Albus had been nervous all day. He had been sitting on pins and needles in class and was about to say they were going to the Whomping Willow during lunch. But Rose managed to stop him. Albus was relieved when they were finally released from the last lesson and could now set off.
"Come on, a little faster please," Albus already rushed, standing at the classroom door, waiting for Scorpius to finally pack up all his things.
"Just because you can't control yourself anymore doesn't mean I'm going to rush here. So keep it down, Potter" - Uh oh! Albus had probably tugged a little too hard on the Malfoy's nerves, even the Gryffindor understood that now. Because the blond Ravenclaw only called his friend by his last name when he was slowly losing patience. And who would have thought it, that happened to him with Albus often and especially regularly. Of course, this could also be due to the fact that Scorpius was already by nature, not a particularly patient person.
So Albus decided to keep his mouth shut and wait until Malfoy was finally ready. The three of them walked towards the exit and made their way to the whipping willow. As they did so, Albus stifled any further comment about how this was clearly going too slowly for him. Somehow he had the feeling that Scorpius was doing this on purpose now, just to annoy him with it.
And then, finally! Finally they had arrived. They stood with a good distance from the willow, that for now it had no reason to lunge.
"And how do we do that now?" asked Albus, looking very closely at this willow. So first they had to find the right root bulb. Only how would they know which one it was?
"I think we should search through the ground first. Often it's a root bulb sticking out of the ground," Scorpius replied, already starting to look for a root sticking out. While Scorpius and Rose went in one direction, Albus went in the opposite to search the ground around the willow.
"Hey, I think I've got something here!" suddenly exclaimed Rose, pointing to a large root bulb. It was the biggest of all and therefore most likely the right one. Albus came running from the left and searched briefly for the bulb, before he also discovered it.
"Okay, let's try it" - With these words Albus pulled out his magic wand before Scorpius stopped him.
"Let me do it," he said, taking out his wand as well. With a subtle wave of his hand and a "Wingardium Liviosa," he levitated a large stone that almost resembled a rock. He slowly directed it near the willow and held it still in the air. Albus was about to ask what exactly the Malfoy was doing, but immediately a thought dawned on him. He was looking for the right angle to throw the rock. Because here, too, the willow would fight back, so it had to be done quickly. And then it was done. Scorpius made a slight, lunging hand movement and the rock, landed on the root bulb. The willow was about to lash out with its whipping branches when it suddenly stopped in mid-motion.
"You did it!" cheered Albus, falling around Scorpius' neck. The latter was more than caught off guard. After all, he couldn't really do much with that kind of physical contact. It was unusual to be hugged. The only person who did that was his father. Not even his mother could really warm up to such things. Especially not since he had brought such shame on the Malfoy family and had come to Ravenclaw. But somehow it also did him good. It was a closeness that he was rarely allowed to experience in this form.
Still, the blond didn't dare to move. He preferred to stand still and enjoyed the short but intense physical contact. Until Albus let go again.
"Now let's go!" he shouted and ran to the big and thick trunk of the willow. The two Ravenclaws did likewise and ran after him.
Again they circled the tree, this time from close by, looking for features on the ribbon that was still on it. And finally they met again at a point. At this point there was a knot where the ribbon was held together. Reverently, Albus ran his fingertips over the fabric, which turned out to be cotton. Somehow it felt like the scarf that had been part of their school uniform.
"Is that the Gryffindor crest?" asked Rose suddenly, taking one of the ends in her hand, and sure enough. Large on it was the Gryffindor crest, the lion as magnificent and strong as ever.
"And here's the Slytherin crest," Scorpius added, now holding the other end.
"What does that mean?" - It was more a question to himself than to his Ravenclaw friends, but Scorpius had understood him anyway and was willing to answer.
"I don't know, but look at the back of it" - And he did. Rose turned the end over, revealing the letters "HP"
"HP?" he asked himself again, scratching his head somewhat indecisively. This was getting weird.
"DM" - "What?" now Albus was completely confused.
"DM," Scorpius repeated, holding out the back of the end he was holding to the Gryffindor.
