I do not own anything but the original characters and the situations they are in.

Enjoy!

"Al, it's time to wake up! You're going to miss breakfast if you don't hurry up," Al Potter's friend and roommate Peter shook his shoulder. Opening his eyes, Al saw that the sun was rising, and they would indeed miss breakfast if he slept any longer.

"Go on without me, I'll meet you there," Al groggily spoke to his friend. Peter hesitated, in case this was a test. He decided it was not, and walked out of the room. Al was too tall for most things, and his feet touched against the cold wood of the bed frame, and he shivered. The room was as cold as his heart had become recently. He found himself wishing for a body next to him to warm him. He cast that thought out of his mind faster even than it had intruded. He put on his shirt and tie, which he wore with scarlet and gold pride. He carefully tied the black laces on his shoes. Lastly, the black cloak which a version every student donned was meticulously put around Al's shoulders. He strode out of the room, head held high.

Al walked into the Great Hall and was immediately greeted by several pesky girls who were not so subtly craving his affection. Brushing them off, he sat down next to his cousin, Rose. Her red hair was cut just above her shoulder. "When did this happen?" Al played with the ends of her newly shortened hair.

"Last night. I realized it was distracting me during studying. This way I won't accidentally sit on it like before. You ready for potions today?" Al groaned in response and put his head on the table. He forgot he was going to have to spend almost all of his mornings in the dungeons this year. He did not like to be in the same room as a Slytherin, much less fifteen of them on their turf. He was grateful for a different form of learning though. He did not enjoy taking notes during class and then taking tests on the notes he had taken prior. It just was not meant for him. Rose, however, absolutely loved traditional learning and was already trying to study for her O.W.L.S. even though they were far off from then. "Al, seriously. Get over your immaturity. There is nothing wrong with Slytherins. You're even named after one!" Al picked his head up only to glare his cousin down.

"Shut up, dad. I didn't ask for it today, Rose." Al sat up straight as he saw a Slytherin walking down from the front of the hall. "Watch this," he said. "Tarantellegra," Al whispered and pointed his wand discreetly at the unsuspecting second year. When he went to take another step, his legs betrayed him and began to dance uncontrollably. The professors at the front of the hall seemed much less amused than the entire student body. The tables erupted into laughter at the poor child, while the faculty quickly put an end to the foolishness.

"Are you mental?" Rose punched Al in the shoulder. She did not share her cousin's arrogance that sadly sometimes accompanied being in Gryffindor. "All of the houses are equal, Al. We all got our letters, didn't we? There is no reason that you should think Slytherin is lesser than us. They're the exact same as us. I hope one day you realize this.

"Rose, you know my bloodline. I have a reputation to uphold. And it's actually a lot of pressure. Potters and Malfoys are enemies. Everyone knows that. And Malfoys represent Slytherin. So it just makes sense to not allow any of the house near me. We are superior, no matter what you believe. If you really were that soft, perhaps Hufflepuff would have better suited you." Al had a dangerous tone, and Rose stiffly rose from the bench and walked out of the Great Hall. Al had a cold, bitter feeling in his stomach. He was regretting the way he spoke to his cousin. He thought he was right, so he did not feel the need to apologise.

By the time Al reached the dungeons, Rose was already in the Potions room. She was chatting with Lily, Al's Ravenclaw sister. He still loved her, but he was always thrown off by her since she was a different house than their family through history. It drove them apart until Al's fifth year, when Lily was beginning her third. She confronted him and they mended their torn bond. He sat down next to his family, and was blatantly ignored by his cousin. His sister, having missed this morning's incident, happily greeted him. Al grunted in return, not wanting to madden Rose more by being cheerful.

"Alright class, let's open our text to page sixteen, please," Professor Finnigan cut through the chatter of students. The Potter/Weasley children did as told.

"Al, you can sit this one out, you don't need it," Lily chuckled nervously at Rose's statement which dripped venom onto the workbench. Al opened the book and discovered it was a recipe for a Pride Potion. The look he gave the back of Rose's head would have ended the Battle of Hogwarts. Rose shifted uncomfortably in her seat, clearly feeling the glare. "If you're going to shoot daggers at me, do it with a spell and we can decide who was right earlier," Rose muttered loud enough for just for him to hear.

"Don't tempt me," Al snarled. His eyes darkened as he turned back to his potion, which was fervently bubbling.

The rest of the lesson went by with minor conflict consisting solely of backhanded comments from Rose. Al packed up his things a few minutes early, claiming he felt ill. He was not looking forward to having another lesson right after the current one with Rose. Professor Finnigan allowed him to leave. Al could barely see as he stormed out of the room. He was seeing red with anger, and hot tears were welling up. He turned the corner, and sank to the ground. He sobbed violently in an alcove for a minute, and then got back up and ran out to go to his room. He collided with another sixth year, and he tried to go around him.

"Are you okay?" The deep voice came from a man restraining Al.

"I'm fine, thank you very much. Now if you would let me go, I can return to what I was doing," Al said. He very much wanted to go to sleep forever.

"And that is… Crying in the dungeons? You were running the wrong way to continue with that daring adventure. Come with me, we can talk." The man was very kind, and he smelled of peppermint. Al sniffled and obliged. He followed the fellow student through the secret entrance to the Slytherin dormitories and down several twisting stairwells. He surely would be lost if he attempted to navigate this path. At the end of the hall they found themselves in was apparently this student's room. He opened it, and the source of the peppermint smell was found. There were pots filled with it on every surface big enough to support them. Al's eyes widened with surprise at the unexpected sight. "I secretly enjoy herbology, and I do fancy peppermint tea before I go to sleep. But seeing as how the kitchen elves don't trust Slytherins for some reason, I make it here. Would you care for a cup? You seem as though you could use it." The boy's soothing voice seemed to caress Al, and he nodded graciously.

"Who are you?" Al quietly asked between sips of surprisingly delicious tea.

"The name's Scorpius. And you're Albus, correct?" Scorpius smiled a smile that looked like it was used sparingly and cautiously.

"Al. No one calls me Albus," Al said cautiously, realising he was in a room with a Malfoy, the very reason he despised the Slytherin house.

"Well then I suppose I shall be the first. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Albus," Scorpius said. He sat back on his bed and took a sip of his tea.

Hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! Please leave a review! Second chapter will be up soon I promise 3