"Expelliarmus!"

"Protego!"

A flash of light made Albus close his eyes briefly, and when he opened them he looked across at his opponent to see him just as disoriented. Acting quickly, Albus stepped forward and brandished his wand once more. "Expelliarmus!"

Scorpius was as fast as usual, deflecting the spell with a wave of his wand. Albus stepped forward once more, a grin on his face, swiping his wand out at his opponent. With an audible whoomp Malfoy's wand shot out of his hand. With lightening fast reflexes, Albus Severus Potter swiped the disarmed wand from the air.

A loud cheer roared throughout the room and Al took a deep, dramatic bow.

"A wordless spell? That's dangerous stuff, Potter." Scorpius whispered, stepping forward, a grim look of acceptance on his face. He never took defeat well.

"Well, Malfoy, when you're the best, you've gotta work with what you've got." Al whispered back, staring Malfoy straight in the eye for a moment and the room got quiet. Then, both boys burst into grins. Al handed Scorp his wand and they stepped from the elongated dueling stage together, their Slytherin House robes billowing slightly.

Al's biggest fear had been becoming a Slytherin all the way up until the day he boarded the Hogwarts Express. His dad changed him with those few words of reassurance before he set foot on the train.

"I thought I'd get you that time, Al. You work well under pressure, my friend." Scorpius Malfoy had been Albus's best friends since they met on the Hogwarts Express three years ago. His sharp features and silver-blond hair made him easy on the eyes, and he was top of his class in Potions for three years running. Al had been a little weary of the boy at first, due to his uncle's warnings, but he soon found that he was a pretty good guy. And he was certain to be a Slytherin, and Al was still wondering what House he should join at the time they met. Scorpius had been the deciding factor.

Later on, Al was a little shocked to find out that Scorp's father, Draco Malfoy, had urged the boy to befriend him. Al thought he ought to thank Mr. Malfoy sometime.

"That was a really great duel, Al." Rose, Albus's cousin, now stood before the two friends. Her long auburn hair hung over her left shoulder in a braided hippogriff-tail. She was slightly tall for her age and gender, but she was no taller than Albus himself. Her robes bore the Gryffindor crimson and gold crest, though the House differences never separated the two close cousins. Though it did strain the relationship somewhat...

"Hey, Rosie. Did you see me flex my magical muscles up there?" Malfoy grinned his best grin, stepping forward. Rose gave him a dark look. She had never approved of Scorpius, taking after her father's dislike of the Malfoys.

"I saw you get your rump handed to you, if that's what you mean," Rose responded in a clipped tone, causing Scorp to back off. Scorpius, though having no trouble with the ladies, always seemed to go after the impossible ones. Such as Rose Weasley. Albus always thought it was funny.

"Well, hey. If it isn't my little snake of a brother and his slithery companion." James walked over, grinning as usual. Albus rolled his eyes, while Scorpius ignored the comment altogether. James had always been kidding about Albus getting into Slytherin. The look on his face, well, everyone's faces, really, was priceless when the Sorting Hat called out 'Slytherin!'

"Hey, James." James was tall, lean, and loved a good practical joke. He was actually, in a way, a bully. He was all about House rivalry, and urged any confrontation between Gryffindor and Slytherin into the most extreme level possible. His dark hair and brown eyes came from both Albus and his mother's and father's sides.

Albus himself was average height, with mostly his father's looks. He didn't wear glasses like his father, but resembled him in almost every other way. Especially his dazzling emerald eyes.

"I saw your little kiddie duel up there. Expelliarmus, huh? Yeah, I remember my first-year spells, too..." James had always liked to poke fun at his little brother, but ever since Albus was sorted into Slytherin it only got worse. "Me and the gang are putting together a secret dueling club in the Room of Requirement. You know us, being the fair, kindly people that we are, have decided to allow you to join. You know, if you're not scared..." He let the lure loom there for a second, his grin only widening. "Meeting is at ten o'clock. Don't get caught in the halls; we won't vouch for you!" He strolled away, throwing his hand in the air for a backward wave.

A deep groan of annoyance emanated from Scorpius. "Jeez, he likes to talk. Have I ever told you how annoying your bro is, Al?"

"Only a few hundred times." They both laughed. Al noticed that Rose was still standing next to them. "Uhm, hi."

"You're not going, are you? It's against school rules." Rose crossed her arms the way she does, the air of stubbornness swirling around her. Al groaned. Why did James have to say that in front of her? He hadn't planned on going, anyway, but that was no reason to not get Rose worked up over it. After all, rose is very fond of rules.

