Chapter One – Avoiding the Enemy - summer of 2024

(Before the beginning of fifth year)


Rose

"Rose do I really have to listen to this again? You know I am actually really good friends with him and no amount of your ranting is going to change that." Lexi complained lying over my bed in a singlet and shorts trying unsuccessfully to escape the heat.

"But Lexi… you didn't see him! I was actually going to help him, and I know me, Rose Weasley helping Scorpius Malfoy-ridiculous. Then he just lashed out at me, seriously what is his problem! And then the little ferret has the nerve to stay the Potter's all summer holidays! It's bad enough I have to spend the whole school year and now the holidays!" I ranted pacing around my room until released Lexi was snoozing.

"Oi what was that for?" She complained tossing the pillow I threw at her back weakly.

"Woah. Stop that you are sounding like my dad."

"Well I live here to Rose so it was bound to happen." She smiled dragging herself up so she was sitting on the edge of the bed now.

Lexi Flint was a pureblood witch, who was like the Sirius Black of her family. Though instead of running off to James Potter's house at the age of sixteen when she got disowned by her father in the last Christmas holidays, she became part of the Weasley household. My parents being Lexi legal guardians meant that she was protected from her family members still at school; including her down right awfully twin Scarlett and her entourage of the poster girls for brainless.

"Still, speaking like my dad isn't very flattering. Next thing you'll know you will be speaking with your mouth full of food." I sighed dramatically.

"Rose I may be able to pick up how you Weasley's talk but there is no way I could ever have your father's appetite." We laughed remembering the family feast last Sunday as my dad competed with Uncle George, Fred, Hugo and James as just how much chicken wins they could fit in their mouth.

"Back to the ferret-"

"Rose, Scorpius Malfoy isn't as bad as you think. He isn't his cruel death eater grandfather and he isn't his reformed somewhat son Draco. He is his own person and one who is not as bad as you make out to be."

"But he can do everything they can. Lucius Malfoy wanted Scorpius to torture me, to kill me! Tell me how he is any different from them! And that's not even including the arguing and ridicule from the past four years of my schooling!" Malfoy and I were enemies. Ever since my father pointed out the white-blond haired ferret the school was doomed to hear our constant arguing, our weekly duels in the corridors and never ending wave of retorts and insults. It was just a plain fact Weasley's and Malfoy's don't get along. However Albus completely ignored that made best friends with the ferret and brought him along so now we both have to same friends and is welcome in our family. Well except dad, at least he still has his common sense about Malfoy ferrets.

"Rose I can't tell you everything Scorp has been through because I don't know the most of it and the vague information I do know I'm not at liberty to tell you even though you are my best friend. Maybe ask Albus or Georgie but I doubt they will even tell you if they know." Lexi slumped her shoulders. She was right though, if Lexi being one of Scorpius's so-called closest friends she didn't know much about his life at home then I even doubted if my cousin knew more, which left Georgie.

Georgie or Anna as she sometimes went by real name was Georgiana Prince. Another pureblood friend of mine, she was diagnosed with a pureblood wizarding disease that should give her an average lifespan of anywhere from fifteen to twenty two years of age, if she didn't chose to be bitten by a werewolf which is what she is currently, seeing as it the week of the full moon.

"Hate to interrupt ladies but I thought you would get bored without my company." Tyler leaned against my bedroom door frame in singlet and shorts with his dark blond hair lying somewhat flat. Tyler was a half-blood but he had a pureblood father so he also knew Lexi, Malfoy and my other pureblood friends before Hogwarts and therefore was very very good friends with Lexi.

Yes all of our friends and I'm pretty sure the rest of the school. Including our headmistress has bets in as to when Lexi and Tyler will actually admit that they are not just friends and the emotion go a bit deeper but their denial is just as determined as my hatred and belief that Scorpius Malfoy will never change.

"I was going to head over to the Potter's for a swim, would you to like to join me?" He smiled care-free sitting next to Lexi on my bed.

"Sure just let me go get my stuff." Lexi started saying before Tyler even finished talking jumping off from by bed and bounding down to her room down the hall.

"What about you Rose?"

"No thanks. I think I'm going to read, go over my notes for next year's classes."

"Rose its summer and we are coming up to our fifth year where it will be all about OWLS!" Tyler exclaimed. Tyler was that funny laid back guy who wasn't known for his intelligence but more so for his personality and for his keeping skills as keeper on the Gryffindor qudditch team with me.

"Well I liked to be prepared and this year is a very important year, which sets up your NEWTS years which sets up your future job in the wizarding world." I lectured and Tyler rolled his eyes like every other time I gave him this lecture.

