Thank you so much for the wonderful chocolate apple you sent me. I haven’t eaten any of it yet because I’m waiting to share it with you when you get back to Hogwarts.
I’ve been very busy here. Rose has decided to help me revise which is very kind of her, but I’d rather it was you. She’s very patient but doesn’t reward me like you do.
Scorpius chuckled. His idea of a reward was another kiss “ not exactly a hardship. He looked back at the letter, ignoring Pomme who was hopping up and down on the windowsill.
I’m glad your granddad is better. I expect coming out of St. Mungo’s helped. You grandma must be pleased to have you there, so I hope it’s not too horrible for you.
Scorpius frowned slightly over the last sentence. He hadn’t realised he’d complained about being at Malfoy Manor for Easter. He didn’t mind being here “ not really “ it was just a bit dull. Sometimes he read to his granddad, but most of the time the old man slept. He’d sit with him and read his textbooks, or complete his homework, but he was very bored. When his parents had decamped back to London, Scorpius felt obliged by the look of loneliness on his grandma’s face to stay for the whole holiday, but Merlin he missed Hogwarts.
It wasn’t just his sneaking around with Lily, either. Vaisey had asked again if Scorpius would return as Seeker but now couldn’t practise with the team. He’d taken to flying in the Manor grounds using acorns as Snitches, soaring high in the sky, then swooping down to claim his prize. Sometime his grandma would seat his granddad outside, and the old man would watch him for a while, before dozing off again.
Pomme’s soft squawk reminded him of the letter in his hand and he carried on reading.
Al has been holding practise session after practise session, so I’m exhausted. I crawl into bed, absolutely shattered, only to be woken up by Natalie wanting to talk about Al. Urgh! You can’t imagine how horrible it is to hear her going on about how she loves kissing him. For Merlin’s sake, he’s my brother “ the whole thing is gross.
Anyway, I should go as Rose wants me to go through a Charms book with her, and I want to get this sent to you tonight. Merlin, I wish you were here. I’m missing you loads. Hope you like the present.
Love “L.L.P.
xxxxxxxxx
Re-reading the letter, and smiling over her slapdash writing, Scorpius reached out his hand for the small package Pomme had left on his desk. He opened the box and grinned, for inside were tiny chocolate and honeycomb Snitches that had been Charmed to fly into his mouth as soon as he unwrapped one. Tearing the paper off, he watched one rise into the air, but before he could open his mouth, Pomme swooped across and caught it neatly in his beak.
“OI!” Scorpius complained. “She sent them to me.” Then as Pomme began to choke, he smirked. “That serves you right, you greedy git.”
Unsticking Pomme’s beak, Scorpius picked up his quill and parchment. “If you want to stay and have another one, then you can,” he said, “but I want you to take a letter back, okay?”
Pomme nodded, satisfied with the deal.
Apple-Queen.
The Snitches are wonderful. I had to give Pomme two of them because he was so exhausted from the flight, but I shall save the rest for when I see you.
Thanks for asking about Granddad. You’re right, he is better now he’s at home and Grandma is pleased I’m here, too. It’s been very dull, though, and I can’t wait to get back. Still, at least I’ve managed to do some revision without much distraction. Tomorrow, Grandma has invited some guests for lunch, which should keep them both busy. I think I’ll scoot off to Diagon Alley to stock up my Servicing kit. My Firebolt is incredible. I’ve been skimming through the fields every day; its acceleration just gets better and better.
He loved being able to write to her about things like this. In the past, his girlfriends had been interested in Quidditch only because they were interested in him. Talking to Ariadne about broomstick specifications had set her yawning.
The only thing missing is you flying alongside.
I’m bored here, Lily, and miss you, too.
Love
S.H.M.
xxx
Did that sound too sappy? He wasn’t sure, but ... he did miss her. He missed Lily in his arms, on his lap, kissing him soundly. He couldn’t wait to slide his hands around her waist, slip his fingers under the gap in her shirt, caress her smooth skin with his lips, and watch as she quivered under his touch.
