A/N Spoiler alert: There are some scenes from the Cursed Child depicted here. Please bear with me and go through the story. I promise the next chapter would be about the ball.
As always, I am so happy and grateful to read the reviews you all have been posting. Thank you so much for all your support! A shoutout to sandflight for favouriting the story...you people are the best.
Do forgive me if there are too many typing mistakes. It's a late night update. And I'm too lazy to check for typos. And besides, the entire chapter was typed in my tab (my PC isn't working).
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
The morning before Christmas arrived with startling news.
Rose was going over Scorp's Herbology essay when Al hurried over to them with the day's Daily Prophet clutched in his hands.
'You two need to have a look at this,' he said, spreading the paper and pointing to a tiny column hardly a few lines long, in the lower right corner of the middle page.
Scorpius snatched the paper and peered at it, his eyes flying across the lines. Rose craned her neck past his shoulders to have a peek, but gave up when she couldn't make out the print.
'Wow,' said Scorp at length, turning his astonished eyes at Al, who nodded, his whole face aglow with excitement.
'I know! Isn't it something?' he said.
'What are you two talking about?' frowned Rose, as she drew the paper close and started reading. Finally she pushed it back and scoffed.
'I'm sure it's just a rumour as the correspondent mentions here. It might be just a stunt to increase the sales of the paper,' she said. 'Nobody takes the Daily Prophet seriously nowadays.'
'C'mon Rosie. It's Elfinius Burbridge you're talking about. He would hardly spread rumours. He is a trusted reporter. Even Dad does not take his reports lightly,' argued Al.
'And besides, one can hardly presume to expect a tiny column tucked away somewhere it would hardly be noticed to increase the sales of the paper,' Scorpius added and shrugged.
'But this is absurd!' she countered. 'One can hardly make such a thing in one's homemade laboratory. It's a powerful magical object you're talking about!'
'But –'
'Stop and think for a moment. Stealing something from the Department of Mysteries is not an easy feat. And considering the thief is a former, well-known Death Eater we are talking about, it's next to impossible. He was put under house arrest by the Wizengamot after serving his five years in Azkaban. How do you suppose he got into the Ministry without anybody recognizing him and raising an alarm?'
'Polyjuice Potion?' ventured Al.
'No,' said Scorpius, shaking his head and frowning at the paper. 'She is right. If Theodore Nott was placed under house arrest, he would not be able to brew Polyjuice Potion. Not without the Aurors knowing.'
'How do you know that?'
'My Grandfather,' Scorpius replied drily. He grew quiet and brooding, fiddling with his wand and frowning at nothing in particular.
Rose gave him a sympathetic smile. 'You're not your grandfather, Malfoy.'
'It hardly makes any difference for some. I bet even your father disapproves of us being friends since I'm a Malfoy,' he said bitterly.
Rose opened her mouth to deny his words but closed it again.
'What if he stole into the Department of Mysteries even before the Second Wizarding War? What if he has been developing it in secret all these years?'
Scorpius looked up at Al. They had completely forgotten he was there. Rose sighed. Sometimes Al could be really bullheaded.
'Even if he managed to steal from the Department, where would he get the time to develop it? He spent five years in prison, Al. And if we consider for the sake of considering that he managed to do both somehow, the Ministry would make it their job to destroy it the first chance they got. Remember, it's a powerful object and can be extremely dangerous in the hands of the wrong person.'
Al looked crestfallen.
ooooo
They met Hagrid on the way out. He was busy lugging in the last Christmas tree to be erected and decorated in the Great Hall.
'Can we help you in any way, Professor?' asked Scorpius politely.
Hagrid smiled through his beard, his eyes crinkling merrily at the corners. 'Nah. I got this.' He gave it another tug, sprinkling pine needles everywhere.
'We can levitate it to the Hall,' suggested Al. Rose smiled up at Hagrid.
'Please let us help, Hagrid,' she pleaded.
'A'right, go ahead,' he shook his shaggy head. 'Yeh three remin' me o' the Golden Trio,' he chuckled.
They helped Hagrid place the tree in its stand and bid him a cheerful goodbye. The castle was bustling. Many guests had arrived at the castle on the occasion of the ball. Many of them were ex-students. The three found them talking about how the castle hasn't changed much in all these years.
' – the portrait is still there, even though it's a little more chipped around the edges.'
' – I wonder if the greenhouses are exactly where we used to have them.'
' – oh yes! They are.'
' – bless him! The good fellow is still alive!' (they were talking about the Giant Squid)
It was Saturday and since there were no classes, the three decided to go watch the guests arrive. They were looking down at the frozen lake when Al gave a sudden gasp and pointed to Hagrid's hut. 'Look!' he said.
