Fic: The Silver Hourglass

[mysecretashes]

Title: The Silver Hourglass
Summary: Albus feels a pull toward Godric's Hollow, but while there he discovers a temptation that may be too hard to resist.
Word Count: 3656
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Adventure?
Prompts: Person: Gellert Grindelwald; Place: Godric's Hollow; Object one: rock and chisel; Object two: Cleansweep Five; Food: bread; Emotion: nostalgia; Quote: Eve Glicksman; Freeform: time travel
Disclaimer: Not mine.
AN: This was fun to write, and includes a 'surprise' pairing. I might even do a sequel one day (when I'm not swamped with other fics to write). I hope you enjoy it!



The Silver Hourglass

"Are you mental? No, wait, let me rephrase that-you are completely and utterly mental."

Albus frowned, stopping in the middle of the Potters' backyard. "All I want to do is fly to Godric's Hollow. That's not that crazy."

Scorpius stopped as well, staring at him incredulously. "Yeah, on an ancient Cleansweep Five. That's not crazy at all!"

"You're being ridiculous," Albus huffed, crossing his arms. "I've already tested it; it's in fine working order."

Scorpius shook his head. "No, no way. I am not getting on that thing with you."

Albus bit his lip and widened his eyes. "Please?"

"Don't do that," Scorpius groaned. "That's not fair."

Albus released his lip, poking it out into a pout and demurely lowering his eyelashes. He peeked up at Scorpius through them. "I really need you with me, Scorpius. I can't do this by myself."

Scorpius stared at him, obviously willing himself not to give in. "Al…,"

Albus sighed and gave him a sad smile. "Alright. I'll go alone." He turned and continued making his way to the shed at the back of the yard. Five…four…three…two…one.

"Fucking hell!" Scorpius cried, and Albus could picture him throwing up his hands in defeat. "Fine, you win."

Albus grinned triumphantly and turned back to Scorpius, throwing his arms around his neck and planting a firm kiss on his mouth. "You're the best, do you know that?"

"Yes," Scorpius answered, half-heartedly pushing Albus away. "You were completely obvious, by the way."

"I know," Albus said, grabbing Scorpius's hand and pulling him toward the shed. "And it worked anyway, didn't it?"

Scorpius glared at him but allowed himself to be drug along. "One of these days I'm going to learn to tell you no."

Albus sent a cheeky grin over his shoulder. "Let me know how that turns out."

Scorpius sighed dramatically. "Maybe I should just withhold sex for a while."

Albus halted mid-step and Scorpius ran into his back with a surprised grunt. "Is that so?"

Before Scorpius could answer, Albus spun around and pressed his body against the other boy's. He slid his free hand around Scorpius's waist and down to squeeze his arse through his jeans, pressing their lips together and slipping his tongue into Scorpius's mouth.

Scorpius moaned and buried his hand in Albus's hair, tugging lightly even as he twisted their tongues together. Albus rocked their hips together, arousal coursing through him when he felt Scorpius's erection press against his groin.

Finally, Albus pulled away and grinned at the heavy-lidded expression on Scorpius's face. "I don't believe you, for some reason."

Scorpius blinked and looked confused for a few seconds before realization dawned. "I hate you," he muttered sullenly.

Albus laughed and started once more for the shed, holding tightly to Scorpius's hand. "I don't believe that either."

They arrived at the shed and Albus was forced to release Scorpius so that he could pull the door open. It was very dark inside, and Albus pulled out his wand to cast Lumos. The dim light allowed them to quickly retrieve the Cleansweep Five that Albus had tucked into the back corner.

"Why is this so important to you?" Scorpius asked as they stepped back out of the shed, eyeing the broom with trepidation.

Albus hesitated. "It's my history, and Dad refuses to take me. He goes at least once a year to see his parent's graves and the house where they all lived, but never has he taken anybody with him. James and Lily don't really seem to care, and Mum says that Dad wants to protect us, but I just…,"

"Need to know," Scorpius finished quietly when Albus trailed off.

"Yeah," Albus said with a weak smile.

Scorpius sighed. "Alright then; let's go."

Albus grinned and mounted the broom, Scorpius climbing on behind him and slipping his arms around his waist. They took off into the air, the night sky surrounding them and providing them with a natural protection from spying eyes.

The flight to Godric's Hollow was long, and the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon when they finally arrived. They landed in an area secluded by several trees, and Albus shrunk the broom and stuck it in his pocket.

"Come on," he said, starting toward where they had seen the village as they flew over. "There's supposed to be a memorial."

"Your dad's going to go mental when he realizes that we're gone," Scorpius said, following behind.

Albus shrugged. "I left him a note that said we decided to go out for breakfast and it was too early to wake anyone. I'm sure we can come up with an excuse as to why it took so long."

