Roses on the Sidewalk {HP}

Chapter 30

A/N: I am REALLY SORRY about taking forever to upload!

Plese don't kill me?

Chapter 30

Scorpius stared at me for a while, processing what I had just said. I was processing it myself, actually. Questioning it, more likely. It was practically impossible to make such a difficult potion at school. Well, at least now it was, considering the fact that since Professor McGonagall learned about all my parents doings, she took precautions so no one else could do it- especially their children. 

An that would be me. 

But how could someone else do it? The potion supplies cabinet was locked, with a spell which would blast a siren so loud the person would faint. I know from experience- not mine, but- who else?- James'. And the whole  castle was supervised, and checked every month from the highest ceiling to the lowest dungeon to make sure there were no holes in the protection charms placed on the castle. Especially now, with all this cursing going around. 

Except for the forest. Everything fits together perfectly, like a puzzle. The only piece missing now was who. And possibly, why. So, I admit, the puzzle is definitely not complete. Yet. 

"How could I be so stupid?" I mutter to myself, stalking across the hallway towards the stairs. Scorpius walks behind me, apparently lost in thought. I take the stairs in twos, but even so Scorpius manages to keep up. His face is neutral, his eyes distant, whereas I look like a complete maniac with dark red hair flowing behind me and my cheeks flushed. 

"You weren't stupid." he says calmly, pulling at my arm and pushing me into a secret passageway James had once told me about. I had never actually cared about it though, because it was tiny and full of dust. Now it had quite a number of footsteps indented into the dust. I climber up and wave dust away from my face as we emerge in the corridor which leads to McGonagall's office. 

I don't know exactly what I'm going to tell her, but I better do something. I chew on my nails nervously as I walk towards the end of the corridor. "Of course I was, how could I not notice something so obvious?"

Scorpius's eyebrows knit together like they do when he doesn't understand something in class. "Well, I didn't notice anything an they were impersonating me, so clearly it couldn't be that obvious." 

I look at him exasperatedly. Yes, but you're not the one who grew up with the people who actually did this years ago, I feel like telling him, and you're not expected to figure out things like this. Instead, I sigh.

We reach the gargoyle in front of the wall which leads to the office. "Sherbet lemon?" I try. The gargoyle (who has an indentation on his head, thanks to the war) turns himself towards me and sits back on his hind legs. After the war, I think someone cast a spell on him which animated it. 

Supposedly, the Headmistress did it so the gargoyle would help her manage to get into the office, because after  Dumbledore died no one could. He really didn't help, from what I've heard. But she found out eventually, that's what matters. 

"Sherbet lemon?" The creature cocks it's head to one side grinning maliciously. "I like those! But no, sweetheart that isn't the password! Hasn't been for a century!"