Chapter 22: Rumors, Rivals, and Rule breaking
Al trudged into the large, round classroom used for Defense Against the Dark Arts, wiping a bloody nose from a bat bogey hex thrown by Patricia Beauton. Professor Gagnon noticed his tardiness with a quick comment of "Five points. Ten points- I don't want to see that look again Miss Huxley." He didn't ask where Scorpio might be, also absent from the class. If he had bothered to care, he might have sympathized with his young student, being treated by Madame Pomfrey as he gagged on slugs thrown at him by Callum and their first-year classmates, Sam and Ryan.
Something awful had happened in the past month. Driscoll Haverford had shown up at Hogwarts, demanding that his son be allowed to play on the Quidditch team. Everyone knew this because he'd followed McGonagall down several class-filled hallways, paying no mind to the increasing number of students clustering at the doors to see what the commotion was about. Al and Scorpius had been in this very classroom then as well.
"Headmaster I must impress upon you what your actions look like!" Haverford had huffed, trying desperately to match the stride of McGonagall.
"And what, pray tell me, do my actions look like Mr. Haverford…"
"Governor Haverford, Headmaster." The imposing man warned, "And a very concerned governor I must say- because it does look like the favoritism of the old days now doesn't it?"
McGonagall finally stopped and spun on her heel. In a flash she was eye-to-eye with Haverford, eyes gleaming ferociously, "What. Are. You. Accusing. Me. Of."
"She looks like a lion," whispered Scorpius to Al. Professor Gagnon had tried to usher the class back from the doorway but even he was interested.
"I'm just wondering why my boy, an athlete from a respectable family, is suspended and yet I haven't heard a wink about consequences for the pureblood." Haverford's whisper didn't escape a single listening ear. Scorpius shrank.
"There were no consequences because only Mr. Malfoy was taunted and his belongings destroyed, Driscoll. Now unless your son has decided to withhold valuable information as to what compelled him to do such a thing, I have concluded that his attack was unprovoked! And don't tell me he deserves a second chance; this is merely the culmination of too many second chances. Why I've never seen such an unequal match between bully and victim! He should be ashamed and so should you, Governor."
The small whispers between students vanished as McGonagall stared at her adversary. A nasty sneer curled from Haverford's lips, "I assure you I only have to drop the name Malfoy for the other governors to see things rather differently Minerva. And if you think Scorpius is an innocent victim I might be inclined to worry that you've gone a bit daft. We all know what his family is- him walking these halls is more of a disgrace than any silly stunt my son could pull. Why even now his family is dabbling in the Dark Arts- since they didn't even lose their wealth in the War."
McGonagall suddenly became very aware of the students around her, she whispered menacingly, "Governor Haverford this is no place to lob baseless accusations. I will escort you out now…"
But Driscoll caught on to the calamity the Headmaster wished to avoid, "Oh ho! So you are aware his poor Mum is stuck up in some Muggle hospital wilting away! She's cursed is what she is- some ritual that went wrong. I heard she's been sickly ever since the wretched boy was born! Some might even say they conceived him in the essence of the Dark Lord himse..."
"DRISCOLL YOU WILL LEAVE THE PREMISES IMMEDEATLY AND BE GLAD YOUR SON IS ONLY SUSPENDED FROM HIS LITTLE GAMES!" McGonagall was a sight to behold. Eyes flashing, she procured her wand and stabbed it purposefully toward Haverford. The stately man was dragged most unceremoniously from the halls into the entryway below.
All this would have been comical to behold, except that Scorpius gone dangerously pale and backed into the nearest desk. He had not told anyone but Al and Jeya about all the details regarding his Mum. Now, almost everyone in the school was armed with the one thing that could penetrate the meek exterior of Scorpius, and in the following weeks, many of them used their new weapon with wicked joy. The other half, almost more upsettingly, was terrified that the rumor might actually be true and cowered at the soft-spoken boy like Tom Riddle III, or whatever "essence of the Dark Lord" conjured in their imaginations.
Al managed to win back his points by performing a flawless disarming charm and even beamed when his Professor mentioned that his Dad had a particular aptitude for that defense. The class was the last of the day and Al hurried back to the hospital wing, only to be informed that Scorpius had already been released. He couldn't find his friend in the Great Hall and figured that the hex had probably ruined his appetite for the night. Still, he grabbed a few desserts and headed back to the dormitories. When his entered his dorm, he accidentally stumbled upon Milo wrapping gauze around a deep tear in this bicep. He seemed very startled by Al's presence and froze as Al pulled back the curtains around Scorpius' bed. "Milo, has Scorpius been back?"
