A/N: This will be the penultimate chapter. Still got another one in me!
Twirling the locket in his hands, feeling the heat from them seep into the cold metal, draining away from his body, gave him an odd sense of satisfaction. This ancient artifact - it was technically his to keep. No, his to use. It was a mere tool, not an an object to brag about.
Lying beside was Delphi, sound asleep. She had no idea what he would do later that day. He had to be discreet and yet - yet he felt an inexplicable guilt about hiding something from her. Hiding a lot, actually. How would she feel about him exposing her family, arresting them, placing them in Azkaban? Would she resent him for it - no - they had never been too warm of a family... perhaps she would even feel relief... He remembered that she was reluctant to move in with him initially, due to reservations about living under the same roof with others again. But no matter.
Anyhow, the sun was rising and he always enjoyed waking her up by planting kisses all over her body.
"Albus..." She murmured half awake. "Want you in me..."
"We're a little too early for that," he remarked cheekily.
Scorpius greeted Delphi's invitation for coffee with slight bemusement. Beyond the platitudes and polite speech they exchanged whilst Albus was around - back when him and Albus spent a lot of time together - Scorpius had not really spoken to Delphi much. And then all of a sudden she wanted to get to know him more and socialise. This shouldn't feel ominous - perhaps Albus had implored her to reach out to him in a broader effort to mend ties between all of them and restore their friendship - but it did. Still, he wanted to go. He needed to in order to mend ties with Albus, for things to be the way they used to be.
It was a quaint little tea house situated in the high end of Diagon Alley. There were not many customers present at that time of the day, yet the place did not feel empty or desolate, owing to the very generous demeanor and attitude of the hostess.
He ordered some Early Grey, whilst she opted for Raspberry Fruit Tea, an infinitely inferior option.
"Oh come on, don't look at me like that, fruit tea is just as good as your traditional, stuffy Early Grey," Delphi remarked with a chuckle.
"Let's agree to disagree," Scorpius remarked wryly.
"I like you," Delphi noted boldly, laughing.
"So how's the wedding planning going between you and Albus? I hear you want to do it in Greece," Scorpius stated, "Birthplace of a lot of modern magical practices. Not a bad choice. Some of the islands are really nice. Rose and I have been to Crete, Mykonos and Corfu together. There's a lot to look at."
"Yes, I was indeed thinking about that. But moreover, I must ask - I am curious after all - how are you and Rose doing? Is married life treating you well? Hey, a girl can be a little nervous in her anticipation for that, right?"
"Well..."
As he continued speaking, he felt a slight trace of dizziness buzz through his head. It was no matter: he had gotten up late today and having more than 10 hours of sleep, no matter how desirable it sounded, always made him even more tired.
Oh Little Alby... running off and doing just what she wanted him to do. She never even needed to ask. The Locket had never been so near her reach, the first piece to her monument. All this time, he had realised nothing, not even after the capture of 'Koralius,' her falsified brother. He could really be so thick sometimes. Rodolphus Lestrange - also known as 'Dad' - had quickly informed her on the matter. He had been at the scene of the raid too, though he lurked clandestinely in the shadows, managing to evade the pesky little junior Aurors and sneak off once Koralius was subdued.
"Your little toy is not completely incompetent," the man had told her. "He may be useful to us - but beware, don't let any silly feelings get into your head."
She knew of course, at the end of the day, in spite of what they had between them, she was here for a higher purpose. That would never be a problem for them though, because she knew Albus would come round, given the right circumstances. She was already hearing him voice certain views, from time to time - though he would never admit if he knew the truth - that sympathised with the Sons of Walpurgis. He was sceptical of close integration with the muggle world, he had doubts about stringent regulation on illicit spells and he believed that many scions of old pureblood families should no longer be burdened by the reputations of their forefathers (courtesy to the fact that many of his old friends were Slytherin House.) These were part of the core views the Sons advocated.
They were more similar in ideology than anyone would admit.
And to think he would run off to investigate the Rowles, even more perfect. It was the most opportune time for her to act then, just as he would interrogate her godforsaken adopted parents, arrest them, clearing the path for her to completely act on her own. Killing two birds with one stone.
The first one had to be the hardest, but she had mentally readied herself for it.
Earnest Little Alby, always so keen to do the right thing, She adored him because of it.
"How's it going lil' bro?"
