Author's note: The first few chapters will be posted quickly since they are almost ready. Then, I will update once a week or two.
II
"Alohomora," Scorpius whispered the charm and the door to a large greenhouse opened for him.
It was late evening. There was no one inside the greenhouse or nearby. Professor Longbottom wasn't a night person - the fact he was often seen in the early morning with his plants suggested as much. Scorpius didn't believe he would appear there at that hour.
Of course, any stronger light could alarm that moron, caretaker Filch, so Scorpius lit up the end of his wand only a little and walked quietly through the rows of shelves full of plants. A small room at the end of the greenhouse was his target.
Professor Longbottom's Kingdom of Herbology was tidy and clean, so Scorpius patiently searched it. There were many shelves with small plants ready to be planted, baskets with seeds, and on the opposite side of the room, boxes full of fruits and some roots. Moreover, on the left stood a large wooden desk, a bookcase with books about herbology and herbal medicine and a small glass cabinet. It was what Scorpius was looking for.
With a soft crack, he opened a small door and began to check the content. He carefully watched all the vials with multicoloured liquids inside. There were simple cough syrups, herbal essences and very condensed infusions. He read the labels. Many names meant nothing to him, but he searched for something very special. With caution, he moved the vials, and after a while, he found what he needed.
For a moment, he looked at a small vial with brown liquid and a handwritten label: Symplonettle. He pointed his wand at it and cast a spell: "Geminio!"
At that, in his hand appeared a second, identical vial. He returned the false one to the cabinet and put the original in his pocket. He checked twice if everything inside the cabinet was in the right order and then closed the door carefully. Not wasting any more time, he left the back room and, a moment later, the greenhouse.
Despite the help Scorpius got in the Hospital Wing, his ribs still ached with each faster movement. He made a lot of effort not to show any weakness, but he knew that gossip spread fast among students, and he saw that when he entered the Potions classroom the next morning.
"I heard you crashed into some tree," one Gryffindor, Dean Westwood, stated, smiling viciously. He was one of those Gryffindors whom Scorpius suspected of stealing his book. The boy had brown hair, the same eyes, and a face marked by plenty of freckles. Growing beyond his age, he was a head taller than other students from his year. At that moment, he stood next to his desk with his arms nonchalantly crossed and watched Scorpius with arrogance in his eyes.
"What do you have to do with it? Was it your tree?" Scorpius muttered, also looking at the boy with reluctance.
"Next time, find someone who's a match for you. Otherwise, you'll end up with more than just a broken nose."
Scorpius came closer. He stood in front of the Gryffindor and raised his head to challenge him.
"I assume your advice comes from experience. For sure, such a brave Gryffindor always takes on only the smallest first-year kids as targets, so you are sure they won't reach your nose."
A few Slytherins chuckled. However, Scorpius noticed that several students looked worried about what would happen. His attention turned to Dean, who stood there staring at him with clenched fists. His smile changed into what Scorpius saw as a vile grimace.
"Perhaps someone disliked your big mouth, Malfoy. But it seems you didn't learn anything from that lesson."
"Do you want to give me another?" Scorpius asked, still watching Gryffindor with wary eyes. "Come on, prove me right."
They looked at each other for a while until, finally, Dean stepped away.
"I don't want to waste my time on rubbish like you," he barked and sat at the desk in front of his cauldron.
Scorpius shrugged and went to his own desk. Many students looked at him with curiosity, but he ignored them. Certainly, he didn't need any sensation about him, especially when he wanted to begin the plan for his revenge.
Eastwood was only another obstacle in his way - the next full-of-himself imbecile who thought that he was the King of the World because he was in Gryffindor. Like other Gryffindors, he was so proud of his origin that he told everyone who wanted to listen that he was a descendant of war heroes, which made him better than others. Such events as the one in the Shrieking Shack were the best opportunity for him to taunt and show how much he despised those below him.
Scorpius knew perfectly well that in the eyes of other students, he deserved the strongest condemnation, and he shouldn't be at that school at all because he was the son of a Death Eater, the son of one of the Dark Lord's servants. That caused him to be hated by almost everyone - even if his father was found innocent and even if Scorpius himself never had anything to do with Lord Voldemort.
