(A/N: Little Hugo and Rose bonding in this :') enjoy my pour gif set up of the two ^)

"I DON'T KNOW what to say to her," Ron said, looking at his wife who was making tea early this morning.

"You can tell her you're not mad at her," Hermione splashed a sugar cube into her teacup, a bit too aggressively for Ron's liking as she talked. "You haven't spoken a word about this to her since Christmas. She thinks you're disappointed in her."

Ron rubbed his face with his hands trying to get the sleepiness off. He thought Hermione would pour him a cup of tea, but alas she stood by the kitchen counter staring down at him with her intense brown eyes. Her hand on her hip and the other bringing the teacup to her lips to take a sip. "I'm not disappointed I'm just... unsettled... didn't have any idea that she even liked him. Draco Malfoy's boy... very unsettling..."

"I don't like how your father reacted to it," grumbled Hermione, now taking a seat at the kitchen table in front of her husband. "He embarrassed her to no end."

"I'm not saying I agree with dad I'm just saying..." Ron sighed and leaned back in the wooden chair.

Hermione wrapped her cold hands around the teacup and sighed as well. "I know. None of us thought Draco would be in our lives again after Hogwarts, but then Albus and Scorpius got along so well after being sorted into Slytherin and you know how close Albus and Rose are... it was no surprise when Rose became friends with him too."

"Hugo said she's been hanging out with them a lot more this year," he smiled softly at the bushy-haired woman in front of her. The morning light highlighted the flyaway hairs. This was his favorite time of the day and it all came down to how Hermione looked in the morning light. Still in her pajamas, long white shirt slightly askew from sleep, her hair untamed, her eyes bright and well-rested, and her hands curling over the warm teacup. He thought, only for a second, if perhaps his daughter had a favorite time of day to look at Scorpius where it just made sense to fancy them... to care for them... to want to be near them. If perhaps she looked at Scorpius at Hogwarts the way he used to look at Hermione in school. He didn't know what to do with this information.

"I understand it's unsettling to see our daughter fancy our school bully's son but we can't keep them apart," She sipped her tea again and felt Tituba slither through her legs while Chudley swatted at Ron's hand to get petted.

"Do you want to keep them apart?" Ron asked, picking up Chudley and placing him on his lap.

Hermione sighed, "I think Scorpius is a lovely boy."

Ron nodded, "If he hurts her I'll explode just like dad did last week."

Hermione raised her teacup, "And I won't stop you!"

Rose sat on the staircase holding Ghost close to her chest. Her hand held a crumbled-up parchment paper of a letter she didn't know if she should send.

Scorpius... I'm so sorry...
— Rose

Her face was stained with tears from last night and this morning. She wasn't sure if the pounding in her heart would ever go away or the pain in her head. It had been a week since the Christmas Eve party and she kept reliving the scene.

Everyone was so loud. Yelling at Scorpius as Uncle Harry took him away. Her family exploded into a hate mob and the whole scene would've made sense if there were pitchforks and torches. Then the mob turned on her just as Scorpius left, but it wasn't an angry mob. They kept asking if he hurt her. If he forced himself on her. If he took advantage of her. So many questions and accusations and all the blame on Scorpius. She couldn't take it and yelled, "I kissed him! I... kissed... him..."

The room went quiet and the look on Albus's face broke her heart. Rose's mum took her hand and vanished through the green fire in the fireplace.

Rose went right to bed, but her crying didn't allow her to go to sleep for many hours. She kept thinking her father would come into her room to yell at her just as her grandfather did, but he never came and her chest grew tight. 

Christmas morning felt tense but no one talked about the kiss and the family outburst. They ate their traditional Christmas breakfast (cinnamon rolls and bacon), opened their presents (Rose had gotten a broomstick service kit, a sweater that had books embroidered on it, books to read in different genres, an anti-gravity hat from the Weasley joke shop, and fuzzy boots for the winter. Hugo got a poster of the 'Weird Sisters', a nose-biting teacup from the joke shop, a Chudley Cannon beanie, and a game set of Exploding Snaps. Ghost got a bunch of treats and toys), and spent the day relaxing with their new gifts until the family came together for dinner.

Unlike Christmas Eve, Christmas was a relaxing time and was spent with immediate family. 

