If We Can Turn Back Time

Chapter 17: Scorpius

I look around. My head is touching the ceiling of a house. It's dark, and I keep tripping over overturned furniture that lies clustered on the creaky floor. I don't know what had happened but I'm panting. I'm shivering and sobbing as I crawl out of the house desperately. Everything hurts. My stomach, my neck, my face, my eyes, my legs, my hands, my ribs. My feet squelch over what seems like blood, and I can feel my fists clenching. When I reach the doors, I turn back to see a man in a cloak. He whips out his wand.

"CRUCIO!" 

I gasp. 

It's a dream,

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The triwizard tournament was boring. It was just a simple race to three different objects, but with a twist: the champions saw each other as a monster. The Durumstrang bloke and the Beauxbaton girl got into a huge fight that ended up with both of them getting five points deducted for "near-death-duel." The rest of the people were cheering mad and almost clawing themselves towards the champions and the battlefield.

And now we are this close to the Yule Ball.

Honestly it's killing me. I keep getting butterflies whenever Albus opens his mouth to talk to me. I want him to ask me out. I want me to say "Yes!" And kiss the place between his eyebrows and we're going to get matching dress-robes from hogsmeade. I got it all planned. I literally do. And I know that I'm going to kiss him on the lips. I'm going to have my first there. I want him to be my first and probably my last. I love him so.

I fidget nervously in my seat as Albus walks over to me with a small smile. I giggle just by looking at him. He plops next to me, and because we're so tightly sqeezed together int he Great Hall, his shoulders keep brushing against mine and I shiver. Albus leans his head on my shoulder. I almost play with his hair again. Instead I hold his hand and squeeze it three times while watching Opelia Clearwater and Oliver Print continues snagging from the start of class.

"Please, Mr. Print and Ms. Clearwater, refrain from your romance during class time." McGonagall snaps at them and the entire class bursts out in laughter as the two pull away in embarrassment. Albus's shoulders shake when he laughs and I feel its simple vibration that makes me warm in the heart.

"Now the Yule Ball is a great honor and a great festival in tribute to the Triwizard Tournament. It has been a passed down tradition and we shall embrace it. The champions will have to enter first with their partners and slow-dance. Now, it is mandatory that the performance is at a level of proficiency and I shall teach all of you the simple steps." McGonagall speaks with a twitchy tone. "Will you all find yourselves a partner."

Albus' hands dart over to mine and I automatically grab it. We're the only "boy and boy" partners. They rest look at us, half approval, half uncertainty. I don't give a bloody fuck about them. I love Albus and Albus loves me.

"The partner on the left," That's Albus to me. "Please place your right hand to your partner's waist."

"Where?" Hugo Granger Weasley exclaims.

"The WAIST for goodness sake, Mr. Granger Weasley." Headmaster McGonagall snaps at him. Albus shakes his head, chuckling. He places his right hand on my waist, and I almost jump up and fly into space. His hand is huge, and they wrap around my waist nicely. His fingers fit around my ribcage and graze my hip most slightly. I'm blushing. Albus is flustered too. He looks down at the ground and I do too.

"Now the other partner will put their hand on their partner's shoulder." I do. Albus' shoulders are built with muscles from Quidditch. The smallest twitch in them makes my fingers bounce. I know what McGonagall's going to say so I do it anyway. I step one step closer to Albus and bring up his hand. I lace my fingers through his and step along to the music as soon as it plays. It is a simple waltz. We dance, our forehead almost touching. We dance through the stumbling Hugo Weasley, and the open mouthed Rose. We dance past McGonagall, whose expression is a cross between pride and approval. Albus giggles and I put my head on his shoulder.