Title: The Summer Trials Part VII
Author: phys_nut
Beta: unbeta'd for the mo, so any mistakes are mine!
Prompts: All of them!
Summary: Albus has far to travel, and must push himself to his limits and beyond.
Word Count: 7,928
Pairings: AS/S
Warnings: heavy swearing, angst, self-harm, angry sports ranting, drugs.
Disclaimer: none of this is mine; it all belongs to the fabulous JK and her minions.
A/N: my GOODNESS Albus' chapters are getting monstrous, it's almost beyond ridiculous at this point! Hope y'all like it, and I apologise for the length!
Also, a big GINORMOUS thank you to Rome J Wolf!!You're bang on with the idea behind the lessons, and yeah it's awfully hard on Scorp, but it will get better i promise!! :D
Chapter Seven: Pushed To The Limits…
Albus sat, hunched, blinking wetly at the spot where Scorpius had been. He was clutching the coin-now-note so hard it was beginning to tear, and felt like it would osmose into his palm. A wave to loneliness washed through him and he curled up on the ground, uselessly fighting back tears. Never had be felt so…broken, so empty. Didn't they understand that Scorpius was his everything? That he, Albus Severus Potter, was bloody fucking useless without him? That it hurt more than words could express to see Scorpius right there, and not know how, or be able to save him? That it would push him to his absolute mental limits, whereby he would be possessed by the singular need to find his best friend?
Of course they did.
Another bout of loneliness hit, and Albus grimaced, curling up tighter. He hadn't felt this lonely since fourth year, and he rocked himself just as he had done that night all those years ago…
"Snake," Albus drawled, throwing an apple at Scorpius.
Scorpius muttered, and lazily flicked his wand, and the apple changed into a small adder mid-air, landing on his desk with an audible hiss. Another incantation and a flick of the blonde's wand and the snake was floating again.
"Shoe," Scorpius challenged, sending the snake off towards Albus.
Albus snorted and easily transfigured the snake, preparing to send the shoe back.
"Teacup."
"Hedgehog."
"Tortoise."
"Kettle."
"McGonagall!" Albus suddenly hissed, tossing the kettle up in the air.
Scorpius hastily transfigured it into a robin, as they had initially been instructed to do, and they sprawled back on their seats, watching it, as Professor McGonagall walked over, lips twitching slightly.
"As much as I enjoy your game boys, please try to stick to the lesson plan," she said, eyeing them and the robin flying between them.
"Yes professor," Albus and Scorpius replied dutifully, though they were unsuccessfully hiding their smirks.
McGonagall snorted and nodded, then added as she walked away, "Ten points each to Slytherin for a good show."
Albus and Scorpius grinned and high-fived, then resumed their transfiguration game.
"Show offs," Siobhán muttered darkly, as she eyeballed her comb determinedly.
She said the spell aloud, and gave a neat flick of her wand. The comb turned into a robin's egg. Siobhán groaned and banged her head off the table, then gave her wand a good shake.
"Hello?" she said in a frustrated tone to the wand, "Conas atá tu? Is anybody home?"
She attempted the spell again and again, her voice getting louder and her movements more severe and erratic, but to no avail.
"A thiarcas!" she cursed, slamming her wand on the table, "Jaysus I hate transfiguration."
"So you say every lesson," Scorpius pointed out, while Albus chortled and transfigured the match in his hand back into the robin.
"There's no harm in telling the truth."
"Yes, but overstating it can be quite boring," Albus smirked.
"Ugh, I just don't get why it's not working," Siobhán huffed.
"It is not working Ms. Finnegan, because your wand movements have all the gracefulness of a cave troll," McGonagall told her archly, stepping across the room, "You are a lady; attempt to have some semblance of delicacy in your wrist movements and pronunciation of the spell and you should master it quickly enough."
"Lady my ass…" Siobhán muttered, and trailed off into a dark string of Irish as she picked up her wand and performed the wrist movement in a slow and exaggerated manner.
"Better," McGonagall sighed, then smirked and said, "Watch how Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy perform the spell and you'll see what I'm talking about."
"What?!" both boys cried out indignantly.
"Our wrist movements are not delicate!"
"Yeah, they're very manly I'll have you know!"
McGonagall merely raised an eyebrow and walked away, while Siobhán cackled and leered.
"Oh please, do show me how you perform the spell, I would so dreadfully like to see your delicate lady-like wrist movements," she simpered.
"Oh fuck off ye big dyke," Albus huffed.
"Say that to me in defence," Siobhán smiled sweetly, twirling her wand, "We're starting duelling tomorrow."
"No thanks, I'd rather not go near you in a class where you get points for blowing stuff up."
"Chicken," Siobhán teased.
"No, just smart."
"I'll show you my delicate wrist movements," Scorpius smirked, fluttering his eyelashes, "if you'll teach me to be manly just like you."
Albus laughed and Siobhán snorted, gave them the finger and went back to work on the robin's egg.
The rest of the class passed as usual; Scorpius and Albus bantered between themselves, Siobhán interjecting now and then. Siobhán finally managed to transfigure the egg into a robin, but put so much power behind the spell that a moment afterwards, it suddenly exploded into a smattering of feathers.
