The first day of Hogwarts. It's the moment of truth. The one chance you get to make friends. And you'd better choose wisely, because these are the people you're going to spend the next seven years with, and quite possibly, your entire life.

On my first day, I met the love of my life. Only, I didn't know it yet. And I wasn't actually meeting him, for the first time that is. Truth is, him and I had met at this park when we were little kids. It was in the countryside in Britan, I'd been visiting my Auntie Fleur and Uncle Bill, and gotten a little bored of all the kids in the yard, so I'd snuck off and found this little playground. Soon enough, a boy had come up to me and we played. Then he told me his name.

Scorpius Malfoy. My Daddy had warned me about him and his family. He said they were bad people. That they were mean, and no one liked them. But he seemed nice enough, just, I didn't want to dispobey Daddy, not at all. So, that was when we stopped playing.

But now, on the first day of school, I'd forgotten that childish fear. On the first day of Hogwarts I overcame all the damn prejudice in our whole damn Wizarding World and I'd formed a new trio. I'd heard about the Golden Trio from back when my parents were in school, it was all anyone in my family could talk about. But my trio, it was a hell of a lot better than theirs. Mine was all about me, my dear cousin Albus, and my boyfriend, Scorpius.

And that brings me to right now. Why the three of us are sitting in a tight circle on the floor of a dingy hotel room above an old bar. We were trying to come up with a plan.

Scorp and I, we'd screwed up big time. For a while all was great. We were madly in love, and only Albus knew about us. Until my stupid cousin James found is in a tight liplock in an old broom cubboard back at Hogwarts. He called this huge family meeting, and even told my Dad, it was a pretty big deal, and everyone was pretty pissed. So we faked a break-up and at the end of the school year, we made a dash for it and ran away. The plan was to stay at the Leaky Cauldron for a few days and then see where we'd go from there, but about an hour ago, Albus apparated over. He said that when he told my parents I'd run away with Scorpius Malfoy that they were mad. Like, really mad. And that they were going to try to find us. So the most awesome trio to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts was now clueless on what to do.

Now Scorpius really hates his family. And I don't mean that petty hate that all teenagers have for their parents because of "hormones" (some of that I might even be feeling right now unless they let me be with my awesome boyfriend.) But what I mean is this fire of hatred he has for them. He says that they're evil or something (which lines up with the stories my Dad used to tell me, before I ran away that is.) Scorpius told me about this guy who was like a King or Duke or Lord or something. Yeah Lord, that was it, Lord…I forget. But he said that all of his family were big followers. Death Hunters, or Death Diners, something like that. Anyway, they're big into dark magic and all that, but Scorp hates it. His favorite class at Hogwarts is (opps, sorry, I meant was. We ran away, remember?) Defense Against the Dark Arts. Mine is too, both of us always look forward to when my Uncle Harry comes to Hogwarts every year for a lecture, but Albus is just really embarrassed, who wants their Dad coming to the school? I'm getting way off topic. The bottom line is: Scorp hates his family, and always finds some new way to rebel against them.

I however, love my family. I adore them. I always look forward to Holiday breaks (last Chrismas especially, even though a lot of the family was missing because of their own holidays, Scorpius was there with us, and that made it super fun, not to mention, we got drunk!)

The only problem I have with my family is that they're way too controlling. No one liked it when Albus and I made friends with Scorpius, and Dad nearly had a heart attack when he found out we were dating. (And when he found us kissing in a closet, drunk. That happens to us a lot…)

"Rose, snap out of it! We need a plan!" Albus said, waving his hand in front of my face.

"Sorry," I apologized. I looked desperately at him and Scorp. "This went so much better in my head."

"Yeah, I know. Me too," Scorp agreed. I laid my head in his lap and he stroked my thick, red hair.

"Guys! This is no time to make me nauseous."

"Well…what if, you know, when they find us…we give them all a reason to not want Rosie here back."

"You mean more than running away to be with a Malfoy. I mean, I love you babe, but I think after that, they'll be impervious to rebellion."

"No Rose. I mean something way beyond anything any Weasley has ever considered."

"What? Like piercings? Revealing clothing? Blonde hair?" Albus asked, sarcastically.

"Exactly," Scorpius agreed. But he was completely serious. "With your hot body you could do some serious damage."

"Ewwwwwww!" Albus clapped his hands over his ears. "That's my cousin!"

"I know." Scorpius practically had a boner already.

"Let's do it," I agreed.

For the next two hours we roamed around London, and Diagon Alley, shopping for new clothes, new make-up, and new fake jewelry for me. I was already wearing some of it, but I had to admit, it was a bit uncomfortable.

"Hello lovebirds," Al greeted when we returned. He was reading on the couch.

"What's that?" I asked. The cover looked new to me, and I'd read every book known to man, witch and wizard.

