Albus and Scorpius were settling down for their second night at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They were both in the same room, thankfully, but they were surrounded by emerald green drapes and sheets, symbolising the fact that they were in Slytherin House.
"I simply cannot believe that I'm in Slytherin." grumbled Albus, "Have you heard what the other boys are saying about me?"
"Don't worry about them, Albus." said Scorpius, reassuringly, "They're just poking fun at you."
"But you know my dad was in Gryffindor," continued Albus, glumly tugging at his bedsheets, "A Potter in Slytherin House, they're saying."
"In that sense, Rose is lucky." said Scorpius, looking carefully at Albus.
"Don't even mention it." said Albus, his face darkening, "She gets to be in Gryffindor, the house I wanted to be in."
"Slytherin's not that bad you know-" began Scorpius, only to be cut off by Albus again.
"Slytherin?!" shouted Albus, his voice making ravens beyond the window screech in shock as they flew away, "I mean, okay, any of the other houses wouldn't have been too bad…."
"Each house has their respective traits and qualities." said Scorpius, reasonably, "You were put in Slytherin because you have the qualities of a Slytherin."
"But I'm not- "
"Look, Albus." said Scorpius, sternly, "Each house is great in their own way. My father said that Slytherin house was great."
"Yeah, well, you're a Malfoy." spat Albus, "You're supposed to be in Slytherin."
"What's that supposed to mean?" shouted Scorpius, his voice raising and his fists clenching.
Albus sighed.
"Scorpius, I'm sorry." said Albus, squeezing his eyes shut, "You know I didn't mean it."
"Well." said Scorpius, still slightly rattled by Albus' outburst, "I forgive you, but you'll learn to like it here, trust me."
"I hope so." said Albus, getting into his bed, pulling the sheets up over himself.
Suddenly, Albus shot up in bed, his eyes darting from side to side.
"Are you alright?" asked Scorpius, shifting over and opening his eyes to look at Albus.
"Yes…. I mean, no." stammered Albus, springing off the bed.
"What's wrong?" asked Scorpius, looking worried, "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I did see the Bloody Baron floating around outside the window a few moments ago," said Albus, "But it's not that."
"What is it then?" asked Scorpius.
"My golden telescope has gone." said Albus, looking around for it. He got down on his hands and knees and looked under the bed.
"Maybe it's still in your suitcase?" suggested Scorpius, sitting up as he swung his legs over the bed, "I don't think you've- "
"OW!" yelled Albus, bashing his head against the underside of his bed, "Arrgh…."
"Are you alright?!" exclaimed Scorpius, dropping to his hands and knees and looking at Albus underneath his bed.
"There was something…furry down here." said Albus, emerging from underneath the bed as he rubbed his head.
"Like a rat?" asked Scorpius, "Shouldn't be that much of a surprise; we are in the dungeons after all."
"No…" mumbled Albus, "It was something much larger than that."
"Like what?" asked Scorpius, standing up again.
"How the hell am I supposed to know?" exclaimed Albus, still rubbing his head as he shakily got to his feet, "Oww…"
"Okay…" said Scorpius, slightly sceptical of Albus, "If this is your idea of a prank, Al-"
"You think I'm joking about this?" said Albus, a slight incredulous tone to his voice, "It was about – this big."
He held out his hands in an approximation of the animal he had just seen.
"Okay that's relatively big." said Scorpius, "Here, I'll help you look for it."
"The door to our dormitory is still locked." said Albus, "So it can't have escaped."
"Good point." said Scorpius, "Let's keep looking."
The boys crawled around their dormitory on hands and knees, trying to find the creature that had just taken Albus's golden telescope. Suddenly, Scorpius nudged Albus and placed his finger against his lips, indicating silence.
There was a trail of golden coins and a pocket watch laying on the floor leading up to the wardrobe in the corner of the room. The boys slowly followed it, Albus reaching for his heavy Transfiguration textbook in the process.
"Ready?" mouthed Albus, his hand hovering over the doorknob.
