ROSE WEASLEY AND THE MEMORY THIEF
Disclaimer: HP, the Wizarding World, and all those lovely canon names and characters are property of JKR, and we are just lucky enough to get to play in her sandbox. Everything you find here is a work of fiction, similarities to real life are totally unintentional. Additionally any fanart or extras you might find here belong to their creators, and will be credited accordingly.

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Welcome to our fic, belatedly being posted (and completed) by me (Tegz) and Ern (Cassirin). This story was first begun back in November 2011 as our joint effort at nanowrimo, which we won, so that gives you an idea of how much reading you have in store for you, over 100,000 words (mind you that's pre-editing). We're exclusively posting this here on SS for right now, so if you see it elsewhere... it shouldn't be. We are hoping to make our fic interactive so once we get things rolling keep an eye out for polls and opportunities to contribute. If you DO want to make any graphics or fan art, we would LOVE to have it. Anyone who does will be linked in this first post, either to individual works, or to shop posts or albums etc. Yeah we're probably too ambitious for our own good! Anyway, hope you guys enjoy! - Tegz

Chapter Guide
PART ONE
Chapter 1 - The Hogwarts Express
1.1 On The Platform (Scorpius)
1.2 Leaving the Station (Rose)
1.3 The Slytherin Carriage (Scorpius)
1.4 The Prefect Compartment (Rose)

Chapter 2 - Back at Hogwarts
2.1 The Welcoming Feast (Scorpius)
2.2 After the Feast (Rose)
2.3 Viridis (Scorpius)

Chapter 3 - Classes and Quidditch
3.1 Potions Class (Rose)
3.2 Everybody Crushes on a Weasley Girl at Least Once (Scorpius)
3.3 There Is Squishing (Rose)
3.4 Slytherin Tryouts (Scorpius)

Chapter 4 - The Hidden Journal
4.1 In The Slytherin Common Room (Scorpius)
4.2 Gryffindors in the Library (Rose)
4.3 Scorpius Discovers the Journal (Scorpius)
4.4 The Hidden Journal (Scorpius/Journal)

PART TWO

Chapter 5 - Hogsmeade and Halloween
5.1 Overthinking Everything. Like Usual. (Rose)
5.2 Hogsmeade Meet-ups (Rose)
5.3 Have Something Orange (Scorpius)

Chapter 6 - Games and Politics
6.1 Easier to Find if You're a Little Lost (Scorpius/Journal)
6.2 Hatstall (Scorpius)
6.3 When Lily Happens (Rose)
6.4 Old and New Rounds (Rose)

Chapter 7 - Christmas
7.1 Jayne Gets a Date (Rose)
7.2 A Date and a Favour (Scorpius)
7.3 I'll See You in Three Weeks (Scorpius/Journal)
7.4 Christmas at the Burrow (Rose)

Chapter 8 - New Years and Nuances
8.1 Hogmanay (Rose)
8.2 The Past is History (Scorpius)
8.3 The Study of Ancient Runes (Rose)
8.4 Like a Fungus (Scorpius)
8.5 Personal History (Rose)

Extras Guide
Book Cover (Tegz)
Nera Zabini (Tegz)
Jayne Wood (Tegz)
Apollo Burke (Tegz)
Rose and Scorpius (Stefan)
Book Cover 2 (Tegz)

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1.1 On The Platform

Oblivious to the usual hustle and bustle of Platform 9 3/4, Scorpius Malfoy abandoned his trunk to the porter who would stack it with the others piled at the end of the platform where the luggage car would soon appear. This year was the first time that Scorpius had seen himself off at Kings Cross. Partly fueled by the fact that his mother's usual goodbye kisses always made him blush and more often than not served as a source of embarrassment in front of his friends, it had seemed like a good idea when he'd thought of it during the summer. He was sixteen, he didn't need his parents to hold his hand and bring him to the station. He could get there on his own, meet up with his friends, and board the express without any unnecessary fuss. It had taken some arguing on his part and his mum had been pretty put out by it but eventually he'd managed to convince his parents to let him go on his own. The trouble was that he'd had to take the floo since he wasn't yet old enough to apparate, and it was a bit of a walk to the station through Muggle London. Really it had become more of a mission than he'd considered when he had first made the argument to be allowed to go alone. Come to think of it that was probably why his father had allowed it. A lesson in there somewhere. Draco Malfoy was big on lessons.

