Chapter 3: Dumbledore's Army and Mixed Feelings Rose's P.O.V.
"If you ever do that again Mr. Lifeing, It'll be a months worth of detention, instead of a weeks, and 10 points from Ravenclaw." Said Professor Ariantie with a look of disgust directed at Danny. The Ravenclaws groaned while me, Scorp, Cody, and Jen laughed from the back of the class. We were in potions the day after term started, and Danny had just done a potion in reverse order to "See what would happen." The result had the entire class gagging and a few girls even ended up puking.
"I'm sorry Professor." said Danny failing to look sorry. He had a mischievous glint in his eyes. She shot him another look of untmost loathing before turning on her heel and marching to the front of the class
"Three rolls of parchment tonight on the properties of dragon scales and unicorn hair, and the effect that takes place when brewed in a potion-" She looked at Danny "Properly." He smirked at her. "Your dismissed." She sneered, her lips persed.
Everyone jumped to get their bags packed and get their papers organized. We met Lu, Danny, and Pearl on the way out. "Brilliant Danny, rudy disgusting, but brilliant!" Exclaimed Scorp patting Danny on the back. Danny bowed before laughing.
"Thanks, I try." He said winking at Lu, who rolled her eyes and started to walk away with Pearl at her heels. "Oh come on Lulu-" He started and she whipped around.
"I told you not to call me that." She hissed before turning back around and continuing to walk. He followed her.
"Why are you so mad? It was funny-"
"No it wasn't it was.."
Their bickering faded away as they rounded a corner. It was common knowledge that Danny fancied Lu. It was also common knowledge she didn't like him back. At least she acted like she didn't, I however knew she did. She was afraid he only liked her for the thrill of the chase, and didn't want her heart broken. Philip Wills had already accomplished that last year. Philip was a year above us, and when Lu refused to do 'stuff' with him, he broke up with her. Danny, Louis, James, and Fred wanted to kill him. So sense then, she mostly went for the guys she didn't like much, that way when it ended, she wouldn't have to deal with the broken pieces. Danny could get any girl he wanted, so she didn't understand why he liked her. So she automaticlly jumped to the conclusion it was because she was playing hard to get. Of course she'd been playing hard to get for roughly eight months now, so I was fairly sure it wasn't about the 'chase' for Danny anymore.
"Lunch Rosie, you coming?" Asked Scorp shaking me from my thoughts.
"Yeah, where'd Cody and Jen go?"
"Lunch, they couldn't wait for you and your wandering thoughts." He said shooting me a smile.
I childishly stuck my tongue out at him. He shook his head before we headed off for the great hall.
We'd been walking and talking for a few minutes before I heard a drawling voice say "Ah Rosie, how I hoped I'd see you today." From behind us. We turned around and came face to face with Jim Tant and his stupid friend Joe Banks. Tant was the most discusting and perverted boy in our year. He was a Hufflepuff with black hair and dark eyes, almost as dark as his heart. "Malfoy." He hissed when he saw Scorp standing next to me, and Tant on reflex puffed out his chest.
"Tant." Scorp shot back just as nastily. Scorp was rather taller than Tant, so when he tried the whole intimidation thing, it didn't work.
"Beat it Tant." I said before I turned around to keep walking. Scorp turned with me.
"Wait Rosie-" He said grabbing my waist.
"Don't call me that, and don't touch me!" I said emphasizing the 'don't' while pulling out my wand and pointing it at his face. The only people I liked calling my 'Rosie' was my dad and Scorp. Before I had time to think of a good hex however, Scorp had him pinned against the wall, his own wand pointed at him.
"If you ever touch her again, I'll hex you so bad you won't be able to sit on a broomstick for month." He said with so much venom, even I flinched. Banks was so shocked he was frozen next to Tant, who was staring narrow-eyed at Scorp, hatred plastered across every inch of his face.
"Scorp, come on." I said grabbing his arm. I pulled lightly and he slowly let Tant out of his grip. Tant fell to the ground and pulled himself back up. He looked up into Scorps face and backed away a few steps before saying "This isn't over Malfoy." He then turned on his heel and walked away, Banks as always, right behind him.