James had greeted him with an enthusiastic fist bump. Smelling like fresh coffee, eyes slightly red-rimmed, hair mildly ruffled, he had no doubt just returned from one of his business trips for Gringott's Bank, where he worked as an analyst for their international currency department. These days, his brother was a busy man, having submerged his soul into the incessant beat of currency flows and rates, the never-ending drums of the market, managing less than 5 hours of sleep a day as he closely tracked the situations in China, Japan, America and Morocco. Money never sleeps, so they all say. Neither did James, it appeared.
"You look like you've lost your soul," Albus teased with a snort. "How is Claire? Is she still terrorising people as a tax collector?"
James had surprised everyone, well almost everyone apart from Lily, when he finally tied the knot with Claire Zabini a few years ago. They had hated each other on first sight back in Hogwarts, feuding in class, barraging each other with a torrent of spells, taunting each other on the Quidditch Pitch and, even, wrecking each other's dates with an array of pranks (James had slipped frog-transformation potion into her erstwhile boyfriend Craig's soup once, for example.) Even to this day, one can still here bickering in their household as they frantically argued over what to do with their baby boy's nappies (being a parent really sucked away one's time) or over what bedtime stories to tell or at what age should they break the news that Santa wasn't really. It never ends.
In a chain of events that no one - sans Lily - could have predicted, they warmed up to each other when they were both made Head Boy and Head Girl. The shock culminated for Albus when he found them fucking each other in a cupboard, a scene not too glamorous for two people in supposedly reputable positions. Then, that Christmas, James brought her home and introduced her to his family. (Albus had already known her courtesy to being in the same house, but he never saw it coming. Not in a million years.) Maybe opposites really do attract - or maybe they were both too much for anyone else to manage. Anyhow, their marriage seemed to be going well so Albus was glad for them. One's a banker, the other a tax collector and both happy parents. Whatever works.
"Well, at least I still look alive," James huffed with a grin. "You might as well be a walking corpse with your dark circles and ghastly pallid skin."
"Well, the affairs of public safety demand my attention 24/7."
"And the affairs of international markets demand mine."
"And hence your lack of a soul," Albus finished off, chuckling.
"Okay, that's a little unfair. We bankers do contribute a lot to society," James explicated.
"I never said you guys didn't, but someone's a little defensive," Albus said wryly.
"Oh Al... as grouchy as ever. Tell me, how's your engagement playing out? Delphi Diggory... Man I always knew you preferred older women!" James grinned triumphantly. "Remember back when we were teenagers and I told you you'd eventually marry a girl 10 years older. Well, guess who was right!"
"Okay, okay. Love you, fuck you. You were right Jamesy." A contrite sigh. His brother always knew how precisely to make fun of him. "Anyways, I hear little Nigel is starting daycare soon. You should have named him Elmer."
"Very funny Albus, but tell me, when am I going to see little Albuses running around moaning about the world like grumpy walruses. Maybe you can name your kids Elmer. Elmer the first, Elmer the second, Elmer the third..."
"Oh stop it James!"
"You know, Albus, another reason why I wanted to meet with you - aside from being able to make fun of my favourite and only brother - is that... Claire is in trouble," James said, rapidly switching topics, palpably trembling. His expressions darkened instantaneously.
"The Sons of Walpurgis?"
"Is that what they call themselves?"
"Yes."
Albus felt his blood go cold. These people were now after his family; not just unrelated friends and acquaintances, but his own brother and sister-in-law. It reminded him of the urgency of the whole situation, in spite of the (mostly) successful resolution of his murder investigation. He had to get to the end of everything soon.
"I... She's been contacted by their members twice this week alone. I'm worried for her. These people don't seem to know when to stop," James uttered, shaking his head. "Really, it's not that big of a deal yet and Claire insists she'd have no problem taking care of them. But still, I worry... We're having another child, you know. Recent diagnosis told us it's going to be a girl. I want her and her brother to grow up in a safe world."
"I see," Albus said, frowning and nodding at the same time. "I'm... working on stopping the Sons of Walpurgis. The entire Auror department and the Ministry are aware of their activities and threat level. But if you really want to be safe with Claire, I'd recommend a temporary transfer to the United States or Canada. A friend there tells me that their activities haven't reached there yet."
