Disclaimer – I do not own Harry Potter.
Note – Ok, so here is the next chapter. I hope you guys like it. Some unseen moments, and some familiar ones. Quidditch match will be in the next chapter, and we'll get to see it in Scorpius's point of view this time. Anyways, read, enjoy, and let me know what you think.
Rebel Malfoy
Chapter Twelve: No Going Back
"This is it. Our first Hogsmeade visit!" Lars said with excitement. He had been pumped up for days, eager to hang out with his older brother and older kids outside of Quidditch practices.
Lana was a bit more relaxed, but Scorpius could now see a bit of hesitation that had come to her. "Yep. It's big," she mumbled.
"Not too sure about doing this anymore?" Mitch guessed as they walked up toward the village. "You know, you don't have to do it."
The plan had been set for them to enjoy their day at Hogsmeade, but to meet Dante and Adrian in two hours at Hog's Head. From there, they would take the three to where Aaron and the others would be.
"I'm not afraid," Lana retorted as they came up to the village. She looked at the boys. "So, where to first?"
"Honeydukes. I'm hungry for sugar," Mitch said with a grin as he continued to walk forward.
Honeydukes was as crowded and as amazing as older kids said it was. Candy of all kinds and flavors surrounded you as soon as you stepped inside. And Scorpius with more money in his pocket than the average kid, he was ready to try many new kinds.
"Bertie Bott's. We can't pass these up," Mitch commented as he grabbed a box.
"Some Chocolate Frogs," Lars added.
"Grab a thing of Cauldron Cakes," Lana told Mitch, who did as she said.
The four of them held nothing back when picking out candy, because Scorpius had insisted on paying for all of it. "It's not a problem," he had told them. "Lucius would have a fit at me spending all of what he would call his money on candy. So I would love nothing more than to do it."
So they got Glacial Snow Flakes, Lana got Honeydukes Best Chocolate and Licorice Wands, Mitch wanted to try Pepper Imps and Peppermint Toads, while Lars got Skeletal Sweets and Pumpkin Pastries. Scorpius made sure to grab Treacle Fudge, Pumpkin Fizz, Sugar Quills, and Fizzing Whizzbees.
"Are you sure you little ones can eat all that?" the elderly lady at the counter asked with a kind smile.
"Miss, we're thirteen. Don't put it past us," Mitch said charmingly with a smile as Scorpius placed the money on the counter.
They then went to Dominic Maestro's, a local music shop, where Mitch probably would have spent all day if they hadn't dragged him out. They went to Splintwitches, the village's sports shop, where Lars bought a small broom cleaning kit, as his broom was starting to get a bit old and needed to be polished.
"We can't skip out on going to The Three Broomsticks," Lana said as she walked toward the inn. "Besides, a butterbeer before meeting up with the boys would be nice."
So the boys followed her inside. It was warm inside, away from the cool breeze outside. There were other students inside already, but older witches and wizards as well. The room was full of the chatter of a hundred different conversations.
"This isn't bad," Lars commented as they sat down at a table, while Mitch went to get an order of butterbeers.
"I can see why people talk about it so much," Scorpius agreed.
Mitch came back to sit with them, a bit of a grin on his face as he set the four bottles down. "Here we go."
"Thank you," Lars said as he quickly popped his open.
But Lana looked at Mitch with a curious look. "What made you look that happy in the minute we've been apart?" she mocked.
Mitch chuckled. "Nothing. I'm just excited about meeting with the guys. Almost time."
"You're really excited about doing this?" Lana inquired.
Mitch nodded. "Yeah. I mean, I'm up for trying it at least."
"Plus, it's completely rebellious for a third year to be doing . . . what we're going to do," Scorpius pointed out with a bit of a smirk. "Of course he's excited."
"Well aren't you?" Mitch teased back.
Scorpius shrugged. "I'm just hoping that it really works like Aaron said. A chance to forget would be nice."
The four of them were on their way to The Hog's Head, when Lars suddenly stopped them. "Wait! There's one more thing we have to see first!"
Lana looked at him with a bit of confusion. "What are you talking about?"
Lars grinned. "The Shrieking Shack!"
"The Shrieking Shack?"
The four of them whirled around to see Dante and Adrian walking their way. "We were just on our way to meet you guys," Adrian commented. "Are you ready?"
