"You plan on moping around in my gardens all week?"
Scorpius turned at the sound of her voice to see his mother approaching him from the house. She was bundled up in a coat and scarf and carried a basket and pruning shears in her gloved hands.
"I'm not moping," he told her as he turned back to look at the trimmed rose hedge that was currently bare. When the spring came, he knew it would be full of beautiful white blossoms, but it was rather sinister looking in the winter.
"You're not doing anything useful, either," said his mother as she approached a patch of flowers that were in bloom, setting down her basket and casting a cushioning charm before kneeling on the ground. "I know you claim to be gathering up some of your old research, but surely that doesn't take a week?"
Scorpius sighed as he heard the sound of his mother's pruning shears beginning to clip away at whatever was brave enough to be in bloom during the dreadful chill of February.
"I just needed some time out of the city, alright? It gets tiring after a while."
She didn't respond, and the sound of the flowers being cut became soothing as it grew monotonous.
Since the night he'd walked Rose home, Scorpius hadn't been unable to think about much other than her. The shop was at the stage where he wasn't as required to oversee it, and they'd finally hired a manager and assistant who were doing the interviews for the other workers. All he needed to focus on at the moment was getting his research off the ground, and he could do that anywhere.
He'd told his mother the truth. He needed a break from the city. Especially since everything reminded him of Rose. There was the pub they both regularly frequented and was also the last place he'd seen her, and now he knew he walked by her apartment building on his way to his office every day. There was the cafe they'd had their unfortunate encounter in, and the shop he was opening that she'd trespassed on. He was best friends with her cousin, and he no longer had Archie to escape to. She'd even been to his own bloody flat! And of course there was her own shop with it's beautiful storefront and tall windows that displayed the burn paste he'd heard so much about in her letters. Everywhere he went, he saw Rose.
He was unreasonably thankful that there were currently no roses in his mother's garden. He'd taken to walking around the grounds every day in the week he'd been staying at the Manor, but he'd yet to make it to the gardens. He'd always stayed away as a kid. His father had his own gardens and greenhouses for potion brewing purposes, but his mother's gardens were off limits. She'd always been afraid he'd trod on her flowers.
He hadn't left London because he didn't want to think about Rose. He'd left because he didn't think he'd be able to stop himself from checking all of those places where he knew she might be in an effort to seek her out before she was ready. He'd hightailed it to the Manor as soon as he signed the last bits of paperwork to approve things for the shop. And it wasn't like he couldn't pop into the city if he needed to. His father did the trip every day. But distancing himself had been good for his perspective and his patience. He was learning to be okay with the way things were. For now.
"Are you going to Wesley's wedding?" his mother asked as she stood to move to another bed of flowers. "I saw his mother the other day, and she actually seems excited. I always knew Tracy wasn't as prejudiced as she made herself appear. And Lucy's such a nice girl. All those Weasley girls are."
He looked as casually over at his mother as he could, and was thankful to see she didn't appear to have the slightest idea that what she'd just said meant much of anything to her son. Rubbing his gloved hands together for warmth, Scorpius let out a sigh and walked over towards her.
"Yeah, I'm going. Are you?"
Astoria Malfoy nodded, carefully perusing the flowers in front of her before selecting the best ones that would soon be separated from their companions.
"It's a shame you and Wes didn't stay close after school," she said. "I always liked him."
"We're still friends," he said with a roll of his eyes. His mother was the type of witch that believed in having good connections and keeping them. "You just can't keep up with everyone all the time."
"I suppose," said Astoria. "It's not like I'm that close with all the girls I shared a dorm with."
"And I've got two out of four," Scorpius said with a smile. "It's not like I'm friendless."
"I know that," said his mother, pausing to throw him a pointed look. "But Albus is a father now, and what happens if Archie stays in France?"
"I have other friends, Mum," said Scorpius, doing his best not to grow exasperated.
"And no girlfriend to speak of since you ended things with Melinda. She was so lovely, too. Although, she wasn't exactly subtle about her arse kissing, was she?"
