Chapter nineteen
Rose turned around to see who had cursed her when a second blast hit her right in the stomach.
Rose's cries reverberated through the evening sky. Pain, that she had never felt in her life, coursed through her body. Just when she thought she would pass out, she felt a wand being thrust into her hand.
"Imperio!"
She felt the pain in her body leave at once. Her whole body loosened up and she felt as though she was flying. This feels much better, she thought.
"Enlarge the rose bud on your side"
"Uhm okay, but why would I want to do it?"
"Enlarge the rose bud now!"
"Uhm I'm starting to feel its not something I want to do. Thank you very much"
"Enlarge the rose bud now!"
Rose suddenly felt the pain return. At the same moment she heard a rush of noises. Her vision was still very blurred. She realized that she had a wand in her hand and she was pointing it towards a rose bush on the side. She squinted to look at the commotion in front of her.
She could just about make out William battling it out with another dark haired boy, who looked more gruesome than William.
"William, watch out!"
William didnt need Rose's warning to deflect the spell aimed at him by the boy who was not quick enough to deflect William's counter curse. He got hit full in the face by the stunning spell. The moment he fell to the ground, William grabbed Rose and apparated on the spot.
Rose who was still struggling with the pain from the curses of the boy was not prepared for the apparition. The moment their foot touched ground, she vomited. She could feel Williams hands holding her tightly. And soon it all faded to black.
Rose opened her eyes and a deluge of white welcomed her. She was laying on the couch of an unusually clean house. She raised her head to see where she was and she felt a hand pushing her down gently.
"Stay down. Kai is just getting you some potion to make you feel better"
Rose saw that William looked very shaken. His voice was barely a whisper and it was quivering. She heard noises of scraping bottles and soon saw that a man dressed in white robes was approaching them with a goblet filled with green liquid.
"Here. Drink this. It is a potion made of hellebore and finklets. Its a bit bitter but its the best remedy for body pain. It will make you feel better"
Rose slowly raised herself from the couch and took a mouthful of the goblet. Despite the bitterness, she felt a warmth course through her body as she drank the potion.
When she had finished drinking she asked weakly
"What happened. Who tried to curse me?"
"I didn't see. He apparated when I came in to help you" said William
"Didn't you catch a glimpse of his face?" asked Kai
"No. He.. uhmm he was.. he was too quick"
Rose noticed that William was not meeting Kai's eyes while he answered. She also seemed to remember that there was a fight and she had shouted something.
"How could it be? I remember seeing you duel with someone" said Rose, although not in a very convincing manner as she herself was unsure whether such a thing had happened.
However before William could answer, Kai' expression changed as though something terrible had dawned upon him.
"Rupert!" he exclaimed in fury.
He turned towards William, grabbed him by the collar and shouted "Tell me boy. Who was it? Was it Rupert? I command you to tell me the truth!" Kai looked as though he would throw a fit.
William nodded weakly and Kai let go at once. He took his robes and bolted out the door. Rose, confused by the sudden drama , sat up and asked William why Professor Kai had acted in such a manner.
"Rupert is Kai's son" William said simply
Rose wasn't surprised. Didn't Roslyn say that Kai was deeply interested in learning the Dark Arts? It wasn't a surprise then that he was perhaps teaching them to his son.
"Uhm. Do you think its safe for me to be here?" Rose asked nervously. She certainly didn't want to be in the house of a family obsessed with Dark Magic.
"Its alright. You need not be frightened of Professor Kai. He has never sought to use Dark Magic for the wrong. His son, however, under the influence of my father has turned to the dark side." he said, in a repulsive tone.
"But why curse me? And why did he try to Imperio me?" asked Rose.
"I don't know. I suspect he was trying to make you do magic. I don't know for what reason"
But Rose knew. She knew very well what piece of information he wanted from him. Rose recalled how Kai had asked her to perform magic. She never got a proper explanation as to why her wand behaved in such a peculiar fashion. But she suspected it had something to do with the portal and Bernaby's plans to use it.
William was watching Rose very carefully. He wanted to caress her face in consolation but couldn't muster the courage to do it. Instead he merely sat watching her as though watching a prized treasure.
