Prompt: "Pair"
If you asked Professor Longbottom, he would have told you that he had a gut feeling that any children of Harry Potter and any children of Draco Malfoy were doomed to be at each other's throats for all the years that they would spend together. He was pretty certain of this—he wasn't quite so positive of Ron and Hermione's kids, but he was pretty sure about Harry and Ginny's—so it was no great surprise when one day, he had to break up a fight between the fighting students. What he hadn't suspected that it would be little, sweet Lily that would be trying to claw the eyes out of Scorpius's sockets.
No one could agree on how the fight got started, (most would agree that it was probably over something stupid), but it was mostly between James and Scorpius at first. Then it got personal—James said something nasty about Draco and Scorpius retorted with such a scathing retort about Ginny that Lily broke free of Albus' restraining grip, and flew at the Malfoy heir like an enraged veela.
Professor Longbottom and Professor Moran had to physically pry the struggling pair enough, which was not made any easier when James and Paul Flint tried to jump in. It was Hagrid that finally reached in, and pulled the two other students away from the fight while Longbottom dragged Lily away from Moran and Scorpius. "That's ENOUGH, you two," Hagrid bellowed, holding back from each other. "Now if you lot don't simmer down, I'll have you in detention for every Quidditch match this term."
If a threat like that wasn't enough to ensure that they wouldn't touch each other, than nothing was. James and Paul jumped away as if they had been electrified, both of them terrified of losing their spots on the Quidditch teams for the term. Scorpius and Lily weren't as easily dissuaded as neither was on their House's teams.
"Lily Potter, if you don't stop this instant I shall write your mother about you," Neville hissed, mostly because she had just elbowed him in the chest.
"Detention, Malfoy!" Moran yelled. "I've enough of this nonsense—you knock it off or I'll make sure it isn't just the Potters getting letters about their children. That includes you lot," he addressed the crowd around him that had been cheering either side. "Payne, Caraway, Jones—don't make me name you all, now off with you!"
When Professor Moran started to name off members of the crowd, most took off like a shot rather than get an angry letter home to their parents. The only people left were the Professors, the students that caused the whole affair, and a few of their friends. Rose, Hugo, Albus, and several more of their cousins hung about anxiously watching as the teachers gave their friends and family a severe dressing down.
"-Never in all my days have I seen such a stupid, unnecessary-"
"-I expected better from you lot and here I find you-"
"-If Neville ain't writing home to your parents, I will!"
"Detention!" all three professors chorused. Hagrid had shouted it pointedly at James, Neville at Lily and Scorpius, and Moran at Paul. They shortly told the one(s) they had been addressing to meet them that night (Hagrid and Longbottom specified at dusk though Moran said before dinner).
"And get to class, the lot of ya," Hagrid boomed, sending them scattering.
When Hugo and Lily arrived at Charms, quite late, Hugo joined his cousin in the back of the class and leaned over to his cousin. "Any idea what Uncle Neville has planned for you guys?"
Lily, who was very near tears, shook her head, and refused to look at anyone besides Professor Flitwick. Hugo reached out to squeeze her wrist. She clutched at his hand briefly, but then let go, and returned to her note taking.
Lily absolutely dreaded the thought of detention that night—she had never gotten in such trouble for the three years she'd been at Hogwarts—and while serving detention with Uncle Neville wouldn't have been so bad, Scorpius was enough to put a damper on any hopes she had. Still when dinner finished, she nodded grimly to Hugo, got up and left the Hufflepuff table, trying to keep her head high. As she left, she saw Scorpius Malfoy and Professor Longbottom had already been waiting outside the door. Scorpius looked very tempted to make a comment, but Longbottom coughed and nodded to her.
"You two will work with me tonight and-" he started but after a moment, Professor Patil ran up, and grabbed Longbottom's arm. "Something wrong, Professor?"
"Nev—Professor Longbottom, there's a problem," she panted. "I need your help—the nekonata I had for class has escaped."
