So I messed up the title… I'm going to start reading The Mortal Instruments. As soon as I'm done with Plague.

Anyways. Here's chapter 36. :)

Reviewer Replies:

rducky: I didn't think of the DVD. That's actually a good idea. Thanks. :)

Anubisfan9080: Aww, thanks! I try to reply to every review I get without taking up too much space. And thank you so much for the compliment on my writing! I'm taking a Novel Writing class and everyone else loves it too. :) I'm so glad you loved the chapter!

allyouneedislove1797: I'm gonna call you Love from now on like everyone else does. :D And yes, the love triangle did become a square. Now there'll be more drama! XD
I'll clear up the whole Albus-bragging thing in this chapter. Rose needs to intervene and have a heart-to-heart with him no doubt.
I'm sorry you didn't have a good Easter! In my opinion, everyone should have a good Easter. :( And no, I don't think it's creepy that you think of me as a friend even though it's online. I think it's totally fine. :)

izzi08: lol Lorcan and Patricia may be a couple… you'll have to wait and see. ;)

DISCLAIMER!

I own nothing. Okay? Okay.

Chapter Thirty-Six: House of Rights

Rose's POV:

"I think you're bragging," I told Albus. We were walking up to the common room after brunch, the rest of the group hanging back to eat more.

Al stopped walking, turning to look at me.

"Huh?" he asked. "I'm not… What are you talking about?"

"Fabian and Nina told me you were comparing everything to your dad. Albus, Nina's situation, while it may be similar to Uncle Harry's, is totally different. Well, not totally different, but for the most part it is."

"Rosie-"

"Al, listen."

He leaned back against the stone wall, the light of a torch above him casting shadows. "Okay. What do you have to say?"

"Give it a break! Leave them be… Or, well, come with us, but don't talk. Seriously. I love you and everything, but you really need to think of what you say before you say it."

"What do you think I'm doing, Rose? Infesting their minds with dirtiness?"

"You have no right to brag, Albus."

"I wasn't bragging!"

"But you were comparing everything to your dad."

"Okay, Rose, I understand that. I'll stop doing it. I just won't even bring it up. I'm sorry… it kind of gets to your head sometimes, you know? Being the child of one of The Trio."

"No, Al, I don't get it. Although… Hugo does. Sometimes he's really cocky, but he's been doing good lately, so I guess I kind of understand. Sorry."

"It's fine. Just stop flipping out at me?"

"Deal."

People started leaving the Great Hall, filling the corridors with yelling and laughter.

"Hey," Nina said, passing us with her hand entwined in Fabian's. "What's up?"

"Not much," Albus answered, falling into step with them and walking on the other side of Nina. I sighed and walked beside him. "How about you?"

"Al…" I trailed off, giving him a look. He shrugged.

"Not too much," Fabian answered, yawning. Both he and Nina looked dead tired.

"You want to go take a nap?" I asked them. They nodded. "Okay. See you back in our room later then, Nina?"

She shook her head. "No," she said. "I think we'll just go sleep in the Room of Requirement."

"Aw, you want to be together do you?" I teased. Albus just rolled his eyes.

"Yeah," they answered in unison. I chuckled.

"Alright," I told them, grabbing Al's arm and pulling him away. "See you later! No sex."

I didn't need to look back to realize they were probably blushing Weasley red, even though they weren't a part of our family.

"Rose," Albus started off, taking his arm back. "Where's Scorpius?"

I thought about it for a moment. "I don't know," I answered. "Why?"

"Just wondering. Haven't seen him since yesterday."

"He's a Slytherin, Al. Probably in the dungeons in his common room or something. Why do you care so much?"

"Just out of curiosity, Rosie! Don't kill me. Plus, James said something about the Quidditch pitch last night and how our Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match is coming up soon. Scorp is a Seeker, like me, so…"

"You wanted to talk Quidditch tactics?" I rolled my eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah. Well, not talk, more like… steal. Spy, if you will."

"You're so immature."

I walked away briskly, heading back to Gryffindor Tower. We all deserved a lot of rest after yesterday, and Nina kept me up half the night muttering to herself about betrayal and sobbing every so often. I felt really bad for her, but Amber took better control of the situation than I did. After all, they were close friends.

I figured I'd deal with it later. I had studying to do.

Nina's POV:

I opened the door to the Room of Requirement to find the same room that was there when Fabian had first showed me it existed. I sighed and flopped down in a squishy armchair.

