Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter.
Note - Merry Christmas, guys! I've been asked by multiple readers to have this chapter out for Christmas, so I did. There may be some mistakes I missed in my rush, so bear with me. But I hope you enjoy it. As always, read, enjoy, and let me know what you think. And Happy Holidays!
Rebel Malfoy
Chapter Eleven: A Different Breed of Snake
The whispers that broke out were fast and anxious. Some were excited, and some were not. But Scorpius ignored the whispers, even those from his own House. He instead watched as a small girl made her way through the rest of the first years, and up to the front.
This girl, no wonder Scorpius never picked her out from the other Weasleys. She didn't look anything like her brothers! She didn't have the black hair like her brothers, but then again she didn't really have the ginger red hair either. It was a darker shade of red, and from where he sat, he couldn't see a single freckle on her face. Was she even really related to any of them?
The Potter girl didn't look nervous as she walked up to the stool. And to Scorpius's own surprise, she didn't even look cocky or arrogant. Her expression was oddly blank, as if she were trying to hide her emotions. And she did it well.
The hat dropped passed her eyes, and what shocked Scorpius, and probably many others, was that it didn't immediately yell out Gryffindor.
"Wow, she doesn't even look like her brothers," Lars commented.
"I feel bad for mocking Potter by saying she was as ugly as him. She's actually got a cute face," Ted West mentioned.
"I wonder why the hat is taking so long to decide her House," Lana whispered.
"Well, that one Weasley was made a Ravenclaw. Maybe she won't be a Gryffindor," Stacy West stated softly.
"She's a Potter, Stacy," Raven retorted. "And her brother makes her sound like a mini replica of himself."
"What do you think, Scor?" Mitch asked.
"Right now I'm just trying to think of a game plan against this girl," Scorpius muttered. But he never got to think of one.
"SLYTHERIN!"
A silence fell in the Great Hall. One that had never been had before. Scorpius felt his eyes grow wide, and Lars's jaw dropped. The hat was pulled from the girl's head, and the Slytherins got a good look at the girl that had just joined their House. Then they quickly looked at the Gryffindors, who didn't look to be believing what they'd just heard.
That had prompted them to all stand up and began to cheer. Because who wouldn't cheer after receiving such a huge victory?
"Take that, Gryffindor!" Adrian laughed.
"We got a Potter!" Ami Waters trilled.
Scorpius looked over at where the Potter girl was now taking a seat at their table. Tyson Derrick was immediately speaking to her, but being so far away, Scorpius couldn't hear what they said. But this girl . . . her face was so, emotionless, almost. She didn't seem upset or angry. She didn't look ready to cry, and not even embarrassed. Her face was just . . . nonchalant.
The rest of the Sorting was basically ignored, except when they got another Slytherin. Scorpius couldn't stop looking down toward the Potter girl. But he wasn't the only one.
"What do you think, Scor? I mean, this is really not what we expected," Mitch whispered.
"Yeah. What if she just makes being in our own House hell?" Rex mumbled.
"But there must be something different about her if she got placed in Slytherin," Justin replied.
"So what do we do, Scorpius?" Lars asked.
Scorpius rested his chin on his hand. "What was her name again?"
"Lily Potter," Lana answered.
Scorpius couldn't help but smirk. "Well, I think I'll have to have a chat with Miss Lily Potter tomorrow at breakfast. See if she's up to the challenge of being in our House."
The next morning, Scorpius didn't wait for the others to get up and get ready to go to breakfast. Instead Scorpius hurried to get ready himself, got dressed, and hurried down to the common room. He did a quick glance around to see if the Potter girl, Lily, was around, but he didn't see her. That meant that she was either already at breakfast, or he'd have to wait for her there.
Scorpius couldn't remember ever being so eager to get to breakfast. But this Lily Potter was already too interesting, and he couldn't pass it up. Sure, he couldn't do anything like have the girls beat her up now that she was in Slytherin. That was against their House code almost. But he could pretend to befriend her. Be around her constantly. That would get under Potter's skin! And he wasn't about to let this opportunity pass.
When he arrived in the Great Hall, Scorpius immediately looked up and down their table. And he wasn't disappointed. There sat Lily Potter, along with three others, two of the other first years, Lola Pritchard, and Jace Pucey he believed the other to be. But the surprise, and slight disappointment, was that Amanda Baddock was talking with her. She'd beaten Scorpius to it.
