Chapter 5- A Helping Hand
"Hey", Violet whispered to Albus and Scorpius three days later as they sat in the library, "I thought you two had already finished all your homework". "We're going over some material about blood curses", the pale boy whispered back, "Longbottom gave me special permission slip for this, though I think Albus is reading more for fun...", "For fun?", she forgot where she was and was warned by Miss Hill to lower her voice.
"Well then… I'll guess I'll go now...", Violet mumbled and headed out, clatching the Cleensweep thirteen in her hand with such force it seemed in danger of breaking in two. "Why is my… I mean… your broom, in her hand?", Albus whispered to Scorpius, who opened his mouth in shock, the dusky book in his hands, which was full of gruesome images of vampire attacks, falling on the table with an angry hiss.
"Leo became a prefect and decided to quit the team...", he as well forgot to lower his voice, "…and today there are the trials to replace him...". They exchanged silent glances and then hurried after her, Albus almost managing to overlook the septator Fel as they went.
The round-faced woman stood by the entrance, pretending to be there as by chance, her small beady eyes following Sir Cadogan's painting, admiringly applauding as the short, squat knight tried to impress her by jumping over a ditch (only to instead fall flat on his back and being unable to get up as his horse calmly kept grazing beside him).
"When were you going to tell us that you want to be on the team?", Scorpius gasped as they finally caught up with Violet, much to her relief. "Now, I guess...", "Is that why you were too busy and needed me to do your assignments?", Albus angrily inquired as they descended the main staircase.
"Only what Scorpius didn't finish...", she stopped as neither of them saw the humour in that. "But you're only in your second year", Scorpius said as they reached the main hall, "And you're a girl", Albus added, walking past the statue of Altom Mites, who today had short pink ballet skirt around his waist.
"Al's brother joined the team in his first year here…", they exited the massive oak doors into the breezy lawns, "…and so what if I'm a girl? You think I'm any less good because of that?". "You know what I'm talking about!", Albus spat, "There's an unwritten rule with them that only boys can play...". "Hmph, we'll see about that", she whipped her long wavy hair at his direction.
They made the rest of the way in silence, until finally reaching the pitch, finding it full of Slytherin students from third and up to fifth grades, ready to get tested, though there also some spectators aside, among them Desdemona, the prefect badge beneath her stone-cold expression again notably missing.
Dedworth unsteadily hovered close to the ground, his grey eyes closely following the examined ones. On his right was Gold, small and thin, calling the candidates forward while on his left floated Miles, with his cruel crooked face, commanding them what to do together with the rest of the team up in the air.
The one tested, a burly fourth year, failed turning and catching the quaffle at the same time, what should have been a relatively easy feat to accomplish, instead inelegantly falling off his broom. "Well, nice attempt", gold sighed, "Next…", he peaked at a small parchment in his hand, but was interrupted by Desdemona, "It seems someone with actual talent decided to come", she said with a small malicious smile, her blue eyes remaining cold as ice.
The captain turned, and worse the tall boy, "It seems you've lost your way", a malicious smile spread across his bent face at the sight of the three of them, a resounding silence falling among the dozen students there. "Here! Let me show you the direction", he pointed them back to the castle with his "wrong" finger.
"Hmph", Violet's hand that wasn't holding the broom wrung as Scorpius lost what little colour he had left, suddenly remembering where he just walked into. "Did you hear what I just said?", Miles threateningly neared them as Albus already held Scorpius' robe, knowing that he would not be able to move alone even if it was a giant serpent that stood in front.
"Shut up and don't move!", Dedworth quietly commanded, and the chaser immediately stopped to furiously glare at him. Albus expected more from the soft-spoken captain, whose voice he had never heard up close before, but he just turned to Gold, "This is the last one? What about Thatcher, isn't he willing to give up the charms' club this year?", he asked.
"Um, what about me?", Violet called aloud, though she couldn't hide the trembling in her voice. "What about you?", Dedworth didn't even bother to face her. "I also want to be tested!", she angrily retorted, her tremor gone, Scorpius trying to tell her to stop but only managing to open and close his mouth like a goldfish.
"Didn't you hear what you were told? Go away!", he sounded bored, unlike Violet, who was about to explode, "Why, because I'm a girl?", she again whipped hair long hair. "Let's say yes", his back was still turned towards them, "Don't make me repeat myself".
That admission pushed her over the edge, "You've seen me fly before, you know I'm better than all of you. That's why you don't want me on your team, right?", her tone rose and rose until it turned into a scream, "Are you afraid I'll steal the spotlight from you? That a girl will do it?".
