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Chapter Four: Green Sealed Letters
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Summer 2023
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The end of the year exams passed quickly by. Rose knew she got top marks in Muggle Studies and Defense Against the Dark Arts and even though Professor Grimstone gave her nothing but grief, Rose knew that none of the other students had done half as well as her on their practical Transfiguration exam. It felt good to be finished with another year and heading home.
Rose ate her breakfast slowly, drinking the coffee that always appeared on the table but none of the other Gryffindors drank.
"Are you excited to go home?" Roxanne asked from behind Rose, who turned and smiled up at her cousin.
"Yes! I'm excited to see your dad."
"He sent me an owl yesterday, didn't I tell you? He wants to see your new sketches and ideas."
"Brilliant."
"Yeah. Listen, I wanted to stop by because Michael Cross asked if we could share a compartment on the train. I know we usually sit together with Albus and everyone, but . . ."
"No, go sit with Michael!" exclaimed Rose. "You've fancied him for ages. I can sit with Albus or Audrey, but you had better tell me all about the ride at dinner."
"Absolutely." Roxanne gave Rose a quick hug and dashed off to the Hufflepuff table.
Rose turned back to her porridge. After every train ride home, the Weasleys and Potters held a Welcome Home feast. They usually ate dinner outside at the Burrow, joining several tables together. Rose's grandmother usually prepared the meal while the kids retold stories from the school year. Normally everyone came, including Charlie, who wasn't married nor had any children. It was a big affair, though Rose didn't know if Victoire, Dominique, and Louis would be there this year, as they had already left school. Teddy always came, even if Victoire didn't. It would be nice to see James again and her uncle Harry and aunt Ginny. And of course her grandmother, who always doted on her.
Albus came into the Great Hall, looking tired, and sat across from Rose. He yawned and stretched. "Seen Hugo this morning?"
"No. Why?"
Albus yawned again. "Saw him talking to Maisy."
"Really? That's fabulous! He finally got the courage to talk to her?"
"Well, from the looks of it, I'd say that she talked to him, while he stuttered about and turned red." Albus shoved a whole piece of toast in his mouth. "Effited few go 'ome?"
Rose blinked. "Excuse me?"
Albus swallowed and cleared his throat. "Excited to go home?"
"Oh, yes, I am. I'm really excited to see Uncle George, actually. . . ."
"More joke ideas?"
"A few," Rose admitted. "I'll be glad to see my dad, too."
"Not your mum?"
Rose shrugged.
"Aw, I love your mum! She knows everything – and I mean everything. She's fascinating."
"Yeah, she's very clever." Rose ate another spoonful of breakfast and stood. "I'll see you on the train, Albus."
Albus looked confused as Rose walked away from the Gryffindor table. Rose was looking forward to seeing her mum, but she wasn't looking forward to the questions about her future or why she didn't get higher marks in school. The problem was that Rose was very, very clever herself. If she hadn't been clever, her mother wouldn't have expected so much from her – Rose was sure of that.
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Rose levitated her trunk and put it in the overhead space above the seats. She Summoned a bag from inside it and sat down next to the window. The compartment was empty, but she had been one of the last ones out of the castle and hadn't made an effort to find any of her friends. Roxanne was sitting with Michael, and Albus would be doing patrols with Olivia right about now. Rose wasn't feeling her normal self; conflicting feelings battled inside her. She wanted to go home, get away from homework and exams and (perhaps most importantly) Professor Grimstone. She wanted to share some new advertising ideas with George and she wanted to go on a beach holiday with her family. But she was also done with her sixth year, which meant that this summer would be a lot of pressure from family on figuring out what she wanted to do after Hogwarts. She was supposed to have a plan now so that when the next school year was complete, she'd be ready to start her career.
The problem was, Rose didn't really want to do anything. She didn't want to do any further schooling or training. Her fingers itched to draw and paint or something else. She wanted to be near the ocean, outside, playing Quidditch, whatever didn't require an office or a desk. No job she had read about in any of the career guide leaflets had ignited any passion in her.
