A cool air rushed through the crisp September morning. People were bustling about King’s Cross Station, determined to catch their trains. A family of three was walking briskly towards the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10. They were all pale and thin. There was a man with white blond hair and a pointed face, his wife, whose dark hair was twisted into an elegant knot at the back of her head, and his son, who looked very much like him. Finally, they reached the barrier, but instead of crashing, they passed swiftly through onto Platform 9 ¾, where the Hogwarts Express would soon be departing.

The woman glanced at her son, and then she suddenly started to cry. “Mum?� Scorpius Malfoy asked, alarmed at his mother’s sudden show of emotions. “What’s wrong?� Astoria Malfoy sniffled and threw her arms around her pale son.

“Oh, Scorpius! I simply cannot believe that you are already starting your fifth year! I mean, this is a big year for you, with O.W.L.s and everything!� She paused to stifle a sob. “It seems as though just yesterday we were dropping you off to start your first year!� This time, she could not stifle her sob and she, very loudly, began to cry into her son’s shoulder, making his pale cheeks flush a dull pink as people started to stare
.
“Mother!� yelled Scorpius, pulling himself from his mother’s grasp. “Calm down.�

Draco Malfoy put an arm around Astoria, restraining her. “Now, now, Astoria,� he drawled, his cold gray eyes glittering fondly at his wife. “He will be back for Christmas in no time. Besides,� he said, giving his son a signature Malfoy smirk. “He’ll always be your little Scorpy.� Scorpius scowled at the sound of the ridiculous nickname his mother had given him when he had been younger. His father knew how he hated it, so he also made sure to mock him at least once a week with it.

Before Scorpius could retort, there was a lighthearted laugh that pierced the air. He spun around on the spot at saw the last person in the world he wanted to see: Rose Weasley.

Rose and Scorpius loathed each other. Loathed may even be considered an understatement to their relationship. Ever since their first day of their first year, it seemed as though the hatred between both of their fathers had continued to the next generation. They constantly competed to be the head of the year, but Rose always won, hands down. This was expected, considering her mum was, and still is, considered the brightest witch of her age. Rose always rubbed this statement in Scorpius’s face, because Scorpius, being a pureblood and a Malfoy, was expected by his family to be the best. They both played Chaser on their House Quidditch teams, so there was a lot of tension there. They continually fought and taunted each other, and it was completely normal to see them lashing out at each other in the corridors between classes. This year would be no different.

Scorpius looked at Rose for a moment. There were a few changes to her appearance since over the summer. She gotten taller, and her bushy red hair seemed to have gotten a tad longer, though at the moment it was pulled into a plait. She looked like her mother, with the same chocolate brown eyes, curvy figure and bushy texture to her hair, but she was tall like her dad, as well as she had the trademark fiery Weasley hair color. Scorpius let out a little groan as he saw the Gryffindor prefect badge gleaming on her chest. He had become a Slytherin prefect, and he was hoping that she hadn’t become one, though he knew the result of this was very unlikely.

Of course,thought Scorpius, who was scowling in Rose’s direction, model student Weasley gets whatever she wants. Again.

Rose appeared to be talking with her brother, Hugo, who had apparently said something funny, which caused her to laugh.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were standing behind their children, looking at them with glowing eyes. There was Mr. Weasley, his red hair shining like his daughter’s and his blue eyes full of laughter and joyfulness. His right arm was slung around Mrs. Weasley’s waist. He pulled his wife closer to him and whispered something to her, causing her to break into a smile and give him a kiss on the cheek. Her hair was pulled back from her face in a ponytail with a few hairs hanging in her face. Anyone could notice that the husband and wife loved each other dearly, just as Draco and Astoria did.

Draco still had his arm around Astoria, but his lip was curled in disgust. Scorpius followed his gaze and saw that he was glaring over at Mr. Weasley. Scorpius prayed to God that his father wouldn’t make a show tight here, right now, in the train station.

Don’t worry Dad, thought Scorpius, grinning devilishly. I’ll show the Weasleys what we Malfoys are made of.

Pondering ways to ruin Rose this year, Scorpius almost didn’t notice his mother yelling “Scorpy, the train is departing soon!� Snapping back to reality, Scorpius gave his mother a swift kiss on the cheek, and shook hands with his father.

As he did so, Draco muttered “Give the Weasleys and Potters hell for me.� This statement did not come as a surprise to Scorpius, because he said the same thing every year before term started. Scorpius grinned at his dad and hopped on the train just as it started to move. He waved at his parents through the murky window, only stopping when they had faded out of view. He turned to find a bunch of first years twittering excitedly, as well as older students catching up with friends. Smiling to himself, he made his way to the prefects’ carriage. It was great to be back.

