Daisy,

Well, all that waiting finally paid off. I got the grant! I'm going to have a research lab and assistants to help me work on everything. It's unbelievable. I have all of these thoughts running through my head about where I want to start first. I already have a lot on my plate with other aspects of work, but there are people around me who are willing to help make this happen. They know how important this work could be, so it's helpful to know I have colleagues who have my back.

I'm sorry you've had a rough week, but that's wonderful about your burn paste! I've been meaning to ask; what is it that makes your burn paste an improvement on the standard kind we have now? I know you talked about healing time, but what else have you been able to improve?

I hope you hear soon about approval. Take it from me; even though it's worth the wait, the waiting is the worst part. I'm willing to bet you've actually heard by now, seeing it's been about a week since I last heard from you. At least I hope you have.

Is it okay to say that I'm ecstatic that you've agreed to meet me? Because I am. There's a cafe in Diagon Alley, just down the street from Florean's Ice Cream Parlor. It's called The Chimerae Cafe. Do you know it? Just let me know when, and I'll be there.

I'll see you soon.

Leo

Leo,

You wouldn't believe what an arse this bloke is. He thinks he's so much better than everyone and insists on acting like he's never done anything wrong. I can't believe I have to work with him. I know you have no idea what I'm talking about. I've just been so frustrated the past few days it all came pouring out as soon as I picked up the quill. I won't get into the details about all of it, but I got myself into this and I don't see a way of getting myself out without stooping to his level, which I don't intend to do. That whole idea of you giving me your ability to insult people hasn't been successful so far. Wish me luck. Here's hoping my pride can take whatever he decides to throw at me.

I mentioned there was some personal stuff going on with someone close to me and I needed some advice awhile back. Do you remember that? Well, they were able to work their shit out. Finally! And I barely even had to lift a finger. I'm glad for them. They really deserve some happiness. Seeing people truly happy makes me want the same things in life. Not exactly what they have, but my own version of it.

All of that aside, something brilliant has happened. I now have ministry approval! I can start selling what is now known as Burn Paste Supreme. Kind of cheesy, isn't it? It's a working title. I might do some rebranding. They were thrilled by the product. You asked about the paste that's commonly used for burns? Well, this one works over twice as fast AND leaves much more minimal scarring, if it scars at all. It's thrilling. This will be the first time something I've developed is sold to the masses. How insane is that? It's invigorating. It makes me want to get back in there and keep working. I need a new project. Any ideas?

That's wonderful that you got your funding! I can't wait to see what you're going to do with this opportunity. I'm sure you'll do brilliantly. I'm excited to hear more. Maybe you can fill me in next weekend? Say next Saturday around eight o'clock? I'll be reading a book and wearing a bright blue scarf. You picked a brilliant location.

I'm still a little nervous, but I'm looking forward to it. I'll see you soon.

Daisy

He grinned down at the letter. One more week. He only had to wait one more week to meet the person he'd come to know better than he'd ever expected to know anyone through simply writing letters.

"Would you get that doe eyed look off your face?" Archie said gruffly as Scorpius began to reread parts of the letter. "You're embarrassing me."

"We're the only ones here," said Scorpius, continuing to look at the letter.

I'll see you soon.

He could scarcely believe that was true. He heard an exasperated sigh as Archie rose from the couch in Scorpius' flat, coming over to snatch the letter away from him. Scorpius made a sound of protest, but Archie quickly walked to the other side of the room, standing in the afternoon light that was pouring in from the west facing windows. His eyes scanned the letter, and his brow rose in surprise as he cast a glance at Scorpius before looking back at the words on the page.

"You're going to actually meet her?" he asked uncertainly. Scorpius moved towards him, and Archie willingly handed back the letter.

"I am," said Scorpius confidently. "It's about time, don't you think?"

"How long have you been in contact?" Archie asked.

Scorpius shrugged uncertainly, although he knew the answer. It had been almost seven months. "Long enough."

Archie nodded. "Alright. I'm coming with you."

Scorpius looked at him, hoping he was just having a laugh, but Archie's expression was sincere.

"No you're not," said Scorpius, almost sounding fearful of the possibility.

"Someone has to have your back," Archie explained as if it were obvious. "What if she's dangerous?"

"She's not dangerous," Scorpius insisted. "You're being ridiculous."

He set the letter in a drawer in his desk that contained all the other ones he'd received from her, shutting it quickly so Archie wouldn't see them.