"Delicate, Ms. Finnegan," McGonagall sighed, transfiguring the feathers back into the comb, "delicate. Class dismissed."
"Great, I'm starved," Siobhán cheered, grabbing her bag and leaping up.
"You're always hungry," Scorpius drawled, rolling his eyes.
"And you're always snarky," she countered.
"While I'm always beautiful," Albus grinned cheekily, hooking his arms across Scorpius' shoulder.
"As beautiful as you can be given that ugly mug of yours."
"Touché," Albus grinned as they left the classroom.
They arrived in the Great Hall, when it suddenly hit Albus: James is gone.
Yes, he wasn't there on the Hogwarts Express, and Albus has been at Hogwarts nearly a week, but he and James never spend time together on the train, and they rarely see each other in school, being in different houses, except on Fridays. Which is today. Friday is the day when house lines vanish and everyone in the family, plus friends, get together, grab food and head outside to sit by the lake for dinner. Now though, as Albus' eyes drifted habitually to the Gryffindor table, there was a keen sense of loss as he failed to spot the familiar auburn hair.
"Hey guys," Lily called, as they neared the Slytherin table, "Rose, Hugo, Freddy and Roxanne have already gone out, see you there?"
"Sure," Albus said faintly, picking up a plate and transfiguring it into a plastic box, into which he put whatever food was near-at-hand, Scorpius and Siobhán doing the same.
He followed his two friends out to the lake, his head still muzzy, and his chest aching with loneliness. He sat and ate, barely noticing the buzz of conversations around him, as the sky gradually darkened and curfew approached.
"Al?" Scorpius asked in a worried tone, putting his hand on Albus' shoulder, "Are you okay?"
"Huh? Oh, um…I, uh, I - - gotta go…" Albus murmured, standing and wandering off.
He didn't know what was wrong with him, but the words James is gone, James is gone, kept running through his head, and the ache of loneliness beat in his chest.
He and James would never win a 'Brothers of the Year,' award, but when the shit hit the fan, they were there for each other. James always had Albus' back, and vice-versa. Albus was the first person James had told he was bi, and thus, Albus had provided a sympathetic ear and a shoulder to cry on whenever James was too worked up over Teddy (which happened more often than not). It was surreal to think that there was no James to borrow a sneaky fag off, or to bug about the Marauder's Map, or to scuffle with for the sake of it, or to just be brothers with.
After however long of aimless wandering, Albus found himself where he always did when he felt lonely or sad: the astronomy tower. From there he could easily climb up onto the roof of the school and stare up at the stars, silently asking them questions they would never answer, and curing up into a tight ball, rocking himself. He didn't know how long he'd been there, when there was a noise from below, and a familiar blond head popped up.
"There you are," Scorpius sighed in relief, climbing up onto the root and setting himself down primly beside Albus, "I was beginning to think Moaning Myrtle had finally gotten her wicked way with you."
Albus snorted and gave a faint smile, replying, "She wishes she could."
They sat for a few minutes in silence, leaning against each other, gazing up at the stars.
"What's wrong?"
"Scorpius Malfoy, Master of Tact" Albus snickered, to which Scorpius playfully punched him on the arm and replied, "I am when I need to be."
Albus grinned and bumped Scorpius' shoulder, before settling back into silence.
"I'm still waiting you know," Scorpius said after another few minutes.
"Oh, er, nothing's wrong," Albus lied, not even bothering to feign ignorance about what his friend was talking about.
"Is it James?"
Albus flinched and inwardly curse at how well Scorpius knew him. The mention of his brother's name was another sharp slap of loneliness, and he could only sigh and nod in response.
"You must miss him a lot," Scorpius said softly, "Hell, I've only known him properly a year and I miss him a little. He's pretty cool."
"Yeah," Albus smiled, "It's not like we spent all our time together or anything, but…he's my big brother, and it's weird that he's not here anymore. This must be how he felt when Teddy left Hogwarts."
"I highly doubt you feel exactly the same as James did when Teddy left," Scorpius said dryly, "Or is there something you need to tell me?"
Albus gave a short, barking laugh and collapsed sideways onto the blonde, who wrapped his arm around Albus' shoulders.
"Yes Scorp, I'm madly in love with my brother, but he's too dense to notice."
Scorpius wrinkled his nose and replied, "As much as I like James Potter, the idea of anyone fancying him, though many obviously do, boggles me. However, no doubt there is incest present somewhere in my family tree, so I shall deign to continue to be your best friend," he finished benevolently.
"Prat."
"Brother-Lover."
"Wanker."
"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
"No, but I go down on yours with it."
"Arrrggghhh, gross!" Scorpius yelled, face scrunching up, while Albus laughed, already feeling much better.
When he managed to calm down, and Scorpius quit making retching noises, he sighed and said, "I miss him…and I feel kind of lonely, which is weird though cause I'm not alone, but…I dunno. Lily's great, but she's my little sister. You don't smoke, and we've never scuffled about for no reason."
"Well there's only one choice left if that's what you want," Scorpius said seriously, "Siobhán."
Albus laughed and replied, "No way! She might be small, but she's as strong as an ox. She'd kill me!"
