Chapter 9 – West Wing
Scorpius Malfoy stared up at the fountain that was in the middle of the courtyard.
He began to hear the distant laugh of woman he thought he could trust so long ago. It was just a few months ago she stood before this fountain and told him everything...everything she had done to him.
He had wished she had cheated on him that would have made things easy. Instead, she was the one who turned him in.
Rose and Lily were walking alone in the corridor one Tuesday afternoon.
"So, I finally learned how to grade papers in Arithmacy, but the only thing is that people are missing the whole concept of how to add things up the right way," Lily said as Rose nodded off.
"I mean, the Professor is just not explaining it right to them. He writes all this stuff on the board for them to copy down in their notes, but it does them no good. I just don't understand how he is still a teacher. He doesn't exactly teach."
"Are you just saying he is horrible or are kids actually complaining about him?" Rose asked.
"I heard a few nasty comments about him and a few students have already dropped out of the class."
"And you think you're better?" Rose asked.
"I don't want to sound arrogant, but at least I would teach them what I know of Arithmacy much better than he can."
"Then perhaps, you should form some secret organization to help the ones who struggling out that way you can help them understand it better and you could always disguise it as a club, being a teacher and all."
"Oh, great idea. People will know for sure I'm famous Harry Potter's daughter," Lily said with amusing sarcasm. Rose smiled.
"Potter, don't you have notes to take?" said a familiar voice. Lily looked up to see Scorpius Malfoy almost passing them by.
Did he hear us?
"Do you always have to interfere with my conversations? And if you must know I was just discussing statistics with Miss Salewey, you see Malfoy, she is very interested in studying Arthimacy unlike all those boils and uck you teach them in Potions. I think she'd make a wonderful, er, Arithmagician."
Hmm, maybe not. He doesn't seem to know anything.
"But you're only a student-teacher."
Lily narrowed her eyes at him, "So? Your point?" She never did like him. I guess it had to do with teasing me in the past.
Scorpius smirked at her, "Well, it seems to me, perhaps, that Miss Salewey might be interested in other things other than Arithmacy, like she seems rather fond of Potions these days."
"Oh, does she now?" Lily asked looking over at Rose. Rose blushed and looked away.
"Oh yes, in fact, I came over here to ask if Miss Salewey would be so kind in helping me with our next project. We will be brewing one of the most powerful potions that I will need assistance in setting up," Rose heard Lily snort.
"Oh, er, ssure," Rose stuttered, "I would be delighted," she added politely.
Scorpius looked a bit surprised Rose agreed to help him, "Well, alright then. I'll see you this Thursday night," Rose was about to answer when Lily cut in.
"Sorry, she has detention. In fact, that was what we were going over." Rose looked at Lily surprised. Yes, she was scared to be in the same room with Scorpius in case he ever found out who she was, but she was willing to try to be brave and even if he did find out she can explain to him in a mature way what she is doing here, plus it wouldn't be too bad to be in the presence of a well handsome man...even if he was the world's biggest prat back in the day. What on Earth was going through my head? Who invaded my mind? Brave? Me?
"Oh, detention? What happened?" Scorpius asked.
"It's none of your business," Lily snapped at him.
Rose remembered Lily telling her she must be someone different or put herself out there more.
"I'm available Friday." Rose piped up. She can feel Lily's eyes at the back of her neck. She didn't care. She was stepping out of her comfort zone, just as she had advised her to do.
Scorpius smiled as if he had won the Quidditch Cup, "Excellent, I will see you then, now I must get to a Professor's meeting before I'm late."
"Pity." Lily grumbled. Scorpius said farewell to us and when he did so to Rose, she saw his eyes linger on hers a bit longer. She couldn't help, but feel a bit of a flutter.
After he was gone and out of ear-shot, Rose turned around to look at Lily, "I'm available Friday," she mimicked Rose, then narrowed her eyes at her, "You're available Friday? What gives?" Rose blushed, Lily was the only one who knew she had a crush on him and she knew now that she still felt the same way.
"What can you honestly see in him? He's an arse." Lily said disgustedly.
