Chapter 10: Secrets On The Second Floor
"Okay, I changed my mind" Morrison said aloud as they headed back to the Common Room after classes on Thursday. "That club is bad news."
Albus hadn't gotten around to explaining what exactly it was that he'd seen at the first official Protector's Club meeting until the next day, when he was able to lowly explore all of the intricacieswith his friends in front of the fire. Melonie too was listening in, her expression turning somewhat sour at what she was hearing as well. Scorpius kept a thoughtful look on his face as Albus went over the specifics; the lack of safety and the open display of malice his most talked about subjects.
"I don't even know what I was thinking as I left" Albus told them with a shudder. "I just keep thinking of Hugo...you should have seen the look on his face, it wasn't right!"
"This club will get reported in no time" Melonie said warmly. "It won't be long before someone gets seriously hurtand informs the headmistress on what's really going on."
"Doubtful" Scorpius said, speaking up for the first time, and they all looked at him. "From what Al says, this Larson bloke and his fellow WAR members are acting under a pretty powerful image. They're telling people that this kind of instruction is necessary; and that anyone who isn't for it is both weak and unwilling to be a protector. Older students will stay out of pride, and the younger ones out of fear."
"But once it escalates and someone gets badly hurt-"
"Anything can be shown as an accident, with enough cooperation" Scorpius said darkly, and Albus nodded with agreement.
It was not that he liked what his friend was saying, it was that he knew it all to be true. He identified the psychology behind the Protector's Club immediately, what was difficult was finding a solution to it one was going to stand up and say what was really happening, either because they were too afraid or because they really didn't see it from a proper perspective. But Albus had seen enough.
"I'm going to go to McGonagall" he said suddenly, the crackling of the fire highlighting his words. "I don't know why the teachers weren't there in the first place, but someone has to kick back to her about what's going on in the Great Hall after dinner. She'll be able to put an end to all of this" he added with confidence, and both Morrison and Melonie nodded. Scorpius, however, still looked somewhat unsure.
Though seeing McGonagall was ultimately more important in the long run, it would have to wait for the right moment. Albus knew that the next club meeting wasn't until Tuesday, meaning that he had until then to bring it to the Headmistress' attention. His weekend was occupied however by the daunting task of finding a new Chaser to replace Garthe. He had received a few responses to his bulletin, though sadly, they were all from people who had already failed to make the team in the first place, meaning that he wouldliterallyend up picking the least-worst option that he had.
To make matterseven worse, Albus learned that he'd be without his co-captain while deciding on who the new recruit wouldbe. Scorpius would be busy studying the entire time.
"Come on mate, the team comes first" Albus said to his friend darkly in the Common Room, but all that Scorpius could do was grant him an apologetic smile.
"Sorry mate" he said. "But it's just not logical. I don't even need to be there anyway; anyone trying out has already tried out before, and they all didn't make the cut. Me being there won't help to judge them any further. You've just got to watch them fly and pick one you like. Me...I've got to catch up on some stuff" he added, sliding a History of Magic textbook over to himself.
It was thus all by his lonesome that Albus headed down to the pitch on what could have been a very pleasant Saturday morning with Mirra, meeting his four hopefuls there. Barnabus Curder and Tiffani Garrett, who he'd also asked to be there to help him decide, were waiting with the four of them, who, Albus realized when he got closer, were all second years.
He hung his head slightly but picked it back up once he got ready to greet them. Trying not to be deterred by their youth, he spoke to them all in a falsely chipper voice.
"So," he started, clapping his hands together, "I want to thank you all for coming out here today. It was a real close tryout last time, and I'm pleased to see you guys returning; you all nearly made it before" he lied, and indeed, they seemed to see right through this. They all exchanged glances of disbelief anyway, which wasn't helped by Barnabus, who gave a short chortle.
"Now we need a new Chaser," Albus went on, "and the most important thing for that aspect of the offense is how you all work together. You'll notice that there's no Keeper for you to try and score on during this go-around. That's because I'll be primarily looking at your passing; are you quick, and are you effective. Now let's get flying, all of you."
Albus surveyed it all from ground level, watching as the six of them all flew around passing the Quaffle along. Tiffani and Barnabus acted as catalysts more than anything; it was their job to put the ball in play and see how well it got back to them. None of the potential Chasers were really succeeding in this regard, but Albus did notice that one of them-a redheaded boy whose name he'd already forgotten-seemed to be able to fly faster than the others, which had to count for something.
Not entirely focused on what was going on, he allowed his eyes to slide over to the stands, which he thought for sure would be barren. He was wrong, though. Most unusually, Morrison was sitting there by himself, stretched out as though he was falling asleep.
"Okay you guys keep at it" Albus hollered up to them all. "I'm going to go have a word with- with the person who helps me decide stuff" he made up poorly on the spot.
He jogged over to the stands, at which point Morrison sat up straight.
"What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Bored" he said. "Thought I'd come watch you be bored too."
Albus frowned. "I guess Scorpius is no fun with his nose in a book, huh?"
Morrison gave him a look of confusion. "What are you talking about? I can't even find Scorpius..."
Albus scratched at the back of his head, positive that he was missing something here.
"He isn't in the Common Room studying?" he asked.
Morrison shook his head. "Unless I missed him, which is pretty unlikely, to be honest..."
"Hmm" Albus made a noise of interest curtly. "Let me finish up here and then we'll find him."
He jogged back to the center of the pitch, calling to a halt at once. They all steadily lowered themselves down to the ground, looking thoroughly exhausted, and Albus noticed that Tiffani Garrett had a cut above her left eye, probably from a misthrown Quaffle.
"Well it was a good tryout" Albus said. "But obviously, we're only looking for one replacement, and the best person for the team is-very narrowly, of course-you there" he said, pointing at his decision. "Uhhh..."
"Roger" the red haired boy said.
"I knew your name!" Albus lied. "It's just your surname I'm having trouble with at the moment..."
"Winkly" Roger said.