Dante elbowed him. "Wait, dude, didn't you hear? They haven't seen the Shrieking Shack yet. Let's stop there first."
"Let's do it!" Lars said excitedly.
With Dante and Adrian leading the way, they started toward the most haunted place in Britain. "I don't get why people enjoy going to look at haunted places," Lana mumbled.
"Haven't you heard the legends of the shack?" Dante asked. "Some nights, you can hear howls and screams of agony and fury coming from the inside of the shack!"
When they got to a thin wire fence, Adrian pointed ahead of them. "There it is."
Scorpius looked out to the field ahead of them. There were no howls or screams. Just a strangely, eerie silence. It was pretty creepy, especially when you add the old, rickety look of the shack itself.
"Does anyone live there?" Mitch asked. "Or that used to live there?"
Dante shrugged. "Who knows? If so, they probably died or something. Maybe that's why they say it's haunted."
"I doubt that," Adrian replied. "None of the ghosts at school are brave enough to go in there. Must be something else that haunts it." But then he sighed. "So, unless you want to try and go in, I suggest we go meet up with the others now."
Lars now backed away from the fence. "Ok, sure. Let's go."
Lana rolled her eyes. "Coward," she mocked as she walked away.
"So, where are we going?" Mitch asked as they began to walk again.
"To the station," Adrian answered. Then he looked at the large bag that Lars was carrying. "How much candy did you guys buy?"
"A lot," Lars told him.
Dante grinned. "Good. Sneaking in the rest might not be too difficult."
"We're sneaking stuff into the school?" Lana demanded.
Adrian nodded. "Yeah. We're not going to drink it all out here, because then we'd obviously get caught being smashed as we tried to get back to the castle. We drink some out here, some in there. Also, we've got a little extra, which is going to be for a party this year."
"What party?" Mitch asked.
"You're not invited," Adrian said immediately.
Dante rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, neither am I. It's usually just fifth years and up. Only every now and then are some fourth years even invited."
"I get the feeling I wouldn't want to go anyways," Lana muttered.
When they arrived at the station, Adrian and Dante led them around it, and then began toward the Forbidden Forest.
"Woah! No one said anything about going in there!" Lars said immediately. "Things in there could kill us!"
"We're not going far in. Just enough to hide us from sight. Nothing is going to get us," Adrian assured as he and Dante continued to walk.
Scorpius hesitated a little too. He'd heard so many stories from his father about this forest. But . . . he couldn't back down now. So he followed after them, and soon saw that Mitch was beside him. He could hear Lana and Lars coming behind them.
Adrian was right. They hadn't gone very far in when they saw their group, and it wasn't a group they'd expected to see together. There was Aaron, but the other seventh year was Rachel Warrington, one of Justin's older sisters. For sixth years there was Bret Reeser, Nancy Higgs, and even Raven and Stacy. Cody Reeser and Raphie Warrington, Justin's older brother, were the only fifth years.
"So these are the only new ones to join our group?" Cody asked with a chuckle. "What about your little brother, Raph?"
"Justin is not getting involved!" Rachel said quickly.
"Wasn't my choice. And what about your sister?" Raphie muttered.
"Not her thing," Cody sighed dramatically.
"Hey, Mitch! Welcome!" Bret greeted with a grin.
Aaron scowled as he looked at his two siblings. But with a sigh, he held out a bottle of clear liquid. "Here," he said to Lana. "You wanna be part of this, then jump in." It was obvious that he thought Lana would back out, or at least find it disgusting.
But Lana had seemed to push back her earlier hesitation as she fearlessly grabbed the bottle, and began to twist off the top. Mitch had already gone to sit by Bret, who was handing him something different. But Scorpius watched as Lana brought the bottle to her lips, and took a drink. Her gulp was slow and obviously forced. A small scowl came to her face, but she kept eye contact with Aaron as she held it out to Lars. "You could have got better, but not bad," she mocked before moving past him, obviously moving to sit with the girls.
Lars coughed after his drink. "Woah! That's got quite a . . ."
"Kick," Cody finished the sentence for him. "Now pass. Scor hasn't gotten a taste yet. He needs an initiation too."
Scorpius took the bottle from Lars, looking at it intently. Its label had clearly been scratched off, keeping him from knowing what exactly it was. But the others had done it, so he didn't want to be the only one that didn't. So swallowing any hesitation he had, Scorpius brought it to his own lips and took a big drink.
