Chapter One:
Songs I was listening to while writing: Walls by All Time Low, Rude by Magic!, and Landfill by Daughter
Rose's POV:
The Leaky Cauldron was packed full of an abnormally large crowd of witches and wizards on a Saturday night in the summer. I stood leaning against the doorway, searching for elbow room amongst the mass, and staring across me at the boy I had allowed to buy me a drink.
"I thought you said you had a good time, Rose." Elliot Hornby moped, staring at me with eyes like an owl's; big and round. Unlike an owl's, they were a startling icy blue-grey.
"I did, Elliot." I responded, sighing uneasily. I tapped my wand against my leg. "I just don't think I'm looking for anything really lasting right now."
His face dropped. "Are you sure I can't buy you another firewhiskey?" He asked in a somewhat pitiful way. I quirked up a corner of my mouth, glancing at his messy brown hair and freckles that reminded me of Hugo.
"I'd rather just go home. I might see you around again though?"
"Yeah, I guess. You need an Apparition partner? Make sure you get home alright?"
"I'll be fine. Have a good night, Elliot." I exited the Leaky Cauldron, trying not to pay too much thought to the way Elliot looked— for lack of a better word— put out. After all, he had been very sweet. And he was endearingly clumsy, having knocked over another wizard's drink twice and dishing out several sickles to pay for the replacements. Maybe he was too sweet.
Outside, it was warm and slightly humid. I quickly crossed the street, passing a group of Muggle women who were all stumbling crookedly and laughing loudly.
I reached the street corner with the light post that was what the Muggles called "burnt out". Really, it was a prop, made for wizards to have a dark spot to Apparate in and out of London easily and without being seen. I thought of the little flat, really only miles away from the Leaky Cauldron and within walking distance, and turned on the spot, closing my eyes.
Seconds later, after the rather uncomfortable sensation of being pulled and twisted that I would never get used to, I tapped the lock of the front door to the flat Dominique and I shared with my wand and stepped inside.
"Rosie!" Dominique exclaimed immediately upon seeing me. She was standing in the kitchen, which was adjoined off the hallway from the front door. She held two bottles of what looked like butterbeer in her hands and her bright blue eyes were shining. "How was your date?"
I smiled warmly. "It was nice. Elliot's pretty funny." When he's not trying to be, I thought to myself, recalling several smashed drinks and his spluttered apologies.
"That's good! Well, are you going to be seeing him again?"
"No, I told him I wasn't really interested in a second date." I reached for one of the butterbeers in Dom's hand, but she quickly held them out of my reach.
"Why not? And you'll have to get your own. Fletcher is visiting." Her face lit up on the mentioning of Fletcher and I smiled knowingly, winking at her as I shouldered past her into the kitchen to grab my own butterbeer out of the fridge.
"I don't know. He wasn't that interesting. He only talked about work and Quidditch and he's a Cannons fan. It was like being on a date with my dad." I added, staring through the fridge for a butterbeer. Dom had taken very much to cooking for the two of us once she had discovered cooking was a lot like brewing a potion. The fridge, though magically enlarged on the inside to make more space, was full to the bursting with ingredients for various recipes. I finally recovered a butterbeer from behind two heads of lettuce.
"Oh, I wish you could find someone you liked, Rose!" Dominique whined. I took a swig of butterbeer, relishing in the sweet, almost bitter taste.
"I'm fine on my own." I insisted. "I'm going to be interning soon and I'll have a lot to think about. A boyfriend would be way too much on my plate." Dom looked unconvinced. "Didn't you say Fletcher was here?"
Dom shrieked quietly and sheepishly smiled before dashing out of the kitchen. I listened intently. I could barely make out the voices of Fletcher and Dominique and the clinking of glass— I assumed they had made a toast of some sort. Fletcher had been over at the flat almost every day this week and I knew Dom loved every minute of it.
Dominique had finally gained the attention of Fletcher Patterson, resident Ravenclaw dreamboat, on the last day of our seventh year at Hogwarts. She and her boyfriend since sixth year, Colin Finnegan, had decided to go their separate ways and see what they were like with other people and basically, without each other. She pretended she didn't really care but I knew she was a little upset. She had really been in love with Colin. Then, Fletcher had noticed her on the train and I hadn't seen her all the rest of the way home.