Scorpius didn't have any problem with Muggles, it was just that there were so many of them, and they were always in such a hurry. Even though he'd left early enough that he'd arrive well before the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station, Scorpius had still needed to fight the urge to hurry himself. It was as if the sense of urgency from the Muggles had infected him. It was hard to imagine that anyone could be so desperate to get somewhere that they would rush and barely say a word to apologize when they knocked into him, but all any of them did was pepper him with dull-eyed, preoccupied glances before looking away as if it had broken some sort of rule to never make eye contact with a stranger. Maybe wizards only apologized to people they barged into to avoid a hexing but Scorpius still found himself coming to the conclusion that, as a whole, Muggles were a bit rude.

"Malfoy!"

Almost as soon as he had deposited his trunk with the porter he was greeted by one of his dorm mates, a tall and lanky boy with teeth that Scorpius privately considered unfortunate. But, being as Vincent Nott was something resembling a friend, he chose not to comment on the other boy's large bucked teeth. This didn't of course stop others from doing so or stop Scorpius from secretly finding it funny when they did, unless it was a Gryffindor, in which case he was almost obliged to be bothered on Nott's behalf. Scorpius sauntered over casually and clapped Nott on the shoulder.

"Alright, Nott?"

"Alright." It was as if the boy's teeth were talking. Scorpius averted his eyes, glancing around for any of the others. Nott began talking about his summer, and what he'd been doing since he'd last seen Scorpius a few weeks earlier. Scorpius was only half-listening while he kept an eye out for his best friends, Apollo Burke and Takeshi Haneda. Takeshi would be exactly on time and no earlier, but Apollo was likely here somewhere already.

It was almost as if just by thinking about the tall Greek boy he had summoned him. Apollo appeared at his shoulder in that silent way he had, not bothering to say hello, and Nott continued to chatter on oblivious to the fact that he only had a fraction of Scorpius and Apollo's interest. Scorpius relaxed a little now that Apollo was there and continued to distractedly scan the growing crowd. The two boys stood head and shoulders above most of the children milling about, taller again than Nott by a head and a half. Still and watchful, they had none of the nerves exhibited by the overexcited first years about to take their first journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, they could afford to feel as if they were above it all. The badges which Scorpius and Apollo wore pinned to their chests further separated them from the masses and picked them out as students who were known by everyone, though perhaps not universally admired. Even the greenest first years would soon know their names. It could be a heady feeling at times. Apollo, Scorpius knew, relished in it. For Scorpius himself there was another level to the strange instant recognition of him in his position as Slytherin's Quidditch Captain, because he carried with him a particularly recognizable family name. Malfoy. It was one which caused whispers even still, even now, a generation on from the Battle of Hogwarts.

It was strange, he reflected, to attend school with the children of the people who had been on the other side of the war from your own family. Even if things were different now, there were some things that couldn't be overcome so easily. Some resentments and old prejudices remained. By this time Liam Pucey and Curtis Flint had joined them too and the boys stood around with their hands thrust in pockets, joking around while Scorpius remained silent and introspective, looking out over the throng and losing himself in his own thoughts.

"You're quiet." Apollo observed near his ear, and Scorpius shot him a small smile and a shrug.

"Everyone else is making plenty of noise."

"They usually do." Apollo agreed, "A quarter of a population of Gryffindors is a quarter of a population too many."

