_(YOU BLOODY IDIOT!)
(Can i help you Albus?)
_(YOU'RE PLANNING TO READ IT?!)
(Oh...😬)
_(OH! OH! Is that all you have to say!)
(Calm down Al. Why do you even care?)
_(Meet me at the observatory in twenty minutes.)
_(And bring the book with you. Don't argue with me)
(•••)
SPOV
Why does he even care? He still hates me so why bother concerning himself over my affairs? I stared into the electronic keypad that guarded access to the entrance of the astral observatory. I had only been on this mountain once before. When Al and I had taken the port key on christmas at his family's house. Al pulled me off the mountain and we howled like wolves all the way down. The memory of it brought a smile to my lips.
I pressed the red button and an eyeball appeared behind the half domed black lens.
"What was so urgent that you presumed to summon me here?" I asked into the intercom before the eye disappeared and a buzzing unlocked the heavy metal door to my right. I pushed my way in from the incredibly cold mountain top and peered into the enormous workshop. In the center of the room I noted an enormous telescoping mechanism that extended into and through the ceiling. Scattered around were tables and work benches where potions equipment and experiments were half finished or abandoned. There were various blackboards with equations or diagrams written in chalk also strewn about the room. I hung up my coat by the door and peered anxiously around for the source of my concern.
"If you're not even willing to show yourself I'm going to go. I don't appreciate being snapped at and made to leave my bed in the middle of the night."
An electronic door slid open at the other end of the room and out strode Al. He looked sheepishly at me as he approached.
"You're nervous!" I remarked at the state of him.
"You're not going to turn this around on me! We both know why you're here!" Albus shot back.
"No i don't actually. What business is it of yours what I do with my own things?" I barked. "I can't read a book that my family has owned for five hundred years?"
"I… well… because its reckless and stupid Malfoy."
"You're still calling me Malfoy? Why am I here damnit? You've said it a hundred times. We're not friends anymore. Why should you care what dangers befall me?"
He stopped at that, his eyes examining my face. I could feel the cold burn of the blue scale creeping along my arm beneath the sleeve of my shirt. I broke eye contact with him and turned to peer at the magical projects peppering the expanse of the room.
"I see you haven't stopped experimenting. Anything interesting you've been working on?"
"Malfoy…"
I sighed, irked at the stunted exchange between us.
"Here's my idea Al. You don't have to forgive me. You don't even have to explain yourself over this ridiculous demand of yours. Instead… I will agree not to read the tome of time on one condition. Its ten o'clock right now." I offered checking my watch. "Tomorrow is a sunday and neither of us has to be up early. If you stay up late with me and pretend we're still friends just for tonight… you don't have to mean it, you just need to act. If you do that I promise i won't try and read this." I offered pulling the blue book from my small pouch.
He looked from the book to me and back again.
"Is it really so difficult to pretend?" I asked sadly. I could feel the blue scale rip at my skin as my heart tore in my chest.
He smiled at me flawlessly and walked over to where I stood.
"Can I show you some of what I've been working on?" He asked warmly. There was only the faintest hint of wariness in his expression. When did he learn to act so well?
"I'd love to Al." I motioned for him to lead the way and just like that it was as if nothing were wrong. He showed me around the Observatory, pointing out project after project. His experiments and potions were all interesting but for the most part they weren't ground breaking. It wasn't until we got to a small crystal orb with magnifying lenses and various fine tuned etching instruments suspended by mechanical arms that I stopped curiously.
"Can I take a look at this one? I have a feeling I found a good one."
He smirked at me and motioned for me to look into one of the lenses. I placed my face close to the glass and peered into the blown up image of faeric runes etched into adamantine white metal beneath the crystal sheath of the orb. Alchemic circles overlapped in many patterns and although I couldn't understand all of the faeric a suspicion began to grow in my mind at its purpose.
"I call this my aegis. After the mythic shield that belonged to zeus and athena."
"I know what the aegis is silly." He shrugged and pulled the orb from its clamp.
"Praesidium" He cast, making a wand motion with his finger. At the sound of the incantation a matrix of tendril like energy erupted from the orb and extended barrier like as far as the walls of the room. It was a shield unlike any I had ever seen. It made a protego charm look like a flimsy film of plastic by comparison. The design for the system was incredible… and most likely impenetrable if I had to guess.
"This is incredible Al. How did you come up with it?" I asked, genuinely impressed. He looked down at the floor at that.
"Something in the book of death gave me the idea…" He whispered. "Although the inspiration came to me in a rose tinted dream. A vision of my grandmother lily explained the principle to me. Something about love magic and protection magic.
I stood quietly reflecting on all the power he had gained by reading the book of death that night.
"You're not still contemplating it you stupid boy!" Albus cursed as he examined my expression. "You promised me!"
"You really have no place telling me not to read the book of time when you've gained so much insight by reading the book of death! Don't be such a hypocrite."
"I was lucky the ordeal didn't kill me. I've only absorbed forty five percent of the information in that tome. The rest was a subconscious influence the book worked within me. I could have died."
"But you didn't Al. You were fine and now you can read the book at your leisure."
"I don't want anything to happen to you alright!" Albus shouted suddenly, his voice booming into the enormous chamber. This boy confused me so much. I withdrew the tome of time and held it up to the light. The blue patterns swirled on the books cover and we both just stared at it.
"My family are related to the Avalon's. I have the blood of this font in my veins. I should be strong enough to open it. I should be strong enough to read it! You don't know that I can't." I was angry now and I could feel magic welling up inside of me.
