A/N: Hi there! Welcome. Although this story is a sequel to "Butterflies and Hurricanes," it can be read individually. Nevertheless, if you're interested I suggest you to try the prequel as well. Reviews are welcome and highly appreciated, in hopes of improving my writing. Thanks!
oOo
Enemy
Rose stared blankly at the sun half way hidden, as she felt the grass tickling her legs. She had found a quiet place close to the Burrow to be by herself. That summer, Loneliness had become a privilege.
Her life had drastically changed from normal to insane. After being briefly kidnapped by Gerard Hancock and threatened to death at the end of her sixth school year, she had become the centre of attention in her family.
Rose looked back at the Burrow. Once her family realized that she was not in the house they would start looking for her immediately. She paused her thoughts, breathed in summer's sweet hot air and laid her back on the crispy grass.
It tortured her to know the origin of her problems. A plot had been made among certain criminals and former deatheaters to sabotage the Ministry of Magic. Her father had returned to the Auror's department, her uncles were involving themselves as much as they could and every member of her family who worked at The Ministry of Magic were now under red alert, waiting for someone to strike. She knew she was just a small, minuscular puzzle of it all. She was the tool Gerard had chosen to get back at Rose's father. She was nothing but revenge.
Rose's parents were now terrified that Gerard would come back to harm her or Hugo, although her father was certain that he would aim for her again. And so, with Gerard's thirst for revenge haunting them, and the problematic that surrounded the family, Rose had lost her freedom and her long night sleeps. Her cousins had it hard too, especially because her uncles were now aware of how important it was to protect the family, in case someone attacked them as well.
It was definitely not the moment to tell her family about Scorpius. It just wasn't. The tension was everywhere. She knew they would think he had altered motives to be close to her. The Malfoy family, after all, had become suspects in the dangerous situation that was erupting. He had no way to scape that accusation, not even with what he had done for her, and there was a reason for that. Not even Scorpius trusted his grandfather. Rose knew that it wouldn't do her any good to mix her relationship with her current problems. Her family already knew that he was in her life now, and she had assured them that they were nothing more than good friends. She thought it was best that way, to break it in as everything else began to unfold.
She had known Scorpius from year one at Hogwarts, but she never had any real contact with him until her sixth year, when everything in her life became one big, absolute mess. He was there, in the middle of that mess, and she admittedly loved that part of it.
"Rose," a sweet voice called. She looked up, from the ground. Audrey, Percy's wife, was standing next to her. Her long, silky black hair was gently moving with the wind that was finally blowing.
"Don't tell me," Rose murmured, exhaling. "They sent you out to look for me."
Audrey shrugged, before sitting next to her. "Anyone can see your hair from the distance," she smiled, touching one of Rose's soft curls. "I see you're keeping it longer now," Audrey contemplated, as her finger measured it, a few inches above the beginning of Rose's waist. Rose stared blankly, and managed to give Audrey a small smile. "This must be hard on you," Audrey said, taking a red curl that had softly set over Rose's face, and placing it behind her ear. Rose remained still and quiet, staring at the last line of sun over the horizon.
"You know, when the war against Voldemort began, my father got very ill. I thought he would die. I was working at Gringotts, but because he's a muggle and had no one else but me, I decided to leave my job and move in with him again. I took care of him for almost two years and all that time I was disconnected from the wizard society. I don't regret it. He's healthy now, he's happy. But I do feel a little guilty. Everybody has very awful memories of the war, and in some ways I was very protected from all that."
Rose looked at Audrey for a moment. "I don't think I knew that," she said, sitting up on the ground.
"Everybody is very nervous right now because absolutely no one wants those things to happen again. I was lucky to miss all that, but if things keep unleashing the way they are, it doesn't seem like you'll be that lucky. They want to keep you as far away from it as possible. So, yes, you have strict curfews and they won't leave you alone for a second. But they don't want you to go missing again. So don't hide, nobody wants to not be able to find you."
"I know," she murmured. Audrey smiled fully, stood up and offered her hand to help Rose stand from the grass.
"You know, I dream of him a lot. Gerard," Rose murmured to Audrey something she wasn't planning on confessing to her parents or cousins, knowing that it would tense them even more.
"You mean, reliving the memory?"
"No," Rose paused. It's always different, and I run, I hide; and no matter what I do, he always catches me, and then I wake up. It's exhausting."
Audrey looked at Rose, with the sympathetic eyes that characterized her. "You must be terrified."
Rose shook her head, by that moment she really wasn't. "I'm just tired."
Audrey looked at the tip of the sun that was still showing. "I think I can work on a potion, something that won't make you dream that much," she winked, removing a leaf from Rose's curls. Rose smiled. "It was a nice sunset," Audrey added. "Hey, I hear there's a boyfriend. That's got to be great, right?" Audrey asked cheerfully, but Rose stopped cold, her eyes wide in shock, her feet nailed to the ground. Audrey laughed. "Your brother put the same exact face."
"Hugo told you?" Rose asked in indignation.
"Yes, but I think it slipped out of him. He ran off afterwards, so I suppose it's a secret. What's with the mystery?" Audrey raised her eyebrow, and Rose bit her bottom lip. "Does it have something to do with the boy who saved you? Pretty heroic, huh? Not to mention romantic." Audrey winked at Rose playfully, and the girl couldn't help but smile shyly. Audrey was very different from her uncle Percy. She was easy going, funny and generally cool. She worked at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes creating new products. Her husband eternally disapproved that particular way of making a living, claiming it to be far too dangerous, but she never seemed to mind all that much. How Audrey managed to be so calm and fresh with an obnoxious husband and two crazy twin daughters was a mystery to Rose.
"You seem to forget that Albus was there as well," Rose reminded her. "He saved me too."
