Chapter Text
The day was a complete wreck, and Rose Weasley was pissed. No, scratch that. “Complete wreck” could also be surmised as a disaster—a travesty, calamity, or fiasco—any words along the lines to express “pure torture” and “agony” would also be sufficient for the day she had.
Not only had she landed herself in detention for a week, but Professor Longbottom took seventy points away from Gryffindor because of her and that stupid temper of hers. They were in third place because of Rose’s chaos that reigned in the hallways—the jubilee that Rose had finally done something scandalous.
Rose sighed; they were to be the favorites for the Quidditch Cup this year.
And she was supposed to be a prefect and model student.
Rose was, in fact, 99.99% of the time. Based on the comments she heard around the castle; she was one of the most upstanding model students any Hogwarts Head desired. Scorpius Malfoy, she scoffed to herself, was also considered a model prefect. Rose decided that it was best not to think about that fact. Instead, she thought about anything she could muster beyond this stupid, selfish, arrogant boy. She cringed as all her thoughts led back to him. It was a vicious cycle: every time she tried to think of anything but Scorpius Malfoy, she thought about school, which was intricately tied to her whole Hogwarts experience… and that led her back to think of him.
The teachers who taught at Hogwarts when her mother studied there told Rose that watching her go through Hogwarts was like seeing another Hermione all over again. Rose was an outstanding citizen towards other students. She helped tutor in Ancient Runes, Transfiguration, Charms, and Herbology. And she spent a lot of her time ensuring justice and peace stayed within the school, just as her mother once did. At that thought, Rose smirked. You could say, she thought, that I went a bit overboard with a bit of personal justice today…
Rose’s cousins, James, Albus, Louis, Fred, Lucy, Roxanne, Lily, and her brother, Hugo, were completely surprised, though honestly shocked despite being satisfied that Rose sought revenge for the first time in her life. She was completely vindictive in doing so and showed no signs of remorse. The reason: after six years of putting up with Scorpius Malfoy’s harassing, she had finally defended herself. Not just verbally, but physically as well.
Rose grimaced into the Gryffindor fireplace, as if it could set all of her worries aflame. Her accost on Malfoy had been coming for a long time now. For five years, people egged her on, encouraged her to eviserate him wherever he stood because of his constant poking and prodded her with harsh teasing and ridicule every time they encountered each other. He was, frankly, downright horrible to her. She retorted back when she could: mocked him and made it a habit to beat him in all school subjects and the Quidditch field. Her life became the reality of her father’s joke all those years ago, before she could understand the meaning of his words. But she had never gone so far to the extent as she did on this particular day.
And then again… Malfoy had never pushed her as far as he had today either.
It seemed as though this was the moment with which Rose had enough of Malfoy’s torment. Instead of ignoring his most awful comments and proceeding to class like she usually did, she found herself attacking him after breakfast in the main corridor in front of the Great Hall. She didn’t know what he said before she attacked him—that was all a blur. No, what set her off was a nonchalant comment about her mother at Malfoy Manor during the Second War. As Rose was reminded of the terrible memory, she remembered that her parents told her the details of the torture of her mother at Malfoy Manor on her sixteenth birthday.
It was an awful gift, but after many years of ignorance about why her father disdained Scorpius’ family, the new knowledge revealed all the reasoning so clearly. It was Malfoy’s tone that had set her off—his neutral cadence. As if he could have cared less about the mentioning of that terrible day in history. He set her temper aflame so often, more than anyone could have imagined—even with all the cousins and her brother at Hogwarts with her. It was beyond the typical anger any Weasley had seen and this anger was set and spread as fast as Fiendfyre.
Forgetting about her wand, Rose went on basic instinct. She ran towards Scorpius, punched him in the face, and kept hitting him anywhere she could muster. She felt Scorpius and herself move backwards a few paces in her passion. Rose might have missed once or twice (because this was, after all, her first fist fight), but she was so angry that she had no energy to think about spells that could do more damage than her punches. She abandoned the rules she upheld so strictly and assailed Malfoy, all the while shouting offenses.
Rose wanted Malfoy to suffer, to repent, and to feel the same kind of pain her mother went through during the War. She wanted him to understand what it felt like to go through the same emotional turbulence Rose endured every day. She wanted to hear him cry out in anguish and pain, just as she had done before.
Sometime in her accost, she remembered that not only had he teased her relentlessly in the hallways, classrooms, and on the Quidditch pitch, but he gave her looks that sent shivers down her spine. This seemed to give her an extra boost of energy, and several times, to her pleasure, she heard him cry out oof with pain.
Unable to understand what exactly these looks meant, she garnered compassion and forgiveness to Scorpius Mallory anytime occurred. As this thought settled, Rose kicked and punched a little harder, because it was maddening to her that she could think such a thing at a time like her attack. Compassion should not exist as one attempted to beat their enemy to a pulp.
But it was just so much more complex than that, wasn’t it?
Even if she couldn’t understand the emotion behind those dreaded looks, she knew it was more than obvious hatred, which confused her more than ever. People just assumed that Malfoy and she detested and competed against each other. While she agreed for the most part, there was a part of her that believed Scorpius Malfoy was more than just a cold, spineless twat. Their mutual best mate, and her cousin, Albus reassured Rose that Scorpius didn’t loathe her like everyone assumed, and she hesitantly admitted to Albus that she did not hate Malfoy either. Much to her chagrin, she always felt her heart open a little more towards him. This final moment of compassion in the throes of her aggression towards him gave Rose the last, final boost as she punched his nose with all her force. To her satisfaction, she heard a crack when the hit landed, laying him a good one in the center of that particular facial feature.
Good.
Professor Longbottom had to pull Rose and Scorpius apart himself. The crowd in the hallway were simply too excited to attempt breaking separating them. After he successfully retrieved Scorpius away from an attacking Rose, it was evident that the most damage done was in the first few punches, though the last one seemed to have contributed well to her efforts in attempting to beat him into a bleeding pulp. Scorpius was too shocked to fight back. He touched his right eye tenderly, which was forming beautiful shades of black and blue. His nose was bleeding copiously. The rest of his body showed no signs that her violent accost wounded him with lasting effect.