Inside her bag was a blank notebook and two sets of pencils, both magical and Muggle. The Muggle ones made all her pictures stationary. The magical ones made everything she drew come to life. She liked both ways of drawing. There was something magical in the stationary pictures, even if it wasn't the magic most witches and wizards were used to; it was a completely different kind of magic.
With a jerk and a blow of the whistle, the train began rolling away from Hogsmeade station. Rose crossed her legs Indian-style on the seat, her sketchbook resting on her thigh. Tap, tap, tap – the eraser on the tip of the Muggle pencil hit the blank page as Rose struck it against her book. She began to draw two eyes when the compartment door opened.
"Oh – sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here."
Rose looked up. Scorpius stood in the doorway, a book in his hand. Coincidence kept throwing them together.
"Were you looking for an empty compartment?"
Scorpius nodded. "I wanted to read and there was nowhere else I could be alone. Actually, I'm surprised you're in here alone." He looked around as though someone might be hiding beneath an Invisibility Cloak.
"Albus is doing patrols with my brother, but I'm sure he'll find me later. Roxanne is sharing a compartment with a guy she's fancied for ages, but I don't mind so much. It's nice to be alone sometimes. I get rather . . . melancholy on the rides home."
"Why? You don't want to go home?"
Rose sighed. "I don't know. You can sit down, if you like. I was going to draw anyway, so I won't bother you if you wanted to read."
"Thanks." Scorpius sat down and opened his book. Rose glanced at the cover, but she couldn't quite make out the title. He looked down at her sketchbook, his eyebrows furrowing a bit. "Who are you drawing?"
"Er, my mum," said Rose, looking at the eyes.
"Really?"
"Yeah. As much as she drives me crazy, I love her. She means really well and she wants the best for me, I know this. She just . . . makes me barmy."
Scorpius opened his book. "So do my parents," he said, his eyes scanning the book, probably looking for where he left off. "That's what parents do."
"So, where's Ada?" asked Rose, wondering why Scorpius wasn't sitting with his girlfriend.
"Er . . ."
"Did you get into a fight?"
"No, not exactly. We sort of broke up."
"Sort of? How do you 'sort of' break up?"
"I broke up with her, actually," replied Scorpius, looking up, "but I didn't want to hurt her feelings, so it took a bit longer than I would've liked. She just didn't really understand me."
"What didn't she understand?" inquired Rose.
"She thought I spent more time on schoolwork than on her, but she didn't get the importance of N.E.W.T. exams and why I find them so important. She's a Fenwick, her parents are in the Ministry and her grandfather has an Order of Merlin, First Class. Even if she didn't get a single N.E.W.T., she'd still get a job at the Ministry. I didn't like her anyway."
Rose covered up her laugh with a cough. "Ahem." She cleared her throat. "If you didn't fancy her then why . . . ?"
"I fancied her at first." Scorpius shrugged. "It doesn't really matter now." When he looked down at his book again, Rose knew the conversation was abruptly over.
Rose continued drawing. It was crude, especially since the train vibrated and jostled the compartment as it rode down the tracks. The time sped by as quickly as the passing trees. A plump witch came by with the pastry cart and knocked on the door. She and Scorpius both declined, but a moment later, Albus found them, with his arms full of sweets.
"Want a Cauldron Cake?"
"No thanks," Rose replied.
"I saw Audrey when I was doing patrols; she was looking for you. Why aren't you sitting with her?" Albus sat down with a glance at Scorpius. Before Rose could answer, Albus continued, "Roxanne magicked herself inside her compartment. Said she wouldn't come out, even for you."
"You've any idea what happened?" asked Rose, suddenly very concerned. She put her pencils and book aside. "Which compartment is she in?"
"I'll show you." With another glance at Scorpius, who hadn't looked up from his book, Albus stood and went out into the corridor. Rose slid the door closed behind her and waited for Albus to continue down the corridor.
"What are you waiting for?"
Albus shrugged. "Nothin'. Just thought you'd like an excuse to get away from that Slytherin."
