There will be a little more BenxAl sprinkled in the next few chapters but this story is from their fifth to their seventh year and I have tons of stuff planned for later chapters


"Good to see you're still alive." James said as he passed by Ben's table at breakfast a week later. "How's the bruise?"

"Very purple." Ben muttered, side still sore from the previous week's incident. "Want to see it?"

"Not really.." James muttered, hovering by the table. "You didn't get in trouble, did you?"

"No, thankfully." The rest of the week had been awkward for Ben. Eleanor's parents didn't treat him any differently, but he felt like he made a mess of things. He didn't regret doing it though. Caleb needed to hear the truth.

He knew there was no way he was going to get to stay with them again next year, and if he couldn't stay with Eleanor, he wasn't going to come back.

The bruise put him in a shit mood all day and he wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone. He kept his hair black and eyes gray as he trudged through the busy day. It was stuffed with essays and homework and reminders about O.W.L.S. and his future and other shit he was too tired to think about it.

It was snowy and disgusting outside and it made his mood worse.

"That's it." Alice stomped over to his and James' table in Divination. They were free to work on a quiz together and she had finished it quickly. "Let me see the bruise. You must be over reacting." She was tired of seeing Ben so gloomy.

"Excuse me, I'm not James." Ben told her and James was going to argue, but Fred shot him a look. James was over dramatic. "I don't wanna show you it." He didn't want to get snippy with Alice, but, it was getting difficult.

"Ben, let me touch you." Alice reached to pull his robe back.

"Alice, come on, you have a boyfriend." He smirked and pushed her hands away, trying to get her to stop. She just glared at him and pulled his robe back and lifted up his sweater.

"Oh my god, Ben!" She exclaimed, seeing the bruised side. It was black, blue, purple, and an ugly yellow in some spots. "What the hell?"

"It's not as bad as it seems." He pulled his sweater down and shot her a look. "Really. It only hurts when I breathe."

"Caleb really got him." Alice sat down next to Eleanor, head in her hands. "Ben, you are ridiculous, you know that? You aren't going to go to practice this weekend, right? It won't be healed by then."

"Of course I'm going to practice!" He exclaimed eagerly. "Practice is the bomb. Alice, I'll be fine. I already reassured Ellie, so you don't have to worry. I can take care of myself. I barely notice it." That part was a lie, but he didn't want her to worry about him. She looked at him, but let it go, deciding not to push him. She could tell his temper was shot, and while Ben never got angry or yelled at her, she knew there was always a first time for everything.


"I cannot believe he's playing this game." Eleanor muttered to herself, head in her hands.

"He'll be fine." Lysander told her.

"He could barely move, even three days after the incident. He's clearly in pain!" She exclaimed and pointed as Ben slammed his bat into the bludger and sent it flying.

She was right, he was in extreme pain. Tomorrow he wouldn't even get out of bed, but, today he had to play. Every time he swung the bat or took a breath, it hurt and burned, but he had been through worse before.

"He just wants to make you happy." Alice said the announcer screamed something. She made a face, annoyed by the loud noise, but she was used to it by now. "Frank is doing amazing today." She watched her brother zoom by, a chaser for Hufflepuff.

"I told him he shouldn't play." Eleanor told the small group, shaking her head. "He's so stubborn."

"Look who's talking." Lorcan muttered, glancing at his twin. The game had been very good so far but he knew Eleanor was too focused in one Benjamin to even watch the game.

"I'm too worried." She knew she should relax. Ben wasn't a child, he knew his limits, but, Eleanor knew he ignored his limits. He was going to push himself until he really got hurt. He was moving slower than usual but he hit the bludger with more force than she thought he was capable of. She saw him wince after every hit and she was begging someone would catch the snitch and end the game. At this point, she didn't care who won.

"Eleanor, relax." Bailey told her, wishing she wasn't so on edge. It was no use though, because Eleanor wasn't going to listen to him.

The watched the game closely and it was a very neighboring match. The two teams were on top of each other and tied at the moment

Hufflepuff's seeker was close to catching it but Eleanor was focused in on Ben, who was slammed into by one of the Hufflepuff beaters. He was sent flying and crashed into the side of the arena. He landed on the ground, hard, and Eleanor screamed as the announcer shouted about the hit and whether or not he was going to get back up.

Ben really hated life sometimes. His vision was getting black and he was fading but he heard Eleanor screams above everything else. "Elenaor shut up I'm fine!" He shouted as Frank flew near him.

Frank was the team captain for Hufflepuff and Ben really liked him. He wasn't an asshole, at all, probably because Alice was his sister and Ben was friends with her. "You okay?" He shouted down to Ben, who just gave him a thumbs up. He chuckled and flew off towards Eleanor's stand, where the girl was still screaming. "Ben says to shut up. He's fine." He told her and her face got red.