"Of course not, Rosie. I would never break school rules." Al and Scorpius laughed as they passed her. "I'm hungry, Scorp. Let's go eat." Soon enough, just before they got to the Great Hall for dinner, the pitter-patter of Rose's feet came running after them. With a groan, Al said, "On second thought, I'm not so hungry. Let's go out to the grounds and practice spells by the lake."

They soon found themselves brandishing their wands and slashing them out into the water. They worked wordlessly, concentrating hard on the magic at hand. In the three years that they've known each other, Albus and Scorpius had practiced and tried out several styles of magic. They found that using wordless spells was a lot more efficient when power wasn't as important as stealth. And since the beginning of their third year several months before, they've been practicing out by the lake every other day.

As the sky darkened and the sun cast a dark glow over the shimmery water, Albus decided to call it quits.

"You really messed up today, Albus." Scorpius was in serious mode, now. Albus nodded solemnly in response, letting his friend continue. "We're not supposed to reveal what we're capable of. If the Professors found out we were trying to advance ourselves they would get suspicious and keep an eye on us. If the other students, especially your brother, began to suspect what we're up to..."

Albus continued to nod, finally sighing in defeat. "It wasn't smart, I know. But I don't think anyone took notice. You didn't speak loudly enough for anyone but me to hear, and everyone probably assumed I just whispered the spell." Albus grinned then, "Besides, people see what they want to see. Who would think a third year could cast spells without saying a word?"

Scorpius grudgingly acknowledged the possibilities. "But still, we have to be more careful. People are always suspicious of those who seek power."

"Albus Dumbledore, my namesake, was the most powerful wizard in the whole world... I wonder if they ever questioned his motives." They began to make their way back to the castle.

"I'm sure they did, at some point. But no use worrying about dead men- race you back to the Common Room!" Albus laughed as Scorpius took off with surprising speed and quickly followed.

----

At breakfast the next morning, Albus was busying himself with some toast when Scorp elbowed him in the side. Al looked up, just in time to see long, white-blonde hair swish past. Albus trailed the girl with his eyes, taking in the full beauty of Alice Longbottom. She was in the same year as Albus and Scorpius, and was the daughter of Professor Longbottom, whom Albus knew since he was very young.

Albus sighed as the pale-skinned girl took her place at the Gryffindor table, next to Rose and his brother, James. Albus' muscles tightened as he saw James lean over and whisper something in the blonde's ear, making her giggle. James turned his head slightly and gave Al a wink, before turning back to his breakfast.

"That annoying git knows I fancy her..." Al muttered miserably, letting his head fall into the soft folds of his robed arms.

"Don't worry, mate. There's plenty of fish in the sea. No reason to waste all your bait on just one." Scorp patted his friend on the back sympathetically before turning back to the Daily Prophet.

"Yeah. You're probably right..." Al continued to watch the girl, who talked enthusiastically with Rose. At one point, he caught a flash of those brilliant blue eyes and nearly melted right there. With a deep groan of longing, Al forced himself up from the table. Scorp, with a knowing grin, got up as well, leaving the Prophet on the table.

They made their way to their first class of the day, Al and Scorp's favorite, Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Today, to Al's dismay, they were learning about Stunning Spells. While the rest of the class paid close attention to Professor Thomas, Al and Scorp talked quietly amongst themselves. A half-hour passed before the teacher began explaining the spell's practical uses, by which time Al and Scorp's conversation had died away. Al spent the rest of the time drawing Alice, a dopey grin on his face.

When he finally finished, he looked at his work seriously, surprised at how good it was. Muttering a spell, the drawing came alive, the black-and-white Alice smiling and winking at Al. Al, in turn, grinned stupidly back.

"Mr. Potter, is there something exceedingly funny about knocking one of your classmates out?" Professor Thomas had now turned his gaze on Al, who took on a look of confusion. The class had been discussing the safety issues with using the Stunning Spell on other students.

"Uhm, no, sir. I was just, uh, having an amusing flashback," Al lied, slipping the doodle off his desk.

"Ah, what is this?" Professor Thomas waved his wand, causing Albus' drawing to soar out of his grasp. The Professor gazed at it seriously for a moment, gave Al an understanding nod, and quickly folded the parchment and placed it in the folds of his robes. "In future classes, I expect you to pay more attention, Mr. Potter."

