I'm so Sorry: 1) I haven't uploaded in a while and 2) this chapter has been too stressful to edit properly. Brief recap of recent events: Albus has run off from his parents summer house on Isle Avalon and bumps into Lucius Malfoy while shopping in Knocturne Alley. Now his mother has tracked him down.


Apov

The aurors surrounded me then, turning their wands towards their new target. It was obvious by their expressions that I'd become a source of fear to them. True, people were coming to recognize my skill and strength... Yet it still was no less painful to see how many were afraid of me. Why can't I ever just be my quiet kind self? That's all I want.

"Albus Severus Potter! You know better than this. You shouldn't leave the safety of isle Avalon. Really, and to leave while in the middle of a lunch with your own mum."

"I needed to get out of that stuffy place. I needed some air ok?"

The anger on her face was explosively evident. This expression, which she'd inherited from her own mother, was enough to frighten dad, uncle Ron and James, yet not me. I'm her favorite and I know she secretly understands what i'm dealing with. She and Lily have always understood me best. This was merely for show. The pretense of discipline. At least i hoped so.

"So you decided to come here of all places? One of the most dangerous locations in magical Britain? Think what might have happened! You know what that man has done. He is more treacherous than you can imagine and I'm certain time has done little to dull the truth of that. Now come, we're going home."

"Well actually, Madame all seeing eye, you happen to be wrong on this one. He intervened on my behalf, to save me from the other pure bloods. Besides, Lucius Malfoy's character is irrelevant, I'm not here to debate anything with you. I merely had some errands to run. So I'll bid you a good day while I go off to run them."

I turned around and started walking away from her, letting my dismissal hang rudely in the air. The ring of guards had recoiled slightly at my approach but failed to let me pass.

"Master Albus, you are this country's treasure, a great asset to the Ministry. You must be kept safe."

"Marquess Peverell please come back with us. You could be hurt or kidnapped."

"I am not a weapon! Nor an asset! I'm a silly little boy who just wants to be normal. But if you insist on treating me like a dangerous animal then i'm going to have to treat you like my prey. Now move aside DMLE scum before I move you myself! I wont be controlled by the likes of you!"

"Albus Potter! Don't you walk away from me when I'm speaking to you! And don't you dare ever curse or shout orders at an adult again. You may one day become the strongest wizard of our time but you haven't lived long enough yet to justify this attitude. Have you completely lost your mind?"

"That's the point isn't it. I might just lose my mind again, that is if I'm to be made a prisoner for the rest of my life. Thats why i'm going sightseeing for the day. If you hadn't already noticed what I was wearing, then you know now... that you won't find me a second time... nor will anyone looking to hurt me. I'll be home in a couple of hours so don't bother worrying or expending the ministry's valuable resources searching for a very invisible shadow. Understand? Mum." I offered, flinging the cloak of invisibility over myself.

The guards grabbed helplessly at the open air while I darted past their confused faces. I remembered little after that aside from the running and frantic orders being barked behind me. Venom Street, Brimstone Way, Siren's Lane flew by as I barreled forwards as fast as I could manage. I merely ran, feeling free for the first time in a long time. The irony wasn't lost on me that I was technically hiding and on the run from armed men who were actively hunting for me. But i didn't care. I was going to escape them and then I could finally have some fun.

I was so excited by the prospect that for a moment i shut my eyes and breathed deeply, proud at myself for finally finding the courage to act.

I had just turned a sharp corner and found, instead of a quiet place to hide, a bustling crowd of shouting wizards all gathered around a wooden structure. They cheered and placed bets wildly in a chorus of frenzy while ghastly animal noises rang out from within. I peered downward into a pit to spy two nundu fighting each other viciously in the bloody sands below. The beasts tore wildly at one another, biting and roaring ferociously in their anger. Dismay sprang suddenly through me, cutting its way into my hopefulness like a knife. It was an illegal arena! Damnit Albus you have to get yourself out of here!

I had barely begun inching my way through the packed space when my mother and her platoon rounded the corner behind me. In my panic to get away I started pushing wizards aside to make room for me. My mom, as i sometimes seem to forget, is one of the most powerful warlocks alive and quite the smart one at that. My carelessness had been my undoing. Never make a move without thinking it through!

