Title: The Summer Trials Part V
Author: phys_nut
Beta: because I'm crap this week, and finished this chapter like 10mins ago, so it's unbeta'd…but I've sent it off to my beta anyhoo, so that status could change!
Summary: Albus takes part in the Queen of Quok's Obstacle Course.
Word Count: 6,524
Pairings: AS/S
Warnings: creepy twins, light swearing, drunken karaoke and a wee bit of angst and sap!
Disclaimer: none of this is mine; it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions. Also, the king of the polar bears, the man with the magic book, father time, the queen of quok and the box of robbers all belong to the wonderful Frank Baum's 'American Fairytales.'
A/N: ugh ugh UGH! Right, even though this is my longest chapter to date, my mind was so not there and so I apologise profusely for the lameness of it all! Hope it is in SOME way decent, I've just had a bad week! Also, has anyone else been watching Torchwood: Children of Earth this week?? Sooo good, but sooo sad!!
Chapter Five: Tis A Grand Adventure!
Albus awoke with a snort and a groan as his head started pounding mercilessly. Sluggishly, he rolled over and instantly regretted it as his stomach twisted viciously and threatened to up heave its contents right there and then.
Oh Merlin, never again, NEVER AGAIN…
After getting the clue off the well-girl, Albus and Charlie had returned to the chateau in high spirits. Louis had greeted them with a shriek, hugs and kisses, and had promptly dragged Albus inside, "to celebrate!" Naturally, that meant with wine, and a bloody lot of it. As would be expected, wine lead to tequila shots (what didn't?), and one things lead to another and ended up where it inevitably did with Louis: karaoke. Albus had warbled an emotional rendition of "All By Myself," while Louis performed a sultry version of Eddie Vedder's "Setting Forth." After more shots and wine, they both belted out, "We Are the Champions," clapping each other on the back and grinning manically. Eventually, the two teens had been too paralytic to move let alone sing, and had collapsed on the couch and floor respectively, giggling themselves into drunken slumbers.
And now Albus was lying flat on his back, hands resting on his stomach, breathing deep and cursing Louis and his celebratory ways. Speaking of the devil…
The door to the sitting room burst open, and his cousin skipped in, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
"Good morning Alllbuuuss!" he sang out, waltzing up to Albus, who moaned and turned over clutching his head, then quickly moaned and gingerly rubbed his stomach.
"Louis, please, PLEASE tell me you have some hangover potion," he pleaded, trying to soothe his stomach and fight the urge to throw up.
"Oh you poor petal," Louis tittered, "Of course I have hangover potion, how else do you think I am so fabulous?" he finished with a toss of his head.
Albus whimpered as his stomach and head continued to rebel and Louis took pity. Pulling a small vial from his pocket, he walked over and knelt beside Albus. Uncorking the vial, he helped Albus sit up and poured the potion into his mouth. Albus drank quickly, grimacing at the slightly bitter taste, and then laid back and waited for the potion to take effect. After a few minutes, he wasn't yet fully cured, but he felt well enough to sit up on his own. Louis nodded happily and stood.
"I will cook breakfast!" he announced, and stepped lightly out of the room.
After another few minutes, the smell of sausages and rashers cooking wafted into the room, and Albus figured he must be better, because rather than heaving, his stomach rumbled with want and his mouth watered as he realised just how HUNGRY he was. Slowly he stood, and when nothing happened, he shuffled into the kitchen, where he found Louis, wearing a giant chef's hat and an apron that proclaimed, 'Donnez Baison A Le Chef!' and cooking up a mountain of food.
"Are you hungry?"
Albus' stomach growled loudly in response and Louis laughed, cracking two eggs into the pan deftly.
"I too am starving! Would you make a pot of tea please Albus?"
"Sure," Albus nodded, getting the kettle and filling it, then put it on the oven top to heat up, and went in search of the teapot, tea bags and milk.
Louis and Albus worked to get breakfast ready, while instrumental music poured out from the radio, and they chatted about the one thing their family had in abundance: gossip.
"Dominique almost had her nose bitten off by a mummified cat!"
"Ha! Did Aunt Fleur threaten to drag her to France and lock her up again?"
"Of course!"
"Oh, did you hear Uncle Ron caught Hugo growing gillyweed in his room?"
"Merde Albus, you are not serious!"
