A/N OMG! Super fast update! Review!
I'm frozen, watching as Yaxley absentmindedly rolls his wand between his fingers.
I can hear Scorpius' voice echoing from downstairs. "What I'm trying to tell you is that I want in," I hear him say. They make faint noises of objection that I can't make out.
Yaxley pulls off his hood. "I assume you're here to look for your cousin dearest, aren't you?" He's grinning something awful. I raise my wand, but his "Expelliarmus!" comes too fast. My wand flies out of my hand and over the staircase banister, clattering on the marble floor below. "Sorry, Rosie, but it had to be done," he says calmly, resuming to roll his wand around.
"Where is he? What have you done to him?" My voice sounds weak, drained of any false confidence I might have been able to muster if I'd been holding my wand.
Yaxley only grins broader. "He'll be fine, once I'm through with him, so long as he chooses the right side here."
"The right side? You've got to be kidding me. Do you honestly believe that whatever you're attempting to do is right?" I counter, completely aghast.
Yaxley only gives a small sigh before saying, "Oh, Rosie, someday you'll understand that what we're doing is not only right, but exactly what you want."
My jaw drops. "First off, stop calling me Rosie, and secondly, you're so bloody mental that if you didn't have a wand right now I'd probably have to hit you!"
He laughs, which isn't exactly the effect I was going for. "Tsk, tsk, Rose. Your sharp tongue could get you in trouble if I weren't myself. Fortunately for you, I am, and all I'm going to do is lock you away until you decide you've changed your mind and help us blow up King's Cross. Now how does that sound to you, Rosie?"
Who the heck does this guy think he is? The Minister of Magic? And wait- blow up King's Cross? What is he on about?
"Help you blow up King's Cross? As in the train station? Why would you want to do that?" I question. Why is it that things can't ever just go the way I plan? And why are some people just so screwed up?
"Rose, Rose, Rose. Don't you understand?" He adopts the tone of an adult talking to a small child. "You see, Rosie Posie, there are Muggles at King's Cross Station. And if we blow it up, those Muggles won't be there anymore, see?"
"You're completely delusional. That's the only explanation," I blurt, so totally flabbergasted by this guy that I can't even think straight.
"I'm not delusional, Rose, and I didn't think you were either until you decided that breaking in here would be a good idea. Ha! As if you could've just swept in and rescued your cousin and run off. As if Scorpius Malfoy would somehow aid you! No, Rose, if anyone's delusional, it's you. So now, without further ado- Stupefy!" he shouts, a jet of red light streaming from his wand. I duck out of the way and jump over the banister.
I fall and anticipate a crash, but when I'm about a meter from the ground, I find myself hovering. Looking around, I see it's Yaxley, now standing next to me and levitating me with his wand.
"You're insane, Rose Weasley. I have to admit, it'd be kind of hot, if you weren't a silly blood traitor whore," he says, his tone bitter.
"I'm not a whore," I protest, trying to stand and failing. "What is with you Greater Good kids thinking I am?" Really. If only they got to know me first. Ha!
"Oh yes, you're certainly not a whore, even though you ran off from your precious little school to rescue none other than Scorpius Malfoy, not only a disgrace to the pureblood society, but renowned for his personal life. I would have expected you to be smarter than to fall into his little mind games, Rosie, but you girls are all the fucking same. You don't care what a boy believes in so long as he's got great hair, isn't that right?" His voice, which is still hostile and severe, drops to barely more than a whisper. "Well, Rosie, I've got great hair, too, don't I? You could be my whore so long as you play by the rules." He raises me up so my face is inches away from his and I can feel his hot breath on my face.
I spit on him, effectively making him lower his wand to wipe off the glob of saliva from his cheek. I land on the floor with a thud, and I can feel my shins bruising, but it doesn't matter; I still manage to knee him in the groin quite effectively.
"You crazy bitch!" he exclaims, covering the effected area with his hands. I use the opportunity to grab my wand off the floor and run towards the sound of Scorpius' voice, slipping twice.
He's in the living room, surrounded by a bunch of kids also wearing cloaks, mid-sentence. "And that's when I changed my m-"
"What's she doing here?"
