Disclaimer - I do not own Harry Potter.
Note - I know things may seem like they're going fast in Scorpius's story, but trust me things aren't far from getting a bit more . . . intense, you could say. I will say that the next chapter will be the start of their summer, and it won't be too long before I have him back at Hogwarts for his fifth year. But, moving on, sorry for any mistakes I missed while editing. I hope you like it. Read and enjoy.
Rebel Malfoy
Chapter Nineteen: When Quidditch and Drama Collide
Scorpius laid on the Potters' couch, staring at the ceiling above him. It was late, but Scorpius couldn't get himself to fall asleep. He kept replaying the day over in his head. There had been so many muggle things that Lily had showed him and told him about. And he'd gotten a victory over the Gryffindors, and better yet, it was in their territory! He was there, in the famous Potter house, and they could do nothing about it.
But he'd also met Harry Potter personally. Not out in the streets of Diagon Alley, nor in a classroom during a lecture. But face-to-face. Scorpius idly wondered if Mr. Potter remembered him from the few run-ins they'd had, or when he'd had an outburst during one of his guest lectures. Maybe. If so, he said nothing.
More than that though, Scorpius felt like he'd learned a lot more about Lily than what he'd known before. They were small things, but Scorpius couldn't help but take note of each new thing. Like, how clean she was, even if she didn't notice. In her room, everything seemed to have a place of its own. She was used to muggle traditions and objects, and she was also very proud and fond of her grandfather. And also . . . she was probably very bored . . . and lonely while she was at home.
Two Gryffindor brothers who tormented and mocked her, two parents who worked, and not a friend who lived nearby. He felt sorry for the poor girl. When he was at the manor during breaks, at least the place was big enough for him to avoid Lucius, the one who made him miserable and irritated. And he constantly had fellow housemates coming over with their parents, who would come to see his parents.
Scorpius closed his eyes with a sigh. She was a big girl. She was fine. He needed to stop worrying about his friend.
Easier said than done.
"I can't believe you forced me to come back home for this," Scorpius mumbled to his father as he walked alongside him, Lucius walking just a bit ahead of them.
"Your grandfather got tickets for the match and thought you would enjoy it," Draco said simply.
Scorpius scoffed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "He just didn't want me at the Potters' house anymore," he retorted. Scorpius had been summoned back to the manor earlier, all because Lucius suddenly wanted to spend time with his son and grandson. Scorpius knew better though. And while he enjoyed live Quidditch matches, he would have much rather stayed at Lily's house and hang out with her than go to a game with Lucius.
"Just try to make it through the game peacefully," Draco said with a sigh and a shake of his head.
Scorpius looked away, already feeling like a jerk. While he hated Lucius, his father didn't. And Scorpius loved and admired his father, not to mention that he hated to upset him. So he sighed. "Yes, Father," he said quietly.
"Come along, Draco, Scorpius," Lucius demanded.
The box they sat in was of course plush, but Scorpius only saw it as a sign of the Malfoys' fall from social graces. His father had told him that when he was his age, Lucius had taken him to the World Cup and they'd sat with the minister. Scorpius smirked as he sat down. That wasn't likely to happen again after Lucius's life choices.
Bored, Scorpius looked at the pamphlet in his hands. Besides talking about the teams and key players, small ads floated around the paper as well. He dropped it onto his lap. This would be a long day, he already knew.
"Something wrong, son?" Draco asked in a low voice.
Scorpius looked at him, but simply shook his head. "No, Father." But there was so much wrong. Normally, he loved going to Quidditch matches. But not with Lucius. With Lucius, it was all about public appearance. Scorpius was forced to sit quietly, not vocally root for either team, and basically be lifeless. With his friends, it was completely different. He got to be loud, he got to cheer, and it didn't matter how ridiculous he could have looked.
Even when it was just him and his father. Draco never cared if Scorpius acted normal! In fact, they probably looked more ridiculous just sitting there while everyone else screamed and cheered at the top of their lungs!
"Ah. Here come the players," Lucius commented. He looked down to Scorpius. "Enjoying the match, boy?"
Scorpius rolled his eyes. "It hasn't even started yet," he retorted dryly. "Yeah, it's a blast."