"Violet!", Albus called. "No, I'm not ready to hear your excuses", she now turned to yell at him, emitting an energy that he was sure even the others who didn't sense magic currents like him could feel, "There's no excuse for that, I hope they lose this year! They deserve it...".
"Look at them!", Albus shouted back, glad his sash provided him with some blockade from her radiating wrath. "What? What about those losers?". "Don't you see?", he seriously wondered whether her rage blinded her, "They do exactly as ordered!". For a moment, Violet's anger, as well as Scorpius fear, disappeared as they turned their gaze to the team, who indeed (even Miles with his cruel bent face) had not said a word or moved a muscle all this time.
"So what? What exactly does it supposed to mean? It's still not an excuse...", she again begun to gain steam as Dedworth landed (in a bit of an awkward way) and calmly approached them, standing in front of Violet in silence, the same height as her despite being a sixth-year student.
"The only thing I care about is winning and with a talent like yours… with a talent like yours I would have accepted you regardless", his composed tone left her with no choice but to calm down, "But what we need more then that is a team member, someone who knows how to follow the instructions given to him, because here...", he raised his hands, "...my word is God!".
Albus almost chuckled out loud, was he the only one there to not take Quidditch so seriously? "Let's go", he said to Violet, who angrily shook her head and together with him dragged Scorpius after them. "Wait, aren't you interested in trying out for the team?", it sure didn't take him long to change his mind, Albus glanced back, only to be surprised to find the grey eyes aimed at him.
He glimpsed back to see if he might have been talking to someone else behind him but only found Fel there, sitting in the stands, her round face scanning the clear grey sky with interest. "I didn't knew you were the joking type", Albus almost laughed at the look on Scorpius and Violet's faces, wondering whether they would be more disappointed or angry if he actually agreed to his request right then and there.
"I don't", said the captain, Miles and Desdemona seething with rage behind him, yet still silently and in the same place, "I took a look at your training the previous year and saw that you undoubtedly have a talent for the subject. Not as much as your brother, but a mediocre Potter is still head and shoulders above the rest...".
"If you want a good player, take her!", Albus gestured his head to Violet, "I don't care about Quidditch- whether you win or lose matter to me just the same. Now if you'll excuse me, my lord...", he grabbed Scorpius' sleeves, as well those of Violet, who also froze in a combination of astonishment and anger, "...I have to be somewhere else anyway...", and indeed he had to rush to his meeting with the headmistress.
The rest of the way they made in blissful silence as even Violet wasn't able to condense her thoughts into words, "I'm late to McGonagall", he said just as she finally opened her mouth once they passed the massive oak doors, glad that he had a good excuse to avoid talking to them about what had just happened, quickly rushing ahead without seeing their reaction.
He almost ran, making his way through all kinds of side corridors and moving staircases, half in an attempt to create a shortcut for himself and half in an attempt to shake off Fel, who followed his tracks like a shadow. Though, in the end, his way only lengthened as one shortcut somehow let him into the fourth floor, causing him to be delayed to the stone gargoyle below by a full minute.
"You're late!", the ugly statue welcomed him before exposing the circular steps behind it. "You are late!", McGonagall greeted him as he finally entered her big, lit and very breezy office, completely out of breath, and she wasn't alone there- Professor Pechman, Longbottom and Flick standing by her sides.
The first blankly stared out into a nonspecific place through the endless windows in the round tower; the second gently smiled, a familiar orange dancing flower in his hands, and the last one was unable to contain his excitement, bouncing on his tiptoes so much it seemed like he was preparing to jump.
"Sit!", he sat down. "Take a cookie", he hesitated. "Take a cookie!", he sheepishly took one from her table. "We intend to teach you extracurricular material this year", she continued as he nibbled the edge of the cinnamon cookie, "Mr. Flick and Mr. Longbottom volunteered to help you complete the material you missed last year, and Mr. Pechman as well will aid you with potion making when possible".
Albus could have bet on his right arm that Pechman did no such thing and wasn't surprised by his next words, "He doesn't need help in brewing potions", he growled. The next part did flabbergast him however, "I've never seen anyone with such a natural talent for it before", he said, his eyes not aimed to any specific place.
"Very well", she continued, her face stiff, "And the lessons with me will resume as well. Anything else you want to add?", she asked the rest of the Professors, and waited patiently for all of them to agree, glaring at Pechman until eventually he as well nodded, in a way that made it look like his neck was made of wood.
"Excellent. Now, if you do not mind...", she signalled the others to leave. Flick excitedly telling him "Good luck" and Longbottom encouragingly patting his shoulder as the third Professor was in such a hurry to get out, he probably reached the dungeons before the other two even exited the room.
