If Polly and I were antagonistic before we became mortal enemies the next week.
Rose and I set up study times. She really was dreadful at muggle studies. It wasn't her fault the curriculum was just awful.
One paragraph on international muggle diets stated "A cursory look through the American Food section of any muggle grocery reveals that Americans subsist on a diet made almost entirely of bottled salad dressing and something referred to as "marshmallow fluff".
That is just … wow.
"I know right?" Rose looked at her text book. "I know real muggle stuff, but this? How old are these books?"
"Isn't Aunt Hermione the Minister of Magic?" I turned a page to see how apparently muggles enjoy plays performed behind screens in their theaters.
Behind them indeed.
"Yeah… but there was some interference from the Ministry in Hogwarts during the war and now…" Rose shrugged.
"Well, someone NEEDS to interfere." I pointed out. "These people may not see muggles as inferior but they sure see us as different."
"Them. You are one of us now." Our other cousin Louis pointed out. Louis was two years ahead of us. A lot of girls really seemed to go for him. Even some older girls. I saw a seventh year giving him a once over.
Creepy. Louis said it is not their fault he is part vela and they can't help it. He just ignores them.
"Us, them, we, they." I rolled my eyes. "OUR text books need updating."
"Maybe we could start like a newspaper or something." Cissa looked excited.
"And why would we do that?" Rose looked at her amused.
"Power of the press!" Cissa's eyes lit up. "Think about how much stuff happens when the Daily Prophet prints about it!"
"Well… yeah, Cissa…" Hugo, Rose's brother who is in my year spoke up from behind a book "That is the Daily Prophet, not some school paper."
"Everyone starts somewhere." Cissa said prosaically.
This is the time when I would turn and say something, anything, to my two best friends, but they refused to have anything to do with our cousin study sessions.
"They really don't like us." Albus pointed out.
I tried to be reasonable. "They don't know you."
Albus was in no mood to be reasoned with. "They don't WANT to know us."
"Albus, you don't even try. Besides I will be there." He could be so exasperating.
"Now you are starting to sound like my Dad." Albus accused. "Ignore the press, Albus. I will be there. They came to gawk at me not you."
"Yeah, well, now they can gawk at Harry Potter's mudblood cousin." I waved my arm around the room. "You think YOU are a misfit here?! I am a MUDBLOOD in SLYTHERIN!"
"I told you not to use that word." Albus glared at me. "And besides… I didn't mean it like that."
"It has always pretty much just been us." Scorpius reminded me, trying to smooth things over.
ALnus didn't say anything he just stared at the floor.
"Yeah… I know." I felt guilty. "Maybe I will just cancel and we will go do something."
"No, don't do that." Albus pleaded, is attitude suddenly softening. "I was an arse, I am sorry. You should have more friends than us. Besides, Scorpius and I are going to do some guy stuff."
I didn't believe him, but I finally agreed. I liked hanging out with the cousins, but I wish Albus was there too.
And Scorpius, but I didn't want him there as a cousin. Just as my friend.
"What do you think, Lils?" Cissa asked, drawing me back to the present.
"I think it is a great idea, Cissa." I smiled back at her.
"Will you help me, Lils?" She asked hopefully.
"Yeah… maybe…" I hesitated "I mean, I am not a great writer or anything."
"Oh that is OK." Cissa enthused. "You could help take the copies to the owlery or something!"
Cissa liked everyone to feel included. Even against their will.
"Just call me Lilliana Dursley, paperboy extraordinaire." I bowed.
"Paper… BOY?" Louis looked up confused.
"A figure of speech." I threw down the muggle study textbook. "Which you would know, if these textbooks were up to date!"
Anyway, back to making Polly Chapman hate me.
She was in a far back corner of the library a few days after the great muggle text book debate. Which in my opinion should have been the great muggle text book burning.
I was on the other side of some shelves when I could hear her and some other girl talking about some box of chocolates.
Seriously, what IS the obsession with chocolate at this school?!
I was planning to ignore the two twits when I heard Polly say "You have charms with Louis don't you? You could get this to him."
Louis? As in my cousin Louis? I leaned in a little closer.
"No way, I can't get in to any more trouble." That was Valerie Goyle. She was definitely a follower from what I had seen. I am surprised she stood up to Polly. "My Dad will kill me if I get detention again this year."
Again? Dang girl we are only a few months in to school!
"I guess I need to do it anyway. I heard that for a love potion to really take hold the subject should be there." Polly caved.
