Hey! I couldn't upload last week because I was on holiday deprived of wifi :( This chapter is quite a lot longer than the others though. Enjoy...
I was perched on the common room's sofa stroking Jinx's neck affectionately, when Alex came skipping down the stairs. Today we would be going to Hogsmeade. It didn't matter how comfortable and inviting the common room appeared today, nothing could get in the way of spending the day in a place other than Hogwarts. I needed to stock up on quills and parchment, and maybe even pay my uncle George a visit at the joke shop.
This time of year was the phase of which students, like James and Albus, would buy more Puking Pastels and Instant Darkness Powderthan they could carry in order to 'store up for the winter' as they both phrased it. This meant numerous pranks and tricks were about to be the cause of surprise for some unfortunate souls. Although, when James and Al pranked, they almost always had a reason for doing it, so this time of year was also a time when I stayed well out of their ways. However, I had no doubt that I would be able to get my revenge if needed.
"Hey, Rose." Turning around, I saw that Alex wore a grey dress with thick black patterned tights. As she walked, she tugged her coat over her shoulders and up around her neck. "I'm just off to go and meet Damon. We can walk down together if you want." Nodding towards the portrait, she looked as happy as a little girl on Christmas Day and I had only just processed why.
"Wait," I said, confused. "I thought we were going to Hogsmeade together." Standing up, I set Jinx on the floor and he approached Alex, huddling around her legs fondly.
"Merlin, I forgot to tell you." She said sincerely. "Damon asked me to go with him at the party last week." I could tell she wasn't sure whether to be excited or upset while breaking the news to me.
"Oh. Right." Attempting to sound genuinely pleased and excited for her, I added a convincing smile for effect.
"I'm really sorry but this is my chance, you know." Her tone was almost pleading and her eyes were wide with enthusiasm. "I really like this guy." She said, sounding hesitant.
"Yeah, you should go with him." I said with slight reluctance. "I have to pick up some school stuff anyway." I never let my nonchalant guard down but inside I couldn't help feeling betrayed.
"Thank you so much!" Alex was ecstatic. "See you later. Bye, Jinx!" She quickly untangled the cat from her legs.
Before I could say goodbye, she was already bounding through the common room and out into the stairwell. I was left feeling deflated and let down. Only I couldn't let anyone know that, especially Alex. She deserved to have a good time and if that meant missing a few hours with me then so be it. Jinx looked as putout as a feline could possibly look and he made an objectionable meow to prove it.
I glanced out the window and the sky was of grey snow clouds, meaning that even more powder was yet to join the stuff that lay on the ground already.
So, I set off by myself, leaving Jinx to his own devices like he always was, and strolled through the castle to the main entrance, past the empty potions classroom and vacant Great Hall. Students and teachers were already making their way down to Hogsmeade and I followed their footprints in the snow. The smell of burning wood filled my nose as I continued down the path.
People were throwing snowballs and building snowmen, simply enjoying the season and the anticipation of Christmas on the horizon. I passed my cousin Fred who was standing proudly over a pile of snow. A dark spot peaked out the side and I realised James was fighting his way out of the mound. I giggled to myself as Fred waved to me, and I carried on walking.
Seeing that Honeydukes was overcrowded and thinking I'd have time to get quills later, I decided to get a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks. I trudged through the heavy snow and pushed open the wooden entrance. Warmth from blazing fires smarmed me and gave my skin goose bumps from the change in extremes of temperature. The same smell of burning wood filled my nostrils and the tang of butterbeer nipped at my taste buds. Many people crammed against each other around small tables, each reaching for their drink at regular intervals to keep the chill away as white snow piled up on the window ledges, reminding me that Christmas was on the way. Tugging my gloves off, I scanned the pub for any familiar faces. I looked from hesitant third years to over-confident seventh years and eventually found Al, sitting alone. Skirting around a few people, I managed to pull up a chair.
I plonked down next to him. "Hey, Al. Why so lonely?" I yanked off my beanie and, along with my gloves, placed them on the table and leant back in exhaustion. Walking through snow was difficult.
