"In Vino Veritas (5/6)" - A Gift for orkyd
Title: In Vino Veritas (Part 5/6: Rum)
Author: i_am_girlfriday
Gift For: orkyd
Summary: Rose finally convinces herself to come clean with Scorpius, but not before she discovers that justice really does run in her blood.
Rating: PG-13, eventually R
Warnings: Tame teenage horniness, mentions of Scorpius/OFC and Rose/OMC
Word Count: 4,309
Author's Note: Thank you to my betas, D and T, and B for encouragement.
October faded into November and Rose felt like she had developed the stamina of a distance runner. Each day was a marathon, her students and colleagues pushing and testing her limits. Every eight-hour day that Rose didn’t have a throbbing headache or need a stiff drink made Rose feel as triumphant as crossing a finishing line.
Teaching came easily to her. Rose’s passion for Divination inspired her students, even those who lacked any sort of capability. She stopped flinching every time someone used the term inner eye. She no longer felt the need to explain that some forms of seeing had nothing to do with visions or prophecies. Rose spent ten years trying to understand her ability and wield it for some higher purpose, but she was finally ready to accept that maybe there was no great plan or inspirational meaning for her gift.
Rose made an effort every day to interact with her fellow teachers. Lauren had been very supportive after their girls’ night out. Though Rose was sure that everything she’d told Lauren would be kept in the strictest confidence, that didn’t stop Lauren from orchestrating alone time for Scorpius and Rose. Neville also stopped asking how she was adjusting. Rose felt more at home in her quarters than she ever did in the grand terraced house she shared with Alex for five years. There were no antiques and the furnishings were far from lavish, but she liked her room cluttered to perfection. Rose had kept the promise to herself and made plans to see her family during the upcoming holidays. She wasn’t very good with apologies, but was an excellent pen pal. Every surface was covered in stacks of letters and cards and photos of her cousins with the newest additions to the Weasley clan. Her shelves quickly filled up with Muggle novels from her mother, and witch magazines from her father. In their eyes she would never be too old for care packages. The most obvious difference in décor, however, was all the cat hair on her sofa.
Scorpius’s Kneazle gave birth to a litter of little orange puffballs. He’d given one to Rose as a peace offering. They had foolishly jumped headlong into the past without any sort of game plan to repair their tattered friendship, but they fell back into their old habits quickly. They had both missed the familiarity of having a best mate. Rose lent a hand in the stables a few times a week, and Scorpius saved her a spot next to him at every meal. When Rose worked late and missed Scorpius, he would suddenly appear. When she encountered him in the castle or about the grounds, he would tell her he had just been thinking about her. When Scorpius smiled, Rose felt connected and alive. All of his anger and confusion seemed to have dissipated, and the only thing he exuded when he was with Rose was joy and contentment.
On a very cold Tuesday night they sat together on her sofa and tried to catch up on some reading. After thirty minutes they both quit and played with Rose's kitten, a stubborn little thing she'd named Wentworth. It was one of the few times they were able to just be together in the same room and not talk. Usually, Rose tried to fill the silence. She was afraid of what Scorpius might say if there was a lull in the conversation. So many things were off-limits--her relationship with Alex, his trial, Rose's job at the Ministry, Scorpius’s past relationships, and the reason why they had stopped being friends. When she wasn't talking about her students, or current events in the Muggle world, she was luring Scorpius with topics she knew he felt passionately about--Quidditch, his pets and the numerous creatures under his care, and even Muggle footwear.
That quiet evening revealed more to Rose than she was ready to know. After years of training with her gift, Rose knew that she was particularly sensitive to conflicting emotions. Every day she was bombarded with contradictions. The things people admitted aloud and what they felt in their hearts: the conscious and the subconscious sentiments transmitted into the ether and picked up by an unwitting Rose. When Rose focused on her connection with Scorpius she didn’t feel any deep-seated attraction that he was trying to suppress. There was no pretense or façade. Instead of being comforted by this, Rose felt dejected and perplexed. What was left of her heart was scooped out. All that remained in the middle of her chest was an empty shell. She was sure that if someone put their ear to her sternum they could hear the ocean inside her.
Scorpius observed Rose on the other end of the sofa and interrupted her contemplation. "Is everything alright?"
Rose faltered for a moment before she regained her composure. "Yes.” Her voice quaked. “Why wouldn't it be?"
Scorpius leaned over and pulled her to him in a bone-crushing hug. "Rose, I'm so happy to have you back. Have I told you that this week?"
Rose could not breathe, but she only hesitated a moment before nodding her head in the affirmative. He never failed to remind her how grateful he was that she'd given him a second chance. For some reason he was under the impression that their falling out was completely his fault. Rose felt bitter and foolish with Scorpius’s strong arms wrapped around her, but that quickly faded once he released her from his hold. He tenderly pushed an errant strand of Rose's hair behind her ear and Rose felt a powerful sense of longing flow through her. It transported her back to a time when she could barely tell where her feelings ended and Scorpius’s began. The hope that had just been dashed out returned as youthful emotions stirred within her and in Scorpius.
