I refused to speak to Malfoy in the days that followed our fight where he venomously threatened to abandon me. He didn't reach out to me either but I knew eventually he would so I prepared myself for a confrontation. It was inevitable seeing as he was going to be at the wedding.
The wedding was an entirely different issue of it's own. The ceremony would be held in a winery in the South of France which was owned by Aunt Fleur's father. There was also a grand chateau there with smaller cottages in the courtyard where all our family plus Teddy's family would be staying. Unfortunately for me, that included the Malfoys.
"How gracious of Monsieur Delacour to offer his home to our whole family!" Mum said one day at dinner as she put down a tray of chicken noodle casserole. I followed after her with a basket of bread and took a seat.
"Why wouldn't he?" Dad said as he served himself. "That man's got more galleons than he knows what to do with."
"But still, Ronald. Opening his home to the Weasleys is one thing but having arrangements for Andromeda Tonks' relatives is rather generous. I mean, we could have all stayed at hotels. I've checked and there are so many lovely bed & breakfasts in the area."
"Ginny reckons they just want to show off the property," Dad said between bites.
"Rose, sweetheart," Mum turned to me, ignoring dad's comment. "I ran into Scorpius's father in the elevator today. He was mentioning they aren't sure if they'll be staying at the winery. Did you know they have a villa of their own in France?"
"No," I shrugged and went back to my casserole.
"I'm not staying anywhere near Draco Malfoy," Dad said grumpily. "I can't stand him eight hours a day, how am I supposed to stand him for a weekend?!"
"I don't understand, Ronald, you don't even work in the same department as him. How can you not a stand a man you only see in passing in the hallways?"
"I just can't," Dad said, and muttering something else under his breath.
"Louis said to bring swim trunks," Hugo chimed in. "Apparently there's a waterfall nearby."
"Sounds lovely," mum said. "Rosie, make sure you pack the new swimsuits I bought you last month."
"Yes, Mum," I said.
After that Mum went on about how she was lucky enough to go to France with her parents when she was young.
I zoned out right about then and thought about how I was going to conduct myself around Malfoy in order to avoid the several scenarios that could embarrass me in front of my family.
I had a few options; scenario number one was that he would stay at his family villa and take a portkey or apparate to the Winery for the ceremony and reception. That way I would only have to see him at the wedding and he would take care to behave in front of our respective families since there were quite a few aurors among us. And then I could enjoy the rest of the weekend with my cousins, go swimming, and maybe sneak in to Monsieur Delacour's wine cellar.
That was Louis's idea, not mine. We currently had a group chat going on with Louis, Albus, Roxanne and myself to plan a break and entry into his granddad's cellar. Apparently he had charms on the door where anyone under seventeen could not enter.
Frankly, we felt rather ostracised by this blatant show of discrimination.
Scenario number two was that he would stay in one of the cottages in the courtyard and I would stay in the chateau since I was a bridesmaid and also family. That way I would only see him if he comes in for meals or something in which case I would head straight up to my room.
The third scenario was he would stay in the chateau with us since I believe that's where Teddy would also be staying and Scorpius was, unfortunately, a groomsman. In that case I would spend as much time as I could outside of the house and preferably in the lake with the waterfall. Yes, that sounded nice.
That night I went to bed rather pleased to have come up with substantial solutions in no time at all.
A few days later, my happiness was destroyed by my cousin Victoire when she announced bridesmaids were walking in on the arms of the groomsmen and Scorpius Malfoy had been paired with yours truly.
"Let's get this straight again girls. You and the groomsmen are walking in first. When you arrive at the alter you will split and head to your separate sides. The men will stand on the right and ladies you will be on the left. Teddy will walk in with his grandmother after, seat her in the front row and then make his way to the alter to stand next to the minister. And lastly, I'll be entering, of course, and walking down the aisle with my parents. Everyone capisce?"
"Yes Madam!" We all nodded in agreement.
