Lovely (a Scorbus story)

Part 13

"The first task is to successfully capture, and sustain a chimaera," Albus whispered.

Scorpius sat up. "A what?"

"Chimaera—"

"Albus, I know what a chimaera is. I'm just shocked. What are they playing at, setting fourth-years loose on a chimaera?"

"Aurélie's in fifth year," Albus felt the need to point out.

"But you're not, Albus!" Scorpius tugged at a lock of his hair. "Oh, please don't die."

"I won't. I'll be okay." Albus reached for his hand. "Ugh, Rose is dead-set on doing a piece about the champions. She'll ask me what I think the first task is—"

"She won't, she's clever, she'll expect you already know," Scorpius reassured. "That's not the problem. The problem is that you're facing a chimaera next week—"

"Shhh!" Albus glanced around the common room.

"—and unless you've been training, you're unprepared."

Albus stared at his feet. Scorpius could tell he was riddled with nerves.

"Come on. Let's get to bed," Scorpius said, standing up. "We can go to the library tomorrow and do some research on chimaeras."

"Come back," Albus wheedled, pulling Scorpius back down into the armchair they were sharing by the fireplace. "It's cold up there."

Scorpius sighed. "If we fall asleep here, I guarantee we'll wake up to 'Albus and Scorpius sitting in a tree', and I know you want to keep our relationship on the down low."

"I don't care," Albus yawned, curling up closer to Scorpius. His green eyes fluttered shut, and Scorpius heard a faint snore.

"You're really cute, you know that?" Scorpius mumbled under his breath.

"Scorpius?"

Scorpius leapt out of the chair, startling Albus, who let out a snort and drifted back into sleep.

"Hi," he said awkwardly. "Someone. Hello. I heard my name. Somewhere. Hello. Hello?"

"Chill, Scorpius, it's me." A slim figure eased out of the shadows. Scorpius caught a glimpse of reddish brown hair and a pair of hazel eyes.

"Max?"

"Shhh."

"But...how did you get in here?"

"I have my ways," Max said, directing her wand at a puddle of water on the floor. Scorpius noticed belatedly that she was soaking wet. "That's not the important thing. I need you to give this to Albus."

She dropped a heavy red and white ball into Scorpius's hand.

"What's this?"

"It's an American invention, based off a Muggle video game my friends play—"

"What's a video game?"

"Doesn't matter. Anyway, give that to Albus...he might find it useful."

Scorpius glanced at the sphere skeptically. "Sure."

"Thanks." Pulling her wand out of the pocket of her flowered jeans, Max waved it at the glass wall, and a section disappeared, but no water came pouring in. Waving at Scorpius, she swung out the wall, into the lake, and sealed it behind her. Scorpius glimpsed her swimming upward as fast as she could.

"Mmf." Albus stirred in the armchair, mostly asleep. "Scorp...we need to figure out what to do about the first...the first thing..."

"It's okay," Scorpius whispered. "We've got time, Albus Severus Potter."

The next morning, there was no one in the common room when they awoke, but Scorpius had the sinking feeling they were in for it.

Albus looked slightly disheartened.

"Did I really tell you I didn't care if we were spotted?"

"Yeah. Are you not worried about it now?" Scorpius asked quietly. "I mean, it's not like everyone hasn't guessed."

Albus looked nervous. "I'm mostly worried about it getting back to Lily, and Hugo, and Mom and Dad, and Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron. I don't want to think about how they'd react, you know?"

"I understand," Scorpius said. "Might be a little late now, though."

Albus snorted. "I'm gonna change really quick, and then let's go to breakfast."

Their worst fears were realized in the Great Hall when Greenie swooped down on Scorpius with a copy of the Hogwarts Inquirer and the Daily Prophet. The Daily Prophet news was mostly mundane stuff about cauldrons, advertising a super-thick no-leak cauldron called the Percy cauldron, named after the great cauldron-caster Percy Weasley.

The Hogwarts Inquirer, however, was a different story.

"I am going to kill your cousin," Scorpius seethed.

Albus shot him a glance, muttering Muffliato at the students around them so they could talk in peace. "I thought you didn't care?"

"I don't, but you do," Scorpius said, restraining himself from leaning his head on Albus's shoulder. "I mean—you're not, like, upset?"

Albus shrugged. "It was bound to happen eventually, knowing Rose."

"That's fair." Scorpius took a bite of his eggs, and Albus disabled the charm as Emily Boot came hurrying over to their table.

"So it's official? It's official!"

"Emily, no offense, but shut up," Albus growled.

"Oh, it's definitely official. Okay. Anyway, are you prepared for the first task?" she asked, brown eyes wide.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Albus smirked. "You'll find out then, I guess."

Emily shrugged, unfazed by Albus's attitude. "Good luck, Potter."

When she was gone, Scorpius put down his fork. "I forgot to tell you. Max..." He threw a look at the rest of the table. "Come with me, will you?"

It was a chilly Saturday, and both boys wore jackets as they walked to a secluded spot on the grounds near the forest. 

"Well?" 

"Max has apparently figured out a way to get into the Slytherin common room via the lake," Scorpius said. "She popped in last night, soaking wet with advice for the first task."

"Which is?"

Scorpius pulled the sphere out of his pocket. "I don't know what this is, she said it was based off some sort of Muggle video-thingy, and that you might find it useful. I assume it's something for the first task."

Albus's eyes lit up. "I know what this is!"

Scorpius stared. "What?"

"Come on—we have to get the the library," Albus said. "I have to figure out how to use it. Oh, by Dumbledore, I owe Max one. Or twenty. How she managed to get her hands on this...let alone give it to me..."

And dragging a very confused Scorpius in his wake, Albus grabbed his hand and ran back to the building.