"You okay Rosie?" He asked looking down at me, his eyes concerned, his cheeks still flushed with anger.
"Fine, thanks, umm..shall we-shall we head to lunch then?"
"Er-right." He nodded, and we set back off for the great hall.
By the time we got there Jen and Cody were already eating with Roxy and James. "Hey, what took you two so long?" Asked Jen when we sat down.
"I'll tell you later." I said
"Hey Rose." Said James.
I shot him the look. I was still pissed at him for practically brainwashing me into re-starting the D.A. with him. Thats what I was calling it, brainwashing. Scorp and Jen thought it was a brilliant idea, Cody wasn't entirely sure what it was though, he was a muggle-born and had never heard of Dumbledore's Army.
"Look, I know your still pissed, but cheer up, I mean it'll be fun right?" James said smiling hopefully at me.
I rolled my eyes at him. "Look Rose, the whole silent treatment thing, isn't working." He said
"Seems to be working just fine for her." Said Louis as he. Lu and Danny sat down next to us.
"She'll have to talk to me eventually." He said stubbornly
"Keep telling yourself that Jamsie." Said Fred as he, Al and Artie also joined our table.
"I told you not to call me that." James hissed.
"You should hear what mum calls him-" Al laughed "Jamesie Poo-" He was cut off as James lept across the table at him. We roared with laughter as James's neck got red.
"Mr. Potter, Please remove your hands from your brothers neck, I would hate to have to write your mother this early in term, I doubt you even have your trunk unpacked. Oh, and please bring yourself up to my office." Said Mcgonagall walking between the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables. "And bring Mr. Weasley with you, I need to have a talk with you two about why Professor Neal woke up this morning, to find his office covered with bubblegum." She said a hint of a smile playing the edges of her lips. Professor Neal was another one of our least favorite teachers. He was head of Ravenclaw house and a total git. I swore he hated Gryffindors, especially if you had the last names Weasley/Potter.
"Ah Minnie, about that-" Started James, after he released Al from his grip. He cut off when he saw that Mcgonagall was staring at him, her eyes narrowed, and lips persed.
"Right, coming." Fred said standing up and the two of them followed Mcgonagall out of the great hall while the rest of us exploded into fits of laughter.
It was Saturday morning the next week. Tonight was the night we were going to officially restart the D.A. I'd finally given in and forgiven James, but only grudgingly. He wouldn't tell me exactly who was coming to the meeting, just that I knew most of them. I was on my way to the entrance hall, me and Scorp were going to see Hagrid this morning, it was sunny and warm out still, but the autum cold was on its way. "Scorp!" I called when I saw him. He grinned lopsidedly at me.
"Ready to go?" He asked pushing open the front oak doors.
I nodded and we set off towards Hagrids cabin. The grounds were empty this morning. Most people were either still sleeping or still at breakfast. I didn't like getting up early, but once I was up, I was fine. Some people just stink to be around in the morning, but I was never in a bad mood in the mornings. Scorp was th same way, except he actually ejoyed the getting up part. "What'd you get on that Muggle Studies test?" Scorp asked.
"Uh, don't remember." I fibbed not looking at him.
"Right, bad grade then?"
Yes. "No, stuff it Malfoy." I said shoving him. He laughed.
"Back to last names huh Weasley?" He said shoving me lightly back.
I grinned and reached up to ruffle his hair. His eyes got flashed so you could barely read the playfullness behind the act. "Don't touch the hair Weasley, its a treasure, not something to mess with."
"Ohh merlin your arrogant." I scoffed still smiling. I reached up to ruffle his hair again.
He stopped walking. "Shouldn't of done that Rose." He said his face blank. I dropped my bag and took off. A year on the quidditch team, and fourteen years playing quidditch at home payed off, but not only for me. I was running at my top speed, and Scorp was right behind me, his bag back on the ground next to mine. I jumped over a hole and onto a rock before I kept going. After roughly thirty seconds of running, but what felt like an hour, I got to the shore of the black lake and stopped. I whipped around in all directions looking for Scorp. He was gone? "Scorp?" I said tentitively. "Hmph!" I was knocked to the ground and I groaned.
