Found In the Past

14

Albus's POV:

I was prepared to completely ignore Scorpius for the duration of Divination, but of course I couldn't. I had to defend him when that Ravenclaw insulted his future since he was going to let her stupid comment slide. Then I just couldn't give the cold-shoulder to those beautiful grey eyes. Now that we're on more stable terms, worry tugs my chest as I watch the scene behind me unfold

"Nothing," Scorpius tries to re-gain his composure, but barely-masked horror is still prominent on his face. I try and make eye contact with him to make sure he's okay, but he looks away, eyes landing everywhere but on me. Weird...

"I sensed that YOU definitely would have the gift of foresight, Mr. Malfoy. I thought you would at least be seeing bushes by now," Professor Trelawney rasps at Scorp, her voice trailing off slightly. Her eyes suddenly snap over to a dark-haired Ravenclaw who's sitting at a table close to ours. I see the girl's nose wrinkle in concentration and stifle a laugh. It comes out as a half-snort instead and Scor elbows me in the side.

"I-I see something!!!" The girl I was watching sits up straighter and narrows her eyes, focusing intently on the crystal in front of her. "It's a..." she looks up, a way-too-serious expression written across her face, "blue monkey."

"Blue monkeys symbolize great peril," Professor Trelawney tells the ravenclaw in a sickenly high voice. She smiles sadly in that I-know-something-you-don't look that is very annoying to those of us who don't see the future. Well, whatever she thinks is the future. "I myself have seen several blue monkeys in the tea leaves."

While Professor Trelawney seems convinced about the fact of our undoubtable peril, the remainder of the class remains skeptical. I hear several coughs that sound suspiciously like laughter coming from the Slytherin girls behind us.

I glance over next to me and see that Scorp's eyes are still unnaturally wide, doing little to maintain his illusion of being fine. The sphere in front of him shimmers with a milky substance, flitting from ghostly shape to shape. I don't bother looking closer since my own objects never become clear.

"Blue monkeys, eh? That's Professor Trelawney for you," Scorp deadpans quietly so that Professor Trelawney doesn't hear him. He looks at me with an exaggerated eye roll. It feels so natural to be with him I can almost forget those dumb thing he said about Paige. Almost. But not quite.

"You saw something in that stupid crystal ball, didn't you?" I ask him directly, noting the instant change of expression as he cringes and starts staring at his shoes. "What did you see?" I ask with genuine curiosity about what could be so horrible, even though he probably doesn't want to say.

"You'll hate me," he mumbles, still staring at his feet.

"I will never hate you," I respond immediately since it's the truth. I glance over to where Professor Trelawney keeps going on about some nonsense prophecy where a "muggle bat virus from Wuhon will destroy the world" to the side of us.

"Well... I hate me," Scor's voice shakes, and the brokenness in his cloudy eyes is enough to rip my heart in two. The desire to protect him suddenly over whelms me, and I grip my seat so I don't randomly hug him in front of other people. I love you enough for the both of us, is what I want to say, but I can't do that. I can't ruin everything it would kill me to lose.

"I will never hate you," I repeat.

"Y-you don't know what I saw," and his voice breaks even more, hurting me more than anything else could. Besides my father's wish that... that I wasn't his.... I push the thought away so I can focus on Scorpius's issue.

"Just tell me," I plead, holding my hands out in a universal please symbol, "I will NEVER hate you!" I say it too loudly and heads turn our way. I flush and look down until they've all moved back to staring at their crystal balls. Scorpius meets me eyes and I send him a pleading look. He admits defeat with a small sigh.

"I saw," he hesitates but still won't meet my eyes. It's as if he's afraid that if he looks up, he'll see me walking away again. I feel a stab of regret for storming off earlier. "A Dark Mark," he finally whispers quietly. I gasp and he blinks quickly like he is holding back tears. I don't know what I assumed he'd seen, but it was more along the lines of a symbol for getting a B on the transfiguration final.

"You probably didn't actually see it," I try to dismiss the prospect though I can tell he doesn't believe me. "Plus, even if it was, I don't care. Nothing will cause me to stop being your friend," my heart lightens as I realize how true my words are. I never want to leave him....

"Al, I don't deserve to have you as a best friend," Scorpius says and the corners of his mouth twitch up.

"Who else would put up with your odd fear of ladybugs?" I tease him. He sends me a glare as I remind him of the 'winged creatures of death' which is his name for them. That phrase should not apply to those cute insects, but I just can't convince him otherwise.

"Don't tell anyone about that," he stage whispers to me, eyes wide in mock-horror. I shake with laughter, ready to come up with a retort, but Professor Trelawney chooses that moment to float back to our table.

"I saw that you two would not pay attention, but I believed that you two were going to prove my crystal ball was flawed," she breathes in that annoying sing-song voice of hers. Her eyes roll around weirdly and for a moment I wonder if she's 'high' on some muggle potion.

"We were just looking at this flying lawn chair that Albus saw in the crystal ball," Scorpius lies masterfully and I nod along like this is true. It would scare me how easily he lies, but since I know he would never lie to me, I'm not worried.

"A symbol of peace and prosperity... or simply charming a lawn chair to fly," She titters, buying into our lie. "Alas... only one of you shall find fulfillment within the end of this semester..." she finishes with a sad sigh. Before I can scoff and come up with a rude comment, her enchanted clock chimes on the wall to symbol the end of class. I pack up my stuff hurriedly and wait for Scorpius to organize his books, which I still don't see the point in doing.

We finally make it to the ladder and I climb down. When I reach the bottom, I notice Scorp hasn't followed me.

"Hey, Al!" I stop straining my neck to watch for him and turn to see my cousin beaming at me. "How are you? Is Scor still up there?" She gestures to the classroom with a hand, nose crinkling in barely-contained disgust. Rose was lucky enough to have Aunt 'Mione specifically demand she not take Divination. My aunt has always talked trash about that class AND that teacher.

"Yeah... I'm just great," I tell her in monotone, not caring if I sound sincere of not. Her eyes flick across my face, mind going a mile a minute as if I'm an equation she needs to solve. I put up the cold front I learned to use with my father to evade her examining look.

"Alright..." she hesitates as if to say something else, but before she takes it upon herself to fix me, my best mate arrives. His eyes are glazed over, and I wonder if the Professor held him back because of what he saw...

"Have you studied for your Transfiguration mid-terms yet?" Rose asks him suddenly, now completely ignoring my existence.

"No," Scorpius glances at me once and something flickers in his expression. I remember my harsh words from earlier and flinch. "Want to do that now?" He offers, turning back to her.

"Why not?" She laughs and they walk off together, as if they've been friends for ages. As if I am the one who's hated and ignored him
for years and not Rose.

"Harsh," someone comments and I whirl around to see who was watching my rejection. Rowle gives me a sad smile, putting her hands up in peace as she pushes herself off the wall with her foot. "Friends always seem to leave eventually, huh? You get used to it."