"Oh, just some shit about the N.E.W.T's," he mumbled. "It's really boring, but I'm starting to get really nervous for these."

"Oh…yeah…" I said. Scorp and I had already decided not to go back to Hogwarts during seventh year, it would just add problems, especially because we would be surrounded by my family.

"I'm going to go get a butterbeer, care to join me?" he asked, standing up and putting the book aside.

"No thanks, you go ahead," Scorpius declined.

"'Kay. See you guys later."

"Finally we're alone in here," he said to me once he heard the door close. I agreed and wrapped my arms around his neck. "So what should we do?" I didn't respond, just kissed him, hard. "Did I tell you how hot you look in that-"

"Just shut up," I kissed him again, and this time he deepened it. We were really going at it, the tips of his hands were holding my waist, and the tips of his fingers had just started to slide into my jeans when the door slammed open. Scorpius jumped back in fright. Albus would have knocked, in fear of walking in on just that.

"Rose?" Neville (Professor Longbottom at school) was standing in the doorway, staring awestruck at us. "Rose, just what are you wearing?"

"Uhh…heyy Neville." I said, awkwardly.

"What's up, Professor?" Scorpius added. Not helping, babe.

"I get a frantic owl from your folks, asking me to check and see if you're here, and now, I completely understand that it was for good reason! Do you care to explain yourself?"

"Umm, well, you see…SCORP RUN!" I screamed. With a loud crack, we were out of there, but just to the pub downstairs to warn Al and tell him to gather our stuff.

"We'll be waiting in Diagon Alley," I told him. Then I told Scorp's hand and led him out back. Once he had tapped the brick wall in a specific order, we ran into the alleyway. It was a lot different when people weren't school supply shopping. There was a lot less people, but still quite a few.

We ran through the alley, and ducked into Weasley's Wizard Weezes. We knew there was a good chance we'd get caught, but I knew all the trapdoors in the shop, and so did Al, so it wouldn't take long for him to find us.

"I think we need a way to get around," I said to Scorp the second we were out of the public eye. In comparison to the rest of Diagon Alley, my uncle's shop was quite packed.

"These tunnels work nicely," He said, pressing his hand against the wall and pushing. "Who else knows about these?"

"No, I meant like a way of transportation through the real world, not the shop. We should have something to keep all of our stuff in. Oh! I've got it, my Dad's got this old car that he charmed to fly."

"Great idea, and I'm sure he'd give it right to us."

"I meant that we steal it."

"Oh, well now that could work. I like this new badass Rose."

When Al met up with us a few minutes later, all our bags packed and in tow, we knew exactly where they were going. We apparated back to the outskirts of my hometown.

"This doesn't feel right, stealing from Uncle Ron," Albus admitted.

"Oh, come on, lighten up. You're not going to flake on us, are you?" Rose asked. The trio was strolling down her street, trying to stay inconspicuous. It was a challenge, because they knew that their families would be searching.

"No, but, I don't know. I mean, don't you think you could be acting just a little bit dramatic?"

"No," Scorpius and Rose said together.

"Come on, we dropped out of Hogwarts."

"So did our parents."

"Yeah, but that was for Voldemort. What's this for, love?"

"Exactly," Scorpius and Rose echoed each other again.

"You guys really need to stop doing that, it's getting creepy." But he shut up anyway.

A few minutes later, they were sneaking, unseen, into the Weasley's garage.

"I think he kept the keys down here," Rose told the boys, and sure enough when she lifted up an old bucket, a silver glint of the keys shined down at them. "I'm driving," She said, sliding into the drivers seat while the boys threw their stuff in the backseat.

"Shotgun!" Scorpius exclaimed. Albus groaned.

"You guys suck," he muttered, and both of them smiled at him from the front seat.

"Let's hit the road!" Rose exclaimed, hearing the purr of the car that used to sooth her when she was a kid and her Dad would take her flying. But now, even his name was tainted for her. He was an evil monster that wouldn't listen to anything she wanted.

Driving (or flying) around with my two best friends was fun, peaceful. It brought me back to a time before all of this drama had ever started, when the three of them were all that mattered to her.

September 14th, 2022

I was exausted. The last Quidditch practice was pure agony, and all I wanted now was to have a nice warm bath in the clean and inviting prefects bathroom and forget about the burden of the Quidditch Cup gleaming ahead of us.

I sunk under the water and let the bubbles from my bath wash over me. Then there was a thud as the thick wooden door opened and closed, and footsteps across the tile floor.

"Hey Rosie," came a familiar voice.

"SCORPIUS!" Rose exclaimed, popping back up and reached for her towel. He pulled it away. "I'm in the bath, what could you possibly want?"

"No need to be so harsh."

