"So I can see how badly this will hurt me

When you say goodbye"-Demi Lovato

DISCLAIMER-I do not own Harry Potter nor any characters created/written by J.K. Rowling.

-This Scorose fic does not strictly follow Cursed Child aside from small elements taken by the story such as the houses the characters are in.

-In this story the pairings are as follows.

-Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy(obviously)

-Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley

-Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger

-Albus Potter and OC (original character)

-Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon

-Hugo Weasley and OC

-Addy Black and Neville Longbottom

-Teddy Lupin and Victoire Weasley

*For the sake of this story, Marlene McKinnon and James, and Lily Potter survived the first Wizarding War. *

(Rated M for later chapters)

Rose found herself spending more and more time with her new friend as the rest of the year continued, as well as Albus. Though in her letters home, she neglected to mention that that new friend who she wrote so much about was none other than Scorpius Malfoy. She suspected her father would not approve of their friendship. The Weasley-Granger-Potter clan all knew of Albus and Scorpius' friendship.

Surprisingly, Rose's Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny had taken the news of Albus being sorted into Slytherin rather well. Stating they were proud of him and nothing would change that. Rose was glad, but noticed her father would often glance at Scorpius with weary eyes whenever he was invited to the Potter house for Christmas or Summer vacation. Which was often. Though of course there wasn't much Ron could do about that, because Albus was Harry's son and Harry had put aside childhood rivalries with Draco.

What Ron had failed to realized was that Rose was just as close to Scorpius and Albus was, perhaps even more so. They were comfortable around each other, would tease each other often and had a combined interest in Magical Creatures. And they frequently bonded over the fact. Albus on the other hand not so much. He had a pet owl but didn't care much for any other creatures.

Now following the end of their third year, Rose, Albus and Scorpius found themselves sitting in the kitchen of The Burrow on a particularly dull Summer afternoon. Her grandparents were visiting her Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur at Shell Cottage, and Scorpius was staying with Albus' family for two weeks. Her honorary cousin Teddy Lupin had been left in charge of them while the other adults rushed to the Ministry, following unprecedented reports of attacks in Muggle London.

Teddy, as Harry's intern of sorts,and his godson, had been sent to investigate the previous night, with a group of Aurors. He had arrived at the Burrow that morning and was fast asleep in one the house's many rooms.

Rose sighed, propping her elbows on the counter and resting her palms on her cheeks. "It's so bloody hot outside." She mumbled "I hate it."

Albus looked at Rose and smiled, "well it is midsummer Rosie" he said, chuckling to himself. "How about you go down to the lake?"

Scorpius looked towards Rosie and raised an eyebrow, "That's not a bad idea Rosiekinns…" he said teasing her because he had been the tallest of the three, Rose taking after her mother when it came to almost everything except her gorgeously, fluffy red hair as Scorpius would only say in complete privacy.

Rose deadpanned as she glared at Scorpius "Don't call me Rosiekinns again if you know what's good for you Malfoy..." She said, knowing that Scorpius hated when she called him by his last name. He would always tell her that it was too formal, given how close they were. As he also knew she only ever did that whenever she was annoyed at him which would last only about a minute. If Rose was being honest, she could never truly stay angry at him for long. Even if she tried.

Rose also noticed that as they were about to enter their fourth year, Scorpius had gotten taller and annoyingly more...attractive. Mentally scolding herself she glanced away from him, hopping off the stool she was sitting at. She grinned at seeing Scorpius' mock-shock expression.

"I'm going anywhere but the lake..." she told them "the last time we did that you two idiots threw me in!"

"But that was the plan," Scorpius smirked. "You said it was too hot, that way you could cool off!" He laughed while Albus snickered. When Rose refused to respond he got up and boldly took Rose's hand in his and pulled her towards the door, "let's get out of the house at least, it is truly too stuffy in here and Albus has started stinking because of the sweat".

Scorpius all but ran with Rose's hand in seconds before Albus realized what had been said and squawked like a thunder bird as he chased after them with one of Grandma Molly's pans.

Rose couldn't hold back laughter as she and Scorpius stopped running, hiding behind one of the larger trees near the lake. She peeked her head out from behind it and noticed Albus frantically waving the frying pan around the yard as he searched for them. Rose snickered, looking up at Scorpius, not realizing that he was still holding her hand. "Poor Al is too slow…I don't think he'll have to worry about that, once Grandma Molly finds out he used her favorite pan as a weapon."

Scorpius looked incredulously at her, "Wait…I thought that was the 'chase your uncle Fred pan', the same one she uses for the pot roast." He watched Albus running around the yard now smacking gnomes with the pan having forgotten about his friends as well as the comment that had been made.