"You are unbelievable," snapped Rose.
"Why?"
"That Slytherin is not bothering me."
"Are you friends with him? Are you insane? His parents are Death Eaters."
"No one has been a Death Eater for over twenty years! Who cares who his parents are? Who cares? Don't you get tired of people wanting to be friends with you because you're Harry Potter's son? That's why you're popular."
"I'm only popular because of my dad? That's what you think?"
"Don't you remember when you were a first-year and everyone in our House wanted to talk to you about your mum and dad?"
"They wanted to talk to you, too!"
Rose shook her head. "My parents are mildly famous compared to Harry Potter."
"Is that why you don't have any friends? Because you think everyone wants to know you just because of your family or because of me?"
"I don't need to be popular, unlike you. And yes, when I meet someone who doesn't care who I am or who I'm related to, I tend to like them. That Slytherin doesn't give a shit if I'm related to Harry Potter and I don't give a shit if his parents were Death Eaters. It doesn't matter to either of us and I think it's bollocks to assume that just because he's in Slytherin that I wouldn't want to be in a compartment with him. I thought you knew better than that."
"Rose--"
"I don't want to hear it," interrupted Rose.
Albus looked furious. His eyes were blazing and his nostrils flared. Rose knew she herself must look much the same, for her heart raced and the heat rose like a sweeping fire up the back of her neck. She had no idea why she'd gotten quite this angry; she and Albus had never really fought before.
Turning around, Rose went back into her compartment. She sat down and picked up her sketchbook again. She felt Scorpius' questioning eyes on her, but he didn't ask and she didn't answer, so they rode the rest of the way in silence. When the train pulled into Kings Cross, Rose levitated her trunk down and finally looked at Scorpius.
"Have a good summer."
"You, too." He seemed to falter for a moment, as though he wanted to say something else.
"Let me know if you become Head Boy."
Scorpius nodded. "All right, I will."
"Okay then. I'm sure I'll be getting an owl from you later this summer, then. Have a good holiday." Rose smiled quickly before exiting the compartment and jumping down off the train. She looked around for her parents and spotted them quickly. Her father stood, his red hair not quite as bright as it used to be, next to her mother, whose hair was as mad as ever. Hastening her step, she walked over to them, throwing her arms around them both, being more glad to see them than she realized she would be.
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Three weeks into the summer break, Rose left with her mother, father, and brother for the ocean. They stayed in a lovely house on the beach. The first night there, Rose sat on the beach, wearing her favorite blue jumper, while listening to the waves. The start of summer holiday wasn't particularly fun. She had attended the traditional Weasley family dinner and told her parents all the stories she'd left out of her letters. She got to show some of her new drawings and ideas to Uncle George. For the first time, she got to see Teddy and Victoire's newborn and meet Dominique's newest beau. Roxanne told her all about the train ride home and how Michael had kissed her cheek before they parted ways and had promised to write her over the summer.
But during all of this, Albus and she ignored one another.
Sitting on the beach now, Rose was uncertain why she had gotten so upset with Albus. They were so lucky because they were family and best friends. It was a rare combination, but she loved it. Even though she had a friend in Audrey, her fellow Gryffindor, and a few friends from Ravenclaw, no one compared to Albus or Roxanne. They'd grown up together, known one another since birth. No one else knew her better than Albus and Rox, not even her parents. Fighting with Albus had made Rose extra cross lately and more snappish with Hugo, even though he wasn't being any more annoying than usual.
Rose got up from the beach and walked up to the house. She kissed her mother and father goodnight and went upstairs to her bedroom. Everything in the room was white and blue and felt serene. Once she had changed into pajamas, Rose opened the shutters and breathed in the salty ocean-air. She let the waves against the rocks and sand lull her to sleep and she dreamed of water and sea stars and footprints in the wet sand.
Something nipping at her fingers woke her the next morning. She stirred and yawned, stretching her arms. She blinked against the bright white morning sun. Going to sleep with the sound of the waves was true magic. But that thing was still nipping her.
