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"What am I doing here? I can't be here. I have to go. You can't call me Albus. You can't call me anything." Al shook his head and stood up. He left the room, and tried to remember the turns the pair took when they went down the stairs. He quietly moved his way up the stone stairs, keeping careful eye behind him to make sure he wasn't spotted. He could get into trouble for being down here. It was much different now that he was travelling up, and he took a few wrong turns. He uncertainly walked down a hallway towards a slightly more open area. Hearing voices, Al ducked into an alcove. He held his breath and hid behind a Slytherin banner as two students walked past. Once out of earshot, he slowly let out air. Seeing as it was his best shot of getting out of the dungeons, Al silently crept after them. It indeed was a smart plan, and Al soon found himself on a stairwell that led to a common area of Hogwarts. He ran a hand through his coarse black hair and sighed. He figured it was time for dinner, so he headed there.
He got to the Great Hall and Rose looked away. She was still mad at him for his actions this morning. Not only was she upset about why he did what he had, but also because she had a great respect for the rules. Much like her mother, she wanted to do well in school, and would do nothing that would impede that progress. Rose's friend Lucinda sat down next to her, and Al narrowed his eyes. It is a school rule that you sit with your house, and Lucinda just happened to be a Hufflepuff. "You can't sit here," Al said without looking at her as he sat down.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll _" Lucinda was shoved back onto the bench as quickly as she had gotten up while stammering. Rose turned, furious.
"Just because you have something wrong with you does not mean that you have to take it out on the other houses, Albus." She knew how much he hated being called by his full first name. He never felt like he was living up the expectations of that name. He knew he could never fill Dumbledore's shoes. "You sure are a bloody mess as of late, Albus. Spiraling out of control, are we? Because you seem like you could really use a healthy dose of your own medicine. Get over yourself, and grow up. Otherwise, you're going to make many enemies out of strangers, friends, and even family," Rose barely took a breath, needing to get her feelings out. Al glowered at her, and rose from the bench. He turned on his heel and walked calmly out of the Hall.
"Are you alright?" Al turned his head to find a large section of the Gryffindor to be concerned with his well being. He smiled weakly.
"I'm alright, just a cold. Thank you for asking." Al kept walking with a smile on his face, and it faded as soon as no one could see. As he was walking, he let the tears that had been building up release. He needed to get away, and he headed to the only place he could be truly alone.
As Al made his way up the spiraling stairs, he looked out of the stained glass. The sun was beginning to reach the horizon and becoming duller, being shrouded by fog. He thanked his lucky stars that he would not have to go to another lesson. He did not think he could handle being around so many people after the eventful day he had had.
"Fortitudo," Al said confidently to the Fat Lady, and she was taken aback at the state of him. She looked him up and down with a look of disdain and pity. He did not like that.
"My dear boy, that is not the password. It was changed earlier, your Head Girl should have informed you this morning," she replied sadly. Al silently cursed and turned around. His face transformed from downcast to furious. He headed for the library, where he knew he could find her. He walked at a pace that would put the basilisk to shame. How could she withhold the password from him? He knew she did not agree with him some of the time, but would she really stoop so low as to not allowing him to get back in the common room? He was going to find out, one way or another. Al turned a corner, and ran right into Lily.
"Oh, I'm so sor_ Al! Where were you today?" Lily was pleasantly surprised to see her older brother. She shifted the weight of the books in her arms and grimaced.
"I wasn't feeling well, so I went back to the common room to relax." Al was hoping she would just keep going, but he knew he should help his little sister. "Let me grab these for you, Lily." She smiled in gratitude and thanked him. "So, any guys I need to hurt this week?"
"Hey! It is not a weekly thing, Al," Lily said, jokingly insulted.
"Fine. Bi-weekly, my bad. But seriously, are there any guys giving you a hard time? I'll make them leave you alone if you need me to." Al's eyes shone with love for Lily.
"No, I'm fine. I mean like come on we've only been here for three weeks this year, Al. And, I've decided that I am taking a break from boys this year." Al scoffed at her unintentional joke. "I'm serious! I realised that my marks are much more important than having a man in my life. Well the guys I know are boys, not men, but that's a different story." Al was not sure how to take the last thing she said. He shrugged it off and continued to see Lily as his innocent little sister. They walked the halls together, going towards Ravenclaw Tower. He heard voices coming from down the hall, and looked up from the books he carried. They bore the Slytherin symbol, and he hid a smile. Lily raised an eyebrow, questioning his sudden change in mood. The two boys were laughing and having a good time. One was tall with black hair and bright eyes, much like Al. The other was much shorter than Al and had dark hair and dark eyes. He walked down the middle of the hall. As they passed, Al stuck his foot out to trip the short boy. It made him stumble and crash into the other Slytherin. Al laughed at the pair, his mood being lifted. Lily was furious. She snatched her books out of Al's arms, and stormed off. He ran after her, and tried to help. "I can manage. I don't need help from Al the Bully. I much prefer Al the Brother, but he's clearly too far gone to be here right now. I can only hope that I get to see him again someday. Go to your tower, Al, it seems to be the only place in this school that is at the same height as your ego." She disappeared around a bend in the hall and left Al standing there, speechless. He regretted his rash decision to trip the boy. He did not want what Lily said to be true, so he brushed it off as a slap on the wrist.
Al raced to the library, only to find that it was being closed for the night. He cursed in frustration, and ran to try to beat Rose to the common room. He ran past a shadowy figure who called after him. He turned, mid run, and realised it was just Filch. He turned back and almost tumbled over the stairwell. Al caught his breath that was short from exertion and panic of almost dying. He leaned against the railing, and it began moving. Al ran to the top of the section to try to get off, but he barely missed the chance. He figured he could just get off and then loop around when it stopped moving. It went up a few levels, and quietly crashed into the end of a hall. He had never been here before. Cautiously, Al stepped off of the stairs, into the eery hallway. As soon as he was on solid ground, the stairs detached. His eyes widened with mild fear, and he had to keep going. Al walked down the hall, and there was a turn. He heard voices, so he ducked behind a column with a brazier on it.
"We have to do it soon. Otherwise the plan won't work," a deep, raspy voice spoke out of the darkness.
"But the boy is not ready! He must be trained for what we need him to know before he is taken," another voice said, which sounded clear and high.
"We will make it work. He has pride, but we must have a vessel who despises non-magic folk. We just need a little bit more time, but it must be done soon. The Dark Lord cannot wait much longer." Al took a sharp breath. "What was that?" the raspy voice said.
"Someone's here. We must find them," the high voice spoke angrily. Al ran from his hiding spot, and reached the edge of the hall. He could see shadows stretching ever longer on the walls behind him. He had two foreseeable options. Face them, or jump. He chose neither. Al stepped on a painting that hung below the hall and he prayed to Dumbledore it held. He clammered down a few and he clung there, helpless. Al just hoped that whoever he interrupted did not look down.
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