Rose Weasley was at her wit's end. She loved being in a big family but never again does she want to pull the short straw and play babysitter. Especially at weddings. With nearly forty people staying at the Burrow at once, Rose knew the requests to watch her fellow cousins and second cousins was inevitable.

The redhead sat in the washroom, her head in her hands as she waited for her magic to clean out the juice stain on her shirt little Penny thought would look good on her. Thankfully Toby was asleep and Charlie's kids were busy eating a snack before dinner. So Rose took what time she could to be alone and collect her thoughts.

James Potter wasn't a Weasley but he might as well have been. So when he announced he was getting married to his sweet Amelia Cosgrove, a Hufflepuff from New Brunswick, Molly insisted the wedding had to be held at the Burrow like every other Weasley couple had. When Ginny and Harry married it was more like they all took on her last name and not Harry's. Which was fine with everyone. The more the merrier, as Arthur would say.

When Victorie and Teddy got married, it was a year after their last year at Hogwarts and Rose had just started her second year so it was evident what her role was. And now they have two kids with one on the way. Dominique had a scare with her wedding falling through last year but got over that easily with an old classmate, Erik, stepping in and dated her for a few weeks before proposing. He was here too. As was Albus' girlfriend of six months, a Durmstrang girl a year older than him but was nearly half his height. Fred II brought his pregnant wife, Laura, having gotten married last year instead of Dominique. His sister, Roxanne was brave and invited her muggle boyfriend who Rose had yet to meet. Then there was Louis who just acquired his own girlfriend, a girl who just so happened to be the daughter of one of Ginny's Quidditch teammates, so she had to come. Molly II (aka Mo) said she wasn't dating anyone but got owls every day from some guy named Albert. Rose saw a passage he wrote in one of the letters and she wanted to throw up, it was so sappy. Lucy was the youngest to have a date for the wedding but Percy approved of the boy so everyone welcomed him with open arms.

So that left Rose all on her own. Seventeen wasn't a horrible age to be alone at, but there wasn't anyone else around her age who didn't have a boyfriend or higher in their life. Next came Lily Potter and at fifteen, Harry wasn't about to let her bring home any boys quite yet. Everyone else was thirteen or younger. Rose's brother, Hugo, was annoyingly wise for a thirteen-year-old and was never slow to remind her that there was another seventeen-year-old that liked to hang around the Burrow from time to time every time she liked to complain about being alone.

But Rose didn't think of Scorpius Malfoy that way. He was just a good friend. She smiled. A really good friend. But he wasn't always.

The Malfoys were known to be Potter's rival during school. Once Voldemort came and took over, Malfoy joined him. But as the story goes, Draco then left and found himself a nice girl and settled down. But the year Rose started was the year Harry and Draco decided to start being friends, just in time for her to start classes with quiet Scorpius.

The first year was weird. Neither one of them knew how to really treat each other with the whole Malfoy/Potter stigma looming over their heads. They were never unkind to each other, just hesitant to get close in fear of people making fun of them or their parents suddenly changing their minds about being buddy/buddy with each other. Also didn't help that Scorpius' mom passed away just the year before, leaving the poor boy quiet and shy.

But by the second year, it got easier to say "Hi" in the halls and pick each other out of a crowd. They would eat together sometimes, but only when they had to. His Slytherin friends didn't like her Gryffindor ones so they made sure to only interact when they were somewhat alone. One time, during Halloween, they were walking in the halls to the Great Hall when Peeves popped out of nowhere, scaring the two of them nearly to their own deaths. But it wasn't the ghost that made their hearts beat fast, it was the fact they found their hands clasped tightly as they stood close to each other. Rose refused to acknowledge that it happened.

Third year they had every single class together resulting in their first fight to which neither of them spoke to the other for weeks. This lead to failed exams and lonely study sessions to which neither one wished to cave to and resolve their conflict. That was when Rose suddenly found herself looking for him anytime she was out of the dorm, or silently watch the portrait door wishing for him to walk through. She didn't know, but the blond boy nearly felt the same way, scared to go to her for fear of getting jinxed again. But that summer they cleared things up with a much needed food fight and Burrow visits that soon became consistent and expected.

