Chapter 2: New Friends
I woke up feeling good. It was the very first day of classes and I was practically bouncing in my seat. Last night's feast was amazing as usual, and today I felt extremely excited. There was something about the first day of school that always got my blood flowing. It was like opening a new book. Something unknown, yet exhilarating. This only makes you want to discover its secrets as quickly as possible.
Usually nobody understands my excitement to learn. Not even Al. The sole person to this day who does is Scorpius. Though he always claims that he doesn't agree, he understands me. I sighed. That is just one more reason to fancy him. The list seems to be getting longer and longer by the moment.
I walked downstairs from the Ravenclaw tower, and quickly found the entrance to the Great Hall.
I was heading towards the familiar Slytherin table. Though technically I am supposed to be at the Ravenclaw table, I usually don't eat there. Ever since about third year I have been sitting at the Slytherin table with Albus and Scorpius. At first I thought that somebody was going to yell at me and tell me that I had to sit with my house table, but nobody ever did. I guess there is just no official rule that states that you have to sit with your house. So, anyways, even since then I have been taking meals with the Slytherins.
I found Albus almost immediately, but it didn't look like Scorpius was down yet. Or should I say up? The Slytherin common room was located in the dungeons, I believed. I sat down next to Al and grabbed a slice of toast.
"Morning," I sing-songed.
"Goodness, you seem even happier than usual," he replied.
Soon enough teachers came around with class schedules. The three of us were taking all the same classes. The only was Al isn't taking Transfiguration. He didn't get a high enough OWL to be able to take the NEWT class. Otherwise, the three of us should have pretty much the same exact schedule.
Albus quickly glanced over the schedule before saying, "Yes! We have a free period right now! What a great way to start the week!"
"See!" I then exclaimed. "The future is bright. This is most definitely going to be the best year ever! Nothing could rain on my parade today!"
Just then the universe proved me wrong. Scorpius ran into the Great Hall hand-in-hand with none other than Emma. They quickly found Albus and me and sat across from the two of us.
Scorpius grabbed a piece of toast, while Emma just practically hanging off his well-toned arm.
"When are Quidditch try-out Al?" Scorpius asked.
"I don't know yet," Albus replied. "I haven't talked with Professor Everlark, yet, but you totally already know you are definitely making the team. You are the best seeker anybody has seen since my father!"
"You not too bad of a Keeper yourself," Scorpius smoothly replied.
I rolled my eyes. All any guy ever talked about was Quidditch. I mean, when Al was made captain this year of the Slytherin team, the two of them were squealing like two little girls.
"Why must boys always talk about Quidditch?" Emma then said, echoing my thoughts. This made me slightly bitter. I didn't want to be thinking the same thoughts as her.
"Because it's practically like a way of life! People would actually die without it!" Albus exclaimed.
I choke on my orange juice and coughed several times after hearing this. Al turned a bit red as both Scorpius and Emma were laughing. I guess that wasn't the reaction he was hoping for.
"Aren't you hungry, Emma?" Albus then said, frantically trying to change the subject.
"No," she replied, when she collected herself. "I'm not hungry."
"But you haven't eaten anything," Scorpius said. "Are you sure you just don't want a piece of toast or something?"
Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, because Emma got this look of horror on her face. "Carbs! This early in the morning! That's like just asking to be fat."
I looked down at my third piece of toast that I was holding up to my mouth. I dropped it on my plate, thinking, Please! Make this worse for me!
"Besides, I want something else for breakfast," she then said before totally snogging Scorpius right there in front of us.
I silently cursed fate. It was practically mocking me at this point. I was being sarcastic for goodness sake!
"Oi!" Albus then said, throwing a piece of toast that hit Scorpius directly in the head. This didn't seem to faze either of them. "Get a room!"
Scorpius glanced at Al, gave him his traditional smirk, and then grabbed Emma's hand and took off out of the Great Hall.
I was gagging as they left. All of a sudden I lost my appetite.
