Chapter 2:
Songs I was listening to while writing: Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran, Nina by Ed Sheeran, Runaway by Ed Sheeran (I feel like this is a good Scorpius theme song), Stay With Me by Sam Smith, A Little Bit of Heaven by Avenged Sevenfold
Scorpius's POV:
The first day of Auror training started at an ungodly hour in the morning. It took me a good ten minutes to get Albus out of bed, which resulted in bruises covering my arms from his kicking feet. Fifteen minutes later, I was seated at the bar stool while Al fixed a cup of tea for himself, still grumbling.
"Remember, we have to sign in with the Welcome Witch at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and then we have to find the Head Auror Trainer." I read off a paper from one of the numerous forms we were given before training.
"Scorp," Al muttered, leaning heavily against the counter. "I won't be able to comprehend anything you say until it's past at least six in the morning. Which I'll remind you— it isn't."
I rolled my eyes and folded the papers, stuffing them into the pocket of my new robes. Al and I had picked up the required uniforms for the training program which consisted of loose black tracksuit bottoms-looking material, a black fitted t-shirt, and black robes with the Auror Academy crest embroidered on the front and back. Al continually tugged down the hem of his bottoms, as he was too tall for them. Finally, before Apparating to the Leaky Cauldron, he cast a stretching spell on his bottoms and was satisfied, I could only hope.
We Apparated to a dingy alley between two buildings that looked as if they were falling apart. It was so early in the morning that the sky was still dark and the moon hadn't completely disappeared yet. Al continued to grumble and yawn loudly as we trekked across the street. We received many strange looks from the muggles that sparsely littered the pavement, walking their dogs or leaving for early shifts. It was a relief to duck into the familiar pub and see the bar man behind the counter, the only inhabitant at the early hour.
"Morning, lads." The bar man mumbled, stifling a yawn. His expression soured when he noticed me. "You won't be starting trouble in here again, Mister Malfoy." He pointed a large finger at me.
"He's not the one you need to worry about. Worry about Hayden DeMoine." Al snapped back, stepping in front of me as if I needed protection. Grabbing Al's arm, I quickly led us over to the large fireplace that had been set up in the back of the pub and scooped a handful of floo powder into my fist from the cauldron on the mantle.
Years ago, after the second fall of Voldemort in 1998, the Ministry decided to completely reinvent itself. Security became tighter and deeper background checks were made for all potential employees. Additionally, the Ministry wanted to create an inviting atmosphere to make up for the corruption and darkness that had so easily overtaken it. The bathroom floo system was annihilated and replaced with easy floo network locations set up around areas of large wizarding gatherings. Employees now traveled to and from the ministry mostly from the fireplace in the Leaky Cauldron, which only led to the Ministry and couldn't be used by anyone who hadn't registered as an employee.
"Ministry of Magic, Atrium" I said as clearly as one could when surrounded by giant, green flames. Al's face was whipped out of vision as I was spun around impossibly fast and fireplaces flew by my sight. I was chucked out onto a marble floor and landed on my knees. I stood up quickly, brushing soot off my black robes and looking around.
I didn't know if I'd be able to name the day the Ministry stopped being impressive. The high ceilings were filled with memos on lavender paper, flitting through the sky like bizarre owls. The second Fountain of Magical Brethren was erected in the middle of the Atrium, though its inhabitants were now joined in a circle, holding hands. I smirked as I thought about Al's Aunt Hermione who had worked a lot to get the House Elves in the world the wages and work benefits they deserved. The bronze statue of Dobby the Free Elf in the fountain, hand in hand with a wizard, represented only a fraction of the changes made to the wizarding world after the "Dark Years" as our parents called it.
"Blimey, that fireplace isn't gentle on the arse." Al muttered as he came stumbling out of the fireplace and landed on his bum with all the grace of a wounded hippogriff. I tried not to laugh as I leaned down to help him up and he took my hand.
