Rose and Scorpius spent the next few days exploring Boston. He showed her his favorite haunts around the city. One night they capped off with a delightful dinner in the North End and Rose relished the opportunity to properly recreate the kiss over a plate of spaghetti and meatballs. It was a messy affair and left them both in stitches. The muggles nearby surely thought the couple had lost their minds as they cackled over the Italian feast.
Scorpius took Rose to visit Salem. She mourned the loss of the muggles and magical folk who had been caught up in the hysteria. Prejudice and hate for the unknown still ran rampant in the world, but here was a concrete example of what could happen when a group of people took their beliefs and fears too far. People whose only crime was being different were attacked without just cause. Rose was thankful that the strict separation of magic from the muggle worlds wasn't as radically enforced in England as it had been here in Salem.
Scorpius insisted they sign up for a Haunted Salem tour, and because it was March they were the only ones. The old wiccan guide, Priscilla, filled their heads with lore of witchcraft and gave them a quick course in the use of plants for healing. Rose noted that the woman was correct about how most of the plants could be used although she called them by different names. The tour culminated in aura photography. Rose chuckled when she saw the developed photograph of Scorpius.
"I should have known your aura would be green". Rose lowered her voice and whispered in his ear, "Always a Slytherin, huh?"
"Yes, my dears. A green aura is indicative of a healing soul. Are you perhaps a doctor?" Priscilla asked in an airy voice that reminded Rose a great deal of Luna Lovegood.
Scorpius smiled, "Yes, I am studying to be a type of doctor".
"Hmm, well your aura shows that you have the capacity to excel in that field. Now you, my dear," Priscilla turned to Rose, "your aura is unlike any that I've ever seen before".
Rose rolled her eyes at the comment. 'She must tell all the tourists that,' she thought. Aura photography felt like it was related to Divination which in Rose's opinion was a very woolly subject. She plastered on a smile, "What do you see, Priscilla?"
"You are pure fire. I have seen orange auras. I have seen red auras. But your aura looks as though you are being consumed by flames". She revealed the photograph to Rose and Scorpius.
Rose was stunned; it did look like the colors were pouring off her skin in a ball of fire. "What does this mean?"
"I have no idea. But please, if you ever figure it out, let me know!" Priscilla smiled. She handed Rose a business card. Rose accepted the card but knew that she'd never be able to share with this muggle.
Rose and Scorpius left Priscilla shortly after that, but not before Scorpius purchased a healing crystal necklace for Rose.
"You know these a codswallop, right?" Rose asked why lightly fingering the charm.
"Of course. But it's pretty and I wanted to buy it for you. Simple as that," he said with a smile. Rose noted that he was freer with genuine smiles now. She loved to see that happy look upon his face. She gave him a brief kiss. "What was that for, love?"
"I wanted to give you a kiss. Simple as that," she parrot back to him and tugged him along the snowy street. He let out a loud laugh and allowed her to lead.
The couple soon found a quiet, deserted alleyway and apparated to the gates of Ilvermorny. Scorpius led her around the school and pointed out his favorite places. Rose was thankful that as an advanced student, Scorpius was allowed to live off campus in Boston. She much preferred his spacious townhouse to the crowded dorms he showed her. Having his own place granted them endless privacy too, which was an added perk this week.
They returned to his research laboratory. The room was just as they had left it; utter chaos. Rose and Scorpius took out their wands and righted the desks, sorted the papers, and banished the broken glass. Once the room was safe to traverse again, Scorpius led Rose over to a wall of glass vials full of dark red liquid. He took down two of the vials.
"I've been able to magically accelerate the cells within the blood to behave as they do when the curse is passed on," he stated. With another wave of his wand Scorpius said, "and this is want happens when the blood ages after that point". The blood in one of the vials boiled violently, turned black, and dissolved the glass that contained it. "Scourgify," Scorpius sighed.
"That was your blood?" Rose asked with a note of fear.
"Aunt Daph's actually. But mine acts the same way. I've tried every cure I can think of, magical or muggle, and nothing can defeat this curse," he said sadly.
