DISCLAIMER: THESE CHARACTERS BELONG TO J.K. ROWLING. ONLY CHARACTERS THAT WERE NEVER MENTIONED IN THE SERIES (Klaus Krum, Gemini Malfoy) ARE MINE!
Chapter One
Rose
"Rose! It's so good to see you again!"
Before I can react, I'm being crushed by someone's bony arms. Gasping for breath, I try to shove the person away from me as politely as I can. When I finally get out of their death grip, I realize who was hugging me.
Gemini Malfoy, Scorpius's fifteen year old sister. We'd bonded the last few years over our irritation towards people who stereotype us because of our parents and our frequent visits to detention. Gem and I both have really short tempers. We keep each other in check most of the time.
"Merlin, Gem," I breathe, running a hand through my hair. "Calm yourself!"
The blonde chuckles at me. She starts to say something but stops, her green eyes trained on something behind me. Frowning, I turn around to see what she's looking at. And then I see him. Scorpius Malfoy, in the flesh. We don't really talk much- or really interact much at all. He only knows I exist because I'm best friends with his little sister. Not that I really care, or anything.
"I'm gonna go find a compartment," I tell Gemini quietly. Her eyes snap back to me and she frowns.
"Rose…" I shake my head.
"Don't you Rose me, Gem. It's nothing. You go bug your brother. I'll find a compartment and then you can come find me and we can catch up." That makes her grin. Gem's always been one for gossip.
"Alright. I'll only be a moment, I just wanna piss off Pamela." I can't help but roll my eyes. Pamela is Scorpius's girlfriend and neither one of us like her. She's a stuck up bitch and thinks she's so damn amazing.
"So," Gem starts as she comes into the compartment. I look up from my book and see her grinning at me. "Spill. I want to hear about all the fantastically romantic things that you and Klaus did this summer."
Klaus. Klaus Krum. The son of my mother's Durmstag fling, Viktor Krum. We'd been introduced a year and a half ago, over Christmas break when I was in my Fifth year at Hogwarts. Klaus was charming and kind and just about everything a girl could want. I fell for him quickly. He asked me out on Valentine's Day that year. We've been together ever since. That's amazing right?
"Um, well there isn't much to tell, Gem. It's not like Klaus and I have some extremely interesting love life." I shrug. The girl scowls at me but I just roll my eyes.
"Where is Klaus anyway? Usually you two are attached at the hip." Again, I shrug. Inwardly, I'm immensely relieved to be able to get away from Klaus. But Gem doesn't know that. Before I can come up with an answer, the compartment door slides open. Klaus stands in the doorway, his eyes fiery. My heart stops.
Oh no. What have I done now?
"Krum! So good to you see you again," Gem says, her words dripping with sarcasm. She likes Klaus, she approves of our relationship, but she's always saying that he gives her a bad feeling. That makes two of us.
Klaus's eyes land on Gem. I see him tense up for a brief second before relaxing. He gives my friend a cocky smile and comes into the compartment fully, taking a seat beside me. His large hand finds my smaller one and squeezes it just a little too harshly. I swallow a grimace.
"Hello to you too, Malfoy." Gem narrows her eyes at him, but he ignores her.
"Hey sweetheart," he smiles at me, pecking my lips. I give him a weak smile.
"Hey Klaus." I say quietly. His smile doesn't quite reach his eyes and I know that as soon as we're alone, I'm in for it. My stomach churns nervously.
"Ugh. You lovebirds sicken me!" Gem cries, jumping to her feet. "I'm going to go annoy my brother before I vomit from the sight of you two."
I can't help but laugh as my best friend flounces from the compartment. But as soon as the door shuts, I'm silent. Klaus drops my hand and gets up from his seat, anger evident on his face. Nervously, I bite my lip.
"Klaus? Is something wrong?" My voice trembles and I don't dare to meet his eyes. A bitter laugh escapes him.
"No, nothing's wrong. It's not like my girl's cheating on me or anything!" What?! Confused, I finally meet his angry brown gaze.
"Cheating? Klaus what on earth are you talking about?"
"Don't you lie to me!" he shouts, grabbing my arm and roughly throwing me to the floor. I stifle a cry of pain when my head hits the floor molding. "I saw you! You were in Muggle London, didn't think I'd see you there, huh?" His foot connects with my stomach and I gasp. He kicks me again. Again. Again.
"Klaus! Please! I don't know what you're talking about!" I sob as I try to get to my feet. He slaps me. I shriek.
"Shut up you no good bitch! I saw you with Teddy Lupin! With my own eyes!" Teddy Lupin? Oh Merlin, I'm getting beaten over Teddy Lupin! Klaus's fist meets my side as I shakily get to my feet. Another sob escapes me as I stagger, gripping the narrow windowsill for support.
