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Ah, September. The best part about the month is that I could see my friends again after a long summer apart. My Daddy still didn't know who my best friends were, but I did list a few names he and Grandfather would approve of, like Gregory Goyle Jr., a third year, Louisa Parkinson, my year, and Chrissa Flint, also my year. All of whom were the children of Daddy's schoolmates. Ugh.

At Platform 9 ¾, I spotted Albus and Rose with their families. Like last year, their younger siblings, Lily and Hugo, were complaining about how they wanted to go to Hogwarts this year instead of waiting until the next year.

Mum and Daddy kissed me goodbye, and I boarded the Hogwarts Express to meet with Albus and Rose, who had managed to find a carriage to themselves.

"About time, Scorpius!" Rose smiled. "I was beginning to think that your parents weren't going to let you get on!"

"Ah but why wouldn't they?" Albus got up to hug me. "I'm sure Scor's parents want him to get a good education, especially after getting top scores for last year's exams."

I smiled for the first time in weeks. "Both of you did too, right?"

Rose made space for me so sit next to her. "Oh definitely. My parents expect nothing less. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny were surprised by Albus's scores, though. But now they have really high expectations for him this year."

I sat next to Rose, welcoming the scent of homemade bread and honey emanating from her. Her eyes were as beautifully blue as ever. I could have looked into them forever, but it had already gotten awkward when I first looked at them.

An hour later, the snack trolley lady rolled her cornucopia of sweets to our carriage, where Albus proceeded to buy the entire contents of the trolley. He explained that his father had done the same in his first year. I couldn't complain, though.

***

Time had flown so quickly, that I barely noticed that it was December until Rose started talking about Christmas.

"I can't wait until Christmas!" she exclaimed. "This year, Mum and Dad are letting me stay here at Hogwarts."

"I'm staying for the holiday, too, with Jimmy!" Albus was obviously very excited.
I had almost forgotten. "My parents are letting me stay too!"

Rose started a group hug with Albus and I. "Oh we're going to have so much fun over the holiday!"

When the holiday finally started, we hung out in the Slytherin Common Room, which had been emptied of occupants. Apparently, Slytherins' families were very overprotective of their children.

But on Christmas Day, Rose decided to change things up.

"I'm getting bored of being in this dungeon all day. Can we go hang out in the Gryffindor Common Room today?"

We had to agree. Albus was eager to see his brother, James. I was eager to see the legendary Gryffindor Common Room.

When we entered the room, I immediately felt the inviting warmth of the roaring fire and the surrounding couches, which Rose, Albus, and I took over.

James came down the stairs, and was knocked over my Albus, who unexpectedly jumped up to hug-tackle him.

"JIMMY!"

James looked peeved. "Don't call me that! And what are you doing here?"

"Rosie let us in!"

"Oh she did? Wait…Who's 'us'?" He looked at Rosie, then to me. His eyes widened in shock, and then he scowled for half a second, then immediately started laughing. "Rose! You let Malfoy in?!?!"

Albus frowned at James. "He's my best friend! Of course she let him in!"

James composed himself. "Do Mum and Dad know about him being your friend?"

Albus turned around and looked at me sheepishly. "No…I haven't told them yet. But they know he's my roommate, because we're both Slytherin second years."

James pushed Albus off so he could stand up. "And what about you, Rose? Do Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron know about Scorpius?"

Rose stared into James' eyes defiantly, her eyes watering. "No." Immediately following that single word, tears steadily trailed down her cheeks. "Don't tell them, please don't! Daddy would kill me if he found out! He doesn't understand that Scorpius is different from his father!"

At that moment, I wanted to run to her side and defend her, but I knew it wouldn't help the situation. I didn't like the thought of someone making Rose cry, though. So instead, I intervened from where I was.

"My parents don't know about this either, James. I don't intend to tell them for a while. Please stop interrogating us so we can continue talking to each other in peace. If you wish to join us, then, by all means, join. But please let us have peace." I felt odd, speaking diplomatically.

James stared at me, dumbfounded. I actually got him to shut up! "Okay, Malfoy. I will leave you three to yourselves. I won't tell anyone either, as Rose requested." James nodded at us, and left the Common Room.

Tears continued to flood Rose's face, which she hid behind her hands. "I'm sorry Scorpius! I didn't think this would cause any problems! Jimmy is so mean sometimes."
Albus got to her first, wrapping his arms around her to calm her down. I suddenly felt awkward. Out of place. Theirs was a close-knit family, and I was just an outsider.

Rose looked up at me, the blue in her eyes accented against the red of her face. I acted on impulse, and joined she and Albus in their embrace. Despite the awful turn of events, I knew our friendship had grown stronger.

