Chapter Twenty Two: Light and Dark

Scorpius woke up the next morning feeling very light-headed. Yawning, he stretched and rolled out of his bed. Albus was throwing on his robes, giving Scorpius an encouraging nod. Scorpius smiled weakly at his friend and glanced at the clock above Flynn Finnegan's bed. It was nine thirty. Scorpius licked his lips in anticipation and strode over to his trunk, where he slipped on his robes. A moment later, Albus approached him.

"Ready?" he asked.

Scorpius nodded and felt for the scraps of parchment in his robes. He felt Lucius's letters and creased his eyebrows. "Yeah," he mumbled, following Albus out of their dorm room. Scorpius glanced behind him and saw Everett's wide, scared eye watching him as he departed. Scorpius stifled a sigh. He just wanted his old friends, like Everett and Harrison, to look at him normally again. Even Beckett Fitzroy, who Scorpius used to be best friends with, had practically run away the other day when Scorpius walked past him in the corridors.

The two friends met up with a grim-looking Rose in the Common Room and departed towards Professor Longbottom's study. Because Professor Longbottom was the Head of Gryffindor House, his study was located behind a portrait across from the Fat Lady. The portrait was a forest painting with jaguars slouching through it. Rose glanced at the two boys, who didn't know Professor Longbottom's password, and stepped forward.

"Cor leonis," she said clearly. The jaguar let out a purr and the portrait swung open. The trio was greeted by a big, wooden door. Furrowing his brow in concentration, Scorpius stepped in front of his friends and opened the large door. The trio walked into the beautiful, burnt-red room. Scorpius glanced around the room in awe. It had portraits of brave and noble wizards and witches doing incredible deeds. The burnt-red wallpaper was accented with a pretty golden trim. The desk in the room was of beautiful oak, and the chairs were white with golden accents.

"Dad!" Scorpius looked to his left and saw Albus run over to his father and greet him happily. Mr. Potter looked grave, but gave his son a smile as he hugged him. Scorpius felt a pang of surprise when he saw father and son standing next to each other; they looked scarily similar. There was a tremor of footsteps to his right and Scorpius glanced at Rose as she hugged her uncle.

"How're you guys doing?" Mr. Potter caught up with his son and niece while Scorpius hung back uncomfortably, wearing the expression of a guilty child. Scorpius turned his gaze towards the corner of the room, where Professor Longbottom was sitting on a white-and-gold couch. Next to him was Hermione Granger-Weasley, looking at Scorpius with interest. Scorpius felt a feeling of guilt stabbing him in the stomach; he looked away, fearing the intimidating woman's sharp gaze.

"Scorpius?" Scorpius lifted his gaze from the ground and looked up to the face of Harry Potter. The Auror was extending his hand. Scorpius creased his eyebrows and shook it, looking Mr. Potter in the eye. Green eyes met gray, and Mr. Potter was the first to glance away. He looked over at Professor Longbottom and Hermione; the former was wearing an uncomfortable expression. Mr. Potter continued. "Nice to see that you're well, Scorpius. Please sit - "

" - Sir, I didn't set off the explosions," Scorpius said immediately, frowning. Mr. Potter surely meant something deeper than 'nice to see that you're well', right? Was that comment a jab at the fact that Scorpius was the only player on the field that had survived untouched? At Mr. Potter's confused expression, Scorpius's guilty expression deepened. "Sorry," he mumbled, taking a seat and locking his fingers together, "It's just that everyone thinks I did it, and I thought you were accusing me."

"Everyone's accusing you...?" Mr. Potter said, sitting down. He leaned forward, clearly inviting Scorpius to elaborate.

"I was the only Quidditch player who got out without being knocked out and I didn't have any burns, either," explained Scorpius. "All of the Ravenclaws and the Gryffindors were injured, and because that symbol is linked to my grandfather, everyone thinks that I'm the one that exploded the Quidditch pitch. I'm really sorry, sir, I just assumed you thought I did it like everyone else."

