As the winter holiday came to a close, it was finally time for the Hogwarts attendee's to leave home, and head back to school. Albus had said goodbye to his parents early, and he rushed onto the train, happy to find Nyx and Scorpius in the compartment they had sat in only two weeks ago. Albus had the books from Number 12 Grimmauld place in his suitcase, along with the invisibility cloak. Bandit was in his cage, and everything was almost perfect.
"Scorpius!" Albus said, hurrying to drop his luggage to hug his boyfriend.
"Hi Albus!" Scorpius' eyes lit up at the genuine smile on Albus' face. When they had the time, Scorpius needed to speak with Nyx and Albus alone. He had found some valuable information on what was going on with the Death Eaters.
'Mainly because you were almost killed this past week.' He thought bitterly, his mood wasn't bad, but he was a bit distracted, although when he was in Albus' arms, all of that anger and fear melted away, just for a little while.
"How was your holiday?" Nyx asked, as Albus sat down on the seat.
Albus shrugged, "It was pretty normal, but I found some books that I need to show you both."
Scorpius was quieter than usual, the weight of what had happened over the break, being too much to talk about.
'It wasn't your fault, they threatened you, and by you they threatened father by saying they'd harm you. Not that they were joking, but they only wanted father back on their side.' Scorpius shook the thought, the last two weeks being a bit of a stress. He didn't voice what had happened, as he felt that it'd become all too real.
Albus pulled the books out from a bag he had brought with him.
"It's not much, but they have some leads, my main idea with all the 'dead people coming back' thing, being the necromancy book. But the diaries interested me, and the others; I felt they'd come in handy." He said, placing the books back in the bag. Nyx nodded, then looked at a box right next to her. She shook her head affectionately at it, but Albus wasn't sure why, he couldn't see anything in the box.
"Nyx? What's in there?" He asked, eyeing the box.
"Oh, it's a Pukwudgie. He's named Lotran, and he doesn't talk much." She said with a shrug.
Scorpius was intrigued by this new animal, and he leaned forward hanging on Nyx's every word about her magical friend. He needed to get his mind off of the events of the past week. Albus could sense something was off, but he wasn't quite sure as to what. He knew his boyfriend like the back of his hand, but if Scorpius didn't want to talk, Albus wasn't going to pressure him.
The rest of the ride back to Hogsmeade station went smoothly, and the three friends talked about what had happened, although Scorpius didn't contribute to the conversation too much. He mainly listened to what Albus and Nyx said the whole ride back.
As the three friends walked into Hogwarts, they were told to go to the Great Hall, as their luggage would be taken to their dorms.
"Oh! I have something for both of you, but I'll need to get it to you later." Albus said, as they made their way to their house tables. Nyx had separated from Albus and Scorpius, and the two boys were left alone.
Albus smirked and stared at his boyfriend, a thousand thoughts racing through his mind at once.
"What is it? I don't have something on my face right?" Scorpius asked, nervously, fiddling with his thumbs.
Albus laughed. "No, no, it's just you. And I don't mean it in a bad way, I mean it as in you in general. You're breathtaking, and I wanted you to know that." Albus said, meaning every syllable. Scorpius blushed, and shook his head, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"You're so cheesy, but you make it work." Scorpius laughed, taking his boyfriend's hand as they sat at the Slytherin table.
Albus smiled, as Scorpius began to talk about his muggle relatives and how a few of his cousins were actually attending Hogwarts, but he'd never known.
". . . Of course they're muggle born or half bloods, but that doesn't matter." Scorpius said.
Albus listened, getting caught up with how enthusiastic Scorpius could be about even the smallest of things, and he knew that he would always want Scorpius by his side.
-
After dinner in the Great Hall, the students were escorted back to their dormitories. Albus was still completely lost as to why half of his had been deceased family were amongst the living. He had been reading, but the information did nothing to help solve the situation at hand. Scorpius and Albus walked into the Slytherin fifth year dormitory and placed their items back in their trunks.
Albus had been preoccupied with his thoughts when he heard Scorpius' voice pipe up for the first time since dinner which had been almost three hours ago.
"Albus, I need to tell you something, but you need to promise that you won't tell anyone. If you tell someone, well it'll get someone killed, no doubt." Scorpius said in a hushed whisper.
Albus sat up, as he had been laying on his back, and pushed the four poster bed's curtain out of the way.
