Potions corridor, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Jan 17th 2023, 10 pm
Rose poked her wand out from underneath the invisibility cloak and quickly around the corner.
'Homenum revelio' she whispered
Nothing happened.
She grinned and shoved her wand back in her pocket. She started walking around the corner and slowly passed all the sleeping portraits. She trod carefully. Any one of them could easily hop through a couple of portraits and dob her into a teacher. Off course that had never happened before and she didn't intend on tarnishing her clean reputation now –
'Who's there?' the voice of none other than Professor Jones – the transfiguration teacher – sounded through the corridor.
Why of why did she have to jinx everything? Professor Jones was the most horrid professor to ever – in Rose and almost all her cousins' opinions –exist. They had stopped voicing this opinion in front of their parents when their parents had kept on insisting the professor Snape was – in his day – the most horrid professor.
Why did it have to be him out tonight? Ever since Rose had corrected him in second year he had, had an almost hate for her and all Weasleys alike. It just wasn't fair that he was born with something bitter in his mouth.
Rose bit her lip and pondered on an idea. She had nothing to loose, she was going to get caught either way and this might just stop it.
'Tis No one but Peevsy!' said Rose in her bets imitation of the poltergeist's voice and for added effect she lifted her wand up and materialized a water balloon to drop on Professor Jones's head. It landed with a splat and sent more water than a water balloon of that size could possibly carry down the front and back of the Professor's robes. He let out a shriek and whipped out his wand.
'The headmistress will be hearing of this you damn poltergeist!' The professor cursed and Rose – having too much fun for her own good summoned James supply of magical water balloons from his trunk. They appeared in the air above the professors head once more and dropped on him like rain, continuously until Professor Jones was completely covered in multi-color-changing water that assured a permanent color to last for days. Rose stifled a giggle. This was too good and she didn't want to get busted.
'I shall be back!' he called as he stalked back around the corner he came.
'And I shall be gone by then,' whispered Rose as she slipped inside the potions classroom.
She snuck over to a door that you truly needed guts to try and break into. Professor Slughorns private stores held a hefty punishment for those caught robbing it. Fred and James had nearly been expelled in their fourth year after stealing ingredients for what seemed like a Polyjuice potion from the stores. They received the most detentions they'd ever received that year. Rose's mum insisted that was the year that the hormones set in place.
Turning the door quietly in a desperate hope not to wake Slughorn from what he had coined his 'beauty sleep' during a class on dreamless sleep draughts. Rose had messed hers up severely. Instead of having no dreams, she had several nightmares where she had been chased by headless bowtruckles and disturbingly enough a tutu clad Professor Longbottom had made an appearance as well.
She scanned the shelves.
'Harandor juice, Harandor juice, where are you Harandor juice?' Rose muttered. Her hands were shaking slightly from the cold. She supposed it hadn't helped that all she wore were her striped pajama bottoms, her pajama top with a hooded jumper over the top.
'Aha!' Rose exclaimed a little too loudly on the discovery of the location of the wanted Harandor juice.
BANG!
'What are you doing Miss Weasley?' Professor Slughorn stood there in check red and blue pajamas, wand pointed at her chest and his face startled and very severe. The contrast between his pajama's and his severe expression was laughable and Rose cracked a small smile.
'Do you think this is funny, do you? Stealing from my stores, I thought better of you Miss Weasley!' Professor Slughorn grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the classroom, up three floors and marched her towards the Gargoyle guarding the entrance to the Headmistresses study. He approached and shouted –
'Harandor juice!'
Oh the irony!
The Gargoyle stepped aside and both Slughorn and Rose ascended the staircase and knocked on the study door.
'Come in.' a voice called.
Slughorn and Rose entered the headmistress's office to see Hannah Longbottom emerging from the living quarters behind the desk. She wore a long scarlet cloak over her pajamas.
'What can I do for you Horace?'
'Miss Weasley here has been stealing from my private potions stores.'
The Headmistresses eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. She's never received trouble from Rose in Rose's whole time at Hogwarts and with only this and next year to go she'd expected that Rose wasn't planning on causing any.
'What were you looking for Miss Weasley?' The Headmistress asked.
Rose cringed internally at the consequences she's receive on revealing her and Lucy's plan to the headmistress so she went with the second thing that came to her head.
'Valerian Root, Professor.' Rose blurted out.
'For yourself?' the headmistress asked sternly.
'No, for someone else,' Rose said without thinking. Merlin's beard, now she was going to get someone else into trouble, unless…
'Who?'
'I made an unbreakable vowel. I can't tell you because I will die if I do.' said Rose.
The Headmistress stood up and Professor Slughorn gasped.
At the same moment the study burst open. Three wands – the headmistresses, Slughorns and Roses – turned and pointed at the door.
