A.N: Our hero and heroine finally meet in this chapter! The first three may have seemed disjointed – I see them as a kind of extended prologue. But now that our characters are returning to Hogwarts, the story can really begin. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Copyright J.K. Rowling.

"So, are you excited for sixth year?"

"Not really." Rose shrugged, playing with the cover absentmindedly as she sat at the end of her mother's hospital bed in her school robes. "I mean, I'll be glad to be back at Hogwarts, of course… but I just feel strange, with the hearing and everything."

"You shouldn't." Hermione Granger was leaning back against the bedstead, propped up by pillows, the blankets tucked up to her chest. Her hair was neatly brushed, and encouraging spots of colour had returned to her cheeks. A pile of parchment sat on her lap, marked with a quill; she had insisted on her work being mailed to her from the Ministry.

The walls of the Pollingtonious Ward, much to its namesake's chagrin, were lined with hundreds of colourful get-well cards that had been delivered to them over the past week, some enchanted to sing merry, uplifting tunes, others sending out showers of fragrant petals that littered her mother's bedclothes at random intervals - so that it was no longer the cheerless, sterile place Rose had visited on the first day. Slabs of Honeydukes chocolate were stacked on the bedside tables, topped with boxes of Bertie Bott's and multitudes of Chocolate Frogs. Though all of them had been tested for poison before entering the ward, her mother still had not touched a single one.

"Do you think the Malfoy woman did it?" Rose blurted before she could help herself, then looked down. "I'm sorry, Mum, you probably don't want to talk about it - "

"No, I don't." Her mother reached out and smoothed her daughter's hair, giving a weak smile. "But I know you, Rosie. You're never content unless you get an answer. Ginny told me she brought you to talk to Andromeda last week."

"Did - did she tell you…"

"What Andromeda said? Yes." Hermione raised her eyebrows at Rose's incredulous expression. "She knew I could handle it better than Ron. And I was able to confirm it. The last thing I remember – before it all happened - was Astoria Malfoy coming over to our table and talking to us. It seemed strange, since I never spoke to that woman in my life before, and she and Draco have always kept their distance from us. But I thought at the time, perhaps because Andromeda is her husband's aunt, she felt the need to pay her respects on his behalf, or something…"

"And now? What do you think now, Mum?" The ward seemed suddenly quieter than it had before. The merry tune issuing from one of the get-well cards was more sombre and subdued. Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw that Pollingtonious was leaning forward eagerly in his portrait, trying not to look as though he was interested in their conversation.

Her mother regarded her sternly over her reading glasses. "What I think has nothing to do with it. The Wizengamot will make an informed decision, based on the evidence and testimony that they are given, and your uncle Percy will be presiding over them. The Potters are going, and they'll let us know exactly what happens."

An audible sigh of disappointment emanated from the portrait. Rose was silent for a moment, pondering her mother's words. Then the door behind them opened, and Hugo came into the ward, followed by their father. "We'd better get to King's Cross, Rosie. It's quarter to eleven."

"Good luck at school, love," her mother said, hugging her tightly and kissing her cheek. "Promise me you'll be careful, and stay out of trouble. Same goes for you, Hugo." Rose stood back to let her brother in. The fourteen-year-old hugged his mother fiercely, and when he moved away from the bed, she saw the glitter of tears in his eyes.

Ron kissed her next. "I'll be back after I've seen them off."

"Be good!" she called as they left the ward. "I'll see you both at Christmas!"

Christmas. It was too long till then, too long not to see her mother's face, not to know how she was doing, to hear from her only in letters. For the first time, Rose predicted the long school-months stretching ahead of them with a dread that had nothing to do with the heavy sixth-year workload.

Scorpius's father saw him off at the entrance to King's Cross, which was already bustling with Muggles. "You'll have to go the rest of the way yourself. I need to get to the hearing early."

"All right," said Scorpius, though something sank within him at the thought of the hearing, and his mother sitting in the centre of the courtroom, the Wizengamot assembled all around her. He had said goodbye to her when she left for the Ministry, early that morning, and she had seemed calm and confident as always, but…

As he turned to go, his father placed a hand on his shoulder, his grey eyes serious.

