XXIX
"The mandrake's song? But they only scream," Rose protested. "And the only cries we hear are coming from the stands."
Scorpius looked around helplessly at his team, not holding much hope for an answer. Weasley wasn't very helpful, Simon seemed disinterested, and Alex was still somewhat stunned.
"Tell me everything you know about mandrakes in order," Scorpius said to the latter.
Hesitating at first, the Hufflepuff eventually started to recite, "Mandrakes are a medicinal plant used since ancient times. The bulb of a young mandrake resembles a newborn and its scream can render someone unconscious for hours, while the scream of an adult can be lethal. They are also a potent stimulant, used to reverse the effects of curses or unsuccessful transfigurations."
"I know that much too, but do you know anything about their 'song'?" Gryffindor asked.
Alex shook his head sadly.
"No, I don't."
"In that case, let's not waste any more time. Maybe something else will lead us to our goal," Rose decided and, without waiting for the others to respond, started heading toward the jungle entrance.
"Who appointed her as the leader?" Alex muttered.
"Certainly not me," Scorpius replied, rolling his eyes. "Seems like a typical Gryffindor rashness."
The Hufflepuff chuckled, but when he felt the lightning-fast glance from Weasley, he quickly fell silent and obediently followed her.
Scorpius refrained from making a sarcastic remark that begged to be uttered. Arguing with Rose wouldn't help them at all right.
As soon as they crossed the gate, it rapidly overgrew, cutting off their way back. They quickly realized that the jungle formed a true labyrinth, and one moment of inattention was enough to make them lose their sense of direction.
"Maybe it's about the noise, some kind of echo," Rose suggested and cast a charm that produced an ear-piercing screech echoing throughout the area. The remaining three members covered their ears and winced.
"You could've warned us," Scorpius snapped when the noise stopped.
"Our position depends on how quickly we solve the puzzle. I don't intend to waste time on subtlety," she replied.
Scorpius was on the verge of giving her a lesson and explaining bluntly what her actions contributed to their current situation, but in the end, he bit his tongue and swallowed the curse he had on his lips.
"Any conclusions from our deafening experience?" he muttered instead.
Rose gazed at the surrounding jungle as if expecting to find an answer there. Her growing frustration was clearly visible on her face.
"What if it's about frequency?" Simon unexpectedly chimed in. "For us, the mandrake scream is dangerous, but maybe these plants communicate in that way. Maybe for them, that is singing."
Without waiting for Rose's next comment, Scorpius drew his wand and cast a charm.
"Muffliato!"
The silencing charm made them no longer hear the audience or any other surrounding jungle sounds. They were wrapped in a buzzing silence.
"Now we can't hear anything at all," Alex pointed out.
"Wait a moment," Scorpius muttered, focusing entirely on the spell.
Out of the corner of his eye, Scorpius saw Rose approach him.
"You're onto something. The Muffliato spell changes the frequency of sound waves instead of someone's conversation," she explained. "If that is indeed it, we just need to find the right one..."
Suddenly, amidst the silence, a faint rustling noise reached their ears, followed by increasingly clear words forming an odd song. They didn't understand the words or even recognize the language, but after a moment, four paths emerged from the midst of leaves and branches. Scorpius cancelled the spell, and they were struck by a cacophony of sounds.
"Which path is the right one?" Alex asked.
Scorpius glanced at Rose, but when he saw her frustrated expression, he merely shrugged.
"Perhaps the solution was in the words of the song," Rose suggested.
"I doubt it. There aren't mandrake dialect lessons in the fourth-year class plan."
Scorpius fell into deep thought. They had four paths and no clue which one was correct. They shouldn't waste any more time here, yet it seemed none of them could come up with anything constructive. They were supposed to work together, but...
Work together! Of course.
"All paths are correct," Scorpius exclaimed in a sudden thought. "There are four of them, one for each of us. Whether we like it or not, that task requires us to cooperate."
With that, he looked at the reluctant Simon, who was standing off to the side with his arms crossed. Seeing the Slytherin's inquisitive look, the Ravenclaw merely shrugged and made an indistinct nod with his head.
