Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter.

Note - Sorry this took so long, but here it is. I know everyone is excited for Lily to come in, and I promise that it won't be long. Anyways, read, enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Rebel Malfoy

Chapter Seven: To Be Normal

"What is this thing?" Lars asked in pure wonder and curiosity as he held the medium-sized muggle device in his hands.

"Kim said it was called a . . . what was it?" Mitch mumbled as he thought. Then he snapped his fingers. "A radio! It's how muggles play music at home."

"And we're using it here because?" Lana questioned as she too looked at it.

"Because your house used to belong to muggles," Scorpius stated. "And we need to be able to 'plug it in,' as Kim put it. She sketched a picture of what we're looking for." He showed the little picture to the twins.

"Hey, I've seen those!" Lars exclaimed. "There's one in the kitchen, it'll be perfect, because it's right by the counter."

"Let's do it!" Mitch said with excitement.

The four of the headed for the Goyles' kitchen, and Lars led them to what he was talking about. "Is this it?" Lars asked, pointing to the small rectangle.

Mitch examined the sketch his sister had drawn. "Yeah! That's it. Let's try it!"

Lars set the radio on the counter, and after looking at the cord for a moment, Lana connected it to the wall. Then she looked at Mitch and Scorpius. "Now what?"

Mitch held up a square container. "We put this in it, and it'll play. It's called a CD. This guy at the store I went to, said this band was awesome."

"Do you know how to do it?" Lars questioned.

"Yeah. Kim showed me," Mitch said with a nod. "She took Muggle Studies, and I guess for an assignment, they had to use muggle items. She used a radio for one of hers." He explained this as he hit some button that opened the top of it, and he placed a silver, circular disc into it. He closed the lid, and then looked at the others with excitement. "Ready?"

"Do it already!" Scorpius said with his own excitement.

What happened next happened so fast that it was almost hard to see and explain. As soon as Mitch had hit the button to make it play, something sparked and then exploded and fizzed. The four of them immediately dropped to the floor as sparks of fire began to emit.

"Stop the stupid thing!" Lana exclaimed.

"It'll burn my hand off!" Mitch yelled back.

"What is going on in here?" Mrs. Goyle yelled as she ran into the room with Aaron right behind her. She quickly pulled her wand out and pointed it at the sparking fire. Soon the fizzing, popping, and exploding stopped, and the four kids slowly stood back up.

"What the hell is this thing?" Aaron asked as he looked at the slightly burnt and smoking muggle radio.

"It's a muggle . . . thing," Lars said weakly, still looking shocked.

"You can't use those muggle things around magic," Mrs. Goyle said with a small sigh, as she began to fuss over her children and make sure they were ok. "They don't work well around each other."

"Then where do we use it?" Mitch questioned.

"I don't think you can use this thing anymore," Aaron laughed as he looked at the broken device.

"You'll have to go to a non-magical home, or place to play it," Mrs. Goyle told them.

Mitch sighed and looked at Scorpius. "Well, shall we buy another one and go for round two?"

Scorpius nodded. "Yeah, just let me make sure I still have my eyebrows after that though."


An hour or so later, and the four of them were equipped with another muggle radio, and were now sitting in the Leaky Cauldron, thinking of where they could play it.

"Maybe we could just go to one of those muggle coffee places and try it there?" Lars suggested.

"I think there's a place like that just down the corner," Mitch commented, perking up at the idea.

"Then let's try it," Lana said as she stood from her seat.

The four walked around muggle London, carrying the radio and a handful of those CDs in their cases. They finally found the place that Mitch had mentioned, and walked inside. It was a small little place, but was loud with people in line, or sitting at small circle tables.

"Let's sit over there," Scorpius said, pointing to a table in the corner, not wanting to look out of place or in the spotlight.

They walked toward the table, and Mitch looked for a place to connect the radio to the wall, and grinned when he found one. "Here we go. Let's try this again." They were much more hesitant and careful as they connected it this time, and put the CD in.

"Let's hope this one doesn't explode, because I don't know how we'd explain this to muggles," Lana mumbled.

They all sat a bit further away from the table than what looked normal, and Mitch slowly leaned forward and pressed down on the button. They immediately flinched away, but there was no explosion and no sparks. Instead just the beginning of a song played at a soft level. Mitch, now a bit braver, reached forward and turned a little knob, and the music got louder. It had a kind of harsh beat of a drum, and then a loud and almost exhilarating guitar chord began, and then another.

Mitch, wide eyed, looked at the radio with excitement. "This is so . . . awesome!"

