Chapter 10- Fangs vs Jaws
The days passed slowly yet they still turned into weeks and not before long the end of October came. During this time, Albus reminded himself to send letters to his parents at least twice a week. In the first one he inquired about the wand, but when the answer came, once again saying there was no new information, he regretted raising the issue at all. He should find a way to contact the wand shop keeper by himself, he thought as he crumpled the paper angrily and threw it to the fire.
He also roamed the dungeons for a while, in search for the mysterious hatch, but the best he managed to do was getting lost. However, one time his torch ran out, and he found himself in a complete darkness for about four hours, only to be rescued by his brother, that by chance passed there. Following that, not wanting to repeat the scary experience, his searches ceased.
His academic achievements were lacking as well. After the first week it became clear that he was incapable of producing magic. And the buzz around him changed from mostly him being the black sheep in his family to him being a squib. Now, the former rumors didn't seem so bad, at least than some respect was included. Even the encouragement of Professor Longbottom and his parents, though he never raised this issue in any of his letters to them, didn't help. Plus, he knew that trying to explain how the wand worked for him only at certain times will only paint him as inepter by the students.
At least they did not laugh at his face, but he assumed that was more because of the respect (or apprehension) to his family rather than himself. And despite always being surrounded by students and faculty, he still felt lonely, only having continuous interactions with Scorpius and Violet. He hypothesized that even they only talked to him because they had no other options within Slytherin. Scorpius was ostracized due to his apparently treacherous family and Violet was rejected for her utter lack of knowledge of the magical world. Although both preferred not to expand on these issues when raised.
However, more than anything else, it bothered him that his dad might have known something, something that made him want to prevent sending Albus to school in the first place. The notion came to him again at the last class of the day of Halloween, while ignoring Royal mocking glare as he was the only one to fail the simple switching spell in the Transfiguration class. "Its fine", Scorpius whispered next to him, "I'm sure that with a bit of practice you'll manage to do it".
Albus didn't answer and just continued focusing on the colorful marbles in front of him. He was told that so many times in the last few weeks it began getting on his nerves. The problem stemmed from his unresponsive wand, and those empty platitudes just made Albus more aware of it. Not to mention that in a certain point he will have to use it to continue his curriculum, or else he will be dropped out of school- a shudder passed his body at this thought.
The Redeeming bell was heard and Albus got out of class as Professor Doyle eyed him with interest, though they didn't exchanged anymore words since their first class. "Happy birthday", Albus was shook out of his daydream as he, Scorpius and Violet parted way with most of the students, who got out to relax in the bright day. "Oh, right", Albus genuinely forgot, "Thanks, but you don't have to go with me.
In recent time both took every opportunity to watch the quidditch teams exercise (something that bore Albus to tears), "you two can go and watch the crew, I don't mind". "But it's your birthday, don't you care?", Scorpius asked astonished. Albus shrugged, "Magnitude", he said and the opening to the Slytherin common room materialized from the wall, "I'm excited to see what I've got as presents, but a part of it is not the same without the family".
"And what about us?", Violet asked. "What about you?", Albus caught himself, and almost hit his forehead, "I'm joking of course", he quickly corrected, "at least you won't force me to sit with you for hours". "I wish that was one of my problems", she said, descending with them to their room, "all I get in my birthdays is blessings and cheap chocolate cakes, and I don't even like chocolate cakes".
The three said nothing as they went down, keeping an awkward silence. Albus didn't care to investigate her family and wasn't interested in the subject the same way Scorpius was. Yet, despite her overall unwillingness to talk he gathered that she was raised by her biological, yet estranged, muggle mom and was not familiar at all with her father.
"Is it empty? Good, I'm getting in", Violet followed them into the boys' dormitories, breaking the silence, "wow", she stopped in front of Albus' bed. He knew of Scorpius' poverty, and of Violet cold relations with her family, so he could not help but be a little embarrassed that it was almost hidden under all his birthday gifts.
"You can help me unpack them if you want", he hoped it will remedy away some of their jealousy. Although, as Scorpius picked up a container of healthy snacks by Hermione and Violet unwrapped a skiving snack box (a range of sweets that made the consumer appear ill) by Ron, he faced the fact that he might have made it even worse.
