A/N: Finally, after all these months of procrastinating, writer's block, insomnia and listening to various songs on repeat, we're at the last chapter!

Thank you to everybody who took the time to read this - you guys are awesome, really. Pat yourself on the back, you deserve it!

Okay, time for the last chapter! Hope it's satisfying. Thank you all again!

--

It Doesn't Really Matter

When Scorpius was able to see the tips of the school's towers poking out from beneath the clouds, his hands became clammy and his heart began to pump erratically. His stomach was knotting and his knees were shaking. James swerved around in his seat and stared at the poor boy with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought you said you were ready for this." He said skeptically. Scorpius ran his fingers through his hair for the umpteenth time in the last ten minutes; it was so messy it rivaled that of James'.

"It's just those last minute frights you always get when you're about to do something big," Fred reassured, "He'll be alright once he steps out."

"Are you sure? He's shaking like Albus in a girls' lavatory."

"I'm fine." Scorpius muttered pathetically. Fred shifted gears and the car began to lower; the tips of the evergreen trees from the forest brushed against the bottom. The blond gulped loudly, trying to force the painful lump down his throat. His quivering hands curled into fists and his stomach gave an unpleasant lurch as the car thumped onto the grass. It was evening so the school grounds were a little hard to see; he glanced at the forest past Hagrid's house and wished he could just lose himself in it. Getting lost in a forest certainly sounded more appealing than confronting Rose Weasley at the moment.

"Do we have to do everything for you, mate?" James had stepped out of the car; he wrenched Scorpius' door open and yanked him outside. "Go on, get inside - what are you bloody waiting for?"

The confidence that spurred inside of Scorpius moments earlier had somehow drained away; he was holding onto the car for support as he doubled over, trying to find his voice. He felt Fred's hand on his shoulder and it made him feel a little bit better.

"Oi, James - give the bloke a break, would you? You can't underestimate the female species...especially when they're most likely going to be in a foul mood!"

The eldest Potter boy sighed and rumpled the back of his hair. "You mean especially when it's Rose Weasley."

"You're not making this any easier." Scorpius croaked; he stood up straight, though his knees were still quivering a bit. He pulled Ferdinand and his trunk out of the car and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. He was not in the right mindset to conquer the world, but he was okay enough to get this over with. "Wish me luck," He mumbled as he began wheeling his trunk towards the school.

"Er, wait," Fred called, and Scorpius glanced over his shoulder to look at him. "Make sure you look as pathetic as possible."

The blond raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

James barked out a bittersweet laugh and his hand reached for his hair. "It helps you out a bit, trust us."

"Though I guess I didn't really need to tell you that," Fred added, "You're already pathetic-looking as it is."

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Thanks." He waved once and sucked in a breath; he was going to do this, and he was going to do this now.

It was late, but not too late; Rose was probably in the prefects' common room by now. Scorpius decided to drop his things off in his dorm before facing her, and to probably force Holden into giving him a pep talk or some other form of moral support. He uttered the password into the Slytherin common room and wheeled his trunk inside; the garish green lamps and black leather sofas looked unchanged, and the dank, depressing feeling of the dungeons was still looming overhead. It had only been a few days but it felt like he had been gone for years.

"Huh," Holden was awake when Scorpius entered their dormitory, "Well, look what the cat dragged in." He was sitting on his bed with a battered copy of the Divine Comedy in his hands.

"Shut up," The blond grumbled as he dumped his trunk on the floor; Ferdinand hooted impatiently and Scorpius fed him an owl treat in a feeble attempt to make him stop. "You don't have to say anything - I know I'm an irresponsible, cowardly tw-"

"I wasn't going to say any of those things, but if you wanted me to I'll be glad." Holden grinned as he hopped off his bed, ignoring the rumbustious snoring from Princeton and Porter, "I can't blame you for having your dad taking you home, but I can berate you for saying all those stupid things to Rose."

Scorpius blinked. "W-what? How did you-"

"This is Hogwarts, mate. Word spreads quicker than the cold around here."

