Fic: Forest Fracas [PG]
Author: jezzifishie
Title: Forest Fracas
Pairing(s): Albus Severus/Scorpius, Harry/Ginny, mention of James/Teddy
Rating: PG
Warnings: Highlight to read: [Werewolf!Al], some mild violence
Word Count: 6,278
Summary: One mistake changes Al's life forever.
Prompt: #20 (Submitted by mabonwitch)
Notes: Thank you to my lovely Gryffindor friend for giving me a kick up the bottom so I actually got this finished on time!
Forest Fracas
“What are you doing over the summer Al?” asked Aster Brown. “Anything good?”
“Yeah!” replied Al excitedly. “I’m going Muggle camping with my family. I can’t wait - it’s going to be so much fun!”
“What’s Muggle camping?” said Florian, Aster’s twin. “How is it different from normal camping?”
“The tents are the same size on the inside and the outside,” Al enthused, warming to his topic. “There’s no point to Wizard camping, you have all the things you have at home. You have to rough it when you’re Muggle camping - no magic!”
“Yuck, sounds awful,” moaned Aster. “How about you Scorpius? Are you doing anything exciting?”
“What? Oh, nothing much,” mumbled Scorpius, before returning to his book. The fourth (soon to be fifth!) year Gryffindors were supposed to be packing and getting ready to return home on the Hogwarts Express for the summer holidays. This was not the case; the circular dorm room they shared was an absolute pigsty. There were more items of clothing on the floor than in their owner’s trunks, and the boys were lounging on their beds and chatting rather than packing. Well, most of the boys. Scorpius Malfoy had been packed for hours, and was sitting on top of his trunk, reading.
Scorpius was somewhat of an enigma to the other students in his year. No one could work out why he had been sorted into Gryffindor - he was painfully shy, rarely spoke during lessons, and spent most of his time with his nose in a book. Surely he would have been happier in Ravenclaw, or even Slytherin like his father?
“We’ve only got ten minutes left!” screeched Florian, and the rest of the boys sprang into action. Items were thrown haphazardly into trunks, with the last few items needing a shrinking spell to ensure that the trunk lids would shut. The final item was packed away just as the seventh year prefect entered the room.
“Well done boys!” he smiled, glancing around the room. “I like it when I don’t have to yell at you. Leave your trunks here; the House Elves will move them for you. It’s time to head down to the carriages!”
The boys stomped down the stairs, making more noise than was strictly necessary. The summer holidays had begun!
“Over here Albus!” called Harry, waving at his son. Al looked over and saw that his Mum was giving Lily a bear hug, and his Dad was resting a hand on James’ shoulder. Al ran over to his Dad and gave him a hug. Yes, he was probably too old for such behaviour, but at that moment he didn’t care.
“When are we leaving to go camping?” he asked, stepping back and picking up his trunk. “Hello to you too!” laughed Harry. “I’m glad you’re excited, but we haven’t even got home yet! We’re going on Friday.”
“But that’s a whole week away,” Al whinged. Harry exchanged glances with Ginny. It would be a very long week indeed if Al sulked his way through it.
Friday couldn’t come soon enough for Al. He even got up early on Friday morning - something that was completely unheard of. He gathered his belongings together and knocked on his parents’ door. “Can we go camping yet?” he called.
“What on Earth? Tempus,” muttered Harry.
“ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER, IT IS 6AM! GO BACK TO SLEEP!” Ah, his Mum was awake then.
Harry poked his head around the door, his hair looking even worse than usual. “You’re lucky I like you so much,” he said darkly, before pulling the door open fully and heading downstairs. “You’re supposed to grow out of this - you’ve managed to sleep through Christmas morning for the last five years, why are you doing this again now?”
Al didn’t reply, he just grinned cheekily and bounced down the stairs.
Two hours later, everyone was sat around the kitchen table eating their breakfast. Harry and Ginny looked ready to tear their hair out - Al was still bouncing around like a four year old, Lily was half-asleep and kept tripping over things, and James was in a foul mood.
“I just don’t see why we can’t use magic,” he sulked. “Why do we have to travel in Grandad’s car? What’s wrong with a Portkey or using the Floo?”
“I’ve told you this already,” replied Harry, taking deep breaths to try and control his temper. “Grandma Lily was Muggle-born, and I grew up with Muggles. I want you to understand this part of your heritage. It’s very important to me.”
“And to me,” said Ginny, placing a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I don’t know that much about how Muggles live and I think it’s about time I found out!” Harry suppressed a smile - Ginny had seen a lot of Muggle objects when she lived at the Burrow, but Arthur had been rather vague on what they actually did or how they were used.
The car journey wasn’t much better. Al was still channelling his inner four year old: “Are we nearly there yet?” James was sulking, and Lily was sick twice. “It’s all part of the experience,” said Harry grimly, as he took the wrong exit off the motorway, adding an extra half hour to their drive.
Finally, they arrived at their destination. “The New Forest,” smiled Ginny, waving her hand at the trees which carried on as far as the eye could see.
“Great, we’re here. Can we go home now?” moaned James. Lily didn’t say anything; she was throwing up yet again. Al just smiled happily at his parents - he knew this holiday was going to be great.
The day passed quickly after that - Lily and James cheered up when Harry offered to take them on a bike ride. They found Al’s attempts to stay upright absolutely hilarious. Al didn’t mind their teasing too much, it was better than the two of them moaning!
After a quick dinner of sausages and beans cooked on a small campfire (Harry had relented and lit it using magic after the Muggle methods refused to work), they all decided to call it a night. They were tired and achy from the bike ride and soft, squishy sleeping bags were sounding more and more appealing each minute.
“Stop hogging all the space James!” whinged Al, as he wriggled around and tried to get comfy on the hard ground. Sharing a tent with his older brother wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do for now. James didn’t reply - he was already fast asleep.
Al sat and read a book for a little while; his body really was very tired, but his brain wouldn’t switch off and allow him to sleep.
“What time is it?” he wondered. A glance at his watch told him that it was 1am. “I’m going for a walk,” he decided suddenly. “There’s no point in me just sitting here; maybe a bit of a walk will help me sleep.”
He put a coat on over his pyjamas, and slipped out of the tent. It was a beautiful night; the moon was bright and full, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The trees didn’t look dark and threatening like the ones in the Forbidden Forest, instead their silhouettes looked striking against the night sky.
Al knew that there was a picnic spot not too far from their campsite; he decided to sit on one of the picnic benches and stargaze for a little while. He was so caught up in his stargazing that he didn’t immediately notice the sound of twigs snapping nearby.
The noise got louder. “What was that?” he yelped, startled. It was too late. Before he could move a muscle, a blur of fur and teeth pounced on him. Al felt an intense pain in his side before he blacked out and knew no more.
“Of course I put protection spells up around the campsite! I just didn’t expect my son to go for a midnight wander into the forest...”
“Owwww...” moaned Al, squeezing his eyes shut again. He had a killer headache anyway, and his Dad’s yelling wasn’t helping.
“Al? Are you awake?” whispered Ginny. Al looked over at his Mum; she looked as though she had been crying. “What’s wrong Mum?” he croaked, his voice sounding strange and scratchy. “Oh Al,” she managed, before bursting into tears again. “I’ll go and get a healer; they wanted me to tell them when you woke up.” She walked out of the room, sniffling into a tissue.
Al was not amused; his head hurt, he ached all over, and no one was giving him any answers. Just as he was working himself up into a proper strop, the door opened and his Dad entered the room.
“Dad? What’s going on?” Harry looked even worse than Ginny. He too had dried tear tracks down his cheeks, and the black bruises under his eyes told of a sleepless night or two. The worst part however, was the fact that he looked defeated. Al had never seen his Dad look so beaten, and that scared him more than waking up in a hospital bed had done.
