A/N: Written for the Quidditch European Cup, Round 1 with the prompts guilt, thread, and trap.

"There they are!" A deep, baritone voice shouted.

Albus jerked awake, hurriedly grabbing his measly possessions and scrambling to his feet. Somewhere to his left, he could hear his friend Scorpius and the runaway princess, Rose, getting swiftly onto their feet. They had been on the run for a while, and by now, they were more than used to the sleepless nights and little food to eat, the fear and the anxiety of getting caught. He quietly cursed under his breath as his single leather bag got caught within the confines of a branch nearby.

"Al! Just drop it and go! They're gaining on us!" Scorpius whispered urgently.

Albus cursed once again. His most precious belonging was in there… but, if he didn't leave now, he would be dead meat. Even from this distance, he could hear the snarling and growling of the monster the palace guards had brought with them. With one last look at his bag, he dropped it and the three escaped together into the darkness of night.

It had all began when his sister, Lily, had contracted a dangerous disease that was incurable. His sweet, kind sister hadn't cried at the news. Instead, she merely smiled and said that all life must come to an end someday. Albus's father, the King, had nearly worked himself into desperation trying to find something, anything that would get rid of the disease. But it was no use. On that day, she gave her family, who surrounded her worriedly, one last smile before she slowly closed her eyes. Her already pale complexion whitened even further as the heavens themselves cried their sorrow.

The queen, Ginny, was so despaired that she locked herself in her room while his father ruled even more strictly than ever. And his brother, James, kept practicing his fencing and swordplay and archery to the point where he became the Captain of the Royal Guards. Albus had read; he just kept reading book after book to drown his sorrow. Of course this was to be expected; after all, everyone had their own way to deal with grief. A month later, Albus came upon a story where a ghost was looking down on his grieving family, and he realized that Lily would not want them to stay moping around after her death. She was always the selfless one.

And so he picked up the pieces of his heart, and went back to a normal routine. But nothing had changed. His mother still was never seen outside anymore, his father still threw himself into the duties of a King, and his brother never laughed anymore like he used to. Albus realized that they were still wrought with guilt over Lily's death. And he just couldn't take it.

So he ran away.

Along the way, he had met Rose, who was the princess in a nearby kingdom, and Scorpius, one of the kingdom's guards, who was assisting her in escaping. Apparently, her father wanted to force her into a marriage. She was an only child and her father wanted to make an alliance with another kingdom. It was apparent in the way she and Scorpius talked and acted around each other that they were in love with each other.

And now, after a year of being on the run, they were spotted. How ironic it was, that the very person chasing them was his own brother, James. As they sprinted through the dense forestry, staggering in exhaustion, Albus couldn't help but fear for Scorpius's life. After all, he and Rose were royalty and would not be executed, but his friend would be killed for treason against two kingdoms.

All of a sudden, he heard a yelp from Rose, and stopped to see what happened. His eyes widened in alarm. It was a trap! The princess was being hung in the air by a thin thread with tears in her eyes. Behind him, he could hear the triumphant yell from his brother.

"Go!" She yelled desperately. "Go on without me! They'll catch you at this rate!"

"No." Scorpius said, looking serious.

"We're not leaving without you." Albus replied, just as seriously.

The cries of the monster were getting closer.

"Hugh!" It roared. "Hugo hungry!"

"We either live together of die together." Scorpius said, grasping one of her hands. Albus reached over and held her other one, giving her a reassuring smile.

"You guys…" Rose muttered, tears falling feely from her eyes now.

And then as one, they turned to look into the gaping jaws of their death.

A four-year old Hugo tackled them, sending the three children giggling onto the ground. Near the kitchen, Lily got up and stretched her back from lying on the ground for so long as Harry and Ginny watched, amused.

"Why did I have to be the one who died?" She complained. "It was so boring!"

"Well, I think being the bad guy is pretty fun." James shrugged. "Right, dad?"

Harry grinned at the group of kids playing and tussling on the floor. "It was a new experience." He said.

"Well I liked my part." Rose said happily.

"Me too." Albus agreed with a smile.

"We'll always be together." Scorpius said, hugging the other two. "Friends forever."

"Friends forever." Albus and Rose chorused quietly, as they sat in ring together, holding hands.