Scorpius did his best not to laugh at her bluntness. "Look, I'll settle down when I'm good and ready, alright? And I'll be happy and looked after and you won't have to worry about me."
"And you'll come for dinner once a week and make sure I get at least one grandchild?" she said with a teasing smirk. Scorpius shot her a look of annoyance.
"I'll see what I can do."
"As long as she knows how important family is," Astoria said with a smile. Scorpius couldn't help grinning as he thought of Rose and her abundance of family members.
"Don't worry. She does."
Astoria's eyes widened and her brow rose, her hands stilling in their task to free another flower from its home. "She? She who?"
Scorpius wanted to kick himself for not watching his tongue. "No one. Just talking hypothetically. What are those?" he asked with a gesture to the flowers his mother had been collecting in her basket. She returned to her task with a smile, successfully distracted.
"It's Hellebore. They bloom in the late winter and early spring. Always been one of my favorites."
Scorpius gave his mother a small smile. She'd always loved flowers, and he recognized the elegant yet sturdy blooms. The petals were white around the outside with a delicate pink feathering coming out from the center.
"They're beautiful," he told her, hoping to keep her talking about the plants until she forgot about their earlier topic of conversation. She smiled up at him before standing and grabbing her now full basket of flowers.
"They're actually more commonly known as the Christmas rose."
With an affection pat on his arm, his mother walked past him and back towards the house, leaving Scorpius right where he'd started when he'd first arrived in the garden, his thoughts firmly on Rose Weasley.
Rose had been under the impression that, as soon as she made up her mind, she'd know exactly what to do next. This assumption had been a bit far from the truth.
She'd left her mother's office with a determined spirit, knowing that she'd finally had a glimpse of clarity in regard to her feelings about Scorpius Malfoy. She knew she'd had something similar the evening before, but it was more clearly defined now. And now, she knew what she had to do.
Deciding to tell Scorpius how she felt was the easy part. It was the deciding how to do it that had her stuck. Her mother's suggestion had been not just to write a letter to Scorpius, but to read it to him as well.
"There's no way in hell," Rose had stated firmly. "You might be that brave, but there's no way I am. Can't I just do what he did?"
"Rose, this way makes sense," Hermione had assured her. "You can make sure you actually say what you want to since you'll have the words in front of you, and if you just sent the letter, you'd have to have that awkward next encounter. Just get it all over with at once. Even if you don't write it down, I think the best way to go about this is to face it head on."
It did make sense, and these words from her mother had bolstered her determination at the time, but she was now having second thoughts. The letter thing made sense since she'd had such a hard time wrapping her mind around what she would say if she confronted him, but she was still considering the easy option of just hand delivering it the same way he had. Or was that cowardly? Maybe she'd at least rehearse a bit first. Maybe even have a letter on hand incase her nerves got the better of her. Having to stand in front of him and bare her soul sounded terrifying. Who voluntarily subjected themselves to stuff like that?
People who are in love.
Rose groaned at her own voice of reason. Why did love have to make you do ridiculous things? Couldn't it just make life easier? What was all the fuss about if that wasn't part of the deal?
It wouldn't be worth it if it were easy.
She knew that. She'd seen it in her parents, and in Ben and Dom, and Molly and Archie. Even Lucy and Wesley, who were getting married in only a few short weeks, had to fight for what they had. The stigma and pure blood pride had all but fizzled out, but some families had done their best to stick to their old beliefs, and Wesley's family had been one of them. Since Audrey Weasley was Muggle born, it was a bit of a miracle that his parents were coming to the wedding at all.
So, yes, Rose had always known it would take hard work, made even harder by what she and Scorpius had put themselves through, but that didn't stop her from wanting to try. Because she truly believed it would be worth it in the end.
Despite her resolve, Rose had let her insecurities get the better of her on more than one occasion. At first, she distracted herself with work by developing some new ideas she'd had for potions she wanted to experiment with, as well as responding to the letter from Healer Osborne. But eventually, her thoughts would inevitably lead back to Scorpius and her desire to see him.
