The Wedding, Part Two.

When the song ended, she followed Scorpius over to the edge of the dance floor, helping herself to one of the floating butterbeers drifting past. Several of the people she passed gave her curious looks, no doubt surprised to see her side by side with Scorpius Malfoy. She stared boldly back, and didn't move away from him.

Although they had gone in the opposite direction to her father, they had barely reached the outer ring of dancers when Ron appeared at their side. There was another man with him; a tall, stringy fellow Rose recognised as a fellow Ministry official.

"Rose," her father was scowling at her, the tips of his ears a bright scarlet. She took a sip of her drink and smiled back, wondering if he was really going to make a scene here in front of all the guests. Surely not… "I need to speak with you for a moment."

She didn't move. "Go ahead, dad."

Her father's expression darkened. "Rose," he began, in a dangerous voice that threatened a long lecture as soon as they were alone. "I don't think you quite understand what I – "

"Now now, Weasley, there's no need to be like that," said the other man. He was smiling jovially and appeared a little drunk. "Time enough for that later, isn't there? You look very beautiful tonight, young lady." He gave her a somewhat lecherous grin.

Rose choked, her heart hammering in her chest like a battle drum. The blood pounded in her ears and she felt herself freeze with shock. She knew that voice. She knew it like… like…

"Rose?" Scorpius was looking at her in concern, no doubt feeling her sudden stiffness beside him. "Are you okay?" he put a hand on her arm, and Ron gave a sudden jerk.

"Malfoy!" he said sharply, his voice very loud in the relative silence between songs. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Scorpius ignored him, still watching Rose. She was breathing in short, quick little gasps, trying not to panic, trying not to let the building fear overwhelm her. That voice. That voice. That voice that voice that voice.

"Rose?" he said, more urgently now. He bent his head so he was level with her. "What is it?"

"I… " she stared at the other man, who had not noticed her odd reaction. He was looking out at the crowd of dancers, his eyes slightly out of focus. "I… "

Scorpius followed her gaze, and his expression grew very serious. "What did you say your name was?" he asked the man, and his voice was hard and cold. The man blinked and focused on him, but before he could answer Ron cut in.

"Malfoy," he growled. "I think you should leave."

"No!" Rose clutched Scorpius' sleeve, panic coursing through her at the thought of him leaving her alone. Alone with this man whose voice was so terrifyingly familiar. So much so, that the sound of it had taken her straight back to that forest clearing, the memory as vivid as though it had happened yesterday.

Scorpius was glaring at Ron now. "I'm not going anywhere," he said roughly. "Or haven't you noticed your daughter's reaction?"

Ron spluttered, his gaze swivelling to Rose. For the first time he seemed to notice the look in her eyes. "What is it?" he asked.

The other man was paying attention too now. He looked wary all of a sudden, his small eyes darting back and forth between Rose, Ron and Scorpius.

"I… " Rose took a deep breath. She had to spit it out; she knew she was right. It was hard to think straight with her heart hammering so loudly in her ears. She felt Scorpius slip his hand into hers, and his fingers squeeze her own, and drew strength from his presence beside her. Looking straight at the man, she spoke in a clear voice. "I know you."

For several seconds there was silence. Ron was blinking in confusion. Then he shook his head with a laugh. "Well of course Rosie," he said in a patronising voice. "This is Mr Cheren, from the Department of Mysteries. You've probably seen him at work, or – "

"No," she interrupted him forcefully. "No, no I – "

Scorpius' hand was squeezing hers so tightly it was almost painful. "Are you sure?" he asked in a low voice, his mind already having made the connection as to what she was talking about.

She nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. I recognise the voice. It's the same."

Scorpius swore and an instant later his wand was in his free hand. The man, Mr Cheren, drew himself up to his full height, his eyes flashing.

"And just what is the meaning of this?" he demanded, looking first at Ron and then at Scorpius. "Are you threatening me, boy?"

