*A/N: I hope everyone is enjoying the story! Make sure you show your appreciation by leaving a review!
Rose sat on her cousin's bed with Fred. They waited anxiously for Roxanne to return. She still couldn't believe her Uncle Harry had arrested her. It made her nervous, and she felt as if the situation was even closer to home than she had felt previously, if that was even possible.
"I didn't think it'd take this long," Fred mentioned. It had been the first time he'd spoken the entire time. His hands were folded, and he wasn't his usual joking self.
"It's not a bad thing. I'm sure they're just still talking to Uncle Harry. Even he knew she didn't have anything to do with it," Rose assured him.
"But still," he said indignantly. "Who would want to frame Rox?"
Rose shrugged slowly. "I don't think it really mattered who it was, as long as it was one of us," she said.
"Rose, I know. But this is going to look bad on her-"
Fred was cut off by a knock at the door. "Come in?" Rose said, knowing it wasn't Roxanne. She wouldn't knock to enter her own room.
The door opened and Scorpius entered. He frowned to see the two of them sitting on Roxanne's bed. "She isn't back yet?" he questioned.
"Does it look like it, Malfoy?" Fred questioned rudely. Rose winced. No wonder Scorpius distanced themselves from him every chance he got. "What do you want?"
Scorpius clenched his jaw. "I just needed to tell Roxanne I can't make practice tonight. I have to go to Gringotts and sign some contracts with Maxima. But, I'll let you pass along the message."
He turned to leave. "You should stay," Rose said before she could help herself. "Roxanne might have information for all of us," she added, upon Fred's indignant look.
"Sure, why not," Fred said defeatedly. "What can go worse at this point?"
Scorpius nodded blankly. Rose watched for an awkward moment as he decided where to sit, finally choosing the chair at Roxanne's desk. "I didn't think this would happen," he said matter-of-factly.
"Well, no-"
"Neither did we." Rose cut Fred off. "But my uncle's straightening it all out. Whatever it was, it was a move to throw everyone off who's really doing this. And not even a good one, seeing as Roxane would basically be ostracizing herself to do this. But it also means that-"
"Whoever did this is in the castle. Or they at least have connections inside the castle," Scorpius finished.
Rose nodded gravely. She noticed how tired he looked. He wasn't making much eye contact with her either.
"Say something else and you might just make my bloody day," Fred said grimly. "Her whole reputation's going to be ruined. As soon as Falmouth founds out about this, she's done for."
Scorpius looked at Fred seriously. "My father's close friends with the owner's family. I'm sure he could find a way to make sure Roxanne still has a chance of being recruited," he offered.
"That would be great," Rose said quickly, grinning. "Wouldn't it, Fred?"
Fred looked up. He nodded, a slight look of appreciation on his face. "Yeah, thanks Malfoy."
"It's no problem."
They sat in a period of uncomfortable silence. Fred busied himself getting into Roxanne's stash of snacks in the trunk under her bed. Scorpius fidgeted with his tie. Rose wondered what sort of contracts he had to sign with Maxima. But she also knew that meant he was officially deciding to marry her, and after tonight, he couldn't take it back. She didn't see how a seventeen-year-old could decide to get married, but stranger things were at play than a wedding. She supposed she and Scorpius were becoming friends, and she didn't want him to make a mistake.
"How exactly did this happen anyway?" Scorpius asked.
"Roxanne said her wand had been missing for a while, and then the next thing we know, Uncle Harry and some Aurors were coming to arrest her," Rose answered.
Fred stopped chewing and looked up at the two of them. "Al's cloak was also stolen," he reminded them both.
"He doesn't have it back yet?"
Fred shook his head at Scorpius. "I don't think it's a coincidence, either."
"Of course, not."
The door burst open. Roxanne entered, looking annoyed and tired. "Is this my welcome home party?" she asked sarcastically.
Fred got up and hugged his sister. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. They didn't do anything to me other than make me sit in a bloody cell all night until they worked something out. You should've seen it, Mum gave the Aurors an earful. Think they'd rather be dealing with dark wizards than her when she's pissed off."
