A/N: Thank you to all the followers and of course the favouriters
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my OC's and plot, the original isn't mine no matter how hard I wish it was.
When you're surrounded by people who share the same set of assumptions as you, you start to think that's reality. -
Emily Levine.
The singed classroom tables had to be replaced, the burnt cauldron tossed away and their old station was avoided for the remainder of the day. Rose did feel partially responsible for the whole 'not paying attention to the potion and causing it to burn her partner incident' however in her defense, if Scorpius wasn't such a prat then the incident wouldn't have happened. It had also been the talk of the class, and many students had added their own twist.
Rose had taken it upon herself to avoid both her classmates and roommates for the rest of day. The quidditch pitch was serving as her means of comfort, and she was glad to have something to vent on.
"So it's true that you set Meara Finnegan on fire?" Hugo asked as if trying to stifle his own laughter.
Rose rolled her eyes before turning her back to her brother, she was practicing beating skills in peace before he arrived and he had ruined her concentration.
"Well it's been going around that you set her on fire- I just wanted to hear it from you" Hugo added with a shrug. Rose sighed before hitting the bludger once more, the force of the hit sending it flying into the bleachers and causing the unfortunate spectators to quickly scatter to avoid being hit.
Hugo watched with mild amusement before turning back to face her, a look of concern across his features and brows slightly furrowed.
"You okay?" He asked, though he instantly regretted it as Rose swung round with the bat tight in her grip.
"Malfoy just irritates me that's all" Rose answered. The bludger came flying towards her once more and once again the redhead hit it with such a force that her father would have been proud of.
"That still isn't an excuse to set a girl on fire" Hugo said in a slightly teasing tone.
Rose scoffed before catching the bludger, the force sent her staggering backwards slightly and she found herself in a bit of a struggle as she tried to get it back into its casing. Once she was satisfied that it wasn't going to escape its confinement anytime soon, she slammed the case shut before turning back to her brother.
"I didn't set her on fire" She hissed, her brother staring at her with folded arms.
"Well maybe not on purpose...The prat is constantly getting on my bloody nerves!" She added with frustration.
Hugo sighed, he knew it was probably best to let his sister vent out her current anger. For he knew better than anyone that an angry Rose wasn't the kind of person one could reason with, if she was stubborn in a normal mood, when angry said stubbornness was tripped.
"Why don't you count to ten like mum always tells you?" Hugo suggested once he was convinced Rose had let off some steam. Rose had her fingers placed on the bridge of her nose as if trying to calm herself.
"I don't want to count to bloody ten…" She answered, though slightly exasperated. Hugo opened his mouth to comment on her use of language- something that their mother had always done, however at the glare Rose was giving him he quickly decided against it.
"You shouldn't let him get to you" Hugo said with a sigh once Rose had stopped glaring.
Scorpius Malfoy was always able to affect her- to push all of her buttons in a way that had her go almost insane. He knew what made her tick and at first the thought had angered her to no end, but now it only served to bring her utter confusion.
"it's not that easy" She answered with a hint of bitterness. Scorpius knew so much about her, when she knew next to nothing about him.
"Well it's not that hard either" Hugo countered, a smirk crossing his features at Rose's expression of pure distaste.
"It wouldn't be if Malfoy wasn't such a prat" She snapped, heading off the Quidditch pitch and leaving an exasperated Hugo trailing behind her.
Slytherin students were a peculiar bunch.
Hard as nails with strong exoskeletons, yet somewhat soft and vulnerable. Both of his parents had been Slytherin's and only once had he seen them cry. His mother, Astoria, was one of the strongest women he knew. Full of pride and always presenting an air of sophisticated grace wherever she went, and Scorpius often found himself mimicking such traits.
However it had been one night when he had first started Hogwarts- his first Christmas home when he had seen it. His mother hunched over her office desk, what looked to be a crushed letter in her hands and tears rolling down her face. They weren't the tears he had seen on the girls at school, the ones that had shed over stupid little reasons like getting their hair pulled. Those were real tears. Her quiet sobs were enough to have him rooted to the spot and he was instantly unsure of what to do.
He had contemplated calling for his father, however at the sight of her red rimmed eyes he thought against it. He had planted himself at her knees and it took her a moment to register his presence, though when she did the tears stopped and the room silent.
She made no attempt to remove her tears from her face- like everything else she did she wore them with pride.
"Not in front of our enemies" She told him with such sternest.
"They would think that they hurt us- that they won" She said, her sharp eyes searching his own. He listened intently, mesmerised by her musical voice, her gracefulness and sense of hope.
"To them we are nothing but Slytherin's and Slytherin's don't cry…"
He had been on his usual prefect duties when he had heard it, the sound that always had him rooted to the spot. Heading towards the girls bathroom the sound only got louder, and Scorpius was certain that it was definitely sobbing. It took him longer than he anticipated to register what was happening, his initial thought was to walk away - the business wasn't his own and he had a job to do. However a deep part of his mind pulled his feet forward in forced him into the girls bathroom.
