Rose pounced. One moment she was curled next to Scorpius, and the next she was pinning him down, kissing him in a way that made him wish there were curtains on the treehouse windows and a lock on the trapdoor. "I want you around," she said huskily, "and I always get what I want."
The Enchantress had come out to play. "Always?" Scorpius drawled. "You must be very persuasive."
She nipped at his bottom lip and then soothed it with her tongue. "Shall I demonstrate?" Her fingernails raked lightly across his chest.
He hid a grin. "You may find me hard to convince."
Her smile was promisingly wicked. "Oh, I think you'll be easy." Her hand slid down his torso.
The treehouse shook like an earthquake had hit. Windows rattled. The trapdoor banged open. Scorpius held onto Rose as the floor tilted and they slid toward the opening in the floor. Nothing else moved in the treehouse. The trunk filled with comics stayed in place. On a hunch, Scorpius yelled, "We'll behave!"
The floor instantly levelled. The shaking stopped.
"That was . . . interesting," Scorpius said. "Are you all right?"
"I will be when I get out of here."
Scorpius climbed down after her. "I haven't experienced this spell before, in case you were wondering. It was Guy. Some family reunion at the grandparents' house, he and a third cousin snuck upstairs and—"
"The earth moved literally?" Rose stood, arms crossed, glaring toward the Burrow. "I can't believe my dad did that to us."
"I don't think he did." When Rose turned her scowl his way, Scorpius said, "It's an old spell, from the days when a parent's biggest dread was illegitimate grandchildren. Your grandparents probably cast it years ago to deter one of your uncles."
"Bill," Rose said. "Granny Weasley and Aunt Fleur didn't get along at first."
Scorpius feigned surprise. "They get along now?"
She smiled a little, and then something behind him caught her eye and her expression changed to a blend of emotions he translated as oh, hullo and oh, shite.
"Rosie! Scorpius!" a bubbly voice shouted. "We're here to save the day!"
Merry Graves and Albus Potter walked from the paddock toward the back garden. Merry's black and yellow striped dress gave her the appearance of a giant bumblebee drawn to her boyfriend's spiky Chrysanthemum hairstyle. Albus carried the kind of red, insulated carry bag used by takeaway delivery persons.
Rose sighed. "I sent my Patronus to Al. I didn't know he'd bring his girlfriend."
The more non-family potential witnesses the better, in Scorpius' opinion. When the other couple reached them, he asked, "Saving the day with pizza?"
"Chicken Tikka Masala," Merry said, "and mango ice cream for afters. Spicy and sweet. Who could resist?"
Scorpius slanted a look at Rose. Not me. As the others exchanged hugs, he took a step back, just in case.
Merry gave him a knowing look and said, "You hid in the treehouse. That was clever."
Albus asked, "How did you get past Uncle Ron?"
"I left through the attic window."
"Very clever!" Merry said.
"Very Slytherin," Albus muttered.
Scorpius didn't take offense at Albus' tone. Whether deliberately or not, Merry's gushing had pushed her boyfriend's jealousy buttons. The last thing Scorpius wanted was to add new domestic drama to whatever might be unfolding inside the Burrow. He asked Rose, "Do you think it's safe to go in?"
"There's no shouting," Rose said. "That's usually a good sign." She reached out to squeeze his hand. "I'll protect you."
Hermione Weasley opened the back door and marched out to greet them. She wore capris leggings and a yoga vest; apparently, Rose had interrupted her workout. Hermione said, "I've been assured that no information was coerced before we got here, and no attempts to coerce will be made in the future."
Rose lifted her chin. "Scorpius deserves an apology."
"I don't need one," Scorpius said. It was enough to know her family wouldn't drug his food or drink again.
Hermione turned on her heel. "They'll apologise regardless."
.
In the kitchen, the three conspirators sat at the table looking glum. Lupin perked up when he saw Albus and Merry. "Takeaway. My favourite. Am I invited for lunch?"
"There's something you have to do first," Rose said.
Lupin's eyes flickered from Hermione to Scorpius. Grudgingly, he said, "Sorry about the underhanded tactics, Malfoy."
"Yeah," Ron said. "We should've known better."
Arthur seemed the most penitent. "Next time we have questions, we'll simply ask," he said. After a pause, he asked, "I suppose it's too much to hope that there won't be a next time?"
"Scorpius doesn't have to answer that," Hermione said.
He didn't have to, but he wanted to be as honest as possible. "Yes, sir," Scorpius told Arthur, and everyone else listening. "It probably is."
Merry broke the uncomfortable silence. "Al, unpack the food. Everyone's hungry."
Albus took container after container out of the insulated bag. The sharp sweetness of ginger and the earthy scent of cumin and other curry spices filled the room. Lupin and Rose's father set the table while Arthur opened a couple of bottles of ruby-hued Shiraz wine and cast an aeration spell.