"There he is! In the crowd! Follow the signs of shoving. Don't lose sight of his footprints in the mud or we won't find him again. You men, arrest everyone in sight before they realize why we are here. If they figure out Harry Potter's son is out in the open with one of the deathly hallows, we will have a national crisis on our hands."

I continued shoving my way through the throng of onlookers in an attempt to escape, enraged by my own stupidity. How could i have forgotten to conceal my tracks? Amelia would have hit me for the obvious mistake. I clicked my tongue in annoyance, trying to think of my next move.

In the blind chaos of wild movement I collided violently with a lean figure, nearly taking us both down in a heap of limbs and muck. The boy seemed utterly paralyzed for a moment, before his eyes darted backwards towards the oncoming aurors. A fraction of a moment later and his features widened fearfully, a sign that his brain had reengaged. 'GO ON already! He can't see you Albus, so move!'

But shadowy tendrils seemed to latch onto my mind and hold its attention on the stranger. The longer I stared at him the more vivid the creeping sensation became. A hail of fragmented images began to flash inside my head before I could even consider anything else that was happening around me.

Instead of fleeing, the boy, to my shock, squinted suspiciously at the space in front of him before shooting his arm out like lightning to grab at mine through the fabric of my cloak. One hand closed vice like on me while he pulled out his wand with the other.

"Effugio obscurra!"

No sooner had the words slipped past his lips than his wand began to expel thick purple smoke high into the air like a jet of steam escaping a boiler. In half a minute the entire square was covered in the blinding substance as the crowd bolted for cover in every direction. "Follow me, now!" the stranger barked, not loosening his grip enough to make his command seem a choice. He merely dragged me through the fleeing mass, diving down a small alley and then once more into a hidden tunnel. A moment later the ragged flap of worn fabric concealing the entrance fluttered closed, taking with it the brightness of the sun and the din of panic.

'Now the darkness reigns' I thought to myself. A quote from Scor's favorite series. Myth and Mysteries vol. 13

The sounds of shouting and spellwork began receding into the distance and only once they seemed far off did the boy release his grip on me. I pulled my cloak off, intending to thank him but found instead that he couldn't even be bothered to glance at me. The stranger simply lit his wand and examined a small number on a panel by the side of the entrance. He squinted at the number and symbol once more before closing his eyes... as though trying to remember something. His clothes were fine silk and the softest of cashmere and Egyptian cotton.

"Why did you help me?" I asked curiously as the beautiful boy turned his back on me. The stranger merely remained silent as he entered the gloom, ignoring my question with so practiced an effortlessness that he could only be from a wealthy family. I decided to follow him for another few minutes, hoping silently for an answer I wasn't sure would come. To my further confusion he continued to turn and navigated so effortlessly in the underground passageways that I couldn't help but conclude he had done this many times before. His clothing was expensive and quite as nice as mine. He was without a doubt a noble or a Pureblood which made it all the stranger to think somebody like him might be navigating what must have been sewers or terror tunnels at one point.

"I've saved you from your mothers men so now you can get lost. I don't quite have the time to babysit a lost puppy."

"I only wanted to thank you. I'm sure you took an enormous risk sheltering me."

I was more curious how he had known I was beneath the cloak. It wasn't possible for its magic to be breached...

"I took a small risk helping you but only that since I'm certainly not planning on sheltering you. To be fair... You are following me despite my having saved you. Which I might point out is quite selfish of you. You could have just left back at the entrance. If they find us together you know I'll be held responsible."

I huffed at his accusation, rolling my eyes out of habit. Moderately smart people irritate me. They're harder to control.

"Oh... i'm sorry. I guess you're right. I wasn't thinking about that. But it seems we've gone far enough down here that I wont be able to find my way out now. You might as well show me the way. I'll buy you a butterbeer to thank you properly."

