Rose's mind was going a million miles a minute. Only 2 hours to prepare for a class which has to seat all the 7th years. Not to mention, they'll undoubtedly be a lot of other students trying to sneak their way in. Scorpius, beside her, was strangely quiet as they went about their preparations.
"You're okay with keeping it in the great hall, right?", she asked, checking to see if he was listening.
"Yeah sure. That's a great idea.", he mumbled distractedly, not meeting her eyes.
A tiny blossom of hurt grew in her chest at his dismissiveness, but she brushed it off as she went away to inform the prefects and get things done.
The next two hours was a frantic blur, with all the tables in the great hall being pushed together to make room, the schedules being rearranged, extra wards put up to keep out the younger students and informing all the 7th years and dealing with all their endless questions.
By the time Uncle Harry arrived, Rose was glad that everybody shut up. Taking a seat beside Al to the side, she watched Uncle Harry enter. He shot her and Al a grin and then made his way to the front of the class.
"Where's scorp?", whispered Al.
"Huh, I don't know, I've been too busy to notice", said the head girl craning her neck to spot him in the crowd, "Oh, there he is, at the back, behind everyone. I wonder where he was."
Scorpius looked straight ahead resolutely with a blank expression. Al looked almost anxious as he gazed at Scorpius, an expression that looked foreign on Al's usually jovial features. Just before Rose could question him, Harry spoke up.
"The second wizarding world war , although long since over with, still covers a large aspect of our lives. Most students here have family members who fought on one side or the other of the war. And as such, Professor McGonnagal called me here today, to address the issues stemming from the war. I've heard some of you feel compelled to carry around an antagonism or hate towards the children of the people who fought on the side opposite to your parents. Our generation fought a war to make a world where blood is not an issue. A world where nobody feels targeted based on things beyond their control, things they did not choose. Seeing as how, all of you are the future we worked towards, you are in charge of shaping our world. To make it safer. Better. If you continue to let blood status define us, if you continue to hold grudges based on the past, then your parents' struggle was in I know it's hard not to let it become personal. Hard to know that your classmate's family killed one member of yours. But I also know that it is possible to not let all that hate eat you up from the inside. You don't need to carry scars from a battle that was never yours."
The following three hours had everyone signing a secrecy pact, before sharing their stories of the war. How it shaped their lives. How they carried resentment around.
When they were nearing the end of the first hour, Rose noticed Scorpius wasn't present. She shrugged, assuming he'd be back. However, by the time Harry wrapped up, he was still nowhere to be seen. All the 7th years were subdued and quiet, filled with a strange purpose and energy that comes after finally putting in words what they all carried around but kept unspoken.
Rose went looking for Scorpius. She finally found him in the Room of before she could step inside, she saw that he wasn't alone. Al was with him.
It was then she noticed the whole scene. The room was filled with glass and mirrors, all smashed to the ground or broken. Broken by Scorpius, she realized, noticing his hunched, deathly pale figure crouched on the ground, with his fist bleeding and filled with shards.
He didn't seem to notice the pain. He just stared straight ahead with raw pain in his eyes, muttering, "Sorry, I'm so sorry". The kind of pain Rose had never seen. Al was removing the glass, and healing his hand with his wand, looking close to tears. Al said, earnestly in a low voice, "Scorpius, none of this is your fault. It happened before you were even born. I know you, and I know that you aren't ever going to make the same choices your father or grandfather did. Your choices are what set you apart. You hear me?"
Scorpius' eyes slowly focused on Al's. Languidly, he nodded, seeming to come to his senses. "I'm sorry for putting you through this, mate", he whispered brokenly. "I'll kick your skinny pale arse if you apologize again", quipped Al, helping Scorp to his feet.
Rose turned away from the scene and fled. She ran till she reached an alcove and cocooned herself there. It was only then that she noticed her cheeks were wet, she was crying.
Wiping her face, she remembered the broken look on Scorpius' . Her heart breaking for him all over again, this time, she let the tears fall.