Chapter 62

Malfoy Manor

Scorpius stirred, tangled in satin sheets, as the light seeped through the gaps in the large curtains. It had been three weeks since his father's accident and he was back, at least for the time being, to living with his parents. He untangled himself and sat up, a groan escaping from his body, while he ran his fingers through his messy hair. Rubbing his tired eyes didn't give any relief; it only served as a reminder of his long night. Scorpius hadn't been able to sleep well since he had moved back into the Manor, but the night before had been the worse. His guilt kept him awake until the early hours of the morning. He knew what he was doing was wrong, and that he was going to pay for it, but for some reason he just couldn't talk to her yet. It had been three weeks since he had seen or spoken to Rose and it was killing him. Not only did he feel guilty about not contacting her, but he also missed her like a drought misses rain. However, he was torn; so desperately wanting to see her, but so scared that maybe things had changed, that she may be having second thoughts about them. Between that and wanting everything between his parents to be okay, he was having a rough time. The problem was that without talking to her he couldn't know what she is thinking and his parents were far from okay.

In the two weeks that Draco had been out of the hospital, Astoria had been living in the Manor again but she had been sleeping in another room at the opposite end to where Draco slept, in the one they used to share. She had re-hired their house elves to help maintain the property and the Manor. However, she spent most of her time either at her new job or in the gardens, leaving Draco to his own devices. The only time they all spent together was at dinner time. For as long as he could remember, Scorpius' mother had always insisted that they share dinner together no matter what. So, every night, for the last two weeks, he sat there eating his dinner only to the sounds of cutlery touching plates. It was frustrating since he spent at least some of his day with each of them, trying to get them to talk to each other to no avail. The positive aspect that had come out of this is that at least he was back talking to his parents again, even if they weren't talking to each other.

With another sigh, the blond got out of bed and made his way across the immense bedroom towards the attached bathroom. After he had a shower and got dressed for the day, Scorpius Apparated into the kitchen for breakfast. There he found his mother already eating her breakfast of yogurt, fruit and muesli at the breakfast bar which was attached to the end of the bench.

"Good morning," Astoria said, looking up and smiling at her son.

"Morning," Scorpius grumbled in reply, reaching for a green apple from the fruit bowl.

"Sleep well?" she asked as he plonked down into the seat across from her.

"Not particularly," he answered with a sigh before taking a bite from the fruit in his hand.

"That's not good, dear," Astoria said, concerned for her son. "Do you have any idea why?"

"Yes," Scorpius answered simply as he looked around the kitchen. It didn't go unnoticed to him that his mother had prepared breakfast for his father. It sat on the bench ready for him like it had every morning for the last two weeks.

"Did you know sharing your concerns and troubles really does help," Astoria said with a smile.

"Like everyone else in our family does?" Scorpius spat back bitterly, immediately regretting it once he realised what he said. "Sorry," he apologised, as he saw his mother put her spoon down and looked away from him. "I didn't mean-"

"No, you're right," she said over him. "We need to talk about these things more," she admitted, finally deciding to look back at him. "But for right now can you just cut your mother a break and let me help you?" Scorpius nodded in answer. "Good. So Son what's on your mind?"

"Well, there are a few things I guess," Scorpius spoke hesitantly.

"Go on, darling," his mother encouraged as she continued with her breakfast.

"Well, there's work. I haven't spent as much time as I need to on it and I guess I have been worried about making my deadline," he replied truthfully. Even though he knew Albus hadn't set him a deadline, Scorpius wanted to get it done as soon as possible for his friends so that they could move forward.

"Oh life is too short to worry about work and deadlines, but I understand. I am quite positive that neither your father nor I would mind if you needed to work more. It's important to you so you should spend as much time as you can on it," Astoria advised in a truly motherly fashion before finishing her breakfast.

"Yeah, it's easier said than done," Scorpius mumbled, taking another large bite from his apple.

"Most things are," she quipped as she stood to wash her bowl in the sink. "What else is troubling you?"

"I've haven't spoken to…my friends in a while and I miss them," he replied.

"I thought you spoke to Albus and Dominique just last night and didn't you spend time with… umm…the Weasley boy, Rose's brother…what's his name?"

"Hugo."

"Yes, that's it. You have spent many afternoons with him. Oh and Teddy came over with his lovely wife and daughter, that was nice. On top of that, that Maxwell boy has been over here a lot," Astoria looked over at her son, confused and trying to read him. "You have been speaking to many of your friends as far as I am aware, so what is this really about Scorpius?" she asked. Scorpius just sighed and took another bite of his apple, taking his time to think about an answer. "Is this about someone who is more than a friend, Scorpius?" Astoria inquired, watching her son closely. Scorpius tensed a little, swallowing hard; he did not want to talk about it.

"Look Mum, thanks for the advice about work, I think I am going to spend a bit of time on it today," he said as he avoided the question. Moving around the bench, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Have a good day at work, I'll see you later," he added as he left the kitchen.

