Chapter 17 - Beginning of the Fourth School Year
Chapter 17 - Beginning of the Fourth School Year
The next morning, the Slytherins are divided into groups and called one by one into McGonagall's office. It happens during breakfast. The other students from the other houses don't know what's going on and try to get information from the Slytherins, but to no avail.
Albus's leg rocks back and forth under the table, an unpleasant tingling sensation caused by nervousness lies beneath Albus's skin, making it feel as if it were burning.
"Do you think they'll say something?" Nott asks, his eyes constantly darting back to the door of the great hall. There's a subtle undertone of fear hidden in his voice. But his nervous posture betrays him.
"Why would they? They'd all be in trouble," Albus replies, sounding determined, but in reality, he isn't. What worries him most is not knowing whether his parents will be there or not. Professor McGonagall has already threatened him with his parents.
Zabini, sitting next to Nott, stares into space, frowning occasionally. Albus is about to ask what's wrong with him when Zabini starts speaking. "Surely someone who's in Slytherin himself must have ratted us out, right?"
Scorpius shrugs. "It's the only logical explanation." Scorpius's posture and tone of voice don't match his statement at all, but no one speaks up.
"Or did you mention anything about it to James?" Zabini asks, his gaze flying to Albus, who is giving him a stupid look. "Please?"
"It could have been," said Zabini, shrugging his shoulders before giving Albus an apologetic look.
"But I didn't," says Albus, and he's never been as sure of anything as he is of the answer. He glances briefly at Zabini, then his eyes wander to Nott, who is now nervously drinking his pumpkin juice in one go, and then his gaze rests on Scorpius. Scorpius is playing with one of the rings he's wearing on his hand. He only started wearing them during the summer holidays—at least, that's what Albus thinks, since he's never seen him wearing rings before. At least, that's what he thinks. He's not sure.
"Screw it," Nott suddenly says, and he receives confused looks. "I mean, let's be honest. No one is going to tell the truth, and do we really want to be the only ones telling the truth? Albus and Scorpius already have enough idiots and bullies on their hands. If it were to come out that these two are telling the truth about what's going on, we can be sure they won't see the light of the next day."
Nott is right. Sort of. Of course, Anna and Rosier, and the other pure-blood fanatics, should be held accountable, but perhaps this action, this fear, triggered by Professor McGonagall, will open their eyes?
Albus thinks about it and maybe they should really try it that way.
A creaking sound is heard, and the door to the Great Hall opens, through which Rosier and his friends walk. Slughorn is behind them, and Rosier and his friends maintain a neutral expression until Slughorn turns the other way for a moment.
Then a mocking, almost manic, grin spreads across their faces.
Albus tries to look away, but he can't. He's too shocked by the way Rosier and the others can so quickly change from looking normal to looking like psychopaths. It's creepy.
"Next, I'll ask Zachary Zabini, Garrick Nott, Scorpius Malfoy, and Albus Potter to follow me!" Slughorn breaks the deafening silence in which the Great Hall currently finds itself, making it seem as if it's only a matter of time before something major erupts.
Albus takes a deep breath before standing up and walking away from the table. On his way to Slughorn, Albus briefly meets James's eyes, which reflect concern.
Albus keeps his face neutral and doesn't change. He quickly turns away from James's gaze, feeling too closely watched, and follows the other three, who have almost reached Slughorn.
Slughorn scans the group. Albus dares to think he sees disappointment in his eyes. If only for a tiny second.
It doesn't take them long to get to Professor McGonagall's office and before Albus knows it, they're standing there.
"Damn it," Nott mutters, trying to take a few steps back, but Albus, Scorpius, and Zabini all hold him in place.
"Good luck, boys. You could use it," Slughorn says, without any emotion. He leans against the wall, right next to the door, and crosses his arms. His gaze flies back to the boys.
"What are you waiting for? Go in now." Now he shoos the four of them toward the door with arm movements, and Albus raises his hands defensively. "Okay, okay, we're going in."
Slughorn simply nods before standing back up the way he did before the boys almost got on his nerves.
They walk into the office with slow, weary steps, and inside, they are welcomed by a warm atmosphere. The fireplace crackles, enveloping the room in a warm, loving embrace. Almost everything is decorated in a beautiful red, and even the processes themselves match the furniture. They are all neatly arranged, everything is in its proper order, and even the piles of parchment rolls are all carefully folded and stacked.
You immediately feel at home here.
