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Chapter Ten: Scorpius Malfoy

YEAR ONE

No, I'm not in love with Rosie. Would you quit asking?

When I found the notes, I wasn't sure what to do. They obviously weren't meant for my eyes and I felt like I was invading her privacy but I couldn't stop reading them.

Malfoy, you're in loads of trouble. You were gone for hours and I was waiting for you.

I wanted to tell you that it's okay to like Albus's family. Albus's family may like you back.

Okay, perhaps Albus's family likes you a lot, but that's besides the matter.

The point is it's okay.

This was the first one I found. I felt bad that she was waiting for me for so long, but I couldn't stop thinking about what else she had said. Pretty self-explanatory.

Malfoy,

Well I think I like you so I give you permission to like me. Don't worry about Albus.

I had to smile at this one.

Scorpius,

I don't know why, but I think I may like you. You're still an arrogant toe-rag, got it? Don't let it get to your head. Sometimes I wonder if you really like me back or if it's too weird for you. I mean, it'd be okay if it was too weird for you but I'd like to know sometimes. So maybe you should just tell me. Not in person, that'd be way too embarrassing. Okay, probably in person.

Sorry for being so awkward. We're just good friends and I don't want to ruin that. I hope you understand. Maybe if it's too awkward for you, you can pretend to never have found this note. That'd probably be easier.

Don't worry about what Albus said. You like who you like, you got that?

Love, Rosie.

This one took the longest to process.

I decided… I don't know what I decided. I stuffed the notes into my robe pocket to look at later.

Big mistake.

-o-o-o-o-o-

I thought that maybe, I could outrun her. But when I complained of feeling sick, McGonagall wouldn't let me go. It wasn't until Albus slipped me a piece of candy from who-knows-where that I ate it and actually did get sick.

Thanks, Albus.

She sent me to the nurse straight away.

I didn't go to the nurse.

It was pretty hopeless, thinking I could get there before she did. But I ran anyway. And I wondered what would happen when I ran into her, what she would say. My stomach twisted into all kinds of knots. But I ran anyway.

Maybe that's what being a Gryffindor is all about.

But when I reached the portrait hole, she stepped out. When she saw me, I could see her stiffen.

"Did you read them?" She asked.

I thought about saying no. "Yes."

Her face was beet red. "Sorry."

"Why?"

"I was tired, I didn't exactly know what I was writing."

Oh. "Right, yeah. That's okay, I don't mind."

"Yeah, it was just me being stupid."

Oh. "Yeah, okay." I took the notes out of my pocket and dropped them on the ground. "Yeah, it's fine."

She looked at me. "Scorp—"

"It's fine," I repeated and walked down the corridor. She grabbed my shoulder. "Just leave me alone. I got sick in class. I need to go to the nurse."

"Bull," Rose said, but I kept walking.

"Scorp," Rose tried again, but I kept walking.

Maybe that's what being a Gryffindor is all about.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

On Friday, I still hadn't soken to Rose whatsoever. After a chat with Albus he agreed to switch partners with me for the time being.

"You okay, mate?" He asked in Charms, after the 5th time I screwed up a spell.

"Yeah, fine," I said, clutching my wand. "The stupid feather won't rise."

I hear Rose's voice from a couple seats back.

"It's Levi-OH-sa, not Levi-oh-SAR."

She was talking to Alice, but I sighed.

"Wingardium Levi-OH-sa," I tried, and the feather floated. I shook my head.

"You can't keep ignoring her, you know. That means you're ignoring us. You've been sitting with James for what, a week now?"

"He offered," I said and shrugged. "He's teaching me more about Quidditch."

"Come off it, Scorpius. Stop being a baby. She thinks she's done something wrong."

"And what if she has?" I shot back, annoyed. "I do have feelings and I'd rather them not be trampled."

"Why won't you just tell me?"

"No."

"Fine." Class ended then and Albus got up. He moved back to Alice and Rose. I looked back.

Albus and Rose were whispering to each other, but when she saw me looking, she stopped. She stood up and I looked away.

I gathered my things and rushed out of the classroom.

At lunch, I sat next to James. He saved a seat for me nowadays, mostly because I told him my situation.

"No, I understand," he had said. "Rosie's real stubborn."

As it turned out, James was not a jerk at all. He introduced me to all of his friends. One of his friends, Milly Greenwood, took special interest in me.

"Aren't you that first year that won the snowball battle?"

I nodded.

"That was magnificent! I wasn't in it, of course, but I've heard all about you. You're with that Weasley girl, right?"

"No," I said bluntly.

Milly looked satisfied. "Will you be doing the battle today?"

"'Course he will. He's our star!" This was from Beatrice, her hair in her usual braids.

"I can finally participate, I made sure not to make any professor mad today," James said cheekily.