Hill Cottage

Dominique sat dwarfed in her favourite old patched but plush arm chair, now located in her own home design studio. Her knees were pulled up and she was holding her large sketch pad in front of her and a pencil in her hand. This was her favourite place to be; in her new home, in her new studio, barefoot and wearing old jeans and one of her fiancé's large sweaters, with a hot tea on a coaster resting on the side table, and her drawing and designing whatever she could shake out of her mind that day. There was no place she would rather be. And that was where Jacob found her after his morning run; soft French jazz music met him as he headed up to the expanded attic room of their lovely new cottage. He couldn't even see her face over the large sketch pad she held up in front her with her knees. Nor could he stop the laugh that escaped as watched her bare feet move in time with the music. The noise drew her attention to his presence and she lowered her sketch pad to find him leaning against the door frame, his hands clasped behind his back and towel draped over his neck, with a smirk on his face. His hair was messy and dishevelled like it always was after his runs or other exhausting activities. He was wearing tracksuit bottoms and a plain red t-shirt which was mostly a whole shade darker than normal due to the amount of sweat released during his time on the road. Dom was glad that at least this time he remembered to leave his muddy shoes outside, as she noticed his bare feet.

"May I help you with something, Sir?" Dom said with a playful twinkle in her eyes.

"Yes, I was wondering if you've seen my fiancé," Jacob played along stepping into the room. "Lovely girl, long blonde hair, fairly smart, rockin' body," he continued as made his way across the room. Once within reach he rested his hands on the chair's armrests, caging her in, and leant over her. "Decent in the kitchen, well… at least better than I am," he teased and earned himself a playful smack on his arms as they both let out a laugh. Dominique, who had relinquished her sketch pad and pencil long ago, lifted her arm to place them lazily over his shoulders pulling him a little bit closer.

"She sounds pretty great," Dom commented.

"Eh…yeah, she's alright," Jacob shrugged. Dom smacked him lightly on the back of the head this time, accompanied with an attempt at a stern look, making Jacob laugh again before she pulled him into a kiss. They continued to kiss pleasantly until Jacob broke the kiss with a gasp.

"What will my fiancé say?" he said faking shock and guilt. Dom rolled her eyes as a smile slipped onto her face.

"Shut up," she giggled before pulling his lips back to hers. This kiss was only chaste though. "How was your run?"

"Great," he said excitedly, standing up straight and helping Dom up from her chair. "I can actually focus on enjoying it instead of ignoring the people who stare."

"I stare," Dominique smirked.

"I know you do and you are the only one I want to," Jacob linked his fingers at the small of her back and held her close so that he could feel the small bump that his fiancé was growing as he leaned in and kissed her again. Her hands slid up into his hair as she deepened the kiss. When they broke the kiss they were both slightly out of breath. Not a moment later Jacob's stomach grumbled triggering another giggle from Dominique.

"Aren't I supposed to be the one with the food cravings," she teased.

"Just you wait. Soon you'll know what it's like to eat like a man and then you won't tease me anymore."

"We'll see," she laughed. "Would you like me to make you something while you have a shower?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, I would much rather you join me in the shower," he suggested playfully.

"I'm sure you would but I already had a shower this morning and you stink," she giggled at the sad puppy dog look he gave her. "Maybe next time, sweetie," she added, patting his cheek and stepping around him.

Malfoy Manor

Draco woke to an empty bed and empty bedroom again. By this point you'd think he'd be used to it, but he would never be used to it. It would always feel like something was missing because it was. With a large sigh which he had to admit was the kind that could only be the telling of an aging man, he rolled out of bed. Taking his watch off the side table and fastening it to his wrist, he realised that again he would have probably missed his opportunity to see Astoria before she left. Cursing the potions he had to bloody take that made him more tired than usual, he slowly made his way into the hallway. He didn't even bother with a shirt, knowing that he will be eating breakfast alone as he remembered that Scorpius mentioned having to do something this morning. He started the long trek down to the kitchen, forbidden from Apparating for another week or so as the Healers showed concern about his newly grown skin being too thin and weak to handle it.

Upon entering the kitchen, he was taken by surprise to find his wife sitting at the breakfast bar with a coffee in her hand, waiting for him. He stopped still in shock, unable to take his eyes off her. This gave Astoria time to look at him as well. She noticed quickly that even though he had clearly aged and lost some of his physique from when they were young, her heart still pounded at the sight of him in his half-dressed, morning, casual state. Biting her lip and diverting her eyes down to her coffee, she cleared her mind of such thoughts, as it wasn't the time.

"I didn't expect to see you," Draco spoke first, voice not giving away any emotion. "Thought you'd be at work."

"I informed them that I wouldn't be in today as I needed to talk to you about something and I wasn't sure when you would be awake," she replied before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Oh," Draco gave away a little surprise and joy at the fact that she would be home. He moved towards where his breakfast sat on the bench. "You mean I actually get to sit down and have breakfast with my wife today?" he added with a small smile slipping onto his face as he picked up his plate and cutlery, and moved to sit across from her at the breakfast bar. Astoria stiffened slightly as she hadn't expected him move to be so close to her or to be that happy about it.