Rose Weasley was making her way to the prefects’ carriage, determined to show that she was made for this position. She was as ready as ever for this year. She had spent all summer reading her course books, trying to memorize them all. She had to be the best this year; O.W.L. year is huge. She was anxious, but she would survive. At least until Scorpius Malfoy would get in her way.

She knew he would, because he always found a way to cause her downfall. She had saw him on Platform 9 ¾ this morning with a rather devious look on his face as he glanced in her direction. She was no Legilimens, but she had been in school with him long enough to know what that look meant. He seemed to understand how she ticked and just how to push her buttons to their bursting point. She had seen his prefect badge glinting on his chest, just as hers probably was, and she registered that she would have to put up with him even more this year. Unluckily for Rose, Gryffindors had every class with the Slytherins, and Scorpius took the additional classes of Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures just like she did, so it wasn’t as if she didn’t see him a lot all ready.

Finally navigating her way through the crowded train, she opened the door of the prefects’ carriage to find the new Head Boy and Girl, Kirsten Spinnet from Gryffindor and Ian Macmillan from Hufflepuff, sitting in there, waiting for the prefects to arrive. She was disappointed to see that she wasn’t the first prefect there.

“Morning, Weasley,� drawled Scorpius while a nasty smirk played at his lips. He hadn’t changed that much over the summer. His white blond hair was ruffled in a casual way and she could see that he had definitely been working out, for the muscles on his arms were toned to the perfect measure and she could see a perfectly defined chest through his white shirt. His stormy gray eyes were sparkling in the morning sun, and his pale skin was flawless. Though Rose would refuse to admit it, he was handsome. Most girls considered him the hottest boy in her year. This comment alone would make Rose gag. His arrogant attitude completely turned her off, as did the fact that she hated him and he her.

“Malfoy,� replied Rose stiffly, sitting down cautiously in a seat on the side of the compartment that Scorpius was not occupying. The compartment was roomy, probably because of the fact that many prefects sit here every year. Shortly, all the prefects had made their arrival, Albus Potter being one of the last to arrive. He had a flustered look about him as he sat down next to Rose.

"Where have you been?� Rose muttered as Kirsten and Ian started to explain the prefect duties and procedures to new prefects.

Running a hand through his jet-black hair, Albus said out of the corner of his mouth, “Your brother and my sister thought it would be funny to set off a few of Uncle George’s fireworks in a compartment. Unfortunately, the compartment was filled with first years. It took forever to calm them down.� Rose made a mental note to kick Hugo for this, as well as Lily.

“…so now you will all be monitoring the hallways between compartments,� finished Kirsten. Rose was alarmed. She hadn’t listened to a word the Head Boy and Girl had been saying, and that was a first.

“Now, we are going to put you all in pairs and you and your partner will patrol your designated areas,� said Ian, looking at all the new prefects with a pompous look on his face. It was common knowledge that he wanted this position more than anything, and now that he had it you could tell it was hard for him to hide his pride. “Albus, you go with Evanna.� Albus smiled weakly at Evanna Goldstein, who was a prefect in Ravenclaw. She and fellow Gryffindors in her year always got on well.

“Rose, you go with Scorpius,� said Kirsten. Rose froze.

“Excuse me?� she asked, thinking that she had heard Kirsten wrong.
Kirsten, with a quizzical look on her face, repeated, “You will be patrolling with Scorpius. That’s not a problem, is it?�

Stealing a sideways glance at Scorpius, who was smirking in a way only Malfoys can at her discomfort, she composed herself and replied, “Of course not.�

Kirsten smiled and said, “Great! Now let’s get to it.�

Rose and Scorpius made their way to their area in silence. Rose knew that whatever happened when they were on patrol was not going to end well. When they reached the corridor, Rose was pleased to see that everything seemed orderly. For now, at least. Rose said awkwardly “Um…well, everything seems to be okay.� Scorpius, who was still smirking, leaned against one of the doorways in a seductive sort of way, his hands in his pockets.

“Tell me something I don’t know,� he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Rose, her brown eyes narrowed, turned to glare at him, her hands on her hips.

“You can drop the sarcasm, Malfoy.� Scorpius stopped leaning and took a step towards Rose.
“Now,� drawled Scorpius, who was now dangerously close to Rose, and she was using all of her will power to look him directly in his steely gray eyes. “Why should I drop it, when I know it bothers you so?�

Scorpius, Rose realized, had grown over the summer, much more than she had. He was a head taller than her, and that made him seem much more menacing when he was staring you down. He was so close that she could smell his spearmint toothpaste. Rose backed away from him, determined not to let him win this battle.