"Well if I knew you would be so ungrateful, I wouldn't have brought you," Lucius said steely.
"That's too bad. I would have rather stayed with the Potters anyways," Scorpius said, looking at the players who had taken to the pitch.
"Yes, your blood traitor friend," Lucius sneered. "The whole lot of them are sickening."
"Father," Draco groaned.
But Scorpius couldn't take it. He stood from his seat in a rush and stormed to the door. "I'll be back." Eventually, he thought. Maybe once the Snitch was caught.
Scorpius quickly descended the stairs that lead around the stands. While the cold air now bit at him, he appreciated being away from Lucius. His anger was burning in his stomach, but he tried to not let it show. But he glared when he caught a few witches staring at him.
"What? Got a problem?" he demanded harshly. They quickly walked away from where they had stood, and he ignored them. He instead walked around the surrounding grounds, where different stands were selling team-related goods.
"Come on up, young man!" One man said with a charming smile. "Show your pride of Portee with a bit of color!"
Scorpius walked over to the man's stall, unable to keep from noticing the man's hair. It was purple. "Does your stand make people's hair that color?"
The man grinned. "Absolutely. And no worries, it only last twelve hours! Not only will your hair be purple, but even the star will show." And with a simple turn, the man showed Scorpius that a golden star was painted into the back of his hair.
Scorpius smirked. "How much?"
"For such a simple process we ask the simple price of one Galleon," the man said, trying to sell it.
But Scorpius was already sold. He placed the Galleon on the counter. "Then let's do it."
Scorpius stood in a bathroom, looking at his hair curiously. It was a deep purple color, except for a gold star on the side of his head. He couldn't help but smirk. Lucius would be furious. Scorpius stepped out of the restroom and began to walk around again. He could hear loud cheers from the stands, but he wasn't ready to go back and sit with Lucius yet.
Looking around carefully, Scorpius tried to seem casual as he walked toward the stands. With this being a simple inter-league match, the security wasn't overbearing. And he was thankfully able to slip behind a group of kids his age, who were all re-entering the stands as well. Once he was in the crowded stands again, he felt himself relax as he started to watch the match.
"Come on, Puddlemere!" a kid beside him cheered. "You've got the lead! Don't lose it!"
"Please, Portee is going to come back and take the lead!" his friend laughed, nudging the other kid.
"You wish!" the first kid retorted, also smiling and shoving his friend.
"Calm down, boys," and older man, one of their fathers maybe, said with a smile. "Quit shoving."
Scorpius turned away from the scene. He ignored the strange feeling his gut. And instead, he cheered and watched by himself among the crowd.
"Was coloring your hair like that necessary?" Draco demanded with a heavy sigh as he dropped onto the couch in the parlor.
Scorpius stood in the middle of the room, not answering. Scorpius hadn't gone back to the box until after the Snitch had been caught. At first his father had seemed a bit worried, but was then shocked by the sight of Scorpius's hair. And Lucius had been furious, more so because Scorpius had accidentally forgotten to mention that it only lasted so long.
Draco looked at his son with a serious look. "Scorpius, explain," he stated.
Scorpius shoved his hands into his pockets. "I'm sorry, Father. I did it on an impulse. It fades after so many hours," he told him.
"And your disappearance?" Draco inquired.
"I snuck into the lower part of the stands to watch the game," Scorpius explained. "I wasn't going to listen to him badmouth my friends. It's all he ever does." Draco rubbed his temples, his stress and exhaustion obvious. Scorpius felt even more guilty. "I'm sorry, Father," he apologized.
But Draco didn't say anything. Instead, he simply stood up and left Scorpius alone in the room. Scorpius winced. That was worse than any scolding he could have received.
"Why isn't she waking up?" Dante demanded as he paced around the Hospital Wing.
The students had already returned from break, and the Slytherin Quidditch team had spent the last month practicing relentlessly. All in their favor, because when their match against Ravenclaw had come, they had won. But Lily had taken a Bludger partway through and had fallen from her broom. According to Madam Pomfrey, it had severely messed up the right side of her body. And then Kimball had aimed for that side when they raced for the Snitch. She had blacked out and lost consciousness when they tried to take her to the Hospital Wing after the match.
"I can't believe that she got back up after that fall," Adrian mumbled. "I thought she was done."