"I'll do my part," he grumbled unwillingly.
Scorpius nodded and then reached for a hanging vine right next to them. He transfigured it into four long ropes and tied them together at the end with a thick knot, handing the ends to the other members of the team. They quickly understood his intentions, and one by one, they each started down their designated paths.
The path was surprisingly long and exhausting. The dense and humid atmosphere on the forest floor made it uncomfortable, and the undergrowth of leaves and vines hindered their progress. Scorpius tied the rope around his wrist and made it magically lengthen with each step. He tried to clear the path with a few charms, but the plants seemed to grow back almost immediately.
"Try not to injure the leaves and branches," he heard Alex's voice in the distance. "These are vine hydras, plants that grow faster when you damage them."
The name sounded familiar to Scorpius. He was certain he'd read about them within the past week, but he couldn't seem to connect it with the plants right in front of him. Once again, he mentally cursed his lack of concentration in Herbology class.
"How are we supposed to get through?" he asked aloud, gazing at the tangle in front of him.
"They don't like to be touched. Gently run your hand along the leaf, and the plant will retreat," explained Alex.
Following Alex's guidance, Scorpius holstered his wand and reached his hand toward a thick green leaf. As soon as his fingers brushed against it, the plant trembled and moved out of the way, revealing a path. He repeated that move several times, successfully navigating the thickets until he found himself in a small clearing. The clearing was no larger than three square feet, and in the centre stood a stone pedestal with a twisted root on top.
"I've reached the end of the path," he called out. "I have a root here."
"I also reached the end," Rose called from the left. "I have lavender flowers."
"I've got some red berries," Simon's voice chimed in.
"Wait, I'm coming. I need to disentangle myself... ouch... for Merlin's sake...," they heard a muffled curse from Alex.
"Did petting the plants not help you?" Rose teased.
"That last wasn't a hydra, but a spiteful bramble," the Hufflepuff growled. He couldn't be far from Scorpius because he heard the snap of breaking branches and rustling leaves. "Alright, I'm here. I have some leaves... mint."
"So, we have mint and lavender, and a root, and berries," Rose summarized.
"And that mysterious root of yours, Malfoy. Can't you recognize it?" Simon asked.
Scorpius leaned closer to the awkward root and examined it more closely. It was strangely twisted, somewhat bulbous, had a creamy colour, and a sharp scent that reminded him of the tea his mother occasionally served during the holidays.
"It's ginger," he declared. "At least, I think so."
"That's great. But what does it do for us? Are we supposed to make a cup of tea?" Rose scoffed.
"Besides their flavour, all these plants are used in herbal medicine," Alex explained. "They are also ingredients for the pepper-up potion. In addition to these, the potion requires mandrakes and..."
"The unicorn horn," Rose concluded.
"So, maybe the unicorn horn is our treasure?" Scorpius asked rhetorically, and then without hesitation, he called out, "Accio unicorn horn!"
They heard a muffled rustling that grew louder and louder until a twisted unicorn horn landed in Scorpius' hand. At once, the branches around him parted, revealing the other members of their team standing at a short distance from each other. The vines above them also separated, exposing a view of the packed stands and a red sign shining in the sky. The sign displayed "12 minutes and 17 seconds," and below it were nine green glowing points.
"An astonishing result," Scorpius muttered. "We didn't even come to half."
"Maybe if you'd tone down the cynicism, we'd do better," Rose snapped.
"I won't take criticism from you, especially when all you did was cause chaos," Scorpius retorted.
Rose pouted her lips, ready to continue the empty argument, when Alex stepped in between them.
"It could have been worse. The third-years only scored seven points, so at least we won't be last."
Rose gave him a look as though the Hufflepuff had insulted her family down to the tenth generation, and then she turned on her heel and headed towards the stadium exit. Simon had also vanished somewhere, leaving only Scorpius and Alex on the battlefield.
"With that attitude, we'll be lucky if we won't be last," Alex concluded, and unfortunately, Scorpius had to agree.
