After the draining experience of their first day of lessons, Albus thought it could not get much worse. He was wrong. It could get far, far worse. Their day was an annoyingly Slytherin-centred day. They had Potions, Defence against the Dark Arts and flying lessons all with Slytherin. They did have a break with Muggle Studies in the afternoon with Hufflepuff (Muggle Studies had been made compulsory by Professor McGonagall ten years previously), but apart from that, they had only Slytherins for company.
It didn’t help that the Potions master was the head of Slytherin. However, Professor Varys Sorensen, despite his long, slightly crooked nose and disturbingly angular face, was not as terrible as initially thought. He couldn’t be described as pleasant necessarily, but he was only slightly biased towards his house and treated all students with the same level of apathy. They had long benches for this session instead of the two person desks they were used to and each bench was half full, splitting the Gryffindors up. Reluctantly, Rose, Albus, Tristan and Frank went to sit on the front bench with two boys and a girl. The girl Albus recognised as Morgana Lark, who met Tristan with a small smirk and an almost imperceptible incline of the head. On one side of her was a tall boy with curly dark brown hair and strong bone-structure who glanced at the new additions to the table, but showed little interest. The last occupant of the table was a boy Albus had seen on platform nine and three-quarters at King’s Cross station. He was a boy with a shock of white-blonde hair styled so the fringe parted to the side. It was different to its appearance on the platform and was tousled as opposed to slicked-back. With that and his stony grey eyes, he could be no one else but Scorpius Malfoy.
Rose took the seat next to Scorpius with a look of distaste, probably due to the warning her father had given her about him before they left the platform and their brief encounter in the Great Hall. Scorpius did not return the look of distaste, merely sneered and said under his breath.
–Problem, Weasley?†Rose looked so shocked at being addressed that she merely flushed. Scorpius chortled lightly. –Good; I didn’t think so.†Rose grumpily pulled her Potions book from her bag and opened it at the page Professor Sorensen instructed.
They were learning about antidotes to the most common poisons. Albus’ answer of a bezoar did not gain the praise it deserved but was passed over without comment. Scorpius Malfoy’s suggestion of Curus Remedia, the most common revival potion, was greeted with a small incline of the head, but nothing more. Rose smiled smugly at Scorpius’ slightly disgruntled reaction at Sorensen’s indifference, but it was swiftly wiped off as she received nothing but a smirk in return and a slight shake of the head. They were not required to make their own antidote until next lesson because, as Professor Sorensen reminded them, at this point they were all far too incompetent to make one that would do anymore than provide an even more painful death. Instead they made many notes and were given oral tests on the supposed ‘holiday reading’ (Frank’s expression summed up Albus’ own bewilderment) they were supposed to do. Out of all Gryffindors, only Rose and, oddly, Tristan, could answer the questions with much ease.
Their homework was to write a foot and a half on the correct method to make the Curus Remedia antidote and its workings, in preparation for their next lesson. Albus groaned at this. It was their longest assignment so far, and on something he scarcely understood. Copying Rose seemed to be the only viable option again. As they were packing up their things in preparation for Defence against the Dark Arts, Morgana finished quickly and came to stand in front of Tristan with a playful grin on her face.
–Oh, cousin! Gryffindor? Really?†She shook her head, giggling. –Mother will not be happy,†she added in a singsong voice. Tristan gave her a withering look as he stuffed his copy of Potion Practitioners: Volume I by Randolph Weylin into his weathered bag. He snorted sarcastically at her words, but did not appear angry to Albus’ eyes.
–And we wouldn’t want to disappoint Aunt Pansy, would we?†he replied mockingly before continuing, –Merlin’s beard, Morgana, she’s not even my blood relative.†Morgana was still simpering when she shrugged dismissively. Tristan went on as he slung his satchel over his shoulder: –And I’m not sure Uncle Donovan will mind. Or need I remind you about the conversation he had with the Sorting Hat about Ravenclaw-†Morgana held up a silencing hand before glancing around.