The crowd surrounding them silenced their jeers to Malfoy and hushed their clamor for Rose slowly, once they acknowledged that the fight was ebbing away. On cue, Albus and James ran to Professor Longbottom’s aid and held Rose back.
“Let me at him,” she shouted. She couldn’t help it; the passion that pulsed through her body demanded her retorts to be yelled into the space. The two cousins held her arms back tightly as she kicked her legs up in the air, trying to shake them off. “I’m not done with you, Malfoy! Just you wait…I will kill you for what you said! How dare you have a go at my mother! What has your father ever contributed to this society? Nothing, that’s what, and if I ever—”
“That’s enough, Miss Weasley,” Neville Longbottom shouted over her. “I will not have you attack Mr. Malfoy any longer.”
Rose looked enraged. “After all that he’s done to me and what he’s said about my mother? Professor! Did you hear what he said?” Her voice cracked at the word “professor.” Her neat hairdo had become completely undone and her wild auburn hair frizzed with her rage. Rose looked slightly manic with her eyes wide-open and frizzy hair as she tried to get out of her cousins’ clutches.
“No, I didn’t,” Professor Longbottom replied grimly. “But nothing could merit such an attack. You are completely out of line—”
“I’m completely out of line?” Rose gave a shout of laughter as she fought off Albus and nearly escaped. James took hold of her again and held her tightly. “You wouldn’t say so if you heard what he said.”
“Detention, Miss Weasley!” Professor Longbottom cut her off. “And seventy points from Gryffindor. I expect better of you.”
“Filthy arse pureblood thinks he can get away with trash talking my family,” Rose muttered under her breath. Albus and James looked at her horrified. Rose had never uttered a sentence like that in her life.
“What did you say?” Professor Longbottom steamed. He didn’t miss a beat, and Rose was unapologetic.
“Nothing, Professor,” she replied, articulating each syllable in her address.
“Miss Weasley, you now have a week’s worth of detention,” Professor Longbottom said. “You will also no longer be playing Chaser for the upcoming match.”
“But Professor!” Rose shouted, her voice cracking in protest once more. “You know I’m the best Chaser, our team needs me!”
“Not this Saturday,” Professor Longbottom retorted back. The scars on his face seemed to become highlighted more with his anger towards Rose. He looked to James quickly and asked calmly, “Mr. Potter, I’m sure you will be perfectly capable of finding a new Chaser to play for her this coming Saturday?”
James nodded as he held Rose tighter. “Sure, you are, James,” she muttered quietly. “Who are you going to use?”
James didn’t reply as she was trying to get out of his hold. Professor Longbottom continued, “Good. Everyone, you have class. Mr. Malfoy, a word, and then you can go to the hospital wing to get cleaned up.”
Finally shaking off her two cousins, Rose shouldered her bag and began walking to her next class. Her family looked to one another with shock at her display of violence and automatically started arguing silently about who was to discuss her behavior. Albus was picked unanimously by default. Rose turned away, huffing with anger as she picked up her bag and quickened her pace towards the dungeons for Potions.
“Hey! Rose! Wait up!” Albus demanded, “What was that all about?” He looked pale with shock, but underneath it, Rose saw a glimmer of frustration behind his green eyes. Despite their being best mates, and despite how proud Albus was of seeing how Rose could defend herself, Albus was terrified at this new fervor of anger he saw.
There was no denying that they were each other’s favorite cousins. They talked about everything together. Today, however, Rose wanted nothing to do with Albus. She didn’t want anything to do with her family. In fact, since she seemed to have done serious damage, she might as well skive off Potions and walk around the lake. Might as well make a day of it.
“Nothing,” she seethed. She glanced at him quickly and continued to speed towards the opposite way towards potions.
“Stop it,” Albus retorted. “You’ve never uttered a sentence like that in your life, nor have you ever attacked Scorpius like that before. It had to be something.”
“Shove off, Al,” Rose warned as he caught up to her. Rose’s jaw was set, and she flinched as Albus tried to comfort her. He called her name as she walked on, and running to keep up with her, he held her arm back to stop her from running towards the front doors.
“What?” she shouted. Rose’s usually warm blue eyes turned on him with annoyance. She stood with her hands on her hips as she stood in front of Albus. “You’re going to be late for bleeding Potions. I don’t need another reason to set anyone back, all right? You saw Longbottom, he just took seventy points away from us.”
I just want to skive off Potions, she thought to herself.
“Don’t skive, Rosie,” cautioned Albus; he seemed to read her thoughts just as much as her body language and was determined to get through to her. “You’ll regret not knowing what the assignments are for class and having to ask someone about it later. And when have you ever called Neville just by his surname?” At times like these, Rose resented the fact that Albus understood her so well. Their close friendship was, quite frankly, a pain in her arse at the moment.
Seeing that Rose wasn’t going to rage at him, Albus continued, “Look, something had to happen for you to go off on Scorpius like that. It doesn’t matter if I’m his friend or not. That was bloody unbelievable! And we’re going to talk it—I don’t care when. And you better believe it’s going to happen whether you’d like it to or not. You know if it’s not me, everyone else in the family will have a go. And you know you’d rather talk to me than Rox or Louis. Lily and Luce will have a field day driving you mad with annoyance until you tell them. I don’t need to remind you about the lengths James and Hugo would go to find out what set you off.” Albus raised an eyebrow and stood resolutely still. His look of determination negotiated some reason into her temper.
“Fine,” she sighed. “Tonight, after everyone’s gone, and we can sit and discuss quietly. I don’t want it spread around, hear me?”
“What about Hugo?” Albus asked, extremely relieved that she consented to sense. “If it’s about your mum, he should have the right to know, right?”
“No,” said Rose. She shook her head and crossed her arms. “I’m sorry, Al. Hugo needs to hear from my parents, and it’s not my place to tell anyone else. This sort of thing should be heard from our parents the first time. Hugo will know later—maybe.” She twitched her head to the side noncommittally as she referred to her brother. She relaxed her pose so that now she was just tapping her fingers against her arms.
“And you,” Rose continued as she poked him in the chest. A thought in her head seemed to build up her passion once more, “Can’t tell a bloody soul that I am making an exception for you, especially this time. Because if they find out I tell you, then I have to tell everybody.”
