Chapter 6 – For His Honor
The next morning the pupils of Hogwarts were in a frenzy. Energy ran high and conversations over the prospects of the Quidditich match could be heard along every hall.
Rose, for the first time in recorded history, had not yet joined in. Standing in the entrance hall she scanned the crowd for Marcus Creevey. Finally spotting him leaving the great hall from breakfast, Rose made her way over to him, a look of murderous intent etched on her face.
"Oi, Wea-" Creevey said, in shock, when he found himself facing the enraged Rose. She did not let him finish his sentence. Rose grabbed the taller chap by the front on his shirt and hoisted him a few inches in the air, backing him against the wall. Creevey's hands came up to try and remove her grasp, be was stopped by the tone in her voice.
"You're a downright prat. You're not even good enough to be in the same room as Malfoy," Rose hissed as her wand came out. She placed it square between the lads eye. Creevey went cross-eyed trying to keep the tip in sight. This drew the attention of passers by.
"If I so much as hear that you looked at Scorpius the wrong way, I'll jinks you so bad that it will make the Cruciatus Curse look like child play," Rose threatened.
A few sparks flew out of her wand as if to punctuate her point, singing eyebrow hairs. There was a collective gasp from the onlookers that now surrounded the two.
"Got it?" Rose growled.
"Yes," Creevey gulped.
Rose let go of the quivering lad and stocked way. He crumpled to the floor, his legs giving out in terror.
No one in the hall had a clue why such a scene had occurred and murmurs quickly broke out, as imaginations ran wild. Naturally, by the time Scorpius heard about the incident the rumors were getting pretty farfetched.
Arnold Mulligan, from Ravenclaw, asked Scorpius, "Did Creevey impregnate you? Is that why Weasley threatened him? Was Creevey trying to get you to abort the fetus?"
"My word, I'm a bloke!" Scorpius shouted, drawing stares from half the great hall. He opened the latest edition of the Quibbler to hide behind, in an effort to stave off interest.
Couldn't Rose have just left the whole thing alone, Scorpius questioned. But as angry as Scorpius felt at being the center of such scandalous gossip, it was hard to not keep a smile off his face. No one had ever threatened a person on his behalf and it felt pretty swell. The fact that it was Rose, who reduced Creevey to a trembling puddle, seemed to only make his day brighter.
From across the hall Rose was also being badgered with questions, but this was mostly by her fellow teammates.
"What's going on?" Flow asked taking a seat, "Anna Wood just told me you nearly made Creevey wet himself!"
"I don't want to get into it," Rose groaned. She had to stop letting her temper get away from her. Now she had probably made the situation worse for Scorpius. She had only been trying to stop the bullying.
Flow looked questioningly at her other teammates.
"We've already tried," Gregory put in, "She won't talk about it. Says it's none of our business."
"Since when has that ever stopped us?" Flow said.
"Can't you just pretend this never happend?" Rose pleaded.
"Now where is the fun in that?" Will asked, as he piled his plate full of bacon, "Paul Hinder has a pool going. I've got 14 sickles ridding on Creevey trying to put the moves on Rose before next Thursday."
Rose sunk further in her seat and let her head fall, rather spectacularly, onto her plate.
"Stop being a drama queen, Rose," Quincy said merrily, "No one will remember you little episode tomorrow. Half the castle will be sloshed after the game and make there own poor decisions. You're just getting a head start!"
"Cheers to that!" Gregory announced.
Despite Roses newfound interest in running away and die of humiliation in some dark corner of the castle, the call of Quidditch was irresistible. Post breakfast Rose found herself teetering her way through the packed Gryffindor stands.
After one too many games spent listening to Quincy overanalyze ever twitch and swerve of the players on the pitch, Rose had learned that it was safest to sit as far away from her captain as possible. She usually sat with Vlad during matches, but Vlad was with Fronsac, and Rose didn't want to be a third wheel. So instead she settled herself in the middle of the Gryffindor stands, hoping to run into one of her numerous relatives. Hugo sat two rows down, surrounded by a throng of chattering girls. She pulled out a copy of Quidditch Quarterly to amuse herself until the match stated.
After a few minuets Rose felt someone settle into the seat next to her. She glanced over and was surprised to see Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius smiled at Rose and it made her feel worse about the whole morning incident.
"Scorpius I am sorry about the gossip. I'm pretty sure being a bumbling git runs in my family. I just couldn't let Creevey get away with that he did. Now I am afraid I've only made the whole thing worse," Rose apologized.