"That or she just wants to make sure Scorp is miles behind her in the academic standings." Lexi said poking her head through my door with a bad slung on her shoulder and her bikini straps visible through her singlet, which Tyler was appreciating very much, not that Lexi even noticed.

"Come on Rose, please just for a little bit." Lexi pleaded and I pushed the two of them out of my bedroom.

"Maybe later when it isn't so hot. I don't want to look like a tomato tomorrow." I said slamming the bedroom door closed and locking it and casting a simple protection spell against the simple 'alohomora' unlocking spells.

Now most would be expecting to be getting a letter from the ministry right now about the use of magic for under aged wizards and witches. However since the end of the second wizarding war and the need for students or minors to protect themselves even when they were at home the ministry has slacked off on the detection of spells and aside from some of the more serious and dangerous curses and in muggle or public areas it was up to the parents to discipline their children mostly for practicing magic.

So being the daughter of Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley not only did my parents let me use magic freely at home because of my grades but according to the ministry because I was in the vicinity of my parents' house all magic preformed in the house unless directed otherwise came under my parent's responsibility. The same thing happened if you were standing in very close proximity with an adult witch or wizard and in a public place.

"By the way Rose you could actually ask Scorp yourself now and come to the Potter's with us." Tyler yelled from the other side of the door.

"Like that one will convince her. Sure…" Lexi said sarcastically their voices getting quieter as they moved away from my door.

"At least I tried." Tyler bantered back before I couldn't hear the two pairs of footsteps anymore as they went down the stairs. I went to my bookcase pulling out my books for next year and placing them on my desk with a light thud. Pulling my potions book open and reading through some of the expected potions that will be examined, I quickly grew very bored. Taping my wand on the side of my ornate desk a small draw popped out from the side boasting two small leather bound black books, of 'Advanced potions for sixth years' doggie eared, pages bent, singed and missing which I found in the room of requirement in third year when I started getting interested in brewing wolfsbane , because of Georgie. The other was my very own pristine version of the book which had every single notation copied into the magically enlarged margin by yours truly.

Now my Uncle Harry did try and fix this book up with the right instructions for all the potions and by try and fix, I mean they corrected all of two mistakes in the book, spelling errors. I think the whole point of first year of NEWTS potion course was to be able to produce potions by knowing and understanding the ingredients rather than just following the steps in the book. Which in my opinion is actually is very beneficial for our education and our futures. Being a potioneer requires you to have that knowledge and understanding you simply cannot get a job as a potioneer with the simple skill of reading only.

However new potions were added to the current NEWT level potion book which the half-blood prince didn't have tips in cramped hand writing. However as I began to learn the sixth potions back at the start of third year when I found his book I began to understand the ingredients for myself and make my own observations. Two new, well old potions that were rediscovered in an Auror case three years ago were Liguria and Cupidatas also known as lust and desire potions. Similar to Amortentia in so many ways especially the desire potion but Amortentia isn't as tricky to make or as heavy regulated by the ministry. So I was about to have a go at making a three vials of very small Liguria potions for a pran James, Fred and Roxanne- The troublesome trio where orchestrating till my mother knocked on my door.

"Rosie, are you in there?"

"Just a minute mum." I said quickly stuffing my potions books into the side draw and closing it swiftly before unlocking my bedroom door.

"It's a little warm in here Rose; you should have turned the fan on." She mused sitting down on the edge of my bed.

"It's not too bad and you remember last time, dad almost had a heart attack." I said and we both laughed quietly remembering how dad stunned a fan last summer. "Mum I'm sure the real reason you came here was not to tell me in need to put the fan on."

"Well I just assumed you would be at the Potter's house with the others."

"I just didn't feel like it and I would have burnt to smithereens if I went when Lexi and Tyler did." I mumbled keeping my head down.

"Did something happen before the summer holidays Rose? Some fight I don't know about?" She pressed and if there was something Hermione Weasley was good at apart from being the greatest and most intelligent witch of the age it was smelling lies and making people admit the truth.

"Nothing happened mum. I just didn't feel like swimming and it's only a week till the start of my fifth year and I need to make all my notes for all my subjects for OWL year." I wailed knowing that the one way to lie to mum that was believable was to appeal to the bookworm side of her.

"Good girl Rosie, I know your dad will tell you differently but I'm glad you understand the importance of your studies especially in OWL year."

"Thanks mum." I smiled slightly moving my potions year five textbook back to the centre of my desk.

