Cursed Legacy

Riddle pandemonium

The next day Albus walks quickly along the train. He still hasn't fully digested everything he came across the day before, the memory won't leave his mind and his thoughts keep spiraling around Cedric Diggory. Albus wants to know more about him. He wants to know just what made him so special to both his father and Amos Diggory.

He's suddenly stopped by Rose. What could she possibly want with him?

"Albus, I've been looking for you . . ."

He eyes her suspiciously, this can't be good. "Me? Why?" His green eyes spark defiantly. Whatever she has to say he can't be bothered. They haven't been talking since starting Hogwarts, since his sorting into Slytherin. He can see that Rose isn't sure how to phrase what she has to say. She makes it very obvious.

"Albus, it's the start of the fourth year, and so the start of a new year for us.
I want to be friends again."

"We never were friends." He glares at her for good measure, he wants to get away, he needs to think about everything from the previous night.

"That's harsh! You were my best friend when I was six!" His cousin huffs, she wasn't supposed to be his cousin either...

"That was a long time ago." He makes to walk away, but she pulls him into an empty compartment.

"Have you heard about the case a few years back? Mom and Dad were talking about it again, big Ministry raid a few days ago."

Why would his aunt and uncle talk about an old case? And why to Rose? He pretends not to know anything and instead asks: "How do you always know about these things and I don't?"

"Apparently he -the wizard they raided - Theodore Nott, I think - had all sorts of artifacts that broke all sorts of laws including - and this has got them all gooey - an illegal Time-Turner. And quite a superior one at that. But I mean, apparently he was framed by his own father and subsequently released. But still!"

Albus looks at Rose, everything falling into place. But he asks himself again why his relatives were talking about this ten or twelve year old case. Did it have something to do with the time turner? It must be.

"A Time-Turner? Dad found a Time-Turner?"

"Shh! Yes. I know. Great, right?" The girl gushes in excitement. Excitement that he doesn't share, but for pretend's sake, he has to play along. He already knows all the details of this case, he read through the report yesterday but he can't let Rose know, for all he knows she might just eat him out to his mother. "You're sure."

"Entirely."

Albus nods and makes to leave after saying, "Now I have to find Scorpius."
He walks down the train. Rose follows, still determined to say her piece.

"Albus!"

He turns decisively. "Who's told you that you have to talk to me?"

Rose jumps slightly at his cold tone. "Okay, maybe your mum owled my dad - but only because she's worried about you. And I just think -"

"Leave me alone, Rose." He cuts her off. He should've known she didn't want to talk to him. He won't stand her doing this. And his thoughts sour at his mother. Should he even be calling her that anymore? After everything she's done to dad? No. No, he shouldn't.

He squares his shoulders and enters the compartment where Scorpius is already sitting in.

...

He is mad, isn't he? The Trolley witch being over 190 years old, her being able to transfigure her body parts...ok. Him and Scorpius on top of the moving Hogwarts express, no problem, he's sure his dad did worse. But actually jumping off said train and attempting to steal an illegal time turner without a proper plan in place? Yup, Albus Severus Potter is indeed mad. But he has an equally mad best friend in Scorpius, so he's not alone. But still. This is pure manic madness. The water is cold but he successfully cast the cushioning charm.