(I do not own any of the characters, I am borrowing them. Any instances in the story that relate to J.K Rowling's books on the tri-wizard tournament or related to any Harry Potter series in general are not owned by me and simply borrowed for fun.)

Chapter 12: Splinched


The next week went by quite slow for Scorpius. He couldn't help but think about Professor Cormus hounding on him for his family's name. Even a few times he had dreams about him, using spells on Scorpius to torture him, laughing at every wince Scorpius made. Yet, today could be a different, interesting day; Scorpius and Albus had their Apparition lesson, which only started this afternoon. Apparition is a form of travel witches and wizards of age use to travel to a desired location.

Apparition started at a weird time during the school year, because the teacher was a ministry worker who had other things to do in the ministry than help student apparate.

The new professor was Professor Roland, yet preferred to be named Mrs. Roland. She was a business-type lady who wore a grey ministry suit to class. Her hair was light grey and cut to her neck in a straight bob.

"Now I know you children want to acquire the skill 'Apparition', I hope you do try your best to successfully gain this ability in a short time for I am a very busy woman and do not have time for students who slack."

Scorpius and Albus gave a strong look at each other with faces that read 'What is wrong with her?'

Mrs. Roland began teaching them how to want to apparate, the magical feeling you must release in order to move your body from one place to another. She then had students line up, and begin apparating across the room, a short distance to get the feel of the magical ability.

"Ms. Paxton, you next." Mrs. Roland pointed out a Ravenclaw girl with black hair and brown eyes. She stepped forward reluctantly and closed her eyes. Her eyes were squinting rather tightly, and her hands were gripped around her wand. Within moments of watching her stress-fully think- her body swirled in interesting Ravenclaw colours from her robe, and unraveled at the end of the classroom.

"Very good. Next, Lovecraft." A Slytherin girl with dark blonde hair and dark green eyes stepped forward in a relaxed tone. She swung her arms freely and put her wand inside her robe. She spun around to look at the classroom, and revealed a smug facial expression before swirling in colours of the Slytherin house, and revealing herself on the far end of the classroom.

"Farthest one yet, excellent. Mr. Coffey." A short Gryffindor boy walked forward, shaking his legs and almost tripping on the way. He looked up at Mrs. Roland, with big innocent eyes looking quite terrified. He closed his eyes in mimic of the Ravenclaw girl, and if even possible, even tighter. Minutes went by, and Mrs. Roland was becoming impatient. Just as the boy began to swirl in different colours of maroon and black, he put his foot forward and his body disappeared. The class waited for him to appear at the other end of the classroom, but nothing happened. The room grew silent.

"Mr. Coffey?" Mrs. Roland began to grow concern, before huffing a sign of annoyance. "Let's go Mr. Coffey I don't have time for this."

Albus walked through the group of people who began to scatter looking for the boy. He slowly shuffled listening to sounds when he opened the classroom door and called out, "Mrs. Roland, I think I've found him, hurry!"

The entire class shifted towards Albus, and Scorpius was trying to push his way to the door. Successfully pushing his way to Albus, Mrs. Roland was yelling at students to move before she gasped and ran towards the poor boy. Everyone stood silently, even Scorpius.

Quickly Scorpius and Albus ran up to the boy who was laying on the ground crying softly with short breaths. Mrs. Roland held his leg slightly above the ground to give it a closer examination. Blood was being spilled onto Mrs. Roland's hands. A deep cut was created down the Gryffindor boy's knee to his ankle. The boy didn't talk or move, but hyperventilate and be in shock.

"He's been splinched." Mrs. Roland said quietly.

"He's been what?" Scorpius asked, starring down at the bleeding leg.

"Splinched." Mrs. Roland put his leg down softly. "When you don't apparate properly, you become splinched. This isn't the worst case I've seen, other have left behind body parts or fragments in the area they apparated from. He's only tore a muscle." Mrs. Roland looked up at the class and pointed her wand creating a stretcher for the boy.

"Understand this class, because you don't want this to be you." The boy levitated onto the stretcher and she dismissed the students while she brought him to the hospital wing.

"The nurse will have a lot of fun dealing with that." Albus said to Scorpius as they rushed out of the classroom.