To Scorpius's relief, Mr. Potter didn't press him on how Scorpius had survived the explosions. Instead, he asked a completely different question. "These kids," he started, "Well, let me reword that. How is everyone acting towards you at the moment? Including the Slytherin House?"

Scorpius began to curl his lip in defiance. So Mr. Potter did think that Scorpius was in league with his grandfather. "Basically no half-bloods and Muggle-borns will talk to me," he growled. "Everyone runs away from me. The only people that still talk to me are James, Fred, Louis, Rose, Flynn Finnegan and Albus. The Slytherins hate me, but they warned me before the attacks. They told me to stay away from the Quidditch match, but I didn't listen - "

" - Hold on, which Slytherin told you this?" Mr. Potter asked. "I might be able to find out who orchestrated the attacks."

"I can't tell you," Scorpius said levelly. "He's blackmailing me. If I could tell you, I would."

"Scorpius, I'm Head of the Auror Office," Mr. Potter began. "If he's blackmailing you - "

" - he's blackmailing me, too," Rose interrupted. "Uncle Harry, this guy is serious. Scorpius would tell you if he could - "

" - but Scorpius has something better to tell you than who blew up the Quidditch stadium," Albus said eagerly. "Go on, Scorpius, tell him."

"Tell me what?" Mr. Potter asked, his brow raised.

Scorpius bit his lip with anticipation and fished in his pockets for the letters he received from Lucius. He held them in his hands, looking Mr. Potter straight in the eye. "I know who's behind all of the attacks on the Muggles and the Quidditch stadium. I know the group, and I'm figuring all I can about them," Scorpius paused, sighing. "But there's a catch. I'm exchanging information, see. He gives me information on his plans, I give him information on the Potters and the Weasleys."

"So, you've been spying on us?" Mr. Potter looked stunned. "I - "

" - Yeah, you're so quick to doubt me," Scorpius curled his lip angrily. "I'm giving him some true information, some fake information. Nothing that will threaten any of you. But, in these letters, I have everything you need to know about who's been behind the Muggle-born killings and the strange events that have been going on recently."

"Who's the he?" Mr. Potter was leaning forward in his seat.

Scorpius grinned smugly. Raising his eyebrows, the young Malfoy tossed his letters onto the table. Mr. Potter picked them up and looked carefully at the signature. His eyes widened and he looked up at Scorpius, his eyes wide. "You?" he rasped, scanning through the letters. "You managed to convince him? It's your fault that he was thrown in Azkaban...?"

"Who?" Hermione spoke for the first time, looking intently at her friend. "Who's been writing to him?"

"Lucius..." Mr. Potter read through the letters. "Lucius Malfoy. And Scorpius gave him information on you, Hermione - "

" - What?" Hermione's eyes blazed at Scorpius.

"You're so quick to doubt me, yet again!" Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Do you think I'd really threaten your lives after everything you've done for me? No. He asked me for information on you, Mrs. Weasley, but I faked most of it. He was testing me, anyway. That's how I got information on the Quest that the Agnos Movement is orchestrating."

Hermione looked guilty, while Mr. Potter looked incredibly amazed. He passed one letter to Professor Longbottom, and the other to Mrs. Granger-Weasley. Mr. Potter glanced over to Rose and Albus, who were either looking at their laps or the ceiling. "And you two have been in this plan all along?" He asked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"No," Albus admitted, giving Scorpius a nervous glance. He looked like a child that had just been caught stealing a cookie from the pantry. "Scorpius's owl delivered Lucius's most recent on his bed, but the wind knocked it over to my bed. So when I came in the room, I thought it was mine. I opened it to see who it was from, and I read it. I was confused, so I confronted Scorpius and he told Rose and I."

