WARNING: Harsh language and sensitive themes present below
ACT IV - CATHARSIS
(Sixth Year, Part ii)
"Hufflepuff is actually playing rather well this year," commented Hugo as he brushed his ruddy curls out of his eyes. Two Hufflepuff chasers whipped by at that moment in front of the Gryffindor stands, tossing the quaffle back and forth. Rose couldn't help but nod at her brother with her eyes still riveted on the game.
The game was Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor and the stands were absolutely packed. Rose was sitting with her regular group of Quidditch goers: Hugo, a few of Hugo's friends, and the younger trio – Paul, Stella, and Alfie. There were a few absent, Lily being the most notable one for she was actually playing. "They are really playing together as a team so far this year," Hugo continued. "There have been some major improvements."
"Yeah. Azzy has noticeably gotten a lot better from last year," Rose said as Hufflepuff scored a goal. She cheered even though she was in Gryffindor territory. A few other people did clap along with her, though it was muffled claps for everyone was wearing gloves on the winter day. All the students were accustomed to her cheering for Hufflepuff and didn't raise as much of a fuss anymore.
Paul looked wistfully back at Rose, his tuque almost falling over his eyes. "Rose. I bet you a chocolate frog that one of the Hufflepuff beaters is going to hit the bludger at his own player."
Rose couldn't help but smile. "Paul I didn't bring any chocolate frogs with me. I'm sorry. I'm not much of a gambler."
Paul looked disappointed. "Alright. . . I gueesss," he said reluctantly. She knew who he really wanted to bet with, and she was keeping her far distance. Paul didn't know the whole story about what happened but it had been a month since they stopped talking and he had heard rumour. He knew well enough to leave the subject alone though. "Stella, willing to take the bet?"
"Sure. Let's up it to two chocolate frogs though."
"Deal," he grinned. They shook hands.
The Quaffle quickly made it back into the Hufflepuff territory. Rose exhaled heavily at that moment, fogged up her vision because her breath froze in the air right ahead of her and missed the goal Aziza let in.
"Good try Azzy," Rose called out. Her heart wasn't really into this game, and Aziza's wasn't either. But Aziza couldn't bow out as a Keeper so neither would she as a spectator. It was hard on them to be scrutinized and talked about in reference to Pippa. It was like the whole school was watching their every move. Rose felt more like brooding and being alone, out of eyesight.
"Can I take Matilda and after this game?" asked Hugo. His own toad was sitting inside his coat tucked away from the freezing air.
"Sure." Rose leaned back in the seat and crossed her legs. They extended between Alfie and Stella, and Stella used her foot as an armrest. No more knees in the back for them.
"Thanks," Hugo said brightly. "Kahil gave me a potion recipe for Matilda's cold. I asked Professor Mercator if I could brew it and he said yes. But it needs to be given over three days."
"Hugo you can take her for a few days," Rose said sincerely. "I mean, she isn't as spry as she once was and they both seem to like sitting in front of the fire more and more, especially in the winter. She isn't going to be hopping away to find me."
The students in the Gryffindor stands abruptly stood up and started screaming, cheering, and jumping in celebration. Rose and Hugo stayed in their seats and blinked in surprise at all the commotion around them as they missed what just happened.
"Awesome catch Lily!" everyone was shouting. "We've won! We've won! Gryffindors are the best!" They started chanting as they cleared the area.
"Tough luck Rose!" said Stella as Paul handed her two chocolate frogs. The three stood up and followed the crowd out. "Tell Aziza that it was a good game though."
Rose nodded and said she would.
"Look away for a few minutes and miss the most important play of the game," Hugo muttered. "Lily's going to hound me about it later when she asks for advice on where to improve. But I'm going to collect Matilda and start brewing. See you later! And tell Azzy to work on her right side a bit more, it's not as strong as the left."
He left her alone on the stands as he joined the trickled out crowd, departing with three of his friends. She watched his tall form walk away and felt proud of her brother who wasn't afraid to be himself and let his passion show.
It wasn't too long before she was finally alone in the face of an empty pitch. She could hear all the cheering in the background, almost like a soft chant, as everyone walked up the hill to the castle. She hugged her arms close to her to keep warm and looked out in the white wintery landscape. It was silence and she shut her eyes to let the cold encompass her. She called herself ten types of foolish for the year. For being a horrible friend. For wishing she was different.
The weather seemed to get colder the longer she sat and she wasn't able to get completely lost in her thoughts as she started shivering. She didn't last long before she made the trek back to the castle.
Aziza and Rose headed to Hogsmeade early in the morning with a goal. They were going to finally get their hair cut. The hopped in a carriage with Stella who decided to accompany them last minute when she realised Paul and Alfie had abandoned her. They left at the break of dawn to be first in line for the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes newest product opening.
The hair salon, called The Lemonslice, was on the main street, about six buildings past The Three Broomsticks.
"Do it, do it, do it," Aziza and Stella said as they were standing at the counter, waiting for a hairdresser.
Rose shook her head. "I don't know. It'll be last minute!"
Aziza waggled her eyebrows. "Wait until you see what I'm going to do." Her hair was the longest it had ever been since Rose knew her and it was only at her shoulders. It was in a perpetual ponytail since neither of them could braid hair very well.
"Either tell us or stop bloody hinting at it."
Stella grinned at Rose's exasperated expression. "I'm going to pick up some breakfast and will probably be back before you lot are done. If not, I shall be at Les Trois Broomsticks with Les Deux Idiotes who are supposed to meet up with me in fifteen minutes! They will probably be late though. Like always. They're probably lost in the store."
She sighed loudly before bowing out of the salon.
It only took a few more moments for a lady with fuchsia coloured hair to approach them and take them to their seats.
"So what are you thinking," the hairdresser asked as she started running her fingers through Rose's hair.
"Nine inches off," Rose said quickly before she could chicken out. Aziza gave her a thumbs up. Rose's hair was almost all the way to her bottom and it was taking too much maintenance for her liking.
"Would you like to make it one more inch and I'll donate your hair."
A whole inch! ". . . One more inch, I could do that. What's it donated for?"
"It's to a place that makes wigs for muggles who have lost their hair. They're always looking and your colouring is brilliant. Have you ever cut this much off before?"
"Never. But I should because I don't like it when it's this long." The hairdresser put her hair in a loose ponytail.
"Well when it grows out again, come back! Or another salon if you're not near Hogsmeade. Any hair salon can take the hair and donate; however, you won't find many wizarding ones that collect for muggles. So if they don't you can keep your cut hair and bring it back here. We'll always take it."
Without any warning, her hair was cut off. Ten inches in all.
It was rather anti-climatic.
"It's so short now!" exclaimed Rose. And very light. She turned her head quickly to the side and it flung out, for the first time in a long time. It was a few inches below her shoulders. It felt so different.
She wasn't paying attention to Aziza as her hair was washed and the ends cut more evenly. The hairdresser was chatty and kept Rose occupied, so after her hair was done and she looked over, she couldn't stop her jaw from dropping.
Aziza had no hair.
Like none.
Nothing. Nada. Rien
"You can lift your chin up now," Aziza said with a laugh. "I'm trying something new. You and I can't braid my hair to keep it controlled, so I'll try this hairstyle out."
"I mean you can definitely pull it off! It looks so good! It's just – you have no hair! . . . Your head's going to be cold for the rest of winter."
If anybody could look great with no hair, it was Aziza. It showed her facial structure more and it honestly looked phenomenal.
"I didn't really think of the weather," she admitted. "That just means I'm going to have to wear a scarf or a tuque all the time."