–All right, Tris’, I get your point. But keep your voice down; there’s no need for you to further ruin my reputation.†With the comment came a furtive glance at Albus and Rose before her eyes returned to her cousin. Albus assumed her comment was a reference to her cousin being placed in Gryffindor instead of the traditional Slytherin. Tristan seemed to find something funny about her last sentence.
–Good one, Morgana, well, you might want to start by ditching Malfoy over here if you’re so worried about reputation.†Tristan threw a disproportionately dirty look at Scorpius who did not appear fazed and merely tightened his lips into a small smirk before saying:
–I would be offended by that, but considering the source, I think I can take it.†Tristan squared up to Malfoy, the calm draining from his face to be replaced by a confrontational scowl.
–And what’s that supposed to mean exactly?†he asked tersely, ignoring Morgana’s pleas of ‘Tris!’ Malfoy chuckled to himself amusedly and Albus noted how the room had cleared, apart from Effie, Xander and Theron who had come to join the show. Scorpius leant forward slightly before saying quietly, but loud enough for those closest to hear:
–How’s your dad lately?†Everything started happening very fast from that point: Tristan lunged forward, Morgana squeezed between him and Scorpius and was nearly knocked over in the process, Xander and Theron were holding Tristan back and all the while Scorpius stood still, unmoving.
Eventually Tristan calmed down and was escorted out of the room in a flurry of curse-words by Xander, Theron, and Effie as they headed towards Defence against the Dark Arts which would begin in a matter of minutes. The people left in the room were still in slight shock, but all their eyes were on Scorpius who quipped, –What? Is there something on my face?†His voice was dripping with mock concern. They were not laughing. Rose picked up her bag and swung it on her shoulder, grabbing Albus and Frank by the elbows.
–Shut up, you git.†she spat with a glare before dragging the boys towards the door. Malfoy wasn’t letting her go that easily as he picked up his own bag and continued after her.
–Oh, Rosie, you wound me.†She spun on her heel, eyes blazing as she marched up to him.
–Don’t –call-me-Rosie. You toad!†she spat as he whirled around in a theatrical manner laughing mockingly, contorting his handsome features.
–Oh, Weasley, stop; I don’t know how I’ll ever recover!†Rose seemed to be too incensed to form coherent words so just made a noise akin to ‘errghhh’ at a particularly high octave before turning back to Albus and Frank and marching towards Defence against the Dark Arts. Albus dimly heard Morgana mumble to Scorpius:
–Great start at the making friends thing Malfoy, keep it up.†Albus half-smiled. Tristan was right - Morgana wasn’t too bad - for a Slytherin, anyway.
Defence against the Dark Arts with Professor Merric was one of Albus’ favourite lessons so far. He may have been a new teacher but he brought a fresh approach to the course. Once they had all taken their seats - Rose and Tristan at the opposite end of the room from Scorpius - a very small part of the session was taken up by introductions and note taking. He did a short exercise where they all had to say their names and a bit about themselves (proving difficult for Tristan and Xander), but it was quite interesting for some. For example, Una Macmillan’s father was the Minister for Education, Ernie Macmillan, Seth Darkin could speak fluent Mermish and Effie’s mother was an actress in the Muggle world. They then were told to get their wands out and get into pairs to practice the disarming spell ‘Expelliarmus,’ having perfected the hand movement earlier and recited the spell orally.
Albus couldn’t help but laugh to himself slightly when Rose was paired with Scorpius Malfoy. He himself was put with Hector Bartlett, the other boy sitting on their bench during Potions. He was not friendly exactly, but neither was he unpleasant. It was fastest reactions first to begin with. Nearly every single time, Albus disarmed the stronger, taller boy without too much trouble – though he bested Albus at times. Tristan was adept at disarming his cousin - however she caught him out a couple of times as well. Theron thought he had done it successfully, but Margot Aventine had merely dropped her wand accidentally.
Rose was furiously disarming Scorpius Malfoy with almost too much success until at one point he said: –Now, now, Rosie, you’re upsetting me.†Rose tightened the grip on her wand and began:
–Don’t. Call. Me-†she was cut off, however, as he disarmed her, catching her wand dextrously in his left hand with a brilliant smile on his face. –Give me my wand back, Malfoy,†she said steadily, although it was obvious she was seething. He didn’t make a movement to give it back to her but just twiddled it between his fingers.
