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Challenger’s first launch, STS-6

Stopped to Stare Chapter 6: In Which Albus Is Cruel

I was still smarting in anger over Lily when I arrived in Diagon Alley. How dare he, her own fucking brother, say something like that about her? What was fucking wrong with him? And she was just letting it go? It didn't make sense. Not with the Lily I knew.

Putting it out of my mind, I stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron and into the bright sunlight. Witches and wizards bustled along wide cobblestone street lined with shops. Ye Olde Tavern was full to the brim with magical folk clamoring for lunch. Opposite it, Quality Quidditch Supplies was just as crowded. Down the street, a sign proclaiming "Eeylops Owl Emporium" drew my eye.

I made my way through the bustling crowd and slipped into the dark-lit shop. Innumerable pairs of amber eyes turned towards me and I stepped forward, bumping into a witch bent over a cage.

"Scorpius?" she asked, standing up.

"Lana! What are you doing here?"

"Getting an owl, obviously," Lana replied, laughing. "Lars and Mitch are in Quality Quidditch Supplies. We're meeting at The Leaky Cauldron at noon. And you're here because...?"

"No reason, really," I replied, glad that my friends were here. I needed that, to calm down. "I need a new owl, though. I suppose I'm here to get away."

Her brow furrowed in the darkness. "What do you mean?"

I shook my head. "Tell you guys later."

"Okay..." Lana replied, but she wasn't done with the topic. "Should I get this owl?" A large dark brown owl with two tufts of feathers on its head was perched on her arm.

"Sure," I replied, looking for mine. "This one?" I asked her.

"No...how about this one?" Lana replied, referring to a light brown owl with a tawny belly and large black eyes.

"Yes," I decided, taking the owl from her as I headed to the sales table. She was light in my arm and clacked her beak at me as I grabbed my galleon pouch and paid. "Now, what should your name be?" I hummed to myself as we excited the shop and walked to The Leaky Cauldron. Mitch and Lars were already there and had packages with them.

"Scorp! What're you doing here?" Mitch called us over to their table.

"And you got an owl!" Lars added as we sat down.

"Yeah, I need a name for her—but none of yours, Mitch," I added, taking a chip off his plate.

"Hey!" he protested, of both my thievery and the fact he couldn't suggest a name. "It wouldn't be that sexual!"

Lana rolled her eyes and slapped him across the table. "And now will you tell us?"

Lars looked from me to Lana. "Tell us what?"

I sighed, but decided to tell them. "So, when I got home two days ago...my parents kicked me out. For being friends with Lily—even if she's a Slytherin. And so I'm...staying at her house. And, um, James Potter doesn't hate us. But Albus does...and he called Lily a bitch behind her back. I told her and she's not mad at him, but she was before she talked to him."

My friends looked shocked. "They—they kicked you out?" Lars asked.

"Potter doesn't hate Slytherins?" Mitch wondered in the same shocked voice.

"He called her a bitch?" Lana pondered as well.

"Yeah..." I replied, grimacing. "It happened."

Lana snapped out of it. "Get her here."

Lars looked up, confused. "What are you doing, Lana?"

"Get her here. Now," was all Lana said, so with a shrug at the others I pulled a pinch of Floo powder out of my pocket and jumped in the fireplace near us, heading for the Burrow. Lily was right by the fire, reading, so I grabbed her wrist and jumped back in the fire.

Coughing, we stumbled out of the fireplace and into The Leaky Cauldron. Lily wiped some soot off her face and looked at me, asking, "Scor?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Lana wanted to talk to you."

Lily rolled her eyes and snorted. "She didn't have to get you to do that," she said as she sat down.

"I didn't. Scorpius just did," Lana interjected. "Now what's this thing with Albus?"

"Oh, yeah," Lily said, after taking a swig of my butterbeer and smirking at me. "He called me a bitch. Like he's not one, and and an ass, as well. Scorp—you got an owl?" she asked, obviously wanting to switch the topic.

"Yeah—but I thought you weren't mad at him?"

"I wasn't?"

"No...you said it was 'Fine, he's nice to me.' So..." I trailed off, confused. Lily was mad? But before she wasn't...after she talked to Albus.

"Damn," Lana muttered under breath, obviously reaching the same conclusion as me. "Lily, look at me."

Lily turned to Lana, confused. Mitch and Lars stared as well, but I knew what she was doing.

"Don't stop looking...that's it...and now...Revelabit Abscondita," she finished. Lily shivered, and slowly a golden haze appeared around her. It intensified, and then slowly dissipated. "The Imperious Curse," Lana stated solemnly, her eyes flickering around.

Lily's eyes widened, along with everybody else's. I didn't think Albus was capable of that...or that he would want to...especially on his sister. Why would he?

"He—"

"How did—"

"Why—"

"On his sister—"

Everyone was talking at once, so I turned to whisper to Lily, "You okay?"

She looked at me, fear in her eyes. "I was bewitched. I was tricked into being what Albus wanted. It's no better than supporting him! Do you think I feel okay?"

I shook my head, not wanting to loose my temper with her. "No. It's not your fault. What he did was wrong...and he should go to Azkaban for it."

"I know he should!" Lily protested. "But he won't, because do you really think my dad is going to put his son in prison?"

"No," I muttered in defeat. "So I suppose your dad will be of no help...but what about...no..."

"Exactly," she broke in. "Nobody can help."

"So what do we do?" I asked. Honestly, if she had told me to, I would have killed him, myself. After what he did to her...

"Nothing," Lily murmured, softly. "We do nothing."

#stopped to stare #chapter 6 #sts6