let's get a move on, don't want to keep all of those guests waiting."

"Rose?" Roxanne looked to her maid of honor. Rose smiled, snatched up the wedding band Roxy had picked for Calvin, and arranged the bride's bouquet before handing it to her.

Rose was walking up the aisle with Fred. Calvin was an only child and thought that it would be a good idea to have his future brother-in-law as his best man. Fred had been quite smug about this and had used it as an opportunity to attempt to convince Calvin to name the baby after him.

"You look good, Rose," Fred whispered inconspicuously as they neared the wedding tent.

"Thanks, Freddie, so do you."

"I didn't mean tonight, although that dress does compliment you. I meant that in general you seem happier."

"I feel happier."

"Good. It looks like we won't have to kill Scorpius after all."

Rose chuckled. "I really like him a lot, Fred. He's a good bloke. I trust him."

Their conversation was cut short because they had reached the tent. "Here goes nothing," Fred mumbled before pulling the flap back and entering the tent with Rose on his arm.

They smiled happily at all of the guests and press. Calvin stood nervously at the front next to the Ministry official, looking like he might faint from nerves. Rose grinned at this and could have sworn she heard Fred chuckle under his breath as well.

Fred kissed Rose delicately on the cheek before they parted ways, causing a soft 'awww' from the press. Rose, the maid of honor, was Roxanne's only bridesmaid. When Rose glanced around at the audience, she caught Scorpius's eye and gave him a broad smile. He beamed back and winked.

The ceremony, just like most of the others, was very short and to the point. Calvin stuttered over his lines a bit but managed to get them out. The press ate him up and thought he was positively adorable.

Likewise, the reception followed. The difference between Roxanne's wedding and the others, however, was the lack of liquor. James and Fred, naturally, decided to attempt to sneak some in anyway.

"Oh shit! Roxanne's coming," Fred shoved the flask back at James who shoved it back at him and the two of them fumbled with it until Roxanne approached and then James promptly shoved it behind his back.

"What's going on?" she asked innocently.

"Congratulations, Sis!" Fred threw his arms around Roxanne and hugged her tightly.

"Your breath smells like firewhiskey," she noted with a crinkle of her nose. Fred paled. Roxanne gave them her best Weasley glare and James revealed the flask that was hidden. "I said no alcohol at my wedding! If I can't drink it then nobody else can either!" she was screaming now and several people turned to listen.

"Roxy, dear," Calvin was beside her, putting a hand on her arm to calm her down.

She threw his hand off with a shake. "Fuck it!" She screamed. Then she turned, waved to the crowd who had gathered and yelled as loudly as she could, "I'm pregnant! Calvin and I are having a baby! If I catch anyone else drinking any alcohol here tonight, I'll start throwing hexes!"

Silence. Roxanne bestowed them with her most winning smile. "Now that that's settled, continue having a good, sober, evening!"

….

Hugo,

As you well know, Rose and I are back from our honeymoon. I know that something has been a bit off with you, as you drank yourself silly at Fred's wedding. I know that we don't know each other very well, but I'm here if you need someone to talk to. Rose holds you in very high esteem and I get the impression that she looks up to you even though you are her younger brother. Even the most intelligent people in the world sometimes need someone to just sit and listen and not judge. With all of the crazy things happening in your family as a result of this marriage law it might have been a bit easy for you to get lost in the shuffle. But know this – Rose loves you very much and whoever Rose loves must be very special. I'll keep any secrets you share with me and I'll give my best advice if you ask for it.

Sincerely,

Scorpius H. Malfoy

Scorpius read the letter several times before sending it out with the owl. It sounded a bit….girly to him. Very emotional and mushy. But Hugo looked so lost and messed up that night. Scorpius was sincerely worried about him. Hugo had to know that Scorpius cared. With a firm nod, Scorpius rolled up the scroll and sent it off with his owl.

…

"Are you sure about this?" Scorpius had never looked more unhappy in the short time that Rose had been with him.

"Yes, I am," they were in a carriage that was being pulled by two thestrals. Just like they were back at Hogwarts. Except this was a far, far darker place than the castle Rose loved.