It was quite late in the night when Rose returned to their house. Professor Kai and William both accompanied her. William insisted he will not enter the house, however Kai wouldn't hear of it. "You must recount exactly what happened to Irwin", he had said sharply.
Kai had returned home in dismay after his rather aggressive search for his son. He had failed to locate him. It seemed this was the last straw in the already strained relationship that the father and son shared.
After a few gentle knocks, Irwin opened the door.
"My dear Miss Weasley! Are you alright?" he exclaimed in surprise.
Rose was being held by the arm by both William and Kai. "We will explain once we are inside Irwin. Kindly let us in"
"Ofcourse. Ofcourse" remarked Irwin once he had overcome the shock of seeing a weakened Rose being escorted by the nephew he detested so much.
Their lips were about to touch. Scorpius's heart had stopped still. He was holding his breath, his every muscle tightened. He was afraid to move a single hair on his body for he didn't want to ruin the first time they kissed.
As they moved closer, both their eyes closed , the moment Scorpius had so ardently desired was here.
Both of them heard it at once. Impulsively, both moved back.
"What was that?" said Scorpius, sounding worried.
"I do not know. I thought I heard father" replied Roslyn
Despite having had his moment ruined by Mr Lancelot, Scorpius couldn't help feel concerned. There was something about the way Mr Lancelot exclaimed that made him feel uneasy.
"Lets take a look shall we" said Scorpius as he moved towards the door. Looking heavily disappointed, Roslyn followed. One could tell that she was least concerned with the happenings downstairs.
"Here my child. Have a sip of this potion. It's an infusion of flakswood and chocolate. It will refresh you and help ease the pain"
Rose felt a hand pour something into her mouth. It was hot and extremely pungent. She had an immediate gag reflex and would have thrown up had the potion not worked so instantly in reviving her body.
Once Rose finished drinking the potion, Mr Irwin immediately directed his attention towards William. Looking furious he shouted
"Boy! What have you done to her? I demand what you and your father have done to harm this poor child!" he shouted, waving his giant finger at William
William looked apathetic as though not expecting any other reaction from his uncle. However, Kai stepped in front of Irwin and replied curtly
"It was not William, Irwin. William was the one who found Rose and fought off the attacker. He saved her"
Rose felt a warmth of gratitude towards William and raised her head to look at him. William however was staring fixedly at his own feet, unable to meet his uncle's eyes.
"But then, who is responsible for this heinous act? Who attacked Miss Rose?"
Kai couldn't bring himself to say it. One could tell that he was fighting an enormous amount of shame and disappointment. As he struggled to say his son's name out loud, Rose interrupted
"We didn't see him, Mr Lancelot. William only saw a sliver of his robe as he cast a spell at him, by which time he had apparated"
Kai looked at Rose for a fleeting second before turning around and sighing heavily. He was not keen on correcting Rose, so he merely kept quiet.
Shortly thereafter, Rose was taken to her room. Once Irwin left, Prof Kai turned around and promised Rose that he would ensure his son would pay for his actions
"Thank you for not mentioning Rupert's name. I appreciate it" he said with great difficulty before he turned around and left the room.
William was now the only person left. He was standing at the far end of the room, intently looking over at Rose.
"Its okay. I wouldn't mind if you came closer" said Rose softly
William looked stiff and moved ever so slightly towards Rose, afraid that he might hurt her in some way. When he reached about a meter close to Rose, he stopped.
"I would appreciate it if you sat next to me," said Rose waving at the spot next to her on the bed.
William grudgingly conceded and slowly placed himself on the corner of her bed. He was not meeting Rose's eyes but one could tell that his mind was completely inundated by the red haired witch.
"Tell me about yourself. Your childhood, your friends, your mother"
William instinctively looked up. People normally never asked him about his mother. The most beautiful memories he had of his life were with her. He believed that the only thing that prevented him from completely going over to the dark side and his father's ways was the goodness she instilled in him at an early age.
However some of the most painful moments were also about his mother. The fighting, the constant abuse she went through at the hands of his father, the day she abandoned him, not being able to take the abuse any more…
Wiliam's eyes welled up as the thoughts swirled through his mind. He covered his eyes not wanting to cry in front of Rose. His father used to say that only the weak cry. Rose instantly saw the pain etched on his face as he recalled his memories. She raised herself up and gently patted him on the shoulder. She took his hands away from his eyes. William willed himself not to cry but it was proving to be rather difficult not to mention embarrassing. Rose understood his predicament and took his head and placed it on her shoulder.
