Chapter 12

Albus was very small for his age. His father assured him that he would grow, and that Harry himself had been small at the age of eleven, but Albus wasn't sure he quite believed him. His mother was very short. Maybe he took after her. Still, being short had its advantages sometimes, he thought grimly, as he tucked his knees even closer to his chin. His contorted body was achy and uncomfortable, but he didn't think he needed to stay here much longer.

On the subject of his father and his assurances, Albus' mind circled back to Christmas holidays yet again. The first night back, in their cozy cottage in Godric's Hollow, his father had sat in his room with him and reminded him seriously that they did not think less of him for being a Slytherin. His father had told him a story that Albus now kept tucked away carefully in his mind, so that he could pull it out and examine it any time he wished.

"I'd like to tell you something son, a story I started on platform nine and three quarters the day you left for Hogwarts but never finished. I named you after two Hogwarts Headmasters. You know Albus Dumbledore and his story very well." Albus nodded, and Harry continued "but not many still talk about Severus Snape. I owe this man, more so than any other except Dumbledore himself, my life. He risked his own life for me, and worked as an insider, a double agent, as Voldemort's right-hand man. He did so for the love of someone who he had wronged, my mother, whose eyes we share." Albus was looking at his father, captivated. This was the first time that he felt his father speak to him plainly. This conversation was between a father and his son, not a man and a little boy. Harry had more to say; "Severus Snape was a proud Slytherin. He was not a perfect man – he let his past haunt him and sometimes he leant into this hurt and turned it to cruelty." Albus frowned. "But another great man once told me that the world is not split into good people and death eaters. We've all got both light and dark inside of us. I chose to name you after him, out of the many great men who I wanted to honour, because of this. Not many remember Severus Snape, and those who do remember him at his darkest. I wanted to honour the light. I wanted to let it shine for a while longer, until history and memory extinguish it for good. Albus Severus Potter. I am proud you are my son. You bring light to the Slytherin house." With that, he had clapped Albus on the shoulder, and left him in his bedroom, his mind racing and his eyes wet.

This story had been enough to get him through the holidays at the Weasley's, but only barely. Though Albus knew that what Scorpius had said to him that night in the dungeon halls had touched on a truth that Albus had been avoiding, he didn't think that Scorpius had the whole picture. Scorpius didn't know there was such a thing as too much love. Sugary sweet love that gave you a toothache and spoiled your stomach. That was the love he received at the Weasley's this year. A love laced with pity and topped with icing. And though he knew his father had told him a good story, he couldn't help but feel the unspoken part. That Slytherin common room was darker than the rest.

There was a history that followed Slytherins and purebloods that couldn't be erased, because it was still alive. He thought of Elle, breathless, chasing him down in the castle right after the holidays.

"Albus!" she said. He turned to her. "Are there any other wizarding schools in Britain?" Albus shook his head, uncertain where this was going. "Are you sure?" Albus confirmed with a nod. "Let's round everyone up then" Elle said excitedly, starting down the hall. Albus had to jog lightly to catch up to her. "My mother is British. That much I know for sure" Elle had said by way of explanation "she had to have learned magic somewhere." Albus had gone wide eyed when he realized what she was saying. "The school records! You think she went to Hogwarts?" "Where else?" Elle had asked, her excitement clear on her face. Not wanting to disappoint her, Albus had kept his answer to himself.

The next few weeks had been dedicated to the library, all seven of the first years, Isidre included, who had been recruited for the extra set of eyes, combing through the dusty school records of rosters and yearbooks. Finally, they had exhausted all the years where it would be remotely feasible for Elle's mother to have attended, even if she'd lied about her age to Elle by a margin of a decade. "I don't understand" Elle had said, slamming the last yearbook shut, "where did she learn magic?" she asked tearily. Albus had looked to Rose, who immediately averted her eyes. She knew, just as he did, but she wouldn't say it. He looked to Scorpius, who was paler than usual, but opening his mouth to speak. Albus knew that Scorpius would think it his duty, given his family, to break the news. He wouldn't let Scorpius carry that burden alone. Potter was a pureblood name too, just as much as Weasley was, though Rose would not acknowledge it.

