The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Scorpius considered that a plus. It was a relief not to have owls arriving with ominous messages or unwanted visitors pounding on the front door. They ate a simple dinner of green salad and omelette au fromage on the terrace. He explained to a giggling Rose that his description had nothing to do with being a "foodie." If he'd used English cheddar, he would have called it an omelette, but the creamy Boursin dictated the au fromage.She nodded solemnly with laughing eyes.
On Tuesday, reports from Harper and Barrabatta stated that the renovations at Iron Mountain Villas were back on track, and Barrabatta had expanded the colour palette to include pink paint. His father was free for lunch, so Scorpius suggested the Gnome and Jarvey. They ended up with a table in the centre of the pub.
"Why is everyone staring at us?" Draco asked while they sipped their drinks.
Scorpius sipped his Irish beer. "I have been in the papers rather a lot lately."
"Yes, you have. Does it make me a terrible father to be grateful the spotlight is on you instead of me?"
"The attention I receive is easier to take than what you endured." Scorpius was the subject of gossip, not letters to the Prophet's editor demanding he serve time in Azkaban. "But you can pay for lunch to ease your guilt."
Draco couldn't completely hide his amusement. "The Head of Operations earns more than the Head of Legal Affairs."
Scorpius shrugged. "You have two lucrative sources of income. Rose is a Ministry trainee."
"And your mother and I net more profit from creating perfumes than I ever have working for Malfoy En—" Draco broke off, his expression chagrined.
Scorpius smiled. "Defeated by the Malfoy compulsion to boast."
"Indeed." Draco raised his glass. "But having lunch with you is such a treat I don't mind paying for it." He thanked the server when she placed their orders of beer battered cod, chips, and mushy peas on their table. Once they were left to enjoy their meal, he took a bite and said, "Only the elves at Hogwarts fry fish better."
"Agreed." Frydays, a fish and chip shop near Warlock Comics in Knockturn Alley, was almost as good, but the place smelled of oil and the various odours of its dodgy clientele.
They chatted about Grandmother Narcissa—she was in town, shopping, in the pink of health following their "invigorating" dinner, and then Draco said, "There was no mention of you in the paper today. Taking a rest from your adventures?"
"I catered a lunch for Rose's fellow trainees yesterday."
Draco almost choked on a spoonful of mushy peas. Scorpius related the highlights of the lunch to give his father a chance to stop coughing. At the end, he said, "Cousin Ted stopped by."
"Ted Lupin." The corners of Draco's mouth turned down. "I never called his mother cousin. I avoided her when I could."
And then she was killed in battle along with Ted's father, and Andromeda Tonks had kept her grandson far away from the Malfoys. Scorpius silently cursed. Why hadn't he realised that mentioning Ted would bring up painful memories?
Draco asked hopefully, "So you've become friends?"
If the answer had been no, he still would've said, "Yes" to make his father happy. A thought struck. "Would you like to meet him?"
Draco glanced around like he thought Ted might be in the room. "Now?"
"In a few minutes." Scorpius checked his watch. Ted should still be on his lunch break. "You pay while I go send a message."
He walked out of the pub before his father could object. Then he realised that sending a message would mean Ted seeing his Patronus. The thought of the cautiously eager look on his father's face steeled Scorpius's resolve. He concentrated on a happy moment with Rose.
"I asked Ted to investigate whether the fairies at Lumos Duo are well treated," he said when Draco joined him outside. "Since the Boots are our tenants, we could be held liable. You should be there to hear his report."
Draco linked arms with Scorpius. "You know our destination, I presume?"
"An alley near the Ministry. Hold on."
It was the first time they had Apparated together. His father had always said Side-Along Apparation was too risky, and yet he hadn't shown the slightest doubt in Scorpius's abilities.
"Not . . . the romantic spot . . . I'd envisioned," Draco said when they reached the alley. He clutched his stomach, gulping in breaths. "You must Apparate . . . regularly . . . not to feel the effects."
