By the time I got back to Hogwarts it was nearly midnight and I was tired but there was too much going on for me to sleep. Three Aurors had helped me get back to the school and they took me to the hospital wing where they left me with the matron. She gave me a muscle relaxing potion, which actually helped with the pain from being tortured by my father that I had barely even noticed was there. I had no time to concentrate on the pain when all I could feel was a sort of relaxed bliss, which was only enhanced after taking the potion. Being under the curse made me question why it was so unforgivable. Unlike the Cruciatus curse and the Killing curse, the Imperius curse actually felt... good.

I looked around the hospital wing feeling dazed and vague – a feeling I assumed would stay with me until this curse wore off, not that I minded. I watched lazily as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Weasley and the three other Aurors who brought me here walked into the hospital wing and over to my bed.

"I've given him quite a powerful potion to calm his nerves." The matron explained and the Aurors nodded and surrounded my bed. The potion and the curse were both so powerful together that I could barely keep my eyes open, especially given how tired I was anyway.

"Scorpius..." Albus' dad said to me, sitting in the chair beside my bed and placing his hand on my shoulder just as my father had earlier that day. "We need to know what happened to you." I nodded and remembered one of the vows I swore to my father – to keep the plans a secret from anyone who asked.

"I... I don't really remember." I lied. "One minute I was watching Professor Faraway die and the next I was in Hogsmeade being brought back here."

"Damnit." Rose's father mumbled. I yawned and my eyes closed slowly as my head drooped downwards. I opened them again and looked at everyone. Suddenly the hospital wing doors opened and Albus and Rose rushed in. Rose's wrist was bandaged up and she had a few cuts and bruises on her face.

"Scorp'... We thought you were dead." Albus said as Rose moved past her parents and the aurors to walk closer to me. She placed her hand on top of mine as I laid in bed. Albus moved to the other side of the bed and stood behind his father who was still sat beside me.

"I'm fine." I said. I felt fine. I felt more than fine.

"Are you sure you can't remember anything?" One of the Aurors I didn't know asked. I shrugged my shoulders and all of the Aurors moved to the other side of the hospital wing and began whispering to each other. Albus sat down in the chair his father had just vacated.

"Okay now they're gone, what actually happened? You seriously don't remember anything?"

I could feel part of my brain, a tiny part, trying to fight the curse. "Nope." I said, maybe a little too casually to be believable. I looked over at Rose. She looked sad – no wonder, she'd been kidnapped and then when she got back I was gone.

"Do you guys know anything about... I think it's called the resurrection stone?" I asked, as if it was no big deal and not completely out of the blue. My cursed self wasn't very tactical. Rose and Albus looked at each other, confused and sceptical.

"Uh, why?" Albus asked.

"I think I had a dream about something like that when I was there." I lied. "I saw my mother." The truth was, I knew enough about the stone to formulate a reasonable lie. I knew it brought back loved ones from the dead, just like most people in our world.

Rose squeezed my hand. "It was destroyed years ago during the war." She explained. "I'm sorry Scorpius, I know you miss your mother-"

"No, I was just curious." I interrupted, yawning a little. "Where was it destroyed?"

"Uh... well... it was last seen in the forbidden forest by my father but that was over twenty years ago." Albus said as he looked over to his father, who looked back at him. Albus looked concerned and all the Aurors began walking back. One female Auror who stood behind Rose's mother pulled a vile of water out of her cloak pocket.

"Scorpius..." the woman said. "We think the dark wizards might have put a memory charm on you to make you forget what happened." She explained, wrongly, as she opened the vile of water. "Every Auror carries a vile like this one with them for times like this, I need you to drink it." I took it and looked it over.

"What is it?"

"Have you heard of the Thief's Downfall?" Asked Albus' father.

"The uh... The thing at Gringotts?" I replied.

"Exactly. It washes away all, or at least most, enchantments. You need to drink this so we can make sure they didn't curse you or anything. Don't worry, it just tastes like water." I looked at the vile. If I drank it, the Imperius curse would be gone but that would be betraying my father... wait would it? I thought back on the vows I took.

1. Keep their plans secret
2. Spend every possible moment searching for the stone
3. Bring the stone straight to them when I found it
4. Inform them of any plans I heard from Harry, Ron and Hermione

I thought about it and realised it would be safe if I drank it as there was no mention of staying on their side of the war or betrayal, just to keep the secrets and search for the stone. I contemplated it but shook my head, refusing to drink it.

"I... uh... can't."

"You have to, Scorpius." Rose said. I gulped nervously and shook my head. The Aurors looked at each other confused.

"Rose, Albus, move out of the way please." Rose's father said and they both did as they were told. He held one of my arms down and another strong Auror held the other, restricting my movement.

"No, no, no, no, no!" I cried, but as I spoke the female Auror took the vile from my clenched fist, opened it and placed between my lips. I drank it.

It took a few seconds but I snapped out of my weird blissful trance and looked around. I felt sick, in pain, tired and scared. I looked down at my right hand and held onto it tight, remembering the vow I took - I remembered everything, the meeting, the torture, my father. The worst part was, I couldn't even tell the Aurors or Albus or Rose about what they were making me do because of the vow – I would die if I did.

The Aurors let me go and they looked me over. I was still a bit dazed and didn't say anything. "It's weird... normally if someone's had their memories removed they take the vile no questions asked." Mumbled one of the Aurors to Rose's mother.

