Chapter 2: Prefects
Eventually, the sickly floral scent intermingled with a vanilla perfume shop lulled him to sleep.
He awoke to a sharp pain in his side.
"Get up!"
He bolted up, gripping the powder pink pillow in defense.
"If we wait any longer to sneak you into Al's room, someone might suspect that you spent the night in here." Rose was towering over him, hands on her hips. Her plaid skirt brushed just above her two freckled knees.
"Bloody calm down, no reason to kick me like a damn dog." Scorpius shuffled all of his things together, making sure to tuck the fancy robes under one arm. He had suffered enough embarrassment when Rose made fun of them last night.
"Okay, here's the plan. I open the door and look out for any one coming, then I check up and down the hallway. Next, I'll block one end of the hall as you turn down the other, towards Al's room. Got it?"
"I don't suppose I get any say in this plan whatsoever, so, yes."
"Great, you're learning quickly."
The coast was clear down the hall, so Rose motioned for him to come out of the room. She spun around and headed in the opposite direction so she could block anyone who could possibly attempt to walk that way.
Pretty soon, Scorpius found himself walking into Al's room.
"Hey! Look who it is. I thought you'd never make it!" His friend Al stood before him, the mirror image of his father, Harry Potter, sans the scar. His mop of messy dark hair badly needed cutting, and his pants badly needed hemming. It seemed Scorpius wasn't the only one who had grown a lot during the summer break.
Scorpius gripped his friend's hand in a welcome shake. Some of the male cousins were sprawled out playing a game of wizard's chess on the floor of the room. Technically, Albus had a room at the Burrow, but it wasn't really his room - merely Ron's old room as a kid. Most of the boys slept there in the few days before the school term so that all the families could go school shopping together. The same thing happened during Christmas Break.
The room was covered, head to foot, with Chudley Cannons and Gryffindor Quidditch team paraphernalia. Various suitcases layered the floor, as well as socks, underwear, brooms, and playing cards. Everything felt right at home here - it was basically an extension of the boy's dormitory.
Louis, another cousin, was in the corner using incendio to roast a marshmallow. Fred was busy polishing the wooden handle of his very old broomstick. He was constantly complaining about how his father had given him the "old hand-me-down". The thing was practically an antique at this point.
"When did you get here?" Fred asked him.
"Uh, just now actually. I accidentally knocked on Rose's window." he admitted sheepishly with an amused smile.
Howls of laughter echoed around the room. The cousins stood up, throwing fake punches, and jeers of "I'm surprised you made it out alive" and "You're lucky you didn't get thrown out of the window".
The day was spent like this, holed away in the bedroom playing various games and talking as the boys ate, relaxed, and generally enjoyed their time together before the start of the new term. Scorpius hadn't told any of them his big news yet. He was enjoying what little time left they all had together before things weren't "normal" any more.
Sometime in the afternoon, the party was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. Ronald Weasley stood in the doorway, looking over the boys fondly. "A little birdie told me you had arrived, Malfoy." He said stoically to Scorpius.
Scorpius moved to stand up as a sign of respect to Ron, but Ron waved his hand for the boy to sit down.
"No need, boy! We are happy for you to be staying with us." The older gentleman gave a terse smile.
I'm just glad he isn't threatening to kill me anymore, Scorpius thought to himself. It had taken Ron a while to warm up to the idea of Scorpius under his roof. Once Ron realized that the Malfoy boy was only friends with Albus, and that he was no danger to his daughter, he loosened up.
At five o'clock on the dot, a shrill voice called up the stairs to the boys. "Kids! Come down for supper!" Mrs. Weasley called.
The floor shook as the boys clamored up and ran out of the room. Albus laughed. "Guess they decided to end our imprisonment early, probably because we have a guest!"
The meal was lavish and celebratory. Hot buttermilk rolls steamed from a porcelain bowl, chicken legs and pudding passed around the table over and over again until plates were dry and bellies were full. Cups upon cups of tea and butterbeer were filled and refilled again until there was none left to pour out.