McGonagall doesn't immediately look up from her scroll. Scorpius turns and quietly closes the door, then stands next to Albus again. Albus swallows, burying his hands in his trouser pockets as his fingers begin to twitch. His mind races as he thinks of hundreds of punishments they could receive.
The group exchanges confused, uncertain glances as McGonagall still doesn't speak.
A few minutes pass in complete silence, and Albus is already thinking about how much trouble he would get into if he just left now.
Then McGonagall suddenly puts her quill down, caps the inkwell, pushes the parchment roll to one side, and adjusts her witch's hat. Her gaze flies to the boys standing in front of her, and for a moment, she looks as if she's about to start ranting and hexing them all.
But she doesn't do it.
"Hello, you four. Please sit down." She gestures with her arms toward the chairs in front of her table. The boys quickly follow her instructions.
Albus tugs at his shirt for a moment before placing his hands on his legs. His gaze briefly wanders down to the floor, a wave of nervousness flooding his mind before he closes his eyes for a second, then opens them again, and his gaze falls on Professor McGonagall.
She watches the four boys in front of her closely, her gaze is stern, and you can tell that she will do anything but turn a blind eye.
"Do you know why you're here?" Her voice is cool, and she taps her wand a few times in succession with her fingertips, keeping a close eye on the boys.
The boys exchange quick glances. Nott clears his throat and tries to muster a smile. "No? Why are we here? We didn't do anything, at least I don't remember anything that was forbidden."
McGonagall's gaze now becomes sharper, a sign of anger and hatred flashing in her eyes as she continues to look at Nott and absorb his words.
Then she nods, almost unrecognizable, and even laughs a little. But it's not a happy laugh. The laughter is laced with hate, anger, and incomprehensibility, as if she can't quite perceive and comprehend what Nott just said.
Her fingers stroke her temple. "So, the fact that the entire Slytherin house happened to be out of their common room and dormitories on the first night of a new school year wasn't something forbidden?"
Albus's body stiffens as McGonagall finishes speaking. How does she know about this? It doesn't enter Albus's mind.
Scorpius, who's sitting to Albus's left, gets nervous and presses his knee lightly against Albus's, most likely as emotional support for the whole thing. Albus is already so nervous that he can't think about it any further.
Zabini hits Nott with his foot under the table; you can see that he's angry at Nott's statement. It wasn't well thought out.
The room fills with an uncomfortable silence, accompanied by an even more uncomfortable tension. Albus tries to look away from McGonagall, but he can't.
There's something in McGonagall's gaze that makes everything worse than it already is.
"Albus Potter," she begins slowly, and Albus feels all the attention on him. He immediately feels uncomfortable. "Why can't you just tell the truth? What really happened?"
Because otherwise he'll die. Albus knows that. He'd never get out of this situation alive if he revealed everything.
"Your father, your mother, your brother, and also your sister are so completely different from you. I've always had faith in you that you'd make the right choice. But I'm starting to doubt that. I don't see any similarities to your family." McGonagall sounds desperate and somewhat disappointed, her gaze fixed on Albus, and she frowns at this.
Albus' stomach cramps, an invisible string tightens around it.
"Albus, if you need help, please come to me. Your family loves you." She whispers this part only near Albus, and the others can't understand her voice.
She leans back in her chair, her hands now clasped together. "I've received information that points to a forbidden, terrible, and illegal form of oppression of the first years. The Forbidden Forest was specifically mentioned. So, are you going to tell me the truth? Your other classmates haven't been forthcoming, unfortunately."
There is a piece of hope in her eyes, trying to hold on to something.
"We know nothing," Zabini replies, without giving the others a chance to respond. Albus sighs quietly, his thoughts wildly jumbled.
Scorpius glances at Albus, but he keeps his gaze on Professor McGonagall. She sighs loudly, adjusts her hat again, and reaches for a bowl.
"Will you talk if I offer you a biscuit?" she asks hypocritically, her voice suddenly pleasant, and she reaches for a biscuit and places it on the table in front of her. She looks at the biscuit briefly before turning back to the boys and raising her eyebrows.
The boys look at each other in confusion. A biscuit? Is that how McGonagall wants to blackmail them?
A loud sigh escapes McGonagall, and, nerves at their breaking point, she puts her head in her hands and takes a deep breath. Then she raises her head again, looks at the Slytherins before her once more, before a pitying expression appears in her eyes. Even if it was only for a second.