"Scorpius. I say this to you every year, and you've always listened. But after everything that's happened, you might need another reminder. Keep your head down. Stay away from the Potters and the Weasleys. Don't talk about them, don't talk to them, just - "

"I know, Dad," Scorpius said wearily. Beside him, Gaspard hooted uneasily in his cage where it sat on the school trunk, drawing strange glances from the passing Muggles.

"I'm not saying it'll be easy, Scorpius. Staying away from them will be more difficult than ever before, but you need to do it, no matter what happens. For the safety of our family."

"You think they'll rule against her, don't you?" Scorpius raised his eyebrows at his father, feeling a surge of irritation. "She has the invitation. That's concrete evidence! Why do you always expect the worst?"

Draco Malfoy stared at his son, unblinking. "Because that way," he said coolly. "I'm never disappointed. You have to consider the possibility, Scorpius, even if – "

"No." Scorpius shook off his father's hand, hoisting the owl cage under his arm and seizing his trunk. "The train's probably arrived by now."

"Scorpius - "

"You'll be late for the hearing, Dad. Just Floo me tonight and tell me how it went, all right?" He dragged his trunk away into the crowd of Muggles without waiting for his father's answer.

Platform 9¾ was so enveloped in steam when they emerged through the barrier that the other passengers could barely be seen through it. Rose could hear families calling goodbye to each other from the windows of the Hogwarts Express, friends greeting each other enthusiastically. She felt strangely detached from it all, as she made her way along the crowded platform, Hugo and their father trailing in her wake.

"Hi, Rose!" Jackie Saunders, a glamorous girl with pixie-short, glossy brown hair who shared her dormitory at Hogwarts, strode past with her sisters in tow and waved merrily. A vague glimmer of sympathy in her eyes, behind her bright smile, showed that she had heard the news. "How was your summer?"

"Good, thanks," Rose replied, smiling weakly.

"Mine, too! Better hurry, the doors are about to close!" The witch vanished into the steam, and the whistle blew almost at the same moment. Rose turned back to face her family. Her father was already clapping Hugo on the shoulder and speaking quietly to him. Rose could not hear his words over the sound of the train. Then Hugo was moving away, carting his luggage behind him, and her father was embracing her.

"Keep an eye out for him, Rosie," he said into her ear. "He's been hit hard by what happened. And Merlin's sake, be careful."

"I will. See you soon, Dad," Rose said hastily, hurrying towards the nearest door and clambering into it, dragging her luggage with her just as the door closed behind.

She rushed to the nearest window with Hugo as the train began to move, waving at her father as he stood on the platform, a lone, red-haired figure, his hand raised in farewell. There was that strange tug within her again, that she had felt earlier in the ward. She struggled to ignore it. Then they rounded a corner, and her father was gone.

The corridor was packed with young witches and wizards searching for compartments. Hugo joined a group of fourth-years while Rose made her way along the train, ducking past owl cages and squeezing around covered broomsticks.

Students turned to look at her as she passed each glass door; it brought a flush to her cheeks, and she kept her eyes fixed on the floor. The whole wizarding world must have heard about her mother by now. She would be answering a lot of questions back in Hogwarts.

"Rose!" Leaning out of one of the compartments was her best friend, Cassie Miller. Short and broad-shouldered, with slanted eyes and coal-black hair, she was a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. She looked unusually solemn as she embraced her friend, and beckoned her into the compartment, where some of her other Housemates were seated. They stared at Rose as she entered, making her feel immensely uncomfortable than before.

"I can't stay, sorry," Rose said quickly as her friend opened her mouth to ask a question, and indicated her badge. "Prefect's meeting. Can you mind my stuff till I get back?"

"'Course, yeah," Cassie said, taking her trunk while Rory Finnigan stood amiably to help hoist it into the luggage rack. "I think Albus has already left."

"Great, I'm late then," Rose muttered, and backed out of the compartment. She ran along the corridors to the top of the train, robes flapping behind her, and burst into the prefect's carriage.

It was already full of silent students in their school robes, prefect's badges gleaming in the morning sun that flooded through the windows, all of whom lifted their gazes to regard the tardy prefect as she entered. Rose felt herself flush even redder. "Sorry," she said, dropping into the free seat beside Albus, who smiled at her. Her cousin Lucy, who was the new Head Girl, gave her an appraising look before resuming her speech.