"Not all witches and wizards in Britain go to Hogwarts" Albus announced, cutting off Scorpius before he could speak. Elle turned to him, confused. "You said that Hogwarts was the only magic school in Britain" she accused. "I didn't lie" said Albus. "But there are some… older families, who don't send their children here. Some choose to homeschool instead." It was Sam's turn to speak up. "I don't understand" he said, "Hogwarts is amazing. Is that really a popular choice?" Albus wanted to answer, but Scorpius was too quick this time. "Some families don't want their children mixing with children who are not pureblood. It's easier to get their kids to believe that purebloods are superior if they never meet a muggle-born at all. I wouldn't say it's a popular choice, most think the advantages of Hogwarts outweigh the fact that they let muggle-borns in. But there are some who still homeschool. The oldest families." Scorpius finished his speech quietly. Albus noticed that under the table, his hands were in fists. Albus could not forget the look on Elle's face when the implication of what Scorpius had said had finally sunk in. Her mother had been homeschooled. Elle herself was a Slytherin-Ravenclaw hatstall.

The memory from the library made Albus even more uncomfortable than he already was. His body was still twisted unnaturally to fit into his hiding place, a small depression behind a tapestry in the dungeons where he'd found Elle's cat, purring, one evening after she'd been missing for an entire day. Hogwarts was full of secret spots like this, he realized. He wondered idly if anyone had ever tried to write them all down. He was brought out of his train of thought by the soft padding of quiet footsteps coming his way. When the sound finally reached a level point with where he was crouching, Albus tumbled out from behind the tapestry ungracefully. He tried to stand to look Scorpius in the eye, but his leg cramped, and he fell back to the ground with a loud 'oof'.

Wearily, Scorpius stuck out a hand to help Albus up. "Thanks" he said sheepishly, before remembering his purpose and trying to look angry. "Where have you been?" he demanded. Scorpius shuffled his feet, averting his eyes. "About" Scorpius replied. Albus crossed his arms. "You know that's not going to work on me." Albus said. "I watched you sneak out of the dorms two hours ago. I've been waiting here ever since. This is the third time this week you've left the dorms after curfew, and by the look of the bags under your eyes, you haven't been getting much sleep for weeks." Scorpius shifted uncomfortably again. "I noticed" Albus said softly, "now tell me what's really up."

Scorpius continued to not meet Albus' eyes, which was very out of character. Albus frowned, noticing for the first time the hunched position his friend was taking. He was hiding something under his sweater. "What's under there?" he asked, pointing to his friend's stomach. "Fine." Scorpius said, sighing tiredly. "You win. I'll tell you everything, but let's go back to the dorms first. I don't fancy getting caught out after dark. Not with what I have with me" he said darkly. Albus nodded, intrigued.

Once they had silently crept back to the dorms, Albus climbed into Scorpius' bed, shutting the curtains behind him. Scorpius produced from under his sweater a massive and ancient leathery book. Albus shivered involuntarily. The motif that had been stamped into its cover was incomprehensible, but it made his teeth grit and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "I got it from my grandfather's library." Scorpius said quietly. "Over the holidays. Elle wrote about the necklace maybe being a rune, like I told you on the train." Albus nodded thoughtfully. They had been so focused on the school records recently that searching for the symbol on the necklace had been left to the wayside. "As soon as she said that it clicked. I've seen my grandfather studying this book before. When I was ten, right after he came home from Azkaban, he started to tell me about it. My dad got so mad we left before we even had the dinner we had been invited over for. I had to smuggle it into Hogwarts in my sweater, because I was afraid that the dark magic would be detected when they scanned my trunk." Albus laughed. "Is that why you were walking so funny? You told me it was because you fell off your broom." "Shhhh" Scorpius hissed. They two fell silent, listening intently for any sign of wakefulness from their dormmates. Tobias stopped snoring for a tense moment but resumed.

