Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series, it's character or settings. All you recognize belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: Ok, so I'm done with Chapter 10. It was rather hard to finish because I wanted to write a few more things; but that would make this chapter too long. So, expect a really interesting chapter for next week (if I can post, because the my semester is coming to an end and I have a bunch of things to do for the next couple of weeks). Oh, by the way, my beta (yes, I have found a beta :D) told me I should say who's POV every chapter is, so I will tell you right know, all chapters are and will be written of Scorpius' point of view; if that changes (which is bound to happen anyway), I'll let you know.

So, I hope you like this chapter; Happy reading and please review!

Chapter 10

"Common Ground"

"Eleanor! Getting to the loop and not scoring isn't going to give us the win against Gryffindor this Saturday!"

Last Quidditch practice before our first game, and we're sucking; well, sucking would be an understatement... Let's just say that we go on like this, even a bunch of six-year-olds would beat us.

"I had to fly past it! Luke would have knocked me off my broom if I didn't!" Eleanor shouts from across the pitch.

"Big deal!" Luke yells back, scaring me to death. I didn't know the git was so close to my ear.

"Hey, I'm wearing a short dress for Halloween! I don't have enough time to make a bruise-cover-up potion!" Eleanor shouts as she goes back to her initial position near me. "Git!"

"What difference does it make? Bruises or not, nobody is asking you to be his date!" Luke shouts back.

Bloody hell, where did their sense of consideration go? Do they have to shout so bloody close to me!

"Alright, stop it you two!" I shout just as loud. I've had it!

"Can't we call it the night?" My last chaser asks as he flies lazily towards us.

"No, Francis, we still have got two more rounds to go!" I say, still in loud mode, making the third year boy wince.

"I'm outta here." Leo says as he starts descending.

"Stay right there Zabini!"

"What's the point Malfoy? It's already dark! I can't look for the snitch like this!" He yells back at me.

"I don't care!" Why is my team acting like a load of spoiled brats!?

"It really is late, Scorpius." I hear from a little above my head.

"None of that, go back to the loops Edwin."

"I have to go." Eleanor suddenly says.

I stare at her for about three seconds.

"What do you mean you have to go?" Did she forget it's the captain who decides when anybody leaves?

"I have detention in an hour." She says pulling a very nice set of puppy eyes.

"OK, that leaves us thirty more minutes. Now go up Eleanor." I say.

"Actually, I have to leave now, or I won't make it in time" she says, her voice sounding little and somewhat weird.

"Fine." I say as I stare at her. I guess she's just the kind of girl that needs an hour to shower. "Alright, practice's over people!" I shout as I fly up, so everyone can hear me.

"Thank Merlin." Luke says.

As my disappointing team flies down, ending such pathetic training, I can't help but scold. They aren't supposed to be happy practice's done. By the way things are going, if we default, it wouldn't make any difference.

Bloody hell. How am I supposed to face the crowd being the captain of a bunch of losers?

I fly down to the changing rooms feeling annoyed.

.

OOOO

.

"Aren't you having breakfast?"

I look up from my scrambled eggs. Luke is trying to convince Elle into having something to eat, but the witch refuses. Her deep brown eyes stare at me with the most dislike I had ever seen in them. It's been like this for a day already and I'm getting a little tired of her 'I hate you' attitude; not to say that my team's lack of commitment last night isn't helping.

"OK, two things," I say glaring at her too "First: I have done nothing to you, so the glaring stops now. Two: your little hunger strike isn't making me apologize; not to you, not to Charlotte, not to anyone... Got it?"

I look straight into Elle's eyes. Why can't she see I'm not the one wrong here? Yes, I hurt Goyle but she hurt me first! So either Elle gets over it or our friendship comes to an end.

"No." she says as she stands up and starts walking out of the Great Hall.

"Good job, mate." Luke says as he looks at me, a frown settled on his forehead. He looks back at Elle as she's walking through the enormous doors. Then he stands up and leaves me alone.

Great. Not only is Elle mad at me, now Luke is too. I just don't understand. What did I ever do to them? Are they mad at me by association? Rubbish. I mean, the issues or discussions or arguments or whatever I have with Charlotte are just that, between her and me only. There's no need to get involved in other people's business. When Luke and Elle have a disagreement, I try not getting caught up in it. I don't care who's right or who's wrong; they're both important to me, so I rather not take sides.

But they can't, can they? I've know Elle a year longer than Charlotte has and still my dear friend chooses Goyle's side! What the bloody hell is that!? And well, bloody Luke backs her up! Because, apparently, girls come before mates! What a friend, really!

OK, now thanks to those bloody two, my sweet, sweet appetite is gone.

Sighing for not even being able to finish my breakfast, I stand up and start walking to the doors. Honestly, is it really necessary I go to class? Because the last thing I'll be doing would be to listen to the Professors. But I can't skip class. I'm Head, I just can't... Bloody badge and its bloody... responsibility.

"Malfoy!"

I turn around at the sound of my surname, wondering who the bloody hell is bloody disturbing me now. But surprisingly, the sight of such person is just the only one that could make my anger to dissipate... and be replaced by slight panic.

Weasley is walking closer and closer to me. Bloody hell, why does she have to look so cute all the time!? Really Merlin, what have I done to you? Have you got any idea of what's about to happen? I'm either going to blush sometime soon, so red, the entire Great Hall would get a slight idea of what I think of Weasley; or I'll come up like a complete idiot in my tries to be not so bloody obvious around her.

"Is there any possibility we can meet at lunch time rather than after supper to write the petitions?"

I come back to my cold reality as her words reach my ears. She's pretty close, but at a safe distance. Though, one more step towards me and I'm doomed.