"It's a requirement for adventure."
Draco straightened, grinning. "I remember when all you needed was imagination."
"Which, according to my grandparents, I got from you."
His father's laugh cut off at the sound of footsteps. Ted Lupin strode into the alley, his hair and eyes dark as his frown. "I told my mates the Patronus was from my grandmother, but they think it was Victoire's, and they'll be taking the piss out of me for the rest of the day."
"Scorpius's Patronus is a mongoose, not a weasel," Draco said.
Ted stopped in his tracks as if he'd just noticed the older Malfoy. "What's going on here?"
"We need to know whether to inform the Boots that they've breached the terms of their rental contract," Scorpius said. "Have you concluded your investigation?"
"You told your father about that?" Ted asked.
"I'm the Head of Legal now," Draco replied.
"Oh." Ted seemed ill at ease. Perhaps he expected a former Death Eater to curl his lip and sneer, call him a werewolf's pup or at least drawl condescendingly. He ran a hand through his Harry Potter styled hair. "Yeah, Al and I went in as patrons last night and then interviewed the staff and customers. Both brothers have cleaned up their act." Ted paused, and then added reluctantly, "Barry told me he never wants to see the bloke in green again."
"Excellent," Scorpius's tone was too hearty. He didn't want Draco asking questions. "Come to the flat for dinner. Rose will want to hear all about it."
"Will you invite Al by Patronus?"
"If you like."
Ted smiled wolfishly.
"Seven o'clock?" Scorpius asked. He'd be sure to tell Albus who to thank for the Patronus invitation.
"Vicky and I will look forward to it." Ted glanced toward Draco, nodded, and then left the alley.
Draco said, "He looks like both his parents, but young Ted's personality reminds me of his mother. Even with mousey hair, she was a colourful person. People liked her. They wanted to be her friend."
"People liked you too." Scorpius refused to allow any wallowing in the past. He said, "I won't say what Moaning Myrtle liked. You'd tell Mother and she'd get jealous."
"Yes, she would." Draco's faint smirk became more pronounced. "I'd have to distract her by asking about that green bloke you liked so much in those Creevey Comics."
"We wouldn't want that," Scorpius said. He took out his pocket watch. "Look at the time. I have a meeting. Thanks for lunch." He Apparated to the roof of the building, looked down to make sure the alley was empty, and conjured his Patronus.
.
Rose sent an owl to her mother to share the good news about Lumos Duo. Hermione wanted to hear all the details, so Rose invited her parents to dinner. Albus, who had returned to the classroom from lunch when the Patronus arrived, sent word that he'd not only invited his parents, but his grandparents as well, since they were in town for the day. The first investigation had been planned in their lounge, so they were interested to hear how it had all turned out.
Scorpius wondered if Granny Weasley and Grandmother Narcissa had run into each other while shopping in Diagon Alley. He told Rose, "Al was supposed to blame Ted, not me."
"You sent the Patronus." Rose hugged him. "I'll help you cook."
"We're ordering pizza."
To his annoyance, Franco's Pizza was a unanimous favourite. Everyone acted as though he'd gone to some special effort to be hospitable when his intent was the opposite. He hadn't made the pizzas, he just remembered that Granddad Weasley preferred thin crust and reduced cheese on his pizza because Granny Weasley had him on a reducing diet, and Merry only liked olives in martinis. Trifling details easily recalled by anyone with a decent memory.
It took two and a half glasses of Cabernet Franc to mellow Scorpius's mood. The red wine had the right amount of acidity and flavour to balance the pizzas. The group voted to eat on the terrace lit by fairy lights. An appropriate choice as Al, Merry, Ted, and Victoire told everyone about how the Boots had cut the hours the fairies worked. The Wiggentree was gone—sent to Hogwarts for the edification of Herbology students.