Al only nodded in response, disheartened at having lost what could have been his best drawing ever. The class soon ended and Albus soon found himself flanked by Rose and Scorpius. "So, my friend, what was on the parchment? An elaborate plot to take over the school?"

Rose rolled her eyes, "Don't be stupid. Al wouldn't do something like that." Scorpius gave her his best smile. Rose was always one to take everything literally and seriously.

"Of course not, cutie. I was only breaking the ice with a little sarcasm..."

Rose glared at Scorpius, "Don't call me cutie!"

"How about sweetheart? Lovely? Thorn of the Rose that pricks my heart so?"

"Oh ha ha, a rose joke... Because my name is Rose. How witty," Rose scrunched up her nose, the way she does when she's annoyed, and briskly walked away having forgotten all about why she followed Al.

"You'll get her eventually," Al said doubtfully.

"I know. It's only a matter of time. But, like I said, no reason to use all your bait on one fish," Scorp smiled at a passing girl, who blushed. "So, Al, what happened back there in class?"

"Oh, it was nothing..." Scorp could sense that it would do him no good to press the matter, so he began to discuss their next class, Potions.

"I think I figured out why our Potions master doesn't exactly like you, Al," Scorpius began, giving his friend a small smile. "I asked my dad about Professor Robards via owl, and he sent me a letter back telling me all about him. Gawain Robards was an Auror for the Ministry for many years, and was the Head of the Auror Office. That is, until your father took that position for himself..."

Al groaned as they made their way to the dungeons, descending into the damp darkness. "You'd think a guy would have enough balls to take up their problems with those responsible." Al sighed dramatically, "I think I have lost all faith in humanity."

Scorp snorted just as they crossed the threshold into the Potions classroom. Half of everybody in their year was there, around 25 people. Al and Scorpius took their seat at a table together, where a fat cauldron sat waiting. They unpacked their many ingredients, preparing for another grueling lesson.

"All right, you little worms," a rough voice spoke from the head of the classroom as a tall, lean figure stepped forward. Professor Robards' head was shaved completely bald, and he had a menacing looking golden goatee. When he grinned, there was no happiness in his hard, steel eyes. "Today we'll be concocting a Wit-Sharpening Potion, because Merlin knows you all need one." His eyes swept the classroom, daring anyone to smile or respond in any way. "Turn to page one hundred and seventy-eight. No talking to anyone but your partner." He then turned around, to examine a potion of his own making that he had been working on before the class arrived.

As Al opened his book, he couldn't help but let his gaze drift. This was one of the only two classes that he got to see Alice, so he could not miss an opportunity to drink in her beauty once more.

"Okay... Two and three quarters of hot water." Scorp pulled a measuring cup from his bag then placed the tip of his wand above the empty cup. "Auguamenti," Scorp whispered, canceling the spell as the water hit the right amount. As Scorpius busied himself, Al finally broke his gaze from the blonde girl, just before she turned to look around, as if she had sensed him looking at her.

As the two heated their cauldron, Scorp spoke softly, "Maybe you could talk to her. You've known her father all your life, and you've been around her a few times before, too. Why not just ask her out?" Al glared at his friend.

"You know why. She hates Slytherin house!" He spoke a little louder than he had meant to, causing more than a few heads to turn. He smiled apologetically, earning a few grunts of annoyance. The Professor didn't seem to notice.

It was true, of course. Though Al had known her for a long time before Hogwarts, as soon as the Sorting Hat spoke the word 'Slytherin' while upon his head, whatever relationship they had was terminated almost immediately. He had tried to talk to her on several occasions, only to get the cold shoulder, or worse... an outright rebuke. Al stared down at the bubbling cauldron, which was now turning a purplish color, remembering one certain incident, the last time he had approached her.

----

"But, Alice, just talk to me. What harm can that do?" It was their second year, and Al was fed up with being silent about his infatuation with the girl. Though he did not admit his feelings, he wanted to get them back on a first name basis at the very least.

He was following her across the green grounds of Hogwarts, as she walked hurriedly in an attempt to get away. "Go away, Potter." Her voice was so low that Al had almost not heard it. This angered him. She doesn't even want to be heard talking to me! In his anger, he reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her in mid-step. She whipped around, pulling herself out of his grasp.

Almost, almost, before Al could react, Alice's wand was at his neck. She's fast! But Al's wand was also out, its tip placed right above her heart. Both of them were surprised at the speed of the other's draw.

"Don't ever assume you can just grab whosoever you want, Potter!" She seethed, seemingly not caring who heard her now.