"Albus is your best friend, so don't fool me with that. Don't worry; I won't mention anything to anyone. If Scorpius is your mystery man, then maybe we should keep it that way until things cool down. From what I heard everybody expects the Malfoy family to be involved in all of this."
"I know," she sighed painfully.
"Cheer up Rose," Audrey said, throwing her arm over Rose's shoulders. "And let's go inside before they send an army to drag you in. So tell me…" she asked, lowering her melodious voice. "How handsome is he?"
Rose laughed freely.
oOo
"Hugo, what was the one thing I asked you to do?" Rose said to her younger brother once she caught him in the strangely empty living room of the Burrow.
"It was an accident! And I didn't say who it was!"
"Still. Don't talk about it. It's all I'm asking you to do."
"Aunt Audrey won't say anything," Hugo shrugged almost uninterestedly.
"Did you tell anyone else?"
"No! But I don't see the big deal, Rose."
"You're thirteen. I don't expect you to see anything."
"Fourteen in a month! And I'm not stupid. You're making a fuss out of nothing."
"I'm not. Just forget you know that."
"Fine," he rolled his eyes, before changing his attention towards the window of the living room of The Burrow. Six owls were patently waiting at the frame, each of them with an envelope under their peaks. "Look! Our owls were sent here!" He said in excitement as he approached to open the window. Hugo took his letter first and the owl left proudly. Two more owls flew inside the house and up the stairs, where Lily and Roxanne were. Fred ran into the room and met with the owl that carried his letter. Rose received her own envelope, and patted the owl that carried it. Finally, the last bird flew towards the kitchen, were Albus was.
Rose looked at the Hogwarts envelope, severely confused. It was much lighter than she imagined it would be. She opened it, and confirmed her doubts when she found nothing more than a few parchments. She shook it, in desperation, but nothing else came out of it.
"My badge," she mumbled to herself. For a moment she wondered if her Head girl badge would arrive a few days later, but it made no sense. She had always received her badges with her list of supplies and grades. She had been a Prefect since fifth year, and she took the responsibility fully. She assumed she had deserved to be Head girl just as much.
"Aaaahhhhh!" An excited scream came from upstairs. "James! James! I got it!" She heard Lily squeal in excitement. Rose's grandmother stormed into the living room, a pot still in her hands.
"What's is it?" Molly asked, her face stern.
"I think it's a happy scream, gran," Rose explained, as she saw Albus walking into the room, behind her grandmother, crumbs gathered around his mouth.
"That child," Molly sighed in relief, her face tense.
"Jaaames!" Lily screamed again, this time running down the stairs. "Gran! Rose! I made captain! I got my badge! I'm going to be captain of the team!"
Rose smiled, as her grandmother hugged the proud girl in excitement. Lily was going to begin her fifth year at Hogwarts. She had been playing in the Gryffindor Quidditch team since second year and had been waiting for that moment since Rose could remember. She had already planned a game strategy, just in case her dream came true. James had been the captain of the team for the past years, but since he had just finished school, the spot became open.
James stormed from the kitchen and into the living room, his mouth full. "Vat?" He asked, before swallowing hard the muffin he had been eating. "What?" He asked again.
"I did it James, I'm captain!" She showed him her badge proudly.
"Great, little Grindylow," he mocked, rubbing her head. "Congratulations."
"Shut up, don't call me that."
"Let's see if you can make the cut," he suggested.
"I will," Lily retorted. "And who are you to talk? You lost us our last tournament, and Ravenclaw won the cup because of you," she teased.
"No, no, no. I didn't lose that alone, and don't forget that while I was captain Gryffindor won two cups in a row: during my fourth and fifth year," he numbered them proudly. "See if you can top that."
Lily rolled her eyes "Where's my mum? I want to show it to her! And my dad? Where's everybody?" The girl turned her head around.
"They left sweetheart," Molly explained. "They're at the Ministry, all of them. Only Audrey is here with us. I think she's in the drawing room."
"But it's Saturday," Lily said in disappointment, holding her badge tightly.
"I know dear, now wash up, the pie is almost done," Molly said plainly, as she walked into the kitchen again.
"That's weird," Rose said. "They left us alone just like that? Dad didn't even wait until I came in," Rose wondered. Albus shook his head.
"Not really," he explained. "They left while you were outside with Audrey, apparently something urgent came up, but look outside the window."
Rose walked towards the window, leaning over the sofa. Soon Roxanne and Lily had jumped on the furniture, and slightly over her.
"Wicked!" Roxanne said, standing on the sofa, her hands pressed against the glass of the window. "We have aurors guarding the house!" she exclaimed. In effect, Rose could see two men in the distance, the light of their wands prevailed in the night.
"It's not wicked, Roxanne," Rose said painfully.
"Dad said we couldn't go outside by ourselves during the night, and we can't go home until they get back," Fred explained to her sister. Albus and Rose exchanged quick glances.
"That's ridiculous," Lily said. "What about Molly and Lucy? They're not even here."
"I hate to break it to you Puffskein," James said to his sister. "But they're 20 years old, no need for chaperones. Besides, I think they're at the shop with uncle George and Angie."
"Stop calling me names," she said tensely. "What about Louis and Dominique?"
"I don't know where they are," James snapped. "Are you going to ask me about every single member of this family? Dominique is just as old as Molly and Lucy, and Louis is my age. We don't need to be guarded. This is all for you, little kids."
Rose laughed softly as she rolled her eyes at her cousin.
"It's for our own safety," Albus added.
"Whatever it is," Lily retorted to her brothers. "It feels like house arrest."
oOo
Night fell deeply as the cousins devoured grandmother Molly's hot blueberry pie. Afterwards, Rose sat lazily on the sofa of the living room with Albus; waiting for her parents to return so she could go back home.
"It's absurd, our houses are a chimney away," Lily argued from the floor, where she flipped the pages of the latest Quidditch magazine.