"Hah! Gotcha!" I heard Scorp exclaim. He was on top of me, and crushing my lungs. He quickly stood up and started to pick me up.
"Put me down!" I yelled trying not to laugh because he was touching my sides, and that was were I was tickle-ish. I really wanted him to put me down, but if he saw me laughing he'd think I was kidding.
"No Rosie, what did I tell you?"
"Not to touch the hair." I gasped as he'd just thrown me over his sholder.
"And what did you do?"
"I touched the hair." I said pounding on his back.
"Okay then." He said starting to walk toward the dock on the water.
"Scorp, no! I'm sorry, honestly! I won't do it again-" I exclaimed realizing what he was going to do. It was warm out, but not that warm.
"I warned you Rosie, and you didn't listen." He said failing to sound grave. He had laughter in his voice and I knew he was enjoying this. We'd reached the end of the dock.
"Scorp I swear-" SPLASH! He threw me in. I was going to kill him. The water was cold, not freezing, but cold. I shivered slightly once I got to the surface. I went back down and came back up sputtering. "Scorp-I-I..can't swi..swim!" I said flailing around in the water. A look of sheer horror crossed his face. He took off his shirt and shoes and jumped in practically on top of me. He grabbed my arms and held me above the water. I smirked at him.
"You-I-" He stuttered realization dawning on him. I laughed before shoving im under the water and swimming as fast as I could to the dock. I hoisted myself onto the dock, took my shirt and shoes off, leaving me in a tanktop and shorts and took off again running at top speed. I hid behind a boulder that was nestled in a group of trees right by the edge of the forbbiden forrest. Scorp ran by and stopped in the trees no more than five feet from where I was crouching. It wasn't until then that I got a good look at him. With his shirt off. He had to have worked out this summer in some way, because, well because he looked fit. Hot even. With his hair soaking wet, and the light hitting him just right, my best friend looked hot. I was thoroughly screwed. He saw me too because he'd been looking around everywhere and caught sight of my head peaking around the giant rock.
"Rosie, I'm going to kill you!" He said and before I could comprehend what was happening he was walking around the edge of the giant rock, a playfull look on his face.
"What?" I breathed. My back was to the rock, and he was getting closer. My heart had stopped and I couldn't breathe. For some reason I wanted him to come closer, and yet wanted a good five feet of space between us. Before I knew what was happening, ours chests were touching and our foreheads leaning on each others. Neither of us moved, he seemed to be thinking and I could feel his heart beat in my own chest. Or maybe it was mine, I wasn't sure. All I knew was that depending on what happened next, would determine our friendship. Kiss me I thought. NO! Don't kiss me. Just do it! It was an internal struggle between my heart and my brain. Why did I want him to kiss me? He was my best friend, that was all!
"Well, well, well." Interjected a voice from behind us. It was Danny. Him, Jen, Artie, Lu, and Al they were planning on coming down to Hagrids after they finished breakfast. "Looks like its the 'totally not into each other' set of best friends." He said smirking and looking between us. Scorp had just jumped a foot in the air and was now at arms length away from me. Good, arms length was safe. Artie was grinning at me and Al's eyebrows were pulling together at the middle. Jen was giving me a thumbs up. I was bright red while Scorp was taking a special interest in the clouds in the sky.
"Its totally not what it looks like..?" I said, though it came out more like a question.
"Oh right, because the fact that you two were two seconds away from sucking face, one of you is half naked and the other wearing less clothes than I wear in the shower, sure doesn't look like much. Please Rose, enlighten us on what it is, rather than what it looks like." Artie said sarcasticlly.
"You wear shorts and a tanktop in the shower?" Danny asked Artie, who had been refering to me at the shower comment.
"Thats beside the point Danny!" Lu excaimed shaking her head.