***

Before I knew it, the last day of my second year arrived. It wasn't as cheerful as the end of the first year. The sky was gray and the Black Lake was…black. Albus and I sat in the Slytherin Common Room, listening to the seventh and first years complaining about the weather, and bad omens.

One first year boy was bawling. "This means my entire school career here will be AWFUL!"

Seven seventh years were in a corner, two girls weeping. I heard one of the guys in their group say to one of them, "Ginger, this isn't a bad omen! This means that we will have good adult lives!"

Ginger looked at the glass ceiling as the giant squid passed overhead. "But…This isn't how I wanted to remember Hogwarts…"

He kissed her before she could say anymore. They both looked so happy. The three other girls in the group sighed, and the other two guys smirked.

That one action made me think. That girl was quite unhappy and that one kiss made her infinitely happier. I stared at the two, making out in the corner of the room, oblivious to the entire world. I imagined doing that with Rose, but it didn't seem right. No matter how much I fancied her, we were both too young to be anything but friends.

On the Hogwarts Express, Rose, Albus, and I all shared a carriage to ourselves again. Barely an hour into the ride, Albus fell asleep, curled up on the seat across from Rose and I.

"Oh he's so cute when he's sleeping!" Rose cooed. It was true. He was so small for our age, and his eyelashes were long.

Before I could say anything to her about it, Rose fell asleep too. Her head lolled onto my shoulder, and she shifted her hand for support…right on top of mine. I belt blood rush to my cheeks, and through my reflection in the window, my cheeks were past pink, and were now red. I was at a loss. What should I do? I can't move without waking her.

I concluded that the only thing I could do was fall asleep too. I rested my head on top of Rose's, and watched the gloomy scenery in the window go by until I drifted off to sleep.

Unfortunately, when we woke up, it was time to part.

I had to say my goodbyes to Albus and Rose on the train, because our families would obviously disapprove of us being friends. I got off first, to avoid suspicion, and Mum welcomed me with open arms. Daddy stood right next to her, his gray eyes not reflecting his smile.

"Did you enjoy your second year at Hogwarts, Scor?"

"Yes Daddy."

"And what about your friends? Junior? Louisa? Chrissa?"

What? Who are they?...Uh oh! It dawned on me that listing the children of Daddy's friends as my friends meant that he could talk to their parents about me. And I never hung out with them.

His eyes bore into me, with an intensity that could rival that of Headmistress McGonagall, but he kept his fake, but convincing, smile. "Their parents don't hear much about you from them, and I don't hear much about them from you. Is there something you want to tell me?"

I looked back towards Albus, Rose, and their siblings. I caught Rose's eye, and I could see that she sensed something was wrong.

When I didn't answer, Daddy spoke again, with a stern tone. "Let's go, Scorpius. We can talk at the manor."

Oh no! He used my proper name! He knows! I took Mum's arm and we all apparated to the grand foyer of Grandfather's manor. It was hard to stay calm as I awaited Daddy's interrogation.

Daddy asked Mum to leave for a few minutes for a 'father-son talk'. Mum giggled, and left. Daddy turned around to look at me. "I know why you aren't hanging out with your classmates. Don't try to deny it."

"Don't kill me, Daddy, please!"

"Do you really think I would do that to my own son? No. This is nothing you should hide from me. I always find out." Then, when I was certain I was going to be brutally murdered, Daddy's stern eyes turned soft and understanding, a hint of a grin on the edge of his lips. "There's a girl, isn't there?"

What? Suddenly, I realized that I wasn't in trouble. But a small part of me also realized that he got my situation right on the nose.

"Oh…er…Yes, Daddy. How did you know?"

"Oh Scor, do you really think I'm blind to the signs you blatantly express to the world? I was a boy too, you know."

"Yes, I guess you were." I tried to look bashful.

"So, who is this lucky girl?"

I knew it was coming, but I hoped I was wrong. What was I supposed to say to him? That I fancied the daughter of one of his nemeses? Well, it was worth a try. "Her name is Rose."

Daddy nodded. "A name befitting my son's taste, most definitely. Is she a Slytherin?"

"Actually…She's from Gryffindor."

Daddy wrinkled his nose a tiny bit. "Well, I guess that is to be expected. Slytherin girls don't tend to be on the pretty side. Could you describe her to me?"

"Er…She has fair skin, blue eyes, her hair is curly, and she is really smart."

"My son, I believe you have made a good choice! Some advice though. Tell me next time, okay?"

"Okay."

Daddy dismissed me, and I went straight to my room, relieved that the day was finally over.