William didn't know how long he was lying there, with his head on her shoulder, his hands gently wrapped around her hips. The pair hugged each other for several minutes, both trying to find some comfort in each other.
"Would someone care to explain whats going on?" a disgruntled voice sounded from outside the room.
William and Rose broke apart and turned around to see who had spoken. Scorpius was standing outside the door, his face concealed in the shadows. It seemed he had been observing the pair for a few minutes before he decided to interrupt.
"How long have you been standing there?" asked Rose, her cheeks slightly pink.
"Long enough. Didn't want to miss any of the important events. Are you too practicing for Celestina Warbeck's new video?" asked Scorpius looking extremely aggravated for some reason.
William, looking confused, stood up at once. "I shall leave you now. Please take good care of your health. I shall drop in tomorrow to inquire about your well being. Good night my lady"
He then took Rose's hands and placed his lips gently on it. Rose blushed like a dozen roses.
William reached the door where Scorpius was still standing looking more aggressive than ever, his face red.
"Would you mind?" asked William since Scorpius was blocking the door.
Scorpius moved closer to William. They stared at each other for a few seconds - Scorpius's expression mired in anger and William's in suspicion. The tension was heavy and thick and could be cut with ice. Rose was about to say something when Scorpius took a step back and let him pass. William left immediately without looking back.
"What happened?" asked Scorpius curtly.
"I got attacked" replied Rose
"By whom?"
"Rupert?"
"Who?"
"Prof Kai's son"
"Why would Prof Kai's son want to hurt you?"
"Never you mind" said Rose wearily
"Of course I mind. When did this happen? Last I remember you had gone out on one of your strolls which, might I add, is the most irresponsible thing anyone can do considering the current circumstances. How did you end up being cursed by Prof Kai's son?"
Rose suddenly noticed that Scorpius wasn't asking her questions, but rather demanding answers in an aggressive tone.
"Dad. Is that you? Did you time travel and possess the Malfoy?"
"Not funny. I demand to know what happened!"
"I don't owe you any answers!" Rose yelled back, trying to stand on her feet, while clutching her ribs, which has still hurting.
"Yes you do!" said Scorpius, moving closer to the now standing Rose. "In case you forgot, Bernaby has got it in for me just as much as he has for you. We both fell through the veil. We both time traveled to this place! Anything that affects you, affects me too!"
"Oh really? Why a sudden interest in whats happening? Up until a few hours you were happily in the arms of a brown haired bimbo who was fluttering her eyes at you? What happened? Did she turn you down as well? Wow, you Malfoys have quite a reputation. Even 17th century girls seem to be aware of it!" she said with an evil cackle that didn't sound funny at all.
"Oh and I guess you were consulting about world affairs with your new friend. Holding each other for god knows how long. I could have barfed. If only he knew what your reputation was back at Hogwarts!" said Scorpius as he moved even closer.
"You take that back!" shrieked Rose
Rose's and Scorpius's faces were now mere inches from each other. They could feel each other's breath on their faces. The tension between them was electrifying. Scorpius was feeling conflicted. He was feeling both an incredible amount of hostility and an inexplicable amount of attraction towards the witch. He wanted to both wrangle her and take her in his arms and forcefully kiss her.
"Ahem"
Scorpius turned around to see Roslyn at the door, looking suspicious. "Supper is ready" she said in a bored voice. She then turned around and left without waiting for an answer.
Scorpius followed her lead and instantly left the room without a glance at Rose.
Rose sat back down, looking physically and mentally exhausted. What happened just now. Was it her or did she just experience an overwhelming desire to kiss Malfoy? Did it have something to do with her physical state?
She laid back down, her body still tingling with pain, with a flurry of thoughts swirling in her already taxed mind.
Why did Rupert attack me? What will my doing magic prove? What was Kai and the others hiding from me? Why am I feeling this way about Scorpius? Why did he behave the way he did? And William, where does he fit in in the middle of all this?
Author's Note: Hope you liked it! Things are going to get more excited as we move towards the final chapters.
Kindly leave a review. I would love to know what you thought about it. Constructive criticism is welcome as well!