"I hate you."

"Of course."

"No, I mean I really hate you."

"Honestly, I think I get it, Potter."

Albus sighed, slumping down in a chair. It wouldn't do him any good to bash his head on the table or curl up into a ball under the table, either, but that didn't mean that he didn't want to do either of those things. As it happened the numerous stares he was getting was all that was keeping him from slinking under the table and hiding there for the rest of his life. He, by no means, was going to let the population of Hogwarts see how much he was suffering. He was not going to let them get to him just like his brother did. Still, sometimes there was no way around it. In the end they would find out just how much he was suffering and it would all be thanks to the idiot sitting next to him.

Scorpius Malfoy couldn't have been anymore different from what Albus had thought of him. Instead of being the all mighty smarmy bastard that the entire family had thought that he would be he was just annoying. Talking all too much, a little indifferent, stuck up, sure but he was still annoying. It was almost as though Rose had been cloned into a boy - made blonde and given away at birth or something. The two of them were almost exactly alike - in the sense of how annoying they could be.

He glanced across the hall looking for his cousin; and there she was skipping to the Hufflepuff table, bushy red hair pulled into a messy bun. Clearly she couldn't be happier. When she had caught notice of Albus watching her, she threw him a quick way before scampering into a seat next to a blonde girl. Albus groaned. Why him? Why couldn't he have been sorted into a house that he liked? He'd even take Hufflepuff!

Still, the first year plunged his fork into a bit of eggs and then plunged it in again. And again. He had a full plate of food and he wasn't hungry. He just wanted to make it through the day as though nothing was wrong. Maybe if he could just pretend that he was in a better house than things would be okay. Yes, that would have to do, wouldn't it? At least until he came around to liking his house.

Scorpius stirred beside him. "I wonder if anything fascinating will happen this year," he said, clearly ignoring the odd stare he was receiving. "You know, like when our parents were in school. Merlin, what that must've been like."

Albus snorted. "Right," he began slowly. "And I suppose it would just suit your fancy if someone brought Whats-His-Name back, eh?"

The blonde boy narrowed his eyes for a moment before waving his hand. "No, no. I merely mean for the sake of something interesting! Think of all the excitement there would be!"

"You're impossible, you realize." Albus stated.

Scorpius glowered before turning back to his food. Albus hit his head on his plate full of food. Such was their morning.

- - -

"Hey!" Rose exclaimed, slapping Albus on the back later that day as she passed him in the hall.

There was a sound like a dying cow that escaped from the boys mouth before he leered meaningfully at his cousin but he didn't do much else to acknowledge the face that she had just slapped him rather hard on the back. The spot on his back was burning with pain and he was fairly sure that there was a red hand print in it's place. Of all the things she could have done she just had to have slapped him!

Still he threw her a wave an attempted a smile in his grumpy state. He didn't notice her frown until she had stuck out her foot in front of him, sending him flailing to the ground with an ominous thud. He gave a loud groan of protest and gazed warily up at his cousin's frowning face. He furrowed his brows and made to fix his glasses that had gone askew.

"What was that for?" He asked as though it were the most hurtful thing in the world to be tripped.

Rose stared down at him for a moment. "You could've said something like, 'Hullo, Rose! How's your day going so far?'" she whined at him, placing her hands on her hips as she watched him stagger to stand back up.

Albus stared at her, boggled. Was she insane after all? What happened to his quiet, sweet cousin and when did she start going around slapping people on the back like that? That was something that James did, and on the occasion, Jay too. "Hullo, Rose, how's your day going so far?" he replied slowly, easing away from her just incase she decided that she wanted to have another whack at his back.

There was a moment that passed between the two of them that made Albus want to hang his head and keep trudging along the corridor as Rose just stood there looking at him. When finally the brunette shrugged her shoulders, brushing hair away from her face he stood to attention watching her carefully. And then Rose did nothing but boggle at him. Albus wanted to throw his hands up in frustration.

"Molly told Roxanne who told Louis who told Fred who told James that she once heard that the Malfoy family were some sort of devil worshipers," Rose finally whispered out to him, her eyes wide as she said this. "So I told Molly that there was no possible way that it could be true, because Malfoy are folk who are too good for that. And you know what she says? She says she heard it from her dad. So, I says to her, 'I bet you ten sickles that you're wrong Molly Weasley!' and then she told me to ask you if Scorpius worships the devil."

Albus stared incredulously at the Hufflepuff that was his cousin. "Wait - what?" he asked dumbly, pushing his glasses up his nose. "How'd her dad figure they worship the devil?" But that wasn't the part that confounded him most. "You bet Molly ten sickles that she was wrong?" He sputtered.

Now Albus was quite sure that something was wrong with Rose! Someone must have slipped something into her pumpkin juice this morning at breakfast or something. Maybe she had been walking too close to the Quidditch pictch and got knocked over the head with a passing bludger. Rose was never someone to listen to anything Molly said, never mind the fact that Rose had never won a single bet in her life.

"You might as well hand over your ten sickle, Rose," he sighed, slinging his book bag over his shoulder. "Molly's almost never wrong, you know." And he would have said more if she didn't stick out her bottom lip in the same way that Lily did when she wanted something. He flinched - the girls in his family were all so diabolical!

"Al, Al, Al!" She whined, beating her eyelashes up at him. "Couldn't you just ask Scorpius if his family are devil worshipers?"

Albus sighed. "Couldn't you ask him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because that would be stupid. You share a room with him."

Albus sputtered. "Not by choice!" he said quickly in his defense. And when a bell chimed he snapped his head to the left and groaned. He was about to be late for Charms. "Fine, I'll ask him, Rose. But if you lose your money don't say I didn't tell you so." And with that he left his cousin standing in the hall with a look of glee on her face.

He had all but made a mad dash for the class room, clutching his book bag close to him so his papers wouldn't go flying and his books wouldn't fall. When he had finally managed to round the corner he slid into the classroom just before the door closed behind him. There was no way that he would be caught outside of class on the first week of school! He'd heard stories from Teddy that there were some professors who prowled the halls for students out of class. He shuddered at the thought.

As he looked around the class for a seat it dawned on him that there was only one left open and he heaved a sigh of relief. That brief moment of relief was cut short once he noticed that the seat was next to Scorpius. Well, at least he could get the answer to Rose's question and be done with it. Maybe he wouldn't even have to talk to him for the rest of the class after that. Albus was hopeful as he made his way to his seat, ever aware that gray eyes were watching him as he sat down and pulled out parchment and a quill.

Thankfully they wouldn't be casting any sort of charms today. Instead they would sit and listen to a lecture given to them by the professor and asked to take notes that would need to be handed in before class was over. Albus took this time to nudge the boy next to him as he scribbled down his notes.

When Scorpius raised his head and looked over at his quizzically Albus simply handed him a note that he had written quickly containing Rose's question.

Albus swore he heard the sound of teeth grinding together before a quill dropped to the floor and a note was pushed back his way. Then Scorpius head dropped to the table with a thud and Albus had to raise his eyebrows, snorting softly to himself. He picked the note up and read in big, scribbled letters; FOR MERLINS SAKE, NO WE DO NOT.

Well, it looked like Rose would be getting ten sickles from Molly after all.