There's Something About Albus
by sweaterweather21

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the occasional OC.

Last Chapter: Cat attended a horrendous dinner party, hopped on the train at Platform 9 & 3/4, and won a bet against Albus Potter.

Chapter 2: The One with the Big Splash

Just get me to the airport, put me on a plane
Hurry hurry hurry, before I go insane
I can't control my fingers, I can't control my brain

I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones

Cat smiled to herself as she shepherded the wide-eyed first years off the train and toward Hagrid, who was directing them onto the boats. She found herself in much better spirits after the prefect meeting. Between Scorpius's antics and her wager with Albus Potter, her previous conversation with her mother had been mostly forgotten.

She had just nudged the last pig-tailed first year toward the boats when she was suddenly accosted by a whirlwind of dirty blonde hair and a bone-crushing hug.

"Whoa, Annie!" she exclaimed, pushing the short girl off her but smiling nonetheless, "what's with the bear hug? It hasn't even been a week since I've seen you!"

"I know," the blonde grinned back sheepishly, "I just figured you'd need some comfort after that dinner with Giovanna you wrote me about."

Cat cringed, the memory of last night's dinner still fresh in her mind. She played it off with a joke. "If you're going to bring that up again, I'm going to need more than a hug to make me feel better!"

Without skipping a beat, Annie wrapped her arms around Cat once more. They shared a laugh for another moment before Cat pulled away, stepping back to take a look at her best friend.

Cat had met Annabelle Bristow back in first year, when they had shared one of the very boats the current first years were just embarking on. Cat had been very concerned about the possibility of a sea monster swallowing their boat whole, thanks to a rumor she'd heard from Scorpius, but Annabelle had immediately introduced herself, announced that she only went by her nickname "Annie" and proceeded to talk Cat's ear off for the duration of the boat ride. They sat together at the feast and claimed beds beside each other that night, creating the foundation of what would be a lasting friendship.

Annie had been a tiny first-year and was still petite. Cat liked to tease her that she barely passed the height requirement at Belby Towers, the wizarding amusement park. What she lacked in stature, however, Annie made up for in personality. She was one of those people who could talk to anyone with ease, constantly making jokes and telling stories that made everyone laugh. Annie had a special talent for making people feel good about themselves, and Cat considered herself lucky to be her friend.

"Are you done with the firsties?" Annie questioned.

Cat nodded in response. "I was on my way before I got mugged!"

Annie shook her head. "Well, I'm sorry for being excited to see my best friend! Now hurry up—Dahlia and Cecily have already reserved a carriage!"

Grabbing Cat's arm, Annie started walking briskly in the direction of the cages, and Cat found herself half-running in an attempt to keep up with the blonde's quick pace.

They entered the second to last carriage and were greeted their two other roommates, Dahlia Vaisey and Cecily Warrington.

Dahlia, a waif of a girl with an unkempt mane of brown hair and pretty green eyes, immediately stood up and gave Cat a hug. "How was the losers' meeting? We missed you on the train!"

Cat laughed. "It was actually fine, thanks Dahlia. Still feels weird not sitting in our compartment, though."

"Eh, you're here now. But more importantly, will you be here for girls' night in the dormitory after the feast?"

"No patrol tonight – I'm so in!"

"I may or may not have a bottle of Ogden's in my trunk if we want to make things interesting," Cecily interjected slyly.

"Oh, you would, Cece!" Cat retorted with a smile.

"Are you not up for it?" Cecily responded, raising a perfectly-arched eyebrow in Cat's direction.

"Believe it or not, we do have to make it to classes tomorrow."

"Fuck classes tomorrow," Cecily pouted, her red lips forming a perfect O.

"Oh, I would never!" Cat feigned a gasp, covering her mouth with her hand. "That sounds like your job, Cece."

Annie and Dahlia laughed, while Cecily simply flicked a long lock of perfectly-curled blonde hair over her shoulder. "Wouldn't be the first time!"

Cat made her way over to Cecily and gave her a hug. "Aww, I missed your snarky sense of humor this summer. How was Greece?"

"Oh, the usual. Sandy beaches, excellent cuisine, blazing hot sun. Not quite as hot as all the Greek men I ran into on the beach…" she trailed off with secretive smile.

