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Chapter Text

The great hall was practically overflowing with applause as the yearly sorting came to a close. Overall, it’d been spread pretty evenly between the houses, with several new additions to Slytherin- some unpleasant and smug looking, others terrified. Not much seemed to have changed with the other students, which- with the events of the prior year in consideration, was a bit of a relief. It seemed like the start of a good year.

A hush fell over the crowd as Headmaster McGonagall tapped a goblet with her spoon, the only sound being excited whispers. “Now that we’ve concluded this year’s sorting, I have a rather important...and might I add, exciting announcement to make. As most of you know, twenty-seven years ago, we hosted The Triwizard Tournament- An event that brings together three schools in a brief moment of harmony, with three competitors, and three daunting challenges. That year, however, there were four champions, not three.  Former students Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory were the Hogwarts champions, and as many of you know, Mr. Diggory unfortunately was killed during the fated third task-“

“They know what we did.” Scorpius hissed at Albus, wide-eyed and paler than usual. “They know what we did and now they’re going to publicly shame us- or expel us. They know and we’re so done for. We’re gonna-“

“I did not bring the last part up to scare you or dampen your spirits. However, history must be stated so that it shan’t be repeated. Which is why I’m pleased to announce the return of the Triwizard Tournament for its fifth rendition, and would like you to give a warm welcome to  Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and Durmstrang Institute!” There were shocked murmurs from the students as the doors to the great hall swung open and each school entered with individual flair and showmanship. Beauxbatons all in blue, with a grace and elegance. Durmstrang in deep reds and browns, strong and quick-paced. There was great applause as each school finished their performances and went to sit at their respective tables. 

Next to Albus, Scorpius was practically jumping out of his skin, mouth hanging open as he watched. “It’s just like- and they- look at the- oh my god- ohmygodthisisSOcool-“

The room lapsed back into silence as the famed goblet itself was brought out. “Due to the unfortunate results of the last Tournament, there are a few new rules that have been set in place. The first, is that the age limit has been lowered slightly. To enter your name, you must be at least fifteen years of age-though Mr. Potter was fourteen when he was entered, we will still call this The Potter Exception.” there was a bit of humor in her voice at that, a smattering of quiet laughter going throughout the hall. “However it is strongly advised that you do not enter your name unless you are at least seventeen. If you are younger than that, your parents will be informed, despite them having no say in the matter whether or not you compete. Secondly is that this year, each school will present two champions, not one. This is in honor of Cedric. I must warn you, these tasks are dangerous and only the strongest witch or wizard will be able to complete them...what may wait for you at the end is eternal fame and glory, yet what you find in yourself along the way may just change you forever.”

There was an edge to the last part, giving it an almost threatening air. It was gone as suddenly as it had come, McGonagall clapping her hands, sending mountains of food appearing along the tables- much to the delight of the first year. “And with that, let us start the new year!”

••••••

Albus gaped, immediately turning to look at the sheer excitement in Scorpius's eyes. Even Albus, who usually hated school events, couldn't help but feel eager at the news of the return of the Triwizard Tournament. He grabbed his friend’s shoulders with a grin.

"I think I understand why you're such a geek about this now," he said before glancing to admire the goblet. "How long until the champions are chosen?"

••••••

Scorpius’s grin grew even wider as Albus grabbed him, shaking him slightly. “I knOW RIGHT???” He cleared his throat, muttering an apology as the boy sitting nearest to them gave him a look. Lowering his voice, he squinted for a moment, thinking. “Er- if I’m right about this, and I’m pretty sure I am, two days. One day for people to put their names in, and then The Announcementtt.” he said the last bit in a sing-song, with a flourish of his hands. “But it could have changed, since y’know they’re throwing in a BUNCH of different rules for the new one. Kinda hypocritical if you ask me- hm well yes, student died the last time so let’s make the age limit even lower. Geniuses, the lot of them.” He laughed.

••••••

"Honestly!" He shook his head with a smile. It was a stupid decision in his head…but then he thought for a bit. Sure the last Triwizard Tournament related adventure they'd had hadn't gone well to say the least. But now they weren't messing with time. Albus sat up and looked at Scorpius with a look that said he was about to propose something incredibly stupid. 

"..What if we put our names in?"

••••••

Scorpius braced himself when he saw the look on Albus’s face, chewing at the inside of his lip. “Albus....not sure if I like the look of that glint in your eye, last time you looked like that we wound up on top of a moving train-“ he paused as Albus said his idea, mouth dropping open. “Yeah, nope nevermind this is worse. You’ve completely lost it this time. I’m going to have to visit you at St. Mungo’s, on my birthday, because you’ve absolutely and totally lost your mind.” He grabbed Albus by his shoulders, gently shaking him. “Don’t be stupid!!! That’s like- the epitome of stupid!!! I’m your best friend and I love you very much and as your best friend who loves you very much it’s my place to tell you that you are the least athletic person I know. It wouldn’t be a good idea.”

••••••

Albus rolled his eyes, knowing how incredibly true the part about his athleticism was. Scorpius had dragged him to one of Rose's Quidditch matches before and Albus had ended up completely winded by the time he'd gotten up to the stands. It was frankly embarassing.  "Alright, Scorp, don't worry about it. You’re right," he nodded to his friend reassuringly. "Plus, it's not like I'd do it without you so!"

Tap. Tap. Tap.

 Albus had still been awake when the noise resounded from his window. He sat up to see a dark shape he recognized as his father's barn owl, Lupin. Why was his dad like this? Sliding out of bed as quietly as he could so as to not wake up Scorpius, he pulled the window open and allowed the owl in. Lupin dropped a letter into Albus's hands. He took out his wand for light and crouched by the window to read the letter.

Dear Albus,

 Headmaster McGonagall informed me about the Triwizard Tournament and the new minimum age. I'm writing to ask you not to enter the tournament. Your mother agrees with me wholeheartedly. I was a champion in the last tournament that took place, and Cedric died right before my eyes. I think the decision to lower the minimum age and increase the number of champions is foolish. These tournaments are far too dangerous and demanding for a boy your age and I can't lose you. If you got hurt, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. For your sake and ours, please do not enter the tournament. Your mother sends her love.

Love, Dad

"So it's all about you, is it?" Albus quietly grumbled to himself, tossing the letter aside.

The next morning, James had shoved past him in the hallways, waving a piece of paper in his fist as his friends followed, whistling and hooting behind him. Out of sheer curiosity, he followed his brother and surely enough, James was putting his name into the goblet. As Albus was about to turn to leave, scoffing, he heard his brother boasting loudly to his friends.

"Y'know, Dad sent me a letter and everything telling me I should enter the tournment! That I could be the second Potter to be a Triwizard Champion! Said I'd be perfect for it and everything."

This made Albus stop dead in his tracks. He clutched his books a little bit harder,  skin feeling like it was on fire. Seriously? What made James so special? Well…he was stronger, more popular, more athletic, and a Gryffindor for a start. Still, he hated being seen as the weak son who wasn't particularly good at anything. Crouching on the ground and sifting through his papers, he found a blank one, tore it in half, and rummaged in his bag for a quill and ink.

‘Albus Potter' he scribbled hastily. His eyes drifted to the empty torn half and hesitated for a second. What could be the harm in trying it?

‘Scorpius Malfoy' he wrote on the other half. Albus gripped a paper in each fist, waiting for his brother to make his way dramatically out of the great hall. When he did, he walked toward the goblet with purpose and a thirst to prove himself, dropping the names over the blue flames and watching them light up and fizzle away.

••••••

Scorpius, on the other hand, was immensely enjoying himself. Getting to watch people put their names in, the cheers as the flames of the cup flared a little brighter- it was great to just spectate. When they’d gone back and had gotten to view even the smallest sliver of the games, he’d always wondered one thing- why? Why would someone risk their life by putting their name in? After witnessing the buzz of it all for himself, it made a little bit more sense. Regardless, he was definitely content to have the chance to spectate from the sidelines. He’d always been fascinated by the Triwizard Tournament- when he was eleven, there was a night he couldn’t sleep, winding up going down the rabbit hole of compiling as much research as possible on the subject. So getting to witness it firsthand was like getting front row tickets to a favorite show for Christmas.

 Dear Dad,

   I know the Triwizard Tournament is a touchy subject for you because I asked you like sixteen hundred times in a row one day to tell me what is was like getting to watch it the last time, but since I’m getting to experience it, I was hoping maybe possibly you could send some details? Just so I can know what to expect. People have started placing bets on what the tasks are going to be, and I swear they get more stupid every day. Somebody put in “give McGonagall a kiss” and I’ve heard people have jumped on betting on that one as a joke, but whoever wrote it down is making loads of money. Just thought you’d find that funny. Oh, by the way, how was the Yule Ball for you? I just realized I’ll have to do that and am absolutely terrified. I’ll probably just wind up sitting off to the side, but could you please start looking at dress robes? I don’t want to look like even more of an idiot. Hope things are going well for you. Love you loads and hope to hear back from you soon. 

 Lots and lots of love, Scorpius

As soon as he’d found out that James had entered his name, he’d rushed to The Circle, as people had taken to calling it. By the time he arrived, the crowd was still murmuring something about Potter. It was not surprising for him to find Albus storming out of the room, a glint in his eye that Scorpius easily mistook for anger. “It’ll be alright, Al, there’s like- 0.0000001 chance he’ll get picked.” His friend only returned a scoff partnered with a shrug, before walking off, leaving Scorpius to just brush it off and go back to watching the submissions.

He’d taken to mentally casting who he’d want to see competing. James was one of them, just for how tactically smart he was, but of course he’d never tell that to Albus.

Then, judgement day came, and everyone was buzzing with excitement. Scorpius was practically jumping out of his skin all morning- even knocking over their project in potions when his constantly bouncing leg hit the table. Albus, however, seemed particularly subdued, but he chalked it up to contempt towards his brother. 

By the time lunch rolled around, when the names would be picked, Scorpius seemed ready to explode. Usually, when he spoke, his body seemed to be perpetually in motion- but now it had multiplied tenfold, very nearly hitting Albus several times as he spoke a mile a minute, spewing random facts and theories. The pulling of the names was especially exciting because it marked the true beginning of the tournament, he explained to Albus- once the names had been pulled, there would be no going back. The champions were bound to it and couldn’t back out. There’d be a little bit of time for publicity and family, and then the first task would begin. “I’m sorry, Al, but I’m waking you up at the crack of dawn so we can get good seats. I know you like to sleep in, but this is too important to-“ he was cut off as McGonagall entered. The entire hall fell to a tense silence as she cleared her throat, saying a short speech, before the chalice belched blue flame.

Out came flying a small scrap of paper, a name carefully handwritten on it in a looping hand. With that, the first champion of Beauxbatons had been chosen. Quickly followed by the second. Durmstrang seemed to be very pleased by their contestants, a particularly loud cheer erupting when a burly older boy was chosen, fists pounding on the tables. Then....it was Hogwarts’ turn. The excitement was palpable as the wrinkled paper fell into the headmaster’s hands. “Potter-“ was all that was caught as the people around James started cheering, clapping his back with grins. As he got up to take his place with the other champions, McGonagall cleared her throat again, smoothing the paper. “Albus Potter.” At that, Scorpius’s heart rate accelerated, as he stared at the boy next to him with horror. “No...you- you promised you wouldn’t. You promised me-“ There were a few half-hearted claps and loads of whispers as Albus got up from the table. At least Hogwarts still had some hope for their second champion. 

When the second paper flew to her hand, McGonagall paused for a moment, brows knitting slightly as if shocked herself to see the name. “...Scorpius Malfoy.” 

It was as if all the air had been sucked out of his lungs. The room was too bright- too vast. He was about to be swallowed up by the immensity of it all. All he could hear was the rushing of blood in his ears, making the sounds of outrage from the other students dull. This wasn’t happening. He didn’t get up, shaking his head. This couldn’t be happening. He hadn’t put his name in. This was wrong, this wasn’t supposed to happen, this was wrong- “Scorpius Malfoy.” He felt his legs moving without intention as his name was repeated, the room a blur as he walked toward the front.

“ma’am there’s been a mistake I didn’t put my name in I can’t compete I don’t want to compete I’m going to die if I compete please I can’t do this I can’t- my father will- my dad’s going to lose his mind you can’t please you can’t” 

There were some snickers as he blurted this out to McGonagall, who only shook her head a bit sadly. The room was still blurry, but when he blinked, he realized that was because there were tears in his eyes. Of course. Everybody in the entire school was looking at him and he was uncomfortable and embarrassed, and when he was uncomfortable and embarrassed, he cried. So the whole school was watching him try to not cry, and they were laughing. His throat was tight, his chest was tight, and his hands were shaking as he took his place next to Albus. “I didn’t- I don’t know how-“ His heart dropped to his toes when he saw the way that Albus was avoiding eye contact, instead electing to stare straight ahead. “No...nono- tell me you didn’t... Albus tell me you didn’t.” He took in a shaky breath as he didn’t get a response. “I’m going to die. I am going to die and it’s going to be your fault.”

Chapter Text

Losing his best friend terrified Albus to his core. Scorpius was all he had and, like an idiot, he'd put the person he cared about the most in a dangerous situation. It was all his fault. It felt like years before the ceremony finally ended, though it'd only been less than a minute.

He still couldn't bring himself to look at Scorpius. Without a word, he turned and walked briskly to the courtyard, hoping Scorpius would follow suit. There was hardly anybody around, most students heading inside for warmth or to the common rooms to discuss the champions. Albus stopped walking and slowly turned, finally allowing himself to look at his friend. He feel a sting so awful that he took a step backwards when he saw Scorpius's face.

"Scorpius, I-"

••••••

If Scorpius had actually wanted to partake in the challenges, he would be bursting with energy next to Albus, probably grinning and fidgeting throughout the ceremony. But he had not, so he did not. Scorpius was dangerously still, eyes locked to the floor. The only sound or movement from him was a quick wipe of tears that had slipped out.

When the ceremony ended, Albus stormed away, leaving Scorpius to decide whether or not he should follow him. He knew following would end in a fight, but it was either go after Albus or deal with the other students. So he shoved his way past the rapidly surrounding throng, not even apologizing like normal, and rushed out into the courtyard a few second after his friend. 

Scorpius’s usually pale face had gone a shade of pink, eyes and nose red from the effort of trying to contain his tears. There was dread and fear in his eyes, but overall his face read only one thing. Betrayal. 

“you what? ALBUS YOU WHAT??? BECAUSE I DON’T THINK THERE IS ANYTHING YOU COULD POSSIBLY SAY RIGHT NOW TO MAKE THIS BETTER.” This caused whatever remaining students to quickly pack up and go inside- they were alone. “DO YOU HAVE ANY CONCEPT OF WHAT YOU’VE DONE???? DO YOU EVEN CARE?”

Some tears slipped out, but he didn’t react. He paced a moment, lightly biting his first knuckle as he tried to compose himself- tried to not be so angry with his friend. Because there was one thing he hated, and that was the feeling of anger inside of him. He didn’t like it, never had, and always tried to avoid it at all cost. But now it was bubbling over, taking the hurt he felt and cutting his throat like daggers as it fought to spew out of him. So he let it.

“you are SO SELFISH, YOU KNOW THAT??? YOU NEVER THINK ABOUT ANYONE ELSE BESIDES YOU AND YOUR BLOODY INFERIORITY COMPLEX!!! I KNOW YOU, YOU DID THIS BECAUSE OF JAMES AND YOUR DAD! YOU SHOULD HAVE JUST LET JAMES DO IT!!! HE’S STRONG AND ACTUALLY LIKED BY THIS STUPID SCHOOL!! THEY’RE GOING TO RIP US TO SHREDS, YOU REALIZE THAT RIGHT? BEFORE WE EVEN GET A CHANCE TO DIE IN THE CHALLENGE, THEY’RE GOING TO MAKE US WISH THAT WE DID!! THEY MAY TOLERATE YOU, BUT THEY LOATHE ME! THEY LOATHE ME WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING ME! AND I’VE DONE A PRETTY DAMN GOOD JOB KEEPING IN THE SHADOWS SO SOMETHING WORSE DOESN’T HAPPEN, BUT NOW-“

Scorpius took in a shaky breath, running a trembling hand through his hair, before going back to almost obsessively cracking his knuckles- A movement quickly stopped when he noticed Albus staring at his hands with a look of almost sadness. They had been friends long enough to know the physical signs of distress. He beat the inside of his wrists together a few times, before shoving his hands in his pockets. He took a breath, before lowering his voice, tone almost flat.

“Now everyone is watching and they are not going to like what they see. You think your father was popular in these games??? Your famous father who you think everyone loves had buttons made the very first day that said “Potter stinks” on them. I know because my dad has one in the depth of one of his closets somewhere. They did stuff like that to your dad. Do you have ANY idea what they’re going to do to us??? At very least, someone’s going to make bets on how terribly we fail. You know-“

He hesitated a moment, chewing at his lip, before shaking his head slightly and just saying it. “You know, I am sick and tired of you dragging me into your shit, okay??? First it was last year with the whole time turner mess, which I told you I knew was a bad idea, and now it’s THIS!!! Do you even care how much you’re ruining??? I was so damn excited to get to experience this first hand, to get to watch. You knew that. You knew that and you- you just didn’t care. Y’know, I had thought for a second that things would be different this year. With you. But nope! Guess I was wrong, because you’ve gone and mucked everything up and dragged me into it again. “ 

••••••

When he set foot into the icy courtyard, Albus had every intent to explain himself. But now that Scorpius was screaming at him furiously, every word had gone from his mind. There was nothing he could say to defend himself, he realized. Almost immediately, his eyes began to fill with tears, blink faster in a failing attempt to combat it. He couldn't cry. He didn't have the right to cry. And yet, as every word his friend spat pierced his heart, they just flowed. His hands felt like the blood had left them. They were numb and cold and he shakily brought them together, rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand. At one point, Albus noticed the nervous habits with Scorpius's hands and wanted to reach out to gently pull his them aside. He bit his tongue, however, and just looked on sadly. In any case, Scorpius seemed to notice, because he beat his wrists together before stuffing them in his pockets.

By the time Scorpius was done, it took Albus a second to stop crying. Even now, when it was just them, he forced himself not to make a noise as he wiped tears away. He put his hands together, clasping them tightly as he whispered a painful and barely audible, "I'm sorry."

