A/N: Sorry for the slightly later than anticipated update, busy week at college and whenever I was home, let's face it, I weren't really in the mood to do much (apart from, perhaps, reading random fanfics while knitting a nice little blankie for myself...), that and my profile's been having mood swings lately... Anyway, I kind of realized while wondering about aimlessly on Fanfic that all this time Scorpio's name is really Scorpius, and I'm a sucker for perfection. Don't get me wrong, I have read stories with Scorpius in, but I don't know why but in my head, I keep referring him as Scorpio while writing... though you have to agree that it is kind of easy to see why I kept getting confused, and at least I didn't go calling him Alice or Frank or something as ridiculous as that... But anyway, sorry for any inconvenience, I'll go about changing chappie 3 (good job I waiting so long before introducing him...)

After the nap me, Scorpius and Rus had after our exhausting adventure, for one thing, we vowed never to enter that retched hallway again if we could, and for another thing, we decided it was time to brush up on our magic. We have time to spare and no one's missing us, so we brought out our books to have a head start. Or at least that was what we intended to do...

"Good Merlin! Did your father really slay a basilisk single handed at the age of twelve?!" Rus exclaims, staring at me in awe.

"Yep, though he did have help from a phoenix and had the sword of Godric Gryffindor at hand plus the motivation to save my mother's life and defeat his lifelong nemesis, You-Know-Who..." Yeah, I admit maybe I do brag a little now and then, but hey, you may call it bragging, I call it pride.

"Wow!" Rus said in envy, eyes turning dreamy, most probably picturing him holding the fabled sword of Godric Gryffindor and saving the damsel in distress from none other than a magically giant snake and its evil master... "That's like the stuff of legends..." Scorpius huffs.

"You know, my father has a few stories to tell also..." You can practically smell the jealousy dripping from his voice. "Though my father's tales are not quite as righteous and good, his tales are of the other side of the battle. Being forced to join the dark side by his Death Eater parents, witnessing torture and being chosen to do what is against his nature to do while being threatened with death if he failed..." There is silence among us as Scorpius stares into the distance. It is hard to read his expression, but I can tell that there is fear, bitterness and sorrow. Perhaps he's wondering what would have happened had his father died...

"Yeah," Rus said, nodding his head slowly. "My dad had much the same stories to tell. Except for him, he weren't forced or made to join against his will... from what he said, your dad saved his life at one point..." Rus both has a look of shame and awe on his face as he looks at me, though I don't see why he should be ashamed. He weren't the one that sided Voldemort.

"You know what," I say, smiling softly at both guys. "Let's just agree that the war made a lot of heroes... or, er, stories," I finish quickly with a smile in Rus' direction. Rus immediately breathes a sigh of relief, obviously happy that I'm not going to suddenly label him as my enemy simply for what his father had done. As I said, Rus wasn't the one that turned to the Dark Lord. And speaking of Rus, his face suddenly lights up as he looks at his watch.

"Merlin! Have you seen the time?! We've been talking for hours, it's dinner now!" He says enthusiastically. We all sigh gratefully. We missed out on breakfast and lunch. Already our conversation had turned round to food more than several times. Quickly we all shoot up and race down the stairs to the common room and out into the labyrinth.

"Er..." Rus says, shifting from foot to foot in distress. "Albus, do you know where to go now?" I chuckle. To be honest, I had no clue where to go, but I'll admit his uncertainty amuses me, even though I myself am a little uncertain and worried as the memories of the hours spent magically lost floods back to me.

"Why don't we just wait for an older year to come out, or go back into the common room and ask for directions or something," I suggest. Scorpius looks at me in horror.

"I don't think so!" he exclaims, fists on hips, which kind of looks comical, though I wouldn't say that to his face due to Malfoy tendencies of hexing and cursing people for simply looking at them wrong. "Malfoys do not ask for directions!"

"Riiight, so you'd rather get lost," I say sarcastically. Scorpius narrows his eyes which very nearly makes me laugh. Oh, I am rather proud of my self control... I do allow a smirk, however, as I watch Scorpius crumble before my eyes.

