"You're late." Rose scolded, not bothering to glance up from the essay she was reading. She finished teaching her lesson before lunch and was trying to complete the last of the accio essays before the next class.

Normally she'd be enjoying her lunch, but if she wanted to go to the quidditch match, they needed to be corrected now.

"Sorry." Al apologized distractedly, pulling out the chair across from Rose. He set down a brown paper bag, which contained his usual lunch of an apple and peanut butter sandwich. He really was a creature of habit, tending not to stray too far from the beaten path.

"Are you going to your brother's match tonight?"

"Can't. I've got ministry things."

Rose glanced up from her papers, raising a perturbed brow. Albus didn't seem to notice and opened his bag.

Rose studied him, noting his ever-present smirk was vacant and replaced with a small frown. Al's usually neat hair looked much like his father's. In other words, it was a mess.

His bright green eyes, however, twinkled with an unexplained excitement that he was trying desperately to contain. After knowing him for all these years, Rose could read his expression as easily as a book.

He was worried. It was clearly written out on his face. Albus had always been a worrier. He worried constantly and would overreact about the smallest things.

When Al put on a worried expression, most times it didn't bother Rose. She knew how he operated. He would freak out and she would reassure him that everything was going to be okay.

She had an inckling that this was not one of those times. Something was telling her that the reason he was overreacting had to do with her. Maybe it was the way he kept glancing at her as he ate or the fact that he didn't disclose his concerns as soon as the door opened.

"Al?" Rose asked, setting down the parchment in her hands, an unsettling feeling beginning to sprinkle in her stomach. "Are you alright?"

Albus sighed, running a hand through his already messy hair. "I don't know how to tell you this Rose." He stopped and glanced at his favorite cousin.

Since they graduated Hogwarts, Rose went through a lot. She'd experienced heartbreak and a loss that hurt her to the bone when Scorpius left. Sure Al hurt and missed his best mate terribly, but it was a whole different kind of missing for Rose. Her other half was ripped from her life, leaving her with no idea when he would return.

She spent the entire month after he left in a cloud of depression. She hung around in bed, cried most nights, and found it difficult to laugh. Albus was with her every day. It killed him to see her so broken.

After a month, however, Rose seemed to pull herself together. She spent her summer reading and practicing advanced Charms. Come Fall, she even got herself a job working with Professor Flitwick. She seemed to be better. She put on a brave smile and acted like she was fine, but Albus knew his cousin. He knew it was all a show.

He could tell by her eyes. Rose always conveyed every thought and feeling through her eyes. With one look, he knew she was far from okay. She was coping and that was the best they were going to get.

For the next few years, she kept up the act. Always smiling too brightly and laughing too loudly. Her smiles never made her eyes twinkle and her laughter never sounded genuine no matter how hard she tried.
She was a shell of the girl he knew.

Rose wouldn't admit it out loud, but Al knew she was waiting until the day Scorp returned. As much as Al wanted her to be happy, she couldn't do that to herself. Scorp wouldn't have wanted her to. Neither of them knew when he was coming back.

That was part of the reason he convinced her to start dating Griffon. He'd done it because he figured it'd be a good distraction for her broken heart. Griffon proved to be too good a distraction.

With him around Rose smiled and laughed more. Her eyes twinkled and she appeared generally happy. It was good to hear Rose sound more like herself. If someone didn't know Rose well, they would think she was perfectly happy. She had almost fooled Al too. Almost.

He hadn't meant to, but when they were moving all her stuff into her new flat, he saw the charms book.

It was coated in dust and tucked deeply in her favorite bookshelf. The binding was old and torn like Rose read it every night before bed. Something Albus was convinced she'd done. It was clearly she hadn't touched it in a long time. But it was in her favorite bookshelf. That was no accident. It was there for a reason.

He knew at that moment she'd fooled them all. She wasn't over Scorp. Not even close, she was coping. Maybe she didn't even realize it herself.

Albus was certain that he was right, which meant he was about to flip her world upside down. The last thing he wanted was to cause more heartbreak.

