Disclaimer: Oh, how I wish I was JK Rowling! Alas, I am not, and therefore do not own any of the characters, settings etc. Unless stated otherwise, everything belongs to her!

Chapter 1 – The Prologue

Throughout his life, Scorpius Malfoy had been scared on many occasions.

He had been scared on his first day of Hogwarts. Would he fit in? Would the other students like him and respect him? What if he wasn't good at magic? And what if, God forbid, he wasn't in Slytherin, thus meeting his family's expectations?

He had been scared when he'd befriended Albus Potter, and further scared when he'd fallen in love with Rose Weasley. What would his fellow Slytherins say? What would his parents say?

He had been scared during his first Quidditch match as Slytherin Seeker, scared the first time he'd gotten detention, scared when he'd first told Rose how he felt, and scared so much he was actually trembling when he first kissed her.

He had been scared when their forbidden relationship went public. He was scared to face his friends in Slytherin, his foes in Gryffindor, scared to confront his outraged mother, and downright terrified when he'd met Rose's parents for the first time.

He'd been scared when he'd faced public scandal, the threat of Azkaban (no, really), the temporary breakup of his relationship, all the confusion of a love triangle he'd never anticipated, and a future that was suddenly unclear to him.

He had been scared when he'd embarked on an adventure, full of danger and mystery, and faced war, and betrayal, and death. Not his, of course, but that of his mother's.

He had been scared to attend the funeral of the woman who had brought him into this world, and for the most part, done her best to protect him from the dangers it posed, and he had been even more scared to face a world, and a future, where there would always be a huge hole ripped in it, where she should have been.

And he had been scared to embrace a life outside of Hogwarts, away from the comfort and security it posed, facing a new career as a Healer, a new start – a new life.

So yes, it was safe to say that Scorpius Malfoy had experienced his fair share of fear. He was not a Gryffindor, and despite Rose's objections, considered himself a self-proclaimed coward. Sometimes his fear had been irrational, unnecessary, and downright unjustified. And sometimes it had been exactly the opposite.

But one thing was for certain:

As Scorpius Malfoy stood on the steps that led up to Mr and Mrs Weasley's front door, approximately two years after he and Rose had left Hogwarts (and had been steadily dating for the past three), with his heart on his sleeve, and his fist poised by the knocker, preparing to ask them for their permission to ask for their daughter's hand in marriage, he had never been more scared in his entire life.

Author's Note: Yesss, Rose and Scorpius are back ;)

This is the first spin-off story (not a sequel) from my 200 chapter ScoRose story 'Rose and Scorpius: A Forbidden Love' - which I know some of you have been desperately awaiting. If you haven't read the original story, some of the references and characters might be a bit confusing, so it certianly helps if you've read the original, but at the same time, if you can keep up with it, I'm sure it can read fairly well as a stand-alone ScoRose story. Context shouldn't be too great an issue, but if it is, I apologise, and I'm warning you now that it might be.

Okay, so when I concluded 'A Forbidden Love,' I expressed an interest in writing a ScoRose Wedding one-shot, but you know me, I couldn't keep myself from making it a bit longer ;) So, if all goes to plan, this will be a 10-chapter story, with one chapter being uploaded every Friday, starting today (October 2nd). The following chapters will be a lot longer than this one, don't worry - this is, effectively, just a prologue to set the mood.

All I have left to say is sorry for the wait,

And I hope you enjoy :D