Chapter 11

Everyone was in bed by the time Scorpius arrived back at the Slytherin Dungeons. He hadn't realised how late - or early - it was until he found the house dark and quiet but for a few night owls sat reading or drinking by lamplight. The only sound in the dormitory was Zabini's snores, although as Scorpius slid into bed he heard Albus roll over in the next bed.

'Scorpius?'

Scorpius said nothing, and a moment later he heard Albus' breathing even out again as he fell back asleep. The slightly crooked hands of the clock on his bedside table read thirteen minutes past two. He rolled over, and pulled his covers up to his chin.

Sleep, however, seemed to be all used up by the rest of the school, as Scorpius lay awake all night, his head filled with thought after thought. The memory of the kiss spun around his mind, expanding inside his head until it ached, and then every possible scenario of what would happen now flashed through instead. Whichever way he lay, whether he pulled the blankets over his head or kicked them off his body entirely, counting past a hundred or trying to think of nothing at all, he couldn't get his mind to shut off. Finally, he noticed the pale, green-tinted light coming through the dormitory window and gave up.

Sliding out of bed, he padded across the dormitory to the bathroom. Even after showering, trying to make himself look as presentable as possible, and pulling on some clean robes it was hardly past seven. The rest of the dormitory was still fast asleep. He made his bed and then headed for breakfast, thinking that maybe Rose would also be there early and then they could talk without everyone seeing.

But the Great Hall was almost empty, and after scanning it three times Scorpius had to admit that Rose wasn't there. He'd seen the lack of red curls as soon as he walked in, anyway. Turning away from the Gryffindor table, he crossed the hall to sit at the Slytherin table instead. There were a handful of students there already, and he knew a couple of them, but he sat apart and stuck some eggs and bacon on his plate, trying not to watch the doors too much. He didn't want to look creepy.

He'd got through roughly half an egg and a bite of bacon when his friends arrived, jostling and joking as they settled down around him. Fitzroy and Langwith were midway through some argument, but Scorpius didn't bother to listen. The rest of the school had trickled in, and then as it got later poured, but Rose was still absent. Albus glanced at him as he reached over to the toast rack.

'What happened to you last night?'

'Nothing,' said Scorpius, 'just working late.'

'We were surprised this morning, you didn't make a peep all night, and then you were gone when we got up.' Scorpius nodded absent-mindedly. He'd been having strange, disturbed dreams ever since coming back from his suspension, but he couldn't quite find enough attention to care about his roommates' dwindling patience with his nighttime terrors.

At that moment, Rose had walked into Great Hall with two of her friends. One of them had her arm around her, and they sat down at the Gryffindor table with their backs to the Slytherins, but not before Rose glanced around and, just for a second, their eyes met across the hall. Scorpius looked away and feigned interest in the conversation around him.

Ten minutes before lessons started, Rose and her friends stood up to leave, and Scorpius found himself standing up as well. The others stared at him, Fitzroy and Langwith smirking. 'You alright, Malfoy? Want to say a speech?' asked Zabini, and they all sniggered.

'I'll see you guys at Potions,' he muttered, and swinging his bag over his shoulder he hurried out of the hall. He wasn't sure if Rose's friends were also in his Potions class, he always just registered the other Gryffindors as a vaguely amorphous mass, but he was sure he could get Rose alone, ask to talk about some Prefect-type issue. He'd come up with something on the spot, that was always his technique.

It was only when he reached the Entrance Hall, and Rose was hardly ten feet away from him, that the nerves hit like a fat Bludger and he found himself frantically trying to wipe the sweat off his palms. Rose and her friends were headed towards the dungeons and he hurried to cut them off.

'Hey - Weasl-Rose … Weasley, could I talk to you?' he stuttered, trying to turn it into a passably casual tone, although his cheeks were suddenly feeling rather hot. Rose said nothing, but before she could one of her friends spoke instead.

'Oh piss off, Malfoy! Can't you leave Rose alone for once?'

'Yeah, you're always such an arsehole about things, give it a rest!' snapped the other, scowling.

Scorpius ignored them and stared at Rose. She was still silent, but her eyes rose to look into Scorpius', and her mouth opened slightly as if to speak. But her friend tugged her hand, and she closed her mouth again, turning away from him. He felt her brush past his shoulder and listened to their footsteps retreating down the dungeon steps behind him, feeling his heart sink lower and lower as they did.

If his friends were surprised that, instead of their usual table, Scorpius went and sat in the far back corner, they did not say anything. Their usual table was across from Rose, and Scorpius thought that if they were so close, and it was so obvious that she was ignoring him, then he'd end up hurling his cauldron across the dungeon room.

