Chapter 18
"Que te passa?!" Charlie screamed into a phone. I coked my head slightly and closed the door behind me. Charlie shushed me with her finger. "No! Bu- okay bye!" she clicked the off button and hid the mobile phone inbetween her matress and her bed.
"You know you can't use those here...." I scolded half heartedly. Charlie opened her mouth to explain but Bex inturupted.
"Screw that! How the bloody hell did you get a cell phone connection here?" she jumped up and wondered over towards her. Charlie slaped her arm and continued.
"Rose you cannot go all prefect-y on me! My mother sent me half a gazillion texts about some crap and wouldn't stop calling! I had to pick up or else I swear she would come here-"
I didn't bother informing her that Hogwarts was practically impossible to find, especially to Muggles. I shrugged and opened my trunk, looking for nothing in particular.
I picked up the tatered copy of 'Hogwarts a History' and scowled. I had always loved this book because my mother always read ot but deep inside I already knew it by heart and it was utterly boring.
Once I asked Albus wheather he would ever read it, if I gave him a copy. He shrugged and said 'Whats the use? We can just ask you anyways."
Proof of my nerdyness. But my mother would be far more usefull for that. Now that Scorpius mentioned it, I have been quite influenced by what my parents think. I haven't even tried to talk and meet the real Malfoy just because Dad says they suck. I wanted to be in Gryffindor because my parents were in Gryffindor- maybe it would have been best to be in Ravenclaw.
Jinx climbed into my bed and turned in circles, finally lying down. I touched her soft fur and loomed up. Charlie and Evanna were talking exitedly about something, Bex was fiddling with her wand (probably sending a message to her new Boyfriend) and Emma had just slythered in and was pulling on her night gown.
Suddenly, all the lights went off.We were engulfed by darkness and I couldn't see a thing. I heard various screams coming from our tower, including one particularly loud one from Evanna.
"Lumos." Bex raised up her wand, and I echoed her, looking around. Evanna was clutching her chest, her eyes wide and Charlie was looking around nervously. Emma was hiding under her covers. Little...
"Everyone okay?" I asked. I heard faint 'yeahs'.
"WhAt the bloody hell is going on?" Bex asked, moving to sit beside me. Jinx was sat up looking around. "This never happens." We all had our wands on now and were staring slightly freaked out at eachother. I mean, when you go to a school for magic, lights going out is usually not a problem seeing as we have magic.
The lights switched back on and my eyes ajusted to the light. "I don't know Bex. But I'm not sure we want to know.."
"Nox" I put away my wand. We decided to go to Bed and muttered our goodnights. I pulled the covers up to my chin and stared out a gap in the window. Hagrid seemed to be walking down the perimeter of the forrest, his huge figure lumbering.
I yawned and closed my eyes.
*******************************************************
The whole of the Grand Hall was talking. More like screaming, I said to myself. I scratched my eyes sleepily and looked around. Naomi had just sat down at my diagonall and Mohini followed, even though I was quite sure she was in Ravenclaw.
"Hi guys! Rebecca, you wanna hear the newest gossip?" Naomi flipped her brown hair and pursed her red lips. Bex looked over and raised her eyebrows.
"Suu-re." she sang turning her body towards Naomi and leaned on her elbows. Mohini smiled and pured herself some juice.
"Well," Naomi scanned the room silently and looked back at Bex and some other girls who were sitting around. "You know that guy, I think he's a hufflepuff, called Tobias Reed?"
"And you know yesterday, when the lights went out?" Mo added. By the looks of it the whole castle was out of light.
"So- it was another crime scene." Naomi breathed eccentricley, her eyes bright. "The Dark Seekers got Tobias." I stopped in mid chew. How could I have forgotten about the 'Dark Seekers' (Thats what they were calling the people who were flying around cursing everyone for fun. Quite a ridiculous name, but whatever).
Bex gave me a sideways glance at me as if reading my mind. She must have seen a weird glint in my eyes because she hit her hand against her forehead.
Naomi kept on babbling. Eventually Proffesoor Longbottom was staring at Mo confusedly, as if he was trying to decide weather she should be on our table. Mo noticed this and stood up to go to her own table silently.