"What is it, Scorp?" He asked, worry in his eyes.
Scorpius took a deep breath, and he was visibly shaking as he spoke,
"Over the holiday, my dad and I were at home, and we were talking, before there was a knock on the door. I expected it to be my grandfather and grandmother, because they had told us that they'd be coming over sometime before Christmas Eve. Dad got up to get the door and I followed behind, while Rex, he's my dog, mom had begged dad for a dog, and he gave in around the time I was four, so he's been around for a while. Well, Rex, Dad, and I went to the door, Rex barking, and I hid behind a wall that you can look to the front door from. I couldn't hear much, but my dad said something then shut the door and he went back to our living room."
Scorpius paused, needing to recollect himself, as he started the next part of his story.
"Anyways, Christmas Eve came, and my dad's parents and mum's parents came over, and we celebrated together. But I wasn't allowed in the room when my grandfather and grandmother talked to my dad. Well, as I'm sure most people know, some of my family, well they don't have the best history when it comes to loyalty, and most of my father's family had been Death Eaters, himself included. But people change, and my grandparents and father turned their back on the old ways, and that leads us to the conversation I overheard. My grandparents had pulled my father into the foyer, and they were talking about something they had seen, that wasn't too far off from our duel in Hogsmeade. They felt their dark marks burning, something that hasn't happened for twenty-three years now, and so being curious they apparated to where the source was. They were spying, but they kept quiet, wanting to know what was going on, and they saw Delphi and Bellatrix. Delphi had announced that she would be bringing You-Know-Who back from the dead." Scorpius said, running a hand through his hair, messing it up.
Albus shook his head, not wanting to believe what he heard, but he couldn't deny the sinking feeling that Scorpius wasn't joking about this.
"That wasn't the worst part of it though. My grandparents told my dad what happened on December 31. Delphi and Bellatrix managed to fully raise both Voldemort and Grindewald from the dead, and from what I know, that never should have been able to happen again. You can only raise someone from the dead once, and even then the process is like no other, with blood, bones, and worse." Scorpius waited a minute or so, before continuing as the information was a lot to take in, especially with knowing how terrible Delphi and Bellatrix were alone.
Albus was quiet for a moment, lost in thought, as he analyzed the information. Albus thought back to the nightmare he had of a woman being murdered, and the cold harsh laugh that trailed behind the killer. It wasn't a dream he could dismiss easily. He shook his head, not wanting to linger on the details of that nightmare.
Scorpius looked to Albus, as he hadn't finished what he was saying, and Albus nodded for Scorpius to continue. Albus was quiet as Scorpius began speaking again.
"Well, my grandparents left, mum's parents had gone back to their home earlier in the week, around the 27th- but dad's parents left the 2nd of January. Dad and I had been enjoying the last few days of the holiday, when there was another strange knock at the door. Dad had fallen asleep watching the television, it's a muggle thing that mum had wanted, so of course dad bought it. I miss her, but I think she'd be proud of me."
Scorpius paused, giving himself a moment to calm his nerves.
"Well, I opened the door, and someone with a mask was there- now I may be smart, but this was one of the times where I wasn't so smart. I proceeded to ask the masked person why they were at my house, not noting the Dark Mark on their arm, before nearly letting them into my house. That was before they shoved me to the side, and nearly kidnapped me for ransom. Until my father ran down the hall and found me kicking someone named Antonin Dolohov in the face, it wasn't my best moment, but I'm alive. Basically, I nearly died this past week, and I found valuable information on Delphi, Bellatrix, and You-Know-Who." Scorpius finished, and looked up to Albus who was shaking his head.
"You could have been killed, but honestly you aren't the sharpest knife in the drawer sometimes." Albus said concern lacing his voice. Albus stood up and walked over to Scorpius, sitting on the end of Scorpius' bed.
Scorpius leaned his head on Albus' chest, listening to the beat of Albus' heart. It was thumping faster than usual, and Albus was blushing the tinge crawling up his cheeks.
"What are you doing?" Albus whispered, as he leaned back and lay down on Scorpius' bed.
"I'm just listening to your heartbeat." Scorpius mumbled contentedly, as he laid next to his boyfriend.
Albus lazily ran his hand through his boyfriend's hair, and kissed the top of his head, as Scorpius had fallen asleep. "Night, Scorpion King." He mumbled, as he got up and laid down in his own bed, quickly falling asleep.