"As I was saying, the prefect patrols this year have been increased at the Headmaster's request. Fifth years and sixth years will now be required to patrol the castle at least two nights a week. Seventh years will have only one patrol night a week, to allow more time for study. A specific area of the castle will be assigned to each patrolling pair. These areas will alternate every month."

The Head Boy, Jonah Robbins, took over from Lucy. "For today, you can patrol the train with your respective Housemates, but we'll be pairing you up with a randomly-selected partner from your year for castle patrols. Each of you will be given the name of your partner, along with your patrol times and the destination for September, at the end of this meeting. Your patrol partner will be changed at Christmas, but not before. I should also remind you all that there's to be no swapping of partners if you're not happy with them…"

Rose tried to pay attention. She really did. She tried to ignore the fact that something hot and bubbling was rising within her at the knowledge of who exactly was sitting here in the carriage with them, right at that moment, listening to the Head Boy's words. She tried to let her gaze remain on Lucy and Jonah, tried not to let it stray, but… it did. It slipped past the sixth-year Ravenclaw prefects, Jason Kloves and Diana Turpin, past the Hufflepuffs, Ed Abercrombie and Summer Birchgrove - past Nina Meyer, and alighted on the tall, pale boy beside her, his white-blond hair neatly combed back, sharp grey eyes fixed on the Head Boy. Scorpius Malfoy.

It made her sick to the stomach to see him sitting there so calmly, listening to the Head Boy's words as though he was just like everyone else. As though he had everyright to be there, with the rest of the prefects – after what his mother had done. And what was worse, Rose thought, her grip tightening on the edge of the seat beside her, gritting her teeth, was that she was forced to sit here, silent and demure, and act as though his presence did not affect her.

Automatically, her hand moved to her pocket, found her wand, and for a moment she considered it - rising to her feet before anyone predicted it and hexing Malfoy, the satisfaction of watching him reel backwards, hand held to his bleeding nose, or his limbs locking together, toppling like a board to the floor. And she would say harshly, "That was for my mother," before storming dramatically out of the carriage.

It was only a moment, really, before rationality returned, along with her mother's words, uttered just this morning. Promise me you'll be careful, and stay out of trouble. Rose sighed almost inaudibly, and let go of her wand again. She was preparing to deliberately look away from Malfoy when his eyes shifted from the Head Boy to her.

The carriage suddenly seemed empty and silent around them. She stared at him, mustering all the hatred and hostility that she could into her gaze, expecting him to blink and look away, or glare back. He did neither. Cold, grey-eyed and indifferent, Malfoy watched her, daring her to drop her eyes first.

"Rose Weasley? Weasley!" At Albus's nudge Rose looked around, startled, and saw that the Head Boy was addressing her. A few others in the carriage were tittering at her inattention. Lucy looked slightly embarassed on her cousin's behalf.

"What?" she said, more defensively than she had intended, then at the Head Boy's raised eyebrows, spoke again, more politely. "You were talking about patrol partners?"

"We've moved on, Rose," Robbins sighed. "I was saying that you'll be on first-year guiding duties tonight after the feast, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," she replied in the cheerful, deferential tone she normally reserved for teachers, and Robbins seemed somewhat mollified.

"Now, about point deduction…"

Rose listened to every spoken word for the remainder of the meeting, and did not risk losing her concentration again. The carriage grew hot and uncomfortable, the sun beaming in the windows from a rapidly-clearing sky as the train drew away from London. There was a collective sigh of relief when the prefects were dismissed.

Each of them was handed a sheet of parchment with their patrol details inked carefully on before they left the compartment. Rose tucked hers into her shoulder bag without looking at it, and stood outside the door as the other prefects passed, waiting for Albus, who was packing up his things. She grinned at him in greeting when he emerged. "How are you?"

"Good. Merlin, that was tiring, though." He yawned as they began to walk along the corridors to the third carriage, which they had been assigned for today. "Why were you late?"

"We were visiting Mum in the hospital. Oi…" Rose stopped, and stared at him in mock alarm, reaching a hand above his head to measure him, then shook her head. "You're taller than me now. When did that happen?"

As they entered the third carriage, two first-year boys spilled out of the compartment ahead of them, yelling. One of them was clutching a Chocolate Frog card, the other chasing him. "That's mine! I opened it first! She's really rare!"

