Chapter Four

Vengeance was meted out against the Slytherins, once Scorpius had dredged enough memories of the night out of his head and the others had done some investigation and pieced together evidence to confirm that it was indeed McLaggen and his gang who had done the attack. Scorpius' own broomstick had luckily been left behind by the group, and he and Albus had found it, untouched, the next day. But this had given them an idea, and with some coercion of Lily, they found themselves in possession of McLaggen's Comet 720 and several other prized objects of his gang.

'It is a bit low to break a man's broomstick,' said Scorpius, as Albus gleefully appeared in the dormitory with it a few nights later.

'We're not going to break it, idiot. We're going to send a letter to McLaggen, saying him and his gang can either do what we ask, or they can go to Longbottom and say we stole their stuff, at which point we'll say we were only borrowing it, but tell Longbottom all about what they did to you! Clever, right?' said Albus, grinning in satisfaction at his plan.

'So what are our terms?' asked Scorpius, inspecting the Comet. He decided it was shoddier than his own sleek Firebolt, hidden away carefully in his trunk.

That much quickly became clear the next day. The story spread around the school like wildfire that some mysterious curse had befallen McLaggen and his gang. None of them could communicate in anything but a variety of animal noises, and when asked to write down a reason for this malady, they could only draw a crude symbol of the animal they were imitating. McLaggen and Finnigan caused the most hilarity - they could only impersonate a pig and a duck, respectively.

'We stuck some of my Uncle's prototype joke sweets into the envelope,' explained Albus, when he and Scorpius were accosted by curious friends and peers. He was unable to keep a pleased grin from his face. especially when the crowd burst into appreciative laughter.

A bell rang and students began to drift off in different directions towards lessons or the Library, and as the crowd dissipated, both Scorpius and Albus suddenly saw that James was stood nearby, looking very awkward. Albus didn't need the nudge that Scorpius gave him. Despite his reluctance, he went over to his brother.

'Hey,' he said, just as sheepish and uncomfortable. 'Look … er … I, I guess I'm sorry. About the other day. At breakfast. I shouldn't have gone off like that, you helped Scorpius so much and I … it was wrong to have a go.'

'It's okay,' said James, shuffling slightly from foot to foot.

'And … well, thanks. For helping.'

'It's okay.'

'Right … well…'

'Albus, I'm sorry too,' said James. 'I came over to say that. I think I was a little biased, and I let myself ignore the truth that was in front of me.'

Albus stared at his brother, who was staring very hard at the opposite wall. 'I asked McLaggen and Finnigan about what happened. McLaggen confessed it all. He seemed … he seemed to think I'd be happy about it, that I'd clap him on the back and think that it was all very heroic. Told me all the gory details.'

'What did you do?' asked Albus.

James shrugged. 'He's off the team. I can't do anything about Finnigan or the others, not if Scorpius doesn't want to hand them in, but I'm making sure that McLaggen won't play while I'm Captain, and I'll try my hardest to ruin their popularity, too.'

'Won't that hurt your chances for the game against Slytherin?'

'It doesn't matter. At least not as much.'

Albus couldn't help but smile at his brother, who was still looking very proud and defiant. He didn't think he'd ever heard James say that Quidditch was less important than anything. 'Thanks, James. I'd better get to Ancient Runes but … I'll see you around.' He began to walk away, towards Scorpius waiting by the nearest staircase.

'Albus!' James called, and he turned back towards him. 'You don't think … you don't think that all Gryffindors are like McLaggen, do you?'

He paused a few seconds before replying. 'No, James. I don't.'

Later that day, Albus had to go to the Library, as the translation he'd been set for Ancient Runes contained certain rare hieroglyphs, and the books in the smaller Slytherin collection didn't hold the answers. As ever, the school Library was frustratingly noisy, despite the constant patrolling of the Librarian. He had to venture into the furthest bookshelves and tuck himself away in the section on Magical Water Fungi in order to escape the incessant whispering of the other students.

He was midway through the translation, his brain furiously attempting to fit together the meaning of the strange little squiggles sketched into a pentagon on the parchment, when a movement in the corner of his eye made him look up. Katie Blossom was stood a few feet away, hugging a stack of books against her chest, a shy smile on his face.

