Chapter 13

And All That Is Old

She grit her teeth as she slid the key into the keyhole, feeling the shimmer of the wards that meant she could pass through them. She slowly pushed open the door, already regretting her decision. She stepped in and scanned her living room, belatedly wondering if there was a possibility that she'd forgotten to tidy it.

As if there is.

She removed her coat and hung it on the coat stand as she heard the door click shut and the crisp sound of Scorpius's shoes against the wooden floor. She felt the warmth of his body beside her as he took off his own coat, and she moved away and towards the kitchen, her feet already demanding that she take off her high-heeled shoes first.

"Would you like some tea?" she called over her shoulder, already raising the lid of the kettle and pouring some water into it.

"You really don't have to bother, it's absolutely fine if you pretend I'm not even here."

As if that's possible.

"It's my job as a hostess to make sure my guest is comfortable. So, do you want some tea or not?"

"Yes, I would love some, thank you," came the soft reply, as he eyed the carpet thoughtfully and then, his shoes.

She waved her wand and Summoned two pair of slippers. "You can wear the white ones," she said as she stirred the water in the kettle with her wand, watching it turn dark and begin to boil.

She heard him snort and glanced over her shoulder with pursed lips. "Are they not to your liking, Master Malfoy?" she asked sweetly and he chuckled, throwing her a grin that threw off her irritation.

"It's just that I'm not in the least bit surprised that you have an extra pair of indoor footwear."

"Of course. Hugo and Al always visit whenever they please, so I have a pair ready just in case."

"And your dad?"

She didn't reply immediately, as she continued to stir, letting the gentle aroma of the tea relax her. She heard him pad his way to the counter and perch on the barstool, and she placed the kettle on a tray along with two teacups and made her way to him. She could feel the intensity of his gaze on her as she diligently busied herself in the task of pouring the tea.

"Dad doesn't come very often," she finally said slowly as she turned the handle of his teacup toward him.

"Oh," was his only reply, as he thanked her and raised it to his lips. She placed the kettle down and stared at her own teacup as the steaming liquid swirled around. She knew he hadn't meant to, but he had brought up a topic that she consciously made sure not to think about and now that he had brought it up, she knew she wouldn't be able to just leave it alone.

"I don't go home very often," she told her teacup, stroking the handle gently. "Mum is always demanding that I do, but somehow or the other, I don't have the time of day, and even if I do… he's never there whenever I visit, anyway. Or he arrives just as I'm about to leave. Although he gave up on being an Auror, he still works undercover for Uncle Harry a lot – that and managing the shop… he's got enough on his plate as it is."

"Your mum doesn't visit?" he asked her after a time and she shook her head slightly.

"Mum respects my privacy. I'm like her when it comes to that. She knows that I don't like it when she forces herself on me uninvited, especially when I'm busy or exhausted. She gets what holding an important position in the Ministry is like."

"Yet she insists that you go home?"

Staring at her rapidly cooling tea, she wondered why in Merlin's name she was telling Scorpius Malfoy – who she had just had a very awkward day with, what with the almost-kiss, almost being caught, their almost-row, and then her snapping that since she had already agreed to let him stay, she would, being a woman of her word – her sob story.

"She only does that to let me know that I always have a place to return to other than this empty apartment," she said softly, her eyes burning when she thought about the last time she spoke with her mother. Hermione hadn't contacted her after she stormed out on her, except when she had sent the cookies she had baked and the scarf Ron had bought for Rose, a note attached to each, asking that she come home—as always.

"It's alright to take a few days off every now and then, you know," Scorpius said slowly and she finally looked up at him, swallowing back her tears.

"Absolutely not," she refused, wincing slightly when her voice shook. He smiled sadly at her.

"Rose, I'm here now. There's no need for you to push yourself to breaking point."

"But Renée isn't, and I can't just leave Lucas all to you. I barely know what he's capable of and he hasn't a clue on the workings of the department."

"He's moving into our joint office tomorrow. I'll make sure to show him the ropes."

"But," she said and he reached forward to touch her cheek. She immediately drew back and his eyes flashed, like he had been stung, and he let his hand drop.

"Why don't you take the rest of the week off? Meet Renée. Go home. Go visit your dad in the shop. Spend some time with your family."

"But, it's only Wednesday—"

"Rose, please," he said, his eyes taking on the same solemn look of complete honesty. She swallowed. He really did care about her.

"But, you're staying here now…"

He smiled and leaned back. "If I start on the renovations tomorrow, as planned, what with moving office and teaching Lucas the ways of the world, I'm sure I won't have a moment's time to spare. Barely enough to come home."

Her stomach did a funny little dance when she heard the word home leave his lips. He never called his own home, home. He never called the living quarters where he'd been staying, home. But her house, that he'd only come once or twice to, he was calling home. She looked down and laughed quietly, seeing him shift out of the corner of her eyes.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Yeah, alright." She nodded, causing his eyes to widen and his face to split into a grin.

"Wow, that was unnaturally easy."

"I suppose that converting the library and living quarters is going to be a mighty pain in the arse in itself, not to mention all the pending paperwork I have from Renée abruptly leaving."

"She's coming back next week, though, isn't she?"

"Yes, she doesn't have a choice – following protocol and all. I only let her take the week off because of the engagement. She'll be coming back next week till the end of the month. She already offered to take Lucas under her wing and teach him everything he needs to know, so you'll have him off your back earlier than later."

"I don't mind, really," he said with a shrug. "He could be fun to tease."

"Scorpius!" she admonished and he laughed—a pleasing, carefree sound. She'd never seen him laugh so wholeheartedly before.

