A date. Scorpius lay in bed that night, one hand tucked behind his head. It's a date. Rose Weasley had asked him to be her date. He kicked his legs in excitement, and then turned over. Things were looking up. More than up, really. Things were looking heavenly. Was it possible, now, that she harbored feelings for him? Was it possible that Rose returned his feelings?

He supposed a wedding was probably the best place to find out. He told his parents, weeks later, that he was attending a wedding. When his mother heard he was going, she made quite the fuss about the romanticism and beauty of the ceremony.

"Weddings are lovely," she gushed. "Aren't they, Draco?"

His father had grunted in a way that seemed to signal neither agreement or disagreement.

"We'll have to get you new robes," Celia said, turning her attention to her lunch. Her cravings had already kicked in, and today, she craved a turkey sandwich with egg on it. Scorpius watched her eat with fascination and disgust, and shoved his plate of fish aside. "You're growing so quickly, your dress robes must not fit you anymore."

She was right, of course. Scorpius hadn't realized it since the year began, but he had grown close to two inches taller. At this rate, he really would stand a head taller than Rose by the beginning of the school year. His pants were rising above the ankle now.

"Whose wedding is this?" Draco asked, seeming to come out of a delayed stupor. He had been caught up in work business for days now, and seemed too tired to pay attention to much else. Celia reached out and patted his hand.

"Victoire Weasley's," Scorpius said, looking to his mother. "And, er, Teddy Lupin's."

Draco's eyes flicked to Celia and then to his son. Celia cleared her throat and folded her napkin.

"And they invited you?"

"Well, no, not directly." Scorpius cleared his throat. "I'm going with Rose."

"Rose Weasley?" It was his father who asked the question, not his mother. Celia wore a quiet smile, but Draco frowned. "Ron Weasley's daughter?"

"Yup. Yeah."

"Is it a surprise?" Celia asked. "They've been friends for years, Draco."

"Well I just-"

"You're acting like it's news."

"Well I didn't know Scorpius was dating the Weasley girl," Draco said rather defensively, propping his elbows up on the table.

"I'm not dating her," Scorpius blurted, turning red.

"Well aren't you going as her date?" Celia threw at him, her smile fading a bit.

"I-I- well, yes, but that doesn't mean-" Scorpius sputtered.

"Does Ron Weasley know you're dating his daughter?" Draco asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. No doubt, planning out ways to avoid Rose's father for the rest of his ever-living career.

"I'm not dating Rose!" Scorpius cried, throwing his hands up in the air. "Fuck."

"Language," his parents hissed in unison.

"Sorry," Scorpius said, not really meaning it. Draco opened his mouth, but then-

"Oh," Celia suddenly said, holding a hand to her belly, and Draco dropped his knife and fork. She turned white.

"Mum?"

"Celia," Draco whispered, standing up abruptly and coming to her side. "What is it?"

"Oh," she whimpered again, her eyes filling with tears. "Something's wrong. My stomach hurts." She grasped Draco's arm so tightly that Scorpius saw her knuckles turn white, and she furrowed her brow.

"We're going to St. Mungos," Draco said immediately, pulling her chair out from the table. Celia let out a soft cry of pain, and he scooped her up into his arms. Scorpius stood up quickly, too. He felt clammy, and panic gripped at his heart. "Scorpius, floo powder."

Scorpius scurried ahead of his parents into the next room, and retrieved the urn full of floo powder from above the fireplace. As he did so, he heard his mother whisper:

"Draco, the baby-"

"It's going to be fine. Just fine." His father crossed the threshold, holding Celia curled up in his arms as easily as one might hold their child. Celia grimaced.

"Incendio." Scorpius cast a fire spell in the hearth, and then threw a handful of floo powder into the flames. They turned a brilliant emerald green, and Draco stepped into their depths.

"St. Mungos!" He shouted, and he and Celia were whisked away. Scorpius went next, throwing the powder onto the flames with shaking hands.

He was spat out onto the first floor of St. Mungos, falling to his knees as he attempted to scramble out of the flames. His father was already at the desk, still clutching Celia in her arms. Scorpius watched as a healer rushed to put Celia in a wheelchair. Scorpius rushed towards them, and Celia moaned again, her forehead slicked with sweat. Scorpius felt a twinge of guilt.

"We're going to take her up to the second floor," the healer told Draco, ignoring Scorpius entirely. Draco, who was already a pale man, looked to be the same color as fresh milk. He nodded quickly, and took Celia's hand in her own.

