The Red Rose That Has Green Thorns

Before we knew what was happening, the day before the last task had arrived, and so, too, had family members. Mum had never written back about how Dad reacted to the news that my boyfriend was Scorpius Malfoy, but Scorpius’s mother, Astoria, had written back seeming to be gleeful about it and also promising that Draco would be on his very best behaviour around my father. That was enough assurance for Scorpius to breathe a sigh of relief on that account, so I could too. I just hoped my father would be just as accepting and courteous.

“Let’s get this over with,” I said to Scorpius, tugging him along with me to the room off the Great Hall where our family members would be waiting. “I’ll try to save you if Dad or James try to go crazy, but with Mum and Aunt Ginny, I don’t think you’ll have to worry. Too much.”

“Ha, ha,” Scorpius rolled his eyes but entwined our fingers nonetheless as we neared the door.

Scorpius pushed it open and held it as I walked through, then followed after, never breaking our contact.

“Just our luck,” I whispered to Scorpius as we walked in the room and I scanned it for our respective family members, “that we have to walk all the way to the other side of the room with them staring at us like we’re a mutation…”

Again, I was treated with the dry, “Ha, ha,” but also a grin, a tightened grip on my hand, and a tug in the right direction. I saw Dad eyeing our hands, his eyes never straying. I could almost see the cogs turning in his head, thinking things like, ‘what did he do to get my daughter to agree to this?!’ or ‘how long as this been going on…?’ or even, ‘what the hell?!’. Mum and Aunt Ginny seemed pleased, if their glowing grins were anything to go by, but James’s reaction was very similar to Dads. I couldn’t read anything in Draco Malfoy’s expression, but his wife grinned and waved, and his mother was trying to hide a smile. Teddy was standing between the families, kind of like a mediator since he pretty much belonged to both.

Scorpius and I released hands when we reached them and went to greet our families. Mum and Aunt Ginny immediately gave me a hug, Aunt Ginny whispering something about Scorpius and I looking good together and Mum giggling girlishly about it. James gave me a half-hearted, one armed hug and Dad just put a hand on my shoulder. I noticed his eyes had strayed over to where Scorpius had received hugs from his Mum and Grandmother and was now talking quietly with his father as Teddy wandered over and surprised me by sweeping me into a bear hug.

“Hey, kiddo, long time no see!” Teddy said, grinning.

“Hey!” I cried, pushing against his shoulder. “Let me down!”

I may have been acting angry, but I was really laughing. It was fun to have a family member - well, he was almost family! - who was as spontaneous as my turquoise-headed almost cousin.

“Okay,” he shrugged, agreeing with me and nearly dropping me.

“Not like that!” I laughed, playfully punching him in the shoulder. Then I stepped across the invisible boundary line to greet the first person I came to on the Malfoy side - Narcissa. “Hello, Mrs. Malfoy! Nice to see you!” I said, holding out my hand. She took it with a stoic expression, but the corners of her mouth were still twitching.

I was kind of surprised when I turned to greet Astoria Malfoy, holding my hand out. The hand was bypassed and the slightly shorter woman hugged me, just like my Mum had done to me. It was the second time that Scorpius’s mother had done that to me, but it still caught me off guard just a little.

“It’s great to see you again, Rose!” Astoria smiled disarmingly - she really was a beautiful woman. I could see that Scorpius’s looks, though similar to his father’s, had definitely gained something from having this woman as his mother. “It seems like it’s been forever since the first of September! How are you? I know your grades are excellent, Scorpius told us as much and I wouldn’t expect anything else from you, but everything else! Have you decided on what you want to do in the future? If you need help, feel free to ask! I’m not sure how much help I’ll be, but if you’re interested in working in the fashion industry, I’ve got several connections.”

“It’s great to see you, too,” I replied, awkwardly returning her hug and smiling at her when she pulled away. “I’ve done a little thinking about what I want to do in the future, but I’m not sure it’s exactly a good plan,” I laughed a little, recalling my fervent desire to head into Quidditch.

