Title: Hogwarts, Class of 2024: Year Three
Setting: Hogwarts; September 2019 to June 2020
Summary: Albus Potter and Rose Weasley find their own way in the
world during their seven years at Hogwarts, taught by Professors
Neville Longbottom, Gabrielle Delacour, and Teddy Lupin.
Author's Note: All right... So this chapter is long overdue, and I apologize... I just had an onslaught of finals, and then I needed some time to recuperate... and then the holidays came. Quite the busy last few weeks. Again, sorry for the delay, but I hope you enjoy this chapter; two major ongoing plot elements are seemingly wrapped up. As for some questions asked... About Teddy's color-changing hair; I forgot about it while writing the first two years, but inserted a quick scene at Halloween in year 1 or 2 to compensate, deciding for the purpose of this story, he's modest and, unlike his mother, generally keeps his hair a normal brown. A bit of a cop-out, sorry. As for Hannah Abbott... She will be addressed--as to what that means, you'll have to wait and see. Actually, Parvati Patil was due to make an appearance in book 7, but I've recasted her with Hannah Abbott and tweaked the character a bit to better suit all this great new information JK Rowling is giving us. Anyway, enjoy!
Hogwarts, Class of 2024
Year Three
Chapter Nine
There was no answer on the door to Teddy's office, so they ran up to the faculty common room–where Neville was just about to enter.
"We need to talk to Teddy," Albus said quickly. "Is he inside?"
"No," Neville replied. "He and Professor Delacour both went to the Three Broomsticks." With a grin, he added, "And when Teddy goes to the Three Broomsticks, he won't be in any state to talk when he comes back. You can see him tomorrow though."
"This is urgent!"
"You can tell me, then, Albus," Neville offered. He smiled. "I'm a professor too, you know."
"All right," Albus said. "We think Fenrir Greyback's in the Forbidden Forest."
"That's highly unlikely," Neville replied. "I was just in the Forest today, gathering Mandrake seeds–and I can assure you, there was nothing there. He hasn't been seen in months. They think he's abroad."
"I really think–"
"Albus," he said. "Listen to me. You'll only cause panic if you keep going on about this. He hasn't been seen in over a year, and Greyback isn't one to lay low if he's still in England. He's abroad. I'm sure of it." He looked at him a bit sternly. "What makes you say he's here, anyway?"
"Because Charlie–I mean, Professor Weasley–is out of town."
"Professor Weasley goes out of town a lot," Neville replied, "even over the full moon. And there haven't been any attacks yet."
Albus and Oliver both resisted the urge to look at Brendan.
"We're sure of it, sir," Oliver said quickly.
"There's no way," Neville answered. "I'll write Professor Weasley tonight, if you want. He'll be back in three days."
"That's too late!"
"It's the best I can do," Neville replied. "Now, if you excuse me, it's getting late." And he disappeared behind the gargoyle, into the common room.
"If Neville didn't believe us," Oliver said, "no one will. And Teddy, I'm sure, is sufficiently drunk by this point. Should we write your dad, Albus?"
"There isn't time," Albus answered. "The sun sets about an hour. By the time the letter gets there, Greyback will already have taken someone. Another werewolf–"
"I'm going," Brendan said. "I don't care. Two hours until I transform. I'm not going to let him get anyone else. I'm going to kill that sick son of a bitch tonight, if I have to die trying."
Oliver and Albus were dumbfounded by his bravado–but they were a little intrigued by it, all the same.
"If you go," Oliver said, "then I'm going to go too."
Albus sighed, looked at his two friends, then said, "I guess I'll go too."
"Luna!" Neville gasped, as he walked up the stairs to the faculty common room. "I didn't know you'd be here."
"I am," she answered. "Sit down. Sit down next to me."
He did as he was told–and he couldn't help himself, as he stared at her. She looked especially beautiful in the dusky light that streamed through the window behind her; her blonde hair and her face looked alight–and she looked more gorgeous than he had ever seen her.
"What?" she grinned.
"What? Oh, nothing."
"You're staring."
"It's–you look good. Tonight, I mean."
She looked a bit surprised by this comment, but smiled and nodded at him. "Thank you. That's very sweet of you." She continued to look, as if waiting for him to say something else–but he didn't, so she went back to her book.
He sighed, sat down in the chair, and twiddled his thumbs for a bit. "There's more."
"More?" she asked, closing her book.
"I–I've had these feelings," he said. "About you."
"About me?"
"Yes," he said. "Over the past couple of years–hell, I think I'm falling in love with you, Luna."
She looked at him, her eyes suddenly becoming watery. "Neville!" she gasped. "I–I never knew."
They sat there, in silence, for what seemed like an eternity–and, with each passing second, Neville knew the chances got bleaker and bleaker. But he continued to smile, just in blind hope.
She finally opened her mouth to speak. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "But I don't–I don't feel the same way. I love you as a friend–but–" She paused, took a deep breath, then said, "But Rolf and I are going to be married."
The air whooshed out of Neville's lungs, and he stood there, his jaw dropped noticeably. "I–I–" he began. "Congratulations."
"Neville, I'm so sorry," she said. "You don't hate me, do you?"
"I could never hate you."
"Good," she replied. "Because you're such a good friend. I don't want to lose you."
"I–I don't want to lose you either. I don't want things to be awkward between us next year or anything–"
"That's another thing," she replied slowly. "I'm–I'm not coming back next year. Rolf is writing a new book and he's going to be in Sweden all year–and–and–I'm going with him."
"Oh. Well that sounds fun for you."
She leaned forward, kissed him on the cheek, and said, "I really am sorry, Neville. I wish things were different, but I really am in love with Rolf–and–I'm sorry, Neville."
