Chapter 10 : Diagon Alley

Vincent was eating his breakfast with his parents when he heard a pecking sound, they all lifted their gaze and saw a small grey owl in the window above the sink. Vincent immediately got up and opened the door to let the bird in. It was snowing outside and the owl's feathers were wet and dripped on the floor.

"That's Jean's owl… It's strange, she's back home in Atlanta with her family and I'm sure she left her owl at school... What is it doing here?" Vincent said.

Vincent petted the owl's head and it then perched on his shoulder, biting affectionately at his ears. He opened the letter and upon reading the first lines, he frowned deeply. Mona, the owl, flew on the dining table and helped herself to some toast. Vincent apologized to his parents, without even looking at them, and, then, he climbed the steps to his room two at a time, shutting the door behind him. He grabbed the cellphone that was on his nightstand table and made a call. Jean and him had bought cellphones to be able to quickly talk to each other when she was back in the United States. It was Albus, who was used to all sorts of muggle things because of his father and grandfather, who had given them the idea.

"Hello my love!" Jean answered on the other end, after a few rings. She seemed to be in a very good mood.

"Hi… Can you explain me why your owl just delivered a package and a letter at my home signed Mr. Wolf?" Vincent asked. He was more incredulous than upset.

He heard his girlfriend giggling on the other end. "Oh! Then, it means I was right after all, I guess…" Jean replied, voluntarily withholding explanations from him, just to tease him.

Vincent sighed loudly. "What on Earth do you mean?"

"Well… Before leaving, I wrote a letter using a spell to copy Albus' writing, of course, and then, I sent it to Scorpius Malfoy. I instructed Mona to bring the response back to you if she got one, because I'm too far away. I wanted to know if I had been right. I guess this means I was, after all." Jean answered, a little too joyfully for Vincent's taste.

Vincent could not believe his ears, he was surely going out with the slyest student in Slytherin and this was not a small thing to say. "Salazar!"

"I know right! I knew Albus was very disappointed after he was setup and I couldn't let their… thing go to waste, just because someone was obviously too scared to show up to a date, but, first, I wanted to make sure who this mysterious coward was. Now, I have my answer… So, what as he responded?" Jean asked in an excited tone.

Vincent was still too shocked by his girlfriend elaborated scheme to react to the fact that the mysterious man was, in fact, Scorpius Malfoy, not that he cared that much it was him, but that was still surprising. Also, he didn't think his best friend would react so smoothly to the news, his last name was still Potter, after all. Vincent took the time to read the short letter, more carefully this time.

"He thanks you for the gift, he loves it… Also, he apologizes for not showing up at the astronomy tower… he wrote that he was scared… Tsss… And… Oh Salazar!... He asks us on a date in Diagon Alley next week!" Vincent replied, not believing it.

"Perfect! Weren't you supposed to see Albus next week? That would be perfect!" Jean exclaimed.

"No." He replied, in an assertive manner. He was not going to participate in this madness, thank you very much. He didn't support his girlfriend in her schemes. Moreover, he was not going to meddle in things that were none of his business. It was truly not worth risking his friendship with Albus.

"Albus won't be mad at you, my love… Don't worry." Jean said in a persuasive voice, like she could read his mind.

Vincent knew it was impossible, however, because, in their fourth year at Hogwarts, Albus had decided it would be incredibly awesome for them to learn Legilimency and, also, Occlumency. Jean, who was a gifted witch, had never been able to do it. It was very difficult for both Vincent and Albus, but for Jean, it was just impossible. She was very disappointed about it, even if Albus had told her how his own dad was very bad at it too, that didn't seem to appease her, but she never stopped trying. In the end, she was able to use some basic Occlumency spells, but that was all, not once was she able to read into the other boys' minds. Now, Vincent was glad it was so, because she already knew too much about everything.

"Jean, I won't do it. You won't win me over this time." Vincent replied in a categorical tone.

"I don't want you to do it for me, but for Albus. Imagine that Scorpius is his soulmate and, because of you, he would miss it and spend the rest of his life alone and miserable…"

Vincent shook his head and laughed. "First, it would be highly surprising that Scorpius Malfoy is Albus's "soulmate"… My guess is, he'll deeply regret all the paper and ink he wasted on those damned letters when he realizes who he was writing them to. Then, he'll find some cute guy to change his mind with, like he always does, and he'll make us promise not to ever talked about the time he had a crush on Malfoy…"

He heard the American girl sighed on the other end and could visualize the frown she must have on her face. He couldn't help but smile when he pictured her.

"Wouldn't you find it highly entertaining to watch Albus's reaction when he'll see it was Scorpius all along?" Jean asked, mischievously.

Vincent shook his head. "I'm not some kind of pervert stalker who'll spy on them for YOUR sake…"

"If you don't oblige, there are some things I could say to Albus… you know… about that time in your fifth year…" Jean said, in her most slytherin tone.

