Rescuing Potter

                                    

                                          
Scorpius's POV
                          
     I exited the bathroom, hearing the loud flush behind me. I walked down the aisle and almost reached the Weasley's booth when a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me into an open compartment.
                          
     I barely had time to react before I stumbled to the ground under Karl and Charles's intent stares.
                          
     "Dude!" I exclaimed, pulling myself into a sitting position. "What the hell was that?" 
                          
     "The real question is: where have you been?" Karl snapped, giving me a pointed look.
                          
     "I was with Rose, why?"
                          
     "I'm sorry, why? Why?" Charles repeated. "Well, first of all you have my luggage, which should have done a bat bogey hex on you a long time ago so I'm pretty pissed about that. Second, we need your help with rescuing Lily."
                          
     I blinked.
                          
     "I'm sorry, I'm not sure I heard that right. Did you say 'rescuing' Potter?"
                          
     He nodded.
                          
     I propped myself on my elbows, "We're rescuing Potter," I repeated.
                          
     "Not just any Potter," Charles said. "Lily Potter.  Lily Luna Potter. The Potter. Pretty Lily Potter.  Lily Luna Flower. Lily Flower Potter. Lily—"
                          
     "We get it!" Karl snapped.
                          
     "So what's your plan? Barge into the Ministry of Magic and demand they rescue some girl?"
                          
     "Not just any girl," Charles said. "Lily Luna—"
                          
     "Okay!" Karl yelled. "Yes, yes! We are saving Lily Potter. But what we are not doing is asking the Ministry for help."
                          
     A beat of silence.
                          
     "So... what you're proposing is that the three of us go actively hunting a lab of death eaters, without an adult, without a plan, without even knowing where we're going."
                          
     Karl thought for a brief moment, "Pretty much, yeah."
                          
     "Well, when you put it like that, it just sound stupid," Charles scorned.
                          
     "Oh, okay!" I said brightly, a fake smile plastered across my face. "That is pretty much about the worst idea I have ever heard! We don't even know what we're going to do!" I exclaimed, gesturing wildly.
                          
     "Oh, yes we do," Charles said. I realised there was a suspicious smirk crawled across his face.
                          
     My eyes narrowed in suspicion, "What?"
                          
     Charles opened his mouth but stopped suddenly.  He glanced at the open compartment door, before quickly swinging it shut.
                          
     "So we get off the train, right?" He said. "Once we've separated, we'll find a way to communicate again. Then you'll invite us over for Dinner and introduce us to your Dad."
                          
     "And why would I do that?"
                          
     "Because he can help us," Charles said, earning a blank expression from me.
                          
     "He's a death eater," Karl explained.
                          
     "Really? Gee, I didn't notice."
                          
     "He has got to still have sort of connection between other death eaters, am I right?" Charles said, beginning a fervent pace around the room. "Then, once we tell him of our plan, he'll somehow find out where they are and then—"
                          
     "Wait, wait, wait," I held up my hands. "Wait."
                          
     "What?" Charles snapped irritably.
                          
     "My Dad won't do anything that involves the possibility of Azkaban. Trust me, I know. He won't even speak to other former death eaters, much less have a conversation with a current one!"
                          
     "Well then, we'll find a way," Charles said easily. "Anyways, after that we track down the death eaters, duplicate your death eater costume so we each blend in, and therefore giving us an easy slip to free Lily and all the other Hogwarts students."
                          
     Silence
                          
     "This isn't funny."
                          
     "We're not laughing," Charles said.
                          
     "You gotta admit, it's a pretty good plan," Karl said, nodding in approval.
                          
     "It's a terrible plan!" I exclaimed. "You're going to get yourself killed!"
                          
     "Not with the help of Mr. Malfoy, we won't."
                          
     I sighed, "Guys. My Dad isn't that easy to convince on such a matter. We don't know he'll be of any help."
                          
     "He will."
                          
     "Because he's a death eater?" 
                          
     "Well, certainly, he has that experience!" Charles said. "And that's all we need. A little bit of experience. If we know what we're up against, we can take them."
                          
     I stared at the both of them, astounded.
                          
     "Guys. I know what we're up against! And you do too.  We were all there when they attacked the school, we were literally fighting them. This isn't a quidditch match—nothing of the sort! These are real grown men from the depths of Azkaban. Fierce, arrogant, merciless murderers who fought alongside the Dark Lord. And we're going against them. The Slytherin Bullies."
                          
     Karl gasped dramatically, "You didn't."
                          
     I shook my head, "I'm sorry. Who actually believes we can pull this off?"
                          
     "I do."
                          
     I turned to look at Charles. He was watching me, dark eyes set in this steely halo that I could have sworn I had never seen before. A halo of fury and sadness and wilfulness, all at once.
                          
     "I believe we can pull this off," he said again.
                          
     For a long moment, I was stunned, and then perplexed. All I could do was hold his gaze.
                          
     He's serious about this. But this is death eaters we're talking about, I told myself. What if we don't succeed?
                          
     What about Rose?
                          
     The silence egged on between Charles and I. Beneath, the train tracks rocked and rattled, a deafening scattering of all space and time between us. Karl shifted uncomfortably between our locked gazes.
                          
     If it was Rose who was taken, and not Potter... wouldn't you do the same?
                          
     "Alright, then," I said, finally breaking the silence. "I guess I'd better owl him now, if this is going to work."
                          
     Charles smiled, "Thanks, Scor."
                          
     I left the booth.
                          
     Looks like Rose won't be the only one sending a letter to her parents.