DISCLAIMER: I don't own Rose, Scorpius, rings, graveyards, shrieking or epilogues. But I do own this story and I've loved every second of it. :)

Conclusion to Getting it Right.

Blurb …

Six years later, I'm still best friends with Bea, still cousins with Al and still in love with Scorpius Malfoy. Oh, and still trying to get it right. My conclusion … oh, I don't bloody know. :Scorpius/Rose sequel to GIR postDH NextGen:

Chapter 34: The Epilogue One.

(Five months later)

(December, 2029)

"Has he done it?! Has he done it?!"

Bea came screaming into my flat about ten minutes before I was supposed to leave it for work. Screaming bloody murder, she made me practically leap out of my skin as she slammed the front door behind her and tore into the kitchen where I was just draining the last dregs of my tea.

"Bloody hell, Bea!" I cried, almost dropping my mug. "Learn to knock!"

"Hey, I used to live here, I don't have to knock – but that's not the point! HAS HE DONE IT?!" she shrieked, skidding to a halt right next to me and grabbing my left hand. I just sighed exasperatedly as she held it up to her face for several moments, her excited look soon turning to one of disgust.

"Satisfied now?" I asked as she let my still ring-less hand drop to my side.

"No!" Bea complained, leaning against the kitchen bench next to me. "I won't be satisfied until the stupid idiot has actually asked you to marry him and you're both blissfully happy!"

I just laughed at her. For about two months now, Bea and I, along with pretty much every other female we knew, were simply waiting for Scorpius to get off his arse and propose.

It had all started when I found the ring back in October, hidden in the cutlery drawer at Al and Bea's house. He had apparently figured out that no matter where he hid it in our flat, I was bound to find it, so in a bid to be smart, he had apparently asked his best mate to keep it for him until he could find a way to ask me. What the idiot hadn't counted on was the fact that Al and Bea's house had been the home I had grown up in and I knew the perfect places to hide things there!

… not that I was, y'know, trying to find it or anything! I swear, the drawer broke like that and the box totally just opened on its own.

Anyway, once we had discovered it in the cutlery drawer, interrogating Al for the details had been pitifully easy since he and Bea had gotten married; he was an absolute slave to his new wife, which we readily used to our advantage. So we found out: after half a year of talking about 'soon', Scorpius finally snapped, bought a ring, and was going to propose. I had been suspicious for several weeks at that point, which had sparked the manhunt for the ring in the first place … uh, I mean, it was lucky we found the ring at that point. He, unfortunately, had no idea how he was going to do it. But it was going to be before the end of the year, because apparently, he had made a bet with Lily that he did not want to lose.

It was the day before New Year's Eve and he still hadn't done it.

"Look, Bea, I've got to go to work now!" I told my best friend, patting her on the shoulder in an attempt to calm her down. "I swear, we'll discuss everything in full detail at dinner tonight, ok?"

"Ok, ok …" Bea grumbled. "Have fun at work!"

"Oh, I'll try," I told her, glancing at the clock. "Hang on, shouldn't you be at work as well?"

Bea glanced quickly at her watch, then at the clock.

"Oh, shit!" she cried. "Damn it! I hate having a new job, I start at different times now! I thought I had a whole extra hour!"

"Think of it this way," I said as Bea made for the fireplace to floo back home. "If it was Monica Dodge you still worked for, she would have chopped your head off by now!"

"Yeah, it's so much better," Bea said, rolling her eyes. "Now my mother-in-law works just down the corridor from me! Why did the sports section of the Daily Prophet have to be so close to the news section?"

"Ginny loves you," I pointed out. "I reckon it would help to have a Chief Editor on your side, wouldn't it?"

Bea grinned. "Ok, yeah it does. Love you, Rosie, see you tonight!"

I laughed as Bea flooed home and I started the familiar walk to work. Bea had been so ecstatic when, to her surprise, her application for a job at the Daily Prophet had been accepted. She'd only just come back from her honeymoon when she'd heard and soon, the first couple of weeks of hers and Al's marriage had been full of moving into a proper house and starting a new job. But Al and Bea had never been happier and I sort of thought that rubbed it in Monica Dodge's face.

While The Happy Couple had Scorpius and I to use for manual labour to help move all of their crap to my old family home, they had still been on their honeymoon when Scorpius moved in with me. As a result, we had been forced to rope in James and Libby from downstairs and (rather reluctantly on my end) Harley from across the hall. Al and Scorpius's old flat still stood empty now and it saddened me every now and then when I felt my legs wanting to take the usual extra few paces two doors down. But who knows, maybe we'll get some nice, normal neighbours who don't care that their building is full of lunatics?

Well, it was a nice thought at least.

The second I walked into the staff room at work, I was basically assaulted by several girls yelling,

"DID HE ASK YOU, DID HE ASK YOU?!"

"No!" I shouted loudly and they all moaned. "He hasn't asked me yet, stop yelling!"

"Aw, Rosie, c'mon!" Margo said, still smiling even though I had just yelled at her. "We're only excited!"

"I know, I know," I said, rolling my eyes. "Trust me, I'm excited too, although a little bit pissed off. You'd think he'd have done it by now!"

"He's got one more day," Ally pointed out and I grinned, dropping down next to her on the staff room sofa, still with fifteen minutes to go until our shift started. "He has to do it tonight, right?"

"Oh, I dunno, Scorpius has been known to work on homework right up until the deadline …"

Ally just smiled at me as the other girls giggled, against their will, I'm sure. I swear, the day I had gotten the letter, saying that I was officially a fully qualified Healer, I nearly blasted out the glass in our windows with my screams. The entire two weeks after Al and Bea's wedding I had waited in agony, studying into the wee hours of the morning for exams, hoping for the best possible mark to boost my chances. When I actually got the letter, Scorpius, Al and Bea had been there, watching tentatively as I opened the letter and promptly proceeded to scream my lungs out. Naturally, they had started yelling too and soon, we were jumping up and down in a four-armed hug, much like we had done five years previously when I'd received the letter saying I was accepted into the trainee programme.

Sometimes life came in a full circle. I loved every second of it.

Naturally, the first thing I'd done after finding out had been crashing uninvited into Gerald flat (with Ally naturally being there as well) and demanding to know whether they had got in or not. Silently, they'd both just held up their letters and we hadn't let our celebratory shrieks loose until we'd asked, ever so politely, what results the other had gotten.