"What?" he asked, as he dabbed at his eyes and she shook her head.

"I was just thinking that this is so different than when we were at Hogwarts. I wouldn't have dreamed of sitting in my house and laughing with you like this, back then."

"Yeah," he said lightly, his eyes glinting with a far-off look of yearning. It immediately vanished as he grinned at her and waggled his eyebrows. "So you're saying you're glad that I forced myself on you, eh?"

She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. "Don't be mistaken. I let you force yourself on me. There's a difference."

"Of course," he replied, bringing his hand to his chest and bowing.

She giggled and smacked his head, making him gasp in mock indignation. She threw her head back and laughed, suddenly feeling her throat constrict and tears collect in her eyes. She laughed and sniffed, feeling completely stupid, as she brushed away the tears and chuckled at his look of concern.

"I'm only tired. You better get used to my random mood swings, if you're going to live with me."

His eyes darkened thoughtfully and she belatedly realised what she had said, but she was too overcome to bother, just then. He walked around the counter to her and held his hand out unsurely. She slapped it with a laugh and stepped up to him, leaning her forehead against his chest. When she felt his strong arms wrap around her, she sighed and relaxed.

"We are so silly, aren't we?" she mumbled against his chest and she smiled when his chest vibrated as he chuckled quietly.

"Haven't we always been?"

She slowly pulled back to look at him and he smiled questioningly down at her. "I think I may have been wrong," she murmured thoughtfully and he raised his eyebrows.

"About what?" he asked, and she could hear the hint of panic in his voice.

Her eyes drifted down to his lips and she shook her head slightly. "About everything."

And she leaned up and pressed her lips softly to his, sighing when he drew her against him and kissed her back. It was a slow, gentle kiss. Nothing at all like the one they had shared before. That one had been overwhelming to a degree of intoxication, with the jumble of emotions like aggression, passion, confusion, desire and everything in between. But this one was intoxicating in its own gentle, warm and tender way – like the lull of the ocean as the waves roll onto the glistening sand, leaving behind its caressing touch.

It was nothing like she had ever imagined and everything like she had ever dreamed off.

When she pulled away, she didn't, really. Their faces were inches apart and she could feel his hot breath mingle with hers. She slowly opened her eyes to look into his clear silver ones. She could see that he had come to the same conclusion as her, from the glittering clarity in his eyes – completely different from the molten grey of thunderclouds that they had seen before.

She smiled slightly when he reached up to brush her bangs out of her eyes and breathed deeply, letting the fullness of her lungs settle against the peaceful warmth that enveloped her.

"What did you mean," he murmured, his hand still brushing back her hair, "when you said you were wrong about everything?"

"I meant that I take back what I said about never expecting to be like this with you."

She knew that her words were vague and were giving him the hope that he desperately seemed to need, but that was how she meant it to be, and she wanted to see if he would be able to grasp it and react to it as she expected him to.

He pushed his fingers slowly through her hair, leaving their warmth along her scalp. "So you knew this would happen?"

She smiled despite herself. How had she ever doubted that he would betray her expectations and fail to play along perfectly with absolutely no hesitation?

"No, but I probably hoped it would, although, I would never have admitted it all my life."

"So why are you admitting it now?" he asked softly, his eyes tracing the contours of her face—the flatness of her forehead, the dip of her eyes, the soft bulge of her cheekbones, the sharpness of her nose, the curve of her lips…

"It wouldn't do this moment justice if I didn't," she replied lightly, feeling like she was being caressed by the clouds and floating through the air as a gentle breeze played across her face.

"I would say I loved you, but that would only do more harm than good."

"Smart."

"I believe I am," he said with a hint of a tease, "after all, I did beat you in every test in every year until the very end."

She pressed her mouth to his then, intent on shutting him up before he ruined the moment. But as he began to kiss back, she pulled away and said with a sparkle in her eye, "But I caught up to you in the end, didn't I?"

That didn't seem to elicit the expected reaction, as his smile softened and he brushed her cheek with his thumb. "Oh, but you are so wrong, Miss Weasley."

"Am I?" she asked, hearing the familiar challenge in her voice even as she cursed herself for her stubbornness to let it go. She didn't want the moment to end. Not yet.

Not yet.

"Yes," he replied, his voice like silk.

"How so?" she asked, consciously removing the bite from it.

"Because the one doing the chasing has always been me, and the one being chased has always been you."

She stared into his eyes, his soft words settling like feathers around her mind. She opened her mouth, but no voice would come out. And even if it did, she could find no words to reply to that. Is that how he had felt about her? All these years? Her heart started to race and she could feel the bubble of calm and solitude around her slowly deflating.

"Scorpius," she said urgently, unsure of what she wanted from him at the moment.

"Shh," he replied, pressing his lips to hers. "Don't ruin it just yet."

And she closed her eyes and leaned into the kiss, reveling at the feel of his lips against hers, at the feel of his palm pressed against the small of her back, at the feel of him gently caressing her auburn curls, at the feel of his broad chest against her, at the feel of his soft, silky locks under her fingers, at the feel of the warmth radiating from him, at the feel of his firm arms around her, at the feel of the complete peace and belonging that enveloped her whole…

She could sense it without even having to think about it. That was where she belonged. In his arms, surrounded by his warmth, allowing herself to let go and trust him completely.

That was where she had always belonged.

From so, so long before.

A/n: -sighs- Yes I have waited so long for this. Anybody else notice certain lines in this chappie that are similar to ones from somewhere else in this story?

Quite a short chapter but I was so thoroughly satisfied with it that I wanted to leave it be.

Thoughts?