"Start of Something New (3/3)" - A Gift for kerneyhead
Title: Start of Something New (3/3)
Author: ellielove_x3
Gift For: Kerneyhead
Summary: For the summer, both Rose and Scorpius are forced into getting internships at The Quibbler with Luna Thomas. As the two force themselves to work together and try to get along, their hidden feelings for each other are revealed. As much as the two are smitten with each other, the secret couple can’t say the same for their friends and family.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, excessive snogging, slightly EWE
Word Count: 19,208
Author’s Note: Ron/Lavender pairing, meaning Ron and Hermione are divorced in this story. Luna’s a big character, but sometimes I was trying to focus more on Rose and Scorpius’s relationship. And Hermione is just slightly OOC at times, but it helps the story. And there is the slightest hint of Draco/Hermione in it, too, which I hope you don’t mind. And thank you to my friend Dani for beta-ing this. You’re a lifesaver.
Part Two
Chapter Nine: … And the Shit Hits the Fan
Several hours later, Rose was sitting with her cousin, Dominique, and family friend Alice Longbottom. They were laughing and sharing stories while sitting in Rose and Dominique’s room. Alice was currently telling the story of how her older brother, Frankie, turned out to be incredibly inept when it came to talking to pretty girls. Especially when said pretty girl in question was his longtime crush, Carrie Creevey.
Dominique laughed behind her hand. “Did he really trip and take a hold of her skirt?” she asked, unable to control her giggles.
Alice nodded, trying to stifle her giggles. “Yes and he showed everyone her underwear,” she said. “Carrie hasn’t spoken to him in weeks because of it and Frankie’s been sulking for the longest.”
“Where is he now, Lissy?” Rose asked, feeling pretty bad for Carrie and Frankie, who had been best friends since their first year.
“Oh, eating his troubles away in the kitchen,” Alice said passively. “He’ll be doing that for awhile, I’m sure.”
Suddenly, Hermione came into the room, all smiles. “What are we gossiping about girls?” she asked, sitting on the edge of Rose’s bed. “Boys? Beauty?”
Rose laughed. “Our never ending circle of friends and family,” she said.
“Oh, who in particular?” Hermione asked; she had always loved to hear about her nieces and nephews, whether they were a Weasley or not.
“Are we talking about me?” James asked as he stood in the doorway, flashing his best smile. All of the women laughed, causing James to pout. “You should really be gossiping about me. I like to know I have a fan base.”
“Obviously you don’t need another ego boost,” Dominique said, standing up and pulling her red hair back in a ponytail.
James rolled his eyes and stepped aside, bowing and letting Dominique pass. “After you, Mademoiselle DW,” he said in a mocking voice.
“Oh shut up, Jamie,” Dominique replied, walking past him and shoving him slightly before running down the stairs.
“Hey! Get back here! Nobody calls me Jamie!” James yelled, immediately running after her.
Alice, Rose, and Hermione shared a laugh before stopping as they heard the voice of Albus Potter. Alice, even though her face was still happy and glowing, became a little shy and couldn’t look directly at Albus’s face.
“Hello ladies,” he said, smiling at the three women. “Have any of you seen Fred? I have a score to settle with him.”
“I think he’s outside in the backyard,” Rose said, trying to hide her giggles as she noticed the look on Alice’s face.
Alice suddenly perked up, realizing she had the opportunity to spend time with Albus. She immediately stood up and smiled happily at him. “I’ll help you look for him,” she said, walking over to him.
Albus smiled back and led the way. “Well, come on then,” he said, shutting the door behind him and the two walked away, talking animatedly about why Albus was mad at Fred.
Hermione sighed and looked at her daughter. “So, do you have any other plans for the summer, Rose?” she asked. “Besides your job, of course.”
Rose looked up and shook her head. “Oh, no, probably not,” she said. “I’m content with my job at The Quibbler.”
“No boys?” Hermione asked with a giggle and a sly expression.
Rose laughed, too, but knew she needed to keep her relationship a secret for a while longer. Blushing, she replied, “No, none actually. Boys are too much of a distraction.”
Hermione laughed and patted her daughter’s shoulder. “I remember when I had a summer love,” she said, sighing happily.
“I thought you had always been with Daddy.”
“Oh, no. For several summers I was on good terms with Viktor Krum and he really adored me. He was my first big crush actually.”
Rose was interested now. “Was he a good kisser?”
“Very good, actually.” Hermione giggled again and blushed visibly as it brought back memories. “Sadly, my last summer with him was the first your father and I were together. Viktor couldn’t let me go, you know. He tried to get me to marry him and was promising me all different sorts of things, but I was too far gone with your father.”
“Are you and Viktor still … friends?” Rose was amazed to know that her mother had had feelings for someone other than her dad.
Hermione nodded happily. “Yes, I’m the one who set him up with his wife and they named their daughter, Mia, after me.”
“How do you do it, Mum?” Rose asked, wondering if her mum still had strong feelings for both men.
“How do I do what?” Hermione asked, pushing her hair behind her ears.
“Keep your feelings in tact? I mean, it must be hard seeing Daddy with Lavender so much and seeing stories about Viktor in the Prophet. I know that I would have a hard time keeping my cool.”
Hermione smiled sadly and shrugged. “I guess I’m used to hiding my feelings,” she said softly. “But I don’t regret any of my loves, especially not my marriage to your father. If I hadn’t married him, I wouldn’t have given birth to the two most beautiful redheads in the world.” She smiled and hugged her daughter tightly.
“And Viktor? What about him?” Rose asked softly, resting her head on Hermione’s shoulder.
“It never got too serious so it really doesn’t hurt,” Hermione said softly, stroking rose’s hair. “Rose, promise me something?”
“Yes?”
“”Make sure your love is compatible and honest and true whenever you find it.” Hermione’s voice was soft and distant. “I want you to grow old with someone and be happy until the end of your days.”
Rose looked at her mum and wiped her tears away. “Mum, you still want to find your true love don’t you?” Rose asked softly. Hermione nodded silently. “Why don’t you go find him?”
“Well, I still have your brother to take care of and I think I’ve dealt with all the broken hearts I could. I’ll be happy just knowing that you and Hugo will live happy and successful lives.”
“Okay, Mum, you need a laughing spell of sort,” Rose said, letting go of her mother and standing up. “So, why don’t we go downstairs?”
Hermione smiled and nodded, taking Rose’s hands and standing up with her. “Of course,” she said. “You know, I’m glad that your personality is so similar to mine.”
Rose giggled and opened the door. “I am, too, Mum,” she agreed.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Frankie was sitting at the table, pigging out on a large cup of chocolate milkshake; Lily was attempting to draw a funny caricature of him to cheer him up; and Victoire was trying to clean off Gaspard, who had found his way into an area of dirt. Rose smiled as she watched her extended family in their natural elements; she had always prided herself in being part of such a big and eccentric family.
“Where’s the food?” Rose asked no one in particular.
“On the picnic table in the backyard,” Preston said as he came into the kitchen through the backdoor, savoring a chocolate frog George had gotten him.
“Thanks, Pres,” Rose said, pulling her mother with her outside.
Suddenly, James came rushing into the kitchen, a look of pure joy on his face. He stopped for a moment, panting heavily and trying to catch his breath before speaking. “Hugo … is … outside … snogging … a girl!” he exclaimed as loud as he could with his hoarse voice.
“What girl?” Lily asked, curious as to whom her favorite cousin was hanging around.
“Beatrice … Goyle!” James exclaimed, taking a pause for suspense.
Rose’s eyes bulged and she stopped dead in her tracks. Oh holy hell she thought, turning around slowly to look at James.
Hermione let go of Rose’s hand and turned around slowly, looking at her nephew curiously. “But my baby boy is still in the ‘girls have cooties’ stage of his nonexistent love life,” she said, not sure whether to believe James, who was known to cause trouble for the sake of having something to laugh at.
“Well, he obviously hasn’t told you that he’s gotten past that stage,” James said, nodding and crossing his arms. “Because his tongue was totally going down Beatrice’s throat.”
Hermione blinked, trying to figure out if James was really telling the truth, and his allegations were made to be true when Fred rushed into the room.
“Oh my mercy, family,” Fred said, grinning like a five-year-old who had gotten everything on his Christmas list. “Hugo is totally sucking face with Beatrice Goyle. Looks like we’re about to get our third great-grandchild!”
