The sunny day outside was still filtering through the window in the guest bedroom, though it had grown lazy and amber as the afternoon eased closer to evening. For such lovely weather, Rose couldn't help but wonder at the highs and lows that the daylight had witnessed in her life. Being curled up under the comforter with her mother's letter for the past few hours had merely been par for the course considering the rest of the day. She was exhausted.

Spending this time swinging between wallowing in the expected admonishment the letter contained and feeling unending gratitude for the unanticipated understanding it held was taking the last of her emotional strength that had kept her spine straight and feet moving earlier. Her mum always felt the nuance of actions a bit better than her father and she always knew just the line to walk to both listen and teach.

And then there was the request at the end of it all.

Well, not really a request. More of a kindly worded demand.

Rose huffed out a watery laugh as she moved past it for the hundredth time to read the affirmation of the family's relief at her safety and absolute love for her in all things. The dark knot in her chest seeped a tendril out at that and she felt herself sink into it again. She hated that lately she sometimes couldn't find a good argument in favor of their unconditional love for her. But she supposed that's why it was unconditional.

Clutching the letter to her chest, she curled around it and cried until both the soft darkness of night and the relief of sleep found her.

She woke the next morning, eyes crusted with the salted remains of the tears she'd drifted off with as company. Smoothing out the crumples she'd made in the precious parchment clenched in her fingers, Rose pushed herself out from under the covers and towards the window to look outside and breathe. The pale gray of pre-dawn was growing into the faded light of a clouded, mild morning. She felt just as empty and underwhelming as the weather.

There was the muffled sound of a door closing and she blinked as she watched Scorpius take off at a jog for the second day in a row. Was this going to become a habit for her now? Just watch Scorpius Malfoy go for a run? She felt a slight heat rise to her cheeks as she refused to think about yesterday morning's later encounter. Instead, she focused on the image of a judgmental house-elf in a green apron. A small smile curled her lips at that and she turned to go through her motions of facing the world outside of her makeshift hideaway once more.

This morning she knew to wait until she heard the door again, listening for the footsteps padding down the hallway past her room and away. She focused on blank thoughts until it was silent again. Then she quietly opened the door and made her way down the stairs toward the kitchen. When she peered in, Skilt was expertly levitating some eggs and toast onto a plate, standing comfortably on a wooden step ladder so he could properly survey his handiwork.

"Skilt will be finished plating breakfast in a moment, if the young miss would like to sit down."

Rose started, not realizing he had noticed her already. The house-elf hadn't even glanced her way. "Oh...um, thank you." Hesitating, she glanced at the table and then back to him, "I mean, it looks like you've got it all in hand, but...is there anything I could help with?"

At that, Skilt did look over at her, "No."

Rose held up her hands in defeat and started toward the table.

She almost missed the quietly grumbled, "Already spent too much time with the young master. Picking up all the bad habits." It was hard to tell if the tone was irritated or amused at the low volume, so Rose fervently hoped it was amused.

Ignoring the rolled up Prophet on the table (she had had quite enough of that for a bit, thank you very much), she scrambled for something to say to Skilt. She didn't know if the apron was appropriate or maybe praising how clean he kept the kitchen? Or maybe thanking him again for his kind gesture last night with the strawberries? Better yet, she should probably apologize once more for Smit's accid-

"Seems I'm late to the party this morning," came the chipper voice of Scorpius behind her. She turned quickly to watch him sweep into the kitchen.

Skilt rolled his eyes over at him, "The young master is always the last to the 'party' in Skilt's opinion."

Scorpius laughed, shooting a wink over to Rose, "Ooh, looks like Skilt's in a good mood this morning." He maneuvered around the house elf, grabbing at the dishes that were washing themselves in the sink.

Skilt glared without heat over at the interrupting wizard before relinquishing the spell with a long-suffering sigh. Then, he turned back to cracking the second set of eggs onto the heated pan. "Skilt is regularly in a good mood in the morning, young master. It just never has a chance to last very long with interfering busybodies around."

There was definitely amusement in that quip and Rose was bewildered at the entire interaction.

