A few days later, Rose was eagerly waiting for Scorpius to return. She spent hours fretting around her apartment making sure everything was in order. She had considered greeting him in lingerie in a provocative pose, but decided against that. While Scorpius brought out a sensual side of Rose that she hadn't known existed, she felt unbelievably awkward while practicing seductive poses. Plus, Rose's family had the unfortunate habit of popping in unannounced and she did not wish to be caught by one of them with her private bits on display.
Instead, she wore a comfortable green wrap dress and kept the lacy bra and knickers hidden from view. Lily had helped Rose pick out the set on a very embarrassing shopping trip the day before. While Lily had pushed for more adventurous fashion (read crotch-less or edible knickers), Rose purchased a set made of black and cream lace. The tiny knickers barely covered the essentials and the bra gave her already ample breasts some fabulous cleavage. She looked forward to when Scorpius would undress her later that night like a welcome home present.
She and Scorpius had exchanged a series of rather intimate emails in their separation. Rose was not ashamed to admit that the messages had left her hot and bothered. Her own hands were unable to fully sate her need for the beautiful blond man. Rose hoped he wouldn't be too tired from international travel tonight to shag her senseless.
Rose heard her floo roar to life and her heart jumped into her throat. A tall, blond man stepped into her living room. She sighed when she recognized that it wasn't the Malfoy she was expecting.
"Hello Draco," Rose said.
"Rose, I need to ask you a favor. I figured I'd stop in before Scorpius arrives since it's unlikely he will find time for his old man anytime soon after this arrival," Draco gave Rose a pointed look. She flushed. "Can you let him know that Daphne is asking to meet with him soon? She fears that the curse may become active in her even if she doesn't have a child. Apparently she has now lived longer than any of her other female relatives and it's causing her to panic".
"Poor Daphne. I can't imagine that stress. To have the course of your life dictated by the horrendous choices of ancestor? Of course I'll let Scorpius know," Rose promised. "And I'll make sure Scorpius stops in to see you and his grandparents soon".
"Ah," Draco said, "you may wish to warn him that his grandfather is on a bit of a bender. He did not take the news of your relationship very well. He's spouting off the old nonsense about blood superiority again".
"I see," said Rose. She wondered how much longer that rampant prejudice would exist in the wizarding world.
"Don't let that dissuade you, Rose. His views are no longer my own and were never Scorpius's. I'm proud that my son has a lovely witch such as you by his side. I'm happy to welcome you into the Malfoy fold, even if it means that I might be tangentially related to The Weasel King someday," Draco chuckled.
Rose laughed. Some things would never change. The now friendly rivalry between the amazing bouncing ferret and the Weasel King was just something that would live on indefinitely. "Thanks Draco, but Scorpius and I are still a long way off from that".
Draco smiled knowingly, "Perhaps. But If I know my son, it's already on his mind".
Rose smiled shyly. Scorpius was years ahead of her in accepting the myriad of feelings floating about, but Rose couldn't deny that she had considered what the future would hold for the pair.
"Please pass on the message, Rose," Draco said goodbye and flooed away.
Rose was left with her thoughts. She chewed on her lip and shifted the mandrake leaf around her mouth with her tongue. 'Poor Daphne,' she thought, 'to believe that her body was a ticking time bomb because of a curse passed on from her mother, and her mother's mother, and so on back to Aldora Gamp'. She would curse the long deceased which for creating a situation where her descendants felt forced to refrain from procreation if it weren't for the irony that the whole mess was resultant from a curse. It was a maddening cycle.
Rose was so lost in her own inner musings that she jumped when she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her body. Her back was pulled flush to a warm frame and the intoxicating scent of sandalwood flooded her nostrils. A pair of lips pressed into the crook of her neck and she felt her knees go weak.
"I missed you, love," Scorpius whispered reverently.
"Welcome home, Scorp," Rose sighed and turned in his embrace. He captured her lips in a thorough snog.
Moments later (or perhaps hours since Rose had lost the concept of time) the pair separated due to the overwhelming need for air. Scorpius bent down so that his forehead rested against hers. She felt herself becoming lost in his swirling stormy grey eyes. "I'm so glad you're here".
"As am I, Rose. Now we don't have much time before we have to leave," he stated.
"Leave?" Rose asked, "Where are you going?"
"We are taking a portkey in a minute. I planned something special for you tonight," Scorpius said mysteriously.
"How could you possibly have managed to plan something? Or get a portkey? Didn't you just get back?" Rose was quite curious.
Scorpius shrugged, "I had a bit of help. Your mother was more than happy to assist with the logistics. And Elena called in a favor at my request. She thought it was oh so romantic," Scorpius rolled his eyes.
