There's Something About Albus
by sweaterweather21

Summary: Catalina Zabini was planning on an uneventful sixth year. Between her duties as a Prefect, studying for the impending NEWTs, and keeping her overbearing mother complacent, the last thing she needed was something (or someone) else to worry about. But Cat can't help but notice that Albus Potter seems to be up to something, and despite her good girl instincts, it seems she may have a nose for trouble after all.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 1: Voldemort Wears Designer Clothing

"I'll let you in, on something big. I am not a white teeth teen. I tried to join, but never did. The way they are the way they seem, is something else, it's in the blood..."

-White Teeth Teens (Lorde)

"Darling! The company's here!"

Catalina Zabini moaned, rolling over on her bed and burying her face in her pillow. Sooner or later she knew she'd have to leave her room, but the sound her mother's shrill voice didn't inspire much haste from her daughter.

It was August 31st. For most teenagers in Great Britain, the last day of summer was spent in a whirlwind of last minute-adventures in an attempt to soak up any remaining freedom. Unfortunately, Cat had a dinner party to attend.

The annual back-to-school dinner was the brainchild of her mother. Six years ago, Natalia Zabini had pulled out all the stops for a fancy dinner party to celebrate her daughter's upcoming first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Since then, she had scaled back a bit in an attempt to enjoy some last-minute quality time together with family and friends. Although Cat had yet to experience a back-to-school dinner that was anything short of miserable, the tradition had held firm throughout the years.

For one, Natalia made it a point to invite her awful grandmother, Theodora. Although Cat's parents had instructed to refer to her as Grandmother Zabini, the old lady insisted that Cat and her brother Matteo refer to her only as Theodora, in order to preserve her vitality. The woman was approaching seventy, but still had all her wits about her, dating a new man every month. To make matters worse, Theodora seemed to enjoy "accidentally" leaking details of her romantic conquests into casual conversation, which Cat could barely sit through without grimacing.

These dinners were always a formal affair, filled with idle conversation and conducted by the rules of etiquette that had been drilled into Cat's head from a young age. They were stuffy and boring, but Cat's job was to be the perfect pureblooded daughter and put on a good show for the guests.

In an act of miniscule disobedience, Cat remained face-down in her bed for another 30 seconds before checking her make-up for smudges in her full-length mirror. She tugged down on her dress, a slim black number with a high waist and gave one last reproachful look at the dreaded silver strappy heels adorning her feet. Last year she had dared to arrive at the dinner party wearing flats and Natalia had forced her to change her footwear. She wouldn't make that mistake again. Carefully, Cat made her way down the curved staircase, lamenting the event to come with every step.

She forced her lips into a smile as she entered the parlor, but it quickly evaporated once she saw who else had arrived.

Grandmother Theodora was enough to deal with, but then she had to go and pass on her genes to her other granddaughter: Cat's cousin, Giovanna de Luca.

She sat elegantly in an armchair, legs crossed at the ankles, showing off a sparkling pair of black stilettos to match a tightly-fitted cream-colored halter dress that hugged her every curve. Giovanna was seventeen, therefore only a year older than Cat, but Cat couldn't help feeling occasionally like she was reliving her awkward preteen years around her practically perfect cousin.

"Hello, cousin," Giovanna remarked smoothly.

"Hi, Giovanna," Cat managed in response. She chose a spot on the sofa next to her father Blaise on the opposite end of the room. He was deep in conversation with his brother-in-law, an extremely wealthy businessman who was unfortunate enough to marry into the Zabini family. Blaise gave his daughter a slight nod in acknowledgement, but otherwise made no effort to include Cat in the conversation, which she was fine with. The other female relatives chatted away closer to the entrance, but Cat was content to be present physically. Mentally, she was somewhere else for a few minutes until the doorbell sounded.

"Oh, that must be the Malfoys!" Natalia Zabini exclaimed. "It was just about time to head to the dining room anyway. Catalina, would you be a dear and welcome them in? Remind your brother to come down as well while you're at it."