Rose flicked her wand calmly, and the Chocolate Frog card floated out of the boy's grip. "Now no one gets it," she said firmly, moving past them and plucking the card out of the air. "Back in the compartment, both of you."

One of the boys opened his mouth to protest, then caught sight of Albus and quickly shut it again. He darted back into the compartment, followed by his friend.

"I hate when that happens," Albus sighed.

"Yeah, it's so hard being famous, isn't it?" Rose teased, glancing down at the card in her hand. A black-haired, sallow-skinned witch glowered up at her, brandishing a sign that read: STOP SPELL SUPPRESSION! Beneath the picture, her name was printed in gold lettering: Carlotta Pinkstone.

"So how have you been, Rose? Really?" her cousin continued, lowering his voice as they continued along the corridor.

"Oh, I'm fine." Rose stuffed the card in her pocket. "When do you reckon the lunch trolley will be coming around?"

"Soon, I suppose. But - Rose…" Albus had stopped now, and was looking at her. Behind him, she saw a curious first-year girl press her face to the glass of a compartment door, eyes wide as she watched them. "Are you sure you're all right?"

She shrugged. "Mum's doing better every day. They say she'll be strong enough to return to work in a month or two. We were lucky, really."

"I didn't ask about your mum," Albus said, his green eyes gentle, stepping back to let a group of third-years by. A few of them ogled the two cousins, whispering to each other, before continuing along. "I asked about you. I know - this can't be easy to deal with. Especially with the hearing today, and everything…"

"The Wizengamot will make an informed decision, based on the evidence and testimony they are given," Rose recited, then smiled faintly. "Al, I'm not all that great, but… this isn't really the best place to talk about all that."

"I know – you really shouldn't litter in the corridor, Eva," Albus admonished a fourth-year girl who had just left her compartment, dropping a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans behind her as she chatted to her friend. "We can still deduct points this early in the year, you know."

The girl turned pink, muttered an apology and picked up the box, hurrying away with her friend. Rose turned to Albus, shaking her head. "It never ceases to amaze how you seem to know everyone's name," she remarked. "That's a Head Boy quality right there."

Albus laughed. "Nah, she's a friend of Lily's, came over to the house once or twice." But still he looked pleased, and didn't ask again how Rose was, for which she was immensely grateful.

They patrolled for about a half-hour, most of which was spent talking idly about safe, easy topics like the O.W.L. results that they had received during the summer, the professors, the school year looming before them and the new level of difficulty their subjects would reach. By the time they returned to the Gryffindor compartment, the lunch trolley was making its way around the train.

As they settled among their friends, Rose felt a good deal more relaxed there than she had earlier. She was not the centre of attention as she had feared. Cassie gave her a brief smile before returning to her lively discussion with Rory Finnigan and Mark McLaggen about the Sirens' new album, and Jackie Saunders sat beside her, absorbed in her copy of Witch Weekly. Another of her roommates, Penny Alderton, a petite girl with a short, ash-blonde bob and a heart-shaped face, was gazing quietly out at the passing countryside.

After examining his patrol sheet, Albus swore loudly. The others looked around, startled. "What's up, Al?" Rory said after a moment, vaguely amused.

"Nothing," the Gryffindor prefect sighed, "I'm patrolling with Summer Birchgrove, that's all."

"She's really sweet." Jackie had looked up from Witch Weekly, raising her pencilled eyebrows.

"And she's easily the fittest girl in our year," Rory supplied, before casting an apologetic glance at the three sixth-year girls in the compartment as they rolled their eyes in unison. "I mean… no offence."

"Yeah, but she has a huge crush on my brother," Albus grumbled. "Along with the rest of the female population of Hogwarts, of course. I sat next to her in Charms last year and all she ever did was ask me about him. It was bloody annoying! I - "

He was interrupted in his rant by Penny's softer tones. "Are you all right, Rose? You've gone pale."

Rose was staring at her own patrol sheet in disbelief. "Please tell me we're changing partners at the end of the month," she said weakly.

"No, not till Christmas," Albus said, bewildered. "Why, who did you get?"

"It could be worse," Nina Meyer pointed out. "You could have got Potter."

