YEAR 4

THE HOGWARTS PALADINS

~*Chapter 1*~

Growing Pains

When Lily burst into Al's bedroom already complaining loudly about her brother, Al shot off the bed as if he'd been caught doing something wrong.

Which was ridiculous, he chided himself, hating how warm his face already felt. He and Vincent were only talking, and jumping like someone caught with their hand in the cookie jar only made him look guilty.

Luckily, Lily seemed oblivious. She interrupted her own rant to shoot Vincent an impatient hello, then continued stridently, "James is going to get Lucy into loads of trouble on her first day, filling her head with those stupid stories about a pool on the Astronomy Tower and locked rooms filled with candy just waiting for some brave first-years to find them. You know how she is, Al! She'll believe almost anything. I love her, but she hasn't got Molly's brains. James won't listen to me, you need to tell him to cut it out." She focused on Vincent suddenly as if just truly noting his presence. "Or you can, Vincent. He'll actually listen to you."

Vincent chuckled from where he was propped up on his elbows, lounging across Al's bed as if he belonged there. He'd been coming over to the Potter residence several times throughout the summer, and it was not unusual for him and Al to hole up somewhere and chat. Usually it was about Patronuses, classes, or, more recently, complaining about how gross James and his girlfriend Emma were. After going a year where Vincent spent much more time with James, Al guarded these friendly but private chats almost jealously. It felt good to have Vincent as a confidant again, and he was flattered that a boy both older and more popular than himself treated him with respect.

But his recent internal revelation of his growing and sometimes confusing feelings for his brother's best friend made any interruption of their hang-outs both embarrassing and infuriating. How was he supposed to come to terms with how he felt- or maybe even ease similar feelings out of his laid-back friend –if someone was bursting in all the time?

"James doesn't listen to me," Vincent said. He sat up, propping his elbows on his knees and regarding Lily's furious countenance with amusement. "If he did, he'd have gotten into a lot less trouble the last few years. And he wouldn't be dating that twit Emma."

"Emma's not so bad," Lily countered, then grimaced. "At least, she's okay when she's not around James. Those two are so gross. I liked it better when it was just you coming over to see James. Now it's just him and Emma ducking out all the time, all moon-eyed and kissy-kissy. Blech." She shuddered, missing the shadow that crossed Vincent's face. "Anyway, I mean it. Someone needs to talk to James about Lucy. If she gets detention her first day for looking for a non-existent swimming pool, I'm telling Uncle Percy it was all James's fault." She spun on her heel and flounced out.

There was a long, pregnant pause. "You," Vincent finally declared, "have way too many cousins. I didn't even know Molly had a sister."

Al laughed awkwardly. "This is the last one." Vincent himself was an only child and had a small external family. He found the mass of Potter/Weasley cousins, siblings, and uncles to be both astonishing and a source of never-ending entertainment.

Vincent's eye strayed towards the window, taking note of the sun's low position in the sky. "I should get going." He sprang off the bed, patting himself down to make sure he hadn't dropped his wand anywhere. Students weren't allowed to use magic outside of school, but most young witches and wizards carried theirs around anyway in such uncertain times. Rumored Dementor sightings around the country- and one floating through the halls of Hogwarts itself –had everyone tense, wondering if worse things were to come. "Oh, did I tell you? I finally talked to James about your Patronus training. He's going to be helping me, too."

Al was pleased at the news. He'd been looking forward to learning the Patronus Charm all summer, and having Vincent learning with him would make it more fun. James tended to be an impatient teacher, and Vincent's presence would hopefully curb his temper. "Just don't talk about it in front of Lily," he cautioned. "She's still sulking about the fact that Dad won't let her learn until her third year."

"Got it." Vincent reached out to ruffle his hair fondly, but paused when Al automatically ducked out of the gesture. "Sorry," he said with a little embarrassed laugh. "I guess you're not really a little kid anymore."

Al flushed, but didn't answer, unsure what to say. They were only a year apart, and it stung that Vincent still saw him simply as James's little brother. He was fourteen now, not some clueless first-year. And now more than ever he didn't want Vincent looking at him like a kid.

A moment later he wondered if Vincent's own thoughts were leaning the same way. He'd gone still and was looking at Al a little oddly, as if just properly looking at him for the first time all summer. "You've grown," he said.

Al straightened a little proudly. James was not yet done growing, but Al had hit a growth spurt himself and was only a shade shorter than his brother now. Even Vincent, who'd always seemed so tall to him, had only to tilt his eyes down to look at him, rather than angling his whole head or torso as had been his habit the last two years.

