Hey,
I know we haven’t talked, but my grandfather will be gone by the time you get this and it’s not been an easy few days. Nobody in our family is doing too great, and Rose could use your company. I know you’re confused, Scorp, and as far as that goes you’ve got a hard choice to make, but if you care for her at all you’ll come home. 
-Al

I set the note down on my desk, frowning. I’d been meaning to go home for days, but I kept finding excuses not to. There was always another friend to have a drink with or another person to talk to about my research on blood curses. But I knew I’d been putting it off long enough.

Sighing, I looked around the room. I hadn’t really brought anything when I’d fled to Paris, and I didn’t need to bring anything back. Just my wand and myself. It was better, I supposed, to rip the bandage off and go sooner rather than later. I hadn’t planned to meet anyone today, so there was nothing I needed to cancel. 

Well then, that was that. With a last hesitant glance around the bedroom I’d been hiding in for what seemed like forever, I disapparated.

The face that greeted me at the Weasley residence was an unfamiliar one. A curvy twenty-something-year old brunette stared back at me from the doorway, my daughter cradled in her arms.

“Who the hell are you?” I said, perhaps a bit rudely.

The woman raised an eyebrow. “I could ask you the same question.”

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake, I’m Willow’s father! And I’d like you to explain what you’re doing with my child.”

“I’m the babysitter.”

Of course she was. I really didn’t need to ask the question, and certainly not so harshly, but what can I say? I may have been a bit stressed about seeing Rose after the way I’d run out on everything. Wincing, I ran a hand through my hair. “Of course. Please excuse my manners; I’m not at my best at the moment. You don’t mind if I come in, do you?”

The young woman smiled slightly. “You are forgiven, and welcome to come inside. I’m Danielle, by the way.”

“Scorpius,” I replied, offering my hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” she said as I stepped in, shutting the door behind me. “I must admit I was curious as to your absence. But, pardon me, I shouldn’t ask… I do think it’s good that you’re here now; the family needs taken care of more than Willow does these days.”

I nodded absently. “Do you know when they’ll be home?”

“Not exactly. The last I saw of any of them was Mrs. Granger-Weasley, who was here just for a few minutes early this morning. She said Mr. Weasley’s father - I assume you know the situation? - was expected to pass soon and she couldn’t be sure when they’d be home, but surely before suppertime.”

I glanced at the clock on the wall of the family room, which read 3:45. “I see. Would you mind terribly if I hung around here until they come home?”

Danielle shook her head. “That’s fine with me. I’m sure you’d like to spend some time with Willow.”

“Yes, certainly.” I took my daughter out of the babysitter’s arms, kissing her forehead softly. She giggled in the adorable way that babies do. Salazar, I had missed her these past weeks. I thought about my last conversation with Al, and how worried I’d been that if I explained my changing feelings to Rose she wouldn’t let me continue to be a part of Willow’s life. Anything else, I knew I could take… but losing my daughter was unthinkable.

Around 4:30, I was sitting on the floor absorbed in playing with Willow when I heard the front door open, followed by a low murmur of voices in the hall. Danielle was in the kitchen making herself a snack, so it was just me and the baby in the family room. I only had a moment to prepare myself before someone walked in - as it happened, Rose herself.

Her hair was what I saw first, firey red as always. The blue eyes I knew so well were swollen with recent tears, and widened at the sight of me. “Scorpius?” She lingered just inside the doorway, seeming hesitant to approach, and didn’t say anything more.

I stood, smiling slightly. “Hey, Rosie.” I chewed on my lip, unsure of what I wanted to say. “Al wrote about your grandfather. I figured it was time to come home…” I wanted to approach her, but I didn’t know if she would want me to. “I’m sorry for disappearing the way I did.”

Rose returned the smile, but only just. “That’s alright. Thank you for coming.”

At this point, two more people entered the room - Mrs. Granger-Weasley and Hugo. The first came forward to embrace me without hesitation. “Scorpius, how good to have you back.”