James took in the information and inclined. "It just feels so weird... I mean all this time, all throughout our childhood, everything seemed fine. It was like we put all the conflicts, blood-statuses and discrimination behind us, like we reached the end of trouble itself. And then all of a sudden, it was like the stories from our parent's past were brought back in flesh. I... I guess it's just a sign of our times."
"No, I understand. But hopefully, unlike then, we'd be able to nip this situation in the bud. Like I said Jamesy, don't worry. I'll put an end to it."
It had been the third time she retched inexplicably today. The first had been after breakfast, when a wave of nausea swept through her and she promptly regurgitated whatever's left of her homemade omelette into the toilet. Then it was while she was watching the Great British Bake-Off. Just wonderful. Finally, there was her, puking pathetically while her husband was grabbing afternoon tea with an acquaintance.
Taking out her pregnancy test, which she obtained in a nearby pharmacy, she rushed to the bathroom and examined the results.
She was with child.
She needed to tell Scorpius.
It was a delicate operation, Delphi mused, but she had a lot of things on her side. One is a silver smith with prodigious forging abilities, another is a fiancee who was so obliviously and devotedly trusting of her and put the two together, she had quietly replaced his locket with a fake. After all the intrigues, investigations, evasions and close calls, it was finally in her hands. He had given her what none of her useless underlings could.
There was another component too. She needed a sacrifice.
It would come in the form of the unconscious body still bounded and cast into that rug sack that her subordinates carried. Obtaining Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy - insolent blood traitor from that cravenly family that should perish forever - was surprisingly easy. He never saw the potion in the tea coming.
Her lips curled as she started setting up the ritual. The locked was placed at the centre of the pentagram as ancient ruins were carved around it.
It has began.
The first thing Albus noticed was that the house was not empty. The second was that there was most definitely some conspiracy occurring in there. Hushed voices - hushed voices in his head too, of a gruff tenor. Holding his breath steady, avoiding any erratic palpitations, Albus donned his Invisibility Cloak and advanced through the premise.
He bypassed the dining area they ate in a few months before. It was still the same as ever, but there was an eery quality to it that Albus perhaps overlooked at first. He only just noticed the skulled sculpture at the centre of the table - no, it wasn't there before. A small carved serpent emerged from its mouth.
How wonderful. His heart raced at the prospect of having to inform Delphi that her adopted parents' supposed sympathy for the Death Eaters was more than just sympathy. It may well translate into active collaboration with the Sons of Walpurgis. It went way further than usual prejudice, bias against muggles that some wizards - even those who fought for the Light - could exhibit. It would surely break Delphi's heart, unsettle her at least. She had told him many times that she was not too close with them, which was probably a good thing now if any unpleasant revelations came into hand.
He treaded softly across the corridors. Like last time, the portraits nearby were of ancient aristocrats who could probably trace their lineage back to the court of King Arthur. Except they appeared different too. They were frowning, sneering at each other. There was one that particularly drew him in: the Grand Dame Felicia ... Rowles. That was what the gold-plated description below read.
Her parents were affiliated with the Rowles.
But that made no sense.
Hang on.
Nothing made any sense.
Her name was Delphini Diggory. The Diggory's were no members of the Dark. Cedric Diggory, a member of her family, was one of the first casualties of the Second Wizarding War, cruelly executed as a 'spare' after the last Triwizard Tournament. His father had told him the story countless times. When he had inquired her the question before, she told him that Diggory was simply the name of her birth parents, which she had opted to use instead of her adopted parents'. That said, why on earth would the Rowles adopt a Diggory?
What if -
His blood ran cold.
But before he could process any further, he needed to move on.
"Our leader said tonight will be the night. The ritual will be completed and blood will be spilt."
"Are you sure?"
"We'll march on the Ministry. Yes-"
"No! That's still too risky!"
"Bold moves, young one. We need bold moves."
"Our rebellion must start with death. Lots of death. Significant deaths. And the Dark Mark will hang up high on the sky once more."
"Lestrange is already leading a raid on the Ministry later."
Lestrange. It had to be Rodolphus Lestrange, by process of elimination. For the other two were dead. This was no mere petty criminal gang, as previous investigative attempts revealed, but this was the first time a significant Death Eater had been mentioned as an affiliate. Albus reached into his magical hotline with Thomas and relayed the information: Rodolphus Lestrange. Out and about. Planning on raiding the Ministry tonight.
The reply was quick. What?! What is going on? Where are you Albus? What are you doing?