"Rose." Albus pushed himself out of the chair and moved behind her desk. Rose quirked her head at him. Kneeling down to her level, Al grabbed her hands.

"You're not dying are you?" Rose rushed out, suddenly feeling worried herself. "Because you're acting really strange and it's starting to scare me."

"I'm fine, Rose. Just prepare yourself." Al said. He paused trying to find the right words. "The Minister called me into her office today. She was going on and on about friendships and reuniting."

"Okay," Rose quirked her brows confused. Al being called into the Minister's office wasn't exactly strange, seeing as he was her assistant. "Why should that explain the reason you're acting so odd?"

Albus licked his lips and dropped the bomb. "Because it means Scorpius is coming home. The Minister-"

And just like that everything around Rose shattered. She stared at him, not hearing a word he said. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Thirty seconds passed and the only part of Rose that seemed to work was her mouth, which kept opening and closing, as she tried to find words, but no words came to mind. It was like all her vocabulary words had been completely wiped from her memory.

Albus kept talking, explaining how the minister approached him to ask if he would bring Scorp back. His words penetrated her confused mind, but she couldn't seem to grasp them entirely. The only words that got passed her walls were, Scorp's coming home.

Those three significant words replayed themselves over and over again on an endless loop in her mind.

"Rose," Albus said gently.

Rose's breathing picked up. "Um. I-I." Rose blinked swiftly, taking in deep breaths to try and find the ground that had been pulled out from under her. "When?" Rose asked finally.

"I'm going to get him in the morning," Albus revealed, carefully scrutinizing her. He expected some tears and even a major freak out. Right now all she was giving him was a shocked expression and a few ragged breaths. It was unnerving. "I've got to help him pack, give him his wand, and bring him to the minister so he can give a brief report on his findings. After that, I'll bring him to his parents sometime that afternoon."

"They've missed him," Rose said knowingly.

After Scorp left, she made sure to visit the Malfoy family at least once a month. Without Scorp, they really had no one. Their contact with friends and other members of the wizarding society was very minimum.

She loved the Malfoy family and part of her felt she owed it to Scorp to keep his parents' company. She tried to visit them at least once a month. She adored afternoon teas with Astoria and in-depth talks of quidditch with Draco. Together the three of them shared a heavyweight on their hearts. They never talked about Scorp when they were together. They never needed to. Sometimes the unspoken words are heard the most.

"He'll spend the night with his parents, then I'm to collect him the next morning to bring him to the ministry. He'll give a more in-depth report then about his journey." Albus sat back down in his chair. "I've asked Grandma if she would mind hosting a dinner for him Friday night. She's already agreed. Once we are done at the ministry on Friday, we'll head over to the Burrow for dinner where he can reacquaint himself with everyone."

"Friday," Rose said quietly, more so to herself then Albus. Friday was two days away. 48 hours. That was far too soon. She wasn't ready for this. Not even close.

"I know you're busy with end of term coming up, but I know he'll want to see you. I know you want to see him."

Rose simply nodded.

Of course she wanted to see him. How could she not?

But she wasn't ready. He was coming home. Now? Why now? Why not four years ago when she was still waiting for him? Why now? Why now when she had just moved into a new flat and was perfectly happy and content with her new life?

Why now?

Al squeezed her hands reassuringly. "I've got to go. I've got a lot of paperwork to fill out." He stood and went to the door, glancing back. "I'm sorry for dropping this on you. I just thought you'd like to know before you see him."

"You're right. I appreciate you letting me know," Rose said, managing to send Albus what she hoped was a convincing smile. He didn't buy it but bid her goodbye anyway, knowing she needed a few moments alone to think.

***

The rest of the day passed by Rose in the blink of an eye. Her mind was clouded with thoughts of what Scorpius' impending return would mean.

It's true that when he left she fell apart. She didn't mean to. She promised herself she'd be strong.

That plan crumbled the instance ministry officials apparated away with him. Rose felt like they took a piece of her with them.

They hadn't even been together a full year, but before all that, they were best mates. That was six years of memories, inside jokes, and laughter all being taken away from her. It was enough to break her. She'd known all those years ago when she agreed to be with him that it was going to hurt when he left, she just wasn't prepared for how much it hurt then. How much it still hurt.