"Well Ginny has invited us to dinner since almost everyone is over there anyways."

"Cool. I'll just finish off the notes for this chapter and get changed." I said flipping the page of my textbook so she couldn't see I was only at the start of a chapter. She gave an approving nod and smile closing the door behind me and I let my head fall onto the desk.

The very last place I wanted to be was where Malfoy was. A since somehow the ratbag managed to stay practically all summer at the Potter's I had been avoiding the place like the plague. Staying at home with Lexi and hanging out Tyler, Zara Morgan, Zach Travers and even the ferret's cousin Noah Greengrass. I would have invited Kira but instead of staying at the Leaky Cauldron all year which her parents owned the Longbottom's all went on a summer holiday this year. Last year I would have still considered invited Ellie who was once a really good friend of ours till she started avoiding us in third year to the point where I only saw her sleeping in the Gryffindor dormitory.

But even the strange behaviour of Ellie Stevens couldn't distract me from the last fight with Scorpius Malfoy. Because I had lied to Lexi, to all my friends even the ones who were relatively close-by at the time of the incident. I probably knew more than they all did because I heard it from Malfoy and Malfoy Grandpa themselves.


It was almost the end of the year, we had already had exams and Professor Turpin instead of starting next year curriculum had let us watched different muggle movies each lesson accompanied with different muggle movie snacks. Which all my classmates begged for since really it was a lesson you didn't have to anything for and was nice just to relax as the school year came to a close and the heat seeped through the castle walls and all the students just wanted to swim in the lake.

Of course the peace got shattered by the abrupt, menacing and very loud introduction of Lucius Malfoy, Scorpius's grandfather. As he yelled at the top of his lungs about my family, witches like my mother, dark magic and curses the Scorpius had performed I saw the inherited Malfoy smirk change to worry, shock, anger and finally shame and guilt.

As Scorpius ran out of the classroom, I followed which was probably the biggest mistake of my life a now to this moment I have no idea why I did it. It wasn't logical; it wasn't something Rose Weasley did. Of course I told the others to get someone to alert the Aurors to a possible crisis but I would have been prepared for a duel. I wasn't prepared for what I heard.

I didn't want to know what had happened. How I was so wrong about him. How he was tortured by his grandfather. How he was forced his ways. I wasn't supposed to feel pity of guilt for this boy and yet I've never felt more pity for somebody, even when mum and dad discuss the war days with me.

Then I got wrapped in the situation as Lucius nonverbal spell got me first before my hex hit. And as much as I prepared for the spells that Lucius would torture me, I wished now that's what really happened. Instead I saw him order his grandson to kill me.

To murder

'What about the Weasley girl. Wouldn't you want to kill her? Get her out of your way?" Lucius mocked.

"No! I'm not killing anything."

"But you have already killed Scorpius. What will a few more do? Really?"

Instead I found out my enemy was a murderer. A murderer who almost killed me and the only thing that saved me was a lie that the Aurors were entering the school as we spoke even though they were still ten minutes away as I had learnt at a later date.

So as Lucius left his spell dropped and my shaking knees couldn't keep me up as I crumpled to the floor and Scorpius wand was still pressed against my neck.

"Why didn't you do it?" I finally asked my voice as fragile as broken glass.

"I don't know Rose."

"I'm Sorry Malfoy for everything that's happened. For everything I've said."

"No!" Scorpius yelled he gripped my wrist like a vice and his wand tip dug into my neck as his grey stormy eyes bored into my blue ones. "I don't want your sympathy, I don't want your pity!" he spat. "You think a few words from my grandfather and you know me. That you are my best friend, that I won't just kill you and listen to him."

"You're not going to kill me." I whispered my heart racing as I felt each jab of his wand singeing a little bit of skin on my neck.

"How would you know!? I am dangerous Rose. I belong in Azkaban for my crimes. You have no idea what I'm capable of strangers, of people I respect. What do you think I'll do the person who hates me with never ending burning passion? "

"I know you. I know you won't kill me Scorpius. You aren't him."

"Run Weasley-"

"Malfoy-"

"No! Just get out of here before I change my mind, run before you join my list of murders. Just run Rose and don't stop till you reach a place I can't find you." He said in strangled and pulling his wand away from my neck. And as I scrambled to my feet a fled down the corridor and I saw Malfoy shake and convulse I saw how little control he had, what it took foe him as he screamed and yelped in pain as he let me get away and hide.


And now I have to go have dinner sitting across from a murderer, my enemy who almost murdered me two months ago and have been successfully avoiding ever since.