Alright, here we go. A new update! It includes a flashback and a tiny bit of action. Yes, we will dive into full course action pretty soon.
March 2020
The Astronomy Tower was silent. There were no classes on Sundays, so nobody was around to disturb the thirteen-year-old boy siting in front of the window which showed him the twilight. He had tears running down his pale face. He lifted his hand up to see the picture of a woman, her face filled with warmth, her eyes bearing the color of honey, and her smile which brightened the darkest of days.
He would never get to see her, at least for a while.
The cold silence was interrupted when a fifteen-year-old Gryffindor decided it would be a good idea to hang out here, as nobody would bother him and ask him about his date. His first failure of a date.
His eyes fell on the silhouette of a smaller boy siting in front of the thin window which ran throughout the length of the wall. The younger boy looked back. As he sniffed, the older boy went closer to him, to figure out who he is.
"Scorpius?" He muttered, "What are you doing here?"
"Just... Sitting? Enjoying the view?" He said, his voice cracking.
The older boy approached him. The moonlight entering through the other window on his right illuminated the tears on the younger's face.
"James?" Scorpius said, recognizing him, "Why are you here?"
James had managed to hear the crack in his voice, yet again.
"Scorpius, are you alright?"
"Yeah." He said, his voice delicate. He drew his knees closer to himself, and blinked his eyes furiously.
James approached him. He sat down on the cold floor and squeezed his shoulders.
"Where is Albus?"
"He is doing his Potions homework."
"Alright."
He noticed the picture in the younger's hand. Who could it be? Then, it suddenly dawned to him. He remembered his friend Ralph telling him about Scorpius's mother.
James gave the younger boy a hug.
Scorpius busted out crying. He sobbed in his arms, letting out his sorrows and grief.
"Easy, easy." James whispered, as he hugged him tighter. He gently ran his fingers through the roots of his hair, hugging Scorpius with his other hand.
For the next ten minutes, Scorpius stayed in his arms. He loved the warm embrace, as it reminded him of his mother, when she would hug him during the winters. He loved it when she hugged him on Yule. He loved her hugs, filled with comfort, like the one he was receiving now.
James stayed like that for as long as he wanted. He remembered what Teddy had told him during Yule- Never let go of the hug first. You never know how much the person in front of you wants comfort.
Scorpius lets go of him and looks at the picture of his mother smiling at the camera, waving her hand gracefully.
"She was beautiful." James said, staring into the picture.
"She was."
"Chocolate?" James said, as he pulled out a small bar. He had saved it for his late-night studying. He could borrow some from Lily, but the question was- will she give him?
Scorpius looked at the chocolate before taking it from his hand.
"Thank you, James."
"You are welcome." He spoke.
The younger boy unwrapped the wrapper before taking a bite of the chocolate. A smile came on his face, telling James that he liked it.
"Go back to your common room, Scorpius. Take rest, alright?"
James said as he got up. Scorpius did the same.
"I will, James. Thank you." He said, his eyes smiling along with his lips.
September 2nd, 2020
"Mr. Potter?"
James looked up from his meal of cornflakes to see Neville holding his timetable in front of him.
"Here is your timetable."
"Thank you, Neville... I mean, Professor Longbottom."
"You are welcome."
Neville said, as he moved ahead to hand out the timetables.
James stared at the piece of paper he had been given. He had double Charms first. Perfect.
He went back to his dorm and grabbed the books he needed before lunch. The only ones he needed were of Charms and Alchemy. He was looking forward to the Alchemy class, as he had heard from Louis that it was one of the most interesting subjects he had ever studied.
He went to the Charms classroom. He had forgotten about last night, the news and the events.
Professor Flitwick gave his favorite student a welcoming smile as he walked inside the class, and sat on the first bench.
"Welcome, Mr. Potter. It is so nice to see you."
"Pleasure is mine, Professor." James said.
More students came in. James realized that he would be sharing Charms with Hufflepuffs, which meant that he would have to deal with some unpleasantries.
One of them being a boy who took his seat right next to his bench.
