Chapter 4: Realizations
Author's note: I'll be switching points of view ever so often, I hope you can understand the story.
Albus walked silently behind his DADA teacher. Inside he was beaming at finally getting a detention, but he was trying not to show that - at least not too much. If Professor Jenkins knew how he was feeling, she'd probably call off the detention, and it would be just a waste of a very good chance to show he wasn't so well behaved after all; that he also did normal things, as well as to ease some of the pressure and the expectations that everyone had about him. They reached the Trophy Room, where his detention was to take place, and were greeted by the aged Hogwarts caretaker, Mr. Filch, who had a slight smirk on his wrinkled face. Albus shivered lightly - Mr. Filch always gave him the goosebumps. The old man seemed to enjoy punishing the students, have fun even, and that was certainly creepy. Albus quickly entered the room and looked around, mesmerized by the sight of many trophies, cups and medals. He wondered if he would find any that were won by his parents. After all, they had been great Quidditch players when they were in Hogwarts - his mother had even become a professional player. He was lost in thought and almost jumped with surprise when he caught sight of a platinum blond, slightly taller than him, a Slytherin boy, who was lightly tapping his foot on the floor like he couldn't wait to be out of there - which was probably true.
Scorpius was not liking the situation at all. Besides having to polish all those trophies, he still had to wait for another student who was going to pay detention with him. He pondered who it could be: probably a fellow Slytherin or perhaps a Gryffindor. He wasn't quite sure what was worse. He shook his head to clear the thought and saw someone had entered the room. His face fell at the sight of the raven haired boy. Potter. Great! This day couldn't get any worse... Not that he disliked the other boy, quite the opposite. If he was to be honest with himself, he'd have to admit he kind of admired the Hufflepuff boy's kindness and good manners. In fact, he envied the way everyone seemed to like him. Even the Slytherins respected him, although that was mostly out of fear than anything else. Scorpius would have enjoyed being liked by so many people - which was obviously not the case. The Slytherin knew for a fact that the Potters hated him - James Potter made it clear every time they met and Albus didn't even acknowledged his presence. The grudge was due to some not-very-clear things that had passed between their parents in the past, which Scorpius actually thought was a bit unfair, since he hadn't done anything bad; but by now he was already used to it.
Albus nodded slightly at the other boy, his bashfulness returned with full force. He knew him from the Prefects meetings and also because their fathers had been sort of enemies in the past. His older brother hated Malfoy – but then again, James hated all Slytherins. Albus didn't have anything against the blond boy, though; although it was truth he also had nothing pro Malfoy, either. He simply did not know Malfoy well enough to have a formed opinion about him, and Albus was certainly not one to judge before knowing someone.
Professor Jenkins left and Filch turned his attention to the boys in front of him. "Well, well… Let's see if some hard work will make these two learn a lesson…"
There was a knock on the door and the caretaker stopped talking. "Come in," he said, looking very annoyed. Albus watched as Madam Robbins appeared, and quickly understood that there must have been a fight after the Quidditch game. He didn't even know how it had ended, as he had to rush to be in the DADA classroom. He hoped his brother wasn't involved, though – he would be in big trouble if he got yet another detention, not to mention that his mother would probably kill him. Besides, he'd totally steal his thunder. He was daydreaming and had lost Madam Robbins last words and was therefore shocked to see his cousin Rose walk in, accompanied by no one less than the most popular girl in Hogwarts, Sue Steel. Rose was usually well-behaved and followed the rules, although her temper sometimes got the best of her. And Sue was like an angel, from all he knew. And they were both Prefects! Albus frowned: there were four Prefects in detention – this was a very odd day.
Scorpius had seen the girls enter as well, but paid them no further attention. The Weasley girl was from the same family as the Potters and probably hated him as well, and Steel was just not worth his time – she was good looking, though.
Rose stopped dead on the tracks when she caught sight of Malfoy. He is here! Oh Merlin, he is here! Maybe if I hide, he won't see me! She looked around frantically for a hiding spot, but the room was full of shelves, which in turn were full of trophies. She blushed when she realized he had looked at her. Oh, great, now he's not only seen me standing here, but also shaking my head like a lunatic! She couldn't help wondering, though, what he had done to be in detention. He was usually very well behaved. And mostly, he was very, very calm. It amazed her, how he seemed to be always tranquil, unaffected by anything that went by him. Even during Quidditch plays he was serene, which was fairly rare for a Beater. Most people considered him to be somewhat cold, but Rose knew better. She always paid close attention to him whenever they had classes or Prefect meetings together, and she had seen emotions within him, had seen anger and passion and fire in his icy-blue eyes.