"It was wicked," Raven agreed quietly.
Scorpius looked to where Lars stood. He had felt so guilty about not hitting away that Bludger. They had all tried to assure him that there was nothing he could have done, that it had been a tricky maneuver planned by the Ravenclaw team. But Scorpius could tell that he still felt bad.
Scorpius was just worried. It had been hours, and Lily hadn't woken for even a second. She hadn't even moved! The team had been sitting with her ever since Madam Pomfrey had allowed them in, and they were determined to stay until she kicked them out.
"You know," Will said quietly, "part of me wants to say that at least we won. But then I think, was the win worth it if she had to play after taking so much damage?"
"She should have gone to the Hospital Wing," Adrian stated.
"I should have called a timeout and sent her there," Raven muttered.
"Are you boys done beating yourselves up yet?" They looked to see that Lana had entered the room. Scorpius hadn't even heard the door open. "Come on, dinner is almost done, you all need to eat. Not to mention there's a party in your honor afterwards."
That didn't help any of them to feel better. They just felt worse that their reasons for winning wouldn't be able to be there and celebrate their victory. She wasn't even awake to hear about it!
Lana rolled her eyes. "She's asleep, not dead!" she snapped at them. "Now, I don't know why she was crazy enough to keep playing, but she did, and the team won! So stop moping, pretending you could have done something, and go eat and have fun at a party!" She sighed. "Besides, Pomfrey will probably kick you out as soon as she comes back from eating anyways. So let's go!"
The team was slow to leave, but they allowed Lana to push them out the door. But they walked with slow steps and heavy shoulders. Scorpius couldn't help but wince as he moved, his muscles sore, and bruises stinging. The entire team had taken a few hits of their own, but they had only let Madam Pomfrey heal the more necessary injuries, wanting her to fix whatever was wrong with their Seeker instead.
"I am sick and tired of being beaten by her!" a voice hissed down the next corridor. The team turned the corner to see the Ravenclaw Seeker, Mark Kimball, leaning against the wall, with two other Ravenclaw boys standing with him. "She thinks she's hurting now? Just wait until our next match against each other," he muttered.
Raven stormed forward. "Is that a threat against my Seeker?" he demanded, his voice harsh and furious.
Kimball was quick to stand straight, but arrogantly relaxed when he saw who was approaching him. "Oh, it's just a bunch of snakes."
But Raven quickly grabbed him by the collar and slammed him into the wall. "You lay one finger on her and I will crush your skull with my bat!"
"Is there a problem here?" They all turned to see Steve Parson, seventh year Slytherin and Head Boy, strolling their way.
Raven dropped Kimball. "No. I'm just making sure that Kimball knows what will happen to anyone who messes with Slytherin's Seeker."
Steve looked at the scene with a raised brow and curious look. "Huh. Well, move along everyone. Go to dinner and eat, and, Kimball, you and your friends better return to your common room. I don't want to catch you out past curfew. Now get moving."
Steve walked with the Slytherin team toward the Great Hall. Raven sighed as he looked to his friend. "Thanks, Steve. I was seconds away from breaking his face."
"I could see that," Steve agreed. "And had I not been seen by one of his friends, I would have let you. But that Boot kid was getting ready to call to me, so I had to do something."
"Either way, thanks," Raven replied.
"Well be prepared, because there have been whispers ever since the game. You've just missed them since you spent the last few hours with Lily," Steve said as they entered the Entrance Hall.
Scorpius looked at him. "What are you talking about?"
They stopped, and Steve pointed to a group of Gryffindor boys. "Example. Those boys right there, are most likely talking about the rumor of how Lily won't be able to play in the next match." Then he pointed to where Ravenclaw team's captain, Davies, was surrounded by a few girls. "And there, Davies is most likely bragging about his team was good enough to knock a Potter from the air. He's been doing that all night."
Raven glared at the group. "Well, then maybe we should do something about that."
"So, plan for the day," The Slytherin team was sitting together at breakfast the next morning, and Raven was telling them what the plan was, "ignore all whispers about Lily and the rumors. I'm going to see Lily during my free period. We have practice, go see Lily after that as a team, have dinner, and get back at Davies afterwards, right before curfew. Any questions?"
