Disclaimer: Copyright J.K. Rowling.
Before embarking upon this story, the author feels it prudent to inform her readers that at the point in time and space where it begins - that is, at a Devon wedding in the summer preceding their sixth year at Hogwarts - Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy had never exchanged more than five words in as many years of acquaintance.
Why would they have? They belonged to entirely different groups of friends in entirely different Houses at Hogwarts. Their parents had not the friendliest relations, nor the fondest memories of one another in their own school days. They shared some classes, but had never been seated together by any of the professors. That was no deliberate act, simply chance.
Of course, they were vaguely aware of each other's existence, both of them having been made prefects for their respective Houses in fifth year. Having received the same amount of 'O's in their O.W.L. exams, they were encouraged by others to view one other as academic competition. However, aside from glimpses at train platforms and whispers at school, Rose Weasley and Scorpius Malfoy knew nothing about each other. Their lives had followed two separate courses, each unaffected by the other's bends and turns...
Until the wedding.
"Merlin, I wish I was descended from a Veela," Lily Potter hissed into Rose's ear as they stood by the arch with the other bridesmaids, donning matching dresses of light blue, white primroses scattered in their hair.
"Why, so men would fall into a stupor at your feet?" Rose teased, as the bride and groom began to murmur their vows, loud sobs issuing from the front row of chairs. "Don't they already?"
Lily poked her hard in the ribs. "No. And you know what I mean… Look at her. And Teddy too. How cool would it be to change your appearance at will? Their kids are going to be talented."
In front of them, Dominique, sister of the bride and maid of honour, swivelled around and shot them a glare, and Lily reluctantly shut her mouth. A slight smile on her lips, Rose looked fondly at the young couple standing beneath the wedding arch.
She wasn't the sort to get sentimental at weddings, or indeed any kind of formal occasion, being too practical (or boring, according to her cousins). All the same, it was strange to see Victoire, who had been Head Girl in Rose's first year at Hogwarts, getting married when she was only a few years out of school - and to Teddy, who was like a surrogate son to the Potters, who had been coming to Christmas dinner for as long as Rose could remember, thrilling them with his ever-changing appearance.
Today, his hair was shoulder-length, wavy and carrot-red, in honour of the family he was marrying into, and he looked characteristically serious. Opposite him, Victoire stood gazing into his dark eyes, wearing her mother's wedding dress, a plain white gown made extraordinary by her dazzling features and silvery lengths of hair. The sky above was cornflower-blue, and the sun beamed down on the couple, glinting in the water of the spring nearby, the sound of rushing water providing a gentle accompaniment to the slow murmur of the marriage vows.
Waving his wand as he spoke, the ceremonial wizard conjured golden ribbons in the air, which wrapped around the couple's joined hands.
"I'm sweating like a Nogtail," Lily groaned, and Rose gave an involuntary snort of laughter, causing several of the bridesmaids and onlookers to turn their heads, startled. The ceremonial wizard faltered, almost imperceptibly, in his words, before continuing hastily. Looking over at the front seats, Rose saw her dad shake her head at them in mock reproach, while her mother watched the ceremony, blissfully oblivious to the interruption as she cried silently. Beside her, Aunt Ginny simply raised her eyebrows reprovingly at her goddaughter, but she could tell she was trying hard not to smile.
Rose always found it a bit alarming at family gatherings such as these, when she was greeted with the sheer vastness of the red-haired clan to which she belonged. The bride's side of the aisle was bursting with Weasleys of all shapes and sizes. Victoire's parents sat in the front row, her beautiful mother wearing lilac robes and a stylish hat, her scarred father wearing sombre dress robes. The various uncles and aunts were present, too, except for Uncle Percy, who was busy campaigning in the election for the new Minister for Magic.
Rose's younger brother was slumped in the front row with her parents, clad in red dress-robes and looking hopelessly bored. Behind him, Lily's brother James was absentmindedly hovering pieces of confetti in the air with his wand before letting them drop into Hugo's auburn hair. Albus, another cousin and one of her best friends at school, met Rose's gaze and rolled his eyes at her.