And although the Potters lived not too far away, the family didn't see them this winter break.

"Rose?" Hugo surprisingly awake this morning had met his sister on the stairs on his way down to grab some breakfast. He sat down next to her seeing her sunken shoulders and her tight hold on Ghost. She looked so sad.

He carefully took Rose's hands and allowed Ghost to jump out of her grasp. He replaced the space and hugged his sister tight and allowed her to squeeze him tight.

"Did I screw it all up?" Rose asked her voice muffled in Hugo's shoulders.

He went rigged. The two hadn't talked about Christmas Eve since it happened. No one had with Rose but their mum. Hugo was just like his dad and had no idea what to say. No idea how to react. How does a little brother console their older sister?

"You did nothing wrong," Hugo simply said, and that's all that Rose needed to hear.

+++

The car was packed with two trunks, four people, and a white Kneazle. The drive to King's Cross was a quiet one while Ron drove, Hermione making sure he didn't crash, Hugo playing with Ghost, and Rose looking outside the window. No one talked the whole ride there.

Rose made them arrive early. She didn't want to deal with the crowds or the unavoidable relatives she would have to see again and she wanted to get a compartment to herself before everyone else came to the train station. No one argued with Rose. Even Hugo got up early enough to leave. And no one questioned whether they should invite the Potters to ride along.

The car was parked and the family stepped into the bright cold winter morning to unload the car. The sun was just making its appearance above the horizon, the air was filled with smoke from their hot breaths, and the only car occupying the street was their own small light blue car. 

No one was there to witness Hermione use her wand to place the car in park as Ron got out and forgot to do it. 

Ghost jumped into Rose's arms while Hugo and Ron got the two brown leathered trunks out of the back. Hermione walked over and gently took one of the trunks from Ron's hand and motioned her head toward Rose who looked at the King's Cross station with slight fear in her eyes. He sighed and allowed Hermione to take the trunk from him and walked over to his daughter.

Rose looked at him walking over to her and felt her chest tighten up. She didn't like this feeling. She never felt this uncomfortable around her father. Never scared. Never worried. This tension they had between each other was unfamiliar to her. The only time she felt any distance from her father was when he asked her to come home early from Hogwarts, but even then there was no residual anger or disappointment. She found herself regretting the kiss with Scorpius only because of how it affected her relationship with her father. Her grandfather could yell at her. Albus could be upset with her... but she couldn't deal with her father being upset with her. 

Rose allowed her father to put an arm around her shoulders and pull her in close. "Let's walk together."

The four entered the large train station. It was early enough that there were barely any passersby in the vicinity. Hermione and Hugo walked and talked gingerly along as they rolled the trunks along while Ron and Rose walked sullenly behind.

"I'm sorry for what your grandad did," He finally spoke and Rose's wide eyes looked up at her father. He continued to look forward as they walked. "I don't know what I would've done if I were the one to catch you too but... I know I wouldn't have brought everyone in to witness it."

The family stopped at the middle platform pillars between 9 and 10. Hugo ran through the brick solid pillar, as he did so often, and disappeared within it. Hermione quickly followed.

The father and daughter duo stared at the pillar in front of them. Ron took in a deep breath before asking, "Are you sure he didn't pressure you?"

"I was the one to kiss him," Rose replied blankly.

He nodded and kissed the top of her head. "If the feelings are mutual and both consent, then... well Rose you can bloody fancy whoever you like."

+++

Rose couldn't stop smiling as she sat in her train compartment. Despite wanting to be alone, Hugo refused to allow that and sat in the compartment with her.

Her father was okay with this kiss. He wasn't angry. He wasn't disappointed... he was okay.

She gripped the gem around her neck in her hand, smiling profusely.

Her smile widened when the compartment door opened and there stood Eloise laughing loudly as she closed the door behind her.

"I bloody knew it!" She yelled, taking a seat next to Rose and ignoring Hugo completely, as she did so often. "I bloody knew you had a thing for him! I knew it!"

"H-how did you find out?" Rose asked, her smile not faltering. "I'm sorry I didn't write to you I just... things at home were so crazy —"

"Albus told me," Eloise's voice grew bitter, "but when he told me I couldn't help but get the impression that he's being a little bit selfish."