"I like the sound of the idea," Scorpius said with a smirk.
"Brilliant," Lars agreed.
But it turned out that it was difficult to ignore some of the Gryffindors, who didn't whisper, but practically screamed their thoughts. Scorpius and Lars had almost hexed two sixth years before Lana could stop them.
"I hate cats," Lars muttered as they sat in Charms class.
"Did you hear about Lily Potter?"
The two of them tensed as the whispering voices in front of them. It looked like Gary Fleet, one of the Hufflepuff players, along with another boy, and a girl who Scorpius recognized, but couldn't remember the name of.
"I can't believe that she got up," the other boy whispered. "The girl's invincible! What are you guys going to do in your match against them?"
"Kimberly is almost terrified to go against her," the girl said. "She doesn't think she can beat her."
"Captain's afraid of that too. He's already talked to her today," Fleet mumbled. "You think your sister can do it, Brittany?"
Scorpius remembered that girl now. Brittany Rickett, Kimberly Rickett's older sister. Silently, Scorpius leaned forward a little, wanting to hear more.
"I'm honestly not sure. Kim's not all that competitive at heart," Rickett sighed.
"You know, a lot of kids are talking about how Lily Potter's too good to beat. I mean, if she can take a hit like that, and still get up and win the game, then what can stop her?" the boy pointed out.
"There has to be something!" Fleet groaned.
Scorpius leaned back and looked at Lars with a smirk. "You know, maybe we can make this work for us?"
For the rest of the day, Scorpius and the others openly talked about how now that Lily was awake, she was already eager to get back to practice and play the next match. And before lunch even came, more and more whispers were going around about Lily Potter being invincible on the pitch.
After Quidditch practice, the team was glad to be back inside the castle. It was freezing outside, and they hadn't even bothered to change out of their practice clothes, and instead just hurried to the castle, dying to be warm.
Scorpius blew on his hands as they made their way toward the Hospital Wing. "They need to put heating charms around the pitch," he mumbled, waiting for the feeling in his fingers to come back.
Dante was trying to act like he wasn't stuttering as his teeth lightly chattered. "I-it w-w-would be n-n-nice," he grumbled.
"Suck it up," Raven said as he opened the door to the Hospital Wing.
Scorpius was honestly a little relieved when he saw that Lily was actually awake and sitting up now. Raven had told the team that she was doing ok, but he still felt better actually seeing her.
"Hard day?" she teased, looking at their state of clothes.
Scorpius gave her a smirk as he moved to sit in a chair near the bed. "You could say that. How ya doing, Lily Luna?" he inquired, more worried about her than his fingers now.
"I'm so bored I considered dying," she said in a dramatic voice, but with a grin.
Lars came to stand by her. "I'm really sorry, Lil. I didn't even see that other Bludger coming at ya."
Lily just dismissed it. "It's fine. We still won."
Adrian grinned. "That we did. And now we are in the lead!" he said as he grabbed a piece of candy.
Raven looked a bit serious though. "But we have to be careful not to get too cocky. I don't want to end up like Gryffindor last year. I wanna take home both the Quidditch and House Cups this year again."
Raven had told them all about the recent score update, and it had them all feeling good. Even Will waved it off. "Come on, it's in the bag! We rocked Ravenclaw's world! Plus, we've got the other teams scared," he pointed out.
But Lily, who had been cooped up all day had yet to hear those rumors and whispers, and looked confused. "Scared?"
Raven pulled up a chair. "Yeah, little Davies has been talking a big game, but truth is, all of the other teams are shaking in their robes," he told her.
"Yeah, everyone's been whispering about 'the unstoppable Potter,' and how nothing can take her down. They all think that since you took a Bludger to the back and fell from like more than fifty feet and kept playing, nothing can stop you," Dante laughed.
Scorpius laughed too, glad that they'd been able to strengthen those fears. "Yeah, the Hufflepuff Seeker is apparently petrified to go up against you in our match together. And that's all the way in May!"
Lily just rolled her eyes. "Well, with what happened to Rickett last time we went against each other, I'm not surprised. I'm sure my supposed 'invincibility' doesn't help her worries any."
Scorpius sighed as he relaxed into his chair. "So, how are you feeling, Lily Lu?"