He cleared his throat, the stinging still there, and repeated a little louder. "I'm so sorry," Albus choked up, blinking and looking away again in an attempt to bite back tears. "It was- It was the first thing you were really excited about a-and I-"

Ruined it. 

He messed up and he was sorry and that's all he could say because he couldn't say he'd protect Scorpius. Even if, more than anything, that's what he wanted to do. Even if he couldn't tell Scorpius that they were in it together, because Scorpius didn't deserve to be put through any of this, no matter who he was with. Especially not with Albus. Scorpius deserved so much better than Albus.

••••••

Scorpius stayed tense for a moment, before melting into Albus, leaning his temple against the top of the other boy’s hair. He took a moment to just breathe, eyes closed. “It was really, really stupid, and we might die because of it, but Albus- Al...I’m not mad at you. Feeling a bit betrayed, a bit hurt, yes. But not- I could never be really mad at you.” He wiped at his nose with his sleeve, pulling away slightly. “I was panicking and I- I said some things that I shouldn’t have...and I’m- I don’t want you to think I hate you, because I don’t. I’m...sorry too. I’m just-“ he wiped at his eyes, staring down at his hands for a moment. “I’m just absolutely terrified. It was bad enough when your name got called. You- Albus, you’re all I have, and I can’t lose you too. At least if someone else had been picked- if someone competent had been picked, then maybe it would’ve been okay, but-“ he let out a weak chuckle. “At least dragons have already been done. We don’t have to fight a dragon. Though logically speaking, since there’s two champions per school, it’s going to be twice as hard, but-“ he took in a shaky breath, before nodding slightly at Albus. “I’ll forgive you once we make it through, ‘Kay?”

••••••

Albus gave a soft smile in return, tears still hanging in the corners of his eyes. “Okay.” he said. “You don’t mind if we stay here a little bit longer, do you?” Albus added uncertainly. “I’m dreading the reaction when we make it back to the common room, and I don’t have the invisibility cloak on me.”

Just as he was opening his mouth to reply, a large, pale hand came down on Scorpius’s shoulder. With a grim and stern “Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy, can you explain this letter I’ve just received?” Albus screamed, terrified, as he fell off his seat on the fountain’s ledge and into the thin layer of snow on the ground.

Draco Malfoy loomed, holding a letter informing him that Scorpius had been selected as a Triwizard Champion.

••••••

“Yeah no, I don’t mind.” Scorpius said quietly, leaning his head back against Albus’s. 

When the hand came down on his shoulder and Albus screamed, Scorpius jerked backward in surprise...directly into the fountain itself. Letting out a shocked squeak, he unceremoniously clambered out of the frigid water and back on dry land, shaking his arms in a failed attempt to get the water off of his now dripping robes. “MerLIN IT’S SO COLD.” he hissed out, before stopping dead as he turned and saw his father. “Oh. Helloooo, Dad-“ he gave an awkward wave, paired with an equally terrified smile. At that point, the sleeve of his robe had gone quite stiff with ice, so it rather looked like he was waving about a flag. Scorpius had always been tall- all legs and arms, gangly and awkward- but now he seemed tiny in comparison to his father, shrinking in on himself slightly. “Okay. So this is a Middle Name kind of situation, whoo okay got it- reading that loud and clear-“ he breathed out, scratching the back of his neck with a cringe. “Er- the letter...I’ve won the lottery?” He gave half-hearted jazz hands, face falling as he saw that his father was not in the mood. “I don’t want to be in it as much as you don’t want me to be in it. So- um- yeah.”

••••••

Draco shut the letter and shoved it into his coat pocket, hardening his face, despite clear distress. If Scorpius hadn't already looked like he had experienced all the stages of grief, his father definitely did.

"If you didn't want to be in the Triwizard Tournament, then why did you put your name in?" Draco asked firmly. Albus felt himself shrinking into the snow as he slowly raised his hand up.

"Actually, Sir, I…may have put his name in myself..." Albus explained in abject horror, completely expecting Scorpius's dad to obliterate him. For a moment, he truly thought Draco was about to, because he strode over and looked Albus dead in the eyes. "And why did you put my sons name into the Wizarding World’s most deadly competition, might I ask?"

"I- Er- It's a bit complicated. I put my name in and thought the chances of us getting picked were so small anyways, so I just- you know." Albus said, mouth dry, before making a popping noise and imitating putting a name into the goblet. Draco looked about ready to explode. Instead he turned back to his son, crouching down to talk with him seriously.

"Scorpius, you know how dangerous this tournament is. I'm sure I don't have to tell that to you of all people. But I need you to be careful.” Draco said gravely, fear in his eyes. "You're all I have. I can't lose you too." 

••••••

“Dad, I-“ Scorpius cringed away, taking a step back, before looking at Albus with wide eyes as he put his hand up, shaking his head slightly as if to tell him that it was a bad idea. Oh Merlin, he should’ve just let Scorpius take the blame for being stupid and impulsive, and now his Dad was going to kill his best friend-

But no, Albus stood his ground. Albus stood his ground against Draco Malfoy, and Draco Malfoy was listening to him without screaming or pulling out his wand. That was almost more shocking than their names getting picked. 

With a bit of relief, Scorpius sat down in the snow, elbows on his knees as he ran his hands through his hair. When he looked back up, his father was back in front of him, this time at his level. There was no anger aimed at Scorpius in his eyes, only fear that he was certain reflected in his own. “I know. I know I am. I’m sorr-“ before he could even finish his preemptive apology, he was in Draco’s arms, his father hugging him as if it’d be their last. Scorpius noticed that he was trembling, just like he had been at Godric’s Hollow. “It’s- I’m gonna make it out, okay? I’m going to try my best to make it out. Everything I’ve got.” When they pulled apart, each Malfoy had a shine to their eyes.

••••••

"I'm going to ask the Ministry to give me some time off so I can attend the tournament. I also received your letter- I'm looking at dress robes with Madam Malkin and will a send letter when I've got some proper ones for you." Draco told Scorpius sympathetically, with one last pat on the shoulder, before he stood up. He grimaced at Albus with an added  "Don't let anything happen to him."

Albus shivered. The tone made it sound more like a warning than a request, and while Albus was sure it definitely was, he was surprised a warning was all he'd gotten away with.

"I won't." he replied seriously. When Draco had left, Albus let out the breath he’d been holding. He flopped backwards into in the snow, seemingly indifferent to the piercing cold as he lied there. 

"Your dad is scary." Albus muttered. He lasted a couple of seconds in the frozen slush, before he scrambled up, brushing the snow off and rubbing his arms. "Okay, It's really cold. Do you wanna go back inside now?" He asked with a sheepish smile.

••••••

 When Draco had stalked off, Scorpius let out a sigh of relief, lying down next to Albus with a huff. “Trust me, I know he is.” He peered up at Albus, snow falling off his face. “I’m surprised he didn’t like...murder you right then and there- sorry that he threatened you though... but he’s right. I’m all he has...” he rubbed at his arms, sneezing. “I’ve been ready to go inside since I fell into the damn fountain-“ he chuckled, shivering violently. “I’m going to die of hypothermia before I even get the chance to get slaughtered in the tournament.”

••••••

They trudged back inside, Scorpius still dripping from the fountain. Whispers followed wherever they went- groups huddled together, sneaking glances at them as they passed. “I get the feeling that it’s going to be a rough few days-“ Scorpius whispered to his companion as they reached the door to the common room, any conversation dying as they walked in. Polly Chapman looked up with a sneer, aiming her venomous words at the still dripping Scorpius. “Awww, failed to drown yourself? Pity.” Scorpius put his arm in front of Albus as the other boy surged forward, pulling him away and walking dejectedly to their dormitory despite Albus’s protests. “It’s...It’s fine. I’m pretty much used to it by now. Fighting it will only make it worse.”

••••••

After Scorpius had held him back from the source of a snarky comment in passing for about the fifth time in a row, Albus took the hint and started ignoring them as well. Aside from that, the walk to the Great Hall wasn't terrible. All that stress had made him hungry and he was ready to eat, talk about the tournament with Scorpius for a little while, and go to bed.

About halfway through dinner, owls started to fly in with mail. When a bright red letter wrapped in a velvet ribbon and marked with a bright red seal landed in front of Albus, he almost spat out his food, fear immediately flooding his senses. His head whipped to Scorpius, grabbing his arm with both hands and clinging for dear life.

"Scorpius, it's a Howler-" he hissed urgently under his breath, "From Dad."

Chapter Text

Unfortunately for Albus, a couple of the students had already taken notice of the envelope in front of him. He heard a Slytherin sitting a little ways away yell "Oi! Potter's got himself a Howler!", followed by amused laughter. Unfortunately, he already knew that the Howler would explode if he simply left it unopened. What's the worst it could contain? That's how he attempted to reassure himself anyways, but he knew what he had to do- Just get it over with quickly. Maybe the other students wouldn’t care. Albus took in a deep breath, shaking hands beginning to open the letter cautiously. He dropped it on the table and seconds later, the paper formed a mouth, rising into the air. Albus braced himself, the picture of mortal terror.

••••••

The voice of Harry Potter roared throughout the Great Hall with an echo, causing anyone who was within fifty feet of them to turn and look.

“ALBUS SEVERUS POTTER, HOW DARE YOU ENTER YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE??? OF ALL THE STUPID STUNTS YOU COULD HAVE PULLED- YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!!! YOUR MOTHER IS BESIDE HERSELF WITH WORRY AND, FRANKLY, SO AM I! I THOUGHT YOU OF ALL PEOPLE WOULD UNDERSTAND HOW DANGEROUS THESE TASKS CAN BE- I WAS GRYFFINDOR SEEKER, AN ATHLETE- AND I ALMOST DIED IN THE VERY FIRST TASK.  I’D SAY YOU BETTER PRAY THAT THE TASKS WILL RELY ON YOUR INTELLIGENCE, BUT AFTER THIS, I’M NOT SURE IF EVEN THAT WILL SAVE YOU!!! AND NOT ONLY THAT, DRACO TELLS ME YOU’VE DRAGGED HIS SON DOWN WITH YOU??? I HOPE YOU FEEL PROUD OF YOURSELF, BECAUSE YOU HAVE SINGLEHANDEDLY DUG BOTH OF YOUR GRAVES!!!” 

The mouth turned slightly, as if looking at the terrified Scorpius, voice softening a bit. “Scorpius, I am deeply sorry for my son’s stupidity.” 

The letter whirled around, screaming once more, a bit louder so its voice could reach Gryffindor table. “AND JAMES- EXPECT TO HAVE A LONG CONVERSATION WHEN I ARRIVE. I AM INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU AS WELL.” There were a few snickers as James blanched at that. The letter ripped itself to shreds, before dropping back onto the table and promptly bursting into flames.

••••••

Although Albus was grateful to skip some morning classes the next day to stand in a boring hall and have his picture taken, he was less than enthusiastic about meeting the other champions. Naturally, as soon as he and Scorpius arrived, he knew they were being looked at as fresh meat. Just easy competition. At least this time there were no snickers or snarky comments.

After a moment, a pretentious looking woman swooped in, a notepad and distasteful green quill following behind her. Almost instantly, her eyes locked onto Scorpius and Albus like a hawk who’d just spotted its prey.

••••••

“Well, well, well...what do we have here?” The woman smiled, showing a tad too many teeth. To Scorpius, it seemed a bit reminiscent of a shark’s. Her hair was just too yellow, skin a little too tight- a woman who had age to her, but tried her best to not show it. She smelled strongly of perfume, making Scorpius’s nose itch. “Rita Skeeter from the Daily Prophet, extremely pleasured to make your acquaintances.” She shook both of their hands quickly, claw-like painted nails digging into each palm in turn. “My, my...” She adjusted her glasses, scanning them up and down. “Aren’t you two...cute. Let’s start with Pretty Boy first.” Grabbing Scorpius’s shoulder, she yanked him off to the side, not quite out of earshot from Albus.

“Scorpius Malfoy, isn’t it?” 

“Erm- yes?”

“That sounded like a question...you are a Malfoy, aren’t you?” 

“Well yes, but I don’t-“

The pen scribbled furiously as they spoke, Scorpius’s eyes drawing to that instead of fully paying attention to her questions. 

“Right. You’re the youngest in this competition- What made you want to enter your name? Fame? Glory? A lust for power?”

“I’m- I didn’t even want to be in it, but I’m here now so- wait, what? A lust for power?” 

“Hm...so you’re unsure if the rumors are just that, rumors, and you have a lust for power? I can see the headline now- Scorpius Malfoy(?) the Darkness Within. Now isn’t that just delicious?”

“No- I’m not, I don’t-“

“What’s your strategy for the tournament? Surely you have one.”

“I just- I just want to do anything I can to survive it. My dad-“

“Anything? Even killing another champion that might stand in your way?”

At this point, Scorpius had started ignoring her, instead reading off what the quill had been writing. “Rumored Son of The Dark Lord, Scorpius Malfoy, is preparing to be a pretty dangerous competitor. When asked what he would do to win, only one word was uttered, a sinister glint in his eye: ‘Anything.’ What could that possibly mean? Briefly bringing up his father in that same sentence, it appears he might be raring up to attempt something worthy of The Dark Lord himself. Champions better watch their back. Potter better Prepare. For guts may be spilled in his fight for glory...” He looked up with a look of horror on his face, shaking his head. “Ma’am that’s not- you can’t put that! I didn’t say that!” 

“It was a pleasure speaking with you, young man.” She smiled as if she hadn’t just twisted the narrative into something completely different. A light sparked in her eyes as she turned slightly toward the quill. “Scratch that first headline- ‘The Scorpion King’s Rise to The Throne’ has a much better ring to it.” 

With that, she promptly turned and made her way back over to Albus, leaving Scorpius reeling.

“You’re up next, Mr. Potter!” Reeta brought him off to the side without a moment of hesitation. “Not the first time I’ve interviewed a Potter for one of these and, judging by how the...ambition seems to run in the family, it may not be my last.” She snapped her fingers a smidge too close to Albus’s face as he looked over her shoulder with concern for Scorpius. His friend had his forehead pressed against the wall, trying to keep calm. After a moment, the blond left as quickly as possible, head down and hands shoved as deep as his pockets would allow. “Eyes over here, Potter, not on Pretty Boy.”

••••••

"Er, alright." Albus said quickly, wanting to get the interview over with as soon as possible so that he could check on Scorpius. "What do you want to know?"

••••••

“What makes you tick.” She poked his chest with a smile. “What drew you to the tournament?”

••••••

Albus recoiled a bit, already uncomfortable. "I didn't really want to compete. I just put my name in on a whim." he half-lied. Right off the bat, this woman did not seem at all trustworthy.

••••••

“So you think your famous name will protect you? A bit over-confident are we? Every lady likes a cocky guy.” She said smoothly, smile widening at that. “Do you have a girlfriend yet, Albus? You should be swarmed with potential ones pretty soon because of this. You’re young, attractive...famous. There’s a dark and brooding edge to you that ladies will love.”

••••••

He raised an eyebrow, taken aback by how aggressively she had misconstrued his words. "No, I think I'm quite alright really. I don't need a girlfriend, I've got Scorpius.” he fiddled with his hands.

••••••

“Do you now?” There was an edge to her tone, almost a bit of thinly veiled disgust. “Ah well, there’s plenty of time to change your mind. You’re young. A late bloomer...it’s quite lucky you two were chosen together, is it not? The chances of that must have been slim to none.”

••••••

"I guess. I couldn't be happier about the odds, though. If I'm going to die in the tournament, I'd rather it be with my best friend at least, you know?" Albus said, completely forgetting about the interviewer’s tendency to take things out of context and simply happy about the chance to talk about Scorpius.

••••••

“So you’re expecting to die?” She raised an eyebrow, the quill’s writing speeding up as it got onto something juicy. “...Because of him? Did he coerce you into putting your name in?”

••••••

"Oh! Nonono- That's not it at all, Scorpius's got a heart of gold." Albus suddenly sat upright, gesturing awkwardly and rambling nervously as he tried to clarify. "Actually, it was me who put his name into the goblet. I mean I didn't think we'd get chosen or anything-“

••••••

“Heart...only...for...gold- got that down, thank you.” She looked back up at him, eyebrow quirking. “So you put his name in as well? Trying to live up to your father’s name by killing the son of Voldemort? Attempting to repeat history?”

••••••

"Woah woah woah Scorpius is not the son of Voldemort. Look-" Albus stood up indignantly. "I don't know what misinformation you're spreading, but I don't want any part of it." he huffed, before hurrying off to look for Scorpius.

••••••

In looping handwriting, the page read: “Pompous, Plotting, Potter, desperate to fill his father’s enormous shoes and make his mark on the tournament once and for all, has big plans for his fellow Hogwarts Champion. Having primed the chances, he entered Scorpius into the contest, vying for a chance to face off against a remnant of Voldemort, just like his father. I’m sure we can expect big things from this confident young man, but will his desperate grab for attention become his downfall as he faces not only the tasks, but the force of evil itself?” 

The “force of evil” in question was pacing in the room outside of the hall where the interview had taken place, wringing his hands and obsessively pulling at his sweater.

••••••

"Talk about conceited, that woman, isn't she!?" Albus began loudly, before realizing the state of Scorpius. His eyebrows furrowed as he ambled over. "Are you alright?"

••••••

Scorpius was talking a mile a minute at that point, hands clasped behind his head. “No, I’m not- I don’t- Albus, I’m sorry, I know I should’ve stayed with you and been a witness to whatever shit she was going to say about you- I don’t know if she even said shit about you because you’re you and I’m me, but I just couldn’t stay in the same room as that horrible woman for even another second, I just couldn’t.”

••••••

"Slow down,” Albus told him gently. "Whatever bullshit she's spreading about me doesn't matter. Did she say something about you?" He asked with worry. He was about ready to head back over and give that nasty woman a piece of his mind.

••••••

“Of course she said something about me!!! What didn’t she say about me???” He asked shrilly, throwing up his hands. “The other champions are going to target me now, because they’ll think I’m a threat. She villainized me!! Said I’m planning to kill somebody to to be ‘worthy of my father’, who she is sure isn’t the man that came breathing down our necks yesterday.” He stopped pacing, wiping his nose on his sleeve. “Look, we know I’m not His child, but the rest of the world??? They don’t know me. They’re going to believe it and those stupid rumors are going to worsen...She- Albus, she called me The Scorpion King. In the headline.”