"Fine!" he hisses, I merely smile cheerfully as we go back into the common room to ask for directions.

"Excuse me, do you know the way to Great Hall from here? Excuse me, do you know the way to the Great Hall from here? Excuse me, do you- oh, you heard, well, do you? No? But you look like at least a fifth year!"

"Look," the fifth year says as he smirks at me. I'm really starting to hate that Slytherin smirk. "I'm sorry, but I have more important things to do than waste my time with the son of Britain's favourite Golden Boy. Some people have to work for fame and fortune after all..." I scowl. That's not cool. I might have famous parents, but that doesn't mean you have to refuse to give me something as simple as directions!

"Look, all I want is directions," I say through gritted teeth. The fifth year Slytherin merely raises a sarcastic eyebrow.

"Oh, well isn't that a shame?" He says with an evil grin. I growl. I've never had much patience with bullies, and this, well... This is just ridiculous.

"Oh," I say, putting on my bestest, slyest, most Slytherin attitude as possible. Perhaps they'll talk to their own kind, after all. "It is a shame, isn't it? Because you see, I tried to do that earlier, almost didn't come back at all. So would you please find it in the goodness of your heart to put aside your oh so important project and help me out before I hex you," I threaten sarcastically. The fifth year looks just a little, tiny, ickle bit surprised, before the smirk returns to your face.

"Oh, well, if you so insist," he says, returning my sarcasm. He starts telling us directions ruthlessly, going so fast I can hardly catch them.

"Hm, yes. You see, I kind of didn't catch that, you must have been too nervous that a petty little first year was thinking of zapping you"- here his friends snigger, causing him to glare- "So could you kindly repeat that? I mean, if you are so nervous of me, wouldn't you rather be rid of me as soon as possible?" His friends burst out laughing, causing the fifth year to hiss at me in anger. I merely smile back sweetly.

"You know," one of his friends says to me through fits of laughter, "I kinda like you! For a Potter, you're alright!" I bow sarcastically. Yes, that's the main recipe for a peaceful life in Slytherin house: plenty of sarcasm, the odd threat here and there, basically show the other guy you've got bigger balls than them. Due to gaining the approval of the fifth year's friends, they begin telling us the direction we ought to go. Nodding my thanks with a smirk on my face (since unless they're being sarcastic, Slytherins never say 'thank you,') I make my way to dinner. As we arrive, I instantly get squished by a certain red headed cousin of mine...

"Rose!" I protest, stepping back to regain my balance as Rose envelopes me in a tight hug.

"Albus! Where were you? Why weren't you at breakfast or lunch?" she demands. I blush slightly.

"Erm... we kind of got lost..." Rose immediately steps back, confusion evident on her face.

"'We?'" she asks, before her eyes settle on my two new friends.

"Er, yeah. This is Rus, you remember him, and Scorpius Malfoy," I laugh nervously as she narrows her eyes at me while the two guys wave uncertainly at her.

"Malfoy, eh? Didn't Uncle Harry tell us how Draco Malfoy tried to kill him?"

"What?!" Scorpius exclaims in annoyance. "I'll have you know, Albus' father tried to kill mine also! It wasn't just a one way battle, you know!" Rose huffs, crossing her arms.

"Whatever," she says as she looks away in frustration.

"Look, I don't know about the rest of you, but my ribs are practically poking through now. Can we eat now?" I beg, taking Rose's hand and lead her into the hall. Upon entering , I say goodbye to my cousin and make my way to the Slytherin table with my two new friends. OK, I know that Scorpius can seriously get on my nerves with his superior attitude, and as for Rus... Well, there's really not much wrong with Rus, but hey, in this situation I've found myself in, I'll need all the friends I can get.

"Hey, Potter!" a random person calls from the other end of the table as me and my friends sit down. I sigh in frustration.

"What?" I call back, dreading what this guy will say to me.

"I hear you, Crabbe and Malfoy got lost together this morning! You were gone for quite a while you three, had a fun time?" The offending Slytherin in question waggles his eyebrows, causing nearly the whole table to laugh.