Mr. Potter nodded, squinting his eyes. "So he wants information on Seamus and Ernie, then? I can give him everything he needs. Here, Scorpius, I'll write it down - "

" - Wait a moment," Scorpius interrupted him, surprised. "Why are you sending him real information on your colleagues? They could be hurt. You're not saying - "

" - That I'm supporting what you're doing?" Mr. Potter smiled as he pulled out a quill and began to scribble down bullet points on a spare bit of parchment. "The answer's yes, I am. I think it's brilliant. Of course, I'm not going to tell you any information that will endanger Seamus and Ernie, but just enough that he'll pass on more information to you. I agree with you, Scorpius, if you prove yourself, you'll become his confidant and we'll be one step closer to destroying this Agnos Movement."

"My grandfather said it was international," Scorpius said hesitantly. "Even if we stop Lucius in the United Kingdom, the Movement is still spreading around the world."

"Exactly," Mr. Potter tipped his quill at Scorpius. "Lucius knows all about what's going on internationally, and he'll be more than happy to tell you as long as you keep passing him information."

"This is dangerous," Hermione finally blurted, looking at Harry with her eyes wide. "Harry, Scorpius is only an eleven-year-old boy. This is like Albus spying for an enemy! What if Scorpius is caught, Harry? He'll be brutally tortured, captured, and even murdered. Personally, I think you're putting too much responsibilities on such a young boy."

"He'll have the Aurors' full protection," Harry responded, continuing to write down information. "We've already assigned guards to the school, and I'll see to placing an Auror that will watch Scorpius and Albus and Rose when they're in and out of the castle - "

" - I don't need a bodyguard, sir - " Scorpius began to say, but Harry cut him off.

" - Not a bodyguard, Scorpius, just someone who is assigned to looking out for my family and our friends," Mr. Potter replied with a stern glance at Scorpius. Scorpius lifted his chin in defiance, but Mr. Potter ignored this. "Anyway, we'll know if Lucius starts to become suspicious. Scorpius only needs to send me an owl and I'll handle the situation immediately."

"How am I supposed to know when he's written me enough information?" Scorpius asked curiously.

"He'll give you a plan," Harry responded grimly, "A plan to kill or hurt one of us."

And Lucius did just that. After Scorpius sent Lucius everything that Mr. Potter had told him to write about Seamus Finnegan and Ernie Macmillan, Lucius responded with more information on the Quest and the Agnos Movement. Scorpius was elated until he read the bottom paragraph, which contained Lucius's final test on Scorpius. The test was to trap Mr. Potter and wait for an Agnos member to come and kill him.

Scorpius,

I am elated that you listened and sent the information on Finnegan and Macmillan. Because of your loyalty to me, I will award you with some more information on the Movement...

Contrary to what I told you in my earlier letter, the Pebble was not actually created by Professor Lapidas, but by a man named Selmine Slytherin. Yes, this man was the second-oldest son of Salazar Slytherin, the leader of the Slytherin House. Professor Lapidas was a distant descendant of Selmine Slytherin, and Lapidas claimed to have created the Pebble. However, recent research has explained that Selmine did indeed create the Pebble.

Selmine was always overshadowed by his older brother, Senebris. Senebris was a very talented wizard who was a Parselmouth, while Selmine was not. Salazar Slytherin, upset that he bore a son without the Parselmouth ability, basically shunned Selmine and focused all of his attention on Senebris. Although Senebris was a Parselmouth, he didn't possess powerful wizarding abilities like his father. Selmine inherited this trait, but Salazar Slytherin was much too busy with his older son to notice the smarter and more powerful Selmine.

Because Senebris had mediocre powers, Selmine decided that if he wanted his father's praise, he had to create an object that would enable his father to rid of all Muggle-borns. It took many years of study and practice, but Selmine finally created the Pebble. He demonstrated its powers on Senebris. Senebris had his powers taken away and essentially turned into a Squib. Salazar, distraught at his younger son's actions and upset that Senebris had lost his noble powers, was found dead the next morning.

