Found In the Past

10

Albus's POV: (co-written)

I told myself I wouldn't care about Scorpius and Rose going out but I wasn't fooling anymore. The second he left our dorm, I collapsed on my pillow and sulked. After half an hour of self-pity and listening to muggle-made unrequited love songs, I dragged myself down to the training grounds for some fresh air.

I knew it was a mistake to come here, since everyone else was hanging out in groups. It's a bright day with barely any clouds blocking the sun. Perfect for a romantic outing, I think bitterly. I keep my head down against the blowing wind and scan the crowd for any familiar faces. A giggling group of Gryffindor girls half-way down the field catches my eye. A blonde girl waves at me and I realize she must have been watching.

I look closer to see that she's standing with the group of girls but also keeping herself slightly apart, like she's there but doesn't fully belong. I know the feeling well. The girl breaks off her gaze first and goes back watching her friends. Her crimson robes keep catching my attention though and I eventually decide to go talk to her. With Scorpius gone, I have no friends here, therefore having nothing left to lose.

I make my way over to the Gryffindors, keeping my head low. It's been four years, but I still receive stares as I walk down the Quidditch Pitch. As the son of Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley, I'm very used to it. At least I can wear my green robes without regret this year. I'm most definitely a Slytherin, and I seemed to have proved that by breaking time to prove a point. I finally make my way to the blonde girl and she looks up at me again, surprised.

"I'm Albus," I stick my hand out awkwardly, hoping I didn't just ruin all my chances at speaking with her.

"I know," she eases the tension with a cute snort that morphs into a laugh. "I'm Paige Rowle," she shakes my hand with a smile.

"Nice to... meet you?" I offer lamely. The intensity in her grey eyes catch me by surprise as we make eye contact. They're sparkling with laughter but a part of them is guarded carefully, positioned to not let anyone in. I wonder why...

"How about we go to the library to talk? I need to study for Professor Binn's test," She tells me, shooting a glare at the people who are now watching us. The small posse that is still standing next to her give us a not-so-subtle grin, and I send them a cool glance. What are they going on about?

"Of course. I need to study too," I answer quickly, turning back to Paige. We make our way off of the pitch together, neither of us being completely graceful about it. For some reason, people stare more than ever at the pair of us. I ignore it until we get to the library and sit down in a quiet corner.

"I'm sorry about the stares," I start out but Paige raises a hand to cut me off.

"I know why they're whispering," Paige says with a sad smile, "I was raised by former Death Eaters who were still stuck in the old ways. The daughter of Voldemort even stayed with us once," Her features twist in a grimace at this comment, and I realize mine must have too. "If you want to have a... friend who is someone else, I understand."

"Delphi?" I ask, making the connection immediately. Paige doesn't respond but her shoulders slump as she looks away. "I don't mind the stares," I add on a bit too late.

"That's good," she sits up straighter in her seat. "In that case, let's talk about something a little less sad?" She laughs again with a half-snort. "What about Mal- Scorpius? I know you two are close. Rose hasn't shut up about him for the past week or so. She finally said yes to him!!! I was so relieved the date was today... when she gets stuck on a subject she never stops talking!"

"Yes, I am happy for them," I tell her, trying to hide the panic that's now clawing at my stomach. Why does everything in my life center around him now? I wonder sadly, twisting my fingers in my lap. And why doesn't that sound like a bad thing?

"I know! Me too! Rose told me she would take him to the Joke shop, and I can just tell they are going to have the best time," Paige comments, propping her elbows up on the table to support her face. Her blonde hair falls around her eyes in a pretty halo, but I barely register it due to the unsurprising pang in my heart.

"Oh," is all I can say, and I try to give a convincing smile. "Homework?" The image of Scor and Rose snogging suddenly flashes into my mind and I squeeze my hand tighter. That is an image I would LOVE to live without.

"Sure," Paige looks a bit puzzled at the change of topic, but goes along with it anyways. "Madeleine the Odd turned the house of a famous rock star into cheese to support Grindelwald's objective on what year?" She reads from the text book in front of her, pushing hair out of her face.

"I'm not sure," I say lamely. I was never really the studying type. That was Scorpius all the way though... and Rose. I suddenly wish I knew more so I could impress this blonde haired girl in front of me. She was giving me a chance beyond just wanting to meet my father, and I wanted to show I was worth it. "Who knows this exact date?" I ask drily.

"1864," she tells me with a smirk, maintaining eye contact to prove she had it memorized. I guess she didn't need to study after all.

She quizzes me into the night and I find myself laughing and joking with her. I guess I got really lucky on my search for friends.

"Quidditch is useless," I remark, opening the door to the Astronomy Tower. Paige comes in behind me, looking around with wide eyes.

"The Wizarding World needs at least one sport," She counters, "Muggles have dozens of boring sports with odd shaped balls."

"You can't change my mind, Paige," I tell her with a laugh. "I can't even get a broom off of the ground half to time. I think I've successfully driven my father crazy with my lack of talent," I try to joke, but it ends up hurting me more than helping.

"You have plenty of talent, Albus Potter," Paige tell me seriously. I realize how close our faces are and move back to give her more room. I'm not sure, but she looks a bit disappointed.

"You've never met my father, have you? Talent's defined a bit differently when the world's most famous celebrity is supposedly where who you get half of your genes from," I sigh and pull my legs a bit closer to my chest. Even though I'm actually talking to my father again, there's still this distance between us. I'm never going to be Harry Potter, I'm only going to be in his shadow.

"You're not your father. And I mean you did save the world already so I'd say you're doing pretty well," Paige tells me softly, a faint smile playing against her lips.

"Yeah well it was my fault the world was messed up in the first place," I mutter, slumping down.

"Well I mean... at least you're not the daughter of known death eaters," she comments. I turn over to see her glaring daggers at the floor. The hate in her expression seems so out of place, but I get how she feels in a reversed sort of way.

"It's like everyone who meets you already thinks they know exactly what you're like," I tell her softly, placing my hand over hers on instinct. Realizing I have no idea how to be friends with a girl, I remove my hand away awkwardly.

"Exactly," we sit in silence for a while, just being in each other's company.

"It's late," I eventually say, noting how high the moon's gotten in the sky.

"Rose should be back by now," Paige comments. Scor's back...

"See you tomorrow?" I ask, standing up and dusting myself off. I offer her a hand and she takes it. She stands up and suddenly we're face to face. A weird look crosses her face, and for a brief second I wonder if she's going to kiss me. I quickly look away and open the Astronomy Tower's door, not ready for that.

"Can't wait," Paige says. We walk out to our respective dorms. I sigh and prepare myself to meet my love-sick best mate.