"Thanks Frank." Alice told her brother with an eye roll. He laughed and flew off to rejoin the game. "He shouldn't have played!"

"I told you!" Eleanor exclaimed and the two girls ranted about it. "This game needs to end now! Ben needs to go see a nurse! I bet he has some broken ribs now!"

"He could be knocked out cold down there! He could have brain damage!" Alice added, both extremely worried about Ben.

Ben was fine. He thought. He was kind of out of it. His torso hurt and he wasn't going to be able to walk properly but he thought he was fine.

Then he blacked out.


"Ben….oi…Ben!" James was shaking him, trying to wake him up. He was really worried about the male. "Please, Ben, get up."

"I'm here…" Ben groaned, waving his hand around. It smacked James, who stumbled back. He sat up, groaning, and holding his head with his hand. "Where…..what…" He opened his eyes slowly, looking at James. "Fuck!" He exclaimed, hands covering his face.

"Relax. The teams are in the locker room. I hurried out here to get you. God, convincing Eleanor to stay out there was awful. You owe me. You have no clue how hard it was for them to let me come out here and not have the nurses out here." He helped Ben up and grabbed the male's broom for him. "I knew you got knocked out. I don't still why you don't want anyone to see what you actually look like, but whatever. A few of them saw you but your face was to the side so no worries." He shrugged as Ben limped with him. "You're fine, yeah?"

"Yeah, fine. Just a little…out of it." He grumbled, leaning on James more as his face and hair changed, along with his eye color, back to what it usually was. "I'm used to this sort of thing. Clara has accidently knocked me out before." He explained as James helped him to the locker room.

"There you are, Youngblood!" His captain said as he approached them. "You alright? Potter said he had it under control, but, still worried a bit."

"I'm good, sorry about…blacking out." He didn't know what to really say. He felt sick and really wanted to go lay down. He stripped off his uniform and slowly put on his normal clothes as James helped him. "Did we win at least?"

"You getting knocked out like that seemed to pump up the others. We kicked their arses." He smirked proudly, patting Ben's shoulder. "So good job. Go get some medical attention and if they tell you not to come to practice, don't, yeah?" He told him before leaving.

"They were really ruthless after that." James told him as they left the locker rooms. "Lean on me." He told Ben, forcing the now purple haired male to lean on him. "We're going to see a nurse." He pushed the door open and saw the three girls standing there.

"Ben!" Eleanor shouted when she saw them. She ran over to him, her hands instantly going to his face. "Are you okay? Was he knocked out, James? Where do you hurt?"

"I only blacked out for like….a minute." Ben actually had no idea how long he was knocked out.

"Benjamin, you were out for an hour." Alice told them as she joined them, shaking her head. "We need to get you to the infirmary."

"I can't believe you're walking." Bailey sighed as they all headed back towards the school. "Are you really sure you're okay?"

"All I need to do is sleep." He told them, shaking his head. "I was out for an hour? It didn't feel like that…"

"That guy hit you really hard." Eleanor mumbled, letting Ben lean on her now. "Urg, he better hope I don't run into him! I'll take him down!" She exclaimed, getting furious all over again. "I was so ready to jump him the second you hit the ground!"

"Ellie, c'mon, he was playing the game." Ben replied, head aching. Her yelling made his head ache more and he was starting to fade out again. "Uh…" He mumbled and James was on his other side instantly, helping him.

"Ellie I think your yelling is hurting his head." James told her, trying to not make the girl feel bad. "He just needs to sleep and he'll be fine."

"Amazing when James is the voice of reason." Alice smirked at her friend who stuck his tongue out at her. "But I think he's right. Ben just needs some peace and quiet. He'll sleep and feel better."

"I'm right here." Ben muttered, glancing at them. "I just need a nap. You guys don't have to get so worried about me, really. I've been through worse stuff before."

"It doesn't mean we aren't going to worry!" Eleanor told him, frowning at him. "We're your friends, of course we're going to worry about you! Now you're going to do everything the nurse tells you to do and you won't get out of bed until she says you can!"

Ben looked at her as she ranted before he rolled his eyes and patted her head. She shot him a look, but let it go as they made it to the infirmary and got him checked out by a nurse.


Ben really was tired of being confined to the bed. He needed to move his hands and do something.

"Relax, Benny." Alice sighed, pushing a chair over to his bed. She had been coming to visit him a few times a day to make sure he didn't fall too far behind with school. "Eleanor wanted to come by again, but, I told her to go to her Quidditch practice."