Nott chimed in with a comment about bloody Weasleys being everywhere and Scorp looked back at him, following the other boy's gaze to where a gaggle of them were milling about, laughing with one another and saying their goodbyes. It never failed to amaze Scorpius how many of them there were or how many of them seemed to turn out every year. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen a Weasley on its own. Nott made a derisive comment about rabbits and laughed at his own joke, but Scorpius found himself watching them thoughtfully. He almost wished his own mother was there after all to give him hugs and embarrassing kisses goodbye.

He was acutely aware that standing on the platform without his own parents or grandparents seeing him off made him look... well... lonely and unloved, he supposed, which matched up fairly well to what many thought about his family, but they didn't know. His family were close and he didn't much care for the looks he was currently getting, Nott's laughter having caught the attention of a few of the Weasley brood and their various hangers on. James Potter was looking smug and whispering loudly in Fred Weasley's ear. Fred's was nodding and chortling, his freckle dusted grin suggesting that he'd never heard a single thing funnier than whatever James had just said. Both boys stared directly at Scorpius, making it clear enough that he was the topic of conversation. Nott made a few more rude comments, seemingly unaware that he didn't have anyone's full attention, the antipathy of the rabbit-toothed sixth year towards the predominately Gryffindor family was blindingly obvious and entirely expected. Really it'd be stranger to begin the school term without it.

The train arrived and resulted in two things; a cheer going up from those gathered on the platform and a staring match of some intensity between the two groups of boys. Scorpius kept his expression stony, but he was seething quietly. While Fred and James weren't making any secret of their opinions, admittedly Scorp was reading into it a little more than necessary, his imagination filling in the blanks and deciding that the seventh year Gryffindors were obviously whispering horrible things about him and even worse, about his family. Someone pushed past Fred and James. Having said his goodbyes, Albus Potter was making to board the train. The other end of the carriage was closer to his family, and Scorpius focused on Albus in puzzlement, wondering why the younger Potter boy was coming the way that required him to push past himself, Apollo and Nott, when it would be easier to go the other way, towards where the porter was beginning to load the student trunks into the luggage car.

"What does he want, I wonder?" Apollo murmured. Scorpius had no idea.

"Alright, Malfoy?" Albus greeted him loudly and then, without waiting for a response, added, "Good luck with Quidditch this year, we've got a few tricks up our sleeves, you won't win the cup this time!"

It was clear to Scorpius that the other boy had said this intentionally to be heard by his brother and cousin, and Scorp was quietly startled when Albus winked at him. The mention of Quidditch though, that pulled Malfoy out of his little funk and he smirked at the elder Potter. The previous term Slytherin had won the Quidditch Cup led by Scorpius as captain, while James Potter, captain for Gryffindor, had to swallow defeat with Gryffindor in last place. The elder Potter's expression grew sulky and one of his younger girl cousins nudged him teasingly but Scorpius didn't see which one it was, only seeing a flash of red hair behind Potter's shoulder. Could have been almost any of them. He made to respond to Albus but the other boy had already boarded the train, apparently not intending to wait around for conversation. Apollo watched this exchange with a heavy-lidded gaze, like a lizard baking in the sun and eyeing up potential prey that was interesting enough to keep an eye on but too far away to expend any effort in catching.

"Made a new friend over the summer?" He asked in a low voice which brimmed over with the barest hint of curiosity.

"Hardly." Scorpius responded, and was about to say more when they were interrupted by the presence of Nera Zabini at his shoulder wanting his attention. Scorpius turned around only to be swamped by a hug.

"Mother said you were coming on your own and that Aunt Astoria was upset that you didn't want her to see you off." Nera reported, linking her arm with his and giving him a nudge. She fixed him with a look, made more intense by the glasses she wore. Nera's voice encouraging an explanation. Scorpius simply shrugged and resolutely turned away from the Weasleys to focus more completely on Nera.

"I felt like it." He said, trying for nonchalance, wondering if he'd set a precedence for himself and would have to come on his own next year too.

