Unexpected Things

KeysCanHurt: I knew you would =)) Well Kron wants to try things differently, in his own new age way :P :)). Hmm... let's see what Scor thought about that meeting ;) Al's too much like his daddy to say yes to someone like Dirkie :)) Well here's the update :P

Guess Who: HAHAHAH =)) Nice one xD Deal with waiting :P xD xD

serpent3: Heheh, I'm glad to have caught your interest with this fic ;)

crazy-wee-cat: Lol, that means I did my job writing about Dirk well xD How are ya thinkin in Dirk's voice? Heheh

yellow 14: We'll see about that ;) Ooh, Dirk very well could be.

Chapter Seventeen

Defense Against the Dark Arts

"Al, where have you been?"

"You just vanished, mate!"

"We were worried about you!"

Demelza had been worried about him? The idea gave Al some warmth, calming him after the ordeal. "I got lost."

"How?"

"Where'd you go?"

"I… ended up in the Hog's Head." Al couldn't yet decide if he should tell them about what happened in the Hog's Head or not. It was no doubt the strangest experience with Dirk Kron yet. Dirk had sounded threatening. What was the guy capable of anyway?

Surely Dirk wouldn't do something… evil… right?

His aim was to help people, wasn't it? So he was… good.

Dirk was good.

But something about him was just… wrong. Al still couldn't point out what it was, and he had a hard time believing Dirk was someone evil.

The idea of evil… Al wasn't fond of it. He always believed that there was some good in everyone. That anyone hostile will have reasons that can be understood. Even the Flints, they could be understood, and peace be made. It's just that… they didn't seem interested in making peace, so Al respected that.

Still, the Flints could get really irritating. Professor Smith too.

A little bit of peace between them and those irritating people wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Did you master everything I taught you about Boggarts?"

Professor Smith circled the class of Slytherins and Ravenclaws like some hunter rounding up prey. Al was reminded of a pack of wolves circling and surrounding a bison.

Great.

Al spent too much time reading about wolves and werewolves.

"How many of you can say that they know everything there is to know about a Boggart?"

A number of Ravenclaws raised their hands. Al had done his research and after some thought, he raised his hand too. Scorpius raised his hand, as did Jacqui and Paula. Dirk had his hand up too.

"Not all of you Ravenclaws know it? I thought you would all excitedly show off your knowledge." Professor Smith glared at the Ravenclaws before turning around and stalking to the front of the class. "Slytherins… well… more than I expected."

Smith pointed at a door. "There's a trunk in that room. In it is a Boggart. You will confront the Boggart one by one. Good performance, good grade. Bad performance, failing mark. Even troll-brained Slytherins will understand that." Al heard Flint's growl from behind him.

"Alphabetically. Allen, go first."

They watched as Paula opened the door and walked in. Al as well as his classmates stood up and leaned over, trying to see how things were going.

Swarms of crawling, wriggling insects came out of the trunk: long, slimy worms; furry caterpillars; multiple-legged creatures like centipedes and millipedes.

Paula was frozen at first, then she started shivering and making gagging noises of disgust and whimpering noises of fear. She backed away, then pointed her wand at the swarm, yelling "Riddikulus!"

The swarm of crawling insects turned into billiard balls rolling around while Paula laughed triumphantly.

"Average performance. Allen, you'll get your grade letter. Get out of there. Belby, you're next."

Rob Belby of Ravenclaw feared a werewolf and ran out of the room yelling in fear.

"Cowardly fool! What kind of Ravenclaw are you? It's like you've never read anything about a Boggart! FAIL!" Smith wrote on his clipboard. "Bultstrode, get your oversized jaw in there!"

Beth Bulstrode glared at Professor Smith while Mars Flint muttered threats that Smith didn't hear.

When Beth came into the room, the Boggart took on the form of a man in black robes Al didn't recognize.

Beth took a step back, then after hesitating, went forward and pointed her wand at the man. "I hate you, bastard! Riddikulus!"

The man's robes vanished to be replaced by women's underwear.

Beth giggled evilly and went out of the room.

"Average. Burrow, you're next."

The Ravenclaw Emma Burrow was next. Her Boggart was a vampire. She defeated it by having bright light burn it up.

"Average. Chambers, you're next."

Sarah Chambers of Ravenclaw confronted a lion. As it roared at her, she said "Riddikulus!" and all the fur on the lion, even the thick mane, vanished. Laughing, the Ravenclaw walked out of the room.

"Mildly amusing, Chambers. Average. Chua, you're next."

Jacqueline was obviously tense as she walked into the room. Al watched her shoulders rise as she took a deep breath.

The hairless lion stared at her, waving it's long, bald tail. Then it shape-shifted into…

"Scorpius?" Al couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was no mistaking the light blond, well-kept hair, the somewhat pointed features, and the grey eyes. But the eyes weren't the warm, happy silver of when they were still friends, or the dull grey of when he was upset. They were a harsh, cold shade, and they glared at Jacqui.

"That's not me…" Al looked over his shoulder and saw that Scorpius had his eyes wide, and he looked scared.

"Chua." The Scorpius-Boggart snarled at Jacqui. He stepped toward her. "You're a stupid fool! Do you honestly think I'm going back to you? NO WAY! Your blood is filthy! Tainted by that Mudblood you call a father. I'd rather die than let you touch me again.

"Oh, and do you remember Trelawney and what she said? Pain for you? You filthy creature, you deserve all the pain and misery that life will throw at you!"

"R-Riddikulus…" Jacqui's voice was a soft whisper.

"HAH! Worthless. You can't do anything right."

Jacqui turned and ran from the classroom.