••••••

"Merlin..." He said, "She couldn't have known what that meant. I mean, I'm pretty not many people will go around parading that old hag’s news anyways. In any case, the first task is tomorrow, so I think that woman and her dodgy news will be the last thing on our minds. At most, we’ll get taunted some, but it can't really get much worse…can it?" Albus asked with a tilt of his head. It felt more like he was trying to convince himself.

Chapter Text

The next morning was one filled with anxiety. The first task would be beginning in the early afternoon and things had to get kicking early in order to be ready on time. By 10:00 am, the champions had all had breakfast, changed into provided uniforms,  and been escorted into a large white tent outside of a specially built arena- residing a good distance away from Hogwarts. The champions themselves hadn't yet been allowed to view the inside of the arena, all they knew was that the task would begin soon and they were going to be working in pairs. They also weren't allowed broomsticks, but that didn't post much of an issue for Albus and Scorpius. 

By 11:00am, they could clearly hear the chatter of students on the stands and lively music resounding throughout. Teachers walked in and out of the tent, trying to keep everything running smoothly. The champions were pacing around the tent or sitting and contemplating. By 11:45am, Hermione Granger had entered with a small velvet bag, followed by all three Headmasters.

"Gather around everybody. In a circle," Hermione gestured the champions forward, all huddling around her and the small velvet bag. She held the it outward to the Beauxbaton champions, who stuck a hand in and pulled out a small two-legged creature with the body of a serpent, but the head of a rooster. "The Cockatrice," Hermione explained. "It may not be big, but its got a nasty temper, a sharp row of teeth, and just one look is enough to turn you to stone."

She held the bag out to the Durmstrang champions, who pulled out another two-legged creature, this time more dragon-like all around. "The Wyvern," she continued. "Its gaze can't turn you to stone, but it's a larger and tougher opponent than the Cockatrice.” she said. Finally, she turned to Scorpius and Albus who looked at each other nervously.

"You do it-" Albus said, shoving Scorpius towards the bag. He reached a pale hand in, subsequently causing the other Slytherin to catch the tiny creature after Scorpius had nearly dropped it with a shriek. It was an unpleasant, green serpent. "The Basilisk." she began. "The King of Serpents and the deadliest of the three. Looking in its eyes means instant death, with a venom that is lethal and quick to take effect." she said darkly, almost as if all too familiar with the creature.

"Oh of course we get the hardest one- " Albus muttered, unable to keep his voice from quivering.

"In a few moments, you all are about to face these creatures. Your objective is to retrieve a box containing a clue for the next task and defeat the creatures guarding them. You have your wands, your wits, and a friend. Good luck, Champions." she gave a curt nod, recollecting the monstrous miniatures as the Beauxbaton champions were escorted out of the tent. The lively music increased in volume and the cheering got louder. Albus sat down with a shaky breath, running his fingers desperately over the knots in his wand, drawing blanks as he attempted to recall anything and everything he had ever learned about Basilisks.

"Well, Scorpius? A knut for your thoughts? How are we going to beat a Basilisk?”

••••••

By nature, Scorpius was an anxious person, so he was used to that pricking feeling of dread and tight bundle of nerves sitting in the pit of his stomach. However, this was on a whole different level. He’d eaten a hearty breakfast, hoping to gather as much strength as he could muster, but the slightest mention of the task ahead of them from Albus sent him running to the nearest bathroom so he didn’t puke all over the great hall. He’d barely slept at all the night before, and was nauseous from worry. His skin felt like it was on fire, and any time he sat down, he couldn’t stop his leg from shaking. There was a moment of consideration where he debated on just faking an illness to get out of it. Say he had Dragon Pox. Anything. But that wouldn’t be fair to Albus, so just like anyone else, he got into the uniform they had given him- black with dark green details, with leather gloves. After having watched a moment of The First Challenge the previous year, he certainly noticed the similarities between the robes Cedric had been wearing to his own. It was with a heavy heart that he walked down to the tent. No matter what it was, he knew they would have to fight. 

As soon as Scorpius pulled the creature out of the bag, it was as if he had placed his hand on the stove. Letting out a scream, he dropped the miniature as soon as he laid eyes on it, pulling his hand to his chest as if he wanted to get as far away from it as possible. The small one looked...almost harmless, winding its way around Albus’s hand. As Hermione confirmed what Scorpius already knew, his face turned an ashen color, hands trembling by his sides. When the first task had officially begun, he started pacing, only stopping long enough to breathe when Albus stood directly in his path, taking his hands. 

“I don’t- I don’t know.” He hissed back in a terrified whisper. “Albus, you know how deathly afraid of snakes I am. And- and that thing is literally the worst possible snake imaginable. Hell, it could be fifty feet long!!! How are we supposed to fight that!?!?” He was squeezing his friend’s hands so tight that they might break. “When I was a kid, I was reading in my father’s library and came across a book about magical creatures, and the- the diagrams they had on basilisks??? That’s the whole reason I’m scared of snakes! I couldn’t sleep for days after seeing drawings of it!!! I had to sleep in my parents’ bed!” He took in a breath, closing his eyes as he thought back to any information he had. “Okay...ok so- according to Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, it’s classified as a XXXXX creature, meaning that it’s a known Wizard-Killer. Its venom is extremely deadly, and can kill a person in a couple minutes, after making them blurry-visioned and drowsy. The only antidote is Phoenix tears- we also have to worry about the fact that its gaze is also deadly. Remember Moaning Myrtle? That’s how she died. Even looking at a reflection of its eyes petrifies people- it was a whole issue when our dads were in their second year-“ 

••••••

"Awesome, so we just fight a massive snake with our eyes closed and also try not to get bitten while we're at it?” Albus said, wincing as Scorpius squeezed his hands harder. He debated telling Scorpius he needed his hands to fight, but he also thought this was the alternative to Scorpius running away to throw up, and he figured he could deal with the former.

“Okay, that’s great, Dad already fought a basilisk! Do we know how he did it? Do you think we could ask Hermione?” He asked, glancing over at the entrance to the tent where the Minister stood, watching the events of the first task unfold with interest.

••••••

Scorpius’s grip only tightened, rocking on his heels slightly as he tried to keep himself steady.  “Yeah- yeah basically!!” His face had a slightly sickly green tint to it at this point. 

“Er..I don’t know, that information was never released to the public...and if I remember correctly- Hermione was petrified at the time?”

••••••

"Well, you'd think Harry Potter told his best friends how he defeated a giant snake." Albus said defeatedly. Just then the commentator's voice roared clearly through the tent. "And the Beuxbaton champions successfully subdue the Cockatrice!" Albus looked at Scorpius with terror, the restlessness and anxiety strengthening as Hermione held the tent entrance open, allowing the battered looking French to re-enter, using each other as a crutch. The Durmstrang champions waited a moment, before striding out themselves, a loud cheer erupting from the stands. They didn't have much time left.

Albus had just started doing some deep breathing exercises to slow his heart rate, when the entrance to the tent opened once more. His head shot up instictively, expecting to see the Durmstrang champions re-entering successfully. Unexpectedly, it was his dad. Hermione whispered a few words to him and Harry nodded.

••••••

At the sound of the crowd erupting into cheers, Scorpius’s heart rate shot up, pressing himself against Albus’s side and readjusting the grip he had on him- still just as tight, but now just one hand. The free hand had pulled out his wand, mentally going over spells. What might he need? How could it backfire on him? He’d improved a lot, but there were several spells that that could backfire on him at any moment. He needed to breathe- taking Albus’s lead, he started doing breathing exercises as well. In through his nose, out through his mouth. In through his nose, out through his mouth. Breathe. 

He only pressed closer to Albus as the Beuxbaton champions hobbled in, one looking like she was ready to collapse. The other had a white-knuckle grip on a hand-held mirror. 

As they left, undoubtedly for the infirmary, the tent folds opened to reveal Harry Potter. 

He’d been trying to get into the tent for a solid twenty minutes- an out of breath Hufflepuff trailing after him, looking at Hermione with wide eyes. “I-I couldn’t stop him ma’am, I’m so sorry-“

She waved a hand, telling the boy that it was fine, before looking at Harry with a raised eyebrow. 

“How bad is it?”

“...Basilisk.”

His shoulders tensed for a moment, before taking a deep breath and walking over to the pair, putting on a smile that didn’t quite reach his worried eyes. 

“Now I don’t have much time, so I just-“

••••••

Albus shot up towards his dad, clinging onto him like it would be the last time he could. After a moment, he nervously sat back down next to Scorpius.

"Please tell me you're here to give us advice on defeating the basilisk and not here to yell at me because if you are I know what I did was wrong and I'm about to go out there and pay the price and I know you wanted James out there instead but none of that really matters because right now I just want a chance at not dying." Albus began to run off at the mouth, inhaling deeply when he was done, and leaning his head on Scorpius's shoulder for support.

••••••

Harry clutched him close, hand behind Albus’s head as he pressed a kiss to the top of his head, taking a deep breath. There was a...grave finality to it. As if he himself was preparing to lose his son. Of course, he knew the dangers more than anyone. 

“Albus, what sort of question is that?” He sighed, pushing his glasses up a bit to rub at his eyes in a tired way. He listened to Albus ramble, eyebrow moving higher as he continued to speak- “I’m sorry...you think I wanted James out there? He’d have even less chance than you, if I’m being honest- besides, I didn’t want either of you in this. I’d do anything to take your place right now, to protect you from-“ he took a breath, before smiling slightly, definitely taking a mental note on how well the two of them seemed to fit against each other. “I’m here for advice. Anything I can do.”

••••••

“Wait you- you didn’t tell James to put his name in? Nevermind, that’s not important right now- How did you defeat the basilisk? What are its weaknesses?” Albus asked desperately. The Durmstrang champions would be done in any minute and they barely had a plan.

••••••

“Of course I didn’t want James to put his name in. I sent him a letter just like yours, but of course, neither of you listened...but that’s besides the point.” He pinched the bridge of his nose with an exasperated sigh. “Okay- its...it doesn’t have very many weaknesses. If Fawkes, Dumbledore’s Phoenix, hadn’t swooped in and pecked out its eyes, I would be dead and you wouldn’t be here.” He cringed when Albus took a sharp inhale, sheepishly clarifying. “But that was mainly because I tripped trying to run from it. Once it was blinded, well- it's got an extremely good sense of hearing, so if you can make it so that it can’t see, you can use objects to distract it. Its strikes are extremely fast and hard, which makes it a bit overzealous and likely to overshoot its attacks. The only weakness I know of is inside its mouth, its scales were too tough to pierce with even Godric Gryffindor’s sword, but I was able to stab it from the roof of its mouth.”

••••••

“Okay-“ Albus nodded vigorously, turning to Scorpius. “So we just- blind the basilisk and then… kill it. Easy.” he said, completely lacking confidence. The commentator's voice resounded through the tent once more and the cheering was almost deafening.

“The Durmstrang champions have successfully retrieved the box and taken down the Wyvern!” The two champions walked in, uniforms torn and bloodied, but looking as proud as ever. “And finally… we have our Hogwarts champions. Let’s get a round of applause for Scorpius Malfoy and Albus Potter!” 

The Minister strode over, gesturing them forward hurriedly. Albus squeezed Scorpius’s hand, muttering a word of thanks to his dad, before walking on towards the exit.

The arena was massive, full of rocks and rough terrain- the smell of popcorn and earth hanging on the air. If the basilisk was there, it wasn’t visible upon first glance.

••••••

Scorpius’s heart gave a lurch as Albus gripped his hand a moment longer, before letting go as they emerged into the ginormous arena. He held a hand in front of his face for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the blinding sunlight. The sea of faces seemed to stretch on forever, multicolored banners waving in the air. There was a large one in emerald green that was emblazoned with an intricate scorpion design that had been enchanted to move. Underneath, in ornate shining letters, Malfoy was printed clear as day. A flash of blond confirmed Scorpius’s suspicions that it had come from his father. 

A hush fell over the crowd as the announcer continued, voice booming as magical barriers between the spectators and the arena itself were put back up, turning it into almost a cage. “Now...last but not least, this beastie has a nasty bite- a mean, green, killing machine...it’s THE BASILISKKKKKK!”

There was a sound akin to a cold wind blowing through a forest, as a porthole in the center of the arena opened, and out came the beast itself. The cause of the noise were its scales, which glinted dangerously in the light. It rose up, rearing its head as it poured out of the hole...and kept coming...and kept coming- now it sunk in exactly why the arena was so big. Not for the accommodation of the immense amount of spectators, but the size of the monstrosity. It had to be nearly fifty feet long- could probably circle the quidditch arena three times if they had been competing there.

Scorpius let out a strangled choke of panic, quickly averting his eyes towards the mass of coils so that he didn’t accidentally meet its gaze. The creature hadn’t locked in on them yet as it surveyed its surroundings. 

“It was great knowing you Albus, just wanted you to know.”

Chapter Text

"Don't die on me, Scorpius." Albus said, a wave of panic flooding over him as he looked down at the ground, making haste as he crawled to the right. The teeth-grinding slither of the Basilisk continued as Albus ducked behind a jagged rock, praying the giant snake hadn't seen him. After a moment, it sounded safe enough to lean out. With shut eyes, he shakily pointed his wand, just barely missing the basilisk's line of sight.

"Stupefy!" he cried, but heard a rock crumbling as the grinding of scales on the terrain got louder. He'd missed and done nothing but alert the basilisk. Albus lunged to the right once more as he heard it slithering forward and a crash of rocks as the basilisk hit the edge of the arena.

••••••

“Pretty sure my dad said that’s up to you-“ Scorpius bit back through gritted teeth, ducking behind a boulder adjacent to the one Albus was tucked behind. As the spell completely missed the serpent, Scorpius pressed his head against the rock, taking a deep breath and steadying himself. “Scorpius the Dreadless, Scorpius the Dreadless-“ he breathed out, hoping that maybe if he said it out loud, he’d believe it himself. Shooting a nervous glance at Albus, who was frantically shaking his head at him, he smiled slightly and peeked his head over the rock, looking up. It was a gamble, he knew it was, but from the sound of it, the snake’s head would be low to the ground as it slithered toward them- or he could be completely wrong and its head could be reared up, killing him instantly. 

Luckily, his perception was correct, and he focused his eyes on one of the stone columns that made up the arena’s terrain- he had guessed it had been included for the Wyvern to perch upon, adding to the challenge. Keeping his eyes fixed on it, he scrambled to his feet and made a fish-hook shaped slash with his wand. “REDUCTO!” 

The crowd let out a noise of surprise as the column blasted into pieces, the rubble crashing down directly onto the Basilisk’s head. It let out a screech that was reminiscent of nails-on-chalkboard, causing many spectators to clamp their hands over their ears. It shook off the rubble as Scorpius ducked back down, grinning at Albus. “I can’t believe that worked-“

••••••

"Scorpius, close your eyes!" Albus hissed, squinting at the lumbering shape of the snake, before surprisingly smoothly leaping over some rocks. The basilisk set its sights on Albus, who was now exposed, and attempted to snap at him- but the lingering rubble caused it to falter, shaking its head once more. "Incendio!" Albus shouted, trying to estimate the basilisk's location with his eyes closed. His wand let out a meek hiss and could tell nothing fired. "Of course it didn't work. I'm terrible at that spell-“ he huffed, looking down at the ground to keep his balance.

••••••

Scorpius squeezed his eyes shut. “Think- think...Relashio- no that’s only in water-“ he mumbled to himself, lightly hitting his head with the palms of his hands, mentally going through his spells. “Okay- uh- uh- got it! I’ve got it-“ he yelled at Albus to get to cover, before jumping out from behind the rocks and taking his companion’s place. 

“DIFFINDO!” he cried out, somehow hitting the monster square in the left eye. It let out a screech, rearing up. That was when Scorpius’s luck ran out, because the basilisk struck- its rage causing it to miss him with the mouth itself, but slamming into him with the force of a train, sending him flying backward like a rag doll. He momentarily saw black as he slammed into the wall of the arena with a sickening thud, crumpling to the floor and lying still. 

If it wasn’t for the immense pain that the bloody socket that was left of its eye was causing it, it would have launched a second attack. The Basilisk swung its head wildly, turning away from them to prepare for another strike at a later moment. 

Scorpius let out a groan, coughing as he forced himself to sit up. There was probably a broken rib or two, but he knew that if he continued lying there for much longer, he wouldn’t have even the slightest chance.

••••••

"SCORPIUS!" Albus screamed, opening his eyes in time to see his friend collide with the wall of the arena with a crack, unmoving after his collapse. With a fury that drove him, he threw his arm forward and waved his wand with angry precision, not wanting to give the serpent a chance to protect its remaining eye. "DIFFINDO!"

The basilisk, however, didn't need to protect its remaining eye, because the attack simply struck a boulder, causing it to split. Albus, now frustrated, angry, and terrified, threw himself over the rocks with precision. He knelt breathlessly at Scorpius's side, who was now sitting up at that point, wincing in pain. Albus almost cried with relief to see that his best friend wasn't dead. The basilisk was still fumbling for a bit, its head whipping around erratically, but it wasn’t long before it came to a dizzying stop and lowered its head. Uncoiling its body and opening its mouth, it launched itself toward the two boys.

••••••

As muddled as Scorpius’s brain was from the impact, it didn’t stop him from noticing the recoil of the Basilisk. Yanking on Albus’s sleeve, he pulled him out of the way just in time for the massive head of the snake to come barreling directly into the wall next to them, shaking even the audience. “Fli-“ He coughed and shakily raised his wand, grabbing Albus’s shoulder to steady himself. “Flipendo.” The upper half of the basilisk flew backward, sending it crashing into the far wall. Scorpius looked up at Albus with pain-clouded eyes, a weak and borderline delirious smile on his face as he pointed toward the center of the arena. The box was slightly visible for the first time, on top of a white marble pedestal, lined with gold.

••••••

"You're brilliant.” Albus chuckled, raising his wand toward the box and focusing all of his attention towards its distant shimmer. He took a few steps forward, mindful of the fact that he was currently Scorpius's crutch. "Wingardium Leviosa.” he said, watching the box slowly begin to rise, before the tail of the basilisk slammed it back down with a nasty hiss. It seemed to still be recovering from the two run-ins with the wall. "Think you could get the other eye? My aim has been less than helpful." he mumbled in exasperation.