Nott and the other boys seemed impressed but Nera looked skeptical. She wasn't one inclined toward unnecessary adventures, a behaviour which she categorised as 'too Gryffindor', but she miraculously refrained from any sort of accusation of that variety.

"Well you better get on the Express before my mother comes over to give you a proper send off."

Scorpius looked around, a bit worried at that. It was a very real threat since Daphne Zabini, his mother's older sister, did tend to be quite affectionate and would probably embarrass him on purpose just to spite him so she could laugh about it later. His Aunt was nearby talking with her eldest daughter, this year's head girl Acantha Zabini, who was playing up the affectionate farewell to the best of her abilities and drawing quite a bit of attention for her efforts. Scorpius would say hello to his older cousin once they were all safely on the train. He nodded at Nera. She was right.

"We should claim our seats." She suggested and dragged Scorpius along, the other boys following behind like a small procession.

1.3 The Slytherin Carriage
Once they had boarded the train Nera went on ahead, leading the boys to the middle cars. They'd given up snagging a private car back in third year, generally preferring to take over one of the larger shared spaces. At first it had just been Scorpius, Nera, Apollo and Takeshi Haneda, but soon enough the majority of their Slytherin year mates, and a few others in the years directly above and below, had migrated to the centre of the train too. It was a definite snakes nest now; it didn't take long for younger students from other houses to get uncomfortable and move up the train to look for somewhere a little bit less intimidating. There were definitely more than a few brutish types currently residing in Slytherin after all and besides which, it did get rowdy so anyone looking for a quiet moment before arriving at Hogwarts was entirely out of luck. Scorpius preferred the social side of it all, especially after a summer spent with just his family. It was Nera's job to flush people out of their chosen seats and as usual she managed it with a few words and an acidic flick of her fingers. Nera wasn't intimidating to look at, she appeared to be the bookish type. Liam Pucey had once referred to her as the 'sexy librarian snake' and gotten himself thoroughly hexed for his troubles. Nera did not exude anything resembling a threat unless she spoke and even then only when she wanted to. While she wasn't particularly physical, she was no slouch with a wand, partly because she had no compunctions about being ruthless, and had her own agenda and set of ethics to go along with that. Underestimating her was most unwise but someone inevitably did and the results always amused Scorpius to no end.

Scorpius took his usual seat right in the middle of the long compartment, his back against the window and his legs across a seat wide enough to comfortably seat two. From there he could see the entire car and nobody could sneak up on him. The back of his seat and the one in front of him served as armrests and he relaxed by slow degrees, enjoying the sense of familiarity that came with going back to Hogwarts coupled with a sense of pride over his achievements the previous year. He could bask in the glory of having led the Slytherin team to an admittedly spectacular Quidditch victory in his first year as captain. Even now, just thinking about it made Scorpius smile. It wasn't the stereotypical smug smile of a victorious snake, rather it was the genuine smile of a boy recalling how proud his father had been of him. His grandfather had been proud too, though Lucius Malfoy had been much less vocal about it, and had simply made a deposit in Scorp's account at Gringotts. His mother had fussed of course but she did that no matter what. Astoria Malfoy was very loving and always proud of him, so it was nice to have actually done something that gave her reason to be proud instead of just that whole motherly thing of loving your children just for existing.

To get his father to be proud enough to brag about him and arrange a special father-son celebration was something out of the ordinary, and Scorp suspected it might even be Patronus worthy since the passing thought alone made him warm and happy. They'd gone to see the Quidditch World Cup final in Japan during the summer and Scorpius had been lucky enough to see the English victory over the Peruvian team, a glorious repeat of the clash during the 2002 World Cup, which his father had reminisced over with boyish enthusiasm. To Scorp it seemed like all the adult witches and wizards knew where they were and what they had been doing during the 2002 victory. It had been the first World Cup since the Second Wizarding War, and England had throttled the Peruvian host team. It had been a narrower victory over Peru this year, but Scorpius had found it all the more exciting because of it and he and his father had both gone half mad with the excitement of it. Joyous Malfoys weren't a common sight, but Scorpius was pretty sure he'd even seen his father hug a Muggleborn in the heat of the moment. That's how amazing it was to have been there.

