Sixth Year, part seventeen

It was all anyone was talking about the next day. That Scorpius Malfoy had cursed Charlie and tried to drown him in the lake. Since it was the second major incident involving Rose, Scorpius and Charlie in little over a few months, the speculation was even more hysterical than it had been the first time round. Rumour spread like fiendfyre that Charlie had been about to tell everyone the truth about the Hogsmeade drama, and Scorpius had taken drastic measures to try and silence him. Some were even more ridiculous than that.

Rose was feeling entirely unable to face breakfast the next morning, her appetite completely gone, but Dom dragged her down despite her protests, telling her that if she didn't show it would only make the rumours worse. So she grit her teeth and braved the stares, glaring so fiercely that no one dared to approach her, although the Great Hall seemed full of whispers and subtle finger pointing whenever she turned her back.

Scorpius wasn't at the Slytherin table – he hadn't been there at dinner the previous day either. Rose suspected he was in Professor McGonagall's office, since her chair was also absent, leaving Albus to fend off questions by himself once again. Her cousin looked annoyed. Once, he caught Rose's eye, before looking pointedly away, and she knew there was a lecture coming up. Charlie sat surrounded by Ravenclaws, muttering mutinously.

For some reason Rose had no idea of, Dom was also looking particularly sulky. She'd barely said a word about the events of the day before, having gone up to their room early after dinner and drawn the hangings closed around her bed, and now seemed entirely disinterested in speculating about what punishment Scorpius would receive.

"Okay," Rose snapped at last, after Dom had completely ignored her suggestion of detention in the Forbidden Forest with the Acromantula colony. "So I suppose it doesn't matter to you at all, whether I have to go with him and get attacked by giant spiders, or Trolls, or – or people," she shuddered, her mind involuntarily recalling the voices of her three attackers.

Dom looked at her, and Rose saw with concern that her eyes were red-rimmed as though she had been crying. "What's wrong?" she asked in an entirely different tone of voice. "You're not crying because Scorpius is getting in trouble, are you?"

Her cousin attempted a watery smile. "No," she said, rubbing a hand over her face. "It's – it's Calvin." Her eyes filled with fresh tears.

"Oh. What…what's happened?" asked Rose, contemplating the best way to approach this without hurting Dom's feelings. "Did you have a fight?"

Dom shook her head, her blonde curls bouncing from side to side. "Not even a fight," she said miserably. "He – he broke up with me." She dissolved into loud sobs.

Rose blinked, taken by complete surprise. She had been so caught up in her own drama she hadn't even registered that Dom was upset about something. A wave of guilt washed over her and she made a sympathetic face. "When?"

"L-last night, by – by owl," she sobbed, covering her face with her hands. She was starting to attract attention now, though the Hall was still too noisy for many people besides a few nearby Gryffindors to have noticed. Rose tried desperately to think of something to say. She hadn't had much experience with this, since it was almost always Dom who did the breaking up in her relationships. Her cousin frequently tired of the one guy and moved on without seeming at all affected by it. But this was different. In fact, thought Rose as she chewed thoughtfully on a mouthful of toast, Calvin had been by far her cousin's longest relationship. She had never assumed he would be the one to end it.

"Umm…" she said at last, since Dom's sobs had started to subside and she was looking at her expectantly. "I don't…did he say why?"

"He said – " Dom made a face. "He said he was too busy, that he didn't have time for a relationship. That he wanted some time apart to re-evaluate, and maybe we'd get back together in the summer."

"Well…" she said carefully, "Maybe he did – "

"Oh don't be stupid!" snapped Dom, her cheeks flushing red, anger clearly starting to replace her other emotions. "It's the same excuse I gave all my ex-boyfriends when I wanted to split up. What he means is that he's bored with me. He's probably met some – some floozy in London."

"I don't think – "

"Well, who needs him anyway, right?" interrupted Dom, her eyes flashing. "I can get any guy I want. I don't need him. I'll make him regret ever leaving – "

"Miss W-Weasley?" the small voice was nearly lost in Dom's tirade. Turning in her seat, Rose saw a small, quivering first year staring back at her, his eyes as wide as dinner plates.

"What is it?" she asked warily, fairly certain she already knew the answer.

