Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and the Cursed Child also belongs to Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, anything you recognise is not mine.
Chapter 4 - DADA and the Attack
Scorpius still couldn't believe what had happened just then. About an hour ago, after Transfiguration, Lestrange stopped him and Albus at the corridor, telling them to meet her at 7 p.m. at 'the place where everything is hidden'.
"Scorpius, is it…?"
"Yes, Albus! We are going to the Room of Requirement!"
Scorpius had read about this mysterious place for many times in various books—it was the headquarters of the D.A., the temporary shelter of Ravenclaw's Diadem, and the place where Harry Potter rescued his father! He couldn't be more excited to see the place finally by himself. After all, he and Albus had never been there before since they came to Hogwarts. And now, Lestrange was teaching them Defence Against the Dark Arts skills in that very place made him even more thrilled.
That evening, Albus led Scorpius to the eighth floor—James had been talking about this room repeatedly to Albus since he first discovered it. The door was already there, so they cautiously walked inside. There were a few cushions lying neatly at the left-hand side, a bookshelf with hundreds of books on the right-hand side, and a mirror at the end of the room. In the middle of everything, was a clean ground perfect for duelling. Lestrange was already there, reading a book from the shelf. Once they entered and closed the door, admiring their surroundings, she put the book back and turned towards them.
"Good evening, Potter, Malfoy."
"Hi Lestrange." said Scorpius awkwardly.
Lestrange looked down at her wand, turning it in her hand repeatedly. Scorpius could tell she was nervous herself.
"Malfoy told me you wanted to learn some Defence skills. So…what do you want to learn?"
Silence. Albus looked at Scorpius, Scorpius looked at Lestrange.
"What about starting from the Stunning Spell? My father said it was a useful spell, apart from the Disarming spell." offered Albus.
"Certainly. Accio!" Lestrange pointed her wand at the group of cushions. Three of them flew towards her and lied softly on one side of the empty ground.
"So…what about you try first, Potter?" said Lestrange while standing in front of the cushions, "You know the spell, don't you?"
"Yes, yes."
"Then get ready and try to stun me."
Albus rose his wand, he bit his lips hard. Scorpius kept looking between his two classmates. The nervous in Albus's eyes and the calm in Lestrange's eyes. He could tell that Albus was wishing to disappear from his spot at once.
"Come on, Albus, you can do this. Just trust yourself." mumbled Scorpius.
"Stupefy!" A red light burst out from Albus's wand tip. From his expression, he was surprised to see that he had succeeded in only one shot. Seeing the spell coming, Lestrange blocked it at the last second.
"Not bad, Potter." Albus flushed in delight and smiled at Scorpius. "Now, I will not block the spell this time, so that you can see your how strong your spell is and practice the counter curse. The spell is Enervate. Come on, try again." Lestrange put her wand in her pocket.
Albus clutched his wand. Even though he had succeeded once, Scorpius could tell after hearing Lestrange wouldn't block his spell this time and he had to use the counter curse, he was even more nervous.
"Stupefy!" Lestrange collapsed on the cushion, "Enervate!" She slowly opened her eyes when a small ray of light appeared on her chest. Looking around, she nodded approvingly at Albus.
"That was a great shot, Potter, you actually learned very fast."
"Thanks, you are also a great teacher, Lestrange." said Albus quietly.
"Now, Malfoy, your turn. Same as Potter, I will block the spell for the first time, and you have to do the counter curse for the second time."
"Got it." Scorpius grabbed his wand and pointed it at Lestrange. It felt weird to curse someone, even though she knew what to expect. He tried to picture the girl in front of him as a coming enemy with the face of McLaggen. He felt the familiar feeling of something surging inside his chest. Okay, just calm down, Scorpius told himself. Beside him, Albus smiled at him encouragingly. He turned his attention back to his target, and shouted:
"Stupefy!"