Rose laughed and was about to respond when she heard footsteps approaching and Albus' rage against the gnomes subdued. She furrowed her eyebrows and stuck her head out from behind the tree once more. She gasped softly, quickly leaning back against it.

"It's my dad and Uncle Harry..." she said quietly "they're early."

Scorpius gently pulled her closer so they could hide better, their hands still intertwined "your father shouldn't see me here..." He whispered

Rose couldn't help but notice how close Scorpius was. The proximity sent goosebumps up and down her freckled arms. Not that she'd ever admit that out loud, especially not to him.

"Umm right..." she whispered back, regaining her composure "But you're Al's best friend and they all knew you'd be here…."

At Scorpius' pleading expression she sighed "Fine, I'll go first..."

With that she gave him a reassuring smile and walked out from behind the tree when Harry and Ron appeared to be heading inside. She ran back to the house and found them in the kitchen. "Hi dad, Uncle Harry." She said pleasantly, smiling at them both.

As soon as Rose had gone back inside, Scorpius ran towards the lake. When he reached it, he quickly bent down and splashed water on his face and clothes and started jogging back towards the Burrow. As he reached the house, he slowed down to a walk and entered the kitchen a good ten minutes after Rose. He found Harry, Albus, Rose and Ron sitting at the kitchen table, each with a glass of Molly's homemade lemonade.

"Hello Mr. Potter, Mr Weasley.." Scorpius said politely as he took a seat beside Albus making sure to sit on the side away from Rose.

Rose glanced at him with wide eyes, taking in his appearance. At her inquiring expression, Scorpius just gave her a look that said 'later.'

Meanwhile Harry, who had been lecturing Albus on not going about like a mad man breaking his grandparents' gnomes, smiled politely at Scorpius. "Hello Scorpius."

To his surprise, Harry thought Draco's son was actually a very polite young man and was happy Albus was friends with him. Not to mention Scorpius spent nearly every holiday at his house. Ron, on the other hand, was not too fond of him. Realizing Ron's refusal at acknowledging Scorpius, Harry nudged his best friend.

"Oí!" Ron mumbled glaring at Harry before turning to Scorpius "err-yes hello Scorpius, how have you been?"

"Very well, thank you Sir," Scorpius replied "I was down at the lake, sir, cooling off."

Rose glanced back and forth between the two of them, resisting the urge to hide her face behind her hands. She tried to pull her father's attention away from Scorpius.

"You know dad, I think Grandma Molly left a cake in the fridge." She said, knowing that she'd inherited her sweet tooth and love of food from her father and Hermione seldom allowed them to indulge in sweets. She hoped playing on that would be enough to break the awkwardness between her father and Scorpius who seemed like he wanted to flee to the moon.

Ron perked up at that information silently thanking his stars for the distraction. For the life of him, situations like these and him mixed like oil and water. He got up and went to get some of the cake.

As he did, Scorpius sighed which did not go unnoticed by Harry. "Still not comfortable around Ron? Don't worry he will come around" he said while Scorpius thanked him.

Rose glanced at her Uncle Harry and Scorpius' whispering, raising an eyebrow. She exchanged looks with Albus who merely shrugged.

….

Later that evening, the other adults had arrived from the Ministry. Hermione was in the kitchen helping Ginny and Molly prepare dinner while Harry and Ron were speaking with Arthur. The younger kids were in the living room mercilessly attacking Teddy, tackling him to the ground.

Meanwhile Rose was sitting outside the balcony of her room and smiled when her owl Lila flew in, perching herself on the railing.. Rose rubbed the bottom of her chin. She'd named her owl Lila when she got her before first year, because she'd always been close to her cousin Lily.

Rose sighed. She hated keeping her friendship with Scorpius a secret. It was exhausting and unnecessary in her opinion. But she knew how stubborn her father could be. It didn't seem fair. And although school wouldn't start up again until a couple more weeks, she knew Scorpius would be heading back home the next day and they probably wouldn't even have a chance to say goodbye.

"Sighing doesn't suit you Rosie" Scorpius' voice said which startled Rose. When she frantically looked around trying to find him he spoke again, "Give me a hand I'm hanging on to a plank, literally."

Rose had still not seen him but extended her hand nevertheless. She felt something grasp her hand and pulled but she stumbled backwards. She suddenly felt a weight on top of her and Scorpius' face hanging in the air smirking at her. Only, the rest of his body was missing. "Well well I'm ready if you are," he said, teasing her.