"I am, Rose owled Lily about it last week! Uncle Ron only confiscated it though, and said he wouldn't tell Aunt Hermione if Hugo promised not to grow anymore."
"So I should be expecting a very giggly Ron at the next family gathering?"
"Possibly. Apparently he only found the small stash, Hugo has a bigger one in the basement – it's full of spiders so Ron and Rose stay well clear of it, and Hermione thinks Hugo's an innocent angel so she'd never suspect a thing."
"*snort* Hugo is as innocent as a Thai hooker."
"Ha!"
Breakfast was ready, and Albus and Louis took their seats at the table.
"It is not very French," Louis said apologetically, gesturing at the breakfast, "But I have found it complements the hangover potion perfectly."
Albus cut up some sausage and egg and put it in his mouth, moaning in appreciation.
"Merlin you got that right, this is amazing."
Louis beamed happily and started to eat.
After breakfast, Albus set the plates to wash in the sink and took up Louis' offer of a shower; scourgify was effective, but it couldn't beat the feeling of hot water on bare skin. When he was clean, dried and dressed, he headed downstairs feeling fully refreshed. Louis was in the sitting room reading over the clue. Albus frowned at it; he knew it off by heart he had read it so many times trying to figure it out.
The Queen of Hearts baked some tarts, on a hot summer's day. But the Queen of Quok, like the King of Hearts, with her coins counted her life away.
Albus had never heard of the Queen of Quok, and the Queen of Hearts was a poem, not a fairytale. And what was he supposed to get? It was a maddening clue, and Albus began to feel the beginnings of panic closing in on his chest as he thought about the possibility of never figuring it out, never getting the next clue, never being able to rescue Scorpius, see Scorpius, hug Scorpius in relief…
"The Queen of Quok…" Louis murmured contemplatively, pulling Albus out of his panicked thoughts, "She sounds like something your parents' strange friend would come up with."
"Which strange friend?" Albus snorted, rolling his eyes.
"The woman with the blond hair and crazy eyes. You know, the one with the radish obsession."
"Oooohhhh, Luna!" Albus exclaimed, "She might actually know something…Would you mind if I used your floo to make a fire-call?"
"Not at all," Louis nodded, "The floo powder is on the mantelpiece."
Albus took up some powder and put some into the fireplace, kneeling down.
"Fire call for Luna Lovegood-Scamander, America please," he called into the fire.
"One moment please," a tiny voice said.
There was a pause and then.
"Okay, we'll connect you, please put your head in the fire at the beep."
Albus sighed with impatience as he waited. The new floo system had been put in five years ago, and while it was more efficient and polite, there were times he wished he could still just stick his head in and appear willy-nilly in whatever fireplace he pleased. That however had head to too many teenagers pulling pranks on unsuspecting witches and wizards. Hence the new system, and thus the waiting.
Eventually there was a shrill beep, and Albus smiled and stuck his head in the fire, coming face-to-face with his 'Aunt' Luna, who was looking as unfocused and enigmatic as ever.
"Hallo Albus Severus," she smiled dreamily, "You're looking just like your father as ever. Anymore trouble with Wrackspurts?"
"Hullo Luna, no, no more trouble with them," Albus grinned, choking down giggles as he remembered how he and Scorpius pretended to be stalked by Wrackspurts the last time Luna had come to visit, much to the amusement of Uncle Ron and Uncle George, and the disapproval of Aunt Hermione and Mum.
"I was just wondering if you've ever heard of the Queen of Quok?"
"Oh yes," Luna smiled, eyes brightening, and Albus prepared himself, "She's running an obstacle course in two days."
Albus, who had been prepared for one of Luna's typically tripped-out, hippy rants, blinked and then said, "Huh?"
"The Queen of Quok is running an obstacle course in two days," Luna repeated calmly, "Lorcan and Lysander are taking part in it, would you like to as well?"
"It's a children's contest?" Albus frowned, trying not to grimace at the thought of Luna's creepy ten-year-old twin boys.
"It's for all ages. The boys need to develop themselves physically; they get such little exercise because they read all day. And they might be able to track down a Snozzwargle that's supposed to be around there."
"Snozzwargle?" Albus echoed.
"Mmm, tiny creatures that live in dusty, dry places and enjoy hopping into people's ears and imitating sounds, making people think they're hearing voices. The only way to spot them is to sprint through the dust to stir it up."
