Don't ever let it be said that I don't keep my promises. Here's your newly minted chapter, all shiny and delectable.
Rose sat at the Gryffindor table between Dominique and Lauren, chatting quietly about their summers. Dominique, of course, had spent much of her time with Rose as they were actually cousins, but it didn't stop them gossiping ad-infinitum about Dominique's sister's, Victoire's, upcoming wedding to Teddy Lupin.
It was the match made in heaven as far as the Potter-Weasley clan were concerned, and Teddy had only waited until Victoire was two years graduated from Hogwarts before he had popped the question. Rose could still remember girls from older years trying to befriend her to get closer to Teddy, not that he'd ever looked anywhere but the gorgeous half-Veela girl.
Actually, when she thought about it, several girls had attempted to use her to get closer to James as well, but it was needless effort. James was slightly less honourable when it came to women's affections than his adopted older brother. Considerably less honourable, really, especially now he was a professional chaser and eligible for a call up to play Quidditch for England.
She glanced down the table at James' youngest brother, Albus, and smiled slightly. Funnily enough, girls in her year weren't climbing over themselves to get to Albus Severus Potter. Might have had something to do with the fact he wasn't any taller than Rose, or still sported the same round glasses and bowl cut that he had when he'd first started at Hogwarts, she thought, grinning to herself.
Professor McGonagall stood at the lectern, framed elegantly by candles, and in a stately manner held both hands up until there was silence in the Great Hall.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she began, her voice as strong as it had been when Rose had been standing, waiting to be sorted in her first year. Professor McGonagall was seemingly timeless, unchanged as everything altered itself around her.
The usual niceties were observed, and sorting began promptly. Rose smiled nostalgically as she reminisced about when she had been sorted, the paralysing fear that despite what her mother had said that she would be sorted into Slytherin and no one in her family would talk to her again. In those days, her hair had been bushier and the couple of freckles that dotted her face had seemed an awful lot closer together.
She laughed gently along with the school as a poor boy tried to place the sorting hat on his head and promptly disappeared up to his shoulders in it. He was appropriately sorted into Hufflepuff as he totted from the raised platform to the amused cheers of the yellow house.
The latest Zambini offspring, who had inherited his father's black hair and dull eyes, was unsurprisingly gifted to Slytherin, who rose as one to welcome their newest son to the fold. Rose scanned the crowd, her eyes failing to spy her co-head at the table, even after they had resumed their seats after the final first year had been sorted.
Rose looked to the group of boys who considered themselves to be the 'popular' Slytherins, or at least were the most prominent ones, but Scorpius Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. Outside, thunder clapped, and the patter of rain became audible against the windows of the hall, as Professor McGonagall rose to speak once more.
"...and finally, I would like to congratulate and introduce our Head Girl and Head Boy for this year, so if they could stand when called. Our Head Girl is Rose Weasley of Gryffindor!" Professor McGonagall gestured towards the Gryffindor table, whom all jumped to their feet, shouting and clapping their approval, mirrored slightly less enthusiastically but nonetheless supportively, by the rest of the school. Rose stood, blushing furiously at the response, but couldn't help notice the leering smile on her bespectacled cousin's face.
"And this year's Head Boy, Scorpius Malfoy of Slytherin!" Professor McGonagal finished, gesturing to the Slytherin table.
The silence was deafening. No one spoke. Everyone simply stared at the Slytherin table, looks ranging from horror to outrage on the various faces. Rose once again scanned the table, wondering where Scorpius was. He hadn't received the warmest reception, but he was a Malfoy, surely this would be an opportunity to good to miss, being elevated to a position of power in front of the entire school.
Professor McGonagall was staring at the table intently, trying to sport the renegade Malfoy, when her ever eloquent cousin broke the silence.
"This is bullshit!" he cried loudly, smacking his goblet on the table. Murmurs of support and agreement rose from the student body at this sentiment, but Professor McGonagall looked lividly at Albus.
"Three days detention for that, I think Mr. Potter. And it will be doubled for anything else you care to share with the school."
But it was fruitless, cries that were slightly less profane were now emanating around the hall.
"Where is Scorpius Malfoy?" cried the exasperated headmistress, as Albus took a risk.
"Replace him!" he cried over the din, and soon it became a chant taken up by other members of the student body.
"Silence!" cried Professor McGonagall, her eyes shooting daggers at the son of The Boy Who Lived.