Scorpius slumped onto his dormitory bed and reluctantly glanced at the Herbology book lying on his bedside table. He had no desire to discuss that competition, even though he knew that it wouldn't be long before all the Slytherins from his year gathered there. That was certainly not the performance they had hoped for.
Scorpius scoffed. Just a few months ago, he couldn't have cared less about what most students thought of him. However, at the moment, he was angry because he had failed to meet their expectations. Again he failed someone's expectations!
He abruptly got up and began pacing around the room. Since when had he become so soft? They didn't matter to him, never had. So, what had changed? Why had he suddenly started to care? It shouldn't have mattered at all. They were all insignificant, just a bunch of kids who happened to be sorted into the same House as him.
Yet, he had to admit to himself that deep down, he genuinely wanted to impress them, to show that he was good, better than the rest. Meanwhile, he had failed, and he had to face the consequences of that. He wasn't as clever as he thought, especially when he had to cooperate with others. It wasn't that simple after all.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by Zack's abrupt entrance. He stood at the door, panting.
"Come quickly!" the blond boy shouted. "Natalie and Alice got into a fight with Weasley."
"What?!"
Chasing after Zachary, Scorpius found himself on the grounds in less than three minutes. Amidst a crowd of onlookers, he spotted three defiant girls facing off, surrounded by a circle of students. He quickly scanned the area for a teacher, but, unfortunately, none were in sight. They were probably still busy at the stadium.
He pushed his way through the students and saw Rose with grass and leaves in her hair, looking dishevelled. Natalie had a cut on her temple and a swollen right eye, while Alice sat on the ground with strange bubbles on her face. All three were pointing their wands at each other, and the surrounding students were enthusiastically urging the girls on, clearly entertained by the commotion.
"Come on, you Slytherin jerks," Rose shouted. "I'll show you real magic."
"You're all talk, Weasley. You can't do anything, stupid ginger," Natalie retorted, deflecting a charm sent her way with a shield. "We'll make sure you will pick up your pieces for a week when we're done with you."
Upon hearing that, Alice cast another charm at Rose. The Gryffindor managed to dodge it, and the spell hit a student behind her, knocking him to the ground. His face instantly swelled and turned as red as a ripe beet.
Scorpius was in too much shock to react promptly. However, he quickly pictured an enraged McGonagall intervening in that chaos and for sure he had no desire to experience that firsthand.
"Expelliarmus! That's the end of that, you idiots!" he shouted, simultaneously disarming Natalie, who was preparing for another attack.
The three girls looked at him in surprise.
"What in the troll's arse is going on here?!"
"Ask your fan club," Rose grumbled, still not lowering her guard.
Scorpius turned his questioning gaze to the Slytherin girls.
"It's her fault! She can't keep her mouth shut. She tried to blame you for everything," Natalie explained. "She messed up all by herself and claimed you were the reason we got sixth place!"
Scorpius looked at the girl as if he had seen her for the first time in his life, and then couldn't help but burst into laughter, leaving both the gathered crowd and the girls in utter confusion.
"What's so funny?" Rose hissed.
Scorpius took a deep breath to suppress his amusement.
"Well, probably everything, from someone making a fuss over that to the zits on Alice's face. You're just ridiculous. You," he turned to Rose, "because you can't swallow defeat like a true Gryffindor, and you," he looked at the Slytherin girls, "because you care so much about what she says as if it had any significance."
"I've had enough of Gryffindors treating us like trash," Alice shouted. "I thought you understood that!"
"Sure, because certainly, gaining their respect by giving her a shiner is the smartest thing I've heard today," Scorpius retorted.
"I'm not going to listen to that nonsense any longer," Weasley grumbled, sheathed her wand, and headed back towards the school.
"And that's for the best. Do everyone a favour and take your ego with you," Scorpius called after her.
Rose halted mid-step.
"Do you have anything else to add, Malfoy?" she asked menacingly.
Scorpius noticed the Slytherins eagerly awaiting his response. He knew he should ignore Weasley; after all, that silly girl wasn't worth it. But on the other hand, he understood that if he backed down, it would only disappoint them further. They wanted their point to win, at least once.
