Chapter 8: Potter is Our King

The crisp, cool autumn air quickly turned to a brisk chill as November and the beginnings of winter set upon Hogwarts Castle. All of the trees had lost their leaves by the middle of the month. Albus, Rose, and Scorpius continued enjoying their classes, while Albus still struggled with the rest of the family ignoring him. He wondered if they would ever be on speaking terms with them again.

I mean, it's like I've done them some personal offense just because I'm in Slytherin. Like usual, he had to cling on to his father's word's of encouragement. He often glanced at the last letter he received from his parents, in response to the letter he wrote on Halloween:

Dear Albus,

That's awesome news! Your mother, Lily, and I are all so proud of you! Good luck in your match, and remember: no matter what the result, we still love you. I think James is getting a little to confident with the Gryffindor team, so you may be able to show him up if you ever play him.

I really am worried about Gaunt communicating with you. All I can say is be careful and don't try to be heroic. The aurors around the castle are more than capable of handling any situation that may arise.

And Lily told me that she gives Kreacher a day off every week, and she would like me to thank you for the Hogwarts candy you sent.

Also, we've been talking it over with your Aunt Hermione, and she thinks the best way to address the problem with the family ignoring you is to bring up the issue when we're all together at Christmas. For now, just keep your head high and be proud that you're in Slytheirn. Don't be afraid to be different.

Love,

Dad, Mom, Lily, and Kreacher

Albus did notice the aurors his father was speaking of. They came around the first of November and stood guard at all major entrances of the school. Gaunt hadn't appeared since that evening in October, nor had he sent Albus any more letters. Besides, Albus had something more important to worry about. Today, November the twenty-third, was his first Quidditch match. He came to the Great Hall dressed proudly in emerald green Quidditch robes, a little nervous but otherwise ready. Coluber gave Scorpius and Albus some words of encouragement before tucking in to some breakfast.

"I've seen you two during practice, and I'm sure you'll both make the house proud, no matter what the outcome is," said Coluber.

"Thanks, Col, we'll try our best," replied Scorpius. Albus glanced down at his plate and noticed another letter there. Just great, he thought, This is all I need on the morning of my first Quidditch match. Sure enough, the familiar neat handwriting of the brown-eyed, snake obsessed maniac was present:

Albus Potter

Slytherin Table

The Great Hall

Hogwarts

Not wanting the suspense to build any longer, Albus tore open the letter. He found a short but rather alarmingly nice message:

Dear Albus,

I want to wish you good luck in today's match. I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines. I'm sure you'll make our house proud.

I can still tell you're anxious about believing me. I am telling nothing but the truth. Although I was a Death Eater, I did it only to somehow enact my revenge on You-Know-Who. I usually only act evil and sadistic when I need to conceal my true feelings or if I need a quick getaway. I know you won't believe me, so I hope to chat with you again shortly. I leave you with another clue as to my whereabouts.

Regards,

Anton Morfin Salazar Gaunt

Curious, Albus reached into the envelope and, sure enough, there was another tiny scrap of paper in it.

Another confusing hint, a perplexing clue

Mabye the snakes know, they may tell you

"I wouldn't worry about it now, mate, we've got a game to win," said Scorpius. His curiosity piqued once more, Albus stashed the note in his bag with the other one, trying to push it out of his mind and focusing more on Quidditch. Rose came over to their table.

"Good luck today guys! I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines!" "Thanks, Rosie! We need to talk about Gaunt later, he sent me another letter and another clue," said Albus. Rose glared at him.

"Will you stop trying to play hero and focus on Quidditch for now!" she cried indignantly. Albus shrunk back in his seat and Scorpius chortled.

"Fine, Rose, I'll keep him in line," Scorpius retorted, giving her a sheepish grin. She rolled her eyes as if to say like you'll keep him out of trouble? Yeah right! before wishing them luck once more and leaving for the Quidditch pitch.

"She glares daggers at me much too often, have you noticed that?" asked Scorpius curiously.

