Soldiers and Serpents //Scorbus

17 Outcast ⚠️

Scorpius sat at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, and pushed food around his plate with his fork. He had no appetite. "This might be the first time I've ever seen Scorpius sitting alone." He overheard a student say not too far away from him. He tried not to snap in their direction. "Perhaps his sister found out he was a deatheater?" Another student asked, and there was a giggle from the first. "Yeah, if she isn't one herself!"

"Anteoculatia." Scorpius whispered, and then there's a chorus of loud screams. He watches from the corner of his eye as the first student sprouts a pair of massive moose antlers. The Hex was something he didn't usually like. He found the result trivial, but it worked when he was too tired to scare the life out of someone in another way. "You might want to get that checked out, Tiberius. If you wait too long, it becomes permanent." Scorpius says innocently, turning his gaze on the brothers who were speaking. One was Tiberius and the other Brutus Nott. The sons of Draco Malfoy's childhood friend Pansy Parkinson. Scorpius always hated the kids, even though his father was good fiends with their mother then they went to Hogwarts. "Then again," Theres a deliberate pause. "You should keep them, they're your best feature."

A few students laughed, but Tiberius wasn't one of them.

"You'll regret that, Malfoy!" Brutus stood up to defend his brother, pulling his wand out. "Cantis!" The jinx, when casted without issue, would've caused Scorpius to burst into uncontrollable singing. However, a student quickly diverted it by jumping in front of Scorpius, casting their own spell.

"Protego!" The protection spell dissipated the jinx before it reached anyone. It acted as a sort of shield, guarding against any incoming jinxes or spells. Scorpius realized it was Albus Potter when everyone else did. He stood up beside the Potter, in a state of surprise to see him come to his rescue so quickly. Brutus Nott's face turned down to a scowl, looking between the two boys. "Nothing else you'd like to try?" Albus asked, his voice loud in the room which had suddenly gone quiet. It demanded a kind of respect that Scorpius instantly admired him for. Raven looked over at them curiously, obviously wondering what was going on. Beside her, Rose Weasley's eyes were wide as she watched.

"He- He-!" Brutus began, gesturing to the antlers weighing down his brother's head. Scorpius looked back at him from Albus, raising his eyebrows expectantly. "Forget it." He grabbed his brother by his arm, walking out of the Great Hall towards the hospital wing. Students began to go about their business again.

"Really, Scorpius? In the Great Hall? You're lucky no Professors are around." Albus scolded, turning to his friend. "You could've been expelled for getting into trouble again this year!" Scorpius sits back at the table, and Potter takes a seat beside him.

"Relax." He waves him off. "You don't need to be my knight in shining armor, Potter." Scorpius leaned into the table, propping his hand up with his arm. He was in his white button up uniform with the black v neck sweater over it, a green Slytherin stripe and badge the only identification of his house. His jeans were dark, finished off with his combat boots. Albus wore nearly the same thing, but with his tie and his scarf. His shoes were converse.

"Someone has too." Albus snorted in response, pouring himself some coffee. When he turns back, Scorpius's glare had him nearly spitting his coffee across the table. He choked. "Sorry, was that... offensive?"

"You didn't mean it the way I took it. It's fine." Scorpius sets his fork down, a soft clang coming from the action.

"I didn't mean you needed protecting, if that's what you thought." Albus clarifies. Scorpius didn't give any indication he heard him, so Potter said nothing else about it. "So Olivia is leaving Hogwarts I guess. Her family is moving her to France. She'll be going to Beauxbatons. It might just be a rumor though. People are saying that she's not going to formal now. Who blames her? No dress, no hair? Can't imagine how she's been feeling." Albus explains, trailing off. "If she wasn't so annoying when I was hanging out with Luke I might actually feel bad for her." He clearly had been talking with his girlfriends because no one else would bother showing pity over Olivia. She wasn't exactly liked even though she was popular. The A's Trio were Hogwarts' version of Mean Girls.