"I just want to talk with you, Alice..." Al said gently, noticing the many students around the courtyard that had stopped what they were doing to watch.

"There's nothing to talk about, you vile snake," she spat, stepping away and turning her back on him. He lowered his wand, a deep ache in his stomach making him want to throw up. He couldn't understand why she hated him so.

Amazingly, later that night, all Al could think about was how physically close they had been to each other that day.

----

"Are you bored, Mr. Potter? Are my lessons not thrilling enough for the son of the great and famous Harry Potter?"

Al blinked in surprise, coming out of his trance. Professor Robards was now standing at the head of AL and Scorp's shared table, arms crossed. "Ten points from Slytherin, for lack of focus. And I hope you brew your potion well, Mr. Potter, because it seems to me that you need a nice draught of it. I expect you to make a full report on the effects of your potion, due at the beginning of the next class."

As soon as the Professor was out of earshot, Al let out a groan and let his head plop against the hard wood of the table. "Scorp, just put me out of my misery... Nothing is going right today!"

----

A few days later, on a Saturday, Al and Scorpius sat on the grass of the Quidditch Pitch, staring up at the Gryffindor Quidditch team as they practiced. James, along with his friend Teal Brown, were the Beaters. A fifth year student named Gregory Giles played as the keeper. And the Chasing Trio were the Chasers. They were called the Chasing Trio because they were triplets, two boys and a girl. The two boys were named Kevin and Devin, and the girl was named Yevin. Or Kev, Dev, and Yev for short. Funnily enough, their last name was Chase. The three were in their sixth year and had been on the team for three years running. They worked amazingly well together.

And the Gryffindor Seeker, and Team Captain, was Mary Wood. She was in her final year at Hogwarts, and had been on the team as a Seeker since her second year. She was a small, slender woman with the new Firebolt Mark II, and an unstoppable Seeker.

She was really pretty, too, which is what had once led to one of Albus' most dear memories. James, in his infinitely complex mind, thought it would be romantic to send her a Howler for her birthday the year before, screeching out a love poem he wrote. Needless to say, the whole Great Hall was in an uproar of laughter. And it was a week before James was let back out of the Hospital Wing, his tongue so swollen he couldn't speak and his hands so enlarged he couldn't write. To this day, no one knows exactly what spell she had used.

"Those triplets must have some connection that us mere single-borns lack. How do they always seem to know where to pass the Quaffle, as well as where to go when the Quaffle is passed? I mean, look!" Devin just tossed the Quaffle behind him, just before ducking under a Bludger, where his sister, Yev, caught it immediately. "How did he know she was there?" Scorp looked on, genuinely perplexed. "Maybe it's a spell?"

"I have a theory, actually," Al said, looking over at his friend. "I think you're right about them having some extra sense- I think they may be able to feel each other. Who's to say twins, triplets, or even quadruplets born from a Wizarding family doesn't have some abnormal power that we, born by our pitiful lonesome selves, lack? My dad told me stories about my Uncle George and his own twin, Fred... Said they would finish each other's sentences, even seem to know what the other was thinking. Mum agreed with him."

Scorpius looked at Albus seriously for a moment, then shrugged. "I won't say it's impossible."

Al looked down at his wand, an eleven and a half-inch of cedar, with a dragon heartstring core. He smiled fondly as he remembered the day he took the wand into his hand, feeling its warmth and acceptance. It had taken him five tries before finding the perfect wand, and he was happy with the results. Ollivander, the old and weary man that he is, was not happy with the mess the other four wands made on Al's behalf. "What say you, dear friend?" Al whispered to his wand, though Scorpius looked over with an arched eyebrow and Al looked up and grinned at his friend mischievously. "Let's make this practice a bit more... interesting?"

Al's grin was infectious, and Scorpius soon found himself smiling as well. The duo stood up and made their way away from the Quidditch pitch, stopping around ten yards away. Albus and Scorpius raised and pointed their wands in the direction of the Quidditch Pitch.

"Okay, first experiment on combining magic... How do you think it will go?" Al said in a monotone, making it sound as boring as possible. He grinned again, unable to keep a straight face.

"Terribly wrong. That's how things usually turn out, anyway," Scorp nodded to himself solemnly. They stood back to back, holding out their respective wands, arms pressed together in the air. Albus was right handed, and Scorpius was left-handed.

"On three... One, two.. Three! Ventus!"

"Ventus!"