Scorpius shook his head in amazement. "There's no guarantee that he'll believe that."

"That doesn't mean that he won't," Albus countered, carefully stepping over a root. "Look! There's the main road we saw. Come on."

He quickened his pace, Scorpius hurrying to keep up. Albus felt adrenaline coursing through him but managed to remember to look around before bursting out of the trees and startling somebody. Fortunately, nobody seemed to be up so early and they were free to walk down the empty street.

When they turned a corner and the small village square appeared, Albus drew in a sharp breath. He was so close to seeing where it had all started, where his dad had nearly lost his life for the first time. He wasn't sure why it was so important to him to come here, but it was.

"Aunt Hermione said the war memorial in the middle of the square turns into a statue of my dad with his parents when witches and wizards get close enough," Albus said. "I want to see that first."

Scorpius nodded, and they were silent as they continued on into the heart of the village. Albus headed straight for the memorial as soon as it came into view, holding his breath until he was close enough for the small stone covered in names to transform into the statue.

He stared up into the faces of the grandparents he had never gotten the chance to meet, for some reason surprised to see that they were only a few years older than he was now. It was odd to think of the baby in the woman's arms as being his very much alive father.

"Do I look like him?" Albus asked quietly, shifting his gaze to James Potter the first; he wasn't sure where the oddly-placed feeling of nostalgia had come from.

"What?" Scorpius asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

Albus gestured to his grandfather. "Him. My dad says everyone always told him how much he looked like his father, and everybody tells me I look like my dad…,"

"Oh," Scorpius said, understanding lighting his eyes as he looked back and forth between Albus and the statue. "Well, er, I guess you do. A little. There are differences, though. Your nose isn't as long, and you have freckles across it."

Albus frowned thoughtfully, ignoring the comment about his freckles, and moved his gaze to his grandmother. "I have her eyes. I have her eyes and I look like him and I've never met them. And it's worse for my dad, you know? Because it's his parents. I can't imagine never knowing my mum and dad."

"Me neither," Scorpius said after a moment. "It makes me feel sorry for your dad, really."

"Yeah," Albus said, and then sighed. "Come on; let's see if we can find the house." He made to turn away, but something glinted in the rising sun and caught his eye. "Wait, what's that?"

Scorpius paused from where he had already started to walk away. "What's what?"

"That," Albus said, pointing at the tiny silver corner of something embedded in the stone base of the statue. "What do you think that is?"

Scorpius stepped closer and examined it. "Probably just a piece of the stone."

Albus shook his head. "No, there's something there." He glanced around to make sure they were still alone and then pulled out his wand, conjuring a chisel and a small hammer.

"Al," Scorpius said in alarm. "What are you going to do?"

"Find out what it is," Albus said, and immediately set to work on removing the rock from around the silver object.

Scorpius cursed and cast several charms around them so that anybody who passed by wouldn't notice them. It took several long minutes but Albus finally chipped away enough stone to pull out the large silver hourglass, hanging without support inside a circle of rune-covered silver.

"What is it?" Scorpius asked warily.

"No idea," Albus said, staring at the strange object in his hand.

"I think you should put it back," Scorpius said, also staring at it.

"Why?" Albus asked.

"Because it could be dangerous!" Scorpius said. "We don't know what it is, or what it could do."

Albus bit his lip. "I don't think it's dangerous."

Scorpius shook his head and reached for the hourglass, fingers wrapping around the circle on the outside and pulling. "I don't want to risk it. We're putting it back."

"Wait-," Albus said, tightening his own grip on it and pulling back.

He hadn't been sure what he was going to say, but as it went it didn't matter. The hourglass inside the silver circle began spinning, and the two of them had just enough time to share a wide-eyed look of surprise and panic before the world around them blurred and began moving at a speed Albus had never seen.

Albus reached blindly for Scorpius's hand, gripping it tightly when he found it. He was getting dizzy from all the movement around him, and wished it would stop. Finally, things began to slow down. When the world seemed to have righted itself, Albus looked around in shock.

"Where are we?" Scorpius asked, voice full of fear.

"I think," Albus began, pausing to wet his dry lips. "I think we're still in Godric's Hollow. See the church?"

Scorpius glanced around and nodded slowly. "But where's the statue?"

"No idea," Albus said darkly.

They both jumped when they heard voices coming up behind them, and the panic Albus was feeling rose sharply. Suddenly remembering something, he released both Scorpius's hand and the hourglass and shoved his hand into his pocket.

Gripping the silky material tightly, Albus pulled out his dad's invisibility cloak and quickly threw it over himself and Scorpius. He caught Scorpius's eye and placed his finger against his lips, signaling that the other boy should stay quiet.