"In truth, I have," he blurted out before thinking, "Albus always said that you wanted to be like your mother. But after what I've seen today, I'm sure you'll never be even in part as much of a witch as Hermione Granger. And you're pitiful in your attempts to prove otherwise."
In the blink of an eye, Rose reacted and jumped to him. Scorpius suddenly felt the sting on his cheek from the blow she had delivered. Silence enveloped the surroundings, and even those who had previously appeared amused looked at Weasley in astonishment. She trembled all over, and her eyes glistened with tears.
Unfortunately, Scorpius remained unfazed. His inner Slytherin was in full force and proudly displaying its skills.
Scorpius lifted his head higher and gazed at the Gryffindor with disdain.
"Did that help? Do you feel better now? Do you think you'll change anything by resorting to violence? Trying to prove your superiority through force? Pathetic."
Rose inhaled sharply, then swiftly drew her wand.
"Fight me!" she shouted. "I challenge you!"
Scorpius only gave her the same, disdainful look.
"No, I won't stoop so low as to further humiliate you."
"Admit it, you're just scared," Rose taunted.
Suddenly, a dangerous glint appeared in Scorpius's eyes.
"On the contrary," he muttered.
"Rose, what's going on here?" A surprised voice came from behind.
Weasley turned abruptly and saw Professor Longbottom walking briskly toward her. She had a look of pure terror on her face, realizing how that made her appear. She stood with her wand pointed at the Slytherin, who had his wand concealed in his pocket, and his face bore a clear mark from her strike. Additionally, he shielded the two injured girls with his body. For a moment, she looked at Scorpius, perhaps hoping he would resolve that misunderstanding, but he just stood there, watching her with dark satisfaction.
"In the category of dirty tricks, you can't beat a Slytherin," he muttered so only Weasley could hear.
The girl's hands started trembling more violently.
"Explain yourself, Rose, why are you attacking Malfoy and those girls?" the professor reiterated, squeezing through the students.
"It's not like that... I... they..." the girl stammered. "It's them..."
The professor simply shook his head, making it clear that she shouldn't try to blame others.
"You know the school rules, it's not allowed to point your wand at other students, let alone engage in physical attacks. I have to remove thirty points from Gryffindor," the professor said with visible regret, then placed his hand on the increasingly trembling girl's shoulder. "You'll come with me to my office, alright, Rose?"
The girl only nodded and lowered her gaze.
"Mr Malfoy," the professor continued, "please make sure your classmates make their way to the Hospital Wing."
Scorpius merely nodded.
"The rest of you, disperse to your dormitories," the professor finished.
Feeling that things had gone a bit too far, the students quickly began making their way back to the school, until only Scorpius remained on the grounds with a group of Slytherins. Scorpius continued to watch the departing professor for a moment. Once the professor was out of sight, he took a deep breath to regain control of his emotions. His previous satisfaction was quickly giving way to a disconcerting sense that he would soon regret his words.
That was the end of inter-house integration for that day.
Feeling the growing anger, he clenched his fist around Natalie's wand and threw it to the ground at her feet.
"Are you satisfied?" he snapped, and when he turned around, he saw surprised looks directed his way. Only Zachary seemed to understand that Scorpius was the last person who wanted to get into a conflict with Gryffindors.
"Why are you so angry? It was great, wasn't it?" Alice asked. "You put that idiot in her place, and her expression was priceless."
"Yeah... priceless..." Scorpius muttered, wondering what he had expected. That the other Slytherins would understand him and see the mistake he had made there. But to them, it only mattered that they had humiliated a Gryffindor.
"Exactly! She deserved it," Natalie agreed. "Each of us would have done the same."
"The problem is, I'm not like each of you," Scorpius retorted, then looked at Zack. "Will you take them to the Hospital Wing for me?"
"Sure. Come on, dummies," the blond muttered and, grabbing Alice by the arm, lifted her from the grass.
Scorpius nodded slightly to him and, without glancing at anyone else, headed back toward the school. His anger at Rose was slowly transforming into anger at himself, at thoughtless Slytherins, and, ultimately, at the pointlessness of that whole incident.