"Well welcome aboard!" Albus said with false enthusiasm, though out of the corner of his eye he noticed that not everyone else was going to play along.
"Just get better at aiming" Tiffani said sharply to Roger, wincing slightly.
Scorpius turned up in the Common Room later, but, after much insistence from Morrison abouthis absence, ended up admitting that he'd retreated to the Room of Requirement to study due to noise. Morrison seemed pleased with the answer, but Albus found it somewhat suspicious. Why hadn't he just told them where he'd been in the first place?
Either way, there was no point in probing for further details, and with the replacement Chaser picked out, Albus was given the time necessary to do what he was much more eager to do: speak to the Headmistress. And so, on Sunday, just an hour or so before dinner, he exited the Common Room and began the walk all the way up to the seventh floor.
The corridors, as he was now used to, were filled with WAR members. Albus felt somewhat uneasy walking passed them all while they minded their own business, oblivious to the fact that he was currently on his way to report them. Larson, the "leader" so to speak of the Protector's Club, was rarelyactually seen in the halls however;Albus could only guess from this fact that he was stationed out in the grounds for most of the day. He did recognize others from the club in the halls however, and it was with these individuals that he attempted to act his most inconspicuous. Indeed, his irregularly slow walking accidentally caught the attention of one of them just around the corner of the stone gargoyles.
"Something wrong with your leg?" the WAR member standing guard said, and Albus recalled him as being one of the two who had carried away the Ravenclaw boy just a few days ago.
"Huh?" Albus said, freezing up.
"You're walking slow" the man said, removing himself from the wall and surveying Albus with his dark brown eyes. His hair hung in front of his face somewhat, which only added to his intimidation.
"Oh" Albus said, thinking. "Erm...my leg's asleep. Had a bit of a nap today."
The man looked at him with a blank face. "Where are you headed to now?"
"The headmistress' office" Albus blurted out immediately. For a single foolish moment, he'd expected this response to be a good one; he had thought that, perhaps, this revelation of importance would force the WAR guard to back off. He realized not a moment later though that what he'd done instead was divulge the first half of what he intended on doing.
"The headmistress' office?" the man said, and he leaned forward a bit more, looking half curious and half menacing. "What business do you have there?"
"I- erm- "
"I sent him there" came a voice, and Albus looked up.
From around the corner, Professor Malfoy had emerged, a look on his pale face that was virtually impossible to decipher. He eyed both Albus and the WAR member with the same expression of calmness as he approached.
"You sent him?" the WAR guard said.
"Indeed I did" Scorpius' father lied. "Mr. Potter has the tendency to fall asleep in my class, and I instructed him to meet me for a meeting today with the headmistress, as it was her only time available. I see now though that I was foolish to ask him to do such a thing on his own, as the boy is so easily distracted" he added, turning to Albus and leering with something that resembled contempt.
Albus stared back, nervous. He knew, of course, that this was a ruse; he had never once fallen asleep in class, and more than that, he had most certainly not been instructed by his professor to do anything; his appearance here appeared to be highly coincidental. But at the same time, there was such a genuine feeling of loathing to the look thrown his way that Albus was left with only two possible answers. Either Scorpius' father actually did dislike him, or, like Scorpius himself, he was ridiculous at lying with a straight face.
"I see" the WAR guard said, and he pressed himself back up against the wall, looking only semi-convinced, but still unable to do or say anything else.
"Come along now, Mr. Potter" Professor Malfoy said, jerking his head to the side quickly, and Albus followed after him at once. As soon as they'd reached the stone gargoyles, they stopped.
"Professor-" Albus started, not knowing where to begin, but he was silenced by Professor Malfoy holding his hand up.
"Albus, whatever business you have with the headmistress is yours" he said, his tone low. " But I advise you to keep that business to yourself. This 'security' that we have likes to pry."
Albus nodded, understanding that nothing else was to be discussed. Only just now, however, did he realize that he needed a bit more help. He didn't know the password to see McGonagall.
"Erm- also- "
"Pomona" Professor Malfoy said quickly, and he turned on his heel and walked right by him without another word, going the other way so as not to be seen by the same WAR member.
Albus grinned and turned to face the gargoyles, listening to Professor Malfoy's steps as they grew steadily quieter.
"Pomona" he said, and the gargoyles slid away at once, revealing a spiral staircase that Albus was more than familiar with by now. Within a minute, he had revolved upwards and towards the large door that led directly into the office. Albus gave it a loud knock, and at once he heard a response.
"Enter" said the wispy but strict voice of Headmistress McGonagall.
Albus pushed the door open and found himself in theHead'soffice yet hadn't changed at all since the last time he'd been here-at the end of the previous year. The portraits that all usually feigned sleep were not doing so on this occasion, possibly because they didn't imagine anything of interest being brought ' entrance, after all, was impromptu to them.
There were two portraits that Albus almost always noticed right away, and he did the same thing again here. The portrait of Albus Dumbledore was wide awake and smiling warmly, a twinkle in one of his blue eyes that Albus had learned to associate with both wisdom and intrigue. The portrait of Severus Snape, however, was empty. Albus was frequently greeted with this blank stretch of canvas, and he still, to this day, was unaware as what other portrait Severus Snape could enter; he'd never seen him anywhere else in the castle.
"Mr. Potter" said McGonagall from behind her desk, tilting her head upwards in amusement. "This is a surprise. How may I help you today?"
"Hello" Albus said, somewhat shakily. The last time he'd spoken face to face with the Headmistress, there had been a very grim atmosphere in the room. Indeed, he'd even been attacked by Mirra and Morrison only moments prior.
She looked very calm now though, if not somewhat stressed. Her white hair was pulled back into a loose bun, her thin mouth just barely visible on her face, and she peered at him with the tips of her fingers together.
"Erm- can- can I sit?" Albus asked nervously, unsure as to why he wasn't getting straight to the point. Perhaps he simply didn't know where to start.
McGonagall gave the slightest of nods, and Albus sat down across from her. Straightening himself up somewhat, he proceeded to give it a go.