As Scorpius walked toward them, he took notice of how they were laughing at something. Well, that was a good sign. If Amanda liked her, then the girl couldn't be too bad. Perhaps Justin was right. Maybe there was indeed something different about her. She obviously had nothing against making friends with kids from old Slytherin families. But the test would come with him. The son of the father's enemy. The son of a former death eater.
"Associating with a Potter, Amanda?" he mocked with a smirk. He only allowed a small glance to Lily Potter, and noticed that she was eyeing him, as if trying to recognize him. Interesting. She didn't know who he was right off.
Amanda looked ready to roll her eyes, but not at all surprised at his appearance. "No, I'm associating with Lily, a new Slytherin, Scorpius," she replied as she poured more pumpkin juice into her glass.
Scorpius looked at Lily Potter fully now, and was pleased to see that she was still looking at him. Perhaps still trying to figure out who he was. So he sat down, ready to see her face when she realized. "Well, then I guess I should be a bit nicer. To our new housemate, that is."
Now Amanda did roll her eyes. She looked at Lily too. "Don't mind him. He's always a git." But a small grin played at the edge of her lips.
Scorpius crossed his arms on the table. Now was the perfect chance. He could see her face perfectly, and oddly enough, he couldn't even see a single freckle up close. How on earth was she related to the Potters or Weasleys? "I'm Scorpius Malfoy," he introduced. And her reaction was one of the biggest surprises life had given him.
She nodded. "I'm Lily Potter."
For a very brief moment, Scorpius couldn't believe it. Not a single reaction had crossed her expression, or even her eyes. No fear, no hatred, not even hesitation. It was as if . . . she didn't care who she'd just be introduced to, as compared to her brother, who had hunted her down as soon as he'd heard about Scorpius.
Scorpius couldn't help but let his grin expand. This girl . . . she was more interesting than he'd originally thought. He'd have to keep this going. "So, how are your brothers taking this news?" he prodded.
Still, she looked relaxed as she shrugged. "No idea."
"We should find out," Scorpius hinted, trying to seem casual as he turned to look at the Gryffindor table. But he discreetly glanced back at her. Now there was hesitation in her eyes, and uncertainty. So, she feared what they would think of her Sorting, did she?
He turned back to her fully. "Well, Lily," he emphasized her name, "would you like to accompany me over to your family's meeting?" What would she say to this? She seemed to have little fear of being a Slytherin, but a fear of her family's opinions.
The girl only raised a brow. "What are you talking about?"
Scorpius couldn't get the grin off his face. Now he could see why she Slytherin material. An excellent liar. Clever and sneaky. Because while she looked relaxed and casual, he could see the smallest bit of uncertainty still in those big brown eyes. "Well, I'm going over there, and I was wondering if you would like to join me?"
"Why are you going to the Gryffindor table?" she asked. Ah, avoiding the question. This girl was good. So far, it was no surprised to why she was Sorted with them. And Scorpius couldn't help but feel a bit smug at how they now had something Gryffindor didn't, and something they wanted. "Well, I want to brag that Slytherin has something they don't. as payback for when they bragged that Albus Potter supposedly had a brain."
At first, Scorpius thought she would go on the defensive for his remark against her brother. But she only lightly bit her lip, as if to . . . to stop from saying something, or to stop from laughing. "No, I think I'll stay here."
Damn, Scorpius thought. He didn't want this little conversation to end. This girl was much too interesting. But he'd played to the end of his hand. But he tried to seem casual as he shrugged and stood up. "Suit yourself. I'm sure I'll see you later." He was certain of that.
As he began to walk away, and toward the Gryffindor table, Scorpius replayed the conversation over in his mind. He wasn't sure about the girl. Yes, she was definitely Slytherin material. She was clever, hid her lies and emotions very well. And she didn't at all seem bothered by the House she was in, or with making friends with Slytherin families and kids from families of death eaters. But Scorpius still wasn't sure if she could make it out alive. After all, she had a fear of her family's opinion. She obviously worried about what they thought, and that could be a problem.
"What the hell are you doing over here, Malfoy?"
Scorpius broke away from his thoughts. He hadn't realized that he was already near the little gathering of Potters and Weasleys. But he let a smirk grace his lips. "Why, I thought I would just let you know something, Potter."
James Potter glared balefully at him, and they all looked at him with mistrust. "Get away from our table," he said lowly.
Scorpius ignored him. The Great Hall was a perfect place for this. Potter couldn't lose his cool without seeming like the bad guy to the staff. Perfect. "I just wanted to let you know that I intend to . . . take good care of your sister. We all do," he taunted.
