AN: For those readers who have no issue with this story I suggest you skip this AN and go on with the chapter (I do so hope you enjoy it!). But for those who seem to have an issue - listen up:
I had no intentions of saying anything because everyone is entitled to their opinion but after reading a review left on chapter 9 that has left me thoroughly pissed, I feel I must clear some things up. At no point in the writing of this story did I try and equate the claiming of Scorpius to slavery. That was never my intention (seriously WTF?). The purpose of Lacey and Scarlett claiming Scorpius is to show that people can be mean without having a reason. They (Lacey and Scarlett) are doing this simply because they want to take away something that Rose really cares about. And that would be her relationship with Scorpius. They have underestimated her at every turn and her relationship with Scorpius is no different. We have already established that Lacey is a vile, evil little girl and claiming Scorpius is simply another way to hurt Rose. And on the matter of the claim - I am truly surprised that people are only NOW realising that Scorpius has to be claimed...what exactly did you think was going to happen? And I feel I should remind you that this was not the first time that someone (other than Rose) has attempted to claim Scorpius. At no point have I degraded my character and I ask that you rethink such a statement. Furthermore, this is a magical game that takes place in a school of fucking magic! There are NO rules...as I have stated MANY MANY times before. If you find this to be too far fetched and annoying I suggest you stop reading now because chapter 10 will do you no favours. Everything has been a build up to this and I do not intend to disappoint the people who have been enjoying this story.
Now...on to the fun!
The Unveiling
The Unveiling – At last!
The parchment had heated up giving her the location to the Unveiling. She had followed the directions, somewhat disbelievingly. The tree that sat near the Black Lake acted as a magical portal and Rose had to do a little convincing before she slipped through the roots. The tunnel wasn't long, rather well-lit with fairy lights leading all along the damp, earthy walls. She felt herself stumble on the mass of roots at her feet, but once she looked up she realised the path had ended and in its place, was something rather extraordinary.
Rose stood gaping at the scene before her. It was simply incredible! Taking a tentative foot forward, she noticed the awed expressions of the other students entering. They too seemed to be stumbling forth only to be floored by the scene before them.
"Rose!" Someone yelled from behind her before she was tackled by her cousins. Rose laughed as she felt Lily, Lucy and Dominque slide up next to her. Rose was unsurprised to see Lily was still wearing Demitri's claim.
"How freaking awesome is this?!" Lucy gushed.
"Where are we?" Dominque asked looking around.
"I have no idea." Lily answered. "Is that… merpeople?" Lily asked looking to her right.
Rose looked around, noticing the dark massive body of water that seemed to be repelled around by some sort of force. It created almost a dome like structure that they were standing in. Rose looked to where Lily was staring out the dome, she could see what Lily saw… Merpeople and… Grindylows, and they seemed to be staring back at them with equal fascination, and maybe a little irritation. She saw the dark water moving around them, beating ever so slightly on the walls of the dome. It seemed the illustrious Game-Makers had truly out done themselves this time!
"No way," Rose muttered disbelievingly walking further into the dome.
"What?" Lucy asked.
"We're in the Black Lake!" Rose told them. There were several shocked gasps as her cousins finally recognised where they were.
The dome-like structure stretched almost the same length as the Great Hall. Much like the Great Hall, the skies above them held hundreds of floating candles. The candlelight illuminated the movement of the water and creatures of the Lake. It had a few benches spread out near the back and a stage had been set up near what they could only assume was the front. A large tree sat at the furthest end of the stage. There was only one other thing on the stage. A trophy. Gleaming in the night light, it seemed to grab everyone's attentions as they gravitated to the front. Rose looked around and saw everyone coming together, with nothing but pure excitement on their faces. She smiled a little thinking how far their house unity had come.
She noticed Hugo with Louis and a few other friends trying to get a merperson to kiss the dome. A few of her Weasley cousins were scattered about, chatting excitedly. Her eyes scanned the crowd for one person in particular and she was not at all surprised to see him lingering in the corner with Albus. She excused herself from the girls and made her way towards him, just as Albus was turning away.
Albus grinned at her, barely able to contain his excitement. "This is so awesome!" he cried with a look of pure ecstasy on his face. Rose laughed and that seemed to settle him a bit. "Scor says you won't take the chain back" he said suddenly looking very serious. "How do you plan on winning?"
"I have a plan." Rose told him with a little smirk of her own.
"In case you haven't realised, you're kind of out of time, dear cousin." Albus informed her.
"It's alright," she comforted him. "Everything will work out as it is meant to." She advised wisely.
"Have you been sniffing Trelawney's tea leaves again?" Albus asked sarcastically. "He's been claimed by two not-so-brilliant witches and you can't cheat the claim. The Game-Makers know." Albus informed her. Naturally the Game-Makers would be keeping tabs on who was claiming what.
Rose rolled her eyes before swatting her cousin on his arm. "I wasn't planning on cheating Albus!" she scolded. She was counting on the fact that the Game-Makers were keeping tabs on everything. Especially on who claimed what. But she didn't tell Albus that. Instead she settled on berating him a little further. "I plan on winning this fair and square! You're too much of a Slytherin sometimes," Rose said shaking her head.
