Hi everyone! So sorry this is so late, I swear these will start coming out more regularly. Thanks for reading, please review! -Collin

CHAPTER 3

WIZARD'S ROW

Wizard's Row was a new addition to downtown London, a new neighborhood carved out of old brownstone flats winding their way down the Thames near the old theater district where the witches and wizards of Rose's generation were starting to settle. A couple magic-focused shops and cafes had sprung up, and the Progressive Union of Wizards for Muggle-Wizard Equality had their satellite office above a very popular new pub selling pasties and butterbeer called The Hopping Pot. She knew Lucy and Jackson were staying there until they found a flat to rent, avoiding Molly's enthusiastic invitation to stay in the apartment the rest of the cousins called the quarantine zone after an incident with James and dirty shoes.

Rose and Scorpius lived just on the edge of the Row, close to the tube station and the Portkey station, which Scorpius said he liked for the convenience but Rose knew it was about being able to see anyone who comes and goes. The war had been over for years now, but she knew he had never quite been able to move on in peace. Even now, as they stepped up to the front of the line and waited while the attendant configured a Portkey to Malfoy Manor, she saw him glancing around nervously at the crowded terminal. The queues were worse every day now, ever since they'd announced Portkeys to be safe for Muggles to travel. Rose was a little amazed that they were so comfortable using them when they couldn't Apparate home in case of failure, but there they were, commuters who now could live all the way in Yorkshire if they wanted, and families going on holiday, waiting to use the public-access magic. As they grabbed hold of the Portkey, Rose felt a twinge of disappointment at the clean, clearly labelled official Portkey Pass she was holding instead of an old shoe or tin can- some of the changes (that, granted, were in large part her doing) could make everything feel a little… less sometimes.

The world had not changed, however, for Malfoy Manor. When they arrived, the same wrought-iron gates and tall, curling hedges greeted them as they did the first time she'd arrived at only fourteen. But she supposed that wasn't entirely true- inside the gates a massive renovation was taking place, and Draco and Astoria only used the rooms in the old family keep now, making room for the almost-finished Malfoy Home for Children set to open just before Christmas. There was already a list of names, Squib children put into state care by ashamed pureblood families and Muggleborns rejected by bigoted Muggles- a group of children who were getting younger and stronger in numbers as people learned to recognize signs of magic at earlier ages. It made Rose think of Aidan, though when she'd brought up the idea of hiring him Scorpius had choked on his drink and she'd dropped the idea.

Draco and Astoria met them at the door, which still felt odd; one of the conditions of the grant for the Home was no house elves, and she knew they were still struggling to adjust. "Welcome in, we'll head up to the dining room in- our wing, then," Astoria said, cheerful as ever, and raising her voice as a construction crew worked on the tile in the foyer while they walked through. "They're almost done in here, thank Merlin."

"It really looks great, Astoria," Rose said, which made Scorpius's mother smile even though it still felt strange to use the woman's first name.

"Well it's really all been Scorpius," she said, and he shook his head.

"Not really, it was my idea but you both have been doing all the real work."

"Oh, don't be modest, darling." As they kept walking, Rose looked around at the transforming manor and thought about just how angry it would have made generations of Malfoys before them. She was practically grinning by the time they reached the family keep and entered the dining room to find, instead of supper, several very old things carefully laid out on the stone.

"What's all this?" Rose asked.

"Well, these are some of the family things you'll be allowed to use now," Astoria said, "starting with the engagement party. That should be coming together soon, right, dear?"

Draco cleared his throat. "Er. Yes. As soon as I talk to the Montagues and Daphne…"

"Don't tell me you're asking for approval," Scorpius said.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Astoria said quickly. "Rose is a Black, too."

"About five generations back, yeah," Rose said, a little doubtful. "Also a lot of these people personally hate me quite a lot."

A look passed between Scorpius's parents; this had obviously been discussed before. Finally, Draco said, "We'll manage. The Malfoy name is strong enough, they'll turn up. And I'll make it very clear that I approve."

"In any case," Astoria interrupted, "Rose, come look." Rose peered at the table, where a good number of silver necklaces, brooches, and the like were laid carefully out on velvet. Scorpius's mother led her to a particular set of small emerald earrings and said, "I think these would look absolutely lovely on you, and it would be a nice subtle thing for your party. I hardly wear any of this because of my coloring, but green looks wonderful on you, especially with all that red hair…"

"Sure, of course," she said, growing a little pink.

"And then of course, there's- well, this is far in the future, of course, but once I'm gone you'll inherit this," Astoria said, leading her further down the table to a clearly ancient silver monstrosity of a brooch. "It's the signet for the lordship, always belonged to the lady of the manor," she said.

Rose tried very hard to keep her tone light as she turned to Scorpius and said, "Right. I forgot you've got a title."

Scorpius was blushing furiously. "Dad's got the title."

"Well, common courtesy means you'll be called Lord and Lady in the right circles, even while I'm still here," Draco said, far too matter-of-fact. "Though when you're married you might be granted your own title."

"Right," Scorpius said, his voice sounding strained. Rose had almost stopped listening. Her attention had been drawn to the next bolt of velvet, where a long silver chain lay, with a silver and green locket at its end. The locket was scorched, and the metal was mangled and cracked but she could just barely see a twisting design of smooth silver forming a snakelike S.