Freddy Weasley's arms went around James, his hands on his shoulders, obviously trying to forcefully keep him in his seat. "Keep away from her," he seethed.
Scorpius kept pretending that he didn't notice his anger. "She won't have to worry about a thing. All of us from the old families will be there to take care of her, make sure she has a friend. I know that I'll always be there for the girl."
"I will hex you into oblivion, Malfoy!" Potter threatened through gritted teeth.
"And finally, I must say that I find her to be a nice girl already. We talked this morning already, and I think that if she's in our House, then well, we must be a lot alike," Scorpius said, trying to keep from laughing.
"She is nothing like you snakes!" James growled.
"Anyways, I'll see you kittens around," Scorpius said offhandedly. "I've got classes and then lunch with our newest snake. Your sister, that is." And Scorpius decided something as he walked away from the Gryffindor table.
No victory was as sweet as this one.
"So, you talked to the Potter girl, right?" Mitch asked as they sat, waiting for their Transfiguration lesson to begin.
"Yeah, at breakfast," Scorpius assured.
"What do you make of her?" Lars asked.
"She's definitely a Slytherin, but she seems to worry about what her brothers think. That could be the bad part," Scorpius said with a sigh. But then he smirked. "But, she's good bait against her brothers."
"Well that's always a bright side," Rex laughed.
"They are not at all happy," Scorpius agreed. "Which makes this all the sweeter."
"How happy are you that she didn't flinch when she heard your name?" Mitch asked knowingly.
"I was more surprised than anything," Scorpius retorted with a shrug, trying to seem casual himself. But it had been nice. "I figured her brothers had already put in a bad word for me."
"Are you going to talk to her again?" Lars asked.
"Whenever I next see her," Scorpius confirmed. "I want to see how she reacts when I talk about my time with her brothers this morning. See what's happened to her so far today, since she's in our House."
"No one's going to jump her," Lana suddenly said, turning in her seat to look at the boys. "She's the Potter princess. Potter has been talking about her so much, and has obviously been protective. No is going to lay a hand on her."
Scorpius thought about that. That could very well be the case. But . . . "She'll eventually have a run-in with her brothers. That's what I'm more excited for."
Lana simply sighed and shook her head as she turned back in her seat.
"Why hello, fellow Slytherins," Scorpius greeted as he came to sit near Lily Potter at lunch. She was again sitting with Lola and Jace Pucey.
"Scorpius," Lily greeted simply.
"Hello, Scorpius." Lola and Jace were much more eager to greet him at least.
Scorpius decided to begin his game again. "Well, Lily, I must say that your brothers weren't very happy when I brought up your House this morning."
Scorpius smirked when her head quickly turned to look at him. But she still looked so casual. "Really?" She looked ready to roll her eyes. "My cousin already told me."
Merlin, this girl. What a treat. "Dear Albus has been shooting me dirty looks all day," he told her. "I've even gotten a few from Miss Rose."
"What did they say when you brought it up?" she asked, obviously trying to seem as if she didn't really care. But it was obvious to him that she was really very curious.
"They got very upset. Why, James even threatened to hex me."
And to his surprise, Lily Potter grinned. And Scorpius had to admit that she had a pretty kind of smile. And now, he felt challenged to make her laugh. "I can't imagine him doing that."
"Why he did." Scorpius said with a very serious face, yet trying not to smirk. "He said he'd hex my hair off."
She was obviously trying to keep from laughing. "And what did you say?"
Scorpius leaned toward her just a little. "I told him I'd hex his off so that we could look alike. But then I thought about it and said that it wouldn't work. I'm much too handsome to look anything like him." And finally, finally, she laughed. Scorpius felt achieved. "Finally. It's hard to make you laugh."
Lily Potter rolled her eyes. "Perhaps I just don't like you insulting my family."
Scorpius started to fill his plate with food. He hadn't had much at breakfast. "Perhaps, but I know that siblings make fun of each other, so I was sure you would enjoy my comments."
"Perhaps I just like it when I do it," she quipped.
Scorpius looked at her, and couldn't help but smirk. Witty. He liked that. "Well, point for you. I hadn't known if that was the truth or not. But, I've proved that it's not true, so case closed."
She sighed, but her face was still amused. "I guess you have. My cover is blown."
