Chapter Fourteen

Rose involved in a crisis

Rose couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of her language toward Scorpius before the end of term. True she was still angry with him about Lily and Charlie how could she not be just thinking of a pale, thin Lily brought back angry feelings. But she had misjudged him totally it seemed that he was kind to his sister and had looked after his home at a young age.

"Rose," her mother waved her hand in front of her face "are you in there?"

"Yes sorry mum where next?"

"Home I'm afraid but you can go see Lily later if you want to." A bright white owl caught their eyes as it circled above them before swooping down and dropping a letter in Rose's hand.

Rose, [it read in Lily's neat handwriting]

I have awful news to tell you Abi has eloped with none other than Max Harlow. Neville and Lavender are going out of their mind she hasn't been in touch we can't locate her. Please bring Aunt Hermione to ours to help mum and the Professor to locate her. I have sent a letter to my dad and yours at the Quidditch game.

Lily

Rose looked at the letter as if it was poisonous.

"Rose, Rose," her mother raised her hand in front of her face "what's wrong?" Rose as answer passed her mother the letter before suddenly breaking into crying. "How could Abi do this her parents must be worried sick? And what if Max had forced her? And why had she not said something louder." She thought all simultaneously.

"Rose?" A voice appeared suddenly next to her and she fell into the arms of the person.

"Mrs. Weasley what's wrong?" Scorpius asked looking at Hermione now reading the letter who had gone pale. After a long pause Hermione answered,

"Abi Longbottom has eloped with Max Harlow." Scorpius' face became suddenly stern as he said quietly so that only Rose could hear "it's my fault."

"No," Rose said straightening herself up as she stood up "I said nothing after you told me if you are to blame then so am I."

"Rose I think we need to go," Hermione said softly to Rose.

"Goodbye," Scorpius said thoughtfully and with that Hermione grabbed her daughter's arm and with a loud pop disappeared.

Reappearing in a room was an unusual experience for Rose she had often been told that apparition into someone else's house was rude so the apparition of herself and her mother in her Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny's living room only confirmed how urged finding Abi was. The living was a large room made for many more people that currently occupied it was normally holding a party or meal or dinner and so it came as quite a surprise to Hermione to see just Lily and Professor Longbottom.

"Where is everyone?" she asked Lily.

"Mum has gone to find my dad, your dad and the boys at the Quidditch game I should have been there but I have this awful cough Lavender has been too upset to leave the room their staying in and Aliza is trying to calm her down." Then in a quieter tone "I am so glad your here Professor Longbottom was wearing out the floor he has been pacing for ages."

"Any news?" Rose asked.

"No just what I told you in the letter she disappeared with Max from Marcy's three days ago leaving a note saying they where going to get married and move to New Zealand."

"Three days ago?"

"I know Marcy only felt it important to mention today."

"And New Zealand they plan to move to the other side of the world? Abi doesn't even have her apparition license she would have to use muggle transport."

"I know," Lily said.

"Sorry Lily I am probably just repeating what you have already heard."

"Pretty much how are you Rose?"

"Me?" Rose asked surprised with what seemed an odd question "fine I mean I was a little upset but so must everyone."

"No but about Max," Lily risked a quick look towards her Aunt Hermione and Professor Longbottom who were deep in conversation.

"What about him?" Rose asked still confused.

"Well," Rose replied as though searching for the right work "I thought you two had an understanding."

"About what?"

"Ok plain English I thought you were secretly dating him."

"No," Rose said dismissively although she now understood Lily's question a little more.

"Sorry," Lily smiled weakly "when he followed you out the carriage on the train home I assumed you were dating."

"The train!" Rose suddenly exclaimed, "I talked about Abi going to Marcy's in front of Max what an idiot." She put her hand to her forehead.

"Ro please let's not blame ourselves for everything you weren't to know."

"But that's the thing Lily I am to blame I knew about Max," she took a deep breath in and told Lily what Scorpius had told her about Max and Arabella.

"Still," Lily said after another long silence "you couldn't know he would suddenly elope with one of your roommates," further conversation was interrupted by several simultaneous loud pops and Ron holding Hugo's hand, James, Albus and finally Harry appeared from the air.

"Any news?" Harry asked as soon as he had appeared in his own front room.

"No," Lily said quickest Harry and Ron then spent the next few hours with James and Hermione trying various auror spells to locate Abi but the principal problem was that auror spells are used to locate dark magic and as far as they could tell dark magic had not been used to take Abi and Max.

Eventually as the hour neared midnight the group declared they believed they had located a trace of magic similar to Abi's in both Canterbury and Portree the adults spilt into two groups leaving Rose, Lily, Hugo and Aliza who had swapped places with her father sat tired on the couch when a barn owl flew through the window and dropped a letter in the windowsill Lily grabbed it desperate for news as they all were.

"I don't recognise the handwriting."

"Me neither," Rose said over her shoulder.

"I do," Alizia said "it's Abi's."

"We can't open it though," Hugo said.

"Why not?" asked all three girls simultaneously.

"Because it's addressed to Uncle Harry and he's not here."

"We can't just leave it sat there," Alizia said.

"No," Lily agreed, "I'm his daughter it's near enough."

"Why would Abi be writing to Uncle Harry anyway?" Rose asked.

Dear Harry [Lily read],

I am writing this letter to you in the hope it will find my parents who seem not be replying at Hogwarts. I am safe with my darling Max and we plan to get married in two days time before finishing our education in the Josef Academy in New Zealand I am sure this will come to a shock to most of the family but Max and I have been in love for a long time. We require 6,000 galleons to begin our new life and begin it without delay.

Abi Longbottom soon to be Abi Harlow

"That's it," Rose said in an almost silence as they finished reading the letter "Max wants money and he seems to think that marrying it is the only way."

"That's why they wrote to Harry," Alizia added slowly "there is no way dad could raise that sort of money quickly all that rubbish about not being to get to mum and dad she knew they were here but…"

"Dad has money," finished Lily and Rose couldn't help thinking how much more sensible Alizia was without her sister around.

"Wait a minute," Hugo asked "so Max needs money he knows that Abi's family have wealthy connections he goes to Marcy's ball and encourages Abi to elope with him then he asks for 6,000 galleons from Abi's connections so they can set up a married life together and moves her to the other side if the world."

"Basically," Rose replied.

"Good I needed to understand that,"

"Do you think the others have got far?" Alizia asked staring out the window of the Potter's front room into the large garden outside lit with gas lamps down the drive. Tonight was a cold but clear winters night with a bright moon and no rain it was the night for dances rather than dramas. It was this night that they all stood watch over.