A Well-Filled Week

"Are you hallucinating?"

Al glared at her and glanced at the windows, whose curtains were parted. Outside it was dark; the clock said midnight. The three of them were sitting near the crackling fire, in their slippers and nightwear, while Al told Rose and Scorpius about what had happened in the Headmistress's office.

"No, I'm not," he said hotly. "You ask-"

"There's no one to ask," Rose said smugly.

"So, you're saying," Scorpius tried to go through what the shorter boy had told them, "you're saying that Slughorn was murdered?"

Al scowled. He was aware of how mad that sounded; Rose's accusation even made sense in that regard. A little while after he had sneaked out of McGonagall's study, he had gone back to his dormitory, trying to process what had just happened. The next day, the Headmistress had announced that Slughorn had died – but she had lied, saying that her colleague had died peacefully in his sleep.

It was a lie – Al had watched Slughorn die.

"Prince made it sound like it," Al shrugged. "She said it was a popular spell, Dark magic, used in the 2006 rebellion by the escaped Death Eaters. I heard her through the cupboard I was hiding in. Snape, I was talking to his portrait, right, and he left his frame before I had even exited, myself. There's something bizarre going on."

"Then why," Rose snapped, "did Slughorn use it on himself?"

"No, but it makes sense!" he insisted. He slipped off the armchair and faced them: Scorpius, watching him with a puzzled look on his pale face, and Rose, determined to find a loophole in his sayings. Al was quite sure that she would have believed him, should he have been anyone else. Sure, he had more imagination than most people he knew, but he wasn't mad, for goodness's sake!

"Look," he spread out his hands. "Magic used by escaped convicts resurfaces, kills off Professor Slughorn – a Slytherin many on the other side hated, thinking of him as a bloody traitor! Filch tries to grab me with handcuffs, and Neville thinks we have to get Aurors to investigate! Even Severus Snape, Merlin's pants, is worried!"

"Al, Al, Al," Rose shook her head. "Mate, there are plenty of possibilities-"

"Like, Filch was always mental," Scorpius cut in.

"And Neville, Neville's paranoid," she added.

"You're just not believing me, because you clearly have something against me, Rose," Al snapped.

She shrugged. "Maybe I am. I'd believe you if I'd seen it with my own eyes. If something else like this happens, maybe I'll do something."

"Something," Al snorted. "That's a start."

Dear Mum, Dad, and Hugo,

Ahh. Finally, the weekend. This first week's been quite long.

I've been Sorted in Gryffindor – so did Al, if you've heard. I spoke to Scorpius Malfoy on the train, and we're friends now. He's in Gryffindor too – I wonder how his family will react? He's quite the silent fellow, but he's nice. I'd like to remind you, Dad, that judging people by their families is not very good, because that's sort of what Death Eaters did, y'know?

(Oh, and Dad, please don't give yourself a heart attack on that, it would be sad.)

My roommates are quite friendly also. There's only one Muggle-born: Caroline Lee. Al, Scorpius, and I sort of adopted her, and we're teaching her the wizarding ways. Well, the boys aren't doing much except explaining Quidditch and the like to her, but Patricia Finnigan and I help her a bit with other more useful things. The other two girls in my dormitory are the Jordan twins: they're Quidditch nuts and get on with Darcy Thomas and Louis real well.

I'm glad I read some of the textbooks – well, most of them – before going to Hogwarts, because or else I would've been quite lost in my classes. Some of them, like Charms, are fun. I don't like the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, she's annoying, and she insulted some of us – her name's Professor Eclipse, and I think she was Slytherin. The class is fine, though. Herbology is pretty boring, History of Magic is an insult to my intelligence, frankly, and Transfiguration is challenging but Professor Despard teaches it well. I don't think Neville was too nice to Scorpius – he wasn't downright rude, but not warm either. Maybe I'll ask him to treat Scorpius better. Oh, and there's also too much homework.

I did visit Hagrid, mind you – James was there. When we left for Gryffindor Tower, he pulled me aside and told me that I didn't quite have 'it' in me. (I'm as mystified as you lot probably are.) I can only conclude that he has some sort of gang, which frankly doesn't surprise me. James is a prejudiced idiot, insulting Muggles and all.

