"How are you feeling, Aunt Daph?" Scorpius asked.
Weeks passed since Rose's phoenix tears eradicated the curse in the small sample of Scorpius's blood. Curing an entire person was a much more labor intensive process. Scorpius devised a machine that was similar to muggle kidney dialysis. Blood could be circulated out of the body and passed through a swirling magical vortex containing phoenix tears. The process was extremely painful and had to be repeated every day to combat the regenerating blood cells.
Scorpius and Daphne sat in reclining seats while phoenix Rose perched on a table between them.
"I'm fine, Scorpius," Daphne smiled weakly. "Just a bit parched".
Hermione jumped into action, "Here," she conjured a glass and poured some pumpkin juice. "The sugars in this should help you out".
Daphne gladly accepted the glass and took a few large gulps. A moment later, she let loose an extremely loud belch.
"Impressive, Daph," Draco smirked.
When Scorpius had devised the healing scheme, he realized that he'd need another person to help administer the phoenix tears while he was incapacitated in a chair. Draco, as one of the few people privy to details on the curse, was the logical choice. Daphne quickly agreed to having her brother-in-law assist. Hermione insisted that it was her responsibility as Minister of Magic to be present for a new experiment in medical healing. However, everyone involved knew that it was just a flimsy excuse to sate her unquenchable thirst for knowledge.
When Rose had revealed her animagus status to her family over Easter dinner at the Burrow, their reactions had been extremely varied. Harry had given her a knowing smile, finally understanding the relevance of her questions from a few weeks before. Grandma Molly had fretted about Rose's feathers falling into the Easter feast. Ginny's mouth had dropped open in shock. Ron had asked "Where'd Rose go?!" and received a smack on the back of his head from his wife. And James, without missing a beat, had offered a biscuit to Rose asking, "Rosie want a cracker?" Rose gave him a nice bite with her sharpened beak for treating her like a muggle parrot.
Hermione had sat silent for a few moments. She waited until Rose shifted back into her human form before bombarding her with questions. Hermione's brilliant mind churned out so many queries that no one else could get a word in edgewise. Rose had to agree to meet her mother for tea the following day to answer any question she could come up with before she was allowed to leave the Burrow that evening.
Rose told her mother about her first transformation, her meetings with Newt Scamander and Uncle Harry, and finally the curse that plagued Scorpius and Daphne. Scorpius had given Rose permission to share the history of the curse with Hermione. When Rose told Hermione that her phoenix tears could repair the damage that the curse caused, Hermione was stunned. She demanded that she be present for the treatments "for legal purposes".
When she showed up at St. Mungo's before the first treatment, she warmly greeted Scorpius and Daphne. Draco had arrived a minute later and upon spotting Hermione rolled his eyes and quipped, "Of course you'd be here, Granger".
"Yes, well, it is my responsibility as Minister of Magic to oversee untested healing experiments. Now can we get started?" Hermione asked.
Draco smirked and said, "Bossy, bossy, bossy. Whatever you say, Minister".
Now, Scorpius and Daphne drifted off to sleep. Rose pretended to doze off but instead observed her mother and Draco make small talk as they waited for the treatment to finish.
"I can't imagine the hell you must have gone through, Draco," Hermione sadly noted. "To lose your wife to this viscous curse and know it could take your child as well. And to have a large percentage of the wizarding world believe that your child was actually Voldemort's. How did you cope?"
"For years I believed that this was my penance for my stupidity as a child," Draco sighed, "I…
"That's not true at all," Hermione interrupted. Draco shot her an annoyed look and she mumbled, "sorry".
"As I was saying, I believed that to be true. I don't anymore. I loved my wife and though our time was cut short due to the curse, I wouldn't trade it over anything. She gave me Scorpius," Draco smiled at his son's sleeping form fondly.
"You must be very proud of the man he has become," Hermione said.
"I am. He's so much like Astoria. Fair, loving, and self-less. If it weren't for his stubborn streak and the fact that he looks like my clone, I might have believed he inherited nothing from me," he said.
"Rose is just as stubborn. She gets it from Ron," Hermione said.
"Yes, because you aren't stubborn at all?" Draco sarcastically asked.
"That's beside the point," Hermione argued good-naturedly. "I've never seen Rose as happy as she has been since she returned from America. He's good for her".
"And she's good for him. Do you know that she was the one to figure out that he couldn't pass on the curse?" Draco asked.
"NO! She didn't tell me that," Hermione said with a friendly glare at her daughter.
