May, 2023
Never, not once, had Scorpius felt so confused and proud at the same time. He had to look at the letter once, twice, three times to be sure he'd read it right. It said the same thing every time he looked. Astoria, his meek mother and obedient wife was now not so obedient. In fact, the letter suggested she was done with obedience entirely- she was leaving his father. Had left his father and was living with his auntie Daphne until the divorce was finalized and she could get a place of her own. She had to wait because then she'd get half of whatever it was.
He didn't know how to feel. For one, he couldn't believe his quiet, mousy mother had got up the guts to separate from his father. He didn't entirely blame her, since as he'd said pretty clearly at Easter his father didn't treat her like he should and didn't seem to love her at all. He definitely understood that much. It made him nervous though, because that meant he'd be staying in the house with just his father at least until his mum found a place or school started again. Whichever came first. Luckily, Draco was even more married to his job than his mother and wasn't home very much. Without Astoria, Scorpius was sure his father would be much less inclined to attend parties. He wouldn't be able to keep Scorpius endlessly busy like in the past. Especially without his wife to plan things. Overall, the boy just didn't know what to make of the whole situation.
The letter had distracted him from breakfast, and Albus could no longer ignore how absorbed Scorpius was in the letter he'd received from his mother. He looked a bit lost and maybe kind of upset. Albus couldn't pin point the exact emotion being displayed on his boyfriend's face. "Perry," he said tentatively, leaning forward. "What's wrong, lovely?"
Scorpius, having forgotten about his breakfast and the rest of the world, was brought back by Albus' voice. He looked up and stared at him for a moment, not unlike a dear caught in the headlights. "My mum's leaving my dad," he said quietly. His voice sounded indifferent, which was a surprise even to him. It made sense though. If you don't know what you're feeling, try to feel indifferent.
A bit nonplussed, Albus didn't all together understand what Scorpius had said. "Your mum… is leaving your… oh," there it was, it came to him. "Oh wow," that seemed to be the only thing he could come up with. There wasn't much to say, for him anyway. He didn't know what this meant for Scorpius and by the blonde's facial expression he didn't know either.
"Yeah," he said, folding up the letter and picking up the unopened one from his father which probably was about the same thing only from his point of view. He tucked them both into his robe and shifted, feeling antsy. "Could we not go to class today," he asked, voice reflecting how anxious he was.
Albus nodded, scooting back and swinging his legs over the bench, standing up. "Yeah, come on. Where do you want to go," he asked, taking Scorpius' hand. They always sat at the end of the table, so they didn't have far to go to reach each other after they stood. Scorpius shrugged, holding the brunette's hand tighter than he usually did.
"Just back to the dorm is fine," he answered, starting for the door with Albus. He really was feeling blind-sighted now with the whole thing settling in.
The warning bell rang as they entered the dorm and both of them were glad they'd gotten back before their peers started to occupy the halls. Albus sat up on his bed and laid back against the pillow, arms open and expectant. Scorpius smiled and obliged, crawling up onto the bed and cuddling against his boyfriend.
"This is so weird," the blonde said after a long silence. Albus' brown knit and he suddenly got tense.
"This," he asked, sounding a little confused and hurt. Scorpius almost laughed.
"Not this, silly. I mean my parents," he explained, lifting his head to kiss Al's cheek.
"Oh," he gushed, stomach muscles relaxing again. "Yeah, I that's pretty crazy. Haven't you been saying for years you were surprised she's never left him?"
"Yeah," he answered, nodding. "I just never thought she'd do it, you know? I think she was staying for me. But I'm going to be seventeen soon, so I think she finally decided it'd be okay. I think it'll be okay. It's not like my home is suddenly this broken tragedy. We were never That Family, you know. We weren't… like yours."
Admittedly, the Potters had been That Family before his mother died. Two parents who were madly in love and adored their three children who for the most part got along. And then his mother died, and their family wasn't the same. It was a tragedy. Then again, Ginny died. Astoria just split the scene. She wasn't abandoning her son, either. So Scorpius had relatively little to complain about or worry over. It was just… weird.