“What’s the matter?� Scorpius whispered, and as he did so he pulled out his wand. “Can’t take the heat?� Rose instinctively pulled out her wand too. Who did Scorpius think he was kidding? She was a better duelist, and both knew it. Yet there was fierce determination in Scorpius’ face as he said, “Rictusempra!�

Rose dodged this hex and the purple jet of light collided with one of the doors of one of the compartments, which cracked. Rose said, “Expelliarmus!� and Scorpius’ wand went spiraling out of his hand and she, with her Quidditch instincts, caught it in her other hand. Then she pointed her wand at Scorpius’ chest, and he backed up against one wall of the corridor. They were both panting.

“I….win,� panted Rose as she continued to keep Scorpius pinned against the wall as her wand point touched his chest with malice.

“What is going on here?� said a voice from the opposite end of the corridor.

Scorpius and Rose both turned their heads to see Ian Macmillan walking towards them, his arms crossed over his chest. Rose then realized what this scene looked like.
“I can explain,� she began, but Ian cut across her. He pointed at Scorpius.

“You tell me what happened,� he demanded. Scorpius took a breath and then started his version of what happened.

“Well, Weasley here seems to think that no one is at the liberty of their own opinion except herself. I simply stated my opinion about the House Cup, and about how I was sure Slytherin was going to win this year, and she started to hex me. Now, it is against my oath to fight girls, so I didn’t know what to do, and here we are,� concluded Scorpius, with a look of fake self-pity on his flawless face. Rose was too stunned to speak. She could not believe Scorpius. Well, she could, but they weren’t even at Hogwarts yet and he already caused mayhem. Rose then tried to tell Ian what really happened, but, yet again, Ian ignored her.

“Miss Weasley, I expected better of you. A fight in the corridors of a train packed with younger students simply isn’t setting a good reputation for you as a prefect or as a Gryffindor. Also, you started a fight over Mr. Malfoy’s simple statement, which I find extremely stupid. I know that I cannot officially take points until term starts, but know that I will be taking 15 points from Gryffindor for this.� Rose hung her head in shame. This was the first time she had lost her house more than 5 points, and for something that hadn’t even been true, and they weren’t even at school yet.

Ian then talked to both fifth years. “You patrolling duties are over for now. You both may go find a compartment with your friends to sit in.� With that said, he mended the cracked compartment door with a nonverbal spell, and turned on his heel and began to walk briskly back to the prefects’ carriage.

Rose went to go find her cousins’ compartment, but before she could go, a drawling voice whispered in her ear “Correction: I win.� With a final smirk on his face, Scorpius sauntered down the corridor to find the Slytherin fifth year compartment as Rose glared after him. Rose knew one thing for sure: This was going to be a long year.

Rose found the compartment her cousins were in and threw herself down on a seat. She then helped herself to one of her cousin Lily’s Chocolate Frogs, biting it moodily as she threw the card away. “What’s up with you?� Lily asked as she picked up the card Rose threw on the ground. She then handed it back to Rose. Rose glanced at the card and saw that she got Salazar Slytherin, whose extensive, ancient fingers were playing with the long white beard on his chin. He smiled nastily up at Rose, reminding her of that faultless face that belonged to a certain Slytherin fifth year. Insides boiling just thinking about Slytherins, Rose tore the card in half and handed the remains back to Lily, who looked utterly bemused.

Albus, who made it back to the compartment before Rose had, said, smirking slightly, “She’s like this because she got stuck with Scorpius Malfoy for patrol duty. And I am guessing,� he continued with a sideways glance at Rose, “that it did not end well.� Rose finally exploded.

“I HATE HIM!� she yelled, not seeming to care that she scared her relatives by her outburst. “He is an arrogant, conceited,vicious bully, and he deliberately lied to Ian Macmillan, telling him I attacked him for no reason, so already Gryffindor is already down points for the House Championship, and we hadn’t even arrived at school yet!�
Rose, who was breathing heavily, looked around at her cousins’ and brother’s reactions. Lily looked sympathetic, Hugo looked frightened, and Albus, much to Rose’s annoyance, was still smirking. Suddenly, the compartment door opened and James Potter stumbled in, nearly sitting on his little sister as he did so.

“And where have you been?� Rose demanded.

James composed himself into the seat next to Lily, apologizing for almost sitting on her, and, in a casual voice, replied “You know that Slytherin bloke Zabini in my year? Well, he was giving a bunch of first years a hard time in the hallway, so I decided to put a stop to it. He now has little tentacles sprouting all over his face.� Everyone in the Potter and Weasley families knew what a trouble maker James was, so none of this surprised them an ounce.

“And?� pressed on Rose. “What happened? Did you get caught?� James shook his head.

“I left the scene of the crime before anyone could show up. Also, no one will know how Zabini ended up the way he did because I put a Memory Charm on him before I left.� James looked extremely pleased with himself, as if he had been invited to tea with the Minister.

