Reconciliation With The Gryffindors?

Albus was one of the last Slytherins to go to lunch, as the others had been in a hurry to get to the table after the two hours they had to spend in their common room. Therefore, numerous students were already leaving the Great Hall when he arrived there.

"Hello Albus!" someone addressed him. It was Victoire, wearing her most beautiful Veela smile for him.

"Well?" he asked, puzzled, and continued with soft irony: "You remember my name? I thought my name was just Slytherin with you now."

"I hope you're no longer miffed about that. After all, this can't go on forever, that we don't talk to each other."

"It should never have started," Albus replied tersely. "Nevertheless, congratulations on your insight."

Victoire was the one he was particularly angry with. He felt that she, as an older student and even a Prefect, should have been more mature and give the others a talking instead of taking part in their childish boycott. Moreover, he still remembered too clearly the ten points she had taken off Slytherin because of him. Did she now expect him to embrace her in tears of joy?

"Sorry, but I'm hungry. Take care!" he called to her as he walked on.

"See you," she replied.

Not if I can avoid it! Albus thought, entering the hall and heading for the Slytherin table, where only a few students were still seated, one of them being Scorpius, who had obviously been waiting.

"At last you are here," Scorpius greeted him. "I was beginning to think you weren't coming."

"Had to think a little bit. Now I'm really starving." And he loaded a huge portion of spaghetti onto his plate – a Muggle achievement that was becoming popular among wizards – and rolled the first mouthful onto his fork. As he was about to bring it to his mouth, someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. It was James.

"Hi Al," he grinned at Albus.

"Hi Gryffindor," Albus grouched back. His grudge against his brother was hardly less than that against Victoire. Moreover, he was really hungry now, and the smell of his spaghetti was growing into pure torture with every second he couldn't eat.

James acted as if he hadn't heard. "I'm meeting some friends for Quidditch later. Not an official game, just for fun, but we have the pitch for us. How about it, are you up for it?"

Albus looked up at him in amazement. Never before had his brother invited him to come along when he was doing something with his friends. Just two weeks ago, he would have been delighted with such an invitation. But in those two weeks, a lot of things had changed.

"That's very kind of you," he finally said politely. "Thank you very much, but I am busy with something else today. Some other time, maybe."

"All right, if you change your mind, you'll find us at the pitch," James replied, slightly piqued, and left. At last Albus could shovel the spaghetti into his mouth.

"That was the second one today already," he mumbled towards Scorpius with his mouth full.

"The second what?"

"The second of my dear family to suddenly start talking to me again. Victoire did so, too."

"So be happy," Scorpius said. "You've suffered all this time with how they've been treating you."

Albus, spaghetti hanging out of his mouth again, grunted indeterminately.

"By the way, what is it you're up to do today?" asked Scorpius with interest.

"Nothing," Albus replied, having swallowed down his spaghetti. "I just don't see I have to leap up just because my brother is snapping his fingers."

"Do you feel like playing wizard chess with me this afternoon?"

"Sure, I'd love to," Albus said, loading a second portion onto his plate, though this was just half-empty.

"In the common room in half an hour?"

"Wlll," Albus nodded with his mouth full.

"Well, just finish your meal first," Scorpius said and stood up. "Leave some space in your belly for dessert. The raspberry cream is amazing!" They nodded to each other and Scorpius left.

Albus shovelled the food into himself as if a famine had been announced for tomorrow. He took two more portions of the dessert, then at last he was full. Now he was feeling better. He tried to push away any thought of Hermione, but he couldn't. This plague has to be destroyed root and branch! What did she mean by that?

The brooding did him no good. Playing chess would take his mind off things. He got up to head towards the Slytherin common room. In the Entrance Hall he saw Rose, rushing towards him as she noticed him.

"Hello, Albus!" she called.

Albus stopped dead. He didn't want to treat Rose as gruffly as he had treated James. Nevertheless, he still sounded gruff when asking her: "Hi Rose, what's up?"

Rose looked embarrassed: "I was wondering if you would take a walk with me?"

Albus looked at her, aghast. "Tell me, did Neville pour some kind of good-manners elixir into your pumpkin juice? You're now the third Gryffindor in a row to suddenly remember that she's friends with me."

"I didn't remember that suddenly," she protested, "I always knew."

"Oh, did you? I didn't!"

"I couldn't do anything, the Gryffindors were all against you. But this can't go on forever!"

"Strange, that's exactly what Victoire said. Literally! And how is it that you are all coming up with this at once?"

Rose blushed. "Well ... Mum came to see us in the common room earlier and then took me, James, and Victoire aside and pretty much told us off because of you."

For a moment, Albus beamed. His Hermione, though certainly extremely busy, had taken time to side with him.

"That's what she came to you in the common room for?"

"Well ..." Rose blushed again. "Not only for that, she visited the Gryffindors as a whole and gave us some tips."

"What kind of tips?" asked Albus, puzzled.

"Well ..." Rose blushed a little more. "This has nothing to do with you," she said hastily.

"I see. All right," said Albus, somewhat confused. "But tell me, how did she know you weren't talking to me? I didn't tell on you."

"I know you didn't. She knew from Neville."

From the same Neville who had warned him about Roy. About the same Roy Hermione considered a plague to be destroyed root and branch.

"I see ..." he muttered.

"So you're coming?" asked Rose hopefully. And, when he hesitated, followed up: "Al! We are friends, aren't we?"

Albus considered. Of course, it was tempting to wipe out the last two weeks with a 'Forget it' and be friends with her again. But something inside him resisted. Something indefinable. What Roy would do in his place? Of course:

"Frankly speaking," he said, sounding rather dismissive, "I don't want to have friends who need instructions from the Minister for Magic to be that.

"Minister for Magic?" Rose was indignant. "She's my Mum!"

"Which doesn't make it much better," he replied dryly. "And if there's something I don't need, it's friends who behave like swine to me just because EVERYONE do so, and who are against me when EVERYONE are."

Rose was blushing again, and it was hard to tell if it was at anger or shame. Now she was getting bitchy:

"I should have guessed that you would react like that! What else is to be expected from a Slytherin!?"

Of course, this was to be an insult, but it filled Albus with pride.

"You said it, Rose."