Hermione’s face immediately paled and she pushed past her nieces and nephews to get to Hugo. She was going to pull on his ear and give him a good and long lecture about the dangers of premarital, unprotected sex.
“Drama!” Fred and James exclaimed together before rushing after Hermione.
Looking at each other worriedly, Rose, Lily, Frankie, Victoire, and Gaspard immediately followed the other three into the foyer. Obviously this showdown was about to get ugly and they would probably have to be the referees and break it up before there was any bloodshed.
“Mum!” came the shrill cry of Hugo as Hermione pulled on his ear. “What are you doing?”
“I should ask you the same thing!” Hermione cried, glaring at him before giving Beatrice a once-over. “Hmph, you should be ashamed. My son was a good boy who didn’t like girls until you corrupted him!”
Beatrice gasped and glowered back at Hermione. “I did not corrupt him! Hugo and I equally like each other and we won’t let the rest of you get in our way.”
“Like hell you will! My boy doesn’t need to be around girls wanting to get fresh with him.” Hermione let go of Hugo’s ear to focus all of her attention on this girl who thought she could talk back to her.
“And I thought my parents were uptight!” Beatrice cried.
Hugo took hold of his mother’s shoulders and turned her to face him. “Mum! What’s wrong with you? I expected this from Dad, but I thought you would be happy for me.”
“I, I, I, oh Hugo,” Hermione said looking down. “I am happy for you. I just … I think I’m going through a mid-life crisis or something.”
“Or menopause,” Beatrice muttered.
Hugo gave Beatrice a warning glance. “Trixie…”
Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine, sorry,” she said reluctantly.
“It’s okay sweetheart,” Hermione said, smiling apologetically at both of them.
“Come on, let’s get some food,” Hugo said, taking his mother’s hand and beckoning Beatrice to follow.
Rose gave a sigh of relief as she watched the three of them walk past her. Collapsing onto the armchair, Rose tried to think that her parents would be happy if she was with Scorpius. Obviously, her mother was in an unstable state, but her dad was going to be the one with the icy heart that would be difficult to melt.
Oh Merlin Rose thought, what have I gotten myself into?
Chapter Ten: You’re the One That I Want
During the day, everyone was fascinated with trying to find out how a Weasley got together with a Goyle. Most of the family was apprehensive about accepting Beatrice because her family had never been on good terms with their families. Most of the kids remembered Beatrice as a cold and rude bitch, really, and they didn’t want to believe that she was a girl who was compatible with good-natured Hugo.
Rose sat in the room she shared with Dominique, listening to Lily and Roxanne voice their opinions about Beatrice.
“I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and try to befriend her,” Lily said softly with a curt nod. “Hugo is my best friend and I’d like to believe that he chose a good and compatible girl for himself.”
Roxanne shook her head, munching on a piece of chocolate fudge. “I don’t believe that girl has an once of good in her,” she declared. “So I’m not going to say anything to her and whatever happens just happens. But if she hurts Hugo in any way, I’m first in line to kick her skinny ass.”
Lily laughed, blushing slightly. “Wouldn’t Rose be first in line since she’s Hugo’s older sister?” she asked Roxanne in her usual soft and high-pitched voice.
“Oh, right. Well, I’ll be second in line then,” Roxanne said with her mouth full of chocolate.
“Manners, please, Roxie?” Rose asked, grimacing, but stifling a giggle.
Roxanne rolled her dark brown eyes, but did as her cousin asked.
Lily looked at Rose and smiled at her. “So, Rose, how’s your job going?” she asked. “Daddy says that Aunt Luna speaks highly of you.”
Rose flushed with embarrassment and delight. “Oh, it’s going great, actually,” she said happily. “Aunt Luna suggested that I make it my career, actually.”
“Are you?” Lily asked excitedly.
“I think so,” Rose said, leaving out the extra words in her head. She really did want to make it her career, but she really want to be able to work with Scorpius, especially if they ended up getting married and being together till the end of their lives.
“Oh, Rose, that would wonderful!” Lily exclaimed, clapping her hands. “I’m so happy for you.”
Roxanne chuckled. “I don’t think she’s actually made it her career just yet, Lily,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t go jumping the gun.”
“Oh, oops,” Lily said, giggling behind her hand.
Later that night, Rose was trying to fall asleep at a fairly early hour (she was obviously staying at the Burrow since nobody else seemed to want to go back to their respective homes with the drama that was happening), but she couldn’t help thinking about the hell Hugo and Beatrice were going through with Rose’s parents. She knew that her dad was the one who was asking the more ridiculous and invading questions about Beatrice and her family and that her mother was being sensible with her questions and acting more like a good friend or sweet grandmother. Rose knew that Hugo was probably annoyed and most likely had doubts about just springing Beatrice onto the family the way he had and Rose did feel bad for him. On the other hand, Rose didn’t know what to think about Beatrice because she still had her doubts about the straight-faced brunette.
Suddenly, Dominique, who was reading a romance novel, spoke up, startling Rose. “So, what do you think will happen between your brother and Goyle?” she asked, placing a bookmark in her book and looking over at Rose.
“What?” Rose asked, still tired, but still unable to fall asleep.
Dominique rolled her eyes. “Do you think they’ll last or not?”
“I think it can happen,” Rose said uncertainly.
“But you obviously have more doubts about it than faith,” Dominique stated flatly.
“Well … yeah,” Rose said, feeling bad that she didn’t enough faith in her brother to be able to make adult decisions.
“Join the club,” Dominique said before placing her book on her bedside table and snuggling underneath her covers. “Anyway, night Rosie.”
Rose looked up at the ceiling and decided to count sheep. “Night DW.” As she began counting sheep, her mind always steered back to Scorpius and her worry about how her family would react to their relationship. It was very daunting to think that most of her family probably wouldn’t give them a chance and would constantly talk about them behind their backs. As much as Rose loved her family, she did resent the inability to let go of lifelong grudges.
Finally, Rose fell asleep to thoughts of Scorpius staying with her no matter who accepted them or rejected them.
The next morning, Rose was able to successfully sneak out of the Burrow since most everybody was enjoying their deep slumbers. She had noticed that her parents were sleeping in the living room, just not on the same furniture item (Hermione was cuddled up on the couch and Ron was sprawled out on one of the armchairs). Rose smiled slightly to herself, but knew that they probably would never find comfort in each other ever again. Amazingly, Rose was satisfied with that as she quietly left the Burrow and headed for the children’s park she and Scorpius had taken a liking to.
As Rose walked, she thought about what different things she and Scorpius could get away with while in the office. Scorpius loved to pull her onto his lap and either caress her body (mainly her stomach and hips) or kiss her neck and shoulders or both even. Rose loved it that Scorpius was so drawn to her body and it comforted her that he found her physical appearance appealing because most of the time, Rose found her body quite imperfect and ghastly.
Rose smiled to herself as she thought about how much Scorpius liked to whisper into her ear. He had developed a habit of sweet-talking her into putting off their work and focusing her attention on him. He would usually say things about how cute she looked or how much her thought about her whenever they were apart. Rose found it immensely flattering that he was so smitten with her and she hoped that her family would one day be able to realize that.
Scorpius was currently swinging slightly one of the swings, holding a half-empty bottle of firewhiskey in his hand. The night before, Constantine had barged into Scorpius’s room with three bottles of firewhiskey, wanting to celebrate his engagement to Vanity Selwyn. Scorpius had been thinking about Rose and wondering what he could do for her as a boyfriend and did not want Constantine to ruin the moment. Scorpius didn’t want to be around his cousin when he was drunk, but the blonde knew he had to comply in hopes to get Constantine to leave sooner.
Right now, Constantine was piss drunk and passed out in one of the guest wings and Scorpius had left the manor incredibly early so he could think about Rose by himself. He didn’t want anyone to bother him and since so many people were inside the manor, he obviously needed to have some alone time in the park and wait for Rose in the process.
Scorpius truly did love Rose and he really wanted to come out with their relationship, but everyone in their lives happened to be dampening that dream. Scorpius knew that he was being a coward by not standing up and admitting his feelings for Rose, but he didn’t want anything disastrous to happen. Well, most of all he didn’t want to have to live in fear that either Rose’s father or his own father would try and kill him.