I had partaken in detention with McGonagall on Tuesday, thankfully. She didn't see a need to have two students at once, so Rose got Monday. It was rather convenient for me. So was this seating arrangement. I didn't need to actually talk, unless Milly demanded it. She was a 2nd year, so I don't know why she was so interested in me.

"So what's up with that Weasley girl, anyway? Can you say freckles?" Milly laughed.

My fists clenched. "That's my cousin, Milly," James warned.

"Is it really?" Milly sounded surprised. "I would never have guessed. You're so cool and she's so… not."

"Take a hike, Milly," James nearly yelled. I got up and left the table.

"What's wrong with him?" Milly said.

The last thing I heard was from James. "Maybe if you weren't such a—"

I didn't really want to partake in the battle, but it was a commitment. I'm not sure what I could contribute, the first time was just lucky. And I had Rose.

Later on I trudged to the fields, already changed into my uniform, as was everyone else. Today's instruction was a little different.

"Okay, everyone, you're probably wondering why you have another battle," Beatrice said over the crowd. "Well, as you've noticed there is a secret to winning every battle. There will be a different one each time. Now that everyone knows this, the other creators and I saw no reason not to have two battles back to back. Up first will be Ravenclaw vs. Hufflepuff, and after a few hours of Madam Pomfrey healing sores and restoring strength, the winner goes against us. Next time, whoever loses the first battle will go up against Slytherin, and the pattern continues. Got it?"

We all nodded.

"Now, where are our stars?"

It took me a while to realize who she was talking about. After a moment's hesitation, James took my hand and held it up. "He's here," he called. I looked to see the other ones reluctantly holding their hands up, too.

"I want you four to take offense, and stick together. Use whoever you need, but I think you all are good shots. If anyone else figures it out, go for it, but if it was me I'd go to those four."

I remembered the first battle. Rose tackling me with a hug in the castle, holding hands as we glided through the corridors.

I didn't want this.

I dreaded the end of the game. We were all in the bleachers, and while James and his friends were in the front, I preferred the back.

I figured out the secret to this game pretty quickly. Every time you tried to hit your opponent, you'd hit one of your own. You simply had to hit your own team member instead. It proved to be handy if you had a team member by your side. A Ravenclaw figured this out and then it was fair game. It seemed as though everyone had a double, meaning if you threw a snowball at me and it hit Lacy Waters, then it would always hit Lacy Waters. It was a tough competition. Hufflepuff opted to not throw snowballs at all, which distracted them less. Ravenclaws were obsessed with figuring out who was who, which made them not overly concerned about the flag. And once a Hufflepuff got up to the Ravenclaw tower, there wasn't much for the guards to do except to "Find out who Penelope Faircloth is!"

And so the Hufflepuffs won.

We had a few hours until the next game. Not very many Ravenclaws were hit at all, but plenty of Hufflepuffs were injured. I stayed seated in the back of the stands, fiddling with my gloves. It was nearing break, and we had about a month and a half left, which equaled up to more than six battles. Our competition was now Hufflepuff, so we needed to beat them today to keep the lead. Since they're tired and worn out, Madam Pomfrey is giving them a special concoction so it feels as though the battle—and the wounds that came from it—never happened.

"Scorpius," I recognized Albus's voice, and sighed. The black-haired boy climed the seats and sat next to me.

"She's torn up, mate."

"I don't mean to."

"Then come on with is."

"Y'know what, Albus? She wrote me something. She wrote me something that said she liked me and then she said it was stupid of her to write it, that she was too tired to even be aware while writing it. I didn't know it was so stupid to like me. I thought we were friends."

"Don't you think she knows that? She told me last night. She feels terrible, Scorp. She just wants to me your friend again."

"I dunno."

"You miss her?"

"Loads."

"Then I don't know what you're trying to prove, but she misses you too. We all do."

Walking back to them was like taking a walk of shame. They could see me coming, and I looked to the ground. I've never been so anxious.

When I got there, I hesitated. I could see her boots. Albus and Alice had ventured off, and it was just me and her. "Look," I said. "I'm so—"

She didn't let me finish. Instead she wrapped her arms around my waist and pressed her head against me. After a few moments, I hugged her back, my arms around her shoulders. "Please don't hate me," she said. "I hate it when you hate me."

"I couldn't hate you," I said back. "You're my best friend."

"We've got to stop doing this," she laughed shakily. "As it is, though, I'm usually the one starting it."

"I just overreact," I said. "A lot."

"I would have done the same."

"Well, if I was tired, I probably would have written the same thing, too."

She giggled and hugged me tighter. "Are you ready to kick some butt?"

"If the secret is as easy as this last one, it'll be a piece of cake."

We finally pulled away and looked at each other. "You know," she said slowly. "You're not half bad, Malfoy."

