Hi everyone! Thanks so much for reading, I hope you like it and please review! Thanks! -Kelly

CHAPTER 14

A VISIT TO HAGRID'S

The next week or so was quiet for Rose, apart from an Army meeting where Lucy railed against Davis as usual and a few tutoring sessions with Arya. She hadn't heard from McGonagall yet about meeting again, so she didn't ask anything of the headmistress and went about her business as normally as possible. It was mid-January when Rose was in the Great Hall at the tutoring table and saw Hugo walking up to them anxiously. He made eye contact with her and looked surprised, and began to run back to another table. Rose looked over at Al, who shrugged, and she got up to run after her brother. "Hugo!" she exclaimed, stopping him from sitting back down between Tyler and Collin. "What is it?"

"Nothing, leave me alone," he muttered.

"Really? Do you need help with something? What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" he exclaimed, and Rose caught sight of Hugo's papers strewn about the table. She was startled to find that one of his essays was marked with a P, and a Charms test had a similar grade.

"What's that?" Rose asked, and Hugo stepped in front of the pile.

"Nothing, it's nothing!"

"It's two Ps," she said, and he rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, Rose, we can't all be top of the class—"

"That's not just not top, that's a failing grade, you're smart, why—"

"I don't know, okay, just don't tell Mum!" he exclaimed, and Rose looked at him seriously.

"If you don't let me help you, I will," she said.

"Bloody snitch!"

"I'm trying to keep you from failing! Is this a regular thing?"

Hugo looked down at the ground and said, "Dunno, I suppose."

"You suppose?"

"Well, I'm supposed to see Flitwick—"

"Today?"

"Yeah."

"I'll go with you."

"Please don't," he groaned.

"I will. Come on," she said. Hugo glanced at his friends with a final plea, and Rose pulled him away from the table. Hugo led the way to Professor Flitwick's office, acting for all the world like it was some sort of death march, and knocked on the door tentatively when they arrived. Flitwick opened the door and smiled when he saw them.

"Mr. Weasley, come in. And Rose, wonderful, come in." They both sat down in the chairs in front of Flitwick's desk and the elderly professor sat down opposite them. "So, Hugo, I understand you're having some trouble."

"Yes," he mumbled, "I guess."

"Why is that? Do you have trouble paying attention?"

"Well, yeah, I guess, I always have—"

"He has ADHD," Rose added, and Hugo glared at her.

"Ah, I understand. So is it a matter of trouble studying?"

"I guess? I can't really read the book, it's too difficult…"

"It's written on a relatively easy level, is there some kind of problem focusing or…?" Flitwick asked and Hugo shook his head.

"No, I dunno, it's hard for me to read, it's all… it gets all jumbled up like… like the words get all mixed up…"

Flitwick looked at Rose, puzzled. "Does he have dyslexia?"

"Er, I don't think so, it sounds like it but he's never been tested," Rose said.

"Er, I think I do," Hugo muttered. Rose turned to look at him.

"How long have you thought that?" she asked. He looked down.

"A while… years… I just… I didn't want Mum to—you're both so bloody clever and I can't even read."

"Hugo…it's not that you can't read, you've just never been taught how in a way that works for you," Rose said. "And Mum won't care!"

"How do you know that?" he exclaimed. "You don't know that!"

"She loves you, Hugo, and they just want to help you."

"Since when are you on their side? You're the one who's always talking about being independent and—"

"That's different!" Rose said.

"Why? Because it's about you?"

"Okay, enough, Hugo, you need to tell Mum and Dad."

"…Can you tell them?" he said.

Rose sighed. "I'll help you tell them…"

"Okay." Rose turned to Flitwick, who was looking at them apologetically.

"Is there any kind of program or adjustments that we can get for him?"

"I'll speak to Professor McGonagall," Flitwick said. "You two can go, I'd be happy to allow you to retake the test when you're ready, Mr. Weasley." Hugo nodded and they both left after Rose thanked Flitwick.

Rose shut the door to the office and said, "You need to at least come to tutoring from now on."

"Okay, okay," he muttered. "Can we stop talking about it?"

"Sure," Rose said. "Er, want something from the kitchens? I reckon Hetty still likes me even though Scorpius doesn't." Hugo didn't respond and Rose sighed. "How about we go see Hagrid, okay?" Hugo seemed to perk up a little and nodded. Rose led the way down the grounds, thankful it wasn't currently snowing despite the storm clouds brewing in the sky, and Hagrid had thrown open his door a few seconds before they got there.

"Fancy seeing you here!" he exclaimed. "How long has it been?"

"Sorry, Hagrid," Rose said, smiling, and he grinned and hugged her, dwarfing her easily.

"Hello, Rosie. And you, Hugo, I reckon you're even taller than the last time."