Trying to look as if he was not intensely annoyed at having to stop translating, he closed his book and stood up, smiling at her. 'Hey, Katie! How's it going?' he asked. He was surprised that his voice was so casual and easy-going.

'Hiya Albus,' she said, stepping towards him. 'I was just wondering how you were. It's been a few days … since we spoke.'

'Right, yeah, sorry. I've been a bit preoccupied,' he said, not wanting to say "with Scorpius", but implying that as hard as he could. She seemed to get the message, and nodded, her plaits bouncing.

'Oh, of course, I totally get that. And if you don't want to hang out, that's fine. I was just wondering, if you were free tomorrow night, if you wanted to … hang out?'

'Yeah I think I'm free,' said Albus, unsure whether he should offer some sort of entertainment to occupy them. It was a Wednesday night, they couldn't go to Hogsmeade, and it was a bit early on for them to be hanging out in each other's houses. To be frankly honest, he wasn't really sure what was going on with him and Katie. They'd gone on a date to Hogsmeade, they'd eaten a few meals in each other's company, but they'd rarely been alone and hadn't done anything more than kiss each other on the cheek. Were they an item yet? She certainly seemed to want that. Maybe he should make a move…

'Okay, great!'

'So … let's meet up? We can work out something to do,' he said, smiling at her and then worrying that he was grinning in a freakishly enthusiastic way. To try and cover this, he made a complete leap of faith, and stepped forward and kissed her on the lips. It wasn't some rom-com, fireworks and music kiss, but as soon as he stepped away Katie flushed bright red right to her hairline.

'I'll see you around,' she gasped, and she virtually ran off, schoolbag swinging wildly.

Albus watched her go, and then checked the time, and swore. Forget finishing his translation - he would soon be late for a session with Professor Chang. Stuffing his books into his messenger bag, he hurried out of the Library almost as quickly as Katie had. He hurried through the school so fast that he was still out of breath when he opened her study door.

She was sat quite serenely behind her desk, her head slightly bent as she wrote some notes on a parchment. A fire was burning merrily, and it cast golden tones on her long dark hair, which fell loosely about her face and shoulders.

As he paused in the doorway, she looked up from her writing, and smiled at him. 'Albus! Come and sit down.' Closing the door behind him, he went over and sat down in his usual seat beside her. As before, she was suddenly very close, and their legs brushed as he shifted into a more comfortable position.

He couldn't help wishing that she didn't have to be quite so attractive, as he attempted to listen to her explanation of non-verbal technique regarding spells to cast lights, which they were now moving onto. His mind couldn't seem to focus; it kept wandering off to think about other things, things that he'd have given a year's allowance to not have to say out loud.

'So, shall we give it a go?' he heard her saying in her light, musical voice. Gulping slightly, he tried to steady himself and pulled out his wand, saying lumos! in his head.

He managed to cast a light after a few seconds, but it wasn't the steady, bright glow that he usually had. The light flickered, sometimes so dim you could hardly see it, and then flashing blindingly. Again, he wondered if it was because of his struggle to concentrate.

'Are you alright, Albus?' she asked softly, and he forced himself to look her in the eyes. They were very dark, with unusually thick lashes.

'Um … struggling to focus,' he stuttered, hating himself for turning into such a mess.

'That's quite alright,' she said, smiling gently. Her hand moved to rest lightly on his thigh, and he couldn't help but jump slightly as it did. 'I hope you don't mind me saying, Albus, that you do look very like your father did when he was your age.'

The kiss came so suddenly that Albus didn't even have time to think how strange what she said was, his mind was unable to think of anything but how good it felt to have her lips against his, how warm and soft she was, the gloriously enticing perfume she wore. He was kissing her too, now, leaning towards her, his hands now reaching tentatively to touch her side and back as her own hands pressed against his thigh and chest.

A sudden crash from the floor above made them both spring apart, and Albus' mind instantly went from empty to a chaotic mess. He was unable to do anything but choke out: 'I've … got to go,' and hurry from the classroom.

The whole journey back to the dungeons, he was praying that he didn't see anyone. He wasn't sure if he could manage to speak to someone without blurting out what had just happened, and that would be disastrous. He just had to get to Scorpius before anyone else.

