Scorpius awoke early the next morning. He dressed quickly and was the first Gryffindor to arrive in the common room. He did not want to miss Rose when she came down from her dormitory. However, Kaitlin Jones was the first of the two girls to arrive at the bottom of the stairs. She was less agreeable to his plan than she had been the night before. After a couple of quick exchanges, he was able to get her to agree to wait by the fireplace chairs. Rose, who had walked down the steps talking to Jennell, froze at the bottom of the stairs when she saw Scorpius standing there. Jennell gave a Rose a little push in the back toward Scorpius that earned Jennell an angry look from her friend. Scorpius wondering what was up with the two of them. Rose waved to the giggling Jennell, who walked over to the portrait hole to watch. Rose leaned toward him wearing a timid smile and softly said, “Good morning, Scorpius. Do you need want to talk to me about something?”

”Yes, I need your help with Kaitlin,” he replied.

Rose’s smile disappeared being replaced by a look of hurt. Seeing the inexplicable change in her attitude, he quickly explained to Rose about his coming down the stairs, reading Kaitlin’s worthless class notes, and how he thought she was the only person who could help Kaitlin.

Rose folded her arms across her chest. “And how do you want me help her?” Rose responded with a surprisingly forceful question.

Scorpius stammered his answer, “I thought maybe she could sit next to you and Albus. You could show her the best way to take class notes and stuff.” Scorpius wondered at Rose’s glare, but as he explained what he wanted her to do the hard look in her eyes seemed to soften.

“Well as long as that is all you want me to do,” Rose slowly answered in a distrustful tone of voice.

“Why? What did you think I was going to talk to you about?” he countered.

“Nothing!” Rose’s voice was ice again.

Scorpius looked into her face and wondered what had happened to make her react this way to him.

“Hello!” Kaitlin shouted as she waved her hand between Scorpius and Rose, “No one has asked me about any of this. I’m not moving down front to the Geek’s row with Weasley and Potter.” Kaitlin glared at Scorpius like he had insulted her.

Rose shot an angry look at both Scorpius and Kaitlin and marched toward the portrait hole to join her friend. Just before she got to the exit, Rose turned and shouted so the whole room would hear her, “All right, don’t let me help you. You can fail as far as I’m concerned. You can lose your spot the Quidditch team. Albus can take your place. You’re the one who will have to explain it all to Vance. I don’t care.” And with that, she turned her back on the pair, waved her hand dismissively over her head, and strolled out the door.

”I don’t need a babysitter,” Kaitlin growled, and she went two steps out of her way to bump into him and mumbling insults about him, she followed Rose out of the common room.

As Scorpius watched the Kaitlin girl leave, he heard two familiar laughs. Scorpius turned to the middle of the common room to see Jimber and Albus barely able to remain standing as they were laughing at the fiasco.

In between guffaws, Jimber said, “There’s an old saying on the Island: a man who tries to help an alligator always ends up losing at a finger.”

‘I understand Jones. I mean, she’s always been difficult; but what’s up with Rose? She acted like I was mean to her or something,” Scorpius said to his friends as he raised his arms questioningly.

“Well, it’s a long story. When she got her book list, James came over to thank her because he thought he would never have to study again. He said all he would have to do was hand her his assignments and Rose would give him all of the answers. She socked him,” Albus said, with a growing grin.

Jimber, sporting a big smile, added, “I think you’re wrong, Albus. Do you know why I think Rose was so mad at our boy?”

”No,” responded Albus. Jimber whispered something into Albus’ ear so softly that a straining Scorpius could not hear a word he was saying. Whatever Jimber had whispered caused an explosion of laughter from the pair.

”What did he say? Come on, tell me!” plead Scorpius to the boys. Scorpius followed his friends down to the Great Hall for breakfast, but they continued to refuse to share the joke.

Draco and Astoria were about finished with their cups of coffee and small sticky buns, when the front door of the Leaky Cauldron opened. As the door closed, they saw the heavily bundled forms of Isaac and Rebekka who had just arrived at the Leaky Cauldron after their normal trip on the Muggle tube. Isaac and Rebekka stopped in the doorway peeling off the layers of winter clothes and talking to each other, but froze as they saw their welcoming committee of Hannah Longbottom, Draco and Astoria Malfoy and a strange man in light blue robes.