"Fine," she muttered. "I really just wanna get the hell outta here."
"Just one more night, Lu. You'll be out of here tomorrow. I'm going to demand it," Raven promised.
And finally, Lily smiled and laughed. "Yeah, I hope I'm awake to see Madam Pomfrey throw you around when you say that to her."
As the year continued on, Scorpius found himself falling back into the normal routine of school. Tough and long Quidditch practices, difficult homework and lessons, too much studying, and a bit of time for friends.
Easter Break brought about good and bad. The good thing was that the Potter and Weasleys went home for the holiday, at the request of their family, in order to hear some type of big news. The bad thing was that it meant Lily had gone as well, and that didn't mean that Raven cancelled any practices either.
Scorpius groaned as he stretched his arms as he walked toward the common room. His body was still a bit sore from practice the day before, and he was sure he had some bruises still. He had just finished running a few laps around the pitch, getting a morning workout in. He appreciated a break from lessons.
There was only a low chatter when he entered the common room, as most of the older students had taken the break to study for their rigorous exams, which were fast approaching. Scorpius hurried to his dorm to shower, but was surprised by what he saw.
Mitch was looking into a mirror, a pin in his hand. But what was alarming was the blood all over his ear.
"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Scorpius demanded.
Mitch didn't look away from his reflection. "I'm piercing my own ear. I'm tired of waiting for summer."
"We tried to tell him not to," Justin said with a sigh.
"You look more like you've mutilated your ear, rather than pierced it," Scorpius pointed out as he headed for the bathroom.
"It will be fine once I clean the blood," Mitch assured. "I only screwed up two or three times."
Scorpius shook his head as he smirked. "You, my friend, are an idiot."
"Mr. Avery, what did you do to your ear?" Professor Bell questioned as she walked into the classroom the first day after the holidays.
Mitch grinned. While he'd taken the rings out at Lily's suggestion, it still looked a bit ghastly as it healed. "Nothing important, Professor," he assured.
Professor Bell simply shook her head. "Very well. Now students, it's time again to impress upon you the importance of next year's exams, and the need to prepare now."
All of the students groaned. Scorpius grimaced. They'd been doing that all year! How could they prepare any harder?
But Professor Bell continued. "Now, next year's exams could very well control your futures. You must study hard and be prepared. Also, next year you will all be meeting with your Head of House individually, and going through a session of career advice. This will hopefully help you determine which subjects you will need to study even harder for."
Tamara Nott raised her hand. Professor Bell motioned for her to speak. "But, Professor, what if you don't know what you want to do as a career?"
"That's fine," Professor Bell assured. "These sessions aren't permanent. They are to help you. For you to get an idea of what you want to do, and to advise you on what O.W.L. exams will be most important to you. Just because you want to be one thing then, doesn't mean that you can't change that later."
"What happens if you fail an O.W.L. exam?" Lars asked suddenly.
"Raise your hand, Mr. Goyle," Professor Bell said with a sigh. But she continued. "And to answer your question, it means that you won't continue on with that course. Now, all professors have different requirements. For example, I require only an E in your transfiguration O.W.L. to continue the course into your sixth and seventh years. To be honest, most of the professors currently teaching require only an E."
"So while we don't have to get practically a perfect score, we have to get close. Perfect," Mitch mumbled with a roll of his eyes.
Scorpius tossed and turned in his bed. He could hear Lars snoring from his bed, and it was starting to drive Scorpius crazy. He was used to Lars snoring quietly, but Lars had mentioned catching a bit of a cold recently, and it seemed to make him even louder in his sleep!
Scorpius groaned as he kicked his blankets off. Perhaps he just wasn't tired enough yet, and a walk around the dungeons would do him some good and tire him out. With that idea in mind, he slipped on his shoes and quietly left the room. He sauntered down to the common room, but stopped when he noticed a lone figure still awake, sitting on the couch.
Lily. She was intently reading a book, which was what she'd been doing hours ago when the others had all gone to bed. It was probably about potions. He smirked. For being such a laid back girl when it came to her studies, she was always reading books about very advanced potions.
"Good book?" he asked as he walked to the couch. She sat along the couch, but with her height, he was easily able to sit comfortably next to where her feet were.
