A/N: Hi, everyone! I know it's been a hot second since I published an updated chapter, but I am planning on coming back to this to finish my updates, so be on the lookout for more new chapters coming soon! I do have a quick request for you all, specifically for anyone reading this who writes fanfic. I am doing a research project on fanfic writing as a composition tool for a class I'm taking this semester, and if anyone is willing, I would really appreciate you taking the survey I've linked on my profile. It is less than 20 questions and mostly multiple choice, so it shouldn't take you too long, but it would be really valuable for my project! If there's anyone reading this who's been around since I was publishing the original version of this story, I just want to say thank you for sticking with me - I've been on Wattpad for more than seven years now, and it's been such a valuable experience for me as a developing writer. For those of you who are new, thanks so much for taking the time to read my silly little Scorose story. It means the world <3

Chapter 19 - Rose

"You gave me all your love and all I gave you was goodbye"

Everyone who wasn't a seventh year was scheduled to leave school on Sunday morning. On Saturday, I caught Lily in the halls and asked her about her and Lysa's plans for the night – I was sure they would have some, because they always did something fun on their last night at school. Well, we always did something fun on the last night at school. She told me they were just going to hang out by the lake, probably eat snacks and talk until 3 AM, and I suggested, in as humble and apologetic a tone as I could manage, that I might join them. To my relief, she'd agreed - which was how I found myself slipping out of the common room half an hour before curfew.

The halls were decently populated, both with people heading back to their dormitories and with people whose nights, like mine, were only just beginning. Rounding the staircase to the second floor, I was surprised to find myself face to face with someone I hadn't had many encounters with in recent days - Albus.

His eyebrows raised when he saw me, but that was an improvement on the glower I'd been receiving from him ever since we'd fought about my mistreatment of Scorpius. "Rose," he said, his tone lighter than expected. "Hey."

"Hi..." I said, a bit thrown off by his seeming nonchalance.

His brow furrowed, and a more serious expression settled onto his face. "Listen, I um... I was going to let it wait a day or two, but do you have a minute to talk?"

I was still slightly confused, but I nodded. "Yeah... I'm headed down to the lake, if you want to walk with me."

"Sure, yeah."

I smiled. "Well then, let's be off." I continued down the stairs, and he turned around to fall into step beside me. He was silent for a few moments, and when I glanced over, I saw him biting his lip. "What's up, Al?"

My cousin glanced up and down the staircase, which appeared to be deserted, and only then did he look at me properly. "Scorpius told me about..." - he nodded pointedly at my midsection - "You know."

"Ah." I managed half a smile. "Yes, it's quite the predicament, isn't it?"

Albus scoffed in agreement. "Certainly is. Does... anyone else know?"

I shrugged. "Just Auntie Hannah, at the moment. I'm going to tell your sister and Lysa tonight. And I agreed that Scorpius could tell his father."

"He mentioned that. It's good of you to let him."

"Well, it clearly meant a lot to him... and I figure it can't hurt to have one parent between the two of us who isn't going to go batshit crazy about all this."

My cousin smirked. "Yeah, I can't see Mr. Malfoy screaming, crying, or threatening to hex anyone... he's definitely going to be the easy one."

"My parents, on the other hand..." I exhaled slowly. "I'll be lucky if they don't put a price on Scorpius' head."

"You mean, on the head of the mystery man whose identity you're never going to reveal to them?" Al interjected drily. When I looked away, he sighed. "Yes, Scorp told me that part, too... and as much as I hate to admit it, I understand why. I know our family's a lot. That doesn't mean I totally agree with the decision, but... that's a discussion for another time. Right now..." we'd reached the bottom of the final staircase, and he paused to turn and look at me, placing his hand gently on my arm.

"I just want you to know that even though we've had our disagreements lately, I'm here for you, okay? In whatever way you need me. I'll be there when you tell your parents, if you think my presence might take the edge off the situation. If you don't want to stay at home, I'll help you find a place... you can crash in my room, for all I care. I'll go to the bloody grocery at midnight if you're craving something odd and don't want to bother anyone else. Any way I can be there for you, any way I can make this easier... I want to help. All right?"

Blinking away the tears that had sprung up in my eyes, I laughed softly as I threw my arms around my cousin. "Thank you," I whispered, burying my head in his shoulder as he embraced me tightly. "You're the best, you know that?"