***

By the time the class finished and she managed to mark the rest of the essays, Rose was half an hour late for the quidditch match.

"How's he doing." Rose breathed out, apologizing to a woman in front of her who glared at Rose's question. Rose plopped herself in her seat in-between Alice and Lily, the only ones who were able to make the game.

The family held nine-season tickets for the Cannons so that they could watch James whenever he played in the Cannons stadium. Their seats were on the top row and in the middle of the pitch, so they had optimal views of what was happening at all times.

"Griffon's doing great. He's blocked all their shots so far." Alice said snappily, her eyes staying focused on James who currently had the Quaffle tucked defensively in his arm. "James, on the other hand, hasn't managed to score yet. He's getting desperate. It is making him sloppy. If he doesn't watch it he is going to get hurt and then I'll strangle him." Unconsciously Alice rubbed her swollen stomach as she tracked James' every move.

Glancing at the announcer's box, directly across from them, she found the scoreboard still showed zeros. That was surprising. The cannons were playing Pride of Portee, someone they usually dominated. Their games often finished quickly, so Rose was genuinely surprised when she arrived to see the game in full swing.

Lily snickered, leaning over to whisper into Rose's ear. "She's been like that this entire match."

"I don't blame her. She's six months pregnant and her husband is accident-prone. She has every reason to worry that their child could end up fatherless." Rose tapped her thigh anxiously.

Lily rolled her eyes. "He's not that ba-" Lily started but stopped as James made a spectacularly stupid dive for the quaffle, barely managing to grab it without falling off his broom. He steadied himself before passing the quaffle to one of his teammates. "Nevermind."

Rose chuckled and gazed across the pitch in search of Griffon. She found him easily positioned between the middle ring. He was currently leaning forward on his broom, anxiously awaiting for the quaffed to come toward them. Seeing her boyfriend unharmed, Rose relaxed a little more in the gaudy orange seat, her mind immediately going back to Scorpius.

She missed him terribly that much was obvious, but she was nervous about what kind of relationship they were going to have. They were best mates for years before they started dating. They knew how to be friends, at least that was before she kissed him.

Walking along the lines of friendship and what they previously had was going to be difficult. At least on her end. For all, she knew Scorp could have fallen in love and married some muggle girl. That very thought made Rose want to vomit. Even if he was with someone else, that didn't change the fact that she still wanted her best mate back. Desperately.

Besides she had Griffon.

The stadium erupted in cheers, pulling Rose out of her thoughts. Lily leaped to her feet, pumping her fist in the air. Alice remained seated, screaming loudly, a brilliant smile captured her face.

"AND JAMES POTTER SCORES! TEN POINTS FOR THE CANNONS!" The announcer's booming voice shouted, earning another scream from the approving fans.

Rose stood rapidly, turning her head hoping nobody noticed her late response. Rose was a huge quidditch fan. Normally she'd be yelling, calling out fouls, and cheering louder than anyone in the stadium, but things weren't exactly normal in Rose's life. Unfortunately, Lily noticed.

"What's up with you?" Lily demanded in a hushed whisper, as soon as they sat down. "I was cheering louder than you and that never happens."

"I've got a lot on my mind with exams coming up in a couple of weeks." Rose shrugged, keeping her eyes trained on her gorgeous boyfriend.

"Like what?"

"End of the term things. Nothing I can't handle."

"Albus told me," Lily said purposely. "He invited me to Gran's Friday night."

Rose stiffened. Refusing to meet Lily's gaze, she put on a huge smile and whistled loudly as Griffon stopped a quaffle from entering the lower-left ring. "He did?" Rose asked calmly, once the quaffle was safely away from the Cannon's rings.

"You want to talk about it?"

Rose shook her head firmly. She just wanted to pretend that everything was fine and that her life wasn't about to explode in the next 48 hours. She should be excited. Her best mate was coming home. So why did she feel like everything had been mixed-up?

"Are you going to go on Friday?" Lily tried again. Lily and Rose weren't as close as Albus and Rose were. That didn't stop Lily from worrying about her cousin. Rose didn't generally like to talk about her feelings. She was a lot like her father that way.