The only problem with his new seat was that it was very difficult to keep Rose out of his line of sight, and this proved to be very distracting. Also, the two Gryffindors on the table in front of them were gossiping about what had happened at James Potter's party the night before, and apparently Rose's breakup with her witless boyfriend was hot topic.

'Can't imagine why she broke up with him, he's dreamy,' said the girl.

'Yeah, you must be ready to crack on with him, eh Felicity?' joked the boy.

'Yeah, just a shame he's an arsehole,' muttered Scorpius, but in the echoing dungeon filled with the sound of crackling fires and bubbling potions, no one heard but Albus, who just glanced at him askance.

At the end of the lesson, Scorpius' potion was an overcooked mess and he knew he'd get his lowest mark yet, but he was just happy to be able to cork it and escape the mental torture of being trapped close to Rose Weasley and unable to speak to her. After break they were in separate lessons, and Scorpius was able to transfigure his muskrat into a sizeable mandolin without too much trouble.

He didn't see Rose again, in fact, until the following night when they both had Prefect duties to carry out. They supervised half a dozen kids in detention for an hour in a forced silence, both of them stubbornly looking at their own work or watching the other students rather than look at them. The hour of detention seemed ten times as long as usual, but finally the clock struck nine and they sent the students off to bed. The door swung shut behind the last girl, and there was a few seconds of silence. Scorpius felt suddenly at a loss over what to say.

'So, how've you been?' he asked finally, glancing at her out the corner of his eye.

'Fine,' she said, busying herself with tidying her things.

'Yes, clearly you don't seem to have been bothered by anything at all over the last forty-eight hours.'

She looked at him, finally. 'What are you on about, Malfoy?'

He shrugged, picking at an imaginary piece of dirt under his nail. 'Oh, nothing much. Just didn't expect you of all people to kiss someone and then blank them for two days.'

'Oh, wind your neck in, Malfoy!' snapped Rose, and he couldn't help but be surprised at her sudden flare up. 'You're acting like I jumped you and dumped you.'

'It's not far off!' he retorted.

'Yes, Malfoy, because you have so much right to judge a girl. It's just because I'm not falling at your feet and gagging for your attention, like every other girl you pursue, isn't it?'

'Excuse me? At least I've tried to talk to you!'

'Yes, you cornered me once, on my way to lessons, when I was with my friends, the morning after I broke up with my boyfriend. Well done, that must've taken a lot of effort on your part. Merlin, have some empathy and tact!'

'Empathy and tact?'

'Yes! Do you really think that I want to even think about boys, let alone you, so soon after ending things with Daniel? Did you not even think I wanted some space from all that?'

'You certainly seemed to want space, when we were necking it on the Astronomy Tower!' sneered Scorpius, feeling his own anger rise. 'Yes, really taking some time for yourself, weren't you Weasley?'

For a moment, he wondered if Rose was going to slap him, but instead she just stood up and grabbed her schoolbag. 'I think it's best if we patrol separately tonight, Malfoy. And for the future, too. We should leave each other alone.'

'What?'

'Just stay away from me!'

Scorpius watched her go, reeling internally from the fight. It certainly wasn't how he expected their conversation to go. He thought that she'd be apologetic for how she'd acted over the past two days, saying that she was sorry for not trying to speak earlier. How wrong he'd been.

He packed up his own things and headed back to the Slytherin Dungeons, figuring that taking a slightly longer route around the castle would count as a patrol. His friends were gathered around one of the fireplaces with a bottle of whisky between them and didn't comment on his early return. They were talking about upcoming plans, and Scorpius realised that there was the first Hogsmeade weekend of March approaching.

'I mean, I have a date,' said Zabini, leaning forward to refill his glass from the bottle. 'But I could catch up with you lot later, or tell her to meet me in the village.'

'Who is it this time, Zabini?' asked Langwith.

'Giselda Marlhart,' he said, unable to hide the smallest of smug smiles at having bagged one of the prettiest girls in Ravenclaw House. 'In fact, scratch that. As it is a Marlhart, I'll spend all day with her and you lot can bloody deal with it.'

'Fine with us, we're happy to get a respite from your dull mug,' retorted Fitzroy. 'But you'll be back for the party on Saturday night?'

'Of course I'll be back for the party on Saturday night,' said Zabini.

'Lies.'

'Definite lies,' said Albus and Adelaide together. Scorpius noticed that they were sat close together on the sofa, and seemed to be sharing cigarettes. Zabini just smirked, and Fitzroy turned to Scorpius.

'What about you, Malfoy? You have Hogsmeade privileges, right? Your little misdemeanour hasn't meant a ban?'

'No, of course not.'

