Scott tries not to feel bad afterward, but it seems inevitable. He'd been so careful at first, reminding himself – don't give him the wrong idea. But somewhere it had gone wrong. And inviting Brick to his house for Christmas, sharing their angsty pre-pubescent feelings…That had been giving the wrong idea. When Pappy drives them back to the train station, actually sees them off this time, waving from the platform as the train chugged away, he'd told Brick not to worry. That if he needed a place to stay in the Summer, he had one. That if he needed a place anytime, he had one. As he said it, Pappy stared so thoughtfully at Scott's face. He was still waiting for an explanation. Trying to figure what Scott's angle was. They both knew the Pike motto: do what you whatever it takes to get by. There had to be a means to an end to Scott's kindness, but he couldn't find it.

The whole train ride back to Hogwarts Scott didn't say a thing. It seemed that over the break Brick had become used to Scott's silence, and perhaps even discovered its origin through prolonged exposure to Pappy. He had no idea how deep it would go though. He wasn't expecting it when Scott got off the train, grabbed his luggage, and left without saying goodbye. He wasn't expecting that for the rest of the year Scott wouldn't speak to him. Scott continued to spend all his spare time in the greenhouses, in the gardens, in places Brick couldn't reach him.

Instead, Brick spent all his time with Jo, who tirelessly sought him out despite any preventative measures laid out. She found him when he retreated to the ancient back shelves of the library that Scott used to haunt, but had moved on since Brick started to wait for him there. She found him in the owlery, in the boy's dormitory, and in the broom closet on the second floor. She governed his social life, oversaw his studies, insinuated herself into every aspect of Brick's life. The whole time, his face was turned away from her, searching for someone else.

In the summer, Brick goes home with Jo. Scott returns to the farm alone, and Pappy doesn't say a thing.

xxx

(The Slytherins won the house cup, and they were so deliriously happy that they forgot to kick Scott out of the common room for the victory party. They toasted the mystery student who had gained them so many points, even in the face of Anne Maria's 50 point loss for using banned magic to try and make her hair gain volume, and Lightning's record-breaking 75 point loss for brawling with Jo on the floor of the Great Hall one February morning. The prefect, Heather, kisses Alejandro on top of a table and a guy named Duncan sets off fireworks that turn into snakes and wind around the room. Scott leaves after fifteen minutes and climbs the stairs all the way from the dungeon to the astronomy tower, where he spots a familiar silhouette, broad-shouldered and with an unfortunate haircut that's he's recognizes well. He spent a few weeks seeing that silhouette in the dark of his bedroom, after all. He turns around before the other person notices his presence and walks right back down the dozens of flights of stairs.)

xxx

Second year at Hogwarts feels nothing less than foreboding for Scott. He already knows how it's going to be. Quiet, lonely. He's used to being independent. He's used to being self-reliant. He has survived several years of Muggle school and one full year of wizarding school and he knows without a doubt that he possesses an incredible ability to adapt, overcome, and survive. He also spends some nights in the weeks leading up to the first day unable to think of anything but a night in the barn with a blanket and someone else's arm wrapped around his shoulder.

When he gets to platform nine and three quarters he finds himself unconsciously searching the crowds. He knows Pappy sees it, too, and he tries to get a hold of himself. On the train, he barges into a compartment with a terrified first year in it and seats himself across from the kid without a word. He's already wearing his Slytherin robes. The first year lets out a terrified squeak and stands up as if he's about to run away, but Scott plants a hand on the kid's shoulder and pushes him back down. "No, you stay. We're traveling together." The kid looks like he's gonna wet himself.

Scott resolutely stares out the window in complete silence. The kid's trip isn't totally ruined, because another, equally terrified first year shows up at their compartment. They meet each other and discuss houses, while giving Scott anxious glances as if he's going to turn around and murder them at any moment. The whole thing feels painfully familiar, and before long Scott finds he has his knees folded up to his chin again. It feels like so much time has passed, but it's only been a year.

Scott successfully avoids Brick on the train, and in the Great Hall he doesn't even see Brick at the Gryffindor table. Not that he's looking. He tries to be relieved at the fact that Brick isn't around to make Scott's life infinitely more complicated, but instead the absence takes over his train of thoughts. He wonders constantly where Brick is. Maybe his father stopped him from coming back. Maybe Jo and her father killed him and buried him in their cellar.