I spooned cereal into my mouth and noticed Albus by the door and waved him over. He frowned, looked uo and down the table, giving up and walking over towards me and taking the seat Mo had just vacated. Bex pointedly looked the other way and Albus pretended not to notice her, staring straight down at his breakfast.
My head (and Naomi's too) swooped between the both of them. "Well good morning Albus!" I said loudly. He looked up, his green eyes slightly annoyed and answered.
"Goodmorning, Rose."
I waited for someone else to say something but it was just an akward silence. "So, where have you been? We barely spend time together. Maybe-"
"Around." Albus poured himself a drink and looked down the table, looking for his friends or another seat.
"Cool.... So Have you been seeing Emma?" I asked conversationally. I noticed Naomi cocking her head towards us. Albus looked up with his eyebrows raised and Bex snorted. He turned to her.
"What? Think its funny I could have a girlfriend?" He demanded. Bex rolled her eyes and turned her face to him.
"What if I do?" she demanded.
Albus jabbed his fork at her and continued hotly. "Yeah, because you have the right to talk.."
Bex smiled evily (something she usually did when planning against Slytherins) and raised her eyebrows innocently.
"Haven't you heard? I am dating. Leon." she blew a kiss at Leon who was sitting at the table opposite to ours. I could see Albus neck turning red as he was coming up with a remark.
Not another fight. I had to inturrupt. "Uuh... So you wanna hang out tommorow?" I blurted randomly. Both of them looked at me as if I were sprouting antlers. Then Bex stood up and walked away, her shoes clicking on the floor nastily.
Albus blew air out his nose angrily and went back to staring down at his food. I knew he was stubborn (much like his dad) and would refuse to apologise to anyone, so I sighed and stood up with the intention of hunting down Bex.
I walked down the corridor and looked down to my right. No one. I heard footsteps coming from the left so I opteded to go that way. I climbered up some stairs. Peeves zoomed by cackling loudly and soom after I heard cross shouts coming after him. Lily ran after Peeves, shaking her fist in the air, her hair moped down and wet.
"PEEVES! GET YOU GHOSTLY BEHIND BACK HERE RI-" Lily squeeked to a stop, her heels digging into the magically waxed floor. "Hi Rose!"
I heard Peeves cackle again and chant, "Potty, Potty near the desk, Potty Potty, take a splash!"
I turned my head towards the end of the corridor where I saw the outline of the school's potergeist zooming away happily. I turned my head back to Lily who was smiling sheepishly.
"The desk?" I asked quizzically.
She shrugged. "You know Peeves... Making rhymes up that make no sense at all..." I rose an eyebrow and she smiled again and looked at the ground.
Lily waved goodbye and walked away, leaving me to look for Bex again. Maybe I should just forget it and leave it for later, when I see her.
I looked back down the corridor and hit someone face first on the corner. Whoever the person was gripped my arm and I opened one eye tentavley. Scorpius let go of my arm and brushed his robes off.
I bit my lip and sweared to myself. This boy was always on my foot!
"Uuh.. Hi..." I said unconfortably, running my hand through my hair nervously.He smiled.
"Hullo Rose." he bent down to pick up what looked like a flask but I couldnt really tell because he quickly stuffed it into his poket. "Fancy bumping into you again."
"Haha.. Yeah..." I said looking around. He continued fidgiting around them looked up.
"So, hows your essay doing?" I looked at him confusedly and he added, with a flip of the hair, "You know, the Nicholas Flamel one.."
Duh, stupid. "Oh yeah, it's cool. What about yours..?" Am I pulling out a conversation with a Malfoy?
"Good." I smiled uneasily and stood there with my eyes darting all around like bullets. Scorpius nodded and scratched his cheek.
A girl with dark brown hair ran down the corridor, stopping when she noticed Scorpius and me.
"Scorpi!!!" she practically screamed at him. He jumped, slightly taken aback and stared back at the girl with dark blue eye shadow on her eyes. "What the hell are you doing here?" she sneered at me. I scrunched up my eyebrows and thought about something to say.