Fred chuckled, gald to be reunited with his sister. "Hell. I know I would."
Rose got up to hug her cousin as well. "I'm so sorry this happened to you. We'll figure out who did this, I promise."
Roxanne nodded. She set her eyes on Scorpius. "You coming in for a hug too, Malfoy?" she questioned jokingly.
Scorpius shook his head. "I'll decline. I just came to tell you I couldn't make practiced, I'd assumed you were back."
"After the day I had, I'm cancelling practice," Roxanne assured him. She rifled through her wardrobe to find a change of clothes. "I'm going to shower and then go find Ivan. I wasn't there long enough to earn a conjugal visit."
Rose rolled her eyes as Roxanne disappeared into the bathroom.
"She's bloody obsessed with that bloke," Fred said, blowing air out of his nose. "He's a right brute."
"So is she sometimes," Rose said. "She just wants a boyfriend. Give her a break, she just got out of jail."
"I know, but I'm her bloody brother. You'd think she'd want to spend some time with me."
"She's had her whole life to spend time with you," Rose reasoned.
Scorpius stood up. "I think I'll be going now."
"See you around Malfoy," Fred said. "And er… thanks again."
Scorpius nodded curtly and turned to Rose. "I'll take your duty tomorrow if you take mine tonight?"
"Sure," she smiled. "Be safe out there."
Albus sat at his table in the Potions classroom, copying notes from the board before class started. He hated himself for becoming such a good student. Students were slowly beginning to file in.
"Albus," a voice called him. He purposely didn't look up. "Albus."
Begrudgingly, he met Maxima's gaze. "I thought I'm supposed to be doing my Potions on my own?" he questioned bitterly.
"You know I didn't mean that," she said slowly. "I just… I could tell Scorpius was embarrassed-"
Albus frowned. "So your solution was to embarrass me?"
"Embarrass you?" she questioned. "I embarrassed you?"
"It wasn't obvious?" he asked coldly. "Funny, because I thought you were different. But you're not."
Maxima frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"I thought you'd actually stand up for yourself and do what you want. You don't love him. You don't want to marry him. You wanted to be a mediwitch."
"I do," Maxima nodded slowly. "But sometimes we can't have things we want."
Albus raised an eyebrow. "If you believed that then you wouldn't have kissed me," he challenged.
"Lower your voice!" she said sharply. "I wasn't in my right mind when that happened."
"So you didn't want to?" he questioned.
Maxima fumbled for a response. Albus stared at her parted lips, wondering what it would feel like to be able to kiss them again, but he knew that definitely wouldn't be happening. "I…I… that doesn't matter."
"You did want to. Because you don't want to be with him. You can kid him and yourself, but you can't kid me."
"Why does it matter to you?" Maxima questioned, her expression pained. "I didn't doubt anything before Scorpius told me to come speak to you."
"Yes, you did, you just didn't think you could do anything about it until you spoke to me," Albus corrected her. "I actually liked you."
Maxima sighed. "I like you, too." She sat down beside him and began to unpack her things.
Albus gave her a pitiless look. "I said liked," he informed her coldly. "I've switched partners."
Maxima stared at him, dumbfounded. "What do you mean?"
Albus shrugged. "I have a new partner now. Maybe Scorpius will let you work with him."
He watched as Maxima put her books bag into her bag, her expression hurt and embarrassed. "You don't have to treat me like this, Albus. If you understood-"
"I don't want to."
Without another word, Maxima gathered her things and left the table. Albus put his hand in his forehead. He hated to be so mean to Maxima, but she had truly hurt his feelings. He also didn't need to be in the middle of whatever she and Scorpius were trying to do, and her father had made that pretty clear. He needed her to feel like she was better off if they didn't speak, no matter how much that may hurt the both of them.
"Bonjour." Bianca slid into the seat next to Albus and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.
"Hey."