I stayed in the kitchen, sipping my butterbeer and thinking. It had felt like ages since our seventh year even though it had only been a few months ago and it felt like even longer since our sixth year when things really changed for us all. Dominique had learned how to love someone instead of pine after someone. James, my older cousin, had learned what love really was. I smiled when I thought of him and his girlfriend, and our long-time family friend, Lacey Jordan living together in Puddlemere.
I took a longer sip of the sweet beer when Scorpius Malfoy's face appeared in my memory. My sixth year, I had learned what it felt like to really feel pain. Broken bones were nothing compared to a broken heart. But I had pushed aside those feelings by the time my seventh year began. I was in no shape to be moping instead of working toward my NEWTs.
My mum and dad were proud of me when I came out with my ten desired NEWTs, more than anyone else in my class. I graduated Hogwarts with top marks but more than anything, I was just glad to be rid of my school years.
My interest was brought back to the present when I listened again and heard silence. Fletcher was definitely still in the flat as I hadn't heard the front door. Smirking, I tiptoed out of the kitchen and around the bend of the hallway. I shuffled my feet as I made my way past the couch and held back a laugh when Fletcher and Dominique, who had been connected at the mouth, separated abruptly.
"Hello Rose." Fletcher said, his face turning red.
"Evening, Fletcher."
"Oh Merlin, Fletch. Look at the time!" Dom had turned her attention to the clock on the end table.
"I've got to get going then. Early shift in the morning." Fletcher said somewhat dejectedly. Dom gave me a look that was clearly telling me to leave. I laughed out loud and disappeared into my bedroom.
Ten minutes later, Dom glided into my room and jumped on my bed, lying on her stomach.
"You're not funny, Rosie." She whined, her chin resting on her hands. I flipped through the papers my mum had prepared for me in order to know more about the Ministry and my internship.
"I thought I was hilarious. My whole life has been a lie, hasn't it?" Dom smacked me with one of the throw pillows littering the bedspread.
"You sound just like Scorpius." She grumped, and then froze. I smiled at her, biting my cheek.
"It's alright, Dom. I'm not going to fling myself off the nearest bridge just by hearing his name."
"I know you won't. I am sorry, though. It just slipped out. I ran into him and Albus in the Auror office yesterday getting the papers for training."
I tried hard not to think about Scorpius and my cousin Albus, who was also my best friend. They had been living together ever since the start of the summer not far from where Dom and I lived. All of us wanted to be close to the Ministry for easy access through the entrance, after all.
I had thought I would feel more surprised when Scorpius and Albus had become best friends in seventh year. However, some nagging thought kept telling me I had been expecting it all along. While the two had been bitter rivals through five years of Hogwarts, they were so alike that it was only a matter of time before they would become inseparable once they were introduced. Albus was civil and tried not to sit too close to me if Scorpius was with him. He didn't realize that Scorpius and I wouldn't have talked to each other even if he had been sitting right next to me. That had ended long ago.
"I really thought you were going to like Elliot." Dom said, picking at a loose thread on the pillow in her hands and pouting.
"It's not that I didn't like him. I just don't really want a boyfriend in the first place. I'm going to be working soon and I have lots of other things to be thinking about. And I have you." I added at her sour expression which brightened her face.
"If that's the case, you might just be sharing me with Fletcher." She chirped. Her giddy smile was infectious and soon I was smiling with her.
"Has he mentioned anything official yet?"
"Not yet, but he has hinted." She hugged the pillow close to her chest now. "He said he might want to bring me by his parents' house soon and he wants me to see where he works."
"Not to mention he's over here every hour of the day charming your pants off."
"Well, I won't deny he's the best at snogging out of my experience." I pretended to gag as Dom giggled.
"I'm happy you're happy, Dom." And that was the truth. Things were going well for me lately, though maybe not as well as Dom seemed to think they should be. I was excited to start my internship and I was happy to be an adult. The added benefit of being able to drink alcohol legally was, of course, helpful whenever it got hard. I was happy for Dom and I was beginning to feel happy for myself again.
Dom eventually trotted off to bed, leaving me to finish my reading over readying myself for sleep. I sighed as I pulled my covers up to my shoulders in the dark and glanced at the calendar opposite my bed. My internship, and Dom's Auror training, started in less than a week.
I probably couldn't be more prepared than I was. I was going to be interning in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement where my mum was a senior officer. I would be learning a lot and probably have a lot to do all the time, but Dom was going to be more busy. She was going to begin training to be an Auror, a dark wizard catcher and one of the hardest— and highest paid— jobs a wizard could get.