Nera was carrying on a conversation with Nott, and Scorpius looked up at the arrival of Takeshi. He'd seen last seen the Japanese boy at the World Cup, since the Hanedas had gone along too and shared a box with the Malfoys. After Japan had been knocked out of the competition by Peru, Takeshi had been cheering for England just as loudly as Scorpius and Draco. More reserved by nature than Scorpius, as Slytherin's Keeper Takeshi clearly held the same pride in the Slytherin cup win as Scorp did, and the English victory in the World Cup was just icing on the cauldron cake. By contrast, Apollo thought Quidditch was a waste of time except as a tool for controlling the masses, something for which he'd gravely thanked Scorpius's 'contribution to the cause'. He'd come along and watch, just to support those of his friends that did play, but Apollo Burke had never shown any interest in playing for himself. He could barely fly a broom but maintained that was because he didn't want to rather than because he wasn't capable.

"Greetings, Malfoy." Takeshi sat down in the seat across from Scorp, and Apollo, who returned at that moment after taking a detour to the food trolley to get some snacks, clambered over Takeshi to claim the window seat. Scorpius tried not to laugh at the uncharacteristic scowl Takeshi directed at the prefect..

"Do you not have a meeting to get to?" Takeshi addressed Apollo in a tone that would have been acidic coming from any other Slytherin, but from Takeshi was excruciatingly and measuredly polite.

Someone tossed a chocolate frog which arced over Scorp's head. Peripherally he saw Nera catch it and wave it at whoever had thrown it but he was more interested in Takeshi and Apollo's antics.

"I don't have to go yet. A minute more. Nera will probably want to go soon though." Apollo answered, and bit into a cauldron cake. That hadn't been Takeshi's point and Apollo knew it. He grinned at the other boy. "You could of course choose to stand up when I decide its time to leave."

"You mean when I decide." Nera corrected, leaning over Vincent and discarding the chocolate frog wrapper in his lap. "We'll move when the train does." She extracted the chocolate frog, eyed the famous witch and wizard card in distaste and then frisbeed it over at Takeshi. Scorp knew it was probably meant to be a consolation, since the Japanese boy collected them religiously, but to a casual observer it would appear almost violent. Takeshi caught it neatly and turned it over to take a look.

"Ron Weasley."

In a move that appeared practiced, Apollo obligingly stretched up to open the window even as Takeshi stood up and spun the card neatly through the gap. Both boys and several other Slytherins on that side of the train laughed when the five pointed card hit a younger student in the eye and Scorpius, who had leaned forward enough that he could just glimpse what had happened exchanged a smile with Nera, who rolled her eyes and bit the head off her chocolate frog.

"You know," Apollo observed as they sat down again, "I think that kid's name is actually Patch, and now he's gonna need one." Poor kid. Scorpius watched out the window from across the aisle as one of the Hufflepuff prefects rushed to the boy's aid.

"Hey Scorpius." A dulcet voice came from the seat behind him and the blond turned his head warily, Patch forgotten.

"Hi, Madeleine." He addressed the fifth year and took immediate note of the shiny new prefect badge she sported on her uniform. He also took note that she'd grown her hair longer and styled it in attractive waves, a style that was remarkably similar to that which this year's head girl wore as a trademark though Madeleine's hair was the same yellow as straw and not the dark glossy looks which Acantha sported. Still Scorpius took note that Madeleine had gotten a bit pretty over the summer. She was currently smiling at him with a noticeable sort of intensity, a smile which widened when he'd answered.