Scorpius stared longingly at the bottle of firewhiskey, wondering whether or not to drink from it. He had a feeling that he’d be terrible at attempting to hold his liquor and stood up, walking to the grass to pour it out. As he was pouring out, Scorpius heard a familiar voice and turned around in surprise, but had a smile on his face as he looked at her.
“Is this a ceremony for honoring someone I don’t know?” Rose asked with a chuckle.
Scorpius chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, no, I was just making sure that this doesn’t get into the hands of my cousin again,” he said, turning around fully to face her. He held onto the bottle one hand and held out the other to take her hand. “Constantine’s a terrible drunk.”
“I hope you didn’t get yourself wasted last night,” Rose said, taking his hand and moving closer so she could kiss his lips gently. She pulled away and smiled. “You don’t smell or taste like a drunk so I think I can handle you.”
Scorpius laughed and kissed her again before pulling away a few minutes later. “I’d be very unhappy if you’d start avoiding me because you smelled alcohol on my breath.”
Rose loosely wrapped her arms around his neck. “I could imagine,” she said. “Anyway, how was your day without me yesterday?”
“Well, I mostly sat in my room thinking about you,” Scorpius replied, leaning down to quickly kiss her neck. “Then Constantine came barging into my room that night and decided to get drunk in celebration of his new engagement-well, betrothal is a better word.”
Rose laughed. “That must have been a sight,” she said.
“It was,” Scorpius agreed, laughing with her. “What about you, how did your family gathering go?”
“It was fine until James and Fred caught Hugo snogging Beatrice Goyle on the porch,” Rose said with a sigh. “As soon as my parents found out, all sorts of hell broke loose. Mum was able to keep her cool, but Daddy went completely nuts.”
“Wait, Beatrice is dating your brother?” Scorpius asked, wondering how in the hell that couple had come about. Scorpius had grown up around Beatrice and she never seemed like the dating type, but he had always believed she’d do as her parents wished in the dating/marriage department. “Wow, never saw that coming.”
Rose nodded. “Everyone else was shocked, too,” she said. Then, her voice began to softer as she continued speaking. “Scorpius, do you think we’d be prepared for the stuff my brother and Beatrice are going through? Now that I have you, I don’t think I could lose you just because of our families disapproval.” She looked at him, her expression soft and loving. “I’m in love with you and I hate having to hide it.”
Scorpius threw the bottle away from them, glad that it didn’t have a label on it, and placed a hand in her hair. “Rose, you do know that I’m not letting go of you, right?” he asked. “You’re mine whether others like it or not and if that means living in exile, but staying with you forever, I wouldn’t damn well care.”
Rose smiled. “You mean that?” she asked softly, needing reassurance.
“Every word, Red.” He smiled back at her and kissed her gently.
Rose pressed her body closer to his, feeling comfort from the kiss. He could make her feel anything whenever he touched her, especially when they shared a kiss, whether it was passionate or tender. Scorpius Malfoy was exactly the man for her if he was willing to be disowned just to be with her forever. It was just terrifying to think of how both of their families would react if they saw them like this.
Chapter Eleven: Past the Point of No Return
Ten minutes later, Scorpius and Rose were walking together, but in the direction of the Malfoy Manor instead of the Burrow. He wanted her to come with him to see his house and possibly meet his father. Both of them agreed that it might be best to get it out to Draco and Astoria first since they were most likely going to be the unhappiest. Rose, of course, was scared about meeting them since she had heard all sorts of rumors about their cold and prejudice personalities. Scorpius had confirmed his dad to be a terrible and unloving person, but his mother was more open to changing her ways.
“Do I look okay?” Rose asked nervously, squeezing his hand.
Scorpius looked at her, pushed a stray curl behind her ear and smiled boyishly at her. “You look just perfect,” he said.
Rose laughed and looked down. “You’ve already figured out what to say to make me feel better,” she said. “My dad didn’t learn that until my brother was born.”
Scorpius laughed and shrugged. “It’s a gift being able to tap into your thoughts,” he said. Within moments, the duo was standing in front of the haunting black door of the Malfoy Manor. Scorpius stroked Rose’s knuckles, feeling her tensing up. “You’ll do fine, I’m sure.”
“I highly disagree with that,” Rose said, biting her lip.
Scorpius looked at her and kissed her lips gently. “You look really adorable when you bite your lip like that,” he said softly.
Rose giggled and was about to reply when the door suddenly opened and revealed a very worried tall blonde woman by the name of Astoria Malfoy. She had slight circles under her eyes, but obviously did her best to hide any imperfections. Her honey blonde hair was curly and looked as if it had just gotten styled, almost as if she had never gone to sleep in the first place. Her eyes were a light green and searched frantically for signs that Scorpius had gotten hurt in any way.
Then, Astoria made a surprising move and hugged Scorpius, choosing to ignore the surprised redhead next to him. “Oh, darling!” she cried. “I was worried what might have happened to you.”
“I wasn’t even gone that long,” Scorpius said, awkwardly hugging her back.
“How was I supposed to know that?” she asked, letting him go and staring him down. “Where were you anyway?”
“With Rose,” Scorpius said, pointing his head to the girl still holding his hand.
Astoria raised an eyebrow and studied the younger girl. She didn’t like the way the girl looked, but she wasn’t a completely ugly person, at least not on the outside. “What are your intentions for my son?” she asked.
“Well, I’d like to be able to date him in public without having to keep it secret,” Rose said. “And I’d like to work with him at our job for the rest of our days.”
“What is your job?” Astoria asked.
“Writers for The Quibbler,” Rose said with a smile; she was quite proud of her job.
The blonde woman blinked several times and gave her son a frustrated look. “Your father and I don’t approve of that magazine.”
“I know, Mother, but Constantine signed me up for it…” Scorpius began, but his mother added in her two cents.
“Hmph, I’ll have to have a word with that damned boy,” she said, huffing haughtily.
Scorpius continued as if his mother hadn’t spoken “…and I hated at first, but I’ve grown to really love it.” He looked at Rose and shared a smile with her, causing his mother to purse her lips. “And I never would have gotten a chance for Rose if it hadn’t been for my meddling cousin.”
Suddenly, another person walked up behind Astoria, looking menacing with his tall stature and emotionless face. “What magazine, Astoria?” Draco Malfoy asked, choosing not to make any physical contact with his wife since he knew how much she hated him. He then saw Rose and scowled. “Well son, you never mentioned that you bringing home trash.”
Rose gasped and Scorpius immediately moved in front of her, glaring at his father. “How dare you say that to her!” he exclaimed. “She’s my girlfriend I’ll have you know.”
Draco laughed loudly. “Scorpius, Malfoy men don’t date beneath them,” he said. “Screw maybe, but date seriously? Merlin no.”
Scorpius was starting to regret ever having come home with Rose now. “Father, just because that’s what you believe doesn’t mean I have to believe the same thing.”
Draco rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Son, would you care to explain what spell this girl has put on you to make you believe that you’re in love?”
Scorpius glared at his father. “I don’t need to explain anything to you,” he said. “And if you two can’t accept us, that’s perfectly fine. Besides, we need to visit Rose’s parents anyway while we still can. Come on, Rose, let’s go back to your grandparent’s house.” When Rose nodded to him, trying to keep in her tears, Scorpius held her close and walked with her away from Scorpius’s shocked parents and hopefully towards a more forgiving set of parents.
When the two finally reached the Burrow, they came face-to-face with Courtney, who breathed a sigh of relief, and Luna, who simply smiled. They stood up together and waited patiently for the couple to reach the porch before saying something.
“I knew you were up to something,” Courtney said, now grinning knowingly.
Rose sighed. “We just came back from a bad meeting with Scorpius’s parents,” she said, leaning into Scorpius as much as she could.
“Oh, well, your confrontation with your parents might go as bad as the other one did, Rosalie,” Luna said apologetically, patting both of their arms. “Hermione is worried out of her wits and your father is raving mad.”
“Oh great,” Rose muttered, moving away from Scorpius, but keeping hold of his hand.
Courtney opened the door and Rose and Scorpius watched as Hermione cried out happily and rushed towards her daughter. “Oh, Rose! I was so worried about you!” she said, hugging her daughter and unknowingly pulling Scorpius into the hug as well. “Where have you been? Not leaving a note and jus running off in the early hours of the morning is quite unlike you.”