"I know," he replied, chuckling. He gave me a final, warm squeeze, then pulled away, shaking his head as he swiped a tear from my cheek. "Now, stop blubbing and go find Lil and Lysa. I think you three have a lot to talk about."

- - -

When I told them, Lysa's first response was to laugh out loud. "Of course you are. Merlin, everything makes so much sense now!"

I frowned at her from where I sat, in a circle with her and my cousin beneath the limbs of a tree down by the lake.. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you know, the fact that you thought you had a stomach bug for weeks on end, and what a bitch you've been lately–"

"Um, excuse me, why is that connected? And I'm not agreeing with you, either."

Lily was nodding at Ly, though, her loose red hair ruffling in the night breeze that had sprung up. "Of course! I suppose it was hormones – mood swings and all that." She tilted her head in my direction. "Even if you won't admit it, Rosie, you know you've been quite mean, and for no good reason."

After a moment's hesitation, I nodded begrudgingly. "Fine, sure, I guess I have. But–" I glanced from one of them to the other. "We're okay, aren't we?"

Lysa's blue eyes softened. "Yes, we're okay. I mean– we clearly have bigger things to worry about."

Exhaling, I collapsed back onto the soft grass, letting my eyelids droop. "Such as?"

"Such as planning your wedding, obviously."

As quickly as they had shut, my eyes sprung open, and I sat straight up again. "Ly, you can't be serious."

The blonde exchanged a look with Lily, who shrugged. "I mean, isn't that what's usually done?"

"Just because it's usually done doesn't mean-" I protested, but Lysa cut me off.

"Don't tell me he hasn't proposed?"

I looked down. "No, actually, he hasn't." Seeing the distraught glance that passed between my friends, I felt the need to say more. "Come on, I don't want him to propose. I mean... I couldn't say yes."

Lysa scoffed. "Whyever not?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Because, Ly... every single reason that existed before that kept me from dating him still exists."

"Oh, you and your bullshit reasons."

Rolling my eyes, I scowled at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Lily cut in, "that all of your elaborate reasons for not being with Scorpius are, as far as we're concerned, entirely in your own head."

I should have known they weren't really on my side. "Tell me something, Lysa – wasn't it you who was telling me not to break up with Andy... like, a week ago?"

The blonde girl huffed. "Yes, but obviously I didn't know the extenuating circumstances. You clearly couldn't have stayed with..." She trailed off, frowning, then laughed. "Except, that's the thing, Rosie. You could have stayed with him. You could have let him think the baby was his, and he would have believed you. I mean sure, it would have been a horrid thing to do, lying for the rest of your life... but it was an option. An option you rejected because – as much as you might not want to admit it – you don't mind the thought of Scorpius being in the baby's life. Being in your life."

"You're delusional," I snapped. Before she could say anything more, I added, "Besides, he isn't going to be in my- in our lives. Not much, anyway. Because I sure as hell don't plan on telling my parents that he's the father."

Lily whistled. "You've got a long, complicated road ahead of you, Rose."

"I know," I sighed. "But I'm choosing how I'd like to walk it, and I don't need anyone beside me — at least, not anyone but you guys."

My cousin gave me a soft smile. "You know we'll be there for you, Rose. Always."

I squeezed her hand, thankfulness welling up inside me. "You Potters really know how to make a girl feel loved, you know that?"

—-

At some point in the early hours of the morning, when we'd discussed every subject under the sun (or should I say the moon?), we left our spot under the tree and headed back indoors. I felt more at peace than I had felt in weeks — despite the many pressures weighing down on me and the trials I would soon be facing, I was content in the knowledge that I could rely on my friends for whatever I might need.

We came in through a passageway that let us out in the basement, so we had something of a trek ahead of us. Since we all admitted to being a bit hungry, we made a unanimous decision to drop in at the kitchens, since there were generally a few house elves on night duty. My mum didn't approve of that - she thought the kitchen elves ought to have a lot more time off, and shouldn't be required to work odd hours. Admittedly, though, she had done quite a bit in her time at the Ministry to improve their living circumstances, and at this point she was just picking fights.

