The Crossroads of Fate

Chapter 21: The Room of Requirement

Maria widened her eyes in fear as the battle seemingly died down. In a display of fear for a change, she hid herself behind Mark who just appeared stoic, like the reveal that they were all going to die just hit a wall in him. Albus himself did not know what to make of this situation. Aramaster was right, they were trapped. Trapped. They were trapped. They'd die and their bodies would probably never be discovered. It began to hit Albus that this meant the war was lost. The only weakness the Reservation had and they failed to get it, failed to destroy it at least… Albus wondered if they could destroy it first. Aramaster was laughing gleefully, proclaiming victory and naming himself Prince of those lands.

"Hey, now we got out before," Scorpius recalled.

"Oh?" Aramaster called. "Hah! No, Soto let you out! And he's not here, is he? No, he's dead! I recall you killing him! Hah! Trapped! Let Dubium find you here, maybe he'll add your souls to his collection of Necram!"

The wave of apprehension left him as soon as it came. Albus looked around the lands. Many, many Reservation members were dead and the ship was blasting through the lands mercilessly. The waves on the water were slopping wildly to the magic in the air, fire spreading across the lands. It looked hopeless but despite Aramaster's ominous words, Albus had to admit, he did not feel too worried. He knew what would come before it did. Even Lysander looked in the sky expectantly. "There it is."

A winged snake dropped what looked like an empty water jug glowing blue. The eleven students leapt for it and touched it all at once without question. The familiar hook behind his navel brought him and the others back in a whirl of sound and color. As they landed almost violently in an empty street, Albus sighed. He stared up as Scorpius looked around. "Where is this place?"

Rose moaned, "Last time. Last time I act against an enemy we're not meant to fight. Last time!"

Albus bolted up and looked around wildly, heart beating. At first, he thought Seth had sent them somewhere else, lured them out of Hogwarts for some reason, but he recognized the place as the Greengrass home. "Your cousin's home. West End. We were sent here because we can't be sent to Hogwarts or Hogsmeade. They're protected. Hold up, I can get us out."

It was truly rather easy, the trip was silent the rest of the way and nowhere near as long as the forest trip. That was good since evening was falling and some would be exhausted by now. Lorcan, who always carried spare keys, turned them to bring them back to the bungalow and the portrait was ready to take them back to the Room of Requirement. They ran through the tunnel and dropped out to great cheering, which only got louder the more of them stepped out. They had gotten the Orb, nobody had died, and one of their number had indeed pulled through. That was not to mention Seth had proven himself too. At least, so it seemed. Seth always had an ulterior motive, whatever it was.

The cheering upon entering the Room of Requirement was almost deafening. They seemed to have been waiting for them in the room, like they'd known for a while that they were ok. Seth appeared as if from nowhere once Alexis lifted a Disillusionment Charm off him with one of Melvin's wands before he climbed through the portrait for whatever reason. Albus felt himself get embraced by countless people, Alexis inching closer to plant a kiss on his mouth. Even Alexander whooped aloud in glee and Sierra raised Neil's arm as if they too had claimed victory. The entire Guard was there, even Riley and Nate had returned from the forest. Albus sighed in relief, slumping against the wall as Alex and Eric arrived with the four kids who had once claimed loyalty to the Reservation.

Alpha, who was awake, did not seem all together but he did attempt smiling, like he was a baby learning how to do something that came so naturally. Proxima actually motioned his mouth so it would be in the shape of a smile and pat his back. Alpha seemed a little better but he soon fell asleep again.

Albus found it difficult to relax in the maddeningly loud environment. The day was so eventful, Albus did not think anybody understood how exhausting it was. It was not even evening yet and still Albus felt tired. He did not think anybody would return to their Common rooms when night fell and only Alexis seemed to understand. Still, he could not blame them for celebrating. The wait must have been tense, waiting for eleven kids to return with the Black Orb. Albus could not believe it. Now he was resting as Eric enthusiastically regaled everyone with the journey, it hit him. They had the Orb. The Reservation could be defeated. At least, he hoped so. He still had a bad feeling on what sort of sacrifice Maria Prince would demand.

Even Maria did not break the mood and Aries had kissed Mark on the cheek as she sat beside him, holding a glass of red liquid. As Seth returned from the portrait next, everyone cheered even louder. Sierra squealed and hugged him so tightly, Seth grimaced. Some actually pat his back in congratulations, many of them not having truly expected Seth to come through. Sierra explained to anybody who would listen that Seth took command of half the Reservation when he beat Dubium the year before and took advantage of that only recently. Of course, only Simon really understood what this meant. The boy was staring at Seth, as if trying to find something in him that simply was not there. Very few were there when dozens of members swore their loyalty to him… only to get themselves killed.