"I can't help who I fancy, Lils," Rose looked down.
"Wish you could. Think of what Grandpa Weasley would say."
Rose crossed her arms, "And frankly, I don't give a rats arse. I make my own choices and if Dad and Grandpa Weasley don't like it then too bad," Rose had no idea where this anger came from. It bursted out of her like an open flame.
"Well, alright then," Lily said, folding her arms across her chest.
"Look, Lily…" Rose began to explain.
"Oh, no, you're on your own with this one. I can't guide you past a crush or through a crush." Rose frowned at Lily's words. But then Lily smiled and said:
"Not unless you introduce me to your good-looking boss."
It was Friday and Rose was starting to feel sick to her stomach. Most of it had to do with that she would have to meet with Scorpius Malfoy, alone, in the darkness of the Potions room, but her sickness could also be because of the Weasley Wizarding Wheezes sweets she ate just ten minutes ago.
She was starting to have second thoughts. She told no one of where she would be, but some people, like Belle, were curious as to where she would be on a Friday night that requires some form of homework.
She knew that Belle wasn't convinced enough of where she was heading so she pretended to grab as many books as she could and walked out the Eagle entrance.
She went the longest way possible just in case someone decided to follow her. She made quick turns and went through secret passages her cousins told her about throughout the years she had gone to school.
Luckily enough, she didn't get lost, that was her main concern. She also was glad nobody seemed to have followed her.
She especially had avoided the Slytherin corridor, in case they found the time to hex her or something for even entering their domain.
She knocked hesitantly at the dungeon door.
"Come in!" She heard someone call from inside. She took a deep breath and opened it. That was then she started to realize that what if this was some kind of trap.
What if he found who I was? What this was someone way of mocking of who she was? Was he to be trusted? What exactly was I doing here? I'm such an idiot. Too late now…
Rose peeked in and saw Scorpius examining a Potion up close. He had these small goggles on and he was writing things down fast.
Oh Merlin, he's going to poison me! I knew I should have made up some kind of will.
Scorpius looked up to meet Rose's petrified face.
"You can come in and sit down," he said inviting her to sit opposite of where he is sitting, "I promise I won't bite."
Rose hesitantly walked to the seat he was indicating to, still unsure of why she came in the first place. She sat down.
She started to drum her fingers nervously on her lap.
Scorpius had gone back to examining the potion. He then let out a sigh and pushed the potion aside.
"Sorry, about that Miss Salewey, I was just experimenting, but apparently I can't read my own handwriting from the notes I took back when I was in training." Rose nodded knowingly. "So, you know why you're here." Rose looked up at him.
"Actually, I don't," Rose said. Scorpius blinked. "I mean, you said something about a project, but I don't know why you want my help."
"I thought you already knew." He said. Rose shook her head slowly. "Well, considering you are one of the best in my classes, I thought this would be a great opportunity for you to expand your interest in Potions." When Rose didn't respond, Scorpius continued, "Well, you haven't missed any of my classes, and you perform almost every potion I assign perfectly…"
"Almost?" Rose smiled weakly and for the first time Scorpius smiled back at her. Not a smirk or a jeer, but a genuine smile. It was nice, Rose thought.
"There are some things that you could work on and since you're a seventh year in an advanced Potions class, it is my job to persuade you in the course that you may be best suited for. So, this project may or may not help you with your potion making skills and if you do so follow in the path of a potions master, this may be something worthwhile." Scorpius waited for her to respond.
Rose was confused about this Scorpius. He was just so different from the years he encountered him at Hogwarts. "It sounds great, honestly it does, but you still haven't answered my question. Why me?I mean Belle is incredibly smart. She would love this opportunity to learn extra Potion and even so with a personal Professor all to herself. And even though Bernice cares more about her appearance than schoolwork does an exceptionally well job when she's in your class. I don't see why you're asking for my help when there are so many other students qualified."
Scorpius didn't seem to have an answer for her right then and there.
"I don't know perhaps you remind me of someone." Scorpius paused for a moment, "She was bleeding brilliant."