Albus chose not to continue the subject of comparing their families. "So, tell me exactly what's happened or going to happen."
"Well, she moved out and is living with auntie Daphne. She said dad's being difficult and may take a while to sign the papers. I have to stay at home over the summer, though. She says she doesn't want to uproot me. I have no idea how that'll be, just staying with dad in the middle of a divorce. I hope he lets me see you this summer since he's coping with us dating," he explained. He panted a bit then, having said a lot in one breath.
"That'd be upsetting if he didn't," Albus admitted. He did not like the prospect of a summer without Scorpius, especially now that they were the way they were. "So what about after the divorce goes through?"
Scorpius shrugged. "I'm not sure. It could take a while, so I might even be back here when it settles. I don't even know what is happening after graduation. I really, really don't even know what happens, Al."
The thought of graduation was also scary. School was something consistent and dependable. What happened once that was done with? When they had to get jobs and be grown ups? It frightened him a lot. He had no idea what he wanted now. He used to want to play Quidditch, but could he now that he'd missed a season?
Scorpius didn't know what he wanted, either. Sometimes he wanted to be an Auror and other times he wanted to be a professor. McGonagall wasn't getting any younger, and it was clearly weighing on the woman trying to be head mistress and teach transfiguration at the same time. He'd love to take over, or even in divination. Other times he had this secret desire to be a rock star.
The future seemed very uncertain right now, especially with the news reporting more deaths every day. When Ginny was killed, there hadn't been many victims. Aurors had suspected only one person. Now, tens were going down by the day. It had to be at least two people at it. The scariest part was there was no pattern at all. Your blood didn't matter. They were killing indiscriminately. People were beginning to really panic… who knew if they or their family would be next?
June, 2023
It had been basically the best day ever. It hadn't taken Scorpius much to get his father to let him go out with Albus. Actually, he only asked once and Draco said yes. Granted he looked like someone had just stepped very hard on his foot, but he still said yes and that was all his son needed to hear.
He'd met Albus in the town between their homes, where they'd had dinner at possibly the nicest restaurant Albus had ever been too. It made him a bit nervous, being in such a classy place but he'd enjoyed himself. He'd protested when Scorpius said he was paying, but in the end lost the battle and submitted. They walked along the pier after that, arms linked and Albus' head on Scorpius' shoulder. People stared. They didn't particularly care.
Draco was home when they got back. Scorpius groaned, having hoped his father would be gone and Albus could spend the night without getting the third degree and a crazy father breathing down their necks. The blonde knew his father had plans to go out, and was annoyed he was still home at nine o'clock.
"Scorpius, can I see you in the other room," Draco said coolly once he realized his son had brought his boyfriend home with the intent to have him say. Scorpius' stomach pinched and he excused himself from Al, closing the door of his father's study behind him. "Yeah, dad?"
"You are not having him stay the night," he said flat out, crossing his arms.
Scorpius pouted and crossed his arms in return. He looked incredibly like his father in that moment. "Let me ask you something," he said. "if Albus was a girl, would you let me have him sleep over?"
His mouth opened and closed a few times, but Draco couldn't say anything. His son had him there. He would definitely let Scorpius had a girl sleep over. He'd have slapped him on the back and given him an 'atta boy, even. "Yes, he admitted. "I would."
"Great. Now not only are you a homophobe but you're also sexist," Scorpius said, voice acid. His jaw was set, he was standing his ground.
"I… you… just… ugh," Draco stammered, throwing his hands up in there air. "Fine, he can stay," he snapped, glaring daggers at his son. It made him mad a sixteen year old could so easily defeat him.
Scorpius beamed and bounced up and down. "Thanks dad! When are you leaving?"
Draco's nose wrinkled. "Son, please. It's enough I'm letting you have him stay over, I don't need you rushing me out of the house so you can canoodle him."
"Sorry," he said, blushing fiercely. "And please do not ever say 'canoodle' again."
"Anyway," Draco said, trying to shake the mental image of his son and Harry's clone, "I'm leaving now, actually. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Behave yourselves."
