Chapter Four

The holidays soon came to a close and all those students that had gone home where once more boarding the Hogwarts express. Bidding her parents farewell Rose went in search of Scorpius. She found him seated in the last carriage waiting for the train to depart.

The journey back to Hogwarts was very similar to their initial journey and as the students once more regained the same rhythm of life that they had before the holiday's winter quickly faded into spring.

'Exams!' Professor Longbottom called gleefully during their last herbology lesson before Easter 'I know you're all looking forward to lots of chocolates but if you can find time to study as well as eat your chocolate eggs or Easter bunnies then I'm sure that the smallest amount of revision will pay off'

That weekend Rose and Scorpius could be found in the schools library, Scorpius' nose was deep within a book on transfiguration as Rose re-read her notes on the history of magic.

'You think they'll ask any questions about the goblin wars?' Rose asked as she flicked through a massive volume of magical history and compared it to her notes. 'Or will they just ask questions about the stuff Binns has been discussing over the last few weeks?'

Scorpius raised his head, a small smile playing on his features as he glanced across at Rose as she quickly flicked from her notes to the book and back again, making additional notes and amendments where needed. The pair had been studying for three days straight, their exams planned for the middle of June. Each of those three days Rose had been in this very same heightened state of agitation and Scorpius couldn't help but laugh.

Scorpius' laughing drew Rose out of her revision panic as she glared at him and threw a scrap of screwed up parchment at his head.

'It isn't funny' Rose hissed under her breath as the Librarian walked passed 'If I fail these exams I'll never live it down'

'You fail?!' Scorpius laughed even harder 'the only way you'll fail is if you don't turn up, your one of the best in our class!'

'I'm not as good as you at potions, or defence against the dark arts-'

'Yeah well it helps if your parents and grand parents are dark wizard though don't it!' spat a harsh voice that made both Rose and Scorpius turn in their seats. Standing behind them was the same brutish boys that had collared Scorpius on his first day, all of them looking as thuggish and mean as they did then.

'Why can't you just leave us alone?' Rose snarled as she pushed her chair back and shoved her books into her bag, Scorpius following suite.

'Rose i'm Sor-' Scorpius began as the pair reached the corridor,

'Don't!' Rose said her anger still at the surface 'You've got nothing to be sorry for'

The rest of their holiday was spent hiding, there was a cool patch of bush covered ground by the lake that offered the pair solitude when the weather was nice and when it wasn't Hagrid could always be relied upon to offer a cup of tea and a chat.

'Ya gotta tell someone abou' them boys' Hagrid said as he poured tea into the large mug that he had handed to Rose as she and Scorpius joined him one Sunday. 'Fifth, sixth an' final years picking on a couple of first years it ain't proper'

'We can't tell the teachers' Scorpius said lightly 'Rose is in enough trouble as it is, if they find out she used a stinging hex on one of them at the start of the year she'll be on the next train home'

'Like I'd care' Rose grumbled as she gulped down her tea,

'You don't mean that'

'Oh yes I do! What with those boys and exams and James and Victoire moaning at me all the time I can't wait for this year to be over'

'I didn't know that you felt like that?' Scorpius said his tone betraying his feelings as he placed his mug back down on the table

'I didn't mean it like that' Rose hurried to correct her mistake but Scorpius was already at the door. He pulled it open and came face to face with Albus and his Gryffindor friends, all of them laughing and smiling. Pushing his way through, Scorpius headed across the grounds, Rose quickly at his heels.

'Wait! Scorpy, please wait!' catching him Rose grabbed him by the arm and spun him to face her 'I didn't mean it to sound how it did'

'It doesn't matter what you meant, what matters is that I care for you, really care for you and I'm being selfish'

'No your not-' Rose tried to say but Scorpius cut her off as his eyes looked back at Hagrid's hut and the Gryffindor's

'You should be like your cousin; you should have lots of friends. You should hang around with them and study with them and sit with them in class and at meals times, you shouldn't have to be pushed out because of me!'

'But I like being with you! Besides you're the only other person in our house that could out smart a Bowtruckle!'

'But it isn't fair' Scorpius said shaking his head 'We've got six more years here, you shouldn't have to spend them alone with me' with that Scorpius turned and headed back up to the castle.

'Don't I get a choice?' Rose yelled at his receding back.

