Albus was not at all bad at Quidditch.
After all, his father had begun teaching him how to play as a very small child. His mother had encouraged him as well and he had all those factors in his favor. His first class with Madam Ginestra was a tremendous success, despite the fact that the old Nimbus 2000 provided by the school trembled a little and had difficulty keeping its bearing. Even so, he did not want to go out for his teams' Chaser position.
"But, Rose, there are tons of students better than me," he whispered to his cousin while they were eating supper one evening.
" Nothing ventured, nothing gained, Al," she replied without looking away from her plate.
"Besides, two Potters on a team? It's kind of unfair."
"There are two Finnigans now, and there were two Thomases."
"James will still laugh at me and even in the impossible event that I would qualify, I don't think we would make a very good team ..."
"You two are brothers and James will get along with anyone if it means winning the Quidditch cup."
"But ... "
Albus paused. He was really starting to run out of arguements.
"And if ... What if I took a Bludger to the head or something, can you imagine?"
"Bludgers are an occupational hazard but James has never fallen from his broom, I don't think."
"But ... People will think I'm only doing this for attention!"
"Never mind what people think. James will only use it to wind you up!"
Albus had no more objections in his pocket. Rose sensed her victory and finally looked up from her dish.
"So, you're okay? Are you going to try out? "
Albus thought for a moment then looked down, defeated. After all, it was not as if being on a broomstick was any great ordeal for him. He loved flying.
"Yes, I think I will go and see Ginestra," he replied.
Rose stood up and stretched.
"Well, that's that! If I had half the chance of making the team as you do, I'd try out without a single hesitation!"
Albus rose as well, just in time to see Scorpius running up to them. Rose groaned, rolling her eyes. Since the day Albus had rescued Malfoy from James, he had taken the habit of following them around, much to Rose's annoyance. She sought to avoid him by all possible means. She claimed he had bad vibes and that this affected their quality of work. Moreover, if the other students saw them together, they would also become pariahs. But somehow, Albus did not seem to care about what the others might think. Rather, he demonstrated compassion for Scorpius.
"The password?" demanded the portrait of the Fat Lady which guarded the entrance to Gryffindor Tower.
"Fried Pullus," Albus offered, and the door swung open.
Rose rushed into the portal, followed by her cousin and her worst enemy. She lay on the couch and Albus sat on the armrest. Scorpius continued to watch them from afar..
"He creeps me out! How are we supposed to have a conversation with Malfoy spying on us?" Rose complained to Albus softly.
Albus glanced at Scorpius and then turned back to Rose.
"Maybe he is just ... I don't know ..."
"Do not make excuses for him, Al! That guy is crazy. All the Malfoys are crazy. So, please, do not even try to ..."
"Scorpius!" Albus called over, interrupting her tirade, "Are you going to try out for the house Quidditch team?"
"Albus Severus Potter! Don't you ever listen?" she hissed.
"Perhaps. I haven't decided. You are trying out, right?"
"What next?" Rose muttered, more to herself than to others.
"I think I am. But I'm afraid there will be much stronger players than us trying out as well."
"I saw you on a broom and believe me, you have it in the blood. "
Albus glanced over his shoulder anxiously. He could hear James' voice just outside in the corridor.
"We'll see," Albus responded quickly.
Albus got to his feet suddenly and made his way toward his room, in order to avoid his brother, but he overhead Rose begin chastising Scorpius as soon as she thought he was out of earshot.
"My cousin is really too nice and naïve, but I most certainly am not! So take care of yourself, Malfoy. I'm watching you. If you do the slightest thing to hurt any of my family or friends, I assure you, you will be annihilated!"
Then she gave him a scornful look before disappearing into her dorm room. Scorpius swallowed without having the time to answer anything at all. Albus sighed sympathetically before entering his room. That night, Albus did not hear Scorpius go to bed or even come upstairs to the room. Albus wondered if he stayed awake in the common room all night.
At long last, the time came when Hagrid invited Rose and Albus down to his hut for tea.
It was not as if visiting the gamekeeper was a trip to Calvary, they loved Hagrid and found him to be gentle and pleasant. His homemade biscuits, however, were another matter. Fortunately Fang was there to assist with that problem.
Rose and Albus were heading for the gamekeeper's hut which was located on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. The high canopy of trees covered the road leading to the dark heart of the gloomy wood. Knowing that dangerous creatures could live in there made Albus shiver. The forest seemed to swallow them up under dense foliage. Rose knocked timidly on the huge, wooden door. Hagrid opened it immediately and invited them in with a big smile on his lips.