It was then that he realised which bathroom it was, the one no one entered thanks to the ghost inhabiting it. Her head tilted as if examining him through her spectacled gaze and her brows furrowed in confusion.
The ghost girl clad in Hogwarts robes glided over to him, her eyes never leaving his own.
"You remind me of someone- someone who was once lost" She said as she continued to inspect him.
He remained silent as the ghost continued her examination, however the quiet sobs had suddenly ceased and reduced to sniffles. Scorpius quickly walked past the ghost, leaving her staring after him with a childlike curiosity.
"Is he still lost now?" She asked, he head tilted once more like a broken porcelain doll and her translucent eyes once more locked onto his steel grey ones. Scorpius remained silent, assessing the ghost with his own curiosity. She was waiting for answer with such interest.
"No.." He answered before opening the cubicle door he was certain that the sobbing resided from. His eyes widened at who he found, a somewhat stocky girl, with red rimmed eyes and chocolate brown hair that slipped just past her chin. At first glance he almost thought it was Meara Finnegan, however once he caught sight of the chocolate brown eyes he knew that it was her younger sister Saoirse.
"Scorpius what are you- this is the girl's bathroom?!" She practically shrieked before slamming the door shut. He sighed before turning back to where the ghost was stood, however she was gone.
"Saoirse, as your captain open the door" He demanded with such authority. Not even two seconds had passed and he heard the tell click of the cubicle door before it slowly swung open, revealing the younger girl.
Saoirse was in her fourth year though had already surpassed most of her peers in height, no longer sitting down she was only an inch or two shorter than he was which ultimately contrasted with her older sisters shorter stature.
"Go on ask who made me cry like a miserable Ravenclaw" She hissed with anger. He ignored her tone, and instead assessed the way she stood. Her arms protectively folded over her chest and shoulders hunched as if to make herself seem smaller. He was aware of many of the fourth year students poking fun at her appearance, but never once had he pegged her as someone who even cared for such things.
"Why are you letting them win?" He asked- no demanded with a raised brow. The question clearly caught her off guard since it had her stuttering a reply of incoherent words.
"What?" She asked once she regained her ability to speak. Her eyes no longer full of tears but now narrowed dangerously to slits.
"You heard me. You're letting them win. You've let them take your pride" He told her, which only caused her to scowl.
"I didn't let them take anything from me!" She spat before abruptly turning away from him. He swiftly walked so that he was once again in her line of vision and his steel grey orbs locked onto her own.
"You've made yourself vulnerable. You've let them take your pride" He stated, she opened her mouth to protest though he abruptly cut her off.
"it shows, not from tears but appearance. Your slumped shoulders, your folded arms as a member of this house you should stand tall"
She lowered her head, her bangs falling into her eyes and keeping them from view. He allowed her sob, just this time.
"Words can hurt…" She muttered once her sobs had ceased. He nodded in agreement, remembering the vulgar and hurtful language he had seen in that letter all those years ago.
"They can, the trick is to utilise them" He told her.
She nodded before she swiped her bangs out of her line of vision.
"To them we are nothing but Slytherin's and Slytherin's don't cry" He told her with a sternest his mother had given him.
She nodded and used the heel of her hand to rub at her tear stained cheeks.
"Stand tall, don't let them know the effect they have" He said firmly. She nodded before a shadow of a smile crossed her features and she was gone.
He walked out of the bathroom, head held high though unaware of the pair of cold grey eyes which had seen the entire encounter, and a small smile of appreciation gracing her thin lips. She studied the way the pale blond walked away, a flicker of recognition befell her and smiled at the thought of the boy who was lost had finally found his way.
Detentions were always the worst part of the day, though when spent with someone you detested were always worse.
Rose let out a sigh of frustration as the quidditch cup trophy of '97 refused to let go if the brown smudge which it become acquainted with. With frustration she scrubbed at the trophy however no matter how much polish she applied to the cloth, that small smudge was just refusing to be evicted. Rose was certain that serving detentions with no magic had to be the worst punishment ever and she had to wonder how Filch completed such tasks without a wand. With a loud sigh she threw the cloth down on the floor beside her and slid down onto the ground in apparent defeat.
She heard a soft snigger beside her and glanced over to see Scorpius sauntering towards her with an amused smirk. He seemed to be observing the situation with a smile, his steel grey eyes flickered from the fallen cloth to Rose and for some reason she disliked the idea of being the sole object of his gaze.
"You have little patience…" he said with a hint amusement. To be honest Roe was tired, cleaning had taken the brunt of her energy and in retaliation just stuck out her tongue at the blond.
She was half surprise at the smile that formed on his face- an actual smile and not the smirks and sneers which she had grown accustom to.
"Very mature" He quipped before shifting to take a seat next to her on the ground.
She stared at him in confusion, a thick silence between the pair as she continued to assess him. She half expected him to insult her or make some snide remark on her work ethic, however there were none and only silence. Thick silence.
"We should make a truce" Scorpius stated. Rose quickly turned to face him with a raised brow.
"You remember what happened last time…" She muttered with an eye roll. The last so called truce ended with multiple snide remarks, verbal fights and many detentions. Scorpius nodded in agreement as if the same thought had crossed his own mind.