She looked at him curiously. "What are you still doing up?" she inquired.
Scorpius chuckled. "Lars is snoring. Loudly. Sadly, he fell asleep before I did."
She smirked back at him. "Poor you," she mocked.
Scorpius, still smirking, looked at the book in her lap. "So, is that a good book? You've been reading it since I went up to go to bed."
She smiled as she looked at it. "It's really interesting actually. For being a book on healing, it's not bad," she admitted.
Scorpius raised a brow. "You wanting to be a healer?" That didn't seem like her.
But she shook her head. "No, I just like potions. I'm actually good at it," she said, almost as if she were surprised at the idea.
Scorpius scoffed. "You are good at a lot of things, and you don't focus on them as much as you do with potions." It was true. She was a great Seeker, great on a broom in general, very smart.
But Lily never seemed to notice those things, as she just shrugged. "I don't know. I just really like potions."
Scorpius smirked. "I'm not knocking it. I love potions," he agreed. "Just pointing out your . . . love for it, I guess."
She laughed lightly for a moment as she looked at the book again. But then, her face suddenly grew a bit thoughtful and . . . maybe even sad. It confused Scorpius, because she'd been like that all night, to be honest. But she'd been so into her book that Scorpius hadn't wanted to bother her and ask. But it had been obvious that something was seriously on her mind.
"Scorpius," she spoke softly, "can I ask you something?"
"Yeah, go for it," he told her.
When she spoke, Scorpius could hear her light anger and confusion in her rushed words. "If you and Mitch were to ever get into a fight and stop being friends, would you immediately start hanging out with others, be happy, and just ignore him?"
Scorpius stopped smirking as her words sunk in. What had brought that on? Was she still upset about losing her own friend because of her Sorting last year? Or was that Hugo kid even her best friend? But he sighed as he took her words seriously. "Well, not right away. I wouldn't be able to do that for a long time. He is my best friend, almost like a brother. And I mean it when I say something like that," he said firmly. "If I were to act like that, then I'd just be stomping on every memory I share with him."
At his words, her anger seemed to lessen, but Scorpius could still see a bit of sadness in the back of her eyes. It was obvious that something was still eating at her, bothering her. And like any friend, Scorpius just wanted her to feel better.
"Why the serious question, Lily?" he asked gently
She didn't answer for a minute, but then let her thoughts slip past her lips. "Fred and James had a fight, and Fred seems really different. Like he's upset about it. And James is off hanging out with other friends, and doesn't seem at all upset about it! Like he doesn't even care! Like it doesn't matter that he lost his best friend!" she ranted. With every word, her irritation grew, and it was obvious by the tone of her voice and how her words came faster and faster.
But when she was done, Scorpius raised a brow and grinned a little. "Feel better?" he teased. Lily smiled a little, but even he knew it wasn't real. Scorpius sighed. He should have known that James Potter was behind her mood. And honestly, James's actions didn't shock him, but they were honestly bothering her.
So Scorpius pushed his hate for Potter for one moment, and gave a reasonable thought. "Look, Lily Lu, I can't tell you why James does what he does. I'm thankfully not him. But, . . . you don't know what happened during the fight. Honestly, I doubt that James was innocent, but maybe there's a reason for why he's acting like nothing happened."
Lily seemed to think it over. "Well, maybe," she sighed. "But I still think he's just being a total ass."
Scorpius laughed. "Well no doubt that fact started their fight!"
"I agree completely," she said with a laugh of her own. But it was obvious to Scorpius that she still wasn't ok.
He sighed. "So, was that Hugo boy your best friend?" he asked.
She shifted where she sat, and seemed uncomfortable. And that sadness in her eyes grew. Scorpius mentally cursed himself for bringing up what was obviously a touchy subject for her. But she still answered him. "Yeah. Yeah, he was," she said in a soft voice. "We'd been best friends since we were born. We grew up together after all."
Scorpius didn't want to push her, but he was curious. "Were you sad when you two stopped being friends?"
She smirked, although it was dry. "That's a dumb question. Of course I was," she said simply. "In a way, I'm still a little sad about it. We were great friends. I mean . . . I know I was wrong. We both were, but . . . He says he doesn't like Slytherin, and I'm a Slytherin. I can't change that."
