Authors' Note: Thank you all for your patience! We are still working on this story, slowly but surely.

-Al & Scor

Disclaimer: Does this look like Pottermore to you?

Chapter Twenty-Five: I Know Where He Is

Albus had headed to the library first thing in the morning to get a head start on his Transfiguration homework. He had never done such a thing before, but he hadn't been able to sleep, and anything was better than staring at his dormitory wall, thinking about Scorpius.

Apparently even staring at the library wall, thinking about Scorpius

"Al. Al, Hey, Al!" A hand waved in front of his face, drawing him out of his daze.

"Huh?' said Albus, blinking and the sudden and unexpected intrusion into his thoughts. "What?"

"Al, we've been looking for you for twenty minutes," said Alec. "You missed all of your morning classes."

"Oh," said Albus vaguely. "Did I?"

"Yes you did," nodded Violeta.

Albus looked over Alec's shoulder, noticing Violeta and Lily standing there for the first time. "I must have lost track of time..."

"In the library?" said Lily. "Are you sure you're my brother?"

"Yeah, since when do you spend time in the library?" asked Alec incredulously. His tone suggested that they may as well have found Albus hanging out with the giant squid.

"Since Scor disappeared…" murmured Violeta knowingly.

"And nobody else in the entire school even cares."

"Now that's not true, Al," said Alec. "The faculty and staff—"

"Care that one of the students is missing. They don't care about Scor."

Violeta sighed, "Al there has to be someone else that cares. It's just not someone we know."

"No, said Albus. "There's no one—" he suddenly stopped. "Wait..."

"What?" said Lily.

"Myrtle."

"Myrtle? Myrtle who?" said Alec in confusion.

"Myrtle as in Moaning Myrtle?" Violeta raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Yeah," said Albus, looking suddenly excited. He stood up, hastily gathering his things into his bag. "I can't believe I didn't think of her sooner. She and Scor are friends. Maybe, just maybe he told her something before he left..."

"Then we are we still here?" Violeta asked in matching excitement.

"We're not," said Albus, and left the library at a run.

Violeta ran after him, followed by Lily and Alec.

Albus burst into the second floor girls' bathroom without knocking. Luckily it was, as usual, void of any living occupants. "Myrtle! Myrtle, it's Albus, Albus Potter! I need to talk to you! Please, he added as an afterthought."

The ghost came out of her stall and drifted lazily over to the group, stopping a few feet away. "Oh, Albus, what do you want?" she deadpanned, her voice not exactly friendly.

Lily, Violeta, and Alec looked on with interest. Alec had never met the infamous spirit before, and the girls, like the majority of Hogwarts' female population, avoided her and her toilet whenever possible. Albus ignored his audience and cut right to the chase. "Myrtle, did Scor come and talk to you at all before he disappeared?"

The ghost girl looked thoughtful. "Yes, he did. Wait, he disappeared? So that's why he never came back after—"

Albus stopped. No one had bothered to tell the ghost the Scorpius was missing. Well, of course they hadn't; he was the only other person who knew that the two of them were friends. I had other things on my mind than a mopey ghost! he thought defensively.

"Er, yeah," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "He...he's been missing for over a week."

Myrtle gasped, "He—he has?" She floated farther down, so she was face to face with Albus, her tone softening, though, Albus knew, not because of any sympathetic feelings toward him. "Is there anything I can do?"

"That's what I came to find out. What did he say to you the last time you saw him?

"Well he was very upset, I was hardly able to understand him at all, but he said something about disappearing to a place no one would ever look. Or I could have misunderstood, he was crying so."

Albus bit his lip hard enough to draw blood; the guilt felt like it was crushing him. "Shit. I didn't mean to make him cry..."

"You…you were the reason he was—WHAT did you do to him?" Myrtle's silvery eyes narrowed behind her round glasses, any trace of sympathy contained in them vanishing into icy ire.

"Nothing," said Albus miserably. "And everything."

"Scor kissed him," Lily supplied softly. "Albus reacted...in a way that was easily misinterpreted."

The ghost's eyed got really wide. "He kissed you?" She looked shocked. "You ungrateful…" she looked as though she was going to start sulking, which of course was how she had gotten her nickname. "Have you ANY idea what you've done?"

"Of course I know what I've done!" shouted Albus defensively. "I—I—" his voice broke.

Lily glared at the ghost. "That was helpful," she said sarcastically.

Myrtle just stared at them. "Well if you find my help unhelpful, then maybe you should leave my toilet."

"Myrtle," said Albus, clearing his throat to steady his voice. "Myrtle, did you know Scor liked me?"

"Yes," she admitted, "he confessed to me. At first I was so envious, but, when you came visiting, you were so nice to him and I thought you'd make him happy. Obviously I was wrong."

"I want to make him happy..." He straightened up. "But first we have to find him. Thanks for your help, Myrtle. If you think of anything else, you know where to find me."

The ghost nodded. "You better find him."

"We'll do our best," vowed Albus. "Now though," he checked his watch. "I really can't afford to miss any more classes. I can't exactly look for him in detention."

"So true," nodded Violeta, "Come on."

The four of them left the building and headed toward their respective classes at a jog. As he ran it occurred to him that none of them had eaten any lunch and he had skipped breakfast that morning. Good luck concentrating in Charms he thought to himself as his stomach gave a loud rumble.

