Season 9 Round 8
A/N: This takes place during the Cursed Child, but has no connection to that story except for the characters themselves.
Title: To the Beach!
Team: Tutshill Tornados
Position: Chaser 1
Reserve: No
Optional Prompts: setback, Harry Potter, and broken glass.
"Okay, it's official!" said Albus excitedly after reading his parents reply via owl. "My parents said you could come with us to Croatia on our summer vacation!"
"Heck yeah!" said Scorpius, pumping his fist in the air. "How long is the trip going to be?"
"I think a week. But with the super-portkey that we'll use from the Ministry, it'll take us no time at all to get there and back," said Albus. "Oh, and just so you know…Rose and Hugo and their parents are probably coming too. Kind of a chance for my parents and their parents to hang out I guess."
"Oh…" said Scorpius, finding it hard to swallow suddenly. "Well t-that's nice."
"Are you alright with that?" asked Albus with a smirk.
"Y-yeah of course, mate," said Scorpius.
Albus eyed him suspiciously with a grin. "Don't worry. Rose doesn't hate you," he said, patting him on the back consolingly.
"Let's just not talk about that right now," said Scorpius with a would-be-casual look. Albus nodded as they left the owlery.
The last week of school at Hogwarts, although filled with studying, wasn't too bad. More students were leaving the castle and heading out onto the grounds and the Quidditch pitch for break times. One day during the last week, Albus and Scorpius were out walking around the Quidditch Pitch, brooding and talking about life and deep topics when all of a sudden…
"Hey, nerds!" called out a familiar voice. Albus immediately looked annoyed but stopped walking. He turned to face his brother, James.
"What is it?" sighed Albus impatiently.
"Just came to gloat is all," said James. "I'm going on my own trip this summer with some fifth and sixth years. We're going to Amsterdam to live it up for a week while you guys are stuck with mum and dad."
"Umm…okay," said Albus, not sure how to respond. "Good."
"It is for me at least. One day, Albus, you'll appreciate being independent," said James with an heir of superiority. "But for now, see ya in July suckas!"
Albus rolled his eyes as James left with pep in his step. Scorpius was fighting back laughter, and he and Albus resumed walking.
"Guess you two don't get along much, huh?" said Scorpius
"It's never been the same ever since he went to Hogwarts," said Albus. "We used to be close when we were little, but now he's just annoying and hangs out with the stupidest people."
"My dad told me to choose my friends wisely," said Scorpius. "He said that he regrets hanging out with a few of the people he chose as friends in Slytherin. They didn't exactly push him in the right direction."
"Well…selfishly I think you've made a good choice in friends," said Albus, putting his twelve-year-old arm around Scorpius' twelve-year-old neck.
"Me too," said Scorpius with a grin.
Students finished their exams at the end of the week, and just like that, school was over. The end of term feast was a delight as many students discussed what their summer plans would be. Many students in Slytherin came from wealthy families, so it was no surprise when Albus and Scorpius told them of their trip to Croatia.
"It's only for a week," Scorpius would say, the faintest trace of a smile on his normally serious complexion.
Soon enough, the time came to leave Hogwarts. In less than a week after school was over, Scorpius was ready to be dropped off at the Potter's residence. Draco, Scorpius' father, accompanied him to the entrance of the Potter's home. Harry Potter opened the door and welcomed Draco's son and gave his father a warm, embracing hug. Draco gave a nod of appreciation and a smile before heading off, leaving Scorpius with the Potter clan.
After a couple of hours, Ron and Hermione arrived with Rose and Hugo, and it was like a big family reunion for the Potters and the Weasleys although Scorpius felt a little out of place when this happened. Rose and Scorpius made eye contact, and although Scorpius tried to wave casually to her, Rose made a quick, almost embarrassed wave back at him, and avoided eye contact. Albus made sure to stay close by his side during all of this to keep from feeling awkward.
"Are we ready to go?" asked Harry to the gang after a while.
"Yes yes yes!" cried ten-year-old Lily, the youngest of the Potters. "We've been ready for ages!"
Everyone laughed and then proceeded to the portkey, a large Croatian flag with places to grip for everyone participating in the teleportation.
"It's very important that we all grab at the same time, okay?" said Ginny to her children. They nodded as all nine wizards and witches grabbed hold of the flag and were transported to the Croatian Ministry of Magic headquarters in Zagreb. When they all arrived with a thud, it was immediately obvious that there were signs set up for directions for wizard tourists written in English.
"You're driving just so you know," said Harry to Ron with a grin as they approached a wizard-muggle rental car place.
"You can rent muggle cars from wizard-owned companies now?" asked Ron. "Maybe dad was onto something after all…"
"Apparently," said Harry, shrugging his shoulders. "Muggle cars work as good disguises if you know how to drive them, and apparently, you're the only one of us with a driver's license."
"Just like old times, huh?" said Ron.
The rental car arrived after the paperwork was signed, and to everyone's surprise, it was an old Volkswagen Beetle from the 1960s.
"Check this out," said Harry looking into it. "It's bewitched to look normal, but it has a whole underneath section for the kids to sit in." The interior of the car was much larger than it looked, like the tents that they had packed with them for camping at the '94 Quidditch World Cup.
