A/N: For those of you who follow some of my other stories, you might see a trend. That trend is this: for each of my stories, there is one central scene that I envision in my head that I form the entire story around; it could be one conversation or one revelation or one event. For this story there was more than just one of those and most of them will happen in the NEXT chapter.

Which explains why THIS chapter was so difficult for me to write. I had to set everything up just right for what's to come. I hope it's okay. This chapter feels a little choppy to me, what do you all think?

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

WARNING: Language, mention of abuse, and light sexual references.

….

"Is he capable of it? Absolutely. Would he actually do it? I'm not so sure," Norah replied tiredly as they sat down on the sofa together.

"Why not?"

"Well, for one thing he wouldn't need to. Nathan always did whatever our father wanted him to. For another, I can't see my dad taking that sort of risk. If he were caught, he would be sent to Azkaban."

"True, but isn't it much more likely that Nathan would get caught doing something and thrown into Azkaban for it without question seeing as how he doesn't exactly have a clean record?"

"Rose, what is this all about? Did Nathan say something to you while you were there? Because if he did, I can almost guarantee it was a lie." Normally Rose would have been in complete agreement with this. But there was something so genuine and honest about Nathan's confession that day in his cell.

"He told me that your father put him under the curse and forced him to do what he did to both of us."

"I wouldn't believe that," Norah shook her head with a frown. "Nathan has hit me before, and I've heard rumors about him hitting past girlfriends. I always knew those things would escalate the older he got, like my dad. I knew that someday he would end up in Azkaban for going too far."

"I just…I think this might be worth looking into," Rose said desperately. If she was wrong, she would feel like such a fool. Plus, part of her hoped very much that the man her cousin had to marry really hadn't been acting of his own accord when he attacked Rose and Norah.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't think there's any truth to it."

….

"Mum? Can I talk to you?" Rose very rarely wanted parental advice. Normally she did things her own way and that was that. But this was something that her mother would know much more about than her.

"Of course," Hermione Weasley motioned to the chair in front of her desk. They were at her office at the Ministry and it was the middle of a busy day.

Rose sat down, smoothed her skirt, and asked, "Are they going to pass the amendment to the marriage law?"

Hermione surveyed Rose for a minute before saying quietly, "I don't know."

"But this doesn't make any sense! How could they possibly regulate such a law? Aren't there other ways they could help couples get along? Why isn't anyone shooting down this idea right away?"

"All of the finer details are being worked out by a special committee. While I'm not privy to all of the things discussed, from what I have heard the Ministry would forbid use of contraceptives and set a minimum number of times each couple would have to engage in intercourse each week. While this does not guarantee conception, it would definitely up the odds. Before you ask, the answer is yes, I do think it would be possible for them to monitor such things. To answer your second question, there have been other ideas submitted to the Marriage Law Committee including marriage counseling and uses of special spells and potions to help the couples connect better and understand each other. Nobody is shooting this idea down right away because it is a viable option. It would also help increase the depleting numbers in the wizarding population. They would be 'killing two birds with one stone,' as the muggles say. I am no longer on that committee because I have personal attachments in the case. However, I trust several people on the committee to make the right decisions. Kingsley Shacklebolt, Ernie Macmillan, and Dennis Creevey to name a few."

Rose didn't say a word. She stood, turned, and began striding toward the exit. "Rose! Where are you going?"

"To write a very strongly worded article!"

….

Hello to all of my faithful readers. Normally my articles are full of mirth and humor. But not today. Today there is too much anger in my veins to keep the bitterness out of my writing. Today is a day that I have decided things have gone too far. Today I will be the first to publicly voice my opinions on the workings of our Ministry.

The Ministry of Magic has a special committee comprised of several prominent workers in Magical Law Enforcement who are currently working on solutions to the problems created by the Marriage Law. The solution they are currently leaning toward will force each married couple to do their best to produce children. That's right, for those of you who haven't heard, the Ministry now thinks they have the right to command their subjects to procreate.