"How was your summer?" Madeleine asked. She leaned against the back of his seat, her arms folded and very carefully just touching Scorp's own arm. She was doing rather well at pretending like she hadn't noticed, he reflected.

"Great, went to the World Cup got to see the final." Scorpius answered, and at that, Takeshi leaned across the aisle for a high five, which Scorpius obligingly returned before lounging back against the window again.

"Oh I didn't go. I only follow Quidditch when you are playing, Scorpius." She said, all fluttering eyelashes and heaving breath. She pressed her arm against his with more insistance, being sure that the prefect badge on her chest was still visible. His friends were sniggering. Scorp didn't need to turn his head to know that one snort had come from Nott or that Apollo was probably doing a simpering physical reinactment of the dialogue Scorp and Madeleine were exchanging right about now.

"Well I'll be playing this year so I expect you to keep track of my stats." He was kidding but he said it with complete sincerity of both expression and voice. He certainly wasn't prepared for the response.

"Oh I do. You scored fourteen times with six assists last year, and in each game you scored within sixty seconds of gaining possession of the quaffle. Its so impressive Scorpius, especially that time when the bludger hit you and you scored anyway." Madeleine was all avid eyes and gushing speech and while she was pretty, Scorpius decided he liked her better when she wasn't talking. "I always cheer for you." She added. He was more worried about the fact that someone who didn't play could sum him up so easily. If she had made the observation that he was quick to score, chances were that someone else had too.

"For the Slytherin team you mean." Scorpius eased his arm off the back of the seat, reclaiming it for himself and tried to look nonchalant but he was distinctly aware of the gagging noises coming from Nera and the mockery his friends were exhibiting in general. It was always funnier, he reflected, when it was someone else. He disliked having an audience.

"Oh yes. For them too." Madeleine shot a dismissive look at the nearest Quidditch players and returned her focus to Scorpius.

"So. Prefect." He tried to change the subject, aware that she clearly wanted him to notice the prefect badge anyway and the sooner he did so, the sooner the conversation would be done. "Congratulations."

"Oh I know right? Its so fantastic. I'm so pleased." And now the girl was gushing over herself. Nera's gagging grew more pointed and finally Madeleine deigned to take notice, doing so with a glare that actually went further in her obvious quest to impress Scorpius than all the flirting had. It took a lot of guts to face down a Zabini, he knew. Probably that was part of why she actually did get prefect this year. Who was her co-prefect? He wondered this idly but had no interest in voicing the inquiry. He'd find out at some point.

The train lurched and began to move.

Takeshi eyed Apollo and stood up, gesturing imperiously for the prefect to get a move on. Apparently he didn't much like being climbed all over. Who knew? Nera managed to control herself and stood up too.

"See you later Scorpius." She smiled at him and ignored Madeleine. The sixth year turned on her heel and marched towards the prefect compartment. Apollo wasn't far behind, still eating his cauldron cake. Montague and Urquhart followed too. Ah. Scorp nodded to himself. Urquhart. There you go. The other new prefect, obviously.

"You better go." He told Madeleine, giving her an encouraging smile. He could flirt a little too, it wouldn't hurt anyone. She did stand up and made quite the show of it before giving him an entirely unnecessary wave goodbye.

"I'll see you later, Scorpius." Her words echoed Nera's but her tone was loaded with innuendo. He absently noted Madeleine's very short skirt as she left the carriage and wondered idly how long it would be until their head of house, Professor Atra, would call her up on it. With the train moving and half their group gone, Scorpius took out a book and began to read, losing himself in the pages and ignoring the general hubbub in the carriage. As long as he was pointedly reading, nobody would disturb him for the duration of the journey.

2.1 The Welcoming Feast

Acantha Zabini was livid. Scorpius had only needed the slightest glance at his cousin to figure that out. As the sorting continued and some of his house mates placed their bets on which scared little first years would end up where, Scorpius kept one ear out but there were no explosions; Acantha just sat there and simmered quietly. Perhaps she didn't want to scare any of the newly sorted Slytherin first years?