Albus ignored her jab instead he looked at her and asked, "You have a plan?"
She smiled, "I have a plan."
"Good." He said before eyeing Hugo and Louis' antics. He looked back at Rose trying to gauge what she would say.
Rose merely laughed, "Go," she said watching as he grinned before joining the boys and the merperson. Rose walked over to where Scorpius stood. He gave her a smile as he leaned against a bench. "Do they know that's a male merperson they're trying to kiss?" Rose asked laughing a little.
"No, but I don't think they care either way," Scorpius answered smiling at his friend's antics. "So, you have a plan?" he asked looking at her.
"Yes," she told him confidently.
"Albus was right you know. You can't cheat the claim." He told her.
"I don't plan on cheating." Rose repeated. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing." She assured him.
"Other devious traits then?" Scorpius questioned.
"Something like that." Rose admitted. There was a shuffling in the front. "I think it's time."
"So, it would seem," Scorpius said. Rose had to hold back her laughter at the look of utter misery on his face. It only got worse when a third person joined them.
"There you are Scorp!" Lacey's voiced reached them, making both Heads flinch a little. "Ah I see you've found Rose a bench to sit on and console her losses. How sweet!" She said sarcasm dripping from every word. "Time's up Rosie, and just as I predicted you're nothing but full of empty threats!"
Rose gritted her teeth but said nothing. She tried focusing on her plan and that seemed to calm her down a bit.
"Come on then Scorp!" Lacey said gleefully looping her arm through his and dragging a very reluctant Scorpius with her.
Rose left the bench and meandered through the crowd, trying to find Lily and the girls once more. she found them, unsurprisingly very close to the front.
"Oh about time!" Lucy said, "We thought you wouldn't stay."
"Why wouldn't I stay?" Rose asked.
"Because well…" Lucy started.
"Because Lacey thinks she's won?" Rose asked.
"Rose, you haven't claimed him!" Lily said frustrated. "She has won! I go through all this trouble and you let her win!" Lily huffed.
Rose simply chuckled. Thankfully their attention was called to the front.
The candlelight dimmed a little as the trophy started glowing. The trophy glowed more brightly with each passing second until wisps of different colours appeared. More and more the wisps grew, the colours bolder and mystical. All at once, green and silver; blue and bronze; scarlett and gold and yellow and black wisps poured out from the top of the trophy. The colours of the four Hogwarts houses ran steady and the stage was filled with its magical colour. But soon enough even the stage was overflowing with these mystical colours and spilled over into the crowd of students.
There was an excited audible gasp followed by a sound that could only be described as the roof caving in on them before all the lights went out. The moonlight streaming through the dark water of the Black Lake filled the dome, as the wisps began dancing about on the stage. Higher and higher the colours rose, moving in a circle as they did so.
"Welcome Mischief Makers!" A voice thundered throughout the dome. "Please give a hearty Hoggy Warty Hogwarts welcome to your Game–Makers!"
The wisps dispersed at these words revealing two cloaked figures standing in the middle of the stage. Their cloaks were a splendid purple that sported spinning gold stars all over it, sweeping the floor with its long length. Their hoods were drawn up concealing their faces and Rose suspected another charm over their faces that helped hide away their identity. Their thick cloaks did a very good job on concealing who they really were and apart from the charm to hide their faces it seemed like another had been used to disguise their voices.
"Welcome to this year's Unveiling!" the first Game–Maker called out earning a loud cheer from the Mischief Makers. "What an amazing Hunt it has been this year, wouldn't you say so Thames?" The first Game–Maker asked his fellow Game–Maker.
"Indeed, it has!" Thames, the second Game-Maker heartily agreed. "Never have we seen a Hunt quite like this Jedi," Thames answered.
"And now," Jedi, the first Game–Maker, said filling the crowd of Mischief Makers with anticipation, "The time has come!"
"To find out who is the best amongst you," Thames said.
"Claiming a treasure is easy enough," Jedi told them. "But keeping that treasure is in itself another game. Our records," he said and with a flourish pulled out a long piece of parchment from the depths of his robes, "Has shown a lot of treasure hopping between you Mischief Makers!"
"Remember, the records do not lie!" Thames informed them. "If you have claimed and managed to keep a particular treasure it will be here." Thames said pulling out a list of his own from his own pocket. "Uhm… wrong list!" he said throwing the parchment over his shoulder.
"Really Thames! I told you to keep it safe!" Jedi scolded.
"I did!" Thames objected. Striding over to where Jedi stood, Thames reached out and put his hands into the other Game–Makers pockets, "Aha!" he cried pulling out the list. "See, safe!" Thames said holding the parchment victoriously.
Jedi huffed rather dramatically, "Shall we proceed Thames?" he asked.
"Yes! What an idea, Jedi!" Thames agreed. "Let's bring forth the treasures!"