Love potion! They were plotting to poison Louis?
"Will he even take a birthday present from you after last time?" Valerie asked sounding dubious.
Their voices were getting further away. "Shut up Valerie it isn't my fault that…"
The door closed cutting off her words.
I had to find Louis.
I rounded a corner to see Scorpius sitting at a table by himself. He would know where guys would go hang out… right?
I grabbed his arm. "Come on Scorpius we have to go find Louis right now!"
He looked at me shocked. "We do?"
"Yes! And we need to hurry." I urged him toward the door.
"We do?" He asked while being dragged behind me. "OK, two points. One, why do we have to fond him? Two why do I specifically have to find him?"
I rolled my eyes. Two points is kind of Scorpius "thing".
"One, someone is going to poison him. Two, you are a guy so you should know where guys go."It seemed perfectly reasonable to me.
"I have literally no idea where he would be." I stopped to glare at him. "But we will absolutely find out. Yes we absolutely will."
It turned out not to be as hard as thought it would be. He was at Quidditch practice.
I so want to play Quidditch. But let's say that my flying skills have been… problematic.
Embarrassingly problematic.
We waited while Louis finished practice, he is the Ravenclaw seeker. And really, REALLY good at it from what I can tell. I mean I am no expert, I only learned the sport even existed a few months ago.
Still, he looks comfortable and if it is any indication his teammates are smiling at him and clapping him on the back when they landed.
"Oh Hey Lils!" Louis called out to me. "And… ummm… hi there Scorpius."
"Don't blame me for this, Wesley." Scorpius shrugged. "I was dragged here under duress."
"Duress?!" I wheeled on him.
"In some places it might even be called kidnapping." I glared at him. "But not in this place, no ma'am. In THIS place it is perfectly acceptable to drag some against their will…"
"Oh ignore him." I rolled my eyes. "I dragged him out of the library and he wasn't ready to leave."
Louis looked vastly amused by the entire exchange. "Look as hysterical as all of this is I really need to shower so if you don't mind…"
"No you can't yet!" I grabbed his arm.
"Oh are we kidnapping…" Scorpius held up his hands at my glare. "I mean are we dragging Louis away against his will in a totally non-kidnappy sort of way." I ignored Scorpius.
"Polly Chapman is planning to poison you!" I blurted out.
Well that got his attention. "Polly Chapman is… plotting to kill me?" Louis squeaked.
"Well no… not kill…"I admitted. "But she has a box of love potion laced chocolates that she plans to gove you for your birthday."
"I think I would rather the poison be the deadly kind!" Louis assured me. "But thanks Lils. I won't eat anything she gives me."
"I wouldn't." Scorpius laughed. "She seems like the kind who would be happy to LITERALLY lead you around by a nose ring."
"Yeah… I am positive I wouldn't like that." Louis went pale. "Still, if you ever need anything from me, Lils, let me know."
"Well…" I hesitated. "There is kind of one thing I would like.."
"Name it cousin!" He smiled.
"Could you maybe teach me to be a better flyer?" I could feel myself turning red. "I haven't really been good at it yet."
Which was an understatement. It took me three hours to summon the stick to my hand, and then it overshot and broke my nose.
"Hey yeah!" Louis grinned. "I can do that. Thinking about trying out for Quidditch?"
"Maybe.. Yeah." I smiled back.
We set up a meet time and I went back with Scorpius.
A few days later Polly came screeching in to the main hall. "DURSLEY! What did you tell Louis? He thinks I am trying to poison him!"
"Umm.. I told him literally that you are planning to poison him." I was a little startled by her anger but I was in the right! "With love potion laced chocolates for his birthday!"
"That is a lie!" Professor Longbottom was walking by at the time. "Professor, Lilliana Dursley is making false accusations against me and tarnishing my name."
"I see. Lilliana?" Professor Longbottom was fair he always heard both sides even though he is head of Gryffindor."
"She was in the library with Valerie Goyle" the look of fury on Polly's face was priceless. "They were discussing who would give it to Louis." I quickly added "But Valerie wanted nothing to do with the entire plot."
"That is a LIE!" Polly screamed.
"So if we went to your quarters right now we would NOT find love potion laced chocolates?" Professor Longbottom raised an eyebrow.
"I…but…" Polly sputtered.
"Let's go find out shall we?" Professor Longbottom took her arm and led her off.
She glared at me in ways that should have set me on fire!
..