He was glad at that moment that he wasn't a particularly popular or sought-after student, as no one called out to stop him as he rushed through the Slytherin Common Room, and up the spiral staircase to his dormitory. And, thankfully, he found that the dormitory was entirely empty except for Scorpius, who was in the armchair, a letter in his hand.

'Scorpius! Scorpius! You won't believe what just -'

But he stopped short at the look on Scorpius' face. 'What's…?'

'I just got this from my mother,' said Scorpius quietly, holding up the letter. 'It's about my father. He's going up in front of the full Wizengamot. And I'm going to see him tomorrow.'

In the weak light of dawn, Azkaban rose as a gigantic obelisk, iron against a grey sky, and it seemed the only solid thing in the shifting waves and roaring winds. Scorpius let go of the Portkey as soon as his feet hit the ground, and stepped away from his mother and the two Ministry representatives who had accompanied them. His feet steady, he stepped across the jagged, rain-soaked rocks, craning his head to look up at the tower. A few dozen pinpricks of light could be seen in the narrow slit windows. He wondered if any of them were his father's.

'Mr Malfoy?'

It took him a moment to realise that he was being addressed. A short wizard with thinning hair had followed him; he felt a twinge of intense annoyance. 'Yes?'

'We need to go inside, now. Please, with me.'

His mother was already stepping through the heavy door, her head bowed against the weather. Scorpius gave the tower and the surrounding sea a final glance, before heading into the building. The short wizard followed him, and the door swung shut behind them with a solid thud, enclosing them in the chill darkness.

No Dementors had been inside Azkaban for more than two decades, but the atmosphere of all-consuming cold and lifelessness still hung over the prison. Their footsteps echoed loudly in the hush as they were led along stone passageways and up smooth steps, past countless black doors that were identical but for the numbers stamped onto them. Scorpius counted his steps, staring at the narrow back of his mother in front of him. It was three-hundred-and-seventy-three steps to his father's cell.

They could go into the cell one at a time, according to the dead-eyed guard who led them. He had a face so blank that Scorpius forgot what it looked like almost as soon as he looked away. It was a face fit for a purpose, for immovable and merciless authoritarianism.

He waited outside, on a little stone bench built into the wall, with the two Ministry representatives. None of them spoke. They'd had to leave their wands back at the Ministry - no magical tools of any kind were allowed inside Azkaban - and without them the representatives seemed fidgety, uncomfortable. One kept twiddling his thumbs, five times one way and three back the other. Scorpius watched it until he felt dizzy, when he focussed on the blank wall opposite instead.

After perhaps ten or fifteen minutes, his mother knocked on the door, and the prison guard let her out. She looked entirely composed, not even a hair or an inch of her robes out of place. As she passed Scorpius, she reached out to lightly touch his arm, her one hint of emotion, and then he was walking into the cell.

It was darker than the passageway outside, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. The room was perhaps ten foot long, and so narrow that if he'd stretched out his arms, his fingertips would brush the walls on both sides. There was a window, no more than a slit in the wall a palm's-width wide, which cast a narrow beam of light on the floor. A table with a small stack of books was squeezed in with a stool beneath it, and pressed against the wall on the left was a narrow bunk, on which sat Scorpius' father.

He'd last seen his father only a few weeks earlier, the day that he'd left for Hogwarts, but the man sat hunched on the bedclothes was almost unrecognisable. His father had been a stern, powerful man, exuding vitality and intellect. But Draco Malfoy had physically shrunk, his body sinking into itself, and he'd aged a decade. His hair, formerly sleek and silver, now hung in lank grey strands about his narrow face. But as Scorpius looked down at him, his father looked up, and something like a smile broke across the ravaged face.

'Scorpius.'

'Father.'

'They told me you were coming. I must say, I couldn't quite believe it. i thought, perhaps, that you wouldn't want to see me. After everything that has been in the papers, you can't be very proud of me as a father.'

Scorpius sat down on the hard three-legged stool, facing his father. 'It's alright, Father. I have to confess … I already knew, really.'

'How much did you know?' his father asked, his voice suddenly sharp.