Bianca noticed the frown on his face. "What is wrong?" she questioned, placing her hand on his arm. Albus had to admit her touch was soothing. And she was less of a complication than Maxima, no strings attached. And he actually did like her.
"Nothing, I'm just tired," he lied.
Bianca's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Too tired for me to come see you tonight?" she wondered.
"Never that."
Bianca laughed. "Perfect."
Albus glanced casually over his shoulder. He was met by Maxima staring holes into his face from her new seat. He turned back around. "Why do you want to come see me?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows.
"It is a surprise," Bianca answered. "What is the lesson for today?" Bianca questioned, opening her textbook.
"We're brewing sleeping draughts," Albus answered. "They make you fall asleep," he elaborated off of her confused look.
"Oh, I am horrible at making potions," Bianca confessed.
"It's okay, I can teach you. I used to have a pretty good tutor."
"Then you are lucky," Bianca said.
Albus nodded shortly. "I was. It's actually not that difficult to make. I know a few tricks that work better than what the book tells you."
"It will take long?" Bianca questioned.
"No, only about an hour or so. Maybe less."
"Oh."
Albus looked at Bianca sideways. Her hair was pulled into a high ponytail on top of her head, showing off her high cheekbones. She was striking, and picturesque, and uncomplicated. Three things Albus definitely liked in a woman. "Do you miss France?" he asked.
Bianca nodded, and then shrugged. "If they say we are safe here, then it is better to be here than in France," Bianca reasoned. "I know I will go back someday so this is like a… vacation."
"That's a good way to look at it," Albus agreed.
"And I wouldn't not have met you if I did not leave France," Bianca added with a shy smile.
"An even better way to look at it. You can't meet fit, charming boys at Beauxbatons."
Bianca shook her head. "No, you cannot."
Albus carefully helped Bianca add ingredients to the potion. If Bianca could manage to be positive about the situation, then why couldn't' he? Given, he had a deeper insight to it than she didn't, but perhaps that didn't have to matter so much.
"That's a nice bracelet," he said, glancing down at her wrist. She wore a jeweled bracelet covered with alternating blue and white gems.
Bianca glanced down at the bracelet frowning as if she'd forgotten she was wearing it. "Thank you," she said beaming. "It belonged to my great grandmother. She always said it was good luck to her."
"Yeah, my dad had something like that," Albus said conversationally.
Bianca's nose wrinkled. "A bracelet?" she questioned.
"No, no no. He had um… a cloak." He didn't dare mention what sort of cloak it was. It still bothered him greatly his father's invisibility cloak was missing. He knew he'd have to break the bad news eventually, especially considering whoever had it made it apparent they had plans to use it against him.
"A lucky cloak?" Bianca questioned, still appearing confused.
"Erm… yeah, it was made out of a rare fabric," he said vaguely. "it was in his family for a long time too."
Bianca nodded slowly, as if she were considering something. "That is something we have in common, then," she smiled.
Scorpius greeted Maxima with a despondent kiss and took the seat across from her at the long, golden table. She was dressed in austere violet robes and her hair was pulled back with a matching ribbon. She seemed to look right through him.
"Are you all right?" his father questioned as he took the seat beside him.
Scorpius nodded. "I'm fine. This just isn't exactly the most fun part of a marriage."
Draco nodded, looking down at his son. "I understand. But it's necessary."
Blaise shuffled through the stack of parchment. "Where's your lawyer, Draco?" he questioned, handing a quill to Maxima.
"I didn't bring him. I doubt you'd try to cheat us," he said with a smile.
"Hardly," Blaise chuckled. He handed a long sheet to Scorpius. "This is just to say once you two are married you have the right to make all legal decisions regarding Maxima's health and welfare."
Scorpius glanced at Maxima before signing. She sat rod-straight, and she gazed beyond him at the wall. He signed the parchment. He continued to sign them as Blaise handed them to him. Blaise and Draco were engaged in a light conversation about a few of their colleagues, occasionally cracking jokes and laughing. Maxima just sat there. He wanted to say something to her, but he wasn't sure what to say in front of their fathers. He wasn't even sure what the matter was.