Rose comforted Scorpius by pulling him into her arms. He nuzzled against her neck and they remained locked together for a few minutes.
"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt," came a voice from the hallway.
Scorpius groaned at the intrusion but nevertheless uncoiled from Rose. "Hello Burroughs".
"Glad to see you too kids have finally gotten over yourselves," Burroughs said with an eyebrow quirked. "Perhaps this should be a lesson for you, Scorpius. Talk things over before you throw tantrums and nearly destroy years of work. You're lucky I thought to put a shield charm up around your actual work".
"Thanks for that. I wasn't in my right mind," Scorpius admitted.
"You can say that again," Burroughs laughed. "You're lucky you're my favorite. If one of the younger students had pulled that shit, they'd have been scrubbing out burnt on cauldron residue for the rest of the year".
Rose laughed. She could easily understand why Scorpius got along with his advisor so well. Both men had a warped sense of humor and a tendency for vengefulness. "Hello again, Professor".
"None of that 'Professor' nonsense, Rose. Just call me Burroughs, or George if you'd prefer," he said with a wink. Scorpius growled. "Now, now, Scorpius. No need to be jealous. As lovely as Rose is, she's just not my type. She lacks the right equipment if you catch my drift".
"You're gay!?" Scorpius asked, "What? How? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but how did I not know this about you?"
"It's because you are unbelievably obtuse, Scorpius," Burroughs chuckled. "Professor Jeremy Hill and I have been married for a decade. We've had you over to the house. Rose what do you see in this blind fool?"
Rose shook her head, "It seems like we are pretty well matched in missing what is right in front of our eyes. I just figured out that I loved this idiot a few days ago".
"Ouch, watch the insults, love," Scorpius jested and pulled her in for a snog.
"Hey, I do not need to see that!" Burroughs exclaimed. "I'm glad you finally pulled the stick out of your ass and made a move, Scorp. But please, kept it under control". Scorpius grinned wolfishly. "Have you finally told her all about the curse, then?"
"She dosed me with Veritaserum to drag it out of me," Scorpius admitted. "But it feels good to have it out in the open".
Rose asked, "Do you have any other ideas of what he could try?"
"Unfortunately, he's exhausted my knowledge on advanced healing. We've tried everything that man, whether magical or muggle, has ever produced to cure it, but nothing works. It seems that any child born of this line will be cursed. It's a shame, because you too would make such beautiful babies".
"If it's not a possibility to have a child of our own, there are other options. But it's far too soon for Scorp and I to be discussing that," Rose said.
"Fair enough," Burroughs said with a shrug. "I'll leave you to it then. But Rose, the next time you are in the states, please stop by and see my again. I'd love to introduce you to Jer". He bade farewell to the pair and swept out of the room.
Rose helped Scorpius pack away the remaining blood samples and the pair walked back across the Ilvermorny grounds to apparate to his townhouse. They landed in kitchen and immediately heard a loud pounding on the front door.
"Who in the hell," Scorpius muttered as he answered.
One the front step was one, very irate looking, Elena Martinez. "Where have you been?!" she pushed past Scorpius and flung herself down on the couch.
"Do come in," Scorpius said sarcastically. "What's up Elena?"
"What's up is that your mother," she pointed at Rose, "is threatening to send a squad of Aurors to America because someone," she narrowed her eyes, "hasn't called".
"Oh shit," Rose said while Scorpius snorted in laughter. She smack him upside the head. "Let me go call her real quick".
Rose pulled out her magical cell that was programmed to work worldwide. She dialed her parent's home number.
"HELLO!" a voice bellowed.
"Hi Dad," Rose said.
"ROSIE! IS THAT YOU?! WHERE ARE YOU?! ARE YOU SAFE?!"
Rose laughed, "Can you put Mum on?" Even after being married to her mother for close to thirty years, Ron Weasley still had not grasped the concept of a telephone. No matter how many times they explained it to him, Ron stubbornly refused to accept that one could talk at a normal volume on the phone and be perfectly understood.
"Rose, sweetheart?" she heard her mother's voice on the line. "How are you?"
