Yikes. Longest chapter ever. Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Warren Waddlesworth
As the Hogsmeade trip drew closer Albus found the anonymous note hanging over his head with increasingly more interest. He had by no means disregarded the note- but he had not given it much thought either. Indeed, most opinions on the matter were discussed by his friends.
"Come on mate, it was clearly Eckley" Morrison said as he pressed his eye up against his telescope. It was Tuesday night, meaning that they had Astronomy- another class that tended to drag, even if it wasn't very long. "Seems like the thing he would do. He wants Mirra all to himself, so he sends you a phony letter telling you that you're in danger. Yeah, in danger of snatching his ex girlfriend away..."
"I don't know" Albus said, focusing intently on the red planet in his view and marking it on his chart. "Really? Why use a strange black bird though? And why send it so late in the day?"
Morrison heaved a sigh. "You've never tried intimidating someone before, have you Al? It's done for dramatic effect. No one listens to owls. It's all about ravens now..."
"Crows" Scorpius corrected him icily, staring down at his near completed chart and looking deep in thought. "I'm leaning more towards Lance, actually. He's on to us, and he knows you're the link. Seems like the kind of conniving thing he would do."
Albus narrowed his eyes on him. "Not everything that kid does is bad. He's actually kind of nice."
Scorpius muttered something that sounded uncannily like "Traitor", but Albus ignored it. He was instead focused on voicing his own opinion, and he had a feeling that his friends would disagree with it.
"I think it was Blackwood" he said suddenly, though calm enough to make it seem like he was just throwing it out.
Morrison rolled his eyes and moved his telescope over. "Well she's definitely a bitter old hag" he said, before looking over his shoulder wildly to make sure that she couldn't hear him, despite her being seven floors away. "But I don't know, why wouldn't she just tell you that you can't go then? And why wouldn't she want you to go in the first place?"
"I don't know" Albus shrugged. "Any number of reasons."
Scorpius shook his head. "I hate her too mate, but you're reading in to this thing too much. I knew this was going to happen after you told us about that photograph."
"This isn't just some whim or random guess" Albus defended himself. "She looked right at me when I got that letter, and she looked scared too, like she was hoping I would believe it. And then it caught fire? That's the mark of a dark wizard."
Scorpius laughed as he filled in more positions on his chart. "A dark wizard? You can't be serious! She's part of WAR!"
"Well they're a pretty shoddy bunch" Albus said. "And what are you doing defending her anyway?"
"I'm not" Scorpius said plainly. "I just don't want you stuck on this. There are more important things for us to worry about..."
Albus was not entirely sure what Scorpius meant, but he had the feeling it was one of two things. For starters, he knew that his friend was anxious about Hogsmeade. Whatever diabolical plan that he had to ruin Lance and Rose, it most likely depended on his cooperation, and more importantly, his concentration. Albus could not help but wonder if this was Scorpius' true intention in making the mysterious letter out to be nothing of importance- it seemed his style. At the same time however, he may have been referring to Quidditch.
The Hogsmeade trip was in four days, but the first match of the season wasn't long after that. Albus was not so much intimidated as he was eager- but he still had the feeling that his brother was no slouch when it came to captainship. No matter what he said about his team being "Scrubs", Albus thought it would be an extremely bad move on his part to underestimate anything that his brother had assembled. Scorpius seemed to be thinking along the same lines.
"Aim for the right hoop!" Scorpius sneered at the chasers, who were still unable to score on him. "Don't you see me veering too far to the left!? You have to watch me, the hoops aren't going anywhere!"
Damian Peesley chucked the Quaffle as hard as he could to the right, but Scorpius was so fast that he managed to block it. It was the second practice session in three days now, only two days before the Hogsmeade trip. Albus had been forced to book the field so quickly after their previous session because James had it booked so sporadically that he never knew when he would get it otherwise. Also, he knew that it was completely up to him to sort any scheduling conflicts- he could not imagine Professor Blackwood giving him any assistance at all.
"He's right!" Albus called out through the chilly afternoon air, wincing as a rain drop hit him square in the eye. It had begun to drizzle. "There's three of you, everyone take a hoop and keep track of his movements. When he goes too far one way, pass it the other!"
His chasers grunted, and one of them, Tyler Graham, did it with so much attitude that he nearly didn't see an oncoming Bludger, rather well hit by Holden Rhawn. He managed to duck just in time, though he nearly fell off of his broom.
"How did Atticus do it..." Albus muttered to himself, shaking his head with embarrassment and turning to make sure that no one was looking. To his very great surprise however, someone was. For the second time this year, he was taken aback by Hugo's appearance. He was sitting on the very lowest of the bleachers, chewing at his fingernails and watching timidly. Albus had no idea how long he had been there or even why he was, but he knew at once why no one else had pointed him out. He was awfully small now that Albus could see him from a distance. Even for a second year.
"Keep playing guys" he called up to his team. "Beaters, aim for Chasers, Chasers, aim for the Keeper, Scorpius, just- just do what you do" he said.
Scorpius nodded his head and knocked the Quaffle away with relative ease as Albus turned around and began walking towards Hugo, his broom slung over his shoulder and his face wearing a curious expression.
"What are you doing here?" he asked when he reached him, sitting down beside him.
"I wanted to talk to you" Hugo said, somehow. He was still chewing at his fingernails. "But I can wait until after you're done..."
"Nah, don't worry about it" Albus said, glancing over at his team. He watched Scorpius kick the Quaffle away with the tip of his foot, then turned back to his little cousin. "What's up?"
Hugo frowned slightly and did something very strange; he kicked at the dirt with his feet slightly. "I just wanted to ask you if it was true. In the paper. About your dad and-"
Albus heaved a sigh. "You getting a lot of crap for it?" he asked. "What about Fred? And Molly and Lu-"
"No, not us" Hugo replied. "Not really. But someone spit at Lily the other day."
"What?" Albus barked, feeling his face boil up. "Who?" he demanded, though he was not entirely sure why. What could he do about it?"
"Some kid from Ravenclaw" Hugo said. "It's okay now though, he's in the Hospital Wing. James..."
"Ahh" Albus said. "Well no. Well I don't think so" he admitted. "I don't really- me and- I haven't been talking to my dad that much recently" he said. "But this 'Boy Who Hid' garbage- I don't buy it. Don't worry about it. They're just finding excuses to blame him for stuff. It'll blow over."
Hugo nodded. "And my dad...?"
Albus smiled. "Uncle Ron's never hid from anyone.'Cept maybe your mum..."
Hugo laughed, and he looked noticeably more cheerful afterwards.
"Why are you sitting at the bottom?" Albus asked him, eager to stay away from his team, so as not to shout criticism at the vast majority of them.
"I don't like heights" Hugo said, shrugging. "Fred makes fun of me for it...but I don't care."
Albus gave a slight frown and leaned in a bit. "You know before I started flying," he started," I used to be afraid of heights too. But my friend Morrison made me sit in the middle, and that really helped. Why don't you move up a bleacher or two? And just get used to that. Work your way up..."
Hugo nodded and moved up two bleachers, not looking frightened in the slightest. Albus gave him a grin and ran back to his team.
"Alright guys, let's run a few more plays. Beaters focus on just one player, put all the pressure on, and then switch. I want to see some Sloth Grip Rolls..."
___________
Even with Quidditch firmly on their minds, Hogsmeade was still the big day. Albus dressed carefully the morning of the fifth, knowing that as important as this was for Scorpius, it was something of a big deal for himself as well. This was, after all, kind of a sort of almost date with Mirra. And after the disaster last year, that's really the most that he could hope for.