For a moment, the entire world seemed to freeze. A warm current flew over Scorpius's vessels, to his fingertips, to his wand tip. Unlike Albus's red light, a powerful red wave shot out of his thin wand. He saw Lestrange's eyes grew large in shock, she shouted out loudly 'Protego!' But still, the power of the wave forced her to fall back on the cushion consciously.
Albus ran to Scorpius's side seeing he collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily.
"Lestrange! Scorpius! Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Albus. It's just…I suddenly feel tired."
"Of course, your spell just then…was so powerful." Albus's voice gradually faded. He helped Scorpius to stand up, and they ran towards Lestrange.
"Lestrange! Are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't expect that my spell can be such…" said Scorpius worriedly, helping Lestrange to stand up with Albus.
"How did you do that?" asked Lestrange abruptly.
"Do what?"
"Your Stunning Spell. It can't even be blocked by a verbal Shield Charm."
Scorpius frowned when remembering what had just happened: Lestrange couldn't block his Stunning Spell even though shouting out the spell.
"The spell… it's the most powerful one I have ever seen." muttered Lestrange, more to herself than to the Slytherin boys. Albus looked confusedly from Lestrange to Scorpius, who shook his head. The three was lost in their own thoughts for a few minutes, until a cracking sound from the wall woke them up.
"Well, I think your Stunning Charm was definitely not a problem now." Lestrange suddenly returned her normal tone, even though sometimes still shooting Scorpius suspicious looks.
"Thank you so much for your time, Lestrange, you are really a wonderful teacher." said Scorpius sincerely.
"No problem, then this is it, we'd better go back to our dormitory—if you don't want to get caught by Mr. Filch. Wingardium Leviosa!" The three cushions flew gracefully back to their group. Once they walked outside of the Room, the door disappeared.
The three Slytherins walked back to their dormitory in absolute silence except for speaking the password. They separated in front of the staircases between the boy's and girl's dormitories.
"So…good night, Potter, Malfoy." said Lestrange, nodding slightly to the boys.
"Er…Lestrange?"
"Yes, Malfoy?"
"You can call us Albus and Scorpius if you like, 'Potter' and 'Malfoy' sound a bit…formal."
"Yeah." agreed Albus, "We are friends, aren't we?" An image of a witch with silver hair saying the same words to Albus last year appeared in Scorpius's mind, but he pushed it away.
Lestrange froze at Albus's words. Her expression unreadable to Scorpius. However, when she spoke, her voice sounded oddly thick:
"Well, if you like, you may also call me Marilyn."
As Christmas was approaching, the weather was getting colder and colder. Cool breeze brushed over the little leaves on the Whipping Willow. The colour green started to disappear around the castle.
For the past few months, nothing special had happened, except for the particular three Slytherin students. Scorpius and Albus had been learning Defence Against the Dark Arts skills with Marilyn for quite a long time now. Thank to the Room and Scorpius, who had found a book recording all the spells that Harry Potter had taught the D.A. members, Marilyn's teaching was a lot easier. Apart from the Stunning Charm, they had successfully managed some relatively easier spells like the Impediment Jinx and the Reductor Curse. They were completely comfortable to practice with each other now. Moreover, they started to try some more challenging ones, such as the Bubble-Head Charm and even the Patronus Charm.
"Remember, to think of and concentrate on your happiest memory. You have faced a Dementor last year without a wand, Scorpius, it won't be exceedingly difficult if you can find the same feeling." reminded Marilyn during a gathering in late-November.
Scorpius looked at Albus, closed his eyes and tried to picture Albus's face. One person. All it takes is one person. Serverus Snape's voice echoed strongly in his mind. He gathered all of his strength and shouted out: "Expecto Patronum!" And he felt it, the warmth on his fingertips. When he opened his eyes, he saw it. Silver bright fur, long shiny horn, deep gentle eyes.
His Patronus. A unicorn.
