ғᴏʀ ʏᴏᴜ | ғʀᴇᴅ ᴡᴇᴀsʟᴇʏ ᴛʜᴇ sᴇᴄᴏɴᴅ

15.

"Are you okay?" Riley asks as she jogs into the hospital wing.

"I'm fine, Riley. No need to worry about me." James laughs.

Fred gets up from the chair by James' bed and allows Riley to sit down. She nods in reply to the gesture. Riley looks towards James and his injured arm. Madam Pomfrey comes from behind the curtain which separates James from the rest of the wing.

"What's the damage then?" Fred questions.

"It's a deep wound but I've cleaned so it should heal pretty well." She notes as she inspects the cut caused by Gytrash.

"It will get better though." Riley sighs in relief.

"I must go now and tend to the others, you two can stay here for a little while longer, but then you will have to leave." Pomfrey notes.

She moves behind the sheet to the rest of the hospital as Fred stands behind the chair Riley sits on. James looks deep in thought as he stares at the wall. Riley looks up at Fred and he gives her a reassuring look.

"So, what do you think the next challenge could be?" Fred asks his concerned cousin.

"I'm not sure, I'll have to talk to someone. Riley?" James shifts his gaze.

"Yeah?" Riley replies, sitting up intently.

"Can you ask Bill to come to see me soon?" James requests.

"Um, sure. Uh, like when you get out of here?" She suggests, sinking back into her original position.

"Tell him I'll be in the library at 5 tomorrow." James states.

"Sure, just so you know James, it's earth." Riley looks at him as she gets up, angrily smoothing her skirt and leaves.

"What is she on about?" James now turns his attention to Fred.

"She knows just as much as Bill does, if not more, she pieced it all together at the tournament. She's not stupid James." Fred shakes his head at his best friend as he follows the girl out.

James sits there stumped, he hadn't thought about Riley and what she knows.

"Riley wait up!" Fred calls after the brunette as she hurries from the corridors. "Riley come on." Fred jogs to meet her.

"I really have to go, Fred, I need to tell Bill he's needed." She looks at him.

"I know, and I know we aren't on the best of terms but I just want to tell you I think you're right, as in, your actions are right." Fred stares at his feet.

"Well thank you, Fred. I gotta though. I'll see you around." She nods as she runs off in the direction of the great hall.

"See ya!" He calls after her as she turns the corner.

"Well well well if it isn't Mrs Potter." A Slytherin boy names Zelus Vilain says as Riley gets around the corner.

Riley continues to jog on ignoring the pointed face boy standing in the middle of the hall.

"Why so tense Potter?" He smirks.

"You know it's Riley Finnigan right?" Riley stops and catches her breath.

"Of course, how could anyone not know the name of the famous Riley, after all, you are the school's topic of interest." He rolls his eyes as he gets into Riley's face.

"What's that suppose to mean then?" Riley folds her arms over her chest.

"Everyone knows you. You're the girl that all the boys pass around, " he looks her up and down, "Still not sure why yet." He laughs.

"How dare you!" Riley looks at this boy whom she had never even spoken to before.

"Oh c'mon Riley, you're bound to know all this. I'm only here to ask when is it the Slytherin's turn? Look I'm going to be honest, cause no one else close to you will, Fred and James, and every other boy in this school, aren't interested in getting to know the real Riley, they all just one thing off you, I'm sure you can guess what." He finds this quite hilarious all until his face falls and his glare falls to the floor.

Riley turns around to see a bright-haired boy standing behind her. Scorpius. His nose, still with a yellowly tinge, flared. Eyes fixed on the slightly taller boy in front of Riley.

"What in Merlin's name do you think you are saying to her? HUH? You find this funny you foul cockroach, you disgust me Vilain, you're a disgrace to Slytherin!" Malfoy spits at him.

"I'm sorry Scorpius, I didn't think anyone was aro-"

"Well, I'd well like to hope you didn't think anyone was around! You never use your brain! If you ever thought for a second you'd realize how idiotic you are and how you are so incredibly wrong! NOW GET BACK TO THE DUNGEONS AND YOU BETTER NOT OPEN YOUR TRAP AGAIN AND BE THANKFUL I FOUND YOU AND NOT SOMEONE ELSE WHO WOULD RIGHTFULLY KILL YOU." Scorpius yells at the older boy.

"I'm sorry." Zelus says to Malfoy.

"Don't apologise to me, you pillock!" Malfoy is nearly bright red at this point.

"Sorry Riley." Zelus says looking at the floor.

He quickly turns on his heels and struts off down the corridor. As he does so he shoulders a small first-year Gryffindor. Riley wipes the tear that falls from her eye as she turns to Scorpius.

"Thank you Scorpius, I appreciate it." Riley musters a smile onto her saddened face.

"It's alright. Don't listen to him, he just a loudmouth, no one thinks anything he says. I'm really sorry." Scorpius at the girl in concern.

"No, it's grand. I've really got to go though." She waves as she runs in the same direction as her newfound number one fan.

But instead of meeting Bill, Riley runs straight to the basement. As she's let in she quickly hurries to her dorm and falls onto her bunk when she reaches it. Her sobs fill the room as Jade comes out from the bathroom in a panic.

"Riley? What's happened." Jade hurries over to the small bed.

"Is he right Jade? Is all the boys want from me is some sort of trade and not a friendship? Why does it have to be this way." Riley cries into Jade shoulder.

"What in merlin's beard did they say to you? Who's done this?" Jade says concerned.

"Zelus. He said the boys just want me for one thing and I can guess and they pass me around and he wants to know when it's Slytherin's turn." Riley sniffs.

"I'll kill him." Jade looks dead in Riley's eyes as she wipes Riley's tears with the pads of her thumbs.

"I think Scorpius is already planning on it." Riley admits.

"Scorpius?! What's he got to do with it? I'll kill him too!" Jade spits.

"No, he helped me. He was fuming and I think he's on his way to murder Vilian." Riley explains.

"Scorpius? Malfoy? Coming to help you? Strange....did he seem sickly at all?" Jade tilts her head.

"No, he was just angry with Zelus." Jade confirms.

"Good, I would've killed him if he'd let it slide."Jade cracks her knuckles.

"I guess he was there just when I needed him." Jade smiles.