There stood Aaron Finnigan, looking slightly out of breath and his robes wet with… color stain? Rose stifled a giggle; Aaron had obviously been near when Rose made her attack on Professor Jones.
He'd followed her from the dormitory!
'What is this Mr Finnigan, you can't just barge in here-'
Aaron cut of the headmistress with a jumbled sentence.
''
'I beg your pardon?' said the Headmistress.
'It wasn't Rose's fault. I told her to steal the potion.'
'And make an unbreakable vowel not to reveal your identity?' said the headmistress who's expression looked like she was going mad.
'Yes, But I changed my mind. Rose's doesn't deserve to get it trouble. I do,' said Aaron, his thick Irish accent told only that he spoke the truth. She didn't deserve to get in trouble but he did, but this somehow didn't seem about potions.
Rose eye's widened.
She wanted to throw herself at him and kiss him. Hold on, no, Scorpius was her boyfriend. Not Aaron, even know he was – in the end – innocent. She was with Scorpius now. Maybe –
No, she told herself, no, bad Rose.
The Headmistress studied Aaron's expression for a minute and she must have decided upon Rose's innocence because she turned to Rose.
'Don't do such a stupid thing like that again, or you will have detention every Saturday for the rest of the year and I don't care if you're the Quidditch captain.'
Off course she didn't care if Gryffindor lost, she was a bleeding Hufflepuff, even though, technically, the headmistress wasn't meant to take sides.
'Yes, Professor,' said Rose.
'And you,' said the Professor turning to Aaron, 'Detention every Saturday at five for the next three weeks.' Rose thought she heard a small groan escape Aaron's chest.
'Mr Finnigan you should not be complaining! It is only your nine outstandings in your OWLS last year that is preventing me from expelling you on the spot. And you!'
The Headmistress turned to Rose.
'You, Miss Weasley, should know better, in fact I know you do-'
Oh no, here comes the 'You're different from your troublemaking brothers and cousins and you're just like your mother and I expected better from you' rant; thought Rose. She hated the fact that her parents knew most of the teachers in the school. In made – her brother said – it impossible for their parents not to discover any wrongdoings that they did at school.
'I thought better of you. Just because your brother and your cousins like a spot of troublemaking, doesn't mean you have to be just like them. You should be an individual not a follower.'
Gosh, am I psychic or what, thought Rose.
'Professor I wasn't trying to copy my brothers, and I'm sorry, it won't happen again.'
'It better not because I shall have no choice but to suspend you, and maybe expulsion will be necessary if your rule breaking continues after that,' The Headmistress pulled a jar of ink and a quill out of a drawer in the desk, 'Also, I will have to write to your parents about this.'
Rose cursed under her breath.
'Off you go now, and Mr Finnigan?'
Aaron stopped in his tracks and turned towards the Headmistress.
'I'll see you tomorrow at five pm sharp for your detention. Do not, I repeat, do not be late.'
Aaron nodded and then turned towards the portrait hole.
Rose was out of the portrait hole quicker than you could say dismissed and down the corridor. She did not want to stop for a chat with Aaron as he so evidently did.
'Rose! Wait up!' he called.
Rose kept walking.
Aaron broke into a run and grabbed a hold of the collar on her robes. Rose turned around sharply and sighed heavily. She should not be even making contact with him after a close call in the headmistress's office.
'Look, I need to explain some things to you and apologize.'
'I know.'
'Yeah, I know I need to apologize-'
'No you fool! I mean I know about Georgina. I know she put the imperius curse on you and made you do those things.'
'Oh…' said Aaron stunned, 'how do you know?'
'Not important, the thing is I forgive you, because, well I have to. You didn't do it on purpose; it was against your own will.'
'Thankyou Rose.' Aaron looked immensely relieved.
'By the way, was the love potion your idea or hers,' Rose demanded.
'Um, I thought maybe if you were obsessed with me you'd stop and listen.'
'So you did try and give me a spiked sweet,' Rose scowled, 'Where you planning on ever lifting it, I could have made a fool of myself in front of the whole year if I went prancing around under the influence of love potion! Not to mention how much I would have hurt Scorpius!'
'I don't care about Malfoy!' Aaron spat.
'Too right you don't, which makes me wonder how you can care about me?' said Rose.
'I don't have to care about a mongering Slytherin to care about you,' said Aaron, 'Even if you are dating him.'
'That is exactually the point Aaron; I'm dating him, not you!'
'But you're not completely happy with him,' said Aaron.
Rose guffawed.
'I'm perfectly happy with him, thankyou!' Rose turned and began walking quickly
'But your family isn't and I know how close you are to your family,' said Aaron following her 'Albus told me how you fought with your parents at Christmas over your Dad not approving of him. I know how much it hurts to fight with someone you love. I fought with you.'