Fourth year Rose was sick a lot resulting in Scorpius collecting notes in her classes and making her eat when she didn't want to. He was such a mum, rushing around and constantly checking up on her. She loved it and it made him look so cute getting all flustered and concerned. That was also the year she wanted to try out for the Quidditch team, now that she was confident in her skills despite Scorpius telling her countless times that she was amazing. But the boy didn't let her try out, making her madder than a goblin losing his gold. So to calm her down, Scorpius promised not to try out for his team until she did for hers as well as agreeing to go out with her for sort slow rides around the grounds when she felt up to it.

It wasn't until fifth year Rose started to feel self-conscious when around her best friend. It started when they were eating lunch one day and she was sitting across from him, a book in one hand and a sausage on a fork in the other. She looked up from her book and stopped mid-chew suddenly mesmerized by the boy, no more like young man in front of her. For a solid three minutes, she didn't take her eyes off him as he, too, read while he ate. He looked up and smiled at her, not at all bothered by catching her staring. For the rest of the year, she couldn't get him out of her head. Quidditch practice was practically murder as she struggled not to stare at his windswept hair and toned body. It was entirely unfair a boy at his age looked that good. By the end of the year, Scorpius had noticed something was wrong with her but Rose was proud of herself, thinking she acted just the same as always when it was quite the opposite. Scorpius never took notice of the other girls in his class looking at him but when Rose did, his face got hot and he had to remind himself how to breathe. But Rose didn't know that.

Sixth year everything suddenly changed. His voice got lower. Her shirts got tighter. His hair wouldn't stop growing. Her heart wouldn't stop beating rapidly around him. And they both couldn't take their eyes off each other. It was in this year that both teens realized the other never dated anyone. Rose went on a few dates with a few guys and there was one girl Scorpius liked in fourth year but only got one date with in fifth year. But neither one had actually ever been in a relationship. Everyone around them rolled their eyes and ignored their constant questions as to why. The two teens just didn't know how to recognize it let alone admit it.

At one point they were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, just talking, when Scorpius paused and reached out, tucking a hair behind her ear. Rose stilled, her breath shallow as she stared at the boy mere centimeters away from her face. Scorpius moved his hand from her hair to her cheek, leaning in slowly. Rose looked down at his lips, her chest full of butterflies but her body following his lead willingly. Closing their eyes, they felt each other's breath when suddenly the portrait door opened and a bunch of first years came tumbling in. The two of them jumped apart, looking anywhere but at each other. But when Scorpius left to go to his room, the two of them just stared at each other, not saying anything, not moving. Then the spell was broken and he left just as she turned to go up to her own room.

Since then, they had been fairly normal with each other. But it wasn't the same as before. Before, they could easily mess around, tickle, trick, tackle, and lay around carelessly. But every time Rose saw the green-eyed Slytherin, she couldn't think of anything other than wanting to be in his arms or making him smile. So since the start of summer, Rose trained her mind to think of him just as she had before. A friend.

But that was hard to do when everyone and their owl was either dating, engaged, married (getting married), or pregnant. Not only was she feeling personal pressure but the constant nagging of her dear old family too. So she bit her tongue and nodded her head, doing what they wished just to keep them quiet about her and Scorpius.

However, it was Hugo that invited the young man to James and Amelia's wedding, saying that it would be nice to have everyone here for it. And seeing as how Draco was coming with his own new wife, it would only be fair to have Scorpius come too. So maybe it was a good idea that Rose was stuck with the kids, leaving her no time to be distracted by the boy she couldn't get her mind off of. And with the wedding tomorrow, Rose only had to endure three more days of this, whatever 'this' was before she could focus on what her feelings were before school started up again in two months.