"It's a lot to take in, isn't it?" He breathed as soon as he was on two feet again and took in the sight of the Ministry. Somehow it looked different than it had when I had only been a visitor in my father's presence. Maybe it was because I was going to be a part of the intricate system that upheld it now that made it look bigger. More likely, it was because I was considerably taller than I had been when I was a child.
"Ouch!" A sharp female voice came from our right and we turned to see Dominique Weasley sitting on her bum, much like Albus.
"It's darling Dominique!" Al exclaimed, throwing up his hands and rushing over to his cousin. I rolled my eyes with a smile as Al bowed deeply to help Dom up and acted like an idiot.
"Dear maiden, you need not thank me for coming to your gallant rescue." He drawled, kissing her hand.
"My hero." Dom said sarcastically as Al winked. "I'm glad to see you two!" She smiled brightly as I joined them and she gestured to her robes, identical to ours. "It's exciting isn't it?"
"At least your bottoms fit you." Al grumbled, tugging again at the hem of his ill-fitting uniform.
"Did they accidentally give you Dom's uniform size instead of your own, Al?"
My chest immediately panged like someone had sharply prodded my ribcage with their wand. My throat tightened and I looked up at the ceiling, focusing on the memos streaking through each other in an organized sort of chaos. When I gathered myself and looked back down, Rose was standing next to Dominique.
I tried not to stare at her, but she looked fucking adorable. She was wearing the navy robes that all Ministry employees wore over a white dress shirt with little black dots and a black skirt. Her pretty legs were covered in black tights and she was gripping her wand so tightly, her knuckles were turning white. Her deep, red hair was gathered in a curly bun on the back of her neck and a stray strand had escaped behind her ear. I wanted to reach out and tuck it in with the rest.
But I knew that was wrong. Rose didn't deserve to be confused by me and I didn't need to confuse myself. I was here for one thing today: Auror training. I had to focus on the thing I had poured my entire seventh year into. The thing I had scraped an E in Potions for on my NEWTs and had been basically cast out of my family for.
"Scorpius?" Dom asked, snapping me back to the conversation. I blinked stupidly at her and she laughed. Merlin only knew how Dominique Weasley could find it in herself to be cheery at five in the morning.
"I asked you if you were up for walking as a group to the Department?" I barely heard Dom because Rose was looking away and she couldn't see me when I was taking in the freckles sprinkled across the pink of her cheeks. I wondered what she was blushing about. Al shoved me slightly, giving me a look that meant I would be getting lectured later.
"Yeah, sure." I mumbled at Dom's expectant face. She looked satisfied and slid her arm into the crook of Rose's arm to whisk her in front of us and bounce along the crowd, very out of place among the serious-faced witches and wizards.
"Shall I escort you through many perils to our dangerous destination?" Al spoke up next to me in the same silly voice from before, his concern completely gone. He held out an arm for me.
"What sort of perils are we talking about?"
"Listening to Dom's stories about her new boyfriend, for one." He answered. I cringed.
"Will you, Scorpius Malfoy, battle the Dominique dragon with me?"
I sighed as I dramatically took Al's arm, playing along with him for once. "I thought you'd never ask."
…
"Is there a way I could get a larger size of these bottoms?" Al asked the scarily tall witch who was greeting Auror trainees at the door of the Auror office. We were fitting badges with our names on them and the symbol of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement onto our robes.
She raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. "What's your name again?"
Al huffed out a sigh. "Albus Potter." I knew he hated using the "Potter" card for his own benefit. Even though the craze surrounding Harry Potter and his family had died down considerably in the past years, there was still a prestigious pedestal he sat upon. The witch's eyebrows rose so high up on her face that they became hidden by her choppy bangs.
"I'll check in the back, Mister Potter." She disappeared through the doorway and we waited as Dom fastened her badge to her robes.
"You don't think it'll be like that the entire time, do you?" Al asked, turning to me.
