Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Harry Potter series.
A/N: I'm now back to full time work on this. My parents bought another laptop so I now have my own laptop to use whenever I need. Hope you enjoy.
11: The Worst Conclusions.
"Well, that was unusual" Albus heard a voice say. He recognised it.
"What do you think happened?" Albus heard another voice ask. Again, he recognised it. The first voice was Scorpius and the second was the unmistakable voice and accent of Luke.
"Prank" Albus croaked. His mouth and throat were dry, his head was pounding and his vision was blurred. Scorpius and Luke immediately turned towards Albus.
"You're awake" Scorpius said.
"Great observation there, mate" Luke said sarcastically. Scorpius shot him a disgruntled look.
"What do you mean 'prank'?" Scorpius asked.
"I just have a feeling." He said.
"Oh, Mr Potter, you're awake." Madam Pomfrey said, bustling her way over to Albus' bedside. "Drink this, it will help the headache." She said handing him a large goblet of blue liquid. Albus didn't want to drink it but because his head was pounding he decided that the headache would be more annoying than having to drink one goblet of liquid. Albus downed it in three gulps. His head felt better instantly. "Is your vision still blurred, Mr Potter?" she asked.
"Not really. What happened to me?" he asked.
"You were knocked out, Mr Potter. There was a blast. The culprit has been caught. The Headmistress should be dealing with them right now." Madam Pomfrey said. After examining Albus for a few moments more, she retreated back to her office. Albus wanted to know who was behind it. He now knew it was definitely a student and not a security breach, because why else would they be with the Headmistress.
"What time is it?" Albus asked.
"It's around half five. You spent the entire day in here. The teacher insisted on giving us your homework." Scorpius told Albus.
"They insisted on giving me my homework too" Luke said. The three boys laughed. "Better get going, dinner soon." Luke said. Albus knew he was bored in the Hospital Wing and was using dinner as an excuse to leave.
"See you later guys." Albus said as they stood up.
"Oh, Al" Scorpius said. "Emily and Ashley were asking us if you were alright. What should we tell them?" he asked.
Albus smiled. He was happy that so many people cared about his well-being. "Tell them I'll live" Albus laughed.
"Okay then" Scorpius replied.
Albus was alone in the Hospital Wing, except for Madam Pomfrey who was in her office, and started to think aloud about who could have caused the blast. "James was planning a prank but I don't think he would go for me." Albus murmured. "Maybe it was that Kavanagh lad, he doesn't seem to like me" he continued to murmur
. Albus continued to talk to himself about his options.
The door to the Hospital Wing opened and Albus looked over and saw his father and the Headmistress enter. Trailing behind them was James, Louis and one of James' friends who's name Albus thought was Shane. "Are you alright Albus?" Headmistress McGonagall asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied without thinking.
"Well, these three hooligans are the reason that you're here." She said gesturing to the three boys behind her.
"Sorry Al" James said.
"Yeah, sorry Al" Louis added.
"Sorry Albus" Shane said.
"We didn't mean for it to happen to you." James said.
"As Mr Weasley put it earlier in my office 'it was meant for someone else'" Professor McGonagall said. "Now boys, you know your punishment so don't be late." She said. The Headmistress then left the Hospital Wing.
"I'll leave you boys to sort it out" Harry said. He didn't appear to be disappointed in James or angry. He followed Professor McGonagall out of the Hospital Wing.
"Why?" Albus asked.
"We didn't mean it for you." James said.
"Who did you mean it for?" Albus asked.
"Conor Kavangh" Louis said.
"Why for him?" Albus was now intrigued as to why they tried to prank one of their fellow Gryffindors.
"He was saying bad stuff about Slytherin" James started "which we were alright with. Then he started insulting your Quidditch team. He was saying that you guys can't even play Quidditch and stuff like that. Again we weren't really bothered. But then, he started insulting you Albus." James said.
"I don't even think it's appropriate to repeat what he said" Louis told him.
"So we decided to teach him a lesson." Shane added.
"And then you happened to be there when we had it set to go off." Louis added.