Rose rolled her eyes, refusing to give him the satisfaction. "Get. Off." She said, pushing him off of her as she sat up, glancing down at Scorpius, his smirk unwavering. "Are you crazy?! There's a house full of people down there, and if my dad sees you up here, he'll go mad." She said as Lila began to flap her wings at the commotion,her big eyes staring back and forth between them.

Scorpius stood up, dusting himself off and removing the rest of the invisibility cloak and setting it on the railing of the balcony beside Lila. "Well of course I knew that! That's why I borrowed the cloak from Albus" Scorpius said sulkily, "I just wanted to meet you before I leave tonight... You know to say goodbye until we meet at the station."

Rose sighed,"Let's just hope he doesn't notice we're both not downstairs and puts two and two together….Wait, you're leaving tonight? I thought it wasn't until tomorrow morning..." she said sadly.

Scorpius shook his head leaning against the balcony "I was but I've just received an emergency owl from father..." He said. There was a moment of silence between the two, so Scorpius went ahead and did something he wanted to do for a long time. He leaned down and hugged Rose, catching her completely off guard, "I'm afraid Rosie... It's Mum..."

Rose rested her head on his shoulder as she hugged him tighter. A couple of minutes passed before she pulled away, and took his hand in hers "Your mum?"

He nodded, pulling away "She's been ill for a while... But now her condition isn't improving anymore... I..we don't know what to do... The healers at St. Mungo's say it's only a matter of time.." Scorpius said looking down frustratedly at his feet.

"Oh Scorp, I'm so sorry..." Rose said gently as she squeezed his hand. "I can't even imagine what you must be going through...but don't lose hope. Just...be with her. I know that having you there will be good for your mum... I know from experience." She said, giving him a small smile.

Scorpius subconsciously rubbed the back of Rose's hand with his thumb. Quickly realizing this, he cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "I umm… should probably get going, it's a long way down" he joked.

After he put on the cloak once again, so that only his head was visible he moved over to the edge of the balcony where he stroked Lila's feathers before he hid his face completely under the cloak and kissed Rose on the cheeks, "Thank you for everything Ros.." he whispered. And with that he was invisible. Thankfully for him because his face was completely red. Without the cloak, Scorpius knew he would have never dared make such a bold move.

After Scorpius had gone, Rose touched her cheek where he had kissed it and realized her face had gone red. Despite that, she smiled as she glanced at Lila. Normally her owl was weary of anyone who wasn't her, but she had allowed Scorpius to stroke her feathers. Rose wrapped her arms around herself, her lilac nightgown not providing much warmth from the evening air. She went back inside and to bed.

….

The rest of the summer proceeded similarly. Rose spent the majority of it at the Burrow with her cousins. Albus seemed to be even grumpier than usual now that Scorpius wasn't around. The two of them of course had sent Scorpius letters, making sure everything was all right with his mum. He had only answered one of their letters saying she was "stable." Now, the day before they were set to return to school and begin their fourth year, Rose found herself in the Burrow once again, pacing in her bedroom. They hadn't heard from Scorpius in weeks. She then walked across the hall knocking on Albus' door. "Al?"

Albus heard a knock and hurriedly wiped the tears off his face and opened the door to see Rose. When he saw her, more stray tears rolled down his cheeks as he silently handed her a letter. A letter from Scorpius.

"Dear Albus,

The funeral is on September 1st. I'll be unable to travel to Hogwarts via the express and will join the term directly on September 2nd.

-Scorpius"

"No..." Rose whispered, rereading the letter again, hoping that the tears in her eyes weren't allowing her to see the words on the page clearly. She began to sob quietly, realizing that that wasn't the case. "Scorp..." She looked up at her cousin, who leaned forward and wrapped her in a hug, both grieving for the loss their friend was going through. Scorpius of all people, didn't deserve that.

After a few minutes Albus pulled away, wiping away the tears from his face, "I'm going downstairs to find mum and dad to tell them about the funeral...you coming with?"

Rose nodded, wiping away a few tears from her own eyes as she followed Albus. She was suddenly concerned that her father wouldn't allow her to attend the funeral. Rose found her aunts and uncle sitting in the living room with her parents. She was relieved to see her Uncle Harry there as well. If anything, he could intercede on her behalf for Ron to let her go to the funeral with Albus. That's why he'd always been her favorite.

Albus walked silently over to a concerned looking Harry and handed him the letter the same way he had to Rose. Harry read the letter with wide eyes and simply nodded in understanding. Albus smiled gratefully at his parents but then he looked back at Rose.