They unpacked a bunch of practical joke objects from uncle George (Albus touched without noticing the 'Weather in a Bottle' in his pocket); automatically filling pan by uncle Percy; a golden dragon claw from uncle Charlie; small intricate safe from uncle Bill; green gloves and beanie handmade by his grandmother; building toys from his grandfather; more candy by Teddy… "Hey, I have a bunch of chocolate frogs over here if you want some". He raised his head when no answer came, and immediately understood the reason for it as he saw the broom.
"Cleensweep thirteen", Violet said in an awe-filled voice, "that's the one you always talk about, right Scor?". But it was too much for him, "Perhaps I should go and catch the team practicing before sunset", he said in a throaty voice and got out of the room quickly before Albus could see his face, although he still made sure to leave a rectangular wrapped gift on his bed before that.
"Hmm… perhaps I should go as well", Violet jumped up and headed to the stairs. She stopped right before and faced Albus, "I didn't tell you happy birthday so… happy birthday. And I'm sorry, but I couldn't think of anything to give you". "That's ok", Albus answered and watched as she nodded and got out.
A battle started waving in his head as he read the description of his parents' gift. Acceleration of 120 miles an hour in ten seconds- he felt bad, and for a moment wondered whether he should follow her to find Scorpius. Anti-jinx varnish- but the moment passed, replaced with anger, why the hell should he feel bad? He didn't do anything after all. Built-in vibration control feature- he still should care. Made from Spanish oak- he did care, but there was nothing he could have done.
Albus stood up, shoving one of the chocolate frogs into his mouth. He wondered if his parents gave him the broom because they thought he would be jealous of James. He decided to keep unwrapping his gifts, knowing he should not feel bad whether someone is either less or more fortunate than him. He made his way around the bed and picked up the gift Scorpius left behind, trying to restrain his unhappy thoughts- it was, after all, his birthday.
Inside the meticulously wrapped with simple brown paper was the old and scrappy version of 'Hogwarts: A History' book Scorpius always carried around. In neat little letters, there was a dedication: 'To Albus, I saw that you were interested in it, and I would love you to have it in your possession'. And below he added in even smaller writing 'Real bond will never be up for sale'. Shame came to him as his eyes begun stinging, and, shaking his head like a dog to battle it, he placed his new cackling 'Herpo the foul' chocolate frog card within as a bookmarker, quickly putting it away.
He went over the rest of his gifts and succeeded to hide them all just before the other students came to prepare for the Halloween feast. Luckily, his weekly meeting with McGonagall was canceled this day, leaving Albus to ponder whether he should skip the busy ceremonial dinner as well. He decided to go in the end, mostly because of his growling stomach, however. There, he met Scorpius, who was so ashamed of his breakdown he couldn't even face him.
Albus chose to focus on the dining hall instead. There were sweets-filled pumpkins, real flying bats between the hovering candles, orange ribbons, water snakes, goblets of colored sweets and all other sorts of Halloween related decorations. "Boo", nearly headless Nick, the resident ghost of Gryffindor, appeared from the middle of the table. But by this point it became something they expected- like a vanishing step or a mock door, and only Rollo fell backwards as the rest barely moved an eyelid.
"The bats above us are scarier", Royal said with her nose raised, "at least they are unpredictable". The ghost straightened up, wanted to say something, but then crouched back and floated to the Gryffindor table, where he was welcomed warmly. On his way he passed through Albus, his transparent form cold as ice, his nearly attached head barely held by his high collar, mumbling "like a blunt blade".
"I'm sorry about what happened before", Scorpius quietly bend to tell Albus, who still shivered from the uncomfortable experience. "It's fine", Albus predicted the apology. After all, Scorpius just saw someone close to him who doesn't care at all about flight getting one of the best brooms money can buy. "Its fine, I don't want to talk about it anymore", he repeated impatiently when Scorpius opened his mouth to answer.
"Bzz…", both he and Scorpius jumped from the shock. Albus quickly turned and found Bren standing behind, the 'Weas Bees' taser in his hands. "What was that for?", he angrily asked, rubbing his back. "Halloween, my scrawny friend. Nobody respects tradition anymore", he shook his head in disappointment, making the sparkling pumpkins on his headband to swing wildly. "I just wanted to give you that on my way. Happy birthday". He placed a small box on the table and advanced forward, congratulating and shocking more people on his way.
