The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition- Season 2 Round 11

Team: Falmouth Falcons

Author: MaryRoyale

Position: Beater #2

Round 11 Challenge: Look at your team's current score (2041). That number represents the year in which your team's stories must take place.

Prompts: Indeed Indeed I Cannot Tell, Henry David Thoreau, destiny

Official Disclaimer: The original characters of this story are the property of the J.K. Rowling. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended. It is my contention that this work of fan fiction is fair use under copyright law. No monies received for receipt of this work.

Pairing: Rose/Scorpius (sort of)

Rating: T
Word Count: approx. 3100

Warning: Mention of child's death. (I know this can be incredibly painful for some people and I didn't want to blindside anyone.)

A/N: So this story took place in 2041. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do, and then this story (which wasn't what I had planned AT ALL) took place.

/\/\/\/\/\

Ministry of Magic, January 23, 2041

"You're doing the right thing, Rose." Hermione watched her daughter with an expression of concern. She hated seeing the self-doubt in those blue eyes. Rose had always been a go-getter—it seemed horribly wrong to see her daughter so uncertain and hesitant.

"I know Mum," Rose replied with a weary sigh. Her shoulders slumped. "I just… I feel such a fool."

"Sweetheart…," Hermione paused. What could she say? There was nothing that she could say or do that would make this better for her daughter. Still, as a mother she couldn't help but try to soothe her child's battered soul. "I think you're incredibly brave. I'm so proud of you."

Rose looked up at her mother in surprise. That was the last thing she thought she'd hear her mother say today. "You're proud of me?" Rose echoed incredulously. "Mum… I'm 35 and my marriage is pretty much over. I'm crashing on your couch and I don't even have a job. What part of that am I supposed to be proud of?"

Hermione gave her daughter the look that had struck fear into all of the Weasley children—not just her own. "You know that's not what I mean. Despite everything that has happened you are trying to take control of your own life. You are making decisions about your future and trying to move forward. That makes me so proud of you."

"But Mum, I-," Rose began but Hermione barreled over her.

"Rosie, stop." Hermione glared at her daughter. "I can't begin to know what happened between you and your husband. I will say only this—relationships are hard work. You have to compromise, you have to apologize, you have to give it your best effort."

"Mum!" Rose protested. "You know that I—," she tried again. Hermione held up a hand and gave her another fierce glare.

"I'm not done yet," Hermione snapped. "Both parties have to commit to making it work. You can't be in a relationship with yourself Rose," her mother paused and grimaced slightly. "That didn't come out as I meant it."

"I know what you meant," Rose admitted in a soft voice. A dull flush crept up her neck. She may have done everything she could to save her crumbling marriage, but her husband had turned distant and cold. It had gotten to the point where he barely returned home. She couldn't recall the last time they'd spoken together let alone anything more. Some days it was as though they hated one another. Some days she wept for the way things used to be.

/\/\/\/\

For whatever reason, Mum had never sold her parents' house. Whenever anyone had pressed her she had said that she just couldn't bear to part with it. Rose vaguely remembered Grandma and Grandpa Granger. They had seemed much older than Grandma and Grandpa Weasley, but Mum said that they were actually younger. It had something to do with being magical. Rose was just grateful to have somewhere to go.

"Mrs. Amalfi?"

A small smile tugged at the corners of Rose's mouth. The murdering of her husband's name never failed to amuse her. Perhaps it was in direct contrast to the wizarding world where everyone knew who she was without ever having to say a word. The unctuous genuflections, the murmured phrases of meaningless flattery had grown old during the first week of her formal betrothal. Almost eighteen years later it was refreshing to not have to deal with it.

"Yes, Catherine?" Rose turned to look at her next door neighbor.

Catherine Willoughsby was a precocious six year-old. She was frighteningly intelligent, but she was also sweet and kind. Some of Rose's best days were just watching the little blonde running around the neighbor's backyard and shrieking with laughter. Sometimes Rose had to catch her breath and press a hand to her aching heart in a futile attempt to ease her pain. Memories of another little blond-haired child would rise up in front of her, and Rose would have to go lie down. Through no fault of her own, Catherine reminded Rose of everything that she had lost. Despite all of that, Rose had grown to adore her small neighbor.