There was the oddest look in Luna's eyes as she spoke, almost crafty…and sly. Albus realised quickly what it was – she was lying! She knew very well there was no such thing as a Snozzwargle….so it must be so that the boys will go outside…
"Is that so," Albus murmured, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh yes. It's very important to keep fit if you want to deal with magical creatures," Luna replied, still in a dreamy voice, but there was a focused, almost wicked glint in her eyes.
Albus chuckled and nodded, then replied, "Would I be able to take part in the obstacle course?"
"Of course," Luna smiled, "Would you like to floo over now?"
"Oh, I have a motorbike, I can't," Albus sighed.
"You'll have to take a portkey then. Take the 414 international portkey to Arizona and drive about 5 miles east, you'll find us."
"Okay," Albus smiled, "Cheers Luna, I'll be over asap."
"I look forward to seeing you Albus Severus," Luna smiled, and then was gone as Albus pulled his head back out of the fire.
"Arizona?" Louis grinned, "How exciting Albus, oh! The things you do for Scorpius!"
"He'd do the same for me," Albus said gruffly, standing up, "Do you know where the nearest international portkey office is?"
"Oui, there is one in the village, I shall fetch it for you and you will pack up and prepare yourself," Louis instructed, fetching his cloak and walking briskly out of the house.
Albus got his things together and headed out of the chateau and into the garage where Charlie was humming to himself.
"Hiya Albus!" he chirped when he spotted Albus walking in, "Didja figure out the clue? Do you know where we're going? Can we go now?"
"Yes, yes and no," Albus grinned, feeling amused by and almost fond of, rather than irritated by Charlie's incessant questioning.
"We're going to America, so Louis has gone to get an international portkey for us."
"Ooo, I've never travelled by portkey, I'm so excited!"
"I can tell," Albus deadpanned, strapping his things onto Charlie's tank and back seat.
Charlie chattered on as he worked, and Albus tuned him out in favour of thinking about the image of Scorpius he had seen by the well. Just what had it been? A glamour? Some sort of hallucinating charm? A part of the Trials meant to drive him insane? Or…OR, was it actually Scorpius as he was now, lost somewhere, stuck asleep? Albus didn't particularly enjoy any of those thought, and the image stuck in his mind, chasing his peace away.
When he had finished securing everything to Charlie, Albus gave him a quick check up to make sure he was in peak condition. He was bent over the handlebars checking the fork alignment with the wheel, when the door to the garage was opened.
"Mmm Albus, is that position all for moi?" Louis called out cheekily as he sauntered in.
"I'm more of a giver than a taker," Albus called back over his shoulder just as cheekily, as he sat back.
"Good thing I enjoy both then, non?"
"You are shameless," Albus chuckled, shrugging his jacket on, helmet and gloves in his lap.
"Only for very special people."
"How sweet."
Louis chuckled, pulled a teacup from his pocket and handed it to Albus, saying, "Here, it will activate when you say the word, 'hotdog'."
"Hotdog?" Albus asked, wondering what it was, and was suddenly wrenched from the garage, Charlie and he landing with a loud 'thunk!' on a dusty road in Arizona.
Albus looked around in confusion, then down at the portkey, and then grinned ruefully.
"Ooops."
"Aww, I didn't even get to say goodbye to Louis!" Charlie whined.
There was a drawn out pause as Albus performed a compass charm.
"So, where are we?"
"Arizona," Albus replied, putting on his helmet and gloves.
"WHAT?! No way! That's amazing! I've never been to America, have you? I heard there's lots of motorbikes around-"
Albus kick started the engine.
"- I wonder if we'll see any? I don't know, after all, America's so bi- OOO!" he squealed as the new theme song started, "I LOVE THIS SONG!"
For once, Albus agreed with him – the bass was heavy, the drums pounding, guitar screeching and the voice scratchy. Perfect.
"Wild thing...you make my heart sing...
You make everything
Groovy
I said wild thing...
Wild thing, I think I love you
But I wanna know for sure
Come on, hold me tight
I love you."
Albus and Charlie sped down the road, and it wasn't long before they were outside what must be Luna's house – a building, perched on stilts, that swayed in the breeze, and looked like it had been made from bits of other houses. The 'garden' had a large fountain, with some weird creature statue at the centre, around which were many many garden ornaments, both magical and muggle. Good grief, Albus had forgotten what a trinket-whore Luna was.
