Sometimes, I hate my brother. I hate him, and utterly despise Louis, and I even mildly dislike Lily. Which is hard, because she’s so nice. But it is their fault that I am trying to get through a lock which seems to have more tumblers on it than in the back room of the Leaky. 

“EEEVRYNIGHT IN MYYY DREEAAMS, I SEEE YOUUU, I FEEEELS YOU!" Lorcan hiccupped, swaying on the sofa.

I joined in. “THAT IS HOW I KNOW YOUUU... GO ONNN.”

The doorbell rang. Lorcan waved a hand and a wet tissue at me. “You get it. I’m emotionally drained.”

 Lily is disgustingly messy. Dirty messy. I had been cleaning as I worked through- her kitchen sparkled now, and the bedrooms and study had been hoovered, but this living room...

It was going to take forever.

 “You are an absolute idiot,” Scorpius said, fairly calmly, considering I’d locked us both inside a vault.

“...I think that’s relative."

 We were accused of breaking into two Gringotts vaults; 604 and 930, and stealing goods worth thirty thousand Galleons. We were accused of killing two goblins; Marchday and Greynitt, and seriously injuring a third; Bullwatt, and my old mate the security guard; Gerald Lewis.

It was enough to send us down for fifty years each.

Christmas. I should be at the Burrow, being thoroughly spoiled by the relatives.

The private detective –if that was who he really was- didn’t really give us much choice: but I inexplicably wanted to trust this hard-faced man.

I’d made up an entertaining story in which I (Rachel) was Scorpius’ (Samuel’s) mistress and we were trying to find somewhere to have an illicit affair while his wife (Lauren) was out on a short weekend break to a golfing club. Lauren even had a fictional boyfriend too- called Morgan, who was Scottish and six foot four.

Scorpius passed me a small slip of paper. I turned it over, thinking it might be a note, but it was a receipt. I gave him an unimpressed look.
“Look at the date,” Scorpius said, sighing.
I looked at the date. “That’s... that’s two weeks ago,” I said. “Someone’s been here recently!”
Scorpius looked condescending, as he’d probably come to same conclusion a while ago, so I smacked him upside the head.

“Expecto Patronum,” I whispered, and a silvery jet burst out from the tip of my wand, and dissolved into smoke. I tried to will my heart to stop beating so loudly, and thought of happier times- working at the pub, fighting with Hugo for the TV remote, playing card games when it was raining with Lorcan... kissing Scorpius on the roof while fireworks exploded around us... and then out of the tip of my wand, a huge tiger leapt forwards My mouth dropped open. I’d never ever been able to cast a corporeal Patronus before.

“What’s the plan?” Hugo asked.
I pulled a face and Scorpius' hand tightened in mine. “I wouldn’t say it’s a plan, exactly...” I said. “More an idea... it’s a bit rough around the edges...”

There was a bang, a horrible crash far away in the depths of the mansion and then a horrendous blood curdling scream. I was still holding onto Scorpius’ hand, and started to run, pulling him with me as I ran, blindless through the dark rooms. My lungs were on fire, and my throat ached, but somewhere someone was screaming and it could be one of my family.