Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looked like a majestic mountain as it appeared over the hills as the Hogwarts Express approached the station. The sight always awed its students. Hogwarts was a house of promise, a house of learning, and a house of wonder, terror, history, and future prospects. Very few of the students, though, didn't know much of the school's vast history. Why should they even bother to find out? Those dead people in the Hall of the Honored meant nothing to most of them (although Castora had taken a liking to one of the portraits, a vivacious young lady with spiky pink hair, and she was well aware that her great-aunt hung in that hall). Not to mention, this new generation was too busy making a history of its own…

Last year (fourth year for Castora, Albus, Rose, and Scorpius), was the worst year of the Blood War yet. While no student had yet to die, the Headmistress McGonagall found herself to be utterly powerless against the raves of the Gryffindor students and the Slytherin students. Eight sixth years (four from each house…James Potter was among them) had gotten into a row that turned into a full-out war. Reports of the terrible Cruciatus Curse had emerged from the fray, but no confirmations were able to be made. Sixth years were shooting off spells both malignant and benign at their opponents, and nineteen were injured.

Even when there wasn't a fight going on, the tensions between the Houses were high constantly. Slytherin boys spat at Gryffindor boys, Gryffindor girls made catty remarks at Slytherin girls as they walked by each other, and vice versa.

But maybe this year would be better, although once the students were inside the great monument of wizarding history to start their school year, it didn't look at all like this would be the year for peace…

James Potter and two of his 7th year buddies: Aaron O'Grady and Miles Duff, were lazily walking down the crowded corridor after the welcoming feast. They were, of course, in good spirits (and who WOULDN'T be, after a meal like that?). Joking around and laughing, the three boys were tall, handsome, flirty, and fun tonight.

"So…I said to him, 'you just going to crap out on me? You're just like a Slytherin!'" Aaron was joking. James and Miles laughed out loud at this. James stopped briefly to wink at a Hufflepuff girl who was staring at him, half out of admiration, half out of fear.

"Wait…I got one! What do you call a Slytherin without a nose job?" asked Miles.

"What?" asked James.

"You can't call 'em anything, because they don't exist!" Miles said, making James and Aaron laugh out loud again. James jokingly slapped Miles on the crown of his head.

"I've HEARD that one! Okay, there's a Ravenclaw, a Hufflepuff, and a Slytherin playing Quidditch, and the Ravenclaw scores. So the Slytherin says, 'No fair, you cheated!' They play a little longer, and the Hufflepuff scores. The Slytherin says, 'No fair, you cheated!' so they keep playing, and the Slytherin scores a goal. Both the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff scream: 'No fair, you're cheating!' To which the Slytherin ass replies: "no, I'm a Slytherin!" The three boys burst lout in even more laughter at the nonsensical joke.

"You know, we're quite immature for blokes our age!" Miles said jokingly. "Half the school is utterly tired of us, and the other half is afraid of us!"

"And which half to you think is afraid of us?" Aaron asked.

"Slytherin Snakes crawling into their holes in the ground whenever we walk by!" James said. Miles high-fived Aaron in a jovial moment. The boys were drunk on ridiculousness.

"James, what are you talking about?" said a voice from behind the trio. They turned around to see Albus with Scorpius and another Slytherin names Brady O'Toole. Miles and Aaron pushed James in towards the three young boys.

They two groups of boys stared down each other for a full minute in total silence. A few bystanders backed away, fearing another outburst of hexes and jinxes.

"I should hardly think you were talking about Slytherin," Albus continued. "For as much as snakes may live in a hole in the ground, let's not forget lions live in caves and under rocks, too afraid to come out after dark!"

James gritted his teeth with spite and bitter hate for his little brother. He felt a small shove in his back.

"Chew him out, we'll back you," Aaron whispered.

"Ease up, he's my BROTHER! I can take the twerp!" James whispered back. He looked at his younger brother.

"We were TALKING about none-of-your-beeswax," James replied.

"Wow, something you'd know nothing about, seeing as you and your Gryffindor buddies seem to be poking fun at us Slytherins out in open air! A little risky, wouldn't you say? Especially considering last year!" said Albus.

"Risky? Psh! You're Slytherins and FIFTH YEARS! And more Slytherins went down last year than Gryffindors, so what can you POSSIBLY do to us?!" called out Miles.

Albus suddenly grabbed his wand out of his pocket and whipped it in James' direction. Startled and caught off-guard, James stumbled backwards, falling into Aaron, making him fall over in turn. The three Slytherin boys laughed. A few passersby began to stop and watch with interest, most of them wearing red and gold or green and silver ties.

"HAHAHAHA!" laughed Albus. "Gryffindor chump! BOO!" Brady laughed louder, but Scorpius' face wasn't so amused.

James, still on the floor, kicked his foot at Albus' ankles, making him trip and fall on his side. Aaron and Miles chuckled slimily. James sneered like an annoyed cat. "That's a challenge?" he asked, a hiss in his voice. Both boys quickly got to their feet and whipped out their wands, ready to duel.

