Dining at the Walpurgis club reminded Scorpius of Hogwarts, except that all the staring eyes belonged to alumni of Slytherin. The mix of interest and hostility his presence evoked was conveyed with sidelong looks and the nonstop buzz of conversation. Grandfather Lucius basked in the attention, devouring his grilled lobster as if notoriety was a tastier seasoning that lemon or salt. Scorpius ate enough to avoid offending the chef while he noted who appeared welcoming and who did not.

At the end of the meal, he glimpsed Edgar and Marianne leaving the hall.

"Newlyweds," Grandfather Lucius said coolly. "So eager to be alone that they forget their manners."

Scorpius said, "I'm sure they'll send a letter to thank you for the champagne."

The steel in his grandfather's eyes tempered. "How loyal you are." He made a strength sound like a flaw. "They don't deserve it."

Perhaps not, but Scorpius refused to give up on a friend. He set his knife and fork on his plate, tines down, to signal that he was finished. On the back of the handles was a monogram.

"Admiring the silver?" his grandfather asked.

Scorpius said, "In chemistry, K W stands for the equilibrium constant of water."

Grandfather Lucius replied, "In the wizarding world, the letters stand for something far more powerful."

Kneazle whiskers? The flippant words hovered on the edge of Scorpius' tongue. If he spoke them, his grandfather would take the hint and steer the conversation in another direction, and Scorpius would find another source of information about the Knights of Walpurgis. He asked, "Past or present?"

Grandfather Lucius smirked. "You know the answer." He set his cutlery down and a trio of wait staff approached to remove their plates and offer dessert. He waved them away and rose to his feet, tossing his serviette onto the tablecloth.

Scorpius followed his grandfather's lead until they were outside, and then he quickened his pace to reach the alley first and Disapparate. Only when he entered the lobby of Malfoy Enterprises did he realise that he still wore robes. Scorpius took them off and heard a faint rustle, not of paper, but something almost metallic. He was checking the interior pockets when his grandfather strolled through the door.

"Lost something in the rush to get back, have we?" Grandfather Lucius asked.

"No, sir."

"Well, you've creased the fabric." Grandfather Lucius said. "I'll have my assistant spell-press your robes."

"No need," Scorpius replied.

His grandfather held out a hand, clearly expecting to be given the robes. "I disagree. Appearance is everything."

"I meant that I can cast my own spells."

His grandfather slanted a look at Sendak, the security troll, who watched impassively behind his marble-fronted station. Malfoys didn't quarrel in front of staff. "Very well," he said.

Scorpius waited until Grandfather Lucius had Flooed to his office to tell Sendak, "I need your assistance."

Sendak nodded. "Job."

"More of an experiment I'd prefer to you to keep quiet about, actually." Scorpius laid his robes on the floor. "Step on this."

Sendak lumbered over.

"Wait." Scorpius took out his wand and cast an Amplifying Charm on the robes. "Do it now."

Sendak raised a gigantic foot and stomped. A tinkling sound echoed.

"Broke," Sendak said. He backed away.

Scorpius picked up his robes and shook them out. Silvery dust floated in the air. "They don't make Trackingbralls like they used to." A trade-off, he supposed. The Trackingbrall's minute size allowed it to avoid detection when sewn into clothing, but lacked the hardness to withstand a troll's weight. He found a smudge on the inside lining of the hem and then cleaned the remains with a Vanishing Charm. "Thank you for your assistance."

"Won't mention." Sendak plodded back to the security station.

Scorpius headed for the Floo. By the time he reached his office, he had decided that Grandfather Lucius wasn't responsible for the Trackingbrall. The placement wasn't clever enough. Someone else had bribed the tailor.

His office door was open and his assistant's voice rang out. "Mr. Cole, I must insist you wait outside until Mr. Malfoy returns."

Scorpius entered the room. "Thank you, Mrs. Jamieson, you may go." He ignored the wizard fidgeting in one of the visitor's chairs and hung up his robes in the wardrobe concealed behind a wall panel. He took his seat behind the desk and removed the property department file from a drawer, leisurely skimming the pages while Mitchell Cole, Head of Property, drummed his fingers. Scorpius didn't glance up until the clock struck two.

Cole said, "I didn't arrive early to twiddle my thumbs. At Malfoy Enterprises, we believe time is money." He reminded Scorpius of an aging Bull Terrier with his egg-shaped head and small dark eyes.

Scorpius replied, "As a Malfoy, my money buys your time. Don't barge past my assistant again."

"Yes, sir." Cole jabbed a finger toward the file on the desk. "I trust your review of my department found everything in order?"

Scorpius withdrew an acquisition proposal. "Except this. Iron Mountain Storage."

"One of the buildings Rosier Industries is putting on the market. Should turn a profit after redevelopment."

"According to Rosier." Scorpius returned the proposal to the file. "I'll complete my own analysis and inform you of my decision."

Cole spluttered, "Inform?"

"Yes. Good day." Scorpius tapped the silver inkwell, and for the second time, Mrs. Jamieson escorted a furious department head out the door.

