Something Terrible
CHAPTER 1
"If we get caught, Malfoy, I swear to Merlin-"
"We're not going to get caught, all right?"
"Scorp, I have a bad feeling about this…"
"Careful Albus, it can smell your fear!"
"Weasley!" Scorpius snapped, turning around to see the bane of his existence cackling manically at her cousin, who was seemingly trying to see all four corners of the forest at once in a paranoid frenzy.
"What? If we're going to get a detention because of this, at least let me have a little fun," Rose replied through her chuckles, slapping a hand on Albus' back, making him yelp in fright.
"The less noise we make, the better," Scorpius scowled through gritted teeth and continued to lead the trio down the darkened path, tightening his cloak. The brisk October air swept over the forest in a cool wind that he had not been anticipating when they had snuck out of the castle an hour previously. "And we are not going to get a detention!"
"None of this would have happened if Lily wasn't hoarding the cloak," Albus said to himself, still looking paranoid but slightly irritated as well. He had grudgingly agreed to accompany Scorpius on his mission that night but was starting to regret it as the shadows played tricks on his eyes.
"None of this would have happened if your best mate had an I.Q. that matched his fat head," Rose replied sharply. Scorpius could feel her glare bearing into the back of him but chose to ignore her comment. The last thing he needed was to get into yet another row with her now, of all places. "Gambling with Seventh Year Slytherins? Are you honestly that unintelligent?"
"No one asked you to come along, Rose," Albus pointed out, echoing the thoughts in Scorpius' head.
"As a matter a fact, I specifically recall your mother telling me to make sure you avoid another near death experience like last year with the mermaids, Albus Severus" Rose rebuked, making Albus blush. "It was either come along and keep you out of a coffin or start writing my eulogy."
"Balderdash," Scorpius murmured to himself, but not quietly enough to keep Rose from hearing.
"What was that?" she called, which he ignored again. Before he knew it, she was in front of him, wand pointed at his chest, her blue eyes blazing like a lion's. "What do you mean, 'balderdash'?"
Scorpius ran his tongue over his inner cheek, debating whether or not it was worth it to get into an altercation with her. His inner Slytherin was itching to snap back at her, defend the pride that she had been pouncing at all night, but as they were currently stopped in the Forbidden Forest at an obscene hour, he figured it was best to stay quiet.
"Nothing."
Rose smirked. "That's what I thought." She twirled around, her long, curly, dark red hair nearly whipping him in the face as she took the lead this time. Albus and Scorpius fell in suit behind her.
"Good choice, mate," Albus muttered, as Rose began ranting off all the reasons Scorpius was a horrible person who deserved to take his place right next to Satan in the ninth circle of Hell.
"Yeah, whatever," he said back, feeling goaded but knowing that he'd get her back eventually.
"…Comprehend how you've fooled the family into liking you!" she seethed. "And the prefect badge, how on earth did you get the bloody prefect badge? You are the worst possible example that should be set for students!"
"She'll cool down once we get back to the castle," Albus assured him.
"…You somehow bewitched McGonagall just like you bewitched our family!"
"She hasn't cooled down since First Year, Al," Scorpius said.
"…Am I the only one not blind to your true, malicious ways? Am I the only one oblivious of your charm?"
"Charm?" Scorpius cut in, smiling to himself. "You think I'm charming, Weasley?"
Rose stopped and faced them, crossing her arms with narrowed eyes. "No, but it's the only explanation as to why everyone puts up with you."
"Ever considered the fact that if you're the only one who doesn't like me, there must be something wrong with you?" Scorpius asked silkily, taking pleasure in the blush that was forming on her cheeks, noticeable in the faint light that emitted from his wand. There was a sudden crack somewhere in the forest, as if someone (or something) had stepped on a branch near them. The trio leaped together, surveying their surroundings with wands lifted.
"Can we go back? Please?" Albus whimpered.
"And people wonder why you're not in Gryffindor," Rose taunted, returning instantly to her confident disposition as if she hadn't just grabbed Scorpius' arm in fright. "Let's just get what we came here for and get out of here."
"What we came here for?" Scorpius raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were just here to protect Albus."
"I don't need protecting!" Albus demanded, but his command was overshadowing by the argument that had building up the entire night.
"I am, and I'd also like to avoid a detention seeing as we are Prefects," Rose shot back. "Or had you forgotten, just like last night when you made that blasted bet?"
"I wouldn't expect you to understand why I was playing chess with them in the first place," Scorpius reprimanded.
"Does it have to do with the fact that you're too competitive for your own good?" Rose cocked her head mockingly. "When it comes to any sort of game you have the self-control of Pandora."
"Fine, I wanted to beat Zambini, is that so bad?" Scorpius cried. "I figured if I'd gotten the last 'check mate' he'd finally shut up about-"
Scorpius stopped himself before he had said too much.
"Shut up about what?" Rose asked, curiosity mixing in with agitation. He didn't reply and instead starting walking again. The two cousins raced to catch up with his stride. "Shut up about what, Malfoy?"
"Never mind, let's just find the unicorn hair and get back to castle safe," Scorpius insisted, hoping for once in her life Rose would just let something go.
Then again, she wouldn't be Rose Weasley if not irksomely persistent.
"No, tell me!" Rose grabbed his arm and whipped him around. They glared at each other as he kept his mouth shut before she thought to ask Albus. "Do you know what he's talking about?"
"Ah, I, er-"
"Oh, excellent!" Rose cried, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm the only one who doesn't know what's going on here?"
"It's not important, Rose-"
"Shut it!" she snapped at Albus. "I am not breaking countless school rules to search for wagered unicorn hair just to be left in the dark!"