Pause.

"Am I dreaming, or is my girlfriend threatening to blackmail me to my best friend?" Vincent replied in a falsely outraged manner.

He recognized her immediately at this, she was not in the snake's house for nothing and he likes her this way. He wished they weren't so far away, because he began to have such nasty thoughts…

"In this case, I guess I don't have a choice…" He replied with a smirk, because he knew she would carry out her threat and he really did not want his friend to know about some…things he had done.

The consequences of organizing a blind date between Scorpius and Albus would never amount at those he would have to face if Jean opened her mouth. Also, he had to admit he wanted to see his best friend reaction this could be quite amusing.

"I love you too!" Jean exclaimed, laughing.

Vincent shook his head, he was glad she was his girlfriend and not his enemy, because she was redoubtable…

Albus was putting his woollen winter coat on when his mother walked to him in the entrance of their home.

"Where are you going again?" Ginny asked with a smile.

"Diagon Alley, with Vincent. I won't be back for supper." Albus answered for at least the third time, his mother had always been very protective of her children, too much, according to them.

James had left a few days earlier and Albus had been glad to receive Vincent's invitation to spend the afternoon at Diagon Alley with him, he was tired of staying at home with his parents and his little sister.

"Okay, have fun then and be careful." Ginny told her son and she asked a kiss on the cheek before he left. "When you were small you were kissing me all the time! You never had enough!" She laughed when he complained.

Since he didn't have his apparition permit, he took the Knight Bus to the Leaky Cauldron. He knew his sister hated it, because it made her sick, but he liked it because it was cheap and quick enough. He arrived early and decided to order a butterbeer while waiting for his friend. He seated himself in a wooden bench seat and took a sip of the hot liquid. He saw someone coming in his direction and clenched his teeth when he immediately recognized his ex-lover, knowing his day had just been spoiled.

"Can I sit with you for a minute? We need to talk." Mathias asked with a nervous smile, his hands in his pockets.

Albus scowled at him. "No. I'm waiting for someone."

"Did you get my letter?" The gryffindor asked, losing his smile a bit, but still trying to talk to him.

Albus shrugged and took another sip of his drink.

Mathias sighed. "Your sister told me you would be here today."

"I see." Albus replied, wishing the other man would go away and thinking he would have to have a good conversation with his nosy little sister.

"I'm sorry…" Mathias tried to say.

"Yeah, you already said that in your letter, but the thing is, I don't give a damn. Now, leave me alone." Albus cut him dryly, feeling he was beginning to lose his temper.

"Albus, please, I… I miss you…" Mathias said in a small voice.

Albus got up and grabbed his coat, he now had had more than enough. He exited the restaurant, trying to put his coat on, but his right arm kept missing the sleeve, like it was trying to taunt him, Mathias on his heels. Diagon Alley was crowded this day and Albus didn't want to make a scene, because he knew Mathias would not leave him alone no matter what he would do.

He engaged a small brick alley between two shops and asked Mathias one more time to leave him alone, but his ex-lover was not listening to him and kept telling him all sorts of pathetic nonsense he did not believe for one second. He knew him too well to believe all his empty excuses.

"What do you want from me, Mathias? Doesn't Zabini satisfy all your needs? If it's my ass you're missing, well too bad for you, you should have thought better before! Leave me alone, I don't want to be your friend, I'm done with you!" Albus finally shouted while pushing his ex-lover on the brick wall, all his recent frustrations taking the hold of him.

Mathias' didn't fight the other boy. "I miss you…" He said in a low voice.

Albus let go of him, not wanting to waste more time with him. Vincent was certainly looking for him at this moment. As he was walking away, he was violently pushed face against the cold wall and he felt the gryffindor wand digging in his neck. His own wand was in his pocket, he would not be able to grab it before the other man could react. Mathias pressed his body against Albus's, breathing heavily.

"I tried to apologize to you, but I should have known you wouldn't listen to me, you're too darn stubborn." Mathias said in Albus's ear, while pulling at his hair, pushing him roughly against the wall.

Albus clenched his teeth. "Let go of me."

Mathias tightened his grip and pressed himself against Albus's body. "I know you want me too."

Suddenly, Albus laughed in a sour manner. "You're so pathetic, I can't believe it! Craving for something you'll never have again and all of it is your entire fault. Poor Michelle, does she know you're thinking about me when you're fucking her?"

Mathias tried to hit Albus's head on the wall, but the slytherin protected his head with his arm and struggled with the other man. Mathias then tried to push Albus' on the ground and that was all the diversion Albus needed to grab his wand and cast a stunning spell. Mathias fell to the ground, immobilized, a surprised expression on his face.

Albus walked away without a glance at the boy, hoping this time he would leave him be. He walked to the Leaky Cauldron and came face to face with Vincent as he was exiting the restaurant. He smiled when he saw Albus and then he looked at his clothes and frowned.