“It’s so good to see you up,” said Harry, sitting down in a chair and taking Al’s hand. “You’ve been unconscious for two days, the Healers thought it best to keep you in a healing sleep for a while. Do you remember what happened?”
Al thought for a while. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk. I’ve got a killer headache, did I fall and hit my head?” he offered. Harry shook his head, looking grave.
“Before we go any further,” he stated, “I want you to know that we will always love you and support you, even when things get really difficult. We will always be here for you.”
Al paled and started to shake, this sounded really serious. “What happened?” he whispered.
Harry took a deep breath before replying. “You were bitten by a werewolf Albus. You have been infected with Lycanthropy. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”
Al nodded. “You mean I’m a werewolf like Uncle Remus was?” he replied, his voice sounding shaky and very young.
“That’s right,” sighed Harry. “You will change into a werewolf once a month when there’s a full moon, unless we take precautions like giving you the Wolfsbane Potion.”
The door opened; it was a blonde witch wearing Healer robes. “Hello Albus,” she smiled. “I need to cast a few spells, just to check that you’re healing nicely.”
Despite her smiles and bubbly manner, it quickly became apparent to both Harry and Al that the Healer was feeling uncomfortable and anxious. She cast the diagnostic spells while standing over the other side of the room, as though she didn’t want to get too near to her patient. “I bet you’ve got an awful headache, I’ll go and get a potion for that,” she trilled, before fleeing the room.
“It’s always going to be like that, isn’t it,” said Al heavily. “No one likes or trusts werewolves.” Harry gripped his hand so tightly that it hurt.
“I’m not going to lie to you Al, you know that there are some very prejudiced people out there,” he began. “However, things are better now than they were in the past. Aunt Hermione has worked really hard in the Ministry to get anti-werewolf legislation removed, and people’s attitudes are slowly changing.”
Al nodded, but he wasn’t entirely convinced. “I need to think for a while,” he announced. “It’s... it’s a lot to get my head around.” Harry smiled sadly; it was breaking his heart to see his middle child suffering so much.
Al was released from St. Mungos a couple of days later, and his family were all waiting for him. “We’re going to stay with my parents for a little while,” Ginny fussed. “Grandma Molly wants to feed you up a bit - she always says that hospital food is worse than Kneazle food.”
“Will they still like me?” he ventured, wringing his hands anxiously. “I’ll understand if they don’t want me in the house.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” replied Ginny briskly. “Why would you think that? They love you, and they always will.” Feeling slightly comforted, Al stepped into the hospital Floo. “The Burrow!”
He barely made it out of the fireplace before he was grabbed and gathered into a hug. “Oh Albus, I’ve been so worried! You gave us quite a scare you know.” Al couldn’t hold back a grin - nothing had changed, Grandma Molly still liked him.
“Come and sit down, I’ll make you a cup of tea. You look dreadfully pale, I hope the hospital have been treating you properly. When Arthur stayed there the food was disgraceful, we need to get some decent home cooking into you, get some colour back in your cheeks...”
Arthur looked carefully at Al and ignored the fussing of his wife. “It’s really good to have you home,” he said. “Let me know if you want a bit of peace and quiet, there’s a comfy chair in my shed with your name on it.” Al smiled gratefully at his perceptive Grandad. Normally he would be chatting with his relatives and giving as good as he got, but he was finding everything a little bit overwhelming today.
“He’s like a completely different child, so quiet and withdrawn. I’m really worried about him,” confided Ginny to Grandma Molly. Al held his breath; he really didn’t want them to discover him. He had spent a bit of time chatting to Grandad Arthur in his shed; they obviously hadn’t heard him return to the house. “I’ve told him over and over again that we still love him, but I don’t think he really believes it.” His Mum was getting really upset - he heard Grandma Molly get up from her chair and move over to Ginny.
“That’s all you can do,” soothed Molly. “Keep telling him until he believes it. He’ll come through this, you all will.”
Al thought he should probably announce his presence. He ducked back into the hall and coughed noisily. “That doesn’t sound very healthy!” called his Mum. “I’ll make you some tea.”
He entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. Suddenly an owl flew through the open window and deposited a red envelope by his elbow. It was addressed to him, so he opened it. “Al, no!” cried Ginny, but she was too late.
“YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT DOWN THE MINUTE YOU WERE BITTEN” screeched a woman Al didn’t recognise. “YOU ARE A DANGEROUS ANIMAL; YOU SHOULD BE KEPT IN A CAGE! DON’T YOU EVEN THINK OF GOING BACK TO HOGWARTS - I DON’T WANT YOU ANYWHERE NEAR MY SON.”
The letter disintegrated and turned to ash. Al sat still, completely stunned. He knew that people wouldn’t be comfortable around him, but what did he do to deserve a Howler from a complete stranger?
“Have there been any other letters like that?” he asked. Ginny looked away, she obviously didn’t want to answer his question. “Ginny,” chided Arthur, as he entered the kitchen. “He deserves to know - he needs to understand what he’s up against when he goes back to Hogwarts. It’s not fair to send him back unprepared.”
Ginny huffed, but she turned to face Al. “Yes, there have been other letters,” she admitted. “You’ve been in the newspapers too, they’ve been writing the most disgusting articles about our family. I’ve been burning the letters and I’ve cancelled our Daily Prophet subscription. You don’t need to read the rubbish they’ve been writing, it’s all lies.”
Far too soon for Al’s liking, it was time to return to Hogwarts. His parents were worried that it might not be safe for Al to take the train, so the whole family were given special permission to Floo to Hogwarts. His parents hugged him for longer than usual before ruffling his hair and instructing him to write to them often. James and Lily received the same treatment, which James didn’t particularly appreciate. Finally it was time for the three siblings to make their way to the Great Hall. Lily waved at Al before bouncing off to join her friends, and James gave him a friendly punch on the arm before doing the same. Al took a deep breath and approached his dorm mates.
The whole room fell silent as he walked in. He felt many sets of eyes watching him and cataloguing every move. He felt mildly irritated; he wasn’t going to turn into a werewolf immediately!
Al found his friends and sat down at the table. “Hey everyone, did you have a good summer?” he smiled, glancing around at his room mates. To his great shock, no one answered. Well, that wasn’t quite true - Scorpius Malfoy muttered “it was lovely, thank you,” before blushing bright red and staring at his dinner plate.
The silent treatment continued for the rest of the meal, and Al found that his appetite had completely deserted him. He followed the rest of the Gryffindors up to the Tower, and stumbled to his bed. He had known that it was going to be difficult, but he had hoped that at least one friend would stick by him. It seemed that the majority of the House didn’t want him to be there. Al sobbed into his pillow all night.
The following days and weeks were much the same; people either left the room when he entered, or they pretended that he didn’t exist. Al had never felt so bereft; he was seriously considering writing to his parents and asking them to remove him from Hogwarts.
“Potter, the Headmaster wants to see you,” announced one of the Gryffindor Prefects. Al knew exactly what this was about; it was the full moon tonight. Even if he hadn’t been anxiously watching the calendar, he would still have known - his temper had been shorter, and his skin felt more sensitive than usual. There had been much taunting from his dorm mates about his ‘PMT’.
With a sigh, Al walked up the stairs to the Headmaster’s office. “You wanted to see me Sir?” he enquired. “Ah yes! Come in Albus,” squeaked Professor Flitwick. “I’ve got your Wolfsbane Potion for you. Shall we get you settled in for the night?”
Flitwick escorted Al to a disused classroom, which had been equipped especially for him with cushions and blankets. Although Al was glad that he didn’t have to use the Shrieking Shack like Uncle Remus did, a drafty classroom wasn’t really his favourite place to spend the night. He gulped down the contents of the smoking goblet, winced at the foul taste, and sat himself down on the largest cushion. Professor Flitwick bade him goodnight, and exited through the door. He didn’t leave immediately however, Al could hear him chanting and casting spells to keep the rest of the school safe should the Wolfsbane fail.