Auror Beren Sterling, as he introduced himself, motioned for the two Dokes to sit down at a table in front of him and placed a strange small cauldron on the table in between them. As the cauldron was being placed, Isaac eyes darted over to Draco possibly looking for some reassurance. Draco found he could not quite meet his friend’s eyes. Without any preliminaries, the blue robed Auror waved his wand and the image of the two men who had accosted Luna Scamander that morning appeared ghostly above the mouth of the cauldron. Rebekka grasped hold of her husband’s arm and with a voice filled with fear said, “Maliaites.”

Isaac dropped his head as if to gather himself. He visibly swallowed and looked up to face the crowd. In turn, he focused on Hannah, Draco, and Sterling. And in a hoarse voice said, “We’ve got something to tell you.”

Albus, Jimber, and Scorpius all got to Defense Against the Dark Arts class late because of James Potter’s attempt at a practical joke. The trio was still snickering about how lame James had to be to hex himself, when they noticed that two of the three seats in the middle rows that they usually occupied were already filled with Rose Weasley and Kaitlin Jones. The boys stopped and looked at each other. Finally, Scorpius and Jimber moved up front to the ‘geek’s row’ and Albus sat at the table next to his cousin.

As Scorpius made his way to his seat, he heard Vestara Vesper, a brunette Slytherin girl, say loud enough for the whole class to hear. “I’d watch it, Weasley. According to Rita Skeeter, Jones girls have a thing for young Weasley girls.” The Slytherin girls roared with laughter.

Scorpius had just turned to ask the girls what was up, when into the class walked Professor Dawlish. Dawlish walked up to the lectern, turned toward his class, and then paused looking confused. After searching through his leather briefcase and the shelves inside the lectern, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his wand, and waved it. In a matter of seconds a foot long scroll came floating into the class room and most of the Slytherins in the back of the class snickered. Today was not the first time that the Professor had forgotten his class notes. Rumor had it that a former Headmaster, Dumbledore, had cast so many spells on him that it had had a permanent effect on his memory. Dawlish’s bad memory had gotten him bounced out of the Auror’s office, and then Headmistress McGongall had hired him for the D.A.D.A. post.

However, when Professor Dawlish announced the subject of this class everyone sat up straight. Today, they were going to learn a new spell: Expelliarmus. As Scorpius sat taking notes on the spell, he heard the hushed voice of Rose Weasley helping Jones with her notes. Every so often, Rose would whisper, Jones would make an exasperated noise and a scratching of a quill filled his ear.

After explaining the nature of the spell to the class, Professor Dawlish gave the students time to place their notes back into their bags. As the bags were placed by the door, the students began to excitedly talk. The last class before the Christmas break would also be the first D.A.D.A. class in which they would use their wands! Dawlish made a long swish with his wand and the classroom desks disappeared and left behind a large empty space in the middle of the room.

To make things ‘interesting’, the teacher proposed to mix the participants up. Gryffindors and Slytherins were to be teamed up for the demonstration of the disarming spell. Scorpius was partnered up with the Zabini girl. She glared at him, pointed her wand at him and silently mouthed the word, ‘Boom’. Jimber was teamed up with Mars Pyter, a snarling brunette boy with a pronounced double chin.

Dawlish requested that all of the Gryffindors were to go first followed by all of the Slytherins. However, Rose Weasley, who was partnered with Vestara Vesper, objected, “Please, sir, it would make more sense, wouldn’t it, for every other person to perform the spell. That way we could see the results much more plainly.”

“I don’t see why, Miss Weasley,” Professor Dawlish responded. The answer was obvious to Scorpius. If all of the Gryffindors went first then they would be ‘defenseless’ to the Slytherin’s attacks. Scorpius looked over at the line of Slytherins and saw that Rose’s request had been as transparent to them as it had to him. The look in Vesper’s eye made him wince for Rose.

Scorpius, who had been taught all of the basic spells by his Grandfather before leaving for school, performed the best amongst the Gryffindors, causing Zabini’s wand to fly across the room. Rose had Vesper’s wand bouncing around her hand for a few seconds before it rested back into it’s owner’s hand. The rest of the lions got little or no results from their attempt.