Ron's face had gone a dangerous shade of purple. "Malfoy," he growled. "Put your wand away before I have you arrested. Now."

"No, Dad," she stared at her father, desperate for him to understand, the way Scorpius had. "This – this is the man from the forest! I recognise his voice."

Mr Cheren puffed out his chest in indignation. "What on earth are you talking about? What is this nonsense, Weasley?"

Ron shook his head, looking utterly perplexed. "I'm sorry, David," he said, giving Rose a pointed glare. "Rose, let's talk about this later."

"No, Dad, you don't under – "

"You're embarrassing me, Rose."

She felt his lack of belief like a slap to the face. Rose sucked in her breath, and squeezed her eyes shut. Besides her, she could feel Scorpius tense with fury on her behalf.

"Mr Weasley," he said in a voice of forced calm. "You have to listen to your daughter. If she says – "

"My conversation with my daughter is really none of your business, Malfoy," said Ron coldly. Rose doubted he had even heard a word of what Scorpius said.

She opened her eyes, and stared at Mr Cheren. She was sure of it, could feel the certainty coursing through her veins. This was one of her attackers. "I remember you," she said darkly.

Mr Cheren gave her a scornful look. "Honestly," he huffed, wiping his hands on his waistcoat. "I thought you told me your daughter had some sense, Weasley. Doesn't look like it to me. Does she always spout nonsense or has she just indulged in a little too much champagne tonight?"

Scorpius made a furious motion. "You son of a – "

"Malfoy!" snapped Ron, his voice quivering with fury. "I am this close to having you thrown out. Please, get out of my sight. You too, Rose. We'll talk about this later. Later!" he barked when she opened her mouth again.

She span on her heel and fled, pushing her way through the crowd of dancers and ignoring their protests. She ran outside, past the people mingling in the warm summer night, until she had reached the side entrance to the Burrow and thrown herself inside. As she had expected, the small living room was deserted; no one else would think to come in here, not when it was such a nice night outside and the party was still in full swing. Her vision blinded by tears, Rose strode over to the table and kicked viciously at a chair leg. She was so angry she felt as though she wanted to break something. How could her father dismiss her like that? Did he think she would lie about something so serious? Her eyes burned, and she swiped at them with the back of her hand. She wasn't wrong, dammit!

The door opened and shut again; she twisted her head to see Scorpius standing in the middle of the room, looking at her. Fresh tears welled in her eyes at the expression on his face.

"He… he didn't believe me," she whispered angrily. "I know that was him! It's the same voice."

"I believe you."

Without even realising that she was moving, she found herself standing before him, and an instant later his arms went around her; she gave a choked sob as she rested her head against his chest.

"He's too busy being mad at you to even listen to me," she said.

"He'll listen to you, and he'll believe you," Scorpius said, in a tone of absolute certainty. "Your dad loves you Rose. You just caught him at a bad time. And now that you know who this guy is, your Uncle can have him arrested."

She shuddered as she thought about how close she had been all night to a man that had tried to kidnap her. Had he been the one who immobilised her? Or the one who stepped on her wrist? She clung harder to Scorpius, and felt his arms tighten around her in response.

"Scorpius?"

"Mmm?"

She lifted her head to look up at him. "Thanks for sticking up for me back there."

He shrugged. "It was nothing."

"No," she shook her head. "It wasn't nothing. It was… it meant a lot to me."

He bent down and kissed the tip of her nose. "You'd have done the same for me."

Would she have? Rose felt guilt coil inside her at the thought of her own selfishness. "I love you," she blurted out, the words spilling out from somewhere deep inside her. She hadn't meant to say it, but neither did she want to take it back. It was just the truth.

She saw his throat bob as he swallowed. Against her chest, she could feel his heartbeat like the rapid thudding of a drum. The silence stretched. "I love you too," he said at last, a little hoarsely. His eyes were like pools of silver, taking up her entire vision. "In case you didn't already know."

