DISCLAIMER: I am not JK Rowling, nor do I own Harry Potter. All ideas are my own.
I saw a stranger I knew very well today. Well, not entirely a stranger, and I didn't really know him that well at all, but a stranger that I once knew is the only description that seems to be appropriate.
Clearly, we were back to being friends. Again, that's not the right word, the once-present animosity and anger of before has dissipated so quickly it's as if it was never there.
We were pretending like it never happened. Not once did we ever address it. Nope. The kiss was just something that was done, and clearly done to be forgotten. Not to ever be mentioned again.
Just friendly then. That's what I'll call it. Friendly enemies? No. Friendly acquaintances then. Or, maybe just acquaintances. Acquaintances who stare at each other for just a second too long, who's eyes meet in a crowded room and send the busyness into silence, so there is nothing else present but the two of you, and your gaze, looking back and forth, just staring.
I don't know how it got to this point, I really don't. It's not like we had an argument or anything, if anything it was the opposite, bloody round two. I don't make a habit of kissing everyone and anyone in sight, but with Malfoy lately it's all I've seemed to do.
Given what happened last time I'm surprised we didn't shag each other at the first given chance. But no, something had shifted again, cracked and dazzled between the two of us, and I can't figure out for the life of me just what it was.
Why does it always have to be this way between the two of us? Why can't it just be simple and easy? Like it was before, back to normal? But then again, what is simple and easy between the two of us, what is normal now, after everything that's happened?
Two arch-enemies, who strongly hate eachother with a burning passion, a rivalry so alight that it sends anything that touches it roaring into flames, suddenly snogging each other at any given opportunity.
Yep, doesn't exactly sound simple and easy when you put it like that.
And also, do I even want it to go back to how it was? The thing is, that's a difficult question to ask when you don't even know what "how it was" is. How would we be with each other, would we go back to screaming and fighting and disrupting everything in sight, or just friendly? Even Al has noticed that something is different, so what is everyone else going to say?
Just what exactly is it that I want? I have to ask myself. But I don't think that even I know, just one thing is for certain, that kiss changed everything, and not in a way I'm happy with.
After Al's rude interruption, granted it was needed, but regardless I was still excited, and maybe slightly nervous, to see how things would pan out between me and Scorpius -
- Hang on.
When did I start calling him Scorpius? Just like how he's started calling me Rose! Nope, abort mission, panic at disneyland (Muggle theme park), I don't like this one bit.
I'm so out of sorts, so not myself, I feel like my entire body is electrified with this raging energy that I can't escape, so magnetic that it draws me to him in any situation.
Stop it Rose. Back to what you were saying before your mind betrayed you for the millionth time with enticing thoughts of a certain blonde-haired beautiful oh for fucks sake you're doing it again.
Anyway, after me and Al spoke out all that needed to be said, I was expecting to see Malfoy (yes he's back to Malfoy it makes my life a lot easier) in our usual study session the next day, and I did, but he arrived late, all hot and flustered, and completely not the way I'd expect someone to act if they were barging into a room with someone they were kissing only 24 hours prior.
Not that I have much experience with relationships or situationships, but still, it was just very odd.
"I've finally fucking done it", he announces cheerfully yet slightly out of breath, "Cracked the code, completed the mission, you name it, I can do it".
He's doing some odd sort of moon walk across the floor, clearly very chuffed with himself, and not meeting my eye. It was clear this wasn't on purpose, as he's so wrapped up in his own world that he barely even noticed I was there, but it still stung all the same.
"May I ask what?", I ask good-naturedly, although anyone could notice that there was a slight tone of indifference that crept into my voice.
"The reason we can't work out how to get this ring off!", he answers hurridly, as if I was an idiot, the last person on Earth to know this magical secret he currently had the power to unlock the key to.
"This is exactly why I needed this book, I could tell something's not quite right with the ring", he declares triumphantly, striding around the room as if he's just won the Quidditch World Cup.
The book in question is the one he nicked off of Mcgonagall in Transfiguration today, the lesson we had earlier in which I was staring at him so strongly I'm surprised he didn't feel my eyes burning into the back of his head.
It's also the book that I can blame for this whole debacle, I guess to a certain extent anyway, as it's this said-book that started the conversation in which I thought I was big and clever enough to storm up to Malfoy, practically caress him, before whispering goodnight and excusing myself.
You know, as you do.
"What do you mean not quite right?", I question, grabbing the book out of his hands and quickly flicking through each page.
Old stuffy parchment fills my nose, usually a welcome smell, but one today that I can't deal with, not that I can deal with much today. Each page looks as if someone has haphazardly chucked tea all over it, dark and brown, stained and barely legible.
This book contains the answer clearly, given Malfoy's escatic reaction, the answer to getting this ring off and out of this mess.
Wait.
Is that why he's so excited? Because once this ring is off, he never has to speak to me again, and we can go back to how we were, ignoring each other or picking fights left right and centre.
I'm disappointed by this revelation, but even more disappointed by the dread and misery that threatens to drown me from within.