Rose looked down. A medium-sized brown owl with orange eyes sat on her bed. An envelope sat beside him. He seemed to be breathing a little hard, so Rose grabbed her wand from where she'd left it on the bedside table and conjured up a bowl full of water. The owl drank and drank.
"I'm sorry I don't have any owl treats. Do you want something to eat?"
The owl gave a soft hoot, which Rose took to be a yes. She petted his head, went downstairs to the kitchen and brought back a piece of bread.
"I'm sorry I don't have more for you, but we'd planned to go shopping before breakfast. We aren't stocked up on food. This'll have to do."
The owl didn't seem to mind and took a couple bites of bread before drinking again. Rose picked up the envelope and looked at the front.
Rose Weasley
Somewhere in Britain
She laughed a little. No wonder the owl was so tired; he had to search for her! Not recognizing the handwriting, Rose opened the envelope with caution. A small, single piece of parchment was inside with three words written in red ink.
I'm Head Boy.
Rose couldn't help but smile. It wasn't signed, but she knew immediately who it was from. Scorpius actually wrote her. It was her first owl of the summer holiday; none of her other friends were bored enough to write her yet, which was all right because she hadn't written them either. Head Boy! That was a really big deal for Scorpius. Rose actually felt kind of proud of him, which was an odd feeling because they weren't exactly friends. Still, she knew he had worked extremely hard the last six years of school, so he deserved it.
"Can you take a letter back to Scorpius?" asked Rose.
The owl hooted again, but it sounded slightly strangled.
"You can rest here for as long as you want, don't worry."
Rose searched through her bags for a quill, ink, and some parchment. Once she found it, she sat at the desk in her room, dipped her quill in ink and paused. What should she write back? Congratulations, of course, but what else? She didn't want to write anything that would make him think she wanted a response, but she wanted to write something that invited a response, if he wanted to keep up a correspondence with her. After three drafts and over twenty minutes, Rose finally came up with a letter.
Congratulations! You must be really happy.
It was short and simple, but didn't ask any questions – yet if Scorpius wanted to respond, it clearly left it opened so that he could. Rose laughed at herself. She was acting as though she fancied Scorpius, which she certainly did not! So then why did his three-word letter give her butterflies in her stomach? She rolled the parchment and tied it to the owl's leg.
"I'll be here for the next two weeks," she said, "so if you have a reply, you'll find me here."
The owl hooted once more, then covered his head with his wing and settled down to rest some more before the journey home.
Rose took a quick shower and put on fresh clothes. Her parents were awake when she descended the stairs and found them in the kitchen, already dressed and drinking coffee. Her father had the Daily Prophet open, his eyes scanning the headlines. Her mother looked thoughtful with a mug of coffee warming her hands.
"Good morning," said Ron. "How'd you sleep?"
"Wonderfully. I wish we had an ocean in our backyard. What are we doing today?"
"Just relaxing," Hermione answered. "We have to go to the store, but after that, we haven't any plans. This will be our last time to relax for a while. Your dad and I are both taking on new projects at work that are going to be rather intense." She put her coffee cup down after taking a sip.
Ron reached and took hold of his wife's hand. "I'm going back to work for the Ministry. I'll be working with Harry again."
"Well, that's wonderful, isn't it? You and Uncle Harry get along really well."
Hermione smiled. "It's going to be an adjustment."
"Why?" Rose was confused.
"Long hours," said Ron. "When I worked for the Auror Department before, I'd work twenty hour days sometimes. It was awful."
"Oh, you loved it." Hermione looked from Ron to her daughter. "He loved it, don't let him fool you. He loved catching Dark wizards and bringing them to justice."
"Sending them to Azkaban to rot, that's what I loved."
Rose giggled. "What kind of job is it? Wait, there isn't another Death Eater uprising, is there?" she asked, her voice suddenly becoming very serious.
"No, of course not, don't worry." Hermione put her cup back to her lips to drink but said nothing more.
"There's just some suspected Dark activity involving Muggles. Harry wanted me because I've more experience with Muggles than anyone else on his team. There's nothing you should worry about."