••••••

At this point, the adrenaline had kicked in. Scorpius’s heart was pounding and he was still terrified, but there was a new edge to him. Calculating and sharp. A rare confidence in his eyes that lifted his chin up and showed that there was no mistaking him for anything but a Malfoy. 

“Yeah.” He replied to Albus, grinning slightly. He’d actually hit it before, and survived being hit by it. He could do it again. “Yeah, I can. But you’re gonna have to cover me because I need to get closer. I need to distract it, I-“ A lightbulb went off. “Okay this might not work because I’ver never tried this particular transfiguration before. A fun fact I just remembered about basilisks is that they are terrified of the sound of a rooster, because that’s something that’s fatal to it. It’s the only thing it’ll flee from.” He scanned the surroundings, as if looking for something. “The issue is that the spell needs an animal to work, doesn’t have to be alive- damn, they’ve made sure there’s not even bugs in here.” He looked up at Albus, as if considering something for a split second. “Don’t worry, as much of a chicken as you can be-” He didn’t notice the fact that the audience seemed to let out a laugh at that “I don’t know the un-transfiguration charm that well and am not gonna risk it. Besides, I still need you to cover me.” 

However, as he scanned Albus, his eyes fell to the boy’s hand. “Ah-“ he lifted his own hand to his nose, smelling it. “Leather! Albus, the gloves are leather. It’s gonna leave my hand a bit exposed to the venom when it strikes again, but-“ He waved off protests from Albus as he began taking off his left glove. “It was my idea, I should be the one at risk.” Laying it on the floor, he pointed his wand at it, speaking clearly. “Pullus.” There was a long moment where nothing happened, before the glove began to twitch, stretching and convulsing as it took the shape of a rooster. 

“Okay- Ok. There’s our distraction.”

Whispering an apology to the newly-formed rooster, he pointed his wand at it again. “Flipendo.” The bird let out an alarmed squawk as it was flung into the air, frantically flapping its wings to slow its descent as it hurled towards the basilisk, who had let out a cry and turned directions, its focus off the two boys. The crowd let out a cheer and Scorpius pushed himself to his feet with a groan. “Okay, cover me.” He started running directly at the basilisk, keeping his eyes lowered toward the ground. 

••••••

"Could've been less vague?" Albus shouted after Scorpius, trailing loosely behind, but still a good ways away. He readied his wand, watching the rooster begin to avoid the flailing serpent as it wildly thrashed its body. Pointing his wand, he took a deep breath in then out. "Wingardium Leviosa." With the flick of his wand, the rooster rose up and mirrored his wand movements. He guided it toward the basilisk, never breaking his determined gaze on the rooster. The serpent continued to move erratically, completely set on simply avoiding the rooster as it drew ever closer.

••••••

Scorpius was sprinting full speed, dodging rocks and the other obstacles. He was doing pretty well, until his foot caught on a larger rock, sending him tumbling forward. Landing with an “oof”, the wind knocked out of him for a moment, before he got up and kept running.

••••••

"Are you okay?" Albus called out, faltering for a moment, but not breaking his attention on the spell as he tried to drive the basilisk into a position that would make it easy for Scorpius to strike. The whole arena was rumbling as the basilisk writhed, just missing Scorpius.

••••••

“Yeah, just great-“ Scorpius yelled back, readying his wand, it was hard to hit a moving target that he couldn’t look at. “DIFFINDO!” He let out a breath of relief and stopped in his tracks as the basilisk let out a blood curdling screech. To Scorpius, it was the most beautiful sound in the world, because it meant that he had succeeded in fully blinding the monstrosity. 

The basilisk writhed, striking toward the nearest thing possible, which happened to be the currently unmoving Scorpius. It completely missed him, instead ramming head first directly into the wall. Even the audience shook at the force of impact as the great snake shook its head trying to recover.

••••••

Albus leapt over the boulders as smooth as ever, landing with a slight stumble as he made for the box. "Incendio!" He yelled, now able to look at the basilisk as it shook the arena with its collision. A jet of flames shot out of his wand, surprising even Albus, who was entirely expecting it to fail. The flames struck the basilisk's face directly and it let out a blood curdling shriek of rage, now whipping its massive head towards them with teeth bared and ready to strike.

••••••

The basilisk launched toward them at breakneck speed, targeting the sound of Albus’s yell. However, it missed with a fairly wide margin. Being able to really look at the creature now made Scorpius realize just how terrifying this thing was. The fact that its head had actually touched him made his skin crawl. He let out a gasp when it missed Albus, taking a step back as the snake turned its head and changed its target. He’d forgotten its acute sense of hearing. “Albus don’t move! Don’t make a noise!” He yelled, knowing that it had already zeroed in on him because of his gasp. No more harm would be done in the moment by him speaking. 

“Stupef -“ There was a flash of green as it struck before he could even finish uttering the spell, a mass of teeth and scales roaring towards him. He tried to jump out of the way, but only succeeded in saving his skull from being pierced by a massive fang. Instead, the front of his robes were snapped in its teeth, as it flung him high into the air, mouth open as it tried to catch him. The screaming body of Scorpius missed the gaping maw, coming down hard on its neck as the snake bit at empty air. He bounced once...twice...and hit the floor with a crack. The screaming stopped. There was a sickening silence in the arena for a moment as Scorpius lay there, directly next to the massive coils. He didn’t move. From a distance, it was impossible to tell if he was even breathing. 

 The only sound was the muffled, anguished scream that came from the direction of the Scorpion banner.

Chapter Text

Albus's heart stopped momentarily when Scorpius screamed and hit the ground. The silence had never felt louder, every cell in his body frozen into place with terror- rendered unable to call out for his friend. He was dizzy, not processing anything he saw. Albus had never felt such an emptiness gripping him. Like every happy memory had been torn from him in one, violent crack. It was the slow grinding of the sickly, green basilisk against the dark stones that reminded him he was still there and still very much vulnerable.

He took a few, slow steps to the box, quietly lifting it and sliding it under his left arm. Oddly enough, he couldn't feel the box there, no matter how hard he squeezed it. Unfortunately, as he took a few steps away from the pedestal the box had been resting on, he took a step on an unstable rock and it crumbled beneath him. "No!" He yelped, falling hard as the snake hissed furiously, sliding to him at a speed that set Albus's whole body on fire. He braced himself for the impact of the basilisk, feeling the wind knock out of him as the creature threw its whole weight down just a few centimeters from where he stood. He yanked his robe out from where it had caught underneath the massive snake, scrambling to get himself back up as quickly as possible.

Once he was up, he whipped himself around, legs threatening to give in at the sight of the looming serpent. It turned its sightless gaze directly to Albus, winding up to sweep the ground with its head. "Incendio-" Albus tried to yell, holding out his wand with a trembling hand, but the words caught in his throat as the Basilisk launched its attack. Albus hardly jumped in time, rolling roughly over the basilisk's neck and tumbling onto the ground face first with a painful groan. By now, the basilisk had confused itself with all the movement- leaving Albus, who was keeled over in pain, with just enough time to pull himself up with a rock, internally praying it wouldn't break on him.

••••••

The basilisk swung around wildly, missing Albus completely and was now facing the opposite direction. 

Scorpius was in agony. He’d never felt so much pain in his entire life. There were tears in his eyes and it was taking everything in his power to not scream- he felt it building inside him, but knew he could do nothing but lie there. Part of him wondered if he could even get up. He wasn’t sure which way was up at this point. One of his legs were broken- there was no doubt about it, for it had gone completely numb. He was surprised that his spine hadn’t snapped on the impact- he’d landed primarily on his left side- and could dimly recognize the fact that his arm was twisted unnaturally underneath himself. Still, he did not move. A part of him almost wished for the blackness to wash back over him. Death seemed better than this pain. It would be a mercy. 

The only thing keeping him from letting out any whimper of pain to alert the beast was the fact that he could see Albus through his barely open eyes. The other boy was staring directly at him, and there was an almost frightening numbness to it. Completely blank and devoid of all the spark and mirth that Scorpius was used to seeing. This Albus was cold and less alive than he was, and he knew that if he let go, Albus would be quick to follow. He could also faintly hear the distant screams of his father, voice booming as he pleaded for them to stop the challenge- he had never heard his name yelled so desperately. Another reason to stay still and silent. Despite despising the emotional turmoil this was causing his father, he couldn’t bear to let him go through that for real. So he didn’t move. Didn’t breathe. 

As the basilisk went after Albus, he considered the cruciatus curse. He knew it. He’d seen it done because it had been done to him and he remembered the exact motion a wand should make to cast it, because he had seen it in his nightmares so many times. But it would cause no lasting damage to the snake. 

He tried to push himself up, but couldn’t bring himself to move at all, only succeeding in twitching slightly. He tried again, still no luck. It was at that moment he recognized the searing pain in his chest through the fog. Remembered its teeth grabbing him. The fabric ripped, and with it, his flesh. The venom was coursing through his veins, and sure enough, when he opened his eyes just enough to see his one working arm, the veins had begun to darken. He had minutes, at most. Even if he laid there until the basilisk was dead or had killed Albus, he doubted they would be able to get Fawkes to him in time. There was a grim satisfaction in it. When it came to the probability of things going wrong, he was usually right. He had said he was going to die in the first task, and here he was. 

He had to protect Albus with whatever time he had left. With an agonizing amount of energy, he lifted his right arm, wand still clutched in his hand. “confringo” it was barely a whisper, but the serpent momentarily erupted into a mass of flame and rubble as the ground around it exploded. 

••••••

Albus jumped a bit as the basilisk hissed, suddenly engulfed in a burst of rocks and flame. He tried to peer over the snake to see if Scorpius was alive, heart beating hard in his chest, but he saw him from a distance. The dreadful stillness of his best friend made his throat tighten with emotion, but he tried to skirt around the basilisk while it was still confused. In his hurry, he slipped backward and landed hard on his back with a gasp, his arms still wrapped around the box like it was his last hope. The basilisk, thankfully, had still been recovering and hadn't noticed him falling. Albus was now closer to Scorpius, but still couldn't see him with enough clarity to determine his state. He'd never felt more hopeless. Powerless.

"I'm so sorry for failing you, Scorpius-" the ball in his throat clawed painfully as he pointed his wand toward the basilisk, giving it a fiery glare. "DIFFINDO!" It screamed a repulsively abrasive screech as finally some of its scales were pierced. Its jaw unhinged as it descended at a terrifying speed- causing Albus to almost fall backward. But he owed Scorpius at least this. "INCENDIO!" He felt all the air leaving his lungs as he screamed the spell as loud as his body would allow him. A brilliant ball of flames burst out from the tip of his wand and struck the basilisk right in the mouth, setting it ablaze for a few moments, before it collapsed limply on the ground with a thud. Its mouth was dark and ashy, still smoldering. Albus didn't care about the basilisk, though. Immediately the tears began to spill.

"HELP, PLEASE," his voice broke and he was wracked with sobs as he frantically hurtled towards Scorpius's body. The announcer was continuing on with their commentary as every authority figure who was watching hurried over to the fallen boy.

••••••

As soon as he finished the spell, Scorpius fell limp again, out of breath from the effort. He felt so tired, but was trying to stay awake for Albus. He had to know that Albus was okay. He had to.

As the basilisk fell with a thud, the ground shook slightly, and he knew that they had done it. They’d defeated the basilisk and completed the challenge. That was a relief...Albus was safe. It was okay. He could sleep now. He could rest.

As a child, Scorpius had been terrified of the concept of death. The thought that ,one day, he would be gone like he never existed. It was something that he’d lie awake in bed at night about, staring at the ceiling with his stomach in knots over the very thought. But now, faced with it directly, it seemed like such a relief. He was tired. Had been for a long time, but just hadn’t realized it. It would be nice, he realized, to just slip away. To sleep. To rest. 

His eyes were getting continually more blurry, even as a few tears slipped down his numb cheeks, meaning that the venom was working swiftly. It’d be over soon. 

Shallow breaths. Each one closer to his last. He had a set number left, and every time his chest rose and fell slightly, that number was expended. How many did he have left? Thirty? Twenty? Ten? Five? Was this his last? 

His mother. He could see his mother’s face, smiling at him. Reassuring him that it’d be okay if he just let go. He wasn’t letting anyone down. Just let go. He’d done his part. Just let go.

There was screaming in the back. A familiar voice. Whose voice? It was a boy’s, but he couldn’t quite find a name. Words didn’t come, though it didn’t matter. His mouth wouldn’t have moved anyway. It couldn’t, not anymore. Nor did it need to...he just needed to sleep. 

There were shapes above him, but they were too bright and blurry to make out anything as he stared up unblinkingly. His body was mangled and broken, but he no longer felt it. It no longer hurt. He was at peace. The little voice in his head that was usually insulting and biting was silence for once. He was at peace. Even as he was lifted, he couldn’t feel it. The last thing he distantly felt before everything faded to black was someone’s hand gently entwining with his own.

••••••

Albus's memory became a sensory jumble of noise and movement. The box had been forgotten and tossed to the side as he hung onto Scorpius. He could feel people grabbing him. The only thing he could hear was screaming. He didn't know whose it was, just that his throat felt raw and he couldn't breathe. Now he sat numbly on the ground of the tent. Every time he'd stopped crying, it felt like maybe it was finally over and he'd wake up to Scorpius yelling his name at the edge of his bed. Scorpius would startle him awake like it was all a bad dream. Scorpius would pose dramatically as he gave himself stupid names. Scorpius would laugh with him in the moonlight.

And just like it always did, things came crashing back down and the memories wracked his brain. The tears and the ache in his chest didn't stop. He'd killed Scorpius. It was all because of him. Because of his stupid pride. All he could hear was the horrible scream and sickening crack of Scorpius's body hitting the ground replaying in his ears. All he could see was Scorpius's mangled body on the ground. All he could feel was the nauseating limpness of Scorpius's body. It felt like his mind was torturing him and there was a strange creeping feeling that didn't want it to stop. This is what he deserved. He didn't deserve to feel happy anymore and it didn't feel like he ever would again.

It had taken him a moment to notice a hand on his shoulder. Albus looked up apathetically and could tell from the blurry shapes that it was his dad.

"He's dead." Albus's mouth moved and he let it. Everything hurt. "It should've been me. Why do I get away just fine? That's not fair."

••••••

Harry had seen a lot through the years. Countless horrors that haunted him behind closed eyes when he slept. Things he could never erase. But helplessly sitting by, as he watched boys that were all too young fight a basilisk that was too big and too similar to that of his past, was by far one of the hardest things he’d ever done. He now understood what it was like to be Dumbledore or McGonagall when he was at school. 

When Scorpius’s body hit the floor, his heart lurched. Albus was a spitting image of himself at that age, minus the glasses and scar. Seeing his son carry the same expression he knew others had witnessed throughout his childhood was heartbreaking. There was nothing he could do to change it, even as Scorpius set the basilisk alight with the last remaining strength he had, setting it up for Albus to deal the killing blow. As the great serpent fell dead, he felt guilty for the sense of relief that washed over him with the knowledge that his son was safe, because Malfoy was wailing. 

He’d known Draco long enough to know that it was very rare that he showed any kind of weakness when it came to emotions. But the man, only a few feet away from him, was broken. He’d sunk from his seat, immaculately clean robes in the dust without care as he collapsed to his knees, wretched sobs wracking his body. First Astoria, now his son. Malfoy was alone, and Harry knew that was a very dangerous thing. He briskly walked over to the grieving man, laying a hand on his shoulder. Part of him expected to be lashed out at with the venom he knew so well. His son was still alive. He was lucky. Instead, Draco got up and hugged him, clutching to the back of his robes as he heaved out sobs. As Scorpius’s body was taken off with the still screaming Albus, it finally sunk in how young they were. How young they all were. 

When Harry finally made it down to the tent, he resisted the urge to sprint to his boy, to take him in his arms and tell him that it’d all be okay. He was a lot of things, but he was not a liar. It wasn’t okay. And it would probably never be okay again. “I know.” He said quietly, gently rubbing his shoulder with his thumb. “I know, Albus.” When the thought of ‘it should have been me’ came from his son’s mouth, Harry dropped down to his knees in front of him, taking the boy’s hands in his own and looking him directly in his eyes. His voice was serious and firm. “No. He gave his life to protect you. He used the last bit of energy to attack it so you could finish it. That was his choice. He was brave and a hero. Do you think I haven’t asked myself the same thing every single day? It should not have been you, because I know for a fact that he would not be here if you weren’t. And don’t you dare consider doing anything rash, because then it would mean that he gave his life for nothing.” 

••••••

"I miss him." Albus said through sobs, his head dropping in anguish. His dad was right, but he felt so overwhelmingly hopeless at having to go through the motions of life- the classes, the bullying, everything, without the only person that made it worthwhile. Still, he took some comfort in his dad's presence.

A couple of hours later he had received the news. Scorpius wasn't dead. His heart felt like it was going a mile a minute and before he knew it, he was booking it to the infirmary. There was Scorpius, sprawled on one of the beds under Madam Pomfrey’s constant attention. He could barely tell Scorpius was breathing.

"Who authorized for you to come in here?" Madam Pomfrey said urgently, hurrying to the other side of the bed to lead Albus out. He panicked and sidestepped her. 

"Nobody, just- Please let me see him.” Albus pleaded. Madam Pomfrey stopped, thinking for a moment, before her face softened a bit. 

"Fine. Just a moment and then you have to leave. He is in very poor condition right now.” She informed him sternly, striding back to the right side of the bed to continue her surveillance. "I've done everything I can for him at the moment. Just making sure nothing goes wrong."

Albus nodded and approached the bed slowly, body trembling as he knelt down next to Scorpius. He slid his hand underneath Scorpius's as delicately as he could, as if he was a porcelain doll about to shatter. After a moment, he gently pressed Scorpius's hand to his forehead as he began to sob quietly.

"Hey, Scorpius?” Albus started with a sniffle, setting Scorpius's hand down and rolling up one of his sleeves to wipe his nose. "I got the box. It's on your bed. Haven't opened it yet, I was gonna throw it away, but now I guess I'm waiting for... Listen I-" He took a shaky breath in. "I'm sorry. About everything. Please come back. We all need you. Your dad. Rose. I need you. Everything's a lot harder without Scorpius the Dreadless by my side.” he finished his ramble with a sigh, tilting his head as he looked at the other boy longingly. "Get better soon, alright?" he wiped his eyes with his other sleeve, standing up shakily. He thanked Madam Pomfrey and left in low spirits. The nightmares were too vivid that night.