"Right…" Scorpius sighed and shook his head. "What am I supposed to tell her, Holden? She's probably planning my murder as we speak."

"I can't disagree with you on that," Holden chuckled, and Scorpius gulped, "She's been crabby ever since you left. Keeps holing herself up in the library, studying and muttering insults towards you under her breath. No one can approach her, for they fear she'll hex them 'till they can't feel their legs."

"Great," The blond sat on the edge of his bed and ran his fingers through his hair, "I was so sure I was able to do this, too. I'm done for."

"Stop being so overdramatic," Holden hissed, catching Scorpius off guard, "It's such a Malfoy thing to do. I thought you wanted to be different from that!" When the blond lowered his eyes to his shoes Holden sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, there really isn't much I can tell you. You're the only one who can make things right again, so if you're looking for the best advice you best ask yourself." He paused for a minute. "Oh, and it helps to be honest. Honesty's always a winner."

"Right. Honesty." The blond sat up and consciously smoothed out his shirt. "She's probably going to head back to her common room soon so I better get going. Thanks, Holden." He made his way towards the door, but he heard Holden stand up and he turned around.

"Don't forget to look-" But Scorpius held up a hand to stop him.

"Pathetic, I know."

--

It had been a long night for Rose; with that idiot all cozied up in his pretty mansion in Wiltshire she had to do the patrolling all on her own, which meant she had to peruse the entire bloody school by herself. The redhead suppressed a yawn as she rose from the couch facing the fireplace; she decided to squeeze in a few more minutes of studying before she headed back to the Gryffindor common room for bed, and she knew that her siblings and cousins were probably still up so she stayed in the prefects room for some peace and quiet. She gathered her books and rolls of parchment and stuffed them in her bag, stifling another yawn. Roaming around the school by herself at night tired her out, and she wanted nothing more than dropping into her bed and dreaming of passing her exams with flying colours.

As she threw her bag over her shoulder the door burst open and someone barreled inside, nearly toppling onto the carpeted floor. Rose instinctively dropped her bag and plucked her wand from the inside of her robes, but when she saw a flash of platinum blond her eyes widened and her arm fell limp by her side.

Scorpius groaned as he stood up, dusting off his trousers. He rubbed the back of his head as he turned to grin sheepishly at her. "Er-"

Rose had come back to her senses and pointed her wand at him. With every step she took he took one step back until he was against the wall. "You've got a lot of nerve to show up like this," Her voice was low as she drew closer to him; she simpered as he cowered helplessly, "What makes you think you can just waltz in here and expect me to welcome you with open arms?"

"I-I never expected you to welcome me with open arms!" Scorpius cried, holding his hands up to show his defeat, "And I didn't waltz in here - I kinda stumbled in-"

"Don't play smart with me!" Rose bellowed, and he shut up immediately. "First you tell me that I shouldn't worry about the consequences, and that we should do what we feel, and then you suddenly turn around and say that we can't do this because there's too much working against us," She inhaled deeply; she was talking so quickly she was not even sure he was listening properly, "And now you're here again!" She was so close to hexing him the hand holding her wand was trembling, "Make up your bloody mind, already!"

"My mind is made up," Scorpius lifted himself off the wall and squared his shoulders; with a bout of courage he swatted Rose's wand out of the way and she gasped as she watched it clatter to the floor, "What I said to you that day made me look like the biggest hypocrite, and I'm aware of that, but I only said those things because...because I was afraid."

The redhead scoffed, her eyes lingering on her wand. "Afraid? Afraid of what, Scorpius?"

"Who else?" Scorpius laughed bitterly, rubbing the back of his head, "My father. I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if he ever found out, and I was so scared he was going to do something...when he keeps his mind on something he won't stop at nothing 'till he accomplishes it, and I know that the last thing he'd ever want to see is you and me."

"You're sounding more and more ridiculous with every word you're saying," Rose spat, but much to her surprise Scorpius looked unfazed; instead he continued on as if she did not say anything at all.

