disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

dedicated to: Reppad, because she's an amazing teammate and I know that she'll be an even more amazing Captain. =)

written for: If You Dare, NextGen Bootcamp, Pairing Set Bootcamp, Weasley Bootcamp, Quidditch League Competition - Round 6 (Appleby Arrows, Seeker).

:::

He's born on September 6th, 2006, a rainy day that turns into a celebratory one as their half of the nation rejoices.

The other half of the nation, though, is indifferent. The Weasleys have always been polite, but never friendly, to the other side of the world.

And, besides, they're all quite used to babies. King Arthur and Queen Molly have already received eight grandchildren, actually. Victoire, Molly, Louis, James, Dominique, Fred, Albus, and Rose.

But be it coincidence or fate, the first congratulations card the Royal Family is given for their precious baby boy comes with a single white rose.

:::

i.

They meet by the river, her throwing stones into it's depths while he stares at his reflection dismally. They don't recognize each other - don't even know each, not until she puts down her rock and comes to sit beside him.

"Is something wrong?" she wonders, feeling dim for asking. Of course something's wrong; she's been coming to this river for ages, and she's come across him once or twice, but he'd never seemed this depressed. Usually, he'd offer a greeting or a wave or a nod before heading off to do whatever it is he does - she's never seen him sad before.

"Nah," the boy insists. "I'm fine." He stands up then, and begins to walk off, looking like the sound of her voice had startled him into remembering where he was.

"Alright, then." She doesn't press him.

He sends her a half-smile then, and says, "What's your name?"

"Rose," she answers. "You?"

"Scorpius." He sighs. Before she can say anything else, he's gone, and she won't see him at this river again for ten years, when they'll both be seventeen, and he won't be contemplating what tragedies having a little sister will do to his already less-than-perfect life.

:::

ii.

Albus is an easy friend. Kind, but never overly so, and loyal, but never clingy. For a Potter, he's surprisingly fun to be around, unlike what he'd been raised to believe.

According to his parents, the other kingdom was just that - another kingdom, one they should stay far away from. In the war, he'd been told, their side had won. His side had won, too, so to speak, but not.. not exactly.

Which meant that his parents tried to avoid connecting with the Weasleys, quite a difficult feat, seeing as there were so many of them. And so many of their followers; one of his professors at the Academy had been a friend of the Weasleys'.

The Potters were grouped with the Weasleys on this - Harry Potter had been a downright nuisance (according to Dad) when they were children, but then he'd gone and saved the world, married a Weasley, and now, no one knew exactly what to think about the man. Scorpius had a feeling his Dad was being a bit dramatic with the entire leave-them-alone-and-they'll-leave-us-alone charade, but he'd never questioned it, not until he'd met Albus.

Albus, who was his only true at the Academy. Albus, who'd invited him over for dinner at the Weasleys' palace.

"Dad?" Scorpius says, looking over at the King.

"Yes?"

"Would you.. mind if I went over to a friend's tonight?"

"Depends on the friend," Draco replied, lifting his eyes from the book he'd been studying. "Who is it, Scorp?"

"Uh.. Albus."

Emotion flashes across the older man's face for a moment, and then it's back to its normal indifferent gaze, with only a touch of feeling at the edges. "Albus what?" he asks sharply.

"Potter," Scorpius admits. Then he winces at the look on his father's face.

"No." Draco leans back into his chair. "Absolutely not."

It's that exact moment that Astoria makes herself known in the room. "And why not, Draco?" she wonders, taking the words straight out of her son's mouth.

"It's the Potters, Astoria," the King insists. "The Potters, can you imagine?"

"Yes," she answers. "I can imagine. And he's going."

"You can't - "

"I can." She levels a steely gaze at her husband, while Emma, the toddler, runs into the room and latches onto Scorpius' legs. "Relations between the two kingdoms should be friendly," she continues.

"They are," he stresses, almost whining, but it's over, and he knows it.

Astoria kisses his cheek. Draco's adorable, really. "No, they're not."

And then she picks up her four-year-old daughter and stalks out of the library, leaving the two remaining to sit awkwardly.

:::

iii.

The Weasley's and Potter's are all quite nice, Scorpius discovers. Except James, maybe, who doesn't seem to appreciate the Malfoy in their midst, but with the crowd of people - they can't all be family - no one else seems to mind.

Harry shakes his hand, in fact, and his wife, Albus' mother, grins at him. His various aunts and uncles, including a Veela and a man missing an ear, all send him smiles, some tiny, some massive.

The King and Queen, though, they try to stay out of his way. King Arthur pats him on the back, welcoming him, and Queen Molly hugs him on his way inside, but other than that, he can sense their reluctance. Scorpius is sure that this is because they can sense his father's reluctance before he'd left in a horse-driven carriage with his smug mother.