"Alright then, ladies, here's the order," She opened up her notebook and began reading from it. "Eleanor you and Alphard are walking in first," She announced.
Alphard Black was Teddy's cousin whose granddad had also been disowned like Teddy's grandmother and they were the best of friends. Eleanor, his wife was also Vic's best friend and French as well.
Victoire looked back down at her notebook and announced her cousin Chloe, her aunt's daughter, would be walking in with James as per the girl's request. She was my age but she was rather annoying. She was at Shell Cottage for the weekend and she giggled and squealed a lot.
"Rose," Victoire turned to me, "You're coming in with Scorpius obviously."
Why obviously, I wondered to myself. "Who else is left? Among the groomsmen?" I quickly asked.
"Uncle Harry, he's best man," she answered.
"I'll walk in with him!" I quickly said.
Victoire gave me a curious look. "Is everything okay with you and Scor? Your mum did mention you two might be on a break but I wasn't sure…"
I stared at her blankly until I remembered my mother still thought Scorpius was my boyfriend. Or rather my ex-boyfriend now. I was going to correct Victoire but I thought twice and realised I could use this to my advantage.
"Yeah, we decided to see other people," I said as I took a big sip of water so no one would expect me to elaborate. I didn't know if anyone would understand why I let Scorpius so close to me, in my bed, in his apartment, if we weren't even dating.
"Not a problem, love," she smiled and gave my knee a gentle squeeze. "I'll pair him with Dom and I'll let her know when she gets home."
"Where is she by the way? Shouldn't she be here?" I asked curiously.
Victoire clicked her tongue, clearly annoyed as she scribbled edits in her notebook. "Yes. She should. But apparently her older sister's wedding is not priority enough. Anyway, remind me to introduce you to some of Teddy's cousins. They're intelligent, quite nice and handsome too."
I took another sip so I wouldn't have to respond. Scorpius would fly off the walls if he witnessed me and another boy…which didn't need to be a bad thing at all, I realised. And just like that my mind began concocting diabolical plans on how to get back at him.
Suddenly it seemed like all would be right in the world again.
Except another curious thought occurred to me. "Hey Vic, Scor said Teddy's his only cousin but they have more cousins?"
Victoire nodded. "Distant cousins. But I don't think Scorpius would know of them as their families were disowned by the Blacks a few generations ago. Him and Teddy get on so well because their grandmothers are sisters and got back in touch after the war. This is before you or Scorpius were even born, love."
Damn Malfoys and their stupid, hateful ways.
…
As the wedding day approached, I started getting a lot busier. Dominique's absenteeism from the whole affair was increasing Victoire's stress and she called on me for sisterly duties. I went to London with her for a final fitting of her dress and veil. We then went to a very expensive shoe store where Victoire picked up a pair of beautiful high heels that she had custom ordered. After that we went to a jeweller that was polishing up a tiara Granny was loaning to Victoire. And finally we picked up the ring that would eventually be Teddy's. After spending an entire Saturday in London, I was absolutely exhausted but the next day, Victoire apparated in at ten in the morning and asked me to get dressed. We were going back to the city except this time, Diagon Alley.
She generously treated me to Cauldron Cakes and coffee from the Leaky Cauldron since she hadn't given me time for breakfast this morning. I uaully didn't have breakfast but the cakes looked delicious and shortly after, we were walking to the back where the magical entrance was. We first went to a beauty saloon to visit a witch that created incantations and charms and potions for beauty routines. Victoire wanted to hire her and at the end she agreed to portkey in on the morning of the wedding and do hair and makeup for Vic, the bridesmaids and Aunt Fleur. Apparently, this woman muttered her charms under her breath so no one would steal her creations. She had a rather high opinion of herself and refused to give us a discount.
Victoire also decided she wanted a different tent for the dinner so we found one in Diagon Alley which extended as big as we wanted it to, with the right charms of course. It also had hanging candles and crystals under the clear top. The man said even if it happened to rain or be cloudy that evening, we'd have a clear starry sky no matter what.