Scorpius wasn't especially surprised when he entered the Room of Requirement on the same day and found it empty. He waited idly for a few minutes but quickly realized he wasted his time. With irritation, he kicked a cage with a Pixie, which fell from a low table and rolled across the floor. The creature, clearly startled, began to fly around frantically, emitting shrill cries. Scorpius, however, wasn't concerned about the little pest's well-being. He nervously paced the room, then finally sat down on the sofa, propping his heavy head in his hands.
He needed Albus to help him recover his erased memories. He didn't trust anyone else enough to entrust them with such a secret. And because of one stupid incident, everything could be ruined.
However, Scorpius quickly realized that it wasn't the issue of lost memory that frustrated him so much. He wondered what Weasley had told Albus to make him not show up there. Of course, maybe she was just in his room crying and he couldn't leave her, but Scorpius had an underlying feeling that it was about something else.
Scorpius snorted. Nobody knew better than him how exposed Albus was to influences. Someone like Rose wouldn't need much to convince him of her point of view. To persuade him that being friends with a Slytherin student would bring him nothing but trouble.
Scorpius cursed under his breath, got up from the sofa, and headed for the door. He didn't want to waste any more time here. He felt growing anger and frustration, but he had no intention of apologizing. After all, he had done nothing that Gryffindor didn't deserve. And if Albus decided to take her side... well, he had managed on his own for years, so he would figure it out currently. Meanwhile, he had to find another way to break the Obliviate spell. That was his current major concern, at least that's what he kept telling himself.
Albus sat in his room, focusing on writing a letter to his mother when, unexpectedly, the door swung open with a bang. Rose stormed in, her face bright red, making her skin appear even more vibrant than her fiery hair.
"Get out," she snapped at Albus's roommate, who was quietly reading a book on his bed. "I need to talk to my cousin privately."
Without a word, the boy gathered his things and disappeared from the room.
"What happened?" Albus asked, getting up from his desk.
"Gryffindor lost thirty points, and I got a two-week detention in the greenhouse, all because of your dim-witted friend!" Rose shouted, so angry that she was on the verge of tears. "I thought I'd die of embarrassment when Uncle Neville removed points from Gryffindor in front of everyone. You have no idea how he looked at me. And it's all because of that repulsive snake!"
Albus watched his agitated cousin, his rising alarm mixed with confusion, not entirely comprehending what she was saying.
"Wait, Rose, I don't understand what you're talking about," he began when Gryffindor fell silent to catch her breath.
"He framed me! He made a mockery of me in front of everyone!"
"Who did? Scorpius?" Albus asked incredulously.
"Who else! Of course, it's Malfoy! That disgusting Slytherin scumbag!"
Albus hadn't seen Rose so angry in a long time. He knew she had a fiery temper, but her shouting was beyond anything he'd ever witnessed. On the other hand, it was difficult for him to imagine what Scorpius could have done to provoke her so much.
"When the competition ended, I was returning to the school to have lunch, and then two girls suddenly appeared on the field, arguing that our year did so poorly in the competition because of me. Then that scoundrel showed up and started provoking me. He said... uh..." Rose groaned and eventually sat on Albus' bed, hiding her face in her hands.
"You should've heard him!" she continued in a muffled voice. "The way he dared to talk about my mom, the dirty, vile, disgusting Slytherin. He hit me right where he knew it would hurt the most. And he did it with pure premeditation. He knew I wouldn't forgive those words. At the same time, he saw that Uncle was approaching. I didn't see it; I was turned away. He provoked me to attack so that I'd get in trouble with the teacher. Do you understand?"
She lifted her head and looked at Albus with desperation.
Albus was slowly starting to piece together what might have happened. After all, he had gotten to know Scorpius well enough to understand that that kind of action was entirely in his style. He had already witnessed Scorpius using similar tactics several times to eliminate his opponents.
However, knowing Rose, Albus suspected that she might not be entirely blameless in the situation. Of course, he couldn't tell her that outright, especially when she was in such a state. Therefore, he simply sat down next to her and put his arm around her. Rose rested her head on his shoulder, breathing unevenly as she fought back tears.