First, allow me to say that the Marriage Law which has been in effect for less than six months has already been causing a great deal of trouble to the Ministry. While some couples are working hard to make their marriages work and are truly happy, others are miserable. If you are miserable with the person you are married to, why the bloody hell would you want to have a child with him/her?

Secondly, there are other solutions! Couples counseling, allowing divorce in certain cases, better communication, or even spells and potions! Making babies is not the only way to solve these problems and, in all likelihood, it would just end up causing more problems. Already unhappy couples will have more to argue about and we will be taking a huge step backward instead of the steps forward that we need to take.

As a whole, the wizarding community has been accepting of the marriage law because arranged marriages are common in our society. Most couples who were already dating were paired together for marriage so most of the couples were strangely happy about this law. However, this is where we need to draw the line. Not when the Ministry knocks on your door and demands you have at least X number of children. Not when the Ministry takes this even further and begins to make attendance at Hogwarts mandatory for said children like they did when Voldemort was behind such ridiculous notions. Not before they do anything else. The time is now.

We have already let them take too much. We have already let them take away too many of our freedoms. Have we forgotten, my fellow witches and wizards, that the Ministry exists to serve us and not the other way around? Have we forgotten that we have individual rights and freedoms? Write to your Ministry, participate in protests, and oppose this absurd proposition! Let them know that we have had ENOUGH.

I am done being stepped on like a doormat. I am done letting others dictate my life. I can only hope that you are all with me.

Yours Most Humbly,

Modest Monica

…

"I love it," said Scorpius honestly. "It was a brilliant move to call Voldemort by name and compare his laws to this one. I bet that will really open some people's eyes."

"You have to remember that hardly anybody knows what the Ministry is considering. And I admit, I have a…erm, ulterior motive behind it also," Rose blushed and Scorpius looked at her curiously, waiting for further explanation. "If people become angry enough, they will force the Ministry to back down off of this. This will give unhappy couples a chance to adjust and do their best while the Ministry reevaluates the situation."

"What do you know about unhappy couples?" Scorpius had done his best to keep Rose from finding out about Hugo and Heather, as he had promised his brother-in-law that he would not tell Rose. But why was she suddenly concerned about the miserable ones? Had she stumbled upon a letter from Hugo to Scorpius?

Rose hadn't told Scorpius about Fred because she was giving Ophelia a chance to come clean to Liam. Rose knew that Scorpius's loyalty was to Liam, not Fred, and she didn't blame him for that. But Fred was her cousin and she would do her best to protect him. "I know that Fred and Heather aren't very happy," she settled on neutrally; at least it was truthful! "And Fred is one of my best friends. I really believe that if he had to have children with Heather, they would only grow to resent each other even more."

"I know. I always think about Liam and Adara. They really deserve to be together, but because of the Ministry, they can't be. It's not fair."

An owl swooped into the open window and dropped a letting onto Rose's lap before flying out again. "Who is it from?" asked Scorpius. Despite being married, Rose and Scorpius led very separate lives. She didn't always include him on what was going on in her life and how her family was. Apparently being independent had been too deeply ingrained in her for her to be very sharing with him.

"James," said Rose, knowing instinctively that her husband felt left-out. "That was his owl. His owl is a male named Barnabas."

"Barnabas?"

"Yes, Barnabas the barn owl," Rose said absently as she read the contents of the letter. Oh dear Merlin, what should she do now? The letter read:

Rose,

I think that Fred's wife is cheating on him. I heard from a reliable source that she still has her flat in Hogsmeade and that she occasionally spends nights there. I do not want to go to Fred without proof, so would you be willing to go with me and spy on her place? We can bring Al and Louis along, too, if you'd like, but I need you to come with me because you're the quietest, sneakiest, and smartest.

Love,

James

"What does it say?" Rose gave a startled jump when Scorpius spoke.

"He just wants me to stop by for a visit," she felt instantly guilty as Scorpius gave her a genuine smile.