Now Scorpius felt like laughing, but they were interrupted. "Hey, Lil." Scorpius turned, and was immediately hesitant at what he saw. One of the Weasley boys, the youngest one. A Gryffindor. He couldn't remember his name, but he did remember that he was prissy Rose's little brother. At least the boy had the decency to look uncomfortable too.
But Lily Potter didn't at all seem to mind his appearance. "Hello, Hugo. What are you doing on this side of the Great Hall?"
The boy, Hugo, fidgeted. "Well, James and Al sent me over here. they wanna talk to you."
Scorpius refrained from scoffing at their cowardice, but he was surprised by Lily Potter's response. "Really? Why didn't they come get me themselves?"
Scorpius raised a brow as he looked at her. She looked uncertain again, but was obviously trying to hide it. But she was questioning her brothers? Did she really know her brothers? Did she really think they would come themselves?
Even the boy kind of scoffed at her words. "They're waiting for you outside the Great Hall," he said. But instead of leaving, he seemed to be waiting for her.
Lily Potter heaved a sigh as she got up. "I should be back soon. I doubt this will take long. Those two aren't ones for having well-thought out talks."
Scorpius couldn't help but laugh at her words as she left. He ran a hand through his hair, unable to help it. "She is an interesting girl!"
"She's really nice," Lola suddenly said, although she looked a bit shy as she looked at him. "She doesn't care about Houses."
Scorpius looked at her with a raised brow. "Really?"
Jace nodded. "Yeah. She's really smart too."
"Obviously nothing like her brothers then," he mumbled.
"Hello, kiddies," Amanda greeted with a sigh.
"I am only a year younger," Scorpius retorted.
Amanda ignored the commented. "So, Scorpius, I'm surprised that you're not bothering Lily some more."
"I was, but she was pulled away to talk with her brothers," Scorpius mentioned seriously.
Amanda raised a brow. "Really? Well this should be interesting."
"Meaning it could be bad or good," Scorpius mumbled. This could be where her brothers turn her against her own House. Scorpius didn't want to think that was possible, but it was. He may have found her interesting, but he still hardly knew the girl.
But it surprisingly wasn't too long before they noticed Lily Potter walking back toward them, and actually with a bit of a smile. Well, if she was smiling at them then it couldn't have gone too bad in their favor, Scorpius thought.
"Welcome back. It was dreadfully quiet here when you left. Until Amanda joined us that is," Scorpius joked lightly.
But little Lola was much more serious. "What did your brothers want?" she inquired.
Lily Potter sighed. "They're just being prats about where I was Sorted. They said they wanted to help me, and that they didn't want me growing up around a bunch of 'snakes'."
Scorpius felt his body tense a little. "What did you say?" he asked. Even if she did say something bad about them, would she admit it?
But she grinned brightly at him this time. "I told them that I was a snake now too, and that I'd rather be filthy and smart than dumb and brawny."
Scorpius began to laugh. He couldn't believe it! This Potter girl was really on their side! This was a huge victory! This girl was like the ultimate piece to use against her brothers! But then as they congratulated her, he noticed two people reentering the Great Hall.
"And now the kings are coming back in," Scorpius mocked. They all watched as the two Potter boys hurried to where their family was sitting. He couldn't help but smirk at the furious and frustrated faces of her brothers. It was just too perfect.
Scorpius looked at Lily Potter and raised his glass. "Well, I think we should have a toast. To our newly inducted snake!"
And to their victory of the Gryffindor kittens.
Scorpius couldn't get the smirk off his face. He and the others were still riding the high of their victory. They had a Potter on their side! And not just that, but all that James Potter had boasted about before had been crushed. His precious little sister was a Slytherin, just like them. It was just too beautiful!
It had been a few weeks now since the first day he'd met Lily. And Scorpius had to admit that she was a nice girl, and a funny one at that. But most of all, she was interesting. She was so different from what he'd expected.
It was obvious that some of the Slytherins were still wary of her, which was understandable. After all that her brothers had put them through, it could take time. But Scorpius openly hung out with the girl, especially in the halls and at meals. He loved getting to see the look on her brother's face whenever he looked over at them.
"Scorpius?"
Scorpius looked up from his book to see that it was Stacy West standing in front of him. He was in the common room, studying over their last Transfiguration lesson. Lana was with the girls, Lars with his brother, and Mitch was having a lesson with Bret. And he couldn't find Lily anywhere, so he'd decided to spend a little time alone.
"Hey, Stacy. What's up?" It was odd for Raven's girlfriend to come to him without Raven. Not that they didn't get along, but they weren't close or anything. This was rare.