"I must admit," Mark said to Seth as the impassive boy took a seat a little way off from Simon. "We might've died if it wasn't for the staff."

"That's why you need people like me," Seth said neutrally. "People who work things from behind the scenes like your father did."

Seth's words seemed to have an impact on Mark. He looked at Seth strangely before nodding slowly and walking away to sit nearer to Alex and Eric. Eric seemed to be in conversation with a laughing Roxanne though and Alex was actually trying to catch Fauna's attention. Meanwhile, Laura was trying to catch Lorcan's attention for whatever reason.

"I think we'll get back to Hogwarts eventually," Albus heard Gabriel shrug.

"Really?" Nate asked hopefully.

"I like to think so, it helps me sleep at night," Gabriel added.

Nate rolled his eyes but nonetheless put a arm tightly around him. With even people like Seth, Melvin and even Neil in the thick of the celebration, it really was clear that they truly were friends. All of them. Albus wished so much that Walter, Molly and Samantha were still there, that James would still be there chatting with Neil, Samuel would still be beside his sister, and even Daniel would be there, though admittedly the latter three would have graduated by then. Six of their original number was dead.

Albus missed James and his wide, mischievous grin. Now, he discovered James had shed that persona long ago but he still missed it. Albus found himself missing Daniel and his cap, almost aggressive way of handling things. Albus even found himself missing Samantha and her homey smile, the Samantha who had everything she wanted. Two older brothers, a mother, a father, and a rich lifestyle all snatched away in a single night. A single tear leaked down his eye that Albus had to flick away. "Hey, what's wrong?" Alexis' voice asked, sitting down beside him again.

"I don't feel part of them anymore," Albus said quietly. "Like… they're part of some world I don't belong to. Even now, they don't know what I know, they're so happy with Seth, they don't know he only acted for some ulterior motive. They're so happy we got the Orb and everyone seemed to have forgotten Maria's words."

"Sacrifice," Alexis repeated thoughtfully. "Well, when we find out what to do, we'll figure it out. Seth proved last year that the Reservation can be beaten with or without the Relics so don't worry about it. If it's too drastic, we'll find some other way."

"But"-

"Al, be patient," Alexis said rationally. "And have fun. Be involved and just- just…" she stared at a point to Albus' far left. "ALEXANDER!" Albus jumped and some looked aside. Alexander was sitting down with a giddy smile, holding a glass of red liquid that actually made Albus smile. Alexis looked beside herself, "THAT'S WINE! PUT THAT AWAY NOW!"

"Just taking a sip," he giggled. "It was good. Sierra gave it to me." His head lolled to one side, as if trying to see his sister from another angle. Alexis looked so beside herself with anger, Albus was curious to see what she would do. A jet of light actually shot from her wand and shattered the glass in Alexander's hand. The wine fell to the floor which was vanished in an instant. "Nice shot, sis," Alexander smirked.

"Off to bed," Alexis demanded. "Now. Before I make you."

"K, ta," Alexander said in a stupor as he walked in a lopsided away off to his curtain, tripping over some people's legs before collapsing into his curtains, disappearing into them and being seen no more.

"And if I ever find out you served my brother something you know is bad for him, I'll hurt you," Alexis told Sierra in what was such a clear, plain threat that Seth gave her a dark look.

"Relax, Alexis, I only gave him a sip, that's all," Sierra said casually.

"My brother is sensitive to that kind of stuff!" she said angrily.

"Al," Scorpius' voice said from nearby. "What? Feeling lonely? Knut for your thoughts?"

"Nothing," Albus sighed. "Just don't feel like partying."

"Me neither, to be honest," Scorpius shrugged. "My mum is days away from having a baby. Thinking about that. It's… gonna be a girl, by the way."

"Congratulations," Albus mumbled.

"I've been meaning to talk to you though," Scorpius said frankly. "About something else," he added with a lowered voice.

"Yeah?"

"Your second soul," Scorpius said with a serious expression on his face. Albus met his gray eyes. Scorpius did know. "You told me in fifth year. It must've evolved since we know you survived the Killing curse and all," he added, shifting a look to his chin. "And everyone here is really ignorant to this sort of magic. Even I don't know much about it."

"I really don't know what to tell you, Scorpius," Albus told him quietly. "I didn't ask for this at all. It came when I first visited the Reservation. If you tell them"-

"I can't," Scorpius scoffed. "We work too well together and they love you too much. But, Al, if you die because of this, I'll have no choice. You'll become like Incommodo and Al- if you go down that path, I'm spilling the beans and you'll die hated. Just so you know."

"Thanks for blackmailing me during a party, Scorps," Albus said sarcastically.

"I'm going to bed," Scorpius sighed.

