"Scorp, was this all really necessary?"
Rose stood in the doorway with her arms crossed as she watched her boyfriend carefully put down the two boxes he had been carrying. He looked round at the redheaded woman with a look of confusion.
"What are you on about, Rosie?"
She shrugged. "I just…I think the apartment is a bit too much. And all this new furniture that you bought…it's all a bit extravagant, don't you think?"
Scorpius frowned as he looked around at the velvet couch, the large velvet armchair, the mahogany dining table and chairs, and the large rug made of bear's fur that was rolled up in the corner of the room. He ran a hand through his shaggy white-blonde hair as he looked around back at Rose.
"What do you mean?"
She rolled her eyes and allowed her arms to fall to her sides. "You've been to my home, have you not?"
"Yes, multiple times –"
"Then you understand that a family can easily survive without fur rugs and silver platters, correct?"
Scorpius sighed, clearly annoyed. "Yes, love, I understand."
"In that case, pray tell me darling, why you believe it's essential to possess so many overpriced possessions, when you could purchase similar items for far less money?"
Scorpius no longer looked annoyed, but puzzled. Rose smiled; she rather enjoyed seeing him look so confused. His expression reminded her of her father when her mother would stump him with a difficult philosophical question ("Ron, what would you do if I told you I was pregnant?").
Scorpius finally looked around at her, his icy blue eyes still full of bewilderment. "I don't know Rose; this is how I've been brought up. I got all this because it's what I'm used to. I've been raised to know that I'm supposed to have nothing but the best."
Rose stared at him with slight resentment. Her own parents were extremely rich due to the fact that they were two-thirds of the Golden Trio. After the war, they had received many gifts in the form of money from all over the wizarding world. Nevertheless, the slight difference between the Weasley family and the Malfoy family was that Ron and Hermione Weasley preferred to buy simple necessities and save most of the money they got. Draco and Astoria Malfoy, however, preferred to flaunt their money by purchasing the best of the best, quite like the Malfoy family had always been.
Scorpius appeared to be reading Rose's expression as a danger sign. He snaked his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to his body. "Rosie, I know this is a terrible impression, but I'm not completely narcissistic. I got all this because I think you deserve the best. You deserve the world, and I buy you extravagant things because it's my way of telling you I want to give you everything."
Rose raised an eyebrow at him. His words were touching, but she couldn't say that they were on the same page when it came to morality. After hearing about her parents' past with the Malfoy family years ago, she knew the relationship she wanted with Scorpius would be anything but easy.
She wiggled out of his arms and stepped behind him so she was facing his back. The top of Rose's head only came up to Scorpius's shoulder. She smiled as she clutched his forearms and led him to the full-length mirror that was already set up in the corner of the room.
She peeked around his torso and met his eyes in the mirror. "Scorp, I don't need expensive things. I don't want expensive things. I realize we both were raised in completely different environments, and our morals aren't the same."
Rose stood on her toes in order to rest her chin on top of his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist. "But you should know by now that I don't care about money. I don't care what's happened between our parents in the past. I care about you, Scorp. That's all."
Scorpius smiled at her reflection and gently grabbed her one of her hands, which were still wrapped around her waist. He pulled her in front his body so she now stood in front of the mirror. She winced at the sight of herself; her physical flaws always were the first that she noticed when glancing at a mirror. Scorpius grinned, and she knew he had noticed her grimace at herself.
"I'm sorry, Rose," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder. "I know my family is difficult, and I'm as arrogant as my father at times…but you're making me better. The more I get to know every small detail about you, the more I realize that I don't have to rely on money for everything."
Rose smiled at his reflection, but stayed silent, unable to put her happiness into words.
"And by the way, while we're in front of a mirror," said Scorpius, squeezing her tighter around the waist and leaning closer to her ear, "I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world."
Rose scoffed, and he raised an eyebrow. "I'm serious, Rose. You're absolutely gorgeous."
He gently kissed her on the temple and grinned at her reflection. She turned in his arms so she could properly see him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and stood on her toes so she could meet his lips with her own.
"You're a caring person, Scorpius," she told him. "I know you're judged by the wizarding world based only on your family's reputation, and that's really hard on you."
She met his eyes and held his gaze. "But they don't know the Scorpius Malfoy I know. You may want to shower me with gifts, but that's what makes you you. I love it about you."
He shot her a huge smile and pulled her closer. "Well…maybe one day, your dad will see it too. He's never been too fond of me."
She laughed and hugged him closely. "I love you, Scorp."
He gripped her tighter and she felt his hand run through the ends of her hair. "I love you more, Rosie."