The doorbell rang while Scorpius was in the kitchen retrieving the lemon sorbet and bottles of sparkling Prosecco he intended to pair together for afters. He called out, "I'll answer it," and held the necks of two bottles in one hand and cradled the sorbet container in the crook of his arm to free his other hand to open the door.
Claudio Sartorius, dressed in a modern jeans and black t-shirt, looked at the items in Scorpius's hand and cried, "Sgroppino!"
Scorpius raised an eyebrow.
The vampire said, "The digestif of Venice? Prosecco, sorbet, and a splash of vodka?"
"You'll have to show me how to make it." Scorpius thrust the bottles at Claudio and returned to the kitchen. He placed the sorbet on the worktop, pulled a bottle of vodka out of the coolant cupboard, and got out a tray and champagne glasses.
"Sgroppinocomes from a Venetian word," Claudio said. "It means 'to un-knot,' which, I believe, is the task you set for me."
It took a moment for the meaning of the words to register. "Edgar's giving you trouble?"
"He goes here, he goes there, he turns back. He creates a knot, suspecting he is followed. Do you have a whisk?"
Scorpius opened a drawer and picked out a long-handled flat bottom drinks whisk. "Knots loosen. Just keep out of sight and keep track of where he goes at night and to whom he speaks."
Claudio made the drinks in a blur of motion. "Thirteen glasses. A lucky number in Italy."
Scorpius picked up the tray. "Is it lucky for Italians in England? You're the thirteenth guest." He asked, when there was no answer, "You don't have a grudge against Harry Potter or Rose's family, do you?"
"No."
"You can . . . drink . . . a variety of things, can't you?"
"Si, certo."
"Good. I'm telling everyone the Sgroppino was your idea, so you'll either get the credit or the blame." Scorpius started walking toward the terrace.
He introduced Claudio as a friend who did enquiry work. Those who knew about Edgar understood why Claudio was there. Scorpius shook his head to answer each has he found out anything look. After the digestifs had been passed out, tasted, and discussed for several minutes, Claudio noticed Victoire's engagement ring and asked who was making her wedding dress. The conversation turned to dressmakers, fabrics, and fashion trends.
Scorpius pled a headache and escaped to the master bedroom. He turned off the lights and stretched out on the bed, petting Felix, who had curled up on his chest.
Sometime later, the illumination orbs on the bedside tables lit the room with a soft glow. He'd fallen asleep.
"They left a few minutes ago," Rose said. "You didn't wake when everyone piled into the kitchen to do the washing up, so I let you rest."
"I didn't really have a headache," he admitted.
She slipped off her shoes and sat on the bed. "You've been under a lot of stress." Her eyes gleamed with humour. "You missed seeing the look on Teddy's face when Claudio asked Victoire if she had any sisters or cousins who were un-betrothed. It was obvious Teddy let Claudio chat up his fiancée because he'd thought an interest in fashion meant gay."
"I'm no good at socialising." There. He'd said it.
Her expression softened. "You're brilliant at it when you want to be. Charming as hell." Rose pressed her finger to his lips when he started to argue. "You're selectively social. You have limits, and all our parties and dinners have drained you. You had to withdraw."
He was amazed at how well she knew him.
Rose bit her lip. "I didn't figure it all out on my own. A long time ago, I read a Cosmopolitan Witch article about the benefits of dating outgoing introverts."
Her cheeks were turning pink. That kind of article, was it? "Name one."
"A benefit? I'll never get bored."
Scorpius sat up and put Felix on the floor. He turned to Rose. "Is that the only one?"
"If they like you, they really like you."
He leaned down to kiss her, and then stopped. "Anything else?"
She brushed her lips against his. "They know when to shut up."
.
The next afternoon, Scorpius smiled over the memory of another "benefit" Rose had shared when they were drifting off to sleep: there will never be a meaningless encounter. The click of the door handle turning drew his eyes to his pocket watch. A quarter to four. It wasn't like Travers to be early. The Head of Marketing enjoyed his work to the point that he had to tear himself away to attend meetings.