"P-Professor McGonagall sent me," the boy squeaked. "Sh-she said you should go to her office after – after breakfast." He scurried away as soon as the words were out of his mouth, seemingly keen to put distance between himself and the older Gryffindors.

Rose heaved a sigh and turned back to Dom. "Spose that's about yesterday," she said. "I better go now or McGonagall'll probably find an excuse to give me detention."

"Yeah," said Dom in a strange, tight voice. "Sure. Whatever."

Rose rolled her eyes in exasperation. "It's not like I want to go," she snapped. "I'd much rather stay here and listen to your never ending relationship drama."

Dom gave her a poisonous glare. 'Go on," she said cuttingly. "Don't stop Rose. Tell me what you're really thinking. Merlin knows it's all about you these days."

"That's not fair," she said, stung by the criticism. "You know I didn't mean for this to happ – "

"You never mean for it to happen," retorted Dom. "But you refuse to take my good advice and stay away from Malfoy, so what else do you expect? The guy's a snake. You shouldn't be surprised that he keeps getting you into trouble."

"Why are you taking this out on me?"

"Taking what out on you?"

"The fact that your boyfriend dumped you," Rose practically shouted. "It's not my fault. It's not Scorpius' fault either."

"Scorpius?" Dom sneered. "Since when do you call him Scorpius."

"Since I decided to grow up!"

They glared at each other, oblivious to the attention they were receiving. Rose clenched her goblet, breathing heavily. She couldn't believe that Dom was fighting with her at a time like this. When all she really needed was a little bit of moral support.

Dom's glare was slowly turning from angry to resentful. "I just don't understand you," she said at last.

"That's because you don't want to," Rose replied shortly, standing up and slinging her bag over her shoulder.

Her cousin stared down at her bowl of cereal. "Yeah, well, whenever you feel like explaining."

Rose sighed. "We'll talk when I get back," she said inadequately. Dom nodded stiffly, and Rose turned and left the Great Hall, her skin burning with all the stares being sent her way.

The Headmistress' office was on the third floor, close to the Trophy Room where she had first kissed Scorpius. Rose felt a pang when she passed it – she hadn't seen Scorpius since their argument near the Lake, and had been up much of the night going over their conversation and its implications. She wondered whether he would remain angry with her for very long. Hopefully not, since she was missing him already.

Both the gargoyles which guarded the entrance to Professor McGonagall's office had their eyes shut. Rose stood in silence for a minute before clearing her throat awkwardly.

"Excuse me…"

The left gargoyle cracked open one eye. "Password?" he croaked, sounding decidedly cranky.

"Uh…I'm here to see Professor McGonagall," she began tentatively. "I – "

The gargoyle closed its eye with a sigh. "No entrance without the password."

"But she told me to meet her in her office," snapped Rose, her already frayed patience thinning even further. "Obviously she wants me to go up there, you stupid – "

The other gargoyle made a sarcastic noise. "Now now, there's no need to be rude."

"How can I get in without the password?"

"Can't."

She took a deep breath. "So how do I get the password then?"

The gargoyle laughed dryly. "Can't."

She glared at them. "Well that's just great isn't it. Thanks a lot. Remind me never to rely on you two in a crisis."

"You can always take it up with the Department of Gargoyle Complaints," put in the first gargoyle.

"Oh yeah?" she asked testily, taking the bait despite herself. "And where can I find this 'Department of Gargoyle Complaints'?"

"Eighth Floor," it smirked, and the two statues both laughed uproariously. Rose gave them a very nasty look. After Dom, this was the very last thing she had needed right now.

"Listen you idiotic – "

"Is there a problem here?" asked a smooth, sleek voice from behind her, a voice that was all at once unknown and yet icily familiar to her. Rose froze, before revolving slowly on the spot.

Draco Malfoy was standing directly behind her, his mouth twisted into a derisory sneer. He was wearing Ministry robes, and Rose got the distinct impression that he had not come to Hogwarts for a friendly visit. No doubt he had been called to account for his son's misbehaviour. She swallowed guiltily. While it wasn't technically her fault that Scorpius was in trouble – after all, hadn't she warned him not to drop Charlie in the Lake? – she still felt some degree of responsibility for the course of events. And judging by Draco's expression, it seemed he very much agreed.

