Never Be The Same {SCOROSE}

Chapter 33 - Rose

TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF SELF-HARM AND SUICIDE

I shivered as I knocked on the Potter's front door, the chilly air of the March evening biting my bare face. Luckily, it took only a moment for the door to open, revealing my aunt.

Aunt Ginny was as beautiful now as she had been in her Hogwarts days, and her eyes sparkled with life as she embraced me. "Rosie! How are you, darling? You should have brought Willow with you; it's been ages since I spent time with her."

"I'm marvelous... and yes, I'm sorry I left her at home, but she needed to go to bed... She was fussy all day; even Scorpius couldn't keep her happy."

My aunt nodded knowingly. "Nonetheless, dear, I'm glad to see you. Al's in his room; he said to send you up when you arrived."

I smiled. "Thanks, Aunt Gin. We'll be down for a drink before long, I suppose." And I headed up the staircase to see my cousin.

Albus opened the door before I could knock, grinning. "Rose," he sighed, pulling me into a warm hug.

I smiled, pulling away to get a better look at him. "What's got you in such a good mood? You're practically glowing."

He waved his hand vaguely, looking as if he knew exactly why but wasn't going to tell me yet. "How've things been with you and Scorp, Rosie? He hasn't said much about it." He sat down on his bed and patted the spot next to him.

I shrugged, taking the indicated seat. "There's not really anything to say. We don't need to have everything set in stone... We both know that it's not going anywhere right now, and we're okay with that. That's all. Now tell me what you're so happy about."

Al grinned like an idiot - no, not like an idiot... Like a boy in love. And with that, the obvious reason for his state dawned on me.

"It's that guy you've been seeing!" I exclaimed.

My cousin bit his lip, failing to suppress the continuous giddy smile. "Yeah." He fell back on the bed with a sigh.

I laughed at how completely smitten he seemed. "Tell me about him."

"His name's Jacob," Al started. "He was a Ravenclaw... two years ahead of us. I met him last Fall when he shadowed Teddy for awhile. He'd done his training in France and worked over there for awhile, but he was itching to come back, so he jumped at an opportunity to work for my dad."

I nodded. "So, who asked who out to begin with?"

"He did, sort of. I guess I maybe semi-initiated it... I told him I was gay. He's been out since his seventh year, so I figured it'd be worth a shot. He said he already knew... apparently he noticed me checking him out." My cousin grinned sheepishly.

I giggled. "Clearly he's a lot smarter than Scorpius."

Al chuckled. I was glad his feelings for Scorpius were something he could laugh about. There was a time when I was worried about hurting him, but I can see that he's moving on. "So anyways," he continued, "a couple days later he stopped me after work and asked if I wanted to go out sometime... I said yes, of course. That was more than a month ago. We've spent a lot of time together since then, and he's..." My cousin let out a happy sigh. "He's wonderful, Rose. I know it hasn't been long, but I think... I think he could be the one."

I made no effort to hide my smile. "That's amazing, Al. I'm-"

The door flew open, interrupting my words. In the doorway stood Aunt Ginny, pale and face wet with tears.

I jumped up from the bed, rushing to her side. "What's wrong?"

Her voice trembled as she spoke. "It- It's Lucy. She... tried again."