"Wow, somebody is in good mood", Scorpius whistled, "what's in the box?". "I'll check it later", Albus, uncomfortable with all the eyes aimed at him, didn't want to make the previous incident happen again, so he instead placed it inside his robe. The way he knew Bren it probably contained a clown that gives slaps to whoever opens it. "How did you know it was my birthday, by the way?", Albus tried to sway the conversation. "Well," Scorpius cheeks turned pink, "I read it in some book, and it was very close to mine, so I had no problem remembering it".
He tried to evade eye contact, still embarrassed. But Albus didn't see any reason to keep digging about it, "When is your birthday?", he opted instead. "Tomorrow, in fact", Scorpius was thankful for the change of subject, "I hope to get the Slytherin win as a birthday gift". "How can you say it?", Violet joint in, "You saw the Gryffindors, they're much better".
And like that, the rest of the evening was mainly argued between them on who will win. Violet claimed the Gryffindor players were simply too good while Scorpius repeated that the Slytherin team as a whole were better. Leaving Albus to wonder why neither of them cared about the outcome so much.
The feast continued, but Albus, who again got tired of the regular snarky remarks around him, got up as soon as he solved his hunger and clandestinely made his way out of the hall. He stepped out, wishing to have some private moments to his own, and caught Peeves floating away, cackling loudly with hands full of firecrackers.
"You scared me there Al, I thought you were a professor", Freddy said while advancing to the dining hall. "Perfect alibi, nobody can blame you if you are one of the targets", he responded to Albus' questioning look. "My offer is still up, by the way. If there are any pranksters in need, tell me", his last words were barely heard as he went through the doors.
Albus waited for a couple of moments, amused. And sure enough, the loud blasts were not late to come, drawing numerous screams. As the students began running out of the dining hall, covered in orange glitter, he remembered why he sneaked out in the first place. Hoping he wouldn't be to blame for the mayhem he rushed down before he will be seen. In his hurry, he took the wrong turn, and was about to head back when something clicked in his head.
With a pounding heart he began to walk, letting his body move by itself while the students' voices died in the background. The dim lights steered him down the narrow corridors, and then, suddenly, the round metal shield of the twelve headed snake appeared. But it was different now, he knew it even before he turned to the opposite wall- maybe it was because the lack of green light and the strange sounds.
If there was any entrance, it certainly did not appear. The wall looked so plain that Albus wondered for a second if he had just imagined it all. He slowly approached it, his heart rate slowing down, looking for any signs that would suggest an opening. But after about ten minutes of diligent searching, he had to admit that maybe he was wrong- maybe there were several twelve headed snake shields in the basements (or maybe he just hallucinated everything).
He almost turned to go, disappointed, when his gaze fell to the floor. There, in the gloomy light, were faded trace marks. His heart started beating hard again, so he didn't imagine the secret entrance after all! He bent down to examine them, but they were so murky that it was impossible to even judge what size they were.
Albus said aloud different passwords and searched for secret handles in the walls, lamps and even on the metal shield. But nothing succeeded and he was forced to return disappointed to his bedroom after two hours in the narrow corridor, finding the other boys already fast asleep.
After another insufficient short night full of green light and twisted trees he got up with the excited commotion for the impending game. "Come on, hurry", Scorpius urged him, already wearing a faded green hat and a tattered green scarf, for once ignoring Umbra who mewed for attention next to him. Knowing that he would not be able to go back to sleep anyway, he got up reluctantly and accompanied his excited acquaintance. In the common room they joined Violet, who while not wearing green, still looked just as excited as Scorpius.
They ate a hasty breakfast, and it took Albus a while to realized why he felt so strange. For the first time since the beginning of the year, he had no whispers directed at him. Following this, in a better mood, he went out with Scorpius and Violet, catching good front seats in the Slytherin's stand.
As the bleachers filled up, loud mutters suddenly begun, and many first-year students pointed to the distance. Hagrid walked alongside the boundaries of the forbidden forest, but it was the giant next to him, occasionally plucking prevailing trees as easily as if they were small shrubs and nothing more, who got the attention.