"You should go," he told her. "You haven't spent a lot of time with your family lately. I'll stay here, maybe watch a movie or two, and I'll see you tonight."

"Okay," she kissed his cheek and rushed to Godric's Hollow.

…

Now she was in trouble. Did she betray Fred's confidences by telling James the truth? That both Heather and Fred agreed to not be monogamous? Or did she let him carry on like an idiot and investigate Heather's supposed affair? Then again, Rose was curious herself as to who Heather was secretly seeing. Fred said that he didn't care, but was curious.

The best option that Rose could think of was to get Fred involved with this little ragtag team of investigators. When she reached James's house, Leila wasn't there. James was pacing worriedly in front of his fireplace with his hands locked behind his back.

"What took you so long? Why didn't you Floo?" he scolded as she let herself into the house.

Honestly, it was because she needed time to think, but she couldn't tell James that. "I fancied a walk."

"I tell you that our best friend's wife might be cheating on him and you took your time getting your arse over here because you fancied a walk?"

"Yes."

"Women! I'll never understand you! Alright, Rose, hurry up and transfigure your clothes. They need to be black. You should also be wearing trousers instead of that dress, in case we have to climb."

"Climb?" she balked. "What the hell will we be climbing?"

"I don't know what floor she lives on, so we might have to climb onto the roof of the building next to her flat so we can listen. I have these Extendable Ears, but I don't think they would reach very high."

"Listen, James, I think that maybe Fred should come with us."

"What?"

"Well you said that you didn't want to concern him without proof, right? What better proof would there be than seeing it with his own eyes?"

James considered this. "Alright, good point. Let's get over there." This time they used the Floo.

Rose went first and was relieved to find that Fred was there, alone, working in his study on a potion. The simmering cauldron had Rose backing up a few steps for safety reasons. "It won't explode," said Fred with a chuckle.

Before she had the chance to warn him about why she was there, James joined them. "Fred! Mate. Rose and I have something really serious we need to discuss with you."

Fred frowned, looking confused and nervous as he sat down on top of his desk, next to the cauldron that was now startling to bubble. "What's wrong?"

"I think that Heather might be cheating on you. She still has her flat in Hogsmeade and I've heard rumors that she stays there sometimes."

Fred glanced up at Rose. She wore a neutral expression that clearly said, 'You might as well tell him the truth.'

Grudgingly, Fred averted his eyes and said, "I know. Yes, she is cheating on me, but not really. I mean, we're married and she's sleeping with someone else, but I'm okay with that. We agreed that we can date other people. It's not like we chose to get married. It's not like we actually want to be together."

James's expression changed from concerned, to dumbfounded, to…envious? "Are you kidding me? You're shagging two birds and your wife doesn't care? Damn it, Fred, why are you always so lucky?"

Fred gave a surprised laugh before correcting the misconception. "I'm not having sex with Heather. We had to, on our wedding night, but since then we haven't. We're just friends. What are you saying, anyway? Do you want someone else besides Leila?"

"No," James answered honestly. "Even though I have entertained the idea of a threesome…" he shook his head. "I just meant that for you and others in your situation, you know, who aren't in love, it would be ideal to have several girls ready and willing to shag you while knowing about each other."

"Guys, can we please not talk about this? Scorpius and I are completely monogamous and happy about it. Stop making me nervous that I'm not enough for him," Rose snapped.

"From the way he's been strutting around, I sometimes worry he's not enough for you," James teased. "Do you ever let that bloke out of bed?"

Rose turned scarlet, "Of course I do! I'm here with you now, aren't I?"

"That's very true. Speaking of which, why don't we get back to the topic at hand? Where is your friend tonight, Fred? With her boyfriend?"

"Yes, actually, I believe she is. I told her to keep her flat in Hogsmeade because she insists on being all secretive about him."

