Albus Potter and the Cursed Legacy | Scorbus

32. Midnight Chats

By half-past eleven on Christmas Eve, the occupants of the Burrow had all finally nestled themselves into bed for a good nights rest before the exciting day to come. Although Albus and the other children had been sent up to their rooms at 10 pm sharp--a rule his nan stuck by despite that they were now all too old to believe in Father Christmas--but the adults mingled for a short while after, merry on mulled wine and full of mince pies. 

Lying awake in his bed, Albus counted the footsteps on the creaky stairs, counting the number of family members who were heading to bed. As time ticked closer to midnight, when his arranged meeting with Ophelia would be, Albus got more nervous. Voices from the lounge below still carried upwards, muffled by the floorboards but still partially recognizable. His dad and his Uncle Ron and George were the last ones to make their way upstairs to their respective rooms, finally settling in for the night, filling Albus with relief. He imagined his father would have been taken by surprise if a random girl's head suddenly poked through the fire whilst he was enjoying his final mince pie of the night.

When the time was right, Albus rolled out of bed, careful not to shake the bunk to wake Hugo. Sliding his feet into his slippers to muffle the sound of his footsteps, he crept across the room, cringing with every subtle creak of the floorboards. Cracking the door open ever so slightly, the hall light shone through, creating a thin bright line across the triple bunk bed in the centre of the room. Albus ducked out the door, closing it as fast as he could without making noise. He hoped that if any of his family members had been awake to see him, they would assume he'd just gone to the toilet and they'd go back to sleep.

Rose was already waiting, sat on top of the steps in her white Christmas pyjamas decorated with little images of jingle bells and holly. Her bushy had been tied up in a bun, rogue curls popping out in random spots not wanting to be tamed by her scrunchy.

Albus couldn't help but chuckle, "Love the look," He whispered.

She shot him a glare, eyeing his own look, which was nothing more than a faded pair of flannel trousers and a grey shirt, "At least I'm festive," She whispered back then pushed a finger up to her lips to tell him to keep quiet as the descended the stairs.

Following in Rose's footsteps, he placed the balls of his feet down on the edges of the wooden steps, trying his hardest to shift his weight slowly to avoid making a loud sound. Half-way down, Albus misstepped, causing the step to emit a shrill squeak. Rose shot him a murderous glare but there was nothing Albus could do. They paused for a moment to listen for any stirring but there was none. 

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Albus let out a sigh of relief that he'd made it past the hardest part. They trodded into the kitchen, where the largest fireplace was connected to the Floor network. Rose pulled out two mismatched chairs to face the fireplace then they watched the clock. 

"You're sure the note said midnight tonight?" Rose checked, keeping her voice low still in case anyone were to hear.

"Positive," Albus affirmed. He had told Rose about the note shortly after the conversation with his mum. He figured she would want to be included in the late-night chat to hear what Ophelia had to say.

As both the hour and minute hand hit the 12, overlapping each other, a chime rang throughout the room, indicating the new hour. Albus and Rose kept their eyes trained on the logs laying in a pile of ash in the fireplace, knowing it could spark up at any second. 

With a small flicker, then a bright flash, a fire sprung to life. As Albus' eyes adjusted to the new light, he slowly started to make out a face, formed in the coals and embers. 

"Hellooo," Ophelia's voice greeted them from her fiery imagine, far too loud for Rose and Albus' comfort.

"Shhh!" Albus and Rose both motioned for her to lower her voice.