CHAPTER 8

OWL POST

5-9-2019

Dear Mum and Dad,

Hello from Hugo and I! Hope you're both doing well. Hugo wanted to tell you that he was Sorted into Gryffindor. Also, I made the Quidditch team again. School's going great for both of us, though I have a lot of work this year with all my electives. I'm starting to think that you were right about Divination not really being worth it. The teacher predicted my death on the first day. I'm actually quite good at Ancient Runes, though, and Muggle Studies and Arithmancy are very interesting. Anyway, I hope everyone's well, and that the wedding plans are going well. Also, Dad, do you know why there are Aurors stationed at Hogwarts now? It seems a little excessive, I was just wondering. Tell Gran and Granddad I said hi.

Love,

Rose

8-9-2019

Dear Rose and Hugo,

That's wonderful that you got into Gryffindor, Hugo! We're very proud, especially your father. Also, Rose, congratulations on the Quidditch team. I'm glad you're doing well in school. As for Divination, in my opinion it's frankly a branch of magic that is hardly ever more than a waste of time, and your Uncle Harry would like me to tell you that Professor Trelawney predicted his death when we were in our third year and he is obviously very much alive, so you needn't worry. Dad wanted me to tell you that the Aurors are stationed because of your incident last year, and that they're for your own safety. Honestly, Rose, don't worry about the Aurors; they're trying to protect you, however intrusive you might think it is. The wedding plans are going well, by the way; I haven't been involved much, but from what I've heard it sounds like it'll be a wonderful ceremony. I'm not sure whether Victoire has told you, but she would like you, Min, Lucy, Roxanne and Molly to be her bridesmaids, so though I know you don't really like things like that, please try to be positive and supportive for your cousin. I'm sure James will be just as uncomfortable as you being a groomsman, so you can commiserate with him. Also, they've told me to tell you all that if Emma and Scorpius would like to stay at the Burrow over the holidays and go to the wedding, they're welcome to. One last thing; I was just elected to the Hogwarts Board of Governors, so I may be seeing you a few times this year, and I'll do whatever I can to keep the influence of the board unbiased in any direction. Have fun at school and I'll see you both for Christmas!

Love,

Mum

9-9-2019

Dear Ms. Malfoy,

Hello, it's Rose, like you asked. Scorpius is doing fine; he was put back in Gryffindor at the beginning of the year and he's a lot happier now. He made the Quidditch team, too, and school's going well. He's still not happy with you all, though, so I think it's a bad idea to try to talk to him directly. I'll send another owl in October. If you'd like to reply, that's fine, but it'd be nice if you could use an Owl Post owl as Scorpius might recognize yours.

Rose Weasley

By the middle of October, Rose was beginning to think that she was spending more time in the library than in all her classes combined. She had no idea what she was doing when she had taken four electives; she thought maybe since they were optional classes that they wouldn't be as difficult. She couldn't have been more wrong, however; Ancient Runes and Arithmancy were going to kill her before the year was up, she was sure of it. Coupled with Transfiguration and Potions, and all the classes that were difficult for her made up more than two thirds of her homework. In addition to all her schoolwork, she had Quidditch and research on the rune in the cave.

"Any luck in that book?" Scorpius asked during one of their late night research sessions.

"No, unless you count determining that it's not from any kind of runic alphabet that's ever been written down," she moaned, slamming the book shut and pushing it toward the bookshelf. As it floated away, Scorpius got back up and searched the shelves.

"Er… Symbols of Old World Magic?" he suggested, holding out another dusty, large book.

"Fine," she muttered. "Worth a shot, I guess." He handed her the book and slumped back down into his chair.

"Is it some kind of Arithmancy thing? Or a Potions marker? It might not be a rune at all," Scorpius said.

Rose shrugged. "It doesn't really look like a rune. And if we can't find it…"

"That's what I was thinking," he said, nodding. "Only trouble is that'll be much harder to find in a book."

"We know it's a Dark symbol," Rose said. "Maybe we can look through Dark magic books?"

"Those'll be in the Restricted section," Scorpius said. "But we do have Al's cloak."

"We'll have to be there a while," Rose said, shaking her head. "We should just get a pass."

"From who?" Scorpius asked.

Rose sighed. "I don't know."

"Are you all right?" he asked. "You look tired."

"I'm fine. Just been studying a lot," she said, opening the new book. "Maybe it'll be in this one and we won't have to worry about a pass." It wasn't, however, and they spent another hour or so in the library before Madam Pince kicked them out with instructions to go 'straight to Gryffindor Tower, seriously'. Scorpius and Rose walked out of the library and starting heading back.

"I can't believe we can't find it," Scorpius sighed. "Do you think we could make any of the Slytherins from last year tell us?"