"What? Everyone bowing at your feet when they find out your father is the Head of the Auror Office and you're following in his footsteps? Not at all, mate." Al huffed again and forced a smile when the witch returned with longer bottoms. He ducked down the corridor to a bathroom to change. The witch waved Dom and I into the doorway and the sight of the Auror office, alive and booming, was something I would never forget.
The walls only showed in purple gaps between overlapping Wanted posters of dark wizards and witches. There were bulletin boards tacked all over random spots on the wall with webs made to track the wizards. Every cubicle was plastered with more Wanted posters, lists and webs. Memos were flying back and forth so fast above the rest of us, they became a purple blur. Aurors rushed back and forth, slapping each other on the backs and shouting different things.
"Auror Trainees, gather 'round here!" A middle aged looking Auror with a menacing looking scar gouged into his face roared above the tumult near another set of gilded doors to our right. Dom and I shuffled through the mass of Aurors to reach the group of other trainees gathered around the wizard. Al just caught up with us as the wizard began to talk, no longer tugging on his bottoms.
"Welcome to the Auror Office." He boomed. "I'll be taking you lot in through there—" he gestured to the gilded doors. "—because it's bloody loud out here. But get used to the noise. It never goes away. It's all part of working in this office."
I took a last look at the office around me, trying to take in all that was there to see, before following the group into the adjacent room.
The room was obviously magically enlarged to be fit into the Department. It was easily as long as the Atrium and completely made out of grey marble and pillars. Purple and silver banners with the Department emblem were hanging from the ceiling. A large black stage was set up at the opposite end of the room with a podium carved to look like it was supported by two wizards bearing their wands in an X.
Albus was buzzing with excited energy next to me. It seemed he was no longer fazed by the early hour and was now trying to look at all of the room in one sweeping glance. We crossed the length of the hall as the leading wizard stepped up onto the stage and stood in front of the podium. He cleared his throat loudly and flashed a grin, which made the scar on his face look even more grisly.
"Congratulations on being selected for the honor of training to become an Auror in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." He began, skimming over the crowd with his eyes. His gaze seemed to slow when he glanced at the trio containing myself and Al and Dom.
"My name is Rhys Rowley, but you'll be calling me Head Rowley. I'll inform you that each of you was chosen not only for your scores on your NEWTs, but through background checks and character and aptitude tests. You have been singled out as a worthy member of the elite group that protects the lives of the European witches and wizards. I will warn you that this training process is an intense three years of physical and mental exhaustion. If anyone feels they are unwilling to participate in the trials you are about to face, now would be the time to exit."
All the trainees looked around at each other, as if daring someone to drop out. We had all been chosen for a reason. We were all stubborn and mad enough to want to be Aurors. I would bet my entire life's savings that not one of the trainees were about to throw away the chance they had been given. I stood up straighter, meeting the glare of a burly looking dark haired trainee across the group that was cracking his knuckles.
"Well, you had your chance. I will say that being an Auror asks for a lot out of you and sometimes quite literally takes it." He jokingly gestured to his scar but none of the trainees laughed. "Today will be an easy day for you all. You will be given a tour of the Auror office and the Department itself. You will be put into your groups and be introduced to your Heads. Your Head will be the Auror that is recording your results in each session for the next three years."
The door was audibly thrown open and a mass of Aurors spilled through into the marble room. At the front of the mass was none other than Harry Potter. Whispers sounded like the whistling of wind through the group of trainees and Al tensed beside me. I knew he wanted to make a good impression in front of his dad.
The silent crowd of Aurors seemed to glide along the floor until they parted, standing on different sides against the walls. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were the only ones who continued to walk to the stage and stepped up to the podium.
"It's really great to see all of you ready to become Aurors." Harry spoke. The crowd of trainees was absolutely silent. "I'm sure Head Trainer Rowley has already tried to scare you all away and I'm glad to see you've all made the choice to continue on."
