Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter.

Rose Weasley stood in the doorway of a dimly lit room, her heart pounding as she faced Scorpius Malfoy. His usual calm demeanor was gone, replaced by surprise and confusion. "What... what are you doing here?" he stammered, caught off guard by her presence.

"You need to come down," Rose said firmly, trying to keep her voice steady. Scorpius was hunched over a table, papers and documents scattered before him as he poured over their current case.

"I'm busy," he replied, quickly regaining his composure. His voice was cold, distant. "I don't have time for this right now."

"This isn't personal," Rose snapped, though her voice trembled with emotion. "Someone's waiting for you."

Scorpius hesitated, glancing at her warily. "I... I can't."

"You can't?" Rose repeated, frustration boiling over. "I thought you loved them."

That hit home. For the first time in years, Scorpius looked directly into her eyes, a mix of pain and defiance swirling in his gray gaze. "I DO love them."

"Then why are you avoiding them?" Rose's voice cracked. "You knew they were coming, and now you're hiding up here, making them wait for hours. This isn't strength, Malfoy. You're hurting the people who care about you."

His jaw tightened, but he stayed silent, allowing her words to sink in. "Do you know what it was like for your mother when you left? She cried every single day. This is her last hope—seeing you. And instead, you're hiding. Is that what you want? To make her suffer more?"

Rose's breath caught in her throat as she watched the cold mask on Scorpius's face begin to crack. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hurt him, but maybe he needed to hear it. "I will go to them," he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Good," she said, turning to leave. Just as she reached the door, his faint voice stopped her.

"I guess they are the only ones who've suffered because of me!"

Rose froze, biting her lip to hold back the tears threatening to spill. Without looking back, she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Scorpius alone in the dim light, still battling his demons.

Rose had been living apart from her family for about seven years now. She rented a small house on Magnolia Road in Little Whinging, a quiet place tucked away from the chaos. It was the kind of solitude she needed to sort through her thoughts.

That evening, she had been secretly watching Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy from a distance, along with Albus. She didn't want to join them, but she couldn't help observing their reactions when Scorpius arrived. Relief washed over her at the thought that she had finally spoken to him, seeing their interactions confirmed that her decision had been right.

With a sigh, she turned away and used the Floo Network to return home. But when she stepped into her living room, she froze. Sitting on her sofa, legs tucked under her, was Lily Potter.

Lily turned at the sound of the Floo and smiled. "Roe, are you alright? Al owled me, said you'd need me."

"How thoughtful," Rose muttered, her tone not unkind but weary.

"I know you probably want to be alone to cry, but I'm not leaving you to do that by yourself. You can talk to me, Roe. Cry if you need to. I'm here for you. You're my cousin, but you've always been like a sister to me."

Rose sighed, feeling the weight of Lily's words.

"Dinner's ready, by the way," Lily added cheerfully, standing up. "I don't know what you've been eating lately, but if Uncle Ron saw your kitchen, he'd probably faint. It looks like you've barely touched any food."

"I'm not hungry, Lils," Rose replied softly.

"But you need to eat. I put effort into making this, and you know I'm no cook," Lily insisted, a hint of stubbornness in her voice.

Reluctantly, Rose sat down at the table. But as soon as she did, her emotions began to spill over. "I don't want him to be like that, Lils," she said, her voice wavering. Tears fell, and this time she couldn't stop them. "He's miserable. I thought he was happy, but he's suffering just like us. Is that my fault? Am I the reason everything fell apart? The only thing I did was love him."

Lily crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Rose, pulling her into a tight hug. "It's not your fault, Roe. You loved him. That's never wrong. We all know it."

Rose cried long and hard, releasing the weight of seven years of heartache. Lily held her, letting her sob until she finally began to calm down. Minutes passed, or maybe hours, before Rose's tears subsided.

"Thank you for being here, Lils," Rose whispered, wiping at her eyes.

"Always," Lily smiled gently. "But listen, if it's becoming too much with him, you need to talk to Teddy and resign from this mission. You don't have to put yourself through this."

"I can manage," Rose insisted, forcing a weak smile. "It's fine."

Lily frowned, searching Rose's face. "Or maybe all you want is to be around him. But Roe, no. That's not good for you. You should resign. You should be distant from him. Please."

"I didn't say that," Rose replied quickly, her voice weak. "Maybe working with him will help me get over him."

"Get over him?" Lily exclaimed, incredulous. "You haven't been able to get over him for seven years. How do you expect to do it in a few months? This is not going to work. You've already lost so much because of him. We can't let you lose more."

"Please, Lils," Rose begged, her voice cracking. "I'll be fine. Just don't tell Mum and Dad, okay? Tell them I'm doing well."

Lily hesitated, frustration visible on her face, but finally nodded. "Fine. But only because you asked."

Rose smiled weakly, grateful for her cousin's loyalty, even if she knew Lily didn't believe her.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Please review. Sorry for the mistakes.