"Come in, come in, don` be shy, now! "
The two cousins crowded inside the half-giant found them stools to sit on, wedged between a wall and the large basket where his playful mastiff slept. Fang laid his heavy head on Rose's lap and began to drool profusely on her robes. She tried to ignore it but the dog began to whimper for her to scratch his head. Seeing his pitiable air, she laid her hand on top of his head covered with dark fur.
"I'll make tea. Always tea to go with my cupcakes."
Rose and his cousin grimaced, but Hagrid, who had his back turned, did not notice. Albus noted that the daily newspaper was folded on the table. He seized it and began to read.
"NEW DISAPPEARANCE AT DURMSTRANG! "
"After the strange disappearance of Rodrig Snieg, a serious student with no history of strange behavoir, it's now the turn of Eleanor Rosenwalt to evaporate without a trace. The young witch disappeared from her dormitory just one day after Rodrig disappeared, presumably running away from school. Investigators have uncovered no trace of the two teenagers so far. A lovers escape, perhaps, or a kidnapping? The mystery remains."
The photo of the missing girl was below the article.
A shrill whistle made Albus jump.
"Tea is ready! " Hagrid sang out.
He served them in small, chipped cups, coarsely decorated, and placed the teapot on the table beside a plate of biscuits.
"Ah, yeh heard o` them disappearances, have yeh? A nasty story ... "
Rose and Albus observed Hagrid with interest as he squinted at the article.
"What happened to them, Hagrid?" Albus asked him, "Why hasn't anyone found them yet?" Hagrid looked down thoughtfully, as if suddenly fascinated by Crockdur who was sniffing greedily at the cakes.
"I don` believe fer a minute, that those kids were kidnapped. Yeh have to be smart as paint to enter like that into a school of magic an come out with a kid under yer arm. Those hoodlum are in a little romantic getaway an` they just got lost. Unfortunately, the woods around Durmstrang are not really ... Anyway, yeh know what I mean?"
They nodded eagerly.
"I hope they will find them quickly and still alive."
Albus swallowed.
"Anyway, how about yer parents? How are things with them? And little Lily? And yer younger brother Hugo?"
They spoke of their family for a while and then Hagrid began to rehash old memories of the first year Harry, Ron and Hermione came to Hogwarts.
"They gave me some hard times, those little rascals! I never meant teh betray Dumbledore's confidence, never! But how they managed teh get secrets out of me, those rascals! They were there with their innocent little faces! And sayin` that they faced Fluffy ... "
Uncle Ron and Albus's father had often spoken of the giant, three-headed dog to their children. "The gentlest beast in the world if we played him a song! He would have made a very good watchdog," according to Ron.
"But now, snorted Hagrid, "I hardly see `em ..".
"Why?" Asked Rose.
"He's living with me brother Grawp. Oh, I'm not sad! They both get along so well. But Grawp kin be so light-minded! I'm always afraid that he forgets teh feed em ... Sometimes I can't sleep when I think about it ... "
He blew his nose in an old pea-colored handkerchief. Albus took advantage of this distracted moment to pass three biscuits to Fang, who devoured them in the blink of an eye before licking Albus' hands.
"By the way, I heard that yeh were friends with little Scorpius ..."
Rose froze. Oh no! That was the last thing she wanted to hear. Everyone thought she was friends with him! She wanted to scream from the rooftops of the school, "I. Am. Not. Friends. With. Scorpius. Malfoy! "
"We are not really friends ... she muttered.
"Really? But James told me that ...
"James?" Albus was mortified.
"Yeah, James, yer brother," said Hagrid, a little disoriented, "I just wanted to say that ... Well, it would be better not to trust Scorpius ... You know, this family has ..."
"Been mortal ennemies with our parents for three decades?" Rose growled in a low voice.
"Yes. Beware, yeh never know. "
Oh yes, she knew. Rose fully intended to breath down Scorpius' neck throughout the whole school year and the following if necessary. She knew that slimy Scorpius Malfoy would end up betraying Albus before long and at that moment, she would be there.
"It's getting` late, I would not want yeh teh be out after hours. And then I heard that Gryffindor need a new Chaser fer the Quidditch team? "
He nodded to Albus who looked down, slightly embarrassed.
"I'm sure yeh will fly like lightning`! I'll try teh come down and see the try outs tomorrow! "
They said goodbye but as they crossed the door, Hagrid caught a hold of them.
"Ah, yeh almost fergot yer cake! There! "
He stuffed their hands with biscuits, then slammed the door, smiling. As they moved away from the cabin, Rose grumbled:
"What are we supposed to do with these?"