“But Mum, I’m perfectly fine,” Rose tried to reason, starting to lose her breath because her mother’s embrace was so tight. “Scorpius would never let anything happen to me.”
Hermione immediately pulled away, snapping back into reality. “Scorpius?” she asked, looking at the blonde boy. Hermione then gasped and placed her hand over her mouth. “Oh my word … what in the hell are you doing with my daughter?”
“We work together, ma’am,” Scorpius said, trying to put on a brave face.
Hermione looked curiously at Luna, who was just watching the scene silently. “You mean, you have my baby girl working with a Malfoy, Luna? How could you not specify that when you told me about the damn job?”
“It was really all my idea, Aunt Hermione,” Courtney piped up, smiling sheepishly. “I suggested to Mum that she hire Rose for an internship and to find a way to get Scorpius to work with her. I had always noticed how they acted around each other and quite honestly, I thought it was a wonderful idea to put them together and see if they finally connected romantically. Mum was simply an accomplice in this who whole plot.”
Luna spoke up, seeing the look on Scorpius’s face. “Oh, Hermione, but you should see the way they work together,” she said. “The two of them are very intelligent and have found a way to ignore each other’s flaws and see the good in their personalities. I quite liked the idea of helping these two get a step closer to falling in love.”
Hermione sighed and looked at the couple, seeing how comfortable they were next to each other. Scorpius couldn’t keep his hands off of Rose, but he was really trying to comfort her instead of trying to feel her up. Even though Rose was worried, Hermione could tell that her daughter had a certain glow in her eyes by just being next to this boy. As much as Hermione hated Scorpius’s father, she had to admit that he was very dashing and seemingly perfect for her daughter.
Then came the voice of the same person Hermione had just thought of: Draco Malfoy. “I’m just here for the chaos,” he said, walking onto the porch steps and leaning against the railing. “I don’t approve of this … union or whatever it is, but I like to watch drama in the Weasel household.”
Hermione glared at him, but chose to ignore his presence. “Oh, Rose, you know your father and I are already having enough problems trying to sort out our feelings towards Hugo’s relationship with Beatrice.”
Draco snorted, hoping that his longtime rival and nemesis was referring to a different Beatrice than his son had grown up knowing. “Don’t tell me you mean Goyle’s daughter,” he said loudly.
Courtney glared at the older man. “Exactly the person, now be quiet,” she said, not caring that he was glaring daggers at her.
“Well, Scorpius and I couldn’t stand hiding,” Rose said, squeezing Scorpius’s hand. “And besides, if Hugo could come out and still have a chance of surviving with his girlfriend, why can’t I do the same with my boyfriend?”
Then Ron chose to come out onto the porch. He glared at both Malfoy men and simply walked away, not in the mood to get in a fight. Lavender immediately rushed after her husband, cooing to him to hopefully lighten up his mood.
Hermione sighed once again and rubbed her arms, trying to figure out what would be the best thing to say to her daughter, who was so obviously in love with this boy. She didn’t want to lose her daughter forever and knew that it would probably be better to just try and stay optimistic about all of these happenings. “Well, I’ll do my best to accept the two of you,” she said, taking both of their hands and smiling at them. “But just know that your father won’t be so kind-“
“And neither will Astoria and I,” Draco added, but Hermione simply glared at him and continued.
“-and you will have to work to earn his trust about this relationship. Got that?”
“Of course, Mum,” Rose said happily.
“Yes, Ms. Granger,” Scorpius said, smiling widely.
As the three of then shared a hug, Draco made a loud gagging noise. They let each other go and looked pointedly at the aging blonde man. “Oh, did I ruin your happy moment?” he asked sarcastically.
Hermione rolled her eyes and stepped away from the young couple. “Malfoy, you shouldn’t even be here,” she said.
“Hey, are you two lovebirds hungry?” Courtney asked, placing her hands on Rose’s and Scorpius’s shoulders.
“Starving really,” Scorpius said with a laugh.
“Good, I’ll make you both a bowl of my cinnamon oatmeal,” Courtney said, leading them inside the house.
“I had better go check on my babies,” Luna said, walking into the house as well, closing the door behind her and leaving Hermione alone with Draco.
Neither of them looked at each other since they were too caught up in their own thoughts. Hermione hugged her arms around her middle, trying to protect herself from Malfoy’s bad energy. Draco, on the other hand, was trying to figure out how much longer he could handle being in the same area as so many Weasley’s. Then Draco surprised Hermione by asking her a simple question.
“Do you really think my son is right for your daughter?” he asked, peering into her back.
Hermione turned around and looked at him curiously. “I do, but I don’t know for sure,” she said.
“And what about you Ms. Granger?” Draco asked, chuckling to himself. “Haven’t heard much about you since your divorce.”
Hermione moved her arms and placed them on her hips. “Oh shut up, not as if your marriage is all a box sweet chocolates. Haven’t seen the two of you out together since I got divorced. Your pride keeping you from admitting you’re a failure?”
Draco glared at her and walked closer to her so that they were only inches apart, causing Hermione to move backwards. “I am not a failure,” he said. “I just keep my personal life private.”
Hermione scoffed and poked a finger into his chest. “Well, I’ll just say this to you once.” Draco raised an eyebrow in annoyance that she was touching him and amusement with how the situation was going. “Our children seem to be in love with each other whether we like it or not and I hope that as their love progresses and grows to something deeper, that you-or my ex-husband for that matter-won’t do anything to mess that up. Am I clear?”
Draco kept his eyes on hers and moved one hand to balance himself on the wall behind Hermione and the other onto her hips. “Crystal clear, princess,” he whispered before abruptly leaving, causing Hermione to forget how to properly breathe.
Epilogue
Hermione and Ron did their best to warm up to their children’s new loves since they didn’t want either of them to run away and never speak to them again. Ron was the one less willing to accept either because he still held grudges against Beatrice’s and Scorpius’s fathers. Hermione on the other hand, was able to quickly warm up to Beatrice and Scorpius because they proved to be genuine people who loved her children.
Beatrice’s parents, Gregory and Pansy Goyle, couldn’t live with the fact that their little girl was in love with a “low-life Weasley”. Pansy chose not to converse with her daughter much anymore, but Beatrice was able to convince Gregory to give Hugo and his family a chance because since she was such a Daddy’s girl. Gregory actually proved to be a fairly laid back and nice man and he was quite the gentleman towards Hermione and Rose.
Astoria decided that she’d get to know Rose for the sake of her only child. It took months before Astoria fully warmed up to Rose and for Astoria to finally stop bad-mouthing her son’s girlfriend behind her back. Secretly, Rose would vent to her cousins Dominique and Courtney about how much she despised Astoria’s uppity behavior. Draco was easy for Rose to deal with seeing as he seemed to be more interested in pushing Hermione’s buttons and attempting to get closer to her.
Rose and Scorpius thought it was cute that their parents were falling for each other slowly, but surely. Ron didn’t think the same way seeing as he avoiding being in the same room as Draco and Hermione to avoid any uncomfortable confrontation. Seeing that her husband was falling for another woman, Astoria immediately filed for a divorce, but Draco didn’t care because he had been looking for an excuse to leave his wife for several years anyway. Hermione was oblivious to just about the whole ordeal because Draco kept her plenty occupied (not in a sexual way, though).
Rose and Scorpius did follow Luna’s advice and made their jobs at The Quibbler into their career. The two kept the jobs they had as interns since that was what they were comfortable with. It seemed that Rose and Scorpius’s new additions to the magazine were just the boost it needed to reach a wider audience. Luna was quite glad to know that her newest employees had done that for her magazine and always complimented them on their achievement. She also found it funny whenever she found the two of them snogging and feeling each other up in the office they shared, oblivious to the rest of the world.
Beatrice and Hugo took it slow with their relationship. Since they were going back to Hogwarts for two more years, they were able to develop a friendship that would hopefully last longer their physical attraction. Beatrice proved to be a very loyal girlfriend who amazingly had a firm belief in saving herself until marriage. Hugo was willing to comply because he really did love her and didn’t want to let her go. He was rendered to mushy goop whenever he was around her and Beatrice found it incredibly adorable.