Rose and Scorpius turned. Hagrid stood talking to someone near his famous pumpkin patch. The man turned suddenly. His glasses caught the waning light and glinted like the polished surface of a snitch.
'Uncle Harry is here!' gasped Rose. She waved to him. He waved back, before taking long strides towards their direction.
Scorpius gulped. 'I better get back to the castle,' he said.
Al frowned at him, 'Why? Are you scared of my father?'
'No. not exactly.'
'What does that mean?' said Al.
'I don't want your father to be angry with you,' said Scorpius.
'Why on earth –?'
'Most fathers don't like their children mixing with a Malfoy. I know,' he stressed the last words, as he watched the famous Harry Potter draw closer with each long stride.
'Don't be stupid. Dad knows about you. He won't bite,' assured Al.
'Well, well well, if it isn't my favourite niece,' said Mr. Potter opening his arms wide. Rose gave him a bear hug as he laughed and tousled her hair.
'Hi Dad,' said Al, grinning from ear to ear.
'Hey there, buddy!' said his father, before looking up. His eyes fell upon Scorpius, who gulped again.
'And you must be –'
'Scorpius, my best friend,' finished Al.
'Of course,' said Harry, giving Scorpius a tentative smile. He held out his hand. 'I'm Harry Potter, Albus's father.'
'It's an honour to meet you, sir,' croaked Scorpius, shaking his hand. Harry looked mildly surprised and pleased. As if he rather expected a sneer or something.
'You look so much like your father,' he said, giving him a thorough perusal. 'How do you find school?' he asked suddenly.
'Great, sir, thanks to these two here,' Scorpius turned to Rose and Al, who beamed at him.
Mr. Potter nodded his head slowly, 'I'm glad to hear that. Friends are valuable for survival. I too could not have made it through school without my best friends.' He took a deep breath and smiled, 'It feels so good to be back here again.'
'Where's Aunt Ginny?' asked Rose suddenly.
'She'll be arriving shortly. Her editor refused to let her leave early,' he said. Then he swept his fingers through his unruly, ebony hair, 'I'd better go. Don't want to anger Professor McGonagall. She can be quite frightening when she's angry.'
Rose and Scorpius shared a quick glance before looking away. They were remembering the talking-to they had to face when they were in second year.
Mr. Potter bid them goodbye and trudged up the steep slope towards the huge front door.
'Wow,' breathed Scorpius, finally.
Al snorted, 'Close your mouth before something gets in.' He swatted away a gnat that was buzzing near his head.
'But you don't understand,' said Scorpius. 'I just shook hands with –'
'The famous Harry Potter – I know – I know,' Al dismissed the whole thing with a wave of his hand. 'But he's just my dad, see? It's not a big deal.'
'It is a big deal. You should know that!' he frowned at Al.
Al rolled his eyes. 'Sometimes I wish people would just forget that I'm his son – why can't they just see me as plain Albus Potter?'
'You're lucky to be his son. You don't have to bother about anyone calling you the spawn of a Death Eater – like me.'
Rose shook her head. 'Sometimes being the child of a famous person can also be tough. Look at me – everybody expects me to be more brilliant than my mom. And if I fail, people talk.'
Al nodded in agreement.
'Hey! You're unique in your own right!' said Scorpius.
'Just as you are. Stop being scared of others calling you names. They don't know who you are. As we do,' Rose smiled at him.
Scorpius felt his heart sing. He hugged them both. 'You are the bestest friends anyone could ever have.'
'Yeah yeah, we know,' smirked Al, slinging an arm over both their shoulders, as they slowly walked back to the golden glow of the castle.
ooooo
The Great Hall was looking stunning. Students pointed to the twelve towering Christmas trees that stood as sentinels along the north and South walls of the hall. They glittered and twinkled with the hundreds of live fairies buzzing around them. Silver stars and crescent moons hung from their branches and golden streamers lay draped across them like thick snakes. A huge tapestry depicting the Hogwarts coat of arms hung behind the high table—a large letter H surrounded by the scarlet and gold lion of Gryffindor, the yellow and black badger of Hufflepuff, the blue and bronze eagle of Ravenclaw and the green and silver snake of Slytherin. The thousands of candles floating in the air bathed everything in a soft golden light. Enchanted snow fell from the ceiling.
Students chattered and pointed to the high table, pondering over the extra chairs that had been added to the row.
'Have they arrived already?'
'Perhaps.'
'I'm waiting to catch a glimpse.'
'Who do you think is coming?'
'The Minister maybe…'
Rose and Scorpius were enjoying the chatter. They knew who would be coming – and it was fun to hear others guessing up the wrong answers.
'Hey! What are you two sniggering about?' asked James across the table.
'Nothing. You'll know soon enough.'
James scowled just as a hush fell across the room. Scorpius turned to look at the table. McGonagall was walking towards her high chair, busy talking to Mr. Potter. The other teachers followed them, listening closely.
