Harry Potter : Next Generation

Chapter 2 Scorp

I followed Rosie to the prefects cabin, grateful that we didn't have to sit next to or patrol with our house partner since Rosie was in Ravenclaw and I was in Slytherin. Especially since I hated my partner. Her name was Marissa Sheppard and she annoyed me to no end. I was just lucky she wasn't a pure blood enthusiast. That probably would've killed me. When I had first been placed into Slytherin, everybody had automatically assumed that I would be into all of the pure blood rules crap that my grandparents had fought for, but I had actually been raised in a really loving home. I know everyone thinks that my family hates everyone and that my grandpa deserved to go to Azkaban for his crimes against humanity blah blah blah. I get it. I've probably heard that from nearly every person I've ever met. And I get it, I really do. I'm ashamed of what my family did during both wars. That's why I want to become a healer, because even though nothing I ever do will make up for the pain my family caused, anything helps right? That doesn't mean I want to be an auror like Al though. I want to be a healer because yes, an auror would catch criminals to make up for my family of criminals and whatever and yes that would make sense, but an auror could possibly mean hurting people. Yes they are criminals, but if I've learned anything from my family it's the fact that that life isn't always a choice. The only reason my dad became a death eater was because when my grandfather messed up in his fight against Al's dad in the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort wanted to hurt him, but not physically. So they forced my dad to become a death eater. Contrary to popular belief my dad was actually a caring person. Or at least he is now. He knew he made mistakes and that he would never be able to make up for the the loved ones that died during the war, but he raised me differently. So yes, my parents and my family fought for Voldemort in the war , but NO I DO NOT believe that we as purebloods are entitled to better things than everyone else and I definitely don't think that muggle-borne don't deserve their magic. As it happens, neither of my best friends are purebloods. Rosie is a half-blood and Al is, well Al is three quarters or something like that but I doubt there's a word for it.

Actually I hadn't started being friends with Al until we were partnered for a potions project. We had both come in late and were the only two left to be partnered. The funny thing is we didn't actually realize who the other was until the end of class (it was a long time since it was a double period) and by then we had already become friends. Rose, however, didn't come around until third year. The two of us had always been competitive -which she told me once we became friends was because her father had told her to "beat the Malfoy boy in every test" or something like that- and had never gotten along, but once Al and I became friends it was inevitable that Rose had to like me at some point. Sure, we fought. We still do, all the time, but she had to hang out with me since Al was her cousin and I guess at some point we realized we didn't hate each other. We're still as competitive as ever though. Mostly during classes and quidditch. Rose plays keeper like her dad did. She's a people pleaser, to no one's surprise. It had started out because her dad really wanted her to, but she ended up really liking it. The three of us usually practice together on weekends now because Al and I are are both seekers, him for Gryffindor and obviously me for Slytherin. We...

"Scor" I felt Rose nudge me, "Scor."

"What?"

"Are you even listening?" She giggled, "Alice is gonna be mad at you."

"Of course I'm listening" I scoffed.

"What are we talking about then?" She raised her eyebrows, the way she did when she knew I was lying.

"Scheduled" I replied nonchalantly. Maybe if I sounded confident she'd believe me.

"Schedules for what?" She smirked.

"Patrols?"

"Scorp you weren't listening!" She whispered, lightly slapping my arm, "you looked totally deep in thought."

"Was not!"

"What were you thinking so much about? I know it must have been hard for you to put that much effort into a thought."

"Hey!" I said, "I resent that!"

"Of course you do" she said casually, "wait were you thinking about a person?" Now she grinned like the Cheshire Cat, "who was it?"

"Nobody" I said quickly. Not that I had been thinking of anyone in particular really. It had been more of a train of thoughts. But I really didn't want to tell her. I knew where that train had been leading because, like the Hogwarts Express, it always took me to the same place.

Rose. Always Rose. Well, maybe not always. It probably started around fourth year. We'd been friends for a year and I'd been friends with Al for two, but we came back from break that year and we were fourteen and somehow she'd gotten taller and prettier and she just kept getting pretty and how had I not noticed before how contagious her laugh was when I had seen her over the summer and her smile was contagious too and I couldn't help but look at her and whenever we hung out I'd make jokes just to hear her laugh, but I'd finally made friends who didn't judge me by my last name and I didn't want to ruin that. I still don't. So it went on and on and I accepted that because what else am I supposed to do? Plus, Al would kill me, then James, then Fred, then Hugo, then Louis.... gods she has a big family. But whenever I thought of her or was with her I couldn't help but smile. I wasn't going to tell her. Or anyone. Ever.