Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. It and all other things concerned with it are the property to JKR and whoever else she's sold them to. Ie. not me. I make no money from the writing of this story.

AN: Wow, you have no idea how long this has been setting on my computer unfinished and taunting me. It feels really good to have it done. I'm still working out some plot kinks for the next few chapters so don't be surprised if it takes a bit before the next chapter is posted. It will be posted soon though, I can promise that. I hope every one enjoys the new chapter, and as always, please review!

Part 2

Chapter 18

The Old Road

The sun rose early the next morning but Scorpius barely minded it, having been up for hours already. They'd departed from their makeshift camp in the calmness of the predawn hours, journeying blindly south. Scorpius hadn't spoken to Al since they had arrived at their mysterious destination, and in all honesty he had no desire to do so any time soon. Glancing out of the corner of his eye he stared at his friend, a scowl marring the other boys features as he begrudgingly walked along, clearly unhappy about being allowed such little sleep.

Miles ticked away with the hours, the red clay road radiating heat as the sun rose higher in the pale sky. Stopping about midday to take a rest in the shade at the side of the road Scorpius sat staring out over their surroundings while absentmindedly playing with the locket that hung around his neck. There was nothing in the books Rose had left him to indicate where she had sent them, the only clue being the word Sofia scribbled in the corner of one page. He wasn't even sure if it was a person or a place, the ambiguity of it raising far more questions than answers.

Pushing him self up off the hard ground he slipped the bag over his shoulders again. They weren't going to accomplish anything simply setting there, and even if they were heading in the wrong direction they were at least heading towards something. Shooting Al one glance he set his sights back on the road.

It was night fall by the time they stopped again, gathering water from a stream. Still not speaking to Al he handed him the canteen before beginning to walk again. He stopped a few feet ahead when he didn't hear the other boys telltale foot steps behind him. Turning sharply Scorpius glared openly at him, willing him to move under the sheer force of the stare.

"I'm not going anywhere." The words were clipped and in some way uncharacteristic to him. Scorpius bit his tongue to keep his own scathing comment to himself. Turning to stare his down he waited impatiently for what would happen next. "We've been walking all day, Malfoy. This is getting us no where. We don't know where the hell we are, or even where we're going! I'm not walking anymore till I've rested. It's not like we have anything important to do!"

Scorpius had to bite the inside of his mouth just to calm himself down. "We are heading were ever this road takes us. Rose sent us here for a reason, and we're not going to just throw that away. We keep going." he stated, his voice calm even as his eyes flashed Steele in the fading sunlight. He didn't budge an inch in his stance, almost daring Al to make the next move. He was telling the truth when he said he wasn't going to throw this away. Rose had given them everything she could to help and he was simply going to ignore it and flounce about.

"How do you know she meant to send us here, huh? She could have fudged it all up, sent us to a different continent entirely. I'm tired and I'm not going to keep walking simply cause you think she sent us some breadcrumb trail. She didn't know everything Scorpius!" His emerald eyes flashed as he stepped forwards, matching Scorpius' glare. Scoffing at the other boys attempt to intimidate him Scorpius turned on his heels heading in his initial direction. "I was talking at you!"

Ignoring the shout that followed him Scorpius squared his shoulders and set a steady pace. He hadn't made it far when all the air was pushed out of him from behind. Falling hard to the ground he twisted his body to wrestle the Al off of him. Punching and kicking blindly a surge of adrenaline shot through him every time he felt it hit it's target. Staggering to his feet he whipped a bit of blood from his lip before throwing himself back at the other boy.

Arms and legs flailed as each tried to get the upper hand. Maneuvering himself Scorpius delivered a right hook, knocking Al from atop him long enough to catch his breath. Turning his head to the side his eyes caught something in the distance. Kicking Al square in the stomach he pulled himself up off the ground, dusting off himself as he went. "Hey! You're supposed to be fighting me, Malfoy! Get back here!" Not even bothering to turn in his direction Scorpius advanced on the sign that caught his eye. The paint was slightly faded, but still legible if one was familiar with the word.

Digging through Rose's satchel he found the book he had been reading through the night before. Finding the page he was looking for he read over her notes a few times before closing his eyes in concentration. "Traduire." Opening his eyes in a flourish of lashes he watched, amazed, as the Balkan words shifted and became clear. "Sofia." The word left his lips in more of a breathy sigh than anything else. Closing the book with a triumphed cry he returned it to the bag as she pivoted to look at Al. "This road goes to Sofia! Oh, that brilliant girl!"

Al, for his part, merely looked at his sulkily as he gently poked at his slowly forming black eye. "Is that supposed to mean something?" Scorpius glared at him before turning his attention back to the sign.

"I think Vic and Teddy are hiding is Sofia. That's why Rose sent us here, it's a back way to them. No body uses this road by the looks of it and the cloaks are still in place, so no one could find us." The found smile slipped a bit when he thought that taking this road would take him even further from home, and worse still, even further from Rose. Pushing it aside he slung the satchel over his shoulder again. Barely glancing over his shoulder he shot a glare at Al. "Come on, it says that it's a hundred miles to Sofia. If we don't get started now we'll be walking for the next month."

Setting his jaw, and his mind to the task at hand he started walking. Rose had given them all the chance to beat this and he wasn't going to throw that away no matter how much he missed her. For now all he could do was keep going forward and hope when all was done he'd be able to see her again.

tbc.

Next: Chapter 19: Daughter of the Ramiana

An: Thanks for reading! More action will come in the next few chapters, along with real plot! As always, please review.