"I…I suppose so, though technically I have already eaten," she replied nervously.

"Yes well, I will take what I can get," Draco replied as he tucked in to his breakfast. After his first bite he frowned. "Ah it's cold and I forgot my wand, would you mind?" he gestured to his food.

"Oh, not at all," she replied, and with a flick of her wand Astoria had heated the food for him.

"Thank you, you always were good at working a wand," Draco smirked across at her. She glared slightly catching his innuendo and the slight of his smirk, though her face felt hot. Draco just chuckled softly at her blushing expression. "Anyway, you said you wanted to talk to me about something?" he changed the topic, saving her from really acknowledging his almost flirtation.

"It's about Scorpius. I had a little conversation with him this morning and I was wondering if he mentioned anything to you about a special someone?"

"Well, he did mention a special girl when we talked back in Mungo's, but nothing since," Draco replied as he cut into his bacon and eggs on toast. "Why?"

"Well, it's just that he seems troubled and says he has been having trouble sleeping. He mentioned that there are a few things on his mind and when I asked if there was someone special he completely avoided it and couldn't get out of here fast enough."

"Well, sometimes when it's still a new relationship, you just like to keep it to yourself for a bit, before you start talking to your parents about it. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about."

"Maybe, but then if he's in a new relationship shouldn't he be happy? I mean what if they are struggling or having problems," Astoria said showing her concern. "I just thought that he would come to at least one of us for help," Astoria added sadly as she lowered her gaze to the coffee mug she held between her two hands. A silence passed between them before Draco put down his cutlery and then reached over to lay a hand on her forearm. Her gaze immediately shot up to his.

"It has only been three weeks; it is going to take some time before he starts to confide in us again. He has been living without us for years," Draco explained as his thumb gently caressed her skin. "And I know it is my fault, for which I am truly sorry, but now we all have to get used to talking to each other again." Astoria nodded, as she held back tears. "It will take time, but everything will work out," he reassured her.

"How do you know?"

"Because it has to," he replied sincerely.

Le Coin Rose

"Hey Daisy?" Nate called into the kitchen, his head peeking in through the door.

"Yes," Daisy answered, not looking up from the dishes she was giving the final touches to before sending them out for order.

"Where's Rose?" he asked, this time drawing her full attention as she heard the slight stress and panic in his voice.

"Why? What's wrong?" Daisy asked as she walked over to meet him at the door.

"We are down a server for the afternoon shift again and It's one of our busiest days. She'll need to help us out front, Kenny knocks off soon," Nate explained. Daisy looked towards the far end of the kitchen where Rose stood detailing and decorating a large cake, her old CD Walkman allowed her to be completely oblivious to the hustle and bustle of the busy workers a few benches away.

"I don't think that's going to happen today," the worried crease in her forehead communicated her concerns to Nate. His eyes followed Daisy's lead and found Rose at the opposite end of the room, noticing the headphones still covering her ears.

"Oh bollocks," he cursed quietly with a sigh. "Is she still listening to it?" Daisy just nodded in reply. "Do you think it's because of that blonde bloke?" he asked.

"Yeah, it has to be," Daisy whispered. "She only listens to it this much when she is having man troubles."

"It's not that tosser Ben or whatever his name was is it?"

"I bloody well hope not," Daisy cried. "But I don't think so. Rose was so over that relationship even before it officially ended," she added.

"Well, what should I do?" Nate asked with a sigh. "I can't do it all myself."

"I don't expect you to," she said, reaching out and squeezing his upper arm reassuringly before she could stop herself. "Look, I'm sure we could spare someone in here. I'll send out Tina or Zach to help you."

"Not Tina, please," he begged.

"Why?" Daisy giggled at his horrified expression.

"Because she's been giving the look for weeks, but in a really creepy way, not the good way," he almost whined.

"What look?" she laughed, finding her friend's behaviour amusing.

"You know, 'the look'," he hinted as though it was obvious. Daisy just raised an eyebrow in question. "You don't know the look?" he asked, sounding appalled by the thought. "How long have you been out of the game?" he teased with a chuckle. Daisy blushed, fidgeting nervously. It's not that she hadn't been out on dates recently; it's just that she hadn't been picked up, as some might say, recently. Most of her dates nowadays were setups and blind dates. No one spotted her across the way and gave her 'the look' anymore.

"Anyway," Daisy redirected the conversation, turning slightly and avoiding his gaze. "I'll send Zach out with you in a few minutes and save you from her clutches," she tried to smile but somehow it didn't happen.

"Thanks," he replied gratefully, despite knowing he must have touched a nerve. "Hey sunshine, I'm sorry about…I didn't mean-"

"Nate, its fine. Don't worry about it," she said, turning around and facing him, a happy but fake smile spread across her lips.

"Are you sure? Cause I-"

"Yep," and with that she immediately turned back to her work, calling instructions out to her co-workers, including telling Zach to help out in the front. Nate stood there unsure and a little shocked for a bit; only when Zach joined him did he move back out the front to serve customers.