–Please. ‘Give me my wand back Malfoy,’ please,†he amended, a smirk playing on his lips. Rose gritted her teeth and Albus paused, transfixed and worried about what was about to happen, resulting in Hector Bartlett disarming him for the first time. Albus didn’t really understand why Rose was getting so het-up by him. Sure, he was a bit of a pain, but still not as bad as Albus had been expecting. It seemed as though, if you treated him with respect, you would receive the same, or as far as he could manage, in return. Rose, however, had not figured that out.
–Euck, you’re so full of it. Give me my wand back or I’ll, I’ll-†she seemed to be searching for something intelligent to say but she found nothing in the vast chasms of her brilliant mind. Albus noted, as he took his wand back from Hector, how the pair on the other side of her - Effie and Tobias - had also stopped to watch. It was only a matter of time before Professor Merric noticed and Albus felt that couldn’t come a moment too soon. Scorpius was sneering at Rose in such a way that Albus knew whatever came out of his mouth was not going to alleviate their already strained relations.
–You’ll what? Splutter at me some more? Cause, as intimidating as that is, I think I can-†Scorpius was prevented from finishing that sentence by something that surprised Albus more than anything. Rose whirled towards Albus, dug the heel of her palm into his wrist, opening his hand slightly, but enough for him to lose grip on his wand. She took this opportunity, seizing his wand with more agility than Albus realised she possessed, an eleven inch phoenix feather set in alder, and quicker than any of them realised what was happening, aimed his wand at Malfoy.
–EXPELLIARMUS!†she cried with a flourish. Both his wand and hers flew into the air and she caught them with some grace. Albus made a private note to himself to pick Rose to be on his team next time they played five-a-side Quidditch (and also to never annoy her). She took a step towards the victim of her rage who covered up his slightly startled expression with a chuckle - a reaction that Albus did not feel was a wise one. Scorpius held his hands up in mock defeat and spoke lightly.
–Whoa there, Weasley, I get your point.†He lowered his hands before continuing. –You’re not half feisty for such a small thing,†he paused as she threw him a threatening look. –What? That was a compliment! Anyway, I’ll be having my wand back, if you’d be so kind. You can’t very well keep on disarming me without one.†Rose stretched out her hand with Scorpius’ wand in it and Albus hoped for a vain moment that she might just let it go. He underestimated her wrath.
She retracted her hand with a short cackle. –Ha! As if.†Scorpius didn’t appear angry, just smirked at something behind Albus and Rose. They both froze as a new voice entered the conversation.
–Is everything all right?†Professor Merric asked knowingly. His shrewd expression gave the indication that he knew very well that everything was not all right. However, Rose nodded and Scorpius assured him that everything was just fine, prompting a stunned look from Rose. Professor Merric was evidently not convinced.
–Give Mr Malfoy his wand back, Miss Weasley; like he said, you can’t disarm him without one. And I think Mr Potter would appreciate his as well.†Rose blushed, realising he had heard their exchange, and handed the ebony and white ash wands back to their owners. Professor Merric began to walk on before adding: –Just...keep it clean, please.†Scorpius laughed and Rose looked at him stonily but she didn’t quarrel with him for the remainder of their session.
By the end of Defence against the Dark Arts, Albus was rather exhausted. As fun as Professor Merric’s teaching style was, he didn’t think he could stand another showdown between Rose and Malfoy. He didn’t have a chance to discuss it with Rose at lunch as she scuttled off to the library to do her work (their work). The next time he saw her was during Muggle Studies but Professor Aria Hinks interrupted with her talk on Muggles ‘religious’ belief systems, or, as she called them ‘the origins of Muggle societies’. They would make their way through the main and most basic of their beliefs and the effects it has had on their world before examining some of the key points in Muggle history which have shaped them today and their substitutes for magic. Albus could not imagine the Slytherins sitting through this class without some form of protest. Especially when having to write essays on Britain’s transition between the ‘pagan’ polytheistic religions and their central monotheistic ones: a broad and annoyingly lengthy topic.