"And then I'd have to kill her to avenge you and someone would kill me to avenger her and so on," Scorpius sighed, "Far too messy. Well, if you ever need to scuffle, I am willing to offer my services."
Scorpius was just great, Albus realised with a start. True, he's always sort of known it, but the true realisation hit him like a tonne of bricks – Scorpius was bloody amazing, and Albus wanted to kiss him. Oh hell. That would be a BAD THING, because best friends did not kiss each other, and besides Scorpius was a BOY, and the only reason Albus wanted to kiss him was because of these damn hormones which had decided to go nuts in the past year.
So naturally, he pushed all those ridiculous thoughts out of his head and said, "Cheers Scorp."
"No problem," Scorpius smiled, then turned serious as he added, "Even when you're surrounded by people, you can feel lonely sometimes. It happens."
"Has it happened to you?"
"A couple of time."
"Where do you go when you feel lonely?"
"I mostly like to fly around the quidditch pitch. It's hard to get away with at night though."
Albus nodded and went back to star watching.
"Sometimes I like to talk to them," he said conversationally, not looking away from the bright dots, "But they're so cold and distant, it's tough."
"So make them feel what you feel," Scorpius said, "How do you feel?"
"I feel blue," Albus sighed, "mostly."
Scorpius took up a stray piece of slate, transfigured it into a pair of tinted glasses and handed them to Albus saying, "Put these on."
Albus frowned, but complied and looked up. His eyes widened and he gasped before laughing in delight.
"They're blue!"
"And therefore sympathetic to your feelings."
"Thanks Scorpius," he smiled gratefully, gazing at the other boy for slightly longer than normal, his breath hitching in a strange way when Scorpius stared right back, an odd look on his face.
Coughing, Albus turned his head away and said, "Seriously, thanks for coming up here and sitting with me. You really cheered me up."
"What are friends for?" Scorpius replied in a slightly tight voice.
"Next time you feel lonely, I'll follow you and cheer you up," Albus promised.
Scorpius grinned and replied, "I'll hold you to that."
The boys stayed up on the roof a while more, talking about class and pranks and James and all sorts of inconsequential things, until Scorpius shivered and asked to go down to bed.
"Just a few minutes more," Albus said firmly.
"And what will I get if I do?" Scorpius asked petulantly.
Looking into Scorpius' eyes right there and then, something inside Albus changed and shifted, and he felt a smile spreading across his face.
It was a smile he had never shown before, one he knew was full of promise and calculated looks, just for Scorpius. Suddenly, Scorpius had this Look on his face that Albus had never seen before; his eyes darted from side to side, his cheeks flushed and his expression flitted from excitement to anger to hope to indecision to confusion to nervousness, over and over, with some other expressions thrown in that Albus didn't recognize. It was a thrilling sight, and sent a rush of…something down Albus' spine.
All too soon though, the look was gone.
Scorpius blinked, looking dazed, before he scowled and said, "Fine, I few more minutes," and shivered once again.
Albus pulled open his cloak and motioned for Scorpius to huddle with him. Scorpius hesitated, then scooted over and leaned against Albus, curling up by his side. Albus drew his cloak around the both of them, feeling warm, happy, and not so lonely anymore.
"Albus Severus?" a voice said, and Albus blinked and looked up at Lysander and Lorcan, who were peering at him serenely.
Albus shook off the memory and stood.
"You appeared to be lost in thought," Lysander continued.
Lorcan whispered in his ear and he continued, "Perhaps a Wrackspurt passed by?"
"Perhaps," Albus smiled wanly, "So how did you find the course? Did you catch a snozzwargle?"
"No," Lysander replied, "But we think we caught a glimpse of one."
"Really?"
"Yes, they look quite like old men, with robes on, carrying a large, hooked weapon."
Albus stifled a laugh and nodded, saying, "Is that so?"
"Indeed."
A whisper from Lorcan.
"What is that in your hand?"
"Oh, it's a clue," Albus replied, slowly unclenching his hand and smoothing out the note.
The writing was a little smudged, but luckily still legible:
Once in a Blue Moon, she'll wear blue lace, and harkens to the nightingale's call. When the archer and fish-goat are side by side, the blue moon she shall rise, and then you will be tested to see how far you will fall.
"I have no idea what that means," Albus said dully, "These clues are getting weirder and weirder."
"May I?" Lysander asked, and Albus passed him the note, his mind working overtime to figure out any little bit he could.
Lorcan and Lysander read over the clue and whispered furiously between themselves, before Lysander said, "Perhaps mother will know," offering the note back.
"Maybe," Albus said, taking the proffered piece of paper, "Do you boys mind if I apparate you back to the starting line?"
"No."
Albus took a hold of both their hands and with a swift twist, popped into existence beside Luna, who merely smiled and said, "Hallo boys," as though this were a common occurrence.
"Hallo mother," Lysander smiled, "Albus Severus won the course, and he has a clue. Could you look at it?"
"Congratulations Albus Severus," Luna smiled, "Of course I will look at it."
Albus handed the note to her, and she read over it slowly.
"Oh dear," she sighed after a few moments, "I'm afraid astronomy is not my strong point. Do you know any professional astronomers?"