Al felt a strange tingling sensation in his toes. “It’s started,” he sighed, wriggling his toes in an attempt to get more comfortable. This action made matters worse; the tingling moved up his legs, across his torso, and into his fingers. Al noted absently that his fingernails were beginning to grow.
The tingling suddenly turned into sharp bursts of pain. Al screamed and curled into a ball as a particularly bad jolt shot across his chest. He knew exactly what this pain was - his bones were resetting themselves into their new shape.
There was a brief moment of reprieve, and Al managed to catch his breath. However, all too soon it began again - millions of tiny needles were being pushed through his skin. The pain was almost unbearable, and Al cried out - a long scream of agony that turned into a howl of despair. The transformation was complete.
“I really hurt,” thought Al wearily. He took a few shaky steps over to the softest looking cushion and flopped down. This was only his second transformation, and the change exhausted him. Al laid his head on his paws and fell asleep.
Around 6am, Al awoke suddenly. “Why can’t I sleep through this?” he sulked as the transformation began again. The needles were pushed through his skin once more, but this time in the opposite direction. His bones reset themselves, and he found himself once again in his familiar human body. He was sweaty, exhausted, and just generally drained. “Hospital wing, then a bath, then sleep,” he decided, as he pushed the classroom door open and stepped into the corridor.
One moment he was walking, then he was falling...his head bumped painfully against each step as he plummeted down the staircase. He landed in a heap at the bottom, completely unable to move. He noted that he was lying in a pool of his own blood and that his left arm was sticking out at a funny angle, before passing out - malicious laughter ringing in his ears.
Al opened his eyes slowly, feeling dazed and confused. Why was he in the hospital wing? He didn’t remember getting there. “Al? Are you awake?” whispered his Dad, who was sitting by his bedside.
“Dad? What’s going on?” he croaked, blearily looking around the room. It looked like his whole family were there.
“You had an accident Al, you fell down the stairs,” Harry continued. This simple statement seemed to infuriate his Mum - “It was no accident and you know it!” she shot back. Harry looked weary, and gestured for Ginny to lower her voice. Lily started stroking his hair tenderly, which felt really nice. She looked extremely pale, which made her prominent freckles stand out even more.
“We’ve been really worried Al,” she murmured, her hand temporarily stilling. “It was a really bad fall.” Al looked over at James, who was sitting next to Teddy. Wait, something wasn’t right - they were holding hands. The sight rather inexplicably made him want to laugh. He didn’t have enough energy for that, so he did the next best thing - he fell asleep.
Al woke again many hours later. This time, there was no one gathered around his bed. It was dark, and all the other occupants of the hospital wing were asleep. Wait a minute, there was someone in a chair at the foot of his bed - Al noticed a tuft of blond hair poking out from a blanket. He reached out and poked the sleeping figure.
The lump yelped and fell out of the chair. “Scorpius!” gasped Al. “What are you doing here?”
Scorpius winced and rubbed his eyes before answering. “I...wanted to see how you were,” he confessed. “The other boys in the dorm said they’d hurt you really badly.”
“So you thought you’d come and finish off the job,” snarled Al. He felt devastated - he couldn’t believe that boys he had considered friends had turned on him and attempted to kill him.
“No, no! Not at all!” protested Scorpius, his eyes wide. “I didn’t know what they were planning, and I would have told a teacher if I had known. I haven’t been in the dorm much recently; I’m a bit out of touch with everyone.”
“It’s okay Scorpius,” sighed Al. “I know you’re uncomfortable with me being in the dorm, I’ll spend less time there so you can be with the others.”
Scorpius looked utterly scandalised. “I’m not explaining this well at all,” he mumbled before, to Al’s surprise, blushing a deep red. “It’s not what you think. I haven’t been in the dorm because I’ve been taking extra Potions lessons. I’ve been learning how to make Wolfsbane.”
There was complete silence. Scorpius looked as though he wanted the ground to swallow him up, and Al tried to understand Scorpius’ words.
“Wait...you’ve been taking extra lessons and making a potion so complicated it’s not even on the NEWTs, all for me?” Scorpius nodded. “I c-can’t make it yet,” he stuttered, “but I’m getting there.”
“Why?” said Al, sounding bewildered. “I mean, I like you and all, but we’re not friends! You barely speak to me!” Scorpius flushed an even deeper shade of red. When he spoke his voice was so quiet that Al strained his ears to hear it.
“I didn’t want you to rely on just one person for your potion. What would happen if our teacher was ill and couldn’t make it for you? I didn’t want you to suffer.” The next part was said even quieter.
“I didn’t quite catch that,” said Al, moving closer to the other boy. “I know we’re not friends, but I would like us to be,” whispered Scorpius. “I just don’t know how, I’ve never had a friend before.”
Al processed all Scorpius had said. “Well then,” he replied, feeling oddly formal. “I would be honoured to be your friend.” He stuck out his hand, and Scorpius tentatively shook it.
Over the next few weeks, Al and Scorpius became inseparable. They walked to lessons together, partnered each other during class whenever possible, worked on homework together, and generally spent every waking minute as a pair. Al felt instantly comfortable with Scorpius, so much more than he had ever felt with his previous friends. He didn’t notice that he touched his friend more than was strictly necessary, or that his face brightened whenever Scorpius entered the room. Other people did however, and they also noticed that Scorpius behaved the exact same way.
“Al! Al, where are you!” Al waved him over to a spare seat in front of the Common Room fire. “What’s got you all excited? I’ve never seen you like this before!”
Scorpius smiled, and shoved a piece of parchment into Al’s hands. “I’ve won a Potions scholarship! Professor Flitwick recommended me because I’ve been doing so well with the Wolfsbane; I get to go on special courses during the holidays!” Al threw his arms around his friend. “I’m so pleased for you,” he beamed. “Extra Potions lessons sounds like hell to me, but I know you’ll love it.”
Scorpius shifted in his seat, a strange look on his face. Al still had his arms around his friend, and didn’t see anything unusual in this behaviour. Slowly and carefully, Scorpius leant in and placed a tender kiss on Al’s lips.
“Oh!” squeaked Al, totally surprised by Scorpius’ actions. He tightened his grip however, when he tried to bolt. “I didn’t expect you to do that, but I like it,” he whispered into Scorpius’ ear. Al gently kissed cheeks, eyelids, forehead, and finally lips. They stayed lost in their own little world until the bell rang, signalling the beginning of afternoon classes.
“Albus Potter, you’re to see the Headmaster after this lesson,” stated Professor Macmillan as the two boys entered the classroom for the final lesson of the day. “I wonder why? I hope I’m not in trouble,” worried Al. Scorpius gave Al’s hand a comforting squeeze. “Do you want me to come with you?” he asked. Al nodded gratefully, he always felt so much better with Scorpius by his side.
“Ah, Albus. Thanks for coming,” beamed Professor Flitwick. He didn’t seem particularly surprised to see Scorpius tagging along; everyone knew how close the boys were. Well, almost everyone.
“Mum? Dad? What are you doing here?” Al ran over to his parents and was swept into a hug. He noticed that his Dad in particular had lost a lot of weight. He leant back so he could get a proper look at their faces. They were both pale and drawn, with black smudges under their eyes. Harry’s hair had a lot more grey in it now, and Ginny’s forehead had lines that hadn’t been present before.
“It’s so good to see you Al, I hate only seeing you in hospital beds,” mumbled Harry into his son’s hair. A moment later, Lily and James entered the room and joined in the hugs. Al didn’t want Scorpius to feel left out, so he walked over to him and took his hand. Harry raised an eyebrow at this, but didn’t say a word.