I managed a grin. “It’s good to be back. I’ve missed you all.”

Rose’s brother was staring at me, seeming unsure of how to greet someone he’d only briefly interacted with. Eventually, he settled on “Malfoy,” accompanied by a nod, before taking his leave.

Rose, meanwhile, had come over to say hello to Willow, but was more or less avoiding my gaze. Eventually, though, she did look up at me. “Do you care to take a walk, Scorpius? I feel as though I must do something more than sit around and mope.”

Well, better to have the inevitable conversation now and get over with the awkwardness. “Absolutely,” I said with a nod. 

Rose picked up Willow and handed her to Mrs. Granger-Weasley, murmuring a few words before turning to me. “Shall we?”

I offered my arm without thinking, but she frowned and didn’t take it. Sighing, I went ahead of her into the hall, retrieving both of our jackets from where they hung on the coat rack and handing hers to her. She thanked me in a small voice, leading the way out the door.

We walked in silence for what seemed a long while, neither of us wanting to start the conversation. Finally, though, Rose spoke. “I think maybe it was a good thing that you left when you did.”

I looked at her, confused. “You do?”

“Yes. We were being reckless, Scorpius. We’re not just kids anymore, and that night… that was what it felt like. It felt like back in school, but better, and that’s… that’s dangerous. We can’t do that; there’s too much at stake. You know how much pain our fling last year brought both of us, and you know that a repeat of it will do the same. We have to think beyond ourselves, and sleeping together… it’s just not practical.”

Here was an excuse for why I’d run off being handed to me. All I had to do was agree with her words, and I wouldn’t need any more of an explanation. I could pretend that my crisis of feelings had never happened. But was that fair to her? 

I nodded. “You’re right.” Then, “I feel like I need to explain myself.”

Rose looked up at me, and shook her head. “Don’t feel obligated. You needn’t.”

“I do, all the same. I…” I hesitated. Could I do this? “I guess I freaked out a little, Rosie. We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, and when you dropped the L-word… it threw me. It’s just… the last time you said that to me, I tried to propose the next day, and you…” I ran a hand through my hair. “I don’t want you to say that to me because you feel like you should. I want you to say it because you really mean it. But I… I’d become so used to the idea that you didn’t love me, that suddenly I wasn’t sure of anything anymore, and I was scared. So I ran.”

My former lover’s eyes were soft and regretful. “I’ve caused you a lot of pain, haven’t I?”

“Yes,” I admitted. “But that’s all in the past, and I’ve never held it against you. It certainly doesn’t excuse me disappearing in such a manner. I should have been here, especially with everything that’s been happening with your grandfather. I’m sorry that I wasn’t.”

Rose let out a sigh. “It’s alright.” Then, “I think we need to accept that our lives might end up taking us in different directions. There’s a great possibility that we won’t always be together so much, and we ought to get used to the idea.”

I stopped walking. “Don’t say that, Rosie.” 

She paused, and looked straight at me. “Not saying something doesn’t stop it from being true.”

“It doesn’t have to be true,” I argued, suddenly feeling that the mere idea of not being close to Rose was painful enough to kill me.

“But it almost certainly is.”

“Rose-”

“Listen to me, will you? You say you’re scared. So am I, Scorpius. Our relationship has always been full of uncertainties, and I just… I think it’s ill-fated, if we go on as we have. If something doesn’t change, I don’t see any way that we won’t fall apart...”

My breath seemed stuck in my throat. I couldn’t stand to hear the words she was saying. I didn’t want to lose her.

Almost without thinking, I drew Rose close and kissed her. She froze for a moment, but didn’t pull away. When I pulled back to gauge her reaction, there were tears on her cheeks. “Hey, don’t cry,” I pleaded, brushing the wetness away with my thumb. “We’ll be okay, Rosie.”

“Will we?” she whispered, laying her head against my chest.

“We will.” I embraced her tightly, and after a moment’s hesitation planted a light kiss on the top of her head. “I’m not letting you go.”