Back in the Gryffindor common room, the entire Quidditch team were huddled around the fire, trying to dry off as best they could. The light drizzle had transformed rather quickly into a full blown thunderstorm as they were walking back to the castle, and so they were the wettest people in the common room.
Albus, Thomas and Mia were all squashed into the one cosy crimson armchair, shivering despite the warmth of the blazing fire in front of them. Mia seemed to be shivering the most, thought Albus, feeling her shake alarmingly beside him.
He hoped she wasn't ill. It was Halloween tomorrow, and the trio were planning to sneak into Hogsmede under Mia's invisibility cloak. James and his friends were planning to go as well, only under his father's invisibility cloak. However, Albus had one clear advantage when it came to sneaking out of the castle unnoticed. He had inherited the Marauders' Map, which had secret tunnels and passages marked on it. He had heard from Harry that most were caved in or had been sealed off during the time of the war, but just one remained.
When aunt Hermione went back to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year, she had managed to somehow re-open the passage that lead right into the cellar of Honeydukes. Albus, James and Rose had all been told when they got their Hogwarts letters that it must only be used in real emergencies. Uncle Ron had winked at them when he had told them this, saying that if they ever had a craving for some sweets or stuff from George's Hogsmede shop, which was an emergency enough.
Albus noticed that Mia had stopped shivering. He turned his head a little and saw that she was sleeping deeply. He sat there, thinking, with Mia asleep on his shoulder and Thomas daydreaming. He nudged Thomas and said
"Want to sneak down to the kitchens?" The house elves would be more than happy to give the Quidditch team some Butterbeer. Mia looks like she needs it"
"Sneak into the Kitchens?" He replied, straightening up. "Are we allowed?"
"Well, I think all we have to do in tickle the pear on the door" Albus responded. "My uncle George told me how"
"No, no" Thomas said with a little frustration in his voice. "I know about the pear, Jess does it all the time. I mean, aren't the kitchens in the dungeons?"
"Nah, they're in the basement, near where the Hufflepuffs are"
"OK then" Thomas said finally, sighing deeply as he stood up. But let's use the cloak. We don't know who could be lurking around."
Thomas ran upstairs to the dormitory to get his schoolbag. Albus gently shook Mia awake , whispering to her, so that they couldn't be heard.
"Mia, Thomas and I are going to get you and the Quidditch team some Butterbeer from the kitchens. Do you want to come with us"
"Yeah!" she responded enthusiastically. But Albus couldn't help notice her slightly gravelly voice and the fact that she coughed every thirty seconds.
Mia stood up quickly, staggering and swaying a little.
"All set!" Thomas had appeared at the top of the spiral staircase and was running down it, carrying Albus's Map in his pocket, Mia's cloak over his arm and his schoolbag on his back.
"Let's go!" whispered Mia excitedly. And so the trio made their way out of the portrait hole and down the corridor. When they were out of sight of the portrait hole, they swung the cloak over their heads and became invisible instantly.
They crept awkwardly along the corridor, treading on each other's feet as they stumbled down the stairs. They passed Rose Weasley and Albus took this as an opportunity to scare his cousin. He put his face close to hers and hissed loudly. Rose screamed, jumped into the air and promptly dropped her book. Albus, Thomas and Mia sniggered silently as they climbed down yet another wide, sweeping staircase.
When they reached basement level, Albus took off the invisibility cloak and crept cautiously towards the painting on the kitchen door.
"Here it is!" said Albus, raking back his dark brown fringe out of his eyes and pointing at the pear.
"Ooh! Can I tickle it?" asked Mia excitedly, rushing over to the door and leaving Thomas to stand in the corridor with the invisibility cloak draped over one shoulder and his eyes blinking in surprise.
"Yeah, go ahead." replied Albus, stepping to the side to let Mia open the door. But before she had even touched the pear, however, she Albus and Thomas heard a strange noise from behind it.
Bemused, all three of them pressed their ears against the door and listened intently.
"Don't want to be bad…..wish I wasn't even in Slytherin!"
Perplexed, Thomas whispered "A Slytherin's crying! Who is it?"
"I'm not bad! …. Want to go home!"
"I think it's Scorpius! Albus whispered. Let's go in,"
Mia, being the tallest, easily reached the pear. She tickled it gently until it began to giggle. "Ha! That has got to be the weirdest thing I have ever seen" Mia said quietly. "A laughing pear!"
Suddenly, the kitchen door swung open. A strange sight met their eyes. For one thing, it was hard to distinguish the person through the sea of tiny green house-elves, and by the time they caught sight of them, Albus, Thomas and Mia were shocked . Scorpius Malfoy was sitting on the floor, shaking violently and crying loudly
He hadn't seemed to have noticed them enter, but the house elf next to him looked up. "Mr Potter!" shrieked the elf, leaving Scorpius and running over to Albus.
"Winkie!" Said Albus, grinning from ear to ear. "How's things? Feeling well?"
"Winkie is doing fine Mr Potter, thank you for asking! Although Wanda's Master Scorpius is feeling very sad indeed." Winkie pointed to a tiny house elf over by the blackened and rusty stove. She was very pale, with a large pointed nose, enormous purple eyes and had ears that reached almost down to her waist. Albus reckoned that they would look big on an elephant.
"Hello, young masters and miss!" Squeaked the house elf excitedly. "Wanda is sorry about the state of our kitchens, but we is preparing food for the Halloween feast and Master Scorpius is needing to be looked after."
Scorpius was now staring at the trio, clearly embarrassed.
"What are you looking at? I only came down here to ask my house elf for some 's your excuse?"
"I only came down here to ask my house elf for some Butterbeer" Albus replied, walking over to Scorpius and sitting down beside him.
"Oh, ok then" Scorpius said, clearly upset.
"What's wrong? Has Bellatrix been mean to you again?" Asked Thomas gently.
"Yeah, now she's having a go about how I'm not bad enough to be a Slytherin. Why would I want to be bad? I mean, all it gets you is trouble and detention."
"You could stick with us, if you want..."
"I can't do that!
Scorpius looked even paler in the half-light, and his silvery-grey eyes were misty with unshed tears.
"Well, you can have some butterbeer at least" said Mia firmly, pulling Scorpius up into a standing position and handing him a bottle. "Come on, let's go up to the common room and we can talk to Bellatrix".
And with that, Scorpius reluctantly followed Albus, Thomas and Mia out of the Kitchens and up the stairs.