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lux-and-obscurus · 6 months ago

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hi. would anyone read a next gen hp fanfic that gives slight marauder group vibes and this is the first chapter. orrr no

July 15th - 12:30 pm

The Burrow stood boldly amidst a sea of rolling hills and tall patches of trees, somewhat of an eye-sore against the distant idyllic and picturesque village of Ottery St.Catchpole. From afar, one might imagine it collapsing at any moment, yet there was no safer place than inside its eccentric walls.

"Alright, you tossers!" James Potter shouted as his footsteps sounded down the last landing, "Five minutes, and then I'm leaving you all behind!" He swung his backpack over his shoulder and marched purposefully to the doorway, hoping his friends would join him with a sense of urgency.

Molly and Arthur Weasley had entrusted their grandchildren (blood-related or not) to watch over the house while they were visiting family in Tinworth. Unfortunately, it'd been named the hottest week England would be seeing that summer.

There wasn't one crack, crevice, or cranny to hide in on that scorching July day and James was desperate to relocate to the inviting lake that was situated over the hill and through the neighboring woods.

Located on the fifth floor, in Ron Weasley's former bedroom, Albus and Scorpius lay in their respective guest beds as if the sweltering sun was pressing its fiery hands around their necks. Albus looked up dazedly at the wall above him, it was littered with a chaotic amount of Quidditch posters that had been magically stuck there since 1993, advertising the Chudley Cannon's 20-time league cup win alongside an array of photographs of famous seeker, Galvin Gudgeon and the Cannon's long time keeper, Gordon Horton.

Albus found himself partial to the Holyhead Harpies, seeing as his mother had been their most famous chaser for the first nine years of his life before retiring from the field at age 34 and taking over the role of Head Coach. Many of his early childhood memories included the blur of green and gold robes as they zoomed past the VIP box, his usual station when his mother had work to do, but his father was far too busy at the auror office to babysit.

"Wanker." Scorpius muttered tiredly as James's voice echoed through the upstairs. His head was hanging off the edge of the bed, eyes gazing around at the jumble of clutter that he and Albus had brought with them for their 3-day long stay including a few books Albus had nicked from the Hogwarts library the previous year. Scorpius's record player, lying a couple of feet away, was letting out faint needle chatter as the vinyl they had been playing earlier spun out soundlessly.

"We'd better get up." Albus sighed as he continued to lay completely immobile. To his dismay, his curly brown hair had plastered to his forehead and the nape of his neck through a slick layer of sweat, and every time he moved, he felt the way his clothes clung uncomfortably to every inch of his body.

He heard Scorpius let out a huff resembling a chuckle, then the creak of his bed under his shifting weight. The two of them had been getting their things together to hike down to the lake that afternoon, but the room beneath the attic trapped heat more than adequately and had sent them flopping on their mattresses after mere minutes of discomfort.

"It'll be less hot downstairs," Scorpius reasoned as he got to his feet slowly, "C'mon Al," he moaned as Albus lay motionless, "Get on your cozzy so we can go."

"Fine." Albus groaned, sitting up with difficulty as the inescapable heat settled on him like a heavy quilt. Scorpius turned his back to him, leaning over his bed and gathering the goods and chattels he needed for their afternoon in a small backpack. Albus took the opportunity for privacy to hoist up a pair of swimming shorts and change t-shirts as the previous one was soaked through with sweat and he could hardly bear the feeling any longer.

Together they trooped down the stairs at a pace they knew Albus's older brother, James would be unhappy with. Rose Weasley stood at the bottom sporting a pair of green sunnies and clutching a tote bag under her arm next to an excitable-looking Teddy Lupin who was bouncing impatiently on his sandaled heels. Rose merely grimaced at their appearance as she leaned her entire body weight into the stairway rails, the heat was getting to them all it seemed.

"Took long enough," Lupin commented, raking a hand through his wavy blue hair before following Rose to the front porch. James clapped his hands together triumphantly as they gathered on the small rickety steps and announced that he would be leading the way.

The sound of James's voice happened to disturb one of the Weasley's many gnomes who had been lightly snoozing on an empty sack of chicken feed by his feet.