"Okay, you're not talking, so I'll let you go," says McGonagall, and the four boys immediately stand up, relieved, and are about to head towards the door when McGonagall stops them with a snap of her fingers.
The boys turn around again, toward McGonagall. Albus swallows, his hands tightly gripping the end of his shirt as McGonagall's gaze remains fixed on them.
"But I have to tell you one thing: If I somehow find out and have proof that you know something about all this, then you will have to face consequences. That's for sure," she adds, her voice betraying no kindness. It's as if she's a completely different person. Perhaps she's already seen through the four of them and now just wants to worry them so they might talk.
When McGonagall looks at the four boys before her, she only sees the four boys walking through the doors of the Great Hall for the first time. The expressions on their faces. So joyful, so happy.
And now she only sees four boys who are growing up under bad influences, who can't decide who to side with. Because they're all somehow caught between too many sides.
Especially when she looks at Albus, she only sees the younger version of him, the one who so nervously sought protection in James's eyes when he was at the Sorting Ceremony. And the James who just grinned and waved at him. And then the shock. The shock in everyone's eyes, the terrible shock in Albus's eyes, which almost broke McGonagall's heart.
"SLYTHERIN," the Sorting Hat called out. And then it was silent. Not a single sound could be heard in the Great Hall.
And then she saw Albus Potter sitting next to Scorpius Malfoy.
And she knew immediately that a strong friendship would develop from this. Even though she naturally had her doubts.
But she was sure the two of them would manage. Somehow.
At McGonagall's statement, Scorpius nods quickly and responds. "Of course, Professor McGonagall, we understand. Have a nice day!" Scorpius places his right hand on Albus's shoulder to shoo him out of the office.
At the touch, Albus flinches randomly, but Scorpius doesn't seem to notice.
But someone else notices. Nott. He raises an eyebrow, which earns him from Albus a cold look before he follows Scorpius's instructions. His shoulder feels like it's burning as Scorpius's grip tightens slightly as they enter the crowd of students.
They try not to get lost as they have to make their way through the groups of many students.
***
There's so much tension in Slytherin that the older students have decided to play it all down with alcohol and a "Slytherin Only" party. Several tables have been set up, filled with countless drinks, concoctions, and other items they'd rather not know about.
The air in the common room is so stuffy that Albus has already set foot on the stairs to head towards the dormitory and escape it all.
Nobody knew there was going to be a party.
"Potter, no," Nott sounds demanding and with a bitter look he looks at Albus and Scorpius, who can hardly hear his voice because of the loud music and the loud voices.
"You stay here. Come on, we need a distraction, and after surviving McGonagall, we deserve it!" Nott throws his arms in the air, and Zabini recoils a few steps when Nott's arm almost hits him in the face. "Dude."
"I don't know if this is cause for celebration," Albus replies, and out of the corner of his eye he sees Scorpius nod. He's visibly uncomfortable with the whole situation.
Nott raises his eyebrows and looks at the two in front of him with an "are-you-serious" look. "Oh, come on. You can't tell me you don't have something on your mind you'd like to escape. And what's the best way to do that? With alcohol, guys! Come on!"
Albus's body fills with unease as he watches Nott so enthusiastically cheering on the party. It's being thrown by pure-blood fanatics, and apparently, Nott doesn't care. And Zabini. They still seem to support it all and enjoy the attention they get from the older pure-blood students.
Albus bites his lip and looks around the room before turning to Scorpius and raising his eyebrows as well.
Scorpius lets his gaze wander over the crackling fireplace before dropping his head back and groaning pointedly. His gaze flies back to Albus, and Albus's stomach does somersaults when it meets Scorpius's gaze.
His eyes.
"We're not doing this for Slytherin," Scorpius interjects, and Albus nods. "We're just doing this for ourselves. As a distraction."
"Right," Scorpius replies quickly, balancing himself on his feet before finally managing to stand still and keep his eyes on Albus.
"We should get something to drink, right?" Scorpius walks over nervously, but he tries to play it off by acting cool. But Albus sees through him and lets a grin spread across his face.
Albus's heart is pounding in his throat, and an annoying ringing sounds in his ears as the loud music invades his ears.
It's almost impossible to see through the crowds, but Albus and Scorpius still manage to get to a table full of drinks.
From the side, Albus can see the first and second years being escorted back to their dormitories. Only those who have reached the third year are welcome at this party.
Albus is at a party for the first time.
His chest tightens a little as this thought enters his mind.
Albus always thought his first party would be with James. James would look out for him, keep an eye on him, and simply play the older, protective brother.