"Yes, mother." Cat said, and made her exit from the parlor as quickly as possible without tripping over her heels and yanking open the door.

Cat had never been so happy to see that smirking blond face in her life.

"It's about time!" she hissed to Scorpius under her breath while ushering him through the foyer. She maintained a pleasant facial expression while welcoming his parents, but dropped it momentarily as she closed the door.

She made the effort to brighten back up as she turned around. "May I take your coat, Astoria?" she questioned politely. "Everyone is in the dining room already."

"Thank you, Catalina," Astoria Greengrass smiled back, shrugging off her light summer jacket before taking her husband's arm and proceeding down the hallway.

Scorpius followed Cat to the coat closet.

"What's up with you? Playing house-elf tonight got your knickers in a twist?" he asked, leaning his tall body against the wooden doorframe ever-so-casually.

"Of course not. And I'll tell your mother you said that!" Cat huffed, flicking Scorpius in the forehead.

"And I'll tell your mum you like to hit me in your spare time!" he countered.

"Oh, shut up Scorpius," Cat said, rolling her eyes in an attempt to feign nonchalance, although his threat didn't entirely miss its mark. Her mother was convinced that her eldest daughter and Scorpius would make the perfect couple, if only Cat would pursue him. She had confided in Scorpius about this, and although they both agreed it was ridiculous considering they were practically brother and sister, Scorpius still loved to lord the possibility over Cat's head.

"But seriously, stick by me during dinner," Cat continued. "Grandmum's here, and I do not want to spend the rest of the night hearing about her newest lover. I've already heard enough. Apparently he's thirty-four and quite the looker." She wrinkled her nose.

Scorpius's lip curled in disgust. "Gross."

"I know. Now let's get out of here, or mum'll ask me later how my private time with Scorpius Malfoy went!" Cat exclaimed, tugging on Scorpius's arm and leading him away from the closet.

She called out for Matteo as she passed the staircase and then entered the Zabini's formal dining room, which could seat up to forty comfortably.

Cat considered its large occupancy unnecessary, but would never voice that to her mother. Tonight it held eleven guests, all clustered around the far end of the table. Cat avoided the lone seat next to her grandmother, leading Scorpius to a pair of open seats next to each other. Like a gentleman, Scorpius pulled out her chair for her as she sat down. Cat smoothed down her skirt and nodded her thanks as her mother looked on approvingly from her spot next to her husband at the head of the table. As soon as she looked elsewhere, though, Cat shot Scorpius a glare. He only winked in return.

Just then, Matteo bounded into the room, earning an ireful glare from his mother for once instead of Catalina. Natalia chose not to comment, however, and her son slipped into the seat next to Grandmother Theodora with a small frown.

Cat sipped her water innocently until she noticed Giovanna aiming coy glances at Scorpius from across the table. Scorpius noticeably stiffened next to her, but forced a smile back.

"You didn't tell me she was here," he mumbled under his breath as soon as Giovanna looked away.

"I know. She's awful." Cat responded flatly. "She's like Voldemort, except in designer clothing."

Scorpius shuddered.

The housekeeper, Connie, came in with salads next, momentarily distracting Cat from her whispered conversation with Scorpius. As the adults chatted about the new Supreme Mugwump, Cat poked at her salad and let her gaze drift across the table.

Giovanna had momentarily stopped undressing Scorpius with her eyes from across the table and was now engrossed in a conversation with Natalia. She smiled, flicked her hair, and chatted animatedly, no doubt regaling some fantastic party she'd attended or an exotic vacation she'd taken.

Cat did her best to ignore her. Instead, she continued scanning the rest of the table just in time to catch her younger brother, Matteo, mouthing the words "help me!" in between bites of green beans. He was the Zabini sibling hapless enough to be seated next to Grandmother, and by the looks of it, she was narrating some encounter with an ex-lover that left Matteo's eyes bulging. Cat was glad she was sitting far enough away to avoid any details of the conversation.