"No, but I know the next best thing."
As he popped into existence in England, Albus tucked his second international portkey away, and shook his head to get used to the fact that he was eight hours ahead of where he had been. Once Luna had mentioned getting an astronomer, there was only one person Albus had wanted to talk to: Hugo. He might have been nearly failing all his other subjects, but no one could best him as astronomy, so much so that by the time he was in third year, he had been guaranteed a place at a top class research centre, regardless of his OWL or NEWT results in his other subjects. Thus, Luna had gone to fetch Albus a portkey for England, while Albus had packed up his things and talked to Charlie. The motorbike had been in a right huff, but with a sincere apology from Albus, and an added, "I wish you had been there," he had been right as rain, and dreadfully excited to be on his way.
And so now here they were: Albus feeling a little dazed at the sudden time change, and Charlie giggling (it seemed he got giddy from portkey travelling). Albus pulled out his mobile phone and dialled Hugo's phone.
After several rings a sleepy voice answered, "Wuzzuhh."
Even though it was after midnight, Albus knew that Hugo had not been asleep – this was just how he sounded all the time.
"Hey Hugo, how's it going?"
"Hey Al, not too bad," Hugo drawled, his voice bordering on monotone it was so sated, "Did you hear dad found my stash?"
"I heard it was only the small one."
"A stash is still a stash. So what's happening my man?"
"Nothing much, still taking part in the trials."
"Cool, cool."
"I was wondering if I could talk to you about one of the clues-"
"Al, Al, Al," Hugo interrupted smoothly, "Like, chill. You know I don't chin-wag on the phone – the vibes mess up my chi."
Albus laughed and said, "Are you ever going to stop being such a gilly-head?"
"Are you ever going to stop being such a fag?"
"I'm not a fag."
"Exactly."
Albus rolled his eyes and held his tongue. It was pointless to argue with Hugo, who would babble and make random non-sensical statements and thoroughly confuse the hell out of anyone who wasn't equally as high.
"Can I come over to talk?" he asked.
"Sure, we're at the beach house."
"Cool, I'll be there in an hour."
"Slater."
Albus pocketed the phone and said, "All right, let's get into the air!"
Charlie whooped and off they went, soaring up and banking to the side so they were headed for the sea, the new theme song playing strong.
"I'm just a normal boy
That sank when I fell overboard
My ship would leave the country
But I'd rather swim ashore
Without a life vest I'd be stuck again
Wish I was much more masculine
Maybe then I could learn to swim
Like 'fourteen miles away."
***
"You know, technically I shouldn't be helping you," Hugo told him diplomatically the next morning as he, Albus and Rose sprawled on the couch in the sitting room of the Weasley beach house.
Well, technically Hugo and Albus were sprawling on the couch and Rose was perched on the edge, avidly watching the Holyhead Harpies play the Chudley Canons on the latest muggle craze to sweep the wizarding world: the television.
The combined sounds of the television and Rose's yells drowned out the sound of the ocean that lay less than five minutes from their front door. It was there that Albus had found Hugo the night before, camped out on the beach with a telescope, muttering about the "azimuth," "path of the moon," and "damn sidereal time." He had told Hugo about the trials so far and shown him the note. Hugo had taken a glance at the note, nodded and then had proceeded to roll up two joints so that they could "think and have a proper conversation."
Perma-stoned didn't even begin to cover Hugo. Hugo lived and breathed gillyweed, had every sine he'd taken his first hit at fourteen courtesy of one Roxanne Weasley, whose motto in life was "don't diss it till you try it." Albus honestly didn't know where Hugo managed to get all the gillyweed, and when he started growing it despite horrifically failing herbology, Albus was even more boggled. It truly seemed that there were only two things in life that roused any sort of passion in Hugo Weasley: astronomy and gillyweed.
Albus at times wondered what would happen in Hugo ever had to give up gillyweed, but shuddered at the possibilities; he remembered Hermione when she had tried to give up coffee. It had been just plain scary.
"You know what I think?" Hugo had drawled out slowly as they lay on the beach.
"Not really," Albus had mumbled, star gazing through half-lidded eyes.
It hadn't taken long for the floaty feeling to take a hold of him and Albus had been enjoying feeling light and airy and boneless, and hadn't wanted to hear his cousin's stoner bullshit.
"You're mad," Hugo had continued, as though Albus hadn't spoken, "you and Scorp. Mad as hatters. You're at his tea party, and you've got no hats."
"Well you're the caterpillar," Albus retorted oh-so-wittily, through his relaxed haze.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about! If we'd all just get in our chrysalises, then we'd evolve in no time, and then," and here Hugo had paused dramatically, "there'd be no need for yellow."
"Yellow what?"
"Just yellow in general."
"You do realise that yellow is your house colour."
"My point exactly."
Albus had snorted and returned to star gazing, because then he could pretend that Scorpius was with him.
While last night had been great for relaxing, Albus had not gotten any answer about the clue, and he was determined that he would today.
"Why can't you help me?" he scowled, "technically."
"Because our mum practically created the trials," Hugo replied, rolling his eyes, "It would be cheating."
"Since when have you ever had morals about anything?" Albus sneered.
