A/N
Comment if you get the chapter title😉
Hint: It's a POA thing.
ALBUS
Before he went to bed that night, Albus decided to write a letter to his Mum, telling her to call Rose off. He had just got out his parchment and quill and was about to address it to her, when Ginny Potter's voice spoke in his mind, saying the exact response he knew she'd write back to him.
Albus Severus Potter.
You've been getting into far too much trouble lately and someone's got to keep an eye on you. Hermione, Draco and I all agree that Rose should be friends with you and Scorpius, so she can do just that. And also, Albus, it'll be nice to have your cousin hanging out with you. You two don't spend enough time together these days. I don't know what happened, you used to be best friends when you were six!
Also, don't forget to send Neville our love because I know James didn't listen to me when I told him that, and we haven't seen Neville in so long! I don't care if you think it's embarrassing or whatever, just do it.
Lots of love, Mum.
Yeah, he definitely wasn't writing to his Mum.
So instead, he touched his quill to the parchment and addressed his letter to his Dad instead.
Dear Dad,
I don't know if Mum's told you, but she's forced Rose to be friends with me. She's going to be tagging along everywhere I go and she'll be a constant nuisance. And the worst part is, she's taking her job way too seriously. She was probably late to class today because she insisted on walking to Care of Magical Creatures with Scorpius and I. She's even threatened to sneak in to the Slytherin common room if we try to hide from her there! Please, for the good of all of us, please try to convince Mum to call her off. I don't know how long I'll last if I have to keep putting up with her. Scorpius and I are better off on our own. We don't need an extra third person.
Love, Albus.
He folded up the letter and tied it to his owl's leg, who flew off to deliver it to Harry.
***
SCORPIUS
Scorpius woke up the next morning with a smile still lingering from the day before. He practically skipped down to the Great Hall for breakfast, with Albus trudging behind him looking far from cheerful.
"What's gotten into you today? You're acting really weird, mate." Albus said.
"Oh you know, nothing much. Just the fact that I'm going to see my new friend today." Scorpius said. He'd been thinking about it all night - replaying those same words in his head over and over again. Rose Granger-Weasley is my friend. She doesn't hate me - in fact she probably likes me a bit if we're friends.
"Oh, not this again. You know, Scorpius, I bet you she's going to forget about us soon and everything will go back to normal. Like it should be."
"I don't think she'd do that. Rose is really determined. A bit stubborn sometimes, but I love her anyway."
Albus just shook his head at his head at Scorpius in disbelief, and what seemed like a hint of pity. Then together they made their way to the Slytherin table, where they sat on the edge (away from everybody else) as usual. Except this time, something was different.
Scorpius saw a flash of red hair in between the rows of people sitting at the house tables, and then a face - Rose's face. She was looking directly at him and Albus, smiling and waving at them. Scorpius waved back excitedly, while Albus grumbled to himself and sunk down in his seat.
Not long after they'd started digging in to their breakfast, the owl's swooped down through the windows to deliver the morning post. Scorpius noticed Albus's spirits lift greatly when a letter landed in front of him, but they seemed to drop even lower than before as he read the letter.
Leaning over his friends shoulder, Scorpius pored over the letter for himself.
Dear Albus,
In my first year of Hogwarts, there was this girl who my friend and I hung out with. Not because we particularly liked her - but because we felt bad for her lack of friends and felt the need to keep her company. That girl, however annoying she was, saved our lives more times than I can count, and became one of my best friends. Our friendship was envied by many, including your Mum and Draco.
Albus, as annoying as you think Rose is right now, give her a chance. Because it looks like you've found your new Ron and Hermione, and a friendship like that is hard to find, so I'm sorry but I will not be telling Rose to leave you alone. Especially if she's also decided to hang out with you because she wants to - that means your friendship isn't entirely forced.
In case you're wondering (though you're a smart kid so I suspect you've figured it out by now) the girl I mentioned earlier was Hermione. And it seems to me that Rose is a lot like her - so Albus, please don't push her away. She'll grow on you - I promise.
Love, Dad
Albus's shoulders drooped, and he sighed heavily. Next to him, Scorpius had two things simultaneously running through is mind. The first were Harry's words -'it looks like you've found your new Ron and Hermione' - and the second, the memory of the two of them confessing their love to each other in the alternate time travel world before the dementors got hold of them.
Both boys were jolted out of their thoughts as none other than Rose herself sat down on the edge of the Slytherin table next to Albus, a bright smile on her face as she said, "Good morning!"
"Morning." Albus grumbled irritably.
"Morning!" Scorpius said brightly.
"What's that, Albus?" Rose asks, nodding her head in the direction of Harry's letter, which was now a scrunched up ball in Albus's hand.
"Nothing, just a letter from Dad."
"Yeah, in which he talked about how he's happy you're our friend, Rose." Scorpius said, giving Albus a pointed look.
"See, even Uncle Harry thinks so, Albus. That letter is proof. And I fully agree with everything it says."
"Well, Rose, you should also know that Harry called you and I Albus's new Ron and Hermione." Scorpius said with a smirk he couldn't suppress.
"Okay. Meaning we're his best friends?" Rose asked uncertainly, frowning at Scorpius's odd smile.
"Yeah, but you know, Ron and Hermione also fell in love with each other, and eventually got marri-"
Rose cut off Scorpius's fantasies by using her copy of the Daily Prophet to hit him on the head. He grimaced, rubbing the spot where she had hit him while Rose started on him.
"You may be my new friend, Scorpius, but I wouldn't marry you if it were a choice between you and a blast-ended Skrewt! Now, I'm going to finish my breakfast in peace." With that, she stood up and stomped off toward the Gryffindor table.
"I should've seen that coming, right?" Scorpius asked Albus dejectedly.
"Yeah, you walked right into that, mate."
"You don't think I'll sprout a bump on my head from this, do you?"Scorpius asked, laughing a bit, as he rubbed the spot where Rose had hit him with her Daily Prophet.
"I'd like to say no, but I've learned not to underestimate how hard Rose hits." Albus said, laughing along with him.
Scorpius gazed back at the Gryffindor table, where Rose sat chatting with her housemates. "Looks like I've still got a long way to go before she likes me." He said, sighing.
"As much as I hate to give you false hope - because I'm pretty sure this relationship is never going to work out - I know for a fact that Ron and Hermione constantly fought before they were together, and still do now, though much less."
Scorpius's eyes widened as he took in the information. "Really?" Albus nodded, and Scorpius laughed, grinning. "Well then, I guess I've got a far better chance than I realized."
Scorpius's smile stayed on until he finally fell asleep, and it lingered on his face even as he slipped away from reality and entered a world of dreams.