Fortunately, Scorpius quickly learned how to deal with it. He knew that in the classroom, right before the lesson, when everyone was watching, there was nothing Dean could do to him. He easily reverted his words and provoked him, knowing he was safe… for now. Scorpius also knew that he couldn't show any signs of fear or run away because then he would become prey, and those were attacked even harder. Scorpius knew the only defence was to attack, and it was something he did every time. Thanks to that, most of the time, he wasn't disturbed by anyone because other students quickly understood that he wasn't afraid of them and wasn't easy to defeat in the battle of words. Of course, the two Ravenclaw beaters didn't pay attention to the fact… but they would pay for that very soon.
Scorpius sat in his seat. He winced a little as he felt a pain in his ribs - he must've moved too fast and irritated his injuries. After a moment, he placed his new Potions book on the desk in front of him, at the same time watching the most suspicious Gryffindors, hoping the guilty ones revealed themselves with some move or smile. Unfortunately, he didn't notice anyone acting out of the ordinary, but he saw Potter observing him closely. In his eyes was something strange: some distrust mixed with anxiety. It was hard to say because he turned away when he spotted Scorpius watching him.
Dinner was over, and the Great Hall was quite the mess. Many students ventured out for some winter sun on the Hogwarts grounds whilst others came in to eat late meals. Several students also sat at tables nose-deep in their books.
Scorpius sat at Slytherin's table and pretended that he was practising a spell… when in reality, he searched for two Hufflepuff girls - sisters Sonia and Lora Spotty. They were in the same year as Scorpius, and they all had Herbology and Transfiguration together. Although Scorpius didn't know them well, he knew that the sisters weren't the brightest girls he'd ever met, but they were quite pretty, which made them fit for the job. Everybody knew they fancied any boy a little more handsome than a monkey, and Scorpius didn't have to know them well to prove that right.
He moved his wand a little and quietly cast a spell. A moment later, on the Hufflepuff table, appeared five big hairy spiders that began to run towards the group of girls. Scorpius didn't have to wait long for a reaction. They started to scream and throw everything in reach at the spiders. Books, notes, dishes and scrolls of parchment all flew through the air.
The mess lasted for a while, but in the end, the spiders ran away and hid somewhere in the dark corners of the castle. Scorpius packed his things, stood up, and went around the table. He grabbed a few scrolls from the floor and, without a word, gave them to Sonia. First, the girl flashed him a nasty snarl - as if he was some poisonous reptile, but when he passed her the notes, her expression changed to a more pleasant one.
"Thanks," she said quietly and took her things.
Scorpius shrugged and went to the exit.
After a few minutes, he arrived at the Slytherin common room, crowded and loud at that time of the day, so he quickly retreated to his dormitory, knowing he wouldn't be bothered there by anyone as his two roommates were downstairs.
Scorpius pulled out the piece of paper from his pocket. It was filled with the not-very neat but really characteristic writing of one of the Spotty sisters.
He needed more than a few tries, but after an hour, he managed to write a short letter that looked like it was written by Sonia herself.
Pleased with the outcome, Scorpius whistled and with that sound, out from under his bed came a little weasel. She climbed onto the chair and sat on his lap. Without thinking, Scorpius patted the small head of the animal.
"Tomorrow, I will have an important task for you, Tori," he said to his small companion.
The roar announced that the Ravenclaw team got the next points. All the students had gathered at the station and watched the match between the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors. These two teams fought for domination in that year's cup and had the best players, so their games always aroused the greatest emotions.
Scorpius never especially enjoyed Quidditch. He sat in the last row with his roommate, Karl Campbell. Karl was a short and quiet boy, one of the Slytherins who had nothing to do with the last war. His parents had moved to the US years ago and came back when Karl had to go to school. Of course, that fact didn't clean him in the eyes of students from other Houses. Nevertheless, he was the one that Scorpius liked the most of all the Slytherins, mainly because he didn't speak much and didn't bother others with his problems.
At the moment, the two of them also didn't say much because Karl watched the match with visible excitement.
Scorpius stretched his legs out and placed his feet on the chair before him and without much thinking, he swung his wand, which caused a small feather to float through the rows and jab the loudest first year in the ears.
He didn't pay much attention to the task; he was much more interested in the mission he had assigned to his pupil. He was sure that Tori would do it without trouble; her small and agile body made sneaking into Ravenclaw's changing room childishly easy.