“You always make an exception for me though,” Albus said, grinning. “And everyone knows it.”
“Don’t remind me,” Rose grumbled. She moved her thick auburn hair out of the way from her face. And Albus saw for a millimeter of a second that her eyes had warmed up once more before she pulled herself away. Rose was clearly, still riding high off of her anger. “Just don’t tell anybody this time.”
“So, is this thing Scorpius said about the War?” Albus raised an eyebrow. “I can’t think of anything that would make you so angry otherwise.” Rose looked away as a fresh wave of anger turned her red. Her silence said all Albus needed to hear.
“Okay, then,” Albus smirked, his question answered. She looked back at him so fiercely, he turned somber and changed the subject. He would not be attacked like Scorpius. “Let’s go, we’ll be late.”
* * *
The rest of the day went by in a blur. Rose and Albus were late to class, though not as late as Scorpius. He arrived ten minutes later than they did. Rose, trying not to think about his entrance (or him at all, really) and received an incomplete for her Kauma Rosé potion. It was supposed to be a calming solution that took the Wizarding world by storm.
Rose was so irate at the idea of doing a calming solution, she spoiled it by adding too many lacewings, and apparently forgot to add chamomile. Professor Kyle very loudly announced that she would have extra homework to discuss the combination of lacewings, rose petals, and chamomile in the potion. The extra assignment with her incomplete seemed to force some sense into her and she tried harder to cool down her temper.
For her free period and lunch, she was much more amiable, though she didn’t really want to socialize with others. Approaching the Great Hall, Rose found she lost her appetite and instead, went to the library to start on her Potions assignment. She had almost completely settled down before she went into Herbology with Professor Longbottom. Once she entered however, she became a raging storm of emotions. All that was good for was receiving an extra assignment for failing to achieve any Snargaluff pods for her group.
It. Was. All. Bullocks.
At the end of the class period, just before Rose walked out of the room, Professor Longbottom called out to her. This was the last period of her day and she had extra time to contemplate what had gone wrong. She understood that the professor wanted to decipher what set her temper off like that, and Rose grimaced as she headed towards the front of the classroom where Professor Longbottom waited for her.
“Rose,” Neville’s face softened at her anger. He walked to the front of his work place and conjured up a seat for them both. Ensuring the space was clean; he promptly sat down, crossed his arms, and put his feet up on the desk. “You understand why I had to punish you so severely earlier today, right?”
Rose turned her face away, anger rising to her ears. Yes, of course she had. She was a prefect, attacking another prefect. Despite their tumultuous relationship, Scorpius and Rose were each serious contenders for Head Boy and Head Girl.
Even so, she thought bitterly. He’s a Malfoy and totally deserved it.
She saw concern in Professor Longbottom’s scarred face, which seemed to settle her down. He would understand. Neville Longbottom was a war hero and a family friend. Turning slowly to look him in the eyes, she nodded her consent to share more.
His look of concern and interest in her seemed to seep into her heart, and it warmed some feeling back into her. She nodded to him and gave him a small smile. Only with hesitance did she speak, “I’m sorry, Professor,” she said. It was never hard to apologize to her professor when he looked at her as he did, reminding her that there was so much more to their relationship than that of student and teacher.
“I’m sorry that I was so harsh,” he replied. “But your actions were unacceptable, Rose. I couldn’t make any exceptions for you, family friend or not.”
“Yes, I know,” Rose lowered her head to contain the emotion inside.
“Scorpius must have made a comment about the War,” he said, clearly still in his own train of thought. “Nothing could have made you so irate. Am I right in my assumption?”
“Yes, Professor,” Rose sighed; relieved she didn’t have to say it. “He did. He mentioned the Malfoy Manor incident in passing.” It was strange for Rose to mention such an event casually. She tried to not reprimand herself for thinking of it so lightly.
Comprehension dawned on Neville’s face, “Oh, Rose.”
She bit her lip to try and stop the tears that wanted to fall at Professor Longbottom’s understanding sigh. Despite her efforts, they slipped down her cheeks as she tried to explain. “You see, Professor—” she choked out, “You see why I did it. How could anyone be so cold?”
“But, Rose,” protested Professor Longbottom, his face was stern to make a point. “Beating him to a pulp wouldn’t solve the problem. And, perhaps—”
“Oh, I know,” she said with acid bitterness. “But it was enough. It wasn’t just Malfoy Manor, it was six years of taunting and competition with Scorpius Malfoy that made me do it.” “I can hardly call your retorts to him over the years as being passive,” Professor Longbottom grinned helplessly. “Look, Rose. I have noticed how he has treated you—I don’t think anyone could avoid it. But. Listen to me—” Rose turned away at his words to wipe her tears away.
“I understand how you feel towards Mr. Malfoy,” Professor Longbottom said kindly. “Merlin knows that his father, Draco, made your mother furious at Hogwarts—”
“He did?” she asked. She was aware that her parents and Uncle Harry were enemies with Scorpius’ father during their time at Hogwarts, but they never discussed those times at length anymore. The only time it ever came up was if Rose and Hugo had a question, and even then, they were reluctant to go into the details.
“Oh, yes, he did,” Professor Longbottom cast a grim smile towards Rose. “Your mother and I never talked about it, but he did say terrible things to her, and often just to provoke reactions from her. They had the same kind of hatred towards each other as you feel for Mr. Malfoy today, except it was twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”
“That must be exhausting,” Rose replied, shaking her head. “To hate someone like that.”
“You two are not as malicious towards each other as your parents once were,” Professor Longbottom commentated with a small smile. “That was a terrible time, Rose. And perhaps Mr. Malfoy didn’t understand the context for what kind of pain ensued those twenty-four years ago. I’ve had the pleasure to get to know Scorpius well, and despite what you may think or feel at the moment, Rose, he is a good person.”
Rose’s mouth twitched a small smile. “No way. You know, I bet he does know. He and his father are rather close, I think.”
“You should ask him,” Professor Longbottom shrugged. “I was on the other side of Draco’s teasing, and I know Scorpius is not his father."
“Hmmph,” Rose pouted, her disbelief still eminent. “As if I care to lose an additional seventy points again.” When he didn’t respond, Rose remained quiet in thought. After a moment, she asked, “Is all this bias and such out of my hands?”