Rose met Albus' gaze and nodded, then turned to her parents. "Mum, dad..."she said, taking a soft breath. "We've just received word that-that Scorpius' mother has passed and with your permission I'd like to go with Albus to the funeral..." she said hopefully.

Ron had been having a pleasant lunch. He was let off early from work and he was sitting with his family enjoying the day. He barely understood, however, the events that unfolded. First his nephew Albus showed Harry a letter asking for permission and then little Rosie asked for their permission to go to a funeral. And not just any funeral but one for the Malfoys, the same Malfoys that had tormented him and his family for generations. The same Malfoys who had sided with the Dark Lord, the same Malfoy who had been a bully all his school life. Before he had realized his face had been going red, matching his hair. Hermione, seeing the transition, quickly intervened.

"Of course dear" she said, "do you have an appropriate dress?"

Rose smiled sadly and hugged her mum tightly. "Thank you mum..." she said whispering into Hermione's hair. Rose pulled away and frowned "I don't think I have one...I've never been to a funeral before..." She said quietly.

"Well, I am certain your Aunt Fleur can take you to Diagon Alley... Maybe Vicky can join you as well…" Hermione said, knowing fully well that Fleur would be able to get her daughter to open up more.

"Errm..." Rose replied hesitantly. She loved her Aunt Fleur but when it came to things like clothes she could be entirely overwhelming. Rose just wanted to go find a dress, not spend the entirety of the day shopping. But her parents-well mum-had allowed her to be there for Scorpius during an incredibly difficult time. For him, Rose could tolerate spending hours and hours inside a store. Nodding, Rose kissed her mum on the cheek then proceeded to do the same with Ron, who merely mumbled something Rose couldn't quite catch.

From the kitchen, Fleur got up from the table excitedly, "Non, Diagon Alley won't do" she said smirking knowingly at her niece. "I have a great dress from when I was younger back at the Shell Cottage '' she said thoughtfully and grabbed Rose by her arm and dragged her to the floo while Victoire followed them laughing.

…..

At Shell Cottage, Rose sighed as she sat on Fleur's bed while her aunt pulled out almost every item of clothing she owned from her closet. Victoire sat beside Rose, with a wide grin on her face.

"Well Rosie tell Auntie Fleur all about the boy" Fleur said now remembering that the robes had to be black and not flashy so she hurriedly started packing her clothes and keeping them back in the wardrobe.

Rose gaped, shooting her older cousin a glare as she snickered. "Boy? No there's no boy Aunt Fleur-well I mean there is-he's Albus' friend..."

"The blonde one? Oui he is quite handsome," Fleur said nodding as she finally decided on the robes that would be appropriate for Rose.

"I wore these robes during... Cedric Diggory's funeral... We will have to resize them a little" she said sadly. "I know it is hard losing a friend, I learnt that from 'Arry... Be there for him Rose"

Rose wholeheartedly agreed with Fleur, though of course she'd never admit that out loud. Instead, she stood up, walking over to hear aunt and hugged her. "Thank you Aunt Fleur, I will..."

"Oh dear you've grown up to be a beautiful and smart young woman like your mother," Fleur said, hugging her back."now take this and try it on so that I can resize them, shoo."

Rose nodded, stepping into the bathroom, then quickly went back out into the room. Her aunt had been right, the dress definitely needed to be resized.

Fleur looked at her niece and then at Victoire. Then both of them took their wands and cast a charm resizing the robes to fit Rose. "Now that's better" Vicky said, "now come let me get you some shoes."

This went on for about thirty minutes until her aunt and cousin finally decided on the shoes to go with the dress. She thanked them before returning home. She sighed, walking over to her desk as she pulled out a piece of parchment and quill and began to write.

"Dear Scorp…"

…..

"Kids! Make sure you are all packed, your mum refuses to send any belongings you might leave behind" Harry called on the first of September preparing his children to go to school or in Albus' case to meet with Scorpius at his apartment in London.

The Malfoy manor had been destroyed during the war and in any case Draco refused to live there anymore. The Malfoys now lived very close to Hyde Park so they had easy access to both muggle and magical worlds. Unlike Godric's Hollow it wasn't a mixed area but there were always a couple of high profile magical families living there. The Malfoys, Smiths, and the renewed Bones clan resided there currently.

Albus came downstairs carrying his trunk so that they could load it up in the SUV the potters owned. James Jr. and Lily Luna would be dropped off at King's Cross Station to meet the Weasleys, where they then would pick up Rose and drop her and Albus off at the Malfoys for the funeral.

It wasn't a surprise why Harry had been given this duty. Ron had been adamant about not going. 'You have already told her she can go, you can't force me' in his own words as Harry remembered Ron arguing with Hermione.