But if Albus is honest, he doesn't need a guard anymore. After everything he's been through, he dares to believe he can protect himself quite well on his own.
At the end it's maybe better this way.
A drink is pressed into his hand and he moves to the side so as not to be completely stuck in the crowd.
He quickly sniffs the drink, and a bitter, sharp stench hits his nose, which definitely comes from the drink. He knows that the first time he drinks alcohol will always be disgusting. James warned him about it.
Albus takes a deep breath, his hands tightening around the glass, his eyes watching the comical consequence floating around inside. He can hear his own heart pounding as he brings the drink closer to his face.
His lips touch the top of the glass, and for a moment he hesitates to move his hand. Then he counts to three, raises his hand, and the glass swings toward him, slowly pouring the brew into his mouth.
He grimaces as the liquid runs down his throat and he automatically swallows it all.
He puts down the now empty glass, the bitter aftertaste of the alcohol lingering in his throat as he takes on the task of finding Scorpius.
He is just about to walk over to Albus, he was only a few meters away.
"First time too, huh?" Scorpius' voice is rough, sending a shiver down Albus's spine.
Albus just nods, his thoughts about to wander in a completely different direction when Nott and Zabini approach them.
"Hey, guys. Firewhiskey!" Zabini gives Albus and Scorpius a bottle each. Zabini has a stupid grin on his face, and Nott doesn't look completely sober either.
Albus and Scorpius exchange a worried look before Albus decides to push his worries to the background and banish them completely for the night.
He's here to distract himself from all his problems and feelings. To lock them away for one night.
To forget everything.
"Okay," escapes Albus's mouth, and his fingers slide to the opening of the bottle to unscrew it. The smell of the firewhiskey isn't nearly as bad as the smell of the drink he drank earlier.
The smell of the firewhiskey even feels somehow inviting.
Nott and Zabini clink their bottles together, which could come across more as shaking than the actual toast they intended.
Albus grins sideways at Scorpius, and he really wants to blame it on the alcohol that he thinks he sees Scorpius's cheeks turning red.
Albus pushes the thought aside and takes a sip of the firewhiskey, which still lies untouched in Albus' hand.
The taste is also bitter and a little bit spicy, but not as disgusting or unbearable as the drink from before.
The group stands around like this for a while, taking a few sips from the bottles, before Albus slowly feels his perception changing.
The music suddenly sounds much louder than before, the other students start moving differently, and Albus can no longer keep his balance properly.
Albus feels a hand grab his wrist and pull him toward the dance floor. Albus staggers on his feet, walking straight no longer an option.
Because of the crowd and the fogginess of his mind, he can't identify who pulled him onto the dance floor. He can only perceive that his three friends are with him.
He doesn't really care about anything else.
His heart pounds against his chest, but for the first time, his mind, his spirit, is stronger than his body's reaction. He suddenly doesn't care that his heart is pounding so hard.
Not a single negative thought enters Albus's head at the moment.
He can see Rosier and Anna pressed tightly against each other, and for a second, Albus grimaces. He never thought the two of them could be together. But it makes sense. Somehow.
The entire room spins, and Albus feels the warm, almost sweaty bodies of the others pressing against his again and again. But in his drunken state, it doesn't disgust him. It doesn't bother him.
Normally, he would immediately withdraw and reduce physical contact with others, especially those he doesn't know very well, but due to the influence of alcohol he is currently under, he doesn't care.
***
The music fills his ears, the firewhiskey runs down his throat, and after a while, it all becomes too much. He turns around and tries to distance himself from the crowd. The entire room spins twice as fast as before, and his stomach clenches as if he's about to vomit on the spot.
The bottle hits the floor and Albus staggers towards the stairs, but instead of going up, he sits down on the first step and breathes in, hoping to fill his lungs with air that doesn't taste of sweat or alcohol.
It was definitely too much for the first time.
He hears and can vaguely see someone kneeling down before him. He thinks it's Scorpius.
He rests his chin on Albus' knee and looks him in the eyes.
"Are we going to bed?" Scorpius asks, his voice definitely slurring. He, like Albus, has definitely had too much.
Albus nods absently a few times in a row, but he doesn't really realize it.
Scorpius tries to help Albus up, but this only results in them both landing on the stairs, side by side.
,,Albus?"
Albus tries to narrow his eyes so he can see Scorpius better. It only helps a little.