The following weeks where the worst that Rose had spent at Hogwarts, True now that she was no longer hanging around with Scorpius the other members of Slytherin house thought to include her more in their activities. But none of them seemed inclined to study and instead of discussing Quidditch, which had been a major love for both Rose and Scorpius, the girls preferred to talk about boys or makeup and all of them giggled, too much for Rose to really feel any form of attachment to them. But as the exams rolled closer Rose could only pray for the end of term and an end to the tedium that was now surrounding her.

June arrived bringing with it stifling weather, Rose sat at the back of the exam hall, her robes where sticky from the heat and her neck prickled as her collar felt as though it was constricting her. It was the hottest June that Hogwarts had even known and the first years where trapped inside the great hall in the middle of a charms exam. Old professor Flitwick paced the space in between the desks as a large hour glass stood on the teachers table facing them.

Writing the answer to the final question on her parchment, Rose felt confident that she had answered the majority of the questions correctly. Daring a look around the room Rose could see Albus, scratching away happily as his quill flew over the parchment. He looked up and shot her the thumbs up, evidently enjoying the exam. Sitting a little further down the hall was Scorpius, like Rose he too had finished before the others, he looked around and seeing that he was being watched pointedly faced the front of the hall.

Rose couldn't help but feel pained, she hated the fact that Scorpius had been keeping his distance, hated the fact that he was still being bullied and she hated not being there to help. Twenty more minutes passed and finally Flitwick called for the students to stop writing. This was it, Rose thought as she scrambled to her feet, her mind already whizzing with what she had to do. She had to appeal to Scorpius' sensibilities; she had to keep pushing him till he understood that she didn't care if she had to spend the next six years alone with him, so long as he would talk to her.

'Scropy wait!' Rose called as she handed her test to Flitwick then turned to see Scorpius already heading out of the hall. Scorpius didn't wait he just headed out into the sun filled grounds

'Now you're just being childish' Rose called as she followed him, running slightly so that she could keep up with his long stride 'I hate this, do your really think that this is doing any of us good? Scorpius didn't answer he was still walking across the grounds,

'I used to love the fact that it was just me and you! Do you know what it's like growing up in a big family? My dad has five siblings! Five! And most of them have partners and kids, I'm constantly surrounded by people, and everyone expects me to a mini version of my mum, smart and witty, it's suffocating. You're the only person that has never had any expectations of me. I miss you!'

Scorpius stopped, they where close the forest now and he turned and stared at her

'What I'm saying' Rose said trying hard not to smile 'is that I like the fact that it's just me and you. And if it takes the next six years to get that into your thick head then so be it'

Scorpius had the decency to look ashamed, even if a small smile did play on his lips 'I've missed you too'

'Aww how sweet, the little Death Eaters missed his girlfriend' sneered the voice of the Ravenclaw boy as he and two of his friends stood a few feet away. Rose instinctively reached for her wand but Scorpius grabbed her and pulled.

'Run' he called as they both ran full pelt into the forest, the sound of the heavier boys crashed through the forest behind them. Brambles pulled at their robes and low hanging branches whipped at their faces as they ran. Rose's heart drummed hard within her chest as Scorpius' grip clung to her arm.

Eventually they came to rest behind the trunk of a large tree, their breathing laboured, but Rose was sure that there was no sound of the others.

'Who-Who are they! Rose gasped as she tried to catch her breath

'T-The big one from R-Ravenclaw is called Nott' Scorpius' said as he doubled over, his hands on his knees as he tried to regain his breath 'I'm not sure on the others, But if their friends with Nott then I'm guessing their parents or grandparents knew my Grandfather. My grandfather helped to unmask death eaters after Voldermort fell. Nott's father was one of them.'

Rose's head was spinning with this information. All year she had believed that the gang of boys where angry for losing innocent family members at the evil wizards hands, But these boys wanted revenge for family members that had committed unspeakable harm.

'We have to get back to the castle' Scorpius said as he looked around at their surroundings 'It's not safe in the forest, besides we can't not tell a teacher now'

'We're Slytherin we don't tell teachers' Rose said, her dislike for Nott and the others was now impeding her better judgement. If Scorpius was correct and the boys wanted retribution for his grandfather's actions then nothing would stop them till they had punished Scorpius for it.

'We're not safe here' Scorpius whispered as he once more looked around, the forest was deathly quite. Rose had grown up listening to her father and uncles' tales and of the adventures they had in the forest when they where at Hogwarts, and as Rose looked around her a plan was beginning to form in her head.