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Chapter 3

His name is Jeff. Hermione's boyfriend Jeff. Jeff and Hermione. Hermione and Jeff. Jermione. Heff?

I can't process it, can't fathom my mother being with anyone else except my father. I wonder what Jeff is like. Is he American? A savvy New Yorker?

I hate her. I hate her, I hate her, I hate her.

I can feel the anger boiling in my chest. It's so cold my teeth are clattering but inside is this hot rage that I don't care. How could she do this to us? To Dad? Isn't it bad enough that she wanted to leave us to go to the Big Apple to do 'further study' instead of be a mother? Sure, she and Dad fought all the time and sometimes it was downright awful to be at home, but isn't that what marriage is supposed to be like? At least, that's what everyone says.

My tears have subsided in the wake of this newfound hate. It's all I can feel right now. Pure, unadulterated hate.

"Rose."

I jump at his voice for the second time today. It's Teddy, and he's behind me holding his broom, his dark hair perfectly windswept.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

I hesitate. I feel stupid, like a little kid. I don't want to tell him. But…

"Hermione's got a boyfriend," I say as nonchalantly as I can. I don't forget the fact that I cried in front of him earlier, and neither does he by the looks of it. He still looks worried.

"Wow…" he says.

"Yeah, wow."

"Aunt Hermione…" Teddy says in disbelief.

"She's coming back next week with him."

"Does anyone else know?"

"Nope. Even I'm not supposed to know. Like it was meant to be a fucking fun surprise."

Teddy raises his brows. "What about Hugo?" he says, not commenting on my uncharacteristic profanity.

"He doesn't know. He's going to be upset…"

Teddy nods. He doesn't quite know what to do, either. He's holding his broom in one hand and his other is rammed in the pocket of his coat, and he looks awkward as heck. I think he's never seemed cuter.

I shiver involuntarily as a cold gust of wind passes through my jumper. Immediately he begins shrugging off his coat.

"No, you don't have-"

"Here," he says, already shaking it out and swinging it around my shoulders. It's warm and smells just like him.

I give him a small smile. "Thanks."

Now he's the one in the thin jumper, and I know it won't be long until he starts shivering too. I sort of wish he'd just leave me here alone but I don't know how to say it in a nice way.

"Let's go back up," I suggest.

We walk up the small hill together towards the crazy lopsided building that is the Burrow. Neither of us say anything, and when we reach the front door Teddy waits for me to go in ahead of him.

"You go," I say. "I'll be in in a minute."

"Okay." He moves to go in, then pauses and turns to me. "You know I'm always here for you, Rose. You can talk to me."

I smile at him sadly. If only I could.

"Yeah, I know. Thanks."

He nods, then goes inside.

I pull his coat in tight around me and stare out at the snow-covered land surrounding the Burrow. I can hear the whoops and screams of my family still playing Quidditch in the back yard. The familiar anxiety is coming back, welling up in my chest and causing my breath to catch. I feel like I'm suffocating.

I pull out my wand. I look around for something - anything. Walking over to an old wooden chair lying abandoned in the yard, I kick it over so it's not so close to the spindly rose bushes that it is half leaning against. Before I even think about what I'm doing a hot flame blasts from the end of my wand and at the chair, enveloping it in a ball of fire. I watch intently as the chair burns; I can feel the heat rolling off in waves over my face, and the power of the flames shooting from my wand is like a release. The anxiety ebbs away and I feel spent, but calm, when the chair is reduced to ashes.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Raguuuuuueeeeeee," says Louis.

I'm on the floor of the living room with him and we're playing with Rapunzel, Lily's purple Pygmy Puff.

"Merlin, I'm so bored," whines Lily from her position sprawled on the couch.

"Read a book or something," I tell her.

"I don't have any assignments due," she says.

I don't bother explaining that books can also be read for entertainment.

"What are you going to wear to Uncle Harry's?" Lucy asks Lily.

"The red dress I got from Madam Malkins."

Lucy frowns. "But you wore that last year."

