For the first time in a long while, Rose Weasley was off her game. However, it didn't have anything to do with the fact that she hadn't sat on a broom since she had graduated over 6 years ago, and had everything to do with the fact that a certain blond was distracting her. And, from where she sat perched on her Nimbus 3000, waiting by the goal posts, it almost looked like he was doing it on purpose.

He was diving about, pulling off spectacular moves around her, and smirking at her all the while in triumph; making her lose track of the quaffle and the game every single time. She sighed in frustration as the quaffle whizzed past her for the umpteenth time, into the loop behind her, and gave him a warning look before diving once more for the red ball to get it back in play. Either Scorpius Malfoy couldn't see it, or he chose to ignore it, because he was soon back to his antics.

"Rose, get your head in the game! Scorpius, stop distracting her! We're all on the same team, remember. " Their captain, a very irate Albus Potter, yelled from across the pitch. "Sorry, Al." the echoed back, before flying off in different directions. Rose took a look at the score, and she was sure they would lose this. It was only a matter of time before the game wrapped up, and for once she was perfectly fine with it. After all it was only a 'friendly' game with her cousins; something that was always taken well out of context in their household.

Right now, all she could think of was her granny's chicken and treacle tart that would follow. "Stop thinking about food, Weasley." Scorpius whispered in her ear suddenly, his voice low and teasing. Before she could retort, he was half way across the field, well out of her reach. For a second she was stunned, after which she broke into a smile as to exactly how well he knew her.

She took in his appearance, his windswept hair, cheeks slightly pink due to exertion, sweat beading on his forehead due to the heat, and his stormy eyes. She got lost in the moment, admiring how far he had come in the past year. It was 10 months and 17 days (Not that she was counting, or anything…) since they had won the hearing, and the journey hadn't been all that smooth.

However, the fact that he was here, playing quidditch so normally, and laughing was indeed a testament to how well he had coped. Rose stared after him, long after he had flown past, watching his every move. The intense concentration on his face, the way his muscles flexed as he swerved the bludgers that came his way, the ease with which he maneuvered his broom, and most importantly, the smile on his face. It was almost carefree, almost.

She knew exactly how hard it had been for him to get to this place. After the gruelling trial, the fact that he had his will back, that he wasn't being controlled by anyone else, that his mind and his emotions were his alone had overwhelmed him. Added to that, were night terrors from his time in Azkaban, and his constant need for companionship, for the thought of being all alone after so long was terrifying. He had a lot of emotional baggage to deal with, after June, and none of it was easy to come to terms with. Sure, he didn't love the girl at all. But, it was hard to ignore that they had been married, and had lost a child, all due to a psychotic man.

He hadn't been sorry to see June being led away to Azkaban, but deep down, he had been extremely scared to lose the one thing that he had had all this time. Adjusting to a life without her was in itself a mammoth task. At first, he had isolated himself from everyone, needing time with his family to heal. He had disappeared over night, whisked away to France by Narcissa, where no one would recognize him, or ask any questions. A month later, she had heard from him, finally. Just a letter, asking her to meet with him, with the address provided for her to visit.

She had gone immediately, dropping everything in a heartbeat, willing him to be alright.

He had been a mess, just like she had expected, but not as bad as she had imagined. He had broken down that night, apologizing over and over for things that hadn't been in his control. She had been helpless, and couldn't do anything to console him. But by the time dawn had broken, she knew he was much more at peace than before. She had helped him regroup, to assimilate the pieces of his life, to get back into the groove again.

He took up a job at Malfoy Inc., serving alongside his father. Work helped him bring things back to focus, and she and Al became his support system. Draco Malfoy had taken them aside personally and had called in a favor, wanting to ensure his son was back to normal as soon as possible. It had been an excruciating journey, and many times she couldn't even imagine what he was going through, but he had made it. Slowly he had re-entered the social circle, facing people and their comments head on. Al had been by his side throughout in public, helping him regroup. On the inside however, it was to Rose that he turned. He never really asked for help, and nor did she offer it.

It was a mutual understanding between them, one forged between friends of a lifetime. He needed her and she was there for him, no questions asked.

Professionally for her, the trial had been a huge career booster. Having been so involved in the trial proceedings, and in the limelight with the upper management of the firm in such a crucial case, she had received rewards appropriately. The case had given her recognition and much more power at her work place, her status being uplifted greatly, from 'coffee girl' to becoming a part of the core team. Between juggling her career and Scorpius, Rose had had a hectic few months. But, she had never let the former compromise her attention towards Scorpius. He was and always would be her first priority, now more than ever.

She was extremely proud of him for handling things the way he had. Others would have been bogged down by the events that had transpired, but he hadn't. He had proved yet again to the world just how strong he was, overcoming all the hurdles life had thrown in his path.