"I haven't seen him, no," the boy said softly. Al regarded his wound, "Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah, its just a scratch…" He drifted off muttering something about an accident and 'she didn't do it on purpose'. He and Natalia had both missed class today as well. Al set a tart pie on his bed and whisked out the door just as he heard a small 'thanks mate.'
Thankfully, most of the students were at supper. Al didn't hear a single sound from any of the dorms leading to the Common Room. At the end of the passage, an old wooden closet door apparently stood. Most of the Slytherins thought this was funny because it happened to be a false door, opening to a slimy stone wall. But Scorpius had figured out a trick accidentally after trying to escape from Rosier and McIntyre early in the Fall. Al pressed his shoulder up against the door and slowly leaned into the splintering wood, focusing his mind to repeat the phrase "Anywhere but here, Anywhere but here". Soon, he felt the resistance dissolving and folded into the secret room.
The other side of the door was a small space, barely big enough for Al and Scorpius to stand together, that immediately turned into a steep stairway of slimy stone steps not unlike the texture of the false entrance. As Al ascended these steps, he heard his friend call from the room above. In a few seconds, the tunnel-like stairs opened into a small, serene enclave. On three sides of the square, the stone material gave way to sea green glass, somewhat covered in gillyweed. In the daytime, light would glint through as a peaceful glow. The space was just above the Lake, but a small portion of the floor had eroded, or maybe purposefully carved (it was hard to tell), and a small pool of the water's surface bubbled like a well throughout the changing tides. On the back, stone wall stood the hypothesized portrait of Professor Snape, now simply an artsy rendering of potions and their magical ingredients. An identical portrait hung just on the other side of wall, which overlooked the Common Room. Or perhaps it was all the same- the view from this angle did suggest that the subject might be viewing the scene from behind. Nothing more than two oversized armchairs and a small table could fit inside the space, but this suited Al and Scorpius perfectly, especially in the last few weeks when just about everyone had something to say about the hypothesized spawn of Voldemort.
"It's stupid really Scorpius," Al had spent all night trying to get him to stop crying, "You clearly look like a Malfoy."
"They… they say it's just a charm… that its just a complex vision or something," But even the ridiculousness of the explanation made Scorpius grin through his tears.
"That sounds like something even Rita Skeeter wouldn't speculate" Laughed Al.
Today again, Scorpius looked red-eyed and weepy, though Al noted he also was holding a bucket that smelled like it had a few slugs sitting in it.
"Maybe we can save these for later…" Scorpius still smiled gratefully, "Thanks mate."
"You're just in time for the sunset song, I think," And as if on cue, the room became filled with the Merfolk's music. The origin emanated from the pool in the floor of the room, but even though they were above the water, the sounds seem to reverberate perfectly from the glass, making the entire space swim with the beautiful songs. Al sometimes felt an aching pull, as the sounds would recede, to jump right through the opening and into the depths below….
The two boys let a healthy pause follow the song as the soft hues of the sunset turned to night. From the opposite horizon, a large, amber moon steadily climbed into view, illuminating the room like the back alleyways in city streets.
"You don't happen to have your chessboard do you?" Al finally broke the peace.
"I don't feel like playing honestly," Scorpius sighed, "It's fine if you go, I know Herbology is early tomorrow…"
"What with this view?" said Al lightly, gesturing to round orb glittering keenly in the black sky, "I might just stay here all night."
Scorpius gave the smallest laugh but lapsed into his thoughts. Al hated these kinds of moments; they reminded him of his Dad during those fateful months and he had never pulled Harry out of them. He hated that Scorpius was so obviously in pain and perhaps his Dad had been as well… and he would remember how desperately Harry had to coax him out of his ostracizing reaction when the charms finally lifted. Had he prolonged some agony in his Dad?
"Jade asked where you were when I came into the Great Hall earlier," Al tried again with his friend, "So that definitely means she likes you at least."
Scorpius laughed a little more, "That's good news- I don't think I would make it to the end of the year if I was her enemy. Was she sitting with Natalia again?"
Al tried to recall the earlier evening—"Y-yeah she was. Which was strange because she and Milo didn't come to any of their classes today…"
Scorpius nodded, "Huh, interesting."
