Chapter 25
"Hey Scorpius," Ricky greeted the blonde on his way to the library.

"Hey Ricky," Scorpius replied somberly. He looked terrible. He had been locked up in his dormitory two days, curtains sealed shut. He still had a shard from the smashed mirror with him. He had put it at his wrists numerous times, but then either someone entered the dorm or he thought of Albus. He had only caught glimpses of Albus when he entered to fetch a book or when he went to bed. What Elizabeth said was true, Albus was over him.

What he didn't know was that Albus thought exactly the same of Scorpius and didn't look at his friend, ex-friend, because tears started to spill whenever he looked at the blonde.

"Scorpius, what's wrong? You look like you're about to die!"

His cheeks were hollow, he had bags under his eyes, he looked paler than usually and his hair looked very untidy.

"Really? I haven't noticed. I kind of avoid looking in the mirror, you know."

Dark humor, Ricky thought. He must have really hit rock-bottom.

"Hey, Ricky!" Someone yelled at him from the other side of the hallway. It was Albus. He walked up to the two boys, but he halted when he noticed Scorpius.

"Hey Al," Scorpius smiled weakly.

"Scorp… I'm sorry, I have to go, I-"

"No, Al, please wait. I want to talk to you."

"I'm sorry, Scorp. I don't think I'm ready for that."

"Al don't be stupid. Talk to the boy," Ricky said, nudging him forward slightly.

Albus still looked hesitant. Lately, whenever he talked to Scorpius, he only got more depressed.

"Please," Scorpius begged.

"I'll leave you two, I have to meet someone anyway."

"Who?" Both asked, confused.

"No one," Ricky smiled innocently.

He left the two boys and continued on his way.

At the library entrance she was already waiting for him.

"You're exactly five minutes late," Lily said, looking at her watch.

"Sorry, I was helping out Scorpius and Albus," he apologized, smiling.

Lily returned it. "Are they still fighting? It's sad, really. They're so in love."

"Tell me about it. But they're talking now, so maybe we'll have a new couple soon."

Lily blushed, but covered it with her hair. Ricky didn't notice.

"So, Lily, tell me about yourself."

Lily looked at him. "Wasn't I the one who wanted to get to know you better?"

"Well, the feeling was mutual, so you start."

"Okay, then. My full name is Lily Luna Potter, but my family calls me Lils. I'm currently in third year, but you know all this already."

"I do, so skip the paperwork and tell me about your life."

"My life? I'm sure that wouldn't really be interesting for you to listen to. I mean you've probably heard the whole 'I-am-the-Chosen-One's-child' story from Albus."

"Indeed I have, so you should tell me about the Lily no one talks about in the press. I only know so much from spending all my time at your house."

Lily laughed. It was a cute, hearty laugh.

"Well, I have been Sorted into Gryffindor, you know that, but that was only because the Hat insisted on that. I actually wanted to be sorted into Ravenclaw. You see, I crave to get the stigma of the Chosen One's daughter off me and my idol is my cousin Victoire, so I wanted to be in Ravenclaw, like her. But the Hat wanted none of it and threw me into Gryffindor. I was kind of disappointed at first, but then I figured people might have thought me to be a Vic rip-off, so I made Gryffindor my home."

"But you always seem so calm, while Victoire I such a party animal."

Lily scoffed. "You haven't seen me in class. And have you seen me at parties? You ain't seen nothing of me yet, honey."

Ricky scooted over. "Well, show me then. Show me your party side."

Lily blushed at Ricky's sudden closeness. Not that she minded.

"Stay close to me then. When we have another House party, watch me."

She looked into Ricky's eyes. Their faces were just inches apart.

"Warn me next time, so I can watch," Ricky said quietly.

"I will," Lily said, closing the gap between them.

The kiss was soft, as were Lily's lips against Ricky's chapped ones.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes more, until a noise broke them apart.

It was a book that fell to the floor. A book that had been dropped by none other than a shocked Rose.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you!" She said, flushed.

"Rose! What are you doing here?" Ricky asked.

"I… Uhm… I went to borrow a book on potions and I… I… I'm sorry I need to go." She turned around and rushed out of the library, covering her face and leaving the dropped book behind.

-o-O-o-

Scorpius had convinced Albus to talk with him and they were now inside an empty hallway, so that they could talk. Scorpius was seated on the floor, head leaning against the wall, while Albus stood there, arms crossed,

"What did you want to talk about?" He asked.

"I miss you, Albus," was Scorpius's only response.

Albus already felt tears prickle in his eyes. "I miss you too, Scorp."

"I miss hanging out with you. I miss our 3 A.M. talks and our trips to Hogsmeade. But mostly I miss your support. You were my glue, Al. You held me together. I was healing because of you. When I met you, I was tired. I was tired of being scared, I was tired of being bullied, I was tired of feeling this way and I was not afraid to end it all. Then I met you. You made me feel safe and protected and loved. Thanks to you, I started eating, stopped cutting and hated myself not as much. I'm sorry, Albus. I'm so sorry for being so weak. I never wanted to break us apart like this." He was crying silent tears now. "And I'm sorry it had to end like this."

Albus, who was crying too, looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"You don't love me anymore. Elizabeth told me. You're done with me. And I don't know if I want to live in a world where I can't be with you, Al. I'm sorry. I just had to say this in person. Just know, it wasn't your fault. Even if you don't hate me, I can't deal with what those people will put me through. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Scorpius, listen to me," Albus said, voice shaking and cracking from crying. "I'm not angry. I love you. I still do, I never stopped. I'm sorry I never tried to hold on to you. It felt like you were done with me. I still love you, Scorp. With all of my heart."

He reached for Scorpius chin and lifted it, so that the blonde was facing him. "I love you, Scorp." He leant down and kissed Scorpius. He poured all that he felt into the kiss. All the love and appreciation that he felt for the other boy. It must have been a weird sight, two boys kissing while simultaneously crying their eyes out.

Scorpius melt into the kiss, but then pulled away. "Don't make this harder than it is, Al. I need to go. I can't take this life I'm living anymore. I love you, Albus, never forget that."

He got to his feet and quickly left the hallway, before Albus could fully comprehend what Scorpius was going to do.

He hurried all the way to the Astronomy Tower. He knew that no one would be there, so he wouldn't be disturbed.

He entered the tower and sat on the ground. He took out the shard of glass he was still carrying around.

He passed it between his hands for a while.

This was it. The end. He was done.

"I'm sorry, I love you, Albus."