Scorpius said nothing, simply replaced the patrol sheet in his diary. Standing, he shoved it back into his trunk, then sat again, staring out at the countryside flashing by the windows… beyond the glittering lakes and towering hills, he could see the purple shades of distant mountains on the horizon. Another hour would probably bring them into Scotland. Turning his head back towards the south for a moment, he wondered what was happening at the hearing back in London.

"Albus Potter's not the worst," he heard Jem counter. "He's not as bad as his brother, anyway… but I guess that's not hard."

"Well, I don't envy you, Scorpius," Orchid Ottelby said seriously. She shook her head. "I mean - Rose Weasley. Besides everything else, she's not even pretty. Her hair, and those freckles…"

"I dunno," Torrance Bole said thoughtfully. "She has nice… eyes."

The others joined in as he laughed, while Orchid glowered and punched her boyfriend's arm. "I'll hex you," she threatened. "I swear I will…"

"Ah, crack a smile for once, Malfoy," Carlos Santini said lazily, stretching his arms behind his head and raising his dark eyebrows. "Oh wait – I forgot, you're not meant to badmouth the Weasleys, are you?"

Scorpius looked away from the window, back at his fellow Slytherins. His father's words echoed in his mind. Don't talk about them, don't talk to them - but then he saw the Weasley girl, glaring at him across the prefect's carriage… he saw his mother, pale and exhausted, fear in her green eyes as she kissed him goodbye, and suddenly he didn't care.

Taking a deep, calming breath, he met his challenger's eye, and spoke bluntly. "No, Carlos. You'll forgive me if I don't exactly feel like laughing about the girl who had my mother arrested."

There was a long, awkward silence after his words, during which no one in the compartment seemed quite sure where to look. The question had been hanging in the air for some time – Scorpius had felt it the instant he stepped into the compartment after finishing his patrols. At last, Orchid said, in a voice barely louder than a whisper,

"She got your mum arrested? Rose Weasley?"

Scorpius nodded tersely, not trusting himself to say any more. Catching Jem's eye briefly, he saw that his friend looked just as shocked as the others.

"The little bitch," Torrance said, shaking his head.

Pushing a strand of curly hair out of her eyes, Nina looked at Scorpius frankly. "It's not that big a deal, though, patrolling with someone. You won't have to talk to Weasley or anything."

"Swap with me, then," Scorpius said quickly. "You're not happy with Kloves either, are you?"

"No. Thickest Ravenclaw I ever met." She shook her head. "But I can't swap, sorry. I've got Gobstones lined up for every other night of the week."

"If she was the one who got your mother arrested, why isn't she at the hearing?" Orchid resumed, as though no one else had spoken. She was leaning forward in her seat, her eyes bright with curiosity. "It's today, isn't it?"

Scorpius shrugged, wishing fervently that he had not mentioned it now. "Yeah. I don't know… she just told her family that she saw my mother at the wedding, I don't think she had evidence or anything."

Before Orchid could ask anything else, the trolley-witch's call reached their ears.

"Finally," Santini said, springing to his feet. The others followed hastily as he pushed into the crowded corridor to get to the lunch trolley. Jem and Scorpius were the only ones who remained seated.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jem said quietly. "About Rose Weasley identifying your mum?"

"I wasn't supposed to know, overheard my parents saying it." He stood. "I just wanted to shut Santini up, really."

"Well, that won't last long." His friend gave a wry half-smile. "But listen, mate… I'm sorry. That's – well, that's rotten luck."

"It's all right." Scorpius pushed the door of the compartment open with a little more force than necessary. "I'm used to it."

Hogsmeade Station was wreathed in darkness when Rose stepped out of the train, and a chilly, pine-scented breeze greeted her. A single lamp cast an orange glow over the platform from her left, and a low voice could be heard calling, "First years, first years, over here."

Looking over, she saw the hulking figure of Gregory Goyle at the edge of the platform. He had taken the position of assistant groundskeeper back when Minerva McGonagall was still Headmistress; Hagrid had been finding the tasks increasingly difficult to manage by himself over the past few years with his increasing rheumatism.

