Chapter Eight
Max and Rose
Sat at the Gryffindor table eating her breakfast Rose tried to sneakily glance across to the Slytherin table on the other side of the Great Hall to look at her best friend and her boyfriend eat breakfast together. Lily and Charlie where attracting some attention, not all of it positive.
Marianna sat next to Rose was trying to look at the pair between the second year Hufflepuffs that was blocking her view Abi and Aliza Longbottom where taking it in turns standing up and pointing at the pair and the Weasley/Potter boys sat at the end of the Gryffindor table were shooting Charlie an angry look every few minutes like they thought he was keeping Lily against her will. The pair also attracted un-approving glances from the Slytherin table. Scorpius Malfoy however sat just to the left of the couple simply ignored them. They made a strange couple to look at the tall brown haired stocky boy with brilliant dark eyes and the smaller slight red haired figure with blue eyes almost two years younger. However there personalities fitted together Charlie may have been more outward with his emotions but he was matched by Lily's smile just for him or even her support during a Quidditch game as long as they weren't playing Gryffindor.
After a few minutes Rose noticed eyes and whispers were changing from Charlie and Lily, only one thing could have attracted Hogwarts die hard gossips away from the news of a new couple and that was bigger gossip. Rose scanned her eyes around the great hall and noticed what most people where already looking at, a boy in Hogwarts uniform stood at the side of the teachers table. He looked about the same age at Rose herself with curly brown hair that was in need of a cut and dark brown eyes. He was taller than most the seventh year boys standing over six foot with an air of confidence that most people couldn't carry off at the age of seventeen or eighteen. Professor McGonagall tapped her wand on the table on the raised platform where the teachers sat.
"I would like to introduce a new pupil to you all," she indicated to the boy stood to the left of her though it was hardly necessary his height along with the fact that he was new in an institution that varied very little had already captured most peoples attention. "This is Maximillian Harlow he is a new student from New Zealand he will not be sorted but moved to the seventh year Gryffindor dormitory as they are the only ones in that year with space. "The seventh year Gryffindor boys had only four in their dorm for nearly three years since Connor Peterson had left when his father was appointed magical ambassador to the USA.
Connor had transferred to one of the three North American magical institutes: Red brick in the Colorado dessert which reportedly recruited its students by instead of sending a letter simply apparating them to the school each September. Which caused some trouble for muggle born students whose parents thought they simply disappeared.
"Maximillian will be with us until the end of the year in seventh year NEWT classes please make him feel welcome Rose Weasley I need to see you now." Rose herself was a little startled by this ending statement she figured that as head girl and now fellow Gryffindor she was to be expected to act as this Maximilian's personal tour guide. She was not to be disappointed.
"Miss. Weasley" the headmistress said as she reached the side of the head table "I would like you to accompany Mr. Harlow as he settles into school life for the next week or so. He has all the same classes as you except muggle studies when you have arithmancy."
"Arithmancy," Maximilian said slightly impressed "one of the hardest subjects there is,"
"Yes," Rose said unusually quiet she was generally known as the brain box of the year and had lost count of the times she had been compared to her mother. She wasn't about to start by introducing herself as a know-it-all to the first new person she meet.
"I don't detect much of a New Zealand accent Maximillian,"
"Max please," the boy said "I can't believe the professor called me by my full name I haven't heard that for years. No I grew up in this country, Wiltshire to be exact. Look I am sorry about you ferrying me around I am sure it's irksome"
"No" Rose shook her head "it's not a problem at all," for some reason his simple apology in contrast to her demanding cousin made her think of him in a more favorable light.
"What's our first class?" Max asked looking confused at the map in front of him Rose took it from her turning it 180 degrees and then giving it back to Max. "Don't worry I know the timetable off by heart it's double charms followed by potions this morning." As many a Hogwarts student had learned over the years charms was an excellent opportunity to talk, in this particular class for example they were learning how was to make heavy object weightless the groaning smashing that followed the introduction to the lesson gave Rose and Max ample chance to talk.
Rose learnt that Max had studied in Beauxbatons as his mother had requested until his fifth year when his adoptive father had died and the heir to his estate had refused to continue funding his expensive education so Max had converted the last of his money to muggle then paid for a one way trip to Auckland where he had studied at the Josef Academy called so as it was inside the Franz Josef glacier.
"Cheaper," he said when Rose had asked why "I could work all summer and study during the year and still have a little money left over I couldn't have done that it France." Rose conceded the point France was known even in muggle circles for being expensive.
"So how is the potions teacher?" Max asked Rose as they stood in the queue for the potions class clearly dived amongst house lines with the Gryffindor's mostly stood amongst the left side of the corridor and the Slytherin's amongst the right side with the four Ravenclaw's and the one Hufflepuff that took this lesson in the middle of the corridor. Rose noticed Max looking across to the other side of the corridor where Scorpius Malfoy was looking across to him with a look that could have killed.
"Malfoy?" 'Max shouted across the corridor. "How is your sister?" Then before Rose had time to look up from her book Scorpius had launched himself across the corridor landing a fair punch on Max's nose who responded with a hit on Scorpius' arm which sounded a nasty crack. Scorpius responded with a second punch to the face. Rose pushed herself into the middle of the crowd gathered around the pair and with Albus and Dominic Warden-Prior, perhaps the only other student not shouting "fight" they managed to pull Max off Scorpius and hold him back. Scorpius himself jumped to his feet, heading straight to for Max but was held back by Charlie who had arrived late with the rest of the Slytherin divination class.
"What on earth has happened here?" Professor Cain asked sweeping out of her office.
"Mr. Harlow thirty points for fighting."
"But Malfoy started it off Professor," Albus insisted.
"Five points for arguing Mr. Potter. Albus made to open his mouth "one more word and it will be ten. Mr. Zabini escort Scorpius to the hospital wing, everyone else inside now." The final two words where barked with such force even the most disgruntled from the fight ending filed into the dungeons.