Chapter Ten

Scorpius was once again reading his novel. Albus lay sprawled out across the foot of his bed, lazily drawing swirls of white smoke in the air with his wand. Scorpius knew they should have been revising for their O.W.L.s, but neither of them felt up to that task today.

Nearly three weeks had passed since he had broken up with Rose. These had been some of the best weeks of Scorpius's life. The student body of Hogwarts seemed to respond positively to his new relationship with Albus. Though the two of them got quite a few people staring, pointing, and whispering to their friends when they passed, Scorpius never hesitated to hold his boyfriend's hand in the corridors or kiss him in public.

Overall, both the students and the teachers seemed to think they were a good couple. Professor McGonagall actually beamed whenever she saw them together. Lily scolded Scorpius harshly for breaking Rose's heart, but secretly admitted she thought he was much better paired with Albus. James couldn't make enough jokes about how Scorpius had dumped Rose for a boy and Hugo seemed entirely disinterested in the whole affair.

Rose had become very quiet. She didn't laugh loudly at dinner or holler to her friends in the corridors like she used to. When she smiled, the joy didn't quite reach her eyes anymore. Lily said she heard her crying in the dormitories or the girls' bathrooms. Scorpius felt a horrible stab of guilt whenever he saw her. He made an effort not to kiss Albus in front of her. There was no need to rub it in. Her heart was broken and he was very sorry. Her charm bracelet sat in the drawer of his bedside table, cold as ever.

The Slytherins weren't all that surprised at the news that Scorpius was dating Albus. They seemed to accept the fact without much uproar. They knew the two of them were always close. This was just the inevitable finally happening. Even Heiress grew warmer towards Scorpius once he made his feelings clear to Rose.

Things with Albus were perfect. He couldn't look at him without feeling a swooping surge of affection. They were spending nearly all their time together in the library, the common room, or the dorm, just enjoying each others' company. Now that they had finally accepted the way they felt about each other, everything became easier. It was like the two of them had overcome some great obstacle in their relationship and they had finally found where they were meant to be: in each other's arms. The Sun and the stars shone a little brighter now that they were together, but maybe Scorpius was just being poetic.

"I'm bored," Albus muttered distractedly. "Let's play some chess."

"Good idea," Scorpius said, his weary eyes wanting a break from the words printed on the pages.

He stood up and began to rummage under his bed for the chess board when his fingers felt something that wasn't a dust bunny or a stray sock. Scorpius withdrew a letter. He realized with a jolt that it was the letter Noah had been trying to give him the day he and Albus had made their relationship public. It was addressed to him in his father's neat cursive. Scorpius swore softly under his breath and tore the envelope open.

"What's that?" Albus asked, rolling over onto his stomach to read the letter upside down.

"A letter from my father," Scorpius muttered. "I totally forgot about it. He sent it to me weeks ago."

He hastily unfolded the letter.

Dear Scorpius,

You didn't reply to my last letter. I hope this one reaches you okay. How are you doing? How's Albus? I'm sure you're very busy revising for your exams. I hope you're getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water. Make sure you take time off just to rest. You

have a habit of working too hard.

I've gotten an update on the new arrival. Everything's going very well. We might be expecting it a little sooner than anticipated, but it'll be okay. Don't you worry.

I'm counting down the days until you come home. It's too quiet around here without you. There are never enough ways to pass the time. I miss your company very much.

I want to hear from you as soon as possible. Please write back today.

Love,

Your father

Scorpius winced when he read the last line of the sad letter.

"What's wrong?" Albus asked, looking concerned.

Scorpius reread the letter twice more. "I've got to write back," he muttered. "Right away."

Albus grabbed his arm. "Hang on," he said. "Is everything okay?"

"No," he murmured. "I'm worried about my dad. He's been writing to me more often lately. And his letters always sound like this."

Scorpius handed Albus the letter, pointing to the last paragraph. He watched Albus's eyes move across the lines, his brow creasing more as he read.

"He sounds lonely," Albus said, sitting up and scanning the page again. "I think he just wants to hear from you."

"He didn't always used to write like this." Scorpius shook his head. "Albus, I think he's depressed."

Albus didn't say anything at first. "What are you going to do?"

Scorpius stared at the letter. "I need to go see him. This weekend. I'll talk to McGonagall and see if she'll let me go home."

Albus stood up quickly. "Scorpius," he began. "Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions? What if everything's alright and you're just misinterpreting what you're reading?"

Scorpius scowled. "What am I supposed to do? Ignore him? He sounds miserable and he's all alone!"

Albus put his hands up in surrender. "Listen, I understand why you're worried. But why don't you write back before you go running off to Malfoy Manor? Be upfront and ask him if he wants you to come home."

Scorpius considered this. Albus was right. It would be foolish to leave Hogwarts without asking Draco first. He nudged his boyfriend.

"Hey, aren't I supposed to be the logical one?" he said.

Albus shrugged his shoulders. "I think you should be writing to your dad, Mr. Logic."

Scorpius nodded and pulled his school bag out from under the bed, opened it, and withdrew some parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink.

He brought the materials down to the common room, Albus on his heels. Sitting down at a rough wooden desk, he began to write.

Dear Dad,

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to answer your letters. I lost that last one until I found it under my bed this morning.

Things at Hogwarts are great. The homework is really piling up, but I'm staying on top of it. I'm still getting eight hours of sleep (give or take) and staying hydrated. Albus and I are doing really well. We're getting ready for our upcoming O.W.L.s.

How are you doing, dad? Is everything alright at the Manor? It must be kind of lonely. Do you want me to come home over the weekend? I could ask Professor McGonagall if I could use her fireplace.

I'm looking forward to finishing the year and coming home. I miss you.

With love,

Scorpius

"Looks alright," Albus said, reading over his shoulder.

"I just hope he's okay," Scorpius whispered.

Together, they walked to the Owlery, hand in hand. Albus talked happily, but Scorpius was more worried than ever. He felt guilty for forgetting to answer his father's letters. Something at the back of his mind told him Draco wasn't doing so well. Scorpius hoped his father would allow him to return home for the weekend and check on him. On top of that, he was anxious about the new arrival. How early were they to be expecting it?

All this he thought to himself as he strolled to the Owlery tower with his boyfriend, a hastily scribbled letter in his pocket.

It took Draco two days to respond. By Saturday breakfast, Scorpius's saw his owl swoop into the Great Hall. His father had named the beautiful barn owl Blondie. She perched herself gracefully on top of a jug of orange juice, a letter tied to her foot.

"Thanks, Blondie," he said, taking the letter. Blondie gave his finger an affectionate nip and took off.

"Is that from your dad?" Albus asked, dropping his fork.

"Yeah," he answered, opening it quickly.

"What does it say," Albus said eagerly, leaning in from across the table.

Scorpius read aloud:

"Dear Scorpius,

I am so glad to hear you are doing well. Keep up the good work and you'll be done your exams in no time.

Don't you dare worry about me. I'm perfectly alright. Do not go bothering Professor McGonagall and whatever you do, DO NOT LEAVE THE SCHOOL. If I hear you've gone running off on another great adventure with that friend Albus of yours, I will send you so many Howlers you'll never be able to show your face in the Great Hall again. I assure you, I am doing fine.

I'll see you at King's Cross Station in a few weeks time. I love you very much.

Sincerely,

Your father".

"I guess he's okay," Albus said, munching on a piece of toast.

"I guess so," Scorpius muttered, scowling at the letter.

The nagging feeling still lingered at the back of his mind. Scorpius couldn't say how he knew, but something told him his father was much worse off than he was letting on.