"I- uh- wanted- wanted to talk to you about- about something" he said, realizing how strange he sounded, but unable to do anything about it. The headmistress did not acknowledge this portion of the conversation, she simply allowed her tired eyes to rest on his face, as though pressing him to continue.
"Erm- right. It kind of- it kind of involves the school-"
"Mr. Potter, let me stop you right there" she cut him off, and Albus hung his head, muttering under his breath about how pathetic he was. "I have long since learned to associate your family's name with misdeeds and broken rules. I can assure you, there is nothing that you could have done that could surprise me, not with your ancestry-"
"No it's not about me!" Albus blurted out, holding out his hands and waving them with no restraint. "I didn't do anything wrong this time, honest! This is about- it's about- have you heard of the Protector's Club?" he desperately asked.
Headmistress McGonagall gave him a stony expression, and suddenly, Albus could hear false snoring all throughout the room.
"Yes, I know what the Protector's Club is" she said, her voice quivering only slightly. "As an official club of Hogwarts,its official formation required my you are interested in joining the club, then you should know that it requires nothing other than attendance-"
"No, you've got me all wrong" Albus said darkly. "Professor, I think that you need to disband that club as soon as possible."
There was a silence between them, in which only the false sounds of sleep were heard throughout the room. McGonagall avoided his eyes for the duration of it, eventually speaking into her desk.
"The situation is delicate, Mr. Potter."
"People are getting hurt!" Albus said quickly, and he knew, just from this one sentence, that the headmistress was probably very aware of the activities that occurred duringclubmeetings. "I went to one, I saw it with my own eyes-students ending up in the Hospital Wing-a whole bunch of-"
"I understand" she said, her voice a hoarse whisper that sent a shiver up his spine. "But what you must understand, Mr. Potter, is that I am putting the safety of the students as my number one priority."
Albus stared at her, mouth agape. "But- but they're getting hurt! You don't understand, I saw it-"
"You must think steps ahead" she said. "I was rather hoping that I would not be forced to explain it-it is a depressing situation-but I see how adamant you are. If I attempt to protect these students from their 'protectors', Mr. Potter, I will ultimately end up endangering them more than any Renegadeclubever could."
This combination of words made no sense to him. He refrained from speaking, eager to see how putting a stop to the entire situation could actually worsen it.
"You must remember," McGonagall started, "Warren Waddlesworth is running for Minister of Magic, and he will almost certainlywin. This means that even now he is the face of the Ministry of Magic, as well as the leader of Wands and Redemption. For the first time in years, due to this connection, the public are trusting the Ministry. This powerful pull means that anything that WAR opposes, the people oppose.
"Now there are many reasons why Waddlesworth would want his personal servants here at the school, the least of which is that it allows him to feed information to the youth, to be sent back to their parents, whose support he requires- and whose support he ismost certainlygetting. Think of the ways that shutting down this club can be twisted. Can you imagine what the headlines will read in the next edition of the WAR Weekly, after the Protector's Club has been disbanded? The impression will be given off that the students were not permitted to learn extra-curricular self-defence. Hogwarts would go from 'safe haven' to 'poor institution' overnight. And parents, poor, misguided parents, would withdraw their children from the school, determined to find a place where they can receive a proper education. If this club stays around, Mr. Potter, my students might get hurt. If I take it away, many of them will go home, away from the protection of the castle, where they definitely will. I can not take that risk."
"But what if you mentioned what was really happening!" Albus yelled. "You could tell the actual truth! That thisclubis doing more damage than anything else!"
"I wish it could be that simple Albus, but my word is nothing next to the words of Wands and Redemption. Any reported injuries-except those of an extremely serious nature-can be written off as accidents, and besides that, there is nothing mandatory about this club. Students can easily be held accountable for what occurs within the Great Hall unsupervised, WAR will not be. Anecdotal evidence only goes so far, I'm afraid. Wands and Redemption is very much in control of this situation. I fear that if I attempt to speak out...matters will only slip further downwards."
Her voice cracked as she said this last sentence, and only now did Albus understand how harrowing this must be for her. The students at this school were her responsibility, but no matter what she did-even if she did nothing-they were in some sort of danger.
"Then I'll tell people" Albus said defiantly. "What's the worst that can happen from me finally speaking the truth for once, eh? Parents that don't like what I'm saying won't get a negative view of the school, and the ones who do listen-"
"I understand where you're coming from" she said, a wry smile twisting on her face at his determination. "But the exiguity of your actions notwithstanding, there is a serious threat of your intended actions hindering a much bigger plan."
Albus turned his head somewhat, unsure as to what she was referencing here. When he went several long seconds without confirming, she leaned in and spoke.
"You cannot add to your unpopularity now, Mr. Potter. And I don't mean with your fellow students, either. If there is any chance of your father being released from Azkaban, you can not be openly anti-Renegade, and by extension, anti-Ministry."
Albus sighed. For all of her intelligence, it seemed as though Headmistress McGonagall had not yet accepted what Albus had already been forced to. That no matter what they did, his father's release was a long way off-it at all.
He sat there uncomfortably, his mood irritated, though of course, he was not going to say what he was thinking.
"So I guess we're done here then?" he muttered into the ground, thoroughly deterred at the lack of results. Looking up, he saw the Headmistress nod, exhaling deeply as she did so.
Albus stood up suddenly, aware that he acting somewhat childish, but not really caring all that much. Without a second glance towards the portraits on the wall, he headed towards the door and prepared to exit.
"Mr. Potter" McGonagall spoke up, and he turned around half way to face her. She had a look on her face that showed exactly what he was feeling.
"In any situation, there is a choice that is right, and there is one that is easy. Please believe me when I tell you that there is nothing easy about this one."
"So...she's just going to ignore it?" said a befuddled Mirra the next day during Care for Magical Creatures.
"That's the gist of it" Albus said with a sigh.