"Holy shit, it's the Weasley girl!"
"Somebody stun her!"
Curses start flying, and I'm nearly hit with the Cruciatus. Scorpius shouts back curses and I frantically spew hexes and Shield Charms. We start running out of the living room into a small corridor, where several of the kids have followed blue light from a nameless curse nearly grazes my shoulder as I hiss, "Let's get out of here," to Scorpius, grabbing his arm and Disapparating to the first place I can think of: Diagon Alley.
The streetlights are on and there are still patrons walking about, despite the fact it must be around nine on a Sunday.
"I take it you didn't find Albus," Scorpius says almost condescendingly, running his fingers through his slightly messy hair.
I huff at him. "Obviously not. I climbed a bloody tree, and, as it turns out, our dear friend Felix was most certainly there, and he went all 'I know you are but what am I' on me, offered me the oh-so tempting position of being his 'whore' and then I jumped down about a flight of stairs and here we are, thank you very much," I finish, even giving a sarcastic bow.
"No need to be so dramatic."
I turn away and start walking down the cobblestone street, and he follows. "So what's our new plan then, oh brilliant one?" I ask in a sugary tone.
Out of the corner of my eye I see him smirk. "Simple. We go to the gala, stop Yaxley, and get Albus back."
"Simple. Yes. That's exactly the word that comes to mind when I think about stopping some sort of evil plot we know virtually nothing about that involves a bunch of loonies murdering my couisn. You literally took the words right out of my mouth!"
"Cool it with the sarcasm, Rose. It's not my fault you didn't find him. Besides, it's not like we've got any other plan," he tells me, with good reason.
"Well, we could always try again tomorrow," I start, but then I sigh. "No, you're right, it's probably pointless. It can't possibly go any better than it did today. We don't even know if he's there or not." We walk in silence for a few moments, the night air cool. I shiver and I can feel goosebumps on my arms.
Scorpius, to my surprise, not only notices but plays nice. "You're cold. Let's get something to drink," he says softly, leading me over to the Leaky Cauldron. It's warm inside, with a fire in the fireplace and a large crowd of people we can blend into. We sit at a table towards the back and wait for the waitress, Lei, to stop by our table.
"So what are we even going to do at this gala thing?" I ask, staring at the flame of the candle stub illuminating our table.
"I'm not sure. Why would Yaxley bring him to a gala?" Scorpius asks, thinking aloud.
"And why would it matter if the Minister would be there or not?" I add, puzzling. I pull out the invitation from my rucksack and read over it again. You are cordially invited to the 24th Annual Ministry of Magic Auction and Gala... "Auction and gala... auction and gala... Why would he bring him to an auction and gala?"
"Nothing about it makes sense," Scorpius laments, his frustration evident.
But before I can add anything, Lei shows up with her trusty notepad. "Hi there! You two ready to order?" she asks in her sweet soprano voice.
I look to Scorpius but he's already ordering for us. "Just two Firewhiskeys for now, thanks," he answers, giving her a charming smirk. I try not to roll my eyes as her always-there smile becomes a complete beam. Typical.
"Sure thing, honey," she says, and walks away to another table, looking back at Scorpius a couple times along the way.
Scorpius and I sit in an empty silence for a moment, only for him to break it by saying, "So, he really asked you to be his whore?" His smirk is back in place.
I ball up my paper napkin and throw it at his head. "Yes, he did, thanks for bringing it up." But I can't help smiling slightly too. It is rather ridiculous when you think about it. I mean, me? Not just someone's girlfriend or hookup buddy but flat out whore? What is this, some sort of 19th century soap opera?
"He's more mental than I thought," Scorpius says, shaking his head.
I smile, but I quickly remember the task at hand. "But really, what are they going to do with Al at the gala?"
"You mean the big, fancy Ministry gala?" interrupts Lei, who just walked over carrying our two glasses. She puts them on the table in front of us and doesn't wait for a reply. "I'm so excited! Can't you just feel that only amazing things happen at places like the old Magnum Palace?" she sighs wistfully, a faraway look in her brown eyes.
