Chapter XIII

Rose and Scorpius

Scorpius was slouching against the side of the wall outside of McGonigall's transfiguration classroom, staring moodily down at his his green and silver tie. Rose was pacing back and forth, her long, wavy, red hair whipping into her face as she turned around and around, checking her watch every 20 seconds. McGonigall was five minutes late, and she was starting to feel uncomfortable in the presence of an angry Slytherin.

"Professor McGonigall is late," Rose finally remarked, trying to break the icy silence between herself and Scorpius.

"Well, obviously," Scorpius sarcastically said, rolling his eyes an went back to twisting his tie around his fingers.

"What do you think of Slytherins?" Scorpius asked, not taking his eyes off his tie.

"What do you mean?" Rose stopped pacing the floor and looked back at Scorpius.

"Exactly what I said: What do you think of Slytherins?"

"Well, to be quite frank, I think the lot of you are mean and rude."

"Interesting…" Scorpius mumbled, "So, what makes you say that?"

"Well, you're a perfect example really. Why else would I be stuck in detention with you?" Rose spat back. She was getting nervous though, surely her remarks would make Scorpius' blood boil?

"Do you know any good qualities of a Slytherin?"

"None. Most of you seem to turn out as a bad sort of lot, no?"

"Haha, I must disagree with you there."

"Yeah, then why have most of the bad wizards come from Slytherin?"

"They didn't play up to their education of being in Slytherin."

"I could say the same for you."

"No, you can't. You don't know the first thing about me," Scorpius whispered quietly.

"Really? LIke you're a stupid, rude bully?"

Scorpius gave a sad smile at this, "I want to see if you actually are a know-it-all: name a good Slytherin, I'm sure you've read about quite a few."

"Why would I waste my time reading about Slytherins?"

"So you're telling me you've never heard of a good Slytherin?"

"Never."

"So sorry I called you a know-it-all earlier. You're not."

"So whose your good Slytherin then?" Rose rolled her eyes.

"Have you heard of Sherlock Holmes?"

"Of course, but he's a fictional muggle."

Scorpius chuckled, "Very sly to maintain that disguise till this very day, aye?"

"What do you mean?"

"Mr. Holmes and his Dr. Watson were both wizards. Holmes was, in fact, a Slytherin. It fit's, doesn't it? He was a sly, cunning, sleuth who solved cases for both muggles and beings with magic."

"What house was Dr. Watson in then?"

"Gryffindor, for being a loyal and brave friend. Back then a Gryffindor and Slytherin together were unbeatable. Today, they bite their heads off," Scorpius said with a grin.

"What's you point?" Rose asked. She was so confused. She loved to read stories of Sherlock Holmes, she even admired the man. But, she'd also always believed that every last Slytherin was rotten.

"What do you think the best house is, Ms. Weasley?"

"Gryffindor, of course!"

"Yes, bravery and loyalty. But, I don't think I'd say it was the best house."

"Yeah? Then what do you think the best house is then? Slytherin?"

"No, actually. Slytherin is great for realizing how to deal with reality and become strong in bad situations, but my vote would actually go to Hufflepuff."

"What? Hufflepuff? No way!" Rose said trying not to laugh. Did the Scorp really just claim his favorite house was Hufflepuff?

"You find that amusing?" Scorpius smiled and gave laugh. "I do too. But it's true. Hufflepuff is the best of us all, really!"

Rose was laughing hard now. This could not be happening.

"Why do you say so?" Rose chuckled, "Isn't Hufflepuff just for those who don't fit in any other house?"

"No. They're more than that… they could fit in every house if they tried."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, most have a fair level of all good qualities of a Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Slytherin… and more. They learn when and how to use the qualities of our houses and they learn how to be modest and humble about it without getting on our nerves."

"That's crazy!"

"Yes, but it's true. A Hufflepuff may not get as good as grades as a Ravenclaw on a test, but after that test, most will study like crazy to understand the material that they didn't understand before. Also, a Hufflepuff may not be as brave as a Gryffindor on a daily basis, but when the time comes, they'll stand up for what is right without backing away."

"Really?"

"It's true," Scorpius said spreading his hands out with a look of who would have known.

"That's crazy! Wouldn't it be obvious though?"

"No, Hufflepuffs don't tend to brag about themselves. They're modest and stay relatively humble about their accomplishments… most do, at lest."

"Why are you like this all of the sudden?"

"Like what?" Scorpius asked, his eyebrows shooting up in a quizzical expression.

"I don't know… normal?"

"Define normal?"

"I mean… you know… a rude bully."

Scorpius laughed. "Miss Weasley, that's all part of the game of being a Slytherin. At least a first year Slytherin…"

"I don't understand."

"It's quite simple really. You, being a Gryffindor, will grow up learning to support and stand up for you fellow classmates. Me, being a Slytherin, will learn how to deal with being in a constant contest of popularity and how to deal with being bullied… alone."

"OK. But why do you have to harm people, like Burt, in the process?"

"For one, it's not that that's really who I am. But, it's survival of the fittest, no? Besides, that's the only way first year Slytherins are expected to gain attention. You have to play the game, and you have to play it with style. Second reason, most Slytherins are 'bullies' without playing the game. It's all part of being able to see how far we're able to push people's emotions. And thirdly, it gives you Gryffindors some practice at standing up against intimidating people, no?" Scorpius explained with a wicked smile.

Rose stood there dumbfounded. It was awful, but it made sense.

"That's completely bonkers!" Rose whispered.

"Haha, yes. But it makes sense, no?"

"It does. That's what scares me… it's still pure awful though."

"Life can be."

"Ah! Mr. Malfoy and Miss Weasley. So sorry I'm running a bit late. Follow me please," McGonigall directed as she rushed towards them.

"Miss Weasley," Scorpius whispered quickly before McGonigal was earshot, "you do realize I will have to behave accordingly…"

"As a Slytherin?"

"Yes."

"Detention should be fun then."

"Indeed!" Scorpius flashed one last smile. Then he stuck his nose in the air, rolled his eyes at Rose, an strode past her with a superior air.

Rose grinned.

Hello everyone! Thank you for reading! Sorry this chapter didn't have much action, I really wanted to have a good chapter of just Rose and Scorpius dialogue. Action will be present during their detention! ;) I'm a bit stuck on what to do with Albus and Will, but I have have a few ideas.

Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW! I've had zero reviews since I came back to finish this. I'm a little despondent. Let me know if you're interested in my story at all, or if I should even bother finishing it.