Hey, guys! I'm sorry I'm a little late with my update, but I hope you all like it.

Also, hope all of you had a very good holiday. (:

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"And then—and then..."

Bang. Bang.

"She went soaring, and I mean soaring!"

Bang.

"You had to have seen his face, mate! Priceless."

Rubbing her temples as she watched through a thick irritation as Fred and Louis retold their latest prank to Lily and Dawn, Dominique Weasley felt her fingers twitch. Just aching to drop from the sides of her head to her wand. Ah, yes. The beautiful feel of her wand warming her hand, her wand-tip illuminating with a bright color and shooting off towards her brother and cousin's faces. Their screams of pain silenced as Petrificus Totalus took over their scrawny, little bodies…Then she would jump across the table, stomp on their noses like Draco Malfoy had done to her Uncle Harry in that memory she accidentally stumbled upon in her uncle's pensieve. (Which earned her a week of awkward silences with her uncle when she then swam in his memory of his wedding night with her Aunt Ginny. Couldn't get any worse than that, could it?)

But, wait! She wouldn't stop there, no. Squashing their noses in wouldn't cut it. She would then amplify it, grab a thick needle and thread out of the sorting hat and sow their mouths tight. Just so they would never talk again. And then, she would take Louis to their mum and dad—

Bang. Bang.

"Hysterical, it was! Best work yet."

Startling Dominique from her evil mind and plots, she looked at Lily scowl at the pair of older Gryffindors laughing annoyingly in front of her. "—We just wanted help on our Charms essay.” The youngest Potter said, her arms crossing over her book as she frowned at the boys in a way that looked like her mother's. "I honestly don't bloody care what you did to Filch's cat. Reality check, gits, that cat has more life than you two combined. She's not going to die, and watching you attempt to murder her is getting old."

Fred and Louis silenced themselves, confusion spreading as the two Second Year girls didn't even give a puff of a giggle to their idiotic story.

"I reckon there is something you lot can't seem to see for the past year, but let me enlighten you." Reaching to grab her giant Charms book, Dawn Thomas sighed hopelessly at her fellow house-mates. "You two are rubbish. Your pranks aren't just that good anymore, mates."

The pair of cousins dropped their jaws, gaping hurtfully at the tanned-skinned Gryffindor. "You take that back!" Louis snapped. "Our plans are brilliant, Thomas! Brilliant!"

"Mhm. Right." Giving Fred a mocking pat on his back as he seemed to be in more of a shock than Louis, Dawn turned to her best friend. "Let's get out of here, Lily. We'll have Lysander help us, yeah? I honestly can't handle any more Mrs. Norris related stories."

The redhead girl nodded in agreement, throwing her cousins a glance and scoffing at them. "Pathetic, I'm telling you, D. Now you know what I have to live with. The summers are unbearable."

"You'll regret this!" Louis shouted, his veela-features adding a sparkle to his anger as his blue eyes furiously followed the little girls. "We are the kings of this place! We are mighty! Nothing intimidates us—"

"—Dominique, hello." Silencing Louis in a swift movement, making him turn pink and choke, Dominique looked up to see a Slytherin girl wave a palm at her as she made her way past them; ignoring Louis and his gigantic smile.

"Stop waving your hand, Louis, you look like a daft idiot," Dominique grunted at her brother, frowning at his palm waving animatedly at the back of the Slytherin witch. "Who is she, anyway?"

"What?" Louis gasped, his expression looking astounded. Almost like his sister had just asked him who Harry Potter was or if Merlin was a wizard at all. "That's Lana McLaggen, that is!" He practically squealed, earning a risen eyebrow from Fred. "She's a Fifth Year Slytherin! Her favorite color is purple and Astronomy is her favorite subject. She's the prettiest girl in this place, of course!"

Dominique remained silent, just clearing her throat and giving her blonde brother an I-can't-believe-we-are-actually-related stare as he paused in his rambling, waiting for her to say something equally as adoring for the passing girl.

"Lana McLaggen!" Louis repeated as his table went silent and no one looked as interested with the subject as he was. "Oh, come on! How is it that you don't even know who she is and the girl knows you? I can't even get her to remember my first name!"

Fred chuckled loudly, almost snorting as he shook his red hair. "Mate, you can't even get her to memorize your face." He pounded his fist on the wooden table as he laughed. "She doesn't even know you're a Weasley. She probably thinks you're this creepy fan-boy following after us, that's why she always stares at you like you're a nutter who escaped St. Mungo's."