"Rose?" The redheaded girl turned on the spot and her eyes widened. Albus? Now, that is a surprise! "What are you doing here, Rosie?"
"I'm buying an owl, Al. Seriously, what does it seem that I'm doing?" Albus flinched at his cousin's sharp response, but he knew she was usually like that when she was upset, and she was clearly very upset. "How did you get a detention?" He asked, approaching her slowly.
"How did you get a detention? You're a Hufflepuff, for Merlin's sake!"
Albus blushed slightly, "Tell you later."
Sue rolled her eyes when she noticed she'd have to share detention not only with perfect girl but with perfect boy was well. Really, could any cousins be more boring than those two? At least he was kinda cute. And by the looks of it, could be an easy prey. Well, well, she might have some fun after all. Her eyes darted to the Slytherin boy and she rolled her eyes once more. That one was a lost case. The ice prince, who showed absolutely no emotions, barely talked to anyone and had never been seen with a girl. Maybe he's homo. She noticed when his eyes lingered on her breasts for a few seconds before he looked the other way. Maybe not.
"All right, you lot, grab your flannels and start wiping!" Filch ordered them, slowly walking to the only chair in the room and sitting down. "And don't even try using magic when I'm not looking! This room is magic-proof. I f you use any kind of spell, you'll set off an alarm that will be heard even in the Shrieking Shack."
Sue flashed Filch an angry look. I thought we were going to help him, not do everything by ourselves! Well, that's what they get for having such an old man as a caretaker! And worse, a Squib! She looked around to see if anybody else was as outraged as she was, but they all seemed to be already immersed in their work. She sighed, frustrated, when she realized nobody was paying attention to her. Now, that was a new one and she certainly wouldn't have it. She needed attention and she was going to get it. She looked from one boy to the other, trying to figure out which would be easily seduced. She had caught Malfoy looking lustfully at her, yes. On the other hand, he was a cold guy, whereas Potter seemed more fragile, more in need of attention… and was most likely more naïve than the Slytherin. Moreover, that would annoy Weasley the most, seeing as he was her cousin. Sue glanced at the other girl, already delighted at the prospect of nailing her cousin, and was surprised to catch the redhead looking sideways at Malfoy at the other side of the room: her face was flushed and she was biting her lower lip, for once seeming completely distracted from her task. So, this is where the water flows! Sue watched as Malfoy looked back at the Gryffindor inquisitively, making her blush even more and avert her eyes. Sue smirked. She had her target.
The brunette opened the upper button of her robes and walked gracefully to where Malfoy stood. She slightly pressed her thigh against his and leaned a little so that he could have a better view of her bronzed breasts. "Do you need any help?" she asked in a low, seductive voice, smiling and batting her eyelashes at him.
Scorpius looked at her as she was an extraterrestrial. The most beautiful extraterrestrial ever, but still very strange. First of all, nobody ever talked to him, let alone girls, and certainly not that way. He couldn't help looking at her breasts, which seemed very soft, by the way. He than glanced at her full rosy lips and his breath caught in his throat. His gaze lifted to her very dark brown eyes. Why is she talking to me like that? It's almost as if she's trying to seduce me. "Er… hum… ok. I mean, yes, if you want to. Help me, I mean. That's ok," he managed to stammer.
Sue's smiled widened and she pressed herself more against him, taking her flannel and starting wiping the same large cup he was holding. She wasn't even looking at the cup, though. Her eyes were on Weasley and she had to master all her will not to stick her tongue at the other girl like a five year old child. You see? You got mine, I got yours! How do you like that now?
Scorpius was even more distracted when he felt her breast touch his forearm. She is trying to seduce me! But why me? I mean, I could understand – at least a little better – if I was the only guy here, but Potter's standing right there and he's certainly more attractive than me, right? I mean, I'm a Slytherin! And a Malfoy! And an uptight Prefect! Well, so is Potter… Anyway, why me? He looked intensely at her eyes to see if he could figure out what was to him a complete puzzle. He liked doing that, looking into people's eyes. Over many years of solitude and silence, he had learned that the eyes often spoke more than the mouth – and usually more truthfully. He noticed then she wasn't looking at the cup they were cleaning, as he expected her to. She wasn't even looking at him. She was looking at… He turned his head to find out… Weasley? Is she trying to seduce her? That would certainly be unexpected, but it didn't seem to be the case. Steel's eyes were not seducing anymore, they were daring. Like she was challenging Weasley to do something. She had her eyebrows raised in a look that seemed to say: 'What are you going to do now?'She actually looked like a little girl rubbing in the face of her playmate that her doll was prettier. Scorpius almost stumbled in realization. I am the doll? No, wait now, that makes no sense. What interest could Weasley have in me? He looked again at the redhead and was surprised to see her eyes. They expressed shock, anger and… was that jealousy?