"Well I do just so happen to have these spectacular omnioculars handy for this occasion. We could always pop on over to Hogsmeade and see for ourselves who Heather is with," James surprised everyone when he extracted three pairs of omnioculars from his 'spy gear bag' as it was clearly labeled.

"We can't just barge over there! She has a right to privacy and if she doesn't want to tell anyone who she is dating then that's her right-"

Rose was interrupted swiftly by Fred. "Honestly, Rose, you were going to go spy on Heather in those clothes? Here, hold still while I transfigure them. They should be black. And I'm going to turn that skirt into a pair of trousers. For Merlin's sake, woman, what if we have to climb something?"

James gave her an 'I told you so' look and Rose slapped a hand to her forehead at their combined idiocy.

…

The awkward trio, dressed from head-to-toe in black, stuck to the late evening shadows in the village of Hogsmeade as they made their way toward Heather's flat. Rose wasn't sure if this was a very good idea, but the logical side of her brain was silenced quickly by her desire for adventure.

This was something she'd missed greatly during her last year at Hogwarts. Sneaking around the castle with James and Fred. The only things missing were the Invisibility Cloak, which was currently in Al's possession, and the Marauder's Map. But they didn't need the Map as it didn't show the village of Hogsmeade.

Now look at them! All married, graduated, on their way to really growing up. Rose felt a pang of nostalgia as James glanced up at the building and nodded; this was where Heather lived. After skimming around the ground floor, it was deduced that her flat must be on the second level.

James and Fred sometimes liked to pretend to be muggles and do things the muggle way. This was no exception. There was, as James predicted, a building close to the place where Heather lived that they could scale. Fred and James silently knelt down and braced their hands in a pose Rose was familiar with.

She wedged her right foot into James's hands and her left foot into Fred's. "On three," Fred hissed, "One, two, THREE!" he and James both hoisted Rose up and flung her high. The upper half of her body landed with a soft thump on the tiled roof and she wriggled her lower half, shimmying herself onto the roof.

"Here comes the bag!" James's 'spy gear bag' came up out of nowhere and Rose caught it easily. After digging through it she managed to find one pair of omnioculars and one Extendable Ear. With the rubber end in her own ear, she watched as the other end stretched to the window of the adjoining building.

"The shades are drawn," Rose whispered down the boys, "so I can't see into the flat, but the window is cracked open. Oh, hold on!" she could hear something. Yes, this was definitely Heather's flat. "We have the right window, boys, I just heard Heather say that she was going to get a drink. Come on, hurry up!" Rose glared down at the two dark forms, as night was quickly upon them and it was becoming difficult for her to see.

James took several steps back then took a running leap at the building. He firmly planted one foot on the brick wall and propelled himself up, hooking his hands onto the ledge and hoisting himself onto the roof with Rose. Fred mimicked James's actions exactly and the three of them huddled together with their Extendable Ears and omnioculars.

"I think they're snogging," said James conversationally as the three of them heard unmistakable sounds of saliva being exchanged. Rose made a face and Fred looked thoughtful, as if he was a professor who was grading Heather and her boyfriend on their kissing techniques.

Then came the rustling clothing. "We're not going to listen to them shag, are we?" she asked.

"Why not?" Fred argued.

"Is that considering cheating?" James wondered casually. "Because I don't know if I should be listening to two other people have sex while I'm a married man!"

"What's happened to you two?" Fred asked sadly. "So law-abiding and upright now. What happened to my little troublemakers?"

"Even you have to admit that this might just be crossing a line," Rose scrunched up her nose and pulled the rubber end of her Extendable Ear away so she couldn't hear the sounds from inside the flat.

"Listen!" Fred hissed and Rose shoved it back in.

Heather was saying quietly, "Oh! Do that again! That thing with your tongue…oh, Merlin, yes!" The man she was with chuckled throatily as he continued whatever it was that he was doing.

"Damn it, I thought she was going to say his name!"

"Maybe his name really is Merlin," Rose said cheekily. The boys rolled their eyes.

