(A/N: For those of you who decided to continue on this story, I didn't forget about it. School just got really hellish, but now that I'm on break, I'll be posting much more. I hope you'll enjoy!!)

The Funeral Bells

Chapter 7

The Darker Things Get

You gave it to me through the eyes, hatred

Centuries deep and true

I was wrong, graceless, and sick

All of the things that I had learned had been wasted

After that day in Professor Flitwick's office, it didn't take long for the word to get out: Scorpius Malfoy was missing, and all of Hogwarts knew about it. For that reason, Al was happy Christmas holiday came when it did; the non-stop questions and condolences - even by a few Gryffindors - was just too much for him to handle. Moreover, that last thing he wanted to do was to concentrate in class or in D.A. club when his best friend had gone missing.

He didn't speak so much at the annual Christmas Eve party at his Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's - rather big - house, and he didn't suspect he'll speak much at the annual Christmas day party the next day at his Gran and Grandad's.

As usual, there were two tables in the dining room; the adult table - which consists of everyone in the family who has graduated from school - and the teenager's table. Every so often, Al would glance at Rose - who was sitting across from him - while picking at his Prime Rib roast, knowing well that she didn't feel like having so much fun either.

The two haven't spoken nearly as much as they used to. In fact, Al was beginning to think that the only reason Rose and Al spoke nowadays was because they had a mutual friend in Scorpius. It was never like that before, Al remembered. When they were younger, they were practically best of friends. When was it that they only had things to talk about just because they both knew Scorpius?

"Excuse me," Al heard his Uncle Ron say.

He was going to make a toast. He always made a toast.

"Excuse me," he said once again. Although Al and Rose both heard him, most of the room did not. "OI!" he finally yelled.

"Ron and his speeches," commented Ginny - Al's mother - just before everyone quieted.

"I told you to write them down, Ron," Harry spoke just after his wife. "You don't want a repeat of last year, do you?"

Both tables laughed at Harry's comment.

"Well, just so you know, mate," Ron said to Harry. "I decided to keep it short tonight."

The tables "ooh'ed" and "ahh'ed" over Ron's comment.

"First time for everything, I suppose," commented Bill as he and the adult table lifted up their glasses of wine. The teenaged table lifted up their glasses of juice.

"That's right," Ron spoke once again. "I'm saving the long one for the burrow, tomorrow."

Laughter shrouded the dining room.

"I just want to say," began Ron as he lifted his cup. "Thank you all for coming to our home for the 9th Christmas Even in a row."

"10th, Ron," Hermione softly whispered to her husband, although everyone had heard it.

"10th?" Ron asked his wife indiscreetly. "We've made it to double digits? Really?"

"Maybe they should ad Math class or two in Hogwarts, eh?" asked Fred with his trademark grin on his face.

"No matter," Ron continued ignoring his brother and business partner's comment. "10 years we've been coming to this table for Christmas Eve. While I do understand that this celebration could be on…" Ron gave a quick glance to his daughter. "Better circumstances. I just want say here's to a Happy Christmas and New Year."

"Here here," said the entire adult table as they took down a sip of wine, as the teenaged table took a sip of juice.

"That was short," commented Angelina, Fred's wife. "For you, at least."

"Well," began Hermione Weasley. "I supposed we could all feel grateful that he remembered what he was going to say this time."

"Why, thank you, my darling wife," spoke Ron in an obvious sarcastic tone.

"If you write them down-"

"I know, Harry, I know!"

The chatter at the adult table continued as usual as the dinner went on.

Rose noticed the glance her father gave her while giving his toast, and couldn't help but sink into her seat. She wasn't looking at anyone anymore, just her Prime Rib that she barely touched.

"You going to eat that?" asked Louis, the third child of Bill and Fleur Weasley.

He was a big dirty-blonde boy; not fat, just very thick and muscular. As the biggest, he took upon himself to be the protector of the Potter-Weasley children. (He was the first one to threaten Scorpius Malfoy's life and the first to back off once Rose asked him too) He and James were on the Gryffindor Quidditch team together, so they could often be found talking strategy with the rest of their little clique. Unlike his cousin, Louis was never one for the D.A. club; he preferred raw power over dueling strategies.

"You sure you have room for it, Lou?" asked James after placing a hand on his big cousins back.

"Saves me the trouble of getting up for seconds, doesn't it?" Lou asked James.

"You can have it," Rose said quietly.

Lou took the meat and forced it into his mouth without skipping a beat.

"Are you okay, Rose?" asked Lily, which seemed to be the millionth time she asked.

Rose was about to tell her yes - for the millionth time - but she was interrupted by another one of her cousins.

"Oh, lighten up, will you!" spoke up Rose's -fairly obnoxious - cousin Freddie, son of George Weasley. "It's Christmas, for Merlin's sakes, and you've been a downer all vacation."