Albus met his two friends in the common room early, wishing that he could glance out at a window to see how the weather would be on this particular Saturday.
"Probably cold" Morrison said, leaning back casually in one of the stone cut arm chairs. "November and everything."
"Think I'll need a jacket?" Albus asked, checking that his collar was right. "I don't want to cover up my shirt."
Morrison stared at him. "That's a pretty bland shirt mate. It's just all green."
"It's a collared shirt" Albus said. "It matches my eyes. And it shows sophistication. And solid colors are in."
"Oh yeah" Morrison said. "They're right behind polka dot on the popularity scale, I believe. Why don't you throw some overalls on too, while you're at it? Really take the cake."
Albus frowned at him, but before he could retaliate Scorpius had interrupted them both.
"Stop" he said. "Let's focus. Does everyone know what they're doing? I'm persuading Lance to not pursue Rose. Al?"
Albus rolled his eyes- they had went over this for an hour the night before. "I'm separating Rose's group from him so you can go to work."
"Correct. Morrison?"
"I do not speak unless spoken to" Morrison said, smiling widely.
"Correct. I think we got this" Scorpius said, though his face still looked stony, and Albus saw that he had combed his already slick hair back. "And Al, change that shirt. It's bland."
It took them more than an hour to dress according to each other's wishes, with Morrison threatening to go naked for a considerable amount of time as well. By the time that they entered the Great Hall however Albus still had one more thing he wanted to discuss.
"We're sure about that note though right?" he said, trying not to let the uncertainty in his voice betray him. "Just an attempt to get me to not go right? There's no actual danger, right?"
Morrison began stacking pancakes on his plate while they were still standing, only sitting down when his first forkful was in his mouth. "Mate, it only makes sense that way" he said reassuringly." If you really were in any danger, then the person wouldn't have been such a prat about it and signed it as your friend. They'd have told you straight up who they were. I mean, who does that? If it's really that important that you not go, they'd give you a name. And an actual reason."
"He's right" Scorpius said, neatly folding his toast over so that the egg was packed inside perfectly. He then looked over at Morrison. "Wow. You're right. Is this- is this a dream?"
Morrison ignored him and continued. "The only thing that makes sense is that whoever sent that doesn't want you to go to Hogsmeade, doesn't want you going for a different reason. They want you here. So technically, it's actually safer that you go to Hogsmeade, because whoever wants you for something wants you somewhere that isn't Hogsmeade. Get it?"
"I guess" Albus said.
"And it's probably just a practical joke anyway, remember?" Scorpius added. "We already agreed it was Lance."
"No, we agreed it was Eckley-" Morrison battled back.
"We didn't agree on anything" Albus said, looking down at his full plate. He couldn't eat. Why was he getting nervous now? He hadn't given the letter of warning much thought since he'd received it, but now it seemed to be all that he could focus on. He should really be more worried about things with Mirra...
"It's just," he continued. "Last time I went to Hogsmeade...I was in danger. I put everyone in it."
There was silence at the table. Even the chatter of the other students merrily discussing Hogsmeade was noticeably more quiet as both of his friends looked at him.
"Mate that's last year" Morrison said after a moment. "Don't even- don't even worry about that. Last year was different."
"Yeah" Scorpius said mildly. "There's extra protection now, and we're going to be with a much larger group of people. Plus no one's after you mate. All this Dark Alliance crap... Don't even worry about it. Just try and have a good time."
Albus nodded his head but kept quiet, and soon enough Neville was calling for them to line up to exit the castle.
"Third years and above!" he announced, waving his hands emphatically as if his students didn't know where the doors leading out were. "Remember, no permission forms, no leaving. That's the rule."
"Is it true that there's extra protection now?" Albus heard a Gryffindor girl ask as the students crowded together.
"Yes" Neville said calmly. "I will be there, as will numerous other professors and Ministry of Magic members as well. You are very safe" he said pompously.
"All ready to go?" someone said from behind Albus. He turned and saw they had been met by Mirra and her group. He frowned when he noticed that she hadn't dressed up as well. Last year she had worn a neat little blouse, though this time she was dressed quite regularly. All of them were actually- Eckley had even neglected his stupid Gryffindor earmuffs.
"Yeah, we're all good" Scorpius said, and all seven of them strode towards the door.
"What time is Lance meeting up with us?" Albus asked his cousin as they left the castle. Scorpius had told him to ask this straightaway.
"In a little bit" she said, her hair blowing fiercely in the wind. "I figured we'd shop around a bit, and then meet in the Three Broomsticks. He still has to spend some time with his friends before us- he's very popular" she added smugly.
"Mmm" was all that Albus could muster.
It was a very strange walk to Hogsmeade. For one thing, the weather was weird. Normally such intense cold meant that they were trudging through snow, hands wearing gloves and scarves wrapped around their necks. There was no snow now however, just bitter cold and forceful wind that nearly knocked Albus over a few times. He had underestimated the cold actually; apart from his jacket, he had nothing. He recalled the previous year, on one particularly memorable trip to Hogsmeade, when it was so cold that Eckley had wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. That would not happen this time.
Another thing of note was how little communication seemed to be going on. Albus wanted to initiate conversation with Mirra, but seemed unable to think of anything of interest. Though his friends would normally help him with this, Morrison seemed unsure as well and Scorpius stared intently at the ground for the entirety of the walk. Most of the talking, of course, was done by Rose.
"Now Lance and I may wander off a bit on our own- we may go see the Shrieking Shack. Normally I wouldn't go, it creeps me out just being by there, but he tells me it's really a sight up close. I mean, it's one of the most popular staples of Hogsmeade, it's been there for more than fifty years now-"
Albus tuned her out for most of the walk, and it was something of a great relief when they reached the village, where the busy streets and flashy shops gave them something to discuss. They all stood motionless at the entrance to the village, apparently deciding on where to go first.
"Honeyduke's?" Morrison said, pointing over at the candy shop, which was closest to them.
"I think we should vote on it" Rose said in an authoritarian manner.
Morrison rolled his eyes. "All in favor of getting out of this cold as fast as humanly possible?" he asked, raising his own hand as he did so.
They all laughed- minus Eckley and Hornsbrook of course, and entered the shop. This proved to be a good idea. It wasn't long before Albus had Mirra talking.
"Come on, just try one!"
"No!" she laughed.
He waved the Acid Pop in front of her face. "They're really not that bad. James dared me to eat three in a row once, I did it!"
"And your mouth was okay?" she asked curiously.
"Oh no way" he said. "I had a huge hole in my tongue and everything..."
She laughed again and picked up a Fizzing Whizbee. "These are the best things in the shop" she said. "Make you levitate when you eat them."
Albus gave a hollow laugh. "I don't need to levitate; I can fly whenever I want..."
"Not better than James" Mirra said cheekily.
"Oh please..."
They bantered back and forth for a bit while Morrison paid for a large slab of Honeyduke's famous chocolate. He turned his head back to Scorpius, expecting to see him hard at work with Rose, and was quite disappointed. He was standing alone. Rose was instead talking to Hornsbrook and Eckley, who seemed rather pleased with themselves at finally getting some attention. It was at this point however that Albus realized Scorpius wasn't doing anything wrong at all. His purpose today was not to get with Rose. It was to get her away from someone else.
They went to Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop next, as both Rose and Mirra wanted new ink, including a certain kind that apparently changed colors. Albus could not imagine when this would ever be useful, but he at least had fun watching Morrison put different quills up against his lip and pretending to have various different kinds of mustaches.