There was a sudden knock on the door jarring the redhead out of her thoughts, her head shooting up.

"Hello? All the other washrooms are full and," came a sweet, gentle voice.

"OH! Yeah, leaving now!"

Rose recognized the voice and shot up, grabbing her wand and clean shirt, tugging it on as she opened the door.

"Sorry, Laura. Pregnant ladies call dibs on the washroom."

Laura's slightly flushed face smiled as she stepped aside to let the girl pass. "Sorry, they just insist I always have an empty bladder."

Rose smiled, nodding. "Gotta love kids. Not even born yet and already bossing you around."

The girls laughed but just before Rose turned to leave, she looked at Fred II's wife.

"Speaking of kids, do you happen to know where the group is?"

Laura nodded. "Watching a film with Mo and Hugo in guesthouse three. Oh, and the Malfoy's just arrived."

Rose nodded, backing away with a hopefully real smile and a small wave. "Thanks!"

Leaving a smiling Laura, the girl raced out of the house but not before grabbing a cloak and her broom. Thank goodness Mo and Hugo had the wonderful idea to take the kids to one of the guesthouses. That gave her time to go out and clear her head in the air for a few hours before the big day. It wasn't even her day and she was stressed beyond belief. Maybe she won't get married and just do what Muggles do sometimes and elope and travel the world in a small vehicle living off of the land and kind people.

Rose laughed at herself as she burst outside and shot off into the air, her long red hair pulled back from her wilding grinning face. The sky was growing dark but still light enough for her to not need a light. Stopping a good distance from the ground, Rose looked down and sighed at the busy ground below her. There was the Burrow, four temporary guest housing tents, the big white wedding tent and a few temporary washrooms off to the side. Light streamed out from every window and curtain as her large family and incoming guests milled about getting settled and doing last minute things preparations.

Everything bothering her bubbled up inside her, making it physically hurt. Closing her eyes, the young woman threw her head back and yelled into the sky. Suddenly she felt better. Not completely cured, but a bit better than before. Tears streamed down the corners of her eyes as she silently wept.

Rose thought back to what her mother said about her dad and how thick of a head he had when it came to romancing her mother. The young girl laughed thinking that perhaps it was her to inherited her father's inept ability to sort out feelings and act accordingly.

Rose felt lonely. She felt empty. She felt scared.

Lonely without Scorpios. Empty inside her heart. Scared to be alone forever.

And she had one question; Did Scorpius feel the same?

Maybe she should just run away. Join a circus. Blend in with the muggles. Go into dragon taming like uncle Charlie and disappear for years on end. Even working with the goblins at Gringotts sounded better than admitting her feelings to her best friend.

There was a shout from below, twice now being pulled from her meandering thoughts. Looking down, Rose jumped as the sky clapped with thunder, her eyes following a figure quickly rising up into the air. Another hit of thunder boomed around her just as she recognized who it was. She wanted to throw up and throw herself at them all at once.

"Didn't anyone tell you not to fly in the rain?" Scorpius smirked as he came up next to her, his blond hair gently moving across his forehead and obscuring his bright green eyes.

Rose shrugged. "I wouldn't mind getting electrocuted right about now."

The girl laughed at the glimpse of shock and fear on the boy's face before he, too, laughed.

"Are the kids that bad?"

"Horrendous."

Thunder clapped again and the two of them jumped as rain fell hard and fast, soaking them already. Shaking his head, Scorpius flew a bit closer, pulling out his wand. Rose watched as he casted a simple shield over the two of them, making her lean closer to him. She looked down at the people below and snorted at the rush to create their own weather barrier.

Scorpius looked down too, smiling. "I was worried James wasn't going to get married."

"I thought we said Dominique was the one to be alone forever?"

The blond boy nodded. "Right. But she's engaged now so that leaves just the two of us."

Rose rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Looks like we need to start planning for hers now then. Maybe we should get a head start and plan Roxanne's while we are at it."