“Well,� said Rose after a brief pause. “I’m glad someone is having a good first day back.� Then she turned to stare out the compartment window, watching the colorful blur go by as the scarlet train continued to progress to Hogwarts. She didn’t even notice Albus, Lily, Hugo and James having a whispered conversation about her, filling James in on what happened. Right now, she needed to be alone with her thoughts.
****
Scorpius leisurely walked into his friends’ compartment, trying to hide his anger at Rose. Sure, he was proud that he already managed ruckus in Rose’s life, but was extremely angry that he actually got pinned to a wall because a girl, worst of all, a Weasley, beat him in a duel. Not that this was the first time. All through school they dueled, and the odds were fifty-fifty to him winning. Over the summer, he practiced dueling techniques with his father, who had had his hand at dueling when he attended school, so he would be able to beat Rose once and for all this year. He even made an effort to work hard for it, doing push-ups and sit-ups for hours a day. Now he viewed all the practice as a waste of his summer.

His best friend, Luke Nott, was always able to see exactly what Scorpius was feeling, so it was no surprise when he asked him, “What’s got you pissed?� as Scorpius threw himself irritably in a seat next to him.

“Nothing’s got me pissed,� Scorpius grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. “Chuck me a frog, would you?�

Luke, still looking suspicious, passed Scorpius a Chocolate Frog. Scorpius tore off the wrapper and quickly bit the frog to stop himself from raging. He then glanced at the card and saw the smiling face of Godric Gryffindor, whose shoulder length auburn hair was tied in a ponytail, glancing up at him. Hating Gryffindors even more, Scorpius pulled out his wand, muttered “Incendio�, and watched the card burn on the compartment floor. It looked like a fiery red torch, blazing gloatingly at him. He was suddenly reminded of bushy red hair. He hurriedly stomped out the flames, scooped up the ashes in his pale thin hand, and threw them out the compartment window. Then he turned back to Luke, Marissa Warrington, and Kenneth Flint, who all looked thunder struck.

Marissa, who was a pretty brunette Slytherin fifth year who was known to bring more girls to tears in a week quicker than it took for her House to earn 100 points, put her hand on Scorpius’s knee. She was dying to go out with him and sure; Scorpius let her fawn over him, but he just didn’t feel a spark in their relationship. “Baby,� Marissa simpered as both Luke and Kenneth pretended to gag behind her back. “Something’s up. You have to talk to us.� Scorpius, being naturally stubborn, shook her hand off his knee and began to glare out the window. After a short period of silence, Kenneth, who had been playing with hi s long dirty-blond hair that hung in front of his dark eyes, spoke.

“So,� he started, glancing nervously at Scorpius, who was still avoiding everyone’s gaze. “I heard you had patrol duty with that Weasley girl. Did you show her what us Slytherins are made of?� Scorpius, sighing, turned to his friends, deciding he could not hide the facts from them any longer.

“Yes and no,� stated Scorpius, and when he saw his classmates’ confused looks, he continued hotly, “Look, I might have gotten her into trouble by losing her a few House points, but not before she got me pinned to a wall at wand point.� Yet again there was another silence, an embarrassed one. The only sound that could be heard was the nearby twitter of first years. Scorpius had half a mind to yell at them to be quiet, but he thought it would be best not to take his anger out on little kids who would probably wet their pants at the sight of him.

“That little bitch,� Marissa said, breaking the silence. “Don’t you worry, Scorpius, I’ll take care of her. When I’m done with her, she won’t know wh-�

“Look, I don’t need you to do anything!� snapped Scorpius, causing Marissa to flush and become silent once more. “Weasley didn’t do anything to you. She messed with me and it’s me she’s going to have to deal with. I promise you, Weasley will regret the day she messed with a Malfoy.� With that said, he felt he needed out. He wanted to be alone. Scorpius quickly muttered his excuse to go to the bathroom and made his way briskly down the compartment’s hallway. He finally sat down in an abandoned compartment, slamming the door behind him. He placed his head in his heads, trying to calm himself. He had to beat Rose now; that would be payback for humiliating him. Scorpius then looked up and stared out the window, looking at the beatuiful landscape next to the bustling train.

“…And I hope this is the beginning of a great year!� concluded Professor McGonagall, positively beaming at all the students in the Great Hall. The Sorting had finished, the meals had been eaten, and announcements had been made. The Great Hall was now filled with little first years excitedly making new friends, talking about the interesting classes, and explaining to Muggle-born students everything they could possibly need to know about the wizarding world. Older students weren’t nearly as excited. They had been through the mill, they knew the ropes. Another year at Hogwarts would be a breeze for them. Seventh year students almost couldn’t believe that it was their last ever Welcome Feast. Hogwarts was like a home away from home to them.

Rose, on one side of the Great Hall, was listening intently, while Scorpius, on the other, had no clue whatsoever what McGonagall was talking about.