Dom wasn't the only one going into Auror training. Albus and Scorpius had both been planning on becoming Aurors themselves ever since they could dream of what they wanted to be. They would all have a tough job ahead of them. From what my cousin Teddy explained, and he was an Auror himself, there were several character and aptitude tests along with the training and dueling that ensued in the three year long program.
I grabbed a pillow and slammed it over my head, trying to block out the thoughts of the certain Auror trainee whom I didn't want to think about. I had worked too hard for the past two years to bring myself to a state of calm when he was around and I wasn't going to let it crumble. Besides, I was quite sure I was over Scorpius Malfoy. I had been on my fair share of dates since sixth year and none of them had been anything like him, something I had started to look for in my dates.
Elliot and Scorpius, for example, were exact opposites. Elliot was clumsy and funny without being sarcastic. He was from Hufflepuff house, back in Hogwarts, and he couldn't fly for the life of him as he had told me. Logically, Elliot was a perfect example of my success over Scorpius.
There was one thing that kept nagging me about my thinking and I tried to expel the thought from my mind. I couldn't let go of the fact that Elliot, while the opposite from Scorpius in basically every way possible, shared the same eye color as him; a blue-grey gaze that didn't let you look away. It had to be a coincidence.
I huffed and threw the blankets off me. Curling into myself, I stopped trying to convince myself things were different. I had never been good at lying anyway.
Scorpius's POV:
"Ogden's Old Firewhiskey at ten in the morning?" Al picked up the bottle next to me on the counter, peering at the label. "Bit early for drinking, don't you think Scorp?"
I brought my glass of said whiskey to my lips, taking a deep sip. Al stared at me with mild annoyance. "Wasn't quite finished at the pub last night." I answered easily, setting my glass down.
"You could've fooled me, mister 'I'm-not-too-drunk-to-Apparate-oh-look-I've-ended-up-in-Manchester' Malfoy." He grumbled, ducking down to the ground and beginning to shovel piles of clothing into his arms.
Al had spent the morning taking on the impossible task of cleaning up the flat. Arguably, sitting through twelve NEWTs exams would be an easier feat to accomplish. The carpet, which I think was a creamy brown color if I thought back long enough, was completely covered with robes, trousers, shirts and sweatshirts; all of which belonged to the two of us. Dishes piled up in the sink and there was a pair of some really hideous purple socks with golden embroidered snitches hanging from the ceiling fan. Al reached up to grab them and deposited his pile into the nearest room.
"Oi! That's my room you're putting all your crap in." I snapped.
"Those are your socks, if I'm remembering correctly." Al countered. Thinking back, they were my socks. I distinctly remembered being drunk when I bought them a few weeks ago.
Don't get me wrong. I hadn't been drinking every day since the end of my seventh year. I did, however, keep a nicely stocked cupboard of elf wines and firewhiskey bottles for emergencies. I had a lot of emergencies.
"What're you bothering to clean for, anyway?" I asked, taking another sip. It was amusing to watch Al crawl on all fours to reach under the couch and pull out a dusty pair of Quidditch robes and a pair of boots that definitely didn't belong to either of us.
"Giselle's coming over. I'm taking her out today. I told you this last night." He began kicking a formidable pile of clothes into my room again. The main entrance to the flat looked seemingly clean and apparently, that was good enough for Albus.
He had met this girl Giselle a few nights ago at the pub. She had tried to curse him when he mistakenly made a grab for her chest instead of my arm. After quite a bit of yelling and a few drinks, she had calmed down some. Miraculously, he was able to get her address and was told to "write to her, sometime". The wanker had waited all of twelve hours until he had sent an owl.
"When is she supposed to be here?" I took a bite of the toast I had prepared in front of me. I often found firewhiskey went excellent with breakfast, though Al would tell you otherwise. He glanced at his watch and blanched.
"Twenty minutes!" He moaned. Tripping over his own feet, he ran back to his bedroom down the hall. Sounds of scuffling and thumping followed and I assumed he was trying to find a clean shirt.
I took a look at the flat, surprised Al had managed to clear the floor so quickly. The carpet was a faded grey that might have once been white and I wondered how I'd gotten the color so mixed up. Granted, we hadn't put much thought into what the flat looked like when we had picked it. The Muggle landlord only had to show us that it was equipped with two bedrooms, separate bathrooms and a bar at the kitchen until we were sold.