By the time Albus arrived on the grounds where they were practicing for their flying lesson, he was, unusually for him, not in the mood. However, when he glimpsed the old but perfectly fine-looking rows of Firebolt 3.0s Albus wanted nothing more than to be in the air. The flying coach was Madam Chang. Around the same age as his parents, she was petite with dark hair and a warm face. She smiled at them when she saw them all and told them to each find a broom. She instructed them to place a hand above the brooms and say in a clear, calm voice: –UP!†On the count of three they all attempted this. Everyone needed at least a few attempts before their broom would do anything but lie on the floor, with the exceptions of Albus, Tristan, Morgana and Scorpius who managed it on their first or second attempts. Next were the instructions on how to mount the broom and not slide off and perfecting the grips. Again, the same sort of people had their grips spot on, while others were still struggling with the thought of being off the ground.
Madam Chang requested that on her whistle they kick off from the ground with their feet, rise a few feet and then return to the ground. However, on the whistle, Effie kicked off a little too hard and, instead of being a few feet off the ground, had drifted about twenty feet high. Albus’ instincts reacted faster than his logical thought. He leant forwards, gripping the handle and shot up towards her; however, at that exact same moment, someone else had the same idea. The second saviour was a mere second behind him and Albus did not register who it was until Effie slipped off her broom and was tumbling down with a scream. Albus was too high - level with her broom - but Scorpius was just the right height to grab her grasping hand, swinging her up and hauling her onto his broom.
Albus looked down dumb-founded. Scorpius Malfoy. Scorpius Malfoy! He could scarcely believe it. However, as he returned to earth shortly after the pair with a gentle landing, he realised his eyes were not deceiving him. Effie was still clutching Scorpius’ arm in shock and he looked at her edgily, evidently wishing she’d let go. A couple of his fellow Slytherins gave him low whistles and Morgana congratulated him, even smiling at Effie in what Albus guessed was supposed to be a kind way. Even Xander and Theron managed to pat Scorpius on the back. Rose embraced Effie, glancing curiously at Scorpius over her shoulder. Albus didn’t see what expression he gave her in return, but whatever it was it made Rose’s brow furrow in confusion. Polly and Cliona were fussing over Effie, asking if she was alright when Madam Chang blew her whistle.
–Potter, Malfoy, over here!†The two approached the front of the group of first years where their instructor was. She wore a slightly stern expression. –Just a couple of questions boys: do I have a broom?†They did not respond at first, baffled by the simplicity of the question. Eventually, after a furtive glance at each other, they nodded in confirmation.
–Correct, I do in fact have a broom. And am I, or am I not your flying instructor and former Seeker for the Argent Arrows?â€Again they nodded, seeing where this was going. –Just one, final question lads: does that indeed make me more than qualified for saving an eleven year old girl from a rather unpleasant fall?†They nodded one final time, acknowledging that that was in fact the case.
–Good, just checking. In which case, I’ll have twenty points from your respective houses and detention on Friday night for the pair of you. I’ll send the details forward.†Albus and Scorpius stared at her, the former with his mouth slightly agape. –I think you two have had enough flying for one day. You can watch from over there.†She pointed to a slightly raised bit of land nearer to the castle. They silently put down their brooms and began to make their way over to the spot she had indicated towards when her voice stopped them.
–Oh, and lads,†they turned around sullenly to see what further complaints she had, but were surprised to see her with her usual warm expression back, –well done. You’d be assets to your teams.†She broke into a small, secret smile, before turning back to the other students with a neutral appearance. Albus and Scorpius looked to each other simultaneously and Albus’ allowed a fleeting grin to escape. He thought Scorpius was about to return it, but thought better of it and merely said:
–Nice catch, Potter. Oh. Wait,†he quipped, smirking as he marched forwards. Albus stood watching him for a moment, trying to imagine what detention with just the two of them was going to be like. He did not understand Scorpius Malfoy, but one thing he was certain of was that he wasn’t what he seemed. As Albus followed him to their exile, a little voice in the back of his head told him that there was a lot of that going around at Hogwarts and he was inclined to agree with it.
Albus Potter and the Midnight Thief by Alice Mac
Chapter Endnotes:
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