So I'm starting a new Albus/Scorpius story because I've been missing them, and with my other one finishing up soon (Only We See the Similarities), I thought another one was in order. I hope you all like it. I'm almost done with Chapter 2 so hopefully I will update that soon.
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is probably having a fabulous margarita in the Bahamas somewhere with the money from Harry Potter. I, however, am not creative enough to come up with such a worldwide phenomenon, so I only copy. Thus, she has the rights and alas, I do not.
Solace
Chapter 1
The air was thick and foggy. It was the middle of the night in Succor Village and every house was dark with sleeping patrons inside. But not everyone was asleep.
Scorpius, sensing his father's absence - and having heard a door shut - slipped his feet into his house shoes and slowly crept downstairs, careful not to get caught or wake anyone. He hadn't been able to sleep, much like many nights. He was a bit of an insomniac. As he stepped downstairs, Scorpius sighted from the window a dark figure walking across the street. He instantly recognized the figure as his father. Curiosity got the best of him. He sidled up to the window and peered out, wondering if his father were on some late, secretive business or if he were just going for a walk. His assumptions proved to be the first.
Soon, another man in black apparated near his father. Scorpius knew he should go to bed, that his father would be furious with him if he caught his son spying, but Scorpius couldn't draw his eyes away. Something about this picture was off, something was strange. Of course, everything his father did relating to work seemed strange to Scorpius, most of all clandestine.
For ten minutes, Scorpius watched his father and this mysterious man exchange words and an odd-looking package. But then it looked as though the two men were arguing. Scorpius couldn't make out any faces but the body language and the hands reaching for wands indicated so. He wondered if he should do something, but didn't know what. Suddenly a flash of red light sent his father flying through the air. Without thinking, Scorpius yanked open the front door and ran outside, yelling.
His father shot a curse but missed, distracted by a sudden scream. As he turned and spotted his terrified son meters away, the hooded man shouted, "Avada Kedavra!" Scorpius' father crumpled to the ground, lifeless. "No!" Scorpius screamed. He reached for his wand, pointed it at the murderer, and yelled, "Stupefy!" The man blocked it, yelled a hex at Scorpius which sent him convulsing on the ground, and disapparated with the mysterious package.
Scorpius woke up in a sweat, his chest heavy. He wiped tears - or sweat, he couldn't tell - away from his eyes and looked around him. He was in the Slytherin dorms and everyone seemed fast asleep. Panting, he glanced at the clock. It read 3:15. Groaning, Scorpius wiped his face and lied back down, staring at the ceiling.
This dream was a recurring one. But it was also a memory. He even played the memory over and over in his head when awake. Scorpius' father died two years ago. He was in his fifth year now.
Scorpius knew that he should alert his mum about the dreams, especially since it was the second one this week, but he didn't want to worry her more. Since the incident, he had ostracized himself from his friends and peers. Some of his friends still remained concerned, but after two years of their friend grieving and no indication of going back to normal, they began to feel less and less sympathetic. Scorpius was frustrated with no longer being his cheerful, albeit a little snide self and having fun with his friends, but they just didn't get it. His father meant the world to him, and ever since he died, Scorpius' world rapidly crashed down around him. His mother was still a wreck and developed a bit of a drinking problem and his grandparents divorced and still were in limbo about who was entitled to what. With the murder of his father and the investigation of finding the killer in the Daily Prophet almost every week, Scorpius could never be normal again; not that he was very normal to begin with. Being a Malfoy with Black heritage - which meant a family of former Death Eaters - definitely had its drawbacks. He and his family weren't well-liked throughout the wizarding community after the war. To compensate, Scorpius had developed a tough façade to gain respect from his peers. But since his father's death, Scorpius grew vulnerable and fragile; he lost respect and power. It didn't bother him too much for he was never much of a people person anyway; like his family, he was a private person. Scorpius made it a point to turn off his emotions and shut out the world around him. He would rather hurt internally than let anyone else know he was hurting. Unfortunately, that meant the grieving and moving on process wasn't going so well.
So there Scorpius lied, eyes open, thinking, until it was 6:30. Breakfast time. At the sound of the alarm, he grudgingly got up and dressed in his velvet green robes. Glancing in the mirror, he let his platinum blond hair fall in his sunken silver eyes. He had lost a bit of weight, having a perpetual loss of appetite. He noticed that there were dark circles forming under his eyes. He looked awful and unbelievably exhausted. Sighing, Scorpius headed down to the Great Hall to have a glass of milk and eat a slice of toast; his usual.
Scorpius sat at the end of the Slytherin table next to his former best friends, Eric Warrington and Isaac Zabini. They were laughing about something, but he wasn't paying attention; his eyes were far off as usual and they knew better than to ask any questions. At this point, they had pretty much given up on him. The depressed, self-pitying act was getting old.