"Trust me mate, you haven't known her for eleven years. You haven't seen anything until you've seen Rose Weasley angry," said Albus with a chuckle. Scorpius chortled and the two of them slung their brooms over their shoulders and made for the Quidditch Pitch.

They made it to the locker room to find the rest of the team already there. Brutus and Marcus were practicing swinging their beater bats, while Tabitha and Janine were practicing complicated passing maneuvers.

"Oh, there you two are!" said Coluber. "All right team! This is the first match of the year, and I think we have a solid team built. I've heard Hufflepuff isn't very good this year, but that doesn't mean you let up. Play your hardest, and victory should be ours. And remember, Brutus and Marcus, if you can help it, don't severely injure anyone, okay?" Brutus and Marcus chuckled.

"Not if we can help it," replied Marcus.

"And Scorpius and Albus, play your hardest. I know you're only first years, but that doesn't mean a thing to the Hufflepuffs. Even though they're older, bigger, and more experienced, still try your hardest, no matter what."

"Don't worry, Col, we won't let you down," replied Scorpius. Coluber grinned and strode over to the door, where the roar of the crowd on the other side could be heard.

"Oh, and another thing, since you two are new and you wouldn't know, three-quarters of the crowd will be cheering for our defeat. Just don't let it bother you."

"Okay," replied Albus. Coluber winked before hearing his cue, "And here we present the Slytherin team!" and bursting open the door. He mounted his broom, and everyone followed. They all flew out to the middle, accompanied by a chorus of loud booing and barely audible cheering. Sure enough, three quarters of the crowd were booing, and the Slytherins were cheering their own team alone. The air was crisp and cold, but the sun was shining brightly with barely a cloud in the sky. He noticed his cousin Victoire was the announcer.

"For Slytherin, we have the captain Coluber Mortinson, Tabitha Burns, Janine Wilkins as Chasers, Brutus Mentis and Marcus Callin as Beaters, the rookie first year Scorpius Malfoy as Keeper, and the first year Albus Potter as Seeker!" yelled Victoire. It didn't even sound like she acknowledged me as her cousin. As his name was announced, he heard a coordinated chorus of shouts.

"Beat the traitor! Beat the traitor! Beat the traitor!" Albus looked over to the Gryffindor stands and saw nearly the entire house joining in. Albus saw a large banner with a Badger eating a Snake that said "ALBUS SNIVELLUS POTTER STINKS." Albus frowned. Bunch of idiotic dunderheads, the lot of them, he thought. With a grimace he looked down to see Mister Oliver Wood, former Keeper for Puddlemere United and former Gryffindor Keeper, talking to the captains. He saw the Hufflepuff Captain, Zane Russo, shake hands with Coluber reluctantly before flying up to his position. Albus looked and saw the Hufflepuff Seeker, Johnathan Finch-Fletcherly, a fourth-year, glaring daggers at him. Albus gulped and tried to tune out the chorus of "Beat the traitor!"

He looked down to see Mister Wood release the Bludgers and Snitch. Albus watched as the tiny, glittering gold ball flew high into the sky. Mister Wood blew his whistle and threw the Quaffle in the air. In a flurry of emerald and vermillion, the match had begun.

Albus began flying around, scanning the area for the Snitch. Every time he passed by the Gryffindor stands, he heard the booing and "Beat the Traitor!" increase in volume. He turned around to notice Jonathan Finch-Fletcherly tailing him. So that's his plan, to just follow me the whole time until I see the Snitch? Albus smirked. It was time to have some fun. He quickly accelerated as if he saw the Snitch, and found that Jonathan Finch-Fletcherly did the same.

"It looks like Albus Potter has spotted something!" shouted Victoire. As Albus neared one of the main grandstands, he quickly shot upward like a cork, and looked down to see that John Finch-Fletcherly couldn't pull it off in time. He slammed into the grandstands and almost fell off his broom. He glanced up at Albus and glared menacingly. Albus retorted by snickering deviously before taking off for the other end of the pitch, scanning the area for the Snitch all the while.