Whispers began flying across the room.
'Is it –?'
'Yes, it is.'
'Galloping gargoyles! It's Harry Potter!'
'Do you think I can get an autograph?'
James had his mouth slightly open. 'Dad?! I should have known,' he finished weakly. Lily looked ready to jump up in glee. Scorpius turned to look at Al. He found him plagued by the Ravenclaw girls from all sides and trying hard to disappear under the table.
'Who is that?' Rose asked suddenly.
A rather feeble old wizard was being helped into a chair by a young woman. He glared at Mr. Potter through the interval.
'That's Amos Diggory,' said James. He was fairly recovered from the shock now. 'But who is the young lady? She's rather pretty.'
'I heard Virginia can cast a really nasty Bat Bogey Hex,' murmured Rose suggestively. James sobered in an instant.
'He has it bad, hasn't he?' whispered Scorpius. Rose pressed her lips in silent amusement.
Headmistress McGonagall tinkled her goblet with her wand. 'May I have your attention please? We already have few dignitaries gracing our table today. I'm proud to welcome Mr. Harry Potter and Mr. Amos Diggory in our midst.'
Tremendous applause filled the hall. Mr. Potter got up and gave a small bow. Mr. Diggory waved from his seat. The young lady adjusted his coat lapels.
'Since you all know, this is a memorial service dedicated to Cedric Diggory. And since Mr. Potter was one of the contestents in the ill-fated tournament where we all so tragically lost one of our best students, I would like to request Mr. Potter to say a few words in honour of Cedric Diggory.' The headmistress gave him a small nod and sat down. Mr. Potter took off his glasses, wiped them in his robe and put them on. Then he cleared his throat.
'Thank you, Headmistress, for giving me this valuable opportunity,' he began. The hall was so quiet you could hear the rasping breath of the caretaker, Filch.
'I had the honour of meeting Cedric Diggory during my fourth year in Hogwarts. Many of you know that it was the year Hogwarts hosted the first Triwizard Tournament in decades. It was also the year the Goblet of Fire chose four champions, instead of the customary three -' he drew a deep breath before continuing, 'Cedric would have been the Hogwarts champion, if the Goblet hadn't chosen me as well. But I cannot regret it. I wouldn't have come to know him better if I hadn't.'
Someone snorted loudly. Mr. Potter clenched his jaws.
'Cedric Diggory was a model human being. Kind, loyal, friendly - he never strove to achieve something at the cost of loss to others. I remember him asking our Quidditch captain, Oliver Woods, for a rematch in third year. And you know why he said that? Because he saw me fall off my broom. And in his opinion it was not a fair game when the other team played without a Seeker.'
The hall listened to him in rapt attention.
'His sense of justice was so strong, I've come across such in very few wizards. And it was this inborn quality that made him hold everyone in equal respect. No one was inferior in his eyes. He looked down to no one. I was not a close friend of his, but he never made me feel left out. In fact, when I was facing ridicule at the hands of many of my own friends, he was the one who told them off.'
'It is painful for me to recollect these memories. Sometimes I just feel so guilty to have asked him to raise the Triwizard cup with me. If I had listened to him and hadn't insisted that we share, he would have been alive today-' he paused to take another deep breath.
'Cedric was everything that was opposite of Voldemort. He represented loyalty and honour and friendship. He may not have been alive, but his spirit guided us during the darkest of times, showing us the importance of strength in unity. He brought us all together, helping us fight for what we held dearest-freedom and truth, and honour, and love and trust...'
Rose nudged Scorpius with her foot. He jerked his head back, 'What?'
'Look at Amos Diggory.'
Scorpius squinted at the old man. He was livid and glared daggers at Mr. Potter. He continued glaring at him across the table even after he had finished his speech and settled down in his chair. Scorpius turned to Rose, 'That's weird. Why does he look angry?'
Rose only shrugged back, looking puzzled.
They soon forgot everything as food appeared before them.
oooooo
'Have you seen Amanda?' asked Al, as they made their way to the dorms. The Potter siblings had gone off to talk to their father. Rose had stayed behind. So had Scorp. The three were almost the only people on the ground floor now.
'No. I think she left for the dorm ages ago. Why?' asked Rose.
'Wanted to decide where we would meet tomorrow. I need to wait somewhere where she woukd find me easily.'
'Why don't you wait outside our common room?' suggested Scorpius. Al seemed to ponder the idea before he gave a nod.
'Great. Tell her I'd be waiting outside by five,' he told Rose. 'I would - what was that?'
They could hear raised voices.
'It's coming from there,' said Scorpius.
'That sounds like -'
'Uncle Harry!' Rose turned to Al. They stood listening. The raised voices were approaching them. They found the nearest empty room and hid themselves. It wouldn't do to get caught out of bed by some teache or prefect.