Ron Weasley stepped forward then and took Harry's place at the podium. I couldn't focus on what he was saying as much because I was trying to find out how he looked like Rose. He really didn't, truthfully. His hair was a much lighter shade of red and his eyes were blue instead of Rose's brown eyes. He looked much more like Hugo and acted like him too. Rose didn't exactly have the same bad temper as her father.
"You're going to be meeting your Heads now and they will be taking you around the office." Rowley said. I hadn't even realized he had replaced Ron Weasley at the podium and now I saw Ron standing by Harry at the back of the stage, looking at me pointedly. I knew he knew I had broken up with Rose back in sixth year. It was a miracle he hadn't tried to kill me yet.
"Come on, Scorp. They're lining us up." Al grabbed my arm and pulled me into the line of trainees. Rowley was going down the line, reading off the list of trainees assigned to each Head. When he got to us, he took the same lingering glance from before.
"Potter, Weasley, Malfoy. You're a group with Head Lupin. He specifically requested all three of you." He said, eyeing each of us. He checked our names off a list and moved down the rest of the line. On my right, Dominique was squealing excitedly.
"Head Lupin! That's Teddy!" She exclaimed. She practically bounced over to the left wall, Albus and I following in her wake, where none other than Teddy Lupin was standing in black Auror robes that caused his bright blue hair to stand out even more.
"Teddy! You could have told us you were going to be our Head!" Dom squealed excitedly, throwing her arms around him in a hug. He gently pushed her off of him.
"Dom, as much as I love you and your entire family, I can't be seen hugging you when I'm on duty as your Head." I could tell he was trying to use his most serious voice, but his crooked grin gave him away. Dom giggled and mumbled an apology.
Teddy shook Al's hand and then mine. I shook his hand firmly and tried not to show that I was actually really fucking nervous about meeting him.
I had seen Teddy before at the various Potter-Weasley gatherings Al's mum had invited me to during my seventh year. I had never really talked to him, seeing as he had a full time job taking care of Victoire and their baby, who had been born only a few months ago. Her name was Angeline and she was probably the cutest thing on chubby-baby legs I had ever seen. Still, I had never been properly introduced to Teddy before despite the fact that we were actually more related than he was to the rest of the Potters and Weasleys— his family. Teddy and I were blood related cousins.
"Scorpius. I don't think we've gotten to properly say hello before." He said. I stood up straight, noticing that Teddy and I were pretty much the same height. I wondered, if my mother were here, would she be able to point out the similarities between him and I? Did we look like we could be cousins? I thought it would take her a while to get past the blue hair.
He stuck out a hand to shake mine. "Teddy Lupin." He said, flashing a grin.
I took his hand and shook firmly, hoping I wasn't doing something stupid like shaking or sweating too much. "Scorpius Malfoy." I said as confidently as I thought I could make myself sound. Why was meeting my only blood cousin so nerve wracking for me?
"Now you all know who I am, of course. I picked this group partially because you're all my family but also because I know each of you has the potential to come out in the top of the Academy." He looked at each of us as he talked. Whenever he looked at me, something in me snapped and I stood up straighter.
Teddy and I were similar, I realized after he began to show us around the Auror Headquarters. When he walked, I recognized the confident stride as the one I had picked up when I was little. The way he held himself was a lot like me too with our shoulders back. I also noted we both had the old Black family features— strong jawline, prominent cheekbones, and the same slope of the nose.
There was also a difference in the way we were similar. Teddy didn't have to act arrogant to look confident in himself. I knew that I had always been cocky. I even stood in an "arrogant posture" according to Ron Weasley who hadn't known I could hear him after a dinner at the Burrow while he was complaining to Harry Potter about me as if I was personally bothering him—overgrown child.
"This is where you guys will report every morning— my desk." Teddy said. I hadn't really been paying attention as he led us through the Headquarters and pointed out the different cubicles and meeting rooms. His desk was a cluttered mess of papers, quills, Quidditch posters and a framed picture of Victoire holding Angeline. They were waving and smiling at us like we were the most bad-ass Aurors they had ever laid eyes on.