"Well I can't say I woke up expecting to be asked if I was having a illicit affair with Creevey, but I suppose it could be worse," Scorpius said. Rose buried her head in her hands.
"I hadn't hear that one yet," Rose said feeling even more mortified, "I hope you can forgive me."
"Well I don't usually condone violence but your intentions were nothing but honorable. I've never had someone get into a fight on my behalf. It is a bit flattering," Scorpius admitted, his cheeks coloring slightly. Still not entirely composed from the embarrassment, Rose managed to remove her hands from her face. They settled into silence. Rose found it strange how easy it felt to sit next to Scorpius. It occurred to Rose that something had changed since she had run into Scorpius last night. Before they were classmates and occasional study partners; their interactions had felt slightly formal and forced. Now he seemed like a proper friend.
Rose was drawn out of her thoughts as Thomas Badger's voice rang out across the pitch, "Witches and Wizards of Hogwarts I give you the first game of the season; Gryffindor Vs. Slytherin!"
All the bleachers erupted into a cacophony of cheering. Badger rattle off the names of each team member, as players began to enter the pitch, doing spiral dives and soaring circles.
"The conditions are exceptional. Mild, with just a hint of cross breeze, and not a cloud in sight," Badger dictated. Professor Quibang looked adoringly at the commentator. Badger's slow bass voice and lack of profanities clearly had her lulled into some sort of trance.
"The teams are in position," Badger continued, "Looks like Gabby Bloomswood, Slytherin seeker, is a little shaky on her broom. Everyone lets cheer Bloomswood on, it's her first game ever and she's only in 2nd year!"
The Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin bleaches broke into applause. Rose wanted to join in, but didn't, because she was pretty sure half of Gryffindor might slaughter her instantaneously.
"I can't help but feel sorry for Slytherin team," Rose told Scorpius. "They've been in last place for six years now."
"I know what you mean," Scorpius agreed, "but they don't have a big pool of players to chose from. After the war, getting sorted into Slytherin was social suicide."
"Yeah, they only had four new Slytherins this year and three are muggle born," Rose agreed, "It's strange, my mom said when she was in school only purebloods would get sorted into Slytherin."
"Times are changing," Scorpius agreed, "My family has been in Slytherin for generations and here I got sorted into Gryffindor. I think only muggles, who don't know about Slytherins history, ever want to be in Slytherin now. My second uncle has been trying to get a job for three years now. He says that being in Slytherin house is just about as bad as saying you've spent time in Azkaban for potential employers."
"That's absurd," Rose stated, "Being resourceful and ambitious are not bad traits. Sometimes I wish I was a little bit more Slytherin."
A roar from the surrounding students abruptly cut off Rose and Scorpius's conversation. The game started a few minutes earlier and already Gryffindor had scored twice.
"It's a shame really," Rose observed, as she watched the quaffle be punted by the Slytherin captain into the outstretched hand of one of Gryffindor's chasers. "Gordy Fender, their keeper, is a real nice bloke, and a half decent keeper. But he just keeps kicking the ball out of the goal instead of catching it."
"I suppose it is hard to pick up quidditch if you didn't grow up playing it," Scoprius conjectured.
"Apparently he use to play muggle football," Rose added.
Gryffindor scored again but Slytherin took position of the quaffed. Edward Buckle, the Slytherin with the quaffle, veered past a rouge bludger that caused the chaser behind him to alter her flight path. It was the first definitive lead that the Slytherin team had all game. From lower on the stands Constance McLaggen younger sister, Bridget, was hollering, "Kill them dead, bite off their ears and throw them in the great lake, pull a Rosie and send them crying for their mother!"
Rose sincerely hoped that this phrase did not stick.
Buckle managed to score but the game when downhill for Slytherin from then on. About an hour later Slytherin was trailing Gryffindor 70 to 410. After Timmy Webster, a mousy 5th year Slytherin chaser, ran himself into a goal ring, Rose couldn't help but groan.
"This is just painful to watch," Rose lamented.
"I do hope Albus catches the snitch soon and puts them out of their misery," Scoprius agreed, "It's like watching someone kick a Pygmy Puff."
A gasp went up from the stands. Rose shot to her feet. Both seekers were barreling towards the far side of the pitch with frightening intensity. Bloomswood had a good lead on Albus by several meters.