The ugly thing raised its large, bald head and reared its gangly teeth at them before letting out a disgusting belch and scurrying off to find another shady place to reside. Rose let out a scoff of disgust in its absence, she had quite a strong opinion about Gernumblies as one had attempted to bite her ear off when she was eight years old.

"Thought I'd lead," Rose piped up, crossing her arms over her gingham bikini top, "Seeing as I was the one who found the lake in the first place." She'd scoped out the area last time they were at the Burrow for their annual Summer Solstice dinner, held by Molly Weasley the month prior, and had already memorized the footpath she'd taken to get there. She was also quite keen to get as far from the gnome's resting place as fast as possible.

"Oi, do you always have to put yourself in charge?" Albus snapped impatiently. He just wanted to get a move on, feeling the moisture from his back already seeping into his clean shirt.

"Let's just all relax, yeah?" Scorpius interjected, stepping between the bickering cousins. He was quite the peacemaker, especially since he mainly found himself hanging around Albus and his family members who always seemed to get into small rows. Rose glared straight through him, "I'll lead." He said with a smirk before stepping to the front of the throng and beckoning for them to follow.

Rose hoisted her bag over her shoulder haughtily before following Scorpius onto the beaten path. Albus stood, baking in the sickly heat for a few moments, reluctant to move from the shade the thin porch roof provided.

"Al! Let's go!" Scorpius called back, spurring Albus back to life, "You're going to let the bloody sun kill you." He mused while Albus trotted slightly to catch up to them.

"We live in England, why is it 35 Celsius?" Albus grumbled as they stomped through a patch of tall grass. He leaned down to slap a bug away from his exposed calves.

"Maybe Mother Nature is pissed because you two were up all night blasting that Black Sabbath album relentlessly as if three other people weren't in the same house." Rose scowled. Teddy hummed in assent, seemingly exhausted as he ambled beside James on the dirt path.

"Blame follow-the-leader up there," Albus nodded towards Scorpius who was pressing on faster than the rest of them "I still have a ringing in my ears." but he couldn't help grinning at the memory of Scorpius jumping from bed to bed strumming his air guitar to the roar of his imaginary fans.

James hurried to Scorpius's side at the front of the group, eager to boast of his plans to lead Gryffindor house to the quidditch cup that upcoming year. Last year Gryffindor had lost the Quidditch cup for the first time in five years. James had held the coveted position of Gryffindor seeker since his second year and he'd taken the loss quite hard, going so far as to ignore Scorpius for two weeks straight due to Scorpius's title of Slytherin Team's MVP and lead chaser. Eventually, they made up, only after officially declaring war between their teams.

The five of them walked for another half a mile, navigating a steep hill, before reaching the edge of a forest that stretched far in the distance on either side of them like a wall. Rose informed them that it was only another three to five-minute walk through the sliver of trees. They trekked on with sweat dripping down their hopeful faces.

"At last!" Teddy whooped as the forest began to thin and they stepped onto the shore of a large, sparkling lake. Towering cliffs loomed around the circumference of the vast body of water, their stony faces adorned with lush greenery that cascaded down until reaching the water's edge. Brilliant potential for cliff jumping, Scorpius thought approvingly as he set down his backpack on the sandy grass. Albus couldn't believe that an oasis such as this had existed less than a mile from the Weasley and they'd only just discovered it.

They weren't alone of course. The sweltering heat had drawn a mixture of muggle and wizarding families from the village, some groups looking just like there's, a gaggle of teenagers who looked relieved to be somewhere beside's their bedrooms. One family had brought their own barbecue, burying it's wheels in the sand and cooking up several chicken kebabs. Two small children were crouched by the shoreline collecting wet sand in a red, plastic pail.

Rose laid out blanket large enough to accommodate all of them under a huge oak tree that was casting generous shade over a patch of sand. However, none of them had plans to settle down anytime soon as they tore off their day clothes and raced to the water's edge like giddy children.