••••••

Five times. Over the span of the three days he was unconscious, Scorpius’s heart stopped five times. Madam Pomfrey hadn’t had to deal with injuries this grave for around twenty years. Scorpius’s leg was shattered, the joint of his knee having completely inverted. The same could be said for his arm- it almost looked as if something had tried to rip it off completely. Most of his ribs had also broken, so it was immense luck that he didn’t have more internal bleeding than he did. It would be a miracle if he could walk again. Frankly it would be a miracle if he could do anything again. They had treated him with the Phoenix tears just in time before the black tendrils of death clawed around his heart, but it was close. The venom had ravaged his body- the wound on his chest having festered and blackened as if eaten away by acid. It took a full day for her to get the poison out of his system. Another, to reset his bones. He seemed so frail, so small- the boy was fragile, but from what she had seen from the tent, he had been braver than most. 

Albus seemed to never leave Scorpius’s side, unless she forced him away because she could tell his vitals were dropping. She didn’t want the boy to be there if the worst case scenario happened. He’d already gone through watching that once. She didn’t want him to see the peaceful smile that played on the boy’s lips right before he faded away. Or the pain when she brought him back.

When Albus was forced away during visiting time, he made Rose come and sit by Scorpius, as if he couldn’t stand the thought of him waking up alone. It would be touching, if she truly believed he would wake up. Rose sat by Scorpius’s bedside with a simple “I’m doing this for him, not you.” aimed at the unconscious boy- but there was a softness to her eyes. By the second time, she had brought a book to read to him, and rubbed circles on the back of his hand. 

Rita had her photographer fake an injury just long enough to get close enough to them to snap a picture. Then, he was “miraculously better”. Rose stopped coming in after that, and the Potter boy seemed even more dreadful than before. By day four, he looked more like a corpse than Scorpius did. 

It was around noon on the fifth day, when Scorpius squeezed his hand back.

Chapter Text

Albus had taken to spending all of his free time in the infirmary (and occasionally detention). Madam Pomfrey didn't seem to mind his visits, but she was quick to usher him out from time to time, features etched with worry. With reluctant permission from the Headmaster, he even started visiting the infirmary during lunch and dinner. McGonagall had agreed to it after a loud-mouthed boy approached Albus one lunch, waving one of Rita's articles in his fist, spouting some nonsense about Albus finally following in his father’s footsteps. Albus barely remembered what the boy said anymore, all he remembered was gasps of shock all around the cafeteria as he was dragged away by professors while trying to land a few more punches.

He was sitting on the edge of Scorpius' bed one afternoon, doing his homework with his right hand and holding Scorpius' hand with the other. It made him feel less anxious, allowing him to focus on his work. He was in the midst of some History of Magic homework, reading about magical studies in Asia, when Scorpius squeezed his hand. Eyes widening, he almost dropped the books, sliding off the bed as quickly as he could and turning around to face his friend.

"Scorpius?" He stood over the bed, holding his hand with more hope than he'd felt in what felt like ages.

••••••

The process of waking up was terribly slow. Everything sounded muffled and there was a ringing in his ears that made him wince, but he gripped onto the hand that was holding his. There were pins and needles pricking his entire body as feeling returned to it, as if his skin was on fire. When he slowly opened his eyes, everything was too bright, and it took several moments for them to focus. His mind was blank- everything so unfamiliar. He turned his head slightly to see a boy with tears in his eyes. A boy that looked frightened by the blank expression on his own face. He couldn’t recognize- Then all of the memories came flooding back, as if his skull was being hammered with a thousand pick-axes at once. He shut his eyes again and let out a low whine of pain. The basilisk, Albus- the face of his mother so close. So close and slipping away. He started to cry.

••••••

"It's okay." Albus whispered, running his thumb across the back of Scorpius’ hand. He couldn't even imagine how Scorpius was feeling. He'd once asked Madam Pomfrey offhand about Scorpius's treatment and the explanation had sent his head spinning.

••••••

It took Scorpius several minutes before he even attempted speaking, just lying back against the bed, and breathing. Just breathing. It hurt to breathe. “You-“ his voice was hoarse, cracking from not being used. “You should’ve just let me go.”

••••••

“What?” Albus said, his face falling and his blood running cold. His hands slid to his sides, clenching as struggled to process the emotions that washed over him with Scorpius’ words. “What do you mean?”

••••••

“You should have let me go.” Scorpius repeated flatly, blinking at him. “I shouldn’t have been brought back. I-” He coughed, lungs wheezing with the effort of speaking the few words that he had. After that, he lapsed back into silence again, going unresponsive for a few more minutes, before quietly speaking again. “There was nothing. And then I was yanked back before I even knew I was gone. Again...and again...and again. It hurts.”

••••••

Albus didn’t respond. He just stood off to the side and looked at the ground, tears falling, yet not making a sound.

That lunch, the cafeteria quickly fell silent as Scorpius entered. The whispers began again like they always did, but now it felt far worse. “Thank you, by the way.” Albus said hesitantly as he sat down, not making eye contact. He almost began to specify his thanks for Scorpius’ quick thinking in the arena, but he stopped himself, figuring that was the last thing he would want to talk about.

••••••

Getting out of bed was a new challenge for Scorpius that took nearly half an hour of work. Everything felt wrong- his legs weren’t working right and his arm still felt pretty much useless, trembling uncontrollably whenever he picked it up. He would try to stand, only succeeding in falling against Albus. He was frustrated and in pain, and it was visible in his expression and movements. Madam Pomfrey elected to put his arm in a sling, and kept his leg tightly wrapped with a splint so he couldn’t bend it. There were bandages and stitches everywhere, and it was difficult for him to stand, even with a crutch. But he somehow did it, and had hobbled to the great hall, hating how the entire room quieted when he entered. Before silence could fully set in, whispers hissed like snakes, cutting deeper than the basilisk had. He hadn’t missed this. He shouldn’t be here. He made his way over to the table where he and Albus usually sat, staring blankly at the food in front of him. He looked up at his friend as he spoke, expressionless. He wasn’t fully back yet and it showed- Madam Pomfrey had said he’d be back to his usually bubbly self, but...it’d take time. “Oh. You’re welcome...thank you for- um- killing it.”

He flinched as a hand tapped his shoulder, surprised to see a first year Ravenclaw looking up at him expectantly. “Can I get an autograph?” Scorpius’s face changed to one of confusion and resentment, believing the kid was just trying to mock him. “What? Why?” The kid just repeated himself, holding out a quill and parchment. He hesitantly took the paper, holding the quill in his hand. The trembling was so intense that he could barely hold it, and it slipped out of his grasp several times, clattering to the table. He couldn’t even hold a damn quill. The frustration was back, but was quickly stopped as the kid answered the second question he’d asked with a bright grin, not meaning anything by it. “Well it’s not every day somebody dies and comes back!”

There was a silence. The quill dropped from his hand, tremors worsening tenfold. “Get away from me.” He said shakily, not looking at the kid.

“What?”

“I said GET AWAY FROM ME!” He snapped loudly, a new force to his voice. He was usually loud- He had trouble controlling his volume when he was excited, always had. But this was different. The first year backed away, teary eyed and fearful. The silence in the room was worse than it was before, a hundred pairs of eyes trained on him.

••••••

He should've been happy to get Scorpius back, but Albus had never felt more alone and confused. Scorpius didn't want to be back. What was he supposed to say? Scorpius was there, physically, but it felt like his friend had truly died. Madam Pomfrey had seen Albus crying and assured him that Scorpius had been through a lot- That he’d be back to normal soon. But every time he looked at Scorpius's eyes, resentful and frustrated, his hands trembled.

During lunch he simply kept his head down, the same, unwelcoming expression he'd put on his face if he didn't want to be approached. When a young boy approached Scorpius, his head stayed down, shutting out the world around him. Shutting everything out until the quill fell to the floor and Scorpius told the kid to get away from him with a silent anger that struck Albus to his core. He raised his head, looking at Scorpius in disbelief. And then Scorpius snapped, causing the child in front of him to cower. Everybody was looking now. Normally, Albus would've been quick to support and defend his friend. Now, fists shutting tight, Albus bit his tongue and put his head back down. All eyes were on Scorpius.

••••••

His voice had echoed through the lofty ceiling of the great hall, and was still echoing in his ears. The child had been terrified of him. The faces in the crowd weren’t smug and condescending like usual. Nobody was laughing at him and thinking him weak. They’d all initially brushed off Rita’s article about Scorpius being dangerous, but after seeing how viscous he’d been against the basilisk, and now this? It was hard to see him as anything but. Before, Scorpius had been kind and flimsy- he’d apologize to a cup if he knocked it over with his usually flailing hands. Now there was a new hardness to his face. A cold and unforgiving expression that almost dared somebody to try something. This was a boy that could believably be the son of the dark lord, if rumors were to be listened to. He’d scared a child. Terrified him. Scorpius should feel guilty, should frantically apologize and get upset at the thought of it. Now, he just sat there, head held high in defiance. Even if he didn’t feel the same way, he still had memories. He knew what Albus should be doing in that moment. But no, he just sat there ignoring him. Scorpius was appalled.

Traitor.

He hit the table with his fist, ignoring the pain that it caused him, glaring daggers at Albus as he continued to look down. The year before, when Scorpius had explained to him what the version of him in the dark timeline had been like- the Scorpion King, Albus had been quick to assure him that there was nothing inside him that could possibly be capable of that. He couldn’t even picture it. But now, to Albus, the image was as clear as day.

••••••

Hardly a second after he put his head down, choosing to leave Scorpius to deal with his own bullshit, he struck the table with his fist. The noise, combined with how close the strike was, caused panic to flood through Albus's body. He didn't react physically. Not even a twitch as he forced his body to suppress the shaking he knew would come. But his hands were numb with the cold that overtook them and the fear was seeping into his mind like poison. This wasn't Scorpius. It couldn't be. The hand that slammed on the table was a cruel one. His Scorpius died five days ago in the tournament. Albus lifted his head slightly to turn it in Scorpius’, meeting his eyes and apathetically returning the look of hatred. With his right hand he flipped him off. The facial expression was the one he gave everybody else he didn't want to speak to. He forced his anguish away, finding only contempt and anger for the boy who wasn't worth grieving for.

••••••

Scorpius stood up abruptly when Albus flipped him off, biting his cheek to fight off the dizzy spell that hit with the sudden movement. Looking at the table, specifically the meal- he smiled.

It wasn’t a nice smile. There was no warmth to it, and it looked so unbelievably wrong on his face. Leaning forward slightly, he flicked the edge of Albus’s plate, sending the bowl of uneaten soup that had been sitting on top cascading directly into his lap. “Whoops.”

••••••

Albus shot up, shoulders raised and nails digging into his palms as the first spark to enter his eyes in days flashed. Unfortunately, it was one of loathing. He ignored the searing of his flesh as he stumbled forward and grabbed Scorpius violently by the collar. With an unfeeling lack of hesitation, his left fist shot up and clocked Scorpius in the jaw. He was going in for a second punch with his right but the professors had quickly taken notice of the situation and begun to rush over, tearing him away from Scorpius for the second time.

“YOU BASTARD! DO YOU KNOW WHAT I WENT THROUGH WITHOUT YOU? DO YOU EVEN CARE?” He shouted, tears of frustration in his eyes as he tried unsuccessfully to wrench himself from the professor’s grasp.

••••••

There was a brief flash of shock in Scorpius’ eyes as Albus grabbed his collar, too quick for him to react. His vision spotted with black as Albus’s fist made contact, and he reeled, hand going to his mouth. He spat blood, a dark fire in his eyes. Pulling out his wand without a second thought, he pointed it directly at Albus, hand completely still as he focused. “Cruci-“

The curse was stopped as a professor jerked the wand from his grasp, pulling him back. Scorpius laughed. It was a hollow, sharp sound. It was his laugh. It sounded like his laugh. But now it was twisted and as mangled as his body had been in the arena. It sounded wrong. “GOOD!” He yelled back, grinning wildly, blood from his lip staining his teeth. “YOU DESERVE IT AFTER WHAT YOU DID TO ME, YOU PATHETIC COWARD! YOU KILLED ME BECAUSE YOU’RE JUST THAT USELESS! AND I FELT IT EVERY SINGLE TIME.”

••••••

"FUCK YOU! I WISH YOU'D DIED THAT DAY YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Albus screamed, blinded with a horrible revolt for the Scorpius that stood before him. The boy with knives for a laugh. It pierced his ears worse than any shriek that the basilisk had let out. Before he knew what was happening, his whole body and mind felt like it had been thrown into cold water and he was sinking down and away. A professor had swished their wand in a quick Z motion, muttering something under their breath as they magically put Albus into a state of sleep. Everything went black as he  was limply carried out of the hall.

••••••

Scorpius tried to rip himself away from the person holding him back when Albus screamed that at him, going blind with fury. “IT SHOULD’VE BEEN YOU, EVERYONE WOULD’VE BEEN BETTER OFF THAT WAY, YOU PRICK-” he screamed back, right before McGonagall quickly cast Bewitched Sleep. The last thing he saw before the world faded to black was the very same Z-motion and sad eyes. 

Chapter Text

Albus’s nightmares during the bewitched slumber were horrible. He could repress the guilt and grief he felt over his best friend all he wanted when he was awake, but as soon as his eyes shut, his worst fears bubbled over. He woke up crying in an unfamiliar room. No, not unfamiliar exactly, just...everything was a noble shade of red. When his eyes adjusted to the moonlight, he recognized the Gryffindor dorm rooms. Had he finally woken up from his nightmare? For a short moment, he felt relief. It had all been a bad dream. Scorpius was normal and Albus's dad had simply separated them. It was just a vivid nightmare.

"Al?" A voice groaned sleepily from his left and Albus jumped. A small light illuminated the person in the bed adjacent as they took out their wand. 

"James?" Albus questioned, dread swimming in his stomach.

"Yeah. McGonagall insisted you stay here until they figure out a better living situation for you after... Well." James explained groggily with a roll of his eyes. "I thought you and Scorpius were inseparable." he added, his wand lighting up the pity in his eyes. Albus's heart sunk as he sat up, resting his chin on his knees and hugging his legs to his chest. Merlin, his head felt like it was splitting in two.

"I don't know what happened... He's awful and I can't deal with the fact that my best friend died because of me. The only friend I had-" Albus mumbled, realizing the numbness of his thighs before noticing the texture of bandages underneath his PJ pants. "I'm just so tired of feeling guilty. I thought it would all go away when he woke up. But everything feels so... meaningless. It feels like if I fall asleep I won't wake up, but it's a trick from my brain. If I fall asleep everything gets worse." he admitted, almost forgetting it was James he was speaking to. But James just nodded pensively, not admonishing his younger brother or playing any cruel jokes on him.

"You did great out in that arena by the way. I won ten quid betting on you guys," James said after a moment, readjusting himself and flicking the light out of his wand. "Im proud of you, Al." he mumbled, still half-asleep, and shortly after, Albus heard soft snoring. He couldn't get himself to sleep once he'd woken up. By dawn, he pretended to be asleep so James would exit first for breakfast. After what he estimated was about thirty minutes, he hopped out and got into his robes, hoping there wouldn't be any Gryffindor students in the common room when he left. He lucked out and hurried to the Great Hall. 

On his way he felt a hand grab his arm, which he yanked away defensively, turning to see who it had been. For a moment, fear flashed in Albus's eyes, but he realized it was just Draco. He let out a sigh of relief. "Morning," he said half-heartedly, not exactly eager to talk to Scorpius's dad.

••••••

If Albus thought he’d been having trouble sleeping, Draco was a million times worse. His hair was slicked back far tighter into its ponytail, not a hair out of place. His face was cleanly shaven, instead of his usual stubble, which seemed to sharpen his features even more. His robes were pristine, every wrinkle or speck of dust eradicated. The only sign that something was gravely wrong was his eyes. There were bags under them that couldn’t be removed with even the strongest cosmetic magic, and there was a sharp quality to the eyes themselves. There was no warmth left to them, that had all been sucked away when Scorpius’s body hit the floor. Draco Malfoy was a person that whenever everything was falling apart, the more flawless he appeared to be. He controlled the one thing he could, and did so obsessively. 

“Albus.” He said, voice firm. “I’m going to say this and I will say this only once. I apologize for whatever my son has done to you. However, he needs you. More than ever.”

••••••

Albus narrowed his eyes incredulously and scoffed. “Needs me? What he needs is two sidekicks to bully for fun. A Crabbe and Goyle of his own!” Albus did a mocking expression of surprise, as if an amazing idea had struck him during that last sentence. His expression then quickly returned to disinterest. “He tried to use the Cruciatus curse. Did you know that? What makes you think he gives a damn what happens to me?”

••••••

Draco’s expression darkened at that, lips tightening into a thinly veiled scowl. “That is the opposite of what he needs, trust me in that.” He borderline snapped back. “Isolation in this moment of his life is extremely dangerous. What he needs is someone to support him, whether he thinks he needs it or not. I know that, because I’ve been there, Albus. If not? We might lose him forever, if we haven’t already.” The tone of voice Albus was using with him- the resentment- it was amazing how much he resembled Potter. “He...” Draco sucked in a breath, hands clenching into fists by his side for a moment. “Surely there must’ve been something to prompt him to do that-“

••••••

Albus was listening intently, considering Draco's words. It was obvious from the way his eyebrows relaxed, too busy thinking to look angry. The hostile look returned to his face when Draco tried to reason away his son's actions. "No. Because he doesn't care. Because the kind Scorpius I befriended five years ago doesn't exist anymore." He said through clenched teeth. Despite his attempts to redirect his anger, his voice wasn't showing malice to Draco. He wasn't even looking at Draco anymore, rather at his hands, as if there was something on them that wouldn't come off. It was malice towards himself. He glanced away in defeat.

••••••

Draco flinched at that. The man that looked at the person who killed the dark lord in the face and laughed flinched at Albus’s words. “He’s not gone.” Draco said sharply, trying to convince himself too. “He can’t be. He can’t- Scorpius is a good person, the best out of anyone I know. He just needs your help, you can- please bring him back.” There was a kind of desperation in his voice. “Become friends with him again, guide him back onto the path.”