"I'll explain." James said. "We had got Kavanagh to be down in the Entrance Hall. Then our plan was going to work perfectly. We cast a sensor charm and set the conditions for it to go off. You had to walk down so far and then when there was the first explosion we had planned the person was to walk back towards the stairs and then... 'boom'... they're blown away. You obviously happened to met these requirements." James finished.
"Well, at least you guys had good intentions." Albus said.
"Looks like we have to go now" James said.
"See ya Al" Louis said.
"See ya" Shane said.
"Talk to you later Al" James said, leaving last.
Albus rolled over in his bed onto his back and looked up at the ceiling. He hated being in the Hospital Wing. Having been wearing a cloak over his pyjamas, it was only the cloak that was on a chair beside his bed where the clothes are usually left. "Hold on a minute" Albus said. "What happened to my Invisibility Cloak?" he said. Albus couldn't remember everything that happened very clearly. He tried to remember where his cloak could be. He remembered where he put it. Albus pulled the covers to the side and reached a hand into his pyjamas bottoms and pulled out the silvery cloth. He ran his fingers through it and was relieved he hadn't lost it. Albus was unsure what to do with it. He couldn't leave it out in the open, he couldn't risk having a member of staff find out about it. Just as he pondered where he could leave it, Scorpius returned to the Hospital Wing. Albus smiled when he saw him. The blonde haired boy walked straight over to Albus' bed and was surprised to find his friend smiling at him.
"What?" Scorpius asked. "I just came back wondering if I left my watch here?"
"Have a look for it there. And I have something to ask you."
"What is it?" Scorpius asked. "Don't worry, we won't say anything about why you were out of bed."
"Were people wondering?" Albus asked.
"Professor McGonagall" Scprpius said. "I think she's going to wait until you're out of the Hospital Wing."
"Damn" Albus said. "I'm going to have to think of an excuse. Anyway, that's not what this is about..."
"Got it" Scorpius said. "Sorry, go on"
"Here, put this in my trunk please" Albus said, giving Scorpius the Invisibility Cloak.
"Okay" he said taking it off his friend. "We were wondering what happened to the Invisibility Cloak, nobody, that being me, Luke, your dad and brother, couldn't find it."
"I stuffed it into my trousers" Albus said sheepishly.
"I'm not sure I want it anymore." Scorpius laughed.
"Just throw it into the bottom of my trunk." Albus replied. Scorpius glanced at his watch.
"It's nearly curfew, I better get going. Do you know when you'll get out of here?"
"No, tomorrow I hope. See ya anyway."
As Scorpius departed, Madam Pomfrey returned with another goblet. "Take this before you go to sleep" she said. "If you're feeling good in the morning, you can leave" she said. She picked up the empty goblet and walking back into her office. Albus was feeling good but soon became drowsy.
Albus awoke bright eyed the following morning. "Ah, Mr Potter, you're awake. How are you feeling?" Madam Pomfrey asked. She had been opening some of the windows in the Hospital Wing.
"Good" he replied.
"Right, you can leave. Get dressed, your father left clothes in last night, I didn't think he would drop by again so I gave you a sleeping potion. Come to me to sign out." she told him and then retreated to her office.
Albus wasted no time in getting dressed and gathering his things. He approached Madam Pomfrey's desk. "So that's yesterday's date, that means that today is one more and it's 8.27am" she murmured to herself. "Please sign this" she handed him the quill and turned the book around to him. Albus quickly scribbled his name and looked at Madam Pomfrey who gave him the go ahead to leave which he happily did.
Albus walked back through the empty halls and returned to the Slytherin Common Room. "Ol Sluggy" he said when he reached the door which duly swung open. Albus ran through the almost empty Common Room and up tohis dormitory. He threw his pyjamas in his trunk and looked over at his sleeping friends. He decided it was time to wake them. They weren't usually up this later. He opened the hangings around Scorpius' bed to find it was empty. He paced quickly over to Luke's bed which was also empty. "Breakfast, I presume. Luke musn't have eaten last night or something" Albus said aloud. He turned back around and headed out of the dormitory and through the Common Room.
"Hey, Al" Emily said walking up beside him.
"Hey" he replied.
"How are ya?" Ashley asked walking up the other side of him. The trio were walking through the dungeons.