"Well, I want to talk to you. Is there somewhere private we could talk?" Stacy asked.
Scorpius didn't know whether to be curious or concerned as he closed his book. "Um, yeah. I don't think there's anyone in our dorm. We can go up there." Stacy followed him up the stairs, not saying a thing. Not a single hint about what this was all about.
There was no one in their room, but Scorpius locked the door just in case. He got the feeling that what Stacy had to talk about was something she didn't want getting around. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he waited for her to speak.
Stacy sighed. "This may sound weird, but I want to know what your intentions are with Lily Potter."
Scorpius raised a brow, surprised and now very curious. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, do you intend to be friends with her? Is that why you've been spending time with her a lot since her Sorting?" Stacy demanded, and Scorpius was a little shocked at her firm and serious tone.
Scorpius shrugged. "Yeah, she's sort of a friend. She's a nice girl, so there's nothing any of us should worry about," he assured. That must be it. Like others, Stacy was worried if she could be trusted.
But Stacy just looked at him and shook her head. "I'm not worried about that. She's an eleven-year-old girl; of course she's not something we should worry about. She's a Slytherin like the rest of us. I'm worried about why you're hanging out with her."
Scorpius couldn't stop the scoff that passed his lips. "What are you talking about?"
"Are you hanging out with her just because it irritates her brothers?" Stacy demanded.
Scorpius was ready to respond, but stopped. Because it was true. Well, not completely true, but partially. And well . . . out loud, it sounded bad. Scorpius took in a deep breath. "Partly," he admitted.
The slap he received was stinging and strong. Scorpius stumbled back a little, shocked that Stacy West, one of the sweetest girls, had slapped him, and shocked that she had such a good hit! And the stern look in her eyes, it was burning into him.
"You listen to me, Scorpius Malfoy," she said lowly, "if you have no intention of being her friend, then you leave that girl alone! She's eleven, she's just been thrown into something she doesn't fully understand, and she's just lost the support of her brothers and cousins, and best friend. She is no different from the rest of us, and really no different from you! So do not use her for your own satisfaction and gain, if you care nothing about her!"
Scorpius only nursed his jaw, unable to speak as Stacy stormed out of the room.
Lily Potter was brought into a new light after his moment with Stacy. She was more . . . like him. He found himself relating to the girl, something he'd never thought would happen. Lily Potter, the Potter Princess, who never had a harsh glare sent her way.
She was glared at all the time now, sometimes from her own family members.
Lily Potter, who lost her brothers and best friend all in one day. A girl who had bounced back in the same day, making friends with the children of her father's enemies. A girl who was strong and could be mean when needed. She was now proving that against those she had probably thought would have been her friends, if she had been Sorted differently.
Lily Potter, who had lost everything in one night, with one word. Who accepted it and moved on. A girl who didn't seem to care. A girl . . . like him.
She knew the pain of suddenly losing and fighting family. Scorpius would never have the same relationship with Lucius. She understood many things that they had all come to understand. She was given a fate that was never supposed to be given to her.
How did she handle it? Was she really so strong . . . or did she hide it like he did? Did she bottle it up? Did she release her anger and hurt in private? That girl . . .
That poor girl.
"I think the only class I'll pass this year is Flying," Scorpius heard Jace Pucey say as he approached the three first years.
"Just be careful, Madam Hooch is a hard grader," Scorpius joked lightly, letting his eyes slide over to Lily.
Lily chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised," she said, her eyes on a piece of parchment in front of her.
"What are you up to? Writing essays?" Scorpius guessed as he sat next to her.
"A letter," Lily replied.
"She's been trying for an hour now," Lola teased. "It's just a letter to your Mum and Dad. It's not hard."
"I'm just trying to think of what to tell them. I mean, I can't be totally honest. I can't tell them about my brothers and cousins. They'd worry and fuss over it. So, I'm trying to think of how to put down something vague and safe," Lily replied as she set down her quill.
"Yeah, I've been there," Scorpius admitted, thinking back to his own first letter home. "It's hard at first, but it does get easier."
"Thank Merlin for that. Otherwise I'd probably stop writing letters after so many," she said with another small laugh.
"Well, you might want to let them know a little of what happened, that way they aren't blown away when they see the changes at Christmas break," Lola told her.
Lily sighed as she ran a hand through her hair, throwing her red locks into a wild mess. Scorpius had noticed that habit of hers, and always noticed how easily it messed up her hair. He did that to his own hair sometimes, but his hair usually fell flat. It didn't become the mess that hers did.