"Oh, I'm here with Scorpius." He smiled, pleased to see me. "He went to get drinks." He used his thumb to gesture towards the bar.
My face visibly fell and I made sure of it. "Of course he is." It seemed like I had spent an unnecessarily large amount of time with Malfoy these past few weeks.
"You really remind me of him sometimes." He said fondly. His nose was flushed with red from the outdoor chill, dispersing over his cheeks as he grinned.
"What?" I said in repugnant disbelief. I dread to think I was anything like him.
"Yeah." He laughed, as he loved to poke fun at me. This was one of the things that irritated me most, and he knew it. "You're both unbelievably stubborn."
Trying not to sound stubborn, I said, "I am not stubborn."
He tilted his head and gave me a look.
"It's endearing." To me, being stubborn wasn't negative in any way. It's a trait that I have always liked in myself.
"Well, you must think of Scorpius as very endearing then." Al suggested, passing me a side-glance.
Realising my mistake, I took a breath to reply but was cut short by an approaching figure.
"Who's endearing?" Malfoy had returned with two glasses of butterbeer, glowing orange with froth overflowing from their tops.
"No one." I said a bit too defensively.
"Weasley," He turned to me and said with surprise. "You have my notes?" Setting the glasses on the table, he rested back down in his seat opposite mine and looked up at me expectantly. His expression was devoid of any arrogance, which caught me off guard. His hair looked just like the snow outside and could have been the epitome of winter.
I realised I had forgotten to even copy his notes out the few nights before as I had been so exhausted with all the work from starting school again. "No," I reminded myself to be civil since he did me a favour and Al was sitting right next to me. "But I can get them to you by tomorrow."
"Sure." He wasn't too vexed but he sounded firm, covering it up with a sip from his glass.
"You borrowed his notes?" Al asked in a very suggestive manner. He raised his eyebrows and looked me right in the eye. The hum of chatter made me realise how many people were in the room, and how many could possibly be able to hear us. I reminded myself that it was an innocent gesture and that there was absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
"Yes," I said tightly as I still hated to admit it. "And don't pretend like you didn't notice me asleep for the majority of potions, which, may I remind you, was entirely your fault." He was my cousin; I didn't have to be civil to him.
"And why's that?" Relaxing into his chair, he looked complacent, unashamed by what he had done.
"The party." I implied.
"What would I have to do with that?" Flexing his hands outwards, he feigned confusion.
"You invited me." I huffed; thinking that I really shouldn't bother to spell things out for him next time because at this point, it was only for Malfoy's benefit.
He laughed and reached for his butterbeer. "Like you wouldn't have found some other way to get in."
"Please," I scoffed. "You practically begged me to go." I recalled him seeking me out in my own common room, requesting me to come to the party.
"Only to get some of your hot friend." He waggled his eyebrows. The fact that he even joked about involving himself in an intimate relationship made me nauseous, especially when it was with my best friend. Al was experienced in that front, of which somehow it only resulted in him generating a very dirty sense of humour. However, he wasn't nearly as experienced as his brother, or at least as James pretended to be.
"And how did that work out for you?" I teased.
He looked up at me in annoyance and shook his head. "Whatever." If I didn't know him, I'd say he was genuinely disappointed that he didn't manage to score any with her. "Where is Alex anyway?" He said, trying to divert the subject.
"She's off with some guy from the party." I said offhandedly.
"She ditched you?" He asked in shock.
"She didn't ditch me." I was willing to defend Alex in any way possible, as she wasn't here to do it herself, even if I did feel a little betrayed.
Al looked unconvinced. "You go to every Hogsmeade trip together. She ditched you." He said simply as if he was an expert of relationships.
I rolled my eyes and pushed out my chair, trying to act like I didn't care. "I'm going to go get a butterbeer." Grabbing my gloves and beanie and tucking them into my pockets, I rose from my seat and dodged my way through the busy room. It was expected that most Hogwarts students came here on this day, as it was one of the only restaurants in Hogsmeade and personally, I thought it was the best. The owners didn't complain, though, I suspect they made good business out of Hogsmeade trips.