These had been getting more frequent, which was concerning Harry to say the least. The pressure of the resurgence of the Death Eaters or the 'old blood order' was putting a lot of strain on everyone that had been involved in the last war.

Rose glanced out the window of her family car as her father drove on in silence. Hermione sat in the passenger seat, quietly staring down at a pile of paperwork on her lap. But Rose knew it was just a façade. Earlier that morning as she was finishing packing up her trunk, Rose had overheard her parents arguing. She couldn't help it, as her room was next to theirs. Tensions

were undoubtedly high for her mum to have forgotten to cast a silencing charm. Rose

frustrated, looked down at her lap; she knew it was her fault. Ever since she'd asked to attend the funeral, her parents were more at odds every day. At one point, Rose contemplated not going-Al would be there and she knew that Scorpius would understand, as he always did. Once she brought it up to her mum, Hermione firmly stated that she would be of discussion. As they had been about to head out the door that morning, Ron in his stubbornness had refused to accompany them to King's Cross, that was until Hermione reminded him that it was Hugo's first year and it would be unfair with their son if Ron didn't come to see him off.

Rose breathed a sigh of relief once they arrived at the station and she saw Albus and her Uncle

Harry was waiting for her outside the SUV. Once Ron had parked the car, Rose immediately stepped out walking over to them as her own family followed. When her parents and brother caught up with them, Ron wordlessly handed her trunk. Rose muttered a quick "thank you." This did not go unnoticed by Harry who made a point to speak to his niece later. Rose then proceeded to hug her brother, forcing a smile for his sake.

"Have a good trip to Hogwarts, Hugo…I'll see you soon."

Hugo looked up at his elder sister and saw through the smile. He really had gotten the best of both parents. Hermione's brain and caring nature, Ron's sharp mind and tenacity. He hugged Rose, "don't worry sis, dad will come around. He cannot stay too angry with mum. I'll meet you in the Gryffindor tower"

Rose looked at her little brother with wide eyes, she'd truly underestimated him. She was suddenly glad he hadn't inherited their dad's short temper or impulsiveness-that side of him had been passed on to her. Giving Hugo one last quick hug she said goodbye to Ron and Hermione as well. "Don't worry about anything, darling..." her mum said into her ear before pulling away. Rose nodded and followed Albus, both stepping into the SUV, while Harry spoke briefly to her parents before getting into the driver's seat.

Harry sighed as got into the driver seat rubbing his forehead in frustration. Ron had been acting absolutely childish to the point that he should be the one going to school not Hugo, bless the child. Before he drove off he made sure that the trunks were placed properly and the children were strapped in when Albus spoke up, "is Uncle Ron going to be ok dad?"

Harry hesitated at Albus' question, briefly glancing at Rose through the rear-view mirror. She too was watching him with curiosity, At Harry's silence, Rose sighed. "It's all right Uncle Harry...my dad hasn't been himself these past few weeks..." she said quietly.

Harry sighed, "He has been a right prat" he declared much to the amusement of the two children riding in the back seat. That helped alleviate the tension in the car. Soon enough they reached the Malfoy Residence. At the gate stood Draco Malfoy.

Rose immediately caught sight of Mr. Malfoy once they arrived, but frowned once she realized that Scorpius wasn't with him. She turned to Al, concerned "Do you see him anywhere?" she asked softly. Scorpius hadn't replied to any of her letters but perhaps he had reached out to Albus. She suddenly felt a horrible sensation at the pit of her stomach-perhaps he realized she would be coming and that had upset him.

Draco saw the car approach and walked down the stairs to help with the trunks. He greeted Harry like old friends, "I hope both Albus and Rose are in that metal box of yours Potter" he commented.

Harry resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he handed Draco one of the trunks, while Rose and Albus stepped out of the car. Rose smoothed the skirt of her black dress nervously, walking over to Draco, "Mr. Malfoy…I truly am sorry for your loss..." she said politely.

Draco looked down at the little red head, taken aback by her words and sincerity. He couldn't help but notice how she was the spitting image of Hermione, except for Weasley's red hair. "Thank you Miss. Weasley…"

Rose nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear "We were hoping to see Scorpius..." she said tentatively to Draco.