"It's Grawp, Hagrid's brother", Albus said to them over the noise, "he's considered small in comparison to the other giants". "Small?", Violet was stunned, "he must be at least five meters tall". "Brother?", Scorpius asked at same time, his voice barely heard. "Well, half-brother", Albus continued loudly, "There should be more in the mountains". "The ones Fort brought", Scorpius mumbled, more to himself than anything else. The name sounded familiar, and Albus wanted to ask him about it, but now the giant disappeared behind a foreclosure and the game rituals have begun, completely drowning the attention of the others.
"Ladies and gentlemen, students and faculty, those who adore Quidditch and those who love it. Welcome to the first game of the season- Gryffindor vs Slytherin". The thunderous high voice echoed on the pitch, reflecting the almost tangible excitement of the people in it, cheering and clapping. Albus had a feeling that even if a bunch of dragons would start fighting off the field no one would notice it now.
"Without further ado, please welcome the teams", the speaker, a stocky round-faced girl from Hufflepuff, shrieked with such force that some covered their ears. "From Gryffindor-The chasers Santiago Moreno, James Potter and Hailey Walker; The beaters Fred Weasley and Emmett Blau; Benjamin Longbottom as keeper and Melissa Bobbin as the seeker".
The crowd applauded excitingly, and someone even sent red sparks in the air from the Gryffindor stands, though Professor Longbottom, their headhouse, quickly put an end to it. "And here's Slytherin, with their captain- Theodore Dedworth", there weren't any girls in their team and the commentator didn't bother to name the players this time around. Taunts and boos began as they entered, drowning their support.
"Many think it's the best team that has been formed at Hogwarts in recent years", the presenter continued shouting, praising the red crew, "With Sun, the new captain in the lead, two beaters who seem to have an attached mind, the wonderful defender and of course the great seeker. And all this without mentioning Potter- the youngest player at Hogwarts since his father and the son of the famed Holyhead Harpies captain. Truly gifted, and not too bad to look at either".
Laughter rose from the stands as James waved his hand, smiling widely, moving in the air with such lightness that he didn't even seem to need his broom. Albus, in the meanwhile, felt his heart shrink with envy. It was the first time he truly got to experience his brother's popularity in public and found the rumors to not be exaggerated. "If Gryffindor manages to get the Quidditch Cup this year they will be the first in the school's history to do so for 10 years in a row". At least this declaration got some derogatory howls from the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, Albus comforted himself.
"I'm still telling you we'll win", Scorpius and Violet again began arguing next to him, "we have a better team". "You're kidding, right?", Violet waved him away, "I told you already, nothing would work against such a level of talent". Scorpius' angry reaction was forgotten as Mr. Wood reached the middle of the pitch, carrying the box with the game balls in it.
The captains shook hands, trying to crush each other fingers, "And ... here we go", the shout was so loud that Professor Flitwick had to jog with his short legs to the commentator stand and lower the volume of the announcer. Even Albus got little carried away by the excitement as the red quaffle finely got released.
"And James already got the quaffle, zigzagging between Slytherin's slow defense, a nice evasion from the bludger over there, and... Gryffindor first score ". The cheers hit Albus' body like knife stabs, next to him, Scorpius moaned, and Violet cursed loudly. Then, the Gryffindor captain, Santiago, snatched the quaffle again, and similarly to James passed it easily through the hoops. Just for Albus' brother to repeat the same action two more times in a row, without any ability on the part of the Slytherins to stop them.
"Forty points in less than five minutes, it must be a new record. Maybe Lisa should just grab the snitch and finish this bloodbath already", another annoying laughter came, again drowning out the Slytherin protests. Melissa indeed noticed the snitch and dived to catch it. But she wasn't a proficient flyer as James or Santiago and one of the beaters in green managed to hit her and divert her from her trajectory, causing her to lose the tiny golden ball.
At that time one of the chasers from Slytherin, tall and thin with a cruel bend face, managed to score a goal of his own. " Seamus Miles", Scorpius jumped up and down in his sit, "fourth year, he replaced Bren". Hailey Walker, Gryffindor's third chaser, tried to score as well, but was also easily stopped by a bludger, the brutal thump on her back taking her out of commission for the next ten minutes. The shot was avenged however, as James and Santiago scored again in quick succession.