"Maybe those are initials," Rose mused, putting on her infamous thinker look. She always looked like that when she was thinking quite hard about something, and she actually pretty much always came up with an answer.
So while Rose was thinking and Scorpius was also looking at the ribbon, Albus couldn't keep his hands off it. So he reached for it, only to have something come to his attention again a short time later.
"It won't come off" - "What do you mean, it won't come off?" asked Scorpius, now also reaching for the ribbon. To test it, he gave it a quick tug and came to the same conclusion.
"It won't come off," he repeated his friend's words and pulled the ribbon again. It seemed to be stuck. But why would anyone tape a ribbon to a tree?
"I think I know what this is," Rose rejoined the conversation, taking a step closer to them.
"That looks a lot like a permanent sticking charm to me"-"Permanent sticking charm? Couldn't it be regular muggle glue? Superglue or universal adhesive, something like that? It seems a bit high-brow to glue a ribbon here for eternity," Albus mused.
"Muggle glue? At Hogwarts?" - Again, Scorpius had that Malfoy look on his face and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Albus considered. In a way, he was right. At most, it could be a normal glue spell.
"It can only be a permanent sticking charm. Think about it. With the rain and thunderstorm that raged here yesterday, it's impossible for this scarf-like ribbon to still be hanging here. Besides, I think it's been hanging here for a few years" - Rose held one of the ends in her hand again. - "Do you see the crests? They're opaque and already slightly faded. That's what happens when sunlight shines long and hard on fabric. It burns and the colors fade"
"A love oath, perhaps?" pondered Scorpius, carefully stroking the Slytherin crest. He seemed very thoughtful. Knowing him as Albus did, he was thinking again about how everything might have gone if he had also ended up in Slytherin like everyone else in his Falimie.
"Depends on how old this ribbon is. The truce between Slytherin and Gryffindor has only been in place for maybe eight years. This one looks a lot older," Rose pointed out.
"And no one noticed it hanging here before?" - Albus thought hard about what the ribbon might be about, but somehow the idea of a love oath seemed most plausible to him as well. Or an attempt to unite Slytherin and Gryffindor in friendship. That would also be another possibility.
"I think someone did notice. But they had the same problem you had in the beginning. How were they going to get it? But maybe no one has had the same interest in finding out as you have. Besides, this place is not very crowded. It is on the edge of the forbidden forest and we are still forbidden to enter it. I think the students prefer to stay by the lake, rather than by the whipping willow, which could lash out at any moment" - That was a plausible explanation Rose had given, Albus could see that. But there was no point in staying here any longer, they had their information now and had to look in other places to find more. Someone must know something about this ribbon, after all.
"I say we go back and see who we can ask about this tape. Someone is probably gonna know something about it" - With that Albus took a step back and started to get enough distance to the willow again. Rose and Scorpius did the same. Then they went around the tree again and Scorpius removed the stone from the root bulb. The willow finished the whipping it had started earlier and then stood still again.
When they arrived back at the Ravenclaws' common room, they sat by the fireplace again, pondering the new information they had gained. What was this all about?
"Maybe we should ask James? He's been here two years longer, after all, and knowing him, he's already done some research, should he have noticed this ribbon before," Rose suggested.
"Exactly! And what about the portraits? They've been here forever and three days too, they should know something," Albus added, jumping up.
"I think we should ask the portrait of the old Headmaster. You know, Dumbledore. The guy knows absolutely everything, from what I've gathered," Scorpius suggested. Yes, that would be one of the most logical things they could do. Dumbledore was a man who knew just about everything. Even they knew that, though Dumbledore had been principal far before their time. What a difference narratives could make.
"Very good idea! I'll be on my way to ask James out, then. I'm sure he's in the common room. Meet me in front of the principal's office in an hour? Then we can still decide whether to ask the other portraits first or Dumbledore right away" - Rose nodded confirming and Scorpius joined her opinion with a silence. And then Albus had already disappeared from the common room.
He quickly ran to the Gryffindors' common room, gave the password and waited impatiently until the fat lady could finally bring herself to open the door. It was an act with her every time, almost bringing Albus to the edge of his temper. This woman really needed company!
