A/N: Guess what? I'm baaaack! It's been forever since I updated this story. I apologize. I just kind of fell out of this fandom for a bit…Thanks to a rewatching of Deathly Hallows p.2, I got it back. Enjoy :)

Chapter 7: Midnight Stand

Scorpius ran. It didn't consciously occur to him where he was going until they came into view. The rest of the class, Hagrid's class, grouped aimlessly in the corridor and nearby classrooms, waiting for the period to end.

Except one. Thomas stood aloof, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and staring at the toes of his shoes. He looked like he wanted nothing more than to melt into the stone wall at his back.

He didn't see the tip of Scorpius's hawthorn wand until it was in his face, almost touching his nose. When he did, he froze, brown eyes going wide with surprise and fear. Guilt slammed into Scorpius, twisting his guts, and causing his wand to drop slightly. It did nothing to dim his anger, however.

"I know," he growled. His voice, still strained and scratchy from the earlier coughing fits, sounded frighteningly foreign, even to his own ears. "I know who gave you that spell. I know why. Tell them to meet me on the grounds, at midnight, by the lake. We'll settle this."

At the quick, shocked nod he received in response, Scorpius backed off, turning on his heel and taking off down the hall. His thoughts had become a swirling, boilin cauldron of emotions once more, all tumbling around in his brain. It left no room for planning, so Scorpius's feet took him to the one place he felt safe—the deserted seventh floor hallway.

He stopped in front of the blank wall where the Room was, backing up to lean his trembling body against the soothingly cold stone. What in Merlin's name did he just do?

He challenged three boys—three older boys, as a matter of fact—to a duel at midnight, that's what he just did. Oh, not in so many words, but the intent had been crystal clear.

He slid down the wall and huddled there at its base, burying his face into his arms and drawing his knees up. He consciously slowed his breathing, forcing his mind to go blank. Just breathe, Scorpius. That's it, he thought, in a voice that sounded strangely like Professor Ravenclaw's.

When he calmed down enough for the panicked shaking to stop, he let go of his legs, releasing a long breath as he slid them out flat in front of him. This was what he trained all month for, was it not?

"All right, Scorp. You know what you have to do," he said to the empty corridor firmly. Scorpius was nothing if not a man of his word. No matter what, for better or worse, this would end tonight.

He just needed to prepare.

…..

"Very good, Scorpius." Scorpius lowered his wand, panting a little, a fine layer of sweat on his pale forehead.

He had been practicing nonstop with Professor Ravenclaw since his confrontation with Thomas, even skipping dinner in favor of it. That was okay. His stomach was so queasy with nerves, even now, that he doubted he could have eaten even a bite of it, anyway.

As he raised his wand for another go, Ravenclaw leaned on the bottom edge of her frame, head resting on one long, slender hand. "That's enough for now, Scorpius. Go now to your dorm and get some sleep."

"I can't. It's tonight." The words slipped out his mouth before he could stop them. Despite how long they'd spent together in this little library, Scorpius had never told her why he needed the special tutoring. Thinking back on it now, the boy was surprised to note that she had never asked him about it, either, not once.

Looking into her hawklike eyes now, though, Scorpius had a feeling she knew, anyway. Or could accurately guess, at any rate.

She smiled at him, a glint of something defiant in her eye. "Exactly. The clever wizard walks onto the field of battle not with a heavy head but with light steps and clear, sharp eyes. Go rest, young Gryffindor, and tell me of your victory tomorrow morning."

Her words made Scorpius smile. It was nice to know that at least someone believed in him, even if that someone was a portrait of a long dead witch. "I will. And…Professor? Thank you. For everything."

She nodded gracefully in acknowledgement. Scorpius turned to go, picking up his over robes as he went.

The Gryffindor common room was strangely quiet; only a few students were awake despite the fairly early hour. They paid no attention to Scorpius, and that suited him just fine.

The first years' dorm was just as silent, save for the sound of soft snores and the occasional mutter. Just about every bed was filled; Scorpius noted Albus's tousled dark head as he slipped under the welcomingly cool sheets.

He expected to have some trouble going to sleep, despite his body's tiredness, but that was far from the case. After casting a quick charm to wake him up at the appropriate time, he slipped off into the warm, comforting shores of sleep almost immediately.

….

A soft buzzing in his ear sometime later brought Scorpius back to the surface of a thankfully dreamless, peaceful sleep. It was time.

He slipped out of bed soundlessly, sliding his feet back into his shoes. He grabbed his black over robes, pulling them on as he tiptoed out of the room.

The common room below was deserted, the lights dimmed, almost to the point of blackness. As a frequent ignorer of the fairly lax curfew at home, he was used to moving around in the dark, so navigating around the chairs, tables and sofa was nothing new, and certainly not hard for the boy.

The Fat Lady was sleeping soundly in her frame; Scorpius could hear her snoring away from his side of the wall. Pulling his hood up, Scorpius eased open the frame…carefully, so carefully…

Silently thanking his lucky stars that he had inherited his father's thin frame, he slipped out through the crack he had made, the portrait's occupant none the wiser.

Outside, in the corridor, it was both much easier and harder. The thin shafts of moonlight filtering in from the windows made it easier to see, but at the same time, harder to hide. Taking a deep breath, Scorpius started off.