"Sweet!" said Lily. "I call the bottom wandseat!"
"Wandseat?" whispered Scorpius to Albus.
"It means she wants to sit up front," said Albus, rolling his eyes. Scorpius remained looking confused but merely shrugged his shoulders.
Ron and Harry sat in the front while Hermione and Ginny sat in the back. Underneath, the girls sat in the front while the boys rode in the back. A duplicate of the real windshield was displayed in the underneath section of the car so the kids could see everything the parents were seeing.
After riding in the car for what felt like hours, the superfamily arrived at a bed and breakfast for wizards and witches in Dubrovnik. The entrance looked like a backdoor to a secluded house with a sign saying "No Trespassing, Bez Prelaska," but inside was a fierce looking man who must've been a wizard bodyguard to keep Muggles from accidentally entering. However, he quickly noticed Harry entering.
"Harry Potter! Ah ha ha!" he bellowed, rolling his r's as he spoke. "Been expecting you, and we are so glad you are here in Croatia for your vacation. Welcome to Dubrovnik! I trust you and your family will have fabulous time here. Breakfast is 6-10 am, and your rooms will be 302 and 303 on top floor. Have good time!"
Harry filled out the paperwork while the rest of the crew went upstairs and unloaded their belongings.
Despite how much they had done, it was only just after lunch that they arrived. After eating some snacks that Hermione had packed, the parents decided it would be a good idea to go to the beach.
Albus and Scorpius left early to walk along the edge of the beach after having been the first ones to change into their t shirts and swim trunks.
"You know, I haven't told anyone," began Albus, "But have you noticed how quiet I was at the family gathering and how I haven't really spoken to anyone since we started this trip?"
"I guess, yeah," said Scorpius uncertainly.
"I haven't exactly been seeing eye to eye with my family lately," said Albus, looking down at the sand in front of him as he walked while gazing occasionally at the ocean view.
"What do you mean?" asked Scorpius.
"Well…not to be rude or awkward, but it's no secret that everyone in my family hates Slytherin."
Scorpius pursed his lips together, at a loss for words.
"I mean, I know my Uncle Ron hates it. It's so obvious. It seems like he favors James and Lily over me now. I know this is personal stuff, but you're in Slytherin too. It's like House discrimination for us, mate," said Albus, half-joking, half-serious.
"Yeah, but my dad was in Slytherin, and he was like the king of the serpents for a time when he was at Hogwarts," said Scorpius. "Everyone in Slytherin, at least according to my dad, respected the Malfoy name."
"Yeah, well my dad made fun of Slytherin all the time growing up…" said Albus resentfully.
"What about your mum?" asked Scorpius.
"She sort of goes along with whatever dad says. I'm not sure if talking to her about it would make anything better," said Albus quickly.
"You don't know that though, right? You just think that," said Scorpius. "Also, from what little I know of your Aunt Hermione, she seems kind enough to talk to about something like that.
"Yeah, but I'm not really that close to her. She's stays so busy. I don't want to burden her with something so unimportant."
"I bet she wouldn't see it that way," said Scorpius sympathetically. "You're her nephew, and I can tell she's a kind woman, even if she is extraordinarily busy all the time. She isn't busy at the moment. Otherwise, she wouldn't be on this trip, right?"
"True," said Albus quietly.
"Leaving your issues bottled up inside won't help," said Scorpius. "My dad told me that sixth year was the worst of his life because he could never talk to anyone about what he was going through. Talking is a very powerful thing. The fact that we are doing it now is already a step in the right direction. Don't let being a Slytherin be a setback for you."
Albus stopped walking and turned to look at Scorpius who was squinting his eyes due to the sunlight to look back at Albus.
"You're right," said Albus.
Scorpius nodded, and the two proceeded to walk back towards the more crowded area of the beach. Upon coming back, they noticed Lily and Hugo building a sandcastle while Rose was underneath an umbrella reading a book with her sunglasses on top of her head.
"Holy smokes," said Scorpius, slowing his pace considerably. "I'm sorry mate, but this is just too awkward for me seeing Rose in a one-piece."
Albus turned to him. "You know, maybe you should take your own advice," said Albus. "Slytherin is a great house, and you shouldn't let that be a setback for you either. If Rose doesn't like you because you're a Slytherin, so be it. There's plenty of attractive Slytherin females though. Besides, we still have several years at Hogwarts to meet new girls."
"I know, I know," said Scorpius impatiently. "Still, I wish I knew why Rose didn't like me."
"So what?" said Albus.
"I'm in love with her!" Scorpius whispered angrily. "And…I kinda wish I wasn't frankly!"
"Well…as awkward as it is for us to be discussing my cousin like this, why don't you just wise up and talk to her?" said Albus.
"She doesn't want me to," said Scorpius disappointedly.
"Well, you're lucky you have me as a best friend," said Albus. "C'mon, let's go."
Scorpius gulped dramatically and followed Albus far behind. They approached Rose who appeared to be sitting by herself.
"Hullo, Al," said Rose.