"Almost as fake as your other one, eh?" Albus muttered to him when everyone else was out of earshot.
Morrison grinned at him and shrugged, though even as he did so he hilariously put a pink feathered one up against his face.
After their trip to the Quill Shop they went to Dervish and Banges, as Hornsbrook needed a fresh roll of Spellotape for something. Following this they finally began the walk to The Three Broomsticks, where they would meet up with Lance. Rose seemed absolutely giddy as they did so. Albus exchanged a meaningful look with his two best friends as they entered. This was it.
Lance was already in there when they entered, and Albus saw that he had not dressed up either, though this hardly mattered. His flowing blonde hair was still dangling effortlessly in front of eyes, and his smile completed the welcoming picture. Had he not been moving Albus thought that people may have thought him to be some kind of beautiful painting. He was leaning back in his chair at a completely empty table- he had clearly reserved them all seats- and as they approached him he turned to the bartender.
"Eight Butterbeers please" he said, pulling out a handful of gold and silver.
"You don't have to do that" Albus said at once, feeling guilty immediately.
"Least I can do" Lance said kindly, handing the money over.
"Least you can do for what-" Albus started, but he was ignored as Lance slid a dusty bottle over to him. Butterbeers were passed all around the table, and Albus noticed that Rose had taken a seat next to Lance before anyone else could even sit down.
They all sat in silence for a moment before Lance started the conversation.
"So what do you guys think about Blackwood?"
Albus had to admit, this was a brilliant way to get everyone talking. Only Hornsbrook for some reason remained quiet as they verbally bashed their Potions professor. Rose huffed and puffed about not getting points for answering questions, Morrison complained loudly about how she turned him down, and Albus and Mirra both commented on how not being able to partner was a nuisance. This conversation gladly took them into the subject of their other classes, which Albus had a good time talking about.
"Muggle Studies" he said, less than a second after being asked what his most boring class was. "I thought it was History of Magic for the longest time-"
"How can you say that?!" Rose said. "History of Magic is fascinating!"
"- but Muggle Studies takes the cake" Albus said. "I just- I just can't do it" he said, trying not to laugh. "It's so hard to learn about stuff that will never be useful! Remember that paper on electricity Scorpius?" Albus asked, nudging his friend in the ribs.
"Hm?" Scorpius said, he had been looking slightly dazed.
"Oh, do you take Muggle Studies too Scorp?" Lance asked.
Albus heard Hornsbrook and Eckley snigger slightly at this. Scorpius eyed Lance with a look of intense dislike, and Albus knew why at once. He hated being called "Scorp". Lance of course did not know this, but Albus highly doubted that Scorpius would excuse it.
He watched as his friend took an enormously long, drawn our swig of Butterbeer before answering. Indeed, he may have been chugging an empty bottle. When he finally put it down on the table he answered in a voice barely more than a whisper.
"Yes" he said while the rest of the table went quiet.
"Is it really as bad as Al says?" Lance asked, apparently not disturbed in the slightest by the look of malice he was receiving.
"Yes" Scorpius said once more, identical to his previous answer even in tone.
"It must have changed since I took it" Lance said shrugging. "I got an O on my O.W.L for it but I had to drop it so I could focus more on other subjects. So if you ever need any help, don't hesitate guys. Both of you..."
"Thanks" Scorpius said through gritted teeth, his eyes leering. How could Lance not see that? They were saved from any more awkwardness however, as someone had just arrived.
"Alright guys?" Albus head his brother say, and looking behind him he saw James. He watched as his brother went over to another table, where three people were saving a seat for a fourth. He dragged the chair away nonchalantly while they tried to tell him off, but he ignored them and added it to their group, and then sat down.
"Bitter out isn't it? Figured you guys would be here."
He gave Albus a clap on the shoulder then leaned over and extended his hand to Lance. It became apparent quite suddenly that Lance and James knew each other way better than Albus had thought. Within minutes they were reminiscing of old times, despite Albus having never even met him until earlier in the year.
"Priceless" Lance said, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye after James mentioned the time that Professor Handit's pants had fallen down in the middle of a lesson. "Oh, how about this one!" he said smacking his hand on the table. "Remember second year, when I dared you to melt that doorknob!"
James cringed at this, though Albus laughed. He remembered hearing about this now infamous occasion. An entire hallway had accidentally been set ablaze because of it. He had had no idea that Lance was in any way involved however. He looked over at Scorpius to see if he was laughing, but he was looking as surly as ever. His expression was stony, and Albus knew what he was thinking. Was there no one who disliked Lance?
The answer was quite clear however. Both Eckley and Hornsbrook had remained rather quiet the entire time that they were at the pub. Both of them seemed to be rather displeased with the fact that Lance was garnering the most attention. Rose and James were the one's doing the most talking with him, and even Mirra seemed to be listening to everything, a wide grin on her face at the funny stories. Still, there wasn't much help there. Scorpius was depending on him for his plan to work. He had to divert Lance away from Rose somehow.
"Oh!" James said suddenly, looking over at the door, where the very pretty and slightly bewildered looking girl that Albus had once seen him with stood. "That's Matil- Maya" he changed his sentence quickly. " I got to go" he said, raising from his seat and slapping all of the guy's hands, then waving to Rose and Mirra before departing.
Lance was still wiping away tears of laughter as James left. "I miss that guy" he said, shaking his head. "Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs used to have a lot of class together back in the day" he said. "But now we're taking different subjects and all- I barely get to see him."
He took a rather large swig of Butterbeer before turning to Albus. "And Al" he started, more seriously. "Real quick, and I don't really want to mention this, but I feel like I have to, I've been reading what the Prophet says about your dad and I don't believe a word of it. I've always thought that the Ministry puts the blame where it doesn't belong, and this time it's just a travesty."
Albus frowned and nodded. Why was he supposed to hate this guy again?
"Do you support WAR?" Hornsbrook said, and Albus nearly jumped. He had not heard the voice for a considerable amount of time, and was slightly taken aback by it.
Lance shrugged. "I don't support them, but I don't disagree with them either. I'm pretty neutral really. I just want all this to end."
Rose nodded and smiled warmly at him, which he returned. Albus once more turned sideways and looked at his two friends. Morrison had kept quiet- had done his job. Scorpius wanted to do his. Albus had to act first however.
"Rose" he said, rather suddenly. "Can I talk to you real quick? Over there?" he said, jerking his head towards a lonesome looking corner at the end of the pub. "No offense to anyone else" he added quickly. "It's just- it's private. It's about this whole thing with my dad."
"None taken" Lance said mildly, still smiling and giving his hand a slight wave. "Go right ahead."
Rose gave him a curious look but stood up from her seat. Albus exchanged a quick, meaningful look with Scorpius before directing his cousin over to the corner.
"What's going on?" Rose demanded in a quiet tone once they reached the corner and was out of earshot.
"Look I'm not going to lie to you" he said, mentally kicking himself, as that was precisely what he was going to do. "But this isn't about my dad. It's about you. You're screwing up!" he hissed.
"Screwing up?" she asked. "What do you-?"
"Oh come one Rose" Albus said. "It's obvious that you like Lance. But you're doing terrible. You must see that?"
Her face went red and she looked like she was about to cry. Albus felt a pang of guilt deep in his gut. What had he gotten himself into?
"What am I doing wrong?" she squeaked, and she sounded on the verge of tears.
Albus heaved a sigh, trying to improvise on the spot. "You're smothering him Rose" he said.