Description
Ah, September. The best part about the month is that I could see my friends again after a long summer apart. My Daddy still didn't know who my best friends were, but I did list a few names he and Grandfather would approve of, like Gregory Goyle Jr., a third year, Louisa Parkinson, my year, and Chrissa Flint, also my year. All of whom were the children of Daddy's schoolmates. Ugh.

At Platform 9 ¾, I spotted Albus and Rose with their families. Like last year, their younger siblings, Lily and Hugo, were complaining about how they wanted to go to Hogwarts this year instead of waiting until the next year.

Mum and Daddy kissed me goodbye, and I boarded the Hogwarts Express to meet with Albus and Rose, who had managed to find a carriage to themselves.

"About time, Scorpius!" Rose smiled. "I was beginning to think that your parents weren't going to let you get on!"

"Ah but why wouldn't they?" Albus got up to hug me. "I'm sure Scor's parents want him to get a good education, especially after getting top scores for last year's exams."

I smiled for the first time in weeks. "Both of you did too, right?"

Rose made space for me so sit next to her. "Oh definitely. My parents expect nothing less. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny were surprised by Albus's scores, though. But now they have really high expectations for him this year."

I sat next to Rose, welcoming the scent of homemade bread and honey emanating from her. Her eyes were as beautifully blue as ever. I could have looked into them forever, but it had already gotten awkward when I first looked at them.

An hour later, the snack trolley lady rolled her cornucopia of sweets to our carriage, where Albus proceeded to buy the entire contents of the trolley. He explained that his father had done the same in his first year. I couldn't complain, though.

***

Time had flown so quickly, that I barely noticed that it was December until Rose started talking about Christmas.

"I can't wait until Christmas!" she exclaimed. "This year, Mum and Dad are letting me stay here at Hogwarts."

"I'm staying for the holiday, too, with Jimmy!" Albus was obviously very excited.
I had almost forgotten. "My parents are letting me stay too!"

Rose started a group hug with Albus and I. "Oh we're going to have so much fun over the holiday!"

When the holiday finally started, we hung out in the Slytherin Common Room, which had been emptied of occupants. Apparently, Slytherins' families were very overprotective of their children.

But on Christmas Day, Rose decided to change things up.

"I'm getting bored of being in this dungeon all day. Can we go hang out in the Gryffindor Common Room today?"

We had to agree. Albus was eager to see his brother, James. I was eager to see the legendary Gryffindor Common Room.

When we entered the room, I immediately felt the inviting warmth of the roaring fire and the surrounding couches, which Rose, Albus, and I took over.

James came down the stairs, and was knocked over my Albus, who unexpectedly jumped up to hug-tackle him.

"JIMMY!"

James looked peeved. "Don't call me that! And what are you doing here?"

"Rosie let us in!"

"Oh she did? Wait…Who's 'us'?" He looked at Rosie, then to me. His eyes widened in shock, and then he scowled for half a second, then immediately started laughing. "Rose! You let Malfoy in?!?!"

Albus frowned at James. "He's my best friend! Of course she let him in!"

James composed himself. "Do Mum and Dad know about him being your friend?"

Albus turned around and looked at me sheepishly. "No…I haven't told them yet. But they know he's my roommate, because we're both Slytherin second years."

James pushed Albus off so he could stand up. "And what about you, Rose? Do Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron know about Scorpius?"

Rose stared into James' eyes defiantly, her eyes watering. "No." Immediately following that single word, tears steadily trailed down her cheeks. "Don't tell them, please don't! Daddy would kill me if he found out! He doesn't understand that Scorpius is different from his father!"

At that moment, I wanted to run to her side and defend her, but I knew it wouldn't help the situation. I didn't like the thought of someone making Rose cry, though. So instead, I intervened from where I was.

"My parents don't know about this either, James. I don't intend to tell them for a while. Please stop interrogating us so we can continue talking to each other in peace. If you wish to join us, then, by all means, join. But please let us have peace." I felt odd, speaking diplomatically.

James stared at me, dumbfounded. I actually got him to shut up! "Okay, Malfoy. I will leave you three to yourselves. I won't tell anyone either, as Rose requested." James nodded at us, and left the Common Room.

Tears continued to flood Rose's face, which she hid behind her hands. "I'm sorry Scorpius! I didn't think this would cause any problems! Jimmy is so mean sometimes."
Albus got to her first, wrapping his arms around her to calm her down. I suddenly felt awkward. Out of place. Theirs was a close-knit family, and I was just an outsider.

Rose looked up at me, the blue in her eyes accented against the red of her face. I acted on impulse, and joined she and Albus in their embrace. Despite the awful turn of events, I knew our friendship had grown stronger.