Her honesty shone through her words, and that sadness lingered. Scorpius couldn't imagine what it would be like to suddenly lose one of his best friends. "Do you hope that you'll be friends again?"
She sighed. "I hope, but . . . I'm not sure if we will be. It might take a lot to fix what we've said and done to each other," she admitted, seeming even sadder at her own words.
Scorpius stared at the dying fire. He knew how she felt, in a way. Losing Lucius had been painful at first. For her sake, he hoped it ended better for her. But it was difficult being a Slytherin. Being hated, glared at, and attacked wasn't easy to deal with. He hadn't wanted to fight all the time, but he had no other option.
"You know," Scorpius said, saying his thoughts aloud, "I don't hate Gryffindors. They hate me. They hate me because I'm a Slytherin, and because I'm a Malfoy. That's what makes me hate them. It wouldn't seem like I was hating an entire group if there was at least one Gryffindor that didn't try to act like a mighty saint."
But that would never happen. The whole of Gryffindor House had been encouraged to hate him and Slytherin. It wasn't likely to change.
But Lily spoke, her voice still soft. "They don't hate you," she said. "They hate your father and our House, and what they used to stand for. They didn't change, so they don't believe that we could have. Every Malfoy is evil, and every Slytherin is a death eater."
In a way, it made sense to Scorpius, but it just seemed so . . . horrible to think about. "My mother wasn't a death eater," he mumbled.
"I know. I couldn't imagine Astoria Malfoy being a death eater. She's way too . . . accepting," Lily said with a smile.
Scorpius returned her smile. "Yeah. I'd like to think that I can be like that at times." He at least had his moments.
But Lily patted his shoulder softly. "You are, Scorpius," she said with certainty. "I think our friendship is proof of that."
Scorpius and the rest of the guys cheered and were completely excited as they walked into the locker room. They had beaten Hufflepuff! It had been a surprisingly close game, but thanks to a bit of dirty tactics, and Lily's fast broom and reflexes, they had come out with the victory.
"I cannot believe we won!" Dante said with excitement.
"The end of the match was bloody amazing!" Will agreed eagerly as they headed for the showers.
Scorpius turned to congratulate Lily on her catch, but she seemed to be in a world of her own as she walked toward the girls' showers. He stared at her curiously for a moment, but then shook it off and went to shower. It had been humid out during the match, and sweat was sticking to his skin and clothes. He was thankful for the wash it all away, and relax. Finally, their last match had come, and maybe Raven wouldn't stress so much.
After he finished showering, Scorpius walked back into the locker room behind Lars, and threw his gear into his locker.
"Nice catch, Lil," Lars said.
Scorpius turned to see her leaning against her closed locker, her eyes closed. "Just a Slytherin," she joked.
Scorpius chuckled. "You made Jamie proud out there," he teased, thinking of how often her brother called out their team for foul play.
"Going to the victory party tonight, Lily?" Tanner asked. It was obvious that he was excited about having played with the team. Tanner had been wanting to tryout for the Beater position, but knew he wouldn't have made it with both Lars and Raven still around. But he was determined to try out next year.
"Nah," Lily said simply. "I think I'll just relax up in the dorms.
"I know what I'm doing tonight," Will laughed, the other guys laughing with him. Scorpius simply chuckled and shook his head. Will had been bragging all day about how he was going get with Candice Sheen if they won the match.
"All right, team, listen up!" Raven said loudly from his locker. He was dressed, with a towel around his shoulders. "Ok, that was a shitty game. And I know we can do better than that!" But then he sighed as he looked at them. "But, it doesn't matter. The game's over, we won, and the season is over for us. This wasn't our best year . . . so you'd all better be better next year. I won't be hearing of my House's team sucking ass after I've graduated. Got it?" he demanded.
Scorpius sighed as he closed his locker, only partly listening as the team talked about who next year's captain might be. He wasn't too concerned with who ended up with the position, as long as they improved. This year had been a terrible one.
And next year, he was determined to be better.
"I never thought I would say this, but why couldn't Gryffindor have won their last match?" Lars groaned as he and Scorpius walked into their dorm room.
