Besides a new green rug rolled out in the center of the room, the Slytherin Common Room hasn't changed. Trios of black leather couches sat in their groups around the room while silky green curtains were draped over plexi windows that viewed the black lake. The large fireplace flickered with silvery flames and black marble made columns that held up the mantel, and the roof. The dungeon was damp and dark, lit only by yellow lanterns and the flickering fireplace, but, in a way, it was home for the Slytherin house.
"Girls to the left, boys to the right," the prefect reminded them as they entered the Common Room. The first years were getting their tour of the castle and would make it to the Common Room just before curfew. Until then, they had the Slytherin Common Room to themselves -- with the others in the Slytherin house, of course. Studies and classes started the next day and Albus was willing to take it easy before then.
"Albus," Isabella followed him to a lone pair of armchairs made of glossy, black leather and wood. She didn't say anything else, rather had hoped he was already sharing her thoughts. It wasn't unlike Professor Hurrwood to disappear a few days out of the middle of the year -- she called it training when in reality she was dealing with some Dark Arts threat before it arose to the Ministry's ears -- but Albus liked to think that Hurrwood liked her job enough to stay until she was bitterly old, or at least until he had graduated.
Professor Hurrwood had a very unique style of teaching. And it helped that she was also a Slytherin alumnus, she liked to give away extra house points for no real reason at all. But those extra handful of points never got them close to winning the House Cup, but it was a little bit of sentiment before big exams or quidditch matches.
Of course, he liked some of the other professors as well. Like Slughorn. The old buffoon was close to collapsing from his age, but still manages to hobble around castle with his cane in one hand and his thick cloak draped over the other. Then there was Professor Longbottom, but neither Isabella nor Albus had taken a Herbology class since their second year.
Shouts erupted in the corner of the room. Albus broke away from his own thoughts to see a group of five taller boys surrounding a much skinnier and paler one: Scorpius . He stood with a pair on either side, one holding tightly to his green tie while the other laughed. Albus recognized them, the same bullies that stole Scorpius 's socks every Christmas. Heat pitched his cheeks, Albus wasn't sure if he was suppose to do anything at all -- or whether or not he'd even be thanked for it. Some of the other students' eyes flickered to the commotion, but no one dared to intervene.
"I said, 'where'd you put my books', bleeder," said the largest boy in his white polo and tie loose around his neck, "I asked you to get them before you came here." He was easily a foot taller than Scorpius and three times the weight. Albus recognized the boy as Garret Goyle. His followers were a collection of square shaped boys he recruited at the beginning of the year. Ironically, Garret was the son of the same boy who followed Scorpius's father during the second wizarding war.
"Did you loose them already, nimwit?" Scorpius hissed back, pushing Garret back to release his tie, "I even got you the dumbed down version, that'd way your tiny brain can attempt to comprehend basic apparition."
"You making fun of me?" His chubby face twisted with the kind of genuine confusion one would only see on clueless bullies. He looked to one of his minions, "Is he making fun of me?"
"You know, I think he is," said the skinniest one; Zane Zalini, the boy who had the cleanest looks, but the foulest personality. He snickered to himself, "then again, all Malfoys are bloody ferrets -- spineless little weasels!"
"Why you-" Scorpius made a jump for Zalini, but two of the idle boys hooked their arms around his and held him back. Most the other kids were scurrying off to rooms to avoid watching the fight, and the Slytherin prefects would be back soon with the first years. Albus jumped to his feet and clenched his fists.
"That's enough, Goyle!" Snapped Isabella from behind him, "You leave the boy alone! Weasels are people too!"
"Isa!" hissed Scorpius through his teeth, warningly.
"She's right," Albus crossed his arms to hide his clenched fists as he approached the much taller boy, "You'd better drop it before you let this get out of hand. Wouldn't you just hate if one of the prefects decided to show up with an audience?"
"You think I'm scare of them, Potter?" snapped Garret who too crossed his arms, "If you think I'm going to back down to some lowly prefect, you've got another thing coming."
"Unless you'd be willing to take his place, little Potter," added Zalini, pushing his face towards Albus's. Suddenly, Albus wasn't so confident, just bitter. His eyebrows scrunched together, and he tried to glare at Zalini, but he couldn't hold his gaze for long, "In that case, be our guest!"
"Enough!" Isabella hissed and slapped the boys' arms off of Scorpius, "You should be ashamed, you fly-eatin load of rubbish!"
"A what?"
But Isabella didn't answer as she grabbed both Albus and Scorpius's arms and dragged them to the furthest trio of empty couches. Curfew was going to hush them soon, but they had a few minutes to cool down beside the plexi windows. She huffed as she slumped into one of the couches and leaned back against the glass and crossed her arms across her chest, the black lake a dark backdrop behind her.