***

Before I knew it, the last day of my second year arrived. It wasn't as cheerful as the end of the first year. The sky was gray and the Black Lake was…black. Albus and I sat in the Slytherin Common Room, listening to the seventh and first years complaining about the weather, and bad omens.

One first year boy was bawling. "This means my entire school career here will be AWFUL!"

Seven seventh years were in a corner, two girls weeping. I heard one of the guys in their group say to one of them, "Ginger, this isn't a bad omen! This means that we will have good adult lives!"

Ginger looked at the glass ceiling as the giant squid passed overhead. "But…This isn't how I wanted to remember Hogwarts…"

He kissed her before she could say anymore. They both looked so happy. The three other girls in the group sighed, and the other two guys smirked.

That one action made me think. That girl was quite unhappy and that one kiss made her infinitely happier. I stared at the two, making out in the corner of the room, oblivious to the entire world. I imagined doing that with Rose, but it didn't seem right. No matter how much I fancied her, we were both too young to be anything but friends.

On the Hogwarts Express, Rose, Albus, and I all shared a carriage to ourselves again. Barely an hour into the ride, Albus fell asleep, curled up on the seat across from Rose and I.

"Oh he's so cute when he's sleeping!" Rose cooed. It was true. He was so small for our age, and his eyelashes were long.

Before I could say anything to her about it, Rose fell asleep too. Her head lolled onto my shoulder, and she shifted her hand for support…right on top of mine. I belt blood rush to my cheeks, and through my reflection in the window, my cheeks were past pink, and were now red. I was at a loss. What should I do? I can't move without waking her.

I concluded that the only thing I could do was fall asleep too. I rested my head on top of Rose's, and watched the gloomy scenery in the window go by until I drifted off to sleep.

Unfortunately, when we woke up, it was time to part.

I had to say my goodbyes to Albus and Rose on the train, because our families would obviously disapprove of us being friends. I got off first, to avoid suspicion, and Mum welcomed me with open arms. Daddy stood right next to her, his gray eyes not reflecting his smile.

"Did you enjoy your second year at Hogwarts, Scor?"

"Yes Daddy."

"And what about your friends? Junior? Louisa? Chrissa?"

What? Who are they?...Uh oh! It dawned on me that listing the children of Daddy's friends as my friends meant that he could talk to their parents about me. And I never hung out with them.

His eyes bore into me, with an intensity that could rival that of Headmistress McGonagall, but he kept his fake, but convincing, smile. "Their parents don't hear much about you from them, and I don't hear much about them from you. Is there something you want to tell me?"

I looked back towards Albus, Rose, and their siblings. I caught Rose's eye, and I could see that she sensed something was wrong.

When I didn't answer, Daddy spoke again, with a stern tone. "Let's go, Scorpius. We can talk at the manor."

Oh no! He used my proper name! He knows! I took Mum's arm and we all apparated to the grand foyer of Grandfather's manor. It was hard to stay calm as I awaited Daddy's interrogation.

Daddy asked Mum to leave for a few minutes for a 'father-son talk'. Mum giggled, and left. Daddy turned around to look at me. "I know why you aren't hanging out with your classmates. Don't try to deny it."

"Don't kill me, Daddy, please!"

"Do you really think I would do that to my own son? No. This is nothing you should hide from me. I always find out." Then, when I was certain I was going to be brutally murdered, Daddy's stern eyes turned soft and understanding, a hint of a grin on the edge of his lips. "There's a girl, isn't there?"

What? Suddenly, I realized that I wasn't in trouble. But a small part of me also realized that he got my situation right on the nose.

"Oh…er…Yes, Daddy. How did you know?"

"Oh Scor, do you really think I'm blind to the signs you blatantly express to the world? I was a boy too, you know."

"Yes, I guess you were." I tried to look bashful.

"So, who is this lucky girl?"

I knew it was coming, but I hoped I was wrong. What was I supposed to say to him? That I fancied the daughter of one of his nemeses? Well, it was worth a try. "Her name is Rose."

Daddy nodded. "A name befitting my son's taste, most definitely. Is she a Slytherin?"

"Actually…She's from Gryffindor."

Daddy wrinkled his nose a tiny bit. "Well, I guess that is to be expected. Slytherin girls don't tend to be on the pretty side. Could you describe her to me?"

"Er…She has fair skin, blue eyes, her hair is curly, and she is really smart."

"My son, I believe you have made a good choice! Some advice though. Tell me next time, okay?"

"Okay."

Daddy dismissed me, and I went straight to my room, relieved that the day was finally over.