We left the kitchens ten minutes later, sipping tea out of cups that were charmed to zap back to their proper shelves once they were empty. I was the first one out the door, which meant I was the one to nearly bump into the person trying to come in – and in the process of my sudden stop, I drenched the front of my shirt in steaming tea. "Goddamnit," I yelped, wincing as I plucked at the soaked material.

"Merlin, Rosie, what...?"

Lysa stopped halfway through her sentence, which was unusual, but I realised why when I looked up and saw the brown hair and the yellow jumper – the same one I'd left at his feet. "Oh," I said, blinking slowly before telling myself to smile. "Hi."

Andy laughed, but it sounded different than normal. "You gotta look at me like I'm a fucking... axe murderer?" He was slurring his words, and as I looked at him more closely, I could see other signs of the obvious – he was far from sober.

I glanced back at my friends, who were lingering awkwardly behind me. Gripping my mug, I made a decision. "Wait for me by the Great Hall," I told them softly. "I'll be up before long."

Lily looked hesitant, but Lysa seemed to understand. She squeezed my cousin's arm, and in a moment they were gone, leaving me alone in the corridor with my ex.

Andy hadn't said anything else, or even moved – he was standing there, arms crossed, staring at me. The look on his face... I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt.

I exhaled. "What on earth have you been up to?"

He shifted from one foot to the other, jaw set. "Why the fuck do you care?"

"Of course I care, I–" I hesitated; swallowed. "We're friends, Andy. I mean... we were, at least. So yeah, I care. Of course I do."

Andy snorted. "Friends, huh?"

There was anger behind the sarcasm, and it hurt to hear it. I looked away. "You still haven't answered the question, you know. What've you been up to?"

His face twisted into a bitter smirk. "Oh, you know, drowning my sorrows – nothing particularly original."

I bit my lip. "I... I am sorry, you know."

"Yeah. You mentioned that." Andy shook his head, brown wisps of hair fluttering from one side of his forehead to the other. "I still don't get it, though. Any of it."

Wincing, I crossed my arms across my chest. "I know. I'm–"

"Sorry, right?" He scoffed. "I can't fucking figure you out... You seemed really... I thought... We were happy. But then you just go and... You won't even try to give me a goddamn explanation. And here you are, walking around looking perfectly happy and unbothered, and I-" Andy's voice caught in his throat, and I had to fight back the urge to step towards him. "I loved you. It's fucking pathetic, but it's true. And I don't think you saw me as anything but a... I couldn't even tell you. A... A way to waste time."

I swallowed the emotions that had put me in a chokehold, and tried to speak to him in a somewhat level voice. "That's not true, okay? I did care... I do. Didn't I just tell you that?" I wanted to say more, but I told myself there was no point... his questions, honest as they were, were clearly a result of intoxication, and even if I could give him a reason – which I still couldn't – he wouldn't remember it in the morning.

I watched his gaze drift, then focus back on my face. "You know," he rasped, "I really wanted to take you to the Graduation ball."

Exhaling, I let myself shift closer to him – close enough that we could have touched, if it hadn't been a bad idea. I met his eyes, trying to communicate every apology I couldn't make. "I really wanted to go with you."

"So why don't you?"

I blinked. "Andy, we can't–"

"Why the fuck not? Plenty of people who aren't dating go to the ball together... We'd have fun. You know we would." Alcohol drifted off his breath, and with it, a quiet desperation. I wished I could make him feel better, but I knew I couldn't.

I took a sharp step back. "You're not thinking straight."

"Oh, don't get me started–"

"You're drunk, Andy." It came out harsher than I intended, but I knew it was for the best. "Go to bed."

I turned and headed for the stairs before he could say anything else.

- - -

The next morning, I bid my friends a tearful goodbye – although I would see them again in less than a week's time, it was strange to think that we would never walk the halls of Hogwarts as students together again. Al was right there with me, giving Lily a tight hug before shooing her towards the carriages. As they disappeared into the distance, he turned to me with a sigh. "You want breakfast? You know you're welcome to defect to the Slytherin table and keep us company."

I shook my head. "I'm not hungry... And thanks, but I don't think I'll be defecting anytime this week. I'd like to stay on McGonagall's good side, at least for a few more days."

Albus tilts his head. "You'll always be on her good side, Rosie. That woman has loved you for literally your entire life."

"Well," I scoff, glancing around to make sure there's nobody close by, "I'm not sure she'll look so kindly on me when she finds out I'm... you know."