"We didn't ask you to come!" Scorpius yelled, unable to keep his fury inside any longer. "We didn't drag you out here, Weasley! We weren't even talking about it in front of you; you overheard and declared yourself our protector because you love it Weasley, just admit it. You love the adventure, the danger, the uncertainty of getting back to the castle safely! You weren't mad that Albus got attacked by mermaids last year, you were mad that you weren't invited to come along!"
Rose stood there, nostrils flaring, white sparks jumping from the end of her wand. "You-"
"Yeah, I might be competitive, but at least I accept it! I accept that when that prick Zambini challenged me to Wizard's Chess and made a bet with me, I jumped at the opportunity without thinking it through! I accept getting a little too angry after I've lost a match of Quidditch! It's better than acting all high and mighty but secretly loving breaking the rules, only restraining yourself from it so you can fulfill the standards your Prefect parents set for you!"
"They didn't set anything for me, I wanted to be a Prefect!" Rose yelled back.
"But you also love breaking the rules," Scorpius smirked malevolently.
Albus could stand their constant bickering, but things were getting too serious for him to stay neutral. "Oi, come on-"
"Stay out of it, Albus," Rose said, not breaking eye contact with Scorpius. "What does Zambini harass you about?"
"Merlin, your overwhelming need to know everything is vastly irritating," Scorpius patronized.
Albus tried stepping between them. "Can we get out of here? Please? Scorpius, I'm sure you can pay him off instead-"
Rose gritted her teeth and tightened her grip around her wand. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't hex you."
"Hm, because you won't?" The smirk returned to Scorpius' lips as he twirled his own wand around his fingers.
"Why don't we try summoning it?" Albus asked allowed. "Accio unicorn hair!"
"I'll do it!"
Scorpius snorted. "When blast ended skrewts fly, you will!"
"Oh, you fly?"
Albus tutted nervously, still attempting to distract the two. "That wasn't very nice, Rosie."
"You won't know what hit you, Weasley," Scorpius growled.
Rose glowered at him, raising her wand higher. "Is that a challenge?"
"No," Scorpius said with a smile. "It's a promise."
Several hexes, a few bruises, a dislocated shoulder, and an hour later, Albus sat on a hospital wing bed as Madam Abbott scurried over to her supply closet to find a pain tonic, Scorpius at his side and continuously apologizing.
"Albus I can't even tell you-"
"Save it, Scorp."
"No, I mean it, I never meant for you to get hurt-"
"I know, Scorpius."
"You were just trying to keep the peace, and yet you're the one in the hospital bed-"
"It's just a shoulder, I'll be fine!"
"Weasley's right, it's a miracle your parents like me-"
"Scorpius, enough!" Albus cried, giving Scorpius a look of assurance. "I'm fine, really. I'm just glad it was me to end up hurt and not one of you two."
"Careful, you won't be allowed in the Slytherin common room if you keep asking like a Hufflepuff," Scorpius smiled, running a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry I lost my temper. She just…knows how to get under my skin."
"And you know how to get under hers," Albus admitted, acknowledging the marks on Scorpius' arms from Rose's hexes. Scorpius laughed and poked at them slightly.
"I owe her an apology, don't I?"
"She owes you one too, she knew exactly what she was doing."
Madam Abbott rushed back to Albus' side with two goblet full of an odd, purple liquid. "Drink up, Mr. Potter. You'll get a bit drowsy but you may return to your dorm."
"Thank you." Alex swung the tonic back and made a face as he swallowed. "This better be worth it."
"I can assure you it will," Madam Abbott nodded but raised an eyebrow. "Tell me again what you boys were doing that got you to this state?"
"Albus fell out of his bed, landed on his shoulder," Scorpius replied swiftly without batting an eye. "Nasty fall, really."
She still looked unconvinced. "What's with the cloaks?"
"Madam, the Slytherin common room is in the dudgeons. Unless you're by the fire, heat is a luxury."
She looked unconvinced but allowed them to leave without any more questions asked. They waved goodbye and thanked her for the late night treatment before beginning their walk back to their dormitory.
"Do you think Rose got back okay?" Albus asked with a yawn as they walked through the deserted corridors, lit only from dimmed candles.
"She can take care of herself," Scorpius replied with a sigh. "Besides, we've got bigger problems."
Albus yawned again, but bigger this time. "Oh?"
"I never got the unicorn hair. Zambini's going to kill me. Merlin's knows what he wants it for, he has enough money to buy it."
"Well, whatever it is, I'll help you out with it," Albus grinned, slapping him on the back but almost falling over from the shift in balance.
"Whoa, careful. That drowsiness is certainly setting in quick," Scorpius chuckled, throwing Albus' arm over his shoulder as he helped him down the stairs into the Entrance Hall.
"Zambini's a prick, you know, always harassing you about your family and the War. I understand why you bet him to stop if you won," Albus slurred, making the smile on Scorpius' face fade. "Why wouldn't you tell Rose? I'm sure she would have understood."
"She doesn't need to know about it," he replied quickly, practically dragging Albus through the dungeon corridors.
"It probably would have prevented you two from jinxing each other into oblivion," Albus giggled, sounding almost intoxicated.
"Albus, you know I would never intentionally hurt Rose, right?" Scorpius asked, his voice grave. "We may fight and get on each other's nerves but the last thing I would want would be to see her hurt. Rioting Riviters."
The door to the Slytherin common room opened and Albus began to giggle uncontrollably. "Oh, I know Scorp, I know all too well…"
"What's that mean?" Scorpius asked but the only response he got was a gruff snore. The oaf had fallen asleep. Feeling suddenly annoyed, Scorpius tossed his limp body unto a green couch and stalked off to his room to sleep. The rest of the night he dreamed of shadows, red hair, and unicorns.