Now I know I've got it bad, and I'm so angry at myself for a second that I let it get to this point that all I want to do is throw myself out the nearest window.
I guess it's lucky that the Room of Requirement has no windows, and it's certainly not intending to let me do such a thing, as no windows have appeared in plain sight.
Fortunately, or really unfortunately, Malfoy's shrill voice snaps me out of my reverie and reminds me of our current situation.
"Have you found it yet Rose?", he asks excitedly, like a little puppy let out to play.
Ignore the fact he's called you Rose again, and keep searching, that's all you need to do.
It's only when I come across a dog-eared one, that I know exactly what he means.
Merlin, how could I be so stupid?
Of course this was the answer, all a fucking long, we've been going round in circles today when final puzzle piece had been staring us in the face the entire time.
Well, that's a stretch, it's only going to be one step along the way, but one big step that's narrowed our search down to hope that I'm going to get this emerald off of my finger anytime soon.
That's if I want to take it off.
It's something so simple that I want to kick myself over and over again for having missed it. Scratch that, I want to throw myself off of the astronomy tower and hit myself in the face with my broom.
We literally only learned about this a couple of weeks ago, and I've been so absorbed in my own head and thoughts about boys and the ball that I've neglected the most obvious answer of all.
Quod Absconditum: The simple act of Transfiguration that makes something appear as something else, but it still carries all the properties of something previous.
So this ring is exactly the opposite of that. It could be a chair for all we know, who knows what it is? At least we're reassured by the fact that we know it's not a ring, so all our research on magical and cursed rings was basically for nothing.
The only thing that niggles at me still, despite the fact that we, well Malfoy, have made major process, is the fact that we still don't know what the fuck this is.
"You've found it haven't you", he asks, suddenly close to me, eyes bright and sparkling, "The answer to our problem"
It takes everything in me to squash the deep disappointment brewing in me that, yes, he is so excited to never have to spend time with me again.
I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out, so instead I'm left gaping like a fish out of water, how fucking pathetic.
Instead of taking his time to ridicule me, he does nothing of the sort, and a bubble of warmth bursts within for a second that no, he's not going to take the piss out of me.
"Speechless, I knew you would be!"
He's practically jumping for joy, bouncing off the walls like my cousins do at Christmas if they've eaten too many sweets.
"Well done Scorpius", I say, mentally kicking myself for a moment that I've addressed him by his first name for once, "Really, well done!"
He stops for a second and pauses, actually he stops the minute I say his name, and turns towards me, looking at me intently, but his grin is fading.
I stand, I don't know why, but it feels like the right thing to do.
And he's here, suddenly, in front of me, I'm in his arms, and he's in mine, and before I know it he's leaning in, and we're kissing once more.
A kiss of joy this time, of happiness, not of lust, a well done I'm so happy for you kiss, like a boyfriend would give a girlfriend after she's just achieved something big.
But then I remember that I'm not his girlfriend and he's not my boyfriend, and we're just strangers who know each other quite well, strangers who kiss on random occassions, unable to resist their clear temptations.
So I pull away and turn around, striding over to the book and picking it up, returning to my safe haven of pages of parchment.
"There's still one problem though", I start, wiping my mouth with my hand and praying that he doesn't see it, speaking as if we haven't just kissed.
"The process of Quod Absconditum is so long to do in the first place, that reversing it will take even longer. In fact, I'm sure Mcgonagall said that part of it comes from the original owner having a deep deep desire to do it, so random people can't suddenly decide that they want to change it"
I sound hurt, throat closed and clammy, clogged with unshed tears. He doesn't seem to notice however, something that I'm grateful for.
I don't know whether he deliberately ignores things when he knows they're better left unsaid, or if he picks and chooses his moments, but right now, I just couldn't care.
I can tell I'm waffling, and I can tell he's not entirely listening, as he gives me a glazed and distant look, as if he's thinking about something hard.
Sitting down, head in my hands, I'm now not afraid to show any glimpse of emotion, as he's evidently not listening and is away with the clouds, probably thinking about how I've scuppered his plans of getting his ring back and escaping the ties that currently bind him to me.
But instead he joins me, which I can tell by the sudden weighted dip in the sofa next to me, and he begins to speak.
"You know what this means then don't you?", he starts seriously, stress creeping up on his voice, "We need to speak to my dad".
In life, there are these heart-stopping moments. Maybe a first kiss, or the realisation that your childhood is over, or the heavy silence that falls when you know someone is about to announce that a loved one has died.
I've had very few of these in my life, luckily for me I suppose, as they render you speechless and unable to comprehend or make sense of anything.
And when Malfoy said that we needed to speak to Mr. Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, I'm surprised my heart didn't combust right there and then.
We awkwardly sat with one another for a while, discussing when and where we'd be able to do such a thing, before I made some random excuse about seeing Lily so I could run out of there as quick as possible.
I don't think he really cared, and to be honest I don't blame him, there are now much more pressing matters to hand.