"Well, then prove me right," Archie challenged. "I'll keep my distance, but I'll also keep my eye out."

"Wouldn't it make more sense for Al to do this if you're so worried about my safety?" Scorpius reasoned, leaning against his desk and facing Archie with his arms crossed. "He's the one who's an Auror."

"He's got Holly to worry about right now," Archie said with a wave of dismissal. "He can't be bothered with your tomfoolery."

Scorpius gave him an affronted look. "Why do you insist on not taking this seriously?" he asked in annoyance. "For all you know, this could be as bloody serious as something like this could ever be for me."

Archie's brow rose sceptically. "You don't really think that, do you?"

"I don't know what I think, Arch," Scorpius said in resignation. "I just know that I'll always regret it if I don't actually go for this."

Seeing the sincerity in his friend's eyes, Archie relented. "Alright, fine. I still want to at least be nearby."

Scorpius nodded, giving his friend a small smile that was almost a smirk. Archie was a lot more protective of his friends than he usually let on.

"Can we go now? Al was expecting us almost an hour ago," said Archie, irritated by how well Scorpius saw through him.

They showed up at Al and Abigail's a few moments later, the sound of a wailing infant leaking into the hall outside the flat. Scorpius and Archie gave each other uncertain looks as Scorpius reluctantly knocked on the door. They heard the sound of something falling to the floor and some choice swear words from Al before the door was flung open, and the new father took them in with a dazed expression.

"You look like hell," said Archie, his eyes wide as he observed the few days old scruff on Al's face along with his hair, which was more unkempt than usual. His look was complete with the stained gray t-shirt he wore along with track pants that appeared to be inside out. He merely turned around and left the door open, allowing them to show themselves in.

The flat wasn't in much better shape than Al. There were various baby related items scattered about, and it looked like the thing that had crashed to the floor was a stack of books, most of which seemed to be on babies and parenting. Blankets, nappies, clothes, towels, and feeding supplies were scattered around the living room and kitchen.

"How much have you slept?" Scorpius asked, closing the door behind him and talking over his still crying goddaughter.

"I'm not entirely sure what day it even is," said Al, flopping down on one of the only empty spaces on the couch and rubbing a hand over his tired face. "She'll go down for a couple hours at a time, but it's amazing how often you have to feed them at this age."

Scorpius picked up a blanket and a stuffed giraffe from one of the armchairs and took a seat while Archie scrounged around the kitchen. "Have you two had a break at all?"

"Her mum was still here most of last week but she had to get home. Mine's been here a fair amount as well, but Abigail is up with her most of the time anyway."

The sound of Holly's crying began to fade and they could make out Abigail saying soothing words to their infant daughter. A dreamy look crossed Al's exhausted face as he looked over his shoulder and down the hall. He was already smitten with his little family, no matter how much it ran him ragged.

"You look like you could use a drink," said Archie, making his way back from the kitchen with a bottle of firewhiskey and three classes in tow. He shoved aside some of the clutter covering the coffee table and pulled out the stopper as Al shook his head.

"I can't, as lovely as that sounds," Al said with a sigh. "I've got to keep a clear head right now, but I can promise you, you'll be the first people I call when it's time for me to head to the pub."

Archie shrugged, pouring two glasses instead of three and taking a quick drink. "I hope it's soon. Scorp's all love sick over a girl he's never even met, and I've been single too long."

Al cast a quick glance and smirk at Scorpius before addressing Archie. "And you need me for this why?"

"Because you're the best wingman," Archie said as if it were obvious. "I've made some of my best pulls with your help."

"That can't possibly be true," said Al, sounding unconvinced.

"Actually, he might have a point," said Scorpius in agreement. "I mean, most of the girls he's dated lately have been utter rubbish," Archie scowled, but Scorpius ignored him and continued. "But you were the one who introduced him to Molly."

Archie had been mid sip and choked on his firewhiskey. Al's eyebrows arched at the comment. Molly had always been a taboo topic around Archie. The fact that he'd actually opened up about it to Scorpius a few weeks ago had been unprecedented.

"Are we allowed to talk about that now?" Al asked, almost sounding eager. Archie gave Scorpius a dirty look, but he just stared back at him in a challenge. Before anyone could say anything else, they heard a sigh as soft footsteps sounded down the hall and Abigail appeared. She looked reasonably well put together in jeans and a t-shirt. Her hair was pulled up in a messy bun with her wand stuck through it, and she seemed just as tired as her husband, who she sat next to gracelessly.