"Patience," Audrey murmured from the corner of the room, where she sat to read a book.
"Great! I got an O in Defence against the Dark Arts," Albus murmured, as he read his final grades for the past sixth year.
"Oh, right!" Rose snapped, and took her envelope again from the coffee table. "I forgot to check mine."
"That's a first," Albus retorted.
Rose's attention towards Hogwarts had faded when she realized she hadn't received a Head girl badge. The reminder of it developed a very unpleasant feeling in her stomach. She withdrew the parchment from the envelope and read it to herself, only to discover more disappointment. Some of her grades had dropped a letter. Technically, there was nothing to worry about, but she couldn't help but stare blankly at the parchment.
"How did you do?"
"I—I dropped my average," Rose whispered, the words dry.
"Really?" Albus said. "Let me see." He took the parchment from Rose's cold hands. "You dropped a letter in Arithmancy. That's weird, I though you liked it."
"How did I let this happen?" She whispered, her eyes wide.
"Big deal! You've had low grades before…haven't you?" He asked in doubt.
"Well, yes, but mainly because an assignment was too hard. This was my fault!"
Albus laughed. "Yeah, I guess it kind of is when you won't stop snogging your boyfriend's face, innit?"
"Shut up!" she smacked him with the rest of the letters she was holding. Lily laughed from the floor, and Rose checked to see who else was in the room. Fortunately, only Audrey remained, smiling silently at the book she was reading.
"Is this why I didn't make Head girl?" she whispered.
"You didn't?" Albus and Lily said at the same time. Rose shook her head in embarrassment, and soon saw Albus exchanging glances with Lily.
"It doesn't sound right," Albus said. "You didn't fail anything, and it was just a few subjects."
"Then maybe it's because I was stupid enough to run after my own stalker. They don't give Head girl badges for running into Hogsmead's owlery alone and getting kidnapped as a result, do they?"
"Rose, that wasn't entirely your fault," Lily said. Rose stared back at her cousin. "And look at it this way, now you have time to spend with…you know," she shrugged.
"I don't think that's going to console her right now, Lily," Albus intervened dryly. "And what are you doing down here, why aren't you with Roxanne?"
"She fell asleep," Lily finished, rolling her eyes.
"Well, don't you have anything else to do?" Albus insisted.
"I'm not going anywhere," she retorted. "Besides, I know of this as much as you do. I helped Scorpius woo Rose, remember?" she said with a melodic tone.
"Really?" Audrey asked mischievously, her eyes suddenly rose from her book. "That's interesting."
"Stop it, Lily," Albus said with annoyance.
"So, has he written to you?" Lily asked.
"Sort of."
"Sort of? What's that supposed to mean?"
"He sent me a couple of notes, but they sound like telegrams. It's: Hello, what've you been up to? Have a wonderful summer," Rose explained bitterly. Even though Scorpius had never been very eloquent, it felt like a step back from the short notes he used to send her.
"He's probably being very careful. In case anyone sees them," Lily said, lowering her voice even more.
"Who's going to see them?" Rose asked. Lily turned her head back at Audrey.
"Alright, I'll be reading in the drawing room so you guys can talk freely and stop staring at me every other second," Audrey said as she closed her book and stood up, a smile on her face. "And Rose, you might want to listen to her," she winked, before exiting.
"See?" Lily said proudly. "I think our mail may be being intercepted from time to time."
"Ugh, you've got to be kidding me. Even that? Scorpius mentioned that possibility when we left Hogwarts, but I thought it was ridiculous!" Rose exclaimed.
"Don't you think that if your mail had been intercepted last year, then maybe some of the things that happened to you could have been avoided?" Albus asked wisely, raising his eyebrow. Rose gave him an acid look in return.
"But—that's invading our privacy!" Rose retorted.
"Sure, but Rose, put yourself in uncle Ron's shoes. Wouldn't that be the obvious thing to do?"
"No," she denied.
"And if it were true, you don't have that much to worry about. It'll be temporary," Lily added.
"Hold on," Rose said in realization. "Is that why I wasn't elected for Head girl this year? My father?" Albus and Lily exchanged glances again. "Well?"
"Might be, Rose. But we don't really know that. But whatever it is it's for your safety," Albus reminded her, and Rose was suddenly beginning to dislike the repetition of that same reminder.
"This is…" Rose murmured.
"I know," Lily retorted. "But it'll be fine," the girl said, placing her palm on Rose's knee. "Oh! I wanted to tell you!" Lily jumped. "My dad asked me about Scorpius," she murmured.
"He did?" Rose's eyes widened.
"Yes! Dad asked me if we were friends now, Scorpius and I. Turns out that while you were at the hospital wing recovering, my dad saw me speaking to Scorpius once. So, yesterday dad asked me about him and I told him that we were just friends. Then he asked me if there was something going on between you two because it was odd that he went to that owlery with Albus to rescue you, so I told him that he was nothing more than Albus' friend."
"Lily, if you said all that as fast as you just did, you confused him even more," Albus added with a mocking chuckle.
"I did not!" Lily squealed.
"Keep it simple. When dad asked me, I told him he was Rose's friend. Now he has two stories."
"He asked you too?" Rose wondered.
"You weren't very convincing, were you?" Lily retorted. "Why else would he talk to me afterwards? By the way, Rose, I think hiding it makes it a lot more fun," the girl added through a smirk.
"It doesn't really matter. My mum knows, and now Audrey and I am sure that aunt Ginny suspects as well. Hugo is a bit of a blabbermouth and James—James, how come he hasn't said anything?" Rose realized. "Back at Hogwarts he didn't even walk up to Scorpius…it's strange, considering how jealous he is."
"Maybe Scorpius had him jinxed or something," Albus suggested with a shrug. Rose frowned to the idea.