Graduation had been one of the best days of my life, standing on a stage at the Ministry of Magic with fourteen others in my year group, about to become full Healers. My mum and dad had been in the crowd, along with basically every other member of my family. Naturally, the celebrations had been extensive that night.

Unfortunately, there had been the people who didn't get in and it had hurt to see their faces as we all worked our last shifts together before the training year crossed over. We were graduating, but they were going away with nothing. However, thankfully, most of them had ended up being vultures, who had been counting on their connections to get them through. Apparently, Healer Williams had only just taken over the Head of Healer Training job the year we were all accepted and didn't do vulture shit. He had been merciless!

But there had been those like Ben, who wasn't a surprise since he never studied, and Sarah, whose family commitments forced her to pull out and her place was offered to someone else instead. It hurt to have to say goodbye to them, but all wasn't lost: Ben was moving to France and Sarah told us that her training would be reconsidered the day she would be able to come back. They had supported us at graduation and we had all appreciated it.

Honestly, the hardest person to face had been Harley. To this day, I don't really know what I was hoping for; I knew that she was good at her job, but the ways she had taken to get there I couldn't accept. So when I'd heard from Scorpius that she didn't get accepted, I had felt a strange desire to cry and laugh at the same time. I mean, she was a vulture, vultures didn't get in, it made sense. But that night, I had ended up knocking on her door anyway … and somehow, we'd spent several hours bitching and arguing together. She'd explained that she was looking into several mediwizard positions now. She had also admitted to me through the tears that she thought Healer Williams had made the right decision and that she didn't blame me if I'd felt relieved.

And while yeah, I had agreed with Healer Williams, I still cried for her anyway.

We still don't talk about that night.

Instead, I try to concentrate on the good memories of graduation. That day, all fifteen of us stood in a line on the stage, everyone holding hands and trying not to cry. I had been squashed between Gerald and Margo, and the first friend I'd ever made on my course squeezed my fingers tightly when they had read our names and handed us our certificates.

While officially, we were offered jobs wherever they placed us in the hospital, on graduating, we had been allowed to identify a preferred section and more often than not, we had ended up there. I had requested to work once more with Healer Pyne-Smith and the children in magical diseases and, sure enough, I swear Healer Pyne-Smith nearly hugged me on the spot when I had walked through the doors for my first shift as a fully qualified Healer.

It was honestly the best job in the world and I couldn't imagine working anywhere else.

"Healer Weasley!" six year old Elise called out to me the second I walked into the ward. "Did Scorpius ask you yet?!"

Ok, yes, so even the kids I worked with knew about my boyfriend's so far useless attempts to ask me to marry him. We were often encouraged to talk to the children about our lives, as it frequently helped them cope through their illnesses and the procedures to healing them. Only I don't think Healer Pyne-Smith had exactly counted on the fact that as a result, the entire ward of sick children now knew far too much about my personal life than I would like.

"Aw, sorry Elise, he hasn't yet," I told her, moving over to take her temperature.

"But you said that last week!" Johnny said, the boy in the bed next to her.

"I know!" I said as several of the kids laughed. "I don't know what I'm going to do! I'm starting to think he'll never ask. Does your tummy still hurt, Johnny?"

"Kind of," Johnny admitted, which wasn't surprising since the bug he had caused the food in his stomach to animate and fly around. "Can you make it better?"

"If you keep taking your medicine, you will feel much better," I pointed out, since Johnny had proven himself to be very apt at sneaking out of bed, rather than sitting down nicely and drinking the potion prescribed to him.

"But it tastes funny."

"I know, but it will make you feel a lot better," I told him. "Remember what happens if you don't drink it yourself …?"

Johnny's eyes suddenly widened and he snatched the potion vial off his bedside table. His mother laughed as he downed the whole thing in one go. "I think I missed what happened last time," she told me. "I've never seen him drink that so fast!"

"Last time, Healer Pyne-Smith came in and threatened to sit on him," I smiled. "He drank it pretty quickly then, too."

"Healer Weasley! Healer Weasley!" four-year-old Shelley was on the other side of the ward, jumping on her knees at the end of her bed. "If Scorpius won't ask you to marry him, why don't you ask him?!" She grinned as if this were the perfect solution.

"Well, normally, it is the boy's job to ask the girl," I explained to her. "So I keep waiting for him to do it and he won't! You look like you're feeling much better."

"I'm not coughing anymore!" Shelley said, excitedly. "Mummy says that I'll get to go home soon."

"Y'know what? I think she might be right," I said, glancing at her chart hanging off the end of her bed. "But I'm afraid you have to rest before you leave. Otherwise you might get sick again and you'll just have to stay here."

"I don't mind, I want to stay here," Shelley said with a toothy grin. "I like you. I think you should ask Scorpius to marry you."

"Ok, why is that?"

"Um …" Shelley thought for a moment. "Because … you want to get married … and when you want to get married, you ask 'can you marry me, please?' And Scorpius hasn't asked you, so I think you should ask him if you can marry him, please!"

I did my best not to laugh too loudly. If only things were as simple as a four-year-old's logic. "You're a very good advice-giver, Shelley. Now I need you to lie down for a bit, ok? Then, when your mummy comes back, we can talk about letting you go home."

As young as little Shelley was, I found I wasn't just humouring her when I said her advice was valid. Was the solution to this problem really just as simple as asking him myself? The woman inside me shunned that immediately, actually kind of wanting the experience of being proposed to; but then the demanding Rose inside me said screw that, I want to get married! The thought stayed in my head my entire shift and it wasn't until I was leaving at the end of the day, when I voiced it out loud.

"Hey, Gerald!" I called, just as I was walking out of the staff room, catching my friend as he was arriving for his shift.

"Rosie, my girl!" he said, wrapping me in a hug as if he hadn't seen me for months on end. Catie and the receptionist ladies laughed at our encounter behind their desk. "And I thought we never saw each other as trainees! Next time we're all free, you're coming to mine for dinner, ok?"

"Wouldn't miss it," I said with a grin. "Here all night?"