He smiled in excitement. Marilyn's eyes were focused on the beautiful creature, her hand reached out for it. Scorpius saw the silver reflection in Marilyn's blue eyes. Beautiful.
"That's fantastic, Scorpius. Think about it, a fifteen-year-old wizard produces a corporeal Patronus in only one attempt…Literally unbelievable. Also, interesting shape. Unicorn…only few people with the purest heart which can cure the others can produce such rare shape."
On the other side of the room, Albus was still trying with his silver steam. Facing Dementors in the other world did offer Scorpius a great advantage. He stood beside his best friend, giving him an encouraging smile: "Remember in the other world, what did Professor Snape tell me to think of? You, Albus, and just then I did so." As a smile appeared on Albus's face, following by a shout 'Expecto Patronum', a mole rushed out from his wand, landing gently near him. Scorpius patted the Patronus softly, feeling the warmth of it.
"Nice one, Potter. Wow you two are really unique, aren't you? Both are able to produce a corporeal one within five attempts." remarked Marilyn, looking hugely impressed.
Not only her, Professor Dean Thomas, their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, now believed that the three Slytherin students were geniuses in his subject. Whatever spells he tutored the students, they usually succeeded easily in only one attempt. Slytherin was awarded thirty house points in nearly every single Defence Against the Dark Arts class. Their classmates were even more surprised than their teacher. Rose was frustrated whenever she was beaten. Since Lestrange was here, she realised that other than Scorpius, she had had another strong opponent. Polly and Karl kept shooting unbelievable looks at Albus, clearly surprised that the Slytherin Squib was becoming the one of the top students during one of the most difficult subjects.
However, Scorpius had noticed that he had never produced extremely powerful charms anymore. It must have been an accident at that time, he told himself. But according to the disappointed and confused expression of Marilyn during their meetings, she clearly didn't think so.
It was early-December now. The grounds were covered in snow. Everything was turning cold and white.
The sun was coming up, shining in a colour that was as red as blood. Before the other Ministry employees had arrived, the Minister of Magic and the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department were already in the Minister's office, staring at the Daily Prophet solemnly.
BLOOD FILLED UP A MUGGLE STREET
TEN DEATHS, THIRTY INJURIES
THE FIRST REVENGE OF DELPHI RIDDLE
Last night, Delphi Riddle, the daughter of Lord Voldemort, appeared in public for the first time since she had escaped from Azkaban this summer. She was spotted on a Muggle street in London at nighttime and was attacking the Muggles around. Ten were dead and thirty were injured. The Aurors arrived soon but only found the bodies of the victims and the Dark Mark shining in the sky.
The Dark Mark is known for the mark of Lord Voldemort, and it hasn't been seen for nearly twenty-three years. Its reappearance will certainly bring horror to the Wizarding World.
Mr Harry Potter, the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department, arrived at the scene by himself last night and warned the Wizarding World to stay alert:
"…even though we have not faced this kind of attack for nearly twenty-three years now, we will definitely try our best to protect both the Wizarding and the Muggle World. However, it is essential for everyone to stay alert and please report to the Ministry immediately if you have witnessed anything suspicious…"
Delphi's movement undoubtedly shakes the whole Wizarding World. Many people expressed their concern of their safety.
"Even though I have heard of the security system at Hogwarts this year, I am still worried of the safety of my children." said a mother of two Hogwarts students who did not want to share her name.
"Not to mention the public, even everyone inside the Ministry fears of becoming targets of Delphi. We haven't faced this kind of situation for such a long time. People are panicking." said a Ministry insider last night.
