Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Thank you to my reviewers catwomannnnn1, Guest, Guest, MLMarint and reppad98. Yup, Cho Chang is indeed Lydia's mother! Now that's going to be a weird parent-partner introduction, huh?

So, yeah, this is it! The final chapter. This feels very, very strange. But, I haven't really got much to say here (more at the bottom), but just in general: I love you all and thank you so much for sticking with me! Awww, I'm getting all emotional now! This is so strange.

Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 27: Scorpius

The metal felt cold between my fingers. I could seem to leave it alone, constantly fondling the jewel-encrusted top, and the cool metal teeth of the hairpin. I'd wanted to give it to her as soon as we saw each other, but that hadn't gone quite as planned...

"Scorpius! Albus!"

Rose came over and pecked me on the cheek, but there was barely time to say anything to her, let alone whisper what I really wanted to say in her ear. I waited and waited throughout all the stories about the young cousins and their misadventures, fixated on this pin in my pocket. It was the only thing I had left of mum, really, that was meaningful of my heritage from her side. I couldn't bare ever losing it.

I only really got a chance to catch her alone when Henrich ushered everyone into the hall.

"Hey— I wanted to give you something."

She looked at me confused, and mildly suspicious. "O...kay."

"Here, let's hang back," I suggested, taking her elbows as students flooded past us, on the right side of the square dance floor.

"So?"

"So?" I asked, momentarily distracted by the sight of Max and Lola coming in, together. Since when was that a thing? "Oh, right. Sorry. Anyway," I fingered the hairpin one last time, before pulling it out of my pocket. "Here. I wanted you to wear this."

"It's beautiful! The design and craftsmanship... it's all superb!"

"It was my mother's. The Greengrass heirloom."

"I see..." she said, tracing her fingers over the oh so faint Latin script.

"He sent it to me on my birthday - my father. Aside from my aunt, I'm the last Greengrass. Well, if not in name. So I'm free to do with it as I please, I think."

It didn't need to be said, not anymore. And I wanted to give it to you.

"Then, thank you. I'll take very good care of it all through the night." She said, with that wonderful smile. It shone as though with the light of a thousand candles from within. The kind of smile that made you warm on a bitter December night, or made you feel okay even if you were horrendously ill.

"Hey— wouldn't help put it in, would you?"

"Of course," I said, taking the pin in my hand as she turned around. Some music started up behind us, a medium-tempo waltz, or perhaps slightly on the Adagio side of things, and I looked over to catch a terrifying glimpse of Henrich, waltzing. With Headmaster McGonagall. Well, that was something I'd never be able to unsee.

"Where do you want it? In the top— Just here?"

"Yeah, please."

"Okay, I think it's in. Move your head a bit. Yeah, it's in."

She turned back to face me and asked, with a cocky smirk that meant she already knew the answer, "how does it look?"

"Great, of course."

"It really is beautiful, though. Thank you."

I felt the urge to say something, with her looking so beautiful in a deep emerald dress that I really didn't manage to match my tie to, not even by a country mile in her reckoning - I couldn't really tell that well. But I couldn't. I was cut off by the damn applause.

Rose in my arms, we danced away the hours to all the music they played - the slow waltzes, the traditional English songs, and the faster, more 'modern' music that came about with the swapping of the classical instruments with more modern ones. Rose even swore one of them was an enchanted elektric guitar.

The current song was fast paced and crazy tempoed with some very questionable lyrics about a girl and her Niffler. I wasn't usually much of a fan of this kind of music, but Rose seemed to like it so I'd stay for her.

Finally, it came to an end. Rose turned to me, all flushed in the face and looking like she'd been out in the summer sun, and said, "shall we go and sit down for a bit?"

"Sounds good."

I was jumping for joy internally.

"Here, let's go over here," Rose said, leading me past the seats that I thought we were going to be sitting in, a secluded spot, halfway between a pillar on the left-hand wall of the room and a fountain, spewing what looked like pure water out of icicle spouts, just next to it.

McGonagall and the teachers really had outdone it with the decorations. A fountain made of ice, snow like sugar-dusting all over the uneven stone walls, traditional wreaths and boughs of holly pinned up around the walls, and the candles in the sky, usually just simple, plain candles, replaced with the embellished Germanic traditional ones. All that, coupled with the trees and candy canes and stewing pot of hot chocolate meant that Christmas swallowed up every inch of the boring, normal Great Hall.