"James?" he called across the room right away, without really looking around first, and just hoped that James would answer. Which he did.
He raised his hand and waved conspicuously so that Albus couldn't miss him at all. He was sitting at a small table with his friends, where they were once again playing wizard chess. James seemed to be losing once again.
"Losing again?", Albus couldn't help but chuckle suppressedly.
"Haha," James retorted less enthusiastically - "Still, I'd win against you all once," the older Potter countered and made his move. Grumbling, he looked at the board. He was really losing right now. Again.
"What do you want Albus?" - Now James turned to his brother and looked at him, waiting. It was immediately clear to him that the younger boy wanted something from him. It was always like this. His little brother always wanted something.
"Have you had a closer look at the whipping willow?" asked Albus straight out, then, and he could see his brother's expression take on a look of unknowledge.
"No, why? Is there something there?" so James asked the counter question. Now he was curious, he knew Albus. If it didn't mean anything, he wouldn't have asked him. So there had to be something about it.
"Checkmate!" suddenly shouted the boy James had been playing against, grinning smugly.
"Well just you wait Finnigan! I'll beat you next time!" vowed James, raising his fist threateningly. But the red-haired boy could only laugh at that. Probably because he knew as well as anyone how lousy James was at wizard chess and would never beat him.
"James, there's a ribbon wrapped around the tree. We took a closer look at it and found the Gryffindor crest as well as the Slytherin crest on it. Also, letters that must have been embroidered into the fabric as initials," Albus brought his brother back to their current topic and immediately had James' attention again. They had stood up and moved away from the group a bit to be able to talk undisturbed.
"So, do you know anyone with the initials HP?" he continued to ask, immediately recognizing in James' expression that he had an idea.
"Well, Harry Potter. HP are father's initials. And father was in Gryffindor" - With full force, Albus slapped his own forehead. Why hadn't he thought of that, then? He was such a dork!
"And DM?" - Albus didn't want to dwell on the fact that he hadn't thought of his own father when he thought of the initials. After all, it was Harry Potter! Still, they'd have to check. They could just as easily be wrong about that.
"I don't know. But if it really has something to do with father, then it will probably be someone who was at school at the same time as him. I couldn't explain it any other way" - "Okay, thanks. I'll check it out then" - Albus was about to leave when James stopped him again.
"Hey, if you need help with anything, let me know. I've been itching to find out what Dad did in his school days" - James laughed and went back to his friends. Albus believed him immediately. James liked nothing better than to rub their father's nose in the fact that he had also committed his sins as a student.
Albus just raised his hand in farewell and made his way to the principal's office. He still had plenty of time, but he firmly expected that his friends would also be there far too early.
"Hey Albus, were you able to find out anything?", Rose greeted him right when they arrived after ten minutes of waiting.
"No, not really. James had never noticed this ribbon before, yet he had had an idea. The initials HP could stand for my father," Albus explained, and instantly something changed in Scorpius' mine that he didn't really know how to classify.
"That makes sense. But if it really is a love oath, then it can't be Aunt Ginny," Rose reasoned aloud, taking her chin between her thumb and forefinger.
"Draco Malfoy"-"What?"-Syncron had turned Rose and Albus to Scorpius, who had simply thrown those two words into the room.
"My father has the initials DM. Also, they were students at Hogwarts at the same time. Your father was a Gryffindor and mine was a Slytherin," Scorpius explained himself.
"All right, if that's really true, then we can rule out a love oath right away" - It all seemed very plausible to Albus, now they just had to figure out what it was hanging there for.
"Why is that?" asked Rose right after, tilting her head.
"Well, because our fathers aren't gay? I can't imagine my father ever having anything with a man. Besides, he always insists that mother has been the only woman for him"-"Like you said, Albus. The only woman. I can't imagine Uncle Harry having anything with a man either, yet we can't rule it out" - Rose was right. As unlikely as it sounded, they had to keep all their options open for now.