'So you're coming with us? Or have you sourced yourself a little date as well?' asked Langwith.

Scorpius was opening his mouth to agree that he would go to Hogsmeade with them, when the memory of Rose yelling that they should stay away from each other floated through his mind and he abruptly changed tack. 'You know what, I think I might get a cheeky little date,' he said, smirking. 'I've been letting things slide a little.'

'It is true, ever since you overdosed on a highly illegal drug you haven't exactly been top of the dating game,' said Langwith. Scorpius just winked at him and stood up, strolling over to a gaggle of some of the prettiest Fourth and Fifth Year girls in Slytherin House. Completing a quick scan, he leant over to one, a Fourth Year girl named Villette Ramsey, with his most charming smile.

'Hey Villette, want to get a drink with me in Hogsmeade this weekend?' he asked. She looked impressively impassive, although her cheeks did become a little pink. There was a pause as she glanced at her girlfriends, who were all watching.

'I said that I would spend Saturday with my friends,' she said, with a hint of a French accent.

'Maybe I can convince them to spare you for just a couple of hours?' he said, glancing around at them all. They all nodded, their heads bobbing in unison, although a few were squinting a little suspiciously. 'Alright, see you Saturday Villette. I'll pick you up in the Entrance Hall.'

He strolled back to the others with a smug smile, ignoring their exasperated sighs and rolled eyes. Fitzroy was becoming particularly annoyed. 'Right, so as you and Zabini have decided that girls are more important, guess its just you and me, Langwith, with the girls.'

'And me,' said Albus between biting his fingernail. Vittoria slapped him on the hand to make him stop but he just grinned and pretended to slap her back.

'You are one of the girls, Albus,' said Fitzroy dismissively.

'In that case, it's just you and the girls Fitzy, I'm not going to Hogsmeade at all,' said Langwith.

'Excuse me?'

'I told you, I'm not in Hogwarts this weekend. Flint's given me permission to spend it at home in London.'

'Why?'

'None of your business, Fitzy my friend,' said Langwith, winking.

'Some friend you are,' muttered Fitzroy grumpily, but Langwith just smiled and said nothing more.

As it was, Albus was quietly becoming more and more annoyed with Scorpius. They hadn't had much of a chance to hang out properly since the chaos of the overdose, and he'd been looking forward to them spending time together, like they used to. But instead Scorpius had decided on a whim to ask a random girl out, and he'd probably be distracted with her the entire day.

His whisky was leaving a bad taste in his mouth and suddenly the conversation seemed inane and stupid, so Albus stood up abruptly and left. He went back to the dormitory, kicked off his shoes, and was just sitting down on his bed with a book and a cigarette when the door opened. He was mildly surprised to see Scorpius following him into the room. Albus ignored him for a while, flicking through his book to find the right page and then rummaging in his pockets for a lighter. There weren't smoke alarms in Hogwarts, so although it was against the rules he could smoke wherever he damn liked.

He was halfway through his chapter and his cigarette when Scorpius sat down on his own bed, already in pyjamas. 'You alright, Albus?' asked Scorpius, reclining onto his bed. Albus said nothing. He was tempted to divulge the whole well of anger and frustration that had been building up since his best friend's sudden absence, but even as the words were on the tip of his tongue he changed his mind. He felt suddenly too tired for any of it. He decided that dealing with Scorpius' overdose took the last of his energy. If Scorpius was going to be like this, then he wasn't going to chase him.

'When did you start smoking in bed?'

Albus shrugged. 'You want one?'

'No, I'm giving up. Bowles says no smoking for the Quidditch team,' he said, lying with his head propped up on his arms. 'I'm surprised I'm on the team still, to be honest, but I guess it helps that I played well in the last match, and Bowles doesn't want to train up a new person, especially as us Chasers have got nicely in sync, you know?'

'Yeah. I shouldn't sabotage your chances, then. I'll keep the smoke away from you,' said Albus, and he flicked his wand so that the curtains of his bed snapped shut around him and Scorpius disappeared from view.

The school awoke on Saturday morning to find a steady drizzle pattering the windows, and with a general groan recognised that the fairly good weather of the past fortnight was over. Hogsmeade weekends were always a little less fun in the rain, as most students ended up packing out the Three Broomsticks instead of traipsing about the village.

Albus and Scorpius didn't exchange a word as they got up and dressed. They left the dormitory separately, Scorpius going with Zabini to find their dates while Albus waited for Fitzroy to finish getting ready. As he walked up to the entrance hall with a taciturn Zabini, Scorpius wondered what it could be that had pissed Albus off. By the top of the dungeon steps, he'd decided that as Albus clearly wasn't forthcoming with whatever the problem was, it wasn't Scorpius' place to pursue him and find out. He had his own things on his plate, and he wasn't a mindreader anyway.