Scorpius laughed. "You should have seen Albus and Kate, it seems to me they might be next."

Rose slapped his arm, her mouth agape. "They are as old as we are!"

Scorpius shrugged. "Who said we couldn't be next too?"

Rose just stared at him, her heart beating wildly as she felt her face heat up. No, no not again. Her feelings were back and fear quickly over took her. She'd never be a good girlfriend, let alone wife. Her hands grasped her broom and moved just a bit to the side, away from the boy that made her forget how to think clearly.

But Scorpius wasn't going to let her go that easily. Keeping the barrier up, he moved closer to her, balancing perfectly as he reached out with his free hand and grabbed her broom to keep her from leaving him again. His forest green eyes bore into her chocolate brown ones, a smirk growing on his lips.

"Scared, Weasley?"

Rain hit Rose's cheeks as she tried to think of a clever comeback, but her throat was getting tight as her knuckles turned into white fists. Her breathing became halted and her head empty. Blinking, Rose realized it wasn't rain on her cheeks but tears. Swallowing hard, the young girl looked him right in the eyes and nodded the tiniest bit.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice nearly drowned out by the rain and thunder around her, "Terrified."

Scorpius's smirk fell and his brows pulled together as he let go of her broom to take one of her shaking fists. He placed his wand behind his ear, the spell still going, so he could take her other hand.

"I'm sorry," he whispered back, his eyes earnestly begging for her to be alright.

Rose shook her head. "No," she sniffed, "it's nothing you have done. Or rather, it's everything you have done and I'm just...I'm just tired and weak and...I don't know. I don't know what it is I'm feeling and I am scared I'm just going to end up getting hurt.or hurting you. Or both."

Scorpius moved a hand up to her cheek, making her mind flash back to the moment they shared in the common room just last year. His thumb wiped away her tears as she subconsciously leaned into his touch.

"No one's going to get hurt. I promise." He smiled. "Don't you miss us? What we were like before? How easily we got along and how much fun we had?"

Rose smiled weakly, sniffing. "I do. But I don't want to lose it either."

The boy smiled wider, taking both her cheeks in his hands, softly stroking her, the tips of his fingers in her red hair. "Taking the next step won't eliminate that. If anything it will make what we had better." He smiled, one side of his lips lifting higher than the other. "We deserve some sort of reward for how long we have gone without anything happening."

Rose laughed, her tears quickly trying. "We all know Albus wouldn't be any sort of competition."

Scorpius laughed too, nodding. "I still think he's next."

Rose just looked at the blond boy, her heart speaking before her mind ruined the moment. Reaching up, she rested a hand on his arm.

"Not unless we beat him to it. I mean, they have only been together for a few months. But we have been-"

Lips hastily pressed against hers, making her freeze, her eyes going wide. But not a moment later she closed her eyes and leaned into Scorpius' hold, her hands reaching up to grasp onto his arms. All the fear she had felt before disappeared in an instant, excitement and eager happiness filling her veins instead. Blanketing warmth replaced the butterflies that once racked against her ribcage. A smile pulled at her lips.

Scorpius pulled away, his eyes soft as he looked at her with so much adoration she nearly fell off her broom. "Rose Weasley, will you please, finally, be mine?" He whispered, his eyes flickering to her lips again.

Rose let out a small laugh but fell quiet as she looked away for a moment. "On one condition."

The boy smiled slightly, "And what will that be?"

Leaning forward, Rose pressed her forehead lightly against his, her eyes closing as she felt him pull her closer. She spoke in a whisper that sent pleasant chills down the young Slytherin's spine.

"Promise me we will make this work. Because I don't think I could ever love someone just as much, if not more than I love you."

Scorpius smiled wide and let out a content laugh. "I promise, my dear Rose."

Rose smiled and startled him by throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him soundly. The wand fell from his ear, the barrier falling with it and the rain dousing them once again. But neither of them cared as they lost themselves in each other's arms, lips moving in sync to the rhythm of their beating hearts.