A/N: I am REALLY SORRY about taking forever to upload!
Plese don't kill me?
Chapter 30
Scorpius stared at me for a while, processing what I had just said. I was processing it myself, actually. Questioning it, more likely. It was practically impossible to make such a difficult potion at school. Well, at least now it was, considering the fact that since Professor McGonagall learned about all my parents doings, she took precautions so no one else could do it- especially their children.
An that would be me.
But how could someone else do it? The potion supplies cabinet was locked, with a spell which would blast a siren so loud the person would faint. I know from experience- not mine, but- who else?- James'. And the whole castle was supervised, and checked every month from the highest ceiling to the lowest dungeon to make sure there were no holes in the protection charms placed on the castle. Especially now, with all this cursing going around.
Except for the forest. Everything fits together perfectly, like a puzzle. The only piece missing now was who. And possibly, why. So, I admit, the puzzle is definitely not complete. Yet.
"How could I be so stupid?" I mutter to myself, stalking across the hallway towards the stairs. Scorpius walks behind me, apparently lost in thought. I take the stairs in twos, but even so Scorpius manages to keep up. His face is neutral, his eyes distant, whereas I look like a complete maniac with dark red hair flowing behind me and my cheeks flushed.
"You weren't stupid." he says calmly, pulling at my arm and pushing me into a secret passageway James had once told me about. I had never actually cared about it though, because it was tiny and full of dust. Now it had quite a number of footsteps indented into the dust. I climber up and wave dust away from my face as we emerge in the corridor which leads to McGonagall's office.
I don't know exactly what I'm going to tell her, but I better do something. I chew on my nails nervously as I walk towards the end of the corridor. "Of course I was, how could I not notice something so obvious?"
Scorpius's eyebrows knit together like they do when he doesn't understand something in class. "Well, I didn't notice anything an they were impersonating me, so clearly it couldn't be that obvious."
I look at him exasperatedly. Yes, but you're not the one who grew up with the people who actually did this years ago, I feel like telling him, and you're not expected to figure out things like this. Instead, I sigh.
We reach the gargoyle in front of the wall which leads to the office. "Sherbet lemon?" I try. The gargoyle (who has an indentation on his head, thanks to the war) turns himself towards me and sits back on his hind legs. After the war, I think someone cast a spell on him which animated it.
Supposedly, the Headmistress did it so the gargoyle would help her manage to get into the office, because after Dumbledore died no one could. He really didn't help, from what I've heard. But she found out eventually, that's what matters.
"Sherbet lemon?" The creature cocks it's head to one side grinning maliciously. "I like those! But no, sweetheart that isn't the password! Hasn't been for a century!"
"Lies, it was sherbet lemon last week." Scorpius smiles at the gargoyle. It turns to face him and shakes his head.
"Well, I suppose Mr.Smarty Pants has the answer, but I'll never let you in! I have orders! " it says gleefully, it's high pitched voice wavering.
Scorpius rolls his eyes, "What do you mean, orders not to? Just let us in, the password has not changed in years."
The statue shakes his head in denial. "Nope. Not to be bothered, he said. You'll get lot's of nice things, he said."
I rub my fingers across my temple. Damned statue. "Oh, shut up and let us in or I'll blow the remainder of your face off." I say rather temperamentally. The gargoyle straightens himself.
"Well that is horribly rude!" he mutters, shifting his position. Yeah, cause I care what a statue thinks of me. The wall starts parting, and down comes a swirling staircase which I start up immediately. The last thing I hear before the door closes is the gargoyle's cackling.
Scorpius is right behind me. I reach the doors almost out of breath. They should really get some moving stairs up here; would make like much easier. Scorpius steps out in front of me, and puts one hand against the door. Someone else is inside- besides McGonagall, that is. Someone loud too.
Scorpius pushes the door open and walks in, me tumbling in behind him. I straighten my shirt and look up, only to find that Scorpius has stopped in his tracks, about two centimeters away from me and is gaping at the two people behind the Headmistresses desk.
* * * *
The whole office is a mess, with the usual stacks of paper strewn around the floor, and the book which normally would be neatly set beside one another on the shelves toppling over one another in piles o the ground, or thrown onto shelves carelessly. All the magical apparatus which one would never know the use were crooked, as if someone had tried to use them.
And behind the disorganised desk, a boy with sunken dark eyes, skin as pale as a ghosts and coarse black hair. He had a devilish smile spreading across his face as he leaned over the table. Ferdinand Yaxley. Scorpius's friend. Scorpius looked horrified, his grey eyes round.
"Why, look who has found us!" he drawls, slowly walking around the table, his finger tracing the wood. I can see his wand sticking out of his front pocket. Mine is tucked into my back pocket. I could reach for it. "Scorpius Malfoy! And one of the Weasleys! How charming, the little couple come on an adventure did you?"
I raise an eyebrow. Before I can come up with a reply, he carries on slowly. "I suppose you must be wondering what we are doing here."