"This one transfers a third of her inheritance to your personal accounts to compensate you for her living expenses," Blaise says despondently. "That one confirms that you expect her to give you children, and this one confirms the date of the wedding. Maxima, you'll have to sign that one as well."
Scorpius signed contract after contract and each time he did, the fact that he was going to marry her became even more real. Well, by the looks of the contracts, it seemed as if he was going to own her. He promised himself he'd still allow her her freedom, though.
"Maxima?" Blaise questioned. "Go ahead and sign it."
Maxima moved slowly to pick up her quill.
"Actually, can we have a moment?" Scorpius questioned, looking to his father, then to Blaise.
"Sure," Draco nodded. "I could use a drink." Blaise followed Scorpius' father out of the private room. When the two of them were alone, Scorpius gave his fiancé an earnest look.
"What's the matter?" He questioned.
"Nothing," Maxima said quietly. She looked distracted.
"You look beautiful."
"Thank you." Maxima looked down at her lap.
"We don't have to go through with this if you don't want."
"I know."
Scorpius frowned. "Do you want to marry me?"
Maxima looked up at him. Her expression looked pained and wistful. He wondered what had happened that she wasn't sharing. "Yes, I want to marry you." Maxima picked up her quill and signed her sheet of parchment. It was official now. The two of them were getting married and neither of them could go back on it.
"I was starting to doubt you did."
Maxima's eyes narrowed. "Why have you been confiding in Rose and not me?" she questioned, a look of pain on her face.
Scorpius frowned in return. He didn't see his speaking to Rose as such a big deal. "We're forced to spend a lot of time together," he said evenly. "It just came up. It isn't like I'm sharing my personal life with her or taking her to Hogsmeade."
"Why are you so threatened by Albus?" Maxima questioned. "He was kind to me, and he never did anything other than listen to me. Do you not want that for me?"
"No, I. It just seemed to me that he liked you. I was worried about losing you," Scorpius admitted. At first, he hadn't paid it any mind but slowly, his jealousy for Albus grew. Her smile had always seemed wider when he was around. She always appeared to be engaged in her conversation with him, like she was present. He was only ever lucky to get so much from her.
Maxima clenched her jaw. "You won't," she said calmly.
"I've always loved you," Scorpius said gently. "I knew I did when we were younger. You've always been so patient, and so kind, and you've never complained about anything. I need you by my side," he said gently. He'd been closer to Maxima than anyone else in his entire life. Why wouldn't he want to marry her? If not her, he didn't think he'd find anyone else who qualified for that position.
"I love you too," Maxima said in a strained voice.
"None of this paperwork means anything," Scorpius assured her. "I promise." He leafed through the ridiculous amount of papers he'd been told to sign. He stopped, frowning deeply at one contract in particular. It didn't make any sense.
"What's wrong?" Maxima questioned, showing interest for the first time since they'd been there.
"This clause in the contract about combining our assets," Scorpius answered, still staring at the parchment.
Maxima got up, moving around the edge of the table until she was standing beside Scorpius. He pointed to the line in the parchment and read aloud. "'All objects considered to be of a dark or illegal nature, including but not limited to jewelry, heirlooms, portraits, and other objects shall be considered property of the husband, whose signature is below'."
"That doesn't make any sense," Maxima said in disbelief. Scorpius didn't understand it either. It seemed like a covert attempt, but definitely not something that made any sense on the part of neither Maxima nor Mr. Zabini. "We don't own any dark objects."
"I'm sure if your family does, you don't know about them," Scorpius said mindfully.
Maxima frowned at her fiancé. "What exactly does that mean?" she questioned.
"It doesn't mean anything. Perhaps this is just a standard contract. Do you know who made it?"
"My father and his team," Maxima answered. "Which is why it doesn't make any sense. He wouldn't do this to you, or to me."
"I know, Scorpius said. "It doesn't make much sense to me either."