His final meeting went more smoothly. Hugh Travers, the Head of Marketing and Advertising, seemed delighted to work for the future CEO of Malfoy Enterprises. Unlike Pawsey and Cole, Travers answered all questions about his department with a smile. He smiled so often, in fact, that Scorpius noticed that the wizard's teeth glowed: the result of too many whitening spells.

After Travers showed himself out, Scorpius tried to imagine hosting a barbeque for his department heads. Pawsey would leer at Rose; Cole would check his watch every other minute; Travers would grin like a jack-o'-lantern, and Father would take Scorpius aside and ask what the hell he was doing.

"Changing plans," Scorpius muttered. He informed Mrs. Jamieson that he was leaving.

.

Rose didn't arrive home until a quarter past six. Reddish-brown tendrils had escaped her practical updo, and her shoulders slumped beneath her Ministry robes.

"Rough first day?" he asked after a kiss.

She made a face. "I took so many notes my fingers cramped."

He held her right hand and pressed small circles down each finger before pulling upward in a gentle stretch. When she sighed, he said, "Thank you. I learned from the best."

Rose gave a tired-sounding giggle. "I can't believe I massaged your hand like this in front of my parents."

The first time she brought Scorpius home Ronald Weasley had demanded a wizard handshake to ensure a Malfoy wouldn't take advantage of his daughter. Actual pins and needles stabbing into Scorpius's flesh would have stung less than the binding spell. He said, "It was worth the pain."

"Mmm." She drew in a breath and asked, "Do I smell Italian food?"

"I ordered Franco's Pizza." Her favourite.

Rose's heavy eyelids opened wide. "You picked up Muggle take away? After working at Malfoy Enterprises?"

She made buying dinner sound like a feat of Gryffindor boldness. "I left the office early. No one saw me," he said.

Her gaze narrowed. "How early?"

He'd had time to get in a workout and shower before Apparating to the restaurant. "Early enough," he said. "I hope you approve my choice of flowers."

Rose walked into the dining room where a bouquet of rainbow-hued orchids decorated the table set for two. He conjured a red rose. "As fair art thou," he said.

She took the rose and brushed its petals against her cheek. "I love that poem."

When he was a third-year forced to listen to schoolmates read aloud in Muggle Studies, Scorpius had theorised that Robert Burns was a squib descended from Hufflepuffs. Now, he could acknowledge a possible Slytherin quality: using any means to gain the end of sharing feelings. He said, "As fair art thou, my bonnie lass, so deep in love am I. And I will love thee still, my dear, till a' the seas gang—"

Her mouth snatched the word "dry" off his lips, not that he minded. Rose made a contented sound in her throat. He pulled the hair grip pins out of her hair and let them drop to the floor.

Rose kicked off her low-heeled court shoes and unfastened her robes. "Do you know what I want to do right now?"

He was up for anything. "What?"

She leaned against him and sighed. "I want to eat pizza in bed."

Scorpius lifted her into his arms.

.

A shared bottle of wine and Margherita Pizza later, Rose finished telling about her day and asked, "So how was your first day of being Head of Operations? Did you eat chateaubriand while I was picking at imitation crab salad?"

Scorpius told her about the Walpurgis Club and Edgar's new bride.

Rose clenched her fists. "How could he? What about Teryn?"

Teryn Higgs was a werewolf, an animal to be disposed of to a witch like Millicent Goyle. "He's trying to protect her."

"But you don't think it will work."

"We'll see," Scorpius said.

"How?"

Scorpius used a Vanishing Charm on the empty pizza box. Another charm removed crumbs from the sheets. He said, "The barbeque on Saturday. I've decided not to invite colleagues."

Rose proved yet again that she was the brightest witch of their age. She asked, "Who are you inviting instead?"

He answered, "My old schoolmates."

.

.

Author's Note: My readers are like a red, red rose…that I left hanging out to dry. D'oh! I never meant to take so long to update. My dog Cookie was a puppy when I started this story, and in a few months she'll be two years old. I've joined a roller derby team. I can only imagine what readers have been up to: work, school, travel, and other adventures. I hope life's been good.

I want to thank scribbleeexx and all the people who asked me not to give up on the story. It meant a lot. Special thanks to everyone who reviewed since I posted last, whether it was long ago or not so far away: alix33, archergwen, arrrgghimapiratenow, Arwin Fred, AudreyLovesRemus, dymitria, FamousNoOne, fynnsmom, Gracie, GreenEyesLoveNeverDies, Guest, HeadOverHeelsInHate, hem, Hope's Mom, Il'Diko, Jenny-A1, lalalove-Rae, Marina Del Pilar, marymalfoy, mikako17, Missdagane, Moontime, Needle In A Haystack, Nocturna Mae, Orlytush, PencilCase, Ram, Rose of the West, Sabine8195, SGed, smiley786, SummerLoving990, tambrathegreat, TheDragon'sSorceress, thlove, TrueLoveIsHardToFind, VandyFNP, writeahead, x-rayLady, and zizzic797.