From (im)possible to real

Scorpius is eleven. He comes at King’s Cross Station with his parents and looks anxiously at the people around him, trying to see the very Weasleys and Potters he has heard so much. And then he notices Her. A girl with copper, unimaginably curly hair with the sun tangled in them, pale skin strewn with freckles, and a ringing laugh. And this laughter penetrates somewhere deep into the soul of Scorpius, rings a thousand silver bells inside him, making his lips break into a joyful smile. Yet already on the train, Scorpius hears a scornful "Malfoy" from this girl, and the inner silver bells, turning out to be glass, crumble into a thousand pieces. At the age of eleven, Scorpius learns that "Malfoy" is a stigma. Scorpius is twelve. He is studying at the House his whole family graduated from, and his parents are proud of him. He is one of the best students of the course and the seeker of the Quidditch team, and his dean thinks very highly of him. Last year he held his hand to Albus Potter — and Albus Potter accepted it, ignoring all the prejudices, gossip and friendly warnings. Since then, Albus Potter is his best friend, and Scorpius values friendship with him more than with all his Slytherin mates combined. Scorpius has almost everything, but for absolute happiness he lacks one thing: to defeat that red-haired girl with cheeky freckles and quizzical look of brown eyes. At the age of twelve, Scorpius learns that sometimes he can't get what he wants. Scorpius is thirteen. In the summer before the third year, he talks a lot with his father, telling him about Hogwarts. And he himself is surprised at how often the surname "Granger" appears in his speech. Granger annoys him terribly, Granger is an insufferable know-it-all, Granger is too much in class and on the Quidditch field, Granger makes him sick in general. "It looks like there is really too much of this Granger in your life", his father says with some strange intonation, and Scorpius can’t exactly make out what does he mean. However, when for the hundredth time he finds himself looking not at the board at all, but at the sunlight dancing in Granger's copper curls, something in his head begins to clear up. And the very next summer, shortly before his fourteenth birthday, he hears an incredible story from his father. The story of a pure-blooded wizard who fell in love with a Muggle-born witch, but because of his own cowardice and pride pushed her away from him. And then completely rolled down the slope, but, having made a hell lot of mistakes, still managed to stop in time and was saved by that very witch and her friends. Draco Malfoy doesn't name names, but Scorpius knows them anyway. And therefore, surprised, he asks: "Did that wizard never find happiness in love?". And Draco, ruffling his son's platinum hair, assures him: he has. That wizard, he says, eventually fell in love with another woman, beautiful, proud, loving and loyal, who helped him get back on the right path, made him happy and gave birth to his son. Who, he hopes, will not repeat his mistakes and will find in himself enough courage to admit his feelings, bravery not to be afraid of public opinion and moral qualities to earn love and respect instead of contempt. But the most important thing Draco Malfoy says at the end. "And remember, Scorpius: I'm on your side. Always." At the age of thirteen Scorpius thinks he will be able to follow the right path. Scorpius is fourteen. And in the middle of the fourth year, he learns for the first time what misery is, what pain is, and what tears are. His father ends up in Mungo with a heavy curse, his mother experiences one nervous breakdown after another, and he is powerlessly crying in the toilet of the Moaning Myrtle, praying he does not know who that his father will survive. And one day someone, probably taking pity on him, sends him an angel. After all, although red-haired women are recognized as messengers of the devil, the sun is entangled in Rose Granger-Weasley's copper curls, which means she is definitely an angel. No, they don't by any means become friends right away, yet something definitely changes between them. And on the way back to London they sit in the same compartment, exchanging addresses and promising to write to each other. And Malfoy Sr. is recovering. Which is probably why, at the age of fourteen, Scorpius realizes the price of happiness and suffering. Scorpius is fifteen. With Rose Weasley, whom he habitually still calls "Granger", Scorpius spends most of his time. And at the same time, it still seems little, hopelessly little, too little Granger in his life. They correspond all summer, see each other every day in class, in the Great Hall and in the corridors, spend long hours together in the library, and even play against each other at matches — and yet it's not enough for him. Scorpius puts Rose's head on his lap when they spend warm September evenings under an oak tree by the lake. Scorpius buys her a butterbeer in the "Three Brooms", admires the "moustache" left over her lip and secretly wants to remove them, if not with his tongue, then at least with the pads of his fingers (but, of course, never does it). Scorpius stays in Hogwarts at Christmas, plays snowballs with Al, James, Louis and Fred, plays chess with Hugo, sculpts snow dragons, thestrals and hippogriffs with Lily and Rose, and generally has the best holidays of his life. But then something that was bound to sooner or later happen happens. One day Rose, taking off her jumper, accidentally releases the bottom edge of her blouse, and for a moment Scorpius sees a bare strip of skin of her stomach. And even this moment is enough to notice the freckles there. Dark red freckles on marble-white skin. Merlin. At the age of fifteen, Scorpius begins dating Effie. Then Sheila. Lucy. Ann. Annabel. Bridget. But in none of them does he find such a bubbly laugh, mocking brown eyes, unruly red strands and a scattering of copper freckles on white skin. At the age of fifteen, Scorpius realizes how easy it is to go down the wrong path. Scorpius is sixteen. When Rose starts dating a cute Ravenclaw, Scorpius breaks his face, but his heart breaks too. Rose helps Scorpius fix the Room of Requirement, but Scorpius does not think that anything in principle is able to fix his lonely soul. Until one day he notices how Rose creates a Patronus, and, Merlin, it's an owl, and his is an owl too. At the age of sixteen, Scorpius kisses Rose Granger-Weasley for the first time. Scorpius is seventeen. And the summer before the seventh year is the first when he spends so much time away from home. Scorpius is playing Quidditch with numerous Weasleys and Potters in the Burrow; Scorpius lets Lilly and Dominic literally ride on his neck; Scorpius plays magic chess with Hugo; Scorpius helps Al and James push Louis the handsome into a local pond; Scorpius introduces Rose to his parents; And finally, Scorpius swears to Ronald Weasley that he will never do any harm to his daughter. At the age of seventeen, Scorpius and Rose Granger Weasley become school prefects, and this serves as an excellent cover for why they are always together. At the age of eighteen, Scorpius proposes to Rose. And she agrees. Finally, what seemed impossible turns real.