Never Be The Same {SCOROSE}

Chapter 24 - Rose

Today was Monday. The day I was going to meet with Scorpius. 

I had no idea what I should wear. After thirty hopeless minutes of digging through my closet, I 'phoned Shell Cottage. 

"Hello? Who iz this?" said a voice with a  French accent.

"Aunt Fluer, it's Rose. Is Dominique there? It's rather urgent."

"Yes, she iz here. DOMINIQUE!!" I smiled to myself. Fleur was rather wonderful.

"How've you been, Rosie?" My aunt asked as we waited for her daughter to come to the phone. "Iz everything going well with ze baby?"

Most of my family was aware of my condition, although only a select few were privy to the identity of the father. "It's going fine."

"Oh, here she iz. I hope to see you soon, dear."

Then my cousin took the phone. “Hallo, Rosie. What’s up?”

“I’m meeting Scorpius for coffee. I need advice on what to wear.” 

Dom knew everything, so she understood. “You’re meeting him? I thought…”

“He suggested it. I sent Lysa to meet with him, to talk about the adoption thing, and he said he wanted to talk to me himself.”

“So… I guess he’s gotten over you, then.”

I felt a pang of something like regret when she said those words. I hadn’t really thought of it in that context. I hadn’t wanted to. “Yeah… I guess so. Anyway, do you have anything suitable?”

“You could just wear something casual. Not too casual, though. You know?”

“Um… not really.”

“Like, I don’t know, leggings with a decently nice top or something. You don’t want to look like you’re taking it too seriously.”

“Okay… yeah. You’re right… Thanks, Dom.”

“Anytime.” 

I must have been lost in my thoughts and silent for too long, because my cousin sounded the slightest bit concerned when she spoke again. “Rose?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

“You’re sure? I could come over.”

“No. Yes. I mean, yes I’m sure, and no you don’t need to come over… Well, I guess you could come tonight. I’m meeting Scorpius at four… You can come to my place around six, if you want. You could spend the night.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll be there.”

I smiled. A girl’s night could be just what I needed. “Great. I’ve got to go, Dom, but I’ll see you later, ‘kay?”

“Yeah, I’ll see you.”

-

Two hours later, I walked into the Leaky Cauldron wearing black leggings and a tank top under a black-and-while flannel shirt. There was a charm concealing my oversized stomach - you never knew where a reporter with a camera might be lurking.

We had arranged to meet in a tiny coffee shop at the far end of Diagon Alley, which was understandably unpopular since the coffee tasted like tar - although I must admit they made pastries to rival my grandmother’s. That was where I was headed now.

When I walked through the doors, I immediately spotted the platinum blond hair of the person sitting at the most isolated table available. He looked up quickly, and I watched him take in my appearance as I made my way over to him. 

Upon reaching the table, I smiled - hesitantly. To my relief, he smiled back, in a manner that seemed almost bashful. He wasn’t the cocky playboy anymore. 

I sat down.

“You cut your hair.” 

After three months, that was the first thing Scorpius said to me. He spoke quietly. Peacefully. As if to say, you don’t need to worry about this conversation. 

I had cut my hair. It had been driving me nuts, so I chopped it off just above shoulder-length. A few weeks had passed since then, and I barely noticed the difference anymore.

“Yeah, I did.”

“It looks nice… You look nice.”

It was just a compliment, with no meaning behind it - and I didn't mind. Having a conversation with Scorpius, without any flirting, was unfamiliar - but not in a bad way. Honestly, I sort of liked this version of him. “Thanks. Er… so do you.” 

The blond boy chuckled. “Three months apparently haven’t improved your conversation skills.” 

I stuck my tongue out at him. “Neither, it seems, have they improved your manners.”

Scorpius feigned injury, his expression joking. “Me? Ill-mannered? I take that as an insult to the name of Malfoy.”

I giggled, and just for a moment felt as if I were nothing more than a schoolgirl bantering with a friend. But a hand subconsciously laid on my stomach pulled me back into reality. I bit my lip. “Scorpius, we shouldn’t do this.”

The light in his eyes faded. “Do what?”

“This. What we were just doing. Being… friendly.”

“Why shouldn’t we?”

I frowned. “Because lines of friendship can easily blur… and neither of us would be able to deal with that.”

He looked almost… hurt. “I’m not here on some hopeless mission to get you back, Rose. I know where we stand, and I have come to terms with it. Let’s just talk about what we’re here to talk about, alright?”

After a moment of silence, I nodded. I cast a silent muffliato before beginning to speak. “Lysa told you the gist of it. Mum and Dad want me to give up the baby.”

Scorpius massaged his jaw, and I thought for a moment about the times I had kissed it, then quickly banished such things from my mind. “Why do they want you to give it away?” he finally asked.

I shrugged. “Mum, at least, claims to be concerned about my career possibilities. But I think it likely that Dad and Hugo thought it up and somehow convinced her to present the idea to me. I don’t think they like the idea of having a Malfoy in our house.”

His expression darkened slightly. “I thought your dad wasn’t upset.”

“So did I, at first. But now I think he’s horrified, honestly, and Hugo’s attitude isn’t doing me any favors.”

“Merlin… I’m sorry, Rose.”

I tilted my head. “For what?”

“It’s my fault you’re in this mess in the first place-”

“Don’t,” I interrupted him. “It’s no use blaming yourself. I don’t blame you. I don’t blame myself. I don’t blame anyone - I don’t need to. I’m not unhappy, Scorpius. I’m not wallowing in misery. And despite all this, I can say with all honesty that I don’t regret what we had. So stop apologizing.”

Scorpius smiled at me, and I returned it gladly. He had heard what I was saying - even the parts that I hadn’t said out loud. We still knew each other so well. We were still connected - connected by the life growing inside me. And for now, for both of us, that was enough.