Louis' jaw dropped, frowning at his cousin. "She knows who I am!" He defended for himself. "And I'm too pretty to be your fan-boy, Fred. So don't think too highly of yourself."

"McLaggen?" Dominique questioned to herself in a murmur, ignoring the two boys again. "McLaggen? Humph. Sounds familiar, but I just can't place my wand on it."

"She's the sister of that slimy git that's a little too friendly with Rose," Fred offered assistance. "Damien McLaggen, Slytherin."

"Humph,” the redhead witch huffed again to herself, trying to scrutinize the name of the many people in this castle. "Oh, I got it!" She added after a face came into her mind: deep, brown eyes and a snotty smile she used to remember of years past. "Tom Greengrass!"

The two Gryffindors eyed each other, turning to look at Dominique with confused expressions. "Who?"

"Honestly,” the girl rolled her emerald eyes. "Tom Greengrass. He was a Seventh Year three years ago. Cousin to that McLaggen girl. She caught me snogging him in a broomstick closet once after curfew. It was actually really—"

"Shut it! Shut it!" Louis hissed, shaking his blonde hair as his sister leered at him. "I don't want you to ruin this day for me!"

"People snog all the time, Louis," Dominique said all-knowingly, crossing her arms over her chest as even Fred looked a bit put-out with her previous statement.

"Yeah, but you snog everyone!" Her brother retorted, slapping his palms on his ears and shutting his eyes tightly. "The images, the images." He cried dramatically to himself. "They won't go away...Must think of Lana...purple knickers..."

Rolling her eyes once more, Dominique looked around the spot in the library she was seated in. (Where she was supposed to be tutoring Fred on Ancient Runes as detention for breaking curfew, but eh. She does what she wants.) Her gaze flicked by all the students speaking rather loudly, others seated on top of the tables without a care, books tossed and on the floor due to the fact that old Madam Pince had the day off from her library duties. And just before Dominique could let her mind wander off—because it was so easy to get distracted by all the bores in the castle—she noticed a familiar, muscular body disappearing into one of the aisles of books.

"Ah." A large smile appeared on Louis' face. His bright, blue eyes opening up for view. "Lana McLaggen in her nightgown makes miracles happen. I'm good now."

"That's pathetic, mate," Fred narrowed his eyes at his cousin, crumbling the parchment that was supposed to be his quiz. "The girl doesn't even know who you are and you're daydreaming about her body. Bit psychotic, don't you think?"

Slowly picking herself up from her seat, forgetting her books and schoolbag, Dominique carefully walked towards the Restricted section of the library; her expression looking determined as she kept with her smooth pace.

Smirking to herself as she was undetected by the person that entered the aisle, the redheaded Gryffindor approached with silent steps. That leer still on her beautiful face as she extended her arms out and then closed them around the person in a swift movement. "Sneaky, aren't you?"

"I saw you from across the room, Weasley." The student whispered with a deep tone. He gripped her arms, pushing them off of him as he turned to face. "I knew you'd come," Erik Krum looked down at the girl, his dark eyes piercing her green.

"You flatter yourself quite well, Krum, but don't think it'll happen often," Dominique replied, pulling her arms away from his hold. "I'm just rather bored."

Krum kept his face hard, not finding the gleam of amusement in the Gryffindor's eyes exciting. "I've got a Potions exam to worry about, Weasley." He reached into one of the shelves and pulled out a thick, old book. "I've got the first game between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor in a few weeks and I still need to plan out my strategies."

Dominique fell silent, that amusing gleam no longer there.

"As you might have caught on, I don't have time to entertain you, Weasely." He looked down at the book for a millisecond, and in the next looked back to the Gryffindor. He smiled dimly, his strong features barely showing it however as his gaze remained blank. He reached forward, his fingers touching the girl's rosy cheek. "You seem to flatter yourself too much."

Through the slim gaps left by some of the missing books, a pair of colored eyes peeked through; staring as the Seventh Year Ravenclaw walked away from the girl. Watching as he left the beautiful girl with nothing but another pat on the cheek and her pride dropping to the floor.

Dominique held her breath, something inside of her wanting to break as she no longer heard Erik's footsteps—now that she was alone. She didn't know where it was coming from, that intense poking feeling that seemed to be teasing her heart. All she knew was that it hurt, that it was more than a typical anger due to rejection. She was used to that, mind you. Used to the fact that Krum was sometimes too focused in his studies or his Quidditch Captain duties to play hide-and-seek in a broomstick closet. (This was normal for them. He studied and blew her off; she played with someone else and blew him off. It's how it worked.) But this time, this time it hurt.