Author: ellielove_x3
Gift For: Kerneyhead
Summary: For the summer, both Rose and Scorpius are forced into getting internships at The Quibbler with Luna Thomas. As the two force themselves to work together and try to get along, their hidden feelings for each other are revealed. As much as the two are smitten with each other, the secret couple can’t say the same for their friends and family.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Language, excessive snogging, slightly EWE
Word Count: 19,208
Author’s Note: Ron/Lavender pairing, meaning Ron and Hermione are divorced in this story. Luna’s a big character, but sometimes I was trying to focus more on Rose and Scorpius’s relationship. And Hermione is just slightly OOC at times, but it helps the story. And there is the slightest hint of Draco/Hermione in it, too, which I hope you don’t mind. And thank you to my friend Dani for beta-ing this. You’re a lifesaver.
Part Two
Chapter Nine: … And the Shit Hits the Fan
Several hours later, Rose was sitting with her cousin, Dominique, and family friend Alice Longbottom. They were laughing and sharing stories while sitting in Rose and Dominique’s room. Alice was currently telling the story of how her older brother, Frankie, turned out to be incredibly inept when it came to talking to pretty girls. Especially when said pretty girl in question was his longtime crush, Carrie Creevey.
Dominique laughed behind her hand. “Did he really trip and take a hold of her skirt?” she asked, unable to control her giggles.
Alice nodded, trying to stifle her giggles. “Yes and he showed everyone her underwear,” she said. “Carrie hasn’t spoken to him in weeks because of it and Frankie’s been sulking for the longest.”
“Where is he now, Lissy?” Rose asked, feeling pretty bad for Carrie and Frankie, who had been best friends since their first year.
“Oh, eating his troubles away in the kitchen,” Alice said passively. “He’ll be doing that for awhile, I’m sure.”
Suddenly, Hermione came into the room, all smiles. “What are we gossiping about girls?” she asked, sitting on the edge of Rose’s bed. “Boys? Beauty?”
Rose laughed. “Our never ending circle of friends and family,” she said.
“Oh, who in particular?” Hermione asked; she had always loved to hear about her nieces and nephews, whether they were a Weasley or not.
“Are we talking about me?” James asked as he stood in the doorway, flashing his best smile. All of the women laughed, causing James to pout. “You should really be gossiping about me. I like to know I have a fan base.”
“Obviously you don’t need another ego boost,” Dominique said, standing up and pulling her red hair back in a ponytail.
James rolled his eyes and stepped aside, bowing and letting Dominique pass. “After you, Mademoiselle DW,” he said in a mocking voice.
“Oh shut up, Jamie,” Dominique replied, walking past him and shoving him slightly before running down the stairs.
“Hey! Get back here! Nobody calls me Jamie!” James yelled, immediately running after her.
Alice, Rose, and Hermione shared a laugh before stopping as they heard the voice of Albus Potter. Alice, even though her face was still happy and glowing, became a little shy and couldn’t look directly at Albus’s face.
“Hello ladies,” he said, smiling at the three women. “Have any of you seen Fred? I have a score to settle with him.”
“I think he’s outside in the backyard,” Rose said, trying to hide her giggles as she noticed the look on Alice’s face.
Alice suddenly perked up, realizing she had the opportunity to spend time with Albus. She immediately stood up and smiled happily at him. “I’ll help you look for him,” she said, walking over to him.
Albus smiled back and led the way. “Well, come on then,” he said, shutting the door behind him and the two walked away, talking animatedly about why Albus was mad at Fred.
Hermione sighed and looked at her daughter. “So, do you have any other plans for the summer, Rose?” she asked. “Besides your job, of course.”
Rose looked up and shook her head. “Oh, no, probably not,” she said. “I’m content with my job at The Quibbler.”
“No boys?” Hermione asked with a giggle and a sly expression.
Rose laughed, too, but knew she needed to keep her relationship a secret for a while longer. Blushing, she replied, “No, none actually. Boys are too much of a distraction.”
Hermione laughed and patted her daughter’s shoulder. “I remember when I had a summer love,” she said, sighing happily.
“I thought you had always been with Daddy.”
“Oh, no. For several summers I was on good terms with Viktor Krum and he really adored me. He was my first big crush actually.”
Rose was interested now. “Was he a good kisser?”
“Very good, actually.” Hermione giggled again and blushed visibly as it brought back memories. “Sadly, my last summer with him was the first your father and I were together. Viktor couldn’t let me go, you know. He tried to get me to marry him and was promising me all different sorts of things, but I was too far gone with your father.”
“Are you and Viktor still … friends?” Rose was amazed to know that her mother had had feelings for someone other than her dad.
Hermione nodded happily. “Yes, I’m the one who set him up with his wife and they named their daughter, Mia, after me.”
“How do you do it, Mum?” Rose asked, wondering if her mum still had strong feelings for both men.
“How do I do what?” Hermione asked, pushing her hair behind her ears.
“Keep your feelings in tact? I mean, it must be hard seeing Daddy with Lavender so much and seeing stories about Viktor in the Prophet. I know that I would have a hard time keeping my cool.”
Hermione smiled sadly and shrugged. “I guess I’m used to hiding my feelings,” she said softly. “But I don’t regret any of my loves, especially not my marriage to your father. If I hadn’t married him, I wouldn’t have given birth to the two most beautiful redheads in the world.” She smiled and hugged her daughter tightly.
“And Viktor? What about him?” Rose asked softly, resting her head on Hermione’s shoulder.
“It never got too serious so it really doesn’t hurt,” Hermione said softly, stroking rose’s hair. “Rose, promise me something?”
“Yes?”
“”Make sure your love is compatible and honest and true whenever you find it.” Hermione’s voice was soft and distant. “I want you to grow old with someone and be happy until the end of your days.”
Rose looked at her mum and wiped her tears away. “Mum, you still want to find your true love don’t you?” Rose asked softly. Hermione nodded silently. “Why don’t you go find him?”
“Well, I still have your brother to take care of and I think I’ve dealt with all the broken hearts I could. I’ll be happy just knowing that you and Hugo will live happy and successful lives.”
“Okay, Mum, you need a laughing spell of sort,” Rose said, letting go of her mother and standing up. “So, why don’t we go downstairs?”
Hermione smiled and nodded, taking Rose’s hands and standing up with her. “Of course,” she said. “You know, I’m glad that your personality is so similar to mine.”
Rose giggled and opened the door. “I am, too, Mum,” she agreed.
Downstairs in the kitchen, Frankie was sitting at the table, pigging out on a large cup of chocolate milkshake; Lily was attempting to draw a funny caricature of him to cheer him up; and Victoire was trying to clean off Gaspard, who had found his way into an area of dirt. Rose smiled as she watched her extended family in their natural elements; she had always prided herself in being part of such a big and eccentric family.
“Where’s the food?” Rose asked no one in particular.
“On the picnic table in the backyard,” Preston said as he came into the kitchen through the backdoor, savoring a chocolate frog George had gotten him.
“Thanks, Pres,” Rose said, pulling her mother with her outside.
Suddenly, James came rushing into the kitchen, a look of pure joy on his face. He stopped for a moment, panting heavily and trying to catch his breath before speaking. “Hugo … is … outside … snogging … a girl!” he exclaimed as loud as he could with his hoarse voice.
“What girl?” Lily asked, curious as to whom her favorite cousin was hanging around.
“Beatrice … Goyle!” James exclaimed, taking a pause for suspense.
Rose’s eyes bulged and she stopped dead in her tracks. Oh holy hell she thought, turning around slowly to look at James.
Hermione let go of Rose’s hand and turned around slowly, looking at her nephew curiously. “But my baby boy is still in the ‘girls have cooties’ stage of his nonexistent love life,” she said, not sure whether to believe James, who was known to cause trouble for the sake of having something to laugh at.
“Well, he obviously hasn’t told you that he’s gotten past that stage,” James said, nodding and crossing his arms. “Because his tongue was totally going down Beatrice’s throat.”
Hermione blinked, trying to figure out if James was really telling the truth, and his allegations were made to be true when Fred rushed into the room.
“Oh my mercy, family,” Fred said, grinning like a five-year-old who had gotten everything on his Christmas list. “Hugo is totally sucking face with Beatrice Goyle. Looks like we’re about to get our third great-grandchild!”