Zod, wearing the red warlock robes Creevey had captured so well in his comics, burst into the office followed by a flustered Mrs. Jamieson.
"I beg your pardon, sir. Mr. Zod said you'd want to see him straightaway."
"That's right," Scorpius said. "Thank you, Mrs. Jamieson." He waved Zod towards one of the visitor chairs, but the warlock stood in place, looking around the office, chuckling.
"Did you choose the furnishings yourself?"
Scorpius leaned back in his chair. "The design is Italian, not Scandinavian."
Zod laughed so hard his beard shook. "Splitting hairs, boy. Wish I had a camera. I'd take a picture and send it to Creevey to use as inspiration the next time he draws Chace Maddox in his office."
The mention of the Green Knight's alter ego stung. "I don't aspire to be a playboy billionaire." Not the playboy part, anyway.
"If you did, we wouldn't be friends." Zod sat down, a satisfied grin creasing his long face.
"You found Teryn," Scorpius said.
"Annis is the one who came up with the idea. Both those villages only had one realtor. We pretended to be looking for a getaway cottage, said acquaintances of ours had visited and recommended them. The first realtor hadn't shown a cottage in weeks, but the second . . . ." Zod's smile showed his love for the hunt. "The second remembered a young couple—very polite, very average looking. The young lady was eager to buy, but her partner decided it was too far from London. He couldn't pop over to see her the way he'd like unless they were closer to the city."
"Edgar can't perform Long-distance Apparition," Scorpius said.
"And Apparition is the only way to avoid being followed by your wife, Aurors, and the occasional vampire."
Zod sounded cheerful about having his search widened instead of narrowed. "How did you find her?"
"We flew back to London and visited the girl's granny. Annis was sure the old witch had kept an item of two of her granddaughter's out of spite. With a little encouragement,Granny handed over a dolly given to Teryn by her mum. A tracking spell revealed the girl's location." Zod pulled a Muggle-looking sheet of paper and a folded map out of his pocket. He handed the paper to Scorpius and spread the map out on the desk. The paper was a printout from a Muggle computer showing a street view of a white attached cottage and another picture of the back garden along with details of the property.
"She's in Elstree, a Muggle village twenty kilometres NW of central London. Two bed cottage on High Street," Zod said. "Buyer paid cash."
Using Teryn's new alias, Scorpius was sure. An off the books contractor could turn the second bedroom into a safe room. Because Teryn didn't use magic, she'd fit into the Muggle neighbourhood, and she and Edgar wouldn't have to use Incognito Potions. No one would think to search for them there.
"Goyle's a clever bastard, I'll give him that," Zod said. He tapped the green areas around the village. "Lots of open spaces and wooded parks. Maybe you and Rose should visit."
Scorpius came around the desk to shake Zod's hand. "How can I thank you?"
Zod pulled a tiny porcelain doll out of a pocket. "Give this to Teryn. Granny hadn't taken care of it, but Annis fixed it up."
The doll had no shoes, but its blonde hair was combed, and the face and yellow dress were clean. "I'd like to hear how you encouraged the witch to give this up."
"Bring Rose by Kneazle tonight."
"Tomorrow," Scorpius said. They'd both have stories to tell.
.
The meeting with Travers didn't last long. There were no more appointments scheduled, so Scorpius told Mrs. Jamieson they were done for the day. After stops at Zeller Toys and Eyelop's Owl Emporium, he went home to feed Antares and Felix and change clothes. Rose walked in while he and Antares were hiding Galleons for Felix to hunt.
"I don't smell dinner cooking. Are we having leftover pizza?" she asked, and then did a double take. "Antares just nudged a Galleon underneath a sofa cushion."
Scorpius said, "He's big enough to carry mail packets. It won't hurt him to carry Galleons around."