"I'm fine, Mum. No need to call out the attack dogs. You sent the American Ministry into a panic," Rose said.
"I just said that I was concerned that you hadn't contacted me yet and that I might send Uncle Harry and Albus over to see if you needed help," Hermione stated.
Rose laughed, "Everything is good. I'm having a great time. I'll be home next weekend,"
"Are you going to make my pry, Rose?" Hermione prompted. Rose could practical hear her mother salivating on the other end for details.
"Scorpius and I worked through our issues. He had legitimate reasons for pushing me away the other night, but I managed to convince him that it didn't matter to me".
"And!?" Hermione said impatiently.
"I love him Mum. And he loves me back," Rose grinned.
Hermione let out a very un-Hermione like squeal that Rose assumed set every dog in a two kilometer radius into a frenzy, "It look you long enough! I've got to tell Draco that our meddling worked".
"Maybe you could tell Dad, too?" Rose asked.
"Oh, no sweetheart. You get the honor of telling him that his daughter is now being defiled by ferret junior," Hermione laughed.
"Thanks a lot for the support, Mum," Rose said sarcastically. "I've got to run now. Elena Martinez is in the living room with Scorp right now. Shall I let her know that the British Ministry is not going to start an international conflict?"
"You do that, Rose," Hermione stated. "I'll see you this weekend. I expect details. Love you!" she hung up the call.
Rose shook her head at her mother. Perhaps Rose could scare her mother with tales of her bedroom (and outside of the bedroom) activities to effectively prevent her mother from asking for details ever again. She inwardly congratulated herself on the plan.
Rose halted when she entered the living room once more. "What the bloody hell is going on?!" She was agog at the scene in front of her. Scorpius was shirtless and sprawled face down on a blanket spread out on the floor between the furniture. That on its own would not have been so strange if not for Elena's position.
The tiny witch was barefoot and standing on his shoulder blades. "I'll do you next, Rose".
Rose quirked an eyebrow, "Do want exactly?" She heard muffled noises escape from Scorpius's mouth. "Say that again, Scorp."
"Elena is a goddess of massages. She spent a year studying abroad at Mahoutokoro and learned this trick. You've got to try it," he scooted over so that Rose could lie beside him.
"You've got to take off your top, Rose," Elena said. Rose blushed. "Nothing I haven't seen before and I'm sure Scorpius here won't mind a look at your goodies".
"I can leave the room if you want, love," Scorpius said generously.
"No, it's fine Scorp," Rose summoned her bravely and slid her shirt over her head. She unclasped her bra and laid her head down on the soft blanket.
Elena stepped carefully onto Rose's back causing Rose to take a sharp inhale. "Let me know if it's too much for you". She dug her toes into Rose's shoulder blades and ground her heels into her spine. "You're wicked tense".
Minutes later, Rose's body began to relax under the pressure and she sighed as her eyes fluttered shut. 'Hmmm,' Rose thought, 'she is a goddess of massage'. Rose's sighs soon turned to moans as Elena worked the kinks from her neck. "HMMMM, oh yeah," Rose groaned.
"Elena, I think you need to leave now," Scorpius's hoarse voice entered Rose's trance-like state of being.
"What? Why?" Rose exclaimed and forced her eyes open.
"I get it," Elena smirked at Scorpius. "I'll let him take over. Come see me before you head back to England, Rose". With that, she quickly left the townhouse.
Scorpius was on Rose in an instant, his knees straddling her lower back. He lowered himself so that he could whisper into Rose's ear, "You have no idea what your little noises were doing to me".
Rose could feel his hardness pulsing through his jeans on her spine. Oh she had a pretty good idea what those noises had done. "Why don't you see what noises you can get me to make?"
Scorpius chuckled darkly, "I accept your challenge. But first," he drew his wand and cast a silencing charm around the room, "Now you can be as loud as you want. I want to hear you scream my name before this night is through".
'That should not be a problem,' Rose thought. 'No,' as he bit down her neck eliciting a gasp, 'that wouldn't be a problem at all'.
-AN I highly recommend touring Salem, if you get the opportunity. Aura photography is a real thing and is a frequent tie in with many tours.