There had been some uproar on his appointment, as Goyle was a well-known former associate of Death Eaters, but both Hagrid and McGonagall had vouched for his present reliability, and the board of governors had eventually agreed. Even her parents had not spoken against him. Goyle was still not allowed to sit at the staff table, but for as long as Rose had attended Hogwarts, her parents' former classmate had been herding the first years off the train. The familiar sound of his voice made her smile despite herself, as she remembered the journey across the lake years ago, her first glimpse of the castle, how excited she had been.

"Shall we get a carriage, then?" she said cheerfully, as Cassie stepped nimbly down beside her.

"All right." As they made their way along the crowded platform to the road where the group of horseless stagecoaches waited, Rose took her best friend's arm, feeling suddenly light.

"I've missed you, you know, Cass. We didn't get together much over the summer."

"I know," Cassie said, sighing. "I'm sorry. We were staying with my grandparents in China for weeks and then…"

"Don't worry about it, I should've made more an effort to meet up too. But we've a whole year ahead of us now, haven't we?"

"Yeah." But she noticed her friend's tone was less than enthusiastic, and turned to look at her as they walked.

"Anything wrong?"

Cassie shook her head, dropping her arm and running a hand through her black hair. "Oh, just… not looking forward to all the hard work."

"Me neither," Rose said grimly as they reached the carriages. "I've been dreading it all summer."

Her companion gave her a strange look at those words, but before she could question her, a shout of laughter came from nearby. Looking around, she saw Scorpius Malfoy and his Slytherin friends climbing into one of the coaches. One of them, Orchid Ottelby, caught her eye and grinned nastily, giving her a jaunty wave.

"Ignore her," Cassie said, following her gaze. She put a hand out as her friend started towards them. "Rose. You're a prefect, remember?"

"I remember," Rose muttered, and followed her friend into the coach. At the sight of Malfoy, her good mood had evaporated, as what she had managed to briefly forget came hurtling back to her: reading his name with horror earlier on the train, and the cool, defiant way he had looked at her in the prefect's carriage, as though he had nothing to be ashamed of…

Albus joined them a few moments later, his hair dishevelled as usual, sticking up at odd angles. "Did you see the Aurors on the platform?" he panted, straightening his glasses.

The two girls exchanged glances. "Aurors? Really? No."

"They must have been on the train," Albus continued breathlessly as he sat beside Rose. "I stayed behind to see what they were doing, but they went into the station house and I had to run back - "

"Is there any room left in here?" A very pretty witch with loose blonde hair scattered with pink flowers had stuck her head into the carriage, and was looking at them hopefully.

"Hi, Summer," Cassie said cordially, when it became clear that Albus was incapable of speech. "We've enough room for one more. Come on in."

"Thanks so much." Summer Birchgrove climbed on gracefully, hair swinging around her face, and sat next to Cassie. "I couldn't find my friends, and nearly all the carriages were gone. I thought I might have to walk!" As the carriage began to move, she caught sight of the Gryffindor sitting across from her. "Hi, Albus! Looking forward to patrols?"

He cleared his throat uncomfortably, looked from Rose to Cassie, then seemed to realise that he would have to do the talking himself. "Er… yeah."

"Me too!" The Hufflepuff beamed. "It'll be fun! Remember Charms last year?"

"Yeah…"

"Say, Summer," Rose said hopefully. "You wouldn't consider swapping partners, would you? It's just that the nights I've gotten don't suit me at all."

"Oh, that's a pity." Summer's smile faded, and she looked apologetic. "I don't think we're meant to swap partners though, didn't Jonah say so? Who did you get, anyway?"

Now it was Rose's turn to be uncomfortable. "Well… Malfoy."

"I don't like him one bit," Summer declared. "He dumped Diana Turpin really badly last year, and she took ages to get over him."

"I thought they weren't really going out," Albus said, as the carriage gave a jerk beneath them.

"They were." Summer folded her arms, suddenly stubborn.

"So… that's a no, then?" Rose asked at last, with an air of clutching at straws.

"Yeah, sorry." The blonde witch sighed. "I'm not going anywhere near him. Maybe you'll find someone else willing to swap, though."

"I somehow doubt it." Rose fell back against the moth-eaten seat hopelessly. The carriage rattled on in awkward silence, Albus's eyes resolutely fixed on the window, away from the blonde witch, while Cassie fidgeted with a loose thread on her robes, and made a few more feeble attempts at conversation.