"Only until midnight," Gerald said. "My shortest shift since … I started! Being a full-Healer is so worth it. Oh!" He suddenly seemed to realise something as he slapped his forehead with his hand. "I'm supposed to ask! Has Scorpius–?"

"No," several voice's said flatly. I hadn't been the only one to respond; Catie, Hannah, Evie and I all gave the answer.

"Ah," Gerald shrugged. "Oh, well, can't blame him. Must be nerve-wracking."

"But you so aren't siding with him … right?" I reiterated.

"Oh, no!" Gerald quickly said, raising his hands hastily. "Totally not! Complete idiot, why wouldn't he ask you yet?"

"That's better," I said with a smile. "Promise me that when you decide to propose to Ally, you'll do it straight away, yeah?"

Gerald went bright red, as he always did whenever someone joked about his and Ally's relationship.

I'll be honest; there had actually been a moment near the end of our training where I had feared that their relationship would fall apart. Ally had seriously considered taking the Spain job and, despite my best speeches to encourage bravery, it had only been my intervention of forcing Ally over to Gerald's flat to make them talk it out that had sorted things.

I must have looked rather odd, sitting outside Gerald's front door, my legs stretched out in front of me and banging on the door every now and then when I could hear my friend's words talking about something random. I knew Gerald and Ally; yelling and confrontation wasn't really their thing, so they had mostly tried to veer wildly off-topic. Ally finally admitting that she was scared of a real relationship, having never been in one before, had been the kicker and they had soon managed to hash it out.

Naturally, I had left hastily once the words stopped.

"Rosie, you know we're probably not equipped to handle jokes like that yet," Gerald snorted. "Hell, we've only just managed to admit that we want something serious! If marriage comes at all, it'll be a long way off."

I just grinned, before considering my next words. "Gerald," I said, after a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

"I'm going to regret it, but sure."

I rolled my eyes, but continued on, "It's just, one of the kids said something today during my shift. She said that if Scorpius was taking too long to ask me, then I should just ask him instead. Would that … I dunno, coming from a bloke's perspective, would that be weird?"

Gerald considered me. "I s'pose it'd depend on the bloke."

"The bloke is Scorpius, Gerald."

"Well," Gerald shrugged. "I know that on the one hand, I would probably feel a little bit like my manliness was being taken away from me; proposing is one of the few important things it's traditionally a man's job to do and it's something you want to get right! To have the woman swoop in and do it for you, no matter how much you may love her … he may feel a little put out."

"Ah," I said, frowning.

"On the other hand, though," Gerald added. "If it worked for the relationship, or it was getting to the point where you needed a push, I could sort of see the merit in it. You're not actually considering it, are you, Rosie?"

"I'm just sick of waiting!" I said, exasperatedly. "My stupid cousin mulled it over for an entire year before he asked Bea! I've only been waiting two months and I'm already going nuts!"

"Then get his arse into gear, I say," Gerald grinned. "You don't necessarily have to be the one to ask, but y'know, a subtle kick in the right direction can never go amiss."

"Thanks, mate," I said. "I don't think I've ever mentioned how much I love the fact that you forced me to sit next to you on our first day of training. God knows what might have happened if you hadn't."

"I know one thing," Gerald said, grinning. "I wouldn't have Ally in my life like I do now. And despite the insane drama, I consider you one of the best friends I've got. So while we're being all gooey and shit, I love you, and blah, blah, blah."

"Love you, too," I said in answer, punching him on the shoulder.

"Gerald!"

We both turned to see Ally herself approaching, making her way down to the (proper, full-Healer!) staff room for her break. While Ally was still that incredibly reserved person I first met five years ago, I knew that she had come a long way. Just by looking at them, most people wouldn't even realise that Gerald and Ally were in a relationship, since as a greeting, she just moved to his side and looked up at him with a smile. But I could tell and the fact that they were even here at all was enough for me.

"Don't bother asking Rosie about Scorpius," Ally told Gerald. "She's–"

"–already told me, yeah," Gerald answered for her. "And going mental, she's actually considering asking him herself, now!"

Ally's eyes widened as she turned to look at me. "You would do that?" she asked in amazement. So shy, I think the very idea of putting herself out there like that made her want to throw up.

"It was a child's idea! She told me during my shift," I said, rolling my eyes. "As appealing as the idea might be, though, I still stand by the traditional notion that the bloke asks the girl. I want my beautiful, romantic proposal, damn it!"

"… I'm sorry, you? Romantic?" Gerald said with a snort. "If that's the case, then I recommend not speaking at all!"

"Or listening," Ally added. "Hearing his words only annoys you."

"Actually, try not being in the same room as him," Gerald shrugged. "Or better yet, hire an actress that looks like you to do it for you! That way, you might actually get something beautiful and romantic."

"Cheers guys," I said, sarcastically. "What would I do without you?"

I was thankful that no one was in when I got home from work. I don't think I could have stood yet another person screaming at me, "Has he done it?!" However, my happiness was short-lived. I'd only had time to change out of my work uniform and pour myself a cup of tea, when Al and Scorpius turned up.

"Hey, Rosie!" Al said happily, moving to hug me tightly. "Ready for dinner at James and Libby's?"

"Of course," I grinned into his shoulder. "Look at me, I'm practically wasting away!"

"Right," Then, Al leaned in and hissed in my ear, "Has he asked you yet? Bastard doesn't tell me anything!"

I just gave an exasperated sigh and shoved him on the shoulder. "Shut up," I told him.

"I'll take that as a no, then."

"No to what?" Scorpius asked, shutting the front door behind him. Al and I just exchanged looks. It was starting to look like my idiot boyfriend would never get the hint. Mind you, the record to beat is, in fact, twelve months held by the one and only Al Potter, so I suppose I don't really need to start worrying until then. I loved the bloke dearly, but he was seriously starting to piss me off.

"Nothing, mate," Al shrugged it off. "Bea gets off work in ten, so I thought we could wait for her here and then all go downstairs together?"

"Oh, that is the saddest thing ever," I pointed out as Al sprawled himself on our sofa to wait and Scorpius came over to kiss me quickly. I tried to ignore the fact that I could feel the small box containing the ring in his pocket. "You were never this bad before you got married!"

"Hey, ten minutes is a decent time–"

"Ten minutes is nothing," Scorpius said, flatly. "I'm ashamed to even know you!"