Fred, who was a couple of years older than James and therefore too mature to be throwing pieces of confetti in his cousin's hair, sat on his other side, looking even more bored than Hugo, his chin propped on his hand. Last of the cousins was Louis, Victoire's brother, looking impossibly handsome with his chiselled features and silvery hair - Rose remembered having a crush on him when she was little.
She felt a pang of pity when she looked at the bridegroom's side of the aisle; it was conspicuously empty. Most of Teddy's family had died years ago in the war. The sole occupant of the front row was his grandmother, Andromeda, a formidable old witch with long, grey hair. She was wearing an impressive set of salmon-pink dress robes, and sat misty-eyed, smiling wistfully.
Behind her stretched many empty seats, occupied mainly by former classmates of Teddy, and his friends from the Auror department. One of them stood by the arch as his best man: Geoffrey Alderton, a quiet, serious looking young man with fair hair, his dressrobes decorated with a single white rose. His sister, Penny, shared Rose's dormitory at Hogwarts.
But there was someone else whom she did not recognise, towards the back of Teddy's row, sitting alone… a fine-boned, black-haired woman who appeared to be around her parents' age. She wore elegant, green silk robes which matched her sharp eyes, her features impassive as she watched the ceremony. A momentary frown creased Rose's forehead – she had seen that woman before, but could not quite recall where.
One of the Aurors standing guard nearby cleared his throat, and Rose glanced over. The dark-robed figures stood apart from the brightly-dressed guests with their arms folded, gazes constantly roaming the sunny meadow around them for any outside threat. It was not an unfamiliar sight to Rose; since she was small, she had learnt that whenever her uncle Harry attended any public occasion, security was never far away.
She could tell he disliked it, from the tension in his features whenever the Aurors crossed his line of vision – and from countless whispered arguments she had overheard between her parents, she knew that they were not fond of the security either. But that, she supposed, was the price of saving the world… One could never quite have a normal life afterwards, only hope for one.
Startled out of her reverie by a nudge from Lily, Rose looked back at the arch to see Victoire and Teddy kissing beneath it while a shower of silver stars and confetti fell on them. Deafening cheers and applause rose up from the crowd of seated guests. She felt a grin break across her face as she watched. In the front row, Hugo looked immensely relieved, and put two fingers in his mouth, trying to whistle like James was doing behind him.
The newly-weds proceeded down the aisle in a kind of dazed bliss, Dominique going immediately after, arm in arm with Geoffrey Alderton while her other hand held Victoire's satin train. The other bridesmaids followed behind: Molly and Lucy pairing off while Roxanne hung back with Rose and Lily. "What was with you two earlier?" she demanded as soon as they had passed the last row.
"Lily was trying to be funny," Rose said, shouldering into her younger cousin playfully. "Nogtails don't sweat, love."
"Pick on someone your own size, Weasley," her cousin replied, shoving her back.
Roxanne shook her head, looping her arm with Rose's. "Well, I think Dominique was ready to kill you both, no questions asked." A slim, pretty witch with dark hair and coffee-coloured skin, she had sat her N.E.W.T.s a few months ago, and was working as a robe apprentice in Madam Malkin's. Rose knew she would miss her when she got back; she had always been good fun in school.
They followed the married couple across the luscious grass, hopping over the rushing spring, to the old dilapidated cottage at the far end of the meadow, the rest of the guests following behind with the ceremonial wizard. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose noticed the dark-robed Aurors moving ahead of the procession, wands raised, presumably to inspect the cottage before they entered. "Is that really necessary?" she said to no one in particular, feeling a prickle of irritation.
Following her gaze, Roxanne shrugged. "Probably not. But you know Granny Weasley. Still thinks that everyone's after Uncle Harry and your parents."
"Doesn't hurt to be careful, I suppose," Lily said, her tone surprisingly serious for a moment. Then Roxanne dropped Rose's arm and hung back to talk to her boyfriend, and the two girls raised their eyebrows at each other, grinning again.