She knew where he lived and where he worked. It wouldn't have been that hard to track him down. Still, they hadn't seen each other since the night he'd walked her home, even though that hadn't entirely been on purpose. Rose almost tried to bump into him. She took to walking by the store that was still in the middle construction, but she hadn't been able to catch a glimpse of him. She'd been to Sam's most nights, and still nothing. Feeling she might get lucky, she went over to see Al and Abigail the weekend after she talked to her mother, wondering if he might be there. He hadn't been, and she hadn't needed to even ask where he was. Abigail had informed her right off the bat that Scorpius had decided to spend the weekend with his parents at Malfoy Manor.
"I think he actually left during the week," Abigail said. "Something about his research."
Rose nodded, pretending to act like she didn't care all that much. It was obvious to Rose that Abigail didn't know the whole story. How much, she couldn't say. But Al probably knew more than she was comfortable with.
"Have you two talked much lately?" he asked innocently. Rose did her best to continue to feign indifference, but she knew she wasn't pulling it off.
"Not exactly," she managed to say. "Why?"
Al shrugged and shot a glance at Abigail, who was taking the opportunity to fold laundry while their child slept. He leaned back in his seat and made to take a sip of his coffee.
"Just curious," he said. "I thought you two were getting along."
"We were," Rose said, and then quickly corrected herself. "We are. That doesn't mean I talk to him regularly."
The knowing look Al gave her was enough to make her turn bright red, and she tried to hide it by taking a sip of her own coffee. Why was she so embarrassed by this? Unfortunately, her discomfort didn't go unnoticed by her cousin's wife.
"What am I missing?" Abigail asked as she glanced between her all too innocent looking husband and his uncomfortable cousin.
"Rose?" Al asked expectantly, knowing he had the upper hand. It was her truth to tell, but he was also fully aware of Scorpius' side of things. And he wouldn't have had to tell Al anything but the truth for her cousin to think she was responsible for the way things currently stood between them. Even if Al's opinion was a little off. This and everything else caused her frustrations to rise to the surface.
"It's not my fault, Al," she finally snapped at him. "He's the one who kept the truth from me, with quite a bit of help from you, by the way."
"Hey, I told him to tell you," Al said calmly, his hands raised slightly in defense. "How he handled it is on him."
"Yet since the ball's in my court, you're blaming me?"
"I never said that."
"But you always have," Rose practically yelled at him, wincing at the volume of her own voice. "Everything that's wrong with my relationship with Scorpius," she continued in a softer yet still strong tone, "it's always been my fault to you. I might be to blame for how this all got started, but I won't let you pin every fault and every wrongdoing on me. I have every right to be confused right now."
Al looked a little guilty at her words. He'd always been the type to choose a side and stick to it, and she knew he'd always thought she'd been unfair to Scorpius. Maybe she had been. But it didn't seem fair for him to pin this on her as well.
"You're right, and I'm sorry," said Al calmly. "And I wasn't blaming you. I know it probably wasn't the easiest news to swallow, but you can talk to us," he said with a gesture towards a still confused Abigail. "It's not like we've taken his side or anything. You're family, Rosie."
It was impossible for Rose not to smile at her cousin, thankful that he wasn't pressuring her and instead showing understanding.
"Mind filling me in?" Abigail asked in slight annoyance at being left in the dark. Rose hesitated. Abigail wouldn't be the first person she'd told the whole truth to, but for some reason, telling her made Rose more nervous than her previous conversations.
"So, I was sort of writing to someone without actually knowing who he was," Rose began, "and it turns out I knew him all along."
She watched as Abigail surprisingly put together the pieces immediately, shock appearing on her face as she looked at her husband, who was doing his best not to smile.
"She's Scorp's mystery girl?" asked Abigail, pointing at Rose as she questioned her husband. Al nodded and grinned as his wife did the same, turning to look at Rose, who realized Abigail must know quite a bit of the other side of the story.