There were no hatstalls this term either, Scorp noted. Sorting time still gave him a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach and he was happy when all the new students were safely ensconced at their new tables and the feast itself began. Apollo and Nera were carrying on a discussion in low voices, Scorp couldn't make out what they were saying but then he was busy with his own thoughts.

A Quidditch discussion broke out nearby and he heard his name and excited discussion from some of the younger students. Who would make the team this year? Slytherin would win again, right? And just when were try-outs going to be anyway? Scorpius sighed to himself and buttered a roll. Really? He'd been here all of an hour and people wanted a schedule? He looked up, his grey eyes meeting the bright blue of Eurydice Hightower. The fourth year had been the youngest that made the team the previous year and she was a very talented chaser. He had no doubts that she'd make the team again if she decided to try out. She had a mocking smile on her face, clearly reacting to the excited Quidditch discussion loud enough to carry from half way down the table. Leaning over the table pointedly, she spoke loud enough to be heard by most everyone, actually asking Scorp rather than just speculating on it.

"So when's try-outs then?" She eyed him expectantly. She'd just been another skinny little girl the previous school year, but summer had been quite good to her. He hadn't noticed until now; it was sometimes easier to notice the girls that weren't in his own year or house, since he wasn't confronted with them nearly as often and any changes tended to be more remarkable by default. The beginning of the school year would soon have Scorpius and his dormmates assessing everyone anew, and the opening feast was the perfect time to look around in preparation for comparing notes with the other boys later, at least once he was done eating.

"Next week." He answered in a drawl. Obviously that was the usual time for try-outs to open. "I'm not sure which day yet, that depends on the other teams." Scorpius preferred to watch the other try-outs. The previous year, James Potter had tried to make the Gryffindor try-outs closed just to spite him but Madame Hooch hadn't stood for it and had allowed anyone to attend as long as they would stay quiet and behave in the stands. Of course he had behaved; he was there to scope out the competition, not to interfere with the try-outs themselves. Scorp shot a cursory glance down the table where most of the younger students were congregated. "I'll put a notice up tomorrow." He said with a note of finality, returning his attention to the food.

"We need at least four new players, don't we? Assuming everyone who played last year gets a spot." Eurydice wasn't done talking apparently and Scorpius bit into his buttered roll rather than answer. He was hungry.

Takeshi, who was sitting next to him, saved Scorpius from needing to respond. "Five, counting reserves. Flint is not allowed to play this year. His father has forbidden it until he betters his grades." The Japanese boy was loading up his plate as he spoke. He was always one to have a prodigious appetite and yet always ate with the most precise and impressive of table manners. Scorpius had never seen his dormmate with even a speck of food on his robes. He played Quidditch with the same precision. A good thing too since a keeper could not afford to be sloppy. As for Flint, he had played chaser the previous term, and played well. It would be a shame not to have him. Scorpius made a mental note as the chatter continued around him to see if Liam Pucey would try out for the position. Pucey had been a reserve the previous year, only playing in one game as a substitute, but he'd been a good fit on the field with himself and Hightower and they had all practiced together enough that it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to put Pucey in to start. He chewed on his roll and poured himself a pumpkin juice. Quidditch was like a giant Wizard's chessboard to him and he was picturing the playing pieces and how they moved together to form a strong and united front. You couldn't play chess without a few pawns in the right place. He finished his mouthful and considered the shiniest chess piece of them all.

"We need a new seeker." That started an explosive reaction of whispers. Seeker was the position that everyone seemed to think of as the star of the show. Scorpius knew better. Ravenclaw would need a new seeker too, Scorp kept track of the other teams like it was his religion. It kind of was. When he thought about it, Hightower wouldn't be half bad in as seeker. Takeshi, who subbed in as seeker when necessary could obviously play the position too, but he was more valuable as a keeper.