Merlin, he’d never wanted a shag quite so badly.
“The porridge will be quite cold, now!” he heard his grandma say as he sidled down the stairs for breakfast. “Why can’t the boy ever be on time?”
Because I was in the middle of a particularly luscious dream about my girlfriend, Scorpius thought, smiling as the image of a half-dressed Lily flitted back into his mind.
“Sorry, Grandma,” he said breezily. “Mmm, porridge, lovely.” Picking up his wand and ignoring her look of disapproval, - his grandma didn’t approve of magic at the dinner table - he cast a quick Warming Charm on the porridge and helped himself to cream and sugar. “Who’s coming over today?”
“Don’t speak with your mouthful,” she admonished, but smiled at him so he knew she wasn’t cross. “A few old friends, that’s all.”
There was something about the way she glanced across at her husband that made Scorpius pause. A tacit understanding passed between the pair of them, making him wary.
“Which old friends?” he asked, trying to sound casual.
“People we knew from school, darling,” she prevaricated. “Now, once you’ve finished your breakfast, why don’t you go flying? Your grandfather needs to rest and I have a few things to sort out before our guests arrive.” Patting Scorpius on the cheek, she clapped her hands for the house-elf and instructed her to clear the table.
“Are Mum and Dad coming over?”
Narcissa shook her head. “They’ve gone away for a few days. Oh, and do make sure you wear your smartest robes.”
Scorpius stirred his porridge and thought furiously. His Grandma seemed almost too eager for him to attend. “I was planning to go to Diagon Alley today,” he said. “I need some things for school.”
“You can go tomorrow,” she said, but her suggestion sounded very much like an order.
“No,” he replied coolly. “I need to go to the Quidditch Supplies shop, and they’re not open tomorrow. Owner is taking a holiday.”
“Quidditch,” she scoffed. “Scorpius, that is hardly important.”
“I’m sure I’ll only get in the way here, Grandma.”
He was not imagining it. There was something going on. He could see from the way she looked at his granddad, and the way the old man was staring back that these visitors were important. However, he was pretty sure that if he asked straight out, they would fudge the issue and deny everything. He took a spoonful of porridge. “Thing is, Grandma, I said I’d meet a friend there, and it would be pretty rude to -” He stopped suddenly, shocked because his grandfather had grabbed his arm. It didn’t hurt because his grip was weak, but his granddad was remarkably tenacious.
“Scorpius,” he said, his voice slurring. “Stay.”
“Uh ... sure,” Scorpius replied, feeling uncomfortable under the old man’s stare. “I just thought you ... uh ... wouldn’t want me getting in the way.”
“That’s settled then.” His grandma’s words had an air of finality about it. “Enjoy your flying, Scorpius, but make sure you’re back in time to change for lunch.”
He stared at his porridge after that and watched it congeal in the bowl, his appetite gone.
He did fly, tried his hardest to shake of the air of despondency that was threatening to engulf him, but nothing could quite rid him of the gloom pervading his mind. Having missed several acorns in a row, and not feeling the usual ecstasy he felt in the air, Scorpius cut short his usual practise, and trudged back to the house.
He could hear the first guests arrive, his grandmother’s voice echoing through the hallway as she welcomed them and the rather loud felicitations from her guests as they greeted Lucius.
He’s had a stroke, Scorpius thought irritably. He can still hear properly!
Listlessly, he helped himself to another chocolate Snitch, hoping it would cheer him up, and smiled when it flew perfectly into his mouth. To keep his grandma happy, Scorpius dressed in his best robes of slate grey, and took care to smooth down his hair.
It’s just a few more days, he thought. I’ll be back at Hogwarts next week. It’s just a boring old lunch, with their boring old friends.
Not all the friends were old. Some he vaguely recognised from past parties at the Manor when he’d been paraded around as the eight-year-old heir-in-waiting, others he knew well “ one in particular was smirking as he walked through the double doors and into the drawing room.
