Hagalaz

:tests:

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DESPITE NOT MINDING potions and having a good opinion of Professor Dirk – for he was one of the more interesting teachers here – Blue disliked school and all the things it entailed – classrooms, curriculum, the awful lighting, and lack of windows. It always felt like a prison and, considering she now walked toward a literal dungeon, the feeling never felt stronger.

So it was, as she and Scorpius took the stairs leading to class, her pace had slowed to a crawl a slug could overtake.

Scorpius had slowed beside her, matching her pace step for step. More often these days, she found he was by her side, talking about things. Small, trivial things like weather and school subjects and magic – which wasn't trivial to her but seemed to be a rather dull topic for him – but, she figured, so was the way of any friendship.

Small things led to larger things, which then exploded into things so big one couldn't imagine their life without them. After Blue's mom died, Sophie had become one of Blue's largest things, and her absence was one Blue felt the most.

"You look glum." Scorpius trudged down the stairs, avoiding the third step down as it's appetite for feet was insatiable.

She followed suit, albeit with less grace, and bumped into the wall, causing one of the portraits to slip off.

"I'm not glum," she said, righting the painting her inherited clumsiness had wronged. "Just—"

"—blue?" He grinned.

"Nervous," she finished, cutting him a cold stare. "Today's the big exam, right? What if I...cock it up?" Grimacing, her gaze fell to her shoes. Recently, she'd started using phrases she heard the other kids use, but she wasn't always confident she used them correctly.

If she had used it wrong, Scorpius didn't bother correcting her. He simply brushed back a few stragglers of hair hanging in front of his eyes.

"What if I stir fifty ways clockwise and seventy-five ways counterclockwise and it's supposed to be the other way around? What if the slug mucus is off by a gram? Why does it have to be grams in the first place?" Her eyes darted back up to Scorpius's face. The faintest of smiles sat on his lips. "Why can't you use ounces? It makes more sense..."

"Only to you Americans."

She bulldozed over his comment and continued, "What if I cause a cauldron to explode?"

"Then Rose will throw you a party. It's no small feat destroying school property."

Gripping the strap of her book bag tighter, Blue picked up her pace. "I'm not joking."

"Neither am I," he called, hurrying to catch up to her. "You know Rose would love you even more if you followed in her footsteps."

She glanced at him sideways. The smile she had glimpsed earlier was on full display and that, coupled with his unusually gentle expression, made her pulse race.

A blush spread across her skin, making her heat all over. She turned away from him, feigning annoyance, but Scorpius's smile proved a dangerous, powerful sort of magic, much to her dissatisfaction. She had no choice but to reciprocate. "That's all well and good then." A chuckle burst from her lips, and for a while they walked in amicable silence, before the worry started creeping back in.

She whipped her head around, frowning. "But it's important, isn't it?"

Scorpius furrowed his brow, thrown off by the sudden return to conversation.

"For you?" she clarified. "It'll determine whether or not you get advanced potions with Albus next year, and then it could determine your path in life. You could end up a potions master, or a wizard selling cheap knock-offs in Knockturn Alley—"

Pressure landed on her shoulders as Scorpius spun her toward him. "You've been talking to Al."

Her gaze darted to the floor. Murmurs about the pair, and what exactly was transpiring, rose around them.

Were they in a fight? About to duel? Plotting some mischief? Was there a booger that needed two pairs of hands to expertly cast off instead of the typical one?

And the worst of the worst: Were they lovers about to kiss?

"Right?" Scorpius prodded, his hands firmly on her shoulders.

It was just like him to ignore what wasn't directly in front of him. He only looked at Blue, only waited to hear what she would say. The rumors the pair spawned as they stood close, didn't bother him one bit.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said of Blue, who, turned out, was incredibly susceptible to rumors and had gone from 'hot with embarrassment' to downright burning.

"Blue?"

She continued tensing under his lingering grasp, but somehow managed to squeak out a response. "Yes."

"There's no need to take what Al says at face value. He's mastered worrying. Might as well become a professor of it. I'll be fine, regardless of the test's outcome."