"That's bloody amazing! But, wait. Does he know? And how long have you known? And why the hell are you just now telling me about any of this?"
The transition in Abigail's demeanor from jubilant to outraged had been quick and exactly what Rose had been afraid of. Ever since Molly had left and even before that, Rose and Abigail hadn't been as close as they once were. It was partly because she'd started dating Al, and Abigail had been the type of person to let her friendships fade a bit when her relationship formed. It was also because everything with Molly had been so difficult, that it was easier to just stay distant rather than be reminded of everything they all used to have together. This wasn't the first time Rose had failed to communicate what Abigail considered to be important information at an appropriate time. And Rose didn't blame her for being upset about this one.
"Abs, I'm sorry," Rose began. "I wanted to talk to you about it, but I wasn't really telling anyone. Al and Jane were the only ones that knew. And now Molly. Plus, I thought Al might tell you."
Al looked thoroughly annoyed at being dragged into the mounting argument.
"Well he didn't, did he?" Abigail said with a huff. "Mind telling me now?"
So Rose recounted everything from her perspective, and she could see the moments where Abigail was already aware of some of the elements of the story. She was surprised to see that Abigail knew about Melinda coming to visit her.
"Someone had to tell her where you lived," Abigail said. "And you know I've always wanted something to finally get worked out between you and Scorp. Even if it is just friendship. And she said something about warning you off him. I was trusting you to be your stubborn self and defy her wishes."
Rose rolled her eyes. "Well it only confused me, really. Actually," she said as realization hit her, "one of the last conversations I had with Scorpius before the truth came out was about his ex."
"Really?" said Abigail, thoroughly intrigued. "Why?"
"Well," began Rose, remembering the conversation clearly, "he mentioned her in passing because he hadn't been able to cook for anyone else since they broke up, and I mentioned her visit. And then…"
She blushed as she remembered how brazen she'd been.
"You said something, didn't you?" Abigail asked with a grin.
"I merely asked if Molly had been right. Actually, if you had been right."
Abigail seemed confused by this before Rose quickly said, "Molly told me you said it was because of me they broke up."
Abigail's mouth opened in a comical O as realization hit her. Al looked at her in surprise, and Abigail had the sense to grimace in guilt.
"Yeah, I'll admit I was hoping that would get back to you. But it was true, in a way."
Rose chuckled at Abigail's insistence. "He said it was bound to fall apart anyway. Which I'm thankful for. Now I don't have to feel bad about it. And he even knew everything by the time he told me that, so he doesn't even blame me as Daisy. Just like I don't blame him for things not working out with Abel. It was bound to fizzle and die."
"Did you hear, by the way?" Al asked. "That Abel basically took over all of Archie's duties at the foundation?"
Rose rolled her eyes. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. He didn't really talk about much else. Never really cared for Archie either since he thought he took everything for granted."
"Have you heard from Molly?" Abigail asked. "She only wrote me to say they'd arrived safe. It's been silence all week otherwise."
Abigail was grinning mischievously at this, and Rose couldn't help but laugh. "I've only gotten the same. I don't expect to hear much before the wedding."
"Scorp said Archie owled him the other day about finding some paperwork in his flat," said Al. "Looks like he's preparing to cut ties with his dad."
Rose was surprisingly relieved to hear this news. It would be good for both Archie and Molly to not have the threat of his father hanging over them.
"Speaking of Scorpius," said Abigail with a pointed look towards Rose. "Where exactly do things stand now? You've been getting on really well. Do you both know the truth?"
Rose nodded. "He's known for a while and was preparing to tell me when I found out another way instead, but it's a long story. I confronted him, and he had a letter explaining everything all ready to go. I've only seen him once since I read it, and it didn't exactly go well."
"But, what now?" asked Al. "You can't just ignore it and pretend like it didn't all happen."
"No, and I don't plan to," Rose told her cousin. "I was sort of hoping to maybe just bump into him again and test the waters before I actually act on my feelings."
Rose realized what she was saying a moment too late. She hadn't really wanted to get into this part. Not today.
