Chapter 3: To Forget
A fourteen year-old Albus slipped into the Forbidden Forest. He hurried along, knowing he was late. He hadn't gotten far when he was forced to draw his wand and utter a quick lumos in order to see the way before him.
A few minutes later and he had arrived at their usual meeting place, and the other two were still there, waiting for him.
Scorpius sat on a large root, drawing aimlessly in the dirt with a twig, but looked up as Albus appeared out of the shadows. Elsa leaned against a tree, her arms crossed across herself. As she caught sight of Albus something sparked in her blue eyes, but Albus didn't notice, and Scorpius wasn't looking at her.
"About time," said Scorpius, but there was warmth in his normally cold eyes. Cold since…ever since…. Anger and remorse flamed up in Albus at the very inkling of the memory.
"Sorry, Professor Longbottom noticed me in the halls and wanted to clarify something about the homework with me," said Albus, looking from one of his friends to the other apologetically.
"Likely story," said Elsa. "More like your last snogging session went a bit over-schedule." Her tone was light, teasing.
"Or that," said Albus, cheerily going along with her game.
"All right, all right. Let's go," said Scorpius, though there was no real annoyance in his tone. Dropping his twig in the dirt, he rose to his feet. Leading the way, he disappeared further into the forest, followed quickly by Elsa. Albus brought up the rear.
The three friends padded silently between the trees, having learned to avoid leaves and twigs and other foliage along the forest floor that would give away their presence. The only thing that let other living creatures know they were there was the light streaming from Albus' wand, the light that showed the path they took.
No one felt the need to say a word as they worked their way closer and closer to the center of the forest. They were the closest kind of friends. The kind that knew there was companionship shared through just being in each other's presence. The kind that knew you could communicate as much through silence as through words. They were content to simply be with one another.
"Almost there," whispered Scorpius, so quietly that the other two barely heard him. The excitement rising in his voice was almost tangible. "Albus." Just the name was enough. With a quick word Albus had doused the light coming from his wand.
The three crept forward, side by side now. The darkness was almost complete, but there was just enough light coming through the thick foliage above that as his eyes adjusted Albus started to make out where the trees ended just five feet from where he crouched, and the clearing began. Adrenaline started to course through his veins as he thought about what wait for them there.
Scorpius looked over at Albus from the far side of Elsa, and they exchanged a brief glance accompanied by a grin from Scorpius.
The trio knew each other so well that the spell was cast instantaneously. As they burst from the trees into the clearing light blossomed from all of their wands, illuminating what awaited them.
Above their heads, interweaving across the entire clearing and away between the trees was one massive spider web, loaded with spiders that ranged in size from a human fingernail to as large as a Muggle car.
The spiders scattered in surprise as the combined light from the three wands suddenly enveloped them.
Scorpius made a slashing motion with his wand and shouted something that Albus didn't catch. With a loud ripping sound a large tear appeared down the center of the webbing from one side of the clearing to the other. The whole web started to collapse inward, the spiders tumbling over one another and falling through the expanding hole and falling into the long grass of the clearing that waited for them below. Others grasped desperately to the strands of webbing, climbing them gradually and racing off into the canopy of the trees.
Scorpius had leapt forward with a whoop, whipping his wand back and forth, up and down and send off salvos of spells in all directions. Spiders were blasted back before him, as jets of lights erupted from his wand rapid-fire fashion.
Elsa wasn't far behind him, using her wand more sparingly, however, but with deadly accuracy.
Albus used a powerful spell to sever a small tree in half, causing the top to topple down upon the spiders that were still madly scurrying about, crushing three instantly.
The spiders, which until now had been racing in circles in shock and surprise, trying to escape, now seemed to have gotten an idea of what was going on, and to have realized that there were only three young teenagers assaulting them. For now they regrouped and came scuttling at the trio, their pincers rapidly opening and closing in anger.
Scorpius looked over at Albus, and Albus saw the gleam in those stormy gray eyes that he knew would be there. It was the gleam that made him agree to these crazy escapades. It was the gleam that Scorpius got typically when either in a situation that almost certainly insured death, or a situation that let him fully unleash the anger and shame he carried around with him always (this particular situation fit both criteria, thought Albus wryly). It was the gleam that meant, however briefly, Scorpius had, for a moment, forgotten.
. . . . . .
Albus' eyelids fluttered open, but he didn't move at first. Instead he just lay on the couch where he had been sleeping, staring at the ceiling.
It was still night, judging by the fact that the only light of any kind came filtering through the windows and was clearly from the moon and stars.
Albus brought his hand before his eyes, turning it this way and that, as if it was something alien. He studied the intricate webbing of shadows spread across it, with more interest than it warranted.
Knowing he wasn't going to be able to sleep any longer, Albus pulled himself from the couch. He slung on a suede jacket that lay draped across the kitchen counter. Picking up the Invisibility Cloak and the Sorting Hat, he stuffed them into the left and right pockets of the jacket, respectively. Taking his wand from the coffee table, he slipped it into the back pocket of his jeans.
