“Tell me what you know,” a furious hiss demanded. Scorpius closed his eyes, willing it all to disappear. He couldn’t speak in fear of betraying everything. The voice came again. “You lousy, worthless-- We’ve held connections all over the world for centuries. We will find her if you don’t tell us what we need to know. We will find her, and we will not be merciful.”

Scorpius opened his silver eyes at that.

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Salty spray from the ocean slapped against his face as he ran to the shelter of the trees. It felt refreshing against his sweaty face. Taking one last look over his shoulder, Scorpius Malfoy grimaced as he remembered the terrors of that hill and what was truly beneath it.

He Apparated away.

 

They landed hard upon the ground, desert sand scattering beneath their feet. Rose staggered slightly, trying to regain her balance. Scorpius managed to keep his footing, looking around guardedly. Dropping his bag, Scorpius reached out to steady Rose, lightly touching her waist. She looked up at him, still in disbelief, before she looked around to see where Scorpius had taken them.

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Scorpius couldn’t gather enough synonyms to describe Rose’s perfection. His heart rate increased dramatically as Rose came into view. The shimmering dark turquoise blue of her dress flowed freely behind her, a slit in the skirt exposing just enough of her leg to have his palms sweat. The intricate, low-cut bodice hugged her curves, and it was truly going to kill him.

Ian’s grip on her hand was beginning to hurt, and as Rose watched Scorpius disappear up the stairs and to the lobby, she felt an inexplicable urge to escape the roaring applause and the hundreds of eyes which were on her face and her face alone. When the flash of a camera dazzled Rose’s vision with its blinding light, she wafted her hand in front of her blushing face.

Ian flipped the page of his Daily Prophet, muttering something about an article of his distaste. Rose sat beside him, her cup of tea rippling between her hands, hardly listening. Grey light illuminated her living room, and even though it was noon on a Monday, Rose was still dressed in her pajamas, her hair in a messy ponytail, her lips chapped and her eyes puffy. It had been three days since the Founder’s Day Ball, and it had been her second day calling in sick for work.

“I was told that I would be a part of something important, worthy of my time and dedication,” he began. “They trapped me, smothered me. They took everything away from me. The Brethren was my savior and my downfall.”

Something massive and black flew past them, the shadows around them shifting in an upward spiral as the boulder they stood upon inched towards the flatness of the desert. Scorpius noticed them, and he pulled Rose against his chest, gripping the lantern which was in her shaking hand. Silence enveloped them. A rush of moving air swept past them which sent chills down Rose’s back bone. Concentrating on the flat rock ahead of them, Scorpius’ control of the boulder faltered slightly as something touched it, tipped it.