“Now we’re all here,” began Professor Flitwick, “I can let you know why your parents have joined us. They have asked me for sanctuary and protection from the media, and I have given it. They will be staying at Hogwarts for the foreseeable future.”
“We’ve tried to shield you from the worst of it, so you could concentrate on your schoolwork,” continued Harry. “We’ve had practically non-stop Howlers, nasty lies have been continually written about our family in the newspapers, and reporters have been following us wherever we go. It’s all too much; we just can’t take it any more.”
Al was stricken - this was all his fault! None of this would have happened if he hadn’t been bitten and turned into a werewolf. Ginny noticed his face fall and immediately ran over to him. “Oh Al,” she soothed, stroking his hair. “This isn’t your fault. I promise you - it’s not your fault and we don’t blame you at all. Please don’t ever think that.”
James looked anxiously at his watch. “Mum, Dad, is it okay if me and Lils go? We’ve got Quidditch practice.” Harry beamed proudly at his eldest son and daughter. “Of course! I’m looking forward to watching your next match. It’s against Hufflepuff, isn’t it?” James nodded. “Their new seeker is really good, so we’re having lots of extra practices. See you later!”
Al smiled slightly nervously at his parents as James and Lily left the room. He suspected that he was going to be interrogated about Scorpius, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us Al?” laughed Ginny. “Oh! Um, yes,” stuttered Al. “Mum, Dad, this is my boyfriend Scorpius. Scorpius, my Mum and Dad.” He was too busy waving his hands around that he missed the blush that spread across Scorpius’ cheeks when Al referred to him as his boyfriend.
“Very pleased to meet you,” said Harry with a smile. He stretched out his hand, and Scorpius shook it. “Nice to meet you too Sir,” he murmured. “Are you okay with this?” queried Al. “I know it’s a bit of a shock, but...”
Ginny interrupted him before he could ramble any further. “Al, we love you and we want you to be happy. We’ve been so worried about you this term - if you’ve found happiness, why should we care if it’s with a boy or a girl?”
“Plus,” added Harry with a cheeky grin, “this way we don’t have to worry about you getting a girl pregnant.”
Al spluttered indignantly, Scorpius burst into laughter, and Professor Flitwick looked as though he was doing his best not to smile too much. “On that note,” the Headmaster said, “it’s time for dinner. Harry, Ginny, will you have dinner with me in my quarters? Albus, Scorpius, I think it’s time for you to return to the rest of your House.”
Scorpius was quiet and thoughtful for the rest of the evening. By contrast, Al was bouncing off the walls - he was just so pleased to have his parents at Hogwarts. The number of people in the school who actually liked him and didn’t just see him as ‘the werewolf’ had increased, and that could only be a good thing.
“Al, can I talk to you?” Scorpius whispered. The other Gryffindors had mostly gone to bed; there were just a couple of stragglers left. “Course you can, what’s up?” replied Al. He threw his magazine on the table and moved closer to his boyfriend. Scorpius took a deep breath before replying.
“I think I know how to help your parents.”
“Are you sure this is going to work?” fretted Albus, for about the thousandth time. “I don’t know how they’re going to react to this...”
The two boys entered the classroom that Al used for his monthly transformation. Harry and Ginny were already waiting there for them. “Hello boys,” greeted Harry, and Ginny echoed him. “What did you want to talk to us about?”
“I’ve got a suggestion for you, something that might help with the reporters,” began Scorpius, his voice shaking slightly. “Would you agree to an interview if the reporter could be trusted to write only the truth?”
Harry and Ginny looked at each other. “We had considered it Scorpius,” Harry said gently. “We couldn’t find anyone we trusted - we would want to get to know them before the interview, and no one was willing to do that. I’ve had bad experiences with reporters in the past, I don’t want to take any risks and possibly make things even worse.”
Scorpius glanced at Al; this was the moment of truth. “I think my Dad might be able to help. He writes for The Quibbler.”
“Really?” said Harry incredulously. “I’ve never seen any articles by him.” “Um... you have done,” replied Scorpius, “you just didn’t realise it. He writes under a pen name - he’s Deirdre Molloy. The people at The Quibbler don’t even know - he owls in all his articles.”
“I wasn’t expecting that!” said Harry, surprised. “Do you think he’d agree to our terms?” Scorpius smiled. “I’m sure he would, he’s a Slytherin after all. He’d see it as the scoop of the century! I’ll just have to sell it to him that way.”
A week later, a fresh copy of The Quibbler arrived at the Gryffindor table.
HARRY’S ANGUISH
Potter speaks out for the first time about son’s werewolf bite and the impact on his family.
By Deirdre Molloy
Harry is ready and waiting for our interview when I enter the room. His wife Ginevra (née Weasley), son Albus and family friend Scorpius Malfoy are also in attendance. His handshake is as firm as ever, but stress has obviously taken its toll - he looks gaunt, with a lot more grey hair than six months ago.
He is here to put an end to the many rumours circulating about his family. It all started last summer, when his middle child Albus was bitten by a werewolf during the full moon.
“I put plenty of wards around the campsite,” explains Harry. “I knew it was a full moon, so I had werewolf-repelling shields around the area, as well as other protective spells. I didn’t want to risk my family during our camping trip.” He sighs heavily and looks at his hands. “I didn’t expect my son to leave the tent in the middle of the night and explore the forest.”
Harry takes a moment to compose himself, it is obvious that he still finds it difficult to talk about that fateful night. “It’s all my fault,” he whispers brokenly. “I should have put the wards up further into the forest, I should have made it clearer that they were not to leave their tents, maybe I should have cast spells so they couldn’t leave until the morning.”
There is a sudden commotion from the other side of the room, and Albus launches himself at his father.
“It’s not your fault, it’s mine!” Albus repeats over and over again. I ask Harry if I can have a brief chat with Albus, and he graciously agrees.
“It’s completely my fault, not my Dad’s at all!” states Albus stubbornly. “I made a mistake, and I should pay for it. Wandering around the forest at night was a stupid thing to do, I just wasn’t thinking.”
I ask Albus what he would have done if his father had locked him in the tent until morning, and he responds that he would have found a way to break out.
It seems that it would have made no difference; he was determined to go for a walk. Any interference from his parents would have been met with defiance, and ultimately the outcome would have been the same.
It appears to me that Harry is utterly devoted to his family and would do anything to protect them. It’s also apparent that Albus is a reckless, foolhardy Gryffindor who has little comprehension of personal safety - just like his father was in his youth.
The tragedy here is that Harry was allowed time to grow out of his recklessness, something that Albus has been denied. The werewolf bite has meant that Albus has grown up and matured rapidly. He is a fine young man, and he would make any parent very proud. I know that we are going to see great things from Albus Severus Potter in the future, and it’s all due to his parents.
“Wow,” breathed Albus. “Your Dad is amazing!” Scorpius smiled and drank his glass of pumpkin juice. “I just hope it works,” he replied. “How much longer do you think your parents will stay at Hogwarts? We’re meant to be going home for the Christmas holidays tomorrow.”
Right on cue, Harry and Ginny entered the Great Hall. “Good news Al,” said Harry. “We’re all going home for the Christmas holidays. We’re actually heading home right now, since you don’t have any lessons today or tomorrow.”
Al smiled sweetly at Scorpius. “Come over to mine on Christmas Day? You can bring your parents, my Mum and Dad won’t mind.” Harry and Ginny turned away to give the boys a little bit of privacy, which was just as well as Al started pressing gentle kisses on Scorpius’ face. “You’d better owl me lots,” he whispered in-between kisses. “I’ll go mad without you.”
Scorpius gathered Al into a hug. “Of course I will,” he soothed. “I’ll miss you too.”
“Put him down, for goodness sake Al!” sighed Harry. “You’ll see him in a couple of days!” The boys reluctantly let go of each other, and Al left Hogwarts with his family. The Christmas holidays had begun, and life looked good.