The voices became louder and Albus twisted to see two boys about his and Scorpius's age deep in conversation. One had long, dark auburn hair pulled back with a thin piece of leather, and the other had hair the color of gold flowing freely to just past his ears. Their clothes were of a style Albus had only seen in history texts.

"I understand what you are saying, Gellert," the one with auburn hair said. "But I'm still not entirely convinced."

"Come now, Albus," the golden one named Gellert said with a charming smile. "It would be for their own good."

Albus and Scorpius both gasped, exchanging identical looks of disbelief. The two boys continued past them, and Albus turned to watch them.

"It's him," Albus breathed as quietly as he could.

"Al-," Scorpius started.

"Come on," Albus said, once again gripping Scorpius's hand and dragging him along as he followed the other two.

"This is a very bad idea," Scorpius hissed, but didn't fight; he still had the silver hourglass held tightly in his other hand.

Albus shushed him, never taking his gaze from the man he was named after and the second greatest Dark wizard of all time. His dad-and his History of Magic textbook-had told him that the two of them had been friends, but to actually see them together-alive-was nearly overwhelming.

"They need our protection," Gellert was saying as they walked up the path Albus and Scorpius had arrived by. "They have no magic; they cannot protect themselves."

"Indeed, they can't," Albus-the-first said with a nod. "But are we to enslave them as house-elves are enslaved?"

"No, no, no," Gellert said, shaking his head. "We will rule over them, make decisions for them, but always remember that they are still human."

Albus-the-first nodded. "What are we to tell those who oppose us? Because there will be many."

Gellert shrugged. "That we do it for the greater good."

Albus-the-first looked surprised. "The greater good?"

"Yes," Gellert said. "It will be better for us because we will no longer have to hide our magic, and it will be better for them because they will have our protection."

"Ah," Albus-the-first breathed in understanding, a small smile playing at his lips. "I see what you mean now. Yes, yes, of course."

Gellert's face lit up. "Do you really? You are with me then?"

Albus-the-first flushed slightly but nodded. "Yes, I am with you. As long as there is as little force as possible used. I detest an overabundance of violence."

Something flashed over Gellert's face but he quickly nodded. "Of course. Oh, here we are. Would you like some breakfast, Albus my friend?"

"That sounds delightful," Albus-the-first said, his smile growing; he pulled out his wand and conjured a red and gold checked blanket.

Albus and Scorpius watched as the two boys set up a small picnic in the field they had stopped in, both of them pulling shrunken baskets out of their pockets and Enlarging them. They were both full of food-bread, cheese, grapes, bottles of pumpkin juice-and it wasn't long before the two boys settled down to eat.

"I am so very happy that you have agreed with me," Gellert said after a while. "It makes me happy to think that the two of us will rule together. I like you so very much, Albus."

Albus-the-first flushed again, smiling slightly. "I like you, too, Gellert. You know-," he hesitated, and then took a deep breath before continuing. " Ancient lovers believed a kiss would literally unite their souls, because the spirit was said to be carried in one's breath."

"Is that so?" Gellert asked, voice torn between interest and amusement.

"It is," Albus-the-first said, flush deepening. "Forgive me; I often spout useless information such as that."

"No forgiveness is necessary," Gellert said. "It is an interesting thing to know. I enjoy your bits of 'useless information'."

Albus-the-first cleared his throat. "Yes, well. I suppose we must be going; your aunt will be wondering where you have been."

Gellert laughed. "Oh, she knows I am with you. Aren't I always?"

Albus-the-first chuckled. "That is true."

"There is something to be said about the ancients," Gellert suddenly said, shifting closer to Albus-the-first.

"There is?" Albus-the-first said, not taking his eyes from Gellert's face.

"Oh, yes," Gellert said. "They often have the right idea about things."

Albus-the-first stared at him for a long moment, and then leaned in and quickly pressed his lips against Gellert's in a brief kiss. Albus and Scorpius exchanged a shocked glance, and when they turned back the kiss had deepened considerably.

"We should go," Scorpius whispered into Albus's ear. "They deserve some privacy."

Albus hesitated. "But-," Scorpius waited, raising an eyebrow in question. Albus swallowed and gave his boyfriend a pleading look. "We could change things. For the better."

Scorpius immediately shook his head, as though he had been waiting for that. "No, we can't, and you know it."

"We could," Albus insisted a bit desperately. "Tom Riddle hasn't even been born yet; we could tell Dumbledore what's going to happen-he could stop him from even existing!"

"Too many things could go wrong, Al," Scorpius said sadly.

"But we could save my grandparents!" Albus said. "My dad could grow up happy, with a real family! Please, Scorpius."

"And what happens if we get back to our time to discover that one or both of us no longer exists?" Scorpius asked. "Or that telling Dumbledore about Voldemort spurs him to go through with his plans with Grindelwald? If that was the case your grandfather probably wouldn't have been allowed to marry your grandmother."