As Albus and Charlie drove up the driveway, the front door opened and Luna, Lorcan and Lysander peered down at them.
"Hallo Albus Severus," Luna called out as he hopped off Charlie, "The door bell below the house will transport you up."
"Kay," Albus nodded, and grabbed his stuff.
"I'll be back in a while," he told Charlie and then headed over to the far stilt.
There was an old-fashioned doorbell attached to it, and with a light touch, Albus felt the tug on his stomach as he was wrenched up to the front door.
"It's good to see you," Luna smiled, embracing him with two light kisses.
"It's good to see you too," Albus smiled, "Thanks for letting me visit."
"Hallo Albus Severus," Lorcan-or-Lysander-he-couldn't-tell-which said solemnly.
The other one whispered in his ear, and he added, "How are you?"
"I'm fine thanks," Albus smiled wanly, already feeling creeped out.
Physically, their father claimed them, but all it took was one look in their eyes and to hear them speak to know that they were their mother's children through and through.
"How are you both?" he asked.
One whispered in the other's ear again, and he said, "I am fine. And I am fine also."
"Good," Albus smiled, then edged towards Luna and muttered, "Is everything okay?"
"Oh yes," Luna smiled, "Lorcan is practising mermish, so he's whispering it to Lysander to translate. Lysander is developing his listening skills."
"Ah, very well," Albus nodded, then said to the boys, "Good luck with the mermish and the listening."
"Thank you," Lysander replied politely.
"Would you like some tea?" Luna asked.
"Yes please," Albus smiled in relief.
Soon enough, Albus, Luna, Lorcan and Lysander were seated around the table, Lorcan whispering in Lysander's ear and Lysander talking back as Albus and Luna spoke.
"So Albus Severus, why have you decided to take part in the Queen of Quok's course?"
"It's for the Fairytale Trials," Albus told her, and proceeded to explain the whole situation thus far to her.
"It must be tough to carry out the trials alone, both for you and Scorpius," Luna tutted, shaking her head.
"I hope you find Scorpius soon," Lysander said seriously.
Lorcan whispered in his ear, and Lysander added, "As do I, after all, happiness only real when shared."
Luna made a series of garbled noises, to which Lorcan nodded and whispered in Lysander's ear.
"Happiness IS only real when shared," Lysander corrected.
"There are times I believe that statement," Albus smiled tightly, throat closing up as he thought about Scorpius.
"Well for the next two days at least you will not be alone," Luna smiled, patting his hand.
"Would you like to go hunting for a Crumple Hornsnack with us?" Lysander asked, and he and Lorcan looked up at Albus with what could only be taken as eager expressions.
Albus couldn't refuse them; even as creepy as they were, they were still children, and Albus had a soft spot.
"Sure," he smiled genuinely.
The next two days were spent stalking around the garden and surrounding area hunting all sorts of creatures with the twins, talking with Luna and helping her with some of her potions for her medi-witch practise. Eventually, the day of the course dawned and a hyped-up Albus took a portkey with the Lovegood-Scamander three of four, popping into existence in the middle of nowhere. Charlie had cried and begged to go with, but the course was for witches and wizards only. Looking around at the wacky mix of wildernesses around him, Albus wished it had not been so.
There were steep cliffs and mountains, a giant forest, a lake to one side and what looked like a desert and giant open plain in the distance. A witch apparated in front of them, clipboard in hand.
"Welcome to the Queen of Quok Obstacle Course," she beamed, "Who do we have participating today?"
"Lorcan and Lysander Lovegood-Scamander, and Albus Potter," Luna told her.
"Great," the witch nodded, scribbling their names down.
She tucked the clipboard under her arm, the quill behind her ear, and pulled three tiny backpacks from her robes, which she then enlarged and handed to the boys.
"Here are your course backpacks, each one contains a compass, flashlight, rope and a canteen of water. The starting point is at the foot of the mountain over there, the course starts in half an hour. Good luck!" she beamed and apparated away.
"So who is the Queen of Quok?" Albus asked, as they made their way over to the starting point.
"She's known in muggle fairytales as an old woman who bid a ghastly amount of money to marry a ten year old king, but really she's a witch who loaned that money to the kingdom, and is being paid back in silver pieces."
"Wow," Albus whistled, "That's crazy."
