Rose left the Hospital Wing just after breakfast on Monday. By then, the story she had told her father and the Aurors had swept through the entire school. Although she had not told her father everything. I mean telling you dad that the reason that you got hurt was because you were in the Great Hall hoping to meet a boy is just a bit weird, she thought

On Saturday, she had gone down to the Great Hall in hope of seeing Scorpius. All week, he had seemed to be avoiding her. So, she decided to get there before he would. She had to talk to him and see what he was going through.

As she walked down into the Great Hall, she looked around to see if he had beaten her down for breakfast. Instead, she noticed Abby Baird sitting at the middle of the Gyffindor table trying to eat her breakfast. The reason she was trying was that standing next to her was one of the Slytherin girls who had called her names the previous week. The girl was taunting Abby again.

“Tell me, Prissybell, who does your hair? I mean, do you even own a comb?�

Abby continued to ignore the insults and ate her cereal. The Slytherin recognized Rose, made a face at her and slunk back to the Slytherin table. As Rose started to sit down next to Abby, the girl got up and walked toward the doors.

“Hey!� Rose blurted toward her housemate’s back. In an instant the truth hit her; Rose looked up at the staff table. No teachers were sitting up there. She looked back towards the door and saw the Abby turn to the right.

Rose reached into her pocket and found her wand. She ran toward the door. As she exited the Great Hall, she glimpsed Abby going toward the front door. She began to run in an attempt with her target. Following the intruder across the lawn, she came to the greenhouses and temporarily lost Abby. Worried that Abby might be waiting to ambush her, she began to carefully walk past the greenhouses. As she got past the last of the glass houses, she spotted the intruder almost at the Forbidden Forest. If the intruder made it to the woods, she might escape.

“Stop!� Rose shouted.

The intruder began to run and turned left past a row bushes and some small trees. As she too turned the corner, Rose heard a whooshing sound and the world went black.

Rose awoke in the Hospital wing. Standing over her were Madame Pomfrey and her father, and holding her right hand was Scorpius. Scorpius’ face was full of concern. As she tried to sit up, the room seemed to spin and she laid her head back on the pillow. As she turned to face Scorpius, the concern she had noted was replaced with the biggest smile she’d ever seen on his face.

“How did I get here? Wait, the intruder looks like Abby Baird! Did you catch her?�

Her dad, smiling a smile almost as the same size as Scorpius’s replied, “This young man was in the greenhouse and saw you following Abby. He left a message for Professor Longbottom and followed you into the forest.�

Rose turned toward Scorpius. For the first time in days, she just looked at him. However, she had only one thing to say to him that she wanted her father to hear. “Thank you.�

“Yeah! Sure,� he said, as the weight of the world was lifted from his twelve-year-old shoulders. As Rose tried to rise again, she grimaced. “Is she all right?� Scorpius asked the nurse.

“She’ll have a bruise or two from the spell. However, all she’ll need is to get some rest.�

As the nurse finished checking Rose’s pulse, the door burst open and into the ward came Rose’s mother and her little brother, almost running. Hermione looked at her husband and over to the nurse.

“She’ll be all right. She just got stunned and I prescribe rest,� Madame Pomfrey said giving a reassuring smile.

Ron raised his hand toward his wife. “I need to take her statement. After I get that, you can mother her all you want.�

Rose’s mother gave Mr. Weasley a look that Scorpius had only seen once, and that was when his own father had taken Grandfather Malfoy’s side in an argument. As Rose told her story, Scorpius released her hand, stood up and offered the chair to Mrs. Weasley.

“Thank you, Scorpius,� Hermione said, with a slight smile. Hermione began to reach over and take Rose’s temperature by placing the back of her hand against her daughter’s forehead. Rose jerked back from the touch and another grimace crossed her face.

“Mum!�

After Rose’s statement was finished, the doors opened and in walked the entire Quidditch team. The whole gang surrounded the bed. Scorpius suddenly felt like he was out of place again with all of the talk about cancelling practice and stuff.

He quietly slipped out of the door and turned to walk toward the greenhouses to get his rucksack and his cloak. After that he would go to the forest and spy on the Auror’s progress.

Hermione sat on an uncomfortable chair in a little cave created by the white, linen partitions that surrounding her daughter’s bed. She had split the last hour between reviewing a brief on an elf-rights case and watching her daughter sleep. Scorpius had slipped away quietly. The Quidditch team was out practicing. Ron was up in the Headmaster’s office with Harry discussing options. Molly and Arthur had taken Hugo away from the Hospital Wing and were visiting the rest of the Weasley grandchildren that were at Hogwarts. So she sat there trying hard not to see the parallels in their school careers. She couldn’t help comparing her daughter’s life with her own.