"Krum's a straight git."

Spinning around, the redheaded Gryffindor was slightly startled as she saw the bright eyes peeking through the gap between the books. "What the hell are you doing hiding behind those books, Zabini?" She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring. "You complete freak."

Hearing a ruffling from the other side and five seconds later, the dark-skinned boy entered the aisle Dominique was in. "I wasn't hiding." Angelo rolled his eyes, spinning a book in his hands. "I was looking for research on my choice subject for History of Magic."

She kept her arms crossed tight, gaze still rough as she zeroed in on the title of the book. "You're choice subject is Centaur and Human Breeding?"

Angelo opened his eyes widely, looking appalled and momentarily shocked. "I...erm..." He scratched his head, taking a glance at the book. "My mum...she used to work for the Department of Magical Creatures...and erm..."

"Admit that you're following me, Zabini," Dominique snapped, not entertained by the effort the Slytherin was putting. "Next time I find you spying on me, like you did in the prefects’ bathroom last week, I will chop of your manly-bits and take them to the Headmistress so I can get some sort of restraining order against you."

"I'm just in love with you, damn,” the Fourth Year murmured as she shoved him to the side, his dark cheeks turning red and his right shoe scoffing the old floor.

Before Dominique could storm past him, she stopped hesitantly. Her anger resided a fraction below murderous, her green eyes looking at one of the shelves. "...I'm a proper wench to you, Zabini. How could you be in love with me?"

Heart pounding, eyes large, tingles in his stomach, Angelo felt a bit of his nonexistent Gryffindor-courage as he took careful steps to the girl. He looked at the back of her gorgeous, inflamed red hair and then went for her arm; his hand gently grabbing it. "You're beautiful from every possible angle, Dominique. You're witty, funny, and the right amount of evil any Slytherin fancies in a girl. Sure, you're a bitch, but the hottest one in this castle. Besides, you're hard to get, you frustrate me to immense depths. That's why I love you."

Not completely sure if she should feel offended or not, Dominique was turned to face the Fourth Year. "You're still a creep, Zabini, but thanks." She gave him a light smile.

"Can we snog now?" Angelo asked hopefully.

"No." The redhead raised her eyebrow. "But, you can have a hug."

Perhaps that’s what she subconsciously wanted all along—the love someone could give to her. Just how someone who could be so dedicated to knowing everything about you, to wanting to be there every possible second, someone who just wanted to be with you. It's what she was missing, love. But how does she get it? Who does she want it from? And is it worth it?

As the girl gave him a tight squeeze, Angelo grinned to himself as he slithered his hands down her spine, feeling the curve to her lower, lower back.

"Zabini!" Smack.

"Oi!" The boy grabbed his face. "You slapped me!"

"This is why you are not permitted to ever hug me, Zabini!" Dominique hissed. "You grab anything after a few seconds, you slimy git!"

And as she finally walked away, Angelo lowered his palm away from his face. A smirk appearing as he gave a fist pump in the air for his victory.

Oh, she so wanted him and he knew it.

                                                                                       X

Looking up from the Transfiguration notes scattered on the tabletop in front of him, Scorpius frowned as he found he was the only one working. "That Herbology essay isn't going to write itself, you know, Potter."

"Erm, what?" Blinking as a pale hand was slammed on his blank parchment, Albus looked at his best friend with bewilderment as he bolted upright on his seat. Snapped away from those undefined thoughts that sunk into his head every now and then. "Ah, um, yeah. The answer's fifty."

Scorpius raised his eyebrow. "What are you on about?"

"The Arithmancy question you're helping me on." The young Slytherin flipped through the notes around them, almost knocking down a bottle of ink as he failed to register that the papers on the table were filled with Potion work. "Where's my chart? The professor's going to murder me if I lost it again. She's given me five since the term started."

"There's no chart, Potter," Scorpius scowled, stopping Al before he spilt ink all over his notes. "I'm not helping you on Arithmancy, you dunce. In fact, that's not what we’re doing at all. You're supposed to be writing your Herbology essay, remember? The one Longbottom's given you two extra weeks to turn in after you failed to turn it in a month ago."

"Oh." Al breathed, trying to calm the erratic heartbeat in his chest. "Then why are you bothering me, Malfoy? I've got two weeks."

Malfoy didn’t make his frown disappear as he said in an annoyed fashion, "you had two weeks thirteen days ago. It's due tomorrow."

"Damn it!" Al cursed, dropping his head hard on the tabletop.

