Albus Potter and the Tri-Wizard Tournament (Next-Gen HP Fan-Fic)

Snake's Den

Besides a new green rug rolled out in the center of the room, the Slytherin Common Room hasn't changed. Trios of black leather couches sat in their groups around the room while silky green curtains were draped over plexi windows that viewed the black lake. The large fireplace flickered with silvery flames and black marble made columns that held up the mantel, and the roof. The dungeon was damp and dark, lit only by yellow lanterns and the flickering fireplace, but, in a way, it was home for the Slytherin house.

"Girls to the left, boys to the right," the prefect reminded them as they entered the Common Room. The first years were getting their tour of the castle and would make it to the Common Room just before curfew. Until then, they had the Slytherin Common Room to themselves -- with the others in the Slytherin house, of course. Studies and classes started the next day and Albus was willing to take it easy before then.

"Albus," Isabella followed him to a lone pair of armchairs made of glossy, black leather and wood. She didn't say anything else, rather had hoped he was already sharing her thoughts. It wasn't unlike Professor Hurrwood to disappear a few days out of the middle of the year -- she called it training when in reality she was dealing with some Dark Arts threat before it arose to the Ministry's ears -- but Albus liked to think that Hurrwood liked her job enough to stay until she was bitterly old, or at least until he had graduated.

Professor Hurrwood had a very unique style of teaching. And it helped that she was also a Slytherin alumnus, she liked to give away extra house points for no real reason at all. But those extra handful of points never got them close to winning the House Cup, but it was a little bit of sentiment before big exams or quidditch matches.

Of course, he liked some of the other professors as well. Like Slughorn. The old buffoon was close to collapsing from his age, but still manages to hobble around castle with his cane in one hand and his thick cloak draped over the other. Then there was Professor Longbottom, but neither Isabella nor Albus had taken a Herbology class since their second year.

Shouts erupted in the corner of the room. Albus broke away from his own thoughts to see a group of five taller boys surrounding a much skinnier and paler one: Scorpius . He stood with a pair on either side, one holding tightly to his green tie while the other laughed. Albus recognized them, the same bullies that stole Scorpius 's socks every Christmas. Heat pitched his cheeks, Albus wasn't sure if he was suppose to do anything at all -- or whether or not he'd even be thanked for it. Some of the other students' eyes flickered to the commotion, but no one dared to intervene.

"I said, 'where'd you put my books', bleeder," said the largest boy in his white polo and tie loose around his neck, "I asked you to get them before you came here." He was easily a foot taller than Scorpius and three times the weight. Albus recognized the boy as Garret Goyle. His followers were a collection of square shaped boys he recruited at the beginning of the year. Ironically, Garret was the son of the same boy who followed Scorpius's father during the second wizarding war.

"Did you loose them already, nimwit?" Scorpius hissed back, pushing Garret back to release his tie, "I even got you the dumbed down version, that'd way your tiny brain can attempt to comprehend basic apparition."

"You making fun of me?" His chubby face twisted with the kind of genuine confusion one would only see on clueless bullies. He looked to one of his minions, "Is he making fun of me?"

"You know, I think he is," said the skinniest one; Zane Zalini, the boy who had the cleanest looks, but the foulest personality. He snickered to himself, "then again, all Malfoys are bloody ferrets -- spineless little weasels!"

"Why you-" Scorpius made a jump for Zalini, but two of the idle boys hooked their arms around his and held him back. Most the other kids were scurrying off to rooms to avoid watching the fight, and the Slytherin prefects would be back soon with the first years. Albus jumped to his feet and clenched his fists.