Rose stirred from the pillow and turned to face her mother. She stretched gingerly and rubbed her eyes. “What time is it?�

Without looking at her watch or missing a beat, Hermione replied “Two thirty-five.�

Rose smiled; leave it to her mother to answer in exact minutes. She looked around to find the little space empty of other visitors. Rose couldn’t hide her disappointment.

“He hasn’t returned yet.�

“Who?� asked Rose, trying to hide her feelings from her mum.

Hermione fixed her daughter with her best courtroom stare. Rose looked down at her bed. While avoiding her mother’s visual rebuke, she wadded up the top of the sheets in her hands. It was a waiting game; Rose knew who would speak first.

Deciding to speak just to break the wall of silence and taking a tone that so reminded her of her own mother drawing her out about her ‘friend’ Ron, Hermione began her interrogation. “Are you going to tell me what happened between you and Scorpius? Or should I just guess?�

“If you find out what’s happened, tell me, okay?� She answered her mother with a question.

Hermione hid most of her smile. Rose’s evasion of the question via a joint verbal and mental reversal was one of her ‘normal’ defenses. Rose was okay. She was being herself.

“I know Mr. Malfoy refused to sign Scorpius’ permission slip. So let me guess, you tried to comfort him and get him to talk about his feelings. And he stormed off and he hasn’t been the same since.�

Rose sat up. Had her mother read her mind or had Albus or somebody told her? “Yes. He just got all red in the face and almost sprinted up to his room.�

Hermione nodded. Numerous memories of either her or Ron stomping out of a room in a huff flashed through her mind. “Boys don’t talk about their feelings, Rose. They have to work things out in their own way. They think that if they talk, they’ll be seen as weak. And that’s for normal boys, I can’t imagine what male Malfoys might be like.�

“Why are you and Dad always bringing up his last name? He’s not like them!�

“I know, Rose. I spent Christmas observing him very closely. However, when trouble comes people tend to revert to their base natures,� Hermione replied.

“Even you?�

She smiled at the trap her daughter had set. Rose got that part of her personality from Ron. It was why they both were such good chess players. “You know I tend to over-analyze and your father panics for about ten minutes before he settles down to think.�

“Is Uncle Harry like Albus? I mean, Albus is always trying to help even before he knows if it’s needed.� Rose asked.

Hermione smiled. “Your Uncle Harry rushes in order to save everyone and, once past the point of no return, he tries to plan. It can be strength, but it can also be a greater weakness. You can’t always save everybody, but he doesn’t always see it that way.� She paused. The late night conversations with Ginny about Harry and his job were suppressed. This was about Rose.

“Your father said that Scorpius followed you into danger and refused to leave you until help arrived. He next shouted a warning into the forest and came up here to stay by your side.�

“He followed me into the forest?� asked Rose. The thought of Scorpius as a rescuing knight gave her a moment of pleasure, and then it didn’t. “Why? Did he think I needed help? Does he think that I’m some helpless girl in a story who needs a boy to save her?�

“He followed you so he could protect someone he cares for. What that means is that no matter how angry he is with you at the moment, he will risk everything for you. That’s a gift that needs to be appreciated. Rose, be friendly to him. Don’t talk about Quidditch or his feelings. Find other things to talk about, be yourself and let him be himself. He’ll work it out. You wouldn’t believe the number of times I swore to never again speak to your father or your Uncle Harry.“

Rose smiled. She and her mother had just had a real conversation. The talk was a mother-to-daughter, but it had not been mother-to-child. She gave her mother a smile at the recognition of the change of their status.

Her mother returned her smile with a look of total confusion.

Draco looked up and entering the door was the bloke from the last delivery. “We’ve got company, Mrs. Malfoy.�

“Understood,� she answered.

Draco noticed that the delivery man did not lock the door or close the windows. From under his cloak, he pulled a sack and dropped it on the counter. The sack made a substantial metallic clank as it landed.

Not taking his eyes off of the stranger, Draco dragged the pouch across the counter top and into his cash drawer.

“Any more requests from our friend?� Draco asked.

“He told me to tell you that the next time you change the order, you won’t know what hit your family until you’re taking what’s left to St. Mungo’s.�

The threat was expected. It should have scared him, but it didn’t. He and Astoria were Appariting straight to the front stoop on Number Twelve. And the store was protected by spells that would protect and warn them. The only family members that could be touched were Scorpius or their parents. He trusted Potter’s word that his son was safe. Astoria’s parents had been warned and were on the Continent, sightseeing. And Draco would love to be there to see Goyle take on his father.