Albus, always the more cautious one, waded in slowly after the rest of them. Still taking in his surroundings, he watched a mother and son wearing life jackets bobbing beside each other further across the lake. Up ahead, Scorpius was already waist-deep in the refreshingly cool waters, swirling his fingers around the surface with delight before, predictably, splashing a wave of water in Rose's direction.

She let out a shriek of laughter and threw her long, red plaits over her shoulders, signifying that he'd started a war. She scooped up a large bit of water in her hands and launched it back at him, smacking him squarely in the face. Seemingly unphased, Scorpius sucked in a bit of air before slipping under the water for a few moments. He resurfaced and combed his wet hair back with his fingers with a serene smile on his face.

"I'm going to go for a swim," James called as he lowered himself onto his back, "I want to see if we can get up on those cliffs." He continued, using his arms to paddle himself backward, having the same idea that Scorpius did on their arrival. Teddy followed James wordlessly and Albus caught up to where Scorpius and Rose were standing.

"I fancy a bit of a swim myself." Rose shrugged before setting off in the other direction. She dived into the dark blue water before resurfacing a couple of meters ahead and starting on her freestyle.

"How're you feeling now?" Scorpius smiled, eyeing Albus who looked significantly less feverish than he had back at the house, though still mildly uncomfortable as he kept his arms firmly wrapped around his torso like a shield.

"Better." Albus nodded, pressing his fingers into his sides. Scorpius smiled approvingly and felt himself gazing over the smattering of brown freckles across Albus's tan face before noting how his green eyes sparkled wonderfully in the sunlight. Albus cast him a funny look causing him to tear his eyes away and observe the algae slipping under his feet.

"Let's catch up to Ted and James," He said, suddenly wanting to get away, "I bet they've already found a way up." He motioned to the highest cliff behind them, Albus guessed it to be about 50 feet high.

"That one?" Albus exclaimed incredulously, "But there are perfectly good ones all around it that would be much easier to get to!" He scanned their options, even noting small slivers of footpaths made by other tourists around the smaller cliffs. See, he thought, some people had sense.

"C'mon Al, you'll have so much fun you won't even remember why you were scared in the first place!" Scorpius pressed as he began wading across the lake toward the other edge. Albus hesitated, his gaze flickering nervously between his persuasive friend and the looming cliff.

"I'm with you," Came a voice behind Albus, "I am not jumping off of that thing." His cousin sidled up next to him and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. At least they agreed on some things, Albus and Rose. Usually, things that require logic and sense instead of a daredevil attitude. Scorpius shrugged before paddling off to the other shore to join Teddy and James's tedious climb to the top.

They'd found a slightly inscrutable path of dirt and sand that winded between littered boulders and green brush. The older boys were already halfway up before noticing that Scorpius was trying to join them. They instructed him loudly up the footpath before the three continued racing to the top together.

"Did they even check if there were rocks below?" Rose sighed as she squinted up at the three figures gathering at the edge of the cliff.

"What do you think," He murmured, his eyes on Scorpius who unsurprisingly seemed to have appointed himself the first jumper. He reminded himself that with Scorpius he had to adopt a carefree attitude if he was going to survive the many bouts of danger his friend liked to put himself in. He squared his shoulders, "They'll be fine." he said coolly.

Some of the other teenagers at the lake were staring up at the cliff as well, evidently wanting to join the festivities but wanting to see if it was safe first. Luckily, Scorpius never minded being a testing dummy.

"Well," Rose raised her eyebrows, "I should get a photo of this." She waded back to shore quickly before splashing back to where Albus had moved to get a closer view, phone in hand. Scorpius stepped up to the very edge of the cliff, so far away that his expression was unreadable. He flashed two thumbs up and his jubilant whoop echoed off the rocks before the loud splash.

2:00 pm

Teddy and Rose lounged on the picnic blanket, chatting animatedly about their theories on which Hogwarts professors were shagging each other as they indulged in a feast of sandwiches, fruit, and Molly's famous homemade lemonade.

Nearby, Scorpius and James had set up a portable speaker and the strains of one of their favorite 70s rock album floated through the air. Scorpius tapped his foot to the beat while scrolling absentmindedly through the music queue on his phone, hunting for the next track. James strummed along on his imaginary guitar with over-the-top rockstar expressions with his wet hair spiked up in several directions, eliciting laughs from the rest of them.