Taking a big drink was a bad idea, but he forced himself to not cough or gag as he let the alcohol slide down his throat. It settled into a burning sensation in his chest. The taste was strong, and not only stuck to his tongue, but lingered on his lips.
"Not bad, eh?" Cody said with a laugh.
Dante took the bottle from him, and gave him a pat on a shoulder. "You get used to it," he assured. "I spat it out when I took my first drink."
"And all over my shoes," Rachel Warrington complained.
"You shouldn't stand too close," Dante retorted before taking a drink.
Scorpius laughed at Bret's joke as the large group made their way back to the gates. The rest of the alcohol was buried under all the candy they'd gotten earlier, and Aaron held the bag. Now they were all trying to seem normal, hoping that they wouldn't be caught.
Scorpius himself . . . he felt so carefree. Never had so much tension and stress melted away from him. Never did he care so little. And it was wonderful. He felt like he could do anything. He'd like to think he wasn't already trashed. After all, the others said that they could hardly tell he was acting different, and he wasn't slurring his words.
"Guys, there's Mr. Goyle. Act normal!" Raphie warned with what sounded almost like a giggle.
"Can't get caught," Cody said with his own little laugh.
"Hey, kids," Mr. Goyle greeted as they got closer. "Had a fun time?"
Aaron nodded, obviously the best one to do the talking with his own father. "Yeah. We got to show the little ones here around."
"And of course they go straight for the candy," Mr. Goyle laughed, motioning toward the bag. But then he looked at it curiously. "What kinds did you kids get?"
Scorpius looked at Aaron with a bit of fear. He wouldn't check the bag, would he? But Aaron was quick as he pulled something from the bag. "We picked up Cauldron Cakes just for you, Dad," he said.
Mr. Goyle took the sweets happily. "Well thank you, kids. Now, you better go on. Don't want you to miss dinner."
With short goodbyes, they left the gates, and hurried to the castle. "Quick thinking, Captain," Raven mentioned.
"I noticed them in there earlier, and knew that Dad would be interested in any food they brought with them. Luckily, he loves Cauldron Cakes," Aaron muttered, rubbing his forehead. Perhaps he was feeling as light as Scorpius was.
"So, where are we going now?" Mitch asked.
"My dorm room," Aaron answered. "Tyson is patrolling tonight, and the other guys are studying for N.E.W.T.s in the library after dinner."
"But really, we only have to worry about Tyson," Raven mentioned.
"Well then we'll just have to drink it all before he gets back," Adrian said with a grin.
And they did just that. What they hadn't planned to save for their future party was finished off between the group, and the rest hidden with Aaron's personal belongings. Scorpius still felt careless, but his head was a bit heavy. It was almost as if he was tired. But when they all decided to separate from the room before Tyson could return, Scorpius found himself not going toward his own room with Mitch and Lars, but walking, and almost tripping, down the stairs to the common room. But he then took a seat, and fell to his back. From there, he just stared at the ceiling for a while.
A face appeared above his, and he was a little surprised to see Stacy West. He blinked for a moment, but then she smiled at him. "Are you ok?" she asked, almost a little slowly.
Scorpius blinked again before attempting to sit up. He felt a hand on his shoulder, helping him. He then looked at Stacy, who was now sitting beside him. "Yeah. I'm fine," he mumbled, his head spinning a little now.
Stacy sighed as she looked into his eyes. Then she placed a hand on his cheek, and gave a little push. And Scorpius's world was suddenly very light, and he quickly began to fall. But Stacy caught him easily. "I knew they shouldn't have let you third years in on this," she whispered.
Scorpius scowled a little. "Well why did you do it?"
"I didn't," Stacy replied easily. "I was just keeping an eye on Raven, and making sure he didn't get into trouble."
"Well I did it to forget . . . about something," Scorpius said, his scowling deepening. What was it again?
"I know," Stacy said simply. "I just think there are better ways to go about it."
Scorpius just blinked before yawning loudly. "Ok."
Stacy stood up, and then began to pull him up. Scorpius stumbled a little, but Stacy had a surprisingly strong grip. "Come on. You should get to your room, and to bed."