According to the speech reflecting the Time Turner Incident last year by the Minister, Ms Hermione Granger-Weasley, and Mr Potter, Mr Albus Potter and Mr Scorpius Malfoy are the only people who had encountered this dangerous witch the most. Mr Potter Jr. is the second son of Ginny and Harry Potter, while Mr Malfoy Jr. is the only son of Astoria and Draco Malfoy. Both are fifth grade Slytherins at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. Last year, Mr Potter Jr. and Mr Malfoy Jr. were said to stop Delphi who tried to reverse the time and bring back her father. Actually, Mr Malfoy Jr. has been rumoured to be the 'Son of Voldemort' for a few years, and his name was cleared by the Ministry after the Incident. As Mr Potter and Mr Malfoy were currently at school, their views towards the attack are unknown.
(For more information of the attack and further treatments, please turn to page five)
Hermione was as white as sheet after reading: "Oh Merlin, Harry…this is horrible!"
"Last time her plan was too peaceful, and this time…well, she does change her style."
"But I believe this is only just a beginning. To be honest, the destruction she caused this time is even lesser than Peter Pettigrew's case years ago." She stared at the photo of the damaged street.
"I think this is not her true intention." Harry stared at the moving picture of the Dark Mark on the newspaper, deep in thought, "She couldn't escape the prison just to kill Muggles. No, I think…there's a much bigger plot behind this."
"You are right, Harry. The attack is covering up what she's really up to, as well as planting the seeds of panic into the whole Wizarding and Muggle World. And it seems that…she succeeded in the second part."
"And now the problem is…what's her real plan?"
"I don't know, Harry."
"Neither do I."
This time, someone knocked on the door, following by a red hair appearing at the door.
"Hermione, there you are, you left so early this morning, and I thought…" Ron paused, holding his stomach, "Hi Harry, I have just read the newspaper this morning…"
"Sorry, Ron, I was just…you better sit down first." Ron pulled out a chair and sat beside Harry, his eyes locked on the newspaper.
"Ron, me and Hermione think attacking Muggles is not her real purpose but only to cover up her real intention." explained Harry.
"What do you think, Ron, do you have any ideas of her intention?" asked Hermione.
"Well, you are often the smart one…" he cleared his throat and rubbed his head after seeing Hermione's glare, "Er I don't really know…but I do have a guess."
"What is it, Ron?" Harry sat straight.
"Remember what was Voldemort mainly doing then? Trying to kill you, Harry—the Chosen One, the one who can actually beat him. So, I was thinking, perhaps…Delphi was trying to get rid of the people who obstruct her from bringing the Dark Magic back and rearrange the world in the order she—or her father—wants."
Both Harry and Hermione stared at Ron, who flushed in embarrassment.
"Don't take it too seriously, it's just a random guess…"
"No, Ron, it's actually an excellent idea!" approved Harry.
"Exactly, Ron, it's wonderful. Oh, you offered us a great direction!" Hermione planted a kiss on her husband, who was as red as his hair now.
"So, who might be her target this time?"
"Obviously all the people from D.A. and the Order, basically everyone who fought against Voldemort last time." said Ron.
"I am not sure of the others but definitely include two other people who didn't fight—or better be never really meet Voldemort before." Harry bit his lips. The three of them all looked down at the newspaper in unison.
"Oh…right." Hermione took a deep breath.
"Albus and the little ferret." said Ron, who earned a smack on the arm from Hermione.
"Really, Ron? Are you serious? Remind you, it was Scorpius who saved everyone's lives last year. Without him, we—would—all—be—dead—now!" She said the last sentence with one smack along one word.
"Be careful, Ron. Never ever let Albus hear you, or I don't know what would happen to you…" Harry was trying hard to hide a smile.
"Okay! I am sorry! Stop smacking me, Hermione!" Hermione stopped, although still angrily glaring at him.
"Poor Albus and Scorpius, it's going to be another long year for them." said Hermione sadly.
"Not only Delphi, attracting such attention…is not a good thing for them too. I kind of expect that their schoolmates will treat them better this year but…I think I was wrong." Harry's face dropped.
Both Ron and Hermione looked at him alertly: "Harry, what happened?"
"On the first day of this semester, I got a letter from Professor McGonagall, saying that…Albus and Scorpius were involved in a fight with some seventh graders, and…and Albus was sent to the hospital wing."