"I know, that's what I told Mum. But her and Dad took most of my clothes - they said I'm too vain, or something."

Lucy looks at her, aghast. "They didn't."

If I didn't feel so shit I would've laughed.

Dad's in the kitchen having seconds on lunch. I haven't spoken to him yet about anything, and probably won't here at the Burrow.

"Yeah, but they said they'd give everything back when I stop focusing on all that stuff and more on schoolwork." Lily rolls her eyes.

I think Harry and Ginny are brilliant.

"You can borrow one of mine if you want," offers Lucy.

"Oh- it's alright," Lily says. I can tell what she's thinking: Aunt Audrey probably hand-picks everything her daughter wears, and most likely they're all sensible knee-length numbers with high necklines and long sleeves.

Lucy shrugs. "Suit yourself."

"Warrrrggggruueee!" Louis exclaims as Rapunzel scurries up his leg.

"Arrrr!" I yell with him. He laughs his baby laugh.

"What're you going to wear, Rose?" Lily asks me.

"Haven't really thought about it," I say.

My outfit to Harry Potter's annual New Years party at his manor is the last thing on my mind at the moment. What with this Jeff business and Scorpius-snogging thing.

What? Oh God, that thought came out of nowhere.

Albus wanders into the living room. "Rose? Why is Scorpius asking me to say hi to you from him?"

I almost choke.

"What?" I say.

"He sent me a letter and at the end he said, P.S. Say hi to Rose for me. Since when did you two become so tight?"

I use all of my mental prowess to not go red. I fail. I feel the blush creeping up my cheeks, and I swing my hair into my face to hide it. "Oh, you know, we did some rounds together. He's actually alright."

He's a wanker.

"Er… Alright, then. Should I say hi back?"

"No!" I say, a bit too loudly. "Um- I'll tell him myself. Later."

Albus just looks at me funny. "Alright, then," he says again. "He'll be at New Years."

Great.

"Great," I say.

Albus nods and leaves the room again.

"Scorpius is so fit," Lily comments absently.

"Yeah," agrees Lucy. Sometimes I wish that girl would form an opinion - any opinion - of her own.

They look at me as if expecting me to say something too.

"Can't say I'm into blondes."

"I am," Lily declares.

I play for a while longer with Louis until he starts getting a bit cranky, then pass him onto Fleur for his nap. I make my way upstairs, wondering when Hugo, Dad and I are going to go back home. I hope it's some time soon, I'm starting to miss my bed. Also Lily's snoring is just ridiculous.

I'm about to enter my room when I bump into Albus, who is coming out.

"What were you doing in there?" I ask.

"Just getting something. For Lily," he adds quickly.

I narrow my eyes. "Since when do you listen to Lily?"

"I'm a good brother," he says indignantly.

He's holding something behind his back.

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"The thing you got for Lily."

"Oh. Her eyebrow liner."

"Her what?"

"Her eye-liner?" He's grasping at straws now.

I side-step him, and catch a glimpse of pink and some straps.

"Is that-?"

Before I can say anything else, or dive for my bra, Albus has scurried off down the stairs. I race after him, crashing into the wall at the bottom of the stairs, then pushing myself off it towards the back door where he has just raced out of.

"Albus!" I yell at him. "Give. Me. Back. My. Bra!"

He's running, but I can hear him laughing as well. We're outside now and it's freaking freezing, but he's heading for the bushes and he'll have to slow down soon. He halts suddenly before he falls into the shrubbery and turns to find me charging towards him. He's got his wand out and is doing something to it…

"Rose! No, stop!" he yells as I reach for it. He's holding it above his head, and I leap up and make a grab at it and-

It's like I've fallen into a hurricane, being spun and pulled by some invisible force hooked into my navel. I'm gripping my bra, and I can sense Albus next to me holding on tight as well. We're knocked around a bit more in the Portkey portal before landing, rather painfully, face-first onto solid ground.

I groan and pick myself up.

"Albus!" I yell at him as he gets up. "What the hell!"

