Harry Potter Short Stories

Blue Flames

Scorpius Malfoy seemed to think that he got his bit of life-threatening, breath-taking adventures, but little did he know that it just begun. After he saved pretty much the whole wizarding world from the new threat that had risen 22 years after the war against the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters had been won, Scorpius never allowed himself to relax until he had beaten Delphini and successfully — though uneasily — he kept up with all the school work he had missed. It was only at the end-of-term feast that both of Scorpius and Albus has got used to the fact that the threat was gone, they were safe, and their delightfulness was sky-rocketing that neither the scarlet and gold decorations of the Great Hall, celebrating the — rather annual — winning of Gryffindor of the House Championship again nor the fact that Rose Granger-Weasley had rejected Scorpius could change their mood. Not even Polly Chapman’s usual bullying could even do as leave a scratch on them.

However, Scorpius and Albus were ignorant to the fact that once you start persuing trouble, it magically finds its way back to you inevitably.

***

The best friends weren’t separated until they stepped out of the Hogwarts Express to platform nine and three-quarters. As Scorpius carried his trunk lazily towards his father, Albus looked for his, but he couldn’t find him. Left and right his eyes went, and since the Boy Who Lived is so full of surprises, he looked up and down, but there was no trace of him.

‘Where’s Dad?’ asked Albus, but over the noise of the station, his mother didn’t hear him. As he made for another go at asking her, Scorpius and his father appear behind Ginny.

‘I need you to come with me, Potter. With us,’ said Draco quietly, and Albus wondered whether this was a request or an order. Judging by the tone, though, he got to the conclusion that it was probably an order.

Albus exchanged worried looks with Scorpius, who looked just as confused as him. Before they got the chance of asking where they were being taken, Draco had set off in front of them, and they had no choice but to follow obediently. Albus casted a last look at his mother, now dragging an extra trunk with her to his uncle’s car, then followed Draco’s back out of the crowded station and into the street.

‘Alright,’ Draco said, rounding back to face them both. ‘Have you had a go at side-along Apparition before, Potter?’

A million thoughts raced inside Albus’ mind, but he pushed them all inside as he gulped anxiously and shook his head as a no. Draco didn’t seem upset with this new information, though. If anything, he seemed like he expected it.

He held one of his elbows towards Scorpius and Albus, who, after sharing goggly eye contact for a nano-second, had reached out to hold it. Draco shuffled on his feet. ‘You might like to hold on a bit tighter.’

Albus took a nervous, shaky breathe in, and the next thing he knows is that the sun wasn’t casting its warmth on his cheeks anymore and he was being squeezed in a narrow, plastic tube. Once his feet hit some hard concrete floor, he left Draco’s elbow to take in his surroundings, although he didn’t get an opportunity to do so — Draco was clearly in a hurry.

They followed him into an escalator full of grown-up wizards, and they took probably hours in that escalator for all Albus could know — his heart was threatening of bursting out of its cage, he was very nervous.

Scorpius took a step closer to him, then leaned in. ‘We’re at the Ministry of Magic, have you noticed?’

Draco winced as he looked back at his son and his best friend, and Scorpius reluctantly stepped away. Albus wasn’t on the scene with them — he was staring, hard, at his shoes, finally allowing his nervous thoughts to take over him.