-
Albus ever the procrastinator, had given Nyx and Scorpius their presents a day after they had been back at Hogwarts. The three had a few hours to themselves, and they hid out in the Gryffindor common room, with Nyx saying they had special permission so the Fat Lady wouldn't lock the boys out.
"She's quite a bother at times, she doesn't understand the point in having friends from other houses." Nyx said, as she sat on a couch in the middle of the room. Albus and Scorpius had sat next to Nyx, and Albus handed them their gifts.
"The boxes are from Grandma Weasley, and she told me to tell you both that you need to visit soon, she wants to meet you Nyx, and she hasn't seen Scorpius in four months. You're both adopted into the family now, I guess." Albus said with a laugh. Scorpius handed Albus a box, and Nyx handed Albus a bag.
"The bag has a charm on it, so it has no real end to what it can hold. I'd suggest keeping the bag for future use." She said, as she opened the five time wrapped present Albus had given her.
Scorpius opened the set of Doctor Who seasons 1-10, and he looked at it like the whole boxed DVD set was the best thing in the world.
"How did you find this? I've been looking for this exact collection for three months, and I couldn't find it anywhere!" He asked, before setting it down and hugging Albus. Albus hugged him back, and Scorpius went back to open the Percy Jackson books, two series that Albus knew Scorpius would love.
Nyx was having the worst time opening the second book set that Albus had gotten her. She had managed to rip the layers of paper off of The Hunger Games, but hadn't managed as much with The Selection Albus had noticed. Albus had wrapped the books five times, once for each book. He laughed slightly, as Nyx finally took her wand, and charmed the paper to unwrap the present for her.
Albus toyed with the small box that Scorpius had given him, unsure about opening it with everyone in the room. He decided it would be best to open it now, rather than alone. He pulled the paper off of the box, and lifted the golden clasp on the wooden box. He looked at the object inside, a golden snitch that had the words 'I'll love you until the very end.' The snitch could only be opened from the memory touch, which meant Albus couldn't open it without Scorpius, as they had both caught it their first time practicing Quidditch together.
Albus leaned over and hugged Scorpius, and they were locked in their embrace, when Nyx disrupted the boys with the snap of a camera.
"That's a keeper." She grinned, looking at the Polaroid photo once it had dried.
"You can use cameras here?" Scorpius asked, eyeing the device. He knew some cameras wouldn't work at Hogwarts, but things had changed, and with the muggle technology advancing, some of the equipment had been allowed to be taken to Hogwarts.
"It's a Polaroid, and it takes film, so it won't break on the grounds with the charms." Nyx explained, as she sat back down. Albus found that at the bottom of the bag that Nyx had given him, was a scrapbook with their adventures so far, and there were pages that hadn't been filled, which would need photos placed in them.
"It's sort of a present for all of us, I guess. I thought it'd be cool to have something to hold all of our best memories in." Nyx shrugged, and the three friends shared a brief group hug.
-
The school day was a very relaxed one, and Albus had time to dwell on the 'prophecy parchment' as he had called it. He understood most of the prophecy, but the one part that he couldn't wrap his head around was the line about snakes and lions. It kept coming back at the worst of times, and today it happened to pop into his head in a Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
James Potter I paced the length of the room, as he taught the class, they were learning about Thestrals, and although this may seem like a Care of Magical Creatures topic, it was in the O.W.L. Requirements.
Albus let his mind wander, knowing more about Thestrals than half the class, and his thoughts kept drifting back to the prophecy. He'd figure it out sooner or later, but he was distracted. He kept hearing something that sounded like hissing, but he could understand it perfectly. Albus shook his head, trying to clear his mind, when he heard the noise again, but this time much clearer.
'Come with me. . .' The voice hissed, and Albus finally nudged Scorpius.
"Do you hear that?" Albus whispered, trying to avoid his grandfather's watching eyes.
"Hear what?" Scorpius asked, slightly bewildered. They were in the middle of a lesson, and Albus seemed to be a bit offset about some noise.
"Albus, I don't hear anythi- wait, it's that hissing isn't it? The voice saying 'Come with me. . .' Right?" Scorpius asked, more intent on the weird noise being heard by the both of them than the lesson.
"It sounds almost like Parseltongue." Albus whispered, glancing up to copy some notes from the board.