I grinned. "Nor are you, Weasley."

I took her hand, and we walked together to where all of the other Gryffindors were gathering.

Beatrice looked at us approvingly, like she was in on the fight and was glad we made up. "Alright, we have about a half an hour until battle time. Warm up, have some water, but only a little to eat if you have to. Get ready to run."

-o-o-o-o-o-

As usual when we positioned, we positioned behind a mound. I found it better to think when you aren't being pelted by snowballs.

"What are you thinking?" Rose asked me.

"I can't tell without a good look," I said. Today, they had mentioned, the flags would be lowered into the castle. I couldn't see them.

"Our best shot is to run and see if we can get the flag," Rose said. "We'll find trouble later."

Getting into the castle was surprisingly easy. Hufflepuffs were great with snowballs now that they didn't have to sort through who they were hitting, but their defenses were weak. We had no magic shield this time.

As I climbed up the stairs, I kept jumping at every little noise. Who knows what they have in store. This layout made more sense: there were no stray paths, and there was a staircase going straight to the top.

After a while though, something seemed strange. "We've been walking entirely too long," Rose said.

"We're almost there."

"No, we're not. We haven't even left the ground."

Shocked, I looked down. She was right.

"What… What's going on? I can't step up!"

"My legs are aching," Rose groaned.

"Rose, snap out of it. We haven't moved."

"Oh, right."

"We're halfway there!"

"Scorpius, we are on the ground."

And we were. I stood, horrified. "How are we supposed to get up?"

"We are up, see?"

"Rosie!" I took her arm and backed up. The staircase was messing with her mind. She shook her head.

"I've never seen anything like this, she said reluctantly. "Except maybe Sisyphus."

"Sisyphus?"

"In Greek legends, Sisyphus was sentenced to eternal punishment. He had to push a boulder up a hill."

"And?"

"And he never did. He'd reach the very top, but the boulder would fall. And he would feel the increasing urge to do it again." Rose stopped. "These are illusions, though. We aren't actually moving. When you reach the staircase, you get the illusion of moving up. Back here, you're safe."

"So… one of us has to stay behind?"

"Yes. We have to remind each other what is going on."

"I'll go," I said.

"Are you sure, Scorp?"

"Yeah. If I get up there and they have strong defenses, then you can yell for help, and someone else can get you up here."

I walked up to the staircase and began climbing it. "Rose, I'm doing it! It's working!"

"You aren't moving, Scorpius," she said gently and I looked behind me. Nobody was there. "I'm halfway up," I insisted. I was. The light was getting closer.

"Scorpius, stop." I stopped walking. Suddenly I was at the bottom. "What did you do?" I demanded.

"I didn't do anything. Neither did you."

For a fleeting moment, I remembered. "How will you make me move?"

"Just close your eyes, Scorpius." I did. "Do you remember what I wrote you?" I did.

"Yes," I said, my cheeks turning pink.

"Keep your eyes closed, Scorpius. Step up." My leg felt heavier than Sisyphus's boulder. "You can do it," she urged. After long moments, I dropped my boulder foot. "There," she said softly.

"I did it?" I asked hesitantly.

"You took a step," she assured me. I kept my eyes closed. "I said I was half-asleep. In fact, I was wide awake." Her voice sounded slightly sad. "Take a step."

It created a shortness of breath, trying to lift the weight. It seemed impossibly heavy, heavier than before. "You did it, Scorpius."

I let out a breath that I hadn't realized I was holding.

"I was so awake in fact that I was up even when you arrived."

"You were?"

"Yeah. Take two steps."

"I don't know if I can."

"I know you can."

I tried, but my leg yanked. I yelped. "Scorp?" Rose yelled.

"I'm okay," I croaked. Slowly, I lifted each leg up. It reminded me of the heaviness you feel when you get out of a pool. Or maybe in this case, cement.

"Good," Rose whispered. "I didn't want to tell you, because I was embarrassed. The truth is, everyone is right. You are my best friend, Scorpius. I like you quite a bit. Three steps, now."

My fluttering heart seemed to help this time. It's as if I was out of the pool. However, on the third step, I was stuck in quicksand.

"I'm stuck," I cry out. "I'm stuck, Rosie."

"You aren't stuck after all. At least, you don't have to be stuck."

And then I wasn't.

"You don't have to stay there," she continued. "You can move freely, you know?"

Keeping my eyes closed, I took one step after another.

"I couldn't figure that out. That I could like you and be your best friend."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. Our families, I guess? We clash, but we fit together. Kind of like pieces of different puzzles that still fit together perfectly.

"I'm okay with that," I offered, and I kept moving.

"Me too," I heard her whisper.

"You don't have to be stuck either," I said. "You can be like a bird, Rosie."