After Stella returned, they all went to a clothing outfitters and bought a few fashionable pieces for Aziza to wear over her head.
It was a few days later when they noticed that someone else got a haircut as well.
Pippa was wandering all around the school with drastically different hair as well. It was short, like a bob, but very uneven. It looked like someone took hedge clippers and massacred it.
She didn't look like she cared either. She continued to do her thing around the school, by herself or with her 'new' friends.
Scorpius wasn't very recognisable as he stood in the entrance hall with his black scarf wrapped around his head and black tuque covering his blonde hair. Rose only found him from afar because he was trying to keep attention away from himself, afraid to be seen by his fellow housemates. It wasn't the first time he did the similar tactic of staying near the peripheries. He might have been anxious to be seen with her, but she wasn't of him. She walked right to him and asked, "are you ready?"
He grinned and Rose could only tell because his eyes twinkled; the rest of his face was covered up. "I beat you here, of course I'm ready."
After they got outside, he held out his arm. "If my lady pleases. . . ?" he said demurely.
"Of course kind sir," Rose said back just as demurely and rested her arm on his. It seemed he was in a good mood. He nudged his hip into hers playfully and the two walked down the stone steps together, having a conversation of 'after you lovely lady' and 'fine weather we're having aren't we,' and other such fancy and fun language that was out of their time.
The most recent snowfall hadn't been cleared so the trek down to the Black Lake was a struggle. There were a few footrails from Al and Josef, but nothing too trampled. Rose was sweating by the time they were halfway down the hill. She had her hair in a braid hanging not very far down her back, but the few short pieces around her face were popping out and sticking to her skin.
They could make out two dark figures on the lake, looking like they were standing side by side.
"Do you think Al and Josef finished?" Scorpius asked. The two boys went down a few hours earlier to clear snow off the lake so they could all go ice skating. They claimed to have found charms for clearing and melting snow and insisted they didn't need help to make a skating area. On the last Hogsmeade trip Aziza and Rose had discovered a second hand shop with loads of skates for sale in the back. They bought a pair each and told the three boys to buy some too.
Today they finally found time in the day to go ice skating. Aziza would be late for she was at Quidditch practice, but she said she would join once she was finished. It was a brilliant day to be outside; the sun was shining and reflecting light off the untouched snow that blanketed the Earth; trees were frosted over with snow piled high on the boughs; and there was the barest breeze blowing from the North. Winter kept most students inside and because the Black Lake was half sheltered from the castle. It was a way they could all hang out without judgement from others.
They were watching the figures of Al and Josef on the Black Lake and weren't paying attention to where they were stepping. As a result, they missed the patch of ice on the downward slope of the hill. Scorpius's legs went flying out from under him and he half dragged at Rose's arm before he let go and tumbled down the hill. He ended up near the edge of the Black Lake and was rubbing his bottom as he stood up. He immediately fell back down when a weight thumped into his legs and wiped him out. Rose was right behind him, having lost her balance when he fell. He lifted his legs off of a laughing Rose.
"Hey you found our ice slide!" Al said as he made his way over carefully.
"We didn't intend to," Rose said after Scorpius helped her up. Their clothes were covered in a thin layer of white snow and they brushed themselves off. "How's the ice look? Skatable?"
"It's perfect, or at least so Josef tells me. It's in good condition for being a lake. Did you know he's a figure skater? Lessons and all?"
Rose and Scorpius looked at Josef in surprise. He was off in the distance not too far away and heard his name being called. He smiled shyly. "No way, that's awesome!"
"He's really going to show me up," said Rose. "I can't remember the last time I was skating."
"He's going to show us all up," Scorpius said. They walked over to Josef and everyone pulled their skates from the bag Al had brought down with him. "I don't think I've ever skated in my life and my arse is already sore from falling down the hill."
"I brought pillows," offered Josef. But Scorpius didn't opt to wear one, being too prideful of having a pillow tied around his bottom.
There were no seats and so they sat in the snow to lace up their skates. Josef, who obviously had way more practice with lacing up, was the first one on the ice. He skated around the perimeter a few times, varying his motions as he skated into sharp turns, backwards, and did a few cross overs. After he was warmed up, he noticed everyone staring and watching. He skated over and stopped sharply in front of Al, making snow shavings fly.
"Do we have to follow that?" Al squeaked. His knees were shaking as he sat. "I don't know how to even go forward."
Josef grabbed his hand and pulled him upwards. "Just hold on." He started skating backwards whilst pulling Al.
Rose looked at Scorpius and raised an eyebrow. "Care to drag me around?"
"Ha! Fat chance." He stood up and promptly fell down, his legs flying out from underneath him. "I'm going to have some major bruises after today," he groaned as he struggled to get back up.
Rose took the approach more slowly and carefully stood up before she pushed off with the blades. Baby steps were all she needed to do and she made it a few metres before Scorpius called her name. She made the mistake of looking over her shoulder because that caused her to lose her balance and topple over to hit the ice.
Scorpius cracked up. Rose shook her head at him and then got up again. Without snow to act as a makeshift handhold, it was a failure and she found herself meeting the rigid ice again.
Josef was still leading Al around, but as they passed by, he came to Rose and helped her up again.
"It's so easy Rose," Al joked as his tuque fell over his eyes and he nearly fell over onto Josef. Luckily Josef held him up. Rose glared at him.
"I don't think you'd be faring so well without Josef!"
Al stuck out his tongue and grabbed Josef's hands again. "Lead me around," he ordered. Josef gave him a smile and complied.
"OK. I can do this," Rose murmured to herself. "Small steps." She spread her arms out and took one small step after the other. It was progress, but progress always came with downfalls. She managed to take a few steps before her blade got caught in a crack and she fell to the ground again. She sighed heavily. This was challenging.
She spread her legs out in front of her like she was making a snow angel and sat, watching Al and Josef, and feeling envious with the ease Josef was gliding over the ice.
Scorpius crawled over to her on his hands and knees. He looked like he had been rolling in the snow now; every inch of him was covered in the small crystals. "Why did we ever think this was a good idea?" he said. "I can't do anything!"
"I can't either! I wish I could skate like Josef. Let's go separate the two and get Josef to pull us around."
"I think it'll be harder to separate them than you think. . . " muttered Scorpius, as he watched them. "Come on up, let's try again." He shakily stood up and managed to pull her up beside him.
This time, the two of them completed one slow lap around the ice surface, going very slow and steady, and not falling for the first time. Rose clung tightly onto Scorpius's arm and worked on turning her skate blade to push off with it.
The two were halfway done their second lap when they finally met the ice in person again; Rose tripped herself on her skate blades and took Scorpius with her. They landed in a heap on the ice, sitting side by side with their arms still attached.
Scorpius started rubbing his arse again as he rolled over to lie on his stomach. "How long have we been torturing ourselves? A few hours?"
"I think twenty minutes."
Scorpius groaned and put his head on the ice, trying to see through its black surface to the bottom. Rose was gazing off into the distance. Her eyes wandered to the castle, to Al and Josef, the Forbidden Forest, the Quidditch Pitch - and speaking of the Quidditch pitch, a figure was flying over on a broom.
"Azzy's coming!" Rose said loudly. Scorpius picked his head up and watched her descent over to where they stashed her skates.
"Oh! I have a good idea!" he exclaimed. "Wait here." He got up and shakily made his way over to Aziza - only falling twice. They were talking and then she nodded and handed her broom over to him.
Al and Josef stopped skating and were watching Scorpius too. He got on the broom and flew over to Rose, hovering not very high off the ice.
"Hold on tight," he said. His dimple was very pronounced and his enthusiasm rubbed off on Rose.