Once Nate left and the kitchen was working swiftly, Daisy took a deep breath and composed herself. Her eyes drifted to her friend and boss at the uncrowded, opposite end of the kitchen. Her eyes concentrating so hard they looked bloodshot and her posture so tense, Daisy didn't know how Rose could actually be doing her best work in her current state. To a normal employee it would just look like she was getting in the zone and doing a great job, but Daisy wasn't just a normal employee. Still unsure on whether she should approach her now or later about what was bothering her, Daisy slowly made her way over to the redhead.

Hill Cottage

When Jacob made his way into the small kitchen after getting cleaned up and dressed, he wasted no time before wrapping his arms around Dominique. He pressed his body up against hers and affectionately dropped warm kisses on her neck, while she continued making his pancakes.

"Hey you," she said blissfully, as she placed a hand over his where he held her around her small swelling belly. "Nice shower?"

"Mmm it was, but it could've been better if I had some company," he mumbled into her skin, so she could feel the playful smile that ghosted across his features.

"I hope you don't mind pancakes, your favourite wasn't agreeing with me," Dom said, choosing not to take the bait. However, he still caught her blushful smile.

"Pancakes are perfect," Jacob replied, pressing a kiss to her cheek before letting her go to get out the plates and other utensils needed. "Have you been sick since earlier this morning?" he asked, hoping she hadn't had to mush trouble when he wasn't there.

"No, in fact, I think I might be finally moving past that stage," Dominique answered with glee as she flipped a pancake. "Even though Vic said I didn't have it anywhere near as bad as she did, I'm still over it."

"Yes, I can't say I've enjoyed seeing you be sick all the time," he said sincerely. "But I thought that stage was supposed to last longer. You've really only had it for a few weeks," he added curiously as he cut up some strawberries for Dom, knowing that was her favourite on Pancakes.

"Well, they do say every pregnancy is different," she replied, as she served up the pancakes on to the plates. "Plus, according to Vic, my morning sickness started quite late as well," she added as they carried everything they needed to the dining area off to the left of the kitchen. Soon they were both seated at the rectangular four seating dining table, adding their toppings and extras to their breakfast.

"I guess we can ask the Healer about it today," Jacob responded, as he poured some syrup over his pancakes. "What time is the appointment again?"

"In a couple of hours," Dominique answered, adding a small dollop of cream to her pancake and sliced strawberries. "I'm a little nervous," she confessed, after swallowing a bite of her food. Jacob looked up at her questioningly. "Annie said we might be able to see the baby today," she explained. Annie was their Healer, but also a friend of Dom's from Hogwarts.

"Isn't that a good thing? I thought you'd be excited," he reasoned.

"It is and I am," Dom assured him. "It's just that I am also hoping that nothing is…wrong…or something like that." Jacob simply put down his knife and fork and reaching across the table, took Dominique's hand in his.

"Our baby is going to be perfect, just like it's mum," Jacob said honestly. "Just you wait, trust me. I know these things," he added with a wink, making Dom shake her head but smile blissfully back at him.

After breakfast, Dominique made her way back up to her studio while Jacob took care of the dishes and cleaning the kitchen. Instead of relaxing back with her sketch pad, this time she moved to the desk which was currently mostly covered with wedding plans. She was just double checking everything when Jacob called out to her. "Sweetie, Vic is here to see you."

"Okay, just tell her to come up," she called back.

"Already here," her sister said as she walked through the door, drawing Dom's attention.

"Hey, what are you doing here? And where is my favourite little girl?" Dom asked as she happily hugged her sister in greeting.

"She is having some father daughter time," Victoire explained. "Teddy took the day off work."

"But didn't he just start back this week?" Dom questioned.

"Yep, apparently he misses her too much," Victoire answered with a chuckle. "So anyway, Mum wants to go shopping with me, probably for your birthday present. Is there anything you want?"

"Yes, but nothing you can tell Mum about," Dom replied, her hand slipping to her small swelling belly. Victoire sighed and give her sister a sorry look. "I don't know how you can do it," Dom noted.

"Do what?" Victoire asked.

"One, spend time with her period," Dom replied cheekily, earning a laugh from her sister. "And two, spend all this time with her and not give anything away about what has really been happening with me."

"Well, it hasn't been easy, that's for sure," she sighed.

"If I ever forget to thank you for this, you have my permission to hold it over me forever," Dom said sincerely.

"My sister's happiness is thanks enough," Victoire smiled and reassuringly squeezed Dominique's hand. "How's the planning going, by the way?"

"Fine so far," Dom replied, looking back down at her desk. "Rose has been a great help. She has been helping the most since Scorpius has been a little tired up recently, you know with what happened to his father and all, but he still has managed to get a few things sorted for me."

"Well, that's good," she said with a smile. "I am sorry I couldn't be more help."

"Please, what you're doing, keeping Mum away, is the hardest job by far," Dom jested.