"So, d'you reckon their kids'll have superpowers?" Lily resumed lightly. She skipped ahead, red hair dancing, as they reached the threshold of the ruined cottage. "Veela and Metamorphagus and werewolf all in one, I wonder if it's ever happened before? Pretty impressive, right?"
"Hopefully not the werewolf part." They stepped into the cottage together. On the inside, it was a vast hall, flooded with sunlight, the ceilings decorated with streamers. Tables groaning with food lined the sides of the hall, a wide dancefloor of polished wood occupying the centre. Lily gasped. "Look at all that food! I'm starved…"
Hours later, floating candles were lit as the sun set over the meadow. The tables in the cottage had been cleared, the pile of wedding presents piled against the corner. Most of the dancefloor was crowded with swaying couples while the band on the raised platform at the back of the hall played a slow, jazzy number that sounded suspiciously like one of Celestina Warbeck's. Granny Weasley's favourite – of course.
"How are you, cousin dearest?"
Looking from where she sat in the corner, hands on her groaning stomach, Rose saw her cousin, James. His spiky black hair looked messier than usual, brown eyes sparkling mischievously. "Ate a bit too much?" he added sympathetically, to which she nodded. "Ah, not to worry. Easy mistake to make. Some Butterbeer ought to fix that. Oi!" He gestured to a passing waiter, who did not see him, then sighed dramatically.
"It's fine," Rose said, suppressing a laugh. "I don't want any - " But James had already summoned a goblet filled to the brim with Butterbeer, and handed it to her smoothly, tucking his wand back into his pocket. She rolled her eyes, taking a sip. It really was rather nice. "You really enjoy lording it over us lowly underage witches and wizards, don't you?"
"Yes," James said immediately. "And so will you, mark my words. Now c'mon, let's mingle, Miss Wallflower." He grabbed her hand and pulled her after him into the crowd, a dizzying blur of red hair and dress-robes.
"I'm not a wallflower, Lily just went off dancing with someone and I – oh, I'm so sorry!" Rose exclaimed as some Butterbeer sloshed out of her goblet and onto someone's robes. Turning back, she saw that it was the mysterious black-haired witch she had noticed earlier seated in the back row. She gave Rose an annoyed glare, then took out her wand and Vanished the stain on her robes, before turning back to whoever she was talking to.
Rose hesitated a second more, then let James pull her on. They came close to the platform, the sound of the band's music loud in their ears. Rose could see her parents seated nearby, engaged in earnest conversation with Andromeda Tonks. Her mother was tapping her foot to the rhythm absentmindedly while she listened to whatever the old witch was saying, a goblet on the table in front of her. Albus was chatting to Hugo, whose hair was still sprinkled with confetti (James snorted at the sight).
Granny Weasley appeared out of nowhere, beaming all over her wrinkled face, and tugged James into a tight embrace. "Lovely ceremony, wasn't it? Haven't seen any of you in much too long… You must come over to the Burrow before the end of the holidays." Her eyes lit up when she saw Rose, and she let go of James, cupping her granddaughter's face in her hands. "Did I hear that this girl got nine Os in her O.W.L.s?"
Rose nodded and smiled shyly, feeling a swell of pride.
"A bit of a genius, is our Rosie." Her father had risen from the table where her mother and Andromeda sat, and joined them, ruffling his daughter's curly red hair and grinning. From the ruddy flush of his cheeks and his slightly slurred speech, Rose guessed that he was more than a little tipsy.
"Just like her mother," Granny Weasley said, still beaming, and Rose felt like she had been doused in cold water. She forced herself to keep smiling as her dad and grandmother embarked on a lengthy conversation about her mother's grades in school, her gaze straying from them.