"Aunt June said that you look sad. Are you sad, Mrs. Amalfi?" Catherine stared up at her with a faint expression of worry.

"Sometimes," Rose acknowledged.

"Aunt June told Uncle Frank that she thinks you might be a toff. Are you a toff?" Catherine whispered this bit as though it were particularly intriguing.

"A… what?" Rose blinked in surprise.

"A toff," Catherine repeated.

"I shouldn't think so," Rose replied with a frown.

"Oh." The visible disappointment in Catherine's face made Rose feel awful.

"I'm sorry," Rose apologized. "Are you supposed to be outside Catherine?" She asked with a worried frown.

"Aunt June told me to go outside," Catherine confessed sadly. "I made the microwave 'splode again." Catherine paused to sniffle. "I think she's mad at me."

"Oh sweetheart," Rose murmured.

It had been a shock to discover that her new neighbors had a budding witch living with them. June and Frank Cooper were foster parents, and they seemed like genuinely kind people. They had two other foster children and they did their best to provide a safe, loving environment. Unfortunately, Catherine's bouts of accidental magic was playing merry havoc on their appliances… appliances they couldn't afford to replace every month.

/\/\/\/\

"Mrs. Amalfi, what pleasant surprise." June Cooper watched her with a confused, uncertain expression. "Can I help you?"

"I was wondering if Catherine was in," Rose explained with a tentative smile. She hadn't seen the child in at least a week, and too many overheard stories of her Uncle Harry's childhood made her worried and anxious.

June sighed. "Catherine isn't here anymore. She went back to Foster Care."

Rose blinked. "I beg your pardon?"

An embarrassed expression flitted across June's face. "We just couldn't afford it," she muttered. "When the television went it was the last straw for Frank."

"I see," Rose replied stiffly. "Sorry to trouble you, Mrs. Cooper."

Before she even realized what she was doing Rose had raced home and was on her knees in front of the fire place with a handful of Floo Powder.

"Mum, I need you." Rose stared up at her mother through the green flames in her grate.

"Perkins, cancel my appointments for the rest of the day," Hermione commanded firmly. "Move aside, darling, I'm coming through."

"Yes, Minister Granger."

Hermione waited until the Floo was completely closed before turning back to her daughter. "What's happened?"

"They sent Catherine back to Foster Care." Rose wrung her hands together.

"The little girl from next door?" Hermione asked in surprise. "The young Muggleborn?"

"Yes, her accidental magic took out one too many appliances," Rose spat.

"Sweetheart, I'm not sure what you want me to do," Hermione said slowly.

"I want to adopt her, Mum." Rose explained. "I'm not sure how one does that the Muggle way."

Hermione grimaced. "I'm not sure either. I think I may have to contact the Other Minister and ask for his help."

"Please, Mum," Rose begged.

"Rose… she's not Regulus." Hermione looked carefully into her daughter's eyes.

"I know that, Mum," Rose retorted. "But she is just a child and she deserves to be loved and cared for. I love her for herself, not because she reminds me of my dead son."

Hermione winced. "I'm sure you do, sweetheart." She paused and watched her daughter for a moment. "What about Scorpius?"

She twisted her fingers and looked at her mother. "I can't help but think that the both of being here, meeting one another... it must mean something, Mum. Perhaps it's destiny. Scorpius has nothing to do with any of it," Rose retorted. "He's made it pretty clear that he wants nothing to do with me. Why should he care if I adopt a child?"

"Rose, you agreed to a formal bond. You are a Malfoy. Any child you adopt automatically becomes a Malfoy. You don't think that your husband will have something to say about that?" Hermione protested.

A grim look came over Rose's face. "Not if I have anything to say about it," Rose muttered. She turned a pleading face to her mother. "Mum, she needs someone who understands what she's going through. The Muggle foster parents are kind, but they don't understand. She frightens them."

Hermione sighed. "All right. I'll do what I can to help you."

"Thank you, Mum."

/\/\/\/\

"Hello Catherine." Rose sat down in one of the uncomfortable, ugly orange chairs.

Catherine blinked up at her. "What are you doing here, Mrs. Amalfi?"