“Oh,” Professor Longbottom sighed. “It’s a possibility. Perhaps on a superficial level, but you two are far more tolerant of each other than any of your parents were.” Rose began to interrupt him, but he went on, “You can’t know what Mr. Malfoy is like until you get to know one another, and you can’t continue without tolerance and patience.”
Rose sighed; she didn’t know what to think anymore. Furthermore, she didn’t trust herself to respond.
“Listen, it’s getting late,” Professor Longbottom said after a moment of silence, “And you’ve had a long day. Will you please come back and meet me on Friday afternoon? We can continue then if you wish.”
“What time?” Rose asked numbly.
“Let’s say five o’clock,” he replied. “Sound good?”
“Yes, sir,” she mumbled. She scooped up her bag and turned away.
“Rose?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Stop calling me, sir, it’s embarrassing,” Professor Longbottom broke out into a genuine smile which made Rose smile back. He continued, “You need to take a break. You have had a rough day, and you deserve to recuperate fully.”
“Oh, but I can’t!” Rose exclaimed. Professor Longbottom saw her mind begin rolling at the thought of abandoning her schoolwork for the night. “I have too much work!”
With a rush of affection, Neville saw such a Hermione-ish look on Rose’s face that he had to laugh. “Rose,” he started. “You remind me so much of your mother at times. I know you have a lot of work,” he grinned, “But you also are very upset, and you are in no condition to try and do it.”
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly—” Rose shook her head. “No, I have to start now.”
“See you soon, then,” Professor Longbottom replied. She nodded goodbye and started her walk up the hill and past Hagrid’s Hut.
Really now, she thought to herself. How can I afford a break? I have two extra essays, thanks to no help from him. Rose grimaced and continued to think scandalizing thoughts as to how to continue her defiance towards Professor Longbottom (despite his kindness), and Professor Kyle. Muttering to herself all the way to the Gryffindor portrait hole, she was surprised to find the Fat Lady staring at her greedily.
“I heard yoooooou caused quite the stir,” she said. “Did you really attempt to punch that handsome Scorpius Malfoy to a pulp today?”
“Flutterby,” Rose replied, determined to get to her favorite chair by the fire. “And he deserved it.”
“Oooh, I must go tell Violet. She will just die knowing what you said,” the Fat Lady squealed. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw her leave as the swung the door open.
Much to her displeasure, the whole common room stared at her as she entered. Several people cheered and wolf-whistled at Rose in support, but she ignored them. She made the standard flyby her favorite chair, only to see a first year was in her seat. Rose scowled, staring at the back of a first year’s head; she willed him to get out of her seat by the fireplace. The first year giggled and did nothing of the sort, as she desired him to.
“Excuse me,” Rose sighed. “I’m really sorry to bother you—”
“Rosie!” a young boy’s voice called out from the chair, as he ran to her and hugged her. “Rosie, Rosie, Rosie!”
Confused, she looked down to see Lorcan and Lysander Scamander hugging her on either side of her body. She laughed at their excitement in seeing her. Clearly, they were the only two students who knew nothing of her accost on Scorpius Malfoy. She sighed in relief.
“Which one of you called out to me?” Rose leaned down towards them and smiled. She was exhausted, but the sight of the two boys gave her some happiness. It wasn’t often, but when Aunt Luna and Uncle Rolf arrived at the Burrow for Christmas, they always brought their twin boys with them. Aunt Luna requested that she and her cousins watch out for the boys for their first year of Hogwarts. It was no hard task to do so, as they lightened Rose’s day every day.
“Me!” said Lorcan.
“No, it was me!” Lysander replied. “You hugged first, but I saw her first.”
“Alright, alright,” Rose smiled. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s have a seat.”
The boys ran back to her favorite chair and squished in together, lost in their own conversation. She watched them fondly, remembering she used to be able to do that with Albus. She shook her head, exasperated. As much as she enjoyed seeing them, Rose really wanted that chair for herself. And after the day she had, she felt she deserved it.
The boys saw to it that she didn’t get a moment’s peace until dinnertime arrived. When they saw other students leaving the common room, they followed each other’s lead out of the portrait hole and down to dinner. Only then did she finally get to sit by herself in her favorite chair. She couldn’t even think about getting work done because they preoccupied every thought of hers.
Rose found herself too exhausted to do anything. She could no longer argue with herself that Professor Longbottom had been correct. The flames in the fireplace seemed to be dancing for her entertainment as she reflected on her past day. Rose found that she had no energy to lift a finger and instead, drifted in and out of her thoughts while she watched the fire. Her heavy bag sat at her feet, undisturbed, for what felt like hours later until Albus showed up by her side.
“Hi.”
Rose turned to see Albus crouching next to her chair. This pose was so familiar to her that she had to smile. “Hi,” she replied. It was safe to say, the only bad thing she did regularly was to give Albus the Gryffindor passwords so he could spend time with the rest of his family. Professor Longbottom, the head of Gryffindor knew, but he didn’t care. Not hearing anything from him, she just kept giving him the passwords when they changed. Gryffindors were used to it now, and often greeted him. He was the only Slytherin in the history of Hogwarts to have a friendly relationship with all Gryffindors.
“How are you?” he asked. “I brought food. I figured we could eat something later.”
“Oh,” she sighed. “Really? Thanks Al, I totally forgot about dinner. I’m, you know, alright.”
“Come sit with me,” Albus gestured to their favorite couch, which was now empty.
“I’m quite comfortable,” she replied, crossing her arms.
“Yes, I know,” Albus grinned. “Now get off your arse and sit with me. We’re too big for that chair now.”
“Oh, fine,” Rose sighed. Albus chuckled as he offered a hand to help her out. He placed the napkins full of food beside her bag and followed her cousin to the couch. When he sat down, he stretched his arm along the couch, and Rose sat beside him, resting her head against Albus’ forearm.
With leaps and bounds, Rose and Albus saw Lorcan attack the chair and giggle manically. “Thanks, Rosie!” The Scamander twins had returned rather stealthily, without Rose recognizing their arrival. She was at a loss for words as she watched Lysander join his brother in the chair.
“You’re…welcome?” she looked at Albus and laughed. They watched the young boys amuse themselves. They really were too cute for words. Albus smiled at her and scratched the back of his head.