James and Fred are mischievous, cheeky grins following them around. James is more gallant, too, always wanting to prove himself. Louis keeps to himself, chuckling in bits but never really opening up. Dominique and Molly whisper to each a lot, giggling all the while. Lily and Hugo like mud, Scorpius observes. They'd rolled in some before dinner, apparently, causing Mrs. Potter to mumble in frustration and dress her daughter in yet another pink dress, a bushy-haired woman doing the same for Hugo (except Hugo got trousers and a fancy sweater instead). Victoire is regal, smiling politely and oozing importance the way his mother does, especially with Teddy by her side, tall and handsome and smart. Lucy is shy, but she laughs quite loudly, making Scorpius smile.

Albus has another cousin, he says, a girl named Rose, but she'd gone to the river and hadn't come back. She'd instructed Albus and Lucy to cover for her if she was late, he says, which they had done, saying she'd felt under the weather. A gangly man with red hair had wanted to check on her, but the bushy-haired woman had placed her hand on his arm and whispered something in his ear, quieting the subject. Just as he's about to leave - after a wonderful three course meal, cooked by not servants, but Queen Molly, he'd found out - there's a noise and a girl walks in. She's wearing a flowy blue dress, her scarlet hair curled atop her head and braided down to her right shoulder. Even from the end of a very long table, he can see that she's got dozens of freckles and brown eyes that match his suit.

"Rose!" someone exclaims, and then the entire table is surging upward and asking her questions, and she seems flustered, but no one would be able to tell that she'd been at the river all this time.

No one notices as Scorpius says goodbye to Albus, and Molly and Louis, the only ones around him, and thanks Queen Molly and King Arthur and Mrs. Potter, sparing Rose one last glance as he exits the palace.

iv.

They meet again on his sixteenth birthday, which he'd decided to hold at Albus' palace instead of his own. Five years of friendship, of becoming more and more involved with the Weasley's, and his father is now still reluctant, but resigned.

"Happy birthday!" Lucy says as he enters the room where the party will be held, jumping up to place a party hat on his head. Scorpius smiles, feeling Lucy kiss his cheek. It's nice, actually, to have Emma in his kingdom in Lucy in this one - it's like having a sister no matter where he ends up.

After more hugs and happy birthday wishes, (and even a few more cheek kisses), Albus' mother, whom he now calls "Ginny", walks in, brandishing a chocolate cake. She cuts it for them, and they sing Happy Birthday, and then he blows out the candles, and Ginny grins still, before leaving them to it.

"You kids have fun," she says. "But remember, someone's always watching." And then she laughs and closes the door behind her.

The instant she exits, Fred picks up a remote and turns on a huge speaker that blasts music so loud, Scorpius can hardly hear himself think.

He walks around awhile, receiving gifts, drinking punch, and mingling with the people that'd been invited - no one particularly wonderful, but no enemies, either. He's been doing this for maybe fifteen minutes when Rose pops up beside him. "Miserable?" she inquires, and he wonders if he's been that obvious.

"A bit, yeah," Scorpius admits, and she only smiles emphatically.

Taking his hand, she responds, "C'mon," and then sets off towards a door to their far right, leading him to it and then shoving him through it, and suddenly he's breathing in night air and looking at a velvet sky.

"The gazebo," Rose explains. She's grinning again. She does that a lot, he notices, and then wonders why he notices.

Wordlessly, she sits down on the edge of it, looking up at the flowers that are strewn across the roof of the small building. "Join me?" Rose smirks.

He does, and they spend the rest of the night talking and passing a bad of jellybeans she'd nicked back and forth.

Rose is actually a very interesting girl, Scorpius discovers.

v.

He's seventeen now, and also about to become King.

This revelation had startled him so much that he'd gone over to the river, something he hadn't done in years. Sitting by the edge, he stares at his reflection dismally.

"Scorpius?"

He jumps at Rose's voice; she's standing forest that leads to the river, looking at him as if she can't believe he's there. Then, she's rushing over and plopping down beside him.

"How are you? Dominique said you were ill - "

"That was a cover story," he says, smiling at her weakly. "I didn't want everyone to know how nervous I am about being King." He surprises even himself with how easily the words roll off his tongue. Obviously, he has no qualms about her knowing.

"Oh, Scorp." Rose rests her head on his shoulder. "You'll be fine. Vic was terrified when it came time for her to take over, but she's doing splendidly, and so will you." She sends him a reassuring smile, which he tries to accept but cannot.

"Yeah, but Tori wasn't - it was different, wasn't it? She was following her grandparents, not her Mum and Dad - " Rose takes her head off of his shoulder and looks at him.

"And that changes things how?" She's got her right eyebrow raised in that way of hers, nose wrinkling and jaw tightening.

"It's just.. not the same."

"Well, I wouldn't know, Scorpius, but it seems the same to me." Her eyes are boring into his now, and suddenly he's drowning in her brown depths.

"You'll be fine," she whispers.

And then he is closing the distance between them and kissing her, not thinking, not even breathing as she kisses him back deeper and they tumble into the river.

When her head pops up out of the green water, eyes sparkling, he grins, and he has a feeling that one day, she'll be a Queen.

(She already is, though, really.)