Relieved, Scorpius wiped his brow. "Sorry" Albus said, his voice back to a whisper "what's this book about? Does it really have dark magic?" "Yes, it does" Scorpius said sadly, "but I can't show you tonight. I'm much too tired. But I finally found what I've been looking for. I was going to call a meeting. I found the rune on the necklace." Albus' eyes got wide in shock. "Really?" he asked, incredulous, punching the air. "Stop." Said Scorpius, his face still serious. "Yes. Stop. Or I will hex your lips to fall off" called Tobias' voice from across the room. Albus clapped his hand over his mouth. He had forgotten to whisper again.

He tried to shoot Scorpius an apologetic look before going back to his own bed. Scorpius didn't seem to mind the interruption too much, however. He really did look absolutely exhausted. Albus frowned. How had he not noticed sooner? Whatever the dark magic was that surrounded that book, Albus wanted it far away from his friend, as soon as possible.

"When are we calling the meeting today?" Albus asked, as soon as Tobias and Esmond had left for breakfast the next morning. "Not today" Scorpius said, barely looking rested after his few hours of sleep. "I need time to recover." Albus frowned. He did not like the sound of that, at all. "Scorpius" he said quietly "are you okay?" Scorpius nodded. Albus didn't quite believe him, but the steel in Scorpius' eyes was enough to dissuade him from pushing the conversation further.

It was the final weekend of February. Elle was sitting at the breakfast table, picking disinterestedly at her scrambled eggs. Around her, the whole dining hall was abuzz with excitement, in anticipation of the upcoming quidditch match, Ravenclaw v. Gryffindor. It was the third match of the year, but the first that Elle would be able to attend, since her November weekends had been taken up by detentions. Sam had raved about the matches, even though Hufflepuff had lost theirs to Gryffindor. Ravenclaw had also lost their first match, to Slytherin, and Elle knew that there was a lot riding on this match, but she couldn't find it in herself to join in on the fun. The conversation that had taken place in the library the week before, when she had found out that her mother was homeschooled, and what that likely meant, wouldn't leave her mind.

She thought back gloomily to her sorting ceremony, where the hat had debated over sending her to Slytherin for seven whole minutes. Just as she was about to go down that dark train of thought yet again, she was interrupted by some her friends joining her. Ruth sat down next to her and murmured, so quietly only Elle could hear "I really wish you'd wait for me to come to breakfast." Elle looked down at her eggs guiltily "sorry" she said, "I wanted to be alone for a while." Ruth didn't reply, just sighed.

"Are you excited for the match?" Rose said, her eyes shining brightly. She was already sporting her Gryffindor hat and scarf that she had received for Christmas this year, though the temperature in the crowded dining hall did not require it. Sam was also sporting red, in the form of a tie that he had clearly borrowed from Rose, since it was noticeably short. "I thought Gryffindor beat Hufflepuff in the first match" Ruth said, "don't you want to support Ravenclaw instead?" "Sorry Ruth" Sam replied apologetically, "but if Ravenclaw loses, Hufflepuff is in better standing, points wise." Ruth just shook her head in disgust. "Traitor" she said jokingly.

"We've got your back Ruth" Albus cut in, taking a seat and shuffling closer to Rose to make room for an exhausted looking Scorpius, both wearing blue sweaters. "Where did you get those?" Elle asked curiously, looking at Scorpius for a second longer. He looked ill. "Louis lent them to us" Albus said, gesturing to the rolled-up sleeves to indicate they were too large. "We'll be sitting with you and Ruth today. If Ravenclaw beats Gryffindor by a good margin, Slytherin takes first place, at least until the final. We need the points if we want to have any chance of winning the house cup, though I think Ravenclaw's got in the bag this year, regardless of Quidditch. Elle's done too much extra credit." Elle stuck her tongue out at Albus' teasing. She was definitely not the only Ravenclaw that was handing in extra credit.