Rose didn't know what to say at first. Part of her was screaming in joy that he remembered her the other part was wishing she would jsut find some excuse and leave before he figured out who she was. She had built up enough courage just to come here and do her job. She didn't have enough to repeat the horrible years she had when she was younger.
"What was she like?" Rose asked.
Scorpius stared at her for a moment, "Well, she was a lot like you only she was quiet, shy, didn't have much friends, and a bit...geeky," he looked at her sideways hoping he would catch something from her fixed stare, but not even a flick of difference registered in her face.
"Oh," was all she said.
"Well, shall we get started?" He asked.
Rose nodded, "Of course." Scorpius nodded once and turned around walking toward a table filled with steaming potions. Rose followed behind him.
"Now, these I'm sure you can identify easily," he pointed to the potions they were studying in class. "But this potion, should be rather difficult," he said pointing to one at the very end.
Mustard yellow steam floating from within. Rose looked at it. Scorpius motioned for her to look at it closer. So she did.
As she moved closer, warmth spread around her. It felt so good to her especially when she was down in cold dampness of the dungeons.
"Enlightening Potion," she said softly.
"Good," Scorpius said behind her, which made her jump a bit.
The one beside it, Rose knew very well. It was a mother-of-pearl sheen with spiraling wisps of steam. She refrained from getting close.
The Amortentia potion was a potion not to mess with. She knew her scents already, which were quite embarrassing to admit to anyone especially to the bully who tormented her in the past; the one standing behind her.
"The Amortentia potion?" Rose asked him. Scorpius looked at the potion as well.
"Yes," He said now looking at the last two potions on the table.
The last onewas odorless and had no color to it at all. Rose looked at the last potion. She bit her lip. She had no idea what potion this was. Rose pursed her lips together trying to think what the potion was.
"Strengthening Potion?" Rose asked.
"Wrong," Scorpius said. "This is Veritaserum. We will-"
"Professor! Professor Malfoy!" Came a voice from the doorway. They both looked up to see a small boy who looked like he had sprinted up to the seventh floor and back. "There's a fight! There's a fight going on outside. They're using wands!"
Scorpius shook his head at the boy. Of course they were using wands.
He turned to Rose, "I'll be back. In the meantime, get the ingredients together to start the Veritaserum Potion. Set up the potion and supplies then wait for my return." Rose nodded.
As soon as Scorpius left, Rose went over to the Ingredients cabinet to find all the ingredients she needed to make the Veritaserum potion. When she opened the Potions book she found discarded in a bookshelf way off to the east side of the classroom she realized she was missing an ingredient.
Rose doubled back to find the ingredient she was looking for. However, she was distracted. In a closet not far from where she was there was a brilliant emerald glow penetrating into the classroom.
Curious Rose continued toward the light. All that was in the closet was a potion that looked to be recently brewed. Rose examined the potion closely to see if she can detect what it was.
Frustrated, she used her finger to try and feel its texture. However, the potion seemed to have its own shield to conceal what really lied beyond its borders. There was only one potion she knew that had that.
"What are you doing in here?" Came a voice behind her. Rose turned around to see Scorpius standing there furiously staring at her.
"I was just-"
"This area is off limits, you hear me? Off limits," Scorpius shouted at her, "Get out. Get out, NOW!"
Rose didn't have to be told another second longer. She was out the door no sooner than he could have asked for.
Scorpius looked deep within the potion he kept well hidden until Arielle Salewey discovered its location. It has been almost an entire year since his breakup with Evie and he was only just beginning to pull himself together again. He pretended that he and Evie had been going out until just recently so that his friend wouldn't try and set him up with his fiance's silly friends.
He remembered their time spent around the courtyard. He had thought she was happy with him. But, a woman wouldn't have turned him in if she had been happy with him. He tried to think what he did was wrong. Sure, at times, he was a complete arse to her. However, never meant any harm. She just took things too personally.
Now, he was stuck here...at this horrid school and he wasn't ever going to leave this place unless the real person who commited the crime that he had been accused of would step forward. Chance of that happening? Slim to none.
There was nothing he could do. Just a bit of misused magic and he would be stripped of it all for all eternity. It was him against the world.