We decided that, given that this Christmas Ball allows our parents to be in attendance, we could try and corner him then and see if he knows anything more about it. Malfoy (as in Scorpius, ah fuck it now Draco Malfoy is on the scene Scorpius seems to be the better option) warned me that it would not be a pretty sight, especially when he finds out that 1. Scorpius lost the ring 2. It's ended up on the hand of his arch-enemy's daughter and 3. It won't come off for the life of it.
Ever since we hatched our plan I've been in total disarray, and thankfully haven't seen Scorpius since.
It's only been 2 days, but still, I can clearly do enough damage to something in 2 minutes.
I'm like a headless hippogriff, running around like a lunatic making mistakes left right and centre. Nothing is going to plan and nothing is playing out the way I wanted it to.
Probably because you have no idea what you really want, the character playing devil's advocate whispers in my ear, but I'm unable to flit it away.
I suppose I'm just glad that, at least, in other areas of my life, things are looking up.
I say that, but things are looking up for other people, nothing in my life in particular is looking up.
With the ball date looming, I've managed to conceal my craziness to a certain extent, as everyone else seems to be acting exactly the same.
Rox has been crying for 2 days because her dress colour doesn't match Zabini's tie (yes they're finally together), which I don't know why she's surprised seeing as she's a Gryffindor and he's a Slytherin but still, I comfort her all the same.
Dom then started moaning that she couldn't be bothered to deal with her ex-boyfriend showing up at the ball, whom she dumped only 5 days ago as she's come to terms with her sexuality and come out as lesbian. I've been too excited for her accepting herself to focus on the fact that she had to break up with someone in order to do it, I could tell something had been troubling her for a while and now everything is out in the open.
Lily had a meltdown that her dress isn't right, which is a lie because I've seen it and she looks absolutely gorgeous in it, and then proceeded to row with me that she doesn't have a date and why did I dump Anto because he was perfect for me and blah blah blah.
Yep, telling Lily that Anto and I had called it quits didn't seem to go down very well.
"What the hell do you think you're playing at Rose? Anto really liked you! You've really screwed that up now haven't you!"
Screaming like a banshee, she practically announces to everyone in Hogwarts that Anto and I are over. Not that they didn't know anyway, news spreads like wildfire here, but way to rub salt in the wound.
"Hey hey hey. I don't think telling a guy you're uninterested in is screwing it up is it Lily? And to be honest, I couldn't care less if he likes me lots, I don't like him, and that's enough for me. I also don't like the side I saw to him the other day if we need to get into the nitty gritty of it but that's not really any of your business."
"But why Rosie, he was so sweet and lovely, not to mention gorgeous! What's not to like?"
"Enough Lily. There's enough not to like.", I snap in response, already fed up with this conversation
"Please, for my sake, don't make this harder than it already is. I know I'm over it but it didn't exactly end peacefully and I'm not looking forward to seeing him around. I could really do with your support"
"Look, I'm sorry", she replies, wrapping one arm around my back sweetly and pulling me into a hug, "I know this is difficult."
She doesn't, know I mean, Lily has had boys falling at her feet left right and centre the minute she walked into Hogwarts, and she's never been put into this situation before. But I'm not going to begrude her for that, not in the slightest, if anything, I'm happy for her, I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
I've not seen Anto around Hogwarts much, thank god. Since James and Fred too, I haven't had any sort of confrontation, apart from my brother asking me if I was okay, which was sweet of him, especially considering the fact that we never speak at school.
It's not that I'm not close with my brother, I really am, but he's in a different year, and a different house, with different things going on in his very different life, and I don't want to add any pressure to that as the annoying and pesky older sister who's harassing him all the time.
When I see him, it's like nothing has ever changed. We meet on the Friday and plan to see each other at the weekend so we can write to Mum and Dad about the ball.
Which, when I'm reminded again that they will be coming, I almost have another heart attack, as Mum is going to notice this ring as soon as I see her. I'm not sure what story I'm going to spin, but I'm hoping I can potentially charm the emerald to a different colour just for one night so it matches my dress, and just pass it off as an accessory.
I already know, deep down, the answer that the ring is going to give me. There's no way that the ring is going to transfigure into anything but what it already is, and to be honest, I admire the stubborness of the jewel, as someone so stubborn myself.
Maybe I'll manage to get away with it, and see Mr. Malfoy before she notices, and maybe then with his answers I can hope to get it off by the end of the night.
But then again, you know what they say about hope, it breeds eternal misery.
A short one I'm afraid, I am very sorry for that! I went for a different approach with today's chapter.
So ends Chapter 21. I am on holiday in Scotland until Sunday 1st, I do not have much time for writing at the moment but will try to write on car journeys as we are exploring the highlands - today I went on the Hogwarts Express!
I just want to take a moment to thank you all SO MUCH for all the love, support, and kindness I have received recently, especially regarding my latest post. It really means a lot and I appreciate it more than all of you ever know.
I have long COVID, which is very annoying, but hope it goes at some point.
I hope you're all safe, well, and happy!
Until next time, E xx
Chuffed - pleased/very happy