“Scorpy, how lovely to see you,” Ariadne cooed from the hearthside where she was seated. She held out her hand, obviously expecting him to walk towards her, but he stuck firm to his spot until he felt a hand on his back.
“Ariadne is our guest, Scorpius, greet her properly,” his grandmother hissed.
“Why is she here?” he muttered back.
“She came with her grandparents who are very dear friends of ours,” she murmured and pushed him forwards again.
Scorpius cast a nervous glance around the room. Standing with another couple was someone else he recognised, but only because of her extraordinary close resemblance to her brother. “That’s Claudine Vaisey, why is she here? And who the hell is that?” he demanded when he noticed a tall, wispy-haired blonde sitting on the chaise-longue with a cocktail glass in her hand.
“Genister Avery,” his grandmother murmured. “Her father is a very influential journalist. You must know her; she’s at school with you.”
“Really?” He wracked his brain. “Uh ... possibly. Not a Slytherin, though.”
“No, a Ravenclaw, but it’s all right, darling. She is of good blood.”
Oh Merlin, what is she getting at?
“Grandma, I want a word with you,” he muttered.
“Later, darling,” she insisted as she smiled and walked with him towards Ariadne.
He shook off her arm. “What is going on?”
“I just want you to be sociable,” she said with a smile firmly attached to her face.
It was a smile he’d seen before, usually when she was persuading his dad to do something; the smile his mum called a siren’s grimace, luring people to their deaths. His dad, Scorpius knew, would surrender to his mother’s will, his only act of rebellion had been marrying a girl not of their choosing. Astoria, though, could not be persuaded into a course not of her own making and would dig her heels in, even if she agreed with the outcome. With contrasting thoughts in his mind, Scorpius allowed his grandmother to lead him towards Ariadne and Claudine.
“No kiss, Scorpy,” Ariadne trilled, and pouted when he ignored her proffered cheek.
“Get lost,” he muttered, and shrugging off her hand as it tried to link with his, he turned to the other girl.
Vaisey’s sister was older than he was. Scorpius couldn’t remember her from school, but had a feeling she was a sixth year when he’d first arrived. Standing next to Ariadne, with a drink in her hand, she suffered from comparison with the younger girl. Where Ariadne was perfectly coiffured, with a curvaceous figure and delicate features, Claudine was “ there was no other word for it “ masculine. With broad shoulders, and a square chin, she looked more suited to playing Beater than attending a soiree. Not that she looked uncomfortable here, merely bored.
“Scorpius, this is Genister Avery,” said his grandmother, leading the last girl up to him. “Her uncle is an old friend of ours. Now, why don’t you give these three girls a tour of the Manor?”
“Er... sure” he said, trying to sound enthusiastic. “What would you like to see?”
“Too cold for outside,” complained Ariadne. She leant forwards, whispering, “I’d rather stay inside. Why don’t you show me your bedroom?”
“I’d rather hex my bollocks off,” he murmured, smiling all the while. He turned to Genister, deciding she was the least obnoxious of the three. “Genister... anything you’d like to see?”
“I hear Malfoy Manor has a good library,” she murmured. “I’d love to see that.”
“Library it is then,” Scorpius replied, and smiled properly for the first time that afternoon. “Do you two want to come along?”
Claudine shook her head, despite the nudge from her mother. “I’ll talk to you later, perhaps,” she said, sounding bored.
He didn’t ask Ariadne’s opinion, but knew from her familiar scent, that she was following them. “Library,” he said, opening both doors. He hadn’t lied to Lily about liking the library, for he’d spent many a day in here with the books when he’d been staying with his grandparents and bad weather had stopped him from flying.
“Yes, yes, wonderful,” Ariadne drawled as Genister went into raptures over the towering bookshelves stacked high with tomes barely touched in the years Scorpius had been around. “Why don’t you leave her here, and show me something more interesting?”
“Why are you so interested in being alone with me?” Scorpius retorted.