"Never, but mum'll flip if she finds out."
"COME ON! YOU CALL THAT AN INVERSION?!" Rose yelled, practically sitting mid-air she was hunched so far off her seat.
"Well she doesn't have to find out," Albus replied, "Come on Hugo; please don't make me resort to blackmail."
"You are good at that," Hugo sighed, "Fine, give me another look at the clue."
Albus handed it over and sat back to half watch the game and half watch Rose, who looked like she was about to have an aneurism.
Rose was the most curious mixture of her parents' extremes. She had wild, untamed, bright red hair, freckles, and slightly large front teeth. While she had her mother's brains, she had inherited the Weasley love of sports. As such, she was a complete fanatic, and most of her energy was channelled into quidditch. She studied just enough to scrap a pass in all her subjects, and then used her brains to train the Ravenclaw team: boy could that girl strategise. She couldn't fly very well, but knew exactly what made good quidditch, and as such, had coached the team to victory from second to sixth year, Slytherin beating them to the quidditch cup in seventh year, much to Albus and Scorpius' delight.
"Yes…YES…NO! no, No, NO!" Rose yelled, jumping up and stamping her feet in dismay, "Fuckin' Sloper! Can't beat to save his life!"
She paced now, eyes glued to the match, bristling with energy and anger.
"Argh! Why isn't anyone marking Change?...You call that a defensive pattern?!...What the hell – MY MOTHER COULD HANDLE A QUAFFLE BETTER THAN THAT!"
Hugo reflectively winced and Albus followed suit – comparing one to her mother was the ultimate Rose-quidditch-insults.
The game continued on until the seeker for the Harpies suddenly caught the snitch and Rose let out an agonised yell of defeat.
"Argh! Fuckin' Canons, you deserve to be bottom of the league!" she yelled, slumping back on the sofa with a resigned air about her.
Albus knew better than to console her; Rose after a Canons defeat was despondent and vicious, it was best to leave her sulk and get over it.
The seeker for the Harpies, Cho Chang, was being interviewed, and though Rose gave the television a scornful look, Albus knew that she would keep it on so she could snort in contempt and grumble at the appropriate moments.
"Canons lose?" a new voice said, and Hermione walked briskly into the room.
If she had been surprised to see Albus at the breakfast table that morning she hadn't shown it, but then again, Aunt Hermione rarely seemed surprised by anything – she had the uncanny knack for knowing exactly what was going on in her house, except of course, when it came to Hugo.
Rose grunted non-committed, and Hermione shook her head and sighed, murmuring, "…glad your father had to work today…So!" she said brightly, "Would anyone like anything in particular from the supermarket?"
"Oh, don't forget my blueberries," Hugo told her, smiling angelically up at her.
"Of course darling!" Hermione beamed, "I'm glad you read those pamphlets I got on super foods. Blueberries are very high in anti-oxidants," she told Albus in her usual all-knowing way.
"Great," Albus smiled back, not sure what she was on about.
"Rose? Is there anything you'd like?"
"Something to cure my torn, shredded soul," Rose moaned, languishing impressively on the couch.
"Chocolate it is then," Hermione nodded, "Albus?"
"I'm fine, thanks Hermione."
"Okay, I'll be back in an hour or so," Hermione told them, making her way to the door.
"Bye mum," Hugo called, and Rose grunted, already focusing on the interview.
"That was quite an impressive catch."
"Thanks. Smith gave me a tough run, but I managed to pull through."
Rose snorted and muttered, "Fuckin' Smith's a piece of shit show-off seeker, I don't know why the Canons keep him."
Albus resisted the urge to tell her it was because no one decent wanted to play for the Canons, and instead focused on Hugo, who was still reading the clue.
"What's an anti-oxidant?" he asked, thinking about Hermione's little bit of information.
"Buggered if I know," Hugo shrugged, "But what I do know is that joints taste amazing when you mix blueberries in with the weed."
"Should have known," Albus sighed exasperatedly, "Honestly, how has your mum not figured it out yet?"
"Because I'm so good looking," Hugo said matter-of-factly, and Albus could only agree.
No one knew how it happened, but Hugo was stunningly beautiful – the poster boy for the expression, "butter wouldn't melt in his mouth." People instantly trusted him, and Hugo got away with murder, mostly with his mother.
"You've been called on of the best seekers in the past decade-"
"Bullshit," Rose barked.
"-ever get special treatment?"
"Oh heavens no!"I'm not into being a celebrity. I'm not about to start demanding four blue candles, three black towels and two beers everywhere I go."
"Ugh, what a fake bitch," Rose snapped, turning off the television abruptly, "I fucking hate Cho Chang."
"You only hate her cause her team beat the Canons," Hugo told her diplomatically.
"What would you know?" Rose snarled, whirling around to face him, "I'm surprised you can function you're so high all the time!"
"The more I smoke, the clearer things become," Hugo said wisely, "You should try some sis; you need to chill."
"I do not need to chill!" Rose screeched, "Albus tell him I do not need to chill."
"Hugo, you shouldn't tell Rose to chill, because it's obviously making her even more would up."
Rose made an angry noise and threw her hands up in the air before storming out of the room.