***
Before the start of their seventh year Rose had gone to stay with Scorpius and his parents in Hampshire for a week. Their plan was to revise for their NEWTs, but as usual, they rushed through studying so they could enjoy the last few days of a glorious English summer. They took long walks in the woods with Scorpius’s Crups and went swimming in the Malfoys’ lap pool.
Everything that week had been perfect. Scorpius had finally convinced his parents to let him take a gap year before he pursued a career in care of magical creatures, and he spent every day of Rose’s visit trying to convince her to take a trip with him. Rose didn’t want the week to end. She wanted to live with Scorpius in summer forever, pause their lives a little longer, and forget about the future. She loved having Scorpius all to herself. He’d grown up quite a bit in the last year, and all the work he’d done in the stables had finally given him some definition in his upper body. Rose’s cheeks burned, but she knew it wasn’t just from the sun. She knew that when they got back to school Chantal would definitely give him a second look, and not for the first time, Rose felt pangs of jealousy. Rose had always liked Scorpius just the way he was. She never cared that he only came up to her chin or that she could probably crush him with her thighs. His old-fashioned haircut and peach fuzz had never bothered her either. Rose recognized that he was special, even when other girls hadn’t.
Rose felt angry and reckless on the last night of her stay. She could not sleep so she put on her bathing suit, grabbed her wand, and headed out to the pool. She dipped her toe in; it felt like bathwater. She charmed the patio with candles. The scent of honeysuckle wafted in the humid air. She waded in and floated on her back. She tried sorting herself out, but to no avail. She was not the first girl to fall for her best friend, and not even the only one to do so in her family, but it didn’t make her heart ache any less.
“Illuminate.” Scorpius flicked his wand as he spoke.
The pool glowed beneath her. Rose looked to her side and saw her orange tendrils spread out around her like a halo. She closed her eyes; she wasn’t ready for her reverie to be interrupted.
She swam to the edge of the pool and got out. “Sorry.” Rose apologized. She didn’t think she was bothering anyone by being out in the pool so late, but as a guest she shouldn’t have been so presumptuous.
There was a long pause. Scorpius’s gaze traveled the length of her legs, covered in freckles and droplets of water, lingered on her hip bones with the yellow ties, and rested on the swells of her breasts. Rose felt like her skin was on fire, her breath hitched, and her fingers longed to touch; only the sensations didn’t belong to her. Rose’s skin was wet and cold, her breathing was even and measured. She wrapped her hands awkwardly around her stomach self-consciously.
“...It’s okay. You’re fine out here. I mean, it, it is fine that you’re out here. I just heard a noise and thought I’d come check it out and I didn’t want my dad to wake up or for the house elf to get nosy. I didn’t mean to interrupt if you wanted to swim. Merlin, I don’t know why...I’m still talking...” Scorpius bit the inside of his cheek and shut up, clearly mortified and extremely excited by the prospect of Rose in a bathing suit. It was the same one that she’d worn all week, but perhaps it was the atmosphere that changed his perspective. Rose turned around, smug and self-satisfied, and looked for her towel.
Just as quickly as she felt Scorpius’s anticipation and arousal, it escaped her. His ire, embarrassment, and disgust flooded her.
“I’ll see you in the morning, okay.” He mumbled.
Before Rose could cover herself with a towel, Scorpius was gone. All she could see through her tears was his retreating backside.
It was the first of many times that year that Rose piqued Scorpius’s interest and he would bury his emotions somewhere deep down and leave abruptly -- angry, ashamed, and revolted. Rose found it nearly impossible to breathe knowing that her best friend was so appalled by his attraction to her.
***
The memory of that distant summer kept Rose up that cold Tuesday night. After restlessly twisting about in her sheets she had an epiphany. It was clear to her why now, after she and Scorpius had grown apart, grown up, and come back to where they started, she only felt his contentment. Scorpius wasn’t conflicted over his emotions anymore because he finally understood them. Rose leapt out of bed and searched the pile of clothes on her chair for a jumper. It was four in the morning, but she didn’t care. She had to see Scorpius. All would be right with them if only her legs wouldn't buckle underneath her.
Rose’s mind shifted suddenly. She had read in The Daily Prophet that Alex’s trial was over. None of his posturing for the media or elders had worked. He agreed to plea guilty of dealing war plundered property and he would help indict the sources and the buyers of the stolen heirlooms. He hoped that would ensure him less time in Azkaban. His sentencing was Wednesday afternoon. Finally Rose grasped what she was meant to understand long ago.
Her excitement to speak with Scorpius waned. She had so much to say to him, but where would she start? How could she begin? She didn't have the time to explain her feelings for him the way she had imagined thousands of times in her head. It was cruel that she should be pulled away so urgently back to a life she had run away from months ago. Rose Weasley Granger could do no less, however; justice was in her blood.
She grudgingly packed a bag and left her quarters for the North Tower. She tidied her desk and wrote detailed instructions in her lesson plan book. She sent an owl to her parents, and told them to expect her shortly.
Rose ran out to the stables, hoping to find Scorpius and say a quick good-bye. He was there, standing with his back to her. She was paralyzed with fear. Careful not to make a sound, she turned and walked back to the castle, determined to talk to Scorpius when she returned.
Rose intercepted Neville as he walked to the Great Hall for breakfast.