"I've always been able to hear it, and I've never known why. I don't have a direct link to You-Know-Who, or Salazar Slytherin, so I guess I'm just different." Scorpius said with a shrug, and he kept copying notes for the rest of the class.
-
Albus walked to the Quidditch pitch after lunch for some time to think, but that was disrupted by the Gryffindor Quidditch team practicing.
'So much for some peace and quiet.' Albus thought bitterly. He walked around the stands a bit, until he decided to just leave and go back to his dormitory.
As he walked down the hall, he heard the high hissing noise once again, and it was louder than before. It was giving Albus a headache. He needed answers, not more problems. He shook his head, trying to ignore the voice, but it was to no avail. He could go get something for the headache from Madam Pomfrey, but he decided against it, what would a draught help?
Albus kept walking to the dungeons, but the hissing was louder than ever down here. He said the password to the door, and it swung open. Albus walked into the common room, and ran up the short stairway to the boy's dorms. He laid down on his back, and tried to shut his mind off to the world.
Five minutes had passed, and Albus was now aware of another person in the room.
Scorpius had been going to the library the last Albus had checked. He heard sniffling, and decided to check the situation out. Albus looked around and saw a boy much younger than himself sniffling in another fifth year's bunk.
Albus wasn't sure what to do, but he knew that when his sister was younger, he'd try and comfort her. He decided that he'd try and see if he could help the mysterious boy.
"Hey, are you okay?" Albus asked, making his presence known to the boy.
The boy jumped back cowering away from Albus, attempting to hide himself.
"It's okay, I get why you'd probably be afraid of me, I don't seem like the nicest person, and I'm the Slytherin Potter, but not all of us are well, snakes. In the figurative sense, I mean." Albus said, sitting on the bunk across the boy.
The boy glanced up at Albus, fidgety and unsure about the choice he was about to make. The boy fiddled with his thumbs for a second before deciding to confide in Albus.
"I don't know why I'm in this house. I don't really like it here, and I'm scared, everyone else says that this is the bad house, and I don't think I belong here. I've never regarded myself as mean or rude, but I know that I follow my ambitions, and I take pride in my accomplishments, but nearly everyone does that in life." The boy said, wiping away his tears. Albus smiled slightly at the boy, attempting to reassure him that the confession was a welcome one.
"Well. . . um, I don't quite know your name–" Albus had began saying.
"Thomas, but normally it's Tommy." The boy sniffled, rubbing at his eyes.
"Well, Thomas, I was once in the same position as you. I thought I'd be in Gryffindor for sure, just like the rest of my family, but I was put in Slytherin. I didn't know why I was in this house, or if my parents would hate me because of my house, but it turns out, this place isn't so bad. I actually prefer it to Gryffindor, it's much calmer here, and yeah, maybe some of the people here may snap at you once or twice, but we aren't grumpy twenty-four/seven like the other houses seem to make us out to be." Albus said with a shrug and a grin. Thomas had quit crying, and now he was much calmer than before.
Albus stood up from where he had been sitting, and walked to his bed, charming his Defense Against the Dark Arts essay to dry.
"Hey, Thomas, if you need anything, I'm here for you okay?" Albus asked, and the younger boy nodded in understanding.
"Thank you." Thomas said, hugging Albus. Albus hadn't been expecting a hug, but hugged Thomas back all the same.
Thomas left the room to go to his first year dorm, and Albus was left alone in the room once again.
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A/N: Okay, so I've had this headcannon that Scorpius has glasses and it's just so adorable in my head and I had to, I couldn't not add it. It was too cute. I've also had this tumblr headcannon about a first year not knowing why they had gotten into a certain house and they were upset with their house, stuck in my head, so yeah.
Anyways, I'm SO sorry for the update taking so long.
Last weekend I was so busy, and this week has been a waterfall of school work, writing essays, finishing a huge project, and training my horse. I'm so sorry it took this long, again, but hey- it's a pretty decent update if I do say so myself. This was sort of a filler chapter, sorry about that, but darker things are coming.
Don't forget to vote, comment, and the most important read!
I love reading all of your comments, honestly your feedback makes my day. I love seeing that you all really do like my work, and it motivates me to write more. So thank you all so much, and I'll try to update more later this week. (Probably over the weekend.)
Thanks!
- Kayla