“What’s the old loon talking about now?� he muttered to Luke, who was staring off at no spot in particular, drool slowly dripping out of the corner of his mouth. Luke shrugged, and Scorpius sighed, shaking his head. Rose, on the other hand, whipped around and began to chatter excitedly to her cousins and Hugo, who knew exactly how to act when she stated to do this: just smile and nod.

“Did you hear about the new Potions club? It sounds very exciting, I think I’ll join…oh, and can you believe that Hagrid is importing some new creature for Care of Magical Creatures? I hope it’s not too dangerous, remember when he showed us those Blast-Ended Skrewts? I didn’t enjoy them much, they rather frightened me, and my dad didn’t take a fancy to them either. Oh, and-� Rose abruptly stopped, seeing that everyone in the Great Hall was getting up to end off to their house common rooms. Rose decided to take the liberty to direct the first years.

“First years, this way, please!� she called over the sea of scarlet and gold that was rushing past her. A few smaller students approached her, looking rather nervous but excited. Albus, grumbling about how Rose should wait for him the next time she starts to do some prefect duty, took the rear to make sure that none of the first years got lost. As Rose led the way through the large doorframe that was the entrance and exit of the Great Hall, she felt someone brush by her. In the moment her skin touched the stranger’s, she felt a shivered delightedly. The touch felt like an electric shock, but much better than that. When the sensation stopped, Rose felt as if she wanted more of that…that…Spark, Rose decided silently. She looked up to see who the stranger was, and when she saw who it was, she gasped.

Scorpius Malfoy was standing there, a trail of little Slytherins dressed in green and silver looking at him with a look of admiration. The other Slytherin prefect, Lindy Rowle, who was taking up the rear of the first year Slytherins, looked up curiously to see what was going on. Scorpius looked as though he felt the same sentiment as well, but that emotion quickly changed to antagonism when he saw Rose gaping at him.

“Never seen a real man before, Weasley?� he sneered, for she was still gaping. “I’m not surprised. I mean, looking at the company you keep,� –he nodded in Albus’s direction-“I wouldn’t expect you to.� Albus said a few of Rose’s father’s favorite choice words, and Scorpius smirked triumphantly at him at him. Rose composed herself and found her voice.

“You call yourself a man?� She laughed a short, humorless laugh. “Wow, and I am surprised you can even get through this doorway, let alone make people want to stand within 5 feet of you, your head is so colossal.�Scorpius’s smirk was wiped off his face and all the first years, both Slytherin and Gryffindor, grew quiet, waiting to see what would happen next.

Rose suddenly had an idea. “I have better things to do than waste my time associating myself with you tonight, Malfoy,� she said as she pushed past him, forcing the two of them to touch again. As if someone had pressed a repeat button, there was that spark. Rose’s idea worked. It was proof that she hadn’t really imagined that feeling. She hurried away from the Slytherins, the first years and Albus in her wake. Scorpius was left standing blankly in the doorframe, trying to decipher what had just happened.

****

Scorpius was lying in his four poster bed, staring at the ceiling above. What had he felt when Rose touched him? Even though he hated to admit it, he had liked that tingling sensation. He had never felt that way with anyone, anyone, before, and of all the people he shared a mutual feeling with, it just so happened to be the main source of his irritation and annoyance: Rose Weasley. He knew that she had felt it too, for she would not have looked up to see who she had brushed by if she had not. He was questioning if he had simply imagined it, if it had been some reverie he had. All he knew as that he had no idea what that simple touch was going to lead to, and it would most definitely not be what he expected. And, as he was thinking this, little did he know that Rose Weasley was lying in her bed, thinking the same.

“Rose, talk to me. What’s up?� Albus asked his cousin yet again. It was their first morning of classes. They had Care of Magical Creatures first, and, luckily for all students, it was a nice sunny day on the Hogwarts grounds. Rose had been so preoccupied with thinking about the “Spark�, as she called it, that all of her relatives have noticed something was on her mind. What exactly was that 'spark', and how did it happen? Rose would get answers.

Rose continually insisted that she was fine, but Albus, of all her cousins, always knew when she was lying. He was usually very easy to talk to, despite the fact that he would tease her something dreadful if it was an embarrassing secret. Albus had this kind of charm that could make people do exactly what he wanted them to do. Albus was proud of this, while Rose found it unnerving.

Rose tried to brush past Albus without having to finally crack and tell him what was on her mind, but, as always, Albus was persistent. He grabbed Rose’s arm and pulled her back, turning her to face him. He was strong, so Rose knew that she shouldn’t waste her time wrestling him, for she would probably just embarrass herself in the process. Avoiding looking Albus in his bright green eyes, Rose said angrily, “Look, Al. It is none of your business if there is something ‘up’ with me, just leave me alone and stop being a git.� Like she knew he would, Albus flushed furiously and began to fight back.