Ten minutes later, Draco was gone and Scorpius was showing Albus the house. He stopped in front of a door and turned the knob, opening it. "And this brings us to the end of our tour," he said in a mock tour-guide voice. "My bedroom."
Albus couldn't help but laugh, stepping into the room. Scorpius turn on a few lamps, and the room slowly revealed itself. "Whoa," Albus said, looking around. "Your room is huge."
"Don't I know," Scorpius said, sighing. It was a bit lonely growing up an only child in such a vast house.
He came up behind Albus, who was just standing in the middle of the room, and wound his arms around the boy's waist. Albus jumped a bit and grinned, leaning back against his boyfriend. He turned his head to try to kiss Scorpius. The blonde immediately obliged, craning his neck so his lips would reach Albus'.
Needless to say, they both had the same thing on their minds. Almost four months now they'd been dating and they hadn't slept with each other in the figurative sense. It wasn't that either of them weren't ready or didn't want to. They definitely wanted to. The opportunity just hadn't presented itself. But now they were here, in Scorpius' room, with his father gone for the night. The window of opportunity was wide open and both of them were eager to jump through it.
Albus turned to face Scorpius, lying his palms flat against the boy's chest. Their kissing resumed and quickly, Scorpius was ready to get in bed. His heart skipped a beat, and he wondered which one of them was going to assume the female role in terms of where things went. Scorpius had never been good with physical pain, and he had no idea how much it may or may not hurt. He didn't have to think for long, because before he knew what was going on, Albus was tugging him over to the bed where he laid down and pulled Scorpius over him. This seemed to be the deciding factor, and Scorpius was relieved and giddy at the same time.
Panting, Albus broke his lips from Scorpius' and started to work on the buttons of his shirt. Scorpius sat up and let his shirt fall of his shoulders, tossing it on the floor and pulling Al's shirt up over his broad, tan shoulders. For excited as he was, Scorpius was just as nervous. He really, really didn't want to mess this up. He didn't know what he was doing and was worried the likelihood of him doing it wrong was high. Although, how complicated could it possibly be? Just get naked, put your penis where, you know, it's supposed to go and there you have it. Easy, right?
With every item of clothing removed, he got more nervous. Was there anything in particular he was supposed to do, supposed to say? Or not do, not say? He tried not to seem as anxious as he was, which wasn't that difficult because the urge to get to it was a lot more powerful than the concern about screwing it up. Coherent thoughts were coming fewer and father between now that Scorpius had his boyfriend one piece of clothing away from nudity and his neck being assaulted by the boy's tongue and teeth.
There wasn't much time left to worry when Albus shed his boxers and helped Scorpius out of his. It wouldn't do well to suddenly stall and it wasn't like the blonde didn't want this more than anything else right now. He just had to take a deep breath and do what his conscience or whatever it was told him to do. Go with his gut and hope for the best. He took a few breathes, adjusting himself and looking down at Albus. The boy's cheeks were flushed; totally beetroot.
"You look nervous," he said quietly after noticing Al's green eyes looked just as anxious as he himself felt.
"So do you," Al whispered back simply, offering a sweet but nervous smile. Albus was nervous himself, also not knowing what to do other than lie there. He swallowed and lifted his legs, wrapping them around Scorpius' middle. He wasn't really sure how far up to put them. Closer to Scorpius' hips or his ribs? He decided on closer to his ribs, hoping this would make for the correct angle.
Scorpius couldn't hesitate anymore. His lungs were tight so his breathes were shallow and rapid. He didn't know what to do with his arms, so he settled for just using them to hold himself up. Albus clasped his hands behind the boy's neck, wetting his lips nervously and starting to wonder if Scorpius was about to change his mind. A moment later though, it was undeniably obvious Scorpius had no intention of backing down. Namely, because he was suddenly inside of Albus.
His hands slid from Scorpius' neck and his fingernails dug into his back. It hurt… more than he'd expected it to. Scorpius, on the other hand, had never felt so great before. Although, the feeling of euphoria faded a bit when he realized how uncomfortable Albus looked and how rigid his body had become.