Scott's so distracted that he doesn't pay any attention to the sorting until a brand new Slytherin comes to the table and sits directly next to Scott. When Scott looks, it's the kid from the train. He has a very determined look on his face, with his teeth clenched and brow furrowed. He probably thinks he's acting tough, but he actually looks like he's having trouble with his bowel movements. It's funny to Scott that the kid doesn't know yet to avoid him. He wonders how long it'll take for him to learn.

He refuses to talk to the kid. He doesn't want to give him the wrong idea.

xxx

The only people who seem at all glad to see Scott again are the herbology professor and the groundskeeper. Professor Hatchet, who teaches potions, seems unhappy to see all the students, and Professor McLean, the headmaster, expressed glee at the prospect of new students to which he could explain the myriad dangers of the castle, and then dare them all to stick their hands in each of them. He was particularly delighted to tell the first years about the lake squid, which he said liked to be poked with large sticks for fun. Scott could hear the Gryffindor prefect Bridgette loudly telling first years that they should absolutely not go anywhere near the squid, especially with sticks.

The first week was the same as it was in the first year, even though the professors and classmates were all the same. All of the rules were listed and the goals of the year were outlined. Scott spent all of his time reading Growing Weed in the back of the class and avoiding eye contact with everyone. Monday classes were with Ravenclaws, Tuesday classes were with Hufflepuffs, and once again Wednesdays were Slytherin exclusive.

Thursday morning Scott woke up three hours early in a cold sweat. He intermittently dreaded seeing Brick so much he thought he would vomit, and feared that Brick wouldn't be there at all so much he thought he would pass out. He left the castle to get some early morning air. He could go and check on the wolfsbane he had planted in the smallest greenhouse, or the patch of Gillyweed that was being raised experimentally in the shallow waters on the east side of the lake.

Instead he was accosted before he could even step onto the lawn. There was someone running along the path to the main entrance in tight shorts, a loose t-shirt, and a pair of worn running shoes. They were panting hard, like they'd been out for a long time.

It was Brick. Of course it was Brick. It was serendipity or something, after all, the way they kept meeting. When Scott recognized him, he felt the absurd urge to start running in the opposite direction as fast as his legs good go. Instead, he stayed frozen in place. Brick froze too, sweat dripping down from his hair. 'What kind of twelve year old goes running at six in the morning?' Scott thought to himself. He couldn't look away.

The spell was broken by a harsh, terrible, familiar voice. "Wait for me!" It shrieked, and Scott looked over Brick's shoulder to see Jo struggling to catch up. She was red and sweaty too. Military kids apparently went running at six in the morning. "Brick, we're supposed to be running together. It's like you're trying to run away from me."

Scott almost laughed, staring at the pair of them as Jo caught up and threw a hand heavily on Brick's shoulder. He winced at the touch and shrugged her off. When Jo noticed Scott, her eyes narrowed, but none of the three of them said anything. For a split second, Scott swore he saw the future: Brick and Jo, always like this. Him trying to get away, but unwilling to tell her. Her, unable and unwilling to take the hint, controlling him. They would get married. Maybe they would have kids. Scott felt like he could see their whole miserable lives unrolling in front of him like a great carpet.

He did laugh out loud, but it was shockingly painful. The noise was guttural. He turned away from both of them and walked across the lawn, straight to the east side of the lake.

"Freak!" Jo yelled after him. He could hear Brick's voice, admonishing and surprised, like he couldn't believe that he had the guts to tell Jo off. Scott tried to cut them out of his mind, to leave them back there.

He couldn't; he carried them with him all day, and for weeks afterward.

xxx

Mid-October Scott finds himself taking his parchment and ink to the greenhouse to finish an essay while the other Slytherins noisily plan Hallowe'en pranks. He doesn't go to the library anymore, not since his hiding places were discovered. Instead, he ducks under one of the shelves bearing dozens of earthenware pots and leans his back against the wall, his legs crossed. No one ever looks for him, no one ever finds him. He is completely alone. The sun's rays refracted through the glass windows make it warm enough for him to pull off his cloak and scarf. The utter silence allows him to concentrate on even the most difficult to parse passages in his archaic Mixing Potions for Modern Wizards, which must have been written circa 12 AD. There's nothing modern about it, and Scott suspects that Hatchet assigned it to fulfil his sadomasochistic desires.