“Now,” he started, “How are you?”
“Really?”
“Really really.”
“Miserable.”
“The day’s not gone the way you planned?” Albus asked sympathetically.
She nodded. “I had no idea today would be so horrible. But I don’t regret it.”
“Attacking Scorpius?”
“Yes,” she responded.
“You really think he deserved it?” Albus asked. “And, for the record, Scorpius is baffled.”
Rose burst into a full, hearty laugh for the first time that day. “That’s fresh, Alby.”
“No, I’m serious,” Albus looked at her sternly. “I just talked to him. Scorpius is clueless.”
“Hmph,” Rose said stubbornly, “Well, he should watch himself. A week’s worth of detention is not enough to stop me from doing it again.”
“With an additional seventy points taken away from Gryffindor?” Albus raised an eyebrow. “Is he worth that?”
“Yeah, well, maybe not the two together,” she grimaced. “Not anymore. We can’t afford both. But alone, sure.”
Albus laughed. “Oh, come on. You know that you aren’t going to get either alone.”
“Maybe he is worth it,” she muttered. “You should have heard him talking, Al. It was obscene.”
“I’ve told you Scorpius talks a lot,” Al sighed. “He’s like a dog with no serious bite. Instead it’s just like this game to him or something. You know like, let’s-see-how-we-can-rile-up-Rose-Weasley-today sort of thing.”
Rose didn’t trust herself to say anything to that, but the thought infuriated her. This was all just a game? She shook her head. Watching the flames in the fireplace spark up and rebuild themselves higher, she finally asked, “What time is it?”
“It’s about nine-thirty,” Albus said, glancing at his watch.
“I don’t want you to get in trouble going back to Slytherin,” said Rose, as she watched the flames. “We’re supposed to be in our common rooms when curfew ends at nine.”
“Oh, come on, Rosie!” Albus laughed. “I’ve got the cloak.”
Rose turned to him with the most Weasley-ish glare. She had inherited her aunt and grandmother’s glare of wrath and generally invoked the same kind of fear in her cousins that her uncles felt towards their mum. “No way,” she said. “I don’t want you messing things up. I’ve already done enough as it is, and I will not have you get yourself in trouble.”
“I’m in Slytherin, Rosie. It’s not an issue. We’re in first place, thanks to you.” Albus grinned, unable to help himself.
“Don’t remind me.” Rose grimaced.
Albus laughed, and Rose’s mouth twitched into a frown, forgetting (as she often did) that he wasn’t in Gryffindor. Albus reminded Rose: “I’ve told you a thousand times that there is no reason for you to worry. I’ve never got caught before and I never will. Dad’s Marauder’s Map is god-sent for this sort of thing. I have it with me here, see?” He reached in the pocket of his cloak and showed her a ratty, old, and worn piece of parchment.
“Be that way,” Rose grumbled. “But I won’t feel sorry if you get caught this time. James’ cockiness is rubbing off on you, and I don’t like it.”
“Sooooo,” Albus grinned as he punched her arm. “Spill. The. Bloody. Beans.”
“Albus!” Rose reprimanded. “There are First Years in this common room!”
“And is anyone listening?” he looked around. The few Gryffindors who attempted to listen quickly returned to talking to friends, working on homework, and laughing too loudly.
“Not now,” Rose replied, not missing a beat.
Albus turned his head and checked to see if any of their cousins were around. “Look,” he started, “Most of the students are going up for the evening. I can tell everyone else to go up so we can have the common room to ourselves.”
Rose laughed, “That’s fresh. They’d really respond to the Potter-Slytherin cousin telling them to go bed.”
“It’s worth a shot,” he grinned and started to maneuver around her. Just as he was about to shout at everyone, Rose put her hand over his mouth and pulled him down from the couch.
“Don’t be such a prat,” Rose scolded. She looked fierce for a moment, but the minute they made eye contact, they both laughed. Rose started looking around where they sat for any potential intruders.
“Alright, before I tell you this horrible story, I’m going to double check and make sure no one’s here,” Rose peered around suspiciously. Unsatisfied at the general appearance of students minding their own business or going to bed, she went on to peer behind the couches and chairs around her.
Albus, watching her bemusedly, laughed when he heard a harsh whisper of “Hugo!” and “James!” muttered from Rose’s lips. She was leaning down from the last sofa on the left hand side facing the fire.
Bursts of laughter exploded from behind the couch. “Get out!” Rose roared, pointing to their dormitories. “Get out now!”
“We’re perfectly at our leisure,” James smirked, resting next to them in the closest chair. “Go on, tell us the story, Rosie.”
“Once upon a time, there were two annoying prats related to me that didn’t understand the word no, and I had to kick their arses into the New Year. The end.” Rose retorted in one breath.
“Aw, come on,” Hugo sighed. “Not that story again.”
“Well, if you want to have another go,” started Rose, “You can try and weasel information out of Albus. You’re welcome to give it your best shot.”
“Hey!” Albus shouted at Rose, “I resent that!”
“Oh, come on, Rosie,” Hugo moaned. “What did Malfoy say about Mum?”
“I’m not saying another word,” Rose replied, as she made the gesture to zip up her lips and button them closed. She glared at them, her arms crossed over her body with her right fingers tapping her left shoulder.
“Good luck, guys,” Albus smirked. “You know how she is when she gets like this.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” said Rose, unable to help herself. She unraveled her arms, placed them on her hips, and replaced her tapping fingers with a tapping foot.
“You have the same temper as Mum and Aunt Ginny,” Hugo said. “You three are so stubborn sometimes.”
“Yes, well, that usually happens when you don’t mind your own business,” Rose retorted. “Leave now, or I won’t tell Albus so you can’t find out from him later.”
“Hey, hey, Rosie,” James said coolly, “This is our common room as much as yours. You can’t boss us around like Mum or Auntie Hermione.”
“Watch me,” she growled.
“I’d leave if I was you,” Albus warned. “She’ll pull Mum’s Bat Bogey Hex on you if you don’t watch yourself.”
“An excellent point, little brother,” James grinned. He bounced out of his chair. “Hugo, we shall attempt to crack Albus’ confidence later.”