"It looks amazing, doesn't it?"

I nodded, "I was just thinking that."

"I am a mindreader, after all."

She smiled at me with a little tilt of her head, and I couldn't quite tell if she was being cocky or joking. I hoped the latter but feared the former.

"Well, at least give me a minute warning to put my thoughts in order."

She raised an eyebrow, "no chance."

We laughed together, and turned back to the dance floor before us.

"Hey— who's that? Next to Alfie?"

Rose nodded over to the blonde boy next to my enviously tall friend. Light blonde hair; tall and thin, with very astute-looking amber eyes. I vaguely knew who he was. "Oliver. No idea of his surname, though. But I think he's a fifth year Ravenclaw."

"Oh, I've never seen him around, I don't think. Is he a friend of Alfie's?"

"Yeah. He said they met doing clean-up duty in the Astrology tower this year. They get on pretty well, apparently."

"Oh. That's strange. I always see him with a million different people, but never this guy before."

"I know, right?" I said, and could feel myself relaxing into the most basic form of speech I ever took. It was still weird to be around Rose - she was my girlfriend. Girlfriend. I couldn't help it if I got nervous and awkward around her sometimes. "No, that guy is seriously a social butterfly if I've ever seen one."

"True," said Rose, and not disagreeing since she, herself, was one. "And one of the kindest people in Hogwarts, honestly."

"He is." I agreed without hesitation; Alfie was one of those rare people you met and you knew you shouldn't take for granted because they really would do anything for you. He oozed ingenuity that wouldn't be taken advantage of, and I really appreciated it.

"Albus is, sometimes. I think that's why he and Lydia are so perfect together."

She nodded over to the pair of them, sitting at the back of the hall. They looked like they could've been sitting there for a hundred years, and that they could sit together for a hundred more.

"They're adorable."

"'Adorable'?"

"Yup," I said, sticking by my less-than-macho word choice, and giving her a big grin in return. Nothing about me was macho, that's just who I am.

"Although - if you ever tell Albus I said that, we're going to have serious words."

"Aw, come on! Merlin-forbid you should ever actually be kind to your cousins."

"Of course," she nodded imperiously, "that's how family works."

I will simply never be able to understand the Potter-Weasley family. A strange, loveable, convoluted family if I've ever seen one - and I'm from the Malfoy family. We've got every kind of weird shit imaginable hiding out in our family tree.

"Wait a second - is that Mia Clarke and Lola talking? Sitting together?" Rose asked, looking just a few tables over from where Albus and Lydia were sitting.

Yep, there Hey were. Lola Travers And Mia Clarke, sitting together for all to see. Now that was a weird combination if you've ever seen one.

"What in the name of Arthur happened there? Then?" Rose mumbled, and I followed her exactly into academic mode, trying to decipher all the minutia as to what led to this very strange situation.

"Max told Mia he didn't want to go with her at the beginning of the ball." I offered.

Rose let out a sound of understanding. "I see. Lola's date was a total tool and left her, too. So I guess they're... bonding over lost dates?"

"I never thought I'd see the day." I muttered.

It was very clear that neither of us were a particularly big fan of Mia, but it was never really satisfying to see anyone put down. Unless, of course, they really really deserved it. Mia was pretty horrendous to me, made my life a misery and gave me a scar, but she was also a teenaged girl. I wasn't intending on keeping a grudge that large for very long yet. Besides, Rose said she thought my scar looked cool - and that's all that matters, right?

"Well, I'll be damned." Rose declared. "Speaking of Max - where is he?"

"I think I saw him a moment ago. Over there - I nodded to the other side of the hall, where a slightly sweaty Max was dancing with a very beautiful girl in a. Red dress wait—

"Isabelle?" The two of us chorused in unison.

"Wait, you knew?"

"I knew what?"

"You know he's her type?" Rose asked, watching the couple but giving a brief look back to me for confirmation.

"No. But he's had a big crush on her, and he's been in a mood about it for weeks."

"No way! She's mentioned him a lot since we started this year!"

"Why didn't they just talk sooner?"

Neither one of us bothered to answer my question. It was like the pot calling the kettle black, and frankly too uncomfortable to go over at all.

"Well, anyway," Rose said, flicking her hair behind her shoulders.

"Yes, anyway."

"They look good together."

I nodded, wordlessly. They really did. To be honest, I never thought he'd be able to keep it in his pants long enough to be able to really like someone. But I guess I was wrong; Max deserved more credit than I gave him when it came to women. Not that I could really talk, of course.