"I'm stupid, I know," He muttered, "But I'm not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice. This is our last year here, Rose - our last year! We're seventeen years old, and we're old enough to make our own decisions, feel our own feelings. I was so confident in thinking that I could stand up against my father and do things on my own for once, but when the tables turned and he found out about us I weaseled out...just like how any Malfoy would do." He stepped closer and his eyes darted from his hands to hers, "I've let my insecurities overcome me...I shouldn't have done that to you. I'm sorry." His eyes dropped to the floor and an uncomfortable twitching made itself present in the centre of Rose's chest.

"Scorpius," She murmured; he looked up hopefully, only to come in contact with Rose's hand. She smacked him so hard the sound reverberated throughout the room; his head twisted to the side and a red hand-shaped mark appeared on his cheek. "You are the stupidest person I've ever had the misfortune to meet," She grumbled as he rubbed his sore face, "You don't think of anybody except for yourself and you've got an ego bigger than bloody Grawp! You hang out with those dullards you call friends - except Holden, of course - and you've got the nerve to point out every single flaw in everybody you come across! You're a thickheaded, arrogant, pompous, foulmouthed, good-for-nothing little toerag," She exhaled slowly and her eyes suddenly softened, "And for some bloody reason I care about you more than anybody else in existence."

Scorpius automatically recoiled, ready to take the next hit, but when he heard the last sentence he opened his eyes and gaped at her in disbelief. "W-what?" He spluttered, shaking his head, "So...does that mean you...forgive me?"

Rose shook her head fiercely and he clamped his eyes shut, in fear she was going to hit him again. "No, not yet," He opened his eyes slowly and eyed the defeated expression on her face, "But at the same time I just can't stay angry at you. You don't know how much I loathed you in the past few days…" She sighed, "But then when you come stumbling into the prefects' common room everything disappears."

"I'm really sorry," He mumbled as he ruffled his hair, "I don't know what else to say. There isn't much else I can say. You said everything that was needed to be said."

She sighed again and approached him slowly, encircling her arms around his chest and ducking under his chin. She breathed him in and closed her eyes against his collar. "I hate you." Her voice was slightly muffled against his shirt, "You make everything aggravating, confusing and wonderful at the same time." She glanced upwards and their eyes met; her eyes closed in bliss as she felt the warmth of his lips against hers. When they broke apart he pressed his forehead to hers, their eyes still locked on each other. Scorpius was smiling, and she knew she was too.

She knew that he knew that there was nothing else that needed to be said at the moment.

--

"Hurry up, Albus!" Rose hollered from downstairs; her eyes were trained on the door to the boys' dormitories, where her cousin was taking his sweet time. "Merlin, what the bloody hell is he doing in there? Painting his nails?"

"He's probably trying to do something with that disaster he calls his hair," Dominique was shaking her head, "He wants to look good when he accepts his diploma, you know."

"Scorpius is waiting," Rose's eyes darted to the clock on the wall, "Oh, I am going to kill-"

"I'm here, I'm here!" Albus burst out of the boys' dormitories and raced down the stairs; his hair was neatly combed, making him look nearly unrecognizable. "Okay, let's go!" Everybody was too shocked to move; they were staring at his tidy, slick hair. "Alright, I know it's neat! Can we go now?"

"Right," Jane was the first to snap out of her reverie, "Let's go." She pushed her siblings and cousins out of the Gryffindor common room and down the rotating staircases. Rose picked up the skirts of her robe, careful not to trip over them with the heels she was wearing. Her hair was done up in a loose bun today, with two wavy strands framing her face.

"Wow," Scorpius was waiting for them in the foyer; he eyed Albus' hair and let out a low whistle, "You managed to do the impossible, Potter."

"Sod off," Albus rolled his eyes as he linked arms with Lisa, "C'mon, McGonagall's gonna have our heads if we're another second late."

"See you guys!" Hugo and the others waved before heading out; Lily lingered behind, looking a little uncertain. Rose approached her with a raised eyebrow.

"Erm, is something the matter, Lily?"

