Rutilant: glowing or glittering with ruddy or golden light
March 7, 2021
Outside, a damp wind blew through the still-bare branches and whipped up droplets from the lapping lake. Clouds churned in the black night, and shadows swirled around the handful of windows still glowing in the castle. But tucked out of the cold in a forgotten corner of an underground harbor used all of once a year, all of this was kept at bay.
Three fourth years huddled around a small, but merrily crackling fire contained in a brass bowl. Embers glowed red-hot and leaping flames filled the small space with cozy heat and glazed everything in a warm, ruddy light. A few feet away, the boats bobbed and the water lapped against the stone. The three students – two boys, completely opposite in appearance except for a similar slight stature and pale complexion, and a girl with copper curls falling down her back – sat elbow-to-elbow, knees pressing up against each other.
The girl sat forward, warming her hands over the little flames – her little flames, actually. She was rather proud of how she'd honed the spell over almost four years of use. The two boys were laughing over something probably long-forgotten by now.
"Hey, Rosie, look what I've got," the dark-haired boy said suddenly, leaning back to pull a paper bag out of his school bag. He tossed it to her, grinning, and she caught it with a half-hearted, "Don't call me 'Rosie'."
Then she tore open the package curiously and pulled out a large, white puffball. Her face broke into a wide grin.
"Just like the marshmallows Mum used to get for our bonfires! Al, how on earth did you get these?"
Al leaned back on his palms, looking self-satisfied – not a common expression on his face. "I might have nicked them from a certain sugar-fiend's stash."
"James is gonna kill you if he finds out," the other boy – blonde and fair – said with an amused smirk.
"James owes me," Albus said, waving a hand unconcernedly. "He's been steeling my Christmas sweets since I was born. I wouldn't worry about it, Scorp."
"Not what you'll be saying tomorrow when he's got you in a half-nelson," Scorpius snickered.
Even Albus knew his talk was only big because it was the three of them, and in this undisturbed little corner of the school, with the blazing fire to drive away the cold and the dark and the fears and worries, they felt almost untouchable.
Rose started tossing marshmallows at the other two, and they took turns levitating them over the fire. They burnt their fingers and their mouths on the puffed-up, golden-brown balls of sweet, steaming, sticky goo, but they didn't even notice, too absorbed in talking and laughing and going back and forth as they always did.
Eventually they would have to put out the fire and trudge up to the castle, tired and sticky and cold from the night, and Scorpius would have to depart for his dungeon common room and Albus and Rose would climb alone up to their respective dormitories, but for now they lived on the thought that this golden moment would last a little bit longer.
A/N: And there we have the next trio. Again, I'm surprised it's taken me this long to get around to them, too, since they are so often the focus of my writing. If anyone rivals Teddy for my affections, it might be Al. Anyway, I've alluded to this idea in some of my other stories, but now I've finally gotten around to writing it. Al, Rose, and Scorpius, facing the problem of two different common rooms, class schedules, and eating places, had the genius idea of meeting up in the harbor. No one even seems to remember it's there.
Well I hope you liked it! Thank you SO much to all my reviewers, especially those of you who take the time to talk with me about the individual chapters. You guys rock! I can't tell you how much your support means to me and to this story! :D