Harry Potter Fan Fiction

Compatible Energies

Scorpius was waiting patiently for Tristan Zabini to finish getting his schedule from the old, washed-up Slytherin Head of House, Professor Slughorn. His giant mustache was completely grey and he had lost some of his weight over the year, making the skin that used to be fat hang limply around his body, giving him a sort of bulldog look. He lazily flicked his wand, his school bag hovering a meter in the air and turning slowly. After what felt like ages, Tristan got up and walked past Scorpius smirking. Tristan really was too much like his father. Blaise Zabini was one hell of an asshole, with a long, hard stick up his ass. Scorpius laughed to himself as he got up. His asshole would have to be big in order to accommodate the stick up it. He knew it was a lame pun, but he was bored.

"Ah, Mister Malfoy," Slughorn said, grinning. "Had your father in my class for a year." Scorpius didn't say anything. His father had told him all about Slughorn's shunning of him, and preference to the Mudblood Granger.

"That's right, sir," he answered.

"Let's get to it then. I see that you did very well on your O.W.L.s. Good job, m'boy. So I can approve you to continue on with every subject you had last year. Is that agreeable to you?" he asked, looking down at the paper.

"Well, Professor, I was hoping to drop Ancient Runes, Divination, History of Magic, and Care of Magical Creatures, if I could," he said. He had hated his work load last year. He nearly had to ask Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress, for a time-turner. He had really hated his fifth year. Slughorn looked down at the paper again, a slight frown on his face.

"That's an awful lot of classes. I don't think it wise of you to drop four whole courses," he said, looking at him seriously. Scorpius repressed a sigh.

"What do you propose I do? I have no wish to have the same course study as last year."

"I suggest you keep a more…academically challenging class and one that you believe that would not be difficult to maintain." So, that meant that Scorpius could take either Ancient Runes or History of Magic with either Divination or Care of Magical Creatures. He thought about it, his lips pursed. Professor Bins was about the most boring teacher in the entire world, and he really didn't want to have to keep himself awake for one more year. But, if he took Ancient Runes, he'd actually have to concentrate. The bloody things were difficult to translate, and it wasn't like it was going to get him anywhere in life. What occupation would really need an Ancient Runes N.E.W.T.? He wasn't going to be an Ancient Rune translator, if there was such a thing.

"I'll take History of Magic with…" he drifted off, losing himself again in thought. Well, this was a decision, wasn't it? Which subject was the most useless? Which was easier? If he took Care of Magical Creatures, he'd have to be taught by the great oaf, Hagrid, and be put in constant danger. Who knew what he had in store for the class this year? But did he really want to put up with Professor Trelawney for another year? Who knows what sort of nonsense she would make them all attempt? He had gotten an Exceeding Expectations for his O.W.L., and that was a surprise, even to him. So, it was either the half-giant or the bug-eyed crazy… "Divination."

Slughorn nodded, tapping his schedule. Before he handed it over to him, he said, as if clarifying, "You want to take Transfiguration, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Herbology, Arithmancy, History of Magic, and Divination? Am I correct?"

"Yes, sir," Scorpius said. His schedule was ridiculously full. If the wash-out had just let him drop the last two, he would much happier. He resisted saying so and got up to leave. He handed him his schedule with a smile and waved Riley over to him. She looked up from her fingernails in order to give Scorpius a seductive glance. Then he was walking away, out of the Great Hall and into the main corridor. He looked down at his schedule. He had Transfiguration. He knew that Professor McGonagall was still handing out schedules to her students. He decided that he might as well go to the classroom. He would have hell to pay if she finished before the period was over and he was in his common room, skipping it.

He was the first one in her room and chose a seat in the back. It was when he was taking out his book for Transfiguration that he realized he didn't have anything for Divination or History of Magic. He had been counting on being able to drop those two subjects along with the ones he actually did. He slammed the book down angrily and kicked his chair. Not only did he have two more courses than he had planned on, but he didn't have the supplies for them.

"Do you think that Colin will hold tryouts before we do?" a female voice was asked, walking into the classroom. It was Andrea Thomas, Claire Finnegan, and Rose Weasley walking in.

"Drea, we don't need to hold try-outs; we have a team already. No one graduated," Weasley replied, walking to the front of the class and setting her books down. The three girls seemed completely oblivious to his infuriated presence in the back of the room.

"It's the rules. We have to hold try-outs. We don't know if there are better chasers out there," Finnegan said, looking nervously at her hands.

"That isn't too hard to do," Scorpius said, finding a perfect way to lighten his mood. All three turned to look at him sharply.

"It's none of your business, Malfoy," Weasley said, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, I suppose it isn't, but then again, it is. I'm the one who's going to beat your team. You know what? Don't hold try-outs, your bad team can stay bad," he said.

"Yes, we're such a bad team, especially since we've won the Quidditch cup for the last, oh, seven years?" Weasley said, her jaw set.

"By less and less every year, Weasley," he said, sneering at her before turning to the window. He was no way in a better mood. He was in a worse mood now. He just had to be reminded of the fact that Gryffindor kept on winning, year after year. How is that the little Weasel managed to get to the snitch before he did? It was frustrating, and he really couldn't take it any more. He would win the Quidditch cup this year because he just wanted it more than she did.