Albus looks around. We're in the well-manicured yard of someone's mansion. There's an empty fountain in the middle of the driveway that leads down to a pair of great iron gates.

"You made an unauthorised Portkey?"

Honestly, being Harry Potter's son means he thinks he can get away with anything, including breaking the law.

He's laughing, the tosser. "You weren't meant to know. You aren't meant to be here."

"Where is here, exactly?"

"Scorpius' house."

I die.

"What?"

"Scorpius Malfoy."

"I know who he is. Take me back."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I have to say hi to him first."

"You can come back," I point out.

"What a waste of a Portkey," he says.

Why didn't I take my Apparition test that time Dad told me to?

"Fine. Go say hi and come back. I'll stay here."

He starts walking towards the house, then turns around. "Just come in for a bit, Rose. I'm sure he'll be glad to see you."

I don't even want to think about what that comment implies about how much Albus knows.

"Fine. But I'm waiting by the exit." Only because I'm cold.

Reaching the imposing double wooden doors of the manor house, Albus bangs loudly on it without a second thought. I suddenly realise he's still holding my bra in his other hand - I snatch it off him, and try my best to stuff it into my pocket.

I jump when one of the doors swing open and quickly follow Albus as he strides into a most impressive-looking parlour. Theres a thick carpet covering the stone floor, and on the walls hang portraits of several generations of Malfoys. Their eyes follow Albus as he starts walking down the hall.

"I'm staying here," I tell him.

He shrugs without turning around. "Suit yourself."

He walks confidently towards the sweeping staircase at the end of the hall, and without hesitation, begins going up.

"Shouldn't you wait here for him?" I call up at him. The hugeness of the hall creates a slight echo to my voice.

"Nah, he's probably in his room," Albus practically yells back down, causing all the portraits to start an indignant muttering. "Don't worry, his parents are away."

I stand there picking at the sleeves of my jumper for a moment longer, then start after Albus who's already disappeared into the corridor at the top of the staircase. The portraits are creeping me out.

Upstairs is a corridor full of doors, and I have no idea which one he's gone into.

"Al!" I call as I start slowly down it.

There's a shuffling at the end, then one of the doors bang open and Albus is being pushed out backwards by the person I've been trying not to think about all holidays.

Scorpius is out in the corridor with him, and he slams the door of his room shut behind him before I reach them. They turn towards me at the same time.

"Hi," I say to him first.

"Hi," he replies.

His pale hair is wet and lays flat on his head, and he's wearing a fluffy brown bathrobe. I look down at his matching fluffy slippers and can't help but grin. So this is how Scorpius Malfoy looks on his off-days: like my dad.

Scorpius looks distinctly uncomfortable as he says, "Welcome."

"You've got a nice house," I say.

"Thanks."

Albus is covertly looking from me to Scorpius, then back at me. At least, he thinks he's being covert; he's the most unsubtle person on the planet.

Scorpius' eyes travel down to my left pocket where I stuffed my bra earlier. I look down to see it hanging by one strap in all it's pink lacey glory. Horrified, I bundle it up in my fist.

Albus is grinning his head off now. I want to smack him.

"Present for me?" Scorpius drawls, still managing to sound arrogant despite looking like a drowned ferret.

"Actually, Albus brought it for you," I say through gritted teeth.

Albus shrugs when Scorpius glances at him.

"I'm going to get changed," says Scorpius, turning back to his room door. "I'll meet you two downstairs."

He returns back to his room leaving Albus and I standing in his corridor.

"You are such a git," I tell him, then turn and stomp back downstairs. I hear Albus laughing after me.

We're sitting at the bottom of the staircase when Scorpius descends looking like his regular, slicked-back self in sombre black attire. He's in a worn dragon-hide jacket, and I hate to admit it, but he looks good.

"Long time no see, mate," Albus says to him.

Scorpius scowls at him. "I know I said come over whenever, but a little warning would've been nice…"

"Sorry," says Albus, not looking sorry at all.