" I Feel so hypnotized, can't describe the scene

It's all mesmerized, all that inside me

The sunshine bores the daylights out of me "

Off to the side, Albus sat beneath the shade of the towering oak tree, a school book cradled in his hands. He knew he only had a couple of minutes before Scorpius would whine for him to join them again so he read quickly, trying to absorb as much information on summoning charms as he could. Despite his natural thirst for knowledge and urge to surpass Rose's standing in their academic rank, Albus was also quite worried about being unprepared for their O.W.Ls, he could hardly relax without reviewing the occasional charm or jinx just to remind himself that he knew how to do it.

"Oi Albie!" Rose's voice was surprisingly the first to interrupt, "Have you ever noticed any...vibes between Professor Virens and Madame Dunbar?" she giggled, "I see it but Ted disagrees."

Professor Virens, head of Hufflepuff House and Herbology, and Madame Dunbar, the head healer in the hospital wing. Also possibly the two youngest women in the Hogwarts administration. Over the last three years of their schooling, older Professors that had worked there, some of them for both Wizarding Wars, had begun retiring left and right and been replaced by young, fresh faces.

"Both are quite fit," Scorpius remarked as he walked through the sand towards Albus. Rose nodded in vigorous agreement, "I could see it." he added before placing his hands on his hips expectantly. Albus stared up at him with resignation before snapping his book shut and getting to his feet slowly.

As Albus wandered to the blanket he pictured Virens standing in the greenhouse. While she was always wearing long robes and some sort of protective gear, her obvious curves and attractive facial features seemed to defy her stuffy fashion. Her appearance had been quite a hot topic following her arrival at Hogwarts, earning her a lovesick team of 5th and 6th year boys that hung on her every word and tended to loiter around between classes and pepper her with questions about her personal life. Eventually, catching on to their undying loyalty, she'd begun to trick them all into doing her grunt work, which they did with clueless enthusiasm.

"Oi," James scowled as he sat down beside Teddy, "That's my future wife you're all talking about!"

"Yeah, yeah," Rose rolled her eyes at him, "Pitiful."

"Scorp, mate," Teddy laughed as Scorpius and Albus gathered to join them on the blanket, "You need a tan. I'm nearly blinded just looking at you." he pretended to shield his eyes at the sight of Scorpius's bare torso and shoulders that had already turned slightly pink after swimming.

Scorpius laughed goodnaturedly and accepted the sunblock that Rose hastened to hand him. As a Malfoy, he'd always been the palest one in the friend group, besides ginger-haired Rose, but even she could catch a tan at the right times. James and Albus could be quite pale in the winters but during the summer, one kiss of the sun and they would look perfectly golden.

Scorpius laid down with a satisfied sigh on his stomach, resting his head on his folded arms. Teddy and Rose continued talking in low, amused voices about how they had to observe Virens and Dunbar more closely when the year began to see which one of them was right (Rose was convinced she had an amazing radar for that sort of thing). James took over the job of DJ, now switching the music to play his favorite Strokes album. Albus took out his book again, despite the look of disbelief and amusement he received from Scorpius as the sun warmed him through the fabric on his back.

July 16th - 4:00 pm

"You know," Rose shouted sternly out of the back door, "You lot said you would help with dinner!" Her voice hardly registered over the whoosh of the three broomsticks in the air. Scowling, Rose swept back into the Burrow's kitchen where Albus was dutifully stirring a pot of boiling pasta.

"You can strain that out." Rose said after scooping one of the noodles out and popping it in her mouth, "Then mix the sauce in, yeah?" She huffed, turning to the cutting board where she'd started chopping up a cucumber quite aggressively.

"It's fine you know," Albus said in an effort to calm her irritability, "We'll just make them cook breakfast tomorrow." He shrugged. He heard Scorpius cheer loudly outside and an audible groan from Teddy who was brushing up on his keeping skills.

"I just don't get why they couldn't have waited for me," Rose complained as she dumped the chopped vegetables into the waiting salad bowl, "I'm not on the team or anything but I like to fly just as much as they do." She said haughtily.