Speaking of hurdles, one was hurtling towards her right now in the form of a bludger. Should have paid attention to the game, was her last though before it hit her with a dull 'thunk', and the darkness enveloped her mind.

Scorpius Malfoy had always prided himself on his quick reflex. Ever since a toddler he had always had unusually fast responses, and the gift had gotten him out of harm's way many a times. It was what had made him such a brilliant seeker as well, and he had led his team to victory on a number of occasions in their school days. So, as he watched a certain red-headed witch get hit by a bludger and fall out of the sky, he thanked his stars for this wonderful gift while pulling out his wand and casting a charm to steady her, before she hit the ground.

Within seconds, she had been surrounded by a horde of Weasleys, all extremely concerned and thankful that she wasn't too seriously injured. Once they had made sure she would live, they took their positions in the air again, Merlin forbid the match ended without a winner.

Scorpius, however, had his priorities straight, the topmost being the well being of the unconscious, yet beautiful witch in his hands. Abandoning the game, despite the death threats from his other best friend, he made his way back to the Burrow, an injured Rose Weasley in tow. He couldn't let anything happen to her. Especially because he still hadn't worked up the courage to confess his love for her. He willed his heart to stop racing, assuring himself that the only damage had been a slight bruise to her head where the ball had struck.

Cursing himself yet again for distracting her mid air, he handed her over to Hermione Weasley and the other mothers, who gave her the required attention.

As they fussed over her, his mind wandered over the past few months and everything she meant to him. He knew he was staring, but he couldn't care less. She was beautiful, with her wild curls and blue eyes; she had captivated him right from day one. He had been in love with the girl for what seemed like forever now, and it frustrated him to think that nothing would ever happen between them. The entire fiasco (that's how he had started referring to it) with June Rodgers had ensured that even if she had had slight feelings towards him back at Hogwarts, there was no revisiting that ever again.

Given everything Al had told him, she had definitely fancied him in their school days. But after his spectacular break of her trust, he was surprised she was still speaking to him. The hearing had been 10 months before, and for most part, he was still recovering from it. His time at Azkaban had scarred him severely; nightmares were a regular occurrence now, as were his anti-depressants and other potions. This was another reason keeping him from confessing his feelings to a certain red head. She had dealt with enough on his account; he didn't want to burden her with any more of his baggage.

His eyes sought out Rose again, as his thoughts wandered to how much things had changed over the past few years. She had been too dependent on him for everything in Hogwarts, had hung on his every word, not questioning him even once. He had taken her under his wing, looking out for her to ensure she was never hurt. After June, he realized, he had neglected her completely, and she had been stranded, all alone.

Her journey to the strong woman in front of him now had been remarkable, and he had missed it completely.

She was independent now, making her own decision, not taking nonsense from anyone. She was incredibly strong; she had been for both of them, through the trial and after. The dynamics of their relationship had been altered tremendously, and he realized that he was now the dependant, socially awkward one.

Then again, he also saw the other side. She had lots of friends now, and she chatted with everyone at work, but she didn't trust anyone. She had become a lot more guarded, and most of the time even he didn't know what she was thinking. He had always been able to read her like an open book in Hogwarts, so this new side of her scared him, but excited him all the same. He was almost addicted to her, and he was at a point that he couldn't imagine life without her anymore.

Al was constantly pestering him to tell her how he felt, and had left more than a heavy hint that her reaction would be in his favour, but he had never acted on it, till now. He knew some guy at her work place, Rick someone, was as fascinated by her as he was. Off late, he had also sensed that she was hiding something from him. There was no way that he was going to lose her again, at least, not without a fight.

"What can I do to help?" she asked, watching her grand mum add finishing touches to the treacle tart. "Be a dear and set the table, will you Rose? I'll send whoever I can to help you." Hermione said, thrusting the plates into her hand. Rose took the stack happily, and all but ran out of the kitchen, making her way to the back yard, where Fleur and Andrea had arranged the tables. She began her job, quietly humming to herself as she did.

It indeed was a beautiful, balmy summer evening, perfect for an outdoor family dinner. She let her mind wander down dangerous paths again; contemplating everything there was with Scorpius.

She couldn't help but wonder what life would have been like without June and her meddling ways. It had happened however, and she couldn't ignore the five whole years in between, that had changed her life in so many ways. Scorpius, too, was different now. He wasn't the same boy she had fallen in love with all those years ago, and she couldn't expect him to be. Given the trauma he had gone through, it was miraculous that the guy could even crack a smile. Even after all they had been through however, Rose had realized that a large part of her would always love him. It was inexplicable, absolutely bizarre, but true nonetheless. And she couldn't do anything to change it. She had soon realized that she didn't want to either.