With a flourish of their wands, Jedi and Thames had all the treasures neatly aligned at the front of the stage. The various treasures sat along the stage. The painting of Sir Waldorf seemed rather perturbed to see so many students looking back at him while Merlin's book lay not too far from him. Demitri cast an eye to Lucy and Dominique who could only smirk at him. The One-Eyed Witch's Statue had appeared in what seemed like a sea of spoons with the quidditch trophy placed strategically in her hand, a few spoons jutting out from the trophy too. Mrs Norris hissed viciously within her cage as Peeves continued to antagonise her from the outside; Fluffy was tied down to the tree at the far end of the stage, a magical flute playing softly for him. The Giant Squid had been brought back to its original size and it bobbed back and forth in the massive bowl at the other end of the stage. The Skrewts fought and fired away in their cages. The mermaids had been contained so their tales dipped into a tank of water at the base of the stage, and much to Rose's displeasure they seemed rather intent on flirting with Scorpius who was leaning casually against the stage, petting the Unicorn that sat calmly beside him. He looked up and flashed a very charming, very Malfoy smile that had even the mermaids swooning.
Rose grumbled and scowled at him. Naturally he had to look perfectly gorgeous, standing there, on display in front of the entire school with his blonde hair falling into his eyes as he casually petted one of the most magical creatures on earth! He caught her gaze and winked before turning back to the Unicorn.
"Trust Scorpius Malfoy to charm a unicorn," Lucy said with a little giggle.
"Better the unicorn than the bloody mermaids," Rose grouched.
"Jealous Rose?" Lily teased. Rose could only huff and turned back to the stage.
"What a loot you've managed to collect, Mischief Makers!" Jedi congratulated. He pulled two rather long silver spoons out from the Quidditch Cup. He tossed one to Thames who caught it with ease. "On Guard!" Jedi called as they both took rather dramatic fencing positons. They clashed spoons a few times before Thames spoke.
"Jedi," he called.
"Thames," he replied stopping his assault.
"Should we announce the victorious ones?" Thames asked.
"Excellent idea Thames!" Jedi applaud. He put the spoon into his robe and looked at his list. Both Game- Makers grinned before crumpling the list in their hands. Everyone watched as Thames threw his ball of crumpled parchment to Jedi before holding onto his spoon like a beater's bat.
"Ready Thames?" Jedi asked.
"Ready Jedi," Thames said. In two quick motions, Jedi threw the balls of parchment at Thames, who whacked them into the air. They flew a fair distance before bursting alight and showering the Mischief Makers with dust. There was a round of excited squeals before everyone turned their attention back to the two Game-Makers.
"Excellent shot Thames!" Jedi applauded as Thames bowed. "Now Thames and I will point our wands at the treasures you've collected and above it will appear the names of those who've claimed it." Jedi explained. "The records never lie, and the rest of the unveiling will be a surprise for us all!" Jedi proclaimed excitedly. "Who claimed what will be just as much a surprise for you as it will be for Thames and I!"
"Remember that the Hunt was never created simply for the purposes of winning but also that you should have fun," Thames said turning to the crowd. "And we hope… or rather we know you lot have had a lot of fun with the shopping list this year!"
The crowd laughed and then Jedi cleared his throat gaining their attention once more. He moved through the treasures on the stage before coming to stop before the One-Eyed Witch's Statue.
"Thames," Jedi called. "Was she always this ugly?" he asked.
"Yes," Thames answered not looking up from where he was trying to pet Mrs. Norris. "Blasted cat," he muttered before walking over to join Jedi.
"All right let's see," Jedi said, as he and Thames raised their wand's, pointing it at the statue. The statue glowed a little recognising the unveiling charm the Game- Makers has placed on it, "This hideous thing was claimed by… ah bless their souls!" He cried as the names appeared in bold gold lettering above the statue. There was a thick silence as everybody waited with baited breathe.
Dominque & Lucy Weasley appeared in a beautiful cursive hand.
There was a loud cheer at this and the two girls grinned. "So onto the score board you go!" Jedi said and waved his wand to the middle of the stage, where a magical scoreboard appeared. "Well done girls!"
"Next!" Thames called as he and Jedi raised their wands to the next treasure. The spoons glowed a little too before the invisible hand wrote the names.
Demitri Malfoy & Louis Weasley, the gold lettering read.
"I'm sure you boys had the house elves in quite the frazzle," Jedi said but his words were hard to hear over the cheering. "Onto the scoreboard mates!" he called point his wand to the scoreboard. No points had been given yet, that would be the last reveal.
"Ah the oh so lovely Skrewts! Thames said as they came to stand before the cage. Both Game-Makers were careful to stand a safe distant from the fiery devils. They nodded and pointed their wands in unison at the creatures. The glow seemed to set of another blast from the Skrewts and Jedi and Thames had to jump back several paces.
Henry McLaggen Albus Potter, the gold lettering read and there were several gasps and a yell of frustration.