"Yeah, me too," Albus agreed.

Their walk to the Common room was long but quiet. Neither said anything about their recent argument. Albus did not know what sort of future he had. He could not tell. But he did know that it was most likely he would indeed become like Incommodo, unless he found a way to die before all of that. He rested in bed, hearing their dormitory door open. Albus knew Incommodo had walked in again, perhaps well aware that he was out of bed after hours like he did before. He did not dare look. Their door shut and Albus found he'd been holding his breath. He exhaled it and fell asleep, dreaming only of falling trees.

The next few days were rather boring. The month was ending with the last of the round three duels of the Dueling tournament. Mark once again soared through it and even Maria Prince was doing better than expected but she went down to Lily Potter who ventured out of the Room to perform her duel and leave once more.

"I'm going after this," Scorpius said from beside him. "She's coming. So… I'm off. But when I come back, we're talking about the crap you're up to and that's a promise. Hear me?"

"Whatever," Albus mumbled as his name was called by Theodore Nott.

Albus' duel was against Aries. He wished it could be anybody else but Aries was not going to lose. At best, Albus would duel her eventually, now he was about to discover why she was considered the most powerful student in Hogwarts since Dumbledore. Upon the count of three, Albus ducked, rolled away, parried and barely dodged. Her spells were so quick, Albus had no time to fire even one and they were so hot, he was not sure he wanted to know their effects either. He parried a Stunner with his shield, forcing her to re-angle it to the ceiling. Albus used that short time to transfigure his shield into a Frisbee which twirled towards her. She flicked her wand to incinerate it as Albus aimed an Impediment Jinx under her arm.

At first, Albus thought for a wild second that he had beaten her but she seemed unaffected. The Jinx disappeared into nothingness and next Albus knew, it came back and hit him from behind. The crowd whooped as Albus fell, immobilized as Aries had used a Vertex curse. She had the jet come from another point in the air instead. She did not even go all out, probably not even fifty percent and he still went down. Incommodo did indeed look very disappointed but Albus did not care. He was out. He could not be expected to attend anymore and he walked away with Scorpius who too had lost his duel to Alexis.

Alex and Eric, who had been eliminated from the tournament, were sitting against a wall in the Room of Requirement, laughing about something on a piece of parchment. For a wild second, Albus thought it was homework before he remembered Eric had been expelled.

"Scylla," Eric suggested.

"Nah, too far from his name," Alex shook his head. "Ah, hi, Al. Scorpy."

"Scorpius," Scorpius corrected.

"See what I mean, the list is worth it," Eric muttered.

"What're you doing?" Albus asked.

"The Many Names of Scorpius Malfoy," Alex read. "We've only got so few but we're hoping the big guy himself can help. Scorpius, Scorpio, Scorpion, Scor, Scorps, Scorpy…"

"You're destroying my self-esteem," Scorpius told them. "We pick astronomical names. I'm about to get a little sister and we're calling her Libra and you're degrading her too. You're degrading it all."

"Libra… Lib, wait- Ra!" Eric said to Alex's laughter. "That's a pretty powerful name. Ra. Egyptian God. Does that work?"

"Astronomical, not mythological," Scorpius told them. "You're mixing me up with Aries, which insults my astronomical heritage even more."

"Oh, yeah, well, why don't you get your starry ass, no pun intended, over here and help us degrade you more?" Eric suggested with a smirk.

"I don't like my names," Scorpius told them. "And your pun was intended."

"Hence why we should've thought of this in first year when it would've meant more," Alex sighed. "Oh, well. Ah… Squirrel!"

"Stupidest name ever," Scorpius groaned as they added their latest name.

"Ah, spoil sport," Alex laughed. "You need to appreciate a good joke. Squirt. Squirt! Eric, Squirt! He's a Scorpion of a Squirrel Squirt!"

Alex an Eric laughed as Scorpius, of course, went ahead to the Malfoy Manor, asking Albus to join him later if he could. Albus could've but he felt uncomfortable imposing himself on their family when a baby was being born. Albus said he would try but explained that he did feel rather uncomfortable. Scorpius just shrugged and left, clearly still bothered by Albus. Albus was not sure what Scorpius wanted. There was nothing Albus could do. Nothing. He could not just make himself live, he'd have to fight Incommodo and the duel would have to go a very specific way for Albus to get off the hook. A way to destroy both Herpo's soul and Voldemort's. It could not work that way. He'd have to expect the two to destroy each other. Albus was beginning to understand what he would need to do but he did not like it.

Seth. Seth had promised the year before that one day, Albus would ask him to kill him. Soto himself had said Seth would kill him. Albus was not sure what made Seth or his dead father think such things, but the idea started forming. Albus could end his own lifespan early and just before Voldemort could take over, Seth would end the second lifespan. That would end the threat. Well, at the very least, Albus had to kill Incommodo first. Albus walked to the Room of Requirement in hopes of talking to Seth but when he got there, he did not seem to be there.