"It definitely feels like it sometimes but I think maybe Jacob has the hardest job," Dom's head shot up to look at her sister, her brows knotted in confusion. "Keeping you from going barmy, now that's a tough one," Victoire teased and playfully nudged Dom's shoulder.

"Oh please, it's a miracle Teddy hasn't lost his own sanity looking after you all the time."

"Nah, I have to look after him just as much. We look after each other," Victoire replied and the sisters shared a smile.

Hugo knocked on the door to Lily and Ella's new flat and waited nervously for someone to answer. He didn't have to wait long before Lily whipped open the door and pulled him inside. "Hugo! You're here!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"So it would seem," Hugo said wearing an almost timid smile.

"Finally! Now you can see my new place of residence, all official since last week," she said proudly. "As you can see it's obviously a lot smaller than yours, but I love it," She rambled on a bit, leading him on what seemed to be a tour of what must be the smallest flat for two ever. Unsurprisingly, it didn't take long at all to stumble on the other inhabitant of the small cosy flat. Ella emerged from what he assumed was her room carrying a book open in front of her, reading with her reading glasses resting across the bridge of her nose. He felt a small flurry of emotion in the pit of his stomach as he remembered them. They were sturdy with black frames, kind of dorky looking but he had always thought that they looked so adorably cute on her. Hugo remembered her feeling insecure about wearing them in public back at Hogwarts and he was always reminding her that thought was Bat Bogey crazy. When Ella glanced up and noticed his presence she went still, her eyes locked on his. The silence between them was starting to get awkward, so Lily decided to speak up. "Hugo was just here to check out our new humble abode."

"Actually, I came to drop of something for Miss Thompson," Hugo corrected, retrieving a small package out of his pocket and using his wand to return it to its original A4 size.

"Oh," Ella mumbled, as she saved her place in her book and walked closer to the cousins. His formal manner didn't go unnoticed. She couldn't say that she liked it one bit, in fact she would rather he'd go back to ignoring her like before than speak to her like they were complete strangers.

"Here," he said simply, handing her the package.

"Thanks," Ella said, as she accepted it.

"It's from my Mum. She said you'd know what it's about," he added, nervously.

"Why would Aunt Hermione be sending you something?" Lily asked curiously.

"It is probably all the paperwork she needs me to fill out and consider before accepting the position she has offered me," Ella answered.

"Mum offered you a job with her?" Hugo asked a little shocked.

"Yes, she and I were talking and it came up," she answered again, feeling a little hurt and angry by his shocked tone. "Why are you so surprised? You don't think I am capable of working with her?"

"What? No, I think you're more than capable," he replied honestly. "It's just I didn't know you two talked. When did that start?"

"We got talking that night we all went back to the Potter's for dinner after Samantha's naming," she replied.

"Oh, that was a while ago," Hugo said, actually a little relieved. It meant that his mother wasn't scheming after she found out about his feelings. It had already been happening by then.

"Yes, there have been a lot of things to consider and there is a lot of legal aspects to get through before I can take the position. This should be the last step," she said, referring to the package in her hands.

"Oh, that's so exciting," Lily exclaimed, hugging her friend. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to get your hopes up or to make a fuss just yet, but I guess it's okay now since I am in the final stage of accepting," Ella explained, smiling at her best friend. However, out of the corner of her eye she still noticed Hugo standing there awkwardly and anxiously, obviously having mixed feelings about having her working with his mother.

"This is great we have to celebrate. I am going to go invite everyone and we are going to hit the town," Lily said with a wink, as she made her way to her small bedroom leaving Hugo and Ella alone. They stood there nervously shifting in silence and complete uncertainty, until Ella finally spoke up.

"Thank you for delivering this, I'm sure it wasn't something you really wanted to do."

"You're welcome," he replied, choosing to ignore the last part as he didn't want to admit she was right.

"Listen Hugo, if you are uncomfortable about your mother and I working together, I can turn it down. I'm sure she would understand," Ella reasoned, not wanting to upset him.

"No, don't be silly, El," Hugo dismissed her suggestion. "They need someone like you and you are going to love it there, I just know it," he added, giving her a smile. Ella noticed it wasn't the fully fledged Hugo Weasley smile she missed, but it was genuine and it was promising. "Plus, could you imagine the verbal slaughtering I would get from Mum if she found out I talked someone as brilliant as you out of working with her," Hugo joked, making Ella laugh. "Let me tell you, it would be brutal."

"Thank you," Ella giggled.

"Don't mention it," he smiled sweetly at her, which she quickly returned. "Anyway, I better get going," he said, turning around and heading for the front door.

"Right, of course," Ella said, following him. He opened the door and walked through the threshold before turning to look back at her as she stood there holding the door open.

"Well… I…See ya," Hugo stuttered out.

"Bye," she replied. Just after he left her sight, Ella called back out to him.

"Hey, Hugo!"

"Yeah?" he said as he seemed to appear out of nowhere, like he had never left.

"Umm…well, I…I was just wondering if you would like to come tonight?" she just managed to ask without looking too nervous.