"I'm good. Good enough toget out of the Hospital Wing, I suppose" he told them. They smiled at him. "Have Luke and Scorpius told you what happened or am I being nailed for an explanation?" he asked them.
"No, they told us what happened." Emily said.
"Oh thank Merlin" Albus exclaimed. The three laughed and arrived at the Great Hall. The great oak doors were already opena and they entered and walked over to the Slytherin table, easily locating the two boys, one of whom was reading The Daily Prophet and the other was eating. "Hey, mind if I see that after you?" Albus asked Scorpius as they sat down. Scorpius lowered the newspaper and smiled as he saw Albus sitting acrossfrom him.
"Aey Abus. Hu ard du?"Luke asked through a mouthful of food.
"Nice to see you too Luke. I'm good, you keep on eating" he replied.
"How are you Al?" Scorpius asked.
"Didn't I just answer that question?" he asked Scorpius.
"You know what I mean" Scorpius told Albus. "Here's the paper. Nothing too interesting." he said sarcastically. "A few Muggles found dead in a wizard house. And the Dark Mark was cast above the house."
"Where abouts?" Albus asked.
"Brighton" he said.
"I bet you anything that Parker is behind that."
"What would be doing with Muggles?"Scorpius asked.
"I don't know, but I just have a feeling it was him. Time for class, I'll talk to you later." The five left the Great Hall but didn't get far. Professor Kelly called out.
"Albus Potter, please wait where you are. The rest of you, may go to class." The Potions professor and Head of Slytherin House walked over to Albus. "Albus, Professor McGonagall has asked me to send you to her office immediatey. She will be waiting there for you." he told him. Albus would be lying if he said that he hadn't expected to be called to the Headmistress' office.
"Potter, please sit down" Professor McGonagall said, gesturing towards the seat separated from her by only a desk. Albus sat down, he was nervous because he was unsure what was going to happen. "Now, when I'm sitting in my..." The door opened. "Ah, Potter, please do come in." she said.
"Sorry, Headmistress. I had to assign some work to my class."
"That's alright, Potter. Now Potter, Albus I mean, when I'm in my office after midnight and I hear two explosions in quick succession, I have to jump to the worst conclusions. I have to suspect that the security of school is breached but when we find out it was a harmless, or we thought it was harmless, prank, then, I have to discipline the students involved which, I have done. Then, we find the brother of one of the students involved lying unconscious in the Entrance Hall, we have to again suspect a security breach until the involved own up to setting the trap, unintended for yourself. Anyway, your father has explained to me why you were out of bed and I'm going to give you a stern warning Albus: Be careful, don't be out of bed" she said. "You are a target, we suspect, of Michael Parker. I am aware that yousaw the headlines, at the very least, of today's newspapers."
"Yes miss" he replied.
"Well you will know then that four Muggles were found dead in a wizard dwelling by your father's forces."
"And the Dark Mark was cast above the House." Albus said.
"Not exactly" Harry said. "It wasn't the proper Dark Mark. It wasn't cast by the Morsmordre spell. It was just an arrangement of dirt in the sky in the shape of the Dark Mark."
"We suspect it was Michael Parker, or his acquaintances" the Headmistress said.
"His acquaintances?" Albus asked. "You mean he has gained support"
"We're not sure" Harry said. "That's all we know at the moment. I'll keep you filled in." Harry told his son.
Later that evening, Albus was cornered by the four he had left behind earlier in the day. He had done his best to avoid the quartet for the remainder of the day. "Tell us everything they told you" Luke demanded.
"Fine." And so Albus explained in detail, almost word for word, everything that had been said to him.
"So, you were right this morning?" Scorpius asked.
"Yes." Albus replied smugly.
"Hold on, you weren't completely right, your father siad they 'suspect'" Ashley pointed out.
"His dad is Head Auror, I'm gonna say that when he 'suspects' his suspicions are usually right" Emily said.
"My dad's an Auror too but his suspicions aren't always right." Ashley said.
"Yeah,but his dad is Head Auror. That means he's the best" Luke said.
"Do you guys have something against Australians?" she asked rheotorically.