They'd proceeded passed their review of Kneazles and were now, for today only, surveying a Unicorn. They'd actually went over Unicorns before-Albus recalled doing so in either his fourth or fifth year-but this particular occasion was one reserved only for older students. Trotter, one of Hagrid's favorite majestic creatures in the forest, was sick.
"Aren't we kind of...exploiting his sickness?" Morrison asked hesitantly as they all gathered around the beautiful creature, its snow colored coat grayed somewhat due to its deteriorated health.
"Now now," Hagrid started, "he'll get the treatmen' he needs, won' he? I'm not lettin' you lot do nothin' but watch. Ialready gave him some medicine and summat. Now, who knows what ter feed 'em?"
"Leaves and stuff?" Morrison asked, as though the question had been aimed at him.
"Congratulations Morrison, yeh jus' killed 'em" Hagrid said, shaking his head. "He needs berries. Plentyof juices to keep 'em hydrated. Watch now-"
It was certainly an interesting lesson, and one that demanded their complete attention at that, but sadly, Albus was too focused on the hushed conversation he was having with Mirra in the back of the crowd.
"The way she was talking" he told her sullenly. "She sounded so defeated..."
"It must be stressful" Mirra admitted. "But still...WAR's already taken over the Ministry. We're just going to let them have the school too?"
Albus sighed, then turned his attention back to Hagrid for a moment, who was stroking Trotter's nose as he lapped up berry juice from the professor's massive hands.
"I really don't know what to do" Albus admitted after a moment, turning back to his girlfriend.
"Do you want me to talk to Charlie?" Mirra asked, and Albus groaned.
"What would that accomplish-"
"He has a lot of pull with some of the younger students!" Mirra hissed, eyeing Hagrid for a second to make sure that she hadn't spoken too loud. "Maybe this club can't be taken away outright, but we can still get people out of it!"
Though he greatly appreciated Mirra's enthusiasm on the manner, he knew that they were grasping at straws if they asked someone to talk to the younger students. Besides, Eckley probably wouldn't go for it anyway; he was best friends with Hornsbrook after all. Or at least, he thought that they were. He hadn't seen them around each other much this year...
There was one club member in particular that Albus was focused on, however. He did not want Hugo getting hurt or doing the hurting anymore, and with the next club meeting coming up, he was pressed for time. He thought of approaching his cousin directly, but Hugo had not been too fond of him for the last year or so, at least not enough to take him seriously. Then he considered going to Lily...but he didn't want to draw her attention to the club period, lest she end up coaxed into it herself. Stretched for options on people close to Hugo, he turned to Mirra with a frown on his face.
"Do you think that I should mention this whole Hugo thing to Rose?" he asked her, and Mirra tilted her head back and forth as though she was deeply thinking about it.
"Well she's been a bit rocky recently" she admitted. "I'm still staying away from her mostly, unless she approaches me. But this is serious...maybe you should wait."
"Wait?" Albus asked, and Morrison had returned to their group now, for Hagrid had just retreated to his cabin to get more medicine.
"Wait for what?" Morrison asked, looking back and forth between them.
"To talk to Rose about Hugo" Mirra told him pointedly.
"Ahh" Morrison said. "Well why wait?" he asked.
"Because it's only been one meeting" Mirra said clearly. "Al, are you going to the next one?"
Albus thought about it. He was most certainly not looking forward to it...but at the same time, he wanted to know what was going on.
"Yeah" he said. "Under the Cloak again."
"Then go through one more meeting" Mirra said strictly. "And if you see things get even further out of hand...then talk to Rose."
To measure just how difficult it would be to approach his cousin about such a sensitive topic, Albus monitored her in the afternoon's Potions class. Professor Malfoy made no indication of having seen Albus on the seventh floor the previous day, and immediately had them paired into groups to begin work on their Itching solutions. Teamed up with Mirra, Albus kept throwing hasty glances to the back of the room.
"Al, you know I can't do this by myself!" Mirra hissed, and Albus, who was too slow on the uptake, turned just in time to see Scorpius reach over from his own grouping with Morrison to lower the flame underneath the cauldron; it had been dangerously close to overflowing.
"Sorry" Albus said, returning his attention to their work at once.
Rose was sitting in the back of the class, partnered with-of all people-Donovan Hornsbrook. They appeared to be working silently alongside one another, but this still served to show that she was on good terms with what Albus could only assume was a very prominent member of the Protector's Club. He got somewhat queasy at the thought of approaching her to talk with Hornsbrook in the vicinity, and made a mental note to catch her on her own should such a thing be necessary.
Tuesday morning came with considerable buzz. Albus had initially been afraid that all of the talk in the Common Room was going to be about the night's upcoming club meeting, but had been pleasantly surprised when he'd heardwhat was really going on from Morrison.
"Apparition lessons" he said, grinning wildly and pointing towards the bulletin board. Sure enough, there was a highly official looking notice there; though it was still smaller than the most recent Protector's Club notification.
"Really?" Albus asked, completely unprepared for this news.
Scorpius, who was standing just a few feet away and looking at some of the other notices, approached when he heard their discussion.
"It is very strange" he said, sounding amused. "My father told me that it would be this year, but it happened later on when he was our age. The first lesson available is set for just before Halloween..."
"It'll be part of security" came another sudden voice, one that made Albus jump. Dante Haug had just entered their conversation. Albus stared at him while he spoke; very rarely did anyone enter a conversation in which he was involved anymore, unless it was his Quidditch team.
"Security?" Morrison asked. "How do you you figure that?"
"They want us all Apparating as early as possible, in case of emergencies" Dante said, but then he immediately walked back over to Bartleby Bing, who was on his way out for breakfast.
"You reckon that's true?" Morrison asked them both.
Albus shrugged, but Scorpius gave him an answer.
"It's the only thing that makes sense, isn't it?"