"Hmm?" Albus hums to himself as he lets his head fall against the cold wall. His legs are stretched out, and he could fall asleep here at any second. No matter how uncomfortable this position actually is.
"Will you ever leave me?" Even though Scorpius is more than just slurring his words, Albus can still understand and hear every word in his extremely drunken state.
"Leave?" Albus asks, confused, tilting his head slightly. This action makes the room spin even more. Now the nausea is coming back.
"Yes, yes. Will you ever end our friendship?" Scorpius' voice is almost inaudible, but to everyone's surprise, Albus can still hear everything.
"Why should I?" Albus replies, leaning forward a little. Scorpius can barely keep his eyes open and watch Albus.
"Never." Albus' voice sounds damn determined despite the alcohol, and it leaves no doubt about Albus's statement.
A few minutes of silence pass, with neither of them attempting to get up. But then Nott and Zabini arrive, apparently also about to return to the dormitory.
Nott can't walk straight anymore either, and the only one who seems to be halfway conscious is Zabini.
He laughs as he helps Albus and Scorpius get up from the ground. Albus clings to Zabini's right arm, while Scorpius clings to Zabini's left arm.
Neither of them can stand upright. Albus sways just standing, and Scorpius also has to lean his back against the wall to find his balance.
"Well, off to bed then," Zabini says loudly, and he gestures for Nott to go ahead, something he immediately regrets.
Nott is completely unable to climb the stairs safely and turns around on a landing, causing Zabini's heart to stop. In Nott's condition, this move is more than just dangerous.
"And who says that about going to sleep?"
Nott is completely slurring his words, Zabini just frowns in confusion.
Then he sighs loudly.
"I'll put you all to bed. Come on, you three idiots. You need sleep."
***
Albus wakes up with a terrible headache and takes a moment to realize where he is. Thank Merlin, he's in his bed.
"Merlin," Nott groans from across the room, making Zabini chuckle. Zabini is doing better than anyone else.
"Shut up," Nott grumbles, picking up his pillow and pressing it against his own face. "Fucking headache."
Albus grimaces as he takes the first step to sit up. The headache spreads down his neck.
His gaze wanders to Scorpius's bed, but he's not there. His head is pounding so badly he feels dizzy as he looks around the room, trying to find Scorpius. The bathroom door is slightly ajar. Albus slowly gets up and as soon as he's on his feet, nausea floods his stomach. He feels the bile rising, and he quickly closes his eyes, takes a deep breath through his nose, and lowers his head to release the fluid in his stomach. Albus grimaces for a few seconds before raising his head again and making his way to the bathroom.
He slips through the gap but doesn't close the door.
Scorpius is standing in front of the mirror and has just finished brushing his teeth. Albus can't help but chuckle at Scorpius's messy appearance. He finds him even cuter like this.
"How are you?" Albus asks, trying to keep his voice casual.
A sneer spreads across Scorpius's face, and his gaze flies to Albus, who has thrown his head back as the next wave of nausea hits him.
"I feel shitty. And from the look of you, you probably do too," Scorpius replies, and at the end he even chuckles a little.
Normally, the giggle would have triggered something in Albus's stomach, but the nausea is stronger. He places his hand on his forehead. "I think I have a fever."
Scorpius's expression is replaced by concern as he takes a few steps forward and raises his hand.
"May I?"
Albus's only response is a nod, and then he feels Scorpius' cold, yet somehow pleasant hand on his forehead.
Albus has to narrow his eyes because of the headache, as the light penetrates his eyes and leaves a stinging sensation in his head.
Scorpius tilts his head slightly and frowns before quickly removing his hand from Albus' forehead.
"You're almost burning," Scorpius breathes, and Albus is about to say something sarcastic when Scorpius puts his hands on Albus's shoulders and pushes him out of the bathroom.
"Lie down, immediately."
Scorpius' tone suggests that he will not tolerate refusal, and reluctantly, Albus lies back down on his bed.
"Nott and Albus got it the worst." Zabini can't help but laugh as Scorpius puts the blanket over Albus, which Albus tries to prevent, but to no avail.
"I can take the blanket myself."
,,No."
Zabini watches the scenario with a grin before shaking his head and flopping down on his bed. "Idiots."
Due to Albus's impairment, caused by the after-effects of alcohol, he can't be bothered by Scorpius covering him or his hand briefly brushing against his.
Because Albus is feeling so bad, the crush doesn't trigger any reaction from him.
At least that's what he thinks in his still drunken state.
♡