Albus began to understand what Scorpius talked about, Gryffindor had excellent players (particularly the two chasers) who did their job superbly. However, their cooperation was lacking as they seemed more preoccupied with surpassing their teammates than playing together, especially James and his captain. The Slytherin players, on the other hand, while being mediocre at best, performed as one.
The result quickly reached 100-20, with some truly spectacular saves from the Gryffindor keeper. At this time the Gryffindor's seeker was again centered on the snitch but was yet again diverted by the Slytherin beater, a short and sturdy boy with straw hair. Albus noticed that while Gryffindor took every opportunity to attack, the Slytherin team followed a consistent pattern of action.
Their captain, broad shouldered and short haired, kept himself calm and gave precise commands, accompanying the three chasers and helping them in their moves while interfering with the second team when the quaffle fell in their hands. At the same time the second beater followed the rival team's seeker and deflected her off course. Even the Slytherin seeker helped, occasionally distracting the rival team with fake dives after a non-existing snitch.
The game began to lengthen as the sun made its way to the middle of the sky, ruthlessly scorching the students' heads. The early excitement has passed, making way to a relentless and brutal game. Gryffindor slowly began losing their edge. James and Santiago grow visibly tired and began to miss more and more of their shots, Freddy and Emmett swings became weaker and Hailey, Melissa and Benjamin suffered a lot of damage from the bludgers- especially the keeper, whose face was swollen and bloodshot. Slytherin, on the other hand, maintained its power, and began to catch up with the initial gap.
Albus has long since lost focus in the game, the only thing in his mind is the mysterious hatch. He was about to get up after almost two hours when the announcement was heard again. "And Seamus scores another one, 290-260 in favor of Gryffindor, it's not too late". There was no more excitement in the announcer weary voice. Shouts of contempt rose from the stands, but even they lacked energy, now barely heard under the Slytherin cheers. "…And Hailey got the quaffle, Theodore sends a bludger- misses substantially, perhaps he cross-eyed, she throws it and- scores!".
"The keeper flew to the wrong side, where is he going? He's not even guarding the posts. It seems the Slytherins forgot how to play quidditch. Wait ... oh no…" she sighed, "the game is over. Slytherin's seeker caught the snitch- 300-410 in their favor". Everyone's eyes turned to the other side of the field, where the thin little seeker was surrounded by his teammates, the tiny golden ball shimmering in his outstretched hand.
"I can't believe it...", Violet began but was cut off by Scorpius "I told you, I told you…", he repeatedly shouted, jumping up and down with excitement. It took a while until the realization for the game's surprising halt reached the rest of the audience. And then, like a huge beehive, the crowd began talking and then screaming, but no one louder than the Slytherins, who carried their team players inside the castle as soon as they landed. "It's not like they've won the quidditch cup", the announcer said irritably but was ignored.
Albus made his way back to the castle with Scorpius and Violet with a feeling of superiority. In the end, he was glad he came to the game, the look on James' face as soon as he realized he lost was worth it alone. They followed the Slytherin convoy and entered the dining hall that contained green flags and banners in honor of their victory. "I going to greet them", Scorpius called over the fuss and moved towards the place where the team players sat.
He approached them but was stopped by Seamus Miles, who stood up, towering over him. "We do not need your compliments, traitor", he spat, "Take the mudblood and him to the far side of the table, where you belong". Albus felt his good mood drying out as the long thin finger was pointed at him, a heavy silence fell on the Slytherin table. "Miles", Brennan said aloud, shaking his head. He sat next to the captain, who seemed unfazed by all of it, keeping eating his kidney pie without even raising his eyes.
"Melofors", the call came, and Seamus' head got encased in a pumpkin. For a moment Albus taught it was the prefect who did it, until he saw his brother behind him, with his wand raised. "He called someone mudblood, lets…", a stinging jinx hit his face before he finished his sentence, causing his head to inflate like a balloon. In what seemed like less than a second, the two quidditch teams were deep in battle, with enthusiastic support from their respective housemates.
Albus grabbed both Scorpius, who was frozen in place, and Violet, who drew her wand towards James, by their collar, dragging them outside. "We don't want to be here", he muttered as faculty hurried inside the hall, led by the furious Professor Hooper. For the second time Albus saw Peeves hovering into the hall, happily chanting, "Trouble rumble, Peeves will make them double". They made their way to their common room, Albus deep in his thoughts, Scorpius unresponsive and Violet loudly cursing the Gryffindor team.