“I’m the git? I’m not the one avoiding her own family just because I have some issues I’m not capable of dealing with.�

“Excuse me; I don’t remember telling you that I have ‘issues’, but, now that you mention it, the only pain in my backside right now is you!�

“You are such a little-�

“What the hell are you two arguing about today?� said a drawling voice from behind them. Rose and Albus turned to see Scorpius walking down the path behind them, caring his copy of the Monster Book of Monsters, looking both tired and irritable.

Albus insensitively let go of Rose’s arm, muttering, “Mind your own business, Malfoy�. Rose, on the other hand, flushed a brilliant shade of scarlet as her warm eyes found the cold ones. She quickly dropped her gaze and ran away from Albus and Scorpius, kicking up dust as she did so. As Scorpius watched Albus sprint to catch up with his cousin, he realized he was flushed as well. Thinking it must be because of how humid it was outside, he shrugged it off and continued to trudge up the path.

By the time she got to Hagrid’s paddock, she was panting from the run she just had. Albus caught up with her, cursing under his breath.

“Why did you have to run so fast?� he wheezed, clutching a stitch in his side. “And why did you blush when Malfoy showed up?� Rose flushed again, refusing to answer. He noticed? thought Rose furiously. Why do these things always happen to me?

Albus suddenly had that mischievous smile on his face that James usually got when he was up to no good. “Whatever’s bugging you has to do with him, doesn’t it?� Rose responded by turning away, but not before Albus saw her face turn an even deeper scarlet.

“I knew it!� Albus said triumphantly, punching the air with his fist. His expression quickly turned sullen. “What did he do to you, Rosie? I swear, if he harmed you at all, I’ll go over there and kick his arse.�

Rose, making sure that she had stopped blushing, turned to Albus, her hands on her hips. “Thanks for being there for me, Al, but I’m a big girl; I can stand up for myself. Why else would the hat have put me in Gryffindor?�

“Oh, I don’t know,� came a very cool voice that was directly behind her. Rose turned again and was unsurprised to see that it was Scorpius, who was leaning up against one side of the paddock in that seductive way of his. He looked even more handsome as the sun hit his beautiful features, and his hair emitted a pearly glow. That nasty smirk of his was back. “Maybe the hat put you in Gryffindor because it realized that’s where all grimy half bloods seem to go, not to mention filthy little Mudbloods like your mother, Weasley. But, then again, most dunderheads go to Gryffindor, and just by glancing at your family you can tell you belong there-�

WHAM! Rose punched Scorpius in the face, hard. Scorpius staggered and fell into the paddock, which broke, and he landed in a rather large pile of hippogriff poo. As Scorpius began to curse loudly, Rose, growled through gritted teeth, “Don’t you dare call my mother a Mudblood, Malfoy. Or insult my family.� Everyone in the class fell silent, and Albus looked too stunned to speak. Rose began to talk again, but Scorpius saw this ahead of time.

Quick as a whip, Scorpius pulled out his wand, pointed it at Rose’s mouth, and yelled “Scourgify!� Retching, Rose fell over into a large overgrown bush, as big pink bubbles started to erupt out of her mouth. Scorpius stood up, siphoned off the dung with his wand, and called spitefully over to Rose, who looked choked(for bubbles were still being produced out of her mouth), “You need to learn to keep your mouth shut. You talk way too much.�

Rose was slowly losing her ability to breathe because the bubbles were clogging her windpipe. Her hands scrambled around her neck as she began to clumsily stand again.

Scorpius muttered the counter curse and Rose began to take long, raspy breaths. For a moment Scorpius felt bad about what he had done, but that emotion quickly vanished when Rose gasped “Flipendo!� while her wand was pointed at his chest. Scorpius felt like Rose had punched him again as he was knocked backwards, a large prickly branch slashing his face as this happened. He tenderly put a hand up to his pale cheek, where he could feel a deep gash, as well as something warm and sticky trickling down is face. As he took his hand away, he saw the scarlet blood stand out vibrantly against his pale skin. Overcome with fury, he stood up and pointed his wand at Rose, who had finally started to e breathe normally again, as she continued to do the same with hers.

They were shouting jinxes at the top of their lungs, and the witnesses of this fascinating spectacle were too stunned to do anything. Rose, without realizing it, was backing up closer and closer to Hagrid’s hut, and Scorpius saw his chance to win this. Disarming Rose, he grabbed her by her wrists and pushed her up against the side of the hut, her wand flying behind him and Rose yelping in pain. Her arms were positioned on either side of her face and she was unable to move them. She tried to squirm free, but her attempts were feeble against Scorpius’s strong hold on her; it looked like all that working out he did during the summer wasn’t a waste of time after all.