Draco chuckled, "That's why she was a Gryffindor. If she had been a Slytherin, she'd have been bragging about it".
"I don't know about that. Your son was a Slytherin after all and he's relatively humble," Hermione laughed.
"I told you, he takes after Astoria. She was a Hufflepuff," Draco said. The pair laughed for a few minutes. "I can't begin to thank your daughter for what she's doing for Scorpius and Daphne".
"She'd help anyone who needed it, that's just who Rose is. It was very lucky that her animagus form was a phoenix," Hermione said.
"Lucks got nothing to do with it. You and I both know that this was fate," Draco stated emphatically.
"We make our own fate," Hermione argued.
"Multiple prophecies, a bloody great war, and a couple of trips through time and you still believe that your lives aren't ruled by fate? OK," Draco drawled.
Hermione laughed openly but tried to keep quiet so as not to wake the others in the room, "It's much more fun arguing with you than it is with Ron or Harry. They just agree with whatever I say at this point".
"You did always like to be right," Draco pointed out.
"That's true," Hermione said with a grin. As much as Rose was enjoying the banter, she found herself being drawn into the comfort of sleep.
Hours later, Rose was woken by soft touches on the crown of her head.
"We're done for the day, love," Scorpius whispered.
Rose transformed back into her human form. She blinked the sleep away from her eyes and scanned the room. Hermione was bent over Daphne's abdomen and Draco was nowhere to be seen. She looked at Scorpius questioning and opened her mouth.
"Dad's gone out in the hall to give Aunt Daph some privacy while your Mum extracts a few eggs," he preempted her question. Rose glanced over at the pair of witches once more and spotted a large needle entering Daphne's skin. Her eyes rolled up and she felt faint. "Easy there, love. Don't look".
Rose closed her eyes and took a few calming breaths. A minute later she dared to open her eyes again. Scorpius had left her side and was now casting a spell over Daphne's egg in the small glass dish. Once more, a small white scroll was quickly writing itself with genetic code.
Scorpius scanned the code and walked over to Daphne's chair. He produced a second scroll from his pocket and handed them both to Daphne.
"What am I looking at?" Daphne asked quietly.
"This," he pointed at the scroll he had drawn from his pocket, "was the analysis of your eggs from when Dr. Johnson harvested one. And that," he pointed at the other scroll, "is today. Compare the highlighted region".
"It's different," Daphne whispered.
"The curse is gone," Scorpius said as his face broke into a wide smile.
"It's gone?" Daphne said as her eyes welled up with tears. She screamed and pulled her nephew into a bone crushing hug.
Rose felt her mother appear beside her and glanced sideways. Hermione had silent tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched the joyful pair across the room. Mother and daughter observed Scorpius and Daphne until Daphne finally released Scorpius.
"I've got to go talk with Dad for a minute. Why don't you get freshened up and we'll go out and celebrate," Scorpius suggested. Daphne agreed and Scorpius swept out of the room.
"Rose?" Daphne called.
Rose approached the witch slowly, "Yes Daphne?"
Daphne laid her hand on Rose's shoulder, "Thank you," she said as she choked back sobs. She dissolved in tears and Rose supported the woman.
Once Daphne had once again calmed down, Hermione took her over to the bathroom to clean up. They emerged minutes later. Daphne, who had been wearing a hospital gown and had her long black hair in a messy bun, was now stunning. Hermione had transfigured her hospital garb into a green sundress and matching flats. Her hair was styled in delicate waves that flowed over one shoulder and her face had a light, airy layer of makeup.
A knock sounded on the door. "That must be Scorpius and Draco," Daphne said. She called, "Come in!"
The man who entered the room, however, was not a Malfoy.
"Daphne," breathed Blaise Zabini.
"Blaise? What are you doing here?" Daphne asked quietly.
"Draco just called me. He said that you needed help," he said.
"Weren't you in Italy?" Daphne wondered.
"Yes. But he said you needed help, and nothing was going to stop me from getting to you".
"Oh Blaise," Daphne started to cry.
He walked slowly until he stood before the weeping witch, "What's wrong, love?"
"Everything is so complicated," she said, "I thought I had no future and now that's not the case. I pushed you away so I wouldn't hurt you".
"What are you trying to say, Daphne? You aren't making sense," Blaise tried to keep up with the blubbering woman.
"The curse is gone," Daphne whispered, "Scorpius and Rose cured me".
Blaise's eyes bulged and he whipped his head around to find Scorpius and Draco leaning on opposite sides of the doorway. Scorpius nodded in confirmation and Draco smirked.