"Aw, just wait until you guys are married, you'll be all over each other and then you'll understand how we feel!" Al said, clearly without thinking. At that comment, Scorpius and I could hardly step away from each other without it looking odd, but we awkwardly glanced away from each other, unable to look each other in the eye.

"… so did you see your sister for lunch like you said?" Scorpius asked Al in a bid to change the subject.

"Merlin, did I ever," Al rolled his eyes as Scorpius and I moved to join him on the sofa, sitting on either side of my cousin. "She brought along that boyfriend of hers, Dave or something. The bloke she met in New Zealand?"

"She's still with him?"

"That's the point you're focusing on?" I pointed out. "I'm still marvelling over the fact that she's accepted he's her boyfriend now!" Scorpius was right to be surprised at Lily's attempts at a domestic life; I don't think my little cousin had shown any long-term interest in a bloke since … forever!

"Yeah, well, get this," Al said, amused now. "She's happy!"

"She tell you that?" Scorpius snorted.

"She didn't have to," Al told him. "I could just tell. LL's emotions just read across her face and I could tell that she was the happiest she's been in a long time! She loved travelling, but she loves being back here in England as well and it's all thanks to that bloke!"

"Bea got her a job at the Daily Prophet, didn't she?" Scorpius asked. "That was the last I heard from her, back in September when she leapt out of our fireplace without checking first once again. You'd think she would have learnt the first time, but no …"

I found that I could finally laugh at the memory of Lily bursting in on a rather intimate moment between Scorpius and I on the sofa a few years ago. It used to only cause embarrassing pain, so it was a positive change.

"She writes travel features, I think," I said, smiling. "She's the best person for it! I swear she's been everywhere."

"I'm just saying, I think we need to get some sort of lock on our fireplace if she's going to keep crashing through it like that."

"She's a Potter," Al shrugged. "We're not exactly known for sticking to regular norms."

"Oh, you, Lily and James are definitely related," Scorpius agreed. "I don't think James has ever done anything normal in his life! Except maybe falling for Libby, but even then that was a bit extreme."

"I bet they're the next to get married," I said with a glance at Scorpius. Hint, hint here! "He'll totally ask her within this coming year."

"Are you kidding?" Al snorted. "Those two are about as unorthodox you can get! They'll have ten kids running around by the time they even consider it."

"Scorpius?" I prompted the bloke sitting on Al's other side.

"Oh, um …" Scorpius muttered and I could tell that Al was silently trying to prod him in the right direction just by using his face. There was a burning in Scorpius's eyes, like his brain was literally on fire and right when I thought he was finally, finally, going to bring the topic up, he muttered, "Yes, yeah, it'll probably be him and Libby …"

Al smacked his forehead with his hand and I just gave a frustrated groan. This was never going to happen, unless I had something to say about it.

"That's it!" I yelled, causing Scorpius to look up with an alarmed expression. "Hints just don't WORK with you, do they?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Scorpius asked, hastily.

"Oh, for god's sake!" I yelled. "Just ask me to marry you already!"

Oh, the awkward silence. It was so awkward. Nobody said a word as Scorpius stared in horror, silence ringing throughout our flat. Eventually, Al seemingly couldn't take the tension, as he snapped upright to his feet and said quickly, "Actually, Bea will probably meet us there! See you later! Don't kill each other, please!"

And he rushed out of the flat so fast that he practically tripped over the hems of his jeans.

Scorpius and I stayed silent for a moment, even after Al slammed the door shut behind him. Eventually, I couldn't take sitting anymore and I stood up so I could pace around the lounge. Scorpius's eyes followed me as I practically wore a hole in the carpet.

"Well?" I snapped eventually, spinning around to face him. "C'mon! Are you going to do it or what?"

"I – Rose, you can't just bring it up like that!" Scorpius retorted, standing up in a huff, folding his arms and refusing to look at me.

"The hell I can't!" I yelled back. "It's been months! Just ask me!"

"How the flipping HELL did you even find out?!"

"Let's just say that you need to find a better hiding place next time!" I said. "But that's not the point! The point is that you're stalling and screwing around, justifying it by trying to find 'the perfect way' to ask me! You know that doesn't even MATTER right?! We could be at the bloody rubbish dump with you kneeling in the dirt and I would still say yes!"

"Oh, c'mon, that's a load of bollocks," Scorpius said, angrily. "Girls always dream of the perfect proposal, don't they?"

"Seriously?" I almost laughed in his face. "It's like you don't know me at all! When the hell have we EVER been perfect?!"

"Y'know what? I'm not going to listen to this!" Scorpius just stormed past me, heading for the front door. "I'll ask you when I'm good and ready, all right?"

"Hey! No–!" I practically leapt after him, grabbing him by the wrist and hauling him back. "If you weren't ready to ask me, then you wouldn't have bought the freaking ring! You've even got the ring on you right now, I know you do, it's in your pocket!"

Scorpius just made an exasperated sound, trying to tug my hands away, but I only held onto him tighter, keeping him here. Eventually, he gave in and he just looked straight at me with an almost painful expression. "Rosie," he said. "Look, our relationship has been so screwed up recently and I wanted this to be special. I keep hoping that some spontaneous moment will arise, but nothing's happened so far. You know I don't care either, right? We could be anywhere and I wouldn't care. But …"

"You thought I would?" I asked. Scorpius nodded and I couldn't help giving a sort of smile. "Scorpius … look, you're right, things have been screwed up, but everything about us is screwed up, so why should this be any different?"

"Merlin, you're annoying."

"But isn't that why you love me?" I asked.

Scorpius grinned at that and he let go of my hands to tug around my waist and kiss me enthusiastically. You know, I always thought that there would come a day when I would just stop feeling so alive around him. That I would see him walk through a door, or he would press his lips to mine, and I would think that's Scorpius, he's mine, but it wouldn't hit me like a bloody freight train.