We hadn't meant to buy the flat so soon after school, but I had a bit of an incident at the manor. The kind of incident that meant I was no longer welcome at the manor, despite the fact that I had lived there my entire life.
I dragged my trunk down the marble stairs, the sound of thumping following my pace. My mother was hot on my heels, still crying. I didn't care, considering minutes earlier she had been shrieking her disappointment at me.
"Scorpius!" My father bellowed from the upper floor. He didn't even bother coming down the stairs. "You unpack those things right now and apologize to your mother!"
"I'm leaving. I have Auror training in a month and I need to get the papers signed." I grumbled.
"You are not becoming an Auror!" My father yelled, pounding his fist. "We've told you you're to give up that mad dream! You're only going to get hurt!"
"You wouldn't care much if I did, so what's the point in worrying?"
My mother gasped, bringing a hand to her heart. "Scorpius, of course we would care! We care now! You're being foolish!"
I grasped my wand firmly, though I knew I wouldn't use it. No matter how angry I was, I would never try to curse my own mother.
"You are lucky to have the opportunities you have. You're wasting all of that by chasing this completely stupid notion that you'll become an Auror. You think Harry Potter is going to take you under his wing?" My father sneered. "Would you disgrace your name so willingly?"
"I'm leaving. I'll write to you if I'm mortally injured, I assure you." I turned and dragged my trunk along the floor. My only focus was the front doors and the grounds beyond before I could Apparate away from here.
"And where will you stay?" My father continued.
"I'll be with Albus." I grumbled. My father barked out a mirthless laugh.
"Know this, son. If you walk out those doors, you will not be permitted to walk through them again!" My mother gasped again and a fresh wave of tears flowed down her face. I was seething, my breath coming in heavier than ever before. Still, I crossed the floor to my mother, wrapped my arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"I'll write to you soon." I said, only to her. I went back to my trunk and pushed the doors open. I didn't listen as my father continued to yell and slammed the doors shut behind me, setting off across the grounds and already thinking about the Potter house, turning on the spot and taking in my last glance of Malfoy manor, my childhood home, before it was gone.
"Where the fuck is my wand?" Al groaned in the present. He was wearing a black button down shirt, which I recognized as mine but didn't care enough to point out, and dark jeans from a Muggle shop. He was running a comb through his hair though I couldn't fathom why he thought it would make a difference. His hair was like another person with an attitude all on its own.
"You left it on the coffee table when your arse was in the air under the couch." I smirked, realizing my glass was empty and turning to pour myself another helping. Al snatched his wand off the table and tapped it against his leg rhythmically.
"She'll be here any second." He breathed. "How do I look?" He held his arms out in a T. I looked him up and down, laughing when he turned in a circle.
"Well, if I were Giselle, I wouldn't be going home tonight." I winked as Al dropped his arms to his side, looking pleased.
"Alright, I've just got to brush my teeth and—"
A knock on the door. Al turned the color of the carpet and dashed out of the room. "Let her in!" I heard him hiss down the hallway. I rolled my eyes and eased myself off the stool, crossing the room to open the door.
A young witch stood in the doorway clad in a white fluttery tank top and jeans. She looked mildly surprised upon seeing me, being as I looked absolutely nothing like Albus.
"He's just finishing getting ready." I opened the door all the way for her to step inside. She gave me a smile and went to sit down on the couch, glancing around the room casually.
"Oi, fuckface!" I called down the hallway. "She's waiting for you." Al emerged from his room, toothbrush still in his mouth, flashing me the finger you don't show your mother. I smirked and went back to the front room, taking up my seat on the bar stool.
"Whiskey and toast?" She asked. I raised my glass in her direction.
"Want some?"
She laughed at me. Not an altogether surprising reaction coming from a young woman these days. "I'll pass. What are you trying to forget?"
It was my turn to look puzzled. "Sorry?"
"I'll say it again. Whiskey and toast. Have a bad night? Girl troubles?" Giselle was turning out to be very nosey, but in a way that made me want to give her points for bravery.
I mused on her words, swirling the amber colored drink around in my glass. "Something like that. My owl ran away last night and I've been trying to get over her ever since."
"I didn't know owls could run" She piped up from the couch. I raised my eyebrows at her bad joke. She was definitely Al's type if she could break the tension so quickly. Plus, she was pretty. She had caramel colored hair that hung to her shoulders and green eyes. I knew she was Al's type for sure when I noticed her curves, which there were many of.