Minutes passed, and Rose slowly began to calm down. At the same time, Albus glanced at the clock and reluctantly realized he should be heading to the Room of Requirement. However, he couldn't leave Rose alone, not at the moment. He also didn't have the intention of trying to mediate their conflict, knowing how stubborn both Scorpius and Rose could be.
"You shouldn't let what he says get to you; after all, he's a Slytherin," he said, once it seemed like Rose had somewhat regained her composure.
"I couldn't let those words go unpunished," Rose muttered.
"But by reacting, you fell into his trap. He used your anger against you."
"Are you defending him?" Rose got up abruptly, looking at him with anger in her eyes.
Albus shook his head.
"I'm stating a fact. If you had controlled your anger, nothing would have happened."
Rose stood up and looked at him disbelievingly. "Don't try to shift the blame onto me. I had already walked away and was heading back to the school when he provoked me again."
Albus looked at his cousin with doubt. He had known her for far too long to believe in her complete innocence. He was well aware that she didn't always control her words.
"I'm not trying to shift blame; I just..."
"Albus Severus Potter!" Rose snapped, standing in front of him and pointing a finger. "You need to make a decision. Earlier, you asked me to try to get to know him, and Merlin knows, I have tried. Maybe he can be bearable at times, but I'll tell you that: it's just a facade. Today, I saw what he's truly like. Under that facade lies a disgusting snake, not worthy of an ounce of your sympathy. I'll go further; I'm convinced that your so-called friendship is just a way to make him look better. He'll use you for his purposes and then get rid of you when you're no longer needed."
"You're being a bit dra—"
"I'm not finished yet! I can't force you into anything, but I believe you'll bitterly regret that friendship. You know well that I love you like a brother, and your well-being is of great importance to me. That's why I can't sit idly by and watch that snake manipulate you. He's cunning, and you're too naive, too gullible to see through the deceit. So, I'm left with no choice!" Rose paused, then took a deep breath and added, "If you intend to continue your friendship with him, then fine. But don't expect me to help when you realize you've been fooled."
"Hey, you can't!" Albus also jumped out of his bed.
"No, I can and I must. Right now, you're blinded, but I won't tolerate it. As your family, I won't let that snake deceive you. If you insist on your path, that's fine, but don't count on my help when you get burned," she concluded angrily, and without letting Albus get a word in, she left the room.
For a long time, Gryffindor stood speechless by his bed, gazing at the closed door. It had to be some sick joke; Rose couldn't impose such conditions on him. It was absurd and... cruel.
When he regained contact with reality and instinctively reached for the mirror to contact Scorpius, he saw his reflection. Rose's words rang in his ears. What if she was right? Historically, she had always been the wiser, more foresighted one, knowing all the answers. He had always been the less clever, too naive, and straightforward one. What if he had trusted too easily again?
But was it possible? Suddenly, Albus remembered a few rare moments when he had seen Scorpius completely exposed, broken, or frightened. Then, the Slytherin couldn't pretend, he couldn't deceive. And it was in those moments that Albus had trusted him. On the other hand, he also trusted Rose; she had been his compass from a young age, always ready to point out his mistakes and guide him in the right direction. If he had to choose... Rose would never forgive him if he chose someone else.
Albus put the mirror back in its place and sighed heavily. He hadn't expected to be faced with such a dilemma. However, he knew how headstrong his cousin could be. If he opposed her, she'd be ready to turn James against him as well. James would readily believe that Scorpius was a scoundrel, despite the trust Albus had placed in him. Albus did not doubt that in that confrontation, James would unquestionably take Rose's side. They often argued, but when it came down to it, they always stood together.
Albus groaned and, with resignation, sat back on his bed. Who did he try to fool? As soon as he heard Rose's words, he knew what decision he'd make. He didn't dare to go against his own family. All his life, everyone had told him that family was the most important thing, that no matter what happened, they should stick together because they were strongest together. And though something inside him rebelled against that, he knew Scorpius could manage without him, since Albus would be even more helpless without the support of his loved ones.
Scorpius wasn't surprised when he didn't see any of the Weasley or Potter siblings at dinner. But perhaps it was for the best. He was so irritated by the whole situation that seeing them, especially Rose, might push him over the edge.