"It was a ruse! Meanwhile, Coluber Mortinson's Quaffle throw managed to just get by Hufflepuff Keeper Abby Simmons and score on the left ring! The score is now 10-0 Slytherin!" shouted Victoire. Albus glanced over to see the Hufflepuff keeper looking angrily towards Coluber, who gave a loud whoop. The whoop was quickly drowned out by a chorus of booing from the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor grandstands. The Slytherins were cheering as loud as they could, but it was easily drowned out by the other three houses. Albus kept scanning for the Snitch, but there was no sign of the glittering golden ball. John Finch-Fletcherly was relegated to glaring at Albus from a good distance back.

"The Hufflepuff chasers are closing in on the Slytherin rings! Can Scorpius Malfoy defend them?" came the loud voice of Victoire. Albus glanced anxiously at his friend, to find that all three of the Hufflepuff Chasers were performing complicated passing maneuvers with the Quaffle to try and confuse him. Just as one Chaser began to hurl the Quaffle, Marcus nailed the Chaser with a Bludger, causing the throw to falter. Scorpius was able to block in time and Albus yelled, "Yeah! Go Scorp!" before hearing a Bludger whizz past his head. Albus turned around to see a Hufflepuff beater scowling at him. That was lucky, thought Albus, I need to be a little more attentive to what I'm doing. Albus scanned the area for the Snitch, but saw no trace of it. Slytherin scored once more and Hufflepuff got on the scoreboard, making the game 20-10.

It was at this time that Albus saw it. The snitch was hovering near the Gryffindor grandstand. Albus took off at breakneck speed, and John Finch-Fletcherly followed suit. John was gaining on Albus, so Albus pushed it all he could. John caught up to Albus, but instead of going for the Snitch, John slammed into Albus and nearly knocked him off his broom. He heard Coluber cry, "Foul!" and complain to Mister Wood, who refused to listen. Albus tried desperately to scramble back on to his broom, as he was only holding on to it with one arm. He heard a cluster of laughing and heckling coming from the Gryffindors. Albus was determined, though, and managed to climb back on his broom and rocket after John. Albus tried his hardest, but he knew he wouldn't be able to catch up to John in time. Then, something completely unexpected happened. A faint azure blue outline had formed around John's broom, and it suddenly shifted out of the way. John nearly fell off. Albus, bewildered but glad for the unexpected turn of events, rocketed past and clasped the tiny ball of gold in his right hand.

"And Albus Potter catches the Snitch! Slytherin wins 170-10!" shouted Victoire. It was hard to hear her however, as the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs broke out into loud protest, claiming a foul. Mister Wood didn't see what happened, so he didn't call a penalty. Albus' eyes noticed something peculiar as he began his descent. He saw a hooded figure in the bushes at the far end of the pitch. Curious and thinking the worst, he flew over to it, paying no attention to the death threats and loud protests coming from the crowds. As he got closer, the stranger pulled his hood back and Albus' suspicions were confirmed. It was Anton Gaunt. Albus' eyes widened as he saw Gaunt's wand drawn. The tip was glowing an azure blue, and Gaunt winked before vanishing into the bushes behind him. Albus, overly concerned, barely noticed when he heard Coluber shout,

"Hey Al! Come down here!" Snapping out of a trance, Albus descended to the middle of the pitch, where the rest of his team was clustered. They all began chanting "Albus! Albus! Albus!" and Albus was ecstatic. Gaunt could wait for now. He had to celebrate with his team. The other three houses left with much grumbling and protest, but Slytherin left in high spirits. The Slytherin common room was filled with cheers and loud chatter. Someone yelled, "Party in the Common Room!" and every one cheered in agreement. After dinner, some students had managed to sneak food from the kitchens and it was a grand party. Nearly all of the Slytherins came over to clap Albus on the back or congratulate him. He barely even got to see Scorpius, who was equally mobbed by people.

The party went well into the night, and Albus was so tired from all the partying. Most of the people cleared out, leaving only Albus, Scorpius, and a couple of people.

"Wow, I didn't get to see you all day. Great job today, mate," said Albus, chuckling.

"Same to you mate," said Scorpius. The two of them trudged upstairs, and Albus collapsed on his bed and drifted into a sound sleep.