The Room was much bigger now, with separate quarters for their prisoners. Aramaster and the remains of his crew. Intonus Ruse and their friends Flare and Rai Weathers. They were held, trapped behind silence-warded curtains sealed with Curses, Jinxes and even bars. Aries had worked her own magic and even Seth did something to block them off. As far as Albus knew, they were getting food and water but nothing else. Albus looked around and instead of finding Seth, he found Alexis. He sat beside her and quietly watched the room.

"Yeah, whatever, Proxima," Simon's voice said bitterly and loudly from by Alpha's sleeping form. "You don't like anything I like do you?"

"What the"-

"No one is that stupid!" Simon said angrily. "You hate everything I love."

"I never said I hated"-

"So I used to like video games when I was younger!" Simon said, folding his arms. "Criticize me for that and I know you have something against me. I'm a frigging Muggle male when I was six! We all love video games."

"I never said- you know what, Simon, never mind. I have more important things to worry about than your immaturity."

"Got a riddle for you," Alexis said, interrupting Albus' thought process. "Potions is to Transfiguration as Divination is to…"

Albus stared up into space, thinking carefully about the riddle. He had a feeling Alexis knew the answer. It was definitely a subject. Potions changed conditions and even beings, just like Transfiguration. If that was so, Divination was the study of the future. Was there another subject that had that same purpose from a different angle?

He remembered slowly what his Aunt Hermione had told him in a letter sent so long ago when advising him for new electives. "Arithmancy is a rather cleverer way of predicting the future. It uses numbers instead of mist and fog. I highly recommend it."

He smiled to himself. In fact, both were elective courses. "Arithmancy. Divination is to Arithmancy."

"Well done," Alexis smirked, patting him on the back. "Now, if Alpha wakes up, he'd know this in his sleep… except this kind of sleep. I do hope he's ok." She sighed and looked back to her NEWT Charms notes. "This can be hard," Alexis muttered. "NEWT level is about nonverbal Charms. See if you mastered the concept. Not sure what they'll ask for though. I just know that if we practice nonverbally."

Albus flicked his wand and sent the book up. It flipped a page once and set itself back down. Alexis nodded approvingly, flicking her own wand. The book grew wings and hovered right in front of them. She got up to walk, demonstrating the book following her and staying in front of her to be read.

"Clever… until we miss a step and break our necks," Albus shrugged. "But until then…"

"Oh, ha, ha," Alexis said sarcastically.

What about the general studies, like the Ancient Runes Sorrow's been teaching us?"

"Ultimately useless unless we happen to have a pen in the middle of a fight," Alexis pointed out. "Unless you burn the rune on with your wand. These Runes are seriously bad for you sometimes. I wish Incommodo did not do away with wandless magic teaching. They were supposed to be a subject in seventh year."

Albus was vaguely aware of Alpha staring at them quietly. The room was empty, now he noticed. Rose was not there, still absent. Seth was in his own quarters, the Scamander twins were probably with their mother in Hogsmeade, and Alexander was reading in a corner. Every expelled student was either in their wuarters, in Hogsmeade, or absent. Only Hugo and Lily were talking quietly in a corner and Scorpius was attempting to talk to Alpha, Proxima staying silent as he tried. Albus turned back to Alexis, "Maybe it has something to do with underage magic?"

"What about underage magic?" Alexis asked.

"Rojer said something about it," Albus told her quietly, though Alpha was sitting near enough to hear if he was not in his own mind. "Its uses. Is it related to wandless?"

"Well, both depend on your natural power levels without the use of a wand," Alexis recalled. "So, they are under the same branch of magic. Being the Professor of General Studies, I suppose he would know. I never took those classes though."

They sat alone, gazing at Alexander reading a book lightly on a chair across from them. He seemed better now. He had apologized to Alexis and cried for her forgiveness and from what Albus understood, had not talked to Sierra since. At the moment, he didn't seem aware of anyone watching him and just went on reading. He knew his Aunt Hermione would appreciate that about him. If he was Alexis' brother, and she challenged him to a riddle. Albus had a fleeting image of him challenging his aunt over owls just to have fun. She'd love the idea of dating a Ravenclaw like Alexis. Mark and Maria came in next and sat down quietly, looking over a piece of parchment but in a secluded spot, away from prying eyes.

"Alexander," Alexis called.

"Hmm?"

"Did Rojer ever say anything in his General Magical Studies course about wandless magic?" she asked curiously.