The younger girl glanced up at her cousin, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I'm really sorry for acting so cold around you for the past few months, Rosie," She looked very close to tears, and Rose was beginning to feel a little worried, "I...I was just so angry at the fact that you were with Scorpius-"

"It's alright, Lily," Rose laughed nervously; she could feel Albus, Scorpius and Lisa's eyes on her back, "You don't have to apologize, I unders-"

"No, please, let me say this," Lily cried, "I wasn't really angry at the fact that you were going out with Scorpius, but more because you didn't tell me. I felt kind of hurt...and it took me a really long time to realize just why you couldn't tell anyone, and when I finally figured everything out I just felt so stupid afterwards!" She shook her head and pulled Rose in for a hug. "I just want you to know that I'm really happy for you, Rosie. I'm glad that you and Scorpius worked things out, and that if he ever does anything to you, you come to me first!"

Rose laughed and hugged her back. "Of course, Lily." She let go and gestured towards Scorpius and the others. "I have to go now - I'll see you later, okay?"

The younger redhead nodded and waved before dashing off. Scorpius raised an eyebrow as Rose returned. He reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together as they followed Albus and Lisa out of the foyer.

"What was she on about?" He asked suspiciously, Rose laughed nervously.

"She's just happy for me, that's all," She smiled, and Scorpius knew he was not going to get anything more out of her. The weather was perfect for the graduation ceremony; the sky was a clear, vibrant blue with not a speck of cloud and there was a light, summery breeze to level with the heat. The foursome descended the steps down the hill, where there was a stage and multiple rows of seats for the students; there was another section at the back, shaped like a semi-circle for their family members. Most of the chairs in both sections were already full.

"Quite a crowd we've drawn today," Scorpius smirked, "Better not trip, Potter."

"Don't jynx it!" Albus cried in apprehension, and Lisa and Rose burst into laughter.

"You'll do fine," Lisa assured him as they made their way towards their seats, "Just don't think about it so much. All you have to do is just walk up there, take your diploma and shake hands with McGonagall."

"You don't know how difficult that is for someone like me." Albus muttered; the seats were arranged alphabetically so everyone sat separately. Rose had to sit close to the back with practically nobody while Albus, Lisa and Scorpius sat a few seats within each other.

"I think I can see my parents," Scorpius muttered under his breath; Rose glanced over his shoulder and spotted a tall man with slick white-blond hair sitting not so far away, "Ugh, he's staring at me, I can feel it."

Rose's eyes flittered across the crowd and she cringed when she stopped on a bunch of redheads; Ron was sitting stubbornly in the middle of their vast family with his arms crossed and his eyes staring straight at her. She gulped and returned to Scorpius.

"You're not the only one," She shook her head and pushed him towards his designated row, "We'll figure this out afterward. McGonagall looks like she's about to start."

When Scorpius made his way to his seat she hurriedly walked over to hers; the moment she sat down McGonagall began a long, tedious speech on how it was a very 'productive year' and how she was sure everyone did well on their NEWTs. She rambled on about how she watched them grow from frightened little first years to 'mature, responsible seventh years' (in the distance she heard a few stifled snickers and giggles) and how she was so proud of their progress. By the time the ten minute speech was finished the students sitting around Rose were on the verge of nodding off.

"And now we will commence with the distribution of the diplomas," McGonagall announced, and everyone seemed to sigh with relief. She unfurled a piece of parchment so long that it drooped to the floor and nearly rolled off the stage. McGonagall and the other professors read the names one by one; James, Teddy and Fred hollered at Albus when it was his turn to receive his, and Rose, along with her cousins and other friends, cheered for Scorpius. When it was her turn to get hers she saw every member of her family stand up from their seats to cheer for her, and her cheeks burned in embarrassment; it was one thing to have just her parents, but her entire family? Why did the Weasley clan have to be bloody gigantic?

"And there you have it," McGonagall said after an hour and a half of diploma distributing, "The newest Hogwarts graduates!"

