Albus Potter, Classmates and Elves

Ch 4 The Sunday before Classes

Sunday morning at breakfast, Scorpius passed out copies of the maps Albus made to the students of Slytherin, starting with the first years. When Scorpius handed a map to Bellatrix Hanley, the fifth year female prefect for Slytherin, she snapped at him, "You did not have permission to make or hand out these maps. Give them to me."

Scorpius held up the maps, and Albus summoned them. Bellatrix stormed over to Albus, and while she was advancing on Albus, Scorpius pulled out more maps and kept handing them out.

"You ASK before doing anything in the Slytherin dormitory," Bellatrix screamed, trying to snatch them away from him.

Albus smiled, but did not say anything, as the other MELLs students took the maps from Albus and began passing them down the table.

"ANSWER ME, YOU MISERABLE MUDBLOOD!" Bellatrix raged, getting in his face and glaring at him.

"You didn't ask a question, however if you have any complaints, please complain to Professor Ollivander," Albus quipped. "Complain to Professor McGonagall. Or better yet, if you can, make your own maps to pass out."

"You DO run Slytherin," Henry Edington jested. All of the MELL Slytherin students, and several others, laughed, as Bellatrix stormed away.

At the end of breakfast, Robert Rosier sat down next to Albus. "I've been appointed captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, Albus," he noted. "I would like to find new members and start training as soon as we can. Could we hold tryouts this afternoon?"

Albus looked at the new first and second year students. "Are any of you good on a broom?"

Henry Edington promptly boasted, "I've played chaser in games in Switzerland, and played a similar position in America. I have been told I'm pretty good."

"I've played seeker, Albus," Adel Brandt piped in with, "I have been told I have a lot of potential. I know you are an excellent seeker, but I would like to learn."

"I've played a position comparable to your beater in some really rough games we play, and played beater in Swiss games as well," Harry Eseven bragged. "I have been told I have a lot of potential as well."

"I will let the older students know we are holding tryouts this afternoon," Robert confirmed with a nod, "but assume all of you will be meeting us right after lunch."

"Albus, I need to talk to you alone," Robert implored as Albus rose to leave with his friends, so he sat back down, nodding at them to go ahead. Once they were alone, Robert complained, "Look, I'm on the side of my dad when it comes to letting, letting, Oh, cram it. You are not Pure Blooded, and yet you and your brother are the best seekers Hogwarts has seen since your father. It would help with my father if you could find out if your allies are Mud ... I mean, are they pure? Slytherin just feels dirty with all these ... At least you are three-quarters pure, but some of these people are not even a little pure."

"If you want to win Quidditch games, pretend it doesn't matter," Albus suggested as he got up from the table. "If you want all the team to accept you as their leader, pretend it doesn't matter everywhere, not just on the Quidditch pitch. Cleo and I have to meet the Habsburgs in a few minutes, but you and I can talk after practice this evening."

"I would like that," Robert Rosier confirmed.

*

Albus and Cleopatra knocked on the door of Gabriel and Hermeli Habsburg's quarters precisely at 9:15 AM. Hermeli answered the door, and chuckled. "We were warned that often, when you asked for Albus, Albus and Cleopatra would appear."

Albus grinned, and did not apologize. Cleo beamed, acknowledging Hermeli's comment as if it was the biggest compliment. Cleo held onto Albus' hand as the two of them entered the Habsburgs' quarters. Hermeli waved the couple in, and invited them to sit on comfortable chairs. Albus noticed that what was probably a living room had been transformed into a modest sized meeting room.