Scorpius was not having a good week.

Those Slytherin idiots in his year had been going out of their way almost every minute to irritate him. This was no change from normal, but this week they had seemed more determined than ever in their efforts to provoke a reaction. Everywhere he went, they were there, taunting him and generally trying to make his life a misery. It wasn't just them; there was that Ravenclaw prat Gland and his group of cronies too.

Of course, seeing as most of the Slytherins didn't share two brain cells to rub together (and despite their House, neither did several of the Ravenclaws), their efforts were minor and pathetic.

Normally, he wouldn't let such behaviour get to him. But it wasn't just the people who treated him with outright dislike, if it had just been them, their behaviour wouldn't affect him. They were beneath him.

It was the people in his own House, the people who under other circumstances would be his friends, comrades. They were the ones who were twisting him up from the inside. He was sick of being ignored, jibed, derided. He couldn't take it much longer.

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When the bell rang at the end of the lesson, Rose was caught totally by surprise. She had been so engrossed in writing notes on Professor Rackwort's fascinating lecture on the dangers of not taking care whilst labelling potions ingredients (why, many people had died by consuming bottles of Butterbeer only to discover that it was, in fact, Lobalug venom) that the time had flown by. And now, the lessons were all over for another week!

Well, at least she had homework to look forward to. They'd been set some pretty interesting sounding essays.

"Finally," said Albus, sinking his head onto the desk. "The weekend!"

A sudden laugh caught her attention and she turned around just in time to see a thuggish boy attempt to trip up Scorpius Malfoy. Professor Rackwort had not noticed, and she automatically opened her mouth to intervene. Then she remembered, and, annoyed at her mental relapse, busied herself with her book bag. She continued, however, to secretly watch out of the corner of her eye.

But Scorpius had already seen Edward's leg. All the pent up emotions of the past two terms were rushing up inside him, threatening to overflow. He turned his head and fixed the boy with a cobra-like stare. The blazing look in his grey eyes was of such sheer and utter contempt that it seemed to burn holes in the face of the boy receiving it. Edward was frozen in fear.

"Leave. Me. Alone." Scorpius spoke softly, but the malice in his voice was unmistakeable. "Do you understand?"

Edward quailed and drew his foot back, sinking down onto the nearest chair, nodding and muttering apologies. Rose, sitting several desks away, quailed too, along with most of the class. Scorpius spun on his heel and swept – Seriously, thought Rose, he's only twelve and he actually swept – from the dungeons.

For several seconds nobody dared move.

Albus gave a low whistle. "Now that was pretty scary. You know, I seriously like this Scorpius Malfoy..."

Rose glared at him.

She continued shoving her books away with unnecessary force.

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