HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Screw it. I lied!

I was sitting down for bed around four in the morning when this epilogue popped into my head. It's short, only half as long as any other chapter, but here's your goddamn closure.

I love that I write things that people actually want to read. It's wonderful when people review my stories with things like "That's all?! There has to be more!"

I love you guys, I really do. :D

Emergency Chocolate, Chapter 6 (Epilogue)

Two Years Later

No matter how much time he spent with Rose, Scorpius Malfoy would never get used to talking to people.

It was different with her, of course; for some reason she was the exception to the rule. He could talk to Rose for hours, and he could talk to other people when he absolutely needed to. No longer would he freeze up when asked what he wanted to eat at restaurants. No longer would he spend hours wandering aimlessly through shops and stalls at Diagon Alley, searching for one specific thing because he was too nervous to just ask for help from an employee.

But when it came to making small talk?

With actual people?

Well. In Scorpius' opinion, he'd much rather spend a day in with his new wife than spend a day out with her family.

Following the incident that would forever be known as 'The Quidditch Match' in conversation, Rose had, as she professed to him beside his hospital bed, owled her uncle, famous auror Harry Potter himself, demanding he reprimand his children and their cousins for the way they'd treated Scorpius. She had written to him explaining why it was so important to her- what Scorpius' friendship meant to her- and pleading with him to help her.

When he received her letter, Uncle Harry had sent howlers to his own children, telling tales of disappointment and shame, and just to drive the point home, he had taken time to return to Hogwarts Castle himself, bringing with him his wife and as many brothers- and sisters-in-law as he could manage, to personally express to their children their disappointment.

Nobody was certain just who threw the bludger that had knocked Scorpius from his broom. Albus said it was Lily, Lily said it was James, and James just shrugged, trying not to look proud of himself. Whoever it was, though, they were certainly sorry when they were made to understand what Scorpius had done for Rose, and why she was so attached to him. Many of her cousins had apologized profusely, though her brother and James were a bit reluctant to accept him.

Eventually, though, Scorpius made friends with Rose's family, and they found him to be exactly what Rose had insisted he was to begin with; namely, polite, quiet, and a wonderful listener. It wasn't long before James and Albus were bringing him along on pranks, and Lucy even asked him for advice on how to get a guy to notice her. (Scorpius had just shrugged. He may have been a good listener, but he had no idea how to handle relationships. He still wasn't quite sure how he'd gotten Rose to like him in the first place.)

And now, sitting at his wedding reception, watching his lovely wife dance with her father, he couldn't help but smile to himself. He'd thought for sure that her family was going to literally kill him. Hell, they almost did.

To his mild surprise, James Sirius Potter sat down beside him, swirling a drink in a glass on his hand. Scorpius turned to accept the attention of the man; despite their newfound acquaintance, in a situation like this, James would not have approached him without a good reason.

James cleared his throat, looking out at Rose and her father, smirking. "You know, if you ever hurt her…"

"…I know, I know, you and the clan will kill me." Scorpius sighed.

"Of course not," James laughed. "She will."

Scorpius tried his absolute best to keep from bursting out laughing, and even still, he couldn't stifle a giggle.

"What?" queried James, confused.

Scorpius regained his composure, leaning in to James without taking his eyes off his new wife.

"Yeah," he mumbled. "She'll poison my chocolate."

Rose looked over at the two of them and waved, smiling bright.

AAAAAAAND NOW it's finished. I promise this time. :D

If you liked this story, feel free to check out some of my other stuff. I recommend Therapy and Night, although of course, since I wrote it all, I technically recommend all of it.