"Yeah, whatever. So where do your family think you've gone?"

"They don't know," Albus says. "There's so bloody many of us they won't notice I'm gone."

"They'll notice I'm gone," I interject. "Hugo will come looking for me, we're supposed to be going home soon."

Scorpius regards me with that cool, emotionless grey gaze of his and then says casually, "So how've you been, Weasley?"

I honestly don't know what I expected, but if this is how we're going to be - as if nothing's changed - then fine by me.

"Alright," I say snootily. "And yourself?"

"Alright," he replies.

There's an awkward pause, then Albus coughs. "Well, I hate to interrupt the fascinating conversation going on here, but I only came to see the 2000. C'mon, take me to her."

Of course. It was all over a broomstick.

Scorpius leads us out the back of the house onto an immense lawn. There's a sturdy wooden shed, and he unlocks the huge padlock and goes in. He comes out holding a sleek black Firebolt, and Albus almost pees himself.

"Wowwwwwwww, maaaaate."

He reaches towards it reverently, and Scorpius solemnly hands it over to him. I snort.

"Birch?" Albus asks as he mounts it.

"Yeah. And goblin silverware."

Albus seems appropriately impressed. I have no idea what they're talking about.

"Look at the balance on this thing! Look at it!" exclaims Albus as he hovers with his feet just off the ground.

"Wow," I say in a deadpan voice.

"Do you mind?" Albus asks Scorpius.

Scorpius nods, and Albus grins before shooting off into the air. He whizzes around the yard at an alarming speed, shouting in pure joy.

"What is it with you guys and Quidditch?" I say, shaking my head.

Scorpius looks down at me. Did I mention that I am almost a head shorter than him? It is very hard to match his level of superiority when I'm constantly having to look up at him.

"Do you like flying?"

The question throws me off completely. I expected some snide comment on how I wouldn't understand the fine nuances of the game.

"Er… I hate it, actually."

"Oh." He looks thoughtful for a moment. "How come?"

I have no idea where he is going with this. I decide on the spot that he is the weirdest boy I have ever met; one moment he's arrogant, unemotional, detached, the next moment he's snogging me for dear life, and the next moment he's making idle conversation.

So I just go along with it.

"What's there to like about it? You're a hundred feet in the air, the winds blowing in your face, you can't really see where you're going and when you get off your hair is a mess."

"Fair enough," Scorpius says.

"What do you like about it?" I ask him.

Scorpius shrugs. "It's fun."

He is obviously a master conversationalist.

We're talking while watching Albus do some crazy loop-de-loop things in the air which make me almost have a heart attack in fear for him. I shiver involuntarily as a gust of wind makes easy pickings of my thin jumper. Why do I keep getting stuck outside without my coat?

"You cold?" Scorpius asks.

Yes!

"No."

"Good. Because I wasn't going to give up my jacket anyway."

My eyes snap up at him to see if he's cracking a joke, but his face is dead serious. Ugh. Prick.

When Albus finally lands he's wearing the most ridiculously wide grin.

"That was brilliant," he says. "I've really got to convince my parents to get me one of these."

What's this, a Potter kid in want of something? Don't be absurd.

"They're quite pricey, you sure they can afford it?" Scorpius says.

They guffaw over his joke. Oh God, there's nothing worse than two rich boys giggling over how much money they have.

"Al, I really have to go back now," I say.

"Alright. Don't forget to bring this," Albus says to Scorpius, handing over the broom. "We're going to kick some Gryffindor arse this season."

Scorpius matches his smirk, and says, "Damn right."

I wait patiently for them to finish their man-talk. Albus insists on using my bra again for the Portkey ("no way, you wanker") but we end up making Scorpius pick out a nicely sized rock for us from his garden at the back of the yard.

"See you at New Years," Albus says.

Scorpius says goodbye to him, and just before I'm sucked into the terrifying vortex of Portkey travel, our eyes lock and I feel that intense connection we shared the last time we met.

What the hell is going on with Scorpius Malfoy?

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