"It could have been worse," Lysander said, "She could have been attacked by a Snozzwargle."
"Oh yes, be careful in the desert section," Luna nodded sagely.
"Yes mother."
Albus bit his lip and tried not to laugh at the wink Luna sent him – nutter she may be, but she was quick as a whip. The group of four made it to the starting point, where there was a fairly sizeable gathering of witches and wizards of all ages and races. They stood around talking until a round-faced wizard apparated in front of the crowd with a sharp crack.
"Good morning to you, one and all!" he greeted, voice booming across the area, "Welcome to the Queen of Quok Obstacle Course! In this race, you will have to travel through the various wildernesses before you, and collect the tokens that will be highlighted by red markers floating above them. There is no set way to carry out the course and no time limit. The first person to make it to the castle will all the tokens shall receive a silver coin from the Queen of Quok herself!"
Cheers and claps responded to this, and the wizard smiled back and continued, "The course will begin when the red markers appear. Apparition and summoning charms are forbidden, but other magic is permitted. Best of luck on your great adventure!" and with that he apparated away.
The crowd murmured amongst themselves, but they were tense, alert, eyes scanning the course expectantly. When the red markers finally appeared over the various areas many competitors took off quickly, running and some even giving shrill war cries much to Albus' amusement.
"Have fun boys," Luna smiled, giving him, Lorcan and Lysander a kiss on the cheek.
"See you later mother," Lysander smiled back, and he and Lorcan walked calmly off hand-in-hand.
"Cheers again Luna," Albus smiled, then turned and headed for the nearest mountain, which would give him a clear view of the course and the red markers so he could strategise properly.
The climb started easy enough, but half way up, Albus was puffing and panting, finding the will to climb rapidly diminishing. The one thing that kept him going was that, had he been here, Scorpius would have laughed and/or sneered and poked fun at Albus' Gryffindor laziness shining through. Then again, had Scorpius been here, he would never have climbed the mountain in the first place, preferring to charge straight in, and Albus would have poked fun as his Gryffindor brashness shining through. They would have argued and then compromised because they both hated confrontation, and then would have laughed at the Hufflepuff-ness of the whole thing.
This course would have been a total laugh, not the bloody pain in the neck it was now. Merlin, Lorcan was right about the happiness thing, and Albus wanted nothing more than to have his best friend safe and with him. He WOULD find Scorpius, he needed to.
Finally, Albus made it to the top of the mountain, and sat for a moment to get his breath back. When he was ready, he stood, turned and huffed in surprise when he saw a cauldron of black pebbles with a red marker floating above it. It had been impossible to see at the starting point, and probably wasn't visible until one was in the middle of the forest. Clever.
Albus picked out one of the pebbles, and a small voice said, "Token one collected, congratulations."
Albus put the pebble in his backpack and then looked across the area in front of him. There were five more tokens to collect – two in the forest, one at the lake, one in the desert and one I the open plain just before the castle. Forest would be the best to start in then. With a grim, determined nod, Albus set off down the mountain.
Albus let off a frustrated grunt as the marker in the forest moved AGAIN. Bloody hell what was it? A creature probably, something skittish. Well, the best way to deal with it was to try wait for it to come to him then, maybe leave a little appetiser out…Albus pulled his canteen and compass out, and transfigured the compass into a dish, into which he poured some water. He set the dish down in the middle of the clearing, conjured up an apple, which he set beside the dish, and then took up post behind some bushes, watching the marker intently. Very slowly, it moved towards the clearing, and then, a unicorn walked into the open. Shit. Okay, this would be difficult, but thankfully not impossible.
Despite his numerous relationships throughout the years, Albus still spent the majority of his time with Scorpius, which didn't leave much spare time with his other half for anything other than snogging, and a little bit of groping now and then. Not that Albus was actually pushed about getting physical – he'd much rather have a verbal joust or intelligent conversation or pull a prank with Scorpius. Sometimes Albus thought he couldn't possibly be normal, but Scorpius ignited passion, wonder, and brilliance in him. Scorpius, with a look or a word, made him BURN, and that was much better than a bit of slap and tickle any time.
Albus sighed as he contemplated his options. He really didn't want to use magic on the unicorn, it would probably be getting a lot of that today…Speaking of which, he should probably get a move on before someone came blundering along and scared the unicorn away. As the creature drank the water and munched on the apple, Albus conjured another one and stood, slowly walking out into the clearing, apple held out before him.