Rose nodded, though not entirely convinced. "All right. I think I'll go to the beach. I don't mind what you buy at the store."
"All right, my love," said Hermione. She stood and kissed Rose on the cheek. "Why don't you come back at half ten for breakfast?"
"Sure thing, Mum."
Rose left the house to walk on the beach. It was still too early for the beach to be very crowded. She let the sand sift between her toes and the waves wash across her feet. The water was cold but beautiful. The waves were music in the air. The peacefulness filled Rose and allowed her thoughts of school, her future, Albus, and Scorpius to run free.
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Rose spent the next two days at the beach with her family. She and Hugo played volleyball with some Muggle teenagers and drank fresh pumpkin juice when they tired of playing. Everyone slept in and enjoyed late breakfasts with lots of coffee. For once, Rose and Hugo were getting along well, and her parents laughed along with them whenever the moment allowed for merriment.
At the dinner table a couple nights later, an owl swooped in from the open window and tried to stop on the table, but ended up skidding across it, landing in Hugo's soup bowl.
"Merlin!" he cried. He looked at the owl. "Who is this?"
Rose recognized the bird immediately. "Oh, crap!"
"Rose, your language!" admonished Hermione, but Rose wasn't listening.
"Sorry! I know that owl! He belongs to--" Rose faltered. She grabbed the rolled parchment from the owl's leg. "--er, Audrey."
Ron waved flicked his wand and everything on the table returned to its original position. He continued eating, looking mildly amused. Hugo stared at Rose, but she didn't meet his eye. The only person she looked at was her mother, who looked skeptical.
"Don't you want to read your letter?"
"Yes, but it can wait 'til after dinner. . . ."
"Your plate is clean. Looks as though dinner is over for you."
Rose grinned at her mum. "Thanks." She took the letter and quietly left the table, the owl following her. She waited until she was in her room before undoing the tie and unrolling the letter. Perhaps it was because her parents would never approve of their friendship, but getting letters from Scorpius felt dangerous and exhilarating. She hoped the they kept coming.
Rose,
I don't know if I would say "happy" about being Head Boy, but I'm really pleased. My father said he didn't expect anything less from me, but my mother said she felt joyous – her words, not mine. I'm interested to find out who Head Girl is. The news seemed to put my father in a better mood for a couple days. He's been rather grumpy lately so being at home hasn't been completely enjoyable.
-Scorpius
Rose read the letter twice and took out her own parchment and quill to write her response. She wondered if it actually took Scorpius' owl a few days to fly to her, or if Scorpius hadn't written back immediately. After a few moment's deliberation, she decided she didn't really care either way.
S -
I'm really glad for you about being Head Boy. I'm not Head Girl, as I'm sure you can guess, so there isn't any celebrating at my house this summer. Actually, we're not at my house at all. My mother found a house on the beach and we're spending a two-week holiday here – it's really lovely. My father took a new job at the Ministry, or rather he took his old job back, and my parents wanted to relax before he starts. Even though your father's been grumpy, I hope your summer holiday is still really good!
-R
Rose rolled the letter, magicked it shut, and tied it to the owl's leg. This time, the owl didn't seem as tired and he took off immediately through the open window. Rose watched it fly over the beach until he was nothing but a dark speck against the blue sky then she flopped down on her bed and looked at the ceiling. Everything seemed so confusing; she was only seventeen and already her life felt in disarray. She just wanted to be Rose and be herself, but people seemed to expect more from her.
An enigma lay within her father. Even though Rose was most like him, she sometimes felt that he was disappointed she wasn't more like him – for almost everyone in her life wanted her to be more.
Her mother expected her to do more in school, to be a better student, to do something great once she left Hogwarts. Her brother expected her to become more like him, attend class, and stop breaking rules. Albus expected her to be friends with people he approved of, their cousins, or other Gryffindors. Professor Grimstone expected her to be like her mother, her brother, and the rest of her family- something great.
She knew that was the reason why she liked Scorpius so much, because she could actually be the Rose she wanted to really be around him.