Selmine felt wretched that he contributed to his father's downfall and made use of the Pebble by passing it onto his oldest sons. This chain ended when Professor Lapidas took the Pebble for himself and hid it so that no one could use it for their own good. Although a noble action at one point, Lapidas dishonored his family and was abandoned by his brothers and cousins.

Because of this link to Slytherin, we have deduced that the Pebble is located in a Slytherin area of Hogwarts, such as the Chamber of Secrets or the Slytherin Common Room. However, the Chamber of Secrets was destroyed in the Battle of Hogwarts, and the Slytherin Common Room has practically been turned upside down in our efforts to search for the Pebble...

If you wish to become an official Agnos, you only need to complete the task that I will explain now...

Harry Potter is in charge of tracking me down. It's very annoying; I have to flee from village to village every two days. Although he has evaded being killed for thirty-some years, I feel like it's time to finally dispose of him. When the Dark Lord was at power, he confided to me Harry Potter's greatest weakness: he loves playing the hero. So, since you're so close to his son, Albus Potter, this should really be no problem...

You're to tip to Harry Potter that the Agnos are attempting to break into Hogwarts the night of May 2nd, 2018. Say I told you. We'll be in the Forbidden Forest, hiding, but you must tell Harry Potter that we are at the Lake. Eventually, he'll make his way over to the Forest when he hears a cry of help from his son (we'll easily be able to produce a sound from our wands that sound like a child). We'll wait for awhile, making him nervous, and then capture him.

Are you willing to sacrifice your friendships for the greater good?

Lucius

Scorpius glanced up from the letter. Albus was sitting across from him, his eyebrows raised. The trio was in the Room of Requirement. Scorpius licked his lips and turned his gaze to his right, where Rose was sitting. She looked concerned. They both leaned forward, as if to say, 'well?'. Sighing, Scorpius fished in his pocket for a mirror and placed it on the table. He gazed in it, waiting for the familiar green eye to flash at him.

Mr. Potter had given Scorpius a mirror which he could use to communicate with him. Mr. Potter had a matching one, and the two could easily converse with each other just by speaking to the mirror. Glancing up from the still mirror, Scorpius nodded to his friends. "Your dad was right," he said to Albus. "He told me too much, and he's making me carry out a plan that will put your father in danger."

"You're going to go through with it?" Albus murmured, his eyes wide with distress. "What if my dad's killed?"

"I - I don't know," Scorpius stammered, looking uncertain. "If I don't carry out the plan, Lucius will know that I was spying, and he'd kill me. But if I do carry out the plan, there's a chance that Mr. Potter might be killed. And if I mess around with the plan in any way and if Mr. Potter somehow escapes alive, Lucius will know what I was doing and kill me."

"This is such a mess," Rose whispered, covering her face with her hands.

"Scorpius?" A voice called from the mirror. Immediately, Scorpius jumped from his chair and grabbed the mirror. He found himself looking at the familiar, pale face of Mr. Potter. Mr. Potter nodded in greeting and was looking worried. "You called about something?"

"Yeah," Scorpius said, gripping the letter. He confided to Mr. Potter about everything that Lucius had told him. Mr. Potter looked a tad bit concerned, but not as worried as Scorpius would have liked him to look. Harry muttered something like, 'that makes a lot of sense,' and glanced back up at Scorpius. His expression was torn.

"Alright," he said. "Listen close, Scorpius, we're about to out-smart your grandfather!"

Sorry this chapter was really short. A really serious family issue popped up and I won't be able to have access to the internet now until December. I'm so, so upset about this because this story honestly means so much to me. Please don't forget about me, I promise that I'll come back in December! Again, I'm really thankful for you guys because you've been so loyal & kind this past month, and it breaks my heart that I have to leave this story for a bit because I've loved writing it. I'm so so so sorry you guys, but real life comes first I guess... I promise I'll be back in December. All the best... xx