Finally, we went to see Granny Weasley who was catering the entire event as a wedding gift to Victoire and Teddy. She gave us both great big hugs while her kitchen table set itself with samplers of all that she had planned. Vic wanted items she and Teddy had grown up eating here at the Burrow and loved so much. Granny, in response, cried with joy, making Victoire cry as well while Grandpa and I just sat there playing with my new phone. Grandpa was fascinated by videos and refused to believe it wasn't magic.
After that, Grandpa and Uncle Charlie, who happened to be home that day, joined us girls as we sampled what Granny had made.
"Oh Granny, these bite sized Cornish pasties are heavenly!" Said Victoire. She loved them so much I wondered if she'd start crying again.
Following the Cornish pasties were bacon wrapped steak bites, bite sized battered fish fry and a cheese platter with homemade pepper jelly and marmalade.
Victoire ended up deciding on Cornish pasties with ground beef, the battered fish fry, the cheese spread and something vegan. Apparently she had friends who were trying the meatless life. My grandparents thought the diet was ghastly but granny promised she could come up with something.
After that we sampled the main course and again, Vic asked for some variety for her friends. Dessert was the easiest with different puddings and cakes.
Soon after, we hugged our grandparents and uncle Charlie goodbye and Victoire apparated me to my front porch.
"I don't think I can have dinner tonight. Those were a lot of samples!" I said when we arrived.
"Yeah, definitely! Thank you so much for all your help this weekend, Rosie," she gave me a hug. "Dominique promised to help me with all this but she's just so out of it lately. Comes home late, sleeps in late, constantly hung over and always asking for money. She's an absolute mess!"
"Do you think she's upset about something. She hasn't picked on me in a while either," I said when the thought occurred to me.
Victoire snorted, a little amused, "You know she doesn't really hate you. She hates a few people at school, I know that, but your name's never come up."
I was a little surprised but not really. It made sense because I'd never actually done anything to her. She was the one who always called me a hag and boasted about being one-eighth Veela.
"I suppose that's nice to hear," I gave her a small smile.
Victoire gently squeezed my hand and said she wanted to come in and say hello to my parents before heading home. But it seemed like no one was answering the door. I rang the bell a few more times before calling my parents and brother on their mobile phones. Strange. No answer there either and I began to worry.
"I wonder where everyone is," I said.
"Do you have a key?" Victoire asked me.
"No, I assumed someone would be home," I looked down at my watch. "It's quarter past seven. Everyone's usually home and having dinner right about now."
"Here, step aside," Said Vic. "Alohomora!"
I tried the door again, "Still locked."
"Not to worry, you can come home with me and I'll apparate you back later."
Seeing as it was my only option, I agreed to go to Shell Cottage and hang out there until we got a hold of someone.
"We're home and Rose is here!" Victoire called out when we appeared in the hallway.
What we didn't expect was the sight before us. On the living room couch Dominique, her hair a mess, her clothes tattered and eyes hazy and her makeup blotchy. But it was her eyes that frightened me, it was like they were glazed over like a dead person's.
Surrounding her were my parents, her parents and my Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny as well as Teddy and a few people I'd never seen before.
"Dominique!" Victoire shrieked as she rushed to her sister. Teddy, who I hadn't noticed until now rushed to Victoire and told her Dom was okay, just unconscious. I'd never seen someone unconscious with their eyes open and it was frightening! I backed away and bumped into the console, shaking the vase on it, which is when my parents noticed me.
"Rose! Will you go upstairs please?" My mother said.
I managed to find my voice, "B-but why…What's going on?"
"Upstairs, Rose!" My dad barked and I backed away and hurried towards the stairs.
"Louis and Hugo are upstairs too," said mum and I marched straight up.
I saw them sitting on the top steps, clearly trying to eavesdrop.
"What's going on?" I asked them.
"Ssh!" Hugo hushed me. "Keep your voice down!"