'- of course I'm not,' Harry was saying. 'It's just, I'm afraid, as Head of the Department of Magical Law and Enforcement I'm responsible-'
'There's plenty you're responsible for,' spat the other voice.
'Sorry?'
'My son, Cedric, you remember Cedric, don't you?'
Rose, Al and Scorpius looked at each other, shocked. Amos Diggory!
Harry drew a sharp breath. 'Yes, I remember your son. His loss-'
'Voldemort wanted you!' erupted Mr. Diggory. 'Not my son! You told me yourself, the words he said were 'kill the spare'. The spare. My beautiful son, was a spare.' He gave a huge sniff.
Harry was trying to reason with him, 'Mr. Diggory, as you know, I sympathise with your efforts to memorialise Cedric but-'
'A memorial?' hissed the old man. 'I'm not interested in a memorial - not any more. I am an old man - an old, dying man - and I am here to ask you - beg you - to help me get him back.'
The three drew their breath sharply. Harry looked up, as surprised as they felt.
'Get him back? Amos, that's not possible,' he said, a slight hint of incredulity in his voice.
Amos's face hardened. 'The Ministry has a Time-Turner, does it not?' he asked in a granite voice.
'The Time-Turners were destroyed!'
'The reason I'm here at all,' he beat out slowly, 'is because I knew I'd find you here and because I heard a rumour - a strong rumour - that the Ministry seized an illegal Time-Turner from Theodore Nott and has kept it. For investigation. Let me use that Time-Turner. Let me have my son back.'
There was a long deadly pause. The three friends held their breath, watching in rising horror and astonishment the play of emotions on Harry's face. He began shaking his head slowly and walking away, Amos hobbling after him.
'Amos, playing with time? You know we can't do that,' they heard him say, as he and Amos disapeared round the corridor. Amos's reply was muffled by the walls.
'I told you!' whispered Al. 'I knew Elfinius wouldn't spread rumours.'
'But Uncle Harry didn't say if it was true. Amos mentioned it was a rumour,' said Rose, frowning.
'Neither did Dad deny it,' whispered Al, 'it's as good an affirmation as any.'
They were busy arguing in whispers, when -
'Hello.'
They nearly jumped out of their skins at the quiet voice coming from behind them. Whipping around in panic, they found the young witch accompanying Amos, sitting on a dusty bench and watching them intently. She jumped down and strode towards them with a friendly smile.
'Oh. Sorry. Didn't mean to startle. I used to do that a lot myself, listening behind doors, ' she said, jerking her head towards the corridor, 'waiting for someone to say something the tiniest bit interesting.' She smiled again.
Al was the first to recover. 'Who are you?' he asked.
'I am a thief of course. I am about to steal everything you own. Give me your gold, your wand and your Chocolate Frogs,' she gave a mock glare and then smiled, ' Either that or I'm Delphini Diggory.' She stuck out her hand, ' Delphi. I look after him - Amos - well, I try.' She rolled her eyes before giving a small chuckle and turning to Al.
'And you are?'
'Albus. And this is Rose and Scorpius.'
'Of course! Albus Potter! So Harry is your dad? That's a bit wow isn't it?'
'Erm...' Al looked a bit uneasy.
Delphi frowned, giving him a careful stare. Then she nodded slowly, as if in understanding. Suddenly they heard Amos call her name.
She walked past them towards the corridor, before thinking something and turning towards them. 'We don't choose who we are related to,' she shrugged. 'Amos isn't just my patient, he's my uncle - it's part of the reason I took the job at Upper Flagley. You learn to live with the fact after a time.' She gave them a jaunty wave and was gone.
'She was nice,' Rose wondered aloud. Scorpius nodded.
'She seemed very friendly. I liked her loads better than Amos. Don't you think so, Al?'
Al was still frowning and looking at the door through which the witch had disappeared.
'Al?' Rose prodded.
Al seemed to come out a deep trance. 'Huh?'
'You seem miles away.'
He nodded, frowning again. 'Did you find anything odd about her?'
'Odd?' they looked at him, puzzled.
'What was she doing here, alone?'
'May be trying to take a respite from the caustic old man,' suggested Rose.
Al shook his head. 'It doesn't explain the fact that she didn't let her presence felt the moment she saw us.'
'Leave it, Al. She must have her own reasons.'
But he only muttered, 'Something's just not right about this whole thing.'
Rose and Scorpius shook their head. Al could be like a dog witha piece of bone. He wouldn't let the matter rest till he was satisfied.
They left him pondering about it all the way to his dormitory.
ooooooo
To be continued...
Please review, my good people!
I have tried my best to adapt the CC dialogues to go with my story. What do you guys think? Let me know...