None prevailed until Hogwarts came into sight through the carriage windows – the vast, sprawling castle and soaring turrets spread out against the horizon, a hundred twinkling lights in the darkness. For that moment, as the four students gazed at their second home, it almost seemed as though nothing could be wrong with the world.

"Could I ask for some quiet, please?"

The Headmaster's magically magnified voice echoed around the Great Hall, and the hordes of chattering students were silenced. Scorpius finished congratulating his cousin, Tobias Greengrass, who had just been Sorted into Slytherin, and turned to look at the staff table.

The usual professors were seated there, except - a few seats to the Headmaster's left, he could see an unfamiliar wizard, thin and bespectacled, clad in old-fashioned robes. He was tall, but his thin, scrawny frame and grey-streaked hair gave him a brittle look, as though a gust of wind would knock him over.

"Is that Professor Vance's replacement?" he muttered to Jem, who was sitting on his other side. His friend shrugged.

"I guess we'll find out."

Professor Godfrey Hobspawn lowered his hands as silence fell. "Thank you," he said briskly. "And welcome to another year at Hogwarts. Before we begin the feast, I have a few announcements to make." A bald, powerfully-built wizard with a long, vertical scar running from temple to chin, he was a former Auror and Order of the Phoenix member who had taught Transfiguration at the school since the War. He had taken over the Headmaster's position when McGonagall retired several years back.

"Firstly, I would like you to welcome your new Potions master, Professor Theodore Nott." He indicated the bespectacled wizard with one hand, who rose and bowed stiffly, to uncertain, scattered applause. Murmurs were spreading through the Great Hall like ripples on a lake. Scorpius recognised the name instantly – he had been an old schoolmate of his father's.

"Wasn't his dad a Death Eater?" someone at the Gryffindor table said, loudly enough for the whole Hall to hear. Scorpius looked across to see, unsurprisingly, that it was James Potter who had spoken, an outraged expression on his face. The new professor did not visibly react, simply taking his seat once more. A few of the other teachers seemed suddenly uncomfortable, while the Headmaster raised his hands once more for silence, looking quite annoyed.

"I was not finished. Professor Nott had no part in the War, and has agreed to take the position of Potions master, following Professor Vance's retirement. You will all show him the same respect you reserve for all professors in this school, including you, Mr Potter. Is that clear?"

Though not the most patient of wizards, Godfrey Hobspawn certainly had a commanding presence. There were no outbursts from anyone else, though Scorpius heard Orchid hiss to Torrance, "They must have been really stuck for a teacher."

"Good. Now, Professor Nott has also offered to teach the elective subject of Alchemy to students in sixth and seventh year. Signing forms will be placed on the noticeboards tomorrow for those interested." There were more murmurs across the Hall, and Jem and Scorpius raised their eyebrows at each other.

"Finally," Professor Hobspawn said wearily, not bothering to hold his hand up for silence this time. "Some of you may have noticed Aurors at the station. In light of recent events, the board of governors has agreed that some additional school security may be required this year. There is no need to panic, but I advise you all be cautious and vigilant, as always. That is all."

The buzz of conversation resumed around the tables as the Headmaster took his seat, louder than ever at this last, curious announcement. Scorpius felt sick to his stomach as mountains of food began to appear on the dishes before him. He could feel the stares, particularly those of Orchid, Torrance, Carlos and Nina, who sat nearby, as Hobspawn's words resonated in his ears. In light of recent events…

All through the feast, Scorpius had to suppress the urge to rise from the table and run. He certainly would have done so, had he not been aware of the many people watching him, gauging his reaction to the Headmaster's words. For if his father had taught him anything over the years, it was the importance of keeping up appearances. Should he flee the table now, it would seem that he had something to be guilty about – made all the worse by the fact that the his mother's hearing was being held today.

So, for his parents' sake, and for his own, Scorpius remained at the Slytherin table for most of the feast, forced himself to eat, to instruct his cousin about the different classes and teachers, to laugh at Torrance's jokes and join in Jem and Orchid's speculations about Professor Nott. Only when the treacle tart and chocolate pudding appeared on the plates before them did he lean over to ask Nina quietly if she would mind showing the first-years to the common room.

She gave him a strange look. "I think the new fifth-years are doing it. Why?"