"Oh, umm…"

"I mean, if you had nothing else to do, you could, if you wanted to that is," Ella added. Hugo anxiously rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of what to do. "You know, what it's going to be like," she continued when he didn't say anything. "Lily's going to invite a whole bunch of people who are all great but are going to be drunk off there arse's in two minutes and I'm going to need someone cool to hang out with, making fun of the music and people's weird dancing, as well as to help me keep Lily from doing something stupid," Ella rattled on. "Actually, now that I think about it, it doesn't sound like a really appealing way to spend a night does it?" she finished with a sad chuckle, looking down at her sock covered feet.

"It doesn't sound as bad as you think," Hugo admitted, drawing her attention back up to his eyes.

"It doesn't, really?"

"Well, parts of it don't?" he teased. "Let me know, when and where and I will see if I can make it," he relented.

"Okay," she smiled.

Le Coin Rose

Daisy located and pressed the pause button on Rose's CD Walkman, gently place a hand on her forearm to draw her attention. Rose's eyes found her friends and both knew there was no hiding the redhead's troubled mind. "Hey," Daisy tried a small smile, but could hear the almost pity in her voice. She knew there was no use in hiding their emotions, but Rose snapped back into her stubborn self, unwilling to give in and admit to the feelings that were the cause of her current state.

"Hi," she said, turning back to her work in front of her.

"So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you or not?"

"I'm fine," Rose said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Yeah and I'm the bloody Queen of England," Daisy shot back sarcastically with laugh. "I know you better than you think Rose. You have separated yourself away from everyone and blocked out everything with that ancient CD player of yours," Daisy gestured to the Walkman. "I have no doubt that you're listening to your Mother's old heartbreak mix, like you always do when your heart is aching. Am I right?" she asked. Rose shifted her stance and looked down at her fidgeting hands.

"Maybe," Rose gave as a muttered reply.

"Right, so what's wrong?"

After a patient minute of waiting, on Daisy's part, Rose finally said, "it's a long story and I don't think I am ready to share the whole story."

"Okay, well, can you at least give me the short version?" Daisy persisted. Rose lightly bit her lip and wrapped her arms around herself; clearly trying decided what to do. "Just the cliff notes?" Daisy smiled, reached out and comfortably squeezed her shoulder. A lazy soft smile reached the redhead's lips as she nodded in confirmation.

"Okay, cliff notes," Rose said before glancing back to the busy end of the kitchen to make sure no one was paying attention. "So, I like this guy and a few weeks ago, we kissed and agreed to…be a thing, but the same night a really terrible… accident happened to his father whom he hasn't seen since he was a teenager. So he has moved back in with his parents to reconnect with them, which is great and I am so happy for him, but I told him to contact me when he can and things settle a bit but he hasn't yet." Daisy kept her face neutral, not giving away any emotion or reaction to what her friend said. She just nodded in the right parts as she listened to her friend, allowing Rose to continue uninterrupted. "And I just have to wonder if maybe he has changed his mind about us. Or he has told his parents and they don't like me or something. Or worse, it could have just escaped his mind to contact me which would mean, unlike me, he hasn't even given me a thought since that night," Rose choked out, finding herself more emotional than she thought she would be. As Rose wiped a couple of stray tears, Daisy just seemed to stare blank-faced back at her. "Well? What do you think I should do?" Rose prompted, trying to get some sort of reaction or advice from her friend. Daisy gave out a loud girly squeal of excitement and pulled Rose into a fierce hug.

"You like a guy! You kissed him!" Daisy shrieked, finally making a legible noise, pulling back from their embrace.

"Really?" Rose said with a lowered voice as she glanced around at the attention they had drawn from her staff. "Out of everything I said that's all that you heard?"

"Well, that's the most important part," Daisy replied, bouncing excitedly as Rose turned her attention back to her staff at the other end of the kitchen.

"Okay, back to work please!" she called, watching them all turn their focus back on to their task.

"So, who is he?" Daisy asked, barely able to keep the question to herself a moment longer. "Is it that hot blonde guy who had you smiling almost a month ago?" When Rose nervously bit her lip and delayed her answer, Daisy knew. "Oh my gosh, it is, isn't it?" Rose just sighed and nodded yes, barely holding back a smile. "Oh Rose, I am so happy for you," Daisy hugged her again. "Wait, you said a few weeks," she thought out loud, pulling back to give Rose a stern look. "Girl, why have you been holding out on me?"

"Because everything happened so fast and I was waiting for him to contact me so we can finally make it more official or at least find out where we stand, but he hasn't!" Rose answered, letting more of her anger at the situation seep through.

"Oh, right… sorry," Daisy excitement deflated a bit as she finally realised they had gone full circle.

"It's not your fault," Rose muttered, turning slightly and leaning back against the bench with a sign. "If it's anyone's, its mine," she added, looking down at her feet. "How could I've been so stupid to think he and I could just dive into it together? We've never had good timing and between that and ourselves, I don't know why I ever thought it was a good idea."

"Hey, don't talk yourself out of this before it even starts, that would be stupid," Daisy jumped in quickly.