"Hahahahahaha! Don't pretend you didn't follow down here on purpose! Maybe if I didn't know any better i'd guess otherwise. But i do. I bet my inheritance that you've already perfectly memorized every passage we've come through. Still just as insufferable as ever. Genius twit that you are." he spat, blasting open a hatch at the end of a stone stairway. The comment took me by such surprise that I nearly tripped. The flood of light from the surface was so blinding that it distracted me momentarily from my shock. We emerged into an expansive garden network amidst ancient courtyards of carved stone and polished marble. It took me another moment of confusion to realize that we'd surfaced behind the shadow court. I remember reading that palaces had been erected long ago behind the Court to house the nobility that had chosen to live here.

"Its getting late. My estate is that way. The mansion down the drive from number 3 is vacant right now. You can sneak in and use the floo in the entrance hall to go wherever you want from there."

"What did you say?"

"Number three. Go on. Get lost already. I have better things to do."

"Still just as insufferable as ever! I heard you correctly. How did you know I was under the cloak? How did you know I would pretend to get lost on purpose? Why... Are there images of you in my head? Why can't I remember anything properly anymore?" It all seemed so foggy. So many memories have been stolen from me... I can't seem to remember what is real anymore.

He looked at me sadly then, examining my face as though he were still surprised to see me. As though I were a long lost pet, or a ghost. There was something strange about the way his eyes seemed to scan me. A longing...

He shifted uncomfortably for a moment, as though struggling with something.

"Well... the ministry says we are forbidden to discuss it... so we don't discuss it. Now go."

It wasn't an answer. In fact it only inflamed my curiosity more. Something about the boy was so familiar. His green eyes were so piercing that I started to blush. He was just as handsome as Louis except that his hair was pitch black like Dad's... like a raven's. A drop of water fell across the membrane of my consciousness, sending ripples through it that made me shudder. Eyes as green as grass. Hair as black as the wings of a...

"Raven..."

His eyes went wide at the word, fear woven about his face. There was power attached to the name.

"Nobody calls me that anymore. Not ever." his expression grew dark at its use, as though I might have known better than to call him that. "You should go Allie, before you get me in serious trouble. It was... nice to see you again." he stopped then to smile warmly. "You know... You're still just as adorable as you were when you were six." The boy turned to leave before I stopped him. There had been such fondness in the smile that I grew panicked. Like Scor, or Lily or Louis. He looked at me like I was his family. He looked at me without even a hint of fear.

"Who on earth do you think you are? Does everyone honestly believe my life is just one big game? Every piece on the board has sought to manipulate me since the day I was born. I want you to tell me what else they've done to me. What memories they've stolen. Who are you? How do you know me?"

Before I could even process what was happening, the blue charm on my bracelet began to glow and hurried footsteps grew closer. "Get back under the cloak. Somebody is coming." he shot protectively, flinging the celestial fabric over me to conceal my form.

I watched in complete shock as my former best friend came to grab my savior roughly by the collar of his shirt. What was he doing here? Of all the people who could have come at that moment... why did it have to be him?

"What the fuck is your family plotting?" Scorpius Malfoy asked frantically of the boy. Raven merely scoffed at the accusation. It was all i could do to try desperately to control my breathing as Scor's charm glowed hot against my skin. I caught a gasp before it escaped my throat, having to clasp my hands against my mouth to stifle the sound.

"Oh how pleasant and well mannered you are Scorpius. I'm well thanks for asking, It's good to see you too. Heard you helped induct Markus into our little world, Marius must be so proud. By the way... how is uncle—?"

"—Spare me the fucking pleasantries you slippery sack of shit."

"Excuse me?" Raven spat, genuinely outraged by Scorpius's mistreatment of him. "I don't know who you think you've become Duke Malfoy but don't ever presume to talk to me like that."

"I don't have time for this. Alexander Raven Drake Greengrass I'd like an immediate explanation as to what duplicitous villainy my scheming shit of a Grandfather has planned with our scheming shit of a Grandfather." Raven Greengrass... Scor's cousin... Wait... What's going on.

"What in Merlin's Beard are you talking about? And for Herpo's sake if not out of respect for our class and upbringing, please stop cursing, it doesn't suit you at all. You're a duke, not a fishmonger down by the wharf."