"Did you get into a fight?" Vincent asked looking at his friend's creased clothes and hair intently.

Scorpius was always perfectly dressed and his hairs were always styled, so this was unusual.

"Just encountered Mathias, he tried to jump me in an alley, but I stunned him… he'll recover in a few hours… I guess," Albus said with a false smile.

Vincent stared at him. "Are you okay?"

Albus nodded. "Yes, he won't be bothering me anytime soon, I'm pretty sure."

"He went very far this time, you don't reassure me… What's his problem anyway, he was the one cheating on you!" Vincent said, lifting his hand in a discouraged gesture.

"It's not important." Albus replied as he tried fixing his clothes and his hairs.

"Okay…" Vincent said with uncertainty, understanding from his friend's attitude that he didn't want to talk about it further. He told himself that he would talk about it with him at another time, though, because the other man had clearly crossed a line there and he was worried how far this could go. Even if Albus had said the gryffindor would leave him alone, Vincent doubted that. His friend's ex-lover had always been a hothead. Vincent had never liked him and Mathias did not like him either. He thought he didn't treat his best friend like he deserved to be treated, he was often telling Albus debasing comments.

Sensing his friend was worrying, Albus smiled reassuringly at him, putting an arm on his shoulder. "So, what do you want to do, pal?"

"Well… Talking about that, there's something I didn't tell you… Please, don't get angry, it was Jean's idea and I don't know how she managed to, but she convinced me this was a good idea… It's true you've been feeling kind of down since the thing at the astronomy tower and your accident…" Vincent began to say, looking at Albus who was looking at him with curiosity.

"What are you babbling about, this doesn't resemble you…" Albus Potter said with suspicion.

"I think you need to give it a second chance… I mean… If you can be into someone enough to only write letters during months, imagine what it could be in person! Maybe it won't work, but maybe it will and you deserve it… I think, well Jean and me, we think… this was a good idea." Vincent said very rapidly.

"I'm not sure what you are talking about, Vince. Why would I be angry at you? Why are you talking about the unknown ravenclaw guy?"

"Let's just say that he isn't unknown anymore." Vincent replied.

Albus eyes got bigger, he didn't understand how his friend, or Jean, had discovered who this guy was. Moreover, he did not understand why they had not told him who it was upon learning it.

"Who is it?" He almost shouted, now filled with excitement and curiosity.

His friend played nervously with his scarf, half-smiling. "I think it is better if you discover this yourself."

"There's no way that this is going to happen, because he never came to our date, so he's clearly not interested." Albus replied impatiently.

"Yeah… He chickened out that time and he's very sorry about it, but you'll have plenty of time to talk about it yourselves, because you both have a date today. Sorry for the surprise Al."

Albus's mouth opened and closed a few times, but he was too surprised to utter a word.

Vincent put his red scarf around Albus's neck. "I told him you'll be waiting for him in front of the Leaky Cauldron with a red scarf. He'll be wearing your watch, Jean gave it to him as a Christmas present. Oh, also, he doesn't know who you are either, it will be a big surprise for both of you, I'm pretty sure… I almost forgot, he gave you this in exchange for your gift." Vincent said while giving him a silver pocket watch.

"I don't know what to say…" Albus said, while looking at the watch, still shocked.

He was not even mad, he just couldn't believe it. After what had happened with Mathias, he had felt strangely liberated. After he had read the letter from Mathias that his sister had given him before Christmas, he had almost felt bad for his ex-lover. He had wondered if he was cold-hearted to ignore his ex-lover apologies, but now he knew what a cheater and an asshole the man was and he did not regret a thing.

He had felt hurt and disappointed when Mr. Wolf had not shown up, because they had exchanged so much personal letters, he had felt like he knew him, like they were friends. Nevertheless, he wanted to give him another chance. Vincent was right, if he had fallen for this man while only writing letters to him, it could be amazing in person. He had to, at least, try.

"Wait to see who it is, before thanking me." Vincent told him.

"You make me think he's ugly when you talk like this…" Albus said.

Vincent laughed while leaving.

"Wait! Is he ugly? Why are you laughing?" Albus shouted to his friend who was backing away, smiling at him.

Albus sighed, trying to evacuate the nervousness that was now building in his body. His hands were sweating and he removed his gloves and put them in his pocket. Diagon Alley was crowded and he couldn't stop staring at each and every unknown young man, wondering who it was. With a coat on and gloves, he would never see his watch on the man's wrist, he was the one who would be recognized first.

He leaned on the restaurant's wall, waiting. Every second seemed like minutes and every minute felt like hours. He opened the pocket watch that was given to him, it was almost three o'clock. The watch was a magical one and it seemed precious, way more than the old watch he had supposedly given the other man. This one was engraved with initials: S.H.M. He reflected on that for a while, but a voice interrupted him.

"Hi."

He turned to see who had addressed him and when he saw who was standing next to him, his heart missed a beat.