Vincent coughed, looking a little uncomfortable. "Well.. I need to go. My folks will give me an earful if I'm late for dinner. I'll see you this weekend in Diagon Alley, yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe we can talk James out of landing your cousin in detention her first day." Flashing his familiar infectious grin, Vincent gave a little wave and left the room.

As soon as he was gone, Al sat down heavily on his bed, fingers plucking nervously at his bedspread. Odd to think that last year he'd been shocked at the fact that his brother was suddenly interested in dating, only to face his own fourth year with an anxious desire to possibly do the same. Around and around in his head spun the same half-frightened questions that had plagued him all summer. Did he have the guts to even admit to Vincent how he felt? Would Vincent be even remotely interested, or would he humiliate them both and turn him down? Should he maybe instead wait a year to make sure this wasn't some childish infatuation, or did he want to risk watching Vincent get snapped up by someone his own age? Merlin knew the boy had certainly earned his share of sideways looks from plenty of girls last year. And that was another thing. What if Vincent did want to start dating- but only girls? This was normally something he would've swallowed his pride and gone to his big brother about, but James would probably not be happy about Al having fuzzy feelings about his best friend.

Al shook his head sharply, trying to dislodge the thought. He'd been stressing about the same things all summer. It was pointless. Vincent might have finally stopped looking at him as a kid, at least. That had to count for something. And with James so wrapped up in Emma, he was unlikely to steal so much of Vincent's time as he usually did.

And besides, he reminded himself grimly, there were more important things to be nervous about. His third year had not been an uneventful one, and sightings of Dementors in random villages and streets had only risen over the summer. And though Richmond, the boy who'd inflicted the Cruciatus Curse on him, had been sent to Azkaban for a year, his buddy Dumford would be at school. And so would the mysterious leader of those who had unleashed the Dementor in Hogwarts. And Lily, who seemed to only care about Quidditch tryouts, was still a Potter in Slytherin. With her habit of sticking her nose where it didn't belong, she was sure to stumble into trouble again. Though at least she had the invisibility cloak to help.

Not for the first time this summer, Al's mind turned to another Slytherin. Scorpius Malfoy, his sometimes-ally in Potions. Scorpius had looked after Lily, in his own way, and he'd been there when the Dementor got loose. After Al had helped him by the lake at the end of the year, Scorpius had almost seemed more... well, if not friendly, definitely less caustic. And whatever was going on with the Purebloods and prior Death Eater families, it was affecting the Malfoys. Al's own father had seemed to think Slytherin could be just as dangerous to Scorpius as Lily if things got any worse.

Al sighed heavily, feeling like a great weight was pressing down on him. There was so much to feel worried about. And though she'd acted normal most of the summer, Al knew the previous year had affected Lily as well. She'd had nightmares for a week at the beginning of the summer, and whenever she read about any Dementor sightings in the paper, she got very quiet and jumpy for hours. Al hadn't forgotten his parents' dire warnings after the mess by the lake. He couldn't go jumping feet first into dangerous situations without considering the consequences. Lily was in a precarious enough situation; he had no plans on making her a target with his own snooping. Hopefully the scares from last year would have taught Lily, as well, to keep her nose clean.

Though somehow he doubted it.

Al's family dropped by Diagon Alley that weekend, and as promised Vincent was waiting for him. James greeted his friend absently, made some glib excuse to his parents, and disappeared into the crowd.

"Off to find Emma," Vincent snorted, looking irritated. "Honestly, I didn't expect their relationship to last the summer. I figured it was a fling."

"Never mind them," Al said firmly. "C'mon, let's get your owl some treats. I wanted to see about getting a little bed for Trinity. I kicked her in my sleep enough last near that she refuses to sleep in my bed, and I don't want her just lying on the hard floor."

"Meet us at Madam Malkin's in half an hour," Ginny called after him. "You need new robes!"

Al waved over his shoulder in acknowledgment. Ginny had let out the hem last year, but both James and Al had already outgrown those.

"You should see my book list," Vincent grumbled as they threaded their way through the bustling shoppers. "I'm not looking forward to my O.W.L.s at all. Remember what Fred was like last year? I bet I'm gonna waste half the term studying all day. At least Roxie and James are in the same boat."

Al nodded, distracted. He'd caught a glimpse of pale hair by a broom shop and was puzzled. A lot of students bought brooms and Quidditch supplies there, but if that was Scorpius, he couldn't understand why the boy would be anywhere near it. He had a secret fear of heights that made him completely uninterested in the sport. An older witch shuffled past, clearing his line of sight. It was Scorpius. His curiosity piqued, he signaled for Vincent to wait and made his way over.