"My shifty traitor Grandfather just apparated to my house claiming to have just come from yours. I'm worried that something's happened to a friend of mine who may have crossed paths with Lucius around here. I heard there was a ministry raid on Knocturne alley earlier."

Ugh... How short sighted of me to have sent Lucious to Malfoy manor. I had only thought to save the man from arrest. I hadn't thought what would happen when he appeared in the Malfoy's living room after his years of exile.

"I had no idea whatsoever that they were still on speaking terms. I didn't even know Lucius was back in the country. I've been out all day and saw nobody at the house before i left. Who are you even looking for?"

Scorpius released his grip on his cousin, letting the black haired youth recollect himself. Raven wasted no time smoothing out his clothing with meticulous methodology, an action that spoke volumes about his upbringing.

"I... can't tell you his name. That's not important. I just need to find him and make sure he's alright. Would you help me look?"

"A description might help. After an apology of course."

I watched as Scorpius's concern for me overpowered his sense of dignity. He shook his head lightly to himself before agreeing.

"I'm sorry I jumped on you. I'm just very worried about him. Surely he couldn't be stupid enough to have come here of all places."

"What friend are you talking about?"

"My best friend... Someone very dear to me. You'd remember his face if you'd seen him. Greener eyes than yours, dark chocolate hair."

"Not very much to go on. Any defining features? You said i'd remember him. Does he have some hideous growth? Enormous bat ears? A beak nose?"

"He's always grinning like a fool if that counts."

"Anything else?"

"Well i say YOU'D remember him because... well... he's... kind of...

"Yesss?"

"He's very... erm beautiful... well... cute in that stupid obnoxious way puppies tend to be. Herpo's Bones! what was Al even thinking coming to Knocturne Alley undisguised?"

Raven's eyes went wide at the use of my name, before narrowing contemplatively.

"He? Beautiful? Dear to you? Well well. Quite handsome this boy Al huh. If so maybe you should introduce him to me? This so called attachment of yours." Raven asked tauntingly. Scorpius merely scoffed again in annoyance.

"Please spare me your strange thoughts and predilections. Your insinuation is absurd. I was trying to give you an objective description. One, we're merely friends and either way you couldn't have him."

"You're supposed friendship is beyond strange if you would think to run around London like a mad man interrogating and accusing your own family at the drop of a hat. Is Albus Potter really worth that much to you? People will talk, they'll think its beyond strange. They'll think there's some Malfoy plot afoot, which most of us know there already is. I on the other hand can do as I please since nobody suspects my family of treachery. The Greengrasses had no part in Voldemort's little scheme which places us above suspicion."

Scorpius grabbed his cousin again, harder this time. "I only said Al... How did you know who I was talking about? If you or anyone else thinks to hurt him I swear on my life i'll kill—"

"—Oh enough games! For fuck's sake Scorpius, I'm fine. Now piss off and leave Raven alone." I shot angrily, removing the cloak and revealing myself. I'd never seen anyone so shocked before. He'd nearly bolted right out of his skin. "You" I barked, pointing at Malfoy. "Are to go home. And you" I offered shifting to Raven. "Are to stop with the games and tell me what the bloody hell is wrong with my memories."

"Al... What's going on? Are you ok? Did he do something..." Scorpius inquired in a daze. My skin grew hot thinking about his compliment. Seeing his face...

"I'm fine... Alright... Just go away. I don't want to see you right now. Nor do I have time to explain what's happened. You wanted to make sure I was safe and I am. Now leave."

"What are you even doing here? I... don't... understand."

I rolled my eyes. It would take too long to describe and I didn't really even feel the need to justify myself to him.

"Oh didn't I mention? Your cousin and I are having a torrid love affair." he looked so perturbed by the joke that I realized he didn't get I was being sarcastic. I rolled my eyes again.

"Ugh Obviously not. I was shopping for untradeable material with Lucius when my mum caught me. I helped your grandfather out of a sticky situation and later as I fled my mother's guards, Raven came upon me, aiding me in my escape. Why he did I'm still trying to figure out."