The hesitancy in his voice touched something within her, and she reached up to kiss him. He responded instantly, his hands squeezing her waist and his lips massaging hers, deliciously familiar. She moaned and melted into him, surprising herself with her own abandonment. It was easy, so easy, to lose herself in him. She had known this would happen as soon as she saw him at the entrance to the marquee, and who was she fooling to try and deny herself? It felt far too right to resist.

Her hands crept up to tangle in his hair, and Scorpius deepened the kiss with a sound of approval. Slowly, their movements became hungrier, more desperate. Rose arched into him, breathing in the scent of him, almost intoxicated by his presence. She moaned as he pulled her tighter against him, relishing the firmness of his body.

She hadn't even noticed they were moving until she felt the edge of the drawing table hit the back of her thighs with a dull clunk. She broke the kiss to look around her, disorientated for a moment, and Scorpius took the opportunity to trail kisses down her neck. She leaned backwards with the contact until she was flat on her back on the table, his mouth tracing a searing line across her skin. Then he lifted his head and recaptured her mouth with a groan, and she closed her eyes, feeling her control slipping away from her and not caring in the slightest. This was what she wanted, everything that she wanted.

Using the table for support, she lifted her legs and wrapped them around him, aware of the deep throb within her when she felt him against her. Scorpius groaned his approval, one hand sliding down to grip her thigh, the other cupping her breast through the thin fabric of her dress. She pulled him closer, loving the pressure of him on top of her. But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough…

Neither of them heard the door open, so lost were they in each other.

"Rose! What in Merlin's name – "

It took a moment for the words to permeate her foggy consciousness. She was vaguely aware of Scorpius' lips lifting from hers, and the sudden stiffness of his body. But she still didn't understand.

"Malfoy! Get your filthy hands off of my daughter!"

Scorpius lifted himself off of her very slowly, his expression frozen. He took several deep breaths to try and slow his ragged breathing, before stepping away from the table. Rose snapped her legs shut, her body mourning the loss of his warmth, before sitting up and pushing her hair back from her face.

The sight that greeted her was like something from a nightmare. Her father, his face a blotchy mess of red to match his hair, his features twisted into an expression more furious than she had ever seen before. She was overcome with a horrible sense of déjà vu, and it was as though Albus was discovering them all over again.

"Dad, I can – "

Ignoring her completely, Ron strode forward, grabbed the front of Scorpius' shirt with both hands, and slammed him against the wall.

"How dare you!"

"Dad, no!" she screamed at him, but he made no sign that he heard her.

"I can't believe you would even think – do you have any idea how inappro – "

"Dad!"

"What's going on here?"

Rose spun to face the open door, and to her horror saw Draco Malfoy's livid face silhouetted in the dim light. His eyes, narrowed in intense dislike, were focused on Ron, who still had Scorpius pinned against the wall.

"Let go of my son, Weasley."

"Your SON!" bellowed Ron, releasing Scorpius and rounding on Draco like an enraged bull. "Tell your son to keep his filthy pureblood hands away from my daughter!"

Draco's eyes snapped to Rose for the first time, no doubt taking in her mussed hair, flushed face and swollen lips. Then he looked back at Ron with a sneer.

"Perhaps if your daughter knew how to control herself and keep her legs closed."

Ron gave a roar and drew his wand. Rose covered her face with her hands in shame and humiliation.

"What's happening? What's wrong?" It was Teddy, Victoire hanging radiantly onto his arm. The two of them peered into the scene in the living room, the smiles slowly slipping off their faces. "Ron? Draco?"

Their shouts had attracted attention. To her horror, Rose saw Albus and Dom peering over Victoire's shoulder. The expressions on their faces made her want the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Behind them, more people were pouring out of the tent to see what was going on.

"This boy!" yelled Ron, pointing his wand at Scorpius, who glowered fiercely back. "Was in the process of – of trying to force himself onto my daughter!"

"DAD NO!"