“I’m surprised you came back after what happened last time.�

“What do you mean?� asked the messenger.

Draco smiled, feeling emboldened. “Any more requests, before I kick you out the door?�

“Yes, he really wants needs the Achlys poison. He needs it to solidify his position. He also wants some Pralina Extract. Pralina Extract is an antidote to Achlys Breath, so will you now brew both of them? Our friend doesn’t want to kill people, just persuade them.� The words dripped off the man’s tongue like honey.

Draco pursed his lips and nodded. He knew Goyle could still use the poison not the antidote, but it gave him some comfort and maybe some legal cover.

“When does he want the next delivery?�

“Wednesday, at noon. You will post a sign in the window saying you will be closed for inventory all afternoon. He’ll send someone else to pick it up.�

Draco just nodded and he didn’t say a thing until the man was out of the door.

Scorpius crouched in the boughs of the large tree listening to the sounds of the Forbidden Forest. This was the second Saturday morning in which he had gotten up before dawn and gone to the forest to search the general area where Rose had been attacked. His face suddenly contorted into a large, silent yawn. It was so hard to listen without slipping into sleep.

He had been silent for about ten minutes since he had moved to his current location. The trip to the tree had been way too noisy, because he had stepped on so many brittle leaves and trigs on his way, so now he had to remain silent. He hoped to lure the intruder into thinking the sounds were those of a deer or something.

He decided he had waited long enough. Reaching into his cloak pocket, Scorpius pulled out a hand full of small round stones. He chose a spot in the distance and flipped the rock in an arc toward his target. The stone flew on its path until gravity overcame it and it fell on to the ground. He next chose a spot about two yards to the right and repeated the process. After the better part of a half an hour and over twenty stones, he gave up on this location as being worthless and plotted his next move.

A large yew tree was across a little clearing, only about twenty steps away. He had to be quiet, not just so that he would not spook the intruder, but also so he wouldn’t rile the centaurs. Scorpius kept his mind on his task. The forgetting spell was one that his mother had mentioned in her letter about how someone could go unobserved even from Aurors. His mother had included that admonition about not going into the Forbidden Forest, because the centaurs could not be trusted nor bargained with.

He made it to his goal and began waiting again. After five minutes, he began the rock tossing. If the rock disappeared, it meant a camouflage spell was in effect. On his fifth toss, which was made toward a spot where two fallen trees lay next to each other, the pebble disappeared about ten feet ahead of him. Using the toe of his shoe, he drew a line to the place he had launched the pebble. Then, he made a sixth toss, about five yards to the right of the previous throw. He watched the pebble all of the way until it bounced off of the leafy forest floor. He scuffed the dirt in a line to where the sixth throw was aimed.

Suppressing a yelp of celebration, he started to leave the safety of the tree. If he could sneak back to Hagrid’s hut or the school, he had the location already marked. Suddenly out of nowhere, a disembodied hand appeared, just to the right of his fifth toss. Scorpius leaned back into the tree, hoping to go unseen.

Unable to see the rest of the body, let alone the face, he was not sure if it was safe to move. A cold chill ran down his spine. He was in a forest surrounded by hostile centaurs facing a magic user who had attacked grown-ups and avoided a platoon of Aurors. And he was only a twelve-year-old who knew maybe a dozen spells. If he was discovered by his prey, being captured would be the least of his worries.

As he watched, the leg and the hip of the intruder appeared out of the place it was hiding. It was like the other had forgotten where the boundaries of its protective spells were. The body disappeared again. Was he being teased? Was this an act so he would show himself, thinking it was safe?

He so missed Rose. If she was here, he knew they could whisper out a way out of this. And if not, they would face danger like they had in the London Underground last spring.

As he was trying to decide what to do, out of nowhere stepped the entire body of the intruder. She was a short, stout witch, part dishwater-blonde, part silver hair framing a wide, fleshy face. She moved with a slight limp and she held her right hand out palm up. She wandered to her left, but seemed to be going nowhere in particular. And all of the time, she was talking very softly to her left and right, where no one was.

“She’s crazy,� Scorpius thought.

The woman turned in her meanderings as if she had heard his thought. She slowly weaved her way toward his tree. If she were to take a couple of more steps to her right, she couldn’t miss seeing him. He had to do something before that happened.

As she took a step to her right, Scorpius charged her. Yet she didn’t seem to see him approach until they collided. As they both fell to the dirt, he tried to grab her hands to knock away her wand. She wasn’t holding one.