"It really works," Lars whispered, amazed himself. "I can't believe it."

"I want to play music like this!" Mitch declared, thinking of his guitar lessons with Bret Reeser. "This guitar sounds so cool!"

"These are muggles?" Lana questioned. "They sound like our musicians. I mean, the style of music is different from what I've ever heard, but . . . the instruments basically sound the same."

"They look the same too," Scorpius commented as he looked at the case's cover picture. "Maybe it's because they're not different at all."


"Mum, how much longer is this going to be?" Scorpius asked, trying not to sound whiney as he followed his mother through Diagon Alley. She'd taken him shopping with her, and it'd been hours now! His feet hurt and he was tired of walking around bored.

"Only a few more stores," Astoria said idly as they stepped into a shop for witches. But then she pulled a few coins from her purse and held them out to him. "Why don't you go and get a snack if you want a break?" she offered.

No wanting the offer or the chance to go to waste, Scorpius took the coins from her and hurried back the way he came. With how hot it was outside, he knew exactly what he wanted. Ice cream. So he hurried to the new Florean Fortescue's. But Scorpius had no sooner received his sundae and turned around then he stopped, frozen, at who he saw walking his way.

Harry Potter!

Scorpius couldn't get his feet to move from where he stood, and he stared openly at the man they called the Chosen One. His father's former enemy. The Boy Who Lived. The hero of the wizarding world. The father of his enemies. The father of his tormentor.

But Harry Potter didn't seem to notice him at first as he came to the counter to place an order. The boy at the counter practically fell over himself trying to please the hero. Scorpius watched, now envious and angry. Was this how it was for those of the Potter name? People did whatever they wanted? Made fools of themselves just to be noticed by them? Scorpius gulped. Was this why James Potter expected the sun to rise for him, he thought bitterly? Should he hand over his snack to the great hero?

It was as these bitter and angry thoughts entered Scorpius's mind that Harry Potter finally turned and seemed to notice him standing so near to him, still frozen. But to Scorpius's surprise, the man smiled at him, kindly. "Hello, young man. Hot outside, isn't it?" His voice was just as kind, and his words were simple, as if striking up a conversation with your son's enemy was normal. Or the son of your former enemy for that matter.

And it was when Scorpius saw a bit of his reflection in a window that it dawned on him. This man, this hero, he didn't recognize Scorpius. He didn't see the similarities between him and his father. He was looking at the un-Malfoy-like black hair. He did not know he was speaking to a Malfoy. He was clueless . . . and Scorpius couldn't respond. He couldn't handle it.

And he ran out of there fast.

Scorpius quickly turned around the corner of the shop into a slim alley, and he held his sundae close to him. His chest hurt, but not with a lack of air. It was different. The realization of what had happened dawned on him. His hair . . . the adults outside of Hogwarts couldn't recognize him so easily with it being black. They didn't realize he was a Malfoy. Harry Potter himself didn't see that he was a Malfoy. And all of them, the hero himself . . .

They treated him normally.

No fear, no whispers, no angry glares, and no hesitant faces. At this moment, he was a normal kid to them. He was not an enemy, and they treated him as if he were any other kid. It was as if he wasn't the son of a former death eater. And it felt . . .

It felt so free.


As the summer continued, Scorpius found himself spending a lot of time away from the manor, mostly for two reasons. The first was to stay away from Lucius Malfoy. Just looking at that man sent shivers of anger through Scorpius, and he didn't want to lash out again. He wanted nothing to do with Lucius.

The second was so that he could continue going to Diagon Alley. He spent a lot of time there, even if he wasn't shopping, but just walking around and in and out of shops. And every time he went, no matter where he walked or what store he entered, no one automatically hated him. They either ignored him or treated him like he was any other twelve-year-old. This feeling of being treated like someone other than a Malfoy was new to him, and it was a bit intoxicating. It felt so free to not be treated like the enemy. To not be treated like . . . a Malfoy.

"Scorpius! I have great news!" Astoria said cheerfully as she walked into her son's room, a bright smile on her face.

Scorpius looked away from the book he was reading. It was the potion book his father had gotten him, and it was becoming more interesting as he got along through it. "What is it?" he asked.

But Astoria was now looking at his room. "I like the changes you've done," Astoria mentioned. "I guess I haven't been in here since before you came back for summer."

Scorpius looked around too. Thanks to Mitch, there were now multiple posters of different muggle bands and singers. The Slytherin banner was hung on the wall, right above his bed. His room was also a bit messier than normal, mainly because he was always rushing out most days, heading to a friend's, or to Diagon Alley.