A few paces away, James was complimenting his cousin's confetti-strewn hair. "It's a real statement, y'know? Promise me to never let anyone mock your style. I'm proud to have a cousin as brave as you." Albus, laughing, gave his brother a shove while Hugo scowled. Over at her mother's table, Andromeda Tonks had risen to her feet and was sternly talking to the best man as she straightened his dress robes.
It was silly, really, Rose reflected, that she should feel this sinking feeling every time she was compared to her mother. She was proud of her, of course, and of her dad – who could ask for better parents? They had saved the world, for Merlin's sake… And both of them held important positions in the Ministry too; she had been frequently told how lucky she was – shouldn't it please her that she took after them?
Smilingly, Rose detached herself from the conversation as soon as she could politely do so, and moved past her brother and cousins, who were now enthusiastically reliving the various Quidditch World Cups they had attended over the years.
Her mother put out a hand as she passed their table, looking up at her concernedly. "Are you all right, love? You look a bit flushed."
Rose nodded hastily. "I'm fine, Mum. Just going to get a bit of fresh air."
"Is this your eldest?" Andromeda Tonks smiled at her kindly as she sat down once more. "Would you like some elderberry wine, dear?" She waved her wand, and another goblet appeared beside the two already on the table, but Rose indicated her Butterbeer, with another forced smile and thanks.
She moved on, feeling her mother's concerned gaze on her back. The nearest door was beside the platform, and guarded by one of the dark-robed Aurors. As she walked towards it, she sensed someone looking at her and raised her eyes and saw that fine-boned, green-eyed witch again, alone this time.
She was standing a little way apart from the crowd, where Rose could see Aunt Ginny being twirled rather clumsily by Uncle Harry, who was laughing. The witch was looking warily at the goblet in Rose's hand, and she felt herself flush a deeper crimson. That had been an accident earlier… It wasn't like she was going to spill it again.
Rose was relieved to get to the door, where the Auror questioned for what felt like a minute before letting her through. She stepped out into the evening air, deliciously cool against her warm skin, and sighed. The hills of Devon reared up in the distance, purple in the dusk. She could hear a cow mooing a few fields away, and the rushing of the spring nearby. How peaceful, to be by herself just for a moment...
Above the stone wall that bordered the meadow a few feet away, the air shimmered as though in a heat-haze, where she knew the Muggle-Repelling Charm had been cast. It gave her a nice, safe feeling, that they were enclosed in a warm, protected little bubble.
The instant she stepped back over the threshold, she heard the scream.
The Auror who had been holding the door open for her sprinted into the confused crowd, wand out, and she followed after, heart pounding. Was it Uncle Harry? Had someone broken through the defences to attack him? Or was it just another of James' pranks? How she hoped that was all it was… Just a prank.
Past the platform, Rose came to a staggering halt. A few feet away, her mother had risen from the table and was doubled over, coughing. Andromeda sprung from the table with surprising agility for her age, pointing her wand at Hermione's throat as she choked. "Relashio!" she screamed, then, "Help! Help!"
A goblet dropped from her mother's hand, her knees buckling, and then she was kneeling on the floor. Her face had turned deathly white, and she was clutching at her throat, making horrible rasping sounds.
"Mum!" Rose screamed. Time seemed to be going slowly, painfully slowly, and she felt helpless, rooted to the spot. "Mum!" Her mother's eyes met hers briefly, and there was a trapped terror in them that she had never seen before. Rose started to run towards her, drawing her wand, but someone pulled her back.
"Let me through!" Her father broke through the crowd, shoving people aside, Uncle Harry on his heels, glasses askew, with one of the Aurors. "HERMIONE!"
Ron Weasley threw himself forward, seizing his wife around the waist - heaved her up into a standing position against his shoulder, arm draped around his neck - and, turning on the spot, Disapparated.
There was a sudden, awful silence in the hall. Rose screamed through it, in a voice thick with tears, "MUM!" She struggled against whoever was holding her. It was James, face stricken. He let her go and she ran forward to the spot where her parents had Disapparated, to seize the goblet that her mother had dropped. There was still some wine left in it, though most of it had spilt on the floor.