••••••

Albus stifled a snappy reply and finally conceded. “I’ll try.” he murmured. He knew he didn’t have to. He could’ve just lied to Draco, said he’d tried and written Scorpius off as a lost cause. But something in Draco’s words had gotten to him. A father who loved his son more than anything in the world. A father who just wanted his son back. Albus had to try

Chapter Text

When Albus arrived at the Grand hall for breakfast, he tensed up, spotting Scorpius in his usual spot immediately. The first time he’d assaulted a student, McGonagall made it very clear that his name wouldn’t save him. Punching an already injured Scorpius made that his second strike. It didn’t take a genius to know what would happen if he let Scorpius, or anybody for that matter, get to him again. Albus took a sharp breath and strode towards the seat next to Scorpius, sitting as if everything was as normal as ever. “Morning.” he added with a quick side glance, internally bracing himself for whatever came next.

••••••

Scorpius didn’t look up at him, pushing his food around on his plate and letting his eyes wander anywhere but Albus. The face was Scorpius. The hair. The nose. The lips. But his eyes? To an outsider, they looked the exact same- but to someone who knew him, they were unrecognizable. There was ice in them, sharpened and hard. “Surprised you weren’t expelled.” He drawled, finally looking at Albus. There was a disinterest to his eyes now, with a small bit of amusement. Cat and mouse. He smiled that awful smile again. “Pity...let’s see how long you’ll last.” He looked Albus up and down for a moment, before letting out a short laugh. “How’s your lap feeling?” He asked, voice dripping with false sweetness. “I’d be more worried if there was actually something there to burn, but just to be polite...”

••••••

“Surprised you weren’t expelled either.” He responded indifferently. Albus thought that he could finally look at Scorpius, but when he spotted that smile… He looked away quickly. It didn’t fit on his face and it was terrifying. His hopes of having a quiet breakfast dissipated when Scorpius began to try and get under his skin again. The first question about his lap caused his confidence to go up a bit. If this is all Scorpius had to jab at him, Albus could tolerate him. But when he finished his sentence, Albus froze. The comment could seem as innocent and even funny to anybody else. But the mocking edge in Scorpius’s voice? To Albus it meant something different. He opened his mouth to say something in response. ‘…Why? Why you of all people?’ But he forced his mouth into a humorless smile instead, letting out a quick “Huh.” as if he had found it the slightest bit amusing. “My lap is feeling fine. Numb, but I guess you’d expect that with hot soup.” He continued flatly. That was a lie. He’d been scalded and when he woke up it had only stung a bit. But Albus had to take the bandages off that morning and his uniform had been brushing against the burns with every step he took. “And you? I slipped up a bit when I threw the punch with my left hand, so I’m sorry you couldn’t get the full experience.” He said as casually as he could.

••••••

The smirk widened into a horrific grin as he saw Albus’s reaction, knowing that he had hit the mark. It was the most facial expression he’d had since he’d gotten out of the infirmary and it was unnatural looking. Scorpius always had a soft quality to his face that made him very distinct from his father when he was at that age. Albus had said at one point that Scorpius wasn’t made for expressions like that. He had been wrong. He lightly touched a finger to his bruising face, letting out a dark chuckle. “Barely even noticeable. I’d like to see you try it again...see what happens.”

••••••

“Not happening. Having to clean up the potions classroom with no magic for the rest of the week is what happens."

••••••

Scorpius rolled his eyes. “That’s the worst part of this, the fact that I’m stuck with you for detention.”

••••••

"You're joking," Albus looked up in disbelief before facepalming with a groan. "At least I know we'll be done before dinner.”

••••••

“Correction-“ Scorpius smiled, brushing a strand of hair out of his face. “You will be done before dinner. I will be watching.”

••••••

"Hah," Albus's eyebrows furrowed as he looked Scorpius square in the face. "That’s funny, I thought I heard you say that I'll be doing all the work and you'll be doing nothing? What on earth makes you think I'll go along with that?"

••••••

Scorpius’s facial expression changed to a pitiful one of innocence and anxiety, eyes big and soulful as he pouted slightly. For the briefest of moments, he looked and sounded exactly like he used to. “Oh, Professor McGonagall I-I am so sorry, but my- my hand keeps trembling and I can’t even hold any of the supplies. You know how much I-I love and care about potions, so I’d hate to break something. I’m so so sorry and I know I'm letting you down, so I hope you could find a way to forgive me because I feel terrible about this.” He paused for a moment, eyes watering as he looked at Albus with a look that was so painfully him. Then, as quickly as it had come, it was shattered with a sharp laugh. “The cauldrons won’t clean themselves, Al.”

••••••

Albus clenched his teeth and took a very deep breath in and out. Even remembered a tip about counting to ten, not that his anger had dissipated by much when he was done. He flashed the absolute fakest smile of compliance he could. “You’ve made yourself clear, thanks.” He forced out through gritted teeth.

••••••

“My pleasure.” He replied smoothly, taking a bite of his food. “Have you seen the Daily Prophet yet?” It was unsettling how quickly he could go from threatening to charming. “I’ve heard it’s been painting quite the interesting picture... Seems as if Rose cares more than she’s let on.” He smirked.

••••••

“No, really?” Albus said in complete disinterest, shoving his plate away. “I had to actively convince her to visit you in the infirmary when I couldn’t. Don’t tell me you actually still think you might have a chance with her.” he said sharply.

••••••

“Testy, testy.” Scorpius tsk’d, crossing his arms and looking at Albus with contempt. “It’s different now. Her utter lack of interest before was understandable. I was pathetic. It’s no wonder I had nobody. Besides...everyone is expecting her and I to go to the Yule Ball together.”

••••••

Albus looked back at Scorpius with disgust at just about everything he had said. “You didn’t have- No, whatever. It won’t matter once she flat out rejects you.” Albus could not believe how ludicrously high the horse Scorpius was on was. It took every ounce of strength to just tolerate it and move on.

••••••

“Will she, though?” Scorpius raised an eyebrow, leaning back with his arms sprawled across the back of his chair. That was another difference. This Scorpius took up space. “Granger-Weasley is an attention-whore, you’ve said it yourself. She cares about her family name and recreating their experiences- leaving a legacy. Being known. What better way to do that than going to the Yule ball with a Champion, who, if you didn’t already know, is tied for first with Durmstrang.”

••••••

“So why are you here talking to me and not her then? By the sounds of it, I don’t even exist to you anymore.” Albus said with an indignant roll of his eyes. He knew why. Scorpius found his pain amusing. The kick he got out of watching a thousand thoughts fly through Albus’s head after saying something he knew would hurt was probably the only reason Scorpius was speaking to him now.

••••••

“You don’t. You were a means to an end, always had been, and it has ended.” Scorpius snorted, shaking his head slightly. “Merlin, you’re so stupid- We’re at breakfast. In the Great Hall. Which is separated by houses...I’m a Slytherin, she’s a Gryffindor?” He spoke slowly with a patronizing tone. “Besides, I could go sit somewhere else, but this is my seat. If you don’t like that, feel free to move. Good luck finding someone to let you into their spot though.”

••••••

“As if people from different houses don’t go and talk to each other all the time.” Albus retorted. By this point, he looked away to give himself a few seconds to blink away tears. It was embarrassing. These words never would have hurt him coming from just any student. He was used to people saying stuff about him all the time. But that was because he always had Scorpius to fall back on. Now, the words were coming out of Scorpius’s mouth and he’d never felt more stupid. More alone. “I’ll stay. It’s whatever.” His tone flattened again as his gaze returned blankly back to the table in front of him.

••••••

“Right. That’s what I thought.” He said, eyes narrowing slightly as he noticed the tears in Albus’s eyes. “Why you crying? It’s not like I’m dead.”

••••••

“No, of course not.” Albus said with a smile and an incredibly bitter laugh. “I’m just so very lucky to get to sit next to Scorpius Malfoy, you know?” He continued to say through laughs, and some tears he didn’t even feel, as if something was hilarious. Of course, Albus found the whole change in Scorpius to be laughably stupid, but even he didn’t know. At least, if he was laughing, he knew the crushing pain of everything hadn’t overwhelmed him yet. 

••••••

“At least you know your place.” He replied coldly, scanning Albus’s expression. He may have seemed like a completely different person, but he was still Scorpius, with all of his memories. He knew Albus’s mind inside and out- All of his tells, everything. He’d been holding back with his comments- he had the power to destroy him and both of them knew it. That power didn’t need to be used to have control, however. “I know you resent me...hate me for being different? Think I’m Not Scorpius.” He let out a sharp laugh, seeing Albus flinch. “I assure you, I am. I am everything that I thought but was too scared to voice. This was very much there, though.”

••••••

“I know.” Albus crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward, looking like he’d mentally snapped. He hadn’t and he knew that. The human psyche could take much more than a few insults before breaking. But Albus was being pushed to limits he never knew he could reach and didn’t know how to cope with it. It was taking everything he had to not shut down. It was also taking everything he had to stay in his seat and just take it. “I know,” He said dully, tears just falling out of his eyes with an unchanging expression. “You’re enjoying pulling strings and watching me move like a puppet. Go ahead. I don’t care if you’re just another part of him that he didn’t show. It doesn’t matter to me anymore why you’re doing all this or who you are, so just keep pulling your strings and I’ll dance just like you want me to.”

••••••

“Hm.” Scorpius leaned back, frowning slightly. Had he gone too far? It seemed like he’d gone too far. “Well it’s no fun if you don’t fight back.” He leaned forward slightly and wiped one of Albus’s tears with his thumb- it was a bit patronizing, yet gentle. “Don’t cry, it’s unbecoming of you. People are watching, hold your head up and don’t show them how weak you are.” He smirked slightly at the look on the other boy’s face. “I’m not a monster.”

••••••

When Scorpius had leaned forward to wipe one of his tears, Albus’s eyes widened and he sat up straighter, not understanding the sudden gesture. His heart sank when Scorpius said he wasn’t a monster with a smirk. It sank because of how much it had eased his pain. Not by much, but too much because, to him, that meant Scorpius’s next insult would hurt all the worse. And just like that, Albus grew to fear Scorpius’s kindness more than his hatred. “Class is going to start.” Albus rose suddenly, wanting to leave as quickly as he could.

••••••

Scorpius, on the other hand, absentmindedly rubbed his finger and thumb together. It was still wet from Albus’s tear. He stood up after that, walking away as briskly as he could, not even glancing back to see if Albus was following. He knew he was. Just as he always had and always would. 

Chapter Text

There were whispers wherever Scorpius went, but they were different now, and seemed to roll off him like they were nothing. Usually, he tried to make himself as small as possible in the hallways, quickly getting through as unnoticeably as possible. Now, he kept his head held high. He was getting used to walking again- He still limped, of course, but it was more of a strut. 

He pretty much stopped paying attention in class, which made for a stark contrast from the kind of student he’d been before. He used to yell answers with excitement, barely even containing himself when raising his hand- Now, he didn’t even bother to, just calmly saying answers, knowing that he was right. There was a judgmental air to him, especially since they had confiscated his wand for the time being. This caught the professors off-guard…most of them either found Scorpius endearing or a little annoying. Now, the room seemed to grow a bit colder whenever he spoke. 

In History of Magic, he corrected someone’s attempt at an answer in a bored tone, causing a spatter of hushed laughter aimed at the other student. Embarrassed, they promptly turned red at the ears. 

As they were walking to dinner, a larger Gryffindor boy made a loud comment about Scorpius, followed by mocking hisses. They had left him alone for a day after he’d come back from the infirmary, but now they were back to the usual taunts. Usually, Scorpius just hunched his shoulders and kept walking- He was used to it and there was nothing he could do to stop it. However, now, Albus took a slight step away from him as he fully stopped walking- instead turning on his heel as he looked back at the brute of a boy, reaching a hand into his bag. “What did you just say?” 

The boy laughed, grinning in response as he opened his mouth to repeat it. Before he could even get a word out, Scorpius was at his throat, pressing him against the wall. He shouldn’t have been able to shove him against the stones like that, he wasn’t strong enough for it. It all made sense when there was a flash of gold in the light. He’d taken out one of his astronomy tools and was digging the sharp metal point into his throat. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to be painful. Enough for the boy to be gasping for air, fearing for his life. 

“I don’t need a wand to make you scream. Never forget that.” He hissed out calmly, an inch from the boy’s face. “Understood?” There was a slight nod in response. “Good.” He pressed a little harder for a second, before returning the tool to his bag. “Let’s go, Potter.” He called back, not looking at Albus. 

••••••

Albus watched the Gryffindor boy sink to the floor, holding his throat as he shot an agitated glare their way. Albus just looked on pitifully, before turning away. He tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling that he could have easily been in that boy's position. Scorpius wouldn’t, would he? No. He would if it gave him enough amusement. If Scorpius didn’t need him anymore. 

“Potter? What a subtle way of telling me we aren’t on a first name basis anymore, Malfoy.” Albus said as he reluctantly followed Scorpius, feeling a bit like a dog. He recoiled, making a mental note to never call Scorpius by his last name again. “You could get expelled for that. Would be a shame if you missed the Yule Ball.” he added sarcastically.

••••••

“Albus didn’t roll off the tongue as much in the moment.” Scorpius said coolly, smirking slightly when he replied with his own last name. Banter was new, he didn’t mind it. Especially since he knew that he could shut it down just as quickly as he had with the Gryffindor boy. “They wouldn’t dare to touch me, I’m ‘coping and recovering from a tough time’. Just gotta pull some ‘troubled teen’ bullshit out and they’ll leave me alone.” He shrugged, walking forward without looking back. 

••••••

When he made his way to the potions classroom after classes had ended, Albus found that Scorpius was already there, leaning importantly against the professor's desk. Albus rolled his eyes and tossed his robe and sweater down next to Scorpius, rolling up his sleeves. “The quicker you let me finish the quicker we can leave.” Albus said, walking across the room to start on the side furthest from the door.

••••••

He pushed himself up onto the desk, sprawling back slightly. “If you gave me your wand, I could do it in under a minute...” he snorted when Albus glared back at him, putting his good hand up with a shrug. “Wasn’t being serious, I know McGonagall would be going into cardiac arrest if that happened.” He huffed, letting his feet swing a bit. “You should keep your sleeves like that more often.” He said absentmindedly.

••••••

“Not that I wouldn’t be glad to let you finish this in one go, but McGonagall told me she’s going to check to make sure we didn’t use magic.” Albus sighed as he collected loose ingredient bottles, lifting them to read the labels and sort them back onto their shelves. When Scorpius made a comment about his sleeves, he felt his heart suddenly skip a beat, causing him to pause momentarily and stare blankly at the shelves. Oh Merlin, this couldn’t be happening to him. He blinked and remembered where to put the bottles. If he ignored it, it wasn’t happening. That seemed logical enough.

“It’s not really within the dress code, but I’ll keep that in mind.” Albus said as he continued to sort, focusing on the gentle clink of the jars. “Have you gotten your robes for the Yule Ball yet?” Albus asked after a bit of silence.

••••••

“Well McGonagall keeps her broomstick up her ass, so no surprise there.” He groaned, rolling his eyes. After watching Albus for a moment, he sighed, getting off the desk and walking over, taking a bottle from Albus’s hand and setting it down on a completely different shelf. “Forgot for a moment how useless you are.” There was no real malice to it as he quickly rearranged the work that Albus had just done. “You’re doing it wrong.” He looked back at Albus, raising an eyebrow at the dress code comment. “And neither is James keeping over half the buttons on his shirt undone, yet he seems to have no problems. Living a little every once in a while won’t kill you, okay? And no. Not yet, but father says he will send me some as soon as I can get my measurements.”

••••••

“Famed troubled teen Scorpius Malfoy is going to help me clean the potions classroom?” Albus asked with a tilt of his head as he switched tasks, picking up a cauldron and taking it over to a sink to clean it. “You could just teach me where to put the bottles so you can get your beauty rest while I clean the next few days.” he suggested as he rinsed the cauldron. “I think it’s James’s natural charisma that does it. It’s like his professors don’t even notice. Or maybe he’s used the Confundus charm on them.”

••••••

“I’m not helping, I’m making sure you do it right so I don’t have to be stuck in here for even longer.” Scorpius replied indignantly. “That would take even more time and effort. Besides, it’s nice knowing where everything is, just in case you get annoying and I decide to poison your pumpkin juice.” He snorted when Albus choked on his own spit, rolling his eyes. “What, I’m not allowed to make jokes now?” He shut the door of the cupboard, starting on the next one. “I’m sure you could too if you had a bit more confidence in yourself. Don’t look at me like that, Rita wasn’t wrong about you y’know.”

••••••

“No, sometimes you just give the impression that you might actually poison my pumpkin juice so forgive me if I’m a little bit cautious.” He said, clearing his throat as he picked out a rag to dry the cauldron with. He gave an irked look at the mention of Rita. “About the fact that I should be swarmed with potential girlfriends? If rolling up my sleeves means I’m going to be swarmed with girls, I think I’ll stick to the dress code.” he shuddered as he put away the clean cauldron.

••••••

“Hm, I haven't quite decided yet.” Scorpius tapped a finger to the side of mouth, making sure to steer clear of his purpling bruise. “I was just saying that you have potential. You have your father’s looks, you just don’t act like it.”

••••••

“Brilliant! When you decide, let me know. In the meantime, I’ll opt out of the pumpkin juice.” Albus said with sarcastic enthusiasm. He set down the cauldron he was cleaning and tossed his robe over his shoulders with a dramatically over-exaggerated look of seriousness, crossing his arms. “Is this more Head of Magical Law Enforcement-like?” he asked, tossing his robe back down and picking the cauldron back up. “You’ve definitely inherited your father’s looks.” Albus added pointedly.

••••••

Scorpius genuinely laughed at that, and for a moment, it was easy to forget what he was. “Oh definitely. I think I know what your Halloween costume would be this year if we weren’t in school.”  He paused, putting a few more vials away. “I know. Maybe now I’m actually someone he’s proud of.” He didn’t know just how wrong he was.

••••••

“Ugh if I was my dad for Halloween I think he’d take way too much pride in that.” Albus made a face of lighthearted disgust that shifted into the first genuine smile he’d experienced in what seemed like forever. For once, things felt a little bit normal and he mentally admonished himself for enjoying it. It was only a matter of time before this moment was gone and Scorpius would return to toying with him. Maybe, even now, he was being played with- he couldn’t help but feel the anxiety gripping him and buzzing in his chest like a nest of wasps. It clashed violently with his longing to feel happy again.