Al is as pesky as usual, but I can tolerate him. I like Hogwarts, overall, very much. My hand hurts now, so I think I'll put my quill down and go play outside with the boys and Caroline and Patricia.

See you,

Rose

"You may leave."

Scorpius sighed and rubbed his wand hand – that bloody monster of a woman, Professor Eclipse, had made him write lines, just because he had snapped back at her when she had insulted him and his family in class. He was allowed to do so, he fumed. She was his teacher, Merlin, not a student. Teachers weren't supposed to jeer at their students.

"Do I have to come back tomorrow?"

Selene Eclipse glanced at the clock. As much as she wanted to say yes, she was a Professor, responsible and here to teach. She admitted to herself that she did occasionally abuse her power... but the boy had asked for it. And Merlin, she did not tolerate pottymouths in her classroom. She was angry at what his family had done – she had a bloody right to insult him a bit, didn't she?

"No, you don't. But Malfoy, be warned..."

"Yes?"

"I don't tolerate disrespect in my classroom, Malfoy. Remember that, or you'll end up writing lines again. You are dismissed."

Scorpius glared at her and shut the door after him.

It was quiet, in the dungeons. The only light came from the green torches, hanging against the stone walls. Scorpius shivered; he couldn't wait to get back to Gryffindor Tower. Not only did he have homework to do, but he was awfully tired of running into Beetle and Smith and having to hex them yet again – those two would never learn, would they? Rose had been with him during one of those times; the damned Slytherin gits had ended up in the hospital wing. Scorpius wondered vaguely where Rose had learned to Stun; he wondered if she could teach him. It'd come in handy...

There was also the matter of Alcmene, but it was the weekend...

"Scorpius!"

He turned, and there was Alcmene, walking towards him, two or three textbooks hugged against her chest. Her chocolate brown hair fell past her shoulders, contrasting with the paleness of her skin and her lips' blood red. She smiled at him.

"Hey, Alcmene," he said wearily. "What're you doing here?"

"I live in the dungeons," she replied with a roll of her eyes and a nudge of her elbow. "I was on my way to the library to do my homework. I should ask you the same question. This isn't really a Gryffindor's territory, you know."

Scorpius reddened. "That bloody Eclipse got me in detention."

She looked round before answering. "Yeah, she's a bit unfair." At his quizzical look, Alcmene added, "Well, she is our Head of House now."

He smirked. "And you're scared of her, Ally?"

Alcmene kicked him. "'Course not. I'm just careful. As you had never been."

"Yeah, yeah," Scorpius said darkly, "That's why I'm a Malfoy. In Gryffindor!"

"I thought you said you didn't mind?"

He huffed. "You think I was serious?"

"You're scared."

"Am not," Scorpius snapped.

She smirked. "Are too. You're bloody scared of your father."

"Oh, you don't know what it's like, Alcmene," he folded his arms. "Aunt Daphne and Uncle Theodore don't really believe in that blood supremacy riffraff anymore, don't they? Mother and Father do, and so do Granddad and Grandmother, I'm sure! Even Megara, I think, even though she was Ravenclaw! What if they kick me out?"

"Well..." Alcmene bit her lip. "You could always stay at my place. Dad likes you, you know, and Mum too."

He smiled a tiny bit and hugged her. "You're the best, Alcmene."

"You too. We'd better not let Belisaria hear that."

Scorpius laughed at what their younger cousin, Aunt Mnemosyne's six year old daughter Mnemosyne, would say at that.

"Scorpius! OI!"

"Al?" Scorpius said, cocking an eyebrow.

Al reddened at their stares. "Sorry," he muttered. "Didn't know that you were busy."

He shrugged. "It's fine. Alcmene, this is Albus Potter, my best mate."

Alcmene smiled at Al. "Hi."

"Al, this is Alcmene Nott – the cousin I've spoken of."