Sighing, he responded back: My girlfriend's parent's house. I'll send you the co-ordinates. I'll let you know by the distress signal if I need any help. Please get the team ready. Reach out to other teams too.
"They're already suspicious of us!"
"Our leader has that taken care of."
He was approaching the room.
He needed to act quick.
Reaching into his pockets, his fingers curled around his wand. His other hand found its way next to the bottle of Sleeping Mist, a spray made out of Sleeping Potion. He needed to quickly slip it into the room, release it and incapacitate everyone there. It would be a risky endeavour and yet, for some reason, he felt an inexplicable confidence swell through him. He knows he shouldn't be arrogant and yet he knows it would work. None of them would suspect that he was coming.
And it was done, within moments of its release, Albus could hear thuds on the ground from the outside. Just to be on the safe side of things, he tried to listen to the voices in their heads. They were faint, which was a good sign.
Putting on his gas mask, he stepped through the door and -
He ducked as a green beam of light shot at him.
"Well, look at who we have here. We were waiting for you"
Expelliarmus.
The non-oral spell was cast so fast that the speaker did not have to react. The wand flew out of his hand.
Reducto!
The wand was smashed into pieces before it reached Albus.
Swiftly, Albus stunned the man and proceeded to scan the rest of the room. Unfortunately, not all bodies were unconscious.
Needless to say, Albus activated his silent distress signal.
"I'm going to have to tell my daughter that her fiance is treating her mother very badly," a voice female cackled. "We meet again, Albus."
He felt his body slam against the wall.
But he was able to make eye contact with her and with that, he wormed his way into her mind.
- A taciturn middle-aged woman receiving a small baby bundle, rolling her eyes. The beating, the locking up, the screaming -
- The meetings with Death Eaters. The narrow escapement of sentencing, on the account of lack of sufficient evidence for war crimes, a mere technical hole that released her back into society. The-
"You're Euphemia Rowle," Albus gasped and then growled.
Shock coursed through him as the strings connected. And then suddenly, it was replaced with anger. And confusion. And even more anger, white hot rage. Just how far from the truth was he? Just how many secrets and lies did he have to uncover? Just - hang on a minute! They were not even supposed to know he was there, they weren't supposed to be 'waiting' for him, able to sense him. The Locket made sure of that - Just how much of a festering cesspit was Delphi's family, just how much was she-
"Crucio!"
The red beam barely missed him.
There was no time to speculate, only time to act.
She was an Occlumens, no doubt, skilled at concealing her thoughts, but he was an accomplished Legilimens too, hence why he was able to prowl through her memories the first place. Also the reason why he sensed her incoming conjuring of fiendfyre.
He blasted her against the wall before she could finish attempting it and roped her arms tightly around each other to incapacitate her spell-capacities.
"You know, that might have killed off everyone else in this room," Albus remarked wryly.
"Their lives are not of much consequence, not to our movement. Besides, our reinforcements are coming." A hysterical laugh, followed by a faux-amicable chuckle.
"So are ours."
"Rodolphus will be here any moment..." singsonged Euphemia in a shrill voice. "Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! My hands - they're burning! Make it stop! Make-"
"Only if you answer my questions," Albus cut her off brusquely before taking her wand from her entangled fingers, which by now had resembled gnarled twigs.
"What is there to say? You already know, deep inside your heart Albus Potter, you know." A cruel shriek. She was hurting but she wanted to make sure her tormenter was hurting even more.
"Her," his utterance came in a whisper. His mind sprung into denial immediately. No. It can't be. She's merely ignorant. She had no idea about this. Today, after he was done with this business, done with the capture of the Rowles and Lestrange and the others, he'd go back home, pop a champagne bottle with her and relax and make love. There was no other way, but there was.
"You know, for a rising star in the Auror department, you really are thick. All the better for our cause I suppose."
"Your cause is not so much a cause as a stupid, pathetic bunch of cranky good-for-nothing reactionaries whose only accomplishment is being more in-bred than the rest of the population being saddened by their loss of privilege, one that is not deserved. So shut it. How long has Delphi been involved?" He demanded loudly.
"Oh Albus, always trying to exonerate her? Do you know who she really is? Do you know that she alone is the scion of the once great out of Gaunt, the last descendent of Salazar Slytherin?"
Albus felt sick in the stomach. It can't be, it can't be, it can't be... There was no way - and Euphemia greeted his response with glee.
"How?"