"Could we though? Have a torrid love affair? That sounds immeasurably more interesting than standing around talking to testy Scorpius about his unpleasant grandfather." Raven offered smiling. His forwardness was amusing. The way he looked at me however made it difficult to tell if he'd been joking. I felt myself redden beneath his stare. He must have been at least James's age by the look of him. A very handsome sixtee—

"—Quiet Raven, I'll get back to you in a moment." I turned towards Scorpius then, not wanting to even speak to him. How many times already had we run into each other this summer... "I am sorry I sent Lucius to the Manor, I wasn't thinking. For my carelessness and that alone do I apologize. Ok? Now please go." I finished, snapping my fingers and apparating Scorpius away. I could feel him resisting the spell until finally a look from me forced him to relent, allowing himself to be transported by my magic. The look in his eyes was too complicated to understand.

RPOV

The angry Brunette turned towards me then, his green eyes flashing fire as he waited quietly for me to explain myself. Scorpius was right. He had become absolutely adorable...

"So? Off to have that torrid love affair are we? My house is huge, so you can scream as loud as you like." Al couldn't help but continue to blush at that. He had always been like this. Scorpius was oblivious. I would have accepted Al's affection in a heartbeat had he ever sought to offer it to me instead. How could they have become such close friends again after the obliviation?

"No... but I want to know... Why... Why are you in my head? I remember you... as a child... you used to give me flowers... and make me origami animals... tell me funny stories... and braid me and my sisters hair."

"Allie let it go... I'd get into so much trouble for telling you anything at all. You're smart, you know by now there's more going on than they're telling you."

"If you can't tell me... then show me instead... Your memories."

That was a dangerous proposition. Showing either Lily, Scor or Al our childhood was forbidden by law.

"Please Alex... I can tell... you meant a great deal to me." He whispered softly, his cheeks still red. I always had trouble refusing him anything. We had all been very close. A long time ago. Back when we were enthralled by the mere sight of butterflies.

"I don't think you really want to see. He's in them too."

"Scor?" he asked, wincing at the use of the name as though wounded by its sound.

"Yes. It's obvious a stray memory was left by mistake... That or you simply couldn't forget my face. A flattering prospect for me, however unlikely. Start with anything you can grasp. It will make it easier to deny my involvement if they accuse me of interfering. Work your mind around the images and fill in the landscape. Picturing water always helps."

I took his hand in mine and intertwined our fingers. This wasn't exactly what he'd meant, but it might be enough. I could see his magnificent mind at work as he struggled to reconstruct memories that had been locked away from him. He always did have such a brilliant brain. I whispered a soft spell to help him. It might have been enough reason for them to kill me...

"I see you and my sister... We... We are playing in the water gardens on isle Avalon. There's a blond girl there too... she is so pretty... she looks almost like that portrait of... Ella... it is Ella. Limstella Malfoy. I'm sure of it. And there's... I knew Scor back then? and you? And Ella? Raven, you were all my friends. I had friends... friends who didn't fear me. Who trusted me. Why would they erase those? Why would the Ministry take those things away from me? I always thought i had grown up alone, feared, a freak. My parents... why would they pretend all this time that i'd never known him?"

"The story goes that you did something horrible by accident... and... well your parents were afraid of what people would think about you, Lily, Limstella and Scor. The same political nonsense as always. You and I stayed friends for a while after that. They hadn't minded as much with me. I think they let even James and Louis keep their memories of me. The rest doesn't really matter."

He seemed to pause at that. He looked almost... embarrassed.

"Why... do I remember you... kissing me."

"I told you, the rest of it doesn't matter."

"Hang on a minute. I think that matters. I'd like at least to be the judge of it."

I shifted to stare at him, directly in the eyes. I hope I don't look nearly as sad as I feel right now.

"I already told you, i could be arrested for saying anything! If you ever ask me that again, you selfish boy, I can't guarantee I won't smack you."

Albus merely squinted his eyes in anger. His expression shifting from forlorn curiosity to burning anger. He flicked his wrist at me, toppling me over without warning. He leaned down to place his hand against my head and I knew then what he was about to do.

"This is going to hurt tremendously if you resist." he offered before I felt the probe diving into my mind.

