A/N: I apologize for the wait for this part of the story but it took me a while to decide what I wanted to do with it. I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, blah, blah, blah...
Today, I stand at another wedding watching the emotions flashing in Rose's eyes. There are many similarities between this wedding and the last one I watched. The guests are the same, the food smells just as good, the bride's eyes are shining with happiness, and the groom looks exactly like he did the last time I saw him standing in this very same spot . His grey eyes are looking at his bride in adoration and joy. In fact the only thing that seems to have changed is the bride herself and her maid of honor.
As I see Rose walking down the aisle towards Scorpius standing next to me I reflect on how we got here today.
"Albus, why is Rose avoiding me?" Lily asks one sunny afternoon a couple months after her wedding.
I stand up and start to pace across her kitchen, thinking about whether I should answer her question truthfully.
Lily watches me with curiosity in her huge, innocence filled eyes. Despite being twenty-three and married she has retained her childish nature. I don't want to be the one to take away that carefree happiness.
"Why don't you ask Rose herself?" I say quietly.
"She's avoiding me! She hasn't said more than a couple words to me in months. When I walk in a room, she walks out. I just want to know why she doesn't want to be near me," Lily cries desperately.
"Lily, I don't know exactly why she's avoiding you. I'll talk to her about it but I think it would be best if you just corner her and ask her yourself," I tell her,hating myself for lying to her about it but knowing it wasn't my secret to tell.
I look at Lily and think I see regret and guilt flashing in her eyes behind her happy smile. I know she feels guilty that she didn't see how much her marriage to Scorpius hurt Rose and regrets that this wedding didn't happen sooner. She said herself that she had always expected Scorpius to leave her for Rose eventually. That's why she wasn't all that surprised when she figured out Rose was in love with Scorpius.
"Al, how long have you known that Rosie is in love with Scorpius?"
I jump, startled to find my sister sitting at my kitchen table when I walk into my apartment after work.
"Well...since...before your wedding," I stammer.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You were about to marry him! What did you want me to do? 'Congrats on your engagement, sis, oh by the way your maid of honor is in love with your fiancee.' That would have really gone over well!"
Lily just stands there, glaring at me, then walks out my apartment door.
"You still should have told me," I hear her mutter as she pulls the door shut.
Rose smiles at Scorpius as they join hands to start the ceremony and I know she can hardly believe that he is finally hers. I can barely believe it myself, after having watched them chase each other around in circles for so many years.
"Albus, have you seen Rose anywhere?" Scorpius' voice wakes me up early one morning.
I look past Scorpius, through my bedroom doorway to where Rose's head has just appeared over the back of my living room couch,the place she's slept pretty much every night for the last couple weeks. She gives a slight shake of her head.
"Ummm...no. Did you check the Burrow?" I ask Scorpius. Out in my living room I see Rose gathering up her clothes and preparing to sneak out the window to the fire escape.
"Yes."
"Did you check at her parent's house?"
"Yes!" I hear a note of impatience in his voice. He starts to turn around.
"I'll help you look!" I quickly scramble out of my bed to keep Scorpius from turning around and seeing Rose as she disappears out the window.
"No, it's fine. I'd rather find her myself. Lily told me something very interesting this morning and I'd really like to talk to Rose about it," Scorpius turns around and stalks out of my bedroom, running a hand through his hair in distress. There's a crack and he's gone.
I walk out of my bedroom just as Rose slides back into my apartment through the window.
"Why won't you talk to him?" I ask her.
"I don't want to know what he has to say," she shakes her head as she heads toward my bathroom to take a shower.
"What if he wants to tell you he's in love with you too?"
"I don't want to hear that either because that would mean I'm breaking up his and Lily's marriage and I don't want to do that," she looks over at me just before closing the bathroom door and I can see in her eyes that she's lying to both herself and 's something in her eyes that hasn't been there for a long time...hope.
Scorpius is told to kiss his bride and James lets out a wolf whistle next to me. Rose and Scorpius blush much like they did the day they professed their love to each other...within earshot of most of our family.
It's a typical Weasley family gathering with liquor flowing freely as everyone tries to talk over one another to hear the latest family gossip. Various children of my cousins run around the yard outside the Burrow while the (few) sober adults look on to make sure they don't get into any trouble.
I watch with uneasiness as Rose stumbles slightly drunkenly into the Burrow followed only moments later by Scorpius. I debate whether I should follow them. I decide against it, this is a conversation they should have had years ago. Nevertheless, I sneak over to the kitchen window to eavesdrop.
"What do you want, Scorpius?" Rose asks roughly.
"I need to talk to you about something very important and I want to make sure you're going to listen to me," Scorpius says.
"I don't want to hear it," Rose starts to walk away, into the living room.
"I love you, Rose Weasley! I always have and I always will!" Scorpius yells at her, loud enough that everyone outside stops talking to listen to what's going on. I glance around the yard to see everyone frozen, listening intently.
Rose wheels around and marches back to Scorpius.
"So what do you expect me to do about it? You're married, Scorpius. To my cousin if I remember correctly."
"She asked me for a divorce."
I see surprise flicker across Rose's face for a split second before she masks it by a semi-calm expression.
"Lily told me a rather interesting bit of family gossip she had heard and well, she didn't like my reaction to it," Scorpius explains. "I just need to know if it was true. Rose, I need to know...are you in love with me?"
Rose tries to walk away again, shaking her grabs her arm.
"Rose, are you in love with me?" he asks in a low voice that I just barely hear.
A thousand unnameable emotions flicker across Rose's face.
"I-I-don't-" she stammers.
"Do you love me?" Scorpius asks again in a more forceful tone.
"Okay, yes, yes!" Rose shouts." I love you! I've loved you for-"
Scorpius whirls her around and kisses her.
Suddenly, they both realize how silent everything around them is and look to the window I'm standing in front of. I look around to discover that while I've been absorbed in the spectacle that is Rose and Scorpius my family has also had the same idea and come to watch the scene unfold. Lily is standing next to me with a resigned smile on her face. Scorpius and Rose blush a deep fuchsia as several cousins let out wolf whistles.
"It's about time!" Fred yells.
Scorpius and Rose give us reluctant smiles.
Their smiles are not reluctant at all as they practically beam together for their first dance as a married couple later in the night. It only took Scorpius two months to propose after that day at the Burrow and only four months for their wedding to be planned. Some may say they rushed into it but I, as the primary observer of their romantic affair, can say it wasn't rushed at all. In fact, it was years in the making.
That's it! Please review and let me know what you think.