Hermione’s face immediately paled and she pushed past her nieces and nephews to get to Hugo. She was going to pull on his ear and give him a good and long lecture about the dangers of premarital, unprotected sex.
“Drama!” Fred and James exclaimed together before rushing after Hermione.
Looking at each other worriedly, Rose, Lily, Frankie, Victoire, and Gaspard immediately followed the other three into the foyer. Obviously this showdown was about to get ugly and they would probably have to be the referees and break it up before there was any bloodshed.
“Mum!” came the shrill cry of Hugo as Hermione pulled on his ear. “What are you doing?”
“I should ask you the same thing!” Hermione cried, glaring at him before giving Beatrice a once-over. “Hmph, you should be ashamed. My son was a good boy who didn’t like girls until you corrupted him!”
Beatrice gasped and glowered back at Hermione. “I did not corrupt him! Hugo and I equally like each other and we won’t let the rest of you get in our way.”
“Like hell you will! My boy doesn’t need to be around girls wanting to get fresh with him.” Hermione let go of Hugo’s ear to focus all of her attention on this girl who thought she could talk back to her.
“And I thought my parents were uptight!” Beatrice cried.
Hugo took hold of his mother’s shoulders and turned her to face him. “Mum! What’s wrong with you? I expected this from Dad, but I thought you would be happy for me.”
“I, I, I, oh Hugo,” Hermione said looking down. “I am happy for you. I just … I think I’m going through a mid-life crisis or something.”
“Or menopause,” Beatrice muttered.
Hugo gave Beatrice a warning glance. “Trixie…”
Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine, sorry,” she said reluctantly.
“It’s okay sweetheart,” Hermione said, smiling apologetically at both of them.
“Come on, let’s get some food,” Hugo said, taking his mother’s hand and beckoning Beatrice to follow.
Rose gave a sigh of relief as she watched the three of them walk past her. Collapsing onto the armchair, Rose tried to think that her parents would be happy if she was with Scorpius. Obviously, her mother was in an unstable state, but her dad was going to be the one with the icy heart that would be difficult to melt.
Oh Merlin Rose thought, what have I gotten myself into?
Chapter Ten: You’re the One That I Want
During the day, everyone was fascinated with trying to find out how a Weasley got together with a Goyle. Most of the family was apprehensive about accepting Beatrice because her family had never been on good terms with their families. Most of the kids remembered Beatrice as a cold and rude bitch, really, and they didn’t want to believe that she was a girl who was compatible with good-natured Hugo.
Rose sat in the room she shared with Dominique, listening to Lily and Roxanne voice their opinions about Beatrice.
“I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt and try to befriend her,” Lily said softly with a curt nod. “Hugo is my best friend and I’d like to believe that he chose a good and compatible girl for himself.”
Roxanne shook her head, munching on a piece of chocolate fudge. “I don’t believe that girl has an once of good in her,” she declared. “So I’m not going to say anything to her and whatever happens just happens. But if she hurts Hugo in any way, I’m first in line to kick her skinny ass.”
Lily laughed, blushing slightly. “Wouldn’t Rose be first in line since she’s Hugo’s older sister?” she asked Roxanne in her usual soft and high-pitched voice.
“Oh, right. Well, I’ll be second in line then,” Roxanne said with her mouth full of chocolate.
“Manners, please, Roxie?” Rose asked, grimacing, but stifling a giggle.
Roxanne rolled her dark brown eyes, but did as her cousin asked.
Lily looked at Rose and smiled at her. “So, Rose, how’s your job going?” she asked. “Daddy says that Aunt Luna speaks highly of you.”
Rose flushed with embarrassment and delight. “Oh, it’s going great, actually,” she said happily. “Aunt Luna suggested that I make it my career, actually.”
“Are you?” Lily asked excitedly.
“I think so,” Rose said, leaving out the extra words in her head. She really did want to make it her career, but she really want to be able to work with Scorpius, especially if they ended up getting married and being together till the end of their lives.
“Oh, Rose, that would wonderful!” Lily exclaimed, clapping her hands. “I’m so happy for you.”
Roxanne chuckled. “I don’t think she’s actually made it her career just yet, Lily,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t go jumping the gun.”
“Oh, oops,” Lily said, giggling behind her hand.
Later that night, Rose was trying to fall asleep at a fairly early hour (she was obviously staying at the Burrow since nobody else seemed to want to go back to their respective homes with the drama that was happening), but she couldn’t help thinking about the hell Hugo and Beatrice were going through with Rose’s parents. She knew that her dad was the one who was asking the more ridiculous and invading questions about Beatrice and her family and that her mother was being sensible with her questions and acting more like a good friend or sweet grandmother. Rose knew that Hugo was probably annoyed and most likely had doubts about just springing Beatrice onto the family the way he had and Rose did feel bad for him. On the other hand, Rose didn’t know what to think about Beatrice because she still had her doubts about the straight-faced brunette.
Suddenly, Dominique, who was reading a romance novel, spoke up, startling Rose. “So, what do you think will happen between your brother and Goyle?” she asked, placing a bookmark in her book and looking over at Rose.
“What?” Rose asked, still tired, but still unable to fall asleep.
Dominique rolled her eyes. “Do you think they’ll last or not?”
“I think it can happen,” Rose said uncertainly.
“But you obviously have more doubts about it than faith,” Dominique stated flatly.
“Well … yeah,” Rose said, feeling bad that she didn’t enough faith in her brother to be able to make adult decisions.
“Join the club,” Dominique said before placing her book on her bedside table and snuggling underneath her covers. “Anyway, night Rosie.”
Rose looked up at the ceiling and decided to count sheep. “Night DW.” As she began counting sheep, her mind always steered back to Scorpius and her worry about how her family would react to their relationship. It was very daunting to think that most of her family probably wouldn’t give them a chance and would constantly talk about them behind their backs. As much as Rose loved her family, she did resent the inability to let go of lifelong grudges.
Finally, Rose fell asleep to thoughts of Scorpius staying with her no matter who accepted them or rejected them.
The next morning, Rose was able to successfully sneak out of the Burrow since most everybody was enjoying their deep slumbers. She had noticed that her parents were sleeping in the living room, just not on the same furniture item (Hermione was cuddled up on the couch and Ron was sprawled out on one of the armchairs). Rose smiled slightly to herself, but knew that they probably would never find comfort in each other ever again. Amazingly, Rose was satisfied with that as she quietly left the Burrow and headed for the children’s park she and Scorpius had taken a liking to.
As Rose walked, she thought about what different things she and Scorpius could get away with while in the office. Scorpius loved to pull her onto his lap and either caress her body (mainly her stomach and hips) or kiss her neck and shoulders or both even. Rose loved it that Scorpius was so drawn to her body and it comforted her that he found her physical appearance appealing because most of the time, Rose found her body quite imperfect and ghastly.
Rose smiled to herself as she thought about how much Scorpius liked to whisper into her ear. He had developed a habit of sweet-talking her into putting off their work and focusing her attention on him. He would usually say things about how cute she looked or how much her thought about her whenever they were apart. Rose found it immensely flattering that he was so smitten with her and she hoped that her family would one day be able to realize that.
Scorpius was currently swinging slightly one of the swings, holding a half-empty bottle of firewhiskey in his hand. The night before, Constantine had barged into Scorpius’s room with three bottles of firewhiskey, wanting to celebrate his engagement to Vanity Selwyn. Scorpius had been thinking about Rose and wondering what he could do for her as a boyfriend and did not want Constantine to ruin the moment. Scorpius didn’t want to be around his cousin when he was drunk, but the blonde knew he had to comply in hopes to get Constantine to leave sooner.
Right now, Constantine was piss drunk and passed out in one of the guest wings and Scorpius had left the manor incredibly early so he could think about Rose by himself. He didn’t want anyone to bother him and since so many people were inside the manor, he obviously needed to have some alone time in the park and wait for Rose in the process.
Scorpius truly did love Rose and he really wanted to come out with their relationship, but everyone in their lives happened to be dampening that dream. Scorpius knew that he was being a coward by not standing up and admitting his feelings for Rose, but he didn’t want anything disastrous to happen. Well, most of all he didn’t want to have to live in fear that either Rose’s father or his own father would try and kill him.