The eruption of wind from their wands blew the two Slytherins of their feet, sending them rolling across the grass. Al was on his feet as quick as possible, immediately backing away from the area of destruction before him. Where they had been standing, now at least two meters away from where Al stood presently, the grass was torn away in a widening 'V' shape until it hit the Pitch. All of the Gryffindor team was grounded, their heads swiveling in shock and confusion. Many of those who had been watching the practice were now making their way to the beginning point of the spell.

Al ran over to his friend, who had somehow managed to be a good ten feet away, and began shaking him. "We have to get out of here, Scorp! They're coming!" Al looked over his shoulder nervously as his friend roused. "Oh, stop milking it you big wuss!" Scorp finally got to his feet, and Al wasted no time dragging his friend out of sight, hiding behind a large cluster of rocks near the lake. Peeking over the cold stone that Al was lying against, he saw a crowd forming at the beginning point of the spell. They were talking in low whispers, glancing around, seemingly looking for the perpetrator.

"They'll think one person did it," Scorp said, with a triumphant grin. "I think we successfully overlapped our magic!"

Albus looked over at his friend, his mind swirling with all the possibilities of this new technique. "So they won't be looking for a couple of third year students, who shouldn't be able to cast that strong of a spell!" Al said excitedly, then added, "Also, we better go over there... It'll look suspicious if we don't turn up after being there so recently. And if we get caught hiding, what would they think?"

They quickly made an alibi, then strolled over to the group of students. Professor Longbottom was standing with the crowd, now, trying to straighten things out. As the two friends neared, he spotted them. "Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, I'm surprised to see you two here."

"We were just watching the Gryffindor tryouts, sir," Al said with his most innocent, winning smile. "We had just left to go sit by the lake when we heard an enormous eruption, right Scorp?"

"Yeah. We just got settled down over there," Scorpius pointed in the direction of the rocks where they had been hiding," And we didn't know if it was safe to come out or not, so we decided to, ah, perform some reconnaissance before coming over."

"You mean, you two snakes were watching out for your own skins!" One of the Gryffindors in the growing congregation shouted. Al gritted his teeth, but smiled sheepishly. They had established long ago that most of the school believed Slytherins to be cowards, so it was a good and viable excuse for situations such as these.

Al shrugged and kept his eyes on the Professor. "Well, Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, did either of you two see anything?"

"No, sir," the two said in unison. An eruption of voices penetrated then with statements like, "They're lying!" and "The cowardly gits..." as well as, "Go crawl back into your holes, you snakes." Al sighed, excusing himself from the group. Scorpius followed.

"All this hatred gets on my nerves sometimes," Scorp remarked, walking alongside his friend. Al nodded his agreement.

"But we'll show them one day just how brave we Slytherins really are."

Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall for dinner that night when Professor Sprout, an elderly and respectable witch who had taken up as Head of Hogwarts a year before Albus was enrolled, silenced the students. "It has come to my attention that students are sneaking out late at night to duel. Though we have not found the room where these infractions happen, we are going to double punishments for all students who are caught roaming the halls after hours." A few murmurs rose from every table, but were silenced when she spoke up once more. "I also must address the matter of the magical occurrence at the Quidditch pitch earlier. Whomever is responsible for the spell must step forward and take responsibility now, while you have the chance. If we are forced to find out who it was on our own, the punishment will be much more severe or even possible expulsion..."

Scorpius and Al blinked, then turned to stare at each other. Dead silence engrossed the Hall.

"And with that said, enjoy your meals," said the Head cheerily, sitting back down to her own table after summoning the delicious plethora of food.

As they ate, Al huddled together with Scorpius, whispering. "She's a goddess, I swear to you," stated Al.

"Who? Professor Sprout?" Scorp choked on his pumpkin juice.

"No, you rotten git! Alice..."

"Oh, God," Scorp coughed again, clearing his throat as a few fellow Slytherins looked over out of concern. See? Slytherins can be caring, too, thought Al to himself. "I thought you had gone and lost it, mate."

Al looked at the straight, white-gold hair cascading down Alice's back for a moment. "I'm going to ask her to the Halloween Ball."

"Are you barking mad?" Scorp said, raising an eyebrow at his friend. "You've been avoiding her all this year and now you want to drop this bomb on her? Look at it from her point of you, man!"

"You were all for me going and asking her out a few days ago," Al pointed out. Scorpius sighed.

"I didn't want to tell you this, mate, but... I saw your brother ask her out just yesterday."