Whatever punishment that was about to be handed out to Albus, however, died in the Headmistresses throat as the doors to the Great Hall swung open, to reveal the boy in question.
Every time Scorpius took a step, he squelched awkwardly. His only cloak was muddy from the knees downwards, and everything above the point was sodden to the core. To top off the elegance, Scorpius could taste blood dripping down from his temple where the glass from the broken window in his compartment on the Hogwarts Express had sliced through his skin.
As he sloshed through the Entrance Hall, having slipped in through the schools front door which had been left ajar, he prayed to every deity he could name that the students would be busy eating, talking and making merry, and wouldn't even notice a hunched, saturated Slytherin shuffling towards his seat.
He reached the wooden doors of the Entrance Hall, which were so large a giant wouldn't have to duck to cross the threshold, and gently pushed them open.
Rose stared at the pathetic figure that stood, stooped in the doorway, and gawped along with every other person in the Hall.
He looked like he'd been dragged through the Black Lake, and then assaulted by the Giant Squid, just for good measure. His face looked like it was bruising on one side, and his blonde hair was matted by the water, and had turned a murky red colour over his left ear, which was obviously still bleeding.
Professor McGonagall was lost for words, and struggled to regain her composure.
"Ahhh... thank you for your attention students, please return to your dorms. Could the Head Boy and Girl please remain behind... for extra instructions," she managed.
Scorpius wasn't given a chance to vacate the doorway before a torrent of students began to pour in his way. He was bumped and buffeted by the mass of bodies, some deliberately targeting him, some just unable to go anywhere else. Soon though, the Hall was empty, as the last of the teaching staff filed off the stage, and with a range of expressions from shocked to repulsed, they followed their charges into the rest of the castle.
Finally, only Scorpius, Rose and Professor McGonagall remained. She had dismounted from her plinth upon which she stood to address the school, and stood next to the Gryffindor table, where Rose Weasley was clearly trying not to make her sidelong glances at Scorpius obvious.
The Headmistress simply stared at Scorpius with a mixture of bemusement and disappointment on her face.
"Care to explain yourself, Mr. Malfoy?" she enquired after an uncomfortable silence.
Scorpius winced slightly as he shifted nervously, not meeting her eyes.
"I... I had an accident," he mumbled lamely, fiddling with the sleeve of his robe.
"Apparently," Professor McGonagall answered coldly, her tone saying all that her lips did not about her opinion on the validity of Scorpius' excuse.
"Very well, I think, Mr. Malfoy, that the next time something like this happens, if it does, please notify someone, or at least make some attempt to find assistance. It doesn't bode well that our Head Boy doesn't show the slightest inclination to display initiative," she said, her mind clearly having moved on, however.
"Yes Professor," Scorpius replied dully, not looking up. The thought of telling the truth never even crossed his mind. He'd tried telling on James Potter once, in his first year. He'd gone to Professor Slughorn in his second week, and told him that James Potter had taken his book bag and thrown it off the Astronomy Tower.
Professor Slughorn, an enormously fat man very much in his later years of life had looked doubtfully at his least favourite member of his house, but nonetheless, taken the issue to Professor Longbottom, head of Gryffindor house. James Potter had been brought in, and produced five witnesses that backed up his alibi that he was in the library at the time Scorpius claimed it had happened.
Once he'd been cleared of all responsibility, James had cornered Scorpius in the third floor bathrooms and to the great amusement of his friend's, had dunked the blonde first year boy in the overflowing basin and had laughed uproariously when Scorpius had come up red-faced and spluttering, and then thrown up all over the tiled floor.
Scorpius and Rose were then treated to a full recap of all the duties and expectations which were considered integral to the position, which Rose seemed to enjoy no end. She certainly took every opportunity to display her understanding of the role by asking as many questions as Professor McGonagall looked willing to answer.
For his part, Scorpius simply stood there, staring slightly blankly at a particularly interesting patterning on a piece of the stone floor, and waited for it to be over. He wanted to go to sleep so this day could be over, and a new one could take its miserable place.
After almost a quarter of an hour, Rose was momentarily flummoxed for want of another query about her prestigious new position, and Professor McGonagall took the opportunity to wish the both of them the best of luck, and good night.
Hmmm... having now updated two days in a row, I feel like I'm fulfilling my duty to you all. Hope you enjoyed the read, and I really honestly take the time to read all of your reviews, good and the bad, but the ones I really take notice of are those which have suggestions. Loooove people who are that engaged with the story, so keep them coming!