A/U: So I have LOVED your responses to the first nine chapters, he-he. I love my reviewers :) Oh, and check out Te Mudblood's Daughter and the Vanishing Cabinet. Or else you aren't going to understand some of this story :)
The Mudblood's Daughter and the Scorpion's Fall
Professor Nott's classroom had eight desks in four rows, each with four stools at each desk. On each desk were two cauldrons. The sound of running water filled the room, from the Gargoyle fountain in the corner. Professor Nott's desk was on a raised platform at the front of the classroom, old an wooden. In the opposite corner to the fountain was the door to the Student Store cupboard. Jars filled with odd ingredients lined the shelves on the walls, and the whole room had an almost dung-like stench to it. Scorpius leaned against Professor Nott's desk, a look of frustration on his face as he looked at his watch. 5:30. She was late.
Scowling, he began to put his books back into his bag, when the door opened, and in a flurry, Rose trundled in. Her uniform was messy, her hair sticking out on odds and ends. Her eyes looked around the classroom, before they landed on him, and she gave a relieved sigh. "Thank Merlin, you are still here. I was worried you would have left."
Scorpius rose an eyebrow, and Rose blushed. "I was thinking about what you said, and I have decided that you are right. I do need a tutor, because I really do suck at potions. And you are brilliant. Plus, we have known each other for years, so it only makes sense that you tutor me," she rambles, as she dumped her stuff on the front desk. She looked up at him. "Besides, you never know, we may become friends again."
Scorpius smirked slyly, and slipped his arm around her waist, pulling her flush up against him. "Or, we may become more," he suggested. Rose swallowed, flushing slightly, before giving him a small, secretive smile.
"You never know..." she whispered, and Scorpius half-grinned. Rose eyed him with sparkling blue eyes. The last civil conversation they had had, before the whole 'Plan' to destroy him, was when she was nine and he was ten. If anything, he had really grown since then. His features were sharper, and lighter, his hair longer, and his eyes seemed to be... almost entrancing with how silver they were. She licked her lips, before tearing her eyes away from his."So, what first?"
"Well, you need to tell me the basics of what you know," he said, his breath cool and minty on her face, and that was when she realised his arm was still around her waist, and her front was plastered up against his. Her eyes widened slightly, and she tried to step away, get out of his grip, but he kept a tight hold on her. "There is really no point in fighting it, Weasley. It will happen, and you know it as well as I do."
Rose shivered, but narrowed her eyes. "Why don't you just accept being my friend, Malfoy? It could be like it used to be," she countered. Scorpius grit his teeth, momentarily, before he released her and gave her an award-winning smile. Rose couldn't help but smile back. Scorpius then, however, frowned and looked away from her. rose sighed in response. "What?"
"Well, if anyone in Slytherin or Gryffindor found out we were friends, imagine the trouble we'd get. Well, the trouble you'd get. If anyone in my house tried to cross me they'd be dead before dawn, and they know well how true that is. your house, however, would kick you out. You'd be ostracised for associating with the Slytherin King," Scorpius said, feigning concern for her welfare. Rose scowled prettily, responding 'Are you saying we should keep this a secret?' stubbornly. Scorpius nodded. "I'm just looking out for you. You know, cause we are 'friends' now."
Rose looked at him funny, but agreed. Phase one was complete, become 'friends' with him. But now she had to gain his trust, so he trusted her enough to go public with their 'friendship'. "Okay, so, I know how to boil water, which is a start, right?" Rose changed the topic, and Scorpius rose an eyebrow, before nodding. "We are actually working on making a Draught of the Living Death, and I just don't get it. Maybe you could teach me that, and we'll work our way up?"
"Draught of the Living Death? That's easy. You jut got to know the tricks and kicks you do different to the textbook," Scorpius stated, and Rose glared at him.
"Just tell me how to make the potion, snake-boy," she hissed, and Scorpius chuckled deeply, responding with 'Whatever, Weasel-bee'. The smirk on his face made Rose want to slap it right off again, but she held herself back, her fingers itching to wrap around the smug asses throat until he couldn't talk. But she didn't, she kept calm, collected (well, as collected as possible when in the company of a nasty little twit) and listened to him, as he went through what she was supposed to do. Rose pretended that she didn't notice the way his face seemed to light up, as he expertly carried out the process, and taught her to do it.
The group of girls gathered once again, in Hagrid's Hut the next evening, ready to here of any progress on bringing down Scorpius. However, this time, it was more cramped, with fifteen girls there. Three Slytherins, four Gryffindors, five Ravenclaws and three Hufflepuffs. Rose looked slightly surprised at the evolution in the numbers, looking around at he girls who all seemed to be glaring at each other. "What? I thought I told you all to keep this a secret?" she demanded, looking at Lucretia, Nicola, Etta, Tina and Lucy. Lucretia scoffed.
"Weasley, if you want to take down Scorpius, you are going to need more than a few poxy Gryffindors, a pathetic Hufflepuff, and a weedy Ravenclaw. There is power in numbers, and power is what we need. Danica, her family are willing to give her anything to keep her out there way. She can get us any money we might need, she's that rich. Zaria, she's got connections everywhere. If you need information, she can get it. Her parents are in with all the dodgy crowds and she can get anything on anyone who's been on the dark side," Lucretia told Rose, who frowned. "Look, Weasley, if they aren't in, I'm not it. Take it or leave it."