"Oooh! Details, please!" Dahlia exclaimed. "I need some excitement in my life. My whole summer was spent ignoring the creepy old warlocks who liked to hit on me at the pub."

"That's awful, Dahlia," Annie chimed in sympathetically, pausing only a moment before inquiring about the sordid details or Cecily's summer. "But Cece, don't leave us hanging!"

"Well, his name was Thomas," Cecily smirked, "and that's about as far as we got in the way of introductions."

Annie rolled her eyes. "You're such a tease. I was hoping for more of a story than that."

"Oh, so you want more details?"

"Actually, I think we're almost here!" Cat interrupted.

Cecily gave Cat a sideways smile. "Don't worry, I'll save all the juicy bits for our girls' night after the feast."

"Can't wait!" Cat responded as cheerfully as she could muster.

The carriage ground to a halt, and Cat had to bid her friends goodbye. She had fulfilled the first half of her prefect duty by helping the first-years to the boats, and now she had to help them out and escort them to the Entrance Hall.

The boats began pulling in just as Catalina arrived at the dock. She wasn't exactly sure what to do, but followed the lead of the Head Boy and Girl, casting a mooring charm to keep the boats in place and offering a helping hand to the mostly-terrified first years.

She had just helped a blond-haired set of twins off of one of the last boats when she heard a loud splash coming from behind her, followed by a loud wail and an "Oh, shit!"

Cat whirled around just in time to see a prefect with curly brown hair jumping off the dock and into the thigh-deep water below. One of the rowboats floated a few meters away, capsized.

What in the name of Merlin was going on?

Her question was answered as soon as it was posed. When her fellow prefect stood up to walk back to the shore, he was carrying a tiny first-year in his arms. She must've fallen into the water. Cat watched from the dock as he gently lowered her Converse-clad feet to the ground before coming to her senses and rushing over to help.

"Are you hurt?" she asked softly.

The girl looked up at her with big brown eyes and shook her head no. Cat pushed her stringy, wet hair out of her face before noticing that the girl's lips were blue and her teeth were chattering. Quickly, she cast a warming charm on the girl and conjured a quilt, draping it over her small shoulders.

She turned to the prefect next to her. He was much taller than her, so she had to glance upwards to look at him. "What happened?" she demanded.

The boy shrugged. "I think she dropped something in the lake. Next thing, I knew, she tumbled in."

"My wand!" the girl suddenly exclaimed. "It's still in the lake!"

Cat's eyes widened, but she reacted quickly. "Accio wand!" she shouted, aiming her own wand to a spot near the capsized boat.

Luckily, the wand came spiraling out of the water, landing neatly in Cat's outstretched palm. The first year girl reached for it greedily, and Cat relented. She understood what the girl felt like. Her own wand was a part of her; she felt lost without it.

"Take good care of that, now," she chided gently, "no dropping it in the lake anymore!"

Though still slightly teary, Cat's comment elicited a small smile from the first year. "Oh, never!" she managed to respond.

"I'm glad you've got it back now. What's your name?"

"Elaine Runcorn!" she piped up with a little more energy this time. Her hair and robes were almost completely dry now, thanks to Cat's warming charm.

"Well, Elaine, if you want I think you could go catch up with the rest of your classmates now. Don't worry too much about the Sorting Ceremony. With any luck, you'll be a Slytherin, just like me!" she teased.

"If she's really lucky, she'll be a Ravenclaw. That's where all the best witches go!"

Cat and Elaine both twisted their heads to the source of the interruption. Cat's fellow prefect held out his blue-and-bronze tie by way of explanation. "Of course, I may be a bit biased," he admitted with a smirk.

His smile was contagious. Cat grinned too, and showed Elaine her Slytherin tie. "I was just joking, too. I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever House you end up in."

"I'm hoping for Ravenclaw," she admitted. "Sorry," she added a moment later with a glance toward Cat's Slytherin green prefect badge.

"No worries," Cat assured her. "Now run along and join the rest your class."

Elaine shrugged off the quilt and handed it back to Cat. "Thank you both," she said genuinely, locking eyes with both Cat and the Ravenclaw prefect.