Genister burst out laughing. “Ariadne obviously thinks you’re about to choose her.”
“Choose her?” He creased his brow, puzzled at Genister’s words. “For what?”
“Sweet Rowena, do you really not know?” Genister mocked. She stopped speaking and pulled down a book, blowing the dust off the pages as she opened it. She started to read but at a cough from Scorpius, she lifted up her head and smiled. “Why do you think your grandmother has invited three witches from pure-blood families for lunch at Malfoy Manor, Scorpius?”
“Uh ... family friends to see Granddad?” he suggested, but in the pit of his stomach he could feel something churn.
Genister looked across at Ariadne, highly amused. “You obviously keep your brains in your Quidditch shorts. Let me rephrase that: three witches from pure-blood families “ of a marriageable age.”
“WHAT!”
“Ah, the Knut drops,” Genister replied, and turned back to the book. “Don’t worry, Ariadne, I’m not interested. You can duel with Claudine.”
“Sorry,” Scorpius spluttered, wondering if by any chance he’d misunderstood her. “Are you seriously telling me that you’re here as ... uh ...?”
“Prospective brides, yes,” Genister said, ignoring Ariadne’s glare. “I thought arranged marriages had gone out with my grandparents, but apparently yours still think it’s worth a shot.” She flapped her hand at him. “Shoo, I’m perfectly happy here. You two can ... um ... disappear if you want. I won’t tell.”
“Not bloody likely,” Scorpius growled and headed out of the library barging past Ariadne, as he raced up the stairs.
In his room, he started packing, throwing the few books he’d brought with him into a bag, then rummaging on the floor for his homework. His grandparents would be furious, but he wasn’t staying for this.
“I think you’ve had enough.”
Scorpius squinted up at the buxom witch standing over his corner table. Nursing a glass of Firewhisky (his fourth or fifth, he couldn’t quite remember), he was inclined to agree with her.
“Yer right, Missus ‘Slongbottom. I really should stop now, but ...” He trailed off, looking around the Leaky Cauldron and wondering why the man at the next table with black hair looked so blurry. “Thing is ... I don’t know where to go. Do you have any rooms? I have money.” He peered into his moneybag. “Ah, sorry, I don’t, but I’m good for it. My family is very, very rich, you know.”
“Yes, Scorpius,” Hannah said, sighing. “I know all about your family. Shall I get them to collect you?”
He started to shake his head, stopping when the room began to spin even more. “My parents are away, an’ I can’t possibly see my gramp-grapp- gram ... uh... grandma at the moment. I sort of ran away.”
“I would give you a room, but I’m full at this time of year,” she said. Sitting down at his table, Hannah removed the glass from his hand. “Shall I call my husband? He could take you back to Hogwarts.”
“No, no, no,” Scorpius protested. “Thing is, Mishis Longbottom, I think I’m a bit pissed, so if I go back to Hogwarts, your husband will have to put me in detention. Couldn’t you jus’ let me sleep here at the table? I’ll be very, very quiet.”
“I can’t,” she replied. “The Ministry will be after my licence for a lock-in. Scorpius, you need to leave.”
“I have nowhere to go,” he said mournfully. “My gramma wants me to get married... at least ... I think that’s what she wants. There was this girl called Gen-something, and she said so. And another girl was there, ‘cept she looks like a man, and Ariadne who is,” he shuddered and flopped across the table, “just horrible.”
“Scorpius,” Hannah said gently but firmly, “you need to go home. Perhaps you misunderstood your grandmother.”
He stared at her open and kind face, wondering what she’d say if he told her why he’d run off. Would she tell him to return? Would she sympathise but call his grandma anyway?
“Nooooo, I didn’t. She said something about ‘good blood’, and with my family that can only mean one thing,” he said, trying to prop himself up on his elbow. Slipping off, he laid his head back on the table and scowled at the black-haired man who was watching the whole scene. “Thing is Mrs Blong... uh... Longblottom, I have this girlfriend, and I think it’s just possible that I like her a lot, which is lovely ‘cause she’s so bloody lovely, but difficult ‘cause everyone hates me. And that’s why I don’t have anywhere to go. No one likes me Mrs Loblott... uh... do you have a less complicated name?”