"As much as James?" Albus raised his eyebrows.

"Okay maybe not that level, it's borderline erotic," She snorted, "But I still think it's sexist that as the only girl here I'm stuck in the kitchen making them dinner." Albus sighed outwardly.

It was futile arguing against Rose sometimes, especially because she tended to externalize most of her issues while he'd learned to keep them properly bottled up. Even he'd felt a slight pang of irritation when the boys had all run outside with their brooms the moment they returned from the lake even after they all agreed to collaborate on dinner together.

"Just go out there," he gestured to the open back door, "I'll finish up."

"No. I couldn't possibly leave you in here to do it all by yourself." She shook her head stubbornly as she tossed the salad like it'd personally wronged her. Albus shrugged and dumped the boiling water through the strainer. The steam filled the air above the sink for a few moments before dissipating through the open window.

Together they continued working while the sun set gradually outside like a ticking clock. Just as they'd begun to set the table, Scorpius, Teddy, and James trooped into the dining room slick with sweat.

"We're going to shower really quick!" Scorpius said breathlessly as if he'd just hopped off of his broomstick a moment ago, "We'll be right down!" The three of them hurried upstairs, fighting over who was going to take a shower in the newly renovated bathroom on the 3rd floor.

"Doesn't it ever bother you that your brother has more in common with your best friend than you do?" Rose asked as she and Albus set out clean glasses. She hadn't meant to be rude, but her comment felt like a slap in the face.

"We have a lot in common, even if it doesn't seem like it." Albus snapped instinctively. He'd heard it a dozen times before.

His first year at Hogwarts was a dreaded one, the only thing he'd hoped for was to get sorted in a respectable house and to make one alright friend. Getting sorted into Slytherin made him think that his entire Hogwarts experience was doomed from the start, but that's where he made his very first friend. His best friend, Scorpius Malfoy.

Their names alone were enough to make heads turn. Nobody had ever heard of a Potter, no less the son of THE Harry Potter, and a Malfoy getting on (and being sorted into Slytherin house together). Despite this, they became fast, close friends and persevered through the first few years of schooling together. By year three, the bullying seemed to have ceased and they were no longer called the "Slytherin Squib" and "Voldemort's secret son" but a new sort of speculation had begun in its place.

"But Scorpius is so cool! And you're so....quiet, you know?"

"So you're the brain and he's the fame, I see."

At first, this had bothered Albus endlessly, causing him to go to great lengths to be seen as cool or interesting. But after he'd tried out for the Slytherin quidditch team during 3rd year and got knocked out for 2 straight days by a rogue bludger he gave up on his pursuits to prove a point to his peers.

"It doesn't matter, Al. And besides, you're way cooler than me." Scorpius had told him earnestly at Albus's bedside in the hospital wing, "I'm just some posh tosser with really nice hair. You're actually interesting." which had caused Albus to laugh so hard he almost passed out again.

Annoyingly enough, Albus's reputation had experienced a bit of a boost following the events they'd endured in their 4th year. Jumping off trains and fiddling with time, a story twisted throughout the rumor mill of the student population. Yet they still came out as heroes in nearly every version. Albus hoped for their 5th year to be somewhat of a fresh start. He could hardly stand living in his father's shadow, and his older brother James's by extension. Why couldn't he just be Albus?

"Alright," Rose shrugged, "Sorry. I don't hang out with you lot very much, I guess I don't see how things usually are." She conceded.

"You should," Albus said, deciding to be civil and to put his grumpiness behind him, "We need a girl to balance us out," He said before quickly reiterating, "In a good way. Not in a sexist way."

She smirked amusedly at his squirminess, "Maybe. As long as Scorpius doesn't still fancy me."

"Um, who said I fancied you?" Scorpius smirked as he swept into the dining room, toweling off his freshly washed hair. She rolled her eyes as she set down the salad bowl.

"Oh, just you every single year since I've met you!" She exclaimed before giving him a slight shove, "Just help us bring everything to the table, Malfoy." Scorpius grinned before following her into the kitchen. Rose Weasley had always had her own circle of friends, mostly study buddies and a few gal pals that she could have fun with but nobody she'd made a real true connection with. Not like Albus and Scorpius had.