"Your food's going cold," Scorpius called over to her, ignoring Skilt's good-natured barbs as he finished hand-washing the measuring cups, "and if there's one thing that will ruin Skilt's imitation of a ray of sunshine, it's a guest letting their food go cold."

Skilt added nonchalantly, "Only second to pushy young masters."

"Oh, I think the whole family is ruined if you think I'm the pushy one, Skilt," was shot back, "After all, I learn by observation." Scorpius turned to look at the house-elf, a bright smile gracing his lips, "I mean, Malfoys are the absolute worst , right?"

Skilt started laughing.

Rose just stared in amazement, her lifted fork halted halfway to its destination as she watched Skilt's small form release the purest sound she'd ever heard. Scorpius looked over at her and waggled his eyebrows, like she was somehow involved in this miracle.

Composing himself, Skilt took a deep breath to quiet the remaining bubbles of laughter that escaped, and finished plating the second meal. "If the young master is quite finished with his comedy for the morning, his meal is ready." The plate floated to settle gently in place on the table across from Rose. Then the house-elf grabbed the towel off the counter next to him, hopped off the stepladder, and made his way towards Scorpius. "Now go eat," came as a fond reprimand as Skilt took the towel and started gently swatting Scorpius away from the dishes, "Go, go, go!"

"Ah! Fine, fine," Scorpius threw his sudsy hands up in defeat before catching the towel briefly to dry them. Skilt allowed this before watching to make sure Scorpius had sat down. Only then did he snap his fingers toward the sink to resume his own washing of the dishes. Rose ignored Scorpius sitting down in favor of watching Skilt casually wave his hand through the air in the general area of the stove and the surface cleaned itself.

Focusing on the house-elf, she stared as he met her gaze and winked before apparating out of the room with a quiet 'pop.'

A chuckle from her remaining companion drew her attention back to the table, but there was no witty comment in her brain. It was blank in astonishment and all she could do was blink at him.

"I can officially guarantee he likes you," Scorpius offered with an amused grin before turning his attention back to the food on his plate.

Rose shook her head to shake the static away as she tried to follow suit, "Is...is that a regular thing?"

He glanced at her, swallowing his food before asking, "The ribbing?"

"The...the laughing?"

"Oh, that?" Scorpius shot her a sharp smile of pride, "Only when I catch him by surprise. It doesn't happen often, but a laugh from Skilt could probably carry me through a few dismal months, if necessary."

"I'd say," she mused, the edges of her lips tipping up in a small smile before she tore at a piece of toast.

They ate in silence for a few minutes and she basked in the peace. It was moments like this that she had to remind herself that she'd only been at the Malfoy Manor less than two days. It felt...normal to be eating breakfast with Scorpius. It felt normal to ponder the gift of Skilt's elusive laugh (not to mention his talent in a kitchen). Normal to feel comfortable in a place she'd never been before. By all accounts, the last place she would have expected to be comfortable in light of its history.

Her gaze trailed around the kitchen until she found herself watching Scorpius again. He was leafing through the Prophet as he nibbled at the crust on his toast. Strawberry jelly. The fact that she now had a mental note telling her that he liked strawberry jelly on his toast. Was it normal to find herself wanting to ask if it was his favorite type of jelly? Was that interest too close to…?

"Mymumwantstotalktome ," came bursting out of her as a flare of panic ran down her spine at the mundane and domestic path of her thoughts. Hadn't they just had a conversation last night where she, Rose Weasley, had drawn a line in the sand?

Scorpius froze across from her with a startled expression, toast held in mid-bite. "Hm?"

Her cheeks felt warm. She frowned, lowering her eyebrows, as she focused intently on cutting the last bit of eggs on her plate. Clearing her throat, she tried again, "My mum. She wants to talk to me." Rose shrugged, "It was in the letter."

"Oh. I see. Is she coming…?"

Snapping her gaze back to him, she shook her head, "No, no, no. That would be…," she didn't know how that would be. "No, just through the fireplace. If that's alright with you?"

His eyebrows drew down briefly, "Of course. You can use the one in the den."

"Thank you."

"I was...surprised you got a letter."

