And yet, another long stretch between chapters. As always, our apologies, and we're grateful to those who've stuck with us! The next few chapters after this will hopefully prove more exciting than what you've seen so far, so please bear with us for now! In the meantime, enjoy failed peacemaker Albus, ice queen Rose, and a defensive Scorpius in chapter 7 of TNE. 3

Hali~

Disclaimer: Firstly, the Inherhouse Table idea is simply fanon - it was not in any way our creation. And as usual, Harry Potter belongs to J. K.Rowling, and not at all from us.

Albus

Exasperating Enmity

"And, of course, our next class is with the Gryffindors," Albus noted with a sigh as he and his friend hurried towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.

"Why do we have so many shared classes this year?" Scorpius complained. "Honestly. We practically have three classes with Gryffindor, including flying lessons!"

"Apparently, the new headmaster reordered the classes and expanded the classrooms to promote inter-house relations," Albus explained, having heard that from his parents. "It seems he's trying to continue the work of the previous headmistress. He's even left the Interhouse Table in the grand hall, but hardly anyone has sat there since McGonagall put it in." As headmistress, McGonagall had sought to bring equality among the houses directly following the war, taking advantage of the reconstruction to add many new features to the school. One of the biggest was the Interhouse Table, made so that students of any house could sit together. Albus knew that it was never used, except for when students from different houses needed to work together on projects during meals.

"To accomplish that, he'd need to do more than just put us in classes together." Scorpius smiled wryly. Albus grimaced, remembering how his cousin had fled when she saw him walking with Scorpius. Of course, he expected that - just not from her, his best friend since birth. He didn't doubt that they'd eventually get over the conflict, but Rose was more stubborn than anything, and had a tendency to turn everything into a bigger deal than it actually was.

"It's just that the houses have been divided for so long that I'm not even sure why anymore," Albus said. He himself had spent most of his life convinced that the only good house was Gryffindor, and that it was the best house to get into - and for no real reason other than wanting to be like his family. Even now he wondered if he'd ever be able to fit in with them again - after all, Rose had just ditched him in the hall simply because of his friend.

Scorpius shrugged. "It's competition that drives this school - and most wizards, for that matter. It makes each separate house strong, I suppose. But it also keeps us divided, and all those stereotypes and prejudice surrounding each doesn't help."

Albus was silent for a moment, startled. Then, slowly, he smirked. "I'm impressed - I didn't know you knew big words like prejudice."

His friend elbowed him, indignant. "You shut up." Albus laughed and nudged him back, forgetting for a moment that his cousin practically despised the sight of him now. That is, until they walked into the DADA classroom and found her sitting right in the first row - she must have run all the way to class for that spot - staring straight ahead with her hands folded primly atop her books.

"Hey, Rose," Albus greeted her, but she purposefully avoided his gaze. She made a point to glower condescendingly at Scorpius, who slightly raised his hands in mock surrender. She rolled her eyes, then looked away, as if they weren't even worth her time.

Albus looked nervously at his companion to see how he was handling her resentful actions, but he looked all right. However, Rose didn't seem yet done with getting her point across.

She looked over to Scorpius and then started to write something down, scribbling furiously. Albus glanced questioningly at Scorpius, then peered quickly over Rose's shoulder. To his relief, she was only recording the different ingredients to brew an advanced potion. Albus cast Scorpius another glance, and the two waited a few moments before reluctantly sliding into the chairs behind her - there were no other pair of seats available, seeing as they were the last few students to arrive at class.

Sweetly and with a pleasant disposition, Scorpius whispered to Albus, "It looks like the ice queen is mad at me."

"She doesn't mean any real harm, you know," Albus answered. "She's just studying. No need to get bitter."

"Right. I'm the bitter one," Scorpius said, still in that indifferent voice that was starting to worry Albus. He was clearly bothered. "She doesn't mean any harm at all, no, because what else is there to expect from the girl who knows everything?"

Albus muttered back, "Be quiet or she'll hear you. And what is up with you anyway? You didn't seem to care that much back in the hallway."