"Why is it complicated then? Seems pretty straightforward to me," Blaise said.
Daphne huffed, "I pushed you away because of the curse. I didn't want you to throw your life away on me when we couldn't have a future together".
'Hmmm,' Rose thought, 'so self-sacrifice and making assumptions for their partners was a trait that Scorpius got from both branches of his family'.
"Just being with you was enough, Daph," Blaise stated.
"I buggered it all up and pushed you away," Daphne sniffled.
"Well that can be quickly remedied," Blaise said with a smile. Daphne cocked her head in confusion for a moment before her jaw dropped open. Blaise Zabini dropped to a knee and grabbed Daphne's left hand. He pressed a kiss to her fourth finger and said, "Daphne Greengrass, will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife…. again?" he cheekily added.
Daphne squealed and knelt down in front of Blaise to snog him senseless.
"I guess that's a yes then," said Draco sarcastically. Blaise raised an arm to flip him off and the other four people in the room laughed.
Rose turned to her mother, "Did you know that Draco was going to contact Blaise?"
"Yeah, we cooked up the plan a week ago when treatments were going so well. It was my job to get Daphne all dolled up while Draco called Blaise,"
Rose shook her head and grinned, "You two are a dangerous, meddlesome pair".
Four days later, Rose arrived at the Zabini estate. Daphne and Blaise had decided that there was no need to wait and plan an extravagant wedding. They had done that the first time around and just wanted to get married as quickly as possible. Hermione, in her ministerial capacity, was happy to push through all the required paperwork at lightning speed.
Daphne and Blaise chose to have a small wedding with only close friends and family in attendance. Blaise asked Draco and Scorpius to stand up for him and Daphne was insistent that Rose be one of her bridesmaids. Draco would be paired with Tracey Davis, a fellow Slytherin from his Hogwarts days, and Scorpius would escort Rose down the aisle.
Due to the limited time, Daphne asked Rose and Tracey to wear whatever dresses they liked and just charm them kelly green. Rose excitedly unearthed her dress from Roxanne's wedding and altered the color. The new hue was more appropriate for the change in season and the Slytherin wedding. Rose twisted her into a half up-do and applied a bit of Sleekeazy's potion to make the ends into silky curls. She once again, left her neck bare and wore only small diamond studs in her ears.
"Rose!" Hermione huffed, "what took you so long?" Hermione had been asked to perform the binding ceremony and had therefore arrived hours earlier to set up.
"I overslept," Rose admitted.
"Ah, so that would explain Scorpius's recent arrival too," Hermione said and rolled her eyes. "Hurry up, the wedding party is lining up".
Rose followed her mother down the twisting halls of the Zabini estate until they arrived at the door to the rose garden. Daphne gave Rose a hug and Tracey gave her a quick nod and handed her a small bouquet of spring flowers. Hermione raced out the door to assume her position behind the altar.
Rose waited for a moment until she heard the strains from the wedding march begin. She exited the hall and began her slow walk up the aisle. Rose glanced up the aisle and spied her mother standing beside Blaise Zabini. The man was grinning widely and bouncing on the balls of his feet in anticipation of seeing his bride. Next Rose looked to Draco who looked quite dashing in his dress robes. Finally Rose's eyes settled upon Scorpius and her breath caught. Her wizard's eyes glittered with love and longing as they stared straight at her. Rose had to fight to break eye contact so she could continue her long walk without faltering.
Once she had arrived at her position she turned to face back down the aisle. Out of the corner of her eye, so saw Draco dissapparate from his position next to Blaise. Once Tracey settled next to Rose, the double doors to the garden opened once more. There was Daphne Greengrass, looking radiant. Rose heard Blaise's breathing stop.
The bride floated down the aisle on the arm of Draco Malfoy. She wore traditional white wedding robes and a serene smile. Draco steadily guided her to the altar where he untucked her hand from his arm. He placed her hand in Blaise's and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before returning to his spot beside Scorpius.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today.." began Hermione. Rose's attention was once again drawn to the blond wizard directly across from her.
Scorpius was staring at her and mouthed 'love you'. She smiled broadly and sent him an air kiss. The motion must have garnered Draco's attention because he drove an elbow into his son's ribs and sent him a half-hearted glare. Rose once again turned her attention to the beautiful vows that Daphne and Blaise were promising each other.
After the ceremony, Scorpius had escorted Rose back up the aisle and the rose garden was quickly transformed into a reception area and dance floor. Scorpius wasted no time in sweeping Rose into his arms and leading her in a dance.