"Oooh! There's some of that treasure hopping! Sorry McLaggen! But it seems Potter gets the credit for this!" Thames said as they added his name to the scoreboard. Albus looked utterly chuffed as Henry McLaggen scowled.
The Game-Makers waltzed over to the two mermaids, their arrival momentarily distracting them from their obvious ogling of Scorpius Malfoy.
"Hello," Jedi said a little flirtatiously and Thames had to whack him upside the head. "Right, sorry," he said focusing once more as they raised their wands to the mermaids. The mermaids remained unflinching, but watched with cautious eyes as the gold lettering appeared above them.
Oberon Zabini & Rhys Pucey, it read. There was a rambunctious applause as their names were added to the scoreboard. Georgina Nott was seen glaring at the mermaids as they waved at Rhys.
Rose cast her eyes to the other side of the stage, where the ever calm Scorpius was watching the proceedings with interest. She frowned a little, thinking he looked too calm having been claimed by Lacey. He looked over and caught her gaze, and that's when Rose saw the slight panic in his expressive eyes. His face was a perfect mask of calm except for his silver eyes. Rose had to bite down her smirk as he gave her a sad little smile before their attention was stolen once more by the Game-Makers.
"Ah good Sir!" Jedi said bowing before the painting of Sir Waldorf the Third.
Sir Waldorf didn't seem all to impressed that he had been removed from the Headmistresses office. "What till she hears about this!" he complained.
"Oh we're counting on that," Jedi said laughing. Once again Jedi and Thames pointed their wands at the painting in unison and what was revealed brought a rather shocked silence.
Lily PotterScarlett Flint Lily Potter
"What the hell!" Flint screeched. "Potter!" she yelled looking across the crowd at a smirking Lily.
"Better luck next time Flint," Lily gloated.
"Well played Miss Potter!" Jedi applauded as she was added to the scoreboard. Thames walked over to the other side of the stage, where the Giant squid was kept.
"Ah! Jedi, Isn't he just the cutest?" Thames gushed tapping the glass of the giant fish bowl in which the Giant Squid was currently contained in.
"I wonder if it still does that thing?" Jedi pondered out loud. "All right let's see who was brilliant enough to claim this beauty!" The Game-Makers pointed their wands at the Giant Squid and soon enough lettering appeared on the outside of the giant bowl.
Louis, Albus & Hugo Weasley, it read.
"Damn! It seems you Weasley's are doing a fine job of dominating the Hunt this year," Thames stated as he added Hugo's name to the scoreboard.
"Well Thames, they practically make up half the student population," Jedi said and there was a rumbling laughter. Nobody could disagree that the Weasley family was without a doubt a very large family.
Thames had wandered off to the front of the stage, picking up something on his way.
"Careful Thames, we wouldn't want you to hurt yourself with that!" Jedi said prying Merlin's Book from his hands.
Thames scoffed. "I think I can handle a little book," he said as the book slipped from his fingers. There was a gasp as Thames tried to catch the fast descending book, his fingers scratching at the leather cover before finally grabbing it mere inches from the floor. "Oops" he said with a sheepish smile looking at Jedi.
"I'll take that thank you," Jedi said taking the book from Thames. "Alright let's see who was smart enough to steal this gem."
Both Game-Makers pointed their wands at the book and a few seconds later it glowed before the cursive lettering revealed the answer.
Demitri Malfoy Dominique & Lucy Weasley, the gold lettering stated.
There were some chuckles and cheering at the revelation. Dominique and Lucy waved a thank you to Demitri who merely rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the laughing Lily beside him.
"Well well well," Jedi said slowly, "How's that for a surprise." He pointed his wand at the scoreboard rectifying the scores with the girl's latest claim.
"Outsmarting a Slytherin," Thames said looking rather impressed. "Not bad girls!"
There was a loud hissing and violent scratching that drew everyone's attention back to the stage.
"Easy there Peeves," Thames said sliding up next to the poltergeist. Someone had very cleverly claimed Peeves in an enchanted lamp. Only the person to rub this lamp would get the genie from hell.
"Very interesting claim," Jedi said inspecting the lamp. "Ready Thames?" he asked. Thames nodded and once again they aimed their wands at the lamp. It glowed and Peeves grinned at the attention he was now receiving.
Demitri Malfoy, the gold lettering revealed.
Jedi whistled, "Well played Mr. Malfoy! Give up the book for Peeves. Very well played."
Demitri smirked and watched as Thames pointed is wand to the scoreboard. Demitri looked around to see his friends clapping and cheering, though it was the very impressed look on his brother, Scorpius' face that had him smiling.
"Are you sure we invited the rest of the school to this year's Hunt?" Jedi asked. "Because all I see are a lot of Weasleys and Malfoys!"
Thames laughed, as did most of the students, "Well with five more treasures to go, let's see if anymore Weasleys managed to claim anything else," Thames said with a knowing smile.
"Ah yes the top five most valuable items on the list!" Jedi said grinning with excitement. "Where do we start?" he asked Thames.
"With our very own resident evil," Thames replied looking at Mrs. Norris' cage with hesitation.