Ignoring Rose's lame joke, Fred said, "If a girl is that vocal and they're not even shagging yet, then she's probably going to be a screamer, and if she's a screamer…"

"…then she'll definitely scream his name," James finished the thought for him.

"Exactly."

"How do you know they're not shagging yet?" asked Rose.

"Trust me, you'd hear different sounds than the ones we're hearing. Now be quiet and start listening for her to say a name!"

They were all silent for a few seconds. Fred and James both appeared to be taking this seriously, as if they'd actually been given a secret mission from the Minister himself while Rose was fighting the urge to drop her Extendable Ear and run away. Things were getting heated in there now; there was panting, sighing, a deep groan from the bloke, and a girlish mew from Heather.

"They're definitely shagging," said Rose, looking unnerved.

"No they're not," James and Fred said together. Then there was a simultaneous cry from Heather and a gasp from the man. Noises that could be heard now were louder and unmistakably skin against skin. "Okay, now they're shagging," Fred had the decency to look uncomfortable as he made this announcement. But how different was this, really, than when the boys at Hogwarts could overhear their fellow dorm mates shagging? How different was this than living in a flat and being able to hear the people on the other side of the wall fucking against it? This wasn't the first time any of them had overheard two people having sex. It was just the first time they'd intentionally listened in.

"Merlin's saggy balls!" Rose snarled, she hadn't wanted to hear this!

"Oh! Uh!" Yes, Heather was a screamer. Rose was just about to drop her Extendable Ear (the only reason she still clutched it to her head was because she'd been frozen in shock) when Heather screamed, "Oh, Hugo!"

"HUGO?!" James, Fred, and Rose yelled all at the same time.

The noises from inside the flat stopped. Heather squeaked, there was the thudding of footsteps, and the curtains framing the window were yanked open. Hugo stood gaping at them, naked from his waist up (which was all they could see of him, but they rightly assumed the rest of him was naked as well). His chest glistened with sweat, his hair was mused, and he was just slightly out of breath.

His girlfriend stood behind him, blocked from view by his body, peeking up over his shoulder to see who had caught them. "What the fuck?" Hugo growled.

"You're the guy that's been fucking my wife?" was the first eloquent thing that came out of Fred's mouth.

"Ah, shit," Hugo grimaced and scratched the back of his head. "Can we talk about this later guys? We're kind of busy in here," Hugo pulled the curtains shut.

"AT LEAST PUT UP AN IMPERVIUS CHARM SO WE DON'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO IT!" Rose called to them.

…

One hour later, Hugo, Rose, Fred, and James sat at a table in the Hog's Head. Heather had been too embarrassed to join them and no one blamed her. They drank their butterbeers in silence until Rose cleared her throat and said, "Let me just say that I think I will forever be scarred by the sounds I heard coming from that flat tonight."

Hugo gave her an apologetic smirk. "Sorry, Sis, but nobody told you to spy on us."

"We just wanted to know who she was seeing! Now it's obvious why she was embarrassed about it!" Rose smacked him upside the head to emphasize her statement.

"Fred? Say something?" Hugo prodded.

Fred shrugged. At first he looked angry, like he was about to lunge across the table and throttle his cousin. But then something in his expression cracked and Rose realized that he was doing his best to not laugh at the situation. Apparently he couldn't take it any longer because he suddenly burst into raucous laughter.

"I can't!" Fred was laughing too hard to speak in complete sentences. "Believe! That you two! Oh…Godric! This is hilarious!"

"How is this funny?" Hugo asked Rose and James but they both shrugged.

"I'm a bit relieved to be honest," said Fred once he's calmed down. "I was worried that Heather might be dating some tosser or a bloke who was married and not telling his wife about their affair. I'm glad it's you, mate," Fred clapped Hugo on the shoulder. "Heather's one of my best friends."

"I know."

"Take care of her, yeah?"

Hugo snorted. "I have been for over a year."

"Seriously?"

"Yes, we've been dating for a while now but she didn't want to tell anyone because of the age difference. I'm not even seventeen yet."