"And you—" Feeling like the mother of the Slytherin trio, because apparently tutoring is how McGonagall’s assigning detention now to those who have no remedy, Scorpius scowled at his other close friend. "You've been sitting there for an hour, looking like an idiot. I suggest you get rid of that stupid smile off of your daft face, Zabini, before I curse it off."

Sighing dreamily, Angelo leaned on both his hands as he eyes looked somewhere far away. "..Yeah, yeah."

"Look here, you son of a bloody bit—"

"Language, Malfoy." Appearing before he could fully let his frustration out, Scorpius felt a thicker fury grow inside his bones as a smiling redhead pulled out the chair next to him. Clucking her tongue in disapproval, but with that sweet-air to her persona. "Mind if I sit here? All the other tables are full."

"There's a table by those Ravenclaws, Weasley." Malfoy kept his frown. "Problem solved. Now hurry along and disappear from my sight."

"You're barking mad," Rose laughed sarcastically, aiming a glance at the table the blonde pointed at. "Lorcan and Lysander are bloody annoying when they are studying. They get upset over the tiniest thing; you can't even dip your quill into your ink bottle without them thinking you are making a racket."

Gripping his quill firmly, his fury boiling like bubble juice, Scorpius smirked at the girl with a lot of effort. "As much as I do enjoy your company, darling Rose, I suggest you piss off before I make you regret sitting down."

"Still upset about the detention, are you?" Rose smiled again. "Honestly, Scorpius, you just have to be extra careful in Charms class. Spells fly everywhere."

"I got detention because you started growing teeth the size of troll feet," Malfoy retorted, his patience wearing thin. (Especially because the witch kept smiling like she had won the war.) "Not because I felt the tickle of your Stupefying spell."

And before the girl could even comment on that, another group of Slytherins approached the table where Malfoy was trying to finish his detention and Transfiguration work. "Evening," the tallest one among them said, a glint of evil gleaming in his eyes as everyone looked up at him. "How's the babysitting coming along, Malfoy? Heard about the fit you threw in Charms."

Scorpius glared, the end of his quill bending as he managed to keep his face straight.

"Damien," Rose called, her tone too sweet for her nemesis ears as she ignored the interaction of the two students. "Flint, Nott." She added for her boy-toy's cronies. "What are you doing here?"

Giving Scorpius a deep-rooted glare, Damien McLaggen took a step away from his friends; to take a hold of Rose's hand. "Curfew doesn't end until an hour from now, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a stroll with me to the grounds. I've got a surprise for you."

"…Yeah, he's going to introduce you to his best mate. That pet flobberworm Neville has in his greenhouse," Al muttered, piling the papers together as Scorpius leered.

Resisting on aiming a good curse at the Third Year, McLaggen pretended not to hear Potter. Instead he squeezed Rose's hand a bit more tightly and took a heavy exhale. "Well?"

"I'd love to," Rose replied, lifting herself from her seat as McLaggen took her schoolbag. "…If I were you, I'd get rid of those smirks,” she hissed to her cousin and his best friend as the other Slytherins marched away in slow steps. "At least Damien has me; you gits are going to end up alone forever."

"Oi." Snapping away from his fantasy, Zabini frowned at the redhead as he came back to life. "Dominique and I are in love. Keep me away from the lonely-cauldron, yeah?"

"Idiots,” she grunted, rolling her eyes and walking to her alleged boyfriend.

"Don't pay any matter to it, mates," Angelo began, his eyes coming back to focus and finding his incomplete essay to be, well, incomplete. "One day soon you'll find love like the rest of us."

Scorpius rolled his silvery eyes in annoyance. "What exactly is love, anyway?" He murmured a question that was perhaps too intimate of him to ask. He cleared his throat, moving his gaze away from his work and the calculating stares from his friends to the entrance of the library.

Something inside of him released a wash of acid in the moment he had—James Potter had just entered with a girl attached to his hand. Both of them looking too sappy for his liking.

"Hello, Scorpius." And right behind the eldest Potter and his company, was Lana McLaggen with a newly-picked stack of books. She smiled at him as she headed three tables away from him; earning a scowl from the Thomas twins as she waved.

Not really acknowledging the girl, Scorpius resumed on his staring. He felt something inside of him that he couldn't really define when he saw the brunette smiling up at James when he spun her in a circle, completely contrasting with the tense atmosphere with their bubbly rubbish. He just watched as Potter made something in the girl's eyes sparkle, the same way Rose's eyes seemed to glow when McLaggen was around. It wasn't something profound, something that can wow you and make you change the world with one glance, but still. It was something.