"I don't know why she watches quidditch if it stresses her out so much," Hugo sighed.
"She's passionate," Albus shrugged, "Besides, she's not that bad compared to some other members of the Weasley clan. You do realise that we're a part of a family who's most normal member is Lily."
"Ha, that's not a good sign," Hugo chuckled.
"I know. So, that clue?"
"Right. Okay, it's not talking about an actual blue moon," Hugo explained, his voice actually taking on a bit of life, "Those are impossible to predict and ridiculously rare. Rather, and you're lucky I know this, I believe it's making a reference to the fairytale 'Blue Moon.' In it, there's a blue moon fairy, or a moon-fay. Unknown to muggles, this moon-fay is actually real, but it's invisible, so you have to use a spell to summon it."
"What spell?"
"Blue lace."
"Blue lace?"
"It's a flower," Rose told him as she walked back into the room looking significantly calmer, one hand twirling two metal balls in its palm, "There's a field of them near here."
"How do you know?"
"Hugo wanted to summon one about two years ago, so someone had to look up how to do it," Rose grinned good-naturedly, jostling her brother as she sat beside him, "I'll teach you the incantation."
"Cheers Rose," Albus grinned, "So I can go the field whenever-"
"Oh no no," Hugo interrupted, "You have to do it at night, and the clue tells you on what date."
"It does?"
"Yes. See, it says 'when the water bearer and fish-goat are side by side'."
"Oh, that's not just some non-sensical gibberish," Albus grinned ruefully.
"No way," Hugo scoffed, "The water bearer is Aquarius, and the fish-goat is Capricorn, so you need to perform the spell when those two constellations are visible. Rose, can you get my planisphere please?"
Rose gave a lazy flick of her wand, and a circular disc whizzed down the stairs and into Hugo's hands.
"It shows what the night sky looks like on each day of the year," he told Albus, twisting the top layer of the disc, "And…here. Capricorn and Aquarius first appear together on July 16th."
"Shit that's tonight!"
"Wow, good timing dude," Hugo grinned.
"Yeah, thank Merlin I got here when I did," Albus sighed.
The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent with Rose going over the incantation with him, while Hugo quickly tended to his stash in the basement just before Hermione returned. After a quick lunch, Albus thanked his aunt and cousins and went on his way to find the field of blue lace. According to Rose, it was unplottable, and kept changing locations every day, so the only way to find it was to keep heading southeast until it appeared. Albus and Charlie had taken off down the road (Hugo had taken far too much interest in the potential of a talking motorbike and Albus knew he had to get out of there fast), slowing down by every field to look for the blue lace and recheck the compass charm. It was slow, mind-numbing work, but Albus was resolute, and as evening drew in, they finally found the field. Charlie gave an exhausted cheer, and once they had stopped, promptly fell asleep, snoring loudly. Albus set up his tent, cooked himself dinner, and when he was finished, practised his incantation and waited for the Moon and stars to appear. At some point, Charlie woke up and was whispering excitedly.
"What do you think will happen?"
"Hopefully the moon-fay will appear and I will get my next clue," Albus replied, then scowled and added, "Though I doubt it will be that easy…"
Just then, the clouds in the sky drifted off to reveal the night sky in all its naked glory.
"It's time," Albus stated, standing and walking to the middle of the field.
"Good luck!" Charlie hissed, and Albus gave a faint smile in response.
Time for business now…
Albus plucked one of the blue laces from the ground in front of him and gently folded it into the palm of his hand, which closed around the flower tightly. Waving his wand precisely over his hand, he muttered the spell, concentrating with all his might.
There was a faint pop, a muffled curse, and something bumped the inside of his hand. Eyes wide, Albus uncurled his fingers to reveal the small form of a delicate-looking fairy. The first thing Albus noticed was a pair of large grey eyes staring up at him, so very like Scorpius', and the next thing he knew, he was completely blind, and there was a grievous shriek thundering in the air. Albus yelled and dropped the fairy, his eyes scrunching up tight and his hands covering his ears. Just as suddenly as it started, the noise stopped, leaving one last shriek echoing through the air.
A slow, mournful melody replaced it, and when Albus relaxed and opened his eyes, he found he wasn't in the field anymore, but in a strange, shadowy world. He was standing in the middle of a path lined with trees, a thick mist floating in the air, obscuring the clarity of far-away shapes. Everything was cast in a peculiar blue light, and when Albus looked up, he could see a larger-than-life blue moon in the sky, its beams rippling down to Earth, as though they were moving through water. The mournful melody continued, and Albus spotted a nightingale on the nearest tree, thrilling to the night sky.
"Only the nightingale may cast its eye on the blue moon," a voice said, and Albus turned to see the moon-fay hovering near him, "it holds the key."
Albus nodded, knowing this meant that he had to catch it.
"No human magic will affect it," the moon-fay told him with a smirk and popped out of existence.
Typical.
Albus sighed and took a step forward. The nightingale froze, and then took off flying away from him. Albus cursed and ran after the bird. It would fly, land on a tree, and just as Albus closed in, it would take off again.
I will not give up…never…keep going, keep going, keep going…
The sound of piteous crying broke through his mantra, and Albus spotted a young woman sitting at the side of the road, face buried in her hands.