Title: Forest Fracas
Pairing(s): Albus Severus/Scorpius, Harry/Ginny, mention of James/Teddy
Rating: PG
Warnings: Highlight to read: [Werewolf!Al], some mild violence
Word Count: 6,278
Summary: One mistake changes Al's life forever.
Prompt: #20 (Submitted by mabonwitch)
Notes: Thank you to my lovely Gryffindor friend for giving me a kick up the bottom so I actually got this finished on time!
Forest Fracas
“What are you doing over the summer Al?” asked Aster Brown. “Anything good?”
“Yeah!” replied Al excitedly. “I’m going Muggle camping with my family. I can’t wait - it’s going to be so much fun!”
“What’s Muggle camping?” said Florian, Aster’s twin. “How is it different from normal camping?”
“The tents are the same size on the inside and the outside,” Al enthused, warming to his topic. “There’s no point to Wizard camping, you have all the things you have at home. You have to rough it when you’re Muggle camping - no magic!”
“Yuck, sounds awful,” moaned Aster. “How about you Scorpius? Are you doing anything exciting?”
“What? Oh, nothing much,” mumbled Scorpius, before returning to his book. The fourth (soon to be fifth!) year Gryffindors were supposed to be packing and getting ready to return home on the Hogwarts Express for the summer holidays. This was not the case; the circular dorm room they shared was an absolute pigsty. There were more items of clothing on the floor than in their owner’s trunks, and the boys were lounging on their beds and chatting rather than packing. Well, most of the boys. Scorpius Malfoy had been packed for hours, and was sitting on top of his trunk, reading.
Scorpius was somewhat of an enigma to the other students in his year. No one could work out why he had been sorted into Gryffindor - he was painfully shy, rarely spoke during lessons, and spent most of his time with his nose in a book. Surely he would have been happier in Ravenclaw, or even Slytherin like his father?
“We’ve only got ten minutes left!” screeched Florian, and the rest of the boys sprang into action. Items were thrown haphazardly into trunks, with the last few items needing a shrinking spell to ensure that the trunk lids would shut. The final item was packed away just as the seventh year prefect entered the room.
“Well done boys!” he smiled, glancing around the room. “I like it when I don’t have to yell at you. Leave your trunks here; the House Elves will move them for you. It’s time to head down to the carriages!”
The boys stomped down the stairs, making more noise than was strictly necessary. The summer holidays had begun!
“Over here Albus!” called Harry, waving at his son. Al looked over and saw that his Mum was giving Lily a bear hug, and his Dad was resting a hand on James’ shoulder. Al ran over to his Dad and gave him a hug. Yes, he was probably too old for such behaviour, but at that moment he didn’t care.
“When are we leaving to go camping?” he asked, stepping back and picking up his trunk. “Hello to you too!” laughed Harry. “I’m glad you’re excited, but we haven’t even got home yet! We’re going on Friday.”
“But that’s a whole week away,” Al whinged. Harry exchanged glances with Ginny. It would be a very long week indeed if Al sulked his way through it.
Friday couldn’t come soon enough for Al. He even got up early on Friday morning - something that was completely unheard of. He gathered his belongings together and knocked on his parents’ door. “Can we go camping yet?” he called.
“What on Earth? Tempus,” muttered Harry.
“ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER, IT IS 6AM! GO BACK TO SLEEP!” Ah, his Mum was awake then.
Harry poked his head around the door, his hair looking even worse than usual. “You’re lucky I like you so much,” he said darkly, before pulling the door open fully and heading downstairs. “You’re supposed to grow out of this - you’ve managed to sleep through Christmas morning for the last five years, why are you doing this again now?”
Al didn’t reply, he just grinned cheekily and bounced down the stairs.
Two hours later, everyone was sat around the kitchen table eating their breakfast. Harry and Ginny looked ready to tear their hair out - Al was still bouncing around like a four year old, Lily was half-asleep and kept tripping over things, and James was in a foul mood.
“I just don’t see why we can’t use magic,” he sulked. “Why do we have to travel in Grandad’s car? What’s wrong with a Portkey or using the Floo?”
“I’ve told you this already,” replied Harry, taking deep breaths to try and control his temper. “Grandma Lily was Muggle-born, and I grew up with Muggles. I want you to understand this part of your heritage. It’s very important to me.”
“And to me,” said Ginny, placing a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I don’t know that much about how Muggles live and I think it’s about time I found out!” Harry suppressed a smile - Ginny had seen a lot of Muggle objects when she lived at the Burrow, but Arthur had been rather vague on what they actually did or how they were used.
The car journey wasn’t much better. Al was still channelling his inner four year old: “Are we nearly there yet?” James was sulking, and Lily was sick twice. “It’s all part of the experience,” said Harry grimly, as he took the wrong exit off the motorway, adding an extra half hour to their drive.
Finally, they arrived at their destination. “The New Forest,” smiled Ginny, waving her hand at the trees which carried on as far as the eye could see.
“Great, we’re here. Can we go home now?” moaned James. Lily didn’t say anything; she was throwing up yet again. Al just smiled happily at his parents - he knew this holiday was going to be great.
The day passed quickly after that - Lily and James cheered up when Harry offered to take them on a bike ride. They found Al’s attempts to stay upright absolutely hilarious. Al didn’t mind their teasing too much, it was better than the two of them moaning!
After a quick dinner of sausages and beans cooked on a small campfire (Harry had relented and lit it using magic after the Muggle methods refused to work), they all decided to call it a night. They were tired and achy from the bike ride and soft, squishy sleeping bags were sounding more and more appealing each minute.
“Stop hogging all the space James!” whinged Al, as he wriggled around and tried to get comfy on the hard ground. Sharing a tent with his older brother wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do for now. James didn’t reply - he was already fast asleep.
Al sat and read a book for a little while; his body really was very tired, but his brain wouldn’t switch off and allow him to sleep.
“What time is it?” he wondered. A glance at his watch told him that it was 1am. “I’m going for a walk,” he decided suddenly. “There’s no point in me just sitting here; maybe a bit of a walk will help me sleep.”
He put a coat on over his pyjamas, and slipped out of the tent. It was a beautiful night; the moon was bright and full, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The trees didn’t look dark and threatening like the ones in the Forbidden Forest, instead their silhouettes looked striking against the night sky.
Al knew that there was a picnic spot not too far from their campsite; he decided to sit on one of the picnic benches and stargaze for a little while. He was so caught up in his stargazing that he didn’t immediately notice the sound of twigs snapping nearby.
The noise got louder. “What was that?” he yelped, startled. It was too late. Before he could move a muscle, a blur of fur and teeth pounced on him. Al felt an intense pain in his side before he blacked out and knew no more.
“Of course I put protection spells up around the campsite! I just didn’t expect my son to go for a midnight wander into the forest...”
“Owwww...” moaned Al, squeezing his eyes shut again. He had a killer headache anyway, and his Dad’s yelling wasn’t helping.
“Al? Are you awake?” whispered Ginny. Al looked over at his Mum; she looked as though she had been crying. “What’s wrong Mum?” he croaked, his voice sounding strange and scratchy. “Oh Al,” she managed, before bursting into tears again. “I’ll go and get a healer; they wanted me to tell them when you woke up.” She walked out of the room, sniffling into a tissue.
Al was not amused; his head hurt, he ached all over, and no one was giving him any answers. Just as he was working himself up into a proper strop, the door opened and his Dad entered the room.
“Dad? What’s going on?” Harry looked even worse than Ginny. He too had dried tear tracks down his cheeks, and the black bruises under his eyes told of a sleepless night or two. The worst part however, was the fact that he looked defeated. Al had never seen his Dad look so beaten, and that scared him more than waking up in a hospital bed had done.