Rose bit her lip and nodded slightly, "Yeah...I had...left a note for Mum. I didn't want her - any of them - thinking I was...y'know." Scorpius nodded at the edge of her vision, "So, really, I knew it was a matter of time."

"Is she mad?"

Shoulders lifting in a shrug, she glanced up at him, "She was worried. I mean, obviously. Wants me to come home, but understands why I can't be there right now."

Scorpius gave her a soft smile, "That's good to hear."

She sighed, "I don't know what I was expecting. It hurt to read, but it also...didn't?" Rose shook her head, "I dunno. It's all so...complicated."

A hand covered hers. Without overthinking it, she flipped her own over to clasp and squeezed gently. Quiet fell once more and she let her eyes close for a few breaths, using their point of contact to ground her thoughts again. Nodding, she looked back to him and smiled, "Thanks."

He returned the smile, "Anytime." They both looked down at their clasped hands before releasing them and retreating back to their respective sides of the table. "So, when did your mum want to talk?"

"Tomorrow night. I think she wanted to give Smit time in case he ran into weather or got distracted."

Scorpius chuckled, "I think he and Pip will get along just fine, then." They finished their food, but before Scorpius could collect them to wash, the dishes floated off the table and toward the sink. He shot a narrowed look around the kitchen before calling out, "Rude!"

No response.

With a shrug, Scorpius stood, "I'm going to be studying in the den today if you'd like to join."

"Oh, please!"

If he was surprised by her enthusiasm as she practically jumped out of her seat, he didn't show it. "I also wanted to ask, did you want me to request Skilt to deliver your car to the house? I didn't think you'd want to leave it on the side of the road for too long, but I didn't want to presume…"

Rose smiled at him, "That would be lovely. Thank you." She paused, "Could he get gas for us, too? Or would we have to run into town to get some?"

There was a quiet 'pop.' "Skilt can handle the hulk of metal stink and its counterparts."

She grinned down at the house-elf, "I hope it doesn't smell too bad. We try to take good care of it."

Skilt's expression was deadpan, "Of course the young miss does."

Rose bit back a laugh as Scorpius rolled his eyes, "If you need any help with it, Skilt, do let us know. Otherwise, we'll be in the den studying."

"The young master's parents will be thrilled to know he's finally studying while they are gone."

"Okay, okay. Thanks, Skilt. Make sure to mention it in your latest report."

"As always."

Then Skilt was gone and Scorpius just shook his head with a smile before starting out of the kitchen. Rose followed, processing the last part of the conversation. When they got into the den, Scorpius walked to the shelves and reached out to pluck a seemingly random book off the shelves. He gestured for her to follow suit as he walked toward the chair that was distinctly 'his' in her mind.

What did she want to study? Charms? She moved toward the shelves and the first book her gaze landed on was the Charms textbook that was sitting in her trunk currently housed within the car down the road. With a nod of understanding and appreciation for the enchantment, she pulled the book and made her way to the other chair.

She cleared her throat, "Before I get distracted...you said Skilt sends reports to your parents?"

Scorpius glanced up from his now-open textbook, "Oh, yeah. Not that they require them, mind you. It's more of a task Skilt has taken upon himself whenever they're gone. They've tried to get him to stop, but…" he shrugged, "You know how Skilt is by now."

Rose grinned, "I think I'm getting a decent picture." She shifted in her seat, "So, they probably know I'm here?"

"Most likely. But they trust me to handle the manor in their absence." He smiled, "They won't be rushing home because you arrived in a torrential downpour, if that makes you feel better."

She shot a small glare at him, "I was just curious."

"Sure," was his bemused response before he returned his attention back to the textbook.

Rose took a moment to settle comfortably into her chair, leg draping over its arm as she slumped down. She ignored the amused look that crossed Scorpius's face as he watched her adjust. She was always a big believer in being at your most comfortable when studying. After that, there were only the soft sounds of the small fire in the fireplace and the occasional shift of paper as pages were turned.

It was exquisitely...normal.

AN: Have I mentioned I love Skilt? Like...a lot? I would draw all the pictures of him if any of my attempts didn't turn out terribly. haha

Anywho, next chapter we get to revisit one of the Trio! Thank you so much to all of you for sticking with this story through all its ups and downs. :)