"Don't show any signs of weakness," Scorpius mutters from beside me. "They'll prey on it like a vulture on a corpse." Yeah, don't think I don't know that, I think as I glare in the direction of the annoying Slytherin and his annoying grin. I smile sarcastically.

"Why? Are you jealous you weren't lost in a corridor with them?" I say slyly, everyone laughs again, Scorpius just simply gives an exaggerated sigh of defeat.

"No, just stating fact," the Slytherin replies, looking only slightly taken aback by my reply. I smirk.

"Yeah, so am I. Tell me, which one are you jealous over? Rus or Scorpius?" Everyone falls into a fit of laughter, the Slytherin starts turning red.

"Well, no! Neither! But why else were you three lost together if you're not gay?!" But no, he's already lost the verbal fight, I smirk victoriously as the rest of the table shakes their heads at the other's failure.

"So, what? First years must know exactly where to go on their first days in that labyrinth?" I ask calmly. "Well, I'm sorry to say that I've only got an average person's memory capacity, unlike you, obviously. Let me guess, top at every subject?" Everyone falls into another fit of laughter at this, I smile what I suspect to be an evil smile. Oh, I see. He's the sort to slack around all day doing nothing. The Slytherin across from me pats me on the shoulder.

"Not bad for a Potter!" she congratulates, I smirk in return.

"My father was originally meant to go in Slytherin. He asked politely to go into Gryffindor instead, though..." I explain, the girl raises her eyebrow.

"Well, that's something the history books chose to leave out..." she comments as the other Slytherins who heard my comment nod slowly.

"Makes sense," another girl sitting beside her says, head nodding and eyes thoughtful. These are two of the ones who kept mostly quiet while everyone else laughed at the... conversation between me and the little brat at the far end.

"I'm Melanie Beatrice, Year 3," the first girl introduces herself.

"I'm Carla Port, Year 4," the second girl says, nodding her head in greeting.

"Albus Potter, Cancerius Crabbe, Scorpius Malfoy, Year 1" I introduce each of us, point to each in turn.

"Malfoy, eh? I heard your dad was a Death Eater," Carla says, eyes narrowing slightly. Scorpius frowns.

"He was forced into it. As for you, port, I hear your mother was a convicted Death Eater herself." Carla snorts at Scorpius' response and turns to look away.

"Yes, she was. But before any of you start looking at me funny, she was sentenced to a life time in Azkaban the day I was born by my own father. He'd begged the Ministry to wait until I was born, and he was glad to finally be rid of the woman. My father was a Ravenclaw, though, and the only reason why I'm in Slytherin is because of the rest of my mother's family who insisted on helping my father raise me." We all stare at her for a moment, before I nod my head slowly. Then I realize something, though.

"But if your mother was the Death Eater, then why does Scorpius recognize the name 'Port'- your surname. Don't most people take on their husband's or father's names?" I ask, frowning in confusion.

"My mother was already married when she became a Death Eater. Dad refused to believe it until he had the evidence right in front of his eyes of just how monstrous she was." Carla explains, eyes slightly down cast. We all, to fill the awkward silence, turn to our food. Eating this food has to be the highlight of my day. Scrumptious and delicious, we all- me, Rus and Scorpius, that is- stuff our mouths full of the food without bothering with things such as table manners or the sniggering Slytherins. Dinner finishes all too soon, though, and we walk back with full stomachs but heavy hearts. Finally when we reach the large twelve bedded dorm, I frown sluggishly as I enter the room and turn to Scorpius.

"Why exactly are there so many beds? Dad always told me that the Gryffindors only had about five or six..." Scorpius rolls his eyes at my question, most probably mentally filing it under 'idiot question.'

"Because like it or not, we're not Gryffindors, We're Slytherins, and Slytherins aren't separated as half the first year boys in one room and the other half in another, what a waste of space anyway!" I nod slowly at his explanation. Yeah, what a good way of putting it...

As I walk to my bed, though, my limbs grow heavier, and the second my head touches that pillow, I am unconscious from the hardships of the day...