"Oh, come on, she isn't going to hate you for that. She's not stupid."

"She might not hate me, but... she'll be disappointed. It means I have to put my plans on hold – my life on hold, really. She isn't going to like it."

"She'll understand," he sighs, meeting my eyes. And then, as if reading my mind, he adds, "Everyone will understand, eventually. It might take time for some of them... but they will understand. Our family isn't perfect, Rose, but we love each other... At least, most of us do our best to. They'll come around to it sooner or later." He hesitates for a moment, then says, "They'd come around to Scorpius, too, if you'd give them the chance."

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Don't, Al."

"I'm just saying, Rose–"

"I didn't ask for your opinion on that, and I don't plan on asking anytime soon. It's my decision, and it's been made. Scorpius is going to have to accept it."

Albus scoffed. "Of course he'll accept it! He'd do anything for you, Rose. I think you know that. But just because you know he'll accept your terms doesn't give you the right to make them so outrageous. Cutting him out is cruel, and you know it."

"I am not cutting him out, for Merlin's sake, I only–"

"Oh, sure, because pretending he's not the father still gives him plenty of space to be in your life."

"Albus, come on. You'll still have him 'round all the time, won't you? We'll be seeing plenty of each other."

A resentful expression flashed across my cousin's face. "Oh, that's just lovely."

"What?" I snapped, starting to feel quite defensive.

He shook his head, pressing his lips into a tight line. "Nothing. It doesn't matter."

He was still walking, but I grabbed his arm and made him stop. "No, tell me. If we're going to have it out, we may as well get it all out."

Al's green eyes darted to the ground, then back up to meet mine. He crossed his arms over his chest, but the gesture seemed more protective than angry. "I just..." He exhaled. "It's not easy constantly being your go-between, Rosie. To be honest, it's been downright miserable. And I can't do it forever. It's hellish to be stuck in the middle of you two and all your bloody drama, and I'm not going to spend the rest of my life facilitating your determination to keep Scorpius on the sidelines, okay? I won't do it. I said I'd support you, and I meant it, but that's the one thing I'm not going to support you in. Be mad about it if you want to, I'll accept that anger – but I'm not going to change my mind."

I just stared at him for a minute, not saying anything. It was a lot to process – I was only now starting to realise how much this whole thing was hurting him. I swallowed, hard. "Al, I-" My voice broke, and the image of my cousin blurred in front of me as water pooled in my eyes. "I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice clogged with emotion. "I'm sorry for everything. I just–"

"Shh." I felt his arms wrap around me, and didn't stop him from pulling me into a tight hug. "God, Rosie, you're shaking..."

Just for a moment, I let myself be held. But all that was running through my head was that I needed to make him understand, I needed to explain – the whole truth, not just what I had been saying. Conscious that I was still trembling, I pulled back from my cousin, swiping my hand across my face to be rid of the tears. "It's not that I hate him, Al," I whispered. "I don't hate him, not even a little bit. And believe me when I say I want him in my life. But I..." My voice broke again. "I'm scared, Albus. I'm so scared. I barely have a plan and I don't know what I'm doing and I... I don't know anything, really. The only thing I know for certain is that the next year will probably be the hardest year of my life. And Scorpius... the only thing Scorpius would do is make it harder. So call me a coward, we both know it's true, but I can't do it right now. I can't have him as a part of it. Do you understand that?"

I saw my cousin take a deep breath. "I'm trying," he said, and I could tell how earnestly he meant it. "I'm really trying."

- - -

I didn't go to breakfast with Al, and I didn't go to lunch, either... which meant that by the time late afternoon came around, I was rather hungry. It was only five o'clock, and supper wouldn't be served in the Great Hall yet, so I once again found myself making the trek down to the kitchens. What I didn't expect, although I probably should have considered the possibility, was to turn the corner that led to the basement steps and find myself face to face with Andy.

I heard him inhale sharply when he saw me. We stood on either side of the staircase for a long moment, silently observing each other. Compared to his condition last night, he looked put together – his clothes were pristinely pressed, his head boy badge looked freshly polished, and his hair was tame – but there were shadows under his eyes, and the way his shoulders slumped sent a pang of regret through me.

I crossed my arms over my chest and said, "How's the hangover?"