"I can't believe this infernal thing is still alive," Jedi muttered. They took a step forward only for Mrs. Norris to hiss and scratch at the cage violently causing both Game-Makers to jump back.
There was some muttering under the breathe before both wands were aimed at the cat. Mrs. Norris glowed within her cage, meowing her objection before gold names appeared above her.
Charlotte Zabini & Georgina Nott, read the claim.
The cheers for the girls were loud and even had the Game-Makers a little shocked.
"Excellent job girls!" Jedi applauded. "We have to say we were very impressed by your method of claiming this blasted cat!"
"Yes," Thames agreed. "We bow to your creative ingenuity." He said as they both bowed to the girls in the crowd. Jedi was quick to add them to the scoreboard before they moved on up the list.
"Ah! The cup of all glory," Thames said reaching for the Quidditch cup from the statue. He rubbed it affectionately. "Oh I have missed you! Haven't you, Jedi?" he asked.
"Indeed I have," Jedi said looking at the cup a little teary eyed. Thames placed the cup down on the floor before they trained their wands on it. The crowd waited almost impatiently as the lettering revealed who had claimed it.
Demitri & Caius Malfoy, shone brightly above the cup. There was a loud cheer, as the boys were congratulated for their treasure.
"Some excellent sibling work on display here!" Jedi said.
Scorpius looked over to see his two younger brothers looking quite pleased with themselves. He smiled, remembering the conversation he had overheard as they had been stealing the cup. The revelations had put Rose and him firmly in the game and given Scorpius an even playing field. He'd have to thank his brothers for that later.
Jedi and Thames made their way over to where Fluffy lay sleeping.
"I wonder what brave soul is behind his capture," Jedi said.
"I wonder if they still have their face attached." Thames added and then without wasting anymore time they aimed their wands at the giant three-headed-dog, causing him to glow.
Caius Malfoy, it read shocking almost everyone. Demitri clapped his brother proudly on the back as the cheering went down.
"Damn Merlin's left sock!" Jedi exclaimed. "Things are certainly getting interesting for our treasure hunters!"
"Lots of names on that scoreboard Jedi," Thames said looking at the long list of names. The names had been arranged to appear in random order, and no points were revealed next to it. Another surprise for the end. "And we're almost there!"
"Can you believe it?" Jedi asked the students. "At last! Our top two!" he yelled as Thames and him danced their way over to the top two treasures.
Scorpius smiled as the students yelled and cheered. He didn't say anything as Jedi slung an arm around his shoulders. "You've made this quite the Hunt Scorpius Malfoy," Jedi said smirking.
"Apparently you're very sought after," Thames said coming to stand on the other side of him.
Rose watched as Scorpius smirked at Thames, but she could see the worry in his eyes. She took a calming breath as the Game-Makers got ready to reveal who had claimed Scorpius Malfoy.
"Are you ready for this this Jedi?" Thames asked.
"I've been waiting all night for this!" Jedi exclaimed.
Rose looked to her left to see a sickeningly gleeful Lacey moving to stand closer to the front, clearly very ready to claim her treasure. The students waited with baited breathe, anxious beyond any other reveal tonight. It was the one they had all been waiting for.
Rose gritted her teeth and cast her attention back to The Unveiling. The dome filled with a tense silence that had even the Game-Makers very shocked and a little worried. Both, Jedi and Thames moved to stand in front of Scorpius, who now had his full attention on them. His worry began to show a little as they readied their wands. He wanted to shut his eyes or look away but Malfoys never look away. Instead he found and focused on one set of chocolate orbs that stared right back at him, unflinching.
It had felt like the silence had stretched on forever before Scorpius began glowing. His blonde hair looking outrageously white with the glow and his silver eyes, far beyond the magic of anything Rose had ever seen. Loud gasps and gushes were heard as their Head Boy glowed before them as the invisible hand began writing.
Rose Weasley.
That was all they had to see, that was all she needed to know, before all hell broke loose. The students screamed and cheered loudly, the Weasleys, Potters and Malfoys amongst the loudest.
Scorpius looked up confused at the reaction. He stared in disbelief as her name shone brightly above him.
"That's impossible!" Lacey screeched silencing the cheers at once. "I claimed him! He's mine!"
"The records don't lie Weasley," Jedi told her plainly.
"But he's wearing my claim!" she cried point to the ugly chain on his wrist. "I claimed him! She cheated!" Lacey yelled pointing an accusing finger at Rose.
Rose quirked a brow and moved closer to the front but said nothing. Not that Lacey was giving her much of a chance to say anything.
"I played by the rules! I claimed him! He's mine!" Lacey yelled.
"In case you forgot Weasley, there are no rules." Thames told her. "Rose claimed him fair and square."
"But how?" she asked. "My claim doesn't even show up! That's not possible."
The Game-Makers looked at the singular glittering name above Scorpius contemplatively. It was rather strange that Lacey's claim had not come up, even if Rose had been the one to finally claim him, Lacey's claim should be reflected as he was wearing her claim.