"No problem," he responded. "There's nothing like making a big splash on your first day of Hogwarts."

Elaine let out a giggle before bounding over to the main doors and joining the rest of the first-years by the main doors. Cat watched her leave, happy she had recovered from her spill.

Elaine handed Cat the quilt back, and bounded over to the main doors. Cat watched her leave, happy she had recovered from her spill.

"Quick wandwork back there."

Lost in her thoughts, Cat turned toward the sound of the voice. Once again, it was the Ravenclaw prefect with the curly hair. She blushed involuntarily.

"Thanks, but I should really be complimenting you for dragging the poor girl out of the water! That was pretty incredible."

He shrugged, sheepishly gesturing to the bottom half of his shirt and trousers, which were completely soaked. "Ah, but I wasn't smart enough to remember to use my wand instead of jumping in!"

Cat laughed. "You know, for someone who was just bragging about Ravenclaw, you sure seemed like a Gryffindor back there!"

"You wound me, Zabini!" he responded as his eyes lit up and his lips spread into a grin. "Calling me a lion—now that's low."

"I'm a Slytherin. We're supposed to play dirty, didn't you know?"

"Yeah, you seemed pretty evil back there when you saved that first year's wand from being consumed by the giant squid."

"Shh, don't tell anyone!" Cat declared, but she was smiling. "You'll ruin my reputation."

Cat looked up at him just in time to see him push a wet lock of hair away from his forehead. "Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, "let me help you dry off!"

"I'm fine, really," the boy said.

"Nonsense!" Cat cried before casting the charm. "There! You're as good as new…" she trailed off, realizing that for the life of her, she couldn't remember the boy's name.

"Benjamin," he supplied after a moment.

"Right." Now it was Cat's turn to be sheepish. "Benjamin Goldstein—I knew that!"

He smiled again, and Cat found herself even more flustered by the sight of his perfect grin. "You're good. Thanks for the warming charm."

"Well, it's the least I could do after you jumped into the lake!"

He looked pensive for a moment before gazing directly at Cat. "You know, I might've done it sooner if I knew it would impress you this much."

Cat did her best to laugh it off, but his loaded comment had its intended effect: her stomach was currently doing somersaults. "Please—I'm still not sure you're not a Gryffindor in disguise after a stunt like that!"

"I would never be caught dead wearing scarlet and gold," he proclaimed, crossing his index and middle fingers and holding them over his heart. "Wizard scout's honor."

Cat burst into laughter once more before noticing that the rest of the prefects had cleared out. "I guess we should head inside now, huh?"

Benjamin nodded, and Cat couldn't resist teasing him further as they made their way through the Entrance Hall. "Unless you want to make your own big splash by entering fashionably late?" she questioned.

"I think I've had enough of those for today," he retorted with yet another brilliant smile as he opened one of the large wooden doors leading into the Great Hall.

"See you around, Zabini."

Cat smiled in response, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She allowed herself one last glance at the tall figure of Benjamin Goldstein making his way to the Ravenclaw table before quietly heading toward the Slytherin table.

She slipped into an empty seat next to Annie—who, by the look on her face, had definitely noticed Cat's entrance with the Ravenclaw prefect. Cat got the feeling that she would definitely be hearing more it about it later.

Thanks to her previous adventure, Cat had missed most of the Sorting. She spotted a couple of unfamiliar faces at the end of the table and regretted that she hadn't been able to watch. Betting on the potential Houses of each of the first years with Scorpius and Annie was practically a tradition. As a prefect, she wasn't sure she should be partaking in gambling, but then again, she never said anything about James Potter, who was not-so-discreetly exchanging galleons with some of the other Gryffindors over at the far table.

The rescue of Elaine Runcorn and her subsequent conversation with Benjamin Goldstein had taken up so much time that Cat barely had enough time to scrape together a plate of dinner; her fellow Slytherins had made short work of the veritable banquet the house elves had prepared. Headmistress McGonagall was just finishing up her typical no-nonsense beginning of term speech as Cat took her first bite. She had managed to snag some leftover chicken from Annie's plate and some scrapings from the bowl of mashed potatoes.

