‘I accidentally crashed into his trunk.’

‘Accidentally, or “accidentally”?’

‘Accidentally! Do you think I’d start something this early in the year?’ Scorpius waved a dismissive hand. ‘Don’t answer that.’

Albus noticed him trying to bore holes in the back of Rose’s head with his baleful gaze, and as they unpacked their bags he leant down to him. ‘Scorp, please. Drop it.’ It was part instruction, part plead, and because that was usually enough, because Albus asked so little of Scorpius that he tended to do it readily, Albus must have made the assumption that he wouldn’t need to worry about it any more. At least, not right away.

For once, he was seriously, seriously wrong.

‘You have to go really quite deep to find the nastier creatures these days, and I’m sure Professor Lockett knows what she’s doing.’

Scorpius glowered past Rose to where Professor Lockett, Methuselah Jones and Selena Rourke wandered at the front of the little procession. ‘Getting us killed?’

‘Serious issue, Malfoy,’ Jones hissed down at him, as if he thought this was discreet.

Scorpius blinked up. ‘Yeah, Jones. Plague. I know.’

‘And, what, relax?’ Rose turned, stricken. ‘I can’t relax, somebody needs to keep an eye on things, it’s been hours since I’ve heard from any of the teachers, God knows where Hugo is, I’ve not had a chance to go down and see Hector, and now Matty is ill, and every single second I’m in here and I feel tired, or hungry, or the sun seems a little bit too bright out there I think it’s me coming down with it too, and I can’t afford to -’

Scorpius coughed. ‘It’s an otter.’

Jones quirked an eyebrow. ‘A patronus.’

Rose’s jaw dropped as she looked at the animal. ‘Mum?’

Albus looked him up and down as it was clear Scorpius wasn't leaving, and a broad grin crossed his face. 'All right,' he said, and extended his clenched hand for a fist-bump. 'Let's do this.'

'And try to not die.'

Scorpius slid the drawer shut. ‘What’s going on?’

Rose wrinkled her nose. ‘What?’

‘You. You followed advice and slept. You thanked me for bringing you breakfast. You’ve saved me from your bloody cat. And now you’re complimenting me on my ideas. Who are you, and what’ve you done with Rose Weasley?’

Rose looked at him solemnly. ‘That’s a really good idea.’

Scorpius blinked. ‘It is?’

‘Of course not.’ She turned back to her paper. ‘It’s a stupid idea and I think just hearing it has made me stupider.'

He flashed her a grin. ‘Way I see it, tonight was a win. We got out with the reagents, some information, and our lives!’

She watched him for a few seconds, the incredulous look on her face visible with the lights of Hogwarts shining down on her. Then she shook her head, lips twitching, and continued along the path up to the school. ‘Does anything ruin your mood?’

‘But you’ll demean me like that?’

Selena gave a smile which would make Mona Lisa proud, if either of them knew who she was. ‘It’s like you set yourself up for these answers, Scorpius.'

'Are you even listening to me?'

'Of course I am.'

'Only you just agreed to break into the Headmaster's Office using a magic hammer of a thunder god.'

'My point,' Rose mused, 'is that this is months of no school, no preparation.'

'And you're planning a holiday?' He sounded dubious.

'Of course! Oh, don't look at me like that, Al. Any little thing keeps the mind hopeful in a crisis. We don't have to be doom and gloom entirely.'

'So why didn't you say anything?'

'Because it wasn't my secret.' Selena shrugged. 'When Miranda started putting the stories about, I expected Scorpius to give as good as he got. When he didn't, I assumed he wanted the whole thing to blow over. Or that, maybe, behind his impersonation of the world's most smug Golden Retriever, he was actually so hurt by what Miranda did that he didn't want to open himself up to the scrutiny. So what, really, was I supposed to do?'

'Point is, there was no good thing to do. Dump Hector and hurt him while he's suffering? Don't dump him and carry on with Scorpius behind his back? Don't dump him and shoot Scorpius down? I don't know what you should have done.' Selena paused. 'That said, I'm impressed you picked Secret Option D: Dump Hector, shoot Scorpius down, and be miserable. That might have been the worst option of all.'

'I'm here to do a job, Malfoy. I do the job. I'm taking care of sick kids and staff and otherwise I'm conducting my duties as directed by the ranking Ministry official, whom you took great pleasure in reminding me all those months ago is Professor Lockett.'

'Even if she's -'

'Even if she's in there polka-dancing with a Niffler, it's not my place to judge or take action or let you countermand her orders.'

Scorpius gave a jerky nod, lips thinning, and didn't take his eyes off Rose. 'Jones is asleep?'

'He's in his room. I'm not sure he's asleep.'

'You should join him.' Scorpius frowned. 'I actually meant get some sleep. Not literally with him.'

'I heard you were awake.'

Selena folded her arms across her chest and arched an eyebrow. 'She only just woke up, how on Earth did you hear?'

'Maybe I didn't hear and I just happen to have exquisite timing. My point remains.'

'I'm spearheading proposals for not just magical global conferences to fight this, but a magical global council to fight them. International unity, and the Ministry's granting me the power to act on this, power to fight this Council. Stop them. Bring them to justice. I promise you, sweetheart, the people who did this will be brought to account.'