Albus ended up skipping breakfast in favor of catching up on homework, which he was somewhat behind in due to his increased interest in the activities of the Renegades within the castle. Melonie, who had done fairly well in her Herbology O.W.L- though she didn't end up taking the class-sat next to him instead of her boyfriend to help him get through a grueling essay on why magically induced photosynthesis was not as effective as the real thing. Scorpius was working on his own essay for a different class, leaving Morrison to spend the duration of breakfast time attempting to eat by levitating his food into his mouth; the end result being a glass of milk accidentally getting knocked over and spilling down his front.
The usual flutter of owls came midway through breakfast, but with nothing of interest to be read, Albus and Scorpius got up to leave for Charms a bit early. Melonie too had a class, leaving Morrison alone at the table.
"What are you up to now, mate?" Albus asked his friend.
"First he's going to go clean up his shirt" Melonie answered for her boyfriend, who hadn't even bothered opening his mouth. "And then he's going to go to the library and study for once, like he promised me he would" she added seriously.
"Sir, yes sir!" Morrison said sarcastically, giving a loose, false salute.
Albus and Scorpius chuckled as they walked away, mixing themselves with a group of Hufflepuffs as they did so.
"Hopefully we're done with that Heavyweight Charm" Albus said, shaking his head; he still hadn't gotten the hang of the spell completely, though admittedly, his results were never far from perfect. "I'm getting pretty sick of going to pick something up and hearing my arms crack a bi- Scorpius?"
He turned around wildly, but his friend was no longer walking next to him. Spinning around in a full circle, the only people that he could see were the gaggle of Huffelpuffs, who were mostly girls anyway. Confused, he acknowledged the possibility that perhaps his friend had already entered Flitwick's classroom. Upon entering himself, however, he saw that this was not the case. Scorpius was nowhere to be found.
He hesitated slightly before taking his seat, where sure enough, a small silver thimble had been placed. It seemed as though they would once again be altering the weight of objects. Professor Flitwick was at his desk organizing some papers before the start of class, leaving Albus a few moments to look around the room once more. Two minutes later, and Scorpius had entered.
"Where were you?" Albus asked him as he sat down beside him.
"Huh?" Scorpius said. "What do you mean?"
"I was- we were walking together and you just vanished. Where'd you run off to?"
"Nowhere" he replied, looking rather nonplussed. "I just bent down to tie my shoe, and you kept going without me. Don't sweat it" he added, straightening himself up in his chair.
"Are you- your shoe- you're lying to me!" Albus said, flabbergasted at what he was hearing.
"What?" Scorpius said, giving a hiccup of a laugh at the accusation. "Lying? Why would I-"
"I don't know, but you are!"
"Settle down boys!" came a squeak from Professor Flitwick. Looking around, Albus saw that more students had entered and that class was ready to begin. "You've got some charms to perform, and concentration is quite necessary to do so!"
Albus dropped the subject abruptly, but Scorpius' blatant dishonesty plagued his thoughts for the entire lesson. He dwelled on it all throughout lunch as well, knowing for sure that his friend would maintain his secrecy regardless of whatever Albus threw at him. By the time that they'd all retreated to the Common Room, however, he had bigger things on his mind.
"You sure you want to go to another one of these?" Morrison asked him seriously, the two of them sitting together in their dormitory. "Last time got you riled up a bit didn't it?"
"It's not like I want to" Albus admitted. "But I just feel like I need to. I guess you're still not up for tagging along?"
"I don't think I shrunk since last week, mate" Morrison said grimly, referencing that his lack of attendance last week had been due to the fact that he was unable to fit under the Cloak. "Maybe Scorpius though-"
"No, forget that" Albus said darkly. "Something's been up with him recently-he's always dodging me and all."
"Yeah, I noticed that too..."
They eventually went down to dinner, where Scorpius made light conversation with them both, apparently having already forgotten the ordeal from earlier on their way to Charms. Once dinner was over it was the three of them that headed back to the Common Room though; two of them for the night, and Albus only until eight o' clock. With only ten minutes to go until that time, he adorned himself in his silvery Invisibility Cloak once more, had Morrison open the stone entrance for him, and left for the Great Hall.
He arrived in the gigantic room right on time, the large doors wide open during his arrival, though he appeared to be late compared to most. The four house tables were already lining the walls, and the students had already organized themselves horizontally, signifying that they'd all instinctively known their proper place during their early arrival. They were all wearing expressions of fierce determination- they looked almost was the same group of WAR members from before who were in the Hall as well, with the most animate of them, of course, the oily Larson.
He began pacing back and forth in front of the line of club members, and the giant doors closed automatically to signal the start of the second ever meeting. Albus noticed at once that the room was again void of any teachers, including the headmistress. Frowning at this, though not exactly surprised, he gave his full attention to Larson, albeit invisible and from the back of the room, rather than with the rest of the students.
Larson said nothing as he walked by them all slowly, staring at each of them as though sizing them up. And then, without warning, he turned on his heel with his wand aimed. There was a ferocious blast of blue, and for a moment, Albus grew worried that the hex was meant for him; though it ended up going nowhere close to his vicinity, instead hitting, most strangely, another WAR member square in the face.
The WAR member-a young looking one with curly blonde hair-fell to the ground screaming, his yells nearly inaudible amidst the gasping of the students. Larson walked up to him nonchalantly, and Albus noted that the other WAR members were all watching with expressions that indicated that they'd previously known about what had just happened. Larson stopped just a foot away from the comrade who was howling in pain and clutching his face, and then pointed his wand down again.
"Stupefy!" he barked, and the stream of crimson light ended the man's movement and cries abruptly.
Larson turned away at once, his expression haughty. He walked back towards the line of teenagers, who were now looking much more tense than they'd been. Behind him, a WAR member approached the body of his friend on the ground and waved his wand. The man began stirring at once.
"Incapacitation" Larson said smoothly, pacing back and forth once more, oblivious to the fact that the WAR member he'd just jinxed was struggling to get back to his feet. "Your opponent is not truly defeated until they are utterly incapable of retaliation. In most cases, you'll find that a stunner is substituted by something far more lethal" he said coldly.