"Are you okay," he asked even though the questions sounded dumb and had an obvious answer.
"Mhm," Albus whimpered in return, nodding his head and biting his lip. "J-just, ah… give me a moment."
Scorpius obliged, not wanting to hurt Albus but definitely not wanting to not have sex with him. After a few minutes of deep breathing, Albus adjusted enough to try to relax. "Alright," he said, nodding.
His first few thrusts were sloppy and hasty. It was incredibly difficult for him to not start just thrusting wildly. Albus had to grit his teeth, but once Scorpius got a steady rhythm it wasn't too bad. Once it wasn't painful, it was still different. Albus wasn't sure it necessarily felt good, but it was definitely different. Scorpius, pulling his head out of the little cloud it was in, realized Albus was definitely not enjoying this as much as he was. Determined to change that, he used one of his hands to start stroking his member.
This was very familiar to Albus and did feel nice accompanied with the new feeling of Scorpius inside of him. It did elicit some soft moans from Al's throat, which was encouraging to say the least.
Scorpius didn't last five minutes. He couldn't remember that last time he'd felt so embarrassed or inadequate, but he kept going, intending to keep at it until he either couldn't anymore or Albus climaxed as well. Which ever came first. He was praying for the latter, though.
Good luck was smiling on them, because Albus came before Scorpius was unable to continue. Scorpius collapsed on Al, his job finally done. He felt better about himself now, having gotten his boy to climax. He didn't think he'd be able to live it down if he'd failed to get him there, even if it was only their first time.
July, 2023
Scorpius was very nearly traumatized when he had pulled out once they were through to find Albus had been bleeding. Albus on the other hand was slightly intrigued by it, since it hadn't felt like he was bleeding. Either his threshold for pain was much, much higher than the average person or he was some kind of strange masochist. He had to conclude it was the former after an awkward conversation with James about masochism. Admittedly, Albus had been sore and found walking to be a little bit uncomfortable afterwards.
He also found out from James, who had a few gay friends, that they were supposed to have used lubrication. This sounded like a genius idea to Albus, who dropped by a drug store later that day and bought some. It paid off having a father who was raised up in the muggle world and kept some muggle currency in the home in case of emergency.
Albus considered this to be an emergency.
Much to their pleasure, no pun intended, Draco was out of the house a lot more than usually. With Astoria gone, he'd thrown himself full-force into his work and meetings on the divorce negotiations. He also went on mysterious over-night trips that Scorpius had to assume involved a lady. One who wasn't his mother. He couldn't really be mad at his father, though. His mother had, after all, left the man. So with the older Malfoy away, the boys had plenty of time to play.
And my, it was much better with the lube than with out. Much, much better. And blood-free. Especially now, weeks later, after they'd done several times. Scorpius lay breathless on Al, head on the boy's chest. "Damn," he mumbled.
Albus nodded, eyes closed and trying to get his respiration to regulate before he spoke next. "I love you, dearest," was what he said. It seemed terribly corny, especially in bed after having had sex. He meant it though, so he said it anyway.
Scorpius grinned, lifting his head to meet Albus' gaze. "And I you, sweetness," he replied.
A suddenly, sharp knocking came from the other side of the door. "Are you decent," Harry's voice carried through said door. Albus' eyebrows knit, wondering why his dad sounded so urgent.
"Uhm, just a minute. We'll be right out," Albus answered, starting to sit up. Scorpius' lower lip stuck out in a pout but he got up, pulling on clothes and not caring whether they were his or Albus'. They were roughly the same size, just that Scorpius was a bit taller. When they left the room to meet Harry in the kitchen, they had the correct pair of jeans on but were in each others' shirts.
Harry was sat at the table, looking very solemn. It gave both boys a very bad feeling and they exchanged glances. Scorpius sat down across from hair, and Albus took the chair next to his boyfriend. "What's going on," Scorpius asked, leaning forward over the table and sitting on the edge of his chair. Harry forced himself to look at the young man.