He hummed in reply. The image of Draco stopping him in the hallway that morning, looking frighteningly tidy and desperately pleading with Albus flashed in his mind. “Maybe.” he said thoughtfully as he dried the second cauldron and put it away.

••••••

“Maybe.” Scorpius repeated, returning to his spot on the desk. “He always thought me a failure- a smear on the Malfoy family name. Well I’m not anymore. I was weak before. Terrified of everything. I’m not scared anymore, and it’s brilliant. You really should try it some time.” He grinned. “We could rule this school, you do realize that right? If we really tried, we could be kings.”

••••••

“Scorpius, you don’t really believe your dad thought that, do you? He never cared about the family name or status. Maybe he obsesses a bit much over his own appearance, but I think that’s just one of his quirks.” Albus picked up another cauldron and his eyebrows furrowed together sadly as he considered Scorpius’s words. He looked up at the other boy as he started to rinse the cauldron. He soaked in his smile and, for a moment, he considered it. Scorpius was being kind to him. He’d even made Scorpius laugh. But he looked back down and shook his head with a melancholy smile.

“That’s…not me. Maybe you think I’m weak for it and maybe you’re right. I don’t have that in me.” Albus added, shoving down the envy that almost creeped up.

••••••

“I disagree. I think a lot of people have it in them, they’re just held back by silly emotional ties and fear. I think I’m proof of that.” He spread his good arm wide, before his smile faded as Albus talked about his father.

“Why shouldn’t I think that?” Scorpius raised an eyebrow, voice calm. This was a topic that he had never breached with Albus. They’d talked about the Potter Family Problems, but never really his own. Now, however, he was speaking freely. “Of course I believe that. I was pathetic and he knew it. It was clear any time he looked at me- I was averagely smart and that was about it. There’s been a head boy in every single generation of the Malfoy family, you realize that right? And I wasn’t even cut out for the quidditch team. I noticed every single time I was a little bit too loud in public- Actually got excited about something- He would apologize to others for me. Because I was being ‘too much’ again. I didn’t just disappoint him, I embarrassed him. There are times I think he would prefer it if the rumors were true. That his pitiful, loser of a son didn’t come from his blood.”

••••••

“It must be lonely,” he mumbled a bit distantly at Scorpius’s prideful ramble, hardly noticing he’d said anything out loud.

“Your father loves you so much, Scorpius. Maybe he comes off a bit cold, but having a death eater for a father might not make you the most emotionally open person ever.” Albus spoke carefully. This felt like walking on a minefield. “You’re gathering that from a couple of glances? An apology? He came to my dad, furious that he had separated us, demanding he reunite us because he saw how hurt you were. Don’t you remember his visit after your name was pulled from the goblet? He was livid with me. But for you? He kept it together. And you can’t tell me you didn’t see the massive banner he was holding up during the tournament. My dad once told me he said the day you were born was the happiest day of his life.” Albus was staring right through the cauldron as he dried it, a soft smile on his face as he got lost in memories. “You were the last thing he had after your mother…” His words trailed off as his face fell.

••••••

“I no longer care about loneliness.” He replied, a hint of a lie in his voice. 

He was taken aback by Albus’s words. Shocked. “Tread lightly there, Albus, my father was also a death eater-“ Just because he couldn’t feel any of it, did not mean he couldn’t remember things from his past. He remembered the two of them being split, but it was more like looking at photos in a book, with no emotions tied to them. If he could feel it, he would’ve been crying. “He...did? I’m sure there’s some kind of explanation for-“ he listened intently to Albus speaking. The tremble was back in his hand, even as he squeezed it into a fist in an attempt to stop the shaking. “No, he didn’t care, he couldn’t- Why did he never tell me? I went years hating myself for not being good enough to carry the Malfoy name, for-“ he stopped when Albus mentioned his mother, growing still and cold. “Say it. Died. I am still the last thing he has after she died. Do not talk about me in past tense. I may not be the person you cared about, but do not act like I died and stayed dead.”

••••••

“I’m sorry. Since your mother died, you are the last good thing your father has in his life. I know you’re different now and things between us aren’t the same as they used to be and maybe they’ll never be the same again. That’s fine. I’m working on accepting this new you.” Albus corrected himself. For once, it wasn’t sarcastic, there was a sincerity in his apology. For all his hatred and fear, there was a caring that began to linger, and that was far more dangerous. 

“You should talk to him. Send him a letter or reach out. I think you’ll find he’s already proud of you. He loves you more than you think, Scorpius.” Albus put away the cauldron and started cleaning the tables.

••••••

Scorpius scanned Albus’s expression, ever-calculating as he looked for anything but sincerity. However, when he found none, there was an almost...approval that flashed in his eyes. Like Albus had just passed a test. “I suppose I am.” He looked at his hand for a moment- the tremor was gone again. “Get used to it, and get used to it quickly. Don’t try to compare me to who I was, I am nothing like him, even though he was me. I don’t care if you resent me, change is difficult. I know you were useful to me and will continue to be useful to me, so consider yourself safe for the time being. You were right when you said earlier that it must be lonely...I’m not saying we’re friends, but I will tolerate your company for now.” His tone was sharp, but not mean. He was just being to-the-point. “I know my very existence causes you pain, because you deeply cared about me...I’m sorry it had to go this way.”

There was a moment of clear-cut silence, before he continued. “I haven’t seen him since I woke up...I’m not sure if he even wants to see me- From what I heard, he never even visited me in the infirmary, and he’d had days.”

••••••

“It’s fine if we aren’t friends or if you don’t care about me in the same way I do.” Albus said with a wistful smile. ‘I hope that I don’t lose my usefulness to you.’ he thought somberly. Albus looked up as Scorpius talked about his dad, somewhat puzzled. He thought for a moment.

“Maybe a part of him just feels responsible? He did everything he could to try and withdraw you from the tournament and you still got hurt. I think I understand that. Looking at you was…painful. Because it was a reminder of my failures. Maybe it’s the same way for him.” Albus pointed out.

••••••

“I need to...reevaluate things.” Scorpius replied haughtily, as if he was checking a calendar to see if he could squeeze Albus in anywhere. 

“What he’s doing is avoiding responsibility.” He scoffed. “Well that’s good, at least. Self-awareness. You failed me, I died. I recovered. Time to move on.” He gestured at his sling. “This is about ready to come off- The only damage left at this point is the bruise on my face, so looking at me should be no issue. For either of you.”

••••••

“It’s not an issue for me anymore, I assure you. I said it was a reminder.” He pushed back, speeding up his cleaning to deal with the sudden urge to attack Scorpius. “Just send him a letter if you want to hear from him so badly.” He suggested. 

••••••

“Good answer. Don’t need you sobbing like a bitch every time you see me.” He started picking at his fingernails, as if he was worried that he got dirt under them from the minimal organizing he had done. “Has he left yet? What use would it be to send him an OWL.”

••••••

Albus didn't reply, glaring daggers in Scorpius's direction and almost knocking over a cauldron stand as he stood to refocus the sudden wave of annoyance. "Probably." Albus responded with a shrug. "The tournament's been delayed another week because of your injuries, so I wouldn't be surprised if the he’s been called back.” he said, as if he hadn't been pulled aside by Draco that morning.

••••••

“Glad they postponed it once they realized I’d live through.” He rolled his eyes, pushing hair out of his eyes. “Trying to compete like this sounds like actual Hell.” His gaze darkened, crossing his arms. “Of course he has.”

••••••

The conversation had died down shortly after and it remained quiet. Albus had stressfully finished up in another half hour, mainly rushed by Scorpius’s impatience and pestering.

Albus hurried back into James’s room, whispers circling around the common room as he hurried through. He threw himself face first onto his temporary bed with a groan, causing James to look over at him from where he was sitting on his own bed, polishing his broomstick.

“Rough day?” James asked, turning his attention back to his broomstick. Albus flipped over onto his back.

“Yes.” he replied in exasperation.

“Wanna…talk about it?” James offered after a moment, looking a bit awkward.

“No.” Albus said.

“Great, because I didn’t really know what to say.” James flashed a smile. Albus adjusted himself on his bed to sit and face in James’s direction, watching as the broomstick handle little by little went from matte to glossy.

“James, do you have a date for the Yule Ball yet?” Albus asked once he got bored of watching. He hated making small talk like this, but figured that he could ask James to help him find a date.

“Not yet but I’m in no rush. With looks like these? I don’t have to worry about not having a date.” James boasted, running a hand through his hair as Albus’s face contorted in disgust. “How about you? You must be swarmed with dates.” He teased with a wink.

“Er… Not quite. Why does everybody think that?” Albus rubbed the back of his neck. “Actually, James do you maybe know anybody I could ask who might want to go with me?”

“You want me to set you up with somebody?” There was a lively glimmer in James’s eyes as he paused his polishing, now staring intently at his brother. “Not a problem, I’ll let you know who wants to go to the ball with the Slytherin squib tomorrow.” he chuckled. Albus just nodded, getting up to change and sliding under his covers when he was done.

Almost right away, he fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Albus Potter sat at one end of a long table, ornately decorated, yet so empty looking. The tablecloth was a deep green, lined with gold that seemed to stretch on forever. An empty, porcelain plate was set before him, alongside expensive looking silverware. He looked up to see rows of candles floating above the length of the table. At the opposite end of the table, he saw a familiar, pale boy with platinum hair. The boy was sitting up straight, making Albus aware of his own slouch. He felt like he should have been able to recognize this boy sitting across from him, but he didn’t know from where. The boy stood, making his way toward the right side of Albus’s end of the table and placed his cold hand atop Albus’s. He looked up, trying to meet the boy's gaze, but saw nothing. It was as if his brain had scribbled out the face. The palm of the boy’s hand pressed gently against the back of Albus’s, guiding it towards a fork. 

The boy had moved behind Albus and he could feel the boy’s arm brushing his with every guiding movement. The boy's left hand slid towards Albus’s and guided it towards the knife. Now, he could feel the boy standing over him, his steady breaths making the hairs on the back of Albus’s neck stand up. He picked up the fork and knife and now, as he looked at his plate, he saw a bleeding human heart. Pure terror set in as he looked down at his chest, realizing the heart on the plate before him was his own. His breathing sped up, looking around in panic, trying to get up and run. But he was glued to his seat and the boy was continuing to guide his hands. The fork pierced flesh and Albus was forced to watch as the hand that held the knife shifted back and forth, slicing through his heart. He opened his mouth to scream as the hand with the fork brought the crimson slice closer at a nauseatingly slow pace, but not a sound came out of his mouth.

He turned his head to the side with a jerk as it approached his mouth. That seemed to have done it. Now he could see the boy's eyes. An unwelcoming blue, full of an icy hatred that chilled him to his core. The disgust from this boy pierced him and he could feel hot tears brimming his eyes. Trembling, he turned his head back to the fork, opening his mouth and shutting his eyes as he began to cry.

“See, that wasn’t so bad.” The boy spoke patronizingly. “If you hadn’t made such a fuss and started crying like a baby, it wouldn’t have gone this way.” He said, tilting his head with a look of faux pity, face inches away from Albus’s blood-dripping mouth. The boy ran one of his hands across Albus’s jawline, tilting his head up by the chin with his thumb. Albus felt so empty- like he could collapse and simply cease to exist. As he weakly gazed up at the boy, whose eyes were so full of repulsion, he somehow felt whole again.

Albus woke up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily and clutching desperately at his chest as he quivered. It was fine. He was fine. He tried to reassure himself through his tears as he brought his knees to his chest and covered his head.

Moonlight still streamed in through the window as James quietly snored. Like the night before, Albus stayed awake until the moment James left the room for breakfast. He didn’t bother to leave in time for a meal that morning. The nausea had settled in his throat and it didn’t feel like it was going to go away all day.

Later, as Albus was on his way to lunch, a sudden jolt caused him to lurch forward. He barely caught his balance as he turned his head to see if somebody had bumped into him. Before he could get a clear view of whoever it had been, everything went black for a split second, and Albus fell backwards onto the ground, disoriented.

His left eye stung and before he could adjust to the sudden throbbing pain and open his eyes, he felt hands grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up. The breath was knocked out of him and he wheezed as he felt his back hit the abrasive brick wall. He tried to orientate himself to fight back, but the motion had exacerbated his nausea and the mix of fear and exhaustion wasn’t helping. He could barely stand.

“Look at him! Not so tough without your boy toy are you?” The voice of one of the guys echoed in his ears and the other cackled as Albus felt himself sinking to the ground.

••••••

Scorpius, on the other hand, had been sleeping better than he had in a long time. He’d just shut his eyes and before he knew it, lake-filtered sunlight would be streaming into his eyes. There were nightmares that raged behind his closed eyes, pretty much every night, but by the time he had woken up, they always faded into nothing he could remember. Perhaps it was because without even realizing, he was living his own nightmare. 

That morning, he had gotten his sling and leg brace removed, and seemed to be walking just fine. His hand still trembled, but only when he slipped up and accidentally let it. There was a new power to his walk, now that he was no longer limping. Before, people had steered clear because they thought he was a bit ridiculous; Self-important while looking so pathetic. Now, the dynamic had changed. He truly seemed menacing, and people nearly tripped on their own robes trying to get out of his way as he walked through the hallway.

One third year Ravenclaw actually had tripped, and Scorpius had acted concerned as he towered over him. As the boy looked up fearfully, he extended a hand to help him up, before only placing a packet of homework into his outstretched hand. “History of magic. Bring it back to me by tomorrow.” He gave a curt nod, with a fake, closed-mouth smile to the gaggle of third-years the kid had been with, and continued to walk. 

Scorpius could do it himself. He knew all of the answers. But why would he waste his time laboring over something he already knew how to do. It was tedious. His professors knew he wasn’t doing his own work- it kept coming with different handwriting. But whenever they quizzed him in-class, he never slipped up. So they let it slide. 

He almost walked by the small group of students that had gathered against a wall, the oaf of a Gryffindor that had bothered him earlier, holding a wand above some poor kid’s head. Fights broke out, children were mean, and it wasn’t any of his business. But then he recognized the wand. Albus’s wand. He slaw a flash of dark brown curls and knew exactly what was going on. Moving a bit closer to examine the situation, his eyes met Potter’s. There was a moment where there was a look of pleading in them- how many times had Scorpius come to his aid in the past? It must’ve been countless. But, in a blink, it changed to one of fear. Fear of him. And for some reason, Scorpius didn’t really care for the wave of satisfaction that gave him. 

••••••

“Is he already on the ground? No way!” The guys laughed hysterically and Albus felt as if he might die. “Poor Potter can’t even take a punch!”

The wind was knocked out of him again and he keeled on his side with a violent cough, his whole body curling inwards as he weakly wrapped his arms around his stomach. His heart was pounding at a speed that dizzied him, and as he opened his eyes, he saw Scorpius observing from a distance. For a moment, he almost begged for help, but more panic flooded over him. Scorpius won’t help you, he's just going to make it worse.

Over the ringing of his ears and the taunts and laughter, he heard the snapping of wood and a clattering on the floor. His wand. His hand shakily reached for the handle, but one of the guys stomped on his hand, causing Albus’s teeth to clamp shut with a groan. By now, adrenaline and pain was shooting through his body. He didn’t look at Scorpius, stomach churning with a mixture of anger and anxiety.

••••••

“Don’t cry, you don’t need a wand! It’s not like you can use it, squib.” there was a wave of laughter. One of the boys had brought a twig and snapped it, clearly to make Albus think that they broke his wand. They were planning on actually breaking it in a moment, but wanted to give him a little bit of hope, that way they had enough to rip away. It was no fun if he just accepted his fate without fighting back. They wanted to toy with him. Make him angry enough to lash out- maybe even get him expelled. As Albus reached for his wand, one of them stepped on his hand, grinding his heel. 

Scorpius yawned, deciding after a moment that it was enough. They’d given him a bruise to match the one on his own cheek, and that was enough pay back for him. He cleared his throat, crossing his arms as the three boys spun around. “Three against one?” He drawled, voice dripping boredom. “That’s pathetic. I could kill Potter right now with my bare hands, and it takes three of you? At least mess with someone who stands a chance.” 

The boy that he’d pinned against a wall the other day rubbed his neck nervously. “How is your throat doing today, McLaggen?” He asked sweetly, “Glad to see there’s no marks left.” Scorpius tilted his head slightly, considering them. “Give me his wand, I’ll show you how to do things properly.” He reached out a hand, waiting patiently for them to comply.

••••••

Albus didn't look up when Scorpius made himself known. He took a second to just catch his breath and curled his good hand into a fist, pushing himself up from the ground. His whole body was shaking with fear, but he somehow managed to stand, his injured hand wrapped around his stomach, with the other poised in the air if he needed to shove somebody to try and get away. He would've run at that moment, but he was barely standing, the pain traveling up and down his limbs as his vision blurred.

McLaggen gave a nervous scoff. "You said you could kill him with your bare hands." He said with a nod in Albus's direction. "Go ahead if you're so strong without a wand or a knife." The other two boys gave a snicker. Albus's eyes widened. If before he'd been fearing that the pathetic Gryffindor boys were going to kill him, now he was terrified. He and Scorpius hadn't left off on the friendliest of notes the other night, and if he'd finally gotten fed up with him, he was dead for sure. "What's wrong? Can't bring yourself to hurt your boyfriend?" McLaggen added cockily, tone dripping disgust at the end.

••••••

Something in Scorpius’s expression snapped when McLaggen made the boyfriend comment, and he quickly strode forward, grabbing Albus by his shirt collar. In a quick motion, his leg was behind Albus’s ankle. He shoved down with his arm, and swept up with his leg, sending the other boy hurtling back toward the ground.  It looked sharp and painful, as Scorpius dropped to one knee next to him, but with his hand gripped tightly to his shirt, the descent was controlled and calculated. Albus’s head would’ve slammed against the marble if Scorpius had intended it, but it hadn’t. He shot Albus a look that said stay down as he shot out his hand and grabbed ahold of his wand. 

He rose, relishing the looks on the other boys’ faces. “Should’ve just given me the wand when I asked you so politely.” He tsk’d, twirling the wand in between his fingers. The dangerous smile was back, sharp and pointed. It had felt so long since he had possession of a wand, and he aimed it at each boy in turn. “Now...what shall I do with you?” He had all the control. 

A crowd of students had gathered, watching excitedly as he tapped the wand to his chin, thinking. “Hm...Brachiabindo.” The three of them became tied together, letting out yelps of fear. 

