Rose had had some pretty good months in Scotland. The Merpeople were nicer than she'd ever thought! They helped her settle in and get to know the Hippocampi. Of course, Rose hadn't lived with them under water, but in a camp next to the lake, where other researchers lived. Everyone had been really nice to her, supporting her when she didn't know what to do, praising her when she did something well.

On her last evening there, she was laying in the grass next to the lake, watching some young Hippocampi playing in the water, jumping in and out.

"Hey there. The others told me I'd be able to find you here."

"Oh, hey Jules. Sit down" Rose smiled at her.

"I just wanted to ask you about your next steps. We haven't really had time to talk about that, had we?"

"Not really, no." During the last few months, Rose and Jules had become quite good friends. Jules knew about Rose's struggle with her future and about how confusing everything was to her. She knew how much she missed her family and her best friend. She knew how much Rose missed the danger and the beasts, the diversity.

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Well, first of all, I'll go to Greece to get to know the Hippocampi in their natural habit. And after that... I am not sure. I've told you about Scorpius, haven't I? About my best friend?"

"You did, yes. What about him?"

"He'll be doing an internship in Greece. Starting next week. We'll travel there together and live in the same flat and everything. I am really excited about it, because I love spending time with him. He's the best."

"He's more than your best friend, isn't he?" Jules inquired, "does he know you feel that way?"

"I don't feel that way. If I would, he would know it. There were times when I thought I did and times when he thought he did. We have told each other about that and it's clear."

"Rose. I am a woman, you are a woman. I see your eyes when you talk about him. Even if you are not in love with him, there is something more."

"There is." Rose sighed heavily before she continued, "he asked me to marry him."

"He what?" Jules looked at her, completely dazzled. "What did you say? Did you say yes? Tell me all about it!"

"Okay, let me tell you the whole story. It started when I was visiting him before this internship. We had a nice evening, until: "Rosie?" he said after a while of mutual and comfortable silence.

"Mhm?"

"We should marry each other."

"We should what?"I looked at him, startled, "what gave you that idea?"

"Well", he continued, looking a bit embarrassed, "I think we are meant to be. Think about it, Rose. Whenever I was with someone, I always compared her to you. Telling myself 'Rose wouldn't want you to change. Rose wouldn't tell you this or that'. Even when she wore a dress, I would about how it would look on you."

"I had quite similar experiences" I told him, "whenever a man was just remotely interested in me, I would compare him to you, look at his flaws and discover that you would always be better than him. No matter what he would do, he could never live up to my image of you."

"So you're basically in love with each other?" Jules wanted to know, "at least it sounds like it."

"It sounds like it, true. But there is more to the story."

"Okay, please continue."

Rose giggled and nodded in agreement: "But I don't know if it is love", I told him, "it doesn't feel like it. I feel safe with you, yes. I want to be with you, yes. But as lovers? I don't know. I don't feel like anyone described love. There are no butterflies, no dizziness, no sick stomach. Nothing."

"I don't feel like my parents told me love feels like, either. But still, there is something between us. I can see it in your eyes."

I sighed but nodded. He was so right. There was something more. More than friendship but less than love. Less than a crush. "Okay. Say there is something. Say we feel that way. Maybe it is a different way of love we feel. I know one thing: spending the rest of my life with you sounds like a great idea. But as husband and wife? I don't know."

"So what do you say? Will you marry me?"

"So what did you say? Rose, tell me!"

Rose was just about to answer her friend, as someone called her name.

"Rose! Hey, I thought you had already left."

"I haven't. Come on, sit down with us, Henry."

He did, placing himself between Jules and Rose.

"Why did you think I had left? I'm leaving tomorrow."

"Well, I thought that you might have headed home already, to see your family. We all know how important family is to you as a Weasley."

"Thank you for only seeing me as my family name. Just fuck off, Henry. I don't need that kind of shit. I really don't."

"But you are your name. We all are. You just have a very special name."

Rose jumped up, angry, her face furious with rage. "Do not ever call me Weasley again. Never ever. Did you understand that?" She shook her head of red curls, stomping away. Rose was sick of it. She had thought, after Hogwarts, it would be over with it. She did not want to put up with being reduced to her name again. Not at an internship which she got by herself, because of all her other achievements. Not because of her name, because of what her parents did or did not do. Angry, Rose went into her room, packing up the rest of her belongings.

"Are you alright, Rose, my dear?" Jules hesitantly asked her friend.

"I am just so sick of it. Why does everyone keep doing this? Why can't I be more than my surname?"

"You are so much more. Henry is just hurt because whenever he tried to flirt with you, you blew him off. Every time. And when he asked you if you have a boyfriend and you denied it, he was even angrier. You see, he thinks he is the greatest, the best, and the most handsome. He wants you and he can't take it that you don't want him. That is why he wants to hurt you so badly."

"He doesn't have to hurt me just to get his revenge. I am so happy that I'll be gone tomorrow. Away from Henry. He is nice, actually. I really do like him and he is amazing with the Hippocampi. But he can be a total git."

"I know he can. To be honest, I had a thing for him when I first arrived two years ago. And we had a few shared nights..."

"Oho." Rose giggled. "Nice! Was he any good?"

"To be honest: I had had better lovers. I never told him. If I had, he would be a git to me as well."