"But—"

His hands lifted off her shoulders, and the sudden lack of his warmth made her chest tighten. "It'll be fine, Blue."

Blue. The first time he'd called her by his name, he used it as an insult. But just as he was talking to her more, he'd begun calling her by name more often too, and it was always kind.

Too kind. Blue was beginning to get ideas, and manifesting said ideas as very inconvenient daydreams during Scorpius's more boring classes.

Like during Professor Binn's class on muggle studies. After the novelty of having a ghost for a teacher had worn off, Blue started thinking about dark hallways, empty classrooms, unused closets where things could be done in private.

Before, she'd imagined those scenarios with a junior named Andrew who she'd sat beside in AP Bio last year, but slowly that was changing. Andrew was being phased out by the boy with silver eyes, who spoke sweetly whenever he called Blue by name. 

"You were really interested in my parents."

Blue jerked her head up, embarrassed that her mind had once again started drifting toward those dark hallways and empty closets.

Scorpius stared down the hall full of Hufflepuffs and Slytherins, oblivious. Most of the other students were headed to the same classroom as them, but a few groups loitered around, exchanging frog card packs and exploding gumballs. 

Blue adjusted her bookbag, which thankfully gave her something to think about other than Scorpius's strong jaw and straight nose, and how she found him too expressive nowadays to ever think he could successfully imitate a statue.

"I've never seen them before," she said, her voice surprisingly calm, despite the nerves squirming around her belly.

They were halfway down the hall that led to Professor Dirk's classroom. It was the only classroom on this floor, but there were always tons of people because the Slytherin dorm was hidden somewhere close by. Scorpius knew where it was but kept that information to himself. Rose told Blue that if she wanted to know where it was, all she had to do was ask another Slytherin – most of them weren't, in her words, "as uptight" as Scorpius was.

Blue decided to respect his decision, though she always kept an eye out for a crack in the wall or a disappearing doorknob. She'd never been able to curb her curiosity or, for that matter, be a normal human being who didn't hear songs everywhere she went.

"You wanted to see them?" Scorpius was looking at her, the dim light making his silver eyes more grey. "I mean, they're pretty boring."

Blue snorted. "Boring?" His eyes widened as she shook her head. "My dad's oil gigs are boring. Sophie's lawyer parents are boring. Plain cheese pizza? Boring. Magical parents are definitely not boring."

"Most people's parents are magical."

Blue knew from conversations with Rose that wasn't true. Rose's mother had been a muggle-born – a witch from muggle parents. And sometimes, muggles were born to wizards and witches. They were called squids, or something. "That's not true. Plus, aren't yours a big deal? Rich and famous and stuff?"

Scorpius frowned, his shoulders stiffening. "They're notorious."

He never said much about his parents, and Blue knew what it was like to be forced into talking about something when you wanted to stay silent. So many of her grief counseling sessions had been her talking about her mom when she really hadn't wanted to. Blue wouldn't force Scorpius to talk if he didn't want to.

"War heroes though, yeah?" she asked.

Albus had loaned her articles about the second Wizarding war, and while they had mostly talked about Albus's dad as someone belonging to the Golden Trio, Scorpius's dad had been mentioned too. Mostly when it came to post-war stuff – rebuilding efforts in Britain and the reformation of International Wizarding Law.

"Villains," Scorpius drawled, his mouth knotting like he'd sucked the sourest lemon.

"But they're a part of you." She grinned subconsciously. "Of course, I'd want to know more about them because—" Her whole body felt like it ignited. Quickly, she slammed her mouth shut as realization washed over her. What was she saying? And why had she said it like that? It almost sounded like she'd been confessing... Confessing to what?

Dark hallways...Empty classrooms...Janitor's closets after hours... No!

No. It wasn't like that. It most definitely wasn't that.

"—Blue?" Scorpius asked tentatively.

"It's nothing." She picked up her pace, pointing to the end of the hall, where a crowd of Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were crowded around a door. "We should hurry, don't want to be late and get assigned extra work."

Not waiting for him to respond, she practically sprinted the rest of the way toward Professor Dirk's class.