"It's a mess, I know. Your dad gets on me about it all the time." He added to Al. "But I know where everything is and hopefully you guys will too. You'll mostly be training in the big room we were just in. It's made for dueling and the physical tests you'll be taking."
He leaned against his desk, crossing his arms comfortably. I wondered how old Teddy was. He couldn't be much older than thirty if he was even out of his twenties yet. He looked like a seventh year giving a lecture to first years— and we were the first years.
"I'm supposed to tell you about the different kinds of tests you're going to have to take. You'll be studying Concealment and Disguise, Stealth and Tracking, and Poisons and Antidotes. Those are kind of like your classes that you'll be taking in different stages." He began fiddling with a Quidditch figurine on his desk while he talked. "You'll also have to know how to cast a basic memory charm, but it's not the most important skill you'll need because the Ministry already has the Obliviator Headquarters. You'll need to be sharp and quick at dueling offensively and defensively. And you're going to learn how to heal different wounds that might slow you down if you get hurt on a mission." He paused to look at us as if waiting for questions.
"What's Concealment and Disguise?" Dom asked. Teddy smirked— another Black family trait that I supposed we had both gotten; Excessive smirking— and crossed the space between his desk and the wall of Wanted posters.
"You're expected to master the ways you can keep yourself from being seen. You'll be learning things like invisibility charms and how to brew Polyjuice potion and detect when it's being used."
"Sounds like a lot of work." Al said. Teddy only grinned wider. And then suddenly, Teddy's hair blended in with the posters around him, which elicited a gasp from Dom and applause from me and Al.
"It was easy for me, but that's obvious. You'll all have different strengths and we'll be recording how well you do in each stage." His hair turned back to blue and he beckoned for us to follow him down a side corridor.
Dom had bounced next to Teddy and was asking him about Victoire and the baby when Al leaned in next to me.
"Can you imagine Dom in Stealth and Tracking? She can't walk without jumping like a pixie." He stifled his chuckles and I punched his shoulder without really putting much force into it.
"Git. Can you imagine me in Poisons and Antidotes?" It had felt like cold ice was pouring into my intestines when Teddy had mentioned that course. I had known a good Potions grade was required to get into the Academy itself, but I didn't know it would follow you into the training.
"I'll help you." Al said, turning serious when he saw my face. "None of us is going to let any of us drop out or fail. We all wanted this and we are so close to having it. We're not turning back now."
I nodded, to Al's satisfaction and feigned interest when Teddy finally brought us out to a room full of papers and records on every dark wizard that had been caught and brought to Azkaban. I wanted to be interested in what he was saying but the only thing I could think about was that my tutoring would be going down a very different road this year without the person who had made me get my shit together in the first place. Rose.
Rose's POV:
"You're Rose Weasley?" The old witch standing by the entrance to my mum's department eyed me suspiciously. She was probably as old as Grandma Weasley but without the spirit. She pursed her lips together unpleasantly, reminding me of a toad, and finally handed me my badge. I fastened it to my robes quickly, tucking the piece of my hair that wouldn't stay in with the rest behind my ear and following her through the doorway.
"You're to work with Mister Sharman. He's going to be the one to show you around and get you started. Your mother's busy I'm afraid but she's going to make it to each of the interns personally in the next week." The old witch was surprisingly fast for her age and I had to take longer strides to keep up with her as she parted through several workers. It reminded me of taking walks with James and Albus around the Quidditch pitch. They always left me out of breath.
"He'll be meeting you here. This is his cubicle. It would be good of you not to touch anything and don't ask too many questions right away. He likes two lumps of sugar in his tea." She stopped abruptly in front of a cubicle shoved into the corner of the office as if it hadn't been there in the original plans. She turned on her heel and disappeared back into the crowd and for the second time that morning, I felt completely alone.