"Knock it off, runt," Lou said softly to his younger cousin without taking his eyes off his meal.

"No one asked you, did they?" Al spat at Freddie as well; he seemed to take some offense to Freddie's comment as well.

"I don't understand what the fuss is about!" Freddie exclaimed with a smile on his face. "He's just a Malfoy."

"Freddie!" yelped Lily.

"What?" Freddie asked, still smiling. "Am I wrong? Probably went off to join some neo-Death Eaters."

There was a sudden slam on the table.

The adult's table was too noisy to hear, but everyone at the kids table looked up to see Al stood up with his fist on the table. Lucy, Molly, and Roxy - the three youngest at the table - looked up in fear. The rest just stared.

"Speak another ill word about Scorpius," Al said, staring daggers into his then-not-smiling cousin. "I'll curse you within an inch of your life, understand?"

Although most of the kids at the table were fully aware with Al's brush former brush with darkness, none of them had heard him speak in a voice so scary. Even his older brother felt a chill in the air.

There was an obvious awkward silence when Al sat back down in his chair and casual continued eating. Freddie's face turned to a beat red, and Lucy - at age ten - felt like she was going to cry. The rest of the table remained silent, but Rose simply couldn't take this tension anymore.

She quickly got up from her chair and darted towards the staircase, passing the adults table in the process.

"Good job, runt!"

"I ought'a make your head 5 sizes bigger!"

"Don't you ever think before you talk!?"

The kids table - with the exception of Al - took turns on speaking their mind about Freddie as the adult table realized that Rose was running up the stairs, obviously to her room. The adults didn't notice what had been said at the other table, but that didn't stop them from knowing what was wrong at the sight of her storming up the stairs.

"She's been very emotional ever since she got home," Ron spoke in a grave tone before anyone asked. "She's really broken up about this."

Everyone at the table knew what "this" meant.

"As well she should be," Ginny spoke up. "I was about her age when…" she trailed off as she looked to her husband, who took a sip of wine with a grave face. "Well… at least I knew you disappeared to save the world."

"Didn't stop you from slapping me one, did it?" Harry asked with a wink.

"It kills me to see her like this," Hermione spoke softly.

"Did she talk about it at all?" Harry asked the owners of the house, although he was looking towards Ron specifically.

"Not a bit," Ron said in a disappointed tone. "We've tried talking to her plenty of times, but she keeps saying that she's fine."

"Clearly she's not," commented Dominique, the 19-year-old daughter of Bill and Fluer Weasley.

"Good eye, Niki," said a sarcastic George Weasley. Angelina shot George her ever-popular "be nice" look.

"Maybe I should try to talk to her," Ginny offered to her brother and sister-in-law. "I know we've all been though something like this as kids, but maybe she'll listen to me."

"With all due respect, Aunt Ginny," spoke up Teddy Lupid. (If you must know, his hair was a ginger-shade of red) "Al didn't really want to speak to any parental figure, so I don't think Rose will either. Even I had a hard time getting him to talk."

"Looks like that leaves me, doesn't it?" volunteered Victoire Weasley, the 22-year-old daughter of Bill Weasley. "She'll talk to me, you think?"

"She always does," Hermione said with a smile.

The rest of the table agreed as the blonde Weasley got up from her chair.

Illumination held out in front of my reaching arms

The darker things get the better I see

I'm so alone and so are you

We all live and die that way

Knock Knock

She dreaded it, but she knew it was coming. She didn't answer; she just lied on her stomach with a pillow under her head, staring a hole into the wall.

Knock Knock

She was hoping that whoever it was would go away, but she was fairly certain it wouldn't happen.

"Can I come in?" came a voice from the other side of the door.

Rose exhaled; she recognized the voice and was happy it wasn't her parents…or any adults for that matter; anyone over 30, anyway. She didn't answer, but the door opened anyway.

Victoire didn't speak right away when she entered her little cousin's room. She slowly approached her bed and sat down right next to where Rose's legs were resting. She continued to play out the silence, hoping that Rose would say something first. As expected, she didn't say a word.

"I'd ask you what was wrong, but…" Vicki trailed off in her casual tone. "It'd be a stupid question, wouldn't it?"

Rose didn't answer instantly. She rolled over and laid on her back, staring her blonde and beautiful cousin straight into the eye.

"Vic…" she exhaled finally. "I don't feel like talking right now."

"I thought you wouldn't," Vicki said as she made herself more comfortable on Rose's bed but crossing her legs. "But I can't shake the fact that most of our best talks start with you saying that."

Rose let out an annoyed sigh. Although her cousin was right, she didn't feel like the situation she was in required a pep talk.

"Well, what else can I say?" Rose asked as she sat up, resting her back on her headboard and pulling her pillow close to her chest. "You know what's wrong."