"Fine, they can stay. Tina, who are these people?" she asked, looking at the other four eager looking Ravenclaw's. Tina introduced them as Yvette, Gretchen, Shayna and Veronica. Lucretia sneered, drawling 'And they are here because...?' smartly, tossing her hair over her shoulders and crossing her arms. Her glare was levelled and Tina swallowed, looking at the floor before taking a deep breath and speaking again.
"Gretchen has a sister in the Ministry who can get a hold of anyone's file, criminal or otherwise. Yvette is fluent in ten different languages and knows every boy in Hogwarts from our year, the year above and the year below. Shayna knows every bit of gossip to hit the grapevine in Hogwarts since 1967 and Veronica, her father works in Gringrotts. She has access to every Wizarding families financial files and their financial history," Tina explained, with her own slightly smirk, not par to Lucretia, but prideful anyway. Lucretia snarled at her coldly.
"Quaina's mother works in St. Mungo's. She has access to Medical files. And Adrienne's uncle works on the school board, so she can get access to any future students school files," Lucy meekly said from the corner, with the other two Hufflepuff's, and Rose looked confused, asking why they would need future students files. "I figured that if we were going to make the Code of the Rose, then we might as well make it available to later generations as well."
"That... is actually a good idea," Rose trailed off, and Lucy beamed, before Lucretia gave her a dark look. The girl peeped, and looked away. "Just so I'm sure, how many of you here have actually slept with Scorpius Malfoy?" she asked, out of curiosity. All the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, Danica, Zaria and Nicola rose their hand. Etta rose her eyebrows, looking at Nicola. "Nicola, when did you sleep with him?" Rose asked. Nicola looked spacey as she tried to remember, than glowed when she did, exclaiming 'The twenty-fourth' happily. Tina gasped. That was only two days after they had broken up.
"Okay, see this is what Scorpius hates. You have to be a challenge, if you want him. Tease him, flirt with him, sure, but do not sleep with him. That is all he wants. If you sleep with him, he breaks up with you. He's only after the sex," Lucretia snided, and the girls all frowned, apart from Rose, who nodded. "We need a way of monitering his movements, keeping an eye on him at all times."
"I can do that. I know someone who has something that is perfect for the job. I just need to owl my sister," Claria-Jane said, and the girls nodded. Rose shook her head.
"We can't risk bringing Cleo into it. You know how loyal she is to Aunt Charissa, and how Aunt Charissa tell Professor Malfoy everything. If Professor Malfoy finds out, she'll shut us down, because well, Scorpius is her son," Rose said, giving Claria-Jane a 'sorry' look. Claria-Jane nodded sadly.
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Lucretia asked, looking between Claria-Jane and Rose. The two looked at each other. Lucretia rose her eyebrows, giving them a warning look. "Look, I think that from now on, we shouldn't have any secrets. If one of us knows something, we have to share it. It's only fair."
"You're a Slytherin. Since when did you care what was fair?" Yvette said, her voice snidy and obnoxious. Lucretia, Danica and Zaria snarled at her, and Yvette put her hands on her hips, giving a look as cocky as her personality. Lucretia rose an eyebrow, putting her hands on her hips, and Rose stepped between them, putting her hands up.
"Come on, guys, this is pointless. If we are going to do this, we have to do it right. Which means from now on, we do not fight, understood? That goes for everyone. Sinistra is right. Anything we know that could help, we should share," Rose ordered. Lucretia and Yvette glowered at each othr, before snapping 'Fine' and turning, walking to different sides of the hut. Rose took a deep breath.
"We're talking about a Map," Claria-Jane stated, and all attention turned to her. "It's called the Marauders Map. It's old, and is a map of Hogwarts. It shows where everyone in the school is. We could use it to keep an eye on Malfoy. We would have to get it from Romulus though. He borrowed it from Artie and Abraxus."
"Who?" Danica asked, looking at them, and Claria-Jane and Rose replied 'Our family'. "Is there anybody in this school who isn't?" she replied sarcastically, and Rose actually had to laugh, because it was a good point.
"How soon can you get this Map?" Veronica asked, and Rose looked at Claria-Jane, shrugging.
"By the end of the week?" Rose asked, and Claria-Jane nodded. Rose nodded once, and then looked at everyone. "We need to find somewhere new to hold our meetings. When there were only six of us, this was fine, but there is no way we will be able to keep coming here when there are sixteen of us. If anyone has an idea, send me an owl during the week. I'll get a note for everyone for the time and date of the next meeting."
Murmurs of agreement and nodding emerged from the other girls. Rose smiled, and then sat down on the overly large armchair, as the girls began to file out, each in separate groups. The Ravenclaws left first, splitting into two groups and going to different parts of the Castle, followed by the Hufflepuffs, Etta, Nicola and Claria-Jane, and then finally the Slytherins. Rose exhaled heavily, and put her head in her hands.
"Are you going to be able to do this, Weasley?" Lucretia's voice caused her head to shoot up, and she looked at the green haired Slytherin, surprised. The Lucretia's face was not one of concern, but indifference. It didn't matter to her either way. Rose snorted 'Of course' indignantly. "Really? Knowing that this would hurt everyone else in his family? Knowing that once upon a time, you were that family?" Lucretia challenged, and the look of assurance on Rose's face faltered for a moment, before she furrowed her eyebrows and nodded sharply.
Something new happened then, between the two girls. Lucretia rose and eyebrow, before a small, pleased smirk fell onto her lips, and a new respect for the red-head appeared in her eyes. "You know, Weasley, I don't think we are as different as you think we are," she said, and then turned on her heel and strode from the Hut, hips winging, and head held snobbishly high. Rose's eyes widened, because for all she could protest and argue that they were nothing alike...
They actually were.