Andy blushed, looking at the floor. "Not too bad now. It was hell this morning, though..." He trailed off, glancing up at me again as if waiting for another comment. When I didn't say anything, he straightened up and took a few steps forward, meeting my eyes. "Look... I honestly can't remember what I said to you last night, but I'm sorry you had to see that. It's not... I'm not... I don't do that shit. Getting wasted and staggering around yelling at people... it's never been my thing, and I'm not sure what induced me to do it last night, but it was a mistake. I'm really sorry if I said anything mean or stupid or..."

I let out a soft laugh. "First off, you weren't yelling at anyone. And secondly, if you did say anything mean, I probably deserved it."

His eyes turned inexplicably soft. "You don't deserve it."

It was my turn to stare at the floor. "You've every right to hate me for leaving the way I did."

"I don't know how to hate you."

"You'll learn," I sighed, looking back up at him.

Andy chuckled. "I don't think so."

"Give it a few weeks," I replied, a smirk flickering across my lips.

He rolled his eyes. "You just don't get it, do you?" Then he exhaled, and his expression turned serious again. "Just to clarify... if it doesn't bring back any disastrously painful memories for you... what did I say last night?"

I paused; replayed the conversation in my head. I swallowed. "It was mostly just.. That you couldn't understand it all."

Andy nodded. "For the record," he said, meeting my eyes, "I still don't understand it. And it still hurts... clearly. But I've decided that I... I trust you, I guess. I believe that you have a good reason. I have to believe that."

It still hurts, he said. I wondered if he knew it hurt me, too. I bit my lip, thinking about what the coming months would bring – I wouldn't be able to keep my secret forever. "Would it make you feel better if I promised to tell you eventually?" I said softly.

His brow creased. "What, you'll tell me later but can't tell me now?"

I nodded. "I know it doesn't make sense right now, but... you'll know before the new year. How's that?"

Andy ran a hand through his hair, leaving it ruffled. "I think I'm more confused than I was, to be honest. But..." He shrugged. "Like I said, I guess I've accepted that you have a good reason. I don't have much of a choice, considering... everything." A look I couldn't interpret flickered across his face. "Did I say anything else last night? I hope I didn't alarm you."

I chewed on my lip for a minute, then said, "You asked me to go to the ball with you. As... friends, or whatever we are."

A short, pained laugh escaped his lips. "Whatever we are," he repeated, a bitter air to the words. Then his brain seemed to jump back to the first part of what I'd said. "I... suppose I can assume you said no."

I squeezed my arms more tightly around me. "It was obvious you were absolutely wasted. I told you to go to bed."

Andy exhaled, waiting a moment before saying, "You think it would be a bad idea? If we went together?"

I blinked. When I looked into his eyes, I found no levity there. I shifted on my feet, trying to come up with a response that felt right for the situation. "That was the most anticlimactic way of asking someone to a ball that I've ever heard. Bloody hell."

Andy's face lost some of the tension that had been lingering in it as he chuckled. "Well, I've already asked you properly once! I didn't see the need to go through the whole ordeal again."

Against my better judgement, I smiled at him – a real smile, not just a slight one. If I was honest, I'd made up my mind a while ago. "Fine," I said. "I mean, why shouldn't we? It will be fun – I mean, as fun as these things ever are. And it will be a nice way to..." I trailed off, realising that the final thought might not have an entirely kind one.

But Andy knew exactly where my thoughts were heading. "A nice way to say goodbye," he said softly. He bit his lip, as if he was pondering the idea, then nodded. "You're right," he said. "It will."

It was a comforting idea, thinking of a better, sweeter end for us. Especially considering he was hurting more than I was... considering how much deeper his feelings had run.

He must have read something new in my face, because he exhaled softly. "What?" he said.

I stared at the ground. "You said something else last night."

"Oh." He paused, then asked, "Something stupid?"

"You said you loved me."

"Oh," he said again. He looked solemnly at me for a moment, then his eyebrow quirked up. "You didn't know?"

I thought back to the night I broke up with him, and the conversation I had cut off. I met his eyes hesitantly. "I'm not surprised... I'm just... I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Andy said, his voice gentle but steady. "I'm not."

