I tried to find James at the quidditch pitch after the match but I couldn't. It was far too crowded and the cheering was starting to deafen my ears. I didn't know what I was going to say to him when I met him. I just wanted to be with him. I spotted a third year who was a player on the Gryffindor quidditch team. I quickly ran over to him.
"Have you seen James?!" I said as loud as I could over the noise.
"I think he went back to the common room for the after party!"
I gave up my search and decided to turn back and find my friends again. As I made my way back through the crowd I heard a familiar voice call me.
"Weasley!"
I turned to see Malfoy coming towards me. I was not in the mood to deal with his antics.
"Leave me alone, Malfoy!"
I tried to walk as fast as I could and disappear into the crowd away from Malfoy. But my plans were ruined when he ran up to me and caught me by the arm.
"I'm not here you for you, Weasley." He said. "I'm here for Al. He told me to tell you to come to the Hospital Wing. He's there."
"Well, what if I don't want to come?" I tested.
"I'll drag you there."
I didn't want to go. I didn't have anything nice to say to Albus, but on the other hand I didn't want Malfoy dragging me there. That would involve him touching me and us having to walk together so ew and no.
"Fine, Malfoy." I said.
Malfoy reached out to grab me, but I jumped away from him on instinct.
"I'll go to Albus myself, I rather not be dragged." I said giving him a look.
I started walking in the direction of the Hospital Wing. Then to my surprise (not a good surprise) I noticed Malfoy was beside me walking with me.
"What's your problem, Malfoy?" I snapped knowing that he and I walking together could only result in trouble.
"I have to go back the Hospital Wing too." He snapped back.
Suddenly I thought of Albus. Merlin, I didn't even think of how he was. I felt so selfish.
"How is he?" I asked worried, forgetting it was Malfoy my enemy who I was talking to.
"A couple of bruises and a broken nose, I think." Malfoy said. "Could be worst. I left before Madam Pomfrey examined him."
"I hope he's okay." I said.
"Madam Pomfrey will just use a couple of spell on him and he'll be better." Malfoy reassured me. What? Malfoy 'reassured' me! Merlin, what has the world come to?
I turned to Malfoy to see an assuring look on his face. By now, I remembered it was Malfoy who I was talking to so I said no more.
We walked in silence for a while, but I could tell Malfoy had something on his mind that he just wanted to say out loud. Merlin, knows I wasn't going to ask him what it was nor did I care, but it was kind of irritating. Finally he blurted it out.
"He shouldn't have done it."
I didn't want to answer him. I tried to ignore him, but after a few moments of silence my Ravenclaw curiosity gave in.
"What do you mean?" I asked not really understanding what he meant by that.
"Al jumping off his broom and trying to attack Potter." He took his time saying this choosing his words carefully.
"There was no need for that." I nodded (?).
"Slytherin would've won if he just stayed focus on the snitch."
"You don't know that." I said trying to avoid a rant about quidditch. Seeing the match was enough for me, I didn't want to relive it through a rant.
"I bet I could've of done it and at ten times the speed." Malfoy said full of confidence.
I rolled my eyes and hoped our conversation had ended there.
We were a couple of feet away from the Hospital Wing when we heard a massive bang.
"THAT SLIMY LITTLE SLYTHERIN!" A voice yelled out, I recognised it. It was my cousin Dominique. I would know her cries of outrage anywhere.
"Miss Weasley, leave at once!" I heard the angry voice of Madam Pomfrey say.
I could see my cousin Victoire coming out of the Hospital Wing door dragging with her a infuriated Dominique.
"Come on, Dom." said Victoire earnestly pulling her. "He probably didn't mean it. We'll talk to him again when you've cooled down."
"COOLED DOWN? COOLED DOWN?" screeched Dominique. "I'LL GIVE THAT SLYTHERIN MORE THAN A BROKEN NOSE!"
Dominique got away from Victories' grasp. Fuming she walked past us, making sure to bump Malfoy's shoulder on the way.
"You have quite a family, Weasley." Malfoy said rubbing his shoulder. He was glaring at the back of Dominique's head, who was, by then, far down the corridor.
"What happened?" I asked an out of breath Victoire.
"Let's just say Albus has grown foul tongue." Victoire said. "Go in and see for yourself. I'll see you later, Rosie. I have to find Dom before she sets the whole castle alight."
Victoire walked past us in the direction Dominique stalked off in. I was actually shocked that she didn't say anything about me being with Malfoy. Were things that out of hand? It's hard to forget about a git like Malfoy standing next to you.
"Shall we go in?" asked Malfoy annoyed.
I realised I was after pausing in thought.
"Go in. Why are you waiting for me?" I asked annoyed as well.
Malfoy moved towards the door mimicking me in a high voice that sounded in no way like my own under his breath.
"I don't sound like that!" I snapped annoyed.
"Yes you do!" he snapped back.
I followed him into the Hospital Wing and it continued back and forward like this until we reached Albus' bed.
Albus was lying in the bed, his nose hadn't been healed yet. Albus was clutching a bloody towel to his nose moaning into it. Madam Pomfrey was leaning over him healing the scratches on his shoulder.
Albus' eyes were closed so he didn't realise that Malfoy and me were there.
I cleared my throat to announce our presence. He opened his eyes slowly like he had been hit by the cruciatus curse or had drunk a bottle of painful poison (what a drama queen).
"How are you, Albus?" I asked trying to be kind, but ending up sounding sickly sweet. The tone made me gag a little. Earning me a look from Malfoy.
"What do you think?" Albus snapped.
"Well, someone's in a mood." I murmured under my breathe crossing my arms. Making Malfoy laugh beside me.
"Wouldn't you be." snapped Albus who had just got super hearing for some reason.
"It's your own fault, Al. You would've caught the snitch if you stayed on track." said Malfoy rudeness seeping into his voice.
"Shut up, Scorpius." snapped Albus looking ready to get up and attack Malfoy.
"I'm just saying," Malfoy said almost snidely. "If you focused more and actually trained it would've been different."
Albus turned red in the face. I began to silently pray to Merlin that this wasn't the start of another quidditch rant. I had enough of that stupid sport, it causes too many problems!
"Mr Malfoy, Miss Weasley." Madam Pomfrey said looking up from Albus. "If you are going to disturb Mr Potter I suggest you both leave."
Malfoy huffed out a breath, but didn't leave.
"Mr Potter, this may hurt a bit." said Madam Pomfrey pushing the towel away from his face and pointing her wand at his nose. "Episkey."
Albus yelped in pain as his broken nose was repaired. Madam Pomfrey then muttered a spell to clean up the dried blood on his face and told him that he could leave.
As Albus stiffly got up from the bed I asked him. "What did you do to Dominique to make her so mad?"
Albus snarled. "I told her that Slytherin deserved to win, which it does. Especially when we're against the worst Gryffindor quidditch team Hogwarts has probably ever set eyes on. I also told her how I truly feel about her and James."
I flinched at his words. Albus was after turning cruel.
"She deserved it." Albus continued. "She came in here like she owned the place and started screaming about how I could've killed James and me or seriously injured James and me."
I couldn't stand to hear any more of this.
"I'll see you later, Albus." I said as I walked to the Hospital Wing door.
Albus wasn't the Albus I knew anymore, he changed. Or maybe… it was lurking under the surface the whole time. I remember what Jane said at the opening feast the night we got sorted, "Or maybe we only expected that because he looks so much like his dad, a true Gryffindor. We don't know what's lurking under the surface."