"This is crazy!" Rose said as she got up and held on to the tail of the broom. She hadn't done anything really crazy in quite some time.
Scorpius started flying slow as he led her around, making sure Rose kept her balance and could keep her feet under her body.
"Cheating!" called out Al.
"Hey! You have Josef!"
They flew/skated over to Aziza who was clearly out of her element like Rose and Scorpius and fumbling around like a newborn filly.
"Who would ever come up with the ridiculous idea of attaching sharp metal to shoes that fit too tightly and going on ice?" she moaned as she toppled over. "I don't even get snow at home. This isn't natural! Why did I think this would be fun?"
Scorpius stopped by her and Aziza grabbed hold of the broom with Rose.
She kept a close eye on her feet and steadied herself, staying upright and skating. Scorpius led them around the ice, doing loops and figure eights. "How long have you lot been out?" Aziza asked after she was able to look up.
"Maybe half an hour? We still haven't gotten the hang of it. Scorpius – there is a – " Rose couldn't finish her sentence to tell him the snow bank was right there, for he clearly saw it and turned sharply, whipping the two girls off the broom. They fell into the snow with a poof and started laughing. They were completely covered in white.
Scorpius hopped off the broom. "Who wants to fly next?"
After warning them that her flying wasn't the greatest, Rose started leading them around. She went slow and circled around Al and Josef a few times and increased her speed to see how the passengers did. Everyone seemed to be getting the hang of it, so she tried what Scorpius did and turned sharply. Aziza went flying off with a scream but Scorpius held on tight as Rose picked up more speed, unaware that Scorpius was still on the end as she started laughing with glee. She was having so much fun.
He lost his balance and then was dragging behind the broom, holding on for his dear life and legs whipping this way and that.
"Rose! Look behind you!" yelled Al while him and Josef were falling over laughing. It was the only time Josef fell down that day.
She looked behind her and then promptly stopped, shooting Scorpius forwards across the ice like a penguin as he lost his grip. He collided with the snowbank.
"Scorpius! Oh no! Oh no! Are you okay? I'm so sorry," she said as she flew over to him.
He had the biggest grin on his chapped cheeks.
"That was epic."
After they all took turns on the broom and more or less got the hang of skating, they gathered on the snow and gave Josef the ice.
He instructed them to make a beat for him; Rose was knocking her skate blades together rhythmically, Aziza was stomping with her boots on the ice, Scorpius was smacking his legs with his palms, and Al was whistling a not very well known wizard ballad that Josef seemed to know quite well. Josef skated out to the middle of the cleared ice and put his head down. They started their musical song. Rose felt a little silly at the start, but not for long.
Josef listened to their beat for a few moments before his head started bobbing. His arms came up from the sides in a semi-circle over his head, fingers pointed perfectly, and he pivoted on one skate in a circle, arms dancing around his body in patterns as he skated backwards a few strides into a spin.
He got lost in the music and performed for them, gracefully gliding, jumping, and twirling in the empty space around him. He landed all his jumps with a flourish of his arms and keeping time with the rhythm that didn't desist.
It was the first time Rose had seen Josef alive. The concentration on his face was unrivaled and his passion showed in the artistic and such perfectly timed motions of his body.
He finished with a triple axel that turned into a spin. His hands raised skywards and his leg came closer to his body, turning him faster and faster. The spin eventually slowed and he stopped before the crowd and bowed, with a relaxed expression on his face. Their beat stopped and they all instantly stood up to give him a standing ovation.
When they eventually made their way back inside they were soaked, sore, and cold. But they had smiles on their faces and Rose thought it was worth it. The magic of their afternoon disappeared when they were just outside the castle. Scorpius hung back and told everyone to go ahead. He avoided all their eyes and said he'd catch up with everyone later.
When everyone split up to go to their respective dormitories she hid in the Great Hall to watch him. He entered the school a few minutes later by himself. His scarf that was hanging loose all afternoon in the nice weather was tight around his face – covering it, hiding it. His tuque was pulled low over his head and he had a bookbag with him. The only reasonable explanation was that he was using it for an alibi if anyone questioned his whereabouts.
It hurt, but she was also confused as to why he still cared what people thought.
"Good morning Rose," Professor Longbottom said to her as she entered the Greenhouses early. "How are you doing?"
Rose watched him dig around in the soil and replant some flowers. "I'm okay I guess."
He looked up at her, inspecting her closely. "Rose, is there anything you'd like to talk about? I may be a Professor, but rumours still reach my ears."
She just hoped he wasn't telling her parents anything. "No, it's okay. I'm handling everything."
She distracted him by asking about the flower he was planting. Everything – Pippa, Nolan, Scorpius – they were all things she had to deal with. They were her own problems and she didn't want to burden anyone with petty things.
Rose and Aziza stared at the table, at the six or seven pamphlets that graced its surface. They were all pamphlets that Rose had received in her stocking at Christmas.
"How do I choose?" asked Rose. Each pamphlet contained a different drama school from around Europe.
"Which is the best?"
Rose shook her head. "I'm not really concerned with the best. . . I feel drama school is you get what you give, regardless of reputation. I could be wrong though. . . I'm looking more towards a city where I can be involved in the arts outside of the school as well, whether it be muggle or magic. Like I'd rather go to Bristol than London, but London has a much larger arts scene by sheer population. And I'd prefer Salzburg to Bristol, but I don't speak any German. . ."
"Well you could learn it," Aziza encouraged.
"I know. It's just a lot of work. . . "
"Come on Rose. You've never shied away from a challenge. Don't start now. Where do you really want to go?"
Rose wrote to her mother for advice. Thinking of the future was scary when she was just sixteen. How did she know what she wanted to do with the rest of her life! What if she was grossly wrong about where she went? There were so many choices out there and she wasn't sure how to pick just one direction.
Rose,
I'm glad you're thinking about your future and all the options out there. But remember that just because you choose a school, or a certain career path doesn't mean that it can't be changed later on, even years later. As long as you're happy, we support you whole heartedly and will be at every performance you're future self will star in or direct. If you're that worried about schools perhaps we can go on a vacation this summer and look around at a few of the top contenders. Your father and I are always behind you. You have an amazing talent that we've seen blossom over the years.
Make sure you and Aziza are eating enough protein and that Hugo hands in his homework on time. From what we've gleaned into his letters he's spending a colossal amount of time in the library researching amphibians instead of doing his school work. Care to check that out for us?
And I'm sorry to hear that your friendship with Pippa is still not reconciled. Don't give up on her and make sure she knows that you two will be waiting with open arms. It's sometimes pride that will keep her away after a big fight so don't be afraid to take the first step, even if you think she was in the wrong.
Love you lots,
Mum and Dad
She loved letters from her parents. They were smart and just made everything seem less complicated. She tucked the letter in her notebook and left the library, planning on writing a reply later that night after she heckled Hugo.
She was walking down the corridor on her way to the Gryffindor Tower with Rigel padding along beside her when she suddenly fell over; the two books she checked out went sliding across the floor and the moleskine from Scorpius fell out of her pocket beside her. There was absolutely nothing there to make her fall, but she looked behind her and the source wasn't very far away. As soon as she saw it was Nolan, she pulled the moleskine close to her to hide it from view. Nolan was smirking at her and had his wand in his hand, palming it.
"On the ground where you belong Weasley."
Rigel started hissing at him until Rose ran her hand down his back a few times. Rose kept her eyes on Nolan until he left her sight, not saying anything. As soon as he left, a few tears started falling down her cheeks. She'd just had enough. She picked up her books and curled up in an alcove with Rigel, crying and wishing everything was different.