Longbottom frowned but Lily noticed the twitch in his hands when she spoke. But what's a nekonata? she wondered. She glanced over at Scorpius with a puzzled expression on her face only to see him do the same thing. They both caught each other looking though, and whipped their heads back to their professors.
"Where'd you think it's gone?" Longbottom asked.
"I think it'll try to head towards the dungeons—there are mice, and Slughorn keeps his specimens down there. It'll try to get to something dead at least."
Longbottom sighed. "Hopefully it won't head outside—we'd never catch it in the Forest, and I'd hate to see what it could do with Dumbledore's remains."
"I'll go get some more professors to help," Patil decided before hurrying into the Great Hall.
Longbottom turned to face the two of them. "Change of plans—you two can serve detention while helping us look for Professor Patil's creature."
"Sir?" Scorpius asked startled. "Is that safe?"
"Oh, not to worry—it can't do much down there. Slughorn's got those jars spelled so tight, even if the things in them tried to get out, they wouldn't. Besides, nekonata aren't so bad one on one," he added.
Lily frowned. "Um…Professor Longbottom?"
"Yes, Miss Potter?"
She nibbled on her bottom lip for a moment. "What is a…nekonata?"
"Oh, that's right, you wouldn't cover those until fourth year," Longbottom blinked then frowned as he tried to recall what he could remember from his Care of Magical Creatures classes. "Well, a nekonata is a cat spirit from Japan. You can tell them apart from normal cats since it has two tails. The problem with them is that they're necromancers."
Lily gasped and Scorpius blurted "Is that really safe?"
"I wouldn't worry—nekonata are rarely malicious. Besides, Professor Patil would never have brought in a Dark creature if it could do any real harm." Even if neither student liked each other, both Lily and Scorpius had identical looks of unease on their faces. "Now then, I have an idea—go back in a grab a fish or two. We'll use them as bait."
Detention, Lily had to admit, wasn't that bad really. They had spent half their time wandering up and down the dungeons before a silver bird flew over, and spoke to them in Professor Patil's voice. "We've got it trapped on the third floor—if you're still willing to help, I could really use some help up here."
After sending off his own toad Patronus, Professor Longbottom led the two students up to help search. As they wandered around, poking their heads into classrooms, opening closets, or checking alcoves, they spoke little to each other. "Professor, if we find this thing before our detention's up, can we just go to bed?" Scorpius asked after closing yet another classroom door.
"Might as well," he answered. "But you two listen—if I catch you having another fight like that again, you will not get off as light. Am I understood?"
"Yes, sir," they answered dutifully. Lily glared as he answered in unison, but Scorpius looked amused—whether from her fierce look or from the two of them saying the same thing, she wasn't sure. She didn't like it either way.
They went back to searching; after a while, Lily was tempted to just beg Uncle Neville into letting them off early when she saw a flash of white and orange slipping behind a door. Lily heard a hiss behind her, and she knew that Scorpius had seen it too. Not wanting to let it get away, they both chased after it, and forgot to mention the sighting to Professor Longbottom all together.
"Shut the door," Lily hissed as they ran into the room. Scorpius, who entered a moment after her, shut it and just in time. The nekonata, which if it weren't for the two tails Lily would have mistaken for a regular calico tabby, glared at them, its eyes shining dimly. "Oh, how cute," Lily couldn't help but blurt.
"Cute? Are you insane, Potter?" Scorpius sneered, already creeping towards its right. "I'll get it," Lily had half a mind to hex him, but thought better of it. Instead, she huffed, and watched as Scorpius drew near the cat spirit.
For a moment, it seemed as if the Malfoy heir would actually grab it, but as he lunged for it, the cat leapt straight over his head, somersaulting before landing perfectly as Scorpius crashed into a desk. Lily's jaw dropped opened as it casually brushed some dust off before fixing its gaze on her. For a moment, Lily and they cat stared each other down, and Lily realized unsettlingly that she wasn't winning.