"What? How?"
"Well first you invited him here" Albus said. "And he had to ditch his own friends. Now he's hanging out with people he barely knows. What's he supposed to talk to Morrison about, huh? He's clearly uncomfortable. And you're nonstop talking to him...he's starting to feel the pressure. Go on, look at him. See how nervous he looks?"
They both glanced over at their table, where Lance was casually leaning back on the hind legs of his chair, looking very cool as he sipped Butterbeer and spoke to Eckley.
"Not really..." she admitted in a small voice.
"Exactly" Albus said, unable to believe that she was falling for it. He was much too good at this for his own good. "When someone looks like that, they're wearing a mask Rose. That's a facade. This guy is starting to second guess being here."
She brought her fingernails to her mouth, and Albus was immediately reminded of Hugo."What do I do?" she asked, panic stricken. "I don't know guys like that Al" she mumbled.
"I know" he said. "But it's okay, I'm going to help you out, you just have to do what I say, okay?"
She nodded.
"First off, this looks suspicious. If anyone asks, we're really talking about my dad. Second, you need to go."
"G- go?" she said uncertainly.
He nodded this time. "That's right. Get Ec- Charlie and Donnie and Mirra and go somewhere. Just leave Lance with us."
"Why?" she asked, and he could not believe the power that he had over her now. There's no way he was this good. Or was it bad?
"Because then you don't seem overly eager. He can just relax with us, lounge around, talk about Quidditch, you know? It won't seem like a date then. No date, no pressure. Then when you come back he'll be ready to talk and all that. But you have to be subtle! Make it seem like you're leaving for a different reason, and give use twenty minutes to just hang out with the guy, get him thinking this is just a regular Hogsmeade trip. Understand?"
She nodded. Albus felt his heart beat slow down. Scorpius would be pleased. But was he? What kind of monster was he...?
They walked back together, Rose wiping at her eyes furiously before she sat down. They resumed chatting for a few minutes, this time about what beasts Lance had thus far dealt with in Care For Magical Creatures, when Rose said something.
"Shoot!" she said. "I've just remembered now! I have to go to the Post Office and drop something off- a letter to my dad that I forgot to send" she said, looking over at Albus. "Mirra? Come with me?"
"Ermm, sure" Mirra said, though she looked quite intrigued. "But I don't remember you saying anything about a let-"
But Rose cut her off. "And guys? You too?" she said, tapping Hornsbrook and Eckley on the shoulders. They both stood up at once, eager to leave regardless of the reason. Lance too stood up.
"No" Rose said quickly. "You haven't even finished your Butterbeer" she said to him.
Albus put his palm to his face. Rose was terrible at being subtle. No one had finished their bottle. Lance didn't seem to notice however.
"You sure?" he asked.
"Yes" she said firmly. "We'll be right back, this won't take long. You guys just- just finish up."
And with that, she led the other three Gryffindors out of the pub. Albus felt sickened with himself, knowing what was to come next. All that Scorpius needed to do was play his cards right.
And he certainly looked like he had a good hand. He lounged back in his chair as if his plan had already worked; taking a sly sip of what was surely an already drained bottle of Butterbeer and leering at Lance like a wolf that had caught a scent.
The table, now consisting of the four of them (including the incredibly quiet Morrison, and Albus, who was still feeling guilty over what he had done to Rose) seemed to be the most uncomfortable that it had been all day. Albus could not help but think that Lance may have caught on to the set up. Either way however, he was still staring at them all cheerfully, no doubt eager to continue being a stand up guy.
"So Lance" Scorpius said in a long drawl, balancing his bottle on the side of the table. "Is this your first date or what?"
Albus looked over to him with fear. There was no way that Scorpius was going to blow this. Not after what Albus had just had to do.
"Huh?" Lance said, appearing to be honestly bemused.
Scorpius grinned at him. "Come on mate, we're all guys here. We all know what's going on. Is this your first date with Rose or what?"
Lance looked thoroughly shaken by this statement, but he smiled. "I- I guess. Yeah. Why?"
Scorpius smiled at him- though Albus recognized it more as a confident sneer.
"No reason" Scorpius said. "I guess I'm just- well I- I guess I'm really glad that's all. That Rose is willing put herself back out there again."
Albus looked over at Scorpius, and saw Morrison do the same.
"Back out there?" Lance said, leaning forward slightly and looking bewildered. "Huh?"
"Well you know" Scorpius said with an expertly false sense of innocence on his face. "Like back to dating. After her last boyfriend and everything- I'm just really glad she's comfortable with you."
"What last boyfriend?" Lance asked, his eyes narrowing.
Scorpius opened his eyes wide with shock. "Never mind" he said hastily.
"No- you can tell me-"
Albus almost buried his face in his hands. He could not believe how naive Lance was being. Though he supposed that Scorpius was really the bigger variable here. He was playing it like an expert.
"It's nothing" Scorpius said quickly. "I really shouldn't have- I suppose it was- I guess I assumed you knew- not a big deal anyway-"
"What's not a big deal?" Lance said, and his perfect blonde hair seemed slightly frazzled.
"Well it's not a big deal" Scorpius said. "Really not my place to say- I just mean I'm glad she's so comfortable. And you're awfully brave aren't you? But I mean- well no. Not my place to say. I'm sorry I thought you knew..."
"Knew what?" Lance said, looking more than just curious. Rather fearful, in fact.
Scorpius made to speak, and then stopped. He leaned forward slightly now, like Lance, then stopped mid way and reclined back, looking confused himself. It was nothing short of perfect. The way he moved; the way he blinked. Everything from the subtle hand motions to the way he tilted his head- it was perfect acting. Albus knew that it had been rehearsed; there was no other possible explanation for it. In fact, if he didn't know any better, he'd say Scorpius had been in front of the mirror just this morning.
"Well mate, I don't know how to tell you this," Scorpius finally said, rather quietly but still loud enough to seem dramatic. "But Rose's dad isn't very big on boyfriends. I mean, you know he's an Auror, right?"
"Yeah, I know" Lance said. "But she said he's nice. And funny..."
"Oh he is!" Scorpius said. "He's great! But he's protective mate! A bit too much, really. I mean, her last boyfriend actually left Hogwarts. I doubt you'll ever even hear Rose mention him."
"What happened to him?" Lance asked, his eyes shining with fear. Albus couldn't help but feel a bit bad. Well, very bad actually. He knew it was no fault of Lance however. This had been pre-meditated. Scorpius knew what he was doing, he knew it very well. Albus himself was nearly convinced that Rose had once had a boyfriend.
"It's not important" Scorpius said quickly. "It's just- it's just best not to talk about it. Bit of a mess, right Al?" he added, turning to him.
Albus gave him quite possibly the hardest stare he'd ever given someone in his life. It was one thing to lure Rose away. To give Scorpius the chance of doing what he wanted- but this was too far. He was actually asking Albus to aide him in his malicious- if not incredibly well constructed- lie.
But the look on his face sold it. What was he supposed to do it? Call the whole thing off? Tell Lance what was going on? Morrison was eyeing him intently now too.
"Yeah" he finally said, his head turned down to the table, in disgust with himself. "Messy business" he grumbled. "Best not to talk about it...."
Lance was looking nothing short of terrified now. Scorpius didn't relent however.
"But that's not a shot at you or anything mate!" he said quickly. "I'm just saying I think it's great that Rose is ready for dating again. And I really commend you- you're awfully brave mate."
Lance stared blankly ahead. His eyes had lost their welcoming nature. He had been successfully duped. Albus hoped that it would end here.
