It had been a few weeks since Blain had teased him about the Potters. Scorpius was getting restless. He wanted answers. Blain had not tracked him down since that day when he had asked about Lily. Sure, they still talked during class, and they waved or smiles across the Great Hall, but that was it. Conversations were mundane. They had both felt the shift in their friendship, but they didn't know what it meant. Neither wanted to admit the change, but it was there.

It was irritating though, to watch his friend and former confident so happy while Scorpius was not. He was noticing the differences in their circle of friends. Yes, Blain and Scor were friends, and they had shared many secrets over the years but now there was a change. When they had been younger, there were fewer students with Blain's temperament. The two were opposites, but they had each other and that was enough.

Now, Blain was surrounded by people who all laughed with him and talked with him. Scorpius had been replaced. It had not happened all at once. It was subtle and gradual. The part that hurt the most was not that he had been replaced, but by whom he was replaced by.

You no longer saw Blain out alone very often. No, now he was always out with Albus Potter. It wasn't enough that teachers fawned over him; no he had to go and take the one person whom Scorpius could confide in. In the back of his mind, he knew that it would have happened eventually. They were just too different. But it was a Potter that took his place nonetheless.

Yes, Blain was slowly replacing Scor, but Scor had no one to replace Blain with. Yes he had friends, but none of them inspired confidence. Grayson would use any information as blackmail if it would gain him something. Oz was, well, Oz. He was off in his world most of the time and looked up to Scorpius. He needed an equal, not a puppy.

The girls were protective, but they also despised weakness of any sort and they saw needed another to confide in as a weakness. Also, anything they heard would be around the school in minutes. They may have been protective of their friends, but that didn't mean they wouldn't talk about their friends with others.

Looking around at the other Slytherins did not help his mood. To make matters worse, that damn Potter girl had taken to waving at him in public. Even his most evil glare was no deterrent. If he didn't remedy the problem soon, his reputation as the bad ass of Slytherin would be ruined. With all this waving and smiling at him, people were picking up on the fact that he did not go around hexing everyone in sight, he just happened to hang out with the group that did it the most. It would not do. She was becoming a thorn in his side and he didn't even know her.

Only one bright spot stood out in the last few weeks; the results of the Slytherin quidditch try outs. Scorpius was the new seeker for the Slytherin team. He had found out just this morning. He knew that this would make his father proud. His father had been a seeker during his time at school. While outside he looked calm and cool, inside he couldn't wait to write and tell his parents. They were not the most affectionate family, but they did care for one another and his parents made it a point to praise him when he was excited about something.

It was lunch time and Scorpius was making his way up to the owlery to send a letter home. As he was calling down his eagle owl, Aries, he heard someone slip in.

"Bludger, are you awake." Scorpius heard a soft voice calling amongst the owls. With Aries on his arm, he walked to the window and released him. When he turned around, he found himself face to face with one of his current problems.

Lily Potter stood before him with a small smile and twinkling eyes. "Scorpius Malfoy, fancy meeting you here."

"Potter." He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. For weeks he had wanted to tell her off for ruining an image he had worked very hard to achieve, and yet with her in front of him, he didn't know what to say. Before he could say another word, something shot through the window and landed on her arm.

It was not an owl. Scorpius looked down to see a full grown peregrine falcon perched on her arm. "What the hell!" It had startled him and he backed up quickly.

She looked at him, confused. "What? It's only a falcon."

"Yes, but what is it doing on your arm?"

"Scorpius, I would like you to meet Bludger."

If a falcon could glare, Scorpius was sure that Bludger was doing so right now. His head moved quickly and two sets of copper eyes started at him. It was startling to see the falcon and the girl with matching eyes. For a minute he forgot that he was standing here with a girl he had sworn to tell off the moment he had a chance. He stared at this fierce creature and all he could feel was curiosity.

"Where did you find a falcon? Don't you have an owl?"

She smiled, softly stroking the falcon's head. "I was visiting my dad at the ministry one day. Dad was showing me the visitors entrance but before we could go in, I saw something falling above me. It was Bludger. I guess his mum had a nest up there. I guess he fell out. I couldn't leave him there, and Aunt Hermione told me that his mum might not take him back because I had touched him and he had my smell. Dad brought me to see Hagrid and he helped me learn to take care of Bludger. When he was old enough, I tried to release him, but he wouldn't leave me. He's been with me ever since."

"So you trained him like an owl?"

"No. He likes to be with me as often as possible. One day I was writing to my cousin, and when I went to put the letter on our owl at home, Bludger bit me. I tried again and he bit me again. After the second bite, I figured it out. He doesn't let me use other birds. Dad figures he thinks I'm his and doesn't want another bird taking care of me." She started to tie her letter to the falcon's leg. The falcon was still keeping a close watch on Scorpius so he increased his distance ever so slightly.

"So why did you name him Bludger?"

Little Potter laughed. It was a happy carefree laugh and Scorpius found himself smiling. "Because he fell out of the sky right at me, just like a Bludger. Would you like to pet him?"

Scorpius backed up a little bit more. "I don't think he wants me to."

"Aw, he won't hurt you, not if I say it's OK."

"Maybe next time." Potter shrugged and took the falcon to the window.

"Off you go. I bet Mum has treats." With a quick look at Scorpius, the falcon flew off.

Potter turned to look at him. Before he could say anything else, a voice called out, "Lily…Lily Potter, are you up here?"

"Shoot, that's Lor. I forgot I told him I would meet him after lunch. It was good to see you Malfoy." She smiled at him and she was off like a shot.

He was half way down the stairs when he realized something. Damn it, I forgot to tell her off