The two had come to the conclusion that Natalia, of all people, was part of the reason the Slytherin girls were increasingly becoming two factions in a nasty and secretive war. Following the outburst by Driscoll Haverford, the amount of hexes scattering the halls during passing time had grown exponentially. And despite Al being quite preoccupied at the large portion of them being aimed at Scorpius, he was aware that Quinn and Vanessa often came into the Common Room with an assortment of odd features or bruises. On one night, Natalia had burst into the Dormitories screeching, painfully swelling pustules riddling her face and hands. The jinx was in a fad at the moment, especially amongst the girls, but the way their classmate was howling was frightening. Al and Scorpius had led most of their cohort into the boys' dormitory in order to find Milo, but her twin was nowhere to be found. Little did Al know how twisted the predicament was about to become…
"I'm l-l-ll-ate. I'm LATE!" Natalia finally articulated words in a foreign voice that Al wasn't sure was due to the hex, or just simply because he'd really never heard her speak. "I need to find..him…Milo, please!" She had growled out desperately.
"I think I saw Milo earlier, near the astronomy tower actually… I got in fight with that awful Beauton girl. If it's any consolation, her face looks worse than yours by a mile…" Jade had spoken up but faltered when it was clear Natalia wasn't calming down, "Plll-ease find Milo…" Tears trickled between the pustules on her cheeks.
"Fine, lets go back to the Gryffindor room then, we'll run into him if he's coming back sooner." Al offered.
"It's past curfew," replied Scorpius, "Milo should be back here at any moment anyway."
"No-no-no, " screeched Natalia, desperately, "He-he won't come back.. he's still there I know…nearby"
"How do you know?" AL was perplexed, but Jade seemed to immediately acquiesce to her roommate's comments.
Resolutely she eyed the rest of the cohort, "Let's find him then." Everyone else seemed less sure, piquing her annoyance, "Do we really care that it's past curfew? Look Slytherin isn't winning any House Cup anytime soon so why don't we forget about points and help her out!"
"It's not just that, Jade." Scorpius pointed out, "We don't know where Milo is- I think we should take Natalia to the hospital wing…"
"NO!" Natalia bellowed fearfully, startling even Reggie, "Please! I'm really late…."
Al was becoming more and more frightened by Natalia's actions and, rationally, agreed with Scorpius' idea. But something tugging at his instincts made him think that listening to Natalia was the right thing.
"Alright, Jade and I will take Natalia to find Milo," He finally said, "If we don't come back soon after curfew, someone find Madame Pomfrey and tell her that Natalia panicked because of the hex and we went out to look for her. That way we won't get in too much trouble."
"Will do mate," Scorpius said and Jade nodded approvingly before helping Natalia to her feet and leading her to the Common Room, "Shhhh, lets just be as quiet as possible," as Natalia shortened her moans into high whimpers.
Al, Jade, and Natalia slipped through the Common Room door into the halls of the Dungeons. "If we go through the back hall, there's a staircase that leads to the fifth floor and we'll be more likely to not run into a teacher…"
"No he's not there…" Natalia quickly gasped out as she almost skipped in the opposite direction.
"Wait he's not on the Seventh floor?" Al didn't have time to ponder her strange actions as she scrambled farther away and Jade quickly tugged him to follow. His confusion only grew as Natalia passed the main passage out of the Dungeons and continued to follow the Hall to the other side of the lower level, leading deep under Hogwarts.
"Natalia!" Al hustled near her and tried to stop her desperate movements. For a moment, when her eyes briefly focused on his face, he registered her heavily dilated pupils and a yellowish ring forming at the edges of her irses. Was this an effect of the hex?
Jade had followed Al closely, "We can't go further down there, it's the restricted part of the Dungeons remember? There will definitely be a guard…"
"No I can go!" Natalia said loudly, looking away from Al and pushing forward. She rushed into the dungeons.
Jade was right though. As Natalia's voice rang through the halls, a shadow rapidly grew from the main entryway out of the dungeons. "Who's there?" McGonagall's voice was strained and sounded exhausted. A clinking of something glass grew louder as she approached.
"No no no no no," Natalia puttered, more subdued, "I can't be late, I can't get caught- she'll never let me…" she scampered deeper into the dark labyrinth.
Jade and Al looked at each other, "Okay," said Al hurriedly, eyeing the shadow approaching, "Go follow her and make sure she finds Milo, I'll try to stall McGonagall- she's a family friend after all." Jade nodded and disappeared after Natalia.