She kept everything bottled in until it all blew-up at once. This was the complete opposite of Lily, who shared every feeling and thought as it occurred to her.

"I don't know Lils," Rose said softly. "I don't want to talk about this right now. I just want to watch the game and support my boyfriend."

Lily studied her for a moment and decided it best not to argue. They spent the rest of the game cheering for James and Griffon, refusing to speak any more about what would happen within the next 48 hours. After another hour, Jack managed to capture the snitch, sealing the win for the Cannons. 180-50. The stadium exploded with deafening cries of excitement.

The three girls clapped and whistled enthusiastically, as the Cannons did a victory lap around the pitch. Griffon caught Rose's eyes and sent her a wink. Rose smiled and shook her head at him before he and the rest of the team began the descent toward the locker rooms. Slowly the stadium began to trickle out.

"I need to go. I've got to get up early to cover a story for the prophet." Lily announced, standing from the seat. She bent down to give Alice a quick hug, teasing her about taking care of her future niece or nephew, before turning to Rose. Rose stood to meet her and hugged her tightly. "Owl me if you want to talk."

"I will." Rose agreed. With a wave goodbye, Lily apparated.

That was the great thing about Lily. She noticed things and went out of her way to make sure everyone was okay. She recognized when someone needed a little push and when they just weren't ready for it. Rose appreciated that about her.

She sat down again, patting Alice's shoulder. "That was a good game."

"I'm glad they won, but I'm going to kill James. Did you see him almost fall of his broom, diving for the quaffle? He is a bloody idiot." Alice huffed, resting her crossed arms on her belly.

Rose patted Alice's back, verbally agreeing with her that James was an idiot. Mentally Rose actually thought his diving move brilliant. Alice Potter was wicked scary, even when she was pregnant. Rose did not want to get on her bad side. She felt awful for poor James who was going to get an ear full as soon as he stepped back out on the pitch.

"We should probably start moving our way down. The boys should be out any minute."

Alice nodded eagerly, a fire dancing through her eyes. Rose wasn't sure if she should be scared for James or if she should get ready to sit back and watch the show.

They moved along with the crowd. Every so often they'd run into someone they knew and stop to talk for a few minutes, before continuing on their way. By the time they got past the security guards and onto the pitch, the team was already out on the grass conversing with fans and family members.

Rose spotted Griffon and James amongst a sea of eager fans, who were waving photographs of the pair and begging them to autograph the pictures.

"You know I didn't think James' ego could get any bigger, but then he joined the Cannons and I swear its has doubled in size." Alice joked, her eyes shining as they admired James.

Ever since they got together after the whole time-turner incident over six years ago, they were madly in love. When Alice found out she was pregnant four months ago, the two decided to marry. It was a small, intimate ceremony, but none the less it was perfect. The two were still in that honeymoon phase.

It was kind of sickening to watch them together. Rose didn't mind. James was happy and that was all that mattered to her.

As if he could hear them talking about him, James looked in their direction. He smiled kindly at Rose. His face broke out into a wide grin as his eyes landed on Alice. Pushing his way past his fans he enveloped her in a hug, careful to not squish "his little quidditch player," as he so kindly nicknamed the unborn child, despite Alice's annoyance.

Alice allowed him for only a moment, before she pushed him back, slapped his shoulder, and began scolding him for nearly hurting himself. "What were you thinking! You're an imbecile! You could have been hurt! What if you would have fallen and left this child fatherless!"

James tried to look apologetic but failed by letting a little smile breakthrough. It amused James when Alice tried to yell at him. She was a short 5'1 and compared to James' 6'2 height, he towered over her. Her yelling at him was like watching a house-elf get into a row with a troll.

James' smile only infuriated Alice more.

"Why are you smiling?" She steamed. "You could have died!"

"I didn't, Love," James argued, wrapping a loose arm around her waist. "I'm here and perfectly fine."

Alice's glare hardened, as she tried to untangle herself from her husband's grasp.

"Hi Love," Griffon whispered into Rose's ear,