The trip from the Gryffindor tower to the kitchens was a lot scarier in the dark. Rose was meeting Aziza at midnight for a late Friday night snack. They had sent owls back and forth to each other making the plans while Aziza was on patrol with prefect duties. Scorpius was invited but he said he couldn't make it.
Rose didn't consider herself very sneaky. As she left the Gryffindor tower she just felt like all eyes were on her, especially the portraits. Her wand remained unlit and she navigated through the dark, trying to be quick.
With these late night trips, her imagination sometimes got the best of her. Every creak, rustle, and groan felt like someone (or something) was going to jump out and attack her. Friday nights seemed to be the worst, for prefects were out in full glory and the chances of being caught were much higher.
"I am a fearless spy hidden in enemy territory. No noise will scare me!" She tried out a somersault across a hallway, just like a spy would do, but flopped loudly on the ground. Her mood quickly died. She was too nervous and ungraceful.
She made it safely to the moving staircases; she just couldn't take the secret passageway down in the dark by herself. That seemed like just pushing things and it would most likely scare the crap out of her.
She waited for the staircase to come up to the platform and come it did, but someone was on it.
Rose took off running back the way she came, turning left and right and finally stopping behind a suit of armour, breathing heavily and trying to listen to see if she was heard and if anyone followed. She had tried being quiet, but in the dead of night, a mouse's footsteps could be heard.
A wand light came from the end of the corridor and started advancing closer and closer. Rose shrunk back. She couldn't see who was coming closer. She didn't know if it was friend or foe, kin or enemy.
There was a tap on her shoulder and – she knew nobody was there, it was totally an empty corner – but it surprised her and she started to scream. Before anything really came out, an arm snaked up out of nowhere and covered her mouth.
"You're such a chicken shit," she heard Lily chuckle softly. Then her mouth was released and Lily threw something over her that Rose recognised a few seconds later as the invisibility cloak. The two huddled together in the corner.
"I can't believe you did that," Rose whispered as her heart finally started to resume its normal patter.
Lily put her finger to her lips and the two stayed silent as the wand-bearer shoved a light near where they were standing and snooped around to find what caused the noise. It was two Gryffindor Seventh Year Prefects.
"You check the left side, and I'll check the right. Somebody's out of bed," the boy said.
"So many knights in armour here. These metal things are annoying to check behind."
Lily slowly kneeled down and released something black on the ground. It scuttled off and down the hallway and hit the wall with a small explosion of smoke. The prefects started swearing and ran down the hallway.
"Kneel down more," Lily said. "You're too tall for the cloak standing." The two left the corner and made it a safe distance away before Lily pulled a piece of parchment out of her pocket and inspected it. She pulled the cloak off of them.
"All good. The prefects are detained back in the hallway and nobody else is near."
Rose could only stare in awe. "It's you that has the map?" The infamous Marauders map in the family had been missing for the past ten years or so. While nobody revealed its exact location, everyone knew that someone in the family had it. It was stolen repeatedly from member to member. Seems the current owner was Lily.
She gave a sly smile. "Nicked it from Roxanne two Christmases ago. She accidentally let slip that she nicked it from Louis, who nicked it from Molly and yadda yadda eventually getting back to Victoire and Teddy. She had one to many drinks."
"Roxanne hasn't gone to school in so many years!"
"I know, I think she purposely revealed it to me because it was rather obvious hinting. She just wanted to make sure James didn't get it back. He's been on the hunt for it ever since he lost it ages ago."
Rose laughed. James was probably extremely choked to lose possession of it.
"So, where are you heading this Friday night?"
"To the kitchens actually. I'm meeting Azzy."
"The kitchens," Lily said with her eyebrows raised high. "I've never been before."
"You want to come?" asked Rose and Lily immediately started nodding, a smile creeping onto her face. "I don't think we're doing much more than playing cards and eating. . ." she warned.
"Sounds amazing! Better than wandering around the school by myself." She handed the map to Rose and they started navigating down to the kitchens, easily dodging the roaming population. It was much easier than sneaking and the castle was less creepy with a companion.
"What're your friends up to tonight?"
"Sleeping actually! We were out in full force last night terrorising Peeves and the Bloody Baron and everyone was rather tired. I was in bed and looking at the map when I saw you out in the hallway. Thought I'd give you a scare since you were travelling very slowly."
They made it to the kitchen and Lily was watching Rose closely as she tickled the pear.
"It's that simple?" she said. "Wow."
As soon as they entered a few House Elves came up to them and offered them food and drinks.
They took a seat at a table and waited for Aziza to get there. By the time she came, Lily was already a few sweets deep and Rose was on her second glass of hot lemon and honey.
Aziza asked for tea and the House Elves promptly delivered. She joined Lily and Rose and the three played 'Old Witch,' 'Wizards Dilemma,' and 'Hobgoblin's Corners' until the wee hours of the morning.
"That's my new favourite place in Hogwarts," Lily told Rose after they left Aziza at the Hufflepuff common room. "And so few people know about it. It's nice. Free food. Thanks for letting me come."
"You're always welcome to come with us," replied Rose. "Now let's see if we can make it back without getting caught. I had this idea earlier that I was a spy and. . . "
The moleskine from Scorpius was proving very useful; in fact, Rose couldn't remember a time she lived without it. She never left her dorm in the morning without it and she never went to bed without writing something into it.
It was an all-purpose journal for her. She found she was using it for everything. Sometimes writing small sketches, or the odd poetry piece, a few speeches, quotes from plays, and settings for potential plays. She found herself going through all the scrap paper she wrote in the past six years that was crumpled on the bottom of her trunk and transcribing it into the journal for safer storage.
Then one evening she discovered the magical thing about it. It never ran out of pages. No matter how much she wrote there were always more pages. It was utterly amazing. It didn't get heavier the more pages there were, nor did it increase incrementally in size.
As soon as she realised that fact, she wanted to go find Scorpius to express her gratitude. The only problem was that she didn't where he was. Luckily it was her cousin who possessed the all-knowing map. She slyly made a reference to it in the Gryffindor Common Room and Lily took her up to her floor to let her see it.
She eventually found Scorpius. He was with her brother at the back of the library. Rose was happily surprised to see that. They were probably playing chess since both of them were excellent players. Rose was about to take off in search of them when something disturbing caught her attention: Nolan and Josef were alone in a corridor one floor above them.
Her plans abruptly changed.
Rose gave the map to Lily without mentioning her observations and took off quickly.
By the time she got there, Nolan was gone. Rose slowly approached Josef who was tucked up against the wall, his head on his knees and tears on his brown cheeks.
"Are you okay?" Rose said softly. Josef flinched at the sound of her voice, but didn't lift his head. His dark brown hair was mussed up and out of order, unlike its usual state. She hung back a little bit, unsure if he wanted to be alone or not. "It's Rose. . . "
He still didn't say anything. Rose took the chance and went to him, sitting down beside him.
"It's hard sometimes, at Hogwarts," Rose said after a few moments. "We're all stuck in a castle, living together, eating together, and learning together with students from all walks of life. Sometimes the space seems so small and crammed. . . Then other times it feels vast and immeasurable. We're all significant to its history though, and we all pass through and leave our mark, whether it be a good or bad one. With the bad ones, it's hard to remember that there's a world out there that you can escape into after. That there's family and loved ones and happiness."
There was no response from Josef. She didn't know where that speech came from. It sounded awfully close to one she wrote the previous evening in her journal and one that echoed in her thoughts when she was feeling down.