"Why she's the daughter of Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange. Surely, you should have figured that out by now? Why did you think she knew so much about snakes? She's not a zoologist." Euphemia Rowle was mocking him, sneering straight into his face.
"What-"
"She's our leader - and you know. Subliminally, you always did. You even did her bidding, in an inadvertent way. After all, the Sons of Walpurgis would surely engrave your name in history for your great accomplishment in delivering the Locket of Merlin to us. Because you loved her and she-"
Violently, Albus thrusted a spell towards her mouth and moments later, there was a brisk tearing noise as blood emerged from the place. Her tongue fell onto the ground.
And for the first time, she gazed at him with terror.
He had been used. He should have seen it coming for a mile. He should have heeded to Scorpius' premonitions. Oh poor old Scorp, always so sensible and so overlooked. If only. (He tucked that thought into a corner; better revisit it later.
- Death. Sacrifice. Soul. Scorpius. Horcrux. The real Locket, she has it. She's going to use him. Ministry. It's going to be the ministry. Oh the boy, Delphi had a point, he could have been one of us but he would never be. A pity. Only a moment until the rest come and finish him off-
Raising his wand as the woman before him finally ousted him out of her thoughts, his green eyes gazed at her with shock, horror and indignation upon realisation. A flash of green light, sickening green light, emanated from his wand as he uttered the forbidden words: Avada Kedavra. A feeling of pure hatred coursed through his veins. It was a desire to kill, to murder. He felt a searing sensation tear through his body and, summoning all the willpower he possessed, he strove to keep himself whole and intact.
Then a thud. This time, it felt heavier.
He gazed around the room, the fog finally clearing. He tore off his mask. There were four other bodies.
Everyone else had to die too.
Green flashed after green flashed after green. Life after life after life was thrust away from the mortal realm.
He felt nothing.
It was strange. According to his father, there would always be a twinge of remorse accompanied with killing. That was simply how humans were wired. Then again, his father was - in many ways - a paragon of human virtue that could never really understand how some individuals worked. He knew he shouldn't venture into that realm and yet he couldn't help but admit that there was definitely a thrill in taking these lives, worthless lives, people better off dead than alive because really, what was the point of them being alive anyway apart from to inflict misery on others whilst convincing themselves they were on noble crusade? He would be lying if he said he had any doubts about it. It felt so good.
He had hesitated in answering Delphi's inquiry about whether he would be prepared to kill. Now he had a more definite response.
And he was going to give her precisely that.
Whispering a few incantations, he set the place off to a blazing inferno, donned his Invisibility Cloak and tossed the fake Locket into the fire, heading for the exit.
There was no time for panicking - and that was probably the sole reason Albus wasn't panicking. He needed to go straight to the Ministry in order to salvage the life of Scorpius Malfoy, who, from the glimpses he saw within Euphemia Rowle's mind, was in deep trouble. Thomas and the rest would be able to handle Lestrange and the others. His mind was a blur, his surroundings were also a blur, but his intent was sharp. His sole focus was stopping Delphi.
And he knew exactly where to find her.
Thomas MacLaggen had received message after message from Albus Potter via the guy's Patronus, which was shaped like a crow, which was really starting to elicit consternation. First the guy had asked for reinforcements at the Rowle's unplottable Manor and then suddenly he didn't need it anymore, said that he had taken care of everything. Then Albus told them stopping Rodolphus Lestrange's attack was of prime importance.
He didn't need Albus to spell out the need to mobilise the entire Auror department. He had received the message and relayed the information to Harry Potter, the head Auror himself. An impending conflict was coming for them, whether they were ready or not.
He hoped his friend - because they were friends right? - would be okay.
"MacLaggen, please come in and see me," Head Auror Harry Potter called on him. There was a hint of agitation in the man's voice; his own son was dawdling in the face of danger right now.
"Mr. Potter," Thomas greeted the man with a nod.
"The whole Auror department has just been informed and the message is now being spread to all civil servants working for the Ministry. We're all preparing for the incoming assault," Harry briefed him. "Do we have any findings on the numbers?"
"As our previous investigations have indicated, the Sons of Walpurgis have a network of around 200 witches and wizards around the world. That said, the number within England was unspecified," Thomas noted. "Around 30 individuals across continental Europe have been extradited so far, however. A few over here have been arrested too."
"And my son... is he okay?"