"Maybe I should just tell my dad," Rose whispered. "There's really no point in—"
"No." Albus sighed deeply. "Look, I—Lily, don't you have something to do? Honestly." He abruptly said, turning to his sister.
"I'm not going anywhere!" She retorted, red in the face.
"Al, just tell me. It doesn't matter," Rose said.
"Fine," he stared at his younger sister in suspicion, then at Rose. "I wasn't going to say anything, but I overheard a conversation my dad was having with mum. They're putting a few Aurors at Hogwarts."
"What?" Rose asked in amazement, somehow it seemed it was going to far.
"Yes, and I heard him say that it's not just for your protection. They want to keep an eye on Scorpius."
Rose's jaw dropped momentarily. "That's—that's awful! It's mad, it's—"
"—My mum doesn't agree at all. But dad said something about Draco Malfoy. He said he could have avoided many things that happened…if someone had watched him closely. Then they started talking about Albus Dumbledore, and then started arguing, about how it was or wasn't Draco's fault. I don't know. The last thing I heard before walking away so I wouldn't get caught was that back then they used Draco as a tool for something and now they could use Scorpius."
Rose looked down at her feet, she swallowed hard, she could feel a sigh getting locked in her throat.
"They're not taking any chances," Lily said in realization. "By the way, they were probably talking about Albus Dumbledore's death."
"Yes, that's what I figured, and that's when the school was invaded from the inside."
Rose pressed her lips together. "Last year I read that not only Draco Malfoy had been charged for attempting to murder Albus Dumbledore and for joining the deatheaters. He was also the person who let the rest of the deatheaters in the school."
"Where did you read that?" Albus asked.
"When I went to the department of Mysteries. Victoire let me have access to a lot of information."
"How come you never said anything? How did he do it?"
"It doesn't matter. Besides, I didn't read the entire thing. In the end he was found innocent of everything, for lack of proof. That's why uncle Harry could never put Draco in prison, just…Lucius Malfoy, until he appealed and got out."
"Lack of proof?" Albus reacted. "That's mental! Doesn't he have a death mark?" Albus questioned. Rose fell silent, feeling the heavy stare of her two cousins on her.
"I wouldn't know," she said faintly. "But you're right," Rose said absently. "I can't tell them. It'll get worse. I'm talking to James," she finished and stood up fast to run up the stairs.
It took her a few minutes to find him. She opened the door to her aunt Ginny's old room, where she found Roxanne sound to sleep. When she went into another room she saw Hugo and Fred playing wizard chess on the floor.
"Have you seen James?"
"Cleaning his broom, in uncle Ron's room. Kicked us out," Fred said in concentration, his fingers moving towards his black bishop. Fred was two whole years older than Hugo. Unlike his sister Roxanne, who had been sorted into Ravenclaw, Fred was in Gryffindor like most of her cousins. He was clever, for sure, and had developed plenty of people skills since he was very young, but he had never beaten Hugo at a Chess game.
Rose ran up the stairs, all the way to the attic of the house. She opened the door and found James sitting on the old bed, severely concentrated in a broom maintenance manual. He looked up as soon as the door opened, then looked down uninterested.
"Hey," she mumbled. "So…have you decided which team's offer you're going to take?" she inquired, walking up to him. James shook his head.
"Nah. Uncle Ron wants me to accept the offer of the Chudley Cannons, but…you know," he shrugged.
"I know."
"Besides, I don't even know if I'm playing Quidditch."
"Why not?"
"I don't know if I'm more useful here, with everything that's been going on. I don't know what to do yet."
"Right. So…you haven't told them."
"When I figure it out I'll tell them, Rose."
"No! Not that. You know…about, you know."
James looked up again from the manual he had been reading, this time his eyes were hard. "About that: you're absolutely mental," James said sternly.
"No, I'm not. There's nothing wrong in what I'm doing."
"Then why are you hiding it?"
"I think you understand why."
"Did you ever stop to think that the bloke might be really dangerous?"
Rose's chuckle was bitter and full of sarcasm. She had thought of that thousands of times before, and that same thought brought many doubts and painful possibilities. She had found enough reasons to trust Scorpius by now, but it had been a long ride there.
"He saved my life, James. I almost got killed and he saved me. And you know it. I think that's why you won't tell anyone about us. You know he's okay, right?"
James looked at her intently, as if full of doubt.
"No, I'm just dying to watch uncle Ron hunt him down when he finds out."
Rose laughed softly. "That won't happen, but I need some more time to tell them. And I just wanted to thank you for keeping it cool."
James shook his head, a loud snort leaving his throat. "Whatever." Rose smiled at James once more, before walking away. On her way down the stairs she bumped into Lily, who had been running up.
"Our mums are here," she said in excitement. "I have to tell James to come down."
"Finally," Rose murmured. She walked to the third store of the Burrow, and swung open the door to one of the rooms.
"Come on, our mums are here," she told Hugo, who was staring blankly at the chess board, all the pieces organized neatly. Fred, on the other hand, was laying face down on one of the beds of the room. "What are you doing?" Rose frowned to her younger brother.
"Nothing, I was going to play against myself. Fred got bored of losing," Hugo said as he stood up.
"Not true," Fred jumped from the small bed. "Chess is utterly boring, no other way to explain it. Can we go home now?" he asked with a rather irritable tone.
"I guess," Rose sighed and headed downstairs as well, followed by Fred and Hugo. She could also hear the steps of James and Lily trotting down from the stairs of the attic. Once she reached the living room she was pleased to find her mother and aunt Ginny.
"Ready to go?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Rose said bitterly. "Is it going to be like this the entire summer?"
Hermione didn't answer, she simply started back at her daughter, plainly.
"Fred, your mother will be here in a few minutes," Ginny said to her nephew, who rolled his eyes almost immediately.
"I'm sixteen years old. Is this really necessary?" he argued back.