Draco nodded in understanding, "He is upstairs, second room on the right... Do me a favour and take a tray of food with you... He refuses to eat anything since..." He said down at the ground

Rose nodded sadly, concerned about Scorpius but she thanked Draco before saying a quick goodbye to her Uncle Harry. She and Albus exchanged glances as they headed inside. They found the kitchen and noticed an array of trays filled with food lined up neatly on the counter. Rose imagined this was for the guests who would be attending the service and coming to pay condolences to Mr. Malfoy and Scorpius afterwards. "He's not eating Al..." she sighed as she grabbed a plate and placed a portion of beef casserole on it knowing it was Scorpius' favorite, along with some vegetables.

Albus took the tray from Rose and allowed her to lead. When they reached Scorpius's room Rose gently knocked but they did not receive an answer. Albus and Rose looked tentatively at each other, then Albus handed the tray back to rose and gently opened the door. "Scorp, it's us... Al and Rose."

They saw him laying down on the bed with his face towards the window as if looking out of it, but the curtains were drawn, casting a dark ambiance in the room. Scorpius also held a leather bound book in his arms. After a minute or so Scorpius looked up, eyes red and puffy. "I'm glad you are here... It means a lot Al and Rosie..."

Albus walked over to sit on the edge of the bed while Rose set the tray on the night-table before she took a seat on the other side of Scorpius, placing a hand comfortingly on his arm. "Where else would we be?" She said with a sad smile. "What were you reading?" she asked gently, glancing down at the leather-bound book in his hands.

"It's my Mum's diary..." He said quietly. "It's about her life in school..."

Rose took his hand in hers, squeezing gently "I know she must have been proud of you Scorp...you know that, don't you?" She said softly.

"I know that... It's just that she should be here saying that... I want her to be here..." Scorpius said with tears in his eyes, his knuckles white with pressure.

Rose immediately leaned forward wrapping him in a hug. "I know...But we're here ok? We care about you..."

Scorpius hugged her back just as tightly and took comfort in the presence of his friends in a home which had suddenly gone completely cold to him. As much as he loved his father, Draco Malfoy wasn't a person who was capable of showing much love or affection. Scorpius' mother Astoria had taken up that role... And now she was gone. After a few minutes had passed he finally spoke up, "you both should go get settled in... I'm sure dad has a room prepared for you. Albus is sharing with me" he said with a slight smile.

Rose shook her head, turning around to grab the tray from the night table. "Not until you eat something first..." At Scorpius' hesitant expression she sighed "Please?" She knew that Scorpius was grieving and rightly so. But she was also aware that although he was an uncommonly kind person, he was also strong. More so than people gave him credit for.

"I'll eat later, I promise" Scorpius said but when Rose refused to accept it he turned to Albus for support. "Won't I Al?"

Rose turned to her cousin, raising an eyebrow "Al?" She asked skeptically.

Albus nodded aggressively knowing full well his cousin's wrath, "Don't worry Rosie I will make sure he eats. Better yet, why don't you feed him while I take your trunk to the guest room" Albus said as he left the room and went downstairs

Rose watched as Albus shut the door behind him then shifted to look down at the tray, grabbing the fork and putting a good amount of casserole on it. She looked at Scorpius with a serious expression, holding the utensil in front of him. "Do you want to do it or should I?" she said with a hint of amusement in her voice.

Scorpius looked up at Rose, he silently slid closer to her so that he was practically leaning on her shoulder and turned his face up towards her. He then opened his mouth up and looked at Rose expectedly, his eyes now with an amused tingle.

Rose met his gaze, as she tried to ignore the way her heart was suddenly beating rapidly in her chest. Regaining her composure, she cleared her throat softly and brought the fork to Scorpius' mouth, feeling relief at seeing him take a bite. "See? That wasn't too difficult was it?"

Scorpius chewed the food, savoring the meal as he had refused to eat anything in the couple of days leading up to the service. And Rose's company only made it that much sweeter. When he finished chewing he said cheekily,"a little more vegetables on the next one" as he opened his mouth again. As he did his arm went subconsciously around Rose's waist.

Rose gladly complied, grabbing another fork-full as Scorpius took a bite. She watched him, suddenly feeling his arm snake around her waist, as they were both leaning against the headboard of the bed. "What are you thinking about?" She asked him, seeing the ghost of a smile on his face

"Honestly... For the first time in days... Nothing" Scorpius said with a small smile. They stayed like that, with Scorpius' head on Rose's shoulder and his arm wrapped around her, until the food was finished. When Rose was about to stand up to take the now empty plate back to the kitchen, Scorpius reached over and gently took her hand in his. "Thank you Ros" he said giving the top of her hand a quick kiss, which lingered for a second longer than normal

Rose looked at him,feeling herself blush, the tenderness in his eyes making her stomach do somersaults. Were they always that blue? She smiled at him, leaning down to wrap him in a hug. "You're welcome..." she whispered in his ear.