"Um, miss?" he ventured, not sure if she would acknowledge his existence.
The woman gasped and looked up quickly.
"Oh!" she cried, hastily wiping her face and standing up.
Oh my, she was lovely! A sweet round face, perky nose and eyes that, despite being red-rimmed from crying, were luminous in their beauty.
(yes, but not as beautiful as Scorp's…)
Well yes…
(That's because Scorp has eyes you could drown in.)
I wouldn't say drown… but they are beautiful.
(Duh.)
"I didn't mean to startle you," Albus said gently, "Are you okay?"
"No," the woman sighed, "I was told I would find my lover on the night of the blue moon. I have travelled for so long, and yet have not caught sight of him!"
At this, she burst into tears once again. Normally at this point, Albus would have gathered her into his arms (after all, the comforting shoulder to cry on worked wonders when one was trying to get a date), but there were more pressing and important matters at hand (namely finding Scorpius), so he patted her on the shoulder in what he hoped was a platonically comforting manner.
"Don't fret," he said, "he's out there somewhere. You can't give up just because it's not as easy as you'd hoped, not if you really…want him," he finished, stumbling over the end of the sentence as an image of Scorpius flashed in his mind.
"Oh thank you!" the woman gushed, throwing her arms around his waist and nuzzling his chest, "I cannot give up on him, I know that. It is…I am so lonely sometimes."
"I know," Albus whispered, throat tightening.
Slowly the woman pulled back, and smiled up at him invitingly.
Albus felt his face flush and he cleared his throat awkwardly, stepping back from her.
"I must be off," he said, giving a faint smile, "Good luck finding your lover."
The woman looked disappointed, but then smiled and replied, "Thank you. And good luck finding yours. I believe it will work out; after all, tonight is the night for lovers."
"But, I'm - - he's - -" Albus stammered, but the woman was already gone.
Sighing, he turned back to follow the nightingale again, ignoring the fact that his entire face was flushed at the mention of Scorpius and lovers.
Once again, he was chasing the nightingale down the never-ending path, his breath coming in sharp pants, his lungs aching, but his determination never flagging. The land seemed to be alive; branches would appear out of nowhere and smack him on the face and body, tearing at the cuts and grazes he had sustained from the Queen of Quok course. Holes would form in the ground, tripping him up, causing him to stumble and at times fall. This was yet again another example of wizarding failings in health and safety, and of Albus' disinterest in his own health, but that was the last thing on his mind at this moment. He was so close to reaching the nightingale, just a few more steps –
"Al?"
Albus jerked to a halt, spinning on the spot towards the oh-so-familiar voice that had been absent from his life for what felt like far too long.
"Scorp?"
The name was barely out of his mouth when his arms were suddenly full of the blond Slytherin.
"Al, oh Al thank Merlin!" Scorpius cried out in relief.
"Scorp?" Albus croaked again, still in absolute shock at seeing his best friend, right here and now.
It couldn't be this easy, could it?
His arms slowly tightened around Scorpius' waist and he buried his face in his hair, breathing deep. The familiar smell of his best friend hit him like a bluger…and yet…
And yet there was something off about it, some other smell underneath it that was strange and a little bit foul.
Albus pulled back and cupped Scorpius' face, drinking in the sight of it hungrily. It was just as it always had been: the perfect mixture of snob and sincere in the expression, delightfully pointy nose, and full lips that were curved into a large smile.
Then Albus looked into Scorpius' eyes, and his stomach plunged. They were flat and blank. It was as though his friend were dead inside.
"I'm so glad you found me," Scorpius breathed, and that same foul smell his Albus in the back of his throat.
Suddenly he knew the answer to his question.
No, not it really fucking isn't that easy. In fact, it's really that damn hard.
"I haven't found you yet," Albus whispered, hands shaking as he distanced himself from the blonde.
"Albus?" Scorpius asked in a confused tone, stepping towards him.
"I'm so sorry," Albus croaked, tears welling up, "I'll find you Scorp, I promise I will," and with that he turned and sprinted away before he lost his resolve.
"ALBUS!!" was the last pitiful scream he heard, before it melted into the mist with a moan of despair.
The nightingale, the clue, the trial – all were forgotten as Albus ran, tears rolling down his cheeks. He was shaken to the core from his encounter with what had been a fake Scorpius, who had felt and seemed so real, but had really been a pale imitation to tempt him away. Sadness and loneliness welled up again in his chest, and tears blinded Albus as he ran. Suddenly he was sent flying by an upturned tree root and hit the ground hard. Sniffling, he curled into a ball, feeling so tired and achy and numb he could barely move.
"SCORPIUS!" he screamed into the dirt, as he clutched at his hair and sobbed brokenly.
He wanted to give up, to just lay there and never move because he couldn't take anymore…
(But Scorp is waiting for you, depending on you!)
And as much as Albus, exhausted physically and mentally, wanted to give up, the thought of Scorpius stuck asleep, all alone, pushed and nudged his mind until it consumed him. The sadness and loneliness faded and were replaced by red-hot anger. This would NOT beat him!
Albus raised himself up off the ground, and looking around, realised he was in the middle of a town. Over to the side, four men were joining up four pieces of a moon-shaped lantern.
