The car was quiet as they parked. Scorpius took in the imposing structure that was King's Cross. The first stop of the journey back to Hogwarts for his sixth year. He was looking forward to catching up with his friends and starting his class routines. But then...there were other things he wasn't sure how to feel about. Most of those were dependent upon what amount of newfound familiarity would be allowed in these public contexts.

He looked over to his companion. Her hands were still gripping the wheel, knuckles white, and she was staring at the dashboard with a lost look on her face.

It took him a moment to understand. It had been easy to forget exactly what the vehicle represented to her over the course of the drive. And now she had to leave it behind so it could return to its place of waiting. The same waiting she had to be caught in.

Without thinking, Scorpius reached over and touched her hand lightly. Rose looked down at the connection in surprise before turning her hand in his grip to clasp tightly. Her fingers were cold.

They stayed like that for a few moments as she held onto his hand and breathed. She turned to look at him and their gazes stuck a beat too long.

The car suddenly felt too close.

He turned away and their hands separated. He tried not to think about it too much as he abruptly opened his door and went to gather trolleys for both of them. When he returned, they quietly worked together to get everything unloaded onto their respective trolleys. The covered cage that contained Pip was placed gently on top of his trunks and he watched Rose press her hand against the hood of the car once more before turning and starting toward the station. He followed in silence.

They were still quite a ways from the platform barrier when Scorpius came to a stop. It took Rose a moment to register that he wasn't following anymore. She slowed down and looked back at him, confusion plain on her face.

Scorpius couldn't ignore what she was walking back into. Her school life, but drastically changed. The entire wizarding community knew about her grandfather and though she had been able to shelter from that awareness at the Manor, the luxury would be gone once she passed through the barrier. She would already have more than enough to deal with.

Leaning his forearms against the handle of his trolley, he attempted a grin, "I guess I don't love the demise of your reputation as much as one would think."

The blank look she gave him in response prompted him to add, "Any self-respecting prefect should show up free of a Malfoy on the trip back to school."

At that, her eyebrows drew down and she frowned sharply at him, "That's not-"

He shrugged and she trailed off. "I'll follow your lead once you get settled."

Rose glanced in the direction of the barrier and back at him, a hand running agitatedly through her hair. He had to admit he felt a bit relieved at how torn she seemed, but he was going to hold his ground. By the sad look she eventually levelled at him, she knew it, too.

"Go on," he waved his hand in a vague shooing motion, "I think I'll wander for a bit before hopping on the train."

She nodded. There was a moment when she seemed about to move towards him, but stopped herself. She looked down at her hands before wrapping them around her elbows with an upset expression. "Thanks," finally slipped out of her, and she met his gaze, "I'll...I'll see you."

He smiled at her and dipped his head in acknowledgement before watching her turn and disappear into the crowd. Scorpius found an open bench and waited for a few minutes, replaying her instant of hesitation. Wondering if that had been a consideration of a hug goodbye. He didn't know if it would have felt more hopeful or final if she had actually completed the action.

After enough time had passed, Scorpius continued his trek to the barrier. It had been years since he'd run through the barrier like it was a rite of passage. Instead, he watched a couple groups of first and second years excitedly sprint and disappear, a smile on his face, before casually walking through the wall when there was a lull. His first year his mother and father had run laughing through it with him, hands held and trolley hurtling in front of them.

The platform appeared before him as it had for the past five years, the Express gleaming in the sunlight as the plume of smoke swirled off above into the sky. The area was crowded with shouts and excited chatter as students and families caught up, running from one group to another as if they didn't have an entire school year (or train ride, for that matter) to do just that.

He couldn't help but glance around for a sign of red hair. His gaze landed on Rose hugging her brother and he spotted their cousin, Albus, weaving his way toward them.

"Scorpius!"

He looked away quickly to see Nolan waving next to Gerard. Adjusting his trajectory, he made his way to his friends with a wide grin, ignoring the guilt that slid through him as he walked away.

Nolan stepped forward when he got close and gave him a half hug, clapping him firmly on the back, "Good to see you! How was the summer?"

"It had its ups and downs," he offered with a shrug, "What about you guys?" He raised his eyebrows, "And where's Daphne? I'm surprised she's letting you two hang about unsupervised."

Gerard rolled his eyes, "She decided to go get a compartment just a few minutes ago. Didn't want to keep waiting for you, I suppose."

A laugh escaped Scorpius, "That sounds about right. Well, shall we load up, then?"

The other boys gathered their things and led the way, exchanging stories of what they had gotten up to over the summer break. He found himself settling into the familiar ebb and flow of their conversations. He'd missed the easy camaraderie of his friends over the summer. There had been the occasional letters, but none of them were especially dedicated to constant correspondence. After all, they spent a majority of their years together. Plenty of time to trade stories when they wanted to be distracted from studying and papers.

As they climbed on, Scorpius allowed himself one last glance in the direction he'd last seen Rose and her family, but they were gone.

AN: Next chapter and Hogwarts will officially be a part of the story!

First off, apologies for my /very/ delayed posting this time around. October has sort of hit me like a train and I didn't realize how hectic it would be. As it is, I will be taking the rest of the month off from posting to try and keep up with everything else that's going on. And it's such a short chapter to leave you hanging on with. :/ Really, with the 2 week schedule it's only one posting that I'll be missing...which makes me feel a /little/ bit better, but still not great about it. Sorry for doing this, but the story will be back in November!

Thank you to everyone who has joined me so far for this little jaunt and I hope you all continue to enjoy seeing what these crazy kids get up to. :)