Scorpius and Rose were close now, and the only sound that could be heard was the heavy breathing of everyone by the paddock. Albus broke the silence. “Malfoy, you bastard, get your hands off my cousin!� he yelled at Scorpius’s back.

“Don’t worry, Potter,� Scorpius called back, looking directly into Rose’s fierce and slightly terrified eyes. “You can take your dear cousin to the Hospital Wing when I’m done with her.�

“Is that a threat?� whispered Rose furiously, glaring at Scorpius’s face, unsuccessfully hiding the fear in her voice.

“No,� Scorpius whispered back, tightening his grip on Rose, watching her eyes water in pain, getting ready to grab his wand at just the right moment. “It’s about to become a fact.�

But before Scorpius had the chance to anything, a husky voice came from the direction of the path that they took to get to the paddock, “Sorry I’m late! We got a lot to do today, an’ I got you lot in fer a surprise! Yer gonna love this creature, I’m tellin’ ya…Blimey, what’s going on here?�

Hagrid had appeared, walking down to the class, abruptly stopping when he saw the spectacle before him. “Rose?� he asked gruffly, his beetle eyes flicking back and forth between Rose and Scorpius. “Malfoy, what’s going on?�

Scorpius and Rose glared at each other once more before Scorpius let go of her roughly, saying “Nothing’s going on,� as he strutted over to his fellow Slytherins. Hagrid and Rose both saw him touch the gash on his face again, wincing in pain and in disgust as he felt the trickling blood. Hagrid approached Rose, his beetle eyes alight with a fire she had never seen before.

“Rosie, I’m serious, was he hurting you? ‘Cause if he was, I swear, I won’ sleep till I see the end of tha’ good fer nothing-�

“Hagrid,� Rose interrupted quietly. “I’m fine. We just got into a little fight, and you just happened to see the worst of it. I’m fine,� she persisted, for Hagrid looked ready to interrupt her. She turned away from Hagrid and walked back to Albus, who looked as though he was ready to shoot daggers at Scorpius.

Rose had a sudden thought. “Hagrid?� she asked as she walked back over to him. “Would you mind if you didn’t tell my father about this? He might murder someone.�

Rose saw a furious Hagrid smile for a fraction of a second, and then he muttered “All righ’, all righ’. I won’ tell Ron. Mind you, you owe me fer not tellin’ a soul about this.�

“Deal,� smiled Rose as she and Hagrid walked over to the rest of the class.

While Hagrid was teaching, neither Scorpius nor Rose was paying attention. For a moment their eyes met, and Scorpius’s hand shot toward the gash on his cheek, while Rose’s went to one of her now bruised wrists. As they looked away, they both had the same ferocious fire welling up inside of each other, and they were thinking the same thing: This was not over.

“Scorpius you, have to eat something,� Marissa pleaded. It was lunch time in the Great Hall after a rough morning of classes. The fifth years had so much homework that they would probably have no free time at all during the rest of the week. Everyone was happy for a short break. That is, everyone except Scorpius.

He had gone to the Hospital Wing after Care of Magical Creatures to see if Madam Boot could do anything about the gash on his cheek. She could only heal it a little, she said, but Scorpius knew better. Madame Boot could heal cuts in seconds; she was never fond of Scorpius, so she probably wanted this to serve as a point of humiliation for him. It was now prickling unpleasantly because of the potion she had put on it. Then, since he was late to Arithmancy, Professor Jensen had taken off 30 points from Slytherin. Even worse, in Potions he had accidently mixed up pomegranate juice with salamander blood, causing his cauldron to explode, resulting with Professor Slughorn giving him a detention. Scorpius’s day was not going well. And all of this happened right in front of the taunting eyes of Rose Weasley. When lunch came around, he was not in the mood to eat anything.

Scorpius muttered, “I’m not hungry.� Marissa gave up and started to moodily pick at her salad. Scorpius noticed a lot of eyes from all around the Great Hall were staring at the wound on his cheek. It seemed as though the whole school knew about the Malfoy/Weasley fight, and most people were amazed that Rose had the nerve to do that to someone. Having people staring was an uncomfortable experience. Scorpius stood up from the bench, pulling slightly at the collar of his shirt. Marissa looked up at him hopefully, starting to get up as well, but Scorpius stopped her. “Not now Marissa. Er…bathroom,� he mumbled. Marissa pouted, sitting down again, pushing her shiny brown hair out of her face.

Scorpius quickly left the Great Hall, swinging his school bag over his shoulder. As he walked down one corridor, he stopped, hearing voices. And the voices were way too familiar for him to ignore.

“…Rose, tell me exactly what happened. Now.�

“James, I really don’t want to talk about it right now.�

James Potter was sitting on the bottom of one of Hogwarts’ many staircases, Rose Weasley standing in front of him.