"Well, generally, yes," Vicki responded. "But you never spoken to me about it personally, have you?"

Rose sighed again. The only person she ever really spoke about this was Al, and even that seemed like too much. What else could she possibly say? Other than…

"I miss him," she half-whispered to her cousin. "And I'm just so scared…" She trailed off.

"Uncle Harry and Teddy are doing everything they can-"

"Yes, I know they are," Rose interrupted Vicki. "But what if he's already…"

She couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence. The thought of Scorpius' death plagued her mind and body like a Cruciatus curse. She didn't want to believe it, but she just can't shake the feeling that something horrible happened.

Her hand slowly reached for the necklace the Slytherin had left her before his disappearance. She often found herself caressing it.

"I guess…" Rose began to speak once again. "I guess I should be grateful that my dad isn't apart of the Auror Department anymore, shouldn't I?"

Vicki looked at her red-headed cousin with a confused look on her face.

"Why would you bring that up?" Vicki asked.

"He'd probably kill him himself and say they'd never find him."

"Rose!" Vicki yelped in disbelief. Although Rose's tone was sarcastic, she meant every word, and Vicki knew it. "Why would you say a thing like that?"

"You know he hates him, Vicki," She explained just after rolling her eyes. "I mean, it's no secret, is it?" Her words became louder. "My father is one of the hardest guys in the world to royaly piss off - except, of course, if you're my mother - but the look on his face after I told him I'm dating him was-"

"Listen to me, Rose," Vickie interrupted.

"No, you listen!" Rose half-yelled, somewhat shocking the blonde Weasley. "I'm not saying I was a complete angel growing up. I've done some things to make him angry, just like every kid in the world, but when I told him about Scorpius, he looked as if he wanted to disown me."

Vickie almost couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Disown you??" Vicki asked as she scanned the serious look on Rose's face. "Do you realize what you're saying?"

Vicki gave her cousin some time to respond, but she didn't

"Uncle Ron would sooner be mauled by a werewolf before he ever sees you in pain, and I know that for sure."

She paused once again, but Rose only looked downward.

"He loves you with all of his heart, and I know - for a fact - that if he were still in the Auror Department he would hex the entire world to make sure Scorpius comes back safely, just so you'll be happy."

A smile crept to Rose's face, but she forced herself to discard it.

"Yeah?" the red head asked. "Well, he hasn't said much to me since Christmas holiday started."

"Did you even give him a chance?" Vicki began once again. "Have you even given anyone a chance? Even Al?"

She looked downward again, as if she were caught red-handed in a lie.

"Remember a few years ago," Vicki continued. "Before the incident, you were worrying your arse off because Al was distancing him himself from everyone?"

Rose kept quiet; she didn't like being called a hypocrite. However, that didn't change that fact that Vicki was correct. When Al began was being seduced by darker magic, it was Rose that got in his face about becoming distant from his family and friends. After Al and the rest of the Potter-Weasley clan thwarted Charles Kunsler and his neo-Death Eaters, Al went back to his normal, shy, and sweet self - though his small interest for Dark Arts still remained.

"Al…" Rose exhaled softly. "I don't understand how he does it."

"What's that?" Vicki asked.

"I don't know," Rose admitted as she tossed her pillow to her side. Vicki noticed that tears were forming in her little cousin's eyes. "It just seems like this isn't phasing him much," she continued. "I mean, I know it is. But he just seems to deal with it so much better."

Vicki looked downward for a second and focused her attention back to Rose.

"You think that?" the blonde with a small smirk on her face.

"Am I wrong?" Rose genuinely asked her with her damp blue eyes.

"Well," began Vicki as she continued to smile. "If it makes you feel any better…between you and me," she moved closer to her cousin and whispered: "I have it on good authority that Al isn't a bowl of cherries, like you think he is."

Rose seemed confused.

"What do you…" she trailed off before she could get the full question out.

"Al is just doing his best to be strong for the both of you…and Scorpius," Vickie explained to Rose in a soft voice. "He knows that if he begins to sweat beads, you won't have much hope left."

Rose looked upward as the tears in her eyes became more apparent. Vicki was right. If Al had been as jumpy and as openly torn up about Scorpius' disappearance as Rose was, she wouldn't have much hope for his safe return. In fact, she'd be much worse off than she was.

"Yeah?" she asked as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "How do you know?"

"Let's just say," Vicki began, widening her smile. "I'm on Rose-duty while Teddy is on Al-duty."

Rose couldn't help but smile herself. Although Louis is the self-proclaimed protector of the Potter-Weasley children, it was always Victoire and Teddy, the eldest of the children, who truly assumed that role. Rose and Al had always felt safe under their watchful eye, however, Rose knew that she simply would not be able to keep her smile for long.

(A/N: New chapter in two days. This time I mean it.)