The unicorn started and looked up, and Albus froze on the spot, apple still held out. He stayed perfectly still, forcing himself to breath slow as the unicorn leaned forward, sniffing cautiously. It snorted, then walked up to him and gently took the apple munching slowly on it. Once it was finished, it stepped closer and nuzzled Albus, whinnying affectionately. Albus beamed and hesitantly reached up to pet it. One of the hairs on its mane started to glow red, and Albus grasped it and pulled, petting the unicorn some more when it made a startled noise. The unicorn nuzzled him once more and then turned and trotted off.
"Token two collected," a small voice said, and Albus grinned and put the hair in his backpack.
Right, now to find the next token. Hopefully it's not too far from here; I want to get this course over and done with so I can find Scorp. Maybe I'll see that image of him again, maybe I can figure out if it's a charm, or if it's really him…Merlin, what if it is really him? I could wake him up then! That would make all of this worth-
Albus yelled as he tripped over what looked like a log covered in bird feathers. As he puzzled over it, one of the feathers started glowing red. Gleefully, Albus stood and reached over to pluck it off, when the log moved. Making a confused noise, Albus could only stare as the log dragged sideways before righting itself vertically. Only then did Albus realise that the log was in fact a leg, a leg, which was attached to a giant polar bear.
The polar bear towered over him, staring down its muzzle at him for a few breathless moments, before it roared viciously in his face and took a swipe at him. Albus barely had time to duck and roll out of the way, as he pulled his wand out and started firing hexes blinding in the general direction of the bear. Merlin's balls! Unicorns were tricky enough, but bears?!
There were times, such as watching the tri-wizard tournament, hearing about auror training and curse breaking, watching quidditch, and this moment right now, when Albus highly doubted the sanity of the wizarding officials when it came to health and safety – not an ounce of sense between them!
Albus fired off a couple of flashy, showy hexes and used the distraction to sprint behind a group of trees and bushes. Merlin but he wished he had some of Uncle George's products right now!
The bear roared again and announced in a deep, booming voice, "Come and face me coward! Face the King of the Polar Bears and show your courage!"
Courage? Ha! Courage was the excuse people used when idiots got themselves killed trying to be heroes. Courage was not what Albus needed. Cunning was. And right now, a Cunning Plan was forming in his mind.
"You can't be the King of the Polar Bears!" he yelled out, "You're covered in feathers! You're more of a bird!"
"How DARE you insult me!" the bear roared, working itself into an angry frenzy, "I AM the Kind of the Polar Bears, and I'll kill any who say otherwise!"
"Bird King, Bird King!" Albus jeered.
The bear roared and thrashed about, tearing chucks out of the ground and trees, and Albus spotted his chance. Pointing his wand at a large branch on the ground, he thought, Wingardium Leviosa! The branch rose up, and with a neat flick of Albus' wand, flew across and connected with the bear's head with an audible CRASH.
The bear paused mid-roar, and promptly collapsed, unconscious. Albus nearly collapsed with relief, and then let out a triumphant cheer and stepped out to go collect the token.
"Incarcerous!"
Albus immediately threw up a shield charm around himself, but the ropes bound themselves around the bear, and a man stepped out from the trees opposite him.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you, but I thought that should be done before he wakes up."
"Oh um, yeah," Albus frowned, "Cheers."
"No problem. Good job with knocking it out, I was stumped when I saw it."
"Thanks," Albus smiled tightly, moving forward and plucking a feather.
The man followed suit, and a small voice said, "Token three collected."
"Third token?" the man asked, as Albus put the feather in his backpack.
"Yup."
"Me too. Where do you have to go next?"
"Reckon I'll go to the desert."
"Oh good, I have to go there too."
Albus gritted his teeth. It wasn't that he didn't like people or making new friends, far from it, but the Trial was wearing down his nerves, and he couldn't sum up the energy to be friendly and warm right now. Plus the fact that he was competing against this man put him immediately on edge and in a distrustful mood, and Albus wanted to get rid of him.
"Um, I don't know if you've seen it yet, but there's a token at the top of the mountains back at the starting point."
"What?" the man asked, whipping around to look back at the mountains.
"Oh maaaaannnn! I'd better get that now before I move further away," he groaned, then turned back to Albus, saying, "Thanks, I would never have spotted that."
