Somebody That I Use to Know

Chapter 2

"I know Albus, okay." Rose audibly exhaled and sank into the couch next to her cousin, letting her pretense finally fall as well. "Believe me I know. I just...I just need to talk to him okay?"

She hoped the sincere look in her eyes was enough to let Albus know that she meant his friend no harm. That all she wanted was to talk and leave town for another two years, never to intrude on their merriment again.

And after a moment of their unspoken conversation, she thought Albus believed her. He was about to respond when they both turned towards the loud crack across the room.

"I know I'm late." Scorpius had apparated in and walked straight to the backroom, tossing what Rose assumed was his Quidditch kit onto the floor in a loud series of bangs.

"Scorp!"

Albus shouted from his place on the couch. Rose quickly stood and flattened the bottom of her blouse, replacing her honest eyes with the ones that were once again on a mission.

"What?!"

The blonde shouted from the back of the flat and Rose felt her shoulders tense again. Had Scorpius Malfoy just shouted down a hallway? She heard some sort of splash she remembered as a shower charm Scorpius fancied as a quick fix for after practices and she ran a hand over her hair, making sure it had all been pulled back as intended.

"I'm not going to continue shouting down the bloody hallway. Get in here!"

Suddenly it occurred to Rose that her ex had wandered into a bedroom, left his belongings and was now changing for an evening out, "Is he living here?" Rose heard herself ask before she was able to control her curiosity, "What happened to the cottage?"

"That sounds like a great topic to start the two of you off." Albus countered as Scorpius made his way back to the main living room.

"We've ten minutes before we are to leave and you want to have some civilized conversa-"

Scorpius was clearly irritated that his mate had interrupted him getting ready. His wet hair was hanging in his face while his dress shirt hung on his shoulders not yet buttoned. Rose did all she could to look up from the floor and meet his gaze.

"Bollocks."

Were the first words he said to her after four years apart.

Rose felt her fingers tighten into a fist at her side before Albus broke the new silence between them, "He's right, I should be getting ready."

Scorpius wiped the wet hair from his eyes and squinted at where Rose was standing. He looked as if he were trying to decipher runes, which in a way Rose supposed he was.

"Has my father-"

"I just need to talk to you."

Scorpius's rigid posture relaxed and he finished threading his belt, "Well love, you've certainly gotten my attention."

The more his posture eased, the more Rose could feel her own posture tensing up again at the foreign behavior.

"There was a mistake with our papers." She tried to power through. The less time she spent here the better. "We have to re-file so I need your signature."

She held the papers out for him to inspect, but instead of taking them he began to button his shirt.

"Re-file? You mean our divorce?"

He said the word so casually that Rose thought a bludger had come from his room to hit her in the chest. Even more insistent they move this along, she moved closer to him so the papers were an arm's length away, but still he didn't take them.