The woman pushed him aside, but did not try to fight off her attacker. Instead, she crawled forward and began to frantically sift through the dirt and leaves. Scorpius heard her exclaim. “It’s gotta be here.�

And as he pounced on her again, he heard her with a relief filled voice say, “Thank God! I found you.� As she attempted to rise, he wrapped his arms around her legs. A knee caught him in the eye as she attempted to stand. His hand slipped off of her knee and in the struggle, he felt the old woman’s knee land on it. A cracking sound came from his right ring finger. In the distance, he heard a sound.

“Help! Help me! I’ve caught the intruder,� he shouted. as the old woman kicked to try and free herself.

Suddenly, crashing through the bushes, his help was revealed. Standing in an arc around him was a patrol of male centaurs. Scorpius looked up to see two bows, with their arrows notched, pointed at him. He released the old woman.

A palomino with a salt-and-pepper beard and mane stepped forward and said, “You have been found trespassing in our forest and you are both our prisoners.�

Scorpius sat up with his legs crossed looking into the faces of his captors. The woman just remained laying on the ground with her palm extended, speaking again to no one.

The centaur looked concernedly at the old woman. “Human, what have you done to this old mare?�

“Nothing. She was like that when I first saw her. Please send a messenger to Hagrid’s or the school so they can fetch the Aurors.�

The request drew the shakes of many heads and the pawing of more than one hoof on the ground. The centaur looked like he was going to say something nasty back to him, when a young spotted, beardless centaur spoke.

“Father, I know where Hagrid’s hut is. I could deliver the message for you.�

The older centaur gave the youngster a look of total distain. Scorpius thought, “Fathers: they are the same everywhere.�

“We will have to council about whether or not we will turn you over to the humans. You have violated centaur law and that supersedes ministry justice. Besides, how do we know that you are not the intruder? The human, Potter, warned us about the shape shifting potion. We will consider your fate and we are a patient race.�

All of the centaurs, except the young one who had spoken out of turn, gathered in a council. The young one kicked a clod of dirt toward where Scorpius knew that the woman’s hiding place was, the woman sat there in conversation to the thin air, and he sat there waiting for patient centaur justice.

“Firehoof, come here,� said the old centaur. After a moment of hesitation, the young centaur entered the council. He nodded his head and ran at a full gallop out of the circle. By this time, Scorpius had become so disorientated that he did not know if Firehoof had run deeper into the forest or towards Hogwarts. The council broke up and then they formed a circle around the two sprawled humans.

Twenty minutes later, Scorpius got his answer. He heard numerous footfalls and the familiar voices of Hagrid and Mr. Weasley approaching. With the young centaur leading the way, a group of six people entered the clearing.

Ron Weasley spread his arms wide to stop his group behind him at a respectful distance from the circle. “Hello, Bane. I understand you have something for me?�

Scorpius strained to catch sight of Mr. Weasley through the legs of his guards.

�They have trespassed upon our lands. We require justice.�

Ron looked over his shoulder toward the Auror Broomwright and nodded. The young woman took off her robe to reveal blue Muggle dungarees and a white blouse with puffy sleeves. She then walked toward the centaurs with her wand extended, handle facing towards the centaurs. Bane snatched the wand by the handle from her and she entered the circle.

Broomwright gave Scorpius a quick once over and turned to face the old, muttering woman. “She’s Donna Fletcher, all right. Mundungus’s daughter and chief potion maker for Knockturn Alley. She seems to be in a trance or something. Confunded maybe?� Broomwright turned to Scorpius asking a silent question.

“Don’t look at me; I’ve not got that far in school yet.�

She smiled and nodded in agreement.

Broomwright stood and turned in a circle, facing each of the patrol. “I volunteer to take the place of the foal and the old mare as your prisoner until justice can be pronounced by your wise council.�

The centaurs all turned toward Bane. “Two for one is not a fair trade, human.�

Broomwright chortled, “An old woman touched in the head and a runny-noised boy who can’t defeat an unarmed, old woman! I’m worth four of them.�

Bane seemed to like the female’s nerve and pride. “We accept the exchange.�

“Wait, “shouted Scorpius from his seated position. “I found where she was hiding. Do we get to search the area?�

Whinnies and neighs sounded. Bane spoke. “The female has been digging in our forest. So what she had dug up is our property and not your property!�

Ron heard both Hagrid and Auror Sterling muttering their disapproval at the statement. Ron pawed at the ground for a second and made a counter offer. “Both groups will go through whatever she has. We catalogue it and anything that is not easily traceable to a specific witch or wizard, or to the school you get to keep. However, we also get to take the foal, the old mare and the young filly with us when we go.�

More whinnies were sounded. Bane said, “You have the word of the Centaurs.�

Ron responded, “You have the word of the Ministry.�

Scorpius sat in the bed of the hospital wing. The nurse had set and Skele-Gro’ed his hand. She also dabbed a smelly salve on the area above his eye.

