A/N: Double-check to make sure you read the entirety of the first chapter, because I added another 1000 words or so. And review if you can!
5 years later
Scorpius POV:
Waking up felt like I was falling in the wrong direction. I'm never drinking again.
What made it all worse was the smell of sweat reeking from the other three beds in the dorm. Richard, Harry, and Blaise (Junior, that is, Senior was still in Tahiti modeling underwear) had the worst hygiene habits on the planet.
I dressed quickly, shaved quickly, and walked from the dank Slytherin dungeons to the Great Hall, where various early-risers, anti-partying stiffs, and academically inclined students were scattered along the four long tables.
I was halfway through my second berry muffin when Ellis flopped down next to me for our traditional Saturday morning fill-ins. She was in yellow and black, her house colours, only she was still in her Batman pajamas.
"I'm in love," she sighed dramatically, but then noticed my raised eyebrow, "alright fine. I'm in lust. Uncontrollable, burning lust. The holidays have been very, very good to our dear friend, Scarlet Lance. Or at least, the tight pair of skinny jeans and that shirt she was wearing last night. Remind me to thank whoever made her decide to show those goods off."
"Scarlet Lance?" Broad-shouldered Scarlet Lance? Acne-prone Scarlet Lance? Friends-with-everyone Scarlet Lance?
"You were probably too drunk to see her by the time she showed up. But Scor, her huge shoulders? Those are pure-fucking-muscle, man!" She stopped fanning herself for a second, before loading up her plate with sausages, onions, waffles, chocolate yoghurt, and pancakes. "Her acne's all cleared up as well! Her skin looks as soft as a baby's left buttcheek, to be perfectly honest."
"So did you two hook up?"
"Nah, Damian Kruger was already on my neck by the time Scarlet showed up, and besides, it's hard to pass up a consensual, soft, relatively wrinkle-free dick."
Hmm. Kruger. Bit of an average bloke.
"Damian Kruger. Ravenclaw keeper. Average grades. Average Quidditch stats. Average dating history–"
"Less-than-average ability to perform cunninglingus. That boy treats vaginas like caves that need exploring – and not in a good way."
"Better than Alfie 'Dead Slug' Wood."
"Don't remind me. I'd thought he'd fainted or something."
I watched her stuff her mouth with a bite of the sausage, followed by a spoonful of chocolate yoghurt, then a ring of fried onion, helped along by a gulp of orange juice. Her lack of respect for the clear boundaries between savoury and sweet made me grimace.
"Don't look at me like that. Savoury and sweet were meant to be enjoyed together, Scorp. That's why they both start with 's', and why they're always used together. Like 'salt and pepper' or 'peanut butter and jam'."
"Your logic makes no sense. So what else did I miss?"
"So much. You really need to outgrow being such a weepy drunk."
"You really need to outgrow not drinking." I leered.
"Touché. Anyway, Ramona Kerr hooked up with Fred Weasley again, Jeff Casey and Mark Thompson-Young got into a punch-on over Mary Chillcott – who ended up in tears and comforted by Opal Ashdown, whom she was eventually seen making out with later – Roxanne Weasley was as gorgeous and perfect and wonderful and deity-like as usual, Tia Longbottom and James Potter made googly eyes at each other the entire night – still annoyingly oblivious to the other as ever – Rose Weasley dumped Benny Watson, and Albus Potter was seen in carnal embrace with Jennifer Maxwell."
"Carnal embrace?"
"I just started reading Arcadia." She shrugged.
"And what was our dear friend Scarlet doing?"
"She mostly hung around her BFF Henrietta. It was pretty uneventful for a Gryffindor party."
"And what are you planning to do about your new one true love?"
"Be my usual charming self." We both smirked at the understatement. Ellis Chang was my best friend. But, she could also be anyone you wanted. She could be dominant and demanding, or coy and flirty, or shy and bookworm-ish. She adapted to her needs like clay.
A loud squawk broke the relative silence of the Great Hall. Tiny, buzzing wings sent Jupiter falling onto my shoulder, pecking the side of my neck. Ellis turned back to her mountain of food, still as averse to animals as ever.
Scorpius,
How was the start-of-term feast? Your father and I miss you already – but he's still great. So don't worry dear. Say hello to Ellis for us. Cho and Marco are upstairs unpacking her things, I'm sure she'll send Ellis a letter later. Have a good year.
Love,
Mother
I felt Ellis move closer and look at the letter.
"He's fine, Scorp – great, even. Mum's there now, he'll be alright. We'll be alright." She smiled.
"Still got to, you know, hope for the best and prepare for the worst, because if you–"
"–expect the worst, then you'll never be disappointed. I know, Scorp."
We sat in a comfortable silence for the rest of breakfast. Well, as silent as it could get what with Ellis' clearly audible chewing.
As we walked out of the Great Hall, we ran into Albus Potter.
"Chang. Malfoy."
He said Ellis' name as a blithe acquaintance would, which was somewhat admirable, considering her pajamas. He said my name with indifference so I nodded.
"Potter."
Last year, when Ellis became a sexually viable candidate to the majority of the Hogwarts population, Albus Potter had already been fairly active in his exploits. That was a given, of course, considering that he was the son of the Saviour of the Wizarding World and Ginny "Greatest Holyhead Harpies Player Ever" Weasley, and as a bonus, a lot more muscly than the rest of us because of his swimming. However, soon everyone realized that Ellis had a lot of pent-up sexual frustration that could now be released unashamedly, and she didn't care enough about gender for it to restrict her. Both had their fair share of sexual partners, including one-offs and regulars, but it became apparent that Ellis was just… better. Potter had taken it all in good faith, acknowledging Ellis whenever he passed by.
Me, however, he usually ignored.
"So I heard you've called dibs on Lance." Huh. He's never gone past casual recognition before.
"I call dibs on objects, not people, Potter." Ellis said sharply.
"Well then I'm sure you won't mind me asking her to Hogsmeade next weekend."
"Of course not, but it's all a matter of whether or not she says yes, isn't it?"
"Fair point. See you around, Chang."
Then we walked past Rose Weasley and her crowd of friends. She looked at me. For a moment, I heard her words on the boat five years ago, and she must've too, because she scowled at me. Then she kept walking, and all I could see was the mass of mahogany curls on her head, but all I could remember were her greyish blue eyes filled with animosity.
Ellis grunted and we kept walking, but I was left wondering why she was the one that was scowling.