I'm still waiting for that to happen and now, I'm starting to think it never will. I didn't even care. I thrust my fingers into his hair, hauling him closer, and I remembered all the moments we'd had like this in this very flat. In the hallway to the front door, we had argued about Harley moving in across the hall from him; in the kitchen we had bickered while keeping up the charade of cooking, even though we were really only flirting in the end; on the sofa were stolen moments and last desperate attempts to be together before we forced ourselves away; not far away in my bedroom, we'd spent hours just curled up in bed, half-asleep and just enjoying being with each other. We'd argued here, lived here, loved here, made our lives here …

Suddenly, I realised what hadn't actually happened yet and I pulled away rather abruptly, despite the fact that we were wrapped around each other rather closely. Scorpius gave a protesting sound as I stepped away from him, glaring and folding my arms.

"What?" he whined.

"You still have to ask me," I pretty much demanded.

Scorpius just rolled his eyes. "Aw, c'mon, Rosie–"

"No, no, don't you 'c'mon, Rosie' me!" I cried, prodding him in the chest. "I might not care how it happens, but I do care that it actually does happen!"

For a moment, he just glared at me. Right when I thought he was going to tell me to piss off, he shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the ring.

Oh, god. I'd been imagining this for Merlin knows how long, and for some reason, I thought I would be cool once it finally did happen.

I wasn't. I was not cool. In fact, I'm fairly certain I stopped breathing.

"Fine," Scorpius wasn't looking quite so cocky as he took a slight step back and kneeled down onto the worn carpet in front of me. "You get it your way."

Oh god, oh god, oh god –

He opened the box and I couldn't help but grin. Even though I had seen it before, seeing the ring held in his hand with him knelt down on the floor like that with the pitifully-in-love expression on his face, it was like it was the first time anyway.

The idiot still looked nervous as I tried not to cry. "Rose Weasley, I still don't know how I managed to fall quite so desperately in love with you when, most of the time, I just want to kill you. All I know is that we are quite possibly the only two people in the world who could be ever be with each other. I …" He shook his head. "I just love you, so bloody much. Will you marry me?"

I will not cry.

I will not –

Ah, buggering hell, I'm crying.

"Oh, dear lord, I screwed it up, didn't I?!" Scorpius said frantically, noticing my tears and quickly lurching to his feet, the ring in his hand forgotten. "Shit, I – I don't know what else – god, I just love you, Rose, seriously–"

"Yes!" I burst out over his rambling, hastily wiping at my face. "For the love of god, yes, now shut the hell up!"

I reached out and kissed him then, sweeping my fingers over the sides of his face, my arms almost trapped against his body since he had flung himself around me tightly. I kissed him because I wanted to feel that grin under my lips. I kissed him because once he heard the word yes I had thought he might burst from happiness and I didn't want him to make a mess and really, I just kissed him because I was engaged now and it felt bloody amazing.

We didn't wait for Bea to come home from work. I knew that Al had to be almost fit to bursting from dramatic tension, so I'd been quick to point out that we should probably go put his, and the rest of our mates', minds at rest. Scorpius had protested and honestly, I might have just given in and pulled him to the floor to have wild, hot, we-just-got-engaged sex right in our living room.

But I'd convinced him to actually put the ring – my ring – on my finger and he hadn't been able to contain his joy. In fact, after kissing me once more at the sight, the first thing he'd done was wrenched open the front door and darted out to pound on the door of the flat across the hall. Old Mrs O'Riley had gotten one hell of a fright to answer her door to Scorpius yelling triumphantly,

"Rose and I are getting married!"

"Bloody finally," the old lady had rolled her eyes at us, Scorpius with his arms flung in the air and me watching in amusement from my own doorframe. "It's only taken you, what? Five years since you moved in? Ooh!" she seemed to think of something. "Could you be a dear and not tell Margaret down the hall until after new year's? I'd hate to lose ten quid off her."

With that insight to how our neighbour's saw us, we had quickly assured Mrs O'Riley before Scorpius took my hand, lacing our fingers together, and we almost ran down the stairwell for James and Libby's place.

It was clear that Al had told everyone what had happened. All of our friends shut up the second we walked through the door, identical looks of please, Merlin, please on their faces; Al, who had clearly been in the middle of telling the story to James and Libby; Jo and her little puppy, Pants, the latter squirming in her arms; Toby and his current girlfriend, actually pulling away from snogging for once to stare; Trevor, who had been talking to Sophie; and Harley, who had been helping Libby in the kitchen and had just stuck her head around the door.

Everyone stared at the two of us in the doorway until I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Guess what?!" I called. I raised mine and Scorpius's joined hands and it would have been impossible not to notice the ring glittering in the light. "He asked me!"

Pretty much every girl in the room shrieked and flew forward to hug me and fawn over the ring. Scorpius had the blokes come smack him on the back, telling him, "Good job, mate!" It felt so great to be able to give our friends such good news; the past five months had been tough on everyone, as they had to work hard up until Christmas. Now, the New Year was nearly upon us and the gleeful mood just seemed to seep through the room, infecting everyone. Even Harley hugged me in a rare occurrence, muttering, "Congrats. You had better make him happy," into my ear.

"Rosie, I'm so happy for you!" Sophie cried happily, throwing her arms around my neck once Harley had backed away. "It was getting to the point where I was going to force him to ask you!"

"Thank you," I said into her shoulder. "You have no idea how glad I am to hear you say that!"

"Hey," Sophie pulled back, smiling at me with her beautiful blue eyes sparkling. "You're my friend and I love you. The story of me calling you a psycho when we first met will just be a funny tale to tell on my ninetieth birthday or something."

"You all right for coffee on Saturday?"

"Wouldn't miss it!" Sophie grinned.

Sophie was then forced to moved out of the way, since Jo had come running forward, Pants almost jumping out of her arms to lick me on the face and Libby was practically crying as she hugged me around the middle. It was ages before Al could even get close, but when he did, he picked me up and swung me round.

"Can't believe you managed to make him do it!" he told me, stepping away, but still keeping hold of one of my hands. "Oh, wait, shit … this means I lose to Lily! He did it before New Year's!"

"Oh, damn it, I've lost, too!" I suddenly realised. "I owe my mum ten Galleons now!"

"You bet with your mother?" Al raised an eyebrow at me.

"Of course! She was going on and on about how he was bound to do it before the week was out, so I jumped at it! I had no idea that he would actually do it three days later! Speaking of my mother," I added. "Has she gotten around to fixing the mould problem in the downstairs bathroom?"

Al laughed. "She came round yesterday. Fixed it in a jiffy. She says she actually likes what we've done with the place! Did I tell you that we've turned your old bedroom into a library?"