"Reading a good book I see," said Albus.
"A Muggle book called Pride and Prejudice," said Rose. "Mum told me I might like it."
"Sounds…serious," said Albus. "Speaking of serious things, there's someone here to speak with you."
"Not Scorpius…" began Rose.
"Don't be that way..." Albus began, but suddenly there was a loud pop inside the cooler right next to Rose. A few people nearby were startled but quickly ignored it. Rose opened the cooler to find that the pumpkin juice container had been shattered and there was broken glass all in the ice.
"You didn't do that did you?" asked Rose confusedly.
"No, I don't think so," said Albus, equally confused.
"I did," said Scorpius sheepishly. "But I didn't mean to!" he finished quickly, seeing the shock on their faces.
"I'll…er…just go," said Albus, and he headed off in the direction of his father.
"What was that all about?" asked Rose impatiently.
Scorpius squinted hard as if he was being stabbed in the stomach. "I don't know," he huffed. "I didn't mean to. It just sort of happened…"
Rose thought he was lying until a thought occurred to her. Unintentional magic can happen with a few wizards and witches in extreme emotional circumstances. Suddenly she felt horrible and closed her book, looking sheepish herself. She used a towel to cover up her legs for modesty's sake.
"It's because of me, isn't it?" said Rose with a sad expression on her face now. Scorpius didn't say anything for a moment, but looked away. "Yeah," he said softly. "I'm sorry."
"No, Scorpius," said Rose. Hearing her say his name was music to his twelve-year-old ears. "I'm the one who should be sorry."
"No, I'm the one who should be sorry," said Scorpius who went over to her cooler and closed his eyes in concentration. He bent over the cooler and murmured "Reparo," and the liquid returned to the broken glassed jar which promptly fixed itself back to its original form.
"Oh my word!" whispered Rose, cupping her hands to her mouth. "You can do charms wandless?!"
"Only a few," said Scorpius sheepishly. "That just happened to be one of them. It's something I've worked on in my free time."
"Well…gee what a productive hobby," said Rose who was wildly impressed. Scorpius sat in the sand just beyond the shade of Rose's umbrella.
"Come sit next to me under the umbrella," said Rose sympathetically. "No need for you to sit in the sun like that while we're talking."
Scorpius felt pathetic and grateful at the same time when she had suggested this. He politely obeyed.
They didn't say anything for a moment as Scorpius looked out at the ocean ahead of him, too afraid to say anything for some reason.
"I know how much you like me, Scorpius," said Rose assertively, "and I'm really flattered too. I've never had anyone like me like that, and I didn't know what to think at first, especially since you were in Slytherin. I knew my parents wouldn't approve, or at least my dad," she said.
"Approve of what?" said Scorpius.
"Us being friends," said Rose, making her point.
"You're friends with Albus though," said Scorpius.
"He's my cousin, silly," said Rose. "It's different with him. We grew up together."
"So if I was your cousin, you'd be friends with me too?" said Scorpius, smiling for the first time.
"Well…cousin romance is sort of taboo, isn't it?" said Rose with a chuckle.
"Yeah," said Scorpius, giving a chuckle himself.
"Look, I'm sorry for giving you the cold shoulder in a way," said Rose. "You just came on so strong last year that I didn't know what to think. I'm not used to being friends with a boy who's not a family member, much less dating a boy. We both have several years left at Hogwarts. Let's just be friends for now. Okay?"
"Yeah," said Scorpius, who was still blushing and avoiding eye contact. "Sorry for being so…aggressive I guess."
"It's okay," said Rose. "Let's just start over from square one so we can get to know each other better."
"Okay," said Scorpius, and the two proceeded to have long conversation for the rest of the afternoon.
Meanwhile Albus went to go talk to his dad after leaving Scorpius alone with Rose.
"Dad, we need to talk," said Albus, a little aggressively.
Harry looked confused for a moment. "I noticed you've seemed quiet lately. What's up?"
"Well…" began Albus awkwardly. "I'm afraid Uncle Ron doesn't like me being in Slytherin." He figured if he could pin the blame on his uncle, it might seem less of an affront to his father.
"That's just him joking around," said Harry nonchalantly. "He loves you and cares about you very much, just like I do. Remember what I told you: the hat almost put me in Slytherin. It's okay that you're a Slytherin. If Uncle Ron makes any jokes about it, he's not making fun of you, okay? He's just being a goofball."
Albus hesitated. "So, you're not upset with me being in Slytherin?"
"Of course not!" said Harry. "I have to admit you didn't seem like the Slytherin type when you were younger, but the sorting hat never makes a mistake. It doesn't mean you're a bad person. It just means you've got certain tendencies inside of you that maybe other people don't have. It's not a bad thing. However, Slytherin does have a reputation for bad wizards. You just have to break the stereotype and be the best Slytherin you can be."
"Thanks, dad," said Albus who promptly gave him a hug.
"I love you, Al," said Harry.
"I love you too, dad," said Albus.
"By the way," said Harry after a long hug. "Now that your older, I'll have to show you and Scorpius how to play Exploding Snap with Uncle Ron. It's awesome," he said, beaming.