"And then of course," Scorpius continued, and Albus nearly groaned with anguish. How much would he be responsible for? "There's always just how she is sometimes. That takes guts too mate."
"What do you mean how she is? She's nice..."
"Oh yeah!" Scorpius said, once more holding his hands up innocuously. "She's great!" he added. "Real nice, funny, smart, charming, all that...But I mean come one mate. I know you've seen her on her- well her- how can I- on her bad days."
"What bad days?" asked Lance, looking over at Albus for confirmation. He avoided his gaze.
"Well you don't have to pretend mate" Scorpius said. "You hang out with her all the time; I know you know what I'm talking about."
But Lance shook his head. Albus wished he could bury his face in his hands.
"I don't hang out with her that much" Lance said.
"Oh" Scorpius said, looking down. "Well...Sometimes....When things aren't really going her way...she can be a bit- err- what's the word-"
But Albus knew that Scorpius had a very good idea of what word he wanted to use. He probably had every word planned out for this particular moment.
"A bit cantankerous" he finished. "Wouldn't you say Al?"
"And belligerent" Albus added automatically, surprised he even knew such a word.
"And mean" Morrison added as well, speaking for the first time in quite a while.
"Shut up Morrison" Scorpius said quickly, and he fell silent.
Lance was looking quite dazed. His arms were pinned at his sides as he took turns staring at the three of them- mostly Scorpius- with shock on his face. And Scorpius, it seemed, was ready to put the icing on the cake.
"But like I said" he continued, looking grim. "I just think you're really brave for-for dealing- with all that. I mean, this is only your first date and all..."
But Lance did not look like he wanted it to be a date anymore. He was sweating profusely, turning his head every once in a while and looking over his shoulder as if he expected Rose to be there. He was tugging at the collar of his shirt as well, and occasionally scratching at the back of his head nervously. Albus tried to look away from it- but he was met with a much more cruel sight. Scorpius grinning ear to ear; his mission all but accomplished.
"And this is all between us, right?" Scorpius said after a few more moments. "I mean, I thought you already knew all of this stuff..."
"Oh yeah" Lance managed to croak. "Yeah, just between us..."
By the time that Rose returned with her group of friends they were all ready leave The Three Broomsticks, Albus noticing that Lance was noticeably more quiet as they walked the streets of the village. Rose continually tried initiating conversation with him, but he frequently just nodded or made a noise of recognition. This meant that Eckley could resume being Mr. Popular again however, and it wasn't long before Albus was forced to listen to an incredibly false story.
"And then, if you'll believe it, the Minister of Magic himself showed up! Said he was a big fan of hunting Nogtails- apparently its Ministry tradition or something. And then my dad said ' Sure thing Mr. Shacklebolt, you're welcome to join us'. This was years ago though, before all this happened..."
Albus tuned him out, but this was more for his own personal solace than because he desired to not hear any of Eckley's stories. He was feeling incredibly bad now. He had tricked Rose, helped trick Lance, had told lie after lie. And for what? Because his friend wanted him too? Lance was a nice guy. If he wanted to be with Rose, it should only be up to him. And the look on Rose's face...The look when he had lied right to her...It gave him goose bumps. He had all but ruined what could have grown to be a very nice relationship...
He saw Scorpius grinning at him from a little ahead. His friend quickly flashed a thumbs up, which Albus did not return. He did not feel like he had accomplished anything. He was snapped out his stupor when someone tugged at his shirt however. He turned and saw it was Mirra. He had not even noticed her walking behind him. He slowed down a bit to see what she had to say, and saw that she was looking grim.
"You know it's weird" she murmured. "Rose didn't seem to be doing that bad to me" she said coolly, eyeing Albus with a look of dislike that he was not used to from her. He hated it. She knew. She was not blinded like Rose had been. She had figured it all out...
Albus had no response for this. They continued walking, side by side, all together as a group seeking a destination. Albus managed to ignore the loud conversation Eckley was having with Hornsbrook long enough to once more take notice of Rose, who was looking visibly distraught as she tried to coax Lance into a conversation that was simply not going to happen. Then he felt another hand on his shoulder, but this was not a tug or a small pull. It was a burly hand; a firm one. A big one. He spun around and gasped.
It was Zydrunas. Or The Hammer, whatever he was called. Up close he was one of the most frightening sights that Albus had ever seen- standing well beyond the height of anyone he had ever seen bar Hagrid and the French lady from his kitchen. His yellow teeth were bared and his bald head was turned downwards, looking at him.
"Come with me" he said, and Albus was surprised by his voice. It was sharp and cold, but definitely powerful. A bit more powerful and demanding than Blackwood's actually. There was no accent however, which Albus had expected.
"Umm-umm" was all that he managed to stammer. Everyone else in his party turned around and saw what was going on. There was a silence as they viewed the scene, before Morrison finally spoke.
"Hey! Get off him pal! He didn't do anything!"
"Your friend is not in trouble" The Hammer said to all of them, before turning his head back down at Albus. "Mr. Waddlesworth seeks an audience with you."
Albus tried loosening The Hammer's grip with his own fingers, but all ten of his fingers could not loosen the five holding him still. "Wa-Wa-Waddlesworth?"
The Hammer nodded.
"Someone get help" Mirra said, sounding fearful. Lance immediately began to walk forward.
"That won't be necessary" The Hammer said, his voice still low and cold. "He is not in trouble or danger. He will be back momentarily."
"I'm not going anywhere" Albus said, still prying at the Hammer's fingers.
"Come with me" he repeated. "Mr. Waddlesworth wants to speak to you. You are in no trouble. We can do this the hard way."
He looked over at Mirra and Rose, the only two girls in the group, as he said this. For a wild moment Albus thought that he was certainly bluffing. A grown man would not attack children. But then he remembered something else. The Hammer was a member of WAR. And he did the dirty work. He had no reservations about who he hurt...
"Okay, okay" Albus said quickly. "I'll go. Just- no one gets hurt."
"Al!" several of them shouted with concern. Only Hornsbrook and Eckley stayed quiet.
"I'll be fine" Albus said, though he was actually quite frightened. "I'll be right back...right?" he added, looking up at the leering, bald and towering figure still gripping him. Once more, he nearly nodded.
"Al don't!" Mirra shouted.
"I'll get a teacher-" Scorpius started.
"I'll take this chump right now-" Morrison added.
"No!" Albus said. He didn't want anyone getting hurt. "Look just walk around for a bit. I'll be okay..."
He looked up at the Hammer once more and nodded himself. The Hammer loosened his grip slightly but still began steering him in the other direction, through crowds of people who seemed oblivious to what was going on.
"What does he want with me?" Albus asked fearfully after five minutes of walking.
"To talk" The Hammer replied.
"I can walk by myself" Albus said, trying to sound confident as he tapped the burly fingers gripping his collar.
"I prefer to lead you. We are almost there."
Even as the scary figure said it however, Albus realized he could not tell where he was. They had taken what seemed like a shortcut somewhere, and were now in what seemed like a grimier version of the beautiful village. Albus recognized it vaguely as being around the same area where had chased Fango Wilde months ago...
"Where- where are we?" he asked.
"The outskirts of Hogsmeade" The Hammer replied. "Otherwise known as the Hogpenn. It is not as bad as it seems" he added as they walked passed a dirty man sitting on the floor counting bottle caps as though they were coins.
They walked for five more minutes, finally stopping outside of a small shop. The sign on it read Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"Quality Quidditch Supplies?" Albus asked. "There's one of these in Diagon Alley."