"What, seriously?" I asked, tugging on his hand. "You know that's been a dream of mine since before I could even read!"

"All for you, Rosie," Al grinned.

"You are the best cousin ever."

"I know!"

I might have hugged him again, but that was when the front door opened once more and we all turned to see that Bea had finally gotten home from work. She stood in the doorway, her bag over her shoulder, and looking gob-smacked.

"Good lord," she said, staring at the huge excited mass of people all stood in a tangled group in the middle of the lounge. "What the hell is going on?"

"Bea!" Scorpius beat me to it as he surged forward. "I did it! I asked her! Rosie and I are engaged!"

I didn't think Bea believed him at first. Then, she dropped her bag and let out an almighty shriek that hurt my ears. "AHHH!" she cried, throwing herself forward into Scorpius's arms. "YOU'RE SERIOUS?!"

"Completely!"

"This is amazing!" Bea cried as everyone laughed and I caught her eye from over Scorpius's shoulder. "You! Get over here!" she called to me and she half pulled away from Scorpius with her arm outstretched so I could join her and Scorpius in their hug. With her arms around us both, I could practically feel her excitement. "Oh, I'm so proud of both of you! Now don't screw this up, ok?"

"I swear, we'll try not to," I was sure to tell her.

That was about when everyone else was sick of Bea hogging us and I swear, I hugged every single person in that room at least ten times, including Pants. Finally, Libby was forced to retreat to the kitchen and Harley returned to help her serve us dinner. As they piled food onto plates and everyone chatted and milled around, pouring drinks, I spoke to Trevor.

"Where were you last weekend?" I asked him. "We were all supposed to go out, but you never showed! I know we're sort of getting old for the nightlife, but I thought we'd still have a good few years left before we retired to staying in on the weekend."

"Oh," Trevor crinkled his eyebrows. "Um … it's not really a big deal …"

"Then tell me," I said at once. "C'mon, you can't hold back, not now–"

"Look, don't get upset," Trevor cut over me. "But I was sort of … with someone."

I stared at him for several moments as our friends clattered around with their plates, drawing back chairs and sitting down. With someone?

"What …" I started. "What about–?"

"Lucy?" Trevor finished for me and I nodded. He gave a sigh at that, turning to look across the room. I followed his gaze to where Lucy Harley was sat next to her best friend, chatting excitedly to Scorpius with the passion that I knew was one of her few redeeming qualities. "Rosie, you know what we were like. We were …"

"Sebastian and Olivia," I pointed out.

"A train wreck," Trevor added and I grumbled slightly. "Rosie, you can't deny that it just wasn't working. I mean, how many times did we break up and get back together?"

"I lost count, to be honest."

"I did, too," Trevor told me. I was thankful to see a spark of the usual, happy Trevor I knew when he threw a comforting arm around me. "I know it'll be hard for you to accept, even though you don't like her. You've seen us right from the start and hell, you just got bloody engaged! You must have true love shit practically coursing through you!" I laughed at that and he grinned. "She … I loved Lucy, I honestly did. It was the first time I've ever been in love. But were not all as lucky as you and Bea. We don't all marry the first person we fall in love with. Hell, Libby was a slut before she got off with James!" he added and even I had to admit that was true.

After a moment, I wound my arm around his waist as I said, "I did hate seeing you so upset when you would break up."

"It happened too many times," Trevor told me. "She broke my heart again and again and eventually, she broke the love. Broke me?" he added, looking confused. "I don't think I'm very good with poetic words …"

"It's fine," I laughed. After a moment of watching our friends eat together, I said thoughtfully, "She's a bitch … but there are some good qualities about her, right? I mean, you must've fallen for her for a reason … Scorpius must be friends with her for a reason …"

"She's fierce," Trevor nodded. "She does not take things lightly. She's bloody protective, she knows what she wants and she gets it. There'll be someone out there who can handle her," he added. "It just won't be me."

"This has not been a good year for her …" I muttered to myself. I mean, first not making full-Healer and then her relationship with Trevor falling apart; both essentially her own fault! I almost felt sorry for the girl.

It was always sad to see a relationship end, but I understood why Trevor needed to do it. It was probably hitting me harder than it normally would, but Trevor was right in guessing it was probably because of all the post-engagement bliss running through my head. Eventually, I found it within me to say, "I'm sorry. And remember, I'll always think you are fantastic … so are you gonna tell me about this girl?" I added with a teasing smile.

Right then, I saw the way Trevor's face lit up and I knew that he'd made the right decision in splitting with Harley; whenever he spoke about Harley, he would be happy, but there would always be a hint of tension in his eyes. In that moment, when I asked him about this new mystery girl, pure joy looked back at me.

"She's so cool, Rosie!" he said, giddily. "Met her a couple of weeks ago in Diagon Alley, I've seen her almost every day since then! She's cute and funny and–"

"Oi!" Toby suddenly called from the table. "Are you two going to stand there cuddling all night? 'cause if so, you're gonna have to starve!"

Laughing, I just gave Trevor's waist a quick squeeze before we moved to join our friends at the table; I'd get the full story later. Right now, I wanted to have dinner with insane idiots I called my friends.

"God, Scorpius, this is kind of creepy …" I hissed, clinging to his hand as we darted amongst the gravestones. Even though it was still early, the winter sun had disappeared a long time ago and as it turns out, cemeteries at night kind of freaked me out! I think it was the combined atmosphere of the slushy ground from winter rain, bare trees silhouetted against the moon and the idea that we were walking over dead bodies in the ground.

"Rosie, you can't be scared," Scorpius rolled his eyes, breath puffing out in the freezing air. "We both know that ghosts can't hurt us."

"I know, but couldn't this have waited until morning?" I asked, desperately.

"How could you possibly wait until morning?" Scorpius said, excitedly. Giving my hand one last tug, he practically ran with me to Astoria Malfoy's gravestone. "Hi, Mum!" he called.

"Hey, Mrs Malfoy," I said, supressing a smile.