Him and Zabini were midway through breakfast when the post arrived, and out of habit Scorpius looked up at the swarm of owls, looking for the familiar pattern of tawny grey feathers, but nothing dropped down to him. His owl Pheidippides hadn't visited him for a while now. His father had sent a curt letter after he'd arrived back at Hogwarts, stating that his behaviour during Scorpius' suspension was out of character. He didn't exactly say he was sorry, but he did say he wouldn't act that way again and Scorpius saw that as his way of apologising. His mother hadn't written at all. He supposed that as she had just moved to Paris, her life must be particularly busy. Still, he couldn't help but feel a little twinge of disappointment - didn't she care at all about how he was getting on?

Villette Ramsey joined him in the Entrance Hall, looking particularly pretty in a red skirt and black knitted sweater, her dark bobbed hair curling slightly around her face. He put an arm around her back and they set off towards the doors with the steady stream of other students. The drizzle had become a steady rain, but Scorpius cast a charm over their heads that was like an invisible umbrella so the raindrops disappeared half a foot above their heads.

He hadn't been sure what they'd find to talk about, but Scorpius was pleasantly surprised at how easy, if slightly banal, the conversation was. They reached the village with out too many awkward silences, and after a quick look in the windows of the shops they ducked into the Three Broomsticks to escape the weather.

'Take a seat, I'll buy you a drink,' he said, pulling out a chair for her at one of the few empty tables. They were squeezed in between a large group of Third Years - who still viewed Hogsmeade trips as an exciting novelty - and a gaggle of Fifth Year boys who were having a loud debate about whether Quodpot could ever live up to Quidditch.

As he leant against the crowded bar, waiting for his two Butterbeers, he gave the packed out pub a quick scan. Albus and the others weren't there, but he did eventually spot the familiar figure of Rose sat by a window at the back. She'd tucked most of her hair, always so recognisable, into a beanie and she was almost entirely obscured by the boy opposite her, but it was definitely her. As he looked over at her, he realised that she was virtually surrounded by boys. Half of them were members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, including the two new players who'd replaced McLaggen and Finnigan and become almost instant celebrities by destroying Hufflepuff in their match two weeks later.

The more he looked, the more it angered him. How dare she say she wasn't in the mood for boys and drama, that she just wanted space, and then turn up to Hogsmeade literally surrounded by boys? It was completely out of line, in his opinion. There was only one other girl there, who he vaguely recognised because she was always with Rose. He was so caught up in watching her chat and laugh with all the boys - and girl - that he didn't notice his drinks had been poured until there was a loud "Oi" in his ear and he looked around to see the barman glaring at him.

'Sorry,' he muttered, and setting two Sickles down on the bar he grabbed the flagons and headed back to where Villette was sat. 'Sorry, the queue took ages.'

'It is fine,' she said, a little stiffly, but Scorpius found it impossible to slip back into easy chatting with her and their conversation became stilted, awkward. After a few minutes, Scorpius saw Rose out of the corner of his eye, standing up and grabbing her cloak off the back of her chair.

'Sorry - I'm just going to get some air. Feeling a bit light-headed, you know?' he said hurriedly, giving Villette's hand a squeeze and attempting a winning smile, but she had already turned away, her lips pursed into a pout. He stood up and hurried after Rose, who'd just left the pub, catching the door as it was swinging shut.

He caught a glimpse of her cloak whipping around the corner into an alleyway and hurried after her. The alley was a common shortcut through the village. 'Rose!'

She turned around, her expression cold. 'Why are you following me, Malfoy?'

'Since when was I "Malfoy" again, Weasley?' he retorted.

'Maybe ever since you decided to prance about Hogsmeade with some random girl on your arm!' snapped Rose.

'Oh, what, so you said that you don't want us to be anywhere near each other, but now you're getting angry that I'm with other girls?' he said, raising his eyebrows. They were almost nose to nose, now. 'And what about you? Turning up with half-a-dozen boys like you've got your very own harem!'

'They're my friends,' she said, glaring at him, her dark eyes reduced to slits.

'Sure they are.'

'Are you getting jealous, Malfoy?' she asked, the corners of her mouth turning up in a satisfied smirk. He leant forward, staring into her eyes.

'Of course I'm jealous,' he said, 'but not as jealous as I think I made you.'

She stared at him in shock for a moment, but then they were kissing, and he was wrapping his arms around her and pressing her against the wall of the alley. He didn't care that the rain was drumming on his back, soaking through his robes, because he had Rose in his arms and she was holding onto him, pulling him closer. There was such intensity in the kiss that he didn't even want to pull away to breathe, he gladly would've lost consciousness just to keep kissing her, but then her hands were on his chest, pushing him gently but firmly away.