“It’s so good to see you up,” said Harry, sitting down in a chair and taking Al’s hand. “You’ve been unconscious for two days, the Healers thought it best to keep you in a healing sleep for a while. Do you remember what happened?”
Al thought for a while. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk. I’ve got a killer headache, did I fall and hit my head?” he offered. Harry shook his head, looking grave.
“Before we go any further,” he stated, “I want you to know that we will always love you and support you, even when things get really difficult. We will always be here for you.”
Al paled and started to shake, this sounded really serious. “What happened?” he whispered.
Harry took a deep breath before replying. “You were bitten by a werewolf Albus. You have been infected with Lycanthropy. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?”
Al nodded. “You mean I’m a werewolf like Uncle Remus was?” he replied, his voice sounding shaky and very young.
“That’s right,” sighed Harry. “You will change into a werewolf once a month when there’s a full moon, unless we take precautions like giving you the Wolfsbane Potion.”
The door opened; it was a blonde witch wearing Healer robes. “Hello Albus,” she smiled. “I need to cast a few spells, just to check that you’re healing nicely.”
Despite her smiles and bubbly manner, it quickly became apparent to both Harry and Al that the Healer was feeling uncomfortable and anxious. She cast the diagnostic spells while standing over the other side of the room, as though she didn’t want to get too near to her patient. “I bet you’ve got an awful headache, I’ll go and get a potion for that,” she trilled, before fleeing the room.
“It’s always going to be like that, isn’t it,” said Al heavily. “No one likes or trusts werewolves.” Harry gripped his hand so tightly that it hurt.
“I’m not going to lie to you Al, you know that there are some very prejudiced people out there,” he began. “However, things are better now than they were in the past. Aunt Hermione has worked really hard in the Ministry to get anti-werewolf legislation removed, and people’s attitudes are slowly changing.”
Al nodded, but he wasn’t entirely convinced. “I need to think for a while,” he announced. “It’s... it’s a lot to get my head around.” Harry smiled sadly; it was breaking his heart to see his middle child suffering so much.
Al was released from St. Mungos a couple of days later, and his family were all waiting for him. “We’re going to stay with my parents for a little while,” Ginny fussed. “Grandma Molly wants to feed you up a bit - she always says that hospital food is worse than Kneazle food.”
“Will they still like me?” he ventured, wringing his hands anxiously. “I’ll understand if they don’t want me in the house.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” replied Ginny briskly. “Why would you think that? They love you, and they always will.” Feeling slightly comforted, Al stepped into the hospital Floo. “The Burrow!”
He barely made it out of the fireplace before he was grabbed and gathered into a hug. “Oh Albus, I’ve been so worried! You gave us quite a scare you know.” Al couldn’t hold back a grin - nothing had changed, Grandma Molly still liked him.
“Come and sit down, I’ll make you a cup of tea. You look dreadfully pale, I hope the hospital have been treating you properly. When Arthur stayed there the food was disgraceful, we need to get some decent home cooking into you, get some colour back in your cheeks...”
Arthur looked carefully at Al and ignored the fussing of his wife. “It’s really good to have you home,” he said. “Let me know if you want a bit of peace and quiet, there’s a comfy chair in my shed with your name on it.” Al smiled gratefully at his perceptive Grandad. Normally he would be chatting with his relatives and giving as good as he got, but he was finding everything a little bit overwhelming today.
“He’s like a completely different child, so quiet and withdrawn. I’m really worried about him,” confided Ginny to Grandma Molly. Al held his breath; he really didn’t want them to discover him. He had spent a bit of time chatting to Grandad Arthur in his shed; they obviously hadn’t heard him return to the house. “I’ve told him over and over again that we still love him, but I don’t think he really believes it.” His Mum was getting really upset - he heard Grandma Molly get up from her chair and move over to Ginny.
“That’s all you can do,” soothed Molly. “Keep telling him until he believes it. He’ll come through this, you all will.”
Al thought he should probably announce his presence. He ducked back into the hall and coughed noisily. “That doesn’t sound very healthy!” called his Mum. “I’ll make you some tea.”
He entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. Suddenly an owl flew through the open window and deposited a red envelope by his elbow. It was addressed to him, so he opened it. “Al, no!” cried Ginny, but she was too late.
“YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT DOWN THE MINUTE YOU WERE BITTEN” screeched a woman Al didn’t recognise. “YOU ARE A DANGEROUS ANIMAL; YOU SHOULD BE KEPT IN A CAGE! DON’T YOU EVEN THINK OF GOING BACK TO HOGWARTS - I DON’T WANT YOU ANYWHERE NEAR MY SON.”
The letter disintegrated and turned to ash. Al sat still, completely stunned. He knew that people wouldn’t be comfortable around him, but what did he do to deserve a Howler from a complete stranger?
“Have there been any other letters like that?” he asked. Ginny looked away, she obviously didn’t want to answer his question. “Ginny,” chided Arthur, as he entered the kitchen. “He deserves to know - he needs to understand what he’s up against when he goes back to Hogwarts. It’s not fair to send him back unprepared.”
Ginny huffed, but she turned to face Al. “Yes, there have been other letters,” she admitted. “You’ve been in the newspapers too, they’ve been writing the most disgusting articles about our family. I’ve been burning the letters and I’ve cancelled our Daily Prophet subscription. You don’t need to read the rubbish they’ve been writing, it’s all lies.”
Far too soon for Al’s liking, it was time to return to Hogwarts. His parents were worried that it might not be safe for Al to take the train, so the whole family were given special permission to Floo to Hogwarts. His parents hugged him for longer than usual before ruffling his hair and instructing him to write to them often. James and Lily received the same treatment, which James didn’t particularly appreciate. Finally it was time for the three siblings to make their way to the Great Hall. Lily waved at Al before bouncing off to join her friends, and James gave him a friendly punch on the arm before doing the same. Al took a deep breath and approached his dorm mates.
The whole room fell silent as he walked in. He felt many sets of eyes watching him and cataloguing every move. He felt mildly irritated; he wasn’t going to turn into a werewolf immediately!
Al found his friends and sat down at the table. “Hey everyone, did you have a good summer?” he smiled, glancing around at his room mates. To his great shock, no one answered. Well, that wasn’t quite true - Scorpius Malfoy muttered “it was lovely, thank you,” before blushing bright red and staring at his dinner plate.
The silent treatment continued for the rest of the meal, and Al found that his appetite had completely deserted him. He followed the rest of the Gryffindors up to the Tower, and stumbled to his bed. He had known that it was going to be difficult, but he had hoped that at least one friend would stick by him. It seemed that the majority of the House didn’t want him to be there. Al sobbed into his pillow all night.
The following days and weeks were much the same; people either left the room when he entered, or they pretended that he didn’t exist. Al had never felt so bereft; he was seriously considering writing to his parents and asking them to remove him from Hogwarts.
“Potter, the Headmaster wants to see you,” announced one of the Gryffindor Prefects. Al knew exactly what this was about; it was the full moon tonight. Even if he hadn’t been anxiously watching the calendar, he would still have known - his temper had been shorter, and his skin felt more sensitive than usual. There had been much taunting from his dorm mates about his ‘PMT’.
With a sigh, Al walked up the stairs to the Headmaster’s office. “You wanted to see me Sir?” he enquired. “Ah yes! Come in Albus,” squeaked Professor Flitwick. “I’ve got your Wolfsbane Potion for you. Shall we get you settled in for the night?”
Flitwick escorted Al to a disused classroom, which had been equipped especially for him with cushions and blankets. Although Al was glad that he didn’t have to use the Shrieking Shack like Uncle Remus did, a drafty classroom wasn’t really his favourite place to spend the night. He gulped down the contents of the smoking goblet, winced at the foul taste, and sat himself down on the largest cushion. Professor Flitwick bade him goodnight, and exited through the door. He didn’t leave immediately however, Al could hear him chanting and casting spells to keep the rest of the school safe should the Wolfsbane fail.