EVERYTHING BELOW IS A TEMPORARY PLACEHOLDER... I'M SORRY IT'S CONFUSING AGH

SCORPIUS

I stood in front of the mirror, rearranging my hair for what must have been the third or fourth time. It just wouldn't stay...

Albus came up behind me, a smirk on his face. "You look good, Scorp. Rose isn't going to dump you for not having perfect hair. If you don't finish, though, she might dump you for being late."

I sighed, willed my insufferable blond mess to stay where it belonged, and followed Al out of the dormitory. Albus was taking his cousin Dominique as his date - I had tried to convince him to take a boy, but he said he'd rather die than come out to the entire Wizarding World. Dominique was a Ravenclaw, so after ascending from the dungeons we would part ways to head to the respective towers of the girls.

Before we separated, Al smiled and patted me on the back. "Best of luck with your plans tonight, Scorp."

I grinned, albeit a bit nervously. "Thanks, mate. I'll see you in there."

As I headed towards Gryffindor tower, I fingered the box in the pocket of my robes anxiously. My plans for tonight were almost certainly a collosally bad idea, and I was seriously reconsidering them. But she loved me, didn't she? She'd told me so. It wasn't foolish; it was fate.

I glanced at my watch, which read 7:13. The doors of the Great Hall were to open at 7:30, so I was to meet Rose at a quarter after seven outside the portrait hole.

I arrived with a minute to spare, which gave me plenty of time to overthink my plans. Maybe it wasn't meant to be...

No, Scorp, don't think like that. I breathed deeply. It was going to work out - it had to. After all, we loved each other, didn't we? This was what people did when they were in love.

I reached back into my pocket, feeling the soft velvet of the little box. If things went as I hoped they would, by the end of the evening Rose would be one step closer to becoming my wife.

ROSE

I stood at the mirror, adding a few final touches to my makeup with a sigh. It was one of many times that I could have used Lysa's help in the past few days - cosmetics had never been my strong point.

Satisfied at last with my appearance, I smiled at my reflection and twirled in front of the mirror. My dress was beautiful - a royal blue off-the- shoulder gown with navy blue embroidery. Mum had picked it out from a shop in Godric's Hollow, near Al's house. Its neckline was far from revealing, which I supposed was a good thing considering what had happened when I'd worn a skimpy dress.

I wondered absently if Scorpius would like it, then frowned. I hoped he wouldn't say anything too sentimental tonight; I didn't want to feel obligated to reciprocate. It was at this moment that the clock informed me it was 7:15 - time to meet Scorpius. I checked my affectionate smile in the mirror to make sure it was up to standard, and headed down.

Scorpius' eyes lit up as I slipped through the portrait hole. "You look... beautiful."

I blushed, putting on a shy smile. "Thanks... you look pretty good yourself."

He was dressed, as every male graduate would be, in dress robes, although his looked considerably more high-end than anything I'd seen in the past. I forgot sometimes that the Malfoy name had a lot of money behind it.

Scorpius drew me close, and I breathed the calming scent of his cologne - which, come to think of it, was probably outrageously expensive. He kissed me gently on the lips, then pulled away with a wry smile. "I must admit I don't fancy the taste of your lipstick, darling."

I sighed. "I'm sorry. It went best with my dress." That wasn't precisely true. There was another shade that would have suited my colour scheme just as well, but I had chosen this one with the thought that perhaps the unsavoury flavor would make Scorpius less eager to kiss me. It wasn't that I didn't like it when he kissed me... I just didn't fancy a photograph of the gesture in the gossip columns of the Daily Prophet.

"You really don't need makeup, Rosie," Scorpius went on. "You look perfectly lovely without it."

I smiled indulgently. "That's very well for you to say; you're my boyfriend. I don't know that the general public shares your generous opinion."

"Rubbish. I'll hex them if they don't agree."

I laughed. "You had better not, you idiot. Now come on, let's go before we're late."

Scorpius offered me his arm, which I took with a smirk. "Quite the gentleman, Mr. Malfoy. Will anyone recognize you?"

"They'll be too busy looking at you," he murmured, making me blush once more.

• • •

We reached the doors of the Great Hall at 7:32, according to Scorpius' watch. The plan was that the parents of the graduates would have arrived a bit early, and would already be inside when their children arrived, so I looked forward to seeing Mum and Dad. I only hoped they hadn't changed their minds about helping me out...

