Chapter Twelve
Rose receives a letter
Laid in her bed that night she thought of the weak excuses she had given her cousins and the rest of the Quidditch team. It had been made worse when Lily asked her,
"Al said you talked to Scorpius about potions or something did he mention Charlie?" Roses heart broke a little, as she thought of Lily so sick with loss.
"No," she lied before heading upstairs which was why she was now lying in her bed pretending to be asleep feeling guilty.
At least she wouldn't have to see Scorpius for a few weeks anyway. The Christmas holidays started the next day and Rose prayed she didn't run into him on the train or platform.
Fortune was with her neither during breakfast or whilst boarding the train did she see Scorpius Malfoy. Several hours into the journey she expounded herself from the dusty carriage she had sat in with Lily, Albus, Fred, Roxanne, Max and Octavia who was humming deck the halls out of tune. She felt claustrophobic in the small carriage her head still trying to clamour around the news he she couldn't even think his name.
She shook her head and walked along the train hoping she didn't run into him. At the far end of the train she saw an empty carriage and grabbed her chance ducking inside the carriage she opened the window she allowed the cool air to flow over her. After a moment she noticed a large deep brown owl flying alongside the train. The owl looked her straight in the eye. Rose opened the window before the owl elegantly flew into the carriage leaving a letter sat beside her. Rose starred at the letter as though it was snake. She didn't recognise the writing or the owl but she had a horrid feeling in her stomach that she knew whom it was from.
Rose [she read],
I will not ask you again on your feelings as you have made them perfectly clear and instead will simply address those slights you have lain against me. Firstly I have little to say on the manner of splitting up Charlie and Lily. He is my best friend and I genuinely felt that he loved her much more than she did I encouraged him to break up with her only to spare his feelings in the long term. If I caused Lily any heartache it was done unintentionally and unwillingly.
The second matter of Max Harlow, it is true that I grew up with Max. His real name is Max Malfoy he's the son of my grandfather Lucuis Malfoy who had an affair with a French woman several years ago. He does not know of this he was told that he was the son of a French woman and a friend of my father's.
When we where young my grandfather died and Max was brought into our family my father treated him like a son rather than a half brother. When my father died last year he demanded his inheritance that my father had left him. My grandfather left him nothing. I gave him the money expecting he would spend it on his education instead he gambled and withered his money away. He then came back asking for more when I turned him away he encouraged my younger sister Arabella to fall in love with him and elope. She is to inherit a significant proportion of my father's money when she comes of age. When I made it clear he would get no money he left for New Zealand. I did not see him again until this year. Arabella was heart broken. When I return to school in the New Year I will do my best to put this behind me. You will not hear from me again
Yours
S. Malfoy
Rose stood staring at the paper that disintegrated in her hands. She stood staying where the paper had been before she was interrupted by the carriage door opening.
"Max?" She smiled unconvincing looking up.
"Are you alright?" He asked his brow creased in confusion.
"Yes I was a little warm that's all."
"We are going to reach London in a moment."
"Where are you staying Max?"
"In the Leaky Calderon disappointed?"
"What?" Rose asked still absorbing the news that Scorpius had just told her.
"I thought you might want to see me over the holidays,"
"Well I have a busy Christmas Max you know my family is quite big and..."
"It's ok Rose I'll see you next term," as Max went to reach towards Roses hand she pulled away. She never thought of Max as more than a friend but now with Scorpius' letter she wondered if he could do something harmful to her friends or family.
"Rose, Max?" asked a round faced Professor Longbottomas he put his head around the door "have you seen Abi or Alizia?"
"No Professor Longbottom what are you doing on the train?" Max asked.
"Rose's aunt and uncle invited me, Lavender and the twins to stay for Christmas."
"Which aunt and uncle?" Rose asked "Harry and Ginny?"
"Yes definitely no Abi or…" he began before a shout came down the corridor.
"Dad!" shouted an angry voice that caused several people to put their heads around carriage doors including Rose and Max.
"Why is Abi staying with Marcy DucBois?" Alizia shouted. Rose was slightly taken-a-back Alizia although a gossip was normally quiet compared to her sister.
"Marcy DuBois?" Rose asked herself thinking of where she had heard the name before. Then the memory resurfaced Marcy was a boorish girl in James' year who had been married just out of school to a rich banking mogul nearly ten years her senior, she regularly held dances and dinners for Slytherins. "Why is she going?" Rose asked.
"What?" Alizia asked sarcastically "why is she going to the biggest social event of the year?"
"But she is a Gryffindor doesn't Marcy normally only invite Slytherins."
"Yes exactly that's why it is such an honor," Alizia said exacerbated at Rose "you're bright Rose but you don't understand society."
"Professor, Neville you can't let Abi go she will be ridiculed by the Slytherins surely that's why Marcy wants her there."
"Rose," Max said over her shoulder "I think you should leave it".
"Yes," Neville said in the in the sternest voice Rose had ever heard from him "I think you should leave it Rose and Alizia you too Marcy sent the invite to your sister."
"But Professor…" Rose began this time Neville didn't say anything but simply glared at her in a manner resembling Professor Cain. She sunk back into the carriage as Neville continued along the corridor his daughter still following behind.