Moments later McGonagall materialized at the doorway. She also looked exhausted, as if she had been running through the halls; her usually proper bun bobbing slightly. The clinking was coming from a satchel on her shoulder, and from what Al could glimpse, it was likely filled with the same milky substance he'd seen her brewing in her office. Upon seeing Al, McGonagall grew even more flustered, "Potter!" She strode near him, brandishing her wand and sweeping it across the restricted hall behind him. Small, bright balls lit the torches along the walls and Al held his breath as the visible hallway lengthened considerably, revealing many twists and splits in the passages. Thankfully, Jade and Natalia were nowhere to be found.
"Why are you relieved Potter, did someone go down there?" McGonagall actually grasped Al's shoulder and fixed him firmly with a gaze that suggested no 'family friend advantage' was going to help him weasel his way out. Al shifted his eyes away from the gleaming intensity radiating from his Headmaster. "It's Natalia, Headmaster, I was following her to the Hospital wing… she's had a nasty bout with the boil hex…"
At the mention of Natalia, McGonagall both sighed and paled, looking into the lighted abyss of the Dungeons. She suddenly started again, "And only you followed?" she inquired.
Al pondered his Headmaster's countenance. Something had definitely rattled McGonagall and perhaps Natalia and Jade were in danger with whatever lied beyond them in the restricted halls. Still, Jade would not appreciate being snitched on and Al was certain no actual danger could be placed so close to a student dormitory…
"No Headmaster," Al stated carefully, "I came here alone."
"Well… good. "McGonagall breathed more easily and tucked in a few strands of wayward hair, "If you would just head back to your dormitory then and please, next time notify an adult before wandering out of…"
The air was suddenly pierced by an inhuman sound that turned Al's blood to ice. And it was echoing from the twisted hallway of the restricted area. Tears of shame immediately sprang into Al's eyes as he wondered how close that… thing… was to his classmates.
"McGonagall… I… I lied…I Natalia went down there, not the hospital wing and Jade... she followed her." His voice shook violently.
For a split second, McGonagall's face looked benignly perplexed, before contorting into a rage that pulled her features taut and sharp, "YOUR COMMON ROOM NOW!" Her words hit like a wave breaking on a rocky shore. Al stumbled numbly towards the door to the Slytherin Common Room but another, deeper, screech resonated through the walls and his knees gave out just steps from the entrance. It had to be a monster, lurking through the halls of the dungeon. Al imagined all sorts of gnarly features; fangs, claws, rows of sharp teeth and beady red eyes. Would he soon hear Jade and Natalia's screams? Or did they not have time to make a sound…
"Eh Scorpius he's here-help me!" A pair of hands grasped one of Al's shoulders to pull him upright and Al looked up at an unnaturally frazzled Reggie. Scorpius appeared behind him and the two dragged Al into the common room just as another alien cry crashed through the hall.
"Blimey what is that?" Malachi greeted the other boys, perspiration on his nightclothes. Behind him, Al could see that most of the Slytherin House was up- the screams had scared everyone. Scorpius and Reggie sat Al down in a chair. Scorpius didn't let go of Al's shoulder right away and instead pushed his face meaningfully in front of him. "Al, where's Natalia and Jade, did they find Milo?"
Al quickened his breathing at the mention of Milo- had he also been lost in that labyrinth? "No… no Scorpius I didn't tell her I forgot… I should have told McGonagall." Tears, again, welled with pressure under Al's eyes. How had this evening turned so suddenly into disaster? He could see Quinn starting to tremble as she heard her friend was not back.
"McGonagall's out there?" Gabrielle Prince, a Slytherin Prefect, appeared near the cluster of first-years, looking relieved at this news. "That's good then, and we'd better just turn in for the night. No one in the Common Room- we will secure the dormitory doors until someone knows what's going on" She turned to Ivan Flint, the other Prefect, and the two began ushering the younger students back into their sleeping quarters.
Back in the boy's dormitory, the first years stared sullenly at the empty bed belonging to Milo. A bout of several screams reached the dorms and, though considerably muffled compared to the hallway, sent piercing cold through Al's bones.
"Milo wasn't even feeling good today…" Scoripus whispered, "How's he going to make it if that thing is near him?"
"Where's that thing coming from Al." Reggie inquired.