"Well, I guess I could allude to it, but I can't go into detail. My dad would just come down here, pretending to be giving a lecture, and then would just lecture the three of us," Lily muttered as she pushed the piece of parchment off of her lap. Then she pulled her legs up on the couch, and leaned back.
Lola sighed as she picked it up. "You can't keep procrastinating on this letter."
"Don't be so bossy, dirty. Lil will do it when she's ready," Jace defended.
"What would you know, big ears?" Lola demanded with a glare.
Lily looked at Scorpius and grinned. "They make procrastinating easy for me."
Scorpius stared at the dying embers in the common room's fireplace. It was late, but Scorpius just couldn't seem to sleep. The common room was empty, everyone else already having gone up to bed.
"What are you doing up?"
Scorpius, surprised, looked to see Lana entering the common room with a pastry in her hand. "What the hell are you doing out this late?"
Lana shrugged as she came to sit next to him. "As a female, I'm punished once a month and it kept me from sleeping. So I got something to fulfill a craving. Now, what about you?"
Scorpius rolled her eyes at her answer, but he also didn't want to delve further in her reason for being up so late. "I couldn't sleep," he replied.
"Not tired?" Lana guessed as she licked a bit of frosting from her finger.
"Thinking," Scorpius admitted. He looked at her. "Do you ever hang out with Lily?"
Lana nodded. "Sometimes. I mean, I wouldn't say we're great friends or anything. But I've talked with her a few times."
"What do you think?" Scorpius asked.
"That the girl is crazy smart. At one point I thought I was helping her with an essay for Slughorn, and I think I learned more from her than she did from me," Lana scoffed.
"She is pretty smart," Scorpius agreed in a mumble.
"Then what's your problem with her?" Lana questioned.
"No problem. She's a really cool girl. I like her," Scorpius retorted. "But . . . I feel for the girl."
Lana scowled a little. "What do you mean?"
"The expectations," Scorpius replied. "I mean, half of her own House doesn't trust her, and other Houses hate her. The older Slytherins that don't hate her . . . they expect her to fight her brothers, or they befriend her because it bugs her brothers."
"People will come around," Lana said with a bit of a smile. "It's an adjustment for all of us. I mean, we've spent years hating Potters, and now we suddenly have to trust and accept one into our den."
"I just know the feeling," Scorpius sighed. "Some hating you for vague reasons, and others expecting you to lead them into battle. Some being friends with you for their own selfish reasons. But at the same time . . . I did the same thing to her. I used her."
"So what," Lana retorted dryly.
"So it's horrible!" Scorpius exclaimed.
"Are you still doing it?" Lana demanded. "Are you using her, or are you understanding her, and being her friend?"
"I'm trying to be her friend!" Scorpius said immediately.
"Then don't whine," Lana told him. "What matters is what you're doing now. If you dwell on what you've done, then you'll never move forward."
Scorpius ran a hand through his hair, and then rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Of course I am," Lana said with a grin. "Now, you better get some sleep. Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow!"
Scorpius groaned as he followed suit and got up. "Thanks for the reminder. Will you give me the same pep talk that you did last year?" he teased.
Lana laughed. "Ok, fine. I'll do my best. But no promises on my being in a good mood in the morning."
"I love this time of the month," Scorpius mocked before they separated at the stairs.
"If I have to deal with it, I'm taking you boys down with me!" Lana commented before disappearing from view.
"What are our chances of getting rid of Tyson this year?" Raven questioned as he and Stacy walked with Scorpius and Lars to the pitch. The boys had brooms in their hands, ready for their tryouts. Stacy was going to be there in support from the stands.
"We can only hope," Lars muttered.
"If anything, maybe Lily Potter will try for the spot next year," Stacy suggested. "I mean, Ray, you did say that she was pretty good after that incident a few days ago."
"What incident?" Scorpius asked.
Raven just waved it off. "Nothing. It was when Aaron took some of us out for a bit of prep before today. And yeah, she was quick, but I can't say that she was perfect for the spot. She was just fast is all. Although she didn't mind getting a bit hurt or dirty."
"Well then she's already better than Tyson," Scorpius pointed out as they stepped onto the pitch.
"Good luck, boys. I'll be watching," Stacy said with a smile.
Raven finally smiled as well. "I'll be looking for ya," he murmured as he stood closer to her.
"Disgusting," Lars muttered as he and Scorpius quickly began to make their way for the locker rooms.