"She asleep?" Al asked as she stretched her legs across his lap and he immediately began rubbing the arches of her feet.

"Yes," Abigail said, leaning back against a pillow and closing her eyes. "I love her so much, but she's got the lungs of the Potter women that came before her."

Al's eyes crinkled in delight and amusement as Archie and Scorpius chuckled. Abigail gave a small smile as well, turning her head and opening her eyes to acknowledge their company.

"How are you two? It's been so baby oriented over here it would be nice to talk about something else for a change. What did I interrupt?"

Archie's amused smile fell off his face and Abigail looked at him curiously when Al and Scorpius gave him expectant looks.

"They're just trying to dig up the past when it really doesn't need to be," he said emphatically, glaring between his two best friends. This only seemed to intrigue Abigail more.

"Really? Is this about your dad or Molly?"

Only Abigail could get away with being so blunt. She and Molly had both been in the same year in Ravenclaw and were best friends. As far as Scorpius knew, they kept in regular touch to this day, even though Molly had spent the last three years living in France.

"I'm not doing this with you," Archie grumbled, downing the rest of his drink. He went to reach for the bottle to refill it, but Abigail quickly pulled her wand from her hair and vanished it.

"Oi! If you're gonna be like this you can at least let me numb myself to the pain of it a bit," he snapped at Abigail, who gave him an unimpressed look.

"You've avoided talking to me about this for three years, Archibald Davies. I've let it go since I assumed you'd just moved on, but maybe I was mistaken?"

"Why do you care?" he said with a resigned sigh, sitting in the unoccupied armchair next to Scorpius' after removing a basket of laundry. "You're her best friend, right? Aren't you on her side?"

"Hard to choose a side when I don't know yours," Abigail argued. "I just always assumed these two did," she said with a gesture to Al and Scorpius. "That's been good enough for me so far."

"We don't," Scorpius told her. "That's sort of my point."

"Will you get off this whole 'you have to talk about it to move on' shite?" Archie snapped. "It's a load of rubbish."

"You're the one who said talking about it would mean admitting it had happened. Doesn't sound like not talking is doing any good," Scorpius argued.

There was a tense moment of silence as Archie noticed Scorpius' untouched glass of firewhiskey, and Abigail vanished that as well as he made to grab for it. He slouched back in his chair, eyeing them all as they watched him with varying degrees of curiosity and concern.

"You've been drinking a lot, mate," Scorpius finally said quietly. "I'm just trying to look out for you."

The hard look Archie had been wearing since the conversation had started relaxed a fraction at the genuine care in Scorpius' eyes. He was only trying to do for Archie what Archie had insisted on doing for him; have his back. He glanced between them all, and Scorpius knew that if the dam was ever going to break, this might be it.

"It's actually about both," Archie said to Abigail, his voice strained as if the words physically pained him. "My dad, and Molly."

Al and Scorpius looked at him in confusion, but Abigail's eyes had widened in comprehension.

"I always wondered," she said in a somber voice.

"She never said anything?" Archie asked, his face earnest as he hung on Abigail's every word.

"The most I ever got out of her was that you couldn't decide what you wanted, and that if it wasn't her, she didn't see the point in sticking around. I always wondered if it had to do with him."

Archie nodded, his eyes dark as he leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees as his gaze moved to the floor. "He's a bastard. He's never really known what it means to actually love someone. How was he supposed to recognize it when his own son fell in love?"

They all just stared at him, unsure how to proceed. This was uncharted territory. Archie usually only showed this much vulnerability when he was drunk, and it was always tinged with humor.

"I know the stories," he continued, a harsh edge to his words as he stared at his tightly clasped hands. "I know people think I just used her for family connections and got bored, but that's a load of rubbish. Not only is that something I'd never do, but anyone who's smart enough would know that I didn't need to. Apparently, my father's not one of those people."

They heard a whimpering from down the hall, and Al lifted his wife's legs off his lap to go and tend to their daughter. Silence reigned in the living room as they heard Al talking softly to her before he emerged from the bedroom with his now quiet infant in tow. He stood by the couch, rocking her as Archie continued like there hadn't been a disturbance.

