Scorpius and Rose

Chapter 13- The Plan

I sit at a small wooden table in the Ravenclaw common room, hunched over my homework. It's already getting late and my eyelids are starting to droop. I rub my eyes and when I open them Rose comes into the common room from the girl's dormitory and smiles at me.

"Hey," I say.

"Hey. What's up?" she asks, sliding into a chair next to me. "Ouch. You're not done with that?" She gestures at my potions essay.

"No," I sigh. "I can't remember all the ingredients you need to brew it. Don't tell me the answer!" I add quickly as Rose opens her mouth.

She shuts her mouth and smiles guiltily. "What? I was just going to... tell you what page the list is on in the potions book?" she says unconvincingly.

I laugh. "Rose Weasley needs to work in her lying skills!" I tease her.

"It's kind of weird, seeing as my dad runs a joke shop. Although, his jokes are quite lame," she says with a laugh.

I like her laugh. It sounds like bells.

"I don't know. I think the nose trick is quite glorious," I joke.

She bursts out laughing. "The nose trick!"

I laugh too, and set down my quill. I can already tell that I'm not going to finish my essay tonight. "What's up? I thought I was the one who stops the homework," I say with a grin.

Her eyes glance down at the table and she frowns. "Well, I can't stop thinking about that werewolf," she confesses.

The smile falls from my face. Wincing, I press the tips of my fingers to my forehead. "Honestly I haven't thought much about it," I say. "All sorts of wild animals live in the Forbidden Forest. I mean, even unicorns have been seen in there."

"True," Rose admits, "But according to Uncle Harry, all the werewolves went underground years ago."

"Where do you keep hearing these things?" I ask.

"My mum's the Minister of Magic," she says. "I'm bound to get told something!"

"Told, or overhear things you're not supposed to?" I wiggle my eyebrows.

"No one said that I couldn't listen!" she says defensively.

I grin at her, leaning back in my chair. "So, what's the grand plan?"

She looks at me carefully and speaks slowly. "I was thinking about going to the Forbidden Forest."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask.

"Well.. It's just we don't have good experiences with werewolves," Rose says.

I scoff. "I know that," I say. "I still don't get why you're looking at me like a kicked puppy.... Oh," I say as she looks down at the table. "I'll be fine."

She nods. "Okay, yeah, I'm overreacting."

"Our only problem is that the Forbidden Forest is well... forbidden."

She smirks. "The invisibility cloak is always an option."

I lean forward and place my elbows on the table. Something my father would hate. "I like the way you think, Rose Weasley."

"We need to plan, though. We can't go in unprepared."

I smile, relieved to be focusing on something other than potions. "We've done it before, haven't we?"

Rose runs her thumb in circles over her left palm. "I feel like this time's different."

I lean back in my chair, resting my forearms on the table. "Why?"