The Slytherin and the Gryffindor shook hands. Scorpius noticed that Al blushed even more as he regarded Alcmene. The blond boy chuckled internally. He'd have to bug Al about that later on.

"So, what'd you want to tell me?" Scorpius asked.

Al grinned and got something from a sack Scorpius hadn't noticed that he had been carrying. When the blond boy looked closer, he saw that it was a cloak – or something. It was fluid, of a silvery-grey color; under the light of the greenish torches of the dungeons, it gleamed. Both Scorpius and Alcmene stared at it.

"Where did you get an Invisibility Cloak?" Alcmene asked, reaching out to finger it.

"It's James's," Al shrugged. "He'd nicked it from Dad's trunk."

"And he gave it to you?" Scorpius had met his friend's brother, and he didn't seem like the type of person to part with his possessions, especially a valuable Invisibility Cloak such as the one Al held in his hands.

There, Al grinned again, though slyly. "No. It's a long story."

"Well," Scorpius demanded, "Try it on, then!"

Al slipped on the cloak. He felt a bit silly, as it was several sizes too long, but then he felt it fit him. He turned to Scorpius and Alcmene, who were staring right through him. Al took that as a positive sign and looked down at his body. It had vanished!

"Wicked!" Alcmene grinned at him when he'd taken it off. "Can I try?"

Each of them tried it on, and then Al said, "Well, it'll come in handy, don't you think, Scorpius?"

Scorpius deducted from the pointed look his friend gave him that he meant Slughorn's hypothetical murder. He shrugged and turned to his cousin. "Listen, Alcmene, d'you mind not telling anyone? We wouldn't want-"

Alcmene smirked. "Yes, you wouldn't want people sneaking into your dormitory. Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Keeping secrets is a Slytherin's virtue and trademark." She was about to leave before she remembered the letter in her pocket. She handed it to Scorpius, who stared at it confusedly.

"It's from your dad," Alcmene said with a small pitying look. "He tells me to give it to you."

"Can I just burn it?" said Scorpius quietly. "I don't care about the crap he'll be sprouting."

She shrugged. "He is your dad. You don't need to answer it, just read it."

Alcmene was gone with that, and Scorpius handed the letter to Al.

"You can keep this. I don't bloody care about Father's reaction to my Sorting."

Al watched his friend stomp off. Too curious to resist the temptation, he unfolded it and began reading.

Dear Alcmene,

Astoria and I have heard of Scorpius's Sorting from an old family friend, and naturally, I am not the least pleased. I however congratulate you for your traditional Sorting, and I would ask you to transmit this message to Scorpius.

Let him know that he is to expect my questioning once he returns for the Christmas holidays. I desire to know why, exactly, he ended up in Gryffindor. He is a bright child, certainly. Tell him to not consort with wrong types, such as the Potter and Weasley brats. I have heard of his friendships with them also. I will not let my own son become a blood traitor.

I would also want him to know that I accept nothing from the best grades from him.

Lastly. Scorpius is much too curious for his own good. I would like you to keep him out of trouble – no more detentions. It is most embarrassing for the family to receive a letter from Professor Eclipse, Head of Slytherin House, complaining about Scorpius's disrespect of authority in her class.

Sincerely thanking you,

Draco Malfoy

Al frowned at the letter and resisted the urge to tear it to shreds. He couldn't believe that a father could be so... disgusting. Yes, that was the word. Draco Malfoy utterly repulsed him. Al could definitely understand why Uncle Ron and Dad were so wary of him. How could he treat his own son like this? Al had half-believed Dad when he had said that he and Mum didn't mind where he was Sorted, but now, he definitely did.

A family's love was unconditional, he had heard from somewhere. It seemed, somehow, that Draco Malfoy's wasn't.

No wonder in the few times Scorpius had spoken of his family, he had called it messed-up.

Long due, I know :P

Thanks for The QAS, WhisperMaw, and Anonymous for reviewing :)

To WhisperMaw: Hmm... Never would have thought of that... Nope, not a goddess.

Next up are the Aurors, with a glimpse of Scorpius's sister, Megara. After that, someone'll disappear.