"Where are we going?" Rose asked excitedly.
"Just wait and you'll see. I don't want to ruin the surprise," Scorpius said and gave her a quick peck on the lips. The portkey activated and whisked the couple away.
Rose stumbled upon landing but Scorpius steadied her by pulling her into his strong chest. "Easy there, love".
For the first time, Rose observed his appearance. He wore a well-tailored muggle style suit with a light grey shirt and a dark eggplant colored tie. His hair was disheveled in the just rolled out of bed sort of way and a thin coat of golden stubble lined his jaw. Rose felt her mouth go dry. 'Damn,' she thought, 'he looks amazing in muggle dress clothing'.
"Please stop undressing me with your eyes, love," Scorpius begged, "I've got a lovely evening planned and if you don't stop I'm going to wind up taking you here in this pub like a sex crazed maniac. I don't fancy being detained by the French police".
"We're in France?" Rose looked around. Sure enough she recognized they were standing in Apothocaire Doré, the Parisian equivalent to The Leaky Cauldron.
Scorpius nodded, "We've got to hurry up if we are going to make our reservation". He laced his fingers through Rose's and guided her out the door into Muggle Paris. After a brief walk they arrived at an elegant looking restaurant.
"Réservation?" asked the maître d.
In perfect French, Scorpius responded, "Oui Monsieur, Réservation pour Malfoy". Rose was stunned to feel her body react to the sound of the foreign language flowing off Scorpius's tongue.
"Oui Monsieur Malfoy. Chef Martinez attend votre arrivée. Votre table est ainsi". The maître d signaled to a waiter who escorted Rose and Scorpius to a quiet, secluded table at the back of the restaurant.
Once seated, Rose asked Scorpius, "Martinez?"
He chuckled, "After graduating from Ilvermorny, Elena's sister moved to Paris to study to be a chef. Her restaurant is reviewed as being a magical dining experience".
"What the no-majs don't know won't hurt them," announced a soft voice. Rose turned to find woman grinning at them. "I'm Katrina Martinez, welcome to Le Bonne Baguette".
Rose laughed at the name. What a clever play on words. Muggles would assume it simply meant bread, but magical folk would recognize the reference to their wands.
"Thank you for accommodating us on such short notice," Scorpius said.
"I'm happy to do it. When Elena contacted me to say that Scorpius Malfoy was finally taking a witch out on a date, I needed to see it for myself. It's a pleasure to meet you Rose," Katrina said.
"Likewise," Rose said.
"Unless you two have any objections, I'm going to set you up with our standard sampler menu. No allergies, right?" Katrina asked.
"No," Rose answered for the pair, "but could we avoid anything leafy tonight?" She rolled her tongue over to reveal the mandrake leaf in her mouth. "I can't risk accidentally swallowing this".
Katrina laughed, "Say no more". She gave Rose and Scorpius both pecks on the cheek and returned to the kitchen.
Moments later, a waiter arrived at their table. He poured a small amount of red wine into Scorpius's glass who swirled it around for a moment, took a small sip, and nodded. The waiter then filled both glasses and left. Rose took a large gulp and moaned loudly as the complex flavors of the vintage burst across her taste buds.
Scorpius groaned, "We've been over what your noises do to me, Rose. Please attempt to control yourself so that I don't throw you down on this table and shag you right here".
Rose blushed and took another large gulp of wine. This time she suppressed the sounds she longed to make. She grinned guiltily at Scorpius.
"You'll be the death of me," he swore.
Soon their courses began to arrival. Scorpius and Rose indulged on mussels in a spicy red sauce, scallops with a lemon beurre blanc and dill, and filet mignon with glazed vegetables. The food was beyond rich and Rose had to restrain herself from licking the plate. She was entirely convinced that she would never consume anything as incredible ever again.
During their meal, Rose filled Scorpius in on her dinner with Albus and his awkward innuendos about their new sex life. Scorpius told Rose all about his last few days in Boston. Burroughs had helped him pack up his laboratory once more and sent him off with instructions to woo Rose.
"Do you know how embarrassing it is to have your advisor tell you the proper ways to treat a lady? It was almost as awkward as when my father gave me the sex talk when I was twelve," Scorpius groused.
"Ha," barked a laugh. Katrina had returned to their table once more with stunning desserts. She held a chocolate soufflé that was nearly a foot tall and a bowl of chocolate mousse that was so airy Rose could see whole raspberries within the gaps. Desserts such as these could only be created with magic. Rose thought of how lucky the Parisian muggles who dined at the restaurant were.