"Yes" The Hammer said. "There are many. This one has been closed for some time however."
It certainly looked it. The door was fine, but the windows on the small shop were boarded up, and the paint that may have once been on had either turned to the color of concrete or was chipping off.
"Well then- then I guess- I guess we can't go in?" Albus asked hesitantly.
The Hammer said nothing. He merely pushed the door open and forced Albus through it. He nearly toppled over, and then almost fell once more when he saw where he was.
It looked like a magnificent sitting room; fifteen times larger than what it appeared to be on the outside- Albus could only assume a charm was put on it, much like the backs of the cars that held their trunks. The walls were lined with beautiful paintings of majestic landscapes, and the carpet was a brilliant shade of red with elegant golden designs on it. Fancy and comfortable looking armchairs were set up all around it, including a few sofas and a very warm looking fireplace. A brilliant and large chandelier hung over them, seeming to sparkle from the light of the fire. Albus thought that he could hear some very light chamber music playing as well, though he could not spot a musical device of any kind.
It was occupied as well. Lounging in all of the chairs were men and women of all colors and ages, some of them chatting with one another as they sipped glasses of what may have been wine, others reading paperback books quietly. They were all dressed in identical black robes as well, all with a small silver emblem on them that Albus could not quite distinguish. Few people even noticed his arrival, and those who did merely glanced his way before returning back to what they were doing.
So this was the headquarters of Wands and Redemption. These people were Renegades- and not just any Renegades. These people were organized vigilantes. He was just looking at someone, an older looking man with a white beard whose face bore an uncanny resemblance to someone he may have known, possibly Donovan Hornsbrook, when The Hammer began steering him through the room.
They walked passed everyone with no interference at all. The people reading didn't even look up, though one of them moved their legs off of an ottoman to let them by. Albus saw that he was being taken to a small staircase at the edge of the brilliant room.
"How big is this place?" Albus asked.
"Bigger than it looks" The Hammer said, leading him up the stairs. They stopped at a long white hallway, and Albus got shivers. It looked awfully similar to the observatory rooms in the Department of Mysteries. The hall however was lined with red doors of the same shade as the carpet downstairs. There was a battered looking wooden door at the very end of the hall, though they stopped just short of this one, instead pausing at the red door to its left, which looked exactly like the others.
The Hammer opened the door and Albus followed him in. They were once more in a nicely designed room with red carpets and portraits on the wall, only this one was much smaller; an office. And sure enough, there was a large desk right in front of him. And sitting right in it was Warren Waddlesworth.
"Mr. Potter!" Waddlesworth said smoothly, looking up from his desk, where a considerably large stack of paperwork was. "Pleased to have you join me- Zydrunas please, let go of the boy would you? He's not going to go running off!"
The Hammer let go of him at once, though remained standing where he was. Waddlesworth was smiling at the two of them, and Albus had the chance to take in his full appearance. His long ketchup colored hair was as straight as ever, softly placed over his shoulders. He was not wearing the same black robes as the members of his organization, but he was wearing a very clean looking black suit, complete with a red tie that matched his hair. He leaned forward slightly and folded his hands.
"Zydrunas I truly cannot thank you enough, but I'd like a private word if you don't mind. Yes, if you could just step outside for a moment..."
The Hammer bowed his head obsequiously, then left without saying a word. Albus looked around a bit and saw that there was a chair across from the desk. Was he supposed to sit? What was he even doing here?
"Please, please. Sit" Waddlesworth said kindly, indicating the chair. Albus took a seat and found that it was extremely comfortable. Waddlesworth continued to smile at him for a moment before speaking again. "A glass of wine perhaps?" he asked.
He snapped his fingers. A door to his right- which Albus had not even seen when he had first walked in- burst open and a man with a thick mustache and tamed, slick black hair entered carrying a tray with two wine glasses and a bottle. The butler stood still as Waddlesworth took a glass from the tray.
"Erm- I'm not really old enough to drink" Albus said, staring at the butler uneasily.
Waddlesworth gave an oily laugh. "Don't be silly! You're always old enough for a drink!"
There it was, that incredibly persuasive tone. Albus suddenly felt very tempted to take a glass from the tray, just to try it, but then decided against it. "No thanks" he said.
The smile on Waddlesworth's face flickered for less than an instant- Albus barely caught it. He put his own glass back on the tray. Apparently he did not want a drink if his guest didn't either. He snapped his fingers once more and the butler left without a word, taking all of the wine with him back through the door in which he'd came.
"Do you know who I am, Mr. Potter?" he asked warmly.
"Yes" Albus said, still no closer to finding out why he was here. "You're Mr. Waddlesworth."
Waddlesworth gave a loud laugh. "Please! You make me sound so old! Just call me Warren. I would never ask you to address me as anything else Mr. Pot- can I call you Albus?" he said quickly.
"Erm- yes?" Albus said.
"Fantastic" Warren said. "Excuse me for a moment, by the way. On second thought..."
He snapped his fingers once more and the butler returned, this time with only one glass. Warren took it and took a sip, then snapped his fingers yet again. The butler placed a coaster on the polished wooden desk, and then once more left through the door. Warren set the glass of wine down on the coaster before resuming.
"Delicious" he said, smacking his lips. "So foolish of me to have neglected it at first- wine is truly a sophisticated drink. Never in excess of course!" he added hastily, his smooth voice never changing in pitch. "Don't go thinking the wrong thing. But here and there...I cannot resist a good wine."
"Mmm" was, for the second time today, all that Albus could muster. Warren continued to beam at him.
"I'm glad you know me Albu- can I call you Al?" he said.
Albus nodded.
"Fantastic" Warren repeated. "As I was saying Al, I'm glad that you already know me, that saves us a truly tremendous amount of time and I'm sure that you're eager to get back to your trip- I hear that the village of Hogsmeade is truly a sight for students, and rightfully so. But anyway, before I digress, I wanted to let you know that I know you as well."
"You- you do?" Albus asked, shifting slightly in his chair. What was going on here?
"Indeed. Well rather, I've seen you before. I will never claim to know a person, never. Not completely. No one knows anyone except for themselves. We can know facades- know what we see and understand, but never someone completely. I've merely seen you."
"When?"
"During the riot" Warren said simply, sitting back in his chair. "Perhaps you do not recognize me, I was the man with blood on my face" he said slyly.
"I don't know anything about that" Albus said quickly, tugging at his collar. "I didn't see anyone- or anything- or- or any of that- I was just-"
But Warren cut him off with a loud laugh. "Al! Al, calm down, you are not in trouble! Why so frightened? Did Zydrunas frighten you? Did he hit you?" he added, his laughter dying as he focused on Albus intently.
"No!" Albus said quickly.
"Because if he did I can assure you I will have him deal with the repercussions..."
"No! Nothing like that!" Albus said, nearly rising from his seat. "It's just- it's never mind. I'm not frightened" he finished, in what he knew was a tone that suggested the complete opposite.
Warren continued to survey him, but said nothing. "Well as I was saying Al, I saw you. You were crawling on the ground. Were you looking for something?"
"My little sister" Albus said automatically. "She got caught in it."
"Oh dear. Is she alright?" Warren asked, and Albus noted that he did actually sound concerned- but he supposed that may have been done intentionally.
"She was fine" he answered.
"Fantastic. Nasty business, that was. I admire your courage however. A rather prominent trait amongst Gryffindors, I have heard."
"I'm in Slytherin" Albus said, his face growing hot. Warren smiled.