“No, you won’t!” Albus retorted towards James. For a moment, Rose was briefly reminded of the days when Albus used to be intimidated by James. She kept her smile to herself though; business must be attended to.
“And don’t you dare sneak up on us!” Rose yelled as they walked out of the common room. “If you do, I’ll hex Sileres on you to ensure you tell no one else. You know how painful that pox is if you break the secret!” That stopped Hugo and James in their steps. They looked aghast at her proclamation.
Sileres was a hex created by Rose and Albus to help maintain secrets from other family members. The consequences for breaking the secret were the most uncomfortable itchy rash in the most unmentionable parts on the body. For a while, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny didn’t know why their children broke out into the itchy pox until Rose and Albus were forced to tell them the previous Christmas. Despite the appearance of shrewdness, their parents were most impressed with the creation of the spell.
“Oh, really now, Rose,” Hugo muttered. “Surely, it’s not Sileres material.”
Rose declined to answer and cleared her throat instead. “You try and listen, and I’ll Sileres you with a Bat-Bogey hex as well. And you won’t come out of it until Christmas.”
“Blimey,” James muttered. “That’s got to be some kind of secret you’re holding.”
“Out!” roared Rose, pointing to the Boys’ dorms.
As if they were being banished from their homeland, James and Hugo conceded her request and made sad puppy eyes at Rose. Albus chuckled appreciatively. Once they were out of sight, Rose muttered to Albus, “Where can we go that’s absolutely private?”
“We could go out to the beech tree?” Albus suggested. “It’s almost ten, so no one’s sure to be there. And we have the cloak and the map.”
“I think we should,” Rose sighed with deep resignation. “I’d rather not go outside, but this is important. Just be extra careful. The last thing I need is Furzen catching us and racking up more than a week’s worth of detention.”
“I know, Rosie,” Albus smiled sympathetically. “It’s fine. I told you, Dad’s cloak and Marauder’s Map are genius for this sort of thing.”
“Thanks, Al,” Rose said. “Just don’t let me do something stupid, like trip on my shoes, alright? We’re not at as little as we once were with this thing.”
“Always,” he grinned. He grabbed the food beside Rose’s bag and brought it with him as he followed her to the portrait hole.
Albus and Rose walked down the beech tree slowly. Several times, they thought they would meet head on with Wilhelm Furzen, Filch’s new trainee as the Hogwarts Caretaker, but Albus was too quick for him and would lead Rose to some new way through the castle by the hidden passages and corners.
Once they were sure it was safe, they took the invisibility cloak off and walked a few paces towards the beech tree. Albus leaned against the trunk of the tree while Rose sat in front of him. Several times, he thought of trying to get it out of Rose because he was eager to find out what could be so terrible that she would threaten a Bat-Bogey Hex and Sileres to their family members, but he recognized that she needed time.
Albus tried his patience instead of his cousin. While he waited, he set out the food; bread, some jam and butter, and deli meats made for sandwiches. He made himself a jam sandwich and waited for Rose to begin. Finally, after about ten minutes so of waiting, after Albus had finished his sandwich, without so much of a word from her, he said, “Rose? You awake?”
“Yeah,” she replied. The moonlight reflected her face, and as Albus watched her, he saw a smile and her countenance go quickly down to forlorn.
“Come on, Rosie,” he encouraged, “What’s going on?”
“Do you remember in History of Magic last year?” Rosie started. She scooted over beside him. “Last year, when Professor Binns mentioned the Second War briefly because a student had asked about Malfoy Manor?”
“No,” said Albus. “Rosie, you know I have no mind for History of Magic. I never pay attention.”
“That’s not the point,” Rose grumbled. “Professor Binns never took the bait from the student, but I found out what happened there because Mum, Dad, and Uncle Harry were all involved then.”
“They were?” Albus faced Rose with a look of shock on his face. “Why hasn’t Dad told me?”
“Al, do you really think Uncle Harry enjoys talking about the terrors of the Second War?” Rose asked, as she smiled. “Come on. Remember when mum and dad spent my birthday in Diagon Alley? We talked about this old family bias more—and halfway through our discussion, Dad muttered about Malfoy Manor. And, well—”
Albus sat up straighter. He had been trying to discover what exactly happened on her last birthday when they went to Diagon Alley, but was never able to understand what made her so upset. It seemed as if he would get his answers now.
“So, I got mum and dad to agree to tell me what happened, and um, in trying to get the urge of telling me what exactly happened, Dad walked out of the conversation and gave up. Mum told me alone because he couldn’t bear to listen to it again. Some birthday gift.” A click locked into place that had never quite sealed perfectly before, and Albus began to understand the elemental foundation to her grudge towards Scorpius Malfoy and his family.
“Blimey, no wonder you were so emotional that afternoon,” Albus whispered, completely horrified. “So, what happened?”
The moonlight reflected a look of torture, hatred, and pain on Rose’s face. She whispered, so even the Beech Tree couldn’t repeat her words. “Twenty-four years ago, in the middle of the Second War, Uncle Harry, Mum, and Dad were captured and taken to Malfoy Manor, where Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters were staying. That horrible woman, Bellatrix Lestrange—she was there—and under her wand, Mum was tortured with the Cruciatus Curse to the point that she almost died. And Draco Malfoy and his parents just stood there, watching this terrible crime being committed.”
“Oh! Blimey, Rose!” Albus began. Rose cut him off, continuing her thought.
Her voice became caught up in the emotion of the story, rising with distress and sadness. “What’s worse about it is that there was no need for the torture. But that’s why they were Death Eaters, right? They tortured because they could, and apparently, Bellatrix thought they had some valuable information they didn’t actually have. The only reason that they survived is because Uncle Harry’s friend, Dobby the house-elf, helped them escape and Dad was holding Mum while they Apperated out to Uncle Bill and Auntie Fleur’s cottage,” Rose finished in a whisper. The story always made her so emotional, full of pain, frustration, and rage. She turned her head away in disgust and tried to calm down. After a moment, she said, “Scorpius mentioned Malfoy Manor in passing this morning. It was enough to set me off after everything that lies between us.”
“Blimey, Rose,” Albus said softly. “No wonder you went ballistic today. I don’t blame you.”
