Rose Weasley scowled as Elena Potter neé Boot walked around the glimmering hall of the wedding reception, smiling widely and greeting well-wishers. Elena was resplendent in all her wedding glory, looking every bit the princess people said she was. It made Rose want to smack her. This marriage was wrong – all wrong. But did her stupid cousin have the guts to back out of it? Of course not. Rose grabbed a flute of champagne off a nomadic waiter's tray and drained it in one gulp. She didn't even know why she was surprised or upset that the wedding happened. After all, James Sirius Potter was the world's most cowardly Gryffindor.

"Whoa there Rosie. Don't want you sloshed at my best mate's wedding!" a voice called out from her right. The aristocratic figure of Scorpius Malfoy stepped up to Rose and took her empty champagne flute from her hands.

"And here I thought I was your best mate… Silly me," Rose remarked in a catty tone. Scorpius merely shrugged.

"Oh Rosie, darling…you have a special place in my heart. But you just can't break the bond between Gryffindor brothers."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. You really should not be talking about getting sloshed at weddings. Might I bring up the failed nuptials of one Mr. Albus Severus Potter, who is still not speaking to you for stripping to the Weird Sisters in front of everyone and humping the wedding cake?" Scorpius smiled at the memory with mischievous delight. It was no secret that he had hated the wench Albus was set to marry with a passion. That, and Scorpius and Albus had some major unresolved sexual tension brewing ever since their Hogwarts years. Scorpius's solution for screwing up Albus's wedding was simple: get drunk and fuck shit up. It was because of moments like these that Rose was steadfast in her opinion that the Sorting Hat was absolutely correct in placing Scorpius in Gryffindor. He could be as mean as any Slytherin, for sure. But when it came down to it, he really was an idiot.

"Hmm…he might not be speaking to me, but he sure is doing something else," Scorpius replied with a wicked grin.

Rose looked up at the blond in amusement. "You mean you guys are finally together then?" she asked.

Scorpius shook his head and sighed. "The poor boy doesn't think he's gay. He actually insists that he's one hundred percent straight." Rose shook her head in exasperation. The two had been dancing around each other for so long.

"So what'd you say to him?" she asked after a moment's pause.

Scorpius's wicked smirk made a comeback as he said, "I told him that he could be as straight as he liked, but that it wouldn't change the fact that I had my dick up his arse just minutes ago."

Rose let out an unattractive guffaw that would have made her great, great aunt Muriel roll in her grave had she been dead. While some people might have been disgusted by the candidly sexual conversation about their cousin, Rose did not blink an eye. Objectively speaking, Albus was an attractive bloke – Rose could admit that much.

"Ah the man of the hour!" Scorpius cried out as a newly married James sauntered up to the pair. Scorpius clapped James on the back in congratulations. "So…you're the first of us to get married. How does it feel to be officially whipped?"

James let out a laugh as he gave a great sigh. "There's nothing like it, Scorp." Rose narrowed her eyes at this display and bit back a biting comment. "Wotcher, Rosie! Why haven't you offered me my due congratulations then, eh?" James questioned jokingly.

Rose raised an eyebrow and said, "Congratulations on entering a loveless marriage. I hope you signed a magically-binding prenuptial agreement. You'll need it for the divorce. Or the annulment – I'm not picky as to which one you choose." The silence that followed was nothing short of awkward.

Scorpius was the first to break the tension. "Wow Rose…um that wasn't quite up to your usual comedic timing, but great joke…" He trailed off after a weak chuckle.

Rose did not take her eyes off of James. "I wasn't joking Scorpius," she said. "I really do hope James has planned for his inevitable estrangement from his wife." She spat out the last word with venom.

Scorpius glanced at James and Rose. James looked murderous and Rose looked every bit the Slytherin bitch she could be. There was no way he was getting caught in the crossfire. "Oh look, there's Albus," Scorpius said lamely as he scurried away. Neither Rose nor James acknowledged his departure. The two faced each other with stony expressions, daring the other to look away first. After a minute, it was James that caved. He sought out the slender form of his wife and found that she was preoccupied with some of her friends.

"Look, Rose, we can't do this here," he said as he grabbed Rose's arm and pulled her towards the back entrance. Rose pulled her arm free from his grasp and followed him without a word. They stepped outside onto the sunny terrace. Luckily no one was outside. James rubbed his face and leaned against the wall of the building, loosening up his collar. "What do you want with me, Rose?" he asked in a defeated tone.

Rose clenched her fist as she heard his question. Did he really just ask her about what she wanted? "Me? I want nothing more than for you to be happy, James," she replied.

"Then why are you fucking up my wedding?" James asked wearily.

"Because you won't be happy with Elena," Rose responded.

"Rose-"

She cut him off with a kiss. It was far from the cousinly pecks she gave other members of her family. This kiss was rooted in longing and lust. Rose felt incredibly right as she nibbled on his lower lip and pressed her body up against his. James could not help but to respond to the sexual assault Rose had begun on his body. Her hands were everywhere and nowhere, touching him all over but never lingering on one spot. He grabbed her arse and pulled her even closer to his body, rocking his lower half into hers. She thrust her tongue into his mouth forcefully, seeking out his own. Her kisses were calculated, measured, and timed for his maximum pleasure – so different than the gentle, prying kisses Elena bestowed on him.

Elena.

James pulled away abruptly. He noted that her face was flushed, her eye unfocused, and her lips swollen and moist. James swallowed, his mouth feeling dry and cottony. "Rose, I can't." She pulled away and straightened out her dress. James breathed in deeply and willed away his growing erection.

"You are a coward," Rose stated simply as she took in his disheveled appearance. After a wry chuckle, she shook her head in mocking disbelief. "I love how you were the one placed in Gryffindor, and yet I am the one willing to take a leap of faith for our relationship."

James dragged a hand through his hair. "It's not that simple, Rose."

"It can be if you let it," she quipped, not missing a beat. "I love you, James. And I want you to be happy. But I know you'll never be happy as long as you stay married to Elena. She's all wrong for you."

At that, James grew angry. "And of course you know all about what's best for me then?" he questioned her in fury. Rose did not seem fazed by his anger, which only fueled his upset. "Elena makes me feel normal. She loves me despite how fucked up I am!"

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So you told her all about how you used to fuck me in every possible way since I was thirteen?" James did not answer, and a smirk began to form on Rose's face. She knew full well that James could never disclose that kind of information to someone as utterly good as Elena. Rose closed the distance between them once more and whispered in his ear, "Does she know that you have a taste for your cousin's pussy?" James exhaled at Rose's words, hopelessly turned on by her voice, her proximity, and the filthy things that were coming out of her mouth. "Does she know how you used to fuck Lily and me at the same time? Or that one time you got Louis and Fred to fuck both my holes while you let me suck you off?" Rose palmed James's penis as she continued to speak. "Did you tell her that for all your incestuous experimentation, you never screwed any of them if I wasn't involved somehow?" At this, Rose looked into his eyes and kissed him gently on the lips. "You need something fucked up, James. You don't want normal. You could never stay with normal." He stopped her hand that was rubbing against his crotch.

"This is wrong, Rose," he stated. "All of that happened years ago."

Rose's eyes hardened as he righted himself once more. And without another word, he walked inside the reception hall, leaving her behind.