Azkaban prison was on an island. An island with sharp jagged cliffs and not a living thing in sight aside from the people in the carriage and the creatures pulling it. Apparition to and from the island was impossible. Scorpius and Rose Apparated to the edge of the mainland where a wizarding ferry boat took them across to the island and now the carriage was drawing them up to the gates.

"Merlin, I'm shaking already," she grumbled as she caught sight of the place. "All that's missing is a thunderstorm." It was like a fortress straight from a nightmare.

"You don't have-"

"I know that I don't have to, Scorpius, but I haven't changed my mind."

The carriage stopped just outside of the gates. A burly looking wizard rushed up and opened the door of the carriage for Rose and Scorpius to climb out. "Names?"

"Scorpius and Rose Malfoy," he said as he handed over their wands for inspection.

"Alright, Mrs. Malfoy, you're cleared to enter. Mr. Malfoy, I'm sorry but you'll have to stay here with me."

"I'm not even allowed to go in the facility?" He'd suspected as much but hated to have it confirmed.

"I'm afraid so," the guard said.

Another wizard approached to escort Rose to Nathan's cell. Before she went with him, however, she turned back, hugged Scorpius tightly, whispered, "I'll be right back," and kissed him briefly.

The guard led her into the prison and she gave a shiver; it was several degrees colder on the inside. "Sorry," he grunted. "You get used to it after a while."

"It's fine," it was the first moment Rose had begun to doubt her decision. The whole placed was screaming at her to run as far away as she could get. She remembered her dad talking about visiting the place when he was an Auror. Hermione would have to have something stronger than firewhiskey ready for him when he got home.

"You'll be put into his cell with him, but a Shield Charm will be between you. You're aware of how a shield charm works, I presume? You'll be able to see and hear each other perfectly but not touch."

"Good," she wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her arms vigorously in a failed attempt to warm herself up.

They climbed large stone steps and Rose couldn't help but glance at the occupants of the cells that they passed; they looked mostly like heaps of gray rags. "Look at you, you pretty little thing! Feel free to put her in my cell, Herb!" One prisoner called.

The guard growled and shot the prisoner a dirty look. "She's here to visit, not to stay. Make another remark like that again and you'll be moved to a cell without a window."

Rose kept her eyes down, staring at her feet after that. "Here we are," they had finally reached Nathan. She looked up and was surprised to find him looking mostly normal. He was paler, yes, and a bit gaunt, but overall he looked fairly healthy.

After the guard locked Rose into the cell with Nathan he retreated, giving them the privacy that the law required. "Thank you for coming," his voice was still strong and deep but held just a hint of depression. "I didn't think you would."

"I didn't even think twice about it," Rose wanted to smile at him in a reassuring way but found it hard to do. That must be the enchantment from the cell working on her magic. The tips of her fingers and toes tingled with a cold edge, as if the warmth was slowly being sucked out of her body.

"I have a few things that I wanted to say," Nathan began abruptly. Rose took a seat on a rickety wooden chair the prison provided for her, straight across from where Nathan sat on a ragged cot. "First I wanted to apologize."

"For?" she crossed her legs and folded her arms over her chest.

"For everything. I'm sorry for hurting you, impersonating Scorpius, hurting Al, and…and Norah. I know it's not an excuse, but you don't understand what kind of pressure I was under. My father…he…" Nathan gulped. "He put me under the Imperius Curse."

Rose raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "You expect me to believe that? Why didn't you tell me at your trial? Why haven't you told the guards? You can't just drag me in here, spout off lies, and expect me to go have Uncle Harry release you."

Nathan was shaking his head rapidly back and forth. "I'm still under it," the words sounded forced from him. "It's weaker when I'm in my cell. I can fight it and almost throw it off completely. But he's forbidding me from telling the authorities the truth. Whenever I try to tell anyone the truth, I can't if there's any type of guard or Auror within earshot."

"If you really want me to believe this shite you're going to have to explain it just a bit more."

