lost boy (BatSpider and Scorbus)

ϟ dinner that night ϟ

Bruce looks up into the eyes of his parents and they smile back down at him.
"I don't whether I can keep doing this. Blaise is sure to get suspicious soon." He tells them.
Bruce's father, Thomas, shrugs and his mother, Martha, reaches her hand out to him. Bruce's scampers up from the floor and stretches out for her hand, but only comes into contact with the rough texture of the painting. Bruce stays there for a moment, touching the canvas.
"I must get going to dinner. They'll be thinking where have I gone." Bruce tells them, turning towards the door.
Thomas nods and for the first time ever in Bruce's five years at Hogwarts, he talks "Goodnight, Bruce."
Bruce nods too. "Goodnight, Dad." He opens the door and checks if anyone is coming.
Martha calls out to him at the last moment. "Bruce, make some proper friends won't you?"
Bruce nods and leaves. It's far too late for that, he thinks.

*

Peter cuts into a steak pie and absentmindedly listens to Lorcan and Tommy Smith droning on  about Hufflepuffs chances at the Quidditch cup this year. His attention is elsewhere, watching the Slytherin table.
"I reckon we've got a chance in beating Ravenclaw!" Lorcan says. "Lysanders been lacking in practice over summer. Too distracted by Mums Nargle hunting and sending owls to his girlfriend."
Tommy chuckles and shakes his head. "Girls are the worst distraction from Quidditch! These are the sacrifices we aren't prepared to make!"
As the food vanishes and is replaced by desert, Peter adds into the conversation "That would be if any girls paid attention to you!"
Tommy shakes his head and ignores Peter, helping himself to apple pie. "Slytherins might have a chance this year though if Malfoy joins the team. Dad says his family were always good players."
Lorcan nudges Peter, gaining his attention again. "What about you Pete? Trying out this year?" He asks.
Peter shrugs, he was never into Quidditch like the other two.
"You've got just the right build for a good Seeker. Or maybe even a beater. Proper training and I reckon you could do good." Tommy tells him.
But Peter didn't hear him. He had just noticed Bruce coming in the Great Hall and walking hurriedly down the Slytherin table. Peter jumps up and out into the aisle between tables.
"Woah! What's got into you?" Questions Lorcan.
"I'll be a minute." He tells them before hurrying away to the Slytherin table. He just manages to catch Bruce before he gets to his friends. "Bruce, right?" He says, putting a hand of Bruce's shoulder who nods shyly."I just wanted to thank you for back there in Divination with the crystal ball. It was real kind of you. I thought for sure I'd lose it and well you know how Trelawny is about her crystal balls. I could help but notice-"
"Just cause I was nice to you doesn't mean I'm your friend you know?" Bruce snaps, shrugging off Peter's hand and gives him a infamous Slytherin scowl. "That's all it was, kindness. You really think I'd be friends with you?" He takes a step away from Peter.
"Well I just thought..." Peter says, clearly hurt.
"Well you thought wrong!"
Zabini has taken notice and rises from the table and joins the two, flanked by two more of his cronies. "Is this Puff Puff bothering you, Wayne?" He jeers. "Does the shit head not know his place? Probably a mudblood too. Hint: it's with the other troll brains other there." He points over to where Lorcan and Tommy watch closely. Bruce looks at his feet and shuffles them together.
"Really still using that phrase, Zabini? 'Mudblood' pretty damn shitty if you ask me." A voice says.
To Peter's surprise it's Scorpius Malfoy. He stands straight and confident, but his expression fails him, he's really not sure what he's getting himself in for.
Straight away Zabini breaks into a smirk and squares up to Scorpius. "What's your problem, Malfoy? Your father used it more than enough." He drawls.
"He may have. But I'm not a dull minded toe bag like him! And you shouldn't be too. Just leave this Hufflepuff alone, okay?" Scorpius replies, gulping and weakly smirking back. His whole tough guy act isn't very convincing.
Zabini steps back. "Whatever! Get back to your own table, Parker!" And he struts away, Bruce and the other two following closely behind him.
"Thanks!" Peter says, smiling widely over at Scorpius.
"Don't mention it." He mutters before going to sit back with Albus.
Peter follows him and sits beside him at the Slytherin table. He's greeted by glares from a few of them. But Scorpius and Albus just look him up and down curiously and then exchange a look. Scorpius shrugs at his friend.
"Seriously thanks so much about Zabini. I don't know what I'd do if that turned nasty." Peter tells him, smiling at them each in turn.
Albus purses his lips awkwardly. "Well he's a nasty character, what's a Hufflepuff doing starting a fight with him?"
"I wasn't starting a fight with them. I was trying to be nice to Bruce but he snapped at me."
"Bruce snapped?" Scorpius asks, exchanging a look with Albus again.
Peter nods confidently. "Yes. He told me just cause he was nice to me in Divination doesn't mean he's friends with me."
"I see." Albus nods.
"You two are in his house-"
"Oh well spotted!" Albus jumps in. Scorpius shoots him a weird look.
"What does Bruce do usually? In lessons or in the common room?" Peter looks hopefully between the two.
"He's quiet mostly. Reads a lot." Scorpius says.
"Yeah. Quiet dude and to be honest with you quite a geek. Never joins in with the bullying either but laughs along with them." Albus adds.
"I don't know what's up with him then. But I intend to find out." Peter says. He takes a slice of cheesecake from the centre of the table.
Albus smiles at him. "Well now you have your information, see you later." He turns away from Peter.
Peter crosses his arms across his chest. "I'd like to stay here if that's okay with you." After the Second Wizarding War, Professor McGonagall decreed that students could sit at whatever tables they liked, whether they were welcome at the other houses tables was a entire other problem. And other house were always never welcome at the Slytherin table.
Albus turns back to him and shakes his head. "Sorry but Bruce is right. Just cause Scorpius here stuck up for you doesn't mean we're friends with you!" He slides the plate of cheesecake away from Peter.
Scorpius scowls at his friend. "Don't be a Zabini, Albus. He's only trying to be nice. Sorry..." Scorpius thinks hard for a long moment, looking down into his chocolate pudding and biting his lip. "I don't actually know your name." He eventually admits.
"Peter. Peter Parker." He introduces himself. He wasn't really surprised, he felt like no one ever really noticed him.
Scorpius nods. "Right. This moody troll here is Albus Potter and the dashingly charming Scorpius Malfoy. Nice to meet you." He emphasises this proclamation with a twirl of his hand.
Peter nods. "Yeah I know who you are."
Albus nods too. "Yeah the retards who almost fucked up the entire timeline last year?" He says sarcastically. He starts stabbing at his pie with his fork and watching the smoke rise from it.
Peter shrugs and pulls the cheesecake back in front of him and digs in. "No. Your the guys that saved it and to put it bluntly you two don't have any friends, anyone apart from each other really. I think heroes deserve more friends." Peter looks to them for reactions. Scorpius is staring up at the enchanted ceiling. Albus is leaning forward on his hand and watching Peter.
"So you didn't actually wanna be our friends before we saved the world?" Albus asked.
Peter shakes his head hurriedly. "I just hadn't noticed before." Albus shakes his head and looks away from him. "You didn't know who I was before now."
"Yeah. That's true." It's Scorpius that speaks this time, snapping his attention back to the table. He turns in his seat to face Peter and extends his hand for him to shake. Which he does. "Glad to be your friend, Peter."