Scorpius had also witnessed this interaction, evidenced by the suppressed snicker she heard coming from her left. She tried to discreetly elbow him in the side to get him to shut up, but missed and knocked over her water goblet in the process. Hastily, she mopped up the contents with her napkin, but her mother was already shooting her a glare. Giovanna only smirked.

Cat did her best to behave for the rest of dinner. She talked idly with Scorpius's father for a couple of minutes about her position as a Prefect at Hogwarts and even dodged a couple of questions from her grandmother about her love life. ("Are you dating anyone yet?" to which Cat shook her head, and the ensuing "Well, that's a shame," to which Cat forced a polite smile even though she could sense Scorpius's smirk without even having to look at him.)

It was a good forty minutes of tortured civility until Cat's mum excused the children from the table so the adults could talk. Cat disliked being referred to as a child, but took the opportunity to leave the dinner party from hell as a miracle from Merlin.

They had barely exited the door before Giovanna made her move.

"Scorpius?" she purred, "would you like to sit with me on the patio for a while?"

Unfortunately for her, Scorpius had been expecting her attempts to get him alone. "Yes, I'd love to!" he responded in fake sincerity. "It's such a nice night, maybe we could all go swimming."

Giovanna frowned, her perfectly groomed eyebrows inching closer together. "I was thinking something more along the lines of—"

"Perfect!" Matteo interrupted. "I'll get my trunks!"

"Remind me to thank your brother later," Scorpius whispered in Cat's ear as they made their way through several hallways lined with portraits to the back patio overlooking the pool. Giovanna trailed behind.

Scorpius pushed open the French doors and was the first to settle into a wicker chair. He wasted no time removing a small silver flask from his pocket and taking a sip.

"Scorpius!" Cat chided, but inwardly she couldn't blame him. Those dinner parties really were horrendous.

The blond only shrugged his shoulders in response, holding it out to Catalina teasingly.

"No thanks," she said, but allowed a small grin to slide onto her face.

"I'll have some," Giovanna spoke up. Cat's smile vanished. Scorpius offered her the flask, and she took a long swig before giving it back.

"Drinking already I see," Matteo commented as her burst through the doors, sans a shirt and sporting a navy pair of swimming trunks.

Scorpius only smirked. "Want some?"

Matteo's blue eyes lit up immediately but Cat wasn't having any of it.

"No way. You're fourteen, Matty."

"Yeah, well, we all can't be the perfect child like you," he pouted even going as far as to push out his bottom lip.

She copied his face and twirled her hair, earning a small chuckle from Scorpius.

They all descended into silence for a few moments before Giovanna piped up.

"So, I haven't seen much of you this summer, Scorpius. What've you been up to?"

Cat held back a snort. She had only seen Giovanna two other times during the summer, but of course her cousin would choose to address Scorpius.

Scorpius looked bored, but decided to humor her. "Well, I spent a good deal of the summer with Al."

Giovanna's eyes widened. "Al as in Albus Potter?"

"The one and only," Scorpius confirmed. "His parents took us to the World Cup."
"Fascinating," Giovanna commented blandly. Cat wasn't really one for Quidditch herself, but it was obvious Giovanna had no idea how to continue the conversation beyond that.

She waited a few moments before attempting to strike up the conversation again, flashing a dazzling grin in Scorpius's direction as she spoke. "I saw you in the papers quite a bit. You looked handsome, as always."

This time, Cat couldn't hold back her snicker. Giovanna glared.

"It's part of the package when you hang around the Potters." Scorpius drawled. "They seem to be well-known around these parts.

