THE PREFECTS SEEMED LESS THAN enthusiastic about his idea. In fact, Brody outright rejected his idea of sending out the firebird message to all the other Houses.
"This will get us expelled." Brody argued. "My father will kill me!"
"If it was Lana receiving the box, you wouldn't think twice about sending this firebird would you?" Scorpius snapped.
Brody flushed at that, glancing at his prefect girlfriend.
"Well, no." he admitted. "But that doesn't mean it's a good idea. Think of the consequences-"
"You don't understand." Lana bit out. "You don't know what it's like to be targeted for your parents choices."
Scorpius met her eyes. "So we're in agreement?"
"Yes." she said firmly.
Brody scoffed and threw his hands up. "Are we seriously considering this? Blimey, Scorp, if we get caught then-then-"
"We won't be." Scorpius muttered, looking for his wand.
Lana pulled her's from her back pocket. "Just use mine."
Brody reached out to push down her hand. "Lana, what are you thinking? You'll get caught!"
She scowled. "Stop being so cowardly."
Scorpius had no comment for that. Their relationship drama could sort itself out when it wasn't in the confines of his dorm. He took Lana's wand and began to cast the spell.
The phoenix emerged from the wisp of Lana's wand. He was surprised at how receptive the wand was to his magic. There was something familiar about her magic.
He painted the symbol for the phoenix to recreate, and sent it off to complete its mission. He kicked out the prefects and collapses in his bed, blocking out the potential consequences he would face for the action.
~
The Great Hall was bustling with those who spoke of the incident that happened the night before.
Scorpius felt the eyes of the Great Hall on Slytherin table. Rose took a seat next to Albus, across from him. He felt his eyebrow twitch at that, but kept his cool. Thea plopped next to Albus, leaving him empty on both sides. Which also meant that Maryse Zabini took her moment to slip in.
"Scorp, did you hear?" she whispered low. "About what Lana Avery did?"
He gritted his teeth but maintained an air of mild curiosity that Maryse fed on.
"The witch sent out a phoenix fire message to all the Houses." she continued, glancing up to see the Headmistress approach the podium. "McGonagall is furious. She tracked the spell back to Lana this morning. A few Hufflepuff girls were right outside her office when she found-"
"Students, may I have your attention please." McGonagall's voice sent a hush over the students and professors. "As you may know, there has been a terrible and distasteful message sent to all the Houses. I am addressing the matter now, so expect no further questions to be answered by myself or the staff. Voldemort has not returned. The Dark Mark is not a symbol of his return. The incident has been traced to the culprit who will be punished accordingly. No further questions will be answered. That is all that you, as students, need to know. Enjoy your breakfast. Now will Scorpius Malfoy, Rose Granger-Weasley, and Lana Avery meet me in my office."
Rose tensed up, meeting Scorpius' gaze from across the table.
Relax, he mouthed.
She took in a shaky breath and gathered her stuff, squeezing Albus' shoulder as she left first.
Scorpius caught up with Lana and Rose as they both exited the Great Hall. "Here's the plan. Lana, say nothing. Rose, you too. I'll do all the talking."
Rose jerked her elbow into his ribcage. "I know it was you! Sending a Dark Mark, really? That's the response you're going to go for when your House is targetted? If anything, that fuels the culprits in their hatred against you even more. Why give them more proof that you're exactly what they claim you to be?"
He scowled. "Rose, shut up and do as your told, otherwise you'll get expelled as well."
"As well?" she gasped as they all turned the corner to the winding staircase that lead to McGonagall's. "What is that supposed to mean? Do you think you're going to be expelled?"
"No," Lana grimaced. "I am. It was my wand."
"But it was my idea." he snapped. "I was the one who used your wand."
"McGonagall doesn't know that." she cried out.
Scorpius stopped in the middle of the staircase to grab Lana by the shoulders. "I will let her know. You won't go down for this. At most, you'll have your prefect status revoked. I won't have you expelled, not when you're a victim in all this."
She nodded vigorously and they continued the ascension until the reached the doors.
Not to their surprise, McGonagall was already waiting for them when the doors swung open.
Lana opened her mouth to speak but McGonagall cut in crisp and clear, voice rich with intent. "Sit. Down."
There were two seats. He let Lana and Rose occupy it, choosing to stand behind Rose's chair.
"Lana Avery, just what exactly were you thinking to send that out? And you two- how were you not aware of what goes on? As Head Boy and Girl you are in charge of the discipling of the students, especially prefects!"