"You think?" Rose sniffed.

"There is a reason he hasn't contacted you yet. And yes, maybe it won't be a reason you like but it would be stupid to say it's over until you know whatever it is that has held him back," she concluded, wrapping an arm around the redhead's shoulders, hugging her into her side.

"Thanks," Rose mumbled as she dropped her head down to rest against Daisy' shoulder.

"It'll all work out soon, you'll see," Daisy said.

"I hope so."

"Who knows, maybe it will happen when you least expect it. He'll surprise you or something." Rose just laughed at the thought but didn't comment.

Hugo Apparated just in front of the house Scorpius was renovating. Having helped him out couple of times over the last few weeks, he knew where it was. However, through the drizzly rain, he noticed that his friend was actually working in the new Garage off to the side instead of the main house structure. Scorpius had the large garage door up as he worked away, allowing Hugo to enter easily, avoiding the rain as much as one could.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Hugo asked, noticing that what he was working on did not look like it was going into the house.

"Making the arch thingy for Dom's wedding," Scorpius answered stiffly, not lifting an eye from his work.

"Whoa, who spit in your tea this morning?" Hugo joked.

"Didn't have tea," Scorpius replied in the same manner.

"Hey mate, what's going on with you?" Hugo asked seriously, now more concerned. "Scorp?" he prompted when he didn't get an answer.

Scorpius let out a deep sigh before replying, "Nothing, mate." He lifted his eyes from his work and stood up straight, directing his full attention to Hugo.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry," Scorpius assured him as he removed his safety glasses and ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you had a training soon."

"I do, I just wanted to ask you something before I go," Hugo replied.

"Okay, what is it?" Scorpius asked, as he leaned back against a saw horse.

"What are your plans for tonight?"

"Ah, it depends. Why?"

"Lily and Ella are going out tonight with a few friends to celebrate Ella's new job, and Ella asked me to join them."

"And you want me to come too?"

"Would you?" Hugo confirmed. "You know, just so I don't do anything stupid or go all quiet and mean on her again."

"Hugo, you don't need me there, you'll be fine on your own."
"Maybe, but it can't hurt having you there. Almost like a buffer if things get awkward, please?"

"Okay, fine," Scorpius agreed, putting his glasses back on and turning back to his work. "But you owe me one."

"You got it, thanks," Hugo replied. "I better get going but I'll send you the details later, yeah?" Scorpius held up his pressed thumb and pointer finger together as okay. "Cool, see you later."

Malfoy Manor

Draco was sitting at the grand piano in his already clean and fixed office, his eyes closed, and hands moving gracefully and elegantly over the keys as he played. That was how Astoria found him in the late afternoon, completely engrossed in his music, not noticing her presence. It gave her the opportunity to enjoy the sight in front of her. As she leaned up against the doorframe watching her husband, she allowed her mind to wander back to another time. A time when she would often find father and son at the piano, Draco teaching Scorpius chopsticks and three blind mice; a time when Draco would play to her and sing to her. As he finished his song and looked up at her, she stepped forward into the room, smiling at him.

"You haven't played in years," she said, resting the side of her hip against the side of the piano, facing him.

"Yeah, it's been long overdue," he replied.

"Is this the first time?"

"No, actually Scorpius and I played together last week. He suggested it."

"Oh, I see how it is," she said with a teasing smile, moving around to sit beside him on the seat. "Typical, you boys are always having fun without me." Draco looked back at her adoringly, his happiness shining through. "Speaking of our son, he just sent an owl. He won't be home for dinner tonight; apparently he is going out with some friends," she added, after Draco didn't say anything but continued to look at her. She was looking down at the keys, her hands softly sliding over them but not hard enough to generate a sound from the instrument. "Hopefully, he will have a good time and it will make him feel better," she said, thinking out loud.

"Yes, I hope so too," Draco agreed. Astoria pressed down and played a soft lullaby. Draco just continued to watch and listen to the sweet melody that was his wife.

Le Coin Rose

It was just after six and Nate and Daisy had just finished packing and locking everything up for the night. Rose was just shutting down her computer and everything in her office and then they would be able to leave. They were discussing Daisy's children as they left the kitchen, walking towards the front door when they both looked up and came to a halt at what they saw. Scorpius could be seen through the rain-tainted glass on the footpath as he paced the length of the café. Judging by his soaked clothing and hair he had been there a while. His leather jacket, his only real protection from the rain, wasn't even zipped up to his neck, letting the rain soak his layers underneath. He had not noticed their stares and appeared to be muttering to himself as he continued to walk back and forth.

"How long do you think he's been there?" Daisy asked Nate, still watching the manic man out in the rain.

"Can't be more than 10 minutes, otherwise I would have seen him."

"See she had nothing to worry about, he obviously still wants her," Daisy commented.

"Definitely wouldn't be out there if he didn't," Nate agreed.

"He must be freezing," Daisy said. "What should we do?"

"I don't know," Nate shrugged. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're her friend too," Daisy turned to him. "You should care whether he is right for her or not."