All I came up with, however hard I tried, was an idiotic 'Ummm..'
"Whatever, Jade whats up?" Scorpius asked, ignoring my existance. Boys these days, one minute they're all friendly the other they forget your existence.
Jade scowled at me, flipped her dark hair and looking at Scorpius widening her brownish hazel eyes. "Well Lynn was looking for you, so I oh-bv-iously say I would help."
I started wandering away quietly and slowly, still listening to their conversation. Don't judge! It might have something todo with the 'Dark Seekers' (They seriously needed a better name).
Scorpius breathed out loudly."Well Jade, why didn't she come after me then?" He inquired impatiently, as if Jade bored him. I rolled slowly down the corridor, pretending to observe the paintings and tapestries.
"God, Scorpi, just come oon.." I could see her tugging at his sleave in the reflection of an armour. She tilted her haid a smiled flirtily. Scorpius waved her off and started walking down the way I was.
Jade pouted and murmered something, starting down the stairs quickly.
I turned around and started going back downstairs when I felt Scorpius behind me. "Like our conversation?"
I gripped the staircase and turned around innocently. Jinx it; he noticed. He snickered and rose an eyebrow. "You don't think I'm that stupid, do you?"
I looked to my side in the corner of my eyes amd licked my lip. "Uh.. Swear I wasn't listening." Lame, lame, lame Rose! What in Merlins name is wrong with you?
Scorpius snorted. "Sure." And started down the staircase. My cheeks flushed and I followed after him.
"What do you mean, 'Sure'?! You don't belive me. Why do you not belive me!" I exclaimed after him, catching up and staring him down. He turned his head towards me and smirked.
"Just 'suuure'." He walked downto the main floor just as people started flowing out of the great hall.
"Don't you dare 'sure' me, Mister!" I scowled, putting my hands on my waist. "Suure. Psh." I muttred more to myself than to him. He just smiled and shrugged, walking away into the croud.
"Oh SURE!" I said loudly. Again, other students looked at me like if I were a mad hatter and inched away slightly. I hut my arms against my sides and stalked off to my Potions lesson.
During the lesson, Albus sat at his usual place in front of me, but Bex moved to sit closer to her new Hufflepuff boyfriend- I still don't see what she likes about him. He's a good finder? Hmpf, sure.
i tapped my quill on the parchment on my desk leaving small sploches beside my notes. My bag was on the seat beside me and when I tried using the scrappy paper Al gave me he didn't answer. He was probably going onto his loner mode again, usually hanging with Lorcan.
The both of them had become good friends in their first year, when they were teased because of their names. I twirled my hair around my index finger barely paying attention to Professor Slughorn who was revising our Confuzement and befudlement draughts homework.
My mind wandered to what Scorpius had told me in the library. Considering both my supposed best friends were ignoring eachother and hanging out with other people, maybe I should look for new friendships. Maybe I should give Scorpius a chance. People do change.
"Rose what is the function of a beffudlement potion?" The aging proffessor asked foldimg his hands over his plump stomach.
I breathed in and answered, "A beffudlement potion or draught is used in small portions to confuse or dis-coordinate the drinker". Perfect recital of the book. Slughorn smiled and nodded.
"Very well, Miss Weasley! Now, turn to page 396, and.."
Yeah, I suppose I will give him a chance. I guess he must be trying too, since he seemed a tad bit too friendly lately. Slytherins must really get boring after a while, I decided writing down the ingridients for a Confusment Potion.
"Oi, Red!" James walked up to me after our last class and smiled his signature prankster smile. "You ain't seen Fred, have you? Me and mike over here have an awesome prank planned."
I looked at him unbelivingly. "James, only because its your last year doesn't mean you don't have to work hard in class!"
He snorted. "You sound just like my mother. Oh- OI MCKENZIE! GET OVER HERE!- ANd Rose do try to be a little more like victoire!" he ran off with Mike and I just watched him frowning. Sometimes maybe I should be more like Victoire; free spirited amd happy.