"Thank you." Ben told her, sitting up more in his bed. Eleanor had been focusing more on Ben than qudditch or her studies and he knew that wasn't good. He loved to have her visit but he was fine. She didn't need to come five times a day to check up on him. "I'll be out of here soon. They just want my bruise to heal up so I don't hurt myself any more."

"Good. It's too quiet around here without you." Alice ruffled his white hair and smiled at him. It was Thursday and the week really had been boring with Ben hanging around them. "I can't believe Caleb came after you like that. He's really carefree and fun to be around. I thought you two would get along."

"I don't tend to get along with assholes much." He mumbled as he messed with the pillow behind his back. "I don't like how he and Amelia treated Eleanor."

"They aren't the kindest to her." Alice agreed, shaking her head. "I think what you did was admirable. Eleanor would have never stood up to her siblings like that. I tried to tell her that's not how you're supposed to treat siblings. They treat her like she's nothing and that isn't right. I'm glad someone finally stuck it to them. They shouldn't be bothering her anymore."

"Yeah, well, I got a feeling I won't be allowed back there." He grumbled, looking at his hands in his lap. "I'll probably be back in America next school year. If I can't stay with Ellie there's no point."

"But Ben, you have to come back." Alice grabbed his hands and held them tightly, surprising him. "We'll all miss you if you don't come back. What would Eleanor do without you looking out for her?"

Ben thought about it, feeling Alice's eyes on him. "I'll see. I don't really want to go back to my school anyway. It's lonely there. Plus, Potter and Eleanor will never get together if I go back home." This made Alice laugh and she took her hands from Ben and flipped a few pages in her book.

"Good. Now, let's get to studying, or you'll really be behind." Alice chided and he groaned, not in the mood. He and Alice had really been hitting the books hard and he was bored of it.

"I want to run and play." He whined. "Potter always brings treats for me." It was true. James always brought cool things from his Uncle's shop and sweets for them to munch on and always had gossip. Eleanor and Alice always tutored him and caught him up with school work.

"Well, Potter has been misbehaving and has been getting detention so his playtime with you is about non-existent at the moment and for the future." Alice told him, trying to get him to direct his attention back to his studies. "I know you hate being confined here, but, that's not much more you can do."

"I want to draw." He mumbled, rubbing his hands together. "I need to do something with my hands, Alice. All I do is sleep and watch the nurses and study but I need to move my hands and I need to draw. I feel paranoid and nervous." He confessed, feeling a bit embarrassed that something so simple was causing him to become upset.

"You want me to get Albus or Rose or Scorpius to fetch your sketchbook? I usually run into them after leaving here." Alice offered, knowing something was off about him. He had gotten quiet the last couple of times she came for a visit, and that was never good.

"Really?" He questioned, eyes lighting up. "Yes, please! It's so boring here and I'm going to be in here at least until next Monday. This is killing me slowly not having anything to do."

"You could always study and catch up on homework." Alice reminded him, putting her book up. They just weren't going to get anything done today so she decided to quit while she was behind.

"Alice. You don't understand." He told her, a serious expression on his face. "I've done all my homework. I've read ahead for ALL of my classes. I could ace my next exams no problem. I am bored and out of my mind."

"You've….really done it all?" She questioned, eyebrows raised. There was no way he did he homework.

"Yes." He replied and reached over to the other side of the bed and pulled up a few books with papers in them. "Could you turn my homework and stuff in for me?" He asked, handing it to her. "I stuck all the homework in the book that matches the class. I've read all the books. ALL OF THEM. Literally Alice I am going mad. I started speaking with a British accent this morning. I'm losing my mind."

"I'll get you that sketch book." She said, taking his homework from him and leaving the books with him. "I like your Boston accent. It's cute."

"Thanks, I try. You should hear me when I'm with my family. It's so….there." He chuckled, feeling much better now that he was going to have his sketch book back in his hands.


"How are you feeling, Benny?" Eleanor asked the next day when she came and visited him. "Alice told me you did all of your school work and actually read ahead for your classes so I was little worried you had brain damage."

"Okay that was fucking rude." He told her, sketching in his sketch book. "I actually listened to you and did my school work."

"I was just playing around, you dork." She ruffled his pink hair and sat down next to him. "Are you feeling any better?"

"It still kind of hurts to bend over, but, the nurses said by Monday it should be much better. I think they plan on getting me some medication to knock me out the entire weekend so my body can rest. I've been testing their patience lately. I was good today though." He seemed proud of himself for not taking a piss out of the nurses, which made Eleanor roll her eyes. "I'm glad my parents sent me a few sketch books for Christmas. I've almost filled up this one." He said and she directed her attention to it. She snatched it from his hands, getting nosy about what was in it. "Hey!"