Scorpius watched her, sitting by herself in the usual spot near the lake. She had her arms on her folded knees and her head on her sleeves. She had been there all afternoon, since classes ended. Her friends, Ravenclaws as well as the friends Scorpius used to call his had come to her and tried to comfort her. He remembered how she waved at them to go away every time they came.

He couldn't bear to see her like that. It tore at him. Rose, she was doing just fine. He saw her and that Hufflepuff maniac flying around Hogsmeade. It was a miracle they weren't caught.

But Jacqui… She was so obviously depressed.

And when he saw her Boggart… her fear…

She feared he wouldn't come back… and that he was intensely disgusted with her…

He didn't find her the least bit disgusting...

Scorpius sighed and walked off.

Should he go to the library? Or perhaps the Common Room…

"Malvoy."

"What do you want?" he snapped.

Scorpius only went to that stupid thing out of a mild sense of curiosity, and Dirk said he would stop bothering Scorpius if he came. "That little party of yours was really lousy. And you're supposed to be leaving me alone."

"I said I might. I didn't promise that I vould."

"Great! Fantastic!" This was all he needed. Scorpius wanted to just punch that rat's face in, or hex him, or curse him. "Out of my way, you son of a-"

"Petrificus Totalus."

Scorpius's limbs felt bound together by unseen ropes when they snapped together. As his immobile body lost balance and he fell, fear filled him.

Images of what happened to him in his first year flashed before his eyes. He remembered the cruel faces, the mocking laughter. He remembered the game they made out of causing him pain.

At the time, James had tried to stop them and Rose came to help.

That was out of the question now.

"Listen to me." Dirk knelt down next to him. "I vant to tell that you're pathetic. It's obvious you haff feelings vor that Ravenclaw girl."

"Finite." Dirk waved his wand and Scorpius was able to move again.

He sat up. "So what?"

"Do something about it!"

"People say I'll hurt her! If you didn't notice, I'm a Malfoy and she's… not."

"Vould you really hurt her?"

"I-…" Scorpius looked away. "I don't know." Didn't he already hurt her by… this?

"You should learn something."

"Vhat-- I mean what would that be?" Scorpius considered letting his mind wander and not paying attention to whatever Dirk was going to say. It probably wasn't going to be any use to Scorpius anyway.

"It's our life. Ve live it as ve choose to. Ve in Slytherin ver given ambition. Ve aim high and ve know ve can reach high. Ve ver given the determination to reach our goal. Ve haff the cunning and resourcefulness needed as our tools. Do you understand?"

"What does that have to do with-"

"Ve can pick any goal ve vant! Ve can do vatever ve vant!"

"Huh?" Dirk wasn't making sense to him.

"I'll explain then. Gryffindors can only live up to the heroism expected ov them. They get themselves killed just because they ver expected to jump off the cliff first."

That… was true.

"The Ravenclaws are expected to know all the answers. They are not given rest until they know it. Also, they are often executed for knowing too much. The Hufflepuffs? The fools! Vat haff they to offer? Their loyalty leads them to their death. They'll follow their Gryffindor friends right off that cliff!

"A Slytherin has freedom! Ve do not haff to please others. Others refuse to see who ve are? Their loss! Ve do not need their approval! Ve get vhat ve vant vhen ve vant. Screw their approval!"

"That's… you're right!"

"Vhy, Malvoy? Vhy do you vorry about vhat others think? You haff the freedom to make your own choices and act upon them. You can do vhat you vant. You don't need to please everyone."

"You're right… you're right! You're right!" Scorpius couldn't believe it. Dirk actually made sense! Scorpius was a Slytherin! Slytherins didn't need approval! They never did! "It doesn't matter if everyone expects me to murder or betray my friends. What matters is what I know and I know I wouldn't harm my friends. Gah! I'm such an idiot! Jacqui's always tried to convince me… I gotta go. Thanks, mate! You made sense for once! I owe you, Kron!"

Scorpius turned around and ran toward Jacqui, calling her name.

"Jacqui! JACQUI!"

"Go away!" Jacqui's voice was muffled by her sleeves.

"Jacqui! It's me!"

"Scorpius?" Jacqui looked up, revealing reddened eyes.

"Yeah… er… hi." Hi? HI?!? After leaving them for practically two months, that was all he could say? He should have planned this out better.

Scorpius swallowed then tried again. "Look… I… want to tell you t-that… I'm sorry for being such a stupid git. Leaving you all was… the most idiotic thing I ever did and I regret it."

He was crouching in front of her, while she was sitting with her back against the tree, hugging her knees. Slowly, she tentatively reached out a hand. Scorpius took it and held it. He put his other hand on her shoulder. "Would you be able to forgive me?"

A smile appeared on a face that looked like smiles had abandoned it long ago. "You came back… Of course."

Scorpius felt a smile forming on his own face, and he shifted position so his face was even closer to hers. This was making him nervous, but he was just… doing it. He wanted to impress her, make her happy. After all the misery, and who knew how much she thought about her fear… that damn Boggart… he had to make it up to her.

"I will never hurt you again… I won't hurt you, whatever anyone says." He looked directly at her dark eyes and spoke sincerely.

Her fingers touched his hair in the calming way that he didn't realize that he missed until now. "I know."

"As… as long as you know that… a-and I know that… that's all that matters… right…?"

"Right."

Scorpius found his eyes on her lips? Should he?

The idea made him nervous… but also excited. He felt uncomfortable, but also comfortable. He couldn't explain it. It's was just that… part of him couldn't, part of him wanted to… very much wanted to.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had pressed his lips against hers. She kissed back, running her fingers through his hair.

ahh, young love… xD