"So, apart from placating a worried mother, what else have you done today? I noticed you weren't at the docks with Al and Harry." Scorpius asked after Ginny had left.
"I'm not even going to ask how you knew where they were. Surprisingly, I was given a bit of free reign today. I had another lead from Azkaban."
Despite not being a fully trained Auror yet, Rose had been allowed to take part in the Azkaban clean-up operation, because she had been instrumental in exposing that problem. Of course, most pressing issues were done in the year hiatus they had taken, but there were still some leads to follow. Not the least to track down all those that Barnsby and his cronies had taken down over the years. Former inmates, former guards, even visitors. The web he had spread had been much larger than they expected.
"Really? Who?"
"Sam Crickey"
Scorpius nearly dropped his glass. Sam Crickey? He knew that name. "Isn't that the guy that was your friend? Who managed to be released from the Imperius Curse and give testimony against Barnsby?"
"Yes. But then he quit the job, and no one has heard from him since. I have been trying to find him, to be sure that he is okay, but also because I feel that I owe him a sort of explanation. But now I don't even know what I want to say to him. Would you come with me?"
"With you? I've never met him. And he doesn't know who you are, wouldn't it be weird if you suddenly show up with another man?"
"Maybe, but I don't want to go alone. Besides, you being there could lend credibility to my story, if he has trouble believing me. He thinks I am a man after all, and last he heard, I had fled with, or been taken by, a group of Death Eaters."
"Okay, if you want me to come, of course I will come. But can we have dinner first? I am starving."
Rose gave him a quick kiss as they went into the kitchen to find the leftovers from yesterday's dinner.
***
A few hours later, Rose approached the Crickey family residence. She couldn't deny that she was nervous. How would Sam react? Would he be mad that she lied? Or worse, was he blaming her for Thomas' death?
She wore the same type of robes she had when she had gone to Azkaban and had put her hair up. She didn't want to cut it again but putting it up like that made it more likely that Sam would recognise her.
Sam opened the door. He looked confused for a moment, then his mouth made a perfect "O" as he recognised her.
"Kevin? Is that really you? What are you doing here?" He seemed hesitant and maybe a little suspicious. Rose didn't blame him; it had been years since he last saw her.
"Hello Sam. I am sorry to disturb you. I wondered if we could talk for a moment? Can I come in?"
"No, that's not a good idea," Sam said. "My family is mostly Muggles; they don't know a lot of details about my life. Wait a moment, then we can take a walk." He briefly went inside, probably to tell his family that he was going for a walk, then came out smiling.
"I have to admit, I am surprised to see you, Kevin. I thought you were dead. Or captured. I know that Barnsby lied to all of us, but no one seemed to be able to tell me what happened to you."
"Well, it was a close thing. I was captured by the Death Eaters, but luckily, I was rescued again. But before I tell you all the details, there is one thing you need to know. My name is not Kevin." Rose took a deep breath. Sam had stopped. "My name is Rose. Rose Malfoy."
Sam looked apprehensively at her. She undid her hair and adjusted her robes to let her curves show more naturally.
"I am sorry that I had to lie to you. I was working undercover, and only the Minister knew who I was. I was trying to make sure that the Death Eaters couldn't escape ever again. That backfired on me horribly and I only barely escaped with my life."
"No one else knew? Not even Thomas? You two seemed so close." Sam still looked sceptical. Rose didn't blame him.
"No, not even him. And I feel somewhat responsible for his death, as he died trying to defeat the Imperius Curse Barnsby set on him. He saw me struggling to get away from him and he was killed for it." Rose couldn't help the tears coming. It always did when she talked about Thomas. Logically she knew it wasn't her fault, or at least not completely her fault. But it was hard to shake the feeling that if she hadn't been caught in that hallway that day, Thomas would still be alive.
"Are you trying to mess with me right now? You're claiming to be Rose Malfoy? Daughter to the Minister for Magic? I heard her talk about what had happened to you when they escaped. She was determined to keep you safe. Why send you there?"
Rose gave a small laugh, which sounded more like a hiccough due to her still crying. "Because she still felt bad because of what she had done the previous year. It is rather complicated. Either way, you can believe me or not. It is not really that important. I mainly wanted to meet you again, to explain and say thank you."
"Thank you? For what?"
"From what I hear, you were absolutely sure that I could not have killed Thomas, even under the Imperius Curse. It was that certainty that allowed my mother and Uncle Harry to come down on Barnsby, among other things. I also felt I owed you an explanation." They had reached a small clearing in the woods. One man in a hood stood there, watching them.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you about the change in plans," Rose told the man in the hood.
"Good thing I followed you anyway then," Scorpius replied. He removed the hood and looked towards Sam. He didn't look pleased to see them. But then he smiled as he held out his hand. "Hi, you must be Sam Crickey. My wife has told me about you, and I wanted to come along to offer my thanks as well."
"You…You're Scorpius Malfoy! You're actually serious, aren't you?" Sam still seemed to struggle to comprehend what had just happened.
"Yes," Rose said. "And I am sorry about having to deceive you. I have been working hard over the last few years recovering all the people that may have been affected by what Barnsby did to us. Did you get checked out by Healers to make sure that there was no lasting damage done to your brain?"
"I… Yes, I was transported to St. Mungo's almost immediately, both to make sure there was no lasting harm, but also for my safety, until they could determine how deep the corruption lay. But I found it hard to return to Azkaban as a guard after all that had happened, so I took the Minister up on her offer to get two months' pay as compensation while I tried to find other employment. I have bounced around after that though, mostly finding part time jobs with Muggles."
Rose nodded. She could understand not wanting to return to Azkaban after what had happened.
"I am glad to hear that you survived though. I have tried to figure out what happened to you, though obviously, no one knew anything about any Kevin."
"I have been trying to find you too," Rose said with a smile. "I am glad that we got to meet, to clear this up. As I said, I felt bad deceiving you and I felt that we could have been friends, if the situation had been different."
Sam gave a sort of surprised smile at that. "Well, I feel the same. One of the reasons I didn't want to work in Azkaban anymore was that two of my friends were no longer there. Maybe we can catch up properly one day? Over dinner or something?"
Scorpius didn't seem to like the idea, but Rose felt it would be rude to refuse so she accepted gracefully. They both shook hands and agreed upon the time and place for a meeting. Rose also said that if he ever needed a favour, to contact her.