Scorpius was enjoying the feeling of having Rose in his arms. The comfort and the warmth she radiated and he felt around her was incomparable. Maybe that's why he was being so bold that day. It was during this moment when they heard an 'ahem' coming from the door in the voice of one Draco Malfoy.

Rose pulled away, quickly standing up as she glanced at Draco timidly, at being caught in such an intimate situation. Even though she was only comforting Scorpius."Mr. Malfoy."

"Miss. Weasley" Draco replied, a hint of amusement lingered in his voice at seeing the two teenagers blushing profusely. "Your trunk has been brought over to the guest room, Albus is downstairs waiting for you for supper."

He looked around the room and noticed the empty tray of food on the nightstand. " I see you have been successful in your efforts to get some food into Scorpius, thank you" he said as Scorpius blushed even redder at his father's knowing tone. Rose simply nodded politely as she walked towards the door. With one last glance at Scorpius, she left to find Albus, feeling the heat on her face.

Scorpius and Draco saw Rose leaving. After a few moments, Draco turned towards his son and said, "you should join them too even if you have already eaten."

Scorpius nodded in agreement but his face was still red and he felt the need to explain what his father had just witnessed. "Father... We... Rose is a great friend... About what you saw.." but Draco interrupted him.

"You have nothing to explain son" Draco smirked and continued, "you take after your mother and I couldn't be happier that you have great friends like Albus and Rose. Now let's go downstairs, we should not keep our guests waiting."

With that, the father son duo joined their guests at the dinner table. Draco had to leave midway for last minute arrangements for the funeral which was to be held the next day and the children would be flooing to Hogwarts the same night.

"Well I'm stuffed, " Albus said, putting his fork down then glancing across the table at Rose and Scorpius who appeared to be ill.

"What's wrong with you both?" He asked curiously "Rosie, you look like a tomato and Scorp, you look like an even redder tomato, mate." Rose rolled her eyes at her cousin. Sometimes he could be so oblivious, it reminded her of her Uncle Harry.

Before Rose could answer Scorpius interrupted, "Al you'll be redder when you have to carry your trunk upstairs after this meal!" He said with a cheeky smile

Rose couldn't help but grin at Scorpius after seeing the look on her cousin's face. "Don't worry Al, I'm sure you can manage just fine on your own..." Rose said, smiling sweetly at Albus.

Albus groaned, "I'll just leave my trunk here and take my clothes with me" he said plopping his head down on the table as he let out a loud yawn.

Rose rolled her eyes at her cousin and turned to Scorpius putting a hand on his arm. Before he'd left, Draco had informed them that the funeral would be held early the next morning. Truly only a few hours away. "You ok?" she asked him.

"I am... For now..." He said with a tired smile.

Albus sleepily stood up and mumbled a quick 'good night' to them. After Albus had staggered off to bed, Rose looked up from her empty plate. She sighed giving Scorpius a knowing look.

"You haven't done the homework for Ancient Runes yet have you?"

Scorpius grinned, taking his wand out of his pocket. He cast an accio to summon his homework, knowing fully well he had already completed his summer assignments and was just using the pretense of needing help from Rose as an excuse to spend more time with her. He also knew the trace wouldn't work in a magical household and his father was already in bed. As the parchment, inks, quills and other supplies arrived he stood up and slowly moved his chair a bit closer to Rose's.

Rose watched Scorpius as he sat down beside her and opened up the Ancient Runes book in front of him, frantically trying to find the correct page. She propped up her elbow on the table, smiling to herself when she noticed him rub his eyes tiredly as he stared down at the pages.

After an hour or so of trying to fix his rune cluster Scorpius gave up and crumbled the parchment to throw it into the trash bin. As he did he looked at the time and realized it was getting pretty late and they would be having an early morning the next day. "Well it seems this last piece of homework will simply have to be forgotten...It's midnight already and besides..." He said leaning down to whisper in Rose's ear 'I finished it ages ago." With that Scorpius all but ran back to his bedroom before Rose had a chance to respond.

Rose sat there agape as she heard Scorpius' door shut close. "Git." she mumbled, chuckling as she stood up and headed to guest bedroom. She knew the next day would be emotionally difficult for Scorpius, so she was glad that despite the circumstances, Scorpius continued to have that teasing, cheeky and wonderful demeanor that she admired so much. As she laid back on the bed, Rose suddenly wondered what loss felt like. She had been fortunate enough to have a large family, the majority of whom were healthy and present. She was aware that not everyone had that luxury...but she was grateful and never wanted to take that for granted. She could scarcely imagine what Scorpius was going through but she hoped that she and Albus being there for him might help alleviate that loss somewhat.