"And those feelings are…?" asked Abigail right on cue. Rose sighed and slouched back in her chair.
"He hasn't exactly told me the extent of his feelings in so many words…" Rose said hesitantly, "but I have a feeling I can take a pretty educated guess?"
She looked at Al for confirmation and he gave a barely perceptible nod, his lips doing their best to hide a smirk. Rose felt her stomach tighten and her heart speed up at receiving confirmation of Scorpius' feelings for her yet again. She tried to calm her nerves as she forced out her next sentence.
"Well…mine might be…similarly inclined."
Al was now full on beaming, and Abigail looked like she was doing everything she could to not jump up and down on the couch she was now barely sitting on.
"Don't make me say any more on the subject," Rose said sternly, trying desperately not to smile. "I'm still sorting it all out."
"We understand," Abigail said through her wide smile. "Just let us know if we can help."
Rose laughed as Al nodded in agreement. "I appreciate it, but I really do think the two of you have done more than enough already."
And she wasn't even complaining. Rose knew Al and Abigail had been behind all their meetups before she found out the truth, but Scorpius had never manipulated her. He'd put in a lot of effort to make sure she was comfortable, and never forced her to do something she didn't want to. And he'd taken a step of bravery in asking her to meet him for dinner so he could tell her the truth, even if it hadn't turned out the way he'd intended.
No. Rose wouldn't be asking anyone to do this for her. She would do it herself. And it wasn't about making sure they were even. It was about making sure he knew that she cared about him just as much as he cared for her. That she'd gotten to know him as Leo and then surprisingly started to fall for him as Scorpius. And that all the confusion and hurt and mistakes were worth it. Because he loved her. And because as much as she wouldn't fully admit anything to her mother or Al or Abigail, she knew exactly how she felt. And she didn't think she could wait much longer to tell him.
Scorpius ended up staying the following week at the Manor as well, only fully coming back to London the day Archie was due back. His friend had written to inform him that he and Molly were eager to see everyone, and that they wanted them all to meet at Sam's that night. Who exactly was included in "all", he couldn't say for sure, but Scorpius would have to be an idiot to think that didn't include Rose. She and Molly were cousins and best friends. She had more of a right to be there than he did.
The thought of having to face her made him nervous, even if she chose to ignore him all night. However she acted around him tonight would be very telling of where she stood and where things might be heading. As terrified as he was by the prospect, at least he'd know, and he could then proceed with his life accordingly.
His time spent with his parents had been a combination of refreshing and exhausting. The quiet of the country had been needed and helpful, and he knew his mother meant well, but their conversation in the garden hadn't been the only time she made comments about his social life.
"Well, how do we know he even has one if he insists on staying out here for almost two weeks?" she'd said to her husband. To be fair, Scorpius didn't have much of a social life at the moment, but that had been mostly his choice. Once he went back to London, he'd spend time with Al and Abigail and maybe grab a beer with Wes once he got back from his honeymoon. He'd finalized his research team, and they seemed like decent witches and wizards, so he could always get to know them. Maybe Archie would stick around for a while before flying off to France again. And he desperately wanted seeing Rose to be an option as well.
He'd tried very hard over the last few weeks not to give up hope, while also trying not to be too optimistic. He knew that keeping his distance might not be doing much good, but at least it wasn't harming things either. And as he left the Manor, he determined to act like things were as normal as possible and enjoy seeing his friends again. Especially Rose. She might want nothing to do with him, but at least he'd get to see her and know she was okay and doing well.
He hadn't heard from her since he'd last seen her, not that he'd been expecting to, but it was driving him mad. To go from knowing what she was up to every week through her letters and from seeing her, to complete silence. He had talked to Al through the Floo, and he'd made some comment about Rose stopping by, but Scorpius had refused to bite and therefore received no further information.
Doing his best to keep his head clear, he decided to stop by his office to drop off the notes and books he'd been able to compile for his research over the last few weeks. He then headed to the store after that to check the progress. Scorpius had been able to stay updated, and the timing couldn't have been better for him to head back to the city. The contractors were all set to have one last walk through the next day, and assuming everything was in good shape, it would be time for displays to be arranged, shelves to be stocked, and equipment moved in. They'd be set to open a week after Lucy and Wesley's wedding.