"Ok, people," Ginny retorted. "This isn't easy on anybody. But it would really help out if you all stopped complaining and cooperate a little bit more. Audrey, thank you so much for staying here all this time."
"Oh, it's fine. I'm happy to babysit the little ones," she said with a mocking grin, something that made Fred snort in discomfort. "I just hope my two crazy girls didn't blow up the shop. Fred put them on trial to see if they are fit for the job of taking charge of one of the new stores."
"I'm sure they're doing great," Ginny said back, scanning the room. "Where's my mother?"
"She fell asleep on the sofa of the drawing room. She's exhausted."
"I'll go wake her up."
"Shall we get going?" Hermione asked Rose and Hugo, who were standing side by side. Hugo responded with a quick nod and Rose did nothing more than step into the chimney.
oOo
The rest of the night went on quietly. Rose secluded herself in her room almost as soon as she got home. Hermione had informed her that Ron and Harry had stayed at the Ministry, and Rose could only imagine how long the rest of that meeting would be. She did not bother to ask any details, the information she had been receiving from her family regarding the current situation was absolutely scarce. Also, she had no intentions in talking about the absence of a Head girl badge in her Hogwarts letter, she felt too embarrassed by that particular detail.
Once in bed she stared at the ceiling of the room. She had been removed from the privileges she had earned at Hogwarts. Whether it was justified or not, she did not know. Her letters were probably being intercepted, or at least monitored; she no longer had privacy. To top it all, she could forget about her secluded moments with Scorpius.
She had made her peace with the idea of not seeing him during the summer, but the thought of hiding her relationship inside Hogwarts was unbearable. She had been looking forward to sharing lazy afternoons with him by the lake, to getting away from everybody and enjoying only him. She could no longer count on any of that if Scorpius was going to be spied on as much as her. Her heart shrunk once she wondered how offended he would feel if he found out.
She finally hoped for her parents and the Auror's department to do very little research among the professors of Hogwarts, because during the last months of her sixth year her relationship with Scorpius had been anything but secret. She then thought of Neville, Professor Longbottom, Anya's dad. He had most likely seen them together at school; she wondered how long it would take him to tell her uncle Harry. Rose shut her eyes; hiding it was pointless. Everybody was going to find out that she was dating the son and grandson of the number one suspects in that case, the Malfoy family; a family that was presumably involved in a massive escape that had occurred in Azkaban, followed by the death of Rodolphus Lestrange; A family that may have been assisting Gerard Hancock's plan of revenging the death of his father, Rabastan Lestrange, by trying to murder Rose in return.
Rose heard steps up the stairs of her house.
"You look tired," Hermione was whispering sweetly to Rose's father.
"I am," he said back. Rose heard a short kiss.
"Rose has been very upset," Hermione continued. "She barely talks to me. This entire thing is getting to her. How did the meeting end? Did you decide on anything?"
"Let's go in the room and I'll tell you," Ron said, lowering his voice even more.
Rose opened her eyes as she heard the door of her parents' room shut close. She decided then that it wasn't pointless to hide it. It wasn't pointless to try, or else, that particular magical thing about her life would turn as dark as everything else had.
oOo
She thought of it more than once, and considered the possibilities. After playing with what seemed like a rather silly idea in her head, she decided to go for it. Once she found the chance she had asked Audrey for help on this new matter. Audrey refused the first two times she asked, claiming that it didn't feel entirely right. But after only a few more seconds of begging, Audrey agreed.
"And where exactly are you going to meet him?"
"I guess we'll figure that out when we see each other."
"It's Diagon Alley, there are wizards on every corner."
"We'll be careful. Come on Audrey, just send him the note," she had said, extending her arm to hand her what she had previously called a small and innocent piece of parchment. Audrey received it, twisting her lips lightly. "I don't want to risk having any members of my family reading it. This already feels like a bloody prison and it's not going to get better once we're at Hogwarts."
"I gotta say Rose, I feel for you," Audrey said back, placing the note in her pocket. "School years are supposed to be about careless fun. Oh, but don't risk it. Do not go in any dark alleys. Don't do anything silly."
The note Rose had sent to Scorpius was simple. She told him the date she was planning on going to Diagon Alley for the next school year's books and supplies. She also warned him that she would be very looked upon. It was a long shot, but she suspected that Scorpius would be there.
The days of the longest summer in Rose's life passed on, and on. When the day of her planned visit to Diagon Alley arrived Rose had not heard back from Scorpius. At that point, she honestly did not expect to hear from him, just to see him there. Her aunt Ginny arrived at her house by mid morning with Albus and Lily, where Hermione, Rose and Hugo where waiting. Soon they were all heading towards Diagon Alley.
Once immersed in the crowd of people that characterized the wizardly shopping district at that time of the year, Rose felt slightly more relaxed. She walked the streets pleasantly, admiring how good it felt to be out in public again.
"Mum, I must have these!" Lily squealed as she stared into the window of the Quality Quidditch supplies shop. Her hands were pressed against the glass, staring at a set of red leather seeker's gloves.
"Do you suppose people will be upset to have two Potters as captains in a row?" Albus lowered his voice as he talked to Rose. She shrugged in return.
"She's the best, she's more acclaimed than James even. I don't think they'll be surprised. Everyone says she's the best player the team has had for years. I don't see the problem," she whispered.
"Let's just hope she's still acclaimed by the end of the year, and that the position of captain of the team doesn't get to her."
Rose wondered her eyes as much as she could. She searched silently for Scorpius, looking for his blond hair, his tall figure, his grey eyes, his hidden smile. Instead all she saw was her mother, only a few stores away, talking plainly to a tall man with slightly dark skin, his brown straight hair almost covered his ears. To Rose's measure the man was attractive. He nodded softly, his face plain.
"Who do you suppose that is?" Rose said to Albus.
"No idea."
"Do you think he could be an Auror?"