“Headmaster!” Rose called from down the corridor.
“Rose, good morning. How are you? I expect snow today. Should be good for my fanged geraniums. The cold should toughen them up. What do you make of the weather?”
“Neville, I haven’t a moment to lose--“
“--Is something the matter?”
“I have something urgent that I need to take care of.”
“Rose?” Neville looked at her with concern.
“It’s not a life or death matter, but it’s something I need to do.” Rose checked her surroundings to see if any students or teachers were around. “I would like to go to Alex’s sentencing. It’s today at one o’clock.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
“I am. I feel compelled."
“Well, if you are sure, then be on your way. I can fill in for you for a few days. Are your lesson plans up to date?”
“Yes, I went to my classroom straight away this morning. I appreciate this more than you know. But one more favor...”
The headmaster knew just what she was going to ask. “Yes, yes, you may use the Floo in my office! Let’s go now.” Neville ushered her to his office, holding on to her elbow gently.
“I should be back by tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. Take a few days if you need to. I know my way around a classroom.”
“A greenroom yes, a classroom? I’m not so sure.” Rose snickered.
“Cheeky! What has your mother told you?”
“Ha! Oh, a thing or two.” Rose couldn’t help but joke even in her grave situation. “I’ll send you an owl to let you know when to expect my return.”
“Say hello to your father for me.” Neville responded gruffly.
“What about Mum?”
“That sneaky minx?” Neville rubbed his chin with his index finger and thumb.
“Will do!” Rose hugged him and threw some Floo powder into the flames. “30 West York Place!"
When Rose stumbled out of her parents’ Floo, her mother and father rushed to greet her.
"Rose, darling!" Her mother hugged her and brushed the soot off her cloak.
"Sweetheart, is everything alright?" Her father enveloped her in his massive arms.
"I'm fine. Everything is fine. I just decided I want to attend Alex's sentencing."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Rose's mother led her to the sofa while her father brought her a cup of tea.
"Anyone who has been affected by the convicted is allowed to speak during sentencing, are they not?"
"Well yes, it's part of due process of magical law." Her mother’s tone was solemn.
Rose looked at her parents with wide eyes. “You always taught me that the right thing to do is not always the easiest thing to do.”
Her father was filled with pride and yet exuded his need to protect her. "Of course. We'll take you and we’ll be there to support you.” This endeared him to Rose even more.
Rose spent the rest of the morning thinking about what she’d say once she was in front of the Wizengamot. It was important for her to go, but she was afraid to face Alex. She hadn’t seen him since the early days of his trial. Her parents had given her few details from the case, but the prosecutor’s opening statement had convinced Rose of Alex’s guilt. Alex had used their own home to store the black market antiques. On the nights that Rose worked late at the Ministry, Alex brought buyers to the house to make deals. They would then go to the gallery the next day, pay for legitimate items, and Alex concealed the plundered antiques inside their parcels or crates along with the other legal purchase. Rose had never suspected anything. She had assumed that hosting significant art collectors at their home was a cosmopolitan practice.
Rose did not visit Alex in jail to end their relationship officially, and she knew that it was cowardly. She couldn’t bring herself to brave the media circus waiting for her outside her house and around every corner. Instead, she’d holed up at her parents’ place all summer.
At half past noon she and her parents Apparated about a block from the Ministry, and tried to sneak in through a back entrance. The media spotted them and came running. Reporters clamored for Rose to make a comment and photographers yelled for her to stop and pose. Rose’s father shielded her and her mother looked on stoically and forcefully said, “No comment,” to those that stood in their way.
Once inside the Ministry, they joined the throngs of witches and wizards headed to Courtroom Ten for the sentencing. Rose’s senses were assaulted by the multitudes of people who Alex had hurt. They had come to the sentencing to say their peace. They had a vested interest in showing that the sale of their priceless family heirlooms held a very human cost. Rose squirmed through almost three hours of speeches. It was painful to hear and painful to feel the families’ anguish. Finally, at a quarter to four, Rose had her opportunity to speak.
Her long legs delivered her to the podium faster than she would have liked. Rose held Alex’s contemptuous glare for a moment before she began to speak. “My name is Rose Weasley Granger.” Her voice wavered. She took a deep breath and began again. “I lived with Alex McShane for five years. Like everyone in this room, this man has turned my life on its ear for the past five months. I could easily not have come here today. As it was reported in the media, I worked for the Ministry for ten years in the Department of Mysteries as an Empath.” Rose gripped the podium and willed herself to stay standing and not run back to her seat. “As an Unspeakable I was held to the highest degree of security, and I was cleared of any involvement. So why am I here?” Rose looked around at the room of her fellow citizens and gathered strength. “I am here to present what I know. And what I know is this: Alex McShane lived with me, said he loved me--me, an Empath, me, the daughter of an Auror and Head of the Magical Justice Department--without any fear of getting caught selling your possessions that were stolen during the Blood Wars. He deceived me because he felt nothing at all. He lived with smug satisfaction. He was a happy, confident man. Alex McShane may not have cast any dark magic or committed any acts of violence. But make no mistake -- Alex McShane feels no sympathy, regret, shame, or remorse for his actions.” Rose focused and connected to Alex. “Not even as we sit here today. He only wishes he hadn’t gotten caught.” Rose bowed her head. The room that had been respectfully silent broke out in a hum of whispers.