Albus felt his knees go weak. Larson was referring to the Killing curse, and this method was not entirely unfamiliar to him; he'd seen Fairhart do this before-permanently end the threat of his enemies while they were on the ground, unable to defend.
With a jolt, he realized that Fairhart had probably been taught this method by WAR. Considering his age and departure from WAR years ago, however, it was unlikely that Larson had been his teacher. But it was not entirely impossible that Fairhart hadn't been the one to introduce this to people who had one day passed it down to the man in front of him...
"Today will be mostly theoretical" Larson said aloud, and no one made any vocal objections toward this statement. "You have already learned how to capitalize on a situation in a duel. You must now learn the after affects; the skills and tendencies that will signify your evolution from a capable duelist to a fully fledged protector."
And so it was. Albus breathed a sigh of relief knowing that no one would be getting hurt this time, as the students were all trained by demonstration rather than hands-on practice. After giving a lengthy explanation on how to defeat your opponent once they were already down (which Albus had assumed would have been somewhat self-explanatory anyway) Larson progressed into more actual dueling mechanics, which weren't as bad as some of the other things. He taught them weak points on enemies; that aiming at legs were both unpredictable and harder to deflect, as proven by the way that he mercilessly jinxed a fellow WAR member. He followed this up by teaching them how to draw their wands quickly in case of an ambush; how to have it positioned in their robes, and how to instinctively whip it back in preparation for an offensive movement upon being drawn. He also imparted on them the wisdom of being aware of their environment, and to use it to catch an opponent off guard.
Albus watched from a distance as it all went on, cringing inwardly as he did so. To some degree, he did agree with it. He had been in life-or-death situations with wizards before, and had certainly done these things to survive. But it was the visceral way in which it was being taught; the dark undercurrent to it all, that perturbed him. Ostensibly, it was self-defence. But the way they were being taught...it seemed as though they were more likely to always fire the first spell.
His stomach stopped doingflip-flopswith ten minutes left, expecting one more thing to be taught before the dispersion of the congregation. He was met with a nasty surprise though.
"We have time for one contest" Larson said smoothly, and the entire line of students traded glances, looking somewhat eager. "You, and you" he said, jerking his head in two different parts of the line, making good on the promise that there would no longer be any such thing as a willing participant.
Albus' heart sank as he was the two people that emerged; he had immediately caught sight of red hair.
Hugo was standing looking relaxed, his opponent being a boy that Albus recognized from the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. He was unsure as to the boy's age, but he could tell right from the height advantage and thick shoulders that he was older than Hugo.
Again? was all that Albus could think. Hugo had just participated last time hadn't he? Why not give someone else a chance to get wounded?
Hugo and the Hufflepuff boy stared into one another's eyes with determination, standing about twelve feet apart from another. They both appeared to be waiting for a countdown from Larson, but he didn't seem prepared to give one. On the contrary, he was looking back and forth between them as though confused.
"Well?" he asked pointedly.
Getting the message immediately, they plunged their hands into their robes and removed their wands, Albus' heart missing a beat as it happened.
"Reducto!" Hugo cried first, but his opponent had ducked down and slashed his own wand through the air, a blue streak of light slashing the Weasley across the legs.
Hugo gave a cry of pain and fell down in a crumpled heap, and for a single, foolish second, Albus made to step forward and reveal himself, before realizing how meaningless it would be. The battle was already over.
Or so he thought.
"Well?" Larson said again, giving the Hufflepuff boy an intense glare.
The Hufflepuff boy shook his head quickly to remove his bangs from his eyes, then pointed his wand down at Hugo. "St- Stupefy!" he uttered.
The red light stopped the already minimal movement from Hugo at once, Albus closing his eyes a second too late.
The line of students was looking nothing short of stunned now, and Hornsbrook in particular seemed somewhat disturbed. He discarded the expression quickly however, apparently realizing that the four years that he'd know Hugo were meaningless .
The rest of the WAR members monitoring the meeting-some of whom wore marks of their own due to Larson using them as examples-began patting the Hufflepuff boy on the back. Larson, however, crouched down and revived Hugo.
"W-what-" Albus heard his cousin mutter as he came to his senses, and then he immediately gripped his leg in pain.
"Next time," Larson started, "aim low. You got the first attack in, but it's for nothing if they duck. Learn from this while you still can" he added, and he gave him, highly uncharacteristically in Albus' opinion, an approving clap on the back.
"Someone take him to the Hospital Wing, hand him over to Lester" Larson called out to the line of students, and one of Hugo's friends from last time immediately stepped forward to escort him out. He was limping.
"It's time to leave" Larson announced to them all, and the doors to the Great Hall opened. "A bulletin will be put up for the date of the next club meeting."
They all filed away in an orderly fashion, drastically different than how they would when exiting a class. Albus walked ten paces ahead of everyone else, leaving them all in the dust as he propelled himself out of the Great Hall.
He wasan assortment of feelings at this point. Irate yet distraught, relieved that Hugo would be okay but agitated with his cousin's stupidity. Storming through the halls of Hogwarts and down into the dungeons, he cared little for how much noise he was making, even momentarily forgetting that he couldn't be seen.
He said the password and entered the Common Room amidst surprised faces from those inside, all of them examining the blank stretch of wall to see why it had opened. Storming upstairs, he discarded his cloak and saw that Morrison was already laying down.
"Oy!" he said, startled as Albus appeared in front of him. "Don't scare me like that mate I though you we- oh" he stopped abruptly at the look on his friend's face. "Went bad I take it?"
"I have to talk to Rose as soon as possible" Albus said, stuffing the Cloak back in his trunk furiously.
"What happened?" Morrison said, sitting up and now looking worried.
"Hugo got knocked unconscious" Albus said shortly. "And then got a pat on the back about how he'd do better 'next time'. Next time my arse..."
Morrison sat in silence as Albus fumed, even pulling off his bed hangings to blow off steam, which Morrison promptly started a rant that bordered heavily on how he most certainly wasn't going to enjoy bringing up the topic to Rose, and was just considering asking Scorpius to pass a message along to Mirra to give to her during a Prefect meeting when something else came to his attention.