The Gryffindors all tensed waiting to see what the now-free Slytherins would do to them. “Three, two, one,” Dawlish counted down. The grinning Slytherins shouted and spells shot forth. Baird’s and Quince’s wands flew across the room. Rose’s scream of pain was drowned out by the window rattling from a blast of red light which flattened the students opposite of Albus, Jimber, and Scorpius.

The three boys sat next to each other on a long low bench which was opposite of the open entrance door to the Headmaster’s office. Scorpius looked to his left to see Professor Longbottom flanking Albus Potter. In the middle was Jimber, and next to Scorpius at the end the right end of the bench was Professor Slughorn. The boys heard Professor Dawlish explain all that had lead up to incident. The School Nurse gave the Headmaster an update on the condition of Zabini and Pyter, who were still in the Hospital Wing, Rose, who had been bat-bogeyed and was back in the dormitory resting, and Grindus, a distant Malfoy cousin, had also been treated and released.

According to the testimony, Pyter, Grindus, and Zabini had also attempted the bat-bogey hex, not the disarming spell. The question was what had been the source of the explosion. As they waited, two Aurors were in the classroom gathering evidence and would report their findings. The boys just looked at each other. The five sat on the bench like they had forgotten how to speak. However, Scorpius would not have known what to say even if the two men had not been present.

When their investigation was complete, the Aurors, Sterling and Smith, the two Heads-of-House of the students involved, and the three boys entered Headmaster Flitwick’s office.

As they entered the Headmaster climbed out of his chair and onto a platter and it floated him around to the front of his desk so he could face his visitors. The two Aurors examined the boys’ wands and Smith announced, “The only spells cast were the disarming spells.”

Flitwick floated at the boys’ shoulder height, back and forth in front of the group. “I know of no charm or hex that could have caused this? Do you?”

Auror Smith nodded his head in agreement, but Sterling hesitated. Flitwick noticed the pause and flew to where he was standing eye-to-eye with the tall man. Sterling, caught off guard by Flitwick’s action, took a half step back before catching himself.

“Auror Sterling?” asked Flitwick.

Sterling looked down the line toward Jimber and back to his partner Smith. “Well Headmaster, I’m working another case,” Sterling said after clearing his throat. “And well the thing is that the parents of the Dokes’ boy are under investigation for possibly receiving stolen goods and smuggling contraband into the country.” Scorpius saw Jimber lean forward and turn toward the man with an anguished look on his face.

“Headmaster, have you ever heard of the Maliaites?” asked Auror Sterling.

Flitwick’s bushy eyebrows rose on his face as he said, “Mr. Dokes, are you wearing a talisman or necklace of some kind?” For a second, Jimber just stared at his Headmaster, then as comprehension dawned, he pulled forth out of his robes a silver necklace dangling the image of a Griffin standing on a plant.

“What is it?” asked Professor Longbottom.

“The Maliaites were the most fascinating African wizards. They were second only to the Goblins in their metal craft. They were famous for their powerful Vardoo talismans which were also as beautiful as jewelry,” said Flitwick, the teacher replacing the disciplinarian for a minute.

Flitwick took the necklace. He waved his wand over it while he said an incantation, then he returned the necklace to Jimber and said, “The necklace appears to be a hex reverser.”

“Vance’s tripping spell,” said Scorpius.

“James’ hex,” added Albus.

Jimber held the necklace up to the light and said, “My Grandfather gave it to me just before we left the Island. I didn’t know.”

“It could be that he did not either. Our wands make our spells more powerful than free-cast spells are. A talisman like this in a wand carrying world would be a major danger,” the small man added. “Imagine if Tom Riddle had had one of these?” Sterling’s eyes grew wide.

“Professors Slughorn and Longbottom do you have anything to say or comment on?” Flitwick asked. The two teachers shook their heads from side to side. Flitwick turned toward Sterling. “Do you want take the talisman?”

Smith chimed in, “I’m not certain, sir, and you know how much of a stickler old man Potter can be about taking people’s property.”

Sterling elbowed his partner and nodded with his head toward Albus. Smith looked very nervous. Finally, Sterling took the necklace and the two law enforcement officers left the office.