"I will also give you lessons whenever I can", she told Albus, whose gaze was directed towards her desk, upon which, unlike last year, unmoving black and white pictures were spread across, "I came here to be a teacher after all...". He wondered if the headmistress talked to him at eye level in order to make him to open up, because if it was so, she miserably failed at that. "Do you have any questions?", she asked as he didn't open his mouth.
Albus deeply inhaled, examining the pictures, in which, McGonagall was seen next to a thin man with a curly moustache. He maintained a dignified expression is he stood against a spectacular landscape; on a cobbled street; in the middle of a forest; at their wedding… though there was a photo of him on a small ship, colourful fish in hand and wide smile on face... "It's not fair", he quietly uttered.
"That is not a question, Mr potter", she said. Albus grimaced, "But...", "Your brother is getting some help as well. You both missed a substantial part of last year after all...", "But...", "And yes, it is also because your magic is different from the rest". There was a short silence, "It's not fair", he repeated.
"And what if it is so?", McGonagall didn't manage to hide her impatience. Albus shook his head in frustration, wondering whether she really didn't understand, or whether she was just pretending to. "Would you rather not receive the help that is given to you, that all the effort will go to waste instead?".
"It's better that way than...", "It would be better if you suggested if we could add more help to others as well!", a trace of anger passed through her voice. "So, I can't even complain about receiving special treatment?", he gritted his teeth, "It's not as if all the security around me isn't enough already...".
"Do you know the story about the faithful man who drowned in sea?", she asked, and he shook his head to show he didn't, his eyes well fixed on the pictures, in each of them a younger, and oddly then that, happier, version of her was seen. "In essence it is about a drowning man who refused help offered by others, claiming it will be God who will save him, until finally, he inevitably sunk, asking him why he didn't do so in the afterlife. Can you work out what his answer was?".
Albus felt his fingertips tingle and had to stop himself from asking her if she as well saw herself as God in this situation, "That he refused the help given to him by others", he answered, his eyes well focused. "Exactly, this is not the time to reject assistance. Although, if you wish so, I will not force you to attend any of the extra curriculum".
It seemed to him as if the man in the nearby picture, although not moving, somehow winked at him, "Your husband liked this story, didn't he?", he quietly asked, finally making eye contact with her, discovering that her eyes, located behind the small square glasses between the two white strands of her temples to be green as well.
At that exact moment the sun had officially sunk into the horizon as the torches along the walls lit by themselves, again blocking her look with light, but not before an immense sadness was shown. "True", her voice was steady and calm, "he liked to tell me people should take the opportunities that are given to them".
Albus suddenly felt drained, sensing the school's magic current swirling around him with excruciating slowness, "You know who the previous owners of my wand was, don't you?". She nodded. "And how I was sorted into Slytherin immediately, given no choice, unlike the others. Even you got one when sorted, right?". She again nodded.
"And everyone who knows me hates me more and more as time goes by...", he was ashamed his eyes tingled, feeling his cheek where Teddy had slapped him. "I was with you until now", McGonagall said with uncharacteristic gentleness, "Scorpius and Violet certainly seem to enjoy your company, and others, who didn't like you before for one reason or another, are coming to appreciate you beyond what you can even comprehend...".
"Like who?", Albus' confusion trumped all other emotions. The headmistress frowned, "He owes you his life after all…", she as well was confused, "...standing up to Herpo is no small achievement by any stretch of imagination...". Yet Albus just kept staring at her at complete lost, not understanding what she was talking about.
Then, all of a sudden, he remembered the killing curse aimed towards the potion's Professor, that had been diverted from its trajectory by the storm Albus had unleashed. "I forgot", he said in complete honesty, "Though he had saved my life a moment before", that fact had also abruptly flashed through his mind a moment later.
"Splendid", she returned to her normal harsh tone at once, "Let's hope your memory in the other areas is sharper, Mr. Potter, or our studies in the coming year will be full of difficulties". Albus didn't manage to hold his smile back, "You find my words to be funny?", she scowled.
"I just thought how you really suited to be in Slytherin...", he admitted, knowing she will detect any lie by him. "I'm too old to care about this unnecessary classification", her stiff look remained the same, "You are dismissed for now. Come prepare to our next meeting!".
He hurried to do as instructed, for a second seeing the wall behind her, where his two namesakes have been with an opposite expression- the greasy ugly one with anger and confusion as the old strange one with joy and confidence. His mood was somehow uplifted as he went down the moving stairs, though it was clouded a bit as he came face to face with Fel when exiting them.