"They're hard as rock. I'm not about to try to taste them. They really weigh a ton!"
"Wait, I may have an idea. "
She grabbed her wand, made the cakes levitate a little awkwardly and sent them flying into the Forbidden Forest.
"Someone will eventually eat them! "
She laughed, but soon her laughter fell back and her face went darker.
"And to think that everyone thinks we're friends with Scorpius Malfoy! My life is ruined! "
Albus did not dare to argue but he said to himself that it was no a big deal. Poor Scorpius had enough trouble as it was, he didn't want to add to his problems. Moreover, he did not really seem to be a bad guy.
"Hey, Rose, did you think Hagrid was acting a bit ..."
"Anxious?"
"Yeah. Especially when he started to talk about the disappearances ..."
"I noticed too. "
They had only seen the giant three times and yet it was easy to guess when something disturbed him. He was an open book.
"I can't imagine why they disappeared but the whole thing seems very strange."
"I am willing to bet that more will disappear before the authorities can tell us any more."
They entered the school and Albus decided to head back to the common room to finish his homework while Rose promised to bring him a piece of treacle tart from dinner. He paced the halls and found himself lost in worry. These stories of disappearances made him shudder, despite the fact that they were so far away. Suddenly, he heard a whisper. In surprise, he pressed himself against a wall, hoping he might melt into it if any adults were coming to catch him wandering the halls. He waited nervously. Had it merely been a dream or hallucination? But then a new murmuring sound made him tremble. After a moment of heavy silence, Albus heard a clear voice coming from the classroom. He placed his ear against the cold wall and listened.
"Are you sure? The moving will not ..."
"We have collected enough. We can't go back for more, now. They are waiting. We have no choice, we need to move right away," a distant voice answered.
"But you are safe down there ... They are not likely to find you ..."
"Since when do you give your opinion?" Spat out the other voice which began to sizzle.
"I-I apologize ... I did not ..."
"We're almost out of time. Have you found someone that might serve the purpose?
"Yes, there are a few that may interest you ... "
Albus did not know why but he felt that the crackled voice was smiling.
"Perfect"
"Do you think y-you will come immediately or ..."
"We will make a side trip to France."
"Understood. I will start the preparations."
"Excellent. "
And the second voice vanished.
Albus knew that it was at that moment that he should flee, lest the other voice catch him listening.
And so he did.
He was off like a shot through the corridors, not knowing where he really went. He was charging, afraid of being discovered. This conversation was nothing like a little chat with friends. The voice seemed to come from nowhere and it had scared him. It was dark, guttural, inhuman.
He stopped when he was sure he was not being followed. His breath came short and his throat was on fire. What could all this mean? Who was in the room? Albus tried in vain to make sense of what he had heard and come up with a plan. He had to talk to Rose immediately. But he dared not go back the way he came. He decided to move towards the Gryffindor common room and meet Rose there. As he turned, his eyes met a pair of gray eyes that were watching him. The sight startled him so much he struggled to refrain from shouting out in fear. Scorpius looked haggard and his features were drawn with worry.
"Wh-What are you doing here?" Albus asked, trying to restore his capacity.
The other boy stared suspiciously at him.
"I could ask you the same question. "
He was not wrong, Albus realized. Scorpius looked strange. Really strange. Albus was not mistrustful by nature but at that moment a little voice in his head was screaming that Scorpius knew something about the voices he'd heard.
"Peeves was chasing me," Albus fibbed, "He hit me with rotten eggs. I was trying to get away and I got lost. I hate that bloody ghost. "
Albus' lie was convincing. Everyone knew that the poltergeist was a pain and it was better to flee than confront him. Moreover, the tremolos in his voice suggested genuine fear. Scorpius frowned.
"I was heading to the Great Hall. I'm starving."
Scorpius walked away toward dinner, casting a glance over his shoulder. Albus breathed with relief after hearing his footsteps vanish around the corner. He had to return to the dormitory and fast.
After an eternity, he finally sprawled in an armchair. Two students who were playing chess had turned their head as he entered and they waved at him. Rose was not there yet. Scorpius either. Still frazzled, he thankfully warmed himself by the fire. He hadn't realized the chill that had overtaken him. The phrase "a cold sweat" took its meaning.
His cousin eventually joined him and after having drawn her away for fear of eavesdroppers, he told his story. At each point in the tale, she stared in surprised or frowned in puzzlement. Once he'd finished, she had this to say,
"I think we'll follow Hagrid's advice. We will be very cautious of Scorpius Malfoy. And yeah, I told you so!"