"Sweetheart, if you could, would you like to live with me?" Rose asked gently.

Catherine's eyes narrowed. "Are you a foster parent?" She asked.

"No." Rose shook her head. "I mean permanently. Would you let me adopt you?"

Catherine stared up at Rose. "For real?" She demanded.

"Yes." Rose watched the child anxiously.

"Even if I blow up your microwave and the television and the refrigerator?" Catherine asked with a suspicious look in her eyes.

"Even then," Rose assured her. She leaned forward. "Even if you blew them up every day. You see, Catherine, I'm just like you."

"You are?" Surprise flickered in Catherine's eyes.

Rose nodded solemnly. "My whole family is. I have cousins and nieces and nephews who would love to play with you."

Catherine watched her for several long moments and then nodded. "I would like that."

A blindingly brilliant smile stretched across Rose's face. "Excellent."

/\/\/\/\

"Rose, is it all right if I call you mum?" Catherine asked one day several months later.

Rose blinked against the tears that filled her eyes. "I would love that sweetheart," she replied.

It was a little shocking how quickly Catherine acclimated to the wizarding world. Somehow, Rose had assumed that it would take longer—that it would be more difficult. The combined Weasley-Potter families had embraced Catherine with open arms. They adored their new niece/granddaughter. What was even better was that Catherine adored them all right back. She loved to visit with Grandma Molly and bake cookies. She loved hanging out with Grandpa Ron and Uncle George at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. One of her favourite things to do was visit with her Grandma Hermione. She loved telling anyone who would listen that her Gran was the Minister of Magic. Catherine was absolutely fascinated with the whole idea that there was a Minister in charge of magic.

The family insisted that Rose and Catherine live in Shell Cottage. They wanted to be close to hand in case Rose needed them. Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur had outgrown it years ago, and none of their children lived there. As an added bonus, Catherine loved Shell Cottage and the ocean. She convinced Rose to take her down to the water almost every day.

"Race you back to the Cottage, Mummy!" Catherine called over her shoulder as she raced up the hill to the house.

Rose laughed and watched her daughter try to move quickly in the shifting sand. She rose slowly to her feet and followed her up to the Cottage. As she drew nearer to the Cottage she noticed a tall figure standing at the door. Her heart stuttered in her chest. Her mother had tried to warn her, but when the months passed and she hadn't had any sort of word… she had hoped that they would just leave her alone. That they would grant her peace and Catherine, and let her have this. She should have known better.

"Rose." Scorpius gave a slight bow as she drew closer.

"Who is he, Mummy?" Catherine asked. She slid her hand into Rose's and looked up at her trustingly.

Scorpius knelt down in front of Catherine. "My name is Scorpius."

Catherine frowned at him. "Like the constellation?" She asked.

Scorpius gave her a faint smile. "Exactly like the constellation." He glanced up at Rose. "Can we talk?"

Rose nodded. She turned to Catherine. "Can you play in the backyard sweetheart? I need to speak to Scorpius for a little while."

"Yes Mummy," Catherine said dutifully and raced to the little gate for Shell Cottage's fenced in yard.

"She's beautiful," Scorpius murmured after Catherine left.

"She wasn't a replacement for Regulus," Rose blurted out. She blushed and turned away from Scorpius. "She was an orphan living with Muggles who didn't understand her magic. Mum helped me adopt her."

"I'm glad," Scorpius offered. Rose back to look at him with a disbelieving expression, and he shrugged. "I know you were miserable, and I know that was my fault. If this makes you happy… that's all that matters."

"Even if you have a Muggleborn for a daughter?" Rose demanded. She put her hands on her hips and glared up at him. "I bet your family is just thrilled about that."

The corners of Scorpius' lips twitched. "You might be surprised," he countered. He watched the little blonde flit from place to place in the backyard. "Mother and Grandmother want to meet her."

Rose stiffened. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Just that. They would like to be a part of their granddaughter's life," Scorpius explained. The tips of his ears turned pink. "I would as well."

"I don't understand," Rose whispered. She rubbed at her suddenly cold arms.

"I shut you out," Scorpius admitted. "All I could think about was myself—how much I was hurting—how much Regulus had meant to me. I'm so sorry, Rose. You'll never know how sorry I am."