"Your father is on his way," he said gravely, not sure how he was supposed to tell Scorpius what happened. He had to, though. Draco had asked him to in the emergency speed letter he'd sent. Harry didn't owe Draco anything, but he didn't want to make anything harder than it already was. "There was… another hit, Scorpius."
Scorpius went cold, and his blue eyes became big. He shook his head a bit and said, "I don't know what you mean." But he did. He knew Harry meant this mystery killer or coven of killers had struck.
"I mean they got Daphne, Blaise and your grandmother," Harry said, looking at the table. "Your mother and cousin came home and… found them."
Scorpius lost the air that was in his lungs. "Wh-" he couldn't even get out the 'what' on the tip of his tongue. He shook his head, staring at Harry. "But… but Daphne's so strong," he croaked.
"So was my mum," Albus mumbled, looking at Scorpius. He could sympathize with his boyfriend. He'd already lost someone important to him because of this person or this group. Scorpius looked back at Albus, not knowing what to say.
There wasn't much else Harry could do, and by this point in his life he found it was best to just give people space. He stood up and started to leave the room, but stopped next to Scorpius. He set a hand on the young blonde's shoulder, giving it a squeeze and sighing. He went to go wait for the boy's father in the living room.
"I can't believe this," Scorpius mumbled, shaking his head once more. "I mean, I guess I knew the possibility was there, but…"
"Nobody expects it to happen to them," Albus finished his sentence. He reached out and took his boyfriend's hands in his own, gently tugging. Scorpius stood up and immediately sat back down, this time on Albus' lap. He was sad, but couldn't bring himself to cry. He was so, so happy that at least his mother was still alive. His cousin, too.
"I'm scared, Albus," he admitted. Scorpius buried his face in his boy's shoulder, gripping his shirt. The wizarding world wasn't safe at all. Absolutely anyone could be next, or already dead now. He couldn't believe that it sounded as if his family had been killed in broad daylight. The thought of losing his parents sent a chill down his spine.
Awful as it could sound, what made Scorpius cry now was the thought of Albus falling victim to this vicious band of murderers just like his mother had. It could happen, hell it could even happen to him. It wasn't just happening to random people in random places anymore. People were being victimized in their own homes.
"Me too," Albus admitted. He tightened his embrace around Scorpius, nuzzling his boyfriend's ear.
Scorpius flinched and sat up when he heard the door open. He leaned over and looked into the living room to see Harry letting his father into the house. Scorpius practically flew across the kitchen and parlor, flinging himself onto his father. "Dad," he cried, hugging tight around his neck.
Draco staggered a bit, not expecting his son to ambush him at all. He broke a bit and allowed himself to squeeze his son close, patting his back. "I'm here, son."
"Where's mum, where's Cori," he asked quickly, looking up at his father.
"I took them to my parents' home," he answered, letting go of Scorpius and stepping back a bit. He'd never been one for affection. "You should go say goodbye to Albus," he added. "We need to leave."
Scorpius nodded and walked back into the kitchen. Albus was standing now, leaning against the table. He looked scared. Scorpius suddenly felt like he needed to give him some reassurance. Both boys stepped forward to meet each other. Scorpius wrapped his arms around Albus' neck while Albus wrapped his around Scorpius' waist.
"Be careful," Al whispered, nuzzling Scorpius' neck. The blonde smiled a little more softly and nodded.
"You too," he answered, giving him a kiss.
Albus didn't really want to let his Malfoy boy go, but he knew he had to when he could hear Draco clearing his voice and sounding impatient in the other room. He gave him another quick kiss and said, "I will see you soon. I will."
The truth was, neither of them were as certain as Albus sounded.
August, 2023
The day was going to be good, despite the losses his family had suffered three weeks ago. It was Scorpius' birthday. His seventeenth birthday. The boy felt tingly all over as he woke up and realised that today was the day. He was an adult now, totally legal to do as he pleased. The deaths of his aunt, uncle and grandmother were still weighing on him, but he just couldn't deny himself the excitement that worked it's way into his system.