"I want to take a peek!" She told him and flipped through it, looking at the pages with intent eyes. Ben squirmed a bit, nervous has she looked at his drawings. "Ben…" She stopped at one of Alice. It was like she was looking straight at you, a small smile on her lips as she stared into your soul. "Ben this is so beautiful."

"Eh, I couldn't get her nose right." He mumbled, embarrassed when she flipped the page and froze.

"You drew me?!" She asked, looking at him with wide eyes before looking back to the page, seeing a drawing of herself sitting at the table in the Great Hall, a piece of toast in one hand and the other hand on a book that was on the table. Even in the drawing, she looked so focus on the book and it even looked like she had a bit of the toast in her mouth and was chewing it as she read.

"I draw you a lot. You're very animated." He told her with a shrug. "Plus, I see you a lot. I could draw you even after a month of being apart. Your details are engraved in my head. Which sounds creepy but it's not supposed to be creepy. I just mean, I can't forget you and what you look like or how you eat your toast and get crumbs all over the book your reading and then that face you make when I tease you about it." He grinned as she pouted at him, but then look back to the drawing, taking it all in.

"Ben this is really….amazing. It looks so real…." She ran her fingers over it lightly, in awe over it. "You're so talented." She looked up at him and his cheeks were red with embarrassed. "Awah, all flustered?"

"Can it, Ellie. I'm glad you like it though. Most people get angry that I draw them without their permission."

"I find it flattering. I'm so telling Alice about that drawing of her. She'll love it." Eleanor told him, looking through the rest. "I'll get Albus to bring you the one your parents sent you for Christmas since this one is almost filled up."

"Thank youuuuuuuuu!" He grinned, taking his sketch book back from her.


"Hey, Ben." Albus greeted, sitting down next to him. "You awake?" He asked, looking at the male. He looked half asleep as he looked at Albus.

"Yeah….nurses gave me stuff." He replied with a yawn. "I'm fighting it though. They want me to sleep this entire weekend away…I say neighhhhhhhhhhhh."

"You need to go to sleep." Albus set the sketch book on the nightstand next to his bed as Benjamin yawned again. Albus had missed the male the past week. He was a lot of fun at lunch and the two usually ended up in the common room together late into the night. Ben would draw and Albus would read, the two in comfortable silence.

"Albus, please." He grumbled, sitting up to keep himself awake. Albus chuckled at how hard he was trying to stay awake.

"How's the bruise?"

"It's going away. Ribs are much better. They want me to knock out and sleep so I stop moving around so much. I should be back at it on Monday." He told him, rubbing his eyes. "I acted well today but then they gave me this shitty tasting stuff."

"So you began to whine?" Ben shot him a look after he asked this, but he still laughed.

"I will not sit around and be drugged!" Ben's mind was already getting hazy and keeping his eyes open was getting difficult. "Urg…" He grumbled, yawning once more. "Albussssss." Ben was hitting his arm now and Albus looked at him. "You're so cuteeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Shut up and go to sleep." Albus took the other sketch book off of Ben's lap and flipped through it, looking at each picture carefully. Ben went quiet and when he glanced up, the male was knocked out cold, face buried in his pillow. Albus chuckled and went back to looking through his sketch book.

The ones at the start were older ones he must have done back home. There were a few of his siblings all over one page, then one of his stepmother and one he guessed was his grandmother. Many of the other pictures were dragons in between pages of drawings of his family. Albus decided to stay and continue looking through his sketchbook.

"You really are talented…" He mumbled to Ben, even though he knew he was asleep. He just didn't expect Ben, the hyperactive Slytherin, to be able to sit and focus on someone or something and draw them. The drawings soon turned to ones of Eleanor, then Alice, Lorcan and Lysander, James, Bailey, and really anyone he came in contact with. He stopped on the page that had a picture of him, Rose, and Scorpius. They were outside, sitting in the class with their backs against the short stone wall in one of the many courtyards.

Rose was talking, her hands in the air like she was describing something. Scorpius seemed to be rolling his eyes, so it was possible Ben caught them in an argument. He saw himself there too, reading a book. The shading was perfect and it was obvious he spent a lot of time of on this drawing.

He felt a little embarrassed, because it meant he had watched them, watched Albus, and gotten them down so perfectly. He flipped to the next page and the page after that, examining each one. When he finally got to the end, it was about an hour later.

"Al…" Ben's voice was hoarse and groggy as he rolled over on the bed to face Al. He had the blanket pulled over his head and all Al saw was the male's bright blue eyes. Al reached for the glass of water on the nightstand and handed it to him. He gulped it down before handing it back to Al and sighing, settling back under the covers and closing his eyes again.

Albus decided to stay and read his book, waiting until Ben woke up again.