Scorpius stared longingly at the bottle of firewhiskey, wondering whether or not to drink from it. He had a feeling that he’d be terrible at attempting to hold his liquor and stood up, walking to the grass to pour it out. As he was pouring out, Scorpius heard a familiar voice and turned around in surprise, but had a smile on his face as he looked at her.
“Is this a ceremony for honoring someone I don’t know?” Rose asked with a chuckle.
Scorpius chuckled and shook his head. “Oh, no, I was just making sure that this doesn’t get into the hands of my cousin again,” he said, turning around fully to face her. He held onto the bottle one hand and held out the other to take her hand. “Constantine’s a terrible drunk.”
“I hope you didn’t get yourself wasted last night,” Rose said, taking his hand and moving closer so she could kiss his lips gently. She pulled away and smiled. “You don’t smell or taste like a drunk so I think I can handle you.”
Scorpius laughed and kissed her again before pulling away a few minutes later. “I’d be very unhappy if you’d start avoiding me because you smelled alcohol on my breath.”
Rose loosely wrapped her arms around his neck. “I could imagine,” she said. “Anyway, how was your day without me yesterday?”
“Well, I mostly sat in my room thinking about you,” Scorpius replied, leaning down to quickly kiss her neck. “Then Constantine came barging into my room that night and decided to get drunk in celebration of his new engagement-well, betrothal is a better word.”
Rose laughed. “That must have been a sight,” she said.
“It was,” Scorpius agreed, laughing with her. “What about you, how did your family gathering go?”
“It was fine until James and Fred caught Hugo snogging Beatrice Goyle on the porch,” Rose said with a sigh. “As soon as my parents found out, all sorts of hell broke loose. Mum was able to keep her cool, but Daddy went completely nuts.”
“Wait, Beatrice is dating your brother?” Scorpius asked, wondering how in the hell that couple had come about. Scorpius had grown up around Beatrice and she never seemed like the dating type, but he had always believed she’d do as her parents wished in the dating/marriage department. “Wow, never saw that coming.”
Rose nodded. “Everyone else was shocked, too,” she said. Then, her voice began to softer as she continued speaking. “Scorpius, do you think we’d be prepared for the stuff my brother and Beatrice are going through? Now that I have you, I don’t think I could lose you just because of our families disapproval.” She looked at him, her expression soft and loving. “I’m in love with you and I hate having to hide it.”
Scorpius threw the bottle away from them, glad that it didn’t have a label on it, and placed a hand in her hair. “Rose, you do know that I’m not letting go of you, right?” he asked. “You’re mine whether others like it or not and if that means living in exile, but staying with you forever, I wouldn’t damn well care.”
Rose smiled. “You mean that?” she asked softly, needing reassurance.
“Every word, Red.” He smiled back at her and kissed her gently.
Rose pressed her body closer to his, feeling comfort from the kiss. He could make her feel anything whenever he touched her, especially when they shared a kiss, whether it was passionate or tender. Scorpius Malfoy was exactly the man for her if he was willing to be disowned just to be with her forever. It was just terrifying to think of how both of their families would react if they saw them like this.
Chapter Eleven: Past the Point of No Return
Ten minutes later, Scorpius and Rose were walking together, but in the direction of the Malfoy Manor instead of the Burrow. He wanted her to come with him to see his house and possibly meet his father. Both of them agreed that it might be best to get it out to Draco and Astoria first since they were most likely going to be the unhappiest. Rose, of course, was scared about meeting them since she had heard all sorts of rumors about their cold and prejudice personalities. Scorpius had confirmed his dad to be a terrible and unloving person, but his mother was more open to changing her ways.
“Do I look okay?” Rose asked nervously, squeezing his hand.
Scorpius looked at her, pushed a stray curl behind her ear and smiled boyishly at her. “You look just perfect,” he said.
Rose laughed and looked down. “You’ve already figured out what to say to make me feel better,” she said. “My dad didn’t learn that until my brother was born.”
Scorpius laughed and shrugged. “It’s a gift being able to tap into your thoughts,” he said. Within moments, the duo was standing in front of the haunting black door of the Malfoy Manor. Scorpius stroked Rose’s knuckles, feeling her tensing up. “You’ll do fine, I’m sure.”
“I highly disagree with that,” Rose said, biting her lip.
Scorpius looked at her and kissed her lips gently. “You look really adorable when you bite your lip like that,” he said softly.
Rose giggled and was about to reply when the door suddenly opened and revealed a very worried tall blonde woman by the name of Astoria Malfoy. She had slight circles under her eyes, but obviously did her best to hide any imperfections. Her honey blonde hair was curly and looked as if it had just gotten styled, almost as if she had never gone to sleep in the first place. Her eyes were a light green and searched frantically for signs that Scorpius had gotten hurt in any way.
Then, Astoria made a surprising move and hugged Scorpius, choosing to ignore the surprised redhead next to him. “Oh, darling!” she cried. “I was worried what might have happened to you.”
“I wasn’t even gone that long,” Scorpius said, awkwardly hugging her back.
“How was I supposed to know that?” she asked, letting him go and staring him down. “Where were you anyway?”
“With Rose,” Scorpius said, pointing his head to the girl still holding his hand.
Astoria raised an eyebrow and studied the younger girl. She didn’t like the way the girl looked, but she wasn’t a completely ugly person, at least not on the outside. “What are your intentions for my son?” she asked.
“Well, I’d like to be able to date him in public without having to keep it secret,” Rose said. “And I’d like to work with him at our job for the rest of our days.”
“What is your job?” Astoria asked.
“Writers for The Quibbler,” Rose said with a smile; she was quite proud of her job.
The blonde woman blinked several times and gave her son a frustrated look. “Your father and I don’t approve of that magazine.”
“I know, Mother, but Constantine signed me up for it…” Scorpius began, but his mother added in her two cents.
“Hmph, I’ll have to have a word with that damned boy,” she said, huffing haughtily.
Scorpius continued as if his mother hadn’t spoken “…and I hated at first, but I’ve grown to really love it.” He looked at Rose and shared a smile with her, causing his mother to purse her lips. “And I never would have gotten a chance for Rose if it hadn’t been for my meddling cousin.”
Suddenly, another person walked up behind Astoria, looking menacing with his tall stature and emotionless face. “What magazine, Astoria?” Draco Malfoy asked, choosing not to make any physical contact with his wife since he knew how much she hated him. He then saw Rose and scowled. “Well son, you never mentioned that you bringing home trash.”
Rose gasped and Scorpius immediately moved in front of her, glaring at his father. “How dare you say that to her!” he exclaimed. “She’s my girlfriend I’ll have you know.”
Draco laughed loudly. “Scorpius, Malfoy men don’t date beneath them,” he said. “Screw maybe, but date seriously? Merlin no.”
Scorpius was starting to regret ever having come home with Rose now. “Father, just because that’s what you believe doesn’t mean I have to believe the same thing.”
Draco rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Son, would you care to explain what spell this girl has put on you to make you believe that you’re in love?”
Scorpius glared at his father. “I don’t need to explain anything to you,” he said. “And if you two can’t accept us, that’s perfectly fine. Besides, we need to visit Rose’s parents anyway while we still can. Come on, Rose, let’s go back to your grandparent’s house.” When Rose nodded to him, trying to keep in her tears, Scorpius held her close and walked with her away from Scorpius’s shocked parents and hopefully towards a more forgiving set of parents.
When the two finally reached the Burrow, they came face-to-face with Courtney, who breathed a sigh of relief, and Luna, who simply smiled. They stood up together and waited patiently for the couple to reach the porch before saying something.
“I knew you were up to something,” Courtney said, now grinning knowingly.
Rose sighed. “We just came back from a bad meeting with Scorpius’s parents,” she said, leaning into Scorpius as much as she could.
“Oh, well, your confrontation with your parents might go as bad as the other one did, Rosalie,” Luna said apologetically, patting both of their arms. “Hermione is worried out of her wits and your father is raving mad.”
“Oh great,” Rose muttered, moving away from Scorpius, but keeping hold of his hand.
Courtney opened the door and Rose and Scorpius watched as Hermione cried out happily and rushed towards her daughter. “Oh, Rose! I was so worried about you!” she said, hugging her daughter and unknowingly pulling Scorpius into the hug as well. “Where have you been? Not leaving a note and jus running off in the early hours of the morning is quite unlike you.”
