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Albus looks at the closed door of the Potion's classroom. He told Scorpius to go ahead and leave for class already as he had overslept again. He had been up all night, writing and reading for Herbology class. Then he had fallen asleep an hour before his alarm clock would have gone off. And then again after Scorpius had woke him up. He let his hand run through his hair before opening the door. As he enters the classroom he can feel every student turn his way. All eyes are on him and he can't help but freeze in the doorway. His breath stuck in his throat and his shaky hand on the wooden door. A hand touches his shoulder which causes him to jump a little. He shifts his body away from the hand before he looks away from the rest of the students to find Scorpius standing next to him with professor Greeves behind him.
'Is there a reason why you're this late and you haven't taken your place yet, mister Potter?' professor Greeves asks harshly.
Albus shakes his head as he still can't find his voice. Scorpius puts his hand on the small of his back, guiding him to the table he was seated at. The cauldron already stirring and wisps of smoke coming from the potion inside of it.
'He just overslept, professor,' Scorpius says as professor Greeves walks back to his desk.
Albus looks down at his intertwined fingers, resting on the table. Avoiding all eye contact with the other students in the classroom, trying to block out the whispers coming from them. Scorpius takes his place next to him, his hand still on Albus' back, trying to soothe him.
'Are you okay, Al?' he whispers gently as he places his other hand on Albus' arm.
'Yes,' Albus voice is hoarse when he speaks. 'I'm fine. I'm sorry.'
'You don't have to apologize, what-' but Scorpius is interrupted by professor Greeves telling him to concentrate on making the potion.
Someone kicks Albus from underneath the table and he looks up to find his cousin Rose sitting opposite him. He raises his eyebrows at her. She never sits at the same table as Scorpius and Albus, she never has. He sighs and rolls his eyes as she points at her book, telling him to get his own book. She probably got another owl from her parents or even Albus' his own parents telling her to look after him. Just like on the train at the start of their fourth year, when she wanted the two of them to be friends again. Only after his parents sent her parents an owl, asking them if Rose could look out for Albus. He grabs his book out of his bag and slams in on the table, while squinting his eyes at her. Scorpius took his book from him, opening it on the right page as Albus kept his eyes locked on Rose. She had never liked his friendship with Scorpius. Just like his father, she was convinced Scorpius was a bad influence on him. But after the events of the last few years she, and his father, had realized that Scorpius might just have been the best thing to happen to him, and she had tried to make it up for those last four years. But Albus had kept his distance, still angry at the way she had treated Scorpius all that time. Maybe he had been bitter, but at the moment he couldn't get himself to forgive her completely.
Unlike Scorpius who had been talking to Rose quite a lot lately. He had overheard one of their conversations about him in class earlier this week. Scorpius had told Rose how jumpy Albus had been every time he would touch him. How it scared him off whenever someone reached out to him. How he would just zone out during class, how he sometimes doesn't respond when someone talks to him.
But he'd noticed Scorpius was going through similar things. Whenever someone would raise their wand his way or when he'd wake up at night and Albus would rush over to his bed to comfort him. Which nearly always resulted in Scorpius falling back asleep in Albus' arms and Albus laying awake all night. Making sure nothing happened to him.
'This is the potion we're working on,' Scorpius whispered as he gave Albus his book back.
Albus nodded and opened his notebook, looking at the little doodles he'd been making during class whenever he couldn't get himself to concentrate on what was being told. He felt himself slip away as professor Greeves was talking about the ingredients the students were using and the students added them to their potions. Their potion turns a weird dark greenish color, pulling Albus back to a moment earlier that year.
'Scorpius! Albus? Everyone's looking for you-' Craig Bowker Jr ran toward the two boys.
'Craig! Get away. Get help!' Albus had yelled at the boy.
The boy had looked at him, confused and asked him what was happening. Right before- Right before Delphi- and Scorpius- A flash of green light emerged filled the classroom, causing Albus to jump. His stool tumbled to the ground as he grabbed Scorpius. Ready to throw himself between whatever it was and his boyfriend. His heart racing, his eyes wide open and his breathing heavy. The green flash, Delphi using the killing curse on Craig. Voldemort killing his father's parents. His grandparents. The beautiful woman who he had seen walking a little baby Harry Potter outside at Godric's Hollow. Dead. His mind is a flurry of flashbacks of those moments, he can feel his mind spinning as he looks at the cauldron on the table. The greenish potion in the cauldron and he realized that the green smoke probably would have come from that cauldron.
'Albus,' Scorpius voice sounded. 'Albus, calm down.'
Albus looked down at his hands that had grabbed onto Scorpius' arm. He had no idea he was holding his boyfriend so tight. He tried to relax his fingers, but his body was tense and he couldn't get himself to relax.