'Not a lot. I heard the odd snippet and pieced it together, that's all. No more than … than what's now been published. But I wish you'd just told me, father.'

'I was trying to protect you, Scorpius. Strange as it now seems. The less you know, the better. They'll want you to testify, you know that right. You're not seventeen, they need mine and your mother's consent, but they'll want you to. It's up to you, Scorpius.'

'I'll do it, I'll do anything, Father. I … I don't want you in jail. I wish there was some way I could help, could get you out of here.'

His father reached out, and cupped Scorpius' cheek. His skin felt cold to Scorpius, slightly clammy. He suppressed a shiver. 'You don't need to do anything, Scorpius. I … I may be in jail, for a while. McKinley is putting together a good defence, but it's a tough case. And more will come out about me, they'll try and bring me down in every way they can. It's too much to ask, but I need you to remain strong, Scorpius. To be the man of the family, as I couldn't be. Your mother needs you.'

'Yes, father.'

'I'm sorry this has happened, Scorpius. You know, I did it all for us, for our family, to give you the life I thought you deserved. It wasn't for greed. Please, remember that about me.'

'Father, I'll see you again, won't I? And soon?' asked Scorpius, suddenly worried by the tone in his father's voice. His father only smiled again, and leant forward to kiss his forehead.

'Of course. Go back to your mother now, Scorpius. Don't worry about me, just focus on your studies. I'll be alright.'

Scorpius paused in the doorway of the cell, looking back at his father for the second before the door slammed shut between them, and he was faced with blank grey instead. All the way back to the Portkey and through the Ministry the short representative spoke incessantly about nothing in particular, but Scorpius managed to ignore it, turn it into nothing more than a vague whine in his ear. He could've been a zombie, just going through the motions of signing documents, nodding at the questions directed at him, giving his mother the cursory hug and stepping into a fireplace to travel back to Hogwarts.

As it was a Saturday he'd been dreading a busy Common Room, but to his surprise it was deserted but for a scattering of First and Second Years. It took him a moment to remember that it was a Hogsmeade weekend, and as it was hardly midday, everyone would still be down at the village.

Although the idea of dealing with crowds of students was unappealing, he suddenly wanted nothing more than a long walk, and so he set off immediately through the castle and then down the track towards Hogsmeade. It felt good to stretch his legs, to feel fresh air after the damp cold of Azkaban, with the pale sun warming his face. The image of his father, huddled on his narrow bed, kept spinning round and round his mind, and he needed the distraction of shops and Butterbeer, and Albus. Anyway, he was in dire need of a new quill and some parchment.

He could see from a distance that the village was busy, the gaggles of students moving in dark swirls along the cobbled streets, but since the beating a few nights before the school seemed to have unanimously decided to just ignore him, so the crowds didn't bother him. Pulling his scarf closer about his face anyway, he ducked his head and hurried through the gates onto the Hogsmeade high street, keeping his gaze and making sure not to catch anyone's eye.

Without thinking much about it, he headed towards the Three Broomsticks. He needed the feeling of Butterbeer warm inside him, driving out the chill that had settled on his chest and stomach. But as he reached the pub, he found a large throng of people huddled outside it, speaking in low, rough voices and blocking his way. As he tried to make his way through them he realised two things at the same time - that they were all much older than Hogwarts students, and that every single one had a camera or notepad in their hands.

But at the same second, they'd all looked around at him, and the air seemed to explode with noise. A dozen cameras flashed at once, blinding him, and as he attempted to stumble backwards they closed in around him, blocking his escape. As the cameras continued to click and flash, the questions were shot at him so fast he could hardly register them, questions about his father, his mother, their family history, his own worries and concerns, if he could still love his father during all this…

As the panic rose up inside him and he wondered if he'd vomit, he suddenly found the figures in front of him parting, and then a girl with red hair was grasping his wrist and dragging him inside the pub, the door swinging shut behind them and cutting off the noise of the reporters. He stood trying to breathe deeply in the hot and steamy pub, and to his humiliation found tears pricking his eyes.