"Oh, I guess. I hardly notice how different it looks," Scorpius said with a small smirk. "But, you said you had news?"

Astoria clapped her hands. "Yes! We are having a very big party in a few weeks, with a lot of family friends, and their children. Most of them go to Hogwarts, so I'm sure you know them."

"Oh, that sounds fun," Scorpius said with a nod.

"But one thing," Astoria said, now a little serious. "It's going to be formal. And I know that you've been growing up and going through changes, but if you could please keep with the formal attire for the party, I'd really appreciate it."

Scorpius sighed. "Ok, I will. And I'm sorry. I just don't like dress robes. They're so heavy."

Astoria smiled. "Well muggles have dress clothes of their own. If you really want, we can go and pick some out for you."

Scorpius brightened up. "Really? You wouldn't mind?"

"I never mind a change in fashion," Astoria teased lightly. "And you can let the others know, that way at least Mitchell will at least possibly relent in being a little formal."

Scorpius felt a bit lighter at the idea, but stopped his mother before she left. "So, what gave you the idea to have a big party all of the sudden?"

"Oh, well I guess your grandfather spent a day with some of his old friends, and they came up with the idea. But I thought it was such a good idea, so your aunt Daphne and I decided to go with it!" Astoria said with her usual smile.

But at the mention of his grandfather, Scorpius immediately felt grim. This would most likely not be fun.


"I can't believe we have to go through this stupid procession," Lars grumbled as he stood next to Miley Flint.

Scorpius felt a bit embarrassed, mainly because it was probably his grandfather's idea. They were lined up, paired up, and expected to parade into the room like they were royalty. He knew this was the doing of his grandfather and his friends. Probably to instill the idea that they were better than others. And it was probably because of how Scorpius had been acting.

Mitch fidgeted with the cuffs of the muggle shirt he wore. It was obvious that he wasn't a fan of the sleeves, or looking so formal at all. But he'd taken it up instead of dressing in dress robes. But he wasn't the only one. The other guys had done so as well, from Brandon all the way to young Alec Avery. They were all dressed in muggle clothes, and all of them had found it much more relieving and cool than thick and heavy robes. Even Nate, although he looked much nicer in them with his collar straight, his cuffs perfectly folded, and his hair combed just right.

"I've got a bad feeling about this night," Mitch mumbled.

"You too?" Lana whispered from where she stood next to Scorpius.

"My gut is telling me that this can't be good, whatever happens," Mitch replied quietly.

"You worry too much," Scorpius said weakly, repeating words they had all said to him before. "Whatever it is, it won't matter."

When their little "parade" as they'd called it was through, and they were all sat down at the large dining table, Scorpius soon felt a bit uncomfortable himself. Mainly because he noticed the look of steel his grandfather was giving him.

"Would Master like more water?" a house elf asked Scorpius timidly part way through dinner.

Scorpius looked at the small creature. "Oh, sure. Thank you . . . Pitch?" he guessed on the name, hoping he was right. He hardly used their names, as his grandfather used to tell him it wasn't needed. But his father did, as did his mother.

The house elf looked a little surprised, but nodded quickly and filled his glass. "Of course, young master."

"You may leave, Pitch," Lucius said immediately, his voice almost snobbish and cold.

Scorpius repressed his sudden urge to invite the elf to join them for the meal. He had promised himself that he would do all he could to behave at this dinner. While he knew that his mother hadn't asked it of him, she was excited about this, and he didn't want to spoil that for her.

"So, Scorpius, Raven tells me that you're going to try out for the Quidditch team?" Aaron asked. And while he hadn't caught the attention of all the adults, there was one that was looking at them now.

Scorpius ignored it. "Yes, I'm going to. For the Chaser position."

Aaron gave a nod. "Well you've got a good chance. I'm making them all try out again for their positions."

"This way we might have a chance of unloading unnecessary additions," Raven muttered, glancing discreetly at Tyson, who was talking with Nate.

"Well Trevor kept telling me to try, so I think I will. I just hope I'm good enough to at least make reserve," Scorpius said, trying not to get his hopes up. After all, he was only going to be a second year. There were older, and probably more experienced players in Slytherin.

"I'm sure Aaron will make sure you make the team," Lucius said suddenly diving into their conversation.

Scorpius's gut tightened. "I'm sure he'll pick me if I'm the best, but it really just depends on me."

"You're a Malfoy, of course you'll make it," Lucius insisted.