Later that day Scorpius went to the library with Albus to write their essay for potions. Their potions teacher this year was a quite lenient, boney, and hunched over man. He claims he fought in the Battle of Hogwarts as an ally to the school. Every now and then he dozes off at his desk and wakes up yelling charms out of nowhere, followed by a brief story of how and why he used the charm in the war. Scorpius found it fascinating, it was another way to learn about the war by a man who defended Hogwarts himself.

Scorpius put a clear rather large jar in the middle of the table. Inside the jar was a 'Spebula'. This substance was a circular ball of jelly, but kept its spherical form. The ball of jelly was breathing hastily and looked as if it would jump out of the jar and attack. Scorpius stuck his quill inside the jar and poked the weird thing.

His quill sunk into the spherical jelly as if a rubber balloon out of air. Once he lifted his quill the jelly thing sprung back up.

"Erhm… What the bloody hell is this thing!" Scorpius threw himself back into his chair dropping his quill on the table.

Albus started tapping the jar, and suddenly the Spebula grew rather large purple spikes out of its dark purple body and tapped on the jar, creating small cracks in where the spikes landed.

Albus and Scorpius jumped back even farther.

"Well, see you've done it now…" Scorpius cried to Albus, "You've made it mad!"

Albus opened up his text book and ran his finger down the line of text.

"- The Spebula, Is a rather defensive plant. Make sure to not come into contact with the plant without releasing the 'Exolvo Gas'. The thin, yet very sharp and sturdy thorns can reach up to four inches long. After the Exolvo Gas had been released, the thorns will become soft and can be easily removed."

Scorpius took out a small dropper, and placed it above the opened jar where the Spebula laid defensively. He pinched the dropper and a few small liquid drops fell onto the plant. He quickly closed the lid and watched the liquid Exolvo Gas dissolve into the plant. Suddenly the jar fogged up a thick opaque green colour, and Scorpius couldn't see inside the jar.

"Should I…. well you know… open it?" Scorpius asked.

"I'll remember you mate." Albus said, covering his mouth with his shirt.

Scorpius slowly opened the jar and popped the lid off. The gas inside the jar disappeared in a clear colour into the air, and Scorpius could see the plant again. Its spherical form looked now to be a deflated rubber ball. Its thorns were bent along the sides of the glass jar, no longer sticking out sharply.

Scorpius grabbed his special tongs and snapped off the thorns and stuffed them in a bag for potions.

Albus gave him a thumbs up, and closed the jar.

After finishing an essay about the process of releasing the thorns from the Spebula, the two went to the great hall to eat dinner.


Since the international schools (Durmstrang and Ilvermorny) arrived at Hogwarts, students did not necessarily sit together with their houses. Everybody was spread apart with their group of friends, and a group of international students they got a long with.

Scorpius and Albus took a seat at the end of a table that was mostly Gryffindor and Ilvermorny. They filled their plates with mashed potatoes, chicken, steamed vegetables and for after's, pudding.

Suddenly Rose appeared beside Scorpius. Her hair was a mess, and her eyes were droopy. She slammed two large books on the table, and swallowed in large gulps, her pumpkin juice.

"Hello to you too, Rose." Scorpius said, stuffing his face with more chicken.

"You look beat." Albus pointed out.

Rose turned and looked at the two boys, and reached over Scorpius' plate to grab some pasties, nearly knocking over his pumpkin juice.

"Oy, watch It." Scorpius said, releasing himself back, while she climbed over him.

"I'm out of it." Rose said, dipping her pasty in her pumpkin juice.

Scorpius and Albus watched this with the most dumbfounded face, twitching their mouths as she continued dunking.

"That's not normal –"Scorpius began but was interrupted.

"What happened?" Albus asked.

"Caden Coffey." Rose said, stuffing her face with more dunked pasties. "Apparently he was in Apparition Class today, and splinched himself. Professor McGonagall asked me to help heal him with… well you know."

Scorpius understood what Rose meant. Professor McGonagall asked Rose to heal Caden Coffey's splinched leg with her healing spells she learned from Professor Snape.

"I'm not an expert you know." Rose continued. "It took many attempts… the poor boy was squirming in pain." She placed a hand on her head. "His leg should be fine… Nothing I can do about that nasty scar though." Rose picked her head back up, finishing her last pasty and left dining room.

Scorpius shot a look at Albus who was stuffing his face with mashed potatoes, and whacked his arm. "Bloody insensitive." Scorpius said.