"Sure." I say after a couple of seconds, when I finally understand what she has just said.

"Great." she says as a heart melting smile crosses her lips.

For the first time in my life I am awfully aware of my surroundings. Weasley is walking back to her table, but I'm not heading for the door just yet. I feel hypnotized, and all eyes seemed to be waiting for me to snap out of it.

Then I turn around and start walking, as fast as I can, to the exit. I must have looked like an idiot, standing there, doing nothing when I had been already dismissed. But at least I wasn't an idiot to her. Though, I'm pretty sure people are suspicious now. I mean, I usually don't care what people think about me; but my personal life is something I prefer they didn't know about. I don't like when people know whom I like or who makes me nervous or who scares me.

As I walk upstairs to the Transfiguration classroom my head goes back to a couple of minutes before. Oddly enough, that one gesture from the redhead was enough to make my foul mood disappear.

I take my seat at the end of the classroom as usual. I feel like a fool, smiling to the air as if it had a contagious smile on its own. I take my text book out, an ink flask and my quill. As I wait for the class to start, my eyes decide to take a walk along my classmates' faces. Completely forgetting the way I felt at breakfast, I wonder why they all look so bored and grumpy.

.

OOO

.

It's finally 11:50 and I have just left my last class of the morning. I try not to rush as I walk downstairs to the dungeons. I believe Weasley's last lesson was Potions. She should be down there. I reach the dungeons after a couple of minutes. There's people leaving the classroom. I approach slowly as ten Gryffindors stare at me in confusion. What? I can't walk by the dungeons now? Gits.

I peak inside the room, finding a few more Gryffindors and some Ravenclaws gathering their belongings in a hurried manner. I guess they ought to be hungry. I keep searching for Weasley's bright red hair, but I can't see her, instead I find Albus bloody Potter's raven head still at his seat talking animatedly to some other bloke. I guess she left already.

I wonder where she is. We never agreed on a place to meet.

"She's at the library." a soothing voice says near me.

I turn my head around to find Nicolas Wood standing next to me as he lets a small group of Ravenclaws walk through.

"What?" I ask rather stupidly.

"Rose is at the library." he says again, turning his face to me this time. "Isn't she whom you're looking for?" he asks, annoyingly friendly.

"Yeah." I reply, sounding as annoyed as I am. "Thanks." I mumble and start walking away from the bloke.

"No problem." He shouts, rather than say as I keep walking.

I ignore him and hear bloody Potter's voice asking Wood what had gotten into him.

As much as I hate agreeing with Potter, I too wonder what's Wood's bloody problem. Yeah, I know, he was being nice; that's the thing.

I walk and walk, dragging myself across the castle to where the library is located. I arrive and without hesitation, I walk in. No, this doesn't mean I'm braver than yesterday. It just that this place brings certain comfort to me. It reminds me of the library we used to have at home before my mum died. I like books; I like their smell; the silence they bring to my life. It's almost feels like being home; you know, a warm and welcoming place. That's what this library symbolizes to me. So walking through the doors is just as easy today as any other day; even if I'm bound to panic when I reach the table Weasley's sitting at.

"Hey." she says as she lifts her head once I approach the table.

"Hi." I greet her back and taking a deep breath, I sit in front of her.

"We have to finish writing a few petitions." she says handing me a small stack of parchments. "And then we have to pick a menu and notify the kitchens which one we've chosen." she finishes as she sorts a few parchments here and there.

"All right." I reply.

I take my stack and and put five petitions in a row. I cast a repeating spell on my quill and start writing. As I write in the parchment in front of me, the letters start engraving themselves in the rest of the petitions.

I have to admit I'm feeling a little nervous and there's no way this feeling is going away any time soon; but at least it's not as bad as it used to. Yes, my hands still sweat and my heart still beats faster than normal every time her eyes fall upon my face; especially if there's a smile on hers.

But I can't keep on like this. I really like Rose and I want to get to know her. I want to be her friend. I want to feel comfortable around her. So, I'm stopping being a coward; I mean it. No more avoiding a conversation, no more thinking too much, no more trying to be cool and coming up like an idiot. I think it's time I stop hoping I grow guts, and realize that they have been there all along.

"So why lunch time?" I ask after a short pause.

"Oh, I've got a date tonight." she says as she keeps writing.

"Um." I did not expect that. But the fact that she's dating someone will not get in my way of getting to know her. In fact, if it all goes well, in time that bloke could be me. "So, who's the lucky guy?" I ask, sounding rather interested.

"A couple of bludgers." she chuckles as she takes few more parchments.

"Oh." is all I manage. Despite my confidence in the matter, I feel really relieved she doesn't have an actual date. "Right, last practice before our first game, isn't it?"

"Yeah." she says looking up this time and slightly narrowing her hazel eyes at me.

"One practice won't change anything." I smile, or smirk; I'm not sure "But good luck anyway."

"I don't know about the rest of my team, but I certainly don't need luck." she smiles.

I nod and smile back. Then she goes back to her parchments; but I don't.

I know it looks like her ego is as big as the castle itself. But it's a beater's thing. You see, us beaters, play pretty much as independently as seekers do; but we have an advantage they don't, we can knock them out. The attack always comes from beaters; we defend our team and attack the opposite. We're pretty much in control. No, we can't block goals, but if a chaser is getting too close, we can knock them off. We can't score, but we can hit the opposite keeper. We can't catch the snitch or end a match, but we can prevent the opposite team from winning. So beaters don't need luck; all we need is a keen eye. Which I certainly have got. And if Weasley's got one too, then the first Quidditch match of the term is bound to be pretty interesting.