"I'm naked!"

"Merlin's pants Rosie-"

"Sure wish I had those pants."

"Shut up. I just came in here to use the restroom, it's not my fault that you're stipping in public."

"It's not public, it's a bathroom. Where someone might, I don't know, take a bath. How'd you know it was me anyway? The hair?"

"The Quidditch robes. Everyone else would just shower down by the pitch and rush back to get started on their homework, but you're so far ahead that you come back here in mud stained robes for a nice relaxing bath."

"Nice of you to memorize my schedule."

"You know it turns you on that I know when you'll be naked."

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy. You are my best friend, some may even say that I think of you as a brother. Nothing about you turns me on."

"Not even my "super sexy hair"?" He asked, running a hand through his platinum-blonde locks. "Or my incredible muscles?" He flexed for her. "Or my-"

"Nothing, Scorpius, nothing. Now if you'd just hand me my towel then we can both get out of here and put this embarrassing encounter behind us."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Excuse me?"

"Come and get it, Rose. Come get your towel, and then you can leave. If I let you."

"I give up!" Rose exclaimed, raised herself out of the massive bathtub and approached Scorpius. His face was formed into a look of shock as she took the towel from him and draped it around her soaking wet body. "And by the way, that look right there, that turns me on. But only in the slightest bit…" And she gave him a kiss that was half on the cheek, half on the lip before she took her Quidditch robes and returned to her common room.

From that moment on, they had the best relationship either of them had ever known, from midnight snogging to secret notes over breakfast, everything was perfect.

I was crying in the back of the car, listening to an old radio station as the signal came in and out. My head was rested on my knees, and my arms were around my legs, in the fetal position.

"Hey Rosie, we've got dinner!" I heard Scorpius exclaim from outside. I lifted my head so that I could see out the window. Albus and him were approaching me with fast-food bags in hand.

"I don't know if it's worth it though, this muggle food is rubbish," came Albus' voice. He sounded as if he had food stuffed in his mouth.

"Rosie, what's wrong?" Scorpius exclaimed, once he was close enough to see my face.

"It's July 12th," I answered.

"Yeah, so?" He asked me, climbing into the car next to me. Just then, the radio made a buzzing sound and the station was gone.

"Albus' birthday is tomorrow." I sniffed up and tried to hold in my tears. "His birthday is always a bug event. B-because it's in the summer," I exclaimed, stumbling over the words.

"Yeah, I remember last years," Scorpius agreed, taking my hand.

"Damn, I guess I'm not getting any presents this year."

"Is that really all you have to say about it, Albus? It's your birthday!"

"And the point of birthdays is to get presents," he pointed out.

"No!" I cried. "Birthdays are about celebrating life and being with your family."

"That's bullshit."

"Calm down, mates. Just try to eat your dinner," Scorpius said, once again trying to keep the peace.

I took the bag that he offered me and threw it out the window. "I'm not hungry."

The next morning, I awoke and we were in the air. "Albus?" I asked. He was at the wheel, tears in his eyes, but not on his cheeks, and his knuckles were white and clutching the steering wheel.

"Morning Rose," he answered.

I sat up from my previous position on Scorpius' chest, and looked at him. "Where are we going?"

"Home."

I nodded silently, and climbed forward to sit in the passengers seat. We flew in silence for a few minutes, until Albus' breath got really ragged. I reached out and took his hand from the wheel. He looked over at me and I gave him an encouraging smile and squeezed his hand.

We were home. Or at least, as home as I would get. Al's house. And all three of us were sitting in the bushes, watching our families sit silently at the kitchen table. There were wrapped presents in the middle of it, but no one made any move to open them. "Maybe we should go inside," Albus suggested.

"No," Scorpius and I echoed each other.

"But those presents…"

"We can't. We left for a reason, and we will stick by that decision." I said, silent tears trailing down my cheeks. Scorpius lefte his hand to brush them away.

"You know you want to Rose. And you've proved your point, they'll see your side."

"No, we can't."

"Maybe we should," Scorpius said, shocking both Albus and I. "I mean, it's been about a month, and they still look pretty beaten up. They'll be so glad to see you two, they'll take whatever conditions she gives them just to get you two to stay," he tried to explain himself.

But before I had the chance to protest, Hugo was pointing straight at us, and suddenly everyone was gathering around the window.

The trio had no choice but to emerge and approach the front door. When they reached it, all three of them were engulfed with hugs from everyone, and there were many joyous tears.

"Please come home," Hermione cried as she clutched onto Rose.

"Please come back to Hogwarts," Lily begged Albus when she hugged him.

"Please, take my blessing-" Ron took a deep breath and swallowed, "to date my daughter," he finished and shook Scorpius' hand, who energetically nodded.

At last, all was well for the three best friends.