"Now that was not what I wanted to see so early in the morning," Al then said to no one in particular.
"What did you not want to see?" Natalie then said, coming out of nowhere.
"Hey! Where did you show up from?" Al said, his face lighting up.
"Oh, I was just passing by," she replied. I thought this statement was slightly strange considering the Gryffindor table was all the way across the room, but I didn't mention this. I was just going to let Al have his moment in the spotlight.
He shot me this look that totally said, Make some excuse to leave!
"I guess I am going to the library," I said.
"Yeah, sure, whatever. I'll see you later, Rose!" Al then replied, his attention totally on Natalie again.
I walk out of the Great Hall thinking, Thanks for the love everybody. They get to be having fun with their girls while I'll be bored and a loner in the library, which just makes me a giant loser.
I entered the library to find it mostly empty. I wandered the aisles for a bit, locating for nothing in particular. I was just taking in the scent of old parchment and ink. I have always been a sucker for books. I guess I inherited that from my mother.
She really got me into books when she would read me from some of her old school textbooks right before I went to bed. I know it may sound weird, a child being read a textbook as a bedtime story, but it was soothing to hear about the History of Magic or about Charms that I would be able to do one day. Plus she would stop sometimes and tell me a story about when a particular spell or piece of information came in handy when she, my father, and Uncle Harry were battling Voldemort. It was my mother's way of telling the stories about all their adventures and educating me and Hugo all at the same time. She did have a very unconventional way of parenting.
So I was wandering past all the books on the shelves looking for something intriguing that I haven't already read when I ran into somebody. We both went tumbling down onto the floor, and I found myself on top of a seventh year Gryffindor boy named Ian Thomas, our lips barely an inch away from each other. If anybody walked down this aisle at this exact moment, they would be thinking that something completely different had happened between Ian and I.
"Oh! Sorry Ian," I apologized, rolling off of him and straightening my robes. I could feel myself blushing. "I really should start watching where I am going."
"Hey, no big deal," he said laughing. "Nobody got hurt or anything."
"Yeah, but still," I said. "I really shouldn't let my absurd clumsiness get in the way of other people's perfectly fine days."
"Trust me. That was the most exciting thing that happened to me all day. It's not every day when I beautiful witch like yourself on top of me."
Ian then started to laugh. At first I just stared at him blankly, not really comprehending what he just said. Then it sort of hit me. He was the second boy in two days who was flirting with me. I joined in with the laughter, thinking about how ridiculous it all was.
"No, but seriously, what are you doing in the library on the first day of school. You haven't even had a class yet," he then said.
"Albus and Scorpius ditched me this morning, and I had nothing better to do than come to the library."
"See, I knew I didn't like those guys for a reason," he replied, with a smirk that would give Scorpius a run for his money.
Scorpius and Albus have had an everlasting feud with Ian and some other Gryffindor boys for as long as I can remember. I have always thought it was a bit immature, but that has never stopped either side from arguing until no end. And it's a different sort of arguing from me and Scorpius's kind. At least you can tell we are semi-joking when we argue. Plus they all play Quidditch, which makes them all super competitive. Quidditch does it again, making the world go around and such. Frankly I think the only reason that they all hate each other is some combination of the old Slytherin vs. Gryffindor feud and a major amount of testosterone.
"Sure that's exactly it," I said sarcastically.
"No seriously, if I had a friend like you, I wouldn't see the appeal in hanging out with anybody else."
A smile crept up on my lips. I replied, "Are you implying that we aren't friends Thomas?"
"Are friends supposed to use each other's first names?" he then jabbed back.
"Touché."
He grinned at my statement, and I laughed at his reaction.
"Well anyways, I'll let you get back to what you are doing," I then said. "You actually looked like you were doing something important unlike me."
"No! What would other people thing if I left a damsel in distress to entertain herself!" he said with mock horror. "I mean, it's bad enough that you got ditched by two other friends. I will not let that happen to you a third time today."
"Maybe I can help you then. I do know this library like the back of my hand."