It was Rose Weasley who'd saved him, of course, and she was still looking at him with a concerned expression, and the kindly woman who ran the pub was giving him a pint of Butterbeer and saying it was on the house, after the shock he'd just had. He vaguely noticed Rose Weasley's beige boyfriend watching the whole scene and looking very confused and perturbed by it all.

'Scorpius! Are you alright?'

He nodded, trying to stay steady as he drank a gulp of Butterbeer.

'I'm fine.'

'Hey - Scorpius? What're you doing here? I thought you'd be out all day.'

Albus had appeared, a half-empty glass of blackcurrant cider still in his hand. Scorpius shook his head, still focussing on sipping the Butterbeer, and Rose quickly explained what had happened. He appreciated that - he didn't want to go back over it all. It would be hard enough to tell Albus about the actual visit, without bringing the virtual assault dealt by the reporters into it.

'There's a back door, dears,' said the landlady, 'just this way. You can head out without anyone knowing.'

'Thanks,' said Albus, handing her a few Sickles. 'Can I have another to go? Are you coming, Rose?'

She shook her head. 'I'm staying here with Daniel for a bit. Get back safe.'

They hurried out through the backdoor, slipping down a side road out of the village and then cutting across some grass to reach the road back to the castle. Neither of them spoke until the village was the size of a thumbprint behind them, when Albus turned to Scorpius. He didn't say much about the visit, mainly sticking to describing Azkaban itself, and it was a testament to their friendship that Albus didn't pry any further into the actual conversation he'd had with his father.

'Have they set a trial date yet?' Albus asked, as they rounded a corner and the castle loomed into sight.

'November 5th,' said Scorpius. 'I think I've got to testify.'

'Are you sure?'

'I can help my father's case, I think. I want to do it.'

They fell silent for a while, until they were nearly at the castle, when Scorpius glanced at Albus. 'What were you in Hogsmeade for? You didn't seem to be with anyone.'

'Oh, right,' said Albus, looking sheepish all of a sudden. 'I was with Katie, actually. She left just before you arrived.'

'I didn't know you were actually into her.'

'I'm … not. She left because I ended it with her. Or at least, I tried. I'm not sure if she entirely got what I was saying. She just got really upset and marched out.'

'Damn,' said Scorpius, shaking his head. 'Do you really dislike her that much? She is pretty, definitely at the top end of Hogwarts girls.'

'Yeah, I know.'

'You're probably lucky to catch her, to be honest, being such a specky awkward git as you are.'

Albus glanced at his friend, considering whether to tell Scorpius about the situation with Professor Chang. But Scorpius had so many problems and secrets in his life already, he didn't want to load extra onto his shoulders. And he'd have to put Scorpius in a position of not telling, and so abetting him, or betraying him to the teachers; it was a situation that Scorpius was already having to deal with. So he just shrugged, and changed the subject.

He had to deal with a berating from Rose, of course, and then the icy glares that she and her girl gang sent him whenever they passed in the corridor, and Katie's tearful gazes. He didn't see what the big fuss was about, really; he could count on one hand the number of times he'd been alone with Katie, and in none of them had they done any more than kiss, but it was being treated like he'd used and abused her. The truth was that he'd done the exact opposite by ending it with her.

He didn't come close to Professor Chang over the weekend, only catching glimpses of her at the other end of a corridor or up at the teacher's table in the Great Hall. At mealtimes, he kept feeling as if her gaze was on him, but whenever he looked around she was deep in conversation with another teacher. It wasn't until the Charms lesson on Monday that they were near each other again.

As he approached the Charms classroom, he couldn't help feeling an odd mix of trepidation and extreme excitement, that made his insides do somersaults against his diaphragm. It took a lot to maintain a normal conversation with Scorpius and the other Slytherins, and he hoped no one noticed how red he turned when she walked into the room.

It was a relatively simple lesson, just a revision of the topic they'd been learning - complicated liquid modulation - and although Albus was able to do all the spells non-verbally for the first time, he was so distracted that the spells he was doing went wildly out of control. But even when he shot an intense jet of cold water straight into the back of Zelda St John's head, Professor Chang seemed busy with other students and didn't notice. Albus ignored Zelda's glares and resolved to stay behind at the end of the lesson. He had to at least speak to Professor Chang, and he certainly couldn't do it in a full classroom.

