Monday September 2nd 2019:
Third year students of Slytherin and Gryffindor house were gathered around an enclosure amidst Hagrid's hut and the Forbidden Forest, staring at the dozens of large, regal creatures contained inside. The expressions of the students ranged from fear, to curiosity, to a mix of both. Scorpius on the other hand was more fixated on Albus standing by his side; there were no other classes in Hogwarts that made him so happy. Albus' pupils were dilated in awe, and he had a certain glow to his face. It was a rare sight, but Scorpius always loved to see him happy.
"Hippogriffs? I heard that Harry Potter was able to tame one right away! And even got to ride it!" an excited student exclaimed.
"Yeah, too bad bravery and perfection isn't genetic, eh Ally?" Dylan mocked, cruelly side-glancing at Albus.
Albus ignored and stayed focused on the creatures he had wanted to meet for years standing before him. He wished nothing more than to fly on one of the hippogriffs, but unlike his father, never return.
"I would much prefer one of these beasts biting his head off. Or even better, this freak's," Karl Kenkins said, shoving Scorpius with so much force that he almost tumbled over.
Scorpius composed himself from his close call, but chose to ignore the insult. Unlike Albus, who quickly butt heads with Karl.
"Insult him again! See what happens," Albus defended.
"That's enough outta yeh!" Hagrid addressed more to the rude Gryffindor than Albus.
Albus veered Scorpius away from Karl, and went closer to Hagrid. Albus was much more comfortable when he was closer to Hagrid. Perhaps it was his gentle personality, or maybe it was because he was tough and could protect him if he was threatened. Likely a mix of both.
When Hagrid offered his students a chance to come forth and pet the stubborn and proud creatures, no student bothered to step forward, all except for one.
Hagrid chuckled fondly from seeing the lone volunteer. "I knew yeh would be up fer it, Albus!"
"Albus, be careful," Scorpius whispered to the already cautious brunet, though he knew Albus probably wouldn't listen to him anyway.
Albus steadily made his way over to the nearest hippogriff – its feathers a pale blue tinted white at the tips, whereas its horse built backside was fully white.
"Tha' over there is Sky Glider. Ain't she beau'iful?" Hagrid praised.
"She is," Albus whispered, grinning ear to ear.
Even without Hagrid's expertise, Albus would have known what to do due to his prior passionate research. Hagrid seemed to have been aware of the fact, because he barely instructed him at all.
Just the slightest movement from the winged creature got a good jump out of Scorpius, and he anxiously bit his fingernails as others noticed and laughed at him.
Albus didn't break eye contact once as he bowed in front of Sky Glider. She observed him intently, and very slowly, she kneeled on one foreleg and bowed her head. He knew that it was her way of signaling him to approach her, so he cautiously walked forward and gently petted her head and beak. She reacted fondly to his touch.
Hagrid clapped his giant hands together in enthusiasm. "Atta boy, Albus! Would yeh like ter take a ride?"
"R-Really?" Albus exclaimed, his bright-green eyes radiating with joy.
"O' course! Jus' like yer father," Hagrid said, standing proud.
Albus' joy subsided from the last comment, but not enough to stop himself from carefully mounting on top Sky Glider.
"Wait, Scorpius! Climb on!" Albus encouraged.
"Me?" the blond squeaked, pointing to himself.
"Whoa now, hold yer hippogriffs. She's gotta be taimed by Malfoy firs' before lettin' on a second passenger," Hagrid spouted.
"It's okay. You enjoy yourself," Scorpius said to Albus, backing away a step.
Albus calmly whispered something to the creature, and she seemed to bow again in response. Albus motioned for his friend to come over.
"Amazin'! She mus' really trust yeh," Hagrid said, watching Albus with utmost pride.
Scorpius swallowed a lump in his throat but tried not to show his fear in front of the prideful creature. He reached his hand forward and touched the beak. Albus reached for the taller teen and hauled him up to sit behind him.
"Show them wha' yeh got!" Hagrid encouraged the creature.
Following those words of encouragement, Sky Glider's talons and hooves leapt from the soil beneath and Scorpius' arms urgently heaved Albus' body closer to him for support.