"I'm glad you wore that dress again, love" Scorpius said.
"You recognize it then?" Rose asked.
Scorpius smirked, "Of course I do. From the first time I saw you in it at the dress shop, I fantasized about you wearing that," he lowered his voice and whispered directly in her ear, "I wanked so many times while I pictured undoing the laces up your back and finally having you. Reality is so much better than my fantasies," he said as he toyed with the bow holding the corseted back of the dress together.
Rose had to steady her breathing. She heard a voice ask, "Mind if I steal Rose away for a dance?"
She peeled her attention away from Scorpius to find Draco holding a hand out to her. Scorpius failed to suppress a growl at his father when Rose accepted his outstretched hand.
"Now, Scorpius," Hermione who had arrived at their side with Draco said, "You'll get her back. Besides, you can give me a spin around the dance floor while you wait".
Draco led Rose in a smooth waltz. It was obvious where Scorpius had gotten his dancing talent from. "You're Blaise's new favorite person, you know? I feel quite put out," Draco pouted.
Rose laughed loudly, "He did say that. Don't worry, I'm not about that usurp your position as best mate".
Draco smirked, "Thank you for that Rose". He spun her around. "How are things going with Scorpius?"
Rose blushed. She knew that Draco could not possibly be asking about their sexual activities, but it was the first thing that popped into her mind. She mentally blamed the third glass of champagne she had consumed. "It's wonderful. So much has changed in such a short amount of time. I feel like I should be scared, but I'm not. It's odd that it should have been such a smooth progression from being friends to something else. But after the initial misunderstanding, nothing has been awkward or weird," Rose said referencing the last wedding debacle and the impromptu trip to Boston.
"I'm happy to hear that. If he ever gets too stubborn for you to deal with, talk to me. I'll knock some sense into that boys head," Draco promised.
"You mean you'll team up with my mum and meddle in our lives some more?" Rose quirked an eyebrow.
Draco laughed loudly, "Well we have an excellent track record of meddling now. We're dancing at the wedding of our most recent successful scheme".
Rose giggled and shook her head. 'Such a Slytherin,' she thought.
"Give her back now, Dad," Scorpius interrupted.
Draco rolled his eyes and released Rose, "What do you say, Granger? Care to dance?" he asked Hermione.
"Sure Malfoy," Hermione said with a sly grin, "I've got a new plan that I need to discuss with you". She accepted his hand and he led them across the room. Rose and Scorpius observed the pair talking animatedly as they plotted.
"Any idea what they could be working on now?" Rose asked with trepidation.
Scorpius chuckled, "Best let them conspire". He swept Rose in close so that her body molded to his own. Their position was not conducive to dancing so the couple merely swayed to the music while they lost themselves in each other.
"Merlin, I'm knackered," Scorpius announced others later when they returned to Rose's flat. He threw himself onto the couch and closed his eyes.
"Is that right?" Rose asked.
Scorpius popped open one eye to glance at Rose, "You're not?"
"I am, but I need someone to help me out with the laces on this dress. I guess I can just grab my wand and loosen them," she moved to reach for her wand but he progress was stopped when Scorpius gripped her wrist.
"Don't you dare, love," he growled.
He spun her around so that she was facing away from him. Rose felt his finger dance up her hips and meet at the bow just above her arse. Slowly, Scorpius tugged the bow loose and began to unthread the ribbon from the corset. Scorpius trailed his finger along the skin he was exposing and Rose let out a shudder as sparks of pleasure shot through her. Soon, Scorpius pulled the ribbon away from the dress entirely and pressed his lips to her spine. She sighed as the satiny material fell away. When the dress was pooled around her feet, she stepped out of fabric and turned to face Scorpius.
Scorpius's eyes trailed along Rose's body. She felt her skin ignite wherever his stare traveled as her body shivered in anticipation. She had worn a matching green lace bra and thong set. She knew that her nipples were on clear display through the thin material. The bottom of her thong was damp with her arousal. She shifted her thighs to relieve a bit of pressure. This snapped Scorpius onto of his trace and he pulled down to straddle his lap on the coach. Rose could feel his hard cock straining against his pants to get to her core.
"Like I said, love," Scorpius whispered irreverently, "Reality is so much better than my fantasies". Rose had to agree.
-AN It's a lot of fun to team Hermione and Draco up as co-conspirators. Although they are my favorite non-canon couple, there is no romance between them in this story. They're just friends here.