“You think you’re so brave, but it won’t last, Malfoy, I’ll-“ 

“Do you ever shut up?” Scorpius rolled his eyes, calmly pointing the wand at the boy to his right: Johnson. “Langlock”. His hands went to his mouth as he tried to speak, but couldn’t, letting out increasingly distressed noises. 

Now the other two fully realized the peril they were in, thrashing wildly as they tried to escape. Scorpius let the wand fall to his side as he slowly circled around them, ans if he had all the time in the world. He examined the boy on the left, Brown, who was looking back at him with terrified eyes. He was good looking, with swooping golden hair, high cheekbones, and a defined jawline. “You’re quite attractive.” Scorpius drawled as he reached over and gently grabbed his chin, brushing over the boy’s lips with his thumb. “Hm...pity.” He practically pressed the wand against his cheek. “Furnunculus.” there was a moment, before Scorpius released his chin as Brown screamed, nasty-looking boils ballooning across his face. 

He examined his handiwork as McLaggen tried to shift away from the now-disfigured boy, disgust painted across his face. “Now…what should I do with you? I could leave you with rictusempra until you piss yourself...or use imperious to make you run around school skipping like a little school girl…while naked.” He gave a nasty smile as the Gryffindor shook his head. “I could turn you into a worm and feed you to an owl, how about that? That seems like the best idea to me.” He pointed his wand at McLaggen’s chest, letting out a sharp laugh as he shied away in pure terror, trousers darkening. The crowd let out a laugh at that. “Look, McLaggen’s wet himself!” A fourth year cried out excitedly- they had definitely been one of his victims.

“What do you think?” Scorpius took a step back, spreading his arms at the gaggle of students surrounding him. “Should I make him scream?” He addressed the audience with a grin. “How about I make him feel as small and pathetic as I’m sure he’s made most of us feel?” There were several yells of agreement as he pointed the wand once again at McLaggen. “The jury has decided...aaaaand-“ a flick of his wrist. “Entomorphis” The boy gave a twitch as his mouth seemed to seal shut, eyes brimming with tears as insect-like feelers erupted from his head. Scorpius waved the wand, and their binds were released, Johnson scratching at his open mouth, trying to tear his tongue away from its roof, Brown clutching at his face, and McLaggen reduced to crawling on the floor. 

Scorpius pocketed the wand, turning back to Albus with a grin. 

••••••

Albus had hit the ground with another groan, vision going black for the second time. As the spots went away, he could see Scorpius's sharp gaze telling him to stay put. He leaned his head back against the floor in pain, not planning on getting up anyways after having been slammed to the ground. He vaguely heard the chatter, Scorpius stringing out his words dramatically resounding the clearest. They'd even begun to gather a crowd. By now his breathing had stabilized a bit and he slowly brought himself up so that he was leaning against the wall. It stung his back, but he wouldn't have been able to keep himself upright otherwise. He'd been just in time to see Scorpius pacing along the edge of the crowd like an odd sort of ringmaster. The yells of agreement were so enthusiastically loud that Albus brought his hands to his ears as he winced. McLaggen began to assume the form of an uncomfortably human-like insect. The boys were released and laughter spread through the crowd as Scorpius turned to Albus with a satisfied grin. 

The crowd quickly began to disperse in all directions, however, as a shrill voice cut through the commotion. "WHAT IN MERLIN'S BEARD IS HAPPENING HERE?" Headmaster McGonagall was furious, looking down at all of them with shock and disbelief. Albus looked very much like a victim alongside the three boys who had been troubling them. The only one who seemed blatantly responsible was a smug Scorpius. "YOU-" McGonagall whipped her head towards Scorpius critically, spotting the wand he had pocketed and bringing it to her free hand with a wave of her own wand. "-HAVE CAUSED QUITE ENOUGH TROUBLE. YOU ARE GOING TO WAIT IN MY OFFICE UNTIL YOUR FATHER ARRIVES SO WE CAN HAVE A SERIOUS CONVERSATION ABOUT YOUR BEHAVIOR. I EXPECTED BETTER THAN THIS, MR. MALFOY," She waved her wand once again, silencing Scorpius and seizing his arm as she swept him away.

One professor had picked up Albus, who inhaled sharply in pain and another one was attempting to reverse the spells that had been cast on the boys.

••••••

Scorpius let out a groan as McGonagall marched over. He tried to keep the wand in his pocket, but it flew out before he could even begin to put a hand on it. 

“Professor.” Scorpius smiled, voice dripping with false innocence. “These boys were assaulting Mr. Potter here. They were going to break his wand. I suggest you look into expelling them. Albus can vouch for m-“ his lips were sealed with a wave of her wand, causing him to let out a disgruntled noise. If looks could kill, they would be looking for a new headmaster, because there was nothing but venom in his eyes. He let out a groan as she mentioned his father. Of course his father would be coming. Not surprising- he wouldn’t come when Scorpius was gravely injured, but he’d definitely be there when he was in trouble- which used to be a very rare thing.

There was nothing physically stopping him from speaking, but it was as if there was something compelling him to keep quiet. It was uncomfortable and he hated it. He ripped his arm from McGonagall’s grasp, meeting her glare with a smug one, gesturing as if to say “after you”. He had enough dignity to go willingly. He stalked after her, hands in his pockets as they went up the stairs to her office. 

Flopping down in one of the cushy armchairs, he put his feet up on her desk, automatically getting himself put in the very same binds he had used on the boys. Now he couldn’t talk or move. Wonderful. This was going to be so fun. 

Chapter Text

Draco entered about half an hour later, looking nothing short of perfect. Polished robes and a chiseled face, not a speck of dust or wrinkle in sight. In the way a lovely woman could look like a doll, Draco resembled a marble statue. His eyes, however, were a reflection of the turmoil in his mind, shielded only by the veil of an unwavering stone-cold gaze.

"Draco, thank you so much for coming. Apologies for calling you here on such short notice. I'm sure you'll understand why I will not tolerate this behaviour in my school.”McGonagall looked to Draco sternly as he entered.

"Yes." Draco barely said under his breath, his eyes trained on his son. McGonagall placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Speak to him. I don't want to have to expel him, but if it comes to it..." She whispered to him gravely, passing him as she made for the door to give them privacy, waving her wand on the way out to allow Scorpius to speak and move. 

"Scorpius..." He began, looking grim as he searched for what words to say. "Is what McGonagall told me true? That you attacked Albus, transfigured a student, and disfigured two others?" He asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

••••••

Scorpius had enough time to sit and brood in silence to become properly annoyed, and by the time his father had arrived, he was seething. There was a sharp resentment in his eyes as he looked his father square in the face. He had never been one to keep much eye contact, so the sharp contrast of this was unsettling. 

He let out an huff when she released him, stretching his arms for a moment, before he leaning back and crossing them neatly. 

“Father…” Scorpius returned in a similar tone, the sneer apparent in his voice. “No, that’s not true. I didn’t attack Albus.”

••••••

“Really?” Draco asked incredulously, fully unwilling to believe it. He wanted to for a moment, but the look on his son’s face was like looking into a mirror and seeing all your worst mistakes. “They’ve already spoken to Albus about what happened. He was attacked by not only the three Gryffindor boys, but by you as well. Doing it in the name of his protection or whatever lie you’re going to throw at me doesn’t excuse what you did.” he said gruffly. He knew every dramatic expression of false victimization. Every tilt of the head and every attempt to frame the narrative differently. He’d done the same to his father once, the only difference being that his father was in on it. That his father would bribe the school to keep Draco’s lies going.

••••••

Scorpius’s gaze darkened when Draco said that Albus had already been talking about it. “Ungrateful little bastard, next time I’ll just leave him to die-“ he spat under his breath. When he looked back up, the false sweetness had returned to his expression, despite not quite reaching his eyes. “I’m not lying, Father.” Even his tone was a lie. He didn’t simper like he used to. 

“I was only winning the boys’ trust, saying that I’d hurt him. I only swept him, and I made sure to keep his head supported the entire time so it wouldn’t actually hurt. I was just trying to get his wand, they were going to break it, and nearly broke Potter’s hand when he tried to grab it. McGonagall still hasn’t returned mine, so I had no way of just defending him myself.” Scorpius pouted, gesturing at his arms. “Look at me, you think I’d stand a chance against three Gryffindor quidditch players?” Another lie. He was a resourceful and could’ve sent all three of them to the infirmary without using a single spell.

He tilted his head slightly, examining his father’s expression with a distant curiosity. “What’s with the face, Dad? I figured you’d be proud of me. No longer weak like I know you believed.” He didn’t break the gaze, grin widening when Draco did. “What was it that you said? ‘Scorpius is a follower, not a leader, despite all that I’ve tried to instill in him’? Well would you look at that? Seems like it finally sunk in.”

••••••

“This isn’t an interrogation to find out what happened, I don’t need an explanation. There were kids who saw everything. This is a demand to know why you’re acting out like this.” Draco stated in a tone that came out far harsher than he’d intended.

“Assaulting students in the corridors is not leadership and you know it. This isn’t leadership, this is malice.” He emphasized the last word with a personal venom. Seeing himself in his son did nothing but terrify him.

••••••

“I’m so glad you’ll put their word over mine any day of the week.” he sneered back. “Not like I’m not used to that or anything- you putting other things over me. Like work, perhaps?” 

He drummed his fingers against the arm of the chair, letting out a snort of laughter. It was controlled and bitter sounding. “They deserved it, it’s not like I did anything they wouldn’t have done.” He looked his father dead in his eyes, defiant. In the past, Scorpius would probably be crying right now. Draco could be terrifying when he was angry, and you do not stand up against that. But now he was looking death in the face and laughing. “You should’ve heard the other students when I asked if I should make them scream. They’re lucky it was me in control and not those kids, I think a few of them truly wanted me to kill them.” He smirked, brushing hair off his forehead.

••••••

“Work is different.” Draco retorted. “It might be good for you to aspire for the same work ethic because, at this rate? You’ll end up in Azkaban, and believe me- You’d be the first.” he spat with a heated glare. Despite all their flaws, even his parents had evaded Azkaban. But he wanted more than anything to believe that his son wouldn’t end up the same.

“You are a careless and irresponsible child. At least my father had the diplomacy to know what he was doing.” Draco said with a disdainful edge to his voice. “You don’t have the basic foresight to see where this insubordination will get you.”

••••••

“Since when did you think so highly of your father?” Scorpius raised an eyebrow. “They won’t dare to touch me. I’m still recovering from them letting me get killed, remember? What would the public eye think if they let a child, as you said I was, die in front of them for the sake of entertainment? Only to proceed to expel said child and put him in Azkaban? Hogwarts would be shut down within a week.” He smiled, smug as ever.

“Even after all of this, you still underestimate me. That’s the only thing our family is good for, weaseling our way out of situations.” He rolled his eyes.

“‘Work is different’” he mimicked in a self-important tone. “Is it really? Or is it just classic Malfoy escapism, because you’re too much of a coward to actually raise me? If you think about it? All of this is your fault.”

He replied calmly, aloof. “Mom would have never let this happen-“

••••••

“YOUR MOTHER IS DEAD.” Draco shouted, hands clamping into fists at his sides as anger bubbled up. Astoria would’ve despised this. But he couldn’t feel her reassuring hand on his shoulder, so none of it mattered anymore.

••••••

The smile quickly left his face as his father yelled, expression flashing with pain. The one sign that he had a part of himself deep in there still. If this interaction happened right when he had gotten out of the infirmary, he would’ve just stared blankly at him. Regardless of how different he still was, there was a small spark of feeling, and it was the first negative one he’d expressed since he had hit the ground. No matter who he was, one thing stayed consistent. The pain of his mother’s absence in his life. 

He pressed himself against the back of the chair for a moment, mask falling into one of fear and turmoil. Then, he was back on the offense, standing up and yelling back. “YOU THINK I DON’T KNOW THAT?” For a moment, it had looked like there were tears in his eyes. It must’ve just been the lighting. “WE ALL WOULD’VE BEEN BETTER OFF IT HADN’T BEEN HER.” There was a dark underlying meaning to that. 

••••••

Draco took a step back after realizing what he’d said. When Scorpius stood up, Draco didn’t flinch, but he faltered- And when Scorpius yelled back? It was like being punched in the chest. Scorpius wished him dead. Could Draco blame him? As he stood, it was like being surrounded in a cold, lonely darkness. It was like being surrounded by mirrors and seeing only the person you loathed the most.

“I’VE WISHED IT HAD BEEN ME EVERY DAY SINCE SHE DIED.” He yelled back in frustration. His voice hushed but it was still laced with the same gruff and angry charge. “I have been on my own since that day. I’ve tried so hard to make you into somebody Astoria would have been proud of. You can’t place all the blame on me. I may not have been around, but Astoria and I raised you better than this.”

••••••

Scorpius noticed how his father momentarily took on the appearance of a deflating balloon. His words had cut deep, without him even directly saying anything. 

“On your own. Of course. Because I mean absolutely fucking nothing to you.” He spat back, pure venom in his voice. This isn’t leadership, this is malice’, Draco had said. If he wanted malice, Scorpius could show him malice. 

“Raised me better than this? I was pathetic and you knew that. I saw that every single time you looked at me. You were ashamed of me. I was a disappointment.” He scoffed. “Is that why you never came to visit me while I was broken, dying, and alone? You were hoping I’d just STAY DEAD SO YOU WOULDN’T HAVE TO PUT UP WITH ME ANYMORE? BECAUSE IF YOU WERE ALONE ALREADY, I WAS OBVIOUSLY ONLY A HINDRANCE TO YOU.”

••••••

"THE ONLY THING I'VE EVER WANTED YOU TO BE WAS HAPPY," Draco yelled back. "You can't help me raise you. I can't come to you if I don't know what to do, because I shouldn't burden you that way. So yes, I was alone. But you made all the loneliness in the world worth it, because seeing you look forward to returning to Hogwarts... seeing you have a friend in the way I didn't? That was all I needed." He sadly thought back on his childhood. The lack thereof, anyways. "I didn't come see you because I didn't want to watch you die the same way I had to watch Astoria. Maybe I didn't want to have any hope." He thought if he could distance himself, it would make the pain go away. But no matter how many times he draped a piece of wool over his eyes, he knew deep inside it never helped. Of course, he did it anyway, because he didn't know how else he could go on. 

••••••

“WELL CLEARLY YOU’VE DONE AN AMAZING JOB AT THAT.” He yelled back, sarcastic. He quieted as Draco continued, listening. “Really? ‘A friend in the way I didn’t’? Don’t even begin to compare our time at Hogwarts. Sure, I was always excited to see Albus again, but there were so many years I dreaded coming back here. Because I knew that it would just mean the bullying would start up again. Most everyone’s absolutely horrid to me. Even my professors had that look in their eye as if they expected me to be something evil. The other students and even my own housemates? As soon as they figured out that I wouldn’t hurt them, they took to breaking my stuff or writing awful things on them, shoving me in the halls, saying all sorts of nasty things- I could go on and on. At least people left you alone.” He huffed, crossing his arms. “You had it lucky in comparison to me.” Scorpius glared up at him. “I had to watch her die too, you’re not special, you’re just a coward.”

••••••

“Lucky?” Draco said, barely a whisper. He pulled up his left sleeve, shoving his arm outwards to show the faded skull and  coiling snake. 

“I WAS FORCED TO BECOME A DEATH EATER WHEN I WAS SIXTEEN.” He shouted. “VOLDEMORT COMMANDED I KILL DUMBLEDORE, BECAUSE HE KNEW I WOULD FAIL. BECAUSE HE WANTED TO KILL ME AND MY FAMILY. AND I ABHOR MY FATHER FOR NEVER BEING THERE FOR MY WELL-BEING. ALL HE DID WAS SHAME AND DEGRADE AND HIT ME FOR EVERY TIME I COULDN’T LIVE UP TO HIS ROTTEN STANDARDS.” If you looked deep into Draco’s fiery eyes, you could almost see tears. Hardly. They didn’t last long, because Draco had been raised better than that. “DON’T YOU DARE TELL ME I HAD IT LUCKY. YOU HAVEN’T SEEN A FRACTION OF THE THINGS I HAVE.” He spat.

••••••

Scorpius recoiled slightly at the sight of the dark mark. He had known what his father had been, but had never seen his before. It was an inky stain that could never come off, and it was horrible. 

“YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I’VE SEEN.” Scorpius screamed back, hands balling into fists. “TRY THINKING YOU’VE FIXED EVERYTHING, ONLY TO GET DRAGGED OUT OF THE LAKE, COMPLETELY ALONE. THEN YOU FIND OUT THAT YOUR ONLY FRIEND DOESN’T EXIST BECAUSE VOLDEMORT WON!” He never talked about the Dark Timeline with his father. He had been scared of what he would think of his potential, or that it might bring up unwanted memories. But now that he had become the person he feared the most, he didn’t care. “TRY WAKING UP AND SUDDENLY REALIZING THAT YOU HAVE A DARK MARK. THAT SOMEWHERE, ANOTHER VERSION OF YOU COULD BE SO EVIL AS TO SUPPORT HIM. THE FEELING OF SUDDENLY HAVING IT ON YOUR ARM, TRYING TO CLAW IT OFF, AND ANY BLOOD YOU DRAW IS MUCH TOO DARK FOR IT TO NOT STILL BE THERE.” He itched at his left arm on instinct. “AND I TRIED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IT, BUT YOU WERE SO MUCH WORSE! YOU WERE JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER!”

••••••

Draco was about to snap back when Scorpius screamed the words he lost sleep every night thinking about.

You were just like your father. They echoed and reverberated, feeling as if they were shaking his very skull. And with a surge of emotions— fear, anger, horror, and hatred— he heard a slap and realized what he’d done only when the sting fizzled away and died on the palm of his hand. His whole body felt like it had been dunked into icy cold waters when his eyes widened and met his son’s. His beloved son’s eyes. They felt like they were piercing the very core of his being.

“No- I didn’t-” He was beginning to mumble incoherently, his hand still raised in front of him as it had been frozen in place. How much control over himself did he have anymore? He took a fearful step back. “I didn’t mean to-” His whole body felt like it had been stretched out like rubber. “I’m not-“

He backed into the door, anxiously grabbing  for the handle, before taking a second to turn around.

“I have- I have to go-,“ Draco said, looking sickeningly more pale than usual as he hurried out of the room.