"Scorpius!"

The boy turned, and it was gratifying to see that his expression didn't shift into one of impatience as it used to when he saw Al. Instead he only gave a brief nod of greeting. Al stopped a foot or two away, dithering. He was so used to being rebuffed by the other boy, he found himself unsure of what to say. Usually Scorpius told him to get lost at this point.

Al hadn't been the only one to spring up like a weed over the summer. Though still thin, with a sharply angled face, Scorpius was finally starting to fill out just a little. His white-blond hair was longer than before, and he kept having to brush it out of his eyes. He was also, Al noted with a tiny jolt of surprise and irritation, just a tiny bit taller than Al now.

"Shopping for a broom?" Al teased, flicking his glance towards the shop window, where a group of students had their noses pressed to the glass.

"She is," Scorpius said tonelessly, pointing. Al turned, confused. Scorpius was pointing at a girl who was only vaguely familiar. Small, slender, with large glasses and a thick dark braid, her face was nearly as implacable as Scorpius's own as she turned slightly to see who Scorpius was speaking to.

Teresa Hernandez.

Al blinked, at a lost for words. Teresa was a Slytherin, and though Al had shared Defense Against the Dark Arts with her, he barely knew her. He couldn't remember actually hearing her say a single word to either himself or Scorpius. The rumors about her mother, supposedly a spy for the Death Eaters during the war, had made Al and his friends wary of her, but she'd always been quiet and attentive in class, and had not taken part in any of the jinxing during the Fifth House debacle in his first year. She seemed solely focused on doing well in school, and had not made any attempt to make any friends or enemies. She had never bothered Lily, even when half of Slytherin had given his sister a hard time for being the first Potter in their House. And, he remembered with an internal wince, she was an amazing flyer. As the Slytherin Seeker, she'd flown circles around him during Al's second year. That explained what she was doing at a broom shop, but not why Scorpius seemed to be with her.

"We live in the same neighborhood," Scorpius explained, correctly interpreting Al's confused look. "With all the... tension lately, she's been the only other person my age willing to talk to me all summer."

As friendships went, it was odd, but perhaps understandable. They were both studious and quiet, and if she was perfectly willing to be cordial to Scorpius when a lot of other Slytherins weren't, Al was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. She might not be the friendliest person, but he preferred her disinterest to most Slytherins' open hostility. He managed a quick smile for her, and she nodded calmly back before returning her attention to the brooms in the window. Two non-hostile Slytherin encounters in one day, he thought a little dazedly. Hopefully this was a sign of a smooth fourth year.

"Al." Vincent had come up behind him and was eyeing both Scorpius and Teresa with a trace of suspicion. None of Al's friends had ever really understood his attempts to get along with Draco Malfoy's son. "C'mon, let's go."

Al waved goodbye and followed Vincent back onto the main thoroughfare.

"Looks like you've got some competition in the 'I want to be Scorpius's new best friend' contest," Vincent teased.

Al rolled his eyes. "Good. Maybe having more people try to pry him out of his shell will make him less of a git this year." Despite his nonchalance, he felt a very brief and confusing sting of irritation. He shrugged the feeling off. Scorpius deserved to have other people try to befriend him, and it was stupid to think of their bizarre relationship as some weird exclusive thing.

Vincent shook his head, but kept his opinion of Scorpius to himself. They stopped by the Emporium to stock up on treats and toys for their pets, then squeezed into the over-crowded bookstore to collect their textbooks.

They were debating whether they had enough time to stop by Sugarplum's Sweet Shop before Al had to meet his family for robe fitting, when Lily came running up to them, puffing and red-faced.

Al glanced around with a frown, wondering where Molly and Lucy were. "Aren't you supposed to-"

But Lily cut him off. "You'll never guess who I just saw over by Knockturn Alley." She paused for a few moments to get her breath back, glancing around nervously. Then she leaned in, her voice a frightened hiss. "Evaine. Carrying loads of schoolbooks. She's coming back this year."

A/N: Omg I forgot Molly exists. I mentioned her ONCE in an aside in year 3 ghajkfds Hence her popping up more now, esp w/ it being her OWL year and Lucy starting school. I guess I can get away with it since Al's friendships started fluctuating in 3rd year pffft. Also, despite my reservations, I was so impatient to get to Al and his Feelings that I sat down and slammed out almost two chapters in two days so uhhh chapter 2 coming soon, SURPRISE!