Startling Flare -A Scorose story

Chapter 27: Chaos

"We should go back in." I suggest, pulling away from Scorp's lips.

"Or we could sit out here all day and do this." He leans back in, but I block his needy mouth with my hand. He glances at my hand before looking into my eyes. Scorp's eyebrow raises in protest, but I chose to ignore it.

"We have classes and I need to go pick up my post." I remind him, indicating towards the owls currently flying in and out of the great big school. "A girl has to sort out her priorities you know."

"Alice could pick it up for you and you've already missed two weeks of class. What is another day? Besides I'm the top priority."

"No." I say firmly, avoiding looking into his eyes, because I wouldn't be able to say no if I did. "It goes school, food, post, Al, Hugo, a million other people then you." I tease.

Scorp smirks, noticing my lack of eye contact and simply scoffs at my diss.

"Are you sure?" He asks, tilting my chin, forcing me to look into his eyes. "We could stay right here all day, just relaxing." He leans in, kissing the corner of my mouth.

My breath shortens and I'm half tempted.

"We can't." I decide, scooting away from Scorp and bringing my knees to my chest, putting a good distance between us.

Scorp chuckles at my actions and grabs my hand, pulling me off the stone bench and toward the school.

"I kind of figured, but a boy can dream."

I squeeze his hand and together we walk back inside the school and through the doors of the Great Hall.

I expected people to react strongly to seeing Scorp's hand in mine, but I didn't expect the mass chaos that the Great Hall already contained.

Owls swoop low to the house tables, dropping handfuls of papers and packages. That was a normal occurrence, but the fear and cries of the students were not.

"What is going on?" I ask, glancing up at a stunned Scorp.

A young Hufflepuff pushes past us, tears flowing down her face.

I turn and watch her run away, her footsteps deafening the further away she gets, due to the outraged shocks coming from more students as they too get their mail.

"Scorp." I say, squeezing onto his hand a little tighter, as I drag him over to Al, who was surrounded by his friends, all shouting questions at him. Al has his head down and hands over his ears trying to drown out all the noise.

I drop Scorp's hand and elbow my way past the crowd, ignoring their questions and protests, as I push over a Slytherin taking the seat next to Al.

"What is going on?" I demand, pulling his hand away from his ear.

Al glances at me, before quickly grabbing the Daily Prophet off of the table, and yanking on my arm, pushing through the mob and leading Scorp and I away from the mob shouting at Al.

I catch a glance of Hugo at the Gryffindor table, looking deathly pale, as Lily reads the paper to him out loud.

"Wait." I say, pulling out of Al's grasp and rushing over to Hugo. "Are you alright?" I ask, crouching down next to Hugo and Lily. Lily instantly stops reading the prophet and turns an intensely sad gaze on me.

Hugo turns to look at me, with a blank look in his dark brown eyes.

"You haven't seen it have you?"

I shake my head at Hugo, confusion surely evident on my face.

A hand drops on my shoulder. I glance up to see Al looking down at my nervously, as Scorp proceeds to kneel down next to me.