"Why do they do that in front of others," Scorpius said with a shake of his head.
"I hope I'm never like that when I'm that age," Lars said with a disgusted look as he opened the door to the locker room.
"I will never do things like that," Scorpius stated. "Especially in public." But then the two of them received a surprise. Lily Potter was sitting in the locker room, obviously dressed and ready for a tryout. Aaron was standing close by her, so Scorpius didn't move to talk to her. But he gave her a small smirk as he walked past her.
"What's she doing here?" Lars wondered quietly as they headed for their lockers from the previous year.
"Well, she looks ready for a tryout, but that doesn't make sense," Scorpius agreed.
"Aaron got Professor Brown to bend the rule for her," Adrian told them as they opened the locker next to him. "Apparently he was really impressed, so he worked it out for her to try for the team."
"What position?" Lars asked.
"Seeker. So we can only pray that she beats out Tyson," Adrian said as he laced up his shoes. "But after what I saw the other day, I think she can do it."
"It just doesn't seem like Aaron," Lars mentioned. "I mean, he's always laughed at the idea of a girl on the team. Then he does something like this? I mean, I love my brother, but even I can admit that he's sexist. He's like our dad that way."
"She must have been really good then," Scorpius said, watching as she walked out of the locker room. But as soon as the door closed, the locker room seemed to explode.
"What is Aaron thinking? Letting a Potter on our team?" one of the older boys hissed.
"Just because her daddy played in his first year, than so can she? You know that's why Headmaster allowed it," Ted West muttered.
Scorpius tensed. He wanted to say something . . . but did he have the right? Lana's previous words came back, and the reminder that he had been no different at first. But at least he knew now that it wasn't right.
"Hey!" Scorpius, like the others, jumped at the stern yell. He looked to see that Raven had Ted West by the collar. "She might be a Potter, but she's a Slytherin now. And whether you like it or not, she is on our team of Slytherin! She's one of us." He dropped Ted and looked around. "Does anyone else have a problem with her?"
"What, are you her defendant now?" Tyson mocked.
Raven straightened up, and was much bigger than Tyson. "I don't care about your prefect status, Derrick. And yeah, I am. Because I'm a Slytherin, just like her. And in case you forgot, we defend our own!" Raven stormed away from him, throwing his things by an empty locker, and began to get ready.
While things grew quiet and tense, Scorpius sent one last glance at Raven before making for the door. Raven, he wasn't just right, but brave to say it to those who had been on his "team" much longer than Lily.
The tryouts were watched by kids and the teams from the other Houses, which wasn't unusual, and to Scorpius, not the least bit distracting. He went through his tryout with confidence, sure that he was good enough to keep his position. But this year, he paid special close attention to the Seeker tryouts. Mainly, Lily's tryout.
On a broom . . . it was as if she belonged in the air. Lily Potter was a natural at flying. She showed no hesitation and no arrogance. She just was. And she was fast, despite the slightly older model of broom. And along with her size, she was able to move swiftly through the air, cutting through it like a knife. And the best part was that she didn't seem to care that her feet and legs dragged through the mud and collected multiple grass stains. She didn't seem to have any fear as she did whatever it took to get the Snitch in the fastest time.
When she finished and came to sit next to him on the bench, Scorpius gave her a small nudge and a smirk. "Hey, good job out there."
She smiled at him. "Thanks."
"I hope you get put on the team," he told her, speaking honestly. "Tyson is too prissy for this game. You're much better."
This light pink color came to her cheeks, but her voice was still certain and relaxed. "I hope you make it too. You did really good out there."
"My chances are a bit higher. After all, there are two Chaser openings." When Aaron had stated that he was making the entire team retry for their positions, Scorpius had groaned with the others, but he'd understood. Aaron didn't want to get too relaxed.
"Aaron's a Chaser?" Lily asked.
Scorpius nodded. "Yeah. With his strength you'd think he'd be a Beater, but he likes being a Chaser apparently." He glanced down at her broom, and recognized it. Well, he recognized the little etching on the side. "Is that Lana's?"
"Yeah, it's hers. I'm just using it for the tryout."
"And when you make the team?"
"Then I send for my broom."
Scorpius gave a small and quiet chuckle, but then looked back to her. "That reminds me, did you ever write to your parents?"
"Yeah, I wrote to 'em. They said that they're proud of me no matter what, and to ignore my brothers. They said that the others will come around," she said with a roll of her eyes.