"Wait," Scorpius said as she helped him up the stairs to the boys' hall. "I want to tell you something."
Stacy looked at him as they stopped in front of a door. "What is it?"
Scorpius held onto her arm, a little afraid he was going to fall to the floor. Why was he suddenly so tired? "I just wanted to say that you were right. She and I are a lot alike. And I was wrong. And I think you and Raven are really brave, and good, for accepting her so easily." He wasn't sure if he was making sense, as his mouth felt weird and dry.
But Stacy nodded. "I'm glad you realized that. Now go to sleep." She nudged him toward the door, and began to leave.
"How can you eat?" Lana groaned as she held her head in her hands at breakfast.
Scorpius wasn't eating either, but just drinking a lot of water. His mouth kept getting really dry. But Lars was eating an overly full plate of food. Scorpius's own stomach felt like lead, stopping him from eating.
"Hey, I already puked this morning. My stomach is ready for something to be back in it," Lars retorted as he continued to eat.
Mitch, not caring about wearing sunglasses inside, had been quiet and irritated, thanks to his own headache.
"Hey, you guys look like you've gone through a rough night," Miley Flint commented as she came to sit with them.
"You're too loud," Mitch muttered as he rubbed his temples.
Miley frowned. "What's got your wand in a knot so early?"
"He's just got a headache," Lana told her.
Miley rolled her eyes. "Really? I got the feeling it was a hangover," she muttered.
They all looked at her with surprise. "What?" Lars mumbled over a mouthful of food.
"I know what my brother does," Miley replied. "I've been used to dealing with his hangovers for a while now. But this year, I have to keep Shay from having to deal with them."
"Why keep Shannon from him? How bad are Adrian's hangovers?" Scorpius asked.
"Well, he's grouchy, moody, oddly quiet, and he snaps really easily at people," Miley described. "And at eleven, that's nothing Shay needs to deal with."
"If you knew, why didn't you go with us?" Mitch asked suddenly. "I mean, why not hang out with us?"
Miley shrugged. "I knew Adrian would have thrown a major fit if I had. Maybe next year though."
"So, Justin has started to help teach me how to write my own music," Mitch was telling Scorpius as the two sat on one of the castle's large windowsills during their midday break. "And Bret's starting to help me focus on what chords sound really awesome together. I'm hoping I'll be able to actually put together something of my own during the summer."
"Well I'm happy for you," Scorpius said sincerely as he brought his foot up to rest near the window. October had come and mostly gone, bringing November closer. But what that meant for Scorpius was that the first Quidditch match was drawing near. And not only that, but as always, it was against Gryffindor.
Mitch looked at him with a grin. "You know, I feel like I hardly spend time with you anymore, Scor," he said teasingly.
Scorpius looked at him with a raised brow. "Really? How so?"
Mitch playfully shrugged. "Well, I'm usually working with Bret or Justin, and you have Quidditch . . . and of course Lily Potter."
Scorpius smirked and let out a chuckle. "She's a good friend. I like her."
Mitch kept grinning. "Yeah, she's a cool girl. I'll admit, I'd hang out with her more if I had the same time free that you guys do."
"Have you seen him yet?" The annoying voice came so suddenly that it made both boys jump. They turned to see that two girls had met not far from their spot. Scorpius vaguely recognized seeing on of them, but he really recognized the other. Lyla Stretton. One of the brattiest girls Gryffindor had.
Mitch groaned loudly. "How annoying!"
But the girls didn't seem to notice. "I got him this really cute chain! I think he'll like it!" Lyla Stretton bragged.
Scorpius ran a hand through his hair. "Girls are annoying!" he said just as loudly.
"He totally will, Lyla," the other girl assured. "And it's obvious that James really likes you!"
"Get the hell away from us!" Mitch suddenly snapped, finally scaring both girls. And once they saw who had screamed, they quickly hurried to leave. But then Mitch sighed as he looked at Scorpius. "Damn. It's Halloween. Potter's birthday."
"So chances are that we'll eventually see him, acting like a big shot around the castle," Scorpius said as he leaned against the stone wall.
"That's going to get annoying quick," Mitch groaned. "I'm going to need something to cheer me up."
"How about we pick on baby Potter?" Scorpius offered.
Mitch grinned. "Now you're talking!"