"Nolan doesn't like me either," Rose said finally. "And I mean, it's not like I don't give him a reason. I'm weird, I talk to toads, I hexed him a lot when I was younger, I'm very unpopular with his crowd. I'm everything he hates. But he finds a perverted happiness by bullying those who won't threaten his status; people who fly under the radar and nobody will really care about. You and I get to take the brunt of that."
Rose hoped Nolan didn't pick on Josef too often. He had a softer disposition than her and was more sensitive.
"Who am I to say anything though," Rose said quietly. "I'm just a sixteen year old girl who can't seem to figure her own life out. I wish I could give you some life-shattering advice that you could use to stand up to him and get him to stop, but I don't have anything. I'm just empty. Dry. Tired. Sad."
She was exceptionally tired and sad the past week because the rumour of her fear was spreading wider and wider. Apparently people enjoyed how she reacted to it for she was finding spiders on her desk, in her bookbag and even her bed. She was in a constant state of anxiety and was checking and double checking everything around her.
"But you're here," Josef said finally. "That's enough for me right now."
Winter slowly faded into spring, homework seemed to be increasing and Rose found herself reading less for pleasure and more for school.
"Remember class, term projects are due in two weeks to this day. If you haven't started the write up yet, get started. I will know if you've written it the night before," Professor Alicant warned. The project was to research a dark creature, its weaknesses and strengths, and then explain how to best defend against it. Each student had to present before the class as everyone else made notes. For the practical, they would have to go up against a few that the professor picked and know how to defeat it.
She continued, "presentations are starting the week after, so if you haven't picked the day and time you'd like to go, come speak to me in the next few days. And that's everything for today – "
Everyone closed their books and started packing up. "– but Pippa, come speak to me before you leave."
Rose froze and looked behind her. Pippa was sitting at the back of the classroom and looked angry that she was called upon. Rose made a split second decision and dropped her inkwell on her bookbag that was sitting on the floor. It broke and splattered everywhere. She kicked her bag over and acted like she tripped as everything that was inside it went spilling out on the floor. The professor shot her a look that Rose could understand only too well – she knew what Rose was up to.
Pippa sauntered down to the front. Her hair was still very uneven and her uniform was stained and crumpled.
"What?" she said bluntly. Her arms were crossed and she didn't even acknowledge Rose's gaze. Rose bent down and started cleaning up her mess. Unfortunately it was a full inkwell that she broke. All her books, homework, and bag were completely stained black. The librarian was going to rip one into her as she had three library books currently sitting on the floor.
She would have to redo one essay that was almost all black. She grimaced at her books that were now ruined, but didn't rue her decision yet. She was listening closely to the conversation ahead of her.
"I'm still waiting for your compare and contrast on Goblin and Merfolk Defense Systems."
Pippa shrugged. "So?"
"Well, you're a Sixth Year and if you'd like to get a passing grade for this class you have to put in the work."
Pippa rolled her eyes.
"I'm giving you an extra week extension before I start to take some serious marks away. It might not seem important now, but everything is adding up and you're not doing very well in this class. You're hanging on by the smallest thread."
"Can I go now?"
Professor Alicant sighed. "Do we need to go visit the Headmistress again?"
Rose stopped mopping her book with her shirt sleeve. Her hands were now stained. Of course she could try to vanish it, but then she would have to leave and she wanted to wait.
"Ooohhh, the big bad Headmistress who rarely leaves her cave. I'm so scaaared."
The professor rubbed her eyes. "Have some respect Pippa. We're going to have another academic meeting if that essay isn't on my desk, completed, by the end of this week. You've got some work to do."
Pippa didn't say anything and turned and left the classroom, still avoiding Rose. Rose sat back on her heels; ignoring her ink stained books and looked at the Professor.
Normally Rose wasn't a large fan of Professor Alicant, but she was starting to like her more and more.
"I don't know what's going to happen to that girl. I don't know if she'll be allowed to be at Hogwarts much longer if she continues acting this way."
Then Alicant left and Rose was sitting alone in the room, with a huge mess in front of her. She was going to be late for Potions, that was for sure.
Pippa couldn't be expelled. That would just make the situation explode with no resolution.
For the next two nights straight, Rose worked in the library on an essay that wasn't for her. She couldn't base the compare and contrast off of her own, and wrote it in a different style, similar to Pippa's that she'd seen hundreds of times since First Year. She didn't want Alicant to think it was her at all.
On the third day the essay was complete. She got Josef to let her in the Slytherin common room one afternoon while she was hidden in the invisibility cloak – she felt a brief pang of melancholy because she was so rarely in there anymore before she quickly dispelled it and went to the Pippa's dorm. She left the essay on her bed, half tucked under a pillow.
There wasn't anything else Rose could do. Either Pippa used it, or didn't. She hoped it was the former.
But it didn't stop. For the next month Rose found herself doing double the homework of a regular sixth year. She didn't want Pippa to fail out, Rose told herself over and over when she was up in the wee hours in the morning. Deep down, it was because she wanted Pippa to forgive her. She wanted them to be friends again.
Nothing was ever said; in fact Rose couldn't even be positive that Pippa was using her essays. She was guessing they were being rewritten to some extent and handed in. In every class she had with the Slytherins she was sure to pay attention to who was handing in what and what was being handed back. Pippa was handing in roughly more than half of the assignments during class.
The consequences of extra homework were not hard to guess. Rose found herself sleep deprived and exhausted for the weekdays and then trying to catch up sleep on the weekends.
"Aziza what are you thinking about doing after Hogwarts?" asked Rose as she yawned over the supper table. "I feel like all I've been doing is worrying over me and not paying attention to what you're up to."
"Well it's not like I have a great plan yet. It's all a . . . work in progress still."
"And?"
"Well. I don't know how to explain. My thinking the past few weeks hasn't been with the future but more the far future. But I don't know if it's dumb to think like that. . . Or where we all will be."
"Let's hear it."
"I did consider drama school with you, to be a set designer or painter," Rose's eyes lit up at that statement. Aziza gave a wry smile. "But I think I'm going to pursue a business degree in marketing. That involves creativity and artsy things too, I think."
"That would be a decent profession if you were in it," Rose said. "What do you mean by far future thinking though?"
Aziza seemed very interested in her carrots. "Like after you do drama school and start working, and I finish school to start working. I have this crazy idea that maybe we'd run a theatre together. . . And put on plays. And I'd do the business and set designing side. You'd do the rest. And yeah. . . That's just where I've been thinking."
Rose's jaw dropped. "You – really? I haven't even thought past where I want to go to school! That sounds so brilliant though!"
"It'll be a long time before we're close to being near that. It was just a thought, a hope maybe. It's not set in stone. Yet I can't get it out of my head."
The day the ice was completely off the lake found Aziza and Rose standing in front of it. Unlike the past few years, they were fully clothed and didn't bring out towels or bathing wear with them.
It didn't feel right without Pippa. Even standing there and looking out onto the water felt like a betrayal.
They weren't going to jump this year.
"I'm so happy right now. And so sad," Aziza said. "Happy because we've just beaten Slytherin and are in the Quidditch finals. Sad because of how everything panned out. I don't understand what is going on."
"I really don't either."
It was late in May that Rose found herself alone outside by a large oak tree, reading. Aziza was at Quidditch practice getting ready for the big final game, though she was probably done now. . .
Rose had just reached the part in King Leopold where Gomquil commited suicide when she shut the book. Everything was chaos and crashing down around the characters. Today just felt like the wrong day for a dramatic tragedy. So wrong.