The next morning I wake up to Rus pushing me, screaming, "Wake up! We're gonna be late!" Reluctantly I wake up, get dressed, showered and check my timetable.

"Remind me," I mumble to Rus as he pulls his shoes on, "What day is it today?"

"Thursday," Rus says with only a slight pause before he nods his head, sure smile on his face. I look down at my timetable. History of Magic, first lesson. I groan, remembering all the stories dad used to tell us about professor... Binc's? Lesson. To be honest, you couldn't even call them little stories, they were more like horror tales that kept me up at night (not really, of course, but still...)

"What's wrong Albus?" Rus says as he peers over my shoulder.

"History of Magic. I've got the most boring of lessons for first lesson!" I despair. Rus winces.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, all us first year Slytherins have the same timetable," Rus says with a grave smile on his face. I sigh.

"It was good knowing you, Rus," I say, fearing the worse. That's the moment when a certain blond chooses to enter the room and check up on us, however.

"What's wrong with you two? You look like you're preparing for your funerals!" he chirps, I turn to look at the unusually cheerful Slytherin in the eye.

"Have you seen the timetable?" I ask, deadly serious. Scorpius nods, obviously confused. "Have you seen what's first lesson today?" Scorpius nods, though a little fear shows in his eyes. "Then why are you so damn happy and cheerful?"

"Because I caught Alma cheating on her boyfriend," he says simply, grinning before pointing towards the door. Reluctantly, I follow through the door, down to the corridor and straight to first lesson, complaining all the way, while Scorpius just laughs as we walk along.

First lesson was the most boring lesson I have ever had to sit through in my entire life. The ghost, Professor Binns he introduced himself as, came drifting into the class right on time.

"Hello, I am Professor Binns, welcome to History of Magic, please open your books to page 294 and I shall talk you through the great war against the sorceress, Queen Bellaborne..." It went on and on and on... Sure, he may be one of the more interesting teachers in a Muggle's eyes in the sense that he is a ghost, but to me, sure, he's a ghost, but one that died of extreme old age, and let me tell you now. It shows.

Then we had Herbology. Professor Longbottom weren't so bad, he seems very enthusiastic about plants and the world we live on, and he let us have a mix-match of different seeds in a bag, none of them dangerous, of course, and for extra points, told us to look up each seed and see if we could name them all.

After that lesson, we had Defense Against the Dark Arts (or DADA, as the timetable says in brackets). That lesson was fairly interesting, with Professor Hurshawl as our tutor.

"Professor," one of the Slytherins had asked the second Hurshawl had introduced himself.

"Yes..." Hurshawl looked down the register for the student's name, "Patrick, right?" The boy nodded.

"Yeah, you do know that every Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher before you has either died, quit or been arrested or fired, don't you?" Hurshawl gulped at the question.

"Well, I am determined to stay as you teacher at least until you yourselves have graduated Hogwarts," he'd said in conviction, the rest of us looked at him, unconvinced.

"You do realize that the longest anyone has remained a DADA teacher was for two years," a Hufflepuff girl asked quietly. The teacher had nodded.

"Yeah, I know..."

Then after a break in lessons, we had astronomy. The second I walked into that observatory, the first thing- and the most shocking thing- my eyes zoned in on was the centaur clomping around at the front of the room, checking through the desk there. He seemed fairly young, so most probably one of the younger ones that see no reason to stay hostile and away from wizards.

"Greetings," he said once we had all seated ourselves down. "My name is Rontz, and I shall be teaching you Astronomy." There were excited whispers around the class, after all, like with the ancient ghost who teaches the History of Magic lessons (and most probably witnessed half of said history), no one knows the sky like a centaur does, they even have improved vision just to see the skies better.

The whole week started to pass in a blur, Potions is fairly fun, I can't see why people hate it so much, anyway. Charms was also alright, and Transfiguration's... complicated, but by far my favourite lessons so far have been Astronomy and Potions with a dash of Charms. The whole week's been good, meeting up with my cousins whenever we can, Rose tells me that she's met some new friends. Everything's been good, that is until the first incident...

A/N: Don't want to go about pressuring you guys but... review? Pretty please?