“Oh? What do you want to be?” Narcissa asked, leaning over to join in. When I glanced at her, I saw Scorpius talking with my father and James, with Aunt Ginny on alert and Mum actually coming to engage Draco Malfoy in a conversation.

“Well…it’s embarrassing, actually,” I said, scratching the back of my head.

“Nonsense!” Astoria waved her hand dismissively, “I’m sure it’s a perfectly wonderful idea and I’m sure you’ll do great! What is it?”

“I want to…” I flushed, and then kind of smiled sheepishly, “I want to play Quidditch professionally.”

“That’s interesting,” Narcissa said, looking thoughtful.

“From what I’ve heard from Scorpius and Al, and from what I’ve seen when you lot come over and play a little, I think you can do it!” Astoria said cheerfully. “And when you’re done playing, I bet you’d be an excellent choice as head of the department of magical games and sports at the Ministry!”

“H-head of a department?!” I asked, shocked that she was thinking that far ahead. “I don’t think so! Not me!”

Astoria and Narcissa laughed at me, and Astoria looked over to Draco and Mum.

“Mrs. Weasley, your daughter is a wonderful young woman,” she said unexpectedly. “And just looking at your family, I can see where she gets it! Draco, dear, we should invite them all over for dinner sometime! Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
Mum kind of flushed, and looked at me (and I, too, was flushed) for help.

“Yes, it would be,” was the surprising answer that Scorpius’s father gave, “it should be exciting. Hello, Rose,” Mr. Malfoy looked at me with a gentle smile that I recognized as one Scorpius sometimes used as he held out a hand to shake, “it’s been a while. I trust we find you well?”

“Ah - yes!” I smiled at him, taking his hand and shaking. “It’s great to see you again!”

“Likewise,” he nodded, then said, “Astoria, Mum, let’s go greet the rest of Rose’s family.”

“Yes!” Astoria smiled brightly, almost like a child’s grin of excitement, and went over to where my father was still talking with Scorpius (though James was now talking with Teddy). The lively woman walked right up to my father, beside her son, and held out her hand. I heard her brightly say, “Hello, Mr. Weasley! It’s so wonderful to see you! How is everything at work?”

I laughed a little as Dad stumbled over his words for a minute, shocked at the sudden appearance of Scorpius’s mother, most likely when he was in the midst of his, ‘if you hurt my daughter’ speech. Finally, he found his voice to say, “E-everything is fine, Mrs. Malfoy. Nothing different from normal.”

I was left to watch, somewhat in surprise, as the families started to mingle a little, Dad not even giving Scorpius’s father a death glare when he came over to initiate a conversation. There was even a handshake between them, and it didn’t look as though Dad was trying to crush his fingers!

“This is somewhat surprising,” a voice said beside me, linking his fingers with mine. I smiled up at Scorpius as he said, “Somehow, I was expecting this to turn out a lot differently…”

As it was, my dad and Aunt Ginny were talking with Scorpius’s parents, Mum was talking to Scorpius’s grandmother, and James and Teddy were joking around. That last one wasn’t too odd, but the others merited close attention.

“I know what you mean,” I agreed with Scorpius, smiling at how the interactions were going. “Maybe they won’t all try to murder each other when all the family gets here…”

He snorted, but I knew we were both thinking about the imminent arrival of his grandfather (who was probably furious about not being invited for the day, being replaced with Teddy Lupin). What he might not have been thinking though were the thoughts I had about how I sometimes wished, though I hated myself for it, that Lucius Malfoy was still locked away in Azkaban. He deserved more than fifteen years behind bars, because it didn’t seem to have straightened him out very well at all.

“Hey!” I said, getting their attention. “Do you want a tour? See if anything’s changed since you were here last? And no, James, that doesn’t apply to you. Or Teddy.”

James groaned at having the teasing chance taken away, but he followed as Scorpius and I led the group out of the room for a tour of Hogwarts as we knew it.