"Then I suppose it would be most advisable if we went straight to Dumbledore. After all, he knows best about Harry Potter and his school days," Scorpius, who had been quietly watching his friends' exchange of words, spoke up again after a long time. It was strange for him to think that his father had something to do with Harry Potter, but he couldn't really rule it out. After all, he knew how unhappy his father was with his mother. And maybe that was because his heart was already set on someone else? Maybe even to Harry Potter? Who really knew?
"You're right. Let's go knock, then" - No sooner said than done. Albus knocked on the massive, gold-trimmed door and waited for it to burst open. He had never been in the Headmaster's office before, so he was all the more amazed when the door slid aside to reveal a large spiral staircase. Hesitantly, Albus looked at his friends, who nodded affirmatively. The three of them climbed the first steps, when the spiral staircase suddenly started moving by itself. With great difficulty, the three students managed not to topple over and arrived safely at the principal's office.
"Can I help you in any way?" they heard the voice of an old lady, who was dressed in a black robe and was now looking down at them with her head tilted.
"Professor McGonagall, we'd like to see Professor Dumbledore," Rose answered immediately, since neither Scorpius nor Albus seemed able to do so. With open mouths, the two looked at the huge and crowded office. Insane, they both shot through their heads.
"May I ask what you want from him?" the principal asked, already walking towards the portrait of the former principal.
"It's about my father and the whipping willow," Albus now joined the conversation again as well, following Rose, who in turn had followed McGonagall.
"The whipping willow? I don't know what your father would have to do with that tree" - "Oh Minerva, let them come to me already. He's a Potter, he'll have his reasons" - Minerva just nodded and stepped aside to allow the children to see the talking portrait.
"Hello Albus," the old man greeted him and gave them a warm smile. Did it just seem that way to Albus, or had he just put extra emphasis on his first name?
"A very nice name indeed, you have there," the former principal laughed, seeming genuinely amused by it.
"I- I was named after you" - "I know. Minerva had already informed me sufficiently about that. And who would have thought it. A Potter, befriended with a Malfoy. That I may still experience this" - Dumbledore still wore that warm and hearty smile on his lips and looked at the three young wizards in front of him.
"You really do look like your parents. All three of you, you take after your fathers. Especially Rose. I never thought a female edition of Mr. Weasley could be so adorable" - Flattered, Rose turned away briefly. Her cheeks took on a delicate shade of red and she smiled tentatively to herself.
"Professor, do you know anything, about the ribbon on the whipping willow?" - Slowly, this was getting too tiring for Scorpius. They were here to get information, and he would finally like it.
"A ribbon? What ribbon?" - "It's a scarf of some sort. With the Gryffindor and Slytherin house colors. It also has the initials HP and DM embroidered on it. We think it might be our father," Albus explained, nervousness returning to his body. Soon, perhaps, he would learn what it was all about. In a moment, he had solved a great mystery. - But Dumbledore only laughed.
"You guys are really smart. But I wouldn't have expected anything else. Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything about it. What might help you, however, would be Mr. Potter's secret Pensieve."-"The secret Pensieve?" asked Rose, not quite sure if she had the definition of a Pensieve right in her head. After all, how would Uncle Harry hide a Pensieve at Hogwarts? Or was it at his house? No, that would have been noticed, after all. And as the word 'secret' implied, no one seemed to know about it, except Dumbledore, for some reason.
"Yes, I suppose he does own one. Back in his school days, he had asked me all sorts of things about Pensieves. Even the things you really only needed to know if you were planning on getting one. Where he hides it and whether he owns it, I don't know. Maybe you should take a look around the Room of Requirement. There are a lot of secrets hidden there."
"Thank you Professor" - Albus was grateful for the tip Dumbledore had given them and was about to set off to find the Room of Requirement as well.
"Good luck," was all Dumbledore said and the three students made their way back outside.
"How quickly they grow up," Dumbledore smiled to himself and continued to watch the children for some time.
"Yes, and how times have changed after all. Young Malfoy has come to Ravenclaw," Minerva replied with a certain hint of nostalgia in her voice.
"That's what I thought. He does look a lot like his father, but you can see that they couldn't be more different. He is like his father could never be."