Alexander looked up in memory. "Yeah… he said that underage magic is the most powerful branch of magic, but due to deadly accidents among children in the… B.C. era, they started using wands to limit it."

"Did it work?"

"Yeah, but some resistances used wandless magic in the middle ages," Alexander recalled factually as Maria left the parchment to listen to Alexander interestedly. "I think Morgan Le Fay led that effort. They were pretty good too, because usage of wands limited the power, which meant less was used. And the less that was used, the more that could burst out from wandless magic. Real Wizards were said to be able to do wandless magic to greater effects than magic with wands. Morgan took a past failure of theirs and turned it into a success. Such powerful magic served as the basis for the discovery of the Dark Arts. Or rather- since wandless magic was designated as 'evil' that is why they were called the Dark Arts. With such spells made up with wandless magic, they were easier to transfer to wands for exceptionally powerful Wizards with strong emotions, since emotion is required in the Dark Arts. Defined usage of the Dark Arts for a while, even rediscovered some old spells Herpo the Foul had worked on."

"Wow, Morgan was a great witch," Maria muttered.

"You would think that," Mark muttered.

"Herpo," Albus muttered. "Maybe, since Incommodo is Herpo, he doesn't want us to know his brand of magic. So, he prefers to silence it."

"Yes… I can see that…"

"Well, he failed," Maria scoffed. "We're Morgan's line and she was possessed by Herpo. We know his branch of magic. If I know my ancestor, she probably bewitched the Orb against Herpo specifically."

"Then if you're smart, you'll keep your lineage silent," Mark told her.

"You think I'm dumb, don't you?"

"Careful, Al," Alexis commented, touching his hand lightly. "The book is hot. I heat it. You cool it. Nonverbal."

"Right." He flicked his wand once, and steam appeared, evaporating from the book as it cooled down. They had returned to their studies. He shrugged, "I think the exam will just be to show that we can do good bits of Charms without using words."

"Probably," Alexis guessed. "But I think it's best to try our hand on the more difficult ones. Protean Charm maybe… or probably the Fidileus Charm. They're difficult."

"Big though," Albus said, thinking of Fidileus.

"Not Protean," Alexis shrugged. "We'll read the incantation, try it tomorrow, and we can surprise the examiners when they test us. Try for bonus points. See how that goes."

Albus stretched, but as he straightened himself up, he noticed Alexis sleeping on his shoulder, breathing lightly. Feeling sleepy himself he decided to take a nap too, wondering if anyone would wake them up. That was the life he wanted. Sitting with someone quiet, smart and funny, and study with her and have a laugh. He liked that most. If only it could last. He rested himself against the wall, staring up thoughtfully. Death. He wondered how it would feel like. And would Scorpius stay true? Would he die hated, all because of something he'd never asked for? Was his fate the same as Mortimer Ink's?

The door opened and in walked Lily and Hugo, both of whom were talking tensely about something. Alpha stared unfocused at Lily but said nothing. Proxima muttered something to him quietly and he nodded, still looking unfocused. Alpha's expression was unfathomable as Lily walked past him. She smiled uncertainly at him and his eyes widened, as if realizing something. Lily's expression went from a smile to puzzlement and returned her attention to Hugo. Albus did not know what they were arguing about but he caught the words 'mum' and 'Reservation' from them to surmise that it was just a tense talk. Albus returned his eyes to Alpha who leaned against the wall and attempted to sleep quietly, breathing heavily in his sleep as Proxima muttered something in his ears.

His attempt to sleep was in vain. His eyes just stayed open, staring aimlessly and sightlessly at the ceiling, breathing heavily. Finally, once Mark and Maria left, Alpha got up. Albus watched in confusion. It was the first time he had gotten up but something seemed different- off- about him. He turned and cast Muffliato. Proxima looked surprised but Alpha marched right over, flicked his wand easily, and Lily herself was forced up against her will. Next thing Albus knew, Alpha's wand was on her. He leapt up, as did Hugo, but with his wand on Lily, neither dared make a move. Something was different. It made Albus feel uneasy.

Alpha glared at Lily, like she was personally responsible for everything. Every failure in his life was her fault. Lily and Alpha locked eyes and then, Alpha whispered quietly, "Do you love me?"

"That is what this is all about?" she asked. "You're never giving up, are you?"

"Do you love me, Potter?" he asked through gritted teeth.

Albus withdrew his wand. Damaged he might be, if he raised his wand for any spell, Albus was attacking. The same seemed to be going through Hugo's mind. Proxima just seemed to be curious as to where he was going with his actions. Drastic or not, she was not drawing her wand on her brother. Instead, she stood and asked Lily calmly, "Well, answer him."

"And you accuse me of inaction," Scorpius told her.

"Oh, I learn from the best," Proxima shut him off.

