It wasn't the first time I'd caught Scorpius looking at me. He was starting to ruin my favorite class, Defence Against the Dark Arts. I went out of my way to avoid him everyday and called him Scorpius, as did most Griffyndors, to annoy him because he normally went by a nickname of his middle name, Hale. I didn't care about him as a person, but he was starting to annoy me.
My mind wandered during class even if it was my favorite. I was just listening to Professer Lupin talk absentmindedly even though I wasn't fully processing the information. I'm pretty sure it was something about learning about stupefying. Teddy, excuse me, Professor Lupin dismissed us and I snapped back into attention and got up among the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs streaming out of the room. I grabbed my bag and wand. I tucked my wand, a cherry wood with phoenix wing core, into my pocket although Mrs. Potter always scolded me about doing so whenever I went to their house for holidays.
Somebody walked up behind me in the hall.
"Hi Cori." That was the first time Scorpius ever talked to me. I was about to say hi, just to be corteous, when my best friend, James, ran into Scorpius.
"All right Cori?" He asked with his signature, smug smirk pointed my way. He seemed to have not seen Scorpius who, by James ramming into him, bumped his shoulder into mine.
"Fine. I'm in a hurry though." I said, awkwardly stepping away from Scorpius. "Professor will have my head if I'm late."
"I'll escort you." James said, his brown eyes flicked darkly to Scorpius. "Or were you going to Scorpius?" James' voice dropped an octave. Scorpius shook his head. Scorpius was not easily deterred by James', or that of Griffyndors', remarks.
"Just saying hi. I need to get to Charms class anyways." He ducked out of the human sandwich James and I had created. Slytherins were seriously misunderstood after the Battle of Hogwarts, the intense rivalry only got worse. Scorpius, although son of Draco Malfoy, had never hurt a fly. The only reason I mainly avoided him because we were opposing seekers on our house's Quidditch teams. The rivalry ran through my veins and hatred just came along naturally.
Transfiguration class was boring and ultimately unsuccessful. I had managed to turn my quill into a rat with a feather for a tail and set part of Sierra Bell's hair on fire. Professor was not happy. But at least it was my last class and I was walking to the Griffyndor common room alone. I made it to the Fat Lady portrait and the password slipped from my mind. Guilt and dispair started to fill my lungs. I was never good at remembering things and had a panic attack after I realized I had forgot that thing. I heard a giggle and Lily, James's younger sister, ran up to me followed by Chance Finnegan. Both girls were fourth years and were still eager to track my every move like I was a celebrity. Most younger Griffyndors were, seeing that I was captain of the house's Quidditch team and one of the best seekers since Harry Potter.
"Did you forget the password again, Cori?" Lily asked, thrilled that she was given a chance to talk to me. I grinned at the red haired girl.
"You know me, of course I did." Lily smiled again and turned to the portrait of the Fat Lady and spoke, "Lemon drops." I tried to etch the password into my brain as the portrait door swung open, but I knew I would forget it come tomorrow. The common room was loud with Scottish rock music playing from the corner, probably the doing of Dennis McLaggen. People milled around the warm space and talked loudly around the roaring fire. Lily and Chance bounced over to a group of fourth year girls. I sunk into my favorite armchair next to the fire. Rose Weasley, Albus, James's younger brother, and James were playing a game of Wizard Chess.
"Hi Cori. All right?" Albus said cheerfully. He was watching a sweating, anxious James and a cool faced Rose from the board's sidlines.
"Fine. And you?" I kicked off my converse trainers and kicked my feet up.
"Having a right good time watching Rose kick James's..." James took a moment to shove his brother into the rug. Rose just smiled daintily and flicked over James's king.
"Ha. Beat you." She said. Rose was typically, very quiet and studious. But when it came to James she had an undying passionto beat him in everything. "Oh, I was meaning to ask you about your paper from herbology. Professor Longbottom said he had never seen an essay like mine." James scowled and knocked over one of his pawns which scrambled to right itself. He ignored the chess piece and turned to me.
"What does Scorpion want with you?" Rose looked up in alarm and Albus stopped resetting the chess pieces.I shrugged and wound a loose thread from my jumped around my ring finger.
"Dunno." I mumbled not meeting James's eyes. Albus yelped when a knight he had clenched in his fist stuck its sword into his palm.
James gave the evil eye to his brother.
"Slimy git." He said returning to our conversation. Right then Andrew Finnegan, Chance's older brother who was a fifth year, jumped over the top of the armchair beside me and settled into the seat.
"Who's the slimy git?" Andrew's loud Irish accent carried through the room and a few people pointedly turned their heads.
"Scorpion." James said through clenched teeth letting his hatred for Scorpius clear.
"Me da hates his da, Draco Malfoy. He used to be a Deatheater until the Battle of Hogwarts. Crafty as they come though all the same."
"It's Scorpius. At least have the dignity to call him by his real name." I eyed all of them. James stared back with a hard expression. "And he can't be as bad as his father." Admittedly I didn't like defending Scorpius, but sometimes you can't compare someone to a Deatheater.
"Why are you talking like that?" James's eyes x-rayed me as I said this. "You've got a Quidditch game tomorrow." James took the pawn he'd knocked over and uprighted it on it's square. "I don't want to hear you talking nice 'bout the enemy." Sometimes he took it too far. I shifted my position quickly and stared him down coldly.
"Excuse me, but are you the captain of this team?" I didn't meant to sound as loud as I did. We attracted some more looks. "I can pysch out the competition all I want, chaser." I hissed. It wasn't true that I was trying to pysch out Scorpius but I didn't want James to have beaten me. James eyed his wand that was lying next to the chess board.
"Fine." He muttered.
I woke up the next morning at the crack of dawn to Rose's owl making a ruckus. "Pig you idiot shut it!" The tiny owl screeched as a sock was hurled at his cage. Then, Lily's dog, Padfoot started to bark mindlessly at the hyperactive bird. The whole girl's dormitory stirred.
"Rose throw that bird in the owlery before I curse it!"
"Stupid bird!" More complaints were thrown this way and that as I slid out of bed. I yawned and began to dress in my Quidditch robes. Angela too dragged herself out of bed. Angela and I were the only girls on the Griffyndor team. Angela was the best chaser we had even better than James and Dennis McLaggen, which was saying something considering who their parents are.