"I can't believe he's hiding them." Rose rushed past him to kneel by the sofa to gently stroke Antares's feathers. "Who's a clever boy?" She laughed softly when Scorpius cleared his throat. "You're a clever wizard." Her eyes flickered around the room. "Hiding Galleons early. We must be going out to dinner. Somewhere casual, by your jeans and t-shirt."
"You're a clever witch. Guess where?"
Her face lit up. "You found Teryn!"
"Zod and Annis did." He shared how they'd done it. They left Antares to hide the remaining Galleons and went into the bedroom. He picked up the doll off the bedside table.
"Teryn never mentioned it. That evil old witch probably told her she threw the doll away." Rose looked at the pictures of the cottage.
He said, "We can Apparate to the back garden without alarming the neighbours."
Rose pursed her lips. "I'm sure privacy fencing was at the top of Edgar's must-have list." Her eyes flashed when he chuckled. "What's so funny?"
"The thought of Edgar Muggle house-hunting."
"I hope he suffered."
The Enchantress out for vengeance had nothing on Rose Weasley. Her expression pushed his Slytherin buttons. The ones that flashed "sexy" into his brain in neon green. Scorpius counted to ten in Latin and said, "Get changed and we'll find out."
.
One of the three "d's" of Apparition wasn't distraction, so Scorpius kept his eyes off Rose as he Apparated to the back garden of Teryn's cottage. In addition to the privacy fencing, it had a patch of grass, some flowering planting boxes, and a table for two under a striped awning.
Rose Apparated to a spot next to him. "It's nice, isn't it?" Her tone was grudging.
He nodded.
She moved closer. "What I said about Edgar. Did it make you angry or something?"
Counting in Latin hadn't worked. The cold pressure of Apparition hadn't worked. He considered his options. Put his emotions on ice, or act on them? He slid a hand up her back and into her hair. "Something," he said and kissed her, breathing her in, delving, devouring . . . .
Barking.
Something was barking at them.
Rose's lips smiled against his. Her hands released their grip on his t-shirt and flatted against his chest, creating distance instead of pulling him closer. "We have an audience."
They looked toward the house. A black and tan dachshund puppy stood half in, half out of the pet door.
The dachshund was pulled into the house, and then the back door opened. Teryn stepped outside with the quieted puppy in her arms. She rushed toward them. "The cottage is soundproofed, but Feli always hears Edgar arrive and bolts for the doggie door. When she started barking—" Tears choked her voice. "I'm so happy to see you!" Teryn put Feli down and the girls hugged, crying and talking at once. When Rose handed over the doll, Teryn burst into tears again. "I can't believe Granny found her!"
A low whimper drew Scorpius's attention to the puppy. He crouched down to pet Feli. "I don't like to be ignored, either, but they need to talk." He conjured a small golden ball and let Feli sniff it. "Let's play fetch."
Dachshund hunting instincts were as keen as those of a Niffler. Feli chased after the ball. The challenge was getting her to bring it to him after she'd collected it. Feli preferred to run around the garden with the ball, prancing around Scorpius in circles before zooming off again. Finally, he squatted down and held out his hand. "Give."
Feli dropped the ball into his hand.
"Good girl!" Teryn cried. She and Rose were smiling. Teryn's eyes were on her puppy, but Rose's gaze focused on Scorpius, and he was pretty sure that if his actions had pressed any of her buttons, they were sending sweet, not sexy signals. He curled his lip.
Rose's smile widened.
He picked up Feli and strode over to hand the puppy and ball to Teryn. "I conjured the ball. It'll vanish in a few hours." She wouldn't have to confess or lie about it to Edgar. Scorpius glanced toward the house. "Security wards?"
She nodded. "And I promised to tell him if you came to the door."
Scorpius said, "We're in the garden."
Teryn flushed. She might not have been officially Sorted, but she was too Hufflepuff to lie, even by omission.
"Be our Secret Keeper," Rose said. "We only found you to make sure you're all right and let you know that no one's pressing charges. Everyone cares about you. We want you to be happy, and we won't tell anyone where you are or visit again unless you ask us to."