"Listen to me Klaus," I beg him. "Teddy's my cousin! I'd never cheat on you! I love-" He throws me to the floor again, his fists slamming into me again and again and again. I scream, trying to shove him away, when the compartment door opens with a bang. Klaus whirls around to face who ever stands in the doorway and I take my chance to scramble to my feet behind him.
"I was looking for Gemini," It's Scorpius. Oh no… I stand on my toes and manage to just barely peek above Klaus's shoulder. Scorpius's eyes meet mine and my heart stops. I don't know what to do. On one hand, I feared for my life if I spent one more moment alone with my angry boyfriend, but on the other hand I didn't want anyone to know about this- I'd been handling it since I was fifteen.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Klaus answers, one hand reaching behind him and gripping my arm so tight I wince in pain. Scorpius glares at him.
"I wasn't asking about you, Krum." He sounds angry.
"She's fine. Aren't you, sweetheart?" I hesitate, my eyes trained on Scorpius. Klaus tightens his grip on my arm and an unbearable pain shoots up to my shoulder. Desperate to conceal my pain, I bite down on my tongue so hard I draw blood. I shut my eyes in an attempt to hide tears.
"Y-yes," I stutter. "I-I'm fine." My voice wavers and it's a long shot that he'll believe me. But maybe I don't want him to believe me…
"See, she's fine. I'm fine. So you can just go on looking for whoever it was you were looking for and leave me and my girlfriend alone." Klaus's voice is laced with threatening malice. Behind him, I tremble with fear.
"Forgive me when I say that's a load of bull shit." Scorpius scoffs. "Listen Krum, you look like you're ready to kill someone, and I don't think I should leave you alone with her."
Oh Merlin, Scorpius! Why can't you just shut up and leave! You're making it worse! Klaus turns his head and sends me a scathing glare before shoving me to the floor.
"Fine! You deal with the little whore! I need to piss…" Klaus storms out of the compartment, shoving past Scorpius rather roughly in the process, and rushes down the hallway.
Scorpius stands in the doorway, remaining silent. Glaring at him, I try to push myself off the floor. A searing pain shoots up my right arm, the one Klaus had held in a death grip moments ago, and I hiss in pain, clutching it to my chest. As if some sort of switch was flipped, Scorpius suddenly springs into action, he rushes into the small compartment and helps me into a seat. Gingerly, he takes my arm and examines it. Before I can stop him, he rolls up my long sleeve to my elbow and sucks in a breath.
Five finger shaped bruises have already formed on my wrist, black and painful to the touch. But those aren't the only marks on my pale arm. No, there are long, winding scars that look so detailed it's almost as if the person who made them took pleasure from carving meant-to-scar-forever wounds into my arm. And then there's the underside of my wrist. Scorpius slowly turns my arm over and runs a feather light finger over the shaky scars that decorate my wrist.
I should be screaming. I should be shouting at him to get away, or begging him not to tell anyone- especially his little sister- about what he heard and saw. If it was anyone else I'd be terrified, my body would tremble and my heart would be beating out of my chest. But with Scorpius, there's an eerie calm that settles over me and I feel almost safe for the first time since I met Klaus.
Stop that! My mind shrieks. What're you doing? He's seeing your scars and cuts! He'll tell! He'll tell Gem and Hugo and Albus and everyone in between.
It's almost as if someone poured a bucket of cold water on me. Suddenly, I realize what's going on. I snatch my arm away from Scorpius, cringing at the pain from the sudden movement, and tug my sleeve back down over my hand.
"You said you were looking for Gem?" My voice is hollow, emotionless. Scorpius stares at me for a long moment. His eyes are darker than Gem's, but still so beautifully green. After what seem like an eternity, he clears his throat and nods. Standing up, he offers me a hand, but I ignore it and brush past him as I head for the compartment door.
"Where's Pamela?" I ask emptily, knowing that if Gem's doing anything, it's probably annoying Pamela. Scorpius sticks his hands in his pockets and shrugs.
"I dunno, last I saw her she was heading off with some other Ravenclaw girls to look for the sweets trolley." Rolling my eyes at his answer, I cradle my aching arm and head off in the direction opposite of Klaus.
It only takes a moment for Scorpius to catch up to me. We walk in silence, the corridor barely wide enough for us to walk side by side. Finally, when we've made it about halfway to the front of the train, he speaks up.
"So are you going to tell me what was going on when I walked into that compartment?" Scorpius asks me, as offhandedly as if he was asking me about the weather. Not hesitating for a moment, I shake my head slightly.
"No."