Ron Weasley sat back in his chair, a delighted glow about his face. He patted his belly comfortably, and raised his empty flagon. "Rosie posie, I think now is as good a time as ever to tell everyone your exciting news."
Hushed whispers fell about the room, excited giggles sprung up from Lily and Hugo, and Hermione beamed joyfully at her daughter. "Go ahead, honey, tell everyone!"
Rose bashfully put her napkin on her plate and cleared her throat. She pushed back a strand of fiery hair from her face and pointedly stared at the ceiling.
"Well…I wanted to tell everyone that I've been appointed a Prefect of Gryffindor house this school year."
Scorpius felt like he was drowning as cheers around him grew deafeningly loud. Geez, how many people were in this family anyway? It sounds like a quidditch match in here.
All he could do was sit in silence and nod his head at the other members of the family.
The passage from Hogwarts: A History came to him, "One male and one female student are chosen from each house in their fifth year to act as prefects…"
How was he gonna tell Rose that he was the other Prefect for Gryffindor?
I mean, who couldn't have seen this coming? She was the smartest witch of her entire class. Of course she was appointed prefect. Her mother smiling at her, her father patting her on the back joyfully, it should have been a completely happy moment.
But there Scorpius was, pale as a ghost, looking as though he was about to throw up. Rose scowled at him. He made no response. It was almost as though she wasn't there to him.
Ignoring his sour expression, Rose bolted up from the table to grab a bottle of Grandma Weasley's sparkling cider. Her Grandmother winked at her and pointed to the cabinet on the top shelf. That's where Grandma kept the fancy crystal goblets that Grandpa Arthur confiscated from a wealthy muggle family ages ago. They were suspected to be enchanted, however, upon further examination, held no such qualities.
The festivities and celebration lasted at the table for a while longer. The non-intoxicated members of the family circled around the table, cleaning up the dishes, as the giggling members played a rousing game of Krackle Kards - a card game invented by the Weasley twins, which worked much like the muggle game poker, only you received an electrifying shock when you bluffed.
Rose was just about to finish wiping up the big porcelain bowl when she saw a disgruntled Scorpius stand up from the old wooden table. Quickly, she handed the bowl to Victoire and stomped after him.
Just as he was about to turn the corner towards the mud room, Rose gained on him and grabbed the collar of his sweater. The fabric pulled on his neck and he teetered, almost falling backwards.
"What is your problem? Is the idea of me being prefect so disgusting to you that you have to mock me like that in front of my whole family? I don't know why Al invites you places, you are the rudest, most selfish, conniving little twerp I have ever been so misfortune to meet —--"
"Rose."
"And then, on top of it all, you expect me to welcome you with open arms into my family's ancestral home, which you continue to mock and degrade because it's not as lavish and decadent as your castle —"
"Rose."
"And Al just ignores all this! Call him my best friend, my cousin, hell he's practically my brother, but clearly he shows favor towards a slimy git instead of his own flesh and blood!"
"WEASLEY."
Rose fell silent. Scorpius had never raised his voice at her before. She was quite shocked. And something else. Could she be feeling…ashamed? That she had said so many horrible things to him so easily?
Scorpius looked up at her, quite angrier than she had ever seen him. "You idiot, I looked like that because you are impossible to be around. You are so volatile that the thought of having to share a prefect's dorm with you makes me feel ill."
"Excuse me?" She whispered, the previous shame being entirely wiped away by shock.
"What? You constantly yell at me, complain about me, you call me disgusting, nasty, stupid, you're self righteous, bull headed, insensitive –"
"No I mean, what was that second part?" Rose closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down from the immediate panic she felt welling inside herself. "Sharing a dorm?"
Scorpius shrugged, as if being awarded the honor of Prefect was a mere inconvenience to him. "I'm Prefect too."