“Hannah,” she supplied.
“Soooo, can I call you Anna?”
“If you must,” she said, sighing. “Sorry, Scorpius, but you’ll have to leave when I close up.”
He tried to sit up. “Please,” he moaned. “I really have nowhere else to go.”
“Yes, you do,” said a voice from behind her. Looking up blearily, Scorpius watched as the man from the next table sat in the seat next to Hannah. “You can come back to mine and sober up, if you want.”
“Do you mean that?” he asked, blinking as he tried to clear his head, unsure the offer or the person in front of him was real.
“I’ve been sitting over there watching you for the past half an hour. You look like you need some help,” replied Teddy, who was now morphing his hair from black to light brown. “And you’re family.”
“I bloody love you,” Scorpius slurred and then passed out.
***
He vaguely remembered the journey home. Teddy had wrapped an arm around him, levered him out of his chair, and dragged him out of the pub. Scorpius remembered saying goodbye to Hannah, and he hoped he’d said thank you, but most of the journey back to Teddy Lupin’s was a blur.
“Your fireplace is bloody tiny,” he complained as he tripped over the hearthstone. “I could have Apparated. I passed first time.”
“Not when you’d had a skinful,” Teddy muttered and thrust him to the side and into an armchair. “And I’m not Side-Along Apparating with a drunk and risking getting Splinched.”
Scorpius looked around him as the room slowly came into focus. It was small, untidy, but there was a kind of homeliness about it, and also the sign of a female presence as evidenced by two coffee cups, one stained with lipstick.
“Victoire doesn’t live with me,” Teddy said, reading his thoughts. “We’re alone “ at least, we are for tonight. She’s out with the girls.”
“You really getting married?” Scorpius asked, his brain starting to clear. Teddy nodded and smiled. “Why?”
“Because I love her and she loves me,” Teddy replied simply.
“And no one minds,” Scorpius said and plumped himself into a cushion. “You’re allowed to marry who you want? That is so bloody nice.”
“Think I’ll leave you to sleep this off, Scorpius,” he heard Teddy mutter. “We can talk tomorrow.”
“You’re bloody nice as well, Teddy, you know that?” Scorpius replied and closed his eyes, hoping that the room would soon stop spinning.
It was a jet of ice-cold water that woke him up. Still clutching the cushion to his chest, he curled up and covered his head with his hands. Then, as he heard the sound of china touching the glass table, and smelt bacon, he opened one eye.
Teddy was sitting opposite him, tucking into a toasted sandwich and looking disgustingly healthy.
“How’s the head?” he asked in an unnecessarily loud voice.
“Uh...” Scorpius paused and sat up slowly. “Not too bad, actually.”
“Probably still drunk,” Teddy replied cheerily. “Anyway, there’s tea and a bacon sarnie. Have that and then you can fill me in on why I had to peel you away from The Leaky Cauldron.”
Scorpius took a sip of the tea, relishing the piping hot liquid as it soothed his dry mouth. With a rumbling stomach, he started on the sandwich, remembering that he hadn’t eaten a thing since the bowl of porridge yesterday morning.
“I should tell my grandma where I am,” he groaned. “I know she’ll be pissed off with me, but she’ll worry.”
“It’s taken care of,” Teddy replied. “Hannah Longbottom sent your grandmother an owl.” He grinned at the shock on Scorpius’ face. “Don’t worry, she didn’t tell them you were with me, she said you’d gone back to Hogwarts.”
“Wow, I owe her and you, as well. Thanks so much for this.”
Teddy shrugged. “As I said, you’re family even though we barely know each other. And you were saying a lot of very interesting things last night in the pub.”