So, when the bell rang for break, Albus made some excuse to the others about having a question about the homework, and stayed fiddling with a catch on his bag until everyone else had filed out of the room. They all seemed to take a frustratingly long time about it, jostling and joking and laughing about their antics from the weekend.

Professor Chang was magically wiping the chalk diagrams and notes off of the blackboard, and only looked around when the door swung shut behind the last student. Albus was still stood by his desk, one hand loosely holding his schoolbag, and he met her gaze with his own wide-eyed stare. She couldn't help the small smile that played about her mouth, he was just so endearingly awkward.

'Albus … this is silly, you're going to be late to lunch,' she said, beginning to gather up her own books.

'I'm not hungry,' he said, gaining confidence and moving towards her desk. 'I … I wanted to say sorry, for running out the other night. It was rude.'

'It's alright, Albus, you have nothing to apologise for,' she said. There was only the desk between them now, and her hands shook slightly as she attempted to continue tidying, knocking an ink bottle off the desk. He caught it with surprising grace and ease, and held it out to her, looking straight at her as he did. His eyes were extraordinarily green.

'Let me help,' he murmured, moving around the desk and beginning to deftly sort her things, tidying her marking into a neat pile. She reached out to stop him, resting her hand on his. They were very close now, their shoulders brushing, and he could smell her heady perfume again. He twisted his hand to hold hers and, leaning forward, gently kissed her lips.

The kiss was more intense than the one before, more hurried and desperate, her lips seemingly clinging to his as her hands found his body and pulled him against her, his own hands groping clumsily for her arse and breasts. They were soft and inviting, and she moaned as he squeezed and massaged them. He didn't realise how much he'd been aching for this, hadn't noticed how he'd been quietly daydreaming about touching her since their last kiss.

Her hands were under his robes now, pulling at his shirt and sliding down the back of his trousers to squeeze his arse as he pushed her onto the desk and stood pressing against her, her thighs around his waist. His erection was making his school trousers uncomfortably tight, and it didn't help that it was rubbing against her through the material.

His lips moved to her neck, attacking the soft skin of her throat and eliciting more moans from her. 'Albus … Albus wait,' she murmured. 'Albus, this isn't safe. We shouldn't…'

He drew away slightly. 'We shouldn't.'

'No … no, I mean, we shouldn't do this now. We need more privacy,' she gasped. Her cheeks were very flushed, and her chest was heaving as she attempted to speak steadily. 'We need to wait … until tomorrow night.'

He nodded, understanding, and stepped away from her. They had another tutoring session tomorrow night. Suddenly, a day seemed like years, but he nodded and picked up the schoolbag that he'd dropped on the floor. 'I'll see you tomorrow night, then.'

Everyone else was already settled into lunch, and as Adelaide Gray was midway through a funny story about some Hufflepuff's mishap in Transfiguration, Albus was able to slip in among them without much attention. He just hoped no one would notice the fact that he was still nursing a semi.

Scorpius did glance at him, as he attempted to nonchalantly pull a platter of chicken breasts towards him, but didn't say anything.

Across the Great Hall, Rose had noticed Albus' late entry, but she supposed that he'd just been off causing trouble, or winding up some Gryffindors, or whatever else Slytherins did in their spare time. She didn't mention it, of course; Albus' name was fairly taboo among her friends since his breakup with Katie. Privately, she thought that her friend was overreacting, as Albus hadn't even gone on half a dozen dates with Katie, but she decided not to mention her opinions. It was going against the rules of friendship to side with a boy who'd done wrong, even if that boy was her cousin.

Daniel appeared a few minutes later to distract her, anyway. He was looking particularly handsome, his hair and uniform all tousled and his face flushed from a busy hour attempting to train a young bicorn. He squeezed onto the bench beside her and gave her a quick kiss, before insisting on showing her a long graze that he'd received after annoying the bicorn.

They were interrupted by a slight diversion in the form of Lily, who attempted to walk past without Rose noticing her extremely dishevelled appearance or the large bruise beginning to bloom on her cheek. Rose noticed, of course, and shot out a hand to catch Lily's arm.

'Stop. Come back.'