Victoire always smiled at me as she passed, her flawless blonde hair swinging behind her. When I was smaller I always looked upto her. Almost like how Roxanne and Fred looked up to their dad, when hearing the stories about his pranks with his twin. He always taked about their 'twindom' and encouraged Fred and Roxanne to be close- which they were.
I pushed my way through some other students, going to my Defence against the Dark arts class before I was late.
I sat down in my seat just as Professor DeLapido walked in and closed the door with a motion of his wand, starting off the class by quoting an old professor.
"The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible.
Your defences must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the Arts you seek to undo." (AN: Snape actually said this in the HBP and I thought it was brilliant).
I started humming to myself and stopped when I noticed Scorpius looking at me with a look of weirdness. I shot him a quizzicall glance and he just looked back to the front.
"Oh and homework is to write an essay about chapter 9.." Proffessor DeLapido said waving his wand hand so that all his things piled up and floated behind him. "And be creative."
I blew out my cheeks and threw my books into my bag. Bex was walking out with her arm linked in Leon's, her hair bouncing on my face as I pulled at her arm.
She looked back and the smile that had been plastered on her face lately dimmed. Oh, I see how this is. Mmhm. Okay then.
"Hi Bex!" I said fake-cheerfully. "Can I talk to you for a second?" Bex smiled at leon and whispered something in his ear. He walked away and Bex turned back to me.
"Roose! Hi" she smiled with her mouth closed and looked down the corridor, pulling back her hair. "Look, if you want me to apologise to Albus Severus Potter, I'm telling you now, I am not apologising, because I have nothing to apologise for.." Her face was closer to me and I could smell cinnamon gum in her mouth. wow. Never met this side of Bex.
"Why not, I mean- wait why did you use his full name? That's just weird I mean..." I poked my cheek and decided to forget it. "And where are you all the time?"
Bex chewed on her pinky nail (which was painted purple) and answered. "Been busy. Anyways, do you have spare lip gloss? I lost mine." I handed her my lipgloss and she passed some on her lips.
"Thanks. Hey, talk later? I gotta run" she waved and walked off after Leon. Ooo-kay then. I slipped the gloss into a pocket of my bag and walked down the hallways alone again.
I was constantly checking paintings for signs of Dumbledore. I looked at paintings of opera singers (who might as well give the fat lady a lesson), men in dark cloaks walking down a stairwell, ladies in frilly dresses, portraits of all kinds of wizards and even an image of a castle with three faint figures before it. I liked that one when I was smaller, fantasising about how it could be me, with Bex and Albus off on an adventure like my parents told me about agin and again.
My eyes wandered to one of the classroom doors; each one of them had an enscription into the wood that was like a charm to protect anyone inside the classroom. Sometimes I suppose you just need some big time destruction to make some changes. A shiny armour was twitching slightly in its place and suddenly sneezed loundly, jumping to the right. I stopped and squinted at the wall behind it.
I gave a step foward. The wall had the faint outline of a door on it. And a few words engraved too-Maecenas et maledicta invenisse thesauros fretus vestri introrsus vestrum desiderium, which I think means something about desire and wishes in latin.
I reached out and touched the wall, giving it a small push. To my utmost amazement, the wall didn't restrain against my hand but opened, making a large creaking noise, like a heavy rock being hauled off a mountain cliff.
There were dusty old unused stairs which lead upstairs.
I stepped a foot tentavley inside and pulled out my wand to illuminate the way. Better not try the lights in case the ancient room had a broken fuse or something. I brushed away some cobwebs and looked around myself to check there weren't any huge spiders by my feet.
Like my dad, I wasn't really found of spiders, but did find them rather intresting and quite misunderstood. Still, I tried to keep as far away as possible from them. Just like I did with Scorpius Malfoy, during my first five years.
But now that changed.
The room was filled with what looked like unused and broken school materials. The floor beneath me was made of stone and was littered with dirt which accumulated over the years. To my right there were old wooden tables with metal legs pushed agaiinst the wall- some of them were missing legs, some sprouting antlers or fur and others radiating a certain glow.