"What's that?" she asked, and all three of the Malfoys fell silent when they noticed where she was looking.

"That's… something for Scorpius, when he inherits the title," Draco said. "It's a Black family locket. My mother's."

"Oh," she said, glancing at Scorpius but sensing the conversation would go no further. "Alright." While the Malfoys made plans, she couldn't help but stare at it, almost feeling drawn to it, but not in a good way. Looking at the locket, it felt Dark, twisted, like she was being called to by something inside it, something decidedly wrong.

When they left after supper, they took the Portkey back to the station and made their way down the Row, not speaking much as Rose's mind reeled from everything she was quickly starting to realize would come with marrying her fiancé. She hadn't really thought about any of it until now, and she supposed a part of her had thought that Scorpius would have wanted no part of that. But for the sake of Draco Malfoy's cover, they were both doing this, and he had been uncharacteristically quiet at his parents' house. She decided not to push too hard. Despite this, the locket stuck in her mind; there was something about it that gave her an eerie feeling of familiarity. Where had she seen it before?

"Rose?" His voice interrupted her thoughts and he was pointing out the sign for the Hopping Pot down the street. "Almost there. You okay?"

She nodded, startled. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay, why wouldn't I be?"

"Er, no reason," he said. "You've just been quiet."

Rose sighed. "I don't know. It's… a lot. I didn't grow up like that-"

"We don't have to do this if you don't want to," he started saying immediately. "I'll go tell them we'll just get married quietly. This is all mental, believe me, I get it-"

"Scorpius," she said, slowing to a standstill on the pavement, and he stopped, waiting for her. She struggled to find the right thing to say and settled on, "It's all going to be fine. I just need a minute to get used to it." After a moment, she said, "I know this isn't what you want either."

"Yeah," he muttered. "For the Order, though, I suppose."

"Yeah." She paused as they started walking again before asking, as delicately as she could, "What was that locket thing? You all seemed pretty uncomfortable about it. It felt… dark."

"It's from the war," Scorpius said. "The second war, I mean. I'm not really sure what it was, but my grandmother claimed ownership of it from the Ministry vaults years ago. As the last living Black." Something about that triggered a memory in Rose's mind, something she'd read somewhere, but it was too muddled to make sense of. For now, she decided to let it go.

They had reached the Hopping Pot now. Glad for the change of pace, Rose followed him inside, where they found Lucy sitting at a table with none other than their old Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Victor Rudomin.

"Professor!" Rose exclaimed, and the man grinned back at both of them, giving them a friendly nod that was more than warm by his standards. The Head of Gryffindor House still sported the black shirt, vest, and trousers he always had, but his dark hair had started to go gray at the temples, and his face looked more lined than Rose remembered. She had forgotten that he was hardly younger than their parents at all.

"So good to see both of you again," Rudomin said. "Scorpius, you're in Auror training, aren't you?"

"Yes, sir."

"No need for sir anymore," he said, wincing a little. "I already feel far too old here."

"Hi, you two," Lucy said, obviously not moving from the table either, as they both sat down. "Are you drinking? If not this fizzing orange juice isn't that bad. It's magic, not carbonated, relax," she added to Rose, with a slight roll of her eyes. Rose put in an order of pasties, and orange juice in solidarity, before the server had left and they were left watching Lucy, waiting. "Alright. Thanks for coming, I didn't want to talk about it in front of the Order."

"Yeah, what's going on, Lucy?" Scorpius asked.

"Professor?" she prompted, and their attention turned to Rudomin.

"I went to see Lucy in New York after I'd been travelling in America," he said, after a moment's hesitation. "I'm worried about something I saw there. There's a new movement gaining ground. I don't know if it's made it here or not, but if it has, we should all be concerned. When I saw what happened at the gala Lucy and I agreed you needed to know."

"What movement?" Rose asked, frowning. She hadn't heard a thing, even working for the Ministry.

"It's mostly younger people, mainly purebloods from what I can tell. Not fascist, exactly, not like the Followers or Death Eaters. More like a cult. They're obsessed with old magic, prophecy. I believe they call themselves the Reckoning."

Rose felt Scorpius's hand holding hers stiffen, and when she looked over at him he was noticeably paler. "The Reckoning? You're sure?"

"Yes," Rudomin said, frowning. "Do you know about this, Scorpius?"

"No, but- I've heard the name," he said. "From my father, he's heard people talking about something like that."

"Just like I thought," Lucy said, with a nod to Rudomin. "We figured your engagement might help."

"How? And why didn't you tell the Order about this?" Rose asked, trying to cover her embarrassment at being the last to know. Even Scorpius hearing about it was news to her.

"This isn't like the Followers, Rose," Rudomin said. "We're worried even some of the Order could be in on this. We have no idea how far it goes."

She didn't like that at all. "Okay. What did you mean about the engagement?"

"You're going to start hanging around the people we need to be watching," Lucy said. "I mean, they might even try to recruit you. When's your party going to be?"

"Scorpius's mum said the 21st," Rose said. Two weeks away.

"Good," Lucy said. "If it's a bunch of young purebloods looking for a leader, they'll probably find one soon. Especially with the timing," she added, glancing at Rudomin.

"Timing?" Scorpius asked.

Rudomin nodded. "Ajax Rosier's getting released from Azkaban this week."