Scorpius and Rose

Chapter 5 - Confessions In The Dark

Later, I sit on my usual couch, writing an essay on Boggarts for DA, when the couch shifts. I look up to see Lorcan Scamander sitting next to me.

"Hey, Lorcan," I say, and go back to my paper. In order to dispel a Boggart, I write, You think of happy memories and say the charm Riddikulus.

"Hey...'' Lorcan says, rubbing his neck. He opens his mouth and shuts it, shaking his head.

After several moments of this, I ask, "What is it?"

"You know what? Nevermind!" He says, turning beet red and running off. I watch him, puzzled.

"What was that all about?" Scorpius asks, sitting next to me. He has a medium-sized bag slung around his shoulders, looking light. I wonder what could be in there.

"No idea," I say with a shrug.

"Huh." He said. "Are you finished with homework?"

"Almost," I say. "I just have to finish this essay."

"Well, hurry up." Scorpius grins teasingly. I finish the paper in two minutes flat. Who cares if' it's half-finished if it means more time with Scorpius? "Want to go somewhere?" He asks nervously.

"Sure," I say. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise." He replies. He grabs my hand with a smile. "Come with me."

"Okay," I say with a smile. He pulls me to my feet and let's go of my hand with an awkward cough. He leads me through the halls, towards the main entrance, but we are stopped by an all too familiar frame.

"Well, well, well," Dolohov says. "What have we here?"

"Leave me alone, Dolohov," I snap.

"It looks like it's the fish and her tail." He takes a few steps forward. Dolohov's eyes are cruel and dark, his hair swirling around his face in a chaotic way as he speaks. "What are you two doing, huh? Probably running off to snog in the forbidden forest!" He laughs, a harsh, grating sound.

"Why do you want to know?" I take a step forward, causing Dolohov to take a hasty step back, almost running into the croon standing behind him. "Are you jealous of the amount of time I spend with Scorpius? I'm sure you'd like it a lot better if I blindly followed you around, right? Just like all of your other 'friends'," I say. "Of course, maybe you'd feel better if your parents cared about you."

Dolohov looks like I've just slapped him. "Wha-"

I push past him. "Come on, Scorpius."

He follows me quickly, not wanting to stick around. "That wasn't very nice."

I bite my lip, feeling a stab of guilt. "I know. I shouldn't have done that."

"No, it was cool," Scorpius says with a smile.

I smile shyly back. "Thanks."

"Hey, I'm supposed to be leading!" He says with a laugh. I slow down, and he leads me out of Hogwarts, across the darkening lawn, and into Hogsmeade.

"Why are we here?" I ask, looking around at the surroundings. The cold September air bites at my hands, and the fact that it's already dark doesn't help that fact.. Without responding, Scorpius walks up to the side of a shop and pulls down a ladder from the roof.

"What's going on? What are you doing?" I whisper, staring at him.

"Just... Follow me." He says with a small smile. He begins to climb up the ladder.

"Are you crazy? Onto the roof?" I demand, crossing my arms.

"Trust me." Scorpius says, and he looks straight into my eyes. Something I can't name stirs in me, telling me to listen to him.