He had the whole day planned out. Get up, make his bed with the aid of magic, get ready and have breakfast with his parents (both of them, in the same room!) and Cornelia. Then Albus was coming over later in the afternoon. He had some business with his father and would be at the ministry with him for a few hours, but then he'd be over. Scorpius didn't know what Albus had planned, since the boy had told him it was a surprise. Surprises from Albus were always good, so he was definitely anxious and excited. Scorpius looked at the box containing last year's birthday present, the Jetty. They'd definitely put it to good use this summer, as well as Albus'.
After making his bed (with the aid of magic!) Scorpius showered quickly and made faces at himself in the mirror while drying his hair (again, with the aid of magic). He didn't think he looked any older yet, which was usually the case. He looked older than he did on his sixteenth birthday, though. That was what mattered. He checked his watch to see the time and ran into his room to the closet. He needed to get dressed and downstairs so he wouldn't keep what was left of his family waiting. Although it was his birthday and technically they had to wait all he wanted, he didn't feel like doing that to them. So he pulled on some trousers and a shirt, not caring about his father's disdain for muggle clothing. It was too warm today.
Scorpius went down the stairs quickly, almost tripping on the last one. He gave his mum a hug and a kiss as well as Cori. He hugged his cousin extra tight because he could tell she was trying to be in good spirits for his birthday even though both her parents died so recently. "Thank you for coming," he said into her ear.
She gave him a smile once their embrace was finished and shrugged. "Of course I'm here," she told him. "I wouldn't miss your big day, sweetheart. Plus, I'm terrified to be alone. To be anywhere, really," she added.
"I know what you mean," Scorpius said quickly before they were both hustled into the dining room by Astoria.
Breakfast was great, one of his favorite meals. Scrambled eggs with too much cheese, potato cakes with sour cream and some of the best bacon ever. Scorpius was just glad to be having a meal with his parents and cousin, with his parents being civil even with the brutal divorce they had going on at the moment. It made him feel special that they were willing to pull it together just for today, just for him. He loved all of this, and the gifts were nice. Cologne from his mother who said he smelled funny (but in a nice, motherly way), a picture frame from his father. Cori just gave him ten galleons and told him to get something he wanted.
But now, Scorpius was getting antsy. It was past six in the evening now, and Albus still wasn't here, nor had he heard from him. Albus had said he'd be there around three and it wasn't like him to not send word if he wasn't going to be there on time or not show up at all. It worried Scorpius and in light of recent happenings he had every reason to be thinking the worst.
He was sitting in the parlor, hands clasped in his lap, willing for Albus to show up when he heard a knock at their front door. His stomach muscles instantly relaxed and relief almost drowned him. Scorpius leapt up and ran into the entry way, cutting off his father and hastily unlocking the door and throwing it open, so glad the Albus was finally here.
Only it wasn't Albus who stood on the stoop. Quite the opposite; his grandfather Lucius was there. The old man was huffing and puffing, eyes big. "Have you heard," he asked sharply, looking from Scorpius to Draco. Both of them shook their heads. "There's been an incident at the ministry," he stated. Scorpius felt sick. "There are… so many of them," Lucius went on.
"Father, get inside," Draco ordered, pulling his father into the house and locking the door behind him. "Tell me exactly what's happening at the ministry."
"Them," Scorpius said weakly. "Those people who've been killing everyone."
Lucius nodded gravely. "I can't believe it. Not even… Not even the Dark Lord did that… never so… hasty."
His mouth was dry. He was sure he was about to pass out. "Is… anyone…dead," he croaked, looking at his grandfather.
"Most of the people in the building," he said flatly. "The rest… are being held captive."
"Anyone specific," Scorpius asked, sitting on the stairs because the room was starting to spin. Could this be happening?
"Kendall Wood, Oliver Wood, Hannah Longbottom, James Potter," Lucius hesitated a moment. "Albus Potter."
The room stopped spinning. In fact, Scorpius couldn't see the room at all anymore. He blacked out.