"Look at them go," Badger exclaimed, "Bloomswood has the better positioning but Potter has five years of experience on her. This is bound to be brilliant!"
Now the whole stands where on their feet in order to get a better look. Rose braced herself on Scorpius and stood on her tiptoes to get a better view.
"You can do it Albus!" Scorpius screamed. He jumped onto the bench and pulled Rose along with him.
"Get your scrawny arse moving," Rose hollered at her cousin.
"Throw her off her broom," Bridget McLaggen bellowed, "I mean she is right there! All it would take is a sold push!"
Indeed Albus was only about a meter behind now. Bloomswood looked back terrified. She threw out her foot in order to slow Albus. It caught him straight in the face. A gasped moved through the Gryffindor stands, followed by an explosion of commentary. Professor Krum called a foul but it was lost in the commotion. Albus winced but plowed on, as though he had not just taken a foot to his head. Bloomswood was sent slightly off course with her shift in balance.
Rose gripped onto Scorpius's shoulder and craned her neck to get a better look.
"Way to power through Albus!" Scorpius cheered. He throw his arm around Rose waist to steady her on the bench.
"Eat her foot, eat her foot!" Bridget chanted.
Bloomswood and Albus were neck and neck, but Albus had the larger wingspan. He stretched out his arm, throwing his weight to dangerously thrust himself forward, and his fingers closed on the snitch. His eye leaking blood and blinking like a mad man, Albus nearly fell off his broom as he raised his arm in triumph.
The sound in the stands was defining. Rose nearly jumped on Scorpius shouting, "That wanker caught it. He bloody well caught it!"
Scorpius was elated. Rose was holding him for the second time in two days. He felt his arms snake around her on their own accord.
"Albus is brilliant," Scorpius hooted.
"Yes he is. Just don't tell him to his face. I don't think I could handed his ego getting any bigger," Rose agreed, her face glowing red from all the excitement. "Lets go congratulate him and Lily!"
Rose pulled Scorpius off the bench, and muscled her way through the crowd, an arm still thrown over his shoulder. Emerged on the pitch before most of the crowd, they spotted Albus some ten paces away with the mediwitch Madam Barbous.
Madam Barbous was pointing her wand threateningly at his eye. Albus anxious to get away was saying, "Well you can stop the bleeding, but don't bother with the bruise! Birds love a bloke with battle wounds!"
"Don't make me put you in the hospital wing Potter!" Barbous snarled.
"It just looks worse than it is, honest," Albus said poking his face to illustrate the point. After shuttering rather obviously, he exclaimed indignantly, "See it doesn't hurt a bit! I should be able to see out of if my left eye in no time!"
The mob of students pooled around Albus, all hoping to congratulate him at once and Madam Barbous was forced to give up her fight. Rose and Scorpius joined in the throng becoming part of the tumults of well-wishers. They slapping Albus on the back and hugging Lily. As Rose and Scorpius were jostled in the crowd they abruptly found their selves facing Adrian Lacroix.
"Here to congratulate me?" Lacroix inquired, as he wiped a bloody elbow on his robe.
"Well you were playing a bit sloppy out there, but all the same you did a bang up job!" Rose exclaimed.
"Sloppy?" Scorpius questioned Rose, "I thought you held your own quite nicely today, Lacroix."
"Thank you Malfoy," Lacroix returned, as his eyes drifting to where Scorpius' arm still rested around Rose's hip.
There was something unintentionally hard in the way that Lacroix gazed at the pair. Scorpius immediately understood the look, because he knew he often wore it in Roses presence. It felt refreshing to be on the receiving end for once. To be able to feel the soft jersey fabric of Rose's robe underneath his fingers and have her chuckle reverberating against his body as she laughed, "You had your elbow cocked wonky half the game. It is a wonder you didn't fracture it on that swing you took near the Slytherin goal post."
"All and all I manage to send the bludger where I wanted it, even if I did get little nicked up in the process!" Lacroix rebuked.
Rose responded with an equally witty quibble, but Scorpius ceased to pay attention as his eyes fell on Albus, who stood not far off. Surrounded by a group of excited fans Albus was basking in the glory of success. Scorpius stomach felt as though it had just dropped form a high elevation. This was as good as it could get with Rose. There could be no lingering hands, as he brushed back her curls, no exploring wind-chapped lips, and no hitched breath in tucked away nooks of the castle. Not when it would surely ruin his friendship with Albus. It made his body ach because he know this delightful feeling had to be the end of something instead of the beginning.