"Scorpius," Rose called, sounding far away. "Open your eyes."

I did.

Staring open mouthed at me was a Hufflepuff who, from the looks of it, was a bit older. Next to her, grinning, was Beatrice.

"What'd I tell you, Tom? I'd bet five galleons that that redhead is down there. It takes two to tango."

"She is," I looked behind me, but I couldn't see her. "Rose?" I yelled.

"You can't see her up here, just like we couldn't see you. I'll send someone in to get her."

"Did… did we win?"

"Don't get too excited," Tom said, staring at me strangely. He handed me three black and yellow flags. "There is something different about you. That girl, too."

I shrugged. "We make a good team."

"I never caught your name," Beatrice said. "I know you're a Malfoy, but—"

"Scorpius. And down there is Rose Weasley."

"Well, Scorpius, you'd better get back to your friends"

"How do I get back down?"

"Jump, I'd reckon."

Jump? I looked down. I thought about how far I looked. And then I thought, silly of me, it's actually only a few feet away.

"Beatrice, you're going to get a student killed." And I jumped.

I heard a scream, but it stopped abruptly. Rose stared at me, wide-eyed. "Scorpius, how did you do that? You jumped, but then you were on the ground!"

"Will," I said to her, hugging her. "I willed it, you know."

She hugged me back and looked into my eyes. In here, her eyes looked bright blue, and quite scared and excited all at the same time. "I have the flags," I said, and gave them to her. "I'll go out and distract them. It's all a game of will, Rosie."

"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, you're a bloody genius."

"We," I corrected, and kissed her on the cheek. Without looking back, I ran out and yelled as loud as I can "Everyone! I have the flags!" I proceeded to wave my hands in the air. Rose stood amazed at the door, looking from her hands to mine. She grinned.

As she ran passed me, I could hear her chanting, "I don't have the flags. I don't have the flags."

That's my girl.

All the Gryffindors groaned as I was pelted with snowballs. When I was down and wounded, the Hufflepuffs tried to snatch back their flag. I saw Rose pass the boundary line.

"Give it to me!" One girl yelled.

"Don't you know?" I said, smiling. "I didn't have it after all. In fact, we've already won."

And we have.

Needless to say, everyone was too confused to even celebrate. I saw Madam Pomfrey walk by with a student who kept on saying "My legs are broken, the stairs never ended." I shuddered. Thankfully, though, Beatrice stepped up with three other students.

"We wanted to create a challenge," the boy named Tom said, "Where each of you would be tested mentally. If the Ravenclaws had won things may have been different, but we will have other challenges like this. This battlefield was charmed the moment you all stepped on it today. Nothing was as it seemed. Some of you figured this out on the field—" he looked proudly at some Hufflepuffs "—and figured out how to dodge and throw snowballs most effectively. The audience saw everything in the final events as it happened.

This battle was a battle of will. The castle, which included a staircase this time, was impossible to climb without teamwork and an extreme amount of will on both parts. Climbing up that staircase was like moving boulders, but our champions did it. And so for that, Gryffindors win this battle!"

The Gryffindors, still slightly confused, cheered.

"None of you will fully understand it," Tom continued. "We had the advanced help of many professors. However, that is all the more reason to celebrate joyfully and to not sit upon your losses for very long. It was a very hard challenge."

Rose and I grabbed Albus and Alice. We left while Tom was still talking. "I'm really not in the mood for another celebration," I said, picking up one of Madam Pomfrey's special connotation as we walked towards the castle.

"So the two of you made up after all?" Albus said.

I smiled and held Rose's hand. "I think we're alright."

I thought for a moment, and then added, "For now."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Since the next Friday was Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin, we had a break. Rose and I didn't even attend the battle, while Albus and Alice opted to go.

That same week had been our Thanksgiving Feast, and I'm thankful we didn't have a battle, because I still felt completely stuffed. I wondered how the Snakes and Hawks were handling that.

Rose and I were in our place, the table hidden far back into the library. We were reading, as usual. When supper neared, we closed our books and put them away.

"Was all that you said true?" I asked, putting an arm around her shoulder. "In the castle?"

"Yes," she said.

"Alright, then, let's head to supper."

"Okay," I could hear the smile in her voice.

Maybe that's what being a Gryffindor was all about.

DID YOU SEE THE REPETITION ON SCORPIUS'S THOUHTS ON BEING A GRYFFINDOR AS THE CHAPTER PROGRESSED?

No? Go read it again.

I found quite poetic. Maybe I've been spending too much time in English Honors.

Oh well.

Alright, I'm not picking between Tonks/Remus and Teddy/Victoire. I'm biased because of fanfiction.

However, YOU can tell me in the reviews! Please?

Poll:

Narcissa Malfoy

OR

Bellatrix Lestrange