"Apparently Dominique's wand performed the Imperius Curse," Louis said and I gasped.
"WHAT?!" I couldn't believe it. "An unforgivable?!"
"Shush! Stop yelling!" he whispered harshly. "The aurors tracked her down and found her high on Shrivelfig in a warehouse with some dodgy looking people."
I gasped again, "Shrivelfig?! That's what they use to make the Elixir to—"
"Induce Euphoria? Yeah! Apparently if you put it in a dragonfire goblet, it'll dry up in minutes like basil and you can smoke it," Louis said. "This is bad. This is really bad. And right before Vic's wedding!"
"Don't panic," I rushed to Louis's side. "Our parents will figure something out. They always do."
"Yeah I hope so. My Dad called Uncle Harry and your mum. I'll bet you he's trying to get this swept under the rug. He's been nominated for Country Head of Gringotts. Why else would he conveniently call on Chief Auror and Head of Magical Law."
The voices started to get louder and I hushed both boys so I could listen.
"This can't be a coincidence, Harry," I heard my mum. "It's just getting worse!"
"I've assembled the unit for Major Crimes Against Wizarding Society and they're working with special forces D.A.A. to investigate," said Uncle Harry. "Bryce, have you any leads?"
"Yes we're looking into a couple of avenues," said a deep male voice, no doubt belonging to the auror called Bryce.
"You know Adam from Hufflepuff," Louis whispered in my ear. I nodded. "That's his older brother Evan, works on top secret cases for Uncle Harry."
"I want a report on my desk first thing Monday, whatever you lot have, I want it. I'll be personally taking over and heading this investigation," I heard Uncle Harry again. "You and Colton can head home for the evening."
"Shouldn't we begin an arrest report, sir," said the other unfamiliar voice which must be Colton's.
"Not yet. Hold off on that," said Uncle Harry.
There was a long pause and then the one called Colton spoke, "As you wish, Chief."
I heard shuffling and the door open and close. Colton and Bryce were gone and our parents began their intense discussion.
"Harry, this is the third case of Shrivelfig and this time it's one of our own," I heard my mum again. "We can't keep this quiet anymore. I'm calling a press conference first thing tomorrow."
"I've told you Hermione, not yet! Not until I have more information. They'll only interfere with the investigation. You know how they are!"
"We 'ave to take 'er to de 'ospital," I heard a wail.
"Fleur, we can't!" I heard Uncle Bill say harshly. "Not until we know if she was the one who cast the unforgivable curse or if someone used her wand."
"Mais, look at 'er! Ma bebe, ma fille," I heard Aunt Fleur cry out in French. I couldn't understand much but I heard the word "catastrophe".
"The effects will wear off but she'll be unconscious for 12 hours," said Victoire. "We've had a few cases at St. Mungo's where people overdose and go into a living dead state."
"Victoire's right," said Uncle Harry. "We have to talk to her first and find out everything she knows. For all we know she could have been intoxicated by force by someone who wanted to use her wand."
"Oye, Harry, do you think this has to do with the attacks last month in those muggle towns?" I heard my dad. "That muggle kid was also unconscious like this. People thought they were dead."
The three of us looked at each other in shock. Who was attacking Muggles? We'd only ever heard of something like that in our history textbooks and only in war times.
"It could be," said Uncle Harry. "All I know is we need to keep a closer watch on our children. It's been twenty-four years since I've seen an incident like this. Something dark is brewing and no one knows what."
My parents called Hugo and I down soon after and we apparated back home but the entire time, Uncle Harry's words were ringing in my ear. 'Something dark is brewing and no one knows what'.
My thoughts immediately went to Scorpius. He was alone without the home and protection of his parents. Was he okay? Why hadn't I heard from him in so long? I felt silly for worrying though. If there was anything I'd learned about that man, it was that he was capable of protecting himself. And me too. He was capable of things I had yet to realise. He would be fine, I told myself.