“It’s not just that though!” Rose exclaimed in anger. “As terrible as this is alone, Malfoy has been implying much more. The mere mention of Malfoy Manor tells me he isn’t any different from his father. Our entire relationship is based on his aggressiveness towards me, his blatant verbal attacks, and those stupid looks he gives me.”
“How do you mean?” Albus asked. Sometimes he noticed her muttering about a look, but she had never said outright what it was about. He looked at her, intrigued. “Go on.”
“Oh, you know,” Rose tried to shake it off. “I thought I told you about them.”
“No, you didn’t,” Albus replied. “What looks?”
Rose felt herself blush, shift and become entirely awkward. “It’s almost like he’s trying to solve a puzzle, like he’s trying to figure out what I am, you know? I’m not even sure he knows he’s doing it, but it’s intense. And confusing. I don’t know what to think of them, but they seem to have always been his saving grace. It’s like he thinks he has to be one way and then act completely the opposite, because, you know, our families have always hated each other. You know that Mr. Malfoy and our parents never got on, right? Well, what if that’s just true with me and Scorpius? What if I’m fated to fight him forever? I don’t have that kind of stamina, Albus—”
“To be honest, Rosie, I don’t think Scorpius does either,” Albus muttered. “Listen, I talked to him earlier, and he’s in a mental shock—”
“Good.”
“Look, Rose, I honestly think the likelihood that Scorpius knew what he was talking about is the same as me turning into a manticore,” Albus said. At her look of disbelief, he continued, “We’re best mates, and I know he doesn’t believe in that Pureblood stuff. He’s been taking Muggle Studies since third year and he’s been working alongside Professor Hartford as a teacher assistant this year with Third Years.”
“You’re joking, right?” Rose laughed aloud, too shocked to discover this little tidbit about Scorpius Malfoy. It was all too ironic for her to process.
“Of course, I’m not,” he replied. “Would I lie about something like that?”
“Come off it,” she said, “You’re trying to make me forgive Malfoy.”
“Well, yeah,” he replied. “But I’m trying to show another aspect of him, alright? He’s not like his dad, and last I heard, his dad seemed to have changed since the war, too.”
“What a filthy hypocrite,” she replied, shaking her head, finishing her own thought. “Taking Muggle studies and not knowing about Malfoy Manor? What a—”
Albus persisted. “Call him what you will for being ignorant about Malfoy Manor, but is that his fault? His dad doesn’t talk about the Second War, and he doesn’t ask questions.”
“But why?!” she nearly shouted out, “Look at what he’s driven me to do today! I just attacked him with my fists with no thoughts of my wand like a normal witch. Do you know what would have happened if I had my head straight and I had used it?” she crossed arms and stared at him disbelievingly. “Your best mate just had a serious go at your aunt and my mum. I’m sorry Albus, but I have a really hard time believing he is as innocent as you claim him to be.”
“What about you?” he replied, confused. “You tell me that you’ve felt—what? Compassionate to him every time he gives you those looks? You have this instinct that he’s not as bad as you assume. Maybe he’s trying to tell you that too.”
“Even still, Albus,” She sighed. “our entire relationship is based off the fact that he makes my life a living hell. How am I supposed to think of anything else?”
Rose saw Albus’ brain tick and clunk into place. He sighed and knew she was right. He shook his head with disbelief.
“What?” she asked.
“I just had one of those dim-witted moments Dad always warned me about,” Albus frowned. “Defending Scorpius hasn’t helped, has it? If you want, I’ll take back my words and smash his ego into very tiny pieces. His arrogance is enough that it might damage it a little, especially if I did it.”
“Please do,” Rose said, smiling. They looked at each other, and then laughed out loud. Rose moved away from Albus and looked at him with a purposeful glare. “Okay, look. I know you can’t take back you words—neither of us can.” Rose seemed uncomfortable with what she was about to say. Albus could see it—whatever she was thinking clearly made her unhappy. “You tell anyone this, and I will Bogey Hex you into next month. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“I swear to Merlin, if you tell Scorpius this, I’m hexing you into next June.” Rose sighed.
“Oh?” Albus grinned mischievously. “What’s that?”
Rose paused, sighed, and prompted herself to get ready for the biggest laugh of Albus’ life. “For your sake, I want to trust him—you know, Scorpius. We’ve just never warmed up to each other, and he’s never given me the chance really. And then those looks—” Her thoughts were incoherent, embarrassed, and annoyed.
Albus chuckled, “Rosie, I know. You don’t think I know that? Rosie, everybody knows that.”
Rose smiled bitterly. “Everyone?”
“Okay, maybe just me,” he corrected himself. “But that’s because you two are my best mates.” Albus saw Rose relax. The minute she relaxed, a wave of emotion began to rush up from her stomach, making her feel like she might topple over. “Hey, are you okay?” Albus asked, all concern. At that moment, Rose bit her lip and Albus saw just how much she felt in that moment. She shook her head.
Albus squeezed his arms around her into a side hug. “You’ve had a terrible day. I’m sorry if it felt like I didn’t support you enough earlier.”
“You’re in a tough spot,” she conceded, sniffling.
“Neither of you have really had the chance to sit down and talk together, have you?” Albus mused, releasing her from the hug. “I don’t mean to bring up bad feelings, but honestly, I really think he was talking nonsense out of his arse when he tried to provoke you this morning.”
Rosie laughed despite herself. “About Malfoy Manor?”
“Yeah,” nodded Albus, “Shall I investigate further?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Rose replied, a fresh tear running down her cheeks. It was always Albus’ loyalty to her that touched her so deeply. It made her want to like Malfoy, even if she couldn’t say it out loud. She thought about what he said, and knowing the truth would be just as painful as finding out he was ignorant of the situation. “It’s nice to think you’re right, Al. But I don’t know if I could really handle knowing he was purposefully being malicious by saying those things.” She wasn’t going to tell him what to do, even if she wanted to.
“I’ll see what I can find out,” Albus said. Sometimes cousins know best.
“Thanks,” Rose smiled. “You aren’t going to let James and Hugo know, are you?”
“No,” Albus replied. “You’re right. It’s up to Auntie Hermione and Uncle Ron to tell Hugo. It’s not any of our places to say such a thing.”
“Why you’re in Slytherin, I’ll never know,” Rose mused.