"Ah, yeah, I understand."

At the same time, all four of them brought their bottles to their mouths and took a few long gulps. None of them wanted to discuss this anymore.

…

"We're getting married tomorrow," Albus sang happily as he enveloped Norah into his arms and kissed her neck. She giggled and leaned into him.

"You'd better get out of here, Mr. Potter," she teased. "You're not supposed to see the bride the day of the wedding and we don't have too long before midnight."

"Alright," despite his word of agreement, he snuggled into her even more, molding his body to fit around hers.

"Albus," she whined, wanting him more each moment, but knowing that he had to leave for the sake of tradition.

"Fine, I'm going," he kissed her passionately on the lips and was gone. Norah sighed. She couldn't do this. She was so close to having everything she'd ever wanted and she couldn't go through with it. At least not without him accepting her; all of her. She'd barely touched on the topic of her abusive upbringing and she'd never told him that she had requested him to marry.

So she told him the only way she could bring herself to; in writing.

…

Albus,

Before we get married there are some things that I had to get off of my chest. You know that I had an abusive childhood but I don't think you know the extent of it. My father was an alcoholic who would come home every night and abuse my mother, my brother, and me. Mum never tried to stop him from hitting us. Sometimes I think she liked it because it meant that he wasn't hitting her.

She would threaten us with it sometimes, too. If we misbehaved or if she got mad at us, she would tell us that when our dad got home she was going to tell him what 'awful little brats' we were. Nathan got it worse than I did most of the time, but not always. When I turned eleven and started Hogwarts I was sorted into Hufflepuff. That was the first time Nathan raised a hand to me.

For a long time I didn't blame him. Violence was the only way we knew to express emotions from our parent's examples. However, I was luckier than Nathan. Aunt Astoria and Uncle Draco let me spend all the time I wanted at their mansion. On more than one occasion I stayed at Scorpius's place for longer than a month at a time. Nathan was always invited as well, but he rarely came with me. I think that it made him bitter to see how well Scorpius was treated by his parents while ours were so horrible to us.

I noticed you right away. At Hogwarts. You were clearly adored by so many and I envied you more than I had envied Scorpius. You had siblings and cousins and so many friends! You were so genuinely nice that I couldn't help liking you. I don't think I fancied you then, but there was definitely some attraction and maybe even a bit of misplaced affection.

As I grew up I made a place for myself in the world. I studied with Mr. Ollivander, I earned good grades, I made friends at Hogwarts. I wasn't happy but I was content. My plans for after graduation were all in place. I was finally going to be free. Then the letters came. You know the ones. The marriage law. But I received one extra letter that you didn't.

Purebloods were allowed to put down three names; names of the witches/wizards they wanted to marry who were of a different blood status. I could request any bloke in the whole wizarding world who wasn't a pureblood, or married, or underage! You were the first person that came to mind. The only person, really. I was shy and didn't know many blokes. I tried dating Lorcan in the past, but things didn't work out and he was a pureblood.

I wrote your name down as my first choice. You were the only person I could think of. The only person who I trusted enough. And I didn't even really know you! I know it probably sounds a bit creepy, but I just knew that you were a good wizard. I knew that you would treat me right, how I should have been treated my whole life. I knew that if someday I ever wanted children, I wanted them to have a home different than the one I had.

When the Ministry wrote and told me that they'd actually put us together, as per my request, I was shocked! I was scared and so nervous but also very happy. You have no idea how surprised and overjoyed I was to discover that you were all I could have asked for in a potential husband and so much more.

I've fallen in love with you, which is something I didn't anticipate. I've never been in love before, but so far it's pretty amazing. Even if the Ministry wasn't forcing us to marry, I hope that one day we would have ended up here anyways. Maybe we would have met somewhere else at another time and gotten to know each other and still would have gotten married. I like to hope so.

I'm sorry for possibly taking away your chances of being with someone else who you might have wanted more. But I hope that in time you can forgive me and grow to love me, too.