Rose had always been slightly estranged from Albus's world until recently. All he really knew about her was that she was at the top of their class, annoyingly right above him. She liked quidditch, was brilliant in the realm of transfiguration and charms, and she had ambitions of working in the Ministry of Magic to eventually take over her mother's role as Minister for Magic. She'd had two relationships, both quite fleeting and immature, in her third year and one had been with a girl called Dahlia.

Hogwarts was a flurry of diversity so her coming out as pansexual hardly caused anyone to bat an eye, besides the small group of devoted purists who still somehow aligned with the belief that purebloods were the superior strain of wizards and old, ancient traditions were of the highest importance. Though, those sorts were far and few between and Rose didn't seem to care about other people's opinion anyhow. Albus had always been extremely curious about what it was like to fancy someone of the same sex and be open about it as well. He made a mental note to ask her about it, though he was doubtful he would anytime soon.

During their first year, Rose was one of the many who shunned Scorpius for believing he was Voldemort's secret son, conceived through a complicated bit of time travel. Since then she'd matured a bit and realized that this rumor held no merit and was actually quite silly. But the moment she had rejected Scorpius Malfoy on the train he had set out to woo her (mostly for his own entertainment and little to do with being truly attracted to her). But as puberty reared its ugly head, Scorpius's feelings on love and girls had begun to grow quite complex for even him to work out just yet.

"Looks good!" James said as he took a seat at the dining table, already taking two slices of garlic bread for his plate. Rose scowled at him for being impolite as she appeared in the dining room again and he took his hand back at once, waiting for them all to be seated.

"You're welcome." Albus chided, sitting beside Rose.

"Yeah," Teddy appeared at the table, his wet hair still dripping to his shoulders, "We're sorry that you guys had to make it all by yourselves," he frowned sheepishly, "We'll make it up to you, right boys?" He looked around for support. James and Scorpius nodded vigorously.

"Of course we will!" Scorpius assured him, "Big breakfast tomorrow, on us." Teddy began pulling out the seat on the other side of Albus but was stopped short by Scorpius's hand on his shoulder.

"Mind if I sit there actually?" He asked casually.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry mate." Teddy shrugged before switching to the other side and sitting next to James. Scorpius let out a relaxed exhale as he settled in next to his best friend. Albus sat up straighter in his chair before they all began helping themselves to the spread.

"Pretty good," James said, smacking his lips together following a large bite of the pesto pasta they'd prepared, "But I'm so excited to get back to meals at Hogwarts." They all made noises of assent as they filled their mouths hungrily.

At some point, James had turned on the record player in the living room and the voice of Freddie Mercury carried to the dining table. Teddy had gone down into the Weasley's cellar and nicked two bottles of wine that he hoped Molly and Arthur wouldn't notice the absence of.

"We're almost of age," Teddy chirped in the disapproving face of Rose, "At least James and I. But that means you three too by extension." he grinned. Scorpius retrieved some glasses while Albus began stacking their empty plates.

James pushed his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose as he focused on uncorking one of the bottles with a mangled, old opener that he supposed the Weasleys had been using for several years. Eventually, Teddy took the job over as James could barely concentrate through his ongoing speech about how he was a shoo-in for the position of captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team and how he could already feel the thrill of victory and hear the roar of the crowd.

"We'll see tomorrow," Rose said giddily, "That's when our letters are supposed to come. I hope I made prefect." she wrung her hands nervously in her lap now, "What if I didn't? I don't know what I'd do! What would I tell my mum?"

"I just hope I pass my O.W.L.s," Albus shrugged, receiving an overfilled glass of white wine, he snorted at Teddy's pouring technique before taking a large gulp, "I hear that two of our teachers are new this term," he said doubtfully. While he enjoyed being taught by less-than-ancient professors he wasn't sure how he felt about newbies being in charge during one of his most important exam years.