The students cheered and tossed their hats in the air; in the background their families stood up and clapped and cheered for them. School was finally over - no more staying up until three in the morning to work on stupid essays or enduring boring lectures...but will life after school be any different?

"Congrats," Scorpius emerged from the crowd with his usual crooked grin, "No more Hogwarts." He pulled Rose closer to him and captured her lips in a kiss; the noise of the other students and their families melted away as she closed her eyes against him. Her fingers wandered over to his hair; she missed the feeling of his wayward strands poking out between her fingers.

Suddenly an awkward cough caught both of their attention and they immediately pulled apart; a few feet away stood Hermione, who was smiling like nothing was going on, and Ron, whose face was transitioning between three different shades of red.

"Mum!" Rose's eyes widened, but she kept her composure; behind her Scorpius was gulping and rubbing the back of his neck, "Dad!"

"Oh, Rosie," Hermione moved in to hug her daughter tightly, "We're so proud of you. Congratulations!"

"Yes," Ron muttered, "Proud. We're very proud of you."

"Oh," Rose slowly pulled away from her mother and gestured over to Scorpius, who was still trying to shake off his nervousness, "Mum...er, Dad...this is Scorpius. Scorpius Malfoy."

Hermione, bless her, stepped forward to shake his hand. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Scorpius," She smiled kindly, "Congratulations - what are your plans, now that you're finished school?"

It looked like the Malfoy part of him was beginning to kick in because he suddenly straightened his back and spoke in an even, business-like tone, "I was thinking of becoming an Auror, actually," His hand moved from his neck to his hair, "I've always wanted to do something Quidditch-related but after sixth year I realized that it was kind of unrealistic."

Ron's expression softened unexpectedly. "You like Quidditch? Like...you like like it?"

Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "Yes...I've been a fan for ages. I was also on the Slytherin house team all seven years, and I was made captain in my third year, if that helps."

Ron stepped forward and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Oh? What position do you play, then, and what's your favourite team? I bet you're just one of those mainstream fans-"

"I play Seeker," Scorpius replied casually; Hermione and Rose's eyes darted back and forth between the two males in disbelief as their conversation unfolded, "And I've been supporting the Stormers for over ten years."

"The Stormers?!" Ron shook his head, "The Stonewall Stormers?! You support a bloody Yank team?!"

Scorpius chuckled. "They're from Canada, Mr. Weasley, and if it makes you feel better I'm also quite fond of the Falcons. Their excess violence is beneficial to them and amusing to their viewers."

To Rose and Hermione's surprise Ron laughed. He even reached forward to clap Scorpius (who was smirking victoriously) on the back. "Now that's a conversation I'm willing to partake in! Now do you really play Quidditch, or are you like your dad?"

"I didn't know it was possible for them to get along." Rose gaped as the conversation between her father and boyfriend continued on. Hermione sighed and shook her head in amusement.

"I always knew it was possible," She said, "But the only thing I worried about was your father's willingness to accept him. I guess once you find common ground you can go practically anywhere."

In the distance Rose could see Draco and Astoria scanning the crowd for her son, and it was then she decided that it was her turn to do the charming. She grabbed Scorpius by the elbow and proceeded to drag him back into the throng of students. "Scorpius, I think it's time you went to talk to your parents."

"It was nice meeting you, Scorpius," Hermione waved as Rose and Scorpius melded back into the crowd, "I trust we'll be seeing each other again soon!"

"I'll admit you're not as bad as I thought you were," Ron smirked, "But I'm still keeping an eye out."

"That didn't go so bad," Rose said incredulously as she and Scorpius made their way towards his parents, "You were actually very charming."

"Must be a Malfoy thing," The blond shrugged his shoulders, "It was always a cinch for me when it came to talking to adults," He eyed his father, who looked bored and unimpressed as always, and he sighed. "But when I talk to my father it's a completely different story."

"You'll do fine," Rose assured him; they were getting closer and closer and her heart was beginning to pound painfully against her ribcage, "Just...er, act like you didn't escape your room via flying car."