As it turned out, Professor McGonagall made it back to the classroom with ten minutes till the bell. Tristan Blaise had decided to do what Scorpius had not. He wasn't there when McGonagall walked in, and when asked his location, Scorpius had to admit that he didn't know (though he had a good idea). Tristan ended up making Slytherin lose twenty House points for his absence, which had every Slytherin in the class looking sour and every other member of a different House looking smug. So Scorpius was in an even worse mood than he had been in the beginning of the class when he made his way up the winding stairs to Trelawney's classroom.

He was just getting into the door when he heard Rose Weasley's voice under him. He looked down at her standing at the bottom of the ladder, looking incensed.

"What are you doing going to Divination?" she asked angrily. Andrea Thomas was standing next to her, looking annoyed herself.

"I have it this year," he answered, not even bothering to throw in an insult. He really didn't have the patience for it. He needed all the patience he had to put up with Trelawney.

"Unbelievable," Weasley muttered to herself, beginning to climb up. Scorpius turned away from her and went to find a comfortable poof to sit on in the back of the classroom. The low tables had nothing on them except different colored cloths. Scorpius knew that he was the only Syltherin taking Divination. He had no idea who was going to sit across from him.

"Come, come!" Trelawney said as she emerged from her office. Her hair was gray and all over the place and her eyes looked no less buggy than they had before. She swept over to Weasley and Thomas, holding out her hands as her beads clanged against each other. "My dear!" she exclaimed, latching onto Weasley. "I had not expected you to continue with the art of Divination. The fates told me you had decided to drop it."

"Yeah, well, that had been my plan, but apparently my schedule wasn't full enough," Weasley muttered darkly, breaking away from Trelawney's grip.

"Ah, I see. Here, here, sit here near the blond boy. Your energies are compatible today. Go! Sit across from him; yes, that's good," Trelawney instructed. Weasley glared at her before coming to sit next to him.

"She's off her bloody rocker if she thinks that our energies are compatible," she said darkly, folding her arms over her chest and glowering at Trelawney who was welcoming a Ravenclaw who was wearing turnip earrings.

"Sit next to Andrea, Winifred. Go! Your energies are compatible today!" Trelawney called out. Scorpius watched as the next eight students were greeted and placed together according to their "compatible energies."

"Rose, I am awfully surprised to see you in this class. I thought you hated Divination," the Ravenclaw said.

"I do, but Professor McGonagall wanted me to take one more class and thought this would be the easiest. I wanted to drop it, but obviously the world was working against me. I should have just decided to take Care of Magical Creatures with Hargrid. I have no idea why I chose this over that. I'm going to go barking mad," Rose said back before Trelawney called attention to the class.

"Open your minds! Let your energies flow into the universe! Take a deep breath and listen. Today, we are going to read emotions through physical contact. Your energies hold a certain flavor to them, indicating what your emotions are. It could be the sourness of jealousy, the burnt taste of anger, or the spice of passion. Take your partner's left hand in your own left hand," she said. Scorpius nearly snorted and glanced at Weasley, who had her hands resolutely on her lap. They were the only two not holding hands. The other pairs were either clutching hands or lightly touching while blushing. When Trelawney made her way to Scorpius and Weasley, she frowned. "Come, come now! Grasp your left hands!"

They looked at each other and they both reached slowly across the table until they were holding left hands. Weasley's face wrinkled in disgust and he sneered.

"Yes! Now let your energies flow from your body to theirs through your hands! Eye contact helps a great deal." They glared at each other. "Now, tell me, Mister Malfoy, what are Miss Weasley's emotions?" He rolled his eyes.

"Frustration," he said.

"Yes, and what is the taste of frustration?"

"Um…" He searched for a plausible taste for frustration and was hit by how utterly ridiculous this whole thing was. He agreed with Weasley; he should have taken Care of Magical Creatures, Hagrid and his dangerous magical creatures or no. "It tastes like…oranges?" Trelawney pursed her lips. "Nectarines?" Trelawney pursed her lips further. "Tangerines?" He was reaching now. "Sour tangerines?" He glanced at Weasley, who was biting her bottom lip fiercely, trying to hold in a laugh.

"Well, I suppose emotions' tastes can differ slightly from person to person," Trelawney said, turning to Weasley. "And what are Mister Malfoy's emotions?" She took a deep breath and looked Scorpius in the eye, mock serious. She breathed in again and squeezed his hand, making a real show of it.

"I taste grapefruit, so I guess that's his version of frustration, but it has sugar on it…so maybe amusement? But there an underlying taste of burnt…so he's angry as well?" she said, looking at Trelawney questioningly. "I taste a burnt grapefruit with sugar." It was Scorpius's turn to bit his lip to keep from laughing. Trelawney seemed to buy into her act.

"Why, Miss Weasley! You certainly have found your Inner Eye! Ten points to Gryffindor for keeping with it!" she said happily, moving onto Thomas and Winifred. They immediately let go of each other's hands.

"I should have gotten ten points," Scorpius said, pulling out his Transfiguration book to start on the ten-inch essay they had been assigned in those last ten minutes of class. The bell rang just as Scorpius finished the essay. Trelawney hadn't paid them any more attention for the remainder of the period, as she was too busy trying to get a Hufflepuff boy to feel anything but happiness. If he hadn't been so absorbed with trying to finish the essay, he would have joined in with the laughing.