Many students stood up, signaling the end of the feast, and Cat looked toward the first years, who seemed to be confused as to what to do. She couldn't recall if she was supposed to direct them to their dorms or not. Luckily, Scorpius seemed to catch on to her distress.

"Relax! You don't have to be in Prefect mode all the time—the fifth years are in charge of taking the little firsties to the dorm, remember?"

Cat glanced toward Mathieu St. Pierre and Ramona Blackburn who were currently escorting the new students out of the hall and tried not to look abashed.

"You're right, Scorp," she said, taking another bite of chicken and avoiding Scorpius's eyes.

"And you thought I was sleeping during the Prefect meeting!" he declared triumphantly. "Even wagered a bet with Al Potter over it. I dare say you two seemed very friendly throughout the meeting." Scorpius trailed off, managing to keep a serious face, save for his eyes which betrayed his mirth.

Always adept at sniffing out gossip, Cecily nosed into the conversation.

"A Gryffindor, Cat?" she drawled, "really?"

Cat resisted rolling her eyes and turned toward Scorpius once more. "Well, I had to make conversation with someone, considering you were practically drooling as you slept!"

Cecily tapped her chin as if she was deep in thought. "If you're going to sample the Gryffindors, I suppose Albus is a decent pick. His eyes are so dreamy, and he's practically a god on the Quidditch pitch." She looked up at Scorpius. "And I seem to remember that the lions trounced our team last year when he caught the Snitch within ten minutes, so maybe you should take some notes from him."

"Oh, fuck off, Warrington," Scorpius responded. "You wouldn't know a bludger from a snitch if it hit you in the face."

Cecily scoffed, but remained quiet. Cat heaved a sigh of relief, thankful she hadn't had to intervene to keep the peace.

The Great Hall was practically empty now. The only stragglers were Cat's friends, a group of fourth-year Hufflepuffs, and small crowd of older students over at the Gryffindor table. Cat couldn't help but notice Albus Potter as he got up to leave.

She also couldn't mistake the fact that he was hand-in-hand with Talia Boot.

A wave of embarrassment washed over Cat. Externally, she did her best to hide her blush, but internally, she was berating herself. Why did she assume Albus was flirting with her on the train? How could she have forgotten that he had a girlfriend?

She was such an idiot…

She tried her best to moderate Annie and Cecily's current disagreement over which of them had been Malcolm Bole's first kiss, but her brain was still trying to process the relationship of Albus Potter and Talia Boot. Wishful thinking must have contributed to her assumption that he was single; she would've never been so flirtatious with him on the train had she known.

And it wasn't like she could compete with Talia Boot, anyhow. The girl was an honest-to-Merlin social butterfly who never had a bad word to say about anyone. Cat tried not to stare too obviously at the back of her perfect head of golden-brown hair as she exited the Great Hall, devilishly handsome boyfriend in tow.

Cat took a deep breath. She and Albus had shared one semi-flirtatious interaction on the Hogwarts Express, and here she was reading into it like one of Lavender Brown's romance novels that always seemed to be circulating around the female population of the school. He was Scorpius's best friend, anyway. It was too weird.

"But remember when we played spin the bottle in the common room back in third year?" Annie's voice cut into Cat's internal monologue.

Cecily answered with a look of derision. "For the record, that was not my idea. That game is so juvenile."

Annie only smirked. "Well, you didn't seem to think so when it was your turn and the bottle almost landed on Royce Pennington."

Cecily scrunched her nose. "Ugh, I ended up kissing Stewart Pritchard."

Both girls shuddered.

"Hey, be nice!" Cat admonished gently. "Stewart's a nice guy. He always tries to help me with my Potions essays."

"Don't worry, he's all yours," Cecily retorted.

Cat resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. "Thanks for the generous offer, Cece."

"Anytime. I'm more than happy to give away my sloppy seconds. Just like what Annabelle over here got when she kissed Bole!"

"For the last time, Cecily—"

"All right, I think it's time to head to the dungeons!" Cat interrupted. Indeed, they were the last four people left in the Great Hall. Scorpius and Tanner had disappeared during Annie and Cecily's argument, while Dahlia refused to take sides and instead was nibbling away on a piece of cheesecake from dinner. Even the professors had retired to their quarters.