'He's gone mad,' someone whispers and another student chuckles.
'He could use some of the sleeping draught himself,' someone else says, not trying to be quiet about it.
as Albus tries to catch his breath again.
'Mister Potter.'
Albus felt a hand on his shoulder and in his panic he quickly moved away from their touch. His wild eyes looked around the classroom, trying to find the quickest way out. He could see professor Greeves' mouth move, but nothing seemed to get through to Albus' head. All he could hear were his panicked thoughts, Delphi screaming the killing curse, followed by Scorpius yelling Craig's name. His own voice when he begged Delphi to stop torturing Scorpius. Scorpius screaming in agony when she used the Cruciatus curse on him. His body twitching, him gasping for air. Albus stumbled backward as someone else tried to grab his arm again. He had to get out of the classroom or he'd go crazy. Finally his feet started moving and he pushed open the door, stumbling out of the classroom, trying his best not to trip over his own feet. He could hear someone call out his name but he ignored it. He ran past students that had a free period. They looked around at Albus, whispering to their friends, giving him weird faces. But he didn't care. The only think he could think about was getting out of the dungeons. Out of the Castle. Away from everything and everyone.
Before he knew it, he had ran out of the massive wooden front doors of the castle and the cold winter air hit him hard. He could feel his body shaking but wasn't sure if it was because of the cold air or because of whatever was happening to him right now. His knees buckled and he felt the wet grass under his hands and knees. He had no idea when he had started crying, but his chest was heaving with heavy sobs now that he wasn't moving anymore. He balled his hands into fists, pulling the grass from the ground as the tears ran down his face. He didn't want to cry. He didn't want to be remembered of what had happened these past few months. He had tried so hard to shut it all out, to continue his studies. To enjoy his time with Scorpius and to learn as much as he could. He had been able to not think about it in the first few days, until the nightmares had started. He would see Craig running towards them, followed by him laying on the pitch of the Quidditch field. Right in front of Albus, his empty eyes still looking up at him, confused and scared at the same time. He didn't have to die. He'd see Scorpius body on the ground, twitching, screaming in agony as he was being tortured by someone he had let into their lives. He had asked Scorpius to help him, he had begged him to come with him. He had pulled him into this.
'Albus!' someone let themselves fall into the grass right next to him, reaching their hands out to Albus.
'Don't touch me!' Albus screamed, falling onto his back. Trying to crawl away from the person next to him.
'Albus, it's me!' Scorpius said, his hands up in the air, as if he showed Albus he wasn't going to hurt him. 'It's me. Scorpius.'
'Scorpius,' he whispered as he looked at the tall boy kneeling in the grass opposite of him. His blond hair a mess, his nose red from the cold and his eyes full of worry as he looked at his boyfriend.
'It's me,' he said again, soft and gentle.
Albus got onto his knees again as he looked at Scorpius. He let out a raw, agonizing scream as he realized what he had done to the boy that had brought love into his life. If he hadn't trusted Delphi, if he hadn't told her they'd help her, they wouldn't have been here.
'I'm- I'm so sorry, Scorpius. It's-' sobs escaped his throat again as he pulled on his own hair. 'It's all my fault. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.'
Scorpius made his way over to Albus, slowly so he wouldn't scare the boy off again.
'Nothing that happened is your fault, Albus. Nothing,' he said, his arms outstretched to his sobbing boyfriend.
'She killed Craig. She hurt you. She hurt you, Scorpius. She would have killed you too. She called you a spare. She could have killed you, Scorpius.'
'I'm here,' Scorpius said. He gently takes Albus' hands, getting him to stop pulling onto his hair. 'I'm right here, Al. I'm okay,' he whispers as he cups Albus' face. Forcing him to look him in his eyes. With his thumb he tries to wipe away the tears falling from his eyes. The sadness in it makes Scorpius choke up, he can feel the lump in his throat, but he fights it. He has to stay strong, for Albus. For his boyfriend. 'She's gone and I'm right here. Do you see me?' Albus nods, trying to control his breathing again. 'I'm not going anywhere, okay?'
He catches Albus as his body slumps and pulls him as close as he possibly can. He holds him as Albus buries his face in his neck and cries. He strokes his hair while whispering to him that he's here for him, that he's never going to leave him. Over and over again. His eyes closed as he tries to shut out all the memories of the past few months. He needs to be here for Albus. He has got to stay strong. Even though he knows, deep down inside, that he is broken and it's just an act. They are both broken, but at least they have each other. But he knows that something has to change. He feels like he is losing his boyfriend. His best friend. His Albus. He has to do something.
'We'll get through this and if we're doing this, we're doing it together. You and me. Always.'