After Dom had left with Al and Scorpius for the Auror Headquarters, I had gotten lost twice in the winding corridors of the Department. I felt stupid for not knowing where I was, especially since I had been to this Department multiple times with both my mum and dad before. I couldn't think straight. I was nervous and, as much as I didn't want to admit it, seeing Scorpius in person for the first time in months had affected me more than I thought it would.
I was so lost in thought I didn't notice when a young looking wizard appeared suddenly at my side.
"You're the intern, right?" He asked, scaring me so badly that I jumped and dropped my wand. I tried to contain the blush that I knew was sure to follow as the wizard ducked down hastily to retrieve my fallen wand. It was no use. When he straightened up and placed my wand back in my hands, he couldn't avoid looking at my violently pink cheeks.
"I'm Luke Sharman." He said, laughing slightly. He stuck out a hand for me to shake and I did.
"Rose Weasley." I sighed loudly at my pitifully squeaky voice. Luke Sharman turned to his desk, which I hadn't even noticed was immaculately neat, and began putting his things down. I took in the few minutes to note that he had dark brown-almost black hair and green eyes. I was reminded of Albus until I noticed his hair was perfectly styled and flat, nothing like Al's go to I-just-rolled-out-of-bed hairstyle.
"So your last name's Weasley?" He asked, turning back to me and falling gracefully into a relaxed position in his chair. Something flashed across his face— realization?— and then he grabbed his wand and conjured another chair out of the air. It landed just behind me with an audible clatter on the marble floor and I uneasily took a seat, smoothing down my skirt.
"Any relation to the Deputy Head of the Department Hermione Weasley?" He flashed a very toothy grin.
"She's my mother." I replied, smiling slightly at Luke's surprised expression.
"Did you inherit her brains and knack for working harder than anyone at anything?" He teased. I sat up straighter.
"If graduating top of my class with ten NEWTs answers your question, then yes." Luke had the decency to look impressed rather than sport the usual look of disbelief I got when mentioning my grades.
"That's a pretty ace answer. I thought I did a good job with my eight NEWTs, but it seems you've already proven you're smarter than me." I blushed again, laughing along with him.
"So what brought you to the Improper Use of Magic Office?" He asked, sweeping his arms out around him to encompass the office surrounding us.
"I always wanted to do what my mum was doing when I was little. And Magical Law has always interested me." I stopped talking at Luke's soft laughter. "What?"
"You're like talking to a textbook case of the perfect intern resume." He joked. He stood from his chair suddenly and grabbed his wand and his badge. He gestured for me to do the same.
"I hardly thought it was the atmosphere for anything else." I retorted.
"It's not an insult. You're wickedly smart. That's a good thing." He beckoned for me to follow him as he began weaving through cubicles and pushed open a door at the back of the office, leading to the larger offices and the lift. I now remembered exactly where I was from the summer tour of the Ministry. There was no need to feel lost now that I had established footing.
"So I'm basically your boss." Luke started. "You don't have to call me 'Mister Sharman' or anything because you'll make me feel ancient." I wondered how he could possibly feel old when he couldn't be older than twenty one. He flashed his badge at a pair of wizards in the same navy blue robes who were talking excitedly and immediately cleared the way to the entrance of a door.
"Today's the day where I show you around and tell you what you'll basically be doing. If you have any questions, ask now because you're going to be busy later." And with another toothy grin, he swung open the door and I followed him into a larger room than the previous office with memos flying every which way and a map of Europe taking up the entire right wall.
"Welcome to the Improper Use of Magic Headquarters." Luke said, his voice louder now that he had to speak over the din of the several witches and wizards talking amongst each other. He led the way over to the map, which was unlike any map I had ever seen before.
Sparks were literally flying off the map in every country in different colors. Most of the sparks were blue. Those sparks seemed to consume the parchment in a bizarre-looking fire and I was reminded of bluebell flames my mum had showed me how to cast inside a jar.
The rest of the sparks were red. These sparks were fewer and popped up occasionally between the sea of blue. Whenever they did, the witches and wizards in the office scribbled information down on various writing surfaces.