Matteo laughed outright at the understatement. Cat was a little more pensive. As a child, she remembered reading the tabloid specials about all of the Potter and Weasley clan and wondering what it would be like to live an entire life in the spotlight like that. Cat had been excited to find out that Albus Potter, Rose Weasley, and Lucy Weasley – just three of the large brood – would be attending Hogwarts in the same year as her. However, in her five years at the school, she hadn't had much contact with them, and remained content listening to stories about them secondhand. Albus and Rose were Gryffindors, while Lucy was a Ravenclaw, and as a Slytherin, Cat seemed to run in different circles. As a result, Cat still found them intimidating.

Scorpius had followed Cat into Slytherin, and really had no excuse for becoming such good friends with Albus Potter. Privately, Cat always had always thought he sought out the Gryffindor golden boy's friendship just to piss off his father, but Scorpius always became dodgy whenever the subject came up.

Eager to break up the ensuing awkwardness caused by Giovanna's repeated advances and Scorpius's subsequent rejections, Cat spoke up. "I think Matty has the right idea. What do you say we take a dip in the pool?"

Cat woke up the next morning later than she had planned. She hadn't meant to stay up past midnight, but the adults never beckoned them, and they ended up swimming longer than she thought. The night had still been warm and the cool water had felt wonderful against Cat's skin. But most importantly, Giovanna had left early, claiming she needed her rest and providing the rest of them with a much more enjoyable evening.

Still dreaming about the last remnant of summer she had enjoyed last night, Cat trudged to the bathroom. She washed her face, running a comb through her long, dark strands and putting on a bit of make-up to conceal her tired eyes and some mascara for good measure.

Cat had packed her trunk yesterday morning, but she still felt the need to run around her room looking for anything else she didn't want to leave behind. She grabbed a package of owl treats from her desk drawer as well as her favorite pair of running shoes which has been stashed in a corner, and shoved them in her trunk. Even with an extension charm and a weight-reducing charm on it, she still struggled to carry the heaving thing down the stairs.

Unceremoniously, Cat dropped it on the ground with a plunk, and quickly collapsed on top of it. Matteo was chronically late, and was probably doing some last-minute packing.

Her father strolled through the foyer next, his hair still wet from his shower and nibbling on a piece of toast.

"Good morning, Catalina," he said smoothly. "Did you get any breakfast?"
"I thought I'd just buy some on the train."

Blaise Zabini rummaged through a drawer on a nearby side table, and produced a handful of galleons, far too much for a simple snack from the cart. Nevertheless, he handed them over to Cat.

"Um, thank you," Cat said, suddenly unsure of herself. She noticed his bathrobe for the first time in their conversation and made her best attempt to be casual when asking him about it.

"Oh, do you have somewhere else to be?"

"Unfortunately, yes," he replied crisply. "My secretary booked me for a meeting at ten with this elusive client and I'm afraid it's impossible to reschedule."

Fiddling with the padlock on her trunk, Cat tried her best to appear unfazed. She hated how this scene seemed to replay over and over despite her best attempts to avoid getting her hopes up in the first place.

Just then, her mother made her way down the stairs in a manner that was graceful, yet impossible to ignore.

Blaise greeted her smoothly. "Good morning, Natalia."

She nodded in his direction, then addressed her eldest child. "Darling," she began. "We simply must discuss the details of your coming of age party before you leave. I know a year seems ages away but really, I'll need you to stay in touch with me throughout the year so everything is perfect, okay? There are fitting to consider, the guest list to consider, and flower arrangements to be made. You need to be on top of this if everything is to go smoothly. Cat, are you listening? You only turn seventeen once, after all."

Cat blinked as Natalia smiled, flashing her perfectly white teeth toward her daughter in a way that was slightly reminiscent of a griffin eyeing up his prey.

Her smile began fading as Natalia Zabini waited for a sign of confirmation from her daughter.

"Sounds good. I'll owl you every week," Cat managed, a beat too late.

Natalia checked her watch. She frowned, revealing a few miniscule wrinkles near her mouth. "Matty, dear! We really must be off!" She called up the stairs.

Cat sighed. She couldn't wait to be back at Hogwarts.