"The table needs flowers," Merry said. She conjured a bouquet of dainty yellow and white freesias. When Rose went to fill a vase with water, she told Scorpius, "I know what you're thinking, and you're wrong. I chose these colours because they have the least scent, not because they're Hufflepuff. Someone might have allergies."
"Then you should have chosen flowers with less pollen like roses or zinnias," Albus said.
"It's not just about pollen," Merry snapped.
"My grandmother has fragrance allergies," Scorpius said, "I'll have to ask her if she's sensitive to pollen as well. I've always assumed they go hand in hand." His attempt to prevent a couple's row backfired. Albus gave him a look that said he didn't care about Scorpius' grandmother, while Merry beamed liked he'd taken her side in whatever argument was going on beneath the squabble about flowers.
"You'll have to sit by me," she said. "I appreciate a man who can hold a pleasant conversation."
Rose returned with a vase. She lifted an eyebrow at Scorpius when Merry shoved the flowers into the water. He shrugged.
The back door opened.
Molly Weasley, carrying an amount of shopping bags that would impress his grandmother, walked into the kitchen and stared at the roomful of guests. "What's going on?" she asked.
No one spoke, and then Ron said, "Surprise?"
Molly's eyes flickered around the room, and then she nodded and placed her bags on a worktop. "Tell me all about it later," she told Arthur.
He pulled out her chair. "Yes, dear."
Surprisingly, for a luncheon begun in less than friendly circumstances, the atmosphere at the table wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as Scorpius had expected. Molly asked how Albus and Rose were getting on at the Ministry, and Lupin entertained the family by doing impressions of some of the trainers, complete with morphing.
Albus and Merry spent most of their time pretending to ignore each other while covertly shooting each other looks. The couple angst would have been amusing if Merry hadn't decided to ask about Lumos Duo: the lighting, fairies, music, and food. It seemed that she had read every publicity article about the club and was keen to go. Scorpius tried to respond with polite brevity. She didn't take the hint. Her questions continued. One by one, other conversations ebbed. Lupin smirked. Merry was doing his interrogating for him.
Scorpius was about to excuse himself and go hide in a loo until lunch was over when Merry asked a question that chilled his bones. He said, "Would you repeat that?"
Merry giggled uncertainly. "I asked if you touched the Wiggentree when you entered. It's supposed to give protection from dark magic."
Scorpius turned to Rose.
She said, "There was a small rowan tree in a silver pot. That's all I noticed. What's wrong?"
"The fairies," he said. "They were afraid of us. Why?"
"Guy Willoughby threatened to pin them to the dartboard," Rose answered.
Scorpius shook his head. She didn't see it. How could she? He was the one who remembered every bit of information he'd ever read about fairies. He was the one who played with them in the garden when he was a child with no other friends.
Across the table, Hermione asked, "Fairies are being threatened at Lumos Duo?"
"Worse than that." Scorpius clenched his jaw to control his emotions.
Lupin said, "We need details, Malfoy."
"You won't be able to do anything."
"Let us be the judge of that," Hermione said. "It's against the law to abuse magical creatures."
"If you find proof," Scorpius said, "Which you won't. Their scheme is fiendishly clever."
"What scheme?" Ron asked.
"Spit it out, Malfoy," Lupin said.
Scorpius took a deep breath and released the kind of frustration he hadn't experienced since he was a first-year complaining about his dorm-mates' inability to memorise a thousand magical herbs and fungi. Just because learning comes easily to you doesn't mean your friends are stupid, Father had said, while Grandfather Lucius mouthed, yes, it does.
"What does anyone remember about the Wiggentree?"Scorpius asked.
Merry said, "Protects against dark magic."
"The wood is used to make wands," Hermione added.
Rose gasped. "Bowtruckles."
"Yes," Arthur Weasely said. "Bowtruckles guard Wiggentrees. Stick-like little fellows. Twiggy fingers."
"Nasty creatures," Ron Weasley said with a grimace. "If you want to take anything from their tree you have to give them wood lice."
"Or give them something else they find tasty," Scorpius said.
Rose gave a shuddery exhale. "Fairy eggs."
.
.
A/N: I told Scribbleeexx that I'd post as soon as I finished the chapter so here it is (after a revision or two). Turns out, sadly, that I'm not like Stephen King, able to crank out prose under the influence, although to be fair he was drinking and I was on pain pills. Now that I'm off the narcotics, I should be able to update regularly. Thanks to everyone who sent well wishes and reviewed the last chapter, making me want to be clearheaded enough to write again. :D Aikawa Ayame, alix33, alleaf, Carnivalgirl, Ellinell, fynnsmom, Gracie, Nocturna Mae, oermione, Rose of the West, scribbleeexx, SGed, WithLove01, yiota146 and zizzic797.