Scorpius took this as a chance to come in. "Professor, the Dark Mark was my idea."
The disappointment and shock that flooded through McGonagall's eyes sliced him to the core.
"Your idea?"
"Yes." he grimaced. "Rose doesn't know anything about it the situation because it was purposefully kept from her. Lana didn't send the Dark Mark out. I did, her wand was ready at hand and I sent it out before I could think. But believe me, it was for good reasons. There's hate crimes occurring towards pureblood Slytherin Death Eater descendants, and I believed that-"
"That what?" she snapped, waving her arm. "That this was the best course of action? Instead of letting your superiors know and handle the issue?"
Scorpius couldn't reign himself in. "With all due respect, most of the staff here were on the opposite side of the war our parents and relatives fought on. We don't exactly have full trust in the staff handling an issue for...our kind. And we can't be sure that none of the staff are a part of it either."
McGonagall looked absolutely livid. She took a deep breath, then turned to Lana. "You are no longer Slytherin Prefect and you will be on probation for the rest of the year."
Scorpius noticed Rose's shoulders visibly tightened when McGonagall turned to her. "Leave. Appoint a new Prefect for Slytherin, and find me candidates for the newly vacant Head Boy position."
Rose got up and followed after Lana, leaving McGonagall and himself alone.
She gestured for him to take a seat and began brewing some tea.
"How dare you." she said quietly as she poured hot water into the teapot. "Assume that this staff is not here to protect you. Our job is to educate, serve, and protect the students of Hogwarts. Not just Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw students- but all students. Even those so pig-headed to believe that they are alone in a fight."
She sat down beside him, pulling over the carted tray table in between their seats. With a flick of her wand, the teapot came to life and poured tea into two cups. The cup and the saucer both floated into his hand.
At McGonagall's request, he had a sip.
"Now, tell me everything." she said with a twinkle in her eye.
Scorpius grew alarmed and glanced down at the cup. Clear, colorless, undetectable. Bloody hell.
He just drank truth serum.
~
After spilling the secrets of everything- including the events of fifth year and Rose sleeping in his dorm, McGonagall leaned back and set down the untouched cup of tea.
"As punishment you will be patrolling the grounds with Filch at night in place of Hagrid for the rest of the year and you will have your wand confiscated until you graduate."
Scorpius widened his eyes. "The rest of the year?"
"Yes. Including the Yule Ball." she stated firmly, eyes narrowed. "I'll deal with Ms.Granger-Weasley at a later date. For now, I will see into these hate crimes towards Slytherin students. Any new information must be reported to myself immediately- not to Slughorn, not to Ms.Granger-Weasley, but to me. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Professor." he sighed, slouching further into his chair.
"I hope you realize what you did has very serious consequences, which means I'll be notifying you parents. You don't help your image if you become what they claim you are. Now, I suggest you go to your dorm and find a thick sweater to bare the cold weather for tonight's patrol. I expect Ms.Granger-Weasley to be back in her own dorm tonight as well and for you to come clean to all those involved soon."
~
His owl swooped into the common room just as he entered. When he noticed the familiar seal, he slammed his head back into the stone wall.
McGonagall had already written to his parents. And now he was about to get chewed out or praised for his actions, depending on which parent wrote back.
He pushed past a cluster of Slytherin girls to reach his dorm, ignoring even Rose as he walked into his room and cast a silencio.
He read the letter out loud, then again for good measure.
"A dissapointment to the Malfoy bloodline. You took my advice and twisted it to your own purposes, further reflecting negatively on the Malfoy name. I told you to show strength, not expose your belly. Now they have the fuel to act as such without reprimand. Your mother is devastated. You should be ashamed of yourself." Scorpius muttered, laughing wryly at the last part. "Enjoy the holidays at Hogwarts, because as of now you are not welcome home."
The letter crumpled in his tight fist.
Yet again, he messed up. When would this stop? When would his good intentions actually be perceived as such?
He took a deep breath before reaching into his closet to trade his long sleeve for a thick black sweater and went on patrol.
He met Filch by Hagrid's Hut as he explained which perimeter he would be patrolling and for how long.
"Mrs. Norris will keep you company this time around." Filch grumbled. "Anything happens to my girl, I'm coming for you."
He looked down at the musty grey cat. "Believe me, I don't want anything to do with her. Good or bad."