"And you think that being nice to Catherine will make up for all of that?" Rose stared at him in shock. Scorpius shook his head.

"No. Nothing will ever make up for that. My grandmother made it quite clear just how badly I was mucking things up when Catherine's name appeared on the family tree. Wait," Scorpius held up his hands in a conciliatory manner. "I mean that she was furious that I had pushed you away. She is even more furious that she has no contact with her great-grandchild. She told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to fix it."

"I don't know what to say," Rose whispered.

"Please," Scorpius begged. "Give us a chance to make this right."

Rose pressed her lips together and wrapped her arms around her middle. "It's up to Catherine."

/\/\/\/\

"Wow." Catherine stared at Malfoy Manor with wide eyes. Then she looked up at her mother and frowned. "I thought you said you weren't a toff!"

"I'm not exactly certain what that word means," Rose admitted.

"Rich," Catherine explained.

"Oh." Rose stared at Malfoy Manor. "I'm not, not really, but Scorpius and his family are."

"But Uncle Albus said that Scorpius is your husband," protested Catherine.

Rose flushed. She was going to have a word or two with Albus the next time she saw him. He might be her favourite cousin and her best friend, but he needed to watch his mouth. "He is."

"Then is this our house too?" Catherine asked. She looked at the house with appraising eyes. One of the peacocks screeched and Catherine's hand tightened on hers. "I like Shell Cottage better," Catherine decided.

"Malfoy Manor isn't all that bad. I think you might like the nursery." Rose smiled down at her daughter. "It still has all of Scorpius' playthings, and even his father's playthings."

When they drew close enough to the door it opened to reveal Narcissa and Astoria standing side by side. It was only because Rose knew them both so well that she could see their excitement. They didn't rush Catherine. Rather, they stood back and waited patiently for her to come closer.

"Welcome to Malfoy Manor." Narcissa managed to convey a sense of dignity and gravity that Rose had never quite mastered. "I am your Grandmother Narcissa and this is your Grandmother Astoria."

Catherine gave a wobbly curtsy. "Catherine Amalfi," she announced proudly.

Both women blinked and then turned to Rose who blushed.

"She has a hard time with Malfoy," Rose muttered.

"Of course," Astoria agreed immediately. "Catherine would you like to join us for tea?"

The afternoon passed quickly to Rose's immense surprise. She had thought that an afternoon spent with her in-laws and her estranged husband would be torturous at best, but the entire Malfoy family seemed determine to woo Catherine. Narcissa and Astoria were charming. Lucius and Draco hovered cautiously, and Scorpius did his best to appear friendly and non-threatening.

"Mummy, look what Grandfather Draco can do," Catherine crowed and clapped her hands.

Rose looked on dutifully as Draco entertained Catherine with some fire enchantments. It reminded her painfully of the way Draco had amused her son Regulus when he was teething as a baby. She had to catch her breath. "It's beautiful," she said at last.

"Do another!" Catherine commanded. "Please, Grandpa Draco," Catherine added as an afterthought.

/\/\/\/\

"Scorpius' birthday is November 18th," Catherine informed her mother one morning in October. "Grandmother Astoria invited us both."

"I know," Rose reminded her daughter. "I sent in the reply card."

"I want to give him something really, really, really special," Catherine decided.

"Really, really, really special?" Rose repeated with a smile.

Catherine nodded solemnly. "Mummy, Grandmother Astoria and Grandfather Draco say that Scorpius is my father because he's your husband. Is that true?"

Rose stared at the blue eyes that were too light to be hers. "It is," she admitted.

Catherine bit her lip. "Mummy… would it make you terribly sad if I called him Daddy? I think he might like it."

Rose blinked rapidly to keep from crying in front of her daughter. The months that Catherine had been a part of her life had been incredible. It was difficult to credit that such a small child could change so much. She knew that Scorpius already adored her just as much as Rose did. "I think that he would love it if you called him Daddy," she whispered in a husky voice.

"And you won't be mad?" Catherine pressed with a worried frown.

"No, sweetheart, I won't be mad." Rose gave her daughter a tremulous smile.