Albus Potter and his Fifth Year Infatuation

Chapter 5: Late Night Conversations

Albus packed himself in with the crowd, hoping to become as small as possible.

"Alright, alright everyone, settle down." The seventh year leading the crowd raised his voice and settled them in front of the entrance to the dungeons. "My name is Felix and I am Head Boy of Slytherin house, along with Abigail, Head Girl," said Felix with a pat on the shoulder of the girl next to him, "That means that if anyone has a house issue, they can come to one of us and we will be sure to take care of it, and if need be, bring it to the Head of House, Professor Norwell."

Albus shifted himself between students, avoiding Scorpius who had caught up with the rest of the house. He could tell that his friend was doing his best to make his way to him, but Albus found telling him the truth to be a terrifying prospect and he wasn't exactly the best at lying.

"Now without further ado, we welcome you all to the Slytherin dungeon!"

The wall twisted and turned as the bricks unraveled to reveal a staircase leading to the common room. Albus tried to push his way through to get to the entrance early, but was unable to get past the mob of students before Scorpius grabbed his cloak and quickly pulled him around the corner.

"Albus, what is going on? You've been acting strange ever since we got on the train." Blushing from how close Scorpius' face was to his, Albus struggled to answer. The red-faced teen pulled his head back and it landed harshly on the cold stone he was pressed up against.

"I-I told you, I'm not feeling good." He doubted Scorpius would buy it, but it was the best explanation he had.

"Is that it? Albus, please tell me the truth..." Albus stood stunned by Scorpius' concerned gaze. He really did have beautiful eyes...

"Is it because of Rose?" the cornered boy felt his heart drop, but resisted the urge to come clean.

"Everything is fine, Scorpius I just have an upset stomach. Like I said."

Swallowing his disappointment, Albus hurried down to the Slytherin dungeon to avoid any further conversation. He barged through the crowd of housemates, accidentally knocking a few snake decorations to the floor and after some panicked apologizing, quickly made his way down the hallways. Albus knew that his housemates usually spent a bit of time in the common room before setting up in the dorms, so he'd have a good amount of it to mope once he got inside.

Tossing his belongings onto the floor, Albus spread himself on the bed and closed the curtains before groaning into his pillow in frustration.

I'm such an idiot, he thought. Of course he had to let his stupid feelings destroy one of the only good relationships in his life. Scorpius' words began to consume his thoughts.

"I'd love to be with somebody as special as her."

There was no mistaking where his friend's affection lied. Scorpius was in love with Rose and no amount of tears would change that fact.

I thought that when he came back on the train that it meant...

Realizing that if he kept thinking of Scorpius, he would cry again and it would be best to only do that once in one day, Albus looked for distractions. Uttering a faint Lumos, the tip of his wand lit up and left a dim trail of magic as he waved his wand leisurely to and fro. Between the faint sound of voices in the common room and the hum of his spell, Albus found himself drifting off to sleep.

~~~~

Albus awoke to the sound of the rest of his dorm mates entering the room. Unable to pull himself out of his lethargic state, he instead stayed only half awake while the others got ready for bed, doing their best not to wake him up. Steps made their way to bed next to Albus's and turned into the sounds of jumbling sheets. Soon, the shuffling of the drowsy teens ceased and the only sound was the faint gurgling of the lake outside the window.

"Albus?" a whisper escaped from the bed beside him. "Albus?" Scorpius repeated himself louder and his friend finally parted his curtains.

"What do you want at such an ungodly hour, Scorpius?" was the irritable boy's response.

"I want to-" A groan came from another student's bed. The spindly teen cast a Muffliato charm and sat himself on the edge of his bed with a pause before continuing. "-I don't think I ever apologized for leaving you on the train. And I honestly am really sorry."

The sincerity was unmistakable. Albus' face softened and he adjusted himself to mirror Scorpius' position.

"It really wasn't fair to you and I'm sorry for letting my feelings for Rose get the best of me. It's obviously bothering you and I-"

"Come on, I wasn't exactly being the most hospitable either..." Albus interrupted. Scorpius could feel the twinge of guilt coming from his voice.

"But I hurt you, Albus, and I hate it when you're not happy, especially when it's because of me." Sensing the regret in his friend's statement, Albus' indignation towards Scorpius melted away and the only thing he wanted was to somehow make him feel better. Scorpius' hands fidgeted with every word. He looked down, avoiding eye contact as he thought of the words he was trying to say. "And I don't want you thinking that Rose could ever replace you, because there's nobody in the world that could do that."

Albus' heart began racing. He was suddenly glad that Scorpius brought this conversation up at night because if it weren't for the darkness, he would have seen that his last statement filled Albus' cheeks with crimson.

"U-um, thanks, mate..."

Albus never knew how, but Scorpius could always figure out when and why Albus was upset. It was a comfort knowing that no matter where he was, he always had somebody who understood him. However, this time that somebody had come to an incomplete conclusion and Albus had to bite his tongue to keep his emotions from spilling out.

"Well, good night." Scorpius tucked himself back in bad and closed his curtains, leaving Albus in the quiet darkness. Still reeling from the conversation, he pulled himself together and laid his head softly on his pillow before pulling the covers up close to his face.

"Albus?"

"Yeah?"

"You are my best friend in the world."

Albus' lips immediately curled into a giddy smile.

"Y-you too, Scorpius."

The two boys drifted off to sleep, the worries of the day taking no part in their thoughts compared to the conversation that left them reassured of their companionship.

~~~~

Albus was back on the train. Rain poured down the window and the only light was a dim beam coming from the ceiling. Looking across the compartment, Scorpius' and Rose's fingers were tangled together and they looked into each other's eyes with fierce affection. Albus knew what was about to happen and tried to get out of his seat, but couldn't move. He tried to speak out in objection, but no sound escaped as the couple's lips pressed together. Finally freeing a hand from the paralysis, he reached out and just as his fingers touched Scorpius shirt, they melted away with the rest of his body.

Suddenly, he found himself on the road to Hogwarts. No carriages or people were around and the rain came down violently on Albus' head. He ran down the road towards Hogwarts when a pair of devilish eyes peered out through the fog and mist. Stopping in the gravel, Albus squinted trying to make out what the creature was. A smoky black hand shot out and tried to grab the boy, but he turned the other way and sprinted down the path. He lost his footing in the wet mud and was unable stop himself from falling to the ground as the inky claws finally reached him, words resounded in his head.

"You'll never be her."