"Scorpius, wait here, okay?"

And then they were gone, whisking away upstairs, his father's robes flowing behind him like wings. Scorpius stood at the front desk, his hair in his eyes, and his stomach turning cold. A kindly healer at the desk peeped up at him, and then looked to where his parents had been standing.

"Dear?" She broached, and Scorpius looked at her, blankly. "If you'd feel comfortable, there is a reception room just around the corner where you can wait for your parents. Or you may go to the fifth floor tea room, if you prefer."

"Thanks," Scorpius said, still slightly dazed. "Where's that reception room?"

"You just take a left at the corner straight ahead, and it's on your right."

Scorpius nodded, and began to walk towards the room. His stomach churned. Everything had been fine, everything had been normal. He and his parents were just having a conversation, and then all of a sudden…His palms began to sweat. His mother. What if he lost her? What if she lost the baby? He couldn't bear the thought of it.

He sunk into one of the blue and green patterned arm chairs in the waiting room. Around him, people with various maladies (including one man who appeared to have porcupine-type quills protruding from his skin), waited to be seen. Scorpius folded his hands together and shook his leg up and down with nerves, as one by one, people were called from the room to be seen by healers. He wished he had a watch. After what felt like years, his father turned into the room, looking worn.

"Dad," Scorpius exclaimed, springing from his chair and nearly knocking a woman to her feet. He apologized quickly and approached his father. "What happened? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Draco said with a relieved, but tired sigh. "Your mother is fine. There was just something wrong with the baby."

Scorpius' heart skipped a beat. "Is-?"

"Everything is fine now," Draco supplied, before Scorpius could even say the words. He ran a hand over his hair and slicked it back. "The healers think the baby could feel some stress your mother was holding onto and turned, very suddenly, in the womb. It caused your mother some pain, but they gave her a tonic to settle her and the baby. She's resting for a bit, letting the tonic do it's work, and then we will be able to leave…" Draco trailed off. He looked older, suddenly, and Scorpius feared for a moment that he may break into tears.

"God," Draco whispered after a moment, and Scorpius realized he was shaking. "I thought…I thought I was going to lose her. I thought I was going to lose your mother." Scorpius took a step forward, and Draco enveloped him in a hug, holding onto his son for dear life. Scorpius closed his eyes to keep relieved tears from falling.

Draco released him, and he put his hand on Scorpius' shoulder. "Are you dating Rose Weasley?"

"Dad," Scorpius whispered, stunned. "Not now, okay?"

"It's not that." Draco shook him lightly. "Listen to me. If you love her, do something about it. I don't care whose daughter she is."

"Dad-" Scorpius began, but Draco interrupted him again.

"Just minutes ago, I thought your mother might die. You know how long I have known your mother, Scorpius? Since birth. I can't remember a time I didn't know and love your mother. I waited years to tell her that I loved her. Wasted years. But we finally made our way to each other. Things worked out. If I had never told her, though?" He shook his head. "When I was just in that room with your mother, just now, I told her how much I loved her. But I am so glad I told her all those years ago. Because what if I hadn't? What if I had never told her that I loved her? What if your mother had married someone else and loved them instead, and I let her go because I couldn't bring myself to say something? What if she had lived and died loving someone else, never knowing how goddamn much I love her? You don't know when something could go wrong, Scorpius. Anything could go wrong at any moment, things could change in the blink of an eye or the flap of an owl's wings. If you love that girl, you tell her. Goddammit, you tell her."

Scorpius felt his mouth drop open slightly, and he stared at his father. The last time he had heard his father speak with such passion was when he was railing against the housemaid for forgetting to buy cheese at the marketplace.

"So, Scorpius," his father began. "Do you love her?"

"Yes," Scorpius said, simply. Because he did. Of course he did. He could have listed all the reasons he loved Rose, but he never would have been able to stop.

"Tell her," Draco commanded, releasing him. "Let nothing stand in your way. When you see her, you tell her. Lest something happen."

"Okay," Scorpius murmured. This was a side of his father he had never before seen. He had always known his father loved his mother. He had always known they were soulmates. But he had never before seen his father so shaken, so vulnerable, and so completely truthful in the face of possible tragedy.

"I'll be back," Draco informed him, glancing down at his watch. It was a handsomely crafted article, the face a beautiful pearly white, inlaid with emeralds placed strategically to look like a curled snaked. "I told your mother I was going to come check on you and come back. She'd like you to stay here, she doesn't want you worrying."