"I demand to know how this is possible!" Lacey cried stomping her foot.
Jedi conceded, mainly out of his own curiosity and pulled out another parchment from his robes. Thames joined him as they consulted the records.
"You… never claimed him," Jedi said slowly.
"But he's wearing my claim!" Lacey insisted. "Uugh! Give me that!" she said harshly before yanking the records from his hands and shoving him aside.
Jedi looked thoroughly annoyed but the frustration on Lacey's face killed those feelings quickly. Thames looked about ready to burst out laughing as he looked from the very frustrated Lacey Weasley, to the very confused Scorpius Malfoy to the very calm looking Rose Weasley.
"No… this is wrong!" Lacey stuttered as she read.
"Oh but the records never lie Lacey," Rose said finally stepping forward. She walked towards them, with even steady footsteps before stopping mere feet away from Scorpius and an outraged Lacey.
"But how?" Lacey asked. "How the hell did you manage this?" she asked angrily. "I…I claimed him!"
"Yes but he claimed me," Rose said simply. Lacey looked utterly confused as did Scorpius, and Rose decided it was time to explain. She tugged a little at the scarf around her neck to show the mark Scorpius had made previously. He eyed her curiously and numerous gasps were heard from the people standing closet to them as they saw his mark on her neck too.
"What the hell is that?" Lacey asked. "What has that got to do with anything?"
Rose sighed and moved to pull the scarf from around Scorpius' neck, undoing the glamour he had in place.
"So you gave each other matching hickeys." Lacey stated looking at the marks. "But you can't claim a treasure like that!"
"I gave Scorpius that mark at the very moment he took the chain from my pocket. The enchanted chain recognised that moment as not only me claiming him but as Scor claiming me." Rose explained her smile growing along with a steady blush. "He had the chain on him at all times and because our claim worked both ways any other attempts made on him were nullified."
"That's… impossible!" Lacey cried while everyone looked on very impressed. "You've cheated! And you're letting her get away with it!" Lacey said turning to the Game-Makers. "He's wearing my claim!" she cried stubbornly.
"And mine!" Scarlett Flint cried emerging from the crowd. "What the hell sort of trick is this Weasley?"
"It's not trick, just a bit common sense, some magic and I guess you could call it fate," Rose replied with a smile on her face.
"To hell with you and your fucking fate!" Lacey lashed out. "This is not done!"
"Do something!" Scarlett yelled at the Game-Makers.
"Rose hasn't broken any rules," Jedi explained. "She, in accounts that matter, fairly claimed Scorpius Malfoy." At his words there was another rambunctious cheer and the infuriated screams from Flint and the Other Weasley were drowned out.
Rose looked up to see Scorpius watching her with a smirk. For a moment, the screams from their friends, the yells from the harpies beside her were all silenced as Scorpius looked at her, with a new sort of intensity. A possessive one that had her blushing a lot harder.
"Very well played Red," Scorpius said.
"Like I said, I had no intentions of losing." Rose replied smiling. She noticed that Lacey and Flint were still fighting with the Game-Makers. "Honestly, how daft are you two?" she asked earning a laugh from the crowd behind them. "What don't you get? You never had a chance to begin with." Rose told them.
"And why is that?" Lacey spat.
"Because he was never yours to claim," Rose told her firmly.
"You've both planned this from the start," Scarlett said looking between them. "We never had a chance! How could we if you two were cheating!"
Rose rolled her eyes, "We weren't cheating. I didn't know Scorpius had been put on the list until after I joined."
"No! you're wrong! Everything on the list is fair game!" Lacey said. "And that includes him!" she yelled pointing to Scorpius.
"Ugh!" Rose cried frustrated. "I am going to explain this only once. Scorpius Malfoy was never yours to claim." Rose said slowly as if speaking to a child. "He never was and never will be."
Lacey scowled at her words, not wanting to accept for a moment that she had indeed lost to Rose. She looked ready to challenge her sister again but Rose had decided to put an end to any discussion on the matter of Scorpius Malfoy.
She stepped forward, watching Scorpius as he eyed her curiously before she reached up and pulled him down to her, their lips meeting with familiarity all at once. There might have been cheers and screaming from the students behind them but Rose cared for none of that. In that moment, all she knew was that Scorpius was hers and she was his. He held her close, kissing her back with no hesitation. Before they could lose themselves to the kiss, there was a coughing from beside them and reluctantly they pulled apart, but Scorpius was intent on holding her close.
Rose looked up, her blush and smirk feeling rather overwhelming on her face as she looked at her sister looking at her with pure rage. Scarlett Flint looked none the better.
"You seem to think you're entitled to everything I have simply because our no-good-lying-cheating father chose your mother over mine. It's no wonderful feat that you got stuck with him. Make no mistake Lacey, if my mother wanted him she would have found a way to keep him. I guess she knew then what I know now."
"And what would that be?" Lacey spat out.