"You're not gonna do anything?" Albus asked her incredulously. "He's your brother!"

"Exactly," Proxima reasoned. "Me turning against him will only damage him more. So the best thing you can do is answer his question. Do you love him?"

Alpha still had his wand pointed at Lily. Honestly, Albus could not believe it had gotten to this point. Lily seemed surprised too, still trying to understand what was happening in Alpha's mind to justify pointing his wand at Lily, like there was a right answer to his question. "Alpha"-

"Answer!"

"No!" Lily yelled. "I never have and I never will!"

It was the first time Lily had been so blunt with him. Alpha's eye twitched but his wand did not lower. He just had a strange smirk on his face, "Ok. Why not?"

"Alpha, snap out of it," Lily told him frankly. "You're acting like a- like- like a weirdo."

"Why do you"-

"Expelliarmus!" Albus and Hugo cast their spells at the same time. It came as such a surprise, Alpha's wand dropped from his hand as the two jets struck him in the face. He crumbled to the ground and Albus leapt on him, only to be struck off by Proxima. Hugo rushed at her next but he was overtaken in seconds. Thanks to her intervention, Alpha had Lily against the wall, crouching, and he yelled, "ANSWER ME!"

"Because you never take a hint, that's why!" Lily screamed. Albus would've expected students to come out but no one knew. The Silencing Charm Alpha placed was powerful. Where he got this power from, Albus could not fathom. He felt Proxima's wand on his back and knew she would attack if he tried fighting back. Why she let Apha let all his anger out in this manner, he did not know. And Scorpius- he was as inactive as Proxima always accused. Both didn't care. Alpha stopped, eyeing Lily, left eye twitching. Albus had seen too many people go insane now but Alpha- Alpha had always seemed easy-going and kind. Maybe a little naïve and dumb, but well-meaning and true. Now- now he was just crazy. This wasn't like him. He sounded exactly like his father.

"You don't take a hint," Lily told him bravely to his face. "You're never satisfied with even a part of the pie, you want all of it or nothing. You were never satisfied no matter how many times I said I forgave you, you're not satisfied until I accept a proposal for marriage or something. You're out of your mind! You're naïve, dumb, and clueless and completely spineless. You worry too much about a future that you might not even have, you're never in the present. And- and I was the same way, wasn't I?" she added to Hugo.

Albus expected Alpha to revert back to his past mentality and withdraw, or else attack her. No, he just stepped back, a look of horror on his face. Hugo helped Lily up off the ground and Albus sensed the danger was over. Proxima lowered her wand, at least, and Scorpius stood beside Albus this time. He walked tentatively towards Lily, swearing to himself that if ever he saw Alpha alone, he was going to get it this time. Alpha had gone way too far this time. Halfway to Lily, Albus stopped as Alpha jerked off in an odd angle. He stopped as Scorpius smirked from beside Albus. Alpha screamed and dropped to the floor, dropped to his knees, clutching his head as if he had a major headache.

"No…" Alpha muttered.

Lily and Hugo watched with puzzled expressions before Alpha raised his wand again. Hugo walked protectively in front of her as Lily raised her own. Proxima pointed hers at Hugo but Scorpius whipped his and had it on Proxima. Albus rushed for Alpha. He tackled Alpha physically just as a jet of green light exploded out of his wand. Scorpius yelled something and Proxima shrieked a curse which Scorpius barely avoided. Albus rolled off Alpha, aware of Proxima firing off a jet of fiery red light at Albus. He rolled away again. He prepared himself for a parry but Proxima froze again.

"Lily, get out of here!" Alpha yelled desperately. "It's not me, I swear! Get out! He wants you dead!"

Lily did not get out but stay put, staring in confusion. It seemed to dawn on Hugo what was happening though, and Scorpius muttered, "I knew it. I know my cousin, he'd never do this."

Alpha seemed to be at an internal battle as Proxima rounded on him, "What is it?" she demanded.

"He's possessed," Scorpius said simply. "When your father destroyed his mind, he left a bit of his own and let it act as a mental ticking time bomb."

"What?"

"Which means he knows where we are," Scorpius finished.

Albus felt like he was kicked in the stomach. Found. Rojer found them. Proxima wasted no time. She raised her wand and cried, "Legilimens!"

Alpha went silent, crouched in fetal position and they waited, watched, all grateful that the Silencing Charm stopped others from coming out of their quarters to see what the fuss was. Only Lily was breathless. "If- if she- if he's possessed, with his mind so destroyed, Proxima's method is flawed."

"What do you mean?" Hugo asked her.

"Lucy told me," she sighed. "Legilimency is completely mind-based and really personal, fighting possession is Occlumency. Proxima can't hope to get rid of Rojer in there if Alpha can't do it himself and he can't do it himself unless he has a single memory of himself he can latch onto."