As Scorpius chewed a small piece of buttered toast, his eyes wandered and focused on a tall brunette whose short jet-black hair stuck up. He was broad-shouldered, built like an athlete. Albus Potter. Scorpius had once reveled in taunting the Gryffindor and making him mad. Scorpius smiled to himself at the memories. He had once gotten so much pleasure out of it, for more than the reason that they were destined to be enemies. Blushing a bit, he tore his eyes away from Potter and finished his milk. He then got out his Potions book and began to read, willing for breakfast to finish and classes to start. Classes and homework were a welcome distraction. There was no need for socialization and no one pointed or stared at him every damn second. One good thing in his life was that he was earning top marks in almost every class, which pleased his mum and grandparents.
(
Louis Weasley and Albus sat next to each other in Potions, per usual. Professor Pucey had assigned each person to successfully brew an Unctious Unction potion by the end of class. Albus groaned as he began to read the instructions in his Potions book. "Look at all these ingredients! Forget my dreams of becoming an Auror; I hate Potions."
"I just don't want to fail my O.W.L.S. in this class. Putrid Pucey doesn't even tell us how to do this stuff; he just expects us to know," Louis dramatically said, pushing a strand of his white-blond hair behind his ear.
Albus grunted in agreement as he started dicing plants. "I barely have an Agreeable in this class. Mum said I should get a tutor."
Louis stopped stirring and scoffed, "No way, that's so lame!" He was being too careless with his cauldron and the next minute bubbles started forming, overflowing onto the table. Albus quickly grabbed his things out of the way as Professor Pucey swiftly walked to their table. He scolded Louis, "Clean this mess at once, Weasley, and focus more on your assignment than chatting with Potter." Then he stalked away with Weasley scowling at his back.
Louis used a drying spell and lightly punched Albus for laughing. "Maybe you need a tutor too," Al joked.
Louis gave his cousin a fake smile and tended to his cauldron. After he got it under control, he remarked, "Ask Pucey if Rose could tutor you. I bet she'd be willing since she practically does our homework for us."
Albus grinned. "Good idea," he mused. Then he concentrated on getting the potion right, determined not to fail.
After class, Albus stayed behind to ask Professor Pucey about getting help in Potions.
"Yes, Potter?" Pucey peered at Albus from behind his desk. "You did a mediocre job with the Unctious Unction potion. I hope you're not asking for extra credit."
"No, sir," Albus said. "But that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. See, in order to become an Auror, I have to be good at Potions, so I was wondering if I could get a tutor."
"Ah, like father, like son," Pucey snidely remarked. Albus did his best not to glare, and instead, gave a tight nod. "Well, I'm not going to waste my time trying to tutor you when you clearly put no effort in class."
Albus' eyes widened in horror at the thought of spending more time with Pucey than deemed necessary. "Sir, I was wondering if Rose Weasley could tutor me."
Pucey got a thoughtful look on his face, then slowly stated, "Rose Weasley isn't the top of my class. Surely you would want the best, am I right?"
Albus frowned, but decided it best to agree with his Potions Master. "Er, sure," he simply said.
"Good, then I will arrange for Scorpius Malfoy to help you with Potions."
"Malfoy?" Al incredulously asked. "No, anyone but him!"
"He's the best in my class." Then Pucey's face softened a bit, something which rarely happened. "As a friend of Scorpius' father, I understand how hard this has been for him. He could use a friend." His concerned expression disappeared as quickly as it had come. "And you need not fail this course," he quipped.
"But sir -" Albus protested.
Pucey waved his hand in the air, dismissing Albus. "You may go now." Sighing, Albus obeyed, cursing out his Professor under his breath.
(
Later that night, Scorpius was doing his Charms homework in the Commons when Professor Pucey, Head of Slytherin, walked in.
"Scorpius Malfoy, a moment of your time," Pucey beckoned.
Scorpius glanced up at his Professor and frowned, wondering if he were in trouble. He walked over to Pucey and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing." Pucey faced Scorpius and gave a small smile as he said, "A student has requested that you tutor him in Potions. And seeing as you seem to have so much free time from often being in the library, I'm sure this won't be a burden for you." The look on Pucey's face meant that he wouldn't take no for an answer.
Scorpius frowned and sighed. The idea of tutoring someone didn't appeal to him. He'd rather be left alone, but he knew better than to disobey Pucey. "Er, who is it? A first-year?" He quietly asked.
"Albus Potter," Pucey stated, a deadpanned expression upon his face.
Scorpius' eyes widened, his chest tightening, shocked at the thought of helping Albus Potter, perfect "Boy Wonder" and former nemesis, with something. He didn't know whether to be glad or terrified. Slowly, Scorpius found himself saying, "What if I don't want to do it?"
Pucey raised his eyebrows and coolly stated, "Quite frankly, you don't really have a choice." He paused, then kindly added, "Anyway, I think this will be good for you."
Scorpius narrowed his eyes and glared at the floor. He didn't like being forced into anything nor did he like people trying to reach out to him out of pity. But he remained silent.
"Talk to Potter tomorrow and arrange a meeting. Good night." And with that, Pucey walked out of the Commons, leaving Scorpius irritated and dumbfounded.
I hope you enjoyed it. :) Tell me what you think. Reviews would be great!