*****UTS*****

Albus walked quickly down the empty corridor, a feeling of urgency bubbling in his chest. Sunlight shone through the castle windows, illuminating the dust motes in the air around him in an almost exaggerated manner. It was the complete wrong time of day to be going to the Astronomy tower, and yet that was where Albus realized that his feet were taking him. With every step the feeling of urgency in his chest grew. It was absolutely imperative that he reach the Astronomy Tower. Before he knew it, he had broken into a run. There, up ahead, a glimmer of silver. Something was standing at the edge of the tower. No, not something, someone. A boy, thin frame, Slytherin robes, platinum blonde hair. Slowly he turned to face Albus. The way he stood now, with sun behind him, it almost looked as though he had grown wings.

"Scorpius!" choked Albus, jolting to a halt. He felt frozen in place. "Thank Merlin I found you! We've been looking everywhere. The school, the Ministry, we…" he faltered off, his voice trailing off at the strange expression in the blonde's eyes. It was sad, but peaceful. He just shook his head, not speaking a word.

Albus tried to move but his legs wouldn't obey him. "Scor, step away from the edge. You'll fall."

The other boy's pale lips slowly formed a smile as he nodded. Yes, he'd fall, he knew that. Still he took another step closer to the edge.

"Scorpius!" screamed Albus, struggling to move. Had the other boy cast a spell on him? He hadn't seen him draw his wand. "There's something I need to tell you!"

Scorpius tilted his head, looking at Albus. Still he hadn't spoken a single word.

"Scorpius, come away from the edge."

The blonde male shook his head, taking another step closer to a fall that was sure to take his life.

"Scorpius," pleaded Albus. "Scorpius, come away from the edge..."

Scorpius smiled a strange smile. The final step; another move and he'd fall.

"Don't," sobbed Albus. "Please don't. I need to tell you that I like you back..."

Scorpius closed his eyes, once again shaking his head. "It's too late for that, Albus." The voice was strange, it sounded like nothing that belong to this world.

"No," said Albus. "No, it's not too late. Just come away from the edge. I'll—I'll let you kiss me again!" he added desperately

Scorpius' lips slowly became a smile. He almost looked like he'd come back, but then, his left foot tripped.

He fell, almost in slow motion, eyes not leaving Al for one second.

Albus screamed.

"Al! AL!" Alec's panicked face filled his vision, disorienting him.

"Scorpius!" he said, looking wildly around. The Astronomy Tower was gone. In its place was the dull, sleepy classroom of Professor Binns, which was currently filled with the alarmed faces of his classmates, startled out of their stupors by his yell.

Terrence was leaning over from his desk, next to Albus and Alec's, with a very concerned look. Alice did the same from beside him. "Al" the girl said slowly.

The rest of the class was looking at him too. Albus swallowed. A dream. Just another dream. "I...I'm okay..."

"No, you're not," said Terrence, "you're shaking, Al." he turned to their professor, "Excuse me Professor Binns, Albus isn't feeling well, I'll take him to see Madam Pomfrey"

The ghost professor blinked at them, seemingly the only one in the room who had yet to notice the disturbance caused by Albus' nightmare. "Oh. Yes. Of course, Mr. Hill." He returned to his lecture, taking no notice as not only Terrence and Albus, but Alec and Alice rose from their seats and left the classroom.

"I don't need the hospital wing," said Albus when they were in the corridor, shaking off Terrence's concerned hand from his shoulder. "I need to think."

"Hell, Albus.. seriously, that's the third time you've scared us with your dreams…they clearly mean something" Alice said.

Albus rubbed his temples. "I know. That's why I need to think. Go back to class and when it's over find Vi and Lils and tell them to meet me in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom."

Terrence frowned, "Are you sure Al…? maybe Alec should come with you."

Albus looked at his friend. "Fine. Alec, come with me, Binns won't notice anyway. But stay quiet so I can think."

Alec nodded mutely, miming locking his lips and throwing away the key. Albus almost smiled. "Come on. This is a puzzle, and I'm sure we have all the pieces, we just need to figure out how to fit them together...I should have been a damn Ravenclaw…"

*****UTS*****

When Violeta, Lily, and James arrived at Myrtle's bathroom, Albus was pacing the puddled floor, deep in thought. Every once in a while he would say an idea out loud to Alec and Myrtle, who would reply succinctly or nod mutely. He was so close to putting everything together, he could feel it. If only he could figure out what he was missing...

"Al," Violeta's voice broke through his concentration.

Albus stopped his facing and looked up. "Good, you're here."

"Yes. So have you figured out anything?"

"No, not yet," said Albus. "But it's there, it's there! He went somewhere...somewhere where no one would think to look, somewhere where he's not using magic..."

"Come on Al", said James, "you're grasping at straws here. Where could he hide for two weeks where nobody would go, where no one would think to look?"

And then, as if someone had flicked a switch in Albus's brain, he recalled a conversation he and Scorpius had had in Hogsmeade on the day he had disappeared.

"It must be a smart place to hide," Scorpius had said, looking pensive. "No one goes close to it, don't you agree?"

Albus had shrugged, not finding this topic of conversation of much interest. "To hide? I suppose it would be," he had responded, noting for the sake of conversation that the building's original purpose had been much to this effect.

"And nobody knew," Scorpius had said pensively, still gazing at the landmark in question. "Because everyone thinks people stay away from it."

"Oh my God," said Albus, everything falling into place. "I know where he is!"

AN: We'd say we're sorry for the cliffhanger, but we're really not, lol. Thank you for your patience and your reviews!

Love,

Al & Scor