Al felt a strange tingling sensation in his toes. “It’s started,” he sighed, wriggling his toes in an attempt to get more comfortable. This action made matters worse; the tingling moved up his legs, across his torso, and into his fingers. Al noted absently that his fingernails were beginning to grow.
The tingling suddenly turned into sharp bursts of pain. Al screamed and curled into a ball as a particularly bad jolt shot across his chest. He knew exactly what this pain was - his bones were resetting themselves into their new shape.
There was a brief moment of reprieve, and Al managed to catch his breath. However, all too soon it began again - millions of tiny needles were being pushed through his skin. The pain was almost unbearable, and Al cried out - a long scream of agony that turned into a howl of despair. The transformation was complete.
“I really hurt,” thought Al wearily. He took a few shaky steps over to the softest looking cushion and flopped down. This was only his second transformation, and the change exhausted him. Al laid his head on his paws and fell asleep.
Around 6am, Al awoke suddenly. “Why can’t I sleep through this?” he sulked as the transformation began again. The needles were pushed through his skin once more, but this time in the opposite direction. His bones reset themselves, and he found himself once again in his familiar human body. He was sweaty, exhausted, and just generally drained. “Hospital wing, then a bath, then sleep,” he decided, as he pushed the classroom door open and stepped into the corridor.
One moment he was walking, then he was falling...his head bumped painfully against each step as he plummeted down the staircase. He landed in a heap at the bottom, completely unable to move. He noted that he was lying in a pool of his own blood and that his left arm was sticking out at a funny angle, before passing out - malicious laughter ringing in his ears.
Al opened his eyes slowly, feeling dazed and confused. Why was he in the hospital wing? He didn’t remember getting there. “Al? Are you awake?” whispered his Dad, who was sitting by his bedside.
“Dad? What’s going on?” he croaked, blearily looking around the room. It looked like his whole family were there.
“You had an accident Al, you fell down the stairs,” Harry continued. This simple statement seemed to infuriate his Mum - “It was no accident and you know it!” she shot back. Harry looked weary, and gestured for Ginny to lower her voice. Lily started stroking his hair tenderly, which felt really nice. She looked extremely pale, which made her prominent freckles stand out even more.
“We’ve been really worried Al,” she murmured, her hand temporarily stilling. “It was a really bad fall.” Al looked over at James, who was sitting next to Teddy. Wait, something wasn’t right - they were holding hands. The sight rather inexplicably made him want to laugh. He didn’t have enough energy for that, so he did the next best thing - he fell asleep.
Al woke again many hours later. This time, there was no one gathered around his bed. It was dark, and all the other occupants of the hospital wing were asleep. Wait a minute, there was someone in a chair at the foot of his bed - Al noticed a tuft of blond hair poking out from a blanket. He reached out and poked the sleeping figure.
The lump yelped and fell out of the chair. “Scorpius!” gasped Al. “What are you doing here?”
Scorpius winced and rubbed his eyes before answering. “I...wanted to see how you were,” he confessed. “The other boys in the dorm said they’d hurt you really badly.”
“So you thought you’d come and finish off the job,” snarled Al. He felt devastated - he couldn’t believe that boys he had considered friends had turned on him and attempted to kill him.
“No, no! Not at all!” protested Scorpius, his eyes wide. “I didn’t know what they were planning, and I would have told a teacher if I had known. I haven’t been in the dorm much recently; I’m a bit out of touch with everyone.”
“It’s okay Scorpius,” sighed Al. “I know you’re uncomfortable with me being in the dorm, I’ll spend less time there so you can be with the others.”
Scorpius looked utterly scandalised. “I’m not explaining this well at all,” he mumbled before, to Al’s surprise, blushing a deep red. “It’s not what you think. I haven’t been in the dorm because I’ve been taking extra Potions lessons. I’ve been learning how to make Wolfsbane.”
There was complete silence. Scorpius looked as though he wanted the ground to swallow him up, and Al tried to understand Scorpius’ words.
“Wait...you’ve been taking extra lessons and making a potion so complicated it’s not even on the NEWTs, all for me?” Scorpius nodded. “I c-can’t make it yet,” he stuttered, “but I’m getting there.”
“Why?” said Al, sounding bewildered. “I mean, I like you and all, but we’re not friends! You barely speak to me!” Scorpius flushed an even deeper shade of red. When he spoke his voice was so quiet that Al strained his ears to hear it.
“I didn’t want you to rely on just one person for your potion. What would happen if our teacher was ill and couldn’t make it for you? I didn’t want you to suffer.” The next part was said even quieter.
“I didn’t quite catch that,” said Al, moving closer to the other boy. “I know we’re not friends, but I would like us to be,” whispered Scorpius. “I just don’t know how, I’ve never had a friend before.”
Al processed all Scorpius had said. “Well then,” he replied, feeling oddly formal. “I would be honoured to be your friend.” He stuck out his hand, and Scorpius tentatively shook it.
Over the next few weeks, Al and Scorpius became inseparable. They walked to lessons together, partnered each other during class whenever possible, worked on homework together, and generally spent every waking minute as a pair. Al felt instantly comfortable with Scorpius, so much more than he had ever felt with his previous friends. He didn’t notice that he touched his friend more than was strictly necessary, or that his face brightened whenever Scorpius entered the room. Other people did however, and they also noticed that Scorpius behaved the exact same way.
“Al! Al, where are you!” Al waved him over to a spare seat in front of the Common Room fire. “What’s got you all excited? I’ve never seen you like this before!”
Scorpius smiled, and shoved a piece of parchment into Al’s hands. “I’ve won a Potions scholarship! Professor Flitwick recommended me because I’ve been doing so well with the Wolfsbane; I get to go on special courses during the holidays!” Al threw his arms around his friend. “I’m so pleased for you,” he beamed. “Extra Potions lessons sounds like hell to me, but I know you’ll love it.”
Scorpius shifted in his seat, a strange look on his face. Al still had his arms around his friend, and didn’t see anything unusual in this behaviour. Slowly and carefully, Scorpius leant in and placed a tender kiss on Al’s lips.
“Oh!” squeaked Al, totally surprised by Scorpius’ actions. He tightened his grip however, when he tried to bolt. “I didn’t expect you to do that, but I like it,” he whispered into Scorpius’ ear. Al gently kissed cheeks, eyelids, forehead, and finally lips. They stayed lost in their own little world until the bell rang, signalling the beginning of afternoon classes.
“Albus Potter, you’re to see the Headmaster after this lesson,” stated Professor Macmillan as the two boys entered the classroom for the final lesson of the day. “I wonder why? I hope I’m not in trouble,” worried Al. Scorpius gave Al’s hand a comforting squeeze. “Do you want me to come with you?” he asked. Al nodded gratefully, he always felt so much better with Scorpius by his side.
“Ah, Albus. Thanks for coming,” beamed Professor Flitwick. He didn’t seem particularly surprised to see Scorpius tagging along; everyone knew how close the boys were. Well, almost everyone.
“Mum? Dad? What are you doing here?” Al ran over to his parents and was swept into a hug. He noticed that his Dad in particular had lost a lot of weight. He leant back so he could get a proper look at their faces. They were both pale and drawn, with black smudges under their eyes. Harry’s hair had a lot more grey in it now, and Ginny’s forehead had lines that hadn’t been present before.
“It’s so good to see you Al, I hate only seeing you in hospital beds,” mumbled Harry into his son’s hair. A moment later, Lily and James entered the room and joined in the hugs. Al didn’t want Scorpius to feel left out, so he walked over to him and took his hand. Harry raised an eyebrow at this, but didn’t say a word.
“Now we’re all here,” began Professor Flitwick, “I can let you know why your parents have joined us. They have asked me for sanctuary and protection from the media, and I have given it. They will be staying at Hogwarts for the foreseeable future.”