Rose stopped in her tracks.
'You love me?' she said quietly, not daring to face him.
'I'm sorry I never told you before. I just didn't know if you felt the same way.'
'I used to. But that went long ago.'
Aaron took hold of her hand and Rose turned to face him.
'You weren't going to come tonight were you?'
'No, I wasn't. Lucy overheard about Georgina and we were planning revenge.' Rose admitted.
Aaron's eyes sparkled.
'I can't dob her in, I can barely say anything about her without feeling the tongue locker curse go into effect.'
'She put a tongue locker curse on you!'
'Yeah, watch, Georgina put an imp-' the rest of his words were cut off with a gurgling sound as Aaron's tongue curled up and he was unable to speak.
Rose sighed.
'So that's why you haven't gone to a teacher yet,' she said.
'Yeah, it sucks.'
'Aaron, I'm with Scorpius and as much as it hurts you I need you to except it. I love him and I don't want to ruin it. So this is goodbye.'
'Ok,' said Aaron
Rose's eyebrows raised a few centremetres.
'Just like that, no complaints?'
'Just one thing and I shall leave you alone forever,' said Aaron.
'And whats that?'
'Kiss me.'
'Well, I guess it can't hurt.'
Rose stood on the tips of her toes and kissed him gently. He responded fiercely and Rose tried to break off. He pulled her closer and she struggled against him. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed with all her might.
'Common Rose, that wasn't a kiss,' he said.
'You bastard, you bloody bastard,' Rose screamed
Aaron ignored her insult and pulled her closer and kissed her fiercely on the lips. She bit down on his lip deliberately, he cursed and stepped back. She turned and punched him right in the face.
He staggered backwards and whipped out his wand. Pointing it at Rose's heart he muttered.
'Imperio!'
Kiss me!
No! Rose fought as hard as she could manage against the curse.
Kiss me!
No, No!
Kiss me!
'NO, NO I WILL NOT!' Rose yelled at the top of her lungs but it was abruptly cut off with Aaron's silencing charm.
'Fine, suit yourself,' said Aaron, flicking his wand and removing the curse.
Rose fell to the ground.
'You're a foul git, you a foul, sick minded git!' Rose whispered in a deadly whisper.
Aaron turned and glared at her before stamping over towards her and kicking her hard in the gut.
'No, NO YOU'RE FOUL, YOU AND YOUR WHOLE MUDBLOOD LOVING FAMILY!' He yelled.
Rose spat on his shoes.
'You idiot, the old prejudice died out with the death eaters!'
'Well it's still living then!' Aaron grabbed the sleeve of his left arm and yanked it back to reveal a tattooed skull with a snake running through its mouth. Rose recoiled.
'You're a death eater?'
Aaron nodded and pointed his wand at Rose's heart.
'CRUCIO!'
Rose screamed as the pain hit her. It felt like a million white-hot knives where piercing her skin. Every inch of her skin burned but the screams that came out of her mouth never sounded because Aaron's silencing charms where still in place.
His eyes were mad as he flicked his wand and Rose fell to the floor. She hit the floor with a loud thump and she moaned in pain. She still ached all over but she managed to put herself into a sitting position. Too weak to fight she just looked at the boy who had attached her.
The gaze of those eyes bore into Rose and she flinched from his stare.
He mumbled to himself as he wordlessly bound Rose in ropes and placed a disillusionment charm on Rose and himself.
Rose struggled as he carried her along the corridors. They passed the Gryffindor common room and struggled harder and a silent scream escaped her mouth as Albus and Lucy exited through the portrait hole.
'Just leave it till the morning Lucy; she's probably had to take a detour to avoid a teacher or something. She won't be long.'
'I'm not just going to bloody leave my friend out there. What if she's encountered one of the Ravenclaws? She's on the Quidditch team and they're mighty angry at us for beating them still,' said Lucy.
'Lucy, Rose can take care of herself.'
'The hell she can,' said Lucy, pushing past Albus and walking straight past them. Lucy stopped in her tracks as if she sensed their presence, before shaking her head and walking off.
NO LUCE, FOR ONCE YOU'RE BLOODY RIGHT, I NEED YOUR HELP, COME BACK! Rose screamed at Lucy, without making a sound.
Aaron, once sure there footsteps wouldn't be heard, continued walking towards the front door. Please let the front doors be closed. Rose pleaded in her mind. But they were open and Aaron strode out into the cold January night with Rose in his arms, exactly where she didn't want to be.
Aaron kept walking faster and faster until they'd reached the gates. Rose crossed her fingers hoping for the gate to be closed but it was not so. Hagrid stood by the gate herding out a herd of hippogriphs.
This is not my night, thought Rose as Aaron walked out the gate and turned on the spot, apparating away. Rose still bound, gagged and praying for a miracle.