Filch just scowled and moved into the opposite direction. Scorpius began his trek around the edge of the Forbidden forest, on a cautious look out for Dementors. Filch told him to just holler if he saw one, but Scorpius failed to see how that would save him in the long run. Without his wand to produce a Patronus, he was defenseless. Well, he had Mrs.Norris thanks to Filch.
"Mrrow."
He looked down at the lazy Mrs. Norris who plopped down on a tree stump. Okay, defenseless indeed.
~
The patrol ended at midnight and he was finally able to return to his dorm, body aching from hours of walking with only a gangly fur matted cat as company. Salazar, he hated cats.
He fell onto the couch immediately upon arrival, tossing an arm over his eyes. After the darkness of the Forbidden Forest, even the gentle light over the living room seemed to scorch his retinas. He couldn't seem to get the energy to lift himself out of the sinking confines of the couch, so he accepted his fate to sleep there.
He heard Rose's door open.
"Scorpius?" she called out quietly.
He ignored her. He didn't feel like having a conversation, no doubt about what went down in McGonagall's office. He'd have to kick her out tomorrow.
Instead of the expected door shut he thought would happen, something far more sinister occurred. He felt magic probe into his mind. His eyes shot wide open and his mental barrier slammed shut.
Occlumency.
Rose was trying to dig into his memories.
He sat straight up and made eye contact with Rose, who gasped and jerked back.
"You're awake?" she hissed. "Why didn't you say anything?"
He got up and walked to her, gripping her jaw tight with one hand. Rose squeaked.
"If you ever, ever, try to enter my mind again, I will ruin you Rose. You have no business being in places you're not welcome." he snarled.
For the first time, he saw fear in Rose's eyes.
Good. He was done being toyed with, fighting for a girl who didn't want to be his. If she didn't want him as a lover, then she wouldn't have him at all.
"Why are you like this, Scorpius?" she cried out, each tear a whip to his heart. "Why do you keep pushing me away? I only did this because I know you'd never tell me on your own. I read your letter and I figured something was wrong."
"You read the letter? What right do you have to do that!?" He growled low. "And why do you keep coming back? Do you enjoy torturing me as such? Parading around to declare your love for another man while I sit sidelined by the decisions I made in fifth year?"
"What happened!?" she exploded. "Just tell me!"
"I can't! I can't, Rose. Even if I wanted to. You'd never forgive me. I still can't forgive myself. How could I ever ask you to-"
"I'm not asking." she said firmly. "I'm telling you. Either you tell me now, or I walk out. For good. No friendly small talk, no greetings, nothing. You'll be nothing to me."
He couldn't resist laughing low.
Rose looked miffed. "What's so funny?"
He stood straight, backing her up into his room. It was the first time she was ever in. It smelled like rain storms and pine.
His hands slid up to grab her waist, his fingertips skimming under her tank top. "What's funny is that now I'm nothing, when once I was your everything."
"Explain." she gritted through clenched teeth.
"Tell me, Rosie, what do you think happened fifth year?"
Rose didn't like this version of Scorpius, a more darker and almost sinister archetype, the one that made her feel like an outsider in her own body as she soon came to realize just what made her tick. She was put a clay mold in his art making hands that pushed and kneaded her into a mush in his arms.
"Scorpius!" she gasped his name when he slid a thigh between her legs.
"Go on. What's your theory about how I know this about you. How I know that your stomach clenches when I brush my fingers right over the waistband of your damp knickers...tell me Rose, if I slipped my hand under, would you be wet for me?"
His voice was of low timbre, the kind that sent delicious shivers down her spine. She caught his hand around his wrist and shoved him backwards.
"This isn't a game, Scorpius. You can't seduce your way out of talking to me."
He grew seemingly disinterested. "I can try."
"Don't be such an arse." Rose snapped. "You're being vile and-and cruel and I don't like this at all! I would never do this to you."
Scorpius studied her expression with a cocked head before laughing. "Oh Rose. You and I are more alike than you think. After all, every Rose has its thorns."
Her eyes widened, eyes brimming with tears.
She couldn't handle this strange back and forth that she had with him. She was done. And by the end of the day tomorrow, she'd be gone. Rose swallowed, all the fight in her loose in her bones.
He seemed acutely aware of her change in mood and was immediately on high alert as she stepped forward and leaned up on her tip-toes, her hands resting on his shoulders as she gave him a delicate kiss on his cheek.
"Goodnight, Malfoy." she whispered, closing the door behind him as she left his room.