"Um, well, it's nothing really. It was more of a curiosity then anything."
"What?" I asked.
"I just wanted to know who my grandfather was, you know. I couldn't find him in any Muggle records, so I thought I might check some of the Wizarding kind. It's nothing too serious or anything. It's just from the stories my father tells me, his father walking out on him and my grandmother doesn't seem to fit."
"Oh," I merely said.
Then the two of us set off to work for the rest of the period, talking nonstop about nothing in particular. We ended up just laughing a lot a getting practically nothing done. I found that I really did like Ian. He was funny and nice and he totally didn't rag on me like my two best friends did all the time.
"You have Charms next?" He asked at the end of the free period.
I nodded.
"Great! That means we get to walk together."
As went entered the classroom we were intercepts by Al and Scorpius. I could tell just from Al and Scorpius's faces and how Ian tensed up almost automatically that this was not going to turn out good whatsoever.
"What are you doing with this prat?" Al said, glaring at Ian.
"I didn't know that talking was a crime, Potter," he replied smoothly.
"It isn't," Scorpius then contributed. "But having an ego as large as yours should be."
"This coming from the kid who can't help but bragging about everything from hot snog sessions with girls to how amazing you are at Quidditch and anything in between," Ian shot back.
At that moment both Al and Scorpius pulled out their wands. "Why you little!" Al shouted.
Instead of watching the three of them try to kill each other, I decided to walk away. I sat down at an unoccupied table towards the middle of the room. That way I could make sure nothing serious happens in the back of the room, without being dragged into the petty argument.
It wasn't until Professor Flitwick told everybody to take a seat that Albus and Scorpius finally realized that I wasn't standing there anymore. They scanned the room and quickly found me. Scorpius sat down next to me, while Albus sat on the other side of him, both of them glaring at me. Ian went to sit on the other side of the room with the other Gryffindors.
They didn't stop glaring at me even after Flitwick gave a lecture on Fire Charms, or after he dispersed us to practice by trying to light a piece of firewood place in front of each of us. They just mumbled to each other and muttered "Incendio!" every once in a while, only achieve just the trace of a spark and maybe some smoke spiraling up from their wands, like the rest of the room.
After Al whispered something to Scorpius, both of them glancing in my direction did I finally ask, "What is your guys' problem?"
"Why were you hanging out with Thomas?" Scorpius said.
"Because you two were busy, and I don't really see why you guys care so much. You were obviously having a much better time without me."
"Yeah, but he is such a git," Al then said.
"And you know we love spending time with you, Rose," Scorpius added. "Just because we weren't today doesn't mean you get to go all traitorous on us!"
"I wasn't being traitorous, or whatever else you guys are thinking. We just ran into each other in the library and started talking. That's it. It's really not that big of deal, not that it should matter to either of you, who I hang out with."
Al merely scowled, but Scorpius replied, "We are just keeping your best interest at heart. Thomas can seriously be a real prat sometimes."
I have to say that I did melted just a tiny bit on the inside. It made me happy that he was trying to watch out for me. Though any best friend would. Hell, he could be treating me as he would treat a sister. I was doomed to forever be stuck in the friend zone.
I went back to practicing Fire Charms with as much fury as I could muster.
"Incendio!" I practically shouted, and I saw a flame shoot out from my wand and lighting fire to the piece of wood in front of me.
Professor Flitwick came scurrying over, exclaiming, "Well done, Ms. Weasley! Take ten well deserved point for Ravenclaw."
Al's scowl deepened and Scorpius started muttering something about me being a perfectionist.
This did not brighten my mood whatsoever, but instead of screaming at them some more I put on my cheesiest grin and mustered as much grandeur as I could and I said, "Why thank you, Professor Flitwick." Then I smirked at the two of them. Seeing their dumbstruck faces gave me all the satisfaction that I needed.
"You're welcome, Ms Weasley. Everybody else, practice Fire Charms before our next class."
And with that, I gathered my belongings and left the room, not waiting up for either Scorpius or Albus.