"It's fun," he said. "Stop apologizing. You did nothing wrong."
She sighed, looked at him–and then, she whispered some sort of farewell, and headed up the stairs, burying her face in her hands as she went. She felt awful, Neville thought–but he knew it was nothing compared to how he felt.
The Marauder's Map safely in hand, and crowded under the Invisibility Cloak, Albus, Oliver, and Brendan all slowly made their way across the grounds. Greyback wasn't on the map–but Albus knew that didn't mean he wasn't in the forest, a bit further off the map, lurking for his opportunity to strike. He checked his watch. Sunset was in a half hour, and then the moon would be rising. He picked up the pace a little more.
They came to the fringe of the forest and walked through the underbrush a bit–but there was absolutely no noise. Dead silence. It was eerie–but Albus felt all right, wedged neatly between his two best friends, as they walked.
And then, Oliver tripped over a root–and the cloak came sliding down. Before they could get a chance to hitch it back up, they heard a distinct yell–"Sectumsempra!" from further into the forest–and Oliver fell to the ground, clutching his chest, which had a large bloody cut slashed across it.
"Help me," he whispered, as he crumpled himself up into a ball. Albus and Brendan stood there, wands out.
"Who's there?" Brendan shrieked.
And, out from behind the tree, came Scorpius Malfoy.
"Scorpius!" Albus hissed. "What the hell are you doing here?"
The color in Scorpius's face drained–and Albus suddenly knew why. He heard Draco's voice inside his head– "I have never been so disappointed in you. If you're going to be a Slytherin, you better do a damned better job of beating him. And I hear he fought Greyback last year." And he knew why Scorpius was here.
"I'm here for Greyback," Scorpius said, nearly inaudibly. "I know he's here."
"How?" Brendan demanded.
"I saw Albus's memory during the seminar," he replied. "And–and I put the pieces together. I saw the memory of Greyback chasing Finnigan last year, that weekend when Professor Weasley wasn't here–and Finnigan, there, hasn't been right since about that time, and he's disappeared every full moon we've had so far this year. And Greyback's back–because Professor Weasley's gone again, and it's another full moon, and I saw you outside the faculty common room!" He pointed at Brendan. "And he's a werewolf."
Brendan went pale, even paler than Scorpius. "No!" he shrieked. "I'm not."
"I won't tell anyone," Scorpius said. "I promise."
Brendan looked a little uncomfortable, but seemed to generally take his word, affirmed with only a slight bob of the head.
"But what do we do about Oliver now?" Albus asked. "One of us has to take him back."
"Make Finnigan do it," Scorpius said. "If he transforms while we're out here–"
"I'll be harmless," he promised. "I've been taking–" He stopped. "Holy crap, Albus, I forgot to take my Wolfsbane Potion tonight."
"Take Oliver!" Albus hissed. "Get back to the castle as quick as you can–and Teddy left the potion for you in Gryffindor tower; I saw it there. I can't believe I forgot to make sure you took it–" He stopped; Brendan only had an hour, and had already slung Oliver over his shoulder–a difficult feat, considering Oliver was a bit bigger than him–and had taken off back the way they came.
"Just us, Potter," Scorpius said. "Don't go crying for Daddy when mean old Greyback comes around."
"I've fought him once," Albus replied, "and I can do it again." But he had to admit–he was a bit scared this time around. Last time, he had been with Oliver, and they were both a little blinded by the urgency to save Brendan. But this time, he was with Scorpius–and they were saving some faceless student that Greyback hadn't yet attacked. But, still; he had to admit it was better than nothing.
There was a rustling in the trees, and they saw the shadow of a man–and they both ran towards him–it was Greyback. before either of them could do anything. Both Albus and Scorpius pointed there wands, and Greyback, skidding to a stop, stared at them, hoarsely croaked, "Don't! No! You don't know what you're doing!"
But, in unison, the boys shrieked, "Stupefy!" And the werewolf fell down to the ground, smashing the small glass flask he held in his hand.
"We did it!" Scorpius gasped. "Albus, can you believe this?"
"Let's get him back to the castle."
"Are you mad? We only have fifteen minutes until the sun sets–and stunning charms don't work on werewolves."
Albus had to admit that was true; they had found that out last year, when they attempted to stun a transformed Greyback, as he chased Brendan through the forest. He only glared at Scorpius.
"What do you suppose we do, then?"
There was a long pause. "We're going to have to kill him right here. Right now." He sighed. "You do it. You have the grudge."
"Brendan should be doing it, really," Albus replied.
"He's not here," Scorpius answered. "Do it, Albus. Do it quick."
Albus raised his wand, held it there for a moment. Killing? An Unforgivable Curse–no, he couldn't do it; not when his dad had spent so much of his adult life fighting against these type of atrocities. Still, Greyback was a fugitive–a highly dangerous fugitive, who would be transformed in about ten minutes, and then he would have no qualms about ripping Scorpius and himself apart at the drop of a hat. It had to be done–but–
"I can't," Albus whispered. "Scorpius–"
"Fine," Scorpius said. He took a deep breath, and waited a second, and Albus figured the same thoughts were going through his head. They shared a brief second of knowing eye-contact, and Albus knew they were on the same page. Neither of them were killers; as much as Scorpius was his rival, as much as he came from the hated Malfoy family, as much as he would have loved to continue hating Scorpius Malfoy–he knew that, deep down, they weren't so different after all.
But Scorpius looked at his watch–and then he knew it had to be done. He looked back to Albus, then whispered, "Together?"
Albus sighed–then shook his head.
Scorpius, looking a bit crushed by the response, as if it had just condemned him to some horrible fate, pursed his lips with new resolve, then screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"
There was a flash of green light–and Greyback's stunned body became unmistakably dead.