A voice floats over from behind the high backed chair which is facing the windows. "Oh, quit it, Yaxley.Stop being ridiculous," the voice is familiar. It's a girl. Scorpius crosses his arms and glances at me quickly. I notice that he has his wand hidden in his sleve.
Yaxley rolls his eyes and sighs, as if he were bored. "Whatever," he says in a monotone. He reaches for his wand and at the same moment Scorpius yanks his out. Yaxley smiles, amused. "Oh, Malfoy, do you know how to use that? Because last time I checked you never curse anyone, because you are far too good for that aren't you?"
The chair turns. "God, Yaxley, you really are an incompetent freak." The girl on the chair stands, flipping her brown hair aside. She stands up and walks towards me. Her black eyes glitter ominously. "Hello Rose!"
It's Emma.
My roommate, Emma.
What? My confusion bust be blatant on my face because she drops her head back and laughs. Scorpius keep his wand trained on Yaxley, but his eyes avert to Emma every five seconds or so. I'm pretty sure he has no idea what the heck is going on either.
"Oh, Malfoy, you really wouldn't want to use that on my dear cousin over there, would you?" Emma goes on. Cousin? This is damn confusing. "Because you know, we wouldn't want Rose to get-" It takes that moment of distraction for Yaxley to get his wand out and scream something incomprehensible to me, which ties Scorpius up in a bundle of invisible ropes. He struggles against them but can't seem to break away.
"Oh really, rope-trying?? What the bloody hell.." I groan, taking out my wand. My heart is probably running at one hundred miles per hour right now, and I can almost feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. Yet, all I can think of is how I'm supposed to take on two people while Scorpius is harmlessly sitting down on the floor without any options of helping. I point my wand at Emma. She ignores it and continues what seems to be a sort of speech.
"Anyways, before you little meddlers came in, we were very busy," Emma says in a sweet voice, standing still. Yaxley is moving behind her. "As you geniuses might have finally guessed - took you a while, didn't it, Rosie?- we have been cursing people around the school. Quite amusing, especially when I got to impersonate you Scorpius. Finally making you act like a proper Slytherin, eh?"
Ah, so it was her. Obviously Yaxley would have been too stupid to act, he would have probably just stammered and run away. I should have known Emma was behind this. She never had been quite as friendly as the other Gryffindors. Especially this year. She barely spent any time at all in the common room. And come to think off it, almost all the times I woke up, she would never be in her bed. She was probably the one creeping around the forest during the night, too. What she was doing there? Maybe having secret meetings?
"Anyways. Before I tell you anything more, Rose dear," She gestures to Yaxley who has a stupid grin on his face. He starts closing in, and I point my wand at him and scream the first spell which comes to my head.
"Petrificus Totalus!" Yaxley's face flashes with surprise as the floor closes in on him and he falls, face first. He mumbles something into the carpet and Emma sighs, clearly annoyed. "Don't move." I tell her, narrowing my eyes.
She flashes me a deadly smile. "Serpensortia!"
A blinding white light comes out of her wand, and following that, a snake starts making it's way from it's edge, flying through the air onto the ground. It slithers towards me, hissing and baring its venom covered fangs. I wince. "Leviocorpus!" I cry, just as the snake surges forwards. The creature dangles from it's tail, venom dripping onto the carpet in a hissy steam. I gesture towards the window and the snake flies out, shattering the elaborate design. Whooops.
Yaxley is on his feet again, aiming his wand at me. Emma too. I gulp and take a few steps back, holding my wand in front of me. Merlin help me.
"Locomotor Mortis!" Yaxley finally moves, his wand whipping through the air.
"Protego!" I cry out.
Emma snaps her head around to scold Yaxley, and I take the opportunity to get her too, "Stupefy!"
Emma flies through the air and bangs against the desk. Her eyes open, glittering deviously. "It's on, Weasley. Sectumsempra!"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Protego!" While me and Emma are firing curses back and forth, Yaxley moves across the floor, dragging himself towards Scorpius.
"Now ladies," he says in a monotone, his wand inching across Scorpius's cheek, "Why don't we put a stop to this." Scorpius stares at him with pure hatred busrting from his eyes. I breath in slowly. Emma cackles beside him, and puts a hand on his shoulder. She seems to be the master mind.
"If you don't give me your wand, he gets it." I keep myself from rolling my eyes. Scorpius doesn't contain himself.
"Please! What do you think, that she'll just drop-"
"Quietus!" Emma silences Scorpius, which makes him stare with even more loathing at her. "Now, Scorpius, I suppose you've heard of 'sectumsempra', have you not? Yes well, it slashes you open until yu bleed to death. So you better tel your girlfriend to drop her wand. Oh wait-" she laughs, "You can't."
"Wow, real mature." I say, sighing. Emma rolls her eyes, and Yaxley pushes his wand deeper into Scorpius' skull. This is so not good. I glance at Scorpius and notice he is staring directly at me. Under his leg is wand, which he managed to roll towards him with his leg. I smile and bend down and put my wand on the floor. Almost instantly, I am also bound, sitting beside Scorpius like a useless sack of potatoes.
AN: SORRY FOR LE SUCKIENESS OF THIS CHAPTER.