“Was I?” Scorpius frowned, trying to recall exactly what he’d been talking about. He could remember buying his first drink. Sitting alone in the Leaky Cauldron, he’d stared wistfully at the glass wishing he wasn’t by himself but had someone he could talk to, or even just drink with. His friendships had always been made out of necessity and although he had enjoyed Vaisey and Flint’s company in the past, it was very much based on them being in the Quidditch team and “ more importantly “ being Slytherins.
“You mentioned a girlfriend,” Teddy said casually, but the look in his eyes belied his relaxed tone. “One that you liked a lot, but it was ‘difficult’. I take it you’re back with Lily.”
“Uh, yeah,” Scorpius muttered. “But, look, she wants it kept secret, so please don’t tell anyone.”
“She wants it kept secret.” Teddy raised one eyebrow. “But you don’t mind people knowing?”
“Uh, well, put it this way. Before the holidays, I wanted us to come clean. Lily wants to wait till after the exams.” He smiled ruefully, and took a gulp of tea before continuing. “I knew I’d get it in the neck from my family, but thought it would blow over.”
“And now?”
Scorpius drained the tea then slumped back on the sofa. “Grandma introduced me to three girls yesterday, all of ‘good blood’ as she put it. I remember Dad telling me she did the same for him, except he was older.”
“Your parents seem to be happy, though,” Teddy replied mildly. “At least that’s what Witch Weekly says whenever they write those interminable articles about them.”
Laughing, Scorpius leant back to the table, and started to eat the second sandwich. “They are happy, but my mum wasn’t one of the girls he was introduced to. He was supposed to marry her sister ... or so I’ve been told.”
“So maybe your family won’t mind at all about Lily?”
Scorpius shook his head and swallowed the rest of the sandwich. “Mum was still a pure-blood.”
“Is this your way of telling me you’re about to dump Lily?”
Hearing the implicit soft threat in Teddy’s voice, Scorpius hastily shook his head. “Just that I need to keep things secret, too ... at least for a while.”
Through narrowed eyes, Teddy studied him. Then in a move that Scorpius suspected was unconscious, his hair changed from the black he’d been sporting to a pale blue. “My grandma has told me a lot about the old times and the pressure she was under to marry properly. It takes guts, Scorpius, even in this age, to go against your family. Are you sure you can?”
Scorpius grinned at the seriousness in Teddy’s tone. “I’ll get my NEWTs, get a great job even if it’s not in the Auror Department, and then when I’m twenty-one, I come into part of my inheritance. It’s been set up since I was born; Grandma and Granddad can’t do a thing about it.”
At the mention of the Auror Department, Teddy shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Yeah, sorry about the Auror thing falling through.”
Scorpius pulled a face. He wanted to ask Teddy if he knew why he’d been rejected: if it really was his name, or being caught with Harry Potter’s daughter, but right at this moment, he wasn’t sure he could face hearing the truth. He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ll find something else,” he said nonchalantly.
And although Teddy looked as if he didn’t believe him, he nodded in agreement then changed the subject.
Because Victoire was due round at Teddy’s for lunch, Scorpius decided his best course of action was to leave way before then. Gathering up his possessions, (including the Quidditch supplies he’d bought in Diagon Alley and a small extra something for Lily) he wondered where to go. His parents were still away and would have set up anti-Apparition spells to guard against intruders at their London home. There was no way he was going to go back to the Manor, which left only one place: Hogwarts.
He arrived in Hogsmeade shortly after midday, and trudged up to the castle. He could see groups of children milling into the Great Hall; amongst the rabble, he caught sight of a swirl of red hair, so, with a loud clatter, he dropped his bag.
It worked. Lily turned her head and in an instant, she smiled when she saw him. He knew then that he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and snog the life out of her, but she was walking with her brother and quickly straightened her face.
Deciding not to go directly to the dungeons to drop off his things, Scorpius followed them into lunch, ruefully aware that there was no way he could sit with her, but would have to content himself staring across the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables to catch her eye.