"In the past I have hit Norah," Nathan looked away as he said this. "It was the only way I knew how to be because that's how my father was. I have always been a darker sort of wizard, Rose, and you know this. I've done and said many things that I shouldn't have. During Sixth Year at Hogwarts I began to drink. Like my father, I quickly became an alcoholic. The first time I met up with Dominique after receiving the letter that I was to marry her, I scared her. She tried to leave so I grabbed her…forcefully. Then I caught sight of my reflection in a storefront window. I saw a monster holding a scared girl and I let her go. She fled. That night I vowed to never drink again and I would really try to do my best to be a better wizard. When I got home, however, my father asked me to go find Norah. I said no. I honestly didn't care that she'd left without telling my family where she was. Father did. He put me under the Imperius Curse. After everything that happened the night I attacked you, he forced me to wait at the Hog's Head Tavern for someone to find me. He forced me to confess everything and take my sentence in Azkaban for it."

Rose thought back to that night. She had thought it was odd that Nathan didn't try to run. Nor did he try to sugar-coat what he'd done. He had repeated the facts to Harry calmly. Rose blanched. "But…"

He held up a hand to stop her from speaking. "One of his direct, implicit, instructions was to not tell the truth to the authorities. I can't seem to shake that one. I can still feel his presence on my will as we speak. I've already said it before but I'll say it again, I'm not a good wizard, Rose. But damn it, I wanted to try to be! I was terrible and vile. When we were at Hogwarts, talking about the marriage law, do you know what I said? I said that I wanted to marry you because you're fucking fit, your family is rich, and you have good social status."

Rose looked positively shocked. "You wanted me?"

"We all wanted you, you know. Scorpius was just the lucky bloke who won."

She felt her chest tighten. But before she could think too much about this, Nathan continued. "I went so far as to say that if you didn't want to have sex with me and we were married, I would force you to," she shook his head and gave a dry laugh. "I don't even know why I said that. To sound tough in front of my friends, I guess. Maybe I couldn't have changed who I was no matter what. Maybe I would have always been this dark evil guy, abusing women and being intoxicated every day for the rest of my fucking life. But unless you help me get this Curse lifted, I'll never know."

"How?" she asked. "Even if I did believe your story, nobody else will believe me. They'll think you tricked me."

"I've been thinking about that a lot, actually. Not much else to do in here but think," Rose shivered involuntarily at his words. Yes, she could feel the coldness creeping into her bones now. "There's an enchantment on these cells. I know you feel it. Draining your magic. The only way to lift the Imperius Curse is to either kill or seriously maim the caster. Both of those are illegal. What if you could just figure out whatever spell it is they have in place here at Azkaban and apply it to my father? Drain him of his magic and I won't be Imperiused any longer."

"There's another way, you know. The caster could remove the spell himself if it really is in place on you."

"He'll never do that." Nathan scoffed. Rose knew that unfortunately, he was probably right.

"Is there anything else you wanted to say before I leave?" She didn't want to tell him that she was seriously considering his request. She didn't want to tell him that despite how much she distrusted him, she sort of believed his story. Most of all, she didn't want him to know that she was starting to feel sympathetic for him.

"Yes," his rough voice cracked. "Tell Norah, Dominique, and Scorpius that I'm sorry."

….

Rose felt like she was gasping for fresh air by the time she reached Scorpius. Her body was weak, as predicted, and she was shaking uncontrollably. "Give her some chocolate, a Warming Spell, and let her sleep. She'll be just fine," the guard said to Scorpius.

Scorpius nodded, not saying anything as he scooped Rose up into his arms and took her into the carriage that carried them back across the island to the ferry. Rose said nothing. She couldn't speak as her teeth were chattering so badly and she was so tired.

He didn't set her down for an instant. She was in his arms all the way across the ferry and on their way back to Malfoy Manor. Scorpius tucked her into bed and had Rin bring her some chocolate. After eating as much as she could without making herself sick, Rose fell into an uneasy sleep. Scorpius cast a Warming Charm around her and retreated out of the bedroom, closing the door softly behind him.

"Master Scorpius?" he jumped at the high squeaky voice that startled him.

"Yes, Rin?"

"There is a wizard here to see you, Master. He is saying he is Mistress Rose's brother; Hugo."

"Thanks, Rin, did you let him in?" she shook her head, her bat-like ears flapping worriedly. "Well you can let him in. Hugo Weasley is always welcome here, understood?" she nodded her head quickly. "Take him into the parlor, I'll be there in a minute." Rin disappeared with a crack.

Hugo didn't know what he was doing here. Perhaps he shouldn't have come at all. But it was too late now. The bobbing little house elf led him to a parlor and he stood stiffly by the fireplace waiting for Scorpius.