"Well, welcome to Charms, sixth-yearers. I must say, you all have done so well in your O.W.L.s last year. Congratulations! I am really excited to teach you all for this year and the next year to come."
Professor Flitwick started telling them about the upcoming year and how things will be taught. James zoned out, as his worries from last night came back.
Albus was missing. No one had any idea where he was. James knew that he was not hiding somewhere in Hogwarts, as he was not there on the Slytherin Table during breakfast.
What if he ran away? It made sense, given the fact that Harry had told him some pretty terrific things before he boarded the train. But Scorpius? Why was he gone? Scorpius did not really have a reason to run away from Hogwarts. This left only one thing.
Albus and Scorpius had been kidnapped and James did not know why. Albus was a Potter, so again, it makes sense. There were people against his father. This is when he hated being a Potter. He had to hide as well and he can do nothing to find out where they are. But why Scorpius? Scorpius was a Malfoy. Indeed, the Malfoys had changed, but they were ex-Death Eaters. Did they somehow manage to wrong the ones who still followed Voldemort?
"Mr. Potter?"
James came back to reality. Professor Flitwick was standing beside his table, his hand reaching the tabletop.
"Sorry, Professor. I was not paying attention."
"Everything alright, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes... It is just that, I am worried about Albus..."
"I can understand, Mr. Potter. You do not need to attend this class then. Go back to your dorms if you want to, and take rest."
"That is not necessary, Professor." James said, shaking his head. He did not want to go to dorms, because he would miss out on tons of work. Besides, he would feel suffocated in the empty dorm, with only his thoughts to surround him.
Professor Flitwick went back to his stand and stepped on it.
"Well, we will now begin with the Slippery Hand Charm. I am going to write the incantation on the board."
Flitwick turned around to write the incantation.
"Slytherin Squib gone, Potter?" The boy seating on the bench next to James's said in a low tone.
"None of your business, Macmillan."
"A good riddance, indeed." Macmillan said, as he straightened himself, a wicked smirk on his face.
James glared at him, while Flitwick turned around, his thick brows frowning.
"Ten points from Hufflepuff, Mr. Macmillan, and you will stay after class. I will be assigning you extra work."
"Thanks Fabian." Sandy, the Hufflepuff girl seating behind him said.
James had a tiny smirk on his face. He continued to pay his full attention in the class, as if nothing was wrong.
Everything was not alright, and James was trying his best to not sink into the darkness.
Once the class was over, he got up quickly and made his way out, when he heard someone call out his name.
"James!"
He turned around to see Roxanne walking towards him, her hair scattered into curls.
"What happened to Albus? Is everything okay?" She said in hushed tones.
"He is gone. Him and Scorpius never made it to Hogwarts."
"What do you mean never made it to Hogwarts? How is that possible?"
"I don't know, Rox. Just let me go, okay?" James said, frustrated.
Roxanne stood there, her arms folded and her eyes showing her rejection towards his actions.
"Look, Rox, I am really sorry, but I do not want to talk about this right now, okay? I need to go."
"Fine," Roxanne said understandingly, "See you then."
"See ya."
James said as he made his way to the Alchemy class. The corridor was almost empty as students as already made their way to their respective classrooms. James paced faster. He had to climb two flights of stairs before he even reached the fifth floor. He started climbing the stairs.
Suddenly, there was absolute silence, and the hairs on the back on his neck stood up. Somebody was behind him.
James turned about to see an empty corridor below the few steps he had climbed a few seconds ago. There was no one. He was absolutely sure someone was there. Was it Macmillan messing with him?
His eyes moved throughout the length of corridor that he could see. He saw a black figure at the very left corner.
James moved down a step, his hand resting on his wand. He blinked a couple of times, before he checked the corner again. No one was there.
How was that even possible? James looked at the corner once again. Still no one.
He shook his head. Must have been his hallucinations. James turned around and walked upstairs, without looking back. He did not have the time to think about black figures that disappear. It must be his imagination. It has to be. If it wasn't, who was it and why did it want to follow him?