Love Always,

Norah

…..

Norah,

I know that you'd kill me if I came over since it's after midnight and we're not supposed to see each other until you're walking down the aisle, but I had to reply to your letter immediately.

First of all, let me just say that I would gladly chuck your mum, dad, and brother into Azkaban for the abuse they did to you. However that is outside of my control and I am so glad that you're out of there now.

Do you want to know the truth? When we were at Hogwarts I noticed you, too. Like you said, my family was close and you were best friends with Lucy. I thought you were sweet and brave. I sometimes wished that I could be more like you; quiet, introverted, keep to myself. But when you're a Potter that's just not an option. You could blend in and go unnoticed when you wanted. Except by me, apparently.

I was shocked when the Ministry gave me your name. I'd never spoken to you before, and to be honest, I don't know if I would have if the Ministry hadn't forced me to. I've always been interested in getting to know you but I never thought you'd want someone like me and I never thought to actually go for it. Like you said, I'd like to think that we would have ended up here eventually anyway, but we'll never know.

The important thing is that we're there now. We're both there, Nor. We're both in love.

I love you and I'll see you at the altar.

Yours,

Albus

…

After a good night of sleep, Albus Potter woke up feeling nervous knots in the pit of his stomach. Norah could have requested any bloke she wanted and she'd chosen him. He wondered if others had put his name down. He was so lucky to have been dealt this hand in life. He was so lucky that Norah had been so smart. Smarter than him at any rate.

To get ready for his wedding, he went to James's house. Unsurprisingly, Rose was there. His best friend. Knowing that Albus would need space, Rose ushered everyone out except for her and James. "Nervous, Al?" she asked.

"Yeah," he breathed, his palms were sweaty. Did Norah really love him? And did she really tell him for the first time in a letter? Merlin, last night barely felt real. Was this all a dream? He hoped not.

"Don't be, Norah is amazing and you're amazing and you two are going to get married and having amazing babies and live happily ever after," Rose brushed off his shoulders and smoothed down his dress robes as she spoke.

"But the babies will come when we're ready for them and not when the Ministry tells us to have them," said Al seriously. "Did you read that Modest Monica article? Damn, that girl seems to always know everything that's going on! She was spot on about the Ministry though and a lot of people have listened to her advice. Dad said that Kingsley is getting owls by the hundreds. All of them angry about the baby thing. It's amazing how much power that writer has."

Rose pulled her most innocent face. "Yes, I did read what she wrote. Brilliant witch she is."

"One of these days someone is going to figure out who she is. I wonder if people would still listen to her if her identity was revealed," he mused. James and Rose shrugged.

"Stop fidgeting, Al, I'm trying to pin this bloody boutonniere on your lapel," James growled.

"Can I ask you guys something?" Albus asked nervously.

"Course you can," said Rose distractedly as she applied her lipstick and tugged at her dress.

"How did you guys react when Scorpius and Leila told you that they chose you? Did it freak you out or were you okay with it?"

"What?" asked Rose in confusion.

James frowned and replied. "I was surprised. I was a bit mad that she didn't consult me first, because we were best mates, but I'm definitely happy she did it."

"Did what?" Rose asked, her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"Blimey," said James with wide eyes. "Scorpius didn't tell you?"

"Didn't tell me what?" Rose was yelling now.

"The purebloods chose who they wanted to marry," said James. "Which means that Scorpius chose to marry you, Rose, before you two were assigned to each other."

….

A/N: Before any of you ask, YES, Rose will be upset about this. Probably more upset than you think she will be because of something that was said in a previous chapter. Can anyone spot it?

The next chapter is going to be jam packed with drama so be ready for that! I don't know when it will be up, I haven't written it yet, but it might take a few days because I'm not sure how long it will be.

Any predictions as to what's coming up in future chapters? A few reviewers are actually pretty close on their guesses! You guys are great!

Yours,

MofDA