"A fly-eatin load of rubbish?" Albus cracked a smile as he too sat on the couch and lead against the window. It was then he noticed her lips pressed firmly together and eyes casted downwards, sparking with frustration. But it quickly vanished under pink blush when she realized exactly what she had said before -- it wasn't exactly a well thought out insult. She stuttered over some words, trying to piece together a thought to explain herself.
"A fly-eatin. Load of. Not peice of, mind you. Rubbish," Scorpius broke it down for her, separating each though as if it were a separate insult all on it's own.
"How did you even come up with that? I mean, were you trying to intimidate them, or embarrass yourself?" Albus added, letting go of a soft chuckle. He then mimicked Isabella's higher voice, "Weasels are people too!"
"I didn't even realize--!" She covered her mouth, "It just slipped out! I was in the moment saving your sorry arse." She quickly tried to point at Scorpius, who took the seat across from her. He just laughed, throwing his head back and clutching his stomach.
"Isa, please," Albus shook his head, a smile pitching his cheeks, "Never change."
***
Scorpius had retreated to his dorm the moment the first years began to flood into the common room. He wasn't sure how, but his luggage was already ransacked. His sneakers were tied to the ceiling fan by their laces and his scarf was knotted around a post of his bed. The candies is father gave him form a recent trip to Austria littered his bed and Garrett sat happily across the room with chocolate smudges on his cheeks. Scorpius scowled and clenched his fists.
His many years at Hogwarts were torture. Because of his father's failure during the second wizarding war against voldemort, his name earned snickers and disgrace each time it is said. Scorpius was sick of the teasing. Last time he gave Zane the satisfaction of a punch to the face, they lost 50 house points.
The dorm was a square room with a four poster bed against each wall. There were three of them, with green comforters and a spare wool blanket folded at the end. A heater sat in the middle, it's chimney shaped like an elbow disappeared into the cobblestones of the room. A silvery fur carpet sat on the floor and their trunks at the foot of the bed. Scorpius had to share his room with Zalini and Goyle for the past 6 years, and they always kept a stock of sharpies under their pillows.
"Hey," Albus knocked on the already opened door, "get your stuff. I got someone to swtich with you."
A square shaped boy, taller than the door frame, leaned forward to get inside the room. He recognized his fellow classmen as Harvey Hughes, the quarter-giant of the Slytherin house. Harvey gave a crooked toothed grin, squinting his eyes into another pair of smiles. Scorpius released a breath he didn't know he was holding and unclenched his fists. But dread quickly returned, was the giant aware of who it was exactly he was switching rooms with. He picked up on Scorpius's indifference and stated, "You can make i' up to me, 'warf. Maybe wen History of Magic exams start rollin' aroun'. "
"This is against the rules, Potter," Snapped Goyle, "If you think we won't tell the prefects about your little switch-"
Albus snuck his tongue out at Goyle. "Well, come on!" He exclaimed, waving Scorpius out of the room. Scorpius didn't hesitate this time, grabbing what he could and lugging his trunk behind him. He didn't even look back when literally left the giant to the wolves. Then he looked at the black haired boy he followed behind.
Did Albus Severus Potter really just save him? Was that allowed? Were they breaking some unspoken rule, shouldn't they be sworn enemies or something of the like? And why was it this year, of all years, that a Potter took pity on Scorpius? Questions swirled around his head. Today, he lost his spot on the train and had to sit with Albus Potter. Then, he had narrowly avoided a fight in the Slytherin Common room because of Albus Potter. And now, he was switching rooms with a half giant to save his own skin because of Albus Potter.
They arrived in a room not much further down the hall that was identical on the inside. A scrawny, red headed boy scowled when he saw Scorpius. He didn't know him. In fact, Scorpius couldn't recall a single class they ever had together during the past 6 years. He bit his tongue then looked back at Albus Potter-- who collapsed backwards on his bed and kicked off his shoes when they walked in.
"Thanks," He forced himself to say, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"Don't thank me," Albus said shook his head, "It was Isa's idea." Then he glared with disdain at the ceiling, " It took a little effort getting Piers to agree, but Isa has that covered too. Thank her tomorrow."
"Just to be clear, here," squeaked the boy, who crossed his arms across his chest, "He's going to stay on his side of the room. He's going to stay quiet so I can finish my homework. He's going to leave for the holidays so I can have the dorm to myself. And if I so desire, I can stay up all night to study and he isn't permitted to complain."
"I didn't agree-"
"Yeah yeah," Albus waved his hand and sat back up, "Give Piers his space and you'll never see him. Promise. Hurry up and get to bed you two, we got classes tomorrow."