Focusing briefly, Albus sent the apartment through space again.
When the house had settled, Albus walked through the door that appeared in the wall, and out onto a busy street of London. Without looking behind him, he set off up the street, knowing that all he would have seen would've been a blank cement wall.
A cold fall wind picked up, and Albus hunched over inside his suede jacket, wishing that he had brought something with a hood. His long black hair was lashed across his face as he curled his hands into fists within his pockets. With an irritated flick of his head he tried to get the black strands out of his eyes, but was unsuccessful as the wind just blew them immediately back. He muttered something in annoyance, but didn't actually do anything further about it, resigning himself to just deal with it.
This part of London was still surprisingly busy for the time of night. Muggle cars rushed back and forth on the street beneath the illuminating lamps. People scurried to and fro on the sidewalk, looking almost embarrassed that they were out so late.
Albus passed a couple that were snogging rather passionately in a close embrace. Albus ignored the tingling of nerves that ran up and down his body, and quickly speed up his pace.
It couldn't have been more than fifteen minutes before Albus found what he was looking for. It was down an alley, warm light spilling out through the glass pane set into the heavy wood door. However, he knew that if Muggles passed by the alley mouth all they would see were a couple of dumpsters and boxes, completely unaware of what was just beyond their reach—a Wizarding pub called The Three Drunk Pandas. Why pandas, and why three, Albus had never figured out.
Albus swung through the doorway, grateful for the wave of warmth that washed over him.
There was nothing particularly distinctive about the pub, except that it served good drinks.
Booths were ranged along the wall, which was made of brick and covered in posters of various old Quidditch teams and players, popular Wizard bands, and political propaganda. Simple wooden tables and chairs were spread across the center of the pub.
The bar itself was to the left. Stools ran alongside it, with lamps that hung low with green shades giving low illumination that spilled over the counter and across the floor.
The room was pretty packed, and not just with Wizards. All sorts of magical beings were out for a late drink this night. Goblins were visible. Vampires, their deathly pale skin and flash of fangs giving them away, as well as the dark, reddish brown liquid that filled their glasses. Wizards and witches, mixed in with some people that looked like they must be at least part giant. Albus thought he even spotted some werewolves in the corner, the only clue as to their identity being their long nails and distinctly scruffy appearance.
Albus made his way over to a spare stool at the bar. One of the bartenders was a middle-aged woman with a big smile and long, brunet hair that knew Albus (he was a semi-regular). Catching sight of him she headed over. "So what will it be for you tonight, sir?" she said with a flash of white teeth.
"Surprise me," said Albus. "Something pretty strong, with a kick."
"I think I have just the thing," said the woman, and disappeared into the flurry of workers behind the counter with another smile.
Albus drilled his fingers on the counter idly, looking around at the crazy variety of beings. Growing bored of this quickly, he decided to eavesdrop on a pair of vampires that sat just over from him.
Albus was an accomplished eavesdropper, but with music blasting rather loudly from somewhere he couldn't see, and all the noise that is inevitable when so many people are in one room, it was a trial even for him to overhear what the vampires were saying while still looking nonchalant and as if he was lost in his own thoughts. Even so, he managed it with just a little subtle shifting of his stool.
"…business with Lord Hovenkoffer?" asked one of the vampires, a male.
"Yes, very strange," answered the other, a female. "I have cousin in his clan. She told me all about it."
"Is it true, then? He was challenged by a mere human?" Albus moved slightly on his seat, stifling a small snort. Vampires all had the same arrogance that made them think they were far above humans, despite the fact that they obviously originated from the race.
"Yes. A wizard of course, but a strong one, evidently. Just strode right into the clan's roost in the middle of the night. Don't know how he found where it was. But it was a very brave act, or stupid, depending how you look at it. Anyways, he challenged Lord Hovenkoffer for ruling of the clan, just like that."
"Could he even do that? Would Lord Hovenkoffer even be bound to take up such a challenge, it coming from a human?" interrupted the male.
"Evidently, or Lord Hovenkoffer was confident he could defeat the wizard easily, with no risk to himself. Which turned out not to be true, for the human ended up killing him, as you know. It wasn't easy mind you, it was a fierce battle, but the outcome was no fluke."
"That is truly something," said the male. "There has never been a vampire clan ruled by a wizard. He must be extremely powerful, an old and experienced wizard for sure."
"On the contrary," interjected the female vampire. "My cousin said he's very young, only having lived twenty odd or so years. A young man, slender, with blonde hair and stormy, unreadable gray eyes."
The two vampires looked over at Albus in annoyance, who was choking on a sip of his steamy, deep blue drink that had just arrived.
"Sorry," said Albus to the vampires, his eyes leaking liquid from the combination of the strength of his drink and choking.
The vampires didn't reply but went on to mutter about humans who always disturbed the peace.
Meanwhile, one word, a question, ran over and over through Albus' mind.
Scorpius?
Author's Note:
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