"You will, you're a genius," Scorpius whispered bolstering. Albus grinned, he was often caught off guard by Scorpius's compliments as they always sounded especially genuine when they came from him, "I just hope this is our best year yet."

July 17th - 10:00 am

The room was shrouded in darkness, the only sound coming from the soft rhythm of their breathing, their bodies a tangle of limbs and bedsheets. Scorpius and Albus had fallen asleep like the dead after killing a bottle of wine between the both of them and dancing to Queen in the Burrow's living room until the wee hours of the morning. They weren't even sure how they'd made it up the four flights of stairs to their guest room, probably not without a lot of stumbling and laughter.

Their snoring was abruptly shattered by the sound of squealing excitement emanating from downstairs. With a groan, Albus stirred from his sleep, his eyes blinking blearily in the dim light filtering through the curtains. Across the room, Scorpius mumbled something unintelligible and reached warily to his bedside to check the time. He let out a groan as his cell phone flashed brightly in his eyes. There was another squeal, it was getting closer as Rose climbed the stairs.

"What the bloody hell is she doing? It's too early for this." Scorpius growled before sitting up begrudgingly. Albus rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and felt his head pang.

"The letters must've come," Albus mumbled. He was surprised to find himself shirtless but his drunken self had probably thought better of wearing clothes as once again, their room felt like a giant oven.

He scrounged on the floor for a moment before pulling on a wrinkled t-shirt that read: 'I went to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes and all I got was this lousy shirt!' Scorpius couldn't stop himself from chuckling as he looked up at him, but his grin was quickly wiped off of his face by a jolt of pain in his skull.

There came a soft knock on the door which Albus saw as counterproductive, she had already sufficiently woken them up. Scorpius grunted in approval and their door swung open with a bang.

"Just bringing you two your letters!" She said cheerily, and much too loud. Albus scowled as she tossed him a brown envelope. He abandoned it on the bed dismissively so he could search in his bag for any sort of hangover remedy he could find. Scorpius took his and ripped it open carelessly while Rose remained, bouncing impatiently on her heels.

"Just tell us." Albus rolled his eyes, knowing what she was waiting for. She shot him a dangerous look before regaining her composure quickly.

"Well, I er..." She was seemingly less excited to announce her news to them as they squinted up at her, "I got my prefects badge in mine." she finished, pursing her lips.

"Congrats, darling." Scorpius nodded absently as he perused his letter. It contained the usual garble about what supplies they might need for the upcoming year, which books they were expected to buy, blah blah blah. He tossed it aside and reclined back against his pillows with a lazy, satisfied exhale.

"What do you think, Albie?" She asked her cousin hopefully. He'd been rummaging through his bag still, but he suddenly jolted upright and cast her a strange look.

"I..." He grabbed his stomach as he stood to his feet, "I think I'm going to be sick!" he exclaimed with wide eyes before sprinting to the door, bumping Rose aside as he did. She yelped in pain before hearing the bathroom door down the hall slam loudly. She scoffed in disgust and muttered something about him being a "bloody lightweight" before turning on her heel and marching out, no doubt to wake up Teddy and James next.

Albus wretched for a couple of minutes before wiping his mouth and peeling himself off of the honeycomb tiles. He grudgingly rounded to the sink to brush his teeth with as much vigor as a horned slug crossing the sidewalk, feeling as though he had no energy left in his body. Though, as he returned to his room he felt immeasurably better than he had when he woke up.

Scorpius had begun to snooze again, letting out quiet bouts of snoring. Albus sat on the edge of his bed and ripped open his letter, knowing that it held nothing very remarkable in it anyway.

"What the hell?" He exclaimed as a shiny, green, and silver prefects badge tumbled into his lap. He hurried to pull the rest of the parchment out despite the fact that the noise had caused Scorpius to stir awake again, there had to be some explanation! His eyes grew larger and larger as he scanned the letter.

Dear Mr. Potter,

It is with great pleasure that I extend my congratulations to you on your selection as one of Slytherin House's fifth-year prefects for the upcoming year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Your selection for this esteemed position is a testament to your outstanding character, leadership abilities, and dedication to excellence. As a prefect, you will be entrusted with important responsibilities, including maintaining discipline and serving as a role model for your fellow students. I have every confidence that you will excel and carry out your duties with integrity and a sense of pride in representing Slytherin House.