Scorpius glared at him. "You really have no idea what that name means at Hogwarts, do you?"

"Scorpius," Draco said softly in a warning, a brow raised on his face. "Be calm."

Scorpius sighed and looked away from the adults, trying to do as his father said. It was just so hard to be calm whenever he felt Lucius trying to mold him. More than anything right now, he wanted to go to Diagon Alley. To be free from the pressures of the Malfoy name. Because while Scorpius had always thought it horrible dealing with hatred and fear and whispers, he was quickly finding that it was no less horrible on this side.


When the dinner ended, the kids were allowed to go back and get away from the eyes of adults, allowing to them to do or say whatever they wanted. There were some younger kids too, ones that weren't yet old enough to go to Hogwarts. They'd eaten at a different table through dinner, apparently because they were too young to sit through the stupid procession they'd had to walk through. Scorpius had wished he was that young.

While all the others were sitting around, mingling and enjoying the night together, Scorpius stood by the door, unsure of who to talk to. Mitch was talking with Bret Reeser, Lars was sitting with his brother and Raven, and Lana was talking with Miley and Tamara.

"Scorpius." Scorpius felt a little surprised when Kim Avery called his name. Curious, he walked over to where she was sitting, and was then even more curious. She was sitting with Ginger Pritchard, who seemed to be carefully and gently styling a younger girl's hair.

"What is it?" he asked Kim.

Kim just smiled at him. "You shouldn't look so uncomfortable in your own home," she teased. "Sit with us. You know Ginger."

Scorpius gave a nod to the older girl, the one who had first shown him to the common rooms. Ginger was a nice enough girl, although she seemed a bit cold with her piercing eyes. But she was nice, and she never let anyone push her around. They were nice qualities.

"This is my younger sister, Lola," Ginger introduced the young girl that sat just in front of her. She was looking at the floor. "She'll be too shy to say anything."

Scorpius tried to get a better look at her. Her hair was kind of long, and it was hard to tell if it was blond or brown. He couldn't tell what color her eyes were because she kept looking at the floor, and there was a bit of pink on her cheeks. "Well, hi, Lola."

"Don't mind her," Ginger said with a sigh. "Lola, tilt your head up." She did, but she still didn't look at Scorpius.

"There are a lot of younger kids here, but why didn't your parents bring the rest of your siblings, Kim?" Scorpius asked curiously.

"Because they were too immature to handle a dinner of this caliber," Kim said with a roll of her eyes.

"It's the same reason my parents didn't bring all of our siblings," Ginger agreed, although she was now looking solely at her sister's hair. "Lola was the only one old and mature enough to come."

"How old are you, Lola?" Scorpius asked curiously.

While her tone was obviously shy, Lola at least answered. "I'm ten."

"She'll go to Hogwarts next year," Ginger added. "Sadly, it'll be my seventh year when she does come."

"It's not a big deal," Lola whispered.

But Kim and Ginger looked at each other with the same slightly worried look, and Scorpius immediately understood it, and envied it. Both girls were coming close to the end of their time at Hogwarts, which meant that when their younger siblings started to go to school, they wouldn't be there to look after them or protect them from the other kids. Part of him wished, again, that he had an older sibling to look after him. Instead, he had a grandfather that only saw him as an heir to a name.


The time to board the Hogwarts Express came again. Scorpius had promised both his parents that he would write home sooner than he did last year, and more often. Then after dealing with his mother tearfully talking about how big he was getting, Scorpius was finally allowed to board the train. He took a compartment to himself as he waited for the others. He didn't bother watching out the window this time, but instead just laid across the seat and closed his eyes.

"Scor! Scor, big news!" Rex exclaimed as he hurried in.

Startled, Scorpius quickly sat up and looked at his friend in surprise. "What are you yelling about?" he demanded, his heart beating just a bit harder.

Rex looked at him, then at the empty compartment. "Where are the others?"

"Not here yet, now what's the problem?" Scorpius questioned.

Rex looked impatient, but he sat down. "We'll wait for the others. It's big."

"What's big?" Lana inquired as she and Lars came in.

"Rex has news," Scorpius muttered, a bit impatient himself.

"It's huge!" Rex insisted as the twins put their things in the overhead compartment.

"What is it?" Lars asked as he then sat down.

"We just need to wait for Mitch and Justin," Rex told him.

"What about me?" Mitch asked as he came in, the only bag being a big case that was secured around his shoulder.

"What is that?" Lana demanded as she looked at it.

