Chosen?

Chapter 20: Leaky Cauldron Loft

Scorpius glanced around the room, "Do you have everything?" he asked glancing again at my bag strewn around my torso where the Horcrux laid. I checked my bag again, it was there still gleaming with its dim look of superiority. I nodded as I slid it back into its compartment and zipped it shut.

Scorpius opened the door and motioned for me to go out into the hall, I did and watched him close the door behind him. There were knots in my stomach, maybe by going to a wizarding section of London, it would be easier for me to be found. I didn't want to be found, not until it was all over, not until I would be able to hug my mother and father in a victory hug, not a potential goodbye hug.

"Scorpius?" I asked quietly remembering that it was night time and I can't disturb other guests.

"Hmm?" was all I got in response.

"Do you think... Do you think if they find me-"I was cut off by Scorpius quickly.

"Don't," was all he said.

"Don't what?"

"Think about it," he replied as he pushed the button outside of the elevator door pointing down.

I nodded realizing I was picking up my old habit of wringing my hands. I often did it before my exams or when I was first going on the Hogwarts express. It was a nasty habit that would cause small blisters in-between my fingers which caused my mom to pour this thin jelly-like substance that burned like crazy on each blister and bump. I eventually stopped, only seeing small blisters after big exams.

The elevator door opened and we stepped in. Scorpius pressed the level 1 button and glanced at my hands as the door closed.

"Scorpius, what if they figured out where we are headed? What if they find us and don't believe that-"

"Lily, please stop asking 'what ifs' you're just going to freak yourself out," Scorpius took my hands in his and squeezed them, "just try not to think."

I nodded, "Okay," I said as the door slid open. Scorpius and I stepped out of the elevator. I followed behind him as he made his way to the front desk. A drowsy looking clerk looked up as Scorpius slid the room key, "fifty pounds please," the clerk said taking back the room key as Scorpius struggled to figure out the muggle's currency.

"here," I said taking the bills from his hands and taking out to twenties and a ten, "There," I said handing the money to the clerk. He nodded and told us to have a nice night as we walked out the front doors and to the alleyway. The crisp air blew Scorpius's hair around as he held me close to him and apparated us to an alley next to the Leaky caldron with a crack.

I looked around when I felt the ground under my feet to see if anyone had heard or seen us, "Scor?" I asked as my eyes darted from side to side, "What if my da-"

"Stop it lily!" Scorpius said as he grabbed my hands and held them in his own, "Stop thinking, stop wondering, stop making up crazy scenarios. Your mind needs to be clear for me to be able to teach you how to apparate, but right now your mind is going 80 miles an hour and you're just going to freak yourself out."

I nodded and took a deep breath, "Okay," I said looking down at our hands. It seemed impossible to make my mind slow down let alone stop, different scenarios all equally scary just kept inventing themselves inside my head, "How do I do it? How do I make them stop?"

"Just think about something else," Scorpius said. That was incredibly hard because I was surrounded by reminders of the current situation, "Think about... Well... Do you like puppies?"

"Yes, Scorpius. I like puppies."

"Then think about puppies," he said, becoming aware of the fact that that was not going to work, "Lily, just try to think about something that is hard for you to forget about.