Tears spilled down Teryn's face as she nodded. Scorpius couldn't take it anymore. He cast a Cheering Charm.
"This is so much better than having my memory erased," Teryn said contentedly after Rose had cast the spell to make her their Secret Keeper. "I don't want to forget that Ron and George aren't mad at me, or that two of my dearest friends came to visit." She hugged Scorpius with one arm, holding the sleeping puppy with the other. "Thank you for Buttercup's stockings and shoes. She looks so pretty."
"You're welcome." His eyes slid to Rose. She rescued him by moving into hugging range.
"You're keeping another secret," Rose told her. "The address of my Muggle grandparents. They'll pass along your letters if you ever want to write me or Hugo."
Teryn squeezed Rose tighter and then ran with Feli to the house.
"I suppose that means dinner is out," Scorpius said, "not that I have an appetite anymore."
"Me either," Rose said. "Let's go home. We can warm up pizza later."
Lying together on the double lounger, stargazing; the mental image was almost perfect. "I'll meet you there." He kissed her forehead and stepped back to Apparate.
He and Rose forgot the stars as they swayed in the hammock Scorpius had taken from his parents' garden with their blessing. The dip in the centre brought his and Rose's bodies together in a way that both comforted and made his heart race with hers, which was better than perfect.
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Epilogue
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Six months later
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Scorpius stared at the warehouse that contained Creevey Studios. Well-dressed witches and wizards strolled toward the open doors and the private showing for the Creevey Foundation's top donors. The excitement he'd felt reading the invitation and realising the significance of the date—the anniversary of the Second Task when Dennis Creevey watched Harry Potter carry Gabrielle Delacour out of Hogwarts Lake and sketched the character that would become LaVeela—had vanished.
"Don't be nervous," Rose said, taking his hand in hers. "You're the sexiest fan alive, and we're the best dressed couple thanks to Claudio."
"They'll think we should have saved our outfits for Creevey Comic Con."
"We can wear them there too." Rose ran a hand across the strapless bodice of her evening gown. "I love my black feathers." She adjusted the linen square in the pocket of his dinner jacket and straightened his bow tie, not that either item needed attention. She was giving him time to compose himself.
"I love you," he said. "I'm ready."
Off-duty Aurors checked invitations at the door. They nodded respectfully to Rose and wished her a good evening.
"They know I'm already having a good evening because I'm with you," Scorpius said as they entered the studio. Paintings of characters and original cover art hung on the warehouse walls. Creevey Foundation donors milled around, champagne glasses in hand. Along with Zod, Annis, and enough Weasleys to qualify as a family reunion, Scorpius recognised celebrities, Ministry officials and a few prominent businessmen and their wives.
"Oh my stars. Look," Rose whispered.
Scorpius followed her gaze across the room. Two couples stood slightly apart from the rest. Harry and Ginny Potter. Gabrielle and Dennis Creevey. Ginny and Gabrielle were chatting. Smiling.
"It's about time the aunties became friends," Rose said. Her expression became teasing. "It'll be easier to drag you to family dinners if you know Uncle Dennis will be there."
Scorpius steered her to the centre of the warehouse where the artists created the comics. "I'll always be susceptible to persuasion."
He introduced Rose to the artists standing ready to answer questions about their works in progress. Scorpius's knowledgeable interest in their work led to deep conversations. Rose left his side a few times to speak with family and friends and to bring back champagne and plates of hors d'oeuvres. He always thanked her and gave a glass or plate to the witch or wizard discussing his or her art. Time flew by. When he had shaken the hand of the last artist, he looked for Rose, who had gone to say goodbye to her Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, who were leaving.
She was walking toward him with Dennis Creevey. The wizard he considered the greatest artist of all time asked Scorpius to call him Dennis, expressed his appreciation for Scorpius's support, and invited him to tour his private studio.
Rose kissed Scorpius's cheek. "Have fun."