"Oh my." Hermione covered her mouth. Ron looked uncomfortable.
"She said it was not Albus and Scorpius's fault. According to a student who had witnessed the whole thing, it was the seventh graders who provoked them first, and Albus and Scorpius were only using defensive spells all the way long. Albus was shot by a poor-managed Stinging Jinx while Scorpius seemed to be fine. When Professor McGonagall further questioned him on the matter, he confessed that this kind of incident occurred occasionally since grade one."
The three people remained silent, trying to digest the situation.
"Albus never told me about it. And now I think I finally understand how worried Draco had been when Scorpius went to school."
"But…this is…" Hermione struggled to find a correct word.
"And do you know about the new Potion Master?"
"Oh yes, that traitor Marietta Edgecombe. Rose wrote to us about her, saying that she's treating her very unfairly." said Ron angrily.
"And of course, Albus shared her unfairness. And do you know so does Scorpius? Only because he defended Albus during the first lesson this semester. Some students reported this to Professor McGonagall as Edgecombe's treatment was pretty common for students related to D.A., and she was looking for a new Potion Teacher now."
"That would be better." Hermione released a breath of relief.
"But the treatment of the Professor is not actually the main problem. Students are still laughing at them, calling them names."
"Oh my, this is terrible! Is there anything we can do?"
"The only good thing is that Albus is willing to tell me things now, his letters rarely stopped. I am still discussing with him, checking on him. But thanks anyway, Hermione."
"He's my nephew, and I indeed love this child, as well as his best friend." Hermione shot Ron a look when saying this, "I have never expected that life can be so difficult at Hogwarts."
"Me neither. I don't understand how Albus and the Malfoy kid could stand this!" added Ron.
"Anyway, I just wish appearing on the front page won't make their lives more miserable. Especially with reporters so eager to report something exciting…"
"Excuse me, are you talking about that specific disgusting woman?" Ron rose his eyebrows.
"Rita Skeeter." nodded Harry hopelessly, "Do you remember? When Albus had just been sorted into Slytherin, she authored a long article discussing about 'how the second son of Harry Potter decides to leave his family and the hidden family secrets behind'. As well as one about 'how he was bewitched by the Son of Voldemort' soon after Albus declared Scorpius as his best friend on the platform later on. She must have eavesdropped him then. It was her article which spread the rumour furthermore and that's the reason why Draco came to me at that time."
"Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots." said Ron sagely. Harry remembered that he had used the same words to describe Professor Snape during their sixth grade. But in Rita's case, he was absolutely correct.
"Yeah…let's just hope that she would keep her mouth shut this year or I am gonna reconsider the punishment of her being an illegal Animagus." said Hermione with mocked seriousness, which caused both Harry and Ron to laugh uncontrollably.
"What's happening today?" said Albus at the dining table during breakfast. He could feel students kept shooting strange looks at he and Scorpius which really annoyed him. However, his question found an answer soon.
As he and Scorpius was walking out of the hall, two ginger-haired people stopped them.
"Hi Al, did you see that? You and Malfoy are on the front page!" James stuffed a Daily Prophet under Albus's nose.
"James, give back my newspaper immediately!" Rose's ears flushed dangerously.
"Hi Rose." said Scorpius cautiously.
"Oh hi." Rose nodded slightly.
"Sweet Salazar, Scorpius, look!" Albus passed the paper to Scorpius, who paled at the sight of the heading.
"Albus…did I see it correctly? Delphi attacked…a Muggle street?"
"Yes, you did! This is bad, really bad."
"But why would she do this? She couldn't just escape the prison to kill innocent people." said Scorpius, Albus alertly noticed that his voice was shaking a bit.
"Her actions' just like her mother." commented Rose, who stopped chasing James and stood beside Albus.