With no thanks to Matty, three-fourths of the Zabini family arrived to Platform 9 and ¾ with only two minutes to spare. Despite their tardiness, Natalia tried to deliver another last-minute reminder about the importance of carrying oneself as a lady. Cat listened half-heartedly, but started planning her escape route once her mother brought up possible napkin colors for the party.

"It's not as if I'm getting married, mother." Cat grimaced. If this blasted coming of age party was this much of a headache, she'd hate to see her mother preparing for a wedding. The thought of it alone made her shiver.

Hastily, Cat leaned in and gave her mother a hug. Natalia was perpetually enveloped in a lilac-scented mist, which made Cat cough even though she was holding her breath. She pulled away abruptly but managed a genuine smile. Despite all of Natalia's airs, she really did mean the best.

There was still the matter of getting her trunk on the train, however. Cat grunted as her muscles strained to pick her trunk up.

"Oh, if only you had a nice boy to carry that for you!" she heard her mother exclaim.

Cat nearly dropped the trunk in annoyance. Nearby, Matty snickered but made no attempt to help her. "Bugger off," she growled.

"Love you too, sis!" he responded cheerily, cutting her off and leaping aboard without a problem, purposely making it look easy just to spite Cat's difficulties.

She huffed. This was karmic revenge for calling him "chicken legs" all those years ago. Matteo was still a lanky git, but he had developed some muscles over the summer, and never failed to remind Cat of the fact.

Taking a deep breath, Cat steadied herself in front of the train. She could do this.

"Oi! Hurry up, would you!"

Cat was not in the mood. She turned on her heel, eyes flashing as she locked in on a mousy-looking second year standing right behind her.

"For your information, you little-"

"Relax, Kitty! Don't bitch out the second year! It was me." Cat whirled around face an approaching Tanner Boot, a fellow Slytherin sixth year and one of Scorpius's friends.

Cat's eyes widened, and she murmured a quick apology at the small boy before turning back to Tanner.

He pushed his golden-brown hair out of his eyes and looked her up-and-down knowingly. "Need some help?"

Cat looked down toward the heavy luggage and then back toward the train with a sigh. "Yes, please."

"Anything for you, Kitty," Tanner responded with a smirk.

Cat rolled her eyes. She hated the nickname, an oh-so-clever spin-off of "Cat," but she figured now wasn't the time to put up a fuss about it after someone had finally helped her with her trunk. "Thanks," she muttered.

"Anytime," he replied, then headed down the corridor, leaving Cat alone with her trunk once again.

Cat shrunk her trunk and put it in her pocket, as she was finally allowed to use magic once aboard the train.

Her bad mood refused to dissipate, and she scowled all the way to the prefects' compartment, where she slumped into the open seat next to Scorpius.

He eyed her curiously. "What's got your wand in a knot?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"I wouldn't ask if I didn't want to."

Cat ran her fingers through her hair in exasperation.

"It's mum again."

"When isn't it?" Scorpius smirked.

Cat kicked him, and began her tirade.

"She went off about my coming of age party again this morning. I don't even want a bloody party in the first place, not that she knows anything about me anyway. And then just as I was getting on the train, she has the nerve to start lecturing me again. I just wanted to give her a quick wave and hop on the train because Merlin knows Matty made us late, but she kept rambling about napkins and how I'm about to be presented to society. I can't deal with her!" She exclaimed, and paused to catch her breath.

"Is that all?"

Cat narrowed her eyes. "Actually, I'm not done yet. I finally got away from her and was carrying my trunk to the train like an independent woman and she had the nerve to insinuate that I needed a boyfriend to help carry my things for me!"

She finished and looked at him pointedly.

"You do need a boyfriend," Scorpius drawled in response. "You have no muscles." He squeezed her upper arm for emphasis.

Cat felt the urge to kick Scorpius again, but refrained when she heard a chuckle coming from Scorpius's right.

"Eavesdrop much?" she retorted to their mysterious companion.