"Ugh, I feel like I could fall asleep walking back our room," Dahlia spoke up as she rose from the bench.

"No, you can't!" Cecily said, widening her eyes at the slim brunette, "we have a date with Ogden's Finest, don't you remember?"

Dahlia visibly perked up, linking arms with Cecily. "The only boy I'll ever love!" she exclaimed with a laugh.

The other three joined in, and practically skipped out of the Great Hall.

No one in the Slytherin sixth year girls' dormitory was skipping the next morning. Haven chosen to forego the firewhiskey the previous night, Cat was devoid of a hangover, but still not in the greatest of moods. She had never been a morning person, and she was not looking forward to dealing with her three hungover friends on this particular morning.

To no surprise, she was the first one awake. She thrust open the curtains, not particularly concerned with the reactions of her roommates as she headed toward the showers. By the time she turned the water off, she was beginning to hear the rumblings of her friends as they awoke from their drunken slumber.

"Hey Cat, have you seen my pants?"

Cat emerged from the bathroom, greeted by the sight of her best friend's torso dangling off her bed. The bed hangings had been opened haphazardly, and sure enough Annabelle Bristow was clad only in an oversize Hangry Hippogriffs band tee and a pair of lacy navy-blue panties.

Despite her less-than-wonderful mood, Cat couldn't help but laugh. "Uh, no. Sorry Annie."

The blonde just groaned and rolled back onto her bed, covering her head with a pillow.

Dahlia stuck her head out of her bed curtains, her brown hair sticking up in all sorts of directions. "Check the windowsill, maybe!"

Annie lifted the pillow off her head and attempted to stand up. She tripped slightly over the edge of her covers, but caught her balance by grabbing hold of the end table.

Cecily chose that moment to finally materialize from her four-poster. "Don't look at me," she barked, shielding her face with her hand as she made her way to the bathroom.

"Hey, I found them!" Annie, having made her way over to the windowsill. She held up the pair of faded jeans up triumphantly like they were the Quidditch Cup. "Thanks, Dahlia. You're a doll."

She was just beginning to put them on when Dahlia cut in again. "You're welcome. But you do know you can't wear them to class, right?"

Annie's face fell. "I fucking hate wearing a skirt," she proclaimed loudly.

"Well, I fucking hate how loud you all are in the mornings, but I'm not whining about it!" Cecily's voice rang out from the bathroom, where she was no doubt beginning the hour-long process of looking presentable.

Annie may have been hungover, but she wasn't about the let the irony of Cecily's comment escape. "You ARE whining about it, Warrington. Why don't you shut up and apply some more make-up so you look less like a troll!"

"Oh, fuck off, Annabelle!"

"I would if I could! Now let me in the bathroom!"

Annie started pounding her small fists on the bathroom door. Dahlia simply closed her bed's drapes in an attempt to block out the noise of the quarreling blondes. Cat figured it was her cue to leave.

"Breakfast ends in twenty minutes!" she called out as she headed out the door.

A letter was waiting for Cat as soon as she settled onto a spot on the bench next to Scorpius. "I got you a present," he said, wiggling his eyebrows in a way Cat found rather disturbing.

"If that letter is already from my mother you better have gotten me a gift receipt," Cat retorted sharply. By Circe, she had just escaped that woman yesterday!

Scorpius just shrugged. "Sorry, Cat."

Cat groaned, letting her head fall onto Scorpius's shoulder. Gingerly, she poked the pink envelope with her wand as if it might explode. Scorpius handed her a tall glass of pumpkin juice, which she drank quickly before finally reaching for the blasted letter.

"Better now than later," she muttered to herself as she broke the seal on the envelope. The stationery inside was the same awful shade of pink as the outside envelope, forcing Cat to do a double take before reading.

Dearest Catalina,

I miss you already, darling. You dashed off before we could finish our discussion at the Platform yesterday! It was quite an important conversation—I do hope you won't repeat that sort of behavior in the future. Your coming-of-age party is a very important manner, and I won't have you shirking your responsibilities.