Looking up, she saw Uncle Harry get to his knees beside her and take the goblet from her hands. Though his face was slack with shock, there was a strange quality to his green eyes - a momentary brightness that made him seem more… alive than Rose had ever seen him before. Then it vanished, and he just looked afraid.
"She's been poisoned," he said in a low voice. "Rosie, you need to get out of here."
Then, pointing his wand at his throat, he rose, and said, "Sonorus." Instantly his voice was magnified, filling the hall, impossible calm. "All of you need to leave, as soon as you can. Someone has been poisoned. We're not safe here anymore. The Aurors have lifted the Anti-Apparition Jinx. If anyone displays any strange symptoms in the meantime, please go to St Mungo's immediately. Leave now. We are not safe."
All around them, there were pops as people began to Disapparate. Uncle Harry moved away again, and the Auror was bending over now, examining the goblet.
Hugo appeared beside her, his face pale. "What's happened?" he asked faintly, and Rose stood, taking hold of his hand. "Mum…" she choked out, but could not continue.
Teddy emerged through the crowd, his red hair standing on end, his arm cast protectively around Victoire, shouting something Rose could not hear, and Harry pushed him back roughly. "Get out!" he was yelling. "Get yourselves out of here!"
Their wedding's been ruined, Rose thought numbly, then someone behind her and Hugo grasped their arms. Turning, they saw Charlie, their stockily-built uncle who tended to dragons, grim-faced. "Hold on tightly, now."
They clutched at him as he turned and they were squeezed into compressing darkness, tighter and tighter until they landed, staggering, in a dim kitchen. "Why are we in the Burrow?" Hugo asked, his voice shaking, looking around while Rose put a hand to her head and tried to stop the room spinning around her.
"This was a safehouse for the Order during the war," Charlie said. "Your home may not be safe at the moment. We'll wait here for a while."
Flicking his wand and muttering, he summoned a silver dragon-shaped Patronus, which flew out of the room. "Mum and Dad should be back soon, and they'll look after you. I've just sent them a message."
There was a pop, and Uncle Harry appeared in the room, breathing fast. "Good, you're safe," he said, looking at Rose and Hugo. "Thanks, Charlie. Ron's taken your mum to St Mungo's, OK? You'll get news of her soon. I'd stay with you, but I've got things to do - "
"Uncle Harry," Rose said quietly as her uncle turned to leave, and he looked back at her. She was not sure exactly what she wanted to say, but something in his earnest green eyes reminded her… "Has everyone left the wedding?"
"A lot of the guests are still there, some of them don't like Apparating so we're arranging other transport," he replied. He was trying to sound gentle, but she could sense his impatience. "Why?"
"Because I saw someone," she said, and her voice was stronger. Hugo was staring at her. "I saw a witch near my mum, a few minutes before it happened. She was wearing green robes… had black hair… tall and pale. She gave me a strange look, it seemed suspicious – I thought you might want to look into it."
Her uncle nodded briskly. "Thanks, Rose. I will. Take care, all of you." Without another word, he spun on the spot, and Disapparated.
Hugo collapsed into the nearest chair, and began to cry softly. Rose's stomach gave another lurch. The weight of what had just happened was beginning to hit her, and she stepped forward with some difficulty, seating herself in the chair beside Hugo's and dropping her face into her hands. Everything was moving too fast – she felt as though she were still at the wedding, watching her mother drop to her knees, choking, without running forward or helping or casting any spells or even trying…
"Rosie?" her brother's voice came quietly after some time, muffled and hoarse with tears. "Is Mum going to die?"
Something wrenched at Rose's heart. Mechanically, she lifted her head from her hands, reached out and pulled Hugo into her arms, clutching him tightly as he sobbed. He dropped his head onto her shoulder, and she patted his back. It had been years since she had hugged her little brother properly. It felt strange.
"You know, you've got confetti in your hair," she said after a moment, because it was all she could think of to say.
A.N: Dramatic! Reviews would be wonderful.