'Wait, stop,' she murmured, and he felt that weight in his chest again, sinking down to his stomach. 'We can't do this, Scorpius. We can't.'

And she was turning away and hurrying off down the alley, pulling the hood of her cloak over her head as she did. Scorpius watched her for a few seconds and then turned to walk in the opposite direction. He was deep in thought and bumped into a girl standing at the end of the alley. 'Sorry,' he muttered, and then after a few seconds he realised the girl was staring at him with an expression of unmistakeable fury. He recognised her as a Fourth Year Slytherin named Allaria, and like a puzzle piece falling into place he suddenly realised why she looked so angry at him.

'How dare you!' she cried, as he began to back away. 'My friend is sat in there on a date with you, and I find you kissing another girl in an alleyway? You slut, Malfoy!'

She was speaking very loudly, and a crowd began to form around them as students noticed what was going on. The door to the Three Broomsticks had opened and Villette stepped out with a few others, looking incredibly dejected, and Scorpius couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He had certainly mistreated her.

'What is going on?' she asked, frowning at Scorpius.

'Malfoy was kissing some girl in that alleyway!' cried Allaria before he could say anything, and Villette expression changed from dejection to fury.

'How dare you!'

'I can explain!' cried Scorpius, although he really had no idea how to explain it, and anyway a second later he was flying through the air as Villette flicked her wand at him. He hit the ground smack in the middle of a large puddle, and winced as the icy water immediately soaked his clothes. It trickled down his neck and through his hair, chilling him. Laughter erupted around him as he scrabbled in the dirt for his wand, which had fallen out his hand in the fall. Villette cast another jinx and suddenly it was as if an Erumpent was sat on his chest, and he flailed helplessly like a flipped turtle under the invisible weight, inciting more laughter.

When the weight finally began to lessen, he craned his head and saw Villette and her friends walking away. He could sit up but he collapsed back onto the ground again, exhausted by the whole encounter, not even caring that he was in a puddle nor that the rain was soaking him even more. The memory of Rose and the alleyway was replaying in his mind, rather than the humiliation from Villette, and most of all the last thing she said to him. We can't do this, Scorpius. We can't. Because the way that she'd said it, the we was emphasised, so she was saying that the problem was them, not what they were doing.

A shadow fell over him and he looked up to see Albus and the others looming over him, smirks on their faces. He supposed he must've been quite a sight, soaked to the skin and covered in dirt.

'Kissing a girl in an alleyway while on a date with another one. That's cold even for you, Malfoy,' said Vittoria, as Albus and Fitzroy helped him to his feet. 'Care to share who this mystery lady is?'

'No one,' muttered Scorpius, and despite pestering from all four of them he refused to say a word.

'Anyway, as you won't tell us your news Scorpius, we'll tell you ours. We've got tickets for this festival that's happening not far from here, at the start of May. It's for the same weekend as the first Hogsmeade of term, so we figure that no one will notice us sneaking off. It's called Inverfest and it's meant to be excellent. What do you think?' said Albus.

'A Muggle festival?' asked Scorpius between shivers. He was still soaked and becoming extremely cold, even with jets of warm air from his and Adelaide's wands.

'Yes, it's Muggle, but loads of witches and wizards go. I think everyone does so many drugs there that they don't take much notice of people appearing and disappearing, or anything else weird,' said Fitzroy.

'So we're all going?'

'Leo and I can't,' said Vittoria grumpily. 'We're not seventeen yet so we can't Apparate.'

Scorpius always forgot that the Zabinis had their birthdays in August - they always acted so much older than everyone that it was strange they were the youngest. He'd had his own seventeenth in October, during the fiasco with his father. He was pretty sure his family's house elf Bally had bought all his presents, including the gold plated watch with tiny silver constellations instead of numbers. He'd never used it, preferring his old worn one with a leather strap, because at least he'd bought that with his parents.

'By the way,' said Albus as they walked, speaking in a low tone so the others wouldn't hear. 'It's my seventeenth over Easter, so I'll be at home, but do you want to come stay at mine for a few days over it?'

'Definitely,' said Scorpius with a broad grin. He always enjoyed staying with the Potters, they were such a classically loud, fun family that it felt a world away from his own home.

'Are you with your mum or your dad for the holidays?' asked Albus.