Rose laughed and shook her head. "You are unbelievable!"

"Have you never done anything you regretted? I certainly did regret sleeping with him. You never did that?"

"Well, I slept with Scorpius, but..."

"You did?! Why? What? When? After he proposed?"

"He didn't really propose. It was more of a thought. But no, before. We made a plan to sleep with each other on our Graduation Day, if we are both single. So we did. We did it afterwards, too. During the three years I have been round the world. Couple of times."

"How was it? If you are not in love with him and stuff. And... sleeping with my best friend... that sounds really awkward and weird."

"It wasn't. It was great. We both loved it. Best sex of our lives. But I didn't feel love."

"So what did you say? Did you agree to marry him? Please, I need the end of the story before you leave."

"I lend you a comfy pyjama, you cuddle up in bed with me and I tell you what happened next, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan", Jules smiled and did as she was told. Quite happily, she listened to Rose's story, with a cup of tea in her hand and some ice cream to share.

Scorpius was very eager to go to Greece. He was eager to learn new ways of healing, to be in a foreign country with a foreign culture. And above all, he was eager to live with Rose, even if it was only for a short time. After that, their ways would be parted again. It didn't matter. As long as Rose was happy, he would be. With or without her. They were best friends. No-one could take that away from them.

"There you are" he grinned as the Weasleys finally arrived at the meeting point.

"Rose was a bit nervous. You know, Port Keys are not her way of travelling" Ron grinned, winking at Scorpius, "make sure you take good care of her after you've arrived, okay? You are a healer and she tends to get sick."

"I promise. Don't worry, Rose will be fine."

"Glad to hear that." Ron stared at him for a while, not in a bad way, though. He was completely positive that Scorpius would do everything to keep his daughter safe. He just didn't want the boy to be too friendly with her. If he only knew, how friendly they had ready been with each other.
After Rose said hello to Cassiopeia and played with her for a while, it was time to get to the Port Key.

"By the way, did Ginny tell you that Albus is moving in with James, as long as my son is in Greece?"

"Really?" Hermione wondered, "that's odd. I can't imagine them living together... I thought Al had already started working at Gringotts and was in his own flat."

"Burned down yesterday" Scorpius informed them, "he came yesterday evening and since there was a spare room from today on, I was quite glad to have someone in my room in order to not pay the rent."

"And you know I never understood why you didn't search for someone in the first place."

"Mum, we have discussed that" Scorpius sighed. He couldn't stand someone he didn't know living in his room, with all his personal things. And he earned good money, didn't need to pay for the flat in Greece, because the hospital financed it. James was glad to be on his own, with his new girlfriend, so why should he look for someone? But Albus was a good choice. Payed for the rent and James was really excited to live with his baby brother.

"Shall we go then?" Rose wanted to know. The sooner it was over, the better.

Since she was very pale and trembled a bit, Scorpius softly grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"It's going to be fine, Pumpkin Pie. Don't worry."

"I don't. I love adventures. But I might throw up once we've reached our destination." She smiled a crooked smile, stopping in front of the old tea pot, which was supposed to be their Port Key.

"Rose, take that." Scorpius handed his best friend a small flask.

"What is that?"

"A potion. It will make you feel better during the journey and after we landed. Trust me."

She nodded slightly, taking one big sip. "Doesn't taste as bad as I thought. A bit like cranberry. See, Daddy, Scorpius takes good care of me" Rose smiled at her father.

"I know." Ron hugged his daughter and Scorpius, waving his good-bye with the others.

Scorpius had been right. Once they were in Greece, Rose felt a lot better than any other time she'd traveled with a Port Key.

"Told you it would help" he grinned at her, hugging Rose softly, "you are alright, aren't you?"

"I am, thank you." She hugged him back, resting her head against his chest. "So we'll be living together now. I allow you to pick which room you want to have."

"Thank you", he laughed, kissing her forehead before letting go of her. "I want the one next to the bathroom."

"Okay, no problem. Then I have the one next to the kitchen. This is gonna be awesome!"

"Of course it is" Scorpius smiled, "two best friends sharing a flat is the definition of awesome."

"Yeah, two best friends" Rose nodded.

"So we are going to stick to the plan?"

"Of course we are. What happened between us, what has been said, what has been thought, that is to be between us and not to be shared with the family."

"Okay, fine." Scorpius smiled softly, kissing her cheek, "let's just hope that the next few months won't be weird as fuck."

"I still can't get over the fact of you using curse words." The red-head giggled and let herself fall onto the sofa in the living room. "Come on, sit next to me and tell me about what will happen to you and what you'll be doing."

Scorpius smiled and kissed her forehead, sitting next to her. "Well, as I will be with your team and with the Healer responsible for the campsite, I guess I'll get a pretty good insight into water related incidents and accidents, into wounds caused by Hippocampi and other water creatures. That is going to be really interesting, as I have never done something similar before. How did you like the Hippocampi anyway?"

"They are amazing! I have to see them here, where they actually live in the wild, not captured and tamed. It will be bloody amazing! But I have decided against working with them in the future. I need furry and feathery animals."

"So the plan from before is still on the table?"

"Yes. It means a lot to me, so I'll stick to that. We have agreed on it and I know it is the right decision. I feel it, Scorp. I finally feel that soon I am where I want to be."

"And I am forever grateful for that."