"Just returning the favour. Good luck."
"Good luck," the man smiled, then turned and ran off, and Albus breathed a sigh of relief.
Right. Desert time.
The sun was scorching, the desert seemed like it would never end and Albus felt like he was wandering in circles. He stopped to take a long swig of water, glad that the canteen was ever filling.
"May I help you?" a voice said, and Albus turned to see a short, fat man beside him, holding a large metal trunk.
"I don't know, what do you want?" Albus asked suspiciously.
"Oh NOTHING dear sir! I only wish to offer my services. In this box, there are three of the finest Italian thieves the world has ever known. If you would like the box, you can release them and they will get you the rest of the tokens in a heartbeat."
Albus hesitated, thinking about the man's offer. He did need to finish this as quickly as possible so he could be sure of getting the silver coin, and the man was offering it up for free, didn't want anything in return…
Ah.
Remembering what the grasshopper had told him, Albus shook his head and replied, "No thank you."
"Pardon?"
"No thank you. I don't want the box."
The box fell heavily to the ground, the man's hands visibly shaking. His eyes were wide, nostrils flared and his lips curled into a sneer.
"You don't? Very well then, veerrryyy well."
He pulled a strange-looking book and quill from his robes and opened the book on the first page.
"What is your name?"
"Uh, Albus Potter," Albus replied, taken off-guard by the odd question.
The man carefully wrote Albus' name on the page and then cackling, threw it at him, and apperated away.
Albus' eyebrows rose and he opened the book, curiosity urging him on. On the page, an Acromantula looked fiercely back at him. Suddenly the book juddered, fell to the ground, and the Acromantula rose up out of it. It wasn't a real one, Albus could see it was two dimensional, but it was still a terrifying sight.
"Ahh," it rumbled, looking at him, "a tasty snack, how delightful."
"Stupefy!" Albus yelled, throwing all his power behind the spell.
The hex merely bounced off the spider, which laughed and marched towards him.
Albus threw every hex he could think of, even daring to yell "Sectumsempre!" when a leg knocked him back, but nothing was working, and it seemed indeed, like the spider was going to tear him to pieces.
"Stop!" Albus yelled, mind working furiously, "You can't eat me!"
"And why not?" the spider chuckled, still moving forward.
"Because…Because I am your master!" Albus replied, snatching up the book and opening the first page, "See, that's my name. Therefore I own you, and you cannot hurt me!"
The Acromantula paused, cocked his head and then said grudgingly, "Very well."
He disappeared with a pop, and the book glowed red before a voice said, "Token four collected."
As Albus neared the lake, he passed a few witches and wizards who were in various stages of wetness, and started to get the feeling he was going to get wet himself. Which was true, as he found himself, twenty minutes later, with a bubblehead charm on, swimming into the depths of the lake. There was a movement to his side and without hesitating Albus threw a lazy hex, sending the Grindylow on its way. He'd been hexing the creatures pretty much since third year; Scorpius loved to swim in the great lake, but had had a bad experience with Grindylows as a child, and was terrified of them. So, Albus always went swimming a little ahead of him and got rid of the creatures around. Hexing the little buggers now was familiar and almost comforting, as he felt closer to Scorpius. At the bottom of the lake, he spotted a giant treasure chest filled with jewels.
Quickly he swam down and plucked one of them out, grinning as he heard the familiar voice say, "Token five collected."
He was about halfway up, when there was a sudden rush of Grindylows towards him. Furiously, Albus started firing off hexes left, right and centre, but there were too many, scratching and biting at him. This must have been what Scorpius felt…Albus wouldn't feel it too, he had to protect Scorpius, defend him, help him, rescue him. Scorpius wouldn't give up on him, never had, and Albus wouldn't let him down. He swam, fired off hexes, physically fought them out of his way until he made it away from the mob, and broke the surface, bubblehead charm fading as he did. Gasping and shaking, he pulled himself onto the bank and lay there, too exhausted to perform a drying charm on himself.
"Hallo Albus Severus," a voice said, and Albus turned his head to spot Lorcan and Lysander kneeling by the bank.
"You're wet," Lysander pointed out, as he and his twin stood and walked over.
Lorcan whispered in his ear and he said, "Did you get the token?"
Albus nodded, holding up the jewel, and noticed a similar one in Lorcan's hand.
