Chapter 11:

Albus had been awakened by faint voices, a conversation he wasn't part of but could hear almost word for word as a soft woman's voice drifted through his skull. For a split second he had almost been foolish enough to think that it had been his mother until he peeked through his lashes and silently watched from across the room as Hermione roused Scorpius awake. He felt a pang of jealousy when Hermione placed a kiss upon Scorpius' forehead as the blonde sat up in his bed, rubbing the sleep from his grey eyes and looking up at his mother in pure adoration. It had made him think off the times his own mother would do the same, before she had fallen ill. He stayed quiet as his eyes absorbed the scene before him.

A smile had slipped across Scor's face and Albus could see how natural it looked, how unforced and meaningful it appeared as he gazed up at Hermione, his mother. A bond between a mother and son could never be faked. It's what his mother had always told him. He could feel the unshed tears build up in his sight but he refused to let them fall. He didn't want to cry anymore, his nose was still stuffy from the night before.

"Angel, we're leaving in an hour," Hermione said as she sat down on the edge of Scorpius' bed, gently prying the sheets her son had cocooned around his body during the night. She was still gazing at him as he yawned and stretched his arms above his head, grinning softly down at him. "Honestly, you're just like your father," she whispered softly just as she pecked Scorpius' cheek.

The blonde let a small chuckle leave his lips before he two began to talk so gently to Hermione that Albus couldn't hear their sentences anymore. He could only watch as the two conversed with one another that was entirely familiar and exclusive that it made Albus feel as if he was intruding on them. He should've turned back into the plush pillows or buried his head with the blanket the Malfoys had provided him with; anything but continuing to stare, letting his eyes linger on the pair and absorbing every detail through their interactions. What he wouldn't give for the slightest-

His thoughts shattered as he watched grey eyes snap to his. They were cold and cutting, reminding him from the day before when Scorpius had aimed an arrow at his head. He swallowed down thickly as the smile the blonde had had seconds before melted from his sight as if a switch had been flicked. The boy across from him was looking at him blankly, devoid of any and every emotion known to man.

To his relief, Hermione turned as she followed her son's line of sight and straightened up when she found his eyes looking back at her. "Oh," she said in surprise. "Goodmorning, Albus. I didn't know you were awake or else I would've talked to you first," she smiled at him, her perfect teeth beaming towards him meaningfully. It had been too long since he had seen a smile like that. She rose from the bed and as she did, Scor's gaze focused on her as she took a handful of steps towards Albus' bed. Instead of approaching him like she had done to Scorpius, she simply asked if he had a restful sleep. He had answered immediately that he had but from across the room, Scorpius smirked, both of them knowing he was lying through his teeth. Nightmares had been rough last night and there was no doubt that Scorpius hadn't heard one of his outbreaks.

She nodded her head with a smile before turning back towards her son. "One hour, and we're leaving," she said, before leaving through the door. Albus' emerald gaze stared at it longingly. Her departure was instantly felt, as if all the warmth and love went out with her. It seemed that all mothers held that ability. His certainly had.

From his place across the room, Scorpius' eyes narrowed. He pushed himself off of his bed in one strong motion and crept across the floor to the door that hid his closet. With his back turned towards Albus, he pulled it open and disappeared inside. It didn't take him long to find his trunk and throw it onto the floor when he reappeared into the room, a bit more forceful when he noticed Albus was still in the bed.

"Are you going to lay there all day?" he said with a bite. "Or are you going to obey what my mother said and get your things together?"

Albus at least had the decency to flush in embarrassment as he got up from his position. "My things are already together," he pointed out. "I just need to-"

"There's a guest bathroom at the end of the hall," Scorpius interrupted him. "Last door on the left." He'd've slammed Albus' skull into the ground if he had dared use his own private bathroom. He never shared.

Albus wordlessly nodded his head before rummaging through his small suitcase and heading for the door. As soon as the door clicked behind him, Scorpius shot forward, sliding his trunk across the floor to his bed. With haste, he dropped to his knees and peered underneath his bed, grinning as he spotted the dull metal laying in the shadows. Carefully, as if reaching for a forbidden artifact, his fingers found its edge and pulled it into the light. The trap he and his grandfather had purchased from Knockturn Alley heavily resembled a muggle bear trap but its claws, when activated, sent a deadly mist into the air that would rot the flesh of any animal or human at its mercy. The shopkeeper had said it was outlawed in nearly every country, a nasty little thing like that should never be bestowed upon the public. The old man had said it with a crooked grin and had urged him to come back to inform him of the device's capabilities. Even now, with the device tucked away in his arms, he could feel the dark power radiating around it like a cloud - heavy and taunting, begging to be used.

"Almost," he whispered, not finding it ridiculous that he was actually talking to it. He rotated his torso and leaned to place the trap inside his trunk. However, just as he bent forward, his eyes widened as he heard his door opening. His mouth was already getting ready to start spewing explanations but they died on the tip of his tongue as he swirled around.

Albus had walked in with a toothbrush in his hand, his eyes looking questionably at the device in his hands. "What is that?"

"What do you want, Albus?!" he managed to control his voice from cracking in rage.

"There's no toothpaste in the bathroom," Albus answered but his curious eyes were glued to the trap. "What is that?" he repeated.

Scorpius finally placed it in his trunk before slamming the lid shut. He still had to pack his clothes but he didn't want Albus getting too nosy. Did the boy not take his warning seriously from before? Curiosity didn't only kill the cat, it would do it mercifulness and without remorse.

His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. "It's nothing," he tried to brush it off as if it truly was that. "I've been meaning to take it to our other house, that's all."