Waiting for my butterbeer, I had taken to a very uncomfortable stall and gazed around the pub and saw my brother, Hugo. He was sitting amongst friends, in amiable conversation. I doubted he knew it but a brunette girl was watching him carefully from the other side of the group. He was always complaining that he never had attention from the opposite sex; he just didn't look hard enough. I smiled to myself and swore that I would tell dad that the 'talk' was due and to make it long and painful. Seeing him forced me to remember his warning about the newfound threat that the Ministry was facing and I pondered about how serious it was. However dismissive I was about it at the time, I couldn't help worrying about mum and dad at the ministry and, ultimately, the Wizarding World as a whole, which could be at great risk.
"What are you looking at?" Malfoy poked his head in my line of vision and rudely interrupted my thoughts.
"Nothing." I said, ripping my eyes away from Hugo. "Where's Al?" I turned towards our previously occupied table.
"Detention." He said simply.
I wasn't surprised. Somehow Albus always managed to land himself a detention and now, I'm sad to say, it had extended into his own time out of school.
My butterbeer arrived and, as it was set down in front of me, I paid the bartender. I took excessive gulps from the glass in order to be rid of it quickly so that I wouldn't be in this awkward situation any longer than necessary. Malfoy had brought his over from the other table and was clutching the handle. Silence washed over us and, looking around, I tried focussing my attention on the people around me.
"You ready for the first Quidditch match of the season?" He asked. I turned to face him; surprised he was the least bit interested in me.
I hesitated for a few seconds, as I wasn't sure how to respond to this unexpected enquiry. "We are going to destroy you." Why not make this fun?
"Oh, yeah." He sounded unconvinced. "Al tells me James has been working you pretty hard." He now occupied the stall next to me and sipped his drink.
"Like we need it. We'd beat you just fine without all the excessive training." I may have sounded boastful but it was true.
"I wouldn't be too overconfident. Just makes losing even harder." He took a sip from his glass.
"And by saying that, it makes you not overconfident?" I challenged.
He stared at me for a second. "You got me there." He said, raising his hands in defeat.
I shook my head. "But seriously, James is so power-hungry he even made one of our players cry." I didn't know why I was being so open with him but as we spoke so offhandedly, I realised I was enjoying myself.
"Seriously?" He spoke with amused disbelief. Of course he would be interested in the misery of his rivalled team.
"Yeah. Never thought I'd see the day when he broke down in tears." I really shouldn't have been making fun of my team, it was unprofessional, but it felt good to laugh.
"He? Who was it?" Malfoy pressed.
"For the pride and dignity of our team, I refuse to tell you." I dismissed.
"Was it Fred?" He guessed.
"Weasley blood," I was offended he would even think someone in my family would be so weak. "I don't think so."
"No way. It wasn't Rednall, was it?"
I pursed my lips and made a face that I thought was unrevealing.
"It was!" He shouted. I broke out in giggles at his look of astonishment but was surprised that the whole pub didn't turn around and look at us. As our laughter died down, silence settled between us once more.
I downed the rest of my butterbeer and said, "I need to go and get some quills…" I hesitated. "But you're welcome to come along." I offered, as we seemed to be getting on pretty well.
He shrugged. "Sure." He did the same with his glass and placed it down on the counter with a thud. Shoving his hands into his black, what looked like, authentic leather jacket, we started walking.
We stopped off at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, where I bought five new quills and a pot of ink, all the while in friendly conversation. Honeydukes had finally died down slightly and we managed to buy two packets of sweets each. The snow had filtered off by the afternoon and I found that darkness was coming a lot quicker than I expected. After a few hours we discovered the inevitable subject of family.
"Well, my parents-" I started.
"Oh, I know your parents." He interrupted. "The famous Ron and Hermione Weasley." He gestured his hands as if they were the stars of an epic film.