"He wanted me to use her. More specifically, he wanted to use her dad's connections. International Magical Cooperation could help the foundation go a long way, and my dad got greedy. Funny, isn't it?" he asked with a chuckle that was completely void of humor. "Someone who spends their life making sure others are treated fairly and with the respect they deserve, and he can't even do the same for his own son. He said it was about time I did something useful. Dating any Weasley would have been helpful, but I managed to snag one of the most valuable options for us. How twisted and manipulative is that?"

There was silence once again, and Abigail let out a sigh, waving her wand so the firewhiskey reappeared. Archie gave her an appreciative nod and refilled his glass that was still sitting on the table. He downed it in one go, letting out a harsh breath as he set the glass back down on the table and picked up the bottle. "I was young. I didn't know how to handle it, so I pulled away from her. I didn't want her to get hurt, but I didn't want to disappoint my father either. Both things happened anyway."

He picked up his glass that he'd just refilled and quickly drank once again. "I'm pretty sure she thinks I might have cheated on her. She almost accused me of it the night we broke up since I'd been so distant, and I didn't deny it."

"Why not?" Scorpius asked. Archie gave a hopeless shrug.

"At that point, I had no idea what to do. My dad was doing everything he could to try and get me to use the relationship to my advantage - our advantage - but I didn't want to do that to her. I guess I figured if she broke up with me, I wouldn't have to break her heart and I wouldn't disappoint him as much. I was a fucking coward."

This time, he didn't even bother refilling his glass and took a swig straight from the now half empty bottle.

"She doesn't think you cheated," said Abigail in a stronger voice than Scorpius had been expecting. Archie looked at her hopefully.

"I asked her if you had, and she said she didn't think so," Abigail clarified.

He looked relieved for a moment, but his demeanor turned sour once again. "Doesn't matter anyway. It's not like she'll ever talk to me again."

He took another swig of the firewhiskey before setting it down on the table.

"What makes you think she won't?" Al asked. "By the sound of it, it doesn't really seem like things are quite finished with you two. Maybe she'd want an explanation."

"You didn't hear what I said to her," Archie said in defeat. "I did everything I could to push her away and make her think I didn't care about her. I wanted her to hate me so she could move on and as much as it killed me to do it, I hope it worked."

"You can't really mean that," Scorpius reasoned. Archie gave a noncommittal shrug.

"I want her to be happy. Even if that means she's better off without me."

A look of tender understanding and sympathy crossed Abigail's exhausted features. "You still love her, don't you?"

It didn't really need to be phrased as a question. It was obvious to everyone in the room. Especially when Archie just stared blankly at her, his breathing shaky and his eyes red as he gave a sniff in effort to compose himself.

"Like I said," he managed to get out in a choked voice. "She's better off without me."

They all just watched him for a moment, wanting to be helpful but having no clue how. Eventually, Archie uncomfortably cleared his throat and sat back in his chair.

"Can we talk about something else? Like Scorpius' mystery woman?"

Grabbing onto the change of topic, Al's face lit up as he grinned at Scorpius, fully prepared to tease him. "Is this becoming common knowledge then?" he asked, bouncing his now fully awake daughter back and forth to keep her tears at bay.

"What mystery woman?" asked Abigail, looking at Scorpius in excitement and kicking things off the end of the couch so she could fully lie across it. His face, which had been a grimace of pain for his best friend, immediately switched to a scowl when Archie brought up Daisy.

"It's not common knowledge and I'd appreciate it if it didn't become so," said Scorpius, throwing his two mates harsh glares to silence them.

"That's not fair," said Abigail in disappointment. "I can't be the only one who doesn't know."

"She's got a point," Al said, looking down at his daughter and making faces in an effort to cheer her up.

"You'll all just continue to take the mickey and I don't much care for that," Scorpius argued grumpily.

Archie rolled his eyes, looking over at Al. "He's made plans to see her."

Al's eyes widened and he worked very hard to contain a devilish grin as he looked at the murderous look Scorpius was throwing Archie. Letting out an amused chuckle, he walked over towards his best friend.

"Here, hold Holly," said Al, moving to deposit the baby in Scorpius' arms. "You can't stay angry when you look at that face."

Scorpius sighed as he adjusted his hold on his goddaughter, sitting back and relaxing when his eyes met her curious green ones as they searched his face, unsure if she should be upset that she was no longer being held by her father. He couldn't help but grin down at her as he bounced her gently in his arms.