Scott's so startled by the sound of someone opening the greenhouse door he nearly knocks over his ink pot. He saves it in the nick of time and draws himself even further under the shelf, silent and hidden from the intruder. Intruders, actually. Two pairs of feet shuffle in, bringing the cold October wind with them.

Stock still, Scott waits for them to find him. But they only take a few steps into the building before they stop. He can't see them, and they can't see him. There's no way for Scott to get out of there without being noticed, so he figures he's just going to have to stay hidden until they leave again. He really hopes it's not some kind of secret meeting for two students from rival houses to make out or something. (For a bizarre moment, he pictures the feet belonging to Jo and Brick, and he nearly gags out loud.)

"We should be safe in here," says a girl's voice. It's chillingly familiar. The boy who answers her is a stranger to Scott. His voice sounds squeaky and hoarse like he's in the middle of puberty when he replies, "So, what did you want to talk about, babe?"

Scott really has to fight the desperate urge to freak out and run at the fact that Anne Maria has just ducked into the greenhouse with a strange guy for some alone time.

"You know how you told me you'd do anything for me?" Anne Maria asks. Her voice is pitched low like it's supposed to be sultry. She's not old enough to pull it off. Scott thinks it sounds just plain creepy. The guy doesn't say anything, but Anne Maria continues to speak so Scott guesses he must have nodded. "Okay, well…I've got a plan that's going to make the two of us Slytherin legends." So the guy must be a Slytherin too. Scott wonders who it is and what year he's in. "You know that Gryffindor who wet his pants at the sorting ceremony?"

Scott's whole body goes tense. Both Anne Maria and the boy are laughing. "Of course I do," the guy says, and Scott can picture the slimy grin on the guy's face. Scott's fists clench in his lap.

"Everyone's talking about Hallowe'en. They're all going to be pulling pranks. But most of them are going to go for the Hufflepuffs, who can't defend themselves, or the Ravenclaws whose noses are so stuck in their books they won't even know what's coming. The older students will go for the Gryffindors. But we're going to blow them all out of the water. We're gonna hit that Gryffindor so hard he's never going to recover from it. Right in the Great Hall, in front of the whole school. Just like on the first day. No one's ever going to want to associate with him again. Not even his girlfriend, Jo." She snarls the last words.

"What are we going to do?" They guy ask. Scott can hear the smile in his voice. He can picture this faceless guy rubbing his hands together and smirking, willing to do whatever Anne Maria tells him to.

"We're gonna give him a love potion. Mix it with one of McLean's hairs, slip it into his drink, and he'll go crazy at breakfast in the middle of everything. I've seen it happen before to one of my cousins. He'll probably lose his mind and run up to kiss the headmaster in front of everybody. And Professor McLean's going to be so angry, he'll probably get detention for like six weeks. We're going to destroy him, Ezekiel."

Scott pressed his fingers to his temples, thinking. It sounded downright juvenile, that prank. So what if Brick suddenly decided he had a crush on the headmaster? It would be obvious that he was under the influence of a potion. He tried to imagine the scene, Hallowe'en morning. Brick sitting at the edge of the table with Jo alone, then getting up abruptly. Running down the aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, right to the staff table. Would he climb over the table instead of going around it? Scott picture him scrambling up, knocking dishes everywhere, getting eggs on the knees of his pants and marmalade on his hands. Maybe someone would stop him before it was too late, or maybe he grab the front of the headmaster's shirt with his sticky hands and pull him close. McLean was no doubt stronger than a twelve year old boy, but how much would surprise and the potion's influence factor in? Brick kissing the headmaster in front of everyone, and then getting pushed off, maybe sprawled on the floor afterward, with food on his clothes and a stupid look on his face. Getting yelled at by McLean, who was known to have a short temper. The students at every table laughing and jeering. Someone yelling, "Hey, isn't that the guy who wet his pants?" Once one person notices, they all start too.

Even if it wasn't that bad…When Brick regained his senses, he would be crushed. He would probably try to drop out of the school. His father… Scott's heart clenched. His father would definitely disown him. Probably officially this time.

Something had to be done.

Scott would have to rescue Brick.