Albus opened the door and swung the textbook simultaneously. Suddenly, a black creature leapt out of the wardrobe and straight at Scorpius' face, scattering coins as it did so. Scorpius let out a high pitched shriek as he scrabbled at his face, trying to get the creature off.
"Oh get it off!" he screamed, clawing at Albus to help him.
"Hold still!" yelled Albus, swinging his book straight at Scorpius's face. He missed the creature and hit Scorpius around the face, causing him to howl in pain.
"Great aim, Albus." grunted Scorpius, rubbing his face.
"Sorry, Scorpius." said Albus, rubbing the back of his neck with an apologetic look on his face, "Where did it go?"
The creature was now heading towards the door and someone turned the doorknob from behind.
"NO!" shouted Albus, lunging towards the door, but he slipped on a nearby sock and hurtled towards the floor.
A boy appeared, one of their roommates, but he was almost knocked off his feet by the creature and his two roommates.
"Sorry!" breathed Albus, rushing past the boy, who had a thoroughly confused look on his face. The two boys hurtled down the stairs and through the common room, where the creature ran and it escaped through the crack in the side of the portrait leading into the Slytherin common room. The two boys ran directly after the creature and almost toppled over a girl standing in her pyjamas in front of the portrait.
"R-Rose?" stammered Scorpius, flushing bright red.
"Albus-Severus-Potter!" hissed Rose, aiming punches directly at her cousin's arm, "Whatever you've done with my money and jewellery, give it back now!"
"What?" stuttered Albus, "I haven't taken anything!"
"Oh yes you have!" shouted Rose, flicking her hair back over her shoulders, "You're the one always pulling these types of pranks at home!"
"James is behind all that and you know it!" said Albus, indignantly.
Rose sighed.
"Well if it isn't you taking my things, then-" began Rose, only to be interrupted by Scorpius.
"Our stuff has gone missing too." he said.
"Oh do tell." said Rose, "Is it shiny?"
"Yes." said Albus.
"There is something that I think it could be." said Rose, sighing, "Mum warned me about these creatures and that I had to be careful of them when here."
"What is it?" asked Albus, curiously.
"It's called-" began Rose.
"A Niffler." said a man appearing behind them. He wore a dark, navy blue jacket and carried a brown suitcase in his right hand. He had a cheeky expression on his face and his eyes sparkled admist the dark of the corridor. A Bowtruckle emerged from behind his shoulder but retreated again, back into the crook of his jacket.
"Excuse me?" asked Rose, placing her hands on her hips, "Who are you?"
"Holy smokes!" gasped Albus, "You're Newt Scamander!"
"Indeed I am, children." said Newt, still struggling with the Niffler in his hands, "Excuse this chap, he's a temperamental little fellow."
Newt held the Niffler by its feet and started shaking it up and down. Coins and various other items of jewellery fell out of it, as well as Albus's telescope.
"Awfully sorry about that chaps." said Newt, stuffing the Niffler back into his suitcase, "This one's always escaping."
"No problem, Mr Scamander." said Scorpius, open mouthed as he could not believe he was talking to the famous author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
"I'll be off now, chaps." said Newt, picking up his suitcase yet again, "It's a lot safer if you keep your valuables locked in your trunks from now on."
He gave them a smile and hurried off down the corridor.
"That was something else!" exclaimed Albus, excitedly.
"I know!" said Scorpius, his face flushed with excitement, "Can you believe-"
"Alright you two." said Rose, picking up her valuables and stuffing them into her pockets, "I'm going to bed, before either of you come up with another idea to get us into trouble. We could get caught! Being out of bed after hours we're not allowed to be!"
Rose stormed off down the corridor, her hair flying out behind her.
"What's with her?" asked Scorpius, curiously, "We didn't even do anything!"
Albus sighed and smiled slightly.
"She's just like her mother." he grinned, as they picked up their belongings and walked back to their dormitory.
Hope you like this one shot! Leave reviews; I'd love to hear what you think! :)