I've been contemplating several different choices for the venue. Your father thinks that renting out the Atrium of the Ministry would be too much, but just think how our purple-and-silver color scheme would complement the antique chandeliers that hang over the ballroom. Of course, the Water's Edge Hotel is also known for hosting these types of events, I'm just not sure we want to do something so obvious. I also suppose we could have it at Theodora's, or even our own home, but I just feel there's something a bit plebian about hosting a coming-of-age ball at one's own abode. Do let me know your thoughts on the matter.

Speaking of your grandmother Theodora, she was a bit disappointed to hear that you were still without a boyfriend at the dinner party. I understand being a bit choosy: us Hyde women have high standards, after all, and some of those Hogwarts boys leave much to be desired.

Has nothing developed between you and Scorpius? He'd be a fine match. The Malfoy's are very respected in England, and for a man of very fair complexion, he's quite handsome. Perhaps your current friendship stands in the way of a possible relationship. Just something to consider.

I also couldn't help but notice the good-looking boy who helped you with your trunk at the Platform. You may have already dismissed your old mum, but she was still paying attention! I had to ask around for his identity, but Pansy Baddock informed me that it was the eldest Clarke boy who came to your aide. Though their pedigree is not quite as extensive as the Malfoy's, the Clarke's are still a well-respected pureblood family. You could do much worse, Catalina. I know your Prefect position keeps you busy, but don't be afraid to make some time for a boyfriend!

Your father sends his love. Please keep an eye on Matty for me, you know how he tends to get into those occasional scrapes of mischief.

All my love,

Natalia

Cat sighed, and debated going back to bed. All of her mother's letters seemed to have a similarly exhausting effect.

"That bad, huh?"

"I thought it was bad when she started out debating possible ball venues, but it got worse. She started discussing potential boyfriends."

Scorpius waggled his eyebrows once more. "Did I make the list?"

"Of course. You were at the top. I swear the woman loves you more than I do."

"I knew you loved me, Kitty!"

"Shut up, Scor. Mum might've been singing your praises, but she also mentioned your unnatural pastiness."

He clutched his hand to his heart as if she had really hurt him. "But Natalia told me my porcelain skin resembles an angel descending down from heaven! I thought she really cared for me!"

Cat chuckled, unable to maintain a straight face. "Oh, knock it off. You know mum would never say a bad word about you. I believe she referred to you as having a 'fair complexion' anyway, so stop worrying."

Scorpius shot her a dirty look anyway. Cat ignored it and began buttering piece of toast.

She had moved on from the toast to a plate of eggs by the time her bedraggled roommates made it to the breakfast table. Well, Dahlia and Annie appeared a bit worse for wear. Cecily, on the other hand, knew her way around a beauty charm and looked more or less immaculate. Her long blonde hair was perfectly curled and her face makeup applied so as to hide the bags under her eyes from the late night. Her skirt and tie were both perfectly pressed as well. Cat scrutinized her for any sign of a hangover and couldn't find anything wrong until she pushed her hair behind her ears.

"Is wearing two different earrings the new style now?" she teased, knowing Cecily would be annoyed if no one informed her of the minuscule snafu in her otherwise perfect appearance.

Cecily's glossed lips turned into a frown. "Damn it!" She stood up from the bench. "I've got to go change. I'll see you all in class."

"They're just earrings!" Annie chimed in. She gave Cecily a look, but reached to her own earlobes and began removing her own earrings. "but hey, if it means that much to you, you can wear mine. Here, give me yours. I look a mess anyway."

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Cecily gushed, sliding back into her seat next to the petite blonde and giving her a side-hug. "Annie, have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Annie stopped pretending to grumble and beamed. "Never hurts to hear it again!" she exclaimed.

Cat refrained from reminding the pair that they had been hurling expletives at each other only a half-hour ago. Instead, she settled for a small smile at her three best friends and passed them the plate of muffins.

Author's Note: Did you like Cat's friends? Her never-ending banter with Scorpius? What about the fact that Albus has a girlfriend?

I'm sorry but I don't have any real excuses for the delay in chapter 2. Hopefully I'll be more consistent in my writing from here on out. I also apologize for the filler-ness of this chapter, but if you look closely you may find some sentences that resemble the beginnings of a plot. Also, this is un-beta'd, so feel free to point out any errors I might have missed.

If you don't mind, let me know your thoughts on this chapter down below. I appreciate it :)