"Is it worth the risk? You promised me you wouldn't. Are you going to break that promise like you broke our friendship?" He looked betrayed, appalled by my hesitation. What is wrong with him? Why couldn't he just let me back in?
"I didn't break our friendship Al. You did. I've apologized countless times and you refuse to listen or accept my words! I can't handle this anymore!" I shouted as magical energy discharged from my skin. It was almost as if the tome was drawing power out from inside me. It glowed deep blue and i could hear its power whispering to me.
"Malfoy don't… please… I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
At that I grew even angrier. "As if you actually care? You still call me Malfoy, you still keep me as far away as you can manage without the disease killing us… why should i believe you actually care?" I barked angrily.
All of a sudden the book flew open and energy erupted throughout the chamber. An enormous blue sphere emerged from the open pages and hovered menacingly in the center of the chamber. It blared red and blue, groaning out a mechanical twang of twisting metal. My eyes were fixed upon the clocklike formula that were etched upon its surface. All of Al's papers and notes flew about the room as if they were but flecks in a snow globe.
"NO! Scorpius! DON'T! What are you doing!" He shouted as he was thrown across the space. He grabbed onto a desk to keep himself from flying away but still his legs dangled parallel to the ground. It was as if the force of the sphere were trying to blow him away. Still he fought to hold onto the desk. He pulled himself closer and closer, clawing at anything that was bolted to the ground. It was then that streams of blue light began to pour into my eyes from the surface of the sphere. That was when I screamed. The pain was unbearable as knowledge began to flood my mind in an angry cacophony of jumbled voices. I screamed shamelessly at the searing pain but still i could not shut my eyes. A metronome, a ticking clock, time, a river. Blue fire and dragon roars. I looked over to Al and I could see dragon fire in his eyes, I could see fangs where his teeth should have been. He's a dragon? How is that possible?
"AL!" i screamed as the majestic raiment of the vision overlapped onto his skin. I need his help now. I couldn't contain the power that coursed through me. I could feel myself lift from the ground as the orb's knowledge continued to stream into me through my eyes. I shrieked louder as the pain tore into my flesh. My blue scale seared at my skin like molten lava. Waves of energy buffeted the room as a hurricane like maelstrom raged from the orb.
"Scor!" He cursed as he withdrew his left hand from the desk to reach for me. A ball of black energy bubbled in his palm, growing in size as the metallic groaning became louder. Then the bolt of black light exploded from his outstretched hand and shot like a missile towards the blue sphere. The sphere shattered under the force of the impact and its glass like shards flew back into the pages of the tome of time which promptly proceeded to fly shut with a seismic crack. Smoke roiled from the pages of the sealed book as the energy that held me suspended in midair faltered and died. I fell to the floor in a crumpled heap as the pain and panic suddenly ceased. I had survived.
"You stupid boy! I told you not to try and read it." He shouted racing over to me. His hand flew to my forehead as it was all I could do to stare vacantly into the space in front of me. He looked at me but i could feel nothing.
I felt the sting of a smack as he slapped me hard across the face. "MALFOY! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" he barked as he began snapping his fingers in front of me. I blinked and the glowing formulae began to fade in my vision.
"I think so. I'm not sure Al." I deadpanned without emotion. I could feel myself gulp, the saliva being forced by my muscles to descend through my throat. It was like a dream. "Fuck Al, you're hurt." I whispered as I registered a shard of glass protruding from his shoulder. It was a piece of the shattered orb, lodged deeply into his soft flesh.
"Of all the stupid things to do. You promised you wouldn't. You promised" The brunette scolded repeatedly.
"I didn't try to read it Al. It sort of just happened. This isn't my fault!"
"GET OUT! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU. JUST GET OUT!"
"But you're hurt. At least let me tend to you before…"
His expression turned animal like against me. It was like a wild beast had bared its fangs in menace. He yanked the glass from his shoulder and cursed as a glob of blood spurted from the wound. He dizzily fell back onto his rear as he braced his back against a nearby desk. He tossed the glowing blue shard angrily across the room where it clattered against some of his instruments that had been displaced by the gusts. As more blood began to spill from his shoulder to soak his white nightshirt I began to panic. I quickly pressed my hands into the wound and whispered the only healing spell i knew. A simple piece of staunching magic to cease the loss of blood. He winced and looked away from me.
"I hate you Malfoy. Even when i'm trying to protect you… you just… you never learn."
"What did you say?"
"I said I HATE YOU. I shouldn't have even asked you to come. I caused the very thing I sought to prevent. Just GO!" He cursed, beginning to cry.
"We were both just traumatized… don't just kick me out into the cold… Al i…"
"Please… I'm begging you… If you care about me at all… just go… I'll… i'll come and treat your blue scale in a couple of weeks… just for now… please leave me alone." Albus pleaded softly.
I didn't know what was going on in his head. He shivered and I realized the black spell he had cast had taken a lot more out of him than I had at first realized. Why he remained so intent on pushing me away… was still a mystery to me. Formulae traces glowed hot against my vision every time i blinked my eyes but still I managed to lift myself from the floor and hobble towards the exit. I turned back only once to catch him beginning to sob.
He raised his knees to rest his folded arms atop them, only so he could then shamelessly bury his face there.
My chest tightened in pain as I heard the sobs heave from the little Al cocoon. I almost turned back to join him but something in my heart told me to leave him be. I limped through the observatory door and left Albus to himself.
APOV
"All you can ever manage is to hurt me… Now you're a part of this war. There's no going back from this."
