Chapter 16
Albus briskly made his way along the Hogwarts Express, the sound of chatter and excitement filling the air. Suddenly, Rose intercepted him.
"Albus, I’ve been looking for you," she said, her tone hesitant.
Albus raised an eyebrow. "Me? Why?"
Rose hesitated, searching for the right words. "Albus, it’s the start of our fourth year, a new beginning for us. I want us to be friends again."
Albus scoffed. "We were never friends. You bulying another girls only because they are girly"
Rose's expression fell. "That's harsh! You were my best friend when we were six!"
Albus shook his head, ready to leave, but Rose pulled him into an empty compartment.
"Have you heard the rumors?" Rose whispered. "There was a big Ministry raid a few days ago. Your dad was apparently incredibly brave."
Albus's interest was piqued. "How do you always know these things before me?"
Rose leaned in, excitement evident in her voice. "They raided the wizard Theodore Nott. He had all sorts of illegal artifacts, including a superior Time-Turner."
Albus's eyes widened as everything clicked into place. "A Time-Turner? Dad found a Time-Turner?"
Rose nodded eagerly. "Yes! Isn't it great?"
Albus nodded, his mind racing. "I have to find Scorpius."
As Albus strolled down the train aisle, Rose trailed closely behind, her determination evident in her every step.
"Albus!" Rose called out, prompting him to turn decisively.
"Who told you that you have to talk to me?" Albus questioned, his tone firm.
"Okay, maybe your mum owled my dad — but only because she’s worried about you. And I just think—" Rose began, but Albus interrupted her.
"Leave me alone, Rose," Albus insisted as he continued on his way.
Meanwhile, Scorpius sat comfortably in his usual compartment, and Albus entered first, with Rose still following him closely.
"Albus! Oh hello, Rose, why you smell so bad? You could use perfumes. All normal girls use perfumes." Scorpius greeted them cheerfully.
"What do I smell of?" Rose repeated, puzzled by the question.
"Albus, I’m here, okay? If you need me," Rose interjected, trying to offer her support.
"I think she becomes more and more tereible." Scorpius mused aloud as Rose walked away, shaking her head in disbelief.
"I think she always have been terrible person I’ve been looking for you everywhere..." Albus confessed as he finally approached Scorpius.
"And now you’ve found me. Ta-da! I was hardly hiding. You know how I like to get on early. Stops people staring. Shouting. Writing 'son of death eaters' on my trunk. That one never gets old. She really doesn’t like me, does she?" Scorpius replied, attempting to lighten the mood.
Albus hugged his friend tightly, surprising Scorpius with the intensity of the embrace.
"Okay. Hello. Um. Have we hugged before? Do we hug?" Scorpius awkwardly questioned as they both let go.
"Just a slightly weird twenty-four hours," Albus admitted.
"What’s happened in them?" Scorpius inquired.
"I’ll explain later. We have to get off this train," Albus urged, noticing the train starting to move.
"Too late. The train is moving. Hogwarts ahoy!" Scorpius remarked cheerfully.
"Then we have to get off a moving train," Albus stated determinedly.
"Anything from the trolley, dears?" the Trolley Witch interrupted, offering snacks to the boys.
Albus opened a window and prepared to climb out as Scorpius remarked, "A moving magical train."
"Albus Severus Potter, get that strange look out of your eye," Scorpius joked, trying to lighten the tense moment.
ALBUS cleared his throat, his expression serious as he posed the first question. "What do you know about the Triwizard Tournament?"
SCORPIUS's eyes lit up with excitement. "Ah, a quiz! Three schools select three champions to engage in three tasks, all for the glory of claiming one Cup. But why does that matter?"
A grin tugged at ALBUS's lips. "You truly are a massive geek, aren't you?"
SCORPIUS simply shrugged, unabashed. "Guilty as charged."
"Second question," ALBUS continued, his tone becoming more somber. "Why hasn't the Triwizard Tournament been held for over two decades?"
SCORPIUS's expression turned thoughtful. "The last tournament involved your father and a boy named Cedric Diggory. They decided to share the victory, but the Cup turned out to be a Portkey, transporting them straight to Voldemort. Cedric lost his life in the process."
"Exactly," ALBUS nodded, "Good. Third question: Did Cedric need to be killed? Easy question, easy answer: No. The words Voldemort said were “Kill the spare.” The spare. He died only because he was with my father and my father couldn’t save him — we can. A mistake has been made and we’re going to right it. We’re going to use a Time-Turner. We’re going to bring him back"
As Scorpius listened to Albus's impassioned plea, he couldn't help but feel a sense of unease creeping over him. "Albus, for obvious reasons, I never use Time-Turners. I think it's dangerous," he warned, his voice tinged with concern.
Albus's response was filled with a mix of determination and frustration. "When Amos Diggory asked for the Time-Turner, my father denied they even existed. He lied to an old man who just wanted his son back — who just loved his son. And he did it because he didn’t care — because he doesn’t care. Everyone talks about all the brave things Dad did. But he, the same as your parents, made some mistakes too. Some big mistakes, in fact. I want to set one of those mistakes right. I want us to save Cedric."
Scorpius couldn't help but shake his head in disbelief. "Okay, whatever was holding your brain together seems to have snapped," he remarked, his tone incredulous.
But Albus remained resolute. "I’m going to do this, Scorpius. I need to do this. And you know as well as I do, I’ll entirely mess it up if you don’t come with me. Come on," he urged, flashing a determined grin before disappearing into thin air.