He was in the middle of his chicken pie, and engaged in an amusing conversation with Flint when the owl arrived. He recognised it, and his heart sunk a little. Kronos was his father’s owl, a sleek tawny who stared disparagingly at the other owls as he swooped down to Scorpius. Landing perfectly (so unlike Pomme), he dropped his missive and then took to the air. There was no need to wait for a reply; his Dad obviously did not expect one.
“Merlin, what the hell have you done?” Flint gasped. “That’s a Howler; take it now and run, at least you might stop everyone hearing.”
“Can’t be arsed,” Scorpius replied, sounding a lot more laid back than he felt. His Dad had never sent him a Howler; he guessed his little escapade had not gone down well.
“HOW DARE YOU UPSET YOUR GRANDMOTHER LIKE THAT!” he heard his dad shout, the full force of his ire directed at Scorpius. “YOU KNOW WHAT SHE’S BEEN THROUGH RECENTLY. ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS BE PLEASANT, SCORPIUS. IT’S NOT A HARDSHIP. YOU WILL RETURN TO MALFOY MANOR IMMEDIATELY, OR ... OR ...”
The sound of his father spluttering made Scorpius smile. He could imagine his mum giggling in the background, and his mood lightened.
“I WILL PERSONALLY DRAG YOU OVER THERE BY YOUR EAR AND HEX YOU SO BADLY YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO SIT ON A BROOMSTICK AGAIN!”
He looked up to see the whole Hall staring at him, most of them openly laughing at his embarrassment.
Well, screw you all, he thought. Then, with a smirk, and using his best drawl, he stood up on his seat, and bowed to the entire room. “Glad to have provided you with some amusement. As you can hear, I’m not a popular boy at the moment.” He turned back to the Howler, which was still raging at him, and crossed his arms. “Merlin, doesn’t he go on!”
The pupil’s laughter continued, but this time it wasn’t all aimed at Scorpius. He glanced across to the teacher’s table and noting Professor Vector’s look of disdain, he took a last sweeping bow, and sat down when his dad finished ranting and the Howler burst into flames, covering him in a dusting of ash. Finishing his lunch in a much cheerier manner than he’d begun it, he gave Lily a quick wink when he caught her looking at him. She smiled back as she stood up to leave, but she was walking out with her brother and some other members of the Gryffindor team, so there was no chance of sneaking off with her now. Unless ...
Swiftly he downed his juice, and then picked up his bag. Rummaging surreptitiously through it, he found a tin of broomstick wax, and rolled it across the floor to her feet, just as he stood up to leave.
Before she’d spotted it, though, Potter had picked it up. Wondering what he was going to do, Scorpius gripped his wand tightly but took a step towards him.
Detaching himself from the other Gryffindors, Albus approached him. “This yours?” he muttered, holding it out to Scorpius.
“Yeah,” he replied, feeling uncomfortable. This was the first time he’d said anything to Potter since the incident in the prefects’ meeting. They’d been studiously ignoring each other in every one of their shared lessons.
“You back on the team, then?” Potter asked gruffly.
“Uh, yeah.” Merlin, making small talk with Potter was unbelievably hard. “Vaisey agreed with The Prophet that his brother was shite.”
Albus gave a stiff sort of smile. “Bad news for Hufflepuff if you’re really back in form.”
Ah, that’s why he’s being pleasant. Manipulative git. “Yeah, don’t worry, I’m not going to throw a game, Potter, not even if it does help you lose the Cup,” he replied icily.
“That’s not what I ...” Albus said and faltered. “Okay, perhaps it was, but ... uh ... thanks.”
As he handed the tin over, their fingers touched and for a moment, Scorpius had an absurd feeling that Potter was going to shake his hand. He pulled back. “Thanks for this,” he muttered, turning away.
“It’s cool ... and uh ... Malfoy ...”
“Yeah.”
Albus smiled again and raised his hand, showing the Howler ash on his fingers that must have transferred during their brief contact. “Parents can be so bloody embarrassing at times.”