Albus nodded his head in understanding but Scorpius could still see the want there, the simple urge to know. "But what is-"

"There's toothpaste through that door," he nodded towards his bathroom door. Every fiber in his being was cursing in outrage but Scorpius was quick to tamper it down. If he had to sacrifice a bit of toothpaste, it wasn't as if he gave a damn. Anything was less worse than having Albus learn the true nature of his new device. "Hurry up, Albus," he urged the boy forward with a gentle shove towards his bathroom door. "We can't be late or else my parents will skin us alive."

That seemed to be the drive that Albus needed because soon, he was scurrying across the floor as fast as lightning. This time, when the door was closed in his departure, Scorpius already had the lid of his truck opened and threw every random article of clothing he could get his hands on into it. He didn't release a breath of relief until the lid was, once again, snapped shut and hidden away from eyesight.

oOoOoOoOo

"I take it neither of them killed each other?" Draco asked with a raised brow, watching over the edge of his cup of coffee as Hermione took her seat beside him. She didn't appear frazzled and she hadn't come running into the room screaming in horror, so it seemed that Scorpius had acted on his best behavior with the Potter boy.

Hermione had giggled his worry aside though, waving her hand into the air as if such a thing would never happen, not because of their son. She had taken to her own cup of warm coffee as she quickly skimmed the headlines of the Daily Prophet, not meeting his gaze as he looked her over. In truth, Draco had gotten up numerous times throughout the night because he hadn't been able to brush aside the tick of worry that had shoved itself inside his skull. He would sneak all the way up to Scorpius' bedroom and softly pry the door open, careful of making sure the door didn't reveal his worrisome visits. Each separate time he would swallow down the thickness in his throat, seconds before entering his son's bedroom, he half expected to find his son drenched in the boy's blood. When he would resettle into his own bed, he would strain his ears to try and hear for the screams he knew would be silent. He had even taken to watching the door, waiting for either one of them to come running in. Either Albus in pure terror or Scorpius clutching the family knife in his small hands, a dark liquid dripping from the tip.

He blinked himself back into reality when Hermione turned her attention to him. "Ginny owled me this morning," she began. "Told me that they would be glad to visit us this afternoon at the London house."

"I figured as much," he replied, bringing up his drink towards his lips. "It's rare they ever decline an invitation."

Hermione eyed him curiously. "But that's just the thing, love. Ginny and Blaise never receive an invitation because they're always welcomed in our homes. What makes this time so different that you felt obliged to owl them to join us?"

"Albus Potter is what makes the difference," he said without looking at her. "I extended an invitation to Blaise so that Axel would accompany Scorpius and Albus. The more the merrier, you know?"

Hermione's brows raised slightly, a curve playing at her mouth. "Says the one who always says I have too many friends? Better yet, says the one who refuses to have more than two at a time?" He grunted in reply, telling her that he was always an exception. She ignored him with an amused eye roll. "Besides, even if Axel wasn't to join them, Scor and Albus would be fine on their own. I see the beginning of a very strong friendship between the two."

He halted the movement of his cup, turning serious as he looked towards his wife. "Do you really believe that?"

Her honey brown eyes focused on his own, captivating like always but he could see the worry beneath it all. Silently, he watched as she swallowed before shaking her head wordlessly.

He exhaled through his nose, placing his cup on the table before taking hold of her hand into his own. He brought it up to his face, letting his lips graze over her knuckles before turning her palm up to leave a kiss in the middle. He could feel her body relax by the second as he held her hand to his face, his breath fanning over her pale flesh. Just as he opened his mouth to address her, the doors of the dining room opened and two small figures walked in; one striding with purpose and the other following like a timid shadow.

"Are we eating breakfast here?" Scorpius said with a tilt of his head. His arms were crossed in the front of his chest and he looked immensely impatient as he stood before them. If their son would've started to tap his foot, it would have been a near copy of Hermione. However, Scorpius was no foot tapper and it didn't bode well when he awoke with a temper. Draco could see the red flag for what it was and immediately turned his silver gaze towards Albus, inspecting him for any signs of harm.

But the boy was clean from head to toe, despite what appeared to be a smudge of toothpaste on the collar of his shirt. Typical Potter, was all Draco could think.

"Yes," Hermione answered. "Is that okay with the two of you? I figured you would want to explore around when we arrive at the other house instead of being trapped inside eating breakfast," she said with a smile. "The Zabini's will be joining us later as well, so I doubt you three boys are going to stay indoors anyways."

Scorpius perked up, sending a quick sly glance at Albus beside him. "Axel will be joining us?"

She nodded her head. "Just for today, yes. They'll be traveling to Italy to visit Axel's grandmother for a week afterwards."

Draco watched as Scorpius made his way to the table, frowning slightly as he situated into the chair. Albus hadn't missed a beat to follow after him.

"Axel doesn't like her," he said as he began to fill his plate with scrambled eggs. "Says she smells like she bathes in dozens of different perfumes and mothballs from her fur coats. Almost smothered him to death one time with one of them."

"A mothball?" Albus asked with furrowed brows.

Scorpius let his fork drop, clanging against the porcelain in front of him. "No," he drawled out. "A fur coat."

"Oh," the boy replied in return. His hands were fidgeting on the table top, fingering the sides of his plate as his eyes stared down. "My...mother never owned a fur coat."

Scorpius slowly glanced at him from the side, his eyes calculating Albus' posture. "Then consider yourself grateful that you've never been in Axel's position. Suffocation would be a terrible way to go…" Scor's voice trailed off.

Draco swallowed uneasily as he noticed so had his son's attention.

From beside him, Hermione had quickly taken another drink of her coffee.