"This time we can make an effort" He suggested.
"Good since I have things I need to focus on" She answered with a sigh.
Scorpius raised a brow in interest and shifted so one leg was bent at an angle for his arm to rest on. The position allowed him to stare intently at Rose, as well as portray his model like physique- which she did not notice (well maybe slightly).
"Fine" He stated before offering at his hand. She hesitated slightly before accepting the handshake, a small smile on her lips as she silently wondered how long this truce was going to last.
Prefect duty was always the worst, especially when one was scouring the hallways alone. His partner had long since abandoned him to go on date, and that ultimately left him alone. He simply turned a blind eye to the second year Slytherin's playing with a fanged Frisbee, after all he wasn't one to ruin someone's fun- that was Filch's forte.
He turned round one of the multiple hallways, the figure heads of various paintings offering their greetings as he passed when suddenly he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders. He quickly turned around to come face to face with bright sapphire blue eyes and an infectious smile.
"Well it's nice to see you too" She said with a light giggle before jovially walking ahead of him. He quickly shook his head for he was suddenly aware that he had not greeted his friend. Falling into a quick step beside her, he suddenly felt a familiar warmth to his cheeks once she smiled at him once more. Al quickly shook his head, he couldn't understand why he had let Meara have such an effect on him, he had both fancied and dated girls before yet they had never caused him to get flustered at the mere thought of talking or blushing at the sight of a smile.
"What brings you to these parts?" He asked in a voice that feigned all things casual, though he quickly found himself mentally cursing whatever part of his brain decided to ask such a question. She looked confused for a split second before gesturing to the badge placed on her grey sweater, the motion causing Al to once again blush for he was now staring right at her bust.
"Prefect duty…" She stated and Al was grateful that she was blissfully unaware of his uncanny appearance to a tomato.
"Though I was with my partner but he buggered off a long time ago" She continued before humming to herself. Al nodded though to be honest he was entranced by the way she carried herself; curvaceous figure now hidden behind oversized sweaters, bright sapphire blue eyes and chocolate brown curls to suit her elfin face. He frowned at the looks people gave them as they walked the halls; a Slytherin and a Hufflepuff, but opposite ends of the scale yet so similar for hard work and ambition went hand in hand.
"People are wrong you know.." She said quietly as they heading closer to the Slytherin common room, and the hallways were starting to get dotted with more emerald green.
"Wrong about what?" Al asked curiously, his brow slightly raised in confusion. Meara shook her head with a small smile before gesturing to the flurry of students around them, the majority slytherins.. He stared blankly at her waiting for an explanation, and she smiled once more before continuing.
"The reason why I'm alone on prefect duty is because I had an argument with Ezekiel" Albus frowned, wondering why she was telling him this, of course he was somewhat surprised of Meara having an argument with anyone considering she was one the 'nice ones' as he had heard many of his peers describe.
"Did you know that he told me to hang out with 'my own'" She said with a scoff.
Al nodded his head in understanding of course Ezekiel Smith would have certain opinions held towards the Slytherin students, a lot of people did. Though they didn't seem to bother him as much as the thought of Meara refusing to talk to him due the house he was in.
"He's a knob anyways and I can hang out with whoever I like" She said with a wide smile, seemingly thrilled at her use of 'vulgar' language.
Even though he knew Meara wasn't one to judge based on house, he still felt a pang of relief at her voicing her opinions. She frowned before swiftly moving so that she was studying him, her brows were creased and eyes narrowed as if she was studying him.
"You okay, since you don't seem to be doing much of the talking?" She asked with a slight frown. He blushed slightly- he had been caught staring! He mentally slapped himself before offering her a small smile, hopefully he wouldn't guess that something was amiss.
"Just tired and it's pretty late that all" he answered while running a hand through his unruly hair. She nodded though her eyes never left his and the pair were once again plunged into a silence, the two of them walking side by side down a quiet hallway. He shifted his hands in his robe pocket, somewhat nervous over what to do or even to say. Meara Finnegan had this weird effect on him, ever since fourth year when he had seen her on the first Hogsmeade trip of the new year. The snow had fallen and left intricate patterns in her curls and even a few dotted around her nose like frozen freckles and her bright eyes were filled with happiness.
He had tried to forget her smile and eyes; but the thought was easier said than done for every girl he dated he found himself comparing them to Meara and he didn't want to do that for it wasn't fair to anyone.
"You want to raid the kitchens?" Al asked with a grin. She nodded, a wide smile overtaking her features and time seemed to slow once she wrapped her slender fingers around his hand and ran ahead with a cadence of laughter. Albus found himself smiling as he glanced at the girl on front of him, chocolate brown curls dancing behind her and sapphire blue eyes glittering with happiness and he knew that he would do all he could to see her smile like that again.
So what did you think if that?
The truce has once again begun, however how long will it last?
Shout out to anyone who recognizes the ghost and who she was thinking of.
Remember to stay tuned for the next chapter where Rose forms a new friendship, Albus gets embarrassed and Scorpius gets confused.
JustAnotherFairy :)