“We’ve tried to shield you from the worst of it, so you could concentrate on your schoolwork,” continued Harry. “We’ve had practically non-stop Howlers, nasty lies have been continually written about our family in the newspapers, and reporters have been following us wherever we go. It’s all too much; we just can’t take it any more.”
Al was stricken - this was all his fault! None of this would have happened if he hadn’t been bitten and turned into a werewolf. Ginny noticed his face fall and immediately ran over to him. “Oh Al,” she soothed, stroking his hair. “This isn’t your fault. I promise you - it’s not your fault and we don’t blame you at all. Please don’t ever think that.”
James looked anxiously at his watch. “Mum, Dad, is it okay if me and Lils go? We’ve got Quidditch practice.” Harry beamed proudly at his eldest son and daughter. “Of course! I’m looking forward to watching your next match. It’s against Hufflepuff, isn’t it?” James nodded. “Their new seeker is really good, so we’re having lots of extra practices. See you later!”
Al smiled slightly nervously at his parents as James and Lily left the room. He suspected that he was going to be interrogated about Scorpius, and he wasn’t looking forward to it.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us Al?” laughed Ginny. “Oh! Um, yes,” stuttered Al. “Mum, Dad, this is my boyfriend Scorpius. Scorpius, my Mum and Dad.” He was too busy waving his hands around that he missed the blush that spread across Scorpius’ cheeks when Al referred to him as his boyfriend.
“Very pleased to meet you,” said Harry with a smile. He stretched out his hand, and Scorpius shook it. “Nice to meet you too Sir,” he murmured. “Are you okay with this?” queried Al. “I know it’s a bit of a shock, but...”
Ginny interrupted him before he could ramble any further. “Al, we love you and we want you to be happy. We’ve been so worried about you this term - if you’ve found happiness, why should we care if it’s with a boy or a girl?”
“Plus,” added Harry with a cheeky grin, “this way we don’t have to worry about you getting a girl pregnant.”
Al spluttered indignantly, Scorpius burst into laughter, and Professor Flitwick looked as though he was doing his best not to smile too much. “On that note,” the Headmaster said, “it’s time for dinner. Harry, Ginny, will you have dinner with me in my quarters? Albus, Scorpius, I think it’s time for you to return to the rest of your House.”
Scorpius was quiet and thoughtful for the rest of the evening. By contrast, Al was bouncing off the walls - he was just so pleased to have his parents at Hogwarts. The number of people in the school who actually liked him and didn’t just see him as ‘the werewolf’ had increased, and that could only be a good thing.
“Al, can I talk to you?” Scorpius whispered. The other Gryffindors had mostly gone to bed; there were just a couple of stragglers left. “Course you can, what’s up?” replied Al. He threw his magazine on the table and moved closer to his boyfriend. Scorpius took a deep breath before replying.
“I think I know how to help your parents.”
“Are you sure this is going to work?” fretted Albus, for about the thousandth time. “I don’t know how they’re going to react to this...”
The two boys entered the classroom that Al used for his monthly transformation. Harry and Ginny were already waiting there for them. “Hello boys,” greeted Harry, and Ginny echoed him. “What did you want to talk to us about?”
“I’ve got a suggestion for you, something that might help with the reporters,” began Scorpius, his voice shaking slightly. “Would you agree to an interview if the reporter could be trusted to write only the truth?”
Harry and Ginny looked at each other. “We had considered it Scorpius,” Harry said gently. “We couldn’t find anyone we trusted - we would want to get to know them before the interview, and no one was willing to do that. I’ve had bad experiences with reporters in the past, I don’t want to take any risks and possibly make things even worse.”
Scorpius glanced at Al; this was the moment of truth. “I think my Dad might be able to help. He writes for The Quibbler.”
“Really?” said Harry incredulously. “I’ve never seen any articles by him.” “Um... you have done,” replied Scorpius, “you just didn’t realise it. He writes under a pen name - he’s Deirdre Molloy. The people at The Quibbler don’t even know - he owls in all his articles.”
“I wasn’t expecting that!” said Harry, surprised. “Do you think he’d agree to our terms?” Scorpius smiled. “I’m sure he would, he’s a Slytherin after all. He’d see it as the scoop of the century! I’ll just have to sell it to him that way.”
A week later, a fresh copy of The Quibbler arrived at the Gryffindor table.
HARRY’S ANGUISH
Potter speaks out for the first time about son’s werewolf bite and the impact on his family.
By Deirdre Molloy
Harry is ready and waiting for our interview when I enter the room. His wife Ginevra (née Weasley), son Albus and family friend Scorpius Malfoy are also in attendance. His handshake is as firm as ever, but stress has obviously taken its toll - he looks gaunt, with a lot more grey hair than six months ago.
He is here to put an end to the many rumours circulating about his family. It all started last summer, when his middle child Albus was bitten by a werewolf during the full moon.
“I put plenty of wards around the campsite,” explains Harry. “I knew it was a full moon, so I had werewolf-repelling shields around the area, as well as other protective spells. I didn’t want to risk my family during our camping trip.” He sighs heavily and looks at his hands. “I didn’t expect my son to leave the tent in the middle of the night and explore the forest.”
Harry takes a moment to compose himself, it is obvious that he still finds it difficult to talk about that fateful night. “It’s all my fault,” he whispers brokenly. “I should have put the wards up further into the forest, I should have made it clearer that they were not to leave their tents, maybe I should have cast spells so they couldn’t leave until the morning.”
There is a sudden commotion from the other side of the room, and Albus launches himself at his father.
“It’s not your fault, it’s mine!” Albus repeats over and over again. I ask Harry if I can have a brief chat with Albus, and he graciously agrees.
“It’s completely my fault, not my Dad’s at all!” states Albus stubbornly. “I made a mistake, and I should pay for it. Wandering around the forest at night was a stupid thing to do, I just wasn’t thinking.”
I ask Albus what he would have done if his father had locked him in the tent until morning, and he responds that he would have found a way to break out.
It seems that it would have made no difference; he was determined to go for a walk. Any interference from his parents would have been met with defiance, and ultimately the outcome would have been the same.
It appears to me that Harry is utterly devoted to his family and would do anything to protect them. It’s also apparent that Albus is a reckless, foolhardy Gryffindor who has little comprehension of personal safety - just like his father was in his youth.
The tragedy here is that Harry was allowed time to grow out of his recklessness, something that Albus has been denied. The werewolf bite has meant that Albus has grown up and matured rapidly. He is a fine young man, and he would make any parent very proud. I know that we are going to see great things from Albus Severus Potter in the future, and it’s all due to his parents.
“Wow,” breathed Albus. “Your Dad is amazing!” Scorpius smiled and drank his glass of pumpkin juice. “I just hope it works,” he replied. “How much longer do you think your parents will stay at Hogwarts? We’re meant to be going home for the Christmas holidays tomorrow.”
Right on cue, Harry and Ginny entered the Great Hall. “Good news Al,” said Harry. “We’re all going home for the Christmas holidays. We’re actually heading home right now, since you don’t have any lessons today or tomorrow.”
Al smiled sweetly at Scorpius. “Come over to mine on Christmas Day? You can bring your parents, my Mum and Dad won’t mind.” Harry and Ginny turned away to give the boys a little bit of privacy, which was just as well as Al started pressing gentle kisses on Scorpius’ face. “You’d better owl me lots,” he whispered in-between kisses. “I’ll go mad without you.”
Scorpius gathered Al into a hug. “Of course I will,” he soothed. “I’ll miss you too.”
“Put him down, for goodness sake Al!” sighed Harry. “You’ll see him in a couple of days!” The boys reluctantly let go of each other, and Al left Hogwarts with his family. The Christmas holidays had begun, and life looked good.