"See?" Al said smugly, moving to resume his place on the couch.

"Can I be filled in now?" Abigail asked, making room for Al. Scorpius let out a sigh of resignation.

"I met someone, but not through any type of normal social encounter."

Abigail gave a snort of amusement. "I sometimes forget that you were raised by traditionalists. Speak plain english, yeah?"

Scorpius gave her an annoyed look before meeting his goddaughters eyes once again. She now seemed comfortable in his arms as her eyes fluttered, almost refusing to sleep.

"I read an article in a magazine by an anonymous contributor and reached out to the publication because I was so impressed by it and wanted to ask some questions. They put me in touch with her, but wouldn't tell me her name. We kept writing about professional related topics, but it became personal along the way. I still don't know her name or what specifically she does or where she lives. I don't even know if she went to Hogwarts. All I know is that she's brilliant and funny and stubborn and caring and I'd be insane to not want to meet her."

He looked up at Abigail to see she actually seemed pleasantly surprised by his story. "Is this why you broke up with Mel?"

"There were a lot of reasons that ended," Scorpius siad with a shrug. "But it helped me see that I don't have to settle. Don't get me wrong, Mel's great, but that doesn't mean we were great together."

Abigail gave a nod of understanding. "Well, I like this girl already."

Scorpius smiled softly, looking down at Holly who was now pointlessly fighting sleep.

"You don't think it's a bit bizarre?" asked Archie skeptically. "She could be in her sixties or a serial black widow for all we know."

Al let out a bark of laughter, earning a shush from both Scorpius and his wife when Holly started crying at the loud noise. Scorpius stood to better rock her back and forth as Al gave him and Abigail apologetic looks. Thankfully, she quieted down quickly and was once again slowly drifting off to sleep.

"I don't think that'll be the case, Archie," Al said in a whisper, trying to refrain from smirking. Scorpius looked at him curiously.

"Why so sure? I mean, I hope Archie's not right, but you seem awful certain."

Al shrugged, grinning slightly. "I've just got a good feeling about this."

The late November rain made Rose's walk to The Leaky Cauldron even less enjoyable. It frustrated her to no end that she was taking time away from her newly approved burn paste for something that was sure to be a disaster. She couldn't believe she actually had to go through with this, but an hour with Scorpius Malfoy compared to a weekend full of her mother's judgmental looks due to her law breaking seemed like the lesser of two evils. When he insisted that it be this particular weekend, she had no desire to tell him she didn't want to take time away from her shop. He was far too nosy and she didn't fancy him knowing what she was working on, which left her in a tough spot. She'd reluctantly agreed and told him that night in his store that she wanted to meet him at The Leaky Cauldron as opposed to Sam's. She didn't particularly fancy running into any of her friends. It was likely she'd see people she knew at the Leaky as well, but the odds were more in her favor. It was usually frequented by her parent's generation.

Rose quickly came in out of the cold rain with a sigh of relief, keeping her hood up and taking in her surroundings. His blond head wasn't that hard to miss, and she quickly made her way towards the booth he'd secured towards the back. She slid in across from him without saying a word, throwing back her hood and revealing the plaite she'd done to keep her hair from becoming even more unruly thanks to the weather. He quirked an eyebrow at her as she threw off her gloves.

"What's with the stealth mode?" he asked, taking in her black apparel, which happened to be very similar to what she'd worn when she'd snuck into his shop a few nights ago.

"I'd prefer word didn't get around that I willingly spent time with you, even if you did blackmail me," was her honest reply as a barmaid approached and she ordered a mug of hot cocoa. Scorpius seemed irritated with her, but Rose had no desire to try and get along under the current circumstances.

"As long as we're doing this, lets get it over with," she said with a resigned sigh, watching him expectantly.

"Can't you pretend to be nice for a moment and enjoy a drink with me first?" he asked in annoyance. Her face remained stoic as her hot beverage was placed in front of her. Scorpius watched her as she blew on it before taking a cautious sip, her eyes fluttering shut in pleasure as the warm milky substance warmed her up from the inside. She tried to hide her smirk at the way he stared when she slowly licked any remaining cocoa from her lips. It felt surprisingly thrilling to know she could have this type of affect on him. Giving a pleased hum and setting down her mug, she looked at him expectantly.

"There, was that nice enough for you?"