"We're better off without him," Rose said simply. "My mother did hold onto what she wanted. Us." Rose said her eyes flickering over to see her brother looking at her with utter pride. "And I plan on doing the same." She said looking up to Scorpius, who gave her a small smile.
Lacey huffed and stomped her foot on the ground but Rose was done with her melodrama's. "There's still one more treasure to unveil, yeah?" She asked turning to the Game-Makers.
Jedi and Thames had watched the scenes unfold before them in stunned silence. Rose chuckled, "Gentleman the last treasure?" she asked. It seemed to shake them back to reality.
"Uhm… yeah," Jedi said looking between the Head Girl and Head Boy. "The uhm… last treasure. What was it Thames?" He asked his fellow Game-Maker still reeling in shock.
"The uhm… last treasure," Thames said looking at Rose and Scorpius utterly stunned, "The…uh…."
"The Unicorn?" Rose supplied suppressing a laugh.
"Yes! Right the Unicorn!" Jedi said trying to grab at his wit before it left him again. "Ready Thames?" he asked.
Thames nodded, his eyes almost reluctant to leave Scorpius and Rose. He gave Jedi a quick nod before they pointed their wands at the Unicorn that sat beside Scorpius. They held a breath as they all watched, waiting to see who had won the Hunt this year. Thames and Jedi watched, just as excited as everyone to see what the invisible hand would right. The Unicorn glowed, making it look truly majestic before the gold lettering appeared for the last time that night.
Caius Malfoy Scorpius Malfoy.
There was a stunned silence as they all read the glittering letters above the Unicorn before flickering over to the Head Boy, who was still holding their Head Girl in his arms, smirking. Naturally.
"Sorry little brother," Scorpius said smiling to Caius.
Caius looked at his brother shocked, not expecting to be outdone by Scorpius of all people. When had Scorpius joined the Hunt? He wondered. Caius had to admit it was very well played and he couldn't fault his brother for that. In fact, he found he didn't mind losing to his brother all that much.
"W-what…"Albus stuttered completely gobsmacked. "Scor!"
Scorpius laughed, "You really didn't think I would actually sit out the Hunt, did you?" he asked his best friend. The look on Albus' face had him and Rose laughing. It seemed most of the Weasleys were going for the same look as Albus. Complete and utter shock.
"Very well played blondie!" Rose congratulated.
"Woah!" Demitri said stepping forward. "What… how?" He exclaimed.
"Malfoy charm," He said shrugging. Rose rolled her eyes at his cockiness.
"B-But you're Head Boy," McLaggen spluttered.
"Well spotted McLaggen," Scorpius said sarcastically.
"You can't take part!" McLaggen objected. "You're Head Boy!"
"And Rose is Head Girl," Scorpius said. "Besides you seem to be forgetting that there are no rules to the Hunt."
"Lacey was right! You lot have been cheating!" McLaggen yelled looking at the Weasleys, Malfoys and Potters.
"No one likes a sore loser McLaggen," Scorpius said with a smirk, which only seemed to rile up Henry McLaggen more.
Seeing the still rather shocked expressions of everyone, Scorpius laughed, "Whatever made you think that I wouldn't be part of this year's Hunt?" he asked looking at all the shocked faces.
"You were playing the whole time?" Albus asked.
"Well… I joined when Rose did," Scorpius explained. "I figured if she's going to go ahead and break all the rules, I might as well have some fun and do the same." He said winking at her.
Rose shook her head, laughing at the absurdity of it all.
"Bloody brilliant," Demitri said in awe. Scorpius grinned at his brother as they all tried to come down from shock.
"Well I guess that's it!" Jedi called trying to cover his shock. "You winner, Mischief Makers, of this year's Hunt… your Head Boy Scorpius Malfoy!"
The students were quick to recover from their shock at the Game-Maker's words as they screamed and cheered once more.
Thames and Jedi walked over to Scorpius with the trophy in hand, both Game-Makers grinning from extendable ear to ear. This year's Hunt went better than either could have ever imagined. They dramatically bowed before Scorpius, and then handed the trophy to him. All at once fireworks were set off above them filling the top of the dome with brilliant colours, and confetti rained down on them.
"Oh and let's not forget his surprise prize!" Jedi said pointing his wand to the sky. Thames joined him and instantly a massive glass jar, taller than even Scorpius appeared on stage. It was filled to the brim with a thousand chocolate frogs. "Good luck trying to eat those!" Jedi winked.
Jedi and Thames stepped back as they Hogwarts students began their celebrations. They were soon forgotten as tables popped up, Butterbeer was handed out and the music stylings of Mandrake Madness, the newest teenwiz band soon filled the dome.
Jedi whistled and Thames chuckled. "I know," he said smiling.
"Best damned Hunt." Jedi said grinning as he looked around to all the celebrating students. House boundaries truly forgotten as they joked, laughed and partied as one.
}{}{}{}{}{}{
The Weasleys, Potters and Malfoys were all milling around one of the tables, joking and laughing. Caius was shaking his brother's hand, while Dominique and Lucy were singing along to the music. Albus, Demitri, Hugo and Louis were still going on about the last reveal, which only had the Head Boy laughing harder.