Once again, congratulations on your appointment as a prefect. I look forward to seeing the positive impact you will undoubtedly make on Slytherin House and your peers as a whole.

Yours sincerely,

Horace Slughorn [Head of Slytherin House]

"Whasgoingon?" Scorpius mumbled, his eyes fluttering open. He met Albus's expression of disbelief and horror before his eyes drew to the shiny object in his friend's palm.

"They made me a bloody prefect!"

11:45 am

"Get that thing out of my face, will you?" An irate Albus snapped as his older brother stuck his Quidditch Captain's badge under his nose for possibly the 17th time that morning. James let out a mischievous giggle as Albus swiped for it. Teddy was named co-captain but was being much more humble about it and Rose seemed to calm down about her prefect's badge as well following the news that Albus had received one too.

"Cheer up, will you?" James rolled his eyes pointedly, "Just because you got the curse doesn't mean we all have to suffer with you!" Albus huffed and stuck his nose back into his Charms textbook, trying to push himself deeper into the cushions of the Weasley's sofa.

"Here, it'll make you feel better," Scorpius said, appearing at Albus's side with a cup of tea.

"Thanks," Albus said, failing to hide his warm smile at the kind interruption. Scorpius nodded, setting the mug down on the side table before joining Rose a few cushions away. She'd been flicking through a fashion magazine before he tore it from her hands quickly.

"Oi!" she snatched it back and smacked him over the head with it promptly, "Paws off."

"I'm bored!" Scorpius whined while Rose bristled and tried to flip back to whatever page she'd been reading before. Teddy wandered into the living room, already nodding in agreement.

"Grandmum and Grandpa are going to be back tomorrow morning," Rose said sternly, "We all agreed that after breakfast we'd actually do the chores that we were meant to do." The rest of them groaned, knowing that she was right.

"Let's just split it up so we can be done as fast as possible, then we can all head down to the lake for a dip." Teddy suggested.

"Alright lads!" James clapped his hands together, eager for anything that involved talking strategy, Albus closed his book knowing that it was futile to try and read anything anymore, "Ted and I will handle the gnomes in the garden, Al and Scorpius can clean the upstairs and Rose the down. Sound good?"

"Sounds fair to me." Rose grinned, knowing that she'd be done tidying the kitchen and living room in a snap.

"The entire upstairs?" Albus and Scorpius exclaimed in unison, clambering to their feet at once.

"Would you two rather do the gnomes?" James raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms expectantly. Albus cleared his throat and pushed his toes into the carpet uncomfortably. Scorpius sighed and shook his head. "That's what I thought, let's get to it." James smirked before leading Teddy into the backyard.

Rose practically skipped into the kitchen as if doing the dishes was her life calling while Albus and Scorpius trudged up the stairs.

"Wish we could do magic." Scorpius complained as they took on their guest bedroom first. Albus dragged a laundry basket to the middle of the room so they could throw their dirty clothes in it with minimal effort.

"Got to learn to be sufficient without it, I suppose." Albus shrugged before tossing a balled up shirt and scoring it easily. Scorpius noticeably perked up at the idea of making cleaning a game and for the rest of the day he tried making every facet of cleaning into a competition.

"First one to make their bed wins!"

"Okay, you can only mop using your feet."

"Whoever gathers the least amount of trash has to help James and Ted with the gnomes."

"First one to pack up gets to sit out of cleaning the bathroom."

Albus won this last challenge easily as he'd really only brought a few articles of clothing, half of which were in the washing, and some books. He sat down on the bed with a textbook in his lap but found himself too distracted to read as Scorpius, down the hall, began whistling his favorite song while he scrubbed the bathtub. Albus sank down against his pillows and closed his eyes allowing the melody to put him to a peaceful sleep.

okay idk if anyone has read this far but basically this is the first chap of a scorbus fanfic i want to write. nextgen meets marauders type slowburn friends to lovers scorbus but with teddy james and rose (and later lily luna) in a cute friend group.

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