He cleared his throat and blinked rapidly while Rose struggled to hold in a smirk. "Fine," he eventually said with a sigh. "So," he began, nervously tapping on the folder that sat between them on the table. "We have a business model that's been working well for us so far, but I wanted to start there."

"Okay, I'm assuming you've had to adjust since you're no longer primarily mail supply based?"

His eyes widened in surprise and she couldn't help but smirk.

"Didn't think I actually knew what I was talking about, did you?" she challenged. He shook his head in amusement and she was surprised to hear him chuckle.

"You always surprise me, Weasley."

She gave a pleased shrug and took another sip of her cocoa. "I've been at this for awhile. Do you sell to consumers only or do you supply to any companies?"

"A little of both," he said. "We mostly did a lot of bulk supplies for businesses when we started out, but obviously that's changing with the stores. We really want this to be successful and that's why you seemed like a good person to talk to."

A shrewd look crossed her face as she thought over what he'd said. "You actually respect what I do then?"

He looked at her for a moment, then nodded with what she interpreted as sincerity.

"Alright," said Rose with a nod to the folder in front of them. "Let's get on with it."

He started to show her different processes and goals for the stores, without giving away anything too classified, she noticed. They carried on bouncing questions and ideas off each other, and before she knew how it had happened, she forgot that she was supposed to hate the person sitting across from her. He was actually very smart, and even funny. Rose had to stop herself from laughing on a few occasions. It surprised her to find them drifting into more personal topics as the conversation continued.

"So you do research and product development as well as run the shop?" asked Scorpius almost an hour later, taking a sip of his second butterbeer as one was placed in front of Rose. She took a drink before responding.

"I've always loved the research side of potions, but I got started in a shop so it seemed like the next natural step for me to take when Mulpepper retired. I knew I was good at it, and research isn't the easiest thing to fund independently."

He gave an understanding nod. "I know exactly what you mean."

This intrigued her. "I thought you only really worked on the business side of things," said Rose skeptically. He shook his head.

"No. I actually really only did research until we started opening up shops. This is the first time I've really been involved on the business front. It's something I've wanted to take on more of a role in and it seemed like the right time."

That had not been the answer she'd been expecting. She'd always just assumed he was more involved with the business than the actual products. To be fair, he'd been her rival in potions class, so she shouldn't be that surprised. It irritated her even more to see that he had a real knack for business, considering this was the most he'd ever been active in that area.

"So, what, you saw an opportunity to make my life hell and took it?"

His eyes flashed to hers in shock at the harsh tone her words had taken. She wasn't sure why she'd done it. His normally cold eyes had grown warm as they'd become more comfortable with the conversation, and he actually had a nice smile when he wasn't smirking or sneering at her. Things had been going well and she was having a harder time denying what the rest of her family saw in Scorpius Malfoy. Maybe that's what had scared her.

"Contrary to what you seem to think," he began in a clipped voice, his eyes starting to turn cold again. "My soul purpose in life is not to make yours a living nightmare."

She scoffed. "Hard to believe that."

He just glared at her. "It's not all about you, Weasley. We all have dreams and ideas about what we want out of life. I'm sorry that mine are so inconvenient for you."

She glared at him before hastily pulling on her gloves and flipping her hood back over her head. "We done here?" she asked harshly.

He gave a curt nod and she stood, pulling some coins out of her pocket. Before she could place them on the table, she felt a chill rush through her when his hand briefly closed over hers before he quickly drew it away. Rose's gaze locked on his, and she couldn't decipher the look in his eyes.

"I've got this," he mumbled, gesturing to the drinks. "Thanks for your time."

She just looked at him for a moment before giving a simple nod and heading back out into the rain, confusion running through her, and her hand tingling from his touch.

A/N: It's been a long time coming with this update. I didn't expect it to take this long! Hope it was worth the wait. Thanks for your great reviews! They help keep me going. Looking forward to your thoughts on this chapter! It was a struggle to write but I think I really like the way it turned out. You probably won't have to wait very long for the next chapter since I pretty much have it written and I love it :) Love to you all and please review! Quick reminder that Al has talked to Rose at least twice in this story about her pen pal, so he's made the connection and knows what's going on. I got a review from someone who didn't really know how much Al knew, so I wanted to clear that up. For reference, it comes up in conversation with Rose in chapters 1 and 10, and with Scorpius in chapter 8.

Happy Reading!