"It's the restricted section of the dungeons," Al managed to rasp out, " The ones that go way under the school. Natalia just ran in and Jade followed… I was supposed to stall McGonagall until she could catch up."
"Some plan we had." Muttered Reggie, and a shade of shame appeared on all the boys' features as they remembered their earlier scheme.
"It's not our fault really," spat Malachi, though he too was red with guilt, "It's not like we can get a professor to help with these situations without losing house points or being accused of starting a fight."
Inwardly, Al recalled several instances in which McGonagall and Professor Longbottom had inquired concernedly about the state of Al and his cohort when they showed up to class or the Great Hall ruffled from some student skirmish. But Malachi and Reggie were quite distrustful of the two, given that their own relatives had benefitted greatly from Death Eater policies. And at the moment, any ounce of blame that perhaps was not his was like taking a great weight from his shoulders. He let the two sink into a familiar rut of injustices that had been dealt to the Slytherins.
"Yeah who are we going to tell? Magamus probably gives the Gryffindors secret house points for every hex they aim at us." Reggie bemoaned, "I mean he basically gave Travis points for doing a spell right- nevermind half the class had already mastered it!"
"He's a troll," Malachi agreed, "And only brave now that Adrian's always lumbering around him."
"And Gag-on," Reggie mimed retching, "He does his best not to teach us anything since we're basically the new Death Eaters right? Can't have that on his conscience."
"He's so mad that Al's a genius on his feet," Malachi nodded towards Al. Most of the first-years were aware that Al quickly excelled at Defense Against the Dark Arts, having surprisingly good instincts and creative solutions to dark creature encounters. He'd turned a metal dueling trainer into a frying pan using a transfiguration charm when disarming spells had failed to work (the trainer had been purposely jinxed to be un-disarmable).
"And lets not forget…" But another bout of screams silenced Malachi's rant. The boys looked sullen until Scorpius spoke up.
"I don't think it was just a hex that put Natalia in that state." He said slowly. Reggie and Malachi stiffened slightly, "Yeah she was in another world…."
"Vanessa was freaked out- she said she wasn't sleeping in the same dorm as her anymore." Reggie sighed, "Apparently she's woken up before and seen Natalia pacing the room or staring off into nothing all creepy. She thinks the twins are obscurus' in the making, the White twins too- that's why they're sick all the time. She's managed to rile up that whole nasty clique of second-years."
"Well there's no need for rumors before we know anything," snapped Scorpius, uncharacteristically short. "But they definitely had it rough growing up, I'm pretty sure their wands are the only things not handed down to them."
"Maybe they're from the Eastern Bloc region. I heard it's almost impossible these days to enroll in a school of Magic without prior ancestry." Malachi mused.
"And they're orphans, so it's not like anyone could vouch for them." Added Reggie.
"I think they're fine," said Al plainly, "Vanessa needs to shut it before she starts a civil war in this House- she barely stays polite around Quinn anymore."
Scorpius sneered, "She just needs to make up another freak to pick on- now that she's gotten bored of Jeya and me."
The rumbling of the Common Room door opening perked everyone into attention once again. A few seconds later, Al could see the footsteps likely belonging to Ivan Flint passing along the dorm corridor.
"Headmaster it's good to see you." Clearly Gabrielle had made her way from the girls dorm as well.
"Yes, yes- thank you both for your quick response, my apologies for tonight. I assure you no one was in danger despite the noises- the… situation… tonight was unfortunate but contained. But given the lack of assurance, I applaud your instincts on getting everyone to safety- thirty points for you both." Al felt relieved at the return of McGonagall's measured and sure tone. And his heart lightened further as she continued, "Miss Prince if you could escort Miss Huxley to her room for the night, I'm sure she deserves some rest."
The rest of the boys also reacted happily at the mention of their classmate's safe return. Though Al noticed Natalia was not mentioned…
"And Mr. Flint, if you would please summon Mr. Potter for a quick word." Al's faced dropped once more as he remembered how angry McGonagall had looked before bounding off into the dungeons.
"I better go," He muttered and hopped out of bed. Ivan seemed surprised to meet Al near the Common Room entrance, but McGonagall didn't miss a beat.
"Mr. Potter," Her lips had become invisibly thin as she assessed him, "I'm not taking any house points tonight for your actions so as not to ruin the good planning by your prefects but I promise you if you ever so inanely decide to lie to me again the punishment on you and this House will be famously severe. Do you understand."