“I’ll never tell.” Albus winked. “Come on then, let’s get you back.” Albus stood up to help her off the ground. Once they wiped off the extra grass and dirt, they headed up to the castle. The walk up to Gryffindor tower was nearly as exciting as the last time when they headed down. Returning Rose to Gryffindor tower, Albus gave her a quick hug.
“You know,” Albus said in her ear, “You really deserve to be here, if only because you have to deal with Scorpius’ crap.”
“Shut it,” Rose laughed, and nudged her shoulder with his.
“I mean it,” Albus replied. “And I’ll have that serious word with him.”
“Come off it,” she laughed, a true genuine sound of amusement coming from her lips. The idea of Albus having a serious word with Scorpius was just as ludicrous as asking Lily to stop being boy crazy. Or as ridiculous as assuming James could stop thinking about Quidditch all day every day. It was like imagining Roxanne not being the biggest brain in her family.
Inconceivable.
“Family comes first,” Albus made eye contact. “It’s not just because Mum will have my head if I don’t say it. It’s because you’re family and I care, even if you are in stinking Gryffindor.” Rose laughed as Albus continued, “If he doesn’t know what he’s said, and he doesn’t care to apologize, he’ll just have to deal with his family for Christmas break.”
“And that’s a cruel punishment, or something?” Rose raised her eyebrow. The idea of family being a punishment was nothing she could imagine.
“Oh, but it is,” Albus grinned. “He hates Christmas with his family. He told me his grandparents are getting incredibly senile, which seems to bring out the worst in them.”
“I can’t begin to imagine,” Rose replied, her voice full of sarcasm.
“Excuse me,” the Fat Lady cleared her voice, “Do you plan on coming in, or should I to wait here all night?”
“Just wait a little longer,” Albus grinned.
“Al!” Rose exclaimed as she looked at him.
Honestly, she thought, he’s becoming more and more like James every day.
The Fat Lady huffed, “Well, it’s too late. I just changed the password. She’ll have to wait until she gets it right.”
“Oh, bloody hell,” Rose muttered and turned to Albus. “Thanks, Al, but we really should go. Be safe getting to Slytherin.”
“Night,” he said, saluting her off as he disappeared under the invisibility cloak. Rose smirked at the millionth time she had seen Albus vanish from plain sight.
“Do you two always take a stroll down by the lake?” the Fat Lady asked dreamily.
“No,” Rose replied, disgusted. “You make it sound like we’re lovers or something.”
“Well, aren’t you?” the Fat Lady waggled her right eyebrow.
“Ew! Merlin, no!” Rose nearly shouted. “Ew! Ew! Flutterby! Flutterby!”
“Who is he then?” she asked. Despite what the Fat Lady promised, her portrait door swung open, and Rose rushed through.
“Don’t you ever mind your own business?” Rose replied, disgusted.“He’s my cousin, now leave me alone.”
“Hmph,” the Fat Lady replied. “No fun, you are.”
“That is truly one of the most disgusting comments ever suggested,” Rose said out loud to herself once she arrived safely in the common room. She shivered and danced in a circle, as if trying to get the thought out of her head.
“What is?” a voice asked.
“Oh,” Rose looked up and saw Hugo waiting for her. “Hey you.” He stood there in front of the couches by the fireplace with his hair ruffled and pajama bottoms at his ankles. He looked tired.
“Hi,” Hugo replied. “What’s nasty?”
“Ugh… nothing,” Rose replied. “How come you’re up?”
“I knew you and Al were gonna leave the common room,” Hugo answered. “Whenever you guys talk about serious things, you go out to the beech tree. I just wanted to make sure you came back alright. James wanted to wait up with me, but I told him this was a Weasley sibling thing and he’d have to wait.”
Rose smiled at her brother appreciatively as she sat down next to him. “It is,” she said quietly. They moved to the couch in front of the fire, which were now dim glowing embers. Rose looked at her brother, who had inherited their mother’s brown curly hair and their father’s freckles and long straight nose.
Their relationship was getting better, Rose thought. When they were younger, all they used to do was fight. But since Hugo arrived at Hogwarts, they were slowly getting closer, and whether they would admit to their cousins, or each other, both of them appreciated it.
“What did Malfoy say?” Hugo asked.
“Oh,” Rose thought for a minute. “Hugo, I want to tell you—”
“But you won’t, right?” Hugo frowned.
“I don’t think I should,” Rose smiled sympathetically. “I’m sorry, Hugo, I really do, but you need to hear it from Mum and Dad, not me.”
“Is it about the War?” Hugo asked.
“Yes,” Rose replied honestly. “They told me on my sixteenth birthday when we went to Diagon Alley last summer.”
“It’s not good, is it?”
“No, it’s terrible,” Rose said. “Mum and Dad will tell you when you’re ready to know.”
“I hate being the baby of the family,” Hugo muttered.
“I know,” Rose smiled affectionately. “But you aren’t the baby anymore. Auntie Luna’s twins and Aurora are the babies now.” Aurora was Teddy and Victoire’s daughter.
“You know what I mean,” Hugo huffed. “I hate knowing things last.”
“This would cause nightmares,” Rose replied as she leaned in for a hug. “Be glad you don’t know, okay?”
“Okay,” Hugo sighed as he hugged her back.
“I need to try and get some work done,” Rose nudged her brother’s shoulder with hers. “Go get some sleep, and we’ll have breakfast tomorrow. How does that sound?”
“Good,” Hugo replied. “Don’t stay up too late. You still need sleep too.”
Rose smiled, “Albus said the same thing to me.”
“You know,” Hugo mused, “as dim-witted as he can be sometimes, Al isn’t half bad.”
“Hugo!” Rose laughed as she threw a pillow in his face.
“Well, he can be,” replied Hugo, looking slightly shamefaced. He shoved it back in her chest, and they both laughed.
“Good night,” Rose sang-songed, implying they were done.
“Night,” Hugo smiled. “You know I don’t mean it.”
“You do too,” Rose laughed. “You always say truthful things when you’re tired.”
“Whatever,” Hugo shrugged her off. “Good night.”
“Good night,” Rose replied. She sighed as she found her bag in the common room and settled by her favorite table to sit down and start her homework.
It was going to be a long night.