"I was just-"
"Stop!" Scorp spoke for the first time sense we'd been discovered. "Nothing happened. And nothing was going to happen." He finished still not looking at anyone. He sounded bitter almost. He turned away from us and started to walk towards the dock. No one talked, he grabbed his shirt and shoes and started walking towards the school.
"Whats got his wand in a knot?" Asked Jen breaking the silence. I felt my eyes start to water. Why was I crying? No. Not crying, almost crying. Cause Rose Weasley doesn't cry, ecspecially for reasons she wasn't sure of.
"I'll see you guys later, tell Hagrid I'm sick." I said and my voice cracked on 'sick'. I turned and jogged towards the dock. I grabbed my shirt and headed up to the school, grabbing my bag on the way in.
I walked aimlessly for about twenty minutes before finding myself on the Astronomy tower. I slid down the wall and crumpled onto the floor in a heap. Silent tears slid down my cheeks. Why was I crying? I hated this. I never cried. I'd cried once before, when Grandpa Weasley got sick, and everyone thought he was going to die. Thankfully he lived. Some muggle remedy had saved him. He was thrilled, he spent weeks bragging about it to anyone who would listen.
What had happened back there? Scorp and me had never been anything more than bestfriends. I'd thought about what it would be like being more. But it had always sounded so weird and wrong in my head. Why was this year any different? I remember at the age of twelve us deciding that neither of us was going to fall in love. We were just going to live together when we grew up. Bestfriends forever meant no one, or anything would tear us apart. So we'd made a pact, that instead of being husband and wife, and loving each other, we'd just be bestfriends who cared for each other.
Everything had changed a year later though. I got my first boyfriend, and Scorp had his first kiss. Ethan Wyatt had been my first boyfriend. We dated for a week and a half and broke up. We didn't even get past the holding hands stage. Scorps first kiss was with Alicia Sparks, a Hufflepuff in our year. It had been because he lost a bet with Danny, but that didn't stop him from bragging about it. I'd been so jealous that I'd never kissed someone,I lied and told everyone me and Ethan had kissed. Ethan wasn't aware of that though.
So we'd discovered that maybe it wasn't such a good idea, and broke off the pact, saying that we could be best friends living in seperate houses with husbands and wives. Scorp had sounded so mad. Had I done something wrong? Okay, so I was the reason he jumped into the lake, but he threw me in! He totally deserved it, and he didn't even look mad until Al and the other idiots found us.
I questioned what would have happened had we not been discovered. Part of me wanted to know.
'It's because you like him' said a tiny voice in the back of my head. No I don't, that was one thing I knew for sure. Scorp was my best friend! I couldn't like him. 'Why can't you?' Because its ridiculous! Not to mention impossible. I would never risk our friendship either. 'And what if he feels the same way?' He doesn't. I'm Rose Weasley. His bestfriend, he could have any girl, why would he go for me? Thats just it, he wouldn't, and he wasn't. 'But-' No. I stopped myself. I was talking with myself inside my head. Surely I was mental. I checked my watch. Four o'clock. I pulled my book out of my bag and started to read. Romeo and Juliet. Cliche right? A girl distressed over her stupid love life, or lack of one I guess you coud call it, and I liked romance novels. Scorp gave me trouble about it all the time. He said he didn't understand why I wasted my time on them. "They're all so fake, love doesn't have a happy ending all the time." He'd odviously never read R&J, because he'd then learned I wasn't always interested in the happy endings. But explaining it would have been a waste of breath.
I read for about and hour before it started to rain out. The first D.A. meeting was at six tonight. I got up and started down the stairs leading to the Astronomy tower. By the time I reached the portriat hole for the Gryffindor common room, the halls were starting to empty. The common room was empty except for a few fifth years and a sixth. I walked up the stairs to the girls fourth year dormitory. All four four-poster beds were a mess. The dormitoy was empty. Alyssa Sprites, and Titianna Marks, mine and Jens roomates were nowhere in sight. Alyssa and Titanna were nice, but shy. That was why they didn't talk to me and my friends much, because we were usually loud and obnoxious. They found Danny to be the loudest and most rude, mostly because he started trouble in every class we had with him, which took away from their learning time.
