If We Can Turn Back Time

Chapter 13: Scorpius

Next morning I find Albus sitting by my bed with his folded arms cradling his slightly tilted head. He's smiling with his lips and his intense green eyes. I smile back and kiss the spot between his thick brows. Albus' face lights up. 

"Do it again, Scorpius." He says. I kiss his forehead again. I'm worried my lips are too dry from 

"Okay, now get out of bed so we can get to breakfast."

"Yes sir!" I whisper in his ear and stand up. I get ready in a few minutes. I had taken a bath last night to ease my heart after what had happened during the Quidditch match. I don't care anymore. I had Albus protecting me. I was going to be okay with him by my side. 

We walk hand in hand to breakfast, and I feel the stare of first years on our carefully entwined hand. Some kids greet us awkwardly, but most say hello to us with grins. 

"Oh look, your tie is a bit crooked." Albus tells me. He stops walking and stands in front of me and uses his sturdy fingers to fix my tie. His index fingers grazes my collarbone and I shiver. My neck must be bright red, because Albus smiles a cocky smile. 

"Scared, Malfoy?" He asks, bringing his face closer to mine. I smirk back.

"You wish." I whisper, leaning forward until my nose is almost touching his. Albus pulls back with a bright red face. "I'll prove it." I pull my tie back down. "Fix it again."

Albus fixes my tie again and we repeat the same process. Breakfast goes by quickly with him and I am complete and content just by feasting my eyes on Albus's smile. Season sits in the Ravenclaw table with her eyes lingering by the Gryffindor table. I wonder why. Her boyfriend sits far away from her. I wonder why. 

"Students, I have a very important announcement to make." Professor McGonagall stands up and taps her spoon to her glass of tea. She walks over to the podium. The entire great hall quiets down to an anticipated silence. The headmaster nods in approval. 

"I know we have all heard of the tragedy Cedric Diggory and Harry Potter in the last Triwizard Tournament." McGonagalls eyes lingers between me and Scorpius. We share an awkward smile. "But nevertheless, the tournament is part of a Wizarding World tradition, and it must continue with even more meticulous caution. Now, I suppose we all can guess from my obvious speech. We are going to have another Triwizard Tournament this year until our holiday!"

The entire hall, except the Sixth and Seventh years erupts in a cheer and I laugh, shocked and intrigued. Albus looks at me with a mischievous grin,. 

"If I have to save someone tied to the bottom of the lake, I'll save you." He tells me. I kiss his cheek in return. 

"SILENCE!" McGonagall sternly says. "Now, we have a new rule. Sixth years and above are allowed to participate. Some of you might have noticed that the older pupils were suspiciously familiar to my announcement." 

McGonagall pulls out a small parchment and there is a list of names written on its surface. 

"The participants would be Mikhail Petrov, from Durumstrang!" 

The great hall's gates open wide and in a proud thud and matching booms of footsteps echo throughout the chamber with Durumstrang students walk in with their shoulders thrown back and chests high in the air. Their faces are blank and they seem like sculptures with sharp and prominent features gleaming in the firelight. It's early morning, but their presence makes the entire world nighttime. The boy that seems like Mikhail Petrov rises to the podium and greets McGonagall with a salute. His face is soft in the eyes but sharp and sturdy everywhere else. His dark eyebrows are furrowed as he looks at all of us with judging, black eyes. Albus whispers in my ear:

"I look much more better than that, right Scorp?" 

I nod and whisper back "Of course! Honestly, I think he looks like a prick." 

Albus laughs in my ear, and I shiver happily at the warm breath that tickles my eardrums and my neck. 

"Anais Blanchet from Beauxbatons!" 

Before the doors even close, French girls walk in gracefully. All eyes focus on their feminine glow. Season is staring at one of them, a girl with Strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. But none of them catch my attention. 

"Heh." I snort. Albus asks why. "We have gay protection."

Albus bursts out laughing. Nobody hears him. They're so focused on the girls' beauty everything else isn't tangible.

"You know we can easily set fire to James' head and get away with it at this rate." Albus grins an pulls out his wand. I pull out mine. 

"And I'll be here to extinguish it and save your ass." 

Anais Blanchet turns out to be that blonde with the blue eyes and I don't clap for her. 

"James Sirius Potter, Gryffindor and Penelope Faukette, Ravenclaw from Hogwarts!" 

"What?" Albus gasps, jumping up from his seat. Gryffindor and  Ravenclaw erupts in a cheer and I manage to sneak a few claps. Albus stares blankly at his brother. 

"What if he dies? What if he gets hurt?"