"Are you?" he said, taking another sip of wine. "I did not attend Hogwarts in my youth, Al, but I think if I did, that would have been my house of choice. I have known many Slytherins, and one thing I notice about them is that they can do one thing above all else- not manipulate like some would think- but they can see things from different perspectives. They can step back and examine. Bravery and intelligence are certainly wonderful qualities but I cannot think of trait more useful than the ability to get a good grasp of the situation. Some call it apathy, I call it logic. Do you understand?"
"Erm..."
"Let me explain" Warren said, taking another quick sip. "In any given situation there are different perspectives. Some see something like, say- a riot, and they think of it as a sign that civilization is showing signs of recession. Others see it as a sign that civilization is actually, to quite the contrary, showing signs of improvement. A Slytherin- from what I know of them- can see it from both sides. I know that their colors are emerald and silver, but I always saw them as more...gray. Have you ever felt this way, Al? Ever saw something from two different points of view? One view seems horrible and frightening, and you feel guilty for seeing it- but the other- the side that people can't see- shows signs of a far more benevolent act?"
Albus shrunk in his chair slightly; he did not even want to think about this question. He was much too focused on finding out what it was he was doing here. But now that he thought about, Waddlesworth had mentioned something of interest. From one point of view, what had just occurred an hour ago had been terrible- he had purposefully sabotaged his cousin's relationship with someone who was actually very nice, and had lied to them both to achieve it. But from the other end...he had done it for his best friend, who he had promised he would help...
"Yeah" he finally said. "I have."
Warren smiled at him. "I thought so" he said. "Why, some would even say that such a trait belongs with members of my very own group. Wands and Redemption."
"Ermm...I don't think so" Albus said quickly, surprised at his own audacity but glad that he said it anyway. He expected Waddlesworth to frown or do something that indicating displeasure, but nothing of the sort happened. He merely continued to smile.
"You don't like Wands and Redemption, do you Al?" he said, swirling his glass around. "Don't agree with us?"
"No" Albus said plainly.
"Why?"
Albus raised his eyebrows. He could not believe that he was sitting here, right now, in this office, discussing how he felt about a group of vigilantes, with their leader no less. Hadn't he just been in Honeyduke's with Mirra?
"Because- because you break the law" Albus said.
"Ah" Warren said, his smile remaining firmly where it was. "Indeed, some of our actions seem to take place well outside of the limits of the law. You are referring, I'm assuming, to the Unforgivable Curses? Murder. Torture."
Albus nodded, and he felt his skin crawl at the last two words.
"But this is interesting" Warren said. "Because now more than ever it seems that unlawful and immoral are being used hand in hand, when in fact neither is correct. Did you know, Al? That during the first war with Voldemort, the Aurors were permitted to use the Unforgivable curses?"
Albus stared blankly ahead. He had not known this. But what did it matter? Warren continued through his silence.
"Aurors- like what your father was but months ago- where authorized to kill and torture. Now I must ask you, Al, were they breaking the law?"
Albus hesitated. That was actually a good question. "No" he finally said. "They were told they could do it. By the Minister."
"So if the Minister said it's okay for me- and my fellow members of WAR- to murder and torture- that would be okay? If he said it was okay for us kill innocent children, then it's not against the law? Is the law decided by one person? By one government?"
Albus stayed silent.
"I believe Al" Warren started, " That the only man who can tell him what is right and wrong is himself. When these Auror's kill, it is not against the law. But when we do it- it is? Tell me Al, is a law really a law, if only some people have to follow it?"
"I - I don't know" Albus admitted, wishing that he did not have to think about it.
"I'm going to tell you the truth Al" Warren said quietly. "Look me in my eyes."
Albus glanced at his perfectly shaped blue eyes before staring back down at the desk.
"Keep looking!" Warren nearly shouted, and Albus snapped his head up and met his gaze once again, this time holding it.
"I want you to look in my eyes as I say this, Al. So that you know I'm telling you the truth. I never lie when I look someone in the eyes, I wouldn't dare. The eyes are the gateway to the soul, after all."
Hmmm. And your appearance. Golden eyes? Was it merely the iris, or the entire eye itself?
"Are you looking?" Warren asked him.
"Yes" Albus said, his eyes boring into Warren's.
"Albus, I am telling you the truth when I say, I don't like hurting people. I don't want people to get hurt. But this is a war. That's why we are named as such, see? Because we are here in times of war. And during any war, people will get hurt. Now some can stand back and let this happen, but I can't. If someone has to get hurt, I don't want it to be the innocent people. I want it to be the people who aim to do the hurting. War is never pretty Albus, but I swear to you, on everything I hold dear, I hate it. I hate the fighting. I hate the newspaper articles, I hate the rumors, and I hate knowing that at this very moment, one of my men may be on the verge of killing someone- someone who aimed to kill kids like you. Like that little sister you tried to save. But it has to end. Someone has to get hurt. I'm trying to find Reginald Ares, Albus, because I believe I can end this war- while it's still in its early stages- if I do."
"But what about other people?" Albus asked. "I heard- I heard that you find other people too. EP's or whatever."
Warren nodded, and their eyes broke at this point; they were no longer staring at one another.
"Do you know what Chess is, Al?"
"I'm fourteen" Albus said dryly, hoping that this would count as an answer.
Warren laughed. "I should have been clearer. Do you know how to play it?"
"Yes" Albus answered.
"Well let me ask you Al. Which is the most dangerous piece on a chessboard?"
"The queen" Albus answered, but Warren gave him a stern look.
"I disagree Al. I think it's the pawn."
"The pawn?"
"Yes. Because you see Al, "and he took another sip of his near empty glass before speaking, "The pawn is the most unpredictable. It's the only piece that captures separately then how it moves. If you don't take a good look at the pawn, you may not see its options. And secondly Al, pawns can become queens if left unchecked. But the difference between the queen you start with and the pawn that becomes a queen, is that the pawn that becomes the queen starts out in opposing territory. Already poised to strike. You know, from the beginning of the game, that your opponents' queen is ready for you. But those pawns...well they come out of nowhere. Do you understand?"
"Erm..."
"Those people, Al. They're pawns. We want the king sure...but we need to eliminate the pawns before they can cause any damage. We need to watch out for them. We need to stop them. It's a difficult analogy to grasp, I understand. But you are still young..."
"No, I get it" Albus said. "It's just... I don't know" he finally finished with.
"There's nothing wrong with not agreeing with us, Al. How could I blame you? You've grown up in a world lead by the Ministry, your own father- who I respect very much- was their most prominent Auror for two decades. But I don't want you to side with me Al. Or your father. In the end, Al, only you know where you belong. I just wanted you to see things from my perspective, because I hate to see people go the wrong way about WAR, and what it is we do. Not when they're not informed."
"So- so that's why you wanted to talk to me?" Albus asked, surprised.
"Oh! Oh no!" Warren said, nearly laughing, his voice momentarily losing its persuasive nature. "My apologies, I grew sidetracked. No Al, I actually had Zydrunas fetch you- and I apologize for that- because I wanted to ask you a question. Is that alright Al?"
"Erm- sure. Ask away" Albus said. What else was he supposed to say to that?
"I wanted to ask you, Al. Is there anything...special? About you?"
"Huh? I don't understand" Albus said, in complete honesty.
"Anything about you" Warren said. "Anything at all that you'd consider worthy of note. Of interest. Any particular qualities?"
"No" Albus said with a shrug, once more in complete honesty. "Sorry" he added, not really sure why he was apologizing.
