I'm so sorry for not updating sooner, our computer died months ago and we just got a new one. I've been going crazy, belive me. Anywho, here it is at last, chapter three.

Disclaimer: Still not J.K. Rowling.Chapter 3: Lessons

Scorpius opened his eyes to bright sunlight and groaned. The first day of lessons, ugh! He rolled out of bed, pulled on his robes, and went into the common room to see if there was anyone he knew besides Rose. Not one, sadly, so he proceeded down to breakfast alone. The table was full, but the splendor of the night before had gone. He had porridge, blueberries, and toast with marmalade, and got to his first lesson early –therefore getting a good seat in the back. A tall red haired man entered, looking around. "A Malfoy, I presume. I probably went to school with your father, what's your name?"

"Scorpius Malfoy, yours?" His chin jutted out defiantly, half expecting the man to deny knowing his father.

"Professor Andre." Others started to file in, and sit down. Scorpius took out his cauldron and a basic potion ingredient kit. Professor Andre waited for the rest of the class to sit down and take their things out before he introduced himself to them. He was energetic, and wanted to see where they were and just how much of the basics he had to review, and set them a basic draft to mix. He felt mildly superior as he watched some of the others struggle, but helped the hopeless boy next to him. The boy kept trying to mix ingredients together that would have exploded. "Stop!" Scorpius stopped the boy from adding poison to his cauldron. "What's your name?"

"Will Longbottom, my dad is the herbology teacher here. I know, you'd think that I'd be better at this, but I'm horrible," his pale cheeks flushed.

"No, it's fine, I'm only okay 'cause my dad made me practice. He said I had to be better than her," he jerked his chin at Rose.

"But my dad told me that her mom was the best," Will looked confused, and slightly proud at having met Hermione Weasley.

"Nope, my dad always beat her, or at least tied for first. She likes to claim that she beat him, but it's not true."

"Oh."

"So, would you like me to help you with your potion?"

"Please," and so Scorpius started to help Will. By the end of the lesson, Will's potion was a perfect shade of magenta, as was Scorpius's. Professor Andre collected flasks of potion, and dismissed them. Rose came up to him beaming, "That went well, didn't it? I love potions, but I'm glad that the old professor, what's-his-face Snape is gone. I've heard bad things about him from my family."

"Well, your family hated him until the end of the war, and he saved your uncle Potter. And, as I recall, you mentioned on the train that your brother is named after him.

"Yeah, he is." Rose smiled at him in a manner that told him that she had said no such thing. She pulled a schedule from her bag and said, "We've got transfiguration next lesson. You wouldn't happen to know how to get there would you?"

He processed this for a moment, and then tried to recall what his father had told him. All he got was a blank white page of thought. "No,I don't, sorry."

"Well, we can ask a teacher." And so they did, getting directions that led them to the door of a pleasant, smiling woman with auburn hair.

"Hello dears, be sure to get a good seat." The woman bowed them inside the room. It was a bit like stepping into a lake, everything was coated in shades of blue, green, and gray. Scorpius, Rose and Will sat at the front, hoping that they hadn't just set themselves up for year regret. The teacher reentered the classroom as the final bell rang and the lesson began.

"Welcome to Transfiguration my dears, I am Professor Combee." The witch passed around a box of matches for them to try to transfigure into needles. Melinda Bones was the first to make her match turn silver, but no one actually managed to make a needle.

That night the Gryffindor first years sat in the common room attempting to do the homework that had been set to them, but none of them seemed to be able to concentrate. Scorpius had started his potions essay, but his mind kept wandering to his father and grandfather. He had to break the news somehow, and it would be better if he controlled who he told first. The boy pulled a roll of new parchment from his bag and started his letter.

Dear Father and Mother,

You requested that I tell you which house I was sorted into. It was Gryffindor. I know that you expected me to go into Slytherin, but I am quite pleased to be in this house. Father, you yourself said that the Malfoys needed to reconstruct our family image, and what better way to do this?

On another note, my first day of class went well. All of the teachers seemed to like me, and I found the material to be intriguing.

At that point Scorpius paused. What else could he say? His father would stop reading at the first paragraph, but his mother would not be satisfied with that . . . emotionless description. She always wanted to know if her son was well. She'd want to know if he was happy, what he thought of the food, if his bed was soft, if he had any friends. These subjects he addressed in the latter half of his letter, trying to remain distant but still warm. He deliberately avoided mentioning Rose or Will, there was no need to irritate his father further.

"What are you doing? You look positively morbid." Rose teased him.

"I'm writing to my parents, a dangerous occupation for me at the present. I have to tell them that I'm to be the first Malfoy in over a hundred years to not be in Slytherin." He grimaced melodramatically, earning a giggle form her.

"They do sound fierce. Are you glad that you don't have to be there when they open it?"

"Definitely. Angry hippogriffs will look tame compared to my father's rage. My mother will be mad, but she'll think that as long as I'm happy it will all be fine." Rose didn't reply. "Will you come with me to the owlery? It will be better if I get this over with now."

"Of course," She stood and shook out her fiery red locks. "You just got me out of a dreadful game of chess that I would have lost within five minutes."

They left the tower and started walking. "Are you really that bad?"

"Yes, I am. Al beats me every time, and my Dad says I'm hope less. Are you any good?"

He grinned arrogantly. "You happen to be speaking to the undefeated junior neighborhood champion three years running."

"Do you think you might be able to give me some pointers?"

Thanks for reading, please review. You know you want to ;).