"You could do it." Eurydice suggested, eyeing him over the top of her goblet as she sipped her own pumpkin juice.

He probably could, Scorpius reflected, answering only with a casually dismissive shrug, but it wasn't like it was a particular talent of his and he wouldn't put himself in as seeker in an attempt to get all the glory or something of that nature. He didn't have a trumped up idea of his abilities, unlike some people he could name. His eyes trailed over the Gryffindor table. Weasley. Weasley. Weasley. Potter. Yeah, James Potter was, in Scorp's eyes, a perfect example of that.

"I can keep a closer eye on you lot as a chaser." Scorpius said, rather than badmouthing the seventh year Quidditch captain. He didn't need to say anything about Potter out loud, his antipathy was no secret. "Besides," He added, a half-way grin curving his lips, "I'm a crack shot."

Alright, so a little bit of glory didn't hurt.

"Prove it." Apollo leaned over with a grin, his expression daring. He reached out across Nera and indicated Scorp's half-eaten buttered roll.

Scorpius couldn't help his own answering grin. He hefted the roll, stood up and took aim, the bread spun through the air and, in the kind of perfect moment that would set Scorpius to happily reminiscing in future years, beaned James Potter right in the forehead. A cheer went up from the Slytherins and Scorpius essayed a modest bow before sitting down again. It was even worth attracting Professor Atra's attention. The Slytherin Head of House was suddenly right there, and just in time to stop Gryffindor needing to retaliate by providing a punishment before a food fight could ensue.

"Detention, Malfoy." That was all that was said before the man ghosted off again. While he wasn't actually a ghost, he bloody well moved like one and sometimes when Scorpius was younger he had wondered if under his floor length robes the professor sported wheels rather than legs and actually got around by rolling here and there instead of walking like a normal person. While it would have explained the smoothness of gait, this theory did nothing to illuminate why and how Atra seemed able to practically appear out of nowhere, usually at the most inopportune of moments. The students had, collectively, straightened up and gone quiet in an attempt to be respectful and not catch the man's attention. Best not to make eye contact.

Detention wasn't so bad though, really. Apollo maintained that it was necessary for Scorpius to earn a certain number of them a year, both to add to his reputation and to make up for the fact that Apollo and Nera had to, in theory, be on their best behaviour at all times.

"Well at least you didn't get us in negative points." Acantha was still a simmering cauldron of acid and her voice cut through the remaining Slytherin amusement just as effectively as Professor Atra's presence had. But Scorpius didn't miss the expression she directed over at the Gryffindor table herself, more triumphant than smug. Scorp knew he'd probably hear an earful later, but it was still worth it for the point he'd proved, and for murderous looks being sent his way by Gryffindors, none of whom could do anything about it right then.

"If you'd hit Fred Weasley, she'd have congratulated you and probably erected a statue." Nera whispered, careful not to let her voice carry too far.

"If you'd hit Yates Shacklebolt, Rose Weasley would have thrown you a parade." Apollo chimed in, which made Scorpius throw a slightly curious look at the prefects in question. Oh? Was there something going on there? Apollo didn't elaborate but Nera was clearly on the same page, judging by her expression and the sharp nod in punctuation of Apollo's rejoinder. Some prefect thing, Scorpius surmised, dismissing it out of hand.

"I would throw him a parade if he hit Shacklebolt." Takeshi remarked. Probably a lot of people would. They were all watching the Gryffindors now, and wasn't it nice to have these little untouchable moments? Slytherin bonding at its finest.

"I am not following any schedule he plans out." Nera directed this at her sister. Acantha assured Nera that nobody would have to follow Shacklebolt and Scorp went ahead and stopped paying attention. When the conversation focused on Shacklebolt for too long, he tended to get bored of it. That Gryffindor, like many of them in Scorp's experience, was all flash and no substance. He didn't like him and made a mental note that he would throw the next buttered roll at his head. Change things up a bit. For now though, he had a feast to enjoy.