Author's Note:

I know I've classified this as a Rose/Scorpius fic, but it's not as that way inclined as I'd first intended. You can blame Albus Potter for that ...his friendship with Scorpius just seemed to take over as I typed.

Anyway, if you liked (or didn't like...) this story, feel freed to drop a review about what you liked or thought needed improvement ...I do enjoy constructive criticism. :D

Disclaimer: So, we all know the deal here. No copyright infringement is inteneded with this story. All characters, places, etc. belong to the Harry Potter universe which in turn belongs to J.K. Rowling (...I just visit it every once in a while, hoping naively that one day I'll be able to stay there.) :D

Albus was at his wit's end with his best mate. How in the bloody hell did Scorpius expect Rose to actually treat him with anything other than contempt when he kept up his stereotypical Slytherin attitude around her? Sure, he didn't know her as well as he had when they were younger …they'd drifted apart after their third year at Hogwarts, around the same time Albus had befriended the pale-haired idiot now sitting in front of him. Nonetheless, he still knew her fairly well. He knew that she would always think Scorpius was 'that egotistical Malfoy prat' if he kept up this way in the near future. And if so, he'd probably also end up with more than a bruised ego.

Albus looked over at his best friend, who was slumped in one of the many chintz chairs in the Slytherin common room. He was rubbing his eyes with his fists, seeming very confused and frustrated. Albus had no doubt whatsoever that it had something, more likely everything to do with his cousin Rose. He cleared his throat expectantly, urging his friend to get his problems off his chest.

Scorpius looked up, a deep furrow between his blonde eyebrows. "What?"

Albus, too, frowned. "What do you mean 'what'? I'm not the one sitting there about to tear my hair out. What's got your wand in a knot?"

Scorpius almost growled, "You know it's not a 'what', but a 'who'."

Albus tried to keep the knowing grin off his face, "Ah, of course. What's our dear Rosie said to you now?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing," the pale boy huffed, "That's my problem. She's been ignoring me for two weeks now, Al. Two weeks! I mean, how can she ignore me for that long? We share a dormitory …we have Head's duties together …classes together. And … I constantly attempt to gain her attention! I just wish she'd talk to me. Even if it is to tell me that I'm the most conceited person she knows, even if it's just to hex me. I mean …at least I'd be getting something out of her."

Albus couldn't understand him. If Rose really knew Scorpius, she wouldn't mind him, in fact, she might even like him. But Scorpius …he had the tendency to act like a prat around her, trying to be impressive and such but unfortunately just coming off as great big show-off. Something that Rose despised most was lack of modesty, and when Scorpius was around her, he was rarely modest. He tended to be rather narcissistic really. However, he seemed to be the only one that didn't notice he was doing it.

Albus sighed. "Honestly, mate, anyone would think you're a mad raving lunatic if they knew what you were really like."

Scorpius raised an eyebrow, "What are you getting at, Al? Are you trying to diagnose me with something here, or ...?"

"Yeah. That's precisely what I'm doing, Scorp. And, my professional opinion is that you have a rather bad case of schizophrenia."

Both eyebrows shot up this time, disappearing underneath a white-blonde fringe. "Schizo–what–ia?

"Schizophrenia," Albus replied matter-of-factly, "Honestly, I'd thought you'd have known what it was. That's what Muggles call it when you've got paranoid voices telling you to do stuff –"

"I don't hear paranoid voices!"

" – Or, when you've got a split personality."

"Well …I don't have that either!" Scorpius spluttered, appalled by his friend's suggestions.

Albus snorted derisively, "Yeah, sure. One minute, you're Scorpius, my best mate who jokes around and doesn't care who beats him at chess or anything else …well, not more than most normal people care. The next …you're Malfoy; the Slytherin Head Boy, who's out to prove himself in any manner possible to the world, or more significantly, Rose Weasley."

"You're barking," Scorpius scoffed.

Albus only chuckled. "That's a bit rich, don't you think? Seriously though, Scorpius, why is it that you have this self-destructive desire to prove yourself to absolutely everyone? I mean, it's not like you should care what others think. What's it to them? It's not who minds what you appear to be that matters, it's those who matter to you whose opinions' you should care about. "

Scorpius sighed, "That may all be very true and good, Al. But …I need to show everyone that I'm not like my grandfather, that I'm not how my father was at my age. And more importantly, I need to prove that my father is a better man today than he was all those years ago, and through my actions I can do that."

"But why should that be your responsibility? I'm sorry Scorp, but no matter what you do, there are still going to be people who think ill of your father …your family, and there is nothing you can do about that. You can't escape it. Just like I can't escape the odd stares whenever my Dad picks me up from the train for the holidays, or the fact that everyone seems to think the sun shines out of his arse. There's no way around it. There will always be people who will dismiss your efforts to differ yourself from your family's past. The sooner you accept that, the easier your life will be. Trust me."

Scorpius considered Albus, who was perched on the table in front of him, for a second. "I guess so. But you know me; I don't take that sort of thing lying down. They shouldn't be able to judge me based on my family's past …It just, it pisses me off so much! It's like – no matter what I do, some people can't be swayed. They've made their judgements, and that's it. End of story. And that, that I can't, won't accept … People shouldn't be so prejudiced. And for them to be so toward me, with their presumption that I live by blood status, is rather hypocritical. I can't stand hypocrites …they're worse than cowards," he finished bitterly.

Albus slid off the desk he was sitting on into an empty chair, seeing that this argument was only going to get Scorpius more irritated than he had been originally. "You're right. The world is full of hypocrites … but that doesn't mean you have to have this whole two-sided persona thing going on. You should just be who you are and to hell with everyone who doesn't like it. It's no wonder Rosie thinks you're an arrogant prat. You're all arrogant and self-important around her, and then she sees you with us, mucking around and being normal. She probably assumes you simply don't like her. And trust me, that is no way to win anyone over, particularly a girl like Rose Weasley."

Scorpius rubbed his neck, before desperately asking, "Well, what should I do then, oh-wise Owl-bus?"

Albus ignored the digged at his name and chuckled. "You really are quite daft for an intelligent person, sometimes. From now on, stop being the absolute prat Malfoy, and be my best mate Scorpius, the one who doesn't care what people think …the one who doesn't need to prove and justify every little thing he does."

Scorpius sat up straighter. "Right. Okay … So where does 'Hyperion' fit into it?"

"What?" Albus asked, thoroughly bewildered.

Scorpius grinned now. "Well, I thought, seeing how we were naming my so-called 'personalities' by my names, where exactly does 'Hyperion' come into it?"

"Hyperion is the …" Albus searched around for another aspect of Scorpius' personality before huffing out, "Does it really matter?"

Scorpius chuckled. "Guess not." After a moment of silence Scorpius said, "…Al?"

"Yeah?" he asked, serious again.

"Thanks …For knowing me and my personalities better than I do; you're a great friend, the best I've got."

Albus screwed up his face as though he'd just eaten an ear-wax flavoured Every Flavour Bean. "You just had to get all Hufflepuff on me, didn't you?" he said, before leaving the room in mock disgust.

"Hey! I was only telling the truth! And Hufflepuff's not that bad!" Scorpius called after him, smirking as he added, "Your girlfriend's in Hufflepuff!"

Albus came back, red-faced, "Alice Longbottom is not my girlfriend!"

Scorpius' smirk widened to a grin. "Yeah, sure, whatever you say, Al. And I don't fancy Rose Weasley."

A/N: Thanks for reading! :D .xx