"How did you get that?" he gaped, taking in their totally dry state.
Lorcan whispered to Lysander, who said, "I asked the mer-people, they are very helpful."
Bloody mermish…
"Clever thinking," he nodded, then stood up, "So how are you finding the course?"
"As enjoyable as fresh air and exercise can be," Lysander smiled, adding after Lorcan whispered to him, "There's a polar bear tied up in the forest, do you suppose a Bimbling Humdinger got him?"
"I don't think so," Albus replied, lips twisting, and he coughed loudly before saying, "So where are you going next?"
"We're going to the desert."
"Oh good. Er, if a man offers you a box of robbers for free, say no."
"Okay, thank you."
Lorcan whispered in Lysander's ear.
"Did you see a Snozzwargle?"
"No, but I didn't look very hard."
"Okay. Farewell Albus Severus."
"See you later boys," Albus nodded and headed off, performing a half-hearted drying charm on himself.
The marker was hovering over the large, empty plane, but there was nothing to see, not even a stone or plant. Possibly, it was invisible…Slowly, Albus walked across the plane, casting silent incarcerous' in all directions. Most of the ropes fell limply to the ground, but eventually, one set wrapped around an invisible figure. Albus whooped and holding tight to the rope ends, jogged up, and when he was nearly on top of the figure, it suddenly became visible. It was an old, balding man with a long white beard, wearing a white robe and carrying an hourglass and a scythe.
The man glared at him, and said, "Do you mind? I have a job to do!"
"Who are you?" Albus asked.
"I am Father Time!" the man replied pompously, "And by capturing me, you have brought the world to a standstill!"
"I have?" Albus asked excitedly, "Then I'm keeping you here until I get the next token and make it to the castle…What's that in your pocket?" he asked, noticing that said pocket was glowing red.
"Oh, I found these scattered around the plane," Father Time replied ruefully, pulling a handful of tiny glass flowers from his pocket, each of them glowing, "I thought they looked pretty."
"Ahh," Albus beamed, taking one of the flowers reverently.
"Token six collected," the voice said, "Please make your way to the castle for presentation."
"Yes!" Albus cheered, jumping up and down, "Right, let's get to the castle and I'll release you."
"Fine," Father Time grumbled.
The two made their way across the plane, the castle looming in front of them. When they were close enough, Albus could see wizards and witches frozen mid-action, and a part of him itched at the prank-pulling potential of the situation, but no, he would resist.
"Okay, this is close enough," Albus nodded, "One thing though, I'd put those flowers back on the plane if I was you, or someone might capture you again."
"Agreed," Father Time said hastily, "Thank you."
"Finite Incantatum," Albus said, and the ropes dropped off.
Father Time nodded and walked away, quickly vanishing. Albus sprinted up to the castle, where a wizard stood waiting.
"I am the advisor to the Queen of Quok," the wizard announced haughtily, "What is your business?"
"I have the tokens," Albus announced, opening his backpack.
"All six?" the advisor asked smugly.
"All six," Albus replied just as smugly, pulling the items out and setting them on the table in front of the advisor.
The advisor examined the objects, then sighed and said stiffly, "One moment please."
He walked into the castle, and then returned presently, followed by an ancient-looking witch in resplendent dress robes.
"I hear someone has finally managed to complete my course?" she asked in a pompous voice.
"Yes. I have," Albus replied seriously.
The Queen of Quok sighed gravely, and then smiled and held up a small silver coin.
"Then I believe this belongs to you."
Okay, and now I should see…
Right on cue, there was a flash of light, and there was Scorpius; faded, grey and laid out as he slept. Albus knelt and reached out-
-And gasped as his hand went through his friend's face.
Shocked tears pooled in his eyes: to have Scorpius here but not really was too much.
"Scorpius," he whispered brokenly, "Scorp…I need you."
Just then, the Queen put the coin in his hand, and Scorpius disappeared once more.
***
A/N: okay guys, i know that people have been adding this to their story alerts list and whatnot, but the past two chapters haven't gotten a single review and i'm just becoming a little disheartened cause it doesn't seem like anyones actually reading this or likes it or whatnot, and i don't know if i'm gonna be bothered updating it anymore. if you're reading this and you like it, please just a quick comment to say so cause i'm not gonna bother working on something if noone's reading it. cheers!