Rose gave one last look at Alex. She could feel him seething with anger, but there was nothing beyond that. During their five-year relationship she’d taken comfort in his simple, one-note feelings. Alex’s feelings matched what he expressed verbally. It had been a relief to Rose to finally meet someone who wasn’t a jumble of conflicting emotions. But he was not an honest man; Alex was a textbook sociopath. Rose felt relieved that his endgame had been ruled by greed and not something more sinister. Rose walked quickly from the room without looking back and waited for her parents to rejoin her.
When they arrived home shortly after, her aunt Ginny, uncle Harry, and cousin Al greeted them. Harry had standing arrangements to meet with Rose’s parents to go over the case. Upon learning that Rose had spoken at the sentencing, her aunt and cousin had come along and brought dinner. The two families sat down for an evening of good food and company. Al was home from Egypt until the new year and usually he regaled everyone with tales of curse breaking, but that night Rose was the center of attention. She sensed their collective worry for her emotional state, so she assuaged them with stories about her time at Hogwarts.
“Neville sends his regards to you, Dad. And you three as well, I’m sure.”
“What about me?” Her mother cried.
“I think he’s feeling rather affronted by you right now.” Rose smirked.
“How so?”
“You intimated to me that he was a rubbish student back in the day.” Rose said with a cheeky grin. Everyone laughed.
Her mother looked shocked and appalled. “Rose! I can’t believe you told your headmaster that!”
“So you don’t deny he was a crap student, just that you regret telling me?”
“Honestly, Ron. She’s your daughter! I don’t know where she gets this.”
“Rose, it sounds like you’re having a wonderful time back at Hogwarts.” Ginny smiled warmly.
“I am. I had a rocky start, but things are alright now.”
“I always thought I might want to go back and be Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher...” Her uncle Harry mused.
“What, and relive your glory days, Old Man?” Al nudged his father.
“Speaking of glory days, you two, Professor Chang doesn’t look a day over thirty five.”
“Oi!” Both Harry and Al yelped.
Her mother and father chuckled at their best friend and nephew’s expense while her aunt looked rather put out.
“And on that note,” Rose’s mother interjected, “why don’t you and Al go catch up while we clear the table. We’ll call you down for pudding.”
“No we won’t!” Her aunt Ginny pretended to be annoyed, but Rose knew she secretly found the ribbing quite hysterical.
Al and Rose headed up to her room. They hadn’t hung out there together since they were teenagers. Rose flung herself on to her bed.
“You have the grace of a Hippogriff in a Potions cupboard.”
“What? I’m knackered.”
Al joined her and sat at the foot of the bed. “As much as I love your letters, seeing you in person is way more fun.”
Rose winked at her cousin. “Do you know what’s more fun?”
Al shook his head.
Rose reached underneath her mattress and pulled out a silver flask. “Red currant rum!”
“You don’t walk around with that thing do you?”
“No! Guess I must have left this when I stayed here over the summer.”
Al took the flask and unscrewed the top. He took a swig and passed it to Rose. She drank from the flask until she felt the sweet liquor coat her throat completely.
“I forgot how wicked you can be!” Al took the flask again and sipped slowly.
“I did too.” Rose smiled. “I was out with Scorpius the other night and I was telling him about my horrid detentions with this one student, Ralph, who is the bane of my existence. I was really kind of evil, but Scorpius was laughing so hard.” Rose laughed but Al did not. “...Guess it was one of those ‘you had to be there jokes.’”
Al beamed at Rose.
“What?”
Al said nothing, just grinned even harder.
“What? What are you smiling at?”
“You. Oh Merlin, Rose. You are too much for me.” Al laughed.
Rose felt her face heat up. “What’s so funny?” She was afraid to ask.
“Rosie, you haven’t let me even bring up Scorpius in forever, and then out of nowhere you just talk about him as if you’re best mates again.”
Rose chuckled too, but her heart wasn’t in it. She felt Al’s playful mocking for what it was. Al knew that Rose was pining for Scorpius, and she only wondered how long he had known. “Oh, Al...” Rose covered her warm face with her hands. “I don’t know what to do.”
“After all these years, you still just can’t come out and say it?” Al lay down next to her and looked up at the ceiling covered in Muggle glow-in-the-dark plastic stars.
“No. I can’t. I want to tell him that, you know, I...” Rose couldn’t proceed.
“You love him.” Al finished for her.
Rose just nodded her head. “I’ve wanted to tell him every day since we started hanging out again. But how do I tell my ex-best friend who’s becoming my best friend again that I...that I love him?”
“It’s simple, Rose. You just tell him the truth.”
“There is nothing simple about telling the truth. I’ve been in love with him, stupidly and hopelessly, for as long as I’ve known what love is, and probably since before then too.” Rose sighed heavily.”
Al scoffed. “Obviously you’ve never drunk a good bottle of Merlot! You know what they say, right?”
“No, what?” Rose perked up.
“In vino veritas.”
