Scorpius woke with a splitting headache. He had not slept well and to top it off, he knew that he would have at least one class with the Gryfindors today. With two such different views and personalities, these shared classes were always the worst. Everyone was trying to outdo the other. It was a way to prove your side was right. He was sure that any teacher that had a Gryfindor and Slytherin combined class was dreading every moment.

As he readied for the day, he glanced around at his fellow third years. Damn, Oz is still looking at me funny Scorpius masked his annoyance and set about grabbing his robes. Oz was not going to let this go.

Of all the Slytherin third years, Oz was the most in tune to people. He noticed reactions and faces. He usually was right when it came to picking out a way to get under another person's skin. This was usually helpful when it came time for quidditch, but right now, it was just a pain. He did not need one of his friends analyzing his every move. He sent a quick glare Oz's way and went down to the common room to wait for the others.

The girls were already waiting, tapping impatient feet. "Took you long enough? And they say girls take forever to get ready." Persephone was grumpy in the mornings. It was just her nature.

"Not my problem that you get up two hours before us so you can primp. We young men need our beauty sleep."

An irritated Persephone glared at Scorpius. "Looks like you could use some more."

Scorpius gave a tiny smile. This did not bother him in the least. It was their morning ritual. He and Persephone always seemed to be snipping at each other. It was their way of checking on the other. If one failed to join the banter, they knew they were out of sorts and the group would try to discover why and to help their friend. They were not the most loving or close group, but they looked out for their own.

"You're just jealous that I don't need to spend hours at a time to look good." Scor yawned and stretched as if to prove the casual good looks he possessed were as simple as rolling out of bed. Bernadette chimed in.

"Just because we take the time to work on our appearance…." But Persephone cut her off.

"It's good to see you feeling better, Scor. We were worried about you last night." At this, he raised an eyebrow and smirked. The girls smiled. Just then, the other two boys made their appearance.

"Thank the lord. We were growing roots waiting for you." Said Bernadette and the banter began again in earnest.

Scor sat chewing on a piece of toast. He was listening to Oz and Bernadette discuss the advantages potions versus charms or spells. Every once in a while, someone else would make a comment, but this was not a group that functioned well in the morning. They all took awhile to wake up fully.

Without really thinking, Scorpius looked up at the Gryfindor table. He saw the Potter boys, a number of Weasleys and Blain. He scanned further down and saw the younger students, but as he looked he saw no dark mahogany in the crowd. The youngest Potter was absent.

Before he had time to really contemplate where she might be, his head of house passed him a schedule. He groaned, he had double potions first thing with the Gryfindors. He also had transfiguration with them later that week. At least history of magic and herbology were with the Hufflepuffs. They were an easy enough group to get along with. He sighed. By the looks on his friends faces, they agreed, it was going to be a very long day.

The only good thing that came from classes with Gryfindors was that Blain was there. He sat with Scor about half of the time and he sat with Albus the other half. Today, he was with Scorpius. They sat in the back, where they could talk a bit more freely. They picked a smaller table so only two of them were there. It allowed them to talk without being overheard.

"So Lily says that you were the one that saved her hide on the train. James was hopping mad when she first hit him." Blain was looking down as he talked. He was chopping his ingredients very carefully. Potions class was not his strong suit.

"I didn't do anything. She just ran in and jumped up in the luggage rack, and I certainly didn't want Potter looking through my stuff."

"But you let a Potter hide in your stuff?" Blain was laughing.

"I didn't know she was a Potter at the time."

Blain smiled and shook his head. "They really aren't that bad you know. You might even like them if you gave them a chance. Albus is quiet just like you. You are like two peas in a pod really."

"Bite your tongue. If I hear that kind of talk from you again, I will hex you into next week."

"Temper temper Scor. I was just thinking out loud. Sorry." Blain was looking down, checking that he was adding the right ingredients. "SO how was the rest of your summer?"

"Pretty boring once you left. How was life at the Famous Potter household? Lots of signed photos and articles?"

Blain smiled. "Nah, we pretty much played quidditch and took Lily to get her wand. Man I never saw such an excited kid. She's full of energy that one. I was talking to her about the spell she used on James. Turns out that when the boys went off to school, and she was left alone, she would take out their old school books and practice all the spells. She didn't have a wand or anything, but she would pretend. You should see some of the stuff she can do. I think she is going to give James a run for his money in the prank department."

Despite himself, Scorpius leaned in closer to hear the story. Blain continued, "When we were at the house last summer, James tried to prank her. He put a gnome in her bed. It is a pretty childish prank for James, but we are talking about his baby sister. So anyways, the next day, James goes to put his shoes on and something bites his toe. He was yelling to bring down the house. Somehow the gnome shark and found his way into James' shoe. Of course no one could prove it was Lily. She can get away with almost anything. Then she looks at James, completely innocent looking, and says, 'It must be a new breed of gnome. The incredible shrinking gnome. I'd watch out if I were you James. They seem to like your feet.' I never laughed so hard in my life."

Scorpius found himself smiling at the idea of the tiny Gnome in the shoe. He and Blain talked a bit more before it was time to move onto the next class. It had been amazingly entertaining in class and he felt ready to tackle the day.

By lunch, he was ready for a break though. His brain felt ready to explode. Why did teachers insist on homework the first day back. He sighed and picked up his sandwich. He looked up to see the astonished faces of his friends. Before he could ask what was going on, he saw a plate appear next to his, followed by two little hands. The whole hall seemed quiet. He turned his head to see who was sitting next to him and his eyes met copper fire.