"Where is Scorpius?" he asked aloud, though Morrison was the only one in the room.
"Patrolling" Morrison replied.
"This early?"
Morrison shrugged. "Mel's doin' it too. Increased hours and all, probably cause half of WAR was busy teaching kids how to blow stuff up. Which reminds me," he continued, yawning, "I've been wanting to blow myself up all day hitting the books and I'm about to head to bed...are you going to be up?"
Albus stared at him. "Yeah mate, I think I'll be up for a bit" he said, letting the sarcasmdrip into every word.
"Okay well if you see Mel, can you tell her that I studied today?" Morrison asked, not catching on.
"Yeah sure" Albus breathed out.
"Alright, good night mate..."
"'Night" Albus said as his friend pulled the covers over himself.
With Morrison tucked away Albus retreated down to the Common Room, where he sat alone by the fire, patiently waiting for his friend to return. He knew that he looked odd sitting there idly, but he really didn't care at this point. His mood was so bad that for the first time ever, he actually returned the dirty looks he was receiving.
He knew that he could use the spare time to study or do homework, but for some reason, he simply stayed in his seat, tapping his hands onto his lap anxiously. One by one everyone else in the Common Room went up to bed, Bartleby and Dante giving him light waves as they did so, until finally, he was alone in the dimly lit Common Room. His restlessness had almost hit its peak when, at around half passed midnight, the door finally opened.
Melonie emerged, but Scorpius didn't.
"Hey" she said, her expression tired. "What are you doing up-"
"Where's Scorpius?" Albus demanded rudely, and Melonie gave him an affronted look.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
"I- sorry" Albus apologized earnestly. "I just really need to speak to him."
She eyed him for a moment before deciding that he was okay to speak to.
"He's just finishing up some rounds now I think" she told him. "He told me to go on ahead. I take it you went to the club meeting?" she asked, and Albus nodded. "Ah...well try and get some sleep" she said warmly, and she went to walk by him.
Albus nodded again, but Melonie continued to speak.
"You didn't happen to see Morri-"
"He went to bed early. Studied all day" Albus told her, and she smiled.
"Thanks. G' night Al!"
"'Night..." he said, unfocused as she went up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.
He sat back down in his seat by the fire, hands folded and hunched over. Any minute he could talk to Scorpius and get this night over with...
The clock-watching began once it hit one in the morning, at which point Albus was forced to stare at the Common Room wall with absurdity. Doing rounds? Surely, he'd checked the entirety of the castle thrice already? Had he perhaps gone for a swim too, and investigated the black lake for illicit activity?
In a sudden burst of inspiration, he stood up on the spot and crept up the stairs. Within thirty seconds he was rummaging through his trunk again.
Dante Haug made a noise as though he was going to wake up, but ultimately stayed asleep. Albus left the dormitory with the Marauder's Map clutched tightly in his hands.
"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good" he whispered through gritted teeth, tapping the Map sharply with his wand as he stood motionless in the Common Room.
Lines began forming at once, most of them with little interference due to the few people out this late at night. He caught the headmistress sitting still in her office; saw Professor Malfoy pacing in his own. Mirra was stationary, most likely asleep, as she at least had finished her Prefect duties in a reasonable amount of time. Hugo was in his dormitory too...so he was alright, then.
Albus found Scorpius Malfoy hiding in plain sight however. His friend was on the second floor, and most unusually, he was stationary. Eyes widening, Albus realized that this was far from weird compared to what else he was seeing.
Scorpius was not alone. Next to him a was a tiny bubble that had, in miniscule letters inside, Anastasia Anifur.
"You've got to be kidding me" Albus said out loud.
The two bubbles then touched for a moment, indicating bodily contact.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
The two of them then went their separate ways though, Scorpius heading for a staircase that would lead directly to the dungeons. It appeared as though his night was finally over. Albus realized that had he went for the Map but a minute later, he'd have seen nothing at all.
He didn't even bother putting the Map away as he stayed in the same upright position, rather letting it dangle loosely from his hand after wiping it. He waited for Scorpius' entrance, and wasn't disappointed a few moments later.
"Blimey, you still up mate?" Scorpius said, his face blank. "How was the club meeting?"
Albus addressed neither question. "Late night patrolling eh?"
Scorpius shrugged. "Some nights are worse than others. I reckon you saw Mel then? She looked tired, didn't she?"
Albus said nothing. Scorpius gave a yawn and then went to walk by him, but Albus stopped him with a short statement.
"Are you serious, mate?"
Scorpius took a step back, looking curious. "What?"
"Are you serious?" Albus reiterated, and then, when Scorpius showed no signs of letting up his relentless facade, he added, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Scorpius asked darkly, but he then lowered his eyes and saw the Map clutched in Albus' hands. "Damn..." he added, admitting defeat immediately.
"Bang to rights, mate" Albus said.
"What, have you been spying on me?" Scorpius said, voice somewhat raised now-but not quite argumentative.
"Have you been hiding a girlfriend?" Albus asked, and Scorpius exhaled deeply, looking like he'd give anything to just go to bed. An hour or so ago and Albus would have felt the same, but now there was too much adrenaline pumping through him. When Scorpius didn't speak, he continued.
"I mean- why- why wouldn't you just tell us?"
"I don't know" Scorpius said, throwing up his hands.
"How- how long has this- I don't even- who is she?" he finished his broken sentence powerfully. "I mean, I don't even know her. I didn't even know that you did-"
"We started talking last year" Scorpius said. "Just a bit. Both got made Prefects, some light chatter. Wouldn't even really call us friends like that. But we owled a bit over the summer...about O.W.L results and such, and this year it just...I dunno. Came naturally. I mean, I have classes with her that you guys aren't in anymore!" he added defensively. "So I talk to her a lot more..."
Albus nodded his head, acknowledging that it made sense. But still...
"How long has it been...?"
