Found In the Past

13

Scorpius's POV:

Staring down at the pumpkin pastry in my hands, I decide my appetite has been lost. I know it's my fault Albus is mad at me, but it still feels like there's something I'm missing about his reaction. I place the food back on my plate and push it away, watching it magically disappear back to the kitchen. It's a horrible feeling, not knowing whether Al wants me to rush after him or to leave him alone. This is only the second time we've had a big fight.... and last time I was the one storming off.

"Hey, Scor!" A bright voice interrupts my thoughts and I turn to see a familiar Gryffindor girl grinning down at me, her red hair hanging in perfect curls.

"Hey, Rose," I try to muster up a smile, but I can feel it quickly turn into a pained look. Her eyes narrow, examining me, and she crosses her arms.

"Are you going to tell me why you look like you're going to spit up slugs any second, or should I guess?" she asks me, wrinkling her nose at the thought. "Please say you're slug-curse free," she steps back and I suddenly can't control the tiny laugh that escapes my mouth.

"I'm fine," I tell her, trying to mean it. She sits down next to me with a huff, clearly not convinced. She puts her books down and the gasps around us are very audible. Surely we don't only have to sit at our house tables...

"Good," her face softens slightly, ignoring the whispers around us, "But I know you're lying.... what's wrong?."

"Albus and I had a bit of a fight and I know it's my fault," I bite my lip and look down at my hands sadly.

"Well that's new," Rose responds, blinking in surprise. "What'd you fight about?" I glance up at her and she hurriedly adds "You don't have to say if you don't want to!" I sigh softly.

"It's alright... he met a girl-"

"Wait, he has a girlfriend?!?!" Rose gasps, interrupting me almost immediately.

"W-what?! No of course not!! They're just friends," I sputter out, tightening my grip on the seat underneath me. The thought of Albus dating anyone, ESPECIALLY Paige, gives me a sour taste in my mouth.She gestures for me to continue, rolling her eyes.

"Uh... well... it's Paige Rowle..." I explain sheepishly. Rose's eyes widen in recognition as I say the name.

"Oh yeah, I know her," she tells me in a 'matter-of-fact' tone. "Why is that bad exactly?"

"Her family doesn't have a clean record. At all," My voice grows distant even to my own ears. I don't think Rose is going to take my side here.

"You can't judge a person based on their family, Scor," Rose cocks her head to the side, hair cascading down her shoulders.

"You didn't seem to know that for a while," I comment, resentment twisting a knot in my stomach. I know it's a low-blow, but her dis-trust of the Malfoy's really did impact our relationship in a huge way. She looks away from me quickly, but I can plainly see the regret in her eyes.

"I know..." she whispers, twisting a lock of her hair around her finger. "Trust me, I feel awful, bloody awful, about that. I missed out on knowing you for too long," she turns back to face me, eyes misting over. "I don't want you to make that same mistake, Scor."

The red haired girl stands up, walking away before I have the chance to say anything at all. I sigh and rest my head in my arms. I have class with Albus in a couple of minutes but I really don't want to go. However, if I skip a class, Father will most certainly hear about it. I frown and push myself off the table, slowly starting to walk to the Divination classroom.

*****

"Mr. Malfoy, you're late! I sensed it in the stars, but hoped I had misread the signs," Professor Trelawney states dramatically, pulling my very bored peers' attention to me. "This does not help your dismal future..." her eyes roll back to staring straight ahead and I quickly slip into my seat besides Al, purposefully not looking at him.

"Professor," A  ravenclaw girl's hand shoots up in the front of the class, "Didn't you also say Malfoy would grow up to be a world-famous tap dancer?" A few snickers run through the back behind me and I slump into my seat even further. Sometimes it would be wonderful if one could become invisible at will without a cloak.

"She also said someone in this class would fall out a fifth-story window and be caught by a rainbow-colored Hippogriff," Albus retorts loudly, rolling his eyes. "Are we going to believe everything she says?" I turn over to look at him, shocked. Albus doesn't spare me a glance, but a smile spreads across my face at the way he's still defending me.

"Still protecting your boyfriend, Potter?" A voice sneers from the back of the room. My face grows hot as I grit my teeth and whirls around to face the Slytherin who commented.

"Still not able to shut your mouth?" I shoot back, eyes narrowing. I may hate doing it, but I have learned how to fight my own battles.

"Students!!!" Our professor titters, her voice becoming even more high-pitched if possible, "Please divert your attention to the crystal balls in front of you!" She gestures to the misty objects sitting on our desks. I glare at mine, wishing I could just get out of here. All of the warm lights, candles, and scents in this odd room are giving me a massive headache.

A note is pushed into my hand and I glance down in surprise. I pick it up discreetly and read the note written in Al's very messy handwriting.

I'm sorry for getting mad.

I grab a quill from the stand in front of me and quickly write something back.

Don't be. It's my fault and you were completely right. Forgive me?

I push it across the table and wait anxiously for a response. After 5 minutes of pretending to stare into the stupid glass object on my desk, I feel the paper return to my hand.

I will always forgive you, even if you're being an idiot.

I smile and put the paper into my pocket, the exchange done. I risk a glance at Al and see him smiling at me. Relief floods through my system at the sight, and I turn back to the crystal ball with a grin.

"Examine the mist carefully," I barely hold a scream back as the Professor seemingly appears out of thin air next to me. "The past and present become one... an eternal chain of events... never undone...." she breathes in a pitchy, sing-song voice that sends chills down my spine. "Now concentrate," she hisses, the creepiness level of the room rising. I gulp and turn back to the object, eyes locking on the white substance inside.

Just show me something, I beg the glass ball. Suddenly, as if responding to my request, a dark object rises outside of the mist. It takes me a moment to recognize the symbol, but when I do I immediately yell and jump out my seat, backing away in terror. Every person in Hogwarts knows the cursed symbol flashing before my eyes.

"What did you see?" Trelawny demands, rushing over to me, eyes wide. I shake my head numbly, knowing the price of sharing what I just saw.

"False alarm," I mutter unconvincingly, slipping back into my seat. I feel lots of eyes boring into my head, but I remain silent. My hands shake in fear, hidden beneath my robes. Why would the crystal ball show me the Dark Mark?