"Can't believe he's mad," Hugo said shaking his head. "Shouldn't he be happy that you and Scorpius are together? I mean Uncle Harry was supportive when his two friends got together. He wasn't bitter about it. Which is pretty nice because then we were born."

"Well..." Rose felt her face grow red. "We aren't together I mean... I kissed him and he kissed me back but... I mean he was chassed out of The Burrow by my family. They weren't all too nice about it."

Eloise barked in laughter once again, "Yeah like that's gonna stop Scorpius from getting his chance with you. Poor boy has been waiting for something like this since the moment you two met."

"But Albus-"

"Are you seriously going to let Albus be this selfish? I mean come on even if you two decided not to be anything more than friends for the sake of Albus you can't take away that sexual tension!"

"Eloise!"

"What?"

Hugo cleared his throat and nudged his head toward the glass door.

James Potter had walked past the door, not acknowledging the three in the compartment. Lily came after, she gave them a small wave before following after her big brother. Then, Albus... and he stopped in front of the door and looked into the compartment. Hugo looked at him, wearily. Eloise looked defensive. Rose looked sad. He put his hand on the handle, but thought twice about it and continued down the train with his siblings.

Rose let out a breath she didn't know she was keeping in.

"I'm gonna go and talk to them," Hugo said and left the two girls by themselves.

"He looked so betrayed."

"That's his problem," Eloise took the seat in front of Rose as Hugo shut the door.

Rose nodded but the hurt was still there. If Albus couldn't get over his anger she wasn't sure what she'd do. She hated the fact that her father would ever be upset with her about this, but he surprised her and turned out to be okay with everything. Perhaps Albus would change his views. Albus was her best friend. Practically her brother more than a cousin. And although she didn't require his approval she didn't want him to walk out of her life. Just as he walked past her in the compartment. It wasn't just her she was worried about. How would Scorpius deal with Albus's anger?

"Speak of the Slytherin," Eloise said, breaking Rose out of her inner slump.

She looked over and saw a tall boy standing within the entrance of the compartment. Neither in nor out, but looking at the girls with a calculating gaze wondering how to proceed. 

"Eloise," Scorpius's face grew red, "do you mind if I talk to Rose alone?"

She smirked at Rose and stood up. "Of course! Just don't steam up the glass too much."

"Eloise!" Rose yelled, now her own face growing hotter. 

"I'm just kidding," she grumbled and playfully elbowed Scorpius in the stomach. "But please make sure you get me when you're done. You know how I hate talking to the imbeciles we call classmates."

The short, blonde-haired Slytherin girl left the two alone and the compartment was filled with such a thick atmosphere Rose felt it hard to breathe.

"Hi," she said, knowing how stupid she sounded.

Scorpius walked over and sat across from her. "Hi."

"Did you... um... did you see Albus?"

"Er — no. Kind of going out of my way to avoid him right now."

Rose nodded and found herself looking out the window and saw Draco and Astoria talking to Blaise and Amitia Zabini. Her own parents only a couple of feet away from them, talking to Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny.

"Are your parents mad at me?" Rose asked, unknowingly picking at her nails. She tore her eyes away from the window hearing Scorpius laugh.

His laugh lightened her chest.

"No they aren't upset," Scorpius said, again laughing at the question. "More so chuckling at my expense at the fact that it took you to make the first move and not me."

"They really said that?"

"They are well aware that I fancy you Rose and have for, for a very long time."

"You fancy me?"

"If I didn't I wouldn't let you kiss me like that. And I wouldn't have kissed back the way I did..."

Rose laughed along with him. Her chest was still tight but not with panic, more so with a feeling she couldn't quite put into words. He was so confident in his words. The kiss, Rose felt as though the kiss had given him some type of confidence he normally never showed. She felt safe near him.

"Are your parents mad?" He asked, his smile quivered slightly and he looked down at his own hands in his lap.

"My mum is pissed at my grandfather. I heard her call you a lovely boy to my dad one morning so you're good with her. My dad took a while to actually talk to me about it but... he said he doesn't care who I fancy."

"Ah, so you fancy me!" Scorpius picked his head back up again and looked at her with that childish grin.

Rose rolled her eyes and nodded, "I wouldn't have kissed you like that if I didn't."