"I asked you if there was a problem, Miss Weasley?" he said again, jerking Rose out of her thoughts. She noticed that there was a definite inflection of dislike in the way he spoke her surname. She swallowed again, feeling nervous.

"Er…"

He raised his eyebrows, and she felt her face begin to heat. She had no idea why she felt so disconcerted. Usually she was good around adults, but she couldn't help the feeling that this man saw straight through her. He couldn't really know about her and Scorpius, could he?

Draco's sneer became more pronounced. "It's unfortunate that your powers of speech have failed you. But you're in luck, Miss Weasley."

"I – I am?"

"Indeed," he continued silkily. "You are. Since I happen to know that there is a problem."

Fighting the growing urge to flee, Rose tried unsuccessfully to engage her vocal chords. "Er…you do…?"

"She ain't got the password," interjected one of the gargoyles. Draco silenced it with a withering look, before turning back to Rose.

"Yes. I believe it involves my son, yourself, and one…Charlie Corner."

"Well," Rose wasn't sure it was wise to be arguing the point, but she couldn't seem to help herself. "Technically, I wasn't involved. It was more – more – " his stare was absolutely piercing hers.

He took a step towards her, striking a very impressive figure in his long black robes. Rose felt acutely aware of her own small stature, being at least a foot shorter than Draco.

"I'm not sure we understand each other Miss Weasley."

"I'm not sure we do," she agreed.

"This is the third time my son has become involved in punishable offences this year."

"Third?" she blinked at him in confusion.

"There was the unfortunate incident in the forest earlier this year. Before that, Scorpius received a detention due to fighting in his Transfiguration class," said Draco, with an air of distaste. "Fighting one Charlie Corner, who now reoccurs in the picture once again. As do you."

"I'm…not sure what you're trying to say," she lied.

He brought his face close to hers, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. She caught a whiff of his expensive cologne "Are you aware of the effort my wife and I have made to clear our names in the Wizarding community, Miss Weasley?"

She shook her head.

"Of course not," he whispered contemptuously. "Life in Hogwarts is an easy oblivion for one such as yourself, blessed from birth with a name like Weasley, with parents who are loved and respected throughout the world." He looked as though he was forcing himself to swallow something very distasteful. "You have no idea what it is to be shunned, to work every day of your life under a cloud of suspicion and dislike, to be constantly judged on the past."

"I – "

"Let me finish. My wife and I have worked tirelessly to clear the Malfoy name, to present a respectable and refined image for our son to inherit. To restore our fortunes and reputation, so that Scorpius does not spend his life under the same cloud. Do you understand me?"

She nodded dumbly.

"We have done everything in our power to ensure that Scorpius is not judged by his peers as I was."

"That's – that's very honourable – "

"And I will not have our hard work ruined by a spoiled little girl who just wants to run amok and drag my son down with him."

Her temper flared at the unfairness of this accusation. "That's not what I – "

"Your intentions may or may not be pure in this matter, Miss Weasley," he interrupted her, and there was a hard glint in his grey eyes that told her his mind was not going to be changed by her protests. "But the fact remains that every time you and Scorpius happen to associate, trouble always seems to ensue. Trouble which my son invariably suffers the consequences of, be they detention or simple schoolyard gossip."

She had no answer to this, because it was true. Trouble had seemed to follow her around this year, and by extension, Scorpius. How could she explain this to him, though? He could never understand their relationship.

Draco took a step back, and his expression changed a little. It became almost wistful. "My son has always fancied those things which are forbidden," he said in a strange voice. Rose felt her heart rate speed up. She knew what he was implying. "But it will pass. It always does. Desire can never be the basis for true affection."

"I…" he was wrong. Rose blinked back the tears that were threatening to form in her eyes. He was wrong.

"Nothing good can come of this," Draco's tone was cold again. He looked stiff and remote, like a figure from history. He walked past her towards the gargoyles. "The password is gratitude." The gargoyles sprang obediently aside, and a doorway materialised where they had been. Draco turned his head slightly, just enough to give her one last hard look. "Stay away from my son, Rose Weasley. For everybody's sake, but especially for his." Then he disappeared inside the doorway, which solidified into stone once more.