"Do you know what mudblood is?", he asked her as they entered the elongated underground room, stopping her rant about self-defense, "Something bad?", she shrugged. "It's the worst thing you can call someone from a muggle family", Scorpius said softly, opening his mouth for the first time, "there is nothing more offensive than that".
Violet scoffed, "why would I be offended by a word I just learned. Who asked him to intervene? I will do my own battles, thank you very much", she was livid, "you know what? I'm going to make sure our team is okay", she turned around with fury and stormed back out.
"Should we go after her?", Scorpius asked. "Only if you want to get jinxed as well" Albus answered. They exchanged looks and then went down to their empty dormitories, where Scorpius immediately lied on his bed. As if a silent alarm had sounded, Umbra appeared, and hurried to rest down next to his head like a black purring pillow. "I really enjoyed my birthday for a moment", he said miserably, absentmindedly patting the kitten.
Albus didn't know what to say. But as he advanced towards his own bed an inspiration dawned on him. He hurriedly took out a piece of paper, scribbled words on it, pinned it to the broom he had received the day before and placed it on Scorpius' bed. "What is it?", he straightened up and read the letter- 'To Scorpius, I saw that you were interested in it, and I would love you to have it in your possession', and below was added 'P. S, if you refuse, I swear I'll burn it'. Until Scorpius' raised his gaze Albus had already headed out.
He got up the stairs as Oliver, who had a bleeding lip, and Tucker, who was covered in pie remains, got down. In addition to the regular dirty look, the Irish kid whispered "Coward" as he bumped into him. Albus spun angrily, but both already kept advancing down, their mocking laughter echoed in his ears. There was a tingling sensation in his fingers and his hand began inadvertently gravitating in the direction of his wand. He stopped himself, he didn't avoid the quarrel in the dining room just to get into another one. With that in mind he went up and got out of the Slytherin common room.
He walked down the dark corridors toward the secret opening, wanting to take advantage of the free time he had for further investigation. But when he got there, he was surprised to find a familiar person. James stood still, the ragged page with the illustrations in his hand, completely focused on where the secret entrance should have been. He suddenly turned around, noticing Albus, "What are you doing here?" he demanded angrily.
His head was still swollen, and his clothes scruffy, but other than that he looked fine. "What do you mean what am I doing here? What the hell are you doing here?", Albus fired back, his rage rising again. "It doesn't matter, get lost", his brother turned his face back to the wall.
But Albus, full of animosity, didn't intend to give up. "Is that how you deal with a loss, you find a quiet corner to cry on?", He knew he had touched a nerve, and indeed, James turned around, his already bloated face stretched out in fury. "At least I'm not running away from a fight like a coward", Oliver's mocking rang in Albus' ears as James ousted that.
"If your head will be more swollen it will explode" Albus laughed, a familiar surge of power beginning to flow through his body, "I'm just smart enough to know which battles to get into, unlike you". "Keep making up stories- that's the only thing you're good at", James stepped forward with intimidation. Albus pulled out his wand, holding it close to his body, he couldn't wait to defeat James.
"What's the wand for? You think I don't know you can't use it? Everyone already knows. Imagine that, I at least thought Slytherin would not get squibs into their ranks…". "I'm not a squib", Albus shouted, now it was James who touched a nerve, "it's the wand, it's not working for me…". "Keep making stories…", his brother taunted him.
Albus decided to not wait for James to pull out his wand, he would show him, he would make him cry like a baby for disrespecting him. He started to raise his hand, but his brother already narrowed the distance with incredible speed and Albus found himself on the dirty floor. For a second, he didn't understand how he got there, but then the terrible pain in his temple reminded him- he didn't even saw the punch coming.
James snatched the wand from Albus' loose hand. "Hey", he rose on an unstable knee, "give it back". He tried lunching at his brother feet, but James just stepped backward effortlessly. "Rictusempra", he waved his hand and a jet of silver light hit Albus in the stomach, buckling him again with the tickling charm.
"Would you look at that", James said quietly while kneeling, bringing his bloated face closer to those of Albus, "It seems that the problem is indeed with you". He tossed the old wand in front of Albus and walked away, leaving him oozing for air, tears flowing from his eyes amid his uncontrollable laughter.