I grabbed a pair of black sweats pants and a hoodie and headed to the bathroom to shower. I wasn't dressing up for this meeting. I had no reason to. When I got out I could hear rain pounding on the ceiling and thunder off in the distance. I loved thunder storms. They made me feel relaxed and calm, as weird as that was. I got dressed, threw my har into a loose pony tail and grabbed my wand and Romeo and Juliet before putting on my slip-on sandles and heading out the door. The common room was empty when I got down the stairs. I got out of the portriat hole and headed for the seventh floor corridor. The meeting was being held in the room of requirment. After the war and after Hogwarts had been rebuilt, the people who knew about the room made sure that it was returned to the school and built in the same way. The people who knew about it swore that it should be kept a secret, and wouldn't tell of it. It wouldn't be as special if the entire school knew. Of course my father ruined the secret by telling me and most of my cousins about it before James had even started Hogwarts, so to the Weasleys and Potters, it was hardly a secret.
After walking by the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy threes times and thinking 'We need a place to learn how to defend ourselves where no one can find us' a door appeared on the wall opposite. I pushed the door open and came into a brightly lit room with cusions and blankets piled in the corner. There was a bookshelf with all types of deffense books on it and even a few manicans lying on the floor at the end of the room. Those would come in handy eventually.
No one else was here yet, mostly cause it was quarter of six. I sat down with Romeo and Juliet in a cusion and started to read for the remainder of the time before people started to show up.
I didn't hear the door open but suddenly James and Louis's voices filled my head "It'll be brilliant I'm telling you, Neal will never know the stupid git-" I looked up.
"Hey Rose!" James exclaimed elbowing Louis when he saw me.
"Hi James, Louis." I said looking back down at my book.
"You heard us I'm taking it." Louis asked. James albowed him again.
"Yupp, don't care what you two do in your spare time, just leave me out of it." I said.
"Atta' girl." Louis said winking.
"So you ready for the meeting then Ro?" James asked walking around the room inspecting it.
"Sure, I guess. Your doing most of the talking right?" I said not looking up from my book.
"I guess, but I think a lot of them would rather hear from you." He said kicking the manicans a few times.
"Right, and who exactly are they?"
"Uhh just a few friends, you know, people we know here and there, theres not too many of them." He said walking towards the bookshelf.
The door opened and in walked Al, Artie and Peter and Don. "Rosie look-" started Artie when she saw me.
"Later Art." I said holding up my hand to stop her. She nodded before coming over and sitting next to me.
The room continued to fill up. Just when I thought more people couldn't possible come, more people did. James said a few people, but by the time people stoped filing in, there looked like there was about two dozen people. I looked around at everyone. Scorp was sitting between Cody and Lorcan not talking. He looked up when I was staring at him and mouthed the words 'we need to talk' to me. I nodded before looking back down.
"Alright, well it looks like were all here, umm, well you all know why were here. I guess you could call it a club, but were going to call it the D.A. for Dumbledore's Army..." James went on to inform everyone who didn't know what the D.A. was twenty years ago, about it. He told them all that we really shouldn't be telling everyone about it, we weren't doing anything wrong, but he didn't want to give certain teachers, and he shared a look with Fred, a reason to get everyone in trouble. "Anything you'd like to say Rose?" He broke me out of my train of thought.
"Oh, uhh sure, well as you all know, things aren't as safe as they used to be, and if something were to happen to where you needed to know certain spells to deffend yourself, you should be equiped." I said blankly looking around the room.
"Right, Rose and I came up with the idea-" James cut off when I shot him a dirty look. "Okay, I came up with the idea and convinced-"
"Brain-washed." I interjected.
"-Her to help me restart the D.A." James said rolling his eyes. A few people laughed. "So I think its a good idea if we all sign this piece of parchment I'll pass around, that way we'll know whos in the D.A. and then we can start to plan the next meeting." People nodded in agreement and James passed around a piece of parchment and a quill.
After everyone signed, James passed me the paper and I read through the list of names.