"There's Paige and Rhys."

"I can't believe you'd let your friend go with him."

"I can't believe she agreed to go with him," Rose sighed, quickly turning back to scan the floor again. "And there's Amelie and— oh."

That was not Joshua who's arms Amelie was in. That was Jake Andrews.

"Jake Andrews."

I turned to look at Tose, wager to see how she'd react. Of course, I felt bad for Joshua in the foremost - that was his girlfriend, in the arms of a prize twat. But also...

"She has no idea what she's getting herself into." Rose sighed, and those very enigmatic words sent me over the edge. I couldn't help myself. I felt the urge and could only watch it and the words barrel out of my mouth before I could do anything to stop it.

"So what really happened?"

"Really happened?" Rose raised an eyebrow and gave me an indulgent sort of smile. That meant she was halfway to pissed off... oh dear. Oh dear, indeed.

"What happened was... I kind of got off with him at the end of last year. Once. Wait, no— twice."

That, I knew already. It didn't really matter to me, anyway - she's assured me it was in the past now.

"It turns out, he'd got off with me and two other girls, all whilst he was going out with Jasmine."

"Wait, no—"

"Yeah, my friend Jasmine Taylor-Thomas. You see, he'd made her promise to keep it all a secret, so she did. But that was just so he could get around with as many other girls as he liked. And from what I've heard, it wasn't the first time he did it...

"And, before you ask, it's not that I really liked him that I cared. It's because I couldn't believe I'd been so stupid. It's only something I worked out recently, actually. I couldn't believe I'd been so dumb as to fall for his tricks. I'm a clever girl. Things like that don't happen to clever girls."

Apparently, they did. He couldnt help but feel slightly annoyed at her for being with such a scum bag - and yet, it wasn't her fault. She'd been duped, and I felt bad for her. I wanted to say more to comfort her, but I couldn't think of anything. Apparently, emotions and I didn't mix well together, still. So I said the only thing I could think to say.

"Yeah. He's terrible."

She gave me a little smile. "Thanks. I just feel bad for Amelie, now. She's ditching a boy far too good for her for a wanker like Jake Andrews."

"I'm not sure I do feel bad for her. She's going to stomp all over my friend Joshua's heart."

Rose hummed in agreement.

I'm sure we would've carried on like this until we were ready to dance again, but apparently, fate had other plans.

"Roxanne and Fred Weasley! Come here and empty your pockets!"

"Oh no..." I whimpered, already seeing exactly where this was going.

"How dare you try to derail the course of this party with your silly antics! Fred, Roxanne, detention for three months each!"

"Do you think they did what I think they did?" Rose asked, voice full of exasperation but still, a little smile played on her lips.

"Oh yep. Gin in the punch?"

"Gin in the punch."

"James Potter! Freya Walsh! Escort students to their dorms immediately, the Ball is finished!"

Henrich was shouting furiously now, fighting against the crowd of pissed off and slightly drunk teenagers. He was so red and tense he looked like he might pop any second; honestly, he looked hilarious and I couldn't help a snigger.

"What?"

"I've never seen Henrich look so mad." I snorted, and she just rolled her eyes with a wider smile of her own. He secretly liked Henrich, but she'd never admit it to me - that, I knew.

"Alright, Hufflepuffs And Slytherin follow Freya - Ravenclaw And Gryffindors with me!" James shouted, with a magically amplified voice and holding his wand aloft with a red spark at the end.

"Wait—" I said, just as Rose was about to leave, "want to not go back to our dorms?"

"You mean, break the rules? Why Scorpius Malfoy, you make a terrible prefect."

"Yup. Still, want to go?"

"Of course."

"Stick behind me, then, and I've got a plan."

She looked at me with questioning eyes, but nodded anyway, and followed closely at my back as we left, through the corridors, and out into the great staircase hall.

"Here-" I said, and suddenly pulled her behind me out of the marching column of students, into a cleaning closet I knew would be there.

"This was your plan? A cleaning cupboard?"

I shrugged. "It works, doesn't it?"

She hummed, in a tone I took as agreement, and shuffled around. "Hey, I recognise this cupboard."

"How? It's pitch black,"

"I could only assume the pause was for the rolling of her eyes. "I dragged you in here, at the start of this year."

"No. This is that cupboard?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"The one I shouted at you from?"