"Why is everything so complicated, Fabian?" I asked. He came over and joined me, sitting on the arm of the chair and putting his hand on my shoulder.

"I don't know, Nines. I'm so sorry. If there was anything I could do…" he trailed off, looking down at his hand clenching the Marauder's Map.

I stared at it. "Why do you have that?"

"Albus never asked for it back." He smiled, unfolding it. "Who do you want to spy on?"

"Hmm…" I thought about it for a moment. "I don't know."

"How about James? He was saying something about Quidditch earlier. Maybe he gathered up the team and they're out on the pitch, practicing."

"Alright."

We focused on a dot that said James Potter, following it around the castle's corridors with our eyes. Fabian was right - he went around gathering Gryffindor's Quidditch team, leading them out and across the castle grounds to the field. Despite the fact that it was going to snow again later, I was pretty sure he forced them into it.

"He's way too hardcore about sports," I commented.

"Yeah," Fabian replied. "Mischief Managed." The Map closed.

I grinned. "That is so, so cool."

"Mhm. I should probably give it back to Albus, though," he said, putting the Map back in his robes' pocket.

I yawned from lack of sleep, and we both ended up curling up on the bed, fast asleep in minutes. His arms were wrapped around me, and I slept peacefully.

A few hours later, we ended up in McGonagall's office with the rest of the Gryffindor members of Sibuna. Like they'd said, Rose and Albus were there too.

"What brings you all to my office?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Rose produced the book. "Professor," she started off uneasily. "I think you may need to take a look at this…"

"Turn to the page with the ribbon in it," Amber told her.

She did. She gasped and her eyes widened.

"Oh my…" she muttered, rereading the passage. She turned pages, kept going back to the marked one, reread the passage a fifth time, then closed the book and handed it back to Amber. "How could we have missed this?"

"So is he going to be put into Azkaban with Joy now?" Mick asked. "If so, I want to know so I can go for a jog outside."

"Mr. Campbell, please be patient and let me think," she replied sternly. Mick shut up instantly.

"Well?" Albus asked. "Personally, I think he deserves Azkaban. Maybe even the Dementor's Kiss."

"Mr. Potter, I'll have to go see Minister Shacklebolt and your father immediately. Judging by this book, Frederick Mercer will almost positively be put into Azkaban no matter what - there will be no trial. But I do have one question: Do you have any more evidence?"

"Yes," Fabian answered, letting go of my hand. He produced a few more books and pieces of parchment, as well as old articles of The Daily Prophet. McGonagall took them, rifled through them, then asked for the first book back.

"I'll contact the Ministry immediately. Run along." She shooed us out of her office, and we all walked back up to the Gryffindor common room.

"Well, that's done," Albus commented, climbing through the portrait hole. "Oh, and has anyone seen The Map?"

Fabian and I exchanged glances. "Nope," we answered in unison, taking our usual place by the fire.

"Hmm," he went upstairs to his room, probably going to look for it.

"You guys have it, don't you?" Alfie asked. Fabian pulled out The Map ever so slightly so he could see. Alfie gave us a thumbs-up; Fabian and I smiled and giggled.

Rose came over to us.

"So," she said, sitting on the other side of me. "You lied to my cousin."

"Rose, we can explain-" I started off.

"No need," she interrupted, smiling. "He believed you. At least you didn't take the Cloak. Then he'd really kill you."

"I haven't even seen the Cloak," Fabian admitted. "I think James might have it."

"Anyways, here he comes. Better keep quiet about it." She got up and went over to a table, hiding behind a mountain of textbooks and rolls of parchment.

"I can't find The Map!" Al exclaimed, sighing and falling back on to the sofa, taking Rose's spot.

"That's because-" Amber started off. Once she saw our faces, she stopped talking.

"Because…?" he gave her a questioning look. "What's up, Amber?"

I felt kind of bad about keeping it from him. After all, it was his… or James'… Either way, it belonged to one of the Potter kids.

I glanced over at Fabian. Our eyes met, and it seemed as if a thousand messages passed between us.

"We have it," I told Albus. Fabian took The Map from his pocket, handing it over.

"Ah, thanks guys," he answered, taking it back. "I thought I'd left it somewhere."

We spent the rest of the day doing homework, chatting, and playing Exploding Snap. It was nice.

Things were finally, almost, pretty much back to normal.

Yeah… Not really.