Albus Severus Potter (A Harry Potter fanfic)

Conversation

"Albus," whispered James, shaking his brother awake gently. "Albus."

"What?" he replied, his loud voice startling the silence than hung around them.

"Be quiet!" James said, in an angry whisper. "I have something to tell you, so can you come downstairs please."

"'Kay," said Albus, whispering now.

The two brothers crept cautiously out of the dorm and sat themselves down in the empty common room. "So what do you want to tell me?" asked Albus.

"Mum and dad, they sent me a letter, and ... well ... they said that ... um ... they haven't sent us any letters since they left for their trip. And I ... um ... think that someone's been faking letters to us."

"I know."

"You know about my letter?"

"No, I mean, I know that they're being faked."

A look of confusion crossed James' face. "You- you know?"

"Yes."

"Why are you so calm?" asked James, now struggling to keep calm himself.

"Because ... because I just am."

James remained quiet. "Okay," he said softly. "Do you know anything else?"

"No," said Albus, glancing into the shadows by the empty fire. He noticed the hidden figure, something James hadn't managed to do.

"Okay," said James, breathing deeply to keep himself calm and thinking why didn't he tell me? Why didn't he tell me if he knew that something was wrong? "We should probably go to bed now, get some sleep."

"Yeah, okay," said Albus.

∞

That night, James didn't get any sleep. He knew that something was wrong. He could felt it when he was talking to Albus and he still felt it now. There was a pit in the bottom of his stomach, one that wouldn't go away, not even in his dreams. He knew that Albus was lying, but he knew that that wasn't the whole truth. James would have to coax it out of him; he'd seen that look on Albus' face before, and he knew that there was something big going on: something big that was going to hurt.

But he didn't know what.

∞

Albus stood outside in the cold air, it was stupid, no doubt, to go outside at night in February, but he loved sitting by the lake and watching it ripple as the wind blew over it.

He'd lied to James straight out and realised now that if James found out the truth, which he inevitably would, he would never speak to Albus again. Of course, Albus could always deny knowing the truth all along, and saying that he never knew a thing about it all. But, then whoever was causing everything wouldn't hesitate to mention that it was Albus who had betrayed everyone and had given them the very information that would allow them to be taken over.

Albus saw the person from the common room walking towards him. They were far away now, Albus could even run away if he wanted to. But he didn't. Instead he waited. He wanted to know who they were, and why they were here.