Rose closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Maybe in another couple days she would have another letter. In the meantime, she planned on enjoying her family – something that didn't often happen.
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The next letter came two days later, in an envelope stamped with a green seal, delivered by the same owl. Rose was lounging on the beach when he came. This time she was alone, sketching Quidditch player, while her family was still sleeping inside the house.
Rose,
I know you're not Head Girl, but I'm still sure you did better on the Transfiguration exam than I did. For someone who doesn't do her homework, I've no idea how you manage to out-transfigure me.
My summer has been fine so far. My father has felt some pressure lately from the Ministry, though he doesn't know why. I helped him audit his books last week and everything seems to be in perfect order. It was nice to do it, actually, but I think he only entrusted me with the task because of my Head Boy badge. He's still rather grumpy, but the Ministry is probably never going to leave him alone because of his past.
I've been trying to convince my mum to take me to the new Quidditch shop in Switzerland, I'm sure you've heard of it. I don't know if I've convinced her yet, but I need new gloves. They have some that supposedly have grips on the fingertips to help you keep hold of the Quaffle. I know they've superb bats, too, for Beaters, so you might fancy a look at the shop if you get a chance this summer. It's located in Wädenburg, near Zurich. I hope you're practicing this summer, because I've a feeling Slytherin is going to win the match against Gryffindor this year.
Hopefully the beach is nice for you this summer. It explains why it's been taking my owl so long to get back from your house. His name is Malcolm. He likes apples.
-Scorpius
Rose Summoned an apple from inside the house and used her wand to cut it into small pieces for Malcolm the Owl. She used her Muggle pencil to pen her reply as she sat on the beach.
S -
I don't need to practice Quidditch. Slytherin is right pathetic at Quidditch, especially the Chasers who never get the Quaffle through the goals. My dad got me a new bat, actually. He always gets Hugo and me a homecoming gift when the school year is over. It's a really nice bat, but I do need new gloves. I know there's a new Slip-Resistance Charm on the gloves at Quality Quidditch Supplies in Diagon Alley. Do you think the gloves in Wädenburg are better?
The last couple days, my brother has been reminding me about my homework, and reminding me that Grimstone is going to lose her head if I don't' do my summer essays. Personally, I find homework to be such a waste of time when I can enjoy myself on the beach, which is where I'm writing this letter from. It's really quite beautiful here. I would send you a photo, but I only have a Muggle camera and I don't know how much you would appreciate a stationary photograph.
There are only a couple days left on the beach, so I plan on enjoying the time left. Once we get back home, I have a trip planned to Paris with my cousin Roxanne and her dad, my Uncle George. He is opening new premises in Paris and I've never been. I doubt I'll be able to convince my parents to take me to Switzerland as well, even if it's for Quidditch, though I'd love to see a new Quidditch shop.
-R.
The rest of the day Rose spent on the beach. Her mother read a book on the beach while her brother worked on his Potions essay. Her father rested inside the house, having been burnt so badly by the sun the day before his skin was a brighter shade of red than his hair. Rose spent the last bit of the afternoon inside with him, playing wizard's chess. They prepared supper together and served it to Hermione and Hugo when they came inside from the beach.
Rose retired early and got in bed, ready to be lulled asleep by the waves. She picked up a book she had begun to read the night before and opened it, using her wand to light the page.
"Rose?" A soft knock came from the other side of her bedroom door.
"Come in." Rose sat up in bed, creasing the page of her book to keep her place. She pushed her dark red hair away from her face.
Hermione entered, an envelope in her hand. "You got an owl." She held out the letter. "May I sit?"
"Sure."
"You've got yourself a lot of owls these days," said Hermione as she sat on the edge of Rose's bed.
Rose shrugged. "Not so many."
"One every couple days, I've noticed, and two today. I saw the owl from inside the house, after just waking up and realizing you weren't in the house. You haven't really talked about who you're writing to. Do you have a boyfriend?"
Rose's face grew warm; she felt certainly flushed. "No, I don't."