She sniggered. "Yeah."

"Oh Merlin."

"Hey! I eventually ended up coming with you, it didn't end that badly!"

"Good point. Still, I know a way to make this a much better cupboard. Come here." I instructed, holding out my arm and feeling out for hers. I placed her in front of me - I could only assume - in the pitch black. And leant forwards, and kissed her.

Sure, my aiming was a little off at first, but we got there in the end, right?

"Yeah... much better," Rose agreed, and I could hear her chuckle under her breath a little, as I felt her head rest on my shoulder.

In the sound of only our heart beats alone, I strained my ears to listen outside.

"Okay, we're in the clear now."

"Owlery?"

"Of course."

I opened the door to see her grinning and, her hand in mine, we hurried to the Owlery together.

The door crashed open with the unnecessary force I whacked it with and the strong winds pelting is for the outside.

"Oh, whoops." I winced,

"It's fine. Only Alys and I are here to see you, and at least one of us won't judge."

"Cold," I pouted, knowing exactly what she meant.

She turned back to flash me a bright smile, before hurrying deeper into the room."Hey, can you light these candles? I can't see a thing."

I hurried over to cast light around the place, and immediately, it felt cosier in the orangey glow of their light. Just as this place always did and always would be for me, now. All down to Rose.

"Oh, look- there's a note." She said, pointing to a small piece of paper with neatly written, calligraphy handwriting on it.

'Out until Monday morning at a ghost party.

Merry Christmas,

Alys.'

"How did she...?" The question died on my lips. Now really wasn't the time to be questioning ghost physics.

"That's nice of her, though," Rose said, taking a few steps backwards and—

"Rose, Wait! No!"

She kicked over the vat of Amortentia we'd spent ages brewing, and it spilt all over the floor, the fumes very quickly filling the room like smoke from a particularly rampant fire.

"Oh, no." She said, hand covering her mouth. "I'm so sorry!" She said, as she watched me evaporate it all with my wand. I made short work of it, so I didn't really care - but the fumes, however, made me feel weird and heady.

"It's fine, really!" I said, and gave her a quick kiss for reassurance.

"Okay. Okay. If you're sure,"

"Positive."

She didn't look certain of what I said, so I gave her another kiss. And another. We sat in our usual spot, passing the night chatting and snogging and speculating and laughing. I knew that with Rose, this wasn't going to be smooth sailing. This was not life, guaranteed, after a few short weeks. But if it were with Rose, it's a journey I'd be more than happy to take. For her, I'd sail to the ends of the ocean if she all but asked.

"Hey, Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you," I said, looking into her beautiful, wide, intelligent, assured, confident brown eyes as we broke from another deep kiss. "Thank you, for the invitation."

The End

Omg I did it! I've never been able to put 'The End' on any of my stories on here before! I'm super happy, I can't lie.

So, first, of course, I'd love to know your thoughts on this chapter, the ending, the overall story, whatever you've got to say! I'd be really interested to hear what you all have to say, so please, let me know!

Secondly, I have to say a huuuuge thank you to every single one of my reviewers: Son of Whitebeard, C.S, HarryPotterFanHermione, MLMarint, AMBERJANUS, JSLaw, BellaStoria, Ringo Starr's Girlfriend, Momo, LusciousNesha, catwomannnnn1, Crystal Jupitar, chapou69, weasleyqueen96, laura, reppad98, Shadwood, Corellia11270, KiaMinaya, and all 41 Guests! You guys are really just the absolute best, you kept me writing! I love you all and I'm thankful for every review left - even the weird ones! No, I'm just kidding, I sincerely thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Finally, sequel news. So, I can confirm that there will indeed one. Probably next year now because lol there are 5 days left in the year. However, I can say that mid-next year (probably, if life actually goes to plan for once!) I'll start publishing - so keep an eye out for that! I'll say a few things about it now: no, it won't immediately follow on from this (sorry!). Yes, it will still focus on Rose and Scorpius, but of course, the other characters will have their own appearances. yeah, I'think that's all I'll say for now!

Well, I guess this is it. How strange... One final thank you to everyone who got involved in this story - reviewers, of course, as well as all those who favourited, followed, and even those who simply read. I've had an amazing response to this story, and that's kept me going through the most hellish semester I've ever had. Thank you and I love you all!

So, for the final time: please review if you've got time and favourite if you enjoyed it. Thank you all!

- MateriaFlower1-1