…..

The funeral was a bleak affair. The malfoy were outcasts for all intents and purposes. Neither the light nor the dark wanted to associate with them but in the end of the day, the lives you touch and the friendships you forge are for life. The Greengrasses, Potters, Davis and some of Astoria's friends and colleagues attended. Draco gave the only speech and ended the teary eyed funeral with a white rose on the casket. All guests laid a white rose as they made their way out.. Finally Scorpius with Rose on his arm placed the last two roses before the casket was lowered and they all dispersed for lunch

Following lunch, after a majority of the attendees had paid their condolences and retired home, Rose, Albus and Scorpius sat quietly in the living room as they watched Harry, Ginny and Draco speaking by the front door. She sighed softly, glancing over at Scorpius whose eyes were red from the emotional tribute paid to his mother. She suddenly wondered why her father could not be like her Uncle Harry in the sense of allowing past rivalries and grudges to stay in the past. But they would all be returning to Hogwarts soon and she was looking forward to a change of scenery. "Kids, time to leave." Harry said walking into the living room.

Albus answered for the three, "Yes dad, we are ready. Mr. Malfoy said we are flooing to Hogwarts straight to headmistress McGonagall's office"

Harry nodded "Yes. Your trunks have already been sent off and are waiting for you. It is rather late, but Professor McGonagall wouldn't want you three to miss your lessons..." He gestured towards the fireplace. Rose, Albus and Scorpius stood up. Rose watched as Scorpius walked over to his father who gave him a hug, quite surprised by the gesture. It seemed Scorpius was a bit taken back as well, as his father didn't normally show affection. Rose thought that given the circumstances, it was understandable.

Scorpius saw his friends disappear inside the fireplace, one after the other and then he turned to his father who had hugged him. He gave Draco another hug and said, "Promise that you'll write". Draco looked surprised but gave him a nod of affirmation And with that Scorpius was off to Hogwarts.

Rose couldn't help but smile as she saw Scorpius step out of the fireplace into McGonagall's office. He grinned back at her, dusting himself off and went to stand beside her and Albus as Headmistress McGonagall looked at them from her desk. "Good evening Mr. Malfoy, nice of you to join us..." she said "I was just informing Mr. Potter and Miss. Weasley that your belongings have already been brought to your respective dormitories. But for now, I'd like for you all to please head to your common rooms for the evening. Shoo." she said, waving them off as she sat back down.

"Thank you Professor" they all said and shuffled out of the office. The aged headmistress garnered a lot of respect from the student body while most of the staff had once been her students. True to her nature she was a true lioness. The boys escorted Rose to the Gryffindor Common Room gate, in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, when they wished her goodnight and left.

On the way back Albus turned to Scorpius, "Are you finally going to ask the Captain if you could try out as a chaser for the team this year?"

"Well, If we get a seeker who is better than the chaser we have then why not? Until then I'm more than happy helping the team." Scorpius replied.

"You know..." Albus whispered as they entered the Slytherin common room, walking quietly so as not to wake anyone "I bet my cousin would be really impressed if you made the team..." he smirked, knowingly. Despite what everyone else said and how distracted he could often be, Albus didn't miss the looks that Rose and Scorpius would give each other.

Scorpius gave a soft chuckle."Well, I'm sure with her father almost playing for the Chudley Cannons and her Aunt Ginny now coach of the Harpies after playing for twenty years, plus the Gryffindor team being full of Weasleys, her charm for Quidditch is already lost…" Secretly, he knew he'd do anything to impress Rose. But unfortunately for him, she'd only ever see him as a friend. Rose.

"You seem to have given this a fair bit of thought mate..."Albus chuckled, teasingly. His expression then turned serious and he looked at Scorpius, putting a hand on his shoulder "More seriously though...how are you doing mate? Think you'll be well enough to endure a full day of lessons tomorrow?" He asked, remembering that they had just come from Mrs. Malfoy's funeral.

"Of course I am Al…" Scorpius replied. And it was true. He missed his mum. More than anything and she would never be far from his thoughts. But having Al and Rose, his Rose, near made losing her more bearable. Scorpius didn't dare contemplate the possibility of losing Rose too if he told her how he felt. As long as she remained part of his life, he'd love her from a distance.

Albus nodded as they made their way to the boys' dormitory "I suppose it helps that Rosie is in your first class, eh?" He said grinning then rushed to his bed before Scorpius could say anything

"Git" Scorpius mumbled as he climbed into his own bed and gave way to sleep.

…..