Warren smiled. "Modesty" he said. "I love it. In my opinion, the most impressive and unique of all possible characteristics. You see, Al, a modest person doesn't even know that they're modest. A courageous person can know of their bravery, a cunning person can know that they're cunning, but a modest person can never understand that they are modest. That's the point of it, you see? Any modest person who tells you that they're modest isn't modest at all. I envy that in you Al, as you can see, I'm not very modest. But surely, there must be something special about you. Maybe even something that you...don't understand. But know that it is?"
Albus shook his head. What in the world was he talking about? "Sorry" he repeated. "Nothing that I know of."
For the first time in their entire conversation, Warren frowned.
"Very well" he said. "You may leave now, if you wish, I'm sure your friends are worried about you. But I want you to know, Al. You're welcome back at anytime. To see a bit more of what we do around here, and why we do it. Next Hogsmeade visit, perhaps?"
"Erm sure" Albus said. He had to admit, the conversation had enlightened him slightly.
"Would you like an escort back?" Warren asked. "I'd be happy to call for Zydrunas..."
"No thanks" Albus said quickly, not in the mood to be tossed around. "I'm fine, really."
"Are you sure? We're in the outskirts of Hogsmeade Al, it's easy to get lost-"
"No, I'm fine" Albus repeated. "Thanks though."
Warren smiled at him, a smile that he wore even as Albus strode to the door and left, closing it behind him and staring ahead at the empty hallway in a daze. That was it? That was why Warren Waddlesworth had wanted to see him? To find out if there was anything special about him?
This had been a very strange day, he thought as he began walking down the hall lined with red doors. It would be a gift to go back to the castle, to forget this arduous trip to Hogsmeade that had not been worth so much trouble...
A door opened, and he felt a hand around his collar. He tried fighting it, but was pulled roughly through the door and into a dark room. Still trying to fight off the powerful hand, he withdrew his wand-
There was a flash of red light and his wand had been knocked from his hand. The lights of the room flicked on and Albus saw that the person who had grabbed him had disarmed him as well. He adjusted his eyes to the light and saw who it was.
"Professor Fairhart!?" he gasped, staring directly at the biggest surprise in an already strange day.
It was indeed his former Defense Against the dark Arts teacher, though he looked slightly different. The right side of his face was still unbelievably disfigured, so grotesque that it was nearly as blinding as the light, and his hair was still jet black. Now it was more kept however; slicker.
"What are you doing here Albus!?" Fairhart demanded in an aggressive tone that Albus was not used to from him.
"What are you-" but he stopped mid-sentence. He'd just realized how Fairhart was dressed. He was wearing plain black robes, and there was a small silver emblem on them- it looked like the hilt of a sword, with a wand where the blade would be.
"You're part of WAR!" he shouted. And then he felt his body go numb. The fourth person in the picture. The cloaked figure...
"Kind of" Fairhart said, tossing his wand back to him. Albus saw that he looked nervous. "It's hard to explain. But why are you here!? I told you that you were in danger!"
"You told me wha- you! You sent that note!"
"Albus listen to me" Fairhart said, and he sounded panicked. "You should have listened to my letter. You are in danger here. You must leave at once, and never return, do you understand me?"
"No" Albus said simply. "I was already here. I talked with Warren..."
"With Warren...?"
"It's okay" Albus said quickly. "I'm fine. He just wanted to talk to me. And I might come back" he added defiantly.
"What? No! These people are dangerous Albus!"
"Not really" he argued. "I mean, to other people. But they have a good point on some things, really. And if they're so bad, why are you one of them?"
Fairhart gawked at him. "It is unimportant why I am here Albus. I'm here because I need to be. But you do not know Wands and Redemption Albus. These people are very dangerous, even to you. They break many laws-"
"But are they really laws?" Albus asked. "I mean, if not everyone follows them-"
"Oh dear" Fairhart said, and he brought his palm to his face. "He's already gotten to you" he added, more to himself than to Albus. "Albus I need you to listen very carefully to me" he said. He crouched down and put his hands on Albus' shoulders so that they were face to face. Albus looked to his right and saw that his shoulders were being squeezed. He saw the silver ring glinting on Fairharts finger as well, which Albus had just realized now, had writing on it...
"These people speak in half truths Albus. They have ulterior motives. You mustn't return here, not ever."
"No!" Albus said, surprised at even himself. He had a great deal of respect for Fairhart, but he was sick of being told what to do. Had he not just discussed this with Warren? That only he knew where he belonged? "I can make my own decisions..."
Fairhart sighed. He stood up and looked around the room, muttering to himself as he did so.
"How can I show you..." he was saying.
Albus too looked around the room, and saw that he was in a room virtually identical to Fairhart's office at Hogwarts. There was the small bed, the smaller round table. And there was the shelf with which a pensieve sat...
There was a sudden knock on the door, and both Albus and Fairhart jumped.
"Stay quiet" Fairhart said softly. "What!" he yelled at the door.
"Sancticus! Warren wants to see you!" yelled a voice through the door that Albus recognized.
"In a few minutes!" Fairhart yelled back.
"He wants to see you now!" The Hammer barked.
"I said in a few minutes!" Fairhart snapped.
"Don't make me break down this door!" The Hammer spat angrily.
"Don't make me break down this door!" Fairhart retorted with malice.
There was a brief silence after this, followed by the sound of footsteps walking away. Fairhart strode towards the pensive on the shelf and dug through it, finally removing something from it. A small glass vial.
"Take this" he said, thrusting the vial into Albus' hands. "Find a pensieve. Watch it. Perhaps then- then you will see..."
"See what?" Albus asked. "What's this a memory of? What are you doing here? What's going on?"
"Go! Now! Try not to be seen. Tell no one we that spoke not even that we met. Show this memory to no one else! Go!"
And he forced him back through the red door, slamming it in his face rudely.
"Hey!" Albus shouted, his voice reverberating all throughout the empty hall. He banged on the door. "Open up!" he yelled. There was no answer. "Open up!" he yelled, banging several more times, though all to no avail.
Albus cursed under his breath, stuffing the glass vial into his robes as he did so. He stared at the motionless door for another moment before turning on his heel and leaving.
___________
Little did Albus know however, that while he was wandering through Hogsmeade trying to find his friends before they left without him, another conversation was going on in Waddlesworth's office.
Waddlesworth was still sitting at his desk, though he was not smiling or drinking wine. Zydrunas was standing next to him, arms crossed, and there was another man in the room now as well. Fairhart was in the corner, leaning against the wall casually.
"Do you think he was lying?" Zydrunas asked Waddlesworth.
"I cannot be sure" Waddlesworth replied. "But if our contact in Ares' group is correct, then Ares wants that boy. Needs him. And if our contact at Hogwarts is correct, then that boy knows that he wields a strange power. Whether he's made the connection or not, I do not know."
"What do we do?" Zydrunas asked.
Waddlesworth turned to Fairhart. "Investigate, Sancticus" he said. "Keep an eye on the boy; find out what makes Ares want him so badly. And if Ares needs him alive...then kill him before he can get it."
Fairhart stared at him for a moment before nodding his head.
"I thought we didn't kill innocent children?" Zydrunas asked, a malicious smile curling on his lips.
"Chess, Zydrunas" Waddlesworth answered. "Sometimes pieces must be sacrificed..."
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As always, feedback is both welcome and appreciated, though not necessary. For those of you who do wish to review however, feel free to thank A Quiet Chaos for editing more than 30 pages. Without her you probably wouldn't be seeing this chapter until May.
Hope you're enjoying book 4 so far!