Rivals

Word Count: 1061

Flying: Comet: Write about a rivalry turns into a friendship/romance.

James groaned as he walked into the compartment his baby brother was sitting in. Next to him was the blond-haired Malfoy spawn. "Hey, Al," James said softly.

"James," Albus retorted, his voice low. "What do you want?"

He was surprised at the hostility in his brother's voice. They were supposed to be close. They were close.

"I just wanted to see how you were." He didn't look over at the blond threat in the corner of the room. "No need to be rude."

"Well, you've seen me. I'm fine. Now go."

"But our cousins want to see you! Rose and Lucy don't want to be alone on their first day of school."

"Go away, brother."

"This is all his fault, isn't it? You've spent an hour with him, and he's already corrupted you."

"Go away!" The words were screeched, and an empty Chocolate Frog box was thrown his way.

"Granger-Weasley, Rose."

James waited with bated breaths. This was his first cousin that was going to be sorted. She was the first one. She could be in any house, go anywhere but—

"Gryffindor!"

James stood up, openly letting out his happiness. Roxanne shot a glare at him, but clapped along politely. Rose threw herself next to another small girl, but grinned happily at James, waving energetically.

He had to smile a little at his younger cousin's actions. She was adorable, in a younger cousin way.

He turned back to the sorting. The blond spawn was standing amongst the other Firsties, looking completely lost. Albus was nattering on to him, but the words seemed to fall on flat ears, as Scorpius didn't seem interested at all.

He hated that about the brat. Scorpius should be paying attention to his brother.

Albus was worth it.

"Malfoy, Scorpius."

The trembling boy made it up to the stool. The hat was placed over his head, covering his young face. A few minutes later (and quite a few tremors from the small boy) he was finally sorted into Slytherin, although the hat seemed resigned, as if it didn't want him to go there. Scorpius seemed relieved, but there was still a slight tremble as he went to sit down.

James wondered why he was so scared. Would he really get punished if he wasn't in Slytherin?

Why was he caring about a filthy Snake, anyway?

He sat, wallowing in his thoughts. His brother was going to do the honourable thing: follow his friend into the Snake's den. James didn't understand why. He didn't understand why Albus would pick Scorpius over him.

He probably wasn't even a choice to start with.

The year progressed quickly. James and Albus got into countless verbal fights in the corridors. James and Scorpius, though, got into even more physical fights. Sometimes it was James' fault. Other times, it was Scorpius'.

They just didn't get on. Snakes didn't agree with Lions. It just didn't happen.

James slightly regretted it. Scorpius was nice enough. Yet he could never stop himself from saying the simplest of insults. And Scorpius couldn't help returning harsher ones. And suddenly fists were flying and Albus was trying to break it up but failed and Rose stood in the corner with her hands over her ears, trying to block out the noise of conflict which she had grown to fear, her brown eyes wide in panic.

It was a continuous circle. It would never stop.

Scorpius stayed a week in the holidays. It would've been fine, if James wasn't such a colossal prick. There was something about making Scorpius break that James found interesting.

"Alright, Blondie?" James would say as they passed each other in the hall.

"I was fine until I saw your ugly face," Scorpius would reply, glaring hatefully at James, although his glare was never that intense, like he found this whole tirade amusing as well.

"Well, aren't you original?" James would sarcastically say, rolling his eyes.

"More original than you, I would bet," Scorpius would say.

"Is that so?"

Scorpius would punch him in the face, a new spot to the day before. They would end up wrestling on the floor, ending up battered, bruised and breathless.

The cycle would continue. Day after day until Scorpius left.

James hated himself for it.

The years went by and the fights got smaller, less frequent. James found himself missing it. So much so that he began picking on his little sister, just to get the thrill of the fight.

"Come on, Little Girl, you can do better than that," he would tease.

"Pardon?" She would say, her voice annoyed. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a woman now! I wear a bra!"

James would roll his eyes. "Everyone knows that the bra is just stuffed with tissues."

"You take that back! What would you know about puberty? You're sixteen, yet you still haven't seemed to experience it. I'm twelve. There's a difference."

"Shut up!" Lily would scream, her voice rising in frustration.

"Since when can the Ickle Firstie boss me around?" He would taunt, enticing her to take the first hit.

"I'm not a first year anymore, Dumbass, in case you didn't realise. I am now in my second year. You're just oblivious to anything going on around you."

He would always be the one to initiate the physical fight. He would always strike first.

She would always strike back. Harder.

Both would end up with bruises, or a split lip, or a broken nose. Both would end up in serious trouble. Both enjoyed the thrill of the fight.

It was never going to end. The fighting wouldn't stop. He was addicted to the thrill, almost as much as he was addicted to nicotine.

Almost.

It ended up being the nicotine that saved him.

He was smoking in the bathroom at school like he usually did in between lessons. No one interrupted him normally. These bathrooms were always empty.

However, somebody decided they desperately needed the toilet, and burst into the abandoned bathroom.

James jumped high into the air. He tried to stump out the cigarette, but the person had already seen it. A wide grin appeared on his face.

"You, too?" He asked. "That's good, Potter. It means I don't have to awkwardly hide in a cubicle."

And then the fourteen-year-old blond pulled out a cigarette of his own and lit it, taking in a long drag.

Teamwork: (dialogue) "in case you haven't noticed, I'm a woman now! I wear a bra!", (action) being caught smoking in the bathroom