Professor McGonagall was expounding for what seemed like the fourteenth time on just exactly how to perform a Cross-Species Switch, and Albus was getting bored.

"Hey, Scorpius," he hissed, nudging his seatmate. "Scorpius!"

"Hnuh?"

Albus looked at his friend. Scorpius was staring dreamily towards the front of the room, doodling absently on a scrap of parchment.

"What are you doing?" Albus hissed. "Don't tell me you're paying attention to the lecture!"

"Nah," Scorpius murmured. " Not the lecture. Did you ever notice how Rose chews on her lip when she's concentrating?"

"Uh- no," Albus replied.

"And she twirls her curl around and around her finger," Scorpius continued. "Around and around and around- and her hair smells like vanilla."

Albus looked down at his friend's parchment. A heavily embellished R.W. + S.M. enclosed in a heart lay in the margins of his Scorpius's scant Transfiguration notes. Albus tried very hard to stifle a laugh as, in the front of the room, Rose nibbled at her lip and twisted a curl around her finger. Scorpius watched her every move with rapt attention.

Albus snatched the parchment.

Scorpius looked quickly at him, shaken entirely out of his trance. "Give it back," he demanded.

"Maybe Rose would like to see it," Albus replied innocently.

"Give it back!"

"What's going on here, boys?"

Professor McGonagall had come down the desk aisle without either boy noticing. Both jumped. "Potter, give me that paper."

Without waiting for an answer, she lifted the paper out of Albus's hand. She glanced at it, and shook her head, trying to conceal a smile.

"James Potter all over again," she sighed under her breath, handing Scorpius back his paper.

She headed back to her desk, and then turned as she reached it.

"Please be warned, boys- if I catch you passing notes in class again…"

Albus nodded. Scorpius shuffled his feet.

"Yes, ma'am."

"It won't happen again."

...

"Oh yes it will," the professor murmured to herself as she sat down, lifting her papers to cover a smile. "It will happen again. And I shan't be surprised when it does."