"You're such a lovely, lovely girl. I don't want you to be embarrassed if you fancy someone. I was young once, even if that's hard to believe."
"I know you were a kid once. I'm not embarrassed and I don't fancy anyone. I'd tell you if I did."
Hermione smiled. "I wish we were closer, you and I. I love that you and your father have such a wonderful bond, but it makes me sad that we're not like that. Your father tells me all the time that I put too much pressure on you and compare you to Hugo. He reckons I don't understand what it's like to be you since I was an only child. I saw your grandmother do it once in a while with your uncles and your father. She compared them to one another sometimes and your dad grew up feeling as though he had to compete with his brothers. I never wanted to do that to you."
"Mum . . ."
"So I just wanted to say that if I ever make you feel as though you're not a good enough student then I am very sorry. You do a lot of wonderful magic, I've seen it this summer. You passed your Apparition exam the first try and were the first to Apparate in your year. You are very clever and you are going to do so well in life."
"Thank you," whispered Rose, looking down at the letter in her hand. "I do sometimes feel as though I'm not good enough."
"You're always good enough. I couldn't ask for a better daughter."
A few tears burned Rose's eyes but she blinked them back. "Thank you."
"I'm here if you ever want to talk about anything."
Hermione made to get up, but Rose spoke, halting her.
"I don't know if I fancy anyone or not. I've been writing this boy in my year – he's not in my House or anything. We never really spoke except the last couple weeks of school and we had a lot in common. It's weird, I don't really know what to think of it right now. Maybe we'll just end up being good friends, like you and Uncle Harry."
"Who is he?"
"Er . . ." Rose shook her head. "I don't really want to say. I'm not exactly sure you and Dad would approve."
"Why not?"
Rose shrugged. "He's just a boy. . . . I don't think Dad is ready to admit I could fancy anyone."
"Your father and I got together when we were just a year older than you, but he had a girlfriend in sixth-year. I think he would understand."
"Do you really, though? I don't know. I think he'd have a heart attack, Mum, I really do."
Hermione laughed. "You are his little girl, so perhaps he would. I can keep a secret, you know, if you want me to."
Rose shook her head. "Not today – our friendship isn't really anything. We're just pen-friends at the moment."
"I understand." Hermione stood and went to the door. "If you want to keep it a secret, though, tell your friend not to use his seal – someone might be able to figure out who's writing to you because of it. Good night, my love, I love you."
Rose's jaw dropped as she watched her mum walk out the door and shut it behind her. Her eyes dropped to the letter in her hand. The wax seal was green, an M clearly visible. But that could be anyone, couldn't it? One of her dormmates was named Olivia Morgans. The letter could have been from her. Or from Maisy, the girl Hugo fancied.
Not wanting to think about that right now, Rose opened her letter.
Rose,
What do you mean by "stationary photograph"? I don't understand.
I personally like the shop in Switzerland, but I find it nice to get out of Britain every so often so that may be part of its charm.
I finished all my essays the first two weeks I was home. Mostly so I didn't have to worry over them later on. 1st September is going to come more quickly than we think.
Seventh year will be good. I look forward to the extra Hogsmeade visits, which we get as seventh-years. My parents are driving me a bit mad so it'll be nice to get back to school. Hopefully things will become calm again once I'm back at Hogwarts.
Ada has written me a couple times, but I don't really know what to say to her in return. Some of my friends have sent me letters, but I find them boring compared to yours. Your letters aren't philosophical works of wonder, yet they entertain me and I look forward to them. Right now, everyone else bores me.
I'm accompanying my father to the Ministry for a routine audit so I'll end my letter here.
-Scorpius
Rose was too tired to write her reply, but she reread the letter twice. Her lips stretched into a smile and she placed the letter inside her book, as a marker. With a whispered, "Nox!" she darkened the room and fell asleep.
XXXXXXX
Across the country, Harry and Ginny were readying themselves for bed. Ginny plaited her long hair and climbed under the covers. Harry came over, having just finished brushing his teeth, and joined her.