Scorpius scoffed as well. "I can't see that happening." Those Gryffindors accepting a Slytherin? It would be more likely that a Hufflepuff would cheat.
But Lily didn't seem upset, but laughed instead. "Neither can I."
"Well, at least you told your parents about the issues with your brothers," Scorpius replied. He never would have had the guts to do so, if he'd been in her position.
She shrugged. "I only said vague things. Besides, I got the feeling that my brothers had said more about it before I had. If so, it was most likely Albus."
"Sibling snitch, is he?" Scorpius mocked.
"The worst in the family," she muttered.
When the last tryout had finished, and everyone had changed, Aaron had them line up on the pitch. "All right, you all did good, but we only need six players. And after careful consideration, I have a team already planned out after watching everyone try out. First, as a Keeper, I've chosen to have Dante Montague retake his position."
Dante looked smug as he took his place next to Aaron. It was no surprise that he got his position back. He had done amazing out there today.
"For Chasers, there is myself, Adrian Flint, and Scorpius Malfoy will take his position from last year as well," Aaron stated.
Scorpius felt proud, but tried to not look too smug as he went to stand with the others, Adrian by his side.
"As for Beaters, Raven Bole and Lars Goyle will retake their positions," Aaron said, obviously proud of his little brother once again.
Raven was still scowling, probably still irritated about the earlier incident in the locker room. Raven didn't really hold grudges, but it did usually take him awhile to cool off.
"And our Seeker will be Lily Potter," Aaron stated.
The relief that went through the others on the team was tangible. They were all ecstatic that Aaron had traded in Tyson for a faster and braver Seeker. Scorpius patted her shoulder as she came to stand with them. But their grins and smiles didn't last long.
"Are you kidding me?" Tyson hissed. "You're picking her over me? Are you out of your mind?"
Scorpius kind of hoped that Tyson would get in Aaron's face . . . because that was something Aaron would never stand for, and Tyson really needed to be brought down a little.
"She caught it faster and better than you did," Aaron said, still calm like a captain. But they all knew his patience was thin.
"Plus, she's not some priss," Scorpius spoke up. And his words made his position on the Potter in Slytherin situation obvious.
Tyson's scowl deepened, and he obviously wanted to say something. But like others, he had put his faith in Scorpius to be a "leader" against the fight with Gryffindors. He wouldn't lash back at him now. Instead, he took it out on Aaron. "I can't believe this!"
Now Aaron was scowling, his patience gone. "Believe it. Unlike you, she's not afraid of getting a little dirty. As long as we win." And he waited until just the team stood before him to speak as their captain. "All right, our first practice will be after classes next Wednesday. By then I'll have a team jersey for each of you. So I expect to see you all then."
As the team began to leave, Scorpius hurried to catch up to Lily. "I told you that you'd make the team," he teasingly pointed out.
She rolled her eyes, but still smiled. "Thank you for the confidence."
"Any time, Lily. Any time," he assured with amusement.
"Hey, Scorpius! Come here!" Raven call from behind them.
Scorpius glanced back, before looking back to Lily. "I'll see you later."
Lily gave a nod. "Sure. Later."
Scorpius hurried back to where Raven stood, and gave him a curious look. "What's up?"
Raven placed a hand on his shoulder and led him back to the pitch. "Aaron wants to talk to us quick," he replied. "I'm not sure what's up, or why he didn't want me to get Lily."
The two of them walked back to the pitch, where Aaron had gathered the rest of the team as well, excluding Lily. All but Aaron looked confused or curious.
"What's this about, Aaron?" Dante questioned.
"About our new teammate," Aaron stated. "Lily."
"Thanks for getting rid of Tyson, by the way," Adrian mentioned. "It's about time that guy was off this team."
"That aside," Aaron said, all business, "I want to say something to each of you. No arguing with what I say, all right?"
They all agreed, although Scorpius was still very curious as to what Aaron wanted to tell them.
Aaron sighed. "Now, I know that it's been awhile since we've had a girl on the team. Years. And not only is Lily a girl, but a first year. So, I don't want to hear one sexist comment in that locker room, whether she is in there or not. She will be treated like one of us, because she is one of us. Is that understood?"
"Yes, Captain," they all agreed.
"You will not make her feel uncomfortable. Because she's going to change in that locker room just like the rest of us. If she is made to feel out of place, that person will answer to me. Understood?" Aaron demanded.
"Yes, Captain," they agreed again.
"Good. Now be prepared, because I plan on doing everything possible in order to win."