From the far side of the Common Room, giggles animated from Jade as she had paused to watch the exchange.
"Miss Huxley to bed!" McGonagall barked. She caught a brief smirk that AL couldn't wipe quickly enough away. She appraised him for an uncomfortable few seconds.
"Mr. Potter, I am aware of the little island that is forming in your House and I understand it to the extent that I understand your classmates and their sentiments." She continued, "But I must express my true disappointment in your lack of integrity at the present. I know your perspective is not as distrusting as Miss Huxley's for instance- and you have no reason to be. So act like it. You could have put more than one student in grave danger tonight."
McGonagall turned curtly as Al's face bloomed an embarrassed rosy hue. Before exiting the Common Room she added, "Miss Markov is recovering from a combination of jinxes in the hospital wing, coincidentally where her brother has also been healing from his own unfortunate fight. It would be helpful to know the characters involved in such instances however there seems to be a code among you not to snitch on your tormentors, but rather wait for revenge. Perhaps you might remind your friends that resourcefulness is not a synonym for secretiveness. Good night."
The next morning, both twins made it to Herbology, though Natalia looked like she hadn't slept a wink. To make matters worse, Vanessa refused to partner with the twins and later kept good on her word to not stay in the same dorm as Natalia, storming out whenever the poor girl was in sight. Given Vanessa's newfound affinity for the Second-year girls, it was a wonder that Natalia didn't come under some hex on a daily basis.
Of course, that unfortunate fate was almost singlehandedly prevented by the great enigma that was Jade Huxley. As Vanessa zealously bargained for allies within Slytherin, doing favors for older students and being nauseatingly obsequious, Jade, for her part, didn't actively recruit allies but rather won admirers. Somehow, the constant barrage of attacks had made her a formidable spell-caster and she rarely failed to block a hex.
"It's like she's dancing around a fire," Scorpius had remarked once. And indeed, in the informality of student skirmishes, Jade had developed a distinct and remarkable technique of spell casting that suited her well. All four limbs were a whirlwind of motion and she seemed to swing her wand arm wildly, instead of aiming at her opponent with steady stance, as was taught in class. Yet her spells always hit their target and she seemed to absorb the momentum to cast yet another curse. Jade had never paid much mind to Natalia, finding her too soft-spoken and rather boring, preferring Quinn's spunk and attitude. After the night of the ill-fated excursion, however, the duo had become a trio and Jade actively sought to make sure Natalia was never alone.
Al and Scorpius had tried to pry for information about whether Jade had seen the monster being kept in the dungeons and how Natalia and her managed to escape. She'd brushed them off smoothly, "I saw no monster in the dungeon, so there's not much more I can say."
"Look, if you don't believe me why don't you go look around in there yourselves. I can tell you, once you see it, you'll know its not a monster." She'd continued cryptically at their dubious expressions.
And so, in the orange tinges of the full moon, Al turned to the current plan that seemed to be the only thing that would rile Scorpius from his bouts of melancholy.
"By the way, James said I could take it. He also recommended a charm that silences your footsteps and disappears prints, not that the dungeon is going to be covered in snow."
Scorpius perked up in his chair, "That's useful for the echo though, we know McGonagall has the ears of a cat. When is the next Hogsmeade trip that we're 'dropping in on'?"
"In two weeks' time, just enough to practice the spell a bit and maybe walk around to see what other obstacles are in there." Al replied.
"Great, I'm really looking forward to this." Scorpius grinned, though he added, "McGonagall's a little sad that you haven't dropped in recently mate."
Al shrugged, "I just don't know what to say to her Scorpius, she wants me to get all of us to 'open up to her' but she should start with her own staff if she really wants to understand the problem. I mean Professor Rowle barely comes down here and he's our House Head."
Al knew that McGonagall had let him off easy that night, with only a few sharply honest words. Still, the emptiness from her lack of approval had amplified the animosity of most of the other professors toward him and his cohort, and he couldn't help but feel stung and betrayed.
Scorpius nodded, "Yeah I guess, but maybe we have been a little evasive…"
But Al interrupted, "Sure, but I mean we're definitely not the only ones keeping secrets at the moment, are we?"
Again, Scorpius had to agree. Al noted his friend's pallid face was regaining some peachiness. It had been a while since he'd spit up any slugs "Maybe you want to try a tart now mate?"
Scorpius eyed the dessert hungrily, "Yeah I could try a few if I'm being honest."