Albus ran a hand through his too-long hair and flicked to the next page of his muggle anatomy book. The entry tests for becoming a trainee Healer were rigorous, taken on top of extremely high NEWT exam results and included everything from Arithmancy to Magical Theory to advanced anatomy, a subject not even taught in Hogwarts. When he'd decided two years ago he wanted to be a Healer like Teddy, the first thing Teddy had given him was his muggle anatomy book.
"Study this," he'd said with a weary smile in his pale blue trainee healer robes, "it's much better than the magical ones."
Albus took a sip of his coffee and started writing out the names and positions of the bones of the hand. He knew it by heart now, his hand flying over the page so quickly his hand writing was barely legible, even without the large ink smudges. He'd have to work on writing as quickly without making such a mess.
It couldn't have been long after when someone pulled out a seat at the kitchen table where he had his work sprawled out and sat down heavily. Albus ignored them, continuing on with his studying.
"Al," James said when his brother didn't look up, his voice rather more jovial than when he normally spoke to Albus. "Come on, the exam is tomorrow, you'll be fine."
Albus finally looked up then, his bight green eyes meeting his brother's equally bright brown ones, irritation clear in them. "Exactly, its tomorrow, I need to make sure I know everything."
Albus loved James, he did. But where James was fit and athletic and was only really himself on a broom, finishing school with only two NEWTs and an offer straight off to play for the Montrose Magpies, Albus was more scholarly, and sometimes he felt James just didn't understand.
"You already know everything, come play Quidditch with me. James stood up and without waiting for Albus to make up his mind, dragged him outside to their make shift Quidditch pitch in the back garden.
He hadn't expected there to be so many people here. Now that Hogwarts was closed for the summer, Albus had thought it would be eerily quiet, no noise bar the handful of students returning to the great hall to sit the Trainee Healer entrance exams. Except it wasn't a handful at all. More than two hundred students milled around the entrance hall, less than half of which Albus recognised. Some were from Albus's year, he saw Emily Nott and Alice Longbottom talking in a corner, but most seemed older, certainly in the case of the middle aged man standing alone with a massive backpack. Albus ran his hand through his hair and felt a light tap on the shoulder.
He span around to see a tall, pale boy around Albus's age blinking down at him with warm grey eyes. Albus swallowed thickly, the boy was the most beautiful person he'd even seen. He would have guessed he was part veela, except he was related to too many of them to not know the difference.
"Hello," the boy said in a thick French accent, "I'm Scorpius Malfoy."
Albus swallowed again. He knew who the Malfoys were, the family of Death Eaters who Dad felt sorry for and had emigrated to France when the boy Draco had married. The boy Draco would be Dad's age by now, this must be his son. Luckily for them both, Albus wasn't the sort to hold onto his parents' grudges.
"Albus Potter," he said, holding out his free hand to be shaken. Scorpius didn't bat an eyelid, simply shook his hand with a firm grip and soft skin.
"You are here for the Healer exams?" Scorpius asked. "I think we should start soon."
Albus only nodded dumbly, going slightly weak at the knees listening to the other boy's smooth, lilting accent. "Yes," he said eventually when grey eyes looked at him expectantly. "I think so."
Scorpius smiled then, a small, shy smile that still lit up his entire face. Albus found himself smiling back without really meaning to.
"Did you go to Hogwarts?" Scorpius asked. He seemed, to Albus's surprise, genuinely interested and not just trying to make general conversation.
"Yeah," Albus admitted, and a sudden thought shivered through him; this would be the last time he ever stood inside the walls of Hogwarts. He hadn't cried like many of the other students had on their final day, the knowledge that he'd be back for this steady in his mind. Now, the day had come, and what with the stress of studying the effect of being in Hogwarts one final time had passed him by. He swallowed around the tightness building in his throat. "I did."
Scorpius look up at the ceiling, appreciation clear in his face, but Albus suspected that in reality he was giving Albus some space to come to terms with the fact that this was it. In four hours, he'd walk out of those front doors and never see them again, ever. He blinked hard around the burning starting to prick at his eyes and span around as Professor McGonagall, standing beside a short, dark haired senior healer, announced;
"The great hall is ready. Please make your way inside and take a seat."
Albus swallowed again, now for a very different reason. Scorpius gave him a reassuring smile.
"Well," he said. "I hope I will be seeing you when we start at St. Mungos."
"You too," Albus said, completely sure of why he was looking forward to seeing him again and hoping that Scorpius perhaps meant the same.
He waited a few moments, staring at the doors at the entrance of the school, and followed the rest of the crowd into the great hall. He smiled as he walked past Professor McGonagall and, despite her stern exterior, she smiled back at him, and whispered, "Good luck, Albus."
Next thing Albus knew, he was sitting at a desk at the front of the hall, his re-inking quill in hand, sheets of blank pages in front of him. The clock struck two, and half of the blank pages filled up with questions. Albus ran his hands through his too long hair, and began to write.