'Rose, I'm hungry!' whined Lily, trying to pull free.

'I don't care,' said Rose, holding fast. 'What's happened to you?'

Lily huffed loudly, her face turning a bright red that only highlighted the bruise. 'It's nothing, okay, I just had a rough Care of Magical Creatures lesson!'

'I know that's a lie, because Daniel just had his Care of Magical Creatures lesson. So what's wrong with you? You've been fighting again, haven't you!'

Lily didn't reply, only bit her lip.

'Lily! What've we told you about that?'

'That if I carry on getting into trouble like that, you'll have to write to my Mum and Dad,' sighed Lily. 'Whatever. Big deal. I don't care.'

'Well I do care. Your brothers may not notice that you're acting out, but I do. What was the reason for it this time?'

'This Ravenclaw boy, he was saying that all Gryffindors are stupid and can't control themselves!'

'And you responded by …'

'By throwing a trowel at him.'

'And how did you get the bruise?'

'He tripped me up and I hit the table.'

'Didn't Professor Longbottom do anything?' she asked. 'I'm guessing this was in Herbology.'

She nodded. 'He'd left the greenhouse, had to remove the Biting Begonias after they attacked Mamie Killnock's plaits.'

'Right,' sighed Rose, noticing that her friends were all trying to hide their laughter. 'As a Prefect, I'm putting you in detention. Meet me this evening in the Library and I'll supervise while you write some lines. And you can't keep doing this, understand?'

'Yes, Rose.'

She thought that she saw an ironic smile on her younger cousin's face, as she flipped her hair back and strode off, but decided to ignore that and went back to her lunch and Daniel. Still, as the bells rang for lessons, she made a beeline for Albus, catching James on his way and forcing the two boys to stop in a corner of the Entrance Hall.

'Rose, seriously, I've said sorry to Katie, just let it go!' snapped Albus, batting her wand hand away from him.

'Oh get over yourself, Albus. And James, if you want to keep looking as pretty as you do, stay where you are. I'm here about Lily,' said Rose, still brandishing her wand. The two boys exchanged a look. Their cousin was extremely intimidating when she wanted to be.

'What about Lily?' asked James.

'You two need to keep more of an eye on her!' exclaimed Rose. 'I just had to put her in detention because I found out she'd been fighting another boy. It's your job to make sure she's toeing the line and everything.'

'Calm down, Rose,' sighed James, giving her a maddeningly patronising smile. 'She's fourteen! Of course she's going to be acting out. I mean, you must know it already from your own experience, although you aren't exactly rebellious. But Hugo must be causing trouble too.'

'Not really,' she said, continuing to glare at him. 'He's more just entirely silent, and moody when he is forced to speak.'

'Right, fair enough, but Lily's just going through a phase. I don't think it's anything to worry about,' said James. He shrugged, running a hand through his hair. 'And now, if you don't mind, I need to get to Defence Against the Dark Arts. See you around, and get those knickers untwisted Rose.'

As he strolled off, Rose turned on Albus, who looked as though he hadn't been entirely paying attention. 'Sorry, Rose, but I agree with James. She's not exactly off the rails, and I've got enough on my plate at the moment. Are you coming to Magical Languages?'

'You go ahead, I'll catch you up,' sighed Rose. She was too annoyed and exasperated with him to make casual conversation, and Albus didn't need telling twice. As she watched him go, she wondered idly how much he did have on his plate; he was certainly acting even more secretive and closed-off than usual. She supposed that the whole fiasco with Scorpius Malfoy's family must be a lot to deal with.

She had no clue what the real reason for Albus' secrecy was, the truth of what thoughts were occupying his thoughts, spinning and bouncing about his brain so fast he could hardly concentrate. It was lucky that Scorpius wasn't in a particularly talkative mood at that time, as the two of them could rub along in a taciturn silence, each occupied by their own thoughts.

When the next evening rolled around, Albus had to work hard to hide his eagerness to go off to tutoring with Professor Chang. He forced himself to stay until the end of dinner, listening to his friends' banal conversations and laughing along with the jokes, all the while stealing glances up to the teachers' table. She was wearing a necklace of blue stones that evening, and it brought out the rich darkness of her hair and the warmth of her tanned skin.