Scorpius quickly pressed his back against the nearest wall to make sure that he wasn’t in their lines of vision. It didn’t take much guesswork to figure out what they were talking about.

James was not one to be dissuaded. He stood up heatedly, towering over his cousin. “Rose, I mean it. Tell me or I swear-�

“You swear what, exactly?�asked Rose, narrowing her eyes and putting her hands on her hips. It was times like these where she sounded almost exactly like her mother. “You don’t scare me James.�

“Oh yeah?� James grabbed Rose’s shoulder, for she was turning away to leave. “You do know that I know about your diary, right?� Rose whipped back around, her face pale.

“How did you find out?�

“I heard you and Lily talking about how you were both keeping one,� said James, smiling naughtily, now knowing that he had her right where he wanted her. “It would be horrible if someone was to, say, make copies of it and distributed it to your whole year.� This was so like James to threaten to use a person’s weakness to get information.

“You wouldn’t,� Rose whispered.

“Oh, but I would.�

Rose paused for a moment, defeated.

“Fine,� said Rose finally. “I’ll tell you. But tell me why it’s so important for you to know.� James ran a hand through his auburn hair.

“Because you’re like a little sister to me, Rose. Also, you’re family. And I protect family. Now tell me exactly what happened between you and that slimy git, Malfoy.�

Scorpius shifted his position so he could hear them better. Rose then said the entire tale, with some minor changes. She left out everything about Scorpius harming her in any way, and Scorpius wondered why, for showing that he was some sort of horrible beast in this tale would have made him get into heaps of trouble with both the Potter and Weasley families.

When Rose was done, James looked at her admirably. “You punched him in the face?� He sounded awed. “Did the prat cry?� Before Rose could speak, Scorpius decided to make an appearance.

“No, I didn’t Potter. Why? Would you have?� He strutted out right in front of them, hands in his pockets. James looked murderous, while Rose looked slightly terrified.

“How much did you hear, Malfoy?� Rose said quietly.

“Oh, enough. So, Weasley, what secrets do you have hidden in your diary?�

Even though she blushed a livid scarlet, she kept her head held high and said, “Nice face, Malfoy. Don’t you think it’s a bit too early to wear your Halloween mask?� James stifled a snigger.

Scorpius retorted, “Nice bracelets, Weasley. I didn’t think purple was really your color.� Rose put her hands behind her back, hiding them from view, where her hidden wrists were bruised a brilliant purple where Scorpius had gripped them.

James grabbed Rose’s arm and held it up to examine her wrist. After letting go, he asked his cousin roughly, “Did he do this to you? What else did he do to you that you didn’t tell me?� Rose cast a sideways glance at Scorpius and didn’t answer. James started to advance towards Scorpius, pulling out his wand. “You think its okay to harm my cousin and get away scot-free?� he growled.

Rose whispered “James, no, don’t. I’m fine, honestly…�

“No you’re not!� James snarled spinning around. Scorpius had to give Rose points for not shrinking away in the shadows. “Obviously, you aren’t capable of taking care of yourself. But I’ll deal with you later.� As he pointed his wand at Scorpius, the bell for the closing of lunch rang. This was a new addition to the Hogwarts school setup, for McGonagall thought it would be more orderly . As students scurried out of the Great Hall for their afternoon classes, James lowered his wand.

“You are so lucky that that bell saved you,� James said furiously. “Next time you mess with anyone in my family, Malfoy, I promise you, you will be very sorry.� He grabbed Rose’s arm gruffly, dragging her down the Transfiguration corridor, saying ,“I’ll walk you to your next class.� As James dragged her along, Rose glanced back at Scorpius. Her expression was still full of fear, yet her eyes were filled with vehemence. She turned back and continued to permit James to haul her along.

Scorpius clapped a hand to his forehead. How could he have been so stupid? First of all, it was dumb to even show James and Rose that he was listening to their conversation. Second of all, he shouldn’t have brought attention to Rose’s wrists, because James was so close to murdering him a minute ago. Rose was probably even angrier at him, because now James was furious with her. On the bright side, he managed to make Rose’s life a little more difficult, with James now harassing her, and he found out her one weakness: She owns a diary.

Why didn’t he think of that before? Most girls spill their hearts out into those things, and all this time while trying to discover what made her vulnerable, it was something so obvious that he didn’t he think about it. Maybe it was because he didn’t think that Rose was that kind of girl, or maybe it was because Rose was stupid enough to leave her secrets lying around in some notebook that anyone could read. Walking to Transfiguration, he realized that he could torture Rose all he wanted now, verbally, at least, because she would probably not tell James about anything anymore, because of his temper. His day brightening slightly, he continued to walk with a new satisfaction.