She had an odd feeling that there was somewhere she had to be; there was something intrinsically wrong somewhere in the world. She couldn't put a name to it though and continued to fidget and look around instead of reading. She's read plenty tragedies before – why was this one so consuming? She just couldn't concentrate.
Instead of trying to push through her play, Rose stood up and walked to the Black Lake's edge, letting the tips of her boots get wet.
She looked back at the castle and shaded her eyes from the sun. What on Earth was bugging her so much?
Then she noticed a figure in the distance running in her general direction. Dark skin, lean muscular body, very little hair. . . Was Aziza running to her?
Rose left her bag and started walking quickly towards her. Something wasn't right, something wasn't right. . . Perhaps it wasn't the book. She picked up her pace, almost to a jog. She felt scared for some reason.
"Rose! Rose! Hurry!" screeched Aziza when she was about thirty metres away. She was out of breath because of running full tilt from who knew where, but she didn't stop until she was in front of Rose. "I've heard – came from Quidditch. It's Nolan – and Al. By Charms. And Josef. They're all – "
Rose's mind connected the dots that instant and she immediately took off sprinting towards the castle, not even waiting for Aziza to finish her sentence or come with her.
Her long legs were stretched out to the max as she took impossibly large strides. She skidded into the castle, disrupting a few students but taking no notice of them.
As soon as she reached the stairs she jumped up them about five at a time. She ignored the rule from first year about not running on moving staircases as she flew over them and even leaped dangerously from the top of the moving staircase to the platform that was moving away, something that had previously lost her 100 points.
She had to get there quicker. It was taking too long to run. If it was Nolan; her anger was already flaring. She hated him, she hated him, she hated him. This was it. The final straw. She had had enough.
She turned the corner to the Transfiguration corridor and took the shortcut up to Charms.
There was a huge crowd bunched together in the hallway. They were whispering and laughing and talking loudly. A few of the students in the back were standing on tiptoes and trying to look over to the centre of the circle. Running swiftly towards them, Rose inserted her hands and thrust apart roughly, separating the students to clear a path; ignoring their indignant yells at being forcefully pushed to the side.
Rose was easily taller and stronger than them and they were like blades of grass under a human foot with how fast her adrenaline was pumping.
She pulled out her wand as she neared the middle and practically kicked one of the Gryffindor girls in her year out of the way. She was now at the heart of the commotion.
Nolan was standing above both Al and Josef with his wand out. Al was on the floor with a bloodied lip and black eye. Josef was beside him, holding tightly onto Al's arm and shaking.
". . . really pathetic. Don't know how -"
Rose jumped in at that moment in front of her friends and violently pushed Nolan backwards. He fell over from the push into the crowd of students and there were some yells of annoyance before he was upright again. One of Nolan's friends who was standing inside the circle lazily shot a spell at her that she instinctively blocked; her wand poised and ready for the next one. She left a 'Protego' up so she could focus on just Nolan. Rose brought her wand up to his face.
"Leave. Back off and leave right now," she said quietly and angrily. Her vision tunneled onto Nolan; the room cleared around her and instead of all the students that were chanting and jeering, it was just her and Nolan. Just her and the slimy, greasy, waste of space standing before her.
He had his own wand out and it was pointed at her. A sneer graced his face as he upheld her guarding her cousin and friend.
"Oh look everyone," he said loudly and pointed at her with his other hand. "It's the schools biggest loser come to protect the losers. Not much good you'll do here, everyone knows already! I found them snogging in the classroom."
There was some laughter from around her. Rose flung her wand at him, some jinx springing to the tip of her lips. Nolan was quick though and blocked it, though he didn't seem to think he could react that fast. He blinked a few times in surprise at the ferocity of her attack. He steadied himself and ran a hand through his hair, slicking it back. His handsome face was twisted around into a scowl when he faced her again.
"Get. Lost. And leave them alone. They're worth an infinitesimal amount more than you will ever be you cowardly bastard."
The scowl turned to a smirk. "See that's where you're wrong. Something's wrong with your cousin and that other pathetic quivering thing beside him. Luckily I was here just in time to intervene."
"There's nothing wrong with us!" Al said angrily from the floor. He was dabbing at his lip and blood was getting on his fingertips. "Get over yourself."
Nolan apparently took offense to that and tried lunging forward around Rose to get to Al. But Rose moved quickly in front of him to block him, grabbing his collar to stop him with her right hand and then swinging at him with her left hand with much more force than the last time she punched, connecting with his nose and breaking it. Her hand started throbbing. He hadn't been expecting a physical attack from her in front of a crowd.
She stood fierce and strong in front of him, not flinching or turning away as Nolan started yelling obscenities at her while holding his hands to his profusely bleeding face. Nolan's friends crowded around him and were checking on him. He threw them off as they tried to see what his face looked like. One of his Ravenclaw friends turned around to face Rose.
"Weasley. . . " he hissed. "Always getting involved when she's not wanted. . . Reducto!"
She quickly blocked it. And then turned to block the next incoming spell. She didn't care about the crowd getting hit by reflected spells, her priority was Al and Josef and keeping them safe. All the students standing around seemed to draw closer despite the spells flying. They had a sick pleasure at the drama unfolding, someone being hurt.
Even though she was dueling, she still kept an eye on the main concern: Nolan. Her eyes flicked to him every few seconds. He was the ringleader in this fiasco; it was him his minions would follow.
When he moved his hands away from his nose, she could see that it was sprouting blood and swollen. She felt a grim satisfaction. The blood was getting all over his hands and shirt and in his mouth. He looked like a mess and his nose was bent at an unnatural angle.
She wanted to turn around and ask Al and Josef if they were alright but she didn't dare. The offensive spells slowed down for a moment. The boys were all talking, heads close together.
" - stupid bitch. . . " she heard Nolan say. ". . . taught who is. . . We all will. . . "
Nolan took one more swipe at his nose to clear the running blood before he faced her again.
Rose raised her wand in a challenge and said, "how DARE you ostracise someone just because they are different than you. How – how ignorant do you have to be?"
She felt someone come up behind her back and tensed up, momentarily afraid to look over her shoulder. But she felt a supportive, warm hand on her shoulder and Lily was there. She had her wand pointed at Nolan with a fierce look.
"Check on them please," Rose mouthed. "I've got him." Lily gave her a reassuring glance and moved back to check her brother and Josef, kneeling on the ground with him
"It's a whole family of gay lovers!" Nolan shouted to the crowd. "Never would have guessed that they all were so twisted. Well, we've known about you since First year Weasley."
Rose's lip curled. As Nolan continued to speak to the crowd, Rose looked at Lily.
"Lily," Rose muttered. "Go get Professor Longbottom, the Headmistress, or even Alicant. And try to clear some of the crowd. Nolan's only making a scene because of the attention."
"I'm not leaving you here alone!" she said back, her eyes flashing.
"I've handled him for this long already; a little bit more will be no problem. I need someone I can trust. Please."
It took Al tugging at Lily's shirt and talking quietly to get her to adopt a less ferocious look. Rose could hear her murmur, "you're not Al. Don't listen to anything he says."
Rose kept her eyes on Nolan and his minions while the two boys stood up, Josef with help, for his knee was badly bruised.
It was taking long enough and Nolan noticed.
"Oh – hoh hoh! They're not leaving. I'm not done with them yet."
"What is wrong with you?" Lily exclaimed angrily. But before they could so much as leave, Nolan was waving his wand.
"Stupefy!" shouted Nolan and Rose was back into the duel, blocking instinctively.
She shot three hexes in a row at Nolan. He blocked the first two and missed the third. He fell backwards, body stiff and unmoving. Her small victory didn't last long for one of his friends was unfreezing him.