"Lily finally stopped talking to that friend of hers."
"Maisy," offered Ginny, grinning. "She's just here for a weekend visit. They're best friends, you know. Besides, I heard them talking about Hugo. I think Maisy fancies him."
Harry sighed. "They keep growing. I don't know why they do that."
Ginny laughed and put her arms around her husband. She kissed his cheek. "Because thats what children do. You grew, in case you've forgot."
"I've not forgot, but it was so long ago."
"I remember when you were eleven. I fancied you even then, despite you never giving me a second glance."
"Oh, I gave you second glances, all right. They might've come later, but I gave you glances. I could hardly keep my eyes off you. I can hardly keep my eyes off you now." Harry tucked the stray bits of Ginny's hair behind her ear. "I love looking at you."
"You haven't done much looking the past week or so. You've been so busy."
"I know, believe me. I hate it."
"Oh, stop, you love it, admit it."
"I do love keeping busy, but I don't like being so busy I don't see you everyday."
"What's going on at the Ministry that you've missed four dinners this week?"
"Muggles. There's a connection between these missing Muggles and our world. We've found two girls who have clearly been tortured and killed by the Killing Curse, yet I don't know who's done it. Our source inside the Muggle police tipped us off about the murders. I don't know why they were tortured or murdered, that's the difficult part of this whole thing. It's quite unbelievable, actually. One of the girls was found with part of a coin in her pocket."
"A Galleon?" asked Ginny.
"No, something ancient, antique. It was definitely goblin-made, but from a thousand years ago, before our modern money."
"Oh!" cried Ginny. "Is that why you're investigating Draco Malfoy? I heard he came into the Ministry today with his son. His books were checked?"
"He's got one of the most lucrative antiques businesses now that Borgin and Burkes is out of business. His books didn't show any Dark artifacts, which is good. He's apparently trying to stay out of trouble, but I don't know if the books we saw were the 'official' books, if you get what I'm saying."
"I understand. Poor Draco, though, if he's innocent. He's always the suspect, isn't he?"
Harry shook his head. "Not always. I rarely think about him, honestly. We did check a couple other dealers first, but they were clean. Draco does such extensive business, though, that we are being more careful with him. I think he may value money over Dark objects."
"Do you really think so?" Ginny sighed. "I hate to think that he would do anything to get sent to Azkaban, not when he has a family."
"His father had a family and he got sent to Azkaban."
"Exactly! So Draco should know what that feels like and not want his own son to go through that. Though, why they named their son 'Scorpius' I'll never understand. What a horrible name. He kind of looks like his father, doesn't he?"
Harry shrugged. "I suppose so. I'm glad Albus isn't friends with him."
"Why? I thought you told him it didn't matter what House he was Sorted into and--"
"I'm glad for my sake. Imagine if they were friends and if in their eyes, Scorpius' father was being investigated by his best mate's father."
"I hadn't thought of that."
"Word will get around Hogwarts soon enough if I can't officially prove Malfoy wasn't a part of this. I'll be glad for Monday to come, when Ron joins my team again. I have a feeling more bodies are going to show up and we'll have to deal with the Muggle police more closely."
"You chose the right man for the job," said Ginny. "My brother is a great Auror."
"I know."
"He's your brother now, too, though."
Harry smiled. "I know," he repeated.
"You're so lucky to have married me."
Harry laughed. "I know!" He kissed Ginny. "Thanks for being so understanding this week. I know I haven't been able to pay much attention to you since I've been so busy working."
"It's okay. I mind, but I understand." She kissed him back. "You're making our world a safer place for wizards and Muggles alike. I think that's noble and if there's one thing about you, it's that you're always noble."
"I love you, Gin."
"I know. I love you, too."
They fell asleep – Ginny thinking about trips to Diagon Alley for her kids' school books and Harry about wrapping up this case and lessening his workload. Neither of them had any idea how complicated this new case was about to get. For even though Albus and Scorpius weren't friends, Scorpius and Rose were and Rose's father would be investigating Draco in a few days' time.
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To Be Continued . . .
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