He was not disappointed by the progress when he stopped by, and he left to walk home with a spring in his step, his mind running wild with possibilities and excitement. It felt like only yesterday that he and his dad had come by the storefront and decided to expand into two shops rather than one. And then he'd been asked to take a larger role in the process than before. He couldn't help but be proud of the work he'd done.
It was late midday, and it had started to snow as Scorpius neared his building. His thoughts were so thoroughly immersed in working through details about how they'd do festivities for opening day, that he almost missed seeing the witch who was pacing back and forth in front of the front stoop that led into his building.
At the sound of a frustrated, feminine sigh, he glanced up, only to freeze in shock a few moments later when he recognized the witch who was currently running her gloved hands through her wildly curly hair in frustration, the bright red of her mane standing out beautifully against the white canvas of snow that was beginning to cover London. Her feet were moving constantly as she paced back and forth, mumbling to herself incoherently with a look of either frustration or concentration on her face. At each turn, she paused at the steps before she resumed walking, almost turning to go up them before changing her mind. She was dressed simply in boots and jeans and the same dark gray coat he always saw her wearing, that familiar bright blue scarf she'd worn the night they were supposed to meet all those months ago wrapped around her neck.
He'd stopped almost ten meters away from Rose, and she hadn't noticed him. To Scorpius, she'd never looked more beautiful, and for a while, he could do nothing but stand there watching her as the snow continued to fall.
"Working up your courage?" he finally hollered at her. It would have been comical how quickly she spun to look at him if he weren't so nervous. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened, but she didn't speak, just looked at him for a few moments, her eyes raking over him as if making sure he was really there.
"I thought you would have Flooed home," she eventually managed to say, clearly caught off guard by his sudden appearance.
"I went to my office first," said Scorpius, slowly taking a few steps closer to her. "Then I decided to walk home and swing by the shop."
"How's it coming?" asked Rose in an attempt at being casual, crossing her arms over her chest.
"It's just about done," he said, trying not to smile at her attempt to remain nonchalant while her nerves were radiating off her. "We're opening in two weeks."
She nodded, feigning interest but clearly distracted by everything else between them, just as he was. It was funny to him how much the mere idea of him opening a shop in Diagon Alley had once driven such a wedge between them. It seemed like the biggest source of tension in the world at one point, yet now, neither of them barely gave it a thought when it came to who they were to each other. At least, he hoped that was the case.
He desperately wanted to question her, but chose to wait for her to speak, wondering why she was there and what it was she had to say. Did she know they were probably going to be seeing each other later in the evening and wanted to get the awkward first encounter out of the way? Let him down easy in private so as not to embarrass him or give away to anyone else that they were anything more than acquaintances? The thought hurt, but at least it would be decent of her to want to make things less uncomfortable for him.
"Have you been with your parents all week?" she asked. Scorpius nodded.
"Needed a break from the city and… everything," he said. Rose nodded in understanding, the pink of her cheeks growing almost imperceptibly brighter as she fidgeted nervously and glanced away. She eventually looked back at him and released a deep breath.
"Yeah," she said quietly. "Everything."
Scorpius could hardly stand it anymore. He slowly covered the remaining distance separating them until he stood less than a meter in front of her. She seemed nervous but determined, and it was hard to miss the warmth her eyes held as she looked at him. It gave him hope, and he felt his heart beating heavily in his chest.
"I'm sorry about the other night," she said. "But thank you for taking care of me. I didn't appreciate it as much in the moment, but I do now, and it helped me realize you were right. About a lot of things. That letter," she continued. "It was beautiful. And it deserves a far better response than I'll probably be able to give, but I'm willing to try."
He kept his eyes glued to her as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ears, the static from her gloves almost making the action irrelevant. After another deep breath, Scorpius was surprised to see her looking at him sternly.
