Following the Map
Preface
"You cut your hair?"
"Yeah, Hugo inspired me."
Rose looked at her blond companion in awe. In the four years she'd known him, he had never once admitted that his paper-thin, parchment-blond hair looked ridiculous slicked back against his head.
"Does your father know?"
"Yeah, he—no," Scorpius admitted sheepishly, "He doesn't yet. But he will!"
"You won't write him first? It'll be quite the shock, Scorp. You won't be able to match any more."
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Rose, no one else writes home about their hair. It would seem weird. My father knows I don't care about stuff like that."
"You cared enough about your hair to make it look good for once," Rose replied with a smirk. Scorpius studied her for a moment, as if to reply, but seemed to be satisfied with the part of the insult that had been something of a compliment.
"Anyway, that's not what I came to tell you."
"What is it, then?"
"I found this." Scorpius fumbled through the messy array of parchment in his dragon hide briefcase before finally producing a much-worn, folded square of parchment. Rose crossed her legs on top of the desk she was sitting on and watched patiently as Scorpius unfolded the parchment in his hands. She frowned less patiently when she saw it to be blank.
"What is it?"
"Hold on, this isn't it—I mean, it is, just—watch this, ok?"
"I'm watching." Rose leaned forward for a better look as Scorpius withdrew from his pocket his long, coal-coloured wand. He proceeded to tap it against the parchment and muttered some sort of incomprehensible oath. Ink seemed to seep from within the pages, forming twisting lines dotted with little footprints, words rising up in the form of names and labels. Rose recognized some of the words—"Albus Potter, Gryffindor Common Room," "Great Hall," "Kitchens"—other words, she was less familiar with—"Genevieve Wood," "Room of Requirement," "Pool of Melphabe."
"What is it?" Rose questioned, pulling back again.
Scorpius grinned. "Well, it's nearly a map of Hogwarts."
"Nearly?" Rose questioned.
Scorpius held up the parchment with one hand and gestures across it with his wand, "It's incomplete. It must be wicked old. Cool, though, isn't it?"
"Hmm," Rose raised a hand to her chin thoughtfully for a moment before snatching the pages out of an unsuspecting Scorpius's hand. Eyes narrowed, she looked it over again, before making her verdict out loud. "Incomplete won't do, Scorp."
"What? But—" Scorpius began to protect but Rose cut him off with a small smile.
"No, no, it won't. But it's alright, Scorpius, because you and I are going to complete this."
Scorpius looked doubtful, then seemed to change his mind. "Alright," he said, taking the map back. "But only if Al agrees to help us."
"He will."
- - - x