'I don't know,' muttered Scorpius. He felt Albus glance at him and stared down at his feet instead. He hadn't spoken to either of his parents for ages, let alone about plans for the holidays. His mother still hadn't replied to his last letter, and as for his father … he felt a strange tightening in his stomach at the thought of spending weeks alone with his father. True, he'd had that letter from him saying that his behaviour during the suspension was just a result of stress, and that he would never treat him like that again, but even so. Something about his father had changed since the divorce, and he felt like a different person, like a side of him that Scorpius had only seen once or twice before in his life was now the controlling part of his character. Perhaps he'd just stay at Hogwarts, and use Flint's fireplace to get to the Potters by the Floo Network.

'It'll work out,' said Albus quietly, and as Scorpius looked up and saw the expression of sympathy and worry in his friend's face he felt a sudden wave of affection for his best friend.

The conversation moved on to lighter subjects, as the others started bantering about Scorpius being beaten in a duel by a girl two years younger than him, and they all made it to dinner in surprisingly good spirits. Scorpius sat down with Albus, the two of them chattering like they had before the last few months had happened, and wondered if maybe things were back to normal. Yes, Rose had blanked him in the Entrance Hall, but this time he pushed it out his mind for a while and caught up with Albus.

In the end, Scorpius wrote to his parents to say that he had to stay in Hogwarts for the holidays to get on top of work, and to train for the Quidditch final. It wasn't really lying, as he was horribly behind with his schoolwork and Bowles had asked the whole team to stay in Hogwarts for Easter to train. Neither of his parents replied, anyway.

'Why don't you just spend Easter with me?' asked Albus when Scorpius told him. 'My parents won't care, they like you!'

'It's fine, Albus, really,' said Scorpius, flicking through his Transfiguration textbook. They were trying to work through a particularly difficult essay that Foxworth had set on experimental physiological transfigurations, and he'd restarted three times already. 'I've got about a dozen essays to write, and Bowles is scheduling about a hundred hours of training. I'll be at yours for your birthday and Easter weekend, Flint says its fine to use his fireplace.'

'Of course he does, you are his favourite,' said Albus without looking up from his essay. To Scorpius' annoyance, he was a whole foot of parchment ahead of him.

'I am not!'

'You are too. He single-handedly delayed your expulsion when you overdosed, apparently. Otherwise you would've been expelled before you even woke up, and we wouldn't have had time to find the real culprit.'

'How on earth do you know that?' asked Scorpius.

'Overheard Professor Longbottom telling my parents - remember they're mates? So, you'd better be nice to Flint.'

'Huh.' Scorpius had never been under the impression that he was any teacher's favourite, he always thought teachers preferred bookish kids like Albus, or naturally brilliant ones like Rose.

The term drew to a close and Scorpius waved Albus onto the Hogwarts Express back to London in Hogsmeade, and then headed back up to the castle alone. The sudden absence of hundreds of students had made the castle oddly quiet, and every sound seemed magnified as Scorpius walked back to the dungeons. He always found it strange, being suddenly alone, but he hadn't thought how odd it would be to be in Hogwarts, which was so naturally busy the whole time.

Meanwhile, Albus sat on the Hogwarts Express with the rest of his friends - except Fitzroy, who was also supposedly staying in Hogwarts for training and catchup on work - and wondered if he should've convinced Scorpius to stay with him all Easter. It would've made the holiday much more interesting, but on the other hand all the little lies he told his parents about his life seemed so much more complicated when he had friends around. Of course, most of their parents were either absent or didn't care, so they didn't have to lie.

He imagined the long weeks ahead of him, of pretending to like those awful comfortable clothes and trying to ignore his siblings, of hiding his drinking and smoking and going cold turkey from drugs altogether, and sighed deeply. He loved his family, of course, but they were just such a pain to be around.

To his surprise, both his father and mother were waiting for him at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, with broad smiles on their faces. As he always did when he saw them again, Albus felt a small tinge of regret at how much trouble he put them through. He made a brief resolution to try harder and be better behaved, knowing in the back of his mind that he'd end up slipping back into his old habits again at the slightest provocation.

With his work up to date and no exams waiting for him, Albus had little to fill the long, overcast days, except wandering the surrounding countryside and reading. He got bored of walking quite quickly, so he always chose the shortest route up to the top of a nearby hill, which had a ridge overlooking Ottery St Catchpole and all the way to the next hill. He could smoke up there, and read in peace, and his parents didn't enquire much about what he was up to when he was out the house.

Most of all, what set in was a feeling of loneliness. It was an odd sort of melancholy, that absence of company or action in his life, and he couldn't help but shake the feeling that all his friends were somewhere else having a brilliant time without him. Even though they, of course, were probably all holed up and bored in their own separate homes or the emptied out Hogwarts. He sighed, and lit another cigarette.