"I wasn't going to do this yet," she said defensively, as if expecting to be accused of acting improperly. "But then you disappeared, and it was driving me mad that you weren't around. It made me realize even more things."
She paused as if waiting for him to challenge her or ask her to explain, but he remained quiet, watching her closely in anticipation as she prepared to say whatever it was she'd come to tell him.
"I know we've always been rather rotten to each other in the past," she continued, "and you've done some hurtful things and so have I, but I think I always knew there was a reason I was so determined to keep you at arms length, even when you hadn't given me a reason to. You terrified me, Malfoy. First you threatened my closest friendship, and then, as soon as I started to consider letting you in for real, you threatened my relationship, even though you might not have know it."
She looked guilty now, and Scorpius was having a hard time believing what he was hearing.
"Are you talking about Thomas?" he asked, unable to think of anything she could possibly be referring to other than that brief period of time in seventh year when they'd started to get along, only for her to do a complete one-eighty on him. She'd been dating Carter Thomas at the time. His suspicions were confirmed when she nodded.
"It terrified the hell out of me that I could feel that way about you. You were supposed to be my enemy, yet it was so easy to let myself suddenly think about you as something much more friendly than that. I panicked."
"Bloody hell, Rose," he grumbled, crossing his arms and throwing his head back for a moment in frustration before looking back down at her guilty expression. "Are you saying you fancied me when we were in school?"
There was a brief pause, and his words hung between them before she nodded. Scorpius sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He'd done everything he could to not fall for Rose back then, and he'd even done his best not to cross any lines.
"I just wanted to be your friend," he said. "I wasn't trying to break up your relationship."
"I know," she assured him, and the sincerity and regret in her voice made him meet her eyes again. "And I'm sorry. I've behaved horribly and cowardly and I have this nasty habit of running from my problems. But I'm not going to do that now."
Scorpius watched as flakes of snow stuck to her bright red hair as it began to fall more steadily. She took a fortifying breath before continuing.
"I was angry, at first, that you didn't tell me the truth right away. And I wasn't sure if I could trust you. But you have this uncanny ability to be frustratingly perfect, and it's bloody irritating."
She looked very much annoyed at his so called perfection, but Scorpius was shocked to hear her say something like that. Especially since she usually insisted on how horrible he was.
"I was so confused before I found out the truth because I still had feelings for Leo, but there I was, falling for you once again, and it was driving me bloody mad. So it honestly made sense more than anything else when I found out the truth, even though it took awhile for it to sink in. And it wasn't long before I no longer blamed you for not telling me sooner. Can you imagine how things would have gone if we'd both known months ago? Or if I had known first? You handled all of this far better than I ever would have."
It was obvious she was a mix of nerves, determination, and elation as she paused and took a deep breath to collect herself. Scorpius found himself impatient, wanting to speak and cut to the chase, but he waited, knowing the importance of every word she uttered.
"I wasn't ready for the truth, and you knew that. You know me so well, Scorpius. Better than I ever realized. And I never really gave you a chance."
Her eyes were red and glassy as she tried to hold back tears, and Scorpius did his best to focus on what she was saying as she continued to speak, having been momentarily stunned to hear her call him by his first name. Something he couldn't recall her ever having done before.
"I know you don't regret anything and that you wouldn't change how it all happened," said Rose, "but I can't help wishing I'd been decent to you all these years. And not just because then you wouldn't see me as a judgmental bitch who runs from her feelings and puts people through hell rather than face her own issues. But because you deserve far better than how I've treated you. And because my actions have never really reflected the way I truly feel about you."
"I don't think those things about you," he couldn't help but say. "Rose, I fell in love with you in spite of all the horrible things we've ever said to each other. And I won't let you dismiss my part in this. I'm just as responsible as you for letting it go on."
He noted the way her breath caught in her throat when he said he was in love with her, but he couldn't let himself get caught up in that part. Not until after everything else was cleared between them. There was more to be said.