"No, no, Delphi's not like Bellatrix—most of the times, she still has brain. No, everything is wrong. Could it be…could it be…a smoke bomb just to cover up her true plan?" Scorpius frowned deeply.
"What's a smoke bomb?" asked James.
"It's a kind of Muggle weapon to divert people's attention, similar to the Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder." explained Scorpius.
"What? She used a bomb to hide her secret plan? Good thinking…"
"That's a metaphor, James!" shouted Rose.
"Oh really? I don't notice that…" said James with mocking confusion.
"But Scorpius could be right, there's no way that this is her intention. I just wonder what's her real motive behind…" Albus looked at Scorpius, seeing the same concerned expression on his face.
"But…you don't think…she would come here, she would come to you, wouldn't she?" asked Rose with a hint of worry in her voice.
"To be honest, no one knows." Albus shook his head.
"Well Al, if she comes, I will definitely protect you." Albus couldn't figure out who was speaking at first until he saw James's mouth moving. He was shocked to hear the determination in his brother's voice. He had never imagined such words coming out from his brother's mouth. Maybe, his brother was far more complicated and protective than he had ever imagined…
"Thank you, James." Seeing Albus's eyes shining, Scorpius put a hand on his shoulder.
"Anytime, my brother," James's smile soon turned into a mischievous one, "Now, I will have to meet Fred. I don't know the mad woman's plan, but I do know that we have a better one."
"Mind you, James, you are saying this in front of two Prefects." reminded Albus, who tried to hide a laugh.
"Oh my, I nearly forget that. You won't tell the others, will you?" asked James, pretending to be pitiful.
Rose looked serious, but Scorpius answered: "That will depend on your damage level, Potter. If you blew up the whole castle, I believe no one will ever need to tell the others."
James opened a big smile: "Al, now I really like your friend, I never realise that he spreads a sense of humour! Malfoy, maybe one day I will consider letting you to join the Marauders 2.0."
"My great pleasure." Scorpius smiled, pretending to bow gracefully. James smiled back before bouncing away.
"Oh Merlin, I shall report him sooner or later and I shall no longer care if he's my cousin or not." Rose also left angrily after Albus gave back her Daily Prophet.
"What a nice girl!" said Albus sarcastically. Scorpius mumbled something absentmindedly.
"Scorpius, Scorpius?" no response, "Earth to Scorpius!" Scorpius and the students around them all jumped at Albus's voice.
"Sorry, Albus, I was just…lost in mind."
"Are you all right? You look a bit pale."
"I'm fine. Come on Albus, we should go now if you don't want Professor Edgecombe to find an opportunity to take away more points from you." Albus groaned before following his friend, though he was still not fully convinced.
"Scorpius, is everything all right? Is anything wrong?"
Albus expected to see the pair of grey eyes, however they seemed to hide from him intentionally: "No, Albus, nothing."
Author's Notes:
It's been a week since my last update! It takes quite some time to write this chapter. So how's it? Good? Bad?
It actually takes me some time to decide Albus and Scorpius's Patronuses 'cause I don't really want to follow 'Albus's as an asp and Scorpius's as a dragon/snake'. A mole Patronus shows traits like ambition, independence, goal-oriented, struggle with fitting in and caring too much about what others think of you; a unicorn Patronus shows traits like pure of heart and mysterious. What do you think of these choices? Do you have any better suggestions?
Some interactions with characters like Ron, James and Rose now! I think Ron is more than 'funny' as in the Cursed Child, he is also smart in his own way. Poor James nearly disappears in the Cursed Child, and I think he's actually an interesting character to write too. For Rose…to be honest I am not a big fan of her, but she's important anyway. By the way this is NOT going to be a Scorose FanFic so I kind of making Scorpius's crush on her slowly fading away.
Any guesses on the nightmare thing now? You are always welcomed to share your thoughts!
Also…our friend Delphi will return in the next chapter, what do you think she will do this time?
Last but not the least…Reviews? ;P