After more than a fortnight of these long, slow days, the arrival of Albus' birthday felt like a cannon blast in a church service. He was awoken at seven in the morning by both his siblings bursting into the room and leaping onto him, shoving a kazoo in his mouth while blowing their own kazoos triumphantly and filling his room with the confetti that burst from them while a nasal Ode to Joy played from them. Clearly, they were a purchase from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

'Piss off,' groaned Albus, attempting to pull his pillow over his head but finding it wrested from his hands by Lily, who then hit him with it. 'This is not how you're supposed to treat someone on their birthday!'

'This is not how you're supposed to act on your birthday!' she retorted.

'Yeah, get up Al!' James took a second from furious blowing his kazoo to sing at him. 'You should do some magic!'

In response, Albus reached out and felt for his wand on his bedside table. Closing his hand around it, he pointed it at James and Lily and blew both of them off his bed and right out the room, the door swinging shut behind him. Ignoring their laughter, he attempted to snatch some more sleep, but it was now impossible and after a few minutes he gave up. They'd left his curtains wide open and weak sunlight was filling the room, birdsong sounding annoyingly cheery outside the window.

A while later, he entered the kitchen fully dressed and found his father was just finishing cooking breakfast while his mother put the finishing touches on the table. His parents had always been quite over the top about birthdays - his father claiming that it was because his were always so bad when he was young and he wanted to make up for it - and the stack of presents and decorations was the biggest Albus had ever seen. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of it. There were an inordinate amount of balloons, streamers, and miniature cannons blowing out confetti, with a big banner saying 'Happy Birthday Albus' across the wall.

His father was just serving them all breakfast when there was a commotion in the next room, and as they looked around someone called out 'Erm … hello?'

'That's Scorpius,' said Albus, taking his plate of eggs, bacon, and waffles, and a moment later his best friend wandered into the room, a broad smile on his face and a few smudges of soot on his face and clothes.

'Scorpius!' exclaimed everyone, as Albus' mother and father jumped up to greet him and Albus grinned from the table. Scorpius smiled sheepishly, shaking Albus' father's hand and accepting a hug from his mother, who then ushered him to a seat next to Albus.

'It's so lovely to see you, Scorpius,' said Albus' mother, as his father handed Scorpius a plate loaded with food.

'Thank you for having me,' said Scorpius, seeming a little nervous with all the extra attention. Albus couldn't blame him.

After breakfast they all neatened up and headed across the village to Albus' grandparents' house, where the full menagerie of relatives and family friends had already arrived. Birthdays in general were a big thing in the Weasley household, and seventeenths' even more so. The 'Happy birthday' banner was stretched across the whole first story of the house, with a portrait of Albus the size of a window. He cringed at the sight of it.

They were greeted at the gate by a small boy with bright blue hair, which promptly switched to pale blond at the sight of Scorpius. Albus' cousin Victoire appeared soon after, running after the toddler as fast as her pregnant belly would allow her to.

'Hello!' she called with a smile and wave, before catching hold of the boy who screamed in delight. 'Remy, we told you! No running in the front garden! Happy birthday, Albus.'

She bore the giggling little boy off and the Potters plus Scorpius trouped after her round the side of the house, where the rest of the overgrown family was spread across the equally overgrown garden. They were immediately swamped, especially Albus, who felt like the greetings would last forever. Every time he managed to end a conversation with a relative, another one would appear, and none of them were the relatives he particularly wanted to see.

Scorpius, meanwhile, had sat down alone and was quietly observing the whole chaotic scene. It was entirely alien to him, but he always found a comfort in the strangeness whenever he visited the Potters and Weasleys.

'It can be a little overwhelming, can't it.'

He glanced around, and saw Hermione Granger stood behind him. 'Minister for Magic!' he exclaimed, rising from his chair, but she waved a hand.

'Please, don't. Call me Hermione.' She sat down beside him, smoothing her neat blue robes over her knees. 'As I was saying, it can be a little overwhelming, seeing all the Weasleys together for the first time. This is your first time seeing everyone together, isn't it? I found it strange when i first came, being an only child with only a handful of distant relatives, but you get used to it.'

Privately, Scorpius thought that it would've been very different for Hermione Granger. As much as she may have found it odd, he didn't think she'd have felt quite so out of place as he did. She seemed to sense the thoughts going through his mind, as she continued with:

'You're not as out of place as you think you are, Scorpius.'

'Oh - I…right…well, I …' He trailed off, staring down at his hands and blushing slightly. He couldn't help but think of Rose, and what the esteemed Minister for Magic might say if she knew exactly what he'd been doing with her daughter. She might not be quite so friendly then.

'I hear from Rose that you've been having a tough time.'

He looked around, feeling the heat rising up his neck. 'Rose mentioned me?'