"I didn't get your name." She said and it took me a minute to realize she was talking to me.
"Scorpius Malfoy. You're Giselle."
She straightened herself in her seat. "Giselle Warren. You're Albus's flat mate then?"
"The one and only."
"Giselle!" Al finally strolled out of the hallway, smelling of his expensive cologne and looking like he had gained a slight edge over his untidy hair in the eternal battle that was combing it.
"Has Scorp been bothering you?" He joked. I elbowed him and missed as he ducked out of the way. Damn Seeker reflexes.
"I wouldn't say he has been." She smiled at Albus and he offered her his arm, which she took. "Have a good day, Scorpius."
I smiled, tilting my glass towards her.
"I'll be back later, Scorp. Don't go too mad without me." Al said in his cocky manner that so reminded me of myself.
"I'll be counting the hours." I drawled and waved them off as they exited through the front door. I turned back to my breakfast of whiskey and toast, wondering when my life had become so boring and how Al had managed to get a date with a witch who was actually not all that awful.
…
I stumbled out of the alley way between two buildings that faced opposite the Leaky Cauldron in London and gripped my wand tightly. Apparating drunk was never a pleasant experience, but neither was being out of whiskey and being bored at the same time; the cause for my trip.
I crossed the street and headed into the Leaky Cauldron, waving at the bar man who was wiping down the counter and weaving through the rickety wooden tables where a small gathering of witches and wizards were seated.
I followed a mental routine as I pushed open the back door, tapped the brick wall with my wand and stepped out into the brightly lit Diagon Alley. Shops had just opened an hour ago and shoppers were bustling up and down the narrow street. I shoved my hands in my pockets, heading south to the shop that was devoted to the Daily Prophet. I figured I might as well get the paper and find out what was going on in the Wizarding world.
"Morning, mister Malfoy" the old woman behind the counter in the Daily Prophet headquarters wheezed. She peered up at me through thick rimmed glasses. "Looking for 'Which Broomstick?' today, dear?"
"Just the Prophet today, if you don't mind Ellis." I leaned against the counter, watching the shop as people thumbed through the magazines on the shelves lining the walls. Behind the counter there was a set of stairs that led up to what I could only assume was where the Prophet was made every evening. Post owls flittered through the high beams on the ceiling with bulletins and breaking news, twittering madly over one another.
"There you are, dear." Ellis slapped the Daily Prophet on the counter, the ink still shining slightly. I fished in my pocket for a Knut and paid for the paper before waving goodbye and leaving.
Walking down the street, I unfolded the paper and glanced at the headlines. "'MAGICAL MAGNUS' TAKEN DOWN BY IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE FOR PARADING AS MUGGLE MAGICIAN (WIZARDING ENTERTAINER). MORE THAN FIFTY MUGGLE MEMORIES MODIFIED." I snorted at the stupidity of some grown wizards. And my father wanted to disown me simply for wanting to be an Auror. I almost ran into someone as I was reading and looked up abruptly.
"I'm sorry—" I began but stopped short when I saw the face that was currently grinning at me with a mouthful of crooked teeth.
"Malfoy! Fancy running into you here of all places!" Hayden DeMoine exclaimed. I rolled my eyes.
"This is one of the only wizarding shopping locations in England, Hayden."
"Stop pissing around Scorp, I haven't seen you since before graduation."
"And it has been so very peaceful." Hayden's face was beginning to swim in front of me but I suspected that was because of my breakfast, or lack of it.
"You wouldn't mind grabbing a drink and something to eat with an old friend would you?" He grimaced, again revealing his teeth that badly needed straightening. I vaguely remembered someone I knew telling me about their Muggle dentist grandparents and how they could fix teeth. Before I knew it, Hayden tugged me by the arm down the street.
…
"No more for you, Mister Malfoy." The bar man at the Leaky Cauldron warned. I wanted to protest, but the counter felt very comfortable and I didn't want to lift my head. I stared through the six glasses I had downed still sitting in front of me, admiring the way the room could be seen in various colors through them.
"I'll have another firewhiskey." Hayden spoke on the stool next to mine. I couldn't really remember him sitting there a few seconds ago but I supposed he had been. There were four glasses sitting in front of him. Or was it five? I was confused as he was passed another glass of frothing, amber liquid. He glanced at me and chuckled.
"Never could hold your liquor, could you Scorp?" He shook his head, bringing his drink up to his lips.
"S'pose not." I mumbled.