Directly across from him, behind a wall of partitions and a two Auror guards, was Donna Fletcher. Sitting just to his left was Rose, her anger at his risking of his life melted into relief and eventually into a couple of tears. Next to Rose was his mother. The two females were talking about how impressed they were with how he had solved the case. He was not certain whose glowing eyes of admiration pleased him the most. His father had checked in with Madam Pomfrey and disappeared out of the wing.

After an hour, the heads of the Auror department and his father walked into the hospital. The threesome did not stop in front of him however. They went behind the partitions. He could almost make out what was being said, but Rose and his mother kept on talking, drowning out what was being said.

After about ten more minutes, Rose conjured a chess set and sat it on the table. She said that since he was injured, he got to be white and move first. He was amazed. “You never play chess with Albus, Jimber and me.�

Rose looked at him with a crooked smile and said, “I never waste my time on people I can beat without trying. I think you’ve improved enough to be a small challenge.�

“Really!?� He moved his king’s pawn out two spaces and the game was on. Just before he started concentrating on the match, he spotted his mother looking back and forth between the two of them with a weird smile.

About five moves before stalemate would have been called, the three men left the intruder. They talked in soft tones, once again too quiet to overhear.

Astoria spoke up, “You know, if you let us hear you now you won’t have to explain it over and over to us again later.�

The three married men looked at Astoria, then Ron looked back at Harry. He shrugged and said, “Might as well, no state secrets or anything.�

Ron began the explanation. “When Dung died, it left his daughter in danger. She had spent her whole life brewing potions for the denizens of Knockturn Alley and only her father’s power kept people from getting revenge on her. When he died, she found a will that included a map to a treasure he had buried in the forest during the Battle of Hogwarts. It seems that during the battle, old Dung played cut purse, rifling bodies to get rings, gold, wands, anything of value. When he started to leave, he knew he had too much to escape with so he buried most of it near Aragog’s old webs. So she, with the help of another, attacked the Quinces and boarded the train. It seems like Goyle had heard of the treasure and was looking for her. He found the assistant and tortured the information out of her. That‘s how Goyle knew about the Quinces.�

“What did you find?� asked Rose.

“Enough treasure for her to comfortably live the rest of her life on the continent or in America. She had to wait for the first Hogsmeade weekend for the lowering of the spells to make her escape,� Harry answered his niece.

Scorpius blurted out, “She’s sick in the head. She kept talking to people who weren’t there.� They all saw the two men exchange looks.

“Well one of the things she found lying on the forest floor near one of her digs was a special item. It was a gift Dumbledore had given me inside a Snitch long ago. The item gives one the illusion that your dead loved ones are there, invisible to all but you. And you can walk and talk to them like they are really there�

“So, she was talking to her father?�

“Not just her father. When Voldemort became strong, about the time I was born, two of his victims were a Muggle-born wizard and his daughter. The Muggle-born was her husband.�

Silence filled the area around the beds, Astoria looked at Harry. “And what of Dumbledore’s gift? Are you going to take it from her?�

Harry shook his head. “I’m afraid that if I do, the shock might be too much for her. I need the knowledge in her head. She knows about crimes that are unsolved. After that, we’ll have to decide.�

Rose looked close to tears. “How horrible! She lost everyone and everything that she cared about. And now you can just take what little she has in the world away again. It’s not right.�

Scorpius leaned across the board to take her hand. Rose mirrored the action with a smile.

Draco looked at the pair and hid his sigh. “Scorpius, I have some good news. Since the intruder has been caught, I can sign your permission slip for the Quidditch team. You can begin practice as soon as you are released from here.�

The news caused Rose to brighten from her previous gloom. The news, for some reason, did not excite him as he thought it would.

“Thank you, Father. However, I’ve been selected by Professor Longbottom for a special Herbology project and I’d like to see it through. Besides, with a year more of practice, I’ll even be an even better Chaser next year.�

Draco was dumbfounded and looking at the Weasley girl, he saw that she was too. The only person as calm as his son was Astoria. She wore a great look of pride about her son’s choice.

“You’re becoming you own man,� thought Astoria. Her fears about living with Lucius all of those years and the affect on her son seemed to melt away. He was truly their child and not his.