We'd been through a lot since Astoria Malfoy had passed away, over two years ago now. I knew that Scorpius visited her here frequently, though I often didn't accompany him; I was a bit more cynical than he was, and I found it difficult to stand in front of a slab of rock and feel a connection to the person it represented. But on occasions like this, I always made an exception, because it meant a lot to Scorpius to talk to his mum and I had to admit, I missed Astoria. I hadn't been back here since we'd come down on the second anniversary of her death, back in October. I was grateful that this time, we were coming with much happier things to talk about.

"I know, I only visited you like, last week," Scorpius was saying, pulling on my hand so I could stand closer, moving to wrap his arm around my waist. I had my hands shoved deep in my pockets, but I instinctively curled into his side. "but something brilliant happened today!"

"Sorry, there was absolutely no way to contain his excitement–" I began, hastily.

"Rose and I are engaged!" Scorpius burst out, the grin on his face so endearing, I just wanted to kiss him on the spot. Ah, what the hell? I did; he leaned into me for a moment, but then, he was suddenly pulling away and wrapping his arms around me tightly.

"Whoa – hey –!" I said in surprise, dragging my hands out of my warm jacket to hug him back. "What's … what's this for?"

Scorpius was silent for a few moments, in which he simply held me. His face was pressed against my hair and for a while, all I could hear was the hooting of far off owls and traffic from the Muggle streets not far away from the cemetery. Then, I heard Scorpius's voice, small and quiet,

"… I miss her."

"Oh, Scorpius," I murmured against his jacket. "I know."

"I just …" He sighed. "I'm so happy, Rosie, and I wish she could actually be here. Actually be excited for us, instead of me just yelling at her gravestone. I wish she could hug us and be there to stop Dad from going nuts at the news, I wish …"

"Hey," I said, pulling back slightly so I could look at him in the dimmed light from the lamps that lit up the cemetery path. "It's ok, I swear. God only knows this is hard, but I'm telling you, somewhere, she can hear us and she is shrieking with delight."

"Rosie–"

"I know, I know, 'I don't actually believe that'," I cut over him. "but you do, and you need reminding. I miss her, too, Scorpius. Hell, I …"

Still wrapped up in each other, I turned my head to face Astoria's gravestone, Scorpius copying my stance. I always found this bit hard, but I managed to make the words come. "I didn't think he'd do it," I told Scorpius' mother. "He's been screwing around almost since the last time I visited! But today, I snapped and he actually did it! You should be so proud of him, Mrs Malfoy. It was actually bloody romantic."

"I love you," Scorpius whispered, forehead pressed to my cheek, before glancing down and adding, "Honestly, I was sort of making it up as I went along. Guess I'm just naturally gooey inside, right, Mum?"

"Are you kidding?" I told him. "That speech was a one-off! The only time you will ever top it is the day we actually get married."

"Oi! I can be romantic!"

"When have you ever said something romantic to me?"

"Um …" Scorpius wracked his brains for a moment.

(The Pointless One)

"Not many people expect someone to just kiss them when they're busy yelling at them!"

"But you were – we were – GAH!" Malfoy stammered, threading his hands in his hair in frustration. "I don't believe this! To think I actually fell in love with you!"

What?

Did he just–?

"You what?"

"I …" Malfoy looked stunned, frozen. I wouldn't have been surprised if he clapped a hand over his mouth. "I didn't … I mean … oh, god …"

"Did you just …?" That's it. I'm in shock. I honestly think I'm going to fall over. "Did you just say you fell in love with me?"

Malfoy had gone bright red, which was even more crazy. "Erm … yes?"

I snorted. "Yeah, and that happened after me slapping you round the face for kissing me," I pointed out. "Got anything better?"

"Uh, when we got together?"

(The Right One)

"Malfoy, at the Quidditch Celebrations, when we snogged … I have to admit, that was the most right I had ever felt."

Malfoy seemed to get an odd look in his eyes. He seemed to deliberate before saying, "… me, too."

This shocked me slightly. "What?"

"Yeah …" He still looked frustrated, no matter how odd his eyes still looked. I had seen that look before; just before we kissed behind the sofa at the Quidditch Celebrations. "Look," he said. "You know how I feel about Lucy Harley; hell, I told you straight to your face, and even in front of Lucy, on more than one occasion, and you still don't believe me! But I don't fancy her. I know she's not the one for me. And I'm sorry I can't help but feel right when I'm around you! So for Merlin's sake, just admit how you feel about me!"

"It was a screaming match in front of hundreds of other people, Scorpius. Try something else."

"What about our second anniversary–?"

"You gave me a heart attack dragging me all the way up to the North Tower to stargaze, only in the end you didn't know any of the constellations!" I laughed, remembering the incident from our seventh-year. "Face it, Scorpius. We're not a romantic couple."

"Well. I came through for the proposal," Scorpius said, turning back to his mother. "Mum … sometimes it seems so stupid to come down here, just to tell you stuff," he admitted, tightening his arms around me. "I mean … you're gone. But talking to you like this … it gives me a connection. And I know Rosie doesn't believe in it," he added, nudging me with his nose. "but the fact that she comes with me for moments like this makes me love her a little bit more."

I smiled at that, but before I could reply, he suddenly cried, "Aha! See! That was romantic, wasn't it?"

"Oh, fine, I'll admit, you have your moments," I told him. "Mrs Malfoy … just thank you, for raising your son. I hate him, but he's kind of going to be mine for the rest of our lives, so if it weren't for you …"

"I love you, Mum," Scorpius said, quietly.

"I hope you're happy for us," I added.

"She is," Scorpius answered.

I stared at the gravestone and remembered Astoria's smile. I remembered meeting her for the first time after we'd gotten together; all strained voices and fake excitement at my house as our families got together for dinner. She had been the only one who didn't look like someone was gutting them alive.

"I know," I said in answer. Then, after a few moments, I added, "Scorpius … not to break the moment here, but my arse is seriously freezing …"

Scorpius grinned through a kiss to the side of my head. "Then let's go," he said. He moved quickly to kiss his hand and gently touch it to the gravestone. "I'll see you later, Mum! Right now, I think Rose and I have some celebrating to do."

"Bloody hell, don't say it like that, your mum would think – Scorpius!" I gasped, since the gloved hand still wrapped around me had moved to the back pocket of my jeans.

"What?" he asked.