"No," said James. "That was a THREAT!" Scorpius gulped as the brothers' companions drew their wands and faced each other. James spouted the first jinx. The orange spark missed Albus by a millimeter, no more, and hit Brady instead, hurling him backwards into a Gryffindor who was watching from the sidelines. The stray Gryffindor shoved Brady aside and cast a jinx at Albus again, who again artfully dodged it, and it instead hit Miles. Albus then cast a hex at Miles, hitting him square in the face.

That was when it erupted into full-out chaos. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws walking by screamed scrambled for shelter. The other witnessing Slytherins and Gryffindors drew wands and began battling. A few unconscious kids hit the floor. A few more kids rose into the air by their ankles, victims of Inpedimenta. Scorpius, personally, didn't want to be there, but Aaron was dueling with him. He caught sight of Albus' little Gryffindor sister and a few of her friends cryingfrom the safety of a corner. James turned to Miles just as he finished off a third-year Slytherin with a round of Stupefy.

"Take Lily, Rose, Hugo, and Castora up to the common room and tell them to wait for me there!" James commanded like an Army general. Miles nodded and quickly made his way over to the girls and gave them a sheltered escape.

Jinxes and even a few curses flew in every direction. Scorpius, wanting to get out of there quickly, managed to stun Aaron long enough for him to dash off and duck behind the statue of the one-eyed witch.

Suddenly, after a few more moments of battle, an extremely loud siren blew. The Headmistress McGonagall, along with quite a few of the other professors, wands raised, broke the crowd apart. Soon enough, Gryffindors and Slytherins stood on opposite sides of the hallways. McGonagall paced in between them.

"A fray on the FIRST night of the term! Preposterous! I will NOT stand for it!" she said. She looked briefly at a young professor standing with the Gryffindors, fir he was their head of house. Professor Longbottom shrugged, and McGonagall turned around again to face everyone.

"Who started it?" she asked. "TELL ME!"

James raised his hand. Albus held his breath, but someone behind James lowered his hand, and he didn't say another word.

She knew she needed to lay down the line and quickly. "If I find out…and I WILL find out…that absolutely ANYONE is fighting or hurts another student in, on, or around the grounds, they will be immediately expelled, and their wand will be broken, and I'm sure once Shacklebolt gets through with you, you'll be banished from the wizarding world!" Minerva paused a brief moment. " Will the Head Boy and Girl of each house follow me as everyone SILENTLY returns to their house common rooms?" she instructed, leaving the scene quickly. The Heads left too, and the rest of the professors guided their houses to their common rooms.

Scorpius, who was still hidden from the fight, stayed and lingered as the unconscious and injured students (half a dozen or so, from the looks of it) were carried to the hospital. Albus stayed behind too, waiting for Scorpius to emerge.

"We really dodged a bullet there, didn't we, bro?" Albus said, lightly hitting Scorpius' shoulder. Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"Do we have to fight like this all the time? It's so…wrong!"

"Scorpius, who ARE you?" asked Albus. "You, if not anyone else, should have the pride of Slytherin House in your heart! Do you know WHO you are?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't be my father's son," Scorpius remarked. "He practically drills it into my skull every day."

"You are—"

"—I am the last remaining heir of the pureblooded House of Malfoy AND the House of Black. If I die before producing an heir with a pureblooded girl, the legacy will die with me," Scorpius recited. "It is so stupid! Where can I find a damn pureblood girl, if it even mattered?"

"It MATTERS because carrying on your name is carrying on the name of our House!" Albus said. "It does matter, I suppose…"

"Hypocrite," moped Scorpius. "You're only mixed blood yourself! You belong to no house! My great-aunt Bella, were she alive, would probably have your liver for supper if she found you with me!"

"True," said Albus. "But I still have The Pride in me," Albus said. "You bolted out of there in four seconds, Scorpius. Very-well representative of Slytherin!"

"Our parents fought…well…MOST of our parents fought so that we could live in a peaceful world…a BETTER world! Those who died for us are rolling in their graves knowing that the world is under the reign of the Blood Wars," Scorpius said, turning his back on Albus to leave.

"But…Scorps!" Albus said, catching up to him. "You…you're my best friend…"

Scorpius stopped to look at Albus. He smiled and took his friend in an embrace. "Don't you forget it, A-Sev!"

"You know…" Albus began. "Dominique Weasley's in Ravenclaw, and she's pureblooded…AND hot!"

"No, she's NOT!" Scorpius corrected, his tone changing. "She's 1/8th vela, and therefore, not technically a pureblooded witch! Look, A-Sev, I really couldn't give a damn about girls right now. So much is coming up—"

"—like the Halloween Ball!" said Albus. "I could set you up there!" Scorpius just wanted to punch Albus in the gut for saying that.

"Okay, that just TOTALLY went over your head, A-Sev," Scorpius moaned, rubbing two fingers up against his left temple. Albus rolled his eyes.

"What can I say? I'm only five-foot-six!" he said. Scorpius couldn't help but laugh at this.

The two men laughed and walked back toward their room together.