"And don't say anything about how you don't deserve me or any more of this shite about how I'm perfect. That's the farthest fucking thing from the truth, Rose."
"I know that," she said, and he felt a flicker of amusement as she grew frustrated. "You've been a smug and arrogant bastard on more than one occasion, and I've wanted to curse your head off more times than I can count. But that doesn't change the fact that as soon as I knew it was you that I'd been falling for all those months, I wanted it to be true. I might have been angry and upset at how it all happened, and I even did my best to run from it. But that doesn't change the fact that I wanted so badly for it to be you."
Her voice had grown strained with emotion, and the more she talked, the more difficult it was becoming for Scorpius to restrain himself. He wanted to let go and finally let himself fully embrace everything he felt for Rose. He wanted to allow that small dose of hope that had sprung up the moment he saw her today to overflow and turn into joy. But she was now rummaging in her coat pockets.
"My Mum had this idea that, since we'd been communicating through letters the whole time, it would be good for me to do the same now. That way I'd get everything out that I wanted to say. But apparently I'm much better when I'm put on the spot, because, when it came down to it, I could barely get any words down."
She now held a folded up piece of parchment in her hand, and he could see his name scribbled in her familiar handwriting across the front. Rather than handing it to him, Rose held it tightly, taking a shaky breath to steady herself, her hands trembling as she gripped the parchment.
"Look, I'm not very good at this, so I'll just get it over with," she said in a bit of a rush. "I thought long and hard about what I wanted you to know, and even though I've told you an awful lot today, the only thing I want to make sure that you know for sure, is how I feel about you."
Her gaze was steady as he took the letter from her, her hand shaky from a combination of cold and nerves as she held it out to him. When he unfolded the letter, he saw it was the shortest one she'd ever written him and contained only three words..
I love you.
She'd addressed it and signed it, but he hardly noticed. All he knew and all he felt was joy and relief and overwhelming happiness that not only had he been crazy enough to fall in love with Rose Weasley, but she'd been crazy enough to fall in love with him as well.
He looked up at her, sure that his smile was bigger than it had ever been before, only to see Rose looking at him with so much sincerity and hope and love that he wondered at how he ever could have doubted how she felt.
"I know that's probably stupid," she said apologetically with a nod towards the letter, "But I mean it. I'm bloody terrified of all of this, and I know it won't be easy and it'll take some time for us and everyone else to get used to it, but these last few weeks have been miserable, and I don't want to do it again. Because I do love you. I don't know how long I've loved you, but I do know I love you now. And-"
But she was unable to finish as Scorpius closed the remaining distance between them, his hands moving to cup her face as he pulled her close. Her breath caught in her throat and she shivered at the contact and his close proximity. He felt a thrill when her hands automatically went to rest on his arms and gripped them tightly. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily as his nose subtly bumped against hers.
"Rose?"
A gentle smile graced her mouth as he said her name, her eyes still closed as she waited and listened.
"It's not stupid," he murmured as her cheeks flushed a brighter pink, "and I love you too."
She gave a deep sigh at his words, her warm breath caressing his face as she opened her eyes to meet his.
"Yeah?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah," he said with a light chuckle. She grinned back at him, a shiver running through her as he stroked his thumbs along her flushed cheeks. Her fingers flexed around his wrists as he rested his forehead against hers.
"What now?" asked Rose, her eyes closed and her voice a little shaky. He breathed her in, reveling in the moment and hardly daring to believe he was holding Rose Weasley. He was holding her close enough to kiss her. And it was extremely possible that if he tried to do so, she'd let him.
"Well, how about we take it one step at a time, yeah?" he said with a smile. "I'm a bit terrified as well."
She giggled. Giggled. Scorpius could hardly believe it and chuckled along with her.
"So," she said in a whisper, her smile bright and lovely. "What's step one?"
Scorpius grinned back but didn't answer her question. Instead, he leaned slightly closer, his eyes beginning to close as his nose brushed against hers. He was close enough that he could feel her quick breaths of anticipation, and he hesitated only one moment longer before his lips found hers.