*

Once inside the classroom, Blue and Scorpius headed to their usual seats at the back. The fire pit at the center of their desk was already lit, flames licking at the bottom of a school-issued cauldron. A watery green liquid gently boiled.

Scorpius tossed his potion's book on the desk, before plopping down on his stool. Despite the exam today, he had not come prepared. In fact, Blue didn't think Scorpius was ever prepared. He'd always gone to class with the bare minimum – a quill, a scrap of parchment, and his textbook. And while other students worried profusely over their exams- sweating whole lakes of sweat, or gnawing holes in their lips from their dread – Scorpius never seemed bothered.

Blue always got a sick, heavy feeling in her stomach on test days. And today was no different, despite knowing that Scorpius would be doing most of the work. Still, she wanted to do her part, and make sure she didn't explode any cauldrons. McGonagall had made her his partner to prevent disaster, not court it.

She took her seat next to him, unzipped her bag, and gave it a good shake. A dozen or so items rolled onto the table.

Scorpius plucked up one of two silver stirrers Blue had borrowed from Albus. One was to ensure the proper amount of liquid was being displaced per stir, while the other was a back up in case Blue broke the first one. "Is all this really necessary?" He eyed the other things that had rolled onto the table. Quills, rolls of parchment. An inkpot. A pair of tweezers. Freeze-dried mug wort. Ground amaryllis leaf for added potion stability.

Slipping on the pair of gloves she had Albus conjure to prevent burns, Blue said, "I had to because I knew my partner wouldn't." An accusatory gaze slid across to Scorpius's mostly empty side of the table.

Ignoring her, he motioned at her gloves and the apron now dangling from her hands. "Albus?"

She tossed it over her head. "I had him magic it up for me after—"

"That jerk of a Venus fly trap sneezed on us?"

She smiled, tying the apron strings in a tight knot around her waist. "I promised myself I'd never get that dirty again. This," she nodded at the apron, the gloves, "is added protection."

"And what about me?" Scorpius glanced at his unprotected black robes, the black button down worn beneath it, his perfectly knotted Slytherin tie.

"Oh, I don't care about what happens to you." She grinned. "But if you do get messy, a boy showed me where the medical wing's at—though it took a lot of coercing—" Her smile widened. "But just know I can take you there if it's really necessary."

Scorpius placed his hand on his chest, staring out at her from behind a curtain of white-blond hair. "It warms my heart, Turner, knowing how much you have my back."

She blushed and shook her head. The earlier worry about the exam, gone. "We're partners."

Suddenly, Scorpius was close, his lips inches from her ear. "Just partners?" Hot, minty breath tickled her cheek. "Really?"

She blinked. This was not the Scorpius she had come to know. He was quiet and relaxed, when not around James. Easily agitated and quick to temper, when around James. Somewhat shy, cutely awkward and for reasons Blue wasn't aware of, resentful almost of being a student at Hogwarts.

She'd never consider him suave or capable of flirting.

And was he flirting? With her? If so, why all of a sudden?

"Blue?"

Thankfully, before she could answer,  class began.

*

Professor Dirk had the presence of storm clouds – his arrival blanketing the class in expectant, nervous energy.

He wore the colors of Slytherin proudly - long black robes paired with an emerald shirt and black tie. As he was head of Slytherin, McGonagall allowed this display of favoritism.

But what made him unique, and an immediate standout was his hair. His hair was like Blue's - thick and dark and adverse to simply being tied back. It had to be worked, treated, sculpted before it stayed in any one shape for long. Professor Dirk wore his hair in locs, waist-length ones that were healthy and shiny, and to be perfectly honest, enviable.

Blue could never get hair to grow past her shoulders. But she'd made peace with that fact in the fifth grade, and since then, decided she'd be the girl who rocked all the shorter styles.

She'd never seen a teacher with locs, let alone one at a wizarding school.

When he'd swept into the room, his locs—worn tied together at the base of his neck—swung back and forth like a pendulum. He exuded elegance as he walked from door way to desk, setting down a battered briefcase on top of pile of ink-stained papers. With a broad, carefree grin, he addressed the class.

"Everyone's here."

Undoing the latches of his briefcase with a bit of unspoken magic, he began levitating stacks of paper. They piled themselves neatly one atop the other, next to a banged up, blackened cauldron.