"Hugo," he spun around to see Scorpius striding toward him. "Would you like a drink?"

"Yes, please," Hugo ran a hand nervously through his hair and took the drink Scorpius offered him. Scotch.

"Now, mate, what's going on?" Scorpius motioned for him to sit down and the two of them sat in armchairs across from each other by the fire.

Hugo looked away, staring at the flames. "I'm not really sure if I should tell you. You see, I've never told anyone, and now it's more important than ever to keep it a secret."

"You can trust me," Scorpius set his drink down and looked at his brother-in-law very seriously. "I'm your brother now. I want to help you. You haven't done anything illegal have you?"

"Not…really," Hugo winced.

Scorpius leaned back in his chair. "Just spit it out, Hugo. Get it off your chest and we can go from there."

"I'm seeing somebody."

"Well," Scorpius certainly had not been expecting that. "Good on you, mate! Who's the lucky bird?"

"That's the problem," Hugo still couldn't find it in himself to hold eye contact with Malfoy. "She's married."

Scorpius couldn't believe what he had just heard. "You can't be serious? How long has this been going on?"

"She and I have been dating for over a year now, secretly, because there's a bit of an age difference that had her worried about going public. Then that damn law went into effect. I ended things, Scorpius, I truly did. I told her I couldn't see her anymore and I ran away to fucking Italy for a few weeks trying to get over things. When I came back, she told me that the bloke she'd been assigned to marry had a girlfriend himself. She and her husband-to-be agreed that they could both keep seeing other people and just be married in print. Her husband is still seeing the other woman, and she is still seeing me. So it's not very wrong, is it?"

"Do you know what you're getting yourself into, mate? I mean, having an affair with a married woman isn't something you should do lightly. Even if her husband approves of it. I'm assuming that she's already married now?"

Hugo nodded. "It's Heather."

"You're yanking my wand," Scorpius gave a low whistle and dropped his head into his hand. "You're fucking your cousin's wife?"

"We're dating," the patient Ravenclaw corrected, "not just fucking."

"It's a messed up situation, I'll admit that, but everything makes so much sense now! Blimey! Nobody ever knew that you two were seeing each other?"

"I almost told Rose once but couldn't get the words out. We're three years apart and Heather thought that she would look bad if word got out about the two of us."

"Why would she think that would look bad?" Scorpius had been raised in a pureblood household. To him, a three year age difference was nothing. He'd heard about his own family members being married off when they were fifteen to wizards or witches two or three times their age.

Hell, wizards and witches tended to live abnormally long lifespans anyway, so many couples were several years, sometimes decades, apart. "She's muggle-born. In muggle society it's frowned upon because I'm still underage."

"Ah, yes, I see. Well, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you're in love with her?"

"I am."

"And no matter what happens, you're committed to this? You do realize that in a year you'll be subjected to this law?"

"Two years," Hugo clarified.

"I thought you're sixteen?"

"I am, but I have two years left at Hogwarts and the law doesn't apply to Hogwarts students."

"Does Fred know about this? How is your relationship with him? Aren't you two close friends?"

"I reckon we're pretty close, yes, but our relationship has been strained ever since he got engaged to Heather. To be honest I don't think he's even realized it yet because I've been trying really hard to not show it, but every time I'm around him now I want to punch him right in the face."

"So he must not be aware that it is you his wife is seeing?"

"No, he's not. All he knows is that she has a boyfriend. They have a house now and they have separate rooms. She's kept her flat in Hogsmeade and we meet up there."

"Godric this is all so messed up," Scorpius ran a hand over his face and sighed.

"You're telling me. So, brother, what's your best advice?"

For once in his life Scorpius Malfoy had no idea what to say. Eventually he settled on, "I want you to be happy, Hugo, and if this is what makes you happy, then go for it. But keep in mind how things are going to change in the future. I'm sure you two aren't the only affair that happened as a result of this law. How long will the Ministry let them continue? What will happen once you're married to someone else?"

Hugo was quiet. He'd already thought about those things and so much more. Always so logical and several steps ahead of what others were thinking. He honestly hadn't come here for advice, he'd just needed to vent about his problems. When it came down to it, Hugo Weasley was the brightest wizard his age but despite that, in this one instance, his heart was triumphing over his brain.