"You don't mind if I smoke a bit, do you?" He asked, fishing for a box in his jacket pocket and pulling it out. He took out a thin, paper white cylinder with an orange tip and used his wand to light the end of it with a small flame. I couldn't remember what the object was called but I had seen it before on the streets.
"Cigarette. One thing the Muggles got right." His words were muffled as the cigarette was perched between his teeth. "Want one?"
I don't think I answered him. Still, Hayden pulled out another cigarette and handed it to me. I took it and he lit it with his wand again. I brought it to my lips and fought the urge to cough as I sucked in and then breathed out, a cloud of wispy smoke leaving my mouth.
"'Tastes terrible." I mumbled. Hayden looked satisfied. The smoke from our cigarettes mingled with a hazy layer of smoke floating on the ceiling like a second atmosphere from cigars and, in some odd case, the end of a cloaked wizard's wand in the corner.
"It's been a while since we properly talked, Scorp. You know, without fighting. When was the last time?" He seemed to be talking to himself. "Oh right, the Gryffindor-Slytherin match. Sixth year." He whistled as in disbelief.
"You've been hanging around with Albus Potter, I see." He took another drag on his cigarette. I hadn't given mine another thought and extinguished its flame on the counter top when the bar man wasn't looking.
"Bought a flat with him, right? You know I always thought we said we were going to live together when we were younger." The clouds in my head dissipated for a minute, allowing me to dwell on Hayden's utter stupidity.
"You knocked my best mate out with a beater's bat." was all I could muster. Hayden waved his cigarette hand lazily.
"Well, he wasn't your best mate then was he? I was." He looked at me again. "You were all scared your girlfriend was going to be upset. I remember." Hayden tapped his temple like someone who was knowledgeable about many things. He didn't fit the picture.
"What was her name again?" He exhaled smoke.
"Don't start, DeMoine." I grumbled, sitting up and swaying slightly. I gripped onto the counter and blinked away the fuzziness. When I was sitting straight again, Hayden was smiling at me in a way that made me want to punch him.
"Rose Weasley." He drawled. "I always thought she was an interesting choice. Out of any of that overgrown family, I would've thought you'd go for the blonde girl. Or the other red head. Potter's sister. At least she had something to work with if you're getting what I'm saying." He mimed the curves of a woman's body and I gripped the counter more tightly.
"Fuck off, Hayden. She was fourteen when we were in our sixth year, that's disgusting."
"If you say so." He puffed out still more smoke, but in my direction. It smelled awful and made my vision cloudy and I coughed, waving it away. He chuckled.
"I still wonder what it was about her. Rose. You realize I knew it was her on the pitch that one night? You two were snogging."
I tried to think back to our sixth year, which felt like a millennia ago. There was a cold night on the Quidditch pitch. I was with Rose… I taught her how to fly… we almost kissed. Because Hayden interrupted what would've been a real kiss, though he was too thick to realize it. My chest panged uncomfortably and I stopped thinking about Rose.
"I knew you were hanging around with her. I thought she must have been a real piece of work when it came to business. Did you ever get that far? I never found out."
I was seeing red now. Hayden continued to talk, drawing out his words and puffing out smoke. Why the hell was I even sitting with him?
"I mean you always had a taste for unique girls, Scorp. I remember the one with the pink in her hair. And the one that always wanted to tell your future. But a girl with a Mudblood mother? That seemed like a stretch—"
Hayden was interrupted by my fist coming in contact with his face. I knocked him off the bar stool, his ugly face wincing when his arse hit the floor.
"You want to do this again, Malfoy?" He roared from the ground. I hopped off my stool, none too steady, and dived for him. My fists flew in all directions while he kicked at me and tried to roll out of the way. The bar man was yelling at us and the customers were gasping. Still, no one stepped in as I threw a particularly good punch at Hayden's nose. He raised his hand and too late, I realized he still held a cigarette between his fingers when he brought it down on my forearm.
I resisted the urge to cry out at the burn and pushed his hand away, sending the cigarette flying. Hayden used his advantage to roll over and aim a punch at my face, but I quickly scooted to the left and he missed.
"What the hell!" A familiar voice, riddled with anger, came from above. I didn't look to see who it was until a hand grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me apart from Hayden.
Al was glaring down at the two of us with a look of fury on his face. He shoved Hayden back to the ground and grabbed my shoulders roughly, pulling me to my feet.
"God damn it, Scorp. I leave you for two hours and you're hanging out with him? What were you thinking?"