"Couple weeks" Scorpius said with a shrug.
"Weeks!" Albus said, shocked. "Mate, school just started last month! I mean, how'd you even keep it a secret that lon-"
But he stopped there. Surely, the other Prefects would know, or at least have suspicions. And that included...
"Mirra knows?" he asked, and Scorpius flushed. "And Melo- you got me and Morrison's girlfriends to lie to us?"
"Hey I didn't ask anyone to lie!" Scorpius said, catching the accusation in his tone. "But they asked if they could repeat what they knew and I- I- well I respectfully declined" he added lacklusterly.
"Unbelievable" Albus said.
"What are you mad at Mirra now?" Scorpius asked.
"No" Albus said truthfully. "A little flabbergasted, to be honest, but certainly not mad. It's just- I- I don't even know" he said, throwing up his hands. "I still don't get it. So you've got a girlfriend now and yesterday I had no idea you even lik- what ever happened to Rose?" he cut himself off suddenly.
"Rose isn't meant to be" Scorpius said, rolling his eyes. "What, you'd rather I still be chasing after her?"
"I didn't say that!" Albus said, pointing. It was now him that felt accused. "Don't go putting words in my mouth-"
"I wasn't putting words in your mouth I was just asking a legitimate question-"
"You were putting words in my mouth!" Albus said all in one breath, and Scorpius acquiesced. "And I mean, okay, you've been snogging for a few weeks, that's fine" he continued. "But why hide it? That's what I don't get..."
"I dunno!" Scorpius said yet again.
"I mean seriously, what happened to telling each other everything?Instead you're running around at night, acting dodgy, outright lying-"
"What does it matter?" Scorpius argued.
"Because it would save me and Morrison some trouble!" Albus blurted out. "Wondering what it is you're up to...and I even needed your help tonight but you were nowhere to be found-"
"So that's what this is about" Scorpius said indignantly. "I wasn't here to aid Mr. Potter the second he snapped his fingers, so he runs off and grabs his Map-"
"Hugo was put in the Hospital Wing tonight you git" Albus said roughly, and Scorpius froze on the spot. "I needed to know if you could pass along a message to Mirra to Rose for me, in case I can't do it, so yeah I was kind of counting on you a bit tonight."
Scorpius said nothing, but Albus still had an unanswered question.
"I'm still lost mate" he asked. "Why keep it a secret? What is so bad about me and Morrison knowing? Did you think we wouldn't like her? I don't even know her! She doesn't even know me-"
But then it hit him. Like a ton of bricks falling on his head, answers were pounded into his mind forcefully. Scorpius' mouth thinned.
"She's one of them" Albus declared, intentionally void of detail.
"She's a Hufflepuff, yeah-"
"No, she's one of them" Albus stressed. "She reckons my dad is the worst thing since Dragonpox, right? Picked yourself a winner, did you-"
"Hey watch it!" Scorpius said defensively, and he certainly sounded argumentative now.
"It didn't matter if Morrison knew, outside of you were afraid he'd tell me" Albus said. "What were you going to keep this up all year? That you were dating someone who thinks that my dad is a murderer?"
"Mate almost everyone thinks that!" Scorpius said, holding out his hands. "Look, Mirra's been in your life since what, first year? Of course she knows everything that goes on. Melonie slid in last year but you two were already okay, so she fits into the Potter conspiracy nicely. Anastasia- she- she doesn't hate you or anything mate, she just doesn't know you! What's that, her fault?"
"So I guess you have a ruddy good time talking about me and my dad behind my back then, eh?" Albus asked, shaking somewhat now.
"I would never do that" Scorpius said strictly, and the way that he stressed every syllable, Albus had to admit, it was convincing. "Never. She's got nothing against you mate, but you know as well as I do there's not many groups of people around here who call you a friend, and I just don't think that you'd mix with her lot."
"Oh but you do?"
"She's really smart, okay?" Scorpius said at once. "So I can hang with her friends a bit and study with them yeah, but it's only her I'm close with. And I'm good enough mates with you that they know not to say anything around me, okay?"
Albus stared at him, not even knowing how to answer that.
"Look I need this mate" Scorpius lashed out abruptly. "Especially this year. I'm up to my head in schoolwork, and I've got my dad here this year, which doesn't make things any easier-he doesn't even know yet-she relaxes me, okay? But I swear- you know I'd exit out of it if she was one of those people throwing you hateful looks. Now I can't speak for her entire house, but she's got no problems with you mate. She just doesn't know you...and neither her or her friends are really all that eager to so I figured there was no point."
Albus said nothing. He was still hurt from being lied to; it just felt weird, having Scorpius use his brilliance in deceit against him. But what was he going to do, ask his friend to end his first ever relationship on his account? Anastasia Anifur hadn't been the one to burn his arm, or knock Hugo unconscious tonight. He thought of what would happen if Mirra wasn't on good terms with Scorpius...it was a bit different, considering how long he and Mirra were together, but nonetheless, it was a difficult position to put himself in...
"I'm heading to bed" Scorpius said bleakly. "If you still want to talk to tomorrow...then just let me know, but we got class in a few hours..."
And he made to walk by him. Albus was dangerously close to letting him trot upstairs without another word, but was it really worth it? Morrison and Scorpius were his best friends. That was the bottom line.
"Hey" Albus said, turning, and Scorpius looked down from the stairs. "How was your first snog?"
Scorpius smiled widely. "Bloody brilliant. I'll fill you in tomorrow, I reckon I have to go wake Morrison up now, tell him the whole thing before you do. 'Night"
"'Night" Albus said, turning back around andlistening as Scorpiuswent up to the dormitory.
A powerful memory hit him as he stood there in silence. Three years ago, he remembered, he and Scorpius had discussed his chances of dating Mirra even though she was in Gryffindor. Scorpius had outright rejected the possibility of anything inter-house, saying it was impossible. So much had changed since then...
"What a night" Albus muttered to himself, folding up the Map neatly. And without another word, he headed upstairs as well.