Rose piped up from the front, "The ice queen has ears, you know," in a voice that was most certainly not calm. "Just because you're whispering doesn't mean you aren't talking."

Scorpius stood up so quickly he almost knocked over the books he'd put out on his desk. "You know, Rose," he mocked loudly and casually, "just because you memorized those ingredients and, what, a few spells, doesn't mean that you're smart at all."

Rose opened her mouth and closed it, her face getting red. "Well, excuse me, Malfoy, but I think that just because you're acting all nonchalant and supposedly "nice" doesn't mean you aren't still a Slytherin."

Albus immediately raised his eyebrows at his cousin, trying to hide his shock. Is this the same Rose who pledged we'd be friends no matter what on the train just yesterday? The one who spent nearly an hour lecturing me on how my placement didn't matter in the long run, complete with an essay so long it reached the floor when she held it up at shoulder level?

He saw her visibly wince as she realized her words. "I mean-" she started hastily with a regretful glance.

Scorpius had heard enough. He stopped Rose, lowering to his seat, and uttered softly, "Rose, you think you know everything, but the thing is, you don't know anything. You don't know anything at all. You-"

Scorpius gripped the edge of his desk so tightly his knuckles began turning white, stopping short of his sentence when Rose whipped around and jabbed her wand directly at the center of his face

"I know," Rose hissed with relish as she narrowed her eyes, "just enough to hex your nose right off your face." Her expression was triumphant when both boys looked at each other with dubious, scared expressions, but she was clearly still fuming at the blonde.

"Rose-" Albus began, but he never got to finish.

"As if you'd be able to do it," Scorpius scoffed. "What if you were caught by the teacher, Miss Perfect?"

Her expression tightened. "It'd be worth it if you'd leave my cousin alone!"

"He's not-"

"Oh? So you'd be willing to break a rule?" Scorpius challenged, once again interrupting Albus.

Rose's wand didn't waver in the slightest as she responded. "If necessary."

"Well, it isn't-"

"Is that so? Then, if you're so eager so hex me, why not a duel?" Scorpius suggested smugly. He looked as if he expected Rose to turn his offer down, but Albus knew that his cousin would never back down from a challenge.

Rose gritted her teeth and folded her arms determinedly. "When?"

"Hmm...what about...tonight, once everyone else is asleep, so that we won't be caught by any professors and get in trouble?" he answered, still mocking her.

"Maybe you should think this through a bit more-"

"Fine," Rose agreed. "Tonight it is."

"Fine," Scorpius repeated. "Albus and I will be here waiting for you, then."

"I'm going too?" Albus asked. "Typical. I don't get any say, but end up coming along anyway."

"Well, you are coming, right?" Scorpius asked halfheartedly, already knowing the answer.

Albus looked away quickly. "Only because you'd kill each other without me," he clarified.

Rose smirked. "He can try."

"Please, Weasley. I could kill you with one hand tied behind my back," Scorpius countered, accepting her challenge with fervor.

"Scorpius, now you're just confirming what she already thinks about you," Albus informed him exasperatedly under his breath. Scorpius shrugged, still scowling at his apparent adversary.

"You do realize that it only takes one hand to use a wand, right?" Rose pointed out. "That's not something to brag about."

"You do realize that I was only trying to make a point?" Scorpius asked sarcastically.

"You do realize that just repeating my words doesn't account for an insult?" Rose returned without missing a beat.

"Then-"

"You three!" a stern voice barked suddenly. Scorpius, Albus, and Rose all looked up with a start to see the professor glaring at them - they'd been so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't even noticed how much time had passed. "Class is beginning now. Is it so much to ask for you to quiet down and pay attention?"

"No, sir," Rose answered, blushing a shade of red as bright as her hair. Scorpius and Albus nodded their assent hurriedly.

"Then do make a point to listen to me, or I'll start deducting house points. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir," Rose replied as Scorpius and Albus nodded again.

The professor frowned at them a moment, then began introducing himself to the class. Rose looked over her shoulder to shoot Scorpius a final glower, before turning back around to devote her utmost attention to the professor's speech with the expression of a busy scholar.

Albus sighed. What had his two headstrong friends gotten themselves into?