"That's a lie!" shouted Scorpius, his face ghost-white and shaking.

Draco had his own wand in his hand now, and a very ugly look on his face. "Are you accusing my son of being a rapist, Weasley?"

Ron seemed to realise he had gone too far, because he huffed into a furious silence. They had attracted quite a crowd now. Teddy had his mouth open in shock; Victoire looked like she was close to tears. Rose didn't think she could possibly feel any worse. She caught sight of her mother elbowing her way through the narrow doorway and began to cry, the tears pouring silently out of her eyes.

"Come, Scorpius," said Draco, his wand still in his hand. "We are leaving this pitiful garbage dump at once. I should never have let you talk me into coming here in the first place."

Scorpius glanced at her, his expression bitter. "Father I – "

"Come, Scorpius."

"That's right, get out!" shouted Ron, his face reddening once more in catching the glance between Rose and Scorpius. "And don't you dare come back!"

"Ron!" this was Hermione's shocked voice from the doorway. But it was too late for her to diffuse the situation with calm words. Ron looked close to murdering someone, and Draco seemed to be weighing up whether or not cursing him would be worth the consequences.

"Come, Scorpius."

There was silence as all eyes fixed on Scorpius Malfoy. He hesitated, his eyes lingering on Ron's stubborn glare before flicking to his father. Rose begged him silently to look at her, so she could show him how sorry he was, but he seemed to have decided to avoid her gaze. After a moment, he strode toward his father, cutting through the crowd of onlookers without a second glance. Even Albus, his best friend for over six years, he ignored completely.

Within a few seconds they were gone, and Rose was left alone with her family and the other guests. She bit her lip and looked at the floor.

"Good riddance!" shouted Ron, loud enough for his voice to carry outside. "I should never have let them come in the first place."

"Dad please!" she practically screamed, her voice breaking and a wave of hysteria threatening to overwhelm her. This was not how her family was supposed to find out. This was all so wrong.

"Oh honey," her mother had reached her now, and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "It's alright."

"No it's not," she sobbed, swiping furiously at the tears that wouldn't stop pouring out of her eyes. "Dad's ruined everything."

"Me?" seethed Ron, beginning to pace up and down the living room like a caged hippogriff. "Me? Oh no, you are not going to blame this on me. You were the one who – who – " he spluttered to a halt, seemingly having no words to describe what she had done.

"I don't understand," said Hermione wearily as she rubbed Rose's arm. "I thought you and Scorpius – "

"They've been doing this for months," cut in Dom, and everyone's eyes snapped to her at once. Her cousin looked as angry as Rose had ever seen her, her blue eyes flashing in disgust. "Sneaking around. Lying to everyone. Going behind their best friends' backs, even when they promised not to. Pretending to hate each other when it's all just a giant lie."

James and Fred had appeared in the doorway, their faces barely visible in the background. They both wore identical, dismayed expressions. "Is that true?" James asked in a harsh voice.

"I… I… "

"Answer the question," growled Ron threateningly. "Is it true? Have you been sneaking around with Malfoy behind everyone's backs?"

"Alright everyone," said Hermione in a loud voice, placing herself in front of Rose so that she was partly shielded from the crowd. "I think that's enough for now, don't you?" She shot her husband a furious look. "Or have you forgotten we're at a wedding?"

"Exactly!" Victoire tossed her head indignantly, her hands on her hips. "Couldn't we forget about the family drama for just one night and let me enjoy my wedding?"

For the first time that evening Ron looked genuinely abashed. "Right," he said. "I'm sorry. I'll speak with my daughter later. For now, let's just enjoy the party."

"Show's over everyone," her mother announced, before turning around and prying Rose's hands away from her face. "Sweetheart, are you alright?"