 Almost like they were in an imitation of bliss because they weren't alone.

"—Come off it, Ana, we should attempt to join the animagi. You'll make a lovely bunny."

"—And you want to be a mighty stag like your father?"Ariana teased, shoving her house-mate back as he tried reeling her into a hug. "And, I'm more of a lioness than a bunny, Potter."

Giving an unconscious grunt, Scorpius looked away from the sickening scene James and his sister were making.

"…Bad influence, isn't he?" Without missing what his best friend was frowning at, Al swallowed a knot of feelings as he continued observing Gryffindor's new couple. (No doubt there was some very festive celebration in their common room when Harry Potter's son and Hermione Granger's daughter started holding hands around the damn castle.) "I'll expect your sister to have a fall-out now that she's dating my...brother."

"She's not dating your brother," Malfoy retorted, shutting his book angrily. "Believe me, if she was I would’ve heard about it. My father would have informed me about such disgusting union. I mean, a Potter, honestly? The girl has no self-worth at all."

Al raised his eyebrow. "…Oi."

"Nothing against you, mate," Scorpius clarified. "Anyway, the beast doesn't have feelings for anyone. A dimwitted troll like her? Not in her mental capacity. She just needs to learn how to shake off your brother and be that girl that hated him just as much as she hates me."

"What if she does fancy him?" Al asked, envisioning them snogging at Godrics Hallow and his young heart paining for unexplainable reasons. "What then?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Finish your essay, Potter,” he responded, getting up from his table and walking away. Trying not to even let the image of Ariana and Potter glued at the mouth enter his head.

And although it was very disturbing to even imagine, Scorpius couldn't help but to feel a slight emotion of gratitude for the Gryffindors. They helped him see something that apparently his brilliant mind hadn't picked up yet; something that would get him a step closer to winning.

"Care for some help?"

Peering up at the sound of Malfoy's voice, emerald eyes batted their eyelashes in a bit of surprise. "Transfiguration," Lana said, lifting up her thick book at the blonde. "Only subject I know most about, it seems."

"You did brilliantly during Defense Against the Dark Arts too, Lana," Scorpius continued, giving himself permission to sit on the chair next to the Slytherin witch. "I don't think I could have sent a better Patronus."

"Mrs. Longbottom makes it easy, I suppose." Her cheeks tainted with pink. "I'm really sorry about the detention you got in Charms class, Scorpius. You really shouldn't have gotten it, that spell was meant for me."

"It was all rather fast. Besides, Weasley is a complete dunce with her spells. I barely even felt a tingle." The heir of the Slytherin Prince confessed, recalling the real reason why he’d been intensely ticked-off minutes ago. (But it was fine now, he knew why it had to happen. He was going to get Rose Weasley back, mark his words.) "I'm sort of invincible."

Lana smiled, stretching her white hand towards Scorpius'; interlacing her fingers with his. "Thank you,” she whispered sincerely, her beautiful face appearing more captivating.

Scorpius smiled back partly true, something inside of him groaning at the sickly sweet moment that he was sharing with the McLaggen girl.

"I would help you, but I can't really remember much about Third Year Herbology." She giggled lightly, letting go of his fingers. "Or Fourth Year Astronomy at that,” she added, aiming a quick glance at Zabini and the mini-telescope he had taken out from his robes.

"Actually," Scorpius took her hand, surprising her even more as she felt how soft his skin was, “I wanted to ask you something, Lana."

"…Yes?"

Taking the nervousness of the girl as a good sign, Scorpius smirked lightly. (The things he made all these witches feel.) "Would you care to go with me to Hogsmeade?"

"Hogsmeade?" Lana's shy smile seemed to inflate. "Sure, I'd love to."

Not allowing himself to be incredibly evil with the girl, Malfoy grinned at Lana. Feeling a new rush of excitement. "See you in the Common Room." He stood, and right before she expected him to walk away, Scorpius leaned down towards her. Pressing his lips an inch away from the corner of her mouth; something warm and respectful that made her heart flutter.

Giving her that glow that Rose has with her brother—giving him some warmth in the process.

"What was that about?"Al questioned with a risen eyebrow as soon as his best friend reached their table. Leaving Lana to blush to herself and Lorcan Thomas hissing at her to focus because her loud heartbeat was annoying them.

Scorpius shrugged as his friends gaped at him, Angelo looking especially impressed. "Proving your cousin wrong, Al,” he leered, leaning back against his chair. Pretending like he suddenly felt less alone. "She'll never see it coming.”