Rose closed her eyes and repeated it over and over in her head. In wine, there is truth.
Part 6.
Author: i_am_girlfriday
Gift For: orkyd
Summary: Rose finally convinces herself to come clean with Scorpius, but not before she discovers that justice really does run in her blood.
Rating: PG-13, eventually R
Warnings: Tame teenage horniness, mentions of Scorpius/OFC and Rose/OMC
Word Count: 4,309
Author's Note: Thank you to my betas, D and T, and B for encouragement.
October faded into November and Rose felt like she had developed the stamina of a distance runner. Each day was a marathon, her students and colleagues pushing and testing her limits. Every eight-hour day that Rose didn’t have a throbbing headache or need a stiff drink made Rose feel as triumphant as crossing a finishing line.
Teaching came easily to her. Rose’s passion for Divination inspired her students, even those who lacked any sort of capability. She stopped flinching every time someone used the term inner eye. She no longer felt the need to explain that some forms of seeing had nothing to do with visions or prophecies. Rose spent ten years trying to understand her ability and wield it for some higher purpose, but she was finally ready to accept that maybe there was no great plan or inspirational meaning for her gift.
Rose made an effort every day to interact with her fellow teachers. Lauren had been very supportive after their girls’ night out. Though Rose was sure that everything she’d told Lauren would be kept in the strictest confidence, that didn’t stop Lauren from orchestrating alone time for Scorpius and Rose. Neville also stopped asking how she was adjusting. Rose felt more at home in her quarters than she ever did in the grand terraced house she shared with Alex for five years. There were no antiques and the furnishings were far from lavish, but she liked her room cluttered to perfection. Rose had kept the promise to herself and made plans to see her family during the upcoming holidays. She wasn’t very good with apologies, but was an excellent pen pal. Every surface was covered in stacks of letters and cards and photos of her cousins with the newest additions to the Weasley clan. Her shelves quickly filled up with Muggle novels from her mother, and witch magazines from her father. In their eyes she would never be too old for care packages. The most obvious difference in décor, however, was all the cat hair on her sofa.
Scorpius’s Kneazle gave birth to a litter of little orange puffballs. He’d given one to Rose as a peace offering. They had foolishly jumped headlong into the past without any sort of game plan to repair their tattered friendship, but they fell back into their old habits quickly. They had both missed the familiarity of having a best mate. Rose lent a hand in the stables a few times a week, and Scorpius saved her a spot next to him at every meal. When Rose worked late and missed Scorpius, he would suddenly appear. When she encountered him in the castle or about the grounds, he would tell her he had just been thinking about her. When Scorpius smiled, Rose felt connected and alive. All of his anger and confusion seemed to have dissipated, and the only thing he exuded when he was with Rose was joy and contentment.
On a very cold Tuesday night they sat together on her sofa and tried to catch up on some reading. After thirty minutes they both quit and played with Rose's kitten, a stubborn little thing she'd named Wentworth. It was one of the few times they were able to just be together in the same room and not talk. Usually, Rose tried to fill the silence. She was afraid of what Scorpius might say if there was a lull in the conversation. So many things were off-limits--her relationship with Alex, his trial, Rose's job at the Ministry, Scorpius’s past relationships, and the reason why they had stopped being friends. When she wasn't talking about her students, or current events in the Muggle world, she was luring Scorpius with topics she knew he felt passionately about--Quidditch, his pets and the numerous creatures under his care, and even Muggle footwear.
That quiet evening revealed more to Rose than she was ready to know. After years of training with her gift, Rose knew that she was particularly sensitive to conflicting emotions. Every day she was bombarded with contradictions. The things people admitted aloud and what they felt in their hearts: the conscious and the subconscious sentiments transmitted into the ether and picked up by an unwitting Rose. When Rose focused on her connection with Scorpius she didn’t feel any deep-seated attraction that he was trying to suppress. There was no pretense or façade. Instead of being comforted by this, Rose felt dejected and perplexed. What was left of her heart was scooped out. All that remained in the middle of her chest was an empty shell. She was sure that if someone put their ear to her sternum they could hear the ocean inside her.
Scorpius observed Rose on the other end of the sofa and interrupted her contemplation. "Is everything alright?"
Rose faltered for a moment before she regained her composure. "Yes.” Her voice quaked. “Why wouldn't it be?"
Scorpius leaned over and pulled her to him in a bone-crushing hug. "Rose, I'm so happy to have you back. Have I told you that this week?"
Rose could not breathe, but she only hesitated a moment before nodding her head in the affirmative. He never failed to remind her how grateful he was that she'd given him a second chance. For some reason he was under the impression that their falling out was completely his fault. Rose felt bitter and foolish with Scorpius’s strong arms wrapped around her, but that quickly faded once he released her from his hold. He tenderly pushed an errant strand of Rose's hair behind her ear and Rose felt a powerful sense of longing flow through her. It transported her back to a time when she could barely tell where her feelings ended and Scorpius’s began. The hope that had just been dashed out returned as youthful emotions stirred within her and in Scorpius.
***
Before the start of their seventh year Rose had gone to stay with Scorpius and his parents in Hampshire for a week. Their plan was to revise for their NEWTs, but as usual, they rushed through studying so they could enjoy the last few days of a glorious English summer. They took long walks in the woods with Scorpius’s Crups and went swimming in the Malfoys’ lap pool.