"It's difficult to block you out when you're broadcasting to the entire compartment, sweetheart." The eavesdropper leaned forward to speak, revealing his identity in the process.

It took Cat a moment to recognize him. Black hair, charming grin, and damn, those green eyes. Of course it was Albus Potter.

She would be lying if she said she hadn't harbored a tiny little crush on him from first year – all the girls did. His older brother, James, had swept through Hogwarts first, doing more than his fair share of breaking hearts, but Albus was appealing in a more subdued way. He was known for being easy-going, handsome, and kind, a combination most of the female population at Hogwarts found difficult to resist. But Morgana! The summer had been kind to him on top of that, giving him a nice tan and some added definition in his arms that was sure to make the girls of Hogwarts even more rabid than usual.

Cat could only blush in response. Life was really just unfair sometimes.

"Anyway," Albus continued, "you're not alone. James was making fun of Rosie for being single the other day and she hexed his hair off, if it makes you feel any better."

"Atta girl," Cat said, recovering from her embarrassment by focusing her attention on Scorpius and ruffling his hair. "I ought to do that to you."

Her blond friend clutched his head protectively, but was slightly distracted by the mention of Rose Weasley.

"How is that darling cousin of yours, Al? She seemed a bit irked at me before I left your house."

"A bit irked? Scor, she did a happy dance around the house after you went through the Floo."

Scorpius opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sudden arrival of the redhead in question herself. She settled into the seat next to Albus.

"Hello, Al," she said good-naturedly before her voice took on a darker quality as she addressed Scorpius. "Malfoy."

Rose took notice of Cat sitting on the other end, and offered up a small smile in her direction but said nothing.

She obviously didn't remember her name and Cat was about to introduce herself before Scorpius spoke up.

"Her name's Catalina Zabini, Weasley, which you might know if you paid attention to anyone but yourself once in a while."

Both Cat and Albus stiffened at Scorpius's antagonistic statement.

Rose maintained her smile but it grew slightly more feral as her eyes narrowed toward Scorpius. "I was about to ask, Malfoy, before you rudely decided to run your mouth off."

"The only rude one here is you," Scorpius managed before Albus decided to attempt to placate the two.

"Seriously, Rose, calm down," he said to his cousin, whose cheeks were beginning to match her hair color. "And Scorpius, don't provoke her. Merlin, it's only the first prefect's meeting of the year and you two are already at each other's throats."

Neither looked remotely abashed, but Cat and Albus were spared any further disagreements by the arrival of the Head Boy and Girl.

McGonagall's selections for Heads were always a hot topic, but Cat wasn't surprised at all to see Fred Weasley and Miranda Mockbridge standing on the platform.

Fred Weasley was yet another of the infamous brood. He lived up to his name by being quite charming and devastatingly good-looking, although he differed in some aspects by choosing to use his powers for good, not evil. He was known for having a great sense of humor, but never seemed to offend anyone. Fred handled responsibility well, which had earned him a prefect position in his fifth year and Head Boy now in his seventh. He wore it well, too, with his Gryffindor tie perfectly straight and his robes framing his body nicely.

The Head Girl was Miranda Mockbridge, a Hufflepuff and a total sweetheart. She was the exact opposite of Fred in terms of looks; while he was tall and dark, she was petite and fair, with rosy cheeks and curly light brown hair. However, she wasn't a surprise for the position either. Miranda could typically be found in the library tutoring some first year in her spare time, and was notorious for offering free copies of her meticulously organized class notes to anyone who asked nicely. Despite her quiet nature, people tended to listen to her.

Cat braced herself for the typical speech which she had learned last year, but instead Fred announced that all twenty-four prefects would be participating in an ice-breaker activity to learn everyone's names. Scorpius gave Rose a pointed look at this, but to her credit, she pretended not to notice him.

The game itself went smoothly. Cat prided herself on her ability to connect names and faces, which she had successfully developed after many years of meeting strangers at her parents' dinner parties, and as a result, did rather well.