Normally, Quidditch season would be over by now. But thanks to Ravenclaw dominating Gryffindor in the last match of the season, they tied Slytherin in overall points, forcing them to have a deciding match. While the team had been eager and excited to play one more game, it was soon turned into exhaustion by Raven, who insisted on practicing almost every day! It was slowly driving them all crazy.
"I think I'm dying," Scorpius muttered as he dropped onto his bed.
"Why doesn't Raven just stab us? Our deaths would be much quicker," Lars said with a loud sigh as he too fell to his bed, tired.
"We have a singer!" Mitch yelled happily as he, Rex, and Justin ran into the room. "We have a singer for the band!"
"Whoa, you two look dead," Justin commented as he looked at them.
"Raven attempting to kill you two?" Rex laughed.
"Pretty much," Scorpius sighed as he rolled onto his back. "So, who's this singer you have?"
"Will!" Mitch said cheerfully. "We heard him singing some song to himself during his detention."
"I can't believe that prick was able to avoid practice because of a detention," Lars grumbled.
"Anyways," Mitch continued, "he sounded awesome. And after ten minutes, I convinced him to practice with us once the last game is done with!"
"When will that be, by the way?" Rex questioned.
"Day after tomorrow," Lars replied, his face buried into his pillow. "And thank Merlin for that!"
"You guys better win, because the seventh and sixth years are putting together a major party in anticipation!" Rex boasted with excitement.
"Awesome game, Lu!" Raven congratulated with more excitement than the entire party.
Scorpius smirked as he held a cup in his hand, watching the party around him. Slytherin was again the winner of the Quidditch Cup, and the common room was in full party mode.
"Great game, Scorpius!"
Scorpius jumped at the sound of the loud and overly girly voice near his ear. He whipped around to see that Nikki Montana, a girl in his year, was now standing by him. Nikki's family wasn't made up of old Slytherins like most in their House. Actually, her parents had supposedly come from America after they were married. But Nikki was a sweet enough girl, even though Scorpius rarely spent time around her.
Scorpius cleared his throat. "Oh, um, thank you, Nikki. Uh . . . having fun?" he asked politely.
Her smile was bright, and she seemed overly enthusiastic. Apparently, that was classic Nikki. Sweet, energetic, and . . . well not overly intelligent. "Absolutely! Every party is so fun!"
Scorpius blinked and did his best to stay focused on whatever Nikki continued to ramble about, but he couldn't. Scorpius couldn't figure out what she was talking about, or where her attempt at a conversation was even going.
He sighed. This would be a long party.
Scorpius found himself having to dodge Nikki for the rest of the year. It seemed like every time she saw him, she felt the need to come and speak to him. Unlike with Layla, Scorpius wasn't oblivious this time. He didn't think he was arrogant in thinking that Nikki had a crush on him, just more aware this time around. And this time, he was also aware of how annoying Nikki could be, so he tried to avoid her. He didn't want to get stuck in an awkward position if she asked him out, because he'd say no, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings.
"What is it with girls lately?" Scorpius groaned as he and Mitch walked around the grounds one afternoon.
Mitch shrugged. Fresh off of his break up with Miley, he seemed to be around a lot more. "No clue. Either they're trying to get a boyfriend, or break it off with the one they got."
"Whatever happened between you and Miley?" Scorpius inquired curiously.
Mitch just shrugged again. "No clue. And what I don't get is that she's the one that breaks it off, but she refuses to even be around me! I don't know what her problem is."
"At least in a week we'll be back home and away from it all for a while," Scorpius sighed. "Sad part is that means I'll be around Lucius."
"We'll just hang around Diagon Alley more," Mitch replied easily as he kicked at a rock. "I'm sure I'll want to be out of my house more after a week of being there."
"Hey, Mitch," a girl greeted with a small smile as she walked past them.
Mitch gave a small nod, but said nothing to the girl. Scorpius looked at his friend curiously. "Who was that? I recognize her."
"Trixie Kimball. She's a Ravenclaw in our year," Mitch said simply.
"I didn't know you were friends," Scorpius teased.
Mitch grinned. "We're not, really. We've just talked a few times recently, but now she says something every time she sees me. I honestly think she does it to tick her brother off."
"Then let her. Kimball needs to be put in his place," Scorpius laughed.
Mitch winked teasingly. "I'll see what I can do for you."