They exchanged glances before the young woman turned her gaze with mock curiosity back to the picture beside her, where little Sir Cadogan bravely tried to entice a lion into a battle (though he was unluckily, or luckily, completely ignored by the fat old beast), hiding her round face behind her long straight hair.
Albus peaked at his watch, only to remember that it hadn't worked since he almost drowned with it at the end of last year, yet still concluded that he had time left to do what he had been planning since arriving at Hogwarts, as well as a sudden inspiration to get rid of his surveillance, at least for a while.
He slowly strolled to the other side of the corridor and took the long way upwards, pretending to not notice the septator behind him as he made his way along the main corridor on the fourth floor, finally finding his desired staircase at its end. He than took a deep breath, and, knowing timing was critical for his plan, suddenly ran up the staircase leading to the fifth floor.
He rushed ahead and stopped just at the right distance from the swamp with the pale toad in it (fondly called 'Spitie' by the students), hiding behind a metal knight full of blows and scratches, impatiently waiting for his victim to arrive, but, as always, Peeves was there at the worst possible time to welcome him on his new year.
"What's going on here?", he sunk from above, his hands full to the bream with big hairy spiders, his slanted orange eyes wickedly shining. "Look at what I have over here, Al-Boss", he was beyond giddy to share his finding, "Want to take a closer look?...", he waved a fat tarantula above his head.
"Wait a second and you can show it to someone who needs it even more than me", Albus whispered, already coming to terms with the fact that his plan was ruined. Yet, he misread the poltergeist, who recognized pure mischief in action, and immediately hovered back up, just as Fel appeared around the corner.
"Hey", Albus came out of his hiding place and stood in front of her in the middle of the corridor, obstructing her view. She raised an eyebrow in wonder and opened her mouth to say something back, yet stopped in surprise as he suddenly fell flat on the floor.
"What?...", the rest of her sentence was not heard as the toad behind Albus spat a mouthful of stinky substance right at her face, making her look like she was covered in a combination of scrambled eggs and dirty mud. "I just wanted to say I'm going to the owlery", he smiled, getting back up, struggling to hold back his laughter, not believing how well his plan had worked.
"You cowardly dog! How dare you target such a fair woman, come back and fight me, you fiend!", Sir Cadogan shouted at Albus from the picture nearby, trying to chase him to the next one, yet stopping on his tracks as a bunch giggling nymphs waved at him there, "Sorry ladies, I didn't see you there...".
"Doloremmorsus!", Fel spat a lethal looking curse in fury, though fortunately not at Albus, who automatically ducked down, but rather at the fat toad, whose colour turned from pale white into worryingly fluorescent green. Time seemed to stop for a second as it looked like it was about to explode, yet instead it spat red hot acidic substance back at her, which again hit her hair as she was unable to avoid it and the shower of spiders that was simultaneously thrown at her by Peeves, who literally glowed with excitement.
Albus didn't stay to see what happened next, however, continuing his way up to the owlery without interruption, the voices of battle continuing behind him, unexpectedly anxious that he might have crossed a red line- she was a candidate for the auror office after all.
Yet, Albus hesitation disappeared as he got to his destination, finding Teddy there, holding Alice's hand as she was busy telling James what to write in his letter. "I don't want to make Hogwarts to sound too good", she worried, "or she'll get jealous...", she quieted down when seeing him.
"She'll be jealous regardless", Teddy narrowed his eyes at Albus, who felt his cheek stinging, being lost for words. "Want to add something to our letter to Lily, Al?", it was James who cast away the awkwardness, "It'll save you some time", he said as if the last time he spoke to him wasn't a good few months ago.
"Ah… Yes, yes. It will help a lot", Albus' voice broke, "Send her my love and tell her I'll send her a detailed letter later...". He looked at his brother as he wrote it, noticing how, despite not yet returning to his full strength, something had changed in him as he looked much more mature than before.
"Poor thing", he smiled, "She was worried we're 'all alone', calming down only when hearing Teddy was here to protect us". The metamorphmagus' expression relaxed a bit as Alice timidly waved at Albus with her free hand. "Here! Barney!", James called his owl before carefully rolling a long letter to its leg, "Good luck this year", he patted Albus' shoulder before they left, leaving him frozen there in utter shock.
He didn't know how long he stood there in astonishment, remembering why he came to this place only as his stomach rumbled with hunger. He struggled writing his request to the Quibbler, even forgetting his last name as his mind was busy processing what had just happened as Styx, his own owl, impatiently clicked his beak.