I stepped over an old book which was Growing mold on- shiver. The room was rather small and an old shelf by a corner was half exploded. My hand touched a soft fabric thimg which was covered in dust which floated over my face making me sneeze.
I yanked at the curtain and peeked outside. I could see over the forest. Between a gap in the trees I could see centaurs running past and something that looking shiftily like a spider creeped into the darkness.
I pushed my hair out of my eyes and peered around curiously. This was rather an intresting room. I don't think anyone else knew about this- it seemed like it has been abandoned for millions of years. Ok, not millions but you get what I mean.
It could be like a secret hide out.
I continued thinking persistently about the room as I walked down towards the common room. This weird room I found was on the fith floor- as soon as I closed the door behind me I almost jumped out of my skin since the bronze armour leaped back to its place, squishing me in the process.
My thoughts merged towards a Defence against the Dark arts assignment. Be creative... Perhaps I should write it in like a rhyme, like a poem, since I adore poems, even though I'm not all that good at them.
Be ware of boggarts,
they'll give you a scare,
beware of the boggarts
they dont really care...?
As I ran my toungue over my teeth trying to think up something less ridiculous Scorpius walked up beside me.
"Hey, Rose. We meet again!" I racked my brain for rhymes and hummed a 'mmhhm' to him. "Still thinking about the conversation you eavesdropped on?" his eyes flashed. Gosh, won't he ever let this slip?
"Come on! I wasn't listening to your conversation! Why, are you worried I heard about your little girlfriend being a little over possesive?" I snapped wrapping my fingers around the strap of my bag. Scorpius smiled, his mouth curling up only on one side.
"Who said anything about Lynn?"
It took me a moment to process what he meant. Then, I proceeded in to cursing rather louder than I expected.
"I'd be carefull if I were you," he advised,"Your loosing your intelligence." I snorted.
"So, you know that DADA assignment?" he asked casually as he peered down a corridor. Maybe he was looking for Lynn.
"Yeah?" I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear. Scorpius looked back at me.
";Uuuuh , will you help me with it? I missed that day about, um, goblins and I wanted to catch up so I was wondering if maybe we-"
"Sure." I inturrupted and thought."How bout the library tommorow?" I offered.
Scorpius scowled slightly. "The library is overrated. We should go to this place my dad told me about, the room of requirement? It's on the seventh floor and it"
"Finds you when you need it? Yes, I know about it." I completed. He smiled quickly just as James marched up to us. James eyed Scorpius with distaste- he had herniated my fathers distaste for Slytherins- thats what you get, I suppose, for being his godfather.
";What do you want, Scorpoo? Trying out new insults again to use on your nasty friends?" James mocked. Scorpius stared boredly at James.
"Actually, James, I-" Before he could finish James cut him off.
"Come on Rose, he's not worth standing near to." and he grabbed my wrist leading me away from Scorpius. I will never understand my dad and James predudice against Slytherins. If Albus had been a Slytherin, then what would they say? I didnt even get a chance to say bye. Thats what I told James. His reaction?
"James! JAMES! Let go of me! I know how to walk on my own you know!"
"pshhh be quiet Reddo! We have more important matters to deal with! Do you know if Albus has our map?"
He continued gripping my wrist and I twisted it around trying to make him release me. "'Our'? Who's map?" I questioned. James gave me a look and said like if it were obvious.
"The Mauderer's map, genius. Also, I need to find Lorcan, maybe he could charm it for us...." he added thoughtfully. My eyebrows were probably reaching the roof by now.
"You want to drag him into your Mauderer adventures now?" James looked around and breathed in.
"Him... Albus... ....Lily......Maybe even you." he stopped and stared into mid air thoughtfully. "But I suppose she's too busy with her own third year stuff... Mmmpf." I finally managed to get my wrist out of his grasp and smiled triumphantly. He muttered something about stupid relationships as I walked backwards slowly.
"I wonder what Beth would say..." I mocked, a mischevious grin spreading on my face like the sea lapping over the beach. James expression hardend.
"Beth? She'a been busy-" he shook his head. I stared at James for a while, his eyes unfocused, lost in thought, then turned on my heel and walked away.