Scorpius and I exchange a look and I bite my lip to hide my laughter.
"I agree, Lei. It's the kind of place where anything can happen," Scorpius agrees, adopting her daydreaming tone. He glances at me and I can tell he's just playing around with her. And she totally falls for it, too! Why are girls so completely uncomplicated when it comes to boys like Scorpius Malfoy? Really. It's maddening.
"Yeah," she breathes, her eyes locked on the blonde idiot sitting across from me. I roll my eyes but only Scorpius notices, and he pretends he doesn't anyway. "Anything." She bats her eyelashes like a thirteen year old girl. "I've got to go to another table, but I guess I'll see you at the gala?" She's trying to sound casual but the hint of desperation is still in her voice.
He takes her unsuspecting hand and kisses it. "Of course."
She's blushing as she walks away.
I make gagging noises while I stick my finger in my open mouth.
Scorpius smirks. "What? You didn't like that little display of acting?"
I snort. "I didn't like that little display of you being a complete arse, more like." I take a large gulp of Firewhiskey and let the burning sensation overwhelm me for a moment.
"Oh please, Rose. Jealousy doesn't look good on any face," he says all haughty, and I'm reminded of why I never liked this guy in the first place.
"And what exactly am I suppose to be jealous of?" I ask, incredulous and irritated. I mean, really. Me? Jealous of some girl Scorpius hit on? My insides twist. Just because he happens to be a really, really good looking guy doesn't mean I have to swoon at the sight of him.
He replies calmly, "Of the fact that a stringy haired waitress gets more male attention than you even in a bar."
What an arse! "Actually, I get plenty of male attention everywhere I go. Of course you'd be too self-absorbed to notice," I retort.
He shrugs nonchalantly, because that is how big of an arse he is. "Whatever helps you fall asleep at night."
I reach across the table and grab his napkin, which I ball up and throw at his head once more. I cross my arms and we sit silently for a moment, where I try to cool down and he innocently sips his Firewhisky.
"So," I say finally, my voice a little softer than usual, "back to Al."
Scorpius gives a nod. "Alright, well, it's an auction and gala. How could that benefit Yaxley?"
"Maybe there's something he wants to buy?" I suggest, still thinking deeply in my mind. "But what would he want?"
"I don't know, maybe the necklace? It seems the most likely out of the three," he reasons.
"But there are more items for auction there, and maybe he has some insight to what they are."
We think for a moment, both of our brows furrowed as our minds churn.
"But how can we find out what he's trying to buy if we don't know what the-" I start, only to be cut off.
"Wait! What if he's not trying to buy something!" Scorpius says excitedly. I'm confused, and I'm sure I look it. "Rose, what if he's trying to sell something? What if he's trying to auction off Albus Potter!"
My jaw drops open. "Scorpius, you're bloody brilliant! How could we not think of this before!" I take a final gulp of Firewhiskey and stand up, dropping a few coins on the table.
"Where are you going?" he asks, but he stands up as well.
"We've got to get ready for this gala. Do you have dress robes?"
"Yeah, but they're at my house."
"Well, I suppose we'll have to get them tomorrow," I reply, ignoring his confused face.
"So do you have dress robes?" he asks.
I shake my head. "Not unless you count the ones I wore in third year."
"Then I guess we've got to get you some."
"Good," I answer, remembering something suddenly, "because I've got a coupon."
A/N Oh hey there, my pretties! So, not a whole lot happened in this chapter, but then when I looked at the word count, it was already about 2,500 which I totally wasn't expecting because it feels a lot shorter to me! Maybe that just means it was easy to write? I don't know, so I want you opinion! Did it seem to short?
Well, either way, don't worry because a new chapter will be coming to you shortly!
Also, the waitress, Lei, is named after my new blackmail-loving friend, DarbeLei. Perhaps this will bribe you into finishing your gosh darn drabble and letting me read it? And sorry for calling you stringy haired... it was necessary for the character!
Thanks to everyone who reviews and reads and favorites and story alerts! You're the macaroni to my cheese, good friends! ;)
So... review!
xx
Ali