"I do, but that's not my decision to make," Nate explained.

"Argh, you're no help!" she muttered as she turned back to look at Scorpius.

"I must say though as a plus he does have great taste in bikes," Nate stated as he admired the bike that was parked on the road just behind Scorpius. "I haven't seen one of that model in such good condition in a while. He must take real good care of it."

"Seriously?"

"What?" Nate shrugged again, a smirk on his lips.

"Now, is not the time to be having a man crush on his motorbike."

"Well, there isn't much else we can do. We're waiting for Rose."

"Wait no longer, I am here," Rose called out as she walked towards them, looking down at her handbag as she looked for her keys. "Ah Ha," she said as she found them, before looking up at what they were looking at. "Shit!" the curse slipped from her lips with little thought as she looked at the man through the glass. Rose stood still staring at him like she was frozen in a trance, her eyes wide with shock and her lips parted as her breathing increased slightly. Almost as if he could feel her gaze, Scorpius turned around not a moment later, his eyes locked on her. They simply stared at each other for a minute before he swallowed hard and moved towards the door. He pushed his wet sticky hair off his forehead, causing it to stick up a bit, as he entered the café.

"Ah…Hi," Scorpius said, lifting his hand and giving them a little wave. Daisy smiled, unable to hold back the little giggle at his adorable awkward behaviour.

"Hello, I don't believe we've ever met. I'm Daisy," she recovered quickly, introducing herself and extending her hand in greeting. Scorpius unsuccessfully tried to dry his hand on his jeans before shaking hers.

"Scorpius," he said simply, but his eyes quickly diverted back to Rose. She looked up at him with an expression torn between shock, glee and anger. He wasn't sure which emotion would win just yet.

"Anyway, Nate and I have to get going," Daisy spoke up again, interrupting their staring contest.

"That would be me, I'm Nate," Nate added, stretching out his hand. "And can I just say what a great Triumph you have there," he added, shaking Scorpius' hand. Daisy rolled her eyes, grasping hold of his forearm, and pulling him towards the exit. Rose let out a small giggle at her bickering friends, as she and Scorpius watched them spar while trying to open the Umbrella as they left.

"They're nice, I like them," Scorpius smiled turning back to Rose.

"Yeah me too," she mumbled, looking back down at her feet. The silence stretched before them until Rose finally spoke.

"Scorpius, what are you doing here?"

"I thought that part was obvious. I wanted to see you," Scorpius smirked.

"Why now?" Rose shot back. "You haven't wanted to for three weeks."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?" Rose was quick to return again. "How am I supposed to know? I have no idea what we are or what this is and I haven't heard a peep from you since that night," she said, crossing her arms, fixing him with a firm glare. However, Scorpius could see the softness beneath it, the hurt and the vulnerability.

"I know and I am sorry," Scorpius replied sincerely, but after watching Rose scoff and shake her head before focusing on the ground at her feet, he added, "But you didn't contact me either."

"Are you seriously going to blame me for this?" Rose snapped back, hurt, anger and disbelief clear in her voice.

"I'm not blaming you; I'm just saying that if you wanted to see me you could have found me," he said, stepping closer to the fiery beauty.

"I told you to contact me when you wanted to, when things had settled and you were ready!" she argued, taking a step closer, standing almost toe to toe with him. "And you didn't!" she yelled with a stabbing poke to his hard chest, tears welling up in her eyes. "I thought that after a week, at the most, you would have at least owled me or texted me just to talk about how things were going, but NO!" she continued as Scorpius sighed and tried to run his hand through his wet hair. "The Quaffle was in your hands, Scorpius, and YOU weren't man enough to shoot for the goal!" A stray tear slid down her cheek as she directed her eyes away from his face, unable to look into those magnificent blue eyes for fear that she would crumble. They stood there in silence for a minute or two while a couple more stray tears escaped. If Rose's body wasn't making her hyper aware that they were standing so close, she could have easily thought that he wasn't there. He didn't make a sound or move a muscle, until he suddenly did.

An ice cold finger under her chin lifted her gaze back to his. The heat in the room seemed to increased immediately, almost as if in one small touch they had lilt several fires in the room, and Scorpius did not feel cold anymore. He moved his hand to cup her cheek, his thumb wiping a tear away with a soft caress while his other arm slid around her waist, pulling her hips flush with his. Rose felt as though her throat had closed up; she could not speak nor look away from the deep sea of blue in front of her. Her hands had somehow found their place holding onto his upper arms. His gaze dipped from her eyes to her lips. His thumb soon followed, ghosting over her slightly parted lips, her breath heating his skin. Her grip on his arms tightened as the tension built up between them. Scorpius' eyes found hers again and she felt herself slowly pushing up onto her toes as he just as slowly lowered his head. Only when their lips were millimetres away from each other did their eyes finally close and their lips touch.

All I say is I am so sorry for not updating sooner. Life got in the way and still continues to do so. All I can do is try my best to have the next chapter up for you all sooner rather than later. I hope your 2015 as been good so far :)

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