After the last person had gone, Miranda announced that they could return to their seats.

Cat sat down first, and to her surprise, Albus slid in next to her, occupying Scorpius's former spot. "I thought it'd be funny to make them sit by each other," he said with a grin as the rest of the seats around them filled up.

"Funny?" Cat questioned. "More like dangerous."

"You're probably right," Albus agreed with a chuckle. "How far do you think they'll make it through the meeting without arguing?"

Cat hesitated. She knew Scorpius well, and for the most part, he was a pretty calm guy. When it came to Rose Weasley, though, his fuse was significantly shorter. "Eight minutes."

"That's generous. I give them three."

Cat shook her head.

"Oh, so you disagree?" Albus countered. "Want to make it a little more interesting and put five galleons on it?"

Luckily, Scorpius came down the aisle before Cat could answer.

"What's this I hear about gambling?"

"I told Catalina here I'd give her five galleons if she could charm Freddie's pants invisible without him noticing. I heard she's a genius at nonverbal spells."

Cat flushed slightly under the compliment, but was saved yet again from answering by Scorpius.

"Save your money, mate. Cat's never pulled a prank in her life."

"And I'm not about to start on the Head Boy!" Cat piped up.

They laughed, only trailing off when Rose reluctantly sat down next to Scorpius. "There were no other open seats," she muttered grumpily.

Albus looked at her pointedly as Miranda began her speech about patrols. "It's on."

As Fred and Miranda alternated talking points, Cat tried to pay attention but mostly failed miserably. She didn't like to admit it, but the mere thought of Albus Potter sitting next to her was distraction enough, and on top of that, she was monitoring Scorpius and Rose for any sign of a disagreement.

Five minutes in, however, Albus nudged her. "Scor's asleep!" he exclaimed in a hushed tone.

Cat tried to stifle her giggle, but it didn't really work. A nearby prefect glared, but Cat ignored her and stretched forward to get a glimpse of Scorpius. His head had fallen onto Albus's right shoulder and his chest moved up and down slightly as Rose looked on with a frown.

For Cat and Albus, the remaining ten minutes of the meeting were spent trying to suppress laughter as Scorpius mumbled, jerked, and drooled in his sleep. With each action, Rose's expression changed from annoyance to outright disgust. When Fred called the meeting to a close, the prefects cheered at the relatively early dismissal and Rose hurriedly got up to leave after saying a quick goodbye to Albus.

Scorpius was still sleeping on Albus's shoulder, so Cat lingered for a few moments. "You know," she began, "because they lasted the whole meeting without fighting, I think this means that I won the bet."

"What bet? We never shook on it!"

Cat rolled her eyes.

"Scorpius was sleeping the whole time anyway!"

"What, you can't admit that I won?" Cat asked with a grin.

"Fine, you win. I have a mind to make this tosser pay anyway. It's his damn fault I lost the bet." Albus conceded, finally shaking Scorpius off of him. The blond fell backward and woke up with a jolt.

"You owe me five galleons, Scor," Cat said as she stood up to leave.

Blearily, Scorpius looked up at her. "What? What are you talking about?"

Cat laughed and turned toward Albus one last time. "Don't worry, we're square. Having this moron as a best friend is punishment enough for losing the bet."

Author's Note: So there's the first chapter! I must say, this plot bunny has been running rampant in my head for quite some time now, and I'm excited to finally have this first chapter written down. I know I've been MIA in the FanFiction circles for quite some time now, but that's what the first semester of college will do to you! Anyway, I'd love to hear what you have to say about this first chapter! Do you like Cat's personality and background? Is Giovanna a huge bitch? Do you love Albus already? I kind of do.

More Information: This will probably be around 30-ish chapters, and will be primarily an Albus/OC romance, although I'm tempted to include a bit of Rose/Scorpius just because I've grown to love that pairing as well. I'm also in the hunt for a good beta, so feel free to volunteer or give recommendations :)

Anyway, that's it. Thanks for reading, all :)