Rose sighed. "I doubt they'd tell us anything. It's so frustrating, though, that they know what it is. Can I have the book again?" Scorpius handed her the last book they'd checked out, and she was looking through it again when she walked right into a suit of armor near the staircase and fell down. Scorpius snickered as she got up.

"Shut it, Malfoy," she muttered, and he looked past her, curious.

"What'd you drop?" he asked. "It fell out of your pocket."

"What?" she asked, looking behind her. "Oh, that. I found it in the Forest. I think it's just a rock, I don't know."

"Where'd you find it?" he asked. "It looks… I don't know, weird." He picked it up and started turning it around, looking for something. "Maybe there's something written on it?"

"I can't find anything; it might just be dirty…" Rose said. Suddenly, a ghost seemed to appear out of nowhere. She jumped and Scorpius stared at it. It was an old man in long black robes, and Rose had never seen him before. Scorpius looked shocked, though, and at second glance the man didn't quite look like a ghost. He wasn't really transparent, but there was something a little off about him; he didn't look like he was really there at all. "Do you know him?" Rose asked quietly after a second.

Scorpius handed her back the stone and walked quickly up the staircase. When Scorpius handed the stone to Rose, the man disappeared. "Malfoy, what—?" she began, but he stopped and turned back around.

"That's my grandfather. From my mother's side. He's been dead for six years. I swear it was from that stone, Weasley." He continued to stomp up the stairs then, and Rose hurried to catch up to him.

"So the stone helps you see… ghosts?"

"No, he's not a ghost, he's never been a ghost. He certainly wouldn't have been at Hogwarts. He's American, he went to Salem."

"So… it brings people back?" Rose asked.

Scorpius shrugged. "I don't know. It's creepy, whatever it is. I don't like it, Weasley. You found it in the Forest, didn't you? Maybe it's pretty Dark, too."

Rose shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I'm going to keep it, though; now I want to find out what it is."

"Get rid of that thing," Scorpius muttered.

"You can't say you aren't curious, Malfoy," she said, and he stopped in front of the Fat Lady and sighed.

"You're right," he admitted. "Let's start research tomorrow."

Rose groaned. "Wonderful. More research. Hinkypunk," she added to the Fat Lady, who swung open to reveal the common room.

"I just don't want to get pulled into some weird Dark magic because you picked up a stone off the ground," Scorpius muttered. Rose sighed.

"Good night," she mumbled sarcastically as she trudged up the stairs to her room.

The next morning, their first Hogsmeade trip was set to begin at 9:00, a little too early to be done with breakfast for Rose's taste. While they waited in the line to be searched, Min was complaining about Victoire and Teddy's wedding. Rose was thinking about how she would get to Owl Post without Scorpius noticing once they arrived; she had to send an owl to Scorpius's mother without using Musetta because she was worried about someone noticing her owl was gone; this correspondence with Ms. Malfoy was making Rose slightly paranoid. She didn't even know why she had agreed to it, but since she had, she didn't want to renege on her promise.

"Rose, are you listening?" Min's voice broke through her thoughts and she blinked.

"Yes—well, no, what?" Rose said, and Min sighed.

"The dresses are pink. With lace sleeves. I don't wear lacy pink. I'm not doing this."

"She's your sister, Min," Rose sighed. "But I might be able to quit…"

"At least you don't have to wear dress robes," Al muttered. "Honestly, who wears those anymore? What's wrong with a bloody suit?"

"Bag," the Auror grunted at Rose, who started, not realizing they had reached the front of the line. She opened the latch on her school bag, and the Auror stuck the wand into her bag, rummaging around a bit before letting her pass.

"This is stupid," Scorpius sighed. "Why would we be smuggling things out of Hogwarts? And wouldn't they want us to take the dangerous stuff out of the building?"

Rose shook her head. "I have a feeling there's something they aren't telling us. They couldn't have just randomly decided to place Aurors here."

When they reached Hogsmeade, they headed for the Three Broomsticks. They entered the pub still discussing the security measures. "I just don't know why they think it's necessary now when it wasn't ever before," Rose said, sliding into the bench next to Al and across from Min and Scorpius.

"It does seem a little odd," Al admitted, and Min looked over to the corner and grinned.

"Guys, look," she said, nodding in the same direction. Rose turned around and rolled her eyes as she saw James sitting in the corner with Stephanie MacMillan. They seemed to be in the middle of quite a lot of snogging, and Al started to make loud gagging noises.

"Are they even coming up for air?" Scorpius asked.

"I don't know, I'm a little concerned," Rose laughed. The door swung open then, allowing a blast of wind into the pub, and Scorpius visibly stiffened when two figures entered. Rose's eyes widened when she realized who had just entered; her mother had walked in and sat down on the other side of the bar with Lucius Malfoy.