Finally, dinner ended and he was able to escape from the others, feigning reluctance as he bid them goodbye at the Entrance Hall and headed up the Marble Staircase, hardly bothering to check his speed. The brackets on the walls flashed past him as he strode down passageways and skipped up the stairs, finally skidding to a halt outside the now-so-familiar oaken door. He paused for a few seconds, making sure that his breaths were steady, and as there was nothing he could do about his racing heartbeat, he raised his fist and knocked on the door.

'Come in.'

She was stood by the fireplace, her fingers deftly pulling pins from her hair so that it fell from its neat bun into a glossy sheet that cascaded down her back. She glanced over her shoulder at him as he stepped inside, her eyes wide and inviting, her fingers threading through the silken strands. He automatically closed the door behind him, tapping the handle with his wand so it could only be opened from inside.

That evening, they didn't even pretend to be there for tutoring. She grabbed his hand, and he pulled her to him to kiss her on her plump lips. She ran her hands through his tousled hair, and then took his hands again and led him across the room to a small, plain door in the corner, which he hadn't taken much notice of. He figured that it was just a cupboard or storeroom of some kind, but instead when she opened the door he found himself in a small, neat bedroom, with a bed on the opposite wall and a set of armchairs and a sofa placed around a fireplace.

Before he had much of a chance to look, she kissed him again, cupping his face in her hands. As ever, he loved how experienced she was, how she seemed to know exactly what to do with her lips and tongue. The thought of what she'd be able to do if they were in bed together made him stiffen immediately, and he instinctively pulled his body away from her slightly, embarrassed at the idea that she'd notice. But she just slid a hand down his torso, and slipped it into his robes to grasp his hardened cock through his trousers.

Perhaps an hour later, Albus was lying in the tangled, damp sheets of her bed, sprawled quite comfortably with one arm beneath his head, the other reaching out to put around her. They lay in silence, both musing over their recent lovemaking. After a while, she got up without a word, and pulled a silken dressing gown around her, tying the sash securely around her waist. He watched her as she quietly walked about the room, beginning to go about her toilet.

'Why don't you come back?' he asked after a while, with a lazy smile. She didn't reply at once, but instead tidied some of the items on her vanity table, sorting her jewellery and the little pots of makeup.

'You should probably go back to your Common Room,' she said finally. 'It's getting late, people will notice you're gone.'

'It's hardly nine,' he replied, but he sat up anyway and climbed out of bed, stretching.

'Oh, put some clothes on!' she snapped, and he stared at her in surprise. Only a few minutes ago she'd been moaning in pleasure, now it was as if he was a naughty child. She sighed, and put a hand over her eyes. 'I'm sorry, Albus. I don't mean to be like that it's just … just that I don't think I'm doing the right thing.'

He was confused. How come she wanted to have this conversation all of a sudden, and if it had to be had, why then? 'Why do you say that?' he asked, trying to sound concerned and understanding.

'I shouldn't be doing this. Not with you - you're my student! It's … it's wrong. This shouldn't have happened.'

Albus was midway through pulling on his clothes at this point. Wearing just his boxers and an unbuttoned shirt, he crossed the room and took her by the arm, pulling her against him to kiss her. She was soft and inviting, and he wanted nothing more than to carry her back to bed with him. 'We're not doing anything wrong,' he said. 'Nothing that feels this good could be this wrong.'

She nodded, and rested her head against his chest. 'Alright. But you should still go.'

After that their secret trysts happened with surprising regularity. The tutoring sessions continued every Tuesday and Thursday, and of course they did no Charms tutoring whatsoever in them, and Albus even began acting up in Charms lessons, in order to give Professor Chang - although she was Cho to him now - an excuse to put him in detention with her.

He found it surprisingly easy to keep it a secret, too. Scorpius was entirely occupied in his own problems, and it was a significant asset of their other friends that they weren't particularly prying or nosy. There was a clear reason for Albus to be going to Professor Chang's office several times a week, and he gave no reason for them to suspect that anything else was going on.

And so it was without drama that the days slipped by, and October became November. There was so little drama, in fact, that no one predicted quite what an eventful month November would turn out to be.