"I guess." Albus frowned, and Rose stared intently at the man, who by a quick calculation must have been in his late twenties. She studied the conversation as much as she could, and although she could not read lips she could still extract some assumptions out of it.
"He looks likes he's taking orders," she said.
"How many Aurors do you suppose might be watching us right now?" Albus wondered.
Rose rolled her eyes, it was going to be harder than she imagined.
"Alright, let's go on to Flourish & Blotts," Ginny announced. Meanwhile, Lily argued about how badly she needed the globes she had just seen.
Rose had forgotten what it was like to be chaperoned in Diagon Alley. The last time she had been obliged to follow an adult around she had been 11 years old. She missed the safety of her magical world.
Flourish & Blotts was packed with young and adult wizards. She could recognize the first year students not just by their size but by the fact they were so anxiously wearing their school robes.
"Alright, so, I know you are not used to this anymore but no walking out of the store, alright?" Ginny said to Albus and Rose, as she walked on to the fourth year section with Lily, getting lost rather fast in the crowd.
Rose sighed strongly, her eyes wondered around the store. She knew she wouldn't overlook him if he were there. She could have spotted him in the distance. "Might as well do what we came for," she added after a few scans of the room.
Albus chuckled. "Rose, did you notice that your voice is getting more bitter by the day?"
She twisted her lips painfully. "I was so sure he would be here," Rose admitted through a disappointed whisper.
"Weasley, Weasley." The slow voice made her skin tremble. Rose turned around and looked up immediately. Scorpius Malfoy was standing at the top of the small stairway that led to the second floor. She smiled widely, shamelessly.
"Malfoy," she restrained the air that was racing to leave her chest. It had been almost two months without seeing him.
"It's good to see you again," he continued, a small, plain but powerful smirk was working its way through his mouth. Scorpius walked down the stairs, until he was standing in front of her.
"You too."
"How's it going Albus?" Scorpius said.
"Brilliant," Albus shrugged. "Practicing much this summer?"
Scorpius nodded. "Ready to make it to the finals this year."
"Watch out," Rose warned. "Lily was named captain this year and she's very enthusiastic about it."
A full smile spread over his lips, he looked down at his feet in a fast move, then up again. Rose recognized that involuntary sign of embarrassment in him immediately.
"Oh my—where you named captain of the Slytherin team?" She asked, and Scorpius shrugged, nodding weakly. "That's wonderful!"
"I wasn't really counting on it. I didn't really think I wanted it either. My team has had three captains since I began to play, so by seventh year I figured I wouldn't get picked at all. I'm not sure I like it yet, and I'm very uncertain of what my fellow players will think of that," he said with a smile.
"Don't give me that. You'll make a good captain," Rose encouraged. Scorpius had been playing since second year as a keeper. He stood out since the beginning as a wonderful Quidditch player and had been perfecting his skills almost flawlessly. It was certain that he was one of Hogwarts' best athletes. Nevertheless, he was not popular at all, not even in his own house. His dreadful family history and certain incidents that regarded him during his first years had won him an unfriendly reputation. Scorpius was known for being very reserved and socializing very little. He had to deal with a lot of prejudice against him, and somehow he seemed to be fine with it all, at times he almost seemed to enjoy it. He was rarely the centre of attention, and he liked it that way. His lack of people's skills had probably been what had never gotten him the place of Captain. "Lily is going to give you a hard time," Rose announced.
"I'll be fine. Lily doesn't scare me, I'm just glad you don't play Quidditch anymore."
Rose raised her eyebrow. "You're scared of me?" she said. Scorpius laughed, shaking his head slowly. His rare -almost absent- laugh was wonderful whenever it appeared. Albus cleared his throat loudly, and Rose snapped out of her trance.
"This is fun," Albus added, nodding, somewhat sarcastically.
"Scorpius? Hello," Hermione had walked inside the store, and was now staring at Rose's subject of interest. She had a full smile on her lips, and inevitable suspicious eyes. "What a coincidence," she added cheerfully. "It's good to see you."
"Mrs Weasley," he said in a hurry, rushing himself to extend his arm and shake her hand. "It's a pleasure to see you again." Hermione laughed softly, while Rose felt like drowning in her own adrenaline rush. During the last Christmas holidays Scorpius had visited Rose at her house. Fortunately, he had only met Hermione that day, and left a good impression. He introduced himself as nothing more than a friend, but Hermione knew better.
"Aren't you Scorpius Malfoy?" When Albus, Rose and Scorpius turned around they found Ginny standing in front of them.
"Mrs Potter," Scorpius said. "It's an honour to meet you," he offered his hand. "I've read about your many accomplishments while you played for the Holyhead Harpies, and now I find your column very interesting."
Ginny shook his hand firmly, twisting her lips. "Isn't this one a gentleman? Nice to meet you. Are your parents here with you?"
"Just my mother, but she's at Madam Malkin's shop at the moment."
"Shame. Send her my best, and your father…as well," Ginny retorted, and this time Rose breathed in deeply. "I will. Thank you ma'am," he said back.
Hermione and Ginny exchanged quick glances "So, I guess we'll get going now Rose," her mother said.
"But we haven't purchased anything yet," Rose remembered, and extended her hand to show Hermione the list of books she had been supposed to sort out and pay for twenty minutes ago. She looked at Albus, who nodded as well. Hermione pressed her lips together in disapproval.
"Alright, then. Don't take long, we'll wait for you at the shop across the street," Hermione said, glancing at Scorpius as she did so. "Nice to see you again," she smiled and walked out of the store, followed by Ginny and Lily, who threw an amiable glance at her cousin before leaving.
"I'll just go…look for my stuff," Albus said, which left Rose and Scorpius staring at each other at the entrance of the store.
"Guess what? I got an E on muggle studies," Scorpius announced proudly.
"You did! That's brilliant!"