"Finally brothers!" one of them announced cheerfully, "Our four pieces have been returned to each other!"
The four pieces were joined, and there was a sudden trembling of the ground.
Albus yelped as a hand reached up from the ground and grabbed his ankle. Jumping back, he saw numerous amounts of bodies clawing their way up from the earth, crying in delight at the beautiful light of the lantern.
"Inferi? You have got to be kidding me," Albus snapped, pulling out his wand.
His anger fuelled the spell, and the fire consumed the inferi, as he ran through the mass, albeit a little out of control. His arms were slightly burnt, his hair singed, and his lungs were pained from breathing in hot air, but eventually he was away and free. He fell to his knees, gasping in the cool air, and pocketed his wand with shaking hands. He ran his hands over his face and through his hair as he breathed deep, trying to calm down. He was bruised and burnt, but he still had to get a move on, had to find the nightingale.
As if on cue, the mournful melody started up, and Albus saw the nightingale hovering above the path, just several feet in front of him. Relief and excitement rushed through him, and he made to stand up, but suddenly realised that his legs had gone completely numb. Not just numb; it was more as if they didn't exist. Frustrated, he kept trying to get up, or move his legs in any way, but it was futile.
"There is no point in struggling," the moon-fay said solemnly as he popped back into existence in front of Albus.
"What's going on?" Albus snarled, "What have you done?"
"It is a charm that will keep you frozen for as long as you desire to pursue the nightingale. Magic will not help you, and you will be frozen here forever. However, if you sever your tie to the chase you will be free to go."
With a flick of his hand, the moon-fay conjured up a silver dagger that landed in Albus' hand. At the same time, a silver thread appeared, linking Albus to the nightingale.
"It is your choice," was the moon-fay's parting words and Albus was left alone.
He refused to even look at the dagger, and continued to struggle to move. He pulled out his wand, tried every spell he could think of, but nothing worked, and with a sigh her pocketed it once again. Again, he struggled, trying to use his hands to drag himself along the ground, becoming more and more worked up, to the point where he gave a sudden yell and punched his leg in frustration.
There was a sudden flare of pain, and for a brief, shining moment, Albus could feel his leg, whole and THERE. But the moment was all too brief, and Albus was numb once gain. He punched his other leg, and was able to move it an inch. He punched and pinched his legs over and over again until he was finally standing. However, at that point, he had become used to the punches and his legs remained numb.
"I will not give up," he gritted out fiercely, "I will not let Scorpius go, I will never let him down!"
There was only one thing to do.
Without hesitating, Albus drove the dagger into his right thigh. The pain was bright, intense and consuming. Albus screamed in agony and joy: he could feel his leg, really feel it, for more than just a moment. He quickly wrenched the dagger out and plunged it into his left thigh, screaming again and stumbling four steps forward, before losing all feeling in his legs again.
Four more times he stabbed his legs and finally, he reached the nightingale, which had not moved during his ordeal. He was hyperventilating, sweating and shaking uncontrollably. His nerves were shot, his brain in a frenzy from the bouts of pain that came and went, but as he grasped the little bird, there was a fierce sense of pride and smug satisfaction in his gut: they could throw ANYTHING at him and he would take I on and defeat it.
As soon as he had grabbed to nightingale, the feeling returned to his legs. Excruciating pain ripped through him as the stabbings hit him full force. He screamed and fell heavily on his side, wanting to curl up, but not wanting to move his legs. There was a bright flash of light, and Scorpius appeared beside him, asleep and looking grey and faded. Overwhelming sadness came over him, but it was mingled with relief, as he knew now for definite that it hadn't been Scorpius he had left back in the forest.
Albus turned himself so he was lying alongside the blonde – here was his Scorpius, asleep and untouchable, but waiting for Albus.
"Hey Scorp," Albus sniffed, "Hold on buddy; I'm so close to finding you, and I'm not giving up I swear."
A few tears trickled down his face and he added, "I hope your trials are going better than mine, I'm so glad you don't have to do what I do, I'd go mad if you got hurt. At least I'm manly enough for scars," he joked weakly, and then sobbed brokenly.
Oh, he wanted so very badly to reach out and hug Scorpius, but knew what would happen if he tried to, and so restrained himself, for the sake of his sanity.
"Once in a blue moon means that you must undertake a great journey," the moon-fay told him, hovering above him, "You must travel far and wide, push yourself to the limits."
"I've travelled further than ever before, and I'll travel as far as it takes to find Scorpius," Albus told him fiercely, eyes not leaving Scorpius.
"Why? Why are you putting yourself through all this?"
"Because he's my best friend."
The moon-fay shook his head, his eyes grave and sad.
"It will take more than friendship for you to truly reach Scorpius."
"What more?"
"That is for you to figure out," the moon-fay replied, and snapped his fingers.
The shadowy world blinked out of existence, and Albus was immediately back in the field of blue lace, lying on the ground with Charlie calling out, asking what was going on.
***
A/N: sooooo whaddaya think?? PLEASE REVIEW!! next chapter: Scorpius relives some painful memories, and he and Dream-Albus have a date! tune in next week!!