Albus (A Next Generation Harry Potter Fanfiction)

Scrolls, Spells, Sprawls and Scor

Rose folded her arms defiantly. "Why?" She asked indignantly. "You don't own the Owlery, Malfoy. Al, tell him," she protested. Al's heart sunk. She wasn't going anywhere if Scor told her to, but perhaps she would shift if Al did.

Scor turned his hard gaze to Al, who stepped out slightly from behind his friend to stand in the same stance towards his cousin. "Rose, you probably should go. We're waiting for a pretty important letter," he said gently, but it seemed to be no use.

She irritatingly flicked her long hair behind her ear and bit the inside of her lip. "What's in it?" She asked, still folding her arms as if she was attempting to be more confident and stronger than she really was.

"None of your business," Scor spoke up, so loudly that Al wanted to shush him in case anyone heard, before remembering that the Owlery was probably remote enough that they could talk safely, unless Peeves was sneaking about close by. Rose was visibly shocked at the outburst, but immediately went back to her expression of stock stillness.

"Well, I'm not hurting you by being here," she snapped back, equally annoyed now. "So I don't see why I can't stay," she finished. Al was really starting to get tired of her, as if he wasn't exhausted enough to begin with. If she had any idea how pivotal this letter was for Scorpius she would go, but there was no way in hell Scor would even hint as to what it was.

Scor rolled his eyes at Al, before turning back to Rose. "Look, Weasel," he started, immediately scaring Al as he remembered just how nasty his friend could be at the best of times, let alone when he was tired, stressed and irritated on top of it all. "This is more important for me than anything you could even start to wrap your little head around, so I suggest you leave us alone so we can have some peace before I have to bloody make you get out."

Al's eyes widened but he stayed silent, even though he knew Rose was looking at him for defence. Her big green eyes glassed over, a tear perhaps threatening to fall? Al pretended not to notice, staring at the floor, cheeks starting to turn as red as Rose's hair. He'd let Scor deal with this one.

"Al?"

Oh, great.

He avoided her gaze, twitching his head only slightly so she knew he acknowledged her. He could almost sense Scorpius' glare too, piercing him a lot more insistently than hers. He needed Al more right now, and he'd have to explain that to Rose later, but at that moment in time he knew which side was the right side.

Her soft voice spoke up again. "You'd stick up for me if I was James. Or Matilda. Or even one of those Ravenclaw girls that follow you around," she said.

Al was about to open his mouth to say that none of those people would actually need sticking up for, because they could almost certainly do it themselves, especially James and Matilda, when Scor, thankfully, interrupted the silence.

"Al, look!" He ushered, pointing at the window. From the black of the night he saw Scorpius' dark brown tawny owl's wings flapping, coming into focus as it glided in out of the dark, it's shape gradually getting clearer and clearer.

Ignoring Rose, the two of them rushed towards the open window, wind breaking into their faces and blowing their hair. As the owl got closer Al could make out the shape of the parchment in it's claw.

Then suddenly, the flight was abruptly blown off course. The owl faltered and seemingly blew off backwards towards the Forbidden Forest. Al saw the shock and desperation registering on Scor's face as it was pushed away, light as a feather back into the dark where they could no longer see it.

"What the flipping heck-" Al heard beside him. Scor was turned around, facing Rose, and as Al turned too he realised what had made his owl falter. Rose's wand, outstretched, a spell just remaining on her lips, having left them a moment before.

"What did you do?" Scor almost shouted. Al was in disbelief. He'd never expect something like this of Rose.

"Calm down, guys," she snapped. "Your owl will be fine this time, but he won't be if you carry on treating me like I'm not your family," she glared at Al.

"You aren't my  family," Scor growled, making Al's skin crawl. He wouldn't like to be in Rose's shoes right now, and as far as she knew she'd only thrown a bog-standard owl off course, not something Scor had been anticipating for months now. Scor's lips curled as he pulled out his wand, and Al was too dumbfounded to stop him.

"He's back, look," Rose piped up crossly. And he was. Relief coursed through Al's brain, his limbs relaxing and his sense of impending doom lessening. Scor lowered his wand from Rose, who still stood strongly against them, (apparently she didn't need sticking up for in the slightest) and turned to get the owl who'd now managed to land safely on the window ledge.

Al looked into Scor's desperate eyes with a look that he hoped said 'it's okay', or 'it will be okay' as his friend picked it up.

"Where's the letter?" Scor said.