"I showed it to my father."
"Oh—" Rose's smile faded. "And what did he say?"
"He didn't say a word," Scorpius murmured. "I had to fight the impulse of telling him that I had the most wonderful tutor," he chuckled softly.
"You're mean," Rose shook her head, biting her lower lip softly.
"And? How have you been?" He whispered. Rose looked towards the entrance, to check if there was anyone watching over her. She saw nothing more than the regular costumers walking in and out.
"I don't know…I can't go anywhere, do anything, and I think you were right about my mail being intercepted," she whispered.
"It's for your own good," he whispered back, caressing her palm with the back of his hand. The touch made her skin shiver inevitably, but she quickly withdrew her arm.
"Don't. There are Aurors here," she explained, walking carefully into the back of the shop, hoping to get lost in the crowd of students with him. Scorpius followed her lead, as she approached the Arithmancy section.
"Really? Your father went the whole distance with this," Scorpius whispered at her, his tone of voice suggested a deep admiration. "How many?"
"No idea. They don't talk to us about it," she said quietly, and looked once again at the entrance of the shop. The tall man her mother had been speaking to earlier was now standing by the door frame, pretending to be reading a magazine from the stand. "But I know that man is one. And I don't know if there are more inside the store." Scorpius met her glare and looked at the man at the entrance.
"So…if I want to be alone with you…do I have to steal you?" Scorpius asked, his voice low and deep. Rose smiled, biting her lower lip softly.
"You were planning on doing that?" she inquired and saw him shrug innocently as a response. Rose chuckled softly, shaking her hand.
"Don't worry, it will be over in a couple of weeks," he said. Rose's smile faded instantly. The shiver that went up her spine was extremely unpleasant.
"Actually," she said, lowering her glance. "There's something else. They're going to put Aurors in the school as well." She looked up again, at his deep grey eyes. He was frowning lightly.
"Sounds about right," he then nodded, to what Rose rolled her eyes.
"Would you stop defending every single action my father takes on this? It's mental. I can't go to my backyard anymore without being questioned first. For Merlin's sake! I can't buy a book without being over watched by a stranger! My father is going too far with this."
Scorpius remained silent as Rose breathed in deeply. She walked forward, towards the History section and looked for the book that appeared on her list.
"You're going to have to be patient, Rose. This is for your sake," Scorpius said, standing behind her. Rose closed her eyes briefly. It wasn't just for her sake, and she knew that well. It was also to keep a close eye on Scorpius. But she couldn't imagine herself telling him that. She couldn't let him know that her father, the man he insisted on admiring, had ordered to watch him closely as well.
"I know," was all she could say out loud, a sigh getting caught in her throat. "I wasn't counting on those aurors being here," she painfully admitted. Scorpius smiled softly.
"It's fine," he murmured. "Listen, maybe you should tell your father, how bad could it be? Then we wouldn't have to hide around the school. I'll figure out a way to hide this from my grandfather, which is…what really matters at this point."
Rose swallowed, attentive to his proposal. That possibility had already crossed her mind too many times this summer. But somehow, every time she suggested that option somebody made a strong point against it. Audrey's advise and Albus' information had reminded her that it wasn't just about coming clean to her father.
"No," she shook her head, and felt her voice raspy in her throat. "It's too much. I don't see how my dad would understand. I just don't."
Scorpius raised his eyebrows. "He has the worst impression of me, huh?"
"No! It's not you. I just think it's so complicated with the Banvard brothers still loose, and—"
"Gerard Hancock…or Lestrange," he pronounced he last name carelessly, and she resented his carefree attitude. "I understand. I wouldn't want a criminal's cousin to date my daughter either."
"He's not your cousin. He's not in your family, technically."
"You're right. Technically. But I can't deny my father and grandfather, right? Rose, seriously, I understand."
"No, you don't," Rose whispered, wishing fully for the mess to end once and for all. Scorpius wasn't just in the Malfoy family, to her father he had suddenly become a suspect as well.
"Ready to go?" Albus had walked towards the couple, his arms full of books. Rose nodded weakly to him and turned around to face Scorpius.
"I suppose," she answered vaguely, her eyes fixated on Scorpius' heavy stare. She heard Albus clearing his throat again, but she cared very little. She was inches away from Scorpius, fighting the impulse of touching his face, tightening against her chest the books she had gathered in the past minutes.
"Give me that," Albus said impatiently, taking the books she was holding. "I'll be at the counter, just…hurry up, alright? Rose nodded at her cousin, and saw him leaving her side. She looked at Scorpius again, a small smile had formed on his face. She breathed in nervously.
"I'll see you at King's Cross, I guess," she said painfully. Scorpius reached for her hand. In a soft move the tip of his fingers brushed her skin, and went up her wrist. She smiled back, her eyes shifting rapidly towards the entrance of the store. The man was now looking through the shelves of books that were closer to the entrance. He knew how to maintain distance and she had to be thankful for that. Scorpius' fingers caressed her arm, up to her elbow. She smiled softly, her eyes buried in his, until he withdrew his hand, an action she resented immediately.
"Take care, Weasley," Scorpius murmured. She turned to him again and contemplated the sudden expression of his face. His weak smile looked somewhat painful. She hadn't had time to ask him how his summer had been, or if his grandfather had given him a hard time. "Don't go wondering on your own," he reminded her, and her eyes suddenly fixated on his lips, his half smile. She was rapidly aware of his scent. She pressed her own lips together, tightly, and nodded. Her heart was loud, and ridiculously clear. She felt her pulse pounding against her throat. She was desperate for contact.
"I really have to go now," she whispered slowly, and Scorpius smiled.
She painfully left him in the corner of the store, her heart racing to scape from her chest. When she reached Albus at the counter she felt completely drained, as if she was suddenly left with nothing more than frustration.