Flitwick lowered his platform until he looked the boys in the eyes, “Since no active action caused the explosion you will receive no detention. However, Mr. Dokes, you will have your luggage and person searched for any more such artifacts. If any more are brought into this school, it will mean immediate expulsion. Do you understand?”

Jimber nodded and the boys silently headed toward their dorm.

Isaac Dokes fidgeted as he sat holding hands with his wife. Without looking up he said, “Weasley, he was the man married to the bushy haired woman. It was their son who played with Bethany at the match.” Draco nodded as he looked up toward the grey haired bespectacled woman sitting at the desk that was between the foursome and the door to Ronald Weasley’s office. “He doesn’t like you.” Isaac’s comment was a statement not a question.

Malfoy inhaled, gave Astoria a look out of the corner of his eye, and scratched the corner of his lip, “Weasley, Hermione Granger, and I have a long history. We were adversaries in school. They got married about the time Astoria and I did. She at least accepts my existence. As for him, I doubt he ever will.” Draco’s voice trailed off.

“Why? What did you do to him?” tentatively asked Rebekka.

“My Aunt Bellatrix tortured his wife, Hermione, in the sitting room of my parent’s house. My aunt was scared. My Aunt was trying to force information out of her. When she was done, Bellatrix told Weasley that she would turn Hermione over to a werewolf to be devoured,” Draco said in a flat voice.

“So, this Weasley watched his wife getting tortured,” said Rebekka Dokes with a choked gasp.

“No, he was locked in another room. But he could hear everything. Now you know why Astoria and I have to get our own place. That place has too many memories and regrets,” Draco said looking at his feet.

A flicker of light came out from under the door and danced on the assistant’s desk. “You will be seen shortly,” the woman said.

The Malfoys were here because they had received an urgent owl to come to the Ministry. Draco and Astoria had been summoned to Ronald Weasley’s office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. When the Malfoys had opened the office door, they found the Dokes already in the Waiting Room.

To Draco’s surprise, when the door of the office opened, the person who walked out of the room was, not Ronald Weasley, but Harry Potter. Potter was dressed in casual Muggle attire, not in an official uniform. The two couples entered the office to find Ronald Weasley, also in Muggle clothing, standing in front of his wooden desk. Weasley pointed to the four chairs against the far wall.

Potter looked over at Weasley and then said to the newcomers, “An incident occurred at Hogwarts today.”

Astoria and Rebekka both stood up out of their chairs. Astoria took a step toward Potter and asked, “Scorpius, is he all right? Jimber?”

Harry Potter raised a hand toward the concerned women, “Everyone, including my son Albus, is fine. “ As the women re-seated themselves, it was obvious too all the mothers not totally mollified. Potter explained what had occurred earlier in the day during the D.A.D.A. class.

“If the boys are not injured, and no charges are being brought, why are we here?” said Draco, addressing his comment toward Potter and ignoring Weasley.

“It’s the taint, is it not?” said Isaac Dokes in a flat resigned voice.

“Taint?” Astoria asked, looking at Rebekka not the two law enforcement officers.

“When a Maliaite defensive talisman is triggered, it leaves a magical residue on those in the vicinity. The taint is a secondary weapon, so the attackers can be tracked down and dealt with by the wearer or their family,” answered Rebekka, facing her friend.

“We know from witness descriptions, that the two green robed wizards have been seen in Hogsmeade,” added Ronald Weasley. “It is lucky that the Dokes boy, Jimber, is not old enough to visit Hogsmeade yet. It is why we chose to wait to confiscate the necklace.”

“Yes, a brilliant plan Weas…” The phrase Weasel-King caught in Draco’s angry throat. “Mr. Weasley,” he finished glaring at Weasley.

“Draco,” said Astoria, taking his hand to steady him. Again, turning to the Dokes, Astoria asked, “How long does the taint last? Is there a counter spell or potion to undo it?”

Rebekka twitched and looked at her husband. He sighed and answered, “Normally, two or three days, depending on the number of attackers and the severity of the attacks. It sounds like the necklace repelled at least three separate attacks. It could be a week or maybe two.”

“That’s what Headmaster Flitwick thought. So it looks like none of us will be having a ‘normal’ Christmas,” finished Potter, looking at the four people across the office.