"It's been three weeks," Hugo mumbled, but he cracked a smile.

"What's the matter with you?" Hagrid asked.

"Apparently I'm stupid," Hugo muttered.

"He's not… he's dyslexic, probably," Rose said. "He was pretty upset, I thought…"

"Oh, come on, that doesn't matter!" Hagrid exclaimed. "You're as clever as anyone, how could you not be, with Hermione for your mother? Here, come on, I'll make some tea." Rose followed them in and sat at the overly large kitchen table with Hugo as Hagrid put a kettle on the fire. "So, how've you been, Rosie? I haven't seen you in forever, what've you been up to?"

"Haven't you read the Prophet? She's a madwoman, she's got half the Ministry on her tail," Hugo snorted.

"Right, well, you and Lucy," Hagrid chuckled. "How's Percy taking that?"

"He disowned her," Rose said. Hagrid looked up, shocked.

"Oh, I'd like to talk to that little… well, Lucy'll be all right."

"Yeah." Rose looked around and saw a potion brewing on one of the side tables. "Hagrid, what's that?""That? Oh, well, me and the bloke filling in for Potions this month're brewing Mandrake Draught, see if it'll help that Campbell kid."

"But he's a ghost," Hugo said, confused.

"Worked the last time," Hagrid muttered. "It's our only option at the moment anyhow."

"Do they know what caused it?" Rose asked. "The attack?"

Hagrid shook his head. "No. It's odd, though, they don't think it's the same thing that happened when the Chamber was open, they think it's got to be something else. Course, don't know what—they've had me looking through the grounds but there's nothing here, I swear. I mean, I can't find anything, but it feels like there's gotta be something out there, don't it? It feels… different somehow, I don't know. You two all right?"

"Oh, yeah, we're okay," Rose said, though she was thinking about the creature that had come into her room that night, and added, "I know what you mean, though. It does feel different."

"Mum says there's going to be a war," Hugo said suddenly, and Rose looked at him. "She does, I heard her talking to Uncle Harry. All of them do. Do you think so, Hagrid?"

Hagrid looked at them gravely and said, "It feels like the last time. Death Eaters are being seen more and more, Azkaban breakouts, politics going mad, and the Headmistress is organizing… well, I don't think I should tell you about that."

"She's been… she's going to start teaching me privately, but I don't really know for what," Rose said.

Hagrid shook his head. "Sorry, Rosie, can't tell you that. She'll tell you when it's time, I'm sure." Rose nodded hesitantly and he smiled again. "Well, it's getting late, you two best get back to the castle. You can stop by anytime, you know. And tell your cousins, too," he added.

"Good night, Hagrid," Rose said, and they left as he called back, "Good night!" Rose started to trudge back up the hill to the castle, with her brother following close behind. He was quiet until they had almost reached the Entrance Hall.

"You've heard them, haven't you?" he asked. "Talking about it?"

"Yes, I have," Rose said quietly. The Aurors guarding the door let them in and shut the doors behind them.

"So do you think they're right?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know, Hugo," Rose sighed.

"Right about what?" Rose whirled around to see, of all people, Scorpius standing behind them. "Hi."

"Hi, Malfoy. Nothing," she said. "Come on, Hugo."

"It's fine, Rose," her brother muttered, and Scorpius raised an eyebrow.

"Well? What?"

"The war," Hugo said, before Rose could stop him, and Rose groaned before starting to walk up the stairs. The two boys followed her, talking about what Hagrid had said, as much as Rose didn't want them to. She knew Hugo didn't have any reason to not talk to Scorpius, but she still wasn't happy about it. When they reached the common room, Hugo went up to the dorms and Rose was about to do the same when Scorpius pulled her into one of the corridors that led to the toilets. She sighed.

"What, Malfoy?"

"I can't talk to you any other way," he said, shrugging. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Leave me alone?" she suggested. "You know, you could take a hint."

"Listen, Weasley, I don't want to fight."

"It kinda seems like you do. Why were you even downstairs anyway?"

"I couldn't find you here."

"Well, obviously," Rose said, and Scorpius groaned.

"Look, Weasley, I just want a straight answer."

"About what?"

"About how you feel about me."

"How I—I don't feel anything about you. Except annoyance," she muttered.

"Yeah, that's not true," Scorpius said, "and you know it. Why did you kiss me?"

"I don't know, all right?" Rose exclaimed. "I don't know! I just… I don't want to talk about this."

"Well, what do you want?" Scorpius hissed. Rose looked at him, infuriated, but before she knew what she was doing she had kissed him again, and they stayed that way for what felt like forever, but was probably less than a minute, before Scorpius pushed her away and stepped back. "What I can't do," he whispered, "is this." He stalked away, leaving Rose even more confused and angry than before.