There were a few close calls. He almost walked up on Peeves, but thankfully the poltergeist was too busy rattling suits of armor and spreading chalk dust to notice. Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, almost caught sight of him as he darted around a corner. But then finally, finally he was out on the grounds, the cool night wind ruffling his hair and hood, the grass crunching softly underneath his feet.

He couldn't enjoy it, though. He was nervous again, a tight bundle of nerves and panicked energy, poised to snap. It didn't help that there was no sign of anybody else around. The entire world seemed deserted and silent, no movement but the wind ruffling the taller grass. Until—

"Scorpius! What are you doing out here?"

Scorpius's rather unmanly, high-pitched yelp sliced through the night as he whipped around, towards the sound of his best friend's voice.

"Al! What the…? Why are you a head?!"

Albus's floating head glared at him. "Never mind that! Why are you out here? If you get caught—if we get caught, we'll be in so much trouble!"

As if on cue, a low, greasy voice said, "Well look what we have here. Students out of bed, at night."

Scorpius froze, ice trickling through his veins. The rest of Albus's body appeared as he turned around slowly, hoping desperately that he had imagined that voice…

He didn't. Filch leered at him, yellowed teeth bared. "Come with me, boys. And don't think of running off, now. It'll be worse for you if you do."

Scorpius fell in behind the odious man, Albus right behind him. Shock quickly turned into the bitter burn of shame, burning in his chest and face.

Of course they wouldn't heed Scorpius's challenge. They had probably been laughing to themselves all the way to Filch's office. Or Thomas had.

Merlin, he had been so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. And to make it worse, Al was going to be punished with him. Blameless Al, who had somehow followed him, who had no idea what was really going on…

Once again, he was headed to the Headmistress's office, and once again, Scorpius wanted nothing more than to disappear, melt into the stone like a ghost and never be seen again…

In the office, McGonagall was already waiting for them, black robes pulled on over a white wool nightgown. Her hair was down around her face, but that didn't soften her piercing stare in the least.

"Mr. Malfoy," she said curtly. She had been expecting Scorpius, then. Surprise flickered briefly on her stern features, however, when Albus shuffled in behind him.

"Thank you, Mr. Filch." Filch reluctantly turned and left, leering unpleasantly at Scorpius as he passed him. McGonagall waited until the door thumped softly behind Filch before rounding on them.

"Wandering the school grounds at night? I don't suppose either of you have a proper explanation for it?"

"I-I was following Scorpius," Albus squeaked, his gaze fixed firmly on the floor. "He had disappeared for most of the day, and I w-wanted to find out why…"

His squeak of a voice trailed off as McGonagall pinned him directly with her forbidding stare. Oddly, her expression seemed to soften a bit as she held out her hand to him. "Give it to me, Mr. Potter."

Albus's head jerked up, blood draining from his already pale face. "But, Professor-!"

"Mr. Potter." Her tone left no room for argument. Albus pulled something that looked strangely fluid out from under his robes and passed it wordlessly to McGonagall. Her hands seemed to disappear underneath it as she took it. An…invisibility cloak? Where did he get one of those…?

"You will get it back after you've served your month's worth of detention with Professor Kimble. Now please wait outside."

Albus nodded. He turned and left swiftly, not once looking at Scorpius.

"Wandering the grounds at night?" McGonagall asked, pinning him next with her stare.

He could tell her everything. Blurt it out, right here and now. He almost did, but a small, niggling feeling of doubt stopped him. What difference would it make, really? He couldn't name his attackers. He had no proof. And he seriously doubted it would affect the punishment he was about to be given, anyway…

So he stayed silent, lifting his chin, hands and arms loose and relaxed behind his back.

McGonagall sighed, but continued on, her voice dropping a fraction lower. "Threatening another student? Mr. Hargreave?"

That he couldn't stay silent to. "He casted the spell that nearly caused Rose and me to drown!" he blurted furiously.

Her face was like stone, not showing whether this information surprised her, or whether she believed him or not. "And I suppose you cannot tell me where Mr. Hargreave would obtain such a spell or why he would use it on you and Miss Weasley?"

Scorpius's jaw tightened. He dropped his gaze, fixing it instead on the clawed foot of the desk.

He heard his Head of House sigh again. "Very well. Fifty points from Gryffindor and a month's worth of detention with Professor Kimble."

Scorpius flinched at the number. He just cost his House its thin lead over Hufflepuff for the House cup…

"You may go." But as Scorpius's hand touched the door: "It may not seem like it, Mr. Malfoy, but I am not your enemy. My door is always open to you."

Surprise wormed its way into Scorpius's paralyzed brain. "T-Thank you, Professor," he managed to stammer out before shutting the door behind him.

Albus was silent the entire way back to the common room. Scorpius had a sinking feeling that it wasn't because Filch was still with them…

His suspicion was confirmed in the common room. The other boy headed straight for the stairs, not once looking at Scorpius.

"Al, wait, I can explain—!" Scorpius blurted.

That earned him the slightest of glances as he started up the stairs. "Just shut up, Scorpius."

A/N: Sorry it's a shorty. But at least stuff happens, right?