"Don't you fucking dar—"

Agh! I struggled despite his warning, enraged at the invasion of my privacy. My childhood unraveled... memories of my mother and father playing with me in Paris by our gardens... My Grandfather teaching me proper etiquette and political history. My first kiss... with him... stolen after getting jealous of Scor... playing in the sand... Ella... Lily... Confessing to my parents that I was... My aunt Astoria moving back into the Manor after her divorce... my friendship with Aurora... Going to school at Draugmaur... Before he could get to the more sensitive memories of him I erected an image of a brick wall, focusing as hard on it as I could. I could feel the frustration growing inside of Albus as I resisted his dive. It was excruciating to deny him.

He's become so strong... I thought he would merely give up... but he had no mercy for a boy he had no memories of. His need to know what had been done to him... outweighed any concern he had for my wellbeing. It was as though he were digging into my skull with white hot claws, attempting to pry open my brain. Finally the pain became too great to endure. I let go of the barrier and left him to pillage my most private secrets. After rummaging around my head for several moments, Albus finally released me with a sad gasp.

I struggled immediately to regain my footing, pushing him off of me.

"How dare you!" I cursed angrily, smacking him across the face as hard as I could. He brought his hand up to his cheek to press it against the injury.

"I'm sorry... I was tired of having things kept from me. I... I should have known... it was wrong of me to do that... Alex. Please... I'm so..."

"You had no right! I'm not the fucking ministry! Or any of the other people that hurt you. I was one of your closest friends. I didn't deserve that! I lost my best mate too you know! When they obliviated the lot of you. By law I couldn't see or speak to you anymore. Can you even imagine what that's like? How horrible it was for me. Now I see you after all this time and you do that to me of all things?"

"I'm sorry... I didn't know... how close we were... I wouldn't... have done it otherwise, please i swear."

He had a point there. This wasn't entirely his fault. The ministry had all but engineered the narrative of his entire childhood when they'd discovered how powerful Al would become. Plans had been laid out by both sides so very long ago. If he had no idea who I was then he was somewhat justified in not having reservations about assaulting my mind. Then again it was still selfish of him. More like Scorpius than the Albus I knew.

"Your apology is not accepted."

"You know... I mean... We could be friends again now." He offered hesitantly... ignoring my dismissal. He knew I was very conflicted about seeing him.

"I rather doubt it. After what you just pulled, you think we could be ever be friends again?"

"Why not? We're older now, nobody can mess with my mind anymore. Let's stick it to them. Oh... You don't still..."

"Love you?" I watched him flinch at my candidness. He had always been so shy and reserved about his thoughts and emotions. Lily and I had always been the blunt ones, despite her being the youngest and I the oldest. "Don't be absurd Albus. You really don't realize how amazing you are. I guess in that respect I'm even smarter than Scorpius. Anyone who didn't love you after spending a mere day with you is either an idiot, devoid of emotion or straight as an arrow. Or I suppose the alternative were it a girl."

Al blushed again at my forwardness. "But... how can you be... not after so many years... surely..."

"What are we? In an American serial drama? Where we talk about what we feel until our hearts blow out of our chests and our eyes start to bleed pink candy? I'd like to cease this absurd conversation. You already read my mind... Didn't you? That should tell you enough about my feelings to stop you from asking these inane questions. Now enough, find your own way home. You've wounded me and i've grown tired of this conversation. "

He reached outwards to stop my departure.

"Not even to protect me then? You have the same fears I do about a war... about a plot... You know I'll be dragged into it before long. You wouldn't stay by my side even to help protect me? Even if they were going to kill me?"

I turned to look at him then, angry and surprised by the changes I saw in him.

"You've become more manipulative than I remember..."

"Something I picked up from my Slytherin housemates... primarily your cousin if we're being honest."

So he had placed Slytherin in the end... I turned around intent on returning the cruelty he'd shown me when he invaded my mind. It was too much even for me.

"You know my cousin likes girls right? Unless some cosmic piece of magic binds you two together in some ridiculously complex manner there's no way he's going to feel about you the way you do about him. Ever. Even if he, by some miracle, accepted the sweet hearted boy I once knew, neither of you could be together for as long as the world fears who you both might become. You are weapons, pawns to be used and disposed of. There's no escape for you from this hell. Half of us will be dead before the war anyway. And the other half will most likely perish by its conclusion. You and Scorpius are a fantasy. A delusion if you could only recognize it."