"You saw... He did... What?!" Al had said the last word so unexpectedly loud that even the Hufflepuff table, all the way on the other side of the Hall, looked up from their meals. Al didn't even realize he was standing until Scorp pulled on his sleeve and he looked down at his friend. "Er, sorry," he mumbled miserably, sinking back down into his seat. A few laughs erupted around the hall, but the moment soon passed and everyone was going about their own business.

"I'm sorry, mate. I didn't know how to tell you, so I didn't."

And now Al's vision was completely clear. He didn't just have eyes for Alice Longbottom; he could see everyone and everything. He could especially see the way James was sitting so close to the beautiful girl who had captured Al's heart. He also didn't miss the way the girl seemed to dote on every single word the Gryffindor beater uttered. It was all Al could do not to hex his brother right then and there.

"Hey, maybe we should just leave. I'm not hungry, anyway." Al nodded in agreement, having only stayed to let his friend eat in the first place. When they entered the Slytherin Common Room, with its glowing blue lighting and green furnishings, they took some open armchairs by the brazier.

"Scorp... I can't tell if this is betrayal or not, but it sure feels like one..." Al sighed, laying his head back against the leather back of the chair and closing his eyes.

"I think your brother and his Gryffindor pals are a little backward with their comments about Slytherins. What kind of prat does that to his own brother, no matter what differences they have?"

"The kind of prat that deserves a little vengeance, I think." Al grinned, imagining using the Bat-Bogey hex his mom taught him on James.

"I don't disagree with you..." They sat in silence for a moment, until more Slytherins walked into the Common Room. One of them strolled over to Al and stood beside his chair. Al, sensing the presence of the person, opened one eye to look over to his left at the girl standing there, arms crossed. Amy Nott, a dark-haired girl with vibrant green eyes, much like Al's. Her pale complexion appealed to Al, because it reminded him so much of Alice. She was a good looking girl, on all accounts, and Al had found himself staring at places other than her face on more than one occasion.

"What was up with you at lunch, Al?" In Al's early years, he had mostly ignored her. He had always fancied Alice, and had tried to keep himself true to his devotion. But now, with the pain of betrayal and heartache fresh on his mind, he couldn't help but see a perfect opportunity standing right in front of him. She had always fancied him, though Al made sure to hide that he knew. She made half-baked advances on him at some point, but stopped after seeing he was "too thick" to pick up on it. But now, seeing the light pink color of her lips, the astonishing beauty of her eyes, and the swell of her chest above her crossed arms he knew what to do.

"Will you go to the Halloween Ball with me, Amy?" Amy, Alice... Who cares? I don't want to go to the dance alone.

"Wh-what? This is so unexpected... What if I've been asked by another boy, hmm?" Oh, great, now she tries to play hard to get.

"Oh, well, okay then... I guess I can go with Lauren Scammander... She's nice." Amy's emerald eyes flashed at this, seemingly fizzling with power and loathing.

"That Ravenclaw girl? No, no, no! She's so... So weird, Al!" Her hands were now on her hips and her head was cocked slightly to the side, allowing for her shiny, shoulder length bangs to cascade over half of her face in her normal fashion, while the rest of her hair trailed down her back. Al thought this was immensely cute.

"Then go with me, Amy," Al said tiredly, but allowing a tinge of want to enter his voice.

Deciding now was not the time to play coy; she eagerly nodded her head. "We'll have so much fun, Albus!" She leaned down and gave a quick peck on his cheek, then turned and fled to the girls' dormitories. Albus grinned, having seen the blush spreading across her face just before she ran off.

"Deftly done, my friend," Scorp praised, and Albus laughed. "No, I'm serious. It was like watching an especially gifted artist at work."

"Oh, get off it, you," Al said playfully, standing up to stretch. "Well, unless you have any more good news for me, I think it's time for bed."

"Well, I didn't want to tell you this for another few days, but..." Al gave him a dark look. Scorp paused for a moment and Al sighed.

"Go on, then."

"I was planning on asking your sister to the dance."

"What?!"

Scorpius erupted in laughter, bending over trying to hold it all in. "No..." He gasped. "I'm just foolin'." Al punched him in the arm.

----

A/N:

I think that was a good start, don't you? Okay, to get a few things straight. I'm trying to keep a lot of the characters' last names from Rowling's books, and some of her other characters, as well. Like the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was Dean Thomas.

So, more likely than not, when you see a character it will be the son or daughter of some major or minor character in the Harry Potter series. With that said, I hope you enjoyed this and please review with what you think and any questions you may have. Thanks.