"At least wait until we get home! God, it's creepy thinking about doing that in a graveyard …"

Scorpius had at least waited until we got home. In fact, he lasted almost the exact amount of time it took for us to throw our jackets off and start peeling away our thousands of layers. I had barely made it to our bedroom, kicking off my shoes, when he grabbed me by the waist, slamming the bedroom door shut and throwing me up against it.

"Scorpius–!" I laughed into his kiss, heat sizzling through me. I'd almost forgotten what had sparked this burst of passion as I just sank into him, grabbing his hips and pulling him flush against me. But then, he said roughly,

"You–" He nipped at my bottom lip. "–are going to be Mrs Malfoy."

"Oh, god," I said, for a moment totally not in reference to his comment. "I don't know whether to feel ecstatic or terrified at the thought. I mean, Mrs Malfoy? Really?"

"I know how I feel," Scorpius murmured before kissing me again, distracting me with the stoke of his tongue, the feel of his fingers digging into my shoulders before dragging down the sides of my body, purposefully touching every dip and curve. Needing more, I wrapped my legs around him, letting him haul me into his arms, and I moaned at the friction.

"You … you think we'll get through his engagement without screaming?" I wanted to know, breathing fast against his lips.

"Are you kidding?" Scorpius grinned, wrapping his arms tighter as he moved away from our bedroom door, nearly tripping over his shoes in his haste, and collapsing onto our bed with me. "I bet you freak out like Bea did the day of. Or better yet, you run away!"

"Run away?" I said as Scorpius reached back and unwrapped my legs from around him. I frowned for a second before he shoved me back against the mattress, his hands suddenly under my shirt and bending to kiss the skin he exposed at my stomach. "I … uh … no! No, that'll be you."

"Don't think so," he murmured, licking a trail from my bellybutton.

"Our dad's will get into a fight," I pointed out, hoping my voice didn't sound as strangled as I thought. "And Bea and Libby will end up having a competition to see who gets to be – oh, my god! – M-Maid of Honour!" I managed to get out, one of my hands screwed into the duvet cover, the other threading through Scorpius's hair when he let his teeth do a number against my skin that he knew drove me crazy.

"You would consider not picking Bea?" Scorpius laughed, taking hold of the hem of my shirt, before dragging it up. I leaned forward so he could pull it off over my head and throw it somewhere across the room.

"Well, I would in the end," I grinned as Scorpius went back to assaulting my skin with his lips. Shit, Scorpius, keep doing that and I'll– "but it would be fun to watch the carnage!"

"Never knew how evil you could be," Scorpius said, coming dangerously high up my stomach. I burned all over as his hands just skimmed the swell of my chest, enough to tease and almost have me begging; and believe me, it normally takes me a lot longer to get to the begging stage. "You could've been a Slytherin."

"Say that again, and I'll call you a Ravenclaw."

"Fair enough," Scorpius answered, letting his hands continue to wander as he moved up my body with his lips, now reaching my collar.

"Question," I gasped, wrapping a leg back around him as he eased the straps of my bra off my shoulders, massaging the skin there as he kissed my neck. "Are you going to let me touch you at all tonight?"

"Oh, we'll get to that," Scorpius answered. "For now, let me ravish my fiancée."

"But you–oh–" I cut myself off in a strangled moan as his hands massaged down once more. "O-ok. I can work with that for now. Shit, I have a fiancé!"

"You just noticed?"

"Scorpius!" I said, the knowledge just hitting me. I moved my hands, from where they had been almost ripping my duvet to shreds, to either side of his face. "We're getting married!"

"Only took us seven years!" he agreed and I crushed my lips to his. Then, he was moving against me and oh, bloody hell, I could get used to the idea of having this for the rest of my life. If you had told sixteen-year-old Rose that she would be marrying Scorpius Malfoy in seven years, she wouldn't have believed you.

Twenty three year old Rose still didn't believe this. As more clothes were shed as the night went on and skin met skin, it hit me just how far the two of us had managed to come. I still didn't know when exactly I fell in love, or when the screaming had given way to more tolerable bickering. I knew that we'd never really stop fighting completely because, hell, our relationship made no bloody sense! We hurt each other, we teased each other, but in the end, we loved each other. I'd made the mistake of thinking that wasn't enough, but I was wrong.

"It'll always be enough."

"Ro – Rose?" Scorpius gasped in confusion.

"I love you," I said into his mouth, twining our hands together. "and I swear, it'll always be enough."

I used to worry about trying to get things right. Hell, I used to freak when it seemed like nothing was working out and that everything was going up shit creek without a paddle! But if the past year had taught me anything, it was that you were never going to get things completely right. Shit happened, life continued and things went wrong, but the thing was, that didn't matter. Nothing was ever going to be perfect. Life wasn't perfect.

Scorpius and I weren't perfect. We were messy and complicated. We were dramatic and loud. We screwed up and made mistakes, and essentially, we were all wrong for each other.

But we were wrong together.

And that kind of made us right.

Conclusion to getting it right:

-It's hard. It's not for the faint of heart. Attempt it, if you dare …

… but if you do, it's so worth it.

Rose: 27, Scorpius: 22.

(I'm sorry, who won? Why that's right, I did!).

The end.

A/N: I honestly don't know what to say here. GIR World has been an incredible journey with you guys and I am simply honoured that you have all taken the time to read my story and tell me what you think. The support was honestly overwhelming!

I hope that this epilogue lived up to your expectations of a satisfying ending. I would like to take the time here to ask something that I also asked at the end of GIR: what was your favourite line/character/chapter/moment/anything from this story? I know you guys liked my story, but I would love to hear why. :)

I will not say a flat out 'no' to the idea of any more sequels, because hell, I did that at the end of GIR and look where I ended up! But I will say that I have absolutely nothing planned for their wedding and/or any other aspect of Rose and Scorpius's lives after this one. And I will mention, for anyone who happens to be interested, that I have other (Rose/Scorpius) stories that I plan to post soon after this one, so keep a lookout; I'll be around!

(On a side note, I've sort of been playing with the idea of writing the story of James and Libby; would anyone actually be interested in reading this?)
UPDATE: You have all spoken … When James Met Libby is now posted. :)

I don't think I can even begin to describe the depths of my gratitude and thanks for every single review, suggestion, death threat or comment, so I will just say this:

Thank you. For everything.

Until next time -

- Moon. :D