When the time came for Care of Magical Creatures, Scorpius and Mitch found themselves eager for the class. Especially when they found that it wasn't a lecture day, but rather a day to work on writing an essay on Hippogriffs, and to be able to ask Hagrid any questions.
"And if ya do well, the whole class might get a treat!" Hagrid had promised, being vague on what he'd meant by treat.
While sitting in a group, the Slytherins had been snickering for a while, mostly thanks to Scorpius and Mitch. And it was because they had the perfect distance from the Gryffindor group.
"Wingardium Leviosa," Mitch whispered, his wand pointed in Albus Potter's direction. Suddenly Potter's ink bottle began to lightly hover and shake as Mitch moved it a little closer to Potter, and then letting it drop and spill over the grass. And they laughed even more when they saw that some had stained Potter's trousers.
"I got a better one," Scorpius whispered as he discretely pointed his wand in their direction. With careful aim, he pointed it at Potter's head. "Mucus ad Nauseam."
Potter suddenly held his head and sneezed as the head cold began to overtake him. They all quickly looked at their essays as they laughed quietly. Rose Weasley had sent them a withering look before moving to help her cousin.
When the class had ended, Hagrid had told them that the essays were due next class day, and those that had already finished could hand them in now. Of course Rose Weasleys rushed up to give him her paper. But Scorpius and the others quickly packed up their things, locking up their books carefully, before heading toward where Potter was gathering his own things.
"Good afternoon, baby Potter," Mitch greeted with a laugh. "Have a good day?"
Potter glared balefully at them, but it was weak. "Get away before I hurt you," he muttered.
They all immediately began to laugh. "Hurt us? That's rich!" Lars laughed.
"You couldn't hurt a Flobberworm, baby Potter," Rex mocked.
Scorpius smirked as he looked at Potter. Then he noticed something that was still lying on the ground. He leaned down and picked up Potter's wand. "Well, well, well. Look at this, guys."
"Looks like a coward's wand," Tamara Nott mocked.
Potter immediately stood up straight. "Give me my wand," he hissed lowly.
Scorpius looked at it closely. "What do you supposed it's made of?"
"Well, I would guess it's maybe 9 inches," Tamara guessed. "Which means a lack of personality."
"Give it back!" Potter demanded, trying to snatch at it.
But Mitch was quick to take it away from his reach. "That sounds right, Tamara. But the real question is: who wants to find out how flexible it is?" he asked, bending it slightly. It was obvious that it wasn't that flexible from the way it bent and seemed to stretch.
"Something wrong?"
The group turned to see that the Scamander twins had approached them. While the taller one looked uncomfortable and stood a bit back, the slightly shorter one didn't seem hostile or uncomfortable. Scorpius couldn't really remember their first names, but he remembered them from their Quidditch match against Ravenclaw last year.
"No problem at all," Lars replied easily with a mocking grin.
"Actually, we were getting ready to head back to our common room," Mitch said as he flung Potter's wand far behind him.
"Have a happy Halloween," Scorpius mocked, still smirking. The Slytherins all turned and began to walk away, not sparing a glance back.
Mitch sighed as he stretched his arms, before placing his hands behind his head, still grinning. "Well, that made my day great. How about you guys?"
"Is there anything better than making baby Potter miserable?" Rex laughed.
"Yeah. Making James Potter miserable," Scorpius replied.
"So, where's Lars?" Lana asked as she and Scorpius walked toward the Great Hall for the Halloween Feast.
"Aaron is talking with him and Raven still," Scorpius told her. Quidditch practice had just finished, and Aaron had kept the Beaters back. Scorpius had met up with Lana after dropping his broom off his in his room. "Where's Mitch?"
"He said he was too hungry to wait, so he, Rex, and Justin went ahead to the feast," Lana told him as they entered the Great Hall, which was decorated for the holiday as always.
Scorpius scanned the table, but before finding Mitch he found Lily and her friends sitting near the middle of the table. So he nudged Lana. "How about we join Lily today?"
Lana shrugged as she followed him. "Sure. Fine with me."
Lily noticed their approached, and grinned as they sat down. "Nice of you to join us. Getting tired of listening to the other third year boys' grunts?" she mocked.