I swayed again and Al steadied me, grabbing my arm.
"You've been drinking all morning. And were you fucking smoking?" He picked up my discarded cigarette from the counter. I shook my head wearily and he scoffed, tossing the cigarette into the bin.
"He's got to keep you on a leash, does he Scorp?" Hayden grunted from the ground. "Do you sleep on a doggy bed at home?"
"Fuck off, Hayden!" Al roared. He dragged me with him out the front door of the pub, a concerned looking Giselle trailing after us. Out on the street the air was much clearer. My head felt a little lighter and I wrenched Al's hand off my arm.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled, putting my head in my hands. I had a pounding head ache.
"Just don't, Scorp. I'm taking you home and you're going to sleep for the rest of the Merlin-be-damned day." Al grabbed my arm again, muttered something to Giselle, and I felt the familiar sensation of side-along Apparition.
We landed in the front room of our flat. I dropped to all fours and became sick on the carpet. Luckily, Giselle hadn't appeared in the room yet. Al quickly ducked to the ground and vanished away the mess with his wand.
"You know that always makes me sick." I moaned on the ground.
"Yes, Scorp. I know. You're already drunk as hell and it's not even noon, what's the difference between vomiting now and later?"
"I'm sorry." I mumbled again. Al walked around me to the kitchen and I put my head between my knees. He returned seconds later with a glass of water and I gratefully took it.
Taking small sips I stayed on the floor as Al bustled around, putting away dishes and wiping down the counters. In minutes, there was a pop and Giselle appeared in front of the door.
"Is he okay?" She asked, biting her lip at myself on the floor. I sent a smile her way— though it probably looked more like a grimace— and Al nodded.
"Scorp, get in the shower. And then get yourself to bed." He ordered. I felt a twinge of annoyance.
"Yes, Mother."
"Don't fucking start, Scorp. You smell like shit."
I got to my feet and set the glass down on the bar, shuffling toward my bathroom. Inside, I leaned against the counter and stared at myself in the mirror. My hair was sticking up in all directions and there were dark shadows under my eyes. There was a smear of blood on my chin, but I assumed it was Hayden's. My shirt was wrinkled and covered in vomit. I screwed up my nose at the smell and reached around the back to pull it off.
"I'm really sorry. I didn't know he was going to be in there." I heard Al's muffled voice through the bathroom door. He and Giselle must have been standing fairly close by. I felt a pulse of guilt run through me. I had almost forgotten Al had been on a date when he had come to my rescue.
"It's okay. Really." Giselle's voice followed. "You were being a good friend."
"Well, he's my best mate. And he's had a rough year. I try to look out for him and when I think he's fine on his own he never is…" Al trailed off. I felt like a small child that Al had to take care of against his will.
"I can tell. Whiskey for breakfast." Giselle said. I scoffed silently. She would not let that go. "But I did have a good time, I promise."
"I'm sorry. Again. I could make it up to you if you wanted." Al was babbling now.
"I'd like that." I heard her say. And then there was silence, but not the kind of silence that meant she had left. Even in my drunken haze, I would bet my last Galleon that Al was getting some lip action. I pumped my fist in the air for my best mate and his wildly good luck.
"Thank you, again. I'll see you soon." Giselle said. "Oh, and Albus? Tell Scorpius to get back with whatever girl broke his heart."
"Oh. Um, yeah. Thanks. I mean— I'll see you soon." And Al was back to his old ways, spluttering and probably flailing his arms if I knew anything about him, which I did.
"Goodbye, Albus." There was a smile in Giselle's voice, followed by another faint popping sound. The silence was broken seconds later.
"Scorpius get the fuck in the shower now before I come in there and force you myself!"
And so was the adventure of living with Albus Potter.
A/N: Hello to anyone who is reading this! I've had this written for a few days and I've been editing it endlessly. I hope it fits up to the standards that the first chapter of a sequel usually demands. It's probably the longest chapter I've ever written and I honestly had so much fun with it! Anyway, welcome to Unbreakable! This is the sequel to my Rose/Scorpius fanfiction "Unexpected" which is complete and set during their sixth year of Hogwarts. I suppose you don't absolutely have to read Unexpected to read this, but it would make a lot more sense if you did! Please let me know what you think in the reviews and let me know if you're excited about anything or anyone! I can't wait to be on another journey with two of my favorite Potterverse characters! :)
~yours in eternity, Amy xx