She took a deep breath then exhaled, forcing herself not to break down while there were still so many people watching. The crowd was starting to filter back outside now, Teddy and Victoire leading the way back to the dancing tents. Albus and Dom had put their heads together, and seemed to be in the middle of a heated discussion. Rose watched them miserably – of all the reactions, Dom's had hurt her the most. Her father's, she could have anticipated, even if she had prayed for it to be different. But for her cousin to out her like that in front of everyone…it was possibly the worst thing she'd ever done to her.

As soon as she trusted herself to speak, Rose pushed herself away from the table and looked at her mother. "May I please be excused?" she asked in a watery voice.

"Excused?" Ron paced toward her, but kept his voice lowered. "Young lady, you are grounded for the rest of the summer! And we are going to have a serious talk about this."

She stared at him, remembering the reason she had run into the living room in the first place. Her eyes narrowed on her father, and he looked a little taken aback.

"You didn't listen to me," she said accusingly. "I tried to tell you that that man attacked me, and you didn't listen!"

Hermione's eyes went round in shock, before she turned to her husband. "What?" she hissed.

Ron spluttered. "That's – that's not – you weren't making any sense, and Malfoy was waving his wand around like a lunatic and – "

"Scorpius had his wand out to protect me!" she screamed back at him, her hands curling into fists. She didn't think she had ever been this angry at her father; she barely wanted to look at him right then. "Because he believed me, because he – " she choked back a sob. Because he loved her.

"Hold on," Hermione raised her hands, looking first at her husband and then her daughter. "Rose, start from the beginning please. What exactly happened?"

"I – ," she swallowed, forced herself to slow down so that she made sense. "I was standing with Scorpius, and I heard that Mr Cheren speak. And I recognised his voice – he was one of my attackers in the Forbidden Forest. I know he was, I'll never forget. And I tried to tell Dad and he ignored me. So then Scorpius got mad, and Dad told us to leave, so we came in here and – and he loves me!" she said angrily. "He loves me and I don't know why you can't accept that!"

"Never mind that for a moment," said Hermione. "You're certain Mr Cheren was one of your attackers?"

Rose nodded, her eyes never leaving her father's face. Ron's eyes were wide with horror, as though the full reality of what he had done was just starting to hit him. His face had gone from bright red to very pale.

"Ron," Hermione said in a dangerous voice, and her husband's eyes snapped to hers. "Where is David Cheren now?"

Ron opened his mouth and closed it again. "He left," he croaked at last. "Said he had to have an early night. He left straight after…" he trailed off, looking stricken. "Oh honey, I'm so sorry. I should have listened. I should have – "

"Go the Ministry, quickly," said Hermione, and her tone was all business. "Get a track on him, make sure he can't leave the country. Get someone over to his house, before he can disappear. If we act fast then it won't be too late."

Ron nodded and raced to the fireplace. He dug out a pinch of Floo powder from the vase on the mantelpiece and threw it into the flames, which turned instantly green. Then he stepped in and called out 'Ministry of Magic', and in a flurry of flame he was gone.

In the silence that followed, Rose felt the enormity of what had just happened crushing down upon her. Scorpius was gone. His father had taken him away, and she would have to wait until the start of term to see him again. That was still a month and a half away. Rose squeezed her eyes shut as new tears threatened to fall. Now she was all alone.

Her mother came over and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. Rose leaned into her, feeling the ache in her chest grow and grow until it seemed to consume her.

"Come on sweetheart. Let's get you home," she said softly, helping Rose to her feet.

Rose didn't protest as her mum Apparated them both back to their house. As soon as her feet hit the floor all the strength seemed to leave her, and she slumped onto her bed, curling up into a little ball as the sobs ripped through her. The whole night had been ruined. And she hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye.

"It'll be alright," said her mother, smoothing her hair back from her forehead and taking her shoes off with a wave of her wand. She tucked the blanket over her. "In the morning. Don't worry love."

Rose buried her head in the pillow, and after a moment her mother got up and left her. Perhaps she was right – perhaps it would all be better in the morning. But at the moment it seemed dreadfully wrong.