A/N Alright so this is a one shot written for Hogwarts Online Forum. =] The theme was Running and the Prompts I had to use were "The hands of time tick against us", Muscles, Tears, Blood, Sweat and Victory. I hope you enjoy it! =] I had fun writing it.

Disclaimer: I, Sadly, Do not own anything you recognize.

Albus was running. Well, that's a bit of an understatement. He was sprinting as fast as he could through the Forbidden Forest. Deep inside his mind, he knew he shouldn't be acting like this. Being a 7th year, he should be more mature, but he couldn't help it; tears were streaking down his face as he fought his thoughts in a perpetual battle.

"Albus! Stop running!" he heard someone yell from behind him. He had no intention of stopping, but as he turned his head to see who was following him, he tripped over his own feet and face-planted into the dirt. Right away, he stood back up and brushed himself off. A red stream of blood was trickling down his leg. He had plans of taking off yet again. If it weren't for the fact that his muscles were aching and he could barely move them, he would have. He wasn't used to running so much. Sure he played Quidditch, but that doesn't involve any running.

Scorpius came to a halt just shy of Albus, not realizing he stopped at first. He was out of breath. He doubled over when he knew Albus wasn't going to take off again and attempted to catch his breath. When it finally came back to him he used his forearm to wipe the sweat off his forehead.

"I can't handle it, Scorp," Albus told his best friend after several minutes of silence.

"I know, but everything will be okay," he attempted to comfort him.

"How will you know?" Albus asked.

"The hands of time tick against us," Scorpius responded.

"What does that have to do with anything?" he questioned.

"It was your mom's time to go, just like it will be your time to go eventually," he answered.

"Scorpius, it's not like she died of old age or something like that. She was murdered. By a Death Eater for crying out loud!" Albus almost shouted.

"Hey, at least it wasn't my dad that did it!" Scorpius told him in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Scorp, you know very well your dad would never do that," Albus responded but Scorpius' diversion worked to some degree. Albus had received news that his mother had been killed while she was out shopping two days ago from his headmistress. Seeing as he was the eldest Potter at Hogwarts, it was his responsibility to tell his younger sister, Lily. Not to mention all his cousins he should tell. More tears pored out of his eyes as he imagined their reactions. Maybe he would sit them all down, tell them all at once. That way he would only have to repeat it one time.

Normally, when something bad happens, he demand to go home and make sure his father was okay. But, seeing as there was one week until graduation, he saw no point. He ran his hand through his untamed, jet black hair. What had happened? His life had been perfect. He was going to graduate, then he was going to follow in his father's footsteps, unlike his brother who had followed in their uncles' footsteps and started helping in their joke shop. He wanted to be an Auror. Now, he didn't know if he could think of living his life with no mother without bursting into tears. He knew that his fathers job had been dangerous seeing as he was head of the department. Never once did he stop and think that Death Eaters would come after the people closest to his father. What a grave mistake that was.

Albus smiled to himself as he remember something his father told him as a child. "To the well organized mind, death is but the next great adventure," He didn't know where his mom was now, but by remembering that, he knew she was on some great adventure and he knew how much his mom loved the thrill of adventures. Victory is the only possible outcome for this latest adventure. Albus has to believe that she will end up in a better place.

"Are you okay, Albus? You just smiled, as you are crying," Scorpius asked, obviously dumbstruck that his best friend just broke out in a smile without anything being said.

"I think I will be," Albus answered with another teary smile. "Come on, I need to gather all the red heads," He told him using a nickname for his relatives that only Scorpius knew.

"Alright, Rose told me she was going to the library," he offered. Albus rolled his eyes in response. Of course he knew where Rose was, they normally were never apart.

"Well the other ones are probably with her or back in the common room," he answered before taking off towards the Gryffindor common room with his best friend to tell people he loved words that would no doubt make them hurt.

Please Review.

And A Special thanks to my beta GAlittlefoot. Aka Heather. =]