On his way down, he almost bumped into Professor Flitwick, not noticing the tiny man who was busy hypnotizing the toad with his wand, which was now in a poisonous red shade and big as a cow. "I know it's a bit dangerous", he excitingly chirped, "but it's still a wonderful charm, oops… ", the creature almost managed to escape his control for a moment.
Albus respectfully nodded and hurried to side passage out of his view, momentarily wondering why the floor there was above him until finally realizing he was suspended by his ankle mid-air. He was shaken up and down repeatedly, unable to stop himself from throwing up once he finally crushed onto the ground.
"Tergeo!", a feminine voice was heard, and the floor got swept clean just before Flitwick's head appeared, "Everything alright there?", he wondered. "I just slipped, Professor", he moaned and stood up. "Well...", Flitwick didn't finish his sentence as an alarming noise was heard behind him, something that resembled a combination of a grunt and a splash, ..."Be careful", he quickly went away.
Albus looked around and found her, now feeling the aura emanating from her in mists, noticing the disturbance in his vision as she wasn't transparent, but rather reflected the wall behind her like some sort of a chameleon. "I guess I deserved it", he said as Fel's form materialized from thin air in liquid streaks.
"Constant vigilance!", surprisingly, she had a broad smile across her face, "Just like your father", "Sorry about that", Albus shrugged. "Don't worry, I've always wanted to try a bob cut haircut", she touched her straight hair, which now only reached her shoulders, "I would also be annoyed if someone was following me all the time".
The rest of the way they did in silence, yet not an awkward one for a change. "Listen", Fel stopped him before he entered the Great Hall, "I wanted to tell you that in the end our captain couldn't find a chaser". "You're also from Slytherin?", Albus asked, though come to think of it he shouldn't have been surprised by that fact.
"Of course, do I look like some kind of a muggle to you?". "I have a feeling that if I answer yes, I'll get the opportunity to check the ceiling tapestry from up close", he smiled and entered as she laughed, glad to find Scorpius and Violet already sitting there. "You came just in time", she sullenly welcomed him, "Gabby just finished questioning us", her purple eyes met his as the grey ones remained fixed on the table.
"I need you to come with me", Albus confidently said, finding Dedworth sitting at the end of the table next to Miles and Desdemona, "Why?" she asked. "Just trust me", he was glad that they both agreed to follow him (even though Scorpius looked as steady as a spineless scarecrow).
"Can I talk to you for a moment?", he approached the captain as the other two continued to loudly talk to each other, ignoring them. He studied Albus' face, "May I have a moment?", he asked his friends. "No", Miles' face bent even more as Desdemona wickedly smiled, exposing her crooked teeth. Dedworth didn't argue, instead leading them after him to the side near the wall, out of the rest earshot, "What is it?", he quietly asked.
Albus took a deep breath. "Scorpius…", he began, putting his hand on the pale boy's shoulder, "….is not the best flyer…", the grey eyes narrowed, "…just like you!", he turned to Dedworth. "And just like you…", he pressed his hand, "…he has an unmatched understanding and desire to win that game. So much so that when you finish here, he will be the one to replace you as captain".
He glanced at Scorpius, whose cheeks turned pink, then at Violet. "And she…", he said to her inquiring look, "has a natural talent I've seen only once before- not letting her play would be madness". He returned his gaze to the captain, who understood where he was headed, "What will you give me in return for my consideration?", he quietly asked.
"Myself!", Albus replied. "Go eat slugs!", Violet said in a fit of anger, "I don't need your favours!", she stormed out before he could stop her. Scorpius also slightly wiggled, but luckily, he was held by his hand, "Don't miss the opportunities given to you!", he firmly told him.
"Leave me alone!", the pale boy shook him off with uncharacteristic fury, "I don't have time for this anyway. I hope those losers lose every match", he shouted, causing half the hall to turn towards them. "Do you think I'm going to cheer you on for doing what I want, because if you do, you're dumber than a mountain troll", he bitterly scoffed and made his way after Violet, for a change blind to all the looks directed at him.
Albus blinked- he feared it would happen, almost slapping himself for not doing it somewhere more secluded. "You will need to follow my instructions without questioning my authority", Dedworth made him turn his head back to him, "with such hard training, sitting in classes would be a torture. So…", "…are you in or not?". The hall was as quiet as a graveyard, not even the sound of kitchen utensils heard as everyone waited for the answer.
"I wouldn't have it any other way", Albus knew one day they will understand, the hall bursting with conversation behind him. His new captain sent a hand forward and shook his, for the first-time showing emotion, "Brennan was right about you", he said, a wide smile across his face.