As Lily said this, Proxima was blasted out and she landed beside Scorpius, who bent down to heal her injuries. She pushed him away as Lily raised her wand. "What're you doing?" Hugo yelled.

"Giving him a memory," Lily told him. "One look at me will motivate him. You'll see. Legilimens!"

They watched again. Albus felt completely hopeless but Hugo seemed at the ready. Proxima had finally allowed Scorpius to heal her head injury but her attention was purely on Alpha and Lily was beside Hugo, muttering, her eyes tightly closed. Albus knew she practiced Occlumency, but he did not know she had practiced Legilimency too. Her newfound friendship with Lucy had benefits. At least it seemed to. Alpha was fighting back, against even her. He kept muttering, "I'll kill you, I'll kill you," but nothing happened. He kept trying to move his hand to his wand but nothing, his hand fought back, the other hand actually slapped his own face. Jets of red and green light shot out from his wand as he fought back, but these jets just shot up, none aimed at any person in particular.

Finally, within a minute, Lily leapt back out. She seemed completely exhausted but triumphant. Alpha still looked to be in fetal position but harmless. He peeked his eyes out from behind his knees, looking like a frightened child. Proxima came for him in seconds, embracing him but he did not seem to notice. He just stared at Lily. She had saved him but he was a wreck. No words would come.

Lily nodded and got up, "I'm going to bed."

Alpha hid his face and Proxima took him away, leaving Albus alone once again. Albus partly wished he did not have to see that. A part of him wanted to cry but tears would not come. The year was full of depressing stories, miserable kids, and that was not counting the stories being told as they lived. The scary part was Rojer. He knew where they were, which meant he would descend on them any minute. No one fled. No one dared to flee, many were cornered. They waited in tense silence for the door to open but it never did. They stayed in silence, even Albus did not feel like leaving. He did not dare. If they were going to be caught, he intended to take responsibility for this.

Seth had acted, Harry was on board the Reservation ship, Scorpius was having a sister soon- Scorpius. He remembered. He was supposed to talk to him but Scorpius arrived earlier in time to see what happened to Alpha. Was he ok? Was the girl born? Albus did not want to impose on the family, especially when Draco would likely be there. Albus stayed in the Room instead, watching as Laura Creevey walked in and sat quietly and thoughtfully against a wall. She too seemed bothered about something.

Instead, Albus just continued doing homework with Alexis, continuing to practice Rune spells. They studied quietly and Albus actually opted to sleep in the room that night along with Hugo, Lily and Proxima. Scorpius had still not returned. As if on cue, sleeping bags materialized for them to climb into.

He might've fallen asleep for a time, he must've, because he saw a dream about Mark and Laura hugging tightly. It seemed sorrowful, like the two did not want to part but had to. What was Laura doing? Where was she going? Laura then started glowing white, burning up, shooting out bursts of energy before calming down. She looked like she was dying but she didn't, she just slept on and woke up and Mark was kissing Aries, apparently unaware of Laura's predicament.

"The Dark Arts are a fire that can never and will never be extinguished," Mark explained to Albus in his dream. Albus wanted to ask why he was defending them but did not. Mark was talking in Soto's voice. "The Dark Arts do not symbolize evil. The Dark Arts symbolize sacrifice. The Dark Arts, varied in nature have but one thing in common. They require sacrifice."

"Chess requires sacrifice," Uncle Ron told him.

"And you're the King," Harry told him frankly and honestly. Their eye seemed to betray no emotion, arguing for something he did not want. Arguing for something he would never want. Death. Death for life… how did that make sense? He did not want anybody to die. "You are the only piece we cannot lose. But we can lose them."

"No!" Albus yelled. "Never. You're all evil, you betrayed me. You betrayed everything. What's the point of saving the world if both sides require death?"

"You have no choice."

"Sorry, Al, it's the only way," Mark said, having finished snogging Aries. Aries watched on emotionlessly, carelessly, as Mark walked off. Beside him walked a figure materializing from thin air. Apollo. Both were walking down a path Albus knew would lead to death. Then, Mark walked down another road alongside a smaller figure. Maria. Mark and Maria disappeared down one road and Apollo disappeared down another. Aries still watched, folding her arms like she was personally responsible for this. Albus started yelling at her but she paid him no mind. Mark was dead. Apollo was dead. Maria was dead. And Albus would follow. Did they not care? Albus ran after them, determined to catch them, ready to duel to his last breath to save them. If the new world was to be founded on death, he wanted no part in it.

Then, he was caught by Mark and Laura was giggling as Mark rolled his eyes, "Did you really think I was going to die?"

