Forever Falling For You {Scorbus}

Chapter 1

Albus Potter used to keep promises.

One of them was that he would never fall for the boy with the pale, snowy hair and soft, charcoal eyes.

Look how well that turned out.

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The smoke emitting from the train curled around the obsidian funnel, polished to a shining gleam. A piercing horn was heard by the bustling witches and wizards, all trying to frantically catch one last glimpse of their brood before they went off to the mystical place called Hogwarts.

"I can't wait for your owl, Mum!"

"Don't forget to brush for two minutes!"

"Kiera, don't tell your dad this, but there's a stash of lollies in your trunk."

This comment was accompanied with a sly wink and a grin, and the witch that owned said trunk waved goodbye to her two fathers; one oblivious to the mountain of Chocolate Frogs and Peppermint Imps that was cleverly hidden in a secret compartment.

One student was out of place in the midst of the young, beaming students, though. Standing sullen beside his two silent parents, he waited.

Waiting for what, you ask?

Even Albus himself didn't know.

He glanced over at Harry and Ginny Potter. He had sorted out the anger between him and his father, and the Time Turner business was a thing of the past.

He just couldn't come to terms with his own feelings.

His dark pondering was interrupted by a flash of pale blonde hair, and his heart skipped a beat. Internally chastising himself, he pushed away his emotions, and ran into the throng of the crowd to greet his best friend. "Scorpius! It's so great you see you!"

Scorpius smiled warmly back, and hugged him. "Oh, um. Okay. Well. You really like doing this, don't you?" Albus asked, voice muffled by Scorpius' school robes.

Scorpius pulled back and disentangled himself from the hug with a shy smile. "Oh, sorry." He apologised. "It's just..... It's lonely at my place. Even with the owls, the house felt cold and empty."

Albus nodded in solicitous understanding, a sympathetic frown lining his expression. "Is it your father again?"

His best friend looked down at his feet, tears threatening to spill from his eyelids. "It's just.... After Mum's death, its like he can't handle it anymore-"

He stopped after a muted sob, and wrapped his arms around Albus, crying into his shoulder. Albus awkwardly patted his back, swallowing heavily. "Hey, hey...." He comforted.

"Let's take this somewhere quiet on the train, shall we?" He quietly asked, and he felt Scorpius' nod. Ignoring all the curious glances, he led his best friend onto the train, and half-heartedly waved goodbye to his parents.

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Scorpius was silent nearly the whole time on the train.

He had slumped his chin on his hand, face tear-stained. Albus could see the reflection of the lush woods outside in Scorpius' eyes, and concentrated on the mix of hues that swirled in his irises. Suddenly, a voice broke him out of his intense focus.

"Hello?" The voice inquired.

Albus whipped his head around to face the intruder. Even after the Timeturning incident, the two boys still weren't very popular among the pupils. It was quite rare for someone to stumble across their compartment. 

A girl with hair the colour of sunshine and golden straw stood in the doorway; carrying a bird cage with a beautiful, pure ebony owl nesting in it. Her eyes were of a cerulean tone, with a hint of grey, and her tie was striped with the Slytherin colours. "Is there any chance that you two happen to be Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter?"

Her strong accent sounded Australian, Albus decided. He glanced over at  Scorpius, who just shrugged. "Yes, we are. Who are you? Why are you here?"

The girl laughed. "Whoa, slow down there, otherwise I won't be able to keep track!" She replied. "My name is Rhea Perri, and this is my second year at Hogwarts."

Scorpius finally spoke up. "Second year? You don't look quite that young, though." He remarked.

Rhea softly smiled. "Yeah, I'm actually 15. I'm in fifth year at this school, but this is only my second year at Hogwarts. Confusing, right?"

Albus leaned against the wall, nodding slightly. "That's cool. Scorpius and I are in sixth year. Do you want to join us?"

Ignoring Scorpius' sharp look, he gestured to the seats. Grinning, Rhea gently shut the compartment door, and strode over to the seat. Plopping her owl cage down on the cushioned seat, she sat down beside it, resting her head on the wood paneling.

Albus glanced over at Scorpius, who seemed to be hesitating. "Hey, um, Rhea, right?"

She nodded faintly, eyes closed in contentment. "So, where are you from? Why didn't you go to Hogwarts for your first year?"

With a sigh, Rhea sat upright. "I'm from Sydney, Australia. We don't really have a magical school like Hogwarts, so my parents just homeschooled me, until we decided it would be better for my wizarding education to move to Britain."

She paused. "Oh, I didn't answer your question from before, about why I chose your carriage. The truth? All the other pupils refused to let me into their carriages." She admitted, embarrassment and humiliation flushing her cheeks.

Albus' thoughtful expression deflated quickly as Rhea stared down at her emerald and silver tie. "Sometimes, I wish I wasn't in this house. Ravenclaw would've been nice," she muttered, then fed her owl some treats, refusing to look at the two boys.

The rest of the train ride was permeated with horrible silence.