Then the nekonata jumped at her, and Lily ducked as it sailed over her head. "Eep!" she squeaked, dodging the multicolored missile as it soared above her. She staggered to the side, twisting so she could look back; somehow, it landed on the door knob and managed to turn it. It changed into a cloud of patchy vapor as it slipped into the gap between the door. Lily yelled, and began to chase after it, forgetting about Scorpius who managed to pull himself back up and after them. They followed it down the hall into another classroom.
Just before they entered however, Lily tossed her arm out and caught Scorpius. "Just what are you thinking, Potter?" Scorpius huffed when he nearly barrelled into her.
"If we run in there, jumping at it, we'll just both end up chasing after it all night," she explained. She paused then grinned sweetly at him. "You still got the fish?"
Malfoy frowned but then snorted. "Yes."
"Well, then I think-"
"-I know what you think," Scorpius interrupted. "But whatever—I'll distract it, but if you don't catch it, Potter, I'm never going to let you live it down."
Lily didn't bother to answer as she watched him rummage through his pockets for a fish. Finally he found it, wrapped in a napkin so to not stain his pocket.
He frowned. "My pocket smells like fish now—I hope Longbottom's happy."
"I'm sure he will be once we catch this cat," Lily replied tightly, reaching for the door knob. "Ladies first, Malfoy."
"Oh, thank you, kind sir," Scorpius retorted scathingly. "I always knew you were a little on the boyish side, Potter, but I'm glad to see you can admit to it."
Lily was very tempted to slam the door on his leg, but only barely remembered that she need him to distract the nekonata. Talented boy like Malfoy could suffice without one though, she thought with a smirk as she slipped in after him. Her waspish mood vanished however as she joined him inside; she had to strain to see the cat in the shadows of the desks, but it poked its nose up in the air as soon as it smelled the fish.
"Ready?" Scorpius whispered; she nodded and began to edge away from him and closer to the cat.
Lily barely breathed as she inched closer to the cat as it crept forward towards Scorpius and the fish. She managed to get behind when it suddenly jumped at Scorpius. Scorpius let out a high pitched yelp that Lily wasn't aware a boy could manage as the cat latched onto his shirt. Lily cursed, and lunged herself, smashing into both the nekonata and Scorpius, tolping them back onto the door.
"For Salzar's sake, Potter," Scorpius wheezed, "we were supposed catch the bloody thing, not smash it."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she gasped, jumping back. "You okay?"
"Fine, fine, just got jumped by a feline necromancer and you, but other than that-"
"First the sake, now this!"
Lily and Scorpius blinked at each other. "Was that-?"
"Why have you betrayed me fish, why?"
Too stunned to be anything else, both students looked down to see the cat, still clinging to Scorpius's shirt and munching on the fish loudly. "Holy…"
"Did you just talk?" Lily asked brightly.
The nekonata huffed at her, and returned to its meal. "Suppose this means it's back to the cage after this, eh?"
Lily and Scorpius just stared.
If you asked Professor Longbottom, he would have told you that he had a gut feeling that any children of Harry Potter and any children of Draco Malfoy were doomed to be at each other's throats for all the years that they would spend together. He was pretty certain of this—until the two students walked up to him, Scorpius with a calico nekonata in his hands, and Lily with a list of demands from the diva nekonata.
"Enjoy," Scorpius said quickly, shoving the cat into Neville's hands.
"Does this mean we can go to bed now?" Lily asked wearily as she handed over the list.
"I…I suppose," Neville managed.
Both students looked deeply relieved, turned, and wandered off together, talking and agreeing loudly that neither wanted to see another cat for at least awhile.
Neville looked down at the cat in his arms, which was loudly cleaning its paws of fish oil before looking back at him. "So, hell of a night for you too, huh?"
Neville looked between it, the list of demands, and then at the two departing students before he agreed.