Albus Potter and the Cursed Legacy | Scorbus

35. Revealed

Albus had messed up.

Severely messed up.

Everything had been going so well all morning and for a moment Albus thought maybe, just maybe--

But he read the situation all wrong. And he might have ruined everything because of it.

With his back flat on his bed, he stared up at the ceiling, dreading having to go back to Hogwarts in two days. He didn't know how he'd face Scorpius again after what he'd done that morning.

Almost done.

"Scorpius!" He'd greeted him in excitement, still warm from Floo travelling as they embraced each other in a hug. Albus hadn't been sure who initiated it.

Albus had been looking forward to visiting Scorpius since his dad had mentioned it on Christmas. It was his favourite gift from that Christmas even though he didn't unwrap it beneath the tree. The anticipation of seeing his best friend ever outweighed Albus' curiosity of what his father might find out from visiting the Daily Prophet.

Seeing Scorpius again--even after just a week and a half without him--felt like taking in a breath of fresh air after swimming underwater. Although over the break, he'd had the company of Rose, his mum, and even Ophelia through Floo powder, nothing compared to how he felt when he spent time with Scorpius. 

After their fathers left, Scorpius had pulled Albus into the sitting room to show him his new telescope--a Christmas gift from his father. Other than his basic knowledge from his years in Astronomy lessons, Albus had little understanding of how telescopes worked and never really found them to be all that interesting. But hearing Scorpius describe all the different parts, lenses, and what he'd been able to see fascinated Albus. The enthusiasm that Scorpius radiated was enough to make Albus want to listen to him talk about the stars all day.

They'd moved to sit in the alcove of the bay window that offered a view of the frosted-over back garden. The glass panes had been cold against his back but Albus didn't feel it, paying more attention to the warmth that spread in his chest as he sat shoulder to shoulder with Scorpius in the alcove.

Chatting peacefully about their holidays, Albus felt completely at ease. After all the tension from his busy Christmas with his family and the trouble with Tabitha, being with Scorpius seemed to settle him, repairing all his frayed nerves.

"Can you believe that this time next year, we will be about to start our final term at Hogwarts?" Scorpius pondered out loud, leaning his head back against the glass.

"That can't come soon enough," Albus responded, dreaming of the day he'd finally be free from school.

"But then we will have to take our N.E.W.T.s soon."

Albus cringed slightly, "Oh, well I'm not so much looking forward to that."

"What do you think you'll do? After Hogwarts I mean?" Scorpius turned his head towards Albus, curiosity sparkling in his eyes.

"We've talked about this before..."

"I know," He sat up slightly, his arm brushing against Albus' shoulder, "But humour me."

Albus shrugged. Not much had changed since the beginning of the school year, still unclear about his future.

"Something to do with potions, I suppose," He answered, although he was no more confident in his answer than he had been last time.

"Okay, but what about the rest of your life? I mean, not just your career. But, like, where do you want to live? Near your family? Or further? Would you ever leave England?"