Blue watched in horror as the stacks rose. She knew from past experience, they contained the potion they were to recreate for the test. And alongside that, a list of ingredients they'd need – minus the correct measurements – and a set of vague instructions.

She hoped the potion named on those papers was one they'd learned more recently in class like Felix Felicis, or Polyjuice potion. Something that was relatively fresh in her mind.

But if it was something they learned back when she first started coming with Scorpius to class, she'd be useless. She'd been so nervous and overwhelmed then, everything that went in one ear, flew out the other in seconds.

A piece of chalk rose up behind Dirk and started scribbling on the chalkboard. In sloppy cursive, it spelled out:

Exam: Practical.

Purpose: to demonstrate knowledge of ingredients, accuracy of measurements, ability for intermediate memorization, precision.

Blue nervously played with her apron strings.

Test parchments floated around to each pair's desk. They laid face-down and would stay that way until Dirk gave the go-ahead for them to flip over.

"Everyone's prepared, I take it?" The professor rounded his desk, surveying the class. Quite a few students purposely avoided his gaze, while a girl on Blue's left blushed so hard her skin practically bruised.

His gaze paused when he got to Scorpius and Blue. "My, my," he said, grinning. "Some of you really came prepared. Miss Turner," Blue snapped her head to attention, "Mr. Malfoy, off to war?" He nodded at the array of potion tools and ingredients spread on their table.

Blue blushed, a handful of apron crushed between clammy palms.

Scorpius sneered. "Can't ever be too prepared," his gaze, which had been focused on a pair of manacles hanging from the dungeon wall, landed on Dirk, "isn't that what you always say, Professor?"

He shrugged. "It is, but I never actually thought you listened to me, Malfoy." He nodded at Blue. "Perhaps that's another side effect of you having Miss Turner for a partner."

The tips of Scorpius's ears ignited, matching the flames darkening their cauldron's bottom.

"Good," continued Dirk. "Nice to know something of worth's coming out of Minerva's little experiment." He gave the class another once over, before nodding and returning to his desk.

"Well," he said, collapsing into his seat. He kicked his heels up, resting them on the corner of his desk, and leaned back in the old office chair.

Most Hogwarts's teachers preferred wooden, high-backed chairs, but not Dirk. He liked muggle chairs with cushioned seats and adjustable backs. The one he sat in now appeared to be held together by masking tape. "Shall we get started then?"

He raised his arms, settling his hands behind his head. The move left his forearms exposed, and there, on his left one, Blue glimpsed the faded lines of an old tattoo. A skull and a serpent had been carved into his skin, and while it was pink and barely visible now, apparently when freshly inked, the drawing of the snake slithered like it was alive.

James had told her the mark was used to summon Death Eaters around the world to wherever their master was.

He hated that a former Death Eater taught at the school, but McGonagall had argued the issue to the Ministry on Dirk's behalf. Something about redemption, second chances and untapped talent.

James thought the only thing a person with a Dark Mark deserved was the inside of a prison cell. To him, they'd caused too much death to ever be shown leniency.

Blue had wondered what Scorpius thought of a reformed Death Eater teaching at Hogwarts, since his dad had also been one, but he never mentioned it, and she never felt courageous enough to bring it up.

"I'd wish you good luck," came Dirk, eyes closed, head lulled to one side. "But these exams don't test luck; they test skill." With one eye opened, he added, "Oh, do try your best though. Professor Longbottom needs these potions for the greenhouses. Wouldn't want one of you to be reason why the Herbology professor accidentally exploded, now, would we?"

Blue felt her heart plummet to her feet.

The test papers finally turned over. She and Scorpius peered at the paper together, Blue's eyes bulging as she read the name of what potion they were instructed to brew.

Regerminating Potion.

All the blood drained from her face. This was it. Her worst nightmare had come true. Dirk had gone over this potion when Blue first joined Scorpius's classes, but she couldn't recall the lesson. She had no clue how to brew the potion, and by the way Scorpius shifted nervously in his seat, neither did he.

Godric, they were bloody screwed, weren't they?