Karl and Zack, apparently aware of his foul mood, didn't mention the topic at all and engaged in a discussion of some trivialities. Later, the three of them headed to the dormitory to work on their assignments for the next day.
Scorpius sat there, absentmindedly staring at the parchment he was supposed to use for his upcoming Potion essay. In reality, he was tempted to crumple it and throw it away when he heard a faint call. He glanced at the mirror, revealing Potter's face.
"It takes you a lot of time to contact me," he said ironically when he noticed it was already past eleven. Even though Albus wasn't to blame for anything, the awareness that he chose to spend his time comforting Rose instead of joining Scorpius in the Room of Requirement didn't help.
Albus seemed to understand the jab because he looked embarrassed and stammered:
"I... Could you leave the dormitory?"
That time Scorpius couldn't hide his surprise.
"And where are you?"
"At the entrance."
"How on earth does a Gryffindor know where the entrance to Slytherin is?" Scorpius asked before realizing the obvious answer: the Marauder's Map.
"Okay, I'm coming," he grumbled, and, without wasting time, he approached the door. When he opened it, he saw Albus right behind it.
"Come in, nobody's around," he said, directing the Gryffindor inside. At that moment, Scorpius didn't think about how odd that might seem to an outsider. Albus was probably one of the first Gryffindor students to set foot in there.
Albus looked around the ornate common room for a moment, and then he turned his gaze seriously to Scorpius.
"I fought with Rose."
"Well, welcome to the club. If you've come here to convince me to reconcile with her, you've come to the wrong place. Weasley is responsible for her actions."
Albus sighed heavily, and it was only then Scorpius noticed how tightly he clutched the map.
"Are you not going to let me get a word?" he snapped, clearly irritated.
Scorpius looked at him in amazement but didn't say anything, giving in to the demands of the Gryffindor.
Taking another deep breath, Albus held back his anger.
"Rose tried to pressure me into ending our friendship. She believes you're exploiting my naivety for your gain, and she didn't speak very highly of you."
"Somehow, I can imagine that," Scorpius replied, sitting on one of the sofas. "In that case, have you come to say your goodbyes? Should I be moved?"
Albus glared at him.
"Could you refrain from the snide remarks for a moment? I'm here because I told Rose exactly what I think about imposing such conditions. I've done something I'll probably regret tomorrow, as I know James and Lily will peck me. You might not care, but Rose is my family, and we've always stuck together. I... I said some unpleasant things to her. I got irritated that she was trying to set my life for me, trying to make decisions for me. But I'm not like that. In the past, it never bothered me. I was even grateful that I didn't have to make decisions."
The Gryffindor became increasingly anxious, nervously pacing around the room.
"I can already see what I'll have to endure from James tomorrow. She cried because of me, and now I feel like I've stabbed her in the back. And it's an awful feeling," he added, looking ahead.
In silence, Scorpius observed Albus.
"You know what," he began after some consideration, "I don't have any siblings, but it seems to me that it's despicable to set such conditions for someone."
"She claimed it was for my good," Albus added.
Scorpius snorted.
"Convenient."
Albus nodded slightly.
For a while, silence reigned between them. Scorpius had already let go of his anger when he realized that in the battle with Rose, he had achieved a sort of double victory. But was it worth it? Looking at Albus' downcast face, he had his doubts.
"I'll talk to her tomorrow," he said, contrary to his earlier intentions.
Albus looked at him sceptically.
"I'm afraid it will only make everything worse," he admitted.
Scorpius unexpectedly got up and patted Albus on the shoulder.
"A little faith. I can't allow my best mate to have problems with his own family."
Albus still didn't look convinced, but he got up as well. Seeing that, Scorpius nodded and headed towards the stairs leading to his room.
"Come, stay the night at our place."
Albus looked completely astonished, to which Scorpius smiled in a very Slytherin manner.
"We need to soften her up a bit. If she worries about you all night, she'll be more willing to have a dialogue tomorrow."
"Or angrier," Albus remarked but still followed Scorpius upstairs.