Maxima bit her lip. "Well, are you going to sign it?"
Scorpius nodded. "I've signed everything else, I don't have much of a choice. Also, if we play ignorant to this, it might buy us some time to see what exactly it's about." Scorpius signed the parchment.
"I could have just asked my father," Maxima protested. "I'm sure he would have explained everything. Or do you not trust him suddenly?"
"Of course, I do," Scorpius said earnestly. "I just don't want to put him on the spot. He may not even know about it."
"I'm sure he would," Maxima protested. "What do you want me to do about it? This could get you into trouble."
"It won't," Scorpius assured Maxima gently. "Believe me, this is the best thing to do, and just keep quiet about it. Do you believe me?"
Maxima nodded. "I have to," she said. Scorpius stood and kissed her forehead. Of course, the clause in the contract had taken him aback. But he wasn't going to cause a scene before he even had a reason to panic. It could have been in there for multiple reasons. It could have been standard. Or maybe Maxima's father was protecting himself from the perceived threat of joining assets with his family. That seemed to be the response that made the most sense. And if he was wrong, perhaps he and Maxima could find out exactly which dark objects were being transferred to him before he took the fall. It was a risky move, but a necessary one as well.
"I'm going to get our fathers."
Albus opened his bedroom door and pulled off his practice robes. Quidditch practice had been especially rough that day. They were brushing up for their match against Slytherin, something he couldn't wait for. He and Lily always loved playing against their cousins, it proved to be good competition. He shrugged off his robes and balled them up to put in his laundry. When he turned around he jumped and let out a yell. Bianca was lying on his bed in a silk nightgown, staring at him with a suggestive smile.
"Did I frighten you?" she questioned.
Albus shook his head, trying to return his heartbeat to its normal rate. "No, no, it's fine."
"As are you. Come to me."
Albus couldn't help the stupid smile that crossed his face. He crossed the room and met Bianca with a kiss. "You look gorgeous."
"Thank you. Were you just playing?" she questioned.
Albus nodded. "Rough practice today. I was going to shower but you… came early."
"Should I leave?" Bianca questioned with a small pout.
Albus shook his head vigorously. "No, of course not."
"Good," Bianca smiled and kissed him again. "I like you like this… sweaty."
"Well, great, because I'm sweaty all the time," Albus said. He moved Bianca's hair from her face. Her eyes were enchanting, and her features were delicate and fairy-like. She smelled fresh and clean like baby powder maybe… or flowers. He flinched as her cool fingers reached under him and pulled his shirt out of his belt.
He kissed her over and over, too deeply intoxicated in her to stop himself. "Should we…?" Bianca questioned slowly.
Albus grinned. "I thought that was the reason you came."
"It was," Bianca smiled back. "But you are so sweaty… may I use your blanket?"
Albus nodded absentmindedly.
Bianca picked up the decorative silk cloth beside her and reached up to dab it over Albus' face. When his face disappeared completely, she screamed. "Your face is gone!" she shouted frantically, pushing Albus off of him.
Albus quickly grabbed his father's invisibility cloak from her. He stared at it in disbelief. How had it been returned to him, and why?
"Bianca, calm down," Albus said coolly. "It's not a blanket. It's… it's…"
Bianca breathed heavily in shock, her hand over her heart. "I know what it is! It is an invisibility cloak!" She shrieked. "This was your father's cloak you were telling me about, no?"
Albus sat up on the bed and nodded. "Yes, but you can't tell anyone about this. They're very rare."
"I know this," Bianca said. "If it is rare maybe you should not have it on your bed for anyone to touch," she admonished.
Albus wasn't sure how to explain to her that he hadn't left the cloak on his bed. That his entire room had been ransacked and the cloak had been stolen just for it to be returned neatly and folded on his bed.
"You're right," he said instead. "I should put this up," he said, standing up with the cloak. A small note fell out of it, and he crouched down to pick it up.
If you want her to remain safe: Edge of the Forbidden Forest, Midnight.
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