Harry Potter: 19 Years Later

25: Albus' POV

  "What? Please tell me you're joking, Albus!"

  Albus shook his head, biting his lip anxiously. "I know, I know, it's not good news. But Dad said he's allowed to stay over."

  Rose rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest.

  Albus threw his arms up. "Okay–Rose, you're so difficult! One moment I see you getting all friendly with Scorpius, and now you're acting like you hate him! What the hell?"

  Rose huffed and she stomped off to the Gryffindor table. Albus poured himself some milk and took a sip, unsure of how to feel. He was snapped out of his depressing thoughts when someone put their hands over his eyes.

  "Guess who?"

  Albus grinned, pushing the hands away from his face. "Scorpius!"

  Scorpius laughed and took a seat next to Albus. "What did Rose say when you told her?" he whispered, a troubled sensation wavering in his voice.

  "Well..." Albus trailed off, unsure whether to lie or not. He looked over at the Gryffindor table where Rose herself was sitting, munching on a buttered roll, her eyes narrowed, each bite more vigorous than the last. "Yeah... she wasn't that happy. But it's okay," he added, seeing Scorpius' face fall, "everyone else will be fine with it. Don't mind Rose."

  "I'll miss you!"

  "See you after Christmas!"

  "You better not forget those Galleons that you owe me!"

  "I'll bring you some presents!"

  "Bring me back some of your mum's mince pies!"

  Hogsmeade Station was a loud bustling mess as students bade each other goodbye until they'd see each other again after the holidays. Young wizards and witches were everywhere, hugging, shouting, talking, laughing, and... was that James sneaking something into a girl's trunk?

  Albus shared an awkward hug with Seraphine. "Well, I'll see you after Christmas."

  She nodded, gulping. "Okay."

  "You okay?" He knew she was staying at Hogwarts for Christmas, but not the reason. "Is everything all right with your... mum?"

  Seraphine nodded again. "Everything's fine. I'll see you in two weeks!" She gave him a brief peck on the cheek, and disappeared into the crowd before Albus' mind had even processed what had just happened.

  "I'll see you after the holidays, Albus."

  Albus turned, surprised to find Lilith standing behind him, her black hair tucked behind her ears, showing off a pair of red dangly earrings. She was wearing black leggings and a light brown coat. She was smiling, too. And... was that red lipstick?

  "H-hey... yeah, I'll, uh," he cleared his throat, "see you after the holidays, too." What do I do now? How do girls think? He reached over and patted her on the shoulder a few times and walked away, considering himself lucky that he didn't implode due to the intense level of cringe back there.

  "Al! Wanna sit with us on the train?" Rose skipped over to him as he entered the train, gesturing to a compartment on the left. Peering in, Albus realized the booth was almost full, packed with a group of Gryffindor first years. There was room for only one more person.

  "I..." He looked over at Scorpius, who was suddenly looking very intrigued with the laces of his black polished shoes. "Actually, I think I'll sit with Scorpius, thanks." Albus smiled and took the other boy by the elbow, leading him to an empty compartment near the back. He collapsed onto the seat with a huff.

  "What's wrong with you?" Scorpius asked after he pulled the door shut.

  "Rose!" Albus exclaimed. "I don't know what's wrong with her lately! She keeps complaining about you and acting like a complete arsehole! Like now, did you notice? She purposefully asked me to sit with her friends because she knows I wanted to sit with you. I just know she'll confront me about it later."

  Scorpius was fiddling with his wand, his bottom lip between his teeth. "I'm sorry, Albus. I'm getting between your cousin and you. I should–"

  "No! She's just being irksome. Don't worry about her, it's her problem if she's set on acting like that." Albus turned to stare out the window, watching green hills roll by. He hadn't even realized they'd started driving already.

Hey people I'm back! Sorry that I haven't updated this fanfiction in so long. I started a book for one shots of different ships from Percy Jackson/Heroes of Olympus (it'll be up soon idk). So far I've only done a Theyna one shot