Curiosity Is Not a Sin

Curious Cousins

Rose still hadn't quite decided what to do about Scorpius the next morning, so she ate breakfast in subdued silence. Albus sent her several curious looks, but to his credit, decided to wait until it was just the two of them and Hugo heading toward the village to question her about it.

"Are you introducing Scorpius to everyone today?" he asked as a cool breeze rustled through their hair.

Hugo whirled around and looked at Rose expectantly. Since he'd heard several days earlier that she had 'officially' decided to start calling Scorpius her boyfriend, he'd been very put out that she hadn't found the time to "put the two of us in a room" (as her brother had put it). When she'd pointed out that Hugo had spent plenty of time with Scorpius over the past several years, given how much time they spent with the Potters during holidays, he'd told her - with the wisdom of his vast thirteen years of life experience - that it simply wasn't the same.

"I don't know," she muttered, shoving her hands further into her jacket pockets. "I don't want anyone to scare him off."

Albus outright laughed at her. "Rosie, if you haven't managed to do that - don't look at me like that, you know what I mean - I don't see them doing it."

"Hey, there they are!" her brother exclaimed, jolting her back into the present. Three figures were waving to them from their position near the entrance to the village.

"Good morning!" Victoire called out as they approached. "I feel like I haven't seen all of you in ages."

"It's only been a few months," Dominique pointed out. She'd been leaning on the sign denoting the village's name.

Victoire smiled, and Rose could have sworn that a dreamy look appeared in her eyes. "But so much can happen in a few months, can't it?"

Dominique straightened up and rolled her eyes at Rose. "She's -" she started, gesturing to Victoire, " - apparently marrying Gallagher this summer. I suppose you're going to have to get dressed up, too - they'll have a time finding a color that suits all of us that isn't black or white."

Rose had never been to a wedding before, and while it wasn't particularly surprising that Victoire would decide to take that step - she'd been living with her boyfriend for years - she wasn't quite sure how to respond, particularly given that she really didn't know Gallagher very well at all. She was happy for them, but she had absolutely no idea how to express it. She managed to stumble through a congratulations while Albus and Hugo exchanged hugs with their cousin, who didn't seem able to stop smiling.

Dominique caught Rose's eye and seemed to understand her predicament. "I know," she said dryly. "Can you believe we're letting that rabble into the family?"

Rose grinned, and Victoire shoved her sister gently. "Shut up," she said as Hugo threw his arms around her again.

Dominique winked at Rose, who felt herself begin to relax now that the mood has taken a turn toward jokes. "Congratulations," she said again. "Really, that's great."

Victoire peered into the groups of students streaming by. "Where's my brother? Have you seen him yet today?"

Just as they were shaking their heads, however, Louis emerged from one of the groups approaching them.

"Louis!" Victoire and Dominique cried simultaneously. Before he could do more than exchange a hug with them each, though, Victoire blurted out, "I'm getting married."

His eyes widened. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now," she said sarcastically. "No, you idiot, next summer."