Albus breathed in the fresh, cool air gently embracing his face as they soared into the air. Every glide, every sway, and every change of altitude, Albus' grin didn't leave once, if anything it grew. He never felt so alive in his life, being in heights he had never before reached, even on a broom. Flying on a broom felt utterly incomparable to this anyway. Being pressed against the warmth of the hippogriff made him feel more secure and comforted, with its twelve-foot wings acting as further support from falling. Sure a broom was more secure, but it simply failed to invoke the same pleasant feelings. Plus, riding a hippogriff, he didn't have to steer himself.
Albus suddenly paid attention to his friend's reflection in the water of the Great Lake as they hovered over it.
"Are you okay back there, Scorp?" Albus asked cheerfully, raising his voice for the other teen to hear.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Scorpius said, using the same volume of voice. "It's just - I mean, I don't have acrophobia or anything, but it's still unsettling to know you could fall off... you know?"
"Then hold on tight!" Albus shouted. Scorpius didn't have time to question him when Albus loosened his grip on Sky Glider's neck and threw his arms in the air, swaying them with the wind. Because of this, the blond listened to Albus' advice and held him tighter.
Albus' continuous cheers of enthusiasm was not a very common thing for him to do, but despite feeling a bit nauseous from the altitude and unpredictable movements, Scorpius still greatly enjoyed his friend's happiness. As though his joy was contagious, Scorpius couldn't help but smile as well.
"Umm, as happy as I am that you're so happy, perhaps you should put your arms back now," Scorpius suggested.
Albus heard and did as he said, and luckily his mood didn't change because of it.
"You feeling alright? Not gonna vomit on me, are you?" Albus said, laughing at his own not so funny joke.
"I'm fine. Thanks."
"I could stay like this forever." Albus contentedly breathed in and out at a relaxing pace, and Scorpius could feel the rise and fall of the Potter's breathing against his hands wrapped around his belly; he found it to be oddly serene.
Sky Glider safely landed back into the paddock where Hagrid and the rest of class were waiting, leaving Albus low-spirited yet again.
Hagrid split the third years into pairs, all attempting to tame their own hippogriff. Nobody matched Albus' skills, especially Karl Jenkins and Yann Frederick who jolted each time getting menacingly rejected -- which pleased Albus and Scorpius. The only student who was anywhere close to Albus' level of skill was one girl. She managed to get a bow out of the prideful beast on the second try, which compared to everyone else was considered exceptional.
Albus and Scorpius were taught how to properly feed Sky Glider, but Albus rejected feeding her a ferret -- he wouldn't be able to not be reminded of poor Gerald. So he and Scorpius threw some rabbit her way. During this activity, the two teens swore they could both still feel the breeze and velocity from flying above.
"Umm, hello? Al?"
Albus never heard that feminine, Scottish voice before, and neither did Scorpius. So both of them stopped short and turned around, and not too distant from behind them was a short, average-sized girl with long waves of honey-blonde hair and tanned freckled skin. She was holding her textbook to her chest, shyly pushing strands of her hair behind her ear. It was the same girl who was close to Albus' taming skills.
"It's Albus, actually," Albus brought up.
"Oh, sorry, Albus," the girl corrected. "My name is Abigail Wood, but you can call me Abby. I have seen you around. It's terrible the way others treat you. You seem like a... fun person. And the way you handled that hippogriff was incredible! I love creatures myself."
Albus blushed and he messed with his dark and unkempt hair. "Uh, thanks."
"You're welcome," she said, happily but still quiet. "If you ever want someone to hang out with, you can with me.
"Thanks again... Abby," Albus said.
Abigail nodded her head and strolled ahead of them with confidence, talking to a friend of hers.
Albus and Scorpius couldn't make out what house she was from due to her textbook being held so close to her upper body, but when it was removed, from their angle they could spot the lion embedded crest on her robes.
"Huh, a Gryffindor just spoke to me. One that doesn't lecture, bully, or annoy me. That's the first," Albus said.
"Yeah! She seems nice, doesn't she?" Scorpius said, nudging his friend's shoulder.
"Yeah," Albus said. He idled for a moment, almost like he had to remind himself that he was a teenager, and a pretty girl liked him. "I wouldn't mind snogging her..."
That comment startled Albus himself just as much as it did Scorpius.
Scorpius only laughed, but rather uncomfortably, though he was not entirely sure why.