Thomas bit his lip. In truth he had no idea. Harry's voice was shaking. The man was obvious worried.
"He... he broke into the Rowles' place and took care of things there. He's heading off to save his friend Scorpius. As far as I know, he's okay."
"I'm glad they're okay again, really, them growing distant was a hard hit on my son," Harry mentioned abruptly. "You're probably right, my son's never been one to struggle in this sort of stuff... hard to deny that he's quite capable" - there was a hint of pride right there - "and yet I still worry. There's something... something not right about him these days. Then again, it's normal for a parent to worry for their child, right?"
"Yes, I can imagine," Thomas concurred. It was strange to suddenly become the confidant of the Head Auror in terms of familial issues but stranger things have happened in life.
"I just hope he turns out alright, that's all..."
He was somewhere and simultaneously nowhere, suspended in existence, pulled in all directions. Gravity had lost all its influence, as did matter itself, time no longer seemed linear, for he did not know when and where, could not grasp them as concrete concepts anymore- all things were in a state of flux. What was it in that TS Eliot poem? Time present and time past are both perhaps present in time future, and time future contained in time past. By Merlin he was a geek, Albus was, has and will always be right on that. He had no idea where he was or what the heck was going on and the first notion that enters his mind is a motherfucking poem by a motherfucking muggle author in the early 20th century. How typical, Albus would have teased. This is so you, Rose would have commented sardonically, and exactly why I fell for you. Oh Rose! Where would she be in this obscure actuality?
In truth, he could not remember a thing about the moments passed. It was hidden beneath a veil. Only figments in distant time past were revealed. Perhaps they will return, perhaps not. Perhaps he needed more time.
Then he heard her voice. It had long eluded him. For years, he strove to recall it as it slipped irrevocably from his memory. It was so calming, so liberating, so comforting. Made him feel like a newborn all over again.
"Mother," he wanted to say. Yet no words came out. Speech eluded him as well.
It was faint, but he heard a response. She was closing in, perhaps. He'd like to think so.
This is the way the world ends, as TS Eliot would remark, not with a bang but with a whimper.
He raced through the stacks of the Department of Mysteries, making his way to the atrium. There was scant time to waste. In the process, he had petrified a couple of security guards who attempted to obstruct his way ("Sir! These areas are strictly closed to visitors for now. Yes, even for those from the Auror Department. We're acting on orders, Sir," they had insisted), though he also remembered to diligently wipe his presence from their memories. Unfortunate but there was no time to negotiate.
He was closing in on them. It was in his intuition.
And then -
"Avada Kedavra!"
It hit him.
Nothing happened.
It was to no avail.
A lack of killing intent on his opponent's part them.
Furious, he turned around to see a masked figure. It was a young man - not Lestrange. But it meant his men had arrived.
There was no time, no time at all.
Yet there were moments to spare for his inexplicable sense of rage as he fired an emerald stream of light back at the young man - boy? now that he thought about it, the voice sounded awfully young, but he can't think about it, dwell about it, there was no time for guilt, no time at all - and the corpse collided with the cold marble floor.
He was almost there.
"Uncle Harry, is Scorpius okay? Please tell me he's okay?" Rose begged over the phone, heart wincing, nervousness bordering on suffocation. "Please, please, please... I must see him, I can't lose him now, I can't!"
There was no reply on the other side, only a recorded voice message imploring the caller to leave behind a note.
Where was everybody?
Her husband had not returned from his afternoon tea and he had promised her he would be home by 4. He promised her they'd have dinner together and she had it all planned. They would make their favourite salmon with sour sauce together and then as they prepared for a snug movie night, she would inform him of her pregnancy and his impending fatherhood. It would have been such a great night.
Instead, she was eating cold instant noodles alone.
Her phone range.
"Rose!"
"Mother?"
"Oh Rose! Please stay safe, secure your apartment and don't come out until I give you a call. It's going to be a hectic night and I wan't you to be safe-"
"Just what is going on?! Is Scorpius okay?-"
"I don't have much time Rose, so much to prepare - but please, please, please stay safe. The Sons of Walpurgis are planning on wrecking havoc and the Ministry is doing the best to stop them..."
"I see. I-"
"Hear me Rose?"
"Yes, yes."
"Okay goodbye."
"Mum, I'm-"
But it was too late.
A/N: So Albus is slowly losing his sanity... will the descent continue?
Please read and review!