Narcissa Malfoy [HARRY POTTER AFTERLIFE FANFICTION]

Chapter 5

Albus woke up in a sweat. He had been waking up like that since the beginning of the week. Maybe he had caught a cold at Hogsmeade. There was a constant throb at his temples and whenever he tried to remember what he had done the day before, it all flashed through his head like blurry images. 

His hands twitched at if he lost grip of something he was supposed to be holding and his limbs felt heavy, almost too much to lift. 

Albus winced and clutched his stomach, he felt bile building up in his throat. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain to pass. Maybe it had been something he'd eaten? The food that the House Elves prepared was always well cooked though. He probably just needed to pace himself.

When the ache subsided he sat up in his bed. Albus drank gratefully the glass of water that the House Elves had kindly set for him on his bedside table each morning. He took trembling sips and felt the fresh water that trickle down his throat. It made him feel instantly better. 

He had been able to throw his legs over his bed and stand up when Hugo approached him. He was dressed in his robes already and was hugging a few textbooks. 

"Morning Al." 

"Oh, hey Hugo." Albus replied with a smile. Hugo didn't exactly smile back.

Hugo sat at the edge of his bed, which was next to his. The House Elves normally took care of making the bed but his was already tightly made. He made sure to make it each morning. 

"Al, the Quidditch team asked me to talk to you." Hugo looked at him tentatively. His freckles always appeared more prominent in the morning light and his curly hair fell over his face in cinnamon locks. Hugo had inherited his mother's bigger front teeth. 

"They could just speak to me directly." Albus said while dressing. He threw his dress shirt over his head. "I'm their captain, after all." 

"Yeah, well, they complain that it's nearly impossible to get a proper answer from you these days. And they also say that they don't want Victoria coming to practice anymore." Hugo tapped the cover of his books with the tips of his fingers.

Albus glowered. "They have a problem with my Victoria?" He almost growled it out.

Hugo stood up from the bed. "She's too distracting during practice." 

"What would you know? You're not in the team." Albus said this calmly, but his low tone made Hugo wince.

"I'm just passing the message, Al." Hugo shook his head. "And if you don't break up with her, we'll lose the Cup." 

"How could you say that?" Albus stepped forwards. He only had one shoe on. "You know how much she means to me."

"More than the Quidditch Cup?" Hugo raised his voice as well. A few students were already starting to stretch their necks inside. 

"More than anything, Hugo. And if you don't approve then I don't think I can have a friend like you." His eyebrows were deep into his eyes.

"Blimey Albus, I don't even know you anymore." Hugo breathed out. "I thought you were long over her." 

"I guess you don't." Albus replied rawly. Then in a few steps, Hugo was out of the dormitory. Albus shoved a few textbooks into his bag and headed out to the common room, making sure to keep a distance away from him. He waited there by the entrance to the girl's dormitories. If he could, he would've gone up to wake up Victoria himself so that he could be the first thing she saw when she woke, but alas he couldn't so he simply waited there. While she came out, he thought of his Quidditch team. He would need to have a talk with them if they thought they could have an opinion about him and his girlfriend.