Scorpius chuckled. "Actually, Lana here was tired of it, so I suggested sitting here. What place could be better than by our own Lily Potter?" Scorpius frowned a little. He didn't like associating her with the name Potter. After all, she was better than those idiots. She needed a nickname more than anyone. "What's your middle name?" he asked her. Sadly, he didn't have any idea of what to call her.
Lily raised a brow. "Why?"
"Well, I think you should have a nickname, but I can't think of one. So perhaps your middle name will help me think of one."
She sighed. "Why do I need a nickname?" she asked.
Lana rolled her eyes. "He gives one to everyone."
Lily looked at him, so he tried to give her an innocent look. She looked ready to roll her eyes, but she answered him at least. "It's Luna. Lily Luna Potter."
Scorpius scowled instinctively at Potter, but thought about it. "Hmm . . . Lily Luna." Then it hit him. He liked that. "Lily Luna. I kind of like that," he admitted.
"Like what?" Lily asked idly.
"Lily Luna. Does anyone ever call you that?" he asked.
She grinned. "Only when I'm in trouble." Scorpius laughed, but then she asked him a question. "What's your middle name?"
Scorpius looked down to his plate. "It's stupid. I don't really like it." Thanks to the family tradition of naming kids after constellations, he'd been stuck with a weird first and middle name.
But Lana began to laugh. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy!" she told the three first years.
Scorpius quickly turned to glare at her. Two could play that game. "Shut it, Lana Crabbe Goyle."
Now Lana stopped laughing, and her cheeks turned bright red. She hated her middle name as much as he hated his. "Not funny. It's not my fault my dad thought he had twin boys."
Jace Pucey started to laugh, and Scorpius couldn't help but laugh with him. The only two who were polite enough not to laugh were Lola Pritchard and Lily. In fact, Lily seemed to understand. "So, you got your middle name from your dad's friend that died, right?"
Lana nodded, and Scorpius could see that she was a little surprised that someone like a kid from the Potter family knew about their fathers' friend. "Yeah, and I love it," she said sarcastically.
Lily laughed lightly. "I got my name from my parents' friend. Actually, her sons are in your year."
Scorpius felt a little curious now. "Who are they?"
"Lorcan and Lysander Scamander," she told them
Scorpius felt surprised himself. "Those two weirdos?" he demanded. He didn't know their mother, so how could he have guessed. But then he stopped, and felt a little bad. He had probably just insulted two kids who were probably her friends. "Oh, sorry."
But to his surprise, she was actually laughing a bit as she shook her head. "No, I know they're weird. Everyone does. But I still love them. They are my god brothers."
Lola looked to her now. "How'd they take to your new House?"
Scorpius wondered that too. Surprisingly, neither twin seemed hostile today after class. And Scorpius had personally never gotten into a fight with one of them, unlike other Ravenclaws.
Lily shrugged in response. "Actually, I haven't talked to them since before school started."
"Yeah, aren't they like Hufflepuffs or something?" Lana asked.
Scorpius wanted to roll his eyes. Of course Lana wouldn't remember that they were Ravenclaw Beaters. "Ravenclaws," he told her. He glanced at Lily. "They're both the Ravenclaw Beaters."
Scorpius watched as she seemed to look toward the Ravenclaw table. "No surprise. They both have so much energy." But then she grew quiet as her eyes moved a little, and Scorpius was sure that she had looked toward the Gryffindor table.
"Have you talked to your brother? I've heard too many times today about how it's his birthday," Scorpius asked carefully. Honestly, he hadn't at all thought about how Lily would be feeling on her brother's birthday. He'd mainly been thinking about how annoyed he was that the day had come again.
Lily blinked as she looked away from her family's table. Then she shook her head. "No, I haven't. I've decided to at least tell him happy birthday."
Lana scoffed quietly. "You're brave."
After the feast, Scorpius watched as Lily left their group, seeming intent on talking to her brother. Part of him felt an urge to go with her and protect her from the Gryffindors might do, but knew that wouldn't be a good idea. While it would have been fun to see Potter explode at the fact his sister was hanging out with a Malfoy, Scorpius knew that it wasn't what Lily wanted.
"Scorpius, are you coming?" Lana asked as she looked back to where he stood.
Scorpius looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, I'm coming," he muttered as he followed her out of the Great Hall.
"Isn't that the Malfoy kid?"
Scorpius froze where he stood at the sound of that whisper. It was an unfamiliar voice, and not even the least bit mocking. Fear and distrust. That's what he heard.