D.A.:
James Potter Louis Wealsey Trent Goldstein Alice Longbottom Katie Trench Fred Weasley Frank Longbottom Rick Jordan Roxy Weasley Ella Briggs Don Milnt Al Potter Jen Finnagan Pearl Thomas Peter Flint Artie Zabini Lysander Scamander Lucy Weasley Lorcan Scamander Scorpius Malfoy Cody Benz Mary Curry Tommy Corner Anne May Tina Bing Rose Weasley
Trent Goldstein and Katie Trench were Louis's friends. Alice Longbottom was Louis's girlfriend. Her and Frank were Professor Longbottoms kids. Ella Briggs was Roxys bestfriend, and Tommy Corner and Mary Curry were Hufflepuffs, though I wasn't sure which year. Anne May and Tina Bing were Slytherins in our year.
I noticed Hugo and Lily weren't here. I was guessing James thought they were too young. I would have to have a chat with him about that. The rest of the meeting consisted of us setting a date for the next meeting (October 2nd) and talking about what we'd learn. I zoned in and out of the conversation. I was too busy thinking about today. The entire day had just been plain weird. I hoped whatever Scorp wanted to talk about was going to be quick. I also hoped he'd say lets just forget today happened, because I would willingly oblige.
"Okay, well that should be it, any questions about the next meeting come talk to me or Rose, and well, yeah." James muttered off ackwardly. Everyone started to stand up and leave for their dormitories. It was only seven fifteen, curfew didn't start for a while. Eventually the only people left was me, Scorp, Al, Lucy, Jen, Don, Cody, Danny, and Peter. Artie and Pearl had to go to the Library, and the Scamander twins were going hunting for nufflimflacks or something like that.
"Well, Professor Rosie.." Said Danny looking at me.
"What?" I said confused.
"About earlier today with you and Sco-"
"Danny! Shut up!" Echoed Al, Jen and Peter at the same time. Scorp sighed and I blushed deep red.
"Hey. I was just wondering why you two ran off like that-"
"Danny!" Lucy hissed
"Lets go Don, Peter." Said Al standing up and shaking his head.
"Yeah, I have some homework to finish, Jen?" Said Cody jumping to his feet. She nodded standing up.
"Danny, Follow." Said Lu grabbing her bag and getting to her feet.
"Righto." He replied.
After the others cleared out and it was only me and Scorp left, I got up and started to stack cusions and re-organize the books, even though no one touched them. I didn't know what to say.
"So-"
"Look, Rosie, I don't want things to be ackward-"
"Why would things be ackward, nothing happened." I cut him off, and as I said it I sounded bitter.
"Right, I mean Danny-"
"Dannys a drama queen, and he sucks at sudlety, I love him but he doesn't think, lord knows how he got put into Ravenclaw." I said, looking over at him for the first time sense everyone else left.
"I know." He smiled and I grinned back. Good, we were normal again. Normal was safe.
"So what do you plan on teaching us Profesor?" He asked sarcasticly after a few moments of silence. I punched him in the arm.
"Git." I muttered
"Ow, Rosie that hurt." He said rubbing his arm.
"Don't be sarcastic with me!" I exclaimed bringing my arm up pretending to get ready and hit him again. He jerked backwards and fell over his robes eventually ending up on his butt. I laughed at his discruntled figure, and the frown on his face. I had tears coming our of my eyes by the time I controled myself.
He glared at me. "You done?" He asked pouting. I nodded not daring to talk from fear of laughing out loud again. I reached down to help him up. "Thanks." He said as he stood up.
"Yeah." I said.
"Well..should we head back to the common room?" He asked
"Yeah, I suppose."
"Tommorows Sunday..." He said looking at me expectantly.
"Yeah..I'm aware..." I said before starting to laugh.
He grinned "Well I didn't know whether you had anything planned or not."
"Nope, why?"
"Well, fancy a trip to Hogsmead?"
A/N: Wow! This was so much longer than I anticipated. I wanted to get the lake scene in and the first meeting, but I didn't want to rush things, and even with how long the chapter is I feel its rushed. Please read and Review!
~Ace