"Alright, Rosie?" Their was a note of concern in Scorpius' voice, and I realized I was sporting an altogether anxious look.

"Yes, I'm quite well... Let's go in."

"Last chance to ditch me," he said teasingly, but with a hint of seriousness.

I forced a smile. "I wouldn't dream of it."

He squeezed my arm reassuringly, and we walked through the doors.

The Great Hall had been transformed. Gone were the long tables, replaced by round ones scattered around the edges of the room, with a dance floor in the center. On a glowing stage, a string ensemble played some obscure piece of classical wizarding music. Some of the professors were seated at the high table, while others were mingling among the guests - the parents.

I spotted mine at a table in a far corner of the room, and next to them- I let out a quiet laugh. Scorpius glanced at me, an amused smile on his face, and I knew he'd seen it too. His father was sitting with my parents!

"My dad looks ready to explode," I whispered, and indeed he did. Mum and Mr. Malfoy seemed to be having a rather interesting conversation, and Dad was sitting there with a solid scowl on his face, opposing Mum's animated smile and the soft one of Mr. Malfoy.

Scorpius chuckled. "Do you think we ought to go over there?"

I hesitated for a moment, then shook my head. "Let's dance."

And dance we did. Scorpius was marvelous dancer - he'd confided in me that his mum had made him take lessons for years. I was alright, but without him as a partner I would likely have been blundering along stepping on everyone. I was so caught up in the dancing that I hardly noticed the reporters, who almost immediately honed in on us when they entered the room.

After a good twenty-something minutes on the dancefloor, I said it was probably time to pay our respects to our parents, so we made our way over to the little table where they sat.

Mum saw us coming and alerted the others to the fact, so they were all quite ready to greet us. She embraced me and went on to do the same to Scorpius, who looked rather uncomfortable but nevertheless returned the gesture. I also got a hug from Dad, who aknowledged my date only with a slight nod and an icy glare.

Scorpius shook hands with his father, after which he stepped aside to give us a chance to say hello.

I smiled, a bit bashfully, and held out my hand, which Mr. Malfoy brought up to his lips with a genteel smile. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Granger-Weasley. Scorpius has spoken very fondly of you."

I shot a glance at Scorpius, who blushed, then turned back to his father. "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Malfoy. And please, call me Rose."

The blond man nodded in assent. "As you wish."

Scorpius smiled at me, wrapping his arm around my waist. I put my hand up to stifle a yawn, and he frowned slightly. "Are you tired, love?"

I shook my head. "I didn't sleep a whole lot last night, but I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Alright, if you say so." Scorpius smiled affectionately, kissed my cheek, and then turned to my mother. "May I have a dance, Mrs. Granger-Weasley?"

Mum looked surprised, but smiled and agreed after a furtive glance at Dad, who was scowling. Scorpius said a few words into his father's ear and smiled at me before leading her onto the dance floor.

"Would you care to dance?" Mr. Malfoy asks with a smile. I see Dad bristling at this, but I don't mind. He's easily irritated.

I nod. "Certainly."

I see Scorpius and my mother deep in conversation as the blond man leads me onto the floor. As we begin to dance, he speaks.

"I must thank you, Rose, for all you've done for my son," Mr. Malfoy says.

"I don't believe I've done much."

He shakes his head. "You've done more than you know for him. I haven't seen Scorpius this happy since before his mother died, and it's your presence that has affected him so. I must confess I was beginning to fear for him, if he'd continued on the path he was going down. And now he has reformed - for you."

I managed a timid smile. "Surely I can't take all the credit."

"Perhaps not all... but certainly most of it. Loving someone who loves you in return... It can do remarkable things for the soul. I know that from experience."

I nodded and looked down, feeling suddenly uncertain. I'd said last night that I loved Scorpius, but in reality I was entirely uncertain. I wanted to love him, but... at the same time I was afraid. When I glanced back up, Mr. Malfoy was smiling at something over my shoulder.

"I believe you're meant to turn around now," he said quietly.

Confused, I spun around, and stopped short.

Scorpius was down on one knee, a nervous smile on his face. In his hand was an small, open box - a box that held a ring.

I let out a little gasp as my hand went up to my mouth.

The blond boy bit his lip, then stared straight into my eyes. "Will you marry me?"