After the trial, they had headed down the same path as before, growing too close to each other, than was fair on either of them. The dynamics of their relationship had changed though, to such an extent that it had almost done a 180. He was dependent on her now, and she was the strong, level-headed one, keeping them both afloat. Their co-dependence on each other had always been worrisome, and Al had warned her right in the beginning, wanting to ensure things didn't get messy for her again. She had brushed him off, reassuring him that it was nothing to worry about. Besides, he thought of her only as a friend, nothing else. Al had been weary, but had let them be, not wanting to push it, so soon after the trial.

Thinking back, she realized that she should have probably kept some distance. Her attraction to the man was extremely obvious, and she wasn't sure how much longer of this she could take. Her entire childhood had been spent pining after him, misinterpreting every signal from him as something it wasn't. Or maybe it had been something then, but it was well in the past. They were both mature adults now, so a proper conversation would be the right thing to have, rather than continuing down this treacherous path.

He had grown accustomed to holding onto her every time they were together. She was sure he did it absent mindedly, a subconscious cry for assurance that he wasn't alone. It was small things, like holding her hand, or playing with her hair; something to keep his hands occupied. She didn't mind it; oh she didn't mind it at all. It was hard to ignore the thrills this contact sent down her spine, though. She suppressed it as much as possible, knowing how damaging it could be if he caught on. He was still healing from all the scars June had left, and she was sure that a relationship was the farthest thought from his mind.

Maybe that's why this opportunity to get away was the best thing that she had come across in a long time. Her mind screamed at her to take it and run; but her heart was set on Scorpius Malfoy. She knew she had to have a talk with him soon. She didn't want him to hear it from anyone else. But she had no idea how to bring it up, or when for that matter.

She was still lost in thoughts when she felt him come up behind her, snaking his arms around her middle, in greeting. She stiffened for a second, well aware of their precarious position, before relaxing and turning her head slightly to smile up at him. He grinned down at her, giving her a proper hug before releasing her and stepping around to help her. "Good game?" Rose asked, willing away the blood from her cheeks. "Are you ok? I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have distracted you." he apologized, worried as usual. "I'm perfect." She smiled, reveling in his attention.

Stopping her work for a second, she watched him. In the late evening sunlight, he looked absolutely gorgeous, the slanting rays highlighting his blond hair and skin, the light dancing off his eyes. He had just showered, leaving his hair still slightly damp; and in his crisp white shirt and jeans, he was mesmerizing, he always had been.

Before she could say anything, her family descended on them, loud and boisterous as ever, giving her another chance to escape. "We need to talk." She told him quietly, away from the prying ears of her family. "On the pitch, after dinner?" he acquiesced, curious but weary all the same. She gave his hand a small squeeze before moving across the table and sitting with his mother. She felt his eyes on her all through the meal, but she ignored it, participating in random conversations enthusiastically to avert suspicion. He wasn't fooled however, and she knew it.

Almost 3 hours later, they walked along the same pitch they had been playing on that afternoon. "How's your head?" he asked, still concerned about her health.

"A bit sore, but I'll be fine." She said, cutting him short.

She had a lot to say, and working up the nerve to tell him had not been easy. But now that she had him alone, she wanted to say her piece. "I got a promotion." She announced.

"That's wonderful, Rose," he congratulated, relief washing over his features at her declaration. He had obviously been worried, and this news was welcome compared to what had been running through his head all through dinner.

"That's not all. They want me to lead a team. I'm moving to France." She told him squarely, rendering him speechless. He looked thunderstruck, and she suspected that her next statement would do worse damage. She went through with it though, "I want you to move with me." she said, holding her breath for his reaction.

His expression was guarded, hidden behind his shock. When he was not forthcoming with a reaction, her nervous habit took over. "I've considered it a lot. I've also spoken to Narcissa. I think the change would do you good. She agrees with me. Besides, it's not very far, just a portkey away. You could" she didn't get much further, as he stopped her ramblings the only way he knew how. He kissed her, at long last, conveying all that he could through it. She held onto him for dear life, glad she had taken the chance. When they finally broke apart, he couldn't stop grinning, that beautiful smile now a permanent fixture on his face.

"I'll take that as a yes?" she grinned back, before pulling him down for another kiss.

They had both been victims, mainly of misunderstandings and sometimes each other. But what was important was that they had moved not, not letting life bring them down. They were both healing, and what better way than to do it together.

Much later, they walked back home, hand in hand, to announce their decision to their family, and shout it to the world.

For finally, the trial was over, and they were together.

THE END

I realize it's not what most of you expected, but I really did struggle hard over this chapter to give it a proper ending.

I hope I have done it justice.

Thank you all my dear readers for supporting me through this wondrous (and exceptionally long) journey. I've loved writing the story, and I hope I get down to editing it one day.

A huge thanks to all my reviewers! They really did inspire me to continue, and push through with this.

Thank you to all of you who have alerted and favorite-ed The Trial! It means a lot to me :)

Thanks you guys!

Until next time then :)