Mitch sat down and unzipped it, revealing a guitar. He grinned. "I convinced my mum to buy it as an early birthday gift. This way Bret doesn't always have to teach me on his. I have my own."

"Looks nice," Justin commented as he finally walked in and began to put his things away. "I wish mine looked that nice."

"You play guitar?" Mitch questioned with a bit of surprise.

"Sometimes. My parents started having me learn the piano, and I switched from there," Justin explained. "But I don't play very much."

"Guys!" Rex suddenly exclaimed. "I have news!"

"What is it?" Scorpius now demanded.

Rex began to grin. "Ok, so on my way to the train, guess who I spotted."

"No games, just spit it out," Lana said with a roll of her eyes.

Rex sighed. "You are no fun. Fine. Some of the Weasleys came into my sight, and I was able to figure out that there are three new Weasleys coming to Hogwarts this year. And one of them is that Freddy Weasley's sister. The one who's always with the older Potter."

Scorpius thought about this news. Three young Weasleys. He could see where Rex was going with this. Do to them what Potter did last year. But . . . "Are either of the other two boys? I'd rather not pick on a girl. Weasley or not, that's too cruel."

"Yeah, one's a boy," Rex said with a nod.

Lars grinned. "Perfect. When the train starts moving, we'll look for him, and you can point him out."

"Problem. There are prefects that roam the train," Lana warned.

"We'll just step into the boy's compartment. No harm," Justin suggested.

"Besides, I'm not afraid of a prefect," Mitch said dismissively.

"What if he's sitting with Potter and the others?" Lana pointed out.

Now the boys stopped. That could be a problem. Sure, there would be five of them, but how many would there be against them?

"Those kittens do travel in packs," Mitch muttered.

"We'll just see how it works out," Lars said reassuringly. "If he is with Potter, then we'll make a decision on what to do about it."

That was the plan they went with. As the train passed through the tunnel, the boys left their compartment, and with Rex leading the way, made their way down the train, looking for the Weasley boy. It wasn't long before Rex found him.

"Luck's on our side, boys! He's not sitting with Potter! Looks like a bunch of other first years!" Rex said with renewed excitement.

"Are you sure he's in there? I don't see a speck of red hair," Lars pointed out.

"No, he's the blonde kid in the middle," Rex told them.

Scorpius looked at the boy. The one blonde boy. His hair had a bit of a silvery sheen to it, and he had bright blue eyes and with a happy smile.

"None of the Weasleys are blonde. How can this kid be related to them?" Justin mumbled.

"No, remember our Head Girl last year? She was blonde. This must be her brother," Mitch replied.

Scorpius froze. Victoire Weasley. She was blonde, and by the looks of it, this boy could easily be her little brother. The kind face, the happy smile, the similar blonde hair. And the oddly pretty look in the boys features. It was unmistakable now that he knew.

Scorpius moved away from the door. "We're not picking on this kid," he stated.

"What?" Mitch demanded.

"He's a Weasley! He's perfect!" Rex insisted.

"He's Victoire Weasley's brother!" Scorpius hissed. "She not only got me out of trouble sometimes, but she was the only Weasley to not hate Slytherins, but to give us a chance! She was the only one of them that didn't hate my Malfoy name! I'm not going to repay her by tormenting her little brother!"

The other four boys looked a bit ashamed now, but still were scowling. "So what do we do? I mean, I remember what the girls look like, but you said you didn't want to pick on a girl," Rex muttered.

"Let's see if little Potter was brave enough to sit without his brother this year," Scorpius suggested with a bit of a smirk. Now, all of them eager again, they began to walk through the compartment.

Luck just seemed to be with them for once today.

Four second years sat in a compartment to themselves. Albus Potter, Rose Weasley, Tyler Creevey, and Robert Anderson. So without hesitation, they walked in, and instantly received glares.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Potter spat.

Scorpius ignored him as Rex shut the door. "What do we have here, boys? Looks like some abandoned kittens," he mocked. "Looks like the owner didn't want them anymore."

"No wonder, they all look worthless," Mitch laughed.

"Get out of here," Anderson hissed.

"Before we have to get a prefect," Weasley said, her head high.

"Well if it isn't Prissy Weasley," Lars mentioned. "I had forgotten what your ugly mug looked like, you hide it books so much. Now I see why."

"I will get my brother in here," Potter hissed.

They laughed. "Yeah, like I'm afraid of your big brother," Scorpius sneered. "Trust that a Potter can't take care of himself. Always needs someone to protect him! What a baby!"

"Are you going to cry too?" Rex mocked.

