Unexpected Things
KeysCanHurt: Hahah, I haven't watched that movie :P xD HAHA =)) I couldn't resist letting Raphie ruin the moment :)) I still love ya too ;P Yeah... poor Al... The twins's master plan will be showed in... maybe 24.
Guess Who!: There. I didn't make you last. Happy? =)) YESH! CUTE WIDDLE BABY FERRETS!
crazy-wee-cat: Good guess ;) Thankya :)
J. R. Lewis: Yep, maybe the Potters will have the only normal holiday...
yellow 14: DEFINITELY xD
Chapter Twenty-Two
Shocks
"This place is ancient!"
"It's nowhere near as old as Hogwarts, but it is old." Rose saw the floorboards through a grimy window, the old wood was rotting away. From what little they could see through the windows there, the destroyed furniture inside looked like they were old fashioned things.
For the umpteenth time, Raph pulled at a window in what Rose knew would be a futile attempt. "How can we get in? It's like none o' the windows and doors work!" Stomping through the snow, Raph pulled out his wand and pointed it at a doorknob. "Alohamora!"
A useless pull at the door proved that it didn't work.
"I remember something…"
"What?"
Rose closed her eyes, trying to concentrate. Uncle Harry said something about this… their mom too, when she was telling them a story about her beloved cat, Crookshanks.
Rose's eyes opened. "There are no working doors and windows."
"Duh. We just tried 'em all."
"I mean it's because the entrance is through Hogwarts."
Raph stared at her, trying to understand, but failing to. "How?"
"The Whomping Willow. It has a knotted trunk, and if you press that trunk, it'll freeze. There's a hole at the base of the tree, which leads to a tunnel which leads to here."
"How do you know that?"
Rose beamed. "My parents and my uncle have been inside."
"Cool!" Raph finally abandoned his mission to destroy the door and approached her. "What now?"
Rose shrugged, then shivered when she noticed the wind picking up. It was cold earlier, but colder now. "Let's get to some place warm."
"Does this help?" He moved close to her, putting his arms around her. Then he started rubbing her arms and shoulders.
Friction. It was warming her slightly. "Sort of."
"I can't stop thinkin' about… y'know… kissing."
That surprised Rose. Not the fact that he'd been thinking about it. What surprised Rose was how he actually said the word without as much cringing as usual. "What about it? Are you still disgusted by the idea of kissing me?"
"I'm not disgusted!" Raph snapped, then calmed his voice. "I'm just… I don't know… scared. But I want to…"
"Then why don't you?" Rose faced him.
Raph's eyes widened. "Now?"
"No, next decade." Even if Rose could roll her eyes and sound sarcastic, inwardly, her heart was galloping like mad… again. Would Raph really do it now? She wasn't ready… she was… she wasn't… she was… she had no idea.
"You really wanna do it now?" Rose saw the bobbing of his throat as he swallowed. "Now?" The nervous chuckling sound came.
A giggle made its way out of Rose.
It didn't last long. Rose stopped herself.
"Do you want me to close my eyes? Would that help?" Where the heck was she getting all this… forwardness?
Well… maybe it was because she was getting frustrated with Raphael.
Rose wanted to get this done and over with.
Rose also wanted to know what it would feel like.
She closed her eyes and waited.
A whimper sounded from very close to her. Then the crunching of snow as he stepped… backward and away from her. "I can't! I'm scared!"
This was getting very frustrating. It was trying Rose's patience.
Frowning, she opened her eyes, giving him a glare. "Aren't you the idiot that told me to face my fears? 'Try somethin' ye haven't done before!' Well let's try this and get it over with or I'll… I'll jinx you!"
"You'll what?" His eyes were wide, disbelief clearly in them.
"You know what I'm capable of." Rose continued to glare. "I'm going to close my eyes again, and if you don't 'try somethin' ye haven't done before' so help me, I'll try something I haven't done before!"
Again, she closed her eyes and waited.
Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
One.
That's it.
That is it!
She lost her patience.
Rose opened her eyes and attacked, but not in the way Raph expected her to.
A yelp of fear and surprise escaped him when she moved forward.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she held him in place. Even if she didn't want to admit it to him, she was terrified.
But she didn't dwell on it.
Without thinking, Rose pulled him so he would bend downwards towards her, then pressed her lips against his.
Scorpius and Jacqueline.
James and Paula.
Now they had nothing over Raph and Rose!
"What do you want? It better be important!" Scorpius snapped. Glaring at the Slytherin third year who Scorpius now owed the happy turn of his life to, he sat down grumpily.
"Vhere is all that anger coming from?" Kron looked him up and down.
