"Alright Ladies! Gather round." Came the brisk voice of Sarah Finnigan, Roses' boss.
Rose sat herself down in the circle of ten women who made up the team of Witches magazine. Pens in hand and scrapbooks on laps, the ladies turned their attention to Miss Finningan.
"Right then. Rose, you've done a fantastic job with your column over these four years but I do wish to make a few changes."
Roses' heartbeat sped up as she watched Finningan run her eyes over the ladies faces. She was SO comfortable with her column!
"Ah yes. Of course. I forgot. Natalie!" a young girl came through the door, slightly nervous.
"Ladies I would like you to meet Natalie Froman. She will be joining our tea,."
The women gave her warm smiles and made a seat for her.
"Natalie. You will be taking over Miss Weasley's How-to column and Rose dear – oh for goodness sake don't look like your world just ended. You're a professional! And I know you'll be good at this – politics." She finished with a wide grin, her eyes sparkling.
"Politics in Witches magazine. Finningan?" said Lucy Hendricks, looking rather sceptical.
"Yes why not! Witches should know just as much about the political scene as the wizards do."
"Finningan."
"Yes, Rose."
"What brought up this new idea. You didn't throw it at the board to discuss."
Silence.
Finningan placed her hands together, letting her fingertips touch, eyebrows forrowed in thought and lips pursed.
"Now ladies…"
She looked up at them sharply.
"For me to be where I am today, only about six to ten years your senior and holding such a job, I'm good at what I do – I study the undercurrents of society, talk about it, write about it, make you write about it and everybody wants to know about it – The magazine sells."
Pause.
The next time she spoke, there was a serious edge to her tone.
"Undercurrents have recently shown that the Terminators are on the rise…as journalists I trust you read the newspapers…not just the Daily Prophet." Pause. "AND" she looked straight at Rose. "A source has informed me that the young Mr Malfoy was seen at The Hooves pub in Diagon Alley. Quite an unlikely place for a Malfoy. He was in the company of two others. Rose. I want you to find out more. Mr Malfoy's mother was killed by the Terminators and he, from what I heard, is a man of strong character. I want to know what's happening. It could be nothing. It could be something. You find out and you write about it. That's all for today. Everyone else carry on as per normal. Drafts on my table by the end of the week. Dismissed."
The room cleared out but Rose remained. Finnigan raised an eyebrow at Rose in question.
"Look Finnigan. I am acquainted with Malfoy."
"Oh good for you. That would make things so much easier." She returned her attention to her work.
"No. It won't. He'll realise I'm writing about him."
"Unless he swings that way, love, I doubt he'll be reading our magazine." she replied boredly.
Rose was slowly loosing her cool but she took a deep breath.
"Finnigan, I won't do it."
Finnigan's eyes snapped up to meet Roses'.
"Rose. You're a professional. You will." And she walked out.
Rose's letter reached Scorpius in the evening as he reached his Hogsmeade apartment with Scott and Kyle. He frowned and crushed it up quickly upon reading it. Meeting her this soon wasn't quite part of his plan. He inserted the key into the lock and turned, very much aware of the bickering twins behind him.
"We should."
"We shouldn't."
"I think we should."
"I think we shouldn't."
"Shut up, prat."
"No you shut up."
"Scorp what do you think?"
"Haven't a clue what the two of you are squabbling about." He replied, dropping his bag down by the door and making his way through the fully furnished appartment. It was two stories with an open air area on top that looked over Hogsmeade. The first floor had a sitting room, a dining room, a huge kitchen, and a huge underground looking spareroom which had an entrance carefully hidden under the staircase. The second floor held the master bedroom with a connected bathroom, a guest room with a connected bathroom, a study with a library, and a large room with light wooden floors lined with long french windows and a single piano in it.
"Interesting." Commented Kyle.
"Apparently we're not the only ones who know that ol' Scorp plays the instrument." Smirked Scorpius.
The boys made their way up to the third level. Glass rimmed in dark wood surrounded the room that they entered. It was richly carpeted with a beatiful Turkish lamp hanging from the top but other than that, bare of furniture. They opened the doors and walked out onto the rooftop. Looking over the ledge, Hogsmeade sprawled wide and far on the right side. Moving towards the left, vast landa stretched out far and beyond – the Hogsmeade countryside. Basically, breathtaking.
"I could live here forever." Said Scott.
"Well you can move into the guest room with Kyle if you like." Replied Scorpius as he made his way back into the house and down the stairs. "This is more than enough space for me."
"Erm no, Scorp. I think you'll be needing it."
Scorpius raised an eyebrow.
"Right." He muttered, reaching the last step, turning the corner, opening the door under the staircase and descending. The twins followed.
"Lumos." Whispered Scorpius, tapping his wand to the wall on his right. Light from his wand rushed passed the walls and round the room, lighting up the torches along the white brick walls. The floor itself was cemented. A large fireplace was directly opposeite the entrance of the room and identical empty shelves were on its left and right.
"This is it." Said Scorpius.
"What?"
"We'll use this room."
"For?"
Scorpius turned around to face his best friends then summoned chairs from the dining room.
"Sit." He motioned to the chairs as he took a seat in one himself and soundproofed the room. "I did not come back solely to complete my wizarding education."
"No shit!"
"No, no shit." He replied with a slight smile. "I came back because eversince my mothers' death, I have been keeping track of the killings of the Terminators. And its too many. The Daily Prophet does not report them. Pure blood families…and well all of them have been pure blood families…that have been affected, rather keep the reasons for the deaths silent. Privacy they say. That and the fact that we all know that they do not want any connections with their past affiliation with Voldermort. The deaths have increased. My mothers' death was one in two years of silence from the Terminators but within the past year, the Goyle's have been attacked, Lethals, Notts. There is no reason to not expect an increase. There is no valid reason for the deaths of innocent members of these families with fools for ancestors."
Silence.
All three boys were thinking about their own fathers.
"And you want this to stop."
"Yes."
"I'm in."
"This is big, Scorp?"
"Well no…not yet. Starts with us."
"How big?"
"We'll get people…one by one. See who we can trust."
"I'm in too. What's the plan."
"Reveal them to the wizarding world. Who they really are. Bring justice to the deaths….For me…I want to know who killed my mother and I want him to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban."
The twins looked up at Scorpius. His jaw was set and his eyes determined. They could only agree and the undercurrents of the magical world grew stronger.