"Burroughs was pretty progressive when I was at Ilvermorny. He was the head of Horned Serpent for the last few years I was there. He made sure all the fourth years and above were educated on the 'physical and mental aspects of love,'" Katrina used air quotes. "Let me tell you, it was wicked convenient to have a professor who understood that students are a horny bunch. He brewed up vats of contraceptive potion and would give it out to anyone, no questions asked. He and Professor Hill were the only heads who were cool about it. The others would just preach abstinence and be thoroughly useless if someone asked a question," Katrina remembered.
"Yeah, he had me brewing anti-sexual disease potions the first month I got there," Scorpius said and turned to Rose, "There was a strain of magical syphilis flying around Pukwudgie. Their head was adamant about ignoring the symptoms. It's pretty naïve to think that a bunch of teenagers cooped up together aren't going to have a few careless romps in the broom cupboards".
"I'm glad Burroughs helped them out then," Rose said. Her eyes drifted to the mountainous desserts before them. Despite having stuffed herself already, Rose's stomach growled for the sweet treats.
Katrina noticed how Rose's attention had been diverted and chuckled. She handed both Rose and Scorpius a spoon and with another cheek kiss bid them au revoir. Scorpius dug his spoon into the chocolate mousse and held it out for Rose. She wrapped her lips around the chocolate goodness and sighed. "Oh my Merlin, Scorp you've got to try this!" she exclaimed.
He smirked at her and said, "Gladly". He leaned across the table and captured her lips in a searing kiss. His tongue probed her mouth and she lost herself. He pulled back and licked his lips, "Delicious".
Fire ignited within Rose. She felt as though she might burst into flames at any moment. To distract herself, she dug her spoon into the soufflé and took a large bite. She swallowed hard and tried to calm the rage within.
The pair quickly polished off their desserts, paid the tab, and exited back to muggle Paris. Scorpius suggested they stroll along the Champs Elysee and Rose agreed.
"Thank you for tonight, Scorp," Rose said as they walked hand in hand.
"Anything for you, love," he said as he pressed a kiss to her hair.
The couple fell into a comfortable silence as they walked. Suddenly, Rose remembered her earlier conversation with Draco. "Oh, I almost forgot. Your father popped by my place earlier today with a message for you. He asked that you check in with your Aunt Daphne soon. She concerned about the curse taking affect even if she doesn't have children".
Scorpius scowled, "This blasted curse. I don't think that's the way it works since she has hasn't exhibited any signs or symptoms yet. My mother didn't show anything until after I was born. It's been the same way with all the women in her line".
The word 'women' caught Rose's attention. "Wait Scorpius, has it only been women who have the curse?"
"Until me, yes. Aldora gave it to her daughter, who gave it to her daughter, and so forth until my mother had me," he said with a perplexed look.
The cogs in Rose's mind were spinning at lightning speed. "What if only women can be affected?"
"That's not true, Rose. I've tested my blood. It's the same as Aunt Daph's. I'm a carrier," Scorpius said sadly.
"But you're a man," Rose said.
"Well spotted, love," Scorpius quipped with an eye roll. She whacked him on the chest.
"Listen to me, you prat. You're a man. The first male in the line with the curse. What if you can't pass it on?" Rose asked.
"How could that be possible? It's in my blood," Scorpius was curious now.
"You told me that mitochondria generates specific magical affinities and traits. What if its curses too?"
Realization dawned on Scorpius as he absorbed what Rose was proposing. "I don't know, Rose. I'd never considered that. Children have the mitochondrial DNA of their mother, but not their father. It's possible". Rose could see a glimmer of hope spark in Scorpius's eyes. "I need to test that as soon as I can. This could be it!" he exclaimed. He pulled Rose to him and gave her a kiss that took her breath away.
"How can you test it?" Rose asked.
"I'll have to examine a sample of my sperm to see the curse is present. Then we'll know," Scorpius was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Maybe I can help with that?" Rose said with a smirk.
Scorpius's eyebrow arched. "And how would you go about doing that?" he asked.
"I'm thinking my lips and tongue could be useful in procuring the sample," she said cheekily.
He groaned and gripped her body close, "You naughty wench". He pulled her into a deserted alleyway and activated the return portkey. In an instant, they landed in her flat in a flurry of discarded clothing.
-AN I do not speak French so I apologize if my attempts at translation are off.
Réservation = Reservation
Oui Monsieur, Réservation pour Malfoy = Yes Sir. Reservation for Malfoy.
Oui Monsieur Malfoy. Chef Martinez attend votre arrivée. Votre table est ainsi = Yes, Mr. Malfoy. Chef Martinez is expecting you. Your table is this way