"I was-" Scorpius was enjoying himself earlier! He was enjoying time in Hogsmeade with Jacqui, which had proved to be far more pleasant than time with Dirk Kron and the potential members of that… group. This Hogsmeade visit had started ten times better than the last one! Now, Kron was going to ruin it. "Busy." He finished.
"You owe me. You said so yourself, Malvoy."
Scorpius rolled his eyes. He should be feeling grateful, really. But the twist Kron was putting into it just got on Scorpius's nerves. And the way Kron said Malvoy… it didn't sound right. Scorpius tried to remember the gratitude he felt before, but it was hard. "Whatever. Just tell me what it is that you want."
Avoiding Kron's eyes, Scorpius's gaze roamed the Hog's Head. In the several times Scorpius spent with the student from Durmstrang, he had found that making eye contact with him made Scorpius uncomfortable, but avoiding it was just a little bit better.
"You know I vant to form a… sort ov a club."
"I know."
"You've seen the size of it."
"Yeah." It… wasn't exactly a small group.
"Vhat if I offered you the position of second-in-command?"
Okay, that one was surprising. "What?" Scorpius looked away from a goblin drinking something to stare at Kron and see if there would be any hint of a lie or joke. Second-in-command? Kron really, truly was serious about forming that… group. Scorpius dreaded Kron asking him to join, the last thing he wanted was to be told what to do, and to be among people who probably didn't or wouldn't like him. He did not want to have to go through the inconvenience Kron's gang would give him.
But second-in-command?
That made it sound less inconvenient and more interesting.
Kron was offering a position of power.
If Scorpius joined the group, he would only have to follow Kron. Scorpius would be able to give his own orders.
"You heard me correctly." Kron's face was serious. "Ve haff to make changes, starting vit this school. I haff spoken again to those who ver here last time. Most ov them are very interested. They are even villing to follow a leader, as long as they get vhat they vant. I know you vant to make changes ov your own, and you also want some sort of… superiority."
Was the guy pulling some crazy joke? Scorpius had a hard time believing it… but it was tempting. "Are the Flints joining?"
Kron nodded. "They are."
A smile formed on Scorpius's lips. "If I'm second-in-command… that puts me above them. Right?"
Kron could tell Scorpius was interested now. "Exactly."
"I'll think about it." No way was he going to give in immediately. Scorpius would toy with the idea first. He'd look at it from every angle before taking it.
"Good. If you a-" Dirk's eyes widened before he frowned and growled in a language Scorpius didn't recognize and thought he could safely assume was a swear.
The expression on Dirk's face was twisted. Scorpius couldn't understand it, but it alarmed him. It was like… like someone wincing in pain, but also cringing in fear… and… some sort of anger.
Scorpius honestly wished he had Al's ability now or Al himself. Al would know what was wrong with Dirk Kron (who was frozen now). Al would know what to do. "Kron?"
Kron didn't respond. The… angry look sort of… faded. There was just the look of agony and terror that remained, and Scorpius realized he felt pity for Dirk. "Kron…? What… what the hell is wrong with you?"
Closing his eyes, Kron shuddered, then when he opened his eyes, he continued to stare at something behind Scorpius. Before Scorpius could ask any questions, Dirk ducked down under the table.
"Kron? Hey!" Something was wrong with Kron. Something seriously wrong. Scorpius was definitely going to think hard about joining the gang of a nutcase.
"It's… them!" It wasn't the usual calm voice, it was practically hissed, the fear in them obvious.
"What? Who?" Scorpius looked over his shoulder. He didn't see anyone he knew.
Looking under the table, Scorpius stared at Kron. It was so… strange to see him like that, crouching under the table looking terrified. It… wasn't how he usually was, which made the image look so strange.
"Are they still there?"
"WHO?" Scorpius nearly shouted.
"The tall vizard in the green robe, vit a brownish-grey beard. And the black-haired man in the red robe." A shudder went through the body, shaking the sturdy form and suddenly making it look small and frail. What the hell was wrong with Kron?
Rolling his eyes, torn between annoyance due to his confusion and just plain concern, Scorpius scanned the pub for the wizards Kron described. They were seated at one of the ugly tables, drinks in their hands, and were talking in low whispers that sounded like they might have accents like Kron's. Scorpius couldn't make out exactly what they were saying though.
"They're still there. Now can you please tell me what's going on?"
"Let's get out of here." Kron shot out from under the table and bolted out of the Hog's Head so quickly, Scorpius doubted how any normal human could move so speedily
Standing up to follow the strange Slytherin, Scorpius was stopped by the owner. "Pay up!"
That rat! Kron owed him! If that was just some clever way to escape paying, Scorpius would kill him! Muttering things he wanted to do to Kron later, (like cursing or punching or hexing or throttling) Scorpius grudgingly pulled out the coins he had to pay and left to hunt down Dirk Kron.
Unfortunately, Kron was nowhere in sight.