After a few minutes, the weasel went through the gap between planks on the floor, and with grace, she found a way back to Scorpius' shoulder. He noticed she didn't have the letter he had given her earlier, so she must have left it where he had asked her to. As if in confirmation, the animal smacked his hand with its head, asking for a pat for a well-done job.
The South Tower was one of those places where, in the evening, it was hard to find anyone. The cold walls were filled with dark classes, empty corridors, and silent staircases. That was a perfect place for a secret meeting between two beautiful girls and the two best Ravenclaw Quidditch players.
The amused Ravens climbed the stairs and talked loudly about a mysterious letter they had found in the changing room. They knew very well which sisters had sent the letter - every boy in Hogwarts knew of the two beautiful girls from Hufflepuff. And if they wanted to meet in the old Herbology class, the Ravens wouldn't give up on such an opportunity.
They were so excited and loud that they didn't have the slightest chance to notice the hooded silhouette hiding behind an old statue.
The door to the classroom was slightly open, encouraging the boys even more. When they disappeared into the dark room, Scorpius heard them calling for the Hufflepuff girls, still completely unaware of what awaited them.
There was no time for hesitation or sentiments. If they caught him, he would probably end up with more than a broken nose. But he didn't think about the danger. When Scorpius finished with them, those Ravenclaw wankers would think twice before they attacked someone again.
Scorpius pulled out the vial with the Extract of Symplonettle from his pocket, weighed it in his hand and looked into the classroom. When he made sure the Ravens stood with their backs to him, without more hesitation, he threw the vial right at the stupid head of James Backsing. The glass shattered into hundreds of pieces, accompanied by the vulgar curses of the Beater. Scorpius didn't wait for their reaction and, with one swift move, shut the door and turned the key in the lock two times.
The Extract of Symplonettle was a very interesting liquid. First, when it made contact with air, it became a gas as burning and pungent as nettle. In a second, it filled the whole room and even began to leak out under the door and into the corridor.
Scorpius could hear the Raven's loud curses and screams from the inside. Perhaps Backsing's head, and every other exposed part of his body, was already covered with a painful rash.
But that wasn't the worst attribute of that plant. The painful effect was nothing compared to the smell. One herbalist described it as a terrifying mix of the stench of a skunk, rotten meat and a note of garlic. Removing the scent from skin and clothes wasn't an easy task - it took a great deal of effort. The rotten smell was something that distinguished the Symplonettle from other plants. And it was very important, given the last attribute of the extract.
"It's closed!" Nash shouted, hitting the door with his fist.
"Hold on, Tim!" Backsing stopped him. "Hide your wand. Magic made the shite explode!"
As foolish as they were, Scorpius had no doubt Backsing and Nash would know that extract and what it could do. Ultimately, it was the topic of Herbology lessons in the fourth year. How did Scorpius know it? Well, his father had quite a large library full of very interesting books. Scorpius smiled to himself. It wasn't a waste of time reading many of them during vacation.
He covered his nose with the sleeve of his robe because he also started to smell the reek of the extract. Hearing noises of vomiting, inside the classroom the smell had to be unbearable. Content with that, Scorpius turned around to face the empty corridor. He didn't have to hurry. Backsing and Nash didn't have a chance to open that solid wooden door, and their courses didn't bother him. He had heard much worse. Moreover, he didn't hear any mention of a 'snake' or 'lizard', so it seemed the Beaters had no idea - nor did they suspect - who was responsible for the situation. Scorpius assumed they'd spent the last five years behaving like bastards, and he could only imagine the list of enemies who wanted revenge against them. It was the best cover-up for him.
Scorpius wanted to stay longer, but he needed to return the keys to the caretaker's room. Filch would be here in a few hours. In the morning, he would find the Ravens, but until then, they had plenty of time to think about their mistakes.
Suddenly, the silence in the corridors was distributed by the sound of footsteps. Scorpius cursed under his breath, pulled up his hood, and hid behind the statue. After a while, he spotted Albus Potter as he ran through the corridor, breathing heavily.
The Gryffindor passed the statue and, not seeing Scorpius, came to the door of the herbology classroom. He pulled the knob, but the door was steadily locked. At the same moment, from the inside came some noises, dangerously sounding like calls for help.
Scorpius didn't have enough time to react when Potter pulled out his wand and cast a spell.
"Alohomora!"
The door moved with a soft crack, and a second later, the explosion trembled the whole South Tower.