Albus felt his face fall; he hadn't thought about that. "Right," he said quietly, glancing back at the other two boys. "We should go, then."

Scorpius didn't wait for him to change his mind; he squeezed Albus's hand and raised the hourglass up. Albus reached up and spun it in the opposite direction that had brought them there, desperately hoping that they ended up back in their own time.

The world blurred and spun, and his grip on Scorpius's hand tightened. When things finally stopped they were standing outside a half-destroyed house, a wooden sign rising from the ground in front of them. Albus pulled off the invisibility cloak and looked up at the house, instinctively knowing whose it was.

Scorpius handed the hourglass to Albus and stepped forward, reading the sign and then glancing back at Albus. "It seems we haven't changed anything."

Albus nodded and stuffed the cloak back into his pocket, fighting back the regret rising in him. He reminded himself that it was a good thing that they hadn't changed anything, but he had a hard time believing it. "Did we return to the right time period?"

"Only one way to find out," Scorpius said. "Let's head back to your house."

"We'll Apparate this time," Albus said. "Since we can picture it."

Scorpius nodded and held out his hand for Albus to take. "It will be ok, Al."

"Yeah," Albus said, smiling weakly and taking Scorpius's hand, twining their fingers together. He turned on the spot before Scorpius could say anything else, pulling them both toward the house he had grown up in.

When they landed in his backyard Albus was honestly relieved to see his house. Suddenly the sliding glass door opened and James stepped out onto the deck.

"There you are!" James said. "Were the hell have you been? Mum and Dad are about to go mental!"

Albus and Scorpius exchanged worried glances, and Albus hurriedly shoved the hourglass into his pocket.

"Er," Albus said. "How long have we been gone?"

James looked at him as though he were stupid. "Two days, Al. It's been two days since you left a note saying you were going for breakfast. What kind of breakfast takes two bloody days?"

"Fuck," Albus groaned. "We must have overshot a bit. I am so dead."

"Did, uh," Scorpius started, speaking to James. "Did they tell my parents we were missing?"

"As a matter of fact," an angry voice said behind them, "they did."

Albus and Scorpius spun to see Ginny and Astoria standing there, both of them wearing matching looks of anger and relief.

"And that's my signal to get the hell out," James said, turning and retreating back into the house.

"What were you thinking, disappearing like that with nothing more than a false note about breakfast?" Astoria asked.

"Where were you?" Ginny asked. "Both of your fathers have been all over England looking for you!"

Albus hesitated, and then decided to go with their original plan. "Godric's Hollow. I wanted to see, and Dad…,"

Ginny's face softened and she sighed. "Oh, Al. Two days without word, though?"

"I'm sorry," Albus said quietly, though he wasn't entirely sure what he was sorry about.

"We didn't mean to be gone so long or worry anybody," Scorpius added. "We just sort of…lost track of time."

Albus swallowed the sudden hysterical laugh that rose in him, sure that it wouldn't help. "So how much trouble are we in?"

Ginny and Astoria exchanged glances, and Albus couldn't help but roll his eyes at Scorpius; their mums had hit it off and had become good friends almost as soon as the boys had met.

"No wand for the rest of the summer, I think," Ginny said and then smiled. "But if Astoria agrees then I don't see why you can't see each other."

"That sounds reasonable to me," Astoria said. "Scorpius you've lost your wand as well, but the two of you may continue to spend time together-under supervision, of course."

Albus was so relieved that he didn't have to spend the next month without Scorpius that he immediately handed over his wand. Scorpius did the same, and then gave Albus a small smile.

"Come along, Scorpius," Astoria said. "We should go home and contact your father; Albus may visit in a few days."

Scorpius nodded and then turned to Albus and pulled him into a tight hug. "I love you," he whispered into Albus's ear. "Don't think about it too much, alright?"

Albus couldn't help but smile, returning the hug and then pulling back to give Scorpius a brief kiss. "I love you too. See you in a few days."

When Scorpius and Astoria had Apparated away Ginny turned to Albus. "I'll try to calm your dad down before he sees you, but if I can't then I'm not going to apologize. You scared us to death, Al. We had no idea what had happened, or if you were planning on coming back."

"I'm sorry," Al said again. "I honestly didn't mean to."

Ginny shook her head. " Go on up to your room. Dinner's going to be interesting tonight, that's for sure."

Albus nodded and nearly ran inside the house, thankful that he didn't pass James or Lily on the way. He took the stairs two at a time, and then hurried down the hall as quietly and quickly as he could. Once in his room he shut the door and used the Muggle lock on it, knowing that it wouldn't keep anybody out for long.

Albus sat on the bed and pulled the hourglass out of his pocket, staring at it in the light coming from his bedroom window.