"I can't believe you didn't tell us you were in the Hunt!" Demitri cried disbelievingly.
"What made you think I wasn't?" Scorpius asked repeating his question.
It seemed they were all still trying to process Scorpius stealing the most precious treasure right from under their noses and winning the Hunt in the process.
"You're Head Boy!" Albus cried. "The rules… you know, plausible deniability and all that crap!"
"And Rose is Head Girl," Scorpius argued trying to hold back his laughter. "And she was hunting me! Besides the only rule of the Hunt is not to get caught… I played by all the rules." They were all silenced at that. "By the way, brilliant plan little brother," Scorpius said to Demitri. "Really couldn't have done it better myself."
Demitri flushed with pride at his brother's words. "Well I had help" he said looking at Lily.
"Lily Potter, just as devious as your cousin," Scorpius teased looking between Rose and Lily, "Or perhaps a little more?"
"A little more," Lily said confidently and even Demitri agreed.
"Well played mate," Albus said clapping Scorpius on the back.
Albus turned to grab a few more Butterbeers and Scorpius leaned against the table, his arm draped over Rose's shoulder while Rose had her arm around his waist. Scorpius smiled as he felt Rose's hand wound around his body.
"I don't think you're going to need those anymore Scorpius," Lily said pointing to Lacey's and Scarlett's claims still around his wrist.
"No, Rose made it very clear who you belong too," Lucy joked. Rose blushed a little at her cousin's words.
"You're right," Scorpius said to Lucy and Lily before removing his arm from around Rose. "Would you do the honours?" he asked looking at Rose.
Rose grinned, before aiming her wand at the horrendous chains. They broke as the spell hit them and crumbled to the ground. Immediately Scorpius felt like a weight had been lifted of him.
"Thank you Red," he said smiling truly grateful. "Quite the game you played." Scorpius added smirking.
"Devious traits, remember?" she teased.
"Oh, it's unlikely I'd ever forget that now." Scorpius commented earning a laugh from those around them. He jumped a little when he felt her hand slide into the pocket of his jeans.
"Can you at least wait till we get back to your Dorms before you jump him Rose?" Albus asked jokingly.
Rose blushed but decided to ignore her cousin as she pulled out Stardust from Scorpius's pocket. She held it out for all to see. The chain was delicately thin and shone brightly. They all looked at the chain, Scorpius the first to laugh at the madness a little chain could cause.
"Rose, you didn't tell us how you figured it all out." Lucy said.
"Apart from the fact that she's completely brilliant?" Albus asked. Lucy rolled her eyes punching her cousin on the arm.
"I simply wrote a letter to that anonymous benefactor," Rose explained looking at Lily, "And he explained the laws of the chain and the spell used for claiming a treasure. When I saw Lacey's and Flint's claim on Scor I realised something was wrong."
"What… how?" Hugo asked his sister.
"It didn't fit right," she answered simply. They all looked at her completely shocked. Of course! How could they not have noticed neither claim had actually fitted around Scorpius' wrist properly.
Rose laughed, it felt nice shocking her cousins into silence. It didn't happen often and to do it twice in one night, left her feeling very victorious.
Rose turned to Scorpius, "Think you're up for one more claim?" she asked.
Scorpius didn't say anything but simply held out his hand to her. Rose brought Stardust around his wrist and the chain connected, magically sealing itself around his wrist. Scorpius felt a tingle as the cool silver touched his skin. It fit perfectly. And it looked like nowhere as out of place as the others did.
"Mine," Rose said smiling up at him.
Scorpius looked at her, his silver eyes darkening as he closed the gap between them, claiming her lips with his. Ignoring the protests, whistles and 'aaws' from their family members, Scorpius kissed Rose deeply, bringing out that wonderful blush he loved so much on her. His hands gently cupped her face and he pulled away, tucking a curl behind her ear as leaned his forehead against hers.
"Mine," he murmured against her lips, causing Rose to smile.
Lily giggled at the sight of her cousin, "Fan-fucking-tastic," she said gleefully as she leaned into Demitri.
And they all thought the same thing as they joined in on the celebrations. Best damned Hunt ever!
}{}{}{}{}{}{
AN: Hello Dears! I thank you if you have made it this far! I apologise to those readers who have no issues with this story but after receiving a number of reviews, I realised I had to clear a few areas.
Did you see that plot twist coming? I hope you've enjoyed reading every part as much as I have enjoyed writing it! I must thank every single reader for their wonderful support through favourites, follows and reviews! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
I can't believe The Hunt is almost over, we have just the epilogue to go! Leave me your precious thoughts and I promise a speedy update on the last and final chapter for this story! Can you guess what sort of mayhem our mischief makers have in store for the epilogue?
Thank you once again for all the love and support you have given this story! Especially Katy, for helping me see reason through all the negative reviews!
Don't forget to review!
Until the epilogue!
xoxo
Immortal Dragon Empress