"Leave while he's down!" hissed Rose. The sooner they left, the sooner it would be over.
Nolan was panting heavily. Blood was still slowly ebbing out of his nose still and it smeared all over his lower face and shirt. "You leave and I'll use an unforgiveable."
Lily, Al and Josef stopped moving. Whispering started up in the crowd. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw some students slowly backing away. Most stayed as things were just getting interesting. Even Rose half lowered her wand. An unforgiveable? Rose didn't know if she should take that threat seriously. There was a crowd of witnesses here; he couldn't be that dumb. . . Yet the look on Nolan's face didn't seem like he was joking.
Rose was about to retort back with something vindictive, when a new voice entered the fray and the warm body came to stand beside her. She looked up and Scorpius was there.
"Don't you dare threaten my friends again," he said in a deep voice, full of malice. "Nolan, you're done here. Lily, I'll stay with Rose. You need to get them out of here."
She wished she could feel relief at his voice, but she felt her insides squirming. Why did he show up now? She didn't want to live with the disappointment of him turning his back on her again. She started pushing him away from her. "Leave! Get out of here!"
"Rose! Stop," he said, confused by her actions. He quelled her hands.
Nolan was grinning widely. "Scorpius! Now we have everyone. I tell you, you have good timing. Let's deal with the queers and their keeper together."
Rose looked up at Scorpius and curled her mouth, rather surprised he wasn't already crossing over to stand by Nolan since he wouldn't leave. She had hoped it would never come to this again. "Better scurry to his side then. Rumours will start circulating that you're associating with me.
Scorpius frowned at her and stood firm. "I'm not letting you face him alone. I won't turn my back on you again."
"I've got everything controlled. I know you'll always choose him over me. I've made peace with it."
"I know where I stand. I'm tired of always caring what people think. This is past due."
"I'm serious, you don't have to get involved," repeated Rose. She didn't believe Scorpius. "Al's my cousin."
"And they're both my friends. Same with you," he retorted back just as quickly. He looked at Josef, knowing that Rose had her eyes on Nolan. Nolan seemed to be confused by what they were saying. "Josef, you okay mate?"
Josef nodded, still a little shaken up. The two boys were leaning against each other. Lily had her wand out and was eyeing both the crowd around her and Nolan and his gang. She gestured her brother forward.
"Scorpius, stop them!" cried out Nolan. Rose blocked his spell.
"Get it through your head, Nolan. We're not friends. You can't bully me anymore. I'm not on your side."
Nolan looked affronted. "Scorpius. Now. I'll tell your father."
"So? Tell him."
Nolan looked around at the crowd and seemed at a loss for words. "Oh? So that's it then. Seven years of friendship for a girl and two queers. I see how it is Malfoy. Finally living up to that weak reputation."
"Glad we see eye to eye on one thing."
Rose couldn't believe what was coming out of Scorpius's curled mouth. He was standing confidently beside her, not hiding or afraid to be associated with her. She always knew he wasn't really Nolan's friend, but he never had been able to stand up to him before. Despite the circumstances, she felt a smile form on her face and squeezed his hand in thanks before quickly letting go. One of the boys standing beside Nolan scarpered as soon as he realised Scorpius wasn't crossing over.
Then of course she saw a flash of red light and instinctively brought up a shield charm. Scorpius did the same.
They were in this together.
Lily got the two boys to the edge of the circle. There were some Hufflepuffs blocking her path and Lily didn't even say anything, didn't even give warning, she just brought her wand out and blasted space through the students, leading the two out.
Rose and Scorpius circled to cover them, wands out. They blocked two more spells from Nolan. He was practically foaming at the mouth in rage.
"Never would have thought that someone from my own house would turn against me," sneered Nolan. "Expected it from a Weasley, hell, I would have been SURPRISED out of my mind if I didn't see your pathetic lot here."
"I'm glad we lived up to expectations," Rose said.
While his two friends hung back, Nolan started walking forward until he was right in Rose's face, only centimetres away. He only got that close because his wand wasn't pointed at her; it was tapping on his chest. She could feel Scorpius's hand on her arm, half pulling her back out of the way, but she resisted him. Both their wands were pointed towards Nolan in case he tried anything.
He stopped tapping his wand and brought it up to Rose's neck, jabbing it in.
"Back up right now," growled Scorpius. He kept his grip tight on Rose's arm as he raised his wand to Nolan's neck, mimicking the movements.
Nolan ignored him. Rose was tense, and ready. She had every nerve hyperaware of what was transpiring and there was so much adrenaline running through her veins. She was ready for anything –
"No. Listen up," commanded Nolan quietly. He started talking, whispering revolting threats of what exactly what he was planning on doing when he found Albus and Josef later. It was fucked up; it was horrible; it was downright cruel.
Rose couldn't take it anymore when he continued his deranged blathering. She had had enough of him for one lifetime. Rage filled her.
She reached out and snatched his wand that was still poking ominously in her neck and snapped it in half without a second thought.
"If you dare go near them again, I'll kill you," she said. Her hand was held high in front of Nolan and she opened it; the wand halves dropped straight down and clattered loudly on the floor.
She felt Scorpius's arm slack and his wand drooped from Nolan's neck. Nolan stared at his broken wand on the floor and then turned his eyes up to Rose.
His eyes turned dark and she was just thinking she should back away when he attacked, tackling her to floor. Punches were coming at her face and it was all she could do to put her arms up and try to block. They were coming so quickly she didn't even have time to think about getting out from under him, could barely even think at all.
Then Nolan was off of her and she lay dazed for a moment, arms still up and defending against nobody. Scorpius had Nolan pinned on his stomach, his hands held behind his back, anger emanating from every pore of his body as Nolan was cursing him.
Rose slowly sat up, head pounding unnaturally, and it was at that point that Lily and Aziza finally made it to the corridor with four Professors and the Headmistress.
"What's going on!" she thundered. The students that had been standing around were suddenly panicking and running. The Headmistress cast a spell that froze the peripheries in place.
Rose could only stare blankly as she moved to her knees and then lifted herself up. Her head felt extremely light and her eye was already swelling. The freezing charm was taken off as the Professors infiltrated the crowd, making note of who was there.
Suddenly everything got crazy; everyone was talking at once, and moving around and Rose found it hard to focus. Some of the students were still trying to creep away, others were telling their versions of what was happening. Rose blankly stood there, unsure of what to do or where to go.
Scorpius got off Nolan's back as soon as Professor Longbottom came to him and then Nolan was escorted away to the Headmistresses office with his two friends.
"Let's get you to her office," Scorpius said softly when he saw her looking vacant. "They're bringing Monsieur Tremblay there for you and Nolan. . . How are you?"
"Bloody hell," was all Rose said. And then gave a shaky laugh. She flapped her arms at him and touched her swollen face to express her emotions; there was nothing to describe how she felt at the moment. She couldn't believe what just happened. Scorpius wrapped his arms around her and hugged her. She rested her head on his shoulder and hugged him back, squeezing tight.
"Thank you," she whispered into his ear. Thank you for staying by my side. She would have been content to stand there being supported by him for the rest of the day but two boulders hit them and almost knocked them over. Scorpius helped steady Rose as everything swam in her eyes. She could tell who the boulders were even though she was seeing double. It was Aziza and Pippa.
Pippa wrapped her arms around Rose's waist. "Rose Weasley! Are you insane!"
"A . . . greed. . . " Aziza had her hands on her knees and was catching her breath. She was panting very heavily.
Rose detached from Scorpius and turned to face her friends. She couldn't even comment on Pippa's presence before she was engulfed in their hugs. Pippa's was like an iron vice and Rose missed it, missed her small lively friend.