"Granger." I corrected.
He turned to me, confused. Many people presumed that my mother took her husband's name; however, she always told me she was too headstrong for that and her last name did not define her.
"My mother kept her maiden name." I explained. He nodded in understanding.
"What about yours? What are their names?" I asked, realising that I didn't actually know, as Al never talked about them either.
"Draco and Astoria Malfoy." He answered. I stopped in my tracks. The moment the words came out of his mouth, they triggered something deep tucked away in my memory. Astoria. The name was familiar.
"Are you okay?" He said puzzled from up ahead.
"Yeah, fine." I tried to say passively and continued walking beside him. "I just thought I heard that name somewhere before."
We began walking again. "You've probably heard of both of them. My mum was all over the Profit a few years ago. Charity work." Yeah, that was probably where I read it. "My dad also works at the Ministry."
"Mine too." I dismissed the thought of ever hearing their names anywhere else. An idea struck me. "Maybe they've met."
He considered this and laughed. "Hey, they probably even went to Hogwarts together."
Smiling, I said, "Maybe they were friends."
He dismissed the idea abrasively. "Yeah, right. A deatheater and the heroes of the Wizarding World, friends." He laughed as if it was the most obscure idea he had ever heard. I felt that his relationship with his father was perhaps delicate but I didn't press the subject. I didn't know him that well and I desperately didn't want to intrude. However, I couldn't help but notice how tense he was when speaking about his parents.
"Do you have any other family?" I wondered.
"I have my sister, Carina."
"Right. She's in Hugo's year. And Beater for Slytherin." I remembered.
"Yeah, she can be violent but, then again, Beaters always are." He joked. I thought of Violet and Sam from our team and agreed wholly.
Just then, a tall and plump figure staggered towards us. I suspected his stick was designed to assist him with walking but with all the snow it didn't look as if it made any difference.
"Mr Malfoy, Miss Weasley." Slughorn greeted us with a puff of cold air. I went slightly red-faced, remembering the last lesson we had together.
"Sir." Malfoy replied, encouraging him to go on.
He nodded back. "As you may know, you two are amongst the most talented potions students I have this year. And as you may also know, I organise a very special Christmas party every year and I would like you two to attend." He sounded rehearsed and robotic as if he'd said this many times to many different people.
"Further details will be delivered to you by owl." He waved back to us offhandedly and jerked off into the coldness where heavy snow blurred him from view.
"Did we just join the Slug Club?" Malfoy wondered as we both stared out into the distance, watching the haggard old man attempt to half-slide and half-walk down the hill.
"I think so." I said in bewilderment. We stood there in astonishment.
Eventually, we made it back to the castle's entrance as night was forming. The realisation that I had spent a whole day with Malfoy without getting pissed off was astounding. However, I felt as if I had gotten a glimpse of why Al was such good friends with him and finally appreciated it. He actually wasn't an awful person and I scolded myself for not giving him a chance sooner. It just goes to show what you can discover if you have the time and frame of mind. I suddenly felt myself disappointed that we had to part ways to our separate common rooms on opposite sides of the castle but I knew we had Potions class this week, so I'd see him then. I think seeing him outside of the classroom is what did it. He was a completely different person when he wasn't distracted by his work. I hoped I was too.
After travelling as far as we could without having to backtrack to our common rooms, I said, "I guess, I'll see you in potions." I gestured in goodbye and began to turn towards the stairwell.
"Wait." Malfoy called.
I whirled around, half expecting him to say something important by the sound of his voice. Other students buzzed passed, dragging in melted snow from outside.
He seemed to consider saying something but thought better, his mouth closed and opened again like a fish catching air. "Remember my notes." He finally said and sauntered away.
Right.
So, I thought I'd give Scorpius a sister. What do you think? A lot is already planned out for her. She's another OC so it'll be fun to experiment.
Why do think Scorpius seems distant from his parents? Did Al really have a detention? Is Rose and Scorpius' relationship about to take an interesting turn?
Thanks for reading! xx