"I'm going to worry anywhere," Scorpius replied, but stood still. Draco nodded, and then blinked at his son. He seemed to sense something different within his boy, but he only nodded once, as if to reassure himself, before heading back upstairs. Scorpius watched him go, until he heard someone say his name.

"Scorp?"

He turned to see Albus standing in the doorway of the reception room, holding two yellow bottles in his hands with the label "Antidote for Doxy bites."

"Al," Scorpius greeted him, approaching his friend. "What are you doing here?"

Albus raised the bottle. "James got bit by a doxy while helping George clear old boxes out of storage. It keeps bleeding and forming weird pus, so George sent me here." Albus looked around and frowned. "Why are you here?"

"It's my mum. There was a complication with her pregnancy."

Albus' emerald eyes widened dramatically. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine now, they say the baby turned funny and was causing her pain. I think she got stressed because my father and I were having a rousing discussion."

"You had a row?"

"Not exactly," Scorpius said. He took a deep breath. "Look, Al, I have to tell you something."

"You're not in love with me, are you?" Albus said with a grin. "I'm going to tell you Scorp, but I'm taken. And I feel like you should know that."

"I'm in love with Rose."

Albus dropped the bottles of antidote, and they rolled down the hallway slightly. Scorpius stooped to pick them up, while Albus sputtered incoherently.

"You're in love with her?" He bumbled about. "I didn't know you were in love with her! I thought you were just…well, I don't know what I thought because I've never tried to think about it."

"I'm not sure I knew either," Scorpius admitted.

"But you're smart!"

"I didn't even figure out I was attracted to her until December. Smart people have their stupid moments. For crying out loud, I think I've loved her since the moment I've met her."

Albus narrowed his eyes suddenly. "Give me one reason I should believe what you're telling me, right now."

"Do you remember the first Quidditch game of our first year?" Scorpius asked. Albus shook his head. "I missed it, and so did Rose. You know why? Her mother had sent us scarves, and mine got torn, so Rose and I stayed behind while she repaired it for me. And she began asking me about my childhood, you know? And I told her stuff I hadn't told anyone. How lonely it was, growing up. How I never had other friends to play with because my parents are outcasts in certain, if not all, circles. How I didn't have any siblings but how I wish I did. And you know what she said to me? Rose told me that she was going to make sure I was never lonely again, alright? She put her hand in mine and told me that. And I'm sure she didn't mean it in the sense that she was in love with me, seeing as we were eleven. But now…how could I not love her? That had to be the first moment I realized I loved her, even a little. Perhaps not the first, but the best I can remember."

"You've loved her since we were eleven?"

Scorpius nodded. "Like I said, smart people have dumb moments. Or dumb four-year periods."

"What about Lily?"

"What about her?"

Albus rolled his eyes. "Come on, Scorpius. She likes you. She's mad about you, you know. She told her friends, I heard her."

Scorpius avoided his gaze. "I love Lily too, but not like that. I love her like my little sister. I thought differently, for a period-"

"What?" Albus bellowed, but Scorpius ignored him.

"But it's not right."

"You have to tell her."

"Rose?" Scorpius asked. "I'm going to. At the wedding. I'm just going to walk up to her and-"

"No," Albus said, shaking his head. He looked slightly peeved, but just slightly. "I mean, yes, that has to be done. Now that you've finally admitted it. But you have to tell Lily. Before she gets hurt. Before anything happens between you and Rose."

"Right, of course. So…how mad are you right now?"

"Scale of one to ten?"

Scorpius shrugged and nodded.

"Three. I'm pissed you didn't tell me, and more pissed that you're going to break my sister's heart. But it's damn hard to be mad at you when you didn't really do anything wrong and when you're in love with our best friend. Seeing that I've only been waiting for you to come to your senses since our first year."

"You knew?" Scorpius asked, doubtfully.

"Of course I knew," Albus claimed. "God, how many times did I watch you guys stare at each other like there was no one else in the room? How many times did I hear you complain about Travis for stupid reasons? Do you even know that you talk in your sleep? Thank god you're quiet."

"Well," Scorpius said, heat burning his cheeks. "Thanks for telling me."

"Hey, we both kept it a secret." Albus smiled slightly. "So you're going to tell Rose, huh?"

"Yeah."

He shrugged. "Just handle it better than you did the Yule Ball, okay mate? I think if you screw up again, she's going to hex you into pieces." And Scorpius smiled.