"You are awful at it," Albus said to her, as he handed coins to the salesman. "If you're going to hide it, do it well. You were all over him," he said, taking back a few smaller coins in return.
Rose turned around and looked back at Scorpius, his stare was already on her. Her skin shivered.
oOo
For the rest of the shopping trip Rose had to bear the suspicious smile of her mother, and the occasional uncomfortable comments that came from her aunt. She remained silent most of the time. While she tried her new robes on she spoke very little, waiting for the moment to get home. After purchasing robes, books and a new portable cauldron for Lily, an attempt of Ginny's to get Lily's grades up in potions, they arrived at Rose's house, where Hermione invited Ginny, Albus and Lily for tea. Hugo preferred to run up to his room instead.
"He's very attractive, isn't he? Scorpius, I mean," Ginny had said as she took a biscuit. "I don't remember Draco ever being that handsome. He always looked like he had just smelled something awful. Didn't he, Hermione?" as she took a small bite of the biscuit. Hermione laughed softly, and shook her head, saying nothing. "Or was it just that we despised him so much?"
"No," Hermione said with a thoughtful look on her face. "I think you're right. Scorpius is definitely an improvement, if you ask me. He has something," she concluded, and poured some tea on Rose's cup. Rose looked instinctively at Lily, who drank from her cup, and then at Albus who was already looking at her, his face plain.
"I think it's the eyes. They have a sort of mystery in them. Don't they, Rose?" Ginny smiled widely. Rose closed her eyes tightly, completely speechless. "My brother is going to freak out completely when he finds out," she said with a small laugh.
"No—there's nothing to—"
"Leave her, Ginny. She has had enough of a hard time already," Hermione intervened, before Rose could attempt to lie about it.
Ginny smiled. "Don't worry, you're smart for keeping it quiet. And you're a lucky girl. I mean, the way he looks at you…"
Rose breathed in, one more person who knew. "If I'm so lucky then why are there going to be Aurors watching his every move at Hogwarts?"
Ginny's eyes widened. She glanced at Hermione immediately, and Rose saw that her mother was shocked as well. The kitchen remained quiet for several seconds, the only noise heard was of Lily, hysterically sipping her tea.
"Rose, how do you know that?" Hermione asked quietly.
"I overheard a conversation," she lied, to avoid placing Albus in an awkward position.
Ginny breathed in. "Fair enough. Listen Rose, It's a precaution, and only for a month or so. Harry and Ron are terribly worried about all that has happened. They think that the Malfoy family may be involved."
"I know. But why Scorpius?"
"Because…" Ginny said slowly. "Scorpius might be being used by them."
"Do you believe that too? Do you think Scorpius has something to do with it?" Rose asked, somewhat loudly. She stared at her aunt, her look rather firm, waiting for a response.
"No," she finally answered. "But I can't completely blame Harry and Ron for thinking that."
"They're wrong. They're absolutely—I mean, he saved my life! He wouldn't have done that if—"
"We know, Rose. At least, we think so too." Hermione intervened. "We think this is unnecessary. We've been discussing this since your accident. But…they made a decision, and I have to say, they're right to think that there's always the possibility. I understand Harry and Ron."
"That's just absurd—if the Malfoys are involved, then what's the point in watching Scorpius at Hogwarts? It makes no difference. It's not like they're going to attack the castle," Rose exposed, desperately.
"Rose, you are at Hogwarts. Lily is there, Albus, Hugo, Roxanne and Fred. All of them may be targets at some point, like you were a few months ago, like you still are. The quicker you understand that the faster you'll see why Harry and Ron won't take chances, of any kind."
"I understand that," she said bitterly.
"Good, then just…give it some time."
"That happened before, didn't it? I read somewhere that Draco Malfoy was responsible for an invasion at Hogwarts. That's one of the reasons uncle Harry tried to put him in Azkaban years ago. You're scared that they might attack us from the inside, aren't you?" Hermione and Ginny looked at each other briefly, and Hermione nodded. "You know…"Rose continued. "You can't hide the details of the past from us forever. We've been finding things out all these years…through books, newspapers, through teachers, almost never through you!"
"Rose, this isn't the moment for that," Hermione stated and Rose shut her eyes tightly. "Listen, you're not doing anything wrong, but be careful."
"You're not going to tell uncle Harry?" She frowned, this time looking at Ginny.
Ginny breathed in. "No, because I don't think Scorpius is who we have to be afraid of. I believe this goes way past the Malfoys, and I really doubt that information would be at all helpful with Ron and Harry, especially Ron at this moment. They'll think Scorpius has other motives to be with you."
"Thanks," Rose said back, affirming her own suspicions.
"Let's just take it one step at a time. Be discreet, and don't wonder around. Give us a chance to clear things. Be patient," Hermione stated.
"Yes…that seems to be the general opinion these days," Rose shook her head.
"Then take the advice, and…don't talk to anybody about this. Rose, we trust you not to mention any of this to Scorpius. I'm sure it won't be for long."
"I wasn't planning to, it's humiliating."
"Lily, Albus?" Ginny looked at her son and daughter.
"Cross my heart," Lily assured, her eyes wide open.
Albus shrugged. "Sure."
Hermione and Ginny stared silently at each other, disbelief arising in their eyes. Just then she realized that if her mother and her aunt were strongly advising to keep it a secret, then the tension was even greater than Rose thought. But how much of a secret could it be? She did not know. It was a matter of time before it all exploded in her face.
oOo
A/N: So, yes, I use songs to assign the title of each chapter. I find it entertaining and inspiring. I like to use the mood of the song to give the chapter an environment. So, at the end of each chapter I'll give you the artist and you can listen to the song if you want. You don't have too, though. The title of this story (Resistance) also belongs to a cool Muse song (some of you may have noticed by now that I'm a fan!)
I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Please: some feedback would be nice!
Artist of this first song: Blue Foundation.