"I'm okay. I'm fine. How's Al and Josef?" said Rose. But then the next thing she knew, Pippa was gone. Lost in the crowd.
They were instructed to get to the gargoyle on the seventh floor. Her legs felt weak but she was walking, albeit slower than normal. Even though she insisted she was well enough to walk by herself, Scorpius kept an arm around her waist to hold her upright. She didn't fight him too hard.
Aziza was glancing over at Rose every few steps or so. "Rose I'm so sorry! I tried to run faster to get the Headmistress, I passed Lily and then Scorpius and they both stopped to question me and then I saw Pippa and . . . And I'm so sorry."
Rose lifted her hand and went to pat Aziza'a shoulder, but missed by a few feet. Depth perception was a tad off. "It's okay Azzy. It's okay. You were amazing."
"I just. . . I could have been quicker. Or if I flew! That would have been way faster. Idiot!" Aziza started muttering angrily to herself.
"Azzy, you did more than enough and Nolan's wand was snapped before he could do anything,"Scorpius said to placate her.
"Oh. . . no. I'm so screwed." Rose groaned and shut her eyes. Shutting her eyes made her dizzy and she tripped over her feet.
"What's wrong?" asked Scorpius as he caught her trip before she fell to the ground.
"I can't believe I broke his wand. I'm going to be expelled from Hogwarts!"
"You won't be expelled," Aziza said. "You can't be."
"I don't know," mumbled Rose. There was no way she wouldn't be expelled. They slowly made their way up stairs and through corridors until they were at the gargoyle.
"Don't worry Rose," Aziza said. "We'll make them understand they can't expel you."
That didn't soothe her however. Professor Longbottom was standing there, waiting with an indiscernible look on his face. He told the password to the gargoyle. It opened and they ascended.
"I can't believe I wasn't expelled," breathed Rose in the hospital wing. She had been fixed up quickly by Monsieur Tremblay with strict instructions to rest for the next two days so her concussion would fade, but wasn't allowed to leave yet. No one was. The farthest they went was the hospital wing after they had been questioned in the Headmistresses office. It was a bigger area and all the students involved were herded there.
Her, Scorpius, Aiziza, Lily, Hugo, and Josef were seated on chairs by Al's bed. Josef and Al were quietly talking together while the Headmistress was getting statements from a variety of students.
"You were defending Al and Josef. You wouldn't get expelled for that."
Rose thought otherwise still. She punched a student in the face and broke his nose. She snapped a wand. She shot some offensive spells. All in front of a crowd.
Her punishment was just, she thought, though much lighter than she was anticipating. She had detention every Wednesday evening until the end of the year and lost all her Hogsmeade privileges while she remained at Hogwarts. The Headmistress was also writing a letter to her parents.
Nolan, surprisingly, wasn't expelled either, from what they heard. But he didn't get off lightly. He had detentions four times a week, was banned from Hogsmeade as well, lost points, had to attend counselling sessions for the remaining year and the next, a letter was sent to his parents, and had to write formal apologies to all parties involved.
Students left and right were getting detentions and losing House points. No one House was over-represented.
Monsieur Tremblay was currently with Rose's dormmates who claimed that Rose had kicked them.
Which she probably did, but honestly she didn't care. They deserved it. If she got another detention from that she would accept it gladly.
She had her head resting on her hands. Everything just happened so fast. There were two things that were at the forefront of her mind at the moment that she couldn't stop thinking of. The first was the hug Pippa gave. Did that mean they were friends again? Was all forgiven? Truth be told Rose was sure she imagined the hug, and was too scared to ask someone if it actually happened.
The second thing was that she wasn't really sure what to say to Al and Josef. Nothing really changed, but at the same time, everything did. In reality, it didn't surprise Rose as much as it should have. Perhaps she guessed it subconsciously over the past few years.
She never had any inclination of them as a couple; however, they spent so much time together that it didn't seem out of place.
"So you're gay," Aziza finally said. She had her feet propped up on Albus's bed.
"Yup."
"How long have you two been dating? Or you are dating, right?"
"Since fifth year. Febuary 16." Albus and Josef shared a small smile together, lost in the memory.
Aziza raised her eyebrows. "Wow. I never would have guessed. Scorpius, you knew?"
Scorpius avoided Rose's eyes and seemed intent on kicking a dust bunny around.
"Yes, I did."
"He was the only one who knew, and he covered for us loads of times. We would have told everyone eventually, it was just. . . a difficult decision of when and how."
She knew that she couldn't be mad at Scorpius for keeping the secret. Yet a tiny part of her wished he would have said something. Or Al told her himself. Better yet, why couldn't she just figure it out herself? She had been so focused on herself and her problems she wasn't paying attention to what was happening around her.
Who was the real Albus Potter though she wondered? All the clues were in front of her eyes the past sixteen years. How much was an act and how much was real?
The end of the year came by in a blur. Rose found herself busy trying to keep up with the last of homework, all the studying, periodic visits from Hugo to check how she was doing, and the large amount of detentions. She found a note under her pillow from Pippa that basically said to stop doing homework for her now; she would get her act together. Rose was a little bit relieved.
Her parents, Al's, Josef's, Nolan's, and Scorpius's parents all had to come to the school and there were meetings in and out of the Headmistresses office.
Rose's first view of Draco Malfoy was him glaring (or maybe staring - she wasn't sure) at her across the office when they were explaining to everyone what happened. At first Rose looked quickly away, unsure what to do, but then she thought that was a ridiculous response. She glared right back at him and then stuck out her tongue. Her mother happened to catch her doing that and stopped mid-sentence to stare at her in disbelief.
Scorpius held his head high around his dad and spoke confidently. When his voice petered out, he always looked to Rose, for her reassuring smile, in the face of his father. Scorpius had received an obscene amount of Howlers from his parents, even after the fact that they already sufficiently yelled at him at the school. However, he no longer was afraid to be friends with any of the Potters and Weasleys, especially Rose.
Throughout it all, Pippa kept her distance.
There were a few times that Aziza and Rose noticed her staring and looking at them, but she didn't ever come to them. She no longer was out with the party crowd. She kept to herself, sat by herself, and didn't talk to anyone.
On the train ride back to Platform 9-3/4, she didn't sit with them in their regular compartment. Instead, they had an addition of Al, Josef, and Scorpius. The first two to avoid being scrutinized by the Hogwarts population, for they were now the subject of gossip and stares, all the time. Scorpius because he was their friend.
It wasn't until they stopped off the train that Pippa was right in front of them.
Her eyes looked sad, and her hair limp in its chaotic cut. Her trunk was lying on the ground not too far away.
"I'm sorry for being a horrible friend to you both. And I know that I probably don't deserve it for all I've said and done, but I want to be friends with you again."
Aziza melted first and enveloped her into a hug. "Pippa we'll never turn our backs on you. You could have come back anytime."
Rose stepped up and grabbed her hand. "Welcome back. Please don't leave again."
"I won't. I won't. I promise." She had tears in her eyes that she was trying to wipe away. Forgiveness was twofold and Rose didn't even mention the spider incident. She was just happy to have her back.
Hugo then came and was telling Rose to hurry up because their parents were waiting, and Aziza's parents were standing tall, at the back, looking anxiously for their daughter. They all had to say goodbye and part for the summer.
Pippa took her trunk and left the Platform by herself, her small form quickly getting lost in the crowd. Rose stared after her as Hugo tugged her forwards.
They still didn't have a why.
~xx~
Literature referenced:
King Leopold (1436) - Shizamphune