Rose narrowly avoided tripping spectacularly down the staircase as she rushed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. It wasn't surprising, though, as she was attempting to read a letter from her mum at the same time, and it was quite miraculous that she hadn't crashed into anything or anyone already, considering the speed at which she was going. Rose was just reading the last lines of the letter when she arrived in front of the Great Hall, hair falling out of a hastily-done braid and slightly out of breath.

She walked briskly over to where Scorpius, Al, James, Lily and a few others where sitting and squeezed in between her two male Potter cousins. "Who's got the Prophet?" She demanded, and Lily passed the newspaper over to her. "Hey, Rose, what's - " She silenced Scorpius by shoving the letter in his face. "Read," she commanded, and proceeded to disappear behind the paper. She was so engrossed in reading that she barely heard the others' exclamations as they read the letter that she'd found attached to a Hogwarts owl waiting outside her window this morning. Then she gasped and they all turned towards her. "Listen!" She said, her eyes wide, and began to read them the article on the front page.

MYSTERIES OF THE MINISTRY UNEARTHED

Alice Montgomery

Yesterday, a young Magical Law Enforcement worker stumbled upon a hidden room quite by accident. Charles Escalier was on his way to a meeting with an Auror subcommittee when he found a stash of Ministry files, valuable objects and forgotten paintings that had been thought to have been lost more than 50 years ago. One of the objects recently recovered from this treasure trove was a portrait of Newt Scamander (pictured above), famed author of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'. This painting had not been seen for many years and had been forgotten about - though it is only the start of many lost objects that are yet to be retrieved from the room. I talked with Hermione Weasley, Head of Magical Law Enforcement, yesterday about her part in the recovery project. "Although we haven't worked out exactly what is in there, some objects already found include missing Ministry documents, Wizengamot minutes and what we believe are some of Nobby Leach's diaries." (Mr Leach was the first muggle to become Minister for Magic. He died in 1972 shortly after retiring from office.) The Department of Magical Law Enforcement is expecting to find much information about the turbulent period in the 1960s, according to Mrs Weasley. "Most of the documents that we have found have dated around the 1960s - the time of the Squibs rights protests - and we are hopeful that what we find will shed more light on the era, which has very few documentations of events and other history." The Prophet will keep you up-to-date on any further developments. The search is expected to be finished within the month.

Rose turned the paper around do that the others could clearly see the picture of Newt Scamander's portrait smiling at them from the front page. "So that's it?" Al peered closer. "All that time we spent searching for it and it was in the Ministry all along?" He threw his arms up in annoyance. Scorpius took the paper from her and studied the painting. "I can't see anything unusual in there," he mused, and Rose grimaced. "I doubt we'd be able to find out anyway - I'm sure the Ministry's got it under lock and key."

Al and Lily ogled them as if they were speaking mermish, and Rose realised that she hadn't told them about the discovery they'd made last night. "Okay - this might sound like gobbledegook, but here goes," she started to explain about Nobby Leach and his mysterious resignation. She'd just got to the part about his visit to Hogwarts in 1968 when the Scamander twins bounded over to their table.

"Hey Rose, did you see?" Lorcan grinned and waved a copy of the Prophet. Scorpius asked if she wanted pumpkin juice and Rose nodded. "Yes!" She replied to the twins. "I can't believe that it was there all along - and that it just happened to be unearthed now!" When she thought about it, it did seem suspicious. "Well thanks for your help, anyway," Lysander added.

Rose jumped as Professor Sicarius, the Potions Master, walked past their table and stumbled into her. "Sorry," he muttered and continued briskly to the teachers' table. Rose reached for her pumpkin juice. "It's no problem," she assured the boys. "I love a good mystery, especially one that gets solved in the end!" She went to take a sip of her juice but started as a white mouse leapt out of Lysander's robes and pushed the glass out of her hand.

Pumpkin juice splattered everywhere, and the mouse started licking it all up. "Oh Merlin, sorry about that, Rose," Lysander apologised and stooped to pick up his pet. "That's okay, it's easily fixed," she waved her wand and the mess disappeared.

"Look!" Al pointed frantically at the mouse, which was convulsing and turning a frightful shade of purple. "What - the juice!" Scorpius exclaimed and looked worriedly at Rose. She looked up at the teachers' table to see Professor Sicarius talking animatedly with Professor Longbottom, and suddenly a memory sprung to mind. She realised that she'd seen him after that rock had nearly crushed her - how could she have forgotten? He had been the man on the top of the astronomy tower, and he had just poisoned her juice!

"Okay, guys - I know who's after me. It's Sicarius. Scorp, you come with me; Al and Lily, you round up the rest of the DA and meet us in the secret passageway behind the tapestry on the seventh floor. We're going to solve this mystery once and for all." She expected her friends to look at her like she was crazy, but somehow they managed to make sense of what she said and they all raced for the door.

Rose felt bad about leaving Lysander and his brother alone with a poisoned mouse, but for the first time she felt as if she might actually get to the bottom of this mystery, and she knew they didn't have much time. The painting had been found, Sicarius knew about it, and he was more desperate than ever to get her out if the way - poisoning was a last-ditch effort that would draw attention to the Potions Master.

Rose pulled Scorpius down to the dungeons, and their feet slapped hard against the cold stone floor. "Where in Merlin's name are we going, Rose?" Scorpius demanded. "In here," she puffed and jerked him into Sicarius' office. "Quick, help me look for any clues," she started searching frantically through the many-drawered desk at the back if the dark room. It was crazy, yes, but that the painting had been found, she couldn't afford to waste time - she needed to know what it was all about, and she needed to know now.

"Rose," Scorpius whispered furiously and pulled her into a cupboard, shutting the door. Rose heard footsteps over the sound of her pounding heart. "He's coming," Scorpius' voice was barely a breath next to her ear. Once again she found herself pushed up against him in a very confined space - what was it about them that seemed to attract these types if situations?

Rose tried to steady her breathing as the door creaked open and someone entered the office. He's going to check if anyone's here! Rose realised suddenly. As fast as she could, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at the doors of the cupboard. Protego, she thought and concentrated hard. The footsteps stopped for a second, and then moved further away from them.

"Is the Wand Rights bill in the painting?" The gravelly voice of Sicarius questioned. 'Floo network?' Scorpius mouthed at Rose in the dim light, and she nodded. "No," a squeaky voice replied. Rose's mind reeled. Newt's portrait was not the painting! But that wasn't the most mind-bending thing. 'Wand Rights', Sicarius had said. That could only mean one thing: Nobby Leach had nearly succeeded in giving goblins the right to carry a wand.