"Yeah. I can't believe that they let kids like that go here," another voice whispered. "Think of what their kind tried to do to this school."
A hand came to his shoulder and began to push him forward. "Come on. They're first years. Let it go," Lana urged.
Scorpius couldn't get his body to easily relax as they returned to the common room. He took a seat on the couch, and ran a hand through his hair. Lana silently took a seat next to him.
"Hey, I couldn't find you guys at the feast," Lars stated as he came to sit on Scorpius's other side.
"We sat with Lily and a few first years," Lana told him.
Lars gave a nod, but seemed to notice Scorpius mood. "Something happen?"
"Stupid first years," Lana replied, but Lars understood.
Scorpius sighed. "I'm fine," he told them. "Really." But he felt bad for Lily. She was willingly walking into the lions' den, ready to confront the worst of them all. Now he felt like he should have warned her. He should have given her the warning that it wouldn't end well when it concerned James Potter. But . . . perhaps it was better that she learned the hard way, just like the rest of them did.
"It's so annoying though," Lars mumbled. "Each year we get another group of kids that see Slytherins purely as the kids of death eaters."
"And no one tells them otherwise. Gryffindors feed on that and encourage it," Lana sighed.
"Because they want us to be seen like that. They want to see us like that. If we weren't seen the way they want, their little worlds would crumble," Scorpius stated with a bit of disgust.
It wasn't long before the entrance to the common room slid open, catching their attention. Lily stepped inside, and stopped as if she were looking for someone. Then she found his eyes, and started toward them. Scorpius looked her over. Her expression was casual, like it was a normal day and there was nothing bothering her. But again, her eyes gave her away. A small hint of pain, and a lot of conflicted emotions.
Scorpius smirked, trying to seem as casual as she did. "Hey there, Lily Luna. How'd it go with your brother?"
She sighed a little, but there was no hint of pain in her voice either. "What brother?" she replied simply.
A small pang hit Scorpius at her words, and memories of when he'd realized that he lost his grandfather. The anger, but that bit of pain that you never wanted to show or acknowledge. But she was doing much better than he had done. She was open about it, not hiding like he had done. She was being brave.
So he stood up and held out his hand. "Welcome, Lily, to the Gryffindor's version of Slytherins." Because now, she really was one of them. She knew the real confliction and pain. She knew there was no going back.
They were in this together.
Scorpius sighed as he rolled his shoulders, letting the hot water from one of the locker room showers run down his back. Practice had been tough, but Aaron insisted on it since there were only a few days left until their match against Gryffindor.
He stopped the water, and grabbed his towel, drying his hair and his body down. He walked toward the door, were a bench had been dragged in, and each of the boys had laid down their boxers. They had taken to doing it now that they had a girl on the team, trying to make it less awkward now that it wasn't an all-guy team. He slipped his on, threw the towel around his shoulders, and left the showers.
Lily was already there, sitting on the bench near her locker as she tied the laces to her shoe. "Hey, there, Lily Luna. Ready for the game?" he asked as he opened his locker.
"I guess," she said with a sigh.
Scorpius eyed her for a moment. Ever since she'd fought with her brother on Halloween, Scorpius had noticed that there would be times when she'd be a bit down. So he did the only thing he could think to do as her friend.
He threw his damp towel at her.
Not paying attention, it landed on her shoulder and made her jump. Lily looked at him and blinked, obviously surprised. She pulled the towel off of her. "What was that for?" she demanded.
Scorpius smirked. "Smile a little. I know Aaron's working us hard, but no need to look so down! Besides, you're lucky!"
Lily raised a brow as she threw the towel back to him. "Oh really? How am I lucky?"
Scorpius patted his stomach. "You get to see me half naked. Not many are graced with this sight," he teased.
Finally she laughed as she shook her head. "I feel so blessed," she mocked.
Scorpius smiled now too as he began to dress. "Well if you ever want to see it, just ask."
"If I ever need a good laugh, I will," Lily joked.
"I swear, if you whip me with that towel one more time!" Adrian yelled as he and Raven wrestled out from the showers, both still dripping wet.
Lily laughed and stood up, and Scorpius watched as she walked out of the locker room, leaving them. Then he sighed and pulled his shirt on. What a fun girl.
And how rare.