Each step up the metal stairway to the loft seemed to echo. The whole experience was surreal, until he saw the habitat in front of the window near the top of the stairs. A tiny owl with brown spotted feathers poked his head out of his burrow. "Colin," Scorpius said.
Dennis gestured to the array of action figures on the long table in the centre of the loft. "What can I say? I surround myself with reminders of my heroes." He picked up a Green Knight action figure. "This one most of all."
"No." The denial tumbled out of Scorpius's mouth. "I've read your interviews. He isn't based on a real wizard."
"That's true." Dennis gave him a lopsided smile. "He's based on the man my brother dreamed he could be if his name was Malfoy."
Chace Maddox. Colin Malfoy. "I don't understand," Scorpius said.
"Neither did I," Dennis said. "Why would my brother want to be an arrogant snob?" He paused. "This was before your father, er, left school."
Before my father let Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Before Albus Dumbledore died.
"I'm sure it was because Malfoy was the richest boy we knew. Colin said if he had a vault filled with gold, he'd use the Galleons to help people." A bittersweet smile crossed Dennis's face. "After he bought a cloak woven with spells to block curses and hide his face from his enemies."
"Harry Potter inherited a vault full of gold," Scorpius said.
"Yes, he did." Dennis plucked another action figure off the table. "It's funny, Colin practically worshiped Harry, but he never wanted to be another Super Wizard." He held up the Super Wizard and Green Knight figures. "Colin identified with the anti-heroes in Muggle comics. The ones who redeemed themselves by doing the right thing. The ones who became more than anyone thought they could be . . . the way Colin did in the final battle."
Scorpius didn't know what to say.
Dennis set the action figures down. "I created a character to honour my brother. You've brought him to life." He held up a hand when Scorpius began to speak. "It isn't the way you dress, although that's spot on. Excellent choice of dinner suit, by the way. It's from one of my wife's favourite comics. Gabrielle likes romance."
"I'm not the Green Knight." The words he'd once told Rose came back to him. "I don't have an obsession to fight crime because criminals took my parents' lives. I'm not trying to save the world."
"Oh. That. Tortured backstories are expected for comic book characters, and readers love orphans," Dennis said. "That isn't what I meant. I wasn't being literal." He gave a self-deprecating huff of laughter. "Although you are a Malfoy, and you have loads of Galleons and some really enviable gear." He smiled wistfully, no doubt remembering the Green Knight suit and cloak he'd admired at Comic Con.
"I paid for Sizing Charms if you'd like to borrow anything," Scorpius said.
Dennis looked tempted. "LaVeela only loves Mastermind." He shook his head as if shaking off distracting thoughts. "About the suit—"
"Harry told you what I did."
"Actually, Katsuji, who inks my sketches, heard the story from his brother who was on duty when Boot turned himself in."
"I don't want to be a vigilante," Scorpius said. "I may never wear the suit again."
"Good to hear—the vigilante part. I hope you'll change your mind about the suit now that you know what it represents." Dennis took a steadying breath. "I have one last thing to say." He swallowed hard. "Like Colin, you're more than people think you are, and the next time you put on that suit, do it to help people because it's the right thing to do."
Scorpius didn't hesitate to vow, "I will."
.
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A/N: The End sounds so final. The characters' lives haven't stopped. The readers who read My Bloody Valentine know that Claudio met Victoire's "un-betrothed" cousin Roxanne ten days before the epilogue. What if Roxy wants to bring her boyfriend to the next big family gathering at the Burrow? She's going to need advice from Rose, who has been there, done that, and got Scorpius and his t-shirt. And then there's the Teryn and Edgar situation, the Knights of Walpurgis, and Teddy and Victoire's wedding . . . .
The poet Muriel Rukeyser said, "The universe is made of stories, not atoms." Thanks so much to everyone who has read, reviewed and followed Scorpius and Rose's adventures since Our Little Secret. Together, we'll keep the Potterverse expanding.