Everything that week had been perfect. Scorpius had finally convinced his parents to let him take a gap year before he pursued a career in care of magical creatures, and he spent every day of Rose’s visit trying to convince her to take a trip with him. Rose didn’t want the week to end. She wanted to live with Scorpius in summer forever, pause their lives a little longer, and forget about the future. She loved having Scorpius all to herself. He’d grown up quite a bit in the last year, and all the work he’d done in the stables had finally given him some definition in his upper body. Rose’s cheeks burned, but she knew it wasn’t just from the sun. She knew that when they got back to school Chantal would definitely give him a second look, and not for the first time, Rose felt pangs of jealousy. Rose had always liked Scorpius just the way he was. She never cared that he only came up to her chin or that she could probably crush him with her thighs. His old-fashioned haircut and peach fuzz had never bothered her either. Rose recognized that he was special, even when other girls hadn’t.
Rose felt angry and reckless on the last night of her stay. She could not sleep so she put on her bathing suit, grabbed her wand, and headed out to the pool. She dipped her toe in; it felt like bathwater. She charmed the patio with candles. The scent of honeysuckle wafted in the humid air. She waded in and floated on her back. She tried sorting herself out, but to no avail. She was not the first girl to fall for her best friend, and not even the only one to do so in her family, but it didn’t make her heart ache any less.
“Illuminate.” Scorpius flicked his wand as he spoke.
The pool glowed beneath her. Rose looked to her side and saw her orange tendrils spread out around her like a halo. She closed her eyes; she wasn’t ready for her reverie to be interrupted.
She swam to the edge of the pool and got out. “Sorry.” Rose apologized. She didn’t think she was bothering anyone by being out in the pool so late, but as a guest she shouldn’t have been so presumptuous.
There was a long pause. Scorpius’s gaze traveled the length of her legs, covered in freckles and droplets of water, lingered on her hip bones with the yellow ties, and rested on the swells of her breasts. Rose felt like her skin was on fire, her breath hitched, and her fingers longed to touch; only the sensations didn’t belong to her. Rose’s skin was wet and cold, her breathing was even and measured. She wrapped her hands awkwardly around her stomach self-consciously.
“...It’s okay. You’re fine out here. I mean, it, it is fine that you’re out here. I just heard a noise and thought I’d come check it out and I didn’t want my dad to wake up or for the house elf to get nosy. I didn’t mean to interrupt if you wanted to swim. Merlin, I don’t know why...I’m still talking...” Scorpius bit the inside of his cheek and shut up, clearly mortified and extremely excited by the prospect of Rose in a bathing suit. It was the same one that she’d worn all week, but perhaps it was the atmosphere that changed his perspective. Rose turned around, smug and self-satisfied, and looked for her towel.
Just as quickly as she felt Scorpius’s anticipation and arousal, it escaped her. His ire, embarrassment, and disgust flooded her.
“I’ll see you in the morning, okay.” He mumbled.
Before Rose could cover herself with a towel, Scorpius was gone. All she could see through her tears was his retreating backside.
It was the first of many times that year that Rose piqued Scorpius’s interest and he would bury his emotions somewhere deep down and leave abruptly -- angry, ashamed, and revolted. Rose found it nearly impossible to breathe knowing that her best friend was so appalled by his attraction to her.
***
The memory of that distant summer kept Rose up that cold Tuesday night. After restlessly twisting about in her sheets she had an epiphany. It was clear to her why now, after she and Scorpius had grown apart, grown up, and come back to where they started, she only felt his contentment. Scorpius wasn’t conflicted over his emotions anymore because he finally understood them. Rose leapt out of bed and searched the pile of clothes on her chair for a jumper. It was four in the morning, but she didn’t care. She had to see Scorpius. All would be right with them if only her legs wouldn't buckle underneath her.
Rose’s mind shifted suddenly. She had read in The Daily Prophet that Alex’s trial was over. None of his posturing for the media or elders had worked. He agreed to plea guilty of dealing war plundered property and he would help indict the sources and the buyers of the stolen heirlooms. He hoped that would ensure him less time in Azkaban. His sentencing was Wednesday afternoon. Finally Rose grasped what she was meant to understand long ago.
Her excitement to speak with Scorpius waned. She had so much to say to him, but where would she start? How could she begin? She didn't have the time to explain her feelings for him the way she had imagined thousands of times in her head. It was cruel that she should be pulled away so urgently back to a life she had run away from months ago. Rose Weasley Granger could do no less, however; justice was in her blood.
She grudgingly packed a bag and left her quarters for the North Tower. She tidied her desk and wrote detailed instructions in her lesson plan book. She sent an owl to her parents, and told them to expect her shortly.
Rose ran out to the stables, hoping to find Scorpius and say a quick good-bye. He was there, standing with his back to her. She was paralyzed with fear. Careful not to make a sound, she turned and walked back to the castle, determined to talk to Scorpius when she returned.
Rose intercepted Neville as he walked to the Great Hall for breakfast.
“Headmaster!” Rose called from down the corridor.