"Right, I'll keep that in mind." Scorpius straightened his posture again once they were close enough to his parents. "Mother, Father." He addressed formally, his face stony.

"Congratulations, Scorpius." Astoria had a small smile on her face; she slowly turned to Rose and nodded, "And you too, Rose."

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy." Rose smiled back; out of the corner of her eye Draco was staring at her questionably.

"Er, I guess I don't really need to make any kind of introduction," Scorpius laughed nervously, "Since you kind of know who Rose is-"

"Congratulations to you both." Draco's voice was the usual tedious drawl, but he was smirking as if he was watching an interesting television program, "It must be relieving to know you won't ever have to come back here again."

"Er, actually I might," Rose piped up, and Draco's metal grey stare darted over to her, "I was planning to teach Arithmancy."

"Arithmancy…" The elder Malfoy smirked, much to Rose's surprise, "A respectable subject." He did not look impressed, but he did not look unimpressed either, and it was enough.

"You're a bright girl," Astoria piped up, "I know you'll be successful."

"Thank you," Rose flushed in embarrassment and her eyes dropped to her shoes; beside her Scorpius was snickering, and she made a mental note to kick him later.

"We better go," Scorpius slipped his hand over hers; Rose felt Draco's eyes immediately drop to their entwined hands but she did not feel intimidated. The younger Malfoy's grin was more than enough to cancel that feeling out. "Al is probably looking for us." He turned around to nod to his parents before melting back into the crowd with Rose.

She looked at him and contemplated on whether or not it was one of those moments where it was inappropriate to say something; Scorpius looked like he had just conquered the world, and he had every right to feel so.

"I'm surprised he didn't bring anything up about me disappearing the other night." He broke the silence minutes later as they brushed through the crowd; he tightened his hold on her hand so it would be harder for them to separate. "Or maybe he's saving that for later." He sighed and scratched his head with his free hand.

"I'm surprised your dad didn't give me a dirty look." Rose giggled, "Why is it that every parent - mothers in particular - have to know what their children's boyfriends and girlfriends' plans for the futures are?"

The blond shrugged; in the near distance Albus was talking animatedly with Lisa and a few of the Weasley cousins. "I dunno - it's a great conversation starter at the very least."

They approached Albus and exchanged their congratulations; they lingered in the crowd and excitement until McGonagall announced that dinner was ready in the Great Hall. Somehow everybody managed to fit in the four long tables, and to everyone's surprise Scorpius and Ron engaged in a very heated conversation about Quidditch. When dinner was finished the families gathered in the foyer to go home.

"What exactly were you and my dad arguing about?" Rose raised an eyebrow as she walked with Scorpius out of the Great Hall.

"We weren't arguing," Scorpius stared at her as if that was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard her say, "We were just having an impassioned conversation."

Not too far away Ron was chatting with Harry and Neville; he looked like he was trying very hard to avoid Draco Malfoy, who was standing in the exact opposite side of the room. Rose frowned and shook her head. "Do you think they'll at least try to get along?"

Scorpius shrugged his shoulders. "There's a lot we don't know about them, Rose. Maybe there's stuff they're not telling us," He wound his arm around the redhead's waist and pulled her closer, bringing his lips closer to her ear. "But it doesn't really matter now, does it?"

Memories of the past year sifted through Rose's mind: the redecorating incident, being forced to work together in Potions, Tatia Schultz and Damien Byrne, the Halloween Ball, conjuring a Patronus, a Bludger to the head, Albus and James, Ron and Draco - they all whirred by so quickly it was nearly impossible to differentiate between them.

An earsplitting explosion erupted from somewhere outside, and everybody's heads turned towards the main doors.

"Uncle George and Fred must be here!" Lily cried; the tall doors opened to reveal an inky sky mottled with splotches of fireworks in all different shapes and colours. Everyone rushed outside to watch; James, being the child that he is, yelped in glee and was the first to run out.

Rose giggled and shook her head as she pulled Scorpius towards the fireworks.

"No, it doesn't." She grinned, and he could only grin back.