"I have to talk to someone," he said, which was not entirely untrue. Moving around the table, Scorpius made his way out of the Great Hall as discreetly as possible, though he felt many gazes burning on his back.

It was a relief to step into the empty, cool Entrance Hall. He barely glanced at the memorial in the centre, a colossal granite monument carved in the shape of a phoenix, etched with the names of those who had perished in the Battle of Hogwarts, and pushed open the door that led to the dungeons. As he moved down into the belly of the castle, ahead of the crowds, Scorpius Malfoy felt somewhat at peace. It was good to be back in Hogwarts, despite everything.

The Slytherin common room was deserted when he entered, wreathed in the ethereal green glow cast by the lamps, and the dark, undulating waters of the lake were visible beyond the windows. It gave him the familiar feeling that he was staring into a glass tank, or out of one. He sat on one of the plush armchairs nearest to the fireplace, and watched the flames dancing in the hearth, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, waiting, waiting…

At precisely ten o'clock, the flames turned green, and Draco Malfoy's face emerged between them, pale and drawn. "Are you alone, Scorpius? Is anyone listening in?"

"Give me a moment." Scorpius stood, flicked his wand once at the door leading to the boys' dormitories, then at the door to the girls' dormitories. "Homenum Revelio!" Nothing happened, and he turned back to his father, kneeling before the flames and swallowing. "No, Dad. We're alone. Better be quick, though."

"This morning I told you to prepare for the worst," his father said quietly. "Well, a few hours ago, the Wizengamot agreed on a verdict. They found your mother guilty of attempted murder of a Ministry official."

Scorpius exhaled slowly, and clenched his fist on the hearth beneath him. He could not look at his father when he asked, mouth dry, "What was the sentence?"

"Fifteen years in Azkaban."

"But…" His voice broke on the word. Something else had broken inside of him, too, and a lump was forming in his throat, but he could not cry, he would not cry, not here, not now, not in front of his father. "What about – the wedding invitation?"

His father's voice, in comparison, was hollow and emotionless, echoing in the silent common room. "They rejected it as false evidence. After your mother handed it in, their experts carried out tests on it for some time and claimed it was forged."

"Forged? By whom?"

"By us." A bitterness was entering his father's tone now. "But that's not all. It turns out the search they carried out on our house last week yielded something after all. They found Bloodroot Poison in the attic – according to the Healers at St Mungo's, the same poison which nearly killed Hermione Granger."

"No…" Scorpius swallowed again. She didn't do it. She didn't do it.

"Neither she nor I have any idea how the Bloodroot Poison came into the house. But along with the supposedly forged invitation, and Andromeda Tonks' testimony, it was apparently enough to form a case against your mother."

Scorpius shook his head dumbly. In the distance, he could hear loud laughter echoing down the dungeons as the Slytherins returned from the feast. "I – it must have been planted by someone. Maybe one of the people who searched our house."

"Unfortunately, the Wizengamot did not take to that suggestion. But I agree, and so does your mother." There was a silence, then his father spoke again, in a softer voice. "Scorpius, the last thing she said to me before we parted today was about you. Her worst fear is that you will suspect her too."

A sudden memory struck him of his mother, clutching at him. The evidence may point in my direction…but I did not poison Hermione Granger. The shouts were closer now. He looked up, meeting his father's gaze for the first time, his voice harsh. "I don't. It's difficult, but I don't. She told me there was something deeper going on, beneath all of this, and I believe her."

His father's face was grim. "Someone is working against us, Scorpius. Maybe someone from my past, an old enemy… I'll try my best to find out who. But this is not over."

Scorpius's eyes travelled downwards again, to the bottom of the ornate fireplace, and he asked quietly, even though he already knew the answer, "Can I see her? Before they take her away?" He could hear voices outside the common room door. His father glanced in their direction, before replying.

"They're holding her in the Ministry overnight, and bringing her to Azkaban tomorrow morning. We already said goodbye to each other. I'm sorry, Scorpius."

The lump in his throat threatening to choke him now, Scorpius nodded, and did not speak again, even when his father bade him farewell and disappeared from the flames, leaving him alone in the common room as the crowds of Slytherins flooded in from the feast.

Review if you wish! An interesting aside: would anyone care to hazard a guess as to who Cassie Miller's parents are?