"This is the map that shows use of magic all over Europe. The blue sparks appear where magic is being used by someone who is of age or a student who is using magic during school. When it's not summer, you can't even see Scotland on the map because of Hogwarts. So many students using so much magic turns the whole country blue." He laughed excitedly and I smiled again at his enthusiasm.
"What are the red sparks for?" I asked, though I already had my guesses.
"That's where the 'improper use of magic' comes in." He responded. "Red sparks show up wherever magic is being used by someone who isn't of age. Mostly, the red comes from little kids who can't control their magic. But we always track it back to the source and that's where the trace works."
It was a lot to take in all at once. Luke showed me the rest of the Headquarters and then brought me down to the courtrooms.
"You won't be down here as much. This is mostly for the Wizengamot. Sometimes, an intern will be taking notes during trials so it's good for you to know where this is." He explained, his voice echoing off the empty walls of the amphitheater-seating around the chair in the middle of the room.
Half an hour later, the tour brought us back to the main office with the many cubicles.
"Care for tea?" He asked. I nodded, trying not to look too eager. It was almost lunch time and I was hungry. If I had inherited anything from my dad, it was his seemingly bottomless stomach. Luke conjured a tea set on a rickety stool and began rummaging through his desk drawers, explaining something about memos in the Department.
As he was turned around, I poured the already brewed tea into two cups and added two lumps of sugar to his. He turned back to me, stopping midsentence, and laughed out loud at the tea I was now holding out to him.
"If you're aiming for the title 'best intern ever', you're off to a good start." He said, happily taking the tea from my hand. I couldn't help but smile to myself as I added honey to my tea and stirred the comforting beverage idly. Maybe it was a little conceited to know I was making a very good first impression, but it felt nice to feel confident in the way things were working for me again, something I hadn't felt for a long while.
Scorpius's POV:
Albus and I had Disapparated back to our flat after Auror Training had officially finished. Knowing I had somehow managed to get through the first day without messing things up for myself was a comforting thought and I considered celebrating with a well-deserved drink.
Bending down to the cabinet where I stocked my liquor, I ignored Al as he rambled on about ways to make himself look and feel more "bad-ass" as an Auror Trainee. He had promptly kicked off his shoes and shrugged off his robes, flopping onto the couch and sticking his feet on top of the coffee table.
"Do you think I'd look good with a tattoo?" He asked. I barely heard him as I pushed around the contents of the cabinet. Something was wrong.
"Where is the whiskey?" I asked. Al either pretended not to hear me or just didn't care and started talking about his hair.
"…I'd probably look stupid with blue hair, but Teddy can pull it off. I think it gives him an edge of intimidation, you know?"
"Al," I snapped, cutting him off and straightening up from the floor of the kitchen. "Where is the whiskey? My whiskey, specifically."
Al was sporting a shit-eating grin and I knew he had been up to something. He fiddled with his wand and I crossed the room quickly to snatch it out of his hand.
"Give me my wand, Scorp." He whined. He lunged forward to grab it and missed, causing his feet to slip off the table.
"What did you do to my whiskey?" I demanded.
"I got rid of it." He said simply, making use of my shock to swipe for his wand and take it from my hands. He gave me a look. "Scorp, you don't realize what it was doing to you. You were drinking every day. And you're a fucking annoying drunk. Now that you're starting training, you're going to have to stop that whole 'I-don't-care' bullshit because it's not going to help you at all."
I barely felt his words. All I could say was "Where did it go?" Merlin, I sounded like a sad child.
"Ask the bloke that sleeps on the bench a few blocks down. Mind you, he might be drunk out of his mind if you do." Al got up from the couch and went around me behind the counter to get plates out of the cupboard.
"You gave my whiskey to a homeless man?" I shouted. Al shrugged and then looked at me seriously again. I took a seat in the bar stool, feeling weak. Or pathetic. Or both. When had I become so dependent on a few drinks?