'Of course, she always does when she's telling me about Albus. I think that you two get on better than you think you do,' said Hermione with a small smile. 'Anyway, I heard about that nastiness with the Basilisk Powder and all - awful stuff - and I am sorry, its the last thing you need. I hope you've recovered.'

'Yes.'

'Good. Because if I may say something that may come across as odd,' she said, leaning forward slightly, 'I've always thought you weren't as bad as Rose claims you are. Kingsley and all said you spoke well at your father's trial, and that's impressive. I know that Harry didn't do half as well when he had to go to a Wizengamot trial before his Fifth Year.'

'Mr Potter had to go to a Wizengamot trial?'

'Oh, it was nothing,' said Hermione with a mischievous grin. 'Anyway, I'd best be off, I haven't seen my family since yesterday. Have you seen Rose or Hugo?'

'No, sorry,' said Scorpius. He'd been looking out for Rose, obviously, but she wasn't anywhere in the garden. Hugo and Lily had been glimpsed briefly but had disappeared off with another younger cousin, Lucy, some time ago.

'They'll be around. Yes, I'm coming Ronald! Nice speaking to you, Scorpius.' He watched as the Minister for Magic made her way across the lawn to kiss her husband, and then went back to quietly looking at the whole scene.

Lunch was served on a long set of mismatched tables that were hovered out onto the lawn, and as platters of food began to emerge from the crooked old house the matriarch Mrs Weasley emerged, and with her emerged Rose. She was with a couple other cousins and some aunts and uncles, who'd clearly all been part of the food platoon, and Scorpius watched as she crossed the lawn with three vast bowls of salad floating before her. She set them down at intervals along the table, and then as she turned to go back to the house she turned towards him, and their eyes met across the garden.

'Hey!' Albus had arrived, finally, looking exhausted from greeting his countless relatives. 'Come on, let's go sit down.'

Scorpius sat beside Albus, and to his horror, Rose was seated almost directly opposite him. He felt as if every time he looked at her he was revealing everything to the whole table, so in response he tried his hardest not to look at her. As a result, he wasn't sure if she was looking at him at all, but every time he did risk a glance she seemed to be deeply focussed on the conversation around them or on her food.

The vast quantity of food disappeared surprisingly quickly, as did the three-tiered birthday cake modelled to resemble a stack of books, and it was the guests who were groaning instead of the tables. Rose stood up and began to clear the plates around them, and without thinking about it Scorpius stood up too. After an awkward pause, he collected some plates himself, and they and a couple of others headed into the kitchen.

The washing up brush was already hard at work on some pans in the sink, so Scorpius placed his stack of plates on the counter and then dawdled, pretending he needed to wash his hands, while Rose and her grandmother chattered lightly.

'Oh, Rose,' exclaimed Mrs Weasley as she reached the door to the garden with a large tea tray, 'I've forgotten the sugar. It's just in the larder - could you follow me out?'

Scorpius waited until Mrs Weasley had fully left the kitchen and then hurried after Rose, who was already in the larder. 'Rose, we need to talk.'

'It's a little weird to corner a girl in a cupboard, Scorpius,' hissed Rose, as he shut the door behind him.

'Don't be like that,' groaned Scorpius. 'Look, you're the one being tricky!'

'Me?'

'Yes, you! We kiss on the tower, you freak out and run away. You blank me for days, then we kiss again in Hogsmeade, and you run again! And what now, we just don't speak?' he said, not a little hotly.

'I … I just don't know,' whispered Rose, looking down away from him. 'Its difficult, you know it is. I just don't know how I feel, I can't work it out.'

'Well, start trying,' murmured Scorpius. She looked up at him, then put her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her to kiss. The kiss was gentle but firm, as their bodies pressed against each other, but it lasted just a few moments before there was the distinct sound of footsteps on the other side of the wall.

Rose shoved Scorpius away and he jumped behind the door a split second before it sprang open and Rose's grandmother reappeared.

'Are you alright, dear? I thought you were just behind me?'

'Sorry, Grandma, I'm still trying to find the sugar,' said Rose, quickly steadying her voice.

'It's just there, Rosie,' said Mrs Weasley, pointing to a large pot directly in front of Rose, and giving her a beady look. 'Are you quite alright? Not feeling ill, are you?'

'Not at all!' exclaimed Rose, grabbing the pot.

'Good - and where's that Scorpius? He's disappeared, too!'

Scorpius and Rose's eyes met, and they both turned brilliant red and looked quickly away from each other.

'I think he went to the bathroom,' said Rose, following her grandmother out the larder and shutting the door behind her. Scorpius waited until their footsteps had retreated out to the garden, and then followed at a safe distance.