His eyes went wide at the statement. Al looked very hurt by my words. It wasn't like me to be so vindictive.

"Thats... not... I don't... Scorpius and I... are just..."

"Do you? Realize it."

He looked sad and frightened at the notion. Tears had started forming in his beautiful eyes. I examined him for what seemed the first time in years. He'd grown so much since last i'd seen him. He was tall and lean, but with broad shoulders for his age. He still had the most spectacular emerald eyes i'd ever seen, with long black lashes that would flutter quickly when he became flustered. Perfect skin with only a light dusting of freckles to dot his cheeks. So faint that you barely noticed they were there, unless you looked closely. I felt badly for mistreating him. Even if he'd done the same to me.

"I... do... Of course I do...why do you think i'm ignoring him? Why do think I asked him to leave me alone?"

Watching the water trickle down his face did something profound to me. I could never hurt him. It was like hurting myself. How can I still be a slave to someone I haven't known since forever ago?

"I'm sorry Al... I shouldn't have said that." I couldn't stand it, the thought of his pain. "Forgive me?" I asked softly. "I'll forgive you" Trying to distract him.

We just stood there. His mind still thick with the confusion of lost memories. I brought my hand up to cup his face, using my thumb to brush the tears away. He tilted his head to look up at me, his eyes searching, questioning. The fear and uncertainty woven into his expression... the way his breathing picked up heavily... the way he seemed to gulp nervously...

I noticed his skin begin to tinge, reddening lightly. After staring for a few moments i realized that my thumb had begun to caress a trail across his lips.

"Alex don't..." The words came out more whisper than anything, Al's voice catching slightly in his throat. It hit me as I scanned his face. He's seriously affected by me... You shouldn't do this Raven... he's confused and upset... his whole sense of self unhinged by the brain dive.. and he's still so young... but I couldn't help it.

Before I knew it, I was leaning in, pressing my lips to his. The kiss deepened intensely for a few moments before I pulled back on my own. A tender thing. Real and intimate.

"I bet you remember me now." I whispered softly. He reddened furiously in embarrassment at that.

"You... shouldn't have done that Alex." His head was tilted nervously downwards. He couldn't bring himself to look at me. The notion made me smile. Still such a little kid. I pulled his face back upwards to brush my nose against his. It was something i'd taught him a long time ago. It always upset me to watch him do it to Scor.

"Why shouldn't I have? You tried to manipulate me. I thought I'd teach you what your punishment would be for it. Although if you really want me to stay by your side... as an ally... to protect you... well... you had better learn I don't take kindly to that kind of persuasion. In fact I think you're the only person i'd let use me. Had anyone else tried it I'd have killed them... You on the other hand... I can think of nothing else but kissing you, so next time you want something from me you'll have to trade me with one of these instead."

I offered kissing him again. Suddenly the skies had darkened and rain had begun to pour.

"Stop it!" Al sputtered afterwards, now as red as a tomato. Manipulative little Slytherin thrown off balance by a simple kiss?

"Again... Why should I? Maybe we'd make my cousin jealous. You'd really like that now wouldn't you?" I teased. The guilt on his face only made me smile wider. He didn't even know what was happening. "I'll tell you what, you can come back to my house briefly and we'll have a nice long talk out of the rain. And I give you my word that i'll only kiss you a couple more times."

"You'll do nothing of the sort. But I... suppose... if we were to catch up... while I dry off. That wouldn't be so dreadful. Perhaps with something warm to drink?"

"Earl Grey with lavender and morpho nectar instead of honey."

His eyes went wide at that. It was always his favorite.

"Sure..."

"As long as you tell everyone it was you who restored your own memories... Then I find those terms acceptable."

"Deal."


Hope you guys enjoyed. I'm trying to order the next couple of chapters and rewrite some lost data. Please Please Please if you're a regular reader let me know if you like what's going on at all so I know how fast i can upload / if i need to change the pace. its been a while guys but i haven't given up!