Albus snapped awake. It was just a dream. They were still ok, Aries was still sleeping against Mark's shoulder, both breathing lightly and peacefully. Wait- were they? Albus might or might not have fallen asleep but next thing he knew, Mark's voice was heard, "So, what's the sacrifice?"

Albus' heart was beating. Was he dreaming again? "A soul," Maria's voice said simply. "Sacrifice a tainted, split soul and the Orb destroys and works for death. Sacrifice a whole, pure soul and the Orb creates and works for life. Sacrifice both and it can see what's happening far away, the future, life and death. Either way, if we're beating the Reservation's ship… we need to sacrifice a soul to it. As they are using it to destroy and magically animate dead bodies, we need to sacrifice a soul that has never killed."

"Is there- any way a soul can make its way back in its body and live?" Mark asked.

"If a soul reenters," Seth's voice muttered. "The body is deformed. Messing with it in any way warps the physical body and resets the endpoint of your lifespan."

"And what can save it?" Mark asked.

"Simple," Maria muttered as Albus felt his eyes shut again. "But you won't like it. It's Alchemy. That can save any physical injury."

Albus fell asleep right after. It was a dreamless sleep this time, nothing much to see and little to say. Albus woke up briefly in the middle of the night and thought he saw Scorpius sitting. Albus felt thirsty. He wished for a drink. A cup materialized on the ground next to him. Albus conjured some water for him to drink and climbed back into bed.

"Growing up is hard," Laura's voice mumbled. "It always was. I was always a baby and now- now I'm older…"

"You'll get used to it," Lorcan's tired voice muttered. "Sander has trouble too, sometimes, but he's alright."

"I was never compatible with the world," Laura yawned. "I feel so… off. Like I don't belong here. It's not me, it's not who I am. My past self- the innocent, sweet one isn't compatible with the world and my adult self- the one Colin wants to see, the one I've always wanted to grow into isn't me at all."

"It's a matter of soul searching," Lorcan told her calmly. "It's alright. It's the war. When it ends, you'll be able to do some soul searching. And hey… I quite like your innocent persona."

"Even if my innocent persona gets me killed?" Laura asked.

"Better to die yourself than die a stranger," Lorcan said almost sagely. "Is what my brother likes to say when I tell him to avoid the damned forest."

Albus fell asleep again, this time dreaming of a baby crying. Albus was not sure if this baby was Scorpia or Laura. Wait- Scorpia? Did Scorpius name his sister Scorpia? Why did Scorpius name her? Why not Astoria? Albus started to remind himself that her name was Scorpius and Scorpius was not born yet before he realized he'd been dreaming. Then the baby turned to him and it had Laura's eyes. She smiled at him and Albus felt a familiar squirm in his stomach. She'd been his crush at one point. In third year and fourth year, he, Scorpius and Mark shared the same crush. Albus would miss her when she left the country. What was she working as? Why was a baby working anyway? Wasn't Laura too young? Slowly, Albus woke up.

Albus looked around the room, putting his wand back in his pocket. He sat up and looked around again. It looked as if nobody had ever talked. Laura was curled up like a ball against the wall, Lysander was laying on the other side of the room beside Lorcan, Hugo and Lily were curled up against each other so closely they might've been like that for hours, Alpha slept peacefully against Proxima who was sleeping while sitting up against the wall, and Mark was sleeping right next to Aries. The two must've come in later. Alexis must have been with her brother, or perhaps she left to her dormitory. Albus did not know but he was happy to be awake.

He sat up, putting his wand back in his pocket and looking around. Some others were waking up too and to be honest, he needed to get out and go to class before it was too late. He did not want anyone thinking maybe Albus did not sleep in the dormitory that night. In fact, now Albus thought of it, this may not have been too smart. Staying in the Room of Requirement and leaving the dormitory completely empty would be discovered easily if ever Incommodo came to call, let alone Draco Malfoy who was their new Head of House.

"There you are," Scorpius said in relief. Albus' heart started beating. Would Scorpius want to ask him about his soul? How could Albus talk to him? He'd have to tell the truth. The honest truth. Scorpius seemed to have something else on his mind though. He smiled through his tired eyes, looking really pleased about something and somewhat relieved, "Well, mum delivered. I have a little sister. Libra Daphne Malfoy."

Albus sighed in relief and smiled back, "Congrats, mate."

"I hope mum is ok," Scorpius said quietly. "She's in our infirmary but- we don't have the Potions necessary to ease her through so she's on her own. Father is staying with her and I think I'll ask Professor Nott to brew a few Potions to help her through."

"She'll be- she'll be fine," Albus yawned. "Sorry I- I never came."

"You can come on over tomorrow," Scorpius suggested. "We can take a walk and… I still want to talk to you about your death wish."