"I don't think it was a memory charm." Said Albus' father who waved his hand in front of my eyes as if to try and snap me out of my daze. "Scorpius, are you okay?"

I nodded cautiously.

"Did you have your memories wiped?" Rose's father asked. I shook my head. Rose and Albus approached me cautiously and I looked at them both. My best friend and my girlfriend standing over me. I finally fully snapped out of my uncontrolled trance and stared intensely at Rose. Without thinking I pushed myself up and out of my bed as the aurors and matron tried to get me to stay. I walked over to Rose and took her in my arms tightly, holding her close.

"Hi" I mumbled into her flaming red curls. I took in her scent and the way she felt against me as I held her.

"Hello..." She said, wrapping her arms around me in return.

"I'm so glad you're safe. Did they hurt you?" I hated that I was part of that 'they' now, even if I didn't want to be, I had no choice.

"No, not really. What about you? Are you okay? I saw that dark wizard shoot the... the cruciatus curse at you... You know, after Professor Faraway-"

"I'm fine. Don't you worry about me." I said, not letting go of her for a second. We stood there for ages holding one another while Albus and the Aurors talked to each other. I could hear them faintly.

"More than one of us have been under an Imperius curse." Mr Potter whispered to the group. "We know what it's like to be taken out of that trance, I think Scorpius was cursed." He explained. A few of them nodded.

"That means that whoever is behind these attacks was trying to use him for something. Maybe to do something? Kill someone? Maybe find something?"

"Rose said they were asking everyone if they knew anything about where something was... Maybe they sent him to look for something here?" Mrs Weasley spoke up.

"Maybe, but we can't be sure. We need to find one of them and interrogate them."

"Or we could ask the boy. Surely he would know?"

"We will, but just to be sure I think a few of us need to sneak back tomorrow night to their hideaway and grab one of them. Find out what they're doing." Mr Potter said. Something in my brain snapped. Now that I had heard that I knew that I had to inform my father in some way. A letter would be best. I had to or else I would break my vow... and I would be killed.

Rose looked up at me and could see the look in my eyes. I was scared and she could tell. "Scorpius, what's wrong? You're safe now, you're here." She reached up and placed her palm against my cheek, stroking my skin with her thumb. I had a flashback to when she found out about my mother's death, she held my hand and stroked my knuckles like that. Hard to believe that I wanted to go back to that time when I found out my mother died and everything was simpler.

I looked down at her and bit my bottom lip. "They um... I..." I was cautious about what I said. I didn't want anything I said to give away any type of plans my father and the rest of the dark wizards had. It was against my vow. However, the only plan I knew about right now was the immortality potion and the resurrection stone. "I..."

"Scorpius what is it? You're scaring me." Rose said, moving her hand from my cheek and taking both of my hands in her own. I squeezed her hands a little too tightly. Before I got the chance to tell her anything, her parents walked over to us. Mr Weasley put his hand on Rose's shoulder and her mother moved closer to me. They guided us to my bed where the other Aurors had moved away from and sat us both down. They grabbed two chairs and sat down in front of us.

"Scorpius, we need you to tell us what you know about what's going on... if you know anything." Mrs Weasley said calmly, placing her hand on her husbands and holding it. Rose reached over to mine and did the same.

I bit my bottom lip and looked down into my lap, not saying anything.

"Scorpius, please." Rose's father said.

"I... can't."

"Were you under the Imperius curse?" He asked bluntly. I nodded timidly. Rose squeezed my hand.

"You're not anymore, you can tell us what happened." Mrs Weasley said, trying to be reassuring but I shook my head.

"Scorp'..." Rose said and I looked at her. "Please tell them what happened..." I looked in her eyes and she looked so sad and scared. I gulped and felt my eyes welling up. I took a breath.

"They um... When I was... When they put me under the uh... the curse..." I just couldn't get the words straight. "They made me do a um... an unbreakable-"

"Vow... oh my god." Mrs Weasley said as she finished my sentence. I looked back down at my lap again and I removed my hand from Rose's grasp so that I could hold my hands together. I pictured holding my father's hand and how it felt taking the unbreakable vow. In the moment I was so happy to do it. I felt almost proud that I had been chosen, but that was all the curse. Now it just made me feel sick.

Mrs Weasley grabbed her husband and dragged him away. They started whispering to one another and Rose reached her hand up and stroked her fingers through my messy blonde hair.

"Scorpius that's... awful. Who was it, what did they make you swear?"

"Rose, I can't talk about it. If I tell you what they made me vow then I break it... or at least I break part of it, it's complicated. Rose, I need to be careful with what I say and what I do right now, until it's done... otherwise I could... I might..."

"You could die." Rose looked down into her lap. "I'm so sorry Scorpius... Well what's the part that you can tell?"

I looked her in the eyes. "I need to keep what they're planning a secret. I can't tell anyone anything about it. The other two vows involved the plans and... I wish I could tell you. Oh and there was a fourth one... to inform them of any plans the Aurors have that I know about. That means I need to write a letter and tell them that they're going to ambush one of them tomorrow otherwise I break the vow."

Rose looked terrified, I imagined I did too. I looked around and the Aurors were all whispering to each other and Albus was sat on a chair near them waving his wand aimlessly.

"Scorpius I know you can't tell me or anyone about what they're planning but I'm going to ask a question and if you stay silent you won't be telling me anything so you're not breaking the vow... Does what they're planning have anything to do with what you were asking Albus and I earlier about the resurrection stone?"

I said nothing. Rose nodded softly.

This was a mess.