Rose closed her fists in anger. She felt herself trembling and took a deep breath to calm down. She knew Steel was trying to get on her nerves – and succeeding – and she didn't want to give her that pleasure. She noticed Malfoy looking at her and quickly directed her attention to her cousin. Her breathing was still uneven, though, and she knew she was blushing furiously. Albus eyed her inquiringly. "Are you alright, Rosie? You seem a little… angry."
Scorpius quickly backed away when he realized what was going on, causing Steel to falter. He didn't even try to catch her. She is using me to get on Weasley's nerves?! He couldn't understand why Steel would do such a thing, but he was downright disgusted that she had used him with that intent. He walked to the farthest side of the room, passing Weasley and Potter on the way without looking at them. Rose saw him almost running away from Steel and smiled slightly. "Me? Oh, no! I'm fine, Al. I'm great, actually." She turned to gaze at the Ravenclaw and grinned. "So, you didn't tell me why you're here." Albus was more confused than ever, for Rose was now looking very pleased all of a sudden. He shrugged and decided to pay the matter no second thought. Girls were just weird like that. Instead, he focused on her question. "Well, I was caught sneaking out to go to Hogsmeade when I should be in my Charms class," he answered, a playful smile on his lips.
"What?!" Rose said that a little louder than she had intended, and quickly glanced at Filch. She breathed with relief when she saw that the caretaker was slumped in the chair, his head fallen back and his mouth opened, snoring. "I'm sorry, Al, but I think I didn't hear you right. What did you say you were doing?"
Sue approached them. She didn't know why Malfoy had suddenly lost interest in her, but she wasn't going to give up the chance of pissing off Weasley. However, she was truly curious as to what had put perfect boy into detention.
"I said I was caught sneaking out to go to Hogsmeade when I should be in my Charms class," Albus repeated the exact same words, almost as if he had rehearsed them. Perhaps he had.
Rose's mouth gaped. "Why did you do that? I mean, that's so unlike you."
"Exactly." The Hufflepuff was grinning widely now. "By the way, what did you do? It's not exactly common for you to get a detention."
She blushed and looked at her shoes, embarrassed because she knew Malfoy was listening. "I… hum… I don't want to talk about it."
"She jinxed me." Sue stated, sounding very offended.
It was Albus turn to gap his mouth at his cousin. "You did that? But… why?"
Rose gave Steel a deathly glare. "I had my reasons," she said between her clenched teeth.
"Oh, Rose, you and that bad temper of yours! I'm sure whatever she did wasn't that bad. Besides, she probably didn't even mean to offend you." He turned to face the brunette girl. "Right?"
Sue flashed him a bright smile. "Of course not! Thanks for understanding that!"
Scorpius shook his head. He knew Steel had probably done something offensive, although she looked like one of those saints in Muggle paintings. Nonetheless, Potter was right: his cousin had a very bad temper. It was one of the things Scorpius liked about her, though. Unlike him, who pretended to be a good boy, who did his best not show his emotions and who usually had to swallow his pride (and a few bad words), she always did what she wanted. She didn't seem to care what others would think about her actions or what the consequences might be. She always stood up for what she thought was right and just, and he had to admit he deeply admired that. He looked into her eyes again and noticed they were now a dark shade of blue – she was very angry. She looked beautiful when she was angry. Smiling, he said in a low voice: "If that's true, then why are you on detention?"
Rose couldn't believe her own ears. Malfoy was defending her! Well, not exactly, but if he was accusing Steel, that meant he knew the girl was not so innocent after all. Which meant he knew Rose was not so guilty. Which was almost as good as defending her.
Sue gave Malfoy a deep frown. First he turned her down and now this? "Why did you get a detention?"
Scorpius took a deep breath. "I think we should return to our duties. We don't want Filch to wake up and realize we haven't done anything."
Sue snorted and was about to respond when a loud knock sounded on the door.
Author's note: I'm sorry for the cliff-hanger – I know it's cliché and is also a bit annoying, but I actually wanted this chapter to end here because the next one will start another action. I hope you like it so far. Please review! I'd love to know what you think of it so far, or if you have any critics and/or suggestions. Thank you!