“But Mum, I’m perfectly fine,” Rose tried to reason, starting to lose her breath because her mother’s embrace was so tight. “Scorpius would never let anything happen to me.”
Hermione immediately pulled away, snapping back into reality. “Scorpius?” she asked, looking at the blonde boy. Hermione then gasped and placed her hand over her mouth. “Oh my word … what in the hell are you doing with my daughter?”
“We work together, ma’am,” Scorpius said, trying to put on a brave face.
Hermione looked curiously at Luna, who was just watching the scene silently. “You mean, you have my baby girl working with a Malfoy, Luna? How could you not specify that when you told me about the damn job?”
“It was really all my idea, Aunt Hermione,” Courtney piped up, smiling sheepishly. “I suggested to Mum that she hire Rose for an internship and to find a way to get Scorpius to work with her. I had always noticed how they acted around each other and quite honestly, I thought it was a wonderful idea to put them together and see if they finally connected romantically. Mum was simply an accomplice in this who whole plot.”
Luna spoke up, seeing the look on Scorpius’s face. “Oh, Hermione, but you should see the way they work together,” she said. “The two of them are very intelligent and have found a way to ignore each other’s flaws and see the good in their personalities. I quite liked the idea of helping these two get a step closer to falling in love.”
Hermione sighed and looked at the couple, seeing how comfortable they were next to each other. Scorpius couldn’t keep his hands off of Rose, but he was really trying to comfort her instead of trying to feel her up. Even though Rose was worried, Hermione could tell that her daughter had a certain glow in her eyes by just being next to this boy. As much as Hermione hated Scorpius’s father, she had to admit that he was very dashing and seemingly perfect for her daughter.
Then came the voice of the same person Hermione had just thought of: Draco Malfoy. “I’m just here for the chaos,” he said, walking onto the porch steps and leaning against the railing. “I don’t approve of this … union or whatever it is, but I like to watch drama in the Weasel household.”
Hermione glared at him, but chose to ignore his presence. “Oh, Rose, you know your father and I are already having enough problems trying to sort out our feelings towards Hugo’s relationship with Beatrice.”
Draco snorted, hoping that his longtime rival and nemesis was referring to a different Beatrice than his son had grown up knowing. “Don’t tell me you mean Goyle’s daughter,” he said loudly.
Courtney glared at the older man. “Exactly the person, now be quiet,” she said, not caring that he was glaring daggers at her.
“Well, Scorpius and I couldn’t stand hiding,” Rose said, squeezing Scorpius’s hand. “And besides, if Hugo could come out and still have a chance of surviving with his girlfriend, why can’t I do the same with my boyfriend?”
Then Ron chose to come out onto the porch. He glared at both Malfoy men and simply walked away, not in the mood to get in a fight. Lavender immediately rushed after her husband, cooing to him to hopefully lighten up his mood.
Hermione sighed once again and rubbed her arms, trying to figure out what would be the best thing to say to her daughter, who was so obviously in love with this boy. She didn’t want to lose her daughter forever and knew that it would probably be better to just try and stay optimistic about all of these happenings. “Well, I’ll do my best to accept the two of you,” she said, taking both of their hands and smiling at them. “But just know that your father won’t be so kind-“
“And neither will Astoria and I,” Draco added, but Hermione simply glared at him and continued.
“-and you will have to work to earn his trust about this relationship. Got that?”
“Of course, Mum,” Rose said happily.
“Yes, Ms. Granger,” Scorpius said, smiling widely.
As the three of then shared a hug, Draco made a loud gagging noise. They let each other go and looked pointedly at the aging blonde man. “Oh, did I ruin your happy moment?” he asked sarcastically.
Hermione rolled her eyes and stepped away from the young couple. “Malfoy, you shouldn’t even be here,” she said.
“Hey, are you two lovebirds hungry?” Courtney asked, placing her hands on Rose’s and Scorpius’s shoulders.
“Starving really,” Scorpius said with a laugh.
“Good, I’ll make you both a bowl of my cinnamon oatmeal,” Courtney said, leading them inside the house.
“I had better go check on my babies,” Luna said, walking into the house as well, closing the door behind her and leaving Hermione alone with Draco.
Neither of them looked at each other since they were too caught up in their own thoughts. Hermione hugged her arms around her middle, trying to protect herself from Malfoy’s bad energy. Draco, on the other hand, was trying to figure out how much longer he could handle being in the same area as so many Weasley’s. Then Draco surprised Hermione by asking her a simple question.
“Do you really think my son is right for your daughter?” he asked, peering into her back.
Hermione turned around and looked at him curiously. “I do, but I don’t know for sure,” she said.
“And what about you Ms. Granger?” Draco asked, chuckling to himself. “Haven’t heard much about you since your divorce.”
Hermione moved her arms and placed them on her hips. “Oh shut up, not as if your marriage is all a box sweet chocolates. Haven’t seen the two of you out together since I got divorced. Your pride keeping you from admitting you’re a failure?”
Draco glared at her and walked closer to her so that they were only inches apart, causing Hermione to move backwards. “I am not a failure,” he said. “I just keep my personal life private.”
Hermione scoffed and poked a finger into his chest. “Well, I’ll just say this to you once.” Draco raised an eyebrow in annoyance that she was touching him and amusement with how the situation was going. “Our children seem to be in love with each other whether we like it or not and I hope that as their love progresses and grows to something deeper, that you-or my ex-husband for that matter-won’t do anything to mess that up. Am I clear?”
Draco kept his eyes on hers and moved one hand to balance himself on the wall behind Hermione and the other onto her hips. “Crystal clear, princess,” he whispered before abruptly leaving, causing Hermione to forget how to properly breathe.
Epilogue
Hermione and Ron did their best to warm up to their children’s new loves since they didn’t want either of them to run away and never speak to them again. Ron was the one less willing to accept either because he still held grudges against Beatrice’s and Scorpius’s fathers. Hermione on the other hand, was able to quickly warm up to Beatrice and Scorpius because they proved to be genuine people who loved her children.
Beatrice’s parents, Gregory and Pansy Goyle, couldn’t live with the fact that their little girl was in love with a “low-life Weasley”. Pansy chose not to converse with her daughter much anymore, but Beatrice was able to convince Gregory to give Hugo and his family a chance because since she was such a Daddy’s girl. Gregory actually proved to be a fairly laid back and nice man and he was quite the gentleman towards Hermione and Rose.
Astoria decided that she’d get to know Rose for the sake of her only child. It took months before Astoria fully warmed up to Rose and for Astoria to finally stop bad-mouthing her son’s girlfriend behind her back. Secretly, Rose would vent to her cousins Dominique and Courtney about how much she despised Astoria’s uppity behavior. Draco was easy for Rose to deal with seeing as he seemed to be more interested in pushing Hermione’s buttons and attempting to get closer to her.
Rose and Scorpius thought it was cute that their parents were falling for each other slowly, but surely. Ron didn’t think the same way seeing as he avoiding being in the same room as Draco and Hermione to avoid any uncomfortable confrontation. Seeing that her husband was falling for another woman, Astoria immediately filed for a divorce, but Draco didn’t care because he had been looking for an excuse to leave his wife for several years anyway. Hermione was oblivious to just about the whole ordeal because Draco kept her plenty occupied (not in a sexual way, though).
Rose and Scorpius did follow Luna’s advice and made their jobs at The Quibbler into their career. The two kept the jobs they had as interns since that was what they were comfortable with. It seemed that Rose and Scorpius’s new additions to the magazine were just the boost it needed to reach a wider audience. Luna was quite glad to know that her newest employees had done that for her magazine and always complimented them on their achievement. She also found it funny whenever she found the two of them snogging and feeling each other up in the office they shared, oblivious to the rest of the world.
Beatrice and Hugo took it slow with their relationship. Since they were going back to Hogwarts for two more years, they were able to develop a friendship that would hopefully last longer their physical attraction. Beatrice proved to be a very loyal girlfriend who amazingly had a firm belief in saving herself until marriage. Hugo was willing to comply because he really did love her and didn’t want to let her go. He was rendered to mushy goop whenever he was around her and Beatrice found it incredibly adorable.