"You know what I'm saying is true. I know you don't want to mess up training for yourself. You've worked really hard to get here Scorp and your drinking problem is not going to be the thing that keeps you from getting the career you want." He said.
"You sound like your mum." I mumbled, my chin resting in my hand. "And I do not have a drinking problem."
"You can say whatever you want to make yourself feel better, Scorp. But you're my best mate and that means I have to set you straight sometimes." Al was bent over in the refrigerator now. We didn't really keep any food in the flat. There was a lemon in the top shelf and a couple butterbeers in the side door. Sighing impatiently, he shut the door.
"I fucking hate it when you're right." I grumbled.
"I'm always right." Al scoffed arrogantly. I felt like jinxing him into the next century and thanking him at the same time for looking out for me.
"You realize that we're going to have to talk about my cousin." He said. My insides froze and I glanced at him. He was looking at me expectantly.
"Dominique is a very nice girl. A little mad, but—"
"Stop it. I'm talking about Rose." He snapped. I internally winced at her name. "I saw the way you were looking at her at the Ministry today. And if you're not going to stand up to your father, you can't let her catch you doing that. She'll get confused and it'll end up hurting both of you."
"I'm going to talk to my father." I said, probably more forcefully than I meant to. "We're not on good terms right now."
"Then find a way to make him listen. The only reason I didn't hex you in that corridor in sixth year was because I believe you really care a lot about my cousin and you were willing to make being with her possible."
I took a deep breath, my stomach doing backflips inside me. I knew I had to talk to my father. However, being kicked out of the manor wasn't exactly the best way to start getting him to listen to me and I was pretty sure he wasn't going to take any more shit from me now that our relationship had gone down so quickly.
Still, I thought about Rose and the way she had looked when I had broken up with her. We had been kissing and I had stopped it abruptly, telling her we couldn't be together. Merlin, I hated myself for making her cry. I looked up at Al.
"I'm going to talk to him soon. I promise." I said. Al nodded. "And I do care about her. I love her. You know I do and I'm going to do everything I can to make things easier for us."
"I know she loves you just as much; probably too much. She hasn't had a proper boyfriend since you came along. Grandma Weasley is going ballistic trying to figure out what's going on with her."
I snickered, thinking about little old Molly Weasley following her grandchildren— and there was a small country of them— around the Burrow and poking her nose into their social lives.
"Scorp," Al said. I snapped out of my thoughts and turned to him. "You're still my best mate. And even though things went to shit in sixth year, at least our friendship came out of it."
Al could really turn into a pile of mush when he wanted to. "Marry me, Albus?" I joked, imitating Dom when she was around Colin in seventh year and batting my eyelashes. Al chuckled.
"Prick. Maybe if you grew boobs and got a new haircut." He stowed his wand in his back pocket and headed toward the front door, beckoning me to follow him.
"Where're we going?" I asked. I shed my Auror robes and tossed them onto the couch, sticking my hands into the pockets of my uniform.
"The Burrow. If you think we could make an edible dinner out of a lemon and butterbeer, you're cracking up. Grandma Weasley is cooking!" Al said, smacking his lips annoyingly. He turned on his heel and with a pop, he was gone. I rolled my eyes and followed after him.
As I was twisted and turned in the uncomfortable sensation of Apparating, thought grimly that I had wasted enough time feeling sorry for myself. It was time to contact my father.
A/N: Whew. That took me a lot longer than I thought it would. I thought I would like this chapter more but it was pretty difficult trying to come up with the way the Ministry might work behind closed doors! I hope you all enjoy it! What do you think about Scorp and Rose without each other? Do you have any guesses as to what's happening next? Please, please, please leave a review and let me know if you liked the chapter! It will get me excited to keep writing and I have lots of plans for this fanfic. :) Thank you to all who followed and favorited Unbreakable and to those of you who left reviews, they were greatly appreciated!
~yours in eternity, xx Amy