Isidre was last to take his seat at breakfast, wearing his customary Hufflepuff yellow. "You'll be supporting Gryffindor today, I assume? Are you going to sit with Rose and I?" Sam asked immediately. Elle had to stop herself from giggling at his enthusiasm. He was fanatical. Isidre's ear were bright red again. Elle realized he'd probably meant to sit with her. Though he had been spending more time with the group, he was still primarily her friend, and he was still shy, especially around Sam's loud personality. "Don't be daft" Elle cut in, saving Isidre from deciding "we're all sitting together. We'll just sit at the border in the stands." "The views aren't great there" whined Rose, who was also quite passionate about Quidditch, Elle had realized. "The views are fine. I think that's a great idea." Scorpius said, speaking for the first time this morning. He sounded so tired that no one argued with him. Isidre smiled at him gratefully.

If Elle had thought her friends at breakfast had been a good distraction from thoughts about her mother, it was nothing compared to the actual match. Despite herself, she was swept up in the energy of the stadium. The flyers were brilliant, and Elle watched them with awe, as they raced a swooped around the pitch. She had sat next to Isidre and Ruth. Isidre, to Elle's surprise, knew all the rules of Quidditch, and spent most of the first hour of the match explaining to Elle what was going on, and the purpose of each ball and position. Once she understood what she was seeing, Elle decided that Quidditch was the coolest sport on the planet.

Elle cheered for the chasers as they fought their way to the hoops and gasped at the beater's bludgers when they came close to the other players. She hopped to her feet with every Ravenclaw score. "This is so fun" Elle said, breathlessly. "I want to play for Ravenclaw next year." "Good luck with that" Ruth said with a laugh, enjoying her friend's excitement. "Even James Potter didn't make it onto his team until third year and look at how he flies." Elle did have to begrudgingly admit that James Potter was an excellent Quidditch player. He scored a hundred of the team's three hundred points from the first hour single-handedly and had assisted almost all others. "I think you can do it Elle" Isidre said unexpectedly. "Scorpius says you're a natural." Elle turned to Isidre, touched. "Thanks" she said genuinely, meeting his smile.

The next two hours flew by, with the entire group of first years enthralled by the game. Even Scorpius seemed to have perked up a little bit. Finally, the golden snitch was caught, and the wave of Gryffindor scarlet let out a deafening cheer from the stands. Elle groaned, her head in her hands. The final score was seven hundred and fifty to six hundred and twenty. "A closer match than we'd hoped for" said Sam from the bleacher behind her "but Hufflepuff still has a shot at the finals, if we beat Slytherin by a wide enough margin." Isidre murmured in Elle's ear "no one has the heart to tell him Hufflepuff hasn't beaten Slytherin in a hundred and two years." Elle stifled a giggle.

The small group was following the crowd back towards the castle. Though Rose was practically vibrating with excitement to her left, Elle was starting to feel drained. With the distraction of the match behind her, she found her thoughts floating back to her mother. Rose was just about to leave for the Gryffindor common room, presumably to continue celebrating the win, when Scorpius called her back. Rose turned towards them and Scorpius said grimly "group meeting, all of you. Tomorrow. I have something to talk about. It's about your mother, Elle." The sinking feeling in Elle's stomach that had been growing since the match was over expanded to a bottomless pit. She looked at Scorpius questioningly.

"I won't say anything else" he said firmly, "not here". His eyes darted to the crowds of students still streaming past them on either side, and the little group understood. "Where should we meet?" asked Rose, her good mood slightly dampened. Scorpius shrugged "I don't know. But it has to be somewhere private. Not the library." Isidre surprised them all when he announced quietly "I know a place. We can meet here tomorrow. I'll show you the way." They all nodded to each other, before setting off towards their respective common rooms. Elle felt like she was going to be sick. The enjoyment of the Quidditch match felt like a distant memory already.

p.s. Thank you again for all of the reviews They are very motivating!