Rose stared blankly at the place where he had stood, her eyes burning with unshed tears and humiliation. She felt physically exhausted, despite it only being early in the morning. She was just so tired of the drama that seemed to follow her and Scorpius, the circular fighting, and most of all the crushing inevitability that told her it was only a matter of time before it all came to an end, no matter how good it felt when they were together. There was a deep ache in her gut. Draco's words echoed in her head, again and again, like poison; she pressed a hand against her mouth to hold back a sob. Everything he had said had been right – but it felt so wrong.

"Don't cry love," murmured one of the gargoyles in a completely different voice than the one he had used earlier. Both its eyes were open now and its gaze was sympathetic.

"Yeah," added the other one. "It's not as bad as all that."

Rose sniffed, and dragged a hand across her cheeks. She hadn't even realised she'd let some of her tears escape. Crying in front of gargoyles – could she really sink any lower? She turned and began to walk blindly up the corridor, away from McGonagall's office. She didn't know where she was going – certainly not back to the Great Hall – but anywhere had to be better than standing there receiving sympathy from enchanted sculptures.

She had only made it halfway up the corridor, however, when she heard the stones behind her grinding as they morphed into a doorway once more. Thinking it must be Draco again, Rose quickened her pace, only to be brought up short by a familiar voice.

"Rose?"

She stopped walking and waited for him to catch up, his footsteps echoing in the quiet corridor. He came up behind her and paused, forcing her to turn around and face him.

Scorpius had his head to one side, as though studying her. His expression was inscrutable – she couldn't tell if he was angry with her, indifferent, or nervous. It reminded her of how he had looked in fourth year, when she had rejected his offer of a date to the Yule Ball. The memory of that day only made the ache in her gut throb a little harder, and she gritted her teeth. It began to dawn on her that her feelings for Scorpius were more – much more – than mere casual attraction. She couldn't just throw them away, like Draco asked of her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice breaking the awkward silence that had settled around them. "Why aren't you at breakfast?"

She shrugged, then decided to tell the truth. "McGonagall wanted to see me."

"Oh." His eyes darkened and he shifted his gaze away from her. "Yeah. Right."

The silence dragged on again. Stay away from my son. "I - I should go," she said, hating how cold she sounded. "Lessons are about to start and I – "

"Sure."

She took a deep breath. "I hope you don't get in much trouble."

His eyes snapped to hers, and she read the bitterness in them clearly. "Yeah, me too."

"Well, I – I should go," she repeated stupidly, wincing at herself. She half turned, before catching a change in Scorpius' expression. His eyes narrowed and he suddenly looked suspicious. "What?"

"Did you see my father?"

She shook her head, but he must have read the answer in her face, because he scowled in response.

"What did he say to you?"

"I – " It will pass…It always does. " – nothing."

"He didn't say anything?"

Curse his stubbornness. "He – he said hello," she forced herself to say. "He asked me how my lessons were go – "

"You're lying."

She screwed up her nose in frustration. "He didn't say anything interesting, okay!"

Scorpius took half a step toward her and opened his mouth, but was cut off from whatever he'd been about to say by the bell ringing, signalling the beginning of classes for the day. Rose breathed a sigh of relief.

"Scorpius I – "

"Let me guess," he interrupted in a tight voice. "You don't think we should see each other anymore."

She looked up at him, confused, and was shocked to see an expression of intense distaste on his face.

"What?"

"That's so predictable of you Rose," he spat, as the sounds of other students began to filter up towards them. It wouldn't be long until the corridor was filled with people.

Of all his possible reactions, Rose hadn't really expected scorn. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and shook her head. His sneer only deepened, until he was a mirror image of his father.

"I have to go to class," she said weakly, unable to look at him. It was wrong. It was all wrong. "I – I'll…"

"Spare me," he drawled, sounding almost like a stranger. The ache in her gut gave another violent squeeze, and she blinked rapidly. "I'll see you round." He brushed past her.

"Yep," she breathed, her voice so quiet even she didn't really hear it above the noise of the students coming towards her. "See you, then."

But she was talking to herself now.