"And if your brother cared that much, then why isn't he here with you now?" Lars commented casually. "Why did he you leave alone to be at our mercy? It certainly isn't because you can take care of yourself."

"This is your last warning," Creevey said, now standing up.

"I'm shaking, Creevey," Mitch retorted, now coming face to face with the boy. They were the same height, same size. "Your warnings are just so scary."

"If you want something, then do something about it!" Lars stated, egging them on.

"Don't tempt me," Potter said through gritted teeth, now standing as well.

"Oh, we're tempting you," Scorpius said with a smirk. "Come on, little Potter. What are you going to do? Yell for Daddy to save you? Cry for big brother? Come on! Do something!"

But Weasley got up first and stood between the two of them. "Leave now, Malfoy! Albus has more dignity than to allow you to goad him into a fight!"

"Albus needs a girl to tell him what to do!" Lars countered. "See! He really can't take care of himself!"

To their delight, Potter pushed past his cousin and stood right in front of Scorpius. To Scorpius's surprise and pleasure, he was now a little taller than him, and not to mention Potter was much thinner. This would be perfect.

"Do something, Potter," Scorpius whispered encouragingly, goadingly. "Throw a hit, pull out your wand, do something. Where's your Gryffindor courage, kitten?"

"Hit him, Albus!" Anderson cheered, apparently just as hopeful that he would do something.

But Scorpius had really lost his patience. "Time's up." Then he gave Potter a shove, knocking him into the window, where he slid to the floor, groaning as he held the back of his head. "Next time, try not to disappoint me. I'm sure you disappoint your father enough as it is," Scorpius mocked with a cruel sneer.

"Let's hope the new little Weasley kittens aren't such cowards," Rex laughed as they began to leave, just trying to antagonize them even more.


The two Weasley girls became Gryffindors that night, while the boy, Victoire Weasley's brother whose name turned out to be Louis, became a Ravenclaw. He must be different in some way, making Scorpius glad that he chose not to antagonize the boy.

Scorpius was also happy that his cousin, Tanner Zabini, was now a Slytherin. Scorpius had already given him a fair warning to be wary of other Houses, and to not walk alone unless he was sure he could take care of himself. He didn't want this year's first years to get a late warning.

But just throughout the feast that first night, Scorpius could hear murmurs from his housemates, all seeming to revolve around the idea of being the first to strike, instead of the first victims.

"If Molly Weasley's going to be such a pretentious snob, then she really has it coming," one of the older girls said with a slight sneer.

"I'm tired of Matlock opening his mouth all the damn time. He and his brother both need to be put in their place," Aaron was whispering to Vince Flair.

"I'm tired of Wood acting all high and mighty on the pitch just because his Daddy's in the pros," Raven mumbled to Adrian Flint. "I think he needs to be knocked from the air."

The whispers and ideas continued around the table, and it honestly made Scorpius smile a little. No more playing the part of the victims. They were all going to take the lead and not be pushed around.


"You know, maybe we should take a shot at Potter, instead of little Potter," Mitch suggested as he and Scorpius walked toward the restroom. Even on the first day, History of Magic had turned out to be boring. And seeing the best chance to sneak out for a moment, Scorpius and Mitch slipped out of the room, leaving Lars to continue his paper game with Rex.

"Sounds better than just waiting for him to make a move," Scorpius said with a nod.

"I have no idea where we're supposed to go!"

"We are going to be in so much trouble!"

"Hey, it's not our fault we got lost!"

Scorpius and Mitch looked at each other in curious confusion when they heard the voices. They continued around the corner to see two young kids, probably first years, looking at their schedule with complete confusion.

"You lost?" Scorpius asked as they came closer. But they both stopped when the two boys looked up and gold and red ties shown at them.

"Gryffindors," Mitch muttered. He raised a brow at Scorpius. "What should we do?"

Scorpius glared at the two first years, who looked at them in slight terror. "Get lost," Scorpius said firmly, crossing his arms. But he didn't move toward them.

Immediately the two boys turned and ran down the hall, turning the corner so fast that they almost fell. Mitch raised a brow. "Why let 'em run?"

Scorpius scowled. He had talked big all summer but . . . he couldn't bring himself to do it to first years. He had hated it when done to him, and he couldn't do it to them. "I want to focus on Potter, and all of those that have done it to us. Let the first years grow a bit first. We'll deal with them later."

Mitch grinned. "Sure. Or you could just admit that you have a heart," he teased, although there was no irritation or exasperation in his voice. "It's cool with me. You're the boss."