“Rose, good morning. How are you? I expect snow today. Should be good for my fanged geraniums. The cold should toughen them up. What do you make of the weather?”
“Neville, I haven’t a moment to lose--“
“--Is something the matter?”
“I have something urgent that I need to take care of.”
“Rose?” Neville looked at her with concern.
“It’s not a life or death matter, but it’s something I need to do.” Rose checked her surroundings to see if any students or teachers were around. “I would like to go to Alex’s sentencing. It’s today at one o’clock.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
“I am. I feel compelled."
“Well, if you are sure, then be on your way. I can fill in for you for a few days. Are your lesson plans up to date?”
“Yes, I went to my classroom straight away this morning. I appreciate this more than you know. But one more favor...”
The headmaster knew just what she was going to ask. “Yes, yes, you may use the Floo in my office! Let’s go now.” Neville ushered her to his office, holding on to her elbow gently.
“I should be back by tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry about a thing. Take a few days if you need to. I know my way around a classroom.”
“A greenroom yes, a classroom? I’m not so sure.” Rose snickered.
“Cheeky! What has your mother told you?”
“Ha! Oh, a thing or two.” Rose couldn’t help but joke even in her grave situation. “I’ll send you an owl to let you know when to expect my return.”
“Say hello to your father for me.” Neville responded gruffly.
“What about Mum?”
“That sneaky minx?” Neville rubbed his chin with his index finger and thumb.
“Will do!” Rose hugged him and threw some Floo powder into the flames. “30 West York Place!"
When Rose stumbled out of her parents’ Floo, her mother and father rushed to greet her.
"Rose, darling!" Her mother hugged her and brushed the soot off her cloak.
"Sweetheart, is everything alright?" Her father enveloped her in his massive arms.
"I'm fine. Everything is fine. I just decided I want to attend Alex's sentencing."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Rose's mother led her to the sofa while her father brought her a cup of tea.
"Anyone who has been affected by the convicted is allowed to speak during sentencing, are they not?"
"Well yes, it's part of due process of magical law." Her mother’s tone was solemn.
Rose looked at her parents with wide eyes. “You always taught me that the right thing to do is not always the easiest thing to do.”
Her father was filled with pride and yet exuded his need to protect her. "Of course. We'll take you and we’ll be there to support you.” This endeared him to Rose even more.
Rose spent the rest of the morning thinking about what she’d say once she was in front of the Wizengamot. It was important for her to go, but she was afraid to face Alex. She hadn’t seen him since the early days of his trial. Her parents had given her few details from the case, but the prosecutor’s opening statement had convinced Rose of Alex’s guilt. Alex had used their own home to store the black market antiques. On the nights that Rose worked late at the Ministry, Alex brought buyers to the house to make deals. They would then go to the gallery the next day, pay for legitimate items, and Alex concealed the plundered antiques inside their parcels or crates along with the other legal purchase. Rose had never suspected anything. She had assumed that hosting significant art collectors at their home was a cosmopolitan practice.
Rose did not visit Alex in jail to end their relationship officially, and she knew that it was cowardly. She couldn’t bring herself to brave the media circus waiting for her outside her house and around every corner. Instead, she’d holed up at her parents’ place all summer.
At half past noon she and her parents Apparated about a block from the Ministry, and tried to sneak in through a back entrance. The media spotted them and came running. Reporters clamored for Rose to make a comment and photographers yelled for her to stop and pose. Rose’s father shielded her and her mother looked on stoically and forcefully said, “No comment,” to those that stood in their way.
Once inside the Ministry, they joined the throngs of witches and wizards headed to Courtroom Ten for the sentencing. Rose’s senses were assaulted by the multitudes of people who Alex had hurt. They had come to the sentencing to say their peace. They had a vested interest in showing that the sale of their priceless family heirlooms held a very human cost. Rose squirmed through almost three hours of speeches. It was painful to hear and painful to feel the families’ anguish. Finally, at a quarter to four, Rose had her opportunity to speak.
Her long legs delivered her to the podium faster than she would have liked. Rose held Alex’s contemptuous glare for a moment before she began to speak. “My name is Rose Weasley Granger.” Her voice wavered. She took a deep breath and began again. “I lived with Alex McShane for five years. Like everyone in this room, this man has turned my life on its ear for the past five months. I could easily not have come here today. As it was reported in the media, I worked for the Ministry for ten years in the Department of Mysteries as an Empath.” Rose gripped the podium and willed herself to stay standing and not run back to her seat. “As an Unspeakable I was held to the highest degree of security, and I was cleared of any involvement. So why am I here?” Rose looked around at the room of her fellow citizens and gathered strength. “I am here to present what I know. And what I know is this: Alex McShane lived with me, said he loved me--me, an Empath, me, the daughter of an Auror and Head of the Magical Justice Department--without any fear of getting caught selling your possessions that were stolen during the Blood Wars. He deceived me because he felt nothing at all. He lived with smug satisfaction. He was a happy, confident man. Alex McShane may not have cast any dark magic or committed any acts of violence. But make no mistake -- Alex McShane feels no sympathy, regret, shame, or remorse for his actions.” Rose focused and connected to Alex. “Not even as we sit here today. He only wishes he hadn’t gotten caught.” Rose bowed her head. The room that had been respectfully silent broke out in a hum of whispers.
Rose gave one last look at Alex. She could feel him seething with anger, but there was nothing beyond that. During their five-year relationship she’d taken comfort in his simple, one-note feelings. Alex’s feelings matched what he expressed verbally. It had been a relief to Rose to finally meet someone who wasn’t a jumble of conflicting emotions. But he was not an honest man; Alex was a textbook sociopath. Rose felt relieved that his endgame had been ruled by greed and not something more sinister. Rose walked quickly from the room without looking back and waited for her parents to rejoin her.
When they arrived home shortly after, her aunt Ginny, uncle Harry, and cousin Al greeted them. Harry had standing arrangements to meet with Rose’s parents to go over the case. Upon learning that Rose had spoken at the sentencing, her aunt and cousin had come along and brought dinner. The two families sat down for an evening of good food and company. Al was home from Egypt until the new year and usually he regaled everyone with tales of curse breaking, but that night Rose was the center of attention. She sensed their collective worry for her emotional state, so she assuaged them with stories about her time at Hogwarts.
“Neville sends his regards to you, Dad. And you three as well, I’m sure.”
“What about me?” Her mother cried.
“I think he’s feeling rather affronted by you right now.” Rose smirked.
“How so?”
“You intimated to me that he was a rubbish student back in the day.” Rose said with a cheeky grin. Everyone laughed.
Her mother looked shocked and appalled. “Rose! I can’t believe you told your headmaster that!”
“So you don’t deny he was a crap student, just that you regret telling me?”
“Honestly, Ron. She’s your daughter! I don’t know where she gets this.”
“Rose, it sounds like you’re having a wonderful time back at Hogwarts.” Ginny smiled warmly.
“I am. I had a rocky start, but things are alright now.”
“I always thought I might want to go back and be Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher...” Her uncle Harry mused.
“What, and relive your glory days, Old Man?” Al nudged his father.
“Speaking of glory days, you two, Professor Chang doesn’t look a day over thirty five.”
“Oi!” Both Harry and Al yelped.
Her mother and father chuckled at their best friend and nephew’s expense while her aunt looked rather put out.
“And on that note,” Rose’s mother interjected, “why don’t you and Al go catch up while we clear the table. We’ll call you down for pudding.”
“No we won’t!” Her aunt Ginny pretended to be annoyed, but Rose knew she secretly found the ribbing quite hysterical.
Al and Rose headed up to her room. They hadn’t hung out there together since they were teenagers. Rose flung herself on to her bed.
“You have the grace of a Hippogriff in a Potions cupboard.”
“What? I’m knackered.”
Al joined her and sat at the foot of the bed. “As much as I love your letters, seeing you in person is way more fun.”
Rose winked at her cousin. “Do you know what’s more fun?”
Al shook his head.
Rose reached underneath her mattress and pulled out a silver flask. “Red currant rum!”
“You don’t walk around with that thing do you?”
“No! Guess I must have left this when I stayed here over the summer.”
Al took the flask and unscrewed the top. He took a swig and passed it to Rose. She drank from the flask until she felt the sweet liquor coat her throat completely.
“I forgot how wicked you can be!” Al took the flask again and sipped slowly.
“I did too.” Rose smiled. “I was out with Scorpius the other night and I was telling him about my horrid detentions with this one student, Ralph, who is the bane of my existence. I was really kind of evil, but Scorpius was laughing so hard.” Rose laughed but Al did not. “...Guess it was one of those ‘you had to be there jokes.’”
Al beamed at Rose.
“What?”
Al said nothing, just grinned even harder.
“What? What are you smiling at?”
“You. Oh Merlin, Rose. You are too much for me.” Al laughed.
Rose felt her face heat up. “What’s so funny?” She was afraid to ask.
“Rosie, you haven’t let me even bring up Scorpius in forever, and then out of nowhere you just talk about him as if you’re best mates again.”
Rose chuckled too, but her heart wasn’t in it. She felt Al’s playful mocking for what it was. Al knew that Rose was pining for Scorpius, and she only wondered how long he had known. “Oh, Al...” Rose covered her warm face with her hands. “I don’t know what to do.”
“After all these years, you still just can’t come out and say it?” Al lay down next to her and looked up at the ceiling covered in Muggle glow-in-the-dark plastic stars.
“No. I can’t. I want to tell him that, you know, I...” Rose couldn’t proceed.
“You love him.” Al finished for her.
Rose just nodded her head. “I’ve wanted to tell him every day since we started hanging out again. But how do I tell my ex-best friend who’s becoming my best friend again that I...that I love him?”
“It’s simple, Rose. You just tell him the truth.”
“There is nothing simple about telling the